C China's Zhangjiajie City develops touring route themed on intangible cultural heritage Xinhua) 16:59, June 10, 2025 A college student (front) tries to weave Tujia ethnic tapestry during a study tour at a cultural and creative park in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province, June 9, 2025. As the Cultural and Natural Heritage Day is upcoming, Zhangjiajie City of Hunan Province has developed a touring route themed on intangible cultural heritage, so as to enrich local tourism while protecting and inheriting folk handicrafts. (Photo by Wu Yongbing/Xinhua) College students try to weave Tujia ethnic tapestry during a study tour at a cultural and creative park in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province, June 9, 2025. As the Cultural and Natural Heritage Day is upcoming, Zhangjiajie City of Hunan Province has developed a touring route themed on intangible cultural heritage, so as to enrich local tourism while protecting and inheriting folk handicrafts. (Photo by Wu Yongbing/Xinhua) Workers weave Tujia ethnic tapestry at a cultural and creative park in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province, June 9, 2025. As the Cultural and Natural Heritage Day is upcoming, Zhangjiajie City of Hunan Province has developed a touring route themed on intangible cultural heritage, so as to enrich local tourism while protecting and inheriting folk handicrafts. (Photo by Wu Yongbing/Xinhua) Tourists visit a cultural and creative park about Tujia ethnic tapestry in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province, June 9, 2025. As the Cultural and Natural Heritage Day is upcoming, Zhangjiajie City of Hunan Province has developed a touring route themed on intangible cultural heritage, so as to enrich local tourism while protecting and inheriting folk handicrafts. (Photo by Wu Yongbing/Xinhua) (Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing) More Chinese provinces extend marriage leave in family support push Xinhua) 08:59, June 11, 2025 A group wedding ceremony is held in the Shenyang Palace Museum in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, May 22, 2024. (Xinhua) BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- China is rolling out extended marriage leave in at least 27 provincial-level regions as part of ongoing efforts to foster a more family-friendly society. The government of Sichuan Province, one of the country's most populous regions, has unveiled a plan to extend marriage leave from three to 20 days, with an additional five days for those who opt for a premarital medical checkup. The proposal is currently open for public comment throughout June. "Previously, with only three days off, it could be a challenge to get home for a wedding itself -- forget about a honeymoon!" said Wang Mengdi, an employee at a Sichuan-based human resources firm. "But with 25 days, you have ample time to enjoy a decent honeymoon." Shandong Province in east China, the ancestral home of Confucius, with a permanent population exceeding 100 million, further reinforced its cultural emphasis on family bonds by extending marriage leave from three days to a maximum of 18 days through legislative action in January. Currently, China grants newlyweds a three-day marriage leave at the national level, a tradition that dates back to 1980. "The one- to three-day marriage leave can barely meet the needs of today's young couple for wedding preparation and ceremonies. This has even impacted marriage registration and fertility rates to some extent," said Xu Jinmei, a senior legislator in Shandong. Amid rapid industrialization and urbanization, millions of young adults have migrated from their hometowns in pursuit of education and career opportunities. Despite this mobility, the deeply rooted tradition of returning home for wedding celebrations remains strong. The custom requires substantial time investments, as many must travel a long way back home to hold their weddings. Provincial-level regions in China have the autonomy to determine the length of marriage leave, often influenced by local customs and demographic policies. The provinces of Shanxi and Gansu offer the most generous policies, allowing up to 30 days of paid leave for newlyweds. The incentive measures were rolled out amid marriage registration declines in China. Official data show that 1.81 million couples registered to tie the knot in the first quarter of 2025, down 8 percent year on year. After a brief rebound in 2023, registrations fell again last year, reaching the lowest level since 1980. Scholars attribute the drop to several factors, including a shrinking pool of marriage-age adults and waning enthusiasm for matrimony. "In the 1980s, more than 20 million people were born each year in China. But since 2000, that number has dropped to just over 10 million annually. So naturally, the base number for marriage registrations is much lower now," said Jiang Quanbao, a professor at the institute for population and development studies at Xi'an Jiaotong University. Li Ting, a demographer at Renmin University of China in Beijing, noted that higher levels of education and a growing sense of individualism have combined to significantly challenge traditional views on marriage. "In the past, young people got married around the time they graduated or started working, but now many won't consider marriage until they're planning to have children," Li added. In a country where the traditional belief is that marriage should precede childbearing, declining marriage rates have become one of the factors behind falling birth rates. In response to these challenges, authorities across the country have introduced various measures to foster a newlywed-friendly society. China streamlined marriage registration. Since May, couples have been able to register their marriage anywhere in the country without presenting a household registration booklet. A couple poses for photos with their marriage certificates at a marriage registration office in the Xuanwu Lake Park in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo) Local authorities have also extended maternity leave and paternity care leave to support family planning. However, some worry that extended marriage leave, maternity leave, and other benefits could end up becoming empty promises due to the economic pressures faced by enterprises. Zhai Zhenwu, president of the China Population Association, noted that the overall extension of marriage leave and maternity leave is not that costly. "This should not be a barrier to extending maternity leave," he said. Zhai also proposed that local budgets help enterprises to offset some of the costs of maternity and marriage leave policies. The suggestion appears to have resonated with policymakers, as reflected in the draft policy statement from Sichuan provincial authorities. The policy document open for public consultation noted that governments at or above the county level should coordinate multi-channel funding to establish a reasonable cost-sharing mechanism for marriage and parental leave, striving to guarantee the full implementation of the leave. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Bob Dylan appears to have narrated the trailer for Machine Gun Kelly's forthcoming album, Lost Americana. Machine Gun Kelly tapped a music legend to introduce fans to his new album After the 84-year-old music legend surprised fans by sharing footage of the rap rocker, 35, on his Instagram in February, he's played a part in the unveiling of Colson Baker's first album since 2022's Mainstream Sellout. In the clip, Dylan (as sources confirmed to Variety) says of the collection: Its a sonic map of forgotten places, a tribute to the spirit of reinvention and a quest to reclaim the essence of American freedom. From the glow of neon diners to the rumble of the motorcycles, this is music that celebrates the beauty found in the in-between spaces. Where the past is reimagined, and the future is forged on your own terms. In the video, MGK is seen having fun with friends and hanging out in the mountains. Earlier this year, Dylan shared a clip of MGK performing acoustically at Park Ave CDs store in Orlando, Florida. The Rap Devil star then got to meet the 'Like a Rolling Stone' hitmaker, all because of a video of me rapping in a music store 10 years ago." He joined Dylan onstage at Willie Nelsons Outlaw Music Festival Tour stop in Los Angeles with Billie Strings, John Stamos, and Johnny Knoxville. After the appearance, he penned on X: i met and had a conversation with someone last night that i never thought id get the honor to meet all because of a video of me rapping in a music store 10 years ago. i love music. (sic)" Lost Americana is set to be released on August 8. 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The idea is that board members can reject any project that doesnt have adequate protections for residents, such as the distance between a data center and residential homes, excess light pollution or noise in the evenings. Henrico had been considering a plan that would have created a district around the White Oak Technology Park near Sandston. Developers could have built data centers within that district without having to get approval from the board. That idea for a data center overlay district was unanimously shot down for one that requires developers to apply for provisional use permits through a public hearing process. Public hearings will give anyone from the public a chance to speak, offering their likes or dislikes about a proposed project. Until recently, Henrico had actively wanted to attract data centers to the county. Data centers are a booming industry that provide local governments with a huge boost in tax revenue. Henrico is also uniquely positioned along the infrastructure line they need to operate. The county dropped its tax rate on data center equipment in 2017 as a way to entice these businesses. Today, there are at least 37 different companies operating out of data centers in the county. The vast majority of those hyperscale data centers the large buildings people typically think of when they imagine a data center are located in Varinas White Oak Technology Park. Varina is also home to most of the remaining Henrico land that could be turned into data center developments. The new regulation will essentially stem the flow of data centers coming into the county, having to be approved on a case-by-case basis. Some residents have been pushing back against the idea of data centers proliferating the county. Many criticized massive data center buildings for being built so close to their homes, which are often in the rural Varina district. They also worried about the added cost they add to the electrical grid, noise, excessive lighting, and possible pollution from unfiltered, backup diesel generators. Tyrone Nelson, the supervisor for Varina, said he was excited in 2017 when Meta announced it would be bringing a data center to the county. At that point, I didnt understand everything that went with it, but I was excited that they were coming to our community, he said. Quality Technical Services (QTS) later moved into the former Qimonda semiconductor plant. The manufacturer left Henrico in 2010 and took a massive chunk of jobs with it. Seeing QTS move in felt like a win, Nelson said. He said Henricos era of aggressively enticing data centers is now over. The main reason Im behind this now is because data center movement is moving outside the tech park, Nelson said. We recruited people to come here for that. The proliferation is now spreading out beyond that particular center where we are focused on that industry. If we dont do this, well have data centers everywhere in the district. At a meeting in May, the board and planning commission held a public hearing to vote on the initial plan for a data center overlay district around White Oak. Residents and businesses spoke for three hours, both for and against limiting data centers. Many residents reiterated their concerns around fossil fuels being used to power data centers across the state, the added cost on Virginians electric bills to power data centers and the unsightliness of the buildings, among other concerns. Two developers said they had already spent $300,000 and $700,000 creating data center projects before the new rules were announced. Representatives from local developer Centra said they had been encouraged to build by Henricos economic development authority. However, once it was announced that the new rules were being considered, their meetings ended. They said the small, local developer couldnt afford the added time, cost and risk of applying for a provisional use permit. Both developers, Centra and Vienna Finance, asked to have their projects grandfathered into approval under the new rules. Despite at least one of those developers holding several meetings with residents to update their proposal, Nelson said that these companies would still have to go through a public approval process. Many of the people who spoke to the board said that the boards limitations on data centers were a positive step for the county. The new regulations updated Henricos comprehensive plan which governs land use to increase the distance between a home and a data center to 500 feet, from 200 feet. The county code was also updated to require that data centers use either closed-loop or recycled-water systems for cooling their servers. Such systems are said to significantly reduce water demand. Backup generator testing is limited to between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday-Friday. They cannot be used as a primary source of energy except during an emergency. Board members also supported the creation of a citizen advisory board to work directly with data centers. Specifics like the composition, function and operation of that board were not decided Tuesday night. Anthea Turner has made her fiance healthier since they met. Anthea Turner has revealed she and her fiance Mark Armstrong love to cook The 65-year-old TV presenter - who released her healthy lifestyle book, How to Age Well: The Secrets, in 2021 - met 59-year-old businessman Mark Armstrong in 2019, and as she has been vocal about being active and ditching processed foods, it has motivated him to improve his body. In an interview with Woman's Weekly magazine, she said: "Mark is definitely healthier since he met me." The couple enjoy making "good food from scratch" in their London home, instead of going out to restaurants. Anthea said: "We live in London but don't go out to restaurants much. Mark comes from an Italian family who cooked and by osmosis, he learnt from being in the kitchen with his grandma and mum. "We both enjoy creating good food from scratch." The former Blue Peter presenter and Mark "feel married" even though they have delayed their getting hitched multiple times. Anthea - who previously said the loss of her and Mark's mothers and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic were factors in the pair postponing their nuptials - added: "We talk about it, then we don't talk about it, and then something happens. "Of course, we feel married because we've been together for six years." The star - who insisted she and Mark will tie the knot one day - insisted the pair are "very connected", and she cherishes their relationship. She added: "I am never lonely with Mark, even if he's not in. We are very connected. "I cherish our relationship and my life, probably because I realise I've got more air miles behind me than I have in front. I feel very grateful." Anthea and Mark planned to get hitched in Rome, Italy, in September 2020, and she recently revealed the special occasion will now take place "in the UK". In an interview with Bella magazine in May, she said: "We haven't sorted out the wedding - we have to get our act together. "I don't want the faff of organising anything abroad, so it will be in the UK. "God knows how many bridesmaids I'm going to have!" Anthea's first husband was BBC Radio 1 DJ Peter Powell, 74, and the couple were married from 1990 until 1998. The former Top of the Pops presenter was next married to TV personality Grant Bovey, 64, from 2000 until 2015. Anthea became a stepmother to Grant's three daughters - Lily, 33, Amelia, 32, and Claudia, 29 - when the pair got married in 2000, and despite her separation from their dad, she is still actively involved in their lives and they share a special bond. She said: "Being a stepmum for me is one of my favourite roles. "I love all three of my stepdaughters, and we have a great bond. "I wasn't lucky enough to have my own children, but I knew I would adore these three little girls who were quite young when they came into my life. "I'm so lucky to have them in my life despite the fact that their dad and I are no longer together." President Donald Trump and the U.S. Army plan to restore the names of seven bases that had been named for Confederate officers. But the Army says the restored names, such as Virginias Fort Lee, Fort Pickett and Fort A.P. Hill, will not honor the Confederate officers, but decorated service members who had the same last names as the Confederates. For instance, the Army plans to rename the former Fort Lee in Prince George County now Fort Gregg-Adams for Fitz Lee, a Black Buffalo Soldier who received the Medal of Honor for helping rescue wounded comrades under fire during the Spanish American War. In 2023, during President Joe Bidens administration, the Army renamed nine bases previously named for Confederates carrying out recommendations of a Naming Commission that Congress created in 2021. The plan to now abruptly rename the bases without any of the public input the commission undertook before recommending new names in 2022 dismayed Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-4th. Her predecessor, Rep. Donald McEachin, D-4th, played a leading role in renaming Fort Lee through a painstaking process dictated by Congress. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems to have said, Lets find a name that is Pickett, a name that is Lee, McClellan said. Its as simple as that. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said the order Hegseth issued at the presidents direction is illegal because the original names were changed pursuant to a congressional enactment that was included in an appropriations bill that became law. The law is the law, and the president cant change it on a whim, Kaine said in a media briefing on Wednesday. And his court jester, Pete Hegseth, cant do it either. Its an embarrassment, Kaine said. Since Trump took office, the Army already had restored the names of Fort Bragg and Fort Benning, saying they are now christened for decorated soldiers who share the same last names as Confederate Gens. Braxton Bragg and Henry L. Benning. Trump did not make a distinction between the restored names and the Confederate officers when he announced the new changes on Tuesday at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. In fact, he specifically referred to restoring the name of the fort long named for Robert E. Lee. But for a little breaking news, we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Robert E. Lee, Trump said. We won a lot of battles out of those forts. Its no time to change. And Im superstitious. You know, I like to keep it going, right? Im very superstitious. We want to keep it going. So thats a big story. In a statement, the Army also did not mention that the restored names match those of the Confederate officers. It said it will take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic Soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu. Five of them received the Medal of Honor, three received the Distinguished Service Cross and one received the Silver Star. In Virginia, according to the Army, Fort A.P. Hill, near the town of Bowling Green in Caroline County, will not be named for Confederate Gen. Ambrose P. Hill, but for Pvt. Bruce Anderson, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn and Lt. Col. Edward Hill, for extraordinary heroism during the Civil War. Then-Capt. Hill, Pinn and Anderson executed significant actions separately at Cold Harbor, Virginia; Chapins Farm, Virginia; and Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in support of the U.S. Army, the Army said in a statement. In 2023 the Army had renamed Fort A.P. Hill as Fort Walker after Mary Edwards Walker, a doctor who treated soldiers during the Civil War and later received the Medal of Honor. Gregg and Adams Fort Lee, the logistics and training base that had been named for Gen. Robert E. Lee, was renamed in 2023 as Fort Gregg-Adams in honor of two trailblazing Black officers, Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg of Richmond and Lt. Col. Charity Adams, the first Black female officer commissioned in the U.S. Army. Gregg served in the military for 35 years before retiring in 1981. In 1979, he became the Armys first Black officer to serve as a deputy chief of staff for logistics and was the highest-ranking Black Army officer upon his retirement in 1981. He was the only living person in modern Army history to have a fort named in his honor. Gregg died Aug. 22 at age 96. The change erases that very thoughtful work, including by Donald McEachin, to have a public asset named in a way that fully includes the community, McClellan said in an interview on Wednesday. McEachin, who died suddenly in late 2023, had known Gregg since his childhood because his father had been the generals lifelong friend. McEachin said Gregg was deserving because of his work, including working in logistics to support the reconstruction of Germany after World War II and becoming logistics director for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and deputy chief of staff in logistics for the U.S. Army. The general, who had applied for Officer Candidate School the same year that then-President Harry Truman desegregated U.S. armed forces, initially was refused membership in the Fort Lee Officers Club, which he desegrated in the early 1950s. The club now is named for Gregg and features his portrait. I think its unfortunate that the Trump administration wants to erase that story for purely political reasons, McClellan said. Similarly, she said Adams was worthy of sharing the base name because of her work in the Womens Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II. In 1944, she was named to lead the first unit of African American women serving in the Army overseas. Her unit, the 6888th Central Postal Directory, directed delivery of mail to and from almost seven million soldiers fighting in Europe. She was another appropriate reflection of the work done at the base, McClellan said. McClellan said Fitz Lee, born in Dinwiddie County, was not among the 10 finalists that the naming commission considered in contemplating a new name for Fort Lee. Fort Pickett, near the town of Blackstone in Nottoway County, was originally named for Confederate Gen. George Pickett. It was renamed in 2023 as Fort Barfoot, in honor of Col. Van T. Barfoot, a World War II Medal of Honor recipient honored for his heroism as an Army technical sergeant in Italy in 1944. Barfoot, originally from Mississippi, spent his retirement years in the Richmond area and died in Richmond in 2012. He drew national attention in 2009 for his fight to fly the American flag from a 21-foot flagpole in his Henrico County yard. His neighborhood association, which allowed flags to be flown on angled poles attached to houses, ordered it removed and threatened legal action. The association backed down following an outpouring of support for the decorated veteran. The Army says Fort Pickett will now be named in honor of 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, for his extraordinary heroism during World War II. Richmonds water crisis is trickling into the lieutenant governors race. Former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney says he wishes the citys prior administration had fixed the citys water plant issues that, among other things, led to the Jan. 6 breakdown that left much of the city without drinking water for six days. Referring to efforts to replace the water plants switchgear, a key piece of equipment in the breakdown, Stoney shifted some of the blame to his predecessor, Dwight Jones, who served as Richmonds mayor from 2009 to 2016, before Stoneys eight-year tenure. This came out of the administration before me, Stoney said Saturday during a campaign stop in Alexandria. Do we wish that the prior administration would have gotten it done so we didnt have to deal with it? Obviously, we wish that. But we were the ones who finally got it done, he added. Its a long process to get to completion on a project like that, but we did that. Stoney was likely referring to the completion of the procurement process and not the switchgear replacement as that part had still not been replaced by the time he left office in December. Jones, Stoneys predecessor as mayor, announced this week he is endorsing one of Stoneys rivals for the Democratic lieutenant governor nomination: Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach. Jones said in an interview Tuesday that its unfortunate that Stoney is pointing the finger at him. The city is extremely old and (it is) difficult, in eight years, to fix systemic problems, he said. Its unfortunate that someone would blame a predecessor because you get what you get, and you deal with what you have to deal with. Jones said Rouse is a man of integrity and the best person for the job of lieutenant governor. Stoney and Rouse are among six Democrats seeking the partys nomination for lieutenant governor in a June 17 primary. Their other opponents are Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield; Prince William County School Board Chair Babur Lateef; former federal prosecutor Victor Salgado; and labor leader Alex Bastani. The Democratic nominee will face Republican John Reid in November. At a campaign event in Richmond on Monday, Rouse took a swipe at Stoney, saying that during his own service on the Virginia Beach City Council, he focused on ensuring residents had clean drinking water. A wave of murmurs swept through the audience, to which Rouse responded, Yeah, I said it. Rouse said in a statement Tuesday: My opponent let his city down and now is trying to blame Reverend Jones. Virginians know better and deserve better. On Virginia Beach City Council, I fought to pass a $567 million bond referendum to protect our communities from flooding, Rouse continued. Virginia needs stewards of taxpayer dollars that prioritize our communitys basic needs, not ones who are distracted chasing shiny objects for a quick press hit. Stoneys campaign manager Zach Marcus said Tuesday that Rouse doesnt want to admit that under Stoney, Richmond invested more than $400 million into water treatment plant maintenance, "a century-old system neglected for decades before Levar took office." But no city can shoulder multi-billion dollar infrastructure upgrades alone. It takes real partnership with the state and federal government, Marcus said. If Aaron Rouse had ever served as an executive he might understand that. But he hasnt. Hes never had to balance a city budget, and never had to make hard calls to protect public health. If he actually cared about Richmond residents he would have helped us pass critical funding through the state legislature, but he was too busy running for his 4th office in 7 years to do that. At the campaign event in Alexandria on Saturday, Stoney responded to questions about the Jan. 6 water plant breakdown that occurred just after his term had ended and left much of the city without drinking water for six days. Asked by the Richmond Times-Dispatch whether it was his first time publicly addressing the water crisis, Stoney said no. I get the question, and I answer the question, he said. Ive been to Greene County, and a reporter asked me a question about the treatment plant. And I give them the answers which I know. But he said his ability to answer questions is hampered by his limited information. I wasnt there on January 6, Stoney said. I wasnt there for the fluoride mishap. I wasnt there for the recent boil water advisory. Stoney has declined multiple interview requests from Richmond reporters regarding the water crisis, citing his busy campaign schedule. EPA report, deferred maintenance Stoney was also asked whether he wished hed handled water infrastructure differently during his eight years as Richmond mayor. He said that neither the mayor nor the chief administrative officer can fix problems they dont know about. My wish would be for those who are working at the plant (to) send problems up the chain, he said. When the (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) visits a facility and the director of utilities doesnt even know, thats a problem. Stoney was referencing a 2022 EPA report that identified serious infrastructural and protocol deficiencies at the water treatment plant. Former Department of Public Utilities Director April Bingham whom Stoney appointed in March told WTVR that she had not been informed of the EPA inspection until two years after it happened. Bingham learned of it when the Virginia Department of Health reached out to follow up on the report in October 2024, she said. Stoney then addressed The Times-Dispatchs previous reporting that city officials had deferred maintenance on the plants switchgear the part that failed to transfer the plant to its secondary power feed during a blackout on the morning of Jan. 6, leading to the water crisis. Records show that officials put out bids for the switchgears replacement as long ago as 2016, but then decided the project was too expensive. It wasnt until 2022 that officials decided to go through with the job but by that time, it was too late. The work was still underway when the component malfunctioned. We never had a water outage Stoney described the water crisis as avoidable the same word the Virginia Department of Health used in its report on the incident. Human error played a major role in this, he said. DPUwerent preparing for the storm. I dont care how small or large the storm will be, you have to prepare. And it doesnt take standard operating procedures to make something like that happen, he said. Both the state health department and engineering firm HNTB which city officials retained to conduct an independent investigation into the cause of the water crisis found that insufficient procedures and poor training were contributing factors. Both determined that DPU staff had not taken adequate measures to prepare for the snowstorm that led to the power outage. CFE agrees to provide generators to deal with Quintana Roos ongoing power outages Riviera Maya, Q.R. More than 60 portable generators have been earmarked for Quintana Roo during the summer season. Governor Mara Lezama said she has negotiated the arrival of 64 power generators to address the ongoing electrical outages. Those generators will also be used to provide electricity during emergencies. She said she continues to work with the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) to ensure the uninterrupted supply of electricity. She said currently, the CFE is replacing utility poles in some municipalities and clearing overgrown vegetation under the wiring in others to prevent outages. Playa del Carmen Mayor Estefania Mercado said one of the hardest affected areas in the city is Villas del Sol, which experiences constant power outages. Other municipalities including residential areas of Cancun to towns along the southern border are also affected almost daily by the ongoing power interruptions. Governor Lezama explained that the initiative was implemented following multiple citizen reports and recognition of the fragility of the regions electrical system. We have received confirmation of the arrival of 64 generators to provide emergency support. This energy represents a backup for approximately 10,000 homes, she clarified. Lezama said her administration is working in coordination with CFE authorities to address energy demand and prevent service interruptions. Immediate actions include replacing obsolete power poles and clearing foliage, which, upon coming into contact with high-voltage power lines, has caused blackouts in various areas. Were an active part of this effort, knocking on doors and pointing out where resources are needed. Citizens have experienced it firsthand, the blackouts that impact all sectors from domestic to tourism and commerce, she stated. The arrival of this equipment is expected to temporarily relieve the systems load during contingencies, while work continues to strengthen the electrical distribution network in the medium and long term, she added. In April, the CFE reported an additional energy supply in the Yucatan Peninsula. In preparation for the increase in demand during the summer of 2025, capacitor banks will be installed at seven substations in northern Quintana Roo, with an investment of 194.39 million pesos (mx). In addition, a three-phase transformer will be moved from Saltillo, Coahuila, to Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo. The move required an investment of 49.37 million pesos. Scientists set sail for two week study project on Mexican Caribbean sargassum Riviera Maya, Q.R. More than 60 scientists have set sail for a two week research project to study Mexicos sargassum. The Mexican government seeks to mitigate the negative effects of sargassum on the coasts and transform it into a useful resource through scientific knowledge. The group of scientists set sail from Cozumel May 29 on the Fisheries and Oceanographic Research Vessel Dr. Jorge Carranza Fraser for 14 days to unravel the mysteries of pelagic sargassum in the Mexican Caribbean. The participating researchers are from national institutions. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, through the Mexican Institute for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (IMIPAS), is promoting the oceanographic research cruise. The cruise is in coordination with other Mexican government agencies to evaluate and exploit pelagic sargassum (Sargassum spp.) in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Mexican Caribbean. During the 14 days of continuous navigation in the Mexican Caribbean, specialists will travel more than 3,500 kilometers to study pelagic sargassum, a brown algae that floats on the oceans surface, in what represents the first project of this magnitude internationally. The project is made possible with support from the Inter-American Development Bank, an international organization that promotes sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The scientists are carrying out the project on Dr. Jorge Carranza Fraser Fisheries and Oceanographic Research Vessel, one of the most modern in the world equipped with cutting-edge technology. Since 2011, massive influxes of sargassum have been recorded in the Caribbean Sea. In 2014, it began arriving continuously in the Mexican Caribbean, affecting nearly 900 kilometers of coastline and reaching volumes of up to two cubic meters per linear meter of beach. Although sargassum provides habitat benefits for various species on the high seas, its massive accumulation along coasts has had negative impacts on human health, coastal ecosystems and economic activities such as fishing and tourism. Tons of sargassum is being collected nearly every day along the Mexican Caribbean coast. June 2025. Faced with this challenge, IMIPAS proposes a new approach: harnessing sargassum as a fishery resource, which requires a thorough understanding of its environment and biomass to enable its identification and capture on the high seas, before it reaches the beaches. To achieve this, more than 60 researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the Autonomous University of Baja California, the University of the Sea , and the University of Costa Rica will participate. Other researchers from the Centers for Research and Advanced Studies, the Interdisciplinary Center for Marine Sciences, the Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, and the Interdisciplinary Center for Research for Integral Regional Development are also on board. Scientist from the Institute of Ecology, Fisheries and Oceanography, the Institute of Technology of Tepic, the College of the Southern Border and researchers from Mexico Secihti, are also involved. Researchers into to sample the sargassum to determine the species that compose it, their volumes, their chemical composition, and the presence of heavy metals and microplastics. The will also sample the fauna that accompanies the sargassum, from fish, mollusks, crustaceans and even plankton, take aerial photographs to characterize the sargassum rafts and sample marine water to determine nutrients, heavy metals and other contaminants. A Mexican Navy sargassum barge is seen collecting sargassum at sea June 2025. Other project will include studies on ocean acidification, which will also help understand its impact on Caribbean corals and analysis of environmental DNA, i.e. genetic material from organisms associated with sargassum. With the collaboration of specialists, research centers, and cutting-edge technology, the goal is to generate multiple lines of research for the sustainable use of sargassum. Shooting of Cancun restaurant owner over accusation gets man 31 years in prison Cancun, Q.R. A Cancun judge has sentenced a man to more than 31 years in prison for the murder of a Cancun restaurant owner. The unnamed business owner was shot to death inside his restaurant after being accused of whistling at another mans wife. In an oral trial Monday, Carlos Eduardo Torres Suarez was sentenced to 31 years and six months in prison for the crime of aggravated homicide against the seafood restaurant owner. In November of 2022, the victim, with two of his employees, were at the restaurant where Carlos Eduardo Torres Suarez was celebrating his wifes birthday. As he left the establishment, Carlos Eduardo Torres Suarez walked past the victim claiming he had whistled at his wife, which the victim denied. However, the attacker challenged him. The victims employees managed to calm Suarez down, however, Suarez left only to return with a firearm he used to shoot the businessman repeatedly, killing him. According to police, Suarez had been on conditional release with an electronic tracking device since January 4, 2025 after presenting a medical report to a judge certifying that he was suffering from a serious illness. However, the Public Prosecutors Office provided evidence proving the diagnosis was false. Therefore, when the conviction was handed down, the judge reinstated the imprisonment sentence. In addition to the 31 years and six months prison sentence, Carlos Eduardo Torres Suarez must pay a fine of 180,412.50 pesos, as well as 874,722.20 pesos in compensation for material damages. Recent calls in some quarters here in the U.S. for state intervention in religion, even in enforcing doctrine, ignores what is already happening globally. Freedom granted by state power is no longer a human right but a privilege that can be revoked at will State control of religion is a practice that has long been in operation in more totalitarian regimes like China, North Korea, Vietnam, and Nicaragua. One of the reasons for this push for control is that the religious sector often serves as the moral compass of society. Religious organizations and their leaders are key public figures, able to influence millions of people with a message that may contradict the political narrative. The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu is an example of one who spoke truth to power. His Nobel Peace Prize recognized the key role that faith communities and their leaders can play in a nations sociopolitical life. Freedom of religion is a basket of human rights, far broader than praying in the privacy of your home or attending church on Sunday. It includes freedom of conscience, thought, belief and opinion, as well as the right to follow the faith of your choiceor to adhere to no faith at all. It is the right to assemble and form religious institutions that determine their confessions, doctrines, and ordinances. Importantly, it gives parents the right to pass on their faith, views, and values to their children, particularly in the early years of their development. For these good reasons, the right to freedom of religion must be robustly defended against any erosion by the state. Human history is filled with horrific examples of the consequences of the state intervening in or interfering with freedom of religion. Europe endured centuries of violent conflict after the Reformation, as state-backed religious factions persecuted dissenters. When particular religious expressions gained state favor, persecution of those who believed differently inevitably followed. The Massachusetts Bay Colonys execution of Quakers on October 27, now commemorated as Religious Freedom Day, is a stark reminder of the dangers of government-controlled or government-backed faith. Historically, one of the hallmarks of any democracy worthy of the name has been the ability of its citizens to practice, express, and live out their faith freely, both in private and in public and without fear of sanction. It is therefore deeply concerning to note a growing trend for statesparticularly in sub-Saharan Africato seek ways to intervene in and control the religious sector and its activities. State control of religion is already established in Rwanda and Angola and is currently under serious consideration in Kenya, Uganda, Namibia, and South Africa. State regulation treats religious freedom as a privilege that it grants, rather than an inalienable human right guaranteed by international treaties and enshrined in the Constitutions of many nations. In Prince v. President of the Law Society of the Cape of Good Hope, the South African Constitutional Court affirmed that religious beliefs are protected even if they are bizarre, irrational, illogical, or incapable of scientific proof. You can believe in the man in the moon as long as you do not harm anyone else in the process and operate within the rule of law. South Africa is a good case in point because the reasons given to establish state control of religion are common to other contexts where this is under consideration. Freedom of religion is enshrined in Section 15 of the South African Constitution, which guarantees freedom of belief and expression without qualification. The Constitution also established a Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Rights Commission (CRL), which has the specific mandate to uphold and protect this vital freedom and human right. It was therefore an extraordinary development when, in 2017, the CRL produced a report entitled The Commercialisation of Religion and the Abuse of Peoples Belief Systems and then pushed hard for the government to pass legislation to impose state regulation under its auspices. Their proposal included establishing state-appointed peer review committees to license religious practitioners and oversee churches, with the power to suspend or dismiss leaders found guilty of misconduct. The CRL justified its call for state regulation of religion by highlighting extreme cases of abuse, such as fraud, fake miracles, and even dangerous practices like spraying insecticide on congregants. Examples of such abuse, particularly when amplified by media coverage, are often the catalyst for calls for state regulation of the religious sector. Kenya recently made world headlines when over 400 people were persuaded to starve themselves to death by a cult leader. In South Africa, the media showed images of the so-called Prophet of Doom spraying a brand of insecticide with this name into the face of a congregant, claiming he had a God-given power to heal using this technique. People have been encouraged to eat snakes and grass and even to drink petrol. While such incidents are disturbing, they represent fringe elements rather than mainstream religious communities. Using isolated cases to justify sweeping regulations grossly misrepresents the role of faith in society. The overwhelming majority of religious leaders serve their communities with integrity and play an integral role in strengthening the moral fabric of their country. Moreover, existing laws already prohibit fraud, assault, and other criminal acts, regardless of religious affiliation. The problem is not a lack of regulation but rather a failure to enforce existing laws, which provide effective remedies when properly applied. Religious freedom has never been a legal defense to excuse or justify a criminal act. These remain crimes, regardless of religious affiliation. Whether you are a pastor, a postman, or a politician, if you break an existing law, you should be prosecuted and, after due process, face the full consequences and sanctions for your unlawful actions. A detailed legal analysis revealed that every abuse cited in the CRLs report was already illegal under South African law. It is the states responsibility to enforce these laws or to enact new ones if necessary. If this is not happening effectively, additional regulation will not solve the problem. When properly applied, existing laws resolve the issues, as seen in the case of the Prophet of Doom, who was found guilty on four counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. A common argument for religious regulation is that clergy should be treated like professionals in law or medicine, requiring standard qualifications and ethical oversight. However, this analogy is deeply flawed. Unlike regulated professions, religion is not based on a universally accepted body of knowledge. There are over 40,000 Christian denominations worldwide (mostly subgroups of larger denominations or nondenominational sects), each with distinct theological interpretations. No government should therefore have the authority to determine which beliefs are correct or acceptable. Unlike other professions, religious practitioners are guided by a sense of divine calling rather than an academic qualification, although educating that calling is always strongly encouraged. Any form of compelled training or requirement for a state-recognized academic qualification as a prerequisite for a license to practice as a religious leader will conflict with the right to religious freedom. Although presented as a way to counteract false teaching and reinforce theological orthodoxy, by this standard Christs chosen 12 apostles would have been disqualified since they were called unlearned and ignorant men by the religious authorities of their day. It is emphatically not the role of the state to support religious conformity or faith orthodoxy. Moreover, the claim that the religious sector is unregulated is simply false. Religious organizations are already subject to numerous laws governing property ownership, banking, employment, and taxation. Most churches operate as registered legal entities, such as nonprofit organizations or trusts, each with its own existing compliance requirements. Noncompliance is often due to a lack of knowledge rather than intentional wrongdoing. Instead of imposing unnecessary regulations, the CRL (and other government agencies) should focus on educating and equipping religious practitioners with the information necessary to operate responsibly within the existing legal framework. A further argument in support of state regulation of religion is that it will help stamp out charlatans and misguided theology. The proposed solution is for the state to appoint a Peer Review Committee of senior religious leaders of the major faiths, whose task would be to evaluate religious practitioners and those wishing to form a religious organization, to ascertain if their doctrine is acceptable. In the South African context, the CRL sought legislation to license all religious practitioners, organizations, and places of worship via this evaluation process. It proposed that the CRL would act as the final arbiter of religion and hold the final decision powers in religious disputes. A simple analysis demonstrates that if the state appoints, empowers, and ultimately rules on the outcomes of these peer review mechanisms, it will have established a system of state control of religion. While it may appear benign and well-intentioned, it is easy to see that it can quickly turn cancerous. Furthermore, South African law recognizes the Doctrine of Entanglement, meaning that courts avoid ruling on religious doctrine and internal disputes. The state should do the same and intervene only when actual laws are broken. Any interference in evaluating the suitability of a doctrine or belief would be state overreach. With regard to the financial aspects of the religious sector, the states role is to uphold the law, not to police a believers giving. Financial abuses do occur within religious organizations, but these are addressed by existing fraud and consumer protection laws. Law enforcement, not special regulations targeting religion, should handle any cases of deception or criminal activity. Religious organizations, like all other entities, must adhere to proper accounting practices and tax obligations. Singling them out for additional scrutiny would constitute unfair discrimination. Unless fraud or broken contractual promises are at play, regulating voluntary religious donations would be an overreach, undermining both financial autonomy and religious freedom. This raises a broader question: Should the state protect people from the consequences of their own financial choices? Where does faith end and human gullibility beginand is it the role of the state to draw this line? Some argue that giving money to religion is misguided to begin with, while others believe faith justifies sacrificial giving, as seen in the biblical story of the Widows Mite. It is worth mentioning that, if the state is serious about protecting the financially vulnerable, it should first address other high-risk financial activities, starting with a ban on operating casinos and state-run lotteries. We do not need to guess the outcome of state regulation and its impact on the right to religious freedom. Such laws and systems are already in place in Rwanda and Angola. In Rwanda, it was reported in August 2024 that over 9,800 prayer houses and 7,000 illegal churches have already been shut down. In Angola, between November 2018 and May 2019, the government closed approximately 2,308 places of worship, including 46 mosques, as part of a nationwide law enforcement campaign aimed at combating criminality and regulating unlicensed associations and unregistered religious institutions. Additionally, in 2018, more than 2,000 unregistered churches were forced to close following the governments approval of a new law requiring them to register with at least 100,000 signatures from followers. Regulation of religion by the state represents an existential threat to religious freedom. When the government controls who can preach, what can be taught, and which institutions are legitimate, faith ceases to be an independent force and becomes a tool of the state. What is needed is not more regulation but better enforcement of existing laws. Faith communities must therefore remain vigilant against government overreach. The moment religious freedom becomes a privilege granted by the state rather than an inalienable right, it has already been lost. A former physician was sentenced to 40 months in prison Tuesday for illegal prescriptions from a chain of Western Virginia pain clinics where, authorities said, turning a profit took precedence over treating patients. Duane Dixon, 66, was part of what was referred to as a den of thieves at L5 Medical Holdings, a now-defunct company that operated five Pain Care Centers, including ones in Blacksburg and Christiansburg. Was he the leader of that den of thieves? No, U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Dillon said in imposing less than the five and a half years that prosecutors said Dixon deserved. But he played an integral role. As a pain management specialist, Dixon supervised a staff that included another doctor, a nurse practitioner and a counselor all of whom were earlier incarcerated for their roles in a health care fraud that allegedly cheated government insurance programs out of nearly $4 million. Still to be sentenced in Roanokes federal court are the companys past owner, John Gregory Barnes, and its former chief operating officer, Jennifer Adams. Dixon took advantage of a vulnerable population of patients, Dillon said in pronouncing his sentence at the end of a hearing that lasted all day Monday and into Tuesday. The clinics treated those in chronic pain and those struggling with dependance on the medications they turned to for relief. Duane Dixon prioritized profit over patient care, Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary Lee said in a statement. Our nation is fighting an opioid epidemic on a scale we have never seen and doctors like this, who take advantage of the addictions of others for their own greed, must be held accountable. In October 2023, Dixon pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute opioid painkillers and Suboxone, which is used to treat addiction to those narcotics, without a legitimate medical purpose. He also admitted to allowing unauthorized staffers to dispense Suboxone using a Drug Enforcement Administration registration number assigned only to physicians. And he pleaded guilty to failing to report to law enforcement a pattern of health care fraud at L5 clinics in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Lynchburg, Madison Heights and Woodlawn. In addition to illegal prescriptions dispensed by Dixon and other staffers, the clinic engaged in a variety of schemes to generate high revenues from 2014 to 2019, according to court records and testimony. Among them: conducting as many urine drug screens as a patients insurance would pay for, regardless of need; charging at a higher rate for care that was not provided by doctors; false billing to Medicare and Medicaid; and ordering unnecessary genetic tests simply because they were paid for by a patients insurance. Dixon knew that things were not on the up and up at L5, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff told Dillon in asking her to impose a 66-month sentence. Too often he looked the other way rather than using his supervisory role to try to improve things. However, Dixon testified that he spoke out about some of the practices and even informed the Virginia State Police and the Board of Medicine about what he had seen and done. But he admitted that he should have left L5 sooner than he did in 2019. If he had, I wouldnt be sitting here today, he said from the witness stand. Although he acknowledged that he needed a steady paycheck to deal with financial strains, Dixon unlike other defendants was not primarily motivated by greed, according to his attorney, John Fishwick of Roanoke. He was hustling, Fishwick said of Dixons hard work at the clinics. He was trying to give the best medical care to everyone. He wasnt hustling to buy a yacht or live high on the hog. And when he did question his superiors on some matters, such as the unnecessary drug screens, Dixon said Barnes made it clear who was in charge. He would say: these are my employees, Dixon testified. They do what I tell them to do, not what you tell them to do. Barnes, who faces up to five years in prison, had no prior medical experience when he bought the clinics. After working in the mortgage industry during the economic crash of the late 2000s, he decided to go into a recession proof line of work and selected health care, court records state. As part of Dixons plea agreement, Dillon dismissed three other charges, one of which accused him of unlawfully distributing fentanyl and oxycodone to an unnamed female patient, who died of an overdose one day after receiving a prescription in May 2015. Two months earlier, the woman passed out in the waiting room of the Lynchburg clinic. She was hospitalized for what was determined to be an overdose. Although prosecutors argued the incident was relevant conduct that should be considered at sentencing, Dillon ruled that they had failed to show that Dixons prescriptions in that case were not for a legitimate medical purpose. On one occasion, Dixon pre-signed blank prescriptions to be distributed at the Christiansburg clinic. Staff who were not authorized to dispense medications passed out over 50 prescriptions in a three-day period for powerful, addictive and potentially deadly drugs such as fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine, according to court documents. Dixon surrendered his medical license and agreed never to practice again, which Fishwick described as a severe penalty for a career doctor whose self-identity was based largely on his work. He is no longer Dr. Dixon, Fishwick said. He is Mr. Dixon. After his guilty plea, Dixon continued to work at jobs that included a retail cashier and a municipal bus driver in Massachusetts, where he was living before his bond was revoked at the end of Tuesdays hearing. Dressed in a dark suit and tie, Dixon handed his wallet, jewelry and other valuables to his son before he was led from the courtroom to a holding cell. From the witness stand Monday and in a statement to Dillon Tuesday, the defendant apologized for what he had done to undermine a lifetime reputation as a hard-working and ethical physician. I failed the community. I failed my patients. I failed my family, he said. And I failed myself. Roanoke teachers and staff approached their school board Tuesday night to question the status of their state-provided bonus pay. The educators asked when, or if, they would receive their $1,000 bonuses from the Virginia Department of Education. The state gave $1.45 million to the school system, enough to fund $1,000 retention bonuses for each staff member as required by minimum staffing standards, said Chief Financial Officer Kathleen Jackson. Herein arises an issue for Roanoke City Schools, because the division employs far more staff members than are required by state law, she said. For example, the schools employ 27 kindergarten aides, but the state only partly funds 11 of those. When we do have these opportunities for bonuses, we want to look at all of our employees, Jackson said. With the exception of executive directors and above. As such, the schools could provide a bonus in the amount of $555 for all its full-time staff, and half that amount for all the part-time workers. It would cost the schools an additional $1.7 million out of pocket to bring the bonuses up to a full $1,000, but that is just not feasible given the tight budget the system is facing, school board members said. School Board Member Joyce Watkins asked if there is a little more the division can give to its hard-working teachers. I dont think we can get to the $1,000 for each employee, Watkins said. What can we spare to bring it up just a little bit? Jackson said she is not sure yet how much, if any, surplus the schools will have, because the books wont be finalized until sometime in the fall. The schools and city governments financial year begins anew July 1, but the auditing process continues into October, she said. School Board member Deidre Trigg said she doesnt think teachers can or should wait that long for the bonus pay they rightly deserve. Were having a hard time in every area, Trigg said. We dont need to have a hard time with our educators. The school board is changing its regular workshop June 24 to a special meeting, so it can take further action on the retention bonuses. The marching orders for Jackson are to see about giving a bonus in two installments, first the $555 by June 30, and then any further funds available once year-end accounting is finished in the fall. School board chair Eli Jamison said she did not want to cause any unforeseen, weird, tax implications by giving out bonuses in two tranches. Im always excited about a bonus until I see the taxes, Jamison said. We dont want to find ourselves doing a negative thing when were trying to do a good thing. School board member Liz Quintana said staff and students are the boards top priority. Vice Chair Franny Apel said she favors using every dollar budgeted this year to balance the bonuses out as much as possible. It is important that we are not leaving anyone out, Trigg said. We will get what we can get to you, as soon as we can get to you. Most years this would not be such a difficult conversation, Jamison said. But school officials say they are feeling a budget squeeze at the local, state and federal levels. This is as tight a budget year as weve had in a while, Jamison said. A million dollars is a lot of money, but in a budget of our size, thats pretty tight. For example, the system had to adopt new textbooks this year worth a total of $3 million, an unexpected expense required by state law, officials said Tuesday night. Also during the school board meeting Tuesday, the board approved its budget for the new financial year that begins July 1. Its a $317 million overall budget, with cuts made to the elementary school Spanish program, among other concessions to keep the system solvent. Running in the red is not an option for Roanoke City Public Schools, said Superintendent Verletta White. We are the largest school division in southwest Virginia, and we have greater complexities. Watkins said it was the hardest budget process of her six-year tenure on the school board. Even tougher than the coronavirus years. We had to make real hard decisions this time, Watkins said. I feel that moving forward, the decisions will be just as hard, if not harder. Kat Moon is taking over the Queen Vic on EastEnders. Jessie Wallace is getting an exciting new EastEnders plot The iconic character - played by Jessie Wallace - is getting a new job on the BBC soap as landlady of the famous fictional pub after Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) and Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) have been forced to put the boozer up for sale. An insider told The Sun newspaper: "This will be Kat's third time working in the Queen Vic, but this will be her first time at the helm. "It's a full-circle moment for the character, as when she first moved on to Albert Square in 2000, Kat gained employment as a barmaid at the pub. Then, ten years on, she helped Alfie. "But now she's going to be the sole licensee of the boozer and it will kick-start a whole new chapter for the pub." Kat recently got married to Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) for the third time, over 20 years after their first wedding. Other iconic landladies over the years include the likes of Angie Watts (Anita Dobson), Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement), Peggy Mitchell (Dame Barbara Windsor) and Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean). On Friday (13.06.25), the final episode from executive producer Chris Clenshaw will air, as he's stepping down after three years in charge of Albert Square. He oversaw many major plots, including 2023's return of Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), the award-winning Loving and Losing Lola plot which saw Danielle Harold depart as her alter ego Lola Pearce, who died of a brain tumour. Ben Wadey - who is the show's former story editor - will step up to replace him. EastEnders actor Colin Salmon thinks the show is in a "good spot" as the new boss takes over. He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I have always been a fan. There's great writing, we all work really hard. "I think the authenticity of the humour of the East End, it's that you get stuff thrown at you and go, 'Oh that's fine, we'll deal with it', and then it all comes crashing down later, like in life. We're in a very good place with the show and it's fantastic for us." Colin's on-screen wife Harriet Thorpe (Elaine Peacock) said Ben's creativity and collaborative nature will build on Chris' success. She added: "Ben is wonderful. He's creative, collaborative and that's all you need." Ncuti Gatwas run as the Time Lord lasted only two seasons, making it the shortest tenure in the shows history. Best Time Travel shows As the first Black man to play the titular character, Gatwa gave the show the possibility to explore a more culturally accurate depiction of historical eras. To hide Gatwas short tenure, the showrunner attempted a Hail Mary throw by announcing the return of a show favourite, Billie Piper. With the 15th season of Doctor Who under wraps, here are other shows to help fill the void that the Time Lord left with his quick exit. Sarah Jane Adventures Directly from the Doctor Who verse, this BBC show follows the adventures of an investigative journalist living in London, Sarah Jane Smith. One of the Doctors famous companions, Sarah Jane, pairs up with three ambitious teens in her neighbourhood to solve mysteries across time and space. Despite being produced for a younger audience and originally shown on CBBC, Sarah Jane's Adventures is a timeless show and a great way to get more of the Doctor Who verse as we wait for the latest incarnation. Life on Mars Creepy dolls on TV, 1970s Manchester and a cop determined to return to 2007 - that is the best way to describe Life on Mars. With a rotten tomatoes score of 100%, this British mystery cop procedural is a perfect watch for any sci-fi enthusiasts. Spawning an equally entertaining spin-off starring Keeley Hawes, Life on Mars can definitely fill the space (and viewing time) left by the Time Lord. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: The Adventure Continues: Billie Piper Returns to the Doctor Who verse Once Upon A Time Imagine Prince Charming, Snow White and the Evil Queen as neighbours, then add an overzealous 10-year-old looking to solve the mystery of the small town, and there you have it, one of ABCs greatest shows. Different from other explorations of fairytales, this fanatsy drama will have you redefining the meaning of heroes and villains throughout. With the second season having a Rotten Tomatoes score of 100%, this shows unique concept is perfect for fans of the bizarre universe of the Time Lord. Timeless In this short-lived NBC show, a history professor, her military bodyguard and an engineer travel through time to capture a fugitive on a rampage to change history. Add a forbidden romance, period-accurate costumes and fun storylines, and you have a binge-worthy show on your hands. The only sad thing is that the show was cancelled after two seasons. However, for the 7 million people who watched the pilot when it first aired, the series quickly became a timeless cult classic. by Vanely Barumire for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on LOS ANGELES Dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday to demand the Trump administration stop the stepped-up immigration raids that spread fear across their cities and sparked protests across the U.S. They called on President Donald Trump to pull back on using armed military troops alongside immigration agents during the raids. "I'm asking you, please listen to me, stop terrorizing our residents," said Mayor Jessica Ancona of El Monte, who said she was hit by rubber bullets during a raid in her city. California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, asked a federal court to put an emergency stop to the military helping immigration agents across the nation's second-largest city. This week, guardsmen began standing protectively around agents as they carry out arrests. National Guard members also temporarily detained civilians during protests before turning them over to law enforcement, according to the commander in charge. A judge set a hearing for Thursday. The military is now closer to engaging in law enforcement actions such as deportations, as Trump promised as part of his immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests will be made by law enforcement. Some 2,000 National Guard soldiers are in Los Angeles, and are soon to be joined by 2,000 more along with about 700 Marines, said Army Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, head of Task Force 51, which is overseeing the deployment of National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles. Sherman said Wednesday that even though protests have calmed down in Los Angeles, he expects the situation will escalate. "We are expecting a ramp up," he said, noting that protests are bubbling up across the nation. "I'm focused right here in LA, what's going on right here. But you know, I think we're very concerned." Curfew will continue Police detained more than 20 people, mostly on curfew violations, on the first night of restrictions in downtown Los Angeles and used crowd-control projectiles to break up hundreds of protesters. But there were fewer clashes than on previous nights, and by daybreak, the downtown streets were bustling with residents walking dogs and commuters clutching coffee cups. LA's nightly curfew, which the mayor said would remain in effect as long as necessary, covers a 1-square-mile section that includes an area where protests have occurred since Friday in the sprawling city of 4 million. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles. "If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue," Mayor Karen Bass said. Los Angeles police have made almost 400 arrests and detentions since Saturday, the vast majority of which were for failing to leave the area at the request of law enforcement, according to the police department. Nine police officers have been wounded, mostly with minor injures. Authorities announce arrests Two people accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at police during the LA protests over the weekend face charges that could bring up to 10 years in prison, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. No one was injured by the devices. One of the suspects is a U.S. citizen, and the other overstayed a tourist visa and was in the U.S. illegally, authorities said. Tensions remain high in Los Angeles; DC prepares for military parade Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that 330 people in the country illegally have been arrested since Friday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately confirm that number to The Associated Press. Instead, the department pointed to news releases naming more than a dozen of those arrested by immigration authorities who had prior criminal convictions. Those who have been caught up in the nationwide raids include asylum seekers, people who overstayed their visas and migrants awaiting their day in immigration court. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Thousands of people peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held after workplace raids. Despite the protests, immigration enforcement activity has continued throughout the county, with city leaders and community groups reporting that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been present at libraries, car washes and Home Depot locations. School graduations in Los Angeles increased security over fears of ICE action, and some offered parents the option to watch online. Good Job is Slates advice column on work. Have a workplace problem big or small? Send it to Laura Helmuth and Doree Shafrir here. (Its anonymous!) Dear Good Job, A member of my work team is chronically late (typically around an hour), and it often affects the flow of things as we have to cover for her until she shows up. The trouble is, shes able to get away with it because she is sleeping with the boss. Do we have any recourse here? Someone Who Shows Up on Time Dear Someone Who Shows Up on Time, Sleeping with the boss has almost never ended well for anyone not the boss, and not the person sleeping with the boss. And thats not even counting the chaos that ensues for the rest of the workplace when this happens! In other words, this is a potential professional minefield, and youre right to be concerned about possible repercussions. Have you had a conversation with her about her tardiness? I would start there, and see if you can get through to her about how its negatively affecting the team. Whether or not shes sleeping with the boss, she should still be concerned that her behavior has an impact on the rest of her team. If nothing changes, then I would suggest that you start keeping track of instances where youve had to do her work because she was late, and how the team has had to pick up her slack. Then, bring this up to your manager as a team. When you do that, Id focus on the impact that her tardiness has on everyone elsenot on the relationship with the boss. Also, while its not illegal for someone to have a relationship with the boss, it is illegal for you to be retaliated against for raising thisso you should also document any retaliation you experience because you brought this up. Good luck, and I hope your workday gets a little bit easier soon. Send Your Questions to Good Job! Laura Helmuth and Doree Shafrir want to help you navigate your social dynamics at work. Does your colleague constantly bug you after hours? Has an ill-advised work romance gone awry? Ask us your question here! (Its anonymous!) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dear Good Job, One of my co-workers just moved into an office with a window and a bigger desk than mine. Should I be concerned? Did I Get Stepped Over? Dear Did I Get Stepped Over, This is how people spiral! Even if nothing was amiss, your stewing and ruminating over this almost definite non-issue is going to make you paranoid. Maybe your co-worker moved into the office with a window because they were due to get an office and that one happened to be available! Maybe they put in a request for a window and its now being granted. Maybe it was completely random. We dont know. Also, who needs a bigger desk? Its like I always say: the bigger the desk, the bigger the clutter. Just me? Related From Slate My Sister Is Demanding That I Refund Her for Her Wedding Because of What My Daughter Did to Ruin It Read More Dear Good Job, My boss is an alcoholic. He was promoted to his position overseeing my department a few months ago simply because of straight up brown nosing. He used to show up to work a little buzzed maybe a few times a month, but his drinking is getting worse. Now he drinks on the job, and on more than one occasion, I have found him passed out in his office before noon. Advertisement Advertisement The department I work in is essential to our organization and I and others have been having to do the bulk of his work for him. We have the worst HR on the planet since our company changed ownership, so going to them is a non-starter. I poured years of my life into my organization and he and the new inept ownership are running it into the ground. I have six months until retirement, but my seniority allows me to retire up to a year early. Should I stick it out for the sake of my colleagues or leave now? Disillusioned Advertisement Dear Disillusioned, Recently my parents were scheduled to go on a 10-day trip to Japan with another couple, Tom and Pam, their good friends for more than 50 years. A few days before they were supposed to leave, Tom had to have emergency surgery. It went well, but he and Pam obviously had to cancel the trip, and my parents ended up to going to Japan by themselves. Advertisement All this to sayI feel for your colleagues, but we dont know whats coming around the corner. Carpe the freaking diem, quit this toxic job, and enjoy your retirement. Doree Classic Prudie About six months ago my doctor gave me two more years to live. I started using that time to make peace with my family, especially my wife, as weve had a turbulent marriage. Things have been going well so far and our marriage is probably the best its ever been. What I am wondering now is, should tell my wife that Ive had an affair for eight years with another woman? Brian Wilson has died at age 82, his family announced on Wednesday. This article, originally published in 2022, examined what made the Beach Boy great. Rock historywhether its written by music critics, fans, journalists, or scholarsoften paints Brian Wilson, the oft-proclaimed creative leader behind the Beach Boys, as a solitary auteur whose personal vision utterly dominated the rest of the band. This belief dates all the way back to the late 60s, when the slogan Brian Wilson is a genius first spread; its persisted in collective memory ever since. A documentary released this past November, Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, posits exactly that, dedicating its run time to deifying Wilson as one of musics most singular artists. It ably details his personal struggles and self-perception but deals uncritically in promoting this glorified understanding of his musicianship. And that view isnt entirely wrong. As the bands producer, foremost composer, and creative leader, Wilsons musical direction was the most prominent among the Beach Boys during the bands seminal period, from their inception in 1961 through the year their highly anticipated Smile album was scrapped, 1967. Its because of Wilsons musical talents and labor that we have the timeless tracks of Pet Sounds, the pocket symphony of Good Vibrations, and endless anthems to summer fun and teenage love, songs that soundtracked the youths of an entire generation of Americans. But the film also does the work to repromote this idea that Wilson is the Beach Boys, that it was his musical prowess alone that made the band what it was. Its true that the Beach Boys would have been nothing without Brian Wilson, but the inverse is also true: Wilson needed the Beach Boys just as much as they needed him, his real genius lying in his ability to collaborate with others, to compose music that was greater than the sum of its parts. The other Beach Boysmost famously Brians brothers Carl and Dennis Wilson, cousin Mike Love, and friends Al Jardine and Bruce Johnstonmore than pulled their weight on stage and in the recording studio. Wilsons skills lay in synthesizing their talents to create music that was at once experimental and commercial, personal and relatable, timely and timeless. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Beach Boys were always a vocal group at heart, a rock n roll choir. The very core of their sound was built upon complex harmonies that required a great deal of coordination and mutual understanding. Brian Wilsons falsetto was but one part of the bands vocal blend; every member was needed to unlock the potential of their collective sound. They were also far from passive acolytes of Wilsons vision. As Wilson himself put it in 1965, When I sit down at the piano to play a new song we take the melody apart and work it out phrase by phrase. If they dont like my approach, they suggest another. Long Promised Road extolls Wilsons individualistic genius by featuring endless praises of his musicianship from talking heads ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Elton John, but contradicts itself with scenes depicting Wilson in the recording studio communicating and working amicably with his backing band. He listens patiently to their sound and works with them to adjust it to his satisfaction, crafting new music by combining his own talents with those of his fellows. Advertisement When it came to lyrics, Mike Love was Brians most trusted collaborator. Just as the Beatles had the songwriting team of Lennon-McCartney, the Beach Boys had Wilson-Love, a partnership that defined much of the bands early 60s output. Songs like Surfin USA, Fun, Fun, Fun, and California Girls were the combination of Wilsons sonic innovation and Loves talent at writing relatable verses and catchy hooks. All too often, Beach Boys fans imagine this relationship as a false binary between avant-garde aestheticism and cynical commercialism. Even YouTube commenters, on innocuous videos of Beach Boys songs, blame Love for the bands creative slumps. English professor Kirk Curnutt, in his book Brian Wilson, terms this perception the two Beach Boys theory, but Love summed it up it best in his 2016 memoir: For those who believe Brian walks on water, I will always be the Antichrist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the reality of the situation was not so black-and-white. The wisdom of pop music from its relative inception equated commercial success with artistic success, and this was true for both Wilson and Love. Like so many others in the music business, Wilson measured his creative success by how well the Beach Boys records charted. Even when he worked with other lyricists, commercial success was his end goal: Pet Sounds hits like Wouldnt It Be Nice were co-written with Tony Asher, a man who wrote advertising jingles for a living. When Wilson sought to capitalize upon the countercultural trends of the mid-60s with his esoteric, retrospectively hailed (albeit aborted) Smile album, he hired abstract lyricist Van Dyke Parks to help him tap into the trippiness of the zeitgeist. The result? The psychedelic hit Heroes and Villains. And Love wasnt afraid to get adventurous himself if he figured out a way to make it sellable. After all, he wrote the lyrics to Good Vibrations, perhaps the most innovative track the band ever released. Advertisement In fact, the very idea of Brian as a solo visionary was first popularized as the result of a promotional push surrounding production of Pet Sounds, then Smile, from 196667. The Beach Boys hired a publicist, Derek Taylor (who previously worked for the Beatles), who marketed the band by providing endless praise to Wilsons skills as a producer and composer. This twenty-three-year-old powerhouse, wrote Taylor, in a piece published in 1966 or 1967, not only sings with the famous group, he writes the words and music then arranges, engineers, and produces the disc. He has often been called genius, and its a burden. Advertisement Advertisement Such promotions led music critics, fans, and the public at large to disregard the importance of the other Beach Boys to the bands artistic process. Singlehandedly, for all practical purposes, [Brian] has made the Beach Boys the top group in the world, concluded Tracy Thomas in the New Musical Express on Jan. 28, 1967. Singlehanded because Brian takes each song from the first inspiration through to the record sleeve, with only occasional advice and certainly complete co-operation from the others. Music writer David Leafs The Beach Boys, published in 1978, put it far more bluntly: [Brian] wrote the hits and made the records, and the group sang them and toured and were rich all thanks to Brian Wilson. Melody Maker reporter Alan Walsh put the question bluntly to the Beach Boys themselves in an interview published Nov. 12, 1966: Are the five touring Beach Boys merely sound puppets of recording genius Brian Wilson? The answer was a resounding no. Brian plays the major creative role in the production of our music, replied Carl Wilson. But everyone in the group contributes something to the finished product. Its not like an orchestra translating the wishes of the conductor. We all have a part to play in the production of the records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Pet Sounds and Smile truly were the predominantly solo efforts that they are often portrayed as, it would be difficult to understand why Brian Wilson gave Carl Wilson the lead vocal on God Only Knows and Mike Love the prominent chorus on Good Vibrations. The Beach Boys were primarily vocalists rather than instrumentalists (Carl Wilsons skill with the electric guitar was a notable exception), but they did hold their own as studio musicians. However, fans and critics have perpetuated the idea over the years that the band stopped playing their own instruments in the recording studio. While this was largely true for Pet Sounds and Smile, most of the band played instruments on every preceding album. Music writer Kent Crowley, in his Carl Wilson biography, Long Promised Road, explained that documentation of the bands studio sessions was often incomplete, noting the presence of unionized session players while failing to record the attendance of the Beach Boys themselves. These session artists supplemented, but did not replace, the Beach Boys. Advertisement Wilson worked best within the context of the Beach Boys, as he arranged and produced with their musicianship in mind. I write and think in terms of what the Beach Boys can do, he told Melody Maker in Brian, Pop Genius! an article published May 21, 1966. Not what they would find easy to do, but what I know they are capable of doing which isnt always the same thing. Other musical acts he produced, such as girl group the Honeys and male vocal quartet the Castells, remain obscure today. Even a 1966 single Brian issued as a solo act, the Pet Sounds closing track Caroline, No, never came close to achieving the popularity of the Beach Boys releases. Though it was anticipated as a great hit and promoted enthusiastically by the rest of the band, it peaked at a disappointing No. 32 on the Billboard charts. As Brian gradually withdrew from the group post-Smile, Carl Wilson filled the role his older brother left behind and led the Beach Boys to renewed success in the early 70s. Though they were without Brian, the rest of the Beach Boys ultimately proved themselves to be skilled artists in their own right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wilsons present-day solo career has seen far greater success than Caroline, Nos chart performance, particularly with his completion of Smile as a solo album in 2004 and his Pet Sounds 50th Anniversary World Tour in 2016. However, his legacy is still primarily remembered by both himself and his audiences within the context of the history of the Beach Boys. Films ranging from 2014s Love and Mercy biopic to 2021s Long Promised Road root Wilsons auteurship in his past, detailing his mid-60s heyday and subsequent personal struggles. Wilsons 2008 album That Lucky Old Sun drew its emotional weight from his nostalgia for 1960s Los Angeles and the bands early days, most profound in its closer Southern California. His most recent album, 2021s At My Piano, is a series of piano covers of Beach Boys classics. Wilsons solo career is successful because of Wilsons musical talent and perseverance, but it remains inseparable from the legacy of the Beach Boys. Advertisement Im not a genius, Im just a hardworking guy, remarked Wilson in 1964. Even as he was heading toward pop ascendancy, he still thought of himself as just another laborer in the music businessas just another Beach Boy. He was wrong: He was a genius team player. As brilliant as the Long Promised Road documentary is for the intimacy and sensitivity with which it tells Wilsons personal storyincluding his struggles with mental illness and substance abuse, his relationships with his brothers, and his ongoing solo careerit never quite gets at this aspect of Wilsons genius, which comprises the foundation of his pop musical mastery. Perhaps the greatest irony and strongest proof for this truth is that the title of the documentary doesnt even refer to a Brian Wilson song: Long Promised Road was written and performed by his brother Carl, without Brians involvement. Whats remarkable about the actions of the people in Titan: The OceanGate Disaster, the new Netflix documentary about the fatal 2023 attempt to reach the wreck of the Titanic in a carbon-fiber submersible, isnt that so many of them raised red flags about the danger of the experimental vessel and the hubris of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. Its that so many of them didnt. If Mark Monroes movie makes one thing clear, its that the dangers of Rushs project, which aimed to replace the few costly subs capable of descending to the seafloor with a lightweight craft that could be manufactured at scale, were apparent every step of the way, and it was only Rushs confidence, and his fortune, that kept it moving forward. In footage from an earlier voyage, the movie shows Rush reassuring a passenger as theyre being bolted into the sub: If you hear an alarm, just dont worry about it. Despite its title, Titan is at least as much about Stockton Rush as it is about his company, although the movie also suggests there was little difference between the two. Monroe frequently cuts to an org chart showing where its subjects fell in the corporate hierarchy: David Lochridge, identified as the Whistleblower, was the director of marine operations, which meant he was often the one piloting the companys vessels, until a voyage when Rush insisted on taking the controls himself and nearly got the sub stuck under the wreck of the Andrea Doria. But as employee after employee quits in protest or is fired for raising concerns, the branches of the chart fade out, leaving Rush as the only constant. An heir to generational wealth who could trace his ancestry back to two signers of the Declaration of Independence, he clearly saw himself as destined for greatness. But his performance at prep school and Princeton was unremarkable, and he had the bad luck to come of age in an era when simply being born rich wasnt enough to guarantee public prominence. The big swinging dicks he idolized, like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, became celebrities not just through their enormous wealth but through relentless propagation of their own self-made myths. (Naturally, James Cameron figures in too.) So Rush, whose own wealth, though substantial, fell far short of his heroes, concentrated on the mythmaking, apparently trusting that the achievement and the billions would come later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related From Slate Why the Missing Submarine Didnt Need to Pass a Federal Safety Check Read More Everyone was privileged to be there, says videographer Joseph Assi, whom Rush hired to document his progress. They felt like they were special to be there. But its not clear if Rush had a gift for convincing people that they were involved in something groundbreaking or just had the resources to buy their enthusiasm. OceanGate wasnt a Theranos-style scam, and Rush at least believed in his own product enough to risk his life putting it to the test. But again and again, the movies subjects recount an initial lack of reflection that they now struggle to explain. One calls Rush, who had only an undergraduate education in the sciences, a genius, but his chief engineer, Tony Nissen, says Rush was unfamiliar withor perhaps simply rejectedbasic scientific concepts that foretold the Titans eventual failure. The excitement of building a sub out of a relatively cheap and lightweight material, reducing not just the cost of construction but the complications involved in getting it into the water, was so thrilling that it overrode other concerns. And even the speed bumps placed in the way were later removed. OceanGates engineers built an acoustic monitoring system to track the sound of the carbon-fiber hulls threads snapping and cracking under extreme pressure, and though the laymans idea of how much noise one would like ones submarine to make as it descends to depths where the human body can be liquefied in an instant is none, Rush argues that a little pop here and there is inevitable. But as the sounds got worse, he chose to brush them aside, eventually abandoning altogether his initial promise to have the sub certified as safe by an outside agency. Advertisement Advertisement Not surprisingly, one way Rush was able to push past time-tested ideas about underwater safety was to hire people fresh out of college, often replacing employees with decades of experience and more pronounced qualms. A young oceanography grad, Emily Hammermeister (the Insider), eventually quit over safety concerns. But even as she recalls the bizarre and troubling events that led to her departureincluding an out-of-the-blue offer to train her as a submarine pilot and make her the face of the companyshe cant quite suppress a smile as she recalls being flown to the Bahamas to help with a sub launch: It was my first work trip. That level of naivete is hardly surprising in someone so young. But its harder to justify in a veteran journalist like CBS Sunday Mornings David Pogue, who accompanied Rush on a voyage to the Titanic for a segment that looks in retrospect like a puff piece on a death trap. Pogue was unknowingly risking his own lifethe Titan would fatally implode less than seven months after the segment airedbut CBSs underlying assumption was that if Rush was out looking for media coverage, he must be the real deal. The guy wants press, Pogue recalls thinking. Hes not going to put a live correspondent on anything thats dangerous. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several of Titans subjects describe the OceanGate staffs devotion to Stockton Rush as cultlike, and that certainly tracks. But, at least in the footage here, he doesnt exude the charisma youd expect to accompany that description, and perhaps thats because, even if he did lead a cult, he didnt create it. The idea that wealthy men with a bent for skirting regulationsamong other work-arounds, Rush gave his passengers tasks so he could classify them as mission specialists and made sure to launch his subs in international watersare disrupters and not scofflaws didnt originate with him, and it wasnt pulverized along with him and four others, including a 19-year-old man, two years ago. Hes a relatively small symptom of a much larger disease, one whose effects Titan only begins to calculate. Although he drops Elons first name as if theyre intimates, Rush was never in his league, not in terms of accomplishment or destructive power. But you can see in the outlines of the OceanGate tragedy the sickness writ small, like the seed of a virus from which a vaccine is engineered. Our immunity is still too weak. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Stephen Miller is living his dream. The Santa Monica High School graduate who, 20 years ago, rebelled against the prevailing liberalism and celebrated multiculturalism of his classmates now runs policy for the president of the United States. And hes convinced his boss, at last, to send in troops to quell all that he hates about Los Angeles County. Miller has his hand in a lot of policy pots. But the reason he gets up every morning is to deport immigrants, and to do it as rapidly as possible. Its Miller, as the Wall Street Journal reports, who has pushed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pick up its pace on deportations, telling ICE officials in a May meeting to just go out there and arrest illegal aliens instead of prioritizing violent criminals. Instead of developing target lists, Miller said, ICE officials should just target Home Depots or 7-Elevens and sweep up who they could. The ICE raids at Home Depots and other workplaces in L.A. were a catalyst for protests over the weekend. Miller, Donald Trump, border czar Tom Homan, and other administration officials looking to pick a fight leapt at the opportunity. Theyve pushed the limits of executive authority to send thousands of National Guard members and hundreds of Marines to the site of the protests. The cable-news imagery has been sensational: burning cars, masked protesters waving Mexican flags, blocked freeways, and looted stores. But the administrations move is escalatory by design, pitting a disproportionate amount of armor and muscle against protests that hardly constitute a war zone. Advertisement But for Miller, this isnt about keeping the peace. He wants to use ICE and whatever other enforcement authorities he can get control ofand Im going to put this generouslyto rid the country of the multiculturalism he believes is tearing it apart. Huge swaths of the city where I was born now resemble failed third world nations, Miller posted Monday night. A ruptured, balkanized society of strangers. Hes waxed on about how California used to be a paradise, until mass migration has brought us to where we are now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Los Angeles is all the proof you need that mass migration unravels societies, he posted. You can have all the other plans and budgets you want. If you dont fix migration, then nothing else can be fixedor saved. This is a man who knows what he wants and has a plan to achieve it. As my colleague Shirin Ali has written about, the GOP megabill working its way through Congress would provide a generational boost in immigration enforcement funding. The House-passed bill gives ICE another $45 billion to expand detention capacity, $14 billion on removal operations, and $8 billion to hire more ICE officers. This immigration enforcement section of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act hasnt gotten as much attention as issues like Medicaid or food assistance cuts, or the deductibility of state and local taxes. Thats partially because its not that controversial an issue among competing factions of Republican legislators, and so it isnt subject to riveting eleventh-hour negotiations. Advertisement But this is the section that Miller wants. Some Republicans want their tax cuts, others want to ban regulation of artificial intelligence, others want to reform Medicaid and cut spending. Stephen Miller wants ICE to have a big, fat budget to deport as many immigrantscriminal, violent, hardworking, pacifist, upstanding, or otherwiseas possible. It is the section he highlights the most, with characteristically chilling grandiosity. The BBB will increase by orders of magnitude the scope, scale and speed of removing illegal and criminal aliens from the United States, Miller posted last week. For that reason alone, its the most essential piece of legislation currently under consideration in the entire Western World, in generations. Theres another reason, though, that there hasnt been as much coverage of this major section of the megabill that Stephen Miller, an A-list Democratic villain for nearly a decade now, believes to be the Wests best legislative work in generations: Because Democrats arent really calling attention to it. Advertisement Advertisement Democrats response to the standoff in Southern California has been to criticize Trump for intentionally escalating the situation for political reasons. Indeed. But theres much less talk from Senate Democratswho are doing what they can to kill the OBBBA as it works through their chamberin opposition to the object of the protests in Los Angeles: More aggressive tactics from ICE to sweep up any and all undocumented immigrants, an effort that will be supercharged should the bill become law. I asked Senate Democrats on Tuesday, then: Given ICEs controversial tactics and the bills major boost to ICE funding, should they be devoting more of their messaging to that? Advertisement Advertisement The legislation thats going to rip away Medicaid and nutrition programs has a lot of bad provisions in it, New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Lujan said, not naming the bad provision about which he was asked. Its going to devastate the American people, thats why no Democrats are supporting it. Advertisement We should hit all the weaknesses in this betrayal of the American people that involves further enriching the ultrawealthy through tax cuts that are taken from support for Medicaid and food assistance, Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said. But also, the immigration issue should continue to be one of those issues that we hit. Blumenthals fellow Connecticut senator, Chris Murphy, gave a little bit more. Well, we cant focus on everything. Obviously this is a big, horrible bill thats going to destroy a lot of peoples lives, but the center of the story is still one that many people dont know, Murphy said. That would be that were about to kick 15 million people off their health care to fund a $270,000 tax cut for the richest families. Advertisement So we need to be focused on telling that story over and over again right now, he continued. Yes, theres lots of bad parts of that bill, but the piece of it that will have the biggest impact will be the lives that will be ruined when working families all across the country lose their health care. Advertisement These answers werent surprising, for a reason that Murphy comes closest to saying outright: Railing against the bills boost for immigration enforcement and ramped-up deportation operations and capacity isnt a clear political winner; railing against Medicaid is. The Democratic coalition is still opposed to mass raids on, and the deportation of, day laborers with families who possibly lack permanent legal status. But their elected officials are also still spooked by the results of the 2024 election. If the goal is to kill the bill, or at least make it as toxic as possible, emphasizing the broadly disliked provision while being evasive on political grounds more favorable to Republicans makes sense. And yet isnt it a bit odd that Stephen Miller is close to securing the policy achievement of his lifetime, giving this administration the resources to further Millers goal of ridding the country of non-American cultural influences, and the message from the Democratic Party about it is [inaudible]? This piece was originally published on State Court Report , a hub for reporting, analysis, and commentary about state courts and constitutions. State Court Report is a project of the Brennan Center for Justice. Despite all the attention on the need for stronger ethics rules for the U.S. Supreme Court, ethical scandals are not limited to federal justices. Supreme Court justices in several states have recently been under investigation for allegations of mismanagement and even corruption. Just like in the federal system, transparent and enforceable ethical rules and procedures are crucial to maintaining a properly functioning judiciary and public trust in courts. Most significantly, New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi has been indicted on multiple charges, including two felony counts of attempting to commit acts of improper influence and solicitation. These charges stem from allegations she interfered with a criminal investigation into her husband, state Division of Ports and Harbors director Geno Marconi, for alleged misuse of funds, accepting illegal gifts, and using racial slurs. Hantz Marconi allegedly pressured Gov. Chris Sununu to halt the investigation into her husband, claiming it was biased and interfered with her judicial responsibilities. She was arraigned in state court in November and denies wrongdoing. She requested that her indictments be dismissed, citing judicial immunity and First Amendment protections. A judge denied her request and the case against her is moving forward. If convicted, she could face significant penalties, including prison time and fines. Her husband has not been criminally charged. The states Judicial Conduct Committee has initiated a related disciplinary investigation into Hantz Marconis conduct and she is currently on leave from the court. Most judicial ethics scandals do not rise to the level of criminal charges, but undermine public confidence in the courts nonetheless. In March, an Arkansas judicial human resources department report found that Chief Justice Karen Baker intimidated staff, appears to have targeted female employees of color, and indicated an intention to retaliate based on her perception of how employees voted, among other findings. The report is the latest development in a long-simmering conflict that has embroiled almost all the justices on the Arkansas high court. Advertisement The dispute began when an Arkansas Business journalist filed a records request in August for emails exchanged between Justice Courtney Hudson and former director of the Office of Professional Conduct Lisa Ballard. Ballard was fired in May 2024 from that office, which governs judicial conduct among Arkansas state Supreme Court justices and their staff. The circumstances of her dismissal are unclear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hudson opposed the release of the emails, citing an exemption to public records requests for judicial correspondence, but 5 of the 7 high court justices votedas an internal decision, not as part of a court caseto release the emails. Hudson eventually provided Ballards emails but withheld her own responses, claiming they were exempt. The released emails reveal mundane disputes over court credit card use, salary discussions, and an objection to relocating the professional conduct office. Hudson filed a lawsuit to block further disclosures, which her colleagues dismissed. Advertisement In January, Baker became the new chief justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court and immediately attempted to fire 10 employees of the Administrative Office of the Courts, the state agency that supports Arkansas judiciary. Bakers fellow justicesapart from Hudsonobjected, saying she lacked the authority to fire the employees without agreement from the rest of the court. All told, 6 of 7 Arkansas Supreme Court justices have been referred to the states judicial discipline panel by their fellow justices or other judicial employees since August. In 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court issued a rare public censure of former Chief Justice Nathan Coats for failing to perform judicial and administrative duties competently and diligently. The censure related to his approval of a multimillion-dollar contract with a judicial employee after she had been found to have falsified information on reimbursement requests. The state ethics commission noted that Coats acted based on the representations and recommendations of fellow judicial officers, non-lawyer professionals, and lawyersbut nonetheless found that Coats decisions about the contract violated the Colorado Code of Judicial Conduct. Advertisement Less than two years later, in January 2025, a report by the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline revealed ongoing ethical and procedural lapses within the state judiciary, such as widespread and repeated failures to submit personal finance disclosures. This situation with Colorados judiciary created a generalized appearance of impropriety, the commission wrote. Advertisement In November, Colorado voters passed a ballot measure to establish an independent judicial oversight commission to better discipline judges who break rules. The amendment created a 12-member board for judicial discipline cases and specified that such cases must be public once formal proceedings begin, instead of remaining confidential throughout the process. Colorado is not the only state working to reform its state judicial ethics rules and procedures. The Michigan Supreme Court said in July it was considering significantly increasing the amount of information the justices and lower court judges were required to include in their annual disclosures. In August, Vermonts chief justice indicated a similar review is forthcoming. Last month, West Virginias top court appointed a committee to propose updates to the states Code of Judicial Conduct. Advertisement The American Bar Association publishes and periodically updates a Model Code of Judicial Conduct, portions of which many states have adopted as guidelines or rules for judicial action. State ethics codes that align with the model code often include elements such as defining judicial independence, providing guidelines for judicial competence and propriety, and naming certain activities that would violate judicial independence. Utilizing the model codes language can serve as a useful starting point for states looking to improve judicial ethics. States across the country must ensure their judicial branches avoid even the appearance of impropriety. A healthy judiciary promotes democracy and rule of lawand achieving that depends on public trust. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. The big military parade that will be taking place along the National Mall in Washington this Saturday is shaping up to be not so much a celebration of the U.S. Armys 250th birthday but rather a high-octane ego boost and joyride for President Donald Trump. It has been widely noted that the event happens to fall not only on the Armys birthday but on Trumps as well. The convergence is no mere coincidence. After all, this year will also mark the 250th birthday of the Navy and the Marine Corps, on Oct. 13 and Nov. 10, respectively. But the president has not announced plans to joinmuch less preside overtheir festive, if less grandiose, celebrations. Trump says the Army parade will displayand demonstrate that America possessesthe 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. Apart from the fact that submarines are the Navys pride, not the Armys, and cant be hauled out for any sort of public display, two peculiarities stand out in Trumps remarks. First, all of the weapons that will be rolling down, or flying above, Constitution Avenue26 Abrams tanks, 28 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and 27 Stryker vehicles, and several dozen personnel carriers, as well as more than 50 helicopterswere built long ago. In fact, the Army hasnt built any new tanks or fighting vehicles in this century. In other words, the boastswhich arent incorrect (the Abrams and the Bradley do rank among the worlds greatest armored vehicles)dont align with Trumps claims, in other forums, that his predecessors ravaged the military and left the country defenseless. (At a House hearing on Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made similar claims and asserted that he and Trump had vastly improved our preparednesseven though they havent yet submitted a detailed defense budget, much less enacted it, or developed and built any of its proposed weapon systems.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More striking is what Trump omitted from his list of enthusiasms: the men and women who serve in the armed forces. Trump clearly doesnt care much about any of the people who train, fight, or die for our country. Its worth recalling the claim, made by his former chief of staff, retired Gen. John Kelly, that Trump once derided fallen soldiers as losers and suckers. Trump denies he ever said that. But if you believe the president over the general, consider that earlier this year, Trump said he wanted to rename Veterans Day to Victory Day for World War I. Such a change would have meant that the vast majority of American veterans would have no day of their own to commemorate. (About 66,000 World War II vets are still alive, but that amounts to less than one-half of 1 percent of the nations 15.8 million living veterans from all wars.)* The White House ultimately backed off from renaming the holiday. Advertisement Trump has no interest in memorializing service or sacrifice for their own sake. (Remember his dis of John McCain, who was tortured in North Vietnamese jails for five years after getting shot down: Hes not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who werent captured.) Winning is all that matters in Trumps bookand our most solemn national holidays have been altered to reflect his mindset. Related From Slate Trumps Qatari Plane Might Just Be a Trojan Horse Read More Even winning is an abstract concept, floating on bombast. Trump wanted to throw a massive military parade in his first term after French President Emmanuel Macron hosted him at the cavalcade in Paris celebrating Bastille Day. French troops marched down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees alongside tanks and armored vehicles as fighter jets swooshed over the Arc de Triomphe. Trump was elated. Back home, he told everyone he could that he needed to stage his own versionand to top it. His defense secretary at the time, retired Gen. James Mattis, hated the idea, telling his aides that hed rather swallow acid. Mattis responded by saying the parade would cost $90 milliona deliberate exaggeration, according to a Pentagon source of mine at the time. The ploy worked; even Trump backed off, seeing the price tag as too high. Advertisement Advertisement The parade this Saturday is said to cost $45 million, not counting the expense of disrupting much of the city for four days and repairing the damage done by tank treads. (Each Abrams tank weighs 70 tons, almost twice the avenues maximum capacity.) This seems like a lot of money, given the latest round of Department of Government Efficiency budget cuts. But its a lot less than the $134 million that the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines in California is estimated to cost. And that show of force is no less performative or unnecessary than the parade in the nations capital. Advertisement Advertisement Trump may hope that the parade will provide another occasion for force as well as show. Trump told reporters on Tuesday that those people that want to protest at the parade are going to be met with very big force. Those protesters, he added, without identifying who they might be or what they might be protesting, hate our country, so, he repeated, they will be met with very heavy force. Advertisement Notice: He wasnt warning of a forceful response to violent protestersjust to people that want to protest, who, he claimed, by definition, hate our country. He doesnt seem to be awareor, if he is, he doesnt carethat citizens protest is an American tradition every bit as hallowed as the Army. Nor should his remark be dismissed as a lighthearted joke. In his first term, he suggested that National Guard members should be ordered to shoot protesters in the leg. His defense secretary at the time, Mark Esper, calmly said he couldnt do that. Trumps current defense secretary, Pete Hegsethwho speaks excitedly about the warrior ethos, campaigned for the pardoning of war criminals, and expresses utmost loyalty to Trumpmight savor the opportunity. This is his birthday bash, goddammit, and hes not going to let some pacifists or immigrant-loving protesters upset the party. President Donald Trump is drawing mockery online after doubling down on a baffling claim that flights from Los Angeles to San Francisco cost just $2, using the figure to criticize California's high-speed rail project. Trump's latest remark came on Monday during a press conference about his decision to deploy National Guard troops to Los Angeles to control protests. When asked about the possibility of sending Marines, he veered off-topic to slam the state's long-delayed bullet train project. Trump on rail in California: It shouldve never been built because you can fly there for two dollars pic.twitter.com/U1LqQxSsLv Acyn (@Acyn) June 9, 2025 "It should've never been built because you can fly there for $2. And what are you doing? They're doing that. You could drive, you could do lots of different things," he said. This wasn't the first time Trump made the claim. In February, he used the same figure while denouncing what he called "the worst overruns" in U.S. infrastructure history, according to Mediaite. "The worst overruns that there have ever been in the history of our country. And it wasn't even necessary. I would have said, you don't buy it. You take an airplane it costs you $2. It costs you nothing. You take an airplane," Trump said in February. The actual cost of a commercial flight between LA and San Francisco typically ranges from $100 to $250, far from his stated amount. Additionally, Trump suggested it would be cheaper to provide luxury limousine service for every traveler than continue building the rail line. The remark drew ridicule on social media, with critics calling it a prime example of Trump's disconnect from reality. "If you're wondering why Trump Airlines failed," one user wrote, referencing the short-lived airline he operated in the 1990s. If you're wondering why Trump Airlines failed. Bruce Crossing (@MiMagaWatch) June 9, 2025 "Trump's living in coo coo land," a user said, with another adding that the president "has dementia." Trumps living in coo coo land Stu (@GuernseyStu86) June 9, 2025 This dude has dementia. RebelScum (@han64compuserve) June 9, 2025 Though Trump's airfare claim has been widely debunked and ridiculed, he has shown no sign of walking it back. Originally published on Latin Times Woodbine Mohawk Park will host a complimentary breakfast for racing participants (owner's breakfast) on Saturday, June 21 during two-year-old qualifiers. The breakfast will be held outside at the new railside deck beginning at 9:30 a.m. A variety of hot foods featuring a pancake breakfast will be available along with a selection of juices and coffee. This event is open to all racing participants and Woodbines racing leaders will be in attendance. RSVP is not required. (With files from Woodbine) Citing what he saw as significant inadequacies in Rotschys health and safety plan, Port of Longview commissioner Jeff Wilson on Monday called for a stop-work order to be extended on the ports rail expansion project. Port staff issued a stop-work order on the construction project at 3:58 p.m. Thursday, June 5, according to an email from Dale Lewis, the ports director of public affairs. The order is currently set to sunset by the end of the day Friday, June 13, but Wilson, who is also a Washington state senator, called for the stop-work order to hold until the Vancouver-based contractor meets added safety criteria. I dont want this job to go any further until safety is covered, Wilson said. The commissioner flagged numerous pages in his copy of the 109-page safety document required as part of Rotschys winning $44 million construction bid during a special meeting Monday afternoon. Wilsons concerns ran the gamut, pressing Director of Facilities and Engineering William Burton about a wide range of flaws in the plan. They included telling workers to find the AED on the job site in a nonexistent maintenance room, and details lacking in the confined spaces rescue plan that included no named primary or secondary rescue agencies. Whos the actual rescuer? Wilson asked. Port commissioners went into executive session at the conclusion of the meeting to discuss options, but said no decisions would be made. Commissioners scheduled a work session to discuss the health and safety plan Wednesday evening, and will hold its next regular meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 18. A very public-sized tragedy The special meeting Monday followed a new wave of scrutiny on Rotschy after news broke last week that a laborer was airlifted from a job site in Woodland to a nearby trauma center after the boom of an excavator fell on him in a trench. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries confirmed last week that they are investigating the Vancouver-based Rotschy as the employer involved. I look at this, and there was just a very public-sized tragedy just last week, Wilson said. And I think this confined-space-rescue-thing is not worth accepting. Rotschys safety record includes multiple prior L&I citations and pending investigations that notably included a six-figure fine for a June 2023 on-the-job injury where a 16-year-old worker lost his legs while operating a trencher. The state agency recommended earlier this spring that the Clark County Prosecutors Office press felony child labor law violations related to the juvenile workers injury; however, no charges have yet been filed. Burton, the director of facilities and engineering, discussed the stop-work order with commissioners during a safety update at Mondays special meeting. Construction began last month after the state issued a Notice to Proceed on May 12, port staff told commissioners at a regular meeting last month. Burton outlined details of the ports safety efforts on the project, such as describing the RFQ process for hiring an independent third-party agency to monitor safety. Wilson brought up the stop-work order during a follow-up. The order is scheduled to sunset Monday, June 16, Burton said, but Wilson said he wanted to extend it. Wilson had been one of the two commissioners who voted to approve Rotschys contract in January, but his sharp criticisms of the safety plan largely dominated the special meeting Monday. Special meeting indeed, Wilson said. Weve got the largest project in the ports history, and weve got problems, Wilson said. Wilson acknowledged that the incident is still under investigation, and expressed a belief that Rotschy owes the port an open discussion in light of the circumstances. Preventable injuries are just that, Wilson said. They are preventable. Commissioner Evan Jones, who was the sole opposing vote against the contract in January, voiced some agreement with Wilson but said little ahead of the executive session. Jones in prior meetings has raised doubts about the contractors safety record, and has said he doesnt want workers to get hurt. I do want to clarify for the record my issue is not at all with our health and safety plan, Jones said. My issue is with Rotschy. Port CEO Dan Stahl acknowledged Wilsons desire to fast-track concerns with the safety plan, but he asked for guidance how to work prepare within such a tight schedule. Staff were scheduled for all-day meetings Tuesday and Wilson asked for a work session Wednesday afternoon. I dont care if were really ready or not we should be able to have a discussion on safety at the drop of a hat, Wilson said. The project The Industrial Rail Corridor Expansion Project is designed to more than double the ports rail freight capacity, and on the ports website it is described as the ports largest investment in more than a century. TDN archives show that the project was years in the making and utilizes millions of dollars in state and federal funding. Burton explained ahead of the vote in January that the expansion will increase the ports rail capacity from two to four lanes over the next four years, plus more opportunities to expand down the line. The contractor will build an embankment that can accommodate as many as eight lines down the line, and will prepare some related infrastructure for future phases of expansion. At a meeting last month port engineering staff told commissioners the contract was typical of a Washington public works project, with much of the contracting language pulled from Washington State Department of Transportation. In public comments, labor leaders have warned commissioners that the port could be liable if a worker gets hurt during the construction project, but special counsel told commissioners at the May 22 meeting that the contract is industry standard. Commissioner Allan Erickson said at the meeting that improving the ports responsible bidder criteria is a priority because more public works projects are in the pipeline. The port is in the process of redeveloping Berth 4, the site of the former Continental Grain Terminal that operated until 1989 and completed demolition early last year. I think as we go forward at the Port of Longview, without disclosing details, has the potential to have huge construction projects as we go forward here with redevelopment of Berth 4 and other activity that we have on the property, Erickson said. In its latest effort to reduce student drug use and improve safety, Kelso School District plans to station a drug and firearm detection dog and handler team at Kelso High School starting in September. The initial pilot is scheduled to run through the fall. The school board will evaluate its success and feedback from students and staff in January to determine whether it should continue. How does it work? The dog and handler will come from Charon K9 Solutions, an Oregon-based company established in 2019 that trains drug and firearm detection dogs specifically for use in schools. They are not trained to detect weapons other than firearms. According to the company website, it also has dogs trained to search for missing people or detect bed bugs. Unlike police K-9 units, the detection dogs are intended to be nonthreatening, and are trained to be friendly toward students. Director of Student Services Gunnar Guttormsen, who presented the program at a Monday board meeting, said the goal is for the dog to search as unobtrusively as possible and not disrupt students. In general, searches will only be conducted in areas where students cant reasonably expect privacy, such as the school hallway, he said. The dog will not be allowed in private areas like locker rooms or bathrooms when students are present, and can only enter when accompanied by a school administrator. If the dog alerts something, the handler will inform a school administrator, who will respond based on existing district policy regarding searches of student possessions. The handler will not search or discipline students. District policy states that staff can search a students desk or locker at any time because they are district property. However, to search a students clothes or personal items, including containers stored inside desks or lockers, there must be reasonable suspicion that the student is breaking the law or violating school rules. Guttormsen said staff hope the dog will deter students from bringing drugs or weapons to school, reducing the need for discipline. In cases where students are found to have drugs, staff will focus on connecting them with resources that can help them stop using. However, students can still face consequences for dealing drugs to others or bringing firearms to school. Why is it necessary? According to the state Healthy Youth Survey, which is conducted every two years, marijuana and other drug use among Cowlitz County 10th and 12th graders has dropped significantly since 2018, reflecting a statewide trend. However, marijuana use in the county was slightly higher than the state average in 2023. Like other local districts, Kelso has been working to reduce youth substance use. As part of that effort, it has shifted to treating substance use as a mental health issue, with a focus on offering support rather than discipline. Referrals for weapons and substance use have both gone down in Kelso School District, Public Information Officer Michele Nerland said. In the 2024-2025 school year, there were four referrals per month for marijuana or other drugs, and eight per month for tobacco and non-THC vapes. In the 2023-2024 school year, there were 11 of both per month. There have been seven total incidents involving weapons this school year, including one social media post with a firearm. No firearms were brought on campus. There were 14 weapon-related incidents in the 2023-2024 school year, none of which involved bringing a firearm on campus. In initial surveys the district conducted in May, over 80% of Kelso High School staff and student leadership said they would feel safer in the school if a dog was present. However, some students had concerns, Guttormsen said. They worried that their peers who struggle with addiction could get in trouble, or that the dog would behave threateningly. They dont know what it looks like yet, he said. The district plans to survey the group again in December to see if their impressions change after the dog has been present in the school for a few months. Other schools use Drug detection dogs are not typically used in Washington schools, but some districts have partnered with them. Guttormsen said Kelso would be the first in the state to have a dog onsite fulltime. Chelan County, located in Eastern Washington, signed agreements in 2023 with six school districts in the area that allowed school resource officers to request searches from the county jails drug detection dog, according to a county press release. In 2004, Nine Mile Falls School District, which is located north of Spokane, hired detection dogs to conduct scheduled searches at its middle and high schools. Unlike Kelsos plan to keep searches unobtrusive, students in Nine Mile Falls were placed on lockdown each time the dogs searched the school. The district dropped the practice after the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and the Center for Justice threatened a lawsuit on behalf of a student and parent, according to an ACLU press release from 2006. The ACLU reported that the dogs alerted incorrectly as much as 85% of the time. Guttormsen said Charon K9 Solutions dogs are only certified for drug and firearm detection if they pass their test without any false alerts. Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect information about discipline rates related to weapons and substance use. 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: Left: Multimodal architecture of LPCM capable of understanding, representing, and generating both text and graph data. Right: Feedback-driven inference of LPCM with a dual-loop mechanism, consisting of an outer performance feedback loop and an inner functional correctness feedback loop. Credit: arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2506.05007 A team of engineers, AI specialists and chip design researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has designed, built and tested what they are describing as the first AI-based chip design system. The group has published a paper describing their system, called QiMeng, on the arXiv preprint server. Over the past several decades, integrated circuit makers have developed systems for developing processor chips for computers, smartphones and other electronic devices. Such systems tend to be made up of large teams of highly skilled people who can take design ideas (such as faster computing or running AI apps) and turn them into physical designs that can be fabricated in specially designed factories. The process is notoriously slow and expensive. More recently, computer and device makers have been looking for ways to speed up the process and to allow for more flexibilitysome may want a chip that can do just one thing, for example, but do it really well. In this new study, the team in China has applied AI to the problem. The work involved using an LLM to take user requests regarding performance standards and turn them into architectural plans for a processor chip that would meet the specifications and also create the software that runs on it. The initiative was reportedly begun as scientists in China faced pressure to ramp up their chip-making abilities as Western countries have become less willing to share technological gains with them. The new system has three interconnected parts. The first is a domain-specific chip model. The second is the design agent responsible for most of the work in building a design. The third part is an assemblage of design applications that are made available to the design agent. As with other AI-based learning applications, the system learns what a processor looks like and how it works by being exposed to a large database of existing technology. The system has proved itself capable of creating effective designsit came up with chips similar in capability to Intel's 486 and Arm's Cortex A53. Both chips are notably quite dated and lag far behind what is in use today. Still, the researchers are optimistic that QiMeng will evolve as it learns and will eventually be capable of designing chips on a par with those now being developed in the West at far less expense and over a much shorter timeline. Written for you by our author Bob Yirka, edited by Lisa Lock, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Eganthis article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you. More information: Rui Zhang et al, QiMeng: Fully Automated Hardware and Software Design for Processor Chip, arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2506.05007 QiMeng Project Website: qimeng-ict.github.io/ Journal information: arXiv 2025 Science X Network 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: Scans of the painting during various stages in its restoration. At left is the damaged piece, with the middle panel showing a map of the different kinds of damage present; green lines show full splits in the underlying panel support, thin red lines depict major paint craquelure, blue areas correspond to large paint losses, while pink regions show smaller defects like scratches. At right is the restored painting with the applied laminate mask. Credit: Alex Kachkine Art restoration takes steady hands and a discerning eye. For centuries, conservators have restored paintings by identifying areas needing repair, then mixing an exact shade to fill in one area at a time. Often, a painting can have thousands of tiny regions requiring individual attention. Restoring a single painting can take anywhere from a few weeks to over a decade. In recent years, digital restoration tools have opened a route to creating virtual representations of original, restored works. These tools apply techniques of computer vision, image recognition, and color matching, to generate a "digitally restored" version of a painting relatively quickly. Still, there has been no way to translate digital restorations directly onto an original work, until now. In a paper appearing in Nature, Alex Kachkine, a mechanical engineering graduate student at MIT, presents a new method he's developed to physically apply a digital restoration directly onto an original painting. The restoration is printed on a very thin polymer film, in the form of a mask that can be aligned and adhered to an original painting. It can also be easily removed. Kachkine says that a digital file of the mask can be stored and referred to by future conservators, to see exactly what changes were made to restore the original painting. "Because there's a digital record of what mask was used, in 100 years, the next time someone is working with this, they'll have an extremely clear understanding of what was done to the painting," Kachkine says. "And that's never really been possible in conservation before." As a demonstration, he applied the method to a highly damaged 15th century oil painting. The method automatically identified 5,612 separate regions in need of repair, and filled in these regions using 57,314 different colors. The entire process, from start to finish, took 3.5 hours, which he estimates is about 66 times faster than traditional restoration methods. Kachkine acknowledges that, as with any restoration project, there are ethical issues to consider, in terms of whether a restored version is an appropriate representation of an artist's original style and intent. Any application of his new method, he says, should be done in consultation with conservators with knowledge of a painting's history and origins. "There is a lot of damaged art in storage that might never be seen," Kachkine says. "Hopefully with this new method, there's a chance we'll see more art, which I would be delighted by." Digital connections The new restoration process started as a side project. In 2021, as Kachkine made his way to MIT to start his Ph.D. program in mechanical engineering, he drove up the East Coast and made a point to visit as many art galleries as he could along the way. "I've been into art for a very long time now, since I was a kid," says Kachkine, who restores paintings as a hobby, using traditional hand-painting techniques. As he toured galleries, he came to realize that the art on the walls is only a fraction of the works that galleries hold. Much of the art that galleries acquire is stored away because the works are aged or damaged, and take time to properly restore. "Restoring a painting is fun, and it's great to sit down and infill things and have a nice evening," Kachkine says. "But that's a very slow process." As he has learned, digital tools can significantly speed up the restoration process. Researchers have developed artificial intelligence algorithms that quickly comb through huge amounts of data. The algorithms learn connections within this visual data, which they apply to generate a digitally restored version of a particular painting, in a way that closely resembles the style of an artist or time period. However, such digital restorations are usually displayed virtually or printed as stand-alone works and cannot be directly applied to retouch original art. "All this made me think: If we could just restore a painting digitally, and affect the results physically, that would resolve a lot of pain points and drawbacks of a conventional manual process," Kachkine says. 'Align and restore' For the new study, Kachkine developed a method to physically apply a digital restoration onto an original painting, using a 15th-century painting that he acquired when he first came to MIT. His new method involves first using traditional techniques to clean a painting and remove any past restoration efforts. "This painting is almost 600 years old and has gone through conservation many times," he says. "In this case there was a fair amount of overpainting, all of which has to be cleaned off to see what's actually there to begin with." He scanned the cleaned painting, including the many regions where paint had faded or cracked. He then used existing artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze the scan and create a virtual version of what the painting likely looked like in its original state. Then, Kachkine developed software that creates a map of regions on the original painting that require infilling, along with the exact colors needed to match the digitally restored version. This map is then translated into a physical, two-layer mask that is printed onto thin polymer-based films. The first layer is printed in color, while the second layer is printed in the exact same pattern, but in white. "In order to fully reproduce color, you need both white and color ink to get the full spectrum," Kachkine explains. "If those two layers are misaligned, that's very easy to see. So I also developed a few computational tools, based on what we know of human color perception, to determine how small of a region we can practically align and restore." Kachkine used high-fidelity commercial inkjets to print the mask's two layers, which he carefully aligned and overlaid by hand onto the original painting and adhered with a thin spray of conventional varnish. The printed films are made from materials that can be easily dissolved with conservation-grade solutions, in case conservators need to reveal the original, damaged work. The digital file of the mask can also be saved as a detailed record of what was restored. For the painting that Kachkine used, the method was able to fill in thousands of losses in just a few hours. "A few years ago, I was restoring this baroque Italian painting with probably the same order magnitude of losses, and it took me nine months of part-time work," he recalls. "The more losses there are, the better this method is." He estimates that the new method can be orders of magnitude faster than traditional, hand-painted approaches. If the method is adopted widely, he emphasizes that conservators should be involved at every step in the process, to ensure that the final work is in keeping with an artist's style and intent. "It will take a lot of deliberation about the ethical challenges involved at every stage in this process to see how this can be applied in a way that's most consistent with conservation principles," he says. "We're setting up a framework for developing further methods. As others work on this, we'll end up with methods that are more precise." More information: Alex Kachkine, Physical restoration of a painting with a digitally constructed mask, Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09045-4. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09045-4 Journal information: Nature This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching. 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: General Motors announced plans to add capacity in Tennessee to build the Chevrolet Blazer, which is currently imported from Mexico and subject to US tariffs under President Trump's policies. General Motors' latest $4 billion investment into US factories in light of tariffs fits with the auto giant's shift toward slower growth of electric vehicles, a top GM executive said Wednesday. GM late Tuesday announced plans to invest $4 billion over two years to expand production of plants in Michigan, Kansas and Tennessee, making use of unused capacity in its home market as President Donald Trump's tariffs penalize imports of finished vehicles. At a financial conference Wednesday, Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson emphasized that the investments also come as GM sees robust US demand for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and slowing growth in EVs compared with the outlook a few years ago. "This is a great example of how we can pivot, how we can adjust, how we can be resilient in the face of an environment that's changing around us," Jacobson said. Jacobson said GM had revised its plan for the Orion Assembly plant in Michigan, which had been envisioned as a home to new EV investments but would instead build ICE sport-utility vehicles and pickups. On Orion, "we had planned for that to be a big EV plant, as we were thinking about rapid expansion of electric vehicles, and clearly we haven't seen that happen," Jacobson said. The other two plants will be capable of producing both ICE and EV vehicles, depending on how demand evolves. GM's announcement added capacity for the Chevrolet Equinox in Kansas and the Chevrolet Blazer in Tennessee. Both of those vehicles are currently imported to the United States from Mexico, exposing them to a 25% tariff following Trump's policies. The announcements mean GM will build about 300,000 more vehicles in the United States, Jacobson said. GM's announcement was applauded by the United Auto Workers, which has backed some of Trump's trade policies while urging automakers to shift production to the United States, where many plants are underutilized. "GM's decision to invest billions in American plants and prioritize US workers is exactly why we spoke up in favor of these auto tariffs," said UAW President Shawn Fain. "The writing is on the wall: the race to the bottom is over," Fain said. "We have excess manufacturing capacity at our existing plants, and auto companies can easily bring good union jobs back to the US." Shares of GM were up 2.6% in late-morning trading. 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: The Switch 2 costs $449.99 in the United States, compared to a launch price of $299.99 for the original Switch. The Switch 2 has smashed records to become the fastest-selling console ever after gamers snapped up 3.5 million units in its first four days, Nintendo said Wednesday. Featuring a bigger screen and more processing power, the console is an upgrade to the original Switch -- the third best-selling console of all time. It was released last Thursday to a global swell of fan excitement that included sold-out pre-orders and midnight store openings. The Japanese game giant said the Switch 2 had reached "the highest global sales level for any Nintendo hardware within the first four days". It also broke industry records, analysts said, beating the first Switch and Sony's PlayStation 5, which respectively sold 2.7 million and 3.4 million units in their first month. Now the key question is whether Nintendo can extend early excitement to match the overall success of the original. The first Switch, which enjoyed a popularity boost during the pandemic with hit games such as "Animal Crossing", has sold 152 million units since its launch in 2017. "Sales momentum will be difficult to sustain in the long run," cautioned Darang Candra of games market research firm Niko Partners. "It could be that consumers want to buy before potential price increases due to potential tariffs by the United States," he told AFP. "Its long-term success will depend on Nintendo's ability to sustain engagement with new titles" and attract casual gamers in emerging markets such as the Middle East and Asian countries outside Japan, Candra said. Analysts had predicted last week that Nintendo could score record early sales with the Switch 2. High price Nintendo forecasts it will sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles in the current financial year, roughly equal to the original in the same period after its release. But it will also need to convince enough people to pay the high price for its new device. The Switch 2 costs $449.99 in the United States, compared to a launch price of $299.99 for the original Switch. Both are hybrid consoles which can connect to a TV or be played on the go. New games such as "Donkey Kong Bananza" and "Mario Kart World" -- which allow players to go exploring off-grid -- are also more expensive than existing Switch titles. The cost of the Switch 2 for American consumers is "a calculated move on Nintendo's part to avoid potential impacts from US tariffs", Candra said. A Japan-only version is cheaper, at 49,980 yen ($350). Nintendo says that hardware for North America is mainly produced in Vietnam, which US President Donald Trump has threatened with hefty extra tariffs of 46%. The Switch 2 has eight times the memory of the first Switch, and its controllers, which attach with magnets, can also be used like a desktop computer mouse. New functions allowing users to chat as they play online and temporarily share games with friends could also be a big draw for young audiences used to watching game streamers. And success is crucial: while the "Super Mario" maker is diversifying into theme parks and hit movies, around 90% of its revenue comes from the Switch business. 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: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang headlined the first day of the Vivatech tech trade fair and announced a major expansion of AI computing capacity in Europe. Drawing high-powered tech CEOs and a presidential visit, the Vivatech trade fair opened in Paris on Wednesday with a bang as Nvidia boss Jensen Huang announced a major push into Europe. "In just two years we will increase the amount of AI computing capacity in Europe by a factor of 10," Huang told a packed hall in a southern Paris convention center, striding around the stage wearing his trademark leather jacket. He also announced a multi-billion-dollar partnership with French AI champion Mistral AI. President Emmanuel Macron hailed the Nvidia-Mistral tie-up as a "historic" opportunity for France and Europe, urging other local firms to climb aboard. He had arrived late on Wednesday afternoon for a tour of the show and meetings with European startups about technological sovereignty, a subject dear to his heart. "We want AI... that's secure, sustainable, humanist," Macron said. People from around the globe thronged the halls of Vivatech, crammed with stands in blaring colors showing off the latest innovations from startups, tech giants and more traditional firms and patrolled here and there by gesticulating robots. Around 14,000 startups and more than 3,000 investors were expected in Paris, while organizers forecast total visitor numbers to at least equal last year's 165,000 people. Nvidia headlining Nvidia's Huang took top billing with an opening presentation of almost two hours that drew bouts of rapturous applause from attendees. The US firm's tie-up with Mistral will see the companies build a cloud computing platform powered by 18,000 of Nvidia's "Blackwell" high-end chips worth billions. Speaking in a panel discussion with Huang and Macron, Mistral chief Arthur Mensch said the offering would be "completely independent" in a nod to the president's sovereignty drive. "You're no longer relying for your AI workload on certain of the US providers," he promised the audience. Macron dubbed the Mistral-Nvidia collaboration a "game-changer, because it will increase our sovereignty and it will allow us to do much more" with AI. Europe "has put its ability to produce things in danger" and "become more and more dependent on the rest of the world," he warned. French President Emmanuel Macron gave the Cosmo Connected helmet a try during his visit to the Vivatech technology trade fair. Aside from Mistral, Nvidia will also intensify work with existing partners like Germany's Siemens and France's Schneider Electric, Huang said. And it will help build multiple data centers in seven European countries. Europe is well behind competitors like the United States and China in building up the computing power needed to power generative artificial intelligence. The continent hosts "less than five percent of global computing power, whereas we consume 20%," Macron's office said in a press briefing ahead of the leader's visit to Vivatech. Trade war Nvidia has seen export restrictions slapped on its top-performing chips by Washington, with American politicians leery of ceding their country's lead in generative AI. Remaining high-tech controls on China are at issue in high-stakes trade talks with Beijing. Huang has warned that the US' superpower rival is nevertheless making swift strides to catch up. There was little sign of impact from export restrictions on Nvidia's chip sales in its May earnings release. But the company has warned the braking effect may be larger in the current quarter. US politics also preoccupies many European tech leaders and policymakers. Concerns range from Trump's mercurial tariff policy to the continent's ability to stand on its own without US tech giantsand the massive gap in funding for AI development between the two sides of the Atlantic. "Sovereignty, which wasn't as important in the conversation just a year or two years ago, has become an absolutely strategic priority," Vivatech managing director Francois Bitouzet told AFP. Macron's hammering on tech sovereignty followed on from his hyping of French and European openness to AI at a Paris global summit in February. Macron, Mensch and Huang were set to dine together behind closed doors at the president's Elysee Palace residence on Wednesday evening. 2025 AFP Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated his belief that the United States was under foreign invasion in order to defend President Donald Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles, California, in the wake of immigration protests. "Sounds like all three to me" -- Pete Hegseth suggests the United States is under invasion by a foreign nation, prompting the need for troops in Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/XzkV3Pwo25 Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 10, 2025 Hegseth testified before the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee during an oversight hearing on Tuesday, alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Air Force Gen. John Caine. During the hearing, Hegseth was asked about Trump choosing to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles, with California Rep. Pete Aguilar asking the Defense Secretary about the legal basis for the deployment. "10 USC of the US Code 12406 as a legal basis that the President used cites three examples in circumstances for the guard: invasion by a foreign nation, a rebellion or dangerous rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States, or the President is unable, with regular forces, to execute the laws of the United States. Which authority is triggered here to justify the use?" asked Aguilar. "I don't know, you just read it yourself and people can listen themselves, but it sounds like all three to me," Hegseth responded. "You've got millions of illegals and you don't know where they're coming from, they're waving flags from foreign countries and assaulting police officers and law enforcement officers. That's a problem." "The Governor of California is unable to execute the laws of the United States. The Governor of California has failed to protect his people along with the Mayor of Los Angeles, and so President Trump has said he will protect our agents, and our Guard and Marines are proud to do it," Hegseth continued. Social media users reacted in disbelief at the Defense Secretary's statements. "So now the US needs its troops to defend the US against...a US invasion. Also, if they really were against illegal invasions, they'd support Ukraine," said one user. So now the US needs its troops to defend the US against...a US invasion. Also, if they really were against illegal invasions, they'd support Ukraine. Akash Maniam (@ManiamAkash) June 10, 2025 "Seems like Pete drank something a little stronger than coffee this morning..." said another. Seems like Pete drank something a little stronger than coffee this morning... Lib Dunk (@libdunkmedia) June 10, 2025 "There is no god damn invasion," added a third. There is no god damn invasion Sycamores Source (@sycamoressource) June 10, 2025 "Pete Hegseth sounds delusional to me. Has anyone set a timer? What is the over/under on Petey boy succumbing to soaking flop-sweat, flushed face, and shaking hands from alcohol withdrawal on live TV?" said a fourth. Pete Hegseth sounds delusional to me. Has anyone set a timer? What is the over/under on Petey boy succumbing to soaking flop-sweat, flushed face, and shaking hands from alcohol withdrawal on live TV? John the Cliff Dweller (@STFUabtChicago) June 10, 2025 "Is he drunk?" asked another. Is he drunk? Katrina LeChimnet (@lechimnet) June 10, 2025 President Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles as protests against federal immigration enforcement officials within the city escalated. The protests, which began last Friday, saw thousands hit the streets of the city, advocating against ICE raids which have occurred in various locations around Los Angeles. Originally published on Latin Times 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: In San Francisco, locals barely notice the steering wheels turning by themselves anymore, with Waymo's fleet of Jaguars also available in parts of Silicon Valley. Waymo's autonomous vehicles have become part of the everyday landscape in a growing number of US cities, serving as safe transport options, tourist attractions, and symbols of a not-so-distant future. Their market dominance, however, is far from guaranteed. As Tesla preps to launch its first driverless taxi service in Austin, Texas, this month after numerous delays, Waymo already claims to have more than 250,000 weekly rides across Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin (in a partnership with Uber). In San Francisco, locals barely notice the steering wheels turning by themselves anymore, with Waymo's fleet of Jaguars also available in parts of Silicon Valley. But for tourists and business travelers, their first Waymo ride often becomes the most memorable part of a trip to the Golden Gate city. In Los Angeles, the vehicles also became a target of protesters against the White House's immigration policies, who set Waymos on fire or covered them in graffiti. That blip aside, Waymo has been going from strength to strength, with the companya subsidiary of Google-parent Alphabetcapturing 27% of San Francisco's market share, according to YipitData. The data shows that Waymo has surpassed Lyft, the United States' second-largest ride-hailing service, in the city, while Uber maintains a dominant 50-plus% market share. Remarkably, Waymo only launched commercial service in San Francisco in 2023 and opened to the general public just one year ago. "People quickly feel comfortable because they perceive these cars as safer than human-driven vehicles," explained Billy Riggs, an engineering professor at the University of San Francisco who studies such vehicles and their integration into daily life. In Los Angeles, the vehicles became a target of protesters against the White House's immigration policies. Better than humans Despite typically higher fares than Uber and longer wait times, Riggs's research reveals that more than a third of users earn less than $100,000 annuallythe median salary in the tech capital. Three factors drive this success: safety, the absence of a driver (no need to haggle over what music to play), and well-maintained vehicles. According to a recent Waymo study covering more than 90 million kilometers (56 million miles) of driving, their autonomous vehicles achieved a 92% reduction in pedestrian-involved accidents and a 96% reduction in injury-causing collisions at intersections. "Even when humans challenge them, the vehicles don't respond aggressively. They're better versions of ourselves," Riggs joked. While better than humans, these vehicles are less passive and hesitant than in their early days. Through continuous data collection on driver behavior and algorithmic adjustments by engineers, Waymo cars have developed "humanistic driving behavior." "That's everything from being able to creep into the intersection if there's a potential blind right turn or nudging into a left-hand turn" against oncoming traffic. Both are legal, "but they would be seen as more aggressive, rather than defensive, human, driving maneuvers." The vehicles have also gained recognition for their smooth accelerations and braking. "My boys say, it's like butter. When they ride with me in our Tesla, I make them sick," he added. Waymo's main competitor, GM-owned Cruise, collapsed due to high costs and following poor crisis managment after a San Francisco accident. $100,000 taxi The collapse of Waymo's main competitor, Cruisedue to high costs and following poor crisis management after a San Francisco accidenthas propelled Waymo to market leadership. It plans to expand to Atlanta, Miami and Washington by 2026. True large-scale deployment, however, requires adapting to different regulations and, more critically, acquiring many more vehicles. The company currently operates 1,500 vehicles across four cities. In early May, Waymo announced plans to build 2,000 additional electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles next year, all equipped with autonomous driving technology. These vehicles cost approximately $100,000 each, according to an interview with Waymo executive Dmitri Dolgov on the Shack15 Conversations podcast. That means profitability remains a distant goal. In the first quarter, Alphabet's "Other Bets" division, which includes Waymo, recorded net losses of $1.2 billion. "There still could be a scenario where Waymo loses. It's not unrealistic that some Chinese competitor comes in and wins," Riggs said. 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 Today, 2.2 billion people in the world lack access to safe drinking water. In the United States, more than 46 million people experience water insecurity, living with either no running water or water that is unsafe to drink. The increasing need for drinking water is stretching traditional resources such as rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. To improve access to safe and affordable drinking water, MIT engineers are tapping into an unconventional source: the air. The Earth's atmosphere contains millions of billions of gallons of water in the form of vapor. If this vapor can be efficiently captured and condensed, it could supply clean drinking water in places where traditional water resources are inaccessible. With that goal in mind, the MIT team has developed and tested a new atmospheric water harvester and shown that it efficiently captures water vapor and produces safe drinking water across a range of relative humidities, including dry desert air. The new device is a black, window-sized vertical panel, made from a water-absorbent hydrogel material, enclosed in a glass chamber coated with a cooling layer. The hydrogel resembles black bubble wrap, with small dome-shaped structures that swell when the hydrogel soaks up water vapor. When the captured vapor evaporates, the domes shrink back down in an origami-like transformation. The evaporated vapor then condenses on the glass, where it can flow down and out through a tube, as clean and drinkable water. The system runs entirely on its own, without a power source, unlike other designs that require batteries, solar panels, or electricity from the grid. The team ran the device for over a week in Death Valley, Californiathe driest region in North America. Even in very low-humidity conditions, the device squeezed drinking water from the air at rates of up to 160 milliliters (about two-thirds of a cup) per day. The team estimates that multiple vertical panels, set up in a small array, could passively supply a household with drinking water, even in arid desert environments. What's more, the system's water production should increase with humidity, supplying drinking water in temperate and tropical climates. "We have built a meter-scale device that we hope to deploy in resource-limited regions, where even a solar cell is not very accessible," says Xuanhe Zhao, the Uncas and Helen Whitaker Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT. "It's a test of feasibility in scaling up this water harvesting technology. Now people can build it even larger, or make it into parallel panels, to supply drinking water to people and achieve real impact." Zhao and his colleagues present the details of the new water harvesting design in a paper appearing in the journal Nature Water. The study's lead author is former MIT postdoc "Will" Chang Liu, who is currently an assistant professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS). MIT co-authors include Xiao-Yun Yan, Shucong Li, and Bolei Deng, along with collaborators from multiple other institutions. Carrying capacity Hydrogels are soft, porous materials that are made mainly from water and a microscopic network of interconnecting polymer fibers. Zhao's group at MIT has primarily explored the use of hydrogels in biomedical applications, including adhesive coatings for medical implants, soft and flexible electrodes, and noninvasive imaging stickers. "Through our work with soft materials, one property we know very well is the way hydrogel is very good at absorbing water from air," Zhao says. Researchers are exploring a number of ways to harvest water vapor for drinking water. Among the most efficient so far are devices made from metal-organic frameworks, or MOFsultra-porous materials that have also been shown to capture water from dry desert air. But the MOFs do not swell or stretch when absorbing water, and are limited in vapor-carrying capacity. Water from air The group's new hydrogel-based water harvester addresses another key problem in similar designs. Other groups have designed water harvesters out of micro- or nano-porous hydrogels. But the water produced from these designs can be salty, requiring additional filtering. Salt is a naturally absorbent material, and researchers embed saltstypically, lithium chloridein hydrogel to increase the material's water absorption. The drawback, however, is that this salt can leak out with the water when it is eventually collected. The team's new design significantly limits salt leakage. Within the hydrogel itself, they included an extra ingredient: glycerol, a liquid compound that naturally stabilizes salt, keeping it within the gel rather than letting it crystallize and leak out with the water. The hydrogel itself has a microstructure that lacks nanoscale pores, which further prevents salt from escaping the material. The salt levels in the water they collected were below the standard threshold for safe drinking water, and significantly below the levels produced by many other hydrogel-based designs. In addition to tuning the hydrogel's composition, the researchers made improvements to its form. Rather than keeping the gel as a flat sheet, they molded it into a pattern of small domes resembling bubble wrap that act to increase the gel's surface area, along with the amount of water vapor it can absorb. The researchers fabricated a half-square-meter of hydrogel and encased the material in a window-like glass chamber. They coated the exterior of the chamber with a special polymer film, which helps to cool the glass and stimulates any water vapor in the hydrogel to evaporate and condense onto the glass. They installed a simple tubing system to collect the water as it flows down the glass. In November 2023, the team traveled to Death Valley, California, and set up the device as a vertical panel. Over seven days, they took measurements as the hydrogel absorbed water vapor during the night (the time of day when water vapor in the desert is highest). In the daytime, with help from the sun, the harvested water evaporated out from the hydrogel and condensed onto the glass. Over this period, the device worked across a range of humidities, from 21% to 88%, and produced between 57 and 161.5 milliliters of drinking water per day. Even in the driest conditions, the device harvested more water than other passive and some actively powered designs. "This is just a proof-of-concept design, and there are a lot of things we can optimize," Liu says. "For instance, we could have a multipanel design. And we're working on a next generation of the material to further improve its intrinsic properties." "We imagine that you could one day deploy an array of these panels, and the footprint is very small because they are all vertical," says Zhao, who has plans to further test the panels in many resource-limited regions. "Then you could have many panels together, collecting water all the time, at a household scale." More information: A Meter-scale Vertical Origami Hydrogel Panel for Atmospheric Water Harvesting in Death Valley, Nature Water (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s44221-025-00447-2 Journal information: Nature Water This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching. Instead of crazy, Dylan McDaniel brought lazy and that was enough to excite a room full of children and their parents Tuesday at Clara B. Mounce Public Library in Bryan. McDaniel brought six animals from the Wild Things Zoofari for two programs at the library. To introduce the children to his red rough lemur, he familiarized them by relating to the King Julian ring-tailed lemur character from the Madagascar movies. He said he owns four ringtails and there is a reason he doesnt bring them out very often. All four of them are crazy, he said. Anytime I go into their cages, they grab my hair and ride at me like a horse and stick their tongues up my nose and in my ear, and they rub their butts on my face. Long story short, I dont bring them because theyre so crazy, OK, but I do have a lemur with me today. The type of lemur I have is different than King Julian. Hes not called a ring-tailed lemur, and hes not crazy. Hes called a red rough lemur, and hes extremely lazy. He said Zeus the lemur, which was clad in a diaper, does four things every day: Sleeps, eats, poops and screams. When I tell yall he poops everywhere, Im not kidding. Every time he jumps from tree branch to tree branch, its like a miniature rocket boost, McDaniel said. Next, McDaniel brought out a three-banded armadillo. Armadillos are insectivores, which means they eat insects, and theyre awake at night, which means theyre nocturnal, he said. The armadillo was followed by a white, fluffy rodent with big ears and a long, hairy tail. He had the children guess what it was before revealing it to be a chinchilla. Chinchillas are scientifically the softest animal in the world, he said. His next animal was a hedgehog lookalike called a tenrec. Theyre only from Madagascar, but if you thought this was a hedgehog, I do not blame you. It looks exactly like a hedgehog, he said. McDaniel explained the subtle differences between tenrecs and hedgehogs. These guys have another very scary way of protecting themselves. They run directly at the predators face and try and bite, scratch and attack the predators face, he said. And I dont know about yall, but if Im walking through the forest and I look down and theres a cactus running at my face, Im going to turn around and run away and scream and cry like a baby. His next critter looked like a cross between a dog and cat with rabbit ears. It was a fennec fox named Tinker Bell who has a mischievous personality. He said she will race around his house quickly and has a penchant for raiding his food pantry. Lastly, McDaniel brought out a large pouch and revealed a baby kangaroo. In Australia right now, theyre having an extremely big problem with the overpopulation of kangaroos. OK, so in Australia right now there are 25 million people and there are an estimated 50 million kangaroos, which means there is two kangaroos for every one person that lives in Australia, he said. The kangaroo he brought was seven months old and at birth was the size of a jellybean. Her father at full height stands 6-foot-3. The big problem with kangaroos is people will tell you that theyre mean, theyre dangerous and theyre aggressive, and thats typically because theres three things people want to do: they want to go up and pet them, they want to go up and take a picture of them, or they want to go up and try and box them, he said. Afterward, McDaniel and volunteers held some of the animals for the children to pet as they left the room. Cashton Ibarra said he enjoyed the program and that his favorite was the armadillo. Heidi Cook also enjoyed the show. Ive never actually seen one of the animals there before. We have armadillos at our house, so Ive seen those. I havent seen the fox before, and my favorite is probably the fox or the kangaroo, she said. Margaret Ames said she liked the kangaroo. Theyre one of my favorite jumping animals, and I really like how they box, she said. And I also have another favorite, which was the fox. And I like that one because of its big ears and how it can hear stuff, and its cute, also a troublemaker. Wild Things Zoofari is based in Taylor. It will do programs at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday at the Larry J. Ringer Library in College Station. The program is free, but space is limited, and tickets will be given out 30 minutes before each show. We bring the zoo to you, thats out motto, McDaniel said. We do petting zoos, educational programs and individual animal encounters. So, we have sloths and otters and monkeys and lemurs and foxes and kangaroos and wallabies, and we do petting zoos that come with our kangaroos in it, and also, tortoises and rabbits and goats and sheep, you know, all the basic stuff. Sen. Kevin Cramer decried efforts to raise the federal minimum wage, questioning whether a nationwide wage floor should exist at all. "I don't even know why we have a quote 'federal minimum' wage to be honest," the North Dakota lawmaker said, referring to the current rate of $7.25 an hour, unchanged since 2009. Sen. Kevin Cramer on raising the federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25: "I don't even know why we have a 'federal minimum wage' to be honest ... I think the market works really well ... I just think manipulating markets with mandatory wages doesn't make any sense." pic.twitter.com/FXxZ5vZcDq Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 10, 2025 "Where I come from in North Dakota, businesses are fortunate if they can get someone for less than $15," he said on Fox News. "I think the market works really well." Cramer argued that increasing the minimum wage, particularly to $15 an hour, would limit opportunities for entry-level workers. "You reduce the number of people who can get a beginner's job work at a fast food restaurant, whatever the case might be, in the service sector or otherwise," he said. "I just think manipulating markets with mandatory wages doesn't make any sense." The senator's comments come amid ongoing debate over wage standards and cost-of-living disparities across states. In 2024, the average fair market rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in the U.S. was $1,390, but the rent affordable to one full-time worker earning federal minimum was $377, according to Statista. The federal minimum wage was enacted in 1938 under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which also granted workers a 40-hour work week, set overtime pay at "time-and-a-half," and banned "oppressive child labor." The hard-won legislation was part of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. "Do not let any calamity-howling executive with an income of $1,000 a day, ...tell you...that a wage of $11 a week is going to have a disastrous effect on all American industry," FDR said in 1938. While Democrats continue to push for a higher federal baseline, many Republicans maintain that wages should be determined locally by market conditions rather than federal mandate. Originally published on Latin Times An outreach ministry that has provided the needy with food, utility assistance and other necessities for more than three decades is continuing its mission despite funding challenges and the search for a permanent building. Cooperative Church Ministries of Orangeburg, more commonly known as CCMO, started as small effort among 13 churches. It has grown to a group of more than 20 churches serving thousands. Its a God-sent ministry The late Pauline Atwill, who was in charge of missions at St. Andrews United Methodist Church, decided to take the reins on what would eventually become CCMO. The late Roy Mikels, also a St. Andrews UMC member, was eventually given the OK to help run the organization, with past executive directors including Brother Jeremiah OLeary of the Order of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier, the late Agnes Glover-Wells and most recently Barbara Troy. Troy, an 86-year-old retired school teacher, has been volunteering for more than a decade. One of the main challenges is that were getting more clients with larger families, and our donations are down. Weve also had major problems with our truck, which cuts into our spending, she said. Get The Times and Democrat app today Local news has never been this personal. Free to download. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access. The ministry would normally get items from Harvest Hope in Columbia once a week but have recently been having to rent a U-Haul truck to go up to receive food and similar items twice per month. Harvest Hope is a regional food distribution organization that collects, stores, and distributes food and related items that assist families and children throughout 20 counties in central South Carolina. Weve got a lot going on at one time. One positive thing is Harvest Hope is going to donate us another commercial freezer, Troy said. Council on Aging plans to move; Orangeburg County buying building The Orangeburg County Council on Aging will have a new location for its services. A partnership with the City of Orangeburgs Department of Public Utilities and its Project Good Neighbor program has provided CCMO with the opportunity to provide utility assistance. The projects funds come from donations made by DPU customers, who sign up to add $1 to $10 to their monthly bill. The money is funneled directly to CCMO, which then helps financially strapped individuals and families pay energy costs. 35 years of service: CCMO volunteers sustained by a love for people An outreach ministry that has served the needy with food, clothing and other necessities for more than three decades is continuing in its mission. We were averaging about $3,000 a month. Now it has gone down to about $1,500 a month, said Troy, noting that CCMO sees an average of 35 people a day for three days a week. While Orangeburg and Calhoun counties are included in CCMOs primary service area, the agency fields calls from individuals in places as far as Sumter, Manning and Summerton. What began as a small effort became CCMO in 1998. Its dedicated volunteers have helped keep the organization going with a service that has expanded well beyond food to include the provision of medicine, eyeglass vouchers and, occasionally, bus tickets. Freddie Antley, Hessie Davis, Linda McCants, Margaret McDonald, Bess Goodwin, Frances Morant, the Rev. Thelma Johnson are included among CCMOs dedicated arsenal of volunteers. We are committed. We work good together. We believe in the Lord, and we believe this is something that is helping our community, said Goodwin, CCMOs longest-serving volunteer at more than 30 years. McCants said, Its a love for service. Its a God-sent ministry. Were just Christian people who love to serve. Troy said, We have some awesome volunteers. Thats what keeps this going. They really care about what theyre doing. The CCMO director said all donations are appreciated and can come from a variety of entities, including, but not limited to, Girl and Boy scout troops and sororities and fraternities. Nonperishable canned goods, rice and pasta are among the food items CCMO needs. Goodwin said more volunteers are also needed, noting that CCMO could also use a grants writer. Troy said, The way things are now, we dont know whether grants will be honored anymore. Were just in a topsy-turvy right now and taking it one day at a time like everybody else. That same love will continue The financial base for CCMO is its approximately 22 member churches, which contribute to the ministry. While the organization does not depend on miscellaneous donations, they are welcome. We have about 21 that are consistent givers. It just might be on a staggered basis, Troy said. The Rev. Eddie Williams, chairman of CCMOs board of directors, said an increased need for services will require CCMO to expand its fund base beyond churches. Thats something that were looking at and the cost of operating. Were still trying to reach out to the churches. One of the things that Im getting ready to do is send out a letter to try to get a working address to some of the churches that have been our sponsors in the past to see if they are going to continue, Williams said. We dont just want to limit this now to just churches. Youve got to have more than the church involved now, he said, noting that CCMO is looking to increase its efforts in building more business partnerships, with some already stepping up to donate funds. Our hope and goal is to tap into the businesses in the county. My hope would be: How can we get some others to be supporters? My hope is to keep CCMO a vibrant, working and sustained ministry within this community because thats what it is, Williams said, noting that sustaining a committed volunteer base is another goal. The other thing is trying to make sure where our home is going to be, he said. The nonprofit agencys temporary relocation to a building located at 2570 St. Matthews Road in Orangeburg was provided by the Orangeburg County after part of CCMOs roof was blown off during a storm on Feb. 13, 2020. That has been something that has been brought up. Right now, we are in the initial phase of talking with two potential partners. Nothing is finalized, but they have a food pantry and give out food to the community, Williams said. We then need to look at space and cost. We need to compare the two (partners) and figure out all the logistics before moving forward. This is not a quick fix," he said. The agency is open from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Williams said the CCMO board will also seek possible grant funding through the City of Orangeburg to increase its funding base. He also wants to increase awareness of CCMO and its mission within the community. In the meantime, he said the work will continue, including his own. That same love that Ms. Agnes showed for the agency is still drawing me. I know without a shadow of a doubt that that same love in this county will continue to support this agency, Williams said. For more information on CCMO, or how you can volunteer, please call 803-531-4913 or visits its website at https://myccmo.com/. When the three executioners fired their high-powered rifles at him, Mikal Mahdi, who was sentenced to death for the execution-style murder of an Orangeburg police officer, yelled. Over the next 80 seconds he moaned twice more before drawing his final, gasping breath. Protocol required the executioners to aim for Mahdis heart. But despite three shots, an autopsy revealed only partial damage to his heart and just two bullet entry wounds. This is proof, say lawyers for a man facing execution Friday, that only two bullets were fired and both missed their mark. While they offer no motive, lawyers for Stephen Stanko, set to die by lethal injection on Friday, June 13, have argued in a federal lawsuit that this is the only conclusion based on their review of Mahdis autopsy and multiple experts who opined that it would be nearly impossible for trained marksmen to accidentally miss a target at such close range. As a result, Stankos lawyers argue Mahdi died an agonizing death of blood loss inside of the state death chamber. The available evidence reflects that those responsible for conducting the Mahdi firing squad intended to miss the direct target and... avoid an instantaneous death to instead cause Mahdis extreme suffering, Stankos lawyers write. The South Carolina Department of Corrections has strongly refuted that anything went awry. In a sworn affidavit, the departments interim director, Joel Anderson, wrote that he verified that all three firearms were fired and the spent shell casings were removed after Mahdis execution. Anderson wrote that he also verified that there were no projectiles or fragments in the death chamber. This is consistent with a previous statement from the Corrections Department, denying that Mahdis execution was botched. Department officials have said that Mahdis heart was located by x-ray before the execution and the independent autopsy found that two of the bullets entered through the same wound and traveled along the same path. Mahdi was the second person to be executed by firing squad in South Carolina and the fifth to be executed since the state resumed executions in September 2024 following a 13 year pause. Lawyers for Stanko, 54, are seeking a stay of execution from a South Carolina federal court. Stanko was sentenced to death in Horry and Georgetown counties for the murders of his girlfriend, Laura Ling, and friend, Henry Turner. They argue that the states three options for execution lethal injection, electric chair and firing squad all violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. South Carolina law requires that death row defendants select the means of their own death from one of these three options. If a defendant does not choose, the default method is electrocution. Despite considerable controversy, all three methods have been found constitutionally acceptable by South Carolina courts. Because of the states secrecy laws, little is known about the execution procedures other than what is revealed in court filings. Since executions resumed in 2024, three men been executed by lethal injection while two have selected firing squad. The lawsuit filed by Stankos attorneys is the most comprehensive challenge yet to South Carolinas methods of execution. It was filed by Charles Grose, from Greenwood, South Carolina, and Joseph Perkovich and Joseph Welling with Phillips Black, a national public interest law firm. Stanko was forced to chose lethal injection, they contend, only in order to save himself from the electric chair, said Perkovich in statement provided to The State. To avoid, as one doctor has explained it, being burned at the stake by electricity, Mr. Stanko has had to choose between two methods that SCDC has shown they are unableor unwillingto competently conduct. Perkovich said. In addition to the claims about Mahdis botched execution, the attorneys say that the state Department of Corrections does not have proper procedures for determining the location of the heart, and the ammunition used by the firing squad is inappropriate for executions. The attorneys also question South Carolinas lethal injection protocol, which specifies the use of a single five gram dose of the sedative pentobarbital. Instead, the three men who died by lethal injection received a second, undisclosed five gram dose of pentobarbital, according to the lawsuit. No other state using pentobarbital, which can cause a pulmonary edema where the lungs fill with fluid, have required a second dose, according to the lawsuit. Responding to the lawsuit, attorneys for Gov. Henry McMaster who asked to be added as a party to the case claim that this last minute claim that Mahdis execution was botched is both factually and legally wrong. While Mahdi may have groaned two times about 45 seconds after the shots were fired, there was no report of any screaming or wailing, attorneys for McMaster and the Department of Corrections wrote. In addition, attorneys for McMaster, himself a strong proponent of the death penalty, argue that Stankos claims are moot because he fails to meet the legal requirement of offering an alternative method for his own execution that would significantly reduce a substantial risk of severe pain. When contacted, the Department of Corrections referred The State to governments response. A hearing on the complaint has been scheduled for later this week. A botched firing squad? Inside the South Carolina death chamber, the anonymous members of the states firing squad are hidden from view. They take aim through gunports in the chambers walls and fire. Forensic ballistics expert Chris Coleman stated in a sworn report filed with the lawsuit that it would be nearly impossible for a trained marksman to miss at that close range. The degree of skill claimed by SCDC (South Carolina Department of Corrections) is wholly inconsistent with shots accidentally missing the target at that range and under these controlled circumstances. The only explanation presented by the evidence, Stankos attorneys argue, is that one of the three executioners did not fire their gun. A report by forensic pathologist Dr. Terri Haddix attached to the lawsuit states that at least three independent lines of evidence support the conclusion that only two, not three, bullets struck Mahdi. These are the separate paths taken by the bullets, the location of the bullet fragments and the differing damage to the paper targets that were placed over the hearts of Mahdi and Brad Sigmon, the first person in South Carolina to be executed by firing squad. In contrast to Mahdis execution, Sigmons execution on March 7 went seamlessly. With the sudden crack of the three rifles, Sigmon, who was hooded, appeared to flinch. He made no sounds and his chest moved two or three times and then was still, reported Associated Press journalist Jeffrey Collins, who witnessed the execution. While Collins who witnessed both executions reported that the target over Sigmons chest appeared to completely vanish on being struck with three bullets, Mahdis did not. Supporters of Brad Sigmon and anti-death penalty activists gathered outside of the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina on March 7, 2025 to protest Sigmons execution by firing squad, the first in South Carolinas history. Ted Clifford Sigmons autopsy showed that the three bullet wounds overlapped his heart, completely destroying it. The bullets, a type of ammunition called .308 Winchester .110 grain TAP URBAN, were so close together they appeared to make a single large path through his body and fragmented as designed. They caused enormous damage to Sigmons heart, left lung and a major blood vessel, along with his spine, stomach and the ribs on the back left side of his body, behind his heart. In contrast, Mahdis autopsy found two separate bullet paths, hitting his liver, pancreas and left lung. Rather than completely destroying the heart, the bullets struck the hearts lining and the right ventricle, one of the hearts four chambers. With three presumed proficient riflemen firing on the targeted heart from merely 15 feet (5 yards) away in a controlled environment, using powerful hunting rifles that are capable of killing a deer at 300 to 500 yards, it would be unlikely that the left ventricle would not be obliterated three times over, wrote Dr. Jonathan Groner, an emeritus professor of clinical surgery at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. While an autopsy found bullet fragments spread through Sigmons body as far right as his liver and as far left as the ribs behind his heart, Hendrix observed that Mahdi had no fragments or injuries to the left of his entrance wounds. It is an impossibility that two bullets could have followed the same path, Coleman wrote in his report, because the three shooters were fifteen feet, or five yards, away and firing from different angles. Therefore, all thee bullets were traveling on different trajectories. Even if two bullets had crossed paths at the exact moment they hit Mahdi, they necessarily would have been going in different directions. As a result, they would have left pathways and fragments on the left and right side of Mahdis body, according to Colemans report. How bullets react once they strike the body is something that neither SCDC nor the members of the firing squad can control, attorneys for the state wrote in the reply. That one condemned inmate dies more quickly than another does not necessarily mean that something went awry in one execution. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sidestepped a spending question on the Trump administration's proposed $1 trillion FY 2026 defense budget to rail against former President Joe Biden, drawing criticism from Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro. While lamenting the previous administration's mismanagement of the nation's shipbuilding projects during Tuesday's hearing, Hegseth was interrupted by DeLauro, a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee. "Please! I want your plan," DeLauro said sharply. "I've had difficulty with the prior administration, and I don't mind calling them out," she added, before pressing Hegseth for specifics on the proposed budget. HEGSETH: The challenge is our department under the previous administration squandered--- DeLAURO: Please! I want your plan! What is your plan for the future? We have zip! Nada! pic.twitter.com/OjxGgPfrBx Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 10, 2025 "What is your plan for the future? Can we get that in writing and on paper so that we know where you're going? Because we don't have anything today," she continued. "We have zip, nada in knowing where you're going." "You could talk percentages. You could talk about whatever you want. But unless this committee see dollars and cents and where you're going and what your plan is, then we may reconsider what you need to do to go forward. Give us the details," DeLauro added. Hegseth insisted he has the details and will provide them for the committee. Elsewhere in the hearing, Hegseth defended the nearly $1 trillion proposal as "a historic level of funding for military readiness," asserting that it prioritizes warfighters' needs and marks the end of a period of underinvestment in the U.S. military. Originally published on Latin Times 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. President Donald J. Trump's administration has ambitious plans to provide various services to the American people, and one of them is reportedly an AI chatbot that would be accessible via "AI.gov." There is still no available website, but recent discoveries have revealed the early version of the website and a code posted on a repository, which gave an initial look at what it will bring. The reports reveal numerous details about how the site is being formed, as well as the various features it will offer, with a focus on serving Americans through artificial intelligence. Trump's AI Chatbot Is Reportedly Coming via AI.gov A new report from 404 Media revealed that the Trump administration is developing a project in the background that suggests the United States' own AI chatbot, accessible via a website at the address "AI.gov."The report shared various references to the upcoming experience, including code found on GitHub, and they were also able to locate an early version of the website itself. It was also revealed that this project is spearheaded by the Technology Transformation Services of the General Services Administration, with former Tesla engineer Thomas Shedd leading the team. According to The Verge's report, Shedd is known for being a close ally to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with him previously suggesting the use of AI to detect fraud, review government contracts, and more. This website aims to provide a new kind of experience for Americans by offering an AI chatbot that is within their reach. 404 Media also reported that the Trump administration plans to launch this service by July 4, also known as Independence Day. What Does the Government's AI Bring for Americans? According to the website, AI.gov will provide three significant tools to assist Americans with their various needs. First, it will offer US users an AI chat assistant that helps address their needs, potentially including government questions and queries that no longer require contacting agencies. Next, it will also offer an API that will open up the experience to connect models from companies like Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI. Lastly, the report claimed that it will serve as a console to "analyze agency-wide implementation." The AI.gov platform would reportedly help "accelerate government innovation with AI." President Donald Trump and Artificial Intelligence When President Trump recently won the election, he revealed his grand plans to appoint an "AI czar" to his cabinet, tasked with leading federal AI regulations and applying the technology within the US government. During his early days in his second term, Trump also announced the "Stargate" project, which aims to deliver the United States' AI infrastructure initiative using a $500 billion investment that it plans to raise over four years. This specific program has already attracted notable figures such as OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, Oracle's Larry Ellison, and others to join the project and help the US establish its AI infrastructure. Originally published on Tech Times For close to three decades, the Foundation for Heritage Preservation and Legacy Creation has been dedicated to preserving Indigenous heritage, promoting eco-cultural education, and fostering sustainable community development focusing on areas including environment and wildlife, education, community support, and animal care and rescue. However, the Foundation is facing its biggest challenge, as it needs consistent funding to support its programmes. Added to that, further setbacks emerged when the Foundations co-founder, Aleeyah Amanda Ali, was stricken with health issues. 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. 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. 6 killed in plane crash returning to Phoenix from San Diego (AP) The Coast Guard suspended the search Tuesday for the wreckage of a small plane that crashed into the ocean shortly after taking off from San Diego, killing all six people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board said it will continue working to determine why the Cessna 414 crashed Sunday, but it doesnt expect to have any updates on the crash until it publishes its preliminary report about a month from now. With the wreckage still resting under a couple hundred feet of water, the NTSBs investigator isnt even immediately traveling to where the plane crashed about 3 miles off the coast of Point Loma, a San Diego neighborhood that juts into the Pacific. Authorities have not identified the people who died in the crash. The plane was scheduled to return to Arizona on Sunday one day after it flew out to San Diego. A natural supplements company called Optimal Health Systems based in Pima, Arizona, said it sold the plane in 2023 to a group of individuals who are part of their small community. Motorcyclist killed in wreck with dump truck A 63-year-old motorcyclist was killed Monday afternoon in a crash with a Kenworth dump truck on the citys southeast side, Tucson police said. About 2:45 p.m., Frank David Campa, 63, passed a line of vehicles in the westbound curb lane of East Benson Highway at South Alvernon Way by riding on the shoulder to their right, eventually stopping next to the dump truck at the front of the line, Tucson police said in a news release. He was struck when the light turned green and the driver of the dump truck, an unidentified 40-yer-old man, started to turn right onto northbound Alvernon, the release said. Campa died soon after he arrived at the hospital. The truck driver was not injured and investigators say impairment was not an issue. Unsafe overtaking on the right by the motorcyclist is the known contributing factor of the crash, the release said. Arizona Daily Star Immigration raids spark police-protester face-off in Los Angeles Xinhua) 10:45, June 11, 2025 * "This isn't about public safety. It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego," California Governor Gavin Newsom said. * The Los Angeles crisis represents a template for Trump's broader immigration strategy, which aims to conduct what officials call "the largest deportation operation in American history" with a goal of 1 million annual deportations. * The enforcement operations have already spread fear through immigrant communities nationwide. LOS ANGELES, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of U.S. troops and police were still surrounding small groups of peaceful protesters in downtown Los Angeles by Monday noon, following hours of confrontation. The unprecedented show of military force on American streets comes amid a constitutional crisis between the Trump administration and the state of California over immigration enforcement. What began as immigration raids on Friday has spiraled into the largest federal-state confrontation in decades, with U.S. President Donald Trump deploying over 4,100 U.S. National Guard members and 700 Marines so far without California Governor Gavin Newsom's consent -- the first time since then President Lyndon Johnson federalized Alabama's National Guard in 1965 without gubernatorial consent. Over 40 immigrants were arrested on Friday alone at garment factories, construction sites and day-laborer gathering spots as federal agents conducted coordinated raids across Los Angeles County. The operations employed tactical gear, armored vehicles and drones in what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials described as enforcement of federal search warrants. Heavy smoke is seen as protesters clash with Los Angeles sheriff deputies in Paramont, Los Angeles County, California, the United States, June 7, 2025. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua) The most controversial arrest involved David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union California, who was detained while serving as a community observer during a raid. Union officials said Huerta was documenting federal operations when agents arrested him on felony conspiracy charges. By Friday evening, hundreds of protesters had gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, demanding the release of detained immigrants. The initially peaceful demonstrations quickly escalated into violent confrontations as protesters hurled chunks of concrete at police officers, prompting the deployment of tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang grenades. Saturday brought a dramatic escalation as protests spread to Paramount, where federal agents had staged additional operations near a Home Depot store. Demonstrators blocked streets with shopping carts, set cars ablaze, and threw glass bottles containing gasoline-like substances at law enforcement. One ICE agent was injured when protesters shattered a vehicle's windshield with rocks. Meanwhile, two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies were wounded by a protester who threw a Molotov cocktail, according to local police reports. Weekend violence peaked Sunday when hundreds of protesters stormed U.S. Highway 101, completely halting traffic in both directions while throwing rocks, electric scooters, street signs and concrete chunks from overpasses onto police vehicles below. Multiple patrol cars were damaged and at least one was set ablaze, forcing the California Highway Patrol to deploy tear gas canisters to clear the interstate. Police officers try to disperse protesters in front of the Los Angeles Federal Detention Center in Los Angeles, California, the United States, June 8, 2025. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua) The chaos extended beyond clashes with law enforcement as five Waymo autonomous vehicles were vandalized with anti-ICE graffiti and set on fire near the detention center, prompting the car company to suspend service in protest areas due to toxic gas emissions from burning lithium-ion batteries. Trump responded Saturday evening by signing a presidential memorandum deploying California National Guard troops under federal command. The president characterized the protests as "a form of rebellion" against federal authority. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth then confirmed that 700 Marines from the U.S. Marine Corps base in Twentynine Palms were mobilized Monday to support National Guard operations, marking the first deployment of Marines since the 1992 Los Angeles riots. However, the massive security response now appeared dramatically disproportionate to the current threat level. A Xinhua correspondent observed Monday that approximately 1,000 to 2,000 peaceful protesters in downtown Los Angeles were merely chanting slogans -- no longer throwing objects -- while completely surrounded by police and National Guard forces. The federal deployment has been marked by significant dysfunction. Governor Newsom revealed Monday evening that the first 2,000 National Guard members deployed by Trump "were given no food or water" and "only approximately 300 are deployed -- the rest are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders." "This isn't about public safety. It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego," Newsom said on Instagram. "This is Reckless. Pointless. And Disrespectful to our troops." A protester is arrested by police officers in front of the Los Angeles Federal Detention Center in Los Angeles, California, the United States, June 8, 2025. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua) California filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking a restraining order to halt what state officials characterize as an unconstitutional usurpation of state authority. California Attorney General Rob Bonta argued that Trump violated both the 10th Amendment and statutory requirements that National Guard orders be "issued through the governors of the States." The legal challenge centered on whether Trump's characterization of civil unrest as "rebellion" met the threshold for federal intervention. California contended that no invasion or actual rebellion exists to justify bypassing normal state-federal coordination protocols. Trump has threatened to expand military deployments to other cities. "We're going to have troops everywhere. We're not going to let this happen to our country," he said. Border czar Tom Homan threatened Newsom's arrest if he interfered with federal operations, escalating tensions between state and federal authorities. Trump told a reporter Monday that he supported Homan's idea. The Los Angeles crisis represents a template for Trump's broader immigration strategy, which aims to conduct what officials call "the largest deportation operation in American history" with a goal of 1 million annual deportations. The administration is using military aircraft for deportation flights, costing up to 850,000 U.S. dollars per flight, according to government sources. The enforcement operations have already spread fear through immigrant communities nationwide, affecting key industries including agriculture, construction and hospitality. Economic analysts estimate deporting 1 million immigrants annually could cost 967.9 billion dollars over a decade while creating significant labor shortages. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Police in Washington believe they maybe on the trail of accused child killer Travis Decker, who authorities say suffocated his three daughters last week and fled into the wilderness. Decker, 32, is a U.S. Army veteran with survivalist skills. Police have been searching the wilderness area in the vicinity of Rock Island Campground, where the bodies of the girls - Olivia, 5, Evelyn, 8, and Paityn, 9 - were found June 2. "Tracking teams believe they are on Decker's trail, community support and tips are still needed!" the Chelan County Sheriff's office announced on Facebook. "Law Enforcement have tracked a subject believed to be Decker into Blewett Pass/ HWY 97 area. We are asking for the public, especially those who live or have cabins in the area, to remain highly vigilant and report any suspicious activity." Blewett Pass is about 43 miles from the Rock Island Campground by car. Police believe Decker killed the girls during a visitation May 30 and then fled. His vehicle was found near the girls' bodies. Police were called by the girl's mother when Decker did not return with them following the visitation. Since the girls were found, a warrant has been issued for Decker, and a massive manhunt has been launched. In the latest update, police asked for the public's help and seemed to be closing in on Decker. "Our office recently received a tip from a hiking party who stated they spotted a lone hiker in the Enchantments area who appeared to be ill prepared for trail and weather conditions, and appeared to be avoiding others," police said. "Tracking teams immediately acted upon the information and spotted a lone, off trail hiker from a helicopter near Colchuck Lake who ran from sight as the helicopter passed." Police asked the public to continue to assist in the investigation, noting that the U.S. Marshall's Office is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading directly to Decker's arrest. Police also reiterated that he should not be approached and should be considered armed and dangerous. "As the search continues in the area, we are asking that anyone who may have a cabin, or reside in the area report any suspicious activity, lock your doors and vehicles, and look out for your neighbor's property," police said. Originally published on Lawyer Herald Arizona lawmakers introduced legislation to name the Tucson federal building in honor of the late Congressman Raul Grijalva. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Greg Stanton along with a bipartisan group of congressional leaders, including Reps. Paul Gosar, Juan Ciscomani, and Yassamin Ansari. The Tucson Federal Building is a gateway to government housing small business assistance, immigration services, and more, Stanton said in a written statement. I know generations of public servants who work within its walls will continue to draw inspiration from Congressman Grijalvas deep commitment to opportunity and justice for all. The Tucson Federal Building, 300 W. Congress St., was built in 1974. It houses a variety of agencies covering national security, labor, business and more. Grijalva died at 77 in March after a battle with lung cancer. He was a leading voice for public education, environmental protection, tribal sovereignty, immigrants rights and expanded healthcare. Before his career in Congress, Grijalva served as a board member and chair of the Tucson Unified School District in the 1970s and 1980s and as a Pima County supervisor in the 1990s. The son of a Mexican immigrant, Grijalva was first elected to the House in 2002. He served 11 full terms, making him one of the longest-tenured members in Arizona history. The Grijalva family wrote in a statement that they were grateful to Stanton and the Arizona delegation for recognizing his legacy in this lasting way. Our family is deeply honored by this tribute to Raul. Tucson was his lifelong home and this community shaped his values, fueled his advocacy, and inspired his fight for equity, dignity, and opportunity for all, the family wrote. Naming this building after him ensures that future generations will remember not only his years of service, but the principles he stood for. The congressmans daughter, Adelita Grijalva, who is currently running for his District 7 seat, said she thinks her father would be honored and get a chuckle out of it. I think its almost appropriate, because he was part of so many protests outside of that building, she said. Its a loving testament in Tucson, where he gave so much of his life. Grijalva is set to face Democratic candidates Deja Foxx, Patrick Harris Sr., Daniel Hernandez Jr. and Jose Malvido Jr. in the District 7 primary on July 15. The Democratic candidates had a debate Tuesday. Republican candidates Daniel Butierez, Jorge Rivas and Jimmy Rodriguez had a debate Monday. The registration deadline to vote in the July 15 primary is Monday, June 16. Early voting begins next week on June 18. Democratic candidate Daniel Hernandez says when it comes to mining projects, its not a binary choice between creating good-paying jobs or protecting the environment. If we dont mine here in Arizona, where we are creating good union-paying jobs ... we will have to get those things to modernize our green economy from somewhere else, he said during a debate Tuesday night of the five Democrats running for the vacant Arizona congressional seat in District 7. Hernandez was responding to a question about the Oak Flat mining project, in which the federal government is attempting a land transfer for a massive mining project near Superior. On Monday, a federal judge in Phoenix prevented the U.S. Forest Service from proceeding with the land exchange until 60 days after the agency issues a required environmental review, weeks after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Apaches who are attempting to halt the project on federal land they hold sacred, the Associated Press reported. The other Democratic candidates running all disagreed with Hernandez on the mining project. They are Adelita Grijalva, Patrick Harris Sr., Deja Foxx and Jose Malvido Jr. The seat, which represents parts of Tucson, had been held by an ardent environmental advocate, Democrat Rep. Raul Grijalva, who was elected to 12 terms in the U.S. House. He died in March of complications from cancer treatments at age 77 while in office. Adelita Grijalva, the late congressmans daughter, said she will oppose the Oak Flat land transfer, and if elected, will seek to revisit 1970s-mining laws on the books and to emphasize mandatory consultations with tribal nations and impacted communities. Harris said he has a problem with mining due to the harm it causes to the environment and the potential safety risks it entails, as his brother was left paralyzed in a mining accident in Montana. Malvido, too, said he opposes the mining project, as his support, for years, lies with the Indigenous people at Oak Flat. Foxx also indicated she opposes the Oak Flat land transfer. Campaign funding, political tenures Foxx said her campaign has been funded 99% by small donors and working families. Since campaign finance statements wont be filed until the primary race has been settled, she said, Foxx made a commitment to not take corporate PAC money, raising her hand and asking her fellow Democrats to do the same. Hernandez appeared to be the only one to not put his hand in the air. He told reporters after the debate the biggest problem in politics currently isnt corporate funding, but dark money flooding into politics, something he alleged Adelita Grijalva of taking. It wasnt the only issue the five Democrats were not aligned on. We need people and we need leadership (from people) that are not career politicians, Malvido said, adding: Daniel and Adelita have been doing this for 20-some years. Hernandez is a former state legislator and Grijalva was a Pima County supervisor and a Tucson Unified School District board member. For progressive action, Daniel has voted with MAGA Republicans 52 times, Malvido said. Adelita and Daniel both support the genocide in Israel. ... We need new leadership, and when were talking about steering the party ahead we need to have truth, we need to be united and we need to have a progressive agenda. Grijalva took issue on both fronts. I find it disappointing that were talking about career politicians when I was on the (TUSD) board for 20 years in a volunteer, unpaid position. ... I have no idea what Mr. Hernandez is referring to as far as dark money, I have no corporate PAC, no oil or fossil fuel money coming, she said. We have not had a conversation about Israel, or Gaza, and so Im happy to have that conversation, but thats also inaccurate information. Tuesdays debate, moderated by Steve Goldstein and Nohelani Graf and held in the Arizona Public Media studio in Tucson, was the second held in the lead-up to the July 15 primary election. Whoever wins the Democratic contest will run in the Sept. 23 general election against the winner of the Republican primary. The three GOP candidates, Daniel Butierez, Jorge Rivas and Jimmy Rodriguez, faced off Monday in a debate. Denouncing Trump policies The five Democrats all denounced the recent orders by President Donald Trump to deploy the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles in response to protests, and shared similar views on Trumps tariff policies and what the president calls the One Big Beautiful Bill. The bill combines multiple priorities pushed by the Trump administration including work requirements for food assistance and Medicaid, tax breaks, and billions for the U.S.-Mexico border wall and immigration enforcement. But that legislation might not have made it out of the House if the Democratic Party had a hard conversation internally about policy and age, Foxx said. The bill passed by a single vote. We have three vacancies in the House, three Democrats who have passed away while in office, its why were all standing here today, said 25-year-old Foxx. We failed to have a hard conversation about our party, about age, failed to bring in a new generation of leaders, and now it is working-class families like mine that are going to have to live with the consequences. Lets get progressives in there to do the hard work of advocates to pull our party toward moral clarity, but lets also bring in a new generation, Foxx said. If elected, Grijalva said she would sign a discharge position on Day One to overturn Trumps national emergency declaration that has allowed him to implement the sweeping tariff plans. Malvido said he would organize Congress to restore a corporate tax rate of 28%, while Hernandez said Medicaid and Medicare cuts would be a non-negotiable when working on any legislation. To combat issues facing the economy, Harris proposes a constitutional amendment he titles Capitulated Capitalism. He said he would be prepared to present it on Day One if elected. His Cap the Cap plan would cap personal wealth at $1 billion, and U.S. billionaires would need to reinvest into society anything over that amount within one year. It was a phrase Harris used often during Tuesday nights debate. Build schools, hospitals, cure cancer I dont know, fix the roads locally here Cap the Cap puts trillions of dollars back into the economy, Harris said. There are 800 billionaires in the U.S. that hoard $6 trillion. Congressional District 7 has about 176,000 registered Democrats, compared with fewer than 93,000 registered Republicans. It stretches from Douglas through Nogales into parts of Pinal and Maricopa counties and west to Yuma. The registration deadline to vote in the July 15 primary is next Monday, June 16. Early voting begins next week on June 18. PHOENIX Two Republicans on the Arizona Corporation Commission are facing primary challenges from state lawmakers who contend they are spurning President Donald Trumps demand for more coal-fired power plants. I will support President Trumps energy policy, proclaimed Rep. David Marshall at a press conference Tuesday in front of the state Capitol, announcing that he and Rep. Ralph Heap will challenge Commissioners Kevin Thompson and Nick Myers in the 2026 GOP primary election. I support the Trump energy policy completely, which prioritizes fossil fuel as the backbone of our power grid, Heap said. He also backs elimination of various subsidies and credits that incentivize unreliable and higher cost solar and wind projects and puts at risk lower-cost natural gas and coal options. The Corporation Commission, which regulates the rates charged by investor-owned utilities, declined to comply with the presidents order to reopen shuttered power plants. In Arizona, that means the Cholla plant near Joseph City in Navajo County. Thompson, who chairs the commission, acknowledged that Trumps order allows certain plants to comply with less-stringent versions of air quality standards. But he said the Clean Air Act still prohibits non-complaint coal-fired operations like Cholla. The only way to legally reinstate full operation would be with a $1.9 billion project, Thompson said. There is no free money, he said, saying that cost would be borne by Arizona Public Service ratepayers. He rejected the claim that he and Myers, the other GOP commissioner being challenged, are ignoring Trump and his agenda. Ive had conversations with the White House and they understand Cholla is a lost cause, Thompson told Capitol Media Services. Instead, we are focused on the future and what can be done to protect generational assets that will keep Arizona thriving well into the future. Heap brushed aside the cost of reopening Cholla. Some of these numbers are from APS and the utilities, he said. I think thats overblown. That (plant) really could have been maintained and continue to run at least until we have a better idea of exactly whats going to happen with energy in the near future. Coal just cant compete Heap said the state cannot rely on renewable energy. We need a major course correction, and not just to provide power on a 24/7 basis, he said. China produces all the solar panels. And if recent reports are true, these come with kill switches so they can turn them off whenever they want, Heap said, in a reference to reports by Reuters that rogue communication devices were found in some Chinese-manufactured solar panels. Prior commissions have set hard-and-fast goals for renewable energy that utilities were told to meet. The regulators conceded at the time that these alternatives had some additional costs that were being passed on to ratepayers. But they said it was justified by reducing reliance on fossil fuels. As it turned out, the current commissioners, including Thompson and Myers, voted last year to scrap those standards, saying utilities should use market forces to decide how to produce power. By that point, however, the debate was largely a moot point: Thompson said all the utilities had already adopted and were meeting their own renewable energy goals. Anyway, Thompson said, it makes no sense to declare the state should rely only on fossil fuels. Prior subsidies under the Biden administration lowered the cost of solar, he said. Natural gas and coal just cant compete, Thompson said. The bottom line, he said, is maintaining the electrical grid in the most reliable and cost-effective method. Whether thats coming from coal, natural gas or renewables, were all in, Thompson said. Whatevers going to keep the lights on. APS itself agreed with the decision to shutter the Cholla plant in March, saying it was uneconomical to operate. Spokesman Mike Philipsen said the company is preserving the site for possible future use, either generating power through natural gas or potentially as the location for a nuclear generator. Intra-party disagreements The renewable energy issue is just one of the subjects in the upcoming race, in which Thompson and Myers are the only two members of the all-Republican commission who are up for re-election next year. Right now, companies must come before the commission, open their books, and justify changes in how much they charge customers. It is up to the regulators to approve rate increases. But the current commission adopted a policy of allowing utilities to impose annual rate adjustments, in between regular rake hikes. Heap and Marshall said that is ignoring the requirement that the commission set rates. Myers, however, said there would still be full-blown rate hearings. The formulas would allow for interim increases, and that would smooth out the eventual price hikes, he said. All that assumes the commission decision to allow formula increases survives. It is being challenged in court by the Residential Utility Consumer Office. Thompson also questioned the involvement of Republican state Sen. Jake Hoffman, who acknowledged that he went out and recruited Heap and Marshall to try to oust their fellow Republicans. Hoffman is chair of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, a bloc of the most conservative legislators. My personal opinion, Thompson said, based on what I have been told and observed, is that Hoffman wants a Freedom Caucus member or members to control every statewide office in Arizona. Hoffman countered that its his job, as Republican national committeeman for Arizona, to recruit candidates who match the Republican Party platform, even if there are other Republicans in the race. He has already advanced Kimberly Yee as the Freedom Caucus candidate for state schools chief and Alexander Kolodin for secretary of state. Hoffman is also a vocal backer of Andy Biggs in his bid to be the GOP nominee for governor. Both Yee and Biggs face fellow Republicans as opponents. PHOENIX Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed legislation to allow students and their parents to sue teachers over allegations of antisemitism. In an extensive statement late Tuesday, Hobbs said she believes antisemitism is a scourge on our society and a deeply troubling issue in our country. Unfortunately, this bill is not about antisemitism, she said in her veto message. Its about attacking our teachers. It puts an unacceptable level of personal liability in place for our public school, community college, and university educators and staff, opening them up to threats of personally costly lawsuits, Hobbs said. She cited provisions in the bill that would have made public school teachers, college instructors and professionals personally liable over complaints they were instructing students in antisemitism or engaging in antisemitic conduct. It also unfairly targeted public school teachers while shielding private school staff, the Democratic governor said. Hobbs said her veto isnt about condoning antisemitism. I continue to proudly stand with Arizonas Jewish community against acts of hate, violence, and harassment, and remain committed to fighting antisemitism in all its forms, she said. Hobbs cited legislation she signed last year expanding Holocaust education requirements in public schools. And she noted she joined with leaders of the Phoenix Jewish community, including Holocaust survivors, to break ground on the first permanent Holocaust education center in Phoenix a project using $7 million from the state budget she signed into law last year. It was a powerful reminder that the most effective way to combat antisemitism is through education, empathy, and community, she said. Incidents increasing, supporter says Her decision comes despite a plea from Rep. Michael Way, sponsor of the legislation, who wrote to Hobbs to remind her that she has said every Arizona child deserves a quality, safe education. In the same spirit, HB 2867 aims to ensure that pernicious form of hatred, antisemitism, and its often-violent outcomes, have no place being actively taught in our classrooms or in publicly funded institutions of higher learning, the Queen Creek Republican wrote. Way told her the measure, crafted at the behest of Jewish residents in his district, came on the heels of reports students have experienced harassment or discrimination based on ideas taught by a teacher. He testified at a committee hearing that teachers at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University were promoting antisemitic ideas, including giving students extra credit to participate in demonstrations against Israel, though he provided no specifics. He also said incidents of antisemitism have increased since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas and the Israeli war in Gaza that followed, and continues, all of which make clear that this is a problem that needs to be addressed swiftly and firmly. Way also said the final version of the bill, the one that went to Hobbs, contained language designed to protect free speech. Also lining up asking that Hobbs sign the bill was Republican state schools chief Tom Horne. It is not true that there are no instances of teachers in Arizona schools teaching antisemitism, Horne wrote to the governor. He said Amnesty International distributed pro-Hamas materials to a student club at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale last fall. Some Jewish groups opposed bill But Hobbs, in her veto message, pointed out that she also heard from groups including the National Council on Jewish Women which objected specifically to a provision of the bill that would have incorporated a definition of antisemitism, written by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), into state law. That definition includes contemporary examples of antisemitism. These range from violence against Jews in the name of radical ideology, to making stereotypical allegations about Jewish people. But it also includes any claim that the existence of Israel is a racist endeavor and drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis, a provision that drew concerns it would encompass criticism of how Israel is handling the war in Gaza. It was never intended to be a campus hate speech code, wrote Jodi Liggett for the NCJW. It includes any claim that the existence of Israel is a racist endeavor and drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis, a provision that drew concerns it would encompass criticism of how Israel is handling the war in Gaza. It was never intended to be a campus hate speech code, wrote Jodi Liggett for the National Council on Jewish Women. That language in the definition also provoked a letter to Hobbs from the Council on American-Islamic Relations and other groups urging a veto. Chilling of speech? Signers also questioned the legality of HB 2867. They pointed out that CAIR, representing Students for Justice in Palestine, sued after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed schools there to adopt the IHRA definition in determining the limits of permissible speech. In a preliminary ruling, a federal judge said it appears to impose impermissible viewpoint discrimination that chills speech in violation of the First Amendment. The same concern was raised by Darrel Hill of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona. HB 2867 will chill speech on Israel and Jewish culture generally because teachers, administrators, and speakers will fear the possibility of lawsuits if a classroom discussion veers off course or a student expresses opinions that some may consider improper criticism of Israel, he wrote. To limit liability and protect themselves, teachers will broadly avoid speaking about Israel and any discussion of current or past conflicts involving Israel. Lori Shepherd, executive director of the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, expressed similar concerns. Consider, she said, the state mandate to teach about the Holocaust. We must allow educators the freedom to tell the whole story, she wrote to Hobbs. That includes not only the horror of the death camps, but the complicated history that led there and the equally complicated world that emerged post-Holocaust. Shepherd said this legislation would not stop antisemitism. It will only intimidate teachers, restrict honest discussion, and reduce one of the most profound educational experiences we can offer our students to a sanitized, state-approved script, she said. Tucson resident Golda Velez had her own reasons for seeking a veto, some of them political. Velez told the governor she has friends in Israel who hate the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and its corruption and violence and who go daily to protest against it. She said they are looking for a peaceful solution that includes human rights for all. This bill directly harms that possibility by silencing needed discussion, Velez said. Hobbs, in the end, said in her veto she believes the measure is unnecessary. Students and parents already have avenues through the State Board of Education to report allegations of unprofessional conduct, including antisemitism and all other forms of hate they may encounter in the classroom, she wrote. I am confident that by using those tools, we can fulfill our moral and legal responsibility to eradicate hate and discrimination in our public school system. Andrea Eger Tulsa World Projects Reporter Follow Andrea Eger 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 The state agency that sponsors Epic Charter Schools is investigating the fiscal integrity and compliance of Oklahomas third-largest school system amid budget slashing that has left many students without an in-person school to return to when summer break ends. Two top administrators over Epic Charter Schools budget have resigned in the wake of a fiscal year that has seen at least 500 employees lose their jobs and the shuttering of in-person learning centers Epic long touted as setting it apart from other online school choices. Staff of the Statewide Charter School Board are investigating Epic Charter Schools, reads a written statement provided in response to the Tulsa Worlds inquiry. As its authorizer, we have a duty to monitor and provide oversight of the school to ensure it has fiscal integrity and that it is in compliance with the terms of its charter contract with the Board. This is a priority of our staff, and our intent is to complete the Epic investigation this summer and to present findings to the Statewide Charter School Board for their consideration and possible action in a public meeting of the Board. Last week, Epic announced the elimination of 357 employees, including 83 teachers, as well as the immediate closure of Tulsa- and Oklahoma City-area Epic learning centers that offered students full-day in-person instruction and meal services for breakfast and lunch five days a week. Then on Monday, Epic announced the resignation of Bart Banfield, who worked there more than a decade and was thrust into the superintendents role amid a different scandal in 2019. Not mentioned in any press release was the departure of Jeanise Wynn, deputy superintendent of finance. Wynn was recruited away from Edmond Public Schools in early 2021 and promptly raised red flags to Epics school board about Epics co-founders overpaying themselves by at least $8 million and improperly bearing the administrative costs of their Epic affiliate in California on Oklahoma taxpayers dime. She has testified at length in the ongoing criminal proceedings still pending against Epic co-founders David Chaney and Ben Harris about how some of her early discoveries at Epic precipitated the school board severing all ties with Chaney and Harris in May 2021. A public records request turned up an April 17 resignation notice from Wynn, effective June 30. After thoughtful consideration, I have decided that this is the appropriate time for me to step away and prepare for the next chapter in my professional journey, Wynn wrote. Thank you for the opportunity to serve Epic Charter School. I wish the organization continued success in the future. Her most recent employment agreement, which became effective Nov. 1, lists her base compensation at $225,630. In late October, Epic cut 144 staffers, including 42 teachers, with school leaders pointing to the fact that they had mistakenly built their annual budget on a forecast of having 4,000 more students enrolled than had turned up by then. According to the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Banfields total compensation for 2023-24 was $324,765 and went up to $329,381 for 2024-25, as of Jan. 22. It is unclear whether that figure included the most recent update to Banfields contract documented in other public records the Tulsa World obtained upon request this week from Epic. An updated administrative employment agreement was signed by Banfield and two school governing board members on Jan. 23, but it states that it was made and effective on 1/1/2025 and replaces the agreement dated January 1, 2025, and signed Nov. 14, 2024, by and between Epic and Banfield. It only lists Banfields base compensation of $296,881, not total compensation, which the state tracks to include all fringe benefits and bonuses. Banfield submitted his resignation on Monday. At Epic, we often say, The only constant is change. Over the course of this school year, it has become clear to me that it is time for a new chapter, he wrote in his notice. Banfield became Epic superintendent in 2019 after Epic co-founder David Chaney was forced from the position by the passage of a new state law prohibiting conflicts of interest between school employees and those with any ownership stake in the for-profit company that manages a charter school. In June 2022, the State Department of Education issued a report highly critical of $8.6 million in administrative bonuses paid out in June 2021 under Banfields leadership, including to him and his wife, a longtime Epic administrator. Epics Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Justin Hunt has been named interim superintendent. He was hired in 2017 as managing director of instruction and was promoted to his current deputy position in 2021. ABC axes Q+A "Its time to rethink how audiences want to interact... how we can engage with the public" says ABC News Director, Justin Stevens. The ABC has formally announced the axing of Q+A after an 18-year run with plans to look to new ways to facilitate public discussion. ABC Director, News Justin Stevens said, Were very proud of Q+As great achievements over the years. The team has done a terrific job, including a strong performance during the federal election campaign. Discontinuing the program at this point is no reflection on anyone on the show. We always need to keep innovating and renewing, and in the two decades since Q+A began the world has changed. Its time to rethink how audiences want to interact and to evolve how we can engage with the public to include as many Australians as possible in national conversations. Well be working on how we can continue to foster engagement of this nature in an innovative way. Q+A launched in 2008 under founding producer Peter McEvoy as a town hall democracy forum exchanging largely political ideas. Tony Jones hosted the series until 2019, with the show an early pioneer of Twitter engagement. It hosted Prime Ministers, politicians, business, arts, science, environment and teenage voices, often drawing headlines for statements made by panelists. But Live television was not without its moments including a shoe thrown at John Howard, a university student protest, and a controversy after Zaky Mallah asked a question of a minister. That led to a government boycott and a review of the show by Ray Martin and former SBS managing director Shaun Brown. Other hosts across its run included Hamish Macdonald, Virginia Trioli, David Speers, Stan Grant -who quit the show and ABC after a media barrage and racial abuse- Dan Bourchier and Patricia Karvelas. New projects from ABC News include embedding Your Say as a permanent initiative to drive audience engagement in communities throughout Australia. Your Say ensures we have a strong framework for putting the publics views, concerns and questions at the heart of our journalism, complementing our daily commissioning and reporting, Stevens said. Were keen to see what else we can do with this. ABC also highlighted producing more news documentaries and will soon advertise for the new position of Executive Producer, Documentaries & Specials. Were excited about being able to produce additional high impact, premium news documentary programs to complement the ABCs strong factual slate, Stevens said Many extremely talented and dedicated people have worked on Q+A, as presenters and behind the scenes, Stevens said. I sincerely thank them all, and everyone who has contributed as audience members and panellists. I want to call out current Executive Producer Eliza Harvey and presenter Patricia Karvelas. They are hugely talented journalists who have done an outstanding job with Q+A in recent years. On top of hosting Afternoon Briefing, presenting the popular Politics Now podcast and writing analysis for the ABC News website, Patricia also recently reported for Four Corners, and weve now asked her to do more for Four Corners as time permits. Patricia Karvelas said, Spending time with the audience members who came to Q+A late on a Monday night has been the best part of this job, she said. They have always been the reason for this show and Im forever grateful to them for coming on national TV and having the courage to ask questions of powerful people. This post updates. Another content exec departs Netflix Hannah Pembroke, Netflix Content Acquisitions and Originals for ANZ, wraps at streamer. EXCLUSIVE: Hannah Pembroke, Netflix Content Acquisitions & Originals for Australia & NZ, has departed the streaming platform after 4 years with the company. She was previously Scripted Development Co-ordinator at Matchbox Pictures. She follows less than a month after Director of Content Que Minh Luu exited Netflix. This leaves Netflix with just one content staffer, Emily OConnell as Creative Coordinator, Originals ANZ, in Australia. While industry chatter suggests Netflix commissions have stalled, sources said development and production continues under Seoul-based Minyoung Kim, Vice President of Content for Asia Pacific who was recently in Australia. Last week Netflix premiered The Survivors, with Son of a Donkey due later this year and Heartbreak High S3 in 2026. A new local drama is also expected to be announced soon. Netflix declined to comment. Screen Queensland: Writers Room participants Six emerging writers to participate in initiative which recreates an authentic writers room. Screen Queensland today announced the six screenwriters selected for its inaugural initiative, The Writers Room. Delivered in Brisbane, The Writers Room recreates the fast-paced, collaborative environment of an authentic writers room, offering practitioners a rare opportunity to develop their original series projects under the guidance of some of Australias most respected showrunners and screenwriters. Minister for the Arts John-Paul Langbroek said, By investing in local practitioners, we are growing a sustainable creative workforcecreating skilled jobs, career pathways and new opportunities for high-calibre content right here in our state. Screen Queensland CEO Jacqui Feeney said, The Writers Room initiative is a powerful model where stories are tested and forged. This first years cohort is full of exciting voices with bold ideas, and we look forward to seeing the outcomes from this cohort transforming their visions into screen-ready stories. Led by Screen Queenslands Content Director Phil Enchelmaier, this initiative offers an authentic writers room experience, building critical skills and fostering collaboration with some of Australias industry-leading practitioners. Mentor Belinda Chayko added, When I first started in television, the writers room was where I learnedseeing ideas put forward, bounced around and refined. Its a place to go deep into a project, to discover it anew. Mentors include Libby Butler (Surviving Summer, Loving Captivity), showrunner, writer and director Belinda Chayko (Safe Harbour, Fires), Christopher Kam (Ghosts, HANNA), award-winning writer duo Alexei Mizin and Ryan van Dijk (Watching You), Lucas Taylor (Black Snow, In Limbo) and CJZs Claire Tonkin (Darby and Joan, My Life Is Murder). The Writers Room participants and projects are: Angela Cerasi Odette A perfectionist and fiercely independent Aussie is forced to embrace community and chaos when pregnancy complications land her on long-term bed rest in a crowded Irish maternity ward. Nicholas Lin Bigfoot Bruno When med school dropout Oscar hits rock bottom, his suicide attempt is thwarted by Bigfoot and together they struggle to smuggle immortality-granting weed past cops, Bigfoot hunters and drug dealers to Oscars dying Dad in China. Tanya Modini Watch Your Head A driven cops pursuit of justice collides with her familys dark secrets, forcing her to choose between her badge and the people she loves. Alexandra Philp Yield After Clio covers up her role in a fatal insecticide accident involving her son, she must prevent another victims mother from uncovering the truth, as their small-knit community spills into satanic panic. Harry Sabulis Too Fabulous to Die Alone A 22-year-old gay disaster goes headfirst into a messy journey of self-discovery while his Belarusian Babushka is hell-bent on finding him his perfect husband. Jenny Wynter Off Grid When an optimistic widow loses everything, she drags her kids to their late dads off-grid cabin, only to find it is already occupied by a contrarian folk musiciantheir grandpa. New Sky documentary Flight 149: Hostage of War looks at a chapter of the Gulf War shrouded in secrecy for decades. Flight 149 was destroyed on the runway after those on board were taken hostage. (Sky) Sky Documentaries delves into an extraordinary chapter from the Gulf War that is as fascinating as it is horrifying in Flight 149: Hostage of War. The 367 passengers and crew of British Airways flight 149 were taken hostage after the plane landed at Kuwait International Airport on 2 August 1990, shortly after Iraq launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour, prompting the start of the Gulf War. Some hostages were mistreated, seriously sexually assaulted and kept in near-starvation conditions. Until recently, many accounts connected to the BA flight in August 1990 particularly about when the government had known the invasion was under way and around claims that it had let it go ahead for intelligence gathering purposes had been officially denied. The new documentary examines the accounts of passengers and crew, among others, about what happened that day. A synopsis from Sky says: "On August 2, 1990, just after Saddams forces storm Kuwait, a civilian flight unwittingly touches down in the middle of the warzone. The passengers and crew find themselves trapped, held as hostages by Saddam Hussein, becoming pawns in a rapidly escalating international crisis that will reshape the Middle East. ADVERTISEMENT "For over three decades, the British government denied any prior knowledge of the invasion before the plane's ill-fated landing. Now, new information has come to light to challenge the official narrative and the surviving hostages are taking the British government and BA to court to seek justice and the truth." Viewers will see some of the surviving hostages, Kuwaiti resistance fighters, investigative journalist Stephen Davis, and political insiders give their view on the events that unfolded. But what happened to BA Flight 149? What happened to BA Flight 149? Kuwait was invaded by Saddam Hussein's forces hours before the plane landed for a refuelling stop. (Sky) BA flight 149 took off from Heathrow on 1 August 1990 after hours of delays with 385 people on board (including 18 crew). They were bound for Subang International Airport, which at the time was the main travel hub for Kuala Lumpur. ADVERTISEMENT On its journey to Malaysia, the flight was scheduled for a refuelling stop in Kuwait and another in Madras. But Iraq had launched an invasion of Kuwait in the early hours of 2 August and the plane never reached Subang as Hussein's forces had taken control of Kuwait International airport. Some of the passengers had been due to finish their journey in Kuwait and left the plane, while those expecting to continue on were told that the airport had been closed for two hours. But when Iraqi forces reportedly bombed the runway and took out the control tower, the remaining people on board were evacuated from the plane, but then captured by the army and taken as hostages. The empty Flight 149 was later blown up on the runway, but it isn't clear who was responsible for destroying it the US military may have been trying to prevent Iraq from using it. Although the hostages were kept in the same hotel to begin with, they were later split up into smaller groups and held in different locations in Kuwait and Iraq. Their horrific ordeal included mental and physical abuse, rape and witnessing Kuwaiti civilians and soldiers killed by the army. Passengers reported hearing tanks and gunfire after landing. (Sky) The plane's pilot Captain Richard Brunyate managed to escape with the Kuwaiti resistance, later explaining that his father was considered an enemy by Hussein and he worried what would happen to him if his name was recognised. ADVERTISEMENT Some other small numbers of passengers and crew also managed to escape with the resistance at various points. One of the hostages died in captivity, and the others either escaped or were released in the weeks and months after their capture. Women and children were given the chance to be released in late August, but the hostages left behind were used by the Iraqi army as human shields whilst moving between locations. The last remaining hostages were released in December 1990. What is the controversy surrounding Flight 149? Some of those who lived through the traumatic experience tell their story in the documentary. (Sky) British Airways immediately complained that they had been allowed to fly into Kuwait after the invasion had begun, arguing that it should have been designated as a war zone by the Foreign Office to redirect the stopover. Then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher claimed that the flight had arrived into Kuwait hours before the invasion, but many of the passengers and crew reported hearing gunfire, tanks and loud bangs when they landed in Kuwait City. ADVERTISEMENT The airline has awarded damages to some of the groups of passengers who took court action against them. However, despite the British government denying trying to influence BA in any way to fly into Kuwait, BA have repeatedly made statements that they were told by the government that it was safe to fly there. The documentary looks at the decades of secrecy surrounding what really happened. (Sky) A 2007 documentary revealed that other flights had been diverted away from Kuwait during the journey and that news of the invasion could have been passed on to Flight 149 at least an hour before it landed for refuelling. The documentary also included claims from an anonymous former SAS soldier who claimed that he and his team had been put on board the flight for intelligence gathering on the invasion. In 2021, then foreign secretary Liz Truss admitted that the government at the time had misled BA by not passing on a warning to the airline. A group of passengers are now suing the government and the airline over the claims that the flight was allowed to land in Kuwait as part of an SAS mission, with the new Sky documentary telling their story. How to watch Flight 149: Hostage of War The documentary airs on Sky Documentaries on Wednesday, 11 June at 9pm and is then repeated over the following week. It can also be streamed on Sky and NOW. HA NOI Agricultural exports are no longer a game of cheap prices or easy-going markets. As technical barriers become increasingly strict, proactive adaptation from growing areas to processing, logistics, is a vital condition for Vietnamese agricultural products to firmly stand on the global playing field. Markets raise standards According to the Viet Nam Fruits and Vegetables Association (Vinafruit), the export turnover of vegetables and fruits for last month is estimated at US$496 million. The estimated export turnover of vegetables and fruits reached $2.1 billion in the first five months of this year, down 17.8 per cent year-on-year. China is still the largest import market for vegetables and fruits of Viet Nam, but it is also the place that recorded the deepest decline. The turnover to China reached $777 million in the first four months of the year, down 33 per cent. The general secretary of Vinafruit, ang Phuc Nguyen, said that the decline in fruit and vegetable exports mainly came from the fact that durian exports had not met expectations. The deputy director of the Viet Nam Sanitary and Phytosanitary Notification Authority and Enquiry Point (SPS Vietnam) Ngo Xuan Nam, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, said that the Chinese market recently increased the frequency of inspections, raised standards for chemical residue levels and introduced new requirements, including additional labels, growing area codes and packaging facility codes. Indonesia had also just notified the WTO about the integrated quarantine model, setting new standards for imported goods. Japan, the EU and Arab countries also regularly changed regulations on pesticide residue levels. The ai oan Ket (Great Unity) newspaper quoted Nam as saying that in the past, Vietnamese enterprises often prioritised exporting to markets that were considered more lenient, with fewer technical barriers. However, in the trend of globalisation, countries, including ASEAN and the Middle East, had established and improved SPS measures, from pesticide residues to traceability. If enterprises do not proactively grasp and comply with international regulations, the risk of being eliminated from the supply chain is very high, emphasised Nam. At the same time, he mentioned that to assist enterprises in effective implementation, the SPS Vietnam had co-ordinated with the Digital Conversion Department and Information Resource Data, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, to launch the National SPS Information Portal. This portal would promptly update SPS measures of WTO members, guide the correct declarations and provide clear resources for each target group. It would serve as a technical platform for enterprises, co-operatives and producers to stay informed about SPS requirements and proactively adapt to them. Standardising and producing through professional supply chains Viet Nam currently exports agricultural products and food to 200 countries and territories. Therefore, enterprises must proactively establish integrated chains and organise production to meet the SPS requirements for each market. Logistics is considered the lifeblood of the economy, especially for a country like Viet Nam, which exports tens of billions of US dollars worth of agricultural products annually. However, the current logistics centre system in Viet Nam has not yet met core requirements such as standardised cold storage, traceability capabilities and fast delivery speeds. According to a representative of the Agency for Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, ang Hong Nhung, the country currently has 69 logistics centres, nearly a tenfold increase compared to the 2007-2012 period. However, uneven distribution and a lack of regional connectivity have caused many logistics centres to operate separately, failing to take advantage of scale. Key production areas such as the Mekong Delta and the Central Highlands, which supply the majority of vegetables, fruits and seafood, still lack specialised storage and distribution facilities. This reality has forced many export enterprises to divide their operations, hire temporary services or invest in individual cold storage facilities, leading to higher costs and longer delivery times. "Viet Nam is a large agricultural country, but still lacks a logistics system that matches its scale. Without specialised centres, synchronous connections and technological integration, it will be difficult to maintain export growth in the coming years," said Nhung. To secure a strong foothold in the markets, the agricultural sector and the fruit and vegetable sector in particular, would need a fundamental and comprehensive transformation with active involvement from both the public and private sectors, said Le Quoc Thanh, director of the National Agricultural Extension Centre. This would require promoting production along the value chain, with the participation of businesses, cooperatives, farmers and management agencies, strengthening quality control from cultivation to packaging and processing, and implementing programmes to monitor chemical residues. In other words, Vietnamese agricultural products and vegetables must be produced through a professional chain. VNS LANG SON In response to the Prime Ministers dispatch on proactively ensuring production, processing, consumption, and export of agricultural products, authorities at border gates in Lang Son province have implemented synchronous measures to regulate and manage the flow of import-export vehicles, maintaining stable goods circulation. At the Huu Nghi International Border Gate in early June, an average of 800900 vehicles passed through daily. Among approximately 300 vehicles exporting goods each day, over 80 per cent carry fresh agricultural produce, mainly mangoes, jackfruit, and durian. According to plant quarantine authorities, in the first five months of 2025, over 179,000 tonnes of fresh fruit were exported through the border gate, an increase of more than 5,200 tonnes compared to the same period in 2024. To expedite clearance procedures, the local customs force has enhanced digital transformation and deployed modern equipment. As a result, in the first five months of 2025, the Customs Office processed over 21,000 sets of import-export declarations, with a total trade value exceeding $1.3 billion and tax revenue of over VN2.5 trillion ($96 million), a 10 per cent increase year-on-year. Ngo Lam Son, deputy head of Huu Nghi Customs, noted that the office ensures smooth and timely customs procedures by assigning sufficient officers and maintaining off-hour and weekend shifts, enabling prompt goods clearance. Major Trinh Van Bac, deputy head of the Huu Nghi Border Guard Station, said forces have been stationed at key locations prone to congestion to ensure smooth cross-border trade flow. At the Tan Thanh Border Gate, the official opening of the specialised goods transport route (1088/21089 section), part of the Huu Nghi (Viet Nam) Youyi Guan (China) border gate pair, has facilitated trade. Policy reforms have made it easier for businesses, especially with Chinese cargo trucks now allowed to deliver directly to Vietnamese yards, reducing loading/unloading times and costs. Tran Anh Tuan, deputy head of Tan Thanh Customs, stated that designated officers closely follow the activities of export-import firms and assist with customs procedures, especially for fresh fruits. With the lychee harvest underway, specific plans have been implemented to ensure the fastest clearance for lychee-carrying vehicles. According to the Management Board of ong angLang Son Border Gate Economic Zone, from January to early June 2025, the total import-export turnover through Lang Sons border gates reached over $34 billion, up 36 per cent year-on-year. Trucks transporting fresh agricultural products are given priority clearance, while inspection and quarantine procedures remain fully compliant. This proactive and coordinated approach among Lang Sons agencies is helping maintain a seamless supply chain for agricultural exports, avoiding congestion and ensuring uninterrupted trade of fresh produce. VNS HA NOI The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has initiated antidumping and countervailing duty petitions on steel concrete reinforcing bar (rebar) from Algeria, Bulgaria, Egypt and Viet Nam, reported the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam. The investigation focuses on products classified primarily under HS codes 7213.10.0000, 7214.20.0000 and 7228.30.8010 of the Harmonised Tariff Schedule of the United States. The petition was filed by the Rebar Trade Action Coalition and its individual members, which alleges that exporters from these countries have engaged in dumping practices and received subsidies. Eight Vietnamese exporters are named in the petition for their role in producing and exporting the investigated steel products. The proposed timeframe for the anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigation is set for the calendar year 2024. Additionally, the injury investigation period covers the past three years, from 2022 to 2024. According to data cited by the petitioner and sourced from the US International Trade Commission, Viet Nam exported approximately 78,663 tonnes of rebar to the US between April 2024 and March 2025. This volume represents about 8.2 per cent of the US import market share for these products. The petition claims an alleged anti-dumping margin of 115.4 per cent on Vietnamese exports. Since the US classifies Viet Nam as a non-market economy, the DOC plans to calculate dumping margins using surrogate values from a third country. In this case, Egypt has been proposed as the surrogate country due to its comparable economic development level and significant number of manufacturers of the same product. While the plaintiff did not specify a subsidy margin, they allege that Vietnamese producers have benefitted from 39 distinct government subsidy programmes. These subsidies are said to have caused or threaten to cause significant injury to the US domestic manufacturing industry. The Trade Remedies Authority advises domestic manufacturers and exporters involved in the reinforced concrete steel sector to closely monitor the progress of the investigation. They recommend firms make proactive efforts to understand US regulations and investigative procedures, and prepare strategic responses in case the DOC officially initiates an investigation. Manufacturers and exporters are urged to fully cooperate with US investigation authorities throughout the process. Failure to cooperate or incomplete cooperation could lead to unfavourable decisions by the US authorities, including the application of the highest possible duty rates based on available evidence. BIZHUB/VNS PARIS Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called on Vietnamese and French businesses to actively connect the two economies, emphasising that the governments' role is to create favourable conditions and provide support. Speaking at the VietnamFrance Business Forum in Paris on Tuesday (local time), the Prime Minister highlighted the strong foundation of bilateral ties both historical and economic while urging enterprises from both countries to renew their cooperation strategies to match the evolving global context. France is Viet Nams fourth-largest trading partner and second-largest investor in the EU. Bilateral trade surpassed US$5.4 billion in 2024. However, Chinh noted that the current trade and investment figures do not yet reflect the full potential of the partnership. Viet Nam is targeting high-income status by 2045, with an 8 per cent growth goal for 2025 and double-digit growth in the following years. To support these ambitions, Viet Nam is pursuing three strategic breakthroughs: institutional reform, modern infrastructure and skilled human resources. The Prime Minister also stressed Viet Nams commitment to building an independent and resilient economy, while engaging in deeper international integration with balanced benefits and shared risks. During the forum, he urged businesses to focus on sectors with complementary strengths, including AI, semiconductor production, IT, logistics, clean agriculture, urban planning, climate response, maritime economy and space technology. He invited French companies to expand their investment in Viet Nam, transfer technology, train local talent and use Vietnamese inputs. Highlighting the centuries-old connection between the two nations, PM Chinh said the deep affection between the Vietnamese and French peoples was a foundation for enduring cooperation. French officials echoed Viet Nams enthusiasm for deeper cooperation. Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad, Laurent Saint-Martin, praised PM Chinhs energy and commitment, noting that strong political ties are essential for boosting trade and economic cooperation. Franck Corbin, Vice President of the Mouvement des Entreprises de France (MEDEF) International, expressed confidence in Viet Nams reform efforts, especially in science, technology and the growth of the middle class. He emphasised the potential for synergy between French technological expertise and Viet Nams dynamic economy. Six new agreements signed On the sidelines of the forum, six memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed between Vietnamese and French enterprises across sectors including aviation, technology, energy, pharmaceuticals and transport. Vietnam Airlines signed a deal with Safran Electronics & Defense to lease flight data analysis systems from 2026 to 2030. A separate agreement with ING LLC will provide US$1.5 billion in funding for narrow-body aircraft, helping support the airlines future growth. FPT and Airbus signed a strategic partnership on digital transformation, making FPT a global strategic technology partner of Airbus. This opens the door for FPT to participate in Airbuss global IT projects in areas such as cloud-based software, big data and customer services. Other deals included cooperation between Vinapharm and Opella to raise Vinapharms stake in Sanofi Viet Nam; a hydrogen energy partnership between Vietnam Maritime Corporation and HDF Energy SA; and a hydrogen production plant project led by Wealth Power Viet Nam and HDF Energy. The forum underscored both countries shared vision for sustainable, innovative and inclusive development. VNS HA NOI The Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank) has been honoured as one of Southeast Asias Top 30 Most Valuable Brands in 2024, as announced by leading global market research company Kantar BrandZ. This marks the first time a Vietnamese brand has been included in this prestigious ranking. Vietcombank ranked 20th with a brand value of US$2.105 billion, up 18 per cent from the previous year. It is not only the sole representative from Viet Nam but also the only Vietnamese bank on the list, standing alongside major regional banks such as DBS, UOB and OCBC. According to Kantar, Vietcombank leads Viet Nams banking sector with a 14 per cent share of consumer mindshare. Its Demand Power Index (DPI) reached 204, significantly higher than the industry average of 100 and well ahead of the second-ranking bank in Viet Nam, which scored 163. Sumit Kamra, Strategic Development Director at Kantar Insights, noted that in an increasingly competitive environment, Vietcombanks inclusion in the ranking highlights its real value to customers, its continuous innovation, and its ability to be present at the right place and time where customers need it most. Being named among Southeast Asias 30 most valuable brands not only affirms Vietcombanks internal strength but also demonstrates the rising potential of Vietnamese brands in the regional market. VNS PARIS Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called on the French side to share experience and support Viet Nam in developing railway industry during his working session with representatives of the French National Railway Company (SNCF) in Paris on Wednesday as part of his bilateral activities in France. Visiting the SNCF, Chinh and his entourage learnt about the company's models, approaches, and experiences in investing in, constructing, and operating railway projects in many countries, particularly high-speed rail systems. The SNCF is Frances state-owned national railway company and one of the worlds leading railway operators and managers, with over 80 years of experience. Established in 1938 through the merger of the five largest private railway companies of France, the SNCF has since grown into a huge corporation. It not only operates Frances national rail network but also expands its services globally in logistics and public transportation. In Viet Nam, Vietnam Airlines has had a cooperation agreement with SNCF since 2012. Under this agreement, passengers flying with Vietnam Airlines to France, especially to Charles de Gaulle International Airport, can easily connect to domestic destinations across France via the SNCFs high-speed TGV trains. This combined air-rail ticketing service offers greater convenience for travellers continuing their journey within France after arriving by air. France and its SNCF expressed strong interest and readiness to support Viet Nam's railway infrastructure development, particularly high-speed rail projects. On March 21, the French Embassy in Viet Nam and Viet Nam's Ministry of Construction (MoC) organised a seminar on high-speed railways, creating opportunities for agencies and enterprises from both countries to explore future cooperation. During French President Emmanuel Macron's official visit to Viet Nam in May, the MoC, the French Development Agency (AFD), and SNCF International signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance capacity building for the ministrys railway management officials. France also showed interest in the modernisation project of the Ha NoiHai Phong railway. PM Chinh spoke highly of the SNCFs capacity, experience and contributions to railway transport and high-speed rail lines globally, as well as the company's active cooperation with Vietnamese partners. The leader suggested France and SNCF continue their collaboration and effectively implement the MoU signed with the MoC, share experiences, transfer technology, and provide capital support and human resources training to help build and develop Viet Nam's railway industry. This was the last activity of PM Chinh's five-day trip to France to attend the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) and conduct bilateral activities there at invitations from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and French President Emmanuel Macron. PM Chinh, his spouse and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation then left for an official visit to Sweden from June 11 to 14 at the invitation of Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson. VNA/VNS PARIS Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with President of the French Senate Gerard Larcher in Paris on Tuesday (local time) as part of his bilateral activities in France. The Vietnamese leader sincerely thanked the President of the Senate for his warm welcome and respectfully conveyed the greetings of Party General Secretary To Lam, State President Luong Cuong, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to Gerard Larcher. Chinh congratulated France on successfully organising major international events, including the Olympic Games, the 19th Francophonie Summit in 2024, and most recently, the 3rd UN Ocean Conference (UNOC 3). He affirmed that Viet Nams participation in the conference and its ratification of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) demonstrated support for Frances role in promoting international cooperation and enhancing sustainable marine and ocean governance and conservation. At the meeting, Senate President Gerard Larcher expressed his delight at seeing PM Chinh again, calling him a dear friend of France and of his own. Both leaders welcomed the positive developments in bilateral relations, the strong cooperation between their legislative bodies, and the recent socio-economic achievements of the two countries despite global uncertainties. The Vietnamese PM emphasised that the bilateral relationship is on an upward trajectory. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in defence and security, including peacekeeping, disaster relief, science-technology, energy and transportation. They also agreed to enhance cooperation in education and training, including exchanges between universities, as well as cultural collaboration, especially in preserving historical sites featuring French architecture in Viet Nam. In health care, they discussed vaccine production not only for Viet Nam but also for the region, referencing a recent technology transfer agreement between Sanofi and Viet Nams VNVC. The Prime Minister and the Senate President also agreed to promote the exchange of high-level delegations and facilitate interactions between specialised committees and friendship parliamentary groups, with the goal of sharing experience and improving the effectiveness of legislative activities. Chinh called on the French Senate to strengthen its cooperation with Viet Nams National Assembly in approving bilateral agreements and enhancing coordination and mutual support at regional and global inter-parliamentary forums. He also urged France to soon ratify the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). Furthermore, he asked Gerard Larcher personally to support and promote France's early confirmation of hosting the 13th Viet Nam-France Decentralised Cooperation Conference. This important mechanism fosters local and people-to-people exchanges and should be maintained and promoted, particularly as the two countries elevate their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Host and guest also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. They expressed support for ASEANs stance on the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) and emphasised the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the region based on the rule of law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They underscored the need to resolve disputes peacefully, in accordance with international law, without the use or threat of force. On this occasion, PM Chinh respectfully conveyed an invitation from National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to Senate President Gerard Larcher to visit Viet Nam. VNS PARIS Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held a meeting on Tuesday in Paris with Vietnamese experts and intellectuals residing in France while attending the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) and conducting bilateral activities in France. During the meeting, the Prime Minister listened to insights, recommendations, and proposals aimed at contributing to Viet Nams national development. Vietnamese Ambassador to France inh Toan Thang noted that the Vietnamese community in France numbers over 300,000, including about 50,000 intellectuals. They have established themselves in diverse fields and many of them held positions in major French agencies. They remain deeply committed to supporting Viet Nams progress through their expertise and international networks. Vietnamese experts in France shared knowledge on key sectors that align with Viet Nams development priorities, including nuclear energy, semiconductor technology, artificial intelligence, and high-speed railway development. They proposed development directions, identified potential collaborators from both the Vietnamese diaspora and international community, and expressed their desire for more supportive mechanisms to enable deeper involvement in Viet Nams scientific and technological advancement. PM Chinh, together with leaders of relevant ministries and sectors, engaged in in-depth discussions on issues relating to the development of nuclear power, AI, semiconductors and high-speed rail infrastructure. He expressed appreciation for the dedication and intellectual contributions of the overseas Vietnamese community, especially in a period when Viet Nam is accelerating for breakthrough development. The Prime Minister emphasised that building an independent and self-reliant economy, while proactively integrating into the global landscape, is central to Viet Nams strategy. This vision requires Viet Nam to achieve autonomy in science and technology. Accordingly, efforts are underway to improve institutional frameworks, remove bottlenecks, and promote upgrades to both hard and soft infrastructure and human resource development. Calling for continued contributions from OV intellectuals, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of their input in technology selection, standard-setting, and the development of training ecosystems in key fields. He encouraged the formulation of concrete proposals to support technology transfer, human resource training, and experience sharing. He tasked Professor Nguyen Van Tam of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris (IP Paris) with preparing a proposal to train 100 Vietnamese engineers specialising in artificial intelligence. He also assigned relevant ministries and sectors to work directly with Vietnamese experts and intellectuals in France and globally, to better leverage their knowledge and experience, while creating favourable conditions for more effective contributions to national development. VNA/VNS PARIS Viet Nam pays heed to strengthening its multifaceted cooperation with France its first and only comprehensive strategic partner in the European Union, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told President of the French National Assembly Yael Braun-Pivet during their meeting in Paris on Tuesday (local time). He noted that his ongoing trip to France, taking place shortly after French President Emmanuel Macrons Viet Nam visit in late May, demonstrated Viet Nams strong commitment to deepening the bilateral relationship in a deep, effective and practical manner. Yael Braun-Pivet welcomed Chinh and his delegation, praising the PM's significant engagements, which she said helped translate the major directions of the comprehensive strategic partnership into concrete actions. She said that the Chair of the FranceViet Nam Friendship Parliamentarians Group had joined President Macrons delegation to Viet Nam and that the French legislature considered the trip a resounding success. She also expressed satisfaction with the dynamic and close cooperation between the two countries friendship parliamentarians groups. She expressed admiration for Viet Nams impressive all-round development and emphasised that parliamentary exchanges and cooperation remain one of the key pillars of the FranceViet Nam comprehensive strategic partnership. She said that a growing number of French citizens are living, investing, working and succeeding in Viet Nam, highlighting the vital role of the community in deepening bilateral ties. The two sides reviewed the positive outcomes of bilateral ties, including legislative cooperation, particularly through regular delegation exchanges and close interactions between the two parliaments. They agreed that this cooperation plays a crucial role in enhancing mutual understanding, reinforcing political trust, and promoting collaboration in other fields. PM Chinh underscored the essential role of the legislatures in exercising constitutional and legislative authority, deciding on key national issues and overseeing government operations. He said that in Viet Nams 15th National Assembly, women account for 30.2 per cent of total deputies, while female representation in provincial and district-level Peoples Councils stands at 29 per cent, placing Viet Nam among the countries with the highest levels of female political participation globally. Both sides agreed to maintain regular high-level exchanges and enhance cooperation between parliamentary committees, friendship groups, women and young parliamentarians. This will help the two legislatures share experience, improve their effectiveness, and jointly monitor the implementation of bilateral agreements. PM Chinh called on the French side to soon ratify the EUViet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). On multilateral cooperation, the two leaders pledged to strengthen coordination and mutual support at regional and global parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Assemblee parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF), and to promote the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the benefit of both nations and for global peace, stability, cooperation and development. To further advance the Viet NamFrance comprehensive strategic partnership in a practical and effective manner, PM Chinh called on the French National Assembly to support the realisation of specific aspects of bilateral relations, including projects in infrastructure development, new energy, education and training, cultural exchange, and museum conservation. On this occasion, the PM extended an invitation from National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to President Braun-Pivet to visit Viet Nam and she gladly accepted. VNA/VNS HA NOI The official visit to Viet Nam by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda from June 11 - 12 holds great significance, as it is the first-ever trip to Viet Nam by a Lithuanian head of state in history, aiming to strengthen political ties and promote economic and trade relations, according to a diplomat. Granting an interview to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) ahead of the trip, Lithuanian Ambassador to Singapore and Viet Nam Darius Gaidys shared that one of the visit's highlights is the Lithuania-Vietnam Business Forum held at Ha Noi-based Melia Hotel, during which the Lithuanian President is scheduled to deliver an opening speech containing many meaningful messages. Many Lithuanian businesses, including state-owned enterprises operating in the port and energy sectors, will attend the event. Although bilateral trade is growing positively, both in goods and services, two-way investment flows remain very limited, he noted, stressing that this is an area with much room for development. As a member of the European Union (EU), Lithuania hopes that the two countries can fully utilise mechanisms such as the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and expects the Presidents visit to be a strong boost to bilateral trade, Gaidys said. Regarding Viet Nam's position in the EU's foreign policy in general and Lithuania's in particular, the ambassador affirmed that Viet Nam is an important partner of Lithuania in the region, as the two countries share many common values, especially in respecting international law and a rules-based international order. Lithuania agrees with Viet Nam's position regarding the situation in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea), and always adheres to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he said, affirming that freedom of navigation and security at sea must be based on international law which is the common interest of both countries. Gaidys recalled the recent meeting between the resident and non-resident EU ambassadors to Viet Nam with State President Luong Cuong, during which the leader shared Viet Nams economic transformation strategy, including market and supply chain diversification, green energy development, digital economy and the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Considering this a strong and very encouraging direction, the diplomat asserted that Lithuania is willing to share its experience in the field of green energy, and its company KN Energies, which is operating many liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Germany, Brazil and Croatia, is also ready to support Viet Nam in energy transition. In addition, Lithuania wishes to cooperate with Viet Nam in responding to non-traditional threats such as cyber security, he added. The ambassador went on to say that Viet Nam has a very solid foundation in precision electronics manufacturing, digital services and a talented workforce in the field of information technology. It is only a matter of time before Viet Nam becomes a leading hub in this field in the region. Many Lithuanian businesses are very interested and eager to cooperate with Viet Nam in this field. Not only at the bilateral level, the two countries can promote cooperation within the EU-ASEAN framework. He shared that this year, there will be an EU-ASEAN Summit with the participation of the President of the EU and the President of the European Commission (EC), and this will be an opportunity to exchange many initiatives both politically and economically. VNA/VNS HA NOI Many National Assembly (NA) deputies stated that establishing international financial centres (IFCs) in the current context is both necessary and appropriate, in line with the countrys development trajectory in the new era, during group discussions on the draft resolution of the NA regarding the issue Wednesday morning. According to Deputy Nguyen Quang Huan (Binh Duong Province), IFC is a product of the market economy, not of a planned or subsidised economy. At present, Vietnamese enterprises face challenges with financial mechanisms because the country lacks a proper financial market. Establishing a financial market is not merely about attracting capital from foreign investors or financiers, but also about creating a mechanism that allows Vietnamese businesses easier access to international capital flows. I believe IFCs will be a major boost, creating highly favourable conditions for Viet Nams economic development, Huan noted. However, the Binh Duong deputy emphasised that financial markets operate under strict conditions. We cannot attract financiers with castles, islands, beaches or scenic landscapes. If we are to develop a financial centre, we must also play by international rules but the challenge is how to do so without compromising Viet Nams sovereignty, he said. Offering detailed feedback on the draft resolution, he noted that while the list of financial products and services provided by the centre is quite specific including green bonds, banking, credit funds, etc. these are only the products we currently recognise. There are also many emerging or yet-to-be-commercialised products, particularly in the age of technological advancement and artificial intelligence. Future financial services could include trading in biotech and quantum technology products two areas developing rapidly but not yet fully monetised. These will become major investment magnets, and AI itself cannot advance without progress in biotech and quantum technology, the lawmaker told the group discussions. He argued that if the list of financial products is overly rigid, it may cause obstacles when new services emerge. Clause 10, Article 3 of the draft resolution includes an open-ended provision for other services as stipulated by the Government, but this could be interpreted to mean that even existing services require specific Government stipulation which may deter international investors. To avoid misunderstandings, he proposed amending the clause to: other financial services to be supplemented by the Government periodically. The parliament would authorise the Government to update the list of permissible financial activities as needed, without requiring further National Assembly approval. This, he said, would provide clarity and reassurance to financial investors. The deputy also suggested that the Government be tasked with developing a code of conduct to clearly define what is meant by effectiveness, transparency, and integrity, ensuring that all members of the centre understand and adhere to these principles. Expressing his view that Viet Nam is now ripe for the establishment of IFCs and that a resolution should be issued promptly, Deputy Tran Hoang Ngan (representing HCM City) noted that Viet Nam already has financial centres in HCM City and other localities. However, the one in HCM City is still in its infancy, at an emerging stage. To become a true international financial centre, he stressed, multiple factors are required, and most importantly, trust. To build trust, we need a legal framework that ensures safety and transparency, along with a stable macroeconomic and political environment, and an ecosystem that supports financial activities, Ngan said. Rationale Earlier in the plenary session, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh presented the rationale and significance of the development of IFCs. IFC is a diverse ecosystem of financial services concentrated in a specific location, home to numerous financial institutions (banks, investment funds, financial service companies) and exchanges (stock, currency, commodities), supported by a wide array of auxiliary services, Binh noted. The goal of developing an IFC is to create a zone with its own distinct and advanced policies and legal frameworks to attract investors offering both financial and related non-financial services, connected to other international financial hubs. IFC competitiveness is measured by the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI), which evaluates five pillars: business environment, financial ecosystem, infrastructure, human capital, and the citys reputation and brand. The necessary preconditions for establishing an IFC include: high-level political will; global credibility and appeal; political and macroeconomic stability; transparent institutions and policies; a promising financial market; a favourable business environment; a sufficiently large and steadily growing economy; an open, internationally-aligned legal framework; and strong connectivity. The sufficient conditions are: high-quality human resources; integrated infrastructure; a competitive, well-developed financial ecosystem; and comprehensive support services. We have fulfilled all of these requirements, the Deputy PM affirmed. Globally, there are currently 119 international financial centres, with HCM City identified as one of them. Emphasising the necessity of establishing an IFC in Viet Nam, Deputy PM Binh stated that it would serve to attract international capital flows and boost the national economy towards double-digit growth in the new era of prosperity and modernity. The centre would provide momentum for strategic breakthroughs in developing modern, synchronous infrastructureespecially in transportation, energy, and the digital economy. It would also foster advancements in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation; accelerate asset management solutions; and cultivate modern fintech to meet the demands of a new financial era. An IFC would connect Viet Nam with the global financial system, enhance its international standing, and contribute to national security and defence from an early and strategic distance. It aims to position Viet Nam as a critical financial gateway, leveraging global capital flows and benefiting from global supply chain shifts. Moreover, the centre would enhance social welfare, generate employment, attract high-quality human resources, and build a network of major financial experts, investors, and intellectuals. It would improve local living standards through the development of modern amenities and align Viet Nams financial regulations with international norms, thus boosting investor confidence. According to the Deputy PM the overarching goal is to effectively mobilise financial resources for socio-economic development and to build a transparent, efficient, modern financial ecosystem. This includes developing markets for innovative financial products aligned with international standards and market trends. The specific objective is to establish an international financial centre in 2025, with locations in HCM City and a Nang. By 2035, the target is for Viet Nams IFC to be ranked among the top 75 globally by the GFCI (including fintech criteria), and by 2045, to reach the top 20. The NA's draft resolution for establishment of IFCs in Viet Nam comprises six chapters and 35 articles, with a management structure including: a National Steering Committee headed by the Prime Minister; an executive agency; a supervisory body; and a dispute resolution agency (including an international arbitration centre and a specialised court). The Deputy PM urged NA deputies to actively contribute feedback to perfect the draft resolution, ensuring it aligns with the Politburos vision of openness, innovation, and investor appeal. Once the resolution is adopted, and after a suitable operational period, it is expected that a formal law on international financial centres in Viet Nam will be proposed. VNS MONTREUIL Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse laid flowers in tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his statue in the Ho Chi Minh Space, Montreau Park in Montreuil City, France on Wednesday morning (local time), during his trip to the European nation for the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) and related bilateral activities. The Ho Chi Minh Space is located inside the Living History Museum (Musee de lHistoire Vivante) in Montreuil, about 15km east of Paris. The statue of President Ho Chi Minh stands prominently within the museum grounds, alongside an exhibition room displaying photos and memorabilia related to the late Vietnamese leaders revolutionary activities in France. Deputy Mayor of Montreuil Philippe Lamarche noted that Viet NamFrance relations trace back to President Ho Chi Minhs participation in the Congress of Tours in December 1920, which marked the founding of the French Communist Party (FCP), and was also a symbolic historical milestone reflecting the friendship and solidarity between the two countries. Expressing deep respect for President Ho Chi Minh's significant contributions to France, Lamarche emphasised that the late Vietnamese leader is a global symbol of the struggle for independence and justice, and a powerful embodiment of peace, an essential value in the world today, which is facing a crisis of principles. According to Lamarche, the FranceViet Nam friendship continues to thrive through various initiatives and cooperative activities, including the joint statement adopted during the French Presidents state visit to Viet Nam recently, and the earlier visit to France by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV). The two nations reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening their trusted relations and comprehensive strategic partnership, grounded in a shared dedication to upholding the principles of the UN Charter. He affirmed that the FCP and Montreuil city will continue to actively contribute to strengthening the friendship with their Vietnamese partners. PM Chinh expressed his deep emotion upon setting foot in the Ho Chi Minh Space. He thanked the government and people of France, and especially Montreuil, for their sincere and special affection for Viet Nam, and President Ho Chi Minh in particular. The Viet NamFrance relations are now at their best, Chinh reaffirmed, noting that his ongoing trip serves as a further step in concretising the outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lams visit to France in 2024 and French President Emmanuel Macrons visit to Viet Nam in May this year. Recalling key events and milestones in President Ho Chi Minhs revolutionary career, particularly his time in France and his role in the founding of the French Communist Party, Chinh stated that the ideologies of President Ho Chi Minh, the CPV, and the FCP share common values of independence, freedom, democracy, equality, and compassion, bringing a prosperous and happy life to the people. These are also the shared values of the two nations, which will endure and grow stronger, allowing the bilateral relations to continue to blossom and bear fruits, he stated. PM Chinh showed his hope that the people and authority of Montreuil will continue to preserve, maintain, and further enhance the Ho Chi Minh Space, making it ever more dignified and beautiful. On this occasion, the PM presented the award on creating and promoting literature, arts and press works on studying and following President Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality, and style to the Director of the Living History Museum. VNA/VNS HA NOI Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and his spouse Diana Nausediene, along with a high-ranking delegation of Lithuania, arrived in Ha Noi on Wednesday night, beginning an official visit to Viet Nam from June 11-12 at the invitation of State President Luong Cuong. Welcoming the delegation at Noi Bai International Airport were Chairman of the Ha Noi Peoples Committee Tran Sy Thanh, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngo Le Van, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Poland and Lithuania Ha Hoang Hai. In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) ahead of the visit, Lithuanian Ambassador to Singapore and Viet Nam Darius Gaidys noted that this is the first-ever visit to Viet Nam by a Lithuanian head of state. The visit is focused on strengthening political cooperation and significantly promoting economic and trade relations. A highlight of the visit is the LithuaniaViet Nam Business Forum, where President Nauseda will deliver an opening address and convey important messages. VNA/VNS HA NOI Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo member, President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA), received Danish Ambassador to Viet Nam Nicolai Prytz in Ha Noi on Wednesday, during which the two sides discussed cooperation orientations in modernising public administration. Thang, who is also Chairman of the Party Central Committee's Theoretical Council, highly valued the long-standing cooperation between Viet Nam and Denmark in general, and between the HCMA and its Danish partners in particular, showing the desire to further expand cooperation between the two sides in important areas. Lauding Denmark's modern public administration system, extensive experience in local governance, and strong digital transformation, Thang called on the country to share its expertise in local-level management, improving public administration, and developing e-government. Thang suggested the diplomat help connect Danish partners with the Academy in organising thematic seminars to share and analyse lessons, recommendations on governance serving green transition, and ways to mobilise and unlock resources from the private sector to support national development. Prytz highlighted the traditional friendship with practical cooperation between the two nations, noting that for years, Viet Nam has been the largest recipient of Denmarks official development assistance (ODA). According to the ambassador, as a long-standing and reliable partner of Viet Nam, Denmark has consistently accompanied Viet Nam on its path of development. Even as the average income of Vietnamese citizens has increased, Denmark has continued its support by shifting from traditional ODA to facilitating cooperation between the governments and agencies of the two countries. Sharing his support for Thang's cooperation proposals, Prytz affirmed that Denmark has extensive experience in public sector reform and stays ready to share its practical experiences and lessons with Viet Nam including both successes and challenges encountered along the way. Regarding cooperation in digital transformation and e-government development, the Danish diplomat stressed that the process has brought about impressive results in terms of efficiency, cost savings, increased productivity, improved user experience, and enhanced anti-corruption efforts. He affirmed Denmark's willingness to share both its successes and setbacks in its digitalisation journey with Vietnam. The two sides agreed to jointly organise training courses and research delegations. Thang also conveyed invitations to Danish experts to visit the, and invite Danish experts to the HCMA for exchanges and lectures, particularly for advanced training programmes for senior officials in project management, public administration and governance, as well as specialised courses on energy, e-government, and green transition. They also agreed to organise meaningful activities to celebrate the 55th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Denmark in 2026. VNS PARIS Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son met with Ambassador Heraldo Munoz, Special Envoy of the Chilean President for Ocean Affairs, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, on Wednesday on the sidelines of the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France. Son and Munoz affirmed their appreciation for and desire to further strengthen the traditional friendship and comprehensive partnership between Viet Nam and Chile, showing their delight at the good development in bilateral relations in recent years. The Vietnamese official stressed that the Government and people of Viet Nam always remember with deep gratitude the wholehearted support of the Government and people of Chile, especially late Chilean President Salvador Allende, for Viet Nam's struggle for national independence and reunification, as well as throughout nearly four decades of oi moi (renewal). For his part, Munoz said Viet Nam has always held a place in the hearts of generations of Chilean leaders and people, affirming that his country is committed to further strengthening its relations with Viet Nam. To tap into cooperation potential, the two sides agreed to effectively implement the outcomes of high-level visits and make the most of existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms and agreements to which both countries are signatories, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). They will also continue promoting cooperation in areas of mutual strength and interest, such as trade, sustainable development, and maritime economy. The two sides also discussed measures to strengthen coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums and international organisations. A day earlier, Son met with Armel Simondin, CEO of Perenco Group a UK-French joint venture engaged in oil and gas exploration and production activities with international partners, including Viet Nam. Simondin highlighted energy and oil and gas cooperation as an emerging pillar in the Viet NamFrance relations, and thanked the Vietnamese Government for creating favourable conditions for foreign enterprises, including Perenco, to invest and pursue long-term development in Viet Nam. Son acknowledged efforts and contributions made by Perenco and its partners in oil and gas exploration and exploitation in Viet Nam, affirming that the Vietnamese Government encourages partners, including Perenco, to continue sustainable resource extraction in Viet Nam. He emphasised the importance of strict compliance with Vietnamese laws and international commitments, thus promoting the sustainable development of the oil and gas industry while ensuring a balance of interests between the State and contractors. The two sides also discussed Perencos proposals to expand investment and step up cooperation in the energy and oil and gas sectors. Son called on the firm to work closely with Vietnamese enterprises to implement project components in line with its commitments to the Vietnamese Government on the basis of compliance with Vietnamese and international laws to ensure the progress of investment projects in Viet Nam. VNA/VNS Port Sudan, Sudan (PANA) - The East African inter-government Development Agency (IGAD) has said it has agreed with the African Union to coordinate efforts for reaching peace in troubled areas of the continents eastern regions, including the SudanIn a statement it issued in Dibouti, the agency said its Executive Secretary, Dr PARIS Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited the Quai Branly Jacques Chirac Museum, one of Pariss most renowned and modern cultural institutions, as part of trip to France on Wednesday (local time). Spending considerable time viewing artefacts from Viet Nam as well as exhibits reflecting historical ties between Viet Nam and France, the PM expressed his deep impression at the museums rich and diverse collections, which vividly showcase the distinctive characteristics of world civilisations. He also appreciated the museums efforts to preserve a wealth of artefacts that illustrate Viet Nam's own rich cultural identity and the long-standing relationship between the two countries, a history marked by both challenges and breakthroughs. Emphasising that culture is an internal strength, a source of inspiration, and a driving force for generations in building, safeguarding, and developing the nation in a rapid, green, and sustainable manner, the PM highlighted the role of culture as a colourful and resonant thread that nurtures the friendship between the peoples of Viet Nam and France. The Quai Branly Jacques Chirac Museum is dedicated to showcasing indigenous art and cultures from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania. With around 9,500 artefacts on display, Viet Nam is among the Southeast Asian nations most prominently represented in the museums exhibitions. VNA/VNS HA NOI Ha Noi is expected to begin construction of Metro Line 5 (Van Cao Hoa Lac) this year and start work on the Xuan inh depot, part of Metro Line 2 (Nam Thang Long Tran Hung ao section), in October. During a recent meeting with Ha Noi's leadership, a representative of the Ha Noi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) reported that the unit has been allocated more than VN2.2 trillion (US$84.6 million) in the 2025 capital investment plan. In the first five months of this year, total disbursement across projects reached 21.5 per cent. Regarding the Metro Line 3 (Nhon Ha Noi Station) project, the elevated section has been operational since August 2024. As for the underground section, construction progress has reached 48.7 per cent, with the contractor committing to completing both tunnels by December. For Metro Line 2 (Nam Thang Long Tran Hung ao), MRB has re-engaged the Japanese consultant since February to finalise the project adjustment dossier, which is expected to be submitted for city approval in July. MRB and local authorities have completed land clearance for the agricultural land portion, but 187 households at the Xuan inh depot site have yet to be relocated. Additionally, 79 households affected by the Nguyen Van Huyen road extension project have not yet received compensation and clearance, posing a risk to the progress of the elevated section of the project. As for Metro Line 5 (Van Cao Ngoc Khanh Lang Hoa Lac), the investment preparation stage comprises 10 contract packages. One has been signed, while the remaining nine consultancy packages are undergoing final procedures before signing. MRB is also preparing investment plans for 10 metro lines in 2025, with the remaining lines scheduled for 2026. Chairman of the Ha Noi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh directed relevant units to study comprehensive planning for the metro network under the TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) model to ensure synchronous implementation. The Ha Noi Department of Construction was tasked with leading coordination efforts, clearly assigning responsibilities between MRB and other agencies, and carefully calculating all project components including increasing Vietnamese contractor participation and localising technology and equipment in line with Party, State and municipal policy. Chairman Thanh agreed with MRBs proposal to commence work on the Xuan inh depot in October and break ground for the entire Nam Thang Long Tran Hung ao metro section in Q4 of 2026. For Metro Line 5, he asked MRB to accelerate progress and ensure full-line construction begins this year. Ha Nois leadership also requested that MRB implement the Master Plan for Urban Railway Development and comply with National Assembly Resolution 188/2025/QH15 dated February 19 about piloting special mechanisms and policies for developing urban rail systems in Ha Noi and HCM City. Metro Line 2 will span 11.5km, including 8.9km underground and 2.6km elevated, featuring seven underground and three elevated stations. The projects total investment is nearly VN35.6 trillion (almost $1.4 billion) over VN16 trillion higher than the original estimate approved in 2008. Metro Line 5 has a total investment of over VN61.9 trillion (nearly $2.4 billion), stretching more than 38km along the Van Cao Ngoc Khanh Thang Long Avenue Ring Road 4 Hoa Lac route. The line includes around 6km underground, 2km elevated and 30km at grade level, with 21 stations (six underground and 15 elevated). Ha Noi currently operates two metro lines: Line 2A (Cat Linh Ha ong) and the Nhon Cau Giay section. Under Prime Ministers Decision 1569 dated 12 December 2024, which approves Ha Nois Capital Planning for 20212030, the city is set to construct 14 additional metro lines. VNS PARIS Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse met with staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and members of the Vietnamese community in France on Tuesday evening as part of the PM's trip to France for the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) and bilateral activities. Vietnamese Ambassador to France inh Toan Thang reported that the Vietnamese community in France currently numbers over 300,000, with some 100 associations, nearly 50,000 intellectuals and thousands of businesspeople. At the meeting, overseas Vietnamese expressed pride in Viet Nams socio-economic achievements, international integration, and growing global profile. They highlighted their efforts to preserve cultural traditions, contribute to national development through knowledge transfer and cooperation, and serve as a bridge of friendship between Viet Nam and France. PM Chinh expressed appreciation for the communitys sincere sentiments and strong development. He reaffirmed that the Party and State regard overseas Vietnamese as an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation. Sharing insights on the global and domestic landscape, the PM said Viet Nams development rests on three main pillars - building a socialist democracy, a socialist rule-of-law state, and a socialist-oriented market economy under State management. He noted that the country, once war-torn and under embargo with a GDP of just US$4 billion, Viet Nam grew strongly into an economy worth over $470 billion in 2024, with a projected figure of $510 billion in 2025. Per capita income rose from just over $100 to more than $4,700 today. At the same time, the country has safeguarded its territorial integrity, improved peoples wellbeing, and raised its happiness index. Major infrastructure projects, including expressways, airports, high-speed rail, and social housing, are being rolled out nationwide. Stressing that Viet Nam has never enjoyed such strong potential, position and international prestige as it does today, the Government leader acknowledged the vital contributions of the six-million OV community to this success. He stated Viet Nam is aiming to become a developing nation with upper-middle income by 2030, and a high-income developed country by 2045. The Government is accelerating a "revolution" in the restructuring of the political systems organisational apparatus and development of a two-level administrative model, transitioning from passive to proactive governance to better serve citizens and businesses, while focusing on promoting science, technology and innovation; reforming legal and law enforcement frameworks; deepening international integration; and advancing private sector development. He called on overseas Vietnamese, particularly those in France, to contribute to the nations journey towards prosperity, modernity and sustainability. He also highlighted the Party and States continued efforts to increase support for OVs. In recent years, policies have become more open and facilitative, covering areas such as land ownership, housing, visas, nationality and employment. In response to suggestions and concerns raised during the meeting, PM Chinh, in the spirit of listening, understanding, and learning, encouraged the community to further contribute to national development. He urged Vietnamese in France to strengthen unity, support one another, promote cultural heritage, and play an active role in enhancing Viet NamFrance relations in a practical and effective way. VNA/VNS KHANH HOA A fisherman who took seriously ill with suspected acute appendicitis on board his boat off the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa has been brought ashore for treatment by the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard Region No. 3 command based in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province said that at 7:30pm on June 7 its Ship 8005 transported Tran Cong Nhanh, 50, of Quang Nam Province, who was fishing on board QNa 94952 TS, to Truong Sa Lon Island for treatment. At around 2am that day it received a message from the boat that he was suffering from severe abdominal pain. The command immediately dispatched a vessel with rescuers and medical personnel to the scene. At around 1:25pm, Ship 8005 reached the fishing boat, and doctors gave first aid to the ill fisherman before transporting him ashore. VNS HA NOI Women have been key witnesses and active participants in revolutionary press and sustainable development, whether on the front lines or during peacetime. The was the message from Nguyen Thi Tuyen, chairwoman of the Viet Nam Womens Union, as she addressed the national scientific conference 'Women and 100 years of Viet Nams Revolutionary Press' on Wednesday. The event, co-hosted by the union and the Viet Nam Journalists Association, was held on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the national revolutionary press (June 21, 1925-2025). More than 200 delegates, including experts, journalists, lecturers and students in journalism, communications and womens studies, attended the conference. Women-focused journalism in Viet Nam has emerged in the early 20th century, with prominent publications including Nu gioi chung (1919) by the first Vietnamese female editor Suong Nguyet Anh, as well as Tieng goi phu nu (1945), Phu nu Viet Nam (1948), Phu nu Thanh pho Ho Chi Minh (1975) and Phu nu Thu o (1986). Women journalists not only contribute to the countrys press landscape but also drive forward national revolutions, including the womens revolution, said Tuyen. For over a century, generations of women journalists and women-focused newspapers have not only fulfilled the noble mission of revolutionary journalism, but have also served as a vital force in protecting womens legitimate rights and interests, promoting gender equality, and inspiring society with stories of womens empowerment, she added. Presenting her essay at the conference, Tran Thi Kim Hoa, an advisory council member of the Viet Nam Press Museum, noted that male journalists have also played both positive and negative roles in shaping the perceptions of women throughout the history of Viet Nams press. Many of them wrote about the importance of womens education and liberation. In a series of articles published in Phu nu Tan van, Phan Khoi advocated for womens right to education and freedom in marriage. Meanwhile, progressive reports on gender-based violence, reproductive rights, and discrimination against single mothers in todays newspapers, some authored by male writers, have suggested a more supportive approach to womens issues, Hoa noted. However, experts agree that much more needs to be done to advance gender equality today, particularly in the field of journalism. Statistics showed that women make up over 40 per cent of the Viet Nam Journalists Associations membership, yet the organisation has never had a female leader at the top level (vice president or higher). The number of female editors-in-chief also remains disproportionate to the number of women journalists. Journalism has served both as a mirror reflecting gender ideologies and as a tool that helps shape them, Hoa said. To continue its role in the public discourse, women-focused journalism must proactively expand its scope of representation to include aspirational role models as well as minority groups, while also strengthening critical perspectives and adapting to science-technology advancements, experts at the event said. VNS HA NOI Over 100 officials and staff members of the Ministry of Health on Tuesday attended a training programme on AI opportunities for healthcare professionals. This marks a significant step in advancing the Government's 'Digital Literacy for All' campaign spearheaded by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and in accelerating the nations digital transformation in the healthcare sector. Organised under the direction and collaboration of the Ministry of Health's Department of Science, Technology and Training, the programme is implemented by VietHealth and Doccen Healthcare Technology. Participants were introduced to advanced AI tools developed by Google, including Gemini and NotebookLM, while learning the importance of ethical and responsible AI usage in professional and everyday contexts. The training aimed not only to familiarise healthcare workers with emerging technologies, but also to raise awareness of AI's pivotal role in enhancing healthcare services and administrative efficiency. Dr Nguyen Ngo Quang, Director General of the Department of Science, Technology and Training under the Ministry of Health, said: "The adoption of artificial intelligence is a fundamental pillar of Viet Nam's digital transformation in healthcare." "We expect this programme will not only build individual capacity, but also create a ripple effect, fostering innovation and systemic change across the sector," he added. VNS HA NOI Climate change is no longer a distant threat it is a present and growing reality that is directly affecting our livelihoods, health, ecosystems, and security. For Viet Nam, with its long coastline, diverse terrain and a population largely dependent on agriculture and natural resources, these impacts are particularly pronounced and persistent. That was the message from experts speaking during a workshop on Climate Change and Environment Research, which was co-organised by the HUS Company (HUSCO) under the University of of Science, Viet Nam National University-Ha Noi, in partnership with the World Vision International (WVI) in Viet Nam. The event served as a platform bringing together stakeholders from academia, Government, civil society and the international community, to share experiences, identify common ground and co-develop actionable strategies. Speaking at the workshop, Doseba Sinay, Country Director of the WVI in Viet Nam, said that as an international humanitarian organisation, WVI believes solutions to climate and environmental challenges must begin at the community level. He said: Communities are not only the first to feel the impact of climate shocks but are also critical agents of change. Solutions that are rooted in the lived experiences, indigenous knowledge and local innovations of communities tend to be more adaptive, culturally appropriate and sustainable in the long term. Working with households in remote and vulnerable regions of Viet Nam, where people are directly affected by disasters, droughts, landslides and loss of livelihoods due to climate change, WVI realises that they are regions where the resilience of families is stretched daily, where access to education, healthcare and income opportunities is often disrupted by environmental instability. We have clearly seen that without reliable scientific evidence, community-based solutions lack effectiveness," Sinay said. "And without community participation, research findings struggle to become actionable. This is why we champion models of co-creation, where evidence generated by academia informs practical interventions, and in turn, field realities inspire new research questions and directions. "Only through such synergy can we close the gap between knowledge and impact. The workshop marked an important step in bridging research, action and resources. Sinay told the audience: It is not just a dialogue, it is a starting point for alignment. It will inspire meaningful actions ahead. By aligning the technical strengths of institutions with the contextual understanding of practitioners and the lived realities of communities, we can create scalable, adaptable solutions to climate resilience. "We may together build a comprehensive, sustainable, and inclusive climate action network." Such a network is essential for Viet Nam to meet its climate goals under the Paris Agreement, contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and uphold its commitment to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. Associate professor Tran Ngoc Anh, Director of the HUSCO, said that he firmly believed that universities had a crucial role to play, not only in generating knowledge but also in helping address the practical challenges of society. We are fully aware that research and education alone are not enough," the professor said. "It is essential that scientific knowledge be transformed into practical solutions that directly benefit society, especially vulnerable communities. In collaboration with WVI in Viet Nam, the HUSCO is conducting a range of practical initiatives to help reduce the impacts of climate change and natural disasters on local communities. Anh said: Climate resilience and environmental protection must be built not only with data and policies but also through people, participation and local knowledge. "The joint efforts will result in scalable, sustainable climate adaptation models across various regions of Viet Nam. Representatives expressed their hope that meaningful researchaction partnerships will emerge, contributing to the development of climate adaptation models, ecosystem restoration efforts and enhanced community capacities. VNS NICE Viet Nam's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Minister for Environmental Protection and Green Transition of Croatia Marija Vuckovic co-chaired a panel discussion themed Fostering sustainable fisheries management including supporting small-scale fishers in Nice, France, on June 11 (local time). This was the fifth of the 10 panel discussions within the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3), bringing together about 600 delegates. In his remarks, Son emphasised that sustainable fisheries are closely linked to the implementation of several other sustainable development goals, yet remain a complex issue with overlapping challenges. Addressing these challenges requires a scientific approach tailored to the specific conditions of each country, he stressed. The official briefed the participants on Viet Nam's major policies and initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable fisheries management striking a balance between securing livelihoods and economic development, while protecting the environment and conserving fish stocks. For her part, Vuckovic described fisheries, particularly the small-scale segment, as a vital pillar of local economies, providing livelihoods and nutrition for millions of people worldwide and therefore must be preserved at all costs. Ensuring the sustainability of fisheries requires adaptability to changing conditions, improved practices, and collective action, she said, sharing Croatias experience in this regard. Meanwhile, Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), highlighted the vital role of fisheries in ensuring global food security and praised Viet Nam as a model for transitioning from capture fishing to aquaculture in Asia. The delegates called for stronger cooperation within multilateral frameworks and mechanisms in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They also underscored the crucial role of fisheries in providing food and nutrition, contributing significantly to poverty reduction and economic development, as well as the need for capacity building and financial support for developing countries. VNA/VNS BEIJING Seven projects with total value of over US$3.1 billion were signed at the 2025 China (Guangdong)-ASEAN Trade Promotion and Supply Chain Cooperation Conference held in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on June 10. The most noticeable is a nickel-cobalt project of Guangdong Guangxin Holding Group Ltd. in Indonesia with total investment of $2 billion. The project is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2026, aiming to ensure a stable supply of nickel for the global new energy battery industry. According to a company representative, Guangxin is promoting the arrangement of stainless steel, aluminum profile, and copper-clad sheet manufacturing industries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with revenue from this region accounting for more than 80 per cent of total foreign revenue. It will continue to expand investment in the ASEAN region in the future, he added. In 2024, the trade volume between ASEAN and Guangdong accounted for about 20 per cent of the total trade turnover between the bloc and China. The two sides have actively implemented substantive cooperation in many areas such as science and technology, education, agriculture, culture and tourism. Guangdong enterprises have invested in building factories and cooperative industrial parks in ASEAN, and have achieved substantial results in the fields of green energy and digital economy. More and more ASEAN enterprises consider Guangdong as a priority gateway to enter the Chinese market. VNA/VNS The CMC Creative Space is a modern building with a total area of 30,000 square metres, which has been operational since the third quarter of last year. Featuring a cutting-edge design and modern amenities, the 12-story building offers large floor plates of up to 1,600 sq.m each, along with a spacious parking area. Located within Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone, the building is fully equipped with modern conveniences and offers excellent connectivity to the city centre. CMC Creative Space office building, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City CMC Creative Space has been recognised as a 'green' building that incorporates 4.0 digital technologies, providing a sustainable and efficient working environment. Le Thanh Son, executive vice president of CMC Corporation, said that partnering with Cushman & Wakefield was a significant step forward in his development strategy. "We believe that the synergy between CMC Creative Space Hochiminh and Cushman & Wakefield will create exceptional value for our clients and partners," said Son. Bui Trang, country head of Cushman & Wakefield Vietnam, said that according to data from the first quarter of 2025, the citywide office occupancy rate is already over 89 per cent. "Consequently, tenants are facing significant challenges in finding high-quality, cost-effective office buildings like CMC Creative Space. With its large floor plates and proximity to the CMC Tan Thuan Data Centre, the building is highly suitable for establishing global capability centres for multinational corporations, research and development centres, innovation hubs, and other IT-related operations," said Trang. The office market in Ho Chi Minh City is experiencing strong growth with a continuous increase in new supply. The city is expected to welcome an additional 165,000 sq.m of new office space this year from projects in the central business district and beyond. Areas such as District 7 and Thu Thiem New Urban Area are emerging as the city's new financial and commercial hubs, attracting numerous businesses in the manufacturing, IT, retail, finance, and healthcare sectors. CMC is one of the leaders in homegrown cloud computing with its CMC Cloud platform and the Tan Thuan Data Centre, Vietnam's most modern data centre, which has achieved international certifications such as Uptime Tier III, TVRA, and PCI DSS. The group is investing heavily in a chain of domestic and international hyperscale data centres to meet the AI transformation needs of businesses and organisations. CMC's C.OpenAI AI ecosystem, featuring 25 core technologies developed by CMC engineers, aims to solve major challenges in management, operations, and socioeconomic development. Five flagship products have been featured on the Ministry of Science and Technology's Resolution 57 portal, including AI Legal Assistant CLS, CMC Cloud, CIVAMS solution, C-Notary e-notary software, and C-Contract e-contract solution. CMC has also undertaken two national mandates: developing the top Vietnamese-native cloud computing platform, CMC Cloud, and deploying the CLS Virtual Assistant to assist in reviewing legal document conflicts. The group aims to become a global, billion-dollar digital transformation and AI corporation with over 10,000 employees by 2028. CMC Global secures double victory at Asian Technology Excellence Awards 2024 CMC Global's double win at the 2024 Asian Technology Excellence Awards strengthens its role in driving digital transformation (DX) in Malaysia . Japan's BBIX ties up with CMC Telecom to launch two new internet exchange points in Vietnam BBIX, Inc., a subsidiary of SoftBank Corporation, and CMC Telecom are collaborating to establish Internet Exchange (IX) connection points at two data centres in Vietnam and provide IX services. Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - Alarmed by intensifying violence in the greater Kordofan region of Sudan and the growing humanitarian impact of the fighting, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Wednesday that air strikes have reportedly hit residential areas of Al Obeid city, North Kordofan state, in recent days, injuring civilians The information was shared at a meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Jevgeni Kabanov, Bolts global head of public policy, in Estonia on June 6. Bolt is operating across 55 countries globally and serving 200 million customers. In Asia, Bolt began operations in Thailand in 2021 and has since created employment for more than 50,000 drivers. The startup offers a range of services, including motorcycle- and car-hailing services, scooter rentals, and delivery of food and goods. Kabanov shared Bolt's intention to do business in Vietnam, proposing the regulatory body expedite approval for its entrance. Prime Minister Chinh lauded Bolt's efforts to accelerate digital transformation in the transportation and delivery sector, thereby making a contribution to the sharing economy. "This sector has high potential in Vietnam, with a population of 100 million people and rapidly growing demand amid booming e-commerce. Vietnam is striving to achieve GDP growth of above 8 per cent in 2025 and register double-digit growth from 2026-2030, which requires strong business growth," the prime minister said. Supporting the trends of green transportation, green services, and the sharing economy, the prime minister pledged to facilitate Bolt's entrance to the Vietnamese market, as has been done for other foreign startups in transport and delivery. Hopefully, Bolt will participate in fair competition and generate jobs for people's benefit. Besides Bolt, Hong Kong's Lalamove is also expanding into Vietnams ride-hailing market after eight years of operating in the countrys delivery market. The entrance of Bolt and Lalamove is expected to heat up the competition with existing players like Grab, Be, and Xanh SM, alongside a series of traditional taxi companies. According to Statista, Vietnam is expected to see significant growth in the ride-hailing market, with a projected revenue of $1.88 billion by the end of 2025. Vietnams ride-hailing market attracts global and local competition As European unicorn Bolt explores a potential entry into Vietnams ride-hailing sector, the market is undergoing significant shifts, with local players Be and Xanh SM steadily gaining ground against Grab. Lalamove shifting gears to enter ride-hailing market Lalamove, the Hong Kong-based logistics platform renowned for its on-demand 24/7 delivery services, is expanding into Vietnams competitive ride-hailing sector. The move comes after eight years of operating in the countrys delivery market. Increased production costs will lead to higher prices of drugs, in Vietnam and elsewhere, photo Le Toan Sandoz is concerned about the domino effect on affordability and patient access if certain US tariffs go ahead. They risk exacerbating supply issues and increasing drug prices, affecting manufacturers, distributors, healthcare providers, and ultimately, patients, the company said. The United States in April launched an investigation to determine whether imports of pharmaceutical products and ingredients pose a national security risk to the US. The investigation will lay the foundation for tariffs on pharmaceutical products and ingredients, which are expected to be announced soon. In recent months, the president has threatened to impose a 25 per cent or higher tariff on foreign-made pharmaceuticals. This has been causing a headache for multinational corporations in the industry. Charaf Eddine Kadri, general director of Sandoz Vietnam, told VIR, In Vietnam, the impact is two-fold. Local companies face challenges in maintaining competitive pricing and expanding their reach, while foreign-invested enterprises must navigate complex global supply chain disruptions and cost increases. For many Vietnamese patients, who often pay out-of-pocket for their medicines, these are not abstract economic issues - these cost pressures directly affect access and affordability, Kadri said. But the consequences go beyond individual households. As medicine costs rise, Vietnams healthcare system must reassess its planning and resource allocation, potentially delaying or limiting public health initiatives aimed at expanding access to essential treatments, he added. According to industry insiders, modern pharmaceutical supply chains represent decades of optimisation and global integration. These new tariffs may essentially force a rapid reconfiguration of these intricate networks, with real consequences for medicine availability and affordability. Pharma expert Hai Ngo explained, A typical medicine might incorporate specialised ingredients from multiple countries, undergo manufacturing processes across several facilities, and pass-through numerous quality control checkpoints before reaching patients. When tariffs introduce significant cost increases at multiple points, maintaining both affordability and reliability becomes extraordinarily challenging. If the US imposes tariffs on imported drugs, production costs will increase along the entire pharmaceutical value chain, Ngo added. Increased production costs will lead to higher prices and reduced profits in Vietnam and worldwide. This could lead to reduced production and supply disruptions, affecting patients, Ngo said. In response to the developments, Sandoz in Vietnam is reinforcing partnerships with local distributors and healthcare providers to safeguard continuity of supply. We diversify the supply chain by setting up a task force to monitor disruptions and implement targeted actions to maintain steady supply of essential medicines, while bolstering partnership with key stakeholders in the healthcare system such as with the Ministry of Health, key hospitals, regulatory authorities, local distributors and diverse partners, Kadri said. Sandoz Vietnam is also continuously implementing tools to absorb some of the tariff-induced expenses without compromising on product quality or accessibility. We believe that accelerating adoption of biosimilars is a powerful way to reduce pressure on healthcare in this complex context, he added. Elsewhere, Roche is said to plan to invest $50 billion in the US over five years with new and expanded/upgraded manufacturing as well as research and development facilities. The company is working to mitigate potential impacts from tariffs by moving production of its medicines to the US and petitioning the White House for an exemption. Things can change quite quickly, said a source from Roche. But for us as a company, its always important that we are prepared for all scenarios. Meanwhile, Novartis plans to invest $23 billion in US sites. The Swiss company said that it plans to build six new manufacturing plants, some of which will make raw pharmaceutical ingredients, as well as a new research and development site in California. According to Novartis, the new sites and extensions will be built over the next five years and are expected to create more than 1,000 jobs for skilled workers like engineers and scientists as well as another 4,000 support staff and construction jobs. Rice groups take issue with needless rules In its latest submission to the Ministry of Industry and Trade over a week ago, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has raised key concerns over the draft amendments to Decree No.107/2018/ND-CP and Decree No.01/2025/ND-CP governing rice export activities. The chambers core recommendation is to streamline compliance costs and remove outdated or overly rigid administrative hurdles that hinder private sector growth. At the centre of the VCCIs proposals is the removal of the mandatory ownership requirement for rice storage facilities. Under Decree 107, rice exporters must own rather than lease storage warehouses for unhusked or milled rice. The VCCI argues that this requirement runs counter to market principles and raises the barrier to entry for small- and medium-sized enterprises. It contradicts the spirit of enabling governance rather than restricting it, the VCCI stated. Duong Thanh Thao, deputy director of Ong Tho Rice JSC in Ho Chi Minh City, said that leasing storage is a normal practice in commercial operations. Our company owns warehouses, yet we still regularly lease additional storage near sourcing regions. If the mandatory ownership rule is enforced, many exporters could lose their licences despite operating lawfully, Thao explained. Instead of a blanket requirement, authorities should target cases where leasing is done solely to obtain a licence on paper. Equally contentious is the requirement under the revised draft that new exporters must maintain a minimum rice reserve of 1,250 tonnes within 45 days of receiving their business licence, and continue doing so until they record actual export activity. According to the VCCI, this rule is not only financially burdensome, but also discourages new players from entering the sector, especially when no export contract has been secured. The obligation to acquire and store a large rice volume imposes significant upfront capital requirements and warehousing costs, it emphasised. Another proposed amendment that the VCCI seeks to overturn is the ban on unlicensed enterprises outsourcing rice exports to licensed firms. Currently enshrined in Decree 01 from this year, the rule significantly limits the ability of production-capable but license-ineligible companies to access foreign markets. This restriction reduces the ability of domestic producers to monetise their output via indirect channels, the VCCI explained. The chamber cited real-world cases where Vietnamese enterprises with export-grade rice were forced to redirect their clients to neighbouring countries like Cambodia and Thailand, where export conditions are more favourable, resulting in lost opportunities for Vietnam. More critically, such policies risk discouraging investment and could even lead to business closures among smaller rice producers that are unable to meet the current licensing thresholds. The VCCI also took issue with the proposed penalty mechanism related to reporting obligations. As per the draft decree, an enterprise failing to submit its rice stock report within 45 days of being notified would face licence revocation. The chamber considers this measure overly punitive for what it deems a procedural violation. Failure to report should be classified as an admin infraction, not as grounds for losing export rights, the VCCI said. While acknowledging necessity for data submission to support state oversight, the chamber recommends monetary penalties in lieu of licence withdrawal. Revocation should be reserved only for cases where a business no longer meets the fundamental licensing conditions. Vietnam boasts over 150 enterprises licensed to export rice, six fewer than the number published in February, according to the MoIT. Ho Chi Minh City leads the country with 35 exporters, followed by Can Tho with 33 and Long An with 20. The Vietnam Food Association reports that more than four million tonnes of rice were exported in the first five months of 2025. Vietnams rice exports deliver strong yield Vietnam has strengthened its position as a global rice exporter as surging prices and volumes propel the country towards a projected record-breaking eight million tonnes of exports in 2024. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung met with SK Groups chairman Tae-Won Chey on the sidelines of the Future of Asia Conference on May 25 in Tokyo. During the meeting, chairman Chey provided detailed updates on SKs proposed investment plans. The group is exploring the development of three special energy-industrial clusters (SEICs), the core being liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects. SK aims to roll out a comprehensive energy solution package across Vietnam. Nhon Trach 3&4 is the first LNG-fired power plant in Vietnam The three SEICs would include the North Central AI Energy-Industrial Complex in Nghe An and Thanh Hoa; the South Central E-Logistics SEIC in Ninh Thuan; and the Mekong Delta Energy-Agriculture SEIC. For the North Central AI SEIC, SK envisions transforming the area into a high-tech industrial and energy hub. The centrepiece would be the integrated Nghi Son- Quynh Lap LNG Power Project with an estimated total investment of $4.1 billion. The venture comprises two LNG power plants, each with a capacity of 1,500MW, located in Nghi Son and Quynh Lap, respectively. A shared onshore LNG terminal in Quynh Lap would support both plants, with a storage capacity of up to 2.4 million tonnes per year. Supporting infrastructure would include an LNG import port, breakwaters, and auxiliary facilities necessary for LNG import operations. The total land requirement is estimated at 424ha, with 88.6ha onshore and 335ha offshore. Looking ahead, SK also proposes the construction of a third 1,500MW LNG power plant in Thanh Hoa. The power generated from these projects would support the development of a 10,000sq.m AI data centre near Nghi Son power plant. In addition, the company plans to implement a distributed energy resource (DER) system in Thanh Hoa to integrate renewable energy sources and energy storage systems, ensuring a stable and efficient electricity supply. In Ninh Thuan province, SKs proposal includes the development of the 1,500MW LNG-fuelled Ca Na Power Plant and a 240,000cub.m LNG terminal, along with related technical infrastructure. The estimated investment for this phase is around $2.4 billion, requiring approximately 143ha of land and 232ha of sea area. In the long term, SK plans to build another 1,500MW LNG power plant in Ca Na, increasing the total investment in the province to approximately $4 billion. The company also envisions Ninh Thuan as a future LNG logistics hub focusing on three key areas: LNG refuelling services; cold-chain logistics for agriculture and seafood leveraging LNGs cryogenic properties; and overland transportation of natural gas via truck. Furthermore, SK has plans to explore the deployment of small modular reactors in Ninh Thuan to support nuclear power development. A DER system is also expected to be developed in the province, helping complement the broader energy strategy for the region. In the Mekong Delta Energy-Agriculture SEIC, SK proposes to leverage the regions agricultural strengths while ensuring energy security for future growth. Key projects include the 1,500MW Ca Mau 3 LNG power plant to be located at Khanh An Industrial Park, close to the existing Ca Mau 1 and Ca Mau 2 power plants, and a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) with a capacity of 180,000cub.m stationed at Hon Chuoi Island in Ca Mau. Longer term, SK is proposing the addition of another 1,500MW LNG power plant in the region, bringing the total investment to approximately $2.5 billion. To execute these ambitious plans, SK Group is requesting to be designated as the lead investor for key LNG projects, including the Nghi Son- Quynh Lap Power Plant and terminal; the Ca Na Power Plant and nfrastructure; the Ca Mau 3 Power Plant; and two additional power plants in Thanh Hoa and Ca Na. Together, these LNG-based projects represent a total investment value surpassing $10 billion. SK Group is a diversified South Korean conglomerate with interests spanning energy, chemicals, telecommunications, IT, semiconductors, and advanced materials. The group comprises over 200 subsidiaries with a combined market capitalization approximating $200 billion, making it South Koreas second-largest family-owned business conglomerate. Last year, SK reported revenues exceeding $150 billion. In Vietnam, SK has invested approximately $3.5 billion in various corporate partnerships and environmentally friendly biodegradable material production projects. PV GAS and PV Power agree to supply LNG to Nhon Trach 3 and 4 PetroVietnam Gas Corporation (PV GAS) and PetroVietnam Power Corporation (PV Power) announced on March 2 that the corporations are contracted to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the commercial operation of Nhon Trach 3 and Nhon Trach 4 power plants. Japan's Tokyu Group proposes light rail transit in Binh Duong Japan's Tokyu Group has proposed a feasibility study for a light rail transit in Thu Dau Mot city, Binh Duong province. The opening ceremony of the Australia-Vietnam Strategic Technologies Centre, Hanoi, June 11 Australias Ambassador to Vietnam Gillian Bird and Bui The Duy, Vietnams Deputy Minister of Science and Technology launched the new centre at a ceremony that included more than 300 guests from the government, universities, and business sector. The groundbreaking partnership between the Australian and Vietnamese governments had been established through a collaboration between Vietnams Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology and the University of Technology Sydney. The centre brings together the brightest minds from academia, industry, and government to tackle challenges and seize opportunities of the digital future; provide a dynamic platform for innovation, research excellence, policy leadership, and real-world applications on important and emerging technologies such as 5G/6G, AI, semiconductors, and cybersecurity. Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has provided initial funding of AUD2.1 million ($1.3 million) to establish the centre, with global telco Nokia delivering the technical equipment to support the centres operations. "Australia is proud to be partnering with Vietnam to drive innovation and digital transformation, which are key to Vietnams economic growth," said Ambassador Bird. "This is a practical demonstration of Australias commitment to supporting science and innovation under our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership." By fostering research and partnerships on strategic technologies, and by connecting Vietnamese institutions with Australias top education and innovation networks, Australia is supporting Vietnam to translate Politburo's Resolution 57-NQ/TW on sci-tech development, innovation, and digital transformation, into real, measurable outcomes. Over the years, the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Australian government have maintained a close partnership in science, technology and innovation, focusing on digital transformation and strategic technology. Referring to the Australia-Vietnam Development Partnership Plan 2025-2030, Deputy Minister Duy said, "We appreciate Australias support through technical assistance, expert exchanges, and policy dialogue. The launch of this centre is an important step in strengthening cooperation between our two nations in innovation, digital transformation, and enhancing international network stability - the core driving force of sustainable development." Vietnam is regarded as one of the five most scientifically advanced countries in Southeast Asia. Duy stated that this achievement is partly thanks to the close partnership in the fields of science, technology and innovation with the Australian government. "Our progress is a testament to our shared vision of a knowledge-driven future. With trust and continuous cooperation, Vietnam and Australia can turn policy into progress and ideas into action," said Duy. The centre marks a significant milestone in Australia and Vietnams shared journey towards a digitally connected and secure future, and reflects the deep and ongoing commitment between the two countries as part of the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Digital technologies and digital trade are key to driving economic growth, development, and social wellbeing, including for women entrepreneurs, as reflected in our joint Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy. At the launch ceremony, eight strategic technology seed funding projects to boost cooperation between Vietnamese and Australian scientists worth more than AUD400,000 ($260,400) were announced. The funding targets are collaborative research groups between universities, research institutes, and businesses of the two countries. The Australia-Vietnam Strategic Technology Centre, in collaboration with the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council, presented the Women in Technology and Innovation Awards to 19 female scientists, engineers and students, honouring the contributions of women in technology and innovation. The centre also awarded nearly 100 'Australia-Vietnam Strategic Technology' scholarships to young engineers, managers, and researchers nationwide to inspire the younger generation to pursue a career in technology and innovation. Australia-Vietnam forum promotes sustainable smart city development The Australia-Vietnam Smart Cities Business Forum 2025 took place on May 8 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in Ho Chi Minh City. Aus4Innovation provides financial assistance for agriculture sector Aus4Innovation has pledged to continue to provide financial assistance for innovations that tackle climate change across Vietnams agriculture sector. Australia and Vietnam join forces to boost financial and digital innovation The Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) signed an MoU with the Vietnam Banks Association (VNBA) on June 2, marking a significant step forward in enriching fintech collaboration between the two countries. Port Sudan, Sudan (PANA) - The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on Wednesday said it pulling all its troops from the Sudan-Egypt-Libya Triangle, a barren desert area where their borderlines converge, after it complained of attacks from forces loyal to Libyan military leader, Khalifa Haftar TRENTON, N.J. U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted Tuesday on federal charges alleging she impeded and interfered with immigration officers outside a New Jersey detention center while Newark's mayor was arrested after he tried to join a congressional oversight visit at the facility. Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced the grand jury indictment in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve," Habba said. McIver, a Democrat, was charged in a complaint by Habba last month with two assault charges stemming from the May 9 visit to Newark's Delaney Hall a 1,000-bed, privately owned facility that Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses as a detention center. McIver disputed the allegations as baseless and defended her presence at the facility as part of her authorized role as a member of Congress. Her lawyer, former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman, said they would challenge the allegations "head-on" in court. "The legal process will expose this prosecution for what it truly is political retaliation against a dedicated public servant who refuses to shy away from her oversight responsibilities," Fishman said. Habba said two of the counts carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison. A third has a maximum sentence of one year. She characterized the charges as "forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers." The indictment is the latest development in a legal-political drama that saw President Donald Trump's administration take Democratic officials from New Jersey's largest city to court, tapping into the president's immigration crackdown and Democrats' efforts to respond. The prosecution of McIver is a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress for allegations other than fraud or corruption. At the same visit that resulted in McIver's charges, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on a trespassing charge, which was later dropped. Baraka sued Habba over what he said was a malicious prosecution. A nearly two-minute clip released by the Homeland Security Department shows McIver on the facility side of a chain-link fence just before the arrest of the mayor on the street side of the fence, where other people were protesting. She and uniformed officials go through the gate, and she joins others shouting that they should circle the mayor. The video shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and officers. At one point, her left elbow and then her right elbow push into an officer wearing a dark face covering and an olive green uniform emblazoned with the word "Police" on it. It isn't clear from police bodycam video whether that contact was intentional, incidental or a result of jostling in the chaotic scene. The complaint says she "slammed" her forearm into an agent then tried to restrain the agent by grabbing him. New Jersey Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez joined McIver at the detention center that day. They and Democrats criticized the arrest and disputed the charges as well. By law, members of Congress are authorized to go into federal immigration facilities as part of their oversight powers, even without notice. Congress passed a 2019 appropriations bill that spelled out the authority. McIver, 38, first came to Congress in September in a special election after the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. left a vacancy in the 10th District. She was then elected to a full term in November. A Newark native, she served as the president of the Newark City Council from 2022 to 2024 and worked in the city's public schools before that. Editors note: This story contains descriptions of sexual violence against children. Jonathan Santos sobbed in one of the stalls of a McDonalds bathroom in Tucson, Arizona, in February. He admitted to molesting a boy. And his Tucson church protected him for years. A member of a Tucson church admitted he molested a boy. The pastor said he knew and never went to the police, flouting state laws that mandate reporting of such incidents. He knew he needed to clock in for work, but he couldnt stop the tears. He could barely even breathe. Santos, 23, had just left the Tucson Police Department in the middle of an interview about sexual abuse he said he experienced as a child at the hands of Jose Mora, a former congregant of the Golden Dawn Tabernacle. Mora was arrested and charged in April for alleged child sex crimes. The charges stem in large part from an Arizona Daily Star/Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team investigation in which Mora publicly admitted to sexually abusing a different child. Santos kept replaying the detectives questions about an incident with Mora when Santos was about 8 years old in 2009: What time of year was it? Who was there? Did anyone else witness it? How did you react? What led up to the interaction? The last question sent Santos mind spiraling into self-blame. It really hit me because to me, in my own head, I had thought, Oh, what did you do to seduce a grown man? Santos remembers thinking, even though thats not what the detective asked. I was like, Even the detective doesnt believe me. It was just self-doubt. Santos said he recognizes now that the detective had to ask detailed questions to investigate and find the truth. But at the time, the query caused him to relive his trauma, leaving him overwhelmed. As Santos cried in the bathroom before starting his shift as a manager at McDonalds, he said he was shocked to be met with support rather than blame. His coworker came into the bathroom, asked if he was OK and pulled him into a hug. Responses like this from coworkers and friends are what have helped Santos heal. Santos said one friend told him he could tell her about his abuse over and over again until he could recount it without crying. He said she was patient and understanding. I wasnt expecting the outcome that I got, Santos said. I wasnt expecting to be accepted. I wasnt expecting to be comforted. Santos kept his experience private for more than a decade and is now speaking publicly about it for the first time. It took a lot out of me having to mostly deal with it alone, he said. I just kept burying it and burying it, and it wasnt healthy for me. I never imagined being able to say it without stuttering and say it without crying and breaking down. And now he can. He didnt stop Santos said Mora sexually abused him on two occasions when he was between 7 and 9 years old. Mora was in his early 40s. Santos was close in age to two of Moras sons, and he remembers the third son being a baby at the time. Santos said it was normal for him to go over to Moras house to play with the boys. Mora was a family friend and a member of their church, the Golden Dawn Tabernacle. Santos said he remembers one incident where he was at Moras house, playing with Moras sons when out of nowhere Mora was groping his buttocks and groin, Santos said. During a second incident, Mora picked Santos up from school. Santos said he was at Moras house with the two older sons when the two boys went to take a nap. Santos never napped, he said. He would typically do chores after school, eat dinner and then go to bed. But Santos said Mora brought him into his bedroom anyway. Santos was too small to get onto the bed, so Mora lifted him up into it, Santos said. Mora then grabbed Santos hand and used it to rub Moras groin over his pants, Santos said. Mora forced his other hand under Santos clothes and groped his buttocks, Santos said. Then, Santos said, Mora used his fingers to penetrate the boy. I didnt know what was happening at all, Santos said. Santos said Mora didnt stop even when Santos defecated. Mora just got Santos a different pair of underwear, Santos said. I do remember him keeping going after he cleaned me up, Santos said. He didnt stop until he finished. Mora declined a request from an Arizona Daily Star reporter to interview him while he is in custody at the Pima County Jail. Mora also did not respond to messages sent via an inmate messaging app that outlined the new allegations against him. Santos said he is not sure how old he was when this abuse happened. But during the second incident, he remembers his mother was out of town to visit his sick grandmother, who died shortly after. Santos said his mother does not want to speak to the media but that she did talk with police. According to the U.S. Social Security Death Index, a woman whose name, family members and location match Santos grandmother died in California on Jan. 18, 2009. That means Santos would have been 7 when Mora allegedly sexually abused him. Indicted Mora was charged April 15 with three counts of sexual conduct with a minor and five counts of child molestation, according to the indictment against him. The indictment alleges that Mora used his finger to sexually penetrate two children in separate incidents that happened a few years apart. It also alleges that Mora groped the childrens genitals and engaged in forced oral contact with one of the children. Two of the counts stem from alleged sex crimes against a victim identified as J.S. in the indictment. Santos said J.S. is him. The other victim in the indictment is Philip, who asked to be identified by his first name only in stories. Philip shared his story publicly for the first time in the Arizona Daily Star in November. Philip said Mora groped him during three incidents over the summer of 2012 when he was 11. Philip said Mora also forced him to have oral sex and penetrated him with his fingers, which Mora denies. All of the incidents happened at Moras home, Philip said. Santos said it is a pattern of behavior. Mora admitted in an interview with Lee Enterprises and the Star that he touched Philip on the genitals and buttocks because Philip had a spirit and he provoked me. Mora said Philip started it and I fell into the trap. Mora acknowledged that he was the adult in the situation, so he was also responsible. Santos said he listened to this interview when the Star published the audio recording of it in November. Hearing Moras words, Santos said it was hard not to think of himself as a demon or the devil. The way (Mora) said it, like, how he was trying to blame the victim, Santos said. It really puts victims into this self-doubt and, like, what if it really was my fault? Getting sexually abused by an adult is never the childs fault. Moras claims that children initiated sexual contact with him are no defense at all in a court of law. It is not legally possible for a child under 15 to consent to physical sexual contact by an adult; nor is it a defense to allege the child initiated the contact. Arizona statute defines molestation of a child as intentionally or knowingly engaging in or causing a person to engage in sexual contact with a child under fifteen years of age. State statute defines sexual conduct with a minor as intentionally or knowingly engaging in sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact with someone under 18. Mora faces life in prison for the charges. His next court date is June 30. Different underwear Santos said he doesnt remember what happened after the second incident, but he knows he came home wearing a pair of underwear that obviously did not belong to him. Santos always wore plain white or black underwear because his parents did not allow him to wear clothes with colorful designs due to their conservative religious beliefs. Mora had made Santos wear one of his sons pairs of underwear, which had a cartoon print on them, Santos said. Santos older brother, Luis Santos, remembers some of the aftermath. Lee Enterprises originally interviewed Luis in October 2023 which is before Jonathan had shared what happened to him with anyone. Luis said he overheard his mother questioning his little brother about why he was wearing different underwear after spending time with Mora. I do remember a question where she asked him, What were you guys doing? Luis said in the 2023 interview. And my brother said, Just laying in bed. Santos father, Jose Santos, said he didnt know of any specific allegations of abuse when his children were young. I didnt know about these things until recently when they started coming out, he said in Spanish. Once, when his children were younger, he became uncomfortable with Mora because of time another one of his sons had spent with Mora, and the fact that Mora had cut his sons nails, among other things. After that, Santos said, he contacted a church leader to discuss it. He told me to be careful with my kids (around Mora), Santos recalled. I immediately cut off the relationship with this man. I didnt know anything about this man trying to abuse my son, he said. If I had known that this man tried to do something to my sons, I would have done something. Moras behavior was known in the Golden Dawn church community, including by the pastor, former members said. Philips father said he sought advice from Golden Dawn pastor Isaac Noriega about Philips abuse. Noriega said he remembers the Santos family, but he was never told about any kind of incident where Mora gave one of the Santos boys a different pair of underwear. Noriega said he would remember something like that, and if any church leaders were informed, they would have told him right away. I dont know nothing about that. Zero, Noriega said. I would remember. I was never told anything like that. Noriega is being investigated by Tucson police for failing to report child sexual abuse allegations, as required by law, but he has not been charged. Mora claimed he was confronted about the underwear in a September 2024 interview with reporters. Mora said Santos father asked him about the underwear, and Mora told him that the boy had picked them out at the store as a birthday present. His father talked to me, Why did I buy him that? Mora said. And I told him, He wanted them. Jonathan Santos said Moras response was just lies. It made him angry. First of all, Walmart doesnt sell single-pair underwear for kids, Santos said. Second of all, no little kid, no ones gonna want one underwear out of the whole store. What got me really heated at the response was how he really belittled a situation that was very traumatizing, very real, and he just belittled it to, Well, it was a birthday, Santos said. It wasnt my birthday. Its not OK, and it really took a mental toll. Never enough Throughout his life, Santos has struggled with depression. Santos felt like he was searching for something in his life but couldnt find it. No matter what goals he accomplished, it was never enough. I felt like I was never enough, Santos added. Three times, Santos depression got so severe that he received about a week of inpatient mental health care. Santos said he has seen therapists but never felt comfortable telling them what Mora did to him. As a child, Santos said he thought his abuse wasnt something he should talk about. Hes not sure where that feeling came from, but a conversation with his father in late 2024 gave him a clue. Santos reached out to his father to discuss what happened with Mora, and his father told him not to talk about it, and that he didnt want to talk about it, Santos said. The response was hurtful, Santos said. I knew there was just not the parental figure that I could trust in to talk about something like that. Santos said his mother, however, and others have been there for me. The first person Santos opened up to was his brother, Luis, in late 2023. But even then, Santos only confirmed that Mora did something to him and said he wasnt ready to talk about it in detail. It wasnt until Philip shared his story in the Star in November 2024 that Santos felt comfortable enough to confide in his friends. He said Philip was very brave. I have a lot of respect for the other person who came forward, Santos said. I think it was the newspaper first, when that came out, it was just very inspiring to me. But talking with police was so emotionally taxing that Santos said he reverted back to just burying it down. He left Arizona and moved to El Paso, Texas, to try to forget and start something new. He never planned to come back to finish the police interview. But then Mora was arrested in April, and Santos realized he didnt want Philip to be alone in this like Santos had been for so many years. Santos said he told himself to set your fear aside. Theres not going to be anything done about it if its just one person on the stand, Santos said. Santos said his thoughts kept going back to the audio recording where Mora blamed Philip. (Mora) needs to be held accountable, Santos said. In the audio, theres no remorse. Its just like, Oh, (Philip) had a devil. He had a demon. They tempted me. They seduced me. No. You need to be held accountable, Santos said, directing his words to Mora. There needs to be justice on what you did, how you preyed (on) younger kids. Youre a predator. Youre a pedophile. I understand the fear of other people that are not coming forward. Ive been there, Santos said. I did everything that you could do to avoid it even moved. And it was still not enough for me. Santos came back to Arizona in early April. He said he finished his interview with Tucson police April 17. Since then, he said hes starting to feel like he might be enough. It just felt like a load came off my back, Santos said. I feel more relieved. I dont feel that depression. I just feel like (it) was something that needed to be done. The feeling of whatever wasnt measuring up enough just fell off, he said. I began going easy on myself, and thats all that mattered for me. Tucson police ask that anyone with information about Mora, pastor Noriega or the Golden Dawn Tabernacle call the child sexual assault unit at 520-837-7529. Arizona Daily Star reporter Tim Steller contributed to this report. Wrexham.com has invited local Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd to write a monthly article with updates on their work in their respective Parliaments and closer to home you can find them all here. In his monthly column for Wrexham.com, Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr MP Steve Witherden writes: I write this to constituents who are unconvinced or even angered by many MPs, including myself, who have been dedicating increasing time in Parliament to speaking out against the conflict in Gaza. If this describes you, I urge you to read on. This is an appeal for your empathy and your understanding. Since the horrific attacks committed by the vile terrorist organisation Hamas on October 7, 2023, which killed 1200 and left 251 taken hostage and which I fully condemn and deplore in its entirety, Israel has killed at least 50,000 Gazans and massively expanded its programme of illegally settling on Palestinian land in the West Bank. This war, the deliberate and mass killing of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli military which UN rights experts and Amnesty International declares amounts to genocide has descended to new depths of depravity in recent weeks. The majority of the dead are women and children. As a father, the thought of the loss of a single child is heartbreaking; the thought of tens of thousands of children killed or injured in the Gaza Strip is just inconceivable. After 20 months of blocking Gazas access to food water, and electricity, Israel (which controls all access to the Strip) has now restricted aid down its the lowest level since its assault began. The United Nations has warned that the entire population of 2.1 million people is at critical risk of famine. This risks the entire population being forcibly starved to death. Our language struggles to summon the words necessary to describe just how impossibly horrific the situation is in Gaza. This is not just some foreign conflict; this is the deliberate extermination of a whole people, missile by missile, bullet by bullet, calorie by calorie. Israels leaders have said as much, vowing to wipe out Gaza and annex the land for Israeli settlement. This is ethnic cleansing. Here in Britain, housing remains unaffordable for many, hundreds of thousands of children are trapped in poverty, and our public realm continues to crumble. So why should we in Wrexham care about the fate of Gaza? I declared during the election campaign that I would remain a backbench constituency MP. This is and always will be my priority. I do not speak out against the atrocities committed by Israel for political expediency. I do it because the people of Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr elected me to a position where my voice carries more weight than most. As such, to remain silent on such catastrophic bloodshed would be a dereliction of moral responsibility. I know the UKs standing in the world is vastly diminished compared to what it was even at the start of this century, let alone in 1948 when we withdrew from Palestine, previously under British administration. With this, our ability to influence events abroad has diminished too. But we are still a member of the UN Security Council. We are still the worlds sixth largest economy. We are still integral to European security. And we are still a major ally of Israel. The components which create the fighter jets that Israel has used to level Gaza are 15% British-made. We cannot hide from that. For those who say this is none of our business: how can it be when without British arms export licenses, these jets could not fly. They could not drop their bombs. To those who say we should not be involved in foreign wars: I agree. But we are already involved in this one on the side of a government that is killing hundreds of civilians a day in the name of ending an entrenched conflict that more violence will only deepen. That is why I led a debate in the House of Commons Chamber on Monday night, calling for transparency from the government on the weapons we provide to Israel, and to immediately suspend arms export licences. On Wednesday, I was a signatory to a bill to investigate the UKs role in enabling this slaughter. Regardless of what we in this country do, this will be another dark stain on the history of humanity. I do not apologise for using my position for doing what I can however small to try and end these inhuman, hellish scenes. 300m for rail investment in Wales announced in Spending Review Todays Spending Review by UK Government has indicated more cash for Wales is planned over the next three years, including allocation for rail improvements. In the Spending Review the Chancellor Rachel Reeves said, The Welsh Government will benefit from an average extra 1.6 billion over the Spending Review period through the Barnett formula to deliver against the priorities of working people in Wales, and 20% more to spend per individual than comparable UK Government does for people in the rest of the UK. She added, Police spending power will see an average 2.3% real terms increase over the Spending Review period as the government puts police back on the beat in communities across England and Wales, supporting the governments Plan for Change commitment to put an additional 13,000 police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbourhood roles. In the detail of the documents released today it states, 300 million for rail investment in Wales, including for the Burns Review stations, North Wales Level Crossing, Padeswood Sidings and Cardiff West Junction. It adds, This SR and the upcoming 10-year Infrastructure Strategy will recognise Waless long-term infrastructure needs and will deliver at least 445 million of rail enhancements to realise them. This includes providing 48 million over four years to the Welsh Government to upgrade the Core Valley Lines and increase connectivity across Wales. This new investment will improve links, including for Padeswood on the Borderlands Line through Wrexham (connecting centres of excellence in advanced manufacturing), and between Cardiff and Bristol, where the digital technologies, clean energy, and creative industry businesses are clustered, supporting the UK-wide Industrial Strategy. On Welsh Government funding it details, The Welsh Government is receiving an average of 22.4 billion each year. This includes an additional 1.6 billion each year on average through the Barnett formula, with 1.4 billion of day-to-day spending for the next three years and 200 million of capital for the next four years. It also adds, This SR provides 2.4 million over 202627 to 2028-29 to launch a new Brand Wales programme, promoting Welsh investment opportunities and exports around the world. There has been no comment from Welsh Labour or (below) Welsh Government. Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Darren Millar MS, has commented saying: Todays rail spending announcement is an insult to the people of Wales. The previous UK Conservative Government invested over 1bn in rail infrastructure between 2014 and 2024 and promised over 1bn more to deliver the electrification in North Wales. Branding the announcement Shameful. Plaid Cymru Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP said: The announcement of 44.5 million a year for Welsh rail over the next decade is Labours flimsy fig leaf to excuse the multi-billion-pound, multi-decade scandal that is the Welsh rail injustice. Todays funding is only meaningful if it matches what Wales will continue to lose from HS2 and all other English rail projects in the future. Labour hopes a few token projects will distract from deep cuts to vital services that hit the most vulnerable hardest, all while shifting the goalposts on Welsh funding. The unfair Barnett formula remains open to manipulation, just as the recent example of the Oxford-Cambridge line displayed, with the Treasury bizarrely claiming that a railway line in the south-east of England would benefit Wales. For Wales, todays statement was more smoke and mirrors. Its time to deliver the fair funding Welsh communities desperately need and deserve. A Reform UK spokesman told Wrexham.com, Rachel Reeves has once again demonstrated that she doesnt understand how to run a modern economy, and the consequences for Wales are severe. Her remarks, including references to Nigel Farage and Reform UK, only confirm that it is Reform who are setting the agenda and acting as the true opposition to Labour. The 445 million in rail funding announced today falls far short of what Wales is truly owed. After the financial disaster of HS2, a project that delivered nothing for the people of Wales, this gesture is little more than a token. It does not come close to addressing the decades of underinvestment our communities have endured. Any additional funding received through the Barnett formula must now be used wisely. The Welsh Government must focus on delivering real value for money, not wasting public funds on vanity projects or political pet schemes. UPDATE: Welsh Labour has been in touch at 3pm, noting Transport Secretary Ken Skates MS said: Last week I said that I, as well as Eluned Morgan, and Jo Stevens, felt confident we could do no more to convince the UK Government of the case for improvements to rail infrastructure in North and South Wales. Today the UK Treasury shows they have listened. After 14 years of Conservative governments who refused to listen, we now have two governments working together to address this crucial issue that impacts so many people across Wales. Wrexham MP Andrew Ranger and MS Lesley Griffiths said: Todays news is a win for Wales and a win for Wrexham. Improvements on the line between Wrexham and Liverpool will benefit the local economy and connect communities across both sides of the border. Wales was starved of rail funding under the previous Conservative governments and we welcome this long-overdue investment. This is a clear example of two Labour Governments working together for the benefit of the people of Wales. HMS Dragon sailors to parade through Wrexham streets for Freedom of the City Event Sailors from HMS Dragon will parade through the streets of Wrexham on Friday, June 13 as they celebrate the Freedom of the City for the first time. The crew of the Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer will march through the heart of the city centre before being hosted at an official reception to cement the bond. The ship, which sadly will not be sailing down the Gwenfro, was adopted by Wrexham last summer and later awarded the Honorary Freedom of the County Borough. Since then, when Dragons demanding programme has allowed, the 200-strong ships company have been preparing for the hometown visit, including undertaking specific drill training to reach the highest standards required for the march. Its work in the last few months has included a a milestone first takedown of a supersonic missile by the Royal Navy during NATO exercises off the coast of northwest Scotland in May Ahead of the parade the ranks will be inspected by Wrexhams Mayor Councillor Tina Mannering, who will also take the salute of the marching sailors at Queens Square alongside Commanding Officer Commander Iain Giffin. Commander Iain Giffin said: There is no greater honour that a city can bestow than the Freedom of the City and I humbled that Wrexham has extended this privilege to HMS Dragon. Today is a proud moment for HMS Dragon and a fitting opportunity to demonstrate the professionalism of our sailors, marching in full ceremonial dress, with drums beating, flags flying and bayonets fixed, as a mark of respect and gratitude to the people of Wrexham. The Mayor of Wrexham, Councillor Tina Mannering, said: It will be a tremendous honour to take the salute of the sailors as they march through the city, and I hope as many people as possible will turn out to support the parade. This will be a fantastic occasion, as we celebrate our wonderful partnership with HMS Dragon. Armed Forces Champion, Councillor Beverley Parry-Jones, added: Wrexham has always been proud of its links with the armed services and it will be wonderful to welcome the crew to the county borough, so they can celebrate the Freedom of the City. HMS Dragon is the first ship affiliated with Wrexham since the Second World War, and we are tremendously proud of this very special relationship. The sailors will march onto Llwyn Isaf green (outside the Guildhall) at 10.40am, before marching through the city centre. In being named Freemen of Wrexham, the sailors are in select company including Hollywood superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. There will be some will be some temporary road closures and access restrictions in place from 10.55am on the day (Friday June 13), including Chester Street closure There will be a full road closure on Chester Street until 11.15am. During this time, there will be no vehicle access to the following locations via Chester Street: Guildhall Waterworld Memorial Hall Wellbeing Hub Crown Buildings Library Courts Additionally, no vehicles will be able to exit the Guildhall or Library car parks during this period. The remainder of the parade route will be managed via rolling road closures, meaning traffic will be temporarily stopped as the parade passes. This disruption should last approximately 10 to 15 minutes per location. During this time, there will be no vehicle access through the city centre bollards this includes taxis, church access and other usual exceptions. Rushed battery storage developments risk devastating consequences, warns North Wales MS The rapid and largely unregulated proliferation of battery storage developments is becoming an urgent safety issue in many parts of Wales, a Senedd member warned. Plaid Cymrus Llyr Gruffydd said he is not opposed to battery energy storage systems (BESS), recognising it as vital infrastructure in the national mission to reach net zero. But the Plaid Cymru politician warned of risks to peoples safety in a rush to deliver developments without the proper scrutiny they deserve. He told the Senedd: For BESS to truly serve Waless net-zero goals, development must be guided by strong planning policy, strong safety standards and, of course, strong and meaningful community engagement. Projects should be well sited, they should be transparent and designed with public trust in mind. In a nutshell: BESS technology isnt a luxury, its a necessity for a net-zero Wales. Toxic Leading a debate on June 4, Mr Gruffydd said: Clean energy and smart infrastructure must be encouraged but a careful balance needs to be struck. Too often, communities are an afterthought in this conversation this energy transition needs to put people first. He warned most of the proposed projects are not happening in remote industrial parks. Theyre being planned within metres of homes, schools and places of work, he said. And the concerns raised by local residents arent nimbyism [not in my back yard] theyre real, evidence-based fears, particularly around thermal runaway fires, which have caused serious incidents in countries around the world. Mr Gruffydd, who chairs the Senedd climate committee, raised the example of a fire at Moss Landing, one of the worlds largest BESS facilities in California, in January. He told Senedd members: The fire destroyed approximately 80% of the batteries and led to the evacuation of around 1,500 residents due to concerns over toxic smoke emissions. Caution and care He explained that thermal runaway can cause large, long-lasting fires which, in some cases around the world, have taken millions of litres of water to extinguish. Mr Gruffydd said some of the technology used at Moss Landing is identical to what is proposed in many of the 80-plus BESS developments under consideration in Wales. He cautioned that in places like Northop and Gwyddelwern in his north Wales region, communities face plans for installations only 35 to 120 metres from some homes. The politician emphasised: We cant build public confidence in this technology unless we put transparency and safety at the heart of how its planned and how its delivered. The urgency of decarbonisation is real we all feel it but we mustnt let that urgency override the need for caution and care. Devastating Mr Gruffydd said the Ynni Celyn scheme in Gwyddelwern would house millions of batteries across nearly 1,000 shipping containers on a 75-acre greenfield site near the small village. He warned: A fire at that site would pose a serious risk to the River Dee catchment which, of course, provides drinking water for over one million people and the environmental consequences there could be quite devastating. Now, we cant ask residents to simply hope that nothing goes wrong. That isnt good enough, is it? Developers and government must guarantee safety no exceptions. Mr Gruffydd urged Welsh ministers to move away from a hub-and-spoke model to a spiders web approach to spread infrastructure more evenly and fairly across Wales. He called for a temporary halt on large-scale BESS projects given the risks, oversight gaps and deep community concern. A moratorium gives us time to do things right, he said. Appropriate Responding for the Welsh Government, Rebecca Evans told the Senedd energy storage has an important part to play in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Wales economy secretary said decisions on appropriate locations for battery developments are made through local planning processes under national Planning Policy Wales guidance. She said: Planning applications are subject to consultation with key stakeholders, and the fire and rescue authorities are consulted on major development proposals. The planning system is able to prevent and mitigate potential harm resulting from the development proposals by imposing conditions on planning permissions. Ms Evans, who is responsible for energy and planning as well as the economy, would not comment on specific proposals to avoid prejudicing appeals which could land on her desk. By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter Spending Review shows true partnership working says Wrexhams Mp Wrexhams MP has said the Spending Review truly demonstrates the power of two Labour Governments working together. Andrew Ranger MP noted the Chancellor specifically mentioned the Padeswood sidings on the Wrexham-Bidston line. They have been earmarked for improvement and advance plans to increase train services between Wrexham and Bidston to 2 trains per hour within the next three years, ahead of the introduction of 4 trains per hour that will run direct between Wrexham and Liverpool by 2035. The UK Government are providing a record 22.4bn per year on average for the Welsh Government between 2026-27 and 2028-29 to invest in public services and drive down waiting lists this is the largest financial settlement in the history of devolution. This means nearly 5bn extra for the Welsh Government over the next three years. The Spending Review set planned day-to-day spending totals for all government departments for the years from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and investment spending plans for a further year (from 2026/27 to 2029/30). In the detail of the documents released it UK Government said, 300 million for rail investment in Wales, including for the Burns Review stations, North Wales Level Crossing, Padeswood Sidings and Cardiff West Junction. This SR and the upcoming 10-year Infrastructure Strategy will recognise Waless long-term infrastructure needs and will deliver at least 445 million of rail enhancements to realise them. This includes providing 48 million over four years to the Welsh Government to upgrade the Core Valley Lines and increase connectivity across Wales. Andrew Ranger MP said, The historic 445m into Welsh rail corrects years of underfunding by previous governments and will support economic growth. This will mean new stations, enable more and faster trains on the key lines across North and South Wales, connecting people with the new, well-paid jobs across Wales. It represents a bigger investment than the Welsh Government would have received so far had the Barnett formula been applied to HS2. The UK Government is delivering as many rail projects in Wales as the sector is capable of delivering in the next three years. The Spending Review also provides over 118m this Parliament to support the vital work to keep coal tips safe, something which is particularly relevant in Wrexham. This amounts to everything the Welsh Government requested to fund their safety work for the rest of this Parliament. A new Brand Wales programme will receive 2.4 million over 2026-27 and 2028-29, promoting Welsh investment opportunities and exports around the world supporting sectors like aerospace and automotive as well as many others. Ranger added In last years election campaign, I pledged to improve infrastructure and connectivity for Wrexham if elected. I have been working with colleagues at Westminster and in Cardiff to ensure that the Department for Transport and the Treasury understand the importance of Wrexham-Bidston, and also the North Wales mainline. This is true partnership working, not only between two Labour Governments but also between MPs in North West England and North East Wales. There is no formal parliamentary procedure accompanying a Spending Review, and Parliament will not vote on the spending plans directly. However, the plans will affect the contents of the Estimates that are laid before Parliament twice a year for its approval. Departments will use the funding settlements agreed at this review to form their own internal spending plans. The next fiscal event will be the 2025 Autumn Budget. The plans announced at the current Spending Review will be used by the Office for Budget Responsibility at that point, as part of its assessment of whether the government is on track to meet its fiscal targets. More reaction from the earlier announcement here. A vulnerable teenager from the United Kingdom committed suicide five months after terrorism charges against her were dropped after being "highly affected" by her arrest. Now, a coroner concluded that the failures in the teenage girl's case were "not systemic." The individual, identified as Rhianan Rudd, was found dead at a children's home in May 2022, after a self-inflicted act. UK Teen Commits Suicide After Dropping of Terrorism Charges Chief coroner of England and Wales, Alexia Durran, in delivering a narrative verdict, said, "In the circumstances, I do not consider I should make a prevention of future death reports." She added that Rudd did not intend to take her own life, adding it was not possible to ascertain her intention. The coroner said that the teenage girl was known to her family and professionals as a vulnerable individual who had autistic traits and a history of self-harm. Durran added that Rudd was highly affected by her arrest and was very concerned about going to prison, according to The Guardian. It was not clear whether or not the teenage girl's legal team told her when the terrorism charges against her were dropped. However, the coroner argued that the whole situation had a significant psychological impact on her. The case began when Rudd was taken into custody in October 2020, and became the youngest girl to be charged with terror offenses in the UK after she was groomed online by an American "neo-Nazi." The teen's mother, Emily Carter, acknowledged that she had made mistakes and had asked authorities to "stand up and admit their mistakes" as well. She said there were a lot of people in power who could and should have realized the mistakes in how Rudd was being treated, BBC reported. Failure of the System The mother added that she saw first-hand the impact that the failures had on her daughter's mental health during the time before she committed suicide. Anna Moore, the family's solicitor, said that Rudd was described by others as "the most vulnerable child they had ever come across." The inquest into Rudd's death revealed troubling details about her radicalization by two American white supremacists. The coroner said that one of these individuals, who was her mother's boyfriend, "played a material role." A few hours before the teenager was found dead in a children's home in Nottinghamshire, she posted on Instagram, saying, "I'm delving into madness." The evidence raised questions about whether or not the autistic girl should have been treated with more care while in custody, as per Sky News. The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a fire weather watch for much of western Nevada and northeastern California, in effect from Friday morning through Saturday evening. The watch is prompted by forecasts of gusty winds and low humidity levels that could lead to rapid fire growth. In an X post, the National Weather Service warned of a moderate risk, or 3 out of 5, for critical fire weather conditions in the region. Wind gusts are expected to reach 35 to 40 mph, with afternoon relative humidity ranging from five to 15 percent. The fire weather watch includes several fire weather zones: Zone 270: Surprise Valley, California Zone 278: Eastern Lassen County Zone 458: Northern Washoe County Zone 420: Northern Sierra Front including Carson City, Douglas, Storey, Southern Washoe, Western Lyon and Far Southern Lassen Counties Zone 423: West Humboldt Basin in Pershing County Zone 429: Lahontan Basin including Churchill and Eastern Mineral Counties Winds in the affected areas are expected to range from 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Minimum afternoon humidity could fall as low as 5 percent, with limited recovery overnight between 20 and 50 percent. According to the alert, The combination of gusty winds and low humidity can cause fire to rapidly grow in size and intensity before first responders can contain them. These dry and windy conditions could also rekindle fires in areas which received lightning in recent days. The weather service also noted that dry conditions and shorter periods of gusty winds today and Thursday could produce elevated to locally critical fire weather conditions. Residents are urged to avoid outdoor activities that could cause sparks near dry vegetation, including yard work, target shooting, or campfires. Fire restrictions and preparedness tips can be found at weather.gov/reno and livingwithfire.info. (The National Weather Service Reno contributed to this story.) JUNE 12, 7:35 P.M. UPDATE: Firefighters have officially reached 100% containment on the Marie Fire in Spanish Springs. While it is 100% contained, the fire will remain fully staffed until it is fully controlled, according to a release from the Bureau of Land Management. Hot spots might still exist inside the burn area, and a fire is defined as being controlled when all the hot spots are out, the BLM says. The burn area also continues to present hazards, including rockfall, loose soils, and possible burning stump holes. People are asked to continue to avoid the fire area for their own safety. --- JUNE 12, 8:40 A.M. UPDATE: Fire crews continue to mop up after a fire prompted evacuations in Spanish Springs on Tuesday. The BLM says about 115 personnel are working the Marie Fire, near Dolores Drive and Marie Way. TMFR says the 115-acre fire is now 75% contained. The BLM says rugged terrain is making mop-up difficult for firefighters who are carrying five-gallon water backpacks to reach hot spots. Crews say you don't need to call authorities to report smoke or fire within the blackened fire area. Isolated smoke will be visible throughout the day. ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Fire crews are fighting a wildfire dubbed the 'Marie Fire' in Spanish Springs that has caused an evacuation order to be put in place for the area. The fire is burning in the area of Dolores Drive and Marie Way in Spanish Springs. The size of the fire currently sits around 104 acres at last update, according to Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue (TMFR). The fire is wind-driven and moving east, and is 0% contained - however, TMFR has reported that forward progress of the fire has been stopped. TMFR, the Reno Fire Department, the Sparks Fire Department, and the Bureau of Land Management are on scene fighting the fire, with assistance coming from the Sparks Police Department and Washoe County Sheriff's Office. According to TMFR, current resources being used on the fire include 20 fire engines, one bulldozer, four hand crews, one helicopter crew, and three aircraft. So far, no structures have been lost, and no injuries have been reported. Nevada Emergency Management staff is actively monitoring the situation and preparing to assist local partners upon request. Governor Lombardo has issued a statement via X, asking Nevadans to stay safe and follow all local evacuation guidance. Evacuations The fire is close enough to homes to force evacuations. People in the evacuation zone are advised to evacuate to Sky Ranch Middle School. The American Red Cross of Northern Nevada is staffing the evacuation center at Sky Ranch Middle School, providing water and snacks to those seeking shelter. In a release, the Red Cross said they are in close communication with emergency management officials and first responders to help with any additional needs and ensure evacuees get the care and support they need. Large animals can be evacuated to the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center. Closures Dolores Drive is closed off at Pyramid Highway until further notice - avoid the area and use alternate routes if possible. TMFR is asking all people on ATVs in the back country near the fire to leave the area, saying they are putting their own lives and the lives of firefighters in danger. Due to the fire, the Spanish Springs Library will be closed for the rest of the day today. School Closures The Washoe County School District is asking all parents with students on campus at Spanish Springs High School or Desert Skies Middle School to pick them up as the schools are being evacuated due to the fire. Evacuation Room Rates The Silver Legacy, Eldorado, and Circus Circus Reno are offering emergency room rates for evacuees of $59 per night, with waived resort fees. Rooms can be booked by calling 1-800-223-7277. The Peppermill is also offering special rates to evacuees, with rooms in their north/west wing costing $55, the Peppermill Tower costing $65, and the Tuscany Tower costing $95. Evacuees must mention the code HEVAC at the time of booking and present proof of residency upon check-in. The Grand Sierra Resort is offering evacuees a special room rate for $59 per night, with resort fees waived. Evacuees can take advantage of this offer by visiting GrandSierraResort.com/Evacuee or call the resort at 775-789-2000 and mention the code EVACUEE. This offer is valid through June 12 and is based on availability. Note, GSR is not accepting reservations with pets. Outages NV Energy de-energized lines in the Spanish Springs area affecting more than 6,500 people due to the fire. Tuesday evening, NV Energy said via a post on X that thanks to firefighting efforts and some help from weather, they were able to re-energize the lines and restore service to all customers affected by the fire outage. As we approach peak wildfire season, Nevada's governor and top fire officials met for the 2025 Nevada Wildfire Briefing. The briefing consisted of plans for the upcoming fire season. The annual meeting saw fire leaders from local, state and federal agencies providing the governor with the outlook. In the 83rd Nevada Legislative Session this year, there was new legislation passed to get the state more fire resources. Before when a fire broke out in Nevada, they could request help from federal partners and California. Now, after the legislation was signed from Governor Joe Lombardo, Nevada has entered into an interstate agreement to work across state lines. "We have the same resources we did last year, except for the addition of the ability for the us to enter into the Great Plains Compact and the Northwest compact which we did not have before," said Kacey KC, State Forester and Fire Warden for the Nevada Division of Forestry. Those two agreements were a part of Senate Bill 19. "Which allows the state to order, state-to-state," KC said. "We've always been able to order assets from our federal agreements, we've had that agreement for 70 plus years. This allows us to mobilize things differently and one of the reasons is we've had a state to state with California and that's what you saw on the Davis Fire." Another piece of legislation, Assembly Bill 578, gave $6 million for conservation projects for the Nevada Shared Stewardship Agreement, which is an agreement for state and federal agencies to work together and set joint priorities. One local fire chief says that every fire agency being on the same page greatly helps in the efforts. "There is no fire departmentstate, federal or localthat can mitigate a certain emergency on their own; so we need that collaboration and cooperation to help give the governor the tools that he needs to help with that mission," said Chief Dave Cochran, Reno Fire Department. When looking ahead at the upcoming fire season, there are a lot of dry fuels in our region that concern officials. The Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF) says there are a lot of carry over fuels such as cheatgrass, from the lack of lower elevation snow in the winter and then more growing from later season rain. The NDF says we are getting closer to a critically dry level. While it's not quite at the point yet, it is approaching. "As it looks today. we are going to be in a little bit more of a fire season than what we have had in the past couple of years," KC said. "We have a lot of dry carry over fuel in the western and northern parts of the state that is increasing our fire potential and danger." With potential of more federal budget cuts still in the air, the Division of Forestry says it's not a concern for resources. They said as of now, they will have access to the amount of resources they did last year. Fire officials are also reminding folks to still practice home hardening and defensible space. Despite recent fires from lightening storms, firefighters still stress that most are caused by people - so they are asking people to be cautious of target shooting and campfires. Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has vetoed Assembly Bill 105, which would have prohibited firearms in, or within a certain distance of, an election site. The bill would have also required the county clerk, city clerk, or registrar of voters to post a sign at each election site notifying people that having a firearm at the site was prohibited and listing the possible penalties. The bill passed 27 to 14 with one excused in the State Assembly, and passed 13 to 8 in the State Senate. In his veto message, Governor Lombardo said that the bill was commendable in its intent to enhance public confidence in the safety of our election process. However, he went on to say that the bill simply duplicated protections already established under federal and state law against voter intimidation. Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has vetoed Senate Bill 100, which relates to elections in the state. Senate Bill 100 would have required the Secretary of State to adopt regulations to ensure certain duties relating to an election are completed and carried out in a timely manner. It would have also required election officials to notify the Secretary of State and the Attorney General whether they would be able to meet their deadlines. In his veto message, Governor Lombardo said that SB 100 overreaches by imposing unnecessary state control over the process of election administration. He did, however, say that timely and secure election administration is a universal priority. The Nevada Division of State Parks is inviting everyone to visit a Nevada park on Free Adventure Day, happening Saturday, June 14. On Free Adventure Day, entrance fees at all Nevada State Parks will be waived. "Free Adventure Day is a great opportunity for Nevadans and out-of-state visitors to discover the sites and recreational opportunities in our state parks," says Bob Mergell, Administrator for Nevada State Parks. The event also coincides with the Nevada Department of Wildlife's Free Fishing Day - a day when anyone can fish in Nevada without a fishing license. Officials want to remind guests that they should plan to recreate responsibly by bringing (and drinking) plenty of water, wearing sunscreen, dressing in layers, and following 'Leave No Trace' principles. Also, while entrance fees are waived on June 14, all camping, reservation and other fees still apply. For more information or to start planning your Free Adventure Day, visit the Nevada Division of State Parks website. The Reno Fire Department (RFD) is currently undergoing days-long training into fighting fires on airplanes. RFD is holding an aircraft rescue and firefighting class which is required for certification by the FAA every year. This year's training is being done locally, and officials say it'll take roughly four days to complete. Cory Whitlock, Division Training Chief with the Reno Fire Department, says, "The first two days we're doing live fire training on this prop behind us - and then the next two days we're focusing on how to operate the crash trucks - these big yellow trucks - because they're so unique and so specialized." The training comes after the Reno Fire Department took over firefighting services for the airport earlier this year. The Washoe County District Attorneys Office announced two recent sentencings in separate drug and firearm cases involving convicted felons. 30-year-old Damion Banks, was sentenced to 79 years in prison with parole eligibility after 25 years following a jury conviction on 10 felony counts, including high-level drug trafficking and gun possession. Banks was arrested on August 27, 2024, after Reno Police responded to a report that he was selling drugs from a car on Lake Street. According to the WCDA when officers arrived, they found Banks attempting to hide a bag of heroin in his pants. A Smith & Wesson handgun was next to him, and methamphetamine and fentanyl were in plain view. A search uncovered nearly two pounds of methamphetamine, more than 100 grams of fentanyl, heroin laced with fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana, and a modified Glock handgun capable of fully automatic fire. Because of prior felony convictions in California for drug sales and assault likely to cause great bodily injury, Banks was prohibited from possessing any guns. In March, a jury found Banks guilty of trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl, multiple possession-for-sale charges, possession of a modified firearm and machine gun, conspiracy to violate drug laws, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. At sentencing, Deputy District Attorney Michael Vieta-Kabell told the court that Banks had shown he was "incapable of reform" and had a "clear willingness to kill to protect his methamphetamine and fentanyl." In a separate case, 45-year-old Nathaniel Harriel, was sentenced as a habitual offender for charges related to selling drugs and possessing a gun. Harriel was sentenced to 10 to 25 years for owning or possessing a gun as a prohibited person and a concurrent 24 to 60 months for selling or transporting a Schedule I controlled substance. The Regional Crime Suppression Unit (RCSU), made up of Reno and Sparks Police detectives, began investigating Harriel after learning he was selling methamphetamine. An undercover officer arranged to buy drugs in exchange for a gun. Harriel was arrested in September 2024 after the in-person exchange. Harriel has at least seven prior felony convictions, including battery by a probationer, unlawful sexual intercourse, corporal injury to a spouse, failure to register as a sex offender, firearm violations, and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury. Deputy District Attorney Hillary Bunker requested the habitual offender sentencing, citing Harriels extensive criminal history and repeated probation violations. The Honorable Lynne Jones imposed the sentence. LOS ANGELES (AP) Los Angeles leaders imposed a downtown curfew Tuesday on the fifth day of protests against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown as his use of the National Guard escalated and the governor accused him of drawing a military dragnet across the nation's second-largest city. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, with some guardsmen now standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests. He said it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. The judge chose not to rule immediately, giving the administration several days to continue those activities before a hearing Thursday. The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as Trump has promised as part of his administrations immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement. Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders, though the Marines have not yet been spotted in Los Angeles and Guard troops have had limited engagement with protesters. They were originally deployed to protect federal buildings. As the curfew went into effect, a police helicopter flew over downtown federal buildings that have been the center of protests and ordered people to leave the area. Riot police on horses and foot surrounded a group of a few hundred that had gathered in the area, shouting: Move! Most of the protesters scattered, with some regrouping and refusing orders to disperse. Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators looking to cause trouble. Demonstrations have spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin, Texas, Chicago and New York, where a thousand people rallied and multiple arrests were made. In Texas, where police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts office said Texas National Guard troops were on standby" in areas where demonstrations are planned, Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris said Tuesday evening. Guard members were deployed to San Antonio, according to assistant police chief Jesse Salame. He said he did not know how many were sent or details on the deployment. LA mayor puts curfew in place Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and said the curfew will run from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday. We reached a tipping point after 23 businesses were looted, Bass said during a news conference. The curfew covers a 1 square mile (2.5 square kilometer) section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (nearly 2,300 square kilometers). The curfew doesnt apply to residents who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, credentialed media or public safety and emergency officials, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell. McDonnell said unlawful and dangerous behavior had been escalating since Saturday. The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city, McDonnell said. Trump says he's open to using Insurrection Act Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. It's one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president. If theres an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. Well see, he said from the Oval Office. Later the president called protesters animals and a foreign enemy in a speech at Fort Bragg ostensibly to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. In a public address Tuesday evening, Newsom called Trumps actions the start of an assault on democracy. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next, he said. Newsom warned people against inciting violence, but urged them to stand up to the president's actions. What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence. To be complicit in this moment," he said. Do not give it to him. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of 4 million. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids. Despite the protests, immigration enforcement activity has continued throughout the county, with city leaders and community groups reporting ICE present at libraries, car washes and Home Depots. School graduations in Los Angeles have increased security over fears of ICE action and some have offered parents the option to watch on Zoom. McDonnell said that police had made 197 arrests on Tuesday, including 67 who were taken into custody for unlawfully occupying part of the 101 freeway. Several businesses were broken into Monday, though authorities didn't say if the looting was tied to the protests. The vast majority of arrests have been for failing to disperse, while a few others were for assault with a deadly weapon, looting, vandalism and attempted murder for tossing a Molotov cocktail. Seven police officers were reportedly injured, and at least two were taken to a hospital and released. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested Tuesday that the use of troops inside the U.S. will continue to expand. The Pentagon said deploying the National Guard and Marines costs $134 million. Baldor and Copp reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Dorany Pineda and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, Hallie Golden in Seattle, and Greg Bull in Seal Beach, California, contributed to this report. 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Early Wednesday, Musk wrote on X, I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. For his part, Trump said in a New York Post podcast interview published Wednesday, Things like that happen. I dont blame him for anything. Musks break with a president whom he spent hundreds of millions of dollars to elect had appeared to put an end to his influence in the White House and dashed investors' hopes for favored treatment for his businesses. For Trump, the spat was a distraction as he attempts to pass a massive tax bill, negotiate peace in two international conflicts and deal with protests in the second biggest city in the U.S. On Thursday, investors in Musk's electric vehicle company Tesla sent the stock plunging more than 14%, knocking $150 billion off the company's market value. Tesla shares recovered those losses over a few days' trading, although the rally stalled Wednesday, perhaps a sign that investors remain on edge and want a more solid confirmation that the feud has ended. Tesla shares closed up 0.1% at $326.43. The Trump side was uneasy as well. On Friday, Vice President JD Vance and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles felt compelled to intervene. The pair called Musk and urged him to end his feud with Trump, according to two people familiar with the call who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The call was first reported Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal. Tesla investors had been hoping Trump would pull back from regulatory scrutiny of Musks partially self-driving cars and hammer out new federal rules to help usher in a future of fully self-driving cars that they are convinced Tesla will dominate. The dispute seemed especially ill-timed with an upcoming trial run of Tesla's self-driving robotaxis promised for this month. Musk in a separate post late Tuesday on X said that Teslas rollout of the cab service in Austin, Texas, is tentatively scheduled for June 22. Wall Street analysts have expressed concern that Trump could retaliate against Musk by having federal safety regulators impede a broad rollout of the service. What's more, Trump at one point threatened to cut government subsidies and contracts from Musk companies, which include the rocket company and big NASA contractor SpaceX. Before expressing regrets for his comments, Musk deleted a post in which he claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the presidents association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, other posts that irritated Trump, including ones in which Musk called the spending bill an abomination and claimed credit for Trumps election victory, remained live. Asked in the Post podcast taped on Monday whether he might reconcile with Musk, Trump responded, I guess I could but, you know, we have to straighten out the country and my sole function now is getting this country back to a level higher than its ever been and I think we can do that." That was a marked changed from Trump's comments on Sunday when he told NBCs Kristen Welker that he has no desire to repair their relationship and warned that Musk could face serious consequences if he tried to help Democrats in upcoming elections. - AP writer Michelle Price contributed from Washington. The Winnemucca Police Department has shared news of a traffic stop that turned into a major drug bust. According to the WPD, on Thursday night, June 5, officers conducted a traffic stop on Winnemucca Boulevard. The driver of the vehicle consented to a vehicle search, and during the search officers found around 20.1 pounds of suspected fentanyl and 4.6 pounds of suspected heroin. The driver, a woman from California, was arrested and charged with two counts of trafficking a controlled substance (more than 400 grams) and transportation of a controlled substance. The suspect's bail has been set at $520,000. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Koreas military shut down loudspeakers broadcasting anti-North Korea propaganda along the inter-Korean border on Wednesday, marking the new liberal governments first concrete step toward easing tensions between the war-divided rivals. The South resumed the daily loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year following a yearslong pause in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign. South Koreas Defense Ministry said the move, ordered by President Lee Jae-myung, was part of efforts to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. Kang Yu-jung, Lees spokesperson, described the decision as a proactive step to reduce military tensions and ease the burden for South Koreans residing in border areas, who have also been affected by North Koreas retaliatory loudspeaker broadcasts. North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its third-generation ruler, Kim Jong Un, didnt immediately comment on the step by Seoul. South Korea reactivated its front-line loudspeakers to blast propaganda messages and K-pop songs toward the North last year in response to thousands of trash balloons that Pyongyang flew toward South Korea to drop substances including wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and even manure. From May to November last year, North Korea flew about 7,000 balloons toward South Korea in 32 separate occasions, according to the South's military. The North said that its balloon campaign came after South Korean activists sent over balloons filled with anti-North Korean leaflets, as well as USB sticks filled with popular South Korean songs and dramas. Trash carried by at least one North Korean balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound in July, raising concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean facilities. Officials said that the balloon contained no dangerous material and no one was hurt. The South's broadcast playlist was clearly designed to strike a nerve in Pyongyang, where Kims government has been intensifying a campaign to eliminate the influence of South Korean pop culture and language among the population in a bid to strengthen his familys dynastic rule. The Cold War-style psychological warfare campaigns added to tensions fueled by North Koreas growing nuclear ambitions and South Korean efforts to expand joint military exercises with the United States and strengthen three-way security cooperation with Japan. Efforts to improve relations Lee, an outspoken liberal who took office last week after winning an early election to replace ousted conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, has vowed to improve relations with Pyongyang, which reacted furiously to Yoons hard-line policies and shunned dialogue. During his election campaign, Lee promised to halt the loudspeaker broadcasts, arguing that they created unnecessary tensions and discomfort for South Korean residents in border towns. In recent months, those residents had complained about North Koreas retaliatory broadcasts, which included howling animals, pounding gongs and other irritating sounds. On Thursday morning, South Korea's military said North Korean broadcasts weren't heard in South Korean frontline areas, but it wasn't clear if the North has formally halted its own broadcasts. In a briefing on Monday, South Koreas Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, also called for South Korean civilian activists to stop flying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border. Such activities could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threaten the lives and safety of residents in border areas, said Koo Byoungsam, the ministrys spokesperson. In his inaugural address last week, Lee vowed to reopen communication channels with North Korea. But prospects for an early resumption of dialogue between the rival Koreas remain dim. North Korea has consistently rejected offers from South Korea and the United States since 2019, when nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang collapsed over sanctions-related disagreements. The North's nuclear threats remain North Koreas priority in foreign policy is now firmly with Russia, which has received thousands of North Korean troops and large amounts of military equipment in recent months for its war with Ukraine. South Korean and U.S. officials have expressed concern that Kim in return could seek Russian technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by his nuclear weapons and missile program. Yoon, who was removed from office in April over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December, had focused on strengthening military partnerships with Washington and Tokyo and on securing stronger U.S. assurances of a swift and decisive nuclear response to defend the South against a North Korean nuclear attack. In a fierce reaction to Yoons policies, Kim declared in January 2024 that he was abandoning the long-standing goals of a peaceful unification with the South and instructed the rewriting of the Norths constitution to cement the South as a permanent principal enemy. Following years of heightened testing activity, Kim has acquired a broad range of missiles that could potentially target rivals in Asia and the U.S. mainland. He has also called for increased production of nuclear materials to create more bombs. Rafael Mariano Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Monday that the U.N. nuclear watchdog is monitoring signs that North Korea may be building a new uranium-enrichment plant at its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon. Associated Press writer Hyung-jin Kim contributed to this report. Police say one victim was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. A woman taken into custody in Reno on Wednesday is also a suspect in an incident in Sparks. For most of his life, Billy Fiorelli, 77, has carried a quiet type of grief. A Navy corpsman during the Vietnam War, Fiorelli never saw combat overseas. Instead, he spent a year in 1968 working in the psych ward of the naval base hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, caring for soldiers struggling to cope with the psychological toll of war. Members only His service was unexpectedly cut short after he contracted mumps, resulting in the loss of a reproductive organ. Still, his quiet service on the home front like that of so many others left a lasting impact on the lives of those he helped. As a gay man coming of age in conservative Cheyenne, Wyoming, and serving under military rules that made homosexuality grounds for an immediate dishonorable or other than honorable discharge, Fiorelli lived much of his early adult life with caution. It was hard coming out just the stigma behind that. Youre scared to death that somebodys gonna find out and say something to somebody else, and then all of a sudden its all over Cheyenne. You worry like the dickens, Fiorelli said. But the quiet grief Fiorelli carried transcended his sexuality. The veteran had been grappling with the profound loss of a childhood friend and neighbor, William Esslinger, who was drafted into the Army. He was killed in action in 1967 at age 21. The Wyoming native never forgot about him. He didnt wanna go. But he said hell go in and serve his country. Next thing I know, Im attending his funeral, Fiorelli said. So after the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built in the 1980s, Fiorelli knew Esslingers name would be etched onto that wall, and it was his mission to find it. Ive been wanting to come to Washington, D.C., for 50 years or more, Fiorelli said. A long-awaited journey Fiorelli came out after leaving the military. Not long after, he met his partner, Paul, who he has been with for more than 40 years. The couple has been married since 2016, and together, theyve built a life in Cheyenne. Despite the support from those closest to him, the only recognition Fiorelli received for his military service was a few words of praise from his supervisor. So when Paul read about a trip honoring Wyoming veterans at the war memorials in Washington, D.C., he thought Fiorelli was an ideal candidate. Paul sent a nomination letter describing how his husband came from a family entrenched in military service and expressed his hope that the trip would help him find closure. Wish of a Lifetime From AARP selected Fiorelli and 15 other Vietnam-era veterans from Wyoming to participate in the Voyage of Valor trip. The group toured many of the major war memorials and monuments in Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Virginia. The federation supports the SFDRs aim to improve transparency and help investors make informed decisions. However, it believes current rules are too complex, unclear and often duplicate existing EU legislation. The framework should be made simpler and more practical. Insurance Europe calls for Principal Adverse Impacts (PAIs) disclosures - the negative impacts caused by a financial market player or their financial product on the environment and society to be significantly simplified and aligned with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive to avoid creating additional administrative burden. The federation argues that if the European Commission is to proceed with the introduction of a labelling system, it must be workable and inclusive, ensuring that firstly any categorisation framework is simple, clearly defined, and thoroughly consumer tested. Secondly, any product categorisation system must include a realistic implementation timeline, with a grandfathering period for existing products and an initial voluntary phase to allow market participants to adapt. And finally, the framework should also be fully aligned with related legislation, such as the Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD) and MiFID II, to ensure consistency with investor preference assessments. Insurance Europe notes that it is ready to help the Commission build a simpler, clearer, and more effective sustainable finance framework that works for consumers and insurers. Speech by Jessica Rusu, FCA chief data, information and intelligence officer It's an honour to be here at Olympia London, a place that has stood for innovation for over a century. From showcasing electric lights in the 1890s to hosting London Tech Week in 2025, this venue has always been a gateway to the future. And today, quite unusually, I will share the story of how a UK regulator is innovating not just the way we work but also developing technology to help shape the future of financial services. What does the future of financial services look like with AI? Will it be safe? Will it drive economic growth? Will it help consumers? And what about financial crime? Most certainly, financial services will need a regulator that not only understands technology, but leans in, and can help firms navigate AI adoption. FCA strategy At the FCA, we are evolving. We've set out a bold 5-year strategy to deepen trust, rebalance risk, support growth and improve lives. Were focusing on 4 key priorities, one of which is to become a smarter, more adaptive regulator. A regulator that supports innovation, leverages technology, and drives growth while delivering for consumers and markets. In a fast-moving landscape, our job is not just to keep up. Its to lead. Supporting growth and UK competitiveness The UK is already a global FinTech leader, having experienced significant growth over the past decade. This growth peaked in 2021, when the sector raised a record $18 billion in funding. We know that regulation plays a key role in enabling growth. Our regulatory sandbox, launched over 10 years ago, helps firms navigate the UK, fostering an environment where good ideas thrive, where firms can innovate, and where consumers benefit. We are working closely with Government and industry to evolve our approach, to ensure the UK remains the best place to develop and deploy financial technologies, including AI. AI Lab That brings me to our AI Lab. In January, we launched the FCA's AI Lab to deepen our understanding of the risks and opportunities AI presents to consumers and markets, and its real-world implications. This is not just an internal project. It's a commitment to supporting industry with AI, a Lab that acknowledges that AI is evolving, and embraces experimentation, learning and testing. The AI Lab features 4 zones: the AI Sprint, the AI Input Zone, the AI Spotlight, and the Supercharged Sandbox, and Im going to guide you through that Lab now, including the details on our big announcement on our partnership with Nvidia. Firstly, getting AI right requires engagement. Engagement with think tanks, academics, industry, investors, and consumers. The AI Sprint, held in person over 2 days, brought together regulators, technologists and industry leaders to envisage how AI will impact financial services, and inform our regulatory approach to AI. This engagement formed our outcome-based approach to AI regulation. The AI Input Zone creates space to share views on what are likely to be the most transformative AI use cases in financial services for example, in market monitoring, fraud detection, consumer financial inclusion, and agentic AI, and how effective our current regulatory framework is and how we may need to adapt in the future to enable beneficial innovation. The feedback we received showed strong support for an outcome and principles-based approach to AI. We heard that introducing a separate AI-specific framework wouldnt be helpful at this stage. We will continue to rely on our existing frameworks, like the Consumer Duty and the Senior Managers Regime, to avoid introducing additional regulations for AI. But we also heard that firms want practical support in how they can apply existing frameworks to AI. And that brings us to the next component: the AI Spotlight, which highlights practical use cases across the sector. We invited innovators to present their experiments with AI in financial services and showcase their solutions. I am often asked to share examples of what good looks like. Therefore, Im pleased to unveil the FCA's AI Spotlight digital repository an interactive platform where you can explore real-world AI solutions in financial services. Users can browse a wide range of innovators, filter by themes or use cases, and build custom collections aligned to cross-cutting topics of interest - such as explainability, fraud detection, or sustainability. The repository is part of the FCA's AI Lab and supports our commitment to enable safe and responsible AI adoption in UK financial services. AI Live Testing Were also going further. In April, we announced the next step in experimentation in the AI Lab our AI Live Testing. This is novel AI Live Testing will provide firms the opportunity to test newly developed AI solutions with the regulator during the product development lifecycle. It allows firms and the FCA to work together to test AI models, in a live and safe environment, enabling firms to receive appropriate regulatory support and comfort. The goal is to build a shared understanding of how to evaluate and deploy AI responsibly in financial services especially in consumer-facing applications. We are seeking views from firms, via our engagement paper, about how this service can help them to deploy safe and responsible AI. Just a heads-up: the consultation is closing this week so if you want to have your say, nows the time. Supercharged Sandbox announcement And this brings me to our latest Tech Innovation For entrepreneurs, start-ups, or firms who dont have their own AI infrastructure. We are 'Supercharging' our Digital Sandbox, offering greater computing power, enriched datasets, and more sophisticated tooling, so firms can build their early-stage proof of concept models with support from the regulator. Today, as part of our commitment to advancing innovation through AI, Im pleased to formally announce that we are collaborating with Nvidia on this effort. Working with our Sandbox partners, NayaOne, we will be bringing Nvidia tooling and resources to users of the Supercharged Sandbox accelerating AI innovation and development. The Supercharged Sandbox significantly upgrades our existing Sandbox programme, offering advanced Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) compute resource, enabling users to efficiently train, refine, and experiment with cutting-edge AI models. Participating firms will have access to Nvidia AI Enterprise software suite, a cloud-native suite of software tools, libraries, and frameworks, that accelerate and simplify the development, deployment, and scaling of AI applications. We will also provide access to a wide range of resources and training materials through the Supercharged Sandbox, including NVIDIAs catalogue of GTC On-Demand Sessions and their Deep Learning Institute bringing the latest in AI and accelerated computing straight into the hands of Supercharged Sandbox users. Participants can tap into NVIDIAs wider ecosystem, forging connections to spark collaboration and innovation. Applications for the Supercharged Sandbox are now officially open, and firms will be able to test early-stage proof of concepts (PoCs) in the Supercharged Sandbox from October 2025. We invite innovators, firms, and researchers to submit their AI experimentation proposals. This is your opportunity to prototype bold ideas in a safe, supportive environment, and help shape the future of AI innovation. Closing remarks I set out to tell you the story of a regulator that not only understands technology, but leverages it internally and externally. We are committed to leveraging technology to improve our operations. We are continuing to digitise and simplify our authorisation forms. We are decommissioning legacy data returns and optimising the data collections journey. Were streamlining the Handbook and moving towards a machine-readable version. Weve launched our new digital portal MyFCA to manage core interactions with us all in one place. We are using AI to assist staff with intelligence gathering and caseflow management. And now, the FCAs Supercharged Digital Sandbox, Powered by NayaOne and supercharged by Nvidia, will strengthen the UKs position as a Global FinTech Leader, aligned with the UK Governments growth agenda and AI Opportunities Action Plan. Its a chance to show why the UK remains the most attractive destination for financial services start-ups, helping to draw top global talent in AI, reinforcing our leadership among global financial regulators and central banks, positioning the UK at the forefront of driving innovation in AI. The FCA is here to help make that happen. Because when it comes to innovation, we believe in regulation with purpose. Honeymoon Horror: Sonam Offered 20 Lakh to Kill Husband Raja, Paid Hitmen Linked to Lover 2 In a chilling revelation that has shocked the nation, Meghalaya Police have unearthed a murder-for-hire plot in the tragic death of Raja Raghuvanshi during his honeymoon. His wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, has allegedly confessed to orchestrating the murder by offering 20 lakh to her lovers friends, of which 15,000 was paid in advance, according to police reports. The couple had recently married on May 11 in Indore and set out for their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 20. Within days, Raja went missing, and on June 2, his decomposed body was found in a deep gorgestripped of his gold chain and ring, sparking immediate suspicions of foul play. Investigators revealed that Sonam, in cahoots with her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, plotted the murder and met the hired killers in Bengaluru before they all boarded a flight to Meghalaya. Initially offering 4 lakh, Sonam later increased the bounty to 20 lakh and paid 15,000 in cash to Akash Rajput (19), Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), and Anand Kurmifriends of Kushwahabefore the murder. The last known contact with Raja and Sonam was on May 23. The next day, the scooter they had rented was found abandoned, triggering a search operation. Meanwhile, Sonam disappeared without a trace. Raj Kushwaha was later arrested in Madhya Pradesh, and the three alleged assassins have also been taken into custody. Sonam resurfaced on June 9 in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, after she called her brother from a local eatery. Crying and asking to speak to her family, she revealed her location, which led to her immediate detention. She later surrendered to the police and is now under a three-day transit remand with Meghalaya Police. Rajas grieving family has demanded the strictest punishment for all those involved, stating that Kushwaha had even visited their Indore home after Rajas death, adding another layer of betrayal to an already heart-wrenching crime. When Marriage Becomes a Death Sentence: Tells Us About Silent Suffering and Social Hypocrisy 2 The gruesome murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshiallegedly masterminded by his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshihas sent shockwaves through the nation. But beyond the headlines and arrests lies a disturbing pattern that India refuses to confront. In 2025, weve witnessed a spine-chilling rise in husband murders, with wives and lovers at the center of these crimes. These are not mere aberrationsthey reflect a societal sickness festering under the guise of tradition, silence, and skewed morality. Lets pause and ask: how did we get here? How does a girl who didnt have the courage to say no to marriage find the audacity to plot a murder? It screams of psychological collapse under the burden of societal expectations. When marriage is forced, when voices are silenced, and when girls are trained to obey rather than choose, the consequences can be catastrophicnot just for them, but for others too. And yet, we dare not question the parenting that raises submissive daughters and emotionally stifled sons. Wrong parenting isnt just about strictnessits about silence, about failing to build trust, about never allowing children to say I dont want this. If Sonam had the confidence that her parents would stand by her refusal, Raja might still be alive today. Instead, she chose a path of irreversible violence. But let us not make this about one woman. This is part of a broader, terrifying trend. In Bijnor, a man was strangled by his wife for refusing to relocate. In Auraiya, a woman and her lover murdered her husband just two weeks into marriage. In Meerut, a husband was chopped up and hidden in a cement drum. In Jaipur, a man was set ablaze after discovering his wifes affair. In Haridwar, a sevadar was killed and dumped in a canal. In Korba, a woman confessed to killing her husband after years of abuseyet even this cries out for intervention and mental health support, not murder. Where is the outrage? Where are the candle marches and prime-time debates? Lets be brutally honest: if these victims were women, the nation would burn in fury. But since its a man in the morgue, the world shrugs and moves on. This is not about turning women into villainsits about turning our gaze to what we refuse to see. Men suffer too. They are silenced by ridicule, mocked for speaking out, and abandoned by laws that presume only one kind of victim. Domestic abuse, emotional torture, blackmail, and betrayalwhen these happen to men, theyre dismissed as weakness. And when these men die, their deaths become footnotes. We are raising a generation that is crumbling under the pressure of performative marriages, unrealistic gender roles, and the absence of open dialogue in families. We teach girls to look beautiful, be obedient, and marry well. We teach boys to suppress emotions, tolerate pain, and provide endlessly. But we teach neither how to speak up, walk away, or heal. The murder of Raja Raghuvanshi should not be remembered as another crime story. It should be a national reckoning. Its high time we asked uncomfortable questions: Why do we force marriage like a moral deadline? Why dont girls feel safe saying no? Why dont boys feel safe asking for help? Why do parents care more about shaadi cards than emotional consent? And why does society still fail to understand that abuse has no gender? Behind every murdered husband is a story that was never heard. Its time to stop this deafening silence. Speak. Listen. Intervene. Before the next man is killed. Before the next woman turns into a criminal. Before another family becomes a headline. YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra Denied Bail in Espionage Case Linked to Pakistani Spy Ring 2 A local court in Hisar on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of 33-year-old YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested last month on charges of espionage. Malhotra, known for her channel Travel with JO, was apprehended by Hisar Police on May 16 and has since remained in custody as investigations continue under the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Sunil Kumar dismissed the bail request after hearing arguments from Malhotras lawyer Kumar Mukesh and the prosecution, which strongly opposed her release, citing the ongoing nature of the probe. The court had earlier extended her judicial custody on June 9 and scheduled the next hearing for June 23. Malhotra, who appeared before the court via video conferencing, was initially placed under five days of police custody, which was later extended by another four days. On May 26, she was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody. Authorities allege that Malhotra had been in contact with Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIOs), despite no direct access to military or defence-related information being established. Police claim she was communicating with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a Pakistani High Commission staffer expelled by India on May 13 for alleged espionage activities. According to officials, Pakistani operatives were attempting to develop Malhotra as an asset. The influencer was arrested from the New Aggarsain Extension area in Hisar. Police maintain that she was aware of the identity of her contacts, which raises serious questions about her involvement in the alleged intelligence-gathering network. The case continues to unfold as authorities deepen their investigation into her connections and activities. Firehook of Virginia is recalling its Firehook brand artisan baked "Classic Sea Salt Organic Crackers" for an undeclared sesame allergen. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) A popular brand of snack crackers is being recalled because they contain an undeclared allergen. Artisan baked cracker company Firehook of Virginia is recalling one lot of Firehook brand Classic Sea Salt Organic Crackers because they may contain undeclared sesame, according to a report from the FDA. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to sesame run the risk of serious or life-threatening reaction if they eat the crackers. The affected crackers come in clear-8-ounce packages with a Best By Date of Sept. 29, 2025 and a UPC code of 8 99055 00063 5. The crackers were sold at retail stores in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Hampshire. According to the FDA, the recall was initiated on May 30, 2025, after it was discovered that the ingredients were not listed on the package. Further investigation found that the problem was caused by a temporary breakdown in the companys production and packaging processes, causing the wrong labels to be applied to the product. So far, no illnesses have been reported. Consumers who have purchased the affected brand of Firehouse crackers are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. TiMira Pullom was shot to death in Birmingham in September 2023. Arkeem Marshall is charged with capital murder in her slaying, which prosecutors say happened in front of their toddler son. (Contributed) A 33-year-old man went on trial Tuesday for the 2023 shooting death of the mother of his toddler son. Arkeem Marshall confessed to killing 28-year-old TiMira Pullom, according to prosecutors and defense attorneys. But did he commit capital murder? The Jefferson County District Attorneys Office says yes, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Marshall. Senseless. Unnecessary. Cruel. Thats the only way to describe what the defendant did in this case, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Joe Roberts. TiMira Pullom had never been anything but kind to the defendant. She had never done anything but try to help the defendant, Roberts said. And how did this defendant repay her? By putting four bullets into her body, killing her while their 17-month-old son, Trent, was nearby. The Jefferson County Public Defenders Office is representing Marshall. Attorneys for the defendant disagree with prosecutors. Arkeem Marshall did not commit capital murder, said lawyer Dedra Mayes. I know this case is going to involve a lot of emotion because a young mother lost her life. You may feel sympathy for her family but please dont confuse sympathy with what youre doing as jurors, Mayes said. The attorneys opening statements were made late Tuesday afternoon as Marshalls trial began after two days of jury selection. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Shanta Owens is presiding over the case. Roberts and Deputy District Attorney Julie McMakin are prosecuting. Marshall is represented by Mayes and Paul McDaniel. Birmingham police West Precinct officers were dispatched at 12:45 a.m. that Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, to a report of a person shot at a residence in the 3700 block of Pine Avenue S.W. Police entered the home and found Pullom unresponsive inside. The Jefferson County Coroners office said the shooting happened at 11:24 p.m. that Saturday. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced her dead on the scene at 1:10 a.m. Sunday. Marshall has remained held without bond since his 2023 arrest. Birmingham police investigate a homicide on Sept. 17, 2023, at a home in the 3700 block of Pine Avenue S.W. (BPD) Roberts, in his opening statements, said Marshall and Pullom met when they both worked at Amazon. As TiMira would do, she was being nice to the defendant. She offered to give him a ride to and from work, he said. They became close, they began seeing each other romantically, and that continued for a while until TiMira became pregnant. On April 2, 2022, Pullom gave birth to their son, Trenton Marshall. Roberts said Pullom worked multiple jobs to take care of her son. Marshall was living with her in her home. During that time, she would help the defendant. She would encourage him, Roberts said. She was taking care of Trent, but she would also help taking care of (Marshalls) other (three) children. By September 2023, Pullom and Marshall were still living together but were no longer romantically involved. They were living together but they werent in love, Roberts said. TiMira was allowing him to live there because he didnt have a place to live. Roberts told jurors that they would hear from Pulloms friends that she had had enough. She was ready for him to leave, Roberts said. On Sept. 16, 2023, she had a plan to tell him to go and she did. Marshall, Robets said, reached out to several friends trying to find a ride to leave Pulloms Pine Avenue S.W. home. Those friends told him to wait, that they would be there later to get him. You can imagine the situation is a little bit tense, he said. His stuff is packed up by the front door. They began to have words. Shortly after midnight on Sunday, Roberts said, Pulloms mother, Valerie Pullom, received a call that no mother ever wants to get. She received a call from TiMira and what did TiMira say to her? Her last words? Arkeem shot me, Robert said. Family rushed to the scene, but Pullom was dead. Her toddler son was injured, and Marshall and his young daughter were gone. Roberts said Marshall did turn himself in to police, and handed over the murder weapon. He talks to detectives. What does he say? Roberts said. TiMira was yelling at me. I just snapped and pulled the gun and shot her. Ladies and gentlemen, thats capital murder, intentional murder of an individual without justification in the presence of their child who is under the age of 14, Roberts said. Mayes told jurors that prosecutors would have to prove that Marshall intentionally killed Pullom in the presence of their child and that he knew it was in the presence of their child. Were not disputing that that there was a shooting, Mayes said. What happened to Miss Pullom is a tragedy that should never have happened. But this is not capital murder. We expect that you will hear from several witnesses, one of them being the detective, who will tell you this incident happened in the kitchen which is in the front of the home and that their son had been put to bed in the back of the home, nowhere near the incident, Mayes said. Mayes said the defense doesnt dispute that Marshall shot Pullom. He was trying to find a way out that day. We dont disagree with that, she said. He had been waiting for hours, trying to find a ride for him and his daughter to leave. And then another argument happened in that kitchen and escalated so quickly and Mr. Marshall, he made a terrible split-second decision, Mayes said. After the shooting, Marshall believed his son was asleep. He took his daughter and left to take her home, not knowing the status of Pullom. After he got his daughter home, he called the police, Mayes said. He walked to the police station, turned himself in, he provided them with the weapon. But most importantly, he confessed. When he sat down with the detective, the first thing he asked was, Is she dead? And when he found she was, he sobbed, Mayes said. Ladies and gentlemen, that is not the behavior of someone who has committed capital murder. At the end of this trial, the state is going to get up and tell you that you have to find him guilty of capital murder but you dont, she said. The states first witness was Pulloms longtime best friend. Daizhane Crenshaw testified that she had talked with Pullom throughout that Saturday before Pullom was killed. She basically just wanted him to pack up and leave as he had promised he would do. I told her if he didnt leave by morning, I would take him where he needed to go, Crenshaw testified. An hour after that I received phone from my mama that TiMira was gone. Testimony is set to continue Wednesday. Denny Chimes on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com) Ben Flanagan Most Alabama high schoolers who recently graduated are going to the states biggest public universities. The majority of high school graduates, 2,223 people, go to Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama, according to data from the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. Taken as a group, community colleges are the most popular choice. ACHE surveys students annually to see where theyre heading for college. In fall 2024, 20,440 Alabama high school graduates attended in-state schools, about a 2.9% decrease from the fall of 2023. About half of Alabamas high school graduates typically go to college. High school graduates have been increasingly pursuing workforce training programs that offer direct pathways to employment, said Jim Purcell, ACHEs director. Additionally, when the economy is better, some high school graduates opt to enter the job market right away rather than pursue higher education, which may also lead to a slight decrease in college enrollment. The most number of graduates chose to go to: University of Alabama, 2,223 students, Auburn University, 2,202 students, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1,163 students, Jacksonville State University, 1,000 students, University of South Alabama, 971 students, Troy University, 855 students. See the full breakdown of public college enrollment here. Alabama A&M University was picked by 655 students, making it the top public HBCU of choice. Private colleges were not included in the analysis. See the top schools in the table at the end of the story. Cant see the table? Learn where high school graduate are attending college by county here. Community colleges recently have updated degrees, courses and certificates. High school graduates choose community colleges because of lower tuition rates and the convenience of multiple locations, Purcell said. These aspects are especially important for those balancing work, family and educational commitments, Purcell said. The top six most popular schools statewide are community colleges. Coastal Alabama Community College was the top public choice for high school seniors in six different counties. Bevill State was a close second with five counties. Purcell said Coastal Alabama and Bevill State have added more locations across several counties in the last 10 years. Both Auburn and UA were the top choices in just two counties; both colleges are pulling increasing numbers of students from outside of the state. Freshman enrollment for University of Alabama and Auburn University University of Alabama: 44% in-state Auburn University: 56% in-state Auburns acceptance rate is around 50%, according to the universitys freshmen FAQs. UAs acceptance rate is around 76%, according to the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment. Almost 70% of high school students nationwide choose colleges that are 50 miles away or less from home, according to the Institute for College Access and Success. While most Alabama high students selected schools anywhere from right next door to less than 100 miles, there were several outliers. Auburn University is the top choice for Shelby County students, about 100 miles away. The University of Alabama at Birmingham is the favorite school for Bullock County graduates, which is over 100 miles away. The Barefoot Contessa is headed to Birmingham. Tickets are now on sale for An Evening with Ina Garten, presented by the Alys Stephens Center at UAB, set to take place on Feb. 1, 2026. During the event, the best-selling author and popular TV personality will take the stage at to discuss everything from her childhood to her career and all that came in-between. Garten has millions of followers on social media with millions and is the host of Be My Guest and Barefoot Contessa on Food Network and Max. She has won five Emmy Awards, three James Beard Awards and is the is author of thirteen best-selling cookbooks as well as her popular memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, released in 2024. In this intimate evening conversation (live onstage), Ina Garten will discuss and elaborate on the themes also in her new memoir, the events website reads, from a difficult childhood to meeting the love of her life, Jeffrey, and marrying him while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in Washington, D.C. to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons, from the owner of one Barefoot Contessa shop to author of bestselling cookbooks and celebrated television host, Ina Garten has blazed her own trail and, in the meantime, taught millions of people how to cook and entertain. An Evening with Ina Garten will take place at 7 p.m. at UABs Jemison Concert Hall. Tickets, which begin at $39, are available now. For more information, visit the events website. For most of a year now, its been as if some kind of weird seafood brush war is being waged across Southeastern coastal states. In each flare-up, stealthy visitors have conducted DNA testing on seafood and usually, the revelations are embarrassing. The inquisitors pronouncements are bold: Savannah Shrimp Scandal. Gulf Shores Shrimp Deception continues. Wilmington and Surrounding Beach Areas Shrimp Scene Tarnished: 77% of Restaurants Mislead Diners. Theyre tailor-made to generate headlines, and they have along with a few questions about whether the methodology behind the testing is entirely fair. Putting them to the test When SeaD Consulting came for Gulf Shores National Shrimp Festival in October 2024, it wasnt unprecedented. The month before, SeaD had delivered a critical report on the Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival. SeaD founder David Williams said that at the invitation of local shrimpers, hed purchased boiled shrimp from five of the dozen or so vendors at the event in Morgan, La. Despite assurance that it was all Gulf shrimp, Williams testing found four of the five batches to be imported shrimp. David and Erin Williams of SeaD Consulting collect a sample of shrimp for DNA testing from a vendor at a Louisiana festival. (Courtesy of SeaD) Courtesy of SeaD Williams named the vendors who passed the test, but not those who failed, a tactic that has become a staple of his crusade against mislabeled shrimp. The results made headlines in Louisiana media outlets, industry publications and national outlets such as Yahoo! News. And it opened a bold new mission for Williams and his company. For years, SeaD had offered specialized consultation on food processing and food safety technology used by the seafood industry. But Williams, a Brit residing in Texas, said the struggles of Gulf Coast seafood harvesters had triggered him. The situation reminded him of things hed seen growing up in Devon, part of the southwestern peninsula of England. Its basically two coastlines with a little bit of land in between, he said. And I watched thriving fishing communities basically die out. Williams concerns led to a connection with researchers at Florida State University: Assistant Professor Prashant Singh and graduate student Samuel Kwawukume. Among their early interests was red snapper authenticity, and a published summary lays out the challenge of coming up with a faster, cheaper test. They reported success. Using their method, a sample of seafood could be run through a standard process to amplify the amount of DNA present, then checked with a test strip. It sounds almost like a pregnancy test: The number of lines on the test strip tells the tale, without a days-long wait for results to come back from a faraway lab. The snapper test didnt have much impact. The new methodology did set the stage for upheaval, however. And Williams saw something he wanted to upheave. Because Im intimately involved on the coast, up and down the coast, we started seeing really, really bad situations going along in the coastal communities, he said. We were seeing factories shutting down, boats being sold or scrapped, people not being able to afford deckhands. Williams continued his collaboration with Kwawukume and Singh. Eventually, the Florida State team came up with a rapid test for Pacific white shrimp, the species that represents the bulk of imports. Williams trademarked it as SeaDs RIGHTTest. An image provided by SeaD Consulting compares domestic and imported shrimp. Before a shrimp is headed and peeled, a knowledgeable observer might be able to accurately identify its species. After preparation, that becomes all but impossible without specialized analysis. Courtesy of SeaD National Shrimp Festival Found Selling Farmed Imported Shrimp Instead of Gulf Wild-Caught, said the headline on a Sea-D press release issued in mid-October 2024, after the 51st annual festival had ended in Gulf Shores. (As at the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival, SeaD tested five vendors and said it found four of them, whom it did not identify, misrepresenting imported shrimp as domestic.) From there, it was on to a campaign across the eight coastal states represented by the Southern Shrimp Alliance: Everything is Bigger and Better in Texas, Including Consumer Fraud (Galveston area). Cajun Country Not Supporting Cajun Shrimpers (Lafayette, La.). Exposing the Dark Underbelly of the Seafood Scene in Tampa-St. Pete. Not all the findings were negative: SeaD liked what it found at the inaugural Louisiana Shrimp Festival, a New Orleans event specifically created specifically to raise awareness about the challenges faced by our local shrimp and fishing industries. This spring, SeaD returned to Alabama. It said it had tested 44 restaurants in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Foley. Out of those, 25 (57%) were serving domestic shrimp, while 19 (43%) allegedly misrepresented imports. In keeping with its established methodology, SeaD named the restaurants that passed the test but not the ones that didnt. While this approach allows SeaD to carry on without the threat of legal action from accused restaurants, theres a side effect: Restaurants that werent tested dont appear on the list of venues validated by the testing, so its easy for the public to assume theyre among those who failed. While some of the restaurants named by SeaD celebrated the results on social media, at least three highly regarded restaurants that apparently werent tested the Tin Top Restaurant and Oyster Bar in Bon Secour, Sea-N-Suds in Gulf Shores and Wolf Bay Restaurant in Foley and Orange Beach -- felt the need to mitigate the damage in social media posts. This article is very misleading, the Tin Top posted in response to one TV stations story on the results. Only 44 restaurants have been tested in the area. We would like to be clear, The Tin Top Restaurant and Oyster Bar serves Gulf Shrimp and has for the last 20 years! SeaD also fired a shot across the bow of the National Shrimp Festival. SeaD said the Southern Shrimp Alliance recently sent a letter to the festival organizers asking for clarity on how they intend to enforce and suggested utilizing the RIGHTTest equipment to ensure compliance. The festival has not responded to date. For festival organizers aggrieved by the way their event had been targeted in 2024, it was a fresh affront. When they make the big splash and they say, oh, well, These are the good restaurants or These are the good vendors, but were not gonna tell anybody who the bad vendors are. If theyre out there doing the policing, but theyre keeping it all to themselves, who are they actually helping? said Clayton Wallace, a longtime volunteer and media chairman for the festival. I mean, honestly, that to me is nothing but a publicity stunt. Why it matters Out of all the shrimp consumed in the United States, more than 90% is imported. So, given the publics voracious appetite for imported shrimp, whats the big deal about catching restaurants (or festivals) serving it? Pretty much everyone, including Williams, the Southern Shrimp Alliance and Gulf Coast shrimpers, acknowledges that if people knowingly choose to eat imported shrimp, thats their business. Our position all along is not one where if you dont serve domestic shrimp, were coming after you, said Ernie Anderson, president of the Organized Seafood Association of Alabama. All were saying is if you choose to [serve] imports, then do that. But dont misrepresent our product. Ernie Anderson is president of Graham Shrimp Co. in Bayou La Batre and president of the Organized Seafood Association of Alabama. Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com Anderson is the president of Graham Shrimp Co., a family-owned processor in Bayou La Batre that processes two to three million pounds of domestic shrimp a year. He also has a distribution company, which has given him a window into the economic pressure on restaurants. I lost 12 restaurants in the last two years, lost them to imports, to Ecuador and imported shrimp, he said. And some of the last ones to go, they just said, Look, listen, everybody around us is doing it. I cant take a hit. With everything going up and prices, weve got to find profits where we can. I said, Hey, thats no problem. The question is, why is [Gulf shrimp] still on your menu? Well, everybody else is doing it. Jeremy Zirlott is a Bayou La Batre shrimper whos also one of two Alabama representatives on the SSA board. He shared an anecdote from the 70s, when working on a shrimp boat was the kind of proposition people now see on shows like The Deadliest Catch, in that the work was extremely demanding but the payout often made it worth the hardship. One of the local processors, older than me, told me a story a few weeks ago, said Zirlott. In 1971, he was working with his uncle on a shrimp boat. Deckhand on a shrimp boat. He was a young man, and in 10 days, he shared enough to go buy a brand-new Mercury Cougar. Mercury Cougar was $3,200. He shared $3,800. So the value of the product in 1971 allowed him to go on a boat and go buy a brand-new car in 10 days work. Fast forward to today. There is no Mercury Cougar, but a comparable Mustang would probably be $50,000. I mean thats eight or nine months work on a good boat today, you know, and maybe more So, you know, to go spend 280 days a year at sea, for minimal pay -- a guy can go to a shipyard or some land-based job and do just as well and be home with his family and sleep in his own bed every night. Anderson, who spoke alongside Zirlott, says that while he was never a shrimper himself, he owned and operated shrimp boats before changing industry economics put a stop to that. I had to sell, he said. I sold all but one as a result of the first round of imports. In 2004 or 05, I sold two to try to survive. And in 08, I lost my last boat to a fire. But it wasnt the fire that broke it. What broke it was, there was such a downturn in the industry that insurance companies devalued our boats. I had a $350,000 boat that the insurance company wouldnt allow me but $100,000 worth of insurance on. I had a wheelhouse fire, which generally isnt that big of a deal. You come in and [repair] it. Because I only had $100,000 [in coverage], they totaled my boat. Boat maintenance has doubled, tripled, quadrupled in some instances, said Zirlott. And just to maintain boats takes everything were producing. The rise of imported shrimp isnt the only factor contributing to the industrys difficulties. But people may not realize the ways in which the availability of imported seafood has changed how the American table is set. In most restaurants, seafood restaurants, there might be 10 or 15 different shrimp dishes, said David Williams. The reason theres 10 or 15 shrimp dishes is they bank money every time they sell shrimp. You look back to when I was growing up, you know, in the 70s and 80s, seafood wasnt everywhere, said Anderson. But with cheap imports, he said, Shrimp became a commodity. Commodity vs. Livelihood The Southern Shrimp Alliance was formed in 2002 to represent the interests of the shrimp industry in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Its a clearinghouse for perceived liabilities of imported shrimp. Its no accident that the SSA was founded when it was. Nathan Rickard, a trade attorney working for the SSA, laid out a rough timetable: The history of the industry since the turn of the millennium is that right around 2000, they were dealing with a flood of cheap Chinese farmed shrimp imports that came into the country, Rickard said. They bring petitions for anti-dumping duty relief in 2003, the trade relief goes into effect in 2005. At that point, what they were seeing was large volumes of imports coming in at declining prices that were eroding domestic dockside prices. Things stabilized after that, and domestic shrimpers gained some lost ground in the early 2010s Rickard said. It didnt last. These developments and this improvement got eroded in the last four years, Rickard continued, when there was just a massive flood of imports that hit during COVID, and so we got record volumes of imports in 2020 that overwhelmed demand in the U.S., and we just havent unwound from it for 4 years. So as the inventory hasnt sold, those prices keep dropping and fishermen are struggling. While the industry generally supports seafood tariffs threated by the Trump administration, the on-again, off-again implementation of those tariffs has created fresh concerns. One is that overseas producers could surge pre-tariff inventory into the country, creating a glut of cheap shrimp that keeps prices low. The thought is that over a long term, if the import volumes are kept in check, that they no longer have to deal with surges, then a level playing field is a place where the shrimp industry can compete and do well, Rickard said. But if theres a surge of imports, he said, That stuff is going to come here without customers. That is when the industry gets really scared. Global pressure The 25-year timeline laid out by Rickard is a mere skeleton outline of the challenges that veterans such as Zirlott and Anderson can bring up. One facet is the whole issue of where all this cheap imported shrimp is coming from. The SSA argues that international institutions, notably the World Bank, have provided billions of dollars in support for aquaculture operations in developing countries. The SSA argues that at least some of the United States support for such institutions has facilitated the rise of shrimp farming in nations that have then turned around and begun exporting cheap shrimp, meaning the United States has subsidized its own competition. That sticks in the craw of people such as Lindsey Burroughs Jr., whos been shrimping since he was a child. Like Zirlott, he represents Alabama on the SSA board. Hes seen boats disappear from Gulf Shores and Bon Secour and the Bayou La Batre fleet wither. If they werent getting that money, that subsidy money, there aint no way that you grow them shrimp and sell them that cheap, he said of overseas producers. I couldnt ship five pounds of shrimp overnight from here to Texas for less than $30. And theyre shipping it around the world and selling it for $20. The issue of U.S. support for such programs is a whole battle front. In March, U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and co-sponsors including Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., reintroduced the Save Our Shrimpers Act, a bill to prohibit Federal funds from being made available to international financial institutions for the purposes of financing foreign shrimp farms. The bill was referred to a House committee after being introduced in March. One way to fight the influx of imports is to carve out a premium brand identity. Looking back over the years, Alabama shrimpers say theyve seen marketing campaigns come and go. Theyve seen federal and state agencies step in and out of the fight. More recently, theyve seen Alabama enact a state law designed to hold restaurants accountable if they misrepresent imported seafood as domestic. One lesson that has emerged, they say, is that marketing has its limits. You can sell people on the idea that Gulf shrimp are better and worth more money, but that doesnt do you much good if anybody can pass off imported shrimp as local, without consequences. Its the same with laws. Passing them is one thing, getting them enforced is another. And that question of accountability brings us right back to David Williams and SeaDs crusade. Making trouble Anderson, Zirlott and Burroughs arent entirely comfortable with SeaDs approach but after 25 years fighting for their industrys survival, theres a certain sense that desperate measures are justified. They saw David Williams come onto the scene, they watched as he tried to make the case for what he thought he could do. I know that in Alabama hes brought and presented his program to the Department of Health, to Ag and Marine Resources, Anderson said. We had a meeting down here about a year ago. There was probably a couple hundred folks there. Kind of a community meeting: What can we do? Whats out there? and he presented that. Jeremy Zirlott is a Bayou La Batre shrimper who represents Alabama on the board of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com We went to the Southern Shrimp Alliance and we went to different fishermens organizations, and basically nobody thought that they could fund the test, Williams said. So what we did is, we first of all did the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival, right? And we just took five samples and we checked for authenticity, and we published the results, and that got us traction. And then we started getting funding. Ultimately, the Southern Shrimp Alliance commissioned a regimen of testing in its member states. Burroughs said it pays $18,000 a month for SeaD to visit a target city and do 44 tests. Burroughs is uncomfortable with the possibility that untested restaurants will be lumped in with the ones on the naughty list. Weve got to come up with a solution to fix that, he said. We dont want this to make anybody look bad that is doing the right thing. Williams is unbothered. Ive spoken to quite a large number of restaurants who communicate with us who say that they werent tested and theyre annoyed by it, he said. But what I always say to them on what everybody should do in this circumstance, be extremely open with your customers. Authenticity sells. And if restaurants who werent selected ask my opinion, I would say that if youre authentic, you should use this as another opportunity to promote your authenticity. Compared to a restaurant, the National Shrimp Festival is a different scenario. Held every fall in Gulf Shores, the event has evolved into one of the largest arts and crafts festivals in the region. Organizers say their vendor contracts have long specified that vendors are supposed to use domestic shrimp and may face fines and removal if they dont, but it appears that was a matter of trust. Or at least it was until Williams reported that four out of the five vendors he tested were serving imports. (The fifth was Rouses Markets, whose boiled shrimp tend to draw a line of waiting patrons.) Boiled shrimp offered by Rouses Markets has been a popular entree at the National Shrimp Festival in recent years. When a firm did DNA testing on five Shrimp Festival vendors in 2024, the Rouses stand was the only one found to be serving domestic shrimp. Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com SeaDs release quoted Bayou La Batre Mayor Henry D. Barnes as saying the test results were a slap in the face for area shrimpers. Organizers said they felt like theyd been targeted by a company that accused its vendors of improprieties but wouldnt tell it which ones were the culprits. Steve Jones, vice president of special events for the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber, said the festival is a community-driven event with no major corporate sponsorship. Festival organizers have a requirement specifying that vendors must use domestic shrimp. Weve had that in the past, he said. Again, its a volunteer festival. Its a volunteer organization. Who am I going to hire to walk around and be this bad guy that does this? We threaten a lot, but weve really never actually got our feet on the ground and our hands in their shrimp to see exactly what theyre doing. This year, it may come to that. SeaD has hinted that maybe the festival could avoid embarrassment by using its testing services. Festival organizers have said that if SeaD wants to volunteer its services, theyd be interested. Both parties along with Zirlott, Anderson and Burroughs have said it would be nice if the Alabama Department of Public Health would step up and conduct testing. The Alabama law enacted in 2024 was sponsored by State Rep. Chip Brown, R-Hollingers Island, and shepherded through the Senate by David Sessions, R-Grand Bay. It puts the onus on ADPH to follow up on complaints about restaurants misrepresenting shrimp. The ADPH collects complaints via an online portal and on paper, but they have to be signed. Theres no anonymous tip line. If ADPH investigates and confirms a problem, the penalty for the first offense is a written warning. For the second offense, theres a $100 fine, escalating to $1,000 for the fifth citation. This approach has its limits. David Williams observed that after shrimp has been headed and peeled, not to mention breaded and covered in sauce, theres no way a diner can tell where it came from. He encourages patrons to be nosey: To ask what theyre getting, to see the box it came in or the shipping label. And so, yes, Williams thinks one solution would be for governmental agencies and maybe even private entities such as festivals to use SeaDs testing services, or at least its technology. Rapid DNA testing for a specific species, such as SeaD Consulting's test for imported shrimp, doesn't require a full laboratory. Off-the-shelf devices such as the one shown, used to the magnify the amount of DNA in a sample, can be had for around $1,000. (Courtesy of SeaD) Courtesy of SeaD Our main objective is to move this enforcement of authenticity in restaurants over to governmental bodies in the states, Williams said. Were trying to demonstrate that there is a problem so that regulatory authorities in the states, first of all, pass regulations and secondly, enforce regulations. ... Because in reality, we shouldnt need to be doing this. This should be done by governmental bodies. What comes next It all seems to add up to a pivotal moment for the beleaguered domestic shrimp industry if the world actually pivots. SeaD recently trumpeted good news from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival this year, where it tested 19 shrimp dishes and found only one ringer. This is a huge moment of pride for New Orleans, David Williams said in SeaDs announcement. The Shrimp and Petroleum Festival has added some forceful language to its application materials, warning that vendors who fail to use Louisiana-sourced shrimp could be escorted off the property and banned for life. There are a few months to go. But its clear that Shrimp Fest organizers dont want a repeat. Shrimp fest is known for the variety presented by its food vendors, such as this one present at the 2022 fest. Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com When these guys came out with this article, it incensed our local seafood industry, said Jones. But conversations are in progress. Weve been talking regularly with [local seafood suppliers] now, and we are seeking more cooperation with them to make this process easier for our vendors. State-level enforcement might, at some point, begin to include DNA testing, whether it is SeaDs exact method or not. At least two agencies are involved in enforcement, ADPH and the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries. Ron Dawsey, director of ADPHs Bureau of Environmental Services, said the agency hasnt been getting very many shrimp complaints through its website. But it stands ready to go in and check to see whether what restaurants promise in their signage, decor and menus matches whats stocked in the pantry. As yet, that process does not include DNA testing. Andy Tipton, director for food safety at the Department of Agriculture & Industries, said his department has been working with Singhs lab at FSU and might, at some point in the future, begin doing testing at its own food and drug lab in Montgomery. Tipton and Dawsey both said their two branches communicate on the issue. Their areas of responsibility are different. They do cooked and we do raw, said Tipton. But both agencies have the authority to verify that consumers are getting what theyre supposed to be getting -- domestic or not. Again, the goal is not to get rid of imported shrimp. Its to make sure that customers who are willing to pay a premium for domestic shrimp can feel confident theyre getting what they pay for. I have no problems with imported farm-raised shrimp, David Williams said. I actually used to run a shrimp farm in Panama. So, you know, Im not one of these who say that farm-raised shrimp will give you three heads. You need to say youre serving it when you serve it. What the shrimpers would like most of all is for the economics of their industry to make sense again. The work is not easy, but it has its rewards. Burroughs said he wanted to drive the boat when he was six, and he wants to drive it now. Its a lot of 24-hour days that you work from can to cant, he said. And youre away from your family a lot, so when your kids are growing up and youre gone for a month, you come back and theyve done changed and thats one of the biggest regrets, you know, not seeing my kids grow up at a young age. But I had to support them, that and my family. I mean, its hard work, he said. Its manual labor. Its just fun, though, when you go and you catch a big catch. A big drag, man, I get excited about it. Why cross the Atlantic Ocean when you can see a replica of Stonehenge close to home in Elberta, Alabama? Kelly Kazek Still planning out your summer trips? Be sure to include the two quirky Alabama attractions that made Southern Livings list of unforgettable road trip stops. Southern Living recently released a list of 25 unforgettable road trip stops every Southerner should see this summer, and it included two stops in our state: Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman and Bamahenge in Elberta. Ave Maria Grotto was created by a Benedictine monk on the old quarry grounds at St. Bernard Abbey and features more than 125 miniature reproductions, made from found materials, of some of the worlds most well-known religious structures, including St. Peters Basilica and the Tower of Babel, along a two-block pathway. Related: 14 pitstops to add to your next Alabama road trip Meanwhile, Bamahenge is a full-scale replica of the iconic Stonehenge monument made from fiberglass by artist Mark Cline in 2012. Located on the grounds of Barber Marina, its worth noting that Bamahenge isnt the only sight to see there -- several hidden dinosaur statues are located within the woods along the drive in, and theres also the popular Lady in the Lake sculpture nearby. Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, Ala., was named an unforgettable road trip stop by Southern Living. (Tamika Moore/AL.com) Other road trip stops that earned a spot on the list include Everglades National Park in Florida; St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, La.; Mile High Swinging Bridge in Linville, N.C.; the pineapple fountain in Charleston, S.C. and more. To see the full list, visit Southern Livings website. A high school senior who received 53 college acceptances and more than a million in scholarships only had one thing to say when asked how she decided which school to attend, and that was Roll Tide. Jada-Symone Batichon, a senior at Wheeler High School in Powder Springs, Ga., applied for 58 colleges, garnering an acceptance from 53 of them, and accrued about $1.8 million in scholarships this year, according to People.com. Despite having so many options and offers, though, the 18-year-old said selecting the University of Alabama was easy. Related: Alabama senior accepted to Yale: People Ive never met before come up and tell me congratulations Batichon told People.com her intent behind applying to so many schools was to see what scholarship offers she would receive, because she wanted to avoid student loans. That said, the University of Alabama was one of the first schools she visited in ninth grade and stood out from the pack. Batichon, who plans to study business management, graduated with a 4.0 grade-point average and already has two college courses from a dual-enrollment program under her belt after taking most of her high school courses in middle school. Her extracurricular activities include student government, the National Honor Society, cheerleading and more. All of it paid off, Batichon said. You can read the full article on People.com. A 12-year-old was killed in a Tuscaloosa County crash that injured four others, included two more children. The wreck happened at 4:45 p.m. Sunday on Romulus Road near Libby Road, about eight miles west of Northport. Alabama State Trooper Cpl. Reginal King said the 12-year-old from Coker was a passenger in Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck that was hit by a Ford F-150 driven by a 16-year-old from Northport. The child was not using a seat belt at the time of the crash and was pronounced dead on the scene. Troopers do not release the names of juvenile victims. King said the driver the Chevrolet, 36-year-old Zosima M. Andabalo, of Coker, was taken to DCH Regional Medical Center. The two other surviving passengers a 14-year-old and a 5-year-old were also hospitalized with undisclosed injuries. The teen driver of the Ford was also injured and taken to a hospital. The investigation is ongoing. A Silver Airways turboprop is seen at a gate at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP) AP A regional Florida airlines abrupt flight cancellations left passengers stranded Wednesday. Silver Airways, a regional airline based in Florida, canceled all flights on Wednesday, June 11, USA Today reported. The airline made the announcement in a social media message. READ MORE: Costco brings back a popular perk but it will cost you We regret to inform you that we are ceasing operations as of today, June 11, 2025. In an attempt to restructure in bankruptcy, Silver entered into a transaction to sell its assets to another airline holding company, who unfortunately has determined to not continue Silvers flight operations in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, the message said. Please do not go to the airport, it continued. All ticket purchases on credit cards will be refunded through the card holder or travel agency, the post noted. People who paid cash for their ticket will have to file for a refund as part of the bankruptcy process. Silver filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2024. At the time, the company said the filing would allow it to secure additional capital and undertake a financial restructuring that will strengthen our position as a competitive airline, ultimately benefiting youour valued customers. READ MORE: Major new warning for AT&T customers The potential buyer decided not to fund the airlines operations during a sale out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, USA Today reported. The airline was founded in 2011 and previously served Tampa, Orlando, Pensacola, Fort Lauderdale and Key West, as well as parts in the Caribbean and Bahamas. Silvers fleet, however, has been reduced to eight ATR turboprop planes and its workforce cut from 608 to 348 pilots, flight attendants and ground workers. Most of those job are expected to be eliminated. Leaders of two Alabama businesses that grow hemp and sell consumable products with ingredients from the plant said they will adjust to the sweeping restrictions in a new state law. They also vow to fight to change that law. HB445, which takes effect July 1, will ban smokable hemp and high-potency gummies, two of the industrys biggest sellers. It will be a felony to sell or possess the smokable flowers or pre-rolled cigarettes, harsher than the misdemeanor penalty for marijuana possession. HB445 puts the hemp-derived products and retailers under regulation by the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control 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. Online sales into or out of Alabama and direct home shipments will be banned. HB445 will likely force many small businesses in Alabamas hemp industry to shut down or leave the state, Carmelo Parasiliti, CEO of Green Acres Organic Pharms in Florence, said in an email. But Green Acres was born here, and we intend to stay. We will continue to fight for sensible, compassionate reform, to educate the public and lawmakers, and to do everything we can to remain a compliant, ethical, and transparent company. Public health risk or help for those in need? The Legislature passed HB445, by Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, in May, and Gov. Kay Ivey signed it into law. Whitt and proponents of the bill said regulations were overdue for products containing THC taken from hemp. THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Hemp and marijuana are both forms of cannabis, but hemp has a much lower THC content. Cannabis with less than 0.3% THC is considered hemp and is legal under federal and state law. Supporters of HB445 say companies that make and sell the smokable flowers, gummies, and drinks have been marketing THC by exploiting a loophole in the federal law that legalized hemp for farmers. Alabama State Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, reads the ingredients of a THC-infused beverage during a public hearing before the Alabama House Health Committee on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at the Statehouse in Montgomery, Ala. The hearing was on HB445, which passed and takes effect July 1. John Sharp Its unregulated, Whitt said. There was no one that was overseeing it, the distribution of it. Anyone could make these products up, put them in a package and then put them in a store. Opponents of the bill said many adults buy the products for relief of pain, anxiety, and sleeplessness. They said and that the products are especially important considering that Alabamas medical marijuana industry, authorized by the Legislature four years ago, remains tied up in litigation over licensing disputes, with no products available to patients. Whitt said he supported the medical marijuana bill and said the delays are disappointing. But Whitt and others said the lack of oversight for the hemp-derived THC products, sold in some convenience stores and gas stations before HB445, posed a risk to children and the public. Anytime you can buy these products between motor oil and the beef jerky, you probably need to think twice before you smoke it or take it as medication, Whitt said. Is it legal for me or not? Businesses that make and sell the products in specialty hemp shops and online said they supported criminal penalties for selling to minors. But they said the case for HB445 was built on a false premise of protecting children. They said they supported regulation but that HB445 was an overreach that will close businesses and deprive adults of access to products they say are safer than alcohol and tobacco. Hemp shop operators said they already limited access in their stores to people 21 and older. The Green Room, which sells products with THC and CBD from hemp, does not admit minors. (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com) Christian Butts is owner of Seedless Green, which is based in Elberta in Baldwin County. Butts has a license with the Department of Agriculture and Industries to grow and process hemp. Seedless Green has stores in Elberta and Gulf Shores that sells flower, gummies, tinctures, salves, and other products, all made in-house. The company is also a wholesaler with customers in Alabama and other states. Butts said he intends to be careful to follow the new law because he expects to be checked on. He is concerned that the legislation is unclear or poorly understood. Were not going to know the rulings of ABC Board and their structure and exactly how theyre going to put it into words until they come out and put that on the table, Butt said. Once thats put on the table, we can see if everything is designated properly. Butts said police with a search warrant seized a package of hemp flower that was delivered to one of his stores on Friday. He said they checked it and returned it to him after determining it was a legal product. They said thank you for doing a good job, Butts said. And thank you for doing things seemingly the right way. The smokable hemp flower becomes illegal July 1 under the new law. Butts said it seems like a contradiction that he has a license with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries to grow and process hemp, but that it becomes a felony to sell or possess the smokable hemp flowers on July 1. He said he hopes to get answers from the Department of Agriculture and Industries about how the new law affects his work as a grower and processor. As a farmer processor, Ive got an agreement with the state of Alabama that says Im allowed to have flower, and Im allowed to process flower to make the extraction to put in the gummies and the drinks and everything you said that we can make. But hows that going to work? Thats not in the bill, either. Theres no protection to businesses in this bill. All thats going to have to get straightened out. But how is that going to get straightened out? What is it? Is it legal for me or not? Devastating criminalization Parasiliti said that of all his concerns about the law, the new criminal penalty for smokable hemp stands out. One of the most alarming components of HB445 is that possession of smokable hemp, a federally legal plant for over six years, will be considered a Class C felony in Alabama as of July 1, 2025, Parasiliti wrote. This penalty applies even if the person is over 21 and the product was legally purchased. By comparison, possession of marijuana remains a misdemeanor in the state. This inconsistency is not only unjust, but its also dangerous. While we fully support efforts to keep these products out of the hands of minors, criminalizing a natural plant that has helped so many people goes against freedom, nature, and God. Parasiliti said Green Acres has given away products to some customers with medical needs. He said the new law stops that. One of the most devastating elements of HB445 is its criminalization of giving away hemp-derived products even to terminally ill customers, Parasliti wrote. For years, Green Acres has operated a self-funded cancer and Parkinsons relief program, donating products at no cost to those in need. This program was born out of love and community, many of us have lost loved ones to cancer and to see this kind of compassion turned into a crime is deeply disheartening. Parasiliti said Green Acres will sell only products allowed under the new law by July 1: No more than 10 milligrams of naturally occurring Delta 9 THC per serving (gummy or drink). No more than 40 milligrams of naturally occurring Delta 9 THC per container (four 10 mg gummies or drinks per carton). All gummies individually wrapped. Child resistant packaging. Testing by labs certified by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The products will include gummies, seltzers, tinctures and topicals, Parasiliti wrote. They will be available at Green Acres two stores in Florence plus a third planned in Huntsville, pending licenses issued by the ABC Board. An opportunity to adjust The licensing requirement for retailers is part of HB445. The ABC Board still must develop rules and regulations for licensees. Parts of the law do not take effect until Jan. 1. Parasiliti said Green Acres will no longer sell products with a version of THC called Delta 8 because it is banned under the new law. The law also bans Delta 10, which Parasiliti said Green Acres has not carried. Besides the products with THC, hemp shops sell gummies, drinks, topical creams and salves, and other products containing CBD, a non-psychoactive substance, or cannabinoid, found in hemp. Whitt, the sponsor of the bill, said the legislation was not intended to put the hemp shops out of business and thinks it leaves them room to operate legally. I think they will have an opportunity to adjust their business plans to conform to the law and provide products to their customers, Whitt said. Because the new law bans online sales into or out of Alabama, Parasiliti said Green Acres will move those operations outside the state. He said the company will stick with the principles he said it has followed since it started. Since our founding, weve prioritized rigorous safety standards, patient access, and full legal alignment, always using third-party DEA-certified labs for product testing since day one, Parasiliti said. HB445 introduces major changes to Alabamas hemp laws, and while it presents significant challenges, we are committed to adjusting our operations while continuing to serve our customers and advocate for sensible reform. Butts said he plans to close the Seedless Green store in Gulf Shores and keep the one in Elberta open for now. Butts thinks his business can survive with his wholesale products and what he will still be able to sell in the Elberta store. He said has already figured out how to make some adjustments to the new law, like a new requirement that gummies are individually wrapped. He said that will add about 15% to the cost of gummies. Butts said he will have to let go some longtime employees. He said six families have been supported by jobs with Seedless Green, but most of those jobs are going away. Ive already told them this is whats happening, and I cant help it and yall are going to have to go look for new jobs. Butts said he plans to advocate for changes in the law. Im a big fighter for freedom and for responsible safety, that we should have our freedoms, Butts said. If I can go down to the store and get me a bottle of 151 or Jack Daniels, I should surely be able to go down there and get me a couple of pre-rolls, a bag of cannabis. That needs to begin to be addressed. And hopefully, well somehow, some way get a recreational bill that includes a decriminalization. Fort Rucker will pay tribute to World War I hero Capt. Edward W. Rucker instead of Confederate brigadier commander Edmund W. Rucker. In bringing back an old name to an Army base in Alabama, President Donald Trump is removing the installations connection to a Confederate colonel. Fort Novosel in southeast Alabama will once again be named Fort Rucker, but it will no longer be in honor of Confederate Col. Edmund W. Rucker, a brigade commander during the Civil War. Fort Rucker, located in southeast Alabama, is named for Col. Edmund Rucker George M. Cruikshank Trump made the announcement Tuesday while addressing troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina to mark the Armys 250th birthday. For a little breaking news, we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee, the president said. We won a lot of battles out of those forts its no time to change," he said. Instead, Fort Rucker will pay tribute to World War I hero Capt. Edward W. Rucker, a Missouri native with no known Alabama connections. Fort Rucker (formerly Fort Novosel) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Capt. Edward W. Rucker for extraordinary heroism in World War I, the Army said in a statement Tuesday. Flying deep behind enemy lines, then-1st Lt. Rucker and his fellow aviators engaged a numerically superior enemy force in a daring aerial battle over France, disrupting enemy movements and completing their mission against overwhelming odds. Under then-President Joe Biden, the Defense Department changed the names of several military bases that honored Confederate figures in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd protests. Fort Rucker was changed to Fort Novosel after Enterprise resident Michael Novosel Sr. Novosel was a military aviator for more than 40 years and received the highest military honor for his service in Vietnam. He died in 2006. Edward W. Rucker, according to the American Masonic Great War Project, is a native of Bosworth, Missouri and joined the Missouri National Guard in 1915. He was called into federal service a year later and saw action in France during World War I. He was credited with helping to down several German planes near Luneville, France on June 13, 1918. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross along with 21 other officers and enlisted men, according to the project. He was also awarded the Croix de Guerre with palm. After World War I, he relocated to New York before moving to St. Louis. He is buried in Walnut Ridge Cemetery in Fayette, Missouri. World's first wind-powered commercial underwater data center project launched in Shanghai Xinhua) 10:47, June 11, 2025 SHANGHAI, June 10 (Xinhua) -- China has taken another bold step toward green computing infrastructure, with the official launch of the world's first commercial underwater data center (UDC) project powered by an offshore wind farm in Shanghai on Tuesday. The project, initiated in Shanghai's coastal waters near the Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, pioneers the co-location of renewable energy and computing infrastructure to address the surging global demand for low-carbon computing solutions. The administrative committee of the Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, Shanghai Lingang Special Area Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Hicloud Technology Co., Ltd., signed a tripartite cooperation agreement on Tuesday, marking the official launch of the project. Chen Jinshan, head of the administrative committee of Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, said that the Lingang project establishes a new model for UDCs, aspiring to become a benchmark for green computing power. "This fusion of new-quality computing infrastructure and AI-ready scenarios aligns with our goal to strengthen Lingang's position as a global hub for cross-border data flows, AI computing, and intelligent connectivity," he said. According to the agreement, Hicloud will put an initial investment of 1.6 billion yuan (about 222.7 million U.S. dollars) to the two-phase project, known as the Shanghai Lingang UDC project, to establish a 24-megawatt (MW) underwater data cluster, integrating renewable energy, advanced cooling, and cross-border data capabilities, said Su Yang, general manager of Hicloud. The facility, hosting groups of modular data units, will be cooled by sea water and powered by offshore wind energy, achieving sustainable energy use and zero carbon emissions, said Su. The first phase, a 2.3 MW demonstration facility, has been designated by the National Development and Reform Commission as a national model for green, low-carbon innovation and is expected to be operational in September. The second phase will scale capacity to 24 MW, achieving a power usage effectiveness (PUE) below 1.15 -- a benchmark for energy efficiency -- while sourcing over 90 percent of its power from offshore wind farms, he said. The UDC's natural seawater cooling system reduces refrigeration energy consumption from 40-50 percent of the total power use to under 10 percent, slashing overall energy use by 30-40 percent compared to land-based counterparts, said Su. Additionally, it will mitigate land usage, addressing the common issue of land resource scarcity faced by land-based deployments, he added. UPGRADING FROM HAINAN EXPERIMENT With the AI revolution accelerating, China aims to boost the country's aggregate computing power by more than 30 percent by 2025, according to a plan released by six government departments in October 2023. The plan also sets a target for China's total computing power to reach 300 EFLOPS by 2025. The Lingang project design draws on Hicloud's UDC trial in Lingshui, south China's island province of Hainan, which is regarded as a milestone in China's quest to harness marine resources for next-generation computing power. Put into operation in December 2022, the Hainan UDC hosts data modules at a depth of over 30 meters under the sea. Its intelligent computing cluster, with an existing computing capacity of over 675 PFlops, already rivals medium-sized land facilities, said Su. While Microsoft's 2015 experimental "Project Natick" in Scotland demonstrated the feasibility of a subsea data center, Hainan's project distinguishes itself as the world's first commercial deployment, he added. The cluster's current computing capacity equals 30,000 high-end gaming PCs working simultaneously, completing in one second what would take a standard computer a year to accomplish. In addition, Su confirmed with Xinhua the UDC's stable performance since its launch, with zero server failures and no need for on-site maintenance. "With all the work done in Hainan, it's comfortable to say that the Lingang project is an upgraded 2.0 version, because this time we have the wind farm to power the UDC, which makes it greener and more commercially competitive," Su told Xinhua. The new UDC will anchor an industrial ecosystem that supports AI, 5G, the industrial Internet of Things (IoT), and cross-border e-commerce platforms, said Su. Furthermore, it will explore data cross-border services for sectors including e-commerce, high-end shipping and international trade, he added. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Republican Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch speaks in support of legislation being introduced by Democratic Rep. Barbara Drummond that increases penalties for shooting into buildings. Drummond, D-Mobile, introduced the legislation during a news conference on Monday, Feb. 19, 2023, at Mobile's Government Plaza that increased the felony penalties against someone who discharges a firearm into an occupied and unoccupied dwelling. John Sharp/jsharp@al.com As Mobile prepares for what organizers say will be a peaceful No Kings rally this weekend, Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch is drawing sharp criticism after publicly warning of violent retaliation by law enforcement should unrest occur. His comments come as unrest is breaking out in cities around the U.S. over opposition to President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown. Its not protesting, its rioting, Burch said Tuesday during the interview with host Sean Sullivan during the Midday Mobile show on FM Talk 106.5. It angers me when I see these rioters trying to pull barricades out of the hands of police officers and shoving police officers to try and grab the barricades and break the perimeter. He added, I can tell you that if they try to do that in Mobile, Alabama, the orthopedic hand surgeons will have one hell of a weekend fixing hands. That barricade can become a weapon. Critics say the sheriffs rhetoric threatens to escalate a nonviolent event and undermines the constitutional right to protest. Maura Mandyck, organizer with Indivisible Mobile, said there have been six protests in Mobile in 2025, and that all have been absolutely peaceful. We dont even leave any trash behind, she said about the gatherings the organization is charged with hosting. She said Burchs comments could fuel violence, but against the peaceful protesters. A "No Kings!" protest takes place in downtown Mobile on Saturday, April 19, 2025. The event was hosted by the Mobile chapter of Indivisible, and was part of a nationwide day of protesting against the Trump administration and current events taking place in Washington, D.C. The protests also recognized the 250th anniversaries of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which kicked off the American Revolutionary War. In this picture, Maura Mandyck, organizer with Indivisible Mobile, leads the speeches during the protest rally at Mardi Gras Park. John Sharp Mandyck said she understands that Burch doesnt want to see violence and that he is concerned about the safety of his officers. However, she said that I can assure you, if there is any violence on Saturday, it wont be instigated by Indivisible Mobile or our members and followers. We are entirely committed to nonviolence while we exercise our First Amendment right to be heard. Burch later told WPMI-TV that he doesnt anticipate any problems in Mobile. He acknowledged the past protests have been peaceful and organized. He said the very first duty of mine as a sheriff is to defend the constitutional rights of citizens, including having peaceful protests. Previous No Kings protests in Mobile have been peaceful. The last one to occur, on April 19, drew a large crowd that paraded along Government Street in Mobile carrying anti-Trump signage. It followed up with remarks made during a rally at Mardi Gras Park. The No Kings protest and rally in downtown Mobile on Saturday is one of a dozen similar events taking place in cities throughout Alabama. Nationwide, No Kings events are being held to coincide with Trumps 79th birthday and the U.S. Armys 250th anniversary parade along the National Mall in Washington, D.C. 27 1 / 27 "No Kings!" National Protests in Mobile, Ala. Burch said he anticipates his comments during the radio interview receiving blowback, but that he wanted people to know that law enforcement handling similar unrest in Mobile will not be complacent. He said, there is nothing in the law that says you have to stand by while they shove you and throw things on you. Thats a weapon, regardless of what you throw. I would strongly discourage them from behaving that way down here. Burch said that if his officers are faced with firebombs, they will respond. During Anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, cars were set on fire, rocks were thrown at border patrol agents, and smoke bombs were deployed. Thats deadly force, Burch said. Our policy is you meet deadly force with deadly force. Ill leave it at that. Burch said that if protestors blocked the interstate, and someone drives through the crowd, the driver will not be faced with a criminal offense. He recognized legislation in other states that would give legal protections to drivers who hit protesters with their cars. As a standoff winds down on May 31, 2020, a Mobile police officer and a protester reach out to each other. Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com The last time there was unrest or a threat of blocking the interstate in Mobile was on May 31, 2020, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis by police officer Derek Chauvin. Tear gas was deployed at the protesters who attempted to block Interstate 10. The window of a police van was also smashed during the incident. They threatened to block the (Wallace) Tunnel a few years ago when some of this stuff was going on, Burch said, adding that nothing will happen to you if you hit protesters blocking the interstate. Similar situations have happened during the immigration enforcement protests. In Chicago on Tuesday night, a car sped down a street as protesters marched. It did not appear that anyone was hit. In Los Angeles, Police Chief Jim McDonnell warned of arrests and called blocking city streets and interstate ramps as dangerous and unlawful and incidents that wont be tolerated. Burch said he believes the crowds in Los Angeles are behaving with unrest because they are allowed to act that way. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, on Tuesday, blamed Trump for inflaming the situation in Los Angeles. The state is asking the court to halt the deployment of National Guard troops to help quell the unrest. I think they are afraid to protect themselves or they will end up in jail themselves, Burch said about law enforcement in Los Angeles. I cannot imagine living in place like that. I was in disbelief when ICE was calling for help and the L.A. PD refused to assist them. Thats unthinkable. Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch talks to the media about the shooting of a 2-year-old child in Prichard during a news conference on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at his office in Mobile, Ala. John Sharp As cities across the country brace for a weekend of protests, Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said that demonstrators have a constitutional right to gather peacefully, and that he doesnt expect any trouble at the upcoming No Kings rally on Saturday. Speaking Wednesday, Burch addressed controversy over comments he made the day before on a radio show, where his remarks appeared to support granting legal immunity to drivers who strike protesters blocking roads. I didnt, by any means, insinuate plowing through a crowd at 55 mph, Burch told AL.com, one day after his monthly appearance on the Midday Mobile radio show on FM Talk 106.5. But when you start blocking highways and roadways, its no longer a protest, its rioting behavior, Burch said. You are restricting the movement of people. Its a constitutional issue also. If you feel you are in danger, you can legally push your way through a crowd with that vehicle. He added, If someone is too stupid to move out of the way, thats on them. Imagine trying to be with your family and youre surrounded and they are banging on the car, you have to have a route (through the scene). But by no means was I insinuating driving through a crowd at a high rate of speed. Clarifying remarks Burch also clarified his statement about orthopedic hand surgeons having one hell of a weekend if protesters grab a barricade from law enforcement. Burch said he witnessed, during news coverage, that barricades were tossed as weapons during unrest in Los Angeles this week. If you watch some of these clips, nationally, these rioters I dont like to use the word protest when things are out of hand they are familiar with pepper spray, Burch said. They are masked up and wearing goggles. The next option is to take the baton and pop it in the knuckle until they let go of the barricade. The clarifying remarks come after Burch received criticism on social media and from the group Indivisible Mobile ahead of the nationwide protests scheduled for the weekend. The protests are planned after a week of unrest in a host of U.S. cities over opposition to President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown. Indivisible Mobile will be hosting its seventh protest in Mobile since Trump was inaugurated in January. At none of the previous events have there been unruly behavior. A protest and rally in mid-April drew a crowd that carried anti-Trump signs up and down Government Street, followed up with a rally and speeches at Mardi Gras Park. Im familiar with those groups, Burch said. I dont anticipate any issues with them. Reactions A "No Kings!" protest takes place in downtown Mobile on Saturday, April 19, 2025. The event was hosted by the Mobile chapter of Indivisible, and was part of a nationwide day of protesting against the Trump administration and current events taking place in Washington, D.C. The protests also recognized the 250th anniversaries of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which kicked off the American Revolutionary War. In this picture, Maura Mandyck, organizer with Indivisible Mobile, leads the speeches during the protest rally at Mardi Gras Park. John Sharp Maura Mandyck, organizer with Indivisible Mobile, said they are appreciative of Burchs remarks recognizing the groups constitutional right to peacefully assemble and protest. But she said concerns still exist over the comments he made referencing the possibility for rioting. When a member of law enforcement starts to talk about what he would do to rioters, listeners might very well think there will be rioters, Mandyck said. And when people are told to prepare to defend themselves against these hypothetical rioters, they are going to gear up to do that." She added, Even in his retraction, he invites listeners to imagine trying to be with your family and youre surrounded and they are banging on the car, you have to have a route. No one at the protest we are organizing is going to be banging on a car this Saturday, so that is not a useful image to put in peoples heads. Mandyck said the comment is especially distasteful less than six months since an attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans that involved a truck plowing through a group of New Years Eve revelers on Bourbon Street, killing 15 and injuring 57. Some of those injured included Mobile residents. So I thank the Sheriff for attempting to clarify his remarks, but because we are living in such a charged atmosphere already in this country, I hope that he will try to lower the temperature in any future remarks, she said. Safe event 27 1 / 27 "No Kings!" National Protests in Mobile, Ala. Mobile Police also issued a statement, saying they are aware of a protest in downtown Mobile that will coincide with 11 other protests scheduled Saturday throughout Alabama. While this is meant to be a peaceful protest, as with any large event, our officers will be ready to respond to ensure it remains a safe environment for all in attendance, said Mobile Police Chief William Randy Jackson, in a statement. Nationwide, No Kings events are being held to coincide with Trumps 79th birthday and the U.S. Armys 250th anniversary parade along the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Daniel Bongino speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on proposed changes to police practices and accountability on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, June 10, 2020, in Washington. (Michael Reynolds/Pool via AP) ASSOCIATED PRESS FBI leadership is pushing to move one of the bureaus elite training academies from Quantico, Virginia, to Huntsville, Alabama, according to multiple people familiar with the plan who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a proposal that has not yet been made public. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bonginos effort to move the bureaus National Academy is part of the Trump administrations broader effort to shrink the FBIs footprint in the Washington, D.C., area and relocate personnel to Huntsville. The National Academy is a 10-week training academy for local and international law enforcement officials and federal law enforcement agents who do not work for the FBI. Law enforcement agencies across the world nominate officers with leadership potential to participate in the program. The FBI has a separate training program for new bureau hires. That program, and other parts of the FBIs Quantico facilities - including the bureaus laboratory division - would remain at the sprawling campus in Northern Virginia under Bonginos proposed pilot plan, the people familiar with the discussions said. An FBI spokesperson said the bureau is exploring relocation proposals that would optimize its facilities and be cost effective, but did not offer further details. The push to move the National Academy to Huntsville has drawn criticism from some FBI personnel, who see little justification for the potentially costly move, the people said. The FBIs training facilities at Quantico were recently upgraded, and the people familiar with the discussions said critics do not think Huntsville would have comparable facilities without significant new funding. FBI Assistant Director of the Training Division Brian Dugan was pushed to retire in recent weeks, though it was not clear why he left the bureau, the people familiar with the internal discussions said. Dugan, who spent almost 30 years with the FBI, was named to the top training division job in February. The bureau has been undergoing major personnel and other changes under new leadership appointed by President Donald Trump. The president selected his longtime ally, Kash Patel, to lead the bureau. The administration later chose Bongino - an outspoken podcast host and former Secret Service agent who had never worked at the FBI - as deputy director, a job normally held by a career veteran of the law enforcement agency. Both Patel and Bongino had previously used their conservative online platforms to deride the FBI as corrupt and touted conspiracy theories as they characterized the bureau as in need of a major overhaul. They and other Trump administration officials have pushed out many senior FBI leaders and, following the presidents agenda, shifted resources and personnel to immigration enforcement. Patel has said that he would move up to 1,500 staff and agents out of the FBIs downtown Washington headquarters to satellite offices across the country. Five hundred of those employees would go to Redstone Arsenal, the bureaus large satellite headquarters in Huntsville. The FBI has had a presence at Redstone Arsenal for more than 50 years. FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, who was appointed by Trump during his first term in office and served throughout President Joe Bidens term, transferred and relocated divisions of the bureau there for two purposes. One was to create a cyber and technological innovation hub in Alabama by bringing more data analytics and cyberthreat programs there. The other was to give more space to bureau divisions that had long outgrown the aging Hoover Building headquarters in Washington, which the bureau had long talked about replacing. Wray acknowledged that another key value of the FBI having a strong base of operations in Huntsville was to avoid a possible terrorist attack or disruption in the nations capital region. Quantico is about 36 miles outside Washington in the suburb of Prince William County. Del. Candi Mundon King (D-Prince William), who represents the area in the Virginia House of Delegates, said she had not heard of the proposed move of the National Academy to Huntsville but said a significant downsizing of the FBI facilities would be devastating to the community. These are jobs we are losing, which impacts our local economy, the state representative said. FILE - R. Kelly, center, leaves the Daley Center after a hearing in his child support case May 8, 2019, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton, File) AP Lawyers for imprisoned R&B superstar R. Kelly on Tuesday made a public plea to President Donald Trump to release their client from prison immediately, alleging a far-fetched plot by federal authorities to steal his mail and turn witnesses against him, then have a convicted member of the Aryan Brotherhood murder him in prison to keep it all from being exposed. An emergency motion filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago alleged that Kellys life is in immediate danger at the federal penitentiary in North Carolina, where hes serving a 30-year sentence for sexual misconduct. Attorney Beau Brindley admitted at a news conference Tuesday point-blank that he was targeting Trump, who late last month commuted the federal prison sentence of Larry Hoover, the founder of the notorious Gangster Disciples. He and the rest of Kellys legal team are seeking talks with the White House about Kellys future, he said. R. Kelly does not have the time, with his life in danger, to go through the normal channels, Brindley said. I will ask President Trump to help us, because we need him. Trump has been on a clemency spree recently, including the commutation of Hoover. The president has also been unpredictable in doling out clemency, largely avoiding the formal process of going through the Office of the U.S. Pardon Attorney. But Kelly would seem to have a high hurdle even in the current political climate, particularly since the Trump administration has made human trafficking and sex crimes against children one of the highest priorities in the Justice Department. The 20-page motion alleged that federal prosecutors, prison guards at the Metropolitan Correctional Center and Kellys own former cellmate a convicted sex trafficker from India conspired to steal his communications with his attorneys and used those communications to turn Kellys onetime girlfriend, Azriel Clary, against him out of jealousy. Kellys attorneys claimed in the filing that he recently got a phone call from a Bureau of Prisons official advising him to avoid the mess hall due to potentially poisoned meals and commissary goods and implying that he was in danger in prison. One federal inmate, a high-ranking member of the Aryan Brotherhood gang, allegedly approached Kelly and told him that federal prison officials had directed him to kill Kelly in exchange for authorities looking the other way and letting him escape prison, the motion stated. Asked about the feasibility of such a plan, Brindley said that the entire scenario alleged in the motion was outlandish, but that the conduct his client claimed by prison officials was in line with the rest of the stunning quality of these allegations. If prison officials are willing to solicit a man to commit murder, does anybody think then that its outrageous for them to be willing to help him? he said. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorneys office in Chicago could not immediately be reached for comment. Later Tuesday, prosecutors asked a judge to strike Kellys motion or place it under seal because it names child sex victims. Kelly, 58, was convicted in 2022 in Chicago of child pornography for making explicit videos of himself and his then-teenage goddaughter, who testified at trial under the pseudonym Jane. He also was convicted of inappropriate sexual relations with Jane and two other teenage girls, Pauline and Nia. The jury acquitted Kelly and two co-defendants on charges they conspired to retrieve incriminating tapes and rig his 2008 trial by pressuring Jane to lie to investigators about their relationship and refuse to testify against him. Kelly was also found not guilty of filming himself with Jane on a video jurors never saw. Prosecutors said Video 4 was not played because Kellys team successfully buried it, but defense attorneys questioned whether it existed at all. Brindley represented Kellys former manager, Derrel McDavid, in that case, but has since been hired by Kelly. Meanwhile, Kelly was also convicted in federal court in New York in 2021 of racketeering conspiracy charges alleging his musical career doubled as a criminal enterprise aimed at satisfying his predatory sexual desires. Hes serving his time in a medium-security federal prison facility in Butner, North Carolina, and is not eligible for release until the year 2045, records show. Kelly also has a pending lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons alleging a former employee leaked his jail calls and other information to a video blogger. _____ 2025 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A rendering of the future Mobile International Airport at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. courtesy of Mobile Airport Authority Like a flight held briefly at the gate, Mobiles new airport is experiencing a delay. Officials, including the citys mayor, say its nothing to be upset about. The five-gate terminal, once expected to open by spring 2026, is now scheduled for fall of that year. We were pushing, all along, a really aggressive timeline, said Luckett Robinson, chairman of the Mobile Airport Authority, following Tuesdays meeting. We had to decide whether being on budget or being on time was more important. The mayor and I agreed that completing it on budget was the biggest priority. We didnt view a few months delay as a big deal. Despite the shift in schedule, the project is still cruising at its $381 million budget. The budget was established last summer and is viewed as a critical number that Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson and the authority do not want to exceed to prevent excessive borrowing or requests for more support from local and state governments. The passenger terminal at Mobile International Airport will have a transformative impact on the entire region, and MAA is making great progress every day, Stimpson said in a statement. If delaying the opening is necessary to keep this critical project on budget and moving forward, I believe thats the best course of action. This is a massive undertaking, and I appreciate MAAs commitment to getting it done right. Milestones ahead Construction continues to a new $381 million airport in Mobile, Ala., on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. The Downtown airport is expected to be completed by September 2026, with opening occurring sometime later in the fall of 2026. John Sharp It hasnt been easy to keep the project at the $381 million threshold. Robinson said the authority performed value-added engineering on the terminal earlier this year and decided on scaling back on some of the airports features including cameras and interior finishings. The end result was that there was way too much in those (earlier) packages than what was originally conceived like having too many cameras, Robinson said. We are in the process of repackaging it to the right scale and will reissue it. But there is no redesign, so to speak. James Adams, southern region vice-president with Hoar Program Management, the construction managers for the job, said they are targeting a milestone later this month of having the terminal enclosed, and protected from adverse weather. It will be nice and dry inside, he said. When we start the other work, it will be less dependent on the weather. Other milestones include: A parking garage with 1,250 spaces and an elevated roadway will be completed by March 2026. The completion of the infrastructure work will allow crews to easily access the terminal as interior construction continues. The work is expected to be completed by September 2026. The first flight from the airport is expected in either October or November 2026. Its an exciting time, Robinson said. We believe the terminal will be really successful. It will provide a great gateway for business and leisure travelers to come. Service swap The airport, only a few miles from downtown, is a rarity in commercial aviation in the United States with a complete swap of services from one airport to another. Its even rarer considering that the airport swap involves moving commercial air service from a suburban area closer to a citys downtown. The new terminal, once completed, will be located less than five miles from downtown Mobile. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson John Sharp Stimpson, throughout his term, has made the airport swap a priority project. Officials have long said the location of Mobile Regional Airport far from an interstate and more than a half-hour drive to downtown Mobile makes it difficult to compete with neighboring Pensacola International Airport and Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. Once the new terminal opens, the airports legacy carriersDelta, United, and American Airlines will shift their operations from Mobile Regional Airport to the airport closer to downtown. The new airport, while starting with five gates, will have enough room to expand to 12 gates which would make it the same size as Pensacola. However, Pensacola International Airport is preparing for an expansion project itself that would add another five gates. Robinson said efforts are just beginning on recruiting other airlines to Mobile. The authoritys chairman emeritus, Elliot Maisel, told AL.com in December that Southwest Airlines is the No. 1 priority. An ad hoc committee, called the Spirit of Mobile, has also been formed and is charged with providing interior amenities that embraces Mobiles cultural history. The mayor really wanted the airport to have a local feel, and show the architectural and cultural history, Robinson said about the groups purpose that includes offering suggestions on the type of artwork that should be incorporated into the terminal. An existing two-gate terminal that opened in 2019 will continue to operate and service low-cost airlines. Robinson said that work continues to find a way to utilize the Mobile Regional. He said that a group of local officials will visit the Paris Air Show in France next week to focus on possible tenants. That will be a big project, he said. Its a lot of acreage. It has a big runway. We are seeking businesses that will move there. The Etowah County Sheriff's Office is headquartered in downtown Gadsden. The number of Alabama law enforcement agencies helping the Trump administration deport immigrants is growing. Alabama jails and sheriffs departments are helping federal agents identify, detain and jail immigrants. A federal program, called 287G, empowers local law enforcement to carry out the duties of federal agents. Local agencies nationwide are joining the program as President Donald Trump seeks to carry out his mass deportation goals. Alabama counties participating include Colbert, Crenshaw, Elmore, Etowah, Franklin, Henry, Houston, Lawrence, Limestone and Pike. The Level Plains Police Department is the only municipal agency to join. Its status is pending, according to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Local sheriffs can opt to work with ICE through three models. Jail Enforcement Model, helping to identify and process removable immigrants, those with criminal charges or pending charges who are arrested by local agencies. Alabama partnerships: Pike, Lawrence, Henry, Elmore, Etowah, Houston, Franklin, Colbert Task Force Model, enforcing limited immigration authority during their regular police work. Alabama partnerships: Franklin, Lawrence, Limestone counties. Level Plains Police Department is pending. Warrant Service Officer Model, helping serve warrants on immigrants in jail. As of June 6, local and state police departments had signed 649 agreements to participate in the program, compared to the 135 agreements that were in place in January, according to reporting from ProPublica. Local law enforcement in Texas, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia have made the highest number of partnerships with ICE of any state, according to an analysis of ICE data by Axios. Trump has said he wants to deport a million immigrants a year, but has a shortage of federal agents. The programs aim is to, Protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of aliens who undermine the safety of our nations communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement states on its website. Federal agents also are arresting and detaining immigrants in other parts of the state, including in Baldwin County, Birmingham, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa. A veteran law enforcement officer has been named chief at a north Jefferson County police department. Retired Birmingham Police Department Deputy Chief Ron Sellers now heads the Kimberly Police Department. Sellers, 57, recently took over as the departments top cop. Former Chief Ricky Pridmore will still be working parttime for Kimberly in addition to a full-time position elsewhere. The City of Kimberly is going under the Jefferson County Personnel Board and brought in Sellers as a chief who has experience with the county merit system. Sellers retired from BPD in 2023 after nearly 30 years with the department. After spending 28 years in the City of Birmingham and doing my best to take care of a community I didnt live in, the opportunity came up for me to be a police chief in Kimberly, which is right next to where I live, he said. So, the opportunity to be able to support and work for a community that I do live in was just something I couldnt pass up. Kimberly has eight sworn officers. One of my goals here is to bring the department up to full speed, Sellers said. We do have an opening or two that were trying to fill to get us to 100 percent. The chief said Kimberly is a great small town. It has probably three of the best schools in the Jefferson County Schools system, incredible parks, a well-staffed fire department, Sellers said. My goal here is to just bring in best practices to improve the efficiency of the department, bring in better training, some reorganization, he said. If I had to name one goal of what I want to do here is make it the best small town police department in central Alabama. Sellers joined the Birmingham Police Department in 1995 and retired 2023, having served his last two years as deputy chief over the patrol division. Throughout his career, he worked a variety of assignments ranging from a vice and narcotics detective to South Precinct Commander before being named deputy chief in 2020. My leadership style has always been community first, Sellers said. The police department is here for one purpose and thats to serve the citizens. Our job here is to do things here for them that they cant do for themselves, he said. With this being such a great bedroom community with a lot of subdivisions, we want to make sure were providing them personalized service and not just answering calls and doing reports. We want to be community problem solvers. Sellers said future challenges will come when the Alabama Farm Center at Hallmark Farm which will be an agriculture education and event center for Alabama families opens. That will bring new businesses to the Highway 31 corridor, he said. That will bring increased growth, which were looking forward to. Sellers said he has great relationships with the other police chiefs in the area. Weve got a great group of chiefs along Highway 31, he said. Im looking forward to collaborating with them. Sellers has been married for more than 30 years to his wife, Teresa. They have one daughter who lives and works in the Huntsville area. Former Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine shakes hands with former Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine following a Mobile mayoral forum that took place on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at Cottage Hill Baptist Church in Mobile, Ala. The forum offered voters an opportunity to hear from the candidates ahead of the Aug. 26, 2025, municipal election. Mobile will have its first open mayor's race without an incumbent mayor on the ballot in 20 years. John Sharp Former Mobile County Commissioner Steve Nodine is suspending his run for mayor, citing delays in getting a state pardon from a prior felony conviction stemming from the death of his former girlfriend 15 years ago. Nodine, in a news release Tuesday, said he is dropping out of the race because of unresolved legal technicalities that will result in the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles not considering his pardon application ahead of the Aug. 26 municipal election. Therefore, out of respect for the voters and the integrity of this race, I believe it would be a disservice to remain a candidate at this time, Nodine wrote in a statement. He added that he plans to continue to be part of the conversation over the mayoral race. Nodines decision drops the number of mayoral candidates down to six. They include former Mobile County District Judge Spiro Cheriogotis, Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson, state Rep. Barbara Drummond, former Mobile City Councilman Jermaine Burrell, former Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine, and former Mobile Police Chief and Executive Director of Public Safety Lawrence Battiste. The mayoral election winner will decide who replaces retiring Mayor Sandy Stimpson, who opted last September not to run for a fourth term. The new mayor will take office in early November. Nodines announcement came on the first day that candidates can officially qualify to run for municipal office. Qualification runs until June 24. One of the requirements for candidates is to file a statement of economic interest with the Alabama Ethics Commission before they are allowed to appear on the ballot. Nodine was convicted of felony perjury in 2012 and was sentenced to a two-year prison term. He was also convicted of misdemeanor harassment and ethics violations stemming from the circumstances of the 2010 death of Angel Downs outside her Gulf Shores residence. It could have been much worse for Nodine. In 2010, a jury in Baldwin County deadlocked on murder and stalking charges against him related to his encounter with Downs ahead of her death. The circumstances of Angel Downs death were disputed in court, and evidence suggested she committed suicide. In 2012, a deal was struck in which Nodine pleaded guilty to perjury and harassment, while dropping the murder charge. He was incarcerated for two years, and was released in 2014. Nodine said he has been working to clear his name so he could run for mayor. He had been participating in candidate forums and spoke out against the Stimpson administration and raising concerns over some of the candidates in recent weeks. Despite every obstacle, Ive worked diligently and transparently to clear my name, following every rule, every deadline and every required step to secure my full pardon, Nodine said. He said that his legal team, in recent months, has uncovered and overcome systemic errors, misclassifications, and external interference which he claims complicated the process. Still, Nodine would have been unable to serve as mayor if he was elected because of the felony conviction. Alabama state law and the Alabama Constitution of 1901, as well as past Alabama State Supreme Court rulings and Attorney General opinions, prevents individuals with felony convictions from holding office, as is the case with Nodine. Section 60 of the Alabama State Constitution specifically mentions perjury as one of the offenses that makes someone ineligible from serving. Nodine also needed to receive a pardon on a separate federal felony offense he also received in 2010, for being an unlawful drug user in possession of a gun. Nodine has called his convictions in 2010 as wrongful prosecution. He said he is the only person in Baldwin County history to face felony charges related to an indigent form. He claims there has been a history of flawed record keeping that has haunted his pursuit of an expedited pardon. Still, he said he is proud of raising some core issues early in the campaign that includes, among other things, highlighting the need for Mobile to compete with fast-growing Baldwin County for jobs and opportunities; consolidating government services; instituting a comprehensive employee health care committee; and holding unelected boards accountable. Nodine, prior to his legal troubles, had never lost an election before winning a Mobile City Council seat in 2001, and then winning the District 2 Mobile County Commission seat in 2004 and re-elected in 2008. My candidacy has always been rooted in a deep love of this community and a desire to serve once again, Nodine said. From day one, I understood this would not be an easy path. An attorney for the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church gave an update on 21 Alabama churches that have sued the denomination in an effort to leave and accused seven others of steeple-jacking by changing church deeds. Elizabeth Couey Smithart, an attorney and member of First United Methodist Church of Union Springs, spoke to the conference at its annual meeting Tuesday at Pensacola First United Methodist Church. In all, she addressed 30 cases of Alabama churches at odds with the conference in the aftermath of a schism in which 248 churches disaffiliated following temporary church rules allowing them to leave and pay for their property. Those temporary disaffiliation rules were discontinued at the end of 2023, leaving some congregations that wanted to leave trapped in the conference against their will. Thus far, 21 churches in Alabama have filed suit against the conference, claiming that the trust clause does not apply to their property, Smithart said. The board of trustees and our insurance company have engaged the services of a law firm, Starnes, Davis and Florie, to assist in this endeavor. We have and continue to assert our rights under the Book of Discipline, Alabama property laws and the Constitution of the United States. She acknowledged that some of the churches that want to break away are still officially in the conference. Some of these churches are currently functioning as United Methodist congregations with appointed clergy, while some of them have illegally changed their corporate documents and their deeds prior to filing suit, Smithart said. Some churches are committing steeple-jacking, she said. Seven additional churches have engaged in what the chancellors have begun to call steeple-jacking, Smithart said. They have changed their corporate documents, deeded conference property to a non-United Methodist entity, and left us with no other recourse than to ask the courts to return our property. We are pursuing all of our legal rights in those cases as well. The longest ongoing pending litigation is with the Harvest Church of Dothan lawsuit, Smithart said. Harvest sued the conference on the creative yet false premise that Harvest is admittedly a United Methodist Church, but they did not maintain a substantial connection to the church, and they did not agree to the trust clause, Smithart said. And finally, that all of their property belongs to them. The Harvest Church of Dothan case, which has already had a hearing in the Alabama Supreme Court and was sent back to a Houston County court, is scheduled to come to trial in December, she said. Our legal team in Dothan, Bob Northcutt, Alan Livingstone and David Johnston, have done an outstanding job representing the conference under difficult circumstances, and have amassed a large amount of evidence that they contend refutes all the claims that Harvest has made, Smithart said. Finally, a group of former members of the Auburn United Methodist Church has filed suit against the conference only, and not the Auburn United Methodist Church, and has asked the court to force a disaffiliation vote and to keep the conference from taking over Auburns property, Smithart said. We asked the judge to dismiss the case earlier this year and he refused, citing many questions about the Discipline. We believe this to be a grievous misinterpretation of the law and have asked the Supreme Court of Alabama to review this decision and dismiss the entire case. On Friday (June 6), several days ago, the Supreme Court of Alabama ruled that they must respond to our petition. That is the first step in the Supreme Court hearing our side of this case. We believe that they should and will, under Alabama law, reverse the lower courts decision and dismiss the case in its entirety. Smithart also accused breakaway congregations of stacking court hearings with non-members. In many courtrooms across Alabama, opposing counsel has encouraged local people - and I say that intentionally, because we do not believe that all of these people are members of the local church - they have encouraged local people to attend the hearings in an attempt to increase pressure on the judges, especially in small towns. Smithart said the conference legal teams have not engaged in encouraging outside attendance at court hearings. We have not taken that tact, she said. Our legal team has acted with professionalism, and has strictly maintained legal decorum both inside and outside the courtroom. We believe that our legal team is representing the conference and the trustees in a way that honors the Book of Discipline as well as the laws of Alabama, and the Constitution of the United States. We have, and are continuing to appeal decisions that are contrary to our rights. We solicit your prayers that the court will correctly interpret the principles and laws that have governed our denomination since 1784, when John Wesleys vision of connectionalism became a reality. Smithart then made an appeal for breakaway churches to stay put. Id like to take a moment to speak to those churches who are participating in litigation, or who are considering it, she said. We love you. We want you to remain part of our conference and we are here to assist you with all of your ministries. To those churches that have disaffiliated, we love you, and we invite you to join us in the many exciting ministries as we continue to make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Then attorney William A. Bond, a member of Pensacola First United Methodist Church who is overseeing the conferences legal efforts in Florida, focused on the case of Perdido Bay Methodist Church. Perdido Bay was chartered as a United Methodist church in 1989, he said. That same year, the Pensacola district board of Methodist missions conveyed property to the church. The deed contained a trust clause. Thats not the case in all of the deeds under which churches acquired their property. But this particular deed has a trust clause. But it still goes farther than that. It also has something called a reverter clause. In the deed, it states that the property is being conveyed solely as a site for the establishment of a United Methodist Church and that if the property ever ceased to be used as a United Methodist Church, then fee simple title to that property would automatically revert and become re-vested in the Pensacola district board of Methodist missions. On Oct 27, 2024, Perdido Bays trustees signed a quit claim deed, conveying the churchs property to Perdido Bay Methodist Church, he said. And two days later they filed articles of amendment with the Florida division of corporations changing the churchs corporate name by dropping United from its name, Bond said. On Nov. 1, 2024, Bush Graziano law firm of Tampa, which is handling conference cases in Florida, filed a verified complaint on behalf of conference trustees to enforce the trust clause regarding Perdido Bays property. Perdido Bay answered the lawsuit and asserted several counter-claims, and also some independent claims, including defamation claims against Bishop (Jonathan) Holston (who oversees all United Methodist churches in Alabama and the Florida Pandhandle) and (Panhandle District Superintendent) Rev. Jean Tippit, Bond said said. Along with the verified complaint, Bush Graziano also filed a motion for temporary injunction, Bond said. The court held a hearing on the motion, a two-hour hearing, on March 4, and unfortunately denied the motion. Bush Graziano then appealed the courts ruling. Meanwhile, Bush Graziano had also filed a motion to dismiss Perdido Bays counter-claims, which included the claims against the bishop and Rev. Tippit, but the court entered, and before we could get it set for a hearing, the court entered its own order stating that the case would be stayed until conclusion of the appeal of the temporary injunction. Recently Bush Graziano also filed a petition for writ of prohibition, in the court of appeals, requesting the appellate court to direct the trial court to dismiss Perdido Bays counterclaims. After the First District Court of Appeals rules on the conference trustees appeals regarding the temporary injunction motion and the petition for prohibition, the case will resume in the trial court. After the detailed legal summary, Bond lightened the mood somewhat and drew a laugh, saying, If you have any concerns, I direct you to the bishop. United Methodists had been in a decades-long decline losing several million members from the 1968 through the 2020 pandemic before debates over whether to embrace LGBTQ rights finally split the church in 2022-23. Because of a feud over the denominations former ban on same-sex marriage and ordination of openly practicing gay clergy, the General Conference had adopted guidelines for churches to leave the denomination and take their property with them after meeting financial requirements. The Alabama-West Florida Conference tightened rules on leaving before the Dec. 31, 2023 disaffiliation deadline, denying many churches a path to leave. The special provision allowing disaffiliation due to disagreement over issues such as gay marriage expired at that point. In 2024, the United Methodist Church General Conference repealed its longstanding ban on same-sex marriage and ordaining openly gay and lesbian clergy. Nationwide, from 2020 to 2024, 7,600 congregations left the denomination 5,600 in 2023. Thats about a fourth of all United Methodist churches. In Alabama, more than half of United Methodist congregations disaffiliated about 555 churches. Since the window for disaffiliation closed, remaining churches that want out have turned to the courts in the effort to break away from the denomination. United Methodist leaders in Alabama say that insurance will cover most of the cost of legal battles that the denomination is involved with, as the Alabama-West Florida Conference resists efforts of churches hoping to leave the denomination and take their property with them. The Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church voted to close 27 churches on June 10, 2025, including Guy's Chapel in Bay Minette. File The Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church voted Tuesday to close 27 churches, 26 in south Alabama and one in the Florida Panhandle. Six of the closed churches were in Hale County. This is a solemn moment, said Bishop Jonathan Holston, who oversees all United Methodist churches in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. To every moment there is a season and this is that time, Holston said in a closing prayer. Lord, bless the memories. Combined with the closing of 20 churches in North Alabama on May 30, that brings the total to 46 United Methodist churches closed in Alabama in less than two weeks. The latest vote took place June 10 during the annual conference meeting at Pensacola First United Methodist Church, with Holston presiding. Holston also presided at the North Alabama Conference meeting in Birmingham when it closed 20 churches. While most of the churches that closed in South Alabama and Florida were shut down because of small and declining membership, some had been the subject of property disputes. For example, members of the 115-year-old Guys Chapel in Bay Minette had filed a lawsuit last year against the conference. The 100-member congregation argued in its lawsuit that it never agreed to the trust clause that binds the property of congregations to the United Methodist denomination. Some of the closings reflect efforts of the conference to keep the property of congregations that no longer wanted to be in the conference. There are dozens of churches in the conference that are trying to find ways to leave. Earlier on Tuesday, conference attorney Elizabeth Couey Smithart had given a summary of legal battles involving the conference and 30 congregations in Alabama. She said some Alabama churches were steeple-jacking by changing their deeds to drop United from their names. There have been similar disputes with some congregations in the Panhandle. The loss of the closed churches comes in the aftermath of a schism in which nationwide, from 2020 to 2024, 7,600 congregations left the United Methodist denomination 5,600 in 2023. In Alabama, more than half of United Methodist congregations disaffiliated about 555 churches. United Methodists had been in a decades-long decline losing several million members from the 1968 through the 2020 pandemic before debates over whether to embrace LGBTQ rights finally split the church in 2022-23. In 2024, the United Methodist Church General Conference, the churchs worldwide governing body, repealed its longstanding ban on same-sex marriage and ordaining openly gay and lesbian clergy. Here are the United Methodist churches in Alabama the conference voted to close: Pleasant Hill in Choctaw County. Mt. Herman in Hale County Mt. Carmel in Hale County Ramseys Chapel in Hale County Liberty in Hale County Pleasant Valley in Hale County China Grove in Hale County Morris Chapel of Opelika in Lee County Irvington in Mobile County Aldersgate in Montgomery County Minerva in Washington County Center Ridge in Geneva County Sardis in Geneva County Trinity Weoka in Elmore County Epworth in Barbour County Greenville First in Butler County Trinity in Russell County Williams Chapel in Pike County Guys Chapel in Baldwin County Memorial in Covington County Fitzpatrick in Bullock County Loachapoka in Lee County Whitfield Memorial in Montgomery County Butler First in Choctaw County Flomaton in Escambia County McRae Street of Atmore in Escambia County The United Methodist church that closed in Florida: Friendship in Punta Gorda in Jackson County Its always a solemn moment to have places (closed) where babies were baptized, Holston said. People were confirmed, people had their families who were deceased to have their funerals there, memorial services, where we had picnics on the ground, where we had children playing on the ground, maybe some of you were those children. The "I Want to Live" event will feature guest speaker Yung Joc, a well known rapper, who, at the first anti-violence event apologized for his music which promoted gun violence and substance misuse. The Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention Multi-platinum recording artist and television personality Yung Joc said there will be real change at this local anti-violence event. The Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention is hosting its third annual I Want to Live event at Zinn Park on Monday, June 16, at 10 a.m. The free event is open to the public and will include food, live music, resources and important discussions led by guest speakers like Yung Joc. We gotta come together man to stand up against gun violence and fight for our future. Im really about that life for real, for real. Its going to be free food, real talk and real change, Yung Joc said in a recent Facebook post. At the first anti-violence event, Yung Joc opened up about the fatal shooting of his nephew and apologized for his music which promoted gun violence and substance misuse. Its a community wide event that has shined light on the devastating effects of gun violence and substance misuse, which are often intertwined, and they are both two major public health crisis that continue to claim the lives and impact communities across the country, Laniyah Smith, a prevention specialist and spokesperson for the nonprofit, told AL.com. Since 1973, the Oxford-based advocacy nonprofit has worked to put a stop to violence and substance misuse across Alabama. In 2023, after a community survey found that Anniston and Talladega area youth, ages 16-23, were the primary victims of gun violence, the agency launched multiple anti violence campaigns including mentorship programs, intervention training and community events. And the agency says there is more work to be done. Yung Joc will be joined by Shepton Goodson, a local funeral home director, who will speak about his experience with grieving families who have lost their loved ones to gun violence and substance misuse. Were just calling for a change, for prevention and intervention before tragedy strikes, Smith said. We just want everyone to come out. By coming together as a community, were hoping to take an active stand against these issues. Smith said the event will bring awareness to community members of all ages and backgrounds about the dangers of guns and substance misuse. She said the annual event is also more than that. Its a movement towards healing, accountability and transformation, Smith said. A north Alabama congressman has formed a caucus to advocate for President Donald Trumps vision of a national missile defense system. In a June 10 post on X, Republican Rep. Dale Strong, whose 5th District includes Huntsville, Madison and Redstone Arsenal, wrote that forming the Golden Dome Caucus, signals a new era of congressional commitment to this national security initiative. In an executive order issued in late January, President Donald Trump outlined a vision of an Iron Dome for America - a national missile defense program with a special emphasis on space-based capabilities. Trumps order borrowed its name from Israels Iron Dome missile defense program, a joint U.S.-Israeli venture designed to defend that nation against missile threats launched from relatively short distances. The name of Trumps program was changed to Golden Dome shortly after his announcement. In a separate June 10 news release, Strong and fellow caucus founder Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., said the caucus would be a platform for members of Congress to advocate for policies, funding and capabilities around Golden Dome. North Alabama has played a key role in every former and current U.S. missile defense program and will undoubtedly be pivotal to the success of Golden Dome, Strong said in the release. Trump announced in May that the first $25 billion for Golden Dome would be funded in next years budget. He said the effort would cost $175 billion and that it would be in place by the end of his term. Yet questions remain over the programs specifics, timeline and funding sources. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated Golden Dome could carry a price tag of up to $831 billion over 20 years. Space-based missile defense is considered a massive technical challenge, and at least one group of scientists has called the proposal, a fantasy. Golden Dome will only be successful if we meet President Trumps timeline, Crank said in the release. This means that is imperative that we, (members of congress) and stakeholders, are well informed and working together to revolutionize missile defense of our great nation. Cranks Colorado district includes Peterson Space Force Base, the current home of U.S. Space Command. Strong and numerous Alabama politicians have called for the command to be relocated to Redstone Arsenal. Strong and Cranks House caucus mirrors one in the Senate, announced last month by Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont. Sheehy said in May that Golden Dome, will likely cost in the trillions and accomplishing its goals would, require a far more closer relationship between the appropriators, the Defense Department, our legislators and industry. Yet the Defense Department recently canceled a Huntsville industry summit designed to help small, nontraditional contractors compete for a share of billions of dollars in expected Golden Dome procurement. A rendering of the Tennessee Valley Authority's planned Pumped Storage Hydropower plant on Rorex Creek near Pisgah, Ala. Water would be pumped to the upper reservoir during times when energy use is low, then released into the Tennessee River below when energy demand is high. (Rendering courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority) Tennessee Valley Authority A new project that would use water to generate electricity could be coming to Sand Mountain in northeast Alabama. Its going to change everything, said Shane Groves, a Jackson County resident. The whole community, the whole geography, everything is going to be different. The Tennessee Valley Authority, the federal utility responsible for providing power to millions of people in north Alabama and parts of six other states in the southeast, has proposed a pumped storage hydropower facility. The stored hydropower would be used to generate additional electricity in times of high need, like cold winter days and peak summer heat. The facility could be housed in one of two Alabama locations in Jackson County: Rorex Creek near Pisgah or Widows Creek near Fabius. Or, the utility could decide to expand the existing hydropower facility at Raccoon Mountain in Chattanooga, Tenn. The utility says it prefers the Rorex Creek option. Scott Fiedler, media relations director for TVA, said that area has been studied before. Its across the river from the site of the Bellefonte nuclear plant, a planned nuclear power plant that was never completed. On Thursday, TVA will hold a public meeting on this project at Pisgah High School, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The utility will decide later this year where to locate the pumped storage hydropower project or whether to do it at all, according to the TVA website. The proposal is similar to one Alabama Power put forward in 2023, that would have created a pumped storage hydropower facility on Chandler Mountain. Alabama Power which serves the lower half of the state withdrew that proposal after outcry from residents that would have been displaced from their homes. Fiedler said it was unclear how many people would be displaced by the TVA project. It depends on which location is chosen and the ultimate design and scope of the project. But some people will likely have to move, Fiedler said, and thats why the utility is trying to be as up front as possible. We want the public to understand what the project will entail, Fiedler said. We live and work here too. So how would it work? A reservoir would be built at a higher elevation from the Tennessee River. At night, when energy demand is low, pumps would fill up the reservoir with water. Later, when demand for electricity is high, the water would be released back down into the river. The water would pass through turbines on the way out, generating electricity for the grid. Think of it like a water battery, said Fiedler. A rendering of a planned Pumped Storage Hydropower facility at Rorex Creek near Pisgah, Ala. The pumps and turbines would be located underground. (Rendering courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority) Tennessee Valley Authority Pumped storage hydropower is meant to be used when electricity demand is at its highest. The proposed facility would add extra energy storage capacity to the grid to lower the need for extreme measures, like the rolling blackouts during Christmas week in 2022, when the utilitys coverage area experienced single-digit and even sub-zero temperatures. Both the Pisgah option and the Fabius option in northeast Alabama would generate up to 1,600 megawatts of energy. Thats more energy than most coal or natural gas plants, and about the size of a nuclear power reactor, said Daniel Tait, director of Energy Alabama, a renewable energy policy group. For context, 1,600 megawatts of energy is equivalent to 1.6 gigawatts. The entire Tennessee Valley Authority system, which serves 10 million people across seven states, has a capacity of a little more than 41 gigawatts. Its no surprise that this project comes with a massive price tag: between $2 and $5 billion, according to Fiedler. The cost would be paid for with loans that would be paid off by power sales. Additional funding sources, like grants, could also be considered. But the system is designed to work forever, Fiedler said. Raccoon Mountain, TVAs existing pumped storage hydropower facility, has been operational since the 1970s and is still successful 50 years later, he said. These facilities are designed to work in concert with the utilitys other power sources, like solar power, coal and natural gas power, and nuclear power. We want to maximize the pluses and minimize the negatives, Fiedler said. We want to be generating the right energy at the right time. But others arent so sure. Tait said Energy Alabama has not decided whether it will support the proposal. Jack West, special projects director with the Alabama Rivers Alliance, an environmental advocacy group, said it is also still studying the proposal. Tait said the impact on people would be orders of magnitude less than the Chandler Mountain proposal. Energy Alabama and the Alabama Rivers Alliance both opposed that project. Hydroelectric power, using water to generate electricity, is a renewable source of energy. Its thought of as more climate-friendly than nonrenewable energy sources, namely fossil fuels. That doesnt mean it doesnt have an impact on the environment. West said that pumped storage hydropower facilities are net consumers, meaning they ultimately use more energy than they generate. They can also affect the aquatic life nearby, as well as take up existing land, West said. Carbon-free energy can have enormous impacts, West said. We need clean, renewable energy, but we need to design it in a clean, environmentally sensitive way. Groves, who lives in Pisgah, said hes very concerned about the proposal as he owns property near Rorex Creek. While his land wouldnt be directly affected, he said hes concerned about his property values, as well as a potential breach of the reservoir. Its more of a concern about whats going to happen, Groves said. They cant guarantee its not going to break. State Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro, who represents the area, told AL.com that almost all of the people he talked to were in support of the idea. It would have a huge impact, it would bring a number of jobs and great recreational opportunities, Livingston said. Livingston was one of several officials who toured the Raccoon Mountain facility several months ago as part of TVAs preparation for this facility. William Stiles, a Scottsboro resident and former Tennessee Valley Authority employee, said hes all for the project. He says its one of the few power plant projects in the U.S. thats environmentally friendly. The only drawback I see about the proposed Hydropower Pump Storage Facility is the loss of farmland, Stiles said in an email. But it will keep the environment clean and provide many good jobs and plenty of good clean energy, and it doesnt pollute our environment or damage the Tennessee River. Ultimately, the TVA board of directors makes the final decision on which alternative to take and how to fund the project. The board is appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. As a federal agency, the utility does not answer to Alabamas Public Service Commission or other state regulators. It is also possible that the utility decides to take no action. If the board decides to go forward with a pumped storage facility at Rorex Creek in Pisgah, it would take about five to six years to complete, Fiedler said. Around 1,000 jobs would be created during the construction of the plant, and another 60 would be needed once its operational. For his part, Groves said he understands the need for more energy. Ultimately, I understand theyre going to need more energy, he said. But maybe come up with a better solution to the situation. Terry Moran is leaving ABC News, just days after being suspended for posting a broadside at Trump official Stephen Miller and the Trump White House on the X social-media platform. We are at the end of our agreement with Terry Moran and based on his recent post -- which was a clear violation of ABC News policies -- we have made the decision to not renew, ABC News said in a statement Tuesday. At ABC News, we hold all of our reporters to the highest standards of objectivity, fairness and professionalism, and we remain committed to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism. Moran, who had been one of ABC News top national correspondents, on early Sunday went to X and wrote that Miller is one of the people who conceptualizes the impulses of the Trumpist movement and translates them into policy, and operates not on brains but on bile. He added that Miller was a world-class hater. You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate. ABC News suspended him just hours later, after U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Miller himself criticized the journalists words. The post, in which a veteran anchor veered into opinion rather than reportage or analysis of facts, is still seen as a breach of standards by many news organizations, despite the proliferation of opinion-led programs on cable networks such as MSNBC or Fox News Channel. Moran has been called in the past to report on politics, and secured a coveted interview with President Donald Trump in April that won plaudits. His commentary on Miller could be seen as undermining ABC News objectivity in coverage of White House matters. The Disney-backed news unit has already tangled with Trump in recent months. Disney in December agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit Trump filed against ABC News after anchor George Stephanopoulos erroneously said Trump had been found guilty of rape in a civil sexual abuse judgement brought in a case by writer E. Jean Carroll. Carroll prevailed in the case, though Trump denied wrongdoing. Many mainstream news outlets are scrutinizing their White House coverage in an era when Trump is eager to square off with them in the public arena. The Trump administration has managed to exclude the Associated Press from some news events and President Trump has ensnared Paramount Global in what many experts view as a meritless lawsuit over the way a 60 Minutes interview with former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris was edited. Paramount, which is in the midst of trying to be acquired by Skydance Media, has entered into negotiations with Trump over a potential settlement, undermining the CBS News program in the process. 2025 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC Jennifer Siebel Newsom is receiving backlash for allegedly going on a Beverly Hills shopping spree during the LA protests. But are the claims accurate? (AP Photo/Victoria Will, File) AP California Gov. Gavin Newsoms wife is being slammed for allegedly thumbing her nose at the Los Angeles protests by going shopping at a luxurious Beverly Hills complex. But are the reports that Jennifer Siebel Newsom went on the shopping spree as the protests erupted accurate? Californias First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom shrugs off riots crisis to shop, reads the headline to a Daily Mail story published Tuesday. The story includes a photo of Newsom carrying a $2,500 handbag as she walks with a bodyguard. The New York Post picked up the story Wednesday. Holding a Goyard tote bag worth $2,500 and wearing $500 Common Project sneakers, she seemed unfazed by the chaos in LA as she smiled at photographers, the Posts story stated. But her husband, Gavin Newsom, accused the outlets and social media accounts of spreading outright lies about his wife. This story is an outright lie and needs to be retracted entirely. The photo is from months ago when the first partner was picking up skin care products," the governors offices X account posted Wednesday. This story is an outright lie and needs to be retracted entirely. The photo is from months ago when the first partner was picking up skin care products. She is recovering from a past skin cancer diagnosis, you SICK people. It's why LibsOfTikTok already deleted their https://t.co/AgJI3oqhOi Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) June 11, 2025 Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and actress, posted to Instagram in 2023 detailing her skin cancer treatment. A little reminder to young folks that we are not invincible and we should never put our health, especially preventative care, on the back burner. Take care of yourselves and get regular checkups, she posted. And while there are so many benefits to sunshine, be sure you wear a hat and sunscreen during the strongest hours of sunlight. Gavin Newsom accused the media outlets that spread the misinformation of hurting his wife in light of her medical issues. She is recovering from a past skin cancer diagnosis, you SICK people, the governors X account wrote. Elon Musk expressed "regret" for "some" of his social media posts blasting President Donald Trump. Here, Trump, right, speaks during a news conference with Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) AP In an early morning post on his social media platform, Elon Musk said some of his messages attacking Donald Trump went too far. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week," Musk posted early Wednesday morning. They went too far. He issued the apology at 2:04 a.m. CST. The worlds richest person and Tesla CEO did not specify which posts crossed the line. The fight began when Musk, who opposes Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill, posted that the legislation was an abomination. The feud escalated from there, with Musk saying Trump only won the 2024 election because he donated nearly $300 million to help elect Trump. He then claimed Trump has not released the Epstein Files because the president is in them -- a post that was later removed. Meanwhile, Trump threatened to sever lucrative government contracts with Musks companies. The president claimed that Musk didnt depart Washington as a special government employee with the Department of Government Efficiency because his time with that designation was up. Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, Trump posted on his Truth Social account. The president also posted Musk wasnt upset with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it raises the deficit but instead because it withdraws valuable electric vehicle tax credits. 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. Kent Davis has filed a federal lawsuit against Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who fired him from his position as commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs last year. Davis, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, accused Ivey of violation of due process, wrongful termination, invasion of privacy, defamation, and other claims in the lawsuit filed Wednesday. Davis is seeking compensatory and punitive damages in the case. Gina Maiola, communications director for the governor, issued a statement in response. We are extremely confident that Governor Iveys necessary actions will stand any court test there may be, Maiola said. Davis was commissioner of the ADVA from 2019 until his firing in October 2024. Ivey asked the State Board of Veterans Affairs to fire Davis, but the board declined to do so after a public hearing in October. Ivey then removed him by executive order. The firing came after a dispute between the governor and Davis involving federal funds for mental health care for veterans and an ethics complaint Davis filed against one of Iveys cabinet members. Former Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Kent Davis, right, with his attorney Kenneth Mendelsohn. Davis filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday. (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com) Davis and his attorney, Kenneth Mendelsohn, answered questions about the case at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. They said Ivey fired Davis in retaliation for the ethics complaint. Mendelsohn noted that the state ethics law prohibits supervisors from punishing employees for filing complaints. The statute is clear on that, Mendelsohn said. Youre supposed to be protected for filing an ethics complaint. But its obvious from Governor Iveys statements and letters that she was firing him, in part because of that very ethics complaint. Davis filed the ethics complaint against Alabama Department of Mental Health Commissioner Kim Boswell and others in July 2024. Davis said he was obligated by law to file the complaint based on information he received from three members of the State Board of Veterans Affairs. He said a department head who fails to report a suspected ethics violation can be charged with a misdemeanor. Davis said he consulted with the ADVA general counsel to confirm that he was obligated to file the complaint. Davis said he stressed to the three board members that the complaint was confidential. But it was leaked to the press and became public. In August 2024, the Ethics Commission notified Boswell that the complaint was dismissed. The letter said that the conduct alleged in the complaint, even if true, would not have violated the ethics law. Davis said Wednesday that his main contention is not that the complaint was dismissed. They dismiss complaints all the time, Davis said. Thats part of the process. But there shouldnt be retaliation for following the law and filing an ethics complaint. Davis said there will be a chilling effect on reporting wrongdoing if retaliation is allowed to stand. Think about the next person that has an ethics concern against a public official in Alabama, Davis said. Do we really want them to pause in Alabama? But theyre inevitably going to do that now. Because theyre going to say, Im no idiot. Look what happened to that guy. Ruined his career. Turned his life upside down. In addition to the retaliation claim, Mendelsohn said Ivey lacked legal authority to fire Davis because he was hired by and worked for the State Board of Veterans Affairs. When Ivey fired Davis after the State Board of Veterans Affairs declined to do so, she provided a letter that said she had the authority to do so under the supreme executive power conferred on the governor by the state constitution. I feel quite confident under the law that there is no supreme executive power that allows the governor to violate the law or usurp the power of the board of veterans affairs, Mendelsohn said. During last years dispute with Davis, Ivey released letters about disagreements between the Alabama Department of Mental Health with the ADVA over a $7 million grant program for mental health services for veterans. Mendelsohn and Davis said they believe the disagreement about the grants was a pretext for firing Davis because the grant program was carried out after Davis found another agency to administer the grants and an alternative funding source, which the Legislature and governor approved. Mendelsohn said he intends to take a deposition from Ivey in the case. Shes the key witness to this. Shes the key defendant. Shes going to have to sit for deposition, Mendelsohn said. At one point Davis and Ivey reached an agreement for Davis to resign on Dec. 31 of last year. Ivey accused Davis of breaching the agreement. When she fired Davis last year, Ivey issued a statement saying the circumstances justified her decision and that she publicly and repeatedly gave the board ample legal reasons to remove Davis. For weeks now, I have laid out the case publicly for why new leadership at the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs is necessary, and it is unfortunate it came to forcefully removing this agency head, Ivey said in the statement last October. After what I would now deem as a total failure of leadership at the Department and lack of cooperation, I had to use the mantle of the Governors Office to make the change. Davis said Wednesday that he filed the lawsuit, in part, because Iveys actions and public statements by the governor derailed what had been a successful career of public service when he was within 16 months of qualifying for state retirement. Ive been defamed in public, Davis said. Ive been blackballed. I know that phone calls have been made. It has been very difficult on me and my family economically trying to earn a living. So thats one of the reasons. There is a personal stake involved in this. But there is also a public interest stake in this. Are we going to follow the law in Alabama? Are people above the law in Alabama and elsewhere? Those are fundamental public interest questions that need to be answered in this case. Davis has been mentioned as a possible candidate for U.S. Senate now that Tommy Tuberville has announced he is running for governor in 2026. Davis said Wednesday he would make a decision later on whether to run for office next year. This is a guest opinion column With the news of the Trump administration attempting to dismantle Job Corps, you may be wondering what this federal program is all about. Allow me to explain. Job Corps is the nations largest career technical training and educational program for low-income youth ages 16 through 24. In Alabama, our two Job Corps centers have allowed some of our most vulnerable young people to complete their education, get certified in a trade, and receive hands-on training in numerous career areas, all without having to worry about paying for housing or meals. But having visited the Montgomery Job Corps numerous times, I can tell you firsthand that for so many students, it is more than just a job training program; it is a lifeline. Not only does it prepare students for successful careers, but it provides a real pathway out of poverty for at-risk youth. For many, it offers a sense of stability, purpose, and community when there is none. And for more than 4,500 Job Corps students nationwide including more than 30 in Alabama Job Corps is a respite from homelessness. Without it, those students would have no place to go. But Job Corps isnt just good for our young people; its good for our entire state. Here in Alabama, employers have benefited tremendously from having a pipeline of skilled workers to fill job openings in everything from health care to welding to construction and IT. Closing Job Corps centers as the Trump administration has sought to do would be disastrous. Their directive has already caused needless chaos as staff scramble to support their students despite being locked out of their internal systems and ordered to wind down operations. If the administration succeeds, the harm will be irreparable. Vulnerable children will be left out on the street, cut off from housing and meals. Students will have their future plans upended despite years of working toward their degrees and certifications. Job Corps staff will face mass layoffs and the businesses who have poured time and resources into training Job Corps students will see the returns on their investment dry up. If the human impact doesnt convince you, the numbers should. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, workforce participation remains well below pre-pandemic levels, with 1.7 million Americans missing from the workforce in April compared to February of 2020. As lawmakers, we hear every day from industry leaders who are facing challenges trying to find enough workers to fill job openings. At a time when the private sector is clamoring for more workers, we should be strengthening workforce development pipelines, not dismantling them. But yet again, this administration appears to be more concerned about enriching their billionaire donors than solving our nations most pressing challenges. This recklessness is unacceptable and frankly, illegal and we as lawmakers have a responsibility to speak out against it. I recently signed a letter to President Trumps Labor Secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, supporting the continuation of Job Corps. The letter was signed by 199 Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, and was led by my Republican colleague from Kentucky, Congressman Brett Guthrie. Thats because preserving Job Corps isnt a Democratic or Republican issue. Or at least, it shouldnt be. While I may disagree with my Republican colleagues on many national issues, we share the belief that our state is better off when our kids get the resources they need to achieve their God-given potential. Through the years, I have been proud to work across the aisle to support workforce development initiatives in Alabama. I hope that we can bring that same spirit of bipartisanship to this fight. We frequently hear from conservatives about the importance of self-reliance and personal responsibility. If Republicans truly believe in pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, then Job Corps is exactly the kind of program they should support. It is not a handout; it is a hand up a way for us to empower some of our most disadvantaged young Americans to take control of their futures and do better for themselves and their families. While I am encouraged by the recent court ruling temporarily blocking the administration from shuttering Job Corps centers, I hope we can count on more Republican officials to join the growing chorus and speak out against this travesty. Job Corps is worth fighting for. Lets work together to protect and strengthen it. U.S. Rep. Terri A. Sewell is in her 8th term representing District 7 in Alabama. Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani strikes out looking against Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee in the first inning. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com The Los Angeles Dodgers play against the San Diego Padres in an MLB game today. The matchup will begin at 3:10 p.m. CT on SportsNet LA. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV. The Dodgers enter this matchup with a 40-28 record, and they have won two of their last three games. In their most recent game, the Dodgers lost 11-1 against San Diego. In order to bounce back this afternoon, the Dodgers will need to rely on their star player Shohei Ohtani. He currently leads the team with four triples and 23 home runs, which highlights his offensive prowess. Notably, Ohtani enters this game with a seven-game hitting streak. The Padres enter this matchup with a 38-28 record, and they can win this series with a victory today. In order to win this matchup, the Padres will need to rely on their star player Manny Machado. He leads the San Diego offense with 39 RBI and a .325 batting average, so he will try to continue his great play this afternoon. Fans can watch this MLB game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV. In the Louvre, theres a famous painting by the French Artist Jacques-Louis David depicting the Intervention of the Sabine Women. In it, the Sabine men, whose daughters were stolen by and then married to Romans in the mid-8th century BC, returned to avenge Roman treachery and retrieve their offspring. The scene depicts a woman standing between the belligerents, imploring them to cease fighting: If you are weary of these ties of kindred, these marriage-bonds, then turn your anger upon us; it is we who are the cause of the war, it is we who have wounded and slain our husbands and fathers. Better for us to perish rather than live without one or the other of you, as widows or as orphans. Intervention of the Sabine Women, 1799, by Jacques-Louis David. Public domain. The men stopped fighting, and eventually the Sabines became Roman citizens. This strategy of conquest and integration would characterize Rome for much of the next 1100 years. Other than perhaps Egypt, most conquered lands became essentially Roman. This is demonstrated by the extensive Roman ruins found in places like Britain, Portugal, Algeria, Turkey, and more. Although most would never become Roman citizens, their lives would have had similar characteristics throughout the Empire. Romans didnt just do forced acculturation through outside conquests. When armies would attack Rome and were defeated, which they almost always were, the Romans would sell those women and children who had traveled with the invading army into slavery. The men, if not sold into slavery, would be conscripted into the Legions, but sent to regions far from their native lands. Again, it forced its culture on others, not vice versa. The result of this was that for most of its history, Rome faced relatively few consequential internal rebellions beyond civil wars between rival generals. In the 4th century AD, however, that would change. As the Huns moved east from the steppes, they began attacking various tribes that would then plead with Rome for asylum. Sometimes willingly and sometimes not, the Romans allowed the Goths, Vandals, and others to move into the Empire. What was different now was that, rather than breaking up these foreign powers and disbursing their members throughout the Empire, the Romans allowed them to settle intact on Roman lands. These were armed groups living in their own communities, separate from the Romans and maintaining their cultures with no assimilation demanded. This would be a recipe for disaster, and Rome, after having lasted for more than a millennium, was gone within a century. The leaders of the United States and the EU should have paid a little closer attention in history class because theyre mimicking the mid-4th century Roman Empire... In both the US and the EU, politicians have either tolerated or encouraged an open border for much of the last quarter century. The result is that the United States today houses upwards of 30 million illegal aliens, while in Europe, the number may be half that. In both cases, most of the immigrants crossing the borders come from countries with far higher crime rates , far lower income levels, and very different cultures. In the United States, illegal immigrants largely come from Mexico and Latin America, while in Europe, they come from Syria, Afghanistan, and other countries in Asia and Africa . As immigrants have often done throughout history, these new arrivals, when they move to a new place, seek out brethren from their home countries or people with whom they share customs or languages. Indeed, thats exactly what the Italians in New York did at the turn of the century. The difference here, however, is that when the Italians moved to New York or the Irish moved to Boston, their goal was to integrate and become Americans. Todays immigrants to the United States dont seem to have that same desire. They may want to become citizens to stay permanently, but that doesnt mean they want to be American. Indeed, half of American Hispanics are from Mexico, and a significant portion of them believe that Americas Southwest is stolen land that rightfully should be returned to Mexico. At the same time, most of Europes newly arrived are from Islamic nations, and their allegiance is to Islam, not their new homes . Thats a problem because successful societies are built around core, fundamental values that are shared by the overwhelming majority of the population. Ideas such as free speech and freedom of religion, individual rights, and private property, which exist in Europe and America to varying degrees, while they were not always core tenets of Western civilization, are so today, or at least were until quite recently. Without those shared fundamental notions, its difficult for Western nations to function properly. Its one thing for a nation to have competing powers within the existing framework (think: Democrats and Republicans), but its another thing altogether if the competing power wants to split off a quarter of the nation or wants to impose Sharia law. Recent events have demonstrated exactly how deep the problems are. Across Europe over the last two years, there have been giant pro-Hamas demonstrations, some of which devolved into violence . Across the United States, Donald Trumps attempt to begin to ramp up deportations has been met with violence against ICE agents, and in California, it devolved into riots with law enforcement members being pelted with rocks, bottles, and various incendiaries while cars were set afire, stores looted, and the LAPD headquarters attacked. Of course, demonstrations and riots happen in any country, but when they are symbols of a bigger fissure, thats a problem. In both cases, these illegals and their predecessors, many of whom have been legalized, seek to fundamentally change the nature of the countries they now call home. Of course, invaders always want to change the nature of the place they invade, just as the Romans did as they were growing their empire. The difference is that when the Romans invaded a new land, the people already there usually fought them to maintain their culture. They usually lost, but at least they had enough pride in their culture to fight for it. What we see across the West today is just the opposite. From Sweden to the UK to Spain and the US, leaders have for years worshiped at the altar of guilt and sought to repent by welcoming millions from cultures far different than their own. Most of these leaders have been under the delusion that, if they welcome these invaders with open arms, give them shelter, food, phones, and more, the invaders will somehow respect the culture of their new homes and assimilate accordingly. Not only have the invaders failed to assimilate, but many have also attacked the very people and culture that welcomed them. From skyrocketing rapes and bombings in Sweden to knife crime and rape rings in the UK to drug dealing and taking over apartment complexes in Denver, these illegals have made it perfectly clear that they see their new homes not as refuges from some dysfunctional dystopia, but rather as fertile ground to be exploited. They have no intention of assimilating, and in reality, who can blame them? If a nation doesnt care enough about its citizens and its culture to protect them, why should anyone else? Here in America, we finally have a leader who understands the danger and is doing something about it. If the leaders of Europe dont follow Donald Trumps lead soon, they may find that its too late . Follow Vince on X at @ImperfectUSA PGG Wrightson Limited1 (PGW) Chair, Garry Moore announced today that, Mr. Wilson Liu will be appointed as an Independent Director and join the Board from 1 July 2025. Mr Liu has over 30 years of professional experience in providing audit and business advisory services. He has extensive experience in serving multinational and Chinese companies. Mr Liu started his professional career with PwC in Hong Kong and Melbourne. He retired from PwC in July 2020 with 23 years experience as audit partner. He has extensive governance experience as a member of the Governance Board of PwC Greater China and Singapore; he was President of CPA Australia North China and is currently a Council Member. Mr Liu is an independent non-executive director of Foran Energy Group Co., Limited (listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange), Valuetronics Holdings Limited (listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange) and Guotai Junan International Holdings Limited (listed on the Hong Kong Exchange). Mr Liu received a bachelors degree in commerce from the University of Western Australia and is a member of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. He is also a fellow member of CPA Australia and the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. With his extensive accounting and finance experience it is anticipated that Mr. Liu will join the PGW Audit Committee, with the timing of that appointment yet to be determined. As a resident of Hong Kong, he currently splits his time between Hong Kong and Melbourne. Given his broad Australasian and business experience he will bring valuable skills to the PGW Board. Mr Moore said that Wilson Liu has been appointed with the full support of the PGW Board, and we look forward to him joining us from July. Current director, Meng Foon has indicated that he will not be seeking re-election at the Annual Shareholders Meeting later this year and will retire from the PGW Board. Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Half-way predictions scorecard SKT - Sky appoints new Chief Financial Officer July 7th Morning Report CDC Independent Valuation - 30 June 2025 TruScreen Group Limited SPP Update THL provides updated guidance CEN - Greymouth gas deal July 4th Morning Report July 3rd Morning Report ikeGPS Chief Financial Officer Transition Since America is revisiting its immigration policies, its time to revisit the visas we grant to non-immigrants, since the concerns their entries raise often overlap with immigrant issues. From 2000 to 2008, the United States issued between 5 and 8 million non-immigrant visas a year. From 2010 through 2019, before 2020 when the world fell down the COVID rat hole, the number ranged between 7 and 11 million. Nonimmigrant (temporary) visas are obtained by applying at a US Embassy or Consulate abroad. With most countries, the US has a visa reciprocity schedule that allows for the issuance of multiple-year visas, up to ten years for nationals from around 110 countries. In 2000, there were 33.7 million nonimmigrant admissions into the US, with about 10% of them being individuals making multiple trips. By 2019, that number had more than doubled to 81.6 million. Admission includes those with visas, those nationals of 42 countries allowed in under the visa waiver program, and holders of Mexican border crossing cards (BCC). People obtain entry by presenting themselves at a designated point of entry (air, sea, land), where an Immigration Officer can admit them. U.S. Customs and Borders. Rawpixel public domain. The vast majority of nonimmigrant visas issued and admissions granted are for visitors for business or pleasure, the B-1/B-2 category. Each entry is limited, usually to 90 or 180 days. The rest of the visa categories cover a wide rangediplomats, air crews, students, investors, certain relatives, workers of all sorts, and a smattering of infrequently used classifications. One thing all nonimmigrant admissions (except for fiances and certain relatives) have in common is that they assure the Consular Officer issuing the visa, and the Immigration officer granting the admission, that the person entering has a home abroad that s/he intends to return to. And the officer is convinced. When people immigrate to the United States, they must have a medical clearance. This process is established to protect the American populations health. This should also be made a requirement for anyone coming to the United States who anticipates remaining here longer than six months. This would include workers in every field and university students. It only makes sense that longer-term visitors be treated in the same manner as immigrants, and for the same reasons. It also makes sense that longer-term nonimmigrants be required to obtain medical insurance, whether through their school or employer. There are multiple grounds for a finding of inadmissibility to the United States (see 8 USC 1182 for the full list). Health-related grounds are the first listed. Healthcare costs might raise public charge concerns. Mental issues raise the risk of criminality and other dangers to the community. Then there are communicable diseases of public health significance. Its a short listactive TB, Gonorrhea, infectious Hansens Disease (Leprosy), and infectious syphilis. In 2010, President Obamas HHS removed HIV from this list for political reasons. The HIV prevalence rate in the US is around 0.4%. Long-term nonimmigrants to America come from several countries where HIVs prevalence is much higher. HIV needs to be added back to the list of communicable diseases of public health significance. Likewise, immigrants are required to provide a police clearance certificate as part of their immigration application. Long-term nonimmigrants should meet that requirement as well. Weve seen the riots over the past couple of years that include foreign students and other aliens. Secretary Rubios pause in issuing student visas to more fully vet applicants is a welcome improvement. I suggest that it is time that the Department of State print a brochure to be given to all successful temporary visa applicants, and to all those who cross the border under a visa waiver or a Mexican BCC. A signed acknowledgement of the receipt and understanding of the brochure should be incorporated into the record of the visa issuance or border admission, so there is no doubt. The brochure should clearly outline Americas expectations of nonimmigrants, their rights and responsibilities as visitors to our country, and the penalties for violating legal restrictions on their behavior while in the United States. It should include the nonimmigrants acknowledgement that such violations may result in visa cancellation and immediate removal from the country. Lets discuss Temporary Protected Status for a second. TPS is granted when the Attorney General designates a foreign state as having extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent its citizens from returning home safely. Such conditions do not support the granting of asylum or refugee status. They are allowed to stay in the US pending their eventual return home. TPS is currently granted to nationals of Afghanistan, due to violence and insurgency, scheduled to end 7/12/2025, entry currently restricted under the While House Proclamation dated 6/4/2025 Cameroon, insurgency, 6/7/2025 El Salvador, earthquake, 9/9/2026 Ethiopia, violence and humanitarian crisis, 12/12/2025 Haiti, earthquake, 8/3/2025, restricted Honduras, hurricane, 7/5/2025 Lebanon, war, 5/27/2026 Myanmar (Burma), coup, 11/25/2025, restricted Nepal, earthquake, 6/24/2025 Nicaragua, hurricane, 7/5/2025 Somalia, war, 3/17/2026, restricted South Sudan, war, 11/3/2025 Sudan, conflict, 10/19/2026, restricted Syria, war, 9/30/2025 Ukraine, war, 10/19/2026 Venezuela has two separate TPS designations, socioeconomic and political crisis, 9/10/20205 and 10/2/2026, partially restricted Yemen, civil war, 3/3/2026, restricted. At this time, the Attorney General has determined that these people temporarily have no home abroad to which they can return. It seems only sensible that no nonimmigrant visas, with the exception of diplomatic-type visas, should be issued, nor admission granted, to any nationals of these countries. If their stay cannot be determined to be truly temporary, they should not be admitted as nonimmigrants. On June 4 this year, President Trump issued a White House proclamation restricting entry into the United States of aliens from countries that are home to anti-American foreign terrorism or which are the source of other national security and public safety threats to the United States. The identified countries need to improve their information-sharing and identity-management procedures before they are considered adequate to meet our visa issuance and entry-granting requirements. Besides the countries in the list above, nationals from Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, and Libya are fully restricted. Nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Turkmenistan are partially restricted, mostly due to historically high overstay statistics. Before Bidens presidency, two-thirds of the illegals in the US resulted from aliens overstaying their visa admissions. Trumps order is excellent work, a promise kept, and We the People are pleased. Asylum applicants present another sort of issuethat of fraud. All who obtain a nonimmigrant visa and/or admission to the US have declared that they have a home abroad to which they intend to return. Crying asylum and applying for refugee status means that the declaration was false. They obtained their visa or their entry, or both, by fraud. Any application for asylum status from someone issued a nonimmigrant visa and/or granted entry should be denied for being facially untrue. Send them back home, or let them go to any other country and present themselves for processing as a refugee. Boat people from Cuba and Haiti, who havent landed in an intermediate country of first asylum, are the clear exceptions. Lets tighten up visa issuance guidelines. No one is entitled to a nonimmigrant visa, except for diplomatic corps members. For countries not included on the above lists, especially from which terrorists have come to our shores or attacked our citizens abroad, e.g. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iraq, hard scrutiny is needed. Any hint of doubt about an applicants identity, intent while in the US, or motivation to return home, regardless of their nationality, should result in a denial of the applicationeither at the Embassy or at the border. It will lessen potential harm to our nation in the future. Anony Mee is the nom de blog of a retired public servant who X-tweets at oh_yeahMee. No monument stands over Babi Yar. A drop sheer as a crude gravestone. I am afraid. Today I am as old in years as all the Jewish people. Now I seem to be a Jew. So begins Yevgeny Yevtushenkos heart-wrenching poem Babi Yar, published in 1961. Written to protest antisemitism, it shames communist leaders by saying their hands are unclean for having erased the memory of the gunning down of over 34,000 Jews by the Nazis in Babyn Yar, a ravine on the outskirts of Kyiv on September 2930, 1941. The poem wasnt proscribed, but censors ensured that for 22 years, it wasnt published in any of Yevtushenkos collections. Dimitri Shostakovichs Symphony 13, inspired by the poem, suffered a similar fate: performances faced bureaucratic interference and disruptions, and the lyrics, an interlinked collage of Yevtushenkos poems, had to be changed off and on. But such is the irony of how human nature and memory respond to suppression that everyone came to know Yevtushenkos poem anyway. And Symphony 13, which resonated deeply with audiences in the Soviet Union, came to be known as the Babyn Yar symphony. A massacre to which even a cold memorial plaque was denied thus became enshrined in collective memory through the power of art whose creators defied an authoritarian regime. In The Ravine of Memory: Babyn Yar Between the Holocaust and the Great Patriotic War, published in March this year, Shay A. Pilnik presents the story of that internal memorialization of the Babyn Yar massacre through literature. For there were many other writers, too, who wrote essays, poems, stories, and other works about Babyn Yar. In the introduction, Pilnik quotes James Young, author of a seminal study of Holocaust memorials: The more memory comes to rest in its externalized forms, the less it is experienced internally. Then, speaking of the story his book tells, Pilnik says: Ours is a story of the most effective memorial one could think of albeit not one made out of stones, but rather of words calling its memory-bearers to act rather than simply to recall, galvanizing a literary, social, and national movement to revolve around it. Babyn Yar is a grim icon of the Holocaust by bullets, or the mass shooting down of Jews conducted by the Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing units of the Nazis) in Eastern Europe and the western frontiers of the Soviet Union. The Jews from the western frontier of the Soviet Union were the first group to be targeted for annihilation, well before the massive deportations of Central and Western European Jews to death camps. In all, the Nazis killed over two million Jews in the Soviet Union. Thus, Babyn Yar might be seen as the launching point of the Nazi plan to eliminate European Jewry. What stands out most about it is the pace of killing: more than 34,000 Jews massacred in 35 hours. Auschwitz, in contrast, gassed and incinerated 6,000 Jews daily. Babyn Yar, it might be noted, was before the Nazis decided that for eliminating races that they deemed inferior, gas was more efficient than bullets. The historiography of the massacre is complicated by the fact that Babyn Yar wasnt a mass grave of Jews alone. Pilnik mentions the work of Ukrainian scholar Vitalii Nakhmanovich, whose extensive research and interviews have uncovered that the first Nazi massacres in the ravine were of Russian PoWs, a week before the September 2930 mass execution of Jews rounded up from Kyiv. After that, the Nazis continued to execute non-Jews, Roma, captured soldiers, and others in the ravine. So, he says, it was easy for the massacre of the Jews to be subsumed and even blacked out in the Soviet narrative of Babyn Yar as a site of great sacrifice made by the people of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War, which is how the Soviets refer to the June 1941May 1945 period of World War II on the Eastern Front. Even so, antisemitism prevalent in the Russian empire, and very much alive in the communist regime surely influenced the fact that little was known or written about the two million Jews killed by Nazis in the Soviet Union. In post-Holocaust Jewish families living in the USSR, there was talk of killing fields and everyone knew vaguely about what had happened to the Jews, but speaking about it openly was taboo. As Natan Sharansky says in the foreword, there was constant public reference to the Soviet Unions long, painful, bloody victory over Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, but we could not talk about the war against the Jews. The communist regime was set on amalgamating the heroic resistance of its constituent nations against the Nazi onslaught and their great sacrifices into one narrative that of the Great Patriotic War. To mention the specific targeting of Jews by the Nazis would fragment that narrative and foreground the enormity of Jewish suffering. This wasnt what the communists wanted, so documents would mention Jews far down the long list of victims of the war, way below soldiers and others. This narrative also shielded Soviet officialdom from accusations of complicity in the killing of Jews. Expediency dictated how Lenin, Stalin, and the communist regime viewed Jews. Before the October Revolution, Lenin and Stalin defined Jews not as a nation but a historical remnant. Then, during Stalins purges to consolidate power, ethnic minorities and political opponents, including many Jews, were relentlessly executed. During the war years, two narratives emerged. Because it was advantageous for the war effort, from 1942 to 1944, Stalin encouraged the expression of Jewish culture, for he sought support from the minorities and believed he could exploit Soviet Yiddish culture for propaganda. During this period, Babyn Yar was recognized as a site of a distinctly Jewish tragedy. Post-war, however, the Holocaust was absent from reportage, literature, and commemoration. Antisemitism reared its head, and there was a crackdown on Jewish writers, intellectuals, and professionals. Babyn Yar was buried. In 1966, some Jews put up an unofficial memorial sign at Babyn Yar. In 1972, some Jews were arrested for putting flowers on the site. It wasnt until 1976 that an official monument was built at the site. But much before that, the ghosts of Babyn Yar had started populating literature, whispering to the souls of readers, stirring their conscience against the sin of forgetting. Their voices gained strength during the period known as Khrushchevs Thaw, when artistic freedom was encouraged to an extent, in what came to be known as the complex phenomenon of permitted dissent. Pilniks scholarly work which took more than 10 years to write is a deep and poignant study of that convergence of state-imposed forgetting and defiant artistic remembering. Among the earliest works addressed by Pilnik are poems and other writings by Ilya Ehrenburg and Vasily Grossman, both Jewish but writing in Russian. Ehrenburgs poem Babi Yar, published in 1945, creates a haunting picture of a city echoing with the cries and rattling bones of the dead that lie in the ravines. Grossmans chief act of memory was The Black Book, a collection of reports on the Nazi atrocities in the USSR. One chapter is devoted entirely to the writer-journalist Viktor Nekrasov, perhaps the first writer to demand a memorial at Babyn Yar. Despite his deep empathy for common Russians, especially peasants, his stance against authoritarianism during the Stalin era, and its return during the latter years of Khrushchev era, resulted in the revoking of his citizenship. He died an emigre in Paris. Besides the work of writers like Yevtushenko during Khrushchevs Thaw years, Pilnik examines in detail works in Yiddish (the fragile sister tongue of Russia) and Ukrainian. Chapters on Pilniks close readings of three major Yiddish works on the massacre stand out: an essay-story (published as Babyn Yar, but originally titled Among the Jews) and a story (Without Thinking, Without Calculation), both by Itsik Kipnis; and a poem (that came to be called The Babi Yar Cradle Song) by Shike Driz. A chapter is also devoted to Anatoly Kuznetsovs documentary novel Babi Yar, published in 1966 after his defection to England, which, along with Yevtushenko and Shostakovichs works awakened the world to Babyn Yar. In the current half-decade, which is seeing the rise of antisemitism the October 7 Hamas attack and the anti-Israel sentiment on display in left-leaning circles and campuses Pilniks work comes as a troubling reminder that we cannot forget what the Jews have endured. Like the ghosts of Babyn Yar, its memory will triumph over suppression and continue to disturb human consciousness. The ghosts will not sleep, despite Drizs lullaby: Help me, mothers, help me, To wail to the end my melody. Help me, mothers, help me, To lull Babi Yar to sleep. Image: Public domain. In contemporary discourse, stress has become the ubiquitous villain, blamed for everything from minor irritations to severe physical ailments and mental health crises. We speak of stressful jobs, stressful relationships, and stressful deadlines, implying that the external pressures themselves are inherently detrimental. This popular misconception, however, fundamentally misunderstands the nature of human adaptation and resilience, and weakens us when we should be strong. A more accurate perspective, bolstered by the seminal work of figures like Hans Selye and Viktor Frankl, reveals that stressan external demand or stimulusis rarely the issue. (Barring Wile E. Coyote-level stress, that is.) The issue is strain, our individual physiological and psychological response to that demand called stress. Strain is what ultimately determines well-being, performance, and suffering. Image by AI. A critical aspect of understanding stress is acknowledging its inherent uncontrollability, in general. We are, to a significant degree, powerless to prevent the myriad stressors that life presents. One cannot prevent someone elses child on an airplane from crying. We cannot control the sudden traffic jam that makes us late, the unexpected economic downturn that threatens our livelihood, or the unforeseen personal crisis that erupts without warning. These external demands are facts of existence that do not respect our wishes or efforts to avert them. The reaction to stress is called strain. Since the presence of stressors is largely beyond our volition, our only recourse lies in mastering our response. All we can do is condition ourselves to handle the stress; in essence, to control the strain. Hans Selye is the father of modern stress research. A Hungarian-Canadian endocrinologist, he dedicated his life to studying the bodys reaction to various demands. Selye meticulously documented the bodys reaction to a demand placed upon it, identifying a universal pattern he termed the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). An example of adaptation is seen in athletes. That adaptation is a rare example of stress that is volitionally and controllably imposed (recall the overwhelming majority of stressors are beyond our control). Physical training, like any other process of growth and improvement, requires us to expose ourselves to increasing demands to build capacity. Weightlifters do not get stronger by avoiding heavy loads; they progressively increase the stress (weight) on their muscles to force adaptation and build greater strength and resilience. This adaptation is called improvement or progress. They do this by effectively controlling their strain. (It huuurts. This is difficult. Waaaah.) This is true if improvement is to result from any undertaking. You stress (place a demand), you adapt (hopefully improve). If you did not adapt, the stress was inadequate in the vast majority of instances. Try harder. (See, e.g., George Brooks work.) Similarly, psychological resilience is forged not by escaping stressors, but by confronting them and developing strain control mechanisms. Every so often, you hear someone talk about how torture does not work. I am sure those who say it have never been torturedat least not past the torture of when their McRib sandwich is out of season. Real experts who deal with real torture, which I am going to consider as real stress (sorry McRibophiles), do not train the Special Forces to handle stress by applying facial masks, giving massages, or aromatherapy. Surprise! SERE Training, an acronym for Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape, is a critical component of military training techniques. It equips personnel with essential skills necessary to endure adverse conditions and navigate complex environments successfully SERE Trainingrepresents an essential military framework designed to equip service members with the skills necessary for survival in hostile environments. This training ensures that personnel can navigate challenging circumstances resulting from isolation or captivity, effectively minimizing risks associated with such situations This training emphasizes building resilience against both physical hardships and psychological stressors encountered during survival situations. This includes methods to conserve energy, manage discomfort, and maintain morale. Soldiers learn to endure extended periods without supplies while developing skills to mentally cope with isolation and uncertainty. Moreover, resistance training incorporates simulated scenarios where soldiers practice maintaining their composure during high-stress events. Role-playing and immersive exercises enhance adaptability and encourage critical thinking under pressure, which are vital for successful execution of escape and evasion strategies. Through rigorous resistance training, military personnel cultivate long-lasting endurance, enabling them to face the unpredictable nature of combat and survival situations confidently. This foundational skill set ultimately enhances the effectiveness of SERE Training in fostering robust operational readiness. While Selye provided a physiological lens, Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, and Holocaust survivor, offered a profound existential perspective on the primacy of response over circumstance. Frankl, the founder of Logotherapy, lived through unimaginable stressors in Nazi concentration camps, where he witnessed extreme suffering and the depths of human degradation. Yet, in the face of such absolute horrors, he observed that, even under the most dire conditions, individuals possessed the last of the human freedomsto choose ones attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose ones own way. Frankls work fundamentally argues that lifes ultimate challenge is not to avoid suffering (which is inevitable), but to find meaning in suffering. That is, a means to control strain. For those in the concentration camps, the stressors were constant and annihilating. Frankl witnessed that those who survived, or at least retained their dignity and humanity, were often those who managed their internal strain by finding a purpose, a reason to endure, or a meaning in their existence, however small. Whether it was the thought of loved ones waiting, an unfinished scientific work, or simply the determination to bear witness, this internal choice of attitudethis refusal to let the external horrors dictate their inner statewas paramount. Frankls observations reveal that even when the external environment offers no control, the internal landscape remains sovereign. Synthesizing the insights of Selye and Frankl illuminates the critical distinction between stress and strain. Selye, through his biological framework, shows us the inherent adaptive mechanisms of the body. He teaches us that a demand is simply a demand, and whether it results in benefit or debilitation depends on the individuals perception and management of the strain. Frankl, from an existential viewpoint, demonstrates that even in the most extreme and uncontrollable circumstances, the human spirit retains the profound freedom to choose its attitude. If one chooses despair, the strain becomes overwhelming and destructive. If one chooses meaning or purpose, the strain, though painful, can become a crucible for resilience and wisdom. By understanding this distinction, we shift from a passive victimhood. Blaming stress externalizes responsibility and promotes a mindset of helplessness. Conversely, recognizing strain as our personal response places the locus of control firmly within ourselves. It highlights that while we cannot always control the stressors life throws our way, we possess a remarkable capacity to control our reactions to them. This doesnt imply an absence of difficulty or suffering; rather, it suggests that our well-being is largely determined by how we manage our internal resources, perceptions, and attitudes in the face of lifes inevitable demands. Wanna beat stress? Accept more stress, deal with more stress, put yourself in more stressful situations, and adapt. The only downside? Business loss to the spas for conning you into believing theirs is the way to relieve stress. Savor this moment. Theyre panicking. The institutional left is sending up signal flares that this whole open border thing has backfired, and backfired bigly. Were seeing it from a CNN poll, from a swampy, spooky Washington Post columnist, from a lefty think tank talking head, even from Bloomberg. Theyre all telling the Democrats to be very, very careful how they handle the L.A. riots in particular, and the issue of illegal immigration in general because all signs point to doom. SHOCKING NEW POLL FROM CNN VINDICATES TRUMP ON IMMIGRATION! CNN's Harry Enten just broke down the numbers that absolutely DEMOLISH Democrats' narrative on illegal aliens. The group who's breaking from liberals on this issue? LEGAL IMMIGRANTS! "A 40 point shift to the right pic.twitter.com/y05xyYuoSM Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 10, 2025 David Ignatius is an opinion columnist for The Washington Post who typically deals in the obfuscating matters of deep state intelligence, but Wednesday morning he posted a shockingly lucid piece on the immigration news of the last few days: Democrats ignored border politics. Now the consequences are here. Democrats have gotten the border issue so wrong, for so long, that it amounts to political malpractice. The latest chapter in which violent protesters could be helping President Donald Trump may prove the most dangerous yet. Yikes. He goes on: Democrats mistake, over more than a decade, has been to behave as though border enforcement doesnt matter. Pressured by immigrant rights activists, party leaders too often acted as if maintaining a well-controlled border was somehow morally wrong. [snip] [T]he immigration issue has been a car crash skidding toward us in slow motion. [snip] The saddest part is that Democrats still have no clear policy. Some blue-state mayors and governors have pledged to provide sanctuary for migrants, but they dont have good arguments to rebut Trumps claim theyre interfering with the enforcement of federal law. In some cases, sanctuary has meant refusing to hand over undocumented migrants convicted of violent crimes, former DHS officials tell me. Thats wrong. Thats wrong. Wow. Just WOW. He concludes: Democrats need to oppose violence, by anyone and to help enforce immigration policies that begin with a recognition that it isnt immoral to have a border. That shouldnt be a big ask, but its Democrats were dealing with here, not rational people. Expect to see more incoherence from them. Here we have Amy Walter from The Cook Report, which is a kind of polling/analysis think tank, who is usually juuuuust to the right of crazy. Shes one of those rare liberals who hasnt gone completely off the deep end, and here she dips her toe into right-wing waters. In a segment titled, Democrats Used To Have An Advantage Over Trump On Immigration, They Have A Disadvantage Now Walter had this to say: This is a fight that Donald Trump wants, (and) Democrats know that... They can see the poll numbers. Donald Trump has the benefit of the doubt that he doesnt have on a lot of other issues. So this is a fight that he wants to have. What Democrats are saying is, lets not give him more fuel to keep this fight going. You see the mayor of Los Angeles, Gavin Newsom, others saying, please, if you want to protest, thats great. Dont turn it violent. Dont allow this to turn into something that benefits Donald Trump, the signs, the scenes of chaos and police in the streets. The question going forward, I think, is how Democrats do talk about these issues, its going to be really important for the not just what's happening today in Los Angeles, but just writ large. I think there has been a lot of pullback and a lot of hand-wringing from Democrats about an issue which they used to have an advantage on during the Trumps first term, they have a disadvantage on now. This issue isn't going away. And how Democrats respond to whether this is going to happen in other states, how they address concerns about safety and security, that is going to be critical just for the next well, forever long. And finally, some fascinating insights according to David Drucker at Bloomberg: Democrats have been losing support among [Hispanics] for years (and) Democrats have largely themselves and their faulty strategic choices to blame, political analysts and operatives (say). Its just what many of us (MAGA) have suspected: Democrats have gone so woke theyve gone and broken one of their most reliable coalitions, mostly by abandoning bread and butter issues: They [Hispanics] think Democrats are prioritizing what they see as niche and liberal social and cultural issues over real ideas to make life more affordable, wrote Working Class Project (a Democrat research project) spokesman Ian Sams detailing the findings from focus groups with working-class Hispanics in McAllen, Texas, a border community in the once deep-blue Rio Grande Valley. Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist and Trump critic, articulated that the Hispanic electorate has evolved and these voters are behaving politically like blue-collar whites in their political affiliations. The Democrats got left behind. Theyve been stuck in gear doing the Hispanic stereotyping for so long an entire population has passed them by, grown up, and fled the nest. Hence the (insane) term, white Hispanic. It will be fascinating to watch the Democrats continue to lose this coalition. They used to be able to rhetorically rely on dreamers as an emotional gut punch issue, but that emotional potency has waned dramatically. What remains is electoral potency: because The Supreme Court bungled the matter of citizenship and the census several years ago, ruling that immigration status neednt count in apportionment, the Democrats once had a huge incentive to get warm bodies in precincts they wanted to shore up or take over, but now do they? Will they? Those numbers from Harry Enten at CNN show the ground moving beneath their feet. Their previously reliable constituency has now receded and the warm bodies? Well, they may or may not be amenable to Democrat vote fortification efforts. So savor this moment. It is a watershed. Lets hope the stupid party (the GOP) doesnt do what they usually do: snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Image from X. Americans watching the phenomenon of Los Angeles rioters (AKA peaceful protesters) saw many waving Mexican flags while burning cars and blocking traffic on a major highway. There are now social media influencers arguing that those folks should ditch the Mexican for the American flag. Why? Substituting the red, white, and blue for the red, white, and-green would not raise American hackles. It would not get Americans thinking, Maybe theres really something not in Americas interests in mass, illegal immigration. It would try to turn impeding federal immigration law enforcement into an American thing to do. We should push back on that advice, because it is lacking one critical element: You should wave Old Glory because you love it. Because you pledge allegiance to it. Because its your country. The flag is not a prop, a backdrop to support the cosplay in which you are engaged. If it is, then youre missing the critical element just stressed: Its your flag. Its a symbol, not a stage decoration. People can even give their lives for symbols; they dont for props. The guys on Iwo Jima werent raising a prop. We should be critical of the mentality of the flag of the day, le drapeau du jour. I think its a modern-day affliction. As Los Angeles was roiled in unrest, on the other side of the world, Greta Thunberg et al. were sailing for the coast of Gaza, intent on making a statement. What Israel called the selfie flotilla daily posted pictures of Captain Greta and her Argonauts, usually with Thunberg channeling her inner Rose standing in the bow with a Palestinian flag. (Cue Celine Dion.) A Palestinian flag. Shes a Swede. Why do I make that point? Because when Israel interdicted the boat, all of a sudden, the crew suddenly ceased being global citizens and invoked their nationalities. All the crew members posted videos appealing to their countries of citizenship to provide them with consular protections in Israel. Most galling, the dinghy that was constantly flying the Palestinian flag suddenly became a British ship, with demands that His Majestys Government not just make inquiries, but even come to the aid of an illegally seized English boat. Thats what I mean by drapeau du jour. Now that Thunberg has been deported, expect attention on Rima Hassan, a leftist (France Unbowed) member of the European Parliament (MEP) from France. (She arrived in France c. 2002.) All across the Mediterranean, Hassan touted her credentials as a European official (who should presumably then have immunity). How dare the Israeli occupiers touch an MEP? Now that shes in Israel, shes suddenly become a Palestinian asserting her right of return. In this authors view, its a stunt, Act II of the Flotilla Show. Faced with accepting deportation from and a ban on return to Israel, shell risk jail to deny Israels right to bar her from her land. Guess it would be uncouth, maybe even racist, sexist, or horrors Islamophobic, to suggest that the MEP should have been in Strasbourg, doing her job, working for the French people who nominally elected her. Had she been, shed be free as a bird. Citizenship and loyalty are not a costume, a particular vesture to be donned according to what is most useful at the moment to the bearer. Thunberg and her flotilla crew didnt call for the Palestinian Autonomy to sail out to protect the Madleen; they asked for the Royal Navy. Our hearts may be with Hamas, but well co-opt His Majesty when it suits our purposes. Thinking about the meaning even the exclusive, almost monogamous relationship most people have (or at least used to have) with their national flags is an appropriate reflection this Saturday, June 14, Flag Day. Its also a day being prepped for coast-to-coast anti-ICE protests. Watch what flags appear. The drapeau du jour is very much the consequence of the globalist ideology, inculcated in many American classrooms, that we are world citizens. The truth is that the concept in many ways undermines the very idea of citizen. It instead puts the focus on the individual and his agenda, for whom a particular citizenship or flag becomes momentarily useful in the pursuit of that agenda. Need to convince Americans that illegal immigration is OK? Wrap it up in Old Glory. Need help when youre boarded for sailing into restricted waters? Hope that the Union Jack will help you rule the seas. Image: Greta Thunberg. Credit: Lea-Kim Chateauneuf via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped). While the January 6th Commission spent years and untold taxpayer dollars branding American citizens as seditionists and strangling Donald Trumps return to the presidency, the real insurrection was being imported by air, land, and sea. Now it has revealed itself on the streets of Los Angeles. The American flag burns. Foreign banners fly defiantly. ICE agents are met with violence carried out by the bannermen of Mexican cartels and jihadist organizations. These are foot soldiers in a slow motion campaign against the American nation state. ICE agents, the National Guard, and United States Marines are now engaged in direct confrontation with the insurrectionists who fight to dismantle the republic. And it was all planned. The insurrectionists were delivered through a long multinational project funded by the Democrat party, allied billionaires, and NGOs. While Schiff, Cheney, and the rest of the January 6th chorus thundered about treason, twenty million foreign subverters were waved through our borders as symbols of Democrat party compassion. But it was always about reclaiming power. The very people who declared the Capitol breach an existential threat to democracy are now presiding over the slow destabilization of American cities. They are generals in the fight to destroy America, and their foot soldiers march under foreign flags in downtown Los Angeles. The prelude and rehearsal for this moment was the summer of 2020. The streets were ablaze with moral grievance, chaos masked as justice, destruction as liberation. The next act unfolded on our campuses, where American Jewish students were harassed, demonized, assaulted, and hunted by an ideological movement cloaked in social justice but animated by hatred of Israel, America, and all of the West. The Jews remain, as ever, the canary in the coal mine. In the L.A. riots of 2025, Palestinian keffiyehs are everywhere, alongside chants explicitly calling for Americas downfall. The tactics of jihad have found new life on American soil. In Gaza, terrorists hide behind human shields. In California, peaceful immigrants are exploited as political shields. Elevated by Democrat politicians as noble victims of a broken system, they now serve as moral camouflage for a more sinister campaign. The formula is simple: blur the line between victim and aggressor. Mask insurrection as empathy. It is all aimed at undermining the rule of law, specifically as it is administered by the Trump administration. The producers of this performance, Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, know exactly what they are staging. Bass, a former community organizer with deep roots in protest movements, is no stranger to ideological confrontation. She built her political identity in the streets. Now, from the mayors office, she offers cover to those trying to bring the republic to its knees. Newsom and Bass are suing the Trump administration for deploying the National Guard to protect American citizens from it. Let that sink in: the elected leaders of California are turning to weaponized courts and partisan judges to stop the U.S. military from defending Americans on American soil. And the timing is no accident. President Trump is set to lead a public celebration of American strength on June 14th, Flag Day, and his birthday. But across the country there are whispers of something darker, a coordinated escalation, perhaps nationwide. Because they want the White House back, for good. To cement permanent power. They could not earn it with prosperity or peace, only with demographic disruption. So they imported a new electorate. Because after years of rule, all they have to show are broken cities, burning flags, and a crumbling republic. So call it what it is: an insurrection. And this time, it is real. Image: YouTube video screen grab. What a difference a day makes. "24 little hours" as goes that song. Well, something happened in Mexico because "La Presidenta" as she likes to be called, did a quick reversal on what's happening in LA. Not long ago, she called for people to mobilize in opposition to the tax or fee on remittances. This is the story: Mexicos president is threatening to mobilize the country against a Republican proposal to tax remittances, which advocates say would choke off cash flow to Mexican drug cartels. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum raged against the proposal in a speech against the law, which imposes a tax on money sent out of the United States by foreign nationals. If necessary, well mobilize, Sheinbaum said. We dont want taxes on remittances from our fellow countrymen. From the U.S. to Mexico. To be fair, the President of Mexico was not talking about the violence in LA. Unfortunately, her timing was awful. Calling for "amigos in the U.S." to mobilize when other amigos are waving Mexican flags with cars burning in the background is bad timing 101. I'm sure she didn't plan it that way, but life is unfair. So Presidenta Sheinbaum came back the next day and clarified her position: "We call on the Mexican community to act peacefully and not fall for provocations," Sheinbaum said. She did not call for an end to the protests. My question is what provocations are people burning cars falling for? She didnt explain and no one asked. What happened? Maybe President Sheinbaum realized that she had stepped on it and shifted gears. Or maybe someone whispered in her ear to stay away from LA. I don't know what happened but I do know that she is facing serious internal issues from violence to teachers protesting all over. Maybe she thought that a fight with President Trump would help her politically. Who knows? But she is not talking about mobilizing anymore. P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. Image: Secretaria de Cultura CDMX Youve likely heard about the exciting new features packed into Android 16. Google just started rolling it out to all eligible Pixel devices. Among the most anticipated Android 16 features is Live Updates, Androids answer to iOS Live Activities. However, theres a small catch: while the groundwork is laid, the full Live Updates experience isnt actually live on Pixel phones just yet. So, what exactly are Live Updates, and why are we so excited about them? They are a type of widget-like notifications that offer real-time updates with data from your favorite apps and services, with support for progress bars. The feature is useful for multiple use cases, as Live Activities on iOS have shown. Think of those notifications from your ride-share or food delivery apps that show your drivers ETA or food status. Traditional notifications would still be useful for these cases, but they often get buried. Plus, you have to unlock your phone or pull down the notification shade to see them. Developers also had to build these custom progress bars from scratch. Google is aware of the problem and is addressing it in two ways. First, with the current Android 16 release, theyve introduced progress-style notifications. This provides developers with a standardized template to easily create those dynamic progress bars. Apps can use these APIs today. Then we have the Live Updates feature that will arrive in a future Android 16 release for Pixelslikely with the QPR1 or QPR2 update later this year. An even more advanced notification experience When Live Updates fully arrive, the progress-style notifications will transform. According to Android Authority, they will be able to appear prominently at the top of your notification panel, staying visible above most other alerts. Additionally, they can be displayed fully expanded on your always-on display (AOD), meaning you wont even need to wake your screen for quick glances. There will even be short display capabilities, glanceable messages in status bar chips, providing quick updates while youre using other apps. Tapping these chips will expand the notification, saving you from pulling down the full panel. Many were probably expecting the Live Updates feature to be available on Android 16 right away. Sadly, theyll have to wait a few more months. However, once available, the feature will take the notification experience on Android to the next level. Samsungs Galaxy Z Fold 7 is just around the corner as Samsung should be preparing to unveil it in the near future, and everything from the chipset being a Snapdragon from Qualcomm to how thin it might be has been talked about, with rumors claiming to know just about every little detail about Samsungs upcoming foldable phone. Past rumors have suggested that Samsung might use an in-house Exynos chip for its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7. Other rumors still claimed it would be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, like what the company used in the Galaxy S25 series. As it turns out, it seems that Samsung will indeed be using a Snapdragon 8 Elite inside its Galaxy Z Fold 7. At least if information from a recent report turns out to be accurate. FCC documentation suggests the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will run on the Snapdragon 8 Elite While its not a confirmation directly from Samsung, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has recently shown up at the FCC, and in the regulatory documentation, it shows that the phone will be using the SM8750 chipset. The SM8750 is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite. So this is an unofficial confirmation that the phone will be using Qualcomms latest flagship chipset. Its worth noting that the FCC documentation doesnt mention the Galaxy Z Fold 7 by name. It does list a model number, though, and the model number is SM-F966B, which follows Samsungs model number labeling for the previous Galaxy Z Fold phones. As noted by SamMobile, this is likely the international version of the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 will still use an Exynos chip in at least one variant Samsung will reportedly be using the Snapdragon 8 Elite in most variants of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, but not all. A report from earlier this week seems to confirm (again, unofficially) that Samsung is going with Qualcomm in all Galaxy Z Flip 7 models except for one. The South Korean version of the phone will come with the Exynos 2500. Google seems to be planning to redesign the user interface of Gemini on Android devices. While the company is yet to officially hint at anything, an APK teardown of the latest Google app beta release suggests Geminis compose box could get a new Tools button soon. The search titan hasnt rolled out the feature yet, but folks over at Android Authority have managed to manually enable it. Google is also upgrading Google Docs for Android with Gemini to help users with reading and writing documents. In the code of the latest beta version of the Google app, the source has enabled the new Tools button for Gemini. Currently, Geminis compose box houses shortcuts for Canvas, Video, and Deep Research functionalities. The Video and Research tools sit permanently to the left of the microphone, while you can access the Canvas option through the three-dot menu. However, Google could replace shortcuts for the aforementioned features with a single Tools button. Tapping this button will open a window, providing you access to all three functionalities. Once you select one of these options, its button will appear in the compose box, which you can stop using by hitting the x icon. Google could release the new UI redesign of the Gemini compose box for Android devices in the stable version of the app soon. The new design will arrive soon after the company rolled out new scheduled actions for Gemini. Google is also improving Docs for Android with Gemini enhancements The search titan has already enhanced almost all of the Google Workspace services, like Docs, Sheets, and Slides, with Gemini. However, the company has mostly applied the Gemini enhancements to the web versions of these services. Google has now announced that Gemini features are coming to the Google Docs application for Android devices. The new Gemini-powered Docs app will help you read and write documents. The Gemini chatbot inside the Docs app can summarize text, find something in it, or help users quickly make a new document based on specific details. Google started rolling out this feature on June 9 and will offer it for all users by July 2. Some Google Search employees are being offered buyouts as part of a new program that Google calls its Voluntary Exit Package, according to recent reports that Google is taking additional measures to lower the number of employees that work at its companies. A typical company in this situation might look to simply go through a round of layoffs. And indeed, Google has laid off thousands of employees over the past few years, reaching a total of around 12,000 back in 2023 alone. This new Voluntary Exit Package is Google taking a different approach. Forgoing the act of firing people and instead offering them severance packages. Its a move Google decided to make after facing backlash following the layoffs from a couple of years ago. Its not clear what the exact amount of the buyout offer is. However, its likely dependent on each employee. For instance, some employees who have been with the company longer may have a higher salary. So, it would make sense that a buyout for these employees may end up being more. According to CNBC, Google offered up to 14 weeks of salary in a buyout it offered back in February. In addition, the offer included more pay for long-time employees. Specifically, employees who chose to take the buyout offer ended up with one additional week of salary pay for every year they were employed at Google. Its possible that this recent buyout offer could be similar. Recent Google buyouts are for employees across Search, Ads, and multiple other divisions Googles latest wave of buyout offers is hitting a significant number of employees across several divisions. The total number of employees who have been offered the buyout isnt known. However, it spans more than just Googles most well-known segments. The Information reports that buyouts were offered to Search and Ads employees. Those employees are part of Googles Knowledge and Information division. Buyouts were also reportedly offered to employees at several other divisions, including research, communication, marketing, and engineering. Buyouts are being offered to US employees only, it seems While Googles latest effort to reduce its headcount is likely a shock to employees, it isnt impacting everyone across Google globally. According to reports, the buyouts are being offered to US-based employees only. Employees arent obligated to take the buyout offer. However, some may want to. A memo sent out to employees on Tuesday, June 10, stated that employees who are having difficulty meeting the expectations of their role may want to accept the buyout as a means of a supportive exit path. The memo also attempts to convince some employees to stick with the company. If youre excited about your work, energized by the opportunity ahead, and performing well, I really (really!) hope you dont take this! We have ambitious plans and tons to get done, said Nick Fox, SVP of Knowledge and Information at Google. Google wants more people to come back to the office In addition to the Voluntary Exit Package, Google is also asking some employees to come back to the office. Several of the divisions impacted by the buyout are imposing mandates to bring people back in. The mandate states that employees who live within 50 miles of an office will be required to keep a hybrid schedule. In other words, part-time at the office, part-time remote work. Google, along with many other companies, allowed employees to work remotely following the onset of the COVID pandemic back in 2020. Since then, Google has imposed at least one back-to-the-office mandate. The company reportedly started forcing employees to adopt a hybrid schedule back in April. Those who wanted to keep their jobs would need to follow this mandate. The same will likely apply here. Along with Googles Pixel phones and a tablet, the company also started to roll out a new update for its smartwatches. The Google Pixel Watch 1, 2, and 3 are now getting the June 2025 update. This update follows the Wear OS 5.1 update, which started rolling out back in April. This update is based on Wear OS 5.1 and Android 15, and its marked s BW1A.250605.004. The update is coming to all users, excluding cellular devices in Japan and Singapore, who will receive an update in the coming weeks. The Android security update level will go up to June 5, 2025, after you install this update. Following this update, the Google Wallet will allow you to use your transit passes (tap-to-pay) even if the app is not open. Your Wear OS watch needs to be unlocked in order for tap-to-pay to work, of course. If youd like to use this feature with your default credit or debit card, youll need to opt-in from your Wallet and Wear settings. This feature will be automatically enabled for some regions Furthermore, support for using this feature is automatically enabled for municipal transit cards and is initially available only on transit systems in Washington D.C., Seattle, and Toronto. Google notes that the Google Home app will also let you set watch-specific device shortcuts in favorites. If you tap the Your watch is up to date screen in Settings -> System -> System updates multiple times, the update should start. It is also worth noting that the Pixel Watch has been kicked down to quarterly updates. That means that the next update will arrive in September. With that being said, if you dont want to wait for the update to land on its own, you can grab OTA update images from here. Make sure you know exactly what youre doing before you proceed with the installation, though. Google Messages is getting a new group chat feature, with the ability to add a custom icon to chats. Google officially announced the details of this new feature as part of the Android Feature Drop, and it should begin hitting devices today, while continuing to roll out to devices throughout the week. That being said, Google has not confirmed the exact release timeline of these new features. Group chats in Google Messages are far from new, but up until now, it hasnt been possible to give those chats a custom icon. With this new feature, it should be a lot easier to distinguish each group chat from one another. Google Messages group chats already looked a little different as they would have multiple icons in one single icon. Basically, it would show a grouping of the icons for several people in the chat. It was easy to tell the difference between these and chats with a singular user. However, if you have multiple group chats going, it can also be just as easy to mix those group chats up. Set up a custom icon for your Google Messages group chat While it will now be possible to set up a custom icon for group chats in Google Messages, its important to note that this is for RCS group chats. So, you will need to make sure that this is enabled in Google Messages on your device. This can be done in two ways. First, if you already have an RCS group chat going, you can change the icon to something you prefer. Perhaps something that relates to that chat. The other way is for new group chats. If youre setting up a new RCS group chat, youll be given the choice to use a custom icon. Google doesnt seem to mention that everyone in the chat is required to have RCS enabled. So, its likely that you can change or choose a custom icon as long as its enabled for you. Snooze notifications when you want some peace and quiet Just like you can snooze notifications for apps, you will now be able to snooze notifications for specific group chats. This should be extremely useful. Think about it. Sometimes, group chats can get out of hand with how many people are in them. If there are enough people talking, you might be getting several notifications in short spans of time. This can be annoying, but maybe you dont want to mute Google Messages entirely. Now, you wont have to. Google says that specific group chats can be muted on a case-by-case basis. In other words, you can mute some and not others. On top of this, its possible to choose the duration you want the chat muted for. Maybe you only want it muted for a couple of hours, for example. These new Google Messages features were announced alongside the launch of Android 16. Unlike the Android 16-specific features, however, these will be available to all Android users. If youre on an Android 16-compatible device, you can check your Android 16 download availability by heading to the settings menu. A lot of eyes are on MediaTek this year. The companys flagship Dimensity 9XXX series of chipsets has been gaining much traction recently. This is why many are anticipating the launch of the Dimensity 9500. Now, according to tipster Digital Chat Station, the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 could arrive before the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. Beating Qualcomm to the punch If this report holds up, it wouldnt be the first time MediaTek launched its flagship ahead of Qualcomm. Back in 2024, the Dimensity 9400 and Snapdragon 8 Elite launched roughly at the same time in October. However, MediaTeks launch was a few days before Qualcomms. Now, this report suggests that MediaTek could hold the lead again as the Dimensity 9500 could arrive before the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. Qualcomm has confirmed that it is hosting the Snapdragon Summit on September 23rd, 2025. It is safe to assume that this is where the company will debut its next-gen flagship chipset. MediaTek, on the other hand, hasnt confirmed the launch date of the Dimensity 9500, but now we know it will arrive before the 23rd. What we know about the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 so far Dont get us wrong. We are definitely excited to see what Qualcomm has in store for the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. However, everyone loves an underdog story, and MediaTek is playing that role perfectly. Previously, MediaTeks chipsets were typically viewed as the more cost-effective alternative to Qualcomms. However, in recent years, MediaTek has improved the performance of its Dimensity 9XXX flagship chipsets, which, based on benchmarks, are nipping at Qualcomms heels. In fact, recently leaked AnTuTu benchmarks reveal that the Dimensity 9500 scored a whopping 3.5 million points. This makes it the most powerful chipset, at least for now. Also, based on the rumors, the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 could arrive with a 1+3+4 architecture. This includes a single ARM Cortex-X930 Travis core clocked at over 4GHz. It is accompanied by three performance cores and four efficiency cores. This doesnt mean that Qualcomm plans to sit back and do nothing. Early benchmarks have also indicated that the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 will be a beast. Either way, well find out soon enough this coming September. Aside from being a massive advertisement and social media giant, Meta is also looking to take AI by storm. It has been able to create some pretty powerful AI so far, but the company wants to take things further. According to a new report, Meta is building an AI superintelligence team, and its been gathering people all around the industry. Right now, theres a bit of buzz surrounding Meta after it launched its Llama 4 models. While they represent a pretty big leap in quality over the Llama 3 models, they failed to impress many users and investors. However, Meta shares the same dream that most other AI companies have. It wants to create AGI (artificial general intelligence). This is basically AI that is as smart as, or smarter than, a human being in most areas. Meta is working on an AI superintelligence team You need great minds to do great things, and Meta knows this. This is why the company has been reaching out to find some of the best people to be on this new team. The companys CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, wasnt quite happy with the Llama 4 models, both in performance and public reception. So, this was the inspiration behind the new team. Also, the company had to delay the launch of Llama 4 Behemoth, which is supposed to be the companys flagship model to take on the best that the competition can offer. So, its clear that there is a lot riding on this team. In fact, Zuckerberg is personally overseeing the recruitment, even going as far as to invite recruits over to his California houses for lunch and dinner. So far, he has tapped people such as Alexandr Wang. He is an entrepreneur who established Scale AI, a company that provides data to help other companies train AI models. Along with that, Zuckerberg is going to invest several billion dollars in Scale AI. Other recruits include infrastructure engineers, AI researchers, and other entrepreneurs. Zuckerberg is even contacting people from competitors such as Google and OpenAI, and offering them rather extravagant compensation packages to join. So, its clear that Meta wants to further boost its foothold in the AI market. Fans of the companys AI should be excited for whats coming next. We may actually see Metas AI taking on the top dogs in the tech industry. Roku introduced the Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus, affordable streaming products, earlier in April. The popular media streaming brand has now expanded its 2025 product lineup by introducing a handful of TVs. Rokus 2025 TVs include new versions of the Roku Select, Roku Plus, and Roku Pro series. Notably, the company has introduced more features for its mid-range Roku Plus editions, which it previously reserved for the higher-end models. Rokus 2025 TVs include an upgraded top-end Pro series mini LED TV Rokus latest 2025 Pro Series of TVs introduces the companys most advanced image processing engine to date. Dubbed Smart Picture Max, the new engine is now capable of 100 billion operations per frame. It can automatically adjust your TVs picture settings on a scene-by-scene basis by offering improved motion clarity, compression artifact correction, and intelligent picture mode selection. Furthermore, the re-engineered mini-LED backlight on the Roku Pro series 2025 models minimizes the bloom effect and provides 75 percent higher dynamic contrast rate compared to the earlier generation. Plus series TVs are also getting Smart Picture Max and enhanced colors Roku is also bringing the Smart Picture Max engine to the Plus series televisions to offer enhanced colors. So far, the company has reserved this feature for the Pro series models. Furthermore, the updated Plus series now comes with an on-TV remote control finder button too, alongside better cable management, a new built-in subwoofer for enhanced sound quality, and upgraded processor and memory architecture. As for the other new Roku TVs, the Select series models are getting software upgrades that are available across the lineup. These now also offer the recently launched features like Daily Trivia notifications, short-form content rows for an improved browsing experience, award badges, and game-time mobile notifications. Rokus new Select TV range includes a mix of HD, full HD, and native 4K resolution supported models. Notably, the 4K sets also provide HDR10+ high dynamic range and Dolby Audio features. Roku is offering the Plus and Pro series models in 55, 65, and 75-inch size variants. The Select series will be available in sizes ranging from 24 to 85 inches. Rokus 2025 TVs will be available at a starting price of $130 from Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and Amazon. While Samsung continues to boost its models compatible with the One UI 7 update, it certainly hasnt neglected security patches. The South Korean tech giant has started rolling out the June 2025 security update for the Galaxy A56, improving user security. Samsungs monthly security updates address system vulnerabilities and offer a safer user experience. The June 2025 patch is no exception and is currently rolling out to models still supported by the company. Samsung initially released the June 2025 patch for the Galaxy S25 series. However, the latest reports indicate that the update has now started rolling out to the Galaxy A56 as well. The firmware version of the update is A566BXXS4AYE5. It is now available for the SM-A566B variant of the Galaxy A56, which is sold in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Users in other regions will need to wait a bit longer. To install the new update on your device, go to Settings > Software update > Download and install. Make sure you connect to a stable Wi-Fi network to avoid any issues during the installation. Its also a good idea to back up your important data beforehand to prevent potential data loss. June 2025 patch fixes 19 vulnerabilities in Samsungs software As mentioned earlier, Samsung focuses on fixing vulnerabilities in the operating system through its security updates. While it occasionally introduces new features, the brand has not added any new functionality to the Galaxy A56 in the June 2025 patch so far. The June 2025 update also fixes 19 Samsung security vulnerabilities and dozens of high-risk Android OS vulnerabilities, helping protect the phone from potential data breaches. Finally, other eligible models will also receive this update in the coming days. However, Samsung has not yet revealed which model they will update and when. A QR code with essential information on private medical practices and their authorised services will soon be available to citizens in Lazio, the governor of the central Italian region said after a woman died after liposuction at an unlicensed clinic this week. "We are working, together with the Lazio Guild of Physicians, on a provision that allows, through a QR code, a clear identification of what can be done in a medical practice, with a reminder, also of the specializations of the medical staff who work in that practice. This is so that the citizen can have knowledge", said Francesco Rocca, when questioned about the woman who died after liposuction in a private practice in Torrevecchia, on the outskirts of Rome, a clinic without authorization. The 47-year-old Ecuadorian woman died in a Rome hospital after falling ill following the liposuction op in an unauthorised private clinic in the Italian capital at the weekend, sources said Tuesday. The surgery, on Saturday afternoon, was interrupted by a complication, after which the woman was rushed to the Policlinico Umberto I Hospital where medics tried to revive her in vain. The woman, Ana Sergia Alcivar Chenche, arrived at the hospital about half past eight in the evening already intubated and having suffered cardiac arrest amid multiple shock and loss of consciousness, medical sources said. She had been given cardiac massage by her anaesthetist in the ambulance. The vain attempts to revive here went on for over an hour. Rome prosecutors have placed three people under investigation for negligent manslaughter and culpable homicide: a doctor, an anaesthetist and a nurse. The clinic on the outskirts of Rome, which has been without authorisation for 13 years, has been impounded. The doctor, a 65-year-old Peruvian citizen named Jose Lizarraga Picciotti, has a criminal record for injuries caused by liposuctions and plastic surgery performed in 2006 and 2018, legal sources said. The anaesthetist has a record for offences not linked to the medical profession, they said. A prosecutor will assign a doctor to perform an autopsy later Wednesday. Picciotti, the doctor, has an Instagram profile on which he writes: "Our passion is to make you go back in time... We can do it". The doctor, according to what he reports on social media, studied Masters in Reconstructive Microsurgery at Orebro University, Sweden; he studied Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Universita Cattolica del Sacro and at the Cuore Universidad Nacional Federico di Villarreal. On social media he is photographed next to luxury cars: "If you lose a great love, look for a better one" appears in one post, with 'Sara perche ti amo' by the Ricchi e Poveri, the iconic pop group's signature hit. In almost all the posts he dances and sings aboard high-powered cars. With the background of famous songs like the Rocky soundtrack, he jumps rope or tries to convince potential patients to undergo cosmetic surgery, botox or hyaluronic acid at unbeatable prices. Many posts feature young women who have used his treatments. He boasts a predominantly South American clientele. On the photos he says: "Free your beauty, we have the best prices" and quotes prices. Picciotti, on Instagram, had also advertised the opening of a Peruvian restaurant calling himself "the master of grilled chicken from Peru in Rome". Below the latest post there is a brand-new comment, next to the photo in the new chicken shop, in which a woman writes: "A patient died from liposuction... Why?". A question that remains unanswered. Just like Michele's new question on his Facebook profile: "In the meantime, a 47-year-old has died because of his inexperience and lack of scruples!". In another message, the doctor appears in the colonnade of St. Peter's: "I ask your forgiveness on my knees if you ever resent my action or my work," reads the post published on March 1. The tragedy in Primavalle comes a few months after two similar episodes in the Italian capital. Last November, 22-year-old Margaret Spada lost her life during rhinoplasty. In March, Simonetta Kalfus, 62, died during liposuction. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Copyright ANSA A bison in Yellowstone national park, Wyoming, in 2024. Photograph: VCG/Getty Images A bison gored a man at Yellowstone national park on Tuesday, park officials said, in the latest instance of an injury caused to a tourist who got too close to one of the large hoofed bovines. An unnamed 30-year-old man from Randolph, New Jersey, sustained minor injuries after being gored by the bison in the Upper Geyser Basin region of Yellowstone, the famed national park that spreads across three western states. The National Park Service said the man was treated by emergency medical personnel and that the incident was now under investigation. The bison confrontation is the second such clash in a month on 7 May the National Park Service reported that a 47-year-old Florida man was injured after getting too close. Related: Bison gores elderly woman at Wyomings Yellowstone national park In recent years, there have been several such incidents after tourists disregarded warnings not to approach bison. One, now infamous, episode in 2023 involved a newborn bison having to be put down because a man picked it up and its herd would not take the animal back. A similar issue occurred in 2016, when a Canadian man and his son put a bison calf in their SUV. Once widespread across the US west, bison were slaughtered in huge numbers by white settlers and today the largest publicly managed herd is found in the Yellowstone region, with about 4,800 bison. Bison stand up to 6ft tall and can weigh 2,000 pounds and park officials said they can be aggressive if people dont respect their space. Visitors to Yellowstone are required to stay more than 25 yards away from all large animals, such as bison, elk, moose and coyotes, and at least 100 yards away from bears, wolves and cougars. Bison will defend their space when threatened and have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal, the park service warned on Tuesday. They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans. If wildlife approach you, move away to always maintain these safe viewing distances. Tents pitched by migrants in the central reservation at the north end of Park Lane in Central London - Julian Simmonds Could the Government be about to legalise tent cities of foreign homeless in our cities? They have announced plans to fully repeal the 1824 Vagrancy Act, which was introduced to deal with the rise in homelessness created by inward migration during the Industrial Revolution, soldiers discharged at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and the effects of the Corn Laws. The repeal means it will no longer be an offence to sleep on the pavement, which could pave the way for the spread of tent camps in our cities. These have become an increasingly common sight, driven by the influx of immigrants. It was at the tent camp in Park Lane that GB News journalist Patrick Christys was recently doused with water by a resident, after she decided that his questions meant he must be with the police. The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, has said that it will draw a line under nearly two centuries of injustice towards some of the most vulnerable in society. This exposes the fake compassion at the heart of homelessness reformers. The Park Lane encampment has been shut down at least twice already but returned. When YouTuber Wesley Winter interviewed some of the Roma living there, they openly admitted that they were only there to beg, in order to send money home. Despite this, Transport for London, who are working with Westminster Council to remove the encampment, said that they want to resolve the issue compassionately and safely. Simply moving people on has meant that the tent camp has always returned once the police leave. Ordinary people have been left to contend with nuisance begging and even a brothel being run on the site, with children on their way to school offered sex for money. Far from being too harsh, the Vagrancy Act is insufficient. A Portuguese criminal, who had already been jailed in his home country, was able to frustrate warrants for him to be moved on by simply moving his tent around. He was eventually arrested 11 times, for crimes like selling drugs, money laundering, and possessing firearms. The Human Rights Act has also frustrated the authorities, as they can be barred from entering tents because that would be a breach of the right to privacy in the home. Many of the homeless are EU citizens, with data from the Greater London Authority showing that the most numerous foreign nationality are Romanians. They benefit from the generosity of the EU Settlement Scheme entirely unreciprocated by the EU so that even if they are destitute, they cannot be removed to their home countries like other foreign nationals. There are also increasing numbers of Eritreans, which may be down to small boat crossings, as human rights laws make it nearly impossible to deport them. This faux compassion exposes the homeless to the dangers of living on the streets and the public to the danger of people who may be habitual criminals, drug dealers, or alcoholics. As has been seen in places like San Francisco, tent cities become magnets for dangerous and illegal behaviour. It would be much better to ensure those with substance abuse issues are put into secure treatment, those who have slipped between the cracks are helped into accommodation, while destitute foreigners are sent home. Primary legislation to scrap the Vagrancy Act was passed in 2022 under the previous Tory government, but formal repeal has not yet occurred. The Government now says it will repeal the Act by Spring next year. In the meantime it will introduce a new offence of facilitating begging for gain and an offence of trespassing with the intention of committing a crime, which it says will allow police to deal effectively with homelessness-related criminal activity. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will also increase funding for homelessness services by an extra 233 million this financial year, bringing total investment for 2025-26 to nearly 1 billion. Hundreds of tents have been set up at the former prison site to house detained migrants - AFN Guantanamo Bay Public Affairs At least 9,000 undocumented immigrants, including British citizens, are to be sent to Guantanamo Bay detention camp, according to reports in the US. The first transfers are due to start within days, as the Trump administration ramps up its campaign to deport illegal immigrants. In January, Donald Trump announced plans to house 30,000 migrants in the notorious camp on Cuba, which was previously used as a military prison to house combatants captured during George W Bushs war on terror following the September 11 attacks on the US. According to documents seen by Politico, the plan is to hold the migrants at the camp for a short period before deporting them back to their home country. Guantanamo currently holds roughly 500 people. There are concerns the Guantanamo tent city are unhygienic and that detainees lack food - Reuters This move represents a further toughening of the administrations immigration policy, which has seen masked snatch squads lifting suspected illegal immigrants off the streets. The official reason for detaining migrants at Guantanamo is to free up space in migrant detention centres in the US itself, especially with the White House setting a target of 3,000 arrests a day. However, critics say the administration believes using Guantanamo will serve as a deterrent for new illegal immigrants and encourage those already in the country to self-deport. An estimated 800 Europeans are on the list of potential Guantanamo detainees, with the Washington Post saying they include British and French citizens. It is a move which has reportedly alarmed European diplomats, given that they have previously co-operated in the repatriation of their own citizens. The message is to shock and horrify people, to upset people, one State Department official told Politico. Trump started deporting migrants to Guantanamo in February - Department of Homeland Security In Washington, a court is considering a plea to outlaw the use of Guantanamo to house migrants, with the American Civil Liberties Union claiming they are being held in dire conditions in a rodent-infested camp, where detainees are denied a weekly change of clothing and adequate food. In its writ, the ACLU accused the administration of using Guantanamo to frighten immigrants, deter future migration, induce self-deportation, and coerce people in detention to give up claims against removal and accept deportation elsewhere. This was denied by the US Justice Department, which told the court that Guantanamo is being used as a temporary staging post. Previously, nine British citizens were held at Guantanamo, of whom five were repatriated in March 2004. A further nine who had residency status in the UK, but not citizenship, were also held at the camp. The State Department confirmed that illegal aliens were being sent to Guantanamo as a temporary measure, but declined to comment on discussions with individual foreign governments regarding their citizens. The White House denied the reports, with Karoline Leavitt, Mr Trumps press secretary, posting to X: This story is Fake News. Not happening. The Telegraph also approached the Department of Homeland Security for comment. Visitors view the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum in London - DANIEL LEAL/AFP Dull is the eye that will not weep to see Thy walls defaced, thy mouldering shrines removed By British hands The campaign for the return of the Elgin Marbles began almost from the moment of their removal. Byrons lines have been quoted for two centuries by restitutionists. If there were a way to restore the mouldering shrines to the Parthenon itself, it would surely have happened by now. Who could resist making whole the Temple of Athena? There would be no need for long-term loans. My colleagues Lord Frost and Baroness Debbonaire would not be insisting that their surrender would be good diplomacy. But there is no way to restore them to the original structure. All sides agree that those magnificent metopes and pediments bleached and numinous yet, at the same time, eerily realistic with their flowing robes and flared horses nostrils need to be preserved indoors. A few carvings have found their way into collections in Paris, Copenhagen, Munich, Vienna and Wurzburg. But most are housed either at the Acropolis Museum, which opened in 2009, or at the British Museum. The argument is therefore whether to move them from one museum to another, which raises the question of what makes a successful museum. I would set the following tests. Where will any given artefact be most carefully looked after? Where can we best appreciate its cultural impact? Where is it most accessible to specialists and scholars? Where will the largest number of people get the greatest pleasure from seeing it? The Greeks unquestionably have a great location. To admire those white Pentallic stones on the slopes of the Acropolis, glimpsing its heights through the windows, is quite an experience. But the British Museum is the most visited museum in the world (at least if we count the Louvre as a gallery rather than a museum). Museums, as the etymology implies, are secular temples to the muses, those ancient goddesses who inspired sublime feelings in mortals. They were designed to raise the spirits of the masses, not only to spread knowledge, but also to elevate artistic sensibility. The British Museum has been carrying out that function since the mid-18th century, and in a remarkably universalist spirit. It was the first public institution to call itself British, yet it never saw its vocation as national. It was intended from the start to be encyclopaedic, a place to display curios from every culture. This universality is rarer than people realise. Most museums have a national or ethnic focus. In Washington DC, for example, you will find the National Museum of the American Indian, the Chinese American Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. But the British Museum, as its former director Neil MacGregor put it, remains a unique repository of the achievements of human endeavour, and there is no culture, past or present, that is not represented within its walls. It is truly the memory of mankind. If our aim is the greatest happiness for the greatest number, there is a good case for keeping the stones divided, and using modern technology to fill in the gaps with exact replicas (the Acropolis Museum currently represents the missing stones with deliberately rough plaster casts so as to emphasise its grievance). But this is not really about aesthetics. It is about nationalism, and the desire of successive Greek administrations to claim a direct link to the ancient city states. And here, I part ways with my House of Lords colleagues. For demands that rest on collective racial entitlements are incompatible with freedom, property and the rights of the individual. Commentators are often conflicted about these ethnic claims. The kinds of people who insist on performing indigenous land recognition ceremonies in Canada and Australia would be horrified at the idea that second-generation immigrants to Britain were here contingently. Yet free contract rules out ancestral claims. If my grandfather sold his house to yours, I have no right to turf you out. There is no question that the British Museum purchased the collection legally from Lord Elgin, who had acquired it with the full permission of the authorities. Elgin had not at first intended to remove the carvings. He wanted to sketch and measure them, but changed his mind when he saw passers-by carting them off. The Turkish government attached no importance to them, he told a parliamentary committee. Every traveller coming added to the general defacement of the statuary in his reach. Elgin saved the stones. Free contract and private property trump the superstitious idea that being descended from someone, or at least living in the same part of the world, establishes some kind of ownership right. If the Acropolis Museum wants the collection, it should put in an offer. Frankly, the way Britain is going, we might soon need the money. Some politicians believe the new agreement could surrender Danish sovereignty and be a violation of the Danish constitution. Photograph: Philip Davali/AP Denmark has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new defence agreement giving the US sweeping powers on Danish soil, including unhindered access to its airbases. The deal, which has been strongly criticised by politicians and human rights experts, means US soldiers in Denmark will remain under US jurisdiction. It gives US soldiers access to Danish airbases in three Danish cities Karup, Skrydstrup and Aalborg and grants American soldiers and military police powers over Danish civilians at these locations and outside them. Related: Alarm over defence agreement giving US unhindered access to Danish airbases If US soldiers were to commit a crime in Denmark, they would be punished under the US, not Danish, legal system in the first instance. The US will also be able to carry out military activities in and from Denmark including stationing personnel, storing military material and equipment, maintenance, training and exercise activities. Despite heightened tensions between the US and Denmark amid Donald Trumps unprecedented push to acquire Greenland a strategically vital part of the Danish kingdom and reports US intelligence agencies were ordered to increase espionage in the territory, a broad majority of the Danish parliament (Folketinget) voted in support of adopting the agreement. A total of 94 MPs voted for the bill and 11 against. Just before the vote, the leader of the Unity List party, Pelle Dragsted, said the agreement was harmful to the country. It is an agreement that means that we will have areas in Denmark that are under American jurisdiction. Where Danish authorities cannot exercise control. And where mistreatment of prisoners can occur, he said. It is a gigantic failure towards the Danish population. The agreement was signed under the Biden administration in December 2023. Since Trumps return to office, relations between Copenhagen and Washington DC have altered dramatically. Some politicians believe the new agreement could surrender Danish sovereignty and even be a violation of the Danish constitution. The Danish government has said this is not the case. The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said the situation between the two countries made it even more necessary to maintain close ties. The problem is not too much involvement from the US in Europe. On the contrary, the risk is that the US will withdraw and move troops away or stop donations to Ukraine, she said. At a consultation on Tuesday, the Danish justice minister, Peter Hummelgaard, said Danish authorities would have primary safety responsibility both on and off the facilities covered by the agreement. The Danish Institute for Human Rights has said the bill risks giving US soldiers the right to stop demonstrations outside their bases and would prevent Denmark from prosecuting them if they used excessive force. Peter Vedel Kessing, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, told the Guardian in May: If the bill is passed and American soldiers carry out illegal acts in Denmark, it will be beyond Danish control and outside the reach of the Danish legal system to prosecute such actions. Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, has narrowly won a vote of confidence - Kacper Pempel/Reuters He once warned Brexiteers they faced their own special place in hell. Now, Donald Tusk is in a purgatory of his own. Polands prime minister has narrowly won a vote of confidence in his warring coalition on Wednesday after his preferred centrist presidential candidate, Warsaw Mayor Rafa Trzaskowski, was defeated earlier this month. Instead, the Trump-inspired Eurosceptic Karol Nawrocki crossed the line first, dealing a blow to Mr Tusks ambitions to pass liberal reforms in the traditionally Catholic conservative nation. Ten days after saying he would call a vote of confidence, a total of 243 MPs in the 460-seat parliament backed Mr Tusks centrist coalition, achieving the simple majority needed for the government to survive in a result he said will give his cabinet new momentum. But despite surviving the vote, the prime minister now faces two and a half years of being a lame duck leader hobbled by the new veto-wielding opposition president. Donald Tusk reacts after winning a vote of confidence - REUTERS While most of the power in Polands political system rests with an elected parliament, and a government chosen by the parliament, the president can veto legislation. Backed by the Trump administration, Mr Nawrocki is set to replace Andrzej Duda, another conservative who repeatedly blocked Mr Tusks reform efforts. Mr Tusk had long counted on a victory for Mr Trzaskowski to break the institutional deadlock created by Mr Dudas vetoes. Instead, he now faces an incoming president aligned with the nationalist opposition and openly hostile to his governments legislative priorities. This will likely see Mr Nawrocki block reform efforts planned by Mr Tusk, such as the planned introduction of same-sex partnerships or easing a near-total ban on abortion. There are therefore questions about what Mr Tusk can realistically achieve before the next parliamentary election, scheduled for late 2027. Analysts say many Polish voters are disillusioned with the governments failure to deliver on key promises, including his liberal agenda as well as reforming the judiciary and raising the threshold at which Poles start paying taxes. I dont know the word surrender Mr Tusks authority has also been badly damaged with murmurs that the time has come for him to hand over leadership of the alliance, something he has refused to do. I know the taste of victory, I know the bitterness of defeat, but I dont know the word surrender, he said. Mr Tusk, the former president of the European Council, was withering about Brexit before he became Polands prime minister. He said at the time there was a special place in hell for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan of how to carry it out safely. Polands new president Karol Nawrocki will likely block reform efforts planned by Donald Tusk - Anadolu Now, he is facing the possible fall of his pro-EU government in what threatens to become his David Cameron moment. Emmanuel Macron, another fierce critic of Brexit, has already suffered a similar fate at the hands of Eurosceptic populists. He called snap elections in France after he was trounced by Marine Le Pens National Rally in last years European Parliament elections. The French president lost his majority, dramatically reducing his ability to act in domestic politics. He would have lost control of the government, had a front republican of voters not united to keep the hard Right from power. There was an expectation that a similar front republican would have prevented Mr Nawrockis victory in Poland, but it fell just short. That is a warning before the presidential elections in France in 2027, which the ardently Europhile Mr Macron will not be able to contest. Donald Tusk: I know the taste of victory, I know the bitterness of defeat, but I dont know the word surrender. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters The Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, has comfortably won a vote of confidence in parliament that was called to shore up his fragile coalition government after a bruising setback in the presidential election earlier this month. The vote of confidence on Wednesday was passed by 243 votes in favour to 210 against. The vote was requested by Tusk after an unexpected defeat for his governments preferred candidate in the presidential election, which prompted questions about the future of the coalition and fierce personal criticism of the prime minister. Tusk leads an ideologically diverse and politically fragile alliance of pro-European parties, from the agrarian right to the social democratic left, which has promised to reverse the erosion of democratic checks and balances that had marked the eight-year rule of the Law and Justice party (PiS) between 2015 and 2023. He had long hoped that a presidential win would make it easier for the government to adopt more progressive reforms, including on contentious issues such as abortion rights and same-sex relationships. Since coming to power, Tusks government has faced fierce criticism from the incumbent president, Andrzej Duda, a former PiS European lawmaker, with fears Duda could use his robust veto powers to block some measures. But the unexpected win of Karol Nawrocki, a Donald Trump-backed, previously little-known historian linked with the PiS, over the pro-European centrist mayor of Warsaw, Rafa Trzaskowski, put a question mark over the governments ability to deliver on its program. Analysts partly blamed the result on the governments track record and Tusks personal unpopularity, with voters reportedly unwilling to give too much power to one political camp. A recent CBOS poll showed that 44% of voters were critical of the government, 32% supportive and 20% neutral. Tusk himself was even more unpopular, with 53% having a negative view of him and just 35% positive. During a bruising seven-hour debate in parliament, more than 260 MPs took to the podium. Tusk strongly defended his governments track record and lamented its inability to communicate its successes to the electorate. If we told our story even half as well as we actually governed, we would be winning election after election, he said. Acknowledging the significance of Nawrockis win, Tusk said: This is not an earthquake, but lets call things for what they are: we are facing two and a half years of very hard work in [political] conditions that are not going to improve. But he insisted the government still had a clear political majority to pursue its measures, despite impatience, sometimes disappointment or anger among its voters. I know the taste of victory, I know the bitterness of defeat, but I dont know the word surrender, he quipped. Opposition lawmakers lined up to criticise the government for showing little ambition and slow progress on its key promises, with too much focus on blaming the previous administration for all problems. Speaking to reporters after the vote, Tusk said he had needed that vote for obvious reasons as he had faced a lot of noise about his and the governments future. He said he intended to cut off all speculation and move the narrative on as his ministers had two years to make amends and win over the public before the 2027 parliamentary elections. Under Tusks plans to reassert control, the government will now appoint a heavyweight spokesperson next week to overhaul its communications strategy, and will follow through with a ministerial reshuffle in July to get in shape before Nawrocki takes office in August. The gaudy spectacle of war Soldiers at Rye, 1941, by Edward Burra. Illustration: The estate of Edward Burra, courtesy Lefevre Fine Art, London They make a truly odd couple. Shes an occultist who once appeared on BBC television explaining to the nation how to make surrealist art at home. Hes a jazz enthusiast whose slices of modern and often queer - life are full of roly-poly grotesques. What on earth have Ithell Colquhoun and Edward Burra got in common, and why has Tate Britain handcuffed them together for an uncalled for, unneeded and ultimately baffling double header? Related: Ithell Colquhoun: Between Worlds review ravishing sensuality from an unsung surrealist I loved Colquhouns exhibition at Tate St Ives when I reviewed it earlier this year, but this version of it is much more flatly laid out and her experiments in releasing the unconscious are shouted down by all the drunken, drugged, omnivorously shagging people in Burras 1920s and 30s clubs and bars. Yet he also gets edited and reinvented in a way that left me largely cold. Burra was modern but reactionary, a brilliant social observer who also retreated into a private world in his hideaway in Rye, Sussex. This exhibition claims his art is largely about queer culture yet his actual sexuality is mysterious not that youd know that from the show. He painted in watercolour, wildly stretching this mediums possibilities. He is an odd, cussed, unique figure. How reactionary? Well, he sympathised with General Francos far-right forces in the Spanish civil war. He didnt share the widespread belief of his generation that the Spanish fight was a struggle for humanitys future against the rising forces of fascism. Yet Tate Britain puts Burras Spanish civil war art at the heart of its fitful show without acknowledging his well-known position. In fact it goes further and tries to present him as a great artist of modern conflict. I dont see it. Burras big, busy, booming watercolours seem to treat the war as a gaudy spectacle, a horrorshow ballet, and have more pity for broken architecture than slaughtered people. Harlequins and devils cavort in the ruins but there is no precision about the wars victims look to Picassos Guernica for them. In Burras Beelzebub, a naked big-bummed devil presides with sensual joy over a nude battle of muscular erotic soldiers in a crumbling bombed-out cathedral: an emphasis on the destruction of churches and killing of clergy as supposed leftist atrocities was typical of pro-Franco imagery. A wall text quotes Burra on the eve of the war: It was terrifying: constant strikes, churches on fire, and pent up hatred everywhere. It is the hatefulness he sees in the Spanish workers and Republicans hes condemning, with their strikes and anti-clericalism. Burra was out of his depth. He was a party animal not a political pundit. In its first couple of rooms, this show reveals how wondrously hedonistic he can be. In his depictions of Paris nightlife in the late 1920s he is amazed and delighted by French freedom. Women do naked erotic dances at the Folies de Belleville, men dance with men and women with women at a dance hall, and sailors chat each other up at a bar. The exhibition, structured as a series of highlights from his career, doesnt explain how Burra, born in 1905, came by his singular style, at once precise, comic, sensual and grotesque. But by the time he went to France it was fully formed. Hogarth was one source. The British tradition of caricature dynamises The Tea Shop, from 1929, in which two prudishly polite women in the foreground, one in spectacles that stress her myopia, look idiotically at us, unaware that the waiting staff behind them, male and female, are stark naked. Theyre a couple of squares who dont get the 20s scene. Burra was plugged in to that scene, internationally. Though based in tranquil Rye and suffering with rheumatoid arthritis, he would go anywhere for fun. The jazz records he loved are on show and playing distractingly and in his paintings of New York and other US cities, jazz and queerness lead him to riotous venues where you might not have met many white Englishmen. In his 1937 picture Izzy Orts, he takes you to the heart of the night where a sailor stares at you with white, pupil-less eyes, as if in ecstasy. At the rear of the crowd you see Burra himself, his pupils also on the point of vanishing. You can hear the noise, smell the smoke, anticipate, as Burra seems to, the sex. Yet this exhibition insists on sentimentalising him. Burras paintings of African Americans are presented as acts of allyship with the Harlem Renaissance, but he wasnt doing portraits of Langston Hughes or hanging out with Zora Neale Hurston. His Harlem scenes are Hogarthian city scenes bursting with raw reality and like any caricaturist hes ambivalent. Is he celebrating the tall, bandy legged man smoking in the street with a white eye showing under his green hat, or mocking him? The most pleasurable works in Burras show are his late landscapes of green rolling Sussex hills which swallow you up. These paintings also depict petrol stations and other modern blights wrecking his beloved countryside, but it seems not just a stretch but nonsensical for a wall text to claim he was prescient about the climate crisis. Was he an occultist like Colquhoun after all, gazing into his crystal ball? Tate Britain creates a fantasy version of Burra, removing his complexities, turning a genuinely important artist into a plastic fiction. Pity the museum that needs heroes. Edward Burra-Ithell Colquhoun is at Tate Britain, London, from 13 June to 19 October Tensions between Elon Musk and Donald Trump leaked into public view last week and rapidly escalated. Photograph: Allison Robbert/AFP/Getty Images Elon Musk has expressed contrition for some of his tweets about Donald Trump last week, in an apparent effort to retreat from an explosive falling out that has threatened to damage the Tesla bosss business interests. Musk was by far the biggest donor to Trumps presidential campaign, but tensions between the two erupted into public view last week and rapidly escalated, as the worlds richest man called for the presidents impeachment and mocked his connections to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a series of posts. On Wednesday, Musk posted on X, the social network he owns: I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. Musks public apology came after the tech billionaire privately called Trump on Monday night, the New York Times first reported, citing three people familiar with the matter. Musks call to Trump on Monday night followed a conversation he had on Friday with the vice-president, JD Vance, and the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, the New York Times reported. The three were said to have discussed the public feud during the call. The trios conversation on Friday came after Vance asked Trump how he would prefer to publicly address the feud, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The source said Vances query to Trump came before an interview Vance was scheduled to do with Theo Von, a conservative podcast host. Trump told Vance to be diplomatic, CNN reports, citing the source. During the podcast interview, which aired on Saturday, Vance said: Really, man, I think its a huge mistake for him to go after the president like that I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine. Asked about the apparent apology, the president told the New York Post: I thought it was very nice that he did that. The comments came after the paper published a previously recorded interview, in which Trump had said I guess I could reconcile with Musk. The president said he was not a happy camper when the Tesla chief executive launched last weeks tirade but claimed he had no hard feelings for it, adding: I think he feels very badly, that he said that. The possibility of a rapprochement however superficial appeared to be welcomed by investors. Teslas share price rose by 2.6% in pre-market trading. Related: Unstoppable force loses battle with immovable object: Elon bows to Trump The public feud was one of the most extraordinary turns in the relationship between the two men. During the presidential campaign they had claimed to be ideological allies, and Musk briefly served in Trumps government as head of the so-called department of government efficiency, a drive to slash government programmes nicknamed Doge after the internet meme. Experts have argued that the cost-cutting is illegal. Relations soured after Musk publicly criticised Trumps big beautiful bill, saying it would add $2.4tn to US government borrowing and calling it a disgusting abomination. Trump responded to Musks barrage of criticism by saying the tech billionaire went crazy. He also made direct references to Musks companies, highlighting the potential financial risks of the feud. In a direct reference to Tesla, Trump wrote on Truth Social, his own social media network: I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted. The electric car pioneer has been struggling with falling sales in some markets, including much of Europe, in part, analysts say, because of Musks allegiance with Trump. Musks alignment with the US president had prompted a surge in the market value of Tesla, with investors hoping that the White House would look more favourably at the companys autonomous driving technology. Musks retreat from the feud came a day before Teslas launch of a robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. That launch is seen as crucial for the company to justify its position as the worlds most valuable carmaker even as it struggles with an ageing lineup of products. Trump also threatened another of Musks key businesses, the rocket company SpaceX. Trump wrote: The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. In practice the US government is unlikely to cancel SpaceXs contracts, as it carries out more strategically important satellite launches than every other company in the world combined. Musk at first threatened to decommission SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft, the key vehicle to transport Nasa astronauts to the International Space Station, before withdrawing the threat. Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter bowed out in the quarter-finals of the doubles at Queens after falling 6-2 7-5 to Ukranian Lyudmyla Kichenok and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand. The duo, who have been bestowed the portmanteau Boultercanu, earlier this week described the spontaneous nature of their decision to pair up ahead of this tournament. After booking their place with a straight-sets opening victory over Wu Fang-Hsien and Jiang Xinyu on Monday, they faced a much tougher test in the top-seeded doubles pair. Emma Raducanu (left) and Katie Boulter discuss tactics (Jordan Pettitt/PA) It was a third-ever doubles match for 2021 US Open champion Raducanu, who at one point clashed rackets with British number one Boulter as the played together for just the second time. Boulter battled through her grass court singles season opener to claim a 7-6 (4) 1-6 6-4 victory over Australian qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic on Tuesday, and the first-serve issues that plagued her in that gritty battle seemed to remain somewhat unresolved when she double-faulted to open the second game. The Britons task was made even trickier after they were broken by the top seeds, but were getting a better read on the ball by the time they claimed their first win of the set to make it 3-1. But they could not find the response they needed to their increasingly-clever opponents particularly the prowess of Kiwi Routliffe and were unable to dig their way out after Raducanu opened the set-decider with a double-fault of her own. Their opponents swiftly claimed the first game of the second set to hold before Boulter and Raducanu after an amusing pause to remove an insect crawling along the baseline with a towel made it 1-1. Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu were knocked out of the doubles (Adam Davy/PA) The Britons serve this time Raducanus was broken again early on in the set. Kichenok and Routliffe began to cruise a bit more and, far more vocal in their communication, looked the more organised pair, though Boulter and Raducanu were still all smiles, and received an especially encouraging round of applause as they took the court again at 4-1 down. The British pair looked to be growing into the contest, breaking back for the first time in the match to reduce the deficit to 4-3 before drawing level. They nearly made it three games in a row, but their rivals recovered from 40-0 to secure the hold, eliciting the first real groan from a section of the home support. Boulter and Raducanu were given a gift when Routliffe was deemed to have doubled-faulted briefly challenging the umpire with the set level at 5-5, but they could not take advantage. The Boultercanu doubles dream, at least for now, ended as the serving Raducanu could not force a tiebreak and the Kiwi-Ukrainian pair booked their place in the semis with another break. A rally on Wednesday at a closed car wash where workers were detained in Ice raids in West Los Angeles. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images As federal agents rushed to arrest immigrants across Los Angeles, they confined detainees including families with small children in a stuffy office basement for days without sufficient food and water, according to immigration lawyers. One family with three children were held inside a Los Angeles-area administrative building for 48 hours after being arrested on Thursday immediately after an immigration court hearing, according to lawyers from the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef), which is providing non-profit legal services in the region. The children, the youngest of whom is three years old, were provided a bag of chips, a box of animal crackers and a mini carton of milk as their sole rations for a day. Agents told the family they did not have any water to provide during the familys first day in detention; on the second day, all five were given a single bottle to share. The one fan in the room was pointed directly towards a guard, rather than towards the families in confinement, they told lawyers. Because it was primarily men held in these facilities, they didnt have separate quarters for families or for women, said Yliana Johansen-Mendez, chief program officer at ImmDef. Clients explained that eventually they set up a makeshift tent in an outside area to house the women and children. But clearly, there were no beds, no showers. They have since been transferred to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, a large-scale holding facility retrofitted to hold children with their parents that was reopened under the Trump administration. Lawyers, who had been largely blocked from communicating with immigrants arrested amid the ramped-up raids in LA, said family members were able to recount the ordeal only after they were moved out of state. The harrowing details are the first to emerge about the conditions that people are being held in following the immigration raids targeting LA-area businesses and neighborhoods. To quell the widespread protests that followed, Donald Trump sent in military troops despite opposition from California leaders. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said that it arrested 118 immigrants on Friday and over the weekend. Others were arrested at immigration offices and courthouses in the days prior. ImmDef and other local advocacy groups had compiled a separate list of more than 80 people who were apprehended though many of them still do not appear in the agencys online databases of detainees. Many of the people arrested were jailed ad hoc, in LA-area courthouses and administrative offices. Over the past several days, attorneys have taken shifts waiting outside federal immigration offices, attempting to speak to the immigrants, but federal agents and national guard troops have largely blocked lawyers and family members from visiting with those who were arrested, citing safety concerns amid widespread protests in the city. On Tuesday, the immigration court in downtown Los Angles had been shut down and blocked off. DHS did not immediately respond to multiple Guardian queries about where it was holding people arrested in LA, and whether local offices had been given instruction to prepare supplies and facilities to hold immigrants before the large-scale raids in the region. Deteriorating conditions in detention Legal aid groups were also largely denied access to immigrants who were transferred to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) processing center and detention center in Adelanto, in the high desert east of LA. Ices excuse was, theyre still processing all the new people, said Johansen-Mendez. Over the weekend and on Monday, her colleagues were only permitted to visit with a handful of clients at the Adelanto detention center, even though they had called ahead to confirm that at least 40 people referred to the organization had been sent there. Several people have already been deported. Luis Angel Reyes Savalza, a deportation defense attorney supporting the affected families in LA, said at least one person who was bussed to Mexico almost immediately after his arrest was not provided any paperwork or opportunity to contest his deportation. At least two others who were arrested at LA-area car washes were deported to Tijuana, according to Flor Melendrez, executive director of the Clean Carwash Worker Center. Another person was told by agents to sign a paper if he wanted to visit an attorney, Johansen-Mendez said but believes he was tricked into signing some sort of voluntary departure paperwork. Within hours, he was across the border to Mexico, she said. Meanwhile, the family members of workers arrested at a clothing factory in downtown LA, in the parking lot at a Home Depot in the suburb of Paramount, and at a car wash in Culver City were desperately seeking answers about their loved ones whereabouts. Landi, whose husband was arrested on Friday while he worked a shift at the Ambiance Apparel warehouse, said he had reported to work that day as normal. We never imagined he will be kidnapped by immigration, she said at a news conference on Monday, outside the businesss gates. The Guardian is not using her surname to protect her familys privacy and safety. The day he was kidnapped, my family went to request information about his abduction, but Ice told us he wasnt at the center, she said. However, after much effort and struggle from our lawyer, Ice simply confirmed that he was there. Families were not allowed to bring their loved ones jackets or medications, lawyers said. Those who were able to confer with attorneys reported that as holding facilities in the city became crowded with immigrants, families were rushed out to detention centers in Californias high desert or in Texas. Agents confiscated belongings and provided little food or water, explaining to immigrants that the facilities had not prepared for the influx of detainees. Conditions in Adelanto were deteriorating as well, lawyers said. One of ImmDefs clients reported that meals were provided late, blankets and clothing were scarce, and some people were sleeping on the floor of a day-use recreational room as beds filled up. One client said he witnessed an older mans health dramatically decline after being denied medication for three days. On Sunday, the Democratic US representatives Gilbert R Cisneros Jr, Judy Chu and Derek Tran said they were blocked from entering Adelanto. The DHS did not respond to a query asking why lawyers and lawmakers have been denied access. Making sense of the raids With limited access to immigrants in detention, attorneys are also scrambling to understand the scope of the raids, and the extent to which the Department of Homeland Security has violated immigrants rights. Related: US immigration officials raid California farms as Trump ramps up conflict One of the more unusual aspects of the large-scale militarized raids that began last week was that agents from Ice were joined by Customs and Border Protection officers, who are empowered to conduct warrantless stops but only within 100 miles (160km) of the US border. Johansen-Mendez believes that the government has justified their presence in Los Angeles which is more than 100 miles from the US-Mexico border because the city touches the Pacific Ocean, which the administration could be considering as a border. Theyre counting the entire coastline as a port of entry, said Johansen-Mendez. It felt almost like an urban legend that it could be done. But at this point, its just theyre everywhere, literally. Lawyers from ImmDef and other legal aid and advocacy groups have also been trying to piece together testimonies to better understand how and why immigration agents chose to sweep certain businesses and neighborhoods, and what justifications officers provided when stopping and apprehending people. How do they decide who theyre going to ask for their papers and arrest, other than racially profiling? Johansen-Mendez said. Did they just ask everyone in the room for their papers or just some people? Did they skip certain people that didnt fit the profile? We cant get that information because we cant talk to everyone. Students in South Australia are to debate the tradwife movement as part of a Debating SA competition. Photograph: Lincoln Beddoe/Getty Images/iStockphoto Year 9 students in South Australia are about to debate whether the tradwife movement is good for women but the topic has sparked fierce discussion before the debates have even started. The topic will start being debated next week as part of the third round of Debating SAs competition, for which all schools in the state are eligible. After the topic was announced in May, some people questioned on social media whether the topic was appropriate, with some concerned that female students arguing in the affirmative would be making the case for their own subjugation. On social media women describing themselves as tradwives portray an old-fashioned, homemaking existence of baking and child rearing. But the tradwife movement has also become associated with anti-feminist sentiment, amplified by misogynist figures including Andrew Tate and those in the manosphere. Debating SA said it was shocked and surprised by the reaction. It took the unusual step of sending a clarification to schools at the weekend saying the definition it was using was synonymous with a stay-at-home parent. A spokesperson said when the organisation had researched the topic, the darker side of the trend did not surface. But once it heard about it, it wrote to schools to say it saw tradwife as a portmanteau of traditional wife someone who stayed at home, looked after the children, kept the house, without any concept of submission to the man of the house. The organisation said it had received abusive phone calls. The spokesperson told Guardian Australia people had been ringing up screaming, ranting, raving and carrying on and accusing the not-for-profit of undoing centuries of female advancement. They were outside people whove got nothing to do with debating, who dont know how it works, the spokesperson said. Debating is very formal and not only do we not tolerate incivility, it never happens. If you follow the rules and regulations theres no room for rudeness. Related: Sundresses and rugged self-sufficiency: tradwives tout a conservative American past ... that didnt exist Its an intellectual, academic exercise bound up in civility, politeness and good manners. They didnt follow the rules! A Queensland-based teen educator and author, Rebecca Sparrow, shared an email on Facebook on 5 June from a reader horrified by the debating topic. Fourteen and fifteen-year-old girls and boys are being asked to argue that this is good for women that women being subjugated is good, the reader wrote in the email. Sparrow wrote that the term tradwife refers to women adhering to strict gender roles akin to a 1950s housewife who eschews a career in place of homemaking because thats her role/place. Trad wife is not code for stay-at-home parent, she wrote, and later added: For those who think its a great debate topic we can agree to disagree on this one. Sparrow later closed comments on her post, saying she did not have time to continually monitor them to ensure a war hasnt erupted. South Australias education minister, Blair Boyer, told ABC radio on Wednesday that he had to ask his staff what the tradwife movement was. And I understand it comes with some controversy, but I think its a balancing act in terms of debating topics, between having something which is of interest to the people doing the debating and not having something which is, I guess, overly provocative, he said. In May the Macquarie Dictionary said the controversial term sounds like an insult to some, and a badge of honour to others. However you feel about it, a tradwife is a woman who has willingly embraced the duties and values of a wife in what some call a traditional marriage, it said. Kristy Campion, a researcher into the far right, told ABCs Radio National in May that tradwife culture drew on cottage core dreams of a simpler life. But she noted the far right had also linked it to white womanhood, anti-feminism, anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-immigrant sentiments. We also see them fiercely opposing things like abortion or divorce, she said. Speaking not about the tradwife debate but about debating in general, Fiona Mueller, a public policy researcher from the Centre for Independent Studies, said Australians had become strangely fearful of debating, when it is something that is at the heart of our democratic process. She said she worried that teachers had baulked at teaching it because they were concerned about controversial topics. She wanted to see them confident in running debates as there was solid evidence they helped build thinking, reasoning, reading, researching, persuading and presentation skills. We need to rediscover the more considered gathering of information and coming to a conclusion, she said. That is the single greatest responsibility of each generation to set a good example for the next generation, and one of the things we need to set that example in, is respectful, thoughtful debate. Donald Trump speaks in Fort Bragg, North Carolina on Tuesday. His armed forces are all part of his us-against-them view of the world - Allison Joyce/Bloomberg Donald Trump has long had a keen fascination with swashbuckling generals from the Second World War. His rally speeches are peppered with anecdotes about General Douglas MacArthur and he used a clip from one of his favourite war movies to open his event at Manhattans Madison Square a week before last years election. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser, says George C Scott, playing Gen George Patton in the 1970 movie Patton. What could be more Trumpian? The presidents first administration was packed with generals and retired generals. Mr Trump made no secret of his admiration for their can-do attitude and straightforward command structure until, that is, he soured on their adherence to rules and legal norms. This time around, his flood-the-zone strategy of bamboozling the media and Democratic opponents with a constant stream of executive orders, public comments, and proclamations could come from one of Pattons real-life quotes: As long as you attack them, they cannot find the time to attack you. This week, Mr Trump is leaning into his role of commander-in-chief in a much more literal sense. He has deployed active service personnel as an arm of domestic policy to back his massive deportation push. As protests grew in response to immigration raids around Los Angeles, he took the highly unusual step of deploying National Guard troops at the weekend despite the opposition of the California governor. A protester confronts a National Guard serviceman and police officers during unrest in Los Angeles on Tuesday - FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP On Tuesday he used a speech honouring soldiers to defend his decision against charges it was a politically motivated stunt. Generations of army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness, he said at the army base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. A day later, the first of 700 Marines arrived in Los Angeles. And he has left open the possibility of going even further, using the Insurrection Act, which authorises the president to deploy military forces on American soil to suppress domestic violence in certain scenarios. If theres an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. Well see, he said from the Oval Office. And then there is Saturdays military parade. More than 100 military vehicles and thousands of soldiers are set to roll or march down Constitution Avenue in front of the White House. Black Hawk and Apache helicopters will fill the skies. An Apache helicopter on display on the National Mall in Washington DC as preparations are made for the parade - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America It will be the $50 million fulfilment of a dream Mr Trump has had since 2017, when he was a guest of Emmanuel Macron, the French president, at a Bastille Day parade. Hundreds of troops marching down the Champs-Elysees beneath plumes of red, white and blue smoke trailing behind fighter jets, left a deep impression on Mr Trump. It was one of the greatest parades Ive ever seen, he later said. Were going to have to try and top it. A parade during his visit to China in 2017 also got the Trump seal of approval. He called it magnificent. Then, he was quietly advised then that it would not be appropriate to parade the nations military might through the capital. But like so much of his thwarted first-term agenda, he has spent the past four years staffing up with officials who can make his dreams come true. Officially, Saturdays parade will mark the 250th birthday of the army. And it doesnt hurt that it falls on the 79th birthday of Mr Trump. Critics say he is abusing the nations armed forces for his own ends. He views the military as political props, said John Bolton, who worked as Trumps national security adviser in his first term before falling out with him. He thinks they make him look good. US army soldiers work prepare for Saturdays Washington DC - MANDEL NGAN/AFP The event could serve another purpose, illustrating how Mr Trump is bringing the nations biggest and strongest institutions into line. And as commander-in-chief he is the one to call the shots, illustrating his hold on power. Members of Washingtons diplomatic corps will be in the audience on Saturday. He just likes the pomp and circumstance, said one, speaking on condition of anonymity. I dont see an attack on democracy. Mr Trump looks around at other leaders and thinks that this is the sort of thing that a head of state gets. In the meantime, polls suggest a limit to what he can do as commander-in-chief. A new YouGov survey found that 47 per cent of Americans disapprove of deploying the Marines to Los Angeles, with only 34 per cent approving, despite other polls showing that voters approve of the broader deportation operation. And while legal scholars will debate whether Mr Trumps decision to deploy troops stands up to scrutiny, and whether it breaches a federal law, the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which prevents the use of American forces to enforce domestic laws, the president sees things in black and white. He knows where the battle lines are drawn as he made clear in his Fort Bragg speech. He used highly partisan language to slam the Los Angeles protesters and to champion the armed forces. Theyre heroes. Theyre fighting for us, he said. Theyre stopping an invasion, just like youd stop an invasion. His armed forces are all part of Mr Trumps us-against-them view of the world. June 11, 2025: For 52 years the United States and Israel have cooperated on examining their combat experiences and the performance of weapons and tactics used. These activities had a direct impact on the development of current American and Israeli weapons and tactics. This influenced U.S. combat operations during this period and can still be seen as new developments are revealed. The primary American military equipment, including small arms and major systems like tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, attack and transport helicopters, anti-aircraft systems, electronic warfare equipment and a growing number of specialized systems. These include laser drone interceptors. Work on such systems has been underway for decades. Finally, in 2025 the Department of Defense came up with a system that worked. It performed well in recent combat tests and went into mass production this year. Another specialized system was the Israeli Trophy Active Protection System/APS. Trophy provides protection from Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, RPG rocket propelled grenades and shells from tank guns or artillery that often fire such shells equipped with shaped charge warheads. Trophy is considered the most useful and combat proven APS and over 4,000 systems have been installed or are on order for Israeli, American and many NATO member armored vehicles. The addition of Trophy adds about a ton to the weight of a tank. Another novel Israeli contribution is the D9 combat bulldozer. First developed and used in 2006, the remote control D9 has become more capable as Israel added remote control and autonomous vehicle technology. Israel is a leader in this field and new developments tend to spread to all sorts of remote-controlled vehicles. The new tech provides the remote operator with more reliable and precise control over the unmanned D9 and better images of what could be seen from that D9. The D9 had already gone through several major upgrades, especially when it came to better protection for the two-man crew and the most vulnerable components. An early addition was a cage of steel bars around the operator cab to defeat RPG warheads. The cab was already armored, including bullet and blast proof glass. The crew seats were upgraded to include protection from the blast force pressure of bombs adjacent to or under the vehicle. The D9 is built to survive such explosions, but the crew need additional protection as well. This comes in the form of seats designed to absorb most of the blast vibration, which would otherwise put the crew at risk for spinal and shock injuries. The remote- control version of the D9 was developed in 2006. Remote controlled D9s retain the armor kit but, instead of an operator, the cab contains the electronics and radio gear needed to run the dozer remotely. Several cameras and other sensors are mounted on the outside. An operator, sitting in a nearby armored vehicle or truck, views several flat screen displays, and operates the controls. Any soldiers with lots of video game experience can quickly master remote operation of a D9. In early 2003, the U.S. brought nine 62-ton D9 armored Caterpillar bulldozers into Kuwait for the Iraq campaign. The D9s, and their Israeli made armor kit, were purchased because of Israeli success with the dozer in urban warfare against Palestinian terrorists. America had used the D9 during the 1960s in Vietnam, but after that only used the smaller 35 ton D7. The D9 was not needed for urban fighting in Iraq during 2003, but was found very useful, much more so than the smaller D7, for combat engineering tasks. The D9 quickly cleared highways of debris and built temporary roads for combat vehicles. D9s were eventually used in Iraq for combat operations in urban areas like Fallujah. The U.S. developed remote control systems for it and several types of armored vehicles. During the Iraq War, improvised explosive devices/IEDs produced most American casualties. The solution was electronic transmitters to detonate most of the IEDs while putting the troops in MRAP armored trucks. MRAP stands for Mine Resistant Armour Protected and thats what the trucks were. After the war, the U.S. donated most of its thousands of MRAPS to foreign aid groups that operated in dangerous areas. There, MRAPS continued to save the lives of aid workers as well as the starving people receiving the food transported through hostile territory in MRAPS. Since Israel is perpetually defending itself from hostile neighbors, they have developed computer-controlled battle management systems to keep track of hostile forces and make the most efficient use of available weapons and troops. On an individual level, Israelis developed novel uses for miniature video cameras. They gave the tank crew continuous views of what was outside their vehicle. Adding shot-spotting systems let the crew know where rifle and machine-guns fire was coming from. Now more powerful miniaturized computer systems use Artificial Intelligence to rapidly make decisions on using which weapon for which target and when. This is happening so fast that the only control a human operator has is an on/off switch or the ability to manipulate the tempo, intensity and frequency of system use. Its reached the point where AI combat systems can outthink human combatants and react much more quickly. Overall, rapid adaptation is the key to survival, as the Israelis and Ukrainians are demonstrating daily. From left: Jose Manuel Albares, the Spanish foreign minister; Maros Sefcovic, the EU Brexit negotiator; David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary; and Fabian Picardo, Gibraltars chief minister Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of surrendering Gibraltar after striking a deal that allows Spain to check passports on the Rock. Britain agreed a deal with Europe and Madrid that would place Spanish border officers at the airport and ports of the British territory as part of a dual entry system. Those arriving on the land border will be waved through by British officials to ease border friction as part of the last of the major post-Brexit agreements. The deal also removes physical checks on goods at the frontier with Spain. The post-Brexit deal will see Gibraltar join the Schengen zone to keep its borders with Spain open - Alexandre ROSA / Alamy Stock Photo However, it was criticised for allowing Spanish police to carry out controls at the airport. Gibraltar is British, and given Labours record of surrendering our territory and paying for the privilege, we will be reviewing carefully all the details of any agreement that is reached, said Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, added: No parliament can bind its successor and so this and the fishing deal are invalid. This government are the worst negotiators in history. On Gibraltar, yet another surrender. Under the agreement, both Gibraltar and Spanish officials will carry out checks at the airport in a model similar to French police operating at Londons St Pancras station. Under the Eurostar model, passengers first pass through British Border Force agents, before French border guards check passports on British soil to ensure a frictionless exit at the destination. Maros Sefcovic, the EUs trade commissioner, hailed the deal as a historic milestone after years of disagreements over how to police Gibraltars border with the bloc. The Foreign Office said it would eliminate onerous checks and long, often crippling delays, at the frontier with Spain. Spains foreign minister said it brought down the final wall in Europe. Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, said: Today is a great day for the Campo de Gibraltar. After three centuries of no progress, the EU, the United Kingdom, and Spain have reached a comprehensive agreement that benefits citizens and our bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom. All this without renouncing Spanish claims to the isthmus and the return of Gibraltar. Fabian Picardo, Gibraltars chief minister, denied that the agreement surrendered any sovereignty to Spain or Europe. The Rocks top official travelled to Brussels on Wednesday alongside David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, to conclude negotiations with representatives from Spain and the EU. He wrote in The Telegraph that the agreement showed politics at its most elevated, and attempted to make clear, twice, that Britain had not given away any powers, while insisting he had agreed to the new pact. David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, and Fabian Picarda, Gibraltars chief minister, in front of the Rock after the deal was struck - Ben Dance / FCDO Mr Picardo said: Make no mistake: the treaty that is now within reach is not one that the Gibraltarians have been forced to accept. He added: I am just as adamant today that this treaty will not in any way compromise British Sovereignty over Gibraltar. That will be set out, black upon white, in the treaty when it is published. It is a legal undertaking given by both sides in clear and unequivocal terms. So to be clear: in this treaty we have not ceded any control of Gibraltar to any authority. However, the arrangements have sparked fears that British visitors could be turned away if they fall foul of the Schengen rule, which allows for only 90 days of visa free travel within a 180-day period in the Schengen area of Europe. Asked whether Spain could reject arriving travellers, Jose Manuel Albares, Spains foreign minister, told reporters on Wednesday: Of course, the European agent, in this case it is the Spanish police, will guarantee the full integrity of the Schengen area. The Government insisted the treaty, which is yet to be completed by officials, contains clauses that guarantee Gibraltars sovereignty. It also said the UK would maintain full control over its RAF and naval bases. The pact also means Gibraltars airport will also start accepting flights from across the EU. Critics compared the deal, chiefly negotiated by Sir Keirs government, to the agreement that surrendered control of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius. Spain ceded control of Gibraltar to the UK in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht. While Madrid has long attempted to wrestle back its sovereignty, an overwhelming majority of Gibraltars residents favour British rule. Mark Francois, a Conservative Brexiteer and the shadow Armed Forces minister, said: First Chagos and now Gibraltar. This Europhile, human-rights-obsessed Government can no longer be trusted to robustly defend any of our overseas interests, as this further concession to Spain shows. The new agreement will allow some 15,000 Spanish workers to continue crossing the border every day, while Gibraltarians will regain the freedom of movement they used to enjoy as European citizens before Brexit. The Rocks 34,000 residents rely heavily on imports of foods, medicines and other supplies from Spain, making the frictionless border a victory for those living there. But the deal risks also being deeply unpopular with Spanish conservatives, who have long campaigned to reclaim sovereignty over Gibraltar. Illegal colonisation Spains hard-Right Vox party said that by making an agreement on Gibraltar without challenging its sovereignty status, Madrids government was being complicit with the Rocks illegal status. Gibraltar is a territory illegally colonised by the United Kingdom and therefore any agreement that does not provide for the full reintegration of that territory into Spanish sovereignty is illegal, illegitimate and unjust, Jorge Buxade, leader of Voxs contingent of MPs in the European Parliament, told The Telegraph. The Gibraltar region and its inhabitants have become victims of illegality and illegal activities of all kinds originating in or destined for Gibraltar, and this agreement, with the necessary cooperation of Sanchezs socialist and corrupt government, will not improve their security or prosperity, Mr Buxade added. The conservative Peoples Party (PP), Spains main opposition, criticised the agreement as a wasted opportunity to assert the Spanish territorial claim over the Rock. The PP will continue to claim sovereignty over Gibraltar, said Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the partys leader. He added that any agreement on Gibraltar should be considered by parliament and complained that Mr Sanchezs government had not shared information on the progress in the negotiations. Spains biggest party should not have to read about our countrys foreign policy in the media. This happened again today and it is very serious. Mr Lammy said: Todays breakthrough delivers a practical solution after years of uncertainty. Alongside the government of Gibraltar, we have reached an agreement which protects British sovereignty, supports Gibraltars economy and allows businesses to plan for the long-term once again. A Downing Street spokesman said: The Prime Minister spoke to the Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo this evening, to congratulate him on todays historic agreement to secure the future of Gibraltar. He thanked him for his years of hard work, commitment, and leadership to reach an agreement adding that it was fantastic to see that it had been profusely welcomed by all sides. Both agreed that this would unlock a secure future for the people and businesses of Gibraltar, allowing them plan for the long-term while protecting British sovereignty. The spokesman added that Mr Sanchez had congratulated Sir Keir, saying he had succeeded where others had failed. The Government will end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers in this Parliament, the Chancellor has said, despite a warning it will be easier said than done. Unveiling her spending review on Wednesday, Rachel Reeves set out how funding will be provided to cut the asylum backlog and save taxpayers billions of pounds. A total 200 million of transformation funding will be used to speed up the overhaul of the asylum system, documents show. Ms Reeves told MPs: I can confirm today that led by the work of my right honourable friend the Home Secretary, we will be ending the costly use of hotels to house asylum seekers in this Parliament. Funding that I have provided today, including from the transformation fund, will cut the asylum backlog, hear more appeal cases and return people who have no right to be here, saving the taxpayer 1 billion a year. That is my choice, Mr Speaker, that is the Labour choice, that is the choice of the British people. It comes as findings from the National Audit Office revealed the cost of asylum accommodation is expected to be more than three times higher than previously estimated at 15.3 billion over 10 years. Hotel accommodation accounted for 76% of the annual cost of contracts 1.3 billion of an estimated 1.7 billion in 2024-25. Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers her Governments spending review to MPs in the House of Commons (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA) But responding to the announcement, Home Affairs Committee chairwoman Dame Karen Bradley said the cost of asylum hotels has risen to a staggering extent, adding this is where reductions will need to be made to cut the Home Office budget. Unless the savings are made it will have a knock-on effect on the departments wider ambitions across policing, immigration and counter-terrorism, she said, but warned: This is easier said than done. If hotels disappear there will still need to be stock of short-term accommodation to deal with unpredictable levels of irregular migration. Targets on their own are not enough, they need to be delivered and for that we need to have workable solutions. Meanwhile shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Labours entire budget is built on an assumption that the hotels magically empty themselves. They still have no plan for where these people will go, he added. On Tuesday, Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle told the Commons committee the department is piloting different ways to provide asylum accommodation ahead of break clauses for major contracts coming up next year. Pilots include working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for a joined-up approach to temporary housing and local authorities on providing accommodation. Dame Angela said one of the ideas is to move away from hotels to medium-sized sites such as old tower blocks and student accommodation. Labour has previously said it is committed to end the use of asylum hotels over time. Latest figures show 32,345 asylum seekers were being housed temporarily in UK hotels at the end of March, down 15% from the end of December, when the total was 38,079. That is also 6% lower than the 34,530 at the same point a year earlier. It is understood the MHCLG will take on some costs of putting asylum seekers up in temporary accommodation once they leave hotels. Reacting to the move, Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, urged the Government to end the use of hotels before the 2029 deadline, which feels far away. Asylum hotels have become a flashpoint for community tensions and cost billions to the taxpayer, so ending their use is good for refugees, the taxpayer and communities, he said. Instead the charity boss called for asylum seekers to be housed in communities so they can integrate into British life and urged ministers to urgently reform the accommodation system to enable councils to deliver key services. Elsewhere, the Chancellor also announced a further up to 280 million per year for the Border Security Command by the end of the spending review period, which leads on the UKs strategy to crack down on people smuggling and small boat crossings. This follows an initial 150 million to establish the unit last year. The announcements come as Channel crossings continued on Wednesday. Pictures show new arrivals wearing life jackets being brought to shore in a Border Force boat in Dover, Kent and being driven away from the port. They are the first to make the journey to the UK so far this month after a record first five months of the year bringing the provisional total so far to 14,812 arrivals. This has also surpassed the highest total recorded for the first six months of the year, which was previously 13,489 on June 30 last year. In 2024, the number of arrivals did not reach more than 14,000 until July 9 (14,058). Following Wednesdays arrivals, Mr Philp said now 15,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in the worst year ever for small boat crossings so far, adding this is a total collapse of border control. The official figures of the number of arrivals will be published on Thursday by the Home Office. Thousands of UK holidaymakers are ditching traditional European hotspots in favour of north Africa, travel companies have reported. Experts say many people are being drawn to the region by its wide availability of high-quality hotels costing considerably less than similar properties in locations such as Spain, France and Italy. North African countries Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia are all experiencing a boost in visitors from the UK. Figures from aviation analysts Cirium show 19,847 flights are projected to serve routes from UK airports to those nations this year, more than twice as many as the 8,653 that did so in 2019. By comparison, the number of flights to Spain and Portugal is forecast to increase by 10% and 9% respectively over the same period. This suggests many holidaymakers who want better quality accommodation without paying more are prepared to take a longer flight, despite airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair having seats that do not recline and no onboard entertainment. Flights from Gatwick airport, West Sussex, to Egypts Sharm el-Sheikh take about five hours and 20 minutes. That means spending an extra hour and 45 minutes on a plane compared with trips to the traditional southern Spanish hotspot of Alicante. The promenade at night in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt (Alamy/PA) EasyJet launched flights between Gatwick and Cape Verde, off the coast of west Africa, in March, which is its longest route serving England. The flights take six hours and 10 minutes to cover the distance of 2,332 nautical miles. Travel company Tui said bookings from flight-only and package holiday customers for summer breaks in Egypt are 30% higher compared with a year ago. It also reported double-digit growth for Tunisia and strong demand for Morocco. Tuis UK commercial director Chris Logan said these three destinations offer fantastic value for money, meaning traditional European destinations find it hard to compete. He told the PA news agency: Theres good quality accommodation and great weather beyond the traditional summer season. Even in the winter months temperatures are mild, making them a perfect choice for year-round travel. Tourists walking along a sandy beach in Cape Verde (Alamy/PA) Tui has increased its flights from the UK to north Africa this summer to meet growing demand, with new routes from Stansted to Enfidha in Tunisia and from Newcastle to Agadir, Morocco. Online accommodation marketplace Booking.com said it recorded a 68% increase in the number of searches for summer breaks in Tunisia during the first five months of this year, compared with the same period in 2024. Egypt and Morocco saw rises of 64% and 39% respectively. Nicki Tempest-Mitchell, managing director at travel agency Barrhead Travel, said Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia offer incredible value for money which is proving increasingly attractive for holidaymakers this year. She added: The investment in high-quality hotels and experiences across these regions is turning the heads of customers who may previously have favoured mainland Europe. Although favourites such as Spain and Turkey are still our top-selling destinations, its safe to say north Africa is a region to watch over the next few years. Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, said there is a clear trend toward value-conscious holiday planning. She went on: Ongoing cost of living pressures and squeezed disposable incomes have meant that while people remain committed to taking holidays, theyre increasingly focused on maximising value for money. This shift has driven growing popularity for destinations like Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia, which offer more competitive pricing and high-quality accommodation options compared to the more traditional western Mediterranean resorts. Yunqing Jian A plot of some kind is afoot. It is August 12 2022 and Yunqing Jian, a young Chinese plant scientist, is flying from Seoul to San Francisco. But she has a problem. She is apparently carrying contraband seeds she needs to smuggle through customs. She sends a worried message on the Chinese social media platform WeChat to her boyfriend, Zongong Liu, with whom she had studied plant diseases at Zhejiang University in eastern China. Mr Liu is calm but practical. He warns that teacher Liangs seeds must be placed well and reminds her she will have to pass through security again after picking up her bags. Ms Jian is anxious. She considers hiding the seeds in her shoes, but cannot remove the insole, according to a condensed and machine-translated transcript provided by the FBI. Eventually, they hit on a solution: Ms Jian stuffs the seeds into a tiny zip-lock bag and hides them in her Dr Martens, slipping through airport security undetected. What the seeds were, no one seems to know. Nor would anyone have found out had Mr Liu allegedly not been more careless on his own trip from Shanghai to Detroit last July. Following a routine search, US agents discovered a sheet of filter paper and four small resealable plastic bags concealed in a wad of tissue tucked into a hidden pocket of his backpack. This time, US investigators were able to make a positive identification. Mr Liu was allegedly carrying Fusarium graminearum, a highly destructive fungal pathogen responsible for billions of dollars in agricultural losses every year. The toxic fungus, the FBI said, was a potential agroterrorism weapon. Yunqing Jian has so far been charged with visa fraud, making false statements and smuggling Mr Liu was deported. Last week, after an 11-month investigation, the FBI arrested Ms Jian, who has been working as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan. Citing evidence that she had taken an oath of allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the FBI hinted at possible state backing. The case deepened on Sunday when US authorities arrested another Chinese researcher, Chengxuan Han, upon arrival at Detroit airport. She is suspected of sending four shipments of concealed biological material to the same Michigan lab where Ms Jian worked. Federal officials were quick to allege a broader conspiracy to harm the United States. The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals, including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party, are of the gravest national security concerns, said Jerome Gorgon, US attorney for Michigans eastern district. These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a potential agroterrorism weapon into the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme. Some senior figures in the Trump administration echoed the alarm. Kash Patel, the FBI director who has courted controversy for promoting conspiracy theories, wrote on X: This case is a sobering reminder that the CCP is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply putting American lives and our economy at serious risk. Samples of the toxic plant pathogen smuggled into the US by Chinese scientists - Reuters Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, praised the investigation and vowed to protect our nation from hostile foreign actors who would do us harm. But not everyone in the scientific community is convinced the case is as clear-cut as investigators and politicians claim. It is possible, they say, that Ms Jian and Mr Liu were undercover operatives on a mission to harm US interests. However, it is just as plausible that they were simply a pair of earnest, slightly nerdy researchers engaged in irregular but ultimately harmless research who foolishly tried to skirt American bureaucracy. There is no doubt that Fusarium graminearum is a dangerous pathogen. It infects cereal crops, leading to shrivelled grains and yield loss. In some cases, it can make livestock and humans sick through mycotoxin contamination. Yet, as scientists point out, the fungus is already endemic in the United States and has been for more than a century. It is also widespread in the UK and Europe. Fusarium graminearum has been described as a potential agroterrorism weapon - Reuters Weaponising the fungus is theoretically possible, says a senior agricultural specialist at the United Nations, who asked not to be named. Both the US and the Soviet Union once explored using a related fungus, Fusarium oxysporum, nicknamed Agent Green, in biowarfare targeting crops. But neither fully developed it. You could theoretically introduce a new strain during flowering, when cereals are most vulnerable, he said. But as an act of agricultural sabotage, it wouldnt make much sense. It would be detected quickly as monitoring systems are already very stringent. While all three Chinese scientists allegedly lied about the work they were doing and the materials they brought into the US, scientists suggest other motives for the cover-up, such as trying to bypass complex phytosanitary importation regulations. It seems to me this was bad judgment fuelled by scientific excitement, not agroterrorism, Caitilyn Allen, of the University of Wisconsin, told Chemistry World, the Royal Society of Chemistrys monthly journal. She also disputed the FBIs classification of the fungus as an agroterrorism threat: Fusarium graminearum does not pose a national security threat. Other elements of the FBI case are also under scrutiny. While the agency emphasised Ms Jians apparent pledge of allegiance to the CCP, this is not unusual among Chinese researchers it is often a bureaucratic requirement for securing state research funding. US court documents show the fungus hidden inside a textbook Whether the Chinese scientists were masterminds of a sinister plot or simply reckless is still unclear. Even sympathetic scientists concede their behaviour is, at times, puzzling. Ms Jian failed to tell her supervisors or the FBI that she was working on Fusarium graminearum isolates, some of which her boyfriend in China had provided. Mr Liu claimed he was merely visiting his girlfriend, yet the contents of his backpack suggested otherwise. Even so, scientists caution that to brand this as terrorism would be a leap. Further complicating matters is the broader political climate in both countries. Chinese science is often conducted under heavy secrecy. Beijing has also fuelled international suspicion particularly over its handling of the Covid-19 outbreak. Accusations of Chinese involvement in agricultural sabotage are not new. In 2016, four Chinese nationals were arrested in Indonesia for allegedly contaminating chilli seeds with another crop-damaging pathogen. In 2020, mystery seeds postmarked from China arrived at thousands of homes in the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, raising fears of a co-ordinated biowarfare campaign. Yet early alarm often gives way to more mundane explanations. Indonesia later convicted the Chinese nationals on visa charges, not agroterrorism. The seed packets were likely part of a marketing ploy known as a brushing scam. So far, Ms Jian and Ms Han have so far only been charged with visa fraud, making false statements and smuggling, not espionage. The contents of one of the packages sent by Chengxuan Han to a Michigan lab US politics may also be playing a role. Donald Trump, the US president, has pushed to revoke visas for Chinese students as part of a wider immigration clampdown. His administration is actively seeking misconduct cases at American universities to bolster his attacks on higher education. Some fear the upshot of the case will be a greater suspicion of research and international scientific collaboration a development, they warn, that would benefit no one. Yet a balance must be struck between the shared pursuit of research that could aid humanity and the need to protect Western food security from potential state threats, analysts say. Agriculture a soft target for bioweapons In intelligence circles, concern is growing over the risk of biological warfare targeting agriculture, even if confirmed attacks remain rare or unproven. The US military, after all, has previously tested pathogens such as stem rust, rice blast and Agent Green with the aim of using them to destroy opium poppies in Afghanistan and coca crops in Colombia, well after the Cold War. Since the 9/11 attacks, US security agencies have warned that agriculture is a soft target for bioweapons a concern shared in the UK where the Ministry of Defence stepped up monitoring of potential bioterror threats following the BSE and foot-and-mouth outbreaks. Worryingly, as Barry Pavel and Vikram Venkatram noted in a 2021 paper for the Atlantic Council think-tank, the tools for biological sabotage are now more accessible than ever. Terrorist groups could use synthetic biology to craft bioweapons, using data to manufacture dangerous pathogens or modifying easily accessible pathogens to make them more virulent, they wrote. The work the Chinese researchers were doing, then, can arguably be interpreted in two ways. Either they were modifying pathogens to increase their virulence a theory the FBI appears to favour or they were continuing Chinas century-long quest to develop resistance to Fusarium and combat a blight that has devastated cereal crops across the temperate world. Which interpretation is correct remains unclear. China has said little about the detention of the two scientists, who remain in custody. But on Tuesday evening, the Ministry of State Security Chinas main intelligence agency issued a statement that, while not directly referring to the case, seemed to offer a third explanation. It accused foreign research institutions of recruiting volunteers inside China and inducing them illegally to collect data on the distribution of biological species in China. In other words, the three researchers may not have been Chinese agents or naive rule-breakers but perhaps something altogether more startling: covert operatives working for the United States. Protesters gather in Los Angeles on Monday. This weeks protests are not even close to the largest immigration demonstrations in LAs history. Photograph: Matthew Hoen/Zuma/Shutterstock Los Angeles is home to nearly a million undocumented immigrants, the largest number of any place in the US. For decades, the city has been a catalyst in the US immigrants rights movement. So when federal agents began conducting raids at workplaces across Los Angeles last week, activists say its not surprising that the city rose up in protest. Were seeing it as a struggle to preserve whats left of American democracy, Chris Zepeda-Millan, a public policy expert at the University of California Los Angeles, told the Guardian on Monday en route to a protest. Trumps decision to send military troops into a majority-Democratic city has been criticized as a deliberate provocation, perhaps one designed to undermine his political rival, the California governor, Gavin Newsom, and distract from Trumps current legislative and personal struggles. But Trump has also decided to stage his immigration battle in a city with one of the most well-developed networks of pro-immigration organizations and pro-immigrant labor unions in the United States. Theyre fighting what they perceive as fascism and militarism taking over their city and their state, Zepeda-Millan said. Theyre well aware that other activists in other cities are watching. They know how much their parents and grandparents contributed Angelenos have been organizing against government attempts to criminalize undocumented workers since the 1990s, and against US government racism towards Mexican Americans for at least a century. Some of LAs immigrants rights protests have been huge: at least half a million people are estimated to have attended demonstrations in downtown Los Angeles in 2006, when the Republican party tried to pass a national bill that would have made simply being an undocumented immigrant in the US a felony. For the most part, the people protesting in the streets today are not themselves immigrants, or undocumented, Zepeda-Millan said. Its the children and grandchildren of immigrants, people who are themselves US citizens, who are taking up the fight. They know very well how much their parents and grandparents contributed to this state, this country, this economy, he said. Local Black Lives Matter leaders have encouraged all Angelenos to join the protests in solidarity. This is our business. Any time theres a Gestapo covering up their faces, masking their faces, snatching people off of street corners, none of us are safe, Melina Abdullah, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter LA, said in a social media video on Friday. Abdullah, who said she was teargassed at a demonstration on Friday, told the Guardian that the law enforcement response to the immigration raid protests had been different, with officers throwing aside any rules of engagement. Theyre treating us as if were enemy combatants, she said. Ive never seen it like this. As the White House has set new, record-breaking quotas for the daily number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) arrests, activists say, many different federal agencies are now being asked to contribute to Trumps deportation agenda. Were not just dealing with Ice. Were dealing with FBI Swat teams, drug enforcement, US marshals, said Victor Narro, a longtime immigration and labor activist in Los Angeles. In southern California, communities are now seeing paramilitary use of FBI agents, armed vehicles patrolling the streets, doing these very flashy and public types of raids and operations, said Luis Nolasco, a senior policy advocate and organizer at the ACLU of Southern California. In January, border patrol agents conducted raids targeting undocumented workers six hours north of the US-Mexico border. The amount of border patrol presence in our region is very concerning, Nolasco said, because border patrol, even more than Ice has a horrendous track record of abusing peoples rights. A minority-majority state Today, nearly half of Los Angeles countys 10 million residents are Latino, 16% are Asian, and a third of all residents were born outside the United States. White people have been a minority in Los Angeles county since at least 1990, according to the Los Angeles Times: California became a minority-majority state in 2000. Los Angeles county has so many residents who are undocumented that it contains nearly 9% of the USs total population of undocumented people, according to estimates from the Migration Policy Institute. In 2023, there were a total of 13.7 million unauthorized immigrants living in the US, the non-partisan thinktank estimated. Scholars and activists said that Trump simply does not have the federal resources to deport people from the US at the scale or the pace that his administration has promised. In May, the administration demanded that federal agents arrest and deport 3,000 people a day, or a million each year. (Not all people who are arrested can be deported right away.) During Trumps first 100 days in office, Ice said it arrested an average of only 660 people a day. At that rate, Zepeda-Millan said, it would take federal agents 50 years to deport the more than 12 million undocumented people estimated to be living in the United States. But Trump can effectively use federal agents to terrorize undocumented people and their families, activists said, something his Los Angeles raids have accomplished. One daughter of a man arrested in the raids described her father being kidnapped by agents, taken away in handcuffs and ankle chains, and detained for days without any contact with his family. Others described shock at raids targeting workplaces, and the detention of hard-working, church-going family members, some of whom have lived in LA for decades. Los Angeles news outlets have reported that streets in some immigrant neighborhoods of the city have been eerily empty, and businesses reporting a sudden drop in customers, as the threat of arrest and deportation has frightened many people into staying at home. While many news outlets are currently focusing on protesters or things being thrown at police, immigrant communities are feeling a hurt that is not usually portrayed in the press, Camarillo said. Given the devastation thats occurring in the places where they are raiding and taking mothers and fathers and aunts and uncles and sisters and brothers, he said, its no surprise that there have been protests. Strategic place for Trump to stage a spectacle LAs demographics, combined with the citys history of prominent riots, from the 1965 Watts uprising to the 1992 protests over the police beating of Rodney King, make Los Angeles a strategic place for Trump to draw out protesters that he can label insurrectionists, said Albert Camarillo, an emeritus professor of history at Stanford University. This is a TV personality that knows how to stage a spectacle, Camarillo said. Part of the apparent strategy behind Trumps showdown in Los Angeles, some activists said, isnt even about immigrants themselves. Its about creating chaos and undermining Californias economy in order to hurt Newsoms likely presidential run in 2028. I think the Republican party sees Gavin Newsom as a threat, Zepeda-Millan said. But activists caution that previous Republicans attempts to crack down on Californias undocumented immigrants to further their political goals have backfired sometimes spectacularly. One of the main reasons that California is now a Democratic supermajority state is because the Republican party backed a punitive anti-immigrant ballot measure, Prop 187, in 1994. Thirty years later, the states majority-minority voters still do not appear to have forgiven them. California is often labeled a deep-blue state but its also been a deeply reactionary one. The regions PR machine may focus on the sunny beaches and Hollywood glamor, but LAs reality includes intense racial segregation and systemic deprivation. Los Angeless law enforcement agencies are notorious for their history of racism and violence, and the city has the largest jail system in the United States. Those conditions have sparked repeated uprisings by the citys Black residents: in 1965, 1992 and again with the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. But this Black civil rights history is intertwined with a lesser-known history of similar Latino civil rights battles in Los Angeles, often led by Mexican Americans. Though California, like much of the south-west, was part of Mexico until 1848, Mexican Americans have faced widespread discrimination, including been targeted with lynchings and white mob violence. When Camarillo, the Stanford historian, was growing up in South Central Los Angeles in the 1950s, he said, Mexican Americans were still dealing with overt racial segregation in housing, education and even movie theaters. Very few of the citys more than half-million Latino residents were welcomed into institutes of higher education: when Camarillo entered UCLA in 1966, he said, he was one of fewer than 50 Mexican Americans in a total student body of 27,000. In the 1960s and 70s, as African Americans were forming the Black Power movement, Mexican Americans formed the Chicano movement, embracing similar ideals of cultural empowerment, equal rights and self-determination. Both movements had their militant wings: the Brown Berets, founded in Los Angeles, were the Chicano answer to the Black Panthers. Camarillo remembers being riveted in 1968 as he watched East Los Angeles high school students stage massive walkouts to protest against their underfunded public schools and lack of opportunities. It was the first time high school students had ever walked out, said Camarillo, who went on to become the first Mexican American to earn a PhD in Chicano history. In the 80s and 90s, a huge new wave of immigrants came to Los Angeles, many of them fleeing from civil wars in Guatemala and El Salvador in which the United States cold war policies had played a major role. With the states changing demographics came a backlash from Californias white residents, Camarillo said. California voters approved several ballot measures in the 1990s targeting undocumented immigrants and banning affirmative action policies at public universities. In 1994, Los Angeles high-school students again staged walkouts to protest against Proposition 187, a ballot initiative designed to block undocumented immigrants and their children from receiving public services, and require public employees, including teachers and doctors, to report suspected undocumented people to the authorities. While the measure, which was eventually found to be unconstitutional, passed, it radicalized a new generation of activists, and resulted in more Latino leaders running for office and taking leadership roles in labor unions, activists said. Today, much of LAs political establishment, including Karen Bass, the mayor, is made up of politicians who got their start as pro-immigrant activists in the 1990s. In 1994, during the battles over Prop 187 and Californias punitive three strikes law, Bass was a community organizer working with Latino teens to protest against the legislation. Youre seeing hundreds of people showing up The Trump administrations raids in Los Angeles appear to be mobilizing a new generation of activists. Already, organizers are seeing changes in responses on the ground. In the past, Zepeda-Millan said, immigration enforcement raids and deportations had been notoriously hard to organize around, in part because activists often dont find out about them until after they have happened. At most, he said, one or two activists might arrive to try to assist the person being deported. Now what youre seeing is hundreds of people showing up, he said. Youre not just seeing regular activists, youre seeing community members come out of their houses to confront Ice and the police, saying they dont want them there. That new community response to deportations is in part a result of Latino activists involvement in the George Floyd protests of 2020, Zepeda-Millan said, in which protesters saw police violence and repression firsthand. The generation that you see out there, showing up by the tens and hundreds now, to confront raids, this is the generation of youth that were politically baptized during the Black Lives Matter movement, he said. This past weeks protests, with thousands of demonstrators, are not even close to the largest immigration demonstrations in LAs history. In 2006, as millions of people protested in hundreds of cities nationwide against congressional Republicans attempt to turn all undocumented immigrants into felons, the largest protests were in Los Angeles. Narro, who organized a large May Day demonstration in 2006, said participants, even small children, dressed in white to symbolize their commitment to non-violence. When you see the aerial pictures, its like a white blanket covering Los Angeles, Narro said. Los Angeles immigrant communities have not participated in a demonstration at that scale in the past 20 years, but Narro said that Trump, who seems to be doing something every day to harm immigrants, may finally change that. My hope is, if [Trump] continues, it will hit that moment of groundswell, that immigrant families will just get fed up, and overcome their fear, and take to the streets in massive numbers, Narro said. A worker at their station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Photograph: Marco Bello/Reuters A major US government website supporting public education on climate science looks likely to be shuttered after almost all of its staff were fired, the Guardian has learned. Climate.gov, the gateway website for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa)s Climate Program Office, will imminently no longer publish new content, according to multiple former staff responsible for the sites content whose contracts were recently terminated. The entire content production staff at climate.gov (including me) were let go from our government contract on 31 May, said a former government contractor who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. We were told that our positions within the contract were being eliminated. Rebecca Lindsey, the websites former program manager, who was fired in February as part of the governments purge of probationary employees, described a months-long situation within Noaa where political appointees and career staff argued over the fate of the website. I had gotten a stellar performance review, gotten a bonus, gotten a raise. I was performing very well. And then I was part of that group who got the form letter saying, Your knowledge, skills, and abilities are no longer of use to Noaa or something to that effect. Lindsey said she had been worried that climate.gov might be a target of the new administration soon after the election, but when a large Noaa contract was up for renewal at the end of May, her former boss told her that a demand came from above to rewrite parts of the contract to remove the teams funding. It was a very deliberate, targeted attack, said Lindsey. Lindsey said the content for climate.gov was created and maintained by a contracted staff of about 10, with additional contributions from Noaa scientists, and its editorial content was specifically designed to be politically neutral, and faithful to the current state of the sciences. All of those staff have now been dismissed, she said. We operated exactly how you would want an independent, non-partisan communications group to operate, said Lindsey, and noted that climate.gov is housed within the science division of Noaa, not its public affairs division. It does seem to be part of this sort of slow and quiet way of trying to keep science agencies from providing information to the American public about climate. Noaa has been contacted for comment. It is unclear whether the website will remain visible to the public. The climate.gov site was housed within the communication, education, and engagement division of Noaa, which describes itself as the largest team in the federal government dedicated to climate communication, education, and engagement. The website receives hundreds of thousands of visits per month and is one of the most popular sources of information about climate science on the internet. The fired staff believe the changes to climate.gov were targeted by political appointees within the Trump administration and specifically aimed at restricting public-facing climate information. Its targeted, I think its clear, said Tom Di Liberto, a former Noaa spokesperson who was also fired from his position earlier this year. They only fired a handful of people, and it just so happened to be the entire content team for climate.gov. I mean, thats a clear signal. The purge spared two web developers, which Di Liberto says is a concerning sign. The contractor said: My bigger worry, long-term, is I would hate to see it turn into a propaganda website for this administration, because thats not at all what it was. The contractor said that while there will still be some pre-written, scheduled content posted on the site this month, there are no plans for further new content: After that, we have no idea what will happen to the website. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at theguardian.com/tips for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each. Lindsey said she also feared a sinister possibility that the administration may co-opt climate.gov to publish its own anti-science content. Lindsey said the administration could now provide a content team from the Heartland Institute, leveraging our audience, our brand, our millions of people that we reach on social media every month. Thats the worst-case scenario. Climate.gov is one heck of a URL. If you wanted to basically keep the website alive to do something with later, this is what you would do if youre the [Trump] administration, said Di Liberto. Its clear that the administration does not accept climate science, so its certainly concerning. The cuts also mean that there is now also no one left to run climate.gov social media accounts, which have hundreds of thousands of followers. Since staff in charge of climate.gov did a lot of pushback on misinformation, their absence may help anti-science information flourish there more readily. We were an extremely well-trusted source for climate information, misinformation and disinformation because we actually, legitimately would answer misinformation questions, said the contractor. Wed answer reader emails and try to combat disinformation on social media. Related: Flying blind: Florida weatherman tells viewers Trump cuts will harm forecasts We get attacked on social media by people who dont believe in climate change, and thats increased over the last six months or so as well. The shutdown comes amid broader cuts to science funding across the government, including significant reductions to education, grants, research, and climate-related programs within Noaa, as stated in the 2026 passback budget Congress is currently deliberating. It seems like if they cant get rid of all the research, what they can do is make it impossible for anyone to know about it, said Di Liberto. The contractor said they worry that what may have begun as a heavy-handed attempt by administration officials to limit public knowledge of human-caused climate change will have broader impacts on public education on the cyclical drivers of weather as well as the results of publicly funded research conducted by Noaa scientists. To me, climate is more broad than just climate change. Its also climate patterns like El Nino and La Nina. Halting factual climate information is a disservice to the public. Hiding the impacts of climate change wont stop it from happening, it will just make us far less prepared when it does. The Canada-US border crossing known as Peace Arch, in Blaine, Washington, on 2 April 2025. Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters A majority of Canadians hold unfavourable views towards the US, their closest ally, as frustration over trade policy and threats to Canadas sovereignty persist. Canadas growing dislike of its closest trading partner mirrors a shared skepticism in other G7 countries, according to a new poll that finds that Americans like their allies far more than those nations approve of the US. The results come as Canadians maintain boycotts of American goods and avoid travel to the US in response to tariffs imposed by Donald Trumps administration. But the results of the survey also show the challenge for Mark Carney as the Canadian prime minister seeks to ease tensions between the two economically entwined nations. Related: Opinion of US has worsened in countries around world in last year, survey shows According to the newly released study from the Pew Research Center, a majority of Americans see the other G7 countries favourably. More than seven in 10 have positive views of Japan (77%), Canada (74%), Italy (74%) and the UK (70%). Those finds come as leaders from those nations prepare to meet in the Canadian province of Alberta later this week for the G7 summit. But those feelings of goodwill are not reciprocated. Populations in all of the G7 countries hold more skeptical views towards the US, with the largest decrease in favorability toward the US among G7 countries coming from Canada. Only one-third of Canadians (34%) think positively of their southern neighbour today, compared with 54% last year. Sixty-four percent of Canadians now hold unfavourable views of the US, and nearly 40% say they hold very unfavourable views of their neighbour, up from 15% who felt that way last year. Canadian wariness towards the US is also reflected in new travel data from Statistics Canada, which found return trips by air fell nearly 25% in May 2025 compared with the same month in 2024. Canadian-resident return trips by automobile dropped by nearly 40% the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year declines. Carney crafted his successful federal election campaign around a patriotic defiance against Trumps threats to the nations sovereignty. Carney also used his first post-election press conference to once again quash any idea Canada was interested in becoming the 51st US state, a proposal repeatedly floated by Trump. A positive meeting between the two leaders at the White House in May buoyed hopes among business leaders and diplomats the pair could break the impasse over tariffs. Those fears were dashed after Trump doubled tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. Earlier this week, Carney announced Canada would spend far more on its defence budget a key ask of Trump while at the same time underscoring his governments pledge to reduce reliance on the US. We stood shoulder to shoulder with the Americans throughout the cold war and in the decades that followed, as the United States played a dominant role on the world stage, he said. Today, that dominance is a thing of the past. Marco Rubio (right) criticised Britain and other nations for announcing that they would break with the US and sanction two ultra-nationalist Israeli cabinet ministers - Kevin Lamarque/Reuters The US Secretary of State has condemned Sir Keir Starmer for imposing sanctions on two Israeli politicians over the war in Gaza. Marco Rubio criticised Britain and other nations for announcing on Tuesday that they would break with the US and sanction two ultra-nationalist Israeli cabinet ministers. The UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway accused Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich of inciting violence against the Palestinian people. Mr Rubio said the sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war. He urged the UK not to forget who the real enemy is. Mr Ben-Gvir responded on Tuesday evening by comparing Sir Keir to Neville Chamberlain, the former prime minister who was accused of appeasing the Nazis. History will judge the Chamberlains of our time, Mr Ben-Gvir, who has called for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, replied to Mr Rubios post on X. Thank you, Mr. Secretary of State! The American administration is a moral compass in the face of the confusion of some Western countries that choose to appease terrorist organizations like Hamas. Israel is not afraid we will continue to fight terrorism! History will judge the (@itamarbengvir) June 10, 2025 The US ambassador to the UK said he fully supported Mr Rubios comments, adding that the sanctions impede constructive dialogue. Under the sanctions, Mr Ben-Gvir, Israels national security minister, and Mr Smotrich, the finance minister, will be banned from entering the UK. All their financial assets in Britain will also be frozen. Israel has faced growing international criticism over the conduct of its war with Hamas. Last week, Sir Keir described its actions in Gaza as appalling, while aid groups have accused Israel of blocking food and medicine from entering the territory despite an increasing humanitarian crisis. Foreign Office sources told The Telegraph they hoped sanctioning high-profile members of the Israeli government would make it clear that the UK was willing to adopt a hard line approach to allow aid into Gaza and bring about a ceasefire. The sanctions mark a significant break between No 10 and the White House. Donald Trump has lifted sanctions on Israeli settlers and threatened diplomatic action against the International Criminal Court as it seeks to investigate Israel for war crimes. The Foreign Office is understood to have informed the US government that the sanctions were coming on Monday night. However, the State Department was not given a chance to object or veto the decision. In a joint statement, the five countries said Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now to hold those responsible to account, they added. Gideon Saar, Israels foreign minister, described the sanctions as outrageous. He added: I discussed it earlier today with Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, and we will hold a special government meeting early next week to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision. Mr Smotrich once described the entire Arab population of the West Bank as Nazis. Last month, he said that Gaza should be totally destroyed and its population evacuated. He also said he would not let a grain of wheat into the territory. It is unclear what meaningful response Israel can take against the UK, which technically remains a key ally. British and other diplomats working in the West Bank have already been subject to bureaucratic frustrations by Israel for over a year, it is understood. The Israeli government has promised to discuss the matter at a cabinet meeting in five days time, suggesting it would prefer to downplay the importance of the sanctions rather than escalate the row. The Telegraph understands that British ministers did not explicitly threaten Israel with the sanctions, but particularly since Labour took over last year had become increasingly critical about human rights abuses, particularly comments and actions that led to violence in the West Bank, behind closed doors. David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said the Israeli pair had used horrendous extremist language and that he would encourage the Israeli government to disavow and condemn that language. He has also described the conduct of the Israeli army as monstrous and condemned the actions of extremist settlers in the West Bank. Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, called the responses from Israel and the US predictable. The Israeli government does need to uphold its obligations under international law and some of the expansionist rhetoric that weve seen as well is clearly in contradiction of that from these hard-line right wing members of the Netanyahu government, he said on Wednesday in an interview with ABC Radio Sydney. David Lammy (left), the Foreign Secretary, met Marco Rubio (right), the US Secretary of State, in May - Getty Images Mr Albanese said the comments made by the two men had aided what is a serious impediment to a two-state solution. New Zealands foreign minister insisted the measures were not directed against the Israeli people or government. Rather, the travel bans are targeted at two individuals who are using their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state solution, Winston Peters said. In response, Yishai Fleisher, a former advisor to Mr Ben-Gvir, attacked the sanctions and Mr Lammy calling him Mr Lamey. Its a sad day for Western civilisation when the formerly great country of England and the UK, and other countries, have completely succumbed to the jihadist narrative, just as the streets of London are succumbing to jihad, he told the BBC. Now, instead of defending Israel, which is the lone Jewish state that is constantly under attack from radical Islam, the UK has joined the wrong side to fight against the Jewish state, to try to shrink it and destroy it, and now to delegitimise the government. Mr Smotrich, meanwhile, appeared to retaliate against sanctions by attempting to cripple the financial system that underpins the Palestinian economy. His office said in a statement that he had ordered the cancellation of a waiver that indemnified Israeli banks when corresponding with Palestinian banks. The Palestinian Authority relies heavily on its relationships with Israeli banks, as it does not have its own currency. Earlier, Mr Smotrich threatened to collapse the Palestinian Authority in response to the sanctions. It is understood that foreign diplomats in Israel are concerned that this measure is not a bluff and worried about the damage it might do. On Tuesday, the US dropped its support for an independent Palestinian state. Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, said a two-state solution was no longer White House policy. He said: Unless there are some significant things that happen that change the culture, theres no room for it. The sanctions are not thought to be linked to the issue of recognising a Palestinian state. France and Saudi Arabia are planning a major conference next week with the aim of pushing that agenda. While it is a manifesto commitment for the UK government to recognise a Palestinian state, it is thought Sir Keir Starmer has yet to decide how best to proceed. On Wednesday there were further reports of shooting near a newly-opened aid centre run by the US Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The Gaza civil defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting to enter the food distribution facility near the neighbourhood of Netzarim, in the centre of the Strip, killing 31 and wounding around 200. The agency comes under the Gazan ministry of the interior, which is controlled by Hamas. Other accounts put the death toll at 25. The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It follows reports of several deaths on Tuesday, and multiple mass-casualty events last week at the Rafah GHF centre, with eyewitnesses blaming Israeli fire. UK schools have urged screen time limits as more children struggle with speech and social development. (Getty Images) (MementoJpeg via Getty Images) Screens are a part of everyday life for many families, but a new report out today, says they could be restricting our children's opportunities to play. The Raising the Nation Play Commission inquiry warns that too many children are "spending their most precious years sedentary, doomscrolling on their phones and often alone, while their health and wellbeing deteriorates". The commission is calling on the government to raise the digital age of consent to 16 and ban smartphones in schools during the day. While many of us are aware that too much screen time can affect a child's behaviour, and 38% of parents in a recent survey said it had a negative impact on their child's health, it's tricky to know how much is too much. A group of 21 schools, nurseries and colleges from Southwark, London, have issued screen time advice for all ages of childhood, from babies to teens, to give families guidelines. Theyre urging parents to reset device expectations and lead by example, after they spotted a rise in speech delays, emotional needs and strong screen attachments in their pupils. Mike Baxter, principal of the City of London Academy said the move was "not an attack on modern parenting," but about working together to give children the best possible start. So, what does all this mean at home? We asked the experts how families can put these recommendations into practice. How much screen time is recommended? The south London schools suggest daily screen time limits that increase with age: Under 18 months : 5 minutes 18 months2 years : 1 hour 24 years : 2 hours ReceptionYear 2 : 2.5 hours Years 35 : 3 hours Years 69 : 4 hours Years 1011: 5 hours These are slightly more flexible than the World Health Organizations advice, which recommends no screen time at all for under-twos, and a maximum of one hour a day for preschoolers. NHS advice also supports keeping screen use minimal for young children, and under two hours a day for those aged two to four. There's no specific guidance beyond the age of four from either organisation. Why limiting screen time matters A bit of screen time isnt a problem but too much, especially in early childhood, could potentially affect everything from your child's sleep to their attention span. According to the NHS, many childrens shows and games switch visuals every few seconds, which can overstimulate developing brains and make it harder to focus. Even background TV can interrupt play and concentration in toddlers. Research shows under-twos dont reliably learn language from screens, even when they mimic what they see. And for older children, long hours of passive screen doesn't leave time for activities that build judgement, self-regulation and social skills. Thats why the NHS recommends screen-free bedrooms, daily limits, and the occasional screen-free day. Experts say it's about creating digital boundaries for the whole family, not banning screen time altogether. (Getty Images) (MoMo Productions via Getty Images) "Its not just about screen time its how they use it" Digital safety group Internet Matters agrees that screen time is a top concern for families, but says quality matters as much as quantity. "Screen time continues to be one of the biggest concerns for parents about their childrens online lives and interestingly, its something children tell us they worry about too," Sheena Peckham, content lead at Internet Matters told Yahoo UK. "Our view is that every child and family are different, so rather than setting rigid screen time limits by age, we encourage parents to look at how their child is spending time online. Theres a difference between time spent learning or connecting with friends, compared to passive scrolling or exposure to harmful content," she says. 6 tips to make screen time healthier Rather than banning screens altogether, Peckham suggests simple steps to help families set healthy boundaries: 1. Create a family agreement "Agree on when, where and how long screens can be used," she says. "This includes screen-free zones like bedrooms and mealtimes." You can even print and sign an agreement together. 2. Use tech to support routines App timers and smart speaker reminders can prompt breaks. "Using tech to balance screen time can support the boundaries you set." 3. Mix up how screens are used "Five hours of playing one video game is different to five hours of building a game, learning maths, doing homework and chatting with family," she continues. 4. Offer offline alternatives "Most children will have grown up with devices and might struggle to find alternatives on their own," she adds. Keep books, toys and craft supplies on hand or even just time to be bored. 5. Use parental controls to support limits "Parental controls help keep content age-appropriate and support the limits youve agreed on." Set them up on all devices and adjust as your child grows. 6. Stick with it "There is likely to be a lot of eye-rolling and pushback, she admits. "But consistency is key. You will start to see the benefits it just wont happen overnight." Read more about screen time: Elon Musk received a golden key to the White House from Donald Trump in the Oval Office last month - Nathan Howard/Reuters Elon Musk apologised to Donald Trump after a phone call with JD Vance, the US vice-president, it has emerged. Mr Musk, the richest man in the world, has now spoken privately to Mr Trump for the first time since their public clash, The New York Times reported. The details of the truce between the two men emerged after Mr Musk said publicly on Wednesday morning that he regretted writing inflammatory posts about the president on social media. The two men had a spectacular clash last week, with the Tesla billionaire claiming that Mr Trump was named in the Epstein files, and the president retaliating by threatening to strip his former ally of government contracts. On Friday, Mr Musk spoke with Mr Vance and urged him to end a feud that he said had been damaging for both men, The Telegraph understands. As a former venture capitalist with Silicon Valley ties, whom Mr Musk publicly backed to replace Mr Trump last week, the vice-president was well positioned to mediate between the pair. Donald Trump and Elon Musk, pictured at a mixed martial arts event in New York in November, became close after Mr Musk backed his presidential campaign - Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC In a podcast episode released the day after the feud erupted, Mr Vance said: I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe thats not possible now because hes gone so nuclear but I hope it is. According to The Wall Street Journal, Mr Musk also spoke to Susie Wiles, Mr Trumps White House chief of staff, despite reports of a tense relationship between them. Mr Musk wrote on X on Wednesday: I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. He did not specify which posts he was referring to, although he has since deleted the claim about Mr Trump being named in the government files pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and paedophile. Mr Musk called Mr Trump on Monday night and the two men spoke briefly, The New York Times reported, in a sign of thawing relations. Mr Trump was appreciative of Mr Musks apology, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said on Wednesday. The president acknowledged the statement that Elon put out this morning, and he is appreciative of it, and we are continuing to focus on the business of the American people, she said. Ms Leavitt was then asked if the administration had started reviewing Mr Musks government contracts with a view to cancelling them, as Mr Trump had threatened. No efforts have been made on that front, as far as Im aware, she answered. The row between the two men began with a disagreement over the presidents so-called big, beautiful spending Bill. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025 Mr Musk had been hired as a special government employee to head the new Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), controversially tasked with downsizing the federal workforce and slashing spending. While he enjoyed some success in his mission, he was upset by Mr Trumps decision to open the spending taps in his Bill, saying it was undoing his teams work. Mr Musk exited the White House at the end of May, ending a turbulent 130-day stint in Mr Trumps team, just days after he said he was disappointed with the new budget. In a cordial public farewell to the man who appointed himself as the presidents first buddy, Mr Trump said Mr Musk would stay on as an adviser. He was handed a gold key to the White House. But the simmering dissent went public last week when the pair began trading insults online, with Mr Musk denouncing the presidents budget as a disgusting abomination that would bankrupt the US. The Tesla billionaire called on Americans to help kill the Bill, which includes multi-trillion-dollar tax breaks and a boost to defence spending. Mr Trump was quick to hit back, claiming the Tesla billionaire had been irked by the legislation ending tax credit worth billions of dollars to his electric vehicle company. Credit: Reuters Their spat rapidly intensified when Mr Musk called for the presidents impeachment and claimed the Republican was in the Epstein files. In response, Mr Trump threatened to cancel US government contracts with Mr Musks companies, which include SpaceX. By Saturday, Mr Musk had deleted the worst of his tweets in an apparent sign that he was hoping to repair the rift. But the damage was done. Mr Trump declared his relationship with the South African-born tycoon was over and that he had no desire to mend it, accusing Mr Musk of being disrespectful to the office of the president. Mr Trump also warned that there would be serious consequences if Mr Musk switched his allegiance to the Democrats and funded rival candidates who would vote against the Bill. Mr Musk had bankrolled Mr Trumps election run to the tune of $250 million (185 million) and was rewarded with his special government employee role. For months after Mr Trumps inauguration, Mr Musk rarely left his side, travelling on Air Force One, moving into Mar-a-Lago and having the president babysit his four-year-old son in the Oval Office. On the night of the election, Mr Trump declared of Mr Musk that a star is born. Weeks later, the billionaire confessed that he loved the president as much as a straight man can love another man. The messy breakdown of their bromance, however, had been heavily predicted. Mr Trump, who has now refocused attention elsewhere including to the deployment of troops to the LA riots, recently told reporters he wasnt even thinking of Mr Musk. According to reports, he had been considering selling or giving away the red Tesla he bought from him earlier this year. Roshonara Choudhry was 21 when she attacked Sir Stephen Timms with a knife - Metropolitan Police A student who tried to murder an MP after being radicalised by an al-Qaeda cleric can be released from prison. Roshonara Choudhry, then 21, was jailed for life with a minimum of 15 years for stabbing Sir Stephen Timms twice in the stomach in May 2010, and for two offences of possessing an offensive weapon. The attack on the now social security minister is thought to be the first al-Qaeda inspired attempt to assassinate a politician on British soil. The former Kings College London student attacked Sir Stephen, the MP for East Ham, as he held a constituency surgery at the Beckton Globe community centre in east London, smiling and pretending she was going to shake hands with him before stabbing him. After she was arrested, she told detectives the stabbing was punishment and to get revenge for the people of Iraq. CCTV footage shows the aftermath of the attack at the Beckton Globe community centre in east London But on May 20, a Parole Board panel decided she could be freed from jail. A decision summary said: After considering the circumstances of her offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing and in the dossier, the panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public. The document said that at the time of the attempted murder, Choudhry, now 36, had risk factors of problems with family relationships, development of extreme beliefs about the world and willingness to use violence to address perceived injustices. But she had engaged in programmes in prison to understand how her extreme beliefs developed, and her conduct in prison was described as exemplary. The summary added: Ms Choudhry was assessed as having shown a very high level of insight and understanding of herself. She had consistently shown over many years that she no longer held the same beliefs, that she was able to manage her emotional well-being effectively and she would no longer be likely to be influenced by other people with strong negative views, having developed the ability to critically evaluate information and to seek help from professionals if she needs it. The document said the panel did not receive a victim impact statement or representations from the justice secretary. It was recommended that Choudhry be released on licence under conditions such as living at a designated address with a specific curfew and being subject to an exclusion zone to avoid contact with Sir Stephen. A Parole Board spokesman said: Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority. Christine Colbert outside her shop, which has suffered its second major burglary within a year Police have released images of the balaclava-clad suspects allegedly behind the theft of handbags worth 260,000. A trio of burglars took 55 luxury handbags from a boutique in the exclusive Cheshire village of Prestbury on Sunday night. The ski mask-wearing intruders broke in from a disused property next door, drilling through the shops chimney to gain access. They then made a getaway with the high-end handbags, worth as much as 25,000 each. One of the three burglars in the footage released by police - Cheshire Constabulary Cheshire Constabulary released CCTV images of the suspected burglars on Wednesday in an appeal for members of the public to identify them. Det Con Clare Slattery, of Macclesfield CID, said: Enquiries in relation to this incident are ongoing and were committed to doing all we can to identify the people responsible. As part of our investigation were keen to identify the men pictured in the CCTV images as we believe they may hold vital information. If you recognise the men, please contact us. I would also like to appeal directly to the men in the CCTV images to get in touch. Another of the raiders is caught on camera - Cheshire Constabulary Christine Colbert, the owner of the boutique, watched the burglary live on CCTV from her home. I went to bed about 10.30pm on Sunday so I was asleep when we got a call from the monitoring company, Mrs Colbert told the Daily Mail. I immediately switched on the CCTV on my phone and I could see a man crouching down and bricks all over the floor. I said to my husband Gary, Were being robbed. I was panicking. Mrs Colbert said that watching the footage back, she could hear the drilling noise for more than an hour before the raiders broke through. The trio drilled into the shop through a chimney from a disused property next door She added: They were big burly men, and they were all in black with goggles, balaclavas, and gloves. They took three or four minutes to whirl round the shop and grab all the bags. One man had a duvet tied round his neck like a pouch, which he threw the bags in. Another man put everything up his arms they were full of bags. Then they hurled the handbags through the hole theyd made. Respect for the bags was zero. The gang dropped just two of the bags, which were among the least valuable. The next-door building was empty following an arson attack. Items worth 180,000 were stolen from Mrs Colberts shop last year after burglars entered through a window. Credit: Metropolitan Police Footage has revealed the moment a Bridgerton actress fought off a prolific Algerian criminal who tried to steal her phone. Genevieve Chenneour turned to see Zacariah Boulares grab her device from the table behind her as she waited for her order at a Joe & The Juice coffee shop in Kensington, west London. The 27-year-old immediately put her hands up to block his exit with the help of another customer. As the other customer held Boulares down, Ms Chenneour grabbed her dropped phone from the floor and used it to hit him in the back. She was left with concussion after Boulares retaliated, hitting and kicking the other customer who helped during the incident in February. Chenneour, who played Clara Livingston in the third season of the Netflix period drama, has thanked her fans for their support since the attack. Posting on Instagram, she wrote: Im okay and incredibly grateful he wont be able to harm anyone else. I am, however, finding it difficult to feel safe going out especially after being repeatedly threatened with being stabbed in the face. Genevieve Chenneour played Clara Livingston in Bridgerton - Instagram Boulares, who has 12 previous convictions relating to 28 offences, admitted stealing her phone and assaulting another customer when he appeared at Westminster magistrates court last week. The 18-year-old, who is an Algerian national, previously threatened to cut off Aled Joness arm with a machete unless he handed over his 17,000 Rolex watch. He then threatened to behead the BBC Songs of Praise presenter if he continued to follow him after the robbery in July 2023. Boulares had also previously stolen a Rolex worth 20,000 from a 78-year-old man at Paddington station in west London. He was put in youth detention as a result, but released after 14 months of his 24-month sentence. In addition to the phone theft and assault, Boulares pleaded guilty to another theft after he stole a black leather bag from a customer at a pizza restaurant. He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on June 17. People-smuggling gangs have adopted a new dangerous tactic of simultaneous migrant boat launches to outwit French police, the EU border agency has warned. In an official update, Frontex, which has committed aerial surveillance and extra staff to the Channel, said smuggling networks providing the small boats were adapting their tactics in order to increase the number of successful crossings. They have already switched to using taxi boats where dinghies are sailed from inland rivers and waterways to pick up migrants in the shallow waters off the beaches. But Frontex said the smuggling gangs were also using simultaneous departures. It said: This tactic puts more lives at risk in an already dangerous stretch of water as it hinders the search and rescue efforts of the national authorities. The risks are compounded by the increasing numbers of migrants being crammed into the flimsy dinghies. There were 54 migrants per boat in the year ending March 2025, compared with 50 in 2024 and 29 in the year to March 2022, according to Home Office data. According to estimates by the UNs International Organisation for Migration, a record 82 migrants including 14 children died in attempts to cross the Channel in 2024. Although, officials believe this is an underestimate with dozens more reported missing over the year. At least 12 have died so far this year. Some 14,812 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year in more than 260 boats, up nearly 32 per cent on the same period last year. It represents a record high for the first six months of any year since the first boats arrived in 2018. On Wednesday, dozens of migrants in small boats reached the UK as people smugglers took advantage of the first good weather and calmer seas since May 31 when a record 1,195 people were intercepted. It is expected to push crossings past 15,000 for 2025. French police are currently preparing to intercept migrant boats at sea for the first time and have committed six new patrol boats to the naval forces that will serve to rescue migrants and target the taxi boats. The French interior ministry says it will aim to intercept boats within 300 metres of the beaches to stop them leaving for the UK loaded with migrants. Until now, the French have refused to intervene in the water because they claim maritime laws prevent them from taking action that could put lives at sea at risk. But government sources said ministers overseeing migration policy had given the green light to do so while respecting the law of the sea. French police watch as migrants board dinghies in Gravelines on May 31 - Carl Court/Getty The surge in crossings across the Channel come despite a drop in migrants coming into Europe from the east and the west. The number of people coming into Europe via eastern Mediterranean routes fell by 30 per cent to 15,600 in the first five months of this year. The number coming from western Africa was down 35 per cent to 11,065, while routes through the western Balkans dropped by 56 per cent to 4,055. The biggest migrant route across the central Mediterranean from Libya and northern Africa to Italy remained constant, with an increase of seven per cent to 22,675. This was similar to the western Mediterranean into Spain route which saw a six per cent rise to 5,058. Frontex attributed the decrease in the western African route to stronger border controls and migration policies in Mauritania, poor weather conditions, and enhanced cooperation between the EU and countries of departure. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 15,000 illegal Channel crossings and its only June 2025 is the worst year ever for small boat crossings so far. While traffickers and criminal gangs rake in millions, Labour Ministers stand in Westminster rehearsing soundbites. This is a total collapse of border control. How many more records does Keir Starmer need to break before he finally admits his plan is failing? He should never have scrapped the removals deterrent the previous Conservative Government put in place. Only the Conservatives have a serious, deliverable plan to end ECHR obstructions, introduce a binding annual cap on migration, implement measures to actually deter these crossings, and restore control of who comes into this country. Britain cannot wait any longer. A Home Office spokesman said: We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security. The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice. That is why this government has put together a serious plan to take down these networks at every stage. Through international intelligence sharing under our Border Security Command, enhanced enforcement operations in Northern France and tougher legislation in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, we are strengthening international partnerships and boosting our ability to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal gangs whilst strengthening the security of our borders. The former director of music at Londons Godolphin and Latymer School has been banned from the profession after having a sexual relationship with a vulnerable schoolgirl over a decade ago A married deputy headmaster who had oral sex in his office with a pupil has been banned from the profession. Phil Culling, now 52, was director of music at Godolphin and Latymer School in west London when he began a sexual relationship with a vulnerable schoolgirl more than a decade ago. He engaged in sexual acts with the pupil in a cupboard in his office at the school, where fees cost 33,000 a year. Mr Culling was allowed to quietly resign in 2014 without facing a disciplinary hearing, avoiding any kind of sanction and enabling him to continue working in education. In 2016, he returned to work at Holland Park Pre-Prep and Nursery an exclusive school only a mile from his previous post. It was not until June 2022, eight years after his resignation, that a whistleblower came forward, triggering an investigation into his past. Mr Culling received the life-time ban in a ruling by the Teaching Regulatory Agency. Exploited his position The agency found that between July 2013 and July 2014, Mr Culling exploited his position to advance a sexual relationship with a vulnerable pupil. The pair exchanged text messages and emails after he acquired her phone number from school records, which Mr Culling told the pupil to delete once she had read them. The panel found that he kissed her for the first time in February 2013, took her to a public house on her birthday during the school lunch hour and declared to her that she was the love of my life in a good luck message ahead of her A-levels in June 2013. The pupil, known as Person B in the report, said she had oral sex with the former teacher in his office cupboard early in the morning on several occasions in 2013. The report read: Person B spoke of the shame she felt regarding their relationship and this pervaded her evidence. This included when she recalled engaging in oral sex in a cupboard in Mr Cullings office and a member of the catering staff had come in and had not been aware that they were there. She spoke of feeling morally conflicted by their relationship and having to conceal it. Teacher also a child protection officer In June 2013, on the night of the schools leavers reception, Mr Culling had sex with the girl in a public park, which the panel heard was the first time she had ever had sexual intercourse. That summer, Mr Culling went to the former pupils home once a week when her mother was out and they would have sex. In August 2013, after the pupil had moved into a flat, the couple engaged in a lot of sexual acts, including touching and oral sex happened in very public areas, the panel heard. It was not disclosed when their relationship ended. Jo Palmer-Tweed, the panels chairman, said: Mr Culling was a child protection officer at the school and as such had appropriate training in safeguarding. Despite this, he took advantage of the position of trust he was in towards a vulnerable child for his own gratification. In 2014, when the affair first came to light, Godolphin did not contact police or teaching authorities because it incorrectly believed the relationship did not start until after the pupil had left the school. In January 2023, Mr Culling told the girl not to engage with the regulators proceedings. Mr Culling sought to conceal the extent of the relationship with [the student] during the schools investigation and coerced Person B into lying for him, the panel found. This continued by Mr Culling seeking to coerce Person B into not giving evidence in these proceedings, with the objective of frustrating the process. A yellow alert spanning from 9pm on June 12 until 8am on June 15 covers the east of England, the East Midlands, London and the South East - Andrew Matthews/PA Health officials have issued the first heat health warning of the year. The Met Office has forecast a high of 30C on Friday, with a yellow alert spanning from 9pm on June 12 until 8am on June 15, covering the east of England, the East Midlands, London and the South East. Warmth of this level is of no concern to the majority of the population, but officials warned that it can pose a threat to the elderly and vulnerable. A heat health alert is issued only when a higher demand on the NHS is expected from vulnerable people, with an increased risk to health for those aged over 65 or with pre-existing health conditions. Following a yellow alert, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advises people to close windows and curtains that face the sun and to seek shade outside. It also recommends that people wear hats and sunglasses, apply sun cream and avoid direct sunlight between 11am and 3pm. People should only do exercise in the morning or evening and ensure that vulnerable friends and family [are] aware of the symptoms of heatstroke. Dr Agostinho Sousa, the head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: Even moderate heat can result in serious health outcomes, especially for older adults, and it is therefore important that everyone takes sensible precautions while enjoying the sun. The health alert came as parts of south-west England, South Wales and Northern Ireland were issued with a weather warning for thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday by the Met Office. A separate warning spanning Friday afternoon and Saturday morning is in place for south-east England and East Anglia. Neil Armstrong, the chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: A weather system will push northwards through tomorrow, bringing heavy rain and a risk of thunderstorms to parts of south-west England, most of Wales, and later into Northern Ireland. 40mm of rain could fall in three hours or less, leading to the potential for disruption. Further thunderstorms will develop during the afternoon across England and Wales, moving quickly northwards with hail and lightning. Temperatures will remain high, with 26 or 27C possible again in the north Midlands and parts of north London. Meanwhile, Sir Chris Bryant, the tourism minister, warned too much exposure to the sun could be fatal. Speaking at a conference organised by Abta, the travel trade organisation, on Wednesday, Sir Chris said: One thing that is very close to my heart, because Ive had stage four melanoma which probably sprang from my years in Spain when I was a child is about responsible use of the sun. We know that it kills, getting it wrong. The British obsession with laughing at people because theyve gone lobster pink is daft. We need to do better about this. Addressing the gathering of travel trade executives, he added: I know you dont want to be preaching to everybody who gets on an aeroplane with you, but being able to do all this responsibly, I think, is important. President Obama presenting Garwin with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 - NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images Richard Garwin, who has died aged 97, was an American nuclear scientist who designed the worlds first hydrogen bomb and went on to become a presidential adviser on arms control, while helping to lay the groundwork for such technology as magnetic resonance imaging, high-speed laser printers and touch-screen monitors. The Nobel prizewinner Enrico Fermi called him the only true genius I have ever met, but he never became a household name: a 2017 biography was subtitled The Most Influential Scientist Youve Never Heard Of. Edward Teller is usually credited, in an unattributed phrase, as the father of the sweet technology of the H-bomb. Due to the secrecy surrounding its development, it was only in recent years that historians have become aware of Garwins role, following the publication in 2001 of a transcript of a recording made by Teller in which, while not eschewing the credit for devising the bomb, the scientist recalled that the first design was made by Dick Garwin. In 1951 Garwin, then a 23-year-old faculty member at the University of Chicago, was working during his summer holidays at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico where, building on Tellers ideas, he designed the Mike, an 82-ton sausage-shaped test device, after working out how to direct the radiation from the atomic device to initiate a fusion reaction in the hydrogen what he called the match for the nuclear bonfire. The shot was fired almost precisely according to Garwins design, Teller recalled, on Enewetak Atoll on November 1 1952. The power of the blast 450 times that of Nagasaki stunned even those who had watched previous bomb tests, with a mushroom cloud five times the height of Everest and 100 miles wide. 1952: Operation Ivy, the first test of a hydrogen bomb, at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands, Pacific Ocean - Corbis via Getty Images Teller subsequently became famous for destroying the career of Robert Oppenheimer, who had run the Los Alamos lab in the Second World War, giving birth to the atomic bomb, but afterwards questioned the morality of devising an even more powerful weapon. When, amid the anti-communist paranoia of the McCarthy years, Oppenheimer had his security clearance removed by the government, Teller was the only member of the scientific community to testify against him. In fact Garwin, a board member of the Union of Concerned Scientists, had a lot of sympathy with Oppenheimer, telling an interviewer that if he could wave a magic wand to make the H- bomb go away, I would do that. But as the clock could not be wound back, he believed that the best hope for human survival lay in the deterrence doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) that suggests that a nuclear attack by one superpower would result in a retaliatory nuclear strike, leading to the complete destruction of both attacker and defender. The capability for MAD, Garwin said is not a theory, but a fact of life. In the 1980s, when Teller convinced President Ronald Reagan to invest in a defensive shield that, he claimed, would make it probable that enough Americans would survive a nuclear conflict to ensure the USs continued existence, Garwin was vocal in his criticism of the so-called Star Wars initiative as ineffective and wasteful. He saw a Soviet-American balance of weaponry and arms-control measures as the best way of avoiding nuclear Armageddon. Richard Lawrence Garwin was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 19 1928, the older of two sons of Robert Garwin and Leona, nee Schwartz. His father was a high school teacher; his mother a legal secretary. From Cleveland Heights High School Garwin graduated in physics in 1947 from what is now Case Western Reserve University, followed by a masters degree and doctorate under Enrico Fermi at the University of Chicago. He joined the faculty, but at Fermis suggestion spent his summers at the Los Alamos lab, where he returned every year until 1966. Garwin at IBM, 1960s: : Hes never met a problem he didnt want to solve. Reconnaissance satellites, the MRI, GPS technology, the touch-screen all bear his fingerprints - Truman Moore/Getty Images For 40 years from the early 1950s Garwin was a researcher at IBM, maintaining a faculty position at Columbia University and advising presidents (excepting Reagan) from Eisenhower to Clinton on nuclear weapons and arms-control issues. As a researcher he contributed to a huge range of scientific discoveries and innovations, and in 2016, when he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama, the president recalled: Ever since he was a Cleveland kid tinkering with his fathers movie projectors, hes never met a problem he didnt want to solve. Reconnaissance satellites, the MRI, GPS technology, the touch-screen all bear his fingerprints. He even patented a mussel washer for shellfish: that, I havent used. The other stuff I have. In 1991 Garwin chaired a conference to discuss solutions to staunching the Kuwaiti oil leaks during the first Gulf War. He advised the Obama government on dealing with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. From 1993 to 2001 he chaired the State Departments Arms Control and Nonproliferation Advisory Board. His belief in the vital importance of nuclear balance led him to oppose any policy that might upset that balance. In 2007, in evidence to the British Commons Defence Select Committee, he described Prime Minister Tony Blairs claim that work must start soon on replacing the ageing Vanguard-class subs of Britains nuclear submarine fleet as highly premature. The subs working life could be extended to 45 years or more, he argued, putting off the need for a replacement into the late 2030s or beyond. In 2021 he was one of 700 signatories to an open letter to President Biden, asking him to pledge that the US would never be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict and calling for curbs on his role as sole authority in ordering the use of nuclear weapons as an important safeguard against a possible future president who is unstable or who orders a reckless attack. The plea fell on deaf ears. In 1947 Richard Garwin married Lois Levy. She died in 2018, and he is survived by two sons and a daughter. Richard Garwin, born April 19 1928, died May 13 2025 Credit: @MDeLaBroc1/X Rioters set fire to a leisure centre sheltering people targeted in anti-migrant violence on a third night of disorder in Northern Ireland. Youths wearing balaclavas attacked the sports facility in Larne, County Antrim, on Wednesday night. Disorder first erupted in nearby Ballymena on Monday after two Romanian-speaking teenagers allegedly tried to rape a schoolgirl. The communities minister for East Antrim was accused of inflaming tensions as it emerged that he had posted the location of the shelter on social media prior to the fire. It has been brought to my attention that a number of individuals were temporarily moved to Larne Leisure Centre in the early hours of the morning following the disturbances in Ballymena, Gordon Lyons wrote in the Facebook post. As a local MLA for the area, neither I nor my DUP council colleagues were made aware or consulted on this decision until late this afternoon. Protesting is of course a legitimate right, but violence is not and I would encourage everyone to remain peaceful. Footage later showed flames engulfing the glass-fronted leisure centre, where windows had been smashed. There was also new unrest in Ballymena, with crowds hurling missiles, petrol bombs and fireworks at riot police in the town centre. Fires burn near a rioter as the unrest in Ballymena continued on Wednesday night - Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters A young man was seen firebombing properties in the town - Alan Lewis Mid and East Antrim borough council confirmed it had used the leisure centre as an emergency shelter for families in urgent need following disturbances in Ballymena. A spokesman said: The families have all been safely relocated. Mr Lyons said after the fire: Wanton destruction such as the attack on Larne Leisure Centre is an attack on all residents who use the facility. There is absolutely no excuse for what has taken place in Larne, and it must be condemned. Matthew OToole, the leader of the opposition in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said he would refer Mr Lyons for investigation by the standards commissioner because of his Facebook post. The actions of the communities minister cannot be ignored, said Mr OToole. He is the minister response for the housing executive, and lives are at stake. Michelle ONeill, the Northern Ireland First Minister, said of the violence: Its pure racism there is no other way to dress it up. People being firebombed out of their homes, people having their doors knocked in, having their windows being smashed, families being intimidated. That is absolutely unacceptable and everything that needs to be done to bring it to an end is our focus in terms of the engagement we have with the PSNI [Police Service of Northern Ireland]. In Ballymena on Wednesday night, police sprayed water cannon after clashing with rioters when a crowd of approximately 500 people gathered on the streets. Police sprayed water cannons in a bid to stop the violence - Clodagh Kilcoyne Police vehicles have been attacked with fireworks and projectiles for the past three nights - Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters Ten police Land Rovers blocked off Bridge Street, and officers in full riot gear and holding shields attempted to clear the crowd as bottles and rocks were thrown at them. Those attacking officers included young girls hurling rocks at the police vehicles. On Tuesday, a second night of violence in Ballymena saw rioters set alight properties where foreigners were believed to live and attack police with petrol bombs, masonry and fireworks. Officers used a water cannon, dogs and rubber bullets to contain the serious disorder, with the PSNI condemning the riots as racist thuggery. Residents were so scared of being targeted by rioters that they pinned posters to their houses declaring that locals live here, and displayed British flags in their windows in attempts to avoid their homes being set alight. Credit: Chrisg93125/X Unrest also erupted in areas of Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine and Newtownabbey earlier in the evening. Police have arrested six suspected rioters so far. The two 14-year-old boys charged with attempted rape will next appear in court on July 2. SAS troops in Syria, pictured in 2016 - BBC Five Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers have been cleared of murdering a suspected jihadist in Syria. For the past two years, the elite troops had been facing the prospect of a court martial over the potential charges, but the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has now confirmed that the case has been dropped. The soldiers had been accused of using excessive force on the battlefield three years ago, according to The Daily Mail. The group were said to have been involved in setting up a cordon around a building with a confirmed jihadist inside. He had earlier been seen in a video appearing to wear a suicide vest while vowing to blow up infidels. However, several suspects managed to escape through the cordon, prompting the five soldiers to chase after them. After catching up with the likely suicide bombers, the troops shot the man dead in the darkness because they believed there was an immediate threat to their lives, the Mail reported. The exact location in Syria and the date of the operation cannot be disclosed for security reasons. After the killing, the SAS troops were investigated by the Royal Military Police (RMP). Files were also sent to the Service Prosecuting Authority the military equivalent of the Crown Prosecution Service which spent 18 months reviewing the case. Appalling wait for justice A friend told the Mail: It takes some believing, but the guys have been staring down the barrel of murder trials for shooting a confirmed jihadist in a live battlefield situation. How on Earth anyone could accuse them of using excessive force in that situation was beyond everyone. The friend also claimed the men had been put through the wringer so that generals and officials could prove how rigorously they can pursue a prosecution. Thats fine and dandy for them, but for the soldiers who risked their lives that night to be accused and to wait so long for justice that was appalling, they added. An MoD spokesman said: Our personnel are respected worldwide, and make extraordinary sacrifices in defence of the nation. Its right that we hold them to the highest standards and action is taken where anyone fails to meet them. Following thorough investigations and assessments, we can confirm that no charges have been brought forward in these cases. Mark Francois, the shadow Armed Forces minister, said: It is imperative we continue to recognise the outstanding contribution of our Special Forces to UK security and the incredible risks they take. This case highlighted the dangers they face and the difficult split-second decisions they are forced to make against ruthless enemies. The RMP investigation and subsequent review coincided with the independent inquiry into the conduct of special forces in Afghanistan, which has been in progress since 2023. Afghan families have accused the SAS of conducting a campaign of murder against civilians, while senior officers and personnel at the MoD sought to prevent adequate investigation. Forsyth Letters LS It has been a long time since the Letters desks fax machine saw daily action. For years, though, it continued to stand guard, awaiting the salvos of one correspondent in particular: Frederick (sometimes Freddie) Forsyth of Hertfordshire (later Buckinghamshire). In a busy life working as a journalist, helping MI6, even penning the odd novel Forsyth also found time to be a voluminous letter-writer to The Telegraph. A trawl through our archive indicates that, over 30 years, he made about 150 appearances. A pretty respectable hit rate. He was not, by and large, a writer who got stuck into debates on the correct way to boil an egg, say, or the waning strength of English mustard. (He did once enter a discussion about cars, in 2015: When I spent the year 1963-64 as Reuters and the Wests sole correspondent in East Berlin, I had a Wartburg. It was a disgusting pink colour but it was compulsory.) No, he was a thunderer, and he was very good at it: robust and mordant, with wafer-thin patience for (to use a favoured phrase) blithering incompetents. In between writing novels and helping MI6, Frederick Forsyth (pictured circa 1970) found time to contribute over 150 letters to The Telegraph across 30 years - Hulton Archive/Getty Here, then, are a few of his greatest hits beginning with his first letter to the paper, on the theme to which he returned most frequently over the following decades. Europe Forsyth was an unyielding Eurosceptic. But after the referendum which he had long demanded he became an equally trenchant critic of our leaders efforts to extricate Britain from the EU. A lifelong Eurosceptic, Forsyth was long frustrated with Lord Kenneth Clarke (centre), who is an ardent believer in the European project - Getty Tory travails It came from a place of care, but Forsyth found himself routinely exasperated by the Conservative Party and two of its members in particular. Margaret Thatcher In truth, for Forsyth, no Tory leader could measure up to the Iron Lady. (And, as far as she was concerned, no thriller-writer could hold a candle to him.) When she died, he was dismayed by the reaction. In a letter following the death of Margaret Thatcher, Forsyth expressed dismay at those screeching their bile on the internet and on the streets - Getty New Labour While its possible to detect a begrudging admiration for Tony Blairs election-winning powers, Forsyth was deeply sceptical of the New Labour project, its high priests and its footsoldiers. (Sion Simon regularly arraigned was MP for Birmingham Erdington from 2001 to 2010.) Former Labour MP Sion Simon and ex-PM Gordon Brown were a frequent source of irritation in the Forsyth letters - PA Lockdown During those bizarre days in 2020, Forsyth was unpersuaded by the governments injunction to stay at home. Forsyth accused the Johnson government of entering into a headless-chicken panic over their lockdown restrictions - Getty Last words Forsyths final contribution tackled the biggest subject of all. And on the question of assisted dying, he was as forthright as ever. He was a true giant of the Letters page. We wont be able to replace him. The fax machine has been stood down. Taina Elg with Gene Kelly in Les Girls: she won a Golden Globe for her performance as Angele Ducros - Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images Taina Elg, who has died aged 95, was a Finnish dancer and actress who briefly attained Hollywood fame after being scouted by MGM in the early 1950s; she won a Golden Globe for her performance as Angele Ducros, the French chorus girl entangled with impresario Gene Kelly in George Cukors enduring musical Les Girls (1957). Pert, pretty and multilingual, Taina Elg graced three of that films Cole Porter-composed musical numbers: the title song, plus Ca cest lamour (in which she serenaded Kelly in a rowing boat) and Ladies in Waiting, where her leg-kicking in dense period costume belied the fact that she had given birth not long before shooting. Taina Elg credited Cukor as the ideal director; Varietys critic called her exceedingly appealing. Les Girls earned three Oscar nods, with Orry-Kelly winning Best Costume Design; at the Golden Globes, it did better yet, winning Best Picture Comedy or Musical, with Taina Elg and Kay Kendall sharing the Best Actress gong. It was to be the highpoint of her film career. Taina Elg left MGM two years later, and the movie musical fell into decline over the next decade. Taina Elisabeth Elg was born in Helsinki on March 9 1930 to pianist Ake Elg (born Ludwig) and his Russian wife Elena Dobroumova, a music professor. Perhaps inevitably, the young Taina showed an aptitude for performance: as a child, she made an uncredited screen debut in the film Suominens Family (1941). Like many, her progress was stalled by war. After the Soviets invaded Finland in 1939, the family fled first to Switzerland, then to Canada. Upon returning, Taina Elg studied at the Finnish National Ballet, where she eventually became a soloist, touring Europe and North America. She later joined Sadlers Wells and the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas, only for an injury to curtail her dancing career. With Glenn Ford in Imitation General (1958) - MGM/Getty Images By then, Taina Elg had caught the eye of Edwin H Knopf, an American producer working for MGMs London office. She delayed screen-testing to marry the economist (and fellow Finn) Carl-Gustav Bjorkenheim; yet she finally signed in 1953, making her MGM debut in the biblical drama The Prodigal (1955) alongside Lana Turner. Her supporting turn as a ballerina in Gaby (1956) earned her a first Golden Globe for New Foreign Star of the Year Female, but after Les Girls she struggled to find roles. The most prominent was that of the schoolteacher assisting Kenneth Mores Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps (1959); a more typical project was the Cinecitta-shot peplum film The Bacchantes (1960), very loosely based on Euripides. Taina Elg took US citizenship in 1960 and thereafter found steady employment on the stage. She made her Broadway debut as Sister Albertine in the 1970 production of Joshua Logans Look to the Lilies, won a Tony nomination in the 1974 revival of Frank Loessers Wheres Charley? and played the heros mother in the original 1982 production of Tommy Tunes Nine. With George Montgomery, left, and David Farrar in Watusi (1959) - FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images Film and television provided slimmer, albeit diverse pickings: Hercules in New York (1970) alongside the emergent bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger, a two-year shift on the soap One Life to Live as the tycoons wife Olympia Buchanan, and a guest spot on A Fashionable Way to Die, a 1987 episode of Murder, She Wrote set in the world of Parisian haute couture. She cameoed in Mike Figgiss murder-mystery Liebestraum (1991), Woody Allens made-for-television Dont Drink the Water (1994) and the Barbra Streisand vehicle The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), before understudying in Broadways 1998 revival of Cabaret and appearing in the touring production of the musical Titanic (1998-99). She was awarded the Finnish Order of the Lion in 2004. In her rare interviews, she looked back fondly on her MGM years: People always ask me: Huh, Taina, what about those Hollywood parties? And I cant tell them any lurid stories, because I was never involved in them. I was under contract, I was married, I was very safe at MGM. After divorcing Bjorkenheim in 1960, Taina Elg married the Italian-American sociology scholar Rocco Caporale in 1982; he died in 2008. She is survived by a son, the jazz guitarist Raoul Bjorkenheim. Taina Elg, born March 9 1930, died May 15 2025 Credit: TikTok Rioters livestreamed themselves burning down a house on TikTok during a second night of racially motivated disorder in Northern Ireland. Violence first erupted in Ballymena, County Antrim on Monday after two 14-year-old boys, thought to be Romanian, were charged with the attempted rape of a young girl. The violence continued on Tuesday night, with rioters attacking police with petrol bombs, masonry and fireworks, as well as targeting properties they believed belonged to foreigners. Video footage obtained by The Telegraph shows a group of balaclava-clad men laughing in front of a house on Queen Street that had been set alight after being broken into. The person filming asks for likes, follows and gifts while livestreaming on TikTok before someone is heard to say they will smash a window for a gift. At one point, the person streaming the incident says rack them gifts up, boys and Ive got 2.6k views lad. TikTok gifts can be converted into cash and are a way of allowing users to monetise their video content. Projectiles were thrown and fires started as unrest continued following a peaceful protest by the local community against an alleged sex attack - Charles McQuillan/Getty Images Police took cover as they came under attack - Alan Lewis Belfast/SplashNews.com In the footage, dozens of masked men are seen standing in front of the burning house as others break down wooden pallets and add them to the fire raging in the doorway. As the fire continues to grow, someone says, this doesnt seem real, before rioters kick down the door of the neighbouring house and can be heard shouting for anyone inside to come out. When no one emerges, someone says: Theyre probably P----, thats why theyre f---ing away running upstairs. They then enter the house to search for anyone who might be hiding inside before retreating to the street after apparently finding it empty. Credit: Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph Police officers came under sustained attack from multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks over a number of hours. A water cannon and rubber bullets were used against the rioters to contain the serious disorder, which was condemned as racist thuggery by police. A spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: During the course of the serious disorder in Ballymena, authorised officers discharged a number of Attenuating Energy Projectiles and the water cannon was also deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds. Businesses and homes were attacked and damaged, and a number of vehicles were also set on fire in the area. A man stood casually by on his phone next ton a car that had been set alight - PAUL FAITH In total, 33 officers have been injured in the violence, with some requiring hospital treatment. The force said five people had been arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in police custody. One man was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour on ONeill Road in Newtownabbey. Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer told MPs: I utterly condemn the violence that we have seen overnight in Ballymena and in other parts of Northern Ireland. Jon Boutcher, the Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable, said the mindless violence was deeply concerning and unacceptable. These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice and protection, he said. Ironically, and frustratingly, this violence threatens to derail the very pursuit of justice it claims to challenge. People watch a fire burn between two police vans on Tuesday night on Clonavon Terrace... - Niall Carson/PA Wire ... before the clean-up began on Wednesday morning - Stephen Davison/Pacemaker Press The Police Federation for Northern Ireland said its officers were working in conditions that were downright dangerous. Liam Kelly, the chairman, said officers cannot continue to be exposed to unnecessary risk or extended frontline duties. He said attacks on innocent people and police officers are reprehensible. He added: There should be no place in this society for violent thugs and racists to blatantly disregard the rule of law, intimidate and terrorise people out of their homes and criminally attack both persons and property. I would directly appeal to the right-minded public to condemn these actions and provide PSNI with the information that will assist in identifying the perpetrators so they can rightly be put before the courts. The tent city on Park Lane in London comprises 23 tents, tables, office chairs, shopping trolleys and washing lines - Jamie Lorriman The tent city on Park Lane, in the central reservation near Hyde Park Corner, comprises 23 tents, tables, office chairs, shopping trolleys and washing lines. A neatly stacked pile of bin bags lies to one side while Lime bikes have been discarded around the settlement. A handful of large white signs are stacked up, reading: Im hungry, God bless. Those living here suggest there is little difference between their circumstances and those of the thousands of rough sleepers across the country, who will be decriminalised under plans announced by Sir Keir Starmer this week. To tourists, residents and those working in the surrounding Mayfair streets, however, the scene might more aptly be described as illegal camping. While those in Park Lanes tent city argue theres little separating them from rough sleepers across the UK, many residents would consider them illegal campers, instead - Jamie Lorriman Its not good at all, but we dont have a permanent place where we can wait for approval from City Hall [for housing], says Mihai, 54, from Romania, the only inhabitant prepared to speak to The Telegraph, who refuses to give his surname. Would you like to live here? He says he has lived at the site for two years, has indefinite leave to remain in the UK and works as a cleaner. He has also camped at Marble Arch and in Hyde Park. There were more people in the camp previously, he says, but they have gradually been found housing. A mile to the east, at Tottenham Court Road, Mel, 60, who also refuses to give his surname, lives in another encampment with his nephews Danny, 27, and Liam, 22, and their dogs, Cain and Sierra. Mel was born in west London and says he used to have three full-time jobs in sales and advertising, as an estate agent and as a supervisor at a bowling alley but has been living on the street for six years since he was kicked out of his council house over a dispute with a neighbour. Its not a choice for me living on the street, he says. If it was, I wouldnt have been here for nearly seven years now. Mel is homeless but not, he says, out of choice: If it was, I wouldnt have been here for nearly seven years now - Jamie Lorriman He adds that Romanian migrants are more comfortable living this way. People from other places have a tent mentality, he says. What bugs me is were a first-world country, and these people dont have the understanding that when you come to a better country, you have to make yourself better. You cant just stand on the corner drinking beer and whistling at women. Its easy for them because they grew up in desolate countries. The situation in central London encapsulates the complexity of legislating around homelessness. On Tuesday, the Government announced plans to decriminalise rough sleeping, continuing a Tory proposal from 2022 to repeal the 1824 Vagrancy Act. The Bill was originally brought in to deal with rising homelessness after the Napoleonic Wars and has long been considered out of date, with references to vagabonds and rogues. We are drawing a line under nearly two centuries of injustice towards some of the most vulnerable in society, who deserve dignity and support, said Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister. No one should ever be criminalised simply for sleeping rough and, by scrapping this cruel and outdated law, we are making sure that can never happen again. To ensure the police still have authority to combat antisocial behaviour, the Government promised to create new offences, including facilitating begging for gain and trespassing with the intention of committing a crime, both of which were previously included under the 1824 Act. Experts warn legislation against begging may yet rub up against the European Convention on Human Rights; in 2021, the court ruled that Switzerland had violated human rights when it fined a woman who had been begging. Homelessness is a global issue, of course, and there is a huge range of government responses to it. While Britain is moving to decriminalise rough sleeping, America has gone in the other direction. Last year, the US Supreme Court ruled that punishing rough sleepers was not a cruel and unusual punishment,, as prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. Homelessness has become a pressing problem in several American cities, most notoriously San Francisco. An estimated 771,000 Americans were homeless last year, more than any year on record. Since the ruling, at least 163 municipalities have passed rules banning camping. There are signs that policy is working. Last year, the California governor, Gavin Newsom, promised no more excuses for the state with the highest unsheltered rate in the country. Since encampments began to be cleared after the Supreme Court ruling, Californias rate has stabilised. While, nationwide, homelessness increased by 18 per cent, in California it rose by just 3 per cent. In 2024, California governor Gavin Newsom promised no more excuses for the state over rising levels of homelessness - Anadolu Agency In Fresno, California, members of the public can now report camps via an app. Rough sleepers could face fines of up to $1,000 or a year in prison, or they can ask to be taken to a shelter to discuss treatment or housing. When asked about whether the new rules were simply moving homeless people out of sight, Jerry Dyer, the citys Republican mayor and its former police chief, recently told The Economist: Im sure there are people that have now chosen places that are less visible publicly, which is not a bad thing. Some fear that the relaxing of rules in the UK will lead to the proliferation of rough sleeping seen in California prior to last years Supreme Court ruling, in which Park Lane-style encampments spread across the country. San Francisco is the worst example but loads of these Left-wing-run cities in America have taken an approach of non-enforcement of laws around rough sleeping and petty crime, says Fred de Fossard, the strategy director of the Prosperity Institute and a former Tory special adviser at the Cabinet Office, highlighting the absurdity of the UK taking such an approach when the United States is tacking in the opposite direction. Repealing the Vagrancy Act paves the way for [American levels of rough sleeping] here. This, in turn, will lead to a clamp-down in the future that will be more authoritarian than people are comfortable with and it will be entirely avoidable because we have taken a misguided, short-termist approach to these laws. This will fortify these encampments and make it harder for police to get rid of genuine criminals. Certainly, those in charge of clearing encampments such as the one at Park Lane may wish police had similar powers to their US counterparts. The problem has been rumbling on for years. Last month, a court granted Transport for London (TfL), which owns the land, a possession order to remove the camp on Park Lane. A TfL spokesman said: We had to take enforcement action to regain possession of the site on two occasions last year; however, a number of people have returned with tents and other belongings. A man passes by a homeless persons tent in central London - Mike Kemp/In Pictures David Spencer, the head of crime and justice at Policy Exchange, a think tank, and a former Met Police officer, says the situation at Park Lane encapsulates the difficulties facing those trying to disperse groups of rough sleepers, and the risks of removing their powers. Aggressive begging, rough sleeping and associated antisocial behaviour are things residents bring up all the time with the police, he says. The reality is that they are issues which the police and local authorities are not able or willing to get to grips with. The police would never look at arrest and prosecution in the first instance, but what the Government is doing is removing the backstop, taking away almost any power the police has to deal with it. What we risk is a constant slide towards the degradation of our public realm, with government, police, authorities seeming to take a more permissive attitude to things like graffiti, begging, rough sleeping, fare dodging, which come up all the time with law-abiding people going about their lives, he adds. People are sympathetic to those who find themselves in these situations, but we risk taking away the backstop that lets authorities do something about it. If we look at Park Lane, things have really got out of control. Police officers wait while homeless people collect their belongings in San Francisco - Ben Margot/AP While some rough sleepers in central London beg, others manage to work, often in marginal gig-economy employment as delivery drivers or kitchen porters. Others choose to leave offered accommodation altogether. In June 2023, dozens of asylum seekers camped outside the accommodation they were offered in Pimlico, having balked at the prospect of sleeping four to a room. Signs by their camp read: This is a prison, not a hotel. The Home Office stated that the accommodation was offered on a no-choice basis and met all legal and contractual requirements. In May 2024, Sadiq Khan pledged to end rough sleeping by 2030, and secured 17 million in central funding to do so. But if dealing with homeless people who want to find accommodation is difficult enough, what to do about those who like the asylum seekers in Pimlico prefer to sleep outside? Migrants housed in a Comfort Inn in Pimlico protest at the cramped conditions inside the hotel - Jamie Lorriman Rough sleeping is only the most visible form of homelessness, which can also include living in temporary accommodation, sofa-surfing sometimes called hidden homelessness and statutory homelessness, where a tenant has been served an eviction notice. The nature of rough sleeping can be difficult to quantify. According to the Ministry of Housing, which collates estimates from local authorities, there are around 2,000 rough sleepers in London, a figure that has more than doubled since the pandemic. Its data show that in that period, rough sleeping has risen across the country, in some areas by many multiples, including 1050 per cent in Charnwood, Leicestershire. Other sources put the figures much higher. According to the homelessness charity St Mungos, there were 4,427 people recorded rough sleeping in London in the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 8 per cent on the same period last year. More people are becoming homeless and people are staying homeless for longer, says Sean Palmer, the executive director of strategy and transformation at St Mungos. Its getting more difficult to move people off of the streets, because theres not a supply of social housing, theres a block at the end of the system. Rough sleeping has already been in effect decriminalised, with only five people sentenced for sleeping out in England and Wales since 2017. Begging prosecutions have also fallen: the 160 sentences handed down for begging in 2024 was the lowest annual total on record, less than a fifth of the series high in 2018. But Palmer says the law can still have a deterrent effect on people seeking help: The Act as it is now isnt good for our clients, people suffering from homelessness and people rough sleeping. Sometimes it encourages them to hide more because they dont want to be criminalised and are less likely to receive the help and support they need to resolve their homelessness. He says Mungos clients come from a wide range of situations. It could be problems with the housing market, problems with money. A lot of people are bouncing around insecure accommodation and eventually they run out of goodwill and end up on the streets. Often our clients have backgrounds in the care system, sometimes in the military. Often people are leaving a government institution they might be discharged from hospital, or be being moved on from the asylum system, or they might have left prison. I cant see how criminalising someone is helpful. We see the numbers of people coming out of the criminal justice system into homelessness. Feeding them back into the criminal justice system for being homeless, or feeding people who are homeless for other reasons back into the justice system, seems entirely counterproductive. Proposed new offences target aggressive beggars and gangs, rather than individuals. The cautionary example of the US, however, shows what can happen when authorities have insufficient powers to disperse rough sleepers. The knottier issue at the heart of legislation is that many people dont think camping ought to be illegal and have great sympathy for those who find themselves homeless, even if they object to the sight of tent cities in some of Londons most prestigious areas. The legal fudges reflect this Nimbyism. It also means that as a political issue, rough sleeping will not be moving along any time soon. Additional reporting by Ollie Corfe Screenshot of ABC correspondent Lauren Day, who was hit by teargas while working in Los Angeles. (Photograph: ABC news) The number of Australian journalists hit by law enforcement while covering ongoing immigration protests in Los Angeles has increased to three, with reporters for the ABC, the New York Times and Nine affected. Lauren Day, the North America correspondent for the ABC, was caught in the crossfire of police action on Tuesday LA time this time from pepper pellets after a scary and stressful incident on Monday night when she and her cameraman were sprayed with teargas. The camera operator was shot in the chest with a less-lethal bullet in the first incident. Day told Guardian Australia that weve had some more issues today with getting caught in the crossfire this time with pepper pellets. Pepper pellets are projectiles which burst open on impact, releasing powdered capsicum spray. It certainly puts you on edge knowing things can turn at any moment and the fact that youre press is no protection to getting caught up in the chaos, Day said. Ive reported from the Middle East five times since 7 October and also from Myanmar during the civil war there, so Im not unfamiliar with risk and conflict in my work, but I never expected the kinds of scenes were witnessing in the United States in 2025. Earlier, Day told the ABC she and her cameraman were teargassed when protests escalated following a long standoff with police on Monday. The experience was extremely unpleasant, she said. All of a sudden, we heard large bangs and the crowd started running. I then felt the unmistakable burn of teargas first in my eyes, then in my nose, lips and throat, Day reported for the ABC. It really stings your entire face and makes it difficult to breathe until the point you almost want to throw up. The camera operator was a freelancer and not an Australian. He escaped injury when hit in the chest. He was thankfully wearing a Kevlar vest at the time so was totally uninjured and didnt even wake up with a bruise, Day told Guardian Australia. We didnt see what he was hit by but Im just grateful whatever it was didnt strike his neck or face where it might have really done some damage. Less-lethal bullets can cause fatal injuries if they hit people in the neck or face, and LAPD officers are instructed not to fire at certain parts of the body or from close range. Australian journalist Livia Albeck-Ripka, who works for the New York Times, said she was also hit in the torso by a munition fired by law enforcement while covering the protests. Related: Los Angeles mayor sets curfew as Newsom intensifies criticism of Trump Officers began firing crowd-control munitions in our direction, and I was hit below my ribcage. It was a pretty intense, instant pain, I felt winded, she said in a video for the New York Times. I was really lucky because I was not seriously injured, I just have a nasty bruise. Albeck-Ripka, originally from Melbourne, was hit on Sunday night US time. Sign up for Guardian Australias breaking news email On Friday, a series of immigration raids across the city prompted several mostly peaceful protests around the city. On Saturday, Donald Trump sent in the national guard, in a move condemned by the California governor, Gavin Newsom, as purposefully inflammatory. Since the deployment of the national guard, tensions have escalated with large crowds gathering in downtown centres. There have been reports of protesters throwing rocks, garbage and other objects at police and of police deploying teargas and firing less-than-lethal munitions. A curfew has been declared. The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has condemned the actions of an officer who shot Nine journalist Lauren Tomasi with what the network said was a rubber bullet. Tomasi was describing the situation in LA on Sunday, when an LAPD officer turned and took aim in her direction before firing his weapon. Albanese has said the footage of Tomasi being shot was horrific and he had raised his concerns with the US government. The LAPD said it was investigating the use of excessive force by officers in an apparent reference to Tomasi. The Los Angeles police chief, Jim McDonnell, said the LAPD was aware and very concerned about media being hit with crowd-control munitions. I know that situation youre referring to, with the member of the media. We saw that, were very concerned about it and were looking into that, he said this week. The less-lethal weapons being deployed by the LAPD include teargas, pepper pellets, pepper spray and flash bangs, which produce an ear-piercing bang and bright light. The LAPD has said the department does not use rubber bullets but rather foam rounds a condensed sponge projectile resembling a hard Nerf pellet designed to cause pain on impact without penetrating the skin. They also use bean bag rounds, which are small cloth bags filled with lead or rubber pellets. These are designed not to penetrate skin but cause an impact hard enough to render a target temporarily immobile. The British news photographer Nick Stern was injured on the weekend while covering the protests. He believed he was hit by a less-than-lethal round shot by deputies. Im walking around taking photos when I felt a mighty pain in my leg. I put my hand down and felt a lump kind of sticking out the back of my leg, he told the Guardian. He underwent emergency surgery. Additional reporting by Reuters This article was amended on 11 June 2025. The headline on an earlier version stated four Australian journalists had been impacted. The ABC later confirmed its cameraman was not Australian. A joke about punctuation has been chosen as the funniest in a competition run by the Beano comic. Youngsters from Year 5 at Riverley Primary School in Leyton, London, won the accolade, with their joke: What do you call the fanciest punctuation? An a-posh-trophe. Their class teacher, Maisha Mahfuza, was also named Britains Funniest teacher. The winners will be featured in this weeks 4,290th edition of the Beano, drawn by renowned artist Nigel Parkinson A panel of the comics expert gag makers narrowed down the wittiest submissions to their favourite 10 finalists, before handing the final decision to a public vote. Mike Stirling, director of mischief at the Beano, said: As the only comic where kids are in charge, Beano continues to celebrate childhood in all its mischievous, screen-free glory. This annual competition is just one way Beano will power summer with pure fun, spotlighting the next generation of comedy geniuses. This perfectly crafted joke is creative, mischievous and 100% funny. It had us laughing out loud. Ms Mahfuza said: Seeing our class and joke featured in Beano was surreal. Britains Funniest Class competition is a fantastic way to spark laughter, boost creativity and build confidence in children. Learning should always come with a healthy dose of fun, and how many people can say theyve spread a good giggle beyond the classroom to the whole nation? Britains Funniest Class in the comic (Beano/PA) The winning school will receive the official Beano Britains Funniest Class trophy, Gnasher Badges, and comic subscriptions for the whole class. Other jokes in the top 10 included: Whats the cleverest school dinner? Maths potato; Why did the shark have stomachache? Because it ate a school dinner; Whats the difference between Dennis and Gnasher? Dennis wears shorts and Gnasher pants; Whats the opposite of a Dandelion? A BeanoTiger; and Why did the chicken cross the road? Be-CAAWWW-se. 092blower12.6.25.jpg Britain has grown lazy, feckless and fat. We are addicted to bread and circuses, as long as others pay for them. We dont work hard enough, safe in the knowledge that society owes us a living. We crave free stuff paid for by taxing the rich, and lap up Rachel Reevess nonsensical spending review: billions that we dont have for an unfixable NHS, U-turns on benefit cuts and winter fuel payments, and bribes for the Red Wall. We hate our politicians for lying to us of course Reeves is plotting another tax raid, of course she doesnt have a clue how to fund a proper military and yet demand the impossible of them, hence why even Reform are nervous about questioning the welfare state. We are obsessed with our rights, and dont want to hear about trade-offs, or personal responsibility, or deferred gratification, or that middle class welfare must end, or that free healthcare kills lives, or that carrots without sticks ruin a nation. Yet those who are picking up the bill for Labours fiscal incontinence the top 5 per cent, business and entrepreneurs are cracking under the strain, downing tools and heading for the exits. Britains central pathology can be explained by one statistic. In 2023 (thanks, Tories), 52.6 per cent of all individuals lived in households receiving more in benefits and services than they paid in taxes, so-called net recipients; net contributors, who pay more than they receive, are an oppressed minority. There are two kinds of people in any society: those who take out more than they put in and those who put in more than they take out. We have too many of the former, and too few of the latter, and Labours policies especially after the U-turn on benefit cuts are explicitly aimed at increasing the number of those dependent on the state. As the spending review points out, all but the richest 10 per cent of households will benefit as a percentage of income from policy decisions in 2028-29. Net recipients have reached such a critical mass that they can always outvote net contributors. Britain is ungovernable, and unreformable: 33 per cent of the public want to keep tax and spend the same, 30 per cent want to increase both and just 17 per cent want to cut them, YouGov finds. Its a cultural catastrophe, but it suits Reeves: she never really believed in cuts, so no longer has to pretend. Yet she is pushing Britain inexorably to a fiscal crisis: the deficit is out of control, the national debt is surging and gilt yields are higher than they were under Liz Truss. We are living beyond our means. Many net recipients are pensioners: the private retirement market has never recovered from Gordon Browns vandalism, and was further ruined by regulation from the Labour-Tory duumvirate and by the abysmal performance of UK equities (itself caused by policy stupidity). Too many pensioners, often through no fault of their own, depend on the state pension or tax credits. But the truly dreadful number is that 45.3 per cent of adults of working age are net recipients. In a civilised society, the vast majority would be independent from the state: productivity, wages and savings would be higher, more would pay for their own (VAT-free) health and education and the vast majority would own their home. This would require a buoyant economy, driven by supply-side reforms, deregulation, free trade, entrepreneurship and a flat tax. There would be no direct route from immigration to welfare and council houses, and we wouldnt serve as the worlds welfare state of last resort. Citizens and long-term residents who have contributed and truly need help would be given it, with clear incentives not to become stuck on benefits. Except for a small minority truly unable to look after itself, perhaps because of severe ill-health, disability, caring responsibilities or catastrophic bad luck, assistance would come in the form of a hand-up, not a hand-out. That is not even remotely close to todays dystopian reality of a record 6.4 million UK adults on out-of-work benefits, an abominable failure. Even the 52.6 per cent statistic for net recipients underestimates the scale of the problem. It doesnt include public sector workers, who depend entirely on taxpayers, and those who work for state-subsidised charities, NGOs or other bodies entirely or largely dependent on government contracts, subsidies and handouts. A full measure of those who are paid more by the state (directly or indirectly) than they contribute to the Exchequer would suggest a society that is no longer meaningfully capitalist. Dont listen to those who accuse Reeves of promoting austerity. She is squeezing some parts of the state but the overall direction of travel is towards socialism. There are 6.15 million public sector employees (as of March), according to the official definition, up 7,000 compared with December 2024, and up 35,000 on March 2024; all of these people have a class interest in redistribution and growing the size of the state. I doubt the reannounced administrative cuts, which could see departmental administration budgets drop by 16 per cent on average by 2029-30, will ever happen. Labour is doing what it always does: laying waste to the private sector while growing the public sector. Our only real wealth comes from private enterprise, and yet this tax base is getting smaller while the bureaucratic superstructure it supports is getting ever heavier. How long can this last? There were only 30.2 million payrolled employees in May, down 0.9 per cent compared with a year ago. This is a loss of 274,000 employees in a year, a catastrophic indictment of Labours economic illiteracy. How much tax has Reeves foregone? How many are now in receipt of out of work benefits, or have left the UK? How many more jobs will be lost thanks to Labours Employment Rights Bill? Reeves is a terrible chancellor, perhaps the worst we have ever had. She should read Frederic Bastiat, the French economist. As he put it, the state is the great fiction by which everyone endeavors to live at the expense of everyone else. One day, perhaps in 2026 or 2027, reality will reestablish itself, Reeves will realise that she has no money, and she will panic. By then, it will be too late: we will already be toast. Reeves Labour MPs liked it, and perhaps that should tell us everything we need to know about Rachel Reevess spending review announcement in the Commons. Their enthusiastic shouts of More! as the chancellor reached her peroration sounded genuine enough. And why wouldnt they? No chancellor of the exchequer ever became less popular by announcing large amounts of dosh for public services. Reeves painted a rosy picture of the future, a far cry from her and her boss, Keir Starmers initial outings at the despatch box in the aftermath of last years general election, when made Private Frazer from Dads Army sound like a ray of sunshine. Theyve since taken the hint and decided that a return to Labours traditional practice of throwing loads of cash at everything helps cheer everyone up particularly stressed Labour back benchers. One of the few cash saving schemes within her statement was perhaps not so popular with Labour MPs, and certainly not with party activists listening at home: the asylum backlog will be cut (but there was no indication of the likely scale of this cut or whether the threshold for achieving official refugee status will be lowered in order to reduce the official numbers of asylum seekers), more appeal cases will be heard and those who have no right to be here will be returned. A manifesto commitment to end the use of hotels by asylum seekers will be met by the end of the parliament, saving a billion pounds for the Treasury. But the biggest cheers from the government benches came in response to Reevess announcement of 39 billion for new social and affordable house building. The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, looked especially pleased at this, which is unsurprising since her own department has responsibility for meeting her partys promise to build 1.5 million new homes by the time of the next election. But the 39 billion pledged today was not for spending in the next three or four years left of this parliament: it was for the next 10 years, which means, assuming broadly equal levels of spend each year, less than 16 billion to be spent on the project before the deadline mandated by Labours own manifesto looms. Oddly, for a party with only five MPs, Reform UK and its leader came in for a disproportionate amount of attention from Reeves. Nigel Farage was targeted for having expressed support in the past for Liz Trusss disastrous fiscal event and the unfunded tax cuts that accompanied it. It seemed odd that Reeves and her allies thought there was still mileage left in an event that happened three years ago. Maybe theyll fight next years May elections by attacking Margaret Thatchers poll tax. And by the time the chancellor got round to announcing the inevitable record budget increases for the NHS three per cent in each of the years covered by the spending review she had come up with another zinger, reminding the House that Farage had once expressed support for an insurance-based health system. This might not be as productive a line of attack for the government as it blithely assumes. Given the consistently poor performance of the NHS over many years, and given that no one seriously expects things to improve, however much extra cash is thrown at it, it is not inconceivable that the kind of angry and disillusioned voter that Reform has successfully attracted to its ranks could be persuaded that maybe a different approach is, after all, worth considering. After all, most EU countries have some sort of insurance element within their funding models, yet they also manage to provide medical care free at the point of need. And arent Labour MPs fans of everything Europe does (apart from regularly electing far-Right parties to government, of course)? The real success of fiscal events like todays can never be accurately judged until hours after everyone has left the chamber and headed to the tearoom to chat about it and stock up on publicly-subsidised calories. But even before the economics experts have had a chance to go over the details, Chancellor Reeves can congratulate herself for at least sounding more like a cheerleader for the government, rather than an undertaker. Baby steps, chancellor. Baby steps. Zia Yusuf is targeting becoming Reforms sixth MP - Thomas Krych/Anadolu via Getty Images Zia Yusuf is planning to run for a seat in Parliament after rejoining Reform UK. The former party chairman, 38, stood down on Thursday and said he no longer thought that working to make Nigel Farage the prime minister was a good use of my time. But he returned 48 hours later in a new role overseeing the Doge efficiency drive in Reform-run councils and appearing in the media. He is now targeting becoming Reforms sixth MP and will run in the next by-election at which the party stands a chance of winning, sources said. A Reform source told The Telegraph: He would make a fantastic candidate in the right by-election. There are not currently any by-elections scheduled, but Reform had success in May when Sarah Pochin won in Runcorn and Helsby last month after the resignation of the Labour MP Mike Amesbury. When Mr Yusuf resigned, he said he no longer thought working to make Mr Farage the prime minister was a good use of my time - Andy Rain/Shutterstock Mr Farage, the Reform leader, had admitted he was not exactly chuffed when Mr Yusuf resigned on Thursday. The resignation came after Ms Pochin asked Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Ministers Questions whether he supported a ban on the burka. Mr Yusuf, who also supports a ban, is understood to have been angry that the party was focusing on the issue rather than its main campaigns on net zero and immigration. Dr David Bull, a former television presenter, has been appointed as the new Reform chairman. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Yusuf said Dr Bull would be a phenomenal chairman and that he looked forward to working for Mr Farage again. Mr Yusufs plan to run to be an MP was first reported by Sky News on Wednesday, following speculation over what assurances he had received from Mr Farage to return to the party. Five Reform MPs were elected at last summers general election, but the party suspended the whip from Rupert Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP, after he had a bitter disagreement with Mr Farage. Shameless star Anne-Marie Duff said she and the Prince of Wales laughed about her previous role playing Elizabeth I as she was formally made an OBE. Ms Duff, 54, played Fiona Gallagher in Channel 4s Shameless TV show and won a best supporting actress Bafta for her role as Grace Williams in Apple TVs series Bad Sisters. The actor also performed as Elizabeth I in the 2005 to 2006 BBC dramatisation of the monarchs life, titled The Virgin Queen. Anne-Marie Duff said it was fabulous to have been made an OBE (Aaron Chown/PA) Discussing that role led William to joke this should all be old hat for you, or something during Wednesdays ceremony at Windsor Castle, Ms Duff said. The actor spoke to the PA news agency inside the Berkshire royal residence after being formally made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama. Asked if the event had been as expected having played Elizabeth I, she said: (Windsor Castle) is like a treasure chest, isnt it? Because every piece of every room is swollen with history and art and value, so its very specific. To be in this environment where people do live and do sit down and have their dinner and all of those things you know, when youre on location, you dont really have that feeling of something like that, but this is someones home, which is just extraordinary to me. Ms Duff, right, was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to drama (Yui Mok/PA) The Virgin Queen was not filmed at royal residences for security reasons, she said. Ms Duff lives in north London and has a son with her former husband and Shameless co-star James McAvoy. She said she and the Prince of Wales discussed balancing work and parenting and how were all kind of the same. Her next guaranteed job is not until 2026 and she said she cannot talk about other projects that may pop up before then. Theres so much nonsense now, you cant even read scripts now without NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), she said. The streamers are like old Hollywood studios, its like that, its so bonkers, so you dont get to sort of enjoy the prelude to things with people you cant say, oh my god, yeah, Im going to be doing (this). You have to keep everything on the down-low. She laughed as she said: I would love to tell you, Your Royal Highness, but There are snipers everywhere, thats what it feels like, seriously, the walls have ears, she added. Ms Duff said a play would be the juiciest next project for her because she prefers the communion with people in theatre, as well as the immediacy and being in charge of the chronology. Ms Duff said she and the prince discussed balancing work and parenting (Yui Mok/PA) She said she discussed her preference for the stage with William. She told PA: If a light bulb blows, we still go on. Its all of that and the jeopardy of it when things go wrong, you become so resourceful and having each others back as a company. Asked how she felt after being formally made an OBE, Ms Duff said: Fabulous, really lucky. You never imagine that I think especially for people who work in the arts you never really have a sense of what you do as having a great deal of importance or being a contribution to anything. Youre just so busy working away. It feels extraordinary to be recognised. BLACKPINK, seen here performing at a US music festival in 2023, are one of the worlds most popular K-Pop groups - Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella South Koreas military has been ordered to stop playing K-Pop music and political propaganda in the direction of North Korea through loudspeakers. Seoul suspended the broadcasts along its demilitarised border on Wednesday morning as part of attempts by its new Left-wing government to cool tensions with its neighbour. A spokesman for South Koreas defence ministry said: The decision was made as part of efforts to carry out the promise of restoring inter-Korean trust and peace on the Korean Peninsula. The two countries are technically still at war because, despite a ceasefire in 1953, no formal peace treaty was ever signed to officially end the Korean War. Lee Jae-myung, who was elected as South Koreas new president last week, has vowed to restart talks with Pyongyang, which had considered the broadcasts to be an act of war and previously threatened to blow the loudspeakers up. Mr Lee said in his inaugural speech that he would open a communication channel with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula through talks and co-operation. The broadcasts, which have been running on and off since the 1960s, had included a wide range of music and messages, from pop songs to more sensitive segments on democracy and capitalism. North Korea has also played broadcasts over the border, including messages condemning South Korea and its allies, but these have tended to be harder to hear because of the poor quality of the speakers used. The broadcasts on the South Korean side were paused in 2018 after the North sent balloons filled with waste paper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and manure over the border. They resumed last summer. A couple of weeks after they restarted, a new rubbish-filled balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound, prompting questions about the security of the countrys key facilities. The balloons had been sent in retaliation for propaganda drops by South Korea over the years, which have included USB sticks of television dramas and leaflets criticising the North Korean regime. Earlier this week, South Koreas ministry of unification also called for the end of the leaflet campaigns. Seoul suspended the broadcasts across the border into the North on Wednesday morning - Pedro PArdo/AFP via Getty Images However, it comes amid efforts by Pyongyang in recent years to bolster its information war and restrict outside information. The regime passed a law in 2020 which increased the punishment for anyone caught consuming or sharing foreign media, with unverified reports that some individuals had even been executed. In 2023, Pyongyang also outlawed common South Korean phrases and made it illegal to speak in a South Korean accent. Mr Lees overtures to the North are a departure from the more hardline approach of Yoon Suk Yeol, his predecessor. Mr Yoon, who was impeached following a short-lived declaration of martial law in December, had ended engagement with Pyongyang and threatened to destroy the regime if it ever deployed nuclear weapons. North Korea has yet to comment on the loudspeakers announcement, though it has previously rejected efforts from both Seoul and the United States to resume engagement. Rachel Reeves gave some of the biggest praise to the health and energy sectors in the spending review - AFP The Cabinet, as always, was expected to present a united front at the spending review, no matter how bruising their negotiations with the Treasury had been. While some departments, such as health and energy, were clear winners in Rachel Reevess announcement, there were clear losers, too. How the Chancellor chose to frame her spending review at the despatch box, and which of her colleagues she took care to praise, gives some insight into tensions between Ms Reeves and various departments. Darren Jones What she said: I am enormously grateful to my excellent team of officials at the Treasury and to my Rt Hon friend, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, for his tireless work throughout this process, crunching the numbers, looking at the assets and the liabilities. What it means: It is perhaps unsurprising that the Chancellor reserved some of her most glowing praise for her Treasury ally, Darren Jones. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has regularly taken to the despatch box and to the airwaves to defend his bosss tough economic choices, including the unpopular ones such as welfare cuts and winter fuel. Reeves gave glowing praise for her ally Darren Jones, who has backed her on unpopular issues - Kirsty O'Connor Wes Streeting What she said: I took the decisions necessary to provide an immediate injection funding to get the NHS back on its feet, and I commend my Right Hon friend, the Health Secretary, for all the progress that he has already made. In less than a year, this government has recruited 17,000 new GPs, delivered 3.5 million extra appointments and cut waiting lists by more than 200,000. What it means: Some of the biggest praise from Ms Reeves was reserved for the Health Secretary, who is on the same wing of the party as the Chancellor. It reflects that the Government is particularly keen to use Mr Streetings successes in the health service to deflect from the more unpopular moves on welfare and winter fuel. Pat McFadden What she said: For the first time in 18 years, this government has run a zero based review, a line by line assessment of what the Government spends, something that the Tories did not bother to do in 14 years. And as a result of that work and of our wider drive for efficiencies, led by my Right Hon friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, in this Spending Review I have found savings. What it means: Another big beast of the Starmerite wing of the Labour Party got credit for his work in the Cabinet Office. Mr McFadden has been charged with rooting out Whitehall waste, a challenging task entrusted to a politician considered to be a safe and experienced pair of hands. Ed Miliband What she said: Yesterday my Rt Hon friend, the Energy Secretary and I announced 14 billion for Sizewell C, producing the energy to power 6 million homes, supporting more than 10,000 jobs, including 1,500 apprentices to build a nuclear workforce of tomorrow. What it means: The Chancellor made a comparatively brief mention of Mr Miliband, a controversial figure in the Cabinet who is spearheading the net zero agenda. In recent months this has led to tensions between him and Sir Tony Blair, after the former prime minister said that net zero was doomed to fail. He later appeared to back down by saying the Governments approach was the right one. But the Energy Secretary has been awarded with one of the biggest allocations of spending on projects in his brief, a 2.7 per cent uplift, a signal of support for his agenda. But the Chancellor separately also said that she welcomed the expansion of Heathrow Airport, which she said would use British Steel to construct it. This continues to be a sticking point between the pair, as Mr Miliband has long been an opponent of the airport expansion and in 2010 considered resigning from Gordon Browns Cabinet over it. Ed Miliband reacts to the Spending Review. The Energy Secretary has received a 2.7 per cent uplift - Pixel Yvette Cooper What she said: I am increasing police spending power by an average 2.3 per cent a year in real terms over the spending review period to protect our people, our homes and our streets. That is more than 2 billion, supporting us to meet our plan for change commitment of putting 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbour policing roles across England and Wales. What it means: The Chancellors omission of any reference to the Home Secretary in announcing the funding settlement for the police is telling. Ms Reeves and Ms Cooper sparred over money for policing until the very end of negotiations for the Spending Review, with the Home Office being the last department to settle. Given that Ms Cooper had warned the Chancellor that without a better funding settlement, manifesto pledges on crime would be at risk. It is telling that Ms Reeves was sure to point out that 13,000 more officers would be put onto the streets. Her speech appears to suggest that tensions have not entirely dissipated. Angela Rayner What she said: Our planning reforms have opened up the opportunity to build. Now we must act to make the most of those opportunities, and a plan to match the scale of the housing crisis must include social housing neglected for too many decades, but not by this Labour Government. And so, led by my Rt Hon friend, the Deputy Prime Minister, we are taking action. I am proud to announce the biggest cash injection into social and affordable housing in 50 years. What it means: Where Ms Cooper may have lost out in Treasury negotiations, Ms Rayner seems to have won. The Deputy Prime Minister was the penultimate department holding out for more Treasury cash, and was rewarded with the biggest cash investment for 50 years in social housing. This is despite the awkwardness of a leaked memo last month that showed Ms Rayner had alternative ideas for how the Chancellor could raise taxes. She still will have to make cuts elsewhere, with the department budget falling by 0.6 per cent. Starmer Britain is ceding a major part of its sovereignty over the peninsula of Gibraltar. Ahead of his meeting with Gibraltars chief minister David Picardo, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has apparently agreed to hand over discretion over entry and exit into Gibraltar to Spanish and European border guards. The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has downplayed the significance of Lammys decision and insists that the terms of the deal with Spain are still being agreed. Nevertheless, the news of Britain giving up its influence over Gibraltars borders has already triggered fiercely polarised reactions. Defenders of Lammys agreement argue that it removes a critical obstacle to stronger economic and security cooperation with the European Union (EU). The FCDO has implied that this deal would improve Gibraltars business climate and not compromise Britains sovereignty over Gibraltar. Britains Europe Minister Stephen Doughty has repeatedly declared that the United Kingdoms sovereignty over Gibraltar is non-negotiable. Critics of the deal, however, view it as an act of betrayal that will undermine Britains border security and control over its overseas territories. Former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has warned that the Falklands will be next and British Conservative MP Caroline Dinenage tied the decisions timing to Prime Minister Keir Starmers spending review. While the short-term economic benefits of this compromise should not be discounted, critics of the agreement have compelling arguments. In a November 2002 referendum, 98.97 per cent of Gibraltarians voted against sharing the sovereignty of Gibraltar with Spain. The restoration of full British border control over Gibraltar in 2020 was the direct consequence of Britons voting to leave the EU in June 2016. A unilateral handover of Gibraltars border security to Spain and Europe is an anti-democratic gesture, as it was not preceded by any form of plebiscite. It also runs against the grain of current public opinion, as there is widespread support for a Gibraltar MP in the House of Commons. Most people in Gibraltar want more UK-Gibraltar integration, not less. Moreover, it reflects an alarming willingness to undermine Britains sovereignty over its overseas territories. Britains handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius was a blow to its global power projection and has potentially enabled Chinese expansionism in the Indian Ocean. The forced integration of Gibraltar with Spain, which has much more open migration policies and struggles with maritime illegal immigration, continues this worrying trend. While Falkland Islands Governor Alison Blake has hailed Britains unwavering commitment today to sovereignty of the islands, can these assurances really be believed? To anyone watching Starmers handling of Chagos and Gibraltar, no is the justified answer. Wissam Haddad at the federal court in Sydney, where he is being sued for alleged racial discrimination. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP A Sydney Muslim cleric being sued for alleged racial discrimination has told the federal court no Jewish person could be offended over a series of lectures in which he described Jewish people in the seventh century as mischievous, treacherous and vile because the lectures were delivered to a private Muslim audience. While giving evidence to the federal court on Wednesday, Wissam Haddad was taken to evidence of his own advertisements on Instagram, promoting several of the speeches, and which included the words: the lecture will be recorded and then uploaded on YouTube. In the witness box he was forced to concede he knew his speeches would be broadcast more widely than his immediate audience. Haddad whose legal first name is William but who is also known as Abu Ousayd is being sued by two senior members of Australias peak Jewish body, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), over a series of lectures he gave in Bankstown in November 2023 and subsequently broadcast online, in which he is alleged to have maligned Jewish people. Sign up for Guardian Australias breaking news email Haddad allegedly breached section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which prohibits offensive behaviour based on race or ethnic origin. Haddads defence argues the speeches were delivered to a known Muslim audience, in a private place, and fail the clause in 18C that the offensive act is unlawful when it is committed otherwise than in private. Related: Sydney cleric used dehumanising generalisations designed to intimidate Jewish people, federal court hears In submissions filed before the federal court, Haddad argues four of the five speeches were delivered at his prayer centre, Al Madina Dawah Centre in Bankstown. The centre is a stand-alone building which is manifestly a private property it is surrounded by high black fencing and its entrance carries a sign that says Private Property No Trespassing. Haddads submissions to the court said there was no standing invitation for any non-Muslims to attend the centre. There will be no evidence that any of the speeches was attended or heard by anyone who was not a regular congregant of the centre and a practising Muslim. The remaining speech was a conversation in a room between three people. Haddad was called as a witness late on Wednesday morning. He told the court uploading his speeches to social media was not part of his responsibilities. Im not involved, he told the court. But under repeated questioning from one of the applicants barristers, Peter Braham SC, he told the court he knew his speeches would be posted online. Yes I did. Haddad said the speeches were posted online by someone from the community. Asked who it was, Haddad said: Im not at liberty to give his name because I dont think its relevant. Peter Wertheim, one of the applicants in the case and ECAJs co-chief executive, told the federal court on Tuesday that he was first alerted to the presence of Haddads speeches online by coverage of them in mainstream media. He said Haddads speeches used overtly dehumanising language. Making derogatory generalisations, calling Jews a vile and treacherous people, calling them rats and cowards are things which I think would be experienced by most Jews as dehumanising, Wertheim said. His barrister, Braham, told the court Haddads speeches repeated a range of offensive tropes and were designed to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate Jewish people. The court heard Haddad had sound recording and camera equipment installed to record his speeches, which Wertheims barrister argued was for the purpose of disseminating his message far beyond his congregants. He would speak before a backdrop branded with the Al Madina Dawah Centre logo, but which also included logos of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms. The applicants are seeking an injunction that Haddads five offending sermons be removed from the internet, and an order that he refrain from publishing similar speeches in future. Wertheim and his co-applicant, Robert Goot, are also seeking publication of a corrective notice on Haddads prayer centres social media pages, and to be awarded the legal costs of bringing their action. They have not sought damages or compensation. Haddads barrister, Andrew Boe, argued the clerics speeches were addressed to, and intended only for, a private Muslim congregation and that Haddad was not responsible for them being published online. Boe said it was unlikely a Jewish person would have discovered the speeches, to then be offended by them, if the recordings had not been covered and thus amplified by mainstream media. It would be analogous to a person of a prudish sensitivity seeking out pornography on the web and then complaining about being offended by it, Boe told the court. Boe argued there must be room, in a democratic society, for the confronting, the challenging, even the shocking. The hearing, before Justice Angus Stewart, is expected to run until the end of the week. Gareth Davies followed the suspected thief through the streets of Londons Maida Vale - David Woolfall A Tory MP has been praised for getting stuck in after he chased a suspected thief down a London high street and secured his arrest. Gareth Davies, a Conservative shadow minister, witnessed a man taking an item from a vehicle in north-west London on Saturday morning. He followed the man for 15 minutes through the streets of Maida Vale, an affluent area of the capital, in the hope he could be arrested. The suspect did not know he was being watched during the low-speed pursuit, but Mr Davies had called the police to report what hed seen and tell officers where the man was located. The man tried to board a bus but was apprehended by officers at the bus stop. A Metropolitan Police spokesman told The Telegraph that a member of the public had called the police to report a man had stolen an item from the back of the car. Officers quickly attended and a 48-year-old man was arrested near the scene, the spokesman said. He was taken into custody and has since been bailed while further inquiries are carried out. The victims belonging was later returned. It comes after a series of vigilante law enforcement stunts in London, including from Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary. Mr Jenrick filmed a video chasing fare dodgers through a Tube station, asking them why they had not paid for tickets. One would-be fare evader told the Tory MP to f--- off, while another claimed he had a knife. Credit: X/@RobertJenrick Mr Jenrick accused Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, of driving a proud city into the ground, adding: Lawbreaking is out of control. Hes not acting. So, I did. Reacting to Mr Davies pursuit of the suspect, he told The Telegraph: Good for Gareth. Sometimes you have to get stuck in and sort things out. Other campaigners have taken to the Tube to clean off graffiti, after reports that Bakerloo line trains in London had been defaced and not cleaned by Transport for London (TfL) staff. TfL said last month that the uptick in graffiti was caused by the breakdown of an automatic train washer. We were only able to clean trains by hand, which takes a significantly longer amount of time, a spokesman told the BBC. Fabian Picardo, Gibraltars chief minister, with David Lammy, the latest of several foreign secretaries involved in the negotiations - Ben Dance/FCDO For over five years, Gibraltar has been at the centre of one of the most complex, technical, and geopolitically sensitive negotiations undertaken by the United Kingdom and the European Union since Brexit. The process has consumed me. It has occupied close to half of my time in elected office, taken over almost every waking hour of the last five years, and, in truth, deprived the people of Gibraltar of their Chief Minister in the way they are used to having him, that is, from fixing housing and parking complaints to defending their sovereignty in the international arena. For much longer than I would have wanted, I have been behind closed doors, in physical or virtual boardrooms, working through the details of a document that will shape the next generation of our people. It has been a relentless, exhausting endeavour. Throughout this time, the UK and Gibraltar teams have worked together seamlessly, hand in glove, without a flash of daylight between us. We have worked in close partnership with both Conservative and Labour prime ministers and foreign secretaries; from Dominic Raab, Liz Truss and James Cleverly to David Cameron and now David Lammy. What we have negotiated is not the product of fragmented agendas, but the position of a unified British family determined to find a solution worthy of our people. Fabian Picardo, right, with David Lammy and Stephen Doughty, the Europe minister, during their meeting on Wednesday - Government handout/EPA-EFE Shutterstock Without a treaty, Gibraltar could be staring down the barrel of a hard border, marked by endless queues, disrupted supply chains, and a deeply uncertain future for many of our businesses. Our hospitals and elderly care homes would face chronic understaffing, and the surrounding region would suffer the almost certain loss of employment for many of the 15,000 cross-border workers who depend on Gibraltars economy to support their families. The services we deliver to our people would all come under strain. Our public finances would be pushed to the brink. The self-governing Gibraltar we have built would be diminished, replaced by something poorer, more isolated, more inward-looking, and ultimately less able to thrive as a proud, British European Territory. Instead, we now stand at the threshold of something remarkable, and not just for Gibraltar, but also for the United Kingdom, for Spain, and for Europe and our people. Something bold. Something forward-looking and hopeful. Something that finally breaks free of the negative inertia that has defined too much of our recent past. Unlocking potential across borders This is politics at its most elevated. The service-led principle of working for our peoples benefit and not the performative personal antagonism that too often infects public life. Real, hard graft that overcomes challenges to deliver progress. This is the kind of result our people demand when they voice distrust and decry the political establishment. Our Spanish and EU counterparts, for their part, have brought to the table a seriousness of purpose that also reflects the gravity of the moment. They, too, have recognised that this treaty is not merely about fluidity of movement, but about unlocking human and economic potential across borders. Make no mistake: the treaty that is now within reach is not one that the Gibraltarians have been forced to accept. Our people voted for us to have a mandate to turn our New Years Eve agreement of 2020 into a UK/EU agreement/treaty. Vehicles queueing at the border between Spain and Gibraltar - Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images So we say yes to this agreement, but not because we dont know how to say no when we have to. We did so, emphatically, in 2002, when we triggered a referendum to reject Jack Straws proposal of joint sovereignty with Spain, and I am just as adamant today that this treaty will not in any way compromise British sovereignty over Gibraltar. That will be set out, black upon white, in the treaty when it is published. It is a legal undertaking given by both sides in clear and unequivocal terms. So to be clear: in this treaty we have not ceded any control of Gibraltar to any authority. Just like today, only Gibraltar will decide who enters Gibraltar exactly as we agreed in 2020 when Dominic Raab was foreign secretary and Boris Johnson was prime minister. This treaty unleashes the potential to usher in a new era. One in which we move beyond the tired narratives of the past on constant sovereignty disputes, towards a future defined by hope, cooperation and shared prosperity. It will pave the way for better jobs, more investment and lasting stability for Gibraltar and the wider region. It can deliver more harmonious human relations and a better quality of life for all our people. When you read it, I ask that you to look up from the pages of this treaty and see that better reality as it peers back at us from the future. This will be the treaty Gibraltar wants. It will be a treaty the UK and the EU can be proud of. And it will be a treaty that will propel us all to the better future politicians are elected to deliver. When the time comes, back Gibraltar and its proudly British people by backing the Gibraltar treaty. Fabian Picardo is the chief minister of Gibraltar Rishi Sunak, Joe Biden and Anthony Albanese at an Aukus summit in San Diego in March 2023 - Getty Images North America The United States is considering ending a nuclear submarine pact with the UK and Australia, in what would be a major blow to a security alliance between the countries. The Pentagon launched a review of the 2021 Aukus submarine deal to decide if the US should cancel the project, US defence officials said. The assessment is being led by Elbridge Colby, a defence department official and former Trump campaign aide, who has raised questions about Aukus. The deal includes a commitment from the US to supply Australia with at least eight nuclear-propelled submarines. But some inside the Trump administration argue it comes at the expense of Americas own domestic production of submarine defence. Aukus submarines will feature a Rolls-Royce pressurised water reactor built in the UK, with the UK providing naval training to support the programme. Aukus also covers AI and missiles The deal froze France out of a major defence contract with Australia. On Tuesday, Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, insisted the US would supply Australia with a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, amid growing concern that production is not progressing quickly enough. Under the Aukus deal, signed to great fanfare in 2021, Washington, London and Canberra are cooperating on the joint development of cyber warfare tools, artificial intelligence and hypersonic missiles. The agreement commits the United States to building cutting-edge submarines for Australia, an investment with an estimated cost of up to $235 billion over 30 years. Australia plans to acquire at least three Virginia-class submarines from the United States within the next 15 years, eventually manufacturing its own nuclear-powered subs. The US Navy has 24 Virginia-class vessels, which can carry cruise missiles, but American shipyards are struggling to meet production targets set at two new boats each year. Critics have questioned why the United States would sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia without stocking its own military first. In a post on X last year, Mr Colby wrote that he was sceptical of the agreement. In principle [Aukus is] a great idea. But Ive been very sceptical in practice. I remain sceptical agnostic as I put it to [The Sydney Morning Herald] but more inclined based on new information Ive gleaned, he wrote. It would be crazy to have fewer [attack submarines] in the right place and time, he said. UK pushing to retain partnership A British government official told The Telegraph it was aware of the review and was reiterating the importance of the pact to leaders in Washington. The spokesman said: Aukus is a landmark security and defence partnership with two of our closest allies. It is one of the most strategically important partnerships in decades, supporting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic, while also delivering jobs and economic growth in communities across all three nations. China has strongly pushed back against the Aukus deal. Mao Ning, the spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said in 2023 that Aukus was about fuelling military confrontation through military collaboration. Ms Mao said: It is apparently driven by Cold War thinking. It creates additional nuclear proliferation risks, exacerbates the arms race in the Asia-Pacific and hurts regional peace and stability. China is deeply concerned and firmly opposed to it. The biggest threat to China is the pacts order to supply Australia with at least eight nuclear-propelled submarines, which travel and remain undetected for much longer than the traditional diesel-powered vessels. The highly advanced nuclear fleet would enable a better understanding of Chinas existing sea-based nuclear weapons. A US defence official said: The Department is reviewing Aukus as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the Presidents America First agenda. As Secretary Hegseth has made clear, this means ensuring the highest readiness of our service members, that allies step up fully to do their part for collective defence, and that the defence industrial base is meeting our needs. This review will ensure the initiative meets these common sense, America First criteria. Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump have become embroiled in a tit-for-tat battle - Mark Schiefelbein/Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The Trump administration is considering cutting Californias federal education funding, as a tit-for-tat battle with Gavin Newsom, the states governor, reaches boiling point. Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested Mr Newsom should be arrested for his bad job in handling a wave of anti-deportation protests, which erupted on Friday in response to immigration raids. It comes as Mr Newsom on Tuesday accused Mr Trump of a brazen abuse of power when he deployed thousands of National Guard troops and 700 US marines in Los Angeles to quell the protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. The state is suing the president for sending in troops without Mr Newsoms approval, marking the first time since civil rights protests in 1965 that a president sent the National Guard to deal with civil unrest without cooperation from the states governor. Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, said the administration is committed to ending this nightmare and restoring the California Dream. He added: No final decisions, however, on any potential future action by the administration have been made. National Guard troops protect a federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday - Jon Putman In the wake of the row, White House officials may stop the education departments disbursement of formula funds to California, Politico reported. The state receives $8 billion a year from the education department. Some of the payouts are used towards programs for students with disabilities and from low-income homes. Mr Trumps vow to cut funding to the countrys most populous state began before his latest clash with Mr Newsom and his dispatch of Marines and the National Guard. He has already cut $126.4 million in flood prevention projects, and threatened to dilute Californias tough vehicle emissions standards. Last month, he said he would halt federal funding after a transgender athlete took part in a sporting event. Student visa pause will impact California His pause to visas for students from China would also have an outsized impact on California as it enrols more foreign students than any other state. As the state was ravaged by a series of wildfires in January, Mr Trump directly blamed Mr Newsom for LAs struggling water supply, and threatened to bar California from accepting federal disaster funds unless they changed water policies. Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Trump described the LA protesters as a foreign enemy and vowed to liberate Los Angeles. A curfew has been enforced between 8pm to 6am in the downtown area of central Los Angeles, in what officials say is necessary to stop vandalism and looting. Mr Newsom has urged demonstrators who have been protesting ICE raids since Friday to remain peaceful and said Mr Trumps actions were fulfilling the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president . China's three island chains The Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has just executed a historic move: deploying both of its operational aircraft carriers simultaneously beyond the second island chain for the first time. This dual deployment featuring the CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong marks a deliberate step-change in PLAN ambitions. The Liaoning task group, operating east of the Philippines and potentially around Guam, is engaged in its longest-ever mission and is now fully embedded in blue-water operations. Meanwhile, the Shandong, alongside a flotilla including a Type 055 destroyer, Type 052D destroyer, and Type 054A frigates, has been tracked conducting sustained carrier flight operations within Japans EEZ. This is a Chinese naval deployment on a scale never seen before. China has deployed four big-deck warships two carriers and two amphibious assault ships across a total surface battle force that includes over 50 fixed-wing aircraft, four Type 055 cruisers, four Type 052D destroyers, and seven 054A frigates. The warships have nearly 1,000 vertical launch system (VLS) missile cells. This isnt just a show of numbers. Various online observers suggest that the current operation represents about half of Chinas Type 055 fleet and roughly 15 per cent of its Type 052D and 054A ships a deliberate concentration of capability. The upcoming commissioning of the CNS Fujian Chinas third and most advanced carrier, featuring catapults allowing a bigger and more capable air wing will make the PLAN without question the second most powerful navy on the planet. Whats less visible but equally significant is the all but certain presence of Chinas new 093B nuclear attack submarines, operating quietly beneath the waves. It is safe to assume that each PLAN group, just like an American or British one, will have a nuclear sub keeping watch below. 0810 China under Xi - largest navy Taiwans Ministry of National Defence has tracked more than 1,350 PLAN vessels operating around the island in 2025 up 26 per cent year-on-year. During the last week of May alone, over 70 ships were observed across the broader region. This isnt an exercise. Its a pressure campaign. And its sending signals not just to Taipei, but to everyone. So what now for the United States and its allies? At a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan was clear: We need more ships, a stronger industrial base, a warfighter culture, and real investment in our people. If it doesnt add to our readiness, we will not fund it. Its no surprise that this punchy quote appeared in our Strategic Defence Review published last week. As far as the US are concerned, its not just rhetoric. Its a call to action. As Tyler Rogoway, editor-in-chief of the The War Zone, aptly put it: China is pumping out surface combatants at a bewildering pace. Every day we lose ground. Qualitative advantage isnt everything anymore. The US Navy cannot assume that technological superiority alone will compensate for its coming numerical inferiority. Technically the Chinese navy is already bigger than the USN by count of ships, though the US fleet still leads on more important metrics like tonnage and VLS cells. But at current build rates thats set to change. America needs allies. Dr Ely Ratner argues in The Case for a Pacific Defence Pact for a decisive shift from Americas post-WWII hub-and-spoke bilateral treaty system toward a more cohesive multilateral alliance. Not an Asian Nato, but something leaner: a tightly coordinated mutual defence agreement among the US, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines. Such a pact, Ratner contends, would offer strategic clarity: Maintaining the status quo emboldens Beijing. A defensive pact raises the cost of aggression. Tom Shugar, a retired US submariner, warns that the PLA isnt just preparing for regional superiority its rehearsing to challenge for control of the central Pacific. I would argue that Chinese ambition goes further even than this. The day may not be so very far off when the fourth PLAN aircraft carrier, set to be the largest in the world, starts conducting flying operations in the English Channel. That monster ship and its accompanying group will outgun the entire present day British armed forces. The PLANs dual-carrier deployment is not just a flex. Its a trial run for a future where Chinas navy isnt constrained to its littorals but actively contests maritime supremacy in waters once dominated by the US and allied Navies: one day, waters all around the world, not just in the Pacific. Right now the Royal Navys Carrier Strike Group, led by HMS Prince of Wales, is in the Indian Ocean headed straight for China and the Island Chains. With her complement of fifth-generation stealth fighters shes a match for either the Liaoning or the Shandong though not the soon-to-arrive Fujian and definitely not the under-construction, so far nameless giant supercarrier. Those who think Russia is the only threat, or whose foreign policy stops at Dover, need to lift up their heads and look out into the big world. China is not going to be over there for much longer. We need to do as the Americans are doing, before the dragon is over here. And as for those who think the age of the aircraft carrier is over: the fastest growing navy in the world emphatically doesnt agree with you. Tom Sharpe is a former Royal Navy officer An estimated 15,000 people cross the land border between Gibraltar and Spain every day. Photograph: Juan Carlos Toro/Getty Images The UK and Gibraltar are on the brink of an agreement under which Eurostar-style dual border controls would be implemented at the territorys airport. David Lammy, the foreign secretary, and Fabian Picardo, Gibraltars chief minister, are meeting EU and Spanish negotiators in Brussels on Wednesday to try to get the deal over the line. The UK and Spain have been engaged in on-off negotiations for four years over Gibraltars land border with Spain. The talks have been focused on allowing free movement between the two territories. Under the terms of the agreement being thrashed out on Wednesday, travellers arriving at Gibraltar airport would show their passports to British and Spanish border officers. The system would mirror the one in place for Eurostar travellers at St Pancras station, where travellers go through British and French passport control before boarding trains to the continent. Lammy and Picardo were due to meet Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice-president, and Jose Manuel Albares, the Spanish minister for foreign affairs, in Brussels on Wednesday to try to finalise the deal. British and Gibraltarian ministers held a meeting on Wednesday morning to agree final parameters for negotiation, Picardo said on X on Wednesday. Its time to try to finalise arrangements for [a] lasting, stable relationship between Gibraltar and the EU/Spain which is safe, secure and beneficial and which protects our people and gives certainty to frontier workers with a view to delivering more prosperity for all in our part of the world, he wrote. A UK government official said: Were not going to Brussels to rubber-stamp a deal. Hard negotiations in the room ahead on a number of sticking points. A Spanish foreign ministry source said: Our wish, as ever, is to make as much progress as possible and to reach a deal as soon as possible. An estimated 15,000 people cross the land border between Gibraltar and Spain every day. At present, Gibraltar residents can cross using residence cards without having their passports stamped, and Spanish citizens can cross using a government ID card. The deal would allow thousands of Spanish workers to continue entering the British territory without checks, and Gibraltar residents to regain the freedom of movement in the EU that they had before Brexit. The agreement is likely to come under attack from the Conservatives and Reform UK because it would mean UK citizens arriving in the British territory will have to show their passports to Spanish border guards. The Conservatives came close to striking a deal on border checks in Gibraltar this time last year but the talks ultimately collapsed without a conclusion. Albares warned last month that the Gibraltar border issue would need to be settled if Keir Starmers government wanted to pursue a closer relationship with the EU. Gibraltar is a British overseas territory on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula. It has been ruled by Britain since 1713 but is self-governing in all areas except defence and foreign policy. Spain claims sovereignty over the territory, but Gibraltars 1969 constitution states there can be no transfer of sovereignty to Spain against the wishes of locals. Separately the death toll rose to at least three with 13 wounded after Russia attacked Kyiv and Odesa with waves of drones and missiles early on Tuesday. The civilian targets hit included a maternity ward and a cathedral. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraines president, voiced his frustration with Donald Trump by calling for concrete actions rather than silence after seven of the Ukrainian capitals 10 districts were hit, writes Daniel Boffey from Kyiv. At least two people were killed and 54 injured in an overnight Russian drone attack on Kharkiv , Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday morning. Seventeen strikes by enemy UAVs were carried out in two districts of the city this night, said the Kharkiv mayor, Igor Terekhov. More than 15 apartments were on fire in a five-storey building and several houses were hit. Terekhov added there may be people trapped under the rubble. Another exchange of prisoners of war took place on Tuesday, after a swap on Monday, pursuant to the only tangible deal struck at the most recent Ukraine-Russia talks in Turkey. Among them were soldiers captured in the battle for Mariupol over three years ago, said Ukrainian authorities. All of those freed had severe injuries and illnesses, including amputated limbs and vision problems. Russias defence ministry said it also received a group of soldiers. Amina Ivanchenko was reunited on Monday with her husband, a PoW for 18 months, in the initial release. She said was grateful to Ukrainian officials for supporting her. My struggle was much easier thanks to them. Our country will definitely return everyone. Glory to Ukraine! Thank you! The European Commission proposed on Tuesday an 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, aimed at Moscows energy revenues, its banks and its military industry. Among the measures, Jennifer Rankin writes from Brussels, the commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has proposed that western countries reduce the price at which Russian oil can be sold to $45 (30) a barrel, down from $60. Oil exports, she added, represented one-third of Russian government revenues. We need to cut this source of revenues. China set to build future workforce with new tech-centric college majors Xinhua) 10:48, June 11, 2025 BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- With the grueling college entrance exams behind them, over 13 million Chinese students will begin exploring university options this year, amid an expanding array of tech-focused study programs. As China's economy shifts toward high-tech manufacturing and services, new courses are part and parcel of its latest push to ensure the future workforce is equipped with the skills needed to support sustained growth and global competitiveness in an increasingly technology-driven world. The Ministry of Education has announced the addition of 29 new undergraduate majors across the country's universities, many of them aligned with its strategic priorities in emerging sectors including artificial intelligence, carbon neutrality and low-altitude economy. One of the new majors is carbon neutrality science and engineering, with graduates likely to support the country's ambitious climate goals of fulfilling its pledge to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. The low-carbon program at University of Science and Technology Beijing, known for its steel programs, will integrate materials science with metallurgy to facilitate the transition of smoke-heavy traditional industries like steel. Institutions including Beihang University have designed programs that target China's burgeoning drone and urban air mobility sectors, which hold trillion-yuan (about 140 billion U.S. dollars) market potential. Engineering disciplines like integrated circuits, marine technology, industrial software, intelligent molecular engineering, biomass, and medical device and equipment have also begun enrolling students, closely aligning with China's national industrial development objectives. To drive digital transformation across consumer industries, China is also planning to cultivate next-generation professionals through new disciplines including intelligent emergency management, smart cities and intelligent imaging art. "China is essentially predicting what talent it will need five years from now," explained Xiong Bingqi, an education researcher. "These new majors consider three key factors: national strategic development, technological advancement and social needs." More than 500 universities now offer AI-related majors or have launched dedicated schools related to the field. Tsinghua University and Renmin University of China included AI into their 2025 enrollment expansion plans. However, some AI programs are affiliated with computer science colleges and lack faculty experienced in AI practice and application. Zhaopin.com data shows that in the month after the 2025 Spring Festival, AI instructor job postings doubled year-on-year, revealing a severe shortage of AI teaching staff. Xiong likened some superficial rebranding of existing programs with "smart" or "digital," to "putting on a new coat without changing the essence." This year, Beijing Normal University will launch a new major in AI education to address the shortage of AI teaching professionals. China's education authorities have also approved 23 vocational undergraduate institutions, with programs focused technical workforce training for emerging industries, with practical training required to account for 50 percent of total class hours. Two vocational undergraduate institutions in Anhui, an eastern Chinese province, have set up majors in fields like new energy and intelligent connected vehicles, with a professional alignment rate to regional industries exceeding 90 percent. China wants vocational undergraduate enrollment to reach at least 10 percent of all higher vocational education admissions by 2025. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Donald Trumps administration has dropped its support for a Palestinian state - Alex Brandon Donald Trumps administration has threatened allies with consequences if they attend an upcoming UN conference on a possible two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. The diplomatic demarche, sent on Tuesday, says countries that take anti-Israel actions following the conference will be viewed as acting in opposition to US foreign policy interests and could face diplomatic consequences from Washington, Reuters reported. France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting the gathering next week in New York that aims to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israels security. We are urging governments not to participate in the conference, which we view as counterproductive to ongoing, lifesaving efforts to end the war in Gaza and free hostages, read the cable. Emmanuel Macron has suggested France could recognise a Palestinian state in Israeli-occupied territory at the conference. French officials say they have been working to avoid a clash with the US, Israels staunchest major ally. Emmanuel Macron has suggested France could recognise a Palestinian state - Sarah Meyssonnier/REUTERS The United States opposes any steps that would unilaterally recognise a conjectural Palestinian state, which adds significant legal and political obstacles to the eventual resolution of the conflict and could coerce Israel during a war, thereby supporting its enemies, the cable read. This week Britain and Canada, also G7 allies of the United States, were joined by other countries in placing sanctions on two Israeli far-Right government ministers to pressure prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the Gaza war to an end. The United States opposes the implied support of the conference for potential actions including boycotts and sanctions on Israel as well as other punitive measures, the cable read. Israel has repeatedly criticised the conference, saying it rewards Islamist Hamas militants for the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, and it has lobbied France against recognising a Palestinian state. The US State Department and the French foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Brendon McCullum believes Englands white-ball fortunes are back on track under Harry Brooks leadership, with glimmers of Ben Stokes in his new captain. McCullum and Stokes forged an instant bond when they took charge of Englands Test team three years ago, lifting a side that had lost direction and giving it new purpose. Now the head coach is overseeing another rebuild in limited-overs cricket, working with Brook to restore Englands reputation after a drab conclusion to Jos Buttlers reign. England kicked off the Bazball era with a series of thrilling Test victories in the summer of 2022 and have started strongly again, whitewashing the West Indies 3-0 in both ODI and T20 formats to begin this chapter in style. England found a winning formula against the West Indies, taking all six matches (Andrew Matthews/PA) And while McCullum does not view the happy-go-lucky Brook as a straight swap for the imposing personality of Stokes, he feels the pair share important traits. Theyre two good leaders and two very different personalities, he said. Theres a lot of similarities and a couple of different characteristics in those two. One is probably a little bit more prickly and the other probably keeps things relatively simple, but they both believe in getting around their team-mates, trying to empower them and give them great confidence. I think both of them have very creative minds as well, in terms of tactics, and theyre prepared to have a bit of a punt at times. Theyre both fiercely competitive to win and to ensure that this team reaches the level they want it to, but they also have a good perspective on where theyre at in life. Harry has taken to captaincy extremely well and looks like hes got a pretty simple style he wants to run the team with. All in all, I think weve ticked a few boxes. Just as Stokes relied on his own predecessor, Joe Root, as a cornerstone of his captaincy, Brook has been able to do the same with Buttler. The latter turned in a player-of-the-series showing in the T20s against the West Indies, scoring 165 runs at a strike-rate of 157, and has been first in line to support the new man. Its great for Brookie, having Jos step back into the ranks, McCullum said. Hes really investing in things. I think for a new captain to have that buy-in from the previous captain is imperative to ensure your message gets across to the group. Its not different to Joe with Stokesy. Youve got to thank Jos for that. McCullums mind will quickly shift to red-ball matters again, with a massive five-match Test series against India starting at Headingley on June 20. Jacob Bethell caught the eye once again ahead of the India Test series (Nigel French/PA) A difficult selection poser has been hanging over his head for a matter of weeks now, with Jacob Bethell pushing Ollie Pope hard for the number three spot. Popes knock of 171 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge last month could well have insulated him for now, but Bethell confirmed his rising star status with some electric cameos against the Windies. He hit 184 runs off 130 balls across both series, smashing 13 sixes, and also picked up six wickets with his left-arm spin. His time is surely coming. Hes a serious talent at 21 years of age, McCullum said. Its all in front of him. Hes got a good life coming up, I reckon. I think well deal with that (selection) in the next few days. You welcome those decisions. Youve got guys who are banging the door down and thats what you want. But lets see this one sink in, then well enjoy the next few days and start to plot and plan our way towards that first Test match. Khaby Lame attends the Met Gala in New York on 5 May. Photograph: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP The worlds most followed TikToker, Khaby Lame, has left the US after being briefly detained by immigration agents for allegedly overstaying his visa. The Italian-Senegalese influencer is now one of the most high-profile people to be swept up in Donald Trumps crackdown on immigration. The social media star, whose legal name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was detained last Friday at an airport in Las Vegas. He was released the same day and has since left the US, a spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) told the Guardian in a statement. The spokesperson said Lame, had arrived in the US on 30 April and alleged that the influencer had overstayed the terms of his visa. Trumps escalating crackdown on immigration continues to roil the country as agents intensify operations to carry out the US presidents hardline promises. In recent days, raids have triggered protests in Los Angeles and other cities amid concerns the focus has shifted to a broader sweep of people who are not US citizens, including some who have valid documentation such as green cards or visas. US immigration officials said that Lame, who is a Unicef goodwill ambassador and has a following of more than 162 million on TikTok, has since departed the US. He had been granted a voluntary departure, allowing him to avoid having a deportation order which could have resulted in him being barred from the US for up to a decade on his record. Bo Loudon, an 18-year-old who describes himself as a pro-Trump influencer on his website, claimed he had been the one to flag Lames case to officials. Related: LA police make mass arrests as protesters defy overnight curfew I discovered that he was an illegal, Loudon, who has also claimed to be the best friend of Trumps son Barron, wrote on social media. And I personally took action to have him deported. Loudon repeated the claim in other posts, saying he had worked with immigration officials and the Department of Homeland Security to have Lame removed. According to the US visa waiver program, Italian citizens are allowed to travel to the US for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa. Lame entered the US on 30 April, Ice said. A spokesperson from Ice told the Guardian that the information provided is all the information we have available. Lame did not reply to a request for comment from the Guardian, nor has he publicly commented on the incident. Lame, 25, began posting on TikTok after he lost his job working in a factory in Chivasso, a suburb of Turin, in the early days of the pandemic. He began racking up millions of followers, who revelled in his often-silent videos that offer humorous takedowns of online absurdity, alongside his trademark facial expressions. In 2022, he became the most followed creator on TikTok, catapulting him to international fame and landing him marketing deals with companies and a spot at events such as last months Met Gala in New York City. Lame, who was born in Senegal but has lived in Italy since he was a year old, was granted Italian citizenship in August 2022. Maya Yang contributed reporting Opera singer Wynne Evans became emotional as he recalled the controversy around his time in Strictly Come Dancing saying it took him into the darkest spot of his life. The Welsh tenor, 53, known for the GoCompare insurance advertisements, competed in the recent series of the BBC dancing programme alongside professional Katya Jones. Evans recently announced that he had been dropped by the BBC and will no longer present on BBC Radio Wales following an apology saying that he used inappropriate language during the launch of the Strictly Come Dancing tour. Wynne Evans and Katya Jones during the Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour launch, at Utilita Arena, Birmingham (Jacob King/PA) The apology came after the Mail On Sunday reported in January that he aimed a sexual joke at one of the other professional dancers, Janette Manrara. Speaking on ITVs This Morning, he claimed the story was taken out of context and that he was talking to fellow contestant, EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick, who he gave the nickname old spit roast boy to. He said: I used to call him this because he could contort his legs over his head. I didnt know there was a reporter still there, recording, apparently, on their phone. Even though Im looking at Jamie, they claim that Im directing this word at Janette. And its totally been taken out of context. When I saw the narrative in the newspaper, I was just shocked and horrified. He added that the nickname was unsuitable and inappropriate and claims that he was misrepresented. This comes after Borthwick was suspended from the BBC when a video emerged of the actor using a disabled slur on the set of the dance programme. Wynne Evans and Katya Jones during an appearance on Strictly Come Dancing show (Guy Levy/BBC/PA) Evans added that he never approved of the statement that was issued by the BBC in January where he apologised for making an inappropriate and unacceptable comment. He said: They didnt run it by me. They sent it off to the newspaper. They printed that as my apology. And, of course, then it looks like I validated the story. A BBC spokesperson said: The apology issued on Wynnes behalf by the Strictly Come Dancing Tour PR representative on Saturday January 25 was fully approved by Wynne. While recounting the controversy, he got visibly emotional and said that he wanted to end his life. Wynne Evans and Katya Jones on Strictly Come Dancing 2024 (Guy Levy/BBC/PA) He said: Ive had clinical depression since 2016, diagnosed. It took me into the darkest spot of my life. I was at my lowest ebb. I wanted to end my life. I would have if I hadnt been surrounded by people. At one point one of the newspapers was so relentless, I remember saying to my girlfriend, I have to kill myself, I have to, because this is what they want. He added that he was under the crisis team for a month with his family, friends and girlfriend on a rota to be with him 24 hours a day. Overnight, Evans has also shared in an Instagram post that he is engaged to his girlfriend Liz Brookes, saying that he is feeling very lucky after proposing in Morocco. Vladimir Mironov/istockphoto Global Grilling To cook a steak perfectly is an art, and one that people study for a long time to be able to do. Yet all over our country, the rules of steak are being reworked and rewritten constantly. As the saying goes, theres a lot of ways to cook a cow. Is that the saying? Maybe not. It should be, though. Here are 10 regional steak styles any meat-eater needs to check off their bucket list. Michael Watz/istockphoto Santa Maria Tri-Tip Central California Tri-tip, a triangular cut from the bottom of the sirloin, is a way of life around Santa Maria and Santa Barbara, and there are rules you must follow. First, its gonna be both grilled and smoked. Second, when it is smoked, the only wood involved will be red California oak. Third, the meat is the star of the show, so youre seasoning this only with salt, pepper, and garlic. And fourth, youll be eating this with pinquito beans and some fresh salsa. That's just how it's done in California. talltrevor/istockphoto Filet Chesapeake Chesapeake Bay Born by the Chesapeake Bay where there is no shortage of crab, Filet Chesapeake is a classic surf and turf dish featuring crab dumped on top of a filet mignon. I personally find surf and turf to be a moronic concept; Im not sure beef and seafood always go well together, and it really just feels like an excuse for rich bingbongs to brag to each other about how much money they have by ordering the two most expensive things on the menu and sticking them on one plate. But thats just me. rez-art/istockphoto Chicken-Fried Steak South Legend says chicken-fried steak landed in Texas (with eastern European schnitzel-ish influence), but today youll find it all over the South. Generally the steak youll find in here is closer to a burger patty, and often fully is one, but its a steak nonetheless. The batter itself is similar to fried chicken, and at any self-respecting restaurant, theyre covering it in white country gravy. u/BeardN_TX via Reddit.com Pittsburgh Rare Pennsylvania To prepare a steak Pittsburgh style, or sometimes Black and blue, you would sear a steak as hot as you could on the outside to create a black crust, and leave the inside as close to raw as possible. There are a lot of theories about where this nightmare comes from, but one of the most believable is that this dish comes from Pittsburgh steel mills, where workers would toss a steak into a 2,000 degree blast furnace for a little bit. Steve Garfield's Famous Steak Tips Steak Tips New England Ask for steak tips in a Boston or New Hampshire restaurant, and youre gonna get a bavette steak (the flap of the sirloin), cubed up and pan-fried. The marinade is often what sets this style apart, often using things like Coca-Cola and Italian dressing. Alan Light/ Flickr Steak de Burgo Iowa Many restaurants in Des Moines claim to have invented Steak de Burgo, with the common census leaning between Johnny & Kays Restaurant and Vics Tally Ho. Neither exist anymore, but the dish beef tenderloin topped with a buttery, garlicky, herby sauce is still supremely popular in Iowa. LauriPatterson/istockphoto Finger Steaks Pacific Northwest Why not make tenders out of them? Thats what the PNW (especially Idaho) wants to know. Fry some long, finger-like top sirloin strips up in a golden batter and youve got finger steaks. Usually, these guys are served with cocktail sauce, chimichurri mayo, or Idaho fry sauce. Steak Diane Steak Diane New York Grab yourself a beautiful cut like a filet mignon or a tenderloin. Pan fry that sucker. Then cover it in luscious sauce Diane, a creamy steak sauce made of mustard, cognac, and worcestershire. And if youre feeling extra traditional? Flambe the son of a gun. Juanmonino/istockphoto Carne Asada Southern California The classic Mexican style of flank or skirt steak is a staple of Southern California. Citrusy marinades and thin slices are crucial. In Los Angeles or San Diego, its not hard to walk into a Mexican grocery store and find some incredible marinated asada for you to take home and grill up yourself. Christian K. / Yelp Steak and Lemonade Midwest Picture a cheesesteak. Now picture a gyro. Now picture an Italian beef sandwich. Now picture a chopped cheese. Now combine all four of those sandwiches in your head into one shaved steak sandwich, and youve got this popular (an incredibly confusing) sandwich from the Midwest. Popularized in Chicago, it still lives strong outside of the city, especially in Indianapolis; steak and lemonade spots are everywhere out there. This article was originally published on Cheapism Vladimir Mironov/istockphoto More From Cheapism Kseniya Ovchinnikova / Getty Images Infused water is having a momentand its not just because it looks so pretty in a carafe. Slicing up fruits, herbs, and spices and steeping them in water isnt only a charming hydration upgrade; it can also can deliver a host of health benefits. But possibly even better, theres no wrong way to make infused water. It can be as strong or as weak as you like, and you can mix and match ingredients as they suit your palate. Start with a pitcher of water, add your selected sliced produce, fresh herbs, whole spices, and let steep for up to 24 hours in the fridge. Adding a pinch of salt can also help extract more flavor and boost electrolytes while you're at it. Need some inspiration? Below, find a few favorite infused water combinations. Meet the Expert Nidhi Bhanshali Pandya is an Ayurvedic doctor and international teacher who contributes to various publications and is a faculty member at the Shakti School. She is the author of Your Body Already Knows. The Benefits of Infused Water Hydration is essential to body function, but the process is different than what you may expect. We often imagine that when we drink water, it instantly trickles into our cells, plumping them up like tiny balloons and hydrating every inch of our body, says Nidhi Bhanshali Pandya, Ayurvedic doctor and author of Your Body Already Knows. But hydration is not that instantaneousand its not just about how much water you drink, but how you drink it, and what your water contains. As it turns out, most water absorption happens not in the stomach, but in the small intestine, via osmosis (you may remember the term from high school biology class). Osmosis moves water from the intestinal wall to our cells, but also requires a little helpthat is, from minerals, salts, or nutrients. Related: 16 Party-Perfect Mocktails That Look as Good as They Taste Pandya says that the water we consume through food, like in soups, broths, fruits, and stews, allows natural salts, fibers, and nutrients to support the osmosis process and ensure the water travels into our cells optimally. Infused water works in a similar way. Plus, infused water feels just a bit more intentional. Whether youre trying to drink more throughout the day or elevate your morning routine, its an easy wellness habit thats as pretty as it is practical. Infused Water Ideas Here are a few infused water options to start adding to your daily sips. If you aren't sure where to begin, or you feel like mixing it up from your go-to infused water recipe, try one of these. Cucumber With Mint and Lime Alberto Rojas Garcia / Getty Images Add sliced cucumber, mint leaves, and lime wedges to water for a refreshing flavor. Tear the mint rather than leaving it in whole leaves for more flavor to seep in. Related: How to Make Cucumber Water for a Spa Experience at Home Fennel Seeds and Cumin This is an Ayurvedic classic, Pandya says. You can also use fennel fronds for a cooling flavor, plus they look pretty in a pitcher. Rose Petals and Cardamom Pods kittimages / Getty Images This is a more muted flavor of rose water that not only looks luxurious to pour, but can also be healthy for your skin. Go ahead and pour yourself a glass of self-care. Basil Getty Images Basil water is so refreshing and great on its ownor with a meal that also includes basil. Use holy basil, Thai basil, Italian large leaf basil, or mix and match your favorites. Clap the basil between your palms before adding to the water to help release some of its flavor. Related: 14 Basil Recipes That Showcase This Fragrant Herb Ginger Derketta / Getty Images My favorite during the holiday season, a powerful antioxidant blend that supports digestion, keeps things moving, and balances out indulgence with ease, Pandya says. Add ginger powder to water by the teaspoon until you determine your preferred intensity. Slices of ginger root work too, and can be simmered on a low temp in the water before chilling to help along the infusion. Hibiscus Orange Add dried hibiscus flowers and wheels of orange to water for a gorgeous, hot pink beverage with an astringent flavor. Steep overnight and strain the hibiscus out to prevent over-saturation. Related: How to Eat and Drink Hibiscus, a Gorgeous Red Flower With So Many Uses Lemon and Berry Lorenzo Tombola / Getty Images Add slices of lemon and slices of strawberriesplus blueberries, raspberries, or blackberriesto water for a muted take on a berry lemonade. Parsley and Celery Add fresh parsley and sliced celery sticks to water for a refreshing take on a green juiceno juicing required. Plus, its a great palate cleanser. Watermelon and Sage Brie Goldman Add small cubes of watermelon (seedless, preferably) and fresh sage leaves for a nice summer refresh. Melon Medley Add cubes of honeydew, cantaloupe, or your favorite summer melon to water, stir to release flavors, and let infuse. Pineapple-Mint Brie Goldman Fresh pineapple rings (cored and peeled) add a tropical, sweet flavor to fresh water. Add mint to bring out extra flavor. Carrot and Orange Water Westend61 via Getty Images Add some earthy sweetness to your drinking water by infusing it with peeled carrot sticks or carrot coins, plus slices of orange. The perfect morning sip! Read the original article on Martha Stewart Sviatlana Barchan / Getty Images Key Points A study from the Universite de Montreal found that consuming caffeine before bed reduces delta wave activity crucial for deep, restorative sleep and increases beta waves, which are associated with wakefulness and mental engagement. Caffeine pushes the brain into a state of criticality, where it becomes more alert and reactive. While this is beneficial during the day, it disrupts the brains ability to reset at night. The study found that caffeine had more pronounced disruptive effects on sleep-related brain rhythms in younger participants, which could impair memory processing. Coffee lovers have been getting a lot of great news lately from scientists studying how it affects overall human health. In October, Food & Wine reported on a study that said drinking three cups a day could lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or stroke. In January, F&W highlighted another study revealing that regularly consuming coffee "attenuates the major causes of mortality, dampening cardiovascular-, cerebrovascular-, cancer- and respiratory diseases-associated mortality" and could even extend your life by nearly two years. And sure, science is certainly on your side when it comes to enjoying that good brew. However, as another 2025 study noted, coffee along with other caffeine-filled drinks and foods can disrupt our sleep in ways we never fully understood before, especially if you consume it close to bedtime. In late April, researchers from Universite de Montreal published their work in the journal Nature Communications Biology, outlining how caffeine influences the human brain's recovery during sleep. Specifically, they examined how caffeine affects our "electrical rhythms" during deep sleep, which help restore brain function after a long day. Related: Heres Why Coffee Pros Love a Moka Pot and How to Make the Perfect Cup To find the answer, researchers recruited 40 adult volunteers, each completing two separate overnight stays at a sleep lab, spaced six to nine days apart. The first stay occurred after they were given a 200-milligram dose (equivalent to about two cups of coffee), administered just a few hours before bed, while the second stay followed taking a placebo. The researchers then monitored the participants' sleep using high-density EEG scans, allowing them to observe the brain's electrical activity. The team discovered that caffeine enhances what is referred to as "criticality" during sleep, a phenomenon that Karim Jerbi, a psychology professor and researcher at the university, described in a statement as "a state of the brain that is balanced between order and chaos." Jerbi added, "It's like an orchestra: too quiet and nothing happens, too chaotic and there's cacophony. Criticality is the happy medium where brain activity is both organized and flexible. In this state, the brain functions optimally: it can process information efficiently, adapt quickly, learn, and make decisions with agility." And, sometimes, this can be a good thing. "Caffeine stimulates the brain and pushes it into a state of criticality, where it is more awake, alert, and reactive," psychology professor Julie Carrier shared in the statement. "While this is useful during the day for concentration, this state could interfere with rest at night: the brain would neither relax nor recover properly." Related: Coffee Is Getting Pricier, But This Simple Hack Lets You Brew More With Less After examining their participants, the researchers found that caffeine reduced slower oscillations "such as delta waves generally associated with deep, restorative sleep and stimulated beta wave activity, which is more common during wakefulness and mental engagement." Perhaps most interestingly, the effects were more pronounced in the younger adults participating in the study. "These changes suggest that even during sleep, the brain remains in a more activated, less restorative state under the influence of caffeine," Jerbi added. "This change in the brain's rhythmic activity may help explain why caffeine affects the efficiency with which the brain recovers during the night, with potential consequences for memory processing. Still, the researchers note that a lot of work needs to be done to fully understand all the scientific nuances of how caffeine affects our brains. So, for now, you don't need to forgo your cherished cup. But perhaps you should think twice about that second (or third) cup in the evening if you're feeling sluggish. Read the original article on Food & Wine Silver Airways, a regional airline based in Florida, abruptly canceled all flights on Wednesday, June 11, leaving travelers stranded after announcing bankruptcy. "We regret to inform you that we are ceasing operations as of today, June 11, 2025," the Fort-Lauderdale-based company posted on it social media pages. "In an attempt to restructure in bankruptcy, Silver entered into a transaction to sell its assets to another airline holding company, who unfortunately has determined to not continue Silvers flight operations." The carrier operates in Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean. "Please do not go to the airport," the airline wrote. "All credit card purchases should be refundable through your credit card company or your travel agency." Why did Silver Airways shut down? The move, the company reported on social media, came after a potential buyer decided not to fund the airline's operations during a sale out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Make your journey safer and smarter: Sign up for USA TODAY's Travel newsletter. What happens to passengers with tickets on Silver Airways? As the airline wrote on social media, all tickets purchased by credit card will be fully refundable to the form of purchase. According to Robert W. Mann, Jr., a former airline executive officer and current president of R. W. Mann and Co., an independent airline consultancy, tickets not purchased by credit card will still be eligible for refunds, but those would-be passengers will have to get in line with other airline creditors. Passengers with tickets who need to travel soon will likely need to purchase tickets on other airlines at higher prices, according to Mann. Silver Airways ticketing county at Jacksonville International Airport. What was the last US airline to shut down? It's very rare for airlines in the U.S. to completely go out of business. Often, struggling airlines get purchased by other carriers or folded into another company's operations. According to Mann, a few small regional airlines that operated on behalf of larger carriers went out of business during the height of the COVID pandemic, but those larger airlines reshuffled service to bridge the gap. Other smaller airlines like Tailwind, which provided scheduled seaplane service between New York and Boston, have also gone out of business more recently. Tailwind shut down operations in 2024, according to Mann. (This story was 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 Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Silver Airways bankruptcy: Flights canceled after airline shuts down 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 disputed on Tuesday accounts of the fatal lunch given by other witnesses, a court heard. 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. 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". On Patterson's third day of cross-examination, prosecution lawyer Nanette Rogers asked whether she had lied about serving herself on a plate of a different colour from those of her guests, which the prosecution says she did to avoid the poison. "I suggest that this description that you gave to the jury of the plates you used at the lunch is a lie. Correct or incorrect?" Rogers said. "Incorrect," the accused replied. In his evidence, Ian Wilkinson, the sole surviving guest from the lunch, whose recovery took months in hospital, had said Patterson served herself on a plate of a different colour. Patterson's estranged husband, Simon Patterson, previously testified that Heather Wilkinson had remarked on the different coloured plates before she died. Erin Patterson also disputed an account by her son, who said in his evidence he had not seen her repeatedly visit the bathroom as a result of also becoming sick after the meal. The defence's decision to call Erin Patterson as a witness has re-ignited interest in the trial that began in late April. 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 on the trial is currently Australia's most popular, while many domestic newspapers have run live blogs. Patterson is currently in her sixth day of giving evidence and her third day of cross-examination by Rogers. The prosecution rested its case on June 2 after a month of evidence from relatives and medical, forensic and mushroom experts. The trial, expected to conclude this month, continues. (Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Authorities believe they have tracked Travis Decker, who is accused of killing his three young daughters, to a hiking area in Chelan County, Washington. Tracking teams believe they are on Deckers trail, community support and tips are still needed! the Chelan County Sheriffs Office said in a news release on Tuesday night. Authorities believe he may be in the Blewett Pass area. We are asking for the public, especially those who live or have cabins in the area, to remain highly vigilant and report any suspicious activity, the sheriffs office said. Paityn, Olivia and Evelyn Decker. (Whitney Decker via AP) The children, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead on June 2 near a campground east of Seattle after their father failed to bring them home from a visitation. According to an affidavit, the girls had bags over their heads and had been zip-tied. An autopsy attributed their deaths to suffocation. Deckers white pickup was found near the girls, according to authorities, who said it had two bloody handprints on it. A large amount of evidence was collected from the scene, along with Deckers dog, which was turned over to a local animal rescue, authorities said. An arrest warrant accuses him of first-degree murder and kidnapping. The manhunt has covered hundreds of square miles by air, land and water, the sheriffs office previously said. Decker, a military veteran and an active member of the Washington National Guard, was described by authorities as an outdoorsman known to go off-grid for months. Authorities tracked him to the Blewett Pass area after receiving a tip from a hiking party who said they saw a lone hiker in the Enchantments area and that the person appeared to be ill-prepared for the trail and weather. The hiking party also said the person appeared to be avoiding others, the sheriffs office said. Travis Caleb Decker. (U.S. Marshals Service) Tracking teams in a helicopter immediately responded and saw a lone, off-trail hiker. The person ran from sight as the helicopter passed, the sheriffs office said. Additional assets were called to the area while they developed a plan to track the individual. Teams later picked up a trail and deployed K9s to the area, tracking the subject to the area of Ingalls Creek Trailhead on HWY 97, the release states. Authorities are continuing to search the area. Last year, a court ordered Decker to seek mental health treatment and domestic violence anger management counseling, according to the affidavit. It says Decker did not seek treatment and refused to sign a parenting plan imposed by the court. His ex-wife, Whitney Decker, described her relationship with her ex-husband as cordial and said he had never previously failed to return their children, according to the affidavit. BYD's sales rose by over 400% in the UK in May. John Keeble/Getty Images Sales of BYD and other Chinese EVs are surging in tariff-free UK, even as Tesla's plummet. One analyst told BI it's proof that in a straight fight, BYD can quickly take market share from legacy automakers. The US imposed 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs last year, and Elon Musk warned that they could "demolish" Western rivals. Tesla might be safe from Chinese EV competition in the US but across the Atlantic in the UK, China's automakers are booming. Sales of Chinese cars have surged this year in Britain, even as Tesla's sales have cratered, with the likes of BYD growing at enormous speed in the tariff-free market. According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, vehicles manufactured in China made up 9.4% of all UK sales in May, up from 7.7% in April, and up from 5.5% in May 2024. The surge was driven by BYD. The Chinese EV giant recorded a 400% rise in sales from a year earlier, while Polestar, which is owned by Chinese conglomerate Geely, saw its sales spike by nearly 300%. In contrast to its Chinese rivals, Tesla, which is battling a global sales slump amid protests and backlash against CEO Elon Musk's political interventions, saw its sales collapse 36% in the UK in May. Unlike the US and Europe, the UK has not imposed tariffs on Chinese EVs, and JATO Dynamics analyst Felipe Munoz told Business Insider that the lack of import taxes made the UK a "free market" for Chinese carmakers. In the US, Chinese electric cars were hit with a 100% tariff last year, while the European Union has imposed import taxes of up to 35% on specific manufacturers, with BYD facing a 17% tariff. Munoz said the growing popularity of Chinese cars in the UK offers evidence that the likes of BYD can quickly take market share from Tesla and legacy automakers. "It's sending a message to the legacy carmakers, Tesla and many others, that the Chinese can gain market share very easily, because their cars are very competitive compared to what you see in the legacy carmakers," said Munoz. Munoz said Chinese-controlled firms like BYD and MG, a historic British brand now owned by Chinese company SAIC, had achieved success in the UK by offering a broad spectrum of new models, including both EVs and plug-in hybrids. He added that BYD was introducing new, high-quality models at such competitive prices so quickly in the UK that it was outweighing the lack of brand awareness that usually limits the growth of carmakers when they enter a new market. BYD's cheapest model in the UK, the Dolphin Surf hatchback, is expected to cost around 18,000 ($24,500) when it goes on sale this week, more than 20,000 ($27,000) less than the starting price of Tesla's Model 3. While Tesla sales slumped, US automaker did manage to outsell Jaecoo and Omoda, two relatively unknown Chinese brands that beat Tesla in April, but lagged behind BYD and MG. A warning sign for Tesla Tesla's struggles in the UK are a dire warning for the company as it faces growing competition from Chinese carmakers around the globe. The rapid rise of BYD and its rivals has sent shockwaves throughout the auto industry, with Chinese carmakers putting Western and Japanese carmakers in China under severe pressure with a wave of affordable, high-tech electric and hybrid cars. Now, many of those Chinese automakers are eyeing global expansion, with BYD vowing to sell half of its cars overseas by 2030, according to a recent report from Reuters. Musk himself warned last year that without trade barriers, Chinese carmakers would "demolish" their Western rivals and what's happening in the UK seems to be proving him right. Ultimately, Munoz said the growing popularity of Chinese cars in the UK offers evidence that, in a straight fight, the likes of BYD can quickly take market share from Tesla and legacy automakers. The analyst said that while tariffs would slow BYD and its rivals down, it was unlikely to stop them entirely. Munoz pointed to BYD's growing sales in Europe, where the brand has adapted its strategy to deal with the EU's 17% tariff by selling more hybrid cars, which are exempt from tariffs. "With or without tariffs, these guys are coming. The tariffs are not going to stop them," he said. Read the original article on Business Insider Kyle Benjamin Coleman went missing in Fairfax County, Virginia on June 7. Editor's note: On June 11, Fairfax County Police identified the body as Kyle Coleman. Follow along here for more information. Authorities in Virginia recovered a body as they searched for a 19-year-old college student, who disappeared following a car crash on June 7. The Prince William County Police Department said the missing person, identified as Kyle Benjamin Coleman, was last seen at around 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, June 7. Coleman's car was found unoccupied after the crash in Fairfax County, according to police, and local authorities found his cellphone and shoes inside the vehicle, the Prince William Times and WJLA reported. In an update on June 10, Fairfax County police said a body was recovered from a small body of water in Tysons, a city roughly 13 miles outside of Washington, D.C. Prince William County Police Lieutenant Jonathan Perok told USA TODAY that authorities found the body while conducting a search near the site where Coleman crashed. Fairfax County police are leading the death investigation. Officials have not released the identity of the individual who was found deceased. USA TODAY reached out to the local medical examiner's office for more information. News: Two sisters, ages 11 and 14, reported missing after leaving Houston-area home Coleman is described as a 5-foot, 11-inch Black male, with brown eyes and black hair. Police said on June 8 he was "believed to be missing under voluntary circumstances and may be in need of assistance." Coleman was dressed in black running pants and a Morehouse College windbreaker. He was reportedly home for the summer after finishing his freshman year at the Atlanta-based HBCU. According to the reports, loved ones gathered for a vigil on June 10. It was held at Battlefield High School, where he graduated in 2024, and hundreds of people attended. Speaking to the Prince William Times, his friends and former classmates called Coleman "a light" and "incredibly bright." Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyle Benjamin Coleman missing after crash in Fairfax County, Virginia A brush fire in Los Angeles County prompted evacuations that have now been lifted Tuesday afternoon, June 10. The Bethany Fire started shortly after 4:30 p.m. local time in the city of Burbank, according to CalFire. The cause of the blaze is under investigation. The brush fire grew 8 acres, prompting evacuation orders in parts of the city. Yet those orders have now been lifted as crews managed to stop the fire from spreading further, the Burbank Fire Department confirmed shortly before 6 p.m. "Fire hose has been placed around the house to keep it contained," the department wrote on Facebook. "Monitoring and cleanup will continue throughout the night." USA TODAY has reached out to the Burbank Fire Department for additional information. California fires map Follow along here for the full version of USA TODAY's wildfire map. US Wildfire, smoke map This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bethany Fire in Burbank prompts evacuations in the Los Angeles suburb Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in London on Tuesday. (Toby Melville / Reuters) The U.S. and China have reached an agreement on trade, representatives from both sides said after a second day of high-level talks in London. We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus and the call between the two presidents, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters. That echoed comments to reporters from Li Chenggang, Chinas international trade representative and a vice minister at Chinas Commerce Ministry. More from CNBC U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone late last week, stabilizing what had become a fraught relationship with both countries accusing each other of violating the Geneva trade agreement. At a meeting in Switzerland in mid-May, the worlds two largest economies had agreed to a 90-day suspension of reciprocal tariffs added in April, and a rollback of certain other measures. Lutnick said he and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will head back to Washington to make sure President Trump approves the framework. If Xi also approves it, then we will implement the framework, Lutnick said. The fact that the two sides will now brief their leaders is a clear sign that some disagreements or unresolved details still require internal discussion, said Jianwei Xu, senior economist at Natixis. The framework agreement signals a commitment to de-escalate and continue the dialogue process, but whether it will lead to concrete agreements or substantive breakthroughs continues to be uncertain, he said. Chinese restrictions on rare earth exports to the U.S. are a fundamental part of the latest agreement and the U.S. expects the issue will be resolved in this framework implementation, Lutnick said. He indicated that U.S. restrictions on sales of advanced tech to China in recent weeks would be rolled back as Beijing approves rare earths exports. This deal is taped together by the two sides leverage over each other, not common principles or shared interests, said Scott Kennedy, senior adviser and trustee chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. The chances for further stops and starts is quite high. While Chinese state media had been quick to announce Xis call with Trump last week, Beijings official mouthpieces were conspicuously silent more than one hour after Lutnicks comments, except for a lower-profile mention citing Vice Commerce Minister Li as saying that the talks helped build bilateral trust. On Tuesday local time in London, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters he was headed back to the U.S. in order to testify before Congress. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, the lead negotiator on trade talks with the U.S., and Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao also participated in this weeks discussions. Chinas CSI 300 index was trading slightly higher, while U.S. stock futures were down as investors awaited details on the trade framework. By Nelson Bocanegra BOGOTA (Reuters) -Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe remains in a critical condition after being shot in Bogota on Saturday, but has shown signs of neurological improvement, the hospital treating him said on Wednesday. The 39-year-old, a potential presidential contender, is a member of the opposition right-wing Democratic Center party. He was shot in the head as he was addressing a campaign event in a public park in the capital. "Despite the severity of his condition, there are signs of neurological improvement due to a decrease in cerebral edema. There is also evidence of a trend toward hemodynamic stabilization," the Santa Fe Foundation hospital said in a statement. The institution added that Uribe remains under strict neurological monitoring and receiving required support at the hospital's ICU. In the recent days, Uribe's shooting and a series of bomb attacks on the nation's southwest have shaken Colombians, harking back to decades of fear and violence caused by armed guerrillas, paramilitary groups and drug traffickers. Leftist President Gustavo Petro, who has vowed to bring peace to the country's conflict, found in Uribe a staunch critic of his security strategy aimed at ending six decades of armed conflict. The senator argued that Petro's approach of pausing offensives on armed groups while peace talks had failed has backfired. "Thousands of Colombians are currently suffering the terrible circumstances and consequences of the war," Uribe's wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, told reporters outside the hospital, as she called for peace. "Miguel is where he is right now because he was fighting for the unity and healing of a country at war," she added. The senator has argued that Petro's approach of pausing offensives on armed groups, despite the failure of peace talks, has backfired. (Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra; Additional reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Nick Zieminski) Rep. Mikie Sherrill has won the Democratic nomination in New Jersey's high-stakes gubernatorial race. A former Navy pilot and federal prosecutor, the congresswoman had the edge coming into the state's June 10 primary. She beat five other Democratic candidates vying for the spot in the November general, including a fellow member of Congress, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, according to election calls made by the Washington Post and Associated Press. Sherrill was first elected to the House in 2018 and has fashioned a reputation as a moderate. Earlier this year, she began her fourth term representing a district in north New Jersey. Aug 15, 2024; Randolph, NJ, USA; Rep. Mikie Sherrill holds a town hall at the County College of Morris. Term-limited, current New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, will wrap up eight years in the governor's mansion after the end of this year. Sherrill looks to extend her party's hold on the state's top spot for another four. She will face Republican Jack Ciattarelli in the November general election. Ciattarelli has run for governor twice before, coming within three points of unseating Murphy in 2021. He came into Tuesday's GOP primary with President Donald Trump's endorsement and a sizable lead in recent polls. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrat Mikie Sherrill wins New Jersey gubernatorial primary By Dawn Chmielewski LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Walt Disney and Comcast's Universal filed a copyright lawsuit against Midjourney on Wednesday, calling its popular AI-powered image generator a "bottomless pit of plagiarism" for its use of the studios' best-known characters. The suit, filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios, making and distributing without permission "innumerable" copies of characters such as Darth Vader from "Star Wars," Elsa from "Frozen," and the Minions from "Despicable Me". Spokespeople for Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Horacio Gutierrez, Disney's executive vice president and chief legal officer, said in a statement: "We are bullish on the promise of AI technology and optimistic about how it can be used responsibly as a tool to further human creativity, but piracy is piracy, and the fact that it's done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing." NBCUniversal Executive Vice President and General Counsel Kim Harris said the company was suing to "protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the significant investment we make in our content." The studios claim the San Francisco company rebuffed their request to stop infringing their copyrighted works or, at a minimum, take technological measures to halt the creation of these AI-generated characters. Instead, the studios argue, Midjourney continued to release new versions of its AI image service that boast higher quality infringing images. Midjourney recreates animated images from a typed request, or prompt. In the suit filed by seven corporate entities at the studios that own or control copyrights for the various Disney and Universal Pictures film units, the studios offered examples of Midjourney animations that include Disney characters, such as Yoda wielding a lightsaber, Bart Simpson riding a skateboard, Marvel's Iron Man soaring above the clouds and Pixar's Buzz Lightyear taking flight. The image generator also recreated such Universal characters as "How to Train Your Dragon's" dragon, Toothless, the green ogre "Shrek," and Po from "Kung Fu Panda." "By helping itself to plaintiffs' copyrighted works, and then distributing images (and soon videos) that blatantly incorporate and copy Disney's and Universal's famous characters -- without investing a penny in their creation -- Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism," the suit alleges. "Midjourney's infringement is calculated and willful," it said. 'BIG SCRAPE OF THE INTERNET' Disney and Universal asked the court for a preliminary injunction, to prevent Midjourney from copying their works, or offering its image- or video-generation service without protections against infringement. The studios also seek unspecified damages. The suit alleges Midjourney used the studios' works to train its image service and generate reproductions of their copyrighted characters. The company, founded in 2021 by David Holz, monetizes the service through paid subscriptions and generated $300 million in revenue last year alone, the studios said. This is not the first time Midjourney has been accused of misusing artists' work to train their AI systems. A year ago, a California federal judge found that 10 artists behind a copyright infringement suit against Midjourney, Stability AI and other companies had plausibly argued these AI companies had copied and stored their work on company servers, and could be liable for using it without permission. That ruling allowed the lawsuit over the unauthorized use of images to proceed. It is in the process of litigation. The cases are part of a wave of lawsuits brought by copyright owners including authors, news outlets and record labels against tech companies over their use of copyrighted materials for AI training without permission. In a 2022 interview with Forbes, Midjourney CEO Holz said he built the company's database by performing "a big scrape of the Internet." Asked whether he sought consent of the artists whose work was covered by copyright, he responded, "there isn't really a way to get a hundred million images and know where they're coming from." (Additional reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Sam Holmes and Bill Berkrot) An information technology employee for the U.S. Department of Justice has been charged in connection to a capital murder case in Texas after authorities said he slipped abortion drugs into a womans drink, causing her to miscarry. Justin Banta, 38, was booked into the Parker County Jail on June 6 in connection to the death of a child he was expecting with his then-girlfriend in October 2024. According to authorities, Banta allegedly put an abortion drug in the womans drink without her knowledge, leading to the loss of their baby. Banta was released on bond that same day, June 6, per online court records. Banta is facing a charge of tampering with physical evidence out of Parker County, as well as a charge out of Tarrant County for capital murder, authorities said in a press release. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to USA TODAYs requests for comment on June 11. As of Wednesday afternoon, June 11, information about Banta's legal representation was not immediately clear. Heres what we know so far about the case against Banta. What is the victim saying? The victim was expecting a child with Banta, her then-boyfriend, in September 2024, the Parker County Sheriffs Office said in the press release. When she told Banta she was pregnant, he offered to cover the cost of terminating the pregnancy, the victim told authorities. She told Banta she wanted to keep the baby, authorities said. On Oct. 17, 2024, when she was six weeks pregnant, she went to a doctors appointment and found out her child had a strong heartbeat and good vital signs. That same day, she met Banta at a coffee shop in Tarrant County, 37 miles west of Dallas. The victim told investigators she thinks Banta put Plan C, commonly known as an abortion drug, into her drink. The next day, she was extremely fatigued and suffered heavy bleeding, so she went to the emergency room. By Oct. 19, shed lost her baby, which she believed was a result of the drugs Banta had previously placed in her drink at the coffee shop without her permission, the Parker County Sheriffs Office said. Authorities: Suspect and IT worker remotely wiped his phone Authorities interviewed Banta and collected his cell phone as evidence, Parker County authorities said. Sheriffs investigators believe Banta, who works at the IT Department of the U.S. Department of Justice, later accessed the phone remotely and performed a reset, thereby deleting crucial evidence related to the case, the Parker County Sheriffs Office said. The offices Criminal Investigations Division arrested Banta on June 6 in connection to the death of the womans baby. Authorities referred to the babys death as a capital murder investigation. According to Parker County Sheriff Russ Authier, Bantas cases are awaiting prosecution. Authier said multiple agencies worked the cases, including the Texas Rangers, Benbrook Police, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorneys Digital Forensic and Technical Services, the U.S. Secret Service, the Regional Organized Crime Information Center, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DOJ worker accused of drugging girlfriend to abort child: Officials BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union and the U.K. announced Wednesday that they have reached an agreement to ease cross-border trade and travel in Gibraltar after years of post-Brexit wrangling over the contested territory at the tip of the Iberian peninsula. In a post on social media, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic raised the deal as a truly historic milestone: an EU-UK political agreement on the future relationship concerning Gibraltar. This benefits everyone and reinforces a new chapter in the relationship. Britain left the European Union in 2020 with the relationship between Gibraltar and the bloc unresolved. Talks on a deal to ensure people and goods can keep flowing over the Gibraltar-Spain border previously had made only halting progress. Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713, but Spain has maintained its sovereignty claim ever since. Relations concerning the Rock, as it is popularly referred to in English, have had their ups and downs over the centuries. In Britains 2016 Brexit referendum, 96% of voters in Gibraltar supported remaining in the EU. The tiny territory on Spains southern tip depends greatly on access to the EU market for its 34,000 inhabitants. The British government said the agreement resolves the last major unresolved issue from Brexit, while Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Albares said the deal was historic and marked a new beginning in the relationship between the U.K. and Spain. He said that Spain will guarantee free movement of people and goods, adding that Gibraltar would now be linked to Europes free travel zone known as the Schengen Area with Spanish authorities controling entry and exit. The deal, which must be ratified by parliaments in Spain and the U.K., will remove all physical barriers, checks and controls on people and goods moving between Spain and Gibraltar, the EU said in a statement. In order to preserve The EU's free travel zone and borderless single market for goods, entry and exit checks will instead be conducted at Gibraltar's airport and port by both U.K. and Spanish border officials. The arrangement is similar to that in place at Eurostar train stations in London and Paris, where both British and French officials check passports. The U.K. and Gibraltar had previously resisted Spains insistence that Spanish border officials be based at the airport, which is also home to a Royal Air Force base. An agreement was also reached Wednesday for visas and travel permits. The U.K. said that half Gibraltars population crosses the border each day and that without an agreement, new EU entry-exit rules mean every one would have to have their passports checked. The British government hailed the deal as a win in Prime Minister Keir Starmers attempt to reset relations with the EU, five years after the U.K.s acrimonious departure from the bloc. The U.K. said the agreement does not impact sovereignty and ensures full operational autonomy of the U.K.s military facilities in Gibraltar. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez noted that Spain maintains its claim of sovereignty over Gibraltar. After three centuries of no progress, the EU, the United Kingdom, and Spain have reached a comprehensive agreement that benefits citizens and our bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom. All this without renouncing Spanish claims to the isthmus and the return of Gibraltar, he said on the social network X. Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo also hailed the agreement and said it will bring legal certainty to the people of Gibraltar, its businesses and to those across the region who rely on stability at the frontier. - Lawless reported from London, Naishadham from Madrid. Landlord speaks to NBC10 Boston about After losing nearly $100,000, Leo Behaj is sharing his experience with a pair of troublesome renters he says have a PhD in scamming landlords. Behaj and his wife bought a second home in Reading, Massachusetts a few years ago with the intention of moving in when their children got to high school, allowing the kids to attend a school in the district. In 2021, they found a couple who were keen to rent the property in the meantime a couple that reportedly also wanted to keep their children in the desirable district. Don't miss Almost immediately, these tenants began to complain about needed repairs and stopped paying rent. As Behaj and his wife would come to learn, the couple has reportedly been repeating this pattern with helpless landlords for 20 years, having been at the center of 12 eviction cases in the state. "They're professionals," Behaj shared with NBC10 Boston. "These people have a PhD. They have everything for how to screw the system." Meet Bryan Coombes and Nicole Inserra Behaj and his wife came to the U.S. from Albania in 2010, and since they were new to the country, renting this property was their first experience as landlords. "I said to my friends, 'From an American dream, it can become an American nightmare.'" Bryan Coombes and Nicole Inserra, the couple accused of being "professional tenants, battled Behaj in court for two years. Behaj says Coombes represented himself during the proceedings and seemed to know exactly what to do in order to delay the couples eviction. NBC10 Boston also reports that $13,000 in rental assistance, which is covered by taxpayer dollars, was given to Coombes and Inserra during their stay at Behaj's property. Meanwhile, during the two-year battle with his tenants, Behaj was forced to take a second job as an Uber driver to pay the mortgage on both of his properties. After losing $95,000 in legal fees and unpaid rent, Behaj sold the house in order to work his way out of debt. NBC10 Boston also found that while Coombes and Inserra were Behajs tenants, they filed for bankruptcy five times. Federal court records show the couple has a combined nine bankruptcy cases between the two of them. Speaking outside the court, Coombes told NBC10 Boston that he is not a professional tenant. "That's not true. I use the law, and the law helps me do what I need to do," Coombes said. "I don't avoid paying rent. I use the law to my advantage when people don't fix things that are supposed to fix things." 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 The first of many victims NBC10 Bostons investigative team managed to track down the first family that Coombes and Inserra had issues with 20 years ago. Peter Amatos parents bought a duplex in Woburn that Amato and his wife, Teri, lived in until 2004. Amatos parents then rented the property out to Coombes and Inserra and, according to court records, the couple almost immediately stopped paying rent. Amato said issues dragged on for months. Complaints to the city's health department over things like lightbulbs, asbestos and lead paint allowed Coombes and Inserra to stay on the property without paying rent. After months of mounting costs, Amatos parents finally gave up. "It was either pay them and stop bleeding out money, or fight them and bleed out money and put yourself in financial chaos," said Amato. "It was cheaper to give them $20,000 and tell them to get lost." The latest case Coombes and Inserra are now battling a new landlord over the same type of alleged issues they claimed were wrong with Behajs property. NBC10 Boston spoke with Bob Lee, an attorney who is currently working on a case for a landlord who rented a home in Burlington to Coombes and Inserra. "Their whole entire goal is just to stay on the property as long as possible, paying the least amount of money possible," Lee said. "It doesn't take a lot of effort to play the system that way." The owner of the Burlington home filed an affidavit in May, saying he and his wife plan to move back into the house once he takes possession because he can't afford to pay two mortgages and risk foreclosure. Meanwhile, the homeowner has amassed nearly $100,000 in losses including rent, legal fees and repairs. The homeowner also claims in the court filing that he was forced to borrow money from friends and family. "Without the court's immediate intervention to allow me to take rightful possession of my property, this is an unsustainable, unreasonable and unjustifiable situation for any landlord," the homeowner said in his affidavit. "There is no scenario where the tenants can make me whole." Professional tenants explained Also known as professional renters, tenants who use loopholes to avoid paying rent are not uncommon. In fact, 58.5% of respondents to a National Multifamily Housing Council survey in 2024 said theyve experienced an increase in nonpayment of rent due to fraud in the past 12 months. A professional tenants goal is quite simple: wrap up the landlord with complaints and legal proceedings to avoid paying rent and delay eviction for as long as possible. Coombes and Inserra have reportedly been running this playbook for decades, using bankruptcy as another tactic to prolong court proceedings and delay eviction. Due to failure to file the required documentation, all of the bankruptcy cases filed by Coombes and Inserra were dismissed, but the two likely knew their cases would fail. "It's pretty obvious that they never intended any of these cases to be successful," said Josh Burnett, a bankruptcy attorney who reviewed the court filings with NBC10 Boston. "They were just trying to buy time." How to spot professional tenants Thankfully, there are a number of legitimate ways that landlords can screen potential tenants to ensure theyre trustworthy. In addition to the usual credit check, a landlord can also run a criminal background check on any potential tenants. Landlords may also ask for an employer letter or even pay stubs to prove the tenants have sufficient income to afford rent each month. Its also worth asking for references from more than one previous landlord if the prospective tenants have a history of frequent moves. Getting a sense of a prospective tenants rental history is key. Behaj told NBC10 Boston that while he spoke to a reference for Coombes, he now believes the person he spoke with was only impersonating a landlord. If youre a first-time landlord, asking plenty of questions can help you understand more about your prospective tenants and provide clarity on any gaps in their rental history, allowing you to make a sound judgement about their character. Trust your gut, and dont be afraid to keep looking if you dont think a potential tenant is the right fit for you. 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. Courtesy of Purisima Key Points Brent Hockings new tequila brand, Purisima, is ultra-exclusive and application-only, requiring prospective buyers to fill out a form online to express honest intent, with no guarantee of purchase. Purisima is produced at a single distillery (NOM 1519) using highland agave, deep natural spring water, and a proprietary fermentation process. Priced at $400 for its blanco expression, Purisima positions itself as a premium, non-celebrity-backed alternative to mass-market tequilas. Brent Hocking is no stranger to the spirits world. The entrepreneur and industry veteran founded DeLeon Tequila in 2009, co-founded Virginia Black in 2016, and Mod Selection Champagne two years later with hip-hop superstar Drake. He is currently the CEO of his company, Mod Selecter, but is no longer affiliated with DeLeon, having sold the brand to spirits conglomerate Diageo in 2013. (Diageo subsequently partnered with disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs, a relationship that ended acrimoniously in 2024 and Combs is now on trial for sex trafficking.) For his latest venture, Hocking has stepped away from the realm of celebrity-backed brands to launch an ultra-exclusive tequila called Purisima. You wont find a bottle in your local liquor store, however if you want to get your hands on this high-end spirit, you must navigate an online velvet rope by filling out an application and waiting to see if you make the cut. Hocking says that exclusivity was not necessarily the goal for his new brand; rather, its simply a result of how the tequila is produced. Purisima isnt limited to be clever; its limited because of what it takes to create something this uncompromised, he told Food & Wine in an email. Were working with one distillery, one process, and only the highest quality raw materials, including what I believe to be the purest water source in the category If youre building brand reputation and something meant to live in the same world as fine wine or vintage spirits, then rarity is not only appropriate, its essential. It creates discipline on both sides of the bottle. Related: Why Is Fortaleza Tequila So Hard to Find? So, how exactly does one get a bottle of Purisima? Interested buyers have to visit the brands website and complete an online form, acknowledging that this is merely a request and not a guarantee that theyll get a bottle. Hocking says this system is not based on an algorithm or a secretive way to collect user data; its just to make sure theres honest intent from consumers an unusual request for selling a commodity. Most people come through the registry by request, he said. Others are referred by chefs, collectors, or people in the trade who understand what were trying to preserve. Its not about status or exclusivity for its own sake thats how we maintain integrity. The tequila is produced at NOM 1519, the former home of DeLeon. Hocking says that his new brand is made using similar methods a dedicated production model at just one distillery, as opposed to contract distillation. We use natural spring wells that run over 400 meters deep an unusual source of water purity in tequila production, he said. Fermentation is proprietary, and the agave is highland-grown, selected for ideal ripeness and sugar content. We dont disclose every detail because, frankly, we dont need to. Our proof is in the liquid itself. He also claims that Purisima is additive-free, although there is currently no way to independently verify this and the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) wont allow brands to label tequila as such. Related: This Tequila Outscored Every Other Bottle at the 2025 London Spirits Competition A bottle of Purisima blanco, the only expression available at the moment, will set you back $400 an extremely high price point that further underscores the brands exclusivity. According to Hocking, aged expressions are in development, including a limited-edition reposado slated for release in the fall and an anejo to follow. Hes also set to release Brown Sugar Cafe Mexicana, a coffee-tequila liqueur (think Patron XO Cafe) made with Purisima as the base spirit. Hocking acknowledges that the surge in celebrity-backed tequila brands over the past few years has brought a great deal of attention to the category, resulting in some notable success stories. However, it has also created a few issues for the category as a whole, which is why hes not collaborating with a famous face on Purisima. Celebrity tequila has contributed to a perception problem, that tequila is more about image than substance, he said. Oversaturation isnt just about quantity; its about dilution of meaning. When too many products flood the market with similar stories and generic liquid, consumers become disoriented. He certainly hopes thats not the case here, and that the exclusivity of this new tequila brand will be a feature, not a bug, to help it gain recognition without an actor, musician, or athlete promoting it. Read the original article on Food & Wine By Jack Queen and Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -A Manhattan jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty on a sex crimes charge on Wednesday, though the jury has not yet reached a verdict on all counts the former movie mogul faces in deliberations that have been marred by infighting and threats. Weinstein, once one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood, is facing a retrial after a state appeals court last year overturned his 2020 conviction. He was accused by prosecutors in the case of raping an aspiring actress and assaulting two other women. Weinstein, 73, pleaded not guilty and has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex. The jury found Weinstein guilty on one of the three counts he faced, which stemmed from his alleged assault of former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006. The jury found Weinstein not guilty of a charge stemming from his alleged assault of Kaja Sokola in 2002 when she was a 16-year-old aspiring actress. The jury has not yet reached a verdict on a third count, which charges him with raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. They will resume deliberations on that count on Thursday. Regardless of their eventual verdict on the rape charge, Weinstein faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced. He has separately been sentenced to 16 years in prison following a rape conviction in California. Jurors in the New York case reached their partial verdict on the fifth day of sometimes fractious deliberations. Before the jury announced their verdict on Wednesday, Justice Curtis Farber met privately with one person on the 12-member jury referred to as Juror One. The judge then stated in open court that there had been "fighting" in the jury room. "Juror One has made it very clear that he is not going to change his position," Farber said, adding that Juror One did not tell him what his position was. "He indicated that at least one other juror made comments to the juror that Ill meet you outside one day, and theres yelling and screaming." Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala asked for a mistrial. As Farber was preparing to dismiss jurors for the day to give them a chance to "cool off," the jury sent a note indicating it had reached a verdict on some counts. The retrial began on April 23. Weinstein has had a litany of health problems and attended the retrial in a wheelchair. In closing arguments on June 3, the prosecution told the 12 jurors that the evidence showed how Weinstein used his power and influence to trap and abuse women. The defense countered that the accusers lied on the witness stand out of spite after their consensual sexual encounters with the Oscar-winning producer failed to result in Hollywood stardom. #METOO MILESTONE A jury had in February 2020 found Weinstein guilty of raping Mann and sexually assaulting Haley. Sokola's allegation was not part of that case. The conviction was a milestone for the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by powerful men. But the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, threw out that conviction in April 2024. It said the trial judge erred by letting women testify that Weinstein had assaulted them, though their accusations were not the basis of the criminal charges. Though the conviction was thrown out, Weinstein has remained behind bars because of his California conviction. He is appealing that verdict. More than 100 women, including famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of misconduct. The retrial was handled by prosecutors with the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. They 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. The defense rejected that characterization, saying Weinstein engaged in "mutually beneficial" relationships with his accusers, who ended up with auditions and other show business opportunities. Weinstein co-founded the Miramax studio, whose hit movies included "Shakespeare in Love" and "Pulp Fiction." His own eponymous film studio filed for bankruptcy in March 2018, five months after sexual misconduct accusations against him became widely publicized. Weinstein has experienced several health episodes while being held at New York City's Rikers Island jail, and in September was rushed to a hospital for emergency heart surgery. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Jack Queen in New York; Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by Will Dunham, Cynthia Osterman and Diane Craft) BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany welcomes a China-U.S. agreement on easing rare-earth export restrictions and hopes negotiations between the United States and the European Union can progress in a similar way, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday. "I expressly welcome it. This is not at the expense of Europe; rather, it is another conflict that has been resolved," Merz said at a joint news conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Berlin. U.S. and Chinese officials said they had agreed on a framework to put their trade truce back on track and remove China's export restrictions on rare earths, though they offered little sign of a durable resolution to longstanding trade differences. Asked about U.S. calls to take over Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic, Merz said Germany was on the side of international law and of Denmark, which has rebuffed the Trump administration on the issue. "The principle of the inviolability of borders is enshrined in international law and is not subject to negotiation... We stand closely alongside our Danish friends on these issues, and that will remain the case," Merz said. Denmark and Germany are both NATO allies of the United States. Merz said TV footage of unrest in Los Angeles following protests over immigration raids by the Trump administration was "disturbing", but said he did not want to evaluate or judge U.S. domestic political events from Germany. "I hope that a quick solution will be found and that these disputes will also be brought to an end quickly," he added. (Reporting by Riham Alkousaa and Andreas Rinke; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Gareth Jones) Sisters Kimberly, 25, left, and Jaslyn, 17, who asked to be identified only by their first names, cried when talking about how their father was taken on Sunday by federal immigration agents during a Wednesday press conference held at the Culver City Express Hand Car Wash and Detail, where their father worked. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Noemi Ciau visited Westchester Hand Wash on Sunday to drop off a pizza to her husband, who works there as a cleaner. It was around noon when they met and chatted a few minutes. Ciau was taking their daughter shopping for a dress and shoes to wear to her 8th grade graduation later that week, she told him. "If you need money or anything else, call me," she recalls him telling her. Ciau wouldn't see her husband again, because 52-year-old Jesus Cruz was taken mere hours later by federal immigration agents who raided the car wash. The business was among at least five car washes in Los Angeles and Orange counties that have been targeted in recent days, according to CLEAN Carwash Worker Center, a labor advocacy nonprofit that has been able to verify these raids through community reports and footage on social media. CLEAN has determined that at least 26 people were taken by immigration enforcement agents at these locations some in unmarked vehicles. The vast majority were workers, although one customer was also picked up at Culver City Express Hand Car Wash and Detail during a Sunday raid. Ciau, an Inglewood resident, spoke alongside other family members of detained workers at a news conference held by CLEAN on Wednesday morning at the Culver City car wash. She said that she relied on her husband to take care of their children in the evenings because she works mornings at LAX. He was my backbone, she said Whos going to pick up my kids. Whos going to take them to music class? "Now her father can't even be there for her graduation," Ciau said. Flor Melendrez, executive director of CLEAN, said her organization has been scrambling to identify people detained and keep up with new car wash raids in real time. "The agents are armed. They are grabbing people and putting them in vehicles, which is why we are calling them 'kidnappings' because they are not identifying themselves," Melendrez said. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment. Besides Westchester Hand Wash and Culver City Express Hand Car Wash and Detail, Crenshaw Imperial Car Wash, Touch and Glow Car Wash in Whittier and Magnolia Car Wash in Orange County were also targeted, Melendrez said. Both Westchester Hand Wash and the Culver City car wash were hit twice, on consecutive days. In Westchester, several workers who had run on Sunday managed to escape, but four were arrested and taken by the agents, according to the car wash's owner, Mehmet Aydogan. Two other workers were taken when agents returned the next day, Aydogan said. Aydogan said in an interview that he told the agents he could answer any of their questions, that he had documents for his workers, but they were uninterested. Video footage obtained and reviewed by The Times shows Aydogan speaking calmly to an agent as another arrests a worker named Miguel. Aydogan tells the agents they had already visited the car wash the previous day. One agent joked about whether the agents from the day before had gotten a car wash. The manager replied, No. You guys didn't get anything. You're just taking our people who's working really hard. "We just work here, we're not criminals," Aydogan says in the video. Westchester Hand Wash is now closed, after being hit two days in a row. The business needs at least 14 workers to function, and with six workers taken and others scared to work, they were forced to close, Aydogan said. Some of the workers taken had been employed at the car wash for more than two decades, he said. A video clip posted to social media of the Magnolia Car Wash immigration action shows what appears to be the business manager arguing with agents. At the Culver City car wash, federal agents blocked both exits with their vehicles, said 15-year-old Brian Vasquez in an interview. Video footage shows Brian shouting at agents as his 11-year-old brother sobs. Another video clip posted to social media shows his father, Arturo Vasquez, who had panicked and run, sitting on the sidewalk across the street, being yanked up by the collar of his shirt by a uniformed agent. Arturo had come to the car wash with his family as a customer. Family members said they did not hear from Arturo and did not know where he had been taken until Tuesday, when he called from an El Paso, Texas, number and told them he had been taken to a detention facility in Texas. "Right now his sons are very traumatized, the younger one hasn't been able to sleep," said Lizeth Garcia, who is Arturos niece. "I feel very heartbroken, and basically useless. We are seeing our family member being mistreated and there's nothing we can do about it. There is a lot of confusion and all of us are scared." Brian said he's been unsettled and angered after reading hateful, anti-immigrant comments on social media under the clips that have been posted of his father's arrest. "I just want my dad back," he said. 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. Being diagnosed with high blood pressure can make you second-guess everything you put in your mouth, wondering if it will make your hypertension worse. While youve probably gone over things like the foods you eat and how theyre prepared with your healthcare provider, its fair to have questions about whether the coffee you drink is potentially problematic. Can coffee raise your blood pressure, or is there no need to worry about it? Meet the experts: Jessica Cording, R.D., the author of The Little Book of Game-Changers; Ragavendra Baliga, M.D., M.B.B.S, a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Cheng-Han Chen, M.D., board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA Turns out, coffee can have a short-term impact on your blood pressure, but that may change over time and with repeat coffee use. In case youre fuzzy on the details, hypertension, a.k.a. high blood pressure, is a condition where the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels is consistently too high, per the American Heart Association (AHA). Blood pressure is measured in two numbers: Systolic (the top number), which measures the force your heart puts on your arteries when it beats, and diastolic (the bottom number), which is the force of blood against your artery walls when your heart rests between beats. Normal blood pressure is considered anything below 120/80, while high blood pressure occurs when readings are 130-139/80-89 or higher, according to the AHA. If you have hypertension or are looking for ways to lower blood pressure naturally, there is a chance coffee may raise your blood pressure, says Cheng-Han Chen, M.D., board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA. But thats not the case for everyone, making this a little complicated. Heres how coffee impacts your blood pressure, plus what healthcare professionals want you to keep in mind if you have hypertension. Does coffee raise blood pressure? It might. However, theres no guarantee that the caffeine in coffee will spike your blood pressure. Everyone responds differently to caffeine, points out Jessica Cording, R.D., the author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. Some research suggests that coffee may cause blood pressure spikes. One scientific analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials found that there was a noticeable increase in blood pressure in adults who had caffeine, with a more significant jump in people who had caffeine for less than a week compared to those who had caffeine for more than a week. Another study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association of more than 18,600 people found that participants with very high blood pressure who had two or more cups of caffeinated coffee a day had up to double the risk of dying from a heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular disease. But that increased risk didnt apply to people with lower baseline blood pressure levels who drank two or more cups of coffee daily. Why does coffee spike blood pressure? The main issue is the caffeine in coffee, Dr. Chen says. As a result, he points out that you could technically see blood pressure spikes after having tea, eating chocolate, or having anything that contains caffeine. Whats behind this? Caffeine blocks adenosine, a molecule that helps blood vessels relax, explains Ragavendra Baliga, M.D., M.B.B.S., a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. This can cause a temporary rise in blood pressure, especially in those who arent habitual coffee drinkers. Coffee is also a known stimulant and may temporarily increase your heart rate along with your blood pressure, Dr. Chen says. Beyond that, its ultimately not well understood why caffeine causes spikes in blood pressure, Dr. Chen says. What happens to your blood pressure when you drink coffee every day? A daily coffee habit may lead to fewer spikes in your blood pressure over time, Dr. Baliga says. In regular coffee drinkers, the body builds some tolerance, he says. While occasional spikes may occur, chronic consumption has a modest long-term effect on blood pressure for most individuals. So, if you have a daily coffee habit, you're less likely to see those blood pressure spikes than if you grab a cup here and there. Factors that influence how much coffee impacts blood pressure There are a lot of different elements that can influence how much coffee impacts your blood pressure, according to doctors: Your genes. CYP1A2 variants in particular impact how your body breaks down caffeine, Dr. Baliga says. Your age . Caffeine tends to have a bigger impact on younger people, causing more significant changes in blood pressure than those who are older. Your sex . Men may have a faster caffeine metabolism than women. Whether youre a smoker . The nicotine in cigarettes and e-cigarettes can speed up your metabolism and increase the impact of caffeine on your blood pressure. Your coffee brew and type . The amount of caffeine in coffee can vary by type and brew strength, Dr. Chen points out. How often you drink coffee. People tend to build up a tolerance to caffeine after about two weeks of use. From there, Dr. Chen says the caffeine may have less of an impact on your blood pressure. What to know about coffee and hypertension If you have hypertension, Dr. Chen does not recommend increasing your caffeine intake. If you dont drink coffee regularly, you should keep in mind that any time you drink coffee or anything with caffeine, it could lead to a spike in blood pressure, he says. But if you drink coffee pretty regularly, its probably less of an issue. Dr. Baliga also recommends monitoring how you feel after you drink coffee. If you find that you dont feel great afterward, he suggests scaling back. He also suggests avoiding caffeinated beverages before you check your blood pressure. How much coffee is too much? Given that caffeine impacts everyone differently, this is an important question to talk to your doctor about, according to Dr. Chen. But Dr. Baliga says he typically recommends that people try to stay under 400 to 450 milligrams a day of caffeine, or about three to four cups of brewed coffee. This is typically safe for most adults, but those with hypertension or sensitivity may need less, he says. How to check your blood pressure at home If you have hypertension, your healthcare provider will usually recommend that you monitor yourself at home. To check your blood pressure at home, Dr. Baliga recommends investing in an automatic upper-arm blood pressure monitor. Check it at the same time daily, preferably more than one hour after a meal, avoid caffeine and exercise 30 minutes prior, and share your readings with your doctor for guidance, he says. The American Heart Association (AHA) also suggests following these steps to get an accurate blood pressure reading at home: Remove clothing over the arm that youll use to measure your blood pressure. Try to sit still for at least five minutes before taking a reading (dont talk or use the phone). Sit with your back straight and supported, with your feet on the floor. Support your arm on a flat surface. Place the middle of the cuff on your upper arm at heart level. Take multiple readings, one minute apart, and record the results. If you have hypertension or a family history of the condition, Dr. Chen stresses the importance of roping in a healthcare professional to talk through things like your coffee intake. This is really a question for your doctor, he says. You Might Also Like Disney (DIS) and NBCUniversal sued an artificial intelligence developer for allegedly infringing on their protected works, the first Hollywood corporate titans to join a mushrooming legal war pitting copyright holders against AI upstarts training their models with data scraped from the internet. In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday in a Los Angeles Federal District Court, Disney and NBCUniversal said that AI image-creating platform Midjourney pirated images without authorization. Midjourney obtained copies of Disneys Star Wars, Minions, and other characters through unauthorized libraries containing works from two Hollywood studios, according to the complaint. Its software allows people to create images from the companies popular fictional characters, the suit said. The companies included AI-generated images of characters ranging from Darth Vader and Buzz Lightyear to the Minions and Spider-Man. Darth Vader at the European premiere of 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' in 2019 in London. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney) (Gareth Cattermole via Getty Images) Piracy is piracy, and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology does not make it any less infringing, Disney said in its complaint. Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company is defending itself in another federal case in California brought by artists who allege Midjourney illegally trained its AI image generation models on their copyrighted works. The latest confrontation expands the number of high-profile cases from copyright holders seeking to guard their works from the reach of technology firms. A question at the heart of all these lawsuits: Can artificial intelligence companies use copyrighted material to train generative AI models without asking the owner of that data for permission? Another such clash came earlier this week when social media site Reddit (RDDT) sued AI startup Anthropic (ANTH.PVT), a company backed by tech giants Amazon (AMZN) and Google (GOOG, GOOGL) that created the AI language model Claude. Reddit is claiming in the new lawsuit that Anthropic intentionally scraped Reddit users' personal data without their consent and then put their data to work training Claude. Reddit said in its complaint that Anthropic "bills itself as the white knight of the AI industry" and argues that "it is anything but." Anthropic said last year that it had blocked its bots from Reddits website, according to the complaint. But Reddit said Anthropic continued to hit Reddits servers over one hundred thousand times. FILE PHOTO: Reddit app is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken, July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo (Reuters / Reuters) An Anthropic spokesperson said, "We disagree with Reddit's claims and will defend ourselves vigorously." Anthropic is also defending itself against a separate suit from music publishers, including Universal Music Group (0VD.F), ABKCO, and Concord, alleging that Anthropic infringed on copyrights for Beyonce, the Rolling Stones, and other artists as it trained Claude on lyrics to more than 500 songs. Courts haven't settled on a definitive answer to the question of whether artificial intelligence companies can use copyrighted material to train generative AI models without permission. However, last February, the US District Court for Delaware handed copyright holder Thomson Reuters a win in a case that could impact what data training models can legally collect. The court granted Thomson Reuters' request for summary judgment, saying that its competitor, Ross, infringed on its copyrights by using lawsuit summaries to train its AI model. The court rejected Ross's argument that it could use the summaries under the concept of fair use, which allows copyrights to be used for news reporting, teaching, research, criticism, and commentary. Fair use One big name featuring prominently in some of these clashes is OpenAI (OPAI.PVT), the creator of chatbot ChatGPT that is run by Sam Altman and backed by Microsoft (MSFT). Comedian Sarah Silverman has accused the companies in a lawsuit of copying material from her book and 7 million pirated works in order to train its AI systems. Parenting website Mumsnet has also accused OpenAI of scraping its six-billion-word database without consent. But perhaps the most prominent case targeting OpenAI is from the New York Times (NYT), which in 2023 filed a lawsuit accusing OpenAI and Microsoft of illegally using millions of the news outlets published stories to train OpenAIs language models. The newspaper has said that ChatGPT at times generates query answers that closely mirror its original publications. Last week, OpenAI called the lawsuit "baseless" and appealed a judges recent order in that case requiring the AI developer to preserve output data generated by ChatGPT. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is seated to testify before a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing titled Winning the AI Race: Strengthening U.S. Capabilities in Computing and Innovation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (REUTERS / Reuters) OpenAI and Microsoft are using a defense similar to those raised in other AI training copyright disputes: that the Times publicly available content falls under the fair use doctrine and, therefore, can be used to train its models. Getty Images is trying to chip away at that same argument in lawsuits in the US and United Kingdom filed in 2023 against AI image generation startup Stability. The UK case went to trial on Monday. Stability argues that fair use (or "fair dealing" as it's known in the UK) justified training its technology, Stable Diffusion, on copyrighted Getty material. That same defense has hallmarks of justification that Google has been asserting for the past two decades to fight lawsuits claiming it violated copyright laws when pulling information into results for users' search queries. In 2005, the Authors Guild sued Google over millions of books that the tech giant scanned and made available in snippets to online searchers. Google didnt pay for the copyrighted information but did provide word-for-word pieces of the copyrighted works in search results. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reasoned in a decision that Googles scanning project tested the limits of fair use but was transformative and therefore protected under fair use law. In 2016, Getty Images sued Google over similar claims, alleging that Google violated its copyrights and antitrust law by displaying Gettys high-resolution images in Google search results. Click here for the latest technology news that will impact the stock market Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance A federal judge will hold a hearing on Thursday over Californias request to block the Trump Administration from using troops in Los Angeles to quell unrest sparked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids as part of the Presidents mass deportation effort. The hearing comes after an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order filed Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom was denied and as National Guard personnel have appeared to accompany ICE agents as they make arrests. Newsom and other critics claim the federal governments mobilization of military personnelincluding the deployment of 700 Marines on Monday after 4,000 National Guard members were already activatedto Los Angeles is an unnecessary and illegal intervention. In a speech Tuesday night, Newsom called it a brazen abuse of power that inflamed a combustible situation. If I didnt SEND IN THE TROOPS to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now, much like 25,000 houses burned to the ground in L.A. due to an incompetent Governor and Mayor, Trump posted on Truth Social Tuesday morning, referring to the January wildfires that were caused by dry conditions and strong winds. The deployment of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marinesbased at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif.marks the first time in over three decades that Marines have been mobilized inside the United States to respond to civil unrest. Their presence represents a striking escalation of federal involvement in what began as local protests over immigration enforcement. Newsoms request for an immediate temporary restraining order specifically requested that a judge block plans by the federal government to use Marines and federalized National Guard to enforce immigration laws and other civil laws on the streets of our cities. California National Guard units received new orders on Monday that included providing support for counter-immigration operations and not only at federal buildings, according to the filing. An ICE spokesperson confirmed in a statement to CBS on Tuesday that Troops on the ground in Los Angeles are providing perimeter and personnel protection for our facilities and officers who are out on daily enforcement operations. They are providing security at federal facilities in the area and support with transportation, as needed. Military troops are providing protection for federal law enforcement officers as they continue operations to remove the worst of the worst from Los Angeles. If any rioters attack ICE law enforcement officers, military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain them until law enforcement makes the arrest. The violence against ICE law enforcement must end, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin added. The state of California asserted in the filing that the deployment creates imminent harm to State Sovereignty, deprives the State of vital resources, escalates tensions and promotes (rather than quells) civil unrest. The Trump Administration opposed the states request, calling it legally meritless and saying the restraining order it sought would be an extraordinary, unprecedented, and dangerous court order. The Administration also asked for more time to respond. The judge granted that additional time in the Tuesday ruling, giving the Administration until Wednesday to file its response and setting a hearing for the following day. The estimated cost of deploying the National Guard and the Marines to the Los Angeles area is $134 million, according to Bryn MacDonnell, a top Pentagon official testifying before the House on Tuesday. While the Marines are expected to avoid direct engagement with demonstrators, the symbolism of active-duty troops patrolling the streets of Los Angeles has reignited deep political tensions and legal debates over the limits of federal power. The Marines are tasked with protecting federal facilities and personnel, according to a statement from U.S. Northern Command, and will operate under Task Force 51a contingency unit created to coordinate military support for domestic emergencies. The estimated cost of deploying the National Guard and the Marines to the Los Angeles area is $134 million, according to Bryn MacDonnell, a top Pentagon official testifying before the House on Tuesday. Anti-ICE protesters clash with police near a federal building and detention center in Los Angeles. Tayfun CoskunAnadolu/Getty Images Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act, a rarely used 1792 statute allowing the President to use the military to suppress domestic unrest. Instead, he is relying on a broader presidential authority to protect federal property. Legal experts say that distinction may ultimately determine whether the deployments are deemed lawful. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 prohibits the use of the military for domestic law enforcement without specific legal authorizationa principle the Trump Administration insists it is not violating. Asked if he would invoke the Insurrection Act in the future, Trump told reporters Tuesday that if theres an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. Well see. But I can tell you, last night was terrible. The night before that was terrible. The protests began Friday after ICE agents carried out coordinated raids across Los Angeles, detaining dozens of workers at warehouses and other worksites. The arrests sparked immediate backlash, with demonstrators converging outside federal buildings, blocking freeways, and in some cases clashing with police. By Sunday, as images of burning self-driving cars and confrontations near the downtown federal detention center spread across social media, Trump issued a presidential order deploying 2,000 National Guard troops. A second order followed Monday night, calling for an additional 2,000 troops. Pentagon officials confirmed that about 1,700 Guard members were already active in the greater Los Angeles area by late Monday, and the Marines would be joining them in a support capacity. We believe ICE agents should be allowed to be safe in doing their operations, and we have deployed National Guard and the Marines to protect them in the execution of their duties, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a hearing in Congress on Tuesday when asked about the deployment of Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles. The deployments have touched a raw nerve in California, where Democratic leaders say Trump is overstepping his constitutional authority in pursuit of political spectacle. The governors office said that only a fraction of the initially deployed Guard members had been given orders, and many remained inside federal facilities awaiting direction. This isnt about public safety, Newsom posted on X. Its about stroking a dangerous Presidents ego. Mayor Karen Bass echoed those sentiments, calling the influx of troops a deliberate attempt to create disorder and chaos in our city. She urged the federal government to halt the raids and allow local authorities to manage the situation. Bass announced a curfew in a one-square-mile section of downtown from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday in response to increasing reports of violence and looting. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell also expressed frustration with the federal operation, warning that the sudden arrival of troops presented significant logistical and operational challenges. In a statement, McDonnell emphasized the need for clear communication between agencies, noting that the LAPD had successfully handled large-scale protests in the past. Sheheryar Kaoosji, the executive director at Warehouse Workers Resource Center, a nonprofit that seeks to improve working conditions in the warehouse industry, warns that both the immigration raids and the Administrations response to the protests could deal a blow to businesses in the areaand the broader economy. Between the actual ICE activity and then the escalation by the Administration to suppress protest, its not just affecting people going to work, but theres not gonna be tourism in L.A., he says. Its going to kill the economy of not just California but the country. The federal government has framed the move as a necessary precaution amid what it says are credible threats to federal personnel and infrastructure, claiming the militarys presence was meant to deter violence and protect immigration officers working in increasingly volatile conditions. The last time Marines were deployed to the streets of Los Angeles was in 1992, following days of rioting after the acquittal of officers in the beating of Rodney King. In that case, President George H.W. Bush acted at the request of then-Gov. Pete Wilson and invoked the Insurrection Act. Despite the dramatic federal presence, most of Mondays demonstrations remained peaceful. Thousands gathered at City Hall for a union-led rally demanding an end to immigration raids. Outside the federal detention center, protesters held hands and chanted, Free them all! and National Guard, go away. Still, by evening, confrontations had resumed. Police began using tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse crowds near the Little Tokyo neighborhood, where at least a dozen people were detained. In nearby Paramount, where more arrests had occurred during earlier raids, family members of detainees held a press conference demanding information about their loved ones. Additional protests against immigration raids have continued in several other cities, including San Francisco and Dallas. Andrew Chow contributed reporting. Write to Nik Popli at nik.popli@time.com. NEW YORK (Reuters) -The Trump administration cannot use U.S. foreign policy interests to justify its detention of Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a judge ruled on Wednesday, but stopped short of ordering Khalil's immediate release. U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, New Jersey, said his ruling would not take effect until Friday at 9:30 EDT (1330 GMT) to give the administration the chance to appeal. Farbiarz wrote that the administration was violating Khalil's right to free speech by detaining and trying to deport him under a little-used provision of U.S. immigration law granting the U.S. secretary of state the power to seek the deportation of any non-citizen whose presence in the country is deemed adverse to U.S. foreign policy interests. "The Petitioners career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled," Farbiarz wrote. "This adds up to irreparable harm." The judge also barred the administration from deporting Khalil on the grounds that his presence was allegedly adverse to U.S. foreign policy. "This is the news weve been waiting over three months for," Khalil's wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, said Wednesday. "Mahmoud must be released immediately and safely returned home to New York to be with me and our newborn baby, Deen." Neither the State Department nor the Justice Department, which represents the administration in court, immediately responded to requests for comment. Khalil was arrested on March 8 after the State Department revoked his green card. He has since been held in immigration detention in Louisiana. Khalil was the first known foreign student to be arrested as part of Republican President Donald Trump's bid to deport foreign students who took part in pro-Palestinian protests that swept U.S. college campuses after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent military assault. The Hamas attack killed 1,195 people, according to Israeli tallies, and Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. (Reporting by Luc Cohen and Dietrich Knauth in New York;Editing by Bill Berkrot and Diane Craft) Murray Police Department Facebook Jonathan Mason mugshot NEED TO KNOW A man identified as Jonathan Mason was arrested after allegedly releasing a raccoon inside the Big Apple Grill and Bar in Murray, Ky., an establishment that he was reportedly banned from The animal reportedly went on to bite someone Mason, 40, has been charged with Assault 2nd Degree, Criminal Trespassing 3rd Degree, Resisting Arrest and Failure of Owner to Maintain Required Insurance 1st Offense A man from Kentucky has been charged for allegedly releasing a raccoon inside a bar after being banned from the premises. On Friday, June 6, a 40-year-old man identified as Jonathan Mason allegedly loosed a raccoon into "an open business" in Murray, Ky., before leaving the scene, the Murray Police Department stated in a Tuesday, June 10 press release. The animal reportedly bit someone. According to local outlet The Murray Sentinel, the place of business was identified as the Big Apple Grill and Bar. Google Maps Big Apple Grill And Bar In their release, the police department stated that they received a call about the incident around 9:18 p.m. The caller alleged that an individual had intentionally released a raccoon into an open business. Officers soon located this individual while he was operating his vehicle, and they conducted a traffic stop on him, according to the statement. However, the man "refused to roll down his windows or exit the vehicle." This resulted in officers having to remove Mason from his car. According to police, Mr. Mason had already been warned that he was not allowed on the property of that business." Mr. Mason was arrested and charged with Assault 2nd Degree, Criminal Trespassing 3rd Degree, Resisting Arrest, and Failure of Owner to Maintain Required Insurance 1st Offense; he was lodged in the Calloway County Jail," the release noted. Murray Police Department Facebook Murray Police car 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. Masons recent arrest comes following a December 2024 arrest after he allegedly drunkenly rode a mule to a liquor store, according to Fox News. He was arrested a second time days later while attempting to reclaim the animal, which had been taken by police. PEOPLE contacted the Big Apple Grill and Bar for comment, but did not hear back at the time of publication. Read the original article on People Oren Alexander, 37, center, and his twin brother, Alon, center-right, speak to their attorney Joel Denaro during their bond hearing in Miami on Dec. 13. (Matias J. Ocner / Miami Herald via Getty Images file) Three real estate brothers accused of a scheme to sex traffic women across multiple states and Mexico were in a federal courtroom in New York on Tuesday to face a third superseding indictment. An added count against Alon Alexander and Oren Alexander brings the total to 10 counts against them and Tal Alexander. They pleaded not guilty to all charges. The brothers appeared in hand and leg shackles, wearing olive prison attire. They greeted their parents on their way in and out of the brief arraignment. Federal prosecutors have accused the men of working together to drug, sexually assault and rape dozens of victims from 2009 to 2021. The charges allege that the brothers promised women luxury experiences to lure them to locations where they were sexually assaulted and raped. Seven victims are included in the indictment, including a minor. Federal prosecutors have said they have spoken to more than 60 alleged victims of the men. The new count alleges that Alon and Oren gave a drug, intoxicant or other substance to a woman without her knowledge to cause her to engage in a sex act on a Bahamian cruise ship that departed from and arrived in the United States. An attorney for Alon, Howard Srebnick, said his client had not drugged a woman to have sex with her. "On Jan. 13, 2025, a retired FBI polygraph examiner tested Alon while in jail. Alon was asked if he ever had sex with any woman he knew had been covertly given drugs, which Alon denied," Srebnick said. "The polygraph examiner opined that Alon passed the lie detector test, there were 'no significant reactions indicative of deception' by Alon." An attorney for Oren said his client will continue to fight the charges. "The court reiterated that the government must now comply with its obligation to produce evidence exculpating Oren and his brothers. We look forward to a time when we can present all such material in a public forum," said Richard Klugh. An attorney for Tal declined to comment Tuesday. Earlier Tuesday, attorneys for the three brothers appeared in circuit court to appeal their detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where they have been held since December. "They did not agree to provide sex in exchange for the travel or accommodations, Deanna Paul, defense attorney for Tal Alexander, wrote in a dismissal motion filed Monday in the Southern District of New York in Manhattan. "The alleged travel and accommodations were not conditioned expressly, or implicitly, on the victims participation in the sex acts; and the travel and accommodations did not represent compensation for the sex acts, the motion says, citing four federal court decisions on the sex trafficking law requiring that connection to hold up. Their next hearing is set for Aug. 19. The Alexander brothers filed a defamation lawsuit this week against The Real Deal, a real estate publication, seeking $500 million in damages for what they say has been a smear campaign against them that has relentlessly published articles containing false and misleading statements. The Real Deal strongly rejected the allegations. "Lets be clear: this lawsuit is not about justice. Its an attempt to stop investigative journalism and bully a newsroom for doing its job, founder and publisher Amir Korangy said in a statement Tuesday. The Real Deals reporting was fair and conscientious, and we are confident the courts will see this for what it is a frivolous and cynical attempt to weaponize the legal system." Police officers work at the site where a bus exploded in front of a police station in Villa Rica, Cauca department, Colombia, on June 10. - Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP/Getty Images A wave of explosions rocked southwest Colombia on Tuesday morning, authorities said, killing at least seven people in an attack believed to be targeting the countrys police. Explosions occurred in the city of Cali and several towns in the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca, the Colombian National Army reported on X. It added that the countrys police were a direct target of the attacks. Colombias national police reported more than 20 terrorist attacks throughout the day, including car bombings, firearm attacks, and the launching of explosive devices. At least two officers were among those killed, and a mix of civilians, military personnel, and police were among the 28 people injured, police added. The army said it has intelligence linking the attacks to the leader of the guerrilla group Estado Mayor Central, one of the factions of fighters that remain after the countrys FARC rebels signed a peace agreement with the Colombian government. It did not offer evidence for the claim. Estado Mayor Central has not claimed responsibility for the attack. In a Tuesday statement, the group accused Colombias government of reneging on the peace process and issued tips to civilians on avoiding the crossfire. CNN is reaching out to the group for comment. In Cali, Colombias third-largest city, the citys mayor Alejandro Eder said three explosive devices were detonated on Tuesday. Eder said the explosions were recorded in Calis Los Mangos area, near the Melendez police station, and another at the Manuela Beltran Immediate Attention Center (CAI), a police substation. The situation is now under control, Eder said later on Tuesday, adding that he ordered security forces to deploy throughout the city They want us to go back to 1989, we wont allow for it! Eder said, referencing a period of intense violence in Colombia, including the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan. Videos of the aftermath in Cali, posted to social media and geolocated by CNN, show exploded vehicles still burning and scorched debris scattered across the street. Crowds of dazed pedestrians are seen gathering around the site as emergency sirens sound in the distance. The defense ministry said military forces prevented six attacks and captured two people preparing explosives. Sergio Guzman, the founder of Colombia Risk Analysis, a Bogota-based risk consultancy, told CNN the attacks demonstrate how criminal armed organizations are trying to pressure the government further to make more agreements or concessions to them. Dilian Francisca Toro, the governor of Valle del Cauca, where Cali is located, urged Colombian President Gustavo Petro to convene the countrys Security Council to respond to the current escalation of terrorism. The attacks in downtown Cali were particularly significant, as they impacted the largest urban area in the south of the country and a major tourist and economic hub, International Crisis Group Senior Analyst Elizabeth Dickinson told CNN. It indicates also that these organizations have an interest not only in being present in rural areas where they have access to illicit economies, but also to more broadly destabilizing the country and affecting urban security, Dickinson said. In October, thousands of delegates from around the world gathered in Cali for a UN-sponsored conference on biodiversity, as Petros government sought to present Colombia as a vibrant, biodiverse nation that had left the worst chapters of its violent political history behind. Colombian Vice-President Francia Marquez Mina condemned the violence. I categorically reject the wave of violence that has erupted in Cali and northern Cauca at this time. Its unacceptable to instill fear in the people and then offer security, she said on X, As a National Government, we must redouble our efforts to restore public order and guarantee the security and peace of mind of the Colombian people. The blasts come days after prominent Colombian politician and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot at a campaign event. Uribe remains in critical condition as of Tuesday morning. A 15-year-old has been charged with attempted murder over the shooting. Colombian President Gustavo Petro says he has asked US authorities to help investigate the shooting, saying the suspects weapon was purchased in Arizona. CNNs Avery Schmitz contributed to this report. This is a developing story and will be updated. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Penny McCarthy | Institute for Justice Penny McCarthy is not now, and has never been, Carole Rozak. Yet in March 2024, half a dozen U.S. marshals accosted McCarthy in the front yard of her Phoenix home, insisting that she was Rozak, who was wanted on a warrant for failing to comply with parole conditions after she was released from a Texas prison in 1999. McCarthy, a 66-year-old grandmother with no criminal record, was bewildered by the sudden assault, especially because the marshals were in plain clothes and driving unmarked cars, which made her wonder if they were even cops at all. She insisted, again and again, that she was not Rozak. But the marshals refused to entertain the possibility that they had made a mistakeone that could have been easily corrected by examining readily available documentation of McCarthy's identity. That bizarre episode is at the center of a civil rights lawsuit that McCarthy filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. The misidentification of McCarthy "was inexcusable and violated state and federal law," says Institute for Justice senior attorney Paul Avelar, who represents McCarthy. "To make matters worse, even if Penny had been the fugitive they were looking for, the officers' over-the-top display of force was uncalled for, given that the fugitive was wanted only for failing to check in with a probation officer after being released from prison twenty-five years ago for nonviolent crimes." Rozak's crimes included bank fraud, interstate transportation of stolen property, and making a false statement to a financial institution. She had no record of criminal activity since 1997. Yet the marshals treated McCarthy like a violent felon. They pointed guns at her, barked confusing commands, threatened to tase her, handcuffed her, and frisked her. She was detained for more than 24 hours, which included three humiliating strip searches and a sleepless overnight stay in a chilly, uncomfortable, and unsanitary cell. At McCarthy's first appearance before a judge, her public defender reiterated that McCarthy was not Rozak, which an assistant U.S. attorney conceded was possible. In light of the uncertainty, the judge released McCarthy pending an identity hearing, which proved unnecessary after fingerprint and DNA comparisons confirmed what she had been saying all along. As a result of that terrifying ordeal, McCarthy sold her house and moved out of Arizona, where she had been living for less than a year. According to her lawsuit, she "fears future humiliation and law-enforcement errors resulting from her blundered arrest and continued detention." She "no longer feels safe and comfortable at home," "rarely walks her dog for fear that she will again be wrongfully apprehended," and "fears that she will again be misidentified and arrested while out running errands." She has trouble sleeping and is "afraid to be by herself," even "in her own front yard." McCarthy's anxiety is not just understandable but rational in light of the egregious carelessness that led to her arrest and imprisonment. She resembles Rozak only in very broad ways: Both are white women older than 65. But McCarthy is four years younger than Rozak. McCarthy is a U.S. citizen who was born and raised in California, while Rozak is Canadian. Rozak has lived in Canada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas, places where McCarthy had never resided at the time of her arrest. McCarthy has blue eyes, while Rozak's eyes are green. The warrant for Rozak did not describe any "scars, tattoos, or distinguishing marks." McCarthy has a hysterectomy scar across her abdomen and a unique tattoo on her right shoulder that she designed herself. McCarthy's social security number, issued by the U.S. government, is completely different from Rozak's social security number, which was issued by the Canadian government. According to McCarthy's lawsuit, "not a single digit matches." The two women's signatures and handwriting do not match. And of course, as the feds eventually discovered when they bothered to check, McCarthy and Rozak have different fingerprints and different DNA. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, the U.S. marshals who arrested and detained McCarthy were sure she was Rozak. How is that possible? McCarthy discovered a clue while sitting in the car that took her to the U.S. Marshals Office in Phoenix: She "saw what she later learned was the warrant for Rozak's arrest, along with an 8.5 x 11 paper filled nearly to the margins with [McCarthy's] Facebook profile picture." The picture itself did not support the hypothesis that McCarthy was Rozak, especially given the difference in eye color. The most recent photo of Rozak that the marshals had was 25 years old. According to the complaint, "a person comparing a picture of [McCarthy's] face to a 25-year-old picture of [Rozak] would not reasonably identify [McCarthy] as Rozak." But the Facebook page included McCarthy's maiden name, which happened to resemble one of Rozak's many aliases. According to government records, one of the names that Rozak went by was Penny Leigh Burns. McCarthy was born Penny Lynn Burns, although she went by that name for just the first 17 years of her life, until her first marriage. Avelar, McCarthy's lawyer, found that "at least 165,000 people in the United States have the last name Burns," while possibly hundreds "have the name Penny Burns." Yet this seems to have been the only basis, aside from race, sex, and approximate age, for concluding that McCarthy was Rozak. McCarthy had plenty of evidence to contradict that conclusion, including her driver's license from Colorado, where she had lived before Arizona. That license complied with the Real ID Act, which requires a confirmed social security number, verification that the driver is a U.S. citizen or legal resident, and documentation of the driver's full name, birth date, and residential address. McCarthy also had "government-issued identification dating back decades," including old driver's licenses, a birth certificate, and a social security card. "Family photos dating back decades" likewise "would have proven that [McCarthy] was not Rozak and had never looked like Rozak." The marshals were not interested in any of that. When they confronted McCarthy, they stopped her from going back to her house, even to lock the door or attend to her frantically barking dog. They did not allow her to call anyone who might have confirmed her identity. "Don't you want to confirm who I am?" she asked. The marshals did not. And according to the lawsuit, McCarthy "was never informed of her rights or allowed to call family, an attorney, or her boss." At her house, in the car, at the U.S. Marshals Office, and at a federal detention facility in Florence, Arizona, McCarthy steadfastly rejected the identity that the marshals had thrust upon her. When her jailers called out for Carole Rozak, which happened a couple of times, she initially did not respond, because that is not her name and she did not want to implicitly concede that it was. After McCarthy was fingerprinted, a marshal claimed her prints matched Rozak's, which was not true. As the complaint notes, "fingerprint comparisonsespecially those performed quicklyare often not reliable." The same marshal also claimed he had gotten a "hit" on McCarthy's tattoo, implying that Rozak had the same tattoo, which also was not true. According to the lawsuit, "a young female officer who was booking Penny remarked something along the lines of, 'Someone's going to get into a lot of trouble for this, aren't they?'" So far, that also has proven to be inaccurate. After the government officially dropped the case against McCarthy on April 8, 2024, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) issued a statement saying it had "received confirmation from fingerprint analysis that Ms. Penny McCarthy is not the fugitive Carole Anne Rozak, wanted for an outstanding parole violation warrant in Oklahoma." The USMS said it was conducting "a thorough review" of the circumstances that had led to the erroneous identification. But according to the lawsuit, "whatever review the U.S. Marshals Service has conducted has produced no meaningful disciplinary actions or policy changes, or other corrective action." To the contrary, the USMS said a "preliminary review" found that "USMS officials followed proper procedures, in good-faith reliance on the outstanding warrant." It added that it would "continue its evaluation of the investigation" and that it "regrets any inconvenience caused by the mistaken identification of Ms. McCarthy." Last November, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (ROhio) and Rep. Andy Biggs (RAriz.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, asked Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department's inspector general, to investigate what happened to McCarthy and report his findings to the committee. "From publicly available information, it appears that the USMS violated Ms. McCarthy's constitutional rights during the arrest," Jordan and Biggs said in their letter to Horowitz. "We are very concerned at both the USMS's carelessness and the excessive force during this encounter. The USMS's lack of regard for Ms. McCarthy's due process rights is very troubling, and oversight is necessary to ensure similar abuses do not happen in the future." Biggs added that "what happened to Mrs. McCarthy is something that really shouldn't happen to anybody." Unsurprisingly, McCarthy agrees. "I'm still afraid that one day I will be pulled over and again mistaken for a criminal," she says. "I'm suing because I don't want this to happen to anyone else. Unless someone is held responsible, someone else will go through this same nightmare." McCarthy's lawsuit alleges that the six marshals who arrested her either deliberately or recklessly disregarded the evidence that she was not Rozak. The defendants also include the marshal who dishonestly or erroneously claimed McCarthy's tattoo and fingerprints matched Rozak's, plus "a female who identified herself as a supervisor." The latter marshal, who conducted one of the strip searches, persisted in detaining McCarthy even after speaking on the phone to her sister, who "explained that there must have been a mistake in arresting Penny, because Penny had never been in trouble with the law and would not do anything that would get her arrested." The lawsuit describes two more defendants: unnamed "employees or agents of the United States Marshals Service or another agency of the United States who misidentified [McCarthy] as Carole Rozak, using Facebook or other means, and whose acts or omissions contributed to Penny's initial detention at gunpoint, arrest, and continued detention." The defendants "failed to run basic checks on [McCarthy's] identity and disregarded plain evidence that [she] was not Carole Rozak," the lawsuit says. "They lacked probable cause to believe she was Rozak or had otherwise committed a crime." McCarthy's claims include assault, battery, trespass, false imprisonment, negligence, malicious prosecution, and Fourth Amendment violations. Two of the counts rely on Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, a 1971 decision in which the Supreme Court said federal employees can be sued for violating the Fourth Amendment. Echoing that case, the defendants in McCarthy's lawsuit include "Six Unknown Named Agents of the United States Marshals Service." As Reason's Billy Binion notes, subsequent Supreme Court decisions make it doubtful whether Bivens claims are viable in practice. But McCarthy is also seeking compensation under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), which allows people to sue the federal government for torts committed by its employees within the scope of their employment. And six counts in McCarthy's lawsuit involve state tort claims that Avelar argues she should be allowed to pursue against individual defendants notwithstanding the limitations imposed by the Federal Employees Liability Reform and Tort Compensation Act, a.k.a. the Westfall Act. The Westfall Act generally makes the FTCA the "exclusive" remedy for common law torts committed by federal employees, but it makes an exception for constitutional violations. Avelar says that exception should cover McCarthy's claims. Alternatively, he argues, "the Westfall Act is unconstitutional as applied to her, and whatever barrier the Act poses to her state-law counts is invalid and ineffective." By whichever route, McCarthy "is entitled to judgment in her favor," the lawsuit says. "A central promise of our justice system is that people like Penny McCarthy are entitled to be made whole when government agents fecklessly strip them of their liberty, security, clothing, and dignity." The post 'Don't You Want To Confirm Who I Am?' a Mistakenly Arrested Grandmother Asked the Marshals. They Did Not. appeared first on Reason.com. By Kalea Hall and David Shepardson DETROIT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -General Motors said on Tuesday it is planning to invest about $4 billion over the next two years at three U.S. facilities in Michigan, Kansas, and Tennessee as it moves to boost production of gas-powered vehicles amid slowing electric vehicle demand. The company said it will begin production of gas-powered full-size SUVs and light-duty pickup trucks at its Orion Assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan, in early 2027. Orion Assembly was previously slated to build electric trucks starting next year. The move calls into question GM's plan to end the production of gas-powered cars and trucks by 2035. It was welcomed by the White House, which has imposed significant tariffs on imported vehicles to pressure automakers to move more production to the United States. In March, GM CEO Mary Barra met with U.S. President Donald Trump to talk about investment plans and told the president GM needed relief from California emissions and federal fuel economy requirements in order to expand U.S. production, sources told Reuters. Trump is set to sign legislation on Thursday to rescind California's 2035 zero-emission vehicle rules. "No president has taken a stronger interest in reviving Americas once-great auto industry than President Trump, and GMs investment announcement builds on trillions of dollars in other historic investment commitments to Make in America," White House spokesman Kush Desai said. GM's Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas is set to start building the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt by the end of this year, and GM says it will now also build the gas-powered Chevrolet Equinox starting in mid-2027. In a statement, the largest U.S. automaker said it expects to make "new future investments in Fairfax for GMs next generation of affordable EVs." GM last month said it is also investing $888 million at a New York propulsion plant to increase gas engine production. At its Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant, GM will add production of the gas-powered Chevy Blazer beginning in 2027. It will be built alongside the electric Cadillac Lyriq and Vistiq SUVs as well as the gas-powered Cadillac XT5. The gas-powered Chevrolet Equinox and Blazer are both currently produced in Mexico. The Equinox will continue to be built in Mexico once production starts at U.S. facilities in order to supply markets outside of North America. Mexico's economy minister Marcelo Ebrard said in a social media post he talked with GM and said there is no expectation of any plant closure or layoffs at the automaker's Mexican plants. GM said it expects annual capital spending will be between $10 billion and $12 billion through 2027, reflecting increased U.S. investment, prioritization of key programs, and efficiency offsets. (Reporting by Kalea Hall and David Shepardson; additonal reporting by Kylie Madry in Mexico City Editing by Nia Williams) A convoy of military vehicles departs Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms late Monday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) After days of fiery protest against federal immigration raids, Los Angeles residents and officials braced for the arrival of hundreds of U.S. Marines on Tuesday in what some called an unprecedented and potentially explosive deployment of active-duty troops with hazy mission objectives. As Trump administration officials vowed to crack down on "rioters, looters and thugs," state and local officials decried the mobilization of 700 troops from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, calling it a clear violation of law and civility. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass even likened the deployment to "an experiment" that nobody asked to be a part of. According to the U.S. Northern Command, which oversees troops based in the United States, the Marines will join "seamlessly" with National Guard troops under "Task Force 51 the militarys designation of the Los Angeles forces. The Marines, like the Guard, they said, have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and rules for the use of force. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot told The Times on Tuesday that the Marines in Los Angeles were limited in their authority, deployed only to defend federal property and federal personnel. They do not have arrest power, he said. "They are not law enforcement officers, and they do not have the authority to make arrests," Guillot said. "There are very unique situations where they could detain someone ... but they could only detain that person long enough to hand it off to a proper law enforcement official." But military experts have raised practical concerns about the unclear parameters of the Marines objective. They also warn that sending in Marines without a request from a governor a highly unusual step that has not been made since the civil rights era in 1965 could potentially inflame the situation. U.S. Marines are trained for overseas conflict zones, with deployments in recent decades in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. But the roles they have played in those nations including providing artillery support to coalition forces fighting against Islamic State militants and advising and training local security forces are quite different from what they might face as they confront protesters in Los Angeles. Marines are trained to fight, that's the first thing they're trained to do," said Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, a military research group. "So I think you do have a little bit of mismatch in skills here." "In a crisis, when they're forced to make a snap decision, do they have enough training and experience to make the one that de-escalates the situation rather than escalates it? I think that's a question mark, Kavanagh said. Hours after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told congressional lawmakers Tuesday that the mobilization of troops to Los Angeles to curtail protests would cost $134 million, President Trump told U.S. Army troops at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina that he deployed thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines "to protect federal law enforcement from the attacks of a vicious and violent mob." But city and state officials have repeatedly said that troops are not necessary to contain the protests. On Monday night, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the deployment of Marines a blatant abuse of power and filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the deployment. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell warned that absent clear coordination the prospect of Marines descending on Los Angeles presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city. However, Guillot said coordinating among different agencies "hasn't been a challenge to us at all." "I think people understand that we're there for a very specific purpose," he said. "We're very highly trained, professional and disciplined, and people have been very cooperative so far." By Tuesday afternoon, all 700 Marines had arrived in the Greater Los Angeles area, Guillot said. At least one convoy of U.S. Marine vehicles from Twentynine Palms had arrived at Orange Countys Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach under police escort. The mobilized Marines and National Guard troops will be stationed in facilities across the region, including Seal Beach, Los Alamitos and a number of National Guard armories, Guillot said. He didn't provide further details. Over the last few days, National Guard members have already been stationed at a few federal buildings and have accompanied Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on missions, Guillot said. He expects Marines will be mobilized on the ground Wednesday, if not Tuesday evening, after wrapping up final training. It is rare for U.S. Marines to be sent to an American city. The last time they were deployed in the U.S. was after riots broke out in Los Angeles in 1992 after the acquittal of four LAPD officers who were recorded beating a Black motorist, Rodney G. King. Back then, President George H.W. Bush acted at the request of California Gov. Pete Wilson and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley after what The Times described as three days of the worst urban unrest in Los Angeles history. Deploying Marines to Los Angeles is not only a dramatic escalation of events, but also potentially illegal, according to Abigail Hall, a defense scholar and senior fellow at the Independent Institute, a nonprofit think tank based in Oakland. Bringing in the Marines to L.A., she said, violates the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law enacted after the Civil War, which forbids active-duty federal forces to provide regular civilian law enforcement unless authorized by Congress or the president invokes the Insurrection Act. Trump has yet to invoke the Insurrection Act. I don't see any way that this is not a direct violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, Hall said. We're not at war, we've not invoked the Insurrection Act of 1807 and even if we did, that's what the National Guard is for. It's not what the Marines are for. Kavanagh didn't comment on the deployment's legality, but called it unprecedented in modern times. She worried that could make its mission and parameters unclear for troops. The last time the military was deployed without a governor's request or approval, military experts said, was to facilitate court-ordered desegregation in Southern states during the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Kori Schake, senior fellow and director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, said the Trump administration appeared to be trying out a new way to get around the restrictions on domestic law enforcement by the American military. The authority the president is claiming is his constitutional authority under what's called the Take Care clause ... he's claiming the federal responsibility to protect federal agents and federal property operations. That authority has never been tested in court. Such an approach, Schake said, was fraught with more than legal risk. If violence burgeons, tempers are running high, the Marines are armed, this could spiral out of control, Schake said. The L.A. deployment, Kavanagh said, could also be a jarring mission for Marines who signed up to go abroad and defend Americas freedom and instead are facing off with fellow citizens. Does everyone know the rules of engagement? Kavanagh asked of the L.A. mission. Are they clear? She also worried that the troops deployed to L.A. are likely to have some of the most limited experience. Guard members are not full time and undergo less frequent training, and Marines retain the youngest service members of all the military branches. Nearly three-quarters of active-duty enlisted members of the Marine Corps are 25 or younger, according to a 2022 Department of Defense report. The average age is 24, compared with 27 for the Army and 28 for the Air Force. Schake, however, pointed out that although Marines may be the youngest cohort in the military, they are well trained in de-escalation tactics. The wars that the United States has been fighting for the last 25 years have required incredible discipline on the use of force by the military in Afghanistan and in Iraq in particular, so they are trained for de-escalating conflict, Schake said. I think actually, it's quite possible they're better trained at de-escalation of violence than the police forces are. In that sense, Schake said she was less worried about violence on the streets than about "creeping authoritarianism." The way the president, that Homeland secretary, the secretary of Defense, the White House press spokesman are talking is incendiary and reckless," Schake said. "They're calling the city of Los Angeles where 1 in 40 Americans live a hellscape, and everybody in the city a criminal. They're describing protests that are really peaceful as an insurrection. And that's a very reckless thing to do in a difficult situation." Times staff writers Hayley Smith and Christopher Buchanan 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. A coral reef in Raja Ampat Indonesia has suspended four nickel mining operations in Raja Ampat, a popular tourist destination renowned for diving and snorkelling. The decision was announced on Tuesday by Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, who said that the government had revoked the mining operation permits following a Cabinet meeting in Jakarta. Raja Ampat, located in Southwest Papua province, spans nearly 20,000 square kilometres and boasts 75 per cent of the world's coral species and over 1,600 fish species. The area is a designated Unesco Global Geopark with marine conservation zones managed by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. Mr Lahadalia said the decision was prompted by an investigation by the Ministry of Environment, which revealed "several violations in the environmental context" by the four companies holding mining permits in Raja Ampat. None of the four companies had started nickel operations as they failed to gain government approval for their Work Plan and Expenditure Budget, he said. Indonesias Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia (AP) Last week, Greenpeace Indonesia and Papuan Youth staged a peaceful protest during the Indonesia Critical Minerals Conference & Expo. They demanded the closure of five nickel mining companies operating in Raja Ampat, including PT Gag Nikel, a subsidiary of state-owned mining company PT Aneka Tambang. The government suspended nickel mining operations at four of the five companies. The fifth, Gag Nikel, has been allowed to continue its operations on Gag Island as it lies outside the geopark area, Mr Lahadalia said. Gag Island is about 42 kilometres (26 miles) west of Piyanemo, a popular diving spot in Raja Ampat. Gag Nikel has a concession area of 130 square kilometres (50 square miles). It produced around three million wet metric tons of nickel in 2024, and is expected to produce the same amount in 2025 and 2026. Mr Lahadalia said Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has instructed him, along with ministers for the environment and forestry, to closely monitor Gag Nikel's mining operation. We are really serious in our intent to protect the environment in Raja Ampat," Mr Lahadalia said. We want to produce nickel that is environmentally friendly and acceptable (to the worlds standard). A Goldmouth Sea Squirt pictured off Kri Island, Raja Ampat (Getty) Indonesia has the largest nickel reserves in the world and aims to dominate global nickel supply. Its nickel ore lies in shallow deposits, easily accessible when the rainforest is cut down. In 2023, the country was responsible for more than half the supply of nickel globally. The country has gone from having two nickel smelters to 27 over the last decade and plans to open 22 more, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights. Nickel was once known mainly for making stainless steel, but demand has skyrocketed as automakers like Tesla use it to make electric vehicle batteries and larger battery makers use it in clean electricity projects. Rapid growth of Indonesia's nickel industry has already led to environmental degradation across several regions on Sulawesi Island, said Greenpeace forest campaigner Iqbal Damanik. Now nickel mining is also threatening Raja Ampat, a place that is often called the last paradise on Earth, the campaigner said. Over 500 hectares of forest and vegetation have been cleared for nickel mines on the West Papua islands of Gag, Kawe and Manuran, according to Greenpeace Indonesia. The three islands are classified as small islands. Indonesias law on the management of coastal areas and small islands prohibits mining as it could lead to soil runoff and sedimentation that endangers coral reefs and marine ecosystems. By Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has launched a formal review of a defense pact that former President Joe Biden made with Australia and the United Kingdom to allow Australia to acquire conventionally armed nuclear submarines, a U.S. defense official told Reuters. The formal Pentagon-led review is likely to alarm Australia, which sees the submarines as critical to its own defense as tensions grow over China's expansive military buildup. It could also throw a wrench in Britain's defense planning. AUKUS, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, is at the center of a planned expansion of Britain's submarine fleet. "We are reviewing AUKUS as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the President's America First agenda," the U.S. official said of the review, first reported by Financial Times. "Any changes to the administration's approach for AUKUS will be communicated through official channels, when appropriate." AUKUS, formed in 2021 to address worries about China's growing power, allows Australia to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines and other advanced weapons such as hypersonic missiles. Vocal skeptics among Trump's senior policy officials include Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's top policy adviser. In a 2024 talk with Britain's Policy Exchange think-tank, Colby cautioned that U.S. military submarines were a scarce, critical commodity, and that U.S. industry could not produce enough to meet American demand. They would also be central to U.S. military strategy in any confrontation with China centered in the First Island Chain, running from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines and on to Borneo, enclosing China's coastal seas. "My concern is why are we giving away this crown jewel asset when we most need it," Colby said. The Australian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a British government spokesperson called AUKUS "one of the most strategically important partnerships in decades" that also produces "jobs and economic growth in communities across all three nations." "It is understandable that a new administration would want to review its approach to such a major partnership, just as the UK did last year," the official said, adding that Britain will "continue to work closely with the U.S. and Australia ... to maximize the benefits and opportunities" of the pact. The U.S. National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but one official told Reuters the administration "is regularly reviewing foreign agreements to ensure they align with the American people's interests especially those initiated under the failed Biden foreign policy agenda." AUSTRALIA'S BIGGEST DEFENSE INVESTMENT AUKUS is Australia's biggest-ever defense project, with Canberra committing to spend A$368 billion ($240 billion) over three decades to the program, which includes billions of dollars of investment in the U.S. production base. On Tuesday, the British government announced plans to invest billions of pounds to upgrade its submarine industry, including at BAE Systems in Barrow and Rolls-Royce Submarines in Derby, to boost the submarine production rate as announced in Britains Strategic Defence Review. Britain said this month it would build up to 12 next-generation attack submarines of the model intended to be jointly developed by the UK, U.S. and Australia under AUKUS. Only six countries operate nuclear submarines: the U.S., the UK, Russia, China, France and India. AUKUS would add Australia starting in 2032 with the U.S. sale of Virginia-class submarines. Before that, the U.S. and Britain would start forward rotations of their submarines in 2027 out of an Australian naval base in Western Australia. Later, Britain and Australia would design and build a new class of submarines, with U.S. assistance, with the first delivery to the UK in the late 2030s and to Australia in the early 2040s. Speaking in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said "we're having honest conversations with our allies." On Australia, Hegseth said: "We want to make sure those capabilities are part of how they use them with their submarines, but also how they integrate with us as allies." Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who signed a previous agreement to acquire French submarines shelved in favor of AUKUS, told CNBC last week it was "more likely than not that Australia will not end up with any submarines at all, but instead, simply provide a large base in Western Australia for the American Navy and maintenance facilities there." John Lee, an Australian Indo-Pacific expert at Washingtons conservative Hudson Institute think tank, said the Pentagon review was "primarily an audit of American capability" and whether it could afford to sell up to five submarines when it was not meeting its own production targets. Kathryn Paik, a member of Biden's NSC now with the Australia program at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, called Colby's logic "flawed" and said providing submarines to Australia would not sacrifice U.S. readiness "flawed" but instead boost collective deterrence. "This review most definitely makes our allies in Canberra and London concerned, and could cause them to doubt U.S. reliability as an ally and partner," she said. (Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, and David Brunnstrom in Washington and Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Don Durfee and David Gregorio) Sir Keir Starmer has sanctioned two far-right Israeli ministers over their monstrous comments about the war in Gaza. The UK has joined international allies Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway in freezing the assets of Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich and putting them under travel bans. The prime minister said anyone looking at the situation in Gaza would be shocked, adding that the UK was stronger working with other countries than doing it alone. Israeli foreign secretary Gideon Saar said the sanctions against Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich were outrageous (AFP/Getty) The move will be seen as an effort by the UK to ramp up pressure on the Israeli government amid aid shortages in Gaza, but it marks a break with the United States, which is not expected to join. The announcement sparked an immediate row between the UK and Israel, with the countrys foreign minister describing the move as outrageous. Gideon Saar said he had spoken with Benjamin Netanyahu and that an Israeli response would be discussed at a meeting early next week. He said: We were informed about the UK decision to include two of our ministers on the British sanctions list. It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kind of measures. I discussed it earlier today with PM Netanyahu, and we will hold a special government meeting early next week to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision. Israels national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (AP) MPs welcomed the move, but called for Sir Keir to go further in support of Palestinians. Foreign affairs committee chair Emily Thornberry said: I and others have been calling for sanctions on these extremist Israeli ministers for the better part of a year. The government is finally doing the right thing. This must be a precursor to recognising a Palestinian state next week not an alternative to it. And former minister Louise Haigh said the move was welcome, but added: These sanctions must undermine the Israeli governments war on Gaza and if they dont, must be extended to Netanyahu and other members of the government. The ministers are both highly ranked in Mr Netanyahus coalition government. Mr Ben-Gvir is the security minister, and Mr Smotrich is the finance minister. Both men will face a travel ban and see their assets frozen. Mr Smotrich and Mr Ben-Gvir both belong to far-right parties which help to prop up Mr Netanyahus fragile coalition. Bezalel Smotrich, left, with Benjamin Netanyahu (AFP/Getty) Both have been criticised for their hardline stance on the war in Gaza. Mr Smotrich has campaigned against allowing aid into Gaza, while Mr Ben-Gvir has called for Gazas people to be resettled from the territory. In a joint statement with his counterparts from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, Mr Lammy said: We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution and will continue to work with our partners towards its implementation. It is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long-term stability in the region, but it is imperilled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now to hold those responsible to account. We will strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of the remaining hostages by Hamas, which can have no future role in the governance of Gaza, a surge in aid and a path to a two-state solution. In May, Mr Lammy announced that the UK was suspending free trade agreement talks with Israel and sanctioning some West Bank settlers in response to Israels wartime policies. He accused Mr Netanyahu of planning to drive Gazans from their homes into a corner of the [Gaza] Strip and permitting them just a fraction of the needed aid. Minister Smotrich even spoke of Israeli forces cleansing Gaza, destroying whats left, of resident Palestinians being relocated to third countries. We must call this what it is. It is extremism. It is dangerous. It is repellent. It is monstrous. And I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. (Reuters) -The United States and Mexico are negotiating a deal to reduce or eliminate President Donald Trump's 50% steel tariffs on imports up to a certain volume, industry and trade sources said on Tuesday. An industry source familiar with the talks said that a likely outcome would include a quota arrangement, under which a specified volume from Mexico could enter duty free or at a reduced rate and any imports above that level would be charged the full 50% tariff. It was unclear whether the deal would eliminate tariffs altogether for in-quota steel import volumes from Mexico or reduce them to a lower level, the source said. The specific volume level of the quota also was not yet determined. Bloomberg News first reported the negotiations over tariff reductions for Mexican steel, quoting people familiar with the matter as saying that the two sides were close to a deal. The report said that terms of the agreement had not been finalized but would allow U.S. companies to import Mexican steel tariff-free as long as total shipments are kept below a level based on historical trade volumes. A White House spokesperson declined comment, while a spokesperson for the Commerce Department which administers Trump's "Section 232" national security tariffs on steel and aluminum did not respond to a request for comment. Mexico was the third largest source of U.S. steel imports in 2024 at 3.52 million net tons, down 16% from 4.18 million in 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data compiled by the American Iron and Steel Institute. Canada was the largest foreign steel supplier at 6.56 million net tons in 2024, followed by Brazil at 4.5 million. When Trump first imposed 25% steel tariffs in 2018, Mexico and Canada were granted exemptions with special procedures aimed at curbing any import surges beyond historical volumes. But these measures stopped short of a formal quota arrangement such as that for Brazil. Trump canceled all steel and aluminum quotas, exemptions and exclusions in April to strengthen the metals tariffs, raising the effective rate. A second trade source told Reuters that industry officials were pressing for a clearly defined steel quota arrangement for Mexico, given past import surges from Mexico. U.S. officials have long sought to curb the transshipment of steel products from third countries such as China via Mexico to the United States. Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard told reporters at a morning event that the government had argued to U.S. officials that the tariffs were unjustified, noting the United States runs a trade surplus with Mexico in steel and aluminum. "Putting a tariff on a product where you have a surplus is quite debatable because the objective of the tariff is to reduce the deficit," he added. Ebrard said countries like the UK had been exempted from similar measures and urged the U.S. to do the same with Mexico. He warned the tariffs would hurt jobs and supply chains in both countries due to their economic integration. (Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones and Natalia Siniawski in Mexico City and David Lawder in Chicago; Editing by Sonali Paul) A long line goes through the Transportation Security Administration checkpoints at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Photo by Spencer Pauley | The Center Square (The Center Square) Members of the Port of Seattle Commission were joined by state and Seattle leaders to decry President Donald Trumps recent travel bans against 12 countries, warning that it could harm the Pacific Northwest's economy and immigrants. Trump issued the travel ban last week after a man firebombed people in Boulder, Colo., who were demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages. He said the incident underscored extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted. In addition, he pointed to high rates of visa overstays. The countries listed on the ban include largely African and Middle Eastern nations like Afghanistan, the Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Iran and Somalia, among others. Egypt, the home country of Boulder attack suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, is not listed in the travel ban. On Monday, the Port of Seattle Commission issued a Monday statement saying the Trump administrations series of immigration policy changes will not make our country safer but instead damage our global reputation and make the U.S. a less attractive destination for immigrants, tourists, and other travelers. Although the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport does not provide direct flights to or from the countries listed, the commissioners say the ban sends a message to the rest of the world that foreign travelers are not welcomed, which could impact tourism to the region. [The order] has the potential to harm travel, commerce, and trade in the Pacific Northwest and nationally while promoting discrimination and exclusion, the commissioners said in Monday's statement. Just outside of the airport, Port of Seattle Commissioner Hamdi Mohamed a native of Somalia joined the nonprofit organization One America and some elected-officials in a press conference regarding the travel bans impacts on the local community at the airport on Tuesday. Guest speakers included Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, among others. Brown disputes Trumps claim that the ban improves national security, calling the order racist and that it harms people from the banned countries. This ban sweeps up medical patients, students, families and people fleeing persecution," Brown said. "Those people are not national security risks; they add value to this country, and its obvious that this order is driven by Donald Trumps bleak, absurd social views." Brown said his office is actively looking at ways to challenge the travel ban, but notes that it will be difficult due to an increasingly hostile U.S. Supreme Court. The Washington Attorney Generals Office has filed 21 cases against the Trump administration so far this year. Washington was the first state to file a lawsuit against Trump for his travel ban on Middle East and North African countries in 2017. Ferguson was the attorney general at that time. The governor said it is difficult to see a new travel ban eight years after the one in 2017, which was blocked by a federal judge in Washington in February 2017. CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) Doug Skaff Jr., a West Virginia newspaper executive and former Democratic legislative leader, died Tuesday following an accident on Interstate 79. He was 48. Skaff was president of HD Media, which publishes the Charleston Gazette-Mail, the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington and several other state newspapers. The Gazette-Mail announced Skaffs death on its website Tuesday night. Details of the accident, which the newspaper said occurred in Lewis County in north-central West Virginia, werent immediately released. An operator who answered the telephone for the Lewis County state police office said she had no further information. Skaff served in the supermajority-Republican state House of Delegates for nearly 11 nonconsecutive years representing Kanawha County. He resigned his seat in 2023 and switched to the GOP before a failed campaign for secretary of state in 2024. Skaff also was interim executive director of the West Virginia Press Association and recently was part of an ownership group that purchased a popular restaurant in Charleston. Skaff planned to run for state Senate next year, according to the secretary of state's website. I am heartbroken to hear about the passing of our friend Doug Skaff, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said on the social platform X. Doug was a longtime state legislator, the Minority Leader of the West Virginia House of Delegates, and omnipresent in the Charleston community. He will be greatly missed by many. Skaff is survived by his wife and three sons. Doug Skaff was more than just a colleague; he was a friend to many of us, even after he left the legislature," West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin said in a statement. His humor was infectious, and his dedication to his family, particularly his love for his children, was evident in everything he did. Oregon officials ticketed over 100 commercial truck drivers and temporarily ordered them off the road because they illegally bypassed open weigh stations, the Oregon Department of Transportation, or ODOT, announced in a news release Monday, June 9. Investigators ticketed the drivers, who in April and early May bypassed open weigh stations. Investigators also ordered the drivers to temporarily stay off the road, ODOT said. We take weigh station bypass very seriously and are taking enforcement action against it, said ODOT Commerce and Compliance Interim Division Administrator Carla Phelps in the release. The goal of this operation was to remove fatigued and unqualified drivers from Oregon roads to prevent fatal commercial truck collisions with the traveling public. Heres what to know about the operation leading to the tickets and out-of-service orders. A photo of the Cascade Locks weigh station in Oregon. Where did the bypasses occur? The Oregon Department of Transportation Commerce and Compliance Division and the Oregon State Police were part of the operation, which took place along interstate 84 at: La Grande weigh station Emigrant Hill weigh station Cascade Locks port of entry Umatilla port of entry Farewell Bend port of entry How many drivers were involved? In April and early May, more than 490 commercial truck drivers bypassed the open weigh stations, ODOT said. Officials from ODOT and the Oregon State Police stopped the trucks and escorted them back, then inspected the trucks for compliance with licensing and hours-of-service regulations. Of the drivers and trucks stopped, 122 were placed out-of-service or temporarily prohibited from driving a commercial vehicle, ODOT said. Before they could continue driving, their vehicles were inspected for state and federal violations, which they had to correct. A weigh station sign. Drivers had false logs, officials say Commercial truck drivers use logs to record their daily activities, including their time spent driving, on duty, off duty, and in sleeper cabs, ODOT said. During the operation, inspectors found false logs and multiple electronic logging devices that had been tampered with and were producing fictional logs. ODOT said driver logs are important because they limit how long drivers can work without taking breaks. Which vehicles are required to weigh in? Commercial vehicles and vehicle combinations weighing more than 20,000 pounds must stop and weigh in when there are signs posted, Oregon officials said. When signs are not posted, all commercial vehicles and vehicle combinations with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or more must stop. Some vehicles that are exempt include: Empty log trucks and bunked pole trailers Fire equipment with red warning lights and/or siren operating Recreational vehicles operated solely for personal use A bus, unless required by signage to enter scale Military vehicles in convoy Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Officials order over 100 truckers off road for bypassing weigh stations NASHVILLE The high-ranking federal prosecutor who resigned the day Kilmar Abrego Garcia was indicted has prosecuted major cases and led the massive investigation into a 2020 Christmas Day bombing. Ben Schrader resigned from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Tennessee on May 21 after 10 years, serving as chief of the criminal division since March 2024. His predecessor called Schrader one of the best I ever worked with. While Schrader has not publicly shared the reason for his resignation and declined to speak for this story, Reuters and ABC News reported Abrego Garcias indictment led to Schrader's departure, based on conversations with unnamed sources. He called his tenure in the office an incredible privilege. It has been an incredible privilege to serve as a prosecutor with the Department of Justice, where the only job description I've ever known is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons, Schrader wrote in a post to LinkedIn the day he left the prosecutors office. The federal government illegally deported Abrego Garcia on March 15 to El Salvador, where he was imprisoned at a maximum-security prison. He was incarcerated for two months without being charged with a crime. Abrego Garcia's deportation, which occurred while he had a protective order barring his expulsion from the country, sparked outrage and prompted a rebuke from all levels of the judiciary. A district judge in Maryland ruled the Trump administration acted illegally, and the Supreme Court unanimously ordered the government to begin the process of retruning him on April 10. The Trump administration dug in its heels, refusing to bring Abrego Garcia back and maintaining that he is a member of the gang MS-13, an allegation included in the recently unsealed federal indictment. In May, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Abrego Garcia would never return. Jennifer Vasquez Sura, wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who lived in the U.S. legally with a work permit and was erroneously deported to El Salvador, looks on during a press conference with other family members, supporters and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in Washington, D.C., on April 9, 2025. Abrego Garcia was indicted in the U.S District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee May 21 on charges of conspiracy to transport aliens and unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. The case hit the news on June 6, when the indictment was unsealed and the government brought Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. He is scheduled to return to court on June 13, where federal prosecutors will argue he needs to be detained while the charges are pending. He is in U.S. Marshals custody; the Marshal's Office said it does not share the location of pre-trial detainees. Ben Schrader led the investigation into a Christmas Day 2020 bombing in Nashville. Schrader, a native of the Tampa area, attended Yale University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history in 2003, while also studying African history at Oxford University for a semester in 2002. He attended Vanderbilt Law School in 2006 and graduated in 2009. Schrader began his legal career in 2010 as an assistant U.S. attorney in the federal prosecutors office in Washington, D.C. In 2015, he came to the Middle District of Tennessee. Big cases From 2017 to 2023, the chief of the offices criminal division was Brent Hannafan. Ben is one of the best AUSAs I ever worked with, Hannafan wrote in an email. Hes smart, diligent, and resourceful. He was both well-liked by his colleagues and law enforcement agents and respected by the Judges. Hannafan said Schrader was the attorney who led the investigation into the 2020 Christmas Day bombing, which destroyed dozens of buildings in and around Second Avenue in Nashville. Your leadership in the Nashville bombing is unmatched and the city owes you such a debt for your dedication in investigating what happened downtown, a former colleague commented on Schraders resignation post on LinkedIn. Ben Schrader also prosecuted Wesley Somers for trying to burn down the Nashville City Hall on May 30, 2020, during protests over the death of George Floyd. One of Schraders most notable prosecutions was of Wesley Somers referred to as the face of the attempt to burn down City Hall in court records. During protests against the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Somers was caught on camera lighting a sign on fire, placing it through a window of the Nashville Metropolitan Courthouse and spraying accelerant on the fire. Somers pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022. Another major case was Schraders prosecution of six defendants in a RICO case in Clarksville, where members of the Gangsters Disciples street gang engaged in drug trafficking, murder and witness intimidation for more than a decade. The defendants were sentenced to dozens of years in prison in 2019. Schrader and Hannafan tried two cases together, Hannafan said, including a 2015 case in which a Texas couple convicted of drug dealing and money laundering were sentenced to 20 years in prison. Hannafan called Schrader an outstanding trial attorney. Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on USATNetwork: Who's Ben Schrader? Prosecutor quit the day Abrego Garcia was indicted In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, welcomes Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during the UkraineSoutheast Europe Summit in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) Serbias Russia-friendly leader made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Wednesday for a summit on strengthening European support for Kyiv's fight against Russian aggression, but he refused to sign a joint declaration calling for tougher sanctions against Moscow. It was President Aleksandar Vucic's first visit to Ukraine since taking office over a decade ago. He attended the summit between Ukraine and 12 Southeast European states in Odesa. While saying he wants Serbia to join the European Union, Vucic has maintained close relations with Russia. He defied EU warnings and attended Russias Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9. EU officials said it was inappropriate for Vucic to stand side by side with President Vladimir Putin, considering Moscows invasion of Ukraine. Vucic told Serbian media on Wednesday that the signing of the anti-Russian declaration wasnt easy and simple for us," and he abstained, noting its mention of sanctions as one reason. But I would like to once again express my full gratitude to President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy for the exceptional hospitality here in Odessa," Vucic added. Serbia, which relies almost fully on Russia for its energy supplies, has refused to join Western sanctions on Russia imposed after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, though it officially supports Ukraines territorial integrity. Vucic's visit to Ukraine comes weeks after Russia accused Serbia of exporting arms to Ukraine, calling it a stab in the back by its longtime Balkan ally. The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service alleged that the exports were going through NATO intermediaries, primarily the Czech Republic, Poland and Bulgaria. Recently, exotic options involving African states have also been used for this purpose. Serbia has neither admitted nor denied reports that it has been providing ammunition to Ukraine, but it has promised Russia it would open an official investigation into the matter. WASHINGTON On blistering summer days, the sprawling, tree-shaded park on the banks of the Potomac River is usually populated by tourists and picnickers.On June 11, the park was fenced off to civilians, and soldiers in fatigues roamed the area. Dozens of tanks and armored vehicles lined its streets in preparation to roll through the capital this weekend in the Army's 250th anniversary parade. Lt. Kaessey Thompson looked on in anticipation at the tanks. "I'm super excited," said Thompson, who volunteered to ride one of the tanks in the June 14 parade. "It's going to be a great experience." "It's definitely a once-in-a-lifetime event," said Sgt. Timothy Reid, who was standing beside a nearby Bradley armored vehicle. Army soldiers look at an M1A2 tank in West Potomac Park on June 11. Amid the sweltering summer heat, the soldiers kept busy. Several in helmets climbed on the top of a tank, one wielding a wrench to make adjustments. Another opened the top hatch of a Stryker and deftly climbed inside. Tanks that will appear in the parade line the roads of West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. Specialist Jonas Chu, a Stryker driver, said the experience means facing "new places, a lot of new crowds, and some pressure, because you're here with the Army." "It's really fun, and honestly nerve-wracking, but I'm excited to be here," he added. Chu said the Strykers are already mission capable getting them ready for the parade is just a matter of a little shining and polishing. Reid has operated Bradley fighting vehicles for nearly a decade, but never on the streets of a U.S. city. "I've done different trips throughout Germany... but nothing on the level of what's going to be happening in D.C.," he said. The tanks and armored vehicles arrived in Jessup, Maryland, on June 9 after a cross-country journey by train from Fort Cavazos in Texas. They were then strapped onto trucks and hauled to the park less than a mile from the Lincoln Memorial, where they will remain in place until the day of the parade. City officials have voiced concern about the toll the tanks' tracks could take on Washington's roads. In preparation, the Army Corps of Engineers has anchored steel plates along the parade route at spots where the tanks will make a turn. Most of those points are on the traffic circle surrounding the Lincoln Memorial, according to an Army map shared with reporters. Although the Army has said it would pay for any damage to the roads, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said in late May she was still "concerned." Soldiers said they were aware of the controversy surrounding the parade and concerns that it doubled as a birthday celebration for the president but said their work in Washington was focused on their duty as members of the military. Soldiers perform maintenance on an M1A2 Abrams tank that will be used in the June 14 parade. "It's a coincidence that it happens on the same day," said Reid, the Bradley operator. Chu, a Stryker driver, said his "main mission" is celebrating the Army's birthday. "Any other ones, that's just an added bonus." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Soldiers excited (and nervous) to drive tanks in DC military parade In Michigan rests an unlikely wonder: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Of all Americas national park sites, Sleeping Bear has the cuddliest, coziest, most wholesome name and it could totally murder you. (Huh, kinda like sleeping bears.) Kevin Kaiser via Getty Images Sleeping Bear Dune is nearly 450 feet tall with a 50 pitch, which you probably noticed in the photo above. There are signs to the left and right of this photo that can be summarized as, Dont be a moron. If you get stuck at the bottom of this dune, it will cost you $2,280 to get back up again. My partner and I took one look at this dune last fall and said, Oh no, I aint messin witchu. Besides, there was plenty to keep us entertained at the top of the sand: From there, you can witness the gradual process of humans giving up in real time. You get instant replays of what its like to fall down and not be able to get back up, over and over again. Sit down, grab a snack, and enjoy the show! This 450-foot ascent takes some up to two hours some years, Sleeping Bear Dunes has more search and rescue operations than Yellowstone National Park. And Mt. Rainier National Park. And Glacier National Park. Sleeping Bear? More like Mama Bear. Why is Sleeping Bear Dune so tall? Michael Deemer via Getty Images All jests at people who underestimate nature aside, this has got to make you wonder: Where the heck did all this sand come from? All this sand that is so much sand, it endangers lives? Normal dunes the ones where youre like, Okay, thats a dune I understand. The glaciers ripped everything up, made some deposits, and over thousands of years, waves have taken those deposits and sand particles and placed them up on the shore. Vegetation has done what it can to stabilize the sandy banks. Got it. But what about these massive dunes, like Sleeping Bear? Why doesnt that 400 feet of sand just fall down and have to pay $2,280 like everyone else? Does gravity not affect sand? If anything, shouldnt these dunes be getting smaller with time? Mmm no, it turns out. These dunes, so Im learning, are called perched dunes, or cliff-top dunes. Theyre incredibly uncommon, as their origin story can only happen one of two ways: 1) A dune advances up a pre-existing slope, which is then eroded to form a cliff 2) A dune forms during a period of high sea level, then sea level drops, exposing a cliff face. Perched dunes, from what I can find, are only common in two places: Michigan and Denmark. In Michigans case, the glaciers left gigantic morainespiles of sand and gravel that the ice pushed until it stoppedthat have now turned into these massive cliff-top dunes that are expensive to get trapped on. Its not quicksand, but its close. If you venture here, respect Mother Nature, go slowly, and be prepared with snacks. Flavio Vallenari/Getty Images Comacchio is a town in Emilia Romagna, located on the Po Delta. Venice is a bucket list destination for many, but as the city buckles under the crushing weight of overtourism, savvy travelers are beginning to look for alternatives. Enter Comacchio, a small town less than two hours away in Italys Emilia Romagna region. Located where the Po River Delta meets the Adriatic Coast, Comacchio is sometimes called the Little Venice because of its lagoon and canals. Fulvio De Bonis, the A-List Travel Advisor behind Imago Artis Travel suggests going for a stroll along its small alleys and canals, between glimpses and bridges (such as the Ponte dei Trepponti), which recall the metaphysical atmosphere of De Chiricos paintings. Aside from the canals and bridges, the town is known for its culinary specialities, in particular eels. The fish market dates back to the 17th century and local fishermen still sell their daily catch there. According to De Bonis, a visit to the ancient Manifattura dei Marinati is a must. He calls it a splendid example of industrial architecture, today a museum and workshop that preserves boats, equipment, documentaries and interviews that bear witness to the tradition of eel processing. The marinated eel produced in Comacchio is recognized as a Slow Food presidium. Throughout the year you can watch the fish being marinated and in the months of November and December the scenic fireplaces are lit to roast and marinate the eel according to the ancient Comacchio technique, he explains. This takes place in the Sala dei Fuochi, a massive room with 12 fireplaces, which is considered the heart of the complex. Marinated anchovies and sardines are also produced here. Unsurprisingly, the towns restaurants serve eel in more ways than you can imagine, but plenty of other seafood specialties appear on tables as well, from appetizers made with scallops or clams to spaghetti with crabs or risotto alla pescatore. Whatever you order, wash it down with some Bosco Eliceo, the crisp local white wine that falls under a DOC (Italys protected appellation system). History buffs will want to visit the Ancient Delta Museum inside the Antico Ospedale degli Infermi, which contains the cargo of an ancient Roman ship discovered in Comacchio in 1981. For nature lovers, De Bonis suggests a boat or bike excursion to the Salina di Comacchio and Valle Campo to discover the nesting places of numerous bird species, specifically the beautiful pink flamingos. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure Image Credit: Los Cabos Tourism Board. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing, right? As more people turn to travel to reset their minds and bodies, Los Cabos, Mexico, is quickly becoming one of the worlds top wellness destinations. Long known for its stunning beaches and grand luxury resorts, this Baja Peninsula region is now gaining attention for something deeper: the chance to heal, slow down, and reconnect. The shift comes just ahead of Global Wellness Day (June 14), a day celebrated in over 150 countries as a reminder to pause and prioritize health. According to tourism leaders in Los Cabos, nearly half of visitors in 2023 said health and wellness were top motivators for their trip, which is a clear sign that sun and sand alone no longer define the Cabo experience. From Party Destination to Peaceful Escape Los Cabos has seen its fair share of good parties, don't get me wrong. For years, Los Cabos had a reputation as a spring break and sportfishing capital. However, in recent seasons, it has quietly evolved into something more grounded. Wellness retreats, plant-based culinary programs, and sound bath ceremonies are now as common as the usual poolside cocktails. Resorts have invested heavily in meditation pavilions, hydrotherapy circuits, and locally inspired spa rituals that emphasize sustainability and connection. This isnt just about massages. Todays travelers are seeking something that feels emotionally restorative, whether its a beachfront yoga class at sunrise, a temazcal (Mesoamerican steam ceremony), or simply walking a serine desert trail in silence. A Global Trend, With Local Roots Whats happening in Los Cabos mirrors a much larger shift in how people think about travel. A recent report from the Global Wellness Institute found that wellness tourism is growing nearly twice as fast as general tourism worldwide. While many destinations are rushing to catch up, it seems that Cabo has a head start. The regions natural setting, where the desert meets the sea, has long drawn people seeking solitude. However, local wellness practitioners, chefs, and hoteliers are now shaping experiences rooted in Baja traditions, such as native herbal remedies and ocean-focused healing practices. More Than a Vacation, But a Mindset Shift Wellness tourism isnt just about indulgence. For many, its become a necessary reset, especially after years of pandemic-related stress and digital burnout. Cabos rise speaks to that new priority. Travelers are choosing destinations that align with a deeper desire to recharge, unplug, and feel good again. Some resorts are now offering sleep optimization programs, digital detox packages, and guided breathing workshops. Others are focusing on community-based wellness, where travelers meet with local artisans, farmers, and spiritual guides to find balance outside the spa. Los Cabos Isnt the Only One Investing in Wellness While Cabo is currently in the spotlight, its part of a growing wellness corridor across Latin America and the Caribbean. Other destinations, such as Costa Rica, Tulum, and parts of the Dominican Republic, are also ramping up their own wellness offerings. But Cabo stands out for combining accessibility (a two-hour flight from many U.S. cities) with high-end options and an authentic, earthy vibe that doesnt feel curated for Instagram alone. For travelers seeking to make their next trip not just a break but an actual reboot, Los Cabos is emerging as a compelling choice. Sara Haas Summer barbecues always make me think of corn on the cob, grilled hamburgers, watermelon, and of course, pasta salads. Its as if there is a summer party prerequisite that states its not a party unless pasta salad is on the table. I agree and I suppose that makes sense considering pasta salads can easily feed a crowd and most people like them. They also have the unique distinction of being a food thats better when made at least one day in advance. There are also an endless number of ways to make one, which means you could eat a different pasta salad every single day if you wantednot that we recommend it. But if youre looking for a good recipe, youre in the right place because we tested five different pasta salad recipes on the site and found a winner. Which Pasta Salad Recipes Did I Test We scoured our site, which is filled with fabulous recipes written by you, our readers, to find the best pasta salad recipe. Narrowing the list down proved challenging, but we came up with five, all with an average 4.5 star rating or higher, and put them to the test. How I Judged the Recipes I gathered a group of pasta salad fanatics and asked them to try each prepared recipe. They were given bowls of each, but not told the name, so as to prevent any bias. I asked them to try each recipe and then provide their thoughts on taste, texture and appearance. Once theyd tasted them all, I asked them to reveal their favorite. Here are the results. The Results Best Pasta Salad for Summer Barbecues: Sara Haas The recipe: Classic Macaroni Salad, submitted by Graden Average rating: 4.5 Rave review: Omg!!! Cant imagine ever wanting store bought!!! The amount of flavor to a common dish. If you are a macaroni salad person I promise you will want seconds and this recipe! FlashyTuna1119 Kudos to Graden for sharing a recipe thats amazingly simple to make. You have to chop a few vegetables, but that can easily be accomplished while your pasta cooks. The dressing is sweetmade with mayonnaise, white sugar, white vinegar, yellow mustard, salt and pepperand perhaps a bit overly so. My testers agreed the pasta salad was good but is dangerously close to being too sweet. Most of them said they wouldve liked it more if it had less sugar. The crunch of the celery, bell peppers, and onion was a nice contrast to the pasta and creamy dressing. It would make a great side dish for salty and spicy main dishes like hamburgers, blackened chicken, or fish or sausages. Next time, Ill make it with half the sugar! Best Pasta Salad for Using Pantry Staples Sara Haas The recipe: A Great Greek Pasta Salad, submitted by Behr Average rating: 4.6 Rave review: Excellent! My go to for a quick meal or a potluck. Definitely better after refrigeration. Me C The dressing for this pasta salad is one of the best of the bunch, and I loved that I had most of the ingredients used to make it already stocked in my pantry. Testers enjoyed all of the crisp vegetables as well as the salty feta cheese and black olives. Their only complaints were about the unnecessary amount of mushrooms and the use of macaroni versus another shape of pasta. Luckily, those two things can easily be adjusted. I would agree that three cups of sliced mushrooms is substantial. In fact, I didnt feel like they added much to the dish, so I would probably leave them out next time and add more bell peppers or tomatoes instead. I agreed that another pasta shape would be better, and would love to try it again using rotini or bow tie pasta. Best Pasta Salad For Bacon Lovers Sara Haas The recipe: Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad, submitted by Wilemon Average rating: 4.7 Rave review: I have been using this recipe for years. I originally stumbled across it when I was looking for a homemade version of a "Suddenly Salad" boxed salad that my husband and I liked. It's a staple for potlucks and picnics. SpeedyRoll8229 Bacon and ranch flavors were born to be on pasta! At least thats what one of my testers told me and I agree! I loved the smokey bacon flavor paired with the tangy, herby ranch dressingwhich was made by combining a few tablespoons of ranch salad dressing mix with garlic pepper, garlic powder, mayonnaise, and milk. Testers liked the flavor but felt like it needed more texture and perhaps some onion to play with the flavors of the bacon and ranch. I agree and would also recommend choosing a delicious bacon for this oneand if youre up for it, use a little bit of the leftover bacon fat to add to the dressing! Best Pasta Salad For Cured Meat Fans Sara Haas The recipe: Awesome Pasta Salad, submitted by Irlandes Average rating: 4.6 Rave review: Tasty, easy to make, and all you have to do is boil some pasta and add some chopped up goodies. Boundless iterations can keep it from getting repetitive. Zahira Malakh If youre a fan of cured meats, then youll love this pasta salad. My testers enjoyed the salty bits of pepperoni and salami, but also liked the dressing, which was ironically, a store-bought bottle of Italian dressing. While there is a bit of prep involved with cutting the meat and cheese, it didnt take me more than 15 minutes to prepare. I liked it, but felt kalamata olives wouldve been a better choice and I think some sliced scallions or red onion would bring some balance. As for the group, our final verdict was that the pasta salad was tasty, but very salty. Next time, Ill consider making my own vinaigrette dressing. Best Pasta Salad Overall Sara Haas The recipe: Club Chicken Pasta Salad, submitted by Lane J Average rating: 4.7 Rave review: This salad has such great flavors. The bacon is a must. I couldnt find a block of Muenster cheese so I used Monterey Jack and it was very good! I will definitely make this again! Susan The winning pasta salad recipe is everything thats awesome about pasta salad: great dressing, a variety of meats and cheese, and a solid amount of crisp, crunchy vegetables. My testers couldnt get enough of this club-style pasta salad and we easily finished the bowl. I loved the easy dressing which is made by combining Italian dressing with mayonnaiseso simple! I also liked that it included rotisserie chicken, which saved me from having to cook the chicken myself, and that it had just the right amount of crunchy, salty bacon to keep things interesting. The avocado was also a great addition that testers said added the perfect creaminess. While its delicious on its own, we thought it would be even more delicious served over lettuce, especially on a hot day. If youre after a pasta salad recipe thats flavorful and can easily serve as a complete meal, this Club Chicken Pasta Salad is it. Read the original article on ALLRECIPES London President Trump declared on Wednesday morning that a U.S. trade "deal with China is done." The U.S. leader offered a few key details of a "framework deal" reached between senior U.S. and Chinese trade representatives in London on Tuesday, but he acknowledged that both he and Chinese President Xi Jinping were both yet to formally sign off on the agreement. The U.S. and Chinese trade teams wrapped up two days of marathon negotiations in London close to midnight on Tuesday, with the sides saying they had agreed on a new "framework deal" to ease the trade war between the world's two largest economies. The tension had only increased in recent weeks, despite an agreement reached in Geneva during a first round of talks in May to put the steepest retaliatory tariffs on hold. Those record-high tariffs are due to kick back in on July 9, unless the agreement struck in London is in fact formalized by Trump and Xi. In month since the Geneva talks, Beijing had cut its exports of critical rare earth elements to the U.S. by half compared to the previous year, and the Trump administration said it would "aggressively revoke" the visas of Chinese students in the U.S. who were found to be linked to the Chinese Communist party. While the announcement by Mr. Trump's top negotiators on Tuesday evening of an agreed framework was thin on details, the president said in a post on his own Truth Social media platform Wednesday morning that it was "done, subject to final approval with president Xi and me." Delegations of China and the U.S. pose for a group photo prior to the first meeting of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism in London, England, June 9, 2025. / Credit: Li Ying/Xinhua/Getty Mr. Trump said the deal would see China maintain its current 10% tariffs on goods imported from the U.S., while the U.S. would keep 55% tariffs on Chinese imports. "President XI and I are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade," Mr. Trump added in a subsequent post. "This would be a great WIN for both countries!!!" There was no immediate confirmation from China's government of any terms agreed to in the framework, or whether President Xi intended to sign off on the deal. In Geneva, Beijing and Washington agreed in May to put their unprecedented tariffs of more than 100% on each other's imports on hold for 90 days. That brought U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports down to their current level of 30% after they briefly soared to around 145%. Chinese tariffs currently stand at 10%, after hitting 125% before the Geneva round of talks. Speaking Tuesday, Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang, who took part in the talks in London, confirmed the agreement on a framework, "in principle." On Wednesday, China's state-run media said the delegations had "made new progress," but offered no details. "The framework deal puts meat on the bones of an agreement reached last month in Geneva to ease bilateral retaliatory tariffs," U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters after the talks in London, which spanned six hours on Monday and then more than 12 hours into the evening on Tuesday. Lutnick said part of the objective of this week's second round of meetings was just to get "the negativity out" of the bilateral relationship, which had festered since the Geneva talks. "Now we can go forward to try to do positive trade, growing trade," he said. The U.S. wants China to resume and increase shipments of rare earths. The materials are vital to industries ranging from weapons and aerospace to electric vehicles and small consumer goods. On Wednesday, in his all-capital-letter social media post, Mr. Trump said under the agreement reached in London, "full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities." "Relationship is excellent!" added Mr. Trump. "At stake is the release of rare earths exports to U.S. manufacturers stockpiles are dwindling fast in exchange for aerospace parts and semiconductor programming technology to China," Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, told investors in a report. "A 'fail' would raise the risk of auto and aircraft production grinding to a halt as soon as next month. If that happens, economic growth will be severely dented for an unknown term." An accused woman skips her pedicure, kills her ex-husband Coons blasts Hegseth for request to eliminate funding for Ukraine's war against Russia Watch California Gov. Gavin Newsom's full speech on federal response to Los Angeles protests Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a stark warning about the threat of nuclear war in a video posted to her personal account on X, marking a sharp contrast with past comments made by President Donald Trump on the same topic. Gabbard, who recently visited Hiroshima, Japan, reflected on the devastation and "haunting sadness" caused by the atomic bomb dropped during World War II in a post on Tuesday. In the video, she warned that political elite and warmongers are fomenting fear and tension, pushing us closer to "the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before." The three-minute video shows Gabbard visiting several landmarks in Hiroshima. The video also describes in detail what a nuclear event could mean for the United States -- including a simulation of a nuclear attack on San Francisco, California, which appears to destroy the Golden Gate Bridge. MORE: Hegseth, Gabbard lead US delegation to major security summit in Singapore PHOTO: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a stark warning about the threat of nuclear war in a video she posted on social media on Tuesday. (@TulsiGabbard/X) Gabbard's remarks were similar to previous remarks she's made on the campaign trail, however, the video was posted days after she traveled to the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major Asian conference held in Singapore, earlier this month. "This isn't some made-up science fiction story. This is the reality of what's at stake, what we are facing now, because as we stand here today, closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before, political elite and warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers," Gabbard said in the video. PHOTO: Part of the video simulates a nuclear attack on San Francisco, destroying the Golden Gate Bridge. (@TulsiGabbard/Science Time/X) "Perhaps it's because they are confident that they will have access to nuclear shelters for themselves and for their families that regular people won't have access to," she added. Gabbard called on people to "speak up and demand an end to this madness." "We must reject this path to nuclear war and work toward a world where no one has to live in fear of a nuclear holocaust," Gabbard said. PHOTO: Tulsi Gabbard, who recently visited Hiroshima, Japan, reflected on the devastation caused by the atomic bomb dropped during World War II. (@TulsiGabbard/X) Gabbard's position is in sharp contrast to Trump's previous remarks on the use of nuclear weapons during WWII. In 2016, while campaigning in San Diego, California, Trump criticized then-President Barack Obama for visiting Hiroshima, calling him "pathetic." He added that he didn't care that Obama visited, "just as long as he doesn't apologize" for dropping the bomb: "Who cares." More recently, on Jan. 20, 2024, in Manchester, New Hampshire, Trump brought up Hiroshima again, this time to make a point about presidential immunity: "Hiroshima, not exactly a nice act, but it did end the second World War, probably. Right?" Earlier this year, Trump focused his nuclear war rhetoric mostly on Russia and China, saying in March that "it would be great if everybody would get rid of their nuclear weapons." Alexa Henning, Gabbard's deputy chief of staff, told ABC News that Gabbard and the president align on their plans for peace and prevention of war. "Acknowledging the past is critical to inform the future. President Trump has repeatedly stated in the past that he recognizes the immeasurable suffering, and annihilation can be caused by nuclear war, which is why he has been unequivocal that we all need to do everything possible to work towards peace," Henning said in a statement. "DNI Gabbard supports President Trump's clearly stated objectives of bringing about lasting peace and stability and preventing war." MORE: As Trump escalates immigration fight, Democrats face high-stakes test: ANALYSIS Gabbard's Tuesday remarks also echoed rhetoric from her time as a Democratic presidential candidate, when she warned about neoconservatives, neoliberals and Trump himself. In 2019, Gabbard said Trump "tore up the Iran nuclear agreement, and has taken action since, step by step, to further push us closer and closer to the brink of nuclear war, to the brink of war with Iran, that would be far more devastating than the war in Iraq, and leading us to the point where every single day that there is no nuclear deal with Iran, Iran is closer to developing a nuclear weapon." PHOTO: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House, April 10, 2025 in Washington. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) But when she endorsed Trump's 2024 presidential campaign as an independent last August, Gabbard shifted her focus to President Joe Biden. Speaking at the National Guard Association conference, she said the Biden-Harris "administration has us facing multiple wars on multiple fronts and regions around the world, and closer to the brink of nuclear war than we ever have been before." Gabbard's initial bid for president in 2020 was sparked by a mistaken ballistic missile alert that sent people in Hawaii into panic, thinking they were under attack. That moment inspired the former Hawaii congresswoman to center much of her campaign on ending wars and seeking peace. Although she has now aligned herself with the Republican Party and the Trump administration, this moment suggests Gabbard is still staking out an independent position on America's global posture -- one deeply rooted in her long-standing skepticism of the Washington establishment. Tulsi Gabbard warns of nuclear threat in social media video originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Authorities in the Houston area said on Tuesday, June 10, that two young girls who had been missing since Monday, June 9, were found safe. According to a Facebook post from the Harris County Sheriff's Office, both the 14-year-old and 11-year-old sisters are now safe after being missing for a day. "Thank you to everyone who helped share the alert. Your help made a difference," the post from the Harris County Sheriff's Office said. Both girls were last seen leaving their home in northwest Harris County on Monday. The reason behind their disappearance is unclear. 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 story was updated to include video and new information.) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2 missing sisters, ages 11 and 14, found safe in Houston area By Tom Polansek CHICAGO (Reuters) -U.S. meat producer Glenn Valley Foods was operating an Omaha, Nebraska, facility with about 30% of its staff on Wednesday after federal agents detained workers in an immigration raid the previous day, slashing the output of products it sells to grocery stores and restaurants, the company's president said. In the wake of Tuesday's sweep by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, livestock traders and market analysts expressed concerns that the potential deportation of undocumented workers from such raids could disrupt U.S. food production at a time when beef prices have soared and meat processors report a labor shortage. ICE agents detained about 74 to 76 workers out of roughly 140 at the Glenn Valley Foods plant, President Chad Hartmann said. Other workers did not show up on Wednesday because they felt afraid or traumatized, he said, adding that the facility's production dropped to about 20% of normal. Glenn Valley Foods sells steak, chicken and corned beef products to restaurants and grocery stores, according to its website. Retail beef prices have set records as the size of the U.S. cattle herd has declined to its lowest level in 70 years after a years-long drought raised feed costs. Consumer demand for steaks and hamburgers has stayed strong nevertheless. Glenn Valley Foods is trying to determine how long it will take to hire new employees, Hartmann said. "The hole that got punched into our business is staffing," he said. Livestock traders worried that immigration raids could slow meat companies' demand to buy cattle from farmers to process into beef, if the companies do not have enough workers. Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures came under pressure on Tuesday during the raid, after recently hitting records. "There's certainly going to be nervousness out there on where the labor situation goes, going forward," said Matt Wiegand, a commodity broker for risk management firm FuturesOne in Nebraska. Meatpackers still face an acute worker shortage, said Julie Anna Potts, president of the Meat Institute industry group. It worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, when major companies such as Tyson Foods temporarily shut plants because of a lack of workers. Glenn Valley used E-Verify, a federal database used for checking employees' immigration status. Hartmann said Homeland Security told him on Wednesday that there was no better system. "We will have to continue to use it," he said. ICE said a criminal investigation was ongoing into what immigration officials called a large-scale employment of immigrants who are present in the U.S. illegally. Footage of the Glenn Valley raid released by ICE showed agents searching the plant, restraining workers' hands and ankles, and taking them into custody. ICE officers have been intensifying efforts in recent weeks to deliver on U.S. President Donald Trump's agenda of record-level deportations. Tensions boiled over in Los Angeles over the weekend when protesters took to the streets after ICE arrested migrants at Home Depot stores, a garment factory and a warehouse, according to rights advocates. On Tuesday night, demonstrators marched in New York, Atlanta and Chicago. More than half of all meatpacking workers in the U.S. are immigrants, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a think tank. The Omaha World-Herald newspaper said on Tuesday that raids were also reported at local plants run by large meatpackers Tyson and JBS USA. Tyson and JBS told Reuters their facilities were not raided. (Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Aurora Ellis) (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins said the USDA would roll out a new initiative in the coming weeks to shore up American food security after the arrests of Chinese nationals accused of attempting to smuggle a fungus into the U.S., one that could be misused as an agroterrorism weapon. If we dont have food security in this country we will not have national security, Rollins told the Daily Caller News Foundation at an event flanked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. We will have a massive new initiative that will look at that specifically. The investigations, arrests and criminal complaints are just the first step, Rollins added. Rollins said the initiative would involve a wholesale look at everything at USDA, every piece of the agricultural community. The Department of Justice announced on June 3 that two Chinese nationals, Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, tried to smuggle a fungus called Fusarium graminearum that can wipe out staple crops like wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Blight caused by a Fusarium graminearum outbreak in 1996 cost American agriculture $1 billion. Exposure in humans and livestock can induce vomiting and cause liver damage and reproductive defects, according to the DOJ. The DOJ on Monday announced a third criminal complaint against a Chinese scientist accused of smuggling biological material into the U.S.(RELATED: Another Chinese National Busted Allegedly Smuggling Bio-Materials To University Of Michigan Lab) Kennedy, meanwhile, reiterated his support for ending dangerous gain-of-function studies that soup up viruses and other pathogens in the lab. One of the earliest and most famous examples involved H5N1 avian influenza, a virus ravaging American poultry. Weve put an end to all gain-of-function studies. It should have never been done, and it wont be done again, Kennedy said. Rollins pledged in May to end a partnership between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the USDA Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory facility in Athens, Ga. Gain-of-function studies are under a national moratorium while experts working with the White House and the National Institutes of Health hammer out the details of a more permanent ban, which is expected in September. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins (C), accompanied by (L-R) Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, and Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN), signs one of three new SNAP food choice waivers for the states of Idaho, Utah, and Arkansas. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) Ending SNAP For Junk Food Rollins and Kennedy made the remarks at an event celebrating Rollins signing waivers from three states to stop subsidizing the consumption of sodas and candies with taxpayer money under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Arkansas, Idaho and Utah. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Indiana Gov. Mike Braun were on hand for the event. The three new signatures bring the total number of states that disallow food stamps from funding junk food to six, Rollins said. Some states including Colorado, Kansas, Texas, Ohio, Florida and Louisiana are working out the technical details, she added. Rollins said her first step in office after being sworn in was to pen a letter to all 50 state governors asking them to participate in the Make America Healthy Again initiatives. Kennedy said ending taxpayer-funded sugar-sweetened beverage purchases was a commonsense step opposed by lobbying headwinds from representatives of the soda industry. Secretary Rollins told me, Yeah they came to my office. I asked her What did you tell them? She said Were paying for nutrition, and theres no nutrition in your product, Kennedy said. She said Its called the Supplemental Nutrition [Assistance] Program. Food stamps are a $119 billion federal program aimed at supplying nutrition to low-income Americans. But an estimated 23% of food stamp spending, $27 billion, subsidizes junk food.(RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House GOP Floats Proposal To Ensure Non-Citizens Do Not Receive Tax-Funded Food Stamps) If you said just a year ago that the waivers would be getting signed this quickly, I dont think most people would believe you, Sanders said. A 2014 study estimated that nationwide bans on SNAP subsidies for sugar-sweetened beverages would slash obesity by over 281,000 adults and 141,000 children. The senior author was Jay Bhattacharya, then an associate professor in health policy at Stanford University and now the director of the National Institutes of Health. When writing instructor Fred Durbin assigned his students to type letters to Tom Hanks on vintage typewriters, he hoped to teach them about deliberate writing. What he didn't expect was for the Hollywood star to personally respond to every single letter. "Everyone who wrote him a letter, he responded personally and carefully to the actual content of their letters," said Durbin, who teaches at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School near Pittsburgh. Student Makela Ciminella received a typed note that read: "I have horrible penmanship which is why I type. Thanks for the letter. Tom Hanks." Another student, Sarah Cowan, got a response saying: "Glad you took the time to type me a note. Took only a minute or so, right? But it might last for 500 years." Elena Cable admitted she was "pretty ashamed" after receiving a reply to her letter about Hugh Jackman. "I kind of wrote to him about Hugh Jackman," she laughed, explaining her embarrassment at writing to one actor about another. Durbin's typewriter assignment reflects a broader renaissance of the vintage writing machines, which are experiencing unexpected popularity across the country. At his school, typewriters have become the centerpiece of an entirely analog classroom designed to change how students approach writing. "Today, we think with our fingers, we try something, we put it on the screen and if we don't like it, we make a change," Durbin explained. "With a typewriter, you're thinking more in your head, you have to form that sentence and then you can commit it to paper." The author and typewriter collector, who owns a 1918 Oliver model among others, convinced department head Dan LeRoy to support the initiative as a way to draw students away from their digital lives. "Virtual reality doesn't just mean wearing a set of funny glasses, it means that you spend all day in a reality that you curate, that you cultivate, and you spend less and less time in the physical world," LeRoy said. "A typewriter forces you to be present in the physical world." The analog approach eliminates digital distractions entirely. "You can't check your social media. You can't scroll. You're just writing. Typewriter just has one purpose," Durbin said. The typewriter revival extends beyond classrooms. At Gramercy Typewriter in New York, technicians have been busy repairing vintage machines that never truly disappeared but were simply stored in attics and basements. Recent celebrity endorsements have fueled increased interest, particularly after Taylor Swift posted herself writing lyrics on a typewriter and featured one prominently in her "Fortnight" music video alongside Post Malone. Hanks, who spoke to correspondent Lee Cowan in 2017, is a well-known typewriter enthusiast with an extensive personal collection. Hanks has long championed the machines' appeal. "The sound of a typewriter is the sound of productivity," Hanks has said, calling one machine "a fine, manly typewriter" and noting that typewriters "got man to the moon." For Durbin, Hanks' personal responses to his students proved the power of thoughtful communication. "We try to teach kids that writing is like a superpower," he said. "If you can reach for the stars and a really big star reaches back, what can't you do as a writer? Where else might your words end up?" An accused woman skips her pedicure, kills her ex-husband LAPD chief speaks out about deployment of military forces to anti-ICE protests Sneak peek: The Day My Mother Vanished France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot addresses the audience during a plenary session on the second day of the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, on June 10, 2025. Credit - LUDOVIC MARIN/AFPGetty Images When French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Jean-Noel Barrot last September as his new Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairsthe fourth during eight years in powersome feared the 42-year-old economist might be totally eclipsed by the countrys kinetic leader. Indeed, Macron has zipped furiously across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia all year, negotiating deals on climate, trade, military assistance, and peace, some of it in an effort to fill an aching vacuum left by Washington. For all that, Barrot, who spent a few years teaching at MIT, has emerged as a fervent voice for his bosss agenda, attempting to give the world a global-minded alternative to an increasingly inward-looking U.S. This week, that contrast is on stark display in the sun-baked Provence city of Nice, where thousands are gathered for the U.N.'s Oceans Conference. The hope is that after five days of talks and speeches, nations will agree to international controls on fishing, deep-sea mining, wildlife conservation, and other issues, in order to stanch the rapid degradation of oceans, crucial to reining in global warming. Delegations of top government officials, presidents, and prime ministers from about 170 countries are among the crowds. Absent: The U.S. At the end of the hectic opening day on Monday, Barrot sat down with TIME to reflect on the impact of a deeply changed global order, and what can be done. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. TIME: The U.S. administration is not represented here. Did they decline the invitation, or did they never say whether they were coming? Barrot: Everyone was invited. This is a U.N. conference, so any U.N. member country is invited to come. But I cannot help but notice that many U.S. organizations are present. We have U.S. scientists. We have the Mayor of New Orleans, the Mayor of New York, the Mayor of Los Angeles. This is a really crucial global summit. Are you saying it doesnt matter whether the U.S. takes itself out of the whole process? Because of course, it is not just the oceans. One thing is true: Europe will never give up on multilateralism, on cooperation. We believe it is in the interest of mankind, but it's also in our own interests. We're seeing many countries around the world, in Africa, in Latin America, in Southeast Asia, that are looking at France and Europe to resist. They're looking at us and expecting us to resist the temptation by some to go back to confrontation, fears of coercion. And it is our intention to build coalitions whenever traditional multilateral forums are not effective, to show that there is only one way to solve the global issues we're facing, the consequences of which are going to affect our daily lives, [which] is by multilateral means. That feels a bit like you're climbing uphill. You've got to put together a coalition, and build this multilateralism, without a key player involved. No. What I'm saying is that we will defend multilateralism in all areas. We're celebrating the 80th anniversary of the U.N. this year. They built those that came before us. They built a number of multilateral forums for trade, for security, for environment. We're going to defend and support these. But at any point in time when they will not be able to deliver results, because some will oppose them from within, then we will find other ways for multilateral forums and cooperation to exist. The key message is that everyone, every country in the world, is better off with an effective multilateralism. It is not because some countries in the world would like to give up on multilateralism, that we will give up. We will not. This goes beyond oceans. Im thinking of international trade, of security, of the security architecture coming out of the Second World War, starting with the U.N. Charter that basically says that there is never any pretext for violence and brute force, except for self defense, and except when the Security Council prescribes it. We're seeing these basic principlesthat you don't touch my borders and I will not touch yoursbeing violated. You mean Ukraine? Yes, and other places in the world. We are seeing the Non-Proliferation Treaty being questioned by some countries that are basically close to acquiring nuclear weapons and creating massive instability. I could mention other global goods, such as health, with the World Health Organization. So the whole architecture we've relied on for 80 years. It is weakened. It is going to have to be something new. That is why we're pleading in favor of reform of the Security Council at the U.N., to allow India, Brazil, Germany, Japan, and two African countries to become permanent members. [Since 1945 only the U.S., Britain, France, China, and Russia have been permanent members of the Security Council, holding veto power on votes at the U.N.] If we want international law and multilateral principles to be stronger, we need the institutions to be more representative and legitimate. People have been calling for this for a long time, and its never happened. Do you see an opportunity now, given what terrible shape multilateralism is in? I think history is accelerating. And for all those who believe in this legacy that came out of the ruins of the Second World War, and that feel responsible for transferring to the next generation the global architecture that does not prevent all countries from having anything bad happen, that has prevented so many of these things over the past decadesif we want this to survive, it's time to act. There are two wars that seem to have no end date. How do you see this ending in Ukraine and in Gaza? So in Gaza, we are calling for an immediate ceasefire. Liberation of hostages held by Hamas and unhindered access of humanitarian help to Gaza. But then, the only alternative to a permanent state of war is a political solution resting on two states living side by side with security guarantees. This is what we're working on in the perspective of the conference that will be taking place in a few days [a U.N. conference in New York on June 18], removing all the obstacles on the path towards such a political solution, because we believe it to be in the interests of the Israeli people, of the Palestinian peopleand therefore, in our interests as well, as Europeans. For Ukraine, we need Vladimir Putin to cease fire and to agree to enter into peace negotiations that will comply with the principles of the U.N. Charter. Since he doesn't seem to be sending any signal that he's willing to do that, we're going to build up significant pressure, by coordinating with the efforts led by the U.S. senators to adopt in the next few days a new package of sanctions, targeted to force Putin, allowing for peace negotiation to start. And military security guarantees from Europe too? We need a ceasefire for discussions to start, and then, of course, those discussions will have [to] come to the question of territories and security guarantees. You think you could go ahead without the U.S., or you think that the U.S. will finally come on board? The most important point is for Ukraine to be able to deter any further aggression. This starts with strengthening their own army. A strong army is in itself a powerful deterrent. There are various possible formulas and scenarios that I don't want to present here, some of which indeed include some form of contribution by the U.S. Getting back to the oceans: President Macron told the conference the oceans are not for sale. Everyone, myself included, understood that to refer to President Trumps executive order allowing deep-sea mining. On this, there's no surprise. We've brought together a coalition of more than 30 countries that request a moratorium, or at the very least to apply a precautionary principle to the exploitation of deep seas, and that supports international efforts by the International Seabed Authority to draft a mining code. So it's no surprise [that] when we've seen recent decisions allowing exploitation of the seabed that we would voice our opposition. We're saying it today and we'll say it in the future. But what do you do if the U.S. simply goes ahead and effectively violates international law? What's your recourse? Our mission here in Nice is to highlight the risks of indulging in such seabed exploitation without first taking the time to explore its resources and draft legislation that is going to preserve the resources of the ocean and allow for economic activity with and from the ocean. That's the only way to make such sort of ocean-based economic activity acceptable and sustainable. Do you have international law to enforce that? I mean, at the moment, the enforcement mechanism is a little bit lacking. No. The International Seabed Authority is in the process of drafting a mining code. We support this effort. As far as the high seas is concerned, there is absolutely no regulation. This Treaty on the High Seas [a U.N.-negotiated document which several countries are ratifying in Nice this week] is going to initiate the process. It is going to end up with regulation of 50% of the planet [the oceans] that is subject to absolutely no law, nor any regulation. That adds to various announcements regarding marine protected areas, decarbonization of transportation, the creation of an international organization for the science of the ocean, and the creation of a global coalition of cities and regions. The world is basically taking its destiny in its hands and acting for the ocean. But not the U.S.? Everywhere Im walking in Nice I am seeing the presence of U.S. scientists, U.S. mayors. We still have some work to do to keep raising awareness, so that everyone around the world understands that there is only one ocean, and that our future is pretty much very much connected to it. If we don't act with resolution, the ocean that is our friend and ally can also become an adversary, especially for countries that have coastlines that are exposed to the rising sea levels. This is the biggest ever conference organized on the ocean. We had 4,000 people in 2017 in New York [the first U.N. Oceans Conference], 7,000 in Lisbon in 2022, and over 100,000 people in Nice. President Macron is going to Greenland this weekend. Why? Greenland is European territory. He will be there with the Prime Minister of Denmark. We've been saying repeatedly that European borders are not negotiable. So it's a way to reaffirm this principle, but also to strengthen our cooperation with Greenland. We intend to enhance those links, from scientific cooperation to economic cooperation. Is it a message to the U.S. president too? I think it's more of a message to Greenland. And the testament to our friendship as well. Contact us at letters@time.com. Built in 1898, it is the second largest wooden building in the world. Returned to the Phanar in 2010, it is listed as a European Cultural Heritage Site. Behind the decision are the substantial costs of running the facility and safety concerns. For the patriarchate, it can no longer remain standing without generating income. Istanbul (AsiaNews) - The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople intends to convert the historic orphanage in Buyukada into a hotel to prevent the structure from collapsing and to ensure that it can self-finance the costs of its ongoing maintenance. It is one of the most famous buildings in the recent history of Christianity in Turkey, as well as one of the most famous examples of architecture: dating back to 1898, it is the second largest building in the world made entirely of wood. Father Lakis Vingas, member of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Council and former head of the General Directorate of Foundations, said that due to safety and maintenance issues, it cannot survive without generating income. Announcing the decision, which dates back to 7 June, the synod chaired by Patriarch Bartholomew stressed that efforts to restore the structure, which was closed in the 1960s and suffered serious damage, had been unsuccessful. In the past, the Patriarchate had already decided to open the building to eco-friendly and conscious tourism, in keeping with the architectural and social fabric of Buyukada and the island on which it stands. When asked by Bianet, he explained that it is not possible for the wooden structure, now deteriorated, to remain standing without generating income. The Patriarchate, he continued, "has taken this decision because it is impossible for such a large wooden building with serious safety issues to survive without generating its own income. This also provides a long-term answer in terms of cultural heritage conservation, which until now had not been found. Although the building is highly significant and symbolic as cultural heritage, maintaining a structure of this size solely on the basis of its spiritual value is not easy, and no institutions or bodies have shown interest in its conservation. Functionality analyses have been carried out with professional studies," Vingas concluded. Various options were evaluated and, in the end, the most feasible model was chosen. This decision was not taken under external pressure or on the basis of a proposal: it was the result of assessments carried out independently by a team of experts. We also have a responsibility to the past and to the inhabitants of Istanbul today and, while understanding the reasons of those who criticise the choice, there was no other way to save the building." The building dates back to 1898 and is the work of the famous French architect Alexandre Vallaury. Initially designed as a hotel, it was owned by a French company under the name Prinkipo Palace, but Sultan Abdulhamid II intervened and prohibited the building from operating as a hotel. In 1903, it was purchased by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which converted it into a dormitory and educational institution for orphans, taking in Greek Orthodox children from various neighbourhoods of Istanbul and different regions of Anatolia. Operational since the beginning of the 20th century, the orphanage served for many years as an educational and residential facility and, over time, housed nearly 200 children, whose education was supervised by people affiliated with the Patriarchate. In 1964, the facility had to close its doors due to the deterioration of relations between Turkey and Greece, particularly in the context of the Cyprus crisis, and since then it has been abandoned, deteriorating progressively over time, although much of the structure has remained standing. Today, the wooden building located on the island of the same name, Buyukada, in the Sea of Marmara, off the coast of Istanbul, with its 20,000 m2 of floor space, is considered the largest wooden building in Europe and the second largest in the world. In 2010, it was included in the list of European Cultural Heritage Sites. In the 2000s, ownership of the structure was at the centre of a bitter legal dispute between the patriarchate and the Directorate of Religious Foundations, which wanted to expropriate it. Finally, in 2010, the building was returned to the Phanar following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which was later confirmed by the historic verdict issued by the Buyukada court. by Nirmala Carvalho Two serious incidents have occurred in recent days in rural areas of Jharkhand and Orissa. Several priests were forced to seek hospital treatment after being beaten, forced to sing Hindu hymns and robbed. The secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference, Msgr. Aind: These are not simple thefts. It is a way of persecuting and preventing pastoral activities. Ranchi (AsiaNews) - Beating and robbing priests from Catholic communities in rural areas. Intolerance towards Christians in India, fuelled by religious fanaticism, is increasingly taking this form, as evidenced by two very serious incidents in recent days. On Sunday night, in Samsera in the Simdega district of the Indian state of Jharkhand, five masked and armed robbers entered the premises of the Catholic church and looted about 800,000 rupees (over 8,000 euros, ed.). During the robbery, they brutally attacked the priests of the community. The attackers not only used sticks and weapons, but also pointed guns at the priests' heads, forcing them to sing religious slogans under threat. The parish priest, Fr Ignatius Toppo, the headmaster of the Samsera school, Fr Agustin Dungdung, and the assistant parish priest, Fr Roshan, were injured. The three are currently hospitalised in Bolba. Fr Roshan said that the robbers had a duplicate key. They first broke down the door of Fr Toppo's room and beat him, then entered the other rooms, attacking all the priests at gunpoint and forcing them to sing religious slogans. One of the robbers had a homemade gun, another a sharp weapon. Fr. Ignatius Toppo revealed that the church in Samsera had already been targeted twice before, making this the third robbery it has suffered. These are not simple thefts, Msgr. Vincent Aind, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), told AsiaNews. "It is a way of persecuting, disturbing and preventing these communities from carrying out their normal duties. It is a sign that they do not tolerate any other religion, let alone any humanitarian gesture made possible by our good religious practices. These are different tactics of harassment and violence against Christians, showing disrespect for the Indian Constitution." A few days ago, the same thing happened in Orissa: the bishop of the diocese of Sambalpur, Monsignor Niranjan Sual Singh, reported that during the night between 22 and 23 May, two priests, Father Linus Puthenveet (90) and Father Sylvin Kalam (43), were brutally beaten during an attack on the Carmel Niketan Ashram in Kuchinda Charwachi. Seven people entered the rooms, while four others remained outside. The attack was motivated by a demand for money. The attackers took 30,000 rupees, a printer and an electric piano after beating, tying up and gagging the priests. Bishop Niranjan Sual Singh told AsiaNews: "To date, no arrests have been made. This is the modus operandi in rural parishes: masked and armed men break into priests' residences, tie them up and beat them mercilessly. If the motive is really theft, why are only our clergy being attacked? I have filed an official complaint and written to the authorities: the law must take its course." by Vladimir Rozanskij A seminar organised recently by the European Union delegation and the Tajik government brought together politicians, law enforcement specialists and representatives of civil society to exchange knowledge and strengthen cooperation in response to the growing threat of violent acts motivated by extremism. Dushanbe (AsiaNews) - On 4-5 June, the European Commission's Foreign Policy Instruments Service (FPI) met in Dushanbe with the local EU representation, the organisation Rusi Europe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney General's Office of Tajikistan for a seminar to discuss the fight against violent extremism and the necessary actions. The meeting brought together politicians, law enforcement specialists and representatives of civil society with the aim of exchanging knowledge and strengthening cooperation to respond to the growing threats of radicalisation and violent actions motivated by extremism. As noted by Raimundas Karoblis, Lithuanian Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Tajikistan, "violent extremism is not an abstract concept, it is a global threat with very specific consequences at every local level', a phenomenon that endangers peaceful coexistence, inflames social conflicts and prevents all groups from realising their human potential and joint development projects. The EU assures that it is available to work side by side with Tajikistan to support secure, sustainable and inclusive development throughout Central Asia. Karoblis assured that Europeans intend to present themselves not only as partners for security, but also as partners for peace, congratulating Tajikistan and the EU on their shared understanding of the risks posed by the current situation and the measures to be taken. During the seminar, various current issues in Tajikistan were analysed, and political responses were also discussed. The discussion highlighted the main forces of violent extremism, the prospects for supporting Tajik youth, the role of regional and municipal administrative bodies, and the need to keep Tajik fighters in foreign organisations who return home separate, finding ways to deradicalise them and reintegrate them into society. The hottest topics highlighted were online radicalisation, with the use of digital platforms, the importance of cooperation between neighbouring countries to support the reintegration of migrant workers who constantly cross borders, and the development of effective counter-narratives to those that attract people to violent radical expressions. International research on these issues helped to better contextualise these reflections, and among the speakers, the presentations on the experience of Indonesia, which is also focused on the deradicalisation of its migrant workers, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which illustrated the various profiling measures at the level of associations and groups of various kinds in the country, were particularly significant. The seminar offered several interactive group exercises, which allowed participants to apply highly effective prevention strategies, focusing on the many cases in different regions. The importance of cooperation between state and international bodies was emphasised, starting with the European Union's constant support for social inclusion policies and the development of the positive potential of all forms of association. These approaches involve the whole of society in such sensitive issues, placing greater trust in partnerships within social life and in openness to those existing in other countries. The EU ensures increasingly active and wide-ranging participation by all Central Asian countries in the pursuit of security, stability and sustainable development for all sections of the local population. 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. 11 June 2025 08:30 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more Baku became the epicenter of Turkic economic collaboration on June 10 as the Second Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum and Exhibition opened at the Expo Center, accelerating regional integration efforts. With high-level participation from 11 countries and attendees from over 20 nations, the event underscores the growing geopolitical and economic weight of the Turkic world. The Second Turkic States Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum's opening at Baku Expo Center today marks more than another diplomatic gatheringit represents a strategic pivot point for 180 million people across the Turkic world. As Western protectionism grows and global supply chains reconfigure, this forum answers a pressing question: Why does Turkic trade integration matter now more than ever? A platform for economic synergy - Organized by Azerbaijans Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication (CAERC), the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA), KOBSKA, and Turkiyes ROK Expo, the forum builds on the success of its 2024 Istanbul debut. This years gathering brings together key players from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, Hungary, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, fostering collaboration in trade, investment, technology, and industrial innovation. Over 20 sectors are represented at the exhibition, with businesses showcasing cutting-edge products while policymakers and investors explore new avenues for cross-border partnerships. The forums government-backed status highlights its strategic role in enhancing regional trade networks and expanding access to global markets. The rising economic power of the Turkic World - Vusal Gasimli, Executive Director of CAERC, delivered a compelling keynote, positioning the Turkic states as an emerging economic force. Key takeaways from his address: - $2.1 trillion GDP: The Turkic worldspanning 1% of the planets territory and 2.8% of its populationboasts a collective GDP exceeding $2.1 trillion, rivaling the worlds top 10 economies if unified. - Trade prowess: Despite contributing 1.8% to global GDP, Turkic states account for 3.5% of world trade, a testament to their commercial dynamism. - Industrial & agricultural strength: With $540 billion in industrial output and $140 billion in agricultural production, the region is a vital supplier of goods and commodities. - Financial growth: Banking assets in Turkic states neared $1.4 trillion in 2024, while capital markets show strong potential for future expansion. However, challenges remain. Gasimli noted a collective budget deficit of $440 billion in 2024, underscoring the need for fiscal discipline and smarter investment strategies. Gasimli emphasized the Turkic worlds strategic role in global connectivity projects, including: The EUs "Global Gateway" ; Chinas "Belt and Road" Initiative ;The Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor. With $440 billion in total investments in 2024 (over $290 billion in Turkiye alone), Turkic states are proving their appeal to international capital. Yet, maximizing these opportunities will require stronger policy coordination and reduced trade barriers. Samir Hummetov, Deputy Chairman of SMBDA, highlighted the untapped potential in regional trade, noting that 2024s $45 billion intra-Turkic trade turnover could be significantly expanded. - SMEs as growth engines: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are a focal point, with their products prominently featured at the exhibition. - Beyond exhibitions: The forum facilitates high-level conferences, B2B meetings, and policy dialogues, serving as a catalyst for long-term partnerships. The Baku forum is more than a trade showits a strategic milestone in Turkic economic integration. With rising trade volumes, expanding financial sectors, and major infrastructure projects, the Turkic world is positioning itself as a key player in Eurasias economic future. Yet, to fully capitalize on this momentum, member states must: Enhance fiscal stability to address budget deficits; Streamline cross-border trade policies to boost SME growth; Leverage infrastructure projects to strengthen regional supply chains. Moreover, the Turkic world is no longer just a cultural blocits an economic powerhouse in the making. With strategic investments, trade-friendly policies, and stronger financial systems, these nations are carving out a new axis of influence between Europe and Asia. The Baku forum is a critical step in that journey. 11 June 2025 17:12 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Tehrans outspoken resistance to the Zangazur Corridor, a planned transport link connecting mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave via Armenia, has once again made headlines. Ali Akbar Velayati, senior adviser to Irans Supreme Leader, recently claimed that Iran thwarted the corridors implementation, portraying the move as a major diplomatic victory over regional encirclement and Western interference. But what lies behind Irans growing anxiety over this project? At first glance, Irans opposition appears to be grounded in classic geopolitical concerns: the fear of isolation, NATO expansion, and a shift in regional power balances. However, a closer look reveals a more complex picture, one in which economic insecurity, transit dependency, and strategic rivalry with Turkiye all converge. Irans core claim is that the Zangazur Corridor threatens to block its direct land connection to Armenia and, by extension, its potential access to European markets. Iranian authorities see this project, backed by Azerbaijan and Turkiye, as a geoeconomic bypass that would reduce Irans role in regional transit and trade. According to Velayati, even U.S. President Joe Biden acknowledged that the corridor was nearly ready, and only Irans opposition derailed the plan. While such a claim remains unverifiable, it reflects Tehrans belief in its own strategic weight. Iran argues that the corridor could serve Western interests by undermining Russias presence in the South Caucasus and enabling NATO influence to seep in through Turkiye and Azerbaijan. It also views the project as a component of the broader Turkic World vision, led by Ankara, which Tehran sees as a challenge to its historical influence across Central Asia and the Caucasus. Beneath these geopolitical narratives lies a less talked-about, yet more pressing concern for Iran: economic survival. Amid ongoing sanctions and isolation from global markets, Irans role as a regional transit hub has become a crucial economic lifeline. Between March 2023 and January 2024 alone, 14.2 million tons of goods transited through Iran, generating around $1 billion in revenue. Moreover, Aras-Meghri Free Trade Zone, a joint economic establishment between Armenia and Iran, is potentially one of the few reasons why Tehran is more concerned about. Losing out on key routes that could instead pass through the Zangazur Corridor is an unacceptable risk for Tehran. Moreover, the corridor would create a faster, more efficient route for Turkiyes growing trade with Central Asia. Turkiyes trade turnover with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan reached record highs by the end of 2023$6.4 billion and $3 billion, respectivelywith more growth expected. Without the Zangazur link, Iran stands to benefit as a detour route, gaining additional revenue. But with the corridor in place, transit through Iran may be significantly reduced. While the U.S. and EU publicly support the creation of the Zangazur Corridor, they reject any Russian military role in securing it. This has complicated the issue further, with Brussels and Washington worried that Moscow might use the corridor to entrench itself militarily in Armenia. Baku and Ankara, on the other hand, demand a special regime for the corridor, free of Armenian checkpoints or inspectionssomething Yerevan firmly opposes. Russias role remains ambiguous. While the 2020 trilateral statement between Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia includes a clause supporting the corridors implementation under Russian border control, Moscows preoccupation with Ukraine has weakened its influence in the South Caucasus. Iran sees this vacuum as an opportunity to assert its role, but at the cost of blocking a transformative regional project. Despite Irans rigid opposition, voices in Azerbaijan, including Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada, emphasise that the corridor poses no threat to Iran or its border with Armenia. Instead, Hajizada highlighted ongoing efforts to build alternate communication lines through Iran, suggesting that Baku still sees Tehran as a strategic partner, not an adversary. From this angle, the Zangazur Corridor is not just about transport, but its about regional integration. It offers a chance to connect East and West through a stable, multimodal route spanning China, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Turkiye, and Europe. For Iran, which seeks to escape economic isolation, joining such an initiative, rather than resisting it, could open new doors for trade, diplomacy, and influence. Tehrans current strategy is rooted in defensive logic. But in a region undergoing rapid transformation, clinging to geopolitical fears may cost Iran a historic opportunity. By embracing the Zangazur Corridor as part of a broader Eurasian transport vision, Iran could reposition itself not as a blockade, but as a bridge. In the long run, diplomacy and cooperation, not obstruction, will determine who shapes the future of the South Caucasus. The Zangazur Corridor, if handled with strategic foresight, can still become a win-win project for all regional actors, including Iran. 11 June 2025 20:39 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more The recent hearing of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) left many scratching their heads in confusion. Listening to the hearing, one might assume that either they have taken leave of their senses or are deliberately undermining the hard-won success the world has gained over 30 years in fighting radicalism and terrorism. Given that USCIRF is a state-funded organisation, the whole issue descends into absurdity. How can an organisation funded by a state which survived many terror attacks, including September 11, which claimed hundreds of lives, throw another country under the bus since it takes proper measures against radicals and terrorists? Given that USCIRF is a state-funded organisation, the whole matter borders on absurdity. How can an organisation backed by a country that has survived multiple terror attacks, including the September 11 attacks, that claimed hundreds of lives, throw another nation Azerbaijan under the bus for taking proper measures against radicals and terrorists? Moreover, the measures taken by Azerbaijan are nowhere near as severe as those implemented by the United States. Let us not forget that America invaded Afghanistan in response to the September 11 attacks; imprisoned and tortured hundreds of individuals accused of terrorism in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay; conducted a covert operation in Pakistan to kill the leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization; and then refused to return his body to his family, instead throwing it in the ocean. In comparison, Azerbaijan merely incarcerated members of a radical group that attacked a local media outlet and threatened a female journalist who had criticized a man for demanding women wear the chador. Among those detained were the groups leader, who had threatened to drown Azerbaijan in blood in Ganja; individuals who attempted to establish a Sharia-ruled ghetto on the outskirts of Baku; and others who openly expressed their desire to overthrow secularism and create an Iranian-style theocratic regime. So, the allegations made by USCIRFthat Azerbaijan persecutes Shia segmentsare baseless. All religions are freely practised in Azerbaijan, a country long known for its religious tolerance. This tolerance is not a recent development but a tradition that traces back hundreds of years. One undeniable example is the Atashgah, a Zoroastrian temple built in 1713 in Surakhani, 30 kilometres from the centre of Baku. Imagine, the rulers and people of Azerbaijan permitted Zoroastrians from India to construct their temple in the heart of a Muslim country 300 years agoan act that do not exist even today in many countries around the world. Figuratively speaking, the embrace of pro-Iranian radicals by a U.S. state-funded organisation brought many to tears. These are people who call America the "Great Satan" and openly vow to destroy it. Do they truly care about such individuals? Of course not. They use these individuals as tools to mask their true intentions, defending Armenian lobbies unfounded allegations. In other words, this U.S. organisation sacrifices its own countrys credibility for the sake of a handful of Armenians living across America. For over 30 years, Armenian lobbies planted stories about Garabagh. But no one bought them not a single country in the world recognised Garabagh as anything but part of Azerbaijan. After Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity a few years ago, the narrative shifted. Now, the talk is of ethnic cleansing and so-called Armenian heritage in Garabagh. Needless to say, the second part of the USCIRF hearing echoed the same rhetoric. This entire campaign reflects a desperate attempt by Armenian lobbying groups and their allies to reframe a lost cause. With the military option no longer on the table and international law reaffirming Azerbaijans sovereignty, their new strategy hinges on manipulating Western institutions like USCIRF into echoing their narrative. But weaponising religious freedom to promote political agendas erodes the very credibility of those institutions. If USCIRF truly cared about religious rights, it would highlight the systematic destruction of Azerbaijani mosques during Armenian occupation, where pigs were kept in sacred spaces, and not ignore the rehabilitation of Christian and Jewish heritage sites underway in post-liberation Garabagh. Azerbaijans model of secular governance, religious pluralism, and its consistent protection of all communities stand in stark contrast to the caricature painted by these hearings. In the end, what USCIRF has done is not just a disservice to Azerbaijan but a disservice to its own mission. It has turned a vital causeinternational religious freedominto a tool of geopolitical misinformation. If the United States wants to be seen as a fair and principled actor, it must demand better from institutions acting in its name. Truth, after all, should not be sacrificed on the altar of diaspora politics. 11 June 2025 12:27 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more Economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan is expanding across various sectors, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development. Azernews reports that this was stated by Orkhan Mammadov, Chairman of the Board of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of Azerbaijan (SMBDA/KOBIA), during the panel session titled "Azerbaijan - Uzbekistan: Vector of Economic Partnership" at the 4th Tashkent International Investment Forum. Mammadov highlighted that since the last forum, SMBDA has been actively working to deepen business ties between the two countries: Our cooperation is developing along two key directions business support and institutional partnership. This year, with SMBDA's support and in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, we helped organize a business mission for an Azerbaijani delegation to Tashkent and other cities. The delegation included around 40 representatives from various sectors of Azerbaijans economy. He noted the mission was particularly significant because many of the entrepreneurs already had prior collaboration experience with their Uzbek counterparts. Some of them are already implementing joint projects on the ground. For example, one Azerbaijani company has opened a store in Tashkent specializing in aesthetic medical equipment and dental technology. Mammadov emphasized that these developments demonstrate how dialogue between the two countries is translating into practical outcomes: Business missions like these provide entrepreneurs not only with an understanding of market dynamics but also the opportunity to establish lasting partnerships. Sectors involved include construction, tourism, logistics, food production, textiles, ICT, advertising, accounting services, and more. These visits contribute to stronger B2B potential and a deeper understanding of the business environment. He also noted ongoing efforts to support Uzbek businesses in Azerbaijan: Since December 2023, with SMBDAs support, the Uzbekistan Trade House has been operating in Baku. Its mission is to increase the presence of Uzbek products in Azerbaijan and help establish reliable business partnerships. We see this initiative as a gateway for Uzbek products to access regional and European markets through Azerbaijan. 11 June 2025 13:21 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more The 2nd Turkish Trade Fair and the Turkic States Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum officially opened at the Baku Expo Centre, bringing together business leaders and officials from across the Turkic world. The multi-day event, which runs through June 12, aims to deepen trade, investment, and technological collaboration among participating countries, Azernews reports. Organised with the support of Azerbaijans Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBIA) and the Centre for Analysis and Communication of Economic Reforms, the event is coordinated by the Association of Small and Medium Business Entities and Clubs (KOBSKA) and Turkiye's "Rok Expo" company. In addition to the host country, Azerbaijan, the fair features the participation of companies and business delegations from Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Hungary, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The event showcases a diverse array of products and services from these countries, fostering cross-border partnerships and trade opportunities. KOBIA is also highlighting Azerbaijans micro and small enterprises through a dedicated stand, featuring traditional handicrafts, Garabagh-themed ceramics, locally produced beverages, perfumes, home decor items, textile goods, hygiene products, and dairy products. The display includes contributions from socially vulnerable groups, underlining the agencys commitment to inclusive business growth. The goal is to support the export of Azerbaijani SME products to foreign markets, especially across the Turkic states, and to promote stronger business ties between local entrepreneurs and international partners, KOBIA stated. Beyond the exhibition, the forum includes a series of panel discussions covering a broad range of topics such as Economy of Turkic States, Agricultural Trade and Opportunities, Arbitration and Mediation in Commercial Disputes, Digital Trade, Startups and Investments, and The Power of Media in the Turkic World. A special summit focused on women entrepreneurs across the Turkic world is also being held as part of the program. The exhibition itself spans approximately 35 sectors, including trade, energy, tourism, green economy, and digitalization, offering a comprehensive view of business and innovation trends within the Turkic region. The event marks another step toward strengthening economic integration among Turkic-speaking nations and creating new platforms for regional cooperation. 11 June 2025 14:43 (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. In JanuaryMay 2025, Azerbaijans Special Communication and Information Security State Service identified 453 indicators of compromise (IOCs) targeting government institutionsa 24% increase compared to the same period last year. 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! 11 June 2025 19:13 (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. In April 2025, Azerbaijan recorded a decrease in the price index for transportation and storage services, Azernews reports, citing the State Statistics Committee. 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! 11 June 2025 16:25 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more In July, Baku will witness the signing of key documents to establish a joint venture for the implementation of the Central AsiaAzerbaijan Green Energy Corridor project. Azernews reports that this was stated by Azerbaijans Deputy Minister of Energy, Orkhan Zeynalov, in an interview with European media. Zeynalov emphasized that the Green Energy Corridor project holds strategic importance from energy, political, and economic perspectives. He recalled that a strategic partnership agreement on the development and transmission of green energy was signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan at COP29 on November 13, 2024. The project has also attracted significant interest from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi electricity company has signed a preliminary memorandum of understanding with the three countries, showing particular interest in the transmission component of green energy. The joint ventures headquarters will be located in Baku. Next month, the official documents for establishing the joint venture will be signed in Baku, he said. Zeynalov added that preparations to develop the project's feasibility study will begin soon: Importantly, there is strong potential to connect this corridor with the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. This would create a larger, interconnected corridor stretching from Central Asia all the way to Europe. 11 June 2025 18:34 (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 latest figures underscore Uzbekistans growing role as a key trade partner for Azerbaijan in Central Asia, as Baku continues to diversify its economic relations across the region. According to data released by the State Customs Committee, exports from Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan amounted to... 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! 11 June 2025 17:33 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more The third round of the high-level energy dialogue between Azerbaijan and the European Commission is scheduled to be held in Brussels on June 13, Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Energy Orkhan Zeynalov announced in an interview with European media, Azernews reports. This meeting is part of the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Azerbaijan and the European Union in 2022. Azerbaijan will be represented by Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov, while the European Commission will be represented by EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jrgensen. Deputy Minister Zeynalov emphasized that the 2022 memorandum is a comprehensive document aimed at doubling Azerbaijans natural gas supplies to Europe, enhancing cooperation in green energy, reducing methane emissions, and other strategic goals. Highlighting Azerbaijans role in supporting Europes growing energy needs, especially in Southeast Europe, Zeynalov stated: Azerbaijani natural gas is a crucial element of the energy transition and balancing Europes energy mix. In 2024, Azerbaijan exported 12.9 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Europe, with supplies currently reaching 12 countries, including 10 European nations, as well as Georgia and Turkiye. The volumes are gradually increasing, and more than half of Azerbaijans total gas exports go to Europe. Azerbaijan is recognized as one of the worlds leading gas suppliers in terms of geographical coverage of pipeline deliveries. However, the country is ready to increase exports further with new gas field developments. Currently, 14 countries have expressed demand for Azerbaijani natural gas, representing an additional potential volume of 14 billion cubic meters beyond already contracted amounts. Zeynalov noted that the primary source for these supplies is Azerbaijans own natural gas reserves. However, he added that transit options, including Turkmenistan gaspending decisions on the other side of the Caspian Seacould become viable in the future. 11 June 2025 12:45 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more A grand concert titled "Our Stage," dedicated to the 140th anniversary of renowned composer Uzeyir Hajibayli, was held at the International Mugham Center, Azernews reports. The event brought together talented students from the 26th Muslim Magomayev Music School, which has long been recognized as a nurturing ground for young artists. On this evening, laureates from national and international competitions showcased performances featuring works by Azerbaijani and foreign composers. Each act was infused with the essence of national culture combined with contemporary musical flair, creating a true celebration of the arts. A highlight of the program was the performances by young musicians directed by conductor Samir Asadov, accompanied by the Cadenza Contemporary Orchestra, demonstrating that dedication and talent are key to achieving success. The evening concluded with a joint performance by the school choir and folk instrumental ensemble, performing the well-known song "Azerbaijan" by People's Artist Aygun Samadzade. The piece, filled with national pride, evoked heartfelt emotions among the audience. Overall, the concert left a lasting impression on all attendees, emphasizing the richness of Azerbaijan's cultural heritage and the importance of safeguarding and promoting its musical traditions. The event served as a bridge between generations and an inspiration for future Azerbaijani musical talents. Uzeyir Hajibayli significantly shaped national musical identity, achieving the distinction of composing the first opera in the Islamic world. His opera "Leyli and Majnun" (1908) drew upon traditional folk music and dance, forms of expression transmitted orally. Hajibayli's subsequent operas, including "Sheyh Sanan," "Rustam and Sohrab," "Asli and Karam," "Shah Abbas," "Khurshudbanu and Harun," and "Leyli," also prominently featured national folk music elements, particularly mugham. Beyond opera, Hajibayli composed three comedies: "Husband and Wife" (1910), "If not this one, that one" (1911), and "Arshin Mal Alan" (1913). "Arshin Mal Alan," or "The Cloth Peddler," stands out as one of his most beloved and enduring operettas. This operetta has enjoyed widespread international success, with performances in numerous languages across over 60 countries, encompassing the U.S., Austria, France, China, Greece, India, Russia, and Turkiye. 11 June 2025 17:41 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more This year, Azerbaijan honours the 112th birthday of Hokuma Gurbanova, a legendary figure in Azerbaijani and Soviet theatre and cinema, Azernews reports. Renowned for her divine beauty, profound inner world, and powerful stage presence, Gurbanova holds a unique and lasting place in the cultural history of Azerbaijan. Her remarkable ability to convey the emotional depth and psychological nuance of her characters captivated audiences and earned her a revered status in the performing arts. Hokuma Gurbanova was born in Baku in 1913 to Abbasali Gurbanov and Malikat Magomayeva. Her mother was the sister of the famed Azerbaijani composer Muslim Magomayev, making art and culture an integral part of her upbringing. Gurbanova graduated from the Baku Pedagogical College in 1931 and pursued further studies at the Azerbaijan State Conservatory (now Baku Music Academy) from 1931 to 1932. Her acting career began in 1933 at the Azerbaijanfilm studio, where she starred in the silent film "Almaz", playing the role of Yakhshi. Directed by Jafar Jabbarli, this debut showcased her expressive features and magnetic presence, even without spoken dialogue. In 1938, Gurbanova joined the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theatre, where her first role was Tamara, a Georgian character in the play "Vagif". From there, her talent flourished, and she became one of the most prominent actresses of her time. Throughout her career, Gurbanova worked under the direction of prominent figures such as Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh, Adil Iskenderov, Mehdi Mammadov, and Tofiq Kazimov. Mehdi Mammadov even dedicated a monograph titled "Her Star of Art" to her life and career. Her extensive repertoire featured roles across a wide range of genresromantic tragedy, psychological drama, historical drama, lyrical roles, and even comedic characters. She portrayed deeply emotional and multidimensional women who left an indelible mark on Azerbaijani theater. Among her most memorable roles were Sona in Jafar Jabbarli's "In 1905", Khuraman in Samad Vurgun's "Vagif", Hermione in Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale", Humar in Huseyn Javids "Sheikh Sanan", Susen in Alexei Shirvanzade's "Honor", and Basantasena in "The Indian Beauty". These characters all reflected Gurbanova's trademark combination of lyricism, passion, and romantic spirit. One of the most iconic moments in her career came in 1964 when she played Cleopatra in Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra", directed by Tofiq Kazimov. Her portrayal of Cleopatra, a woman of intense love, thought, and power, was hailed as one of her greatest performances. Many critics believed she was born for that role. Hokuma Gurbanova's voice was as distinctive as her acting. Her intonation, clarity, and emotional delivery deeply moved audiences. She was widely sought after for dubbing major film roles, such as Angelica in "On the Distant Shores" and Dilyara in "Stepmother" performances that remain relevant and beloved today. Her talent transcended borders. During a 1956 tour in London, her performance left a profound impressioneven English directors were reportedly stunned by her skill. In cinema, her performances in films such as "One Family", "Can She Be Forgiven?", "Labor and Rose", and "A Man Drops Anchor" showcased her emotional range and screen presence. Despite the hardships in her personal life including the loss of her daughter, the celebrated actress Vafa Fatullayeva, Gurbanova remained dedicated to her craft until her final days. She passed away on November 2, 1988, a year after her daughters death, and was laid to rest in the Alley of Honor in Baku. In recognition of her immense contributions to Azerbaijani culture, President Ilham Aliyev issued a decree in 2013 celebrating Hokuma Gurbanova's 100th anniversary at the state level. Her legacy continues to inspire generations of actors and artists. Through her unforgettable performances, she lives on as a guiding light in the world of Azerbaijani performing arts. 11 June 2025 10:00 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more Next week, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan will convene a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, the principal institutional mechanism for coordinating bilateral cooperation between the two nations, Azernews reports, citing Elnur Aliyev, First Deputy Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, during the panel session titled AzerbaijanUzbekistan: Vector of Economic Partnership at the 4th Tashkent International Investment Forum. Aliyev emphasized that high-level visits between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have become a tradition, reflecting the deepening of bilateral relations. Highlighting the positive trade momentum, he noted a significant increase in trade turnover. The volume of trade has already reached nearly a quarter of a billion dollars. More importantly, our data show that over the past four months, this figure has tripled compared to the same period last year, Aliyev stated. He underscored the importance of institutional mechanisms in supporting this growth. The Intergovernmental Commission is a vital instrument that contributes to developing cooperation between our institutions, he said. Aliyev also pointed to the joint investment fundcapitalized at nearly $500 millionas another key mechanism of economic collaboration. Under the supervision of the funds oversight board, Azerbaijani and Uzbek representatives have already identified 12 concrete investment projects. To further bolster bilateral ties, Aliyev announced that Azerbaijan plans to open a trade representative office in Uzbekistan. This will be Azerbaijans sixth trade mission abroad, and we are confident it will give fresh impetus to the development of our economic relations, he concluded. 11 June 2025 10:42 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more Azerbaijan is set to host an investment forum with Uzbekistan on June 2728 as part of efforts to deepen economic cooperation between the two countries, Azernews reports, citing Yusif Abdullayev, Executive Director of the Export and Investment Promotion Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AZPROMO), as he said during the AzerbaijanUzbekistan: Vector of Economic Partnership panel session at the 4th Tashkent International Investment Forum. Abdullayev emphasized that attracting foreign investment remains a top national priority for Azerbaijan. Expressing gratitude to Uzbekistans Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Infrastructure Development for its constructive collaboration, Abdullayev added: We maintain a constant and productive dialogue with the minister. Our roadmap includes more than 30 joint projects. He noted the expansion of active cooperation in key sectors such as e-commerce and construction. The reconstruction of Azerbaijans liberated territories is a matter of national importance. One of Uzbekistans most dynamic corporate groups is engaged in serious negotiations regarding the construction of residential complexes to support the development of textile clusters, Abdullayev said. In the agricultural sector, Abdullayev pointed to tangible progress: As part of a cotton cluster project, we have cultivated 2,000 hectares so far and plan to expand to 6,000 hectares. Several new hectares have been prepared this season, and we are already anticipating the first harvest. Industrial cooperation also remains a focus of bilateral collaboration. Traditional partnerships continue in infrastructure and the automotive industry. A car assembly plant is already operational, having produced 9,000 Chevrolet vehicles. This strengthens both the 'Made in Azerbaijan' and 'Made in Uzbekistan' brands, Abdullayev said. In the field of urban development, he mentioned prospects for a new project in Baku. On June 45, a delegation visited the White City area, and we are confident that the project will soon move forward. Abdullayev concluded by underlining the dynamic growth in trade relations between the two countries. We discussed the upcoming trade mission, and we believe its launch will provide an additional boost to our bilateral cooperation, he said. 11 June 2025 11:24 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more On June 10, the final planning conference for the multinational military exercise "Eternal Brotherhood-IV" was held in Baku. The exercise, scheduled for September this year in Azerbaijan, will bring together the Special Forces of Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan, Azernews reports, citing the Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry. The Ministry added that representatives from the Special Forces of the participating countries gathered in Baku to finalize preparations. The discussions focused on the overall structure and coordination of the drill, with special attention given to joint operational readiness and interoperability. During the conference, participants reviewed and refined the tactical scenarios to be implemented during the practical phase of the exercise. They also addressed key organizational matters and answered a range of operational and logistical questions. In addition to scenario planning, the event emphasized the importance of military cooperation and the exchange of experience among the participating nations. Eternal Brotherhood-IV aims to enhance joint operational capabilities and contribute to the strengthening of regional security through multinational coordination and tactical collaboration. 11 June 2025 16:58 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Minister of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Kamaladdin Heydarov, held a meeting with Italys Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Luca Di Gianfrancesco, to discuss prospects for bilateral cooperation in the field of emergency management, Azernews reports. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the meeting underscored the steadily growing relations between Azerbaijan and Italy, founded on principles of friendship and mutual respect. Minister Heydarov welcomed the ambassador and highlighted the expanding multifaceted ties between the two countries. During the meeting, the Minister briefed the Italian envoy on Azerbaijans efforts in emergency response, prevention, and management, as well as the key functions of institutions under the Ministry. He emphasised the potential for further collaboration between Azerbaijani and Italian emergency structures, particularly in knowledge exchange, disaster preparedness, and capacity-building. Ambassador Di Gianfrancesco expressed appreciation for the warm reception and affirmed Italys commitment to strengthening ties with Azerbaijan. He stressed the importance of enhanced cooperation between relevant agencies in mitigating and responding to natural and man-made disasters. The sides also held a broad exchange of views on matters of mutual interest, reinforcing the shared objective of building resilient systems through international partnership. 11 June 2025 17:45 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Moscow has expressed understanding of Azerbaijans concerns regarding the European Unions mission in Armenia, warning that the missions activities go beyond their official mandate, Azernews reports. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated at a press briefing that "Moscow is aware of Baku's legitimate concerns about the activities of the European Union mission in Armenia." According to Zakharova, the EU mission staff collect intelligence on neighboring countries without reporting their findings to Yerevan. "They do not submit reports to Yerevan and do not contribute to the stabilization of the situation in the region," she added, indicating that the mission may be serving other interests rather than promoting peace. During the same briefing, an Armenian journalist questioned Zakharova about claims that Azerbaijanis in Garabagh were allegedly demolishing World War II monuments. Zakharova strongly rejected the insinuation and criticized its motives: "Please, do not do this. We know very well with you why and in what context you are raising this topic." She further commented, "Such accusations always come from the same sources and are already crossing all possible limits." The spokeswoman pointed out a double standard in how these issues are approached, noting that "Armenian journalists and representatives of the diaspora have never publicly protested against the destruction or desecration of monuments to Soviet soldiers of Armenian origin in other countries, although such cases have been documented." Zakharova concluded by lamenting the politicization of wartime remembrance: "The attitude towards the memory of those who died in the war is selective, and this topic is used as a tool of political pressure." 11 June 2025 22:25 (UTC+04:00) By Alimat Aliyeva South Korea has suspended propaganda broadcasts from loudspeakers along the border with the DPRK, as the countrys new administration signals a shift in its political approach toward Pyongyang, Azernews reports, citing Yonhap. A representative of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) explained to the agency that the decision to halt the broadcasts was made as part of efforts to fulfill a promise to restore trust between the two Koreas and maintain peace across the entire Korean Peninsula. This move marks a significant change in Seouls policy, which previously relied heavily on loudspeaker broadcasts as a psychological warfare tactic to influence North Korean soldiers and citizens. The suspension reflects hopes for a reduction in tensions and an opening for dialogue after years of strained relations. Earlier, it was reported that a South Korean Air Force aircraft encountered an emergency situation during military exercises, highlighting ongoing challenges in maintaining readiness amid a tense security environment. The suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts comes amid broader diplomatic efforts in the region, including renewed talks on denuclearization and peace-building initiatives. This step could help reduce provocations and build momentum toward future summits between South Korean and North Korean leaders. However, experts warn that while symbolic, the move alone is unlikely to resolve deep-rooted issues such as North Koreas nuclear program and human rights concerns. Still, it signals a willingness on Seouls part to explore new avenues of engagement, potentially opening the door for more substantial diplomatic progress in the near future. Rare Lunar Event Tonight Won't Happen Again for almost 20 Years: Oregon, Washington, Coastlines Published 06/10/25 at 5:35 p.m. By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Seaside, Oregon) If you're anywhere in Oregon, Washington or along its coastlines with a somewhat clear sky tonight, you're going to see something that only comes along every few decades. (Above: Lincoln City's Siletz River / Oregon Coast Beach Connection). Indeed, the low-sky fun may last at least another two days, if you're wanting to get the money shot. According to Portland astronomer Jim Todd (of OMSI), early Wednesday morning, June 11, skywatchers around the northwest will witness a rare lunar phenomenon as the full moon reaches its highest position of the month at 1:09 a.m. Despite this peak, the moon will sit remarkably low in the sky, reaching an altitude of only 15.33 degrees above the horizon - a sight unseen since 2006 and one that wont occur again until 2043. This Strawberry Moon will be at its lowest high point in decades. NASA notes that the name strawberry moon was popularized by farmers almanacs in the 1930s and has since become a widely recognized term. According to the farmers almanac, the name originated with Algonquin tribes who associated the full June moon with the short strawberry harvest season. In Europe, the moon was historically referred to as the Rose Moon. This celestial alignment follows a predictable pattern based on the relationship between the sun and the moon. Viewing details for Portland (times are similar for areas south like Ashland or Gold Beach, and to the north at Seattle, but they will differ): - Moonrise: 9:12 p.m. (June 10), southeast - Highest point: 1:09 a.m. (June 11), due south - Moonset: 5:04 a.m. (June 11), southwest Because full moons occur when the moon is directly opposite the sun, you can imagine the two as sitting on either side of a celestial see-saw: on the day when the sun is highest in the middle of the day (in summer), the moon is at its lowest high point at midnight; and on the day when the sun is at its lowest high point in the middle of the day (in winter), the moon is at its highest high point at midnight, Todd said. The highest for December is when the moon will be more than 68 degrees above the southern horizon. Compare this to June when the moon barely grazes 15 degrees above the southern horizon. Oregon Coast Beach Connection Along the coastlines of Washington and Oregon, this will mean some extra interesting photos at night or at dusk if the moon happens to be low then. These moons are often extremely wild colors and appear much larger when low on the horizon. Astronomy News, Updates from Oregon Coast, Washington Coast Astronomy from a Pacific Northwest Perspective: stargazing, space science, meteors, aurora borealis, interstellar phenomena, surprises in the skies. Late at night, look to the south when it's low in areas like Cape Foulweather near Depoe Bay, from Cape Arago near Coos Bay, as high vantage points give great views to the south. Manzanita's Neahkahnie Mountain will also be awesome for this. The moon was extremely large last night and low on the horizon, so photographers can take advantage along the coastlines or inland areas for at last another evening or two. You're also going to discover the moon looks even larger than usual now something scientists call the full moon effect. From Oregon Coast Wild to Historical, Stark Changes of Seaside Aquarium Exterior - Drastic shifts in look and features dot the attractions history The bigger-than-usual size of a moon seen near the horizon is a trick your eyes play on you, called 'the moon illusion,' Todd said. The illusion is a matter of perception, a trick of the brain, which perceives the Moon when seen overhead as closer than the Moon seen at the horizon. When an object is perceived to be nearer, the brain may compensate by making it look smaller to us. Likewise, an object thought to be farther away will be seen as larger. The full strawberry moon will be positioned within the constellation Ophiuchus, near the Milky Ways plane, and will appear in a distinct champagne hue as it rises from the east. The moons golden tint during summer months is the result of atmospheric scattering - when its light, traveling through more air at low angles, loses shorter wavelengths like blue and green, leaving behind rich red, yellow, and orange tones. Skywatchers should also look for a bright reddish star near the moon: Antares, the heart of the constellation Scorpius. The moon will be approximately 247,260 miles from Earth at its peak. For those wanting to explore the wonders of the night sky further, OMSIs Kendall Planetarium hosts Starry Nights Live! daily, offering an in-depth look at celestial events and constellations. 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) A Less Expensive May in Newport: Handful of Oregon Coast Inns Still Offering ... Inn at Nye Beach, Nye Beach Cottages, Ocean House BnB: Newport hotel specials. Newport hotel reviews Oregon Coast Play 'n Stay: Seaside's Prom Walk and Its Legendary Inns Quite a walk through time and scenery, with some stellar places to stay. Seaside lodging Seaside hotel reviews Vacation Rentals in Cannon Beach: Check Out Reduced Rates at Beachcomber Vaca... Cannon Beach Specials - reductions in winter and spring. Cannon Beach hotel reviews Historic Oregon Coast Motor Inn Retains Classic Vibes With Whimsy: Newport's ... One of those throwbacks to the early days of tourism and motor lodges. Depoe Bay, Newport lodging reviews, hotel 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 Regarding the recent Israel /Iran Conflict (the "12 Day War"), culminating in the United States Air Force employing seven B2 Bombers to complete a 33 hour flight, dropping 14 fifteen ton bunker busting bombs on three Iranian nuclear facilities buried deep under mountain rock, which destroyed Iran's nuclear ambitions against Israel and the United States: Should President Trump have unilaterally made the decision to make such a bold decision to conduct this operation, without first running this prospective operation before the US Congress for their approval? 12.5% No, The War Powers Act prohibitions, which requires NO presidential military action without congressional approval.87.5% Yes, the President has Article 2 Constitutional authority to take unilateral military action to protect the American People, providing he does not break congressional codes, which he did not.0% Don't care, never have. European scholars of the right came up with the term "The Great Replacement" to describe the policies of the globalist elitists in attempting to flood the western world, particularly Europe, with Third World migrants, submerging their native populations. The European Conservative has published an excellent article pointing our that it is The Great Replacement that is fueling the insurrection by illegal aliens n Los Angeles. The alternatives they put forward are "Submission or War?" https://europeanconservative.com/articles/commentary/submission-or-war-the-great-replacement-crisis-comes-to-l-a/ Meanwhile, Senator Josh Hawley is calling for a Senate investigation of those who organized and financed the Los Angeles insurrection. "This violence isn't spontaneous," he said. https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/06/11/senator-hawley-on-la-this-violence-isnt-spontaneous-n2190339 Now, Attorney General Pam Bondi is dropping the hammer on the insurrectionists, pledging that the insurrectionists will face federal robbery charges under the Hobbes Act, which carries 20 years in federal prison. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/la-mayor-declares-local-emergency-issues-curfew-downtown-los-angeles The Trump administration is defending America against foreign actors and domestic traitors. https://www.city-journal.org/article/los-angeles-riots-trump-national-guard-ice-immigration?skip=1 NC GOP 2025 State Convention Just Like the Last Six, Seven, or Eight! By: Ray Leary I attended the 2025 NC GOP state convention again this year, June 5-8, 2025. I was not disappointed. There has been very little change in the make-up of these charades over the years I have attended. For the record, I only attended the Friday and Saturday business sessions and the Friday evening dinner. The cost to attend this circus is beyond the means of most of the voters these orchestrations are intended to woo. The base price to attend the business sessions on Friday and Saturday is reasonable at $75.00. However, if one wishes to attend the breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and to hear a list of celebrity speakers, one must spring for an additional ~$400.00. And then you have motel expenses for two or three nights of $250.00 to $400.00. And for most, 200-300 miles of travel to attend. It is not difficult to spend upwards of $1,000.00 to participate in all the weekend activities. This is not an event planned with grassroots voters in mind. The event is planned for those that have the means and who wish to gain something from the party, not those who wish to contribute to the party. The lunches and evening dinners were highlighted with various speakers touting how well the GOP performed during the 2024 election cycle by again getting President Trump elected. Thunderous applause rang throughout the meals. No one, except the NC GOP Vice Chairman candidate, Mike Magnanti, mentioned the cold hard facts that the NC GOP lost most of the council of state seats to Democrats and one Supreme Court judgeship after a protracted fight over contested voter registrations. NC Republicans lost the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction to the liberal wing of the Democrat party. The supermajority held by the Republicans in the NC House was lost by one or two seats. And then on Saturday, utilizing weighted voting, the establishment candidates were elected to the Chair and Vice-Chair positions to lead the NC GOP for the next two years. Weighted voting allows all the delegates available to a county to be counted, although many delegates declined to show up and vote in person. One even has their vote counted if they were not elected at the county conventions to be a delegate. Thus, four or five of the counties with large delegations determine the outcome of the elections. There was one significant change to the method of voting for these officesPAPER BALLOTS. The two previous conventions used electronic voting devices assigned to each delegate or voting by cell phone over the internet. At least they got this right. Now, all voting in federal, state, and local elections should be conducted with paper ballots. Lets look at the attendees. According to the records presented there were over 6,000 delegates allotted to the 100 NC counties. The live souls in attendance for the Friday afternoon business session was reported as ~1100. The Saturday business session swelled to over 1600. Beaufort County had 45 delegates that could have attended. 13 chose to take advantage of this opportunity to exercise the franchise. Saturday is the day when votes are cast to accept or decline the proposed changes to the party platform and elect the NC GOP Chair and Vice-Chair. Naturally, these are of great priority to the people that desire to hold power for their personal gratification as opposed to those that want to do the most good for the most people. Government of, by, and for the people are a foreign concept to individuals who feed at the trough of the public purse. Will I attend again? Probably. Will I fill the party coffers by attending all the fund-raising events and dinners priced at $100 - $150 per meal scheduled during the convention? NO. One last note Thom Tillis was a no-show. As swarms of violent illegal alien insurrections waving Mexican flags attack Los Angeles, aided by the American far left, and Democrat politicians, the US Department of Justice is working to send the perps to prison for a long time. A Mexican illegal alien, who already has a criminal record in the US and has previously been deported, for example, has been https://rem.hrlamb.gob.pe/ arrested and charged with Attempted Murder after he threw a Molotov cocktail at a law enforcement officer. Another Mexican illegal alien has been identified and is being sought for hurling large rpocks that could kill at law enforcement officers. Unlike the Biden regime, the Trump administration is not pussyfooting around with violent illegal aliens. As these violent thugs get identified, they will be arrested and prosecuted. The prosecutions will be in federal court where they will not have crooked Soros prosecutors dropping charges. https://redstate.com/sister-toldjah/2025/06/11/another-violent-la-riots-illegal-gets-nabbed-by-ice-and-this-guys-gonna-wish-he-stayed-in-mexico-n2190343 https://dailycaller.com/2025/06/11/previously-deported-mexican-illegal-to-be-charged-with-attempted-murder-in-la-riots/ Those being arrested by ICE for deportation are convicted criminals who already have deportation orders issued by the Immigration Court. They have had their due process and lost. Most of them are guilty of serious crimes like murder, drug trafficking, and child rape. Why is it that Democrats want to keep these criminals in our midst? One of them has even been convicted in a school shooting. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14802183/trump-ice-deportation-la-riots-worst-criminals-arrested.html https://dailycaller.com/2025/06/11/ice-arrests-more-la-migrants/ THere is lots of far left money and foreign money pouring into the Los Angeles insurrection, including from China and from the Mexican crime cartels. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14802183/trump-ice-deportation-la-riots-worst-criminals-arrested.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14798987/anti-ice-los-angeles-riots-china-george-soros.html Impact of Covid emergency blamed for shops closure A charity is to close its nine local shops after struggling in the wake of the Covid pandemic, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal. Self Help Africa, which is based in the Republic and merged with War On Want in December 2017, has pulled down the shutters of five of the stores already. The remaining will close over the next few weeks. The Prime Minister said it was vital the police were given the time they needed to investigate the incidents concerned (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA) Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the government is committed to finding the best outcome for the workers at Spirit AeroSystems in Northern Ireland amid uncertainty over the business operation here. In a response to a question asked at Prime Ministers Questions by North Down MP Alex Easton, Sir Keir Starmer said Spirit was an important case. Trade Unions have previously voiced concerns for the future of thousands of jobs of workers at Spirit AeroSystems, after Airbus confirmed it was going to purchase only certain parts of the current business. Spirit AeroSystems in Belfast News Catch Up - Wednesday 11th June 2025 While this would maintain the jobs of 1,400 people in east Belfast, there are 2,000 staff at other parts of the company in NI who are unsure as to which company will ultimately own the firm. Trade unions have called on Westminster to insist on one buyer taking on all parts of the business in any potential deal. They argue this would better serve the current staff, and better protect their jobs going forward. Speaking in the Commons, Alex Easton said: "Prime Minister, there are significant concerns around potential job losses at Spirit AeroSystems stemming from the deal with Airbus. "Would the Prime Minister agree with me and intervene to bring all the main players including the unions, the business secretary and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland around the table to ensure these jobs are protected, especially considering the scale of the issue is akin to the challenge faced by British Steel?" "There is an issue where Northern Ireland businesses, with the outworking of the Northern Ireland protocol and the Windsor Framework, can the Prime Minister give me reassurances that he's working to resolve all those issues? The Prime Minister said it was vital the police were given the time they needed to investigate the incidents concerned (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA) In response to the MPs question, the Mr Starmer said: "I'm grateful to him for raising this important case of Spirit AeroSystems in Northern Ireland. "I know how how important it is for the workforce. I've visited them myself on more than one occasion. "Airbus' decision to expand UK operations is good news for the sector and testament to world class manufacturing expertise, and I want to see those high-skilled jobs protected. "The Northern Ireland Secretary has met Airbus, the trade unions and Assembly representatives to discuss the best outcome. "The minister of industry is continuing engagement with stakeholders. "We will do everything we can in relation to situation, and I'm grateful to him for raising it." Kids need to understand how hard it is to earn: Experts on how much pocket money we should give to children Bodybuilder jailed after assaulting woman outside NI bar and punching female officer in the face The judge told him: You strike me as a man who is prone to acts of violence Adrian Murray Paul Higgins Wed 11 Jun 2025 at 16:35 A Co Antrim bodybuilder who admitted assaulting a woman outside a bar, and punching a female police officer in the face when she went to arrest him, has been jailed for five months. Tributes have been paid to a Northern Ireland teenager who passed away after a battle with cancer. Sarah Eakin was just 16 when she died on Saturday at the Belfast Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children. She was described as just the most beautiful girl whose light filled every room she entered. Sarah was a pupil at Dromore High School, which described her as bubbly, fun-loving and incredibly brave. Speaking on behalf of the Board of Governors, staff and pupils, a representative said their sixth form next year will be poorer for her absence. The school described Sarah as a sporty and fun-loving young woman. Over the past weekend, the governors, staff and students of Dromore High were informed of the death of one of our Year 12 pupils, Sarah Eakin. Sarah had an interest in netball and equestrian sport, representing the school on the netball court and as part of the equestrian team an interest she shared with her dad." They said Sarah was a dedicated student who was eager to learn. Sarah was diagnosed with leukaemia in Year 11 and missed most of her studies that year. "Keen to keep up with her classwork, Sarah observed some of her lessons remotely via a special robot camera supplied by the Childrens Cancer Unit Charity. She underwent treatment and received a positive prognosis in the summer of 2024, enabling her to return to school in September 2024. Once back at school for Year 12, Sarah made it her mission to catch up on missed studies, taking extra lessons with staff who willingly gave their time after school hours. Her attitude throughout this school year was always positive, and her approach to her illness was never to make a fuss or seek special treatment. The school said Sarah enjoyed spending time with her friends. Sarah clearly enjoyed being part of the Dromore High family again. Despite her illness, she endeavoured to attend the school formal in March, where she enjoyed a night with her closest friends who we know will miss her dearly. Her attitude throughout this school year was always positive, and her approach to her illness was never to make a fuss or seek special treatment. Observing Sarah at school, one would not have realised she had been unwell. The school said Sarahs classmates will miss her dearly. An aspiration to study A-levels was firmly in Sarahs sights throughout this year, a goal she held onto until her final days. Our sixth form next year will be the poorer for her absence, they said. The loss to our school family is made more difficult because at the start of Year 12, we saw Sarah return to school with high hopes that her illness was behind her. Sadly, this was not to be. In her final weeks, Sarah faced her terminal diagnosis with incredible bravery, fortitude, and a maturity that many could only aspire to. "Her steadfastness during illness and especially in her final weeks has been truly inspirational. "For that, and for her many other exceptional qualities, we will remain deeply proud of Sarah. ...devastated to learn about the passing of our wonderful young Sarah, a beautiful girl inside and out They passed on their sympathies to Sarahs family and loved ones. Our thoughts now turn to Sarahs family, who are enduring the pain of her loss. We will of course be praying for Sarahs dad Geoff, her mum Joanne, her brother James, and the wider family circle in the coming days. The charity Angel Wishes, who had supported Sarah during her illness, paid tribute to the young girl. A spokesperson said the charity was truly devastated to learn about the passing of our wonderful young Sarah, a beautiful girl inside and out. They added: Sarah touched us all with her love for her wonderful family and her beautiful German Shepherd, Holly her forever faithful friend. Sarah wanted more than anything to attend her school formal, and she looked absolutely stunning and so happy. A service to celebrate the life of Sarah took place on Tuesday in Scarva Street Presbyterian Church followed by a private family cremation. Firefighters battle a fire at a 5g mast in the Springbank Industrial Estate in Poleglass on June 7th 2025 (Photo by Kevin Scott) Firefighters battle a fire at a 5g mast in the Springbank Industrial Estate in Poleglass on June 7th 2025 (Photo by Kevin Scott) An MP has said that the burning of 5G masts is reckless and destructive after emergency services tackled a second fire in less than a week. The PSNI and the Fire and Rescue Service responded to reports of a fire in the Stewartstown Road area of west Belfast shortly before 12.30am on Wednesday, June 11. Emergency workers also responded to reports of a separate 5G mast fire in the Poleglass area over the weekend. Sergeant Burns said: "We attended this alongside colleagues from Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service who worked to extinguish the blaze of a 5G mast tower which had been set alight deliberately. "This is just one of a number of 5G masts that have been set on fire in recent months and we have attended two fires in less than a week to masts in the same area. Sinn Fein MP Paul Maskey called on those responsible to stop harming our community. Those involved in targeting vital infrastructure in west Belfast must end this reckless and destructive behaviour," said the West Belfast MP. They are causing serious harm to our community and putting lives at risk. This is happening at a time when there is a clear and growing demand for better connectivity, with thousands of residents reporting poor mobile signal. Im in London today to make the case directly to network providers that urgent investment is needed to upgrade infrastructure in areas that have been left behind. These disgraceful actions will not deter us from our campaign to secure better mobile coverage for our communities. Anyone with information should contact the PSNI." Sergeant Burns said that those setting 5G masts alight are putting themselves and members of the public at risk. He added: "I cannot stress enough how dangerous it is lighting fire to electrical equipment. Anyone setting an illegal fire is acting extremely recklessly and putting not only themselves, but also members of the public, at risk. The damage caused costs the mast-owners a substantial amount of money to correct, and affects the mobile phone service of the local community." Firefighters battle a fire at a 5g mast in the Springbank Industrial Estate in Poleglass on June 7th 2025 (Photo by Kevin Scott) News Catch Up - Wednesday 11th June 2025 At least 13 5G masts have been destroyed in the west Belfast area over the past two years. It follows a 5G mast in the Poleglass area being set alight at the weekend. Two fire appliances and an aerial platform were tasked to the blaze in the Springbank Industrial estate in west Belfast at around 2.30pm on Saturday. A survey carried out by Sinn Fein, published in the Andersonstown News in May, revealed that 87% of people in west Belfast reported that their phone signal was poor or very poor. Only 3% of the 2,600 respondents stated their signal was good or excellent. The report listed the top three areas for poor signal across West Belfast as being the Glen Road, Turf Lodge, and Andersonstown areas. A police investigation into the attacks on 5G masts remains ongoing. Car set alight in north Belfast Sporadic disorder in Newtownabbey, CarrickfergusCalm restored to Ballymena around after 1am after second night of violence Six people have been arrested following a second night of violence in Northern Ireland. Police and senior political figures led condemnation of the trouble. Calm was restored to the Ballymena area after 1am this morning. The violence had broken out shortly before 8pm and continued for several hours with masonry and petrol bombs thrown at PSNI officers and police vehicles. Homes and businesses were also attacked. During the disorder, a water cannon was deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds, with officers also discharging baton rounds. Around 300 protestors had gathered in the area, close to where an alleged serious sexual assault on a teenage girl took place at the weekend. Police also dealt with sporadic disorder in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus while a car was set alight in north Belfast. Police said 17 officers were injured in the latest trouble, bringing the total number of injured officers over the two nights of violence to 33. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in police custody this morning. A male was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour on the ONeill Road in Newtownabbey. Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said she was dismayed" by the unfolding events. Violence is always wrong. I have been in constant contact throughout last night with PSNI and in contact with local elected representatives, she said. "This disorder and violence must stop and justice be allowed to prevail. Speaking on BBC Radio Ulsters Good Morning Ulster Programme Liam Kelly, chair of the Police Federation, condemned the trouble that broke out over the last two nights. "I want to condemn again what has happened the last couple of nights not only in Ballymena but, as weve seen, extended into other areas as well, he said. "Its completely deplorable that this is happening. We need these attacks to stop, and stop very quickly. Also speaking on the show, North Antrim MLA Paul Frew voiced fears that the violence would continue. I fear that if this continues, someone is going to get killed, he said. Speaking earlier, Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland described the trouble as unacceptable. Its deeply shocking and very disappointing and I have to say its entirely unacceptable. This violence doesnt speak for Ballymena, she said. Ms Mulholland said that the unrest distracted from the really serious issue of violence against women and girls. She added: Thats what we should be talking about, we should be talking about how to make our society safer for women, not how to manage the fallout of violence and intimidation. "It was just really disturbing, and deeply, deeply worrying. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable. "These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice, and protection." "As with any serious offenders in Northern Ireland, we will pursue those responsible and bring them to justice. "We will now begin our investigation of reviewing all evidence gathered, including video footage, and Images of the individuals involved will be released to identify offenders. He added: Do not throw away your future and do not continue to endanger or intimidate the lives of others. Police dogs were deployed in Ballymena (Photo by Kevin Scott) Yesterday, Translink suspended bus services in several areas of Belfast due to protests. Services on the Shore Road in north Belfast were at a standstill due to protestors blocking roadways along bus routes. Protestors blocking the Shankill Road. [Photo: Stephanie Finnegan] Bus services along the Ravenhill Road between the east and south of the city were also diverted towards the Ormeau Embankment due to demonstrations, while there was disruption to services in the Shankill Road area. Protestors had also blocked roads at Carlisle Circus. Its understood a crowd of around 50 gathered at the area holding placards saying: Protect Our Children. Police will release a further update later this morning. Police have called the incident a "serious disorder" (Photo credit: Kevin Scott) In Ballymena, some residents marked doors to display their nationality while two water cannons were also at the scene of the ongoing serious disorder. At least four armoured vehicles were deployed in the Clonavon area as masked youths attacked officers. Some Filipino workers in the area began putting stickers on their doors that declared their nationality, in an apparent bid to avoid attack. Some people also displayed Union flags, or hung them in windows. Some homes being marked by nationality just yards from rioting (Photo credit: Kevin Scott) Petrol bombs, bricks and bottles were among the missiles thrown at police. A PSNI spokesperson last night said the incident escalated to serious disorder. Police are currently dealing with serious disorder in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena this evening, they said. "Members of the public should avoid the area. A peaceful vigil on Monday to support the girl and her family was followed by serious trouble. Two boys, both 14, were arrested and later charged with the attempted oral rape of the girl on June 7. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. PSNI officers injured and houses destroyed in Ballymena race riots Monday evenings violence resulted in 15 police officers suffering injuries with four homes in the area being set alight. A 29-year-old man has been charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested during the disorder in Ballymena on Monday night China welcomes more foreign businesses to come for all-win results: spokesperson Xinhua) 10:51, June 11, 2025 BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- China welcomes more foreign businesses to come to China with a global perspective, and achieve win-win and all-win results as the country looks to unleash new quality productive forces, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday. Lin made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked to comment on foreign businesses' continued investment in China recently. "The fact that more foreign businesses are betting on China says a lot about the stability and certainty that China's high-quality development and opening up provide and how much they are valued by the rest of the world," he said, noting that it is also the result of the strong dynamism created by China's new quality productive forces and innovation ecosystem. He said to speed up institutional opening up, China launched the 2025 Action Plan for Stabilizing Foreign Investment, and revised and expanded the Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment. "Those new policy incentives cover sectors such as high-end manufacturing, digital economy and other frontier areas. In the first five months of this year, over 73,000 foreign companies generated imports and exports in China, hitting a five-year high," he added. "Right here in China, innovation breakthroughs keep on coming, there is enormous demand for new industries and business formats, plus China's unique advantages such as complete industrial and supply chains, abundant human resources and a well-developed innovation ecosystem," Lin said, noting that all of those are driving foreign businesses to invest rapidly in new quality productive forces and be embedded in China's innovation process. More and more foreign businesses have chosen to conduct research and development (R&D) in China and launch products to the world from China, creating sound dynamics between markets, businesses and resource factors, Lin said. From a manufacturing giant to an innovation powerhouse, China continues to offer the world opportunities through its progress, Lin said, adding that China will continue to improve the business environment, and provide foreign businesses with more policy incentives. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) The First and deputy First Ministers have condemned the rioting in Ballymena, saying that the violence was motivated by pure racism" and needs to stop. The disorder followed an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in Ballymena at the weekend. Two 14 year old boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, were arrested and have since been charged in relation to the allegations. First Minister Michelle ONeill said that its important to remember that violence against women in Northern Ireland and the recent violence in Ballymena are separate issues. We know there's a general societal problem here in terms of violence against women and girls. And it's male violence against women and girls. So we have to call it out and we have to work with our young boys about educating them as well, which is why a lot of the work we've done around campaigns like Power to Change, don't be a bystander whenever you see misogyny or you see attacks on young women. What I want is to separate out two things here. One is an attack on a young woman that needs to be investigated and fully dealt with in the criminal justice system. Separate to that is an issue of racism that we have now developed. And I would say, orchestrated by some of those people like Tommy Robinson to this point, orchestrating and trying to whip up fears and tensions, let's not allow that to take hold in our society, she said. Ms O'Neill condemned the violent demonstrations as "pure racism theres no other way to dress it up. "We can't dress this up, this is racism in Ballymena, and we have to say that this is not tolerated in this society". "It's wrong we have to say that it's wrong and all political leaders need to join together in calling for calm." Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said the violence in Ballymena is "serving no purpose whatsoever, but risks criminal convictions of young people". Ms Pengelly added that the family of the victim of the alleged sexual assault in Ballymena had been "very clear" that they did not want violence to follow a peaceful demonstration held on Monday night to support them. "At the heart of this initial protest was a victim, a young girl, she said. "But then of course that [demonstration] turned into something very, very different. The family have been clear, they don't want that violence." Ms ONeill said the Executive was united in its condemnation of the attacks. First Minster and Deputy First Minister condemn recent violence in Ballymena News Catch Up - Wednesday 11th June 2025 I think it is important that political leaders are very clear in terms of the language that they use and the words that they use so that they don't inflate issues. The racism that we see being carried out over the last few nights in Ballymena is wrong, we have to say that it is wrong. Thats why it was important that all of the Executive parties have come together to say that what's happening needs to stop. We will continue to provide that political leadership, work with communities, we want to engage with the PSNI, and continue to work with them in terms of the response. Larne Leisure Centre on fire on third day of disorderWater cannon used to disperse crowds in BallymenaProtests across NI - some turn violent Police deal with a third night of violence in Ballymena A number of projectiles have been launched at police in Ballymena, including petrol bombs and fireworks in another night of violence in the town. A water cannon was also used in an effort to disperse the crowds that gathered close to Clonavon Terrace. Meanwhile, in Larne, masked youths attacked Larne Leisure Centre by smashing windows and setting fires on the third day of disorder. Social media posts had suggested that those moved out of Ballymena homes were being housed there earlier today. It is understood that there was no one inside the Leisure Centre during the attack. A NIFRS (Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service) spokesman said the blaze was under control. Vandals smashed windows and started a fire outside the leisure centre. It comes as protestors gathered in towns across Northern Ireland with some being peaceful, while others turned violent. The initial rioting ignited in Ballymena with the PSNI saying it is not clear if paramilitaries are coordinating violence in the Co Antrim town. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, speaking during a press conference today, said: "At this point it's not clear to us or through intelligence or what we're hearing if there's paramilitary coordination to it." Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn is planning to visit Ballymena, it has been announced. Lady Anderson, speaking in the House of Lords today, said the Cabinet minister was having "active conversations" with both the Stormont administration and the PSNI. The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also condemned mindless attacks during the outbreak of violence in Ballymena and other parts of Northern Ireland. Seven people have been arrested and 33 PSNI officers were injured over two nights of what the PSNI Chief Constable has described as mindless violence. Follow our live blog for the latest updates: Police came under attack as violent disorder erupted for a second night in a row in Northern Ireland on Tuesday. Multiple cars and properties were set on fire in Ballymena while rioters hurled petrol bombs, fireworks and masonry at police officers. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannons as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. In a statement, the PSNI said calm had been restored in the Clonavon Terrace, North Road and Bridge Street areas by around 1am on Wednesday. The force said there had also been sporadic disorder in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well incidents in north Belfast. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest in the day which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. The Prime Ministers official spokesman described those events which saw police and ethnic minorities targeted as very concerning. Emergency services outside a house in Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) A senior police officer condemned the disorder as racist thuggery. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson issued a public appeal for information and said the PSNI was actively working to identify those responsible for the racially motivated disorder in Ballymena and bring them to justice. He said the service would deploy significant resources to any further disorder during the week. Police in Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) On Tuesday evening, riot police were deployed to residential streets around Clonavon Terrace on Tuesday as hundreds of people gathered in the area from approximately 7pm. The PSNI formed barricades while officers wearing armour and shields also responded to the disorder. Some masked protesters shouted abuse and threw objects at the police, including fireworks, glass bottles and pieces of metal. The PSNI advised those present to disperse and warned that water cannon would be deployed against those participating in violent activity. Police fired plastic baton rounds at some of those gathered and also used water cannons to disperse the crowd. Many young children were present among those gathered near police lines. A vehicle on fire near Clonavon Terrace, Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) As rioters were dispersed into other parts of the town as the evening progressed into night, a property on Bridge Street and a home on Queen Street were set on fire. Other properties had windows smashed as some residents chose to display signs about the nationalities of those normally resident, including one saying British household and another with Filipino lives here. Multiple cars were also set on fire as part of blazes set by rioters, including near a car wash and tyre centre off Bridge Street and on Larne Street. The clothing of at least one participant caught fire during the disorder. The PSNI cleared streets and allowed gaps in its barricades for firefighters to tackle fires in the town as chaotic scenes continued past midnight. Officers also used a drone as part of the response to illegal activity, which saw some rioters kick in doors and ransack homes. The Northern Ireland Secretary has said there is no justification for attacks on police officers or vandalism. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content In a social media post, Hilary Benn said: The terrible scenes of civil disorder we have witnessed in Ballymena again this evening have no place in Northern Ireland. There is absolutely no justification for attacks on PSNI officers or for vandalism directed at peoples homes or property. During Mondays disorder, 15 police officers were injured and several PSNI vehicles were damaged. In Clonavon Terrace, several houses had their windows smashed and two which suffered significant smoke damage remained sealed off on Tuesday. A 29-year-old man was charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested on Monday night. Police officers using a water cannon near Clonavon Terrace (Niall Carson/PA) Mr Henderson said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage. The earlier peaceful protest formed in support of the family of the girl. Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. On Tuesday, the PSNI said it had made a third arrest in connection with the incident and reiterated a public appeal for information. Detective Inspector Olphert from the PSNIs public protection branch said: A 28-year-old man was arrested yesterday evening, Monday June 9. He has been unconditionally released from police custody following questioning. At a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Henderson said the attacks should be loudly condemned by all right-thinking people. Any attempt to justify or explain it as something else is misplaced, he said at a press conference at Ballymena police station earlier on Tuesday. He said members of the minority ethnic community felt fear and there will be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community. Mr Henderson said that police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed to help the PSNI in the wake of the Ballymena disorder. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: The disorder we saw in Ballymena is very concerning. Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers while they continue to protect local communities. PSNI and the justice system must be allowed to carry out their jobs and our thoughts are with the victims of the assault as well as the police officers who were injured. DUP councillor questions if burqas should be banned in UK Ex-UKIP and TUV member Henry Reilly asks on social media if full covering worn by Muslim women alien Suzanne Breen Wed 11 Jun 2025 at 07:03 A DUP councillor has raised questions over whether the burqa should be banned and if it is alien to British culture. Britain will become a defence industrial superpower, Rachel Reeves said as she set out plans to spend 2.5% of the UKs economic output on defence by 2027. Defence is one of the areas of the public finances which benefited most at the spending review on Wednesday, when the Chancellor set out departmental spending limits over the next few years. In a statement to the House of Commons, Ms Reeves echoed the words of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, saying the global security situation meant a new era for defence and security was needed. Increased defence spending would lead to more jobs across the UK, she added. Figures published by the Treasury to accompany the spending review showed that average annual real-terms growth for defence between the 2023-24 and 2028-29 financial year is 3.6%. (PA Graphics) The figure far outstrips the average departmental spending rise of 2.3%, with only Health and Social Care seeing a similarly large rise of 2.8%. Speaking in the Commons, the Chancellor said: A new era in the threats we face demands a new era for defence and security. Thats why we took the decision to prioritise our defence spending by reducing overseas development aid so that defence spending will now rise to 2.6% of GDP by April 2027, including the contribution of our intelligence agencies. That uplift provides funding for the Defence Secretary, with an 11 billion increase in defence spending and a 600 million uplift for our security and intelligence agencies. Some 4.5 billion will be invested in munitions in Glasgow, Glascoed, Stevenage and Radway Green, Ms Reeves said, while 6 billion will be spent on upgrading nuclear submarine production in Barrow, Derby and Sheffield. She added: We will make Britain a defence industrial superpower. With the jobs, the skills and the pride that comes with that. In the next parliament, ministers plan to chart a path towards the ambition of spending 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence. However, Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank, said it was entirely possible that an increase in the Nato spending target will mean that maintaining defence spending at 2.6% of GDP no longer cuts the mustard in the medium term. Nato is calling on all its members to meet a 3.5% commitment for core defence spending, with 1.5% further spent on defence-related areas. While other nations have publicly indicated they are willing to meet this commitment, the UK has not done so yet. Mark Rutte, the alliances secretary-general, has said he sees no discrepancy between the UKs current commitments and the target he has set out. UK defence spending limits set on Wednesday could be reviewed at the next spending review in 2027, the official document released alongside the Chancellors statement said. James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, said: It became clear today Labour has no plan to increase defence spending beyond 2.5%. In fact, due to their smoke and mirrors they may not even spend the 2.5% they promised. This comes at the worst possible time. With our enemies rearming, now is not the time for dither and delay. Rachel Reeves should put party politics aside and back our calls to get to 3% in this Parliament. The Governments 445 million funding for rail projects in Wales has been branded peanuts by Shadow Wales Secretary Mims Davies. The investment in Welsh rail announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her spending review on Wednesday will be spent on new stations and upgraded railway lines, and delivered through both direct funding and additional money for the Welsh Government. However, Ms Davies branded the sum paltry and said the Government was short-changing Wales. The Conservative frontbencher asked Wales Secretary Jo Stevens: Does the minister prefer peanuts, cashew nuts, or simply scraps for Wales? The fabled two Labour governments in lockstep is simply a myth for voters. Changing rail classifications and short-changing Welsh communities is a true reality. Is the minister concerned by todays reported peanuts, because when did she become aware of just over 400 million, the paltry settlement to come to Wales? How will it be split to Welsh Government? How does she think it compares to our Governments 740 million on rail alone? Shadow Wales Secretary Mims Davies (Flora Thompson/ PA credit) Responding, Ms Stevens said: Her party was in government for 14 years when Wales got 1% of the rail enhancement budget, when it has 11% of the whole UK network. Her party are responsible for the historic underfunding of the Welsh rail and well hear from the Chancellor this afternoon about what this Government is going to do about it. Liz Saville-Roberts, Plaid Cymrus leader in Westminster, also accused the Government of reclassifying the Oxford-Cambridge line as an England and Wales project, rather than England only. She said: The Secretary of State for Wales joined Plaid Cymru in condemning the Conservatives for denying Wales 4.6 billion in rail funding. Now shes in government, shes waxing lyrical about 10% of that, and content with moving the goalpost to deny Wales a further 300 million by recently classifying the Oxford-Cambridge line as benefiting Wales. I dont know how they make this up. Does she oppose this new injustice? Or was she ignored? Or is it her mission to see Wales short-changed? Ms Stevens reiterated her previous response to this accusation that the Government had only been correcting a publishing error and that the Oxford-Cambridge line was always considered an England and Wales development. She said: I listened very carefully to the question, and Im sure she would not wish to unintentionally mislead the House. This was an error on the Oxford-Cambridge line. This was an error by the Conservative government in the 2021 spending review. And as she knows, heavy rail infrastructure is reserved, not devolved. Like every heavy rail project in England, Barnet consequentials do not apply. The UK Government fund from which East West Rail is being funded is also directing funding projects in Wales, like the redevelopment of Waless busiest station, Cardiff central, improvements to level crossings in north Wales and upgrading the South Wales Relief Link. A minister has criticised the obsession with laughing at people who get sunburn (Alamy/PA) A minister has hit out at the obsession with laughing at people who get sunburn. Sir Chris Bryant said too much exposure to the sun can be fatal. The tourism minister has previously been treated for melanoma on the back of his head. Speaking at a conference in Westminster on Wednesday organised by travel trade organisation Abta, Sir Chris said: One thing that is very close to my heart, because Ive had stage four melanoma which probably sprang from my years in Spain when I was a child is about responsible use of the sun. We know that it kills, getting it wrong. The British obsession with laughing at people because theyve gone lobster pink is daft. We need to do better about this. Addressing the gathering of travel trade executives, he added: I know you dont want to be preaching to everybody who gets on an aeroplane with you, but being able to do all this responsibly, I think, is important. Sir Chris went on to say he is desperately keen for all European countries to make their airports e-gates available to UK passport holders. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer struck an agreement with EU leaders last month to enable UK holidaymakers to use the technology, but it is up to individual countries to allow this to happen. Sir Chris joked that he is in favour of the policy not least because it would mean that my husband, who has an Irish passport, wouldnt get through passport control before me. A report published by Abta found the annual contribution to the economy of the UKs outbound travel industry can grow from 52 billion to 62 billion by 2030. Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: Were urging the Government to capitalise on the growth potential presented by outbound travel. One of the things that we are highlighting is the opportunity for the UK to be a leader in sustainable travel, recognising that the industry needs to grow in a responsible way. This means accelerating progress towards decarbonisation, something that cant be done without the support of Government. Snow covers the N2 road heading to Nolangeni (Greater Kokstad Municipality via AP) At least 49 people have died in flooding in South Africas Eastern Cape province after an extreme cold front brought heavy rain and snow to parts of the country, officials said on Wednesday. Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane said the death toll was provided by police. The toll included six students who were washed away when their school bus was caught in floodwaters near a river on Tuesday, Mr Mabuyane told journalists. He said four other students were missing. He said the death toll was likely to rise: As we speak here, other bodies are being discovered. Mr Mabuyanes office had reported seven deaths in the floods on Tuesday. Disaster response teams have been activated in Eastern Cape province and in neighboring KwaZulu-Natal province after torrential rain in parts of southern and eastern South Africa. Power outages have affected hundreds of thousands of homes, authorities said. The Eastern Cape province is especially hard hit, with houses submerged or destroyed and cars carried away by floodwaters. Police take cover from projectiles during protests (Ethan Swope/AP) Los Angeles police swiftly enforced a curfew on Tuesday night, making arrests moments after it took effect while deploying officers to break up a group demonstrating against President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown. Members of the National Guard stood watch behind plastic shields, but did not appear to participate in the arrests. Hours later, many of the protesters had dispersed, although sporadic confrontations continued that were much smaller than in previous nights. Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators looking to cause trouble. Governor Gavin Newsom (Office of California Governor via AP) Democratic governor Gavin Newsom earlier accused Mr Trump of drawing a military dragnet across the nations second-largest city with his escalating use of the National Guard. He also deployed marines, though none were seen on the streets. Mr Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, with some guardsmen now standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests. He said it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. The judge set a hearing for Thursday, giving the administration several days to continue those activities. The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as Mr Trump has promised as part of his administrations immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement. Mr Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 marines over the objections of city and state leaders. They were originally deployed to protect federal buildings. Demonstrations have spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin, Texas, Chicago and New York, where a thousand people rallied and multiple arrests were made. Mr Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorises the president to deploy military forces inside the US to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. It is one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a US president. If theres an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. Well see, he said from the Oval Office. Later the president called protesters animals and a foreign enemy in a speech at Fort Bragg ostensibly to recognise the 250th anniversary of the US Army. Mr Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Mr Newsom says are nowhere close to the truth. In a public address Tuesday evening, Mr Newsom called Mr Trumps actions the start of an assault on democracy. Mr Newsom warned people against inciting violence, but urged them to stand up to the presidents actions. The protests began on Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of four million. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention centre where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids. Russian forces launched a new drone assault across Ukraine overnight on Wednesday, killing three people and wounding 64 others, Ukrainian officials said. One of the hardest-hit areas was the city of Kharkiv in north-eastern Ukraine, where 17 attack drones struck two residential districts, mayor Ihor Terekhov said. Emergency crews, municipal workers and volunteers worked through the night to extinguish fires, rescue residents from burning homes, and restore gas, electricity and water services. Those are ordinary sites of peaceful life those that should never be targeted, Mr Terekhov wrote on Telegram. Three people were confirmed killed, according to Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov. In a statement, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that 64 people had been wounded and re-iterated his calls for greater international pressure on Moscow. Every new day now brings new vile Russian attacks, and almost every strike is telling, he said. We must not be afraid or postpone new decisions that could make things more difficult for Russia. Without this, they will not engage in genuine diplomacy. And this depends primarily on the United States and other world leaders. Everyone who has called for an end to the killings and for diplomacy must act. Kharkiv has been frequently targeted in recent months as Russia launched repeated large-scale drone and missile attacks on civilian infrastructure. Moscows forces have launched waves of drones and missiles in recent days, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday. The attacks come despite discussions of a potential ceasefire in the war. The two sides traded memorandums at direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2 that set out conditions. However, the inclusion of clauses that both sides see as non-starters make any quick deal unlikely. Wednesdays strikes also caused widespread destruction in Kharkivs Slobidskyi and Osnovianskyi districts, hitting apartment buildings, private homes, playgrounds, industrial sites and public transportation. Images from the scene published by Ukraines Emergency Service on Telegram showed burning apartments, shattered windows and firefighters battling the blaze. We stand strong. We help one another. And we will endure, Mr Terekhov said. Kharkiv is Ukraine. And it cannot be broken. Ukraines air force said that 85 attack and decoy drones were fired over the country overnight. Air defence systems intercepted 40 of the drones, while nine more failed to reach their targets without causing damage. In other developments, Russia has returned 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers in line with an agreement reached during the talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations. Ukraines Coordination Headquarters for Treatment of Prisoners of War said that the bodies came from Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, as well as Russias Kursk region where Ukrainian forces waged an incursion. It said that authorities would work to determine their identities as quickly as possible. The PSNI has been warning for months that it takes just one major incident to expose the deficit in resources to safely police Northern Ireland. Events in Ballymena demonstrate that some policing demands simply cannot be planned for in advance. Northern Ireland has a serious problem with violence against women and girls. That is not opinion but fact, borne out in statistics that show we have some of the worst rates of domestic abuse and femicide in Europe. People are right to be angry when it comes to the protection of women and girls. The issue is a societal one, a hangover from our troubled past, a symptom of a violently armed patriarchy. Protecting women requires a shift in societal attitudes, from early years education to proper policing and justice. It requires the promotion of positive male role models, not the Andrew Tate-style online agitators. The investigation into the alleged attack on a teenage girl in Ballymena is the latest report of violence in the town. Two 14-year-olds have been charged, while a third is still being sought. That the suspects are the children of migrants was revealed by court reports that confirmed that they required a Romanian interpreter. The media is greatly restricted in what it can report in live cases, particularly those involving juveniles. But there is no getting away from the fact that many of those who landed in Ballymena on Monday, determined to engage in violence, would not have been there only for the nationality of the suspects. The family members who organised a protest following the weekend attack did so in good faith. But the reality is, when people are called onto the streets, the results can be unpredictable. Within hours of the call for a peaceful protest, social media pages linked to far-right organisations were urging people to travel to the town. The result was violence on a scale not seen there for years, with injuries to police officers and homes destroyed by fire and vandalism. In 2018, when Britain First leader Paul Golding arrived in Ballymena making false allegations about the allocation of housing, he was sent packing by the good people of that town. The false narrative about an invasion of foreign migrants was, at the time, challenged by the DUPs Paul Frew, who used facts to debunk myths. Mr Frew produced figures from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive showing that of all the properties allocated in the preceding 12 months, 2.5% were allocated to Persons from Abroad. Following Mondays violence, it is for politicians to follow that lead and show leadership, to help calm rather than inflame tensions. Bennington, VT (05201) Today A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 85F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. PITTSFIELD While Amtrak is fixing its tracks, rail passengers bound for Pittsfield will be hitting the road between Albany and the Berkshires at least for the first couple weeks of the Berkshire Flyer service. The work, described as an issue with surrounding land adjacent to the track infrastructure, will result in Lake Shore Limited and Berkshire Flyer riders boarding the bus between the Albany-Rensselaer, N.Y. station to Pittsfield and points east. Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said the issue is connected to underground water on property adjacent to the rail carriers right of way in Albany, and making sure it does not undermine the railbed. The work is taking place just as the Berkshire Flyer is ramping up for its fourth season, starting June 20 and ending Sept. 7. The Flyer also will be on a later schedule this season. The service, scheduled for 12 weeks of Friday and Sunday service between New York and Pittsfield, is due to arrive at the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center at 8:49 p.m. starting June 20. Thats owed to a later departure time of 4:45 p.m. from Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station due to the reconstruction of the East River Tunnel, Abrams said. Rail advocates and lawmakers are concerned that the Flyers Friday night arrival time will render the service impractical for passengers wanting something to eat, somewhere to go, or a way to get to their hotel or inn when they arrive in Pittsfield. "I'm not very [optimistic] that it's going to be able to carry a lot of passengers," local rail advocate Eddie Sporn said of the Flyer's prospects for the coming summer. "Maybe I'm wrong." Sporn, who has previously served as a consultant to the Berkshire Flyer project, has instead advocated for a thruway bus connection from Rensselaer to Pittsfield, arriving earlier on Friday and avoiding freight traffic delays on that leg of the trip. That has not materialized. "I guess the best case scenario is that the train gets in on time," Sporn said Tuesday. "If the train gets in on time every week that's proof positive CSX can, if they cooperate, allow the Berkshire Flyer priority. That would be one silver lining out of this thing." "Other than that, there's no advertising as far as I'm aware locally, and Amtrak has not started national advertising as far as I'm aware," he said. "Outside of you, me, train enthusiasts and Mass DOT, I don't think anyone knows." The Berkshire Flyer, a pilot program launched in 2022, hasnt always had a smooth ride. Complications have included travel delays on the CSX-owned line between Rensselaer and Pittsfield, and a lack of transit and rideshare options and amenities for visitors upon arrival. In 2024, a season of 11 weeks from mid-June to early September, ridership was 777 passengers, according to Massachusetts Department of Transportation data provided by Sporn. Thats down from 1,261 in 2023, but that represents 20 weekends of service. In its first year of 2022, a nine-week run between early July and early September, the Flyer carried 819 passengers from Penn Station to Pittsfield. Sporns analysis of common service weeks, excluding northbound New York-to-Pittsfield passengers on Sundays, shows ridership declined to 606 passengers in 2024 during those common weeks, down from 743 in 2023 and 819 in 2022. Would the bus be better? The track maintenance lasting through the end of the month will give observers the chance to find out in person. Search Amtrak's website for trains from New York to Pittsfield on June 20, and youll find a multiple-mode ride option in addition to the Berkshire Flyer, leaving and arriving earlier in the day. Passengers would board the 11:20 a.m. Empire Service bound train for Albany-Rensselaer, then transfer to a bus to Pittsfield and arrive at 4:30 p.m. That includes a layover of about 90 minutes in Rensselaer. Skipping ahead to July 7, that second option becomes a multiple trains trip using the Empire Service departing New York at 11:20 a.m., and then the Lake Shore Limited taking passengers the rest of the way. The additional New York to Pittsfield schedule option is not connected in any way to the Berkshire Flyer program, Abrams said. Abrams said passengers should check Amtrak's web page and smartphone app or call 800-USA-RAIL to find out if their travel plans will be affected by the repairs. With Berkshire Concrete Corp. set to apply for its annual permit in the fall, Select Board member Tony Pagliarulo says the town is better prepared to set the terms and conditions to protect the neighborhoods in our community. The creation of the Clean Air Ad Hoc Committee and the allocation of $59,000 to fund professional and technical work has put the town in a good position. LEE For Bob Giarolo, attending a Lee golden cane ceremony an event that honors the towns oldest resident is becoming routine. On Tuesday, Giarolo was at his third ceremony. This time it was for his mother, Vera Giarolo, who had just turned 101. Its becoming a family tradition, he said. Vera Giarolos sister and mother-in-law both received the cane before her and she was thrilled to follow in their footsteps. This is incredible, she said. I cant believe this is all for me. The ceremony took place at Kimball Farms, a retirement and life care facility in Lenox, where Giarolo has lived for the last six years. The day featured speeches by Pat Di Grigoli, the director of Lees Council on Aging; Bob Jones, a member of the Lee Select Board; and state Rep. Leigh Davis, D-Great Barrington. Before moving to Kimball Farms, Giarolo lived in Lee for 95 years. One of nine siblings, she was born in the town in 1924. Her husband, Ottavio Giarolo, whom she married in 1951, grew up just two doors down from her childhood home. Giarolo spent most of her life as a stay-at-home mother raising two boys, and she was renowned in town for her homemade pasta and her skills as a seamstress. One of my favorite memories with her is of us making pasta in her kitchen, said her grandson Andrew Giarolo. At her 100th birthday last year, Giarolo let her granddaughter Tara Giarolo in on the family secret that she thinks has led to their longevity. She said it's because they all lived a stress-free life, Tara Giarolo told The Eagle. She wakes up, faces whatevers in front of her, and lets the rest pass her by. Pat Di Grigoli kicked off the days celebration by presenting the golden cane. The cane has been a tradition in Lee since 1910, when a now-defunct newspaper, the Boston Post, sent the cane and many others like it to more than 700 towns in New England, asking that the canes be passed on to the oldest person in each of the towns. Its such an honor to be able to do this, said Di Grigoli, as she with tears in her eyes handed the cane to Giarolo. I grew up knowing your family. Once Giarolo had the cane in hand, Jones announced that the select board had passed a proclamation about the occasion, designating June 10, 2025, Vera Giarolo Day, recognizing her as a living treasure and a symbol of enduring community spirit. Davis also announced that she came bearing a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives, which offers its sincerest congratulations [and] expresses its best wishes. Once the speeches concluded, the Kimball Farms staff passed out cake, and the Giarolo family huddled around the head table enjoying desserts, catching up and celebrating Veras life. We spent so much time together, said Tara Giarolo, who grew up in a bedroom right next door to Veras. She did my hair every single day. She has had arthritis in her fingers for a long time and I guess braiding hair helped. I really loved it. Its been so wonderful to be able to have the family together to celebrate this, said Andrew Giarolo, who had also brought two of Veras great-grandchildren to the event. Ive known Vera since the day she came here, said Holly Race, program coordinator. She is a really wonderful person, very social, and very dear to us. This day has really pulled at my heartstrings. I love all of you, said Vera as the event began to wrap up. Thank you for this. The golden cane, along with a picture of Vera, will be housed in a display case at the Lee Town Hall. This has been very special, and getting to be here is a great part about being an elected official," said Bob Jones of the occasion. We all have so much more in common than we have differences, and this is a very special example of that. Jeff Robbins, a part-time resident of Stockbridge, is a former U.S. delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Council and a former assistant U.S. attorney and chief counsel for the Democrats on the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Quality local journalism needs your support Access this story and all of our stories with 24/7 unlimited access. Subscribe today. Cancel anytime. Subscribe now for 99 Subscriber Sign In | Return Home One of the largest claims in Christianity, and that marks it distinctly from its origins in Judaism, is the belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. While the faithful of Israel looked for their Messiah, the Son of David who would save Israel, a man arose from a place of no financial or political importance, from a family of no reputation, to stake a claim greater than the throne of Israel; He claimed to be one with the Father. In His historical context, Jesus of Nazareth was born in the house of two individuals named Joseph and his wife Mary. The Roman Empire controlled Israel through governors in partnership with local rulers. He served as an itinerant Rabbi for three years before being arrested and executed by crucifixion. Here, the story of Jesus of Nazareth turns, with the Gospel writers and other witnesses asserting that He rose from the dead in an act of eternal redemption for those who place their faith in Him. They claim this was possible because Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ - the Son of God. The Son of God is a concept in Christianity that stems from the belief that God exists as a Trinity, one God with three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It is different than the references to individuals called sons of God or children of God, which commonly refers to mortal individuals who have a right relationship with the Lord. The Son of God - distinct in the English language by capitalizing the S in son - is a title in Christianity for God made flesh. For those who believe in the Trinity, it is the second in the Godhead. Jesus Claimed to Be the Son of God Jesus claimed this special title and relationship of Sonship and equality with the Father. He goes to the Father in love, and has unique access to the Spirit. While believers are a part of the family of God, Jesus Christ asserts a unique oneness in that family with the Father, in communion with the Holy Spirit: John 10:15a, 30: Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father...I and the Father are one. Mark 14:36: And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will. Mark 14:61-62: Again the high priest asked him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. The Bible verifies these claims primarily by several proofs including the testimonies of others, supernatural actions, and elements of the Lords life that are best explained by His role as the Son of God. Here are 7 such proofs in the Bible that Jesus is the Son of God: Testimony - Where in the Bible Is Jesus Called the Son of God? There are several distinct instances where the moniker Son of God is applied to Jesus in the Gospels. These moments inform and reinforce His divine relationship with the Father. Some of the most prominent claims can be categorized as claims by supernatural beings, the prophet, and the Apostles. 1. The Supernatural Beings Even before His birth, Jesus Christ held the title of the Son of God. When the angel Gabriel came to Mary to give her the news that she would be the mother of the Christ, he made the assertion twice. Luke 1:32: He will be called great and will be called the Son of the Most High. Luke 1:35: ...therefore the child to be born will be called holythe Son of God. During His ministry, Jesus would cast out demons, who would address Him as the Son of God. Luke 4:41: And demons also came out of many, crying, You are the Son of God! But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. Mark 3:11: And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, You are the Son of God. 2. The Prophet The prophet John the Baptist affirms this claim. John the Baptist is a key witness, as he fulfilled the prophecy of one who would go before the Christ and proclaim His coming. In Isaiah 40:3, it foretells, A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. This voice did go on to proclaim the way of the Lord, and even to baptize Him. John 1:34: And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God. 3. The Apostles and Disciples The apostles and the disciples followed the Lord Jesus, absorbed His teachings, and witnessed His miracles. They began to testify to what they saw, and who they believed He was. They may not at first have fully grasped in whose presence they stood, but over time they began to have personal revelations from the Holy Spirit. Matthew 14:33: And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, Truly you are the Son of God. Matthew 16:15-16: He said to them, But who do you say I am? Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Actions and Aspects of the Son of God Beyond the claims that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in the Bible, there are moments that document evidence verifying it, by action, or by aspects of Christs power and character. 4. The Virgin Birth If Jesus had a biological father, He could not have been the Son of God, and people would have been putting faith in a mere man. Instead, the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and she conceived Jesus through divine means. Though Mary was betrothed to Joseph at this point, she was not married, and was confused as to how she could have a child without having a physical relationship with a man. As documented in Luke 1:34-35, And Mary said to the angel, How will this be, since I am a virgin? And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Later the angel told Joseph to marry Mary, but wait to have physical intimacy with her until after she gave birth to the child. The miraculous nature of Christs conception affirms the supernatural nature of Jesus. 5. His Consciousness of His Pre-existence Some may argue that Jesus may have been the Son of God, but not one with the Father, one-third of the triune God, not fully God and fully man, which is what Christianity asserts. However, the Lord Jesus states at several points that He had a relationship and a nature that pre-existed His birth. The Lord Jesus testifies He was sent by God from Heaven, such as in John 8:32, He said to them, You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. He also directly states that He co-existed with the Father in prayer in John 17:5, And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. His acknowledgement of this paternal relationship before He came to earth affirms His unique status as Son in a divine relationship. 6. The Power to Forgive Sins The Old Testament asserts that only God has the ability to forgive sins. In Isaiah 43:25 God says, I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. It is the Lord who dispenses mercy and forgiveness. Therefore, it would have been blasphemy for anyone to claim to be able to forgive sins. This knowledge sheds light on several instances in the Gospels where Jesus asserts His Sonship as part of the Godhead, not just as a man. One such remarkable moment is when four men lower their paralyzed friend through a roof. As told in Mark 2:5-12: And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven. Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone? And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise, take up your bed and walk? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins - he said to the paralytic - I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home. And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, We never saw anything like this! The scribes were not wrong when they asserted that only God can forgive sins. By forgiving the paralytic of his sins, Jesus was claiming His place in the Godhead as the Son of God. He healed the man of paralysis to prove the mans sins had been forgiven to those around them, and the witnesses glorified God because of it. 7. The Father Publicly Claimed Him Perhaps the strongest evidence that Jesus Christ is the Son of God came after John the Baptist baptized the Lord in the Jordan River. It is one of the moments in the Gospels where the Trinity can be seen, and where the Father claims Jesus Christ as His son; ...and [Jesus] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven, said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:16b-17). God the Father reiterates this overt claim of a father-son relationship with Jesus Christ later during the Transfiguration, where He repeats the phrase, ...This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased... (Matthew 17:5). God claimed Jesus Christ as the Son of God in two public displays. Why Is This Important? There are some who hold that Jesus deserves the title Son of God, but that it is not a claim to deity. However, when looking at the affirmations of Jesus right to the Son of God, it cannot be separated from His claim to deity. He claimed to be the Son before His birth, and He proved His authority to forgive sins by performing healing miracles after He forgave those who came to Him in faith. It is also what His own disciples said of Him, such as in the opening of the Gospel of John, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-2,14). For the Christian today, it means our faith in Him for the security of salvation is well-founded. He will advocate for those the Father has entrusted to Him. The action by God the Father that proves Christs nature is also the mechanism by which humanity is blessed by His nature - that as the Son of God, He died for our sins. As summarized by the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:4, [He] was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. Sources Baxter, J. Sidlow. Explore the Book. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1960. Pentecost, J. Dwight. The Words and Works of Jesus Christ. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981. Walvoord, John. F. and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary. USA: SP Publications, Inc., 1985. Photo credit: Unsplash/James L.W. BillOReilly.com is not available in this country. We apologize for any inconvenience. Future of Cardiothoracic Surgery with Robotics June 11, 2025 | Wednesday | Views | By Dr Anandathirtha HS, Sr. Consultant and head Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery, Ramaiah Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital Robotic-assisted cardiothoracic surgery is not a replacement for skilled surgeons, it is an enhancement image credit- shutterstock Cardiothoracic surgery is one of the most complex subspecialties of surgical medicine and is on the verge of a transformation, a technological change. Transcatheter and Robotic-assisted surgery are at the center of this change and promise to make cardiothoracic surgery less invasive and with lesser duration of hospitalization and more cosmetically appealing with early return to work. While still evolving, robotic systems are increasingly becoming a part of the surgical landscape, offering new possibilities for hospitals, clinicians, and patients alike. Need for Precision Cardiothoracic procedures deal with critical organs like the heart, lungs, and surrounding structures in the chest. Historically, these procedures entail extensive incisions, rib spreading, and extended recovery times. Robotic surgery is changing this paradigm. By enabling surgeons to work from tiny wounds with robotic arms controlled via a console, these systems offer unparalleled precision, versatility, and control. High-definition 3D visualization and motion scaling allow surgeons to execute fine maneuvers that would be challenging with the human hand with a small hole. Therefore, mitral valve repairs that were once done via open-heart surgery now can be done with keyhole wounds, often with comparable outcomes in experienced hands. Advantages Outside of the Operating Table Benefits from robotic cardiothoracic surgery are being observed everywhere. Smaller wounds Less blood loss Fewer chances for infection Less time spent in the ICU and quicker recovery Less pain after surgery and quicker return to work Research has demonstrated that robot-assisted coronary artery bypass and valve surgery can shorten hospital stays by up to 50%, with patients being discharged as quickly as 34 days after surgery. Adoption is Accelerating Worldwide, robotic surgery procedures have surpassed 1.2 million annually, with cardiothoracic and cardiovascular surgeries comprising an increasing share of advanced interventions. The global robotic surgery market is expected to reach $14.4 billion by 2026, with double-digit growth expected in Asian-Pacific economies. In India, adoption is increasing steadily and several super-specialty hospitals in metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai have started performing robotic-assisted cardiothoracic surgeries. Although it is still a small percentage of total cardiac surgeries, year-on-year growth is increasing, and indicates increasing confidence in robotic systems both from clinicians and patients. The surgical instruments designed for robotic systems in India come from both international and local suppliers. These companies are also involved in the development of robotic surgical platforms and thereby also contributes to the Indian economy. This whole ecosystem and chain of supply contributes to many hospitals obtaining high-end technology that has been developed with Indian surgery needs and cost in mind. Moreover, healthcare centres are starting to incorporate robotic training modules into their surgical programmes and get their consultants trained in robotic surgery. This is an important measure in providing long-term scalability and developing a next generation of robot-capable surgeons. Realigning Surgical Training and Mindsets The incorporation of robotics is transforming not only tools but methods. Surgeons are taught to think differently, transitioning from direct hand proficiency to console-based coordination. This necessitates new ways of training, such as simulation-based modules, remote mentoring, and increased learning curves. The difficulty is in standardizing this training throughout institutions, geographies and differing surgical volumes. But the advantage is considerable: hospitals that invest in early robotic skill-building are likely to be better prepared as robotic systems become commonplace in surgical care. Challenges Still Remain While the advantages are obvious, there are hurdles to wider adoption: High cost of equipment and maintenance Marginally accessible to non-urban and tier 2/3 areas Requirement of specialized mentorship and training More extended operation time in the early phases of learning Diffuse and calcific coronary artery disease In India Smaller coronary arteries compared to Caucasian cohorts Smaller intercostal spaces compared to Caucasian patients Case selection due to demand Lesser number of grafts during learning curve These challenges are considerable, particularly in low-resource environments. Still, as larger numbers of hospitals come forward and document successful cases and learning results, the financial bottom line will be likely to shift in the favor of robots. Government measures and healthcare reimbursement models can likewise contribute to push fair access through incentivizing the use of robots as well as education in public hospitals. What's Next? Looking to the future, the future waves of robotic development will involve: Robotic systems aided by AI that recommend the best patient selection and cohorts, incision points or tissue manipulations 5G-enabled remote surgeries, enabling the best surgeons to treat patients from anywhere in the world Seamless analytics, providing real-time insights into patient vitals, surgical optimization, and predictive results All these are not decades ahead and are already under development or in a small pilot phase in research institutes across the globe. For India, this presents an opportunity to leapfrog traditional models and directly integrate next-gen surgical infrastructure, especially in centers of excellence. Robotic-assisted cardiothoracic surgery is not a replacement for skilled surgeons, it is an enhancement. As hospitals and health systems plan, now is the time to invest in infrastructure, training, and talent that can support this evolving approach. The future of cardiothoracic surgery will not be defined solely by the surgeons hand, but by how well human skill and robotic precision can work together in achieving better outcomes for patients. Dr Anandathirtha HS, Sr. Consultant and Head Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery, Ramaiah Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province and elsewhere in Saudi Arabia ARCHIVE - The parliament building in Budapest. Photo: Anna Szilagyi/AP/dpa Keystone With the votes of the right-wing government camp, the Hungarian parliament has passed a law that makes it possible to temporarily revoke the Hungarian citizenship of some dual nationals. The result of the vote was published on the parliament's website. Keystone-SDA SDA According to the law, the government can in future "revoke" the Hungarian citizenship of dual nationals who "exhibit behavior that endangers public order, public safety and national security in Hungary", as the law states. This also applies if the person concerned is "acting in the interests of a foreign power or a foreign organization that realizes the goals of a foreign power or foreign organization". However, a prerequisite for the temporary withdrawal of citizenship is that the person concerned has citizenship of another country, but not of another EU country, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland or Liechtenstein. The maximum duration of the withdrawal is limited to ten years. Internationally, such a time-limited regulation is unusual. Citizenship can normally be withdrawn permanently, but in other cases citizenship can also be renounced. Orban's mantra: critics harm the country Critics see the law as another instrument with which the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban wants to silence unwelcome voices. The right-wing populist head of government has been using repressive methods against critics and independent civil organizations for years. A recurring justification for his actions is that people and organizations critical of the government are harming Hungary and representing the interests of other countries and powers. The new law could affect, for example, a Hungarian-American dual citizen who is involved in or heads a human rights organization in Hungary. The "revocation" of their Hungarian citizenship would mean that they could be expelled from the country. A Hungarian citizen, on the other hand, cannot be expelled from Hungary. The Council of States wants softer rules for war material exports. The aim is to strengthen the Swiss arms industry. (theme picture) Keystone In future, the Swiss arms industry should have to follow less strict rules when exporting war material. Exports to belligerent NATO states and the transfer of exported goods should be possible in principle. This was decided by the Council of States. Keystone-SDA SDA On Wednesday, it approved the corresponding amendments to the War Material Act - by 31 votes to 11 with one abstention. Next up is the National Council. According to the decision of the small chamber, exports of war material to NATO states should be permitted in principle - unless there are exceptional circumstances and Switzerland's foreign or security policy interests require a rejection. The majority followed the proposal of the Security Policy Committee of the Council of States (SIK-S). These countries should now also be able to transfer the war material they receive to another country without Switzerland's consent. Currently, the Federal Council has to reject such requests with reference to current law, which regularly causes criticism abroad. 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. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Postal Code The National Asset Management Agency (Nama) is on course to have returned 5.5 billion to the State by the time it winds down at the end of the year, up from an earlier estimate of 5.2 billion. Set up in 2009, the State-run "bad bank" used 32 billion of debt to rid banks of 74 billion worth of risky property loans following a banking collapse. Advertisement It has so far returned 4.7 billion to the State from surplus cash and corporation tax after selling almost all of its loans and properties. It will transfer the remaining 800 million by the end of the year, Nama said in a statement. London's High Court has ruled in favour of aircraft leasing companies in a multi-billion-dollar legal dispute over jets retained in Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Dublin-based AerCap, which is the world's largest aircraft lessor, and several other firms had sued insurers including AIG, Lloyd's, Chubb and Swiss Re in one of the biggest insurance disputes ever heard in London. Advertisement The London lawsuit had focused on almost 150 jets and some engines, previously with a total value of up to 4.1 billion, though settlements including on the first day of trial in October and subsequently have whittled the numbers down. Judge Christopher Butcher said in a summary of his ruling that the aircraft were lost and "that loss occurred on 10 March 2022, when a piece of Russian legislation banned the export of aircraft and aircraft equipment from Russia". The judge added that insurers were not prevented by EU or US sanctions from indemnifying the claimants for the loss of aircraft which had been leased to Russian airlines. Ireland Dublin-based aircraft lessors among firms hit by R... Read More The aviation insurance sector is facing potentially the biggest loss in its history, with losses topping those after 9/11. More than 500 aircraft worth an estimated $10 billion (8.7 billion) were stranded in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Advertisement Western lessors managed to recover some of the aircraft, but most remain in Russia and are still being flown by Russian airlines. Aercap is the biggest player in its industry. At the end of last year it owned, managed or had on order 3,525 planes, engines and helicopters. The lessor has separately struck some settlements with a number of Russian airlines and their insurers. It recovered a total of $1.3 billion in 2023. Seventeen police officers have been injured following a second night of sustained violence in Ballymena, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that the rioting risks undermining the criminal justice process into an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in the Co Antrim town at the weekend. Advertisement Police said their officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks in their direction in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena on Tuesday night. A second night of violence took place in Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) The PSNI deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannon as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. Police also reported that sporadic disorder had also occurred in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well as incidents in north Belfast. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged. Advertisement A PSNI spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday evening that a number of protests took place in areas of Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine and Newtownabbey. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has condemned a second night of violence on our streets. He said: Let me be clear: this behaviour must stop. I appeal to everyone involved to cease all further acts of criminality and disorder immediately. Full statement: https://t.co/KxAi1On2pd pic.twitter.com/mxonz5XRpx Police Mid and East Antrim (@PSNIMEADistrict) June 11, 2025 In Carrickfergus, two bins were set alight and bottles and masonry thrown at police in the Sunnylands area by a group of 20 to 30 young people at around 8.30pm. In Newtownabbey bins were set alight at the roundabout on ONeill Road. During the course of the disorder in Ballymena, officers discharged a number of plastic baton rounds and the water cannon was also deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds. Advertisement Rioters attacked police in Ballymena on Tuesday night (Niall Carson/PA) The spokesperson said: Businesses and homes were attacked and damaged and a number of vehicles were also set on fire in the area. Seventeen officers were injured with some requiring required hospital treatment. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in police custody this morning. A male was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour on the ONeill Road in Newtownabbey. Advertisement A number of nearby roads were closed by police to ensure the safety of the public and local residents, and to enable officers to deal with the situation and disorder safely. All roads were subsequently reopened. Fifteen officers had been injured during similar scenes in Ballymena on Monday. Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Jon Boutcher (Liam McBurney/PA) Mr Boutcher said: The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable. These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice, and protection. Advertisement Ironically, and frustratingly, this violence threatens to derail the very pursuit of justice it claims to challenge. Let me be clear: this behaviour must stop. I appeal to everyone involved to cease all further acts of criminality and disorder immediately. The Chief Constable said the investigation into the violence would include reviewing video footage and images of individuals would be released to identify offenders. He added: Since 2010, the PSNI has been critically underfunded. This neglect takes no account of the enormous demands placed on us by legacy issues or the unique challenges of policing in a post-conflict society. Our resourcing levels are not just inadequate they are dangerous. I will be making arrangements to activate mutual aid resources to ensure we have the necessary support to maintain public order and bring offenders to justice. A special screening of short animations created by children from Gaza will take place in Dublin on Monday, June 16th. The Gaza in Colour screening will see 17 of these short films receive their cinematic debut in The Stella Cinema, Rathmines at 6pm. Advertisement The Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland, Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, will open the screening. The screening has been organised by Shauna Cullen of Jam Media with additional support from Animation Ireland and Avalon Films. These short animations exist thanks to the efforts of Haneen Koraz, a former teacher and now an acclaimed animation director and mentor from Gaza. Working with children based in refugee camps in Gaza, she provides animation workshops where these young artists can express themselves, process trauma, and "preserve their stories and their sense of childhood". "These workshops serve as small acts of resistance, joy, and healing in deeply difficult times. Advertisement "Through animation, these young voices are speaking to the world, and Haneen is helping to make sure theyre heard. The animations present a sometimes fantastical, sometimes comedic and sometimes poignant sense of the daily lives experienced by these children who range in age from 5 years old upwards." Some of the short films they have prepared include Six Children and One Plate and My Grandfathers Magical Cane, which were created by children from the Basmat Almat Camp in the city of Deir al-Balah, Gaza. The hope is that this Dublin cinema screening will help bring focus to the work of these children and encourage more people to watch and engage with their short films, which are published on a weekly basis through the Instagram account of Animation Community for Palestine. Speaking about the event, Shauna Cullen said: Like many, Ive been heartbroken and overwhelmed by the horrors unfolding in Palestine. Amid this devastation, I came across something extraordinary: children, living in tents, creating animated films under the guidance of Haneen Koraz. Haneen has become a beacon of creativity and hope in the midst of unimaginable circumstances." Advertisement Ms Cullen added: What these children have been able to produce is remarkable. Even when the full dimensions of reality become too much to bear, these children are able to find escape through art and creativity. This evening is both a celebration of their creativity and a gesture of solidarity. We want to show these children that people are paying attention to them and that people are interested in their art. "We want to get more people looking at these short animations either on the day itself or via the Instagram account of Animation Community for Palestine. Every view sends a message to these children that people are paying attention to what they are doing and to their struggle. It helps amplify their voices, while also affirming their right to dream, to tell their stories, and to be children." Anyone who is interested in these animations and would like to follow the Instagram account can do so on Animation Community for Palestine, which can be found on Instagram.com/ac4pal A fire broke out at Larne Leisure Centre following vandalism at the facility during several nights of disorder in Northern Ireland. Masked individuals smashed windows at the leisure centre in Co Antrim on Wednesday and set fires outside which spread inside. Advertisement The attack coincided with a third night of public disorder in the town of Ballymena, 30 minutes away from Larne. Larne leisure centre has been attacked by masked thugs. Windows smashed and fires lit nearby. Larne does not need this. pic.twitter.com/F3mlQVwgFy Danny Donnelly MLA (@DannyDonnelly1) June 11, 2025 Local Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly said in a social media post: Larne leisure centre has been attacked by masked thugs. Windows smashed and fires lit nearby. Larne does not need this. The PSNI deployed riot police in Ballymena for a third night as a significant crowd gathered around the Clonavon Terrace area. Advertisement Demonstrators who gathered on Bridge Street near the residential area were told to disperse shortly before 9pm after a firework was thrown at officers. Riot police block a road close to Clonavon Terrace in Ballymena on Wednesday night (Jonathan McCambridge/PA) Officers also used dog units and drones in their response to the gathering. Riot police with shields advanced on the crowd to disperse them. Missiles were thrown at officers in the Clonavon Terrace area on Wednesday night. Advertisement Earlier, a senior officer said the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had requested support from colleagues in the UK following further violence in Ballymena. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force would be bringing extra officers, vehicles and equipment to areas where unrest has flared. He said there were disgraceful scenes in Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey on Tuesday, as businesses, homes and cars were attacked and damaged. By Wednesday, six individuals had been arrested for public order offences, and one charged. Advertisement Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he utterly condemns violence which left 32 police officers injured after the second night of disturbances. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that the rioting risks undermining the criminal justice process into an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in Ballymena at the weekend. Stormont ministers have also made an urgent appeal for calm and said the justice process had to be allowed to take its course. Providing an update on the policing operation on Wednesday, Mr Henderson said: We are taking steps to increase available resources and are surging a significant number of extra officers, vehicles and equipment to those areas where the rioting is taking place. Advertisement This will have an impact on our community, this will take away vital resources needed to police other areas. A second night of violence took place in Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) He said they have requested about 80 officers through mutual aid. Speaking during Prime Ministers Questions in the Commons, Sir Keir condemned the mindless attacks against police. I utterly condemn the violence that we have seen overnight in Ballymena and in other parts of Northern Ireland, including against PSNI officers, Sir Keir told MPs. Its absolutely vital that the PSNI are given the time they need to investigate the incidents concerned rather than face mindless attacks as they seek to bring peace and order to keep people safe. In a joint statement, ministers from across the Stormont powersharing Executive, which includes Sinn Fein, DUP, Alliance Party and UUP, said those involved in disorder have nothing to offer society but division and disorder. First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly later appeared together to voice their condemnation. Northern Irelands First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly speak to media at the Ulster Hall in Belfast on Wednesday (David Young/PA) Sinn Fein vice-president Ms ONeill told reporters in Belfast: Its pure racism, there is no other way to dress it up. She said ministers stood full-square with the young girl who was subject to the alleged sex attack but added the criminal justice system must be allowed to deal with that case. Separate to that is the racism that were seeing people being firebombed out of their homes, people having their doors knocked in, having their windows being smashed, families being intimidated, Ms ONeill added. That is absolutely unacceptable and everything that needs to be done to bring it to an end is our focus in terms of the engagement we have with the PSNI. Ms Little-Pengelly described the scenes in Ballymena as unacceptable thuggery, adding: Weve been in contact with the chief constable, and in constant contact with the PSNI throughout last night in terms of what was happening on the ground. I think today is about sending a very clear message that violence is wrong, it is entirely unacceptable. It must stop. Rioters attacked police in Ballymena on Tuesday night (Niall Carson/PA) With the protests focused in predominantly loyalist areas in Ballymena, Ms ONeill said she did not believe it would be helpful for her to visit in the current context. DUP MLA Ms Little-Pengelly met residents in the town on Wednesday and said the local community are in fear and wanted the violence to stop. The key message here today is around that violence, and that the violence needs to stop, thats what the community wants to put across, and thats why Im here to send that very clear and united message from right throughout the community and local residents for that to stop, she said. Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly (third right) during a visit to Clonavon Terrace (Niall Carson/PA) Police said their officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks thrown in their direction in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena on Tuesday night. The PSNI deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannon as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. Police also reported that sporadic disorder had also occurred in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well as incidents in north Belfast. The violence began around Clonavon Terrace on Monday night following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged. An elderly Kilkenny man who was murdered during an alleged robbery while he was walking to his home in London is to be buried in his native village at the end of this month. John Mackey (87), originally from Mellowes Park in Callan, but who resided in Finsbury Park, London, will be brought back home for a final time as he wished, according to his funeral notice, which describes him as a kind, gentle and charming man. Advertisement He lived for several decades in London, having moved there in the 1950s. Mr Mackey died in hospital two days after he was injured in the alleged incident, which occurred on Thursday, May 8th, along Goodchild Road in the Manor House district area of Hackney just before 6pm. He had been walking home from the shops when he was allegedly attacked and his bag, containing groceries and a newspaper, was taken. Peter Augustine (58) of Green Lanes, Hornsey, Haringey, was subsequently charged with Mr Mackeys murder and alleged robbery and has been remanded in custody. Advertisement His funeral details have now been released and detail how Mr Mackey was in his 88th year and was taken from his family in tragic circumstances. Mr Mackey was predeceased by his brothers Paddy, Christy and Milo, his sisters Kitty, Mary and Ann and his nephews Tony and Brian. Deeply regretted and sadly missed by his loving family, his brothers Tommy and Liam, his sisters Betty and Ellen. Much loved uncle of 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, his funeral details add. Remembered with love by his friends and neighbours in London. A kind, gentle and charming man. Brought home for a final time, to be buried here - as he wished. Advertisement The Kilkenny natives remains will repose at Molloys Funeral Home, Callan on Wednesday, June 25th June from 5pm, concluding with Rosary and Vigil Prayers at 7pm. Funeral prayers will take place on Thursday, June 26th, 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. Following his death, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, who is leading the investigation for the Metropolitan Police said: "John was a proud Irishman and an innocent member of the public, and was walking back home after running errands when he was the victim of this tragic incident," said, who is leading the investigation. Advertisement "His family tell us he was one of 11 children. He was born in Callan, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland and moved to London in the 1950s. "He was uncle to a remarkable 22 nieces and nephews and a brother to his remaining four siblings; they will all miss him. The chief inspector added: John's family describe him as funny and charming. He was a lifelong Arsenal fan who was adored by his family and was loved by his local community. "His family will join John on one final trip back to Ireland, where he'll be laid to rest. "I would like to reassure the local community that a man has been charged and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with John's death." Tributes continue to be paid on RIP.ie with one sympathiser saying that Mr Mackey was one of lifes top individuals. The tribute noted: When he would come home on holidays to Mill Street, he would always be a joy to meet. Always looked so well and loved chatting about Callan and Arsenal. You were a wonderful ambassador for the town of Callan. A man in his 40s was arrested by gardai in Pearse Street on Wednesday morning following a burglary at a business premises in Co Dublin. At approximately 2:45am, gardai responded to a report of a burglary at a retail premises on Clarendon Street, Dublin 2. Advertisement On arrival, it was clear that the premises had been damaged and jewellery had been taken during the burglary. The jewellery stolen in this incident and now recovered by gardai is estimated to be to the value of more than 100,000. A description of a suspect was obtained through CCTV, and immediately circulated on radio to other members on duty in the area. Within the hour, gardai near St Stephens Green observed a person matching this description and the man in his 40s was apprehended and arrested. Advertisement He is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a Garda Station in Dublin in connection with this incident. Gardai preserved a site next to where the male was arrested for the purpose of conducting a search. The site remains preserved awaiting forensic examination and investigations are ongoing. Assistant commissioner for the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR), Paul Cleary, said: "This arrest and the recovery of jewellery taken demonstrates the professionalism and commitment of gardai working in Dublin City Centre on high-visibility patrol. "Public safety is paramount, and so too is helping to protect city centre businesses and their staff from theft and anti-social crime. "The swift and co-ordinated response from gardai overnight demonstrates that we are serious about tackling crime in Dublin, and we are yielding some positive outcomes. Our hard work to keep people safe only continues, and we hope that people feel reassured by this." A man who is serving a sentence for raping a woman in Limerick City has been jailed again after he pleaded guilty to engaging in a sex act with an underage teenage girl in Limerick. Cristian Gogosiou, (40), of Mount Kenneth Place, Courtyard, Limerick, had a four-year sentence reduced to three years and six months, after he admitted one count of defilement of a child under the age of 17, at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court. Advertisement The girl, who was 15 at the time and who cannot be identified to protect her right to anonymity, had run away from home and was living in hotels and staying with friends. Judge Colin Daly said the girl came into contact with Gogosiou while she was staying in a hotel in Limerick on July 5th, 2020. At the time, the accused knew she was only fifteen years old, Judge Daly said. The judge, who lifted reporting restrictions on identifying Gogosiou, said the Romanian man agreed to drive the girl to one of her friends homes if she performed oral sex on him. Advertisement Gogosiou drove himself and the girl to a car park where the girl performed oral sex on him, it was heard. Afterwards, the girl told her mother what had happened, and they both went to a garda station to make a complaint against Gogosiou. Judge Daly said: He (Gogosiou) knew her young age, he knew she was vulnerable, and he took advantage of her. The girl wrote in a victim impact statement that her mental health and her relationships with her family and a former boyfriend had suffered because of what happened. Advertisement Judge Daly said that a headline sentence of four years was appropriate, which he reduced to three and a half years. The judge said: He is a 40-year old Romanian national, he has a partner and a child, he has been in Ireland for 10 years and he has a history of employment, he co-operated with gardai. Gogosiou was also added to a national register of sex offenders for an indefinite period. Judge Daly said Gogosiou had a previous conviction last July for two counts of raping a woman, who at the time was homeless, on the streets of Limerick in 2019. Advertisement Gogosiou, who had denied rape and oral rape at his trial before the Central Criminal Court, was sentenced to ten years with the final two years suspended after a jury found him guilty on both counts last July. Gardai told the trial that the woman, who cannot be named to protect her right to anonymity, was struggling with addiction and homelessness at the time. The victim told investigating gardai that she encountered a man in Limerick city who asked her for sex in return for 6,000 and jewellery. The woman said the man took out a flick knife and threatened to cut off her giblets before he raped her in an alleyway. Advertisement Gardai pursued Gogosiou for a year and finally apprehended him in September 2020. He admitted he had sex and oral sex with the woman, but he claimed the victim offered to have sex with him for money. Gogosious trial heard that during interviews with gardai following his arrest, he had said he liked to prey on vulnerable women because it was easy. Gogosiou, who had 37 previous convictions, did not accept the jurys verdicts, the court heard. The sentencing judge, Ms Justice Siobhan Langford, said that aggravating factors in the case included Gogosious use of the knife as well as his defence that the woman had sex with him for money - a claim dismissed by the jury. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. Police in Northern Ireland have requested support from colleagues in the UK following violence in Ballymena, a senior officer has said. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force would be bringing extra officers, vehicles and equipment to areas where unrest has flared. Advertisement UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he utterly condemns violence which left 17 police officers injured following a second night of disturbances in the Co Antrim town. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that the rioting risks undermining the criminal justice process into an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in Ballymena at the weekend. Stormont ministers have also made an urgent appeal for calm and said the justice process had to be allowed to take its course. Providing an update on the policing operation on Wednesday, Mr Henderson said: We are taking steps to increase available resources and are surging a significant number of extra officers, vehicles and equipment to those areas where the rioting is taking place. Advertisement This will have an impact on our community, this will take away vital resources needed to police other areas. Northern Irelands First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly speak to media at the Ulster Hall in Belfast on Wednesday (David Young/PA) It will have an impact on our ability to serve communities. As part of my forward planning I have now activated the request for mutual aid resources from policing colleagues in Great Britain to ensure we have the necessary support and maintain public order and bring offenders to justice in the days to come. Speaking during Prime Ministers Questions in the Commons, Sir Keir condemned the mindless attacks against police. Advertisement I utterly condemn the violence that we have seen overnight in Ballymena and in other parts of Northern Ireland, including against PSNI officers, Sir Keir told MPs. A second night of violence took place in Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) Its absolutely vital that the PSNI are given the time they need to investigate the incidents concerned rather than face mindless attacks as they seek to bring peace and order to keep people safe. In a joint statement, ministers from across the Stormont powersharing Executive, which includes Sinn Fein, DUP, Alliance Party and UUP, said those involved in disorder have nothing to offer society but division and disorder. First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly later appeared together to voice their condemnation. Advertisement Sinn Fein vice president Ms ONeill told reporters in Belfast: Its pure racism, there is no other way to dress it up. Rioters attacked police in Ballymena on Tuesday night (Niall Carson/PA) She said ministers stood full-square with the young girl who was subject to the alleged sex attack but she said the criminal justice system must be allowed to deal with that case. Separate to that is the racism that were seeing people being firebombed out of their homes, people having their doors knocked in, having their windows being smashed, families being intimidated, Ms ONeill added. That is absolutely unacceptable and everything that needs to be done to bring it to an end is our focus in terms of the engagement we have with the PSNI. Advertisement Ms Little-Pengelly described the scenes in Ballymena as unacceptable thuggery, adding: Weve been in contact with the Chief Constable, and in constant contact with the PSNI throughout last night in terms of what was happening on the ground. I think today is about sending a very clear message that violence is wrong, it is entirely unacceptable. It must stop. With the protests focused in predominantly loyalist areas in Ballymena, Ms ONeill said she did not believe a visit by her would prove helpful in the current context. DUP MLA Ms Little-Pengelly visited the town on Wednesday. Police said their officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks thrown in their direction in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena on Tuesday night. The PSNI deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannon as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. Police also reported that sporadic disorder had also occurred in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well as incidents in north Belfast. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged. A PSNI spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday evening that a number of protests took place in areas of Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine and Newtownabbey. In Carrickfergus, two bins were set alight and bottles and masonry thrown at police in the Sunnylands area by a group of 20-30 young people at about 8.30pm. In Newtownabbey bins were set alight at the roundabout on ONeill Road. During the course of the disorder in Ballymena, officers discharged a number of plastic baton rounds and a water cannon was also deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds. The spokesperson said: Businesses and homes were attacked and damaged and a number of vehicles were also set on fire in the area. Seventeen officers were injured with some requiring hospital treatment. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in police custody this morning. A male was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour on the ONeill Road in Newtownabbey. A number of nearby roads were closed by police to ensure the safety of the public and local residents, and to enable officers to deal with the situation and disorder safely. All roads were subsequently reopened. Fifteen officers had been injured during similar scenes in Ballymena on Monday. Mr Boutcher said: The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable. These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice, and protection. Ironically, and frustratingly, this violence threatens to derail the very pursuit of justice it claims to challenge. Let me be clear: this behaviour must stop. I appeal to everyone involved to cease all further acts of criminality and disorder immediately. The Chief Constable said the investigation into the violence would include reviewing video footage and images of individuals would be released to identify offenders. He added: Since 2010, the PSNI has been critically underfunded. This neglect takes no account of the enormous demands placed on us by legacy issues or the unique challenges of policing in a post-conflict society. Our resourcing levels are not just inadequate they are dangerous. I will be making arrangements to activate mutual aid resources to ensure we have the necessary support to maintain public order and bring offenders to justice. Police came under attack as violent disorder erupted for a second night in a row in Northern Ireland on Tuesday. Multiple cars and properties were set on fire in Ballymena while rioters hurled petrol bombs, fireworks and masonry at police officers. Advertisement The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannons as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. In a statement, the PSNI said calm had been restored in the Clonavon Terrace, North Road and Bridge Street areas by around 1am on Wednesday. The force said there had also been sporadic disorder in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well incidents in north Belfast. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest in the day which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. The UK prime ministers official spokesman described those events which saw police and ethnic minorities targeted as very concerning. Advertisement Emergency services outside a house in Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) A senior police officer condemned the disorder as racist thuggery. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson issued a public appeal for information and said the PSNI was actively working to identify those responsible for the racially motivated disorder in Ballymena and bring them to justice. He said the service would deploy significant resources to any further disorder during the week. Police in Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) On Tuesday evening, riot police were deployed to residential streets around Clonavon Terrace on Tuesday as hundreds of people gathered in the area from approximately 7pm. Advertisement The PSNI formed barricades while officers wearing armour and shields also responded to the disorder. Some masked protesters shouted abuse and threw objects at the police, including fireworks, glass bottles and pieces of metal. The PSNI advised those present to disperse and warned that water cannon would be deployed against those participating in violent activity. Police fired plastic baton rounds at some of those gathered and also used water cannons to disperse the crowd. Advertisement Many young children were present among those gathered near police lines. A vehicle on fire near Clonavon Terrace, Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) As rioters were dispersed into other parts of the town as the evening progressed into night, a property on Bridge Street and a home on Queen Street were set on fire. Other properties had windows smashed as some residents chose to display signs about the nationalities of those normally resident, including one saying British household and another with Filipino lives here. Multiple cars were also set on fire as part of blazes set by rioters, including near a car wash and tyre centre off Bridge Street and on Larne Street. Advertisement The clothing of at least one participant caught fire during the disorder. The PSNI cleared streets and allowed gaps in its barricades for firefighters to tackle fires in the town as chaotic scenes continued past midnight. Officers also used a drone as part of the response to illegal activity, which saw some rioters kick in doors and ransack homes. The Northern Ireland Secretary has said there is no justification for attacks on police officers or vandalism. The terrible scenes of civil disorder we have witnessed in Ballymena again this evening have no place in Northern Ireland. There is absolutely no justification for attacks on PSNI officers or for vandalism directed at peoples homes or property. Hilary Benn (@hilarybennmp) June 10, 2025 In a social media post, Hilary Benn said: The terrible scenes of civil disorder we have witnessed in Ballymena again this evening have no place in Northern Ireland. There is absolutely no justification for attacks on PSNI officers or for vandalism directed at peoples homes or property. During Mondays disorder, 15 police officers were injured and several PSNI vehicles were damaged. In Clonavon Terrace, several houses had their windows smashed and two which suffered significant smoke damage remained sealed off on Tuesday. A 29-year-old man was charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested on Monday night. Police officers using a water cannon near Clonavon Terrace (Niall Carson/PA) Mr Henderson said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage. The earlier peaceful protest formed in support of the family of the girl. Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. On Tuesday, the PSNI said it had made a third arrest in connection with the incident and reiterated a public appeal for information. Detective Inspector Olphert from the PSNIs public protection branch said: A 28-year-old man was arrested yesterday evening, Monday June 9. He has been unconditionally released from police custody following questioning. At a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Henderson said the attacks should be loudly condemned by all right-thinking people. Any attempt to justify or explain it as something else is misplaced, he said at a press conference at Ballymena police station earlier on Tuesday. He said members of the minority ethnic community felt fear and there will be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community. Mr Henderson said that police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed to help the PSNI in the wake of the Ballymena disorder. The UK prime ministers official spokesman said: The disorder we saw in Ballymena is very concerning. Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers while they continue to protect local communities. PSNI and the justice system must be allowed to carry out their jobs and our thoughts are with the victims of the assault as well as the police officers who were injured. A minister has warned it will take years to rebuild what has been broken in Northern Ireland following violent unrest that has left communities across the region very scared. Labour frontbencher Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent said the scenes of disorder in Ballymena had no place in Northern Ireland and branded the attacks on police officers wholly unacceptable. Advertisement Responding to an urgent question in Parliament following a second night of disturbances in the Co Antrim town, she said that Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn hoped to visit the area in the coming days. Lady Anderson was joined by other peers at Westminster in condemning the appalling acts of racist thuggery seen on the streets of Ballymena. But she also heard concerns that the PSNI does not have enough officers and faced calls for additional funding. Police said their officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours in Ballymena on Tuesday night, with petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks hurled at them. Advertisement The PSNI deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds and used water cannon as well as dog units as part of its response to the disturbances. Police also reported sporadic disorder occurred in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well as incidents in north Belfast. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in Ballymena on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged. Lady Anderson said: The recent scenes of civil disorder which we have seen in Ballymena have no place in Northern Ireland. Advertisement The attacks on police officers as they work to keep people safe and on property are wholly unacceptable. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the PSNI, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, who have worked in difficult conditions over the past few days to keep people safe. My thoughts and prayers are with those officers still receiving treatment, and with the communities across Northern Ireland who woke up this morning very scared. The minister told the Lords: Members would have seen, as I have, horrendous images of whats actually happened within the community. Advertisement This is not something that is now going to be solved tomorrow. Community engagement efforts will have to continue for months and years to rebuild what has been broken over the last 24 hours. She added: Northern Ireland Office officials have been meeting and engaging with community groups and will continue to do so. She welcomed the funding of 11 million announced by the Chancellor in Wednesdays spending review for community cohesion projects in Northern Ireland. Advertisement A burnt-out house on Queen Street (Niall Carson/PA) Former Northern Ireland minister Lord Caine said: We too condemn unreservedly the appalling acts of racist thuggery in Ballymena for which there can be not a single shred of justification. There is nothing remotely British about wrapping oneself in the Union flag, attacking migrants, forcing people from their homes and scapegoating entire communities anywhere in the United Kingdom. Former police ombudsman for Northern Ireland Baroness OLoan said: I live in Ballymena and its awful to see what happened there. I think it must have taken enormous courage for officers to face the petrol bombs and other missiles which were hurled at them. I salute that courage, and I condemn absolutely what happened on the streets of our town. But the independent crossbencher pointed out the PSNI only had 6,200 officers and numbers had failed to keep pace with those in England and Wales. Lady OLoan said: We dont have enough police officers. PSNI still face national security risks and police them, and they are still at risk of murder and attack every day. She called on the Government to provide real ring-fenced funding in order to allow our police service to recruit more officers so that officers may police safely, and the people of Ballymena in Northern Ireland may be safe. Responding, Lady Anderson said policing was a devolved matter and it was up to the Northern Ireland Executive how it allocated funding, which recognised the special status of Northern Ireland. Labour former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Reid of Cardowan also urged the Government to look at ways of providing additional funding to police in the region. The peer said: It seems to me the logic of our position when the PSNI are confronted with at least two major issues that are not devolved issues but are actually UK-wide issues, which is the legacy and secondly counter-terrorism, that there may be some way of supplementing the normal grants, in view of the fact that these are UK-wide issues. I know its not easy but I would be obliged if the minister was to at least seek to inject that into the conversations with the Secretary of State. A number of Irish citizens who are living in the United States illegally could be rounded up and transferred to the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison camp as early as this week, the Washington Post has reported. The Trump administration is currently preparing for the transfer of thousands of foreigners to the US military base, which was established to hold terrorism suspects during the War on Terror that followed the 9/11 attacks. Advertisement The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the list of foreign nationals under consideration include hundreds from friendly European nations, including Ireland, Britain, Germany and France. US officials familiar with the matter told the newspaper that illegal immigrants home governments were unlikely to be informed about the impending transfers to the infamous military facility in Cuba. Preparations for the transfer of these foreign nations include medical screening services for up to 9,000 people, which will determine whether they are healthy enough to be sent to Guantanamo. Trump administration officials say the plan is necessary due to a shortage of capacity in domestic detention facilities. By contrast, an official document seen by the Washington Post notes that the military camp is not at capacity. Advertisement In January, Trump claimed that he would send as many as 30,000 migrants to Guantanamo Bay. A limited number were transferred there in March but were subsequently returned to facilities in Louisiana. World Trump orders thousands more troops to Los Angeles... Read More The newspaper said the individuals currently being considered for detention and transfer including a number of Irish citizens are in the United States illegally. Many of the detainees home countries have told the US that they are willing to accept their citizens but have not acted fast enough for the Department of Homeland Security, officials told the Washington Post. US troops at Guantanamo Bay erected a tent city earlier this year in anticipation of a large influx of detained migrants. This did not occur, however, and 195 tents with capacity for more than 3,000 people were taken down. Neither the White House nor the US Department of Homeland Security commented on the report. An official at the Department of Defense said ongoing missions at the military facility remain unchanged, and added that we do not comment on any speculative future missions. Atlanta rapper Silento has been sentenced to 30 years in prison over the killing of his cousin in 2021. The 27-year-old, known for his hit song, Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), pleaded guilty but mentally ill on Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter and other charges in the shooting of his 34-year-old cousin. Advertisement Silento, whose legal name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, DeKalb County district attorney Sherry Boston said in a statement. Hawk also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, possessing a gun while committing a crime and concealing the death of another. A murder charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. Rapper Silento achieved fame with his hit song Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) in 2015 (Drew Gurian/Invision/AP) DeKalb County police found Frederick Rooks III shot in the leg and face in the early morning hours of January 21 2021 outside a home in a suburban area near Decatur. Police said they found 10 bullet casings near Mr Rooks body, and security video from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding away shortly after the gunshots. Advertisement A family member of Mr Rooks told police that Silento had picked up his cousin in a white BMW SUV, and GPS data and other cameras put the vehicle at the site of the shooting. Silento confessed about 10 days later after he was arrested, police said. Ballistics testing matched the bullet casings to a gun that Silento had when he was arrested, authorities said. Mr Rooks brothers and sisters told DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L Johnson before sentencing that Silento should have received a longer sentence, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Advertisement The rapper was a high school junior in suburban Atlanta in 2015 when he released Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) and watched it skyrocket into a dance craze. Silento made multiple other albums, but said in an interview with the medical talk show, The Doctors, in 2019, that he struggled with depression and had grown up in a family where he witnessed mental illness and violence. Ive been fighting demons my whole life, my whole life, he said in 2019. Depression doesnt leave you when you become famous, it just adds more pressure, Silento said then, urging others to get help. And while everybodys looking at you, theyre also judging you. Advertisement I dont know if I can truly be happy, I dont know if these demons will ever go away. Silento had been struggling in the months before the arrest. His publicist, Chanel Hudson, has said he had tried to kill himself in 2020. In August 2020, Silento was arrested in Santa Ana, California, on a domestic violence charge. The next day, the Los Angeles Police Department charged him with assault with a deadly weapon after witnesses said he entered a home where he did not know anyone looking for his girlfriend and swung a hatchet at two people before he was disarmed. Advertisement In October 2020, Silento was arrested after police said they clocked him driving at 143 miles per hour on Interstate 85 in DeKalb County. Ms Hudson said at the time of Silentos arrest in the killing of Mr Rooks that he had been suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States will get magnets and rare earth minerals from China under a new trade deal and that tariffs on Chinese goods will go to 55%. In return, Mr Trump said the US will provide China what was agreed to, including allowing Chinese students to attend American colleges and universities. Advertisement The new 55% tariff rate would mark a meaningful increase from the 30% levy set in Switzerland during talks in May. OUR DEAL WITH CHINA IS DONE, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL WITH PRESIDENT XI AND ME, Mr Trump wrote on his social media site. He said full magnets and any necessary rare earths will be supplied up front by China. WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT! Mr Trump wrote. Advertisement Several global brands are among dozens of companies at risk of using forced labour through their Chinese supply chains because they use critical minerals or buy minerals-based products sourced from the far-western Xinjiang region of China, an international rights group said on Wednesday. The report by the Netherlands-based Global Rights Compliance says companies including Avon, Walmart, Nescafe, Coca-Cola and paint supplier Sherwin-Williams may be linked to titanium sourced from Xinjiang, where rights groups allege the Chinese government runs coercive labour practices targeting predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities. Hotan, in western Chinas Xinjiang region (Andy Wong/AP) The report found 77 Chinese suppliers in the titanium, lithium, beryllium and magnesium industries operating in Xinjiang. It said the suppliers are at risk of participating in the Chinese governments labour transfer programmes, in which Uyghurs are forced to work in factories as part of a long-standing campaign of assimilation and mass detention. Advertisement Commercial paints, thermos cups and components for the aerospace, auto and defence industries are among products sold internationally that can trace their supply chains to minerals from Xinjiang, the report said. It said that companies must review their supply chains. Mineral mining and processing in (Xinjiang) rely in part on the states forced labour programmes for Uyghurs and other Turkic people in the region, the report said. The report came as China and the United States, the worlds two largest economies, said that they have agreed on a framework to get their trade negotiations back on track after a series of disputes that threatened to derail them. Advertisement The two sides on Tuesday wrapped up two days of talks in London that appeared to focus on finding a way to resolve disputes over mineral and technology exports that had shaken a fragile truce on trade reached in Geneva last month. Asked about the report, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that no-one has ever been forcibly transferred in Chinas Xinjiang under work programmes. The so-called allegation of forced labour in Chinas Xinjiang region is nothing but a lie concocted by certain anti-China forces. We urge the relevant organisation to stop interfering in Chinas internal affairs and undermining Xinjiangs prosperity and stability under the guise of human rights, ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said. The named companies did not immediately comment on the report. Advertisement A UN report from 2022 found China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, where more than one million Uyghurs are estimated to have been arbitrarily detained as part of measures that the Chinese government said were intended to target terrorism and separatism. The Chinese government has rejected the UN claims and defended its actions in Xinjiang as fighting terror and ensuring stability. In 2021, then-US president Joe Biden signed a law to block imports from the Xinjiang region unless businesses can prove the items were made without forced labour. The law initially targeted solar products, tomatoes, cotton and apparel, but the US government recently added new sectors for enforcement, including aluminium and seafood. Many of Chinas major minerals corporations have invested in the exploration and mining of lithium, a key component for electric vehicle batteries, in Xinjiang, Global Rights Compliance said. Xinjiang is also Chinas top source of beryllium, a mineral used for aerospace, defence and telecommunications, its report said. A recent report by the International Energy Agency said that the worlds sources of critical minerals are increasingly concentrated in a few countries, notably China, which is also a leading refining and processing base for lithium, cobalt, graphite and other minerals. The UK has agreed to a fluid border between Gibraltar and Spain, clearing the way to finalise a post-Brexit deal on the territory with the EU. Under the agreement, checks will not be required on people crossing the border. Advertisement There will be dual border control checks for arrivals by air at Gibraltar airport, carried out by Gibraltar and Spanish officials. Spanish officials will take responsibility for the Schengen Area in a model that mirrors French police operating in Londons St Pancras station. The deal also secures an arrangement for goods and customs to enter Gibraltar across the land border. Talks on rules governing the border have been ongoing since Britain left the European Union in 2020. Advertisement British foreign secretary David Lammy said the agreement was a breakthrough after years of uncertainty and that the UKs commitment to Gibraltar remains as solid as the Rock itself. He said: Alongside the government of Gibraltar, we have reached an agreement which protects British sovereignty, supports Gibraltars economy and allows businesses to plan for the long-term once again. I thank the Chief Minister and his Government for their tireless dedication throughout the negotiations. The UKs commitment to Gibraltar remains as solid as the Rock itself. President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the deal. Advertisement David Lammy and the government of Gibraltar have reached a political agreement with the EU (Carlos Jasso/PA) In a post on X, she said: It safeguards the integrity of Schengen and the single market, while ensuring stability, legal certainty and prosperity for the region. Gibraltars chief minister Fabian Picardo said the deal would protect future generations of British Gibraltarians and does not in any way affect our British sovereignty. Now is the time to look beyond the arguments of the past and towards a time of renewed co-operation and understanding. Now the deal is done, its time to finalise the treaty. Mr Lammy held talks with Gibraltars leaders, members of the opposition and the business community before leaving the British overseas territory to head to Brussels on Wednesday morning. Advertisement World Body of British journalist who died in Gibraltar r... Read More Gibraltar was ceded to the UK by Spain in 1713 and the population is heavily in favour of remaining a British overseas territory. The last time it voted on a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain, in 2002, almost 99 per cent of Gibraltarians rejected the move. Gibraltar also hosts an air base at its airport and a naval facility. The ABC has announced about 40 job cuts and the axing of its flagship current affairs panel show, Q+A, amid a range of sweeping changes announced by the national broadcaster on Wednesday. ABC managing director Hugh Marks told staff in an email that its content division, headed by Jennifer Collins, would become ABC Screen, with another new department called Digital Content. He said about 10 fixed contracts would also end early. Q+A host Patricia Karvelas in a May 2025 episode. Credit: ABC Well reinvest in premium Australian screen content that will strengthen our primary digital platforms, ABC iview and ABC listen, Marks told staff. He added: Losing colleagues is always hard and is no reflection on peoples performance. I want to acknowledge the huge contribution that has been made by so many talented people. Beef, Guinness and marrow pie is a winter favourite at the Builders Arms in Fitzroy. Penny Stephens This recipe, from the Builders Arms in Melbournes Fitzroy, turns Australias national dish into a showstopping centrepiece that will have your guests talking for weeks. Builders Arms head chef Leon Smith says its a favourite dish every winter. We slowly simmer Gippsland beef with white wine, fennel and Guinness to create a velvety braise. Its then encased in butter puff pastry and topped with a disc of marrow bone for a touch of indulgence. The bone, which rises through the golden pastry, not only looks great but adds a luxurious and hearty touch, says Smith. As the pie bakes, the marrow melts into the rich braise beneath. Smith recommends serving the pie with buttery mashed potatoes or, for something lighter, a crunchy leaf salad dressed with Dijon mustard, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Youll need a deep 25cm round pie dish for this family-size recipe. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach for preventative health checks, individual factors including family or personal medical history, gender, ethnicity, and lifestyle influence which tests a person should undertake, as well as when to begin them and the frequency at which they are performed. However, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) does recommend certain health screens for the general population at each decade of life. Taking an active interest in your health increases your chances of living a long, full life. Credit: Getty Images In your 40s By your early 40s, you should have a thorough check-up, including history and a full physical examination, says Dunne. Certain regular health screenings should also begin. These include annual blood pressure monitoring from age 40 and STI tests if you are sexually active. Five-yearly blood tests for cholesterol, glucose, cell counts, and nutrition deficiency, as well as bowel cancer screening, should begin at age 45. Loading Skin cancer checks are recommended due to the increased risk with age, and due to a trend of increasing colon cancer in people under age 50, the Australian government has recently changed the starting age for colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45, says Ding. In your 50s Natasha Yates, assistant professor of general practice at Bond University, says that people in their 50s should continue all the health screenings from their 40s, with the addition of some others. Add a bone health assessment and consider screening for osteoporosis, especially if risk factors are present, she says. Vision and hearing tests to detect age-related changes are also recommended. Yates says the National Lung Cancer Screening Program is due to commence in July this year. It will offer two-yearly low-dose CT scans to detect lung cancer in asymptomatic patients aged 50 to 70 who are deemed to be at high risk from smoking, she says. In your 60s In addition to existing screenings, Yates says that a cognitive function evaluation, which assesses for signs of cognitive decline or dementia, should be undertaken. Similarly, a physical functioning screening for preventing falls and frailty should also be considered, adds Ding. 70s and beyond In your 70s, on top of existing checks, ensure your immunisations, including tetanus and shingles, are up-to-date, says Dunne. There is a funded vaccination program for older Australians, including influenza, COVID, shingles and pneumococcal pneumonia, he says. Gendered screenings Due to anatomy and physiology, women and men each have unique health risks, which warrant their own specific health screenings. For example, whereas women are at risk of cancers of the cervix, ovaries and uterus, men are at risk of prostate cancer, says Dunne. Breast screening is free for Australian women once they reach 40 years. Women aged 50 to 74 years will receive an invitation for screening from BreastScreen Australia. Credit: Getty Images Gender can also impact their approach to healthcare. Unlike women, who are often introduced to regular health screenings from a young age, such as pap smears, breast checks, and GP visits for contraception, men typically dont develop the same routine health-seeking behaviours, Dunne says. This makes early detection for men especially important, as they are more likely to delay seeking help until symptoms become severe. Health screenings for men 40 + Men in their 40s should discuss with their GP screening tests for things like prostate cancer, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. Your GP will consider your individual circumstances, including family history, when recommending when to begin these tests, says Dunne. Screening tests and regular GP check-ups should continue through your 50s and 60s. Health screening for women 40 + Women are going through a lot during their 40s and 50s, says general practitioner Judith Hammond of womens health clinic, Jean Hailes. Peri menopause, menopause women start to get to that sandwich generation, when they are working, worried about children who need support and supporting elderly parents, life really gets quite crushed around that time, she says. In this period, it is increasingly important for women to undergo mental health screening, she says. Additionally, regular breast cancer screening via free mammograms can be undertaken from age 40. Singapore: Donald Trump has declared that a deal with China has been done, with Beijing agreeing to supply rare earths and magnets, and the US committing to rolling back restrictions on technology sales and visa curbs on Chinese students. But it remains unclear whether this agreement hashed out over two days of negotiations in London represents a final deal between the two sides, or a de-escalation measure with a broader pact still to be pursued. Donald Trump: We have everything we need. Credit: AP We made a great deal with China. Were very happy with it, Trump said. We have everything we need, and were going to do very well with it. And hopefully they are too. The full details of the agreement have not been released, but it appears to be limited to winding back the recent punitive measures that the two sides had slapped on each others economies since Trump kicked off his global trade war in April. Read more on this story here. A Sydney-born Islamic preacher at the centre of a legal fight with Australias peak Jewish body over sermons posted on social media has told a court he never set out to insult Jews, and rejected a suggestion he is a controversial figure. Wissam Haddad, who refers to himself as Abu Ousayd on Instagram, is defending a Federal Court lawsuit over comments he made in five speeches at the Al Madina Dawah Centre in Bankstown in late 2023, which were subsequently posted online. Islamic preacher Wissam Haddad outside the Federal Court in Sydney on Wednesday. Credit: Janie Barrett The case, which alleges Haddad breached section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act by making antisemitic comments, was filed by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry via its co-chief executive Peter Wertheim and deputy president Robert Goot. Among the comments identified in the lawsuit are Haddads reference to Jews as a treacherous and vile people and descendants of apes and pigs. The sale of a $300,000 artwork by the director of the family business behind a private Brisbane psychiatric hospital has been questioned by administrators investigating the companys collapse. The unusual transaction came to light as the Queensland government ruled out acquiring Toowong Private Hospital, which closed its doors on Wednesday having collapsed under debt amid a hospital funding crisis putting private facilities across the country at risk. The 58-bed hospital on Milton Road, which was owned and operated by NA Kratzmann & Sons, fell into administration last month. Toowong Private Hospital operated on Milton Road for more than 40 years before collapsing into administration. Credit: Facebook EY administrators filed a preliminary report, obtained by this masthead, to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in which they highlighted the June 2024 purchase of the artwork from the companys sole director, Wayne Kratzmann. Senior Crown prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers, SC, is now asking accused murderer Erin Patterson about evidence she gave earlier in the trial about her desire to undergo gastric-bypass surgery. Patterson told the court during her evidence-in-chief that she was embarrassed and ashamed that she had no control over her body and what she ate, and that she wanted gastric-bypass surgery. Crown prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers, SC, and Detective Leading Sergeant Stephen Eppingstall at court on June 5. Credit: Jason South Patterson agreed she had told the jury she did some preparation for the procedure and booked a pre-surgery appointment at the Enrich Clinic in Melbourne for early September 2023. The jury heard that over the lunch break, Patterson had been given the chance to read a police statement dated June 10, 2025, and records provided by the manager of Enrich Clinic. Rogers: Do you accept that the Enrich Clinic does not offer and has never offered gastric-bypass surgery? Patterson: Yes. Rogers: Do you accept the Enrich Clinic does not offer and has never offered pre-surgery assessment related to gastric bypass surgery? Patterson: I do. Rogers: Do you accept [the clinic] only conducts examinations and procedures relating to the skin and its appendages? Patterson: I do. Patterson agreed that the medical records obtained by Stephen Eppingstall, the lead detective in the mushroom case, for the period of January 2020 to August 2023 made no mention of Patterson seeking information or a pre-assessment for gastric-bypass surgery, weight-loss surgery or treatment, or a referral to a professional that could perform a gastric bypass. You attended Korumburra Medical Centre three days before the lunch and on that date you obtained some renewed prescription, but there was no mention of a gastric-bypass or weight-loss surgery treatment on that day, Rogers said. Patterson agreed. This exchange concludes the evidence for the day. Erin Patterson will continue her evidence on Thursday. Thank you for following our live coverage. As I sat down to write this column, a little prompt appeared next to the cursor. Help me write, it said. This piece of artificial intelligence would, if I let it, help me compile a piece on whether AI is going to wipe out hundreds of millions of jobs and plunge the world into some sort of dystopian future, or save us all so much time and money that we will enjoy economist John Maynard Keynes prediction that by 2030, the working week would be just 15 hours. Illustration by Dionne Gain Despite the encouragement, I gave the AI assistant a miss theres something far too meta about asking AI whether its going to wipe us out or be our salvation. Two fresh, grinning faces flash up on the nightly news; the newsreader calls them last-known photos, despite the fact its only been a couple of days since Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon were seen hiking up into a cloud forest in Panama, close to its mountainous border with Costa Rica. I remember being struck by the energy and spirit frozen into the Dutch backpackers last-known smiles, a familiar, universal euphoria that grips young people travelling to places outside their small worlds, often beguiling countries that parents and authorities warn them about because thats what parents and authorities do. Boquete, Panama. Credit: iStock Back then, in 2014, the worlds media was hinting that the womens lives had probably come to a grisly end, the unspoken narrative suggesting foul play because, for those who have never been there, Central America is a scary place full of scary people. With no good or bad news about the women, who were volunteering at a school in the town of Boquete, the media moved onto more explicable news. A decade later, on a months-long journey from Guatemala to Colombia, I spend a week in this adventure-tourism hotbed, a popular pitstop for overlanders in Central Americas most southerly country. Huddled into the back seat of a local bus from the city of David, I witness the landscape rise gradually, patiently, finally erupting into Baru Volcano National Park, a misty, deep-green realm which stands over Boquete like a double-dare for those with curious, itchy feet. If AUKUS falls over, we will all pay a heavy price, Taylor said. The Coalition stands ready to work with Labor to make sure that AUKUS is a success. It needs to be strong, and it needs to be effective, but bipartisanship will not be a shield for inaction. Marles stood by Australias defence spending saying it was not a transactional issue with the US as he argued the review was an expected step for a new administration. The review thats been announced is not a surprise. Weve been aware of this for some time. We welcome it, he said on ABC Melbourne. The United Kingdom undertook their own review when the Labour government was elected there in the middle of last year and thats in fact very positive about AUKUS. The agreement is for the submarines to come in the early 2030s and that is what we are all working to, and Im very confident that that is what is going to happen. The government knew about the review before Marles met US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La security conference at the end of last month. Hegseth pushed Marles to raise defence spending and the pair discussed AUKUS. The Australian side felt Hegseth gave positive indications about the future of the submarine pact, according to sources aware of the talks but not authorised to speak publicly. The US AUKUS review was first revealed by The Financial Times, which reported it would be headed by defence undersecretary and self-described AUKUS sceptic Elbridge Colby. AUKUS sceptic: Elbridge Colby, US defence undersecretary. Credit: Bloomberg A US defence official told this masthead that the review would ensure the initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the presidents America First agenda. This means ensuring the highest readiness of our service members, that allies step up fully to do their part for collective defence, and that the defence industrial base is meeting our needs. Credit: Matt Golding A separate US government official said: The Trump administration is regularly reviewing foreign agreements to ensure they align with the American peoples interests, especially those initiated under the failed Biden foreign policy agenda. Former Australian ambassador to Washington Joe Hockey said Colby would have seen an opportunity to review AUKUS in light of disputes over defence spending. But at the end of the day, there is still strong support for AUKUS across the Congress and in the White House, he told ABCs Radio National. Australias AUKUS proponents argue the pact is a strategic bulwark in an increasingly contested Indo-Pacific region. But critics say it leaves Australia with little agency, warning that delays and shifting political dynamics could undermine its success. Keating, a prominent opponent, accused Labor of avoiding its own probe for fear of being seen as dodgy on the alliance. AUKUS will be shown for it always has been: a deal hurriedly scribbled on the back of an envelope by Scott Morrison, along with the vacuous British blowhard Boris Johnson and the confused president, Joe Biden, he said in a statement. The calling of the Pentagon review should be the catalyst for the government to get on with the job of forging a relevant, distinctly Australian path for the countrys national security, rather than being dragged along on the coat tails of a fading Atlantic empire. Loading Turnbull also pointed out both the UK and US had sought AUKUS reviews. But Australia, which has the most at stake, has no review, he said on X. Our parliament to date has been the least curious and least informed. Time to wake up? Marles said that Labors broad defence strategic review, commissioned when it came to government, had sufficiently examined the AUKUS deal as he told critics to take a deep breath. Morrison also took a relaxed stance. Ive never had concerns about this, and Ive never had any reason to, he said on the ABC. This notion that I hear [from] the critics of these arrangements and the US alliance, thinking there is some other power out there that can provide that level of engagement and alliance to provide our security, is honestly delusional. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer last month declared AUKUS the centrepiece of his governments national security strategy, and a UK government spokesperson on Thursday said it was one of the most strategically important partnerships in decades. It is understandable that a new administration would want to review its approach to such a major partnership, just as the UK did last year, they said. The UK will continue to work closely with the US and Australia at all levels to maximise the benefits and opportunities which AUKUS presents for our three nations. One Australian MP pointed out the US review was instigated by Colby but said others high up in the administration did not share his scepticism. Colby last year said it would be crazy if the arrangement resulted in nuclear-powered submarines going to the wrong places at the wrong time. Loading However, he expressed more optimism earlier this year, saying he wanted to remove red tape and barriers to submarine production so that the partnership could be expedited. The list, perhaps predictably, starts with the A words. Accessible. Advocate. At risk. Moving through the alphabet, we have barrier, climate crisis, disability, equality, and on it goes, before reaching that pesky, oh-so-offensive word women. (Rubber bullets dont get a mention.) If youre struggling to decipher the link between these terms, spare a thought for government workers in Donald Trumps America, who have been encouraged to limit or avoid their use of hundreds of words as part of his war on woke, according to multiple media reports. US government workers have been encouraged to limit their use of hundreds of words as part of Trumps war on woke. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto The New York Times first published a list of dozens of words in March, based on a review of government documents. The article said these documents had ordered some words be removed from websites and school curriculums, and that the presence of some terms was used to automatically flag for review some grant proposals and contracts that could conflict with Mr Trumps executive orders. 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 While tanks, armoured troop carriers and artillery systems pour into Washington for the US Armys 250th birthday celebration, National Guard troops from the Armys 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, supplemented by active-duty marines, have been deployed to the streets of Los Angeles. It is a juxtaposition that has military officials and experts concerned. Marine One arrives at Fort Bragg on Tuesday, with Donald Trump on board. Credit: Bloomberg Trump gestures after speaking to troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Tuesday. Credit: AP Loading Several current and former Army officials said the military parade and other festivities on Saturday, which is also President Donald Trumps 79th birthday, could make it appear as if the military is celebrating a crackdown on Americans. The unfortunate coincidence of the parade and federalising the California National Guard will feel ominous, said Kori Schake, a former defence official in the George W. Bush administration who directs foreign and defence policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Advertisement Schake initially did not consider the parade much of a problem, but is now concerned about the rapid escalation by the administration in Los Angeles. The two scenes combined erode trust in the military at a time when the military should be a symbol of national unity, said Max Rose, a former Democratic member of Congress and an Army veteran. They are deploying the National Guard in direct contradiction to what state and local authorities requested, and at the same time, theres this massive parade with a display more fitting for Russia and North Korea, he said. Some veterans groups soured on the parade well before the deployments in Los Angeles. The Army recently asked the Vietnam Veterans of America chapter in Northern Virginia if it would provide 25 veterans to sit in the official reviewing stand. The group said no. Donald Trump observes military demonstrations at Fort Bragg. Credit: AP A special operations command carries out a demonstration for Donald Trump at Fort Bragg on Tuesday. Credit: AP If it were just a matter of celebrating the Armys 250th birthday, thered be no question, said Jay Kalner, the chapters president and a retired CIA analyst. But we felt it was being conflated with Trumps birthday, and we didnt want to be a prop for that. Advertisement It was unclear exactly what grounds Trump and the Defence Department are using to deploy active-duty to an American city. The Posse Comitatus Act generally prohibits active-duty forces from providing domestic law enforcement unless the president invokes the little-used Insurrection Act. But in his order federalising Californias National Guard, Trump cited Title 10 of the US Code, which lays out the legal basis for the use of US military forces. Trump wanted to invoke the Insurrection Act to use active-duty military troops against Black Lives Matter protesters during his first term. But his defence secretary, Mark Esper, and the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, both opposed the move, and Trump held back. Armoured vehicles being loaded onto trucks in Maryland, en route to Washington. Credit: Getty Images The moment proved to be a breaking point between Trump and the Pentagon. The president eventually fired Esper, and he has suggested Milley should be executed. This time, Trumps defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, has cheered him on. Advertisement Within minutes of Trumps order on Sunday deploying the first 2000 National Guard troops to join the scattered immigration protests in Los Angeles, Hegseth threatened to deploy active-duty marines from Camp Pendleton. (The marines who deployed Monday night were from Twentynine Palms, a base about 241 kilometres east of Los Angeles, but Hegseth continued to say Camp Pendleton, which is about 160 kilometres south of the city). By Monday night, 700 marines and another 2000 National Guard troops had been activated for largely peaceful protests that have, so far, done relatively little damage to buildings or businesses. On Tuesday, Trump said anybody protesting the parade in Washington would be met with very big force. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is a keen backer of Trumps parade plan. Credit: Bloomberg Hegseth whose term has been defined by his amplification of the president defended the deployments in congressional testimony on Tuesday, saying, We ought to be able to enforce immigration law in this country. He has enthusiastically backed the Armys plans to hold a rare military parade, in which 150 military vehicles, including 28 tanks and 28 heavy armoured troop carriers, will roll down the streets of the capital, granting Trump the celebration he has wanted for years. Democratic lawmakers and some military veterans expressed fear that Hegseth, himself a National Guard veteran who was deployed against Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020, was taking the military where it has traditionally least wanted to be: into the middle of a political battle. The presidents decision to call the National Guard troops to Los Angeles was premature, and the decision to deploy active-duty as well is downright escalatory, Democrat representative Betty McCollum said at a House committee hearing Tuesday as lawmakers grilled Hegseth. Advertisement Loading Active-duty military has absolutely no role in domestic law enforcement, and they are not trained for those missions. One defence official said Pentagon lawyers believe they have found some leeway in the Title 10 provision that Trump used to order National Guard troops to Los Angeles against the wishes of Californias Governor Gavin Newsom. The will help protect federal property and federal agents in Los Angeles, the US militarys Northern Command said in a statement. But unlike law enforcement officers or even National Guard troops, who practise controlling crowds during protests, active-duty troops are trained to respond to threats quickly and with lethal force. I do not take the position that invoking the Insurrection Act is necessary at this point; the facts on the ground dont justify it, said Daniel Maurer, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served as a judge advocate general. Its almost like a show of force to the MAGA base, if you will. Maurer is now a law professor at Ohio Northern University. Advertisement SH: I am very particular about who I will work for as I value my personal brand immensely. I have strong anchors and values on a personal level that I will not allow to be diminished by my choice of employer. Hence, when deciding to leave La Trobe, I actually had only two lenders in my mind that I would align with and would work for and set out to make that happen. One was St. George and the other shall remain unnamed. As such, I am extremely passionate about St. George as a brand and this in turn has led to a valuable level of respect and support by my immediate and broader team at the Westpac Group. I have a voice and feel heard. The majority of my brokers are Connective members and I have also ensured I support Connective as my aggregator partner to in turn have their support of me as a BDM. I work closely with them to ensure I get the opportunity to be in front of their members as much as possible. I am fortunate to be surrounded by people that support me in my role. I am enormously excited about what Viking Aggregation can bring to the market with some of the best people here to serve our brokers, an incredible tech stack that is probably one of the best Ive seen and strong multi-focused customer solution platform. Im looking forward to being part of a pioneering aggregator in a growing market, Kirkpatrick said. 1st meeting of China-U.S. economic, trade consultation mechanism opens in London, attracting global attention Xinhua) 11:01, June 11, 2025 LONDON, June 10 (Xinhua) -- The first meeting of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism opened here on Monday, attracting global attention. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attended the meeting with U.S. representatives. Business leaders welcomed the meeting, expecting win-win outcomes. "Only through mutual respect can we achieve win-win cooperation," said Yang Ming, CEO of Westwell Holdings (Hong Kong) Ltd, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) technology company. Attend the ongoing London Tech Week events, Yang said she wished to see normalized economic and trade relations restored between the two nations, calling on both governments to strengthen collaboration in AI and join forces to create new frontiers in global innovation. OBE Chief Executive Officer at London &Partners Laura Citron told Xinhua that stable trade relationships between the biggest economies in the world would always be a good thing for the global economy, adding that London as a city is a very outward-facing trading economy. "We're very keen to see strong and predictable trade relationships between the U.S. and China," she said. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) This is it. The excise tax exemption on pickup trucks is now gone thanks to the effectivity of the Capital Market Efficiency Promotions Act ... SHEs an artist and a writer, a much-loved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and whats more, shes been here for 100 years! Catherine Leahy, originally from Kildrenagh, Bagenalstown, celebrated her birthday in style on 21 May, when she was presented with a centenarian medal by cathaoirleach cllr Tommy Kinsella and cllr Michael Doran of Bagenalstown Municipal District, thanks to Carlow County Council. The family threw a party for her in Carlow town to mark the occasion, when a great time was had by all. Catherine is very creative and has had her short stories and poetry published, while one of her poems The colour of Purgatory was recited by the great Gay Byrne himself on his radio show! Her home and her childrens homes are adorned with her oil paintings depicting the beautiful landscapes of Co Carlow. Catherine, nee Walsh, is at the heart of her family and has eight children, 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She was reared in Kildrenagh, Bagenalstown together with her brothers Jim, Phil and her twin Joe and sisters Statia, Maureen and Brid. Educated locally at primary level in Newtown, Bagenalstown and then in Dominick Street, Dublin, Catherine then worked in Clerys, Bagenalstown. She emigrated to London, where she met Eamonn Leahy and they got married there in 1957. They went on to have eight children Deirdre and Angela were born in England, Patrick and Bernie were born in Wales and Nora, Carmel, Eamonn and Eithne were born in Dublin. The couple returned to Ireland in 1963 and remained in Dublin until 1996, when they retired to Carlow town. Mam has a brilliant sense of humour, a ready smile, can quote Yeats poetry at will, among other of her favourite poets, and is great to be around, said her daughter Deirdre. Catherine was the latest person to be inducted into Carlows very exclusive club of centenarians. If you know of any Carlow natives that are approaching their 100th birthday, then please get in touch with Carlow Library Service on by email at library@carlowcoco.ie or by telephone on 059 912 9705. The council would love to mark their outstanding milestone. LIDL IRELAND has welcomed the joint decision by Carlow County Council and Laois County Council to grant planning permission for the development of a brand-new, state-of-the-art Lidl supermarket at Killeshin Road, Graiguecullen, Carlow. The development will see an investment in excess of 8 million in the local area alongside the creation of 30 new jobs in the locality. Up to a further 100 jobs will also be supported indirectly throughout planning and development and during an average six-month construction phase. The new Graiguecullen store will be the retailers second store in Carlow town and fourth in the county and forms part of Lidl Irelands recently announced 600 million investment in developing 35 new stores across Ireland and a new Regional Distribution Centre at Little Island, Cork. Serving the local Carlow community since 2006, Lidl currently has stores in Carlow Town, Tullow and Bagenalstown employing more than 85 people across its workforce. The retailers Bagenalstown store opened in 2021 and was Irelands first A1 energy rated retail store, running entirely on renewable energy and representing excellence in innovative and sustainable construction and providing a template for all newly constructed Lidl stores over the last number of years. Lidls new Graiguecullen store will be built with sustainability at its core in line with its award-winning Concept store design, prioritising energy efficiency through roof solar PV panels, energy efficient heat pumps and LED lighting, reducing carbon emissions and supporting Lidls ambition to achieving net-zero by 2050. The new Lidl store will provide customers with an unrivalled shopping experience, with self-service checkouts, customer EV charging spaces, two Deposit Return Scheme machines as well as in-store bakery and off licence. As part of the retailers overarching sustainability strategy, Lidl stores across Carlow are actively engaged in initiatives to support local communities. Last year, more than 7,000 meals were donated from its three Carlow stores to 11 charities across the county through Lidls partnership with FoodCloud. A major supporter of the local agri-food industry, last year Lidl procured over 5 million worth of goods and services from nine suppliers and business partners across Carlow, including a deal with local family run bakery Seerys Heatherfield, who have been supplying Lidl stores with the highest quality cakes and puddings since 2020. Welcoming the planning decision, Lidls Regional Managing Director, Niall Murray, said: As Irelands leading discount retailer with ever growing customer numbers, we warmly welcome the joint decision of Carlow County Council and Laois County Council to grant planning permission for a fourth store in Carlow. With cost-of-living pressures continuing to impact, shoppers are increasingly looking for best value and were seeing more customers choosing to Go Full Lidl. The new store at Graiguecullen will offer local shoppers more choice and best value on their shop whilst also helping drive economic growth and contributing to economic development plans for this burgeoning urban area. We would like to wholeheartedly thank members of the local community for their positive and constructive engagement so far during this process and we would like to reassure them again of our ongoing commitment to delivering an outstanding new shopping experience for the area. By Jonathan McCambridge and Cillian Sherlock, PA Seventeen police officers have been injured following a second night of sustained violence in Ballymena, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that the rioting risks undermining the criminal justice process into an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in the Co Antrim town at the weekend. Police said their officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks in their direction in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena on Tuesday night. A second night of violence took place in Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) The PSNI deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannon as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. Police also reported that sporadic disorder had also occurred in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well as incidents in north Belfast. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged. A PSNI spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday evening that a number of protests took place in areas of Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine and Newtownabbey. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has condemned a second night of violence on our streets. He said: Let me be clear: this behaviour must stop. I appeal to everyone involved to cease all further acts of criminality and disorder immediately. Full statement: https://t.co/KxAi1On2pd pic.twitter.com/mxonz5XRpx Police Mid and East Antrim (@PSNIMEADistrict) June 11, 2025 In Carrickfergus, two bins were set alight and bottles and masonry thrown at police in the Sunnylands area by a group of 20 to 30 young people at around 8.30pm. In Newtownabbey bins were set alight at the roundabout on ONeill Road. During the course of the disorder in Ballymena, officers discharged a number of plastic baton rounds and the water cannon was also deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds. Rioters attacked police in Ballymena on Tuesday night (Niall Carson/PA) The spokesperson said: Businesses and homes were attacked and damaged and a number of vehicles were also set on fire in the area. Seventeen officers were injured with some requiring required hospital treatment. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in police custody this morning. A male was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour on the ONeill Road in Newtownabbey. A number of nearby roads were closed by police to ensure the safety of the public and local residents, and to enable officers to deal with the situation and disorder safely. All roads were subsequently reopened. Fifteen officers had been injured during similar scenes in Ballymena on Monday. Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Jon Boutcher (Liam McBurney/PA) Mr Boutcher said: The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable. These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice, and protection. Ironically, and frustratingly, this violence threatens to derail the very pursuit of justice it claims to challenge. Let me be clear: this behaviour must stop. I appeal to everyone involved to cease all further acts of criminality and disorder immediately. The Chief Constable said the investigation into the violence would include reviewing video footage and images of individuals would be released to identify offenders. He added: Since 2010, the PSNI has been critically underfunded. This neglect takes no account of the enormous demands placed on us by legacy issues or the unique challenges of policing in a post-conflict society. Our resourcing levels are not just inadequate they are dangerous. I will be making arrangements to activate mutual aid resources to ensure we have the necessary support to maintain public order and bring offenders to justice. James Cox A special screening of short animations created by children from Gaza will take place in Dublin on Monday, June 16th. The Gaza in Colour screening will see 17 of these short films receive their cinematic debut in The Stella Cinema, Rathmines at 6pm. The Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland, Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, will open the screening. The screening has been organised by Shauna Cullen of Jam Media with additional support from Animation Ireland and Avalon Films. These short animations exist thanks to the efforts of Haneen Koraz, a former teacher and now an acclaimed animation director and mentor from Gaza. Working with children based in refugee camps in Gaza, she provides animation workshops where these young artists can express themselves, process trauma, and "preserve their stories and their sense of childhood". "These workshops serve as small acts of resistance, joy, and healing in deeply difficult times. "Through animation, these young voices are speaking to the world, and Haneen is helping to make sure theyre heard. The animations present a sometimes fantastical, sometimes comedic and sometimes poignant sense of the daily lives experienced by these children who range in age from 5 years old upwards." Some of the short films they have prepared include Six Children and One Plate and My Grandfathers Magical Cane, which were created by children from the Basmat Almat Camp in the city of Deir al-Balah, Gaza. The hope is that this Dublin cinema screening will help bring focus to the work of these children and encourage more people to watch and engage with their short films, which are published on a weekly basis through the Instagram account of Animation Community for Palestine. Speaking about the event, Shauna Cullen said: Like many, Ive been heartbroken and overwhelmed by the horrors unfolding in Palestine. Amid this devastation, I came across something extraordinary: children, living in tents, creating animated films under the guidance of Haneen Koraz. Haneen has become a beacon of creativity and hope in the midst of unimaginable circumstances." Ms Cullen added: What these children have been able to produce is remarkable. Even when the full dimensions of reality become too much to bear, these children are able to find escape through art and creativity. This evening is both a celebration of their creativity and a gesture of solidarity. We want to show these children that people are paying attention to them and that people are interested in their art. "We want to get more people looking at these short animations either on the day itself or via the Instagram account of Animation Community for Palestine. Every view sends a message to these children that people are paying attention to what they are doing and to their struggle. It helps amplify their voices, while also affirming their right to dream, to tell their stories, and to be children." Anyone who is interested in these animations and would like to follow the Instagram account can do so on Animation Community for Palestine, which can be found on Instagram.com/ac4pal Ellen O'Donoghue A 19-year-old male cyclist has been killed after being hit by a van in Lucan, Co Dublin, on Wednesday morning. Shortly after 7.30am, gardai were alerted to the collision on the junction of Griffeen Avenue, R136 and Balgaddy Road. The cyclist received treatment at the scene before being transported by ambulance to Tallaght Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. No other injuries were reported. Garda Forensic Collision investigators are currently examining the scene, and local traffic diversions are in place. A garda statement said the local coroner has been notified, and arrangements will be made for a post-mortem examination. Gardai have appealed for witnesses to the incident to come forward. Any road users who may have relevant camera footage, including dash cam, and were travelling in the area at the time have been asked to make the footage available to investigating gardai. Anyone with information is asked to contact Lucan Garda Station at (01) 666 7300, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any garda station. Gordon Deegan Dublin city will require 1,725 new hotel bed spaces per annum between now and 2030 to meet projected demand. That is according to a Hotel Concentration Report lodged with Dublin City Council for a new 40-bedroom hotel planned by US billionaire, John Malone's MHLs Hotel Collection on Dublin's Drury Street and William Street South, Dublin 2. In the planning application, Drury Leisure Investments Ltd - part of the MHL Hotel Collection that also includes the five-star Intercontinental Dublin - has lodged plans for the new hotel adjacent to its four-star Brooks hotel. The planning application also seeks permission for an additional five bedrooms at the Brooks Hotel to bring the total number of rooms at that hotel to 103 bedrooms. In the hotel concentration report by McGill Planning lodged with the application, it states that the catchment area has the potential to grow its room numbers by 56 per cent from 7,919 to 12,375 that includes planning applications for new hotel schemes already granted. However, the report states that as many of these applications have been consented for three or four years and uncommenced to date, it is very unlikely that this level of consents is achievable. The McGill report states that the demand estimates indicate that Dublin City will need to cater for significantly more bedspaces to meet the need for visitor accommodation and ensure Dublin is positioned to take advantage of its tourism potential. The report states that 8,627 additional hotel bedspaces will be required by 2030 - or an average of 1,725 per annum. The report states that based on slowing levels of room completions expected in the market, it is crucial that the Dublin City Council can ensure a consistent and active pipeline of new rooms entering the market each year to cope with increasing demand, and ensure one of the key growth sectors of the Dublin City economy is effectively supported. The report states that the new 40 bedroom hotel and the additional five bedrooms at the Brooks Hotel would not result in an over-concentration of hotels in the local area. The McGill report states that given the location of the subject site in the centre of the city, the idea of concentration needs to be weighed against the reality that hotel development within these locations offer the most sustainable, accessible, cultural parts of the city and are capable of providing the best visitor experience for tourists. The report states that an increase in the capacity of 4- star accommodation is considered necessary as an analysis has indicated a deficit of 4-star accommodation within the 1km catchment. Aidan Crowe of Banta Restaurants has lodged a letter in support of the application. Mr Crowe operates the Pink Restaurant which is located at the site under planning consideration and says: The scheme will revitalise the underutilised site and provide much-needed additional hotel accommodation, contributing positively to the local economy within the south city centre. Gordon Deegan A former Ryanair pilot who is charged in connection with the possession of more than 10 million worth of drugs has an application for bail pending before the High Court, a court has heard. Brendan OMara (62), of An Tulach, Summerhill, Meelick, Co Clare, made his fourth appearance at Ennis District Court concerning the seizure of an estimated 10 million worth of cannabis at his home in Co Clare on May 7th. Mr OMara appeared in court on Wednesday via video-link from a booth at Limerick prison after a judge refused him bail at a special sitting of Ennis District Court on May 10th following Garda objections. Judge Gabbett asked if there was any news on directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Sgt Frank OGrady said DPP directions were still outstanding. Mr OMara's solicitor, Ted McCarthy, said: There is a bail application pending before the High Court and I am hoping that will be resolved shortly. Mr McCarthy asked that the case be adjourned for two weeks and Judge Gabbett said that if Mr OMara does secure High Court bail in the meantime he must turn up to court in person on June 25th. Mr OMara faces two charges possessing cannabis for sale or supply, and possessing cannabis, on May 7th. At the contested bail hearing on May 10th, gardai told the court Mr OMara made no reply to the charges after caution, and that further, and more serious charges may be brought against him in respect of the case where gardai seized an estimated 502kg in cannabis. Sergeant Rob Sheehy of the Limerick Divisional Drugs Unit said he was objecting to bail because of the strength and nature of the evidence as well as the high value of the drugs. He told the court that the Garda investigation was in its infancy, but he said gardai believed that it stretches to a number of countries and there are a number of persons that need to be established. He claimed Mr OMara was also a flight risk, due to his aeronautical knowledge, that he has a number of pilots licenses, and has links to the USA. Applying for bail on May 10th, solicitor Tara Godfrey said the accused has three pilots licences including a helicopter licence, a UK pilot licence and a EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) licence, and he would hand over his licences to the State and not leave the country. His Ryanair crew card is being returned to his former employers, Ms Godfrey said. Ms Godfrey said a sister of Mr OMara was in the court and had pledged to act as an independent bail surety for the accused for up to 177,000. Appealing for the court not to hold the accused in custody, Ms Godfrey said Mr OMara has offered up all the means he could to leave this country and has significant ties here. He enjoys the presumption of innocence, she said. Judge Gabbett remanded Mr O'Mara in custody to re-appear at Ennis District Court on June 25th. Ryan Dunne The brothers of Jozef Puska, who are charged with withholding information about the murder of schoolteacher Ashling Murphy, may have had the reasonable excuse of not wanting to incriminate themselves, a jury has been told. Ms Justice Caroline Biggs told the jury at the Central Criminal Court that attempting to protect a family member is not a reasonable excuse for withholding information from the gardai, but the jury must consider if the fear of self-incrimination operated on the minds of Lubomir Puska Jnr (38) and Marek Puska (36). Jozef Puska murdered 23-year-old Ms Murphy by stabbing and slashing her neck after attacking her while she exercised along the canal towpath outside Tullamore on the afternoon of January 12th, 2022. A jury later convicted him of that murder, and he is serving a life sentence. His brothers, Lubomir Jnr and Marek Puska, are charged with withholding information. Their wives, Viera Gaziova (40) and Jozefina Grundzova (32), are charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Jozef Puska by burning his clothes. All the accused were living with Jozef Puska, his wife Lucia, and 14 children at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, when the offences are alleged to have occurred in January 2022. All accused have pleaded not guilty to all charges. In her charge to the jury on Wednesday, Ms Justice Biggs said that the statements of the accused are the foundation of the prosecution case, with the defence relying on extracts of those interviews. She said that if the jury accepts the defence case as was put to them, they must acquit, but even if they are disinclined to believe the defence case but still think that it might reasonably be true, they must acquit. She said that even if the jury disregards the defence case, they still must look at the prosecution case. Moving on to the elements of the offence against Marek and Lubomir Jnr, Ms Justice Biggs said that the jury must first be satisfied that a serious offence had been committed, in this case murder; that this offence was committed by a person other than the accused; and that the accused had information of material assistance in apprehending Jozef Puska. She said it was for the jury to determine what would have been of material assistance, which was information that might help the gardai to build a case. Ms Justice Biggs reminded the jury that the prosecution allege that Marek did not give information that Jozef had returned home on the night of Ms Murphys murder with visible injuries, that Jozef admitted to killing or seriously injuring a female with a knife, that Marek was aware of an arrangement to burn the clothes worn by Jozef, and that Jozef subsequently travelled to Dublin. She said that the prosecution case against Lubomir Jnr was similar, except for the fact that there was no allegation that he was aware of an arrangement to burn the clothes. She went on to say that the prosecution alleged that the accused did not provide that information to the gardai as soon as reasonably practicable. Ms Justice Biggs next told the jury that the prosecution must prove that the two brothers had no reasonable excuse for not disclosing this information, adding that an attempt to protect a family member is not a reasonable excuse. She said what is reasonable is the issue of self-incrimination, urging the jury to consider if there was any evidence supporting the submission put forward by the defence that the accused had this reasonable excuse. She told the jury to focus on whether this fear operated in the minds of the accused at the time of their failure to disclose the information. Ms Justice Biggs told the jury that if they feel that the assertion of a risk of self-incrimination is fanciful, they do not have to accept it. Moving on to the case against Viera Gaziova and Jozefina Grundzova, Ms Justice Biggs said that the jury must be satisfied that the two accused knew or believed Jozef to be guilty of the offence of murder or some other arrestable offence. She said that the jury must be satisfied that, with that knowledge, the two women committed an act without reasonable excuse, namely burning the clothes of Jozef Puska or assisting in the burning of the clothes, and they did so with the intention of impeding his apprehension or prosecution. In her closing speech, prosecutor Anne Marie Lawlor SC told the jury that Marek and Lubomir Jnr knew what Jozef had done shortly after 9:30pm on the night of the murder because Jozef told him. Despite this, Ms Lawlor said Marek and Lubomir Jnr failed to disclose vital information when they spoke to gardai. Their wives burned Jozef's clothes to impede his arrest or prosecution, she said. Ms Lawlor told the jury that there is an onus to provide information about serious offences such as murder. When Viera and Jozefina burned Jozef's clothes, "they knew why they were doing it," Ms Lawlor said, and acted without any reasonable excuse. In her statements to gardai, Viera said she burned the clothes after Lubomir told her that Jozef wanted them to be burned. However, Ms Justice Biggs has told the jury that what one accused person says about another is not evidence against that person. Defence counsel Karl Finnegan SC told the jury that Marek Puska was entitled to remain silent to avoid incriminating himself. Mr Finnegan said there was a real risk that the information his client had could implicate him in an offence of assisting his brother after the murder. Mr Finnegan also asked the jury to consider the possibility that Marek did not believe his brother had stabbed Ashling Murphy to death when he spoke to gardai two days after the murder. He said the legislation regarding withholding information was introduced following the Omagh bombing to force people with knowledge of that atrocity to come forward. However, Mr Finnegan said, the legislation does not remove a person's right to remain silent if they believe that they could incriminate themselves. At the time, Mr Finnegan said, there was a real risk that his client would be arrested for assisting Puska after the murder by arranging to get him out of Tullamore or because he knew of the plan to burn Jozef's clothes. Kathleen Leader SC, for Lubomir Jnr, said her client delayed but did not withhold information. She said he had a reasonable excuse for the delay and asked the jury to consider the "natural sense of protection for his younger brother". Paul Murray SC, for Ms Grundzova, told the jury that for his client to be guilty, the jury must be satisfied that she knew what Jozef had done when she helped Ms Gaziova to burn the clothes. When his client burned Puska's clothes, she did not have any of the evidence that would later prove Jozef's guilt, Mr Murray said. Damien Colgan SC, for Ms Gaziova, told the jury that the "crux of the case" is whether his client knew that Jozef Puska had stabbed Ms Murphy. Her view at that time, Mr Colgan said, was that Jozef had been the victim of an assault. The jury of seven men and five women will continue their deliberations on Thursday. By Cillian Sherlock, David Young and Jonathan McCambridge, PA Police came under attack as violent disorder erupted for a second night in a row in Northern Ireland on Tuesday. Multiple cars and properties were set on fire in Ballymena while rioters hurled petrol bombs, fireworks and masonry at police officers. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannons as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. In a statement, the PSNI said calm had been restored in the Clonavon Terrace, North Road and Bridge Street areas by around 1am on Wednesday. The force said there had also been sporadic disorder in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well incidents in north Belfast. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest in the day which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. The UK prime ministers official spokesman described those events which saw police and ethnic minorities targeted as very concerning. Emergency services outside a house in Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) A senior police officer condemned the disorder as racist thuggery. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson issued a public appeal for information and said the PSNI was actively working to identify those responsible for the racially motivated disorder in Ballymena and bring them to justice. He said the service would deploy significant resources to any further disorder during the week. Police in Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) On Tuesday evening, riot police were deployed to residential streets around Clonavon Terrace on Tuesday as hundreds of people gathered in the area from approximately 7pm. The PSNI formed barricades while officers wearing armour and shields also responded to the disorder. Some masked protesters shouted abuse and threw objects at the police, including fireworks, glass bottles and pieces of metal. The PSNI advised those present to disperse and warned that water cannon would be deployed against those participating in violent activity. Police fired plastic baton rounds at some of those gathered and also used water cannons to disperse the crowd. Many young children were present among those gathered near police lines. A vehicle on fire near Clonavon Terrace, Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) As rioters were dispersed into other parts of the town as the evening progressed into night, a property on Bridge Street and a home on Queen Street were set on fire. Other properties had windows smashed as some residents chose to display signs about the nationalities of those normally resident, including one saying British household and another with Filipino lives here. Multiple cars were also set on fire as part of blazes set by rioters, including near a car wash and tyre centre off Bridge Street and on Larne Street. The clothing of at least one participant caught fire during the disorder. The PSNI cleared streets and allowed gaps in its barricades for firefighters to tackle fires in the town as chaotic scenes continued past midnight. Officers also used a drone as part of the response to illegal activity, which saw some rioters kick in doors and ransack homes. The Northern Ireland Secretary has said there is no justification for attacks on police officers or vandalism. The terrible scenes of civil disorder we have witnessed in Ballymena again this evening have no place in Northern Ireland. There is absolutely no justification for attacks on PSNI officers or for vandalism directed at peoples homes or property. Hilary Benn (@hilarybennmp) June 10, 2025 In a social media post, Hilary Benn said: The terrible scenes of civil disorder we have witnessed in Ballymena again this evening have no place in Northern Ireland. There is absolutely no justification for attacks on PSNI officers or for vandalism directed at peoples homes or property. During Mondays disorder, 15 police officers were injured and several PSNI vehicles were damaged. In Clonavon Terrace, several houses had their windows smashed and two which suffered significant smoke damage remained sealed off on Tuesday. A 29-year-old man was charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested on Monday night. Police officers using a water cannon near Clonavon Terrace (Niall Carson/PA) Mr Henderson said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage. The earlier peaceful protest formed in support of the family of the girl. Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. On Tuesday, the PSNI said it had made a third arrest in connection with the incident and reiterated a public appeal for information. Detective Inspector Olphert from the PSNIs public protection branch said: A 28-year-old man was arrested yesterday evening, Monday June 9. He has been unconditionally released from police custody following questioning. At a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Henderson said the attacks should be loudly condemned by all right-thinking people. Any attempt to justify or explain it as something else is misplaced, he said at a press conference at Ballymena police station earlier on Tuesday. He said members of the minority ethnic community felt fear and there will be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community. Mr Henderson said that police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed to help the PSNI in the wake of the Ballymena disorder. The UK prime ministers official spokesman said: The disorder we saw in Ballymena is very concerning. Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers while they continue to protect local communities. PSNI and the justice system must be allowed to carry out their jobs and our thoughts are with the victims of the assault as well as the police officers who were injured. By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA Funding to help alleviate waiting lists has been suspended at a second hospital because of potential financial irregularities. The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) said it had suspended all insourcing work at the public hospital since April 11th and immediately informed the Department of Health and Health Service Executive (HSE). The matter had been referred to the HSEs internal audit team. The board and executive of the NTPF take their responsibilities very seriously and will take whatever actions are necessary to ensure our spend with public hospitals is fully protected for the benefit of public patients, NTPF chief executive Fiona Brady said. Any proven misuse of public money by public institutions will be treated with the gravity it deserves. The NTPF, which is a body that arranges external treatments for patients on public hospital waiting lists, has come under scrutiny in recent weeks. It was reported in the Sunday Times that a consultant breached HSE guidelines by referring patients he was seeing in his public practice to his weekend private clinics, rather than securing earlier treatment for them by referring them to HSE colleagues. The newspaper said the consultant was paid thousands of euro through the NTPF, and the details were uncovered by an internal investigation by Childrens Health Ireland (CHI). The NTPF said on Wednesday that following a meeting of its board, it would immediately recommence insourcing work with CHI after a review of its assurances. But it said that the board and executive remain deeply concerned that there had been a breach of its processes by another public body. It said governance and oversight across its insourcing work with public hospitals who until now have been responsible for this internal governance would increase. As well as notifying the Department of Health and HSE of its decision, the NTPF had also written to all public hospitals with whom it funds insourcing work to obtain further confirmation that all work is carried out in line with the NTPFs processes and procedures. A deadline of Monday, June 16th, has been given for the completion of these replies. Insourcing work through the NTPF has delivered benefits to thousands of patients in recent years and has a demonstrable impact on waiting times and waiting-list numbers, Ms Brady said. However, it is vital there is public trust and confidence around insourcing with public hospitals. It must be remembered that these public hospitals already have clear and established lines of reporting and accountability within the public system and clear obligations to comply with the terms of the signed memorandum of understanding in respect of NTPF-funded work. We will now work urgently with the Department of Health and HSE on any additional measures that may be needed to ensure that necessary controls of NTPF-funded initiatives are in place in the public hospitals. CARLOW TOWN is slowly recovering from the shock of a gunman firing shots inside Fairgreen Shopping Centre before being confronted by gardai and then fatally shooting himself last Sunday evening. Management in the shopping centre said yesterday (Monday) that they were very conscious of the fact that the young man, Evan Fitzgerald, died at the scene, that they hoped some normality had returned to the centre and that customers should feel safe and comfortable there. The late Evan Fizgerald Mr Fitzgerald from Portrition, just outside Kiltegan, entered the shopping centre just before 6.15pm last Sunday, 1 June, walked upstairs, took a gun out, went back downstairs firing shots and then entered Tesco supermarket. There, he fired more shots and entered the off-licence area, where he put his rucksack down on the floor. The young man, who was described by a garda as being fascinated by guns, walked out of the shopping centre and, when confronted by two armed detectives, turned the gun on himself and pulled the trigger. John Brophy, manager of the shopping centre, has strongly refuted reports that Mr Fitzgerald was seen kneeling down in the main shopping centre and added that there had been no warning to alert his security team before the gunman started shooting. Since the main shopping centre reopened for business on Wednesday and Tesco opened on Thursday, people have been passing on their best wishes to the centres staff and Tesco staff. Counselling has been made available to all staff members involved, while one shop worker appealed on social media for the public not to ask them about the event. Insurance assessors visited the shopping centre to inspect the damage, with bullet holes on the Tesco sign and a shop window being smashed during the shooting. On the footpath outside Tesco, bouquets of flowers were laid where the young man shot himself. Residents in the nearby New Oak housing estate are getting on with their lives, having been so close to the centre of the horrific event (see opposite page). A number of people sought refuge they were visitors to the town. We could hear the shots and we heard the gardai so, yes, it was frightening. Thankfully, no-one else was injured, said Sharon Parker Byrne, who runs the New Oak Community Centre. A garda source confirmed to The Nationalist that gardai and the defence forces explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team examined Mr Fitzgeralds house immediately after the incident but found no explosive materials. A container with liquid in it, believed to be alcohol, was found in his bedroom. Gardai also went to a neighbours house after they were alerted to a USB key being taped to the window there. Mr Fitzgerald, a former steelyard worker, was on bail at the time of his death as he had been charged last March with firearms and explosives offences. He was alleged to be in possession of two guns seized in Co Kildare: a G3 Heckler & Koch machine gun and a Remington M1911 handgun bought on the dark net (see story below). Its also been reported that after Mr Fitzgeralds body was released to his grieving family following a post mortem examination, a cremation ceremony took place. No further details about the cremation service are available, while gardai appealed to people to respect the familys privacy. An incident room has been set up in Carlow Garda Station and they are still appealing for anyone who was in the Fairgreen Shopping Centre at the time of the shooting to contact them immediately on 059 9136620 in strictest confidence. A NIGHT of drinking and taking cocaine by three men ended up with two of them turning on the third party, threatening him and assaulting him before locking him into the boot of a car. Two men appeared before Carlow Circuit Court recently to face charges of assaulting the third man, causing him harm and falsely imprisoning him in Rathellen, Leighlinbridge on 14 or 15 August 2022. The injured party told Judge Eugene Kelly that Philip Moore (41) threatened to pour boiling water over him, threatened to push his head into a sink full of bleach and also threatened to spray bleach into his eyes before punching him in the gut and hauling him into the boot of a car. The victim further said that Shane Coady (25) was also in the house at the time and that he had roared and shouted at him before hitting him twice in the face, causing damage to his teeth. Mr Moore, in whose house the incident took place, was found guilty by a jury of both offences while he was cleared of charges of possessing a knife and of threatening to harm the injured party. The second defendant, Shane Coady of Bagenal Court, Bagenalstown, had pleaded guilty in a previous court hearing to the assault charge, while the false imprisonment charge wasnt prosecuted and was instead taken into consideration. The two men were sentenced at Carlow Circuit Court, with Detective Garda Tommy Cleere, led by prosecutor Niall Storan, going through statements that all three men had made, including a counter-allegation made by Mr Moore against the injured party. Judge OKelly was told that the gardai investigated this counter-allegation but that the DPP didnt pursue it. The series of incidents began on 14 August, when the three men were partying in Mr Moores house, where they stayed up most of the night drinking, taking cocaine and listening to music. In a statement made to the gardai, the victim said that he returned to Mr Moores house the following evening after buying a bottle of Jack Daniels and cigarettes for him earlier, after Mr Moore gave him money for them. He said that they were drinking and taking cocaine again that evening and that, at about 10pm, Mr Moore began to freak out at him, shouting at him to tell him the truth. He said that Mr Moore made him sit on a chair in the middle of the kitchen floor and that he and Mr Coady began circling the chair, shouting that he had spiked their drinks the night before. The court heard that the victim saw Mr Moore boiling the kettle and threatening to pour boiling water over him while also putting bleach into the sink and threatening to put his head into it. At another stage, Mr Moore grabbed a bottle of bleach and threatened to spray it into the mans eyes to blind him. The injured party said that Mr Coady hit him twice in the face and that Mr Moore punched him in the gut before he brought him outside and put him into the boot of his mothers car, telling him that they were going to bring him up to Rossmore. In direct evidence during Mr Moores trial, the injured party said he was afraid for his life and that he was crying and shouting out for help when he was locked up in the boot. He said he was afraid because Mr Moore had bipolar disorder and he didnt know what he was going to do with him next. During Mr Moores trial, Judge OKelly heard that gardai forensically examined fibres from the boot of the car and the victims clothing and found that they matched. Mr Moore, in his statement, told the gardai that he didnt know anything about a kidnapping, that he didnt put his hands on the man and blamed Mr Coady for hitting the injured party. He said that it was Mr Coady who was hyped and going crazy and that he was the one who put the victim in the car boot. Mr Coady told the gardai that he had woken up that morning in the bathroom after the previous night of partying and that he initially didnt know where he was. He said that he thought his drink had been spiked the night before by the third man and that when the third man returned to the house for a second evening of partying, he confronted him about spiking his drink. Mr Coady admitted to gardai that he hit the injured party twice in the face and that Mr Moore threatened the man with bleach and boiling water, and that he would take him up to the mountains. He said that he shouted at Mr Moore to stop and that he thought that locking the man into the boot was going too far. The court heard that both men claimed they let the injured party out of the boot, while the injured party said he couldnt say because it was raining heavily at that stage and he was in a distressed state. In his victim impact statement, the man said that his quality of life had changed after the incident and that he no longer felt safe, even when he was in his own home. He said that Mr Moore had tarnished his name and had caused extreme stress to him and his family. He added that he felt like he was on trial and not the other way around, and that Mr Moore had shown no remorse for what hed done. Tara Geoghegan BL for Mr Coady told Judge OKelly that her client was remorseful for what he had done and that he himself was shocked at what hed done under the influence of alcohol. She continued that he was in employment and that he had saved 1,000 by way of compensation for the victim after damaging his teeth. Judge OKelly said that this wasnt sufficient, given that he was earning a wage, and adjourned sentencing Mr Coady until November for him to gather more funds. Mr Moore was sent straight into custody with sentencing adjourned for the preparation of various medical reports. He was remanded in custody until the next sitting of Carlow Circuit Court in July. Advertisement As part of Ibstocks leadership ambitions to drive more sustainable and innovative building materials and solutions, the Group have identified a large reserve of high kaolinitic clay at one of its operating brick clay quarries in central England. The site is a fully consented quarry, with sufficient calcinable material to support calcined clay production for over 25 years. Extensive drilling and industrial trials have been completed to confirm the reserves and the reactivity of the calcined clay for use in low carbon cement. Ibstock is looking at an industrial partner to collaborate on the design, construction, and commercialisation of the project. The company is open to exploring optimal investment and partnership models to fully realise the potential of the site. Advertisement According to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), Attock Cement Pakistan Ltd (ACPL) has garnered significant interest from investors wishing to acquire 84.06 per cent (115,526,349 shares) and joint control of the company. PSX information indicates that Topline Securities Ltd, manager to the offer, has re-submitted the public announcement of intention to acquire 84.06 per cent (115,526,349 shares) and joint control of ACPL, held by Pharaon Investment Group Ltd (Holding) SAL, Lebanon on behalf of the Cherat Cement Co Ltd and Shirazi Investments (Private) Ltd as acquirers, under the provisions of the Securities Act, 2015 and the listed companies (substantial acquisition of voting shares and takeovers) Regulations, 2017. Separately, the Board of Directors of Kot Addu Power Co Ltd has approved the acquisition of shares and joint control of ACPL by Kot Addu Power Co and Fauji Foundation. Additionally, ACPL has received a public announcement of intention from Arif Habib Ltd (the Manager to the Offer), on behalf of Alpha Cement Co Ltd, to acquire up to 115,526,349 voting shares (representing 84.06 per cent of the paid-up capital) of the target company. Attock Cement Pakistan was established in 1981 in Hub, Balochistan, with an initial capital outlay of PKR1.5bn (US$5.31m), including a foreign exchange component of US$45m. The company began commercial production in 1988 with a plant capacity of 2000t of clinker. Through a series of expansions, with the latest line added in FY17-18, the company boasts a production capacity of 3Mta. by Abdul Rab Sidiqqi, Pakistan The City of Chattanoogas Office of Early Learning announces the official launch of "Sawubona," a first-of-its-kind triple-layered Book Bus that serves as a mobile library, a mobile safe space and a mobile family resource center, designed to support children and families across the city.A ribbon-cutting celebration will take place on Thursday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the First Horizon Pavilion, 1826 Reggie White Blvd. The event will feature a colorful carnival-themed celebration complete with games, music, snacks and community-centered fun, all in honor of "Sawubonas" debut.Officials said, "Derived from the Zulu greeting, 'Sawubona' means 'I see you, I value you, you are important to me.' More than just a name, it's a promise, a deep recognition of every child and family who steps through its doors."Sawubona" is a warm, welcoming space on wheels, a mobile library, family resource center and safe haven rolled into one. "Sawubonas" goal is to travel into neighborhoods not just with books, but with belonging; not just with services, but with support. Its a place where children feel celebrated, families feel connected and everyone is reminded they matter.""Every stop 'Sawubona' makes will spark a new story," said Jaleesa Brumfield, director of Early Learning, for the City of Chattanooga. Each layer of the bus is intentional. Its about showing up for our community in the most meaningful ways.At its core, "Sawubona" is:- A Mobile Library, offering books, literacy events and storytelling experiences;- A Safe Space, where children feel welcomed, respected and heard; and- A Family Resource Hub, connecting families to vital services, support and community partners."This launch marks a major step forward in the citys commitment to early childhood literacy, equity and holistic family engagement," officials said. "In addition to unveiling the 'Sawubona' Book Bus, the event will also introduce the Turn On the Subtitles campaign, an innovative literacy initiative that encourages families to enable subtitles while children watch TV, helping to naturally boost reading skills."'Sawubona' will travel to neighborhoods throughout Chattanooga, delivering more than just books, it delivers presence, promise and opportunity. In doing so, it directly supports the goals of the One Chattanooga Plan in advancing early childhood education, strengthening neighborhoods, bridging access gaps and investing in families. With every stop it makes, 'Sawubona' brings the citys vision for equity, connection and community to life; one child, one story, one family at a time." June marks the start of hurricane season, and Chattanooga Gas is encouraging its customers to start preparing for an active 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters predict an above normal season with six to 10 hurricanes, three to five of them being category three or higher.Officials said, "With safety being Chattanooga Gas number one value, the company reminds customers to prioritize safety as they prepare for potential severe weather this hurricane season.Customers are encouraged to follow these important natural gas safety tips before, during and after severe weather alerts."Detecting Gas Leaks If you smell the distinctive rotten egg odor associated with natural gas, leave the area immediately andmove away from the potential leak. Look for blowing dirt, discolored vegetation or continued bubbling in standing water. Never try to identify the source of a leak or stop the leak on your own. Avoid using any sources of ignition, such as cellphones, cigarettes, matches, flashlights, electronic devices,motorized vehicles, light switches or landlines, as natural gas can ignite from a spark and cause a fire or anexplosion. Call the Chattanooga Gas 24-hour emergency response line at 1-866-643-4170 and 911 once you are in a safelocation away from potential leak.Generator Safety A natural gas home generator can provide peace of mind and keep your household running smoothly duringunexpected blackouts. Customers are encouraged to use them properly to ensure their familys safety. Never use a generator in an enclosed or partially enclosed space. Never try to power the house wiring by plugging the generator into a wall outlet, a practice known asbackfeeding. Plug appliances directly into the generator or use a heavy-duty extension cord that is rated (in watts or amps)at least equal to the sum of the connected appliance loads. Customers are encouraged to contact Chattanooga Gas prior to the purchase or installation of a natural gasgenerator to determine whether their service line and meter meet load requirements for the generators safeand efficient operation.Meter Safety Know the location of your natural gas meter. Do not attempt to turn off your gas supply at the meter. Only Atlanta Gas Light or emergency personnelshould turn the valve on or off. After the storm, make sure your natural gas meter is visible, and the area surrounding the meter is free oftrash and debris. Mechanical equipment used during storm clean-up could damage the meter if it is hidden. If your natural gas meter is damaged or an underground gas line is exposed, leave the area immediately andcall 911 or the Chattanooga Gas 24-hour emergency response line at 1-866-643-4170 from a safe location.Damage Prevention Intense winds and saturated ground can cause trees to become uprooted. Contact Tennessee 811 to requestthat the underground utility lines be marked. This is important because the tree roots could become tangledwith utility lines. If a natural gas meter is damaged or a natural gas line is exposed, please immediately leave the area and call911 and the Chattanooga Gas 24-hour emergency response line at 1-866-643-4170 from a safe location.The United States Department of Homeland Security launched the Ready campaign, a National public service campaign, in 2003 to educate people to prepare for, respond to and mitigate emergencies and disasters. Visit ready.gov to see tips for hurricane preparedness. For additional natural gas safety precautions, visit our website at chattanoogagas.com and click the safety tab. The Hamilton County Grand Jury returned a true bill of indictment on June 5, against Nicholas Cheaton, 41, for the charge of first-degree murder. This indictment is in connection with the March 15, 2025, homicide that occurred in the 3700 block of Youngstown Road. The case will now proceed through the Hamilton County court system. The Chattanooga Police Department will continue to cooperate fully with the District Attorneys Office. Cheaton is currently in custody in Walker County, on other charges. Having followed the recent news updates over the last several weeks on the ongoing process to select a site for the new mental health facility to replace the Moccasin Bend hospital, it is apparent that the Not In My Backyard mentality is in effect. Nobody seems to want it but I dont blame them. Having just read the article from the Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association statement by their representatives I will say that I agree that the Lincoln Park neighborhood should not be considered, but not for the reasons they proclaim. This same reasoning is being applied for the Eastdale location and neighborhood. The representatives of the Lincoln Park association mention the loss of cultural heritage and identity of their community due to gentrification and urban renewal progress and make claims as this is a planned project to eliminate historical black communities. I fully disagree with that summation as Chattanooga has become a very diverse and multicultural and racial community. The last time I checked there are black families living from Soddy Daisy to East Ridge and from Lookout Mountain to Ooltewah. I dont recall any opposition when black families relocated to predominantly white or other ethnic communities. Im old enough to remember the highly segregated neighborhoods of Chattanooga in the 50s and 60s. I actually went to elementary school with zero black students. So gentrification is nothing new. Now my community where I grew up is just as diverse as the whole of Chattanooga. My deduction from the LPNA statement insinuates that they would have segregated communities and that is okay with them to uphold a black only community. That is flat out wrong in my opinion. Our city is way beyond segregated communities again. By no means am I insinuating that the heritage of Lincoln Park be diminished as our Chattanooga community should make efforts to preserve history and heritage, but not at the expense of segregation and exclusion. I think its a no brainer that the best location for the new mental hospital is the Amnicola location of the three having been considered. This site is best due to its location being on a main thoroughfare with easy access to interstates for employees, visitors and emergency services, which are all readily available in the Amnicola area. There is even TVA Security across the highway in the event multi agency response was needed. This Amnicola site has plenty of space and is currently just valuable land being underutilized. I have driven by this property for decades and wondered why has it not been developed. This land, in my opinion, should be where the new facility should be built and still be within the city limits. A new facility on this site would free up the existing Moccasin Bend property to be utilized as a park or whatever else the planners have on their agenda. This location would also help preserve the Eastdale and Lincoln Park neighborhoods from being subjected to higher traffic and business associated with the new mental health facilities if it was located in either of these communities. Arch Tinker * * * I commute through that section of Amnicola twice daily and I always think to myself that a least we still have some mature trees and greenery in Chattanooga that are protected by TVAs stewardship. Mature groves of trees and forests have become a thing of the past in Chattanooga with the rapid growth while at the same time pushing out native animals. Maybe there is a site more fitting that is already in a commercially developed area that has been previously cleared, and we can save what little forest areas we have left within the city. And while I love baseball and have many fond memories of Engel stadium as a child, I must agree with others that the proximity of Engel Stadium to Erlanger and other resources in that area makes a lot of sense. With that being said, Im also a realist and realize land conservation seems to always take a back seat to development. Chris Morgan A man who threatened to "pop" a General Sessions Court judge should he meet him on the street has been given a two-year prison sentence. It was believed to be one of the first uses of a toughened law for threats against judges in Tennessee. Desmond Locklin appeared before Criminal Court Judge Amanda Dunn. He pleaded guilty to retaliation for past action. The offense against a judge has been raised to an E felony. The incident happened April 10, and the case made it to Criminal Court in record time. A court officer said he spoke with Locklin outside the courtroom on April 10. He said Locklin was mad because he said Judge Starnes would not write him a letter to help him get a job. The City Council on Tuesday night approved additional units for a proposed senior living project on the campus of Tucker Baptist Church. The site is on North Moore Road across from Brainerd High School. This would allow 79 units at the affordable housing venture rather than the previous 63 okayed in 2022. Two nearby residents spoke against the change, citing issues with a dangerous curve, flooding and a lack of transparency. Councilwoman Raquetta Dotson cited the church for not being forthright with the community, and Councilwoman Jenni Berz cast a no vote. Terry Woods, who is overseeing the project for the church through a separate corporation, said if the work started now it would not be ready to open until September of 2027. He said there are not even any renderings yet, and the only steps taken were to figure how many units would fit on available space. Mr. Woods said, "The problem we have is we ain't got all the money right now." He and Pastor Gary Hathaway said the church had been turned down twice by the Tennessee Housing Development Association for state tax credits. They said the church would not reapply for those and was taking another unspecified funding route. Pastor Hathaway said developer Michael Kenner is no longer involved, and the church is working with Edward Henley of Nashville. The pastor said there is wide support for the project and many agencies, including the high school, want to help. Several council members praised the church for the affordable housing effort and said other churches need to respond as well. Councilman Dennis Clark, in whose district the project lies, said of critics of the project, "Some people are just ignorant." He said, "I want to put this project to bed. I don't want to hear about this again." PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger announced that Bob Culkeen, president and CEO of WTCI, was elected to serve as a professional director on the PBS Board of Directors, filling one of two vacancies. Mr. Culkeen's selection reflects his career in public television and his commitment to community service through public media. The 27-person PBS Board includes both professional directors, who are station leaders, and general directors, who serve as lay members of the Board. PBS member stations elect professional directors. The general directors are elected by the entire Board, as are the PBS president and the Board officers. The board is a governing body that manages the property, affairs, and business of PBS. The Board plays a crucial role in helping PBS achieve its mission to educate, engage, and inspire audiences nationwide. "To be elected to the PBS Board of Directors is a profound honor and a testament to the collective dedication of the public media community," said Mr. Culkeen. "I look forward to contributing to PBS's vital mission of delivering trusted, high-quality content and educational resources to communities across the country. This opportunity will allow WTCI to further strengthen its voice at the national level, ensuring the needs and perspectives of the Tennessee Valley are represented in the strategic direction of public media." Mr. Culkeen assumed the leadership position as president and chief executive officer of WTCI on Jan. 20, 2020, as the station celebrated its 50th year in the Greater Chattanooga area. Before joining WTCI, Mr. Culkeen served as the WSRE general manager and executive director of the WSRE-TV Foundation in Pensacola, Fl. His career in public media also includes service at WILL in Illinois and WJCT in Jacksonville, Fl. Mr. Culkeens commitment to the public media industry is further demonstrated by his service as vice chair of the PBS Small Station Association, and his service with the PBS Affinity Group Coalition. Among other past board roles, he has served as an Executive Board member of The Programming Service, Executive Board member of the Florida Public Media, and Executive Board member of the Illinois Public Broadcast Council, as well as on the Board of the University Station Alliance. Mr. Culkeen was a founding member of the Digital Convergence Alliance (FL). Mr. Culkeen is active in the Chattanooga Rotary Club, Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the board of directors of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and Museum. PBS President Paula Kerger said, Bob Culkeen has had a long and distinguished career in public broadcasting, and currently serves as CEO of WTCI in Chattanooga. With his significant experience, and dedication to the mission of PBS, we are grateful that he has joined our board. Earlier this spring, the Tennessee American Water Company presented two college students and Lookout Mountain Conservancy intern leaders with a pair of special gifts.A $3,000 donation to the Lookout Mountain Conservancy.And an invitation to return.Wed love for you to come back and take a tour, said Grant Evitts, president of Tennessee American Water.Moments earlier, Mr. Evitts and Daphne Kirksey, external affairs manager, had welcomed Jostin Reyes and Bryan Xiloj - both Chattanooga State Community College students, both LMC leaders - onto the Tennessee American Water Company campus off Amnicola Highway.For 13 years, Tennessee American has been a loyal LMC supporter.Once more, they were offering financial support for LMCs ongoing Howard Leadership Program. The $3,000 State Strategic Grant from the American Water Charitable Foundation will help pay for summer operating expenses for the program and college scholarships for the interns.This time, Mr. Reyes and Mr. Xiloj had gifts to offer in return.We want to thank you for all youve done for us, said Mr. Reyes.Youve opened many doors for us and other interns, said Mr. Xiloj.Mr. Reyes and Mr. Xiloj presented the Tennessee American Water Company leaders with handwritten letters, a postcard and photograph of the LMC bouldering park and a jar of wildflower seeds.Tennessee American Water has been with us since the beginning, said Robyn Carlton. They planted the seeds that allowed our intern program to grow.In 2012, Ms. Carlton approached leadership at The Howard School with a pair of questions: How can we help?How can we use our resources to help build community?And The Howard Leadership Program was created.Each year, LMC hires, mentors and trains dozens of Howard students as interns, who learn soft and hard skills while also earning a sturdy paycheck. Responsible for trail and park maintenance - from the bouldering park to all 36 miles of LMC trails - LMC interns steward over the trails and parks enjoyed by tens of thousands of guests each year.Plus, interns boast a 100 percent graduation rate from The Howard School. LMC helps with college tuition thanks to its generous supporters.Financially, the Leadership Program started with Tennessee American Waters gift.You have helped transform my life and others lives, too, said Mr. Reyes, whos majoring in psychology, with plans for a career in mortuary science.Thank you, said Mr. Xiloj, a construction management major.The moment was touching for Mr. Evitts, who then began reflecting on the early years of his own career, which began three decades ago at Tennessee American Water.Some of my first jobs were mowing grass and painting fire hydrants, he said.Making his way through the company - work hard and be honest, he told Mr. Reyes and Mr. Xiloj - Mr. Evitts entered leadership roles at Tennessee American Water after being named vice president at Missouri American Water and division manager at Illinois American Water.Before saying goodbye, Mr. Evitts invited Mr. Reyes and Mr. Xiloj to return for a tour of the water company.Yes, said Mr. Reyes. Wed like that.Once again, Tennessee American Water was planting seeds. 25-006137 200 BLK Eads Street Harassment A woman reported a known man sent her threatening messages via Facebook after she had him arrested for burglary. Pending positive identification of the suspect and proof of the crime, a warrant for Harassment will be sought. Day Shift June 10: A Squad 25-006130 5700 BLK Ringgold Road Theft Police responded after a customer reported that his red wagon was missing.He had left the wagon next to the sidewalk while he shopped. Police observed security footage showing a male approach the wagon, pick it up and place it into the rear seat of a black Ford Explorer. The man then sat in his vehicle until the victim came out and discovered that his wagon was gone, at which point the driver backed out of the parking stall and left the parking lot. 25-006059 4000 BLK Ealy Road - Burglary Supplement Police responded to the residence after the homeowner discovered a red crowbar in the basement thought to have allowed the intruder access into the property. Police collected the item and turned it into property and evidence. 25-006120 600 BLK Camp Jordan Parkway Unconscious Person Officers were called on report of an unconscious female in a GMC Sierra. The woman was conscious upon arrival and identified herself . She had been counting money with her head down. A consensual search of the vehicle was conducted, and she was issued a criminal trespass warning before going on her way. 25-006121 Heather Street/Garner Street Disorder A caller reported that a male sitting on his front porch was yelling at her to get off his street. The woman clarified that she was parked near the stop sign in her vehicle, waiting for her childs school bus to come by. The man was informed he does not have the authority to enforce who utilizes the public roadway. 25-006124 1500 BLK Truman Avenue -Check Wellbeing An attorney requested police check on a man after he left her a concerning voicemail. According to the attorney, the voicemail said he needed to meet with her ASAP before he ended up dead, adding that if he does come up dead, she will know who did it. The subject of the check did not respond to a door knock nor phone call, and officers left the scene after no signs of forced entry or disturbance were found. 25-006127 700 BLK Frawley Road Apartment Property Damage A party reported her vehicles tire had been punctured four times within the last few weeks. She had replaced the tire three times, and the same issue has happened on all occasions. She suspected her ex-boyfriend is possibly vandalizing the tire to inconvenience her. 25-006129 1600 BLK S. Smith Street Civil Matter A resident complained he did not like the position of his neighbors exterior surveillance camera, as he believed the camera was picking up footage on his property. The resident was informed his neighbor can place the camera where he deems necessary, and the two would have to work it out civilly if he wanted it moved. 25-006138-3400 BLK Bennet Rd.-Suspicious Vehicle/ Field Interview Police contacted a vehicle obstructing the roadway in front of the residence. Upon approach, police observed a man with his head down, appearing unconscious. Officers were advised by the male he was texting his co-worker. The man was waiting for the co-worker to come out so they could go to work. 25-006126-3600 BLK Ringgold Rd.- Deceptive Practice Police called party who advised her stolen debit card had been used at the bank located inside grocery store. She advised that on 6/8/2025 her husbands car was broken in to and belongings were taken. The initial burglary took place at a residence in Chattanooga. CPD#25-048888 25-006131 4000 BLK S Terrace- Domestic/Arrest Police spoke with the victim who stated her daughter had grabbed her great grandson around the neck and tried to calm him down. She stated that the subject then proceeded to grab her arm which caused visible wounds. The suspect was also alleged to have attempted to bite her in a separate altercation and that is when she decides to leave the residence. The suspect later arrived at the home and was placed into custody for child abuse/endangerment and domestic assault. Night Shift June 10: C Squad 25-006146 3700 BLK Olmstead Drive Disorder Police responded to a disorder at this residence and found several people involved in a verbal argument. Officers determined the source of the argument was a mental health consumer and no credible threats were made. Police worked to de-escalate the situation before leaving the area. 25-006149 5400 BLK Connell Street Warrant Service Police located a wanted party at his residence and served him with a Petition to Revoke Probation warrant through the City of East Ridge. He was taken into custody and transported to the Hamilton County Jail without incident. 25-006151 1500 BLK Karwill Lane- Found Property A concerned citizen found a wallet in front of his residence and did not know the owner. ERPD determined the owner located him at his residence. The wallet was returned. 25-006154 5000 BLK South Terrace Unconscious Person Police and Fire Department personnel responded to an unconscious person in the parking lot. Police found that the man was experiencing a minor medical issue, and he was treated by EMS at the scene. 25-006155 5700 BLK Brainerd Road, Chattanooga CPR in Progress / Assist Other Agency Due to an overwhelming number of priorities calls in Chattanooga, East Ridge Police units responded to a medical emergency in a parking lot on Brainerd Road. An individual had stopped breathing and went unconscious while seated in a vehicle. Chattanooga Fire and Hamilton County EMS responded to the scene and transported the patient to a local hospital. 25-006156 I-24 Westbound, Chattanooga Crash with Injuries / Assist Other Agency East Ridge Police assisted the Tennessee Highway Patrol with a two-vehicle crash with injuries on the interstate. The crash occurred in Chattanooga and ERPD units assisted with traffic control and passenger identification. While on scene, another minor crash occurred in the same area. ERPD units remained on scene while THP conducted the second crash investigation. 25-006162 3800 BLK Northview Drive Suspicious Activity A citizen reported a male wearing jogging pants and a ballistic plate carrier showed up at his residence looking for another individual. The suspicious man claimed to be a law enforcement officer and was driving a black SUV. The caller did not provide any identifying details for the suspicious person. Police checked the area but did not locate any suspicious people. Senator Marsha Blackburn introduced the Free Americans from Ideological Reporting (FAIR) Act to stop federal taxpayer dollars from being sent to National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) after "years of left-wing politically biased reporting under the guise of public broadcasting."Her office said, "Senator Blackburn has long pushed to ensure taxpayers are not footing the bill for biased media, and this bill would codify the executive order President Trump issued on May 1."For far too long, American taxpayers have been forced to foot the bill for NPR and PBS while they push left-wing propaganda, said Senator Blackburn.The FAIR Act would cut off taxpayer funding to these partisan outlets, ensuring the American people arent forced to subsidize media that disparages conservatives and does the lefts bidding.Her office said: NPR and PBS have benefited from taxpayer dollars for years while showing a consistent pattern of editorial bias, left-leaning political slant and a lack of public accountability. NPR and PBS have violated the spirit of public broadcasting by forcing American taxpayers to fund content that misrepresents and excludes conservative viewpoints. Last year, Senator Blackburn called for NPR to lose its funding after it suspended an editor who exposed the outlets partisan bias. NPRs CEO, Katherine Maher, testified before Congress where she admitted to botching coverage of Hunter Bidens laptop and was grilled about the bias in the organization. Ms. Maher has also made statements calling President Trump a fascist and a deranged racist sociopath. PBS has pushed radical leftist gender ideology, releasing a movie called Real Boy, about a transgender teen. President Trump issued an executive order on May 1 preventing federal dollars from funding NPR and PBS directly through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) or indirectly through member station dues.The FAIR Act would: Permanently bar CPB from directly funding NPR and PBS; Permanently bar CPB from indirectly funding NPR and PBS by ensuring that licensees and permittees of public radio and television stations, as well as any other recipients of CPB funds, do not use federal funds for NPR and PBS; and Require the heads of all agencies to identify and terminate direct or indirect funding of NPR and PBS.Click here for bill text. The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) recently released initial guidance on Public Chapter 526, which Governor Lee signed on May 21. The new law makes important changes to how hemp-derived cannabinoids (HDC) are regulated in Tennessee. Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, the TABC will take regulatory oversight of the hemp-derived cannabinoid product industry from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDOA). Until then, TDOA will retain regulatory enforcement over the manufacture and retail sale of HDC products. Under existing Tennessee law, HDC manufacturing must be conducted by a TDOA licensed supplier, and retail products must contain a label that includes an ingredient list, batch number, mandatory warning statements, and a QR code linking to a valid Certificate of Analysis (COA). Required laboratory safety testing must be performed by a third-party accredited laboratory that is registered with TDOA. HDC product safety tests must verify compliance with maximum allowable thresholds for THC content, heavy metals, residual solvents, pesticides, and other potential contaminants. Retail sales may only be conducted by TDOA licensed retailers, and only to individuals aged 21 and over. Failure to adhere to current law could result in civil and criminal penalties. Individuals who sell or distribute HDCs without a license in Tennessee are subject to a class A misdemeanor. Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, all consumer protection standards, including licensing, testing, labeling, and age restrictions, will remain in effect under TABCs jurisdiction. The TABC intends to promulgate rules that substantially align with the existing regulatory framework developed by the Department of Agriculture, preserving continuity in compliance and safety standards for HDC products. Important HDC regulatory changes beginning Jan/ 1, 2026, include that separate licensing will be required for suppliers, wholesalers, and retailers of HDC products. Retail sales of HDCs will be limited to the following categories: (1) TABC-licensed retail package stores; (2) TABC on-premises consumption license holders; (3) businesses that are otherwise licensed as hemp suppliers, wholesalers, and retailers at the same physical location where manufacturing occurs; and (4) businesses that prohibit entry of persons under 21 years of age. Businesses that have an unexpired license issued by TDOA may not continue to sell HDCPs after December 31, 2025, unless they fall within one of these four criteria. Anyone serving a sentence for a felony drug offense or those who apply within ten (10) years from the date of conviction may not be eligible for an HDC license. TABC-licensed suppliers must ensure all products comply with the total THC threshold of 0.3% on a dry weight basis. HDC products are prohibited if they contain THCa in a concentration exceeding 0.3% on a dry weight basis or contain any amount of THCp. Additionally, HDC products will be prohibited if they do not meet statutory labeling requirements, which include an ingredient list, batch number, mandatory warning statements, and a QR code linking to a valid Certificate of Analysis (COA). HDC products, including HDC topicals, with THC concentration of .1% or more but less than .3% total THC, are legal but require a TABC license. However, not all products derived from the cannabis plant will be regulated by the TABC. HDC products containing less than .1% THC do not require a TABC license, and products with a concentration of more than .3% total THC are illegal. The TABC will begin processing new HDC applications in December 2025, but no license will be valid until after Jan. 1, 2026. All new TABC HDC applications will be charged a one-time $500 application fee and a yearly license fee of $1000 (retailer), $2500 (supplier), $5000 (wholesaler). Each HDC licensee will receive an inspection at issuance and each year upon renewal. Licenses issued by the TDOA will remain in effect until their expiration date, even if they expire after Jan. 1, 2026. After a TDOA hemp license expires, HDC businesses will be required to file a new application with the TABC. After January 1, 2026, authority over hemp cultivation will remain with TDOA. Hemp farmers will not be required to get a license from the TABC unless they manufacture, distribute, or sell hemp-derived products directly to consumers. Businesses may hold multiple HDC licenses, including licenses across different tiers (supplier, wholesaler, and retailer). After Jan. 1, 2026, delivery or shipment of HDCPs to consumers will be prohibited. All sales must occur in person at licensed retail establishments, and HDC vending machines will be illegal. As Tennessee undertakes this regulatory transition, the TABC is committed to implementing a fair, transparent, and public health-focused framework that ensures consumer safety. TABC Hemp-derived Cannabinoid guidance can be found here: TABC HDC Guidance TABC Hemp-derived Cannabinoid FAQ can be found here: TABC HDC FAQ To sign up for the TABC HDC newsletter, please visit the Email Distribution List signup page. The Joe C. DeVille Band, a popular Chattanooga cover band, will take the Rhea County Courthouse outdoor stage Friday, June 20, for the third night of the Nokian Tyres Summer Nights concert series.The show starts at 6:30 p.m. on the Rhea County Courthouse lawn, and food trucks will be available. Bring chairs and blankets and enjoy the opening of the seventh annual Nokian Tyres Summer Nights concert series hosted by the Rhea Heritage Foundation.The band includes Joe C. DeVille (guitar/vocals), Dusty Kiser (drum/vocals), Jason Hill (guitar) and Roman Penney (bass).DeVille has been playing live music in the Chattanooga, Cleveland and Dayton area since 2017 as part of various cover bands and as a solo musician.After things slowed down in 2020, he began to focus on his solo act. He recently formed a band to back up his solo show.We have a versatile set list that should appeal to all ages, as well as all fans of rock, pop and country, Joe said. The band plays a mix of rock, pop and country mainly from the 70s, 80s and 90s, with a few more recent songs mixed in. They are currently working on their first album.Some of their favorite songs include "American Girl" by Tom Petty, "Hey Jealousy" by the Gin Blossoms, "Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams, "Tequila Sunrise" by the Eagles, "Rainy Night" by Eddie Rabbit, and "Midnight Train to Memphis" by Chris Stapleton.Our favorite thing about performing is the interaction with the audience and the energy a good audience can add to a performance, Joe said.Nokian Tyres sponsors the event as part of its commitment to serving the community where it operates an award-winning production factory. The company currently employs approximately 500 team members at its Dayton factory, where it makes all-season and all-weather tires for the North American market. The German cleantech company INERATEC officially inaugurated ERA ONE, a Power-to-Liquid plant for the production of e-fuels and e-Chemicals that will usher in a new era of sustainable mobility. The plant in Frankfurt-Hochst is the largest of its kind in Europe and will produce up to 2,500 tonnes of carbon-neutral e-Fuels annually. This will make commercial-scale volumes of synthetic fuels available in Europe for the first time and marks a decisive step towards achieving the EUs 2030 and 2050 climate targets. INERATEC started operating the plant a few weeks ago. ERA ONE shows that climate-neutral e-Fuels are ready for the market With ERA ONE, we offer a genuine solution to one of the biggest problems of our time: emissions in sectors that are hard to electrify, like aviation and shipping. Climate-neutral e-Fuels are not just technologically possible. ERA ONE shows that they are also ready for the market, explained Tim Boltken, co-founder and CEO of INERATEC, at the grand opening ceremony, which was attended by high-ranking guests from politics, industry and science. We are replacing fossil molecules with green molecules and thereby making a decisive contribution to a climate-friendly future. Flagship project for the scaling of production technology Kaweh Mansoori, Minister of Economic Affairs for the State of Hesse, commented on the significance of the plant in Frankfurt: The opening of ERA ONE marks a landmark milestone for an independent European energy supply. It demonstrates the attractiveness of Hesse as a location for innovative companies. This project embodies the fusion of modern technology, ecological responsibility, and the development of new, high-quality industries. The modular design of INERATECs plants makes it possible to quickly and efficiently expand production capacity. By 2030, the company plans to increase its annual production several times over with additional projects. This scaling is crucial for achieving regulatory requirements, such as the ReFuelEU Aviation regulation, which sets binding quotas for sustainable aviation fuels. Synthetic fuels from CO2 and hydrogen ERA ONE uses CO from biogenic sources and green hydrogen to produce synthetic crude oil, which is then processed into sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF), e-Diesel and other products. The two feedstocks for the new plant come directly from the Frankfurt-Hochst industrial park where it is located. The CO2 comes from a biogas plant that recycles waste, and the hydrogen is a byproduct of chlorine production. INERATEC e-Fuels are drop-in ready, meaning they can be used without any modifications to existing systems, such as aircraft engines. Synthetic crude oil can be used not only to produce sustainable fuel but also base chemicals, such as in the production of sustainable plastics. Thus, the technology also contributes to the sustainable transformation of the chemical industry. Strong financing partners underscore strategic importance ERA ONE is being made possible by, among other things, a 70 million financing package consisting of 40 million in venture debt from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and a 30 million grant from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst. The support of these two major investors underscores the projects strategic importance for the decarbonisation of sectors that are hard to electrify. The Environmental Innovation Programme launched by Germanys Federal Ministry for the Environment is also providing funding for the commercial implementation of INERATECs technological innovation. Lack of security of supply, excessively high prices, technical optimization, bans: There are many reasons why companies have to replace individual raw materials or materials with others. The search for alternatives is time-consuming and often ends in failure. A research team from Fraunhofer IPA has now developed an AI-supported tool for material substitution. Cobalt is used in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and therefore plays an important role in the energy transition. However, the silver-grey metal is a critical raw material for several reasons: Cobalt is rare. It makes up just 0.004 percent of the earth's crust. The world's known cobalt reserves are estimated at 7.2 million tons. More than half of these, around four million tons, are located on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Working conditions in the mines of this unstable Central African country are often poor and the environmental damage caused by ore mining is extensive. Whether it is a lack of security of supply, excessively high prices on the world market, ethical concerns, bans or product innovations with better material properties: There are many reasons for companies to look for alternative materials. "There are databases that product developers can use for research. However, they often don't provide any useful results because they don't take into account the exact use case in the company," says Charlotte Schmidt from the Sustainability and Material Compliance Management research team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA. AI is used to sift through scientific publications To make the search easier and achieve more suitable results, Schmidt and two colleagues have developed an AI-supported tool for material substitution. Using an input mask, users first have to enter specific details about the material or raw material they want to replace and then specify the required properties of the alternative material as well as information about the context of the desired material use. This is followed by an AI search that searches the "Semantic Scholar" database based on the specific data and user requirements. By comparing the user input with the information available in the database, the AI identifies suitable alternative materials. The AI connection for material substitution is just one of several components with which the researchers support companies in their search for alternative raw materials, materials or chemical substances. After the AI has completed its task, it subjects the proposed substitutes and the source materials to a comprehensive evaluation, taking into account legal, ecological and social aspects as well as security of supply. In close cooperation with the respective company, the scientists then check how exactly the proposed materials meet the specific requirements. A report is produced at the end of the process. This presents the most suitable substitutes and the assessment of the various criteria. The scientists thus provide companies with a sound basis for decision-making. Initial tests show: AI connection is promising One of the alternatives to cobalt suggested by the AI-supported material substitution tool is iron. "It is not a new discovery that lithium iron phosphate can be used for battery cathodes instead of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide," says Schmidt. "But this and other results have shown us that the AI connection is promising in the search for alternative materials." You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Photo Credit: Unsplash/ Priscilla Du Preez Findings from the National Survey of Religious Leaders show notable variations among clergy regarding fundamental theological issues such as their perspectives on the Bible, Hell, miracles, and God's existence. When asked about belief in Hell, 93% of Evangelical pastors in the United States expressed certainty, compared to 70% of Catholic priests and 45% of Mainline Protestant leaders. For belief in miraculous healing, 84% of Evangelical pastors and 78% of priests said they definitely believed in it, while the number fell to 47% for Mainline clergy. Just one in four Catholic priests and Mainline Protestant pastors in the United States say they're certain that Adam and Eve were real people. In contrast, 80% of Evangelical pastors and 89% of black Protestant clergy affirm this belief with certainty. When asked whether they definitely believe Adam and Eve were historical figures, the numbers diverged sharply across denominations, dropping to 25% among Catholic and Mainline Protestant respondents. On the question of Gods existence, Evangelical and black Protestant leaders again showed the highest levels of certainty 98% and 89%, respectively. Catholics followed at 85%. Mainline Protestants reported the lowest confidence, with 70% saying they had no doubts, and 26% acknowledging belief in God while admitting to doubts. Among non-Christian clergy surveyed, only about a third expressed complete certainty in Gods existence. Another 29% said they believed in a higher power but not a personal God, while roughly 20% identified as atheist or agnostic. The survey also probed beliefs about the Bible. One group described the Bible as the literal Word of God to be taken word-for-word. Another said it was the inspired Word of God without errors, with symbolic elements. The third group believed the Bible was inspired but not historically accurate in all parts, with some sections reflecting the cultural norms of the time and therefore no longer applicable today. The literalist view was selected by about 20% of Evangelical and black Protestant clergy. Among Catholics and Mainline Protestants, that position was virtually absent. The most common response among Evangelicals (70%) and black pastors (67%) was that the Bible is inspired and without errors but includes symbolic sections. Half of Catholic priests chose this option, while the other half said the Bible includes culturally bound sections that are not historically accurate. That latter option was the top choice for Mainline clergy, selected by 70%. Certainty in core theological claims often aligned with attitudes toward evangelism. When asked if their religion was the best one for all people regardless of background, 93% of Evangelical pastors agreed, followed by 71% of black Protestant leaders, 58% of Catholic priests, and 51% of Mainline Protestant clergy. Among non-Christian clergy, a majority disagreed with the idea that their religion was superior to others. Responses to a question about persuading people in other religions to convert revealed a similar gap. Eighty-two percent of Evangelical pastors said they strongly believed in trying to convert others to their faith. Among Catholic priests and Mainline leaders, the figure was around 32%. Among non-Christian clergy, just 8% agreed with that statement, while 72% disagreed. The data suggest that certainty in theology often correlates with a willingness to proselytize. Evangelical pastors showed the highest rates of both. Catholic and Mainline leaders were generally less certain about key doctrines and less inclined toward evangelism. Black Protestant clergy, while largely aligned with Evangelicals on beliefs, expressed lower support for proselytizing. Christian clergy also showed broad agreement on rejecting certain beliefs. Almost none said they definitely believed in astrology or physical reincarnation. Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay. | Photo Credit: Facebook/ Miguel Uribe Turbay Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot during a political rally in Bogota on Saturday, an attack that has drawn condemnation both nationally and internationally. The shooting occurred while the senator was giving a campaign speech, and videos on social media captured the moment gunshots were heard. He was injured three times, twice in the head, and is currently in intensive care at a hospital in Colombia's capital. In response to the attack, numerous Christian leaders from Colombia and Latin America took to social media to condemn the violence and call for prayer and peace. Pastor and former congressman John Milton Rodriguez requested prayers for Turbay's recovery, stating, Our prayers for the recovery of Senator Miguel Uribe. Our solidarity with his wife Maria Claudia, his children, and his entire family. We raise our prayers for unity and peace in our country. We reject violence. Our request that all law enforcement, security forces, and the government restore security for all Colombians, Rodriguez added. Evangelist Alberto Mottesi shared a photo on Facebook of himself praying for Turbay, with the caption, NO TO VIOLENCE. He expressed concern about the ongoing issues in Latin America, asking, How long will our beloved Latin America continue to experience crime, corruption, and violence? Let us cry out for the redemption of our nations. Jose Gonzalez, a university professor and leader of the Semilla organization, also spoke out, declaring, I pray for Miguel Uribe Turbay, victim of hatred and violence, for his family, for the doctors, deacons of God for the health of the body, for his followers and for the Noble Colombian people, do not succumb to the trap that the spirit of terrorism has set for you, to intimidate the opposition and the citizens. Miguel Uribe Turbay, a lawyer by profession, has served as Secretary of Government of Bogota from 2016 to 2018 under Mayor Enrique Penalosa and was a councilman of the city from 2012 to 2015, even presiding over the council during that period. Of Lebanese descent and a former member of the Liberal Party, Uribe ran for mayor of Bogota in 2019 and was elected senator in 2022, leading his partys list. In an interview with Valores Cristianos, Uribe Turbay criticized President Gustavo Petro, stating that Petro represents the exact opposite of what Christian values represent. What's more, he represents anti-values; he's a person who wants to invert those values... and of course, throughout his political life, he has persecuted those of us who hold Christian faith. Amid the national uproar over the assassination attempt, many voices have called for unity and prayer. There have been calls for a national day of prayer for Uribe Turbays recovery, inviting all Colombians to join in prayer for his health and peace for the nation. Photo Credit: Unsplash/ Ben White The Presbyterian Church (USA) has recently completed the final step in approving an amendment to its Book of Order that introduces questioning of clergy candidates regarding their views on LGBT ideology. Known as Amendment 24-C, this change was part of the Olympia Overture, which aimed to modify G-2.0104b to include inquiries about sexual orientation and gender identity. The amendment secured a majority last month and is scheduled to take effect on July 4. Alongside this, a separate amendment, 24-A, which added sexual orientation and gender identity to the denominations anti-discrimination statement, also received majority approval from presbyteries. Both changes represent a significant shift within the denomination, prompting concern among many clergy and members. Critics of Amendment 24-C argue that it introduces an evaluative layer that compromises personal conscience and theological convictions. Rev. Tony Sundermeier of First Presbyterian Atlanta, and his wife, Rev. Katie Sundermeier, signed an open letter opposing the amendment. They stated to Christian Post, The core affirmation that LGBTQIA+ individuals cannot be discriminated against was already secured with Amendment 24-A, which we fully supported. That amendment reflected both justice and pastoral clarity. However, they criticized 24-C, asserting that it crosses a line by introducing a layer of evaluative inquiry into a candidates theological, ecclesiastical, and relational dispositions as they specifically and discreetly relate to sexuality. The Sundermeier couple expressed the belief that inclusion loses its moral and spiritual power when it becomes an enforced orthodoxy rather than a gracious welcome. They further explained, Its not about inclusion anymore. Its about control and exclusion.PCUSA's New Ordination Standards Prompt Pastor Pushbackits It creates conditions that allow ordaining bodies to disqualify candidates based on theological convictions that are still well within the bounds of our Constitution. According to Christian Post, Rev. Ferdi Brits of the Presbyterian Church of the Lakes in Orlando, Florida, voiced his concern that the amendment completely removes my freedom of conscience. He added, My disagreement of a view that may not be biblical will exclude me from serving in a leadership role in the denomination and that is exclusion. Similarly, Rev. LaVera M. Parato of Trinity Presbyterian Church in North Carolina pointed out that the amendments language was ambiguous and will need an authoritative interpretation or court case, especially regarding what constitutes discrimination. These developments come amid ongoing decline within the PCUSA, which has seen its membership decrease from over 2.5 million in 2000 to around 1.045 million last year. The denomination anticipates falling below one million members by the end of this year. The decline has been partly attributed to the denominations progressive stance on social issues. For example, in 2010, the PCUSA authorized regional bodies to ordain non-celibate homosexuals, leading to hundreds of congregations leaving in protest.amendments on religious freedom and denominational unity. Home News 14th-century Shem Tov Bible sold at auction for $6.9M now on display A 14th-century Bible with Jewish, Islamic and Christian artistic influences that sold for $6.9 million at auction last year is on display at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem. The Shem Tov Bible, purchased by Terri and Andrew Herenstein in 2024 when sold by Sothebys auction house in New York, is being displayed at the National Library of Israel on a long-term loan. Unveiled on May 8, the piece went on display as part of the A Treasury of Words exhibition in the William Davidson Permanent Exhibition Gallery, according to an announcement from the National Library of Israel. 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 Chaim Neria, curator of the Haim and Hanna Solomon Judaica Collection at the National Library of Israel, said the Shem Tov Bible represents the pinnacle of biblical and kabbalistic scholarship in the medieval period. Its addition to the NLI collection provides an unparalleled resource for studying the development of the Masorah, and Jewish textual and artistic traditions, in particular those of Spain, Neria added. A significant aspect of the codex is its observance of the Sefer Tagei, a traditional guide outlining the scribal practices required for writing sacred texts, the curator explained. The surrounding notations reference earlier, now-lost documents, specifically the Hilleli Codex of 600 CE. The Shem Tov Bible thus allows modern scholars to study traditions that have all but vanished from the historical record. Rabbi Shem Tov ben Abraham Ibn Gaon, who created the Shem Tov Bible, completed it in 1312 in Spain. Ibn Gaon was a scholar of Jewish law and mysticism, and, according to the National Library of Israel, the manuscript reflects the intellectual and spiritual vitality of Sephardic Jewry at that time. After completing the manuscript, Ibn Gaon immigrated to the Land of Israel in 1315, where he continued his scholarly and spiritual work until his death in 1330. The codex is believed to have remained in the Middle East for centuries before it arrived in North Africa in the 17th century, where it was thought that the codex possessed mystical powers, such as easing childbirth. Collector David Solomon Sassoon eventually acquired the manuscript in the 20th century and had it rebound. In 1984, the owners of a prominent European Judaica collection purchased it. In 1994, Swiss collector Jaqui Safra bought it, and then the Herensteins acquired it at auction three decades later, before the manuscript made its way to the National Library of Israel. Receiving this manuscript, especially at the time of Shavuot, which celebrates the giving of the Torah, is profoundly significant, said Sallai Meridor, chairman of the National Library of Israel. Having traveled from Spain to Jerusalem, Baghdad, Tripoli, London and Geneva, the Shem Tov Bible has come full circle and is now back home, returning to the very place where Rabbi Shem Tov ben Abraham Ibn Gaon lived and intended for it to be, in the land of Israel, and now in Jerusalem, Meridor added. We are grateful to the Herenstein family for turning what might otherwise have been a dream into a reality. In a statement, the Herenstein family described the Shem Tov Bible as a unique cultural artifact, embodying the scholarship, calligraphic precision, and artistic excellence that characterized the best of medieval Jewish bookmaking. We are delighted to know that the Shem Tov Bible is incorporated into the Librarys permanent exhibition of its greatest treasures, and equally delighted that the manuscript will be digitized to the highest standard, making it available worldwide, for study, research, or to simply enjoy its beauty. According to an August 2024 Smithsonian Magazine report, the Shem Tov Bibles references to the Hilleli Codex, a famous copy of the Hebrew Bible created in the seventh century, is part of what makes it valuable. The Hilleli Codex was used as a model for Hebrew Bibles made between the 13th and 15th centuries; however, the magazine reported that the codex is now considered lost. Home News Montana Supreme Court strikes down abortion restrictions, draws rebuke from governor The Montana Supreme Court has struck down three abortion regulations, drawing a sharp rebuke from the state's Republican governor, who accused the justices of rejecting modern medicine. In a 6-1 opinion published Monday, the Montana Supreme Court ruled that a law prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks gestation, a measure requiring pregnant women to have an ultrasound before undergoing an abortion and legislation requiring women to visit a doctor in-person before obtaining an abortion pill were unconstitutional. The laws in question were passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature and signed into law by Montana's Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte in 2021. However, a lower court's preliminary injunction has put the rules on hold since 2021. Last November, Montana voters approved a measure establishing a right to abortion in the Montana Constitution. 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 precedent set by the 1999 Armstrong decision loomed large in Monday's ruling. That case was brought by medical providers and a clinic challenging the constitutionality of two statutes that do not allow physician assistants to perform abortions. The ruling states that the 1999 case determined that the right to privacy in Article II, Section 10 of the Montana Constitution "guarantees each individual the right to make medical judgments affecting her or his bodily integrity and health in partnership with a chosen health care provider free from government interference." It also protects "'the right of procreative autonomy,' which encompasses a person's 'right to seek and to obtain a specific lawful medical procedure.'" In addition to Article II, Section 10, the opinion cited the law implementing restrictions on access to the abortion pill which also requires medical providers to provide information about abortion pill reversal and risks associated with the procedure as a violation of Article II, Section 7. The relevant portion of the Montana Constitution declares, "No law shall be passed impairing freedom of speech or expression." The Montana Supreme Court interpreted Article II, Section 7 to mean that "the government may not regulate speech based on its substantive content or the message it conveys" and that "the government must abstain from regulating speech when the specific motivating ideology or the opinion or perspective of the speaker is the rationale for the restriction." In a statement, Gianforte accused the "activist justices" of continuing a "series of attacks on commonsense measures to protect the life, health, and welfare of mothers and their babies." The governor believes the court is "clinging to a shaky, outdated ruling and failing to account for the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions," referring to the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organizationdecision determining that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion. "They're overreaching, making law from the bench and rejecting the will of Montanans' duly-elected representatives who make laws," he said. "These activist justices rejected modern medicine and are instead clinging to medical care available more than 50 years ago," Gianforte added. "Ultimately, they have failed the lives, health, and welfare of mothers and their babies, and they should be ashamed." Gianforte vowed that he "will continue to defend the lives of those who cannot speak for themselves" and "pray for changed hearts as we work to bring about a culture of life for every Montanan, born and unborn." Voters in eight additional states have passed similar constitutional clauses to protect abortion since the Dobbs decision in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 elections: Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Vermont. While voters in Nevada supported such an amendment, it must go before voters a second time in 2026 before it can take effect. Similarly, New York voters approved an Equal Rights Amendment that adds abortion as a protected characteristic under the state constitution. The pro-life advocacy group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America lists Montana as one of 26 states with few or no limits on abortion. Current Montana law, defined by the Armstrong precedent, allows abortion up until viability, referring to the point in pregnancy where the unborn baby is able to survive outside of the womb. Home Opinion The antidote to the devils schemes on church division As a follower of Christ, Ive seen firsthand how division can tear at the heart of a church, weakening our witness and grieving the Holy Spirit. Recently, our local church family has been rocked by internal disputes, and it weighed heavily on my heart. The enemy thrives on sowing discord among believers, but Gods Word offers a clear path to unity through brotherly love, humility, and discernment. As Paul urges in Ephesians 4:1-3, we are called to live worthy of our calling, being completely humble and gentle; patient, bearing with one another in love. This is our antidote to the devils schemes. The Bible is unequivocal about the dangers of division. In 1 Corinthians 1:10, Paul pleads for believers to agree with one another and allow no divisions among you. He addressed a Corinthian church fractured by loyalty to different leaders, a scenario all too familiar today. Whether its gossip, pride, or rejecting godly leadership, these behaviors stem from the enemy, whose very name, diabolos, means to divide or throw against. Proverbs 6:16-19 even lists one who sows discord among brothers as an abomination to God. Yet, Scripture doesnt just diagnose the problem; it provides the cure: love without hypocrisy, honoring one another, and clinging to what is good (Romans 12:9-10). 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 So, how do we practically combat division? First, we must cultivate humility and love. Pride fuels conflict, but a humble heart listens without judgment and serves others selflessly whether through encouraging a struggling believer or discipling someone new. Second, we pursue reconciliation. Matthew 18:15-17 instructs us to address offenses privately and lovingly, not through gossip. Colossians 3:13 reminds us to forgive as Christ forgave us. Ive learned this isnt easy our fierce independence often rebels against submission or forgiveness but its Gods way. I had the opportunity to put these principles into practice and called a sister in Christ to discuss the controversy. I was hesitant at first, thinking it would be ineffectual, but was pleasantly surprised. She listened humbly, responded truthfully, and we came into agreement about the best way forward. It was truly one of the most rewarding experiences of my Christian walk to heal a rift that the enemy tried to convince me was impossible. Honoring church leadership is another critical step. Hebrews 13:17 calls us to have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority because they watch over us. Nowadays, our egos often hinder our ability to accept the authority of others. Spouses struggle to submit to one another, let alone listen to a pastor. However, I recall my own experience with Pastor Jack Hibbs when I sought his advice on how to address my daughters rebellious behavior. He insisted that we needed to stand firm on the Word of the Lord. No compromise, and the Lord would bring victory. Honestly, it was a challenging road, but he was absolutely right. Three years later, my daughter gave her life to the Lord and was transformed. Submission doesnt mean blind agreement; leaders must align with Scripture. But when they do, we must listen, support, and pray for them, making their work a joy, not a burden. We must also guard against divisive influences. Romans 16:17-18 warns of those who cause divisions through smooth talk and flattery, serving their own agendas. Discernment is key testing teachings against Scripture, as the Bereans did in Acts 17:11 and avoiding alliances with those who stir up conflict. Sometimes, reconciliation fails because someone rejects godly counsel; however, we can still protect unity by maintaining our distance from persistent division. Finally, we must center on Christ and guard our words. As 1 Corinthians 1:10 emphasizes, unity flows from rallying around Jesus, not personalities or agendas. James 3:5-6 compares the tongue to a spark that ignites a forest fire. Gossip about leaders or divisive issues can destroy a church, but words that build up, as Ephesians 4:29 instructs, foster healing and unity. I challenge you to reflect: Is there a situation in your church, perhaps with leadership or a divisive influence, where you can promote unity? This week, take one step: reach out to reconcile with someone, pray for your churchs unity, write an encouraging note to a pastor, or refuse to engage in divisive talk. Satans scheme is to divide, but Gods plan is to unite us in love. Lets choose His way and strengthen the body of Christ together. Home Opinion Why short-term missionaries should stop visiting orphanages One of the very first decisions I made when I became a missions pastor was to stop our short-term mission teams from visiting orphanages. Our church had a long history of sending teams to love and care for children in orphanages, so naturally, this action was met with resistance. But it was the right thing to do. Before becoming a pastor, I was a missionary for several years in the Horn of Africa. At one point, the government of Djibouti wanted us to open an orphanage. While the idea seemed like a wonderful way to share the love of Christ with the most vulnerable, we took time to consider it more deeply, as it would be a huge shift in our ministry. As we began research and learned more about orphan care, we became aware of the serious misconceptions we held about orphans and orphanages. Perhaps the most shocking fact was that most children in orphanages have living parents or other family members who could care for them. 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 Around the world, 80% of children in orphanages are not truly orphans. Poverty not lack of family is the primary reason they end up in residential care. Many Christians assume orphanages are necessary to provide orphaned children with food, shelter, and protection. But in reality, orphanages create orphans not the other way around. Orphanages provide vulnerable families with a way to provide for their children but result in the separation of children from their families. As a church, we send teams all over the world. These teams often wanted to help care for children at a local orphanage. Sadly, we have seen firsthand the devastating effects of these practices. The teams would go with the best of intentions: namely, to shower kids with love and attention. But even the best intentions can be harmful when not properly informed. Research shows us, for instance, that children are hard-wired to attach to their caregivers. All children need long-term, stable attachment for healthy development. So, when mission teams come and shower the kids with attention and affection holding them constantly, taking selfies, and even saying things like, I love you and Im coming back, but leave two weeks later never to return, the children are the ones who suffer. This repetitive cycle of broken bonds and broken trust can severely damage a childs ability to form healthy relationships. It can even contribute to childrens attachment disorders, which can adversely affect them for the rest of their lives. But the impact of the present STM culture extends far past the individual and often unintentionally harms relationships with children that well-meaning missionaries form. Orphanages are inherently flawed systems, ones that ultimately cause harm to vulnerable children. At best, children living in orphanages may struggle with physical, cognitive, and social-emotional delays. At worst, STM teams can inadvertently perpetuate a system where children are vulnerable to abuse or exploitation. Many people whove gone on a STM trip have visited an orphanage and have seen no immediate cause for concern. In fact, a recent Barna study estimates that 4 million Christians have visited an orphanage or a childrens home on a mission trip. However, the absence of visible issues doesnt mean underlying problems dont exist. For years, my church financially supported an orphanage in Haiti with short-term mission teams visiting every year. On each trip, the orphanage leadership was friendly, and the children seemed happy and well cared for. But it wasnt until one of our church members became a full-time missionary at that orphanage that we discovered both rampant corruption and pervasive sexual abuse of the children. Sadly, this orphanage wasnt an outlier. Studies show that children living in orphanages are more vulnerable to violence, abuse, and exploitation. A study in Tanzania found that 89% of children reported abuse while in institutional care. But churches have the opportunity to shift the focus and practices of their short-term mission trips by taking a stand against residential care for children and supporting family-based solutions for these children instead. This new perspective reflects what research shows us is best for the vulnerable kids we want to serve. On one recent STM trip our church did, we visited Agape Childrens Ministry in Kenya, where our team learned firsthand the benefits of seeing vulnerable children cared for in families. Children in Kenya who have been reunited with their families have better relationships and better outcomes for the future, and entire communities have changed as a result. On another trip, a team worked with Childrens HopeChest as they helped to strengthen families who might otherwise be at risk of placing their children in an orphanage. These experiences and others opened our eyes to the need to focus our STM trips away from meeting the perceived needs of children and instead supporting actual long-term solutions that help children thrive into adulthood. Those at our church who want to go on STM trips are committed to doing whats best for children, even when the immediate outward results look different than they used to. And were okay with that, because we know God is moving in powerful ways in His time. Though we continue to be presented with opportunities to visit orphanages during our trips, we remain committed to declining these opportunities and explaining the reasons why. As churches around the country prepare to send out short-term mission teams this summer, they should consider alternatives to visiting orphanages ones that truly support vulnerable children and strengthen families, creating a lasting, positive impact on both the children and the broader community. Home News Al Mohler offers prayer for Jennifer Lyell at SBC Annual Meeting DALLAS, Texas The 2025 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention paused in prayer Wednesday to mark the death of Jennifer Lyell, a former Lifeway Christian Resources executive and abuse survivor who played a key role in the Southern Baptist Convention's response to sexual abuse allegations. During the Wednesday morning session, Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS), the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention, was asked to pray for Lyell, who died last week at 47. Messenger Paul Cooper of Marshall Baptist Church in Marshall, Illinois, identified himself as a former student at Southern Seminary between 2001 and 2004, adding that he "loved my time there." 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 "There was another student who attended at the same time as me named Jennifer Lyell. Jennifer was sweet and kind and gracious, and we sadly found out right before the convention that she passed away, and I feel it's appropriate that her name be mentioned, that she was part of all the abuse reform issues," said Cooper. "Dr. Mohler, I know in the past you have stood with her, knew her well, and so I ask if it would be appropriate if you would lead us in a prayer to pray for her family and friends as we grieve this great loss." Mohler responded, "Well, brother, that cannot be wrong. So, let's pray." In his prayer, Mohler referenced Lyell's "legacy of suffering." "Father, we recognize that sometimes just to invoke one name is to invoke an entire legacy of suffering," he said. "Father, we pray that you would minister to her family and friends. " Heres the prayer request for Jennifer Lyells family and friends and Dr. Mohlers prayer. pic.twitter.com/CTL5b0IWXy Matt Beard (@MattBeard) June 11, 2025 He added, "Father, we also pray that you will make of Southern Baptists of every level, that you would discipline and instruct Southern Baptists at every level, to be faithful at every level in responding to sin in every form." Rachael Denhollander, an attorney, former gymnast and advocate for abuse survivors, announced Sunday that Lyell died June 7 following multiple "catastrophic strokes" days earlier. A native of Marion, Illinois, Lyell earned a bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University and a master's in divinity from SBTS. While a student at SBTS in 2004, a 26-year-old Lyell met Professor David Sills, a married man in his 40s who headed the missionary nonprofit Reaching & Teaching International Ministries. After graduating from SBTS, Lyell became director of book publishing and merchandising at Lifeway, reportedly helping to publish over a dozen New York Times bestsellers. In 2019, Lyell went public with allegations against Sills, telling Baptist Press that her former mentor at SBTS had sexually abused her while she was a student at the seminary. Lyell had previously told her superiors about the abuse in 2018, with Sills having reportedly admitted to engaging in inappropriate behavior and being removed from his position at SBTS. Lyell went public with her allegations against her former mentor when she learned that Sills had been appointed to serve as a missionary for a non-SBC entity. However, the initial BP story published in 2019 made the abuse sound like a consensual affair, which led to Lyell being heavily attacked, especially online. She lost her job at Lifeway. For its part, BP retracted the story months later and issued an apology, noting that "Lyell came to us with an allegation of abuse and should have been cared for throughout the entire process." "Baptist Press ultimately failed to convey that the heart of Lyell's story was about sexual abuse by a trusted minister in a position of power at a Southern Baptist seminary," stated the official SBC news entity. "This entire season of discovery of and enlightenment about sexual abuse within Southern Baptist churches and entities has caused tremendous pain and sorrow for many. We are grieved at the trauma that survivors of sexual abuse have endured and continue to endure." Lyell's public accusation was part of a broader effort to hold SBC entities accountable for how they responded to credible accusations of sexual abuse and harassment. In May 2022, Guidepost Solutions released a detailed report concluding that SBC leaders had mishandled some sexual abuse allegations, intimidated victims and resisted efforts to make churches safer, mainly to avoid legal liability. Lyell's experiences of being abused by Sills and the prolonged effort to get the BP article retracted were extensively documented in the Guidepost report. In November 2022, Sills and his wife filed a defamation lawsuit against Lyell, the SBC, Southern Seminary, Lifeway and other parties, alleging that he was unjustly scapegoated by the denomination. Home News Pro-life debate at SBC centers on political, theological arguments to criminalizing abortion DALLAS, Texas Should women and the men who assist them face criminal charges for getting an abortion? That question took center stage Monday at an event hosted by The Danbury Institute on the sidelines of the Southern Baptist Convention's Annual Meeting, which is set to run through Wednesday. Panelists Oklahoma state Sen. Dusty Deevers, Southern Baptist Convention Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission former president Dr. Richard Land and Family Research Council's David Closson debated three primary positions on abortion using both theological and political arguments. 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 Deevers, a Republican, took the abolitionist position, which essentially argues for immediate, comprehensive laws treating abortion as homicide. Advocating for equal protection under the law for preborn children from conception, Deevers pointed to the scriptures to support his stance that abortion should be treated as homicide with legal consequences for those who perform it, including mothers in cases of intentional abortion. "The abolitionist's position is that God's word affirms that preborn children are full-fledged human beings created in God's image, and for the purposes of the 14th Amendment, they are people," said Deevers, a pastor at Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Elgin, Oklahoma. In fact, for Deevers, the abolitionist position is the only one consistent with the Bible, particularly the Ten Commandments. "Biblically speaking, to abolish abortion is to consistently apply the sixth commandment to our preborn neighbors' lives," he said. "'You shall not murder.'" Deevers opposes incrementalism as unbiblical and ineffective, claiming it perpetuates abortion by allowing exceptions and failing to deter self-managed abortions via pills. "The hard truth is that the mother who willfully ingested the pill to murder her own child is the only remaining party left to prosecute under state law," said Deevers. "If you grant her blanket immunity, then abortion is legal." Both Closson and Land, however, each took opposing views. Closson argued in favor of what he coined "smash-mouth incrementalism," while Land, who is CP's executive editor, held to an incrementalist perspective with a long-term abolitionist goal. "I have been, I will continue to be for a human life amendment to the Constitution of the United States that grants the same protections under the law that we granted to slaves after the Civil War, full citizenship from conception to natural death," said Land. However, he argued, the political reality of a divided electorate makes the likelihood of reaching total abolition in the short term unlikely. "If we insisted to have the abolition of all abortion and criminalization of all abortion everywhere in the country, we would get zero because we live in a democracy," added Land. Citing incremental legislation like heartbeat bills and ultrasound requirements, Closson said such laws are effective and politically feasible, given the pro-choice majority in the U.S. He also cited the impact of the courts overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. "In the year after Roe was overturned, abortions occurring within the healthcare system decreased. Arkansas, total abortions down 48%, chemical abortion down 68%. In Ohio, abortion down 15%. North Dakota abortion down 34.6%." He largely agreed with Land's political assessment. "The sad reality is the majority of our fellow citizens are pro-abortion," said Closson, who serves as the Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council, a Christian conservative advocacy organization. "As pro-lifers, the regrettable reality is that we are a political minority." Deevers argued that incremental laws, like heartbeat bills, fail to reduce abortion numbers and instead "catechize the culture" to accept abortion through legal loopholes, citing increased abortion rates due to mail-order pills. "The abortion numbers in Texas are far greater now due to the abortion bill because they've shifted," he said. "We have just catechised them to make an impulse buy." He also pointed to the failure of pro-life laws such as those in Texas, which allow doctors to perform an abortion if they believe the mother's life is at risk to stem the tide of abortion since the Dobbs decision. "Pro-life immunity laws are the biggest reason why abortion numbers have not decreased at all since the overturn of Roe v. Wade," Deevers said. The debate underscored perhaps the greatest controversy in the abolitionist position, which calls for the prosecution of anyone involved in an abortion from mother and partner to physicians and other medical staff. Land said the notion of prosecuting women who have an abortion overlooks the conditions in which a pregnant woman decides to do so. "Every woman I know who's had an abortion ... is a victim," Land said. "It is an unnatural act for a woman to kill her unborn baby." Ultimately, Deevers agreed with Land that laws should protect women who are coerced into ending a pregnancy but argues that equal protection laws would also hold men accountable as accomplices. "A bill of equal protection would provide the woman who is coerced ... protection for her life," he said. "He would be tried, she would not." Home News Rep. Ronny Jackson alleges Biden's physician engaged in sexual misconduct at WH: report Rep. Ronny Jackson, a GOP congressman from Texas and former White House physician, accused former President Joe Biden's physician of sexually inappropriate behavior while he was working at the White House. Jackson, who joined the White House Medical Unit under former President George W. Bush and served as physician to the president from 2013 to 2018, claimed he wanted to remove Dr. Kevin O'Connor for his alleged behavior but decided against it, according to an interview with The Daily Caller. O'Connor, who had been Biden's personal physician before his presidency, began serving as physician to the president from January 2021 until March of this year. 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 Jackson, whose duties included approving O'Connor's reports regarding Biden when he was vice president, surmised at the time that the Obamas and the Bidens would have protected O'Connor if he had tried to get rid of him, despite what Jackson said was "very inappropriate behavior on his part." "I didn't get rid of him because I knew it would be an exercise in futility," Jackson told the conservative outlet. "Because if I had gotten rid of him, it was made very clear to me that I would be immediately getting a phone call from President Obama telling me, 'What are you doing? Joe Biden's upset. You need to hire this guy back or you need to stop this. You can't get rid of this guy.'" Jackson alleged that O'Connor's antics were "immature" and made others feel uncomfortable, especially women. One activity he enjoyed when first meeting someone, according to Jackson, was to take their phone and pretend to take a photo of his genitalia. "This is like something you would see a 12-year-old boy do, but one of the things he would do and I've seen him do it several times is he would meet people for the first time, and he would ask them for their phone," Jackson said. "And they would give him their phone, and he would stick their phone in his pants in the area where his groin's at, then give them their phone back. And he thought that was absolutely hilarious. And most people were just astonished they were just kind of like, what's going on here?" Jackson claimed O'Connor would also often make sexually inappropriate comments to women he worked with, but noted he found it funny and suggested his behavior reflected on the Bidens. "And of course the Bidens loved it," Jackson said. "Joe Biden probably is cut from the same cloth in that regard." Attorneys for O'Connor reportedly did not respond to a request for comment. Biden has also faced allegations of sexual misconduct going back decades, most seriously from Tara Reade, a former U.S. Senate staff assistant who alleged that Biden sexually assaulted her in a hallway of the U.S. Capitol in 1993. Biden has denied Reade's allegations, which made headlines during his 2020 presidential campaign. O'Connor has come under scrutiny in recent months amid congressional concerns regarding the extent to which he was involved in covering up Biden's cognitive and physical decline. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Committee, subpoenaed O'Connor to testify on June 27 regarding Biden's health. Home News Roseanne Barr blames God for career-ending tweet about Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett Comedian Roseanne Barr recently claimed that her career-ending tweet from 2018 likening former Obama presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett to an ape was an idea that came to her from God. "The way I feel about it is that God told me to do what I did, and it was a nuclear bomb," Barr said during an interview with Variety published last week. "The day of my tweet, over 2 million Americans Googled Valerie Jarrett and the Iran deal. And that was my intent. So, whatever." 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 Barr, who is Jewish, told the outlet that she awoke after taking sleeping pills and alcohol when she became enraged with ABC executives for taking control of the reboot of her hit 1990s sitcom "Roseanne." The network fired her over the tweet, killing off her character with an opioid overdose and redubbing the show "The Connors." "I was already having nightmares about never going back to that show, and God woke me up," Barr said. "I had my laptop there in bed, as always, and I opened it, and there was [an X post with] a picture of Valerie Jarrett next to Helena Bonham Carter in full makeup as Ari in 'Planet of the Apes,' and they looked like Xerox copies of each other, so I captioned it." "This was in the middle of my three-month conversations with journalists in Iran who were telling me about the loss of women's rights there due to the Iran deal. And I was irate," Barr added, referencing the Iranian-born Jarrett's role in the Obama administration's Iran nuclear deal, of which President Donald Trump has been heavily critical. Barr quote-tweeted the meme that night, writing, "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj." She was inundated with accusations of racism but has denied allegations that she was likening black people to monkeys with her tweet. Barr apologized at the time and said she was unaware Jarrett was black; she maintained to Variety that she was trying to make a political point. She also pushed back against Disney CEO Bob Iger, who reportedly approved of her firing. "They were so racist that they thought my tweet said black people look like monkeys when it was about 'Planet of the Apes,' which is a movie about fascism," Barr said of her critics. "[Planet of the Apes writer] Rod Serling himself said it's about the Jews in Germany. It is not a movie about black people, Bob [Iger]." Barr, a vocal Trump supporter, also suggested that network executives at ABC were displeased with her because of her political views and especially because of her resistance to the corporation's idea of introducing a boy character who dresses like a girl. "[Actress and producer] Sara Gilbert comes in and said, 'Well, I think the thing now is that people are more interested in their kids being gender fluid, and I think it's Darlene that would come home with her gender fluid son who wears dresses. And I was like, 'Oh [expletive],'" she said. Barr has maintained in the past that she apologized to Jarrett for her tweet, which she admitted at the time was in bad taste. She suggested to Variety that she regrets apologizing. "I made the mistake of apologizing, and it only got worse after that," she said. "Never apologize to the Left because they rub that jackboot right in your face in the mud if you apologize." Barr has also been outspoken about her relationship with God, telling Tucker Carlson last year that she has been talking to him since she was a young child. "Since I was 3 years old [...], I've had a conversation going with God," said Barr, who grew up in a Jewish home in Utah. "I wrote it in my book. You know how little kids have an imaginary friend? Well, mine was God." Barr claimed she once confronted God with the problem of suffering, but said He responded by giving her the sense that it was her responsibility to help others. Home News SBC votes against Willy Rice's motion to abolish the ERLC The Southern Baptist Convention has voted against a proposal to abolish the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission amid criticisms over advocacy efforts and leadership. At the SBC Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas, messengers voted on Wednesday to reject a motion calling for the abolition of the convention's public policy arm. Out of 6,581 ballots cast, 3,744 voted against abolishing the ERLC, constituting 56.89% of the vote. By contrast, 2,819 voted to abolish the ERLC, representing 42.84% of the vote. Eighteen ballots were disallowed. 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 Pastor Willy Rice of Calvary Baptist Church of Clearwater, Florida, introduced the motion and told the messengers before the vote that he "defended the ERLC for years, but I can't do that anymore." "Many have been stunned to learn that outside progressive advocacy groups have financially supported our ERLC, and there's been no public repentance, no rejection of those alliances," Rice said. "My head has to admit what my heart didn't want to believe. Facts are stubborn things, and the evidence is clear and the trust is broken." Rice called on messengers "to abolish the ERLC," saying he did not want "to erase it, but to restore it" and "reforge it into a voice unincumbered by outside interests." Steve Willis, senior pastor at One Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, defended the ERLC, highlighting its pro-life efforts, which included helping to provide sonogram machines to pro-life pregnancy care centers, including one where his wife works. "There is no other entity that has stood for a child's right to life more than the ERLC," said Willis. "I encourage this body to continue the support of this vital Southern Baptist ministry and vote no on this recommendation." ERLC traces its roots back to 1908 and has periodically drawn criticism in recent years over its leadership and some of its advocacy. To eliminate an SBC entity, bylaws require a majority vote at two consecutive annual meetings. Motions to defund or abolish the ERLC have been raised and failed at the last three Annual Meetings. Some within the SBC have taken issue with the ERLC's past opposition to bills that seek to punish women seeking abortion or its ties to the Evangelical Immigration Table, an immigration and refugee advocacy coalition. Others have objected to the actions of former ERLC President Russell Moore and his condemnation of President Donald Trump. Rice proposed a motion on Tuesday morning calling on annual meeting messengers to "vote to abolish the ERLC," with Rice's proposal receiving some applause from those gathered. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, previously expressed reservations about the ERLC's relevance on the "Baptist21" podcast in April. Mohler spoke of having "grave doubts about the utility of the ERLC," though he stopped short of calling for its elimination, saying that it "would be wrong for me to lead any such effort." Richard D. Land, ERLC president from 1988 to 2013 and executive editor for The Christian Post, said in a piece co-published by CP that calls to abolish the ERLC were misguided. "The answer to such disagreements related to one of our entities is greater discussion and dialogue, not eliminating the entity altogether," wrote Land. Others, among them Erik Reed, argued that a vote in favor of abolishing ERLC could benefit the entity by sending a message that it needed to reform how it operated. "I don't want the ERLC to go away. There's important work they can and need to do," Reed tweeted. "But a vote to abolish sends a clear message to trustees and demands change take place. They need more than furniture rearranged. They need walls ripped out and an entire remodel." Abonati-va sa primiti pe email saptamanal lista articolelor adaugate pe parcursul saptamanii. Adresele .ru nu sunt acceptate. Email NEWSLETTER Shutterstock / BsWei Family for Every Child is an international alliance led by and for frontline civil society organisations (CSOs) that support children and families working together to share best practice and amplify our knowledge on the global stage to achieve wider change. But just 15 years ago, we were a very different organisation: one wrestling with the fact that international development had chronic white saviour issues and that our solutions were heavily influenced by Western experience; that as a London-headquartered INGO, power sat firmly with us rather than local communities around the world. We felt we were part of the problem, not the solution. We risked being merely an expensive conduit between donors and change on the ground. At the time, we were known as EveryChild. This recognition led us to facilitate a group of local practitioner organisations, to create an organisation that could help to dismantle the power imbalances within the sector and cascade their local knowledge to improve policy and practice nationally and internationally. To cut a long story short, we decided the best outcome was for EveryChild to be disbanded. It closed its global office, put an end to its existing programmes and ceased to recruit new supporters. Furthermore, it transferred all of its assets and resources and placed its fundraising capability in the hands of local organisations to support the work of the new network, Family for Every Child. Now, with international development in free fall, we believe more strongly than ever that genuine localisation is the most powerful way to achieve social justice. Shifting to a knowledge mobilisation rather than funding distribution-based theory of change is now imperative, in other words, giving full recognition to the expertise of local organisations, and upholding the legitimacy of communities to be their own leaders of change. We believe anything less will fail to bring about the paradigm shift needed. Transformation not tinkering There needs to be a seismic shift to a landscape where international agencies no longer hold power over local CSOs and communities. Instead of perpetuating a situation where outsider organisations influence governments around the world on policy and practice, the focus needs to be on enabling local communities to be in the driving seat and able to hold their own governments to account. This is a political rather than technical approach. It requires a new infrastructure based on democratic principles, bringing local communities and CSOs together to set the agenda for change a collective leadership, which places those most impacted by injustice and inequity at the centre of decision-making. Local not global power Despite many years of localisation and decolonisation initiatives, power is still very much concentrated in the hands of international agencies and Western donors. Recent progress has been dominated by international organisations hosting discussions and working up initiatives largely with each other, with only the occasional local darling CSO invited to the table. As a result, the agenda setting, scope and pace of changes are all still largely being set by INGOs on behalf of, rather than with, local organisations. The latest fall out from USAID cuts is leading many large international organisations to look inwards and redesign themselves. This is an incredible opportunity for positive change, but one that must not be allowed to play out within an INGO echo chamber. Local organisations must be integral to the redesign process, articulating a new blueprint for how they can access funds and technical know-how and influence national and international decision-makers. There are serious questions to be asked around what role, if any, there is for international agencies, local organisations and communities should be part of reaching the answers. Knowledge not funding architecture Increasingly, funding has defined the international development and humanitarian architecture. One of the approaches of INGOs over the last few years has been to register as local entities. In part, this was about localisation, but it was often also about accessing national funds. An unintended consequence is that these entities became competitors with locally grown CSOs, diverting local funds, inflating the salary market and taking talent away from the true local organisations. The current scramble for new funds risks further harmful practice where organisational survival drives function and form. Instead, now is the opportunity to focus on how we capture and disseminate knowledge about the problems and the solutions for social justice, recognising that this understanding is located in the communities themselves. The flow of knowledge rather than funds should define the new architecture. Investment not retrenchment In the name of localisation or decolonisation, many INGOs moved their head offices out of the US and Europe to places such as Nairobi. Now the cutbacks are leading to a mass evacuation, with serious detriment to those local economies. Decisions about priorities and funding flows risk being taken on the basis of organisational survival. The rush for cost savings cant be at the cost of long-term change. Rather than leaving, now is the time to invest in local entities already deeply embedded in the local context. Collaborative discussions with local CSOs can help to define what value add international organisation can bring, and how that could be structured. Rather than retrenchment, we need creative investment. Role of donors International organisations have long held the crucial relationships with donors and are infinitely better placed to succeed with winning new funds. The increased desire of donors to fund locally has had little impact. There has become a well-trodden path where international organisations simply add local organisations to their proposals as project partners, still holding onto the lions share of the funding, whilst dictating delivery terms. Now that funds are even more competitive, there is a real risk of international organisations tightening their grip even further on the few that are still available. Without local organisations, embedded in their communities, there can be no progress, and yet now, more than ever, they seem to be left at the end of the food chain, with many at risk of closure. The whole system has always been predicated on change happening at a local community level and now we have the opportunity to create a system that places decision-making power and resources at that local level. Redefining capacity Both donors and international organisations designed into their funding a capacity building requirement. This often meant moulding CSOs in a certain image of what a strong organisation looks like. It meant local CSOs moved away from accountability to their communities, to a focus on accountability to the funders. Now is the opportunity to radically rethink accountability, the relationship between donors and local organisations and to look at what, if any, role can be played by international organisations. This starts with recognising that local experience, knowledge and understanding are the fundamental capacity needed to effect change. The system needs to be built around capturing and disseminating that knowledge to influence policy and practice nationally and internationally. We face a choice: we can either scramble around to hold on to whatever is left of the old international development sector, or we can leap forward into a new way of achieving social justice. At the risk of voicing a hackneyed cliche, the current collapse of the system is an opportunity. This is the time for total reinvention, not surface-level reform, that needs the whole community of actors to come together in new ways and to place power in the hands of local communities to achieve change. It means some of us, like my old organisation EveryChild, need to decide to step out and place resources and decision-making with local organisations, recognising the central value of local knowledge and working to promote democratic principles and accountability. Now is the time for actions that fundamentally shift the power. Civil Society Voices is the place for informed opinion, and debate about the big issues affecting charities today. Were always keen to hear from anyone, working or volunteering at a charity, who has something to say. Find out more about contributing and how to get in touch. is the place for informed opinion, and debate about the big issues affecting charities today. Were always keen to hear from anyone, working or volunteering at a charity, who has something to say. Sign up for The Media Today, CJRs daily newsletter. For more than a century, the McClusky Gazette has reported the news in a small town in the middle of North Dakota. But if Allan Tinker, the newspapers eighty-three-year-old owner and publisher, cant find someone to take over by next spring, she plans to close its doors for good. I just cant assume the responsibility anymore, Tinker said. Ive got to look at my health and my lifewhats left of it. The American local news industry has been in free fall for years, with more than a third of the countrys print newspapers having shuttered over the past two decades, according to Northwestern Universitys Local News Initiative. But unlike many of those papers, the Gazette isnt struggling to stay afloat. It has about 330 print subscribersroughly equal to the number of residents in town. I will close it because of my age and health, Tinker saidand because theres no one else to take it on. In eastern Oregon, the veteran journalist Les Zaitz faced a similar dilemma last year when he sought to sell his 115-year-old newspaper, the Malheur Enterprise. Zaitz tried to find a buyer because, at sixty-nine, he wanted to retirebut with no one stepping up, he eventually gave up and closed the paper in May. The Enterprise was profitable, with a robust advertising and subscription business, Zaitz said. Finances had zero to do with the decision. And in northwestern Oklahoma, Sheila Blankenship made the painful decision to close the 120-year-old Hooker Advance last year, after she failed to find a buyer. It would have killed me to keep running it, Blankenship said. People continued to subscribe until the newspapers final months. Small-town newspapers shutting down due to the lack of a succession plan is a growing problem in nearly a dozen states, according to a tally by CJR and a number of statewide press associations. In Colorado, the Range Ledger closed in 2022 when the owner died; South Dakotas Wilmot Enterprise stopped publishing after its owner got sick in 2024; eight weekly newspapers in northeastern North Dakota closed in 2023 when their eighty-eight-year-old owner wanted to retire. Newspapers in other states, including the Genoa Times Leader in Nebraska, the Eagle Democrat in Arkansas, and the Galena Sentinel Times in Kansas, have come close to those fates, but managed to find buyers before it was too late. I am always concerned about having a pool of buyers ready and willing to step in, says Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association. When these papers close, publishers and press association leaders say, they hardly ever reopen. Without a common touchstone that informs people about what their neighbors are doing, a towns sense of identity and history is often at stake. The town community really starts to disintegrate, says Mark Thomas, who leads the newspaper association in Oklahoma, where at least five local papers have closed in the past few years after the publishers couldnt continue. There are currently about a dozen others in the state that are actively seeking buyers, Thomas said. Some press associations are trying to get ahead of the problem by proactively working with publishers to prepare a succession plan in case they suddenly get sick or die. And if a publisher suddenly cannot continue, associations often appeal to local community members to find someone to take on the paper. Thats something Cecile Wehrman, executive director of the North Dakota Newspaper Association, has had to do twice over the past year after publishers died without anyone in place to take over their newspapers. In the case of the Renville County Farmer, a community member stepped up in March to purchase the paper. Other times, family members take on the responsibilityeven if temporarily. After Tony Bender died last year, his children continued publishing the Wishek Star and the Ashley Tribune, which serve small communities in rural parts of North Dakota. The only option was for me to do it, says India Bender, Tonys daughter. Closing the newspapers was not an option. In my heart, it wasnt an option because they meant so much to my dad. Subscriptions continue to roll in, Bender said, but the work is hard to sustain. Her brother ran the papers until March, when he stepped down; India, who is twenty-four and works as an assistant for a law firm in Bismarck, gave herself three months to find a buyer, or else she would close the papersa deadline shes now considering extending. I would feel like Im letting my dad down, she said. In McClusky, Tinker has held on for as long as she can. But running a weekly newspaper solo is hard for anyonelet alone an octogenarian battling health problems. I cant think of what I dont do for the newspaper. Since I own the building, Im also the janitor, she said. Tinker says she takes pride in being a problem-solver, but she has come to accept that she might not be able to fix this one. At some point I have to quit, but I dont want to do that, she said. There would be nothing left. Tom Bodett, known for his radio and TV ads telling travelers that at Motel 6 well leave the light on for you, has sued the motel chain for using his name and voice without permission, after their nearly four-decade relationship broke down. In a complaint filed on Monday night in Manhattan federal court, Bodett said he cut ties with Motel 6 after its new owner, India-based OYO, missed a $1.2 million annual payment due on January 7 under their contract, which was to end in November. Bodett said Motel 6 nonetheless kept using his name and voice on its national reservation phone line, violating his rights under the contract and federal trademark law. The 70-year-old author and voice actor is known for appearances on National Public Radio and in several Ken Burns documentaries, as well as for his smooth baritone. Bodett said he tried negotiating a confidential settlement that would recognize his role in building Motel 6, not hurt its image or franchisees, and provide graceful closure, but the chain responded only with misrepresentations, obfuscations, and delay tactics. The lawsuit seeks $1.2 million, plus additional unspecified damages and a share of profits. A spokesperson for G6 Hospitality, Motel 6s immediate parent, said it was surprised by the lawsuit but hoped to resolve the dispute amicably. We appreciate Mr. Bodetts contributions over the past years, the spokesperson said. Of course, we will continue to advertise keeping the lights on for you. Reached by email, Bodett said: The complaint says all there is to say. Bodett had been Motel 6s lead spokesman since 1986, and said he coined well leave the light on for you as an ad-lib. Motel 6 has more than 1,450 locations in the United States and Canada, according to its website. OYO is a global travel technology unit of Oravel Stays, which bought Motel 6 from Blackstone Real Estate for $525 million in December. The case is Bodett et al v G6 Hospitality LLC et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 25-04854. (Reporting by Stempel in New York; Editing by Mark Potter and Bill Berkrot) Michigan State University has reached settlements worth about $30 million with three students who survived a mass shooting in 2023, attorneys said Tuesday. Three students were killed and five more were wounded when a man with no connection to the school fired shots inside two buildings. Michigan State agreed to a $14.2 million settlement with Nathan Statly; $13 million with Yukai John Hao; and $2.5 million with Troy Forbush, according to lawyers at Grewal Law and Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman. While the university cannot comment on any specific settlements, we truly hope reaching a resolution helps provide some measure of relief, support and care to impacted individuals and their families, Michigan State said. Statly was shot in the head, Hao was paralyzed after being shot in the back, and Forbush was shot in the chest. Three students were killed: Brian Fraser, Arielle Anderson and Alexandria Verner. Their families reached settlements with Michigan State in late 2023. The gunman, Anthony McRae, 43, killed himself after being confronted by police that night, nearly 4 miles (6 kilometers) from the East Lansing campus. Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Trump administration is increasingly skipping a form of federal disaster aid that helps states better prepare for future storms, flooding and wildfires. The Federal Emergency Management Agency rejected requests for such resiliency money, known as Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding, for Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma last week, part of a trend that started this spring. These denials are one way the administration is trying to cut costs and narrow the scope of FEMA, the nations primary agency for disaster work that sits under the Department of Homeland Security. The administration is weighing the approval of hazard mitigation funding with states ability to execute those funds, said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson. To date, we are observing large unobligated balances across the board, she added. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump reiterated his plan to eliminate the agency, possibly as soon as the end of hurricane season in late fall. Were going to do it much differently, he said in the Oval Office. Standing near Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said: Youve been very clear you want to see FEMA eliminated as it exists today. So Im preparing all these governors that they will have more control over the decisions on how they respond to their communities so that they can help it happen faster. The federal hazard mitigation money is used for flood buyouts of homes and constructing tornado safe rooms. Not receiving it would mean that there would be fewer funds available for Missouri communities to fund such projects, said Mike OConnell, communications director for the Missouri Department of Public Safety. The requests for hazard mitigation funds were part of the states applications for major disaster declarations, a status that comes with federal assistance. Missouri experienced back-to-back severe storms in mid- and late March. That same month, Iowa experienced a severe winter storm, while Mississippi was hit by strong storms and Oklahoma was affected by straight-line winds and wildfires. In each case, the destruction from the disasters overwhelmed local and state responses, prompting Republican Governors Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Mike Kehoe of Missouri and Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma to seek federal assistance. On May 21, Trump signed major disaster declarations that greenlit some funding to help affected communities in the four states recover and rebuild. But the states specific requests for money to invest in projects to boost defenses and preparedness against future storms and other disasters remained under review. Less than two weeks later, on June 2, FEMA denied the hazard mitigation requests, according to a review of three of the five rejection letters and interviews with state officials. Its a pattern that started in March, when the Trump administration stopped automatically approving hazard mitigation requests tied to major disasters. It later denied two state requests, in May. The denials represent a big change from how previous administrations, including Trumps during his first term, responded to such requests, when the approval of this money as part of large post-disaster aid packages was considered to be almost automatic, said Michael Coen, who used to review the requests as FEMAs chief of staff under former President Joe Biden. Jackson said in a statement that the White House is working with states to assist them in identifying projects and drawing down balances in a way that makes the nation more resilient. (When asked about the administrations denials of hazard mitigation funding in May, she provided identical comments.) Neither she nor the DHS provided any additional details. Missouri officials said they are preparing to appeal FEMAs denial of hazard mitigation funds, while Iowa and Mississippi are still considering their options. Oklahoma has decided against appealing because it received other federal funding it can use in a similar way, according to state officials. Top photo: Destroyed homes at a trailer park in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, on March 15. Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Medina City Council has approved legislation to partner with Brunswick, Wadsworth and Medina County on a grant application for housing funds. Emily Canning-Dean, Special to Cleveland.com MEDINA, Ohio -- City Council has given the green light to enter into a partnership with Medina County, Brunswick and Wadsworth to file an application for grant assistance with the Ohio Department of Development. The money would come from the 2025 Community Housing Impact and Preservation (CHIP) grant. Council approved emergency legislation June 9 to move forward with joining the other three entities. In the past, Medina has partnered with Brunswick to apply for CHIP grants, which are used to fund home repairs and for tenant-based rental assistance. Wadsworth and Medina County have traditionally applied for a separate grant together. But Medina Community Development Director Andrew Dutton said that last year, Medina and Brunswicks CHIP grant application was not approved, citing less funding from the state and a lower score on the level of distress compared to other Ohio cities. By applying with Brunswick, Wadsworth and Medina County, the grant will bring in more money for the county and almost the same amount for the city compared to if we were applying on our own, said Barbara Dzur, Medinas economic development and marketing manager. The grant is due in Columbus by June 25, which is why we need the emergency clause. Dutton said submitting one countywide application is the preferred format of the state and of the consultant who works with all the entities. He also said that by partnering with the other entities, the administration process would be streamlined and less confusing. Dutton said Medina would receive roughly $350,000 under the CHIP grant if the application is approved. Read more from the Medina Sun. Orange Board of Education members are encouraging district parents and staff members to continue to contact Ohio legislators to voice their concerns regarding the state budget bill as it relates to education. (Ed Wittenberg, special to cleveland.com) PEPPER PIKE, Ohio -- The Orange Board of Education has reaffirmed its stance against the Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship Program, also known as EdChoice, and the expansion of school voucher programs. On Monday (June 9), the board passed a resolution to once again declare its opposition to EdChoice and the expansion of vouchers. The board had passed a similar resolution in January 2020. The resolution further states that the board is a proponent and advocate for all public school districts. School vouchers allow parents to use public funds, typically allocated for their childs public education, to pay for private school tuition. The EdChoice program allows students from designated public schools to receive vouchers to attend participating private schools. Weve been pretty consistent in our message (about where we stand on school vouchers), Superintendent Lynn Campbell said. Were not the poster child. Were not losing the kind of money that Shaker Heights (City Schools) or Cleveland Heights-(University Heights City Schools) or some other districts are with vouchers. But as we stand strong united for public schools in general, there are a lot of things going on. Campbell noted that in early May, he sent an email to district families encouraging them to reach out to state legislators to let their voices be heard regarding the state budget bill. The Ohio General Assembly must approve a budget and send it to Gov. Mike DeWine before July 1, the first day of the next fiscal year. Campbell said the activity of parents and families who agreed to engage those legislators about school issues seems to be having an impact. Schools seem to be the focus of much ado (in those discussions in Columbus), he said. But our parents speaking up about the Fair School Funding formula being yanked out of the House version (of the budget) was heard. The Fair School Funding Plan, passed in 2021, aims to distribute state school funding more equitably, based on the actual cost of educating students. The Ohio House had proposed removing the plan in its version of the budget, but the Senate has proposed to put it back in, Campbell noted. Its still greatly underfunded, he said. For all the inputs for a formula, if it even survives at all, to be (based) on old data is very concerning. So we still have a lot to lose if that formula is broken down and taken away. Campbell said if the plan is removed, it will impact Orange Schools. But when you look across the entire state of Ohio, theres nothing in legislation that I can find that seemingly has been good for the future of public schools, he said. And by the way, all the accountability and demands that are placed on us in these legislative pieces are not being put on the private and parochial schools that are getting billions -- with a B -- of tax dollars as well. Campbell added that something the House included in its version of the budget related to accountability for parochial schools was removed by the Senate in its version. So that shows very clearly theres going to be one side of expectations for the public common good, and then theres the other pot of money and expectations that are different, which is completely unfair, he said. Campbell then encouraged board members to weigh in on the issue. Board member Scott Bilsky noted a Page 1 article in The Plain Dealer Sunday (June 8) that compared and contrasted DeWines proposed budget bill with those proposed by the House and Senate and some of the vast differences between them. Its going to be really interesting to see how the next three weeks resolve itself there budgetarily, he said. Its absolutely crazy. Board member Rebecca Boyle said the board and the districts administration need to keep their constituents informed and continue encouraging them to contact state legislators with their concerns about the budget. We need to keep giving them links to write (to legislators), she said. We can sit up here as elected officials and do that. But we need masses. We need the teachers, we need the staff members, we need the parents to be informed and tell them whats going on. Public education is under attack, and it matters who you vote for. Boyle said the Parents Bill of Rights -- a bill that requires Ohio public schools to adopt a policy by July 1 on parental notification regarding student health and well-being and instructional materials with sexuality content -- is being shoved down our throats because of who we voted for. Not me, personally, but thats whats happening, and every day its an onslaught on us, she said. The school board is expected to vote on its Parents Bill of Rights policy at its next meeting June 23. I know we (board members) cant be pro or con, but we need to keep them informed -- heres whats going on in Columbus, heres the latest, she said. If youre unhappy, write your senator or your congressman. Board member Angela Arnold said, We have to break this down and keep it simple for people. I think regardless of who our communities vote for, I think people should be aware that this is a threat to our own local control, she said. We need to be able to control our own future and control our own destiny, manage our own money, set priorities for our district. This is an Orange district prerogative, and if you dont like the state telling you what to do, then you should speak up. Arnold suggested posting the latest information, along with contact information for state legislators, on the home page of the districts website or its Facebook page. Peoples voices really do matter, she said. To Dr. Campbells point, (state legislators) heard peoples outrage, and they did respond. Now, did they respond enough? I dont know; time will tell. But it was acknowledged, and I think all the voices that piled on to respond, it mattered. So the more we can do that, the better. Board Vice President Beth Wilson-Fish said, Theres been a good response (by legislators) to some things, but not everything, which is disheartening. But we can celebrate the little gains that we do make, she said. Treasurer Todd Puster said the progress that has been made is attributable to people becoming engaged. Our lobbyists in Columbus tell us that the limited successes weve had are because of the engagement, he said. Boyle added, And we have a group of parents who are energized, so we need to keep that movement going. Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun. Carl DeScott and Randi Gilmore will open their Locally Spruced store June 14 at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst. The store will bring to shoppers premium products from Ohio businesses. Legacy Village LYNDHURST, Ohio -- Legacy Village is welcoming a new store dedicated to providing premium products produced by Ohio businesses. The grand opening of the collaborative Locally Spruced will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 14. This will be Locally Spruceds first retail location. It will feature a curated selection including fine home goods, self-care essentials, apparel, accessories, gourmet foods and more. Locally Spruced will fulfill a full range of lifestyle needs while championing local excellence at Legacy Village, said Willowicks Randi Gilmore, who co-founded Locally Spruced with her partner, Carl DeScott. After starting our small business, Basil & Rex, we knew we wanted to work toward having our own store, Gilmore said in a news release. We selected Legacy Village for their walkability, reputation and the high level of support they provide to their businesses. We hope that Locally Spruced will serve as a stepping stone for other small businesses to experience their own growth -- whether that be in opening their own store or gallery or expanding into wholesale. The store is located near The Lawn within Legacy Village, which sits on the northwest corner of Richmond and Cedar roads in Lyndhurst. Locally Spruceds constantly growing roster of Ohio brands includes: Clothing and accessories from Lakeside Locals Apparel, Kismet Wear and Smile Like You Mean It Jewelry by C&C Jewelry, Hawthorne and Quinn, and Red Sapphira Self-care products from Indu Lotions and Swell Skin Home goods by Cosmic Creed, Ries Originals, Tierra & Fuego Creative Studios and Wick Life Products for pets by Basil & Rex Food by Buckeye Chocolate, Chicory and Tea, Roots and Roast Coffee, Rooted Yoga Tea and TT Treats Items for children from Crochet by JK and ZEN Learning. The store will also feature classroom space for brands to host demonstrations and hands-on experiential events. Locally Spruced will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Were thrilled to welcome Locally Spruced to Legacy Village, said Legacy Village General Manager Susan Windle. Having such a wide variety of premier Ohio brands under one roof is sure to be a popular destination, and we look forward to helping support them in their business growth. Read more from the Sun Messenger. Gordon Ramsay has been spotted in Northeast Ohio at local restaurants. Getty Images CLEVELAND, Ohio Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay swung by Northeast Ohio to check out the downtown dining scene and potentially filming at a local restaurant. Ramsay, known for shows like Hells Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares, made an appearance at Fahrenheit in Public Square this week. The restaurant shared a photo on its Instagram page on Tuesday, June 10, of Ramsay posing with Fahrenheits owner-chef Rocco Whalen, director of operations Dave Feimster and executive chef Luis Ocasio. We had the honor of hosting the one and only Chef Gordon Ramsay for a visit, the social media post reads. Incredible energy, next-level conversations, and serious culinary respect shared all around. Alongside the photo, Fahrenheit listed items from the menu that Ramsay enjoyed sashimi, sushi, chop salad, pork chops, short ribs, schnitzel and table-side bananas Foster. Your feedback matters Where else do you think Gordon Ramsay should go in Northeast Ohio? Additionally, Buckeye Tavern in Cuyahoga Falls posted on Facebook, suggesting Ramsays presence on the South Side of town. The post included a photo of covered white tents outside of Lylas Family Restaurant at 1911 Bailey Road. Gordon Ramsay is filming at Lylas Restaurant next door to us. Stop down this week to check it out, the restaurant wrote. While its unclear what exactly Ramsay could be filming in Northeast Ohio, his latest undercover show Gordon Ramsays Secret Service recently premiered on FOX. According to Deadline, the show has gained traction since premiering three episodes." CLEVELAND, Ohio The Guardians rank in the middle third of the league in home runs this season with 67 through 66 games. It is a far cry from their meager 2023 power output when they finished dead last in the league with 124 for the entire year. How to watch the Guardians: See how to watch Guardians games with this handy game-by-game TV schedule. But of Clevelands 67 homers, 45 have been solo shots. The 67.2% percentage is the third-highest solo homer rate in the American League and fifth-highest in the majors, behind San Diego (67.9%), Colorado (69.1%), Los Angeles-AL (69.1%) and Kansas City (70.5%). Eight of the 12 home runs hit by Jose Ramirez have come without runners on base (66.7%), while Kyle Manzardo has hit seven of his 11 home runs with the bases empty (63.6%). Clevelands 22 home runs with runners on base this season are the third-fewest by any team in the American League, ahead of only the White Sox (21) and Royals (13). In recent weeks the struggle has been more evident. The Guardians have hit only six home runs with runners aboard in their last 23 games since May 14. That is tied with Washington for the second-fewest multi-run homers in the majors in that span. Despite the struggle to score runs in bunches, manager Stephen Vogt is not sounding any alarms. He told reporters before Tuesdays loss to the Reds that Guardians hitters just need to relax, stay the course and go play. Were a completely different team than we were last year, Vogt said. We have different people here. Its a new group and were learning. Vogt said Clevelands hitters are still finding their identity. We havent really caught fire, He said. Its kind of been treading water offensively, but we have some guys that are having some very good years. Its just finding ways to get those innings when we get things going, to find that big hit. Trivia Slade Cecconi became one of three pitchers to strike out at least eight batters and not issue a walk in his Cleveland debut when he faced the Reds on May 17. Name the other two pitchers. Next Today: LHP Logan Allen (3-4, 4.42) vs. LHP Nick Lodolo (4-4, 3.21) at 1:10 p.m. On the air: CLEGuardians.TV, WTAM 1100 AM, WARF 1350 AM (Spanish) and the Guardians Radio Network. Thursday: The Guardians are off. Friday: Cleveland heads to Seattle to begin a nine-game road trip against the Mariners. First pitch is set for 10:10 p.m. Right-hander Gavin Williams (5-3, 3.86) will start the opener for the Guardians. Trivia answer Cecconis Guardians debut matched Tanner Bibee on April 26, 2023, against Colorado (8K, 0BB) and Floyd Weaver on September 30, 1962, in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Angels (8K, 0BB). CLEVELAND, Ohio More than 30,000 children have been saved from serious harm while being treated in an Ohio childrens hospital, thanks to the efforts of an Ohio-based international pediatric safety effort, according to the state. The Childrens Hospitals Solutions for Patient Safety also saved about $668 million in healthcare costs, state officials said when the consortium was recently recognized for its 16 years of collaboration at the Ohio Statehouse. Childrens Hospitals Solutions for Patient Safety has grown from the eight original members to more than 150 hospitals in North America that work to reduce serious patient harm. The network includes Akron Childrens Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Childrens and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Childrens Hospital. If your child has visited a childrens hospital in the United States or Canada, you have been directly impacted by the work we have been doing over the last 16 years, Childrens Hospitals Solutions for Patient Safety CEO Nick Lashutka said. Importantly, we applaud this incredible milestone in pediatric and employee safety, but know that our work continues as we strive toward our goal of zero serious harm. The hospitals in the network share information and data to inform best practices, state officials said. The consortiums creation required an act of the state of Ohio and Ohio General Assembly to allow the hospitals to share data and make changes quickly and effectively, the state said. Its highly likely that without the cooperation and support of Ohio policy makers, we would have been unable to overcome the legal barriers to transparently sharing our safety data, Lashutka said. We are incredibly fortunate that Ohio leaders shared our vision, understood the barriers that needed to be removed and took swift and appropriate action to do so. This story was assisted by AI. CINCINNATI, Ohio A former counselor who admitted to having sex with a student while she was working at a Catholic high school was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison. Hamilton County Common Pleas Court records show Emily Nutley, 43, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual battery. Nutley was sentenced to three years in prison for each count, which will be served concurrently. She also was classified as a Tier 3 sex offender. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Nutley was the director of academic services at St. Xavier High School, an all-boys high school. She supervised a program to assist students struggling with academics. I crossed a line that should never have been crossed, Nutley said Tuesday in court, according to WLWT Channel 5. I think every day about the impact of my actions. Ive lost my husband, my home, my friends. Ive caused harm and embarrassment to my children. A prosecutor read a letter from the victim in court, WLWT reports. The victim says the incidents altered my high school experience and my life. The victim requested that Nutley be sentenced to the maximum of 10 years. I really didnt want to have sex with her, but she insisted, the victim says in the letter, Fox 19 reports. She would not leave me alone. She told me she would kill herself when I tried to end it. I really didnt know how to get out of this situation. According to prosecutors, Nutley began working with a 17-year-old male student through the program in the fall of 2023. She soon began having contact with the student after school hours, sending him sexually explicit text messages and nude photos. A physical relationship between Nutley and the student started in November 2023, prosecutors said. Nutley reportedly had oral sex with the victim at least once on the St. Xavier High School campus and also at least once off-campus. Nutley also had sex with the victim in her office at the school after classes had dismissed. Prosecutors say the victim tried to end the encounters, but Nutley continued to contact him through text messages. An internal investigation by administrators at the high school revealed Nutleys inappropriate conduct. Officials contacted police, leading to the criminal charges. Nutley was fired after the investigation. Atrium Medical Center has replaced Middletown Hospital, where U.S. Sen. JD Vance's mother once worked as a nurse. Photo by Sabrina Eaton, cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Hospitals across Ohio could soon face a choice: Let federal immigration agents inside to arrest patients or lose access to state funding. Thats the ultimatum behind House Bill 281, a bill from Rep. Josh Williams, a Toledo-area Republican. I think its essential to make sure our hospitals are not burdened with the financial strain of treating undocumented, Williams said. But critics worry it could put healthcare workers in a bad spot. HB 281 would require any hospital receiving state grant money or Medicaid reimbursements to do the following: Allow ICE to enter to arrest, interview or collect evidence in service of a warrant. Arrest individuals with a lawful warrant. Require hospital staff and contractors help facilitate access for these activities. Provide ICE agents with information and/or evidence the hospital possesses so long as it doesnt violate existing federal or state law. But it would not require hospitals to screen patients for their immigration status. Its not proactive, Williams said. If federal agents come to the hospital and ask for access to a particular individual, the hospital has to comply. In January, President Donald Trump revoked guidance that had discouraged immigration enforcement in sensitive locations like hospitals, schools and places of worship. Now, Williams said Ohio needs to follow suit. We are not fully equipped in cracking down on illegal immigration, he said. The Ohio Hospitals Association declined to comment. The Ohio Nurses Association,however, objected to what it sees as the deputization of medical staff. This bill goes further and mandates hospital staff to assist law enforcement officers, ONA President Rick Lucas said. We dont want to be deputized. We dont want to be part of that process. ONA sent out guidance in January, telling nurses to direct ICE agents to your hospitals legal counsel, compliance officer, or security department. HB 281 would require hospitals to have a written policy on this, and Williams said it could include directing agents to those people. We already do it for local law enforcement... , Williams said. Ive had clients of mine handcuffed to a hospital bed while they were receiving treatment to make sure they didnt flee. Lucas warned the policy could have a chilling effect on patients -- even those here legally. Were not going to make it easy on you, Williams said. No matter where you are you are always going to be at risk of arrest and deportation. Still, Williams said hes open to clarifying that medical staff would need to clear patients for release before ICE could take them. Im not intending to put anyones life at risk, he said. But he also doesnt think Ohio should cover the medical bills of people who entered the US illegally. Williams pointed to California, which is rolling back coverage for immigrants without legal status after it cost $2.7 billion more than lawmakers there anticipated. We dont have the financial freedom to pay for individuals who are not here legally, Williams said. HB 281 is the fourth immigration-related bill Williams has introduced this year as he weighs a congressional run against longtime Democrat Marcy Kaptur. Williams anticipates making a decision about the U.S. House seat later this month. Anna Staver covers state government and politics for Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer. Sen. Jerry Cirino's message to school officials -- don't criticize his proposed budget or things will get worse for them -- was stifling and has authoritarian tones, says the crew on Today in Ohio. Anna Staver In a display of what Today in Ohio says has authoritarian tinges that are becoming all too familiar in Ohio politics, a top state senator has told education officials to keep their concerns to themselvesor else face financial consequences. We are seeing in all forms of government these days authoritarian tinges, Chris Quinn said on Mondays episode. The concerning exchange occurred during budget hearings when Senate Finance Committee Chairman Jerry Cirino addressed education officials who had come to provide input on the states massive $60 billion budget. Rather than welcoming their perspective, Serino delivered what podcast hosts interpreted as a threat. He said, I would suggest for your members and the two of you that you do everything you can to support the Senate plan because as we go into conference, theres going to be other competing viewpoints on how to do this and it could only get worse for you. So I suggest that you support the Senate plan, said Laura Johnston. The implication was clearcriticize our plan and suffer the consequences. While Cirino later claimed he was merely offering free advice, the podcast hosts werent buying it. But he said shut up or else, Quinn pointed out bluntly. This authoritarian approach to governance represents a fundamental misunderstanding of how democratic processes should work. Budget hearings exist precisely to gather input from stakeholders and expertsespecially those on the front lines of education who might have insights legislators lack. As Johnston explained, Suburban school districts with low poverty and high enrollment, they fare better under the Senate budget than urban districts with high poverty and enrollment. In other words, the Senate plan favors wealthier districts over those with greater needsa fact that educators might reasonably want to challenge if they werent being threatened into silence. This intimidation tactic fits into a broader pattern emerging in Ohios legislature, where dissenting voices are increasingly unwelcome. Whether its education funding, higher education policies, or library resources, there seems to be a concerted effort to silence expertise that doesnt align with predetermined ideological positions. Look, its the same attitude he had with his higher education bill. Hes trying to stamp out anything that he thinks is left wing or DEI and turn them all into right wing training centers, Quinn noted during the discussion. For citizens concerned about democratic governance, this incident should raise alarms. When elected officials respond to constituent concerns with threats rather than engagement, weve moved beyond policy disagreements into dangerous territory that undermines the foundations of representative government. The $60 billion budget represents Ohios priorities and values. Shouldnt those most affected by these decisions have a voice in the process without fear of retaliation? Listen to the episode here. Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from Today in Ohio, a news podcast discussion by cleveland.com editors. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions. Listen to full Today in Ohio episodes where Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with Editorial Board member Lisa Garvin, Impact Editor Leila Atassi and Content Director Laura Johnston. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has announced new rounds of funding to help jails combat opioid overdoses. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File) AP CLEVELAND, Ohio Two Northeast Ohio counties have received state funds to provide opioid treatment programs in their jails. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost this week announced a second round of grants totaling $2.3 million to expand a jail-based addiction treatment program to 13 facilities across Ohio. Two of the counties, Lorain and Mahoning, will receive $200,000 each. The new funding part of a $60 million initiative to reduce fatal overdoses in county jails brings the total amount awarded since the program launched in March to more than $3.5 million, according to a news release from Yosts office. Statewide, 26 counties have received funding for their jails. Each time I tour a jail with a sheriff who has received a grant, I am encouraged to hear how this funding is going to make a real difference in the fight against addiction, Yost said in a statement. Although a jail is no substitute for a rehab center, these grants will aid recovery and support better outcomes for inmates struggling with substance abuse. The Opioid Remediation Grant Program, funded through statewide opioid settlement money, offers up to $200,000 a year to help jails hire full-time addiction-services coordinators or partner with third-party providers. Jails without dedicated staff can apply for $50,000 to cover withdrawal medications and supplies. Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene said his office will use the funding to contract with VitalCore Health Strategies for behavioral health services, calling the grant a steppingstone for inmates to improve their lives. Substance use is one of the leading causes of death among Ohio inmates, with at least 70 overdose deaths recorded in county jails since 2020, according to a USA Today report cited by Yosts office. Besides Mahoning and Lorain counties, the other counties or facilities receiving funding are: Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio (Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Williams) $162,021. Darke County $151,940. Hamilton County $249,850. Jefferson County $200,000. Miami County $214,250. Monroe County $200,000. Multi-County Correctional Center (Marion, Hardin) $152,960. Ottawa County $76,690. Sandusky County $172,291. Seneca County $116,103. Shelby County $155,940. Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story. High temperatures across Northeast Ohio will be above average on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Courtesy National Weather Service CLEVELAND, Ohio High pressure will provide mainly quiet weather until at least Thursday evening before a cold front moves into Northeast Ohio and ushers in unsettled weather for Fathers Day weekend. While Canadian wildfire smoke in the upper atmosphere will make for hazy skies, especially in the afternoon, air quality issues are not expected to return on Wednesday. Wildfire smoke from Canada is expected to increase over Northeast Ohio going into the afternoon hours of June 11, 2025. Because it will be limited to the upper atmosphere, air quality concerns are not expected to return to the region. Courtesy U.S. Energy Information Administration Conditions otherwise on Wednesday will feature mostly sunny skies and above-average temperatures in the mid 80s across the region, with periodic winds gusting between 20 and 25 mph, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service in Cleveland. A weak cold front will drift south across the Great Lakes on Thursday, bringing cooler winds off the lake in the afternoon. This could help spark a few isolated showers or thunderstorms later in the day, especially where winds come together along the front. However, its still unclear if there will be enough moisture in the air to make those isolated showers and thunderstorms happen. Temperatures on Thursday should be in the mid to upper 70s along the lakeshore with warmer temperatures expected farther south. By Thursday night, the cold front will have pushed south of Lake Erie and into the region. Even with the front nearby, Thursday night is expected to stay dry as any leftover storm energy fades. On Friday, a weather system moving in from the west along the cold front will bring more moisture and rising air in the atmosphere, which will increase the chances for showers and thunderstorms by the afternoon and into the night. The day will start off sunny, with clouds increasing later in the day. High temperatures will be in the lower 80s, with humidity levels increasing, as well. Saturday looks to be the wettest day of the weekend, with widespread showers and thunderstorms expected as the weather system moves through the region. Rain chances have increased to 70% to 90%, with near record levels of moisture expected in the atmosphere. Because of this, there will be a low-end risk for localized flooding. Multiple thunderstorm cells may consecutively pass over the same area a phenomenon known as training, which is when storms follow each other like train cars on a track. Will it rain on Fathers Day? Unsettled weather is expected going into the weekend, but there's uncertainty over how rainy Father's Day will be. cleveland.com The weather forecast for Fathers Day so far remains uncertain, with models showing varying predictions for what the cold front will do after it moves through the region on Thursday. Most ensemble models suggest the front will gradually sag south in the wake of the departing upper-level system, which would help to move the precipitation away from the region. Some models, however, keep the front stalled nearby, which would mean shower and thunderstorm chances would stick around on Sunday, especially in southern parts of the region. Forecasters currently are predicting a 20% to 50% chance of precipitation on Sunday. Temperatures over the weekend are expected to top out near seasonal averages, with highs in the mid 70s expected both Saturday and Sunday. China to build national heritage route on ancient Silk Road Xinhua) 11:02, June 11, 2025 LANZHOU, June 10 (Xinhua) -- China plans to build its first national heritage route along the historically significant Hexi Corridor, located in northwest China, within the next ten years. The route is part of the country's goal to strengthen the protection, inheritance and utilization of cultural and natural heritage. On Tuesday, the implementation plan for the construction of a national heritage route along the Hexi Corridor was released at a news conference held in northwest China's Gansu Province. According to He Xiaozu, head of the provincial culture and tourism department, Gansu will implement a series of projects focused on heritage protection and utilization, infrastructure construction, tourism industry layout, and international exchanges and cooperation. These projects will encompass a total of 52 representative cultural and natural heritages and 20 national-level intangible cultural heritage projects along the Hexi Corridor. A total of 610 million yuan (84.9 million U.S. dollars) will be invested to promote the implementation of 120 specific tasks related to the route construction, He said. Over the years, China has done a great deal of work in the protection and utilization of cultural heritage along the Hexi Corridor. For example, in terms of the Great Wall culture, the Chinese government has cumulatively invested 540 million yuan and promoted the implementation of more than 110 Great Wall protection and maintenance projects. The Hexi Corridor, part of the ancient Silk Road and stretching over a distance of nearly 1,000 kilometers in Gansu, is home to five UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 53 grottoes. "The route will be built in adherence to the principle of minimum intervention, and will become an important platform for China to share cultural achievements with the world and promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations," said Qiu Jian, head of the Gansu provincial cultural heritage bureau. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews following a visit to North Carolina, in Maryland, U.S., June 10, 2025. A federal appeals court allowed President Donald Trump's most sweeping tariffs to remain in effect on Tuesday while it reviews a lower court decision blocking them on grounds that Trump had exceeded his authority by imposing them. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. means Trump may continue to enforce, for now, his "Liberation Day" tariffs on imports from most U.S. trading partners, as well as a separate set of tariffs levied on Canada, China and Mexico. The appeals court has yet to rule on whether the tariffs are permissible under an emergency economic powers act that Trump cited to justify them, but it allowed the tariffs to remain in place while the appeals play out. The Federal Circuit said the litigation raised issues of "exceptional importance" warranting the court to take the rare step of having the 11-member court hear the appeal, rather than have it go before a three-judge panel first. It scheduled arguments for July 31. The tariffs, used by Trump as negotiating leverage with U.S. trading partners, and their on-again, off-again nature have shocked markets and whipsawed companies of all sizes as they seek to manage supply chains, production, staffing and prices. The ruling has no impact on other tariffs levied under more traditional legal authority, such as tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled on May 28 that the U.S. Constitution gave Congress, not the president, the power to levy taxes and tariffs, and that the president had exceeded his authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law intended to address "unusual and extraordinary" threats during national emergencies. The Trump administration quickly appealed the ruling, and the Federal Circuit in Washington put the lower court decision on hold the next day while it considered whether to impose a longer-term pause. The ruling came in a pair of lawsuits, one filed by the nonpartisan Liberty Justice Center on behalf of five small U.S. businesses that import goods from countries targeted by the duties and the other by 12 U.S. states. Trump has claimed broad authority to set tariffs under IEEPA. The 1977 law has historically been used to impose sanctions on enemies of the U.S. or freeze their assets. Trump is the first U.S. president to use it to impose tariffs. Trump has said that the tariffs imposed in February on Canada, China and Mexico were to fight illegal fentanyl trafficking at U.S. borders, denied by the three countries, and that the across-the-board tariffs on all U.S. trading partners imposed in April were a response to the U.S. trade deficit. The states and small businesses had argued the tariffs were not a legal or appropriate way to address those matters, and the small businesses argued that the decades-long U.S. practice of buying more goods than it exports does not qualify as an emergency that would trigger IEEPA. At least five other court cases have challenged the tariffs justified under the emergency economic powers act, including other small businesses and the state of California. One of those cases, in federal court in Washington, D.C., also resulted in an initial ruling against the tariffs, and no court has yet backed the unlimited emergency tariff authority Trump has claimed. White House AI czar David Sacks on Tuesday downplayed the risk that coveted American AI chips could be smuggled to bad actors, and expressed concern that regulating U.S. AI too tightly could stifle growth and cede the critical market to China. "We talk about these chips like they could be smuggled in the back of a briefcase. That's not what they look like. These are server racks that are eight feet tall and weigh two tons," Sacks said at the AWS summit in Washington. "They don't walk out doors. It's very easy to basically verify that they're where they're supposed to be," he said. The comments indicated President Donald Trump's approach to AI could be centered on expanding markets abroad for U.S. AI chips and models. Former President Joe Biden had emphasized policies that countered risks the chips could be diverted to China and used to bolster Beijing's military. "I do worry we're on a trajectory where fear could overtake opportunity and we end up sort of crippling this wonderful progress that we're seeing," Sacks said, citing a raft of bills in state legislatures seeking to regulate AI, as well as permitting challenges facing companies seeking to build the data centers that power AI. Trump rescinded Biden's executive order aimed at promoting competition, protecting consumers and ensuring AI was not used for misinformation. He also rescinded Biden's so-called AI diffusion rule, which capped the amount of American AI computing capacity that some countries were allowed to obtain via U.S. AI chip imports. "We rescinded that Biden diffusion rule, which...made diffusion a bad word. Diffusion of our technology should be a good word," Sacks said. The Trump administration and the United Arab Emirates also announced a plan last month for the Gulf country to build the largest artificial intelligence campus outside the U.S. after Biden in 2023 put in place rules that curbed most AI chip shipments to the region. Taking aim at that regulation, Sacks said, "What play are we giving them? We're basically going to push them into the arms of China." He added that if, in five years, AI chips made by sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei were everywhere, "that means we lost...We can't let that happen." The need to remove hurdles to U.S. AI innovation is urgent as China has made important advances in its AI models, Sacks said. This year, the Chinese AI app DeepSeek shocked the world with its sophisticated, affordably trained model. "China is not years and years behind us in AI. Maybe they're three to six months," said Sacks. "It's a very close race." The White House later said he was referring to China's AI models, adding that Chinese AI chips are one to two years behind their U.S. counterparts. College graduates of the class of 2025 at a special job fair for the new food and biomedicine industries in Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, China, on June 8, 2025. This report is from this week's CNBC's The China Connection newsletter, which brings you insights and analysis on what's driving the world's second-largest economy. Each week, we'll explore the biggest business stories in China, give a lowdown on market moves and help you set up for the week ahead. Like what you see? You can subscribe here. China's eagerness to adopt artificial intelligence comes just as economic growth is slowing, putting millions of routine jobs at risk. "I'm planning to get rid of 360 [Security Technology's] entire marketing department. This way the company can save tens of millions a year," founder and chair Zhou Hongyi said in a Chinese-language video on Friday night, translated by CNBC. It's since been viewed more than 191,000 times on popular Chinese platform Weibo alone. Zhou, who has nearly 12 million followers on Weibo, said he's attempting to use the company's forthcoming generative AI tool to prepare a press conference for the product by himself in five days. The AI agent plus search tool is due for release on Wednesday. Whether or not it's just another sales ploy by Zhou, who goes by the moniker "Red Shirt Big Uncle Zhou Hongyi," the video captures an emerging reality: companies pressured to cut costs may increasingly replace jobs with AI. Worrying signs are piling up. Last week, U.S. financial giant Citi said it's cutting 3,500 tech jobs in China by October. U.S.-based Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei told Axios last month that AI could lead to unemployment rates of 10-20% over the next one to five years. In China, more companies are discussing AI-driven efficiencies, especially in marketing and coding. Food delivery giant Meituan told investors in late May that about 52% of new code was generated by AI, up from 27% disclosed in March. Big Chinese tech companies are pointedly asking for new young recruits to have AI skills, said Shu Weibing, partner and COO at HangHang AI. "If a student doesn't know how to use AI, then it will be very hard to get a job," Shu said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. HangHang AI focuses on AI skills training. On June 6, it launched a "Global AI" platform to help entrepreneurs get initial funding for AI projects, even if they are still working a day job. So far, the platform has 70 investors participating and at least 50 projects on board, Shu said. He added that the goal is to invest in 1,000 projects over three years, with each one receiving 100,000 yuan from three backers, totaling 300,000 yuan to jump-start each project. Chinese authorities have encouraged efforts to embrace AI and robots, while increasing support for employment. The Ministry of Finance announced on Tuesday that it has allocated 66.74 billion yuan ($9.29 billion) for employment-related subsidies this year. On Monday, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Civil Affairs announced a two-year pilot program to test the use of robots for senior citizen care. Persistent job fears To be sure, AI isn't about to suddenly hit every single industry. But since the Covid-19 pandemic, a persistent story, seen on Chinese social media and in casual conversations, is one of job uncertainty. Record graduates. More people getting some support from their parents and pursuing higher degrees. Companies cutting wages, clawing back bonuses and closing departments, if not shutting down altogether. Individuals and businesses have turned to social media and selling products via livestream, where competition is still fierce but the potential for overnight success remains. Complicating the job market further is a local culture that prizes work, even if it means regular overtime and weekend conferences. The unhealthy competition is most apparent in China's electric car market, where fierce competition has led to a race to the bottom, prompting government warnings to stop what's colloquially known as "neijuan," or involution. That's not even accounting for the economic impact of escalating trade tensions, which resulted in a 34% plunge in China's exports to the U.S. last month, official data showed Monday. About 16 million jobs in China are tied to U.S. exports, Goldman Sachs has estimated. Monthly business surveys for May showed contraction in the labor market across the board. The data indicate a situation rarely seen in the past decade, Goldman Sachs' Hui Shan pointed out in an analysis published last week. "Labor markets are very weak, especially in construction and among small businesses." But "labor market weakness could be a catalyst" for more stimulus, the report said. China's top leaders typically hold a policy meeting in late July. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Elon Musk said on the X social media platform. Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday said he regretted some of the social media posts he made about U.S. President Donald Trump last week during an explosive public dispute with his former close ally. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Musk said on the X social media platform. The feud dissolved a tight partnership that had propelled Musk to spearhead the budget-slashing Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, under Trump's second administration, fueling market concerns over the outlook for the tech tycoon's Tesla and SpaceX businesses. Immediately after the row, the electric vehicle automaker saw its biggest ever hit, with shares since recouping losses. Last week's conflict was sparked by Musk's opposition to the Trump-backed "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" tax and spending bill. In a CBS interview, Musk said the package "undermines" the work of DOGE, further blasting it on social media by saying it would substantially increase the U.S. budget deficit. The Trump administration has disputed this point. Over the weekend, Trump said there would be consequences for Musk if he supported Democratic candidates challenging the tax and spending bill. At the time, the president noted that he had no plans for speaking with Musk before changing tack on Monday to indicate he would not have a problem if Musk called. Amid immigration raids, peaceful protests, attacks on law enforcement officers and the threat of his own arrest by federal agents, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is immersed in what could be the most consequential political fight of his career. The battle between the president and the governor of the country's largest state instantly turned Newsom into the face of resistance to President Donald Trump's expansive interpretation of the authorities of his office and mass-deportation campaign. Newsom, who is a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, has been taking heavy criticism from within his own party over his efforts in part through his new podcast to cast himself in the role of conciliator. Newsom delivered an address Tuesday night that aimed squarely at Trump and was clearly intended for a national audience. "This isn't just about protests here in Los Angeles," he said. "When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commander the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state in this nation. This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived." "For someone like Newsom, the balance is: Is he able to be tough enough? Will he stand up to Trump? How does he lead at this moment?" said Democratic strategist Karen Finney. "This is unprecedented. There's not a right answer. So far, he's doing the right things, being clear, consistent, clear communication." Newsom could try to turn the situation on Trump by pointing to government overreach, but at the same time, there is real risk of an eruption violence from rogue actors, said Matt Bennett, co-founder of Third Way, a center-left think tank. "The images of the militarization of this for no reason should be enough for Newsom to win this debate as long as they can keep control of the worst of the violence," he said. "Trump always goes too far," Bennett added. "Last time, he went too far with the Muslim ban. Then he really went too far with child separation those images really hurt Trump. Here, it's a real question. It's a much closer call this time. We just don't know yet." DeepL on Wednesday said it was deploying one of the latest Nvidia systems that would allow the German startup to translate the whole internet in just 18 days. This is sharply down from 194 days previously. , DeepL is a startup that has developed its own AI models for and competes with Google Translate. Nvidia is meanwhile looking to expand the customer base for its chips which are designed to power artificial intelligence applications beyond hyperscalers such as Microsoft and Amazon. It also highlights how startups are using Nvidia's high-end products to build AI applications, which are viewed as the next step after foundational models, such as those designed by OpenAI. The Cologne-based company is deploying an Nvidia system known as DGX SuperPOD. Each of the DGX SuperPOD server racks contains 36 B200 Grace Blackwell Superchips, one of the company's latest products on the market. Nvidia's chips are required to train and run huge AI models, such as the ones designed by DeepL. "The idea is, of course, to provide a lot more computational power to our research scientists to build even more advanced models," Stefan Mesken, chief scientist at DeepL, told CNBC. Mesken said the upgraded infrastructure would help enhance current products like Clarify, which the company launched this year. Clarify is a tool that asks users questions to make sure context is incorporated in the translation. "It just wasn't technically feasible until recently with the advancements that we've made in our next-gen efforts. This has now became possible. So those are the kinds of advances that we continue to hunt for," Mesken said. FILE PHOTO: Mahmoud Khalil speaks to members of media about the Revolt for Rafah encampment at Columbia University during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, in New York City, U.S., June 1, 2024. The federal judge presiding over Mahmoud Khalil's case ruled that the Trump administration, for now, cannot deport or detain the Columbia University activist based on a determination by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The judge's order will not take effect until Friday, allowing the government time to appeal. Rubio has cited an obscure provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to justify Khalil's removal from the U.S., saying that he poses a national security risk. Rubio had argued that the provision allows the secretary of state to "personally determine" whether Khalil should remain in the country. Khalil was a Columbia University student who played an active role in protests over the war in Gaza on the Manhattan campus last year. He was arrested by federal agents in March and has been held since, as he and his lawyers have challenged efforts to deport him. U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz's Wednesday order bars the government from detaining Khalil based on Rubio's determination. It also bars the government from trying to remove him from the United States based on Rubio's determination. Khalil was a Columbia University student who played an active role in protests on the Manhattan campus over the war in Gaza. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security has alleged that Khalil has acted to "glorify and support terrorists." Khalil last week called the claims "grotesque and false." Weight loss syringes of the brands "Wegovy", "Ozempic" are sold at In der Achat Apotheke in Mitte, Germany. A version of this article first appeared in CNBC's Healthy Returns newsletter, which brings the latest health-care news straight to your inbox. Subscribe here to receive future editions. Novo Nordisk' s blockbuster weight loss and diabetes drugs Wegovy and Ozempic are once again being linked to unintended side effects. The weekly injections may, in very rare cases, cause a serious eye condition that can lead to vision loss, the European Medicines Agency's safety committee said Friday. It's the first time a regulator has confirmed the side effect following previous studies in Type 2 diabetes patients linking Ozempic to the condition, known as non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). The committee has asked Novo Nordisk to add the eye condition as a side effect of "very rare" frequency in the product information for drugs that contain semaglutide. That's the active ingredient in Wegovy, Ozempic and Novo Nordisk's diabetes pill Rybelsus. It's the latest potential concern about popular GLP-1s such as Ozempic and Wegovy, which mimic gut hormones to regulate blood sugar and tamp down appetite. Demand for the drug class has soared despite hefty price tags and a handful of unpleasant side effects that are most commonly gastrointestinal, such as nausea and vomiting. It likely won't be a big concern for the vast majority of patients: the eye condition may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people taking semaglutide for at least one year, according to the committee. The committee said people with diabetes who are exposed to semaglutide are at a twofold increase in the risk of developing NAION compared with those not taking it. The eye condition is the second-most common cause of blindness due to optic nerve damage, after glaucoma. It is characterized by vision loss due to decreased blood flow to the front part of the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain. The disease typically occurs without any pain and most commonly affects people ages 50 and above. The committee said patients should stop treatment with semaglutide products if they experience the side effect. Since December, it has been reviewing the findings of two Danish studies linking Ozempic to the condition in diabetes patients. In a statement, Novo Nordisk said it has concluded that the data "did not suggest a reasonable possibility of a causal relationship between semaglutide and NAION." The company said the benefits of semaglutide still outweigh its risks. But the drugmaker said it will collaborate with the EMA to update the labels for semaglutide products. A day before the committee's statement, GLP-1s faced scrutiny over another potential eye-related side effect. A study, published Thursday in JAMA Ophthalmology and conducted by University of Toronto researchers, found that diabetes patients who use GLP-1 drugs were twice as likely to develop neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) compared to those who don't take the medications. The study also found that the longer patients were treated with these medications, the greater their risk of developing nAMD. nAMD, commonly known as "wet" AMD, is the less common but more aggressive form of age-related macular degeneration. It is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults in the U.S. The researchers drew on health records from Ontario, Canada. They analyzed nearly 140,000 adults with Type 2 diabetes to investigate a possible link between GLP-1 use and wet AMD. In the vast majority of cases, patients received semaglutide. Novo Nordisk said semaglutide's "efficacy and safety have been extensively demonstrated in people with obesity/overweight with robust evidence for improving health outcomes." Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com. What does it take for a state to attract businesses and jobs in 2025? President Trump has turned many states' well-worn economic development playbooks upside down. As the administration seeks to drastically cut the size of the federal government, states that previously could count on Washington for federal jobs, grants and contracting dollars are suddenly out of luck. Meanwhile, the states that are less reliant on the federal government are looking smart. And then there are the tariffs. Some states have built large parts of their economies on international trade, which the Trump trade war is disrupting. "Something affecting one country or one product might really hurt the companies in one state, and the state next door would be unaffected," said Dan Anthony, president of Trade Partnership Worldwide, a Washington, D.C.-based economic research firm. But all those changes are also creating new opportunities, said Tom Stringer, a principal and the leader of the site selection and incentives practice at Grassi Advisors in New York. "For myself and my colleagues, this has been one of the busiest periods that we've had in our 30 year careers, which is exciting," he said. Stringer said that he is already working with foreign companies that are seeking to establish manufacturing operations in the U.S. to avoid the tariffs, even though the ultimate makeup of the tariffs has yet to be determined. "Businesses crave certainty," he said. "I think it's fair to say that none of us, except for one person, really has any knowledge as to where the tariffs are going to go or finish up. And so, the way to deal with that has been to strategically start to place some capacity here in the U.S." Domestic companies are on the move, too, he said, especially in burgeoning industries like artificial intelligence, quantum computing and the rapidly changing and growing defense sector. Which states have the edge in this new environment? America's Top States for Business is back to find out. The exclusive CNBC study, now in its 19th year, rates all 50 states in ten categories of competitiveness. From the start, we designed our tried-and-true methodology to account for the rapidly changing nature of economic development, placing the heaviest weight on the factors that matter most to business from year to year. In 2025, the category that matters most is Economy. State economic development marketers are touting their state's economic strength and stability more than ever, in the face of recession fears. New economic risk factors This year, in addition to traditional metrics impacting the Economy category, such as economic growth, job growth, and state finances, we are also factoring in the risks each state faces from the many changes coming via policies from Washington, D.C., including budget cuts and tariffs. That impact is being felt much differently across the states. "You look at a state like Kentucky, its goods trade. Exports and imports are about 50% of its GDP. It's the highest in the country," Anthony said. "Contrast that with a state like Virginia, where it's less than 10%." CNBC's Jim Cramer on Wednesday reviewed three sectors where highly-speculative names are gaining traction: space, quantum computing and nuclear power. "I've tried to be skeptical of these three red-hot areas, but as I told you last week, once the thing really takes off, you can't be a scold," he said. "The market's saying, listen, these companies can raise some money, and I think we'll see scores more coming public." This market is "engulfed in the kind of extreme speculation we have not seen in years, arguably since the nineties," Cramer said. While the averages headed lower on Wednesday, Cramer said the stocks of many companies that make no money and have little revenues are heating up. Quantum computing stocks have seen a boost thanks to Nvidia 's Jensen Huang, Cramer said. The CEO said at a conference on Wednesday that quantum computing is "reaching an inflection point," suggesting it will be useful in the coming years. Quantum computing is a rapidly-developing area of computer science that uses quantum mechanics to solve problems too complex for traditional binary computers. The bullish sentiment marks a change for Huang, who had previously indicated quantum computers could be put to real-life use in 15 to 20 years. Cramer said it's easy to make a speculative pitch for quantum computing because it's so opaque. However, it's also hard to figure out which companies are the best because they have poor financials. He named some of the popular players in the space, including Rigetti Computing , IONQ , D-Wave Quantum and Quantum Computing . Investors are also transfixed by nuclear power, Cramer said, as energy-guzzling data centers continue to spring up. Many hyperscalers prefer to use nuclear power because it is a relatively clean option, he added. Some on Wall street are bullish on power plant developer Oklo , even as the company loses money, Cramer said. Oklo is favored to build a power plant for the U.S., and it has plans to streamline processes, he said. He also said investors are excited about space and defense stocks like Voyager Technologies , whose shares soared after its upsized market debut on Wednesday. According to Cramer, a wave of IPOs from these sectors is on the way, and it could rival or even exceed the boom of 2021 because the companies feel more substantive than some of the SPACs back then. "As long as people are willing to pay up for the companies with no earnings and little revenue, these deals will keep coming and coming and coming," he said. "And the stocks will keep taking more money away from the mainstream companies like Nvidia that really make up the averages." CNBC's Jim Cramer on Wednesday said it's necessary for the U.S. to negotiate with countries other than China for rare earth minerals. "We need to make these rare earth deals with the same alacrity that the White House gave out the reciprocal tariffs on 'liberation day.' We need them yesterday," he said. "Then, and only then, will we truly be liberated." China dominates the global market for these critical minerals, producing about 60% and processing almost 90%, CNBC reported. The materials are used in most electronics and are vital to the automotive and defense industries. Officials have warned that the U.S.'s dependence on China for the minerals poses a strategic issue. China imposed export restrictions on rare earth minerals back in April in response to President Donald Trump's harsh tariff hikes. Trump said on Wednesday that China will supply the minerals up front to the U.S. as part of a trade agreement. While he posted on Truth Social that the deal is "done," he also said it's "subject to final approval" between himself and Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to Cramer, the U.S. needs to reach out to countries like Brazil, Vietnam and Australia, who have the raw materials for earth minerals and magnets. The U.S. should make deals with these countries immediately and perhaps wave the high tariffs that the White House put on their imports, he said. Cramer said the U.S. doesn't "have the cards," in negotiations with China because of its reliance on rare earth minerals, even as it tries to disrupt China's manufacturing economy. "What the heck were we thinking when we started a trade war without having this rare earths issue all buttoned up and ready to go?" he asked. The White House did not immediately respond to request for comment My top 10 things to watch Wednesday, June 11 1. The U.S. and China have agreed to a trade framework after two days of talks in London. It sounds like we need something more than they do. The lack of leverage with the Chinese is ridiculous. All that trade disrupted, and it was always going to come down to rare earth minerals . 2. The May consumer price index came in cooler than expected, and that's giving a lift to the market. We're now tracking for a higher open. On annual basis, core CPI was up 2.8% versus 2.9% expected. 3. Club name Nvidia struck an infrastructure partnership with French AI startup Mistral, a developer of large language models. It's part of Nvidia's "sovereign AI" push that I believe could be very good for diversifying its revenue. Some don't think it will amount to much. 4. Elon Musk admitted some of his posts about President Donald Trump last week went "'too far." Tesla shares up nearly 2% this morning. If that holds, the stock will have essentially erased all of its 14% plunge on the day the Musk-Trump feud escalated. Robotaxi networking launching June 22 in Austin, Musk also said. 5. Cisco unveiled next-generation switches built for AI. Could this be like 1998 when Cisco was the company you put together to bundle all of the networking equipment? Could it be at the fulcrum again? This is one of the cheapest of the AI stocks at roughly 16 times forward earnings. 6. Citigroup upped its price target on Microsoft to $605 a share from $540 and opened a 90-day "catalyst watch" on the Club stock. Citi argued Wall Street estimates for cloud unit Azure next fiscal year may be too low. 7. Club name GE Vernova had its price target lifted to $550 a share from $520 at Bank of America. Analysts now project U.S. electricity demand will grow 2.5% at a compound annual rate over the next decade, boosting demand for GE Vernova's gas turbines. 8. Tons of price target reductions for J.M. Smucker after a terrible quarter that included more write-downs associated with the Hostess acquisition. One outlier: Jefferies upgraded the stock to buy from hold, saying fiscal 2026 is derisked. 9. Citi trimmed its price target on ConocoPhillips to $115 a share from $140, though analysts kept their buy rating on the name because they see a value opportunity. Oil and gas stocks remain terrible here, but pipelines aren't bad. 10. Club name Disney's price target was raised to $125 a share from $120 at Bernstein, which kept its outperform rating on the stock. Maybe this is the end of the roller coaster ride for the stock? Taking full control of Hulu should boost its streaming business. Sign up for my Top 10 Morning Thoughts on the Market email newsletter for free (See here for a full list of the stocks at Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is growing more bullish about quantum computing and he expects they'll start solving real-world problems in the coming years. "Quantum computing is reaching an inflection point," Jensen declared during his keynote speech at Nvidia's GTC Paris developer conference Wednesday. Quantum computers are machines that use the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems too complex for classical computers, which store information in bits (ones and zeroes). Quantum computers use quantum bits, or "qubits," which can be zero, one or something in between the aim being to process much larger volumes of data to facilitate breakthroughs in areas like medicine, science and finance. Quantum has been a buzzy space for investors with the rise of several popular stocks, such as Rigetti Computing and IonQ , which on Monday acquired Oxford Ionics for $1.1 billion. Shares of Rigetti and IonQ were up 4.5% and 3.7% respectively in U.S. premarket trading. Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of Nvidia Corp., speaks during a news conference in Taipei on May 21, 2025. Cheng / AFP) (Photo by I-HWA CHENG/AFP via Getty Images) Nvidia on Wednesday announced a slew of partnerships with European countries and companies spanning infrastructure to software as it looks to keep itself at the center of the global artificial intelligence story. Chief Executive Jensen Huang on Wednesday continued his tour of Europe with a keynote at Nvidia's GTC event in Paris, France, where he laid out some key European partnerships. Nvidia has been keen to position itself as an infrastructure company that can help countries and governments build data centers using its graphics processing units to unlock the potential of AI for local economies and populations. As part of that effort, Huang recently carried out a similar whirlwind trip to the Middle East, where Nvidia is planning to sell its latest chips as part of big data center buildouts in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. "Every industrial revolution begins with infrastructure. AI is the essential infrastructure of our time, just as electricity and the internet once were," Huang said in a Wednesday press release. "Europe has now awakened to the importance of these AI factories, the importance of this AI infrastructure," Huang said during a separate presentation on Wednesday. AI factories is the term Nvidia uses for massive data centers containing its GPUs. Huang added that AI computing capacity in Europe will grow by a factor of 10 in the next two years. The tech giant seeks to expand its international footprint and embed itself in national level AI infrastructure. That push into new markets is even more critical as U.S. export restrictions on Nvidia's most advanced chips have lost the company revenue in China. Nvidia said it is working with country governments, regional cloud and telecommunications firms and technology centers in Europe. One of the key partnerships announced is between Nvidia and French startup Mistral, which will build an "AI cloud" that will deploy 18,000 Nvidia Grace Blackwell chips. This will allow businesses to develop and use AI through Mistral's models, Nvidia said. Nvidia also announced infrastructure projects in Italy and Armenia. Orange and Telefonica are among the telecommunications companies also working with Nvidia in areas such as deploying AI applications and large language models as part of the newly announced deals. In Germany, Nvidia said it is building what it has dubbed as an "industrial cloud" that will feature 10,000 GPUs and will be specifically designed to provide services for European manufacturers. The big focus from Nvidia in Europe is around so-called "sovereign AI," the idea that data centers and servers that are providing services to users in the European Union, are actually located regionally rather than abroad. Nvidia also announced so-called "tech centers" in Europe, which will focus on advanced research, upskilling workforces and accelerating scientific breakthroughs in countries including the U.K., France, Spain and Germany. Nvidia also expanded a product called DGX Cloud Lepton something of a marketplace for GPUs with new cloud providers and integrated it with AI model repository Hugging Face. DGX Cloud Lepton works by allowing developers to access GPUs across the world to run AI applications. Crude oil futures rose more than 4% on Wednesday as tensions escalated between the U.S. and Iran, with President Donald Trump expressing doubt that the two countries will reach a nuclear deal. Brent crude futures rose $2.90, or 4.3%, to close at $69.77 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained $3.17, or 4.9%, to settle at $68.15. The U.S. is preparing to evacuate all non-essential personnel from its embassy in Baghdad, two State Department officials told NBC News without elaborating on the reason. Trump is "committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad," a third State Department official said. "In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies," the official told NBC News. "Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our Mission in Iraq." Meanwhile, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a Royal Navy unit that exchanges information between commercial shippers and military forces, warned of increased tensions in the region that could lead to an "escalation of military activity." Trump said he is losing confidence that the U.S. and Iran can strike a deal over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program that would avoid a war in the region. "They seem to be delaying, and I think that's a shame, but I'm less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago," Trump told the New York Post in a story that published early Wednesday. "Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made." Trump told the Post that Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon, "but it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying." "But I don't think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal," the president said. "I think they would make a mistake, but we'll see. I guess time will tell." Iran's defense minister, meanwhile, warned that U.S. bases in the region are within reach of the Islamic Republic's military, according to the state Islamic Republic News Agency. Tehran would not hesitate to target all U.S. bases in the region, Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh said. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz drinks from a Starbucks mug while testifying before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to answer questions about the company's compliance with labor law on Capitol Hill in Washington., U.S., March 29, 2023. LAS VEGAS Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said Wednesday that he "did a cartwheel" in his living room when current Chief Executive Brian Niccol first coined his "back to Starbucks" strategy. The enthusiasm from the 71-year-old Starbucks chairman emeritus is a key stamp of approval for Niccol as he tries to lift the company's slumping sales and restore the chain's culture. Schultz, who grew Starbucks from a small chain into a global coffee giant, made a surprise appearance at the company's Leadership Experience in Las Vegas and co-signed Niccol's plans. The three-day event has gathered more than 14,000 North American store leaders to hear from Starbucks management as the company embarks on a turnaround. Niccol, 50, took the reins in September, joining the company after the board ousted Laxman Narasimhan, Schultz's handpicked successor. After a rocky start to the year, Starbucks shares have climbed nearly 20% since the beginning of April. They are now trading at around $95.30, just shy of where they closed on Aug. 13, following a nearly 25% jump the day Niccol was named CEO. Schultz had returned in 2022 for his third stint as chief executive, but it was only an interim role. He previously told CNBC that he has no plans to come back again. Schultz no longer holds a formal role within the company, although CNBC has previously reported that he's forever entitled to attend board meetings unless barred by the company's directors. When Schultz stepped down from Starbucks' board in 2023 and assumed the role of chairman emeritus, he was one of the company's largest shareholders. During Niccol's first week on the job, he outlined plans for the comeback in an open letter, making the commitment to get "back to Starbucks." More details on how the chain planned to return to its roots followed in the ensuing months, from bringing back seating inside cafes to writing personalized messages on cups. Under Niccol's leadership, the company's marketing has shifted to focus on its coffee, rather than discounts and promotions. When Starbucks announced Narasimhan's firing and Niccol's hiring, Schultz issued a statement of support, saying that the then-Chipotle CEO was the leader that the company needs. However, the Leadership Experience marks the first time that Niccol and Schultz have appeared publicly together. During Narasimhan's short tenure as CEO, Schultz did not mince words when the company's performance fell short of his expectations. After a dismal quarterly earnings report, he weighed in publicly on LinkedIn, saying the company needs to improve its mobile order and pay experience and overhaul how it creates new drinks to focus on premium items that set it apart. But Schultz said Starbucks' problems went further than just operational issues and lackluster beverages and food. "The culture was not understood. The culture wasn't valued. The culture wasn't being upheld," he said on Wednesday. CNBC's Tom Rotunno contributed to this report. Correction: Schultz does not have to disclose his holdings in Starbucks. An earlier version misstated his status as a shareholder. From left, Cully Cavness, co-founder and operating chief of Crusoe, and Chase Lochmiller, Crusoe's co-founder and CEO, appear at a Kent Denver School event in Englewood, Colo., on April 9, 2025. The two were recognized as distinguished alumni. Cloud infrastructure startup Crusoe, which is helping to build OpenAI's Stargate data center project in Texas, said Wednesday that it has raised a $750 million credit line from Brookfield Asset Management. The new debt will go toward data centers, Nvidia chips and electrical and power generation infrastructure, Crusoe CEO Chase Lochmiller said in an interview. "We're in a very capex-heavy business, which requires having significant and very deep pools of capital to be able to build both what the world needs and what our customers are demanding from us," Lochmiller said. Crusoe is collaborating on one of the largest hubs for running artificial intelligence models, which President Donald Trump announced in January. Over the course of four years, OpenAI and partners including Oracle plan to invest up to $500 billion to construct AI infrastructure. In December, Crusoe touted $600 million in funding with participation from Fidelity, Mubadala and Nvidia . In March it announced a $225 million credit line from Upper90 Capital Management. Last month Crusoe, Blue Owl Capital and Primary Digital Infrastructure disclosed the second phase of a $15 billion joint venture to develop a data center in Abilene, Texas, that will host 400,000 Nvidia graphics processing units. Crusoe is following the lead of other cloud providers focused on AI. Last year CoreWeave , which supplies OpenAI and its partner Microsoft, announced a $650 million credit line, in addition to billions in debt. CoreWeave went public earlier this year, and is currently valued at about $71 billion, having almost quadrupled since its IPO. Unlike CoreWeave, Crusoe builds its own data centers, rather than leasing. Investors valued Crusoe at $2.8 billion in the company's funding round announced in December. "A lot has happened since then," Lochmiller said. In May CoreWeave reported financial results for the first time as a public company, revealing new business from Google and OpenAI and revenue growth of 420%. The company's net loss more than doubled to about $315 million. "Just kind of seeing how public markets reacting to that has been quite positive, and I think that's very encouraging to us in terms of the equity value of our business," Lochmiller said. In addition to CoreWeave, Crusoe faces competition from top cloud providers such as Amazon and smaller players like Lambda and Nebius. Demand for ChatGPT and other OpenAI services remains feverish. On Monday OpenAI said it had reached $10 billion in annualized revenue when excluding one-time deals, up from $5.5 billion in 2024. Founded in 2018, Crusoe is based in Denver, with about 800 employees. Clients include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Together AI and Windsurf. In March, Crusoe said Nydig plans to acquire the startup's bitcoin mining business. WATCH: Blue Owl co-CEO on $15B data center push and venture and AI growth Check out the companies making the biggest moves midday: Oklo The advanced reactor company surged more than 25% after receiving a notice that it will likely win an award to power an Air Force base. Oklo would deploy one of its Aurora powerhouse plants at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. The award is not finalized and Oklo's reactor design has not been approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission yet. GameStop Shares slipped nearly 5% after GameStop posted first-quarter revenue of $732.4 million, down from the $881.8 million figure seen in the same period a year prior. Bread Financial The fintech's stock jumped 5% as key credit indicators showed improvement in May. The company's net loss rate fell to 8.0% from 8.8% in May 2024, while its delinquency rates also improved, easing to 5.7% in May from 5.9% a year ago. Tesla The electric vehicle maker rose 1%, on track for its fourth straight winning day. Shares cratered last week following CEO Elon Musk's online feud with President Donald Trump. Musk said on Wednesday that he regrets some of the social media posts he made regarding Trump. The stock also got a bump after Musk touted the company's robotaxis overnight. Chewy The pet-focused e-commerce retailer tumbled 10% after posting 15 cents in earnings per share for the first quarter, missing the consensus forecast of 20 cents from analysts polled by LSEG. On the other hand, Chewy saw $3.12 billion in revenue, exceeding Wall Street's prediction of $3.08 billion. Quantum computing Quantum computing stocks advanced after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said at a developers conference that the space was reaching an inflection point . Shares of Quantum Computing surged 24%, while Rigetti Computing soared about 17%. Lockheed Martin The defense contractor slumped about 5% after the Pentagon cut its request for new F-35 fighter jets in half, to 24 planes from 48, according to Reuters, citing news first reported by Bloomberg. Sunrun The solar stock dropped nearly 3% after a Jefferies downgrade to underperform from hold. Jefferies said the company could face headwinds if residential solar initiatives do not make the federal budget. Steel stocks Shares of U.S. steelmakers dropped after Bloomberg and Reuters reported, citing sources, that the U.S. and Mexico are nearing a deal to remove Trump's 50% tariffs on steel imports up to a certain volume. Cleveland-Cliffs fell more than 9%, while Nucor and Steel Dynamics dropped more than 5% and 2%, respectively. GitLab The online software developer platform dropped more than 8% after the company issued a disappointing revenue forecast. GitLab sees second-quarter revenue ranging between $226 million and $227 million versus the LSEG consensus estimate of $227 million. Goldman Sachs Shares advanced about 2% after Bank of America highlighted a rosy outlook for the investment bank. Analyst Ebrahim Poonawala noted that Goldman is well positioned to handle a shifting macroeconomic backdrop, saying it has the "proven DNA to adapt to an ever-changing world." BofA has a buy rating on the stock and a $700 price target. Dave & Buster's Shares jumped more than 14% after the company's comparable sales fell less than expected. "We are encouraged by what we are seeing so far in June as results month to date continue to improve," Kevin Sheehan, interim CEO, said in a statement . Social media personality Katie Sturino attends the New York premiere of "It Ends With Us" at at AMC Lincoln Square in New York, August 6, 2024. "My thighs rub together. My boobs sweat. And my B.O. is the worst!" says Katie Sturino on her company's website. "I couldn't find products I loved to address issues like these, so I started Megababe!" Megababe creates and sells "clean" body care products such as deodorant made of coconut and willow bark extract and a shaving stick made of sea moss and ginger root oil. Sturino founded the company in 2017 after working first in public relations then as an influencer, and Megababe products are now sold at major retailers including Target and Walmart. In its eight years, Megababe has grown to a team of 11, says Sturino. When it comes to how she susses out whether someone is a good fit for the team, there's one question she likes to ask above all: "What's the most consistent piece of negative feedback you get?" she tells CNBC Make It. Here's why. 'You can't hide at a small company' Sturino wants "to see your mess," she says, or a candidate's weaknesses. That's because on a team as small as Megababe's, employees' shortcomings can be revealed very quickly. Everyone's working closely together and likely taking on multiple roles. "You can't hide at a small company," she says. The other reason she wants to know what a prospective employee might need help with is so that she can prepare ahead of time. "I need to know on the backend what else I'm going to deal with and how we can help you improve on that," she says. "I'm not scared of that." 'Every single person has a mess' Nobody likes receiving a lazy, thoughtless apology. If you want to be sincere and heartfelt, a basic "I'm sorry" won't cut it, according to Beth Polin, a professor of management at Eastern Kentucky University who studies trust and apologies. "Apologies are really effective, and they don't cost very much," Polin said on a May 27 episode of the "WorkLife with Adam Grant" podcast, adding: "I think people do offer apologies more often than we think, except they're bad apologies." Seventy-three percent of American's sat they've apologized without really meaning it, according to a 2023 Preply study of 2,025 U.S. adults. In her research, Polin found that the most effective apologies contain five components. Grant, a Wharton organizational psychologist and the podcast's host, called them the "5 Rs": Regret: Show the other person that you genuinely wish you made a better decision. Rationale: Explain why you made the decision you made. Responsibility: Take ownership of your wrongdoing, instead of flipping it on the other person. Repentance: Let the other person know you won't make the same mistake again. Repair: Do the work to restore the relationship or trust that was broken. The third one, responsibility, may be the most important of the bunch, said Polin: "Interestingly, if we only include three components in an apology, the acknowledgement of responsibility needs to be one of those three." The following statement to your boss is a poor apology that may come across as insincere, Polin said: "Sorry I was late this morning. I woke up 30 minutes earlier, and still got caught in traffic." Instead of fully blaming the traffic, take some responsibility yourself, even if you think you weren't at fault, she recommended: "I'm so sorry I am late. Traffic was really bad. I should have checked the traffic patterns before I left my house." After apologizing, Polin said, invite the other person to repair any broken trust with a phrase like "Will you forgive me?" or "Are we good" If the other person says they need some time before forgiving you, you've still shown some sincerity and commitment to mending your relationship, she added. Another tip: Stop using the words "if" and "but" in your apologies, New York University professors David Glasgow and Kenji Yoshino wrote for CNBC Make It in March 2023. "When you use "if" to qualify your apologies, you are questioning the recipient's reaction to the wrong, rather than to the wrong itself," they wrote. "When you make an apology that starts with "I'm sorry, but," you not only seek to duck responsibility, but you also suggest the harm could happen again." 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. U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves leaves 10 Downing Street ahead of PMQs in the House of Commons in London, United Kingdom on June 11, 2025. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images U.K. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is delivering the government's Spending Review on Wednesday, with all eyes on how billions of pounds' worth of public money are split between departments and infrastructure projects. We already know that "protected departments" such as health and defense will see big funding boosts but losers could surface among "unprotected" units. Departments like the Home Office and those overseeing local government and the environment could see their budgets squeezed as the government targets cost cutting. Reeves started announcing her Spending Review to the British parliament at 12:30 p.m. London time and we'll update this story with the headline announcements as they're made. "We are renewing Britain," Reeves told lawmakers as she begins her address. "This Government's task, my task as Chancellor and the purpose of this spending review, is to change that," she added. What's being announced The review covers two separate avenues of spending: resource expenses the government's day-to-day running and administration costs for the next three years, as well as capital expenditure for the next four years; this goes toward improving infrastructure and public services such as new roads, hospitals and military equipment. The Treasury has already said that day-to-day spending will rise by an average of 1.2% for each of the three years while investment (capital) spending will increase by an average of 1.3% a year for four years. That "relatively modest" hike in day-to-day and investment spending means "sharp trade-offs are unavoidable," the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank warned ahead of the review. We've already had a raft of announcements from the government in the run-up to Wednesday's spending announcement, detailing some of the money government departments will receive, ranging from science and housing investment to defense and education. Here's what Reeves has been announcing to lawmakers on Wednesday, and what we already knew: Defense The government has already announced that defense spending is set to rise from 2.3% of gross domestic product (GDP) to 2.5% by 2027, with the boost funded partly by cuts to the overseas aid budget. Under pressure from the U.S. and NATO to increase defense spending to a potential 5% of GDP, Reeves on Wednesday announced that defense spending will now rise to 2.6% of GDP by April 2027. The U.K.'s defense plans include building 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines, a boost to the manufacturing of drone, missiles and munitions, as well as bolstering of cyber warfare capabilities. Health After defense, the health service was also set to get a big funding boost as one of the government's main spending priorities, although we were waiting to see the extent of the funding boost the National Health Service (NHS) received. On Wednesday, Reeves announced what she described as "a record cash investment in our NHS" increasing real-terms, day-to-day spending by 3% per year for every year of the spending review. That's an extra 29 billion per year for the day to day running of the NHS, she said. A queue of ambulances outside the Royal London Hospital emergency department on Nov. 24, 2022, in London. In the U.K., the number of "economically inactive" people those neither working nor looking for a job between the ages of 16 and 64 rose by more than 630,000 since 2019. Leon Neal/Getty Images Science and tech The Treasury has already previewed several largescale infrastructure investments in the run-up to the Wednesday announcement, saying it will allocate 86 billion to fund research and development in the science and tech industries over the next four years, with the aim of boosting growth and innovation. That money will fund research ranging from "new drug treatments and longer lasting batteries to new AI breakthroughs," the government said. Housing The Treasury on Tuesday night announced that Rachel Reeves will unveil a 39 billion boost to social and affordable housing investment in the spending review. Access to state-subsidized social housing, or low-cost new homes, is a particular bugbear for many voters struggling to find affordable places to live. Schools Free school meals in schools will be expanded to more than 500,000 children whose parents receive a welfare payment known as Universal Credit, which is available to those who are on a low income, unemployed or unable to work. Previously, children outside of London were only been eligible for free school meals if their household income was less than 7,400 per year. Justice and Policing Reeves announced a 7 billion investment to fund 14,000 new prison places and said the government would put up to 700 million per year into the reform of the probation system. Police patrol across Westminster Bridge toward the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017 after the bridge reopened to traffic following its closure during the March 22 terror attack. Adrian Dennis | AFP | Getty Images She announced she would increase police spending power by an average 2.3% per year in real terms over the spending review period, equating to more than 2 billion over the next few years. An additional 13,000 police officers, police community support officers and special constables will be put into policing roles across England and Wales, she added. Transport Transport networks outside of the capital London will get a funding boost of 15.6 billion, focusing on the North and Midlands areas of the country. London hasn't been forgotten, with Reeves announcing a four-year settlement for the Transport for London network "to provide certainty and stability for our largest local transport network to plan for the future." She further set out "a fourfold increase in local transport grants [capital grants] by the end of this parliament," in 2029. Nuclear energy The government has said it will invest just over 14 billion in building new nuclear power station, Sizewell C, as well as 2.5 billion on smaller modular reactors. It noted the move would create 10,000 jobs and "deliver clean power to millions of homes, cut energy bills and boost energy security." No fiscal announcements UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel on Wednesday told CNBC that the share price of potential takeover target Commerzbank is currently too prohibitively expensive for a merger deal. UniCredit has built a surprise stake in Commerzbank of 28% since September through derivatives and has the European Central Bank's authorization to hold up to 29.9% in the lender. When asked by CNBC's Annette Weisbach whether the Italian bank would proceed with an acquisition offer at premium to Commerzbank's current share value, Orcel said, "At this [share] level, we would not see value for our investors. Actually, we would not, we are very happy for the gain we've had on the 30[% stake], but we wouldn't see value for our investors." Shares of the German bank, which has battled the specter of a takeover since September, have surged 76% in the year to date, benefitting from a broader rally of German equities following Berlin's pivot to relax some fiscal rules and facilitate higher defense spend earlier this year. Orcel stressed that UniCredit is presently "far away" from a merger bid with Commerzbank and would first seek a "constructive solution" to opposition from the German government. "Secondly, in our opinion the share price has gone well beyond the fundamentals. There is a lot of activity which is directed at keeping the share price at higher level than you see every day, but we're patient," Orcel said. The U.S. and China have reached an agreement on trade, representatives from both sides said after a second day of high-level talks in London, with the deal now awaiting a nod from the leaders of the two countries. "We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus and the call between the two presidents," U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters. That echoed comments to reporters from Li Chenggang, China's international trade representative and a vice minister at China's Commerce Ministry. U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone late last week, stabilizing what had become a fraught relationship with both countries accusing each other of violating the Geneva trade agreement. At a meeting in Switzerland in mid-May, the world's two largest economies had agreed to a 90-day suspension of tariffs added in April, and a rollback of certain other measures. Lutnick said he and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will head back to Washington, D.C., to "make sure President Trump approves" the deal outline. If Xi also agrees, then "we will implement the framework," Lutnick said. The fact that the two sides will now brief their leaders "is a clear sign that some disagreements or unresolved details still require internal discussion," said Jianwei Xu, senior economist at Natixis. The framework agreement signals a commitment to de-escalate and continue the dialogue process, but whether it will lead to "concrete agreements or substantive breakthroughs" continues to be uncertain, he said. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Wednesday that U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports will not change from their current levels, even as a trade deal between Washington and Beijing has yet to be finalized. Asked on CNBC's "Money Movers" if the current U.S. tariffs on China are not going to shift again, Lutnick replied, "You can definitely say that." President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post Wednesday morning that U.S. duties on China will total 55% but a White House official told CNBC soon after that that figure is not new. Rather, it comprises the existing 30% blanket U.S. tariffs on China, plus the 25% tariffs on specific products that also were already in place, the official said. Trump sent his all-caps post hours after Lutnick and other trade negotiators for the two economic superpowers concluded high-level talks in London. The president said the deal is "done," but added that it is still "subject to final approval" between himself and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump said China's tariffs on the U.S. will stay at 10%, where they have stood since both sides agreed last month to temporarily pare back retaliatory duties on each others' goods. That 90-day reprieve came after initial talks in Geneva that yielded a tentative de-escalation on tariffs but left other key sticking points unclear. With market volatility expected to continue through the summer, investors should consider cushioning their portfolios with income-generating assets, Wells Fargo Investment Institute said in its mid-year outlook. In fact, income generation is one of the firm's top five portfolio ideas for the rest of 2025. While the Treasury market has been rocky lately, fixed-income assets are offering a steady stream of cash flow, said Tracie McMillion, head of Wells Fargo's global asset allocation strategy. "Cash coming into a portfolio can be very important to income investors in particular, but it provides all investors with optionality," she said during a panel discussion Tuesday on the bank's investment outlook. 'Fireworks' this summer Wells Fargo expects limited upside for stocks this year and a recovery in 2026 , with the S & P 500 reaching 6,500 by the end of 2026. However, the path from here will be choppy and will likely include a 5% to 10% pullback due to several headwinds this summer, according to the firm. "There's a lot of news events and pretty material market-moving news events that all are going to converge in the months of July and August," said Darrell Cronk, president of Wells Fargo Investment Institute and chief investment officer for Wells Fargo's wealth and management division. "That's going to lead to, no pun intended, some fireworks that we think markets are going to have to digest." Notably, the pause on most of President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs is due to expire in July, with China's pause lifting in August. In addition, Trump has said he wants his " big, beautiful bill " of tax cuts on his desk by July 1. The legislation, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit ovet the next 10 years, was passed by the House last month and is now before the Senate. Finding income To generate cash flow, Wells Fargo prefers intermediate-term fixed income assets, since short- and long-term bonds could be hurt by both future Federal Reserve monetary policy as well as fiscal policy, McMillion said. "As the yields on shorter maturities may fall faster than on longer maturities, we believe the best opportunities are in the intermediate space (five- to seven-year maturities), offering attractive income and exposing investors to less volatility than longer-dated maturities," she wrote in the outlook. One area the bank likes is investment-grade corporate bonds. For example, iShares 5-10 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF has a 30-day SEC yield of 5.32% and an expense ratio of 0.04%. Within investment-grade corporates, it favors telecom issuers, financials and utilities. Wells Fargo also likes residential mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities. Municipal bonds also present a good opportunity for investors, particularly general obligation bonds and essential service revenue bonds, said Brian Rehling, head of global fixed income strategy. VTEB YTD mountain Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond ETF year to date For one, yields are attractive, especially when their tax advantage is taken into account. Income on munis is free of federal tax and, if the bondholder lives in the same state where the bond was issued, exempt from state tax, too. For example, the Bloomberg Municipal bond index currently yields 4.05%. Assuming the highest tax-bracket of 37%, that implies a taxable equivalent yield of about 6.43%, Wells Fargo said. Plus, while there has been some concern that the muni tax exemption could be eliminated or cut back as Congress looks for ways to offset the Trump administration's proposed tax cuts, Wells Fargo believes that is "extraordinarily unlikely." "[It] actually offers an opportunity for investors to get in at a little bit more attractive valuations," Rehling said. Diversifying beyond bonds Investors may also consider diversifying into other asset classes, like dividend stocks in some of the sectors Wells Fargo favors, McMillion said. Wells Fargo's most recommended equity sector is energy, which tends to pay a lot of income. For instance, the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund has a 30-day SEC yield of 3.31% and an expense ratio of 0.08%. Among the other sectors the firm is favorable on are utilities and financials, which also pay high dividends. XLE YTD mountain Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund year to date Within energy and utilities, midstream energy, electric utilities and independent power and renewable electric producers "can benefit from strong fundamental positioning while leveraging secular growth in power demand," Wells Fargo said in its outlook. "The leaders in these industries own and operate some of the most difficult-to-replicate assets on the planet, including long interstate pipelines and nuclear power plants," Wells Fargo said. "These companies do not have meaningful direct exposure to commodity prices, but rather, benefit from the long-term growth in energy demand from data centers, electrification and reshoring of specific industries." Lastly, direct lending, a subset of private debt, offers the most attractive yields and can be a good way to add income for qualified investors who meet financial thresholds, McMillion said. The yield on the Cliffwater Direct Lending Index , an asset-weighted index of approximately 14,800 directly originated middle-market loans, was 11% as of December 31, 2024, she noted. European defense companies have seen a monumental rise in value this year, as a regional push to ramp up military spending sparks a bull run on the sector. Strategists, analysts and industry leaders spoke to CNBC about the outlook for the industry. The sector has seen several stocks more than double in value in just six months but it now faces a shortage of rare earth minerals. Experts were divided on whether the sector has reached its peak as some analysts told CNBC they see more upside ahead, while others said the supply bottleneck could frustrate the sector's progress. Regional defense stocks were in positive territory on Wednesday, with the Stoxx Europe Aerospace and Defense index around 0.6% higher after climbing down from larger gains seen in early trade. Over the course of 2025, the index has gained around 45%. Momentum 'remains firmly in place' Loredana Muharremi, equity analyst at Morningstar, told CNBC on Wednesday that regardless of supply chain constraints, there was still upside ahead for the European defense sector. "While rare earth bottlenecks are a material supply chain risk, we do not believe they are sufficient on their own to trigger a correction in European defense stocks," she said in an email. "Most of the sector's rerating has been driven by structural demand growth tied to multi-year procurement cycles, rising NATO budgets, and renewed national rearmament efforts momentum that remains firmly in place." However, Loredana noted that rare earths and other critical raw materials are becoming a growing strategic vulnerability. This is of particular concern for high-performance systems such as radar, missiles, precision-guided munitions, and propulsion technologies. Europe sourced almost 90% of its yttrium in 2023 a rare earth element used in the manufacturing of fighter jets, land vehicles and targeting systems from China, according to Morningstar. "A prolonged period of import restrictions could begin to affect production schedules," Muharremi said, adding that prospects of diplomatic engagement between China and EU mitigate the likelihood of any severe supply shocks. Wednesday's positive momentum among Europe's defense stocks marks a reversal from a three-day sell-off, which culminated in the index shedding 3% as investors awaited news from high stakes U.S.-China trade talks in London. At the center of the talks was Chinese export controls over rare earth minerals, which are critical in the manufacturing of defense technologies . Following a second day of negotiations, it was announced that Washington and Beijing's representatives had reached an agreement, which would be put before their respective presidents for approval. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters Chinese restrictions on rare earths were "fundamental" to the agreement. Speaking to CNBC's Charlotte Reed on Wednesday, Thales CEO Patrice Caine said the situation was gradually improving, while warning that supply tensions could affect areas like mechanical parts and electronic boards. However, he downplayed the direct impact an ongoing bottleneck would have on Thales' operations. "It's much lower down in our supply chain, so it's not directly visible to us," Caine explained. "Of course, if we lack these key resources at one stage it will impact us, but for the moment it's much too low in the supply chain to be visible and have any impact on what we do at the other end." French defense giant Thales, which supplies companies and governments with defense technology, has seen its shares jump around 80% so far this year. Back in March, Caine told CNBC planned defense spend hikes in Europe ought to remain in the region and benefit companies native to the bloc. 'Hard to see' another big boost for sector Maximilian Uleer, Deutsche Bank's head of European equity and cross asset strategy, is cautious on the sector, regardless of what happens to the supply of rare earth minerals. "European [defense] stocks increasingly reflect higher spending plans," he said in a Friday note, pointing out that the average price to earnings ratio in the sector had moved much higher since the beginning of the year. Uleer added that markets were expecting military alliance NATO to propose its members commit to spending 5% of their GDP on defense a notion touted by U.S. President Donald Trump that has had a divided response from European leaders at its upcoming summit. "The biggest spender, Germany, has already announced a plan to invest accordingly This could support further inflows [to the sector] short term," he said. "But apart from that, it is hard to see how the NATO summit could beat expectations and what the next driver for the Defence sector will be. We see limited upside for the sector in H2." Aymeric Gastaldi, international equities portfolio manager at Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management, disagreed, arguing that the long-term outlook has "fundamentally changed" for the sector. "The combination of growth and visibility commands a structurally higher multiple for the whole sector," he told CNBC in an email on Wednesday. Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management expects sales of European defense to grow by more than 150% over the next seven years. "The sector will benefit from the rise of defense spending from < 2% GDP to +3%, the rise of equipment spending within the overall mix from 35% currently to 40%-50%, and the willingness of European countries to source more of their spending locally," Gastaldi explained. "Now, Germany is contemplating boosting its military spending towards 5% of GDP by 2032. This is a sea change." Having pared some of the gains seen in the wake of a European commitment to ramp up defense spending , the regional Aerospace and Defense index is now up by around 45% since the beginning of the year. Some of the regional defense giants, however, have seen much steeper year-to-date rallies. Tank parts maker Renk has soared around 270% so far this year, while arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has surged 172% and defense tech giant Hensoldt is up by 163%. German players have been major beneficiaries of the bullish sentiment toward the sector, thanks to the country's historic debt reform in March that paved the way for greater spending on national security. Short term, Edmond de Rothschild's Gastaldi conceded that there could be some tactical sell-off as investors questioned whether the sector had peaked. "However, in the long-term we still see value in the space, and in a context of low economic growth, companies that are able to post high and robust earnings growth will trade on [a] much higher multiple than the market," he said. Mark Boggett, CEO of Seraphim Space, which manages a space tech investment fund, also told CNBC he did not believe regional defense stocks had reached their peak. "Global defence priorities are undergoing a fundamental, structural transformation," he argued. "Governments worldwide are not only maintaining but also accelerating investments in sovereign space capabilities, recognizing the critical strategic importance of space-based infrastructure for national security." He pointed to Trump's recently announced $1 trillion defense budget that would include a so-called "Golden Dome" missile defense system , as well as the European Union's plans to mobilize up to 800 billion euros ($917.5 billion) for defense spending. The Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which caught fire off the Kerala coast on June 9, 2025, continues to drift within the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Indian Coast Guard (ICG), along with the Indian Navy and salvage teams, is engaged in intensive firefighting operations to contain the blaze and prevent an ecological disaster.The vessel, carrying 2,128 metric tonnes of fuel and hazardous cargo, poses an environmental risk. While the fire has been largely contained, smoke persists, and flames remain active in inner decks near fuel tanks. Authorities fear a potential oil spill, which could impact marine life and coastal ecosystems.Efforts to tow the vessel away from the coast are underway. In an operation on June 11, an ICG helicopter winched five salvage experts onto the burning ship to facilitate the towing process. Despite challenging sea conditions, the vessel is now under control.The crisis began at 9:20 AM IST on June 9, when an explosion ignited a fire on the 270-meter MV Wan Hai 503 , approximately 130 nautical miles northwest of Kochi. The ship, en route from Colombo to Nhava Sheva, was carrying 2,000 tonnes of fuel oil and 240 tonnes of diesel, raising fears of an oil spill and further escalation.Authorities are closely monitoring the situation, with five ICG ships, two Dornier aircraft, and one helicopter actively engaged in the operation. The Indian Air Force has also been requested to provide additional aerial support. India is considering an offer from the Russian government to collaborate on manufacturing SU-57 fighters. However, deliberations come as part of larger discussions on how to bridge gaps in Indias air preparedness and no decision has been taken as yet.The Defence Ministry had announced a new execution model for the fifth-generation fighter program to encourage the participation of foreign and domestic private companies and provide them a level playing field with Indian PSUs.Sources said the government is likely to issue a request for proposal for the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) program next week, which will be followed by the first pre-bid meeting in 15 days. The government may then invite bids in 45 days.As the development of an AMCA takes many years, the government is also looking at ways to meet the immediate need of the Air Force for the fifth-generation fighter jetsSources added that the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme is expected to be issued next week. The Centre is also evaluating proposals from Safran and Rolls-Royce for developing fifth-generation fighter jet engines.One of the reasons the government is actively considering Russia's proposal is that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) already has a SU-30 production line in Nashik. Secondly, the government is looking at ways to develop and manufacture fifth-generation fighter jet engines in India. Thirdly, the government has received proposals from Safran and Rolls-Royce to provide 100% technology transfer.The government is deploying a three-pronged strategy to meet gaps in its fighter jet program. This came after Air Chief AP Singh said India needs 35-40 fighter jets per year. So, there was a plan in terms of near-term measures, medium-term measures, and long-term measures that were recommended.Just a few months back, during an interview, the Defence Secretary had said that they have submitted a report to meet the gaps and the needs of the Air Force.The Firstpost reported that the Russian proposal includes a transfer of technology, which allows India to customise the aircraft with indigenous systems like AESA radars, avionics, and weaponry. The proposal now aligns with the government's 'Make in India' initiative.India's fighter jet force is aging and dwindling and only 31 combat squadrons are currently operational against the authorised strength of 42, MoneyControl reported. On the other hand, China has acquired 435 fighter and ground attack aircraft over the last decade, while India has lost 151. This has called for an urgent need to ensure regional air dominance.During the India Today Conclave 2025, Russian ambassador to India Denis Alipov claimed that the Su-57 is the best combat aircraft currently flying. He added that Russia has already offered the same to the Indian Air Force (IAF) along with the possibility of setting up a joint production facility."We're offering our fifth-generation fighter. We have the best machinethe Su-57. We just showed it, displayed it at Aero India last month in Bangalore (Bengaluru) and it performed, and you know, stole the show. It is very competitive; we are offering not only to sell but to co-produce. We offer technology sharing, we offer... you know industry with the creation of necessary industrial facilities for the production of this. We are open to configuration changes. So this is a very lucrative deal that we offer to India," Alipov had asserted.It was during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with US President Donald Trump that the latter made public his plans to "pave the way" for India to buy F-35 stealth fighters. The F-35 is a fifth-generation multi-role fighter with advanced sensors, AI-based combat systems, and stealth technology. It is also one of the costliest options on the market, as it is priced at $80 million per aircraft. The fire aboard the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503 is largely contained but not yet fully extinguished, according to Defence sources on Wednesday. The vessel, located 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal in Keralas Kannur district, remains stable despite a slight tilt of 10 to 15 degrees to its port side.Recent rainfall in the region is believed to have assisted firefighting efforts. A Coast Guard Dornier aircraft, delayed earlier by adverse weather, is now airborne, conducting an aerial assessment of the situation, with further updates anticipated upon its return.Of the 22 crew members aboard, 18 have been rescued by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. However, four remain missingtwo Taiwanese, one Myanmar national, and one Indonesianand search operations continue.Among the rescued, five sustained injuries: two are in critical condition, stabilised onboard INS Surat and transferred to AJ Hospital in Kuntikana via the New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) Coast Guard berth at Panambur, while three others have minor injuries. Twelve additional crew members experienced trauma but are otherwise unharmed.The crisis began at around 9:20 AM IST on June 9, 2024, when an explosion ignited a fire on the 270-meter MV Wan Hai 503, approximately 130 nautical miles northwest of Kochi. The ship, en route from Colombo to Nhava Sheva, was carrying 2,000 tonnes of fuel oil and 240 tonnes of diesel in tanks near the fire zone, raising fears of an oil spill and escalation of the ongoing blaze.Its cargo includes hazardous cargo, materials like pesticides, paint, enamel varnish, resin solution, and environmentally hazardous substances. These are considered Class 3 flammable liquids, Class 4.1 flammable solids, and Class 4.6 toxic substances.materials like pesticides, paint, enamel varnish, resin solution, and environmentally hazardous substances, heightening environmental risks off Keralas coast.The blaze, fuelled by these materials, has raised concerns about environmental damage along the Kerala coast, with an estimated 10-15 containers lost overboard. The vessel departed Colombo on June 7 and was due in Mumbai by June 10.The Indian Navy diverted INS Surat to the scene, while the Coast Guard deployed ICGS Rajdoot, Arnvesh, and Sachet for firefighting and rescue operations. Additional support, including the ship Samarth with a salvage master, is en route. The Directorate General of Shipping has directed the ships owners to engage SMIT Salvage and provide bi-hourly updates, including cargo details.The Singapore Flag Administration has been informed, and coordination among stakeholders continues. Taiwans government expressed gratitude to the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, hoping for the missing crews safe return and the injureds recovery. Chinese Embassy spokesperson Yu Jing also commended Indias swift response. Chinese stocks rose on Wednesday, after the worlds two largest economies agreed on a plan to reduce trade tensions following a two-day meeting in London.The onshore benchmark CSI 300 Index gained as much as 1.2%, the most in nearly a month, while a gauge of Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong rose as much as 1% to the highest since March. Both measures were among the best performers in Asia.The US and China agreed to a preliminary deal on implementing the consensus reached in Geneva. Full details of the pact werent immediately available, and officials from both nations said they will take the proposal back to their respective leaders for approval.While we dont have an actual deal yet, we do have something that could be classed as progress, which combined with the constructive post-meeting rhetoric from both sides may be just enough to keep tariff worries at bay for the time being, said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade in Sydney.Talks in London came after the US and China accused each other of reneging on a deal reached in May in Geneva, where they tried to start dialing back the trade war.Ahead of the talks, China granted approval to some applications for the export of rare earths. Boeing Co. has also begun shipping commercial jets to China for the first time since early April, indicating a reopening of trade flows.While the US appeared to take the lead in reviving trade talks, China may have quietly secured the upper hand, said Hebe Chen, an analyst at Vantage Markets in Melbourne. Beijing not only cemented the Geneva framework as a worst-case fallback, but also weaponized its dominance in rare earths to shift the negotiating balance.Hopes that the talks will help ease tensions and pave the way for a deal between the two nations have spurred a rebound in Chinese shares in recent weeks. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index entered a bull market on Monday and the MSCI China Index was on course to see the same milestone on Wednesday.Global investor sentiment toward China is improving, with increased willingness to add positions in Chinese equities and greater conviction in the new consumption and tech spaces, Morgan Stanley strategists including Laura Wang wrote in a recent note. Travel interest in the Philippines has surged among Indian tourists following the country's recent decision to allow visa-free entry for Indian nationals. According to data released by visa processing platform Atlys, travel searches for the Southeast Asian nation from India rose by 28% after the policy was announced.The new visa policy permits Indian travellers to enter the Philippines without a visa for stays of up to 14 days. Prior to the announcement, the Philippines ranked as the eighth most searched Southeast Asian destination on the Atlys platform. However, it has since jumped to third place, now trailing only Thailand and Indonesia., it swiftly climbed to third place, trailing only Thailand and Indonesia. The sudden repositioning underscores the significant impact visa accessibility can have on destination interest, particularly within India's fast-growing outbound travel market," the company said in a statement on Tuesday.Atlys anticipates the trend will continue, projecting a sustained increase in demand of between 20 and 30 per cent over the coming months.The removal of visa restrictions has clearly lowered the friction for planning travel. With this policy shift, it's no longer a distant consideration, it's an immediate contender, said Mohak Nahta, founder and CEO of Atlys.The platforms data indicates that much of the recent interest in the Philippines is being driven by couples and honeymooners, who account for 42 per cent of all related searches. Solo travellers follow at 27 per cent, with the bulk of interest originating from major metropolitan areas such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.Families represent another 21 per cent of the searches, with many planning multi-destination itineraries that include beach destinations such as Palawan and Cebu, paired with city experiences in Manila.There has also been a noticeable rise in searches from first-time international travellers. According to Atlys, many of these individuals previously hesitated to plan overseas trips due to visa-related barriers but are now considering the Philippines as a feasible option. Moreover, Air India has announced non-stop flights between Delhi and Manila starting October 1, 2025, which would enhance connectivity and convenience for Indian tourists. The Philippine senators voted on Tuesday to return the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte to the lower House of Representatives to clarify its constitutionality.In February, Sara Duterte was impeached by the lower house for several accusations, including large-scale corruption and plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte has firmly denied all allegations.Following heated debates among members, including efforts by a Duterte friend to dismiss the case, the senators opted not to end the trial but to send it back to the lower house to ensure the procedure was constitutional.As many as 18 senators voted to return the case to the House, while five senators opposed the move. Activists protested outside the Senate, condemning Senate President Chiz Escudero and other senators who voted to send back the impeachment complaint.According to a report in The Washington Post, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who has demanded an immediate trial, said, There is no `remand or `return in the constitution. Our obligation is to try and decide.Many legislators who supported Duterte's impeachment were Marcos' political allies. Supporters of the vice president have stated that legislators violated the constitution and congressional regulations to impeach her and prevent her from competing for president in 2028 when Marcos' six-year term expires.I think we have upheld our oath to be politically neutral, said Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, a Duterte supporter who introduced the move to return the case to the house, Reuters reported.The trial will officially begin, according to senators, who summoned Duterte to respond to the charges, despite sending the case back to the lower house until a newly formed Congress is willing and ready to pursue the impeachment complaint. She will have ten days to comply while a new Congress will meet at the end of July.Late on Tuesday, Duterte's office reiterated an earlier statement that she was prepared to expose the baselessness of the accusations.The impeachment process must never be weaponised to harass, silence, or eliminate political opponents, it said.According to a report in the South China Morning Post, Marcos has separated his office from the impeachment proceedings. When asked about his views at a press briefing in Kuala Lumpur on May 27, he said, How many times do I have to say that? I didnt want impeachment. All my allies in Congress did not file an impeachment complaint [against her]. So, why do I have to keep explaining that I did not want impeachment?Duterte is the daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who was arrested in March and flown to the Netherlands to face charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Council of Europes MONEYVAL will hold a joint plenary session in Strasbourg on June 12 and 13, aimed at reinforcing global efforts against money laundering and terrorist financing.The meeting, chaired by FATF President Elisa de Anda Madrazo and MONEYVAL Chair Nicola Mucciolo, will bring together over 200 jurisdictions and organisations under the FATF Global Network.over Pakistans rising defence budget and its alleged failure to deliver on FATF commitments. According to a Moneycontrol report on May 23, the Indian government is preparing a detailed dossier to highlight Pakistans delays in passing anti-terror laws, continued sheltering of designated terrorists, and potential diversion of multilateral development aid for military use.During his recent visit to Washington, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri discussed the FATF process with US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender. The talks focused on enhancing collaboration within international financial institutions, and India's push to re-list Pakistan on FATFs grey list due to its alleged role in cross-border terror financing.On June 10, P akistan unveiled its FY26 budget, raising defence expenditure by 20% to $9 billion, while cutting overall federal spending by 7%. The move has drawn some criticism, particularly in the context of continued international support for Pakistan.Earlier this month, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) also approved an $800 million financing package for Pakistan. India has strongly opposed both, citing concerns over weak reforms, declining tax-to-GDP ratios and the risk of financial aid fuelling militarisation.In May, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a $1 billion loan and is evaluating another $1.3 billion under its Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).Indian officials argue that continued bailouts without accountability risk enabling state-sponsored terrorism and destabilising global financial integrity.Pakistan has previously been placed on FATFs grey list three times: from 20082010, 20122015, and most recently from 2018 to 2022. The latest listing was initiated by the United States and supported by the UK, France, and Germany over significant lapses in counter-terrorist financing measures.Re-listing can restrict foreign investment, increase borrowing costs, and lead to closer scrutiny by global lenders. Following the two-day plenary, FATF-style regional bodies will convene on June 14 for a high-level dialogue to strengthen global cooperation and oversight mechanisms. 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. As much as enterprise IT executives complain today about the sky-high cost of generative AI (genAI) model access, some fear those costs will skyrocket in the next couple of years. Why? The theory is that the large language model (LLM) makers will wait until their code has become such an integral part of the enterprise environment that unraveling it and starting over with a different model will be cost-prohibitive. Once that happens, genAI firms will pretty much have their customers over an LLM barrel. Manuel Kistner, the CEO of software development group New Gravity, recently wrote on LinkedIn about those potential genAI price hikes. But has he ever had two spaghetti meals in one day? Its no secret that five of the most beloved, profitable and cromulent cartoon characters in the history of pop-culture were thrown together at the last minute. Matt Groening famously scrapped his pitch for a series of Life in Hell animated shorts in order to retain the rights to those characters, and quickly cobbled together a new idea for a wacky family conveniently named after his own relatives. In retrospect, since Groening had a mother named Marge, a father named Homer, a grandfather named Abe and two sisters named Lisa and Maggie, does that mean that Bart Simpson was based on lil Matt? Well, not exactly. As weve mentioned before, the Bart Simpson character was inspired by Groenings disappointment with the Dennis the Menace sitcom, and his fascination with Eddie Haskell, Wally Cleavers sociopathic best friend on Leave It to Beaver. Plus, it turns out that another Simpsons character is really a better representation of Groenings youth. Don't Miss Groening just accepted the Honorary Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France. After examining the secrets of the shows longevity, as Deadline reported, Groening made a startling admission while discussing Barts origins. Ill let you into a little secret, the cartoonist told the crowd, Je suis Milhouse. Obviously Milhouse wasnt named after Groening, or even a member of his family, but rather, after Richard Nixons middle name. And clearly the look of Barts best friend wasnt patterned off of a young Matt Groening, it was based on writer Rob Cohen. But the Simpsons creators childhood does sound as though it aligns more with Milhouse the dorky outcast than Bart the mischievous rebel in some ways. I felt misunderstood at school, Groening once explained in an interview. I couldnt understand why stuff that brought me such joy could annoy so many teachers. I drew comic strips and they ripped them up. Advertisement Groening was also a dedicated reader of science fiction, which later influenced his work on Futurama. But those nerdy pursuits did lead him to getting punished like Bart. Reportedly, in addition to having his cartoons confiscated and destroyed in school, Groening was forced to write out I must be quiet in class 500 times on a blackboard on at least one occasion. Which sounds familiar He also ran for student body president in high school on the Teens for Decency ticket, and actually won. Bart similarly ran for school office, with a memorable campaign strategy. Advertisement Advertisement Not to mention how it was Bart who once created his own cartoon series: Advertisement So contrary to his recent speech, certain aspects of both Milhouse and Bart were seemingly informed by Groenings childhood. And after decades of receiving giant checks from Fox, he can probably draw on his life experience for Mr. Burns now as well. As The Conners approached its final episodes, producers may have reached out to the star responsible for its very existence. They called me and asked me if I would like to come back as a guest star, Roseanne Barr claims in the new documentary, Roseanne Is America, per People. Youre coming back as a ghost. Barr, as you might expect, reacted like a classy lady. Youre asking me to come back to the show that you fucking stole from me and killed my ass, she allegedly responded. And now you want me to show up because you got shit fucking ratings and play a ghost. Despite the invitation, Barr politely declined due to a prior engagement. Im gonna be bowling that fucking week, she informed producers. Don't Miss Roseanne being Roseanne, her ghost story might be the apocryphal musings of an unreliable narrator. Producers for The Conners didnt respond when People reached out to them for a comment, although executive producer Bruce Helford previously told The Wrap he couldnt 100 percent rule out a ghost story despite we arent bringing anybody back from the dead. Barr is still plenty angry about her dismissal from the Roseanne revival. Despite the sitcoms success, ABC made the decision to part ways with Barr after she made Ambien-fueled tweets comparing Barack Obama Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett to the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes. The network called those remarks abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values and cancelled Roseanne before reviving the sitcom as the Barr-less The Conners. Producers, however, did have to explain what happened to the comedys original matriarch. Instead of sending Roseanne off to the Iowa Writers Workshop, they chose a path that created potential ghost plots for the future. Within three weeks, they revived the show as The Conners, and of course, they killed off my character Roseanne in an opioid overdose, Barr complained in the documentary. Which was staggering because Glenn Quinn, who played Beckys husband, actually died of an opioid overdose. Roseanne Is America is just the latest vehicle for Barr to express her anger over the end of Roseanne. In the past, shes also blamed co-star Sara Gilbert for not taking her side. After Gilbert distanced herself from Barrs hate-filled tweets, Barr alleged that it was Gilberts apologies that got Roseanne canceled. Barr told Megyn Kelly that Gilbert and ABC executives were sending a message over the airwaves because they knew I had mental health issues. I thought they wanted me to kill myself. Advertisement Despite the absence of Barr, The Conners became a long-running hit on its own, lasting for seven seasons and more than 100 episodes. In fact, in its final year, its shit fucking ratings made The Conners ABCs most-watched comedy. When the Paddys Pub Gang spent a week volunteering at Willard R. Abbott Elementary School, their antics werent all as kid-friendly as the first book Charlie Kelly ever read. On Wednesday, July 9th, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia will return from its longest-ever hiatus with a Season 17 premiere that will feature the cast of Abbott Elementary in the much-anticipated, TV-MA conclusion to the crosstown crossover. Back in January, the Abbott Elementary mid-season premiere Volunteers first merged the two Philadelphian sitcom universes, and fans of both shows were pleasantly surprised by how The Gang managed to reign in their degeneracy just enough to appeal to ABC audiences without losing their edge. Well, when Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia gets their turn with the crossover, no broadcast TV shushers will be able to censor the depravity that The Gang will unleash on the poor public school staffers. One such teacher, Abbott Elementary star Chris Perfetti, who plays Jacob Hill on the feel-good critical darling, recently spoke to Collider about the crossover and promised that the Always Sunny premiere is obviously the R-rated version of what happened. Don't Miss God willing, someones gonna hang dong. In Volunteers, Perfettis Jacob takes Charlie Kelly under his wing and quickly realizes that, despite his claims to the contrary, the Paddys Pub janitor is an adult illiterate. Jacob and his fellow teachers band together to help Charlie reach a kindergarten-level of reading comprehension before his court-ordered community service concludes. The school even honors Charlie with a graduation ceremony as he joins the hallowed ranks of childrens book readers. Im always surprised by how much pathos our show can hold. Its obviously first and foremost a comedy, but I just really loved that moment, Perfetti said of Charlies achievement in language studies. I thought that because we were jamming with those guys that we were really going to milk as much comedy out of the episode as we could, but we still managed to make it moving and meaningful. I love that. Advertisement As for how It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia will re-tell the events of that fateful week from The Gangs perspective, Perfetti cant wait for us to see whats in store. That was such a gorgeous opportunity to show sides of these characters that we dont get to show on ABC or on network TV, Perfetti said of the freedom that Always Sunny afforded the Abbott cast. So Im just thrilled about it. I love all of them so much, Im such a big fan of the show that theyve made and who they are individually. It was a dream come true. Depending on what Dennis was doing while he was avoiding the diegetic camera crew, that dream may end up being a nightmare. The Gang may have embarked on several side projects throughout Its Always Sunny in Philadelphias 20-year run, but not all of them have achieved Golden God status, according to Glenn Howerton. During a recent stop by Hot Ones Versus, the Dennis Reynolds actor revealed, under the threat of some very spicy chicken wings, who, between himself and his FXX co-stars, Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day, had created the best work outside of Paddys Pub. Specifically tasked with comparing McElhenneys Apple TV+ series Mythic Quest, the Pacific Rim franchise, which heavily features Day, and Howertons own NBC sitcom, A.P. Bio, one of his castmates wasnt initially sold on the question, concerned that Howerton didnt possess the knowledge necessary to complete the ask. Youve never seen Mythic Quest, McElhenney exclaimed before Howerton could even answer. But Howerton valued his taste buds more than his friends feelings, soldiering on in ranking his co-stars works. Thats not true, I have seen it, he replied, noting that although he did watch Pacific Rim, he didnt see the sequel, one he informally dubbed Pacific Rim 2: Electric Boogaloo (Days funnier title tweak: Pacific Rim 2: Still Rimming). Obviously Im biased, but (Im a) big fan of A.P. Bio. I gotta say, I think its great so Im gonna put that at number one. Don't Miss From there, Howerton dutifully provided his silver and bronze picks. Im gonna put Mister Quest at number two and put Specific Rim Job at number three, he joked, offering his condolences to Day. Im so sorry. Advertisement Naturally, Always Sunnys resident rat king wasnt thrilled with the slight, uttering a resounding wow dude in reply to his third-place finish. You probably just never work with Guillermo Del Toro, he fired back, referencing the Pacific Rim director. But again, with thousands of Scoville units on the line, Howerton would seemingly rather burn a bridge with the Pans Labyrinth overlord than his palate. You know, that would be a shame, he replied. Im just gonna answer every question so I dont have to eat any of this shit. Organizations everywhere are facing a perfect storm of cybersecurity challenges. As AI accelerates the volume and velocity of threats, sophisticated technology and skilled human analysts are vital to building an effective defense. Digital transformation initiatives are creating an expanding attack surface of endpoints that teams must secure, often while operating with outdated infrastructure and constrained budgets. Regardless of the unique challenges an entity faces, executives are concerned72% of leaders report an increase in cyber risks at their respective organizations, and nearly half are worried about significant disruption to their operations. While businesses grapple with this new reality, security leaders around the world face additional and distinct challenges that differ from their American counterparts, particularly in developing nations. The skills gap continues to widen, with nearly 5 million professionals needed to fill vital roles worldwidea 19% increase from 2023. Some regions struggle with limited IT education resources and training opportunities, making finding or upskilling talent even more difficult. In addition to finding the right practitioners, many leaders say they lack the necessary resources to help existing employees advance their skills. More than a quarter (26%) noted the difficulty of retaining individuals with in-demand skill sets, and 22% said they struggle to provide professional development opportunities for their existing employees. Beyond staffing-related hurdles, changing regulatory requirements, aging infrastructure, a general lack of connectivity (or 5G deployment challenges), and limited modernization resources have significant implications for business leaders and security professionals in many regions. All of these factors must be considered as we work together to find solutions for building the global cybersecurity talent pipeline. A scalable, sustainable approach to developing cybersecurity talent I recently attended the second annual Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building (GC3B) in Geneva, Switzerland, hosted by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and in collaboration with the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise. While conversations spanned a variety of topics related to cybersecurity capacity building, talent development was a recurring discussion theme. One of the events keynote speakers said it best: Building cyber capacity is not just about technology; its about people. We can build all the capacity in the world, but if we do not have the workforce to implement and manage it, then it will do more harm than good. Another participant reiterated this sentiment, saying that the decisions countries make regarding cyber workforce development will not only determine who thrives, but who survives. Much like the threat landscape that defenders must navigate daily, developing a sustainable cybersecurity talent pipeline presents unique challenges, spanning from conceptual planning to real-world implementation. And while there is no one-size-fits-all approach, there are numerous frameworks and existing partnerships designed to address this issue that we can look to for best practices. For example, the World Economic Forums 2024 Strategic Cybersecurity Talent Framework outlines the distinct yet interconnected components of developing and managing cybersecurity talent. The framework offers actionable solutions for attracting talent, training and upskilling the current workforce, and recruiting and retaining the right talent. And just last month, the World Economic Forum published additional guidance on how public-private partnerships can help develop the global cyber workforce, addressing the growing cyber inequity across organizations, sectors, and economies. By drawing on shared expertise, these public-private partnerships can create new employment pathways and play a vital role in shrinking the cyber talent gap, especially in regions that dont typically have the funding or infrastructure to attract seasoned security practitioners. Building the cyber talent pipeline through partnerships: a real-world example Fortinets work in Morocco offers an example of how uniquely crafted partnerships can help develop cyber-talent pipelines, particularly in under-resourced regions. Through the Code 212 initiative, Fortinet works with two ministries and 12 Moroccan universities, integrating hands-on cybersecurity training for students across many disciplines. We recently completed a week-long train-the-trainer session with 29 professors representing all 12 of the universities. These Code 212 schools are preparing over 100,000 young people each year for digital careers, supporting Moroccos broader capacity-building goals. Cybersecurity capacity building requires ongoing collaboration The growing complexity of todays threat landscape shines a light on cyber inequity, leaving certain regions especially vulnerable. By working together across borders and sectors, we can develop effective and practical solutions that make the resources, technologies, knowledge, and talent more accessible to strengthen their defenses. Like most challenges in cybersecurity, no nation or organization can successfully tackle capacity building alone. We need coordinated, ongoing partnerships among industry, academia, nonprofits, and government agencies. It requires scalable and sustainable models and demands that we reframe how we think about qualifications for cyber jobs, placing real value on skills, experience, certifications, and alternative educational pathways. Read more about the vital role that public-private partnerships play in building the cyber workforce of tomorrow in this blog post. China-linked threat actors particularly groups tied to advanced cyber-espionage campaigns, such as PurpleHaze and ShadowPad are targeting top-tier organizations and cybersecurity vendors in an ongoing operation. Security firm SentinelOne has revealed sophisticated reconnaissance and intrusion efforts by these actors on more than 70 organizations, including SentinelOne itself. What SentinelOne is seeing now is classic China-nexus activity it echoes exactly what was tracked during the Pacific Rim attacks when I led the defence activity at Sophos, said Craig Jones, former director of Global Security Operations at Sophos and current vice president of security operations at Ontinue. Back then, we saw the same playbook, highly targeted operations, stealthy implants or edge devices, and a relentless focus on long-term access to high-value infrastructure. SentinelOne, too, has attributed the PurpleHaze and ShadowPad activity clusters with high confidence to China-nexus threat actors. It also loosely linked some of PurpleHaze intrusions to actors associated with Chinese cyber-espionage groups such as APT15 and UNC5174. China holds internet civilization conference in Hefei Xinhua) 11:03, June 11, 2025 Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attends the 2025 China Internet Civilization Conference and delivers a keynote speech in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, June 10, 2025. The 2025 China Internet Civilization Conference opened in Hefei, the capital city of east China's Anhui Province, on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) HEFEI, June 10 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 China Internet Civilization Conference opened in Hefei, the capital city of east China's Anhui Province, on Tuesday. Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the conference and delivered a keynote speech. Themed on gathering positive energy online and fostering new trends of the times, the event brought together delegates from central and local authorities, major news portals, as well as heads of online social organizations and internet businesses, scholars, internet celebrities, and students. Delegates to the conference called for consolidating and strengthening the mainstream public opinion online, boosting the vitality of internet culture, and reforming and improving the mechanisms for cyberspace governance. These efforts aim to ensure internet users have a greater sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security, said the delegates. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Last weekend, my cousins lovely daughter, not long out of medical school, married her sweetheart a handsome young doctor from an Indian family. The Hindu wedding ceremony was spectacular, colourful and huge fun for everyone. Watching as young English and Indian people danced together, I reflected that the day was a perfect example of multicultural integration as we all wish it to be. But it is dangerously naive to take these benefits for granted and to expect that the meeting of cultures will automatically lead to universal love. The UK has arguably the best record of any country in the way that, for hundreds of years, it has taken in immigrants and refugees from every corner of the planet, offering a safe and civilised haven. From the Huguenot Protestants who fled massacres in France during the 16th century, to the Jews escaping Nazi genocide during the Second World War, right up to the Ukrainian women and children offered shelter today, British tolerance and compassion have been a lifeline for millions. Now that tolerance is being stretched to its limits. Mass immigration, compounded by people-smuggling on an industrial scale, is destabilising our country. We must not fall into the trap of supposing that, because it has usually worked out fine in the past, Britain can absorb any amount of demographic change. We have never seen escalating immigration on anything like the scale of the past 20 years, wites Prof Robert Tombs History shows that, even here, sudden influxes of migration have caused upheavals that last for centuries. And we have never seen escalating immigration on anything like the scale of the past 20 years. Official figures from the Department for Education revealed on Thursday that white British children are already the minority in one in four schools in England. This transformation has been especially marked in our big cities. At Rockwood Academy in Birmingham, for example, there was not a single white British pupil recorded among the 1,084 who attend the school. Last week also saw the publication of a report from Professor Matt Goodwin at Buckingham University, predicting that white Britons will be a minority of the population by 2063 barely more than a single generation. By the end of the century, according to his figures, 60 per cent of the country will have been born overseas or will have at least one parent who is an immigrant. By then, more than 19 per cent of Britons will be Muslim (compared with the current 7 per cent). Goodwins projections are based on census data and figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). I suspect these numbers badly underestimate the true rate of change. They assume a steady influx and stable geopolitical conditions, when we have every reason to expect both of those factors will prove volatile. An anti-immigration protester holds up a placard during a demo in Dover in 2020 Climate change could have a devastating effect on migration, if even one or two of the more alarmist theories are borne out. Tens of millions of people in low-lying countries such as Bangladesh could be made homeless if sea levels rise. Millions more would flee their homes if glacial melt in the Himalayas caused catastrophic flooding in India. Civil wars in Sudan, Congo and Eritrea have already driven enormous numbers of people to cross the Mediterranean into Europe. African nations from Nigeria to South Africa are in danger of tearing themselves apart, and the result would be a massive rush of people seeking to escape the fighting. These upheavals would be minor compared with the aftermath of war between India and Pakistan, or in the Middle East. In those cases, Europe could see 100 million refugees or more. Add to that the rise of organised crime and people trafficking. For all Sir Keir Starmers bluster about smashing the gangs, he closes his eyes to the fact that this is a multi-billion-pound business one that will not cease just because he makes speeches. These are not petty criminals. They are international cartels, who have discovered a revenue stream that rivals profits from the drugs trade. The Government has no ideas at all about how to stop them. The numbers of economic migrants making the perilous crossing from France in overloaded dinghies are mounting, sometimes topping more than 1,000 in a single day. The cumulative effect is mind-boggling. According to the House of Commons library, 44,000 people arrived illegally in the 12 months to March and that figure, of course, represents only the people we know about. Many more have likely slipped under the radar, landing undetected or hidden in lorries and containers. But 44,000 equates to just 5 per cent of the immigration total for the year. Legal arrivals outnumber the illegal ones by about 20-to-one. Nothing in our long and fascinating island story has ever come close to this. Mass immigration, ushered in by New Labour under Tony Blair, is a reckless experiment in demographic revolution that has never been attempted in Britain before. But it has happened elsewhere. And for indigenous populations, it has often been disastrous. When Europeans settled in the Americas, from the 16th century, they forced their way on to the land. In Australia and New Zealand countries that were much less densely populated there was less large-scale violence but the effect on the aboriginal people was no less devastating. Significantly, the British Empire never allowed migration to India, which had a large settled population. British subjects were encouraged to settle only in sparsely peopled areas: for instance, Canada and wide-open parts of Africa such as Kenya. But in every case, once this process began, it was soon uncontrollable. More than six million Irish emigrants arrived in the US during the 19th century, a third of them in the space of less than a decade from 1845. Almost as many Italians emigrated to America, most of them between 1880 and the early 1920s. In a country riven with racial divisions, the Italian and Irish communities fought to survive, often of course by hard work, but also by political corruption and organised crime. Starry-eyed Left-wingers like to claim that Britain too is a nation of immigrants. Thats utterly disingenuous. William the Conqueror, who arrived across the Channel in 1066 with his own flotilla of boats, brought only about 7,000 men. Yet that small army and the French-speaking Norman immigrants who followed destroyed the native Anglo-Saxon culture and subjugated an entire people. Almost every large Saxon building was demolished, the ruling elite was replaced, their property seized and the language changed beyond recognition. For centuries, Saxons were forced to labour as serfs, despised as an inferior race by the colonising elite. Even Saxon saints were demoted. It took at least 400 years for the aftershocks of the Norman invasion to subside. Resentments ran so deep they are still visible in our folk legends: Robin Hood was imagined as a Saxon knight fighting Norman oppression. The idea of this Norman Yoke inspired democrats well into the reign of Victoria. Even today, nearly a thousand years later, the Conquest may be embedded in our class system. A 2011 study found that Britons with names indicating Norman descent such as Mandeville, Lacy, Glanville or Percy were on average ten per cent better off than those with Saxon artisan names such as Smith, Cooper, Baker or Shepherd, almost a millennium after the Battle of Hastings. To understand fully how badly damaged a country can be by unrestrained immigration, we need only look at Northern Ireland. During the 17th century, tens of thousands of Scottish protestants migrated to Ulster. Though separated by the Irish Sea, these two countries are so close that on a clear day they are visible to each other. This was a state project, initiated by the Scottish and English governments during James Is reign, and conceived as a way of ending mass poverty in Scotland by encouraging people to live by farming in Ireland. Well, we all know the result: it led to enmity and violence still prevalent today that has seen thousands killed over the centuries. Not all the social inequality in Britain is the result of the Norman invasion, of course, any more than all Irelands Troubles were the consequence of a plan to alleviate starvation in Scotland. But when problems have complex causes, people seek easy scapegoats and immigration will always supply one. The UK population is now 69.5 million, according to the ONS. (Many believe it to be significantly higher). Thats an increase of ten million this century. Yet the birth rate is falling: in 2023 it reached its lowest rate on record in England and Wales, at 1.44 children per woman, compared with the replacement rate of 2.1 the number of children needed to keep numbers steady. If our growing population is not due to childbirth, it must be driven by immigration. The falling birth rate is not a new phenomenon. In 1938, it was predicted that the UK population would peak within five years at 41 million, and that it would then fall steadily for the next three decades, to 31 million by 1975. In the event, this turned out to be nonsense, partly because the official statistics did not anticipate the Second World War and the baby boom that followed. But the predictions also failed to take account of the beginnings of immigration from former colonies, with many thousands arriving from the West Indies after 1948 the Windrush generation and Pakistan and India following independence and partition in 1947. There were other surges, for example from East Africa after the rise of the despot Idi Amin who expelled 80,000 Ugandan Asians, among them the parents of former Home Secretary Priti Patel. Crucially, the great majority of these immigrants were determined to integrate into British life. If not already English-speaking, they learned the language. They looked for work or started businesses. Many brought much needed skills and dynamism. But that is not the case today. A high proportion of legal immigrants come to do low-paid work, for example in care homes and the hospitality sector. Those who qualify under the government visa scheme for skilled workers or health and care workers can expect to be paid 80 per cent of the standard salary. Those in the fishing industry, for instance, receive 12.82 an hour, as opposed to 15.88 for British workers. A similar discrepancy applies in many trades from welding to dance and choreography. This has a threefold effect: wages are depressed, new arrivals live in comparative poverty, and many British people have dropped out of the labour market. Resentments grow on all sides and the cost is unsustainable. Many other migrants, it has to be said, take full advantage of our generous asylum system including housing (sometimes in comfy hotels), food, free NHS healthcare and even spending money. The greatest source of resentment, though, comes when immigrants refuse to integrate. Incredibly, many on the Left encourage this by trashing our culture and libelling our history elevating every background except the indigenous one. It spells disaster for our future when immigrants are encouraged to remain locked within their own communities and taught that the British have always been their enemies. How dangerous this is, we can see by looking across the Channel, to France where second and third generation immigrants from North Africa create a constant state of unrest. Riots are frequent, car-burning is a national sport and extremist politicians talk of re-migration the expulsion of people who dont fit in. This will be Britains future if the Government does not take control of the situation right now. Immigration can benefit everyone, but only if it is strictly managed, democratically accepted and culturally integrated. Allowed to run out of control, as the arc of history shows, it destroys countries. Professor Robert Tombs is the author of The English And Their History All my life I cared what people thought of me. As a teenager I cared that my feet were too big to be a ballerina and that I wasn't blonde like all the pretty girls. I cared that all the other kids had the right kind of Superga trainers and Benetton sweaters, whereas I had normal plimsolls and chain store jumpers. I cared about fitting in (I didn't), about whether I was thin enough or fun enough (neither). Was I clever enough, cool enough, did I listen to the right music (none of the above)? I cared so much, other kids could smell it on me. It made me a target for bullies, this desperate desire to fit in, and sensing my weakness they exploited it ruthlessly, as kids do. Getting older, it got worse. I grew up to be an inveterate people-pleaser. At work, in my relationships, with friends I never dared say no because I cared too much about rejection. I let boyfriends walk all over me, putting up with all kinds of nonsense, grateful for the tiniest crumb of approval. I worked long hours for no extra pay, never complained, always just thankful for the opportunity. How have I managed this miracle of self-empowerment? Yoga? Meditation? Therapy? Microdosing magic mushrooms (very fashionable these days, or so I'm told)? For years, this carried on, through marriage, children, career, life in general. And then one day, about five years ago, it just stopped, almost overnight. I opened my eyes one morning and realised I had simply no f***s left to give. Well, not quite: there are some people very dear to me whose opinions and approval I will always value. But as a general rule, that particular cupboard is bare. How have I managed this miracle of self-empowerment? How have I stopped trying to be it all, have it all, do it all? Yoga? Meditation? Therapy? Microdosing magic mushrooms (very fashionable these days, or so I'm told)? None of the above. I just stopped taking my HRT. Now I know this runs counter to all current medical advice and I'm not advocating that this is what any woman reading this should do. We are all different and what works for one person may not work for another. But hear me out. The perceived wisdom is that the menopause is a curse. A tragedy, a disaster, a loss of femininity and self and something that must be remedied immediately with hormone replacement. Ideally, we are told, women should stay on it forever. For a long time, I subscribed to this mantra. I started the menopause early around 47. It hit me like a freight train: mood swings, brain fog, weight gain, disturbed sleep, zero sex drive, hot flushes, exhaustion the works. I was always a bit of a slave to my hormones, the kind of woman who had about three normal days a month when I wasn't pre or post-menstrual, so it made sense that the menopause would not be easy. HRT was a total salvation. It alleviated the worst of the symptoms and allowed me to function semi-normally as my body adjusted. But as I eased into my early 50s, I began to taper off. There was a shortage during Covid, so I started taking it every other day. I didn't feel any difference and none of my symptoms returned, so I eventually stopped altogether. To my surprise, nothing bad happened. It appeared I had weathered the storm and come out the other side, post-menopausal, HRT free and apparently none the worse for it. Post-menopausal women are popularly supposed to be pale shadows of their former selves: passed by, by the rest of the world. But my experience has been entirely the opposite. I've never felt happier or more confident than I do today, in my barren, hormone-free state. OK, so my skin may not have quite the same bloom, my neck wobbles too much when I laugh, my legs look like an Ordnance Survey map but who cares? Not me! Best of all, there is a curious mental clarity and calm to this hormone-free existence of mine. It's positively liberating. The only explanation I can think of is that I am no longer compelled by my hormones to be nice to people, or pretend I don't mind when people hurt me, or just suck it up when they say nasty things. Is this what it's like to be a man? No wonder they've been in charge for so long. I don't feel, as I always did, that I somehow ought to apologise for my existence. I don't care if the entire room hell, the entire world disagrees with me. If you don't like it, that's up to you. My biological clock has finally stopped ticking and the silence is absolutely golden. I didn't realise this at the time, of course, but it now seems to me that, far from being an ending, the menopause is actually a beginning, a superpower of sorts. Without it I certainly wouldn't have had the courage to finally stand up to my father, or walk away from an unhappy marriage or, for that matter, write the kind of honest and unflinching memoir that seems to have put a few noses more delicate than mine out of joint. Now I finally understand that famous poem Warning by Jenny Joseph: 'When I am an old woman I shall wear purple/With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me/And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves/And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter and make up for the sobriety of my youth.' I've got a lot of catching up to do. Lizzo sheds her old image Pop star Lizzo after her dramatic weight loss, left, and before Lizzo looks much healthier now that she's lost a few stone. No doubt the old Lizzo always defiantly defensive of her plus-size image would disagree. But the new Lizzo is, I suspect, too busy enjoying her newfound figure to care. You know what they say: nothing tastes as good as Mounjaro feels! Account clothed... Some while ago I wrote about how my Vinted account had been inexplicably frozen. Since then, I have made innumerable attempts to reactivate it, to no avail. Nor am I able to access the funds that I've earned from sales. So I'm now giving up and will be deleting the app. Well done, Vinted: you've wasted several hours of my few remaining years and swindled me out of 62.50. Tom Felton, who played Malfoy, is one of the only ones of the original cast not to have thrown JK Rowling to the trans wolves Ironic that Draco Malfoy, the ultimate Harry Potter baddie, turns out to be the one with the most moral courage. Tom Felton, who played Malfoy in the films and is starring on Broadway in Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, is one of the only ones of the original cast not to have thrown its author JK Rowling to the trans wolves as Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe have done even though they owe her their entire careers. A class act. How incredibly cynical of Greta Thunberg that she point-blank refused to watch the footage of the October 7 massacre which the Israeli authorities tried to show her. Like so many of her generation, she prefers to suck on the teat of internet propaganda rather than face the inconvenient truth. Kemi Badenoch is right to say she won't see constituents at her MP's surgery if they insist on wearing face coverings, including the burka. Quite apart from the security issues (both Jo Cox and David Amess were murdered during their surgeries), why should she be forced to talk to a piece of cloth? Search for Alas Vine & Hitchens on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts now. New episode released every Wednesday. Reality star Julie Chrisley is already turning heads with her new look just weeks after she was released from prison - and beauty experts are weighing in to share exactly what she has had done since coming home. Spoiler alert - it looks like she may have already hit the Botox clinic. On May 27, Julie and husband Todd received the news of a lifetime as President Donald Trump announced that he would be fully pardoning the both of them as they were serving time for tax evasion and bank fraud. Julie was originally sentenced to seven years, while her husband received a 12-year sentence. However, last year, her sentence was reduced by 14 months. The reality star couple was found guilty in July 2022 of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans. The Chrisleys were also found guilty of tax evasion by hiding their earnings while showcasing an extravagant lifestyle. Todd, 56, was held at the Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola, Florida, while Julie, 52, was at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky. When Julie finally emerged from prison recently, she was spotted sporting brown and gray locks, which was a huge change from her usual coiffed blonde 'do. Reality star Julie Chrisley is already turning heads with her new look just weeks after she was released from prison - and beauty experts are weighing in to share exactly what she has had done since coming home Over the weekend, Julie was spotted in her local Tennessee Target store with a dramatic, brand-new look as she posed for selfies with two fans, who later posted the images to TikTok On May 27, Julie and her husband Todd received the news of a lifetime as President Donald Trump announced that he would be fully pardoning the both of them as they were serving time for tax evasion and bank fraud It appears that she was unable to keep her blonde color while she was in prison, as it completely grew out. Later, her son revealed she did not want to go back to blonde following her pardon - but it appears the Chrisley Knows Best star has had a change of heart since then. Over the weekend, Julie was spotted in her local Tennessee Target store with a dramatic, brand-new look as she posed for selfies with two fans, who later posted the images to TikTok. Her shoulder-length hair was a bright blonde, featuring delicate highlights and a cool undertone, looking perfectly blown-out. Julie showed off her glowing complexion with a touch of makeup, wearing bronze eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and sporting clear gloss. She opted for a chic blue blouse, light bell-bottom jeans, and completed the look with a pair of brown sandals. It was a drastic change from her immediate post-prison appearance, and now, a cosmetic injector is weighing in to FEMAIL about exactly what the star has had done since she is no longer being behind bars. According to triple-board certified Cosmetic Surgeon and Founder of The Surgeonista, Dr. Gina Maccarone, it appears that Julie's hair wasn't the only thing she changed up. Later, her son revealed she did not want to go back to blonde following her pardon - but it appears the Chrisley Knows Best star has had a change of heart since then Since arriving home from prison, it seems like the family has been enjoying their time together, something their daughter, Savannah, has spoken about on her podcast The show was supposed to chronicle the family's life as they dealt with their parents being incarcerated, but things might take a turn now that they've been released 'It appears she may have had some dermal fillers in the temples, cheeks, under-eye area, and around the mouth, along with what looks like a Botox brow lift,' Dr. Maccarone told DailyMail.com exclusively. 'Julies face looks fuller and less hollow, with fewer creases in the areas I mentioned more plump overall!' Dr. Maccarone continued about the star's new appearance. 'Her brows also appear more lifted compared to the before photo, which could be the result of a subtle Botox lift.' Daily Mail reached out to Julie Chrisley's reps for comment. Thankfully, for those fans who want to see more of the family, they will be returning to reality TV in a new series on Lifetime, according to People. The show was supposed to chronicle the family's life as they dealt with their parents being incarcerated, but things might take a turn now that they've been released. Since arriving home from prison, it seems like the family has been enjoying their time together, something their daughter, Savannah, has spoken about on her podcast. She revealed that she made her parents a hearty, homecooked meal for their first night back. 'I made steaks, pastas, salads, potatoes we had a smorgasbord,' the 27-year-old 'MAGA Barbie' revealed on her PodcastOne show Unlocked Tuesday (pre-taped Friday). 'My parents enjoyed it and loved it.' Savannah gushed: 'I'm over-the-moon excited about all of it. It's so surreal. At times, it does not feel real. I'm like, "Are we sure this is over and done, and we came back to normal life?"' An airport has issued an urgent warning to travelers over TSA lines after suffering a slew of maintenance issues. Fort Wayne International Airport in Allen County, Indiana, took to Facebook to urge its passengers to arrive 'extra early' due to ongoing delays. The airport issued an update on Tuesday afternoon to explain that the issues that began earlier in the week were still persisting. 'ATTENTION PASSENGERS!' the initial post began. 'Due to maintenance issues with TSA equipment passengers are advised to arrive EXTRA EARLY for their departing flights! 'TSA lines have been long during peak travel times throughout the day, and we anticipate this to continue into tomorrow until the equipment is repaired. 'We always recommend that those passengers flying on Allegiant arrive at least two hours prior to departure, and other airlines at least 90 minutes (if not more) ahead of time. 'Please be patient as our TSA staff works hard to get each passenger safely screened and on their way to their flight! Fort Wayne International Airport in Allen County, Indiana, took to Facebook to urge its passengers to arrive 'extra early' due to ongoing delays The airport issued an update on Tuesday afternoon to explain that the issues that began earlier in the week were still persisting (stock image) 'We apologize for the inconvenience and will keep passengers posted if anything changes!' The most recent update explained that 'the airport continues to be down to one lane at the TSA Checkpoint for passenger screening.' 'TSA is working diligently to fix the issue and get the equipment back up and running. 'Passengers should continue to give themselves additional time when coming to the airport this evening and throughout the day Wednesday.' Fort Wayne International Airport describes itself as 'Northeast Indiana's favorite airport known for Hoosier Hospitality and cookies upon arrival!' Its website declares that the transport hub 'aims to deliver top-notch customer service. 'From our Customer Service Agents, to our front office staff - we put passengers first and work hard to deliver the best customer experience possible.' The delays come after the TSA issued a warning to travelers about foods that could be confiscated before getting on board a flight. The delays come after the TSA issued a warning to travelers about foods that could be confiscated before getting on board a flight (stock image) The official travel administration recently shared a post to X (formerly Twitter) about which popular snack was allowed through security. 'Here's a breakfast travel tip: We don't suggest leaving this delicious pastry behind,' it read. 'Donuts are good to go in carry-on or checked bags, no matter what toppings you choose. How many you decide to bring is up to you.' It paired the tweet with a picture of Homer Simpson eating a donut in the airport. Along with the post, the TSA also included a link to all the rules about taking foods and drinks on board. Each item was listed alongside the corresponding guidelines as well as whether they were allowed in a carry-on or checked baggage. It addressed a whole host of items - from alcohol and pizza to breast milk and live lobster. A McDonald's mega fan has revealed how fast-food lovers can score a tasty meal for a fraction of the usual price. A British TikToker, who goes by the username @thefinancegurl, shared the little-known hack on her social media channel, where she regularly posts tips to help budget-conscious viewers make everyday savings. When picking up a McDonald's, few think to hold onto the receipt, with order numbers usually showing up on a screen at the front of the restaurant. But what many customers don't realise is that the receipt holds the key to bagging a reduced priced meal. 'Here's how I never pay full price at McDonald's,' she said at the beginning of the video, which has now amassed more than 300,000 views. 'When you get a receipt, you'll notice that there's a website address at the top where you can fill in a satisfaction survey. Continuing, she said: 'All you need to do is head to that website and fill in the 12-digit code that's on your receipt. 'You'll then be taken to a customer satisfaction survey, which is super quick. It takes about two minutes to complete.' A British TikToker, who goes by the username @thefinancegurl, shared the little-known hack on her social media channel, where she regularly posts tips to help budget-conscious viewers make everyday savings After finishing the survey, patrons are then sent a special voucher code by email, allowing them to pick up select menu items at reduced cost. 'This voucher lets you order a Big Mac plus a medium fries or a side salad for only 2.99,' she explained. This just a fraction of the usual price, with customers in London typically paying 7.85 for a Big Mac meal, which also includes a drink. And it's not just Big Mac's available - burger lovers can also tuck into a variety of other snacks. 'If you don't want a Big Mac, there's also alternatives you can choose from, like the McNugget meal, a McChicken sandwich or a Filet-O-Fish. 'All you need to do is show your QR code at the till and state what your preference is.' In the clip, the bargain-hunter shared her fast-food pickings, panning the camera to show off her McChicken sandwich and medium fries, which she picked up with a glass of water for free for less than 3. Fellow fast-food lovers were delighted to discover the hack, with several expressing their thanks in the comments. A McDonald's mega fan has revealed how fast-food lovers can score a tasty meal for a fraction of the usual price 'Can confirm this works, been doing it for ages,' one wrote, while a second said they 'do it all the time'. 'Same I do this every time! I take our own drinks and feed a family of five for 15,' another remarked. One staff worker was also quick to offer their help. 'And by the way guys, the printers aren't conveniently 'not working', we NEED a certain amount of completed surveys as a store. Also mentioning names of staff who have been good to you can give the staff little rewards. It's always nice to see you've been mentioned in a positive face to face.' Another frugal minded customer pointed out that the trick can also be used at other fast-food outlets. 'You can do this with KFC too and get a free side on your next order,' they wrote. It comes shortly after McDonald's fans were left enraged after the chain quietly axed it's 'best' menu item. The Chicken Bacon Caesar Wrap was a firm favourite among the fast food chains customers, after it launched in 2023. The burger chain discontinued the item as part of a 'rotation' of its menu, which the brand is known to do every few months. Fellow fast-food lovers were delighted to discover the hack, with several expressing their thanks in the comments The popular wrap, which contained chicken breast strips, crispy onions, bacon and lettuce, wrapped in a soft tortilla, was removed from the menu earlier this month. A McDonald's spokesperson told The Sun: 'As part of our regular wrap rotation, we've taken the Caesar wrap off the menu for now. 'We're always evolving our menu with our customers in mind to keep things fresh and exciting.' McDonald's is known for shaking up the menu every few months and often items return. That means there is a chance the Chicken Caesar Wrap could make a return at some point in the future. It comes after McDonald's announced a new summer menu earlier this month with 12 tasty new additions including a fan favourite previously dubbed the 'best burger ever'. Launching in McDonald's restaurants across the UK, the new menu is set to feature the Biscoff McFlurry and Frappe, a spicy burger as well as a Pokemon Happy Meals for the kids. The ultra-popular Steakhouse Stack burger will make its much-anticipated return but it will set you back a little more than before. Take a look back at her rollercoaster-ride rise to fame But she has faced a slew of scandals and setbacks along the way If you have a child under five years old, than you've probably heard of Ms. Rachel. With her signature pink headband, pink T-shirt, and blue overalls, she has become a staple in the homes of millions of families across the globe. The star, 42, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, has been transformed into a massive phenomenon thanks to her educational videos for children - wracking up billions of views on her YouTube channel, Songs for Littles, and earning her millions of dollars along the way. Her sudden burst onto the scene in 2019 was certainly an unexpected one. Before she became the internet's most trusted voice for toddlers, she was a preschool music teacher. She started posting videos online after she struggled to find resources to help her own son when he developed a 'severe speech delay' - and she certainly didn't expect it to take off the way it did, nor for it to transform her into a star. But her journey has not been easy, as the internet sensation has faced a slew of scandals and setbacks along the way. She has openly struggled with the sudden fame and attention and has had to take multiple social media breaks over the years due to the immense pressure of being thrust into the public eye practically overnight. YouTube sensation Ms. Rachel's journey has not been an easy one, as the internet star has faced a slew of scandals and setbacks along the way The mother-of-two has also faced severe backlash over a few controversial comments that she made over the years. In fact, Rachel has been in the news for something other than her catchy songs over the last few months: her unwavering support of Palestinian children in Gaza. The educator also recently made headlines when she lashed out at critics after actress Olivia Munn shunned her show, slamming the news for not covering the people in Gaza instead. As Ms. Rachel's brazen comments continue to put her in the hot seat, DailMail.com has taken a look back at her rollercoaster-ride rise to fame. How Ms. Rachel used her music and education backgrounds to launch her groundbreaking YouTube channel after her son developed a speech delay Rachel was born on November 30, 1980, in Biddeford, Maine, and was raised by a single mom in the small town of Sanford. The YouTube star previously explained on the The Drew Barrymore Show that she likely wouldn't be where she was now had it not been for her mother's strength and determination. '[I was raised] by a super strong wonderful single mom who - she's just incredible,' she explained on the show. The star, 42, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, worked as a music teacher at a preschool in New York City during the early years of her career She married Broadway music director and composter Aron Accurso in 2016, and they welcomed their son Thomas in 2018. The couple is seen in 2023 'She would set her mind to something and just do it, it's such an extraordinary example to watch her and it's why I think through my life I've been like, "I want to try this. I want to make this show and I'm just going to do it." 'She went back to finish college she worked at a daycare during the week, and at Pizza Hut as a waitress on the weekends. 'She went back and got a master's, and viewing that was extraordinary as a child. I was like, "I can do anything."' Regarding her own education, Ms. Rachel graduated from the University of Southern Maine. She went on to receive her master's degree in music education and a second master's degree in early childhood education from New York University. The internet personality worked as a music teacher at a preschool in New York City during the early years of her career. She started dating her now-husband, Broadway music director and composter Aron Accurso, sometime in 2010 after they met at a Unitarian church on the Upper East Side, according to The New York Times. They tied the knot in 2016, and welcomed their son Thomas in 2018. She started her YouTube channel Songs for Littles in 2019, after she said she struggled to find online resources to help her son when he had a 'severe speech delay' She previously said: 'A lot of things I teach are things I wish I had known for my son. I thought, "Wouldnt it be great if there was a show that really encouraged language development' After becoming a mom, her passion for child development, paired with her music background, led her to a groundbreaking career shift. 'When my son was born, I stayed home with him for a year and saw how much music helped with soothing, bonding, play, and language development,' Rachel previously explained. 'I created an in-person baby/toddler music class informed by my music education teaching skills, which I then moved online to YouTube because I wanted the classes to be more accessible.' She started her YouTube channel Songs for Littles in 2019, after she said she struggled to find online resources to help her son when he had a 'severe speech delay.' 'His first word was at two years and eight months and it was "mama" and I had waited for that for so long,' she detailed to NBC News. 'As a parent, you want to do anything you can to help them and it's not our fault when our child has a speech delay. 'A lot of things I teach are things I wish I had known for my son. I thought, "Wouldn't it be great if there was a show that really encouraged language development and worked on these important milestones and was slow-paced and a real person and very interactive?"' After her YouTube channel became a massive success - earning her $15.7 million per year - she struggled to adjust to the sudden attention Her videos consist of her singing a combination of covers and original children's songs that help youngsters with their pronunciation and language skills As the COVID-19 pandemic kept families indoors, Songs for Littles began spreading quickly amongst parents looking for meaningful screen time for their children. Her videos consist of her singing a combination of covers and original children's songs that help youngsters with their pronunciation and language skills. Unlike many bright, flashy kids' channels, hers felt calm, purposeful, and soothing. Dressed in her signature pink T-shirt and overalls, she looks directly into the camera, speaks slowly and clearly, and repeats simple phrases like, 'Can you say, "ball?"' The results were staggering and parents flooded the comments with emotional messages about how their children were finally speaking after watching Ms. Rachel. Her videos quickly started to go viral, and soon, her channel had taken off. By 2023, she had become a household name among families with young children, and now, Ms. Rachel's channel has now amassed 15.2 million subscribers and billions of views. By 2023, she had become a household name among families with young children, and now, Ms. Rachel's channel has now amassed 15.2 million subscribers and billions of views According to Social Blade, her catchy tunes have earned her yearly earnings of up to $15.7 million , raking in between $77,000 to $1.2 million per month According to Social Blade, her catchy tunes have earned her yearly earnings of up to $15.7 million, raking in between $77,000 to $1.2 million per month. And in January, Netflix signed a deal with Ms. Rachel for an undisclosed amount. But the star - who went on to welcome a daughter, named Susannah, with her husband in April 2025 via surrogate - struggled to adjust to the sudden attention. She has been open about the difficulties of managing her booming career with parenthood. 'It's been hard to balance everything, which I think a lot of parents feel, but it was really important to me to have all that knowledge and early childhood to being in this field,' she told People in 2023. 'I felt that it was crucial for me to have that and I feel more confident. I just feel like I have a lot of tools. 'I've learned to help parents and I think I have a good work-life balance. Sometimes it takes us a while to get things out, but it's important to me to have that.' In early 2023, Rachel made headlines when she took a brief step back from TikTok and other social media platforms, citing the toll that negative comments had taken on her mental health. 'I'm taking a break from TikTok for my mental health,' Ms. Rachel announced at the time. But the star - who went on to welcome a daughter, named Susannah, with her husband in April 2025 via surrogate - struggled to adjust to the sudden attention She added in the caption: 'Hurtful videos and comments, no matter how much attention they get, will not bring you want you want. Only love can do that.' Around that time, a nasty troll had commented on one of Rachel's Instagram videos saying she should 'lose weight and try to be prettier.' She clapped back: 'Finishing my second masters in education while someone comments I've gained weight and should lose weight and try to be prettier if I'm going to have a show teaching toddlers.' In early 2025, Rachel took another long absence from the platform, later revealing that 'family issues' were the reason. Her sudden disappearance raised eyebrows and sparked concern from parents who depend on her videos. At the time, Ms. Rachel wrote in a social media comment: 'I'm sorry. We've had some family things to attend to.' She has since returned to social media. Ms. Rachel has faced a slew of backlash over her comments about Palestinian children in Gaza and her inclusion of a nonbinary musician in her videos In 2023, the child educator received backlash from parents who called her content 'inappropriate' after she featured nonbinary musician Jules Hoffman in a video Over the years, Ms. Rachel has become embroiled in controversy multiple times. In 2023, the child educator received backlash from parents who called her content 'inappropriate' after she featured nonbinary musician Jules Hoffman in a video. In the past year, Rachel has also angered some with her outspoken advocacy on behalf of Palestinian children in Gaza who have been under consistent violence by Israel Rachel including someone who uses they/them pronouns started a fierce debate online, and led to some of her fans announcing that they will no longer be watching her content. In the past year, Rachel has also angered some with her outspoken advocacy on behalf of Palestinian children in Gaza who have been under consistent violence by Israel. She has used her platform to raise awareness about the conditions faced by children there, including lack of access to food, education, and medical care. Ms. Rachel has even made videos with Palestinian children who were able to escape Gaza - including three-year-old Rahaf who was left a double amputee after Israel's siege of the region. She has repeatedly said that her advocacy is non-negotiable - even if it comes at the expense of her career. 'I am fully willing to risk my career for this,' she stated in a video shared earlier this year. 'It is more important to me to speak out than to remain silent.' Her advocacy has included re-sharing posts from humanitarian organizations, educating her followers about the crisis, and calling for an end to the violence. She posted a song on Instagram in prayer for all of the people involved in the war, begging, 'Please stop hurting them.' Some have praised Ms. Rachel for speaking out, while others have accused her of anti-Semitism. Some have praised Ms. Rachel for speaking out, while others have accused her of anti-Semitism. She's seen with her husband Most recently, the educator hit out at Olivia after the actress shunned her popular kids show. While chatting with People last week, Munn - who is mom to two kids - explained her personal preferences when it comes to the kind of children's content she allows in her household. 'I know kids love [Ms. Rachel], but the thing is, if I can't watch it, I'm not going to spend the rest of my life going crazy,' she said, in part. While Munn's comments appeared to be more about her personal viewing preferences than criticism of Ms. Rachel specifically, it did not stop online speculation that she was throwing shade at the YouTube star. In response, Ms. Rachel commented directly on a social media post discussing Olivia's comment, writing, 'I'd rather you cover my advocacy for kids in Gaza.' She later followed up with a post on her own Instagram account, sharing screenshots of those comments alongside a caption that read: 'WHO CARES?! 'I'd rather you cover me advocating for kids in Gaza who are literally starving, [the] largest cohort of child amputees in modern history, thousands and thousands killed no medical care, no education, no homes do better,' she added. She emphasized that her frustration was directed at the coverage - not at Munn. 'Not against her at all and don't care that she doesn't want to watch the show - all my love to her and her family - disappointed in the outlets,' she wrote. An acclaimed Sydney restaurant has just scored a mouth-watering win on the global stage. Making serious waves in the culinary world, it seems the little fish has made a splash in a very big pond. Saint Peter, the groundbreaking seafood eatery helmed by Australian chef and restaurateur Josh Niland and his wife Julie, has landed at No.66 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 extended list. The incredible honour puts it shoulder-to-shoulder with the planet's most celebrated dining destinations. Josh shared the impressive news on social media after his Paddington restaurant jumped 32 spots on the list, up from No.98 last year. 'What an outstanding achievement,' Niland said on Instagram. 'Julie and I couldn't be more grateful and proud of the superhuman efforts of the entire team Alongside our own team, we celebrate the long list of suppliers, producers and artisans that make Saint Peter the special place it is.' Spread across 25 destinations and 37 cities, the extended list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 features some of the most esteemed dining spots in the world. An acclaimed Sydney restaurant has just scored a mouth-watering win on the global stage Saint Peter, the groundbreaking seafood eatery helmed by Australian chef and restaurateur's Josh Niland and his wife Julie, has landed at No.66 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 extended list Places including Atxondo, Furstenau, Macau, Queenstown, Sao Paulo, San Francisco and Tulum, among many others are on the list. While it's not every day a local restaurant gets mentioned in the same breath as culinary giants worldwide, this momentous nod proves what many Aussie foodies have known for years: Saint Peter is in a league of its own. And if you needed more convincing, Nigella Lawson herself is a devout fan. The British culinary queen has raved about Saint Peter on her multiple trips to Australia, calling chef Josh Niland 'a genius' and describing her meals at the restaurant as nothing short of transcendent. 'Josh Niland is, simply, a genius,' Lawson wrote in one of her now-famous Instagram food reviews. 'His inventiveness, delicate touch, exquisite care, and joyful gift for flavour and texture just bowl me over.' This year's World's 50 Best Restaurants list praised Saint Peter for 'taking the great Australian seafood tradition to previously unexplored heights' - and they're not wrong. The small but mighty restaurant, tucked away in the inner Eastern-Sydney suburb of Paddington, is unlike any other. Spread across 25 destinations and 37 cities, the extended list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 features some of the most esteemed dining spots in the world - and even Nigella Lawson (right) is a fan. As seen here with chef Josh Niland (left) after dining at his Sydney restaurant in last year The incredible honour puts Saint Peter shoulder-to-shoulder with the planet's most celebrated dining destinations Niland, affectionately dubbed 'the fish butcher', has redefined how chefs think about seafood with his bold gill-to-fin approach, utilising every edible part of the fish, from the bones and eyes to the scales and even the offal. Inspired by techniques traditionally used in meat cookery, Josh's pioneering philosophy has sparked a global movement in sustainable seafood. And his menu? It changes daily, based on what's fresh and available that morning. Nigella's long list of unforgettable dishes at Saint Peter reads like a love letter to Niland's genius. She's waxed lyrical about 'the sensational oysters,' 'coral trout bone noodles in maitake mushroom broth,' and a show-stopping raw bream dish with marigold ponzu, cucumber and purple daikon. The British culinary queen has raved about Saint Peter on her multiple trips to Australia, calling chef Josh Niland 'a genius' and describing her meals at the restaurant as nothing short of transcendent. Pictured: her 'sensational oysters' She's waxed lyrical about the 'crazily wonderful fish charcuterie,' (left) a Saint Peter signature, and her Balmain Bug (right) that she claimed to be 'the most luscious crustacean, grilled and daubed with chilli-inflected mayonnaise' Then there's the 'crazily wonderful fish charcuterie,' a Saint Peter signature made from the secondary cuts into things like spiced yellowfin tuna and Murray cod chorizo, silky rock flathead mortadella, and John Dory liver pate. Other favourites? A Balmain Bug. 'The most luscious crustacean, a species of slipper lobster, grilled and daubed with chilli-inflected mayonnaise,' calamari sliced like tagliatelle with yellowfin tuna 'nduja, and a jaw-dropping dessert of caviar-topped caneles. 'I know it sounds weird,' Lawson confessed of the caviar dessert, 'but that rich saltiness against the sweet crunchy creaminess was sensational!' At just 36, Josh Niland has become one of the most important voices in modern seafood cuisine. The head chef even made a guest appearance on MasterChef Australia in May this year to showcase the very broad potential of a Yellowfin Tuna. Since opening Saint Peter in 2016 with his wife and business partner Julie, Josh has earned global recognition for his boundary-pushing food philosophy and zero-waste ethos. At just 36, Josh Niland has become one of the most important voices in modern seafood cuisine. The head chef even made a guest appearance on MasterChef Australia in May this year (pictured) Josh (pictured with his restaurateur wife Julie) is also the author of several award-winning cookbooks, including The Whole Fish Cookbook ($60), which have inspired chefs and home cooks to rethink how they treat seafood The original (very intimate) premises they ran on Oxford Street, Sydney for the best part of eight years has recently moved around the corner to a much larger location underneath The Grand National Hotel in Paddington. Josh is also the author of several award-winning cookbooks - including The Whole Fish Cookbook - which have inspired chefs and home cooks to rethink how they treat seafood. And Saint Peter is just the beginning. Niland also runs the Fish Butchery, a one-of-a-kind seafood shop in Waterloo Sydney, and Charcoal Fish in Rose Bay, a casual eatery serving up fire-grilled fish in the style of Aussie chicken shops. Being named one of the Top 100 restaurants in the world is no small feat and for Sydney's Saint Peter, it's a sign that Australia's culinary scene can rival the best of the best. Whether it's Nigella Lawson gushing on Instagram, foodies queuing for a table, or global judges recognising Niland's artistry, it's clear that Josh, his wife, and his team are making a real difference. And now, the whole world knows it. Britain's first intimacy coordinator has revealed how 'Tuesday sex' could prolong the honeymoon phase of your relationship in a new book. Ita O'Brien, whose credits include the hit BBC drama Normal People and Netflix's Sex Education, has developed a guide for deepening connection and pleasure in readers' personal lives based on her experience choreographing on-screen sex scenes. The 350-page manual includes several guided exercises for readers to try at home, as they explore myths and misconceptions about sex that might be detracting from the overall experience. For instance, the idea that making love is not as special if it doesn't come with the 'bells and whistles' like fancy lingerie, mood-setting music, or a romantic setting. Couples in long-term relationships need to get comfortable with 'Tuesday sex' that feels 'part of your routine' - as opposed to 'Disney World sex' - because that is key to 'cementing a regular connection and strengthening emotional ties'. Recalling a conversation with American psychoanalyst Dr Orna Guralnik, Ita explained: 'Tuesday sex is the kind of weekday sex that establishes a connection with a partner; an intimacy that preserves your relationship and feels part of your routine rather than something mind-blowing and special. In an excerpt from Intimacy, as seen by MailOnline, Ita noted how Hollywood is obsessed with 'Disney World sex' that is often hinged on 'super fantasies about what is supposed to happen' during a sexual encounter. Commenting on Hollywood's obsession with portraying the myth of perfect, unmessy sex, Dr Orna told Ita: 'It could be tremendously good for people to be located in the reality of their own body, and their partner's body, not mediated through all of these super fantasies about what is supposed to happen. Britain's first intimacy coordinator has revealed how 'Tuesday sex' could prolong the honeymoon phase of your relationship in a new book A still from Normal People 'They are actually distancing.' Leaning into the concept of 'Tuesday sex' or mundane, everyday intercourse with a partner you love and trust can result in a happy relationship with contented partners who value each other. Like one of Ita's friends, who reportedly 'made it a policy always to have sex when their partner offered' so she never missed a 'single opportunity' to be intimate with her lover who, she reasoned, 'might not be asking in another 10 years' time'. 'The result was one of the happiest relationships I have ever seen.' According to Ita, some of the most 'damaging' ways in which sex is depicted on-screen include the lack of lubrication and the speed of the female orgasm as she noted many 'don't have an orgasm via penetration in any case'. In an interview with The Times in 2023, Ita defended the role against criticism from actors who have said it removes spontaneity from the scenes. In February 2023, Sir Ian McKellen slammed 'irrelevant' jobs such as intimacy coordinators for ruining the 'purity' of modern theatre. The legendary actor said there are too many people 'getting in the way' of performers today. Ita's new book 'Intimacy' is a 350-page manual for deepening connection in sexual relationships includes several guided exercises for readers to try at home He singled out intimacy coordinators suggesting that directors could do the job just as well. The rise of intimacy coordinators has sparked debate, with Dame Emma Thompson hailing their work as 'absolutely essential' following McKellen's comments. Speaking to Andrew Marr on LBC, Dame Emma, 63, dismissed Sir Ian's remarks, saying: 'It's all very well, if you're a bloke it's a different kind of thing. 'I think if you're a young woman on a set, which is largely peopled by men, the crew will be 90 per cent men and the women won't be on the set with you, because generally speaking we do not have parity on any level on film sets, it's all men. 'And that's a very uncomfortable position for a young woman who's starting in the industry, but it is absolutely essential that there is someone there to protect them. 'Absolutely essential.' Sean Bean, meanwhile, felt that intimacy professionals could 'spoil the spontaneity' of sex scenes. While other female members of the industry, including Rachel Zegler, criticised Bean's comments. Aimee Lou Wood and Connor Swindells in a still from Sex Education Gillian Anderson and Bridgerton star Rege-Jean Page have also previously praised intimacy co-ordinators for their work in on-screen productions. While Daryl McCormack revealed how he and co-star Dame Emma prepared for the racy sex scenes in their latest film, Good Luck To You Leo Grande. In her foreword for Ita's new book, Sex Education star Gillian wrote that her collaborator's expertise depicting sex on our screens can also radically transform the quality of people's intimate relationships off-screen. Gillian, one of the industry's most sex-positive voices, added: 'I was struck by how her presence transformed what had historically been one of the most vulnerable and potentially problematic aspects of performance into something safe, empowering, and indeed collaborative.' Intimacy by Ita O'Brien is published by Penguin Random House and is out now. When electrical engineer Micheal Moore dropped his crush Ashleigh a message on Instagram in 2018, he was hoping for a chance to meet-up. Luckily for him, Ashleigh instantly replied, and the pair, both from Runcorn in Cheshire, hit it off. Within a few years they were married with a son. But incredibly the couple's love story started decades before, unbeknownst to them. The couple, now both 26, actually attended the same nursery and even sat next to one another in a class photo - something they didn't discover until seven years after they got together. In a nursery school picture that had been gathering dust in a box at Ashleigh's parents' home, the couple spotted two familiar faces staring back at them. 'It wasn't until we were moving out and sorting through pictures at our parents' house that we found the picture and realised we were sitting next to each other. 'We couldn't believe it. It was a lovely feeling to know that we've been a part of each other's lives for so long.' Ashleigh, a stay at home mother to the couple's three-year-old son, Alfie, shared the image on TikTok where it has been viewed almost 800,000 times and received more than 400 comments. Ashleigh Moore (pictured left as a child) and husband Michael (pictured right as a child) had been together for seven years before they discovered an adorable nursery photo of them sitting side by side Having had a brief romance at 13, the pair quickly became an item in 2018. They married abroad and share a three-year-old, Alfie, with another baby on the way She is expecting baby number two this July and their families could not be happier that they ended up together. 'Our family and friends absolutely love that we ended up together and call us childhood sweethearts. 'We had a brief relationship in secondary school at the age of 13 for a few months but remained close friends as we were in the same lessons. 'We left secondary school at the age of 16 in 2015. 'Michael went to Chester to do an apprenticeship and I went to sixth form so we lost contact. 'It wasn't until 2018 that we got back in contact through Instagram.' The cute photo that Ashleigh shared online received adoring comments from viewers - and even led to others sharing their own stories. One person said: 'Love how you both have the same expression on your face. So cute. Congratulations.' Ashleigh posted the adorable picture on TikTok, adding cute captions A second viewer said: 'Oh I love a happy ending. I married my childhood sweetheart who lived six doors from me. Boyfriend and girlfriend since age nine and still together both age 62 now. 'This is me with my husband too. Our nursery photo together was handed round our wedding during my dads speech,' added Shannon. Another person said: 'Currently looking at who's sat next to my children in their pictures and wondering if any will be their future spouse.' 'Wow. That is the cutest thing I've seen today, fair play,' added a fifth viewer. It comes after another couple lucky enough to rekindle a decade-old relationship - albeit one with a very different beginning - were UK-based Zoe and Michael. Club promoter Zoe, who fell in love on holiday, restarted her relationship and ultimately got married to her fling 10 years after they first met each other. The 33-year-old was working in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, giving out shots, when she met Michael, also 33, who was on a lads holiday in 2012. The pair enjoyed a sparky holiday romance, meeting several times during Michael's trip. Club promoter Zoe , 33, was working in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, giving out shots, when she first met Michael, 33, who was on a lads holiday in 2012 Zoe even made a passing comment to a friend about Michael claiming she had met the man she'll 'marry one day'. Michael returned to Leeds, Yorkshire, after a week, while Zoe flew back to the UK a few months later to start a course at the University in Bournemouth, Dorset. Five years later, Zoe sent a drunken message to Michael and, to her surprise, the connection was 'still there'. The pair resumed their romance and Zoe left her job as an Emirates air steward, moving to Leeds to be with Michael. They went on tie the knot in May 2022, 10 years after they first met on holiday, and recently welcomed their firstborn, son Leo, in February 2023. Zoe, a content creator, from Leeds, Yorkshire, said: 'When I met Michael, I remember saying to my friend, "I've met the man I'm going to marry." 'During that holiday, he said the same thing to his mates about me. 'I never in a million years imagined I'd actually marry him 10 years later. 'Despite losing contact, the connection was still there. Zoe and Michael on their wedding day in 2022 - a decade after they fell in love on holiday in Cyprus 'It's not all been plain sailing, but I'm so glad I followed my heart.' Zoe was working as a promoter in Cyprus during the summer of 2012, while taking a gap year before starting university. Michael was on a lads holiday when he first crossed paths with Zoe. She said: 'We met when I was encouraging them to come in for shots. 'I don't remember what we spoke about, but I remember how he made me feel. 'There was an immediate connection, and I had this gut feeling about us.' During Michael's week-long trip, they met up several times for dates on the Island. They exchanged numbers and continued messaging when Michael returned home a week later. They tied the knot two years later in Athens, Greece, in May 2022, with 55 close family and friends Zoe flew back to the UK in September 2012, ready to start university. She said: 'We were both in very different places in life. 'He was focused on his career, and I was about to start my course. 'We ended up drifting apart, but we kept liking each other's photos on Facebook.' Five years later, in 2019, Zoe had just gone through a break-up when she met with a friend. They started discussing past relationship, and her friend reminded her of 'Michael from holiday'. 'We had a few bottles of wine, and I looked him up online,' she said. 'He had two children but was also single. In 2023, the couple were overjoyed to welcome their son Leo, 20-months-old. 'I genuinely wasn't expecting anything to come from it, but I sent a drunk message to see how he was doing. 'It was like no time had passed. 'We immediately hit it off again.' Zoe, who was working as an air steward at the time, ended up leaving her job and moving to Yorkshire to live with Michael in 2020. The pair were hit with lockdown but despite the difficult circumstances, they made it work. She said: 'It was definitely tough at times - I moved my entire life there. 'I never expected to become a stepmum. 'But we took it all slowly, and the kids were so welcoming. Pictured: Zoe and Michael with their toddler Leo 'Through all of it, Michael was so loving and supportive. I knew I had made the right decision.' During a trip to Greece in September 2020, Michael proposed to Zoe and they started planning the wedding. They tied the knot two years later in Athens, Greece, in May 2022, with 55 close family and friends. 'We met near Greece, so it's always been very special to us,' she said. 'The proposal was perfect, and it really cemented my feelings that I'd made the right decision. Zoe said a drunken Facebook message was ultimately the spark that rekindled her romance with Michael 'It was such a magical wedding.' In 2023, the couple were overjoyed to welcome their son Leo, 20-months-old. Zoe said: 'We've got through difficult times, but throughout all of it I've had Michael by my side. 'Things might not always be the fairytale you envision, but if put in the work it could be so much better.' 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 It might sound trivial, but for Australian TV news anchor Samantha Brett, the problem of how to apply SPF was a real one. Long days on outside broadcasts meant she needed more than one application indeed, more than one colleague was diagnosed with a skin cancer during her 15 years on the news beat but how could she put it on without ruining the face of beautiful, bold make-up she had to wear all day for TV? The dilemma nagged away at her until, in 2021, the mum of one hung up her press pass and founded SPF brand Naked Sundays a range of easy-to-apply products, including make-up packed with sun protection and an SPF spray for fuss-free top-ups. Here 41-year-old Samantha shares her (other) beauty secrets and reveals exactly how she looks so good Samantha Brett, 41, celebrates a product launch for her SPF company Naked Sundays DITCH AGEING FACE POWDER The former TV news anchor credits her television career for her current beauty routine but that doesnt mean layering on products with a trowel. Less is best. I wear fewer than five products. People would never guess thats what I used to wear on camera. For me, its all about building glow. Having said that, I do love a thicker foundation if Im out and about. At the moment, I love the Face Tape Foundation (38) when I want more coverage. But I dont wear any powders. In fact, Ill often add a spray on top of everything to loosen my make-up off. My routine is a lazy girls guide. I have a beauty company and an eight-year-old daughter its drop off at 7am, then Im busy till 10pm. To add colour, Samantha says she chooses a non-powder blush from the Rose Inc cream blush range (25). 'Quite often Ill use the same blush as lipstick. I also love Charlotte Tilburys Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk (23.20) with the Naked Sundays Lip Oil on top for gloss and SPF protection (18).' USE SPF WITH SKINCARE GOODIES SPF is a must, no matter what climate youre in. SPF is the cheapest form of Botox! she claims. You wont need lots of procedures and treatments in later life if you use it from a young age. But its never too late to start and, she adds, its crucial to keep a decent amount on at all times. The spray she devised, Hydrating Glow Mist Top Up Spray SPF50+ (18 for 50ml) goes over cosmetics, allowing you to top up your SPF without removing or damaging existing make-up. Look for ingredients like collagen and peptides in your SPF products as they help to plump, smooth and hydrate older skin, too. ...BUT DONT FORGET TO TAKE IT OFF While SPF protects the skin, Samantha says its key to remove it properly like any product, you can risk irritating sensitive or acne-prone skin with product build-up. I use the Revive Le Polish exfoliator, (now 90 at harrods.com) every night. Its a rough, coarse scrub and I find its the only thing that really removes my make-up and SPF. I follow this up with the Tatcha The Dewy Serum (now 68.80 at spacenk.com). I love hyaluronic acid, as its so plumping and hydrating. Hair can also be damaged by the sun strong UV exposure can lead to brittleness and even affect the colour. To protect my blonde from sun damage and to remove any SPF I might put on my scalp in Australia, I use the Kerastase Resistance shampoo and conditioner (60.50). I find them to be very cleansing which is great for removing product build-up and fighting dry hair. START THE DAY WITH AN ICE ROLLER Samantha begins her day by using the Skinny Confidential Ice Roller (93.38, amazon.co.uk) an aluminium roller that is left in the fridge overnight. Ive been using the ice roller every morning. I love how it gets the skin moving and the circulation going, and produces a beautiful, natural glow. I often use it across my body in areas that can become swollen or bloated, like the stomach. I even use it on my face with hyaluronic acid for an extra-hydrating boost in the mornings. I follow this with an electrolyte powder, which I dissolve and drink every morning before coffee. It changes your life; it makes you feel clearer. I no longer get those exhausted slumps throughout the day. Samantha Brett worked as a news anchor on Australian television, before she founded her SPF company Naked Sundays in 2021, inspired by her long days on outside broadcasts BE REALISTIC ABOUT EXERCISE Despite frequent travel for business, Samantha tries to include infrared saunas in her weekly routine. The saunas use infrared light to heat the body rather than heated air or steam. You can sweat out anything. I try to go three times a week even when Im away from home, as some hotels have them now. I find I feel really rejuvenated and my skin is plumped up. With a busy routine, exercise is key to relieving stress and feeling strong, but she says its all about being realistic. With all my travelling and my daughter, I dont have a lot of time for the gym. My routine is quite simple. I try to do 20 minutes of cardio and 10 minutes of weights three times a week. For me, its got to be manageable and sustainable. Kim's message was blasted because of her friendship with Ivanka Trump The businesswoman, 44, addressed the ICE raids in Los Angeles on Tuesday Kim Kardashian has been scolded over her statement addressing the ICE raids in Los Angeles with skeptics questioning why she isn't doing more given her friendship with Ivanka Trump. The Skims founder, 44, took to Instagram on Tuesday night to advocate for the immigrants being torn apart from their families in president Donald Trump's ongoing crackdown on those in the country illegally. As activists continue to protest in the city, mom-of-four Kim hit out at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) for implementing 'inhumane' tactics and she implored her fanbase to 'speak up' over the 'fear and injustice.' Her statement, however, was slammed on social media shortly afterwards, with many calling her out for 'virtue signaling.' 'When we're told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals - great,' Kim said. 'But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do what's right.' Kim continued: 'Growing up in LA, I've seen how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city. 'They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers, and family. Kim Kardashian has been scolded over her statement addressing the ICE raids in Los Angeles The Skims founder posted a statement to advocate for the immigrants being torn apart from their families in the government's ongoing crackdown 'No matter where you fall politically, it's clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants. We can't turn a blind eye when fear and injustice keep people from living their lives freely and safely. 'There HAS to be a BETTER way.' Not long after she posted the upload to her Story, Reddit users questioned the sincerity of Kim's message and accused her of doing it for 'public perception only.' 'Eh not buying it,' one said. 'She needs to call out her friend Trump by name directly if she wants people think she's being genuine. 'These deportations have been going on for years since the first Trump admin and she only decides to speak up when it's convenient, when people will question her silence if she doesn't.' 'Why doesn't she just call up her bestie Ivanka?!' another asked. 'C'mon Kim - get your a** up and WORK.' A third blasted: 'This is for public perception only. She has a direct line to the Trump/Kushner clan. Wtf is she telling us for? Call up your bestie, Kimberly.' Police move on protestors who tried to take over Highway 101 during protests sparked by immigration raids in Los Angeles Kim visited the White House in 2018 to discuss prisoner commutation Reddit users questioned the sincerity of Kim's message and accused her of doing it for 'public perception only' 'She's got Ivanka on speed dial,' a fourth agreed. 'She could easily go that route, if need be.' 'Every time I see Kim K virtue signal I die a little inside,' added another. 'You say "damned if you do" as if she's "doing" anything,' said a sixth. 'She has a direct line to the Trumps and could call that f**ker out by name if she really cared. But she doesn't. Her words are meaningless.' A seventh pointed out: 'She has actual ability to do a whole lot more.' Kim has never spoken publicly about who she endorsed in the 2024 Presidential election, in which Donald Trump triumphed over Democrat candidate Kamala Harris. However, she has a close friendship with Trump's daughter Ivanka. Kim and Ivanka's friendship traces back several years, and it only strengthened after the pair began working on prison reforms together. The duo first crossed paths in 2014 at the Met Gala, where it was said that they bonded over motherhood. A source told Us Weekly in 2023, 'Kim and Ivanka have been friends for years and have hung out on a number of occasions. Kim is friends with Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump (Pictured at the White House in 2019) Kim and Ivanka's friendship traces back several years, and it only strengthened after the pair began working on prison reforms together 'They initially bonded nearly a decade ago at the Met Gala over motherhood and being new moms. But they continued to connect numerous times over the years.' Since their initial meeting a decade ago, the women have been spotted together on numerous occasions. In 2018, the pair was seen posing side by side at the White House, where Kim was petitioning Ivanka's father, then-President Trump, to commute the life sentence of drug offender Alice Marie Johnson. The duo worked closely together to reduce and clear prison sentences - with Kim often confiding in Ivanka while attending dinner parties at her house. And by 2020, the reality star was gushing about Ivanka's dad online. 'President Trump commuted the sentences of three really deserving women. I didn't hear much about it in the news, so I wanted to share with you their stories,' she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 'I have the pleasure of spending the day with these women today along with Alice Marie Johnson, who helped to pick these women.' The King has held an emotional private reunion for 'old shipmates' from his time serving in the Royal Navy at Buckingham Palace - even sharing a few 'salty tales'. Charles, 76, paid for the event privately to bring together some of those he served with as a young man, as well as representatives from associated naval organisations. Then a dashing young Prince of Wales, he embarked on a career in the Royal Navy in 1971 at the age of just 22, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and both great-grandfathers. Charles was an acting sub-lieutenant when he joined an 'accelerated graduates' course at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth on 15 September. Two months later he was posted to the guided missile destroyer HMS Norfolk, and then to the frigates HMS Minerva and HMS Jupiter. During 1972 he experienced life at sea during the Cold War on HMS Dolphin, sailing with hunter-killer HMS Churchill, studying navigation at HMS Mercury and minehunter HMS Glasserton. His career took a step up when he became a gunnery officer on HMS Minerva on West Indies patrol, before being transferred for a brief time to her sister ship HMS Jupiter in the Pacific before returning to England to learn naval aviation. In 1974, the future King qualified as a helicopter pilot, and he flew with 845 Naval Air Squadron from the commando aircraft carrier HMS Hermes. The King has held an emotional private reunion for 'old shipmates' from his time serving in the Royal Navy at Buckingham Palace - even sharing a few 'salty tales'. Pictured on VE Day in March 2025 Charles, 76, paid for the event privately to bring together some of those he served with as a young man, as well as representatives from associated naval organisations. The King pictured wearing Royal Navy captain's uniform on his 40th birthday 1986 He took on his final post with the Navy in February 1976, becoming the Commanding Officer of minesweeper HMS Bronington. Over the next 10 months, he commanded the small vessel during exercises and on operations where he dealt with Second World War ordnance - and even had to closely monitor a Soviet submarine. His active naval career came to an end in December of that year with the rank of commander - but Bronington remained close to his heart and in 1980 he attended the ceremony when the ship was recommissioned. Charles was popular among his comrades, with contemporaries describing him as easy to teach and having a strong sense of duty. On his retirement from service in 1976 used his naval pension to set up what was the Prince's Trust - now the King's Trust - to help disadvantaged young people, which has grown to become one of the biggest youth opportunity charities in the country. Buckingham Palace said today's reception saw the King greet 400 guests, many of whom were previous shipmates and their partners with whom he had kept in touch over the last half century, as well as fellow aviators drawn from 845 Naval Air Squadron and across the Fleet Air Arm. There was also a contingent of from H.M.Y. Britannia and representatives from the King's patronages The White Ensign Association, The Royal Navy Club of 1765 and 1785, The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust and the Association of Royal Naval Officers. An aide said the event was a 'personal request' from the King and was funded by him privately. Then a dashing young Prince of Wales, he embarked on a career in the Royal Navy in 1971 at the age of just 22, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and both great-grandfathers. Pictured in a Royal Navy Wessex helicopter in 1974 In 1974, the future King qualified as a helicopter pilot, and he flew with 845 Naval Air Squadron from the commando aircraft carrier HMS Hermes. Pictured with his instructor, Lieutenant Commander Alan McGregor in 1974 Charles was an acting sub-lieutenant when he joined an 'accelerated graduates' course at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth on 15 September 1971. Pictured in 1974 Charles was popular among his comrades, with contemporaries describing him as easy to teach and having a strong sense of duty. Pictured on the minesweeper HMS Bronington in 1976 They added: 'His Majesty was greatly looking forward to seeing his old shipmates and no doubt sharing a few salty tales on the trip down memory sea-lane. 'He is most grateful for their continued loyalty, laughter and support over the decades, and looked forward to hearing where life's journeys had taken them all. 'As we approach the 50th Anniversary of The King's Trust, which was initially funded with His Majesty's 7,400 severance pay from the Navy, it was a timely opportunity to reflect on what great things have sprung from those formative years including lifelong friendships and a continued commitment to public service.' It comes after the King has praised a 101-year-old veteran as 'amazing' and told him to keep drinking whisky during a visit to Lancashire on Monday. Charles met Richard Brock, who served in the D-Day landings, at the Ceremony of the Keys at Lancaster Castle on Monday and remembered him from a visit to Normandy last year. After asking Richard's age, the King said: 'You are fantastic,' before cheekily adding 'keep drinking the whisky' as he left. Richard, who served with the East Lancashire Regiment, said: 'He just told me I was amazing for my age.' His son Tony Brock, who attended the reception with him, said: 'He mentioned a nip of whisky and said to keep taking it.' An aide said the event was a 'personal request' from the King and was funded by him privately. Pictured during a visit to the Royal Naval Armaments Depot in September 2024 Buckingham Palace said today's reception saw the King greet 400 guests, many of whom were previous shipmates and their partners with whom he had kept in touch over the last half century. Pictured on board a Royal Navy Frigate, Jupiter in 1974 During 1972 he experienced life at sea during the Cold War on HMS Dolphin, sailing with hunter-killer HMS Churchill, studying navigation at HMS Mercury and minehunter HMS Glasserton. Pictured during 'familiarisation' training in 1974 at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines Charles was dressed in a dove grey suit with a cherry-toned patterned tie and a matching kerchief in his breast pocket. Among those keen to see the King were friends Joan Hardcastle, 103, and Barbara Graham, 93, who had come with staff and two other residents from Laurel Bank Care Home. Joan held a framed photograph of Charles presenting her with her MBE for voluntary services 40 years ago. She said: 'I've seen him several times since. He was fine when I met him, very chatty.' Care home manager Lyndsay Scott said: 'It was Barbara's idea to come. We got here at 9am, we had flasks of tea and croissants.' Charles took part in a Ceremony of Keys outside the castle, a tradition which dates back to 1851 when the keys were presented to Queen Victoria and which Queen Elizabeth II participated in in 2015. Once inside the grounds of the castle, which was a prison until 2011, the King met local business owners who were showcasing their work. He expressed his love of cheese, telling Gillian Hale, of Butlers' Farmhouse Cheeses, that he loved sheep's cheese on a digestive biscuit. He smelled some of the cheeses she had on display but did not taste any. She said: 'We're going to send some to him later in a goody bag. He was so gracious.' The King was also gifted a neck tie and some gloves for the Queen from Northern Yarn. The beach is back. The highly-anticipated Baywatch reboot is finally inching closer, two years after it was first announced. 'We're in advanced talks with Fox in the U.S. about the Baywatch reboot,' Fremantle's Bob McCourt told Deadline this week. The series was first announced in 2023 and officially landed at Fox a year later. Writing has been underway from Burn Notice creator Matt Nix, who was brought in this year to do rewrites. In addition to Burn Notice, Nix is known for working on the Turner & Hooch TV series, which was based on the 1989 film, and the True Lies series, based on the 1991 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. The reboot comes as the original Baywatch has surged in popularity on digital streaming platforms. Fox's highly-anticipated Baywatch reboot is finally inching closer, two years after it was first announced Baywatch made its way into the digital era after Fremantle invested in clearing and replacing all the original music, along with remastering and relaunching the show. 'It hadn't been cleared for streaming. The music hadn't been cleared and it was also in standard definition. We made the decision to remaster all episodes into high definition and then clear the music with a big upfront investment,' McCourt explained. 'It was a big risk that actually paid off 10 times over. Baywatch has sold to every territory and around the world, including to Amazon, Hulu, RTL in Germany, and France TV in France.' At its peak, Baywatch was the most-watched television series in the world, bringing in over one billion viewers each week. The series, which ran from 1989 to 1999, launched the careers of Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, Yasmine Bleeth, and David Hasselhoff. A big budget remake film was released in 2017 starring Zac Efron, Dwayne Johnson, Priyanka Chopra, and Alexandra Daddario. Last year, many of the stars from the original series reunited for a tell-all Hulu documentary called After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun. At its peak, Baywatch was the most-watched television series in the world, bringing in over one billion viewers each week Among the claims made in the expose was that the actors were only paid $3,500 per episode. Erika Eleniak, who played lifeguard Shauni McClain from 1989 to 1992, recalled: 'I remember freaking out seeing my first paycheck after the taxes were taken out... how am I gonna live on this money?' Billy Warlock, who played lifeguard Eddie Kramer across the same time frame, added: 'There's not one rich actor on Baywatch. Everybody was disposable and if you didn't fit into their brand at the price they were paying you, you were gone.' Alexandra Paul, who played Lieutenant Stephanie Holden from 1992 to 1997, noted: 'The Baywatch budget was so much smaller than all the other shows that were filming at the time.' Several members of the cast reportedly had to take pay cuts when the NBC show was saved from cancellation in syndication, but David Hasselhoff - who produced and starred as lifeguard Mitch Buchannon from 19892000 - enriched himself off the rerun royalties. 'We are blessed to be in this business. We are blessed to have this job. We are blessed to be doing this interview. Why am I doing this documentary?' the 72-year-old veteran TV actor said. 'We're doing this documentary because Baywatch is the gift that keeps on giving. It's given me an incredible life.' A big budget remake film was released in 2017 starring Alexandra Daddario Dayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Zac Efron are pictured in the 2017 remake One way Baywatch producers cut costs was by padding each episode full of their gratuitous montages full of hard bodies in tiny swimsuits on the beach. Speaking of which, the actresses' small red one-piece swimsuits got skimpier throughout the 12 seasons of Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann's action drama. 'For me, that's when my comfort level went [down],' Eleniak lamented. 'The second year, I felt like necklines plunged.' Kelly Packard - who played lifeguard April Giminski among other roles between 199199 - added: 'It was ridiculous. You couldn't even function in it.' Changes in sight, hearing, taste, touch and balance are little-known dementia signs that can strike years before more well-known symptoms, experts have warned. Dementia, a condition which blights the lives of millions, famously causes problems with patients' memory, language and mood. Medics, using tools like memory tests and interviews, assess these when diagnosing the condition. But now scientists say there is substantial evidence that dementia starts to impair the senses many years before a patient shows the classic signs. This they say, offers hope that sensory changes can be used as an early warning sign and help patients be diagnosed far sooner. They have now called for such changes to be included in standard dementia diagnostic tests which have predominantly focused on recording memory difficulties. An early diagnosis for dementia is considered critical as, while the condition is incurable, treatments can combat symptoms and sometimes slow progression. The team includes three dementia experts in Professor Andrea Tales, of Swansea University, Dr Emma Richards of Public Health Wales and Professor Jan Kremlacek of Charles University in Prague. Changes in sight, hearing, taste, touch and balance are little-known dementia signs that can strike years before more well-known symptoms, experts have warned Many warning signs of dementia are often confused with normal aging. Common early symptoms include forgetfulness, repeating themselves, sudden changes in mood, inability to speak, and personality changes 'Broadening the diagnostic approach beyond memory testing raised the potential to identify dementia at preclinical stages when therapies and life modifications may be most effective,' Professor Kremlacek explained. Dr Richards added: 'Many patients report experiencing these sensory changes years before receiving a diagnosis, but these symptoms may be overlooked during standard cognitive assessments. 'Understanding and addressing these issues, and providing support earlier could be transformative, enabling health care providers to offer the vital emotional and social support patients need at a potentially confusing and distressing time. 'In addition to this, understanding changes in a person's senses can help support a clinician in determining a dementia diagnosis.' Dementia, and particularly early signs of the condition, has been linked to changes in sensory perception before. As the condition is neurodegenerative, meaning it causes continuous brain atrophy, loss of brain tissue and volume, over time, this is believed to have an impact on how our senses function, even in the early stages. Earlier this year neurologists highlighted that a loss of sense of smell could be an early sign of dementia and strike 10-years before better-known symptoms. It isn't just smellvision disturbances and problems with balance are some of the earliest, but often dismissed, signs, especially in younger patients. More than 944,000 people in the UK are thought to be living with dementia, while the figure is thought to be around seven million in the US Writing for The Conversation earlier this year, Molly Murray, an expert in young-onset dementia from the University of West Scotland, said for many patients the first sign of the condition is a problem with their eyes. 'Research shows that for around one third of people with young-onset Alzheimers disease [the most common form of dementia] , the earliest symptoms they had were problems with coordination and vision changes,' she wrote. Experts have also warned that problems with spatial awareness such as standing too close to people are also potential dementia warning signs which can occur up to twenty years before the classic symptoms. More than 944,000 people in the UK are thought to be living with dementia, while the figure is thought to be around seven million in the US. Recent analysis by the Alzheimer's Society estimated the overall annual cost of the dementia to the UK is 42billion a year, with families bearing the brunt. An ageing population means these costswhich include lost earnings of unpaid carersare set to soar to 90billion in the next 15 years. A separate Alzheimer's Research UK analysis found 74,261 people died from dementia in 2022 compared with 69,178 a year earlier, making it the country's biggest killer. A simple 40p supplement could offer relief from restless leg syndrome, a common but debilitating condition that affects millions, say leading experts. The condition, which affects up to one in ten people, causes an unpleasant 'crawling' sensation in the legs usually at night along with an almost irresistible urge to move them. In those worst affected, it can severely interrupt sleep, damage mental health and ruin relationships and careers. For decades people suffering from chronic restless leg syndrome have been treated with drugs called dopamine agonists. But, while effective, these medicines can trigger disturbing side-effects including bizarrely gambling addiction, obsessive sexual desires and suicidal thoughts. Now, a growing number of experts admit that they were wrong to prescribe these tablets and say there is a simple side-effect-free solution: iron supplements. Doctors are now calling on the NHS to offer all patients with restless leg syndrome a blood test to check their iron levels, to see if they would benefit from top-ups of the crucial nutrient. 'Research shows that up to 50 per cent of people with restless leg syndrome could benefit from iron,' says Dr Kirstie Anderson, a neurologist specialising in sleep medicine at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Experts now say that iron supplements could help reduce the symptoms of restless leg syndrome (file image of generic pills) 'If you have restless leg syndrome and your GP has not checked your iron levels, be sure to ask for it to be done.' The exact cause of restless leg syndrome remains unclear, but it's thought to be linked to problems with how the brain uses dopamine a chemical that helps control muscle movement. Drugs known as dopamine agonists, such as ropinirole, aim to ease symptoms by boosting dopamine activity. However, studies have shown that in up to half of patients, these tablets can actually make symptoms worse. And in recent years, the NHS has paid compensation to a number of patients who developed life-ruining addictions after taking dopamine agonists. This rare but serious side-effect is linked to dopamine's role in pleasure and reward boosting levels can overstimulate these pathways, making people more vulnerable to developing compulsions toward everyday activities, such as shopping, sex and online gaming. In one case, an Essex woman received 170,000 in compensation from the NHS after she developed an addiction to the video puzzle game Candy Crush and, subsequently, virtual slot machines. Last year, the Mail also revealed that a mothers' rights campaigner, Joeli Brearley, became suicidal after taking ropinirole, which also disrupted her sleep. Mothers' rights campaigner Joeli Brearley became suicidal after increasing her dose of a dopamine agonist called ropinirole 'We are currently in the process of recalling all our patients who have previously been on dopamine agonists, because of the serious side-effects,' says Dr Anderson. And, in light of these troubling side-effects, late last year, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommended that restless leg patients be offered iron supplements as a first-line treatment. Iron is crucial because it helps the body transport oxygen to the organs. The nutrient can be found in certain foods including liver, red meat, beans, nuts and dried fruit. When patients have dangerously low levels of iron this can trigger anaemia a condition which leads to tiredness, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, paler than usual skin and headaches. Pregnant women and those with heavy periods are most at risk of low iron levels. Low iron appears to also trigger restless leg syndrome. Experts say the link between the two conditions is still unclear, but it seems that iron is also needed to help dopamine reach the brain. Crucially, experts say that restless leg syndrome can be triggered by moderately low levels of iron, meaning that they may have no symptoms linked to anaemia. In 2019, experts at Cochrane, a world-leading medical research body, concluded that boosting the iron levels of restless leg syndrome patients significantly improved symptoms sometimes even when patients did not have low iron levels. Graphic courtesy of the Center for Vascular Medicine. It shows the various sensations that a person with RLS feels as they try to fall asleep The latest AASM guidance recommends that doctors offer patients intravenous iron which provides them with a large dose of the nutrient. This treatment has to be done under medical supervision in hospital. Some patients report one dose resolving their symptoms, while others need repeat treatment over several years. At present, few NHS patients receive iron infusions and the treatment can cost up to 800 at private clinics. Charities have called on the NHS to offer more restless leg syndrome patients the treatment. However, experts say that, for many patients, an over-the-counter daily iron supplement can be enough to combat the debilitating symptoms. 'Supplements are quick and should be the first earliest intervention for people with low iron stores,' says Dr Anderson. 'That's why we are asking all GPs to check the iron levels of their restless leg patients. It could make a big difference.' Mother-of-three Emma Nash, 58, from Suffolk, had suffered restless leg syndrome for more than 40 years and tried a range of medicines, including dopamine agonists and opioids, before turning to intravenous iron. The retired academic has had the condition since she was 14, and says the symptoms got worse as she got older. 'I got this itchy sensation at the back of my knees that used to rob me of my sleep,' she says. 'And when I was pregnant it came back with a vengeance.' In 2023, Emma decided to get an intravenous iron injection after she learned about it from the charity Restless Legs Syndrome UK. After months of pushing, she was able to get the treatment from a local clinic. Emma says that, three weeks after the injection, her restless leg symptoms disappeared and have not returned. 'I wish I'd been offered this treatment years ago,' she says. 'It would have saved me from decades of suffering.' Where supplements take months to have an effect, doctors say that intravenous iron works within weeks. 'It should be seen as common sense that all patients with restless leg syndrome, not just those with low blood iron levels, are given intravenous iron,' says Professor Toby Richards, who runs the Iron Clinic on Harley Street and is an expert in iron at University College London. 'Why put people on years of tablets, with known side-effects, when a 15 minute treatment could reduce their symptoms?' A mother-of-one with just weeks to live has warned women not to dismiss the potential early signs of breast cancer, after mistaking a symptom of the killer disease for a common injury. Lisa Foster, 32, from Hampshire, went to her GP after discovering a pea-sized lump in her left breast which she initially thought was from exercising too rigorously in June 2023. But, when the lump hadn't gone down a week later, Ms Foster was referred to hospital for further tests. There a biopsy confirmed she had stage three triple-negative ductal sarcoma. According to Breast Cancer Now, this type of breast cancer is a rare but more aggressive and harder to treat form of the disease. Mrs Foster was told that she would need a mastectomy to remove her breast and a range of intense therapies in a bid to treat her cancer. After months of treatment Mrs Foster was set to undergo another scan to see if she was well enough to start radiotherapywhich uses high energy x-rays to destroy cancer cells. But shortly after the family were given the devastating the news the disease had spread to other parts of her body and was now in the advanced final stages. Lisa with her husband Adam and their daughter who is now four years-old Breast cancer is the UK's most common cancer with almost 56,000 cases diagnosed per year Lisa now wants to raise awareness of red flag symptoms you should never ignore before she dies and is urging women to check their breasts for any changes 'She wasn't well enoughthe cancer had spread to her chest wall, her right breast and her liver,' her husband Adam, 31, recalled. 'We were told she was now stage four.' Only about one in four women with stage four breast cancer are expected to survive for five years or more following their diagnosis. While incurable, stage four breast cancer can still be treated and this can extend a patient's life for months, and even years. Unfortunately, despite trying four different treatments, including a drug trial, Mrs Foster was told this month that her next round of chemotherapy has just a 9 per cent chance of working. Medics have now said she has only about 'two weeks' to live. In a heartbreaking post on social media, she wrote: 'Unfortunately, my liver is failing me and I'm not sure how long I have got left to live.' She added: 'The cancer hasn't won the fight. It dies with me and I will fight for as long as I can.' Lisa met her husband when she was just fifteen years old, and now at just 32 she has been given just two weeks to live Speaking today, Mr Foster said the family wanted to highlight Lisa's story in an attempt to help other women and urge them to check their breasts regularly for any changes. 'We want people to know that cancer can affect anyone at any ageLisa is a young mum who thought she just had a gym injury.' 'We are all devastated,' he added said. 'She is such a kind-hearted person, and the world's going to be a bit darker without her. 'Lisa and I have been together a long timewe met when we were 15. 'I don't want to imagine what things will be like when she's gone.' Her friend Becky Bailey has set up a GoFundMe page to help with the cost of the funeral, which has already raised almost 5,000. Paying tribute to Mrs Foster she said: 'It just goes to show that Lisa has touched the lives of every single person she's met. 'She is bubbly, funny, such a ray of sunshine, even her oncologist would book her appointments at the end of the day in case they needed cheering up.' Lisa is now in the end stages of her triple negative breast cancer journey and hopes that her story will inspire other women to get checked Symptoms of breast cancer to look out for include lumps and swellings, dimpling of the skin, changes in colour, discharge and a rash or crusting around the nipple Mrs Foster is one of an estimated 61,000 women in the UK living with secondary breast cancer, a figure that's been rising year on year. An estimated 1,000 patients die from the disease every month in Britainthe equivalent of one death every 45 minutes. Survival rates for the cancer depend on what stage it is diagnosed, but, overall, three out of four women are alive a decade after their diagnosis, with survival rates having doubled in the last 50 years alone. Mrs Foster's plea comes as millions of women in England could soon be offered breast cancer checks as young 30-years-old. Currently all women are aged between 50 and 70 are invited for screening every three years, with the first invitation between the age of 50 and 53. But every year, more than 10,000 British women who are too young to be offered a check are diagnosed with the disease, with 2,000 deaths among those below the age of 50. Now, a groundbreaking new trial has found almost one in five women tested in their thirties have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Dr Sacha Howell, a consultant at the world-renowned Christie hospital in Manchester who led the study, said all women should now undergo a 'comprehensive risk assessment' from the age of 30. Your browser does not support iframes. One in seven women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime with around 56,000 cases a yearmaking it the most common cancer in the UK. The figure stands at roughly 300,000 annually in the US. Overall, around 85 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer survive more than five years. Whilst anyone can develop breast cancer, it is not always clear what causes it. Women over the age of 50, who have dense breast tissue, have breast disease or have family members who have had breast or ovarian cancer, are at a higher risk of the disease. To help catch cancer early, the NHS advises going for breast screening to help reduce the risk of the disease becoming fatal. Making lifestyle changes such as cutting down on alcohol, losing weight if you're overweight or obese, and quitting smoking will all lower your chance of getting breast cancer. Women are also encouraged to check their breasts regularly for potential signs of the cancer. These include a lump, or swelling in the breast, chest or armpit, a change in the skin of the breast, such as dimpling or redness and a change in size or shape of one or both breasts. Nipple discharge with blood, a change in the shape or appearance of the nipple and continuous pain in the breast or armpit are also signs of the deadly disease. While these are not always a cause for concern, anyone who experiences these symptoms is advised to consult their GP. The man with the biggest penis in Britain has revealed the disastrous details of the night he lost his virginity. Matt Barr, whose manhood measures a mammoth 14in, has previously spoken about the downsides of having such gigantic genitalia. 'It's difficult, because it's not something you really spring on people as a surprise, because it just does scare people away,' he explained. Mr Barr's memberboasting a girth of 8.5inand is claimed to be the 'worlds biggest medically verified penis'. But size doesn't always make for success in the bedroom with Mr Barr opening up about how things went terribly wrong when he did the deed for the first time. Speaking to Californian medic Dr Rena Malik, Mr Barr revealed that losing his virginity led him to be rushed to hospital. While not divulging the details of the traumatic event he told the medic that 'it was not good, I went to hospital, so not ideal,' after having penetrative sex for the first time. He added that losing his virginity was a 'long time coming' with his massive manhood having previously prevented him from having intercourse. Matt Barr, whose manhood measures up a mammoth 14in, has previously spoken out about the downsides of having such gigantic genitalia Speaking to American medic Dr Rena Malik, Mr Barr revealed that losing his virginity led him to be rushed to hospital He detailed how he and a former lover 'tried, and realised it was kind of impractical', he recalledbut added that the pair decided to still spread the rumour that they had done the deed as 'a status thing'. 'That was supposedly my first time, but it wasn't really because it wasn't physically possible,' he confessed. 'It wasn't until a lot later that I ended up actually having what I consider to be penetrative sex.' Dr Malik explained that the difficulties Mr Barr experienced likely arose due to the size of the average vagina being much too small to fit Mr Barr's massive member. She said the average vaginal diameter is around 3.5in, and while this can sometimes double in size when a woman is aroused, the dimensions would still be too small for Mr Barr's member. Mr Barr continued to say that he 'didn't really know what [he] was doing, like a lot of men' the first time he had sex, adding that he's since worked 'to ensure that doesn't happen again'. 'I do always try to bring it up when I can, not in a creepy way, it's the question of how do you have that conversation early enough in a relationship when you've already got a bit of a bond and it's kind of clear you can talk about sex and it's not creepy to do,' he said. 'I think that's key where you can, just because for both sakes it's very useful to have that as a barometer of what to expect rather than spring it on them very last minute.' Mr Barr's memberwhich boasts a girth of 8.5inis tipped to be the world's largest, scientifically verified, unaugmented penis Mr Barr has previously spoken about other difficulties of having such a large member. These include once being thrown out of a yoga class because they thought he had become aroused. He said: 'I was wearing a very baggy shirt and shorts [but because of the] yoga positions, people just got the wrong idea. 'And that's the way it sometimes goes, but you can you can dress normally, baggy clothing, and it's not too difficult.' Mr Barr has also previously told MailOnline that a cultural over-emphasis on size meant many men felt unnecessarily insecure in the bedroom. 'Feeling insecure around your equipment is unsurprising when penis size myths are spread so readily by porn or locker-room jokes that assume "bigger is better",' he said. 'Any insecurities you are feeling about your sexual performance is not alleviated by growing a few inches - and once you get so far beyond the norm it brings with it a whole host of new problems. 'Even if you have the biggest penis in the world, you still have to focus on improving your sexual performance to give your partners the pleasure they deserve.' The NHS says the average size of an adult penis is 3 to 4in when flaccid, and between 6 to 7in when erect A Chicago doctor who put dozens of women through needless cancer surgeries so she could fund her glamorous lifestyle has been jailed. Mona Ghosh, 52, wrongly told dozens of healthy women who had been screened for cervical cancer that their results were abnormal. She then gave them unnecessary biopsies and, while they were sedated, the OB-GYN carried out other needless treatments without their consent. Prosecutors told DailyMail.com that in some cases the pain from these unnecessary surgeries was so severe that patients eventually needed hysterectomies, or the removal of their uteruses. Ghosh ran the Progressive Women's Healthcare clinic in Hoffman Estates, outside Chicago, where she regularly carried out screenings for cervical cancer. Listings online show she has a $1.4million four-bedroom four-bathroom home, while in pictures on social media, she is shown globe-trotting with vacations to sunny beachside resorts and Rome, Italy. She is also listed online as the former owner of a property in Peekskill, New York, and an apartment in Chicago. Nearly 100 women mostly women of color have come forward to say they were harmed by her clinic, and 17 spoke at her trial. Prosecutors fear, however, that there are others that are still yet to come forward. Mona Ghosh, pictured above, was sentenced to ten years in prison and ordered to pay back $1.5million Yesterday, Ghosh was sentenced to ten years in federal prison and ordered to pay back more than $1.5million after pleading guilty to two counts of healthcare fraud. She is facing another lawsuit from her patients. At her sentencing, Federal Judge Franklin Valderrama said: 'You irrevocably harmed women who put their trust in you. You used your patients to bankroll your luxurious lifestyle.' For some of her patients, she gave them unnecessary endometrial ablations where a surgeon burns the lining of the uterus. This is normally done to treat heavy bleeding, but it can also rupture the lining of the uterus making it difficult for a woman to get pregnant. In an interview with DailyMail.com, Adam Snyder an attorney for the victims said it could also be used to make it difficult to determine whether a doctor had correctly diagnosed a patient with cancer. He added: 'Some of the patients were left in severe pain after the ablations, and had to have their uterus taken out, which is a terrible thing especially in your 30s and 40s when many women say they would like to have a child.' Other treatments she carried out unnecessarily included ultrasounds, vaccinations, laboratory blood tests and tests for sexually transmitted diseases. Ex-patient Angela told local broadcaster ABC7: 'I'm glad she's going to prison for what she did because she deserves to go to prison.' Ex-patient Katie Hart added: 'I wasn't done having kids, and she took that from me. Not just me, but everyone, she took that right away from.' And Christie added: 'At least she will be in prison, and I will be living free. Ghosh is pictured above on her Facebook profile while on vacation to Rome, Italy. She is shown inside its famousColosseum She is shown above here while on a beachside vacation in January, escaping the brutal Chicago winter 'She can no longer harm anybody, and that's the main thing, to do no more harm to any more of these women.' Ghosh was also accused of filing insurance claims for doctor visits that never happened, and of creating false medical records to back up her claims. She pleaded guilty in court to two counts of healthcare fraud last year, and in her sentencing was told she must pay $1.5million back to insurance companies. She now faces another lawsuit from her former patients. Your browser does not support iframes. The money must be paid back to taxpayer-funded Medicaid, TRICARE a health insurance program for veterans and some private insurers. Ghosh has also been stripped of her medical license. Ghosh's actions were revealed in a court case brought in March 2023 by the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois. She was initially charged with 13 counts of health care fraud, with each carrying a maximum ten-year sentence. Prosecutors also said she had wrongly claimed up to $2.4million. Last year, she pleaded guilty to two of the charges. US attorney Andrew Boutros said: 'When physicians submit fraudulent claims to federal health care programs, they divert taxpayer-funded resources away from those who truly need them. Pictured above are some of the women who were harmed by Ghosh. Seventeen spoke at her trial Another ex-patient fought back tears while she spoke to reporters 'Ghosh's fraud scheme was particularly egregious because she endangered the health of her patients by performing unnecessary medical procedures, including procedures that severely limited some patients' ability to have children in the future.' He added: 'We applaud the victims strength to come forward and confront this defendant. 'Our Office will fight tirelessly for victims and work diligently with our law enforcement partners to safeguard taxpayer funds and hold accountable those who steal from the American public.' Women in the US are asked to get screenings for cervical cancer, which is the fourth most common cancer in American women with 10,800 cases diagnosed each year. About 4,000 women die from the disease annually. Women aged 21 to 29 years are asked to get the pap test for cervical cancer once every three years, while those aged 30 to 65 years are asked to continue this regimen or get tested for HPV once every five years. Endometrial ablation is used to stem serious bleeding and involves burning the lining of the uterus. Doctors say it should not be performed on women who intend to get pregnant in the future because it disrupts the uterus lining. Other risks include deep injury to the uterus or burns to nearby organs including the bowel or bladder. It also carries the risk of infection or hemorrhage. A growing behind-the-scenes battle threatens to escalate into open war as they fight for President Donald Trump's attention over the threat posed by Iran and the proper way to address it. Conservative radio legend and Fox News weekend host Mark Levin met with President Trump personally last week to warn him about Iran, reportedly saying that the rogue nation was 'days away' from building a nuclear weapon. Trump brought his friend and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff along for the meeting with Levin despite the Fox News host angrily criticizing him for negotiations with Iran. Fox News Chairman Emeritus Rupert Murdoch has also complained about Witkoff's diplomatic portfolio, according to Politico, and his New York tabloid paper has featured columns critical of the president's envoy in the Middle East. A spokesperson for Fox News did not return a Daily Mail request for comment. Levin's personal lobbying plus Murdoch's attacks against Witkoff drew attention from former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who reacted to the news exclusively to the Daily Mail. 'It's amazing how much old people love wars,' he said as the drama between the two conservative media titans started boiling over. Levin and Carlson, who were once colleagues at Fox News, have been increasingly at odds over Witkoff and foreign policy. Carlson, the top-rated Fox News host before he was fired in April 2023, remains vocally opposed to another war in the Middle East, repeatedly using his platform to advocate against a military strike on Iran. Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a fireside chat with Tucker Carlson Journalist Tucker Carlson has increasingly voiced his opposition to any military strikes in Iran Earlier, Carlson cautioned the Trump administration publicly on social media after he learned that Levin had visited the White House. 'Mark Levin was at the White House today, lobbying for war with Iran,' Carlson wrote in a social media post. 'To be clear, Levin has no plans to fight in this or any other war. Hes demanding that American troops do it.' Carlson wrote that Levin's 'hyperventilating' about Iran's nuclear plans was a distraction from the dangers of sending American troops back into the Middle East. 'A war with Iran would amount to a profound betrayal of his supporters. It would end his presidency. That may explain why so many of Trumps enemies are advocating for it,' he wrote. Levin responded to the Politico report on his radio show Tuesday evening telling his listeners that he met with President Trump last week after he was invited to the White House. 'He and I are very close friends,' Levin said, adding that 'the president knows exactly where I stand on Iran and he told me he knows exactly where I stand on Iran because he watches my shows on Fox.' He described the Politico report as sourced by 'a group of people who were pushing propaganda.' 'What I am not doing and what I would not do to Donald Trump is lead a lobbying campaign of hawks,' he said. Levin accused an isolationist 'cabal' was leaking lies to Politico and making it more difficult for the president to negotiate with Iran. He nicknamed Carlson as Chatsworth Osborne Jr., based on an old television character who wears a bowtie, and accused him of spreading 'lies' in Washington. 'Levin won't take your crap,' he said, referring to Carlson. 'He doesn't like bullies, I'm more than happy to engage with you.' He described the story as a 'fraud' and accused Carlson of 'constantly lobbying the White House' against war with Iran. 'I know who the leakers are,' he said and added, 'its the isolationists who are doing it, it's them, they're doing it, they're trying to undermine the president and what they're actually doing America is they're making his job 1,000 times more difficult.' Carlson also is a friend and supporter of Witkoff, hosting him on his popular independent show in March to praise his efforts on behalf of peace. Witkoff recently criticized 'the neocon element' in the Republican Party, noting it 'believes that war is the only way to solve things,' sparking Levin's anger who raged against the statement on social media. Mark Levin met with Donald Trump to warn him about the threat posed by Iran Radio legend Mark Levin has grown increasingly critical of Iran and their plans to build a nuclear weapon 'By the way, neocon is a pejorative for Jew. Unbelievable,' Levin wrote on X. Carlson reacted by noting that he was personally familiar with Levin, but was astounded by what he had claimed. 'I worked with Mark. Ive always gotten along with Mark, always been nice to me. But yeah, he just accused Trump, the Trump administration of anti-Semitism for calling someone a neocon,' Carlson said, adding, '[H]e accused Steve Witkoff of anti-Semitism. And I just want to say, I think Steve Witkoff is, if theres anyone who is, you know, has the hand of God on him, it seems to me. I sort of overstate it, but I feel that way.' Carlson said that Witkoff was lobbying for peace, which was why he was under fire from Levin and others in the conservative movement. 'Weve reached peak crazy, I mean, I think Witkoff is Jewish, right?' Carlson asked. Levin fired back by calling Carlson a 'schmuck' who 'doesn't call me' and repeated his claim that the term 'Neocon' was an anti-Semite slur. 'Why do they keep saying neocon? Because many of the neoconservatives were old time, left-wing, Democrat Jews,' Levin said on his radio show. 'Any of the people that use that phrase either dont know what theyre talking about, but in the magazines and on the internet, they know it. So theyre not going to say the Jews are dragging us into a war, theyll say Israel is, Netanyahu is. Theyre not gonna say the Jews this and the Jews-, so they use neocon.' Levin added that he would continue to fight the 'Islamo-Nazi regime in Tehran' and accused the Iranians of trying to assassinate the president and trying to acquire a nuclear weapon. 'Do whatever you want, its perfectly fine by me. But dont screw with me, you little bastard, by twisting my words,' Levin fired back at Carlson. 'And you should have picked up the phone because I would have cleared things up for you.' Levin did not return a request for comment from the Daily Mail. Fox News has featured a steady drumbeat of coverage of Iran's nuclear threat in recent days. On Tuesday morning, Fox News broke an exclusive story about a 'secret project' ordered by Iran's Supreme Leader in 2009 in an effort to boost their nuclear weapons program by extending the range of their long range missiles under the guise of launching satellites. Trump has been historically hawkish on the issue of Iran, especially after former President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry signed a nuclear deal with them in 2015. Fox News chairman emeritus Rupert Murdoch has reportedly voiced his dissatisfaction with Steve Witkoff's diplomatic efforts in the Middle East US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff (L) speaks as US President Donald Trump watches President Trump's envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff appears on the Tucker Carlson show During his first term, Trump withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018 and launched a maximum pressure campaign against Iran that included the assassination of prominent military officer Qasem Soleimani. But the president is now pressing for a deal with Iran, in the hopes of preventing another war in the Middle East. The president has told Israeli Prime Minster Bibi Netanyahu that attacking Irans nuclear sites is off limits as he prefers a diplomatic solution to the growing tensions between the two countries. 'I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because were very close to a solution,' the president said, recalling to reporters his phone call with Netanyahu. 'Now, that could change at any moment. It could change with a phone call.' Trump remains optimistic that the Iranians want to reach an agreement that would prevent another war in the Middle East. '[R]ight now, I think they want to make a deal. And, if we can make a deal, (it would) save a lot of lives.' MSNBC host Rachel Maddow floated a bizarre theory about Donald Trump's motives behind sending the military to Los Angeles over the weekend amid widespread protests against immigration enforcement. Maddow, who anchors her show once a week on Monday, peddled the notion that someone convinced Trump that 'attacking immigrants would work for him politically.' To date, Trump has sent 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to LA, a move Governor Gavin Newsom and other Democrats have fiercely condemned. Maddow claims Trump did this because he is 'panicking' over the growing number of protests against his mass deportation policy, which was a cornerstone of his campaign. 'He has no idea what to do with the sustained and growing and intractable and indomitable protest and opposition of the American people against him. And so he has decided to try to fix it by using the Army,' Maddow said. 'Game over, big guy. You lose. The movement against Trump is unstoppable, now more than ever.' She suggested his decision to mobilize the national guard and the marines is an example of his lack of political skill. Rachel Maddow claimed Trump is 'panicking' over nationwide protests against his deportation policies. She also floated a conspiracy theory that someone in the administration told Trump that 'attacking immigrants would work for him politically' Maddow said the sheer number of protests proves Trump's deportation plan is unpopular with the American people, despite public polling showing that there is broad support for what he's doing The liberal firebrand likened his approach to containing disturbances in LA to when Trump allegedly suggested to advisors in 2019 that hurricanes should be nuked before they can wreak havoc on the United States. Trump later denied the Axios report. 'What we are seeing right now in California is a president panicking. We have never before in the history of the US presidency, seen a president who is less popular than this one at this point in his term,' Maddow said. 'And we have never seen a president less politically skilled, less politically equipped than this one to turn that kind of problem around.' She went on to talk about the so-called 'No Kings' protests that are set to take place this Saturday, Flag Day, in roughly 1,500 cities in all 50 states. Maddow said this proves Trump's deportation plan is unpopular with the American people, despite public polling showing that there is broad support for what he's doing. A recent CBS News poll found that 54 percent of people approved of the administration deporting illegal immigrants, though it was taken before the protests in in LA erupted on Friday. 'The American people do not want this kind of cruelty against the immigrants who live among us and are our neighbors and friends, and facing that kind of heart and that kind of resolve, and that kind of nonviolent good cheerhe has no idea what to do,' Maddow said. The Daily Mail approached MSNBC for comment. Violence escalated over the weekend when protesters took over streets in downtown LA, torching cars, destroying businesses and looting stores in scenes that saw law enforcement responding with tear gas and rubber bullets Pictured: Multiple Waymo cars are set ablaze in LA on Sunday, when the first national guardsmen began arriving Online, viewers appeared less than impressed with her claims, slamming the TV star for her comments. One person said: 'She makes millions saying this stuff.' Another added: 'Maddow will realize true Americans support Trump when she and the Democrats cry for help and true Americans say they are on their own.' Someone else questioned: 'Why does Rachel Maddow still have a reporting job?' While a fourth suggested she 'needs the same treatment as Terry Moran', who ABC News fired after he penned a social media post calling Trump a 'world class hater' and blasting top advisor Stephen Miller as full of 'bile.' The protests in LA began Friday evening after more than 40 people were arrested in a sweeping operation by agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Violence escalated over the weekend when protesters took over streets in downtown LA, torching cars, destroying businesses and looting stores in scenes that saw law enforcement responding with tear gas and rubber bullets. Trump on Saturday invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy military members when there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' Pictured: California National Guard soldiers arrive in front of the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building to protect it from protestors on Tuesday afternoon As protests continued to rage in LA and elsewhere on Tuesday, Trump arrived in Fort Bragg (pictured) and later gave a speech to thousands of service members. He promised he would liberate LA Notably, he did this without the permission of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who called the move 'un-American.' 'U.S. Marines have served honorably across multiple wars in defense of democracy. They are heroes. They shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President,' Newsom wrote on X. The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor's permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama. And the last time marines were deployed on US soil was in 1992, again in LA. That time, it was to tamp down the protests over LAPD officers being acquitted in court after they were caught on video beating Rodney King, a black man. During a speech Tuesday at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Trump spoke to thousands of service members about what is unfolding in LA. He called it an 'invasion and Third World lawlessness,' also pledging that he wouldn't allow the city to be taken over by a 'foreign enemy.' 'We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean and safe again,' he added. A CNN correspondent has claimed protestors in Los Angeles were smoking weed and only there to cause trouble as he gave a live report on the riots. National correspondent Nick Watt was reporting live on the ground from the disorder on CNN News Night on Tuesday evening as a curfew was brought in. Watt said: 'Some people who I would suggest might be interested in causing some trouble a little later on, wearing masks and swimming goggles for tear gas. 'They have been protesting against all of these National Guardsman, there is graffiti behind these officers that says "F Trump".' He added: 'The mood in the crowd is getting more agitated as that curfew comes close, the smell of weed is in the air. 'People are not looking at all like they are gonna abide by this curfew and get out of here.' Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency on Tuesday after the downtown area was ravaged by violent demonstrators who looted buildings and attacked officers. Police said multiple groups stayed on the streets in some areas despite the curfew and 'mass arrests are being initiated'. National correspondent Nick Watt said the smell of people of smoking weed was in the air as he gave a report on Tuesday night Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency on Tuesday after the downtown area was ravaged by violent demonstrators who looted buildings and attacked officers Demonstrators wave flags from atop a wrecked car as protesters clash with law enforcement in in Los Angeles on June 8, 2025 Less than an hour after the curfew was imposed, Governor Gavin Newsom lashed out at President Donald Trump in a speech that aired on national television. The Golden State governor blamed the federal government for the ongoing crisis and issued a chilling warning that chaos could soon engulf other states too. 'Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there,' Newsom warned. 'This is a president who in just over 140 days, has fired government watchdogs that could hold him accountable, accountable for corruption and fraud. 'He's declared a war, a war on culture, on history, on science, on knowledge itself. Databases, quite literally, are vanishing.' Newsom said: 'When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard. He made that order apply to every state in this nation. 'This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. 'Democracy is under assault before our eyes, this moment we have feared has arrived.' While Newsom did urge protesters to remain peaceful if they took to the streets, he encouraged Americans to stand up against Trump. On Tuesday night hordes of protesters were zip-tied and forced on to LAPD buses en masse There were 27 arrests on Saturday, with 40 on Sunday, 114 on Monday and nearly 200 by 6pm on Tuesday 'What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence, to be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him.' Rioters have been on the streets for days now causing havoc as they railed against Trump's efforts to rid the city of illegal migrants. They were only further enraged when Trump gave orders to send 700 Marines and 4,100 National Guard troops in to take over policing efforts and assist the LAPD. Bass said at least 23 businesses have been looted during the unrest and condemned the horrifying images which have emerged from the days of carnage. The regions impacted by the lockdown span from the five freeway to the 110 freeway, and from the 10 freeway to the point where the 110 and the five merge. On Tuesday night, hordes of protesters were zip-tied and forced onto LAPD buses en masse as authorities sought to bring an end to days of chaos and destruction. LAPD chief Jim McDonnell said protests had grown more violent as the week progressed. There were 27 arrests on Saturday, with 40 on Sunday, 114 on Monday and nearly 200 by 6pm on Tuesday. He said public safety personnel, journalists and homeless people would be exempt from the order. Anna Wintour has appointed her daughter's close pal to run Vanity Fair, despite reports that he's despised by staff at the magazine's publisher. Mark Guiducci, 36, was tapped by Wintour on Tuesday to lead the Conde Nast-owned glossy after a high-profile search for the publication's next leader. Guiducci has worked at both Vanity Fair and Vogue, where Wintour is editor-in-chief, and is a friend of her 37-year-old daughter, Bee Shaffer, sources told Showbiz 411. 'He's the most disliked person in the Conde Nast building,' a source told the publication Tuesday, hours after the news of Guiducci's hiring broke. 'Staffers went to Anna begging her not to hire him,' an insider added The hesitance stems from the Princeton grad's inexperience, as well as a poor reputation earned during his time at Vogue, Showbiz 411 reported. The search for a new leader launched in April, when Vanity Fair's former editor-in-chief, Radhika Jones, resigned after seven years. She assumed the role from longtime editor Graydon Carter, who held the job for 25 years. At the time, Wintour told staff that Jones would help with the transition 'as we start the search for a new editor.' Now tasked with filling that void is Guiducci, who started his post-college career in 2010 at Vanity Fair as an assistant. Mark Guiducci, 36, was tapped by Anna Wintour to lead Vanity Fair after a high-profile search for the publication's next leader Guiducci has worked at both Vanity Fair and Vogue, where Wintour is editor-in-chief, and is a longtime friend of her 37-year-old daughter, Bee Shaffer In 2017, he was named editor-in-chief the art publication GARAGE Magazine, owned by VICE Media. It went out of print four years ago, a year after Guiducci left in 2020. That same year, he took on the role of creative editorial director Vogue and helped launch Vogue World, an annual fashion and cultural show. He's now tasked with filling the void left by Jones, after she oversaw years of declining revenue. Guiducci will be Vanity Fair's first 'global editorial director' rather than the editor-in-chief title held by his predecessors, including the legendary Tina Brown. Wintour's search was advised by longtime New Yorker editor David Remnick. Figures like Carter have since expressed faith in Guiducci as a successor, despite working with him many years ago. 'Having worked with Mark, I know that he has so many of the skills necessary for the job at hand - and many that I did not have,' the iconic editor told Breaker. 'He's the perfect editor for the new Vanity Fair.' 'Congrats to Mark Guiducci, the new editor of Vanity Fair,' Brown separately tweeted. 'He's a fabulous, fresh appointment with bags of flair and fun ideas.' In a statement to the New York Times, the 75-year-old Wintour sang a similar tune, describing how great editors 'inspire their colleagues to move with speed, dexterity and thrilling derring-do.' 'Thats the magic of Mark,' she said. 'An energetic and creative editor at the center of his generation and a leader under whom Vanity Fair will grow in ways I can foresee and, no doubt, many ways I cant.' Guiducci also expressed excitement at taking on the job. Guiducci's friendship with Wintour's only daughter was singled out by a source Showbiz 411 . as a reason for his appointment. The two have been photographed together for years, often at high-profile parties In a statement, the 75-year-old Wintour (center) called Guiducci (second from right) an 'energetic and creative editor at the center of his generation' 'Were going to have fun,' Guiducci said of his plans for the magazine. 'I think thats something were going to need in our culture right now' 'Proud of you,' Shaffer wrote on Instagram Tuesday in a story celebrating Guiducci's appointment 'There are all these old-school tools that can be used in new ways,' Guiducci told the Times. 'Cover stars, long lead ambitious investigations, sophisticated visuals - those are all things you cant do on Substack. The difference today is we create them for and publish them on modern platforms.' His friendship with Wintour's only daughter has spanned years. The two have been photographed together frequently, often at high-profile parties. 'Beyond proud,' Shaffer wrote on Instagram Tuesday in a story celebrating Guiducci's appointment. 'Were going to have fun,' he told the Times separately, when asked about his plans for the magazine. 'I think thats something were going to need in our culture right now.' DailyMail.com has reached out to Conde Nast for comment. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has unveiled a Government spending spree on Britain's schools, hospitals and armed forces as critics immediately questioned how she would pay for it. The Chancellor insisted she had been 'relentless' in driving out waste and inefficiencies as she confirmed huge investments in the NHS, defence and housebuilding. Shadow chancellor Mel Stride immediately dismissed the review in his response as he branded her a 'tin foil Chancellor' for her 'flimsy' control of the public finances and suggested tax rises in the autumn were inevitable. The review, which will set out day-to-day spending plans for the next three years and capital spending plans for the next four. Follow below for a recap of today's events Finally, after long delays, an unnecessary bidding competition and division inside government, Rolls-Royce has received the go-ahead to build a new generation of small modular reactors (SMRs). Almost a decade has passed since a team of Rolls engineers visited the Daily Mails City office to make the case for a new generation of smaller, British-made nuclear reactors. It planned to use the tried-and-tested turbines which power UK submarines. The Rolls-Royce design was innovative, would be infinitely cheaper than the super-reactor being built at Hinkley in Somerset and now destined for Sizewell C in Suffolk, and would be flexible. The reactor could be constructed on, or near, the sites of Britains fading nuclear fleet or close to where reliable baseload power would be needed. No one quite knew at the time that the climate change agenda and demand for data centres to power AI and the digital economy would catapult SMR technology to prominence. Powering up: A Rolls-Royce design for a small nuclear reactor. The company has been given the go-ahead to build the devices, which are based on its submarine technology, for the UK Rolls has been straining at the leash to pursue a technology that could transform British industrial capability and exports with a potential market of $250billion to $400billion by 2035 to 2040. As the sand slipped through the egg-timer over the last several years, the worlds other big electrical engineers woke up to the potential. Westinghouse of Canada (sold off by Gordon Brown), GE-Hitachi and British rival Holtec moved into the territory. Bizarrely, Rolls-Royce was kept waiting while the UK conducted an open auction, giving rivals the opportunity to play catch-up. While Britain sat on its hands, the Czech Republic became the first major customer for SMRs made by a Rolls-Royce consortium. Only now have licences and some 2.5billion of support been provided for three pioneering modular reactors in the UK. Since Labour came to office, the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Great British Energy have been focused on windfarms and solar power, to the detriment of everything else. Britains fading nuclear capability meant we were stuck with a power system dependent on the wind blowing, the sun shining and still undeveloped fuel cell storage capacity. It is to the credit of the Government, and one suspects Keir Starmers obsession with big tech, that SMRs are being embraced along with a second super-reactor to be built by Frances state-owned EDF. The opportunity for Rolls in the UK and overseas to create a new business to sit alongside its Trent family of aerospace engines and defence capabilities is enormous. The thirst for electric power by Google, Amazon, Apple and Bitcoin miners, among others, is unrelenting. Several contracts, with UK makers, have already been signed by the Silicon Valley giants. New nuclear has zero carbon emissions but decommissioning and waste are still big unresolved issues. Nevertheless, the volumes of spent fuel from new generation modern reactors is a fraction of their late 20th century forbearers. Rolls-Royce shares (which I hold) have been on a tear since chief executive Tufan Turbo Erginbilgic has been at the helm. The shares are up 690 per cent over the last five years placing a value on the group of 75.6billion defying dissonance with London listings. Wow. Comeback kid The long haul back for Marks & Spencer after the cyber-attack has taken a significant step. Shoppers will again be able to access fashion items such as clothing for home delivery. They will have to be a little more patient if they want beauty products or homeware. Food has been less of a problem as deliveries are already in the hands of Ocado through what, until now, has been a fraught joint venture. There can be few causes for cheer in something so disruptive which has cost an estimated 300million, undermined consumer confidence in the security of personal data and asserted downward pressure on the shares. Before the attack, M&S was on an upward trajectory. The cyber shock should assist chief executive Stuart Machin in overcoming executive complacency about progress. Having taken the opportunity to update sclerotic systems, it is quite possible that with a following wind it will come back stronger. BYD will bring its ultra-rapid electric car chargers to Europe, it has confirmed, meaning EV owners will be able to recharge as fast as filling up with petrol. The Chinese EV giant, which recently dethroned Tesla as the biggest electric car maker in the world, has confirmed it will install a network of flash chargers in Europe within the next 12 months. BYDs (which stands for Build Your Dreams) executive vice president Stella Li announced the news to journalists in Brussels last week. The ultra-rapid chargers use a 1,000kW architecture, making them much more powerful than its US rival's Superchargers, which only charge up to 250kW and deliver 172 miles in 15 minutes. Li claims the flash chargers will allow EV drivers to replenish their batteries in just five minutes with the technology described as a game changer that will boost EV confidence and remove range and charge anxiety. Initially, the devices will be installed at BYD dealerships, though other partnerships and locations are currently under consideration. BYD's 'Megawatt Flash Chargers' use 1,000-volt architecture enabling recharge times equivalent to refueling a fuel-powered car. The chargers will be rolled out in Europe within the next 12 months Part of the brands Super e-Platform which includes an overhauled powertrain, an upgraded motor and battery - the flash chargers add 1.2 miles of range per second, which gives the five-minute industry-first figure. The chargers also let cars with older batteries top up 20 to 30 per cent faster than normal. BYD already sells EVs equipped with batteries that can recharge up to 250 miles (400km) in five minutes. While the confirmation from Stella Li is good news for European BYD drivers, no extra details have been given as to how the chargers will cater for European EV technology. There are currently limitations on Europes CCS (Combined Charging System) rapid chargers which cap power at 500kW, with many manufacturers limiting EVs to lower charging figures to help long term battery health. Most European EVs can handle up to 200kW on a 500A charger, with only a few able to handle up to 350kW. BYDs 1,000kW chargers massively overshoot this. BYD called the chargers a 'game changer' because they can deliver 1.2 miles of range per second, delivering a recharge in just five minutes, removing range and charging anxiety In comparison Tesla's famous and much loved Supercharger network can only charge up to 250kW, giving 172 miles in 15 minutes The expansion of BYDs charging network into Europe is the latest part of the Shenzhen-based companys goal to dominate the EV and plug-in hybrid market in Europe. Li explained that by 2030 BYD wants to be a major player in the European automotive market, with plans to open a production site in Hungary this year, along with a R&D centre and a European headquarters in Budapest. BYDs European sales have seen steady monthly growth of 10 per cent, Li says, with the carmaker aiming to build more production sites on the continent in the future if sales continue to go well. Li commented: We are going to build in Europe to sell in Europe. We are looking at the long term. We are here to stay. BYD currently offers the the Atto 3, the Dolphin and the Seal - which cost 37,705, 26,205 and 45,705 respectively. - in the UK. The 15k Dolphin Surf EV is arriving this year Which BYD cars can you buy in the UK? BYD arrived in 2023 and brought with it three models which undercut European brands by offering high levels of quality, tech, and battery advancements for a more affordable price: the Atto 3, the Dolphin and the Seal which cost 37,705, 26,205 and 45,705 respectively. The forthcoming Atto 2 compact SUV will arrive later this year and is set to start at 30,000. BYD has announced its Dolphin Surf city EV will go on sale later this year and offer 'the best value' in its class while costing less than 20,000. This will shake up the cheap EV market. As of March, there are 60 BYD dealer locations and counting. We feel unjustly treated by the RAC following a breakdown in a dangerous situation, which involved getting the police to arrange our car to be towed to safety as the RAC could not attend us in time. We spent two days waiting for action from the RAC which it failed to take. Now it says we have no claim. We paid 409 for cover this year which includes a get you home service. When we complained it sent us a 40 cheque. We havent cashed it. Please help. P.F., Shrewsbury. Left stranded: A reader was left waiting for two days by the RAC after their car had to be towed to safety following a breakdown Sally Hamilton replies: This was a serious breakdown in your recovery service that landed you with an unexpected 510 bill for recovery, storage and taxis. You felt extra miffed by the rejection of your claim as your husband, aged 92, has been with the RAC since owning his first car in 1972. You have rarely called it out and certainly not in the last five years. The paltry sum offered as an apology riled you further, not helped by the fact it came with no explanation or apology. A letter was only sent to you later after your son intervened on your behalf. In this, the RAC simply stated that its terms say it cannot guarantee attendance times but agreed it fell short in your case, for which it sent you the 40 cheque. While saying it understood this must have been distressing, it did not uphold your complaint about the police having to intervene. It said this can be necessary in dangerous situations. It certainly was dangerous. You described how your breakdown nightmare began one day in late February, when you were driving to your local Tesco. The car lost power, forcing you to pull on to a narrow grass verge with large volumes of traffic roaring past. With no power, your hazard lights didnt work. It must have been frightening. Fortunately, a highways maintenance vehicle came to your aid and offered protection by parking behind your car. Scam Watch Households should beware a scam email that impersonates high-street bank NatWest, consumer website Which? warns. Fraudsters say that your account needs to be reauthenticated by clicking on the link in the email. While it may look genuine, it is sent from a random email address and has nothing to do with the bank. Do not click on the link in the email as it is an attempt to steal your personal and financial information. Instead, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk When you phoned the RAC, it said there would be a two-hour delay and so advised you to call the police. They arrived half-an-hour later, put cones up and allowed you to sit in their vehicle while you waited for the RAC. The officer also called the firm but again was told it would take at least two hours. As he couldnt wait, he called a local recovery service to tow the car to a compound 30 miles from where you live. This cost you 192. The officer kindly drove you home. The next day you had to pay the compound a fee in cash to release the car. Luckily you had enough notes between you. You took a taxi costing 50 to the compound. You sat there all day until the facility closed. The RAC did not appear, so you took another taxi home and arranged recovery to a local garage. I was shocked that the RAC didnt take your situation seriously and as you had hit a roadblock with your complaint, I asked it to take a fresh look at your case. I am pleased to say it didnt take long to see the failure of its service to you that day. It made a U-turn and met your 510 claim in full, to which 75 was added as an apology. A spokesman says: Weve apologised to Mr and Mrs F and reimbursed all their costs and added a gesture of goodwill in recognition of their valued long-standing membership. 'This doesnt reflect the high level of service we provide to the thousands of members we rescue every day, and steps have been taken to ensure this doesnt happen in the future. Opened standard account thinking it was an Isa I found online what I thought was an excellent 4.25 per cent one-year fixed rate Individual Savings Account (Isa) from MBNA and opened an account with 20,000. I received a text offering me the possibility of further investment into the account. This set off alarm bells as 20,000 is the maximum allowable in an Isa in a tax year. When I queried this, MBNA said I had opened a standard account and that it doesnt offer Isas. I asked if I could cancel the arrangement. But they said the money could not be withdrawn. I.S., Gloucestershire. Sally Hamilton replies: You were annoyed with yourself for the blunder but after doing some research online, believed that under consumer law you would be permitted a cooling off period of at least 14 days, allowing you to change your mind without penalty. And since you had realised your mistake within days, you believed there was plenty of time to get out of the arrangement. But it was not to be. MBNA said it sympathised with your predicament, but its hands were tied. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, a cooling off period does apply to many products and services bought online, including certain savings accounts. Variable rate accounts typically offer this benefit but providers are not obliged to provide it for fixed rate deals like the one you accidentally picked. Some do so voluntarily, but not MBNA. There are exceptions to the fixed-rate rule. Cash Isas even fixed-rate ones can be cancelled within 14 days if a saver has a change of heart. I felt MBNA could have been more flexible, so I asked them to reconsider. A few days later, it came back with the news that it had decided, as a gesture of goodwill, to let you close the account after all with no penalties. A spokesman says: This type of account [opened by Mr S] is not covered by the cooling off period as set out by the Consumer Contracts Regulations. As part of the account opening process, we explain withdrawals cant be made during the fixed one-year term. Appreciating that Mr S made a mistake on this occasion, as a gesture of goodwill, well help him move the money to an alternate account. When we caught up last week, you confirmed the money had been released and that you have opened a cash Isa with another bank. Straight to the point I sold four Decleor products on Vinted for 17.50 and posted it to the buyer. But when they received the parcel Vinted messaged me to say the order was suspended as the buyer reported it was empty. Vinted wants a photograph of the package, which I dont have. The buyer is going to get a refund and I am out of pocket. A.H., Coventry. The money has now been sent to your Vinted account. *** I Bought a John Lewis leather bed frame back in 2013 for 699. But it recently started peeling and shedding. Its clear its not leather at all but a vinyl surface coating with woven mesh underneath, which an upholsterer has confirmed. John Lewis are taking the side of the supplier which claims it is leather. I know the warranty is up but it seems so morally wrong. C.L., via email. John Lewis says the bed frame is out of warranty and it has limited product information available, but it has given you a gesture of goodwill. *** Last May I bought and moved into a new flat. I have since been receiving letters from a bank addressed to women I dont recognise, which I have been returning. I accidentally opened one as I hold a credit card with the same bank. It said this person held an offset mortgage at my address. The bank wont tell me anything, citing data protection. D.G., West Midlands. The bank says it does not hold a mortgage on your property and the letters have now stopped. They were sent to you due to an administrative mistake by another customer. Millions more Britons face retiring with mortgage debt thanks to a surge in first-time buyers in their mid-forties and older. The number of first-time buyers aged 45 and over has more than tripled in four years, according to the analysis by the mortgage overpayment app Sprive. Of the 975,000 first time buyers in 2023 to 2024, 827,000 bought with a mortgage and of these, 11.5 per cent were aged 45 or over. This was almost triple the figure in 2019 to 2020 when only 3.6 per cent were aged 45 or over. While many will have delayed buying because they haven't been able to save a large enough deposit, others may have been put off by high mortgage rates or have been waiting for an inheritance. Most of these buyers are not just arriving late to the ladder, but also locking themselves into decades of debt by taking out longer mortgage terms. Starting later: The number of first-time buyers aged 45 and over has tripled in four years The norm was once for people to repay over 25 years, but now most first-time buyers opt for 30 or 35 year repayment terms as rising property prices and higher mortgage rates mean they need to spread the cost over more years. Mortgage applicants are asked whether they plan to still be working at the age when their loan comes to an end, but it doesn't tend to cause a problem unless they will be aged 70 or older. Some lenders allow mortgages to finish up to the age of 85. In 2023 to 2024, 85 per cent of mortgaged first-time buyers took on mortgage terms of more than 25 years. Of these, almost a third, or 250,000 people, committed to 35 years or more. Sprive estimates that two thirds of first-time buyers will be paying their mortgages well into their sixties while one in 20 will be in their seventies. In total, Sprive's analysis found that at least 547,000 of 2024's first time buyers will be paying their mortgages in their sixties while 26,000 will still be in housing debt in their seventies. Today's retirees are borrowing more Borrowing is also on the rise among over-55s, according to UK Finance's latest figures. There were 38,510 new loans advanced to borrowers aged over 55 in the first three months of this year, according to UK Finance's latest figures. This is a 34 per cent rise year-on-year. While the figure includes all types of mortgage borrowing, the data also shows more borrowers are turning to equity release to help meet their living costs in retirement. Some equity release borrowers use the wealth they have built up in their home to pay off their existing mortgage, because they can't afford the monthly repayments in retirement. In the first three months of 2025, there were 5,620 new lifetime mortgages, up 11 per cent in a year, while retirement interest-only mortgages were up 19 per cent in a year. Helen Morrissey, head of retirement analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown Anyone reaching retirement age with a mortgage could find themselves even more financially compromised, according to Helen Morrissey, head of retirement analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown. 'Later life mortgage lending boomed over the past year, casting a significant shadow over our retirement planning,' she said. 'Having to find the money to pay housing costs in retirement can put real pressure on a budget that may already be under severe strain. 'Over the long term, we can expect these figures to keep increasing. Rising house prices mean people are getting onto the property ladder later and taking longer mortgages, so even if everything in life goes to plan, they will be paying their mortgage beyond the age of 55. 'Some will be able to work later and use the extra cash to meet these outgoings, some will have windfalls during their working life to help pay off lump sums, but others face difficult retirement spending choices.' Without such a windfall, some choose to overpay their mortgage in small amounts throughout the term, to reduce its length and the amount of interest they will pay. Rise of AI makes for an uncertain job market Sprive also warned that the rise of artificial intelligence could also wreak havoc with people's mortgage repayment plans. The Institute for Public Policy Research has said up to 8 million UK jobs could be at risk from AI, particularly in white-collar sectors. If these older home buyers were to lose their income, it would be far more difficult for them to cope than for their peers who had got on the property ladder sooner and therefore had less to pay off. 'We're seeing the emergence of a perfect storm,' said Jinesh Vohra, chief executive of Sprive. 'People are getting on the ladder later in life many because they are "wait to inherit" buyers who are stuck renting into their 40s, hoping for financial support or inheritance to break in. 'Then when they finally do so, they are paying more than ever for homes, and now face the risk of losing income security due to AI's disruption of traditional jobs. 'Carrying mortgage debt into retirement is becoming the norm - but it's incredibly dangerous when future income is uncertain. 'If your mortgage runs until you're 70 but your role is replaced by AI in your 50s, what happens then? 'We have to prepare for that possibility now - and that starts by helping people get mortgage-free sooner.' Many over-50s are under financial strain across the country but Londoners are among the most vulnerable, new research claims. The home ownership rate for older people living in the capital, where property prices are sky high, is by far the lowest in the UK at 55 per cent. This is a key indicator of retirement poverty, because it means people still face housing costs in old age. Yorkshire and Humberside has the highest rate of home ownership among over-50s at 77 per cent, followed by Northern Ireland at 76 per cent - and in no other part of the country is it below 60 per cent. London is famously home to very wealthy people, but it scores badly in several measures of likely poverty in old age, according to the study by SunLife. Just over half of London residents aged over 50 are in debt, only slightly lagging the South East at 52 per cent and Scotland at 53 per cent. SunLife boss Mark Screeton: There is a clear 'postcode lottery' when it comes to retirement They are also among the most likely to fear running out of money in retirement at 38 per cent, again only slightly lagging their counterparts in the South East and Scotland. Average income before tax is highest in these same three regions, at 31,000-plus - but this will be outweighed by the higher cost of living. 'In London particularly there seems to be a "perfect storm" of low homeownership, high debt, below-average income, and financial anxiety, all at a time in life when many would hope to feel more secure,' says SunLife chief executive Mark Screeton. His firm surveyed more than 2,000 people over 50 about their financial situation, their history of big purchases and what is on their wishlist to buy in retirement. Last week, an influential industry survey showed the cost of a comfortable retirement now tops 60,000 a year for a couple, and is 43,900 for an individual. A couple aiming for a 'moderate' lifestyle, which includes enjoying meals out and trips abroad, now need to find 43,900 annually, while an individual - who lives on one state pension, not two - requires 31,700. However, lower energy prices mean the cost of a minimum lifestyle has fallen 4 per cent for a couple to 21,600 and 7 per cent for an individual to 13,400. The Pension and Lifetime Savings Association figures do not include income tax, housing costs if you are still paying a mortgage or rent, and potentially care costs in later life. SunLife found the cost of living is the number one financial concern among over-50s. In Northern Ireland 74 per cent worry about it, in Scotland 71 per cent, and in the East Midlands 68 per cent - though in London 56 per cent said it was a concern. Overall, those surveyed had lived in their homes 22 years on average, and in terms of home improvements a new kitchen was number one on the wish list for men, while women would rather have new carpets and floors. Screeton says: 'Our research shows a clear "postcode lottery" when it comes to retirement, where peoples ability to enjoy later life appears to be impacted by where they live. 'Whether it is mortgage repayments dragging into retirement or higher levels of consumer debt, older people in some areas are facing greater financial concerns than others.' A father has told how his six-year-old son was left bleeding and with a bone sticking out of his broken leg for almost an hour after a road accident while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. Rafi Hottak, who has campaigned on behalf of Afghan interpreters who helped the British military, says young son Yousuf has been left traumatised after suffering multiple injuries close to his Birmingham home. Yousuf, said to have been struck by an SUV while crossing the road on his journey back from school, suffered a broken leg and compound fracture, as well as cuts and bruises to his head and body. His father, 39, has asked for answers from West Midlands Ambulance Service over why it took more than an hour for paramedics to reach the boy - and the organisation has now apologised, while blaming pressure caused by hospital handover delays. An off-duty medic who was passing by was among those stopping to help as Yousuf lay beside the road, helping to try stemming the bleeding after the May 14 incident. Mr Hottak, 39, has been living in Britain for the past 13 years - having previously been injured himself on the Afghanistan frontline in a Taliban blast targeting UK forces. He has told MailOnline of his distress at Yousuf's suffering, with the boy telling his father: 'I don't want to die, Daddy.' The schoolboy is also still struggling to even 'hop' let alone walk almost a month after suffering his injuries, having been discharged from hospital. Rafi Hottak shared this photo of his six-year-old son Yousuf who was left with serious injuries after a collision with a vehicle close to the family home in Birmingham Yousuf Hottak, six, is still struggling to walk after the injuries he suffered in the road accident The accident took place in the Birmingham district of Sparkbrook shortly before 6pm on May 14, as Yousuf was crossing a road having almost reached his family home. Mr Hottak has shared a photo online of his son lying barely conscious when finally taken into an ambulance for treatment following the incident. The father told his 2,500 followers on X, formerly Twitter: 'My six-year-old child was hit by an SUV in Birmingham. 'He had a broken leg with the bone sticking out, head trauma, face bleeding, heavy bruising, and signs of shock. 'He was lying on the side of the road with four people pressing on his wounds just to stop the bleeding and keep him conscious. 'We called 999 multiple times, and every time we were told the same thing: "There is no ambulance available. We can't give you a timeframe." 'This is not a minor incident. This is a child - hit by a car, clearly in critical condition -and still, no priority, no urgency, no care.' Speaking now to MailOnline, Mr Hottak said he had still not received any feedback from health officials over why it took so long to respond on that evening. Six-year-old Yousuf was admitted to hospital after an ambulance finally arrived in Birmingham Yousuf's father Rafi Hottak, 39, shared photographs of his son's treatment following the collision as he told MailOnline of his concerns about how long it took for paramedics to arrive Rafi Hottak (pictured), 39, previously worked as a translator helping British military forces in Afghanistan - he is now asking why paramedics took so long to attend and treat his injured son He said of Yousuf's progress since: 'He's getting better at the moment but he still can barely even hop by himself and still has wounds and cuts all over his body and everywhere he has bruises. 'Worst of all is between the knee and ankle of his broken leg - at the time the bone was sticking out of his flesh.' Mr Hottak told how a family friend was escorting Yousuf and other children home from tuition classes they have after the end of the regular schoolday. He said: 'Yousuf was almost home, crossing the street where lots of cars are parked on each side and a van came along. 'The lady driver, from the way she was driving, it seems she might have panicked and instead of braking, accelerated instead and his leg was driven over - we were lucky that it wasn't his head. 'I understand it was an accident, an unfortunate situation - more of a problem from my point of view is why it took so long for any ambulance to arrive. 'There are three hospitals within about half an hour's drive yet he was on the side of the street for an hour - you're telling me there were no ambulances at any of those that could get there sooner? 'Luckily a medic was passing by, not in her uniform as she was off-duty but she was there to help, along with a few other neighbours who helped hold him and stem the bleeding.' Mr Hottak said of the delayed response by paramedics: 'It shows to me that there are wider problems down the line. 'A child of six is hit by a car, with broken bones and yet he's not being prioritised? No child should be on the side of the road like that for an hour. 'How many ambulances are there in Birmingham and was every single one of them on emergencies elsewhere? 'It's been very traumatic for us all - just to see his face looking up at me and his injuries is very difficult. He says he still can't feel his leg and times and tells me, "Dad, I don't want to die."' A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman told MailOnline: 'Firstly, we would like to offer our sincere apologies to Master Hottak and his family for the delayed response he experienced. 'Our staff and volunteers across the service are working exceptionally hard to get to patients as quickly as possible. 'Sadly, we are seeing some patients wait much longer for a response than we would want as a result of hospital handover delays.' The spokesperson said the call was categorised as a 'C2' incident, which would be responded to within 40 minutes in 'at least nine out of 10 cases' - while saying their team arrived 46 minutes after an initial 999 call. The service's spokesperson added: 'When ambulances are delayed handing their patient over at hospital, they are unable to respond to the next call, which impacts on the care of patients in the community. 'There is a direct correlation between hospital handover delays and our ability to get to patients in the community quickly. 'We continue to work with our partners to find new ways to reduce delays so that our crews can respond more quickly and save more lives.' Mr Hottak was previously blown up on the Afghan frontline in a blast that killed a British officer and now campaigns for his ex-colleagues who served alongside UK forces as translators. Rafi Hottak, who worked as a translator for British troops in Afghanistan, is pictured here showing the wounds he suffered in an explosion in Helmand Province in November 2007 On moving to Britain in 2011, he initially had his application for asylum rejected by the UK Border Agency - before they reversed their decision following a public backlash including from MPs and members of the military. Mr Hottak had paid 8,000 to people smugglers to reach Britain, before walking into a Central London police station to make his plea for asylum. Fluent in three languages, including English, Mr Hottak worked for the US military as an interpreter in 2004 before switching to the British two years later following in the footsteps of his elder brother. It was on the morning of November 14 2007 that while on foot patrol with a joint British Afghan force near the centre of Sangin, in Afghanistan's Helmand province, an IED was triggered. His boss Captain John McDermid, 43, of 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, was killed, while Mr Hottak was badly wounded. The interpreter suffered horrific shrapnel wounds to the head, neck, arms and chest that required 170 stitches, while also temporarily losing the use of his hand and was deaf in one ear for more than a year. Thanks to the work of doctors, Mr Hottak returned to work after three months but was unfit for frontline duties and was given a job at Camp Souter, the main British recruitment base in Kabul, the Afghan capital. His role involved interviewing prospective interpreters as well as liasing with the families of colleagues killed or injured, sometimes returning the remains of the dead to their families. It was then that he began to receive death threats both by letter and telephone threats he told British officers about and which helped encourage him to seek asylum in the UK where he has since retrained as an accountant. The Mail's award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign has been highlighting the plight of hundreds of Afghan translators and has helped bring about changes in government policy, opening the way for many of those fearing for their lives to come to the UK. A mother has been left bedridden after a doctor dismissed her life-threatening neck injury as merely pandemic-induced 'anxiety'. Maisie Moore, from south west London, spends every day sequestered to her bed in a brace given her severe neck pain, alongside other symptoms that include high blood pressure, a racing heart and intense feelings of nausea. The 25-year-old, who described feeling utterly 'trapped' at her ongoing predicament, first began experiencing acute discomfort in her neck more than four years ago. A business owner with no previous medical conditions, she claimed that she first visited West Middlesex Hospital's A&E Department in March 2021 but the pain in her neck was immediately dismissed as simply 'anxiety caused by the pandemic'. Now, both Ms Moore and her partner Rebecca, 21, have set up a GoFundMe page in a bid to cover the 55,000 cost of surgery in Spain urgently needed to help treat her rare health condition. Speaking to MailOnline, the mother-of-one said: 'The nurse I saw was certain it was anxiety and just told me to see my GP. 'I knew it couldn't be that, I just knew. How can a feeling in your neck be anxiety?' Rebecca also said she had her own doubts surrounding the medical professional's view, adding: 'It felt like a bunch of excuses were being made instead of somebody actually looking into the real problem. 'I feel like as a woman people often don't take your medical concerns seriously, it felt like they thought it was all in her head, it was really unfair.' Maisie Moore, 25 (pictured) from south West London, spends every day sequestered to her bed in a brace given her severe neck pain, alongside other symptoms that include high blood pressure, a racing heart and intense feelings of nausea The mother-of-one said that she first visited West Middlesex Hospital's A&E Department in March 2021 but her pain was dismissed as simply 'anxiety caused by the pandemic' After visiting a specialist clinic in Barcelona, Spain, Ms Moore (pictured) learnt that she suffered from craniocervical instability. The rare condition is characterised by excessive movement at the craniocervical junction, the area in which the skull meets the spine Having visited A&E more than seven times, Ms Moore was eventually referred for both X-rays and MRI scans. However, the couple were left even more disheartened when Ms Moore's results came back as normal. With zero explanations for her bizarre new ailment, Ms Moore was eventually forced to adjust to her 'new normal' of 'slightly manageable' pain. But, in December 2024, she said the once tolerable pain had suddenly become 'unbearable'. The young mother found herself suffering from an alarmingly high heart rate, dizziness, numbness in her neck and forehead, alongside frequent bouts of severe fatigue. She also reported experiencing unusual memory loss and a heightened sensitivity to light and sound. Eventually, her unexplained symptoms had become so unpleasant that the couple were forced to fork out thousands on a specialist MRI from a private health clinic in Barcelona. It was only then that Ms Moore finally learnt that, rather than suffering from acute anxiety, she had a rare condition called craniocervical instability. Characterised by excessive movement at the craniocervical junction, the area in which the skull meets the spine, it is estimated to affect just 1 in every 5,000 individuals. Pictured: an MRI scan showing Ms Moore's neck. If her condition is If left untreated, it can cause rapid neurological decline, chronic fatigue, paralysis and, in the absolute worst case scenario, even life-threatening internal decapitation What devastates Ms Moore most is that she fears she may be unable to watch her beloved one-year-old daughter (pictured) grow up. She said: 'I feel like I haven't been able to be a proper mum, I can't even lift her up' Given the neck is unable to support the weight of the head, the skull then becomes crushed by the brain stem. If left untreated, it can cause rapid neurological decline, chronic fatigue, paralysis and, in the absolute worst case scenario, even life-threatening internal decapitation. While the NHS offers treatment for many of the condition's most common symptoms, the cranio-cervical fusion surgery Ms Moore urgently needs to help stabilise her neck is currently unavailable in the UK. Rebecca, who has been dating Ms Moore for five years, said that over the last six months she has watched in utter despair as her beloved partner has become increasingly 'depressed' and 'not herself'. As a result of her ongoing pain, she has even forced to give up her beloved pet grooming business that she had spent years cultivating. But, what devastates Ms Moore most, is that she fears she may be unable to watch her beloved one-year-old daughter grow up. Ms Moore, who said she is so weak that she can barely even lift up her daughter, described the ongoing ordeal as 'devastating'. She added: 'It's been really upsetting. I feel like I haven't been able to be a proper mum, I can't even lift her up. Without this money, I won't be able to live to see my little girl grow up. It's that simple really.' Both Ms Moore and her partner Rebecca, 21 (pictured), are fundraising to cover the 55,000 cost of surgery in Spain needed to treat her rare condition, fearing that without it she will continue to rapidly deteriorate While the NHS offers treatment for many of the condition's common symptoms, the cranio-cervical fusion surgery Ms Moore urgently needs to help stabilise her neck is currently unavailable in the UK (Pictured: the results of an MRI scan on Ms Moore's neck) Ms Moore, who said she feels 'let down' by the medical professional who told her that her symptoms were anxiety, said: If someone had listened to me sooner, I might not have ended up where I am now' Rebecca added: 'Maisie's in bed almost all of the time, she's missing out on so much with our daughter. 'She (their daughter) doesn't understand why she can't be picked up and play with her mum. 'This money is so important to us as a family, because at the end of the day if we don't get it Maisie will eventually end up dying. That's the reality of it.' Ms Moore also said that she hopes that by sharing her heartbreaking story, she may inspire other individuals to advocate for themselves more when speaking to healthcare professionals. She added: 'I do feel a little let down by the medical professional who told me it was anxiety. If someone had listened to me sooner, I might not have ended up where I am now. 'To anyone in a similar position, I would urge them not to give up and keep persevering for answers. You know your own body.' A spokesperson for West Middlesex University Hospital told MailOnline: 'We are committed to delivering high-quality emergency care, ensuring that all patients are treated with compassion and urgency. 'We take any concerns about individual patient experiences seriously and conduct thorough investigations to seek opportunities to learn and improve.' A rail passenger hurled shocking abuse at inspectors after refusing to buy a ticket, threatening to slash their throats and saying he hoped they died from cancer. The man was confronted by revenue protection officer Lauren on a South Western Railway train from London Waterloo to Weymouth after avoiding her colleague. He admitted he had no ticket because he had 'just lost my job' before warning Lauren not to 'start threatening me with legal action', adding: 'I don't care about police.' The passenger became further agitated as he shouted at the camera operator filming the ongoing incident for Channel 5 series 'Fare Dodgers: At War With The Law'. He said: 'Listen, get that camera out my face, bruv. I don't give a s***. Put it down before you get f***ing knocked down. You asking me for a ticket - I ain't got a ticket. The last guard, I put a blade to his throat because he was f***ing p***ing me off.' The section of the line between Bournemouth and Weymouth is known as a fare dodging hotspot because there are no ticket barriers at the intermediate stations. And Lauren encountered the same passenger again a week later at Weymouth on board a 6pm London-bound departure which was preparing to leave the station. He again began hurling abuse at her and colleagues, with security guards and British Transport Police officers called to assist staff in getting him off the train. The man tells Lauren (bottom left) that he has not bought a ticket because he has lost his job One week later Lauren encounters the same man again at Weymouth and he is again abusive The man is seen on CCTV on board the train at Weymouth hurling abuse at security guards The man eventually leaves the train at Weymouth after a stand-off with the security team Lauren stands on the train at Weymouth after dealing with more passengers not buying tickets Abusing a bearded security guard, the man shouted: 'Yeah, what are you gonna do, f*** off you f***ing plastic gangster. I'll grab that beard and rip it off your f***ing chin. 'Yeah call the old bill, I don't give a f***. You f***ing prick. F***ing don't look at me then, you f***ing prick. What are you going to do about it, you f***ing fat p****?' Lauren called her team manager then spoke to the guard to ensure the train did not depart while they waited for police to attend, as the man continued being abusive. The passenger shouted: 'Don't put your f***ing hands on me.' Security eventually succeed in getting him off the train, but he continued to shout at them as he walked out of the station, telling them: 'Don't put your f***ing hands on me.' He continued: 'F*** off, I hope you f***ing die of cancer. F*** off, n****-looking p****. Don't start a fight with me, stay where you f***ing are. I mean it, I'll smash your f***ing head in.' Revenue protection officer Lauren approaches a man on a train from London to Weymouth A passenger pushes through the gates at Kingston station in South West London without touching out before attacking British Transport Police officers while they try to apprehend him A passenger is spoken to by investigators at London Waterloo station after only buying a ticket from Vauxhall, as he is finally caught after evading nearly 20,000 in ticket costs A revenue protection officer confronts a man at Waterloo who cannot produce a railcard Once the man was safely off the train, the revenue protection officers then checked with other passengers on board that they were all OK, before the train departed. Producers of the documentary, which next airs this Sunday at 9pm, said the man is now under police investigation, adding that SWR have had to close their case for unpaid fares because he provided false information. The production team also said the incident was a 'sobering reminder of how a routine fare check can spiral into a threatening confrontation', adding that tackling fare dodgers can be 'dangerous' for rail staff. Violent assaults on railway staff and police across the UK are said to be at a four-year high, with 600 incidents of assault reported on SWR alone last year. British Transport Police figures show there were 3,330 recorded assaults on rail staff across the UK as a whole last year, a rise of almost 25 per cent on the previous year. Other incidents in the latest episode include a 'gate block' turning ugly as a team of six revenue protection officers from SWR try to catch fare dodgers at the barrier. A passenger is caught without a ticket by revenue protection officers at the gates at Waterloo A fare dodger is finally caught at Preston Road station in North West London after he avoided paying for more than 200 journeys using a concession card registered to a female relative Robert Jenrick confronts people pushing through the barriers at Stratford station in London Two officers are also seen going undercover on a major sting operation at Byfleet and Haw in Surrey. MailOnline has already covered a series of incidents featured in the documentary, and it comes after Robert Jenrick highlighted fare dodging at Stratford. The shadow justice secretary posted a video on social media last month in which he confronted people who forced their way through the ticket barriers at the station. Separately, a report released last Wednesday found fare evasion is becoming 'normalised', with train staff telling the inquiry that they are struggling to cope with 'aggressive' passengers who refuse to buy tickets. Travellers are using 'a range of techniques to persistently' underpay or avoid paying and see it as a 'victimless crime', according to the Office of Road and Rail (ORR). Meanwhile TikTok influencers are brazenly showing Tube passengers how to illegally travel for free by 'bumping' through the station ticket barriers. 'Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law' is next on Channel 5 this Sunday at 9pm They say the best things in life are free - but for Levi-April Whalley that couldn't be further from the truth. The glamorous jet-setter couldn't believe her luck when her best friend Sophie Bannister invited her on an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City. Whalley said she didn't think twice before accepting the flights and swanky Times Square hotel just a few weeks before Christmas in 2023. Now, she wonders how she could have been so naive and dumb not to have realized criminal activity was afoot. She missed the glaring red flags - including the 'condition' that the pair had to bring home two suitcases full of 'watches' to their native UK. The haul turned out to be nearly 80lbs worth of illegal drugs. Whalley argues she was lured by the stunning city that was a perfect backdrop for her buzzing social media pictures, but is now full of remorse. 'I'm trying to put the mistake behind me,' the 31-year-old tells the Daily Mail. 'But every morning, I wake up feeling regret.' Pictured: Whalley in New York's Central Park one of the famous places she visited during her mini-break with friend, Sophie Bannister. Pictured: Levi-April Whalley on her luxury, ill-fated all-expenses-paid trip to New York which turned out to be too good to be true. Whalley, the daughter of a house wife and an engineer, enjoyed a stable and happy childhood in the north-west England town of Blackburn. Her parents were fiercely proud when she studied social sciences at Lancaster University before completing her nursing degree at the same college in 2018. She loved the medical profession, and with nurses scant in the UK, it loved her back. But, after a decade of seemingly non-stop study and work, she decided to take a career break. 'I had my own savings and wanted to travel the world,' she says, noting that she was financially sufficient enough to have purchased her own home at 25. Bannister - a former boarding school student to whom Whalley was introduced by a mutual friend at age 15 - vacationed with her in glamorous parts of Spain and Greece. They spent some time in Dubai where they just 'chilled.' They'd been back in the UK for about a month when Bannister proposed the mini break to New York. She said she'd been texting with a woman she knew in Dubai who would help arrange it. Bannister told Whalley their expenses would be covered in return for them bringing back the suitcases of watches - they assumed the backer was some sort of import business. Nobody specified the type of watches, and Whalley and Bannister didn't think to ask. 'It was a bit of whirlwind, and I was caught up in the excitement,' Whalley says, noting that the clock was ticking because their flight would be leaving for New York in two days. Bannister, who had been chatting to her contact via WhatsApp, also reassured her that 'the business' regularly employed tourists like them. Their three days in Manhattan lived up to expectations - as Whalley admits, they spent much of the time in full make-up and designer clothes striking Instagram-worthy poses. Their photo backgrounds of choice included Central Park, Times Square and Grand Central Station. Pictured: Whalley strikes a pose at New York's Grand Central Station wearing knee-high boots and carrying a designer handbag. Pictured: Whalley in the lobby of a luxury hotel. She enjoyed the high life which included visiting Thailand, Greece and Spain prior to her vacation in New York City. 'I loved seeing the sights of New York,' Whalley said. 'I didn't want to go out there and just party. I wanted to not drink and do a lot of things instead.' As the duo prepared for their Air France flight to Birmingham, UK, with a brief layover in Paris, they followed WhatsApp instructions - this time from a stranger - to wait outside the front of their hotel for the suitcases to be delivered an hour before they were scheduled to take an Uber to JFK Airport. The contact arrived in a large Range Rover, Whalley says, and the black cases were swiftly handed over by a man neither of them recognized. Whalley happened to look into the SUV and saw about a dozen identical cases stacked in the back. Finally, an alarm bell rang in her mind. 'I began to think something was wrong,' she says. They wheeled the cases, which featured combination locks, to their room - the women hadn't received a code to open the luggage. Whalley shook the bag, hoping to hear the sound of metal watches jangling, but the contents were clearly densely packed because nothing moved around. Both Bannister and Whalley began to panic. Bannister called the WhatsApp number and a man answered. She said they didn't want to take the cases back to Birmingham because something seemed awry. The threats, Whalley says, came thick and fast. 'He got really nasty and said we had to go through with it because we had a deal,' she told the Daily Mail. 'When Sophie told him we wanted to back out, he said he knew where we and our families live.' While many people in their circumstance would like to think they would dial 911, the women froze. 'We were scared and in too deep,' Whalley says. 'I accused Sophie of getting me into a lot of trouble and we argued among ourselves.' Still, the duo got into an Uber and headed to the airport and put the suitcases in the trunk. They checked in at the Air France booth, but Whalley doesn't recall being asked by either a clerk or the machine whether they'd packed the luggage themselves. She describes the flight to Paris and subsequent layover as 'traumatic' as they dreaded being busted. 'It was a busy airport but, whenever we heard a loud noise, we wondered if it was because of us,' Whalley says. They landed in Birmingham that afternoon. Bleary from the overnight flight, they waited for the luggage on the carousel. The twin black cases were the last to appear, and for some reason, they were upright rather than laying on their side like the other luggage that came off the plane. Something was wrong and it was enough to cause them palpitations. Whalley says she wanted to disappear to the bathroom and hide but concluded there was no other option than to pick them up. They wheeled the cases through the deserted 'Nothing to Declare,' channel. Two stern-faced customs officers stopped them in their tracks and beckoned them over to the steel tables. They wanted to know the combination for the locks. Bannister and Whalley shrugged. They didn't know. Crying and shaking, they came clean and admitted they hadn't packed the suitcases themselves. The officers pried the cases open and discovered a number of vacuum-packed black bags. They cut some open with a carpet knife and cannabis spilled out. There were no watches in sight. 'It absolutely stunk,' Whalley says. The smell confirmed that they had unwittingly smuggled in the drug which, police later found, had a street value that was close to $220,000. The women were arrested, taken to the airport police station and strip searched. They weren't allowed to call their relatives and phones were confiscated while their respective homes were raided. They spent 24 hours in separate cells - 'there was just a toilet and mattress on the floor,' Whalley recalls - and only came out for questioning. The raids turned up nothing. This proved, Whalley says, they weren't drug dealers. Nevertheless, she was convinced she would have to spend Christmas behind bars. 'I was trying to get my head around things and thinking, 'I'm going to wake up from this nightmare.'' Pictured: Stashes of the large amount of cannabis that the women smuggled inside two suitcases into Birmingham airport in the UK. The drugs with a street value of $220,000 were seized by customs. Pictured: Whalley, who was suspended from her nursing position after telling her agency that she'd been arrested in relation to smuggling jobs. She was relieved to be released on bail, the conditions of which were centered on each of the women sleeping at their own homes every night for 14 months until they were charged. In the meantime, Whalley was suspended from the nursing profession. She gave birth to a baby girl, Arabella, six months ago before tragically losing her mother to breast cancer in March. 'Mum and the rest of my family were incredibly supportive,' she says. 'They never treated me like a criminal.' She and Bannister pleaded guilty to fraudulent evasion of a prohibition in early April 2025. She faced up to 14 years in prison if she'd been found guilty after pleading not guilty in front of a jury. Instead, Whalley was sentenced to 16 months, suspended for 18 months, with 10 days rehabilitation and 80 hours of unpaid work. Bannister was handed 20 months, suspended for 18 months, with 30 days rehabilitation activities and 200 hours of unpaid work. Before his sentencing, Judge Richard Archer told the women they 'perhaps had little regard to the seriousness of your offending' and he very much hoped that they would not 'involve yourselves in this behavior again.' Whalley, who is in the process of launching an aesthetics business, says she is contrite. She is the first person to admit that she was foolish and made a monumental mistake. Pictured: Whalley at her baby shower when she was pregnant with her daughter, Arabella, now six months old. Pictured: Whalley with her six-month-old daughter. She says she wants to live a quiet life looking after her child a sharp contrast to the years before she became a mom. But she maintains there was more than an element of 'grooming' by the drug dealers who bribed them to win over their trust. 'I do see myself as a victim in a way,' she says. Her mitigators might argue she was sucked into committing the offense because she was dazzled by all the glamour New York had to offer. Whalley certainly feels our image-obsessed society played a hand in her downfall. She has since made her Instagram private and rarely posts photos of herself. Meanwhile, Bannister has launched a career as a model on OnlyFans. In a recent interview, she said Whalley had taken part in a photo shoot something her friend brushes off. 'I want to lead a quiet life with my daughter,' Whalley said, insisting she is only telling her story to raise awareness about the grim consequences of being a drug mule. 'It's something I'll always have to live with,' she adds, 'but I hope that some good will come out of it. 'People may learn my lesson that you have to think long and hard before making certain decisions.' During their face-off last week, Elon Musk boldly claimed that he was the reason President Donald Trump won the 2024 election. '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 on Thursday. 'Such ingratitude,' the billionaire added. The billionaire SpaceX, X and Tesla head contributed around $277 million to Trump and Trump aligned candidates in the 2024 race and Musk personally hit the campaign trail in support of the Republican nominee. But the two political power players engaged in a scathing social media feud ignited over differences in Trump's 'big beautiful' tax bill. Musk even admitted he went too far in some of his posts on X, suggesting that Trump could be tied to known pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and more. 'I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far,' Musk wrote in a message on his social media platform X on Wednesday. But in a Daily Mail poll conducted by JL Partners, more registered voters side with Trump than Musk. The polling found that 45 percent believe that Trump would have won the election without the help of Musk. More voters think that President Donald Trump (left) won the 2024 election on his own than credited Elon Musk (right), with his vast resources, for Trump's victory, new polling from the Daily Mail and J.L. Partners found Another 34 percent said Trump needed Musk to win. And 21 percent of respondents said they were unsure. When broken down by party, Republicans were more likely to say that Trump would have won without Musk's help. Among Republicans, 71 percent said Trump won on his own, while just 15 percent said that Trump wouldn't have won the November presidential election without the DOGE leader's help. Fifty-three percent of Democrats credit Musk for Trump's win, while just 24 percent said that Trump did it on his own. Amid their fighting, Musk suggested the idea of starting his own third-party. He floated the idea of forming the 'America Party' to represent the '80 percent' of people he said were in the political middle. When voters were asked what party they'd vote for if candidates in their area were running for office, a party created by Musk received only 4 percent backing among all the poll's respondents. Overall Democrats had an edge - with 42 percent saying the Democratic Party - while Republican candidates received 35 percent. When voters surveyed were broken down by party, Musk's third-party did the best with unaffiliated voters, with 7 percent backing that option. Just 1 percent of Democrats would vote for a Musk-party candidate, while 5 percent of Republicans said they'd make that choice. Democrats and Republicans largely stayed in their camps - with 86 percent of Democrats saying they'd support a Democrat and 84 percent of Republicans saying they'd vote Republican. On Friday, the Daily Mail and JL Partners released the first batch of numbers from the new poll - finding that Republicans overwhelmingly took Trump's side in the fight despite Musk's almost year-long association with the MAGA movement. Among GOP voters, 59 percent sided with the U.S. president, while just 12 percent chose Musk. Another 28 percent said they were unsure. Since April Trump has lost some support with GOP voters, while Musk's has grown - but Trump still has nearly five times as much support. Previous polling found that 70 percent of Republicans backed Trump, while 6 percent selected Musk. 'Republicans are clear: Donald Trump is their man. As our polling showed before, Trump voters are sticking by the person they backed in November over Elon Musk,' said J.L. Partners pollster James Johnson. The fresh poll was conducted Friday with a sample of 1,006 registered voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent. Pheobe Bishop's alleged murderers will have to be isolated from other prisoners to protect them from 'convict justice', a leading criminologist says. Pheobe, 17, went missing near Queensland's Bundaberg Airport about 8.30am on May 15 after booking a trip to WA to visit her boyfriend. On Friday, officers discovered what were believed to be the teenager's remains near Goodnight Scrub National Park. The teen's housemates, James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, have been charged with her murder, three weeks after she missed her flight and vanished. Police say they moved her body more than once. Neither Wood nor Bromley appeared when the case was mentioned in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday, and both were still being held in custody in a police watch house on Tuesday afternoon. They have not entered pleas and are expected to be sent to jail on remand. A Queensland Police Service spokesperson declined to comment while the matter was before the courts. Dr Vincent Hurley, a criminologist at Macquarie University who was a NSW police officer and negotiator for 30 years, told Daily Mail Australia the pair would be under massive 'anticipatory stress' while they await being sent to jail. 'They will be terrified of the unknown, so that anticipatory stress, along with things like poor nutrition, fear of ramifications for family, and just the sheer danger, will emotionally exhaust them,' Dr Hurley said. 'I anticipate they'll be put into protective custody because of the age of the girl, Pheobe. James Wood (pictured), 34, has been charged with the murder of his housemate, teenager Pheobe Bishop Tanika Bromley (pictured), 33, cares for two children including one living with a disability as part of a shared custody arrangement 'That means they'll be further isolated from the mainstream prison population. They'll be housed in a different wing, exercise and take their meals at different times. 'What would be considered a normal life in prison - they'll be at the extreme end of that situation.' Dr Hurley said Wood and Bromley will have to be housed in protective custody with other inmates at risk of harm for the full extent of their time in jail in order to prevent acts of 'convict justice' being carried out on them. 'In jail, those accused of murdering a child are held in even lower esteem than a police informant,' he said. 'Under the social norms of jails, they will have a target on their backs and hardened criminals will try to flog them within an inch of their life.' Dr Hurley also predicted that Bromley would have a more difficult time in a women's prison than her partner, Wood, in a men's facility. 'She'll be treated far worse than he will be,' he said. 'Some of the inmates will be mothers with children of similar ages to Pheobe.' Dr Hurley's grim prediction comes after Pheobe's mum Kylie Johnson urged the Gin Gin community to 'respect' Bromley's family following the charges against her. Pheobe Bishop (pictured), 17, went missing near Queensland's Bundaberg Airport about 8.30am on May 15 after booking a trip to WA to visit her boyfriend Dr Vincent Hurley (pictured) is a criminologist at Macquarie University who was a NSW police officer and negotiator for 30 years At a candlelight vigil for her daughter on Sunday, Ms Johnson called on the local community to remain peaceful and said her daughter would want people to show 'compassion'. 'I also want to remind our community - a very important reminder - and this is imperative for our family and for us to move forward in our healing,' she said. Bromley cares for two children, including one living with a disability, as part of a shared custody arrangement. Ms Johnson continued: 'I know Tanika has been charged. I know her family live within our community and I expect them to receive respect... those kids mean the world to us as a family. 'They meant the world to Pheobe as a family as well. It is imperative to us, as a family, that they are supported just as much as us. They are hurting probably more than us, even though we have lost our child. 'But I really need you to know that Pheobe's compassion would have reached that depth. 'There is to be no anger or hate towards that family.' Ms Johnson read out two poems in memory of her 'gypsy warrior' daughter and shared how Pheobe 'always sung her own tune' and 'lived to the fullest'. The cousin of tragic teen Pheobe Bishop has warned the family has had enough of the constant attacks by trolls and conspiracy theorists and pleaded for it to end. Pheobe's body was found last week in remote bushland near her home in Gin Gin, close to Bundaberg in central Queensland, three weeks after she vanished. Her former housemates, Tanika Bromley and James Wood, have now been charged with her murder and two counts each of interfering with her corpse. But Pheobe's mum Kylie Johnson has come under fire from vile anonymous social media trolls attacking her for letting her teenage daughter to live with the couple. 'I hate how cruel people are being,' said Pheobe's cousin Whitney Woodfield in a furious blast at the online critics. She vehemently defended Pheobe's mother and insisted she was not to blame for her the 17-year-old's death. 'I hate how I see so many people going and attacking not only Kylie, but the rest of our family,' she posted on Facebook. 'Finding ways to blame us when the blame should only be [elsewhere]. Whitney Woodfield spoke to media on Sunday in Gin Gin at the vigil honouring cousin Pheobe 'People hide behind their fake accounts and their posts thinking they know every little thing about us, thinking their words have no impact. 'In reality, they would never say it to our faces.' Pheobe was posted missing on May 15 after failing to check in for her trip from Bundaberg Regional Airport to Western Australia to meet her boyfriend in Perth. Her body was found last Friday in the remote Good Night Scrub National Park, an hour outside of her hometown. At a vigil in memory of Pheobe on Sunday evening in Gin Gin, Ms Woodfield told Daily Mail Australia that the family is 'very broken'. 'We are shocked. This has been all over the news and social media,' she said. Some Gin Gin locals have expressed concern about why the 17-year-old was with Wood and Bromley in a home strewn with rubbish and dog faeces One IGA worker told Daily Mail Australia she helped Pheobe buy food when she didn't have enough money, fuelling more online criticism against the teen's family. But Ms Woodfield hit back: 'They think theyre being vigilantes for Pheobe, thinking this is what they need to do. 'What they dont know is that Pheobe wouldnt have stood for this behaviour. 'She wouldnt want people to be so focused on blaming her mum, her sister and the rest of her family for this. 'And Kylie, I dont know how you do it, you are one very strong woman. I know Phee wouldve never blamed you.' Whitney said that Pheobe would never blame her mum Kylie Johnson for her tragic death Pheobe's mum Kylie Johnson (pictured) made an impassioned plea for locals to leave the family alone of accused killer Tanika Bromley Ms Johnson appeared at the Sunday evening vigil and urged locals 'not to retaliate' against the accused's family and was grateful for Ms Woodfield's support. 'Phee would be livid with this [trolling and conspiracy theories],' Kylie said in reply to the post. 'We as a family know who we are. 'Whitney, Phee would be so proud of you for being so steadfast, loving and strong through this.' At Sunday's vigil, which was attended by more than 500 people at Gin Gin's Kolan Community Park, Ms Woodfield added: 'We should not remember Pheobe for the tragic ending that she experienced. 'We should remember her for the person, the beautiful soul that she was.' Pheobe's mum also made a heartbreaking plea to the Gin Gin community to 'respect' Bromley's family in the wake of the murder charges laid against her. In a show of brave stoicism, Ms Johnson called on the local community to remain peaceful, and said her daughter would want people to show 'compassion'. 'I also want to remind our community - a very important reminder - and this is imperative for our family and for us to move forward in our healing,' she said. 'I know Tanika has been charged. I know her family live within our community and I expect them to receive respect... those kids mean the world to us as a family. Kylie, seen with eldest daughter Kaylea, said Pheobe would be 'livid' with trolls 'They meant the world to Pheobe as a family as well. It is imperative to us, as a family, that they are supported just as much as us. 'They are hurting probably more than us, even though we have lost our child. 'But I really need you to know that Pheobe's compassion would have reached that depth. 'There is to be no anger or hate towards that family.' Pheobe's big sister Kaylea, 18, also paid tribute to her sibling at the vigil, insisting that Pheobe had given the family a 'run for our bloody money' during her short life. As the memorial came to an end, Kaylea urged mourners to dance: 'Because you know it's what this b***h would do,' she added. A gang of suspected foreign criminals seized the home of a frail pensioner while she was visiting her 'lonely' 102-year-old friend, sparking an 'absurd' two-month legal battle to remove them. Shameless squatters allegedly broke into the elderly woman's 590,000 terraced property in Chingford, north-east London, at the end of April and have refused to leave. The retired woman, who is believed to be in her 80s and living alone, is thought to have been 'deliberately targeted' by an organised crime group from Eastern Europe. She has been left effectively homeless as a result and is understood to have suffered a serious health condition following her nightmare ordeal. However, despite her home now being in the hands of strangers, the Metropolitan Police has refused to take action to remove the group, claiming the matter is a civil offence and not a criminal one. And those now allegedly holding the pensioner's property ransom have defiantly told MailOnline 'it's all fine' and 'nothing is happening' - before refusing to say when or if they would be leaving. The fiasco has sparked outrage among neighbours, with one 63-year-old fuming: 'They're taking the p***. This elderly woman has worked so hard for this country and paid her taxes and now this has happened... It's f***ing outrageous.' Meanwhile, former Conservative Party leader, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, blasted the squatters, saying it was both 'absurd' and 'astonishing' they had not been evicted. 'They're scum,' Sir Iain said last night. 'It's the only thing you can say about them. Squatters have allegedly taken over the home of a pensioner in Chingford, north-east London. Pictured: people seen leaving the property reportedly seized by foreigners Among those seen leaving the home was a woman and a number of children. It's unclear if they are among those now allegedly living in the building The property was reportedly taken over at the end of April while the pensioner - a woman believed to be in her 80s - was visiting her 102-year-old friend 'This whole thing is organised - it's an organised crime... [but] trying to get police to take action on this is completely astonishing.' When MailOnline visited the quiet suburban street, a number of families were seen coming in and out of the three-bed terraced house. One was driving an untaxed, grey Mercedes C class. Others appeared to be driving a luxury BMW X5. The group was also accompanied by at least three young children. It's unclear whether those spotted entering and leaving the home are among the alleged squatters. Locals claimed to have seen dozens of people visiting the property in recent weeks - while others alleged that human faeces had been smeared on neighbouring homes. The elderly homeowner, thought to be a widowed mother, is now understood to be living with family in the West Country, after having suffered a serious health condition. Neighbours say they've heard those living in the house claim to have a tenancy agreement saying they can stay there. However, this has been disputed, with Sir Iain branding the claim 'total rubbish'. Speaking to MailOnline, one man living on the street said the squatters were a nightmare who had left neighbours 'paranoid' and fearing for their homes. When MailOnline visited the quiet suburban street, a number of families were seen coming in and out of the three-bed terraced house 'They have been here since April,' the man, who asked not to be named, said. 'There has been trouble. Apparently there's a lot of people in there and a lot of children.' A woman added: 'There's two old ladies either side [of the house] and they are kept up every night with loud music and doors slamming. 'It has been reported to the police and they said they can't do anything. When [the elderly woman] does go back, how can they live there? 'They are not even hiding that they are squatting. They just don't care.' Local MP Sir Iain has been battling to try and remove the group since the beginning of May, regularly liaising with the police. But the former Tory minister told MailOnline he has been left stunned by the seeming inaction from authorities to kick the group out. The Chingford and Woodford Green MP claims confusion over whether the squatters' actions constituted a civil or criminal breach had effectively paralysed authorities. He said the Met was refusing to take action in the belief it was a civil breach - while delays in arranging a court order due to the 'complexities' in the case had left the pensioner effectively homeless for months. The MP added: 'Theres no question I think [the squatters] broke in, which is an offence, and squatting in a residential building which is occupied - that's an offence.' MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith said he was 'astonished' no action had been taken to remove the alleged squatters from his constituent's home A number of people were seen leaving the property when MailOnline visited it this week Among those pictured entering the home were a number of women. It's unclear if those pictured are among those allegedly squatting at the property Squatting is when someone deliberately enters property without permission and lives there, or intends to live there. Under UK law, it is illegal to squat in a residential building such as a flat or house. It carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison, a 5,000 fine - or both. However, when someone originally enters a property with permission of the landlord, it is not squatting - for instance those who have a rental or tenancy agreement. Although squatting in non-residential building or land is not in itself illegal, it is a crime to damage the property. And it's usually a crime not to leave land or property when youre instructed to do so by the homeowner, police, the council or through a repossession order. There is a similar offence dubbed 'cuckooing', which is when a home is taken over by a group - often criminals - while the resident is still living there. There have been instances of drug dealers forcing their way into homes of disabled or vulnerable residents before setting up a narcotics factory there. Cuckooing has recently been made a criminal offence as part of the Government's new Crime and Policing Bill. It followed an amendment to the legislation, put forward by Sir Iain. However, the Tory MP claimed the law still needed to be toughened up to stop crime gangs from seizing homes. 'The law is too soft and too vague on this,' he added. 'Here we have something that's meant to be an offence but police don't get involved because it's under the civil code.' It comes after Sir Iain claimed there had been other alleged instances of squatters seizing people's homes in the Waltham Forest area. It's feared organised crime groups are targeting the properties of vulnerable or isolated individuals before moving in while homeowners are away. Several young children were also seen entering and leaving the home when MailOnline visited 'They can see there is a gap in the law,' Sir Iain said. 'Once they understand that they know exactly how they can operate and exploit it. They move just before the law can act.' MailOnline understands a court hearing is due to take place on July 8 about the home allegedly seized in Chingford. Speaking of the effect the ordeal has had on the elderly woman, Sir Iain added: 'The impact on her has been profound as it would be on anybody. 'But for someone of her age, the impact would be even greater.' When MailOnline approached those living in the home in Chingford, a woman claimed she had spoken to police who had told her 'everything is good'. After being asked about allegations squatters had moved into the home, the woman said: 'I am still awaiting a response from the police.' Pressed on claims they had kicked out the elderly woman to squat in the home, she added: 'The police said everything is good. 'They said it's all fine. We don't speak anymore. Nothing is happening and it's fine.' The Metropolitan Police is understood to be examining the disputed tenancy agreement the alleged squatters claim to have to establish whether any criminal offence has taken place. If it has, the force will act. A spokeswoman for the Met added: 'We are aware of reports of squatting at a property in Chingford. 'Officers are working with the local Safer Neighbourhood Teams and in partnership with the local authority to resolve the issue and support the property owner. 'Patrols have also been stepped up in the local area and our enquiries are ongoing.' Waltham Forest Council said it was 'aware of allegations regarding a privately-owned house in Chingford' and the upcoming court case next month about this. A spokesman added: 'The council's anti-social behaviour team is supporting the police to ensure local residents are kept safe while this issue is resolved. 'We are attempting to make contact with the householder via their family to see what further support we may be able to offer.' Thousands took to the streets of Cork over the weekend for two very different demonstrations - one a pro-Palestine march and the other described as a 'national protest for Ireland'. Some 3,000 people joined the latter, an anti-immigration rally organised by Ireland Says No - which attendees said signalled a feeling in the country that 'enough is enough'. Protesters, describing themselves as Irish patriots and nationalists, said they have two main grievances - 'mass migration' and a belief that they have been forgotten by the government. Footage of the march shows a sea of tricolour flags raised above the crowds, with chants including 'Ireland for the Irish' and 'Whose streets? Our streets!'. The rally's lead organiser, ultra-nationalist Dublin councillor Malachy Steenson, said that the size of the crowd would instill confidence in people who were concerned about airing their criticisms. 'We don't care what Brussels says,' he told the crowd, 'we are going to take this country and run it for the benefit of its people.' Speaking before local elections in November, he stated his view on how he felt this could be achieved: 'We need to close the borders and stop any more migrants coming in.' Recent figures show that Ireland is housing more than 33,000 applicants for what is known as 'international protection', up from 7,244 in 2017. Some 3,000 people joined the anti-immigration rally organised by Ireland Says No - which attendees said signalled a feeling in the country that 'enough is enough' Pictures of the two protests showed how they were separated by a barrier Crowds gathered for a Gaza solidarity march in the city on Saturday at the same time as anti-immigrant protests Footage of the march shows a sea of tricolour flags raised above the crowds Around 4,500 people are estimated to have joined the pro-Palestine march in Cork on Saturday According to official statistics, the number of Palestinians who applied in 2024 increased by more than 700 per cent from the previous year - when the conflict in Gaza erupted. The Irish government has been vocal in its support of the Palestinian people, officially recognising the Palestinian state last year and formally intervening in South Africa's International Court of Justice case alleging genocide by Israel in Gaza. Both decisions drew condemnation from Israel. The Irish government was asked whether its show of support would strengthen Palestinian asylum claims, but refused to comment. The protests in Cork passed peacefully on Saturday, with police dividing the two marches with a barrier and organisers of each encouraging marchers to behave responsibly. Speaker Derek Blighe, the former president of the Ireland First party who failed to get elected to the Dail in November, told crowds that young Irish people felt they had no choice but to leave the country. He accused the government of putting 'diversity and climate and foreigners first' and said that nationalists wanted to give the Irish diaspora 'a homeland to return to'. As many as 150,000 people moved to Ireland in 2023-24, Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures revealed, the highest number in 17 years. Around 30,000 of these were returning Irish citizens. In terms of asylum seekers, alongside arrivals from Africa and the Middle East, 100,000 refugees flocked to the country following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. More than a thousand people joined a march in County Donegal's Letterkenny last month Dublin was engulfed in chaos following an spill-over of anti-migrant sentiment in November 2023 Each costs the country nearly 70 a day, according to estimates - a figure that has increased by a third in two years. Last month, around a thousand people joined a march in County Donegal's Letterkenny, while several hundred organised a counter-protest. Local independent councillor Seamus Treanor said people living in his ward did not feel safe in their own homes due to heightened levels of anti-social behaviour. 'I want to get one thing straight - the reason we have a housing problem in this county is because our government opened our borders, and invited the whole third world to come in. 'They came in their tens of thousands, and communities like Carrickmacross are suffering the consequences.' At the end of last year the Irish Refugee Council revealed there were a record 3,001 asylum seekers homeless in Ireland. Pictures of encampments in Dublin and reports last year that a former paint factory was being turned into accommodation for 550 asylum seekers sparked fury among anti-immigration campaigners. Gardai clashed with hundreds of people at the former Crown Paints factory in Coolock last July. Gardai officers deploy pepper spray at a protester today after fires were started at the former site of the Crown Paints factory in Coolock, north Dublin in 2024 A number of fires were started at the site and dramatic photos showed a digger in flames. The police force charged 15 people in relation to the public order incidents at the north Dublin site. In November 2023, right wing figures including MMA star Conor McGregor ramped up fury over online misinformation and unsubstantiated rumours that a Algerian migrant had stabbed three children outside a kindergarten in Dublin. During the November 2023 riots, a bus was torched by rioters who scrawled the word 'out' across its rear as it burned Riots exploded in the city, with a bus and tram torched and property destroyed as around 500 thugs rampaged across the city. Some of the rioters started a fire on the ground floor of a Holiday Inn Express following rumours that migrants were staying there. Others reportedly petrol-bombed a nearby refugee centre, with fire crews who responded being 'pelted with projectiles' and beaten with iron rods. Police officers were also attacked, with around 50 sustaining injuries, while one cab driver was punched and dragged from his taxi. To date, 85 people have been arrested in connection with the November 2023 riots, with 66 charged. One of four properties that was set alight and attacked in Ballymena last night after the attempted rape of a local girl sparked protests in Northern Ireland While anti-immigration protests in Ireland have been peaceful in recent weeks, Dublin saw another wave of violence in February, again seemingly fuelled by anger over migration levels. Shocking videos showed Dublin descending into chaos - with knife fights on the streets and mass brawls erupting in residential roads. There were similar scenes of violence in Northern Ireland on Monday night. Anti-immigration riots erupted in Ballymena after two teenagers of Romanian descent appeared in court accused of attempting to rape a local girl. Social media footage showed homes in Co Antrim on fire after a masked mob lit curtains after windows and doors of terraced properties in the town were caved in. Four houses were destroyed after 2,500 people gathered in the Harryville area. Two more properties were also damaged and 15 police officers hospitalised. Police have said the violence is being investigated as racially-motivated hate attacks. Los Angeles cops have a private chatroom and California's Democratic leaders won't like what they're saying. The Instagram group 'Defend the LAPD' allows officers and commanders to talk freely about what's really going on in the streets of America's second-biggest city, where cops clash daily with anti-government rioters. The Daily Mail gained exclusive access to the 8,500-member club and spoke to its organizers and the views they presented were a stark rebuke to Gov Gavin Newsom and other leaders of the Democrat-run state. Despite what their bosses say, LAPD officers broadly support the Trump administration's deployment of the National Guard to protect federal buildings amid a wave of sometimes violent protests against immigration raids, says the group. Members also expressed alarm at LA Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, for allegedly taking command of their control room, delaying the deployment of officers, and putting federal agents and the public in danger. They also accused media outlets of one-sided coverage of the protests, by focussing on heavy-handed policing while overlooking the threat that some violent activists posed to cops and the public. More broadly, they say the city has 'quietly defunded' the LAPD since the George Floyd protests of 2020, and that today's force is understaffed, underresourced, and cannot handle the crisis exploding on the streets. The revelations come as US Marines head to Los Angeles, as part of a federal strategy to quell the protests against immigration raids, which are a signature effort of President Donald Trump's second term. The unofficial LAPD group says officers have been hamstrung by years of funding cuts and now need all the help they can get to quell the protests In their private chatroom, members of the cop group raise concerns about Mayor Karen Bass and other Democratic leaders Clashes across LA have further polarized America's two main political parties, with Trump threatening to arrest Newsom, who slams the deployment of guardsmen as an abuse of power and an unnecessary provocation. The LAPD, the official police union, and Mayor Bass's office did not immediately respond to our requests for comment. The Instagram group has some 8,500 members A spokesperson for Defend the LAPD, which presents itself as a grassroots club for thousands of LA cops and their supporters, told the Daily Mail that officers of all ranks appreciate the backup of Trump's National Guard deployment. 'Everyone supports all the help they can get,' said the spokesperson. 'We need the help from other agencies, because we can't handle it. Our asses are being handed to us on a platter.' While Gov Newsom says the National Guard are not needed and part of Trump's 'manufactured' crisis, the spokesperson said this was 'not true,' and that extra boots helped keep the streets safe. 'They're here because we don't have enough personnel, after all the back door defunding they have done for years,' said the spokesperson. In the channel, officers, commanders and other members are able to post their concerns about events in a city of nearly 4 million people that's become the epicenter of Trump's controversial immigration crackdown. In the posts, which we could not independently verify, members slammed Mayor Bass for 'unprecedented political interference' this week by assuming direct control of LAPD forces and preventing cops from bailing out federal immigration agents. LA's progressive Mayor Karen Bass was accused of breaking the chain of command and risking lives Officers say they don't have enough boots on the ground to stop days of protests that have seen cop cars torched A group member accused LA City Council member Ysabel Jurado of using incendiary language against law enforcement LA has become the epicenter of President Donald Trump's controversial crackdown on illegal immigration Gov Newsom says the LAPD doesn't need federal backup, the cops say this is 'not true' 'This breach of the chain of command prevented the Incident Commander from making crucial operations decisions, put Department of Homeland Security officers, FBI agents, and community members at risk, and delayed immediate LAPD support,' says the post. Another post takes aim at Ysabel Jurado, the LA City Council member at the center of a firestorm after one of her aide's was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a cop with a deadly weapon at an anti-ICE protest. According to the post, Jurado, a progressive tenants' rights lawyer, said 'F**k the police' when she was campaigning. We could not verify the claim, and Jurado did not immediately answer our request for comment. In another post, a group member takes aim at how the riots are presented by local media showcasing the police as heavy-handed while downplaying the threats they face from violent leftist agitators. The post focuses on KTLA's coverage of a police horse 'trampling a rioter' in a clip that omitted the 'footage right before that with the rioter throwing a Molotov cocktail at horses!' 'The media is not reporting honestly,' adds the post. The chaos on LA's streets erupted just days after Defend the LAPD released a report about underfunding and 'dysfunction' in the city's police force, which it says is short by thousands of officers at any one time. The 38-pager, which was produced with the input of more than 300 officers, says cops have had their hands tied and left unable to tackle crime by progressive politicians and the 'activist groups' they bow to. 'The Department was not prepared for large-scale unrest,' said the spokesman. The spokesperson attributed this to 'poor planning, inexperience at the top, and inefficient deployment of sworn resources.' Defend the LAPD says the force has been left cash strapped and understaffed by city officials In another post, a group member slams the editing in a TV news report for unfairly portraying cops as heavy handed 'That dysfunction is no longer theoretical. It's playing out live on our streets,' said the spokesperson. 'To make matters worse, officers are being told to stand down even as they're being assaulted with glass bottles, concrete, fireworks, and other dangerous projectiles. It's clear the current leadership is prioritizing optics over officer safety, and that is unacceptable.' Street demonstrations in Southern California have been underway since Friday, when activists clashed with sheriff's deputies during federal anti-immigration raids in areas with big foreign-born and Latino populations. Demonstrators in Los Angeles have assembled, among other places, at a government immigration lockup. President Trump has ordered active-duty US Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops into LA, vowing that those protesting immigration enforcement raids would be 'hit harder' than ever. Newsom slammed the move, posting on X that US Marines 'shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President. This is un-American.' Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the US-Mexico border, setting the ICE border enforcement agency a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants. President Donald Trump's claim that 'paid agitators' are wreaking havoc in Los Angeles has raised questions about the protest groups and dark money flows from billionaires that may be behind the chaos in America's second-biggest city. Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Trump described some LA protestors as 'paid insurrectionist or agitator or troublemakers,' suggesting they were financed by clandestine groups, which the president did not name. His comments heightened scrutiny over the protests, which erupted in downtown LA on Friday in response to federal immigration raids and escalated into clashes with law enforcers, property being vandalized and rampant looting. The masks and other gear worn by some protestors, and trademark riot techniques such as breaking apart curbs to lob concrete at police vehicles, have raised questions about whether experienced agitators are involved. Online investigators, including Matt Palumbo and DataRepublican, and politicians including Florida congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna have taken to social media to name the groups they claim are behind the protests that led to the violence, and the money that backs them. They describe a web of connections between the immigrant rights and leftist activists on the streets of LA with such billionaires as George Soros, Neville Singham and even the Chinese Communist Party. 'The protests we're seeing aren't organic - the usual suspects are at it again,' Palumbo, the author of books on Soros and his son, Alex Soros, told the Daily Mail. 'There's a direct line of funding that includes our very own federal government, the state of California and billionaires who have contempt for the nation that enabled their success.' Investigators describe a web of connections between the immigrant rights and leftist activists on the streets of LA with such billionaires as George Soros (pictured) and even the Chinese Communist Party. Soros' group said it does not support the protests in LA and opposes all forms of political violence. The Daily Mail took a look at the people and groups involved. The Shanghai Connection The US-based Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) organized some of last week's protests in response to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that snowballed into violence over the weekend. The Marxist revolutionaries also played a role in last year's anti-Israel protests that roiled Columbia University. PLS has ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) through Neville Roy Singham, a Connecticut-born tech entrepreneur who operates from Shanghai. Singham, together with his wife, Jodie Evans, the founder of antiwar group Code Pink, have been investigated by House Republicans for promoting protests, dissent and unrest in the US for their bosses in Beijing. Singham sank millions of dollars into backing the groups after selling his software company, ThoughtWorks, for $785 million in 2017. He shares an office in Shangai with Chinese media company Maku Group, which appears to use language often associated with foreign propaganda. According to a 2023 investigation by The New York Times, Singham previously claimed he did not work with the Chinese government. However, the paper found that a network he owns coproduced a YouTube show with China's propaganda department and worked with a Chinese university to 'spread China's voice throughout the world.' The outlet's lengthy expose on his far-reaching money machine, which has steered millions to China-friendly nonprofits from South Africa to Ghana, Zambia, Brazil and beyond. Luna, who sits on the House Oversight and Accountability committee, said on Tuesday she would turn the screws harder on Singham over his 'funding of a communist group linked to the LA riots and the CCP.' 'IF HE REFUSES TO APPEAR, HE WILL BE SUBPOENAED, AND IF HE IGNORES THAT HE WILL BE REFERRED TO THE DOJ FOR PROSECUTION,' the GOP firebrand and Air Force veteran posted on X. While there may be financial links between Singham, PSL and the peaceful demonstrations against Trump's immigration crackdown, there is nothing to suggest that those protestors are involved in any of the violence or looting in LA. Communist flags have been seen among the crowds protesting in LA and other West Coast cities this week Neville Singham (right), together with his wife, Jodie Evans (left), have been investigated for their alleged role in fomenting dissent for China Alex Soros is seen here with former president Joe Biden The Homegrown Danger The LA-based Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) is another group that's played a role in the protests that spiraled into face-offs with LAPD and federal agents raiding workplaces across the city. CHIRLA staged rallies in LA last week to denounce the ICE raids, which were said to be targeting criminals living in the US illegally. Research by Palumbo and others showed how CHIRLA received tens of million of dollars during the Biden administration - mostly from the state of California, but also $450,000 in grants from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide 'citizenship education and training.' Following Trump's return to the White House in January, DHS cut ties with the group and terminated any further funding in March, including recouping some $101,000 that had yet to be paid out. The group also received more than $500,000 in 2023 alone from the Tides Foundation, the 'pass-through' body that Soros' Open Society Foundation (OSF) uses to bankroll its progressive causes and activists. Soros has long been a nuisance for conservatives and a focus for conspiracy theorists, who present the Hungarian-American and Jewish billionaire as a puppet master who exerts control over the global economy and governments. An OSF spokesperson told the Daily Mail that it was not involved in the LA protests, saying the group does not 'fund, train or direct protestors' and is opposed to 'all political violence, including the use of violence in protests.' 'All our grantees and partners are expected to comply with our values of non-violence and adherence to the rule of law,' said the spokesperson. A spokesperson for CHIRLA told The New York Post that the group had not 'participated, coordinated or been part of the protests' in LA and had only been involved in a single press event last week. The rest of the time, members had been attending immigration courts and detention centers as part of their lawful campaign, added the spokesperson. The Mail also reached out to CHIRLA, PLS and Singham for comment, but has not heard back. A young woman who has been to Appleby Horse Fair every year of her life has hit back at claims of animal abuse and antisocial behaviour. Lara Houlden, 29, loves the gathering of gypsies and travellers so much that she travelled from Lincoln to Cumbria for the annual celebration. And she claims that reports of animal abuse at the festival have been 'blown out of proportion', with welfare issues happening 'wherever you go'. This year cops made a record-breaking number of arrests at the fair - including on where a man allegedly punched a horse. Some 123 people were detained by Cumbria Constabulary, 80 of whom were for drink or drug driving offences. Separately, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) made 372 interventions at this year's fair - down on 438 last year, but up on 288 in 2023. Ms Houlden, who works for a horse holiday business, said: 'With animal welfare issues, you get that wherever you go - even at a local horse show there's always going to be the odd one. 'But with the amount of people and the amount of horses, it's very very rare you will see a genuine welfare issue. Lara Houlden, 29, loves the gathering of gypsies and travellers so much that she travelled from Lincoln to Cumbria for the annual celebration She claims that reports of animal abuse at the festival have been 'blown out of proportion', with welfare issues happening 'wherever you go' Ms Houlden, who works for a horse holiday business, said that you get animal welfare issues wherever you go 'Obviously horses are going to scrape their leg coming off the box, mine did it himself once, just came off the box and cut his leg. 'But it's very very rare there are actually welfare issues, it's massively twisted in the way it's represented. 'I think it's more to attract attention and draw people in, it's majorly, majorly blown out of proportion - it's very very rare you will see a serious welfare issue within the fair.' The RSPCA, which attends the event annually, says a 'minority' of people at the festival work horses too hard and commit acts of abuse. This year the RSPCA issued 18 warnings; removed, treated and returned 14 equines to their owners; has two ongoing investigations; and is caring for six horses who were abandoned or are subject to investigations; and removed one wild caught bird. In addition, two horses were put to sleep because they were ill, which the charity said was on veterinary advice and with the permission of their owner. On Saturday, police arrested a man after a report of a horse having been punched. Aidan Tomlinson, 22, of Pudsey, Leeds, was later charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and was bailed to attend Carlisle Magistrates' Court on July 14. Ms Houlden - whose mother even went to Appleby while she was in her womb - delighted in the outfits and said she had even met a partner at the fair Ms Houlden attends the fair with her mother Vanessa, 60, who has been going for over 50 years and has never missed a year Your browser does not support iframes. After getting home from the festival with her four-year-old horse Zorin, Ms Houlden said it was a 'fantastic experience' Cumbria Police also arrested a woman in charge of a horse who had previously been disqualified from controlling animals. She was released under investigation whilst officers investigate. Officers said they had issued 370 traffic offence report tickets during the event in Appleby-in-Westmorland, while 120 vehicles were seized - including those suspected of being stolen, used in a crime, causing an obstruction or driving without insurance. The arrest total compares to 102 last year, and is the highest figure in records dating back more than 15 years - with the closest challenger year being 2009, with 106. Out of the 123 arrests this year, 80 were made during the fair itself while the other 43 were in the weeks leading up to it as part of the overall policing operation. But Ms Houlden - whose mother even went to Appleby while she was in her womb - delighted in the outfits and said she had even met a partner at the fair. She described Appleby as a 'big social event' where people can catch up with friends and enjoy time with horses - and said it cost her just 15 to attend. After getting home from the festival with her four-year-old horse Zorin, Ms Houlden continued: 'It's such a fantastic atmosphere, everybody's so kind and welcoming, the atmosphere's fabulous. 'Everybody's just happy and enjoying themselves, all the horses up and down. She described Appleby as a 'big social event' where people can catch up with friends and enjoy time with horses - and said it cost her just 15 to attend Despite seeing plenty of glamorous outfits worn at the fair, practical Ms Houlden says she took a different approach Police officers look on during the Appleby Horse Fair in Appleby-in-Westmorland last Thursday Members of the RSPCA welfare team during the Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria on Sunday 'It's something you've got to see for yourself and experience for yourself at least once, it's something you can never get bored of.' Ms Houlden attends the fair with her mother Vanessa, 60, who has been going for over 50 years and has never missed a year. She said her mother, who has a visual impairment, feels 'safer walking around Appleby than she does walking through our local town'. Despite seeing plenty of glamorous outfits worn at the fair, practical Ms Houlden says she took a different approach. She said: 'Even with the horrendous weather we had on Saturday, there were some lovely outfits to be seen. 'I dressed for the weather, I don't deal with cold very well!' She added: 'I stayed in my car on Fair Hill, which, with the horse box, cost me 15. 'If you take your own food and drink, you wouldn't need to spend more unless you wanted to buy from the market.' People riding horses in water during the Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria on Sunday People in a horse drawn carriage during the annual Appleby Horse Fair gathering on Sunday People riding horses in water during the Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria on Sunday Organisers said this year's event was 'one of the busiest in recent years', with a total of 1,307 caravans and bowtops in attendance - up on 1,287 last year but short of the record of 1,318 recorded in 2014. The 2025 figures saw a drop in the number of traditional bowtops to 95, down from 112 in 2024. There were 1,152 caravans, up from 1,078 in 2024, 46 tents and a further six vans, or wagons used as accommodation. Meanwhile there was drop in the number of stalls at the fair this year with overall numbers at 231, including 25 food stalls. This was down on the 268 recorded in 2024 and well below the 2016 record high of 276. Data on arrests each year was compiled by MailOnline from the annual 'Learning Lessons' report released by the Appleby Fair Multi-Agency Strategic Coordinating Group (MASCG), which was established in 2008. Comparative figures are therefore not believed to be available before 2009. RSPCA Chief Inspector Rob Melloy, who oversees the animal welfare operation, said: 'Our interactions with the Fairgoing community have been overwhelmingly positive and interventions, when they've been necessary, have been cordial. A van that caught fire is surrounded by rubbish in a field on Monday after the Appleby Horse Fair The last visitors remain in fields scattered with rubbish on Monday following the Appleby Horse Fair 'People may have seen something they're not happy with, if it has been reported to us it has been investigated by our staff. 'Whilst we did see tired horses, none of those who were exhaustion tested were so bad that they needed to be removed from their owners permanently. When they had rested, we were able to return them.' Steph Cordon, chair of the Appleby Fair MASCG, said: 'With poor weather forecast over the weekend of the Fair, which also coincided with the Epsom Derby, we did wonder if caravan and bowtop numbers might be lower this year. 'An initial reading of the count would suggest otherwise, but the recording of vehicles at the fair is now much more accurate using drone technology, so comparisons to previous years is not necessarily a helpful barometer. 'I'm pleased that this year's fair has passed without any major incidents and I'd like to thank everyone involved in the response to the Fair, for their hard work and dedication in making sure that this was the case.' It comes after a huge operation to clear fields of discarded rubbish began yesterday as thousands of travellers headed home with sofas, wooden furniture, bedding, food and toilet waste strewn across the picturesque countryside. Appleby is billed as the biggest traditional traveller fair in Europe and takes place in the market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland every year. Around 10,000 people from the gypsy and traveller community were expected to attend this year's event, outnumbering the local population of just 3,048 people. No Ball Games signs should be banned to encourage children to stop doomscrolling on mobile phones as outdoor play has halved in a generation, the Government has been urged. A new inquiry calls for smartphones to be banned in schools as part of a national strategy to get young people outdoors and disrupt the addictive grip of digital devices on childrens lives. Time spent playing outside has declined by 50 per cent in a generation and children now travel shorter and shorter distances independently, the research found. More than half of parents believe their youngest child plays outside less than they did and 75 per cent agree that society is less accepting of children playing out than when they were children. Cuts to clubs and playgrounds, busier roads and increased fears among parents and children about safety have left children with fewer places to play, the Raising the Nation Play Commission found. Childrens independence to play outside has shrunk dramatically over the last 30 years, impacting their health and happiness and increasing screen time, the year-long independent inquiry found. Banning No Ball Games signs is among proposals designed to get children off the sofa and outdoors to tackle obesity rates, the crises in youth mental health and school attendance (stock image) Paul Lindley, chair of the commission, said that play is a crucial and innate part of childhood and needs to be at the heart of government strategy for childrens education and wellbeing. He said: It is one of the most powerful tools we have to boost childrens physical activity, wellbeing, and confidence. Yet as this report shows, in England weve made it incredibly hard for children to play. Mr Lindley said that safe streets, reduced crime and the reversal of the growing culture of intolerance towards children playing is crucial to make it safer for kids to play outdoors. This will also encourage more parents to have confidence they can let their children play out more freely, in the knowledge that their children will be both having a great time and are also safe, he added. Among the proposals to increase childrens time spent outdoors is a ban on No Ball Games signs, raising the digital age of consent to 16 from 13 to keep younger children off social media, restoring play to the national curriculum and banning phones during the school day. Former Childrens Commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield, who is among those backing the proposals, said that too many of our children are spending their most precious years sedentary, doom scrolling on their phones and often alone, while their health and wellbeing deteriorates Researchers argue that getting children off the sofa and outdoors would be a powerful tool for reducing obesity and tackling the crises in youth mental health and school attendance. The proposals have the backing of more than 1,000 GPs, headteachers, charity bosses and council leaders, who have written to ministers to call for a new national play strategy to be established. Among those backing the proposals is former Childrens Commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield, who said that too many of our children are spending their most precious years sedentary, doom scrolling on their phones and often alone, while their health and wellbeing deteriorates. She added: Play is being squeezed out of childhoods, with drastic implications for children, our economy and public services. With so much at stake children really have everything to play for: their health, wellbeing, happiness, learning, and development depends on our ability to reignite the role of play. A Boston City Hall staffer who was fired by Mayor Michelle Wu over her alleged involvement in a sordid love triangle has lifted the lid on what she says really led to her termination - and why only she and her boyfriend were let go. Marwa Khudaynazar, 27, and her boyfriend Chulan Huang, 26, were fired after facing domestic violence charges stemming from alleged romantic advances on May 15 involving a third city official. Khudaynazar, former chief of staff of Police Accountability and Transparency, went to a bar with her friend that night before running into Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Segun Idowu - her boyfriend's then boss - where she allegedly shooed off his advances and was kissed by him. When Huang, former neighborhood liaison for Downtown, Chinatown, and the Leather District, found out, he allegedly told officers, 'She went on a date with my boss', adding 'they booked a hotel and she came here to rub it in my face.' Now, Khudaynazar claims Idowu was not only the reason behind their feud that night, but also why only the couple were terminated - to protect Wu's top aide, according to The Boston Globe. Wu is often referred to as the 'Democratic dictator' by her adversaries for her progressive policies. Khudaynazar told the outlet that Idowu, 36, made several advances toward her after they ran into each other at Hue, a local bar, and told her he rented a room at the Park Plaza Hotel for them. Text messages shared with the Globe between Khudaynazar and the top aide appeared to confirm their interaction, as she told him: 'Youre my partners boss. You know that this isnt appropriate.' Marwa Khudaynazar, 27, (pictured) and her boyfriend Chulan Huang, 26, were fired after facing domestic violence charges stemming from an alleged scandal on May 15 involving a third city official Khudaynazar, former chief of staff of Police Accountability and Transparency, went to a bar with her friend that night before running into another city worker, Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Segun Idowu, who also happened to be her boyfriend's boss. (Pictured: Chulan Huang) 'I told him before we left the bar, "I'll take [you] to [your] hotel, but I'm not coming up",' she added. In another text message, reviewed by the Globe, Idowu told Khudaynazar at 12.47am 'I'm in the room,' along with an upside-down smiley face emoji. 'I know youre not gonna join me but I hope Ive proven that I dont talk sh** and I mean what I say. Let me know when you get home.' She also said that the night she allegedly saw him at the bar she was drinking with one of her friends, per the Globe. Khudaynazar told the outlet he went on to buy them cocktails and once her girlfriend left, Idowu started to approach her. 'He has a hand on my back, hes whispering in my ear, were chatting really close,' she recalled to the outlet. 'Hes on his phone for a bit and then he just turns his phone toward me and is like, I just booked a room, would love for you to join me. Khudaynazar, who had three drinks that night, then declined his offer and said she would just drop him off and call it a night, but that's when he kissed her on the lips, she told the Globe. She also said that the night she allegedly saw him at the bar she was drinking with one of her friends. He then kept asking her to change her mind, but Khudaynazar declined again, she stated. Khudaynazar told The Boston Globe Idowu (pictured), 36, made advances toward her after they ran into each other at Hue, a local bar, and told her he rented a room at the Park Plaza Hotel for them Khudaynazar (pictured) said that the night she allegedly saw him at the bar she was drinking with one of her friends After she dropped Idowu off, Khudaynazar made her way to Huang's apartment and told him what happened - leaving him furious and her to call the police. During their interaction, Khudaynazar said Huang clung onto her wrists, so she bit him multiple times in self-defense. When officers arrived, they slapped handcuffs on Huang, leaving Khudaynazar upset. 'I remember specifically telling the officer inside the house, you know, we both work together, we both work for the city,' she told the Globe. 'If youre looking at this like a domestic violence situation and you think Im a victim, escalating this is not what I need.' She also noted asking the officers to call their supervisor, but was told there was not one around. According to Khudaynazar, she chose to mention her job to make it clear she knew how to de-escalate domestic violence incidents, not to save herself from getting arrested. Days after, she said she was interviewed by City Hall resources staff, but they did not ask about Idowu or what happened that night. (Pictured: Idowu and Wu in 2022) Khudaynazar (pictured)and Huang were both charged with assault and battery on a household member. She was also charged with assault and battery on a police officer 'Never once was I like, "I work at OPAT; you can't arrest me",' she said. Days after, she said she was interviewed by City Hall resources staff, but they did not ask about Idowu or what happened that night. They were only interested in knowing if she mentioned where she worked, Khudaynazar told the outlet. In her official termination letter from May 20, the city said Khudaynazar asked to not discuss what happened that night, but she said she did agree to talk with investigators, according to records. In the moment, she wrote she was doing so 'under duress' because everything moved so fast, leaving her with no time to obtain a lawyer to defend her. That letter also stated that she failed to get formal approval for medical leave - another allegation she has disputed, telling the outlet she used her sick time to recover from recent hip replacement surgery. Although Idowu declined to answer questions about his interaction with Khudaynazar that night, through his lawyer he denied being a part of any behavior that would indicate sexual harassment. Jeffery Robbins, his attorney, told DailyMail.com that his client was interviewed as part of the investigation and there 'was no finding of any improper, unethical or inappropriate conduct on his part was made, because he engaged in none.' 'Since it is our understanding that there is a criminal investigation into the alleged incident between these two individuals--an incident which had nothing whatsoever to do with Mr. Idowu--it is pretty plain that due regard both for law enforcement and for the individual rights of these two individuals dictates that the appropriate thing is for Mr. Idowu to refrain from comment on the matter, and that is what he will do,' Robbins added. Khudaynazar and Huang were both charged with assault and battery on a household member. She was also charged with assault and battery on a police officer, according to court documents first reported by the Globe. Both pleaded not guilty. The investigation itself has opened a larger can of worms for Wu as Josh Kraft, a politician running against her to become the next mayor of Boston, has called for an internal investigation to take place. (Pictured: Chulan Huang) She also accused the police department of exaggerating what happened when they arrived as one officer wrote that she pulled her hand out of their grasp and 'proceeded to strike' the cop's chest. No mention of injury was included in the police report, but after the incident, Wu told reporters: 'It's never OK to harm a police officer.' A city spokesperson told Boston.com: 'The Citys internal review found no violations of laws or city workforce policies by any other employee. 'Whenever the City receives an allegation of employee misconduct from an employee, a former employee, or a member of the public, the Citys Human Resources team takes steps to review and takes employment action accordingly,' they said, adding that 'This conduct by City employees is never acceptable.' The investigation itself has opened a larger can of worms for Wu as Josh Kraft, a politician running against her to become the next mayor of Boston, has called for an internal probe to take place. 'The public deserves more information,' Kraft said. Others have agreed with Kraft, including Boston City Counselor Ed Flynn. 'I do think there should be an outside investigation to determine all of the facts of what happened because clearly something happened,' Flynn said. 'We owe it to her and to the other city employee to have a full investigation that isn't just closed on the administration side,' said Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy. DailyMail.com contacted Wu's office for comment. This is not the Monday morning I had planned. I was meant to be in a business meeting in west London at 9.30. Instead, it's 9.45 and I'm gingerly venturing into a north London council estate on the rougher edges of Edmonton. My suit and tie are incongruous and I've already attracted the attention of a suspicious-looking local who is monitoring me and my neighbour's every move. As my friend Jim and I head further into the estate, the summer sun uncommonly hot on this early June day is burning into me, and I feel a bead of sweat forming on the back of my neck. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea. And then I see it. Parked squarely in a bay outside one of the council blocks is my matte-silver Hyundai Ioniq 5, the same vehicle that mysteriously disappeared from my north London street in the middle of last night. There's not a scratch on it. No broken window nor forced lock. Both its keys are still safely in my pocket. And yet here it is, neatly berthed seven miles and a world away from the leafy street where I'd parked it. It's estimated that almost half of all thefts last year were of keyless cars. Modern thieves use sophisticated devices to intercept the signal between a car and its owner's electronic keys This is the culmination of a frantic hour and a half after my wife and I realised we'd become the latest victims of car theft. We're far from alone. Car thefts in England and Wales have nearly doubled in the past decade from 70,053 in the year to March 2014 to 129,127 last year a rise of 84 per cent. Insurance rates are going through the roof and the police seem unable or unwilling to stop it. And the biggest reason for this sudden surge? Keyless car theft. It's estimated that almost half of all thefts last year were of keyless cars. Instead of the old-fashioned methods of smashing windows and forcing locks, modern thieves use sophisticated devices to intercept the signal between a car and its owner's electronic keys. And their methods get cleverer all the time. A few years ago, the devices criminals most commonly used were relay boxes. By placing one of these gadgets near the owner's home and another next to the targeted car, thieves can extend the signal from the key to the car, tricking the vehicle into thinking the device is in range and allowing criminals to open it. Now the preferred method is an 'emulator', a fiendish gadget that in just ten seconds can duplicate the signal coming from the car and 'emulates' the key to give the thief total control. Incredibly, these high-tech devices often disguised as Nintendo Game Boy consoles are still legal. They're available at sky-high prices of up to 5,000 online, where they are disingenuously marketed as handy aids for drivers who have lost their keys. Not surprisingly, organised crime gangs are muscling in on this lucrative action, stealing cars to resell abroad where luxury brands are particularly popular. And it seems that my model the second-most stolen electric vehicle in the UK is a particularly easy target. So much so that one unhappy owner stunned when he saw CCTV footage of his car being stolen in fewer than 20 seconds intends to file a claim against Hyundai for breach of the Consumer Rights Act. While manufacturers say they are trying to deal with the problem, the attacks are so sophisticated that they are locked in an 'arms race' with the criminals. With academics having warned about the vulnerability of keyless systems as long ago as 2011, it's a race they were too late to start and are comfortably losing. As for the police, they also seem to be fighting a losing battle. Or in most cases no battle at all. Recent data has shown that in 100 neighbourhoods in England and Wales last year, police failed to catch a single car thief. Of the 130,000 reported thefts, more than 100,000 went unsolved. Only 2 per cent led to a conviction. London's Metropolitan police has one of the worst records of all with cases routinely closed within 24 hours and little apparent effort to catch those responsible. All of which explains why, when my car became the latest addition to these grim statistics, I made the same decision as Mia Forbes Pirie and Mark Simpson, whose Jaguar E-Pace was stolen from outside their home in Brook Green, west London, last week. I decided to steal it back. After the shock of not finding our car where we'd parked it and after frantic calls to alert our insurers my wife and I checked the Hyundai Bluelink app connecting our phones to the car. Fortunately this software which shows you basic information, such as how much the battery has charged has a function that shows how many miles you have driven on any given day. To our amazement, while we had been asleep, it showed that we had apparently taken the car for a 13-mile spin starting at 1.28am and finishing at 2.53am. We'd hit 70mph pretty fast for the capital. All very interesting, but not much use for finding where it actually was. But, soon enough, we found that another corner of the app provided a map of the car's location. We were flabbergasted. A little blue lollipop was showing the exact spot where our car was parked between two small residential streets off the North Circular Road, next to Edmonton Federation Cemetery. My immediate reaction was to go and get it. After all, my wife needs the car for her work and we knew exactly where it was. And every second wasted gave the thieves the chance to move it on. So, a little nervously, I recruited my 6ft-plus Glaswegian neighbour Jim, who has suffered two similar thefts himself in the past three years and who kindly and bravely agreed to escort me while my wife alerted the police to our mission in case anything went wrong. To the force's credit, it agreed to send an officer to meet us at the scene. Thirty minutes later, we were walking into the estate to collect it. Fifteen minutes after that, I was driving my car which only an hour previously I assumed was lost forever back down the North Circular and heading into work as usual. But, while I was grateful for the officers' reassuring presence at the scene, I didn't detect a huge amount of interest in actually catching anyone. Writing my name in his pad, the officer did ask if there was anything suspicious in the vehicle that could be taken for evidence. But when I suggested that a plastic panel that had been removed from the dashboard and was lying on the floor might be worth fingerprinting, I was met with a nonchalant shake of the head. Nor was there much interest in the expensive Mercedes parked behind us which also looked like it didn't belong. Instead, he recommended a steering lock. Despite a few high-profile successes, as many as nine in ten car thefts in London go unsolved and cases are often closed in 24 hours. Perhaps I should be grateful that the stock case-closed letter breaking the 'disappointing' news that 'it is unlikely we will be able to identify those responsible' didn't arrive until three days later. As for the manufacturers, their response wasn't much better. After we stole our car back, there was little contrition from Hyundai that it could be so easily nicked. In fact, we had to spend 250 getting its wiring fixed. For a further 100, we could get our cloned electronic key reprogrammed. However, while sympathetic, the man at the dealership said there was little point as the thieves could duplicate another one. It seems incredible that a stolen bank card can be so easily cancelled and yet the same disabling technology doesn't seem to be available for a 50,000 car. Instead, our vehicle is now protected by a steering lock, plus two 'Faraday bags' that block the electronic signals from the keys when they are not in use. With any luck, this may keep our car on our street for a little bit longer. But how long it does so is anyone's guess. In a dramatic moment on Capitol Hill Democratic congresswoman Rosa DeLauro abruptly cut off Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, raising her voice as he outlined his department's ambitious plans to ramp up submarine production. On Tuesday, Hegseth testified before the House Appropriations Committee in Washington DC, where lawmakers pressed him about the defense department's 2026 budget. The administration's $1 trillion plan includes major investments to boost Navy submarine construction in Connecticut. Among the committee members was blue-haired, Connecticut Rep Rosa DeLauro, who became visibly agitated as she demanded Hegseth clarify his plans. 'Well first of all I want to thank this committee for the flexibility alongside fiscal year 2025 and the continuing resolution,' Hegseth began, seconds before the hearing took a chaotic turn. Without letting him to finish his sentence DeLauro swiftly interrupted, snapping: 'Well I would hope that you would thank this committee for the funding that it had made'. 'We have made a serious investment, so your first statement is inaccurate,' she added. 'We have focused squarely on submarines and now we want to know where that is going and what your plan is for the continued investments to reach production levels and make sure that that is an area that is covered for our national security.' When DeLauro accused Hegseth of lacking details in his plan, he quickly fired back, acknowledging that the investment was indeed earmarked for shipbuilding and submarine production. In a dramatic moment on Capitol Hill Democratic congresswoman Rosa DeLauro abruptly cut off Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Hegseth testified before the House Appropriations Committee in Washington DC, where lawmakers pressed him about the defense department's 2026 budget When DeLauro accused Hegseth of lacking details in his plan he quickly fired back, acknowledging that the investment was indeed earmarked for shipbuilding The 45-year-old Defense Secretary claimed that former President Joe Biden had recklessly wasted much of the previous funding. At the mere mention of Biden, DeLauro cut in once again, snapping at Hegseth, 'Please - I want your plan!' 'I've had difficulty with the prior administration and I don't mind calling them out,' she shouted. 'What is your plan for the future?' 'Can we get that in writing and on paper so that we know where you're going? Because we don't have anything today! We have zip, nada, in knowing where you're going,' she continued, angrily raising her voice with each word. 'You can talk percentages. You can talk about whatever you want. But unless this committee sees dollars and cents and where you're going and what your plan is, then we can reconsider what you're planning to do to go forward. Give us the details!' Yet the irate congresswoman abruptly cut off the exchange, denying Hegseth any chance to respond. The fiery exchange unfolded just weeks after DeLauro found herself locked in another explosive match - this time with RFK Jr. Last month, the US Secretary of Health faced tough questions from both Republicans and Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee about his specific department's 2026 budget. In response to DeLauro, Hegseth claimed that former President Joe Biden had recklessly wasted much of the previous funding At the mere mention of Biden, DeLauro cut in once again, snapping at Hegseth, 'Please - I want your plan!' During the hearing, DeLauro accused RFK Jr of breaking the law by cutting funding already approved by Congress - specifically targeting money allocated to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as reported by WSHU. When DeLauro pressed him on whether he would commit to spending the funds allocated in the 2024 budget, RFK Jr replied, 'As I said, Ranking Member, if you appropriate the money, I'm going to spend that money.' 'The money has been appropriated,' DeLauro snapped. 'If you're not willing to accept the funds that have been lawfully voted by members of the House and Senate, on the money for the National Institutes of Health.' 'Well, I'm going to hold you to your word that that funding is there; it should be transferred from 2024 to 2025,' she continued, speaking with her hands and aggressively pointing her finger in his direction. 'You've cut, already, $20 billion. Let's get that money back. You have an obligation to carry out the law and to implement what Congress has done.' Before moving on to the next topic of discussion, DeLauro angrily shuffled her papers around while repeating, 'Unbelievable. Unbelievable'. The discussion then moved to the department's plans to improve the healthiness of school lunches for children. Kennedy began calmly describing updated federal nutrition guidelines that will tell people to 'eat whole food', before getting visibly animated. The fiery exchange unfolded just weeks after DeLauro found herself locked in another explosive match - this time with RFK Jr During the hearing, DeLauro accused RFK Jr. of breaking the law by cutting funding already approved by Congress - specifically targeting money allocated to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) During the hearing, RFK. Jr. fired back at DeLauro, exclaiming: Congresswoman DeLauro, you say youve worked for 20 years on getting food dye out. Give me credit! I got it out in 100 days Ive been touring these Head Start facilities, and everything they eat is in a package. Its loaded with sugar and with chemicals,' he told Rep John Moolenaar of Michigan. 'Were poisoning this generation the poorest kids in our country, and were starting them out with this count against them. Head Start, a federal early education program for low-income families with kids under 5, faces elimination under Trump's latest budget proposal, which would cut school funding for over 500,000 pregnant women, babies, and children. If anybody thinks that we did gold standard medicine in this country from these institutions, look at our children! Theyre the sickest children in the world, Kennedy exclaimed. Kennedy then turned to DeLauro, who has authored legislation, written to Congress, worked with advocacy groups and pressured the industry to remove dyes and additives from food for decades. Congresswoman DeLauro, you say youve worked for 20 years on getting food dye out, RFK said. Give me credit! I got it out in 100 days. In April, RFK and fellow federal health officials announced they had come to an understanding with food manufacturers on a proposal to phase out the use of Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3 by the end of 2026, and begin using natural alternatives. Foods still contain dyes and additives. Lets work together and do something that we all believe in, which is to have healthy kids in our country for Gods sake, RFK said. Horrified locals threw themselves in front of Immigration and Customs Enforcement vans which had been loaded with dozens of illegal migrants picked up in a raid on a meat packing plant. ICE agents stormed Glenn Valley Foods processing plant in Omaha, Nebraska on Tuesday and arrested up to 80 illegal immigrants working under fake IDs. Shocking footage emerged on Tuesday of the moment three bystanders who had gathered outside the manufacturing plant blocked the path of a tinted black van. Even as the agent behind the wheel of the car began driving toward them, the trio refused to move out of the way, clutching their phones to their chests as they filmed the moment the van ploughed them down. As horrified bystanders shouted and pleaded, the trio jumped onto the bonnet of the van, which abruptly came to a halt, tossing them off the hood. 'You f***ing ran me over,' one of the men said to the agent as he stepped out of the car, in the video captured by Flatwater Free Press. Moments later, the agent jumped behind the wheel again and sped off at speed, with at least one woman still stuck on the front of the car. 'You're not taking those people,' a bystander shouted as an agent approached the woman who moments earlier was on the car. Horrified locals threw themselves in front of Immigration and Customs Enforcement vans which had been loaded with dozens of illegal migrants picked up in a raid on a food plant ICE agents stormed Glenn Valley Foods meat processing plant in Omaha, Nebraska on Tuesday and arrested up to 80 illegal immigrants working under fake IDs Workers were hauled out of the store and into vans if they couldn't prove their immigration status 'Don't touch me, don't touch me,' she repeatedly said. Others used rocks and sticks in an effort to break the back window of the car and free the people who were detained inside the car. One ICE officer approached a boy who was trying to break into the car and roughly shoved him to the ground, telling him to 'get back.' When the boy got to his feet again, he spat on the agent. It's understood at least three 15-passenger vans were loaded with illegal migrants, while others were escorted onto a bus with boarded up windows. The cars were joined by a law enforcement escort as they left the plant. Gary Rohwer, owner and CEO of Glenn Valley Foods, told local media outlet WOWT that federal agents told him 97 employees were using false IDs. He said his company had used e-Verify during the hiring process and that he was unaware that any of his staff were working in the United States illegally. Shocking footage emerged on Tuesday of the moment three bystanders who had gathered outside the manufacturing plant blocked the path of a tinted black van Relatives of workers reportedly rushed to the scene, some trying to bring documentation for their loved ones As horrified bystanders shouted and pleaded, the trio jumped onto the bonnet of the van, which abruptly came to a halt, tossing them off the hood 'They're good, hardworking, honest,' he said. 'They're part of our family.' Rohwer said he was not aware of the raid beforehand and that ICE agents began screening his staff. 'They had a list of 97 employees that they screened. If they're okay then they'll be coming back to work. If they're not okay, they won't be back.' According to witnesses, staff were being separated into two groups within the plant - those who could verify their legal working status and those who couldn't. Relatives of workers reportedly rushed to the scene, some trying to bring documentation for their loved ones. ICE spokesperson Tanya Roman confirmed that agents 'executed a federal search warrant at Glenn Valley Foods, today, based on an ongoing criminal investigation into the large-scale employment of aliens without authorization to work in the United States.' She said despite reporting otherwise, the Glenn Valley Foods raid was the only operation in the Omaha region to take place on Tuesday. Mayor John Ewing Jr., who only officially took office on Monday, said he and his team were 'trying to get to the bottom of what happened today. ICE spokesperson Tanya Roman confirmed that agents 'executed a federal search warrant at Glenn Valley Foods, today, based on an ongoing criminal investigation into the large-scale employment of aliens without authorization to work in the United States' It's understood at least three 15-passenger vans were loaded with illegal migrants, while others were escorted onto a bus with boarded up windows Locals held signs protesting ICE and the raids 'We know that actions like these affect families. My administration is working with community groups to understand the scale of need,' the mayor said. 'We do not want people to be so afraid they stop reporting crimes. Our Omaha Police Department will respond to 911 calls and not ask about legal status.' Ewing reiterated that Ohama police officers 'do not and will not seek individuals to check their legal status.' Several small protests sprung up around Omaha in the wake of the raids on Tuesday, following a similar pattern to the timeline of demonstrations in Los Angeles. Protesters gathered to condemn raids across Downtown LA on Friday, but community anger spiraled throughout the weekend and led to violent riots. President Trump sent in about 700 Marines and a total of 4,100 National Guard troops to regain control of the crisis, sparking fury from state Democrats and community leaders. The violence stretched into a fifth day on Tuesday after rioters torched vehicles, looted buildings and attacked authorities. A protester dressed in a bizarre ensemble during the Los Angeles riots has revealed she came equipped with a leaf blower as protection from tear gas. However, a video interview of the woman, who identified herself as a 44-year-old Mexican mom, has led to many poking fun at her DIY safety gear. 'Why is she doing a bad cosplay of a minion from Despicable Me?' one commented on X of the interview by Nick Shirley. 'We need leaf-blower control legislation. Now!' another joked. 'Omg this has to be a satire protester lol,' a third said. The protester was asked on camera why she took to the streets and replied: 'This is our city and this was Mexico. You can't kick us out of the land that was ours.' When asked what the wind blower was for, she replied, 'That's for the f***ing tear gas. That's for the f***ing tear gas to blow it back at those motherf***ers. If you have a f***in blower bring it out. Push them back!' The protester then directed her attention to Donald Trump, and told the camera, 'You're just mad because Selma Hayek wouldn't give you the time of day b***h.' A rioter was trolled on social media for resembling a 'Despicable Me' character with her tactical gear and wind blower (pictured with Nick Shirley, right) Demonstrators stormed the streets of Los Angeles in protest of ICE raids in the city The interview was conducted as the Californian city became embroiled in protests in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. The protests have become a political flashpoint as Trump deployed the National Guard to provide additional resources to law enforcement. Typically, the guard is only deployed at the request of the state's governor, and California officials are accusing the administration of an illegal maneuver. California officials have also claimed that Trump's use of the National Guard will heighten tensions in the streets. 'If I didnt SEND IN THE TROOPS to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now, much like 25,000 houses burned to the ground in L.A. due to an incompetent Governor and Mayor,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday morning. Governor Gavin Newsom then filed an emergency motion in court to block military troops from infiltrating the city, arguing that the federal government was 'turning the military against American citizens.' A federal judge denied the state's request to prohibit Trump's administration from using the Marines and National Guard. 'This is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy,' Newsom wrote about the filing on X. Many have been quick to point out the protester's riot gear resembles that of a Minion (above) The administration announced the deployment of 700 Marines and 2,000 National Guard troops to break up the protests. The protests entered their fifth day on Tuesday with demonstrators sparking the days-long controversy with a gathering outside the Los Angeles Federal Building. The demonstrations heightened on Saturday with officials deploying tear gas against rioters. Some demonstrations across the city turned violent, with images emerging of cars on fire and police firing rubber bullets at rioters. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said over the weekend that some rioters arrived at the demonstrations with hammers, cinder blocks, and rocks. The violence prompted Trump to call for all demonstrators in face masks to be arrested on Truth Social. As protests continued to break out in California, 300 members of the state's guard responded with Homeland Security officers at the city's detention center. Federal officials formed a line outside the Metropolitan Detention Center to block protesters as demonstrators were hit with tear gas and pepper balls. Trump has sent members of the National Guard and the Marines to stop the protests, a move that was criticized by California officials (Pictured: Protesters shut down the Los Angeles highway as authorities fired off munitions into the crowd) Protesters even blocked Highway 101, which created chaotic scenes as officers fired munitions into the crowd. Over the course of the demonstration, at least 160 people were arrested, with a majority facing charges for failure to disperse. The demonstrations have spread throughout the US to other major cities, including San Francisco, where authorities said 154 arrests occurred. US District Judge Charles R. Breyer set a hearing for Thursday on the legality of the administration's deployment of the National Guard. Australia has come under fire from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for backing sanctions against two senior Israeli officials, accusing the Albanese government of turning a blind eye to the 'real enemy'. Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced on Wednesday the targeted sanctions in a joint statement alongside her counterparts from Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. The measures - which include travel bans and financial sanctions - are against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have been accused of inciting 'extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights'. Mr Ben-Gvir, from the Jewish Power party, and Mr Smotrich, of the Religious Zionism Party, are members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government. Mr Rubio strongly condemned the measures, saying they undermine efforts to end the conflict. 'These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,' he said. 'We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. 'We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is.' US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (pictured, left) has warned the countries imposing sanctions that they must 'not forget who the real enemy is' Right-wing Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich (pictured, left to right) have been banned from travelling to Australia in new sanctions Asked about Mr Rubio's condemnation of the sanctions, Senator Wong said that Australia and the US remained aligned on strategic interests but felt the measures against these individuals were warranted. 'We will continue to be part of the international call for aid to enter (Gaza) unhindered, unimpeded,' Senator Wong said. 'That is Israel's obligation. 'These two ministers have been the most extremist and hard line of an extremist settler enterprise, which is both unlawful and violent. 'Australia can't shift the dial on the Middle East by ourselves. 'What we can do is act with others, and that's what we've done. 'We will continue to advocate for a ceasefire and the return of hostages, and we will continue to condemn Hamas and its terrorist ideology.' The two Israeli ministers, among Israel's most vocal politicians, have advocated for denying all humanitarian aid to Gaza, and to push the Palestinians out of the territory and claim is as part of an expanded Israeli state. Foreign Minister Penny Wong (pictured) announced the penalties overnight, which have been supported by the UK, New Zealand, Canada and Norway Mr Smotrich has said he would allow 'not even a grain of wheat' to enter Gaza, declaring that the strip would be 'entirely destroyed' during the war. Mr Ben-Gvir has called for the Palestinian population to be pushed out of Gaza, saying 'we must encourage emigration'. They also advocated the continued expansion of Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories, which were ruled unlawful by the International Court of Justice last year. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the sanctions 'outrageous' and said his government would hold a meeting early next week to decide how to respond to the 'unacceptable decision' made by the five countries. Although the sanctions focus on settlements in the West Bank, the foreign ministers said 'this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza'. The Australian Jewish Association said it was appalled by the federal government's actions and accused it of anti-Semitism. 'This action represents a hostile and unjustified attack on a democratic ally and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms,' CEO Robert Gregory said. 'This government's willingness to engage with authoritarian regimes, including Holocaust deniers like Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, while targeting the world's only Jewish state, exposes a disturbing double standard. 'There is no other explanation for this disparity than blatant anti-semitism.' The Australian Centre for International Justice applauded the decision was a significant step and would send a clear message. 'These measures directly respond to the compelling evidence implicating Ben-Gvir and Smotrich in inciting extremist violence and serious human rights violations against Palestinians,' acting executive director Lara Khider said. Ambassador of Israel to Australia Amir Maimon said Senator Wong's decision was 'concerning and unacceptable'. 'Serious questions must be asked about the motives behind the timing of this announcement. 'It comes while Israel is engaged in a war against Hamas, a terrorist organisation committed to wiping Israel off the map and a key part of a broader axis of terror. 'At this very moment, Israel is dedicating every possible effort and resource to securing the safe return of the 55 hostages still held by Hamas.' Anthony Albanese has been called out for getting a crucial detail wrong about an Australian reporter who was shot with a rubber bullet in the Los Angeles riots. US correspondent for Nine Lauren Tomasi was performing a live cross about the mass protests in the city on Sunday evening, local time, when a police officer could be seen levelling a gun at her in the background. The officer opened fire at close range, causing Tomasi to double over in pain. Nine later confirmed she was 'left sore but otherwise unharmed' by the shot. The apparently deliberate shooting sparked global headlines and criticism of heavy-handed tactics by the LAPD. Anthony Albanese condemned the 'targeted' incident on Wednesday, describing Tomasi as 'clearly identified as media' in Nine's footage. 'There's no ambiguity. She wasn't wearing a trackie, she was wearing a helmet and something that identified her as media,' Albanese told the National Press Club. But Tomasi was not wearing a helmet or any clothing that identified her as a reporter at the time of the shooting, although she was holding a microphone and being filmed by a cameraman. US correspondent for Nine Lauren Tomasi (pictured) was performing a live cross about the mass protests in Los Angeles when she was shot with a rubber bullet The officer opened fire at close range, while Tomasi doubled over in pain 'Albo is lying about the situation. She wasnt wearing anything to protect herself or identify herself,' one said. 'So who's fault is it then if she's not wearing a helmet or vest and in the middle of a protest?' a second asked. Another agreed that Tomasi was 'clearly not identified as media'. 'She put herself in a dangerous position. Common sense seems to be lost by some.' 'Isnt that what journalists do to show whats happening, rather than sit in a sanitised White House press room?' another said. 'If shes not identified as a journalist then she leaves herself open to being just another blogger and an unofficial news source and part of the protest not following direct orders from the law enforcement,' a fifth said. Another observer agreed that police might have mistaken Tomasi for a 'social media influencer', who descended upon the riots in large numbers. But some said it should have been obvious that Tomasi was a reporter, given the microphone and the cameraman. Anthony Albanese condemned the 'targeted' incident on Wednesday, describing Tomasi as 'clearly identified as media' in Nine's footage Australian diplomats have raised the incident with their US counterparts, and Albanese has not ruled out raising it when he meets Donald Trump next week on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada. A day after Tomasi was shot with the rubber bullet, an ABC correspondent was tear-gassed while also reporting on the riots. Protesters in LA are marching against Trump's crackdown on illegal migrants and raids by ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Horrifying scenes showed cars erupting into flames as rioters created blockades to grind downtown Los Angeles to a complete halt. On Monday local time (Tuesday AEST), Trump sent 700 marines to join 2,000 of national guard troops in the city. He also threatened to arrest California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, for resisting the federal crackdown. A multi-million dollar mansion will be demolished after a local council won a five-year court battle with the owners who built the home without seeking permission. Sydney plumber Rabi Malass and his 34-year-old wife, Sarah, bought a coveted block of land in Strathfield, in Sydney's inner west, for $2.8mllion in 2017. The home on Boden Avenue was already DA approved for a knock-down and rebuild but the couple wished to make alterations to the existing plans. They hired an architect to redesign the layout and the facade of the home who they believed had engaged with the Strathfield Council to seek approval. But as Sydney was plunged into lockdown amid the spread of Covid-19 in 2020, the couple were still yet to receive approval for the redesign. Mr Malass made an ill-fated decision to push on with construction so his workers could remain employed as council became 'uncontactable' despite multiple calls. He told the Land and Environment Court in 2023 that his architect had assured him council would not object to the minor changes, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. But, his architect had also urged Mr Malass to wait for approval as he might need a building information certificate (BIC) to protect the unauthorised works. Rabi and Sarah Malass have been ordered to demolish their multi-million dollar home on Boden Avenue, Strathfield, in Sydney's Inner West (pictured, second from the bottom) Mr Malass told the court he was later shocked to discover his architect had never applied for approval for the modified development. In September 2020, council issued a stop-work order following a slew of complaints from frustrated neighbours. The issue escalated to the Land and Environment Court after a council inspector observed evidence building works were continuing. Fed-up neighbours claimed they saw workers in high-vis on a daily basis, heard drilling and even saw dust and smoke coming from the home. But, construction still didn't stop. Council inspected the property 10 times between June 2021 and September 2022 and observed 'significant building activity' at the home. A number of new features had been added without approval including a spa room, parking space, gym, playroom and a cool room. Meanwhile, Mrs Malass - who bought the property - has pleaded guilty to multiple contempt of court charges including continuing with unlawful construction work. Mr Malass (pictured) has pleaded with a Land and Environment Court judge to save his home from demolition despite building the house without proper council approval Strathfield Council has claimed construction continued on the multi-million dollar home (pictured) despite the council issuing a stop-work order Council told the court the contempt resulted in the Malass' putting the finishing touches on the new build and then unlawfully moving in. Mrs Malass was fined $20,000 for contempt in November, 2022. In 2024, Justice Nicola Pain issued an order for the family to vacate the property, demolish the unlawful work and comply with the original building plans. Despite the demolition order, the home is still standing as the Malass' make a last-ditch bid to salvage parts of the home. The family has since lodged a new development application and made a formal request for a BCI. The application would allow the family to remain in the existing home while partially demolishing the first floor and completing some construction work. Strathfield Local Planning Panel rejected the applications, which are now under appeal before the Land and Environment Court. Mr Malass told the court he has spent $700,000 in legal fees and that his plumbing business was in voluntary administration due to the ongoing legal battle. Mrs Malass was ordered to pay council's costs of more than $157,000. Strathfield Council is also seeking to be awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Barely one in ten voters believe that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is doing a good job, a poll has revealed. The YouGov survey, published on the eve of the Chancellor's spending review today, showed widespread disillusionment with her performance since taking office last year. Just 12 per cent of people said Ms Reeves is doing a good job, while 53 per cent said she is doing a bad job giving her a net approval rating of minus 41. Ms Reeves even fared badly among Labour voters, with only 28 per cent voting in favour of her efforts, while 32 per cent condemned them. A separate poll by the think-tank More In Common found that confidence in Labour's ability to deliver on its promises has collapsed since the election. The survey also revealed that the public has become tired of Labour blaming the country's current problems on the previous Conservative government. Ms Reeves and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer have repeatedly blamed the Tories for their economic inheritance, including claims of facing a 22billion 'black hole' in the public finances on taking office. But the tactic seems to be wearing thin, with 54 per cent of voters saying Labour is wasting too much time blaming the Tories for its failures in office. Barely one in ten voters believe that Chancellor Rachel Reeves (pictured) is doing a good job, a poll has revealed Ms Reeves and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) have repeatedly blamed the Tories for their economic inheritance, including claims of facing a 22billion 'black hole' in the public finances on taking office The survey also found that 71 per cent of voters do not expect Labour to improve their lives, compared to just 29 per cent who do. When the same question was asked just days after last year's election, 54 per cent said they believed Labour would improve their lives, compared with 46 per cent who did not. In addition to this, the poll suggests just a third of Labour voters believe the changes announced by Ms Reeves in today's spending review will be good for the country. Among the wider public, that figure falls to just 15 per cent, compared with 26 per cent who believe the Chancellor's expected spending splurge will make little difference and 32 per cent who fear decisions announced in the spending review will be generally bad for the country. Reform UKs new chairman once called leader Nigel Farage an idiot, it emerged last night. Dr David Bull, who was unveiled as Zia Yusufs replacement, also branded as prejudiced comments that Mr Farage had made about HIV-infected migrants using the NHS. The remarks surfaced just hours after Dr Bull gave his maiden speech as chairman and threatened to overshadow his appointment, while at a Press conference unveiling the new chairman, Mr Farage unexpectedly ruled out putting the return of the death penalty on Reforms manifesto at the next general election. Dr Bulls comments, first reported by The Daily Telegraph, were made on social media in 2014. He posted them after Mr Farage, then leader of his previous party UKIP, suggested that HIV-positive immigrants should not be allowed to come to the UK and receive treatment on the NHS. He said it should not be used as a global health service, adding: I do not think people with life-threatening diseases should be treated by our National Health Service, and that is an absolute essential condition for working out a proper immigration policy. Sharing an article about Mr Farages comments, Dr Bull wrote on X/Twitter: Nigel Farages comments are ill-judged, prejudiced and dangerous. HIV can affect anyone regardless of sex, race and class. In the post, still visible online, he added: #idiot #unhelpful. Dr Bull, 56, is a long-time ally of Mr Farage and has held roles in both Reform and its former iteration, the Brexit Party. He served as an MEP for North West England between 2019 and 2020. Dr David Bull, who was unveiled as Zia Yusufs replacement, also branded as prejudiced comments that Mr Farage had made about HIV-infected migrants using the NHS. Pictured: Nigel Farage (left) and David Bull (right) Mr Yusuf plunged the party into turmoil on Thursday after announcing his shock resignation on social media, giving Mr Farage only ten minutes notice. Pictured: Former Reform chairman, Zia Yusuf (left) with David Bull (right) Dr Bulls comments, first reported by The Daily Telegraph, were made on social media in 2014 Mr Farage said that Dr Bull would bring terrific verve, energy, enthusiasm to his new role. Mr Yusuf plunged the party into turmoil on Thursday after announcing his shock resignation on social media, giving Mr Farage only ten minutes notice. He said he was quitting after attacking one of his own MPs, Sarah Pochin, for calling for a burka ban during Prime Ministers Questions. But just 48 hours after leaving, he said he was returning to the party. The 38-year-old businessman said his resignation had been born of exhaustion after working for the party for 11 months without a day off. He will now lead Reforms Elon Musk-inspired Doge unit, which the party says will root out wasteful spending in the ten councils it controls, starting in Kent. The decision not to include anything in Reforms manifesto about the death penalty will likely disappoint millions of its voters. A poll by the think-tank More In Common in January found nearly eight in ten of its backers support it for certain crimes. Mr Farage said nothing on the death penalty will be part of [Reform] party policy and that personally I dont think I could ever support it. He said he was opposed because of hundreds of quite serious miscarriages of justice having emerged since the 70s, adding that he believed it will become a big national issue because of polling suggesting younger generations are increasingly in favour. It may lead to suspicions that Mr Farage is trying to make Reform UK appear less Right-wing and controversial as it increasingly tries to target Labour voters. It also emerged that Reform lost nearly 3,500 members in the past week amid the Yusuf fiasco. Dorinda Cox, who sensationally defected from the Greens to Labor last week, has accused her former party of racism and bullying in an explosive, leaked resignation letter. The WA Senator took aim at her her former colleagues, claiming they had failed her as the party's 'last First Nations MP, and (they) continue to fail First Nations people'. 'In my experience, the Greens tolerate a culture that permits violence against First Nations women within its structures,' she wrote. 'In this respect, the party is deeply racist.' The resignation letter, first reported by the ABC, was leaked after Senator Cox defected to the Labor Party. Senator Cox had only recently missed out on a leadership role in the Greens following Adam Bandt's humiliating election defeat. The Yamatji-Noongar woman was elected to the upper house in 2021 to fill a Greens vacancy and had been the party's Indigenous Affairs spokesperson. Senator Cox was also at the centre of controversy in her party over allegations surrounding her treatment of her staff, with some accusing Cox of being a bully. Dorinda Cox, who sensationally defected from the Greens to Labor last week, has accused her former party of racism and bullying in an explosive, leaked resignation letter (pictured: Senator Cox with Anthony Albanese following her defection to Labor) Senator Lidia Thorpe, who left the Greens to sit as an independent, also revealed last week that she had made a bullying complaint against Senator Cox in 2022. But in her resignation letter, Senator Cox insisted she had never been a bully but instead was a victim. 'I have faced an unremitting campaign of bullying and dishonest claims over the last 18 months,' Senator Cox wrote. 'I am not, and have never been, a bully. I do not perpetrate it.' Senator Cox claimed her allegations that she was assaulted by a party member at Perth Airport in 2023 following a disagreement about the Voice to Parliament fell on deaf ears. But Daily Mail Australia understands that details of the complaint went all the way to former leader Adam Bandt's office. She also accused the party of presiding over a 'toxic culture' that saw rumours circulated about her. 'Recently, my children were approached by a former staff member who had publicly made serious allegations about me at a Greens event,' she wrote. 'This type of mobbing made its way into "moderated" online meeting chats and the widely circulated meeting minutes of the (Australian Greens First Nations Network). Senator Lidia Thorpe (pictured), who left the Greens to sit as an independent, also revealed last week that she had made a bullying complaint against Senator Cox in 2022 'The Greens failed in their duty of care for my staff and me, and disregarded the reported and obvious impact of what was occurring. The focus was solely on winning seats.' Daily Mail Australia approached Greens' leader Larissa Waters for comment. A Greens spokesperson disputed the allegations in Senator Cox's resignation letter, claiming they were 'an anti-racism party, and pushing a senator to take complaints seriously is not bullying'. 'These claims are disappointing, unrepresentative of the support Senator Cox received and ignore the substantive work undertaken by the party to find a resolution to the complaints made both by and against Senator Cox, and to address the breakdown in her relationship with Greens First Nations members,' the spokesperson added. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been accused of hypocrisy after welcoming Senator Cox into the Labor fold. When Fatima Payman deserted Labor over its stance on Gaza, Albanese said the WA Senator should have quit parliament because voters had elected her under the ALP banner. A missing schoolgirl has been found following an urgent search for the teenager. Jylah, 14, was last seen in Gladysdale, about 70km east of Melbourne, at midday on Tuesday. She may have been on her way to Eastland Shopping Centre or Chirnside Park Shopping Centre in Melbourne's outer east. She is 160cm tall with a slim build, has long blonde hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing black leggings and a blue school top. Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday she had been found. The last words of Florida death row inmate executed Tuesday evening for murdering a young mother in 1994 expressed his gratitude to his wife with a quote from a cult classic film. Anthony Wainwright, 54, and his accomplice Richard Hamilton kidnapped 23-year-old Carmen Gayheart from a supermarket parking lot before driving her to a wooded area, where they raped and killed her. Hamilton, while serving on Florida's death row, died in prison in 2023. But Wainwright lived long enough to be executed Tuesday at around 6pm via lethal injection. In his final statement, Wainwright spoke of directly to his wife and thanked her for her support amid his many legal appeals. 'My beautiful wife Samantha, you are the love of my life. Im so blessed we found each other. The years we have spent together have been beyond wonderful,' Wainwright said. 'Theyve been downright magical. Love is stronger than death and I know our love will last for eternity. 'I wanted to thank everyone who has supported my wife Samantha and I. It has truly been overwhelming. It has meant so much to us both,' he added. He concluded with a quote from The Princess Bride, specifically a statement uttered by the character Westley, played by Cary Elwes, to his romantic interest Buttercup, played by Robin Wright. 'Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while,' the convicted murderer and rapist told his wife. Death row inmate Anthony Wainwright, 54, used a romantic quote from the Princess Bride as his final words to his wife, Samantha (pictured with him) Wainwright did not apologize to the family of Carmen Gayheart (pictured), the 23-year-old mother-of-two he and an accomplice raped and killed in 1994 Wainwright stopped short of apologizing to Gayheart's family, only telling them that he hopes 'my death brings you peace and healing.' He also railed against what he deemed a broken court system. 'The court system is broken. Especially in Florida. Please continue the fight. Because I can promise you they are not going to let up. They will continue to murder if we continue to let it happen,' Wainwright said. He then tore into his attorney, Baya Harrison, who has represented other death row inmates in Florida. 'I hope that nobody forgets how terrible of an attorney Baya Harrison has been to all of us guys on the row and how terrible he represented me for so many years. He might be Floridas worst attorney,' he said. Gayhearts older sister, Maria David, sat front and center when Wainwright took his last breaths on Tuesday. Carmen was so scared for her life in her final moments, thinking, This is it. Im gonna die. And I can only hope that fear is something hes feeling now, too, David told the Daily Mail. She died in a horrific way it kills me what they did to my baby sister. So Im glad this is the last time Ill ever see him, and the last time Ill ever have to think about Anthony Wainwright. Carmen Gayheart is pictured on her wedding day with her sister Maria David (left). Tonight, David watched her sister's killer take his final breaths from the front-row of an execution chamber Rev. Jeff Hood, Wainwright's spiritual advisor, told the Daily Mail that Wainwright was terrified of dying. Hood also advised Greg Hunt, an Alabama death row inmate who was executed the same day as Wainwright. Hood said that since Hunt appeared to be accepting of his fate, he chose to stay with Wainwright in his final moments. Wainwright skipped his last meal because he felt that it 'would distract him from his family and the people that he loved,' Hood said. 'He found a place of perfect peace. He stopped seeing his execution as an end but rather as a new beginning. He was ready to get out of prison - I kept on telling him that this was his release date,' Hood said. The Associated Press reported that the execution began at about 6:10pm. That's when Wainwright's shoulders shuddered a few times. Hood said that 'this was not as clean of a lethal injection as the others that I've seen,' adding that 'it was not bad enough to say that it was botched.' Wainwright blinked and took several deep breaths before going completely still at 6:14pm. He was officially pronounced dead at 6:22pm, according to a spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis. Hood told the Daily Mail that he was the only person who knew Wainwright that was present for his execution. None of his family members attended. 'This is the tenth execution Ive been to. Its really like being kicked in the nuts,' he said. 'Ive been close with Anthony for four years now. Hes not somebody I just met. He mattered a great deal to me and then to have to watch them be murdered right in front of you... It's horrifying and it's enraging.' Wainright was executed via lethal injection and was officially pronounced dead at 6:22pm on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis Wainwright and Hamilton escaped from prison in Newport, North Carolina, on April 24, 1994. Wainwright was serving 10 years for breaking and entering, while Hamilton was to be behind bars for 25 years after he committed an armed robbery. They stole a Cadillac and burglarized a home the following morning, stealing money and guns, before heading south towards Florida. It was when the Cadillac started having mechanical issues three days and 600 miles later that the men decided to steal another car. Thats when they spotted Gayheart. Gayheart was about to set off to collect her five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son from daycare when she was ambushed and abducted by the two men. Her remains would be found five days later, on May 2, 1994, off a dirt road in Hamilton County. She had been shot twice in the back of the head with a bolt-action rifle. Wainwright and Hamilton, meanwhile, continued on the lam in Gayhearts blue Bronco before they were eventually snared 520 miles away in Mississippi the day after her murder following shootout with police. Both were shot but survived. Initially, Wainwright told police that he raped Carmen and that Hamilton killed her. They led police to her body. Gayheart was about to set off to collect her five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son from daycare when she was ambushed and abducted by Wainwright and his accomplice, Richard Hamilton Wainwright and Richard Hamilton (pictured right) were convicted of murder, kidnapping, robbery and rape, with the jury unanimously recommending they be sentenced to death by the electric chair At their trial in 1995, each attempted to point the finger of blame for the rape and murder at the other. Both men were convicted of murder, kidnapping, robbery and rape, with the jury unanimously recommending they be sentenced to death by the electric chair. Wainwrights lawyers have filed multiple unsuccessful appeals over the years based on what they said were problems with his trial and evidence that he suffered from brain damage and intellectual disability. Since his execution was scheduled last month, his lawyers have argued in state and federal court filings that his death should be put on hold to allow time for courts to hear additional legal arguments in his case. In a filing with the Supreme Court, his lawyers argued that his case has been 'marred by critical, systemic failures at virtually every stage and through the signing of his death warrant.' Those failures include flawed DNA evidence that wasnt disclosed to the defense until after opening statements, erroneous jury instructions, inflammatory and inaccurate closing arguments, and missteps by court-appointed lawyers, the filing says. David said she isnt buying Wainwrights latest revision of events. She said she heard the evidence against him first-hand and there is no doubt in her mind that he both raped and killed her younger sister. If anything, David said the killer should be grateful that hes being given the lethal injection, rather than the electric chair as was previously ordered. Maria David, Gayheart's sister, told the Daily Mail that she struggles with the fact that Gayheart (pictured) suffered when she died, while her killer will 'get an injection that puts him off to sleep' Hes getting off easy, David told the Daily Mail. I'm sad it's not the electric chair.' Hes going to get an injection that puts him off to sleep like youd do for your familys sick dog, the dog you loved with all your heart. Carmen suffered but hes taking the easy way out. Hes had 31 years breathing, phone calls, letters, all of that - everything he robbed Carmen of. David said that the three decades she has been waiting to see Wainwright held accountable is far too long. During that time, she lost both of her parents. Her father died in 2013, and her mother died in 2022. Both had wanted to witness Wainwrights death, she said. I know theyre going to be with me in spirit today, for both me and Carmen, so we can see this through together, David said. Before her sisters callous murder, David held no strong opinions about the death penalty. It was only after Gayheart was killed that she says she understood the need for capital punishment. When you are so closely tied to the victim of a horrific crime like Carmen, you change your opinion. You want to see it happen because they deserve it, added David. We didnt ask to seek the death penalty. The state came to us and told us they were going to go for itI absolutely have to see this through, she said prior to the execution. Greta Thunberg has landed back home in Sweden following her deportation from Israel but has defiantly vowed to return after her failed aid mission. The 22-year-old activist touched down in her home country on Tuesday night and was welcomed back with open arms. It came just hours after she firmly told reporters of her intentions to go to Israel after being forcibly removed - alongside some of the 11 other international activists who had been on board the 'freedom flotilla'. The group had set sail towards Gaza carrying a symbolic amount of aid, before being intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Egypt early Monday. They were then taken to the port of Ashdod, where Thunberg was detained before being placed on a flight to France on Tuesday morning. Asked in Stockholm that night if she was scared when the security forces boarded the Madleen sailboat, Thunberg replied: 'What I'm afraid of is that people are silent during an ongoing genocide.' 'What I feel most is concern for the continued violations of international law and war crimes that Israel is guilty of.' She accused Israel of carrying out a 'systematic genocide' and 'systematic starvation of over two million people' in Gaza. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg (R) arrives at Arlanda airport outside Stockholm, Sweden, on June 10, 2025 Israel's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday shared a photo of the disgruntled 22-year-old sitting on board the plane moments before the flight departed Israel's Ben Gurion airport A surveillance footage shows crew of the Gaza-bound British-flagged yacht 'Madleen', put their hands up as they are intercepted by Israeli boats early Monday morning Several rights groups including Amnesty International have accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza but Israel vehemently rejects the term. 'We must act, we must demand that our government acts, and we must act ourselves when our complicit governments do not step up,' Thunberg said. She rose to fame as a schoolgirl activist against climate change and seeks to avoid flying because of its environmental impact, going so far as to cross the Atlantic by sailboat twice. Despite her swift deportation, Thunberg was unrepentant. The activist vowed that they 'would not stop' trying to help and promised that 'this is not the end.' Thunberg told journalists shortly after landing in Paris: 'What is certain is that we will not stop. 'We are going to continue try to do everything we can because that is the promise that we have given to to Palestinians. 'We are going to try every single day in every way that we can and keep trying to demand an end to the atrocities.' Earlier in the day, Thunberg accused Israel of 'kidnapping' her in international waters, a claim she made previously in a dramatic pre-recorded SOS message released shortly after her detention. But a picture of her smiling as a soldier offered her sandwich after her boat was intercepted quickly went viral. Thunberg accused Israel of orchestrating a PR stunt following the action. Speaking on Tuesday, she doubled down: 'People were not being treated well. I was not able to to say goodbye to people and I don't know what's happening. And there were many, many issues'. Pressed for details on her treatment, she described the experience as 'very dehumanising,' though she insisted: 'But of course, I have to stress nothing compared to what Palestinians are going through. I would prefer not to go into detail'. Greta Thunberg is pictured at the Israeli port of Ashdod after the Madleen 'freedom flotilla' ship was intercepted by Israeli boats on Monday The Madleen, which sailed towards Gaza to raise awareness of the crisis in the territory A general view of the Ashdod Port where the Madleen was towed after being intercepted and where the activists were detained The Israeli foreign ministry also derided what it called the 'selfie yacht' carrying 'celebrity' activists, adding that the aid onboard would be transferred to Gaza through what it called 'real humanitarian channels' She added: 'I do know that there were major issues with people actually getting to talk to lawyers. 'When you look at the state of the world, everything feels meaningless. But unless you try to do everything you can, we lose our hope.' The activist, who has long eschewed air travel for environment reasons, was photographed on board an aircraft en route to France earlier on Tuesday - a moment that Israel's Foreign Ministry was quick to publicise, posting the image on social media platform X. Prior to her deportation, Defence Minister Israel Katz said he'd instructed IDF officials to show the activists the full, unedited footage of the October 7 attacks as recorded by Hamas terrorist body cameras. 'It is appropriate that the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organization they came to support and for whom they work is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself,' he said. Late on Monday night, he told reporters: 'Greta and her flotilla companions were taken into a room upon their arrival to the screening of the horror film of the October 7 massacre... when they saw what it was about, they refused to continue watching. 'The anti-Semitic flotilla members are turning a blind eye to the truth and have proven once again that they prefer the murderers to the murdered and continue to ignore the atrocities committed by Hamas against Jewish and Israeli women, adults, and children.' Katz and other Israeli officials have come under fire for branding Thunberg and her fellow activists 'anti-Semitic' for wanting to deliver aid to starving Gazans. But Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said: 'This wasn't humanitarian aid. It's Instagram activism... 'Who's really feeding Gaza and who's really feeding their own ego? Greta was not bringing aid, she was bringing herself.' Meanwhile, the French government revealed that five of the six French citizens detained alongside Thunberg had refused to sign deportation orders, meaning they will now face judicial proceedings. An image shared by the Israeli Foreign Ministry of what the ministry said were passengers on the Madleen Gaza-bound aid boat being given sandwiches Thunberg joined 11 activists in sailing to the Gaza Strip with a 'symbolic' amount of aid On June 10, 2025, Israel deported Swedish Greta Thunberg by plane to Sweden via France, after she was arrested on board an aid boat for Gaza with other pro-Palestinian activists who were taken to Ben Gurion airport for deportation Of the 12 people on board the sailing boat Madleen, two French nationals agreed to be deported on June 10, while four others declined pending a court decision. Pictured: Thunberg was greeted by around 30 cheering supporters waving Palestinian flags amid a large media presence at the airport US President Donald Trump did not miss the opportunity to wade in on the controversy. 'I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg. She's a young, angry person... I think she has to go to an anger management class,' he said. Thunberg responded to his comments, saying: 'I think the world needs a lot of more young, angry women, to be honest, especially with everything going on right now'. After a brief stop in France, Thunberg landed back home at Stockholm's Arlanda airport just after 10:30pm Tuesday. She was greeted by around 30 cheering supporters waving Palestinian flags amid a large media presence at the airport. Of the 12 people on board the Madleen carrying food and supplies for Gaza, eight were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily. Four others, including Thunberg, were deported. All of them have been banned from Israel for 100 years, according to the rights group that legally represents some of them. New Jersey Democrat LaMonica McIver has been indicted over a brawl with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents outside a Newark detention facility. The Congresswoman was slapped with federal charges on Tuesday alleging she impeded and interfered with immigration officers as they sought to arrest Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on May 9. The duo were part of a group trying to conduct a congressional oversight visit at the facility amid increased ICE activity, but a brawl broke out when they were refused. Acting US Attorney for New Jersey and Trump ally Alina Habba announced the grand jury indictment in a post on X. 'While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve,' Habba wrote. McIver had been charged in a complaint by Habba last month with two assault charges stemming from the May 9 visit to Newark's Delaney Hall - a 1,000-bed, privately owned facility that Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses as a detention center. McIver disputed the allegations as baseless and defended her presence at the facility as part of her authorized role as a member of Congress. Her lawyer, former US Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman, said in a statement that they would challenge the allegations 'head-on' in court. Congresswoman LaMonica McIver (circled in red) got into a heated clash with law enforcement officers outside Newark ICE center Delaney Hall on May 9 Video obtained by Daily Mail shows Rep. McIver shoving a uniformed member of law enforcement guarding the gates of the detention center Acting US Attorney for New Jersey and Trump ally Alina Habba announced the grand jury indictment in a post on X 'The legal process will expose this prosecution for what it truly is -- political retaliation against a dedicated public servant who refuses to shy away from her oversight responsibilities,' Fishman said. Habba said two of the counts carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison. A third has a maximum sentence of one year. She characterized the charges as 'forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers.' The prosecution of McIver is a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress for allegations other than fraud or corruption. Habba said when announcing the charges that she had made persistent efforts to find a resolution to the matter which would not result in criminal charges, but that McIver had declined. McIver issued a statement railing against the charges at the time, describing them as 'purely political. 'They mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight,' she said. 'Our visit should have been peaceful and short. Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation.' Habba said she had made persistent efforts to find a resolution to the matter which would not result in criminal charges, but that McIver had declined New Jersey's interim US attorney and Trump ally Alina Habba (pictured together) has announced charges stemming from the incident At the same visit that resulted in McIver's charges, Baraka was arrested on a trespassing charge, which was later dropped. Baraka is suing Habba over what he said was a malicious prosecution. A nearly two-minute clip released by the Homeland Security Department shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and officers. At one point, her left elbow and then her right elbow push into an officer wearing a dark face covering and an olive green uniform emblazoned with the word 'Police' on it. It isn't clear from police bodycam video whether that contact was intentional, incidental or a result of jostling in the chaotic scene. The complaint says she 'slammed' her forearm into an agent then tried to restrain the agent by grabbing him. New Jersey Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez had joined McIver at the detention center that day. They and Democrats have criticized the arrest and disputed the charges as well. McIver issued a statement railing against the charges at the time, describing them as 'purely political' By law, members of Congress are authorized to go into federal immigration facilities as part of their oversight powers, even without notice. Congress passed a 2019 appropriations bill that spelled out the authority. McIver, 38, first came to Congress in September in a special election after the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. left a vacancy in the 10th District. She was then elected to a full term in November. A Newark native, she served as the president of the Newark City Council from 2022 to 2024 and worked in the citys public schools before that. Los Angeles was put on lockdown after mayor Karen Bass finally caved and declared a local emergency while Governor Gavin Newsom tore into President Trump for exacerbating the immigration chaos. The riot-ravaged Downtown area will be a no-go zone from 8pm to 6am on Tuesday through Wednesday after violent demonstrators set fire to cars, looted buildings and attacked officers with rocks, fireworks and cement bricks in harrowing scenes of destruction. Bass said the curfew is expected to last several days and will encompass a square mile radius around the epicenter of the violence in Downtown LA. 'If you do not live or work in downtown LA avoid the area. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted,' Bass said. Less than an hour after the curfew was imposed, Newsom lashed out at Trump in a speech that aired on national television. The Golden State governor blamed the federal government for the ongoing crisis and issued a chilling warning that chaos could soon engulf other states too. 'Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there,' Newsom warned. 'This is a president who in just over 140 days, has fired government watchdogs that could hold him accountable, accountable for corruption and fraud. He's declared a war, a war on culture, on history, on science, on knowledge itself. Databases, quite literally, are vanishing.' Newsom claimed that 'when Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard. He made that order apply to every state in this nation. Los Angeles is considering implementing a curfew across riot-ravaged parts of Downtown in an effort to end pro-migrant protests which have gripped the city for five days For five days now rioters have wreaked havoc on communities as they railed against President Donald Trump's efforts to rid the city of illegal migrants An urgent warning has been issued to residents across swathes of the city to stay on alert for new mandatory orders, which could come into effect by nightfall 'This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. 'Democracy is under assault before our eyes, this moment we have feared has arrived.' While Newsom did urge protesters to remain peaceful if they took to the streets, he encouraged Americans to stand up against Trump. 'What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence, to be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him.' For five days now rioters have wreaked havoc on communities as they railed against Trump's efforts to rid the city of illegal migrants. They were only further enraged when Trump gave orders to send 700 Marines and 4,100 National Guard troops in to take over policing efforts and assist the LAPD. Bass revealed at least 23 businesses have been looted during the ongoing violence and condemned some of the horrifying images which have emerged from the days of carnage. But Bass said the curfew was contained to where the violence was most apparent, noting: 'Some of the imagery of the protests and the violence gives the appearance as though this is a city wide crisis and is not.' Mayor Karen Bass is locked in tense meetings with the police chief and senior officials to weigh whether a strict curfew would help authorities as they seek to regain control of the city Rioters set fire to cars as part of their destructive protests She hopes that by imposing a curfew and declaring a local emergency, she can 'stop the vandalism, stop the looting.' 'A curfew has been in consideration for several days, but clearly after the violence that took place last night and just the extensive widespread nature of the vandalism, we reached a tipping point.' While Bass refrained from locking down the entire Downtown, the LAPD has this week repeatedly issued alerts listing Downtown Los Angeles as 'unlawful assembly' zones in an effort to rid the area of any and all protesters. The regions impacted by the lockdown span from the five freeway to the 110 freeway, and from the 10 freeway to the point where the 110 and the five merge. The development comes as Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to stop the LA rioters, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the United States to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. 'If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see. But I can tell you, last night was terrible. The night before that was terrible,' Trump said. He repeatedly referred to 'bad, sick people' and 'agitators' he said were paid to wreak havoc. The National Guard and 700 Marines rolled into town late Monday following Trump's orders to regain control Pictured: A protester kicks a scooter into a fire amid ongoing protests Governor Gavin Newsom argued that the arrival of the National Guard had made the situation worse 'There are certainly areas of Los Angeles you could have called It an insurrection,' Trump said. It was terrible.' A curfew is the natural next step in efforts toward regaining control of the city, as the LAPD ramps up arrests and cracks down on protesters breaching unlawful assembly orders. Hordes of protesters were zip-tied and forced onto LAPD buses en masse as authorities sought to bring an end to days of chaos and destruction. LAPD chief Jim McDonnell said protests had grown more violent as the week progressed. There were just 27 arrests on Sunday, with 40 on Sunday, 114 on Monday and nearly 200 by 6pm on Tuesday. He said public safety personnel, journalists and homeless people would be exempt from the order. The arrival of Trump's military reinforcements brought its own set of challenges on Tuesday, with furious Governor Newsom filing an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order. 'I just filed an emergency motion to block Trump's illegal deployment of Marines and National Guard in Los Angeles,' he said on X. Police are clashing with protesters amid ongoing violence Protesters clashed with authorities in Downtown LA during the protests LAPD issued repeated alerts listing Downtown Los Angeles as 'unlawful assembly' zones in an effort to rid the area of any and all protesters over the past three days 'Trump is turning the U.S. military against American citizens. The courts must immediately block these illegal actions.' The state said the order would 'prevent the use of federalized National Guard and active duty Marines for law enforcement purposes on the streets of a civilian city.' 'Federal antagonization, through the presence of soldiers in the streets, has already caused real and irreparable damage to the City of Los Angeles, the people who live there, and the State of California,' the filing stated. 'They must be stopped, immediately.' A judge denied the motion and instead granted the Trump administration an extension of time to respond to Newsom's filing. The federal government now has until 2pm on Wednesday to file its response. Newsom will then have an opportunity to file its opposition ahead of a hearing at 1.30pm Thursday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles will cost at least $134 million and last 60 days. 'We stated very publicly that it's 60 days because we want to ensure that those rioters, looters and thugs on the other side assaulting our police officers know that we're not going anywhere,' he said. 'Thankfully, unlike the previous administration, we've got a 13 percent increase in our defense budget, and we will have the capability to cover down on contingencies, which is something the National Guard and the Marines plan for. 'So we have the funding to cover down on contingencies, especially ones as important as maintaining law and order in a major American city. As far as training, all of the units on the ground have been fully trained in their capabilities of what they're executing on the ground.' Qantas will shut down its Jetstar Asia subsidiary more than two decades after the budget airline launched. The announcement to the ASX on Wednesday came as Jetstar Asia struggled with rising costs and competition in the region, and was expected to post a $35million loss this financial year. Qantas will redirect the 13 Jetstar Asia Airbus A320 aircraft to routes in Australia and New Zealand. Around 500 jobs could be axed from the Singapore-based airline which serviced 16 routes in Asia. Jetstar domestic flights within Australia, New Zealand - as well as flights to and from Bali and Japan - are not affected. However, passengers with bookings that include a connecting flight with Jetstar Asia may be impacted. Jetstar Asia will continue flights for the next seven weeks and cease operating on July 31. All affected employees would be provided with redundancy payments, the airline said. Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson (pictured) said Jetstar Asia's supplier costs had increased by 'up to 200 per cent' Qantas will shut down Jetstar Asia more than two decades after the budget airline launched in Singapore Qantas said the move will free up $500million to invest in fleet renewal. Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said Jetstar Asia's supplier costs had increased by 'up to 200 per cent'. 'We are currently undertaking the most ambitious fleet renewal program in our history, with almost 200 firm aircraft orders and hundreds of millions of dollars being invested into our existing fleet,' Ms Hudson added. 'Were making disciplined decisions which recycle capital across our business and prioritise it to stronger performing segments as well as strategic growth initiatives like Project Sunrise.' Qantas will receive its first Airbus A321XLR later this month and the first Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR in 2026. Aussie airlines have faced a mixed bag of opportunities and challenges in recent years. Last year, Regional Express collapsed after it made a bid to compete against Qantas and Virgin Australia with popular city routes. Budget carrier Bonza also folded after servicing lesser-travelled cities and towns for a mere 15 months. In general, however, the demand for both domestic and international air travel is increasing, with the major airlines responding with expanded fleets and additional routes. Qantas Group and Virgin Australia dominate the domestic market, which has limited consumer choice and pushed up fares, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Singapore remains a critical hub for Qantas Group as its third most-used international airport. The brother of a missing 21-year-old man has pleaded with locals to search their rural properties for clues as the search enters its sixth day. Finn Coyle, 21, was last seen at his family's home on Tanner Road in Carmel, in the hills east of Perth, about 2.30pm on Friday. His brother Conor said it was 'completely out of character' for him to disappear. 'Finn's been missing since Friday... we're all very worried for his wellbeing and his welfare, he's known to spend a lot of time in the local bush, in the hill's area,' he told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday. 'He's very resourceful and he's a great young man, but he's suffering a lot of mental health (problems). 'We're losing a generation of young people for mental health. It's entirely unlike him. 'It's completely out of character and we're seriously worried for his wellbeing.' WA Police, SES and Salvation Army volunteers resumed the search for Mr Coyle on Wednesday morning amid heavy rain and cool temperatures. Conor Coyle (pictured) said his missing brother had been suffering with his mental health His older brother Conor said it was 'completely out of character' for him to suddenly disappear The search for the missing 21-year-old entered its sixth day on Wednesday (pictured) Mr Coyle was known to explore the bushland around Carmel, so police believe he's 'not too far from home' and travelling on foot. 'He likes being in the bush, that's the kind of person he is,' Forrestfield Police officer in charge Brad Robinson said on Wednesday. 'We're focusing our search efforts in and around (the family's home). 'The bushland around here is really thick, it's hard to see overhead through our drones and it's also quite challenging on the grounds for the crews.' While police hold concerns for Mr Coyle due to the wet weather conditions, Mr Robinson said he was a 'pretty resourceful young fellow'. Locals on rural properties have been asked to check their sheds, outhouses and the surrounding bushland for any sign of Mr Coyle. 'He could be anywhere. We don't know whether he's fallen and injured himself - it could be any scenario,' Mr Robinson said. Mr Coyle is described as 187cm tall, of a slim build with brown hair and green eyes. The search for a father-of-three accused of killing his daughters has narrowed in on a remote mountain trail in Washington State after hikers tipped off police. Travis Decker, 32, is accused of killing his daughters, Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia Decker, five, whose bodies were found at a campsite in Leavenworth, after he failed to return them to their mother in Wenatchee following a scheduled three-hour visit. A tip from hikers has given police new hope on finding Decker alive after witnesses reported a lone person who appeared to be ill-prepared for the conditions. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday that tracking teams responded immediately, and a helicopter crew spotted an off-trail hiker on their own near Colchuck Lake, in a popular Cascade Range backpacking area called The Enchantments. As authorities search for Decker, who is believed to be mentally unstable, locals have been warned that he could be dangerous due to his military background. Late Monday night an alert was issued to residents in the Ingalls Creek and the Valleyhi community to lock homes and vehicles and to be on the lookout for Decker. 'Residents and visitors are urged to secure homes and vehicles, remain vigilant, and report any suspicious activity to 911,' an alert said. 'A heightened law enforcement presence will persist as a precautionary measure.' Travis Decker, 32, is accused of killing his daughters, Paityn, nine, Evelyn, eight, and Olivia Decker, five, after he failed to return them back to their mother following a scheduled three-hour visit in Washington on Friday Chelan County Sheriffs Office deputies found the girls bodies about 75 to 100 yards from Decker's truck at a campsite. Police believe the girls died from asphyxiation and reported that their wrists were zip-tied, court documents said The vast land surrounding Colchuck Lake is now an area of interest to authorities Decker joined the Army in 2013. He served in Afghanistan before transferring to the Washington National Guard in 2021, Karina Shagren, communications director for the Washington Military Department, confirmed to the Daily Mail. He was a full-time member of the Guard until 2023 or 2024, when he switched to part-time. Decker stopped attending mandatory monthly drills a little over a year ago, and the Guard was in the process of a disciplinary discharge. He likely has advanced combat training and was an airborne paratrooper who earned the elite rank of 'Ranger,' indicating he would have excellent wilderness and survival skills, Fox 13 Seattle reported, citing social media posts. It is unknown if the veteran is currently armed, but local law enforcement cautioned people from approaching him. Authorities swarmed the Rock Island Campground on Monday evening after finding Decker's truck. Chelan County Sheriffs 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 said. Decker's truck also had two bloody handprints on the tailgate, and inside were personal items including blankets, food, car seats, and a wallet on the center console. 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. Decker attempted to repair the broken marriage with his ex-wife Whitney (pictured with daughters) just a week before he allegedly suffocated and killed their three young daughters in Washington State The sisters' lifeless bodies were discovered at a campsite in Leavenworth last week, about 20 miles from their home The girls' mother, Whitney Decker, who is divorced from the veteran, told police that he had picked the girls up around 5pm but had not returned them by 8pm, and his phone went straight to voicemail, court documents said. Detectives said she 'expressed concern because Decker reportedly has never done this before and is currently experiencing some mental health issues.' She also told law enforcement officials that Decker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and believes he did not take medication for the condition, according to court documents. 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 with the plan - which he refused to sign, the court documents show. Still, Whitney told police 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. Whitney added that when Decker went to pick up the girls for the visit on 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. When Decker failed to return with the girls that night, Whitney reported them missing. 'What prompted her to call us was that... he was late returning the girls and had not communicated to her that he was going to be late, which was his typical fashion and so this was out of the ordinary,' Captain Brian Chance said. A helicopter crew spotted a rogue hiker off-trail near Colchuck Lake (pictured) in the popular Cascade Range backpacking area named The Enchantments Snohomish County Sheriff's Special Operations, in coordination with the Snohomish County Region 1 SWAT team and Air Support Unit, have come together in a unified effort to support the Chelan County Sheriff's Office Her attorney, Arianna Cozart, said in a statement on her behalf to the Seattle Times that 'something broke inside' her daughters' father. '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,' the statement read. The statement added that Whitney believed an Amber Alert should've been issued after the girls disappeared due to Decker's complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder. Washington State Patrol was contacted to request an Amber Alert, but it did not meet the required criteria, Wenatchee Police said. The lacking criteria were suspected abduction and imminent peril of death or serious injury, said Chris Loftis, director of public affairs for the state patrol. 'In this case, it was a parent with custodial privileges, and the children had not been returned home on time. But thats a rather common occurrence and not something where you just automatically assume abduction,' he said. He added that there was no indication Decker would harm them. 'Were people too, you know, so the loss of a child, the loss of two children, the loss of three children is... devastating,' Loftis said. 'Everybody always looks to how we can improve.' Wenatchee detectives contacted the patrol with additional information that led to the issuance of an Endangered Missing Person Alert (EMPA). State police later dropped the EMPA without releasing a public reason. The following day, the Wenatchee Police Department announced the girls' deaths. 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. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office warned that Decker could be armed and not to approach him The search for 32-year-old Decker intensified this week, as more than 100 Chelan County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) officers scoured hundreds of square miles of the Rock Island Campground in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in the Cascade Mountains 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, whom he 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.' The girls' maternal grandmother similarly wrote that Decker would drop off the girls at inconsistent times, and they would sometimes be upset or crying when they returned home. 'They are all happy, smart, well-adjusted girls with the exception of when Travis brings them back to me after his visitations,' she wrote, according to the Seattle Times. On Tuesday last week, a judge issued a warrant for Decker's arrest and ordered that he be held without bail. Decker faces three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in connection with his daughter's deaths A GoFundMe was launched for Whitney as she grapples with the tragic deaths of her daughters Decker is described as 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds, with black hair worn in a ponytail and brown eyes. He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe set up for Whitney had raised over $1 million as of Tuesday evening. 'These girls were true light in this world and it is a darker place without them. I will miss seeing their sweet little faces,' a note on the fundraising page read. 'Send Whitney all of your prayers, love and support. Take some time to today to tell someone you love them.' Outpouring of support for removalist in prank video A removalist has won the hearts of Aussies after offering his house to a prankster who had been impersonating a homeless person. Australian pranksters 'Misfit Minds' had organised a stunt 'to hire handymen to just do the most mundane jobs ever'. Will Woods posed as a homeless person who had been living in a Melbourne park and called removalists to pack up his tent and meagre possessions. Safua Tagiaia and his crew from Saresa Removals turned up expecting to pack up a home, and were bewildered by the menial task. 'We've gotta move the whole house. Thanks for helping me with that,' Woods told them. Mr Tagiaia appeared confused and pointed at the nearest house. 'So, this whole house here?' The prankster then turned around and pointed to his tent and boxes sitting on the edge of the park. A prankster with YouTube outfit Misfit Minds asked a local removalist for help moving a few 'boxes' which he pretended were his home (above, Will Woods with the removalist) 'No, no, no. This one here.' Mr Tagiaia obliged and packed the tent and boxes onto the back of the truck before he offered to give Woods a lift to the new location. 'It's literally just down the road,' Woods said. Mr Tagiaia and his crew drove the truck at a snail's pace as they followed Woods metres down the road. They then unloaded the truck and even helped to set up the tent before Mr Tagiaia turned to Woods and made him a surprise offer. 'If you need a house to stay in, come and stay with me for a week,' he said. 'You can wait for when you can stand on your feet again.' The unexpectedly heartwarming encounter was shared to the Misfit Minds' social media pages including TikTok. The removalist (above) has been hailed as a hero with a 'heart of gold' after his kind offer The jokesters (above) have nearly 800,000 subscribers on YouTube Viewers praised Mr Tagiaia for making such a generous offer to a stranger. 'They pranked the wrong bloke, that guy had a heart of gold,' one said. 'Safua seemed like a kind hearted man, even asking you if you needed socks,' another wrote. 'Safua is a legend. No judgements. Offers a clearly, very, very disturbed young man a house for a week or whatever,' a third added. Some viewers even went onto the TikTok account of the company to heap more praise on the crew. 'You have got a heart of gold Safua,' one wrote. 'The world needs more people like you, your kindness made me smile and brightened my afternoon,' another said. 'Safua, the top man in Australia,' a third wrote. The company scored an unplanned marketing coup, but said it had not been aware of the recording until 'loyal customers and friends' shared the video with them. 'This is what we do; we help our community and those who need our help. We don't promise you anything but we act and prove to you that we can take care of you moving needs,' they wrote. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Misfit Minds for comment. The horrific high school stabbing incident that saw a track star die in his twin's arms was recorded on surveillance footage. Austin Metcalf, a Memorial High School junior, was fatally stabbed at a Texas track meet during a confrontation with Karmelo Anthony who has now been charged with murder. The devastating incident on April 2 was recorded on a wide angle camera, capturing a distant view of Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco where the fatal ordeal unraveled. A tiny portion of the clash could be seen in the upper left hand corner of the screen, according to WFAA who was granted limited access to the footage. The video reportedly showed the Memorial High School pop-up tent for the track meet, the area Anthony was accused of barging into before he allegedly pulled a knife out of his bag and stabbed Metcalf. Metcalf and Anthony, then a senior at rival Centennial High School, were not identifiable in the video provided by the school district, WFAA reported. At 9:55am, a sudden movement was seen at the tent on the bleachers, but the alleged stabbing was not visible, according to the outlet. There was movement outside the tent but it was all heavily pixelated, showing figures at the top of the bleachers. Some of them were positioned just above the tent and others were just below. New footage viewed by local TV station WFAA showed there was a commotion following the moment Austin Metcalf (left) was allegedly stabbed by Karmelo Anthony (right) on April 2 at a track meet in Frisco, Texas Pictured: An aerial view of where the confrontation between Metcalf and Anthony occurred Shortly after the sudden movement, several people, likely students, were seen running from the area. Others on the field reacted by moving toward a back gate. Paramedics arrived at the scene about nine minutes after the stabbing, entering through the same back gate and parking on the middle of the field. It's been previously reported that Metcalf's twin brother Hunter was with him and held him as he was bleeding out under the tent. On the video, paramedics were seen wheeling a gurney to the bottom of the bleachers to begin their attempt to save Metcalf's life. About 15 minutes after the incident, a tarp was raised over the bleachers and rain was beginning to fall heavily at this time. About 26 minutes after the stabbing took place, emergency medical services left and were replaced with people believed to be law enforcement setting up a crime scene. The surveillance footage is expected to be a key piece of evidence for the grand jury, which will decide by late June whether Anthony's murder charge should be upheld. It's been previously reported that Metcalf's twin brother Hunter was with him and held him as he was bleeding out under the tent Anthony (pictured) was released from jail on a $250,000 bond. Now his family has raised over $535,000 for his legal defense and a safe home for him amid death threats they say they've received Anthony's attorney, Mike Howard, confirmed to WFAA that he's seen this video, but neither the victim's family or the suspect's family have disclosed whether they've seen it. Metcalf and Anthony were two track athletes from opposing schools, and they both attended the April 2 sporting event. Witnesses told police that Anthony for some reason migrated over to the Memorial High School pop-up tent, according to an arrest affidavit. When he was told to leave by Metcalf, that's when things went bad. Anthony unzipped his bag and reached in, telling Metcalf: 'Touch me and see what happens,' a witness told police. The affidavit says Metcalf then 'grabbed Anthony to tell him to move and Anthony pulled out... a black knife and stabbed Austin once in the chest.' Anthony is accused of fleeing the scene and tossing the knife into the bleachers. He was arrested shortly after. Responding officers said Anthony told them he was 'protecting myself' and that Metcalf had 'put his hands on me.' Anthony also told officers, 'Im not the alleged, I did it, according to the affidavit. Anthony lives in an ritzy gated community, Richwoods, in Frisco, Texas. The 17-year-old will spend his house arrest in this $900,000 home the family is renting Anthony is under house arrest and is currently wearing an ankle monitor as he awaits the next developments in the case against him. The horrific killing at the track meet has divided the community and nation at large, with Anthony's family claiming they have been left too afraid to leave their home over racist attacks. Meanwhile, others are outraged that Anthony's family has been able to raise upwards of $535,000 on crowd-funding site GiveSendGo to support his legal defense. That money also went toward paying the rent for a $900,000 home in a luxury gated community in Frisco. 'While legal defense is a critical part of this journey, we want to make it clear that this fund is not solely dedicated to legal expenses,' Anthony's mom, Kala Hayes, who administers the GoFundMe account posted. 'The funds raised will also support a range of urgent and necessary needs that have emerged as a result of this situation, including but not limited to the safe relocation of the Anthony family due to escalating threats to their safety and well-being, as well as basic living costs, transportation, counseling, and other security measures.' Anthony is under house arrest is after a judge controversially lowered his bond from $1 million to $250,000. His family has claimed that none of the money they raised went to posting Anthony's bond, which he did on April 7, allowing him to walk free. Karoline Leavitt slammed reports claiming Donald Trump is preparing to send thousands more illegal migrants to the infamous terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay starting this week. 'This story is Fake News. Not happening,' the White House press secretary shared on X in order to squash reports on what would be a major acceleration of Trump's sweeping illegal immigration crackdown. In February, Trump deployed members of the Armed Forces to the jail known as 'Gitmo' for short to expand the capacity of a detention facility at the Cuba base. Around 500 migrants have already been held at Guantanamo Bay's prison for short stints over the past few months as they await transfer. But then Politico reported midday on Tuesday that at least 9,000 people were identified for potential transfer to the prison as early as Wednesday, including Brits and other Europeans. These reported holds would also be temporary, as it would be a pit stop on the way to being deported to the country from which they emigrated. The report cited sources claiming that plans were meant to send a message to foreign countries that America is closed to migrants who aren't willing to go through the legal process. A State Department official told the Daily Mail on Tuesday that they did not think the reports had any validity to them. Trump's spokeswoman confirmed this on Wednesday morning in her post to X. Donald Trump is set to send thousands more illegal migrants to the infamous terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay starting this week In February, Trump deployed members of the Armed Forces to expand the capacity of a detention facility at the Cuba base This story is Fake News. Not happening. https://t.co/cxzPLkql0S Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) June 11, 2025 A document reportedly obtained by the outlet said that several hundred Europeans - including over a hundred Russians and Romanians - had the State Department on high alert. 'The message is to shock and horrify people, to upset people, but we're allies,' an anonymous State Department official familiar with the plans said to Politico. The White House has already faces legal challenges to the policy that held a few hundred migrants at G. The United States Navy announced that its combat ship USS St. Louis was moored at the Guantanamo Bay naval station and that the crew was supporting the expansion in February. Karoline Leavitt slammed reports claiming Donald Trump is preparing to send thousands more illegal migrants to the infamous terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay starting this week Photographs showed members of the armed forces setting up army green tents and pounding large stakes into the ground to hold them up. The first phase of the expansion is expected to increase the center's capacity to 2,000, according to the Navy, with plans to expand it to fit 30,000 migrants. The detention facility is widely known as the location for detained terrorism suspects in recent years, but the Trump administration has decided to expand it's use for detaining migrants scheduled for deportation. Trump announced plans for his administration to detain as many as 30,000 high priority migrants with criminal records at the military base at Guantanamo Bay. Currently, around 500 migrants have been held at the jail known as 'Gitmo' for short stints in the past few months U.S. Navy sailors and Coast Guardsmen erect expeditionary shelter tents in support of the expansion of migrant detention at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Legal experts stress that detainees at Guantanamo Bay will still have legal rights afforded to them by the Constitution, as the Supreme Court defended terror suspects right to habeas corpus and a lawyer. 'The government's view at that time was that Guantanamo was sort of outside the parameters of the U.S. Constitution, and whoever was there had no rights, whatever. And the Supreme Court rejected that,' Eugene Fidell, Yale Law School military law expert noted. 'We don't want them coming back, so we're sending them to Guantanamo,' he said at the White House. Trump's border czar Tom Homan told reporters the administration would expand the capacity of the facility as the military has planned to erect temporary tents. 'We're just going to expand upon that existing migrant center,' Homan said. Secretary Kristi Noem shared photos of some of the migrants arriving at the Guantanamo facility. 'President Donald Trump has been very clear: Guantanamo Bay will hold the worst of the worst,' she wrote on social media. 'That starts today.' ABC has axed Q+A after 18 years on air, with host Patricia Karvelas to be redeployed to Four Corners. The show went on a mid-year break in May and was initially scheduled to return in August, but it will not air again. ABC's news director Justin Stevens said the show, in which politicians and community leaders answered audience questions, had shaped conversations in Australia, but the broadcaster now needed a fresh approach. 'We're very proud of Q+A's great achievements over the years. The team has done a terrific job, including a strong performance during the federal election campaign,' he said. 'Discontinuing the program at this point is no reflection on anyone on the show. 'We always need to keep innovating and renewing and, in the two decades since Q+A began, the world has changed. 'It's time to rethink how audiences want to interact and to evolve how we can engage with the public to include as many Australians as possible in national conversations. 'We'll be working on how we can continue to foster engagement of this nature in an innovative way.' Patricia Karvelas (pictured) is the current full-time host of the show Stevens said Karvelas will be redeployed to Four Corners, and will continue hosting the Afternoon Briefing show. 'Patricia also recently reported for Four Corners, and we've now asked her to do more for Four Corners as time permits,' Stevens said. It will come alongside a number of planned redundancies across the national broadcaster. Changes at the ABC come just months after Hugh Marks was appointed managing director, succeeding David Anderson, who served for six years. In December, Marks signaled a significant shake-up, describing the need for 'a program of renewal and invigoration'. Q+A has come under fire over the last few years, after churning through different hosts following the departure of Tony Jones, who left in 2019. It has seen several changes in its hosting lineup, first with Hamish Macdonald, David Speers, Virginia Trioli, Stan Grant and most recently Karvelas. The number of episodes was also cut by ABC staff in 2024, going from 40 episodes a year to just 24, and it was briefly shifted from its usual slot of Monday night, to Thursday night. The ABC is yet to confirm publicly that the long-running show had been axed The show has also seen its ratings collapse in the last five years. From a peak 600,000 viewers in 2020, Q+A crashed to a low of just above 200,000 people tuning in across the five major capital cities in April 2021. In August 2023, during the show's 'Garma Special', Q+A received its lowest ratings ever, with fewer than 84,000 metro viewers. Daily Mail Australia's Political Editor Peter van Onselen forecast the show's collapse in 2023 and said it would not be missed if it didn't return to ABC's roster in 2024. In an opinion piece for The Australian, he pointed out Q+A had received just 203,000 views nationally at that time. 'With numbers this woeful coupled with how out of touch with mainstream Australia the program has become, it really needs to be put out of its misery,' he wrote. 'There have been enough failed reboots to justify finally axing it.' Van Onselen said cracks started to appear after Tony Jones stopped hosting following a decade in the role from 2008 to 2019. Q+A has suffered a steep ratings decline since peaking at 600,000 viewers in 2020 Former Q+A host Hamish Macdonald (pictured) was on The Project, which was axed Monday 'It wasn't all that long ago that the program was vibrant and interesting, with discussions well led by former host Tony Jones,' he wrote. 'I remember appearing on it at the time. Ratings regularly hit the one million mark, which precipitated the discussion about changing its time slot.' Van Onselen also lashed the show for not being informative enough and hosting discussions that were 'one-sided, uninteresting and rarely funny'. He claimed it was only the ABC's 'stubbornness' that was saving the show from being axed for good but that a replacement would be welcomed. Q+A's last episode this year was aired on May 19. The news comes just one day after Network 10 cancelled The Project, co-hosted by short term Q+A star Hamish Macdonald. That show had been running for 16 years. The Project, had been in a ratings free-fall since Carrie Bickmore left her seat as host at the end of 2022. It will wrap up in three weeks after airing more than 4500 episodes. The ABC was contacted for comment by Daily Mail Australia. Donald Trump is set to deploy ICE tactical units to five Democrat-run cities amid the riots in Los Angeles as Gavin Newsom nearly broke into tears while blaming his administration for inciting the California chaos. The military-style units are set to storm New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia and northern Virginia, MSNBC reported. Four of those five are heavily blue cities, while northern Virginia contains the Democrat enclave of Alexandria. The ICE raids have sparked protests that brought Los Angeles to its knees, as the mayor opted to introduce a lockdown from 8pm to 6am. The reports came as the California governor delivered a harrowing prediction for the rest of the country Tuesday night in a nationally televised address that blasted Trump's deployment of US troops to Los Angeles. 'Look, this isn't just about protests here in Los Angeles, when Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard. He made that order apply to every state in this nation,' Newsom said, as he teared up. 'This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes, this moment we have feared has arrived.' Newsom accused Trump of 'taking a wrecking ball to our founding fathers' historic project' of three co-equal branches of government. As the governor delivered his teary address, the President was greeting US military personnel at Fort Bragg. He was in North Carolina to recognise the 250th anniversary of the US Army, but spent much of the speech defending the decision to deploy soldiers against 'animals' and 'foreign enemies' protesting against ICE arrests in LA. 'What you're witnessing in California is a full blown assault on peace, on public order and national sovereignty... with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country. We're not gonna let that happen,' he said. 'We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. That's what they are.' The president went on to call LA 'a trash heap' with 'entire neighborhoods under control' of criminals, adding the government would 'use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order.' 'We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean and safe again,' Trump said. Donald Trump is set to deploy ICE tactical units to five Democrat-run areas after the riots in Los Angeles have put the city on lockdown California Governor Gavin Newsom (pictured) delivered a harrowing prediction for the rest of the country Tuesday night in a primetime address where he blasted Trump's deployment of US troops to the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles US President Donald Trump addresses a crowd of servicemen and women during a celebration open to the public in honor of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army on June 10, 2025 in Fort Bragg, North Carolina Trump takes the stage during a rally with US Army troops on June 10, 2025 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina Back in California, governor Newsom blamed the federal government for the ongoing crisis in LA and issued a chilling warning that chaos could soon engulf other states too. 'Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there,' Newsom warned. 'This is a president who in just over 140 days, has fired government watchdogs that could hold him accountable, accountable for corruption and fraud. He's declared a war, a war on culture, on history, on science, on knowledge itself. Databases, quite literally, are vanishing.' DailyMail.com reached out to the White House for a response. Some of what has happened in Los Angeles has spread to the rest of the country. In New York, at least 45 people were arrested Tuesday as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets near Foley Square in Manhattan, The New York Post reported. The NYPD ordered a level three authorization against the marchers, many of whom also carried Palestinian flags in addition to signs calling for the abolishment of ICE. Police pepper sprayed some of the demonstrators, while they threw water bottles at officers. The city's Public Advocate Jumaane Williams - second in line to the mayor's office - spoke in favor of peaceful demonstrations. California National Guard and US Customs and Border Protection watch demonstrators gather in front the Federal Building Demonstrators smash the windshield of a vehicle next to a burning Waymo vehicle as protesters clash with law enforcement in the streets surrounding the federal building during a protest following federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, California In New York, at least 45 people were arrested Tuesday as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets near Foley Square in Manhattan Thousands of protesters also took to the streets of downtown Chicago, vandalizing cars and clashing with police on Tuesday. A driver plowed into a group of protesters in the Loop, striking at least one pedestrian, as thousands marched through downtown Chicago protesting the Trump administration's ongoing immigration raids. The driver was stuck between police vehicles on State Street. Officers wanted to guide her away from the crowd and asked her to turn right on Monroe Street, but she ignored their orders and turned left, speeding into the crowd. No information was available at the driver and its not clear the extent of any injuries suffered, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In Portland, a small group of protesters set up camp outside an ICE facility and said they weren't leaving until their claims were addressed, KGW reported. Tons of marchers were also seen in the liberal city of Austin in deep red Texas. And in Atlanta, video showed protesters throwing fireworks at police officers as tear gas was seen being deployed. Thousands of protesters also took to the streets of downtown Chicago, vandalizing cars and clashing with police, while a driver crashed into a group of protesters in the city's Loop Tons of marchers were also seen in the liberal city of Austin in deep red Texas Newsom did briefly chastise protesters, whom he warned will be put in jail, during the speech trashing Trump as the state's biggest city goes on lockdown. The riot-ravaged Downtown area will be a no-go zone from 8pm to 6am on Tuesday and will continue indefinitely after violent demonstrators set fire to cars, looted buildings and attacked officers with rocks, fireworks and cement bricks in harrowing scenes of destruction. LAPD squads in riot gear began storming the streets immediately surrounding the Federal Building on Los Angeles St. in downtown Los Angeles shortly after Mayor Karen Bass's 8pm curfew went into effect. Police cars blocked off streets and uniformed officers fast marched to the location. Agitators were forced back half a block from the location but still swarmed the area. The intense tactical operation continued as officers, including mounted police, created so-called skirmish lines to push rioters away from other other federal building on the same block. DailyMail.com witnessed cars with their lights off pulling up a block away. Four agitators wearing matching black hoodies and face masks piled out of each vehicle and began moving towards the lines of police. Despite the curfew order having been called, some protestors - waving flags and yelling - defiantly stared down police who watched on and stood their ground rather than make arrests. One protestor, a man aged in his early 20s with a Mexican flag draped over his shoulders, told Daily Mail: 'I know my own rights and am willing to be arrested unjustly. I have a right to be here and protest.' Despite the curfew order having been called, some protestors - waving flags and yelling - defiantly stared down police who watched on and stood their ground rather than make arrests Police officers mobilize to enforce a curfew after it went into effect during a protest against ICE raids People began chanting and cheering with a motorcyclist began doing burnouts in front of officers. White LAPD buses arrived on scene at 8:50pm as officers made plans to make arrests. A tipping point was reached at 9:05pm as police began making arrests outside the Federal Building. About a dozen people were arrested by cops and made to face a wall with their hands behind their back and tied with zip ties before being marched on a white LAPD bus. Bizarrely, public buses still operated two blocks away from the dramatic scene. Bass said the curfew is expected to last several days and will encompass a square mile radius around the epicenter of the violence in Downtown LA. 'If you do not live or work in downtown LA avoid the area. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted,' Bass said. For five days now rioters have wreaked havoc on communities as they railed against Trump's efforts to rid the city of illegal migrants. They were only further enraged when Trump gave orders to send 700 Marines and 4,100 National Guard troops in to take over policing efforts and assist the LAPD. Bass revealed at least 23 businesses have been looted during the ongoing violence and condemned some of the horrifying images which have emerged from the days of carnage. But Bass said the curfew was contained to where the violence was most apparent, noting: 'Some of the imagery of the protests and the violence gives the appearance as though this is a city wide crisis and is not.' California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers detain protesters near the 101 freeway ahead of Los Angeles being put on lockdown Law enforcement officers, including members of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Response Team and Homeland Security agents, arrest a demonstrator She hopes that by imposing a curfew and declaring a local emergency, she can 'stop the vandalism, stop the looting.' 'A curfew has been in consideration for several days, but clearly after the violence that took place last night and just the extensive widespread nature of the vandalism, we reached a tipping point.' While Bass refrained from locking down the entire Downtown, the LAPD has this week repeatedly issued alerts listing Downtown Los Angeles as 'unlawful assembly' zones in an effort to rid the area of any and all protesters. The regions impacted by the lockdown span from the five freeway to the 110 freeway, and from the 10 freeway to the point where the 110 and the five merge. The development comes as Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to stop the LA rioters, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the United States to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. 'If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see. But I can tell you, last night was terrible. The night before that was terrible,' Trump said. He repeatedly referred to 'bad, sick people' and 'agitators' he said were paid to wreak havoc. 'There are certainly areas of Los Angeles you could have called It an insurrection,' Trump said. It was terrible.' Los Angeles is considering implementing a curfew across riot-ravaged parts of Downtown in an effort to end pro-migrant protests which have gripped the city for five days A curfew is the natural next step in efforts toward regaining control of the city, as the LAPD ramps up arrests and cracks down on protesters breaching unlawful assembly orders. Hordes of protesters were zip-tied and forced onto LAPD buses en masse as authorities sought to bring an end to days of chaos and destruction. LAPD chief Jim McDonnell said protests had grown more violent as the week progressed. There were just 27 arrests on Sunday, with 40 on Sunday, 114 on Monday and nearly 200 by 6pm on Tuesday. He said public safety personnel, journalists and homeless people would be exempt from the order. The arrival of Trump's military reinforcements brought its own set of challenges on Tuesday, with furious Governor Newsom filing an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order. 'I just filed an emergency motion to block Trump's illegal deployment of Marines and National Guard in Los Angeles,' he said on X. 'Trump is turning the U.S. military against American citizens. The courts must immediately block these illegal actions.' For five days now rioters have wreaked havoc on communities as they railed against President Donald Trump's efforts to rid the city of illegal migrants A curfew is the natural next step in efforts toward regaining control of the city, as the LAPD ramps up arrests and cracks down on protesters breaching unlawful assembly orders The state said the order would 'prevent the use of federalized National Guard and active duty Marines for law enforcement purposes on the streets of a civilian city.' 'Federal antagonization, through the presence of soldiers in the streets, has already caused real and irreparable damage to the City of Los Angeles, the people who live there, and the State of California,' the filing stated. 'They must be stopped, immediately.' A judge denied the motion and instead granted the Trump administration an extension of time to respond to Newsom's filing. The federal government now has until 2pm on Wednesday to file its response. Newsom will then have an opportunity to file its opposition ahead of a hearing at 1.30pm Thursday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles will cost at least $134 million and last 60 days. 'We stated very publicly that it's 60 days because we want to ensure that those rioters, looters and thugs on the other side assaulting our police officers know that we're not going anywhere,' he said. 'Thankfully, unlike the previous administration, we've got a 13 percent increase in our defense budget, and we will have the capability to cover down on contingencies, which is something the National Guard and the Marines plan for. 'So we have the funding to cover down on contingencies, especially ones as important as maintaining law and order in a major American city. As far as training, all of the units on the ground have been fully trained in their capabilities of what they're executing on the ground.' A regional hospital has installed 'confusing' Aboriginal language signs directing patients and staff to its emergency department. Gosford Hospital on the NSW Central Coast has put up signs marked 'Badjal Burung' and 'Mana Galuring Balga' to show where its ED and resuscitation bays are located. Beneath those terms are their direct English translations - 'sick cave' and 'bring back' - followed by separate English signs that say, 'Emergency Department' and 'Emergency Department Resuscitation Bays'. NSW Independent MP Rod Roberts condemned the signs in an interview with 2GB's Ben Fordham on Wednesday. 'Not only is it confusing, I like to think it's dangerous,' Roberts said. 'If you were to rush in there as a parent with a sick child, or you were coming in there yourself with an injury, blood spurting out of you for example, you're not looking for Badjal Burung. 'You want the biggest sign that shows you where the emergency department is, so you can get treated as soon as possible.' The Indigenous signs had clearly been given prominence over the English ones, Roberts said. Gosford Hospital on the NSW Central Coast has put up signs marked 'Badjal Burung' and 'Mana Galuring Balga' to show where its ED and resuscitation bays are located In the Central Coast local government area where Gosford Hospital is, only 4.9 per cent of the population identify as Indigenous, Roberts said 'You learn to read from the top of the page and work your way down, so the first thing you look at is at the very top. 'Have emergency at the top in big print - if you want to do something else, put it below.' Census data showed that only 4.9 per cent of people in the local government area where Gosford Hospital is located identify as Aboriginal, Roberts said. 'They can obviously all speak English, because they all completed the census, so I think it is an insult to them. 'If you want to put something up, put it up, put it in small print, but make sure the word emergency is the big, highlighted word. 'These hospitals have got to get back to their core role, and their core basics is attending, comforting and treating injured people. Not making woke political ideology statements.' His criticisms were echoed by many commenting on social media. 'We are an English speaking country,' one said. NSW Independent MP Rod Roberts condemned the signs in an interview with 2GB's Ben Fordham on Wednesday 'All signs should be in English. This also goes for road signs.' 'Further division in our community,' said another. 'Don't tell me health is short of money if they can pay for these stunts,' said a third. Others expressed support, however, with one saying: 'There's two signs, what's the big deal?' Daily Mail Australia sought comment from Central Coast Local Health District, which manages Gosford Hospital. Globally-renowned pathologist Professor Richard Scolyer will complete his 250th Parkrun this weekend despite battling an aggressive brain tumour. The 2024 Australian of the year was diagnosed with 'incurable' grade four brain cancer in June 2023. He underwent treatments based on melanoma research he developed alongside his joint Australian of the Year recipient, Professor Georgia Long. The father-of-three had no sign of cancer recurrence for almost two years before a scan in March revealed a glioblastoma on the left side of his brain. Despite the uphill battle against the disease, Prof Scolyer is set to complete his 250th Parkrun on Saturday, a goal he set when he was first diagnosed. 'I'm especially excited about this Saturday, when I'll be completing my 250th Parkrun at the Greenway course in Sydney. This was a milestone I set for myself at the start of my diagnosis and honestly, one I wasn't sure I'd reach,' he wrote on Facebook. 'So it's with a huge amount of gratitude to my family, friends and medical team that I'll be celebrating this achievement. 'Thanks to everyone who's been cheering me on.' Professor Richard Scolyer (pictured) will reach a major milestone on Saturday Prof Scolyer (left) will complete his 250th Parkrun on Saturday - a goal he set when he was first diagnosed with cancer Prof Scolyer added 'things go up and down with how I'm feeling during treatment'. 'This week, it feels like the fog has lifted a bit and I've been able to enjoy some really special moments with family and friends,' he said. In May, Prof Scolyer revealed his glioblastoma was becoming 'tougher to treat'. 'A recent MRI scan showed, in the left side of my brain, further progress of my glioblastoma (IDH wild-type, etc.) and related adjacent reactive change,' he wrote. 'Whilst this may not be the best direction to be heading with my changes, amazingly to me, I still seem keen to keep living, loving and having fun, whenever possible. 'I feel like there are quite a few people on my team, including my family and friends, and they make me happy and proud!' In March, Prof Scolyer said that while most of his recurrent tumour had been removed, surgeons were unable to remove other parts. 'Unfortunately, there is a larger volume of quickly growing brain cancer in my left brain. The prognosis is poor,' he said. Prof Scolyer (pictured with family) said 'fog had lifted' following his latest round of treatment Prof Scolyer (pictured with his cavoodle Cha Cha) is receiving treatment for brain cancer) Prof Scolyer and his colleague Professor Long were named Australians of the Year in 2024 for the thousands of lives they saved in pioneering new treatments for melanoma using immunotherapy. He is a prolific author, having penned more than 700 publications and book chapters on melanoma pathology, which garnered him a reputation as one of the world's leading experts in the field. The melanoma expert has been praised for his openness and bravery in documenting his cancer journey. However, Prof Scolyer remains philosophical about his journey, stating that he 'just wants to make a difference'. In an emotional interview with Ally Langdon on A Current Affair in March, Prof Scolyer said he was 'not ready to go yet'. 'It's not fair, but there's a lesson for everyone make the most of every day because you don't know what's around the corner,' he said. The MP took aim at Terri Irwin over her opposition The father of Steve Irwin has joined his estranged family to slam Bob Katter and his calls to cull crocodiles. Bob Irwin Senior came out swinging on Wednesday to label the outspoken MP a 'd***head'. Katter's Australian Party (KAP) introduced the Crocodile Control and Conservation Bill 2025 in February to the Queensland Government. The aim of the proposed law is to 'eliminate crocodiles which pose a threat to human life' while protecting them from going extinct. The move has prompted outrage from the Irwin family with Bob the latest member to publicly share his opposition to it. 'He's not listening to the people that know. He has no idea of how the environment works and that's his problem,' the Australia Zoo founder told The Courier Mail. Bob had spoken at state parliament earlier in the day against the legislation. 'Steve and I have learnt from the word go that if you want to be successful with anything you want to do with crocodiles, you've got to get inside their head figuratively,' he said. Conservationist Bob Irwin Senior (pictured, left) has criticised Katter's Australian Party for introducing a bill to Queensland government that intends to cull crocodile publications 'So we spent a lot of time doing nothing else but observing what crocodiles do.' Bob added there have been previous situations where someone calls for the culling of crocodiles, but said people did not listen to researchers and scientists. Katter's son and KAP leader Robbie defended the bill while taking aim at the Irwin family. He claimed they were 'entertainers' with little understanding of regional communities' fears. He also told state parliament his father's knowledge came from speaking to his constituents in north Queensland. Although estranged from his son's wife and children, Bob's statements echoed that of Terri, who submitted a letter to the government criticising the proposed law. His daughter-in-law described the bill as 'more dangerous than previous efforts' to argue in favour of culling crocodile populations. 'It is such a lazy and sloppy attempt to recycle old draft legislation,' Terri said. MP Bob Katter Senior (pictured) had slammed Terri Irwin last week over her criticism of the bill The proposed legislation aims to 'eliminate crocodiles which pose a threat to human life' but also ensure they are not threatened with extinction (stock image) In issuing her comments, Terri came under fire from Katter on Friday. 'How would you know all about crocodiles if you live in Brisbane?' he said in a video published to Facebook. 'Oh that's right, she's got them all locked up in a cage in Brisbane.' KAP MP for Hill Shane Knuth, who submitted the bill, joined the pile-on. 'The Irwin's built a multimillion dollar business off the back of crocodiles,' he wrote on social media. 'And now they're lecturing North Queenslanders on how to enjoy our recreational waterways while they're infested with crocs - and getting worse. 'Spare us the patronising 'Crocwise' slogans. We don't need a zoo telling us how to survive in our own backyard.' The Irwin family feud began 13 years ago when Bob quit Australia Zoo because he was concerned the wildlife park he'd founded in 1970 was becoming a 'circus'. Various reports from the time of Bob's exit claim he was worried the Sunshine Coast tourist attraction was becoming 'too commercial - and even feared a then nine-year-old Bindi was being pushed into child stardom. When Bob left the zoo for good in 2008 - two years after the death of his famous son - Terri was said to be planning a five-year expansion 'to make it Australia's peak tourist destination with a Disneyland feel'. This plan apparently didn't sit well with Bob, who felt Australia Zoo should focus on conservation instead of following a commercial path and becoming a 'circus'. Aussie stargazers are in for a treat as a rare lunar phenomenon lights up the skies. The June full moon, also known as the Strawberry Moon, will reach its full strength at 5.43pm (AEST) just as the sun sets on Wednesday night. This year, the Strawberry Moon will mark the final full moon before the winter solstice - shortest day and longest night of the year - on June 21. The Strawberry Moon's height means it should be visible to the naked eye from plenty of vantage points, so long as the sky remains clear on Wednesday night. It will start appearing at 5.43pm on the east coast of Australia, with viewing expected to be the best once the sun sets. Contrary to its name, the moon will not have hues of pink or red and will instead take on a warm and golden hue. The name originates from Native American traditions, where the June full moon marked the start of the wild strawberry harvest season in parts of North America. In the Northern Hemisphere, the moon will appear unusually close to the horizon but in the Southern Hemisphere it's the opposite. The June full moon, also known as the Strawberry Moon, will reach its full strength at 5.43pm (AEST) just as the sun sets on Wednesday night (pictured, Strawberry Moon seen on June 6) This year's Strawberry Moon will line up with a rare astronomical event that happens every 18.6 years known as a major lunar standstill (pictured, Strawberry Moon seen in 2022) While the June full moon happens every year, this particular occurrence lines up with a rare astronomical event called a major lunar standstill. The lunar standstill means the moon will reach the highest point possible in the southern sky - a phenomenon that only happens every 18.6 years. For stargazers in the southern hemisphere, the moon will appear at the furthest point from the horizon and closest to the zenith - the 'highest' point in the sky overhead. Astrophysicist and cosmologist at the Australian National University Doctor Brad Tucker explained the last time a lunar standstill was in 2006. 'In a lunar standstill, you get the furthest point north or the furthest point south in the moon's positioning,' Dr Tucker told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'This is the combination where you get the full moon that happens to be at the time when the moon is at its furthest point south for our southern skies. '[The Moon's] just been slowly shuffling, so you're not gonna get this huge difference, but it will be a little bit higher.' The Strawberry moon will be visible throughout the night but it is best to head somewhere without light pollution to best experience the lunar event. A teenager has revealed how he can make as much as $216,000-a-year after turning his modest high school gig into a part-time job. A street interviewer from jobs app GetAhead approached university student Angus Healy as he was walking four dogs together in Brisbane at the start of the week. The 19-year-old told the interviewer he started walking dogs for cash in high school and continued doing it after graduating for a fee of $50-an-hour. He said he walked three 'packs' of dogs a day, with anywhere between one and six dogs per pack, meaning he could make as much as $300-an-hour. According to his calculations, Mr Healy could pull in as much as $750-a-week, or $36,000-per-year, only walking just one dog in each of his sessions. If he walked a group of six dogs in those same sessions, he would net $216,000 each year. 'It keeps me busy, which is good. I mean, walking along here each day, can't complain,' Mr Healy said. Mr Healy admitted the number of dogs he walked during the week could change across the day and the week. A 19-year-old Aussie has revealed he turned his high school job into a full-time hustle He said the number of dogs in a pack also depended on their nature and that the difficult pets had to be taken on solo walks. Mr Healy said while the money was good, he still had to cover expenses. He revealed he got into dog walking because his parents did not let him have one as a pet when he was younger. People starting out dog walking typically charge $20 to $25 per hour. More experienced walkers can charge more for their work, between $30 and $50. The job does not require any additional qualifications in Australia. Some social media users were impressed and said it was 'actually a lot of money'. 'Free money, how do I get in?' one joked. According to the walker's figures, he could net as much as $750 per week, just by walking a single dog per outing, of which he does three each day 'So smart,' another said. Others did not believe the 19-year-old could have many expenses. 'Expenses? Bro is just walking, hardly any expenses - fair play though!' one said. 'Insurance, petrol for the car, dog food, harnesses, leashes,' another viewer answered. One person said the trick to the job was 'getting the business' in the first place. 'People in Brisbane clearly have too much money,' another wrote. The Red Arrows are reportedly running out of jets, forcing the team to pick apart old planes for spare parts. The iconic fleet has been slashed from 26 working aircraft earlier this year to 17 today, with a further four in so-called deep maintenance and unavailable to fly. Engineers are said to be cannibalising old aircraft in a bid to keep the best planes flying. Sources told The Sun that the stunt team's popular shows, often the highlight of special occasions including Charles III's coronation, could even be cancelled in the wake of the shortage. One said: 'There are no two ways about it the Red Arrows are running out of planes. 'Planes can only fly so many shows before they need new parts. 'So either they get new planes or they have to cancel shows.' A Red Arrow pictured during a display on Saturday. They are reportedly running out of jets, forcing the team to pick apart old planes for spare parts The iconic fleet has been slashed from 26 working aircraft earlier this year to just 17 today The huge G-forces imparted on the Hawk T1s give them a shorter shelf life than other flypast planes. MailOnline has approached the Ministry of Defence for comment. First introduced in 1974, the current crop have been on borrowed time ever since the factory that makes spare parts closed five years ago. They are due to go out of service in 2030 with the Hawk T2s, which are used to train up RAF pilots, set to retire 10 years later. RAF chief Sir Richard Knighton insisted he was looking to find a replacement for the Hawk 'as soon as possible'. But in April it was reported the stunt team could swap its iconic British-built jets for a fleet of Russian-designed aircraft in a move that's left MPs and military top brass furious. Defence chiefs have reportedly been considering swapping the ageing Hawk T1s - which have been a staple for the famed aerobatic teams - for the M-346. As revealed by MailOnline earlier this year, much of the RAF display squad's ageing fleet of jets are nearing the end of their shelf lives - with some having been in service for around 50 years. Your browser does not support iframes. The number could plummet further to six within three years, placing their famous 'diamond nine' display under threat Reports suggest the RAF may have to turn to Vladimir Putin for alternative aircraft, as the Yorkshire factory that made the BAE Hawks closed in 2020 - with a UK alternative still years away. The news was branded 'outrageous' by Tories, who said it flew in the face of the Red Arrows' publicly stated role of showcasing British industry and 'reinforcing the reputation of the UK'. Mark Francois, shadow armed forces minister, was horrified the British jets could be getting side-lined in favour of ones 'endorsed' by Russian tyrant Putin. 'The Red Arrows and their domestically manufactured Hawk jets are an iconic example of British aviation achievement,' the Tory MP told MailOnline. 'When the Hawk retires, in a few years time, it needs a firmly British replacement - not a Putin-endorsed Russian one - to maintain that tradition and boost our sovereign industrial capability, into the bargain.' Speaking to The Sun, Tory shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge added: 'When the Red Arrows perform their brilliant air displays, their red, white and blue vapour trails represent the Union Jack - not the Russian tricolour. 'Taxpayers would think it extraordinary.' Former Chief Air Marshal Sir Mike Graydon also hit out and said: 'This would be an extraordinary decision. There would be a strong reaction from the public.' It all means engineers are hurriedly cannibalising old aircraft in a bid to keep the best planes flying The RAF's iconic British-built Hawk jets could soon be replaced by a Russian-designed plane While retired Air Marshal Edward Stringer added the Red Arrows were meant to 'showcase British kit, training and expertise'. The Red Arrows was set up in 1954. Made up of some of the RAF's most elite pilots, members of the squad have flown in Folland Gnat and then the BAE Hawk. However, the T1 Hawk are set to be retired in 2030, while the newer T2 Hawks have been plagued by engine woes. The T2s are set to be retired in 2040. Defence chiefs have been eager for a new British-made jet to replace the outdated models - with Bristol-based Aeralis among the best options to do so. But the government said that the 19million Aermacchi M-346, jointly developed by Russia and Italy, is being considered, reported the Sun. Tyrant Vladimir Putin has previously posed for photos with the Russian version of the jet, known as the Yak-130. Former RAF fast jet instructor Tim Davies said buying the Russian-linked plane would be 'treasonous'. While Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told MailOnline: 'That would be totally unacceptable. It's a big no.' Your browser does not support iframes. The RAF is set to retire the Hawk T1 jets in 2030. Pictured are the Red Arrows during a display over the Negroponte Hotel in Greece in 2024 But Downing Street branded claims the Red Arrows could be replaced with Russian-designed planes made in Italy as 'pure speculation' and insisted the procurement process hasn't even started yet. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The Ministry of Defence has made clear this is pure speculation. The procurement for the replacement jets for the Red Arrows has not started. 'So it's clearly not true to say any particular company is being considered. Indeed, the Ministry of Defence and the Italian company have said there have been no discussions with the company over buying that aircraft. 'Clearly I'm not going to get ahead of any future procurement competition, but I would be very clear that we do not procure any military equipment from Russia.' In a statement, the Ministry of Defence added: 'We have not yet engaged the market on the future Red Arrows jet.' In January, ex-pilots expressed fears the high number of hours flown, uncovered by a MailOnline probe, will force them to be stood down earlier unless they are preserved. For fans, this could result in very limited displays, with little aerobatics to expand the lifespan of the jets. A former RAF fast-jet pilot told MailOnline: 'If they don't get new aircraft, the Reds are finished.' All of the 16 jets currently in operation stationed at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire are approaching 50 years old. The youngest is 43. Ministers insist the Hawk T1s engineered by BAE Systems and powered with Rolls-Royce engines will fly until the planned out-of-service date. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told MailOnline: 'It would be a national disgrace if we lost the Red Arrows.' An RAF spokesman told MailOnline today it is not true to say the display team would soon have too few planes to perform displays. He said: 'The Red Arrows will continue to use the Hawk to perform displays and flypasts until their out of service date and have sufficient aircraft in the fleet to do so. 'We continue to work closely with industry partners to ensure an appropriate number of aircraft will be available.' Greta Thunberg said last night that she was not aware that some of those involved in the 'freedom flotilla' voyage had previously shown support for Hamas and Hezbollah. 'I haven't heard about it or what this person has said,' the 22-year-old activist told Swedish media as she landed back in her home country. When asked why she did not know about the views of people she was travelling with, she said: 'Because I haven't had a phone.' She was then challenged by reporters who asked why she had not looked into the issue before she set off on the ship bound for Gaza. 'Should I ask exactly everyone what exactly they have said about everything?' she then asked curtly. 'It would take some time.' Zaher Birawi, who organised the mission on the British-flagged ship, was accused of being a 'Hamas operative' by Labour MP Christian Wakefield in 2023. Birawi, who is based in London and describes himself as a 'founding member' of the Freedom Flotilla International Coalition, has also been labelled as such by Israel. He is the head of the Europal Forum, which Israel designated as a terrorist organisation in 2021, and has previously been pictured with Ismail Haniyeh, the former Hamas leader who was assassinated by Israel last year. Meanwhile an activist who travelled on the Madleen aid boat, Brazilian national Thiago Avila, reportedly attended Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's funeral in Beirut last year, and wrote on social media that he was 'inspired' by the Lebanese terrorist chief. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg talks to journalists as she arrives at Arlanda airport outside Stockholm She was welcomed at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm by crowds waving Palestinian flags Of the 12 people on board the sailing boat Madleen, two French nationals agreed to be deported on June 10, while four others declined pending a court decision. Pictured: Thunberg was greeted by around 30 cheering supporters waving Palestinian flags amid a large media presence at the airport The Madleen, which sailed towards Gaza to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in the territory Thunberg's comments came as she landed in Sweden at around 10.30pm Tuesday night after a brief stop in France following her deportation from Israel. She was welcomed at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm by dozens of people waving Palestinian flags, who presented her with flowers and a keffiyeh scarf as they shouted 'free Palestine!' Of the 12 activists on board the Madleen, four including Thunberg agreed to be deported immediately, while all of them have been banned from Israel for 100 years, the rights group that legally represents some of them said in a statement. The remaining eight were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily, and brought before a detention review tribunal on Tuesday, rights group Adalah added. Thunberg yesterday vowed to return to the country despite the restrictions apparently placed on her. The group had set sail towards Gaza carrying what they called a symbolic amount of aid, before being intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Egypt early Monday. They were then taken to the port of Ashdod, where Thunberg was detained before being placed on a flight to France on Tuesday morning. Asked in Stockholm if she was scared when the security forces boarded the Madleen sailboat, Thunberg replied: 'What I'm afraid of is that people are silent during an ongoing genocide.' 'What I feel most is concern for the continued violations of international law and war crimes that Israel is guilty of.' She accused Israel of carrying out a 'systematic genocide' and 'systematic starvation of over two million people' in Gaza. Israel's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday shared a photo of the disgruntled 22-year-old sitting on board the plane moments before the flight departed Israel's Ben Gurion airport Swedish activist Greta Thunberg (R) arrives at Arlanda airport outside Stockholm, Sweden, on June 10, 2025 A surveillance footage shows crew of the Gaza-bound British-flagged yacht 'Madleen', put their hands up as they are intercepted by Israeli boats early Monday morning Several rights groups including Amnesty International have accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza but Israel vehemently rejects the term. 'We must act, we must demand that our government acts, and we must act ourselves when our complicit governments do not step up,' Thunberg said. She rose to fame as a schoolgirl activist against climate change and seeks to avoid flying because of its environmental impact, going so far as to cross the Atlantic by sailboat twice. Despite her swift deportation, Thunberg was unrepentant. The activist vowed that they 'would not stop' trying to help and promised that 'this is not the end.' Thunberg told journalists shortly after landing in Paris: 'What is certain is that we will not stop. 'We are going to continue try to do everything we can because that is the promise that we have given to to Palestinians. 'We are going to try every single day in every way that we can and keep trying to demand an end to the atrocities.' Earlier in the day, Thunberg accused Israel of 'kidnapping' her in international waters, a claim she made previously in a dramatic pre-recorded SOS message released shortly after her detention. But a picture of her smiling as a soldier offered her sandwich after her boat was intercepted quickly went viral. Thunberg accused Israel of orchestrating a PR stunt following the action. Speaking on Tuesday, she doubled down: 'People were not being treated well. I was not able to to say goodbye to people and I don't know what's happening. And there were many, many issues'. Pressed for details on her treatment, she described the experience as 'very dehumanising,' though she insisted: 'But of course, I have to stress nothing compared to what Palestinians are going through. I would prefer not to go into detail'. Greta Thunberg is pictured at the Israeli port of Ashdod after the Madleen 'freedom flotilla' ship was intercepted by Israeli boats on Monday A general view of the Ashdod Port where the Madleen was towed after being intercepted and where the activists were detained The Israeli foreign ministry also derided what it called the 'selfie yacht' carrying 'celebrity' activists, adding that the aid onboard would be transferred to Gaza through what it called 'real humanitarian channels' She added: 'I do know that there were major issues with people actually getting to talk to lawyers. 'When you look at the state of the world, everything feels meaningless. But unless you try to do everything you can, we lose our hope.' The activist, who has long eschewed air travel for environment reasons, was photographed on board an aircraft en route to France earlier on Tuesday - a moment that Israel's Foreign Ministry was quick to publicise, posting the image on social media platform X. Prior to her deportation, Defence Minister Israel Katz said he'd instructed IDF officials to show the activists the full, unedited footage of the October 7 attacks as recorded by Hamas terrorist body cameras. 'It is appropriate that the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organization they came to support and for whom they work is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself,' he said. Late on Monday night, he told reporters: 'Greta and her flotilla companions were taken into a room upon their arrival to the screening of the horror film of the October 7 massacre... when they saw what it was about, they refused to continue watching. 'The anti-Semitic flotilla members are turning a blind eye to the truth and have proven once again that they prefer the murderers to the murdered and continue to ignore the atrocities committed by Hamas against Jewish and Israeli women, adults, and children.' An image shared by the Israeli Foreign Ministry of what the ministry said were passengers on the Madleen Gaza-bound aid boat being given sandwiches Thunberg joined 11 activists in sailing to the Gaza Strip with a 'symbolic' amount of aid On June 10, 2025, Israel deported Swedish Greta Thunberg by plane to Sweden via France, after she was arrested on board an aid boat for Gaza with other pro-Palestinian activists who were taken to Ben Gurion airport for deportation Katz and other Israeli officials have come under fire for branding Thunberg and her fellow activists 'anti-Semitic' for wanting to deliver aid to starving Gazans. But Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said: 'This wasn't humanitarian aid. It's Instagram activism... 'Who's really feeding Gaza and who's really feeding their own ego? Greta was not bringing aid, she was bringing herself.' Meanwhile, the French government revealed that five of the six French citizens detained alongside Thunberg had refused to sign deportation orders, meaning they will now face judicial proceedings. US President Donald Trump did not miss the opportunity to wade in on the controversy. 'I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg. She's a young, angry person... I think she has to go to an anger management class,' he said. Thunberg responded to his comments, saying: 'I think the world needs a lot of more young, angry women, to be honest, especially with everything going on right now'. Pheobe Bishop's family have revealed the confronting way police intend to officially identify remains discovered in the search for the 17-year-old. Officers discovered what are believed to be the teenager's remains near Goodnight Scrub National Park on Friday. Pheobe, 17, went missing near Queensland's Bundaberg Airport about 8.30am on May 15 after booking a trip to WA. Pheobe's housemates, James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, fronted Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday accused of her murder, three weeks to the day after she missed a flight and vanished. Police allege they moved her body more than once. New details have now been revealed regarding Pheobe's alleged murder. It's alleged Bromley and Wood interfered with a corpse on May 15 and again two days later when Pheobe's body is said to have been moved to Good Night Scrub National Park. A family member told The Courier Mail they 'just knew' it was her despite police yet to officially confirm the DNA results. They said detectives were investigating a match of hair colour and clothing to the teenager's. Court documents suggest the 17-year-old was killed on Airport Drive in Kensington where she was last seen carrying her luggage, which police have yet to find. Woods remains in custody at Maryborough Correctional Centre while Bromley is currently at Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre. Police discovered remains believed to belong to Pheobe Bishop near Goodnight Scrub National Park in Bundaberg, Queensland on Friday Officers worked tirelessly to find Pheoebe after she was reported missing when she failed to board a flight to WA on May 15 (pictured, police set up a crime scene outside Tamika Bromley and James Wood's home in Gin Gin) James Wood and his partner Tanika Bromley have both been charged with Pheobe's murder and interfering with a corpse after she was said to have been moved more than once The matters have been adjourned until August, with neither entering pleas. 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. Neither Wood nor Bromley appeared in person or by video link for the hearing. On Sunday, hundreds attended a moving candelight vigil at Kola Community Park in Gin Gin, with mourners wearing bright colours and butterflies. Kaylea and mum Kylie Johnson were among those who gave emotional speeches in honour of the allegedly murdered teenager. 'Obviously, I didn't write a speech, but, um... Pheobe! 17 years was never enough for your life,' she said. 'But in the short 17 years that she was with us, God, she gave us a run for our bloody money... She was cutthroat person, but she saw the good in everyone. Pheobe's older sister Kaylea Bishop and mum Kylie Johnson shared emotional tributes in honour of the 17-year-old Kaylea dedicated a One Republic song to the teen at the end of the vigil and urged mourners to 'stand up and dance'. The family immediately broke out dancing and cheering Hundreds of mourners attended the candelight vigil on Sunday 'If she had a opinion about you, you were sure to find out about it, whether you liked it or not. That's just the way Pheobe was, but she was loyal to the core. 'She loved, respected, and valued her life.' Kaylea thanked all those who attended the candlelight vigil before being left unable to continue as she burst into tears. At the end of the vigil, the 18-year-old, dedicated a One Republic song to the teen and said, 'Please stand up and dance, because you know that's what this b***h (Pheobe) would do!' The family immediately broke out dancing and cheering in a moment those in attendance described as incredibly emotional. In a powerful tribute, Pheobe's mum Kylie bravely urged the Gin Gin community to 'respect' Bromley's family following the charges against her, saying that their family had been close to Bromley's two children. Kylie also read out two poems in memory of her 'gypsy warrior' daughter as she shared how Pheobe 'always sung her own tune' and 'lived to the fullest'. The grieving mother told mourners her daughter loved those she cared about 'to every extent of the earth'. Investigators looking for new clues relating to Madeleine McCann's disappearance found two buried guns near the resort where she vanished from, it has been revealed. German authorities who flew to Portugal last week launched fresh searches through Atalaia - a stretch of scrubland littered with rubbish and graffiti-covered buildings linked by a network of dusty tracks known in Portuguese as the Fisherman's Trail. Connecting Praia da Luz with the nearby town of Lagos, the track is a popular hiking route for tourists, but for several days last week it was cordoned off for members of the BKA - Germany's equivalent of the FBI - to conduct searches. Olive Press reported that the two firearms have now been sent back to Germany for analysis, along with bone fragments and 'bits of old adult clothing.' But not everyone is happy with how the operation, estimated to have cost 300,000, went. 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.' But Portuguese media reported the search turned up enough material that investigators deemed worthy of further analysis at a laboratory. 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 A search team close to Praia De Luz, Portugal, where searches are being carried out by officers investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann Christian Brueckner (pictured) is the prime suspect in the disappearance of the young girl Madeleine McCann (pictured) vanished in May 2007 while holidaying with her family in Portugal 'During the search, several items were seized that will be examined further by the German police,' reported CNN Portugal. The materials will now be carefully analyzed in the police laboratory 'to assess their potential relevance to the investigation', according the newspaper Correio da Manha. It comes as convicted rapist and paedophile Christian Brueckner - the man who German prosecutors believe was behind Madeleine's disappearance - draws closer to his release from prison. German police announced in 2020 that it had opened an investigation into Brueckner, 48, connecting him with Madeleine's abduction and murder. But he has not been charged and the sands of time are running out. He has vehemently denied the allegations. Brueckner is serving a seven-year sentence for raping a 71-year-old woman, but is due for release in September and has already vowed to leave Germany. It means prosecutors will have trouble bringing him to court should they find enough evidence to charge him in connection with Madeleine's disappearance. His earliest possible release date is September 17 - though his lawyer said he would have to pay 1,500 (1,300) in outstanding fines from a series of motor offences to leave then. 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. Your browser does not support iframes. Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007 while on holiday with her family in Portugal Convicted rapist and paedophile Christian Brueckner, 48, has been suspected by German prosecutors as being the man behind Madeleines 'abduction and murder '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. '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.' Meanwhile, German prosecutors have been accused by Portuguese media of failing to properly investigate a claim that Madeleine 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 the young girl 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, Correio da Manha claimed. The report - which says a sister of the British husband made the tip-off to UK police 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. Investigators at the site of the searches last week Police searched the remote Portuguese area for three days Permission had been given to search the derelict outbuildings on the scrubland close to where Brueckner used to live It also claimed the couple's neighbour had told police she heard them having a row the day after the three-year-old disappeared. She said she heard the man repeatedly yelling 'Why did you bring her?' Portuguese police are 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 the body at sea. An urgent manhunt is underway for an on-the-run prisoner who was last seen boarding a train almost one month ago. Liam Slater, age 33, absconded from HMP Hatfield in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on Sunday, May 18, at 6.13pm. He was last seen boarding a train to Leeds at Stainforth station at 8.46pm with police warning members of the public not to approach him. Police say he has links to Wetherby and Seacroft in Leeds and want to hear from anyone who has seen or spoken to Slater recently. The forced added: 'If you see Slater, please do not approach him but instead call 999'. Liam Slater, age 33, was last seen boarding a train to Leeds at Stainforth station at 8.46pm on Sunday, May 18 Slater absconded from HMP Hatfield in Doncaster, South Yorkshire A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: 'If you have any other information about where he might be, you can contact us online or by calling 101. Please quote incident number 818 of 18 May 2025 when you get in touch. 'You can contact us online here: www.southyorkshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime 'Alternatively, if you prefer not to give your personal details, you can stay anonymous and pass on what you know by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers. 'Call their UK Contact Centre on freephone 0800 555 111 or complete a simple and secure anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.' Two 14-year-old boys and a 16-year-old boy were today charged with murder and possession of a bladed article after a boy was fatally stabbed in Manchester. Ibrahima Seck, 14, was found with stab wounds after Greater Manchester Police were called to the New Moston area on Sunday at 5pm to reports of a serious assault. Despite the efforts of the emergency services and staff from an air ambulance, the boy died in hospital. The three charged boys, who cannot be named at this time for legal reasons, were remanded in custody to appear at Manchester Magistrates' Court today. A 37-year-old woman and a 14-year-old girl who were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender have both been released on bail, pending further enquiries. Following Ibrahima's death, the teenager's parents said: 'Ibrahima was a well-liked young boy. He was funny, caring, and hardworking. He was our best friend.' Ibrahima Seck, 14, was described as 'funny, caring and hardworking' in a family tribute Ibrahima's mother and father at the scene in the New Moston area of Manchester on Monday They added: 'He was so smiley and always made everybody laugh. He was a good boy. Why would anyone do this to him? He does nothing wrong.' The teenager ran to a nearby house after being injured, telling the resident, 'I don't want to die', the Manchester Evening News reported. 'He just came through the door and said, 'I've been stabbed',' the resident said. 'We sat him down on a chair and phoned an ambulance. He just kept saying, 'I don't want to die.' Detective Chief Inspector Tony Platten, of the Major Incident Team, said today: 'The last 48 hours has seen an extensive amount of police work, which has seen multiple officers working to help get the answers Ibrahima's family deserve. Police were called to the New Moston area on Sunday at 5pm to reports of a serious assault Detectives said today that the last 48 hours have seen an 'extensive amount of police work' 'Now that we have secured three charges, a new level of proceedings is active, and we will continue to work on our investigation as this progresses. 'Ibrahima's family remain at the forefront of our minds and we will be remaining in close contact with them throughout the process.' Officers are looking for information, doorbell or dashcam footage, or eyewitness accounts from anyone in the area at the time, quoting log 2250 of 08/06/2025. Information can be reported to Greater Manchester Police by calling 101 or anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 A sex offender who indecently exposed himself at train stations seven times has been fined just 1.43 for each offence. Leon Clarke, 49, was handed a meagre 10 penalty and a one-year community order after admitting to the acts at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court. He repeatedly exposed himself intending to cause alarm or distress at stations across London and Hertfordshire, including Herne Hill, Romford and Cheam. Clarke was also handed a five-year sexual harm prevention order, which means he cannot approach, touch or attempt to communicate with an unknown female in public. The order bars him from taking a seat next to or opposite a lone female or child on public transport or at a station, unless there is no alternative seating available. His name is now on the sex offender register and Clarke will be required to register with the police until 2030. Jonathan Ash-Edwards, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, led calls for the Government to tie up a loophole which prevents cases like Clarke's being challenged as too lenient. He told The Telegraph: 'Too often, victims bravely come forward to tell their story, the police do a great job to catch the offender and then the justice system just goes and lets everyone down. Leon Clarke, pictured, a sex offender who indecently exposed himself at train stations seven times has been fined just 1.43 for each offence He was handed a meagre 10 penalty and a one-year community order for exposing himself at stations including Herne Hill, pictured The 49-year-old also committed the act at Cheam Station, pictured, but has avoided jail time 'People will be horrified to hear that someone can commit seven sex offences in public and be fined just 10, effectively 1.42 per offence. 'It's not good enough and we need a more serious approach to sentencing for sexual offences and violence against women and girls.' Mr Ash-Edwards bemoaned the fact that people are helpless to challenge such sentences, as the unduly lenient sentences complaints procedure does not apply to magistrates' courts. Just one in 10 indecent exposure offences result in a charge, half the proportion of 10 years ago. This is despite the number of reported crimes soaring from 6,000 to 16,000 in that time, a rise of 160 per cent. In 2023, there were 13,000 before a sharp increase in the last two years. Official data shows that even when such offenders are actually prosecuted, they tend to be given shorter sentences than before. Just 39 per cent of those convicted of indecent exposure are now given more than six months prison time, dramatically down from 60.9 per cent in 2019. Ministers, police, judges and womens groups are in agreement that the crime can act as a precursor to more severe 'contact' sexual offences including rape, if no action is taken against the offender. The headteacher of a 31,000-a-year private school tipped to be attended by Prince George has urged parents to spend more quality time with their children. Adam Pettitt, head of prestigious fee-paying Highgate School in north London, urged families to ensure their offspring have more time away from mobile phones. His school has attracted celebrity parents including Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Dame Emma Thompson. And it was recently toured by the Princess of Wales, prompting speculation she and husband Prince William could be considering the school for eldest child George, 11. Highgate School, founded 460 years ago, is a co-educational day school for pupils aged between four and 18 - with annual fees for its secondary school currently charged at 31,575 plus obligatory lunch fees bringing the total to 32,640. Mr Pettitt, who has been Highgate head since 2006, made his call for parents to make the most of screen-free 'quality time' for their children as he entered the debate about potential bans or limits on pupils' mobile phone use. A group of secondary schools across the south London borough of Southwark have recently teamed up to demand more restrictions - as they encouraged youngsters not to get such devices until Year 10, in which pupils are aged 14 and 15. The alliance of 16 Southwark schools published a plan calling for 'higher sanctions' for pupils having smartphones rather than non-smartphones confiscated - that is, those with internet access. Prince George has been tipped for a move to 31,000-a-year Highgate School after his mother the Princess of Wales visited - they are seen here at Westminster Abbey last Christmas Adam Pettitt (pictured), headteacher of Highgate School since 2006, has urged parents to ensure they are spending plenty of screen-free 'quality time' with their children Highgate School has already been operating its own ban on mobile phones, which Mr Pettitt says has 'reintroduced conversation to form rooms'. He has now written to a national newspaper insisting on the importance of parents diverting their children from constant screen time towards other activities. He told the Times: 'Age-based limits on mobile phone use are a welcome first step, but how adults spend time with children is paramount. We must not only limit screen time but actively promote what should replace it. Children need to play, to have protected screen-free time, and to enjoy fun, shared experiences with the adults who care for them.' Mr Pettitt added that the headteachers taking action in Southwark were 'right to tread carefully when advising on families' - and 'also correct that it requires a partnership with parents to address the effects of screens on children'. He previously warned parents about children and mobile phones in a letter, shared online in April, in response to controversial Netflix drama series Adolescence. Mr Pettitt wrote about what he called 'a shocking and deeply thought-provoking series' and one particular scene in which the central character Jamie's parents admitted they were unaware about the dangerous online content he was accessing. The prestigious Highgate School (pictured) in north London was founded 450 years ago Parents who have sent their children to Highgate School include actor Jude Law, seen here attending a Star Wars: Skeleton Crew photocall in London's Trafalgar Square last November Hollywood A-lister Gwyneth Paltrow's children have also gone to the north London school - she is pictured here at Paris Fashion Week last September He said: 'The online world is all-encompassing, and we teeter into it as if into an abyss. But it is no substitute for actual human interaction with those closest to us. 'This is important at home, too. Our children absorb things from us. Our views, actions and habits shape them. 'If we like reading, its more likely our children will like reading. If we support a team, its more likely our children will support that same team. 'We end up not only having things we do in common; well be doing them together. In the Pettitt household, its crosswords and cooking. 'Youll all have those special but really not so special routines which mean you spend time together and time chatting. 'If we have wired into our routines time to be together for some part of every day, time to chat every day, well see more quickly when they withdraw, well notice if something is awry.' The Princess of Wales has shared online and spoken often about the hobbies, outdoor experiences and home interests her children enjoy - including recently George's love of painting and watching him and Louis play rugby at weekends. She has recently sparked speculation that Highgate School could be one of the next options for George after being seen seen visiting both Highgate and nearby University College School in Hampstead, north London. Highgate School alumni include the actor Freddie Highmore (pictured), who has starred in films such as 2004's Finding Neverland and the following year's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory The Princess of Wales recently toured two elite north London day schools, as she and her husband Prince William weigh up where to send Prince George next year Prince George (pictured last Christmas Day in Sandringham, Norfolk), 11, currently attends co-educational Lambrook School with siblings Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, six Both schools are about 30 miles from the Wales Windsor base, potentially meaning journey times of more than an hour each way. Highgate School has been hailed for its 'world-class' drama department and has been the choice of school for the children of famous actors such as Dame Emma Thompson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law. Its alumni include the former child actor Freddie Highmore, now 33, who starred alongside Johnny Depp in the 2004 film Finding Neverland as well as in the following year's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. The Princess, now in remission from cancer, was seen at 10,525-a-term Highgate School just after it closed for the Christmas break at the end of last year. An insider told the Mail on Sunday in February: 'The family did go round and have a look and apparently, its because the school has a rather brilliant drama department - genuinely world class. 'Kate spent quite a long time talking to two of the teachers there, including the Head of Drama, and was asking them about the drama curriculum and extracurricular activities and what opportunities there might be for appearing in school plays. 'One of the reasons theyre drawn to visiting Highgate is that the department is known as somewhere that feeds into RADA. 'Highgate has got a very strong focus on Shakespeare with a nuanced and intelligent approach to drama. Prince George and Catherine, Princess of Wales, are pictured here when meeting Second World War veterans at a tea party in Buckingham Palace on May 5 this year The Princess of Wales is seen accompanying Prince George (left) and Prince Louis (right) to their current school, Lambrook School in Berkshire, in September 2022 As well as recently visiting Highgate School, the Princess is believed to have also visited nearby University College School (pictured) in Hampstead, north London The Prince and Princess of Wales regularly share online photographs of family experiences with their children - including this outdoor picture of Kate and eldest son George 'It's where people send their children if they want somewhere more elevated than the Brit School. 'Apparently, Kate was advised that this school will help George out, but not in pressurised way.' It has been suggested that the Princess's alma mater, Marlborough College in Wiltshire, could be the royal couple's preferred choice for not only George but also his younger siblings Princess Charlotte, 10, and seven-year-old Prince Louis. They are currently attending Lambrook School in Berkshire, with George due to move to his next school in autumn next year. The Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be 'thinking outside the box' and continuing to look at options other than Marlborough College. MailOnline has contacted Highgate School for comment. The US has demanded Britain drops sanctions on Israeli ministers for 'inciting violence' against Palestinians. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the travel ban and asset freeze imposed on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich would not help to secure a ceasefire. Amid signs of splits between Western allies over the carnage in Gaza, Mr Rubio urged Keir Starmer 'not to forget who the real enemy is'. The UK is taking the action alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said yesterday that the ministers had been 'inciting violence against Palestinian people for months and months and months, they have been encouraging egregious abuses of human rights'. But in a post on X overnight, Mr Rubio said: 'The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet. These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war.' Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich (above) will also be sanctioned after being accused with Mr Ben-Gvir of 'inciting violence' against Palestinians Security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (above) will be subject to a travel ban and asset freeze after Britain sanctioned two of Israel's government ministers Amid signs of splits between Western allies over the carnage in Gaza , Marco Rubio urged Keir Starmer 'not to forget who the real enemy is' He added: 'We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. 'The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.' Israel foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar has branded the sanctions 'outrageous'. Ministers will be nervous that tensions with the US over Israel could bleed across into other areas - such as ongoing negotiations over implementing Keir Starmer's trade deal with Donald Trump. The measures against Israel's security and finance ministers were announced yesterday. Mr Smotrich and Mr Ben-Gvir belong to right-wing parties that help to prop up Benjamin Netanyahu's fragile coalition government. Both have been criticised for their hardline stance on Gaza. Mr Smotrich has campaigned against allowing aid into Gaza, and also supported the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law. Meanwhile, Mr Ben-Gvir has called for Gaza's people to be resettled from the territory. In a joint statement with the foreign ministers of the other nations who also imposed sanctions, Mr Lammy said that the two sanctioned ministers had incited 'serious abuses of Palestinian human rights' and described their actions as 'not acceptable'. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said yesterday that the ministers had been 'inciting violence against Palestinian people for months and months and months, they have been encouraging egregious abuses of human rights' The statement added: 'We will strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of the remaining hostages by Hamas which can have no future role in the governance of Gaza, a surge in aid and a path to a two-state solution.' Downing Street said the two men had been sanctioned in their 'personal capacities' and not 'their ministries and departments'. 'As the Israeli ambassador to the UK has said in recent interviews, their statements in their ministerial capacities do not even represent government policy,' a Number 10 spokesman said. In May, Mr Lammy paused negotiations towards a UK trade deal with Israel as the Government sought to pressure it to abandon its planned offensive into Gaza. Keir Starmer, France's president Emmanuel Macron and Canada's prime minister Mark Carney also wrote a joint statement last month warning that Israel's leaders risked 'breaching International Humanitarian Law', and calling for more aid to be allowed into Gaza. Mr Netanyahu responded by claiming the three leaders were on the 'wrong side' of history. In September last year, the Government halted 30 out of around 350 arms sales licences to Israel, for fear they may be used for war crimes. Ministers insist that this means F-35 fighter jets used by Israel no longer receive replacement parts from the UK, and no UK-made bombs or ammunition are used in Gaza. It emerged yesterday that UK civil servants have been told to quit if they feel the UK has not been tough enough with Israel over its conduct in the war. Displaced Palestinians walk past the ruins of destroyed buildings along the Gaza shoreline Donald Trump has been staunchly backing Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of the October 7 Hamas terrorists attacks The Foreign Office's two most senior officials, Sir Oliver Robbins and Nick Dyer, responded to a letter by 300 staff raising concerns about Israel's conduct. The staff letter, seen by the BBC, was sent to Foreign Secretary David Lammy last month and warned of 'complicity' in Israel's actions. It also questioned continued British arms sales to the country and what they branded a 'stark disregard for international law' by Israel. In their response to the letter, Sir Oliver and Mr Dyer told staff their 'ultimate recourse is to resign' if they disagree with Government policy. They insisted they wanted to see a 'healthy challenge' to policy but said it was up to civil servants to deliver on the will of the Government. The senior officials' response sparked a furious backlash from trade union bosses. Fran Heathcote, of the PCS union, said it was 'simply reprehensible' to suggest staff should quit if they are 'uncomfortable with what they are being asked to do'. The staff letter, which follows several other similar missives to civil service chiefs, was signed on May 16, it was reported. The signatories said: 'In July 2024, staff expressed concern about Israel's violations of international humanitarian law and potential UK Government complicity. 'In the intervening period, the reality of Israel's disregard for international law has become more stark.' Vladimir Putin is plotting an attack on NATO territory to test the Western alliance's mutual assistance clause, Germany's spy chief has warned. Bruno Kahl, the outgoing head of Germany's federal intelligence service (BND), said in a rare interview that it has 'concrete' evidence Russia no longer believes NATO's Article 5 will be honoured. This is the clause which guarantees that if one member is attacked, all others will come to its aid. He told the German podcast Table Briefings: 'We see that NATO is supposed to be tested in its mutual assistance promise. There are people in Moscow who don't believe that NATO article 5 still works.' He said: 'We are very sure, and we have intelligence evidence to back this up, that [Russia's full-scale invasion of] Ukraine is only one step on Russia's path towards the west.' But Kahl was quick to add: 'This doesn't mean that we expect large tank battalions to roll from the east to the west.' Russia did not need to do this because they could simply send 'little green men to Estonia to protect supposedly oppressed Russian minorities', the spy chief warned. Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea involved occupation of buildings and offices by Russian soldiers in unmarked uniforms and civilian clothes, who came to be known as the 'little green men' when Moscow initially denied their identity. Vladimir Putin is plotting to attack a NATO territory to test the bloc's mutual assistance clause, Germany 's spy chief has warned Bruno Kahl, the outgoing head of Germany's federal intelligence service (BND), said in a rare interview that it has 'concrete' evidence that Russia no longer believes NATO's Article 5 will be honoured Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov in the exercise mode in the Atlantic at the end of May-early June 2024 Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Council for strategic development and national projects in Moscow, Russia, Friday, June 6, 2025 Kahl, who is set to become Germany's ambassador to the Vatican, did not specify which officials in Moscow were thinking along these lines. He said that Moscow's ultimate aim was to push NATO back to its 1990s borders, 'kick out' the US from Europe and aggressively expand Russia's influence. 'We need to nip this in the bud', he said. Key to NATO cooperation, he pointed out, was the US and its enormous army. Kahl said his contacts with U.S. counterparts had left him convinced they took the Russian threat seriously. 'They take it as seriously as us, thank God,' he said. It comes after NATO boss Mark Rutte warned that Britons should start learning Russian if the UK doesn't ramp up defence spending. Mark Rutte issued the chilling message while in London for talks with PM Sir Keir Starmer, ahead of a NATO summit later this month. NATO allies are expected to be asked at the gathering to agree a commitment on allocating 3.5 per cent of GDP to core defence spending by the 2030s. A further 1.5 per cent of GDP would be required for 'defence-related expenditure' under Mr Rutte's plan to strengthen the alliance. Your browser does not support iframes. Bruno Kahl (pictured) said: 'We are very sure, and we have intelligence evidence to back this up, that [Russia's full-scale invasion of] Ukraine is only one step on Russia's path towards the west' Mark Rutte issued the chilling message after travelling to London for talks with PM Sir Keir Starmer, ahead of a NATO summit later this month NATO boss Mark Rutte, speaking at Chatham House, warned that Britons should start learning Russian if the UK doesn't ramp up defence spending It follows pressure from US President Donald Trump on European members of NATO to hike their military budgets. There are questions about how the UK would fund such a huge increase - roughly equivalent to an extra 30billion annually. Britain allocated 2.33 per cent of GDP to defence last year, and Sir Keir Starmer has only committed to reaching 2.5 per cent by April 2027. The Labour Government has an 'ambition' of increasing that to 3 per cent in the next parliament - likely to run to 2034. Speaking at Chatham House on Monday, Mr Rutte was asked if he believed Chancellor Rachel Reeves should raise taxes to meet NATO's commitments. The NATO secretary-general replied: 'It's not up to me to decide, of course, how countries pay the bill. 'Look, if you do not do this, if you would not go to the 5 per cent, including the 3.5 per cent core defence spending, you could still have the NHS... the pension system etc., but you had better learn to speak Russian.' Mr Rutte would not reveal the deadline for when he hopes NATO allies will spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence. Asked about a deadline, he told reporters: 'I have a clear view on when we should achieve that. 'I keep that to myself, because we are having these consultations now with allies, and these discussions are ongoing. 'We will in the end agree on a date when we have to be there.' A heartbroken widow whose husband died of an undiagnosed heart condition just six months after they married had to spend their honeymoon fund on his funeral. Primary school teacher Edward Burr, 32, and Laura Burr, 31, were looking forward to a Disney honeymoon when disaster struck. The first sign that something was wrong was the day after his wedding. Mr Burr simply felt 'under the weather', but put this down to a possible bug he may have caught while being in close proximity to 60 people. However, after suffering a shortness of breath two weeks later, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and heart failure. Despite having a heart pump fitted and months of specialist treatment, he never recovered died unexpectedly in October 2024. Doctors decided to switch off his life support machine while he awaited a heart transplant and Laura held his hand as he died 186 days after they wed. 'We played him his favourite music, and my sister read him a poem,' Laura said. Primary school teacher Edward Burr, 32, and Laura Burr, 31, were looking forward to a Disney honeymoon when disaster struck Mr Burr simply felt 'under the weather', but put this down to a possible bug he may have caught while being in close proximity to 60 people However, after suffering a shortness of breath two weeks later, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and heart failure 'And, 186 days after marrying him, I held his hand as he died.' The couple had been saving up to go away for a honeymoon - adding money into the 'pot' at the end of each month, as well as wedding donations. But the money, which Laura said 'would've been enough to take them to Disney,' was spent on Ed's funeral. Laura is now campaigning for mandatory 'health MOTs' for people aged 30 and over - currently the minimum age is 40 for men and women. She believes this simple test could have saved his life by revealing heart abnormalities via a blood pressure and cholesterol checks. Laura, a helpline operator from Banbury, Oxfordshire, said: 'If Ed had received a health MOT at 30, the absolute minimum is that I would've had more time with him. 'At his funeral, I couldn't stop wondering: "How did we get here?" Fit and healthy Edward Burr (pictured) died unexpectedly in October 2024 after suffering with an underlying heart condition 'It was crazy - we were newlyweds who were supposed to be arguing over who does the dishes, and who's cooking dinner.' Ed and Laura walked down the aisle at Banbury United Reformed Church on April 6, 2024. The next day Ed began complaining of 'hot and cold sweats,' preventing him from sleeping all night. Thinking he just had a cold, the primary school teacher 'dosed up' on vitamin C, cold and flu tablets. Two weeks later, on April 21, Ed began suffering from shortness of breath - which couldn't be alleviated with an inhaler. 'We went to A&E at Horton General Hospital,' Laura said. 'He had an EKG and blood tests; he was diagnosed with pneumonia and told to come for a follow-up appointment on May 2.' Ed's condition didn't get any better, and on April 30, an ambulance was sent to take him back to hospital for admission. Laura is now campaigning for mandatory 'health MOTs' for people aged 30 and over - currently the minimum age is 40 for men and women. Pictured: Edward Burr On May 2, the day of the originally-scheduled follow-up, Ed was transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, for further investigations. Doctors couldn't pinpoint the infection which caused his pneumonia - and were trying to treat his heart failure at the same time. Laura added: 'Ed's doctors said he'd be easier to treat if he had heart failure or pneumonia - but because he had both, they had to prioritise which one was causing him more damage.' The care team kept Ed admitted for seven weeks, before discharging him home. Laura was told to keep an eye out for any deterioration, including tiredness and lethargy - and on July 13, after three weeks at home and a night in Horton General Hospital, Ed was readmitted to JRH. On July 19, Ed had a biventricular assist device (BIVAD) fitted, which is designed to support the ventricles if they aren't pumping blood to the heart properly. But he had to remain closely monitored, in-and-out of ICU for a further two months, when he was placed on the heart transplant list. 'The weekend of October 3, I had a very strange feeling,' Laura said. It's estimated that around 400,000 people in the UK with heart failure are undiagnosed, according to studies. Pictured: Edward Burr 'Not unusually, the chaplain came to bless Ed - which he did, every Sunday. But this time, while he was reading the prayer, I started sobbing, uncontrollably.' Laura, her twin and Ed's dad were 'politely kicked out' as visiting hours finished at 7:30pm. Four hours later, while on the phone to a friend, Laura received a phone call from the hospital - telling her Ed had taken a turn for the worse. Grabbing Jenny, Ed's childhood teddy bear, Laura, her parents and Ed's dad made their way back to the hospital. A doctor pulled the family into a side room, and told them Ed's BIVAD machine was dying, and his life support machine would need to be switched off. Laura is now pouring her energy into her new campaign, which she has co-founded with friend Gabriella Evans, who lost her husband, Tom, 34, to an undiagnosed heart condition. It's estimated that around 400,000 people in the UK with heart failure are undiagnosed, according to studies. And roughly 10 per cent of all patients are under 50. Heart failure is when the organ is unable to pump blood around the body properly, likely because it has become weak or stiff. This leads to reduced oxygen and nutrients to the organs and tissues. The condition is typically caused by lifestyle-related problems that strain the heart, such as high blood pressure and atherosclerosis (when cholesterol clogs the arteries). Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in the legs and ankles, irregular heartbeats, dizziness, nausea, and pain in the arms, jaw, or back. They were once tranquil retreats where families would gather to happily play, couples would go on a romantic walk or workers would enjoy a lunchbreak. But London's parks are being gripped by a mounting crimewave that is turning the green spaces into danger zones amid fears over knife crime, theft and assaults. Crimes recorded by the Royal Parks, which manages 5,000 acres of green space including Hyde Park and Regent's Park, have more than doubled in three years. The charity recorded 101 incidents of 'crime or criminal damage' in its latest 2023/24 year, up from 76 in 2022/23; 55 in 2021/22; and 44 in 2020/21. Sexual offences, phone thefts and drug dealing are among the crimes most often reported, while cyclists have been threatened and had expensive bikes stolen. Now there are fears the situation could worsen after the dedicated Royal Parks Police team was scrapped as part of Metropolitan Police budget cuts announced in April - which will see the officers absorbed into local neighbourhood teams. As recently as Monday, a shocking video showed a knife-wielding attacker pulling out a huge blade and threatening a young girl at Gladstone Park in Dollis Hill. But this is just one example of the dangers now faced by those in London's parks. A woman left homeless after a house fire has issued a warning about the household appliance that sparked the flames. Tanya Bennett, 36, was told by firefighters her vacuum cleaner had set alight after being plugged in for 18 hours. The terrifying blaze took hold with her three dogs trapped upstairs whilst she was at work on Monday. Luckily, a neighbour raised the alarm and firefighters managed to rescue French Bulldogs Lewi and Monkey and her Cockapoo Luna from the burning property. Every room in the house other than the kitchen suffered fire damage, with Ms Bennett estimating it will cost thousands to replace all of her furniture and redecorate. She had left her vacuum plugged in after cleaning the night before and then gone to work in the morning, leaving it plugged in for 18 hours in total before it ignited. Ms Bennett was still at work when the fire started and said her neighbour called to tell her about the blaze and informed her she had called the fire brigade. 'I'm absolutely devastated, helpless and in shock. I couldn't believe it when the firefighters said it was caused by the vacuum cleaner,' the marketing manager, from Telford, Shropshire, said. Tanya Bennett, 36, was told by firefighters her vacuum cleaner had set alight with her three dogs trapped upstairs whilst she was at work on Monday Every room in the house other than the kitchen suffered fire damage with Ms Bennett estimating it will cost thousands to replace all of her furniture and redecorate Ms Bennett was still at work when the fire started and said her neighbour called to tell her about the blaze and informed her she had called the fire brigade With the house completely uninhabitable, Ms Bennett is living in temporary accommodation and doesn't know when she'll be able to go home Ms Bennet's French Bulldogs Lewi and Monkey, and her Cockapoo, Luna, were trapped upstairs 'When I got home, the firefighters had only recovered one dog as he was in the kitchen which was the only room that wasn't damaged because the door was shut. 'The other two dogs were trapped upstairs by the smoke. It was heartbreaking. 'I was screaming and crying and they brought the dogs out one by one. They were black.' She described how all of her furniture and clothes are 'covered in soot' and her TV cabinet has 'melted'. 'Basically every single item in my house is covered by smoke. There's not one single item that is not. The whole house needs specialist cleaning and I can't go in without PPE,' she added. With the house completely uninhabitable, Ms Bennett is living in temporary accommodation and doesn't know when she'll be able to go home. Her dogs are now staying at her friend's house as she isn't allowed to keep them in her temporary accommodation. Ms Bennett said: 'I didn't think that a vacuum cleaner could even catch fire. How much damage it's caused is crazy. Apparently the dust particles inside are very combustible. 'Just turn everything off at the wall or unplug appliances. Even though the electrics tripped and cut off it didn't matter as the fire still continued once it had sparked.' A top Chinese restaurant which featured in Netflix spy drama Black Doves has had its licence revoked after it hired four illegal workers. Fei Er Cottage in Westminster, central London, was stripped of its right to sell alcohol by the local council last Thursday. It comes after immigration enforcement officers raided the restaurant last year and found four staff working without the correct visas or having illicitly entered the UK. Authorities discovered that the venue, which was used as a filming location in the hit show starring Keira Knightley, had four staff from China and Nepal working illegally in the kitchen or as waiters. A Home Office report claimed that their illegal employment was 'not just an honest mistake by the management but instead was a disregard for the immigration rules'. Further probes found that the restaurant, whose red basement dining area was used in a scene when Ben Whishaw's character, hitman Sam Young, carries out his first kill, had also breached its CCTV conditions and alcohol licence. Following the immigration raid, a request was made to transfer Fei Er Cottage's licence to the current holder's ex-wife, Xiaoyu Wang. However, documents on Westminster City Council's website show this petition was rejected and the restaurant's licence has now been revoked completely. Fei Er Cottage restaurant in London was featured in the Netflix spy drama Black Doves (pictured) Fei Er Cottage is a dim sum restaurant on Strutton Ground near St James's Park in London The popular Netflix crime thriller Black Doves stars Ben Whishaw and Keira Knightley The Licensing Committee said the current owner Feng Qui had been involved in recruiting illegal workers, paying wages and agreeing rota hours. It also noted that he had been involved in employing another illegal worker at a previous premises in 2018. The committee stated that the restaurant should have severed links with Mr Qui when Ms Wang became the new director of the restaurant. In the decision document, the council said that Mrs Wang 'lacked experience running restaurants' and despite being seperated from her ex-husband, was still 'reliant' on him professionally. It was heard, however, that Mrs Wang had now ensured that all staff employed at Fei Er Cottage were now legal. The immigration raid at the restaurant took place on December 18 last year but it only came to light in March. It was found there was at least one worker doing more than 65 hours a week, according to payslips found by officers. They were being paid 12.50 an hour, which was above the UK minimum wage of 12.21 but their pay was being 'taxed' by the restaurant by more than a third. A conversation with a worker regarding breakdown of wages, published by the Home Office Fei Er Cottage describes itself as having 'the best handmade dumplings in London' It revealed a worker found in the kitchen had 'clandestinely entered the UK in 2012' and was arrested while working at another Chinese restaurant in 2018 before absconding six months later. A second worker entered the UK illegally in 2016, while a woman from China came into the UK on a visitors' visa but overstayed this and never had the right to work in the UK. Meanwhile an employee could only work 20 hours a week in term time because he was on a student visa - but was in fact working more than three times that. The decision by the council means that Fei Er Cottage, described as having some of the best handmade dumplings in London, has lost its licence to sell alcohol. MailOnline has contacted the restaurant for comment. A student who tried to stab an MP to death after being radicalised online is set to be freed from jail after serving just 15 years. Roshonara Choudhry was just 21 when she was jailed for life at the Old Bailey in 2010 for trying to murder Labour MP Stephen Timms because he voted in favour of the Iraq War. She attacked Mr Timms with a three-inch kitchen knife at a constituency surgery in Newham, east London, on May 14, 2010, after being radicalised as a university student to 'get revenge for the people of Iraq'. The married politician, 55 at the time of the attack, was stabbed twice in the stomach - suffering wound lacerations to the left lobe of his liver - but survived after surgery. Choudhry, of East Ham, London, was found guilty of attempted murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years. A previous parole hearing had recommended she be moved to an open prison, but this was rejected by the Justice Secretary. But now the Parole Board has recommended that she can be released. Choudhry, now 36, had an 'oral hearing' in May at which the Board concluded she can be let out on licence. A written summary, seen by MailOnline, stated that Choudhry had taken a number of 'accredited courses' over many years, including 'work with religious practitioners and psychologists to address her risk factors'. Roshonara Choudhry, pictured in 2010, tried to stab an MP to death after being radicalised online and is set to be freed from jail after serving just 15 years She attacked Stephen Timms, pictured, with a three-inch kitchen knife at a constituency surgery in Newham, east London, on May 14, 2010 'She had also completed training courses and engaged with the education department,' it added. 'Ms Choudhry was assessed as having shown a very high level of insight and understanding of herself. 'She had consistently shown over many years that she no longer held the same beliefs, that she was able to manage her emotional wellbeing effectively and she would no longer be likely to be influenced by other people with strong negative views having developed the ability to critically evaluate information and to seek help from professionals if she needs it.' The report stated: 'Ms Choudhry's prison conduct is exemplary.' Of the run-up to her murder attempt, the document said: 'At the time of her offending, these risk factors included problems in family relationships, development of extreme beliefs about the world, willingness to use violence to address perceived injustices, association with peers who shared her beliefs, seeking out materials and speakers who supported and encouraged her beliefs, being easily influenced by other people who had strong views, not managing aspect of her personality characteristics, and failing to seek help and guidance from professionals.' The board said that protective factors that would reduce the risk of reoffending include 'her beliefs being more moderate and realistic, insight into her actions, empathy for the victim of the offence, and for others in general, ability to control her thoughts and actions'. A release plan proposed by Choudhry's probation officer included 'to reside in specialised accommodation as well as strict limitations on Ms Choudhry's contacts, movements, activities and access to the internet'. The panel concluded: 'After considering the circumstances of her offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing and in the dossier, the panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.' Choudhry will also have to submit to an enhanced form of supervision or monitoring including signing-in times and a specified curfew. CCTV footage shown at Choudhry's Old Bailey trial revealed her, pictured right, entering Beckton Globe community centre on May 14 2010 carrying a bag containing her two knives One of the two kitchen knives Choudhry packed to carry out the attack is shown circled At her trial, the court was told that Choudhry was born to a Bangladeshi family in Newham and lived in East Ham. She was the eldest of five and a gifted student and linguist, fluent in four languages including French. She had obtained three A grade A Levels and went on to study at the prestigious King's College London. At the time of the attack, Choudhry had just dropped out of an English and Communications degree after two years. Behind the respectable facade, police discovered that Choudhry was angry that King's had given an award to the Israeli politician Shimon Peres, in addition to running anti-radicalisation programmes. These views came from an online radicalisation which the investigation revealed had been fuelled by sermons of Anwar al-Awlaki, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. In November 2009, Choudhry began downloading more than 100 hours of sermons and lectures by Anwar al-Awlaki in which he preached the need for 'violent action to combat the atrocities of the West against Muslims around the world'. He claimed: 'Assassinations, bombings, and acts of arson are all legitimate forms of revenge against a system that relishes the sacrilege of Islam in the name of freedom.' In interviews with police, Choudhry explained how she had stumbled across his teachings on YouTube. She said: 'I wasn't searching for him, I just came across him.' Choudhry, pictured in the bottom left-hand corner, is seen plunging a knife into Labour MP Stephen Timms, just out of shot A security guard managed to grab Choudhry, then 21, to end the violent assault on Mr Timms Choudhry would watch two of the lectures a day and finished the complete set in the first week of May, days before the attack. The sermons changed her view on the Iraq War and its supporters. Prior to watching the lectures, she did not have particularly strong views about the conflict. She methodically planned the attack, registering the MP's pro Iraq War views and made an appointment to see him at 2.45pm on May 14 at his surgery at Beckton Globe community centre. Choudhry packed the three-inch blade and a back-up five-inch blade in case the first broke. She even emptied her bank account and paid off her student loans to ensure the British state could not seize her money after her arrest. At the surgery, Choudhry was called to Mr Timms's office at 3pm. She walked around the desk and extended her left hand to greet him. As she did so, she produced a knife in her right hand and stabbed him in the abdomen. She then thrust the knife at him again as he tried to ward off the blow. Mr Timms said: 'I thought she must have been coming to shake my hand. She looked friendly, she was smiling. 'I was a little puzzled because a Muslim woman dressed in that way would not normally be willing to shake a man's hand, still less to take the initiative to do so. In November 2009, Choudhry began downloading more than 100 hours of sermons and lectures by Anwar al-Awlaki, pictured, leading to her online radicalisation 'She stabbed me twice and after that, I did retreat. I retreated into the toilet, which was behind where I was standing, lifted up my jumper and realised there was quite a lot of blood there.' When subsequently asked what she had been trying to do, Choudhry replied: 'I was trying to kill him.' She later added: 'I wasn't going to stop stabbing him until someone made me.' Mr Timms was taken to the Royal London Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery, having suffered lacerations to the left lobe of the liver and a perforation to the stomach. The injuries were 'potentially life-threatening', but he was released after five days and made a full recovery. Choudhry, who refused to attend the trial, appeared by videolink for sentencing. At the time, she showed no remorse. Mr Justice Cooke, told her: 'You said you ruined the rest of your life. You said it was worth it. You said you wanted to be a martyr.' He went on to tell Choudhry that he hoped she would come to understand the 'distorted nature' of her thinking and repent. Chris Phillips, the UK's former Head of the National Counter Terrorism, told MailOnline: 'The criminal justice system is not fit for purpose. Releasing dangerous terrorists is just not acceptable. 'Terrorists should be treated like mental health patients and only be released when safe. There needs to be proof that they have been deradicalised rather than an automatic release or parole.' Sir Keir Starmer met the US commerce secretary in Downing Street last night, as No10 desperately tries to get Donald Trump to lift tariffs on cars and steel as soon as possible. The Prime Minister dropped in on a meeting between Howard Lutnick and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds in Downing Street on Tuesday, as the Government continues to push for its American trade deal to come into force. Sir Keir and Trump hailed the broad terms of an agreement more than a month ago that would exempt the UK from some of the US president's punitive and widely criticised levies. But the details are yet to be ironed out, despite warnings from industry that they could soon have to start looking at lay-offs. Mr Lutnick was in London for talks with China on resolving the trade war between Washington and Beijing, and Mr Reynolds took the opportunity to meet him in person to push for the UK-US trade deal announced last month to be implemented as soon as possible. The Guardian reported that No10 wants the deal to be in place as soon as this week, although the erratic nature of the Trump administration could prove a barrier. The Prime Minister dropped in on a meeting between Howard Lutnick and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds in Downing Street on Tuesday (below), as the Government continues to push for its American trade deal to come into force. Sir Keir and Trump hailed the broad terms of an agreement more than a month ago that would exempt the UK from some of the US president's punitive and widely criticised levies. The meeting follows talks between the Business Secretary and US trade representative Jamieson Greer in Paris last week. Under the terms of the agreement announced by Sir Keir and Donald Trump, the US will implement import quotas that will effectively eliminate tariffs on British steel and cut the levy on vehicles to 10%. But the deal has yet to be implemented and tariffs on both steel and cars remain at 25 per cent, although the UK has been spared the increase on steel duties to 50 per cent that Mr Trump imposed on the rest of the world last week. In a post on social media, Mr Reynolds said he had discussed 'progress on our trade deal including UK autos and steel' with Mr Lutnick. UK officials remain hopeful that the deal will be implemented soon, but Tuesday's meeting does not appear to have moved the issue beyond both sides agreeing the need to move quickly. Speaking in the Commons last week, Sir Keir said he was 'very confident' that tariffs would come down in line with the deal 'within a very short time'. Implementing the deal will require the UK to pass legislation, likely to involve regulations rather than a full Act of Parliament, while the US will also need to create a legal mechanism to bring steel and vehicle quotas into effect. Heard the one about the bride who arrived at her wedding in a frozen food delivery van - but didn't get cold feet? Lovebirds Faye Reilly and George 'Billy' Fox first met in the aisles of an Iceland store in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, where Ms Reilly was a delivery driver and Mr Fox worked in the freezer section. The pair became fast friends but months later the friendship became something more - and the couple have now tied the knot with the full support of their colleagues and employers. So crucial was the frozen food chain to their happy ending that the couple had a wedding unlike any other - with Ms Reilly arriving in one of Iceland's fleet of refrigerated delivery vans. They even cut a delivery van cake together, baked by their store manager's delighted mother. And while there were chills aplenty on the day, they're now on a honeymoon somewhere much hotter - Palma. Ms Reilly and Mr Fox met in at Iceland's Mansfield store in 2022 - Mr Fox in a full freezer suit - and struck up an immediate friendship. When the store was earmarked for closure due to the demolition of Mansfield's Rosemary Centre, they transferred together to Iceland sister chain The Food Warehouse - and still work there to this day. Lovebirds Faye Reilly and George 'Billy' Fox first met in the aisles of an Iceland store - and couldn't not let the store play a role in their big day The couple met working together in an Iceland store - and still work together in The Food Warehouse today The company provided one of its fleet of refrigerated delivery vans to get Ms Reilly to the church on time - with no cold feet Faye said: 'Billy was introduced to me in a full freezer suit, I was told he was the joker of the store, and they were right. 'After our friendship grew for six months, Billy finally plucked up the courage and nervously texted me during my holiday, asking if I'd like to go for a drink. 'The answer was yes, and soon after, our relationship became known and was fully embraced by the rest of our colleagues.' The wedding, on May 23, saw Ms Reilly arrive at the church in a branded Iceland delivery van - emblazoned with ribbons tied around the door handles, wing mirrors, sun visors and the bonnet. Colleagues past and present from the old Rosemary Street store attended the wedding to celebrate the couple. It was the first time the full team had been together since the previous store was closed - as no one wanted to miss the moment two of their own said 'I do'. Area Tara Collington secured the delivery van for Faye's wedding transport, while store manager Michael enlisted his mother to pull together the showstopper wedding cake - complete with a basket of shopping. Ms Reilly added: 'We couldn't be more grateful. Without Iceland, we wouldn't have met and the love and support we've received from our work family has been overwhelming. 'We truly are the luckiest people.' The pair's store manager even recruited his mother to bake a one-off Iceland delivery van cake for their reception - complete with groceries Ms Reilly and Mr Fox say they would never have met if it weren't for Iceland - which claims it is the UK's most loved-up supermarket for bringing couples together The pair have even been congratulated by Iceland boss Richard Walker, who said the firm had been 'absolutely thrilled' to have played a role in their big day. He added: 'It's clear how much they mean to their colleagues, past and present, and it's heartwarming to see how the Iceland family came together to celebrate with them. 'We wish them every happiness as they begin married life together and we're delighted our iconic delivery van could make one more unforgettable delivery.' Iceland has previously claimed it is the UK's most loved-up supermarket chain, sharing stories of couples meeting while working in the chilled aisles. Jeremy and Veraness Treganna, who met working in the Iceland in Wednesbury near Birmingham, went on to have three children, all of whom worked for the firm. Mr Treganna joked earlier this year: 'The wife says to me, you'll never retire you - they'll carry you out in a box from Iceland.' Last year the chain dropped its legendary slogan 'That's why mums go to Iceland' in favour of 'That's why we go to Iceland' - while also bringing This Morning star Josie Gibson in to front its latest adverts. The female teaching assistant stabbed to death by one of her students during a bag search at a school in France has been pictured. Melanie G., a 31-year-old mother-of-one, was attacked several times with a knife outside the Francoise Dolto secondary school in Nogent on Tuesday. She was said to have been taken into care in 'absolute emergency' before succumbing to her injuries within two hours. Melanie was the mother of a four-year-old child and lived in nearby Sarcey, where she also worked as a municipal councillor, Le Dauphine reports. She had celebrated her 31st birthday only a few days ago. Melanie had only been working at the school since the start of the school year, having recently retrained as a teaching assistant to have more time to take care of her child. She was 'simply doing her job by welcoming students at the entrance to the school', said Elisabeth Allain-Moreno, secretary general of the SE-UNSA teachers' union, after the attack. A neighbour described Melanie as a 'devoted' person, a 'very kind woman' and 'a good mother'. The offending pupil, 14, was arrested and taken into custody on Tuesday. The Education Minister told reporters that the boy had been a student representative in the school's anti-bullying program, and had twice been suspended for disrupting class. French President Emmanuel Macron said he would push for European Union regulation to ban social media for children under the age of 15 after the attack. He said he hoped to see results within the next few months. 'If that does not work, we will start to do it in France. We cannot wait,' he told the France 2 public broadcaster. 'Platforms have the ability to verify age. Let's do it,' he added. Melanie G, mother to a four-year-old child, was tragically killed in France She had only recently retrained as a teaching assistant, having previously worked as a hairdresser Backed by France and Spain, Greece has spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children's use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children's mental and physical health. Macron denounced what he called a 'senseless wave of violence', adding: 'We all stand with her family, her loved ones, her colleagues and the entire educational community.' 'The nation is in mourning and the government is mobilised to reduce crime,' he said on Tuesday. Aurore, a close friend of the victim, told BFMTV yesterday afternoon that Melanie had only recently been promoted a supervisor role. 'She was very happy to have this profession, she wanted to help young people. She really liked the work atmosphere,' she told the outlet. French daily JHM reported that the attack occurred shortly before 8.30am at the entrance to the school during a bag search for knives and concealed weapons. A gendarme detaining the student suffered a slight hand injury during the arrest, the gendarmerie said. The motive for the attack still remains unclear. France has witnessed a spate of deadly knife attacks in schools in recent months. In April, a teenage girl was killed and three students injured in a stabbing attack at a private school in western France. Law enforcement officers were instructed to carry out bag checks at schools across the country from March in a bid to quell the violence. By April, the education ministry reported that some 958 bag checks in schools had resulted in the seizure of 94 knives - nearly one in every ten bags searched. A general view of the Francoise Dolto secondary school in Nogent, eastern France Allain-Moreno said that the attack 'shows that nothing can ever be completely secure and that it is prevention that needs to be focused on.' A large emergency response force was quickly scrambled and support offered to students and teachers in the wake of the attack. Some 324 students were placed in lockdown. Classes on Tuesday and Wednesday were called off and students told to return home in small groups. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen denounced what she called the 'normalisation of extreme violence, encouraged by the apathy of the authorities.' 'Not a week goes by without a tragedy striking a school,' Le Pen said on X. 'The French people have had enough and are waiting for a firm, uncompromising and determined political response to the scourge of juvenile violence.' Education Minister Elisabeth Borne, who introduced the bag searches, said she would go to Nogent 'to support the entire school community and the police'. It was the first year such bag checks had been coordinated at the school as part of a national push. The rectorate said that there had been 'no particular difficulties' at the school until now. The bag checks had been organised well in advance, in conjunction with the gendarmerie, it added. Jean-Remi Girard, president of the National Union of Secondary Schools, said: 'It's impossible to be more vigilant 24 hours a day. 'We can't say that every student is a danger or a threat, otherwise we'd never get out of bed in the morning.' Ms Borne announced in February that bag searches would be implemented across the country this year, citing concerns about 'a much more widespread use of bladed weapons' among young people. The searches, she said, would be carried out by law enforcement officers and not teachers or assistants, 'since this does not fall within the remit of education personnel', the minister said at the time. Police started carrying out random searches for knives and concealed weapons at schools in March. Your browser does not support iframes. The attack and bag searches follow a series of violent attacks in French schools. In February, a 17-year-old high school student was seriously injured with a knife in the quad of his school in Bagneux. Then in April, a teenage girl was killed and three students injured in a stabbing attack at a private school in western France. The attacker was restrained at the scene after being restrained by a teacher at the Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides school in Nantes. After that attack, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called for 'more intensive checks around and inside schools'. Jobless benefits claims have spiked by nearly 40 per cent in some parts of the UK over the past year, grim figures have revealed. The scale of the increase in unemployment handouts over the past year has been laid bare amid mounting fears over the impact of Labour's raid on businesses. ONS estimates released yesterday showed a quarter of a million jobs have gone since Rachel Reeves' declared she was hiking national insurance, business rates and the minimum wage at the Budget last Autumn. And the so-called claimant count - showing the numbers receiving unemployment benefits, including in-work support - has also risen dramatically. UK-wide 1,733,645 people were claiming payments such as Universal Credit and JobSeekers Allowance in May, up 8 per cent or 128,355 on a year earlier. Your browser does not support iframes. ONS estimates showed a quarter of a million jobs have gone since Rachel Reeves' declared she was hiking national insurance, business rates and the minimum wage at the Budget last Autumn The increase has been particularly sharp among younger workers, with the retail and hospitality industry having been hard hit. There were 303,280 claimants aged 18-24 as of last month, 26,730 higher - 10 per cent - than the previous year. The claimant rate, the proportion of the working age population getting handouts, has gone from 3.8 per cent to 4.1 per cent. Analysis compiled by the House of Commons Library also underscores the contrasting fortunes of different areas. In Luton North the unadjusted claimant count was up 39 per cent, with the claim rate hitting 6.6 per cent. In Ealing Southall the count was up 32 per cent. In Birmingham Yardley there has been a 30 per cent spike, as the rate hit an eye-watering 12.1 per cent. But those increases were partly offset by falls in other places, such as Keighley and Ilkley where numbers dropped 13 per cent. The ONS figures yesterday revealed UK payroll numbers have shrunk by 276,000 over the past seven months. In May alone, payrolls fell by 109,000 the worst month since the pandemic. Meanwhile the unemployment rate climbed to 4.6 per cent in the three months to Appril, the highest in nearly four years. The claimant rate, the proportion of the working age population getting handouts, has gone from 3.8 per cent to 4.1 per cent across the UK Trade bodies pointed out that the impact of the NICs increase on jobs had turned out to be even worse than feared. At the time the tax raid was announced, forecasts from the Government's fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, predicted it would cost 50,000 jobs, while Deutsche Bank forecast 100,000 jobs would go. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, said: 'Losing more than 100,000 jobs across the economy in a month goes far beyond the worst-case scenario predicted by the Government's own fiscal watchdog, major banks, and countless business groups. 'We were clear at the time that the changes to NICs were a tax on jobs, and so it is sadly proving.' Using the phrase 'lads' at work could count as sex harassment, an employment tribunal has ruled, as a 95,000-a-year executive is in line for compensation. The use of the noun in a mixed work force may be 'unwanted conduct' based on sex, a judge has said. Such 'casual use of gender-specific language' might well be perceived as patronising by female members of staff, the panel warned. The ruling came in the case of a high-flying food executive who complained about her male boss's use of the phrase 'Lads, lads' when discussing the performance of a colleague who was a woman. Sally Ellis - a former executive at Cranswick Foods - said she was 'annoyed' with Matthew Briggs who she claimed was 'insulting, rude and derogatory'. While the tribunal found that the comments were 'unwanted' and 'thoughtless' it said that, in this case, they did not reach the threshold to 'violate her dignity'. But Employment Judge Sarah-Jane Davies said the fact that Mr Briggs did not intend to discriminate or cause offence 'does not mean that such language might not be perceived in that way'. However, the executive - who has dyslexia, ADHD and autism - is still in line for compensation after the tribunal found the company had discriminated against her and victimised her in the aftermath of her complaint. Sally Ellis - a former executive at Cranswick Foods - said she was 'annoyed' with Matthew Briggs who she claimed was 'insulting, rude and derogatory' Miss Ellis complained about Mr Briggs' use of the phrase 'Lads, lads' when discussing the performance of a colleague who was a woman. The hearing in Leeds was told Miss Ellis was Commercial Controller at Cranswick Foods's Yorkshire Baker plant when Mr Briggs was appointed Site Director and became her boss in June 2022. She was involved in a dispute with one of her employees after which she raised a grievance about her treatment. It's claimed that in August 2022, Mr Briggs had been unhappy that a female member of staff had been unable to get a better price on a product. '[He] asked [Miss Ellis], "Is she [the female colleague] replying straightaway, lads, lads, not good enough, go again?",' the tribunal heard. '[Miss Ellis said she] found Mr Brigg's assumption that they were not able to get better prices 'off the lads' insulting, rude and derogatory. 'She pointed out that one of the people they were negotiating with was also a woman.' At the tribunal Mr Briggs said 'lads' was a colloquial term he might use interchangeably with other non-gender words such as 'team' or 'squad.' But the the panel found that this use of language was 'unwanted' by Miss Ellis 'given her account of how it made her feel at the time, and that it was related to sex'. 'While Mr Briggs may say that he used the word as a general term for a group of people, it is nonetheless a gender specific word for a group of male people. 'The Tribunal found that asking whether a (female) negotiator had gone back to the client to say "lads, lads, not good enough, go again" did carry with it the implication that the people negotiating would be male, and that the female colleague was not being tough enough with them.' The panel described 'lads' as 'non complimentary use of gender specific language'. The following month Miss Ellis claimed Mr Briggs also referred again to getting a 'better price off the lads' when discussing bacon prices. 'This annoyed her,' the tribunal heard. 'She wanted to shout that women can negotiate too.' At the tribunal Mr Briggs said 'lads' was a colloquial term he might use interchangeably with other non-gender words like 'team' or 'squad. (file image) Despite Mr Briggs' denials he had said this, the panel ruled that he had and this too was 'unwanted' and related to sex. The tribunal heard that after her October grievance - which contained a series of other allegations about her treatment - Miss Ellis was suspended and eventually fired. She successfully sued for disability discrimination, victimisation and unfair dismissal for the way the company handled the disciplinary process and for her sacking. However, her sex discrimination claim in relation to the 'lads' comments were not upheld. 'Mr Briggs accepted that he used the word "lads"...and that this was language he used more generally,' the tribunal said. 'We also accepted her evidence about how this made her feel. 'The fact that Mr Briggs tries to treat people fairly and the fact that he did not intend to discriminate or cause offence does not mean that such language might not be perceived in that way. 'The complaint was not false.' However, the panel said that although it was 'unwanted conduct related to sex' the phrase did not amount to sex harassment in this case. '[Miss Ellis] was annoyed by it at the time. It made her feel that Mr Briggs was implying that she did not know how to negotiate, and that he thought that women were not tough enough negotiators. 'The Tribunal could understand how this casual use of gender-specific language, in the context of suggesting that a female negotiator needed to go back to the client and try again, might well be perceived as patronising or implying that women were not tough enough negotiators, regardless of how Mr Briggs intended it. 'However, the Tribunal found that it did not meet the threshold of violating [Miss Ellis's] dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, offensive, degrading or humiliating environment for her. 'She did not in fact perceive it that way and it would not have been reasonable for her to do so. 'It was a lower level of conduct, involving the thoughtless use of a gender-specific word rather than anything more serious that might violate dignity or create that overall environment.' A Brazilian book influencer was brutally stabbed to death in a food hall by a crazed cleaner who knifed her more than 20 times after she rejected him. Tais Bruna de Castro, 36, was eating her lunch in Beco Fino shopping centre in the neighbourhood of Jundiai, Sao Paolo, on Monday June 2, when a man approached her and launched his deadly attack on her. After stabbing Tais over 20 times, the knifeman, named as 40-year-old Claudio Elizeu, broke into an office and smashed windows and furniture, before police arrested him. Claudio, who worked as a cleaner in the shopping mall, told cops that he killed Tais because she was disinterest in a romantic relationship with him. They did not have a close friendship prior to the brutal killing, it is understood. Police continue to investigate influencer Marquez's murder under the country's femicide protocol, with her senseless killing being just another example of the high levels of gender-based violence in Latin America. Tais, who ran a reading blog called 'Reader Fashion', also worked as a travel agent in the shopping centre where she was tragically killed. The social media star's family said in a statement on her Instagram account, which boasts 8,311 followers: 'This week, our dear Tais Bruna, the owner of this profile, left us in a very sad and unbelievable way. Book influencer Tais Bruna de Castro was brutally killed after a cleaner stabbed her 20 times because she didn't want a relationship with him Tais was eating her lunch in the food hall of a Sao Paulo shopping mall when she was attacked 'Reader Fashion was one of her joys. Talking about literature, recommending new works and chatting with you made her day happier. 'We, her family, sincerely thank you for all the messages and prayers dedicated to her. 'Tais, we will love you forever.' Her callous killing is the latest in a spate of violence that has claimed the lives of Latin American influencers. Last month, a Colombian model and influencer was brutally shot dead by a hitman posing as a delivery driver. Maria Jose Estupinan, 22, was shot at point-blank range as she stepped outside her home in Colombia's northeastern city of Cucuta on Thursday. Chilling CCTV footage captured from outside her home shows the moment that Estupinan was struck, as gunshots can be heard ringing out in the background. The gunman can then be seen sprinting down the street, as the victim's mother screams in horror and desperately cries out: 'No, not my daughter!'. Tais, who boasted over 8,000 Instagram followers, also worked as a travel agent in the shopping centre where she was killed Also last month, a Mexican influencer was brutally murdered yesterday while live streaming to her followers after a motorbike-riding gunman opened fire on her salon. Footage showed the horrific moment 23-year-old TikToker and aesthetician Valeria Marquez was shot multiple times while broadcasting live from inside her beauty salon, Blossom the Beauty Lounge, in the western Mexican state of Jalisco. The video shows a smiling Valeria looking out of the window momentarily before bullets strike her once in the chest and twice in the head. Greta Thunberg was 'mistreated' by Israeli officials after security forces stormed the 'freedom flotilla' boat she was travelling on and detained the crew, an activist who was on board the Gaza-bound ship has claimed. Baptiste Andre told French media that 'there were acts of mistreatment' when Israeli authorities brought the group to the port of Ashdod to be processed. The French doctor, who was one of the 12 people on board the British-flagged humanitarian ship Madleen, said that there had been 'no acts of physical violence' against the group. However he claimed that members of the group, 'especially Greta', were put through 'sleep deprivation' and experienced 'mockery' from officials. 'As soon as [Thunberg] fell asleep, the immigration services came to wake her up,' he said. He added that music was also 'turned up loud' and that members of the immigration services 'danced in front of us'. Andre also alleged that the group had 'difficulties in accessing water and food' during their more than 24 hours in detention. 'It took three hours to get a piece of bread,' he said, adding that the detainees had difficulty accessing food, water and toilets. Baptiste Andre told French media that 'there were acts of mistreatment' when Israeli authorities brought the group to the port of Ashdod to be processed Crew members on board the Madleen hold up their hands during the Israeli interception An Israeli solider passes a bun to Greta Thunberg on board the Gaza-bound British-flagged yacht Madleen after Israeli forces boarded the vessel as it attempted to reach the Gaza Strip The Madleen, which sailed towards Gaza to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in the territory Images showed the deck splattered with an unidentified white liquid Andre has since returned to France after being deported from Israel by plane on Tuesday. Thunberg, who also arrived back in Europe on a deportation flight, told reporters yesterday that 'people were not being treated well' during her detention. 'I was not able to to say goodbye to people and I don't know what's happening. And there were many, many issues,' she said. Pressed for details on her treatment, she described the experience as 'very dehumanising. 'But of course, I have to stress nothing compared to what Palestinians are going through. I would prefer not to go into detail,' she insisted. She went on: 'I do know that there were major issues with people actually getting to talk to lawyers. 'When you look at the state of the world, everything feels meaningless. But unless you try to do everything you can, we lose our hope.' Asked by reporters about a viral picture of her smiling as an Israeli soldier offered her a sandwich when the boat was intercepted, Thunberg branded the gesture a PR stunt. Israel had shared pictures of the crew receiving sandwiches and water from soldiers, and said the crew were 'safe and unharmed'. Thunberg and Andre were among four who agreed to be deported immediately, with lawyers while all of them have been banned from Israel for 100 years, the rights group that legally represents some of them said in a statement. The remaining eight were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily, and brought before a detention review tribunal on Tuesday, rights group Adalah added. Baptiste Andre, along with other crewmembers on Madleen, appeared in a pre-recorded video when the yacht was intercepted. He says in the video that he was 'kidnapped' by Israel Swedish activist Greta Thunberg talks to journalists as she arrives at Arlanda airport outside Stockholm She was welcomed at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm by crowds waving Palestinian flags Of the 12 people on board the sailing boat Madleen, two French nationals agreed to be deported on June 10, while four others declined pending a court decision. Pictured: Thunberg was greeted by around 30 cheering supporters waving Palestinian flags amid a large media presence at the airport The activist group had set off from Catania in Italy on June 1 aboard the Madleen carrying what they called a 'symbolic' amount food and supplies for Gaza, the entire population of which the UN has warned is at risk of famine. Israeli forces intercepted the boat in international waters on Monday, allegedly shadowing the vessel with speedboats and drones before 'quadcopters' surrounded and sprayed the ship with an unidentified 'white irritant substance'. Images showed the deck of the charity vessel splattered with white liquid. Activist Yasmin Acar, among those on board, said it had been deployed by Israel and was affecting her eyes. 'Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio,' the coalition wrote on Telegram. Huwaida Arraf, the co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, told Al Jazeera that crew members had said their eyes were burning from the substance. 'We don't know what that chemical was. Some people reported that their eyes were burning,' they said. The IDF seized the ship and towed it to the port of Ashdod, where it took those on board to be processed before taking four to the airport to be deported. 'The passengers of the 'Selfie Yacht' arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to depart from Israel and return to their home countries,' the Israeli foreign ministry said on X. Israel's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday shared a photo of the disgruntled 22-year-old sitting on board the plane moments before the flight departed Israel's Ben Gurion airport 'Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority.' Thunberg landed in Sweden at around 10.30pm Tuesday night after a brief stop in France following her deportation from Israel. She was welcomed at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm by dozens of people waving Palestinian flags, who presented her with flowers and a keffiyeh scarf as they shouted 'free Palestine!' Thunberg yesterday vowed to return to the country despite the restrictions apparently placed on her. Asked in if she was scared when the security forces boarded the Madleen sailboat, Thunberg replied: 'What I'm afraid of is that people are silent during an ongoing genocide.' 'What I feel most is concern for the continued violations of international law and war crimes that Israel is guilty of.' She accused Israel of carrying out a 'systematic genocide' and 'systematic starvation of over two million people' in Gaza. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg (R) arrives at Arlanda airport outside Stockholm, Sweden, on June 10, 2025 A surveillance footage shows crew of the Gaza-bound British-flagged yacht 'Madleen', put their hands up as they are intercepted by Israeli boats early Monday morning Several rights groups including Amnesty International have accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza but Israel vehemently rejects the term. 'We must act, we must demand that our government acts, and we must act ourselves when our complicit governments do not step up,' Thunberg said. She rose to fame as a schoolgirl activist against climate change and seeks to avoid flying because of its environmental impact, going so far as to cross the Atlantic by sailboat twice. Thunberg vowed that they 'would not stop' trying to help and promised that 'this is not the end.' She told journalists shortly after landing in Paris: 'What is certain is that we will not stop. 'We are going to continue try to do everything we can because that is the promise that we have given to to Palestinians. 'We are going to try every single day in every way that we can and keep trying to demand an end to the atrocities.' Earlier in the day, Thunberg accused Israel of 'kidnapping' her in international waters, a claim she made previously in a dramatic pre-recorded SOS message released shortly after her detention. The activist, who has long eschewed air travel for environment reasons, was photographed on board an aircraft en route to France earlier on Tuesday - a moment that Israel's Foreign Ministry was quick to publicise, posting the image on social media platform X. Prior to her deportation, Defence Minister Israel Katz said he'd instructed IDF officials to show the activists the full, unedited footage of the October 7 attacks as recorded by Hamas terrorist body cameras. 'It is appropriate that the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organization they came to support and for whom they work is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself,' he said. Late on Monday night, he told reporters: 'Greta and her flotilla companions were taken into a room upon their arrival to the screening of the horror film of the October 7 massacre... when they saw what it was about, they refused to continue watching. 'The anti-Semitic flotilla members are turning a blind eye to the truth and have proven once again that they prefer the murderers to the murdered and continue to ignore the atrocities committed by Hamas against Jewish and Israeli women, adults, and children.' An image shared by the Israeli Foreign Ministry of what the ministry said were passengers on the Madleen Gaza-bound aid boat being given sandwiches Thunberg joined 11 activists in sailing to the Gaza Strip with a 'symbolic' amount of aid On June 10, 2025, Israel deported Swedish Greta Thunberg by plane to Sweden via France, after she was arrested on board an aid boat for Gaza with other pro-Palestinian activists who were taken to Ben Gurion airport for deportation Katz and other Israeli officials have come under fire for branding Thunberg and her fellow activists 'anti-Semitic' for wanting to deliver aid to starving Gazans. But Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said: 'This wasn't humanitarian aid. It's Instagram activism... 'Who's really feeding Gaza and who's really feeding their own ego? Greta was not bringing aid, she was bringing herself.' Meanwhile, the French government revealed that five of the six French citizens detained alongside Thunberg had refused to sign deportation orders, meaning they will now face judicial proceedings. US President Donald Trump did not miss the opportunity to wade in on the controversy. 'I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg. She's a young, angry person... I think she has to go to an anger management class,' he said. Thunberg responded to his comments, saying: 'I think the world needs a lot of more young, angry women, to be honest, especially with everything going on right now'. Croatian agriculture state secretary welcomes tuna's entry into Chinese market Xinhua) 11:25, June 11, 2025 ZAGREB, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Croatia's State Secretary of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has welcomed the entry of Croatian tuna into the Chinese market, as well as bilateral cooperation and ties between the two countries. Tugomir Majdak told Xinhua in an interview on Tuesday: "This is a significant step forward for Croatia, because until now we have exported tuna only to Japan. It now represents another possible market in terms of significance, but also in terms of volume." Croatian tuna and Bulgarian saffron were granted Chinese market access during the 4th China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Expo &International Consumer Goods Fair, held last month in Ningbo, eastern China's Zhejiang Province. The Croatian media has hailed this development as "an important milestone" for Croatia's aquaculture industry, particularly its tuna sector. Majdak, who headed a Croatian delegation and attended the Ningbo expo fair, told Xinhua that a total of 16 Croatian companies attended the Ningbo expo fair, which has opened up new opportunities for Croatia and other CEECs to promote economic and trade ties with China. He said the expo has brought opportunities for Croatian products such as olive oil, wines, milk, dairy products, and raw cowhides to enter the Chinese market. "We see there is room for additional cooperation and exports. I believe Croatian companies know how to seize this opportunity, and we are committed to increasing the presence of Croatian companies at this fair in the coming years, primarily in the food production sector," he said. Majdak also welcomed the cooperation and ties between the two sides. "Day by day, we can assess that the relationship is growing stronger." Hailing infrastructure projects like the (Chinese-built) Peljesac Bridge as a testament to bilateral friendship, the official said he believes the bilateral cooperation will continue to grow in more sectors. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Rough sleeping is to be decriminalised by Spring next year under radical plans by Labour to stop people becoming homeless in the first place. The number of rough sleepers has risen dramatically since 2010, from 1,768 people thought to be sleeping rough on an average night in England to 4,667 last year. Around three in 10 of those sleeping out are in London, up from around 23 per cent in 2010 - evidenced by US-style 'tent cities' that have cropped up in high-profile locations such as Park Lane and University College Hospital London. To tackle the issue, the Government says it will repeal the 1824 Vagrancy Act - a 200-year-old law first introduced to tackle mass rough sleeping following the Napoleonic Wars - and bring in 1billion of anti-homelessness initiatives. The move to repeat the Act was first announced in 2022 by the Conservatives, but was not brought to Parliament before Labour took power. Repealing the law will mean police will be unlikely to move on anyone rough sleeping unless they are behaving disruptively towards the public - and could see a rise in larger encampments. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said yesterday that the repeal of the Act would send 'a clear message that rough sleeping is not a crime to be punished'. The move has also been welcomed by homeless charities. Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, called it a 'landmark moment that will change lives and prevent thousands of people from being pushed into the shadows, away from safety'. Sleeping rough will no longer be a crime by next spring after the Government committed to repealing the Vagrancy Act (pictured: a homeless encampment on Park Lane) Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. He added: 'For 200 years the Vagrancy Act has meant that people who are homeless are treated as criminals and second class citizens. 'It has punished people for trying to stay safe and done nothing to address why people become homeless in the first place. 'We hope this signals a completely different approach to helping people forced onto the streets and clears the way for a positive agenda that is about supporting people who desperately want to move on in life and fulfil their potential.' The Government criminalised rough sleeping and begging in the 1820s amid rising concerns over the rising number of people who were resorting to sleeping outside - often soldiers homeless after the Napoleonic Wars. Subsequently, the law has been held up as a 'measure... of repression' by a 1906 Departmental Committee and efforts have been made to curtail it over the years. Much of the law has been repealed - including sections that allowed anyone to apprehend a rough sleeper and take them to local judges, and punishing the offence by whipping. Long gone, too, is a section that deemed fortune-tellers and palm-readers 'rogues and vagabonds'. But what remains of the act punishes the offences of begging and of continuing to sleep out after refusing or failing to apply for accommodation. It has still been enforceable in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but the powers have been used less frequently over time. In 2010, 2,760 prosecutions were brought under the Act in 2010, leading to 2,292 convictions. That fell to just 384 prosecutions and 298 convictions in 2023. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner says the repealing of the Vagrancy Act sends a message that 'no one should ever be criminalised simply for sleeping rough' It is not known whether the repeal of the act will lead to 'tent cities' - which can still be removed using anti-social behaviour powers Councils can move in and remove homeless encampments with court orders, as seen here in Park Lane in October last year Sleeping rough will no longer be considered a crime - though acts such as aggressive begging remain criminalised via other laws However, homelessness charities have said the Act is still used 'informally' to move people on with the threat of arrest alone. But with the repealing of the Act, it will no longer be a crime to sleep rough or to beg. The repealing of the act goes hand in hand with a raft of measures announced by ministers last December to tackle the root causes of homelessness. A 1bn bumper package of initiatives includes 633million to help prevent homelessness, 185million for shelters to tackle rough sleeping and tens of millions for long-term accommodation and drug and alcohol programmes. Ms Rayner said: 'No one should ever be criminalised simply for sleeping rough and by ending this archaic law, we are making sure it can never happen again. Of course, this does not mean that the job is done.' An individual who is, for example, harassing people, may still be prosecuted under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act in 2014. The 2014 Act has been used to issue dispersal orders in the past against so-called 'tent cities' - including, controversially, when a group of 10 tents was forcibly evacuated outside UCLH in November 2023. Tents were loaded into a bin lorry and crushed, with one man arrested after refusing to leave the area. Metropolitan Police chiefs later admitted the actions of police and council staff were 'unlawful'. The Government says it will also introduce new laws to tackle modern phenomena such as organised begging by gangs who send groups of people into town centres to ask for cash. It will also ban trespassing with the intention of committing a crime - an offence under the Vagrancy Act that will remain on the statute books. Council workers are seen removing tents from the Park Lane encampment in October 2024 Camden Council and the Met Police fell foul of the law after destroying people's tents in bin lorries in 2023 as they took down an encampment outside a hospital More than 4,000 people were sleeping rough on any given night in England last year, according to official estimates (file photo) It is not known whether the easing of the law could lead to US-style 'tent cities' (pictured: an encampment in San Francisco) The Government says it will spend 1billion on initiatives to combat the causes of homelessness as well as rough sleeping But the new Crime and Policing Bill will also increase the length of dispersal orders - used to break up homeless encampments - from 48 hours to 72 hours. It will also increase fines for public space protection orders - a type of anti-social behaviour order - from 100 to 500. The Home Office says these should not be used to tackle homelessness, but charities say their use continues regardless - particularly in Manchester, where the city council used a PSPO to tear down a tent encampment. Similar orders have also been introduced in Sheffield and Birmingham, effectively outlawing even non-verbal begging. Removing the act of vagrancy as a criminal offence will mean people who are sleeping rough without disturbing anyone or committing trespass on private property are not committing a crime. Whether it will lead to a rise in US-style 'tent cities' remains to be seen - but the issue has grown so great Stateside that the Supreme Court ruled that cities can ban people from sleeping out in public places last summer. The court, which voted 6-3 on the ruling, said it would not be unconstitutional to order homeless people not to sleep in public - but critics say it will not solve the deeper problems associated with homelessness. In February, MailOnline visited a tent encampment on land in London's Park Lane, directly opposite luxury hotels and supercar dealerships. Efforts have been made to move individuals on in the past, only for those living there - many of them migrants from eastern Europe and Africa unable to secure long-term housing - to set up nearby days later. One Sudanese resident, Hassan, said he had been in the UK for 20 years, but became homeless two years ago. The 44-year-old told our reporter: 'We come to this camp because nobody troubles us. The police never come. No one comes to tell us to go. 'The only people who come are from the charities to check that we are OK. We get help from different charities - places where you can get food and a shower. 'I would like a home to live in but this tent now is all I have.' Donald Trump told army soldiers at Fort Bragg yesterday that Los Angeles has been invaded by 'animals burning the American flag' as he defended his decision to deploy thousands of National Guard troops to quell protests against ICE arrests. The US President was at the North Carolina military base to recognise the 250th anniversary of the US Army, but spent much of the speech railing against 'foreign enemies' trying to prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from detaining immigrants. 'What you're witnessing in California is a full blown assault on peace, on public order and national sovereignty... with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country. We're not gonna let that happen,' he said. 'We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. That's what they are. 'These are animals, but they proudly carry the flags of other countries, but they don't carry the American flag. They only burn it.' The president went on to call LA 'a trash heap' with 'entire neighborhoods under control' of criminals, adding the government would 'use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order.' 'We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean and safe again,' Trump said. The ICE raids have sparked protests that brought Los Angeles to its knees, leading the mayor to introduce a lockdown from 8pm to 6am. But Trump is now set to deploy yet more ICE agents to five Democrat-run cities for sweeping arrests. The military-style units are set to storm New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia and northern Virginia, MSNBC reported. Four of those five are heavily blue cities, while northern Virginia contains the Democrat enclave of Alexandria. The reports came as California governor Gavin Newsom last night delivered a harrowing prediction for the rest of the country as he blasted Trump's deployment of troops to LA in a nationally televised address. 'Look, this isn't just about protests here in Los Angeles, when Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard. He made that order apply to every state in this nation,' Newsom said, as he teared up. 'This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes, this moment we have feared has arrived.' U.S. President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he leaves the stage during a rally with U.S. Army troops on June 10, 2025 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina Protesters in Los Angeles are seen climbing atop a destroyed car US President Donald Trump addresses a crowd of servicemen and women during a celebration open to the public in honor of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army on June 10, 2025 in Fort Bragg, North Carolina Donald Trump is set to deploy ICE tactical units to five Democrat-run areas after the riots in Los Angeles have put the city on lockdown California Governor Gavin Newsom (pictured) delivered a harrowing prediction for the rest of the country Tuesday night in a primetime address where he blasted Trump's deployment of US troops to the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles Newsom accused Trump of 'taking a wrecking ball to our founding fathers' historic project' of three co-equal branches of government. He blamed the federal government for the ongoing crisis in LA and issued a chilling warning that chaos could soon engulf other states too. 'Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there,' Newsom warned. 'This is a president who in just over 140 days, has fired government watchdogs that could hold him accountable, accountable for corruption and fraud. He's declared a war, a war on culture, on history, on science, on knowledge itself. Databases, quite literally, are vanishing.' DailyMail.com reached out to the White House for a response. Some of what has happened in Los Angeles has spread to the rest of the country. In New York, at least 45 people were arrested Tuesday as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets near Foley Square in Manhattan, The New York Post reported. The NYPD ordered a level three authorization against the marchers, many of whom also carried Palestinian flags in addition to signs calling for the abolishment of ICE. Police pepper sprayed some of the demonstrators, while they threw water bottles at officers. The city's Public Advocate Jumaane Williams - second in line to the mayor's office - spoke in favor of peaceful demonstrations. Donald Trump told army soldiers at Fort Bragg yesterday that Los Angeles has been invaded by 'animals burning the American flag' Trump takes the stage during a rally with US Army troops on June 10, 2025 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina California National Guard and US Customs and Border Protection watch demonstrators gather in front the Federal Building Demonstrators smash the windshield of a vehicle next to a burning Waymo vehicle as protesters clash with law enforcement in the streets surrounding the federal building during a protest following federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, California In New York, at least 45 people were arrested Tuesday as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets near Foley Square in Manhattan Thousands of protesters also took to the streets of downtown Chicago, vandalizing cars and clashing with police on Tuesday. A driver plowed into a group of protesters in the Loop, striking at least one pedestrian, as thousands marched through downtown Chicago protesting the Trump administration's ongoing immigration raids. The driver was stuck between police vehicles on State Street. Officers wanted to guide her away from the crowd and asked her to turn right on Monroe Street, but she ignored their orders and turned left, speeding into the crowd. No information was available at the driver and its not clear the extent of any injuries suffered, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In Portland, a small group of protesters set up camp outside an ICE facility and said they weren't leaving until their claims were addressed, KGW reported. Tons of marchers were also seen in the liberal city of Austin in deep red Texas. And in Atlanta, video showed protesters throwing fireworks at police officers as tear gas was seen being deployed. Thousands of protesters also took to the streets of downtown Chicago, vandalizing cars and clashing with police, while a driver crashed into a group of protesters in the city's Loop Tons of marchers were also seen in the liberal city of Austin in deep red Texas Newsom did briefly chastise protesters, whom he warned will be put in jail, during the speech trashing Trump as the state's biggest city goes on lockdown. The riot-ravaged Downtown area will be a no-go zone from 8pm to 6am on Tuesday and will continue indefinitely after violent demonstrators set fire to cars, looted buildings and attacked officers with rocks, fireworks and cement bricks in harrowing scenes of destruction. LAPD squads in riot gear began storming the streets immediately surrounding the Federal Building on Los Angeles St. in downtown Los Angeles shortly after Mayor Karen Bass's 8pm curfew went into effect. Police cars blocked off streets and uniformed officers fast marched to the location. Agitators were forced back half a block from the location but still swarmed the area. The intense tactical operation continued as officers, including mounted police, created so-called skirmish lines to push rioters away from other federal buildings on the same block. DailyMail.com witnessed cars with their lights off pulling up a block away. Four agitators wearing matching black hoodies and face masks piled out of each vehicle and began moving towards the lines of police. Despite the curfew order having been called, some protestors - waving flags and yelling - defiantly stared down police who watched on and stood their ground rather than make arrests. One protestor, a man aged in his early 20s with a Mexican flag draped over his shoulders, told Daily Mail: 'I know my own rights and am willing to be arrested unjustly. I have a right to be here and protest.' Despite the curfew order having been called, some protestors - waving flags and yelling - defiantly stared down police who watched on and stood their ground rather than make arrests Police officers mobilize to enforce a curfew after it went into effect during a protest against ICE raids People began chanting and cheering as motorcyclist performed donuts and burnouts in front of officers. White LAPD buses arrived on scene at 8:50pm as officers made plans to make arrests. A tipping point was reached at 9:05pm as police began making arrests outside the Federal Building. About a dozen people were arrested by cops and made to face a wall with their hands behind their backs and tied with zip ties before being marched on a white LAPD bus. Bizarrely, public buses still operated two blocks away from the dramatic scene. Bass said the curfew is expected to last several days and will encompass a square mile radius around the epicenter of the violence in Downtown LA. 'If you do not live or work in downtown LA avoid the area. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted,' Bass said. For five days now, rioters have wreaked havoc on communities as they railed against Trump's efforts to rid the city of illegal migrants. They were only further enraged when Trump gave orders to send 700 Marines and 4,100 National Guard troops in to take over policing efforts and assist the LAPD. Bass revealed at least 23 businesses have been looted during the ongoing violence and condemned some of the horrifying images which have emerged from the days of carnage. But Bass said the curfew was contained to where the violence was most apparent, noting: 'Some of the imagery of the protests and the violence gives the appearance as though this is a city wide crisis and is not.' California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers detain protesters near the 101 freeway ahead of Los Angeles being put on lockdown Law enforcement officers, including members of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Response Team and Homeland Security agents, arrest a demonstrator She hopes that by imposing a curfew and declaring a local emergency, she can 'stop the vandalism, stop the looting.' 'A curfew has been in consideration for several days, but clearly after the violence that took place last night and just the extensive widespread nature of the vandalism, we reached a tipping point.' While Bass refrained from locking down the entire Downtown, the LAPD has this week repeatedly issued alerts listing Downtown Los Angeles as 'unlawful assembly' zones in an effort to rid the area of any and all protesters. The regions impacted by the lockdown span from the five freeway to the 110 freeway, and from the 10 freeway to the point where the 110 and the five merge. The development comes as Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to stop the LA rioters, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the United States to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. 'If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see. But I can tell you, last night was terrible. The night before that was terrible,' Trump said. He repeatedly referred to 'bad, sick people' and 'agitators' he said were paid to wreak havoc. 'There are certainly areas of Los Angeles you could have called it an insurrection,' Trump said. It was terrible.' Los Angeles is considering implementing a curfew across riot-ravaged parts of Downtown in an effort to end pro-migrant protests which have gripped the city for five days A curfew is the natural next step in efforts toward regaining control of the city, as the LAPD ramps up arrests and cracks down on protesters breaching unlawful assembly orders. Hordes of protesters were zip-tied and forced onto LAPD buses en masse as authorities sought to bring an end to days of chaos and destruction. LAPD chief Jim McDonnell said protests had grown more violent as the week progressed. There were just 27 arrests on Sunday, with 40 on Sunday, 114 on Monday and nearly 200 by 6pm on Tuesday. He said public safety personnel, journalists and homeless people would be exempt from the order. The arrival of Trump's military reinforcements brought its own set of challenges on Tuesday, with furious Governor Newsom filing an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order. 'I just filed an emergency motion to block Trump's illegal deployment of Marines and National Guard in Los Angeles,' he said on X. 'Trump is turning the U.S. military against American citizens. The courts must immediately block these illegal actions.' For five days now rioters have wreaked havoc on communities as they railed against President Donald Trump's efforts to rid the city of illegal migrants A curfew is the natural next step in efforts toward regaining control of the city, as the LAPD ramps up arrests and cracks down on protesters breaching unlawful assembly orders The state said the order would 'prevent the use of federalized National Guard and active duty Marines for law enforcement purposes on the streets of a civilian city.' 'Federal antagonization, through the presence of soldiers in the streets, has already caused real and irreparable damage to the City of Los Angeles, the people who live there, and the State of California,' the filing stated. 'They must be stopped, immediately.' A judge denied the motion and instead granted the Trump administration an extension of time to respond to Newsom's filing. The federal government now has until 2pm on Wednesday to file its response. Newsom will then have an opportunity to file its opposition ahead of a hearing at 1.30pm Thursday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles will cost at least $134 million and last 60 days. 'We stated very publicly that it's 60 days because we want to ensure that those rioters, looters and thugs on the other side assaulting our police officers know that we're not going anywhere,' he said. 'Thankfully, unlike the previous administration, we've got a 13 percent increase in our defense budget, and we will have the capability to cover down on contingencies, which is something the National Guard and the Marines plan for. 'So we have the funding to cover down on contingencies, especially ones as important as maintaining law and order in a major American city. As far as training, all of the units on the ground have been fully trained in their capabilities of what they're executing on the ground.' Jeremy Clarkson has come under fire for a surprising American element to his pub which punters say is an affront to its '100% British' branding. The Farmer's Dog in Oxfordshire boasts of proudly backing UK farmers with its meat like lamb and venison all reared on home soil. But while the former Top Gear star quips on his website he has 'failed' to make a simple gin and tonic British and joked he 'can't run a pub that doesnt serve avocado or Coca-Cola' it seems these are not the only features to have broken tradition. Customers have taken to social media to voice their concerns about 'spending two hours listening to American themed music'. James Milligan said on X: 'Amazing birthday weekend in Cotswolds, visited Jeremy Clarkson's The Farmers Dog which prides itself on being 100% British. 'Food was unreal, but please change the music to suit. 'Spent the two hours I was there listening to American themed music.' Mr Milligan ended his complaint with the hashtag 'notbritish'. The former Top Gear star, pictured at the pub in August, has been taking a hard line on moaning diners lately, going so far as to ban one from his pub when they complained about high prices The Farmer's Dog in Oxfordshire boasts of proudly backing UK farmers with its meat like lamb and venison all reared on home soil. James Milligan said on X: 'Spent the two hours I was there listening to American themed music' Another comment read: 'No ketchup, no coffee but also no British artists/music playing. Plenty out there available. 'Will be returning though, food was amazing and well priced.' The Farmer's Dog brands itself as 'more than just a British pub' with its menu 'packed with ingredients produced on British farms'. Among the food on offer is gammon steak and Ham Hock Terrine. In 2007, Mr Clarkson famously drove around Alabama with the slogan 'Country and western [music] is rubbish' plastered on the side of his car which had been painted by his co-presenters in a bid to antagonise locals. The Grand Tour host bought The Windmill in Asthall near Burford for around 1m. After renovating the spot he renamed the watering hole The Farmer's Dog in recognition of his pets and his nearby farm, Diddly Squat. News of the 'American music' comes after customers' wrath was also ignited yesterday as a visitor posted a picture of her bill to the social media site after a Sunday lunch at the establishment on June 8. A string of Jeremy Clarkson fans have risked igniting the wrath of their hero after they took to Facebook to pick apart another customer's receipt from his pub (pictured) The hearty family meal out came to 174.04 including five roasts, some drinks, sides and a service charge. Bravely defending the price of her feast at The Farmer's Dog, the customer gushed about her culinary experience once she had made it into the packed pub. 'Went to the farmers dog yesterday, what a lovely experience,' she said. 'Very busy but once we were in the pub for our meal it was a relaxed atmosphere, the food was delicious staff were brilliant. 'Great price for 6 roast dinners & drinks. Highly recommend.' Fans were left bitterly split when an inevitable debate over the pub's prices kicked off, with a group of critics picking holes in the receipt. One said: 'Why add a service charge. You can't get your food unless they serve it and walking from kitchen to table is the same whether cost of food is 10 or 100. Why can't restaurants just price the food including their overheads?' Another added: '7 for a pint is a bit excessive.' A third posted: 'Looks great but 24 for a Sunday lunch should include the Yorkshire pud.' Russia is set to pass a grim milestone in its illegal war in Ukraine this week, with the millionth casualty expected in days, according to Ukraine. Vladimir Putin's forces have lost 999,000 soldiers from their ranks since the full-scale invasion began on February 24 2022, Ukraine's general staff claimed today. Kyiv said its army had neutralised 1,120 Russian soldiers in the past 24 hours. If the same number of dead and injured are reported tomorrow then the one million mark could be reached within hours. The figure provided by Ukraine is not far removed from estimates of Russian losses made by Western intelligence agencies. Last month, the UK's Ministry of Defence said that Russia has likely incurred around 950,000 casualties since the war began, with the average daily losses in April just over 1,200. Despite the heavy losses, Moscow has been relentless in its continued recruitment drive, with under trained conscripts being sent to the frontline to fuel its meat grinder attacks. Sir Lawrence Freedman, a leading battlefield strategist, described such human-wave attacks as 'largely useless, grinding stuff,' but added that 'there are no signs of exhaustion, they are just carrying on.' Russian servicemen take part in the Victory Day military parade rehearsal in Red Square A serviceman of the 43rd Separate Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fires a 2S7 Pion self-propelled gun toward Russian positions Vladimir Putin 's forces have lost 999,000 soldiers from their ranks since the full-scale invasion began on February 24 2022, Ukraine's general staff claimed Your browser does not support iframes. June has been a dismal month for Putin, with Ukraine's humiliating Operation Spiderweb drone attack said to have wiped out a third of his strategic bomber fleet on the first day of the month. The audacious raid saw more than 100 first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones smuggled into Russia and unleashed on four airbases. The drones filmed the moment they flew at planes and detonated, with Kyiv declaring afterwards that they had decimated 41 of Putin's prized aircraft - worth some 1.5billion - in a matter of minutes. The attack left the Kremlin seething and bent on retaliation, and there have been a record number of drone and missile attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks. The air raids on cities including the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa have escalated three years of daily bombardments, with Ukrainian civilians reported killed and injured every night. They have also come at the same time as Moscow outlined hardline demands - rejected by Kyiv as 'ultimatums' - to halt its invasion. US President Donald Trump has been urging the two sides to strike a peace deal Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has in turn called on the West to up the pressure on Russia with hard-hitting economic sanctions that he says would limit its capacity to wage war. He is expected to press that message with Trump and European leaders at a G7 summit in Canada, which kicks off on Sunday. Ukrainian soldiers react after returning from captivity during a prisoners' exchange between Russia and Ukraine : People walk past a burning building after a Russian combined missile and drone attack on June 10 in Kyiv fire broke out after a Russian airstrike on the Kharkiv region killed two people and wounded 37, on June 11 Two rounds of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have failed to yield a breakthrough in ending the war. Russia has rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire and demanded that Ukraine give up its territory and bid to join NATO. But the two sides agreed to swap more than 1,000 prisoners of war and hand over the bodies of dead soldiers, swapping groups of captured soldiers on Monday and Tuesday. Russian independent media outlet Mediazona along with BBC journalists identified some 106,000 Russian soldiers who had been killed in combat during the war. Experts have said the true figure is likely to be much higher - with the number believed to only cover between 45 per cent and 65 per cent of deaths, meaning as many as 230,000 Russian soldiers could actually have been killed. While Ukraine shares data on Russian casualties daily, it does not publish detailed figures on its own combat losses. Russian TU-95 Bear strategic bombers at the Olenya airbase on the Kola Peninsula being destroyed by Ukrainian drones thousands of miles away from the front line In February, President Volodymyr Zelensky made a rare admission by saying that more than 46,000 had been killed and 380,000 wounded since the outbreak of the war. These figures were widely seen as an underestimate, particularly as a leaked Ukrainian intelligence report stated last September that some 70,000-80,000 soldiers had been killed in action. But Moscow is also continuing to make incremental gains, despite the huge losses, Russian mechanised infantry units earlier reported that they have reached the western border of Ukraine's Donetsk region and along with a tank division are continuing their offensive against the adjacent Dnipropetrovsk region, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report. The Kremlin has said that Russia wants to carve out a buffer zone in Dnipropetrovsk, which is not one of the five Ukrainian regions that Moscow has claimed as its own territory. Greggs has opened up a new front in the long-running pasty war in Cornwall with the proposal of its seventh store despite local fury. The northern-based bakery chain had long struggled to establish itself in the home of the pasty with past attempts being abandoned due to the strength of local opposition. They were initially 'driven out' and dubbed the 'devil's spawn' by locals when they first tried to open in Saltash in 2019. However, after reigniting the conflict by opening in Cornwall's county town of Truro, the chain now has six stores across popular parts of the region. And it looks like Greggs is hoping to add a seventh as plans reveal what would be its newest site. The application submitted by The Motor Fuel Group (MFG) to Cornwall Council for planning permission to build a single-storey retail extension at a Morrisons petrol filling station in Bude. While the chain is not named in the application, the proposed floor plan provided with it includes details of a Greggs store in the extension. In a statement supporting the application, the company said: 'MFG is the UK's largest independent forecourt operator with over 900 sites offering a dual-fuel strategy, convenient retail and "food to go".' Greggs had long struggled to establish itself in the home of the pasty with past attempts being abandoned due to the strength of local opposition The application submitted by The Motor Fuel Group (MFG) to Cornwall Council for planning permission to build a single-storey retail extension at a Morrisons petrol filling station in Bude While the chain is not named in the application, the proposed floor plan provided with it includes details of a Greggs store in the extension Your browser does not support iframes. This follows the contentious opening of Greggs stores in Truro, Newquay, Launceston, Bodmin, Saltash, and Cornwall Services. Cornwall has historically been hostile to the bakery chain, best known for their sausage rolls and pasties due to the county's large independent bakery industry. Local Cornish pasty-making businesses had feared that the chain's low prices will undercut the local pastry economy, driving independent stores out of business. Opponents also raised concern the national chain does not produce pastries within the county, instead producing them in a factory in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Greggs was driven out of Cornwall in 2019 after opening its first Cornish store in the Tamar, which was quickly boycotted by locals and closed after just seven months. Despite the hostility, Greggs were undeterred and have continued to try and establish themselves. One Cornish pasty maker said previously: 'Cornwall is a funny place, people stick to what they know and the real thing. 'Factory made stuff doesn't cut it, it's not the same as a real Cornish pasty. Local Cornish pasty-making businesses had feared that the chain's low prices will undercut the local pastry economy. Pictured: A Greggs coffee and spicy vegetarian pasty Pictured A new Greggs bakery preparing to open in Truro in 2022 Pictured: Greggs bakery at the Saltash service station in Cornwall 'That's what they're fighting against, people here are used to the real thing. 'Greggs are massive brand but they're up against some stiff competition. 'Pasty makers here have been making them for a long time and we make the real McCoy, that's what Greggs are up against.' The move into Truro was seen as an all-out 'declaration of war' with the site a mere stone's throw from Cornish pasty makers Rowe's and Warrens. One resident described it as 'the Devil's spawn' and another saying that any new stores that try to open in Cornwall 'won't last'. Another added: 'How dare they place Greggs in Cornwall. 'It'll be a cold day in hell before you ever get me in one of them.' Despite the level of local opposition, the Cornish Pasty Association said it was up for the fight - and confident it would win the battle. A spokesperson said: 'Greggs does not make their products in Cornwall and therefore do not sell the highly prized, genuine PGI Cornish pasties that our members make. 'We believe it's important that people have a range of products to choose from and are confident that the Cornish pasty's future will not be jeopardised by the presence of Greggs.' Greggs has been contacted for comment. A British couple were hit with a 73,000 hospital bill after their toddler son collapsed on holiday - despite having travel insurance. Ayesha and Melissa Jevins, from Warrington, Cheshire, were visiting family in Florida when their one-year-old son Dylan was rushed to A&E with a mystery illness that left him 'skeletal'. They initially thought Dylan had picked up a stomach bug from the swimming pool after he began vomiting and lost his appetite. By the end of the weekend, Dylan was visibly thinner, dangerously dehydrated, and struggling to breathe. Doctors at a hospital in Orlando found his blood sugar levels were critically high and diagnosed him with type 1 diabetes - adding it was the most severe case they'd seen in a child so young. Ayesha said Dylan's care had been costing around 7,500 a day, with the total bill expected to reach up to 120,000 - only around 40,000 of which is likely to be covered by insurance. A relative has launched a GoFundMe page to help the couple cover the shortfall, which includes hospital transfers and several days of intensive care. 'That's just the insurance we ended up buying,' Ayesha said. 'I don't think you expect to need much more. In my head you think 40,000 is a lot of money. Ayesha and Melissa Jevins were hit with a 73,000 hospital bill after their toddler son Dylan, pictured, collapsed on holiday Ayesha, left, and Melissa, right, pictured with their son Dylan and daughter Callie, seven, on the plane to Florida where Dylan was rushed to A&E with a mystery illness 'We obviously didn't know of any medical issues so it was more to just cover him if he got a little bit ill. I don't think we ever expected to actually have a full-on hospital admittance. 'I'd warn people to double check their insurance and be careful of what the price cap is before they go away, just to be safe.' Ayesha said the shift in Dylan's condition came fast - and was terrifying to witness. 'On Monday he just went downhill fast and he went from being himself to being lethargic,' she said. 'He couldn't keep anything more than an ounce down before he immediately vomited it back up.' She said it was a change in his breathing that finally made them seek emergency help. 'It got to the point where he was panting like he couldn't breathe, but that was his own body trying to get rid of the acid and carbon dioxide in his system that he wasn't able to get rid of naturally. That was horrific to witness.' By the time they reached hospital, Dylan was in a critical condition. They initially thought Dylan had picked up a stomach bug from the swimming pool after he began vomiting and lost his appetite By the end of the weekend, Dylan, pictured with Callie, was visibly thinner, dangerously dehydrated, and struggling to breathe Doctors at a hospital in Orlando found his blood sugar levels were critically high and diagnosed him with type 1 diabetes Ayesha said Dylan's care had been costing around 7,500 a day, with the total bill expected to reach up to 120,000 Ayesha said the shift in Dylan's condition came fast - and was terrifying to witness 'By the time he got to the hospital he was just a skeleton,' Ayesha said. 'He had no meat on him and he had no water in him.' Doctors placed him on an IV drip and diagnosed diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially life-threatening complication of undiagnosed type 1 diabetes. His blood sugars are now being checked six times a day. 'I was really shocked and it was really scary when he first went into hospital,' Ayesha said. '[Doctors] said he was in critical condition. It was the youngest person they'd ever seen with it. 'If we hadn't taken him to the hospital the next step would've been to go into a coma and then if that hadn't have been treated he would've died. 'What was really hard for us is we may have taken him sooner in England because there's not the same financial pressures. It's so unlucky it happened now.' The family are planning to return to the UK on June 10, where they'll meet with NHS specialists to manage Dylan's condition long-term. 'It's been really hard for us,' Ayesha said. 'We're really lucky we have family that have been able to help us. If we'd been on our own, I don't know how we would've coped. She added it was a change in his breathing that finally made them seek emergency help His blood sugars are now being checked six times a day The family are planning to return to the UK on June 10, where they'll meet with NHS specialists to manage Dylan's condition long-term Ayesha added: 'If we hadn't taken him to the hospital the next step would've been to go into a coma and then if that hadn't have been treated he would've died' 'I'd do it any day because it's my son's life. It's worth more than any amount of money. 'The help means a lot and the sense of community from people donating to the fundraiser, and just to be able to know that we've got people supporting us. 'It definitely wasn't what we expected. If you notice something, even if it's the smallest thing, just go and get it checked. 'But also, if you don't notice it and it does get to this stage, it's not your fault. It's not something you expect it to be.' Rachel Reeves has vowed to end the costly use of hotels to house asylum-seekers but not for up to four years. In her Spending Review speech, the Chancellor said migrants would be moved out of hotels by the end of the current Parliament, with the next general election not due until 2029. She also promised 1billion of savings by speeding up the asylum system, along with 280million more investment in future years for the new Border Security Command. The party opposite left behind a broken system: billions of pounds of taxpayers money spent on housing asylum seekers in hotels, leaving people in limbo and shunting the cost of failure onto local communities. We wont let that stand, Ms Reeves told the Commons. So I can confirm today that, led by the work of the Home Secretary, we will be ending the costly use of hotels to house asylum seekers in this Parliament. Rachel Reeves leaves 11 Downing Street on Wednesday morning on her way to deliver the Spending Review to Parliament The Chancellor, flanked by Sir Keir Starmer and her deputy Darren Jones, addresses MPs Home Secretary Yvette Cooper attends the weekly Cabinet meeting in Downing Street after a row with Rachel Reeves over her department's upcoming budget But the Tories said taking asylum-seekers out of hotels would simply move them into rented accommodation across the country, while speeding up asylum decisions would mean more people granted leave to remain. Julia Lopez wrote on Twitter/X: The Home Office just wants people off their books as fast as possible - straight onto the books of local councils. That means more positive asylum decisions - only making it more attractive to cross. And so it will go on. Shadow Home Office minister Matt Vickers added: Rachel Reeves claims Labour will end the use of asylum hotels. But if they wont commit to deport all illegal immigrants, where will they go? Coming to a house on your street? Latest figures show 3.1billion was spent on housing asylum-seekers in hotels in 2023-24, out of a total asylum support bill of 4.7bn. More than 30,000 asylum-seekers are currently housed in about 200 hotels across Britain, and ministers are currently looking at moving them into derelict tower blocks and student digs instead. The Spending Review document published by HM Treasury shows the Home Offices budget will fall by 2.2 per cent in real terms over the next few years, from 22billion in the current financial year to just 22.3bn in 2028-29. Earlier this week Downing Street was forced to deny claims that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was on resignation watch after heated discussions with the Chancellor over her departments budget. A pilot has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after smuggling more than 50kg of methamphetamine into Australia from Papua New Guinea. Bernard Hamilton-Alexander, 54, was this week handed the sentence in the Bundaberg District Court after pleading guilty to importing the illicit drug in May. Police accused him of piloting a 'black flight' - a name given to flights that are done in secret - after he took off from Wilton, a rural area south of Sydney in a twin-engine Beechcraft light plane. He was arrested on March 21, 2023, on the return leg of the flight in the rural Queensland town of Monto, located about 500km northwest of Brisbane, which was the refueling point. Hamilton-Alexander had flown the light aircraft between Monto and Papua New Guinea where he collected five duffel bags from a remote airstrip. Inside were 87 plastic bags containing a white crystalline substance. The pilot hid the duffle bags in the plane before switching off the plane's transponder to avoid radar detection on the way home. The plane was pounced upon by police when it stopped for a refuel in Monto, with crown prosecutor Kim Bryson telling the court police found the bags held over 70kg of material, which equated to around 56kg of pure methamphetamine. Ms Bryson said the drugs had an estimated street value of between $11million and $17million when sold in 0.1g quantities. Australian Federal Police arrested five men in connection to the 'black flight' from Papua New Guinea (pictured, police at the men's alleged refuelling station in Monto, Queensland) The pilot collected five duffle bags from a remote airstrip in PNG before turning off the plane's transponder to avoid detection She described him as 'instrumental' to the smuggling operation, highlighting that he not only piloted the plane but also recruited a co-pilot to assist with the flights. Police alleged John Otto Horvath, 52, was the co-pilot and he was arrested with Hamilton-Alexander. The pilots allegedly worked alongside three other men, Brian Pracey, Peter Payne, and Nathan Bailey, who police said acted as the ground crew for the drug operation. Hamilton-Alexander's defence lawyer, Callum Cassidy, acknowledged his client's involvement but claimed he had no leadership role, arguing he was 'little more than a paid hand.' However, Justice Graeme Crow rejected that claim, telling the court he 'was an important paid hand.' The court heard that Hamilton-Alexander was promised $500,000 for his role in the drug smuggling operation. The 54-year-old not only coordinated multiple flights but also arranged for the light aircraft to be transported from Orange, New South Wales. He was further responsible for organising additional fuel deliveries to the Monto airport to support the mission. Bernard Hamilton Alexander was jailed for 11 years, with a non-parole period of 8 years The street value of the drugs is estimated to be between $11million and $17million dollars Key evidence that led to the group's arrest included intercepted phone calls and audio recordings captured by a hidden listening device placed inside the aircraft. The Australian Federal Police used the intelligence to build their case against the group. During sentencing, Justice Crow described Hamilton-Alexander's actions as 'serious and calculated,' and also noted they were 'really unexplainable.' The court heard that Hamilton-Alexander had no prior criminal record and had never used illicit substances. 'It's extraordinary that a man like you, with your limited criminal history, would get involved in this venture. Just extraordinary,' Justice Crow remarked. Alexander was sentenced to eleven years in prison, with a non-parole period of eight years. Shocking footage has captured the moment LA police shot a British photographer in the head with a rubber bullet as the city was rocked by violent riots on Sunday evening. Father-of-two Toby Canham, who was on assignment for the New York Post, was filming videos of the chaos from an elevated level when a California Highway Patrol officer suddenly fired at him, leaving him with a severe head wound. Disturbing footage taken by Canham captured the moment he was struck in the forehead, which caused him to fall to the ground. 'F**k, f**k, I just got shot in the head!' the photographer can be heard screaming from behind the camera. Just moments before he was struck, Canham's video showed a police officer positioning himself behind a pillar. It is unclear why Canham was hit. The LA-based photographer, who had previously served for the British Army, was treated in hospital for whiplash and neck pain. Images show the bloody red wound he was left with on his forehead. Shocking footage has captured the moment LA police shot a British photographer in the head with a rubber bullet Toby Canham, who was on assignment for the New York Post, was filming videos of the chaos from an elevated level when a California Highway Patrol officer suddenly fired at him The LA-based photographer was treated in hospital for whiplash and neck pain Speaking about his harrowing ordeal, Canham said: 'When I got whacked, to my best recollection it was just me filming with my cameras on and then I got shot,' said Canham. 'Where I was hit, I was the only person overlooking the freeway. I wasn't surrounded so I was an easy target.' Seconds before he was hit with the rubber bullet, a flashbang initially exploded a few feet from him, causing shrapnel to kick up and leave two holes in his clothes. Los Angeles is currently in its fifth day of protests against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Demonstrations have spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin, Texas, Chicago and New York, where a thousand people rallied and multiple arrests were made. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and said a curfew will run from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday. 'We reached a tipping point' after 23 businesses were looted, Bass said during a news conference. The curfew covers a 1 square mile section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. Los Angeles is currently in its fifth day of protests against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown Demonstrations have spread to other cities nationwide Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and said a curfew will run from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. It's one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles as part of his crackdown on immigration. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of 4 million. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of 4 million Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids Despite the protests, immigration enforcement activity has continued throughout the county olice and national guards take measures as thousands of anti-ICE protesters are gathered outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center and Federal Building and take streets in Los Angeles, California on June 10, 2025 Despite the protests, immigration enforcement activity has continued throughout the county, with city leaders and community groups reporting ICE present at libraries, car washes and Home Depots. School graduations in Los Angeles have increased security over fears of ICE action and some have offered parents the option to watch on Zoom. McDonnell said that police had made 197 arrests on Tuesday, including 67 who were taken into custody for unlawfully occupying part of the 101 freeway. Several businesses were broken into Monday, though authorities didnt say if the looting was tied to the protests. The former leader of the Scottish Tories sparked fury today after chairing a Holyrood committee while 4,000 miles away in the Caribbean. Douglas Ross acted as convener of the education committee via video-link from an official visit to the Turks and Caicos Islands. The meeting room in Edinbugh was packed with MSPs ready to question SNP education secretary Jenny Gilruth, children's minister Natalie Don-Innes, and higher and further education minister Graeme Dey. He got up at 4am local time to chair the 9am BST meeting, but refused to hand over control to deputy convener Jackie Dunbar - who was in the committee room - because there was nothing in the rules to say he could not chair from abroad. But it comes months after the Scottish Tories criticised SNP MSP Evelyn Tweed for voting at a committee via videolink from the Cayman Islands. Former Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie told the meeting: 'It is wholly inappropriate and unprofessional for Douglas Ross to even attempt to chair the Education Committee 4,000 miles away in the Caribbean. 'This is especially the case when questioning the three ministers for education on issues such as temporary contracts for teachers, school violence, the University of Dundee, the future of colleges, The Promise, additional support needs and so much more. 'These issues deserve a convener who is in the room rather than attempting to conduct affairs in the middle of the night in the Turks and Caicos islands.' But Mr Ross hit back, saying he told MSPs last week that he planned to appear remotely and no one complained until today. 'Often MSPs are criticised for being work shy but I don't think that accusation can be levelled at me given my determination to fully take part in this meeting,' he said. Douglas Ross acted as convener of the education committee via video-link from an official visit to the Turks and Caicos Islands. The meeting room in Edinbugh was packed with MSPs ready to question SNP education secretary Jenny Gilruth, children's minister Natalie Don-Innes, and higher and further education minister Graeme Dey. Mr Ross, who arrived in the archipelago on Monday and will return on Thursday, had said beforehand he would still attend the committee. 'I'm very pleased that the session ran so smoothly and all members were able to question the Education Ministers on a number of crucial topics.' The former Scottish Conservative leader is in the Caribbean as part of a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association seminar following a nomination by Scottish Parliament members of the association. Mr Ross, who arrived in the archipelago on Monday and will return on Thursday, had said beforehand he would still attend the committee. During the session, Mr Rennie said his appearance from the Caribbean 'doesn't make you look good and it doesn't make this committee look good'. He had asked Mr Ross to hand over his duties on Wednesday to the vice-convener. Mr Ross said he was happy to hear concerns and allow deputy convener Ms Dunbar to convene the committee. Following a brief suspension, Ms Dunbar said the rules for conveners did not distinguish between a virtual or physical appearance at the committee, and Mr Ross convened the rest of the meeting. SNP MSP George Adam also lashed out at Mr Ross for 'convening this from a tropical island on the other side of the world'. 'I am, for the record, not happy. I find this meeting farcical, the fact that you could even think you could do that online from the other side of the world,' he said. 'To be fair, it's the best behaved you've been in the past couple of weeks so perhaps being online suits you and not actually meeting people in person is maybe not your best way forward. 'The aggressive manner and the lack of respect you've shown to people who have come to the committee in the past have actually made this Parliament look bad. 'I want to put that on the record because we have tried on numerous occasions to talk to you, take you aside and ask you to do the right thing, but you continue with your continued behaviour and quite frankly I think it makes you look small and pathetic.' Two pub consultants who left Jeremy Clarkson's pub only 48 hours after its opening have snapped back online amid an online storm over 40,000 umbrellas. In last two episodes of the Amazon Prime show, Clarkson's Farm, pub advisors Sue and Rachel Hawkins were hired to help usher the Farmer's Dog in the right direction. The duo, known in the Cotswolds for their pub transformations, raised eyebrows among fans with their expensive suggestions despite Clarkson's 25,000 budget. And it was the suggestion of 40,000 umbrellas, shot down by the broadcaster who owns the watering hole in Asthall, Oxfordshire, that left viewers particularly enraged. The pair gave up their duties only two days after opening, after a tense conversation with Clarkson about the tavern's 'many issues'. As the three sat down together, Rachel described the building as 'not really fit for purpose', urging the former Top Gear presenter to chat with his kitchen staff. 'There are too many issues for us to run a successful business from this site, with failing water, no toilets, no gas, leaking roofs, and struggling staff.' Sue chimed in, saying: 'Everyone is exhausted... there's no staff room. They're weeing in a porta-loo. It's not lovely conditions. They love you and they love working here because of that. 'They're excited about the British food, and everything this pub is, they want to get behind it... but they're working 14-hour days.' Pub consultants, Sue (centre) and Rachel Hawkinshave faced criticism from Clarkson's fans this week after leaving the pub only 48 hours after it officially opened Rachel has since taken a swipe back at Clarkson after the broadcaster confessed he caved in and purchased the umbrellas, having initially refused to In a somewhat tense exchange between the three, the duo famed for their pub transformation in the Cotswolds raised the pubs 'many issues' with Clarkson After the episode aired, fans sunk their claws into the duo, dubbing them 'horrendous', criticising their 'attitude' as well as their sudden departure. But Rachel has since hit back at fans as well as the petrol head, after he confessed on Instagram that her and Sue's expensive umbrella suggestion was the way to go. Clarkson, 65, wrote beneath a picture of the 'controversial' outdoor gear: 'Turns out Sue and Rachel had a point. The Farmer's Dog Pub did need big umbrellas after all.' Rachel, whose long-term partner is former National Hunt jockey Will Kennedy, was quick to quip back. She shared Clarkson's snap on her own Instagram and replied: 'And behold... the exact 40k umbrellas that have been the topic of so much discussion. 'Not blocking the view and providing a year round weather solution with heating and lighting in order that 75 guests can dine.' Earlier today, Clarkson's Farm fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their fury about the women's attitude towards Clarkson during the show's finale. 'These two took all the money and after just two days of operation, claimed the building was not suitable as a pub, quit, and left all the mess behind,' one quipped. Rachel Hawkins was one of the pub advisors hired to help usher the Farmer's Dog in the right direction Many rushed to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts on the duo with several fans unhappy with their attitude 'These 2 "experts" the entire time had no issues with the pub, just wanted Jeremy to spend, spend, spend. 'Tough opening and they both just f**k off, saying building's knackered. Where was that thought process before opening? Absolute frauds. 'Never have I seen 2 people promise so much and deliver so little. I have a burning hatred of everything they are. 'They took on a job, they didnt raise imperative issues before hand and just let people suffer and stress.' One viewer questioned: 'So Sue and Rachel just walked out after two days, is that how experts normally operate when things go wrong?' Another branded the duo as an 'awful pair of individuals', in a vicious swipe before adding: 'Happy as Larry when taking the money, but jump ship as soon as the going gets tough.' Sue and Rachel are very familiar with the quaint Cotswolds pub scene, with their tavern, The Hare at Milton-under-Wychwood, bagging the title of top pub in the county. Rachel also enjoys a lavish life in the countryside, having previously put her 2.8million home up for a raffle where tickets were 10 each. The hospitality entrepreneur has also rubbed shoulders with ITV royalty Sarah Kate Byrne, styling racegoes with her ahead of the Royal Ascot Derby. It comes after a string of Clarkson fans risked igniting the wrath of their hero earlier today after sharing their opinions on a receipt for Sunday roast at his famed haunt. Joanna Teresa, a visitor to The Farmer's Dog, posted a picture of her Sunday lunch bill to the social media site. The hearty family meal out came to 174.04 - including five roasts, some drinks, sides and a service charge. Bravely defending the price of her feast at The Farmer's Dog, the customer gushed about her culinary experience once she had made it into the packed pub. 'Went to the farmers dog yesterday, what a lovely experience,' she said. It comes after a string of Jeremy Clarkson fans have risked igniting the wrath of their hero after they took to Facebook to pick apart another customer's receipt from his pub (pictured) Joanna coughed up 24 for a roast beef dinner, with those looking to tuck in to a beef and pork medley required to part with 26 The former Top Gear presenter seen walking among pieces of farm machinery at the tractor sale in Sutton, near Ely in Cambridgeshire. His trusted farm manager Kaleb Cooper (right) was also spotted at the event A large film crew was seen with Clarkson and Cooper as they attended the auction to sell his colossal 85,000 tractor Jeremy Clarkson has sold his new Lamborghini tractor (pictured) just months after making the agonising decision to buy it 'Very busy but once we were in the pub for our meal it was a relaxed atmosphere, the food was delicious staff were brilliant. 'Great price for 6 roast dinners & drinks. Highly recommend.' Joanna coughed up 24 for a roast beef dinner, with those looking to tuck in to a beef and pork medley required to part with 26. A portion of honey and mustard chipolatas cost 5 while an extra Yorkshire pudding added 1.50 onto the bill. When it came to drinks, Clarkson's Hawkstone Premium lager were priced at 7 per pint - Joanna's group indulged in two of these - while a medium glass of white wine set the group back another tenner. Another added: '7 for a pint is a bit excessive.' A third posted: 'Looks great but 24 for a Sunday lunch should include the Yorkshire pud.' Elsewhere on the famed Diddly Squat farm, Clarkson sold his new Lamborghini tractor just months after making the agonising decision to buy it. The former Top Gear presenter was spotted at a farm machinery and tractor sale in Sutton, near Ely in Cambridgeshire, selling his colossal 85,000 tractor. He was seen attending the auction on Monday alongside his trusted farm manager Kaleb Cooper, 26, as well as a large film crew. Britain will endure intense rainfall over the coming days along with thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds and hail as temperatures soar to 30C. The Met Office has activated three yellow thunderstorm warnings for parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, running between tomorrow and Saturday. And with the mercury rising towards Friday, the UK Health Security Agency has issued the first heat-health alert of the year which covers three regions of England. The UKHSA's yellow alert is in place from 9pm tomorrow until 8am on Sunday and covers the East of England, the East Midlands, London and the South East. Under UKHSA and the Met Office's Weather-Health alerting system, a yellow alert means there could be an increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people. It may lead to an increase in risk to health for individuals aged over 65 or those with pre-existing health conditions, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: 'Our findings show that even moderate heat can result in serious health outcomes, especially for older adults, and it is therefore important that everyone takes sensible precautions while enjoying the sun. The first thunderstorm warning covers South West England and most of Wales, running from midnight tonight until 1pm tomorrow with 50mph gusts and 40mm of rain in three hours The second thunderstorm warning for Northern Ireland begins at 6am tomorrow and will run until 9pm, with the Met Office again expecting 40mm of rain in three hours and 45mph winds The third thunderstorm warning for South East England including London includes a forecast of 50mm of rain with a 'risk of even greater accumulations should thunderstorms line up' 'The forecasted high temperatures are expected to be short-lived but could primarily impact those over the age of 65 or those with pre-existing health conditions. 'If you have friends, family or neighbours who are more vulnerable, it is important to check in on them and ensure they are aware of the forecasts and are following the necessary advice.' The three Met Office thunderstorm warnings 1) South West England and Wales, 0am tonight until 1pm tomorrow - 40mm (1.6in) of rain in three hours; 2) Northern Ireland from 6am until 9pm tomorrow - 40mm (1.6in) of rain; 3) South East England including London - 50mm (2in) of rain. Advertisement The Met Office has issued yellow thunderstorm warnings as the warmer weather arrives. The first covers South West England and most of Wales, running from midnight tonight until 1pm tomorrow with 50mph gusts and 40mm (1.6in) of rain in three hours; The second for Northern Ireland begins at 6am tomorrow and will run until 9pm, with the Met Office again expecting 40mm of rain in three hours along with 45mph winds; And the third for the South East including London includes a forecast of 50mm (2in) of rain with a 'risk of even greater accumulations should thunderstorms line up'. Met Office chief meteorologist Neil Armstrong said: 'A weather system will push northwards through tomorrow, bringing heavy rain and a risk of thunderstorms to parts of southwest England, most of Wales, and later into Northern Ireland. 'Forty millimetres of rain could fall in three hours or less, leading to the potential for disruption. Further thunderstorms will develop during the afternoon across England and Wales, moving quickly northwards with hail and lightning. 'Temperatures will remain high, with 26 or 27C possible again in the north Midlands and parts of north London.' The UK Health Security Agency has issued a yellow heat-health alert from 9pm tomorrow until 8am on Sunday - it covers the East of England, the East Midlands, London and the South East Further rain is expected in western areas early on Friday as a low pressure system to the West draws in more warm, moist air from the south. Deputy chief meteorologist Tony Wisson said: 'By Friday afternoon and evening, heavy and thundery showers are likely to spread across southeastern England and East Anglia, tracking north-eastwards overnight. 'There is currently some uncertainty around the exact location and intensity of the thunderstorms, but there is a risk that some areas could see 30 to 50mm of rain, with a risk of even larger accumulations possible. 'With much of the rain falling in a short space of time there is a risk of impacts such as surface water flooding. Frequent lightning, gusty winds and hail could pose additional hazards.' The Met Office said Friday is expected to be the warmest day of the period, with temperatures reaching 28C (82F) or 29C (84F) with the 'chance of 30C (86F) in some isolated spots in eastern areas'. This warm spell is expected to feel different to the prolonged sunny weather experienced last month because the humidity will be much higher, and conditions will therefore be more uncomfortable for many especially overnight. By Saturday, rain is expected to shift further north into northern England and southern Scotland - before a cooler westerly flow will develop on Sunday. People swim at Banbury Lido at Woodgreen Leisure Centre in Oxfordshire this morning The sun rises and the mist begins to clear over the Somerset Levels this morning The Strawberry Moon rises over St Mary's Lighthouse at Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear today Conditions are then set to become increasingly settled in the South into the start of next week as high pressure builds, with the North likely to remain more changeable. Dr Andy Whittamore, clinical lead at the charity Asthma + Lung UK, said: 'Hot summer weather can bring on asthma symptoms like chest tightness, coughing, breathlessness and wheezing for some people. 'The exact causes are not fully understood, but it's thought that the warmer air may cause the airways to narrow. Additionally, during hot weather, there tends to be an increase in pollen levels, which can trigger potentially life-threatening asthma attacks.' He added that hot and humid weather can worsen symptoms in people with other lung conditions, suyh as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), especially if they become dehydrated. Dr Whittamore advised anyone with a preventer inhaler to use it every day as prescribed - and if they have a reliever inhaler, keep it with them for quick relief if needed. Ukraine's former foreign minister has starkly warned that British mothers must accept their sons have to die defending Europe, otherwise there is no Nato. Dmytro Kuleba told Metro that Vladimir Putin's goal was to 'expose' the 'falsehood' of the Nato alliance, which has a mutual assistance clause that compels its members to fight for each other in the event of an attack of another member. He said: 'Putin may invade Nato territory soon so now what? Is Nato going to send a division to fight back?' Many people believe that the real test for Nato is whether the US is going to fight for Europe. The real test will be whether British mothers will actually accept that their sons have to die for Finland or Estonia or Poland. If they dont, there is no Nato.' The chilling warning comes after Germany's spy chief warned that Putin is plotting to attack a Nato territory to test the bloc's mutual assistance clause. This is is how World War II started. Why fight for Danzig [now the city of Gdansk]? Lets give it to Hitler, it is just a city in Poland. Why should we die for it? That was the question asked by western European nations [at the time]. And this is exactly the question that Putin is going to pose to Nato. Europe is already spending money on weapons, but it has to do so much faster. Dmytro Kuleba told Metro that Vladimir Putin 's goal was to 'expose' the 'falsehood' of the Nato alliance A High Mobility Artillery Rocket System of the Ukrainian army fires close to the frontline at the northern Kherson region in Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the security council But the real question is, who is going to tell the voters that the threat of the war is real? Mr Kubela, who was in office between March 2020 and September 2024, said his warning comes from personal experience, telling Metro that as minister of foreign affairs during Russia's invasion, he made the mistake of believing that Russia would withdraw after losing 'like 10,000, 20,000 soldiers.' But as Russia nears the point of having one million soldiers killed or wounded in Ukraine since war broke out in February 2022, he pleaded with British citizens not to underestimate Putin. He said: People in Britain or any other country can listen to what Im saying or they can decide that I am a warmongering Ukrainian who is trying to pull them into my war. I am perfectly fine with any choice they make. What I can say, what I can urge them, is not to repeat our mistakes. The biggest mistake Ukraine made was that we did not believe that this can happen to us on this scale. We, in Ukraine, also believed that it is not going to happen to us because Putin would never dare to do it. So this is the mistake that people are making. I look around in Europe and I just see the same pattern happening. The same pattern of behaviour. Do you think that if Ukraine was able to attack airfields in Russia, 1,000 miles away from Ukraine, Russia is not able to attack any piece of infrastructure in any European country? That would be a very, very big mistake to think so. Earlier, Bruno Kahl, the outgoing head of Germany's federal intelligence service (BND), said in a rare interview that it has 'concrete' evidence Russia no longer believes Nato's Article 5 will be honoured. The real test will be whether British mothers will actually accept that their sons have to die for Finland or Estonia or Poland . If they dont, there is no NATO', said Mr Kubela Russian troops from the Western Military District in tank ambush drills Vladimir Putin is plotting to attack a Nato territory to test the bloc's mutual assistance clause, Germany's spy chief has warned This is the clause which guarantees that if one member is attacked, all others will come to its aid. He told the German podcast Table Briefings: 'We see that Nato is supposed to be tested in its mutual assistance promise. There are people in Moscow who don't believe that Nato article 5 still works.' He said: 'We are very sure, and we have intelligence evidence to back this up, that [Russia's full-scale invasion of] Ukraine is only one step on Russia's path towards the west.' But Kahl was quick to say: 'This doesn't mean that we expect large tank battalions to roll from the east to the west.' He added that Russia didn't need to do this, as they could simply send 'little green men to Estonia to protect supposedly oppressed Russian minorities.' Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea involved occupation of buildings and offices by Russian soldiers in unmarked uniforms and civilian clothes, who came to be known as the 'little green men' when Moscow initially denied their identity. Bruno Kahl, the outgoing head of Germany's federal intelligence service (BND), said in a rare interview that it has 'concrete' evidence that Russia no longer believes NATO's Article 5 will be honoured Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov in the exercise mode in the Atlantic at the end of May-early June 2024 Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Council for strategic development and national projects in Moscow, Russia, Friday, June 6, 2025 Kahl, who is set to become Germany's ambassador to the Vatican, did not specify which officials in Moscow were thinking along these lines. He said that Moscow's ultimate aim was to push NATO back to its 1990s borders, 'kick out' the US from Europe and aggressively expand its influence. 'We need to nip this in the bud', he said. Key to NATO cooperation, he pointed out, was the US and its enormous army. Kahl said his contacts with U.S. counterparts had left him convinced they took the Russian threat seriously. 'They take it as seriously as us, thank God,' he said. It comes after NATO boss Mark Rutte warned that Britons should start learning Russian if the UK doesn't ramp up defence spending. Mark Rutte issued the chilling message while in London for talks with PM Sir Keir Starmer, ahead of a NATO summit later this month. NATO allies are expected to be asked at the gathering to agree a commitment on allocating 3.5 per cent of GDP to core defence spending by the 2030s. A further 1.5 per cent of GDP would be required for 'defence-related expenditure' under Mr Rutte's plan to strengthen the alliance. Your browser does not support iframes. Bruno Kahl (pictured) said: 'We are very sure, and we have intelligence evidence to back this up, that [Russia's full-scale invasion of] Ukraine is only one step on Russia's path towards the west' Mark Rutte issued the chilling message after travelling to London for talks with PM Sir Keir Starmer, ahead of a NATO summit later this month NATO boss Mark Rutte, speaking at Chatham House, warned that Britons should start learning Russian if the UK doesn't ramp up defence spending It follows pressure from US President Donald Trump on European members of NATO to hike their military budgets. There are questions about how the UK would fund such an huge increase - roughly equivalent to an extra 30billion annually. Britain allocated 2.33 per cent of GDP to defence last year, and Sir Keir has only committed to reaching 2.5 per cent by April 2027. The Labour Government has an 'ambition' of increasing that to 3 per cent in the next parliament - likely to run to 2034. Speaking at Chatham House on Monday, Mr Rutte was asked if he believed Chancellor Rachel Reeves should raise taxes to meet NATO's commitments. The NATO secretary-general replied: 'It's not up to me to decide, of course, how countries pay the bill. 'Look, if you do not do this, if you would not go to the 5 per cent, including the 3.5 per cent core defence spending, you could still have the NHS... the pension system etc., but you had better learn to speak Russian.' Mr Rutte would not reveal the deadline for when he hopes NATO allies will spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence. Asked about a deadline, he told reporters: 'I have a clear view on when we should achieve that. 'I keep that to myself, because we are having these consultations now with allies, and these discussions are ongoing. 'We will in the end agree on a date when we have to be there.' Unbelievable footage caught the moment a pedestrian in Florida was launched several feet into the air by an evil driver who then attempted to flee the scene on foot. Andres Fiallo Estupinan, 36, was allegedly speeding through a residential neighborhood of Shenandoah Park, about three miles west of Miami, when he struck and killed a pedestrian. The victim, who had been jogging down the street just before 7pm on Monday, was 'struck from behind... causing him to go airborne while severing both of his legs,' according an arrest report obtained by NBC 6 News. They were pronounced deceased on the scene and have yet to be identified. Disturbing footage from a nearby Tesla caught the horrific moment the impact hurled the victim several feet into the air. The driver, in a Volkswagen Passat, was driving at high speeds and also collided with an ice-cream truck and two parked vehicles after the pedestrian was hit, according to authorities. A woman inside the ice-cream truck and Estupinan were both hospitalized following the collision. Witnesses told police that Estupinan 'immediately [exited] the driver seat and began to run away from the crash without rendering aid to the pedestrian/victim and did not appear to contact emergency services.' Disturbing footage from a nearby Tesla caught the horrific moment the impact hurled the victim several feet into the air The victim, who had been running down the street, was 'struck from behind... causing him to go airborne while severing both of his legs' The pedestrian was pronounced deceased on the scene and is yet to be identified One neighbor told the outlet: 'I came out because there was a huge sound. It looked like a bomb. I never expected it was an accident.' Some onlookers held the driver down until law enforcement arrived on the scene, according to the arrest report. Marcos Mere told WSVN: 'There's a commotion, and I turned to the park, and there was like a fight, and I said, "What is going on?" 'And then it was because they had pinned the guy, they were holding the guy down. 'He tried to escape. He tried to flee inside the park, and other people start- they jumped him.' Juan Lugo, the son of the woman injured in the ice cream truck, said he was called by someone on the scene of the incident and he rushed to be at hospital to be with her. Her current condition remains unclear. Neighbors said the crash highlighted the increased concerns surrounding the speeds drivers take around the neighborhood. The driver, in a Volkswagen Passat, was driving at high speeds and also collided with an ice-cream truck and two parked vehicles after the pedestrian was hit Witness Marcos Mere said that bystanders kept the driver at the scene, pinned down, until law enforcement arrived as he tried to flee the scene 'This is horrible. This is a neighborhood. We've got kids everywhere,' one neighbor told NBC 6. 'People fly down this road, not just during school hours, but even in the middle of the day and at night.' Estupinan has been arrested following hospitalization. He faces charges for leaving the scene of a crash causing death and serious bodily injury. Minnesota's woke attorney is spending $150,000 of taxpayer money on a PR firm after a series of embarrassing scandals. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty tapped the Wren Collective in a $150,000 deal which she says will be used to break down complex legal topics to the public. Moriarty has found herself engulfed in a series of recent scandals, including the Justice Department opening a civil rights investigation into her office after she allegedly ordered her staff to follow a policy that considered racial identity in cases. The DA also has also faced criticism for letting a state worker who keyed six Teslas off the hook and for allowing alleged child rapists to walk free. She prompted controversy by coming out against the Trump-approved Laken Riley Act, which requires law enforcement to work with federal agents to detain undocumented migrants arrested for certain crimes. The PR deal came to light after Moriarty requested an additional $60,000 a year from the Hennepin County Board for to pay the firm. The funds were approved on Tuesday. The publicity gurus brought in describes their goal as 'to reimagine the way our country approaches criminal justice' in a bid to combat 'the oppression of ... groups including women, trans people, migrants [and] the unhoused' on the firm's website. The company says it focuses on local and national issues to 'diagnose the problem' and use 'communications, research, and policy to change them.' Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has tapped the Wren Collective in a $150,000 deal that she says will help to break down complex legal topics to the public The company says its lawyers have 'spent considerable time witnessing the dramatic failures of our legal system and learning about the ways society could have kept people healthy and communities safe, but failed to do so.' Jessica Brand, the PR firm's founder, told The Minnesota Star Tribune it was a 'smart policy' for Moriarty's office to use her brand to help craft messages for the public. The contract accounts for less than one percent of Moriarty's $84million budget. Sarah Davis, director of the Children and Families Division of the County Attorneys office, told The Star Tribune that the county attorney had recently negotiated a 50 percent discount from the firm. The goal of the partnership was to help communicate 'complex legal issues' to the general public, she said. 'The work that we do is very complex and spans a wide range of issues,' Davis told the board. 'Especially now, at a time when there are broad misinformation campaigns, it is really critical we have the ability to communicate this complex work in a way that can allow our community to engage with us.' Jessica Brand, Wren Collective founder, said it was a 'smart policy' for Moriarty's office to use her brand to help craft messages to the public Moriarty, who was elected in 2022, ran on a reform platform that was similar to the Wren Collective's messaging. It is not the first time Moriarty has enlisted third-party help inside her office. Last year her office spent $578,000 to hire Steptoe LLP, a Washington DC-based law firm, to take over the murder investigation of a state trooper. Moriarty hired the firm after the lead prosecutor on the case stepped aside. Moriarty also faces a growing tension about public messages between her and the police on public safety. The Hennepin County Chiefs of Police hired a PR firm last year to refute the anti-law enforcement narratives they claimed the county attorney's office was instituting. The Minnesota Police and Peace Office Association has also criticized the woke county attorney. The organization spent $350,000 in the last three years to promote its work, The Star Tribune reported. Brian Peters, executive director of the association, criticized Moriarty for hiring the Wren Collective as he said she should be focusing on her job, not fixing her office's public image. 'Shes spending public funds to protect her reputation,' he told The Star Tribune. Sources told the local outlet that it is not common for the attorney's office to fire a PR firm. The Daily Mail has reached out to Moriarty for comment. She had previously said the hiring of PR specialists was justified because attacks from anti-reform prosecutors undermine the work of her office. She was left traumatised and suffered bruising A young female prison guard has allegedly been sexually assaulted while on duty before being asked to return to work the very next day. The young officer was working an early morning shift at the Adelaide Remand Centre, in the city's CBD on May 5 when an inmate allegedly threatened her with a makeshift knife. It's understood she had turned to secure a door when the prisoner allegedly sexually assaulted her from behind. It's alleged the inmate showed the guard the weapon hidden in his jumper before telling her he would 'slit her throat' if she raised the alarm. In claims reported by 7NEWS, it's believed the prisoner told the guard he would hurt her family if she pressed the emergency alarm button. The officer was left traumatised by the alleged assault and suffered bruising. However, shockingly it's claimed she was asked to return to active duty the following day. A spokesperson for Adelaide Remand Centre, which is privately managed and operated by Serco, confirmed the incident and said South Australia Police were aware of the alleged assault. A young female prison guard was allegedly sexually assault while working an early morning shift at the Adelaide Remand Centre (pictured) It's claimed the prison guard was asked to return to active duty the day after the alleged assault, which left the officer bruised and traumatised (stock) 'We take seriously any reported incident involving an alleged assault on one of our officers,' the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 'The matter has been formally referred to South Australia Police for investigation.' The spokesperson added the guard is receiving the necessary support and care she needs. 'We are committed to maintaining a safe environment for everyone and do not tolerate this type of alleged behaviour.' A spokesperson for South Australia Police said: 'Police are aware of reports of a sexual assault at a correctional centre on Monday 5 May. 'Investigations into the incident are ongoing.' A California radio star is pleading with fans for donations as his medical expenses mount to contend with several health issues, including Parkinson's disease. Bay Area media veteran Ronn Owens, 79, is hoping to raise $140,000 for his treatment, according to a GoFundMe page he shared via Facebook on Saturday. It comes as his daughter, Laura Michelle Owens, 34, is embroiled in a court scandal for allegedly lying about being impregnated by a former star of The Bachelor. Prosecutors have said she made the false claim between May 2023 and June 2024 in a ploy to receive child support from reality TV hunk Clayton Echard, 32. Laura was indicted in Arizona on seven counts, including perjury, forgery, tampering with evidence, and fraud. She has pleaded not guilty to each charge. Meanwhile, Ronn, who is known for hosting KGO's The Ronn Owens Report each weekday in San Francisco until 2021, has recently been hit with four bouts of cancer. His friends and family launched a fundraiser to cover his medical expenses on New Year's Eve. They said he most recently battled colon cancer and cardiac issues. The GoFundMe page, which has so far raised more than $126,000 of the $140,000 goal, reads: 'Today, Ronn is facing profound challenges. California radio star Ronn Owens (pictured) is pleading with fans for donations as his medical expenses mount to contend with several health issues, including Parkinson's disease Bay Area media veteran Owens, 79, is hoping to raise $140,000 for his treatment, according to a GoFundMe page he shared via Facebook on Saturday. He is pictured with his daughter Laura Michelle Owens, 34, who is currently embroiled in a sex scandal in court 'After living with Parkinson's disease for 23 years, his health battles have intensified. 'He has courageously faced not only Parkinson's but also four bouts with cancermost recently colon cancerand serious heart issues. 'These medical struggles have taken a toll, both physically and financially, on the man who has been a pillar of strength for so many. 'If Ronn's voice has ever brought you comfort, sparked a meaningful conversation, or simply made you smile, now is the time to show your love and gratitude. 'This GoFundMe is an opportunity for us to give back to the man who gave us 48 incredible years of radio excellence. 'Every donation, no matter the size, will help Ronn and his family navigate this difficult time.' Ronn described the fundraiser as 'a crucial source of support' as he shared it on his Facebook page over the weekend. 'Since 1975, Ive considered my KGO listeners to be more than just an audienceyouve been an extended family,' he wrote. 'The messages, memories, and kindness youve shared with me have been a profound source of strength, especially during these recent health and financial challenges. 'Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the role you all continue to play in my life. Knowing that Ive made even a small difference in yours has been the greatest honor of my career.' Ronn, who is known for hosting KGO's The Ronn Owens Report each weekday in San Francisco until 2021, has recently been hit with four bouts of cancer Bay Area media veteran Owens, 79, is hoping to raise $140,000 for his treatment, according to a GoFundMe page he shared via Facebook on Saturday. He is pictured with his daughter Laura Michelle Owens, 34, who is currently embroiled in a sex scandal in court Ronn described the fundraiser as 'a crucial source of support' as he shared it on Facebook Ronn revealed in August 2014 that he had had Parkinson's disease for more than 12 years. He told SF Gate at the time that the recent death of comedian Robin Williams, who also suffered with the disease, had prompted him to share his own diagnosis. 'The main reason that I didn't want to come out, it's twofold,' he told the local newspaper. 'One, I just cannot stand the thought of people feeling sorry for me. And the other, which is more of a factor with me, is that I don't want to be defined by Parkinson's. 'I felt it was important to tell people that you can have it like I have for 12 1/2 years and not be severely impacted by it,' he added. 'It's possible, and it's not a death sentence.' Parkinson's is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system with no known cause or cure, but medication can slow its progression. Meanwhile, his daughter's case continues in court. It comes as his daughter, Laura Michelle Owens (pictured) is embroiled in a court scandal for allegedly lying about being impregnated by a former star of The Bachelor Owens sought child support from Clayton Echard, the star of The Bachelor Season 26. He denied ever having intercourse with her. Owens later dropped a paternity case against him Her accuser, Clayton Echard, recently spoke with the Daily Mail about a prosecutor's decision to bring felony charges. I'm celebrating the vindication Ive received from having these charges handed down to Laura, the perpetrator, he said in May. For her to be facing seven felony charges is absolutely incredible. It was a shock to me. It was a shock to the other victims. We thought she may be charged but we didn't think that she was going to get the severity of the charges that she did. Because a Class 2 felony being at the front end of those seven charges is major. We have just been elated, over the moon, that this is the outcome that we were waiting on. It took a long time to get there but the day has finally come where she's going to be facing some accountability. Laura has denied the accusations and will face trial later this year. President Donald Trump declared a trade deal between the U.S. and China 'done' and announced new rare earth minerals he said would be coming into the U.S. from its top trade competitor. 'Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me,' Trump posted Wednesday morning. 'Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China.' He also said Chinese students would continue 'using our colleges and universities,' something he said has 'always been good with me' despite his administration's crackdown on foreign students at top universities. The president said the U.S. is 'getting a total of 55 percent tariffs from China,' without further explanation, and that the U.S. would face a 10 percent tariff from Beijing. That keeps in place tariffs between the two countries that are at historically high levels, an indication that the matter is still not settled. Chinese officials have so far refrained from releasing additional details publicly, focusing instead on the need for the two parties to formally seal the deal. During this week's trade talks in London, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng reportedly employed pointed language in addressing the American delegation. 'There is no winner in a trade war,' He said, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 'China doesn't want to fight, but it is not afraid of fighting.' Trump's morning post came before markets opened in New York, and followed trade negotiators announcing they had agreed on a framework following multi-day talks in London. The initial trading response was muted, on a day when new inflation data came in lower than expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average had ticked up by less than a quarter of a percent, while the broader S&P was up about a tenth of a percent. The markets have already been on a tear, with the S&P rising for six out of the last seven trading days. President Donald Trump announced a trade deal between the U.S. and China 'done', while also calling it 'subject to final approval' 'First we had to get sort of the negativity out and now we can go forward,' Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters. Trump even declared: 'relationship is excellent!' That comes despite years of reports of Chinese hacking and corporate espionage activities in the U.S., along with moves to supplant U.S. influence around the globe and partnering with Russia shortly before Moscow invaded Ukraine. The 55 percent U.S. tariff incorporates the 10 percent baseline tariff Trump imposed on imports from around the world. It also adds in 25 percent tariffs on China from his first term and another 20 percent he slapped on this year after accusing China of flooding the U.S. with deadly fentanyl. The U.S. and China clashed in a trade war in Trump's first term. Tensions rose again when a Chinese spy balloon traversed North America. After months of strain President Joe Biden sat down with Xi Jinping in Woodside, California in 2024 in an effort to get relations on a more stable path. Negotiators for the two countries met in Geneva in May to negotiate a pause in new tariffs Trump had imposed, prompting retaliation from Beijing and rattling markets. The prospect of new trade structure for the world's top two economic powers was expected to send markets soaring, although Wall Street traders have been honing their ways to gauge responses to Trump's topsy-turvy pronouncements on trade and tariffs. Weeks ago Trump exploded at a reporter who asked him about the 'TACO trade,' which stands for 'Trump Always Chickens Out.' In his touted deal with China, it appears Trump secured access for rare earth minerals he prizes although some have been identified as being extracted through forced labor of oppressed minorities in China's far-western Xinjiang province. Titanium, lithium which is critical to batteries beryllium, and magnesium are among the products considered vital to manufacturing and products. Trump's announcement came on a day when the government announced the Consumer Price Index rose 2.4 percent in May, following a 2.3 percent increase in April. Trump's post follows an announcement by U.S. and Chinese trade negotiators that they have reached agreement on a framework Trump weighed in hours after negotiators announced a breakthrough from talks in London Trump set off trade wars with nations around the globe with his 'reciprocal' tariffs. Some of the U.S. tariffs on China date from his first term The numbers reflected the inflationary impact of Trump's tariffs, which are a tax on imports, but analysts aren't seeing the signs of runaway inflation that could rock the markets. So-called 'core' inflation, which excludes volatile commodities, was at 2.8 percent. Trump's post that he was 'always good' with Chinese students clashes with a crackdown in his administration. Under a policy announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the administration announced an 'aggressive' move against Chinese students, 'including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.' 'We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the Peoples Republic of China and Hong Kong,' Rubio said. Educational ties between the two countries date to the reopening of China and President Jimmy Carter's invitation to thousands of them to study here. U.S. colleges and universities, meanwhile, have become increasingly reliant on the higher tuition rates paid by foreign students to balance the books. Four international students from the University of Iowa are suing the feds over the policy. NHS bosses may have indirectly discriminated against a boy by denying him treatment because he went to private school, a barrister has said. Daniel ShenSmith, a practising lawyer and internet personality, said such a move would be unethical and could breach the Equality Act 2010. It comes after the Mail on Sunday revealed the boy, eight, was denied occupational therapy for this hypermobility syndrome because he is not state-educated. The website of his local NHS Trust, in west London, confirms referral criteria limits the service to children attending a state-maintained Richmond school. On his YouTube channel, Mr ShenSmith explained that such a policy would be potentially indirectly discriminatory because it puts some people with a disability at a disadvantage. He added: Its just unethical. How can you justify not treating a child because they go to a private school? In my view there is no possible justification for this. I think this is indirectly discriminatory. It is a practise that needs to stop. They need to treat all these children in the same fair way, which you might expect an NHS trust to do. NHS bosses may have 'indirectly discriminated' against a boy by denying him treatment because he went to private school, barrister Daniel ShenSmith (pictured) has said Daniel ShenSmith (pictured on his YouTube channel), a practising lawyer and internet personality, said such a move would be 'unethical' and could breach the Equality Act 2010 The website of Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust confirms referral criteria limits occupational therapy to children attending a state-maintained Richmond school He pointed out that the policy is even spelt out on the trusts website, and added: I dont think the lawyers looked at this one and if they did... they need to look at it again. The intervention comes after the Mail on Sunday revealed the family of the child, who asked to remain anonymous, believe a two-tier system is now at play. However, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said any suggestion school choice was a factor was a miscommunication. According to the boys mother, he was referred to a paediatrician at Kingston Hospital in south-west London after she noticed he was struggling to hold the pen well enough to write properly, along with other mobility issues. At the hospital appointment she was asked to fill in a form which asked: Where does your child go to school? She had been hoping to get an appointment with Richmond children's occupational therapy service that would have been the most important stage of his assessment. However, days later, she received a text message saying the child had been declined the crucial next appointment with occupational health therapists. She then discovered that the specialist unit had written a letter to her GP saying: We are unable to see this child as we do not provide a service to school age children who attend an independent schools [sic]. We are only commissioned to provide a service to the mainstream schools. The boy's older brother who has the same condition, had been treated without issue several years earlier. The family of the child, who asked to remain anonymous, believe a 'two-tier system' meant he could not get treatment for his hypermobility syndrome (pictured: file photo) The family discovered they had been declined because their son attends a private school (pictured: Ham Clinic, where the therapists are based) The boy's older brother who has the same condition, had been treated without issue several years earlier (pictured: Ham Clinic, where the therapists are based) In his video about the case, Mr ShenSmith said: Why should it make any difference whatsoever whether they attend a state-maintained school as opposed to an independent school? He said one possible reason for the policy may be to do with administrative processes related to funding. However, he added: Thats wrong in my view, because that then excludes anyone that goes to an independent school that their parents pay for, and in my view that could be at the very least indirectly discriminatory. He said under the Equality Act, a blanket policy can be potentially indirectly discriminatory if it has an effect which particularly disadvantages people with a protected characteristic. This would include people with disabilities. Mr ShenSmith, who runs ShenSmith Law, is registered with the Bar Standards Board and was called to the Bar in 2018. He works in a wide range of fields including family, commercial and intellectual property law. In addition, he runs the YouTube channel BlackBeltBarrister, which aims to help people understand law. He added that the Richmond policy was also in breach of the general statutory duty under the current legislation - the National Health Service Act 2006. He said: This establishes the framework for NHS England to provide universal and free at the point of use service to all eligible individuals including children, regardless of where they attend school. Mr ShenSmith said on his YouTube channel (pictured): 'Its just unethical. How can you justify not treating a child because they go to a private school?' Wes Streeting (pictured) has been urged to 'act swiftly' over the case Health Secretary Wes Streeting was urged this week to 'act swiftly' to intervene in the case. A spokesman for Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust said the boy had not been denied treatment because of his school. They said occupational therapy services are provided to all children who hold an education, health and care plan (EHCP), regardless of their school. For those without an EHCP, some state schools provide an on-site NHS occupational therapy advice. The spokesman added: We are sorry if the wording of our correspondence has caused upset and confusion; we will amend it prospectively. It is understood anyone without an ECHP who attends a private school would not be able to use on-site services at state schools. A DHSC spokesman said: NHS services are free at the point of use to all. 'NHS occupational therapy services are provided for all children with an EHCP. For those without an EHCP, some schools provide on-site NHS occupational therapy. 'The Trust has apologised for any miscommunication in its correspondence with the family and is amending its wording to avoid any confusion in the future. In a separate case, families are currently awaiting a judgement from the High Court on the Governments decision to impose VAT on private school fees. To view Mr ShenSmith's full commentary visit the BlackBeltBarrister YouTube channel. A British couple have been charged with smuggling 1 million of cannabis into the UK from Thailand. Sian Warren, 34, and Daniel McDonald, 36, were arrested by National Crime Agency officers at Heathrow Airport last month after allegedly being found with more than 51kg of the drug in their suitcases. The pair were charged with importing class B drugs and appeared at Uxbridge magistrates' court on May 29. They have since been bailed and are due to attend a plea hearing at Isleworth Crown Court on June 26. Sian reportedly works as an administrator for a house building business where Daniel's father also works. The couple, both of Salford, Manchester, had flown out for a dream holiday to Bangkok last month, according to the Sun. Sian's father Tony has claimed she would not have knowingly smuggled drugs into the country. He told the Sun: 'Sian's not brought anything back, definitely not. She had her own suitcase with clothes in it.' Sian Warren, 34, and Daniel McDonald, 36, (pictured together) have been charged with smuggling 1million of cannabis into the UK from Thailand Daniel (pictured) and his partner Sian were charged with importing class B drugs and appeared at Uxbridge magistrates' court on May 29 Sian (pictured) reportedly works as an administrator for a house building business where Daniel's father also works The couple are the latest British holidaymakers to be caught allegedly trying to smuggle drugs into another country. Last month, a ex-flight attendant was accused of smuggling 1.2 million of super-strength cannabis into Sri Lanka. Charlotte May Lee, 21, of 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 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. MailOnline spoke to her from her cell where she admitted that she had not been eating because the food was too spicy. Elsewhere, Bella May Culley, 18, is now facing life in prison in Georgia 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. The brother of a Jordanian pilot burned alive in Syria by the Islamic State has revealed that he pleaded for the air force to bomb the house where his captive sibling was being held to spare him from a horrific death at the hands of the terror group. The brutal killing took place sometime in late 2014 or early 2015 and sparked outrage internationally. Osama Krayem, a 32-year-old Swede already serving long prison sentences for his role in the Paris and Brussels attacks in 2015 and 2016, is on trial in Stockholm suspected of war crimes and terrorist crimes for his role in the pilot's killing. On December 24, 2014, an aircraft belonging to the Royal Jordanian Air Force crashed in Syria. The pilot, Maaz al-Kassasbeh, was captured the same day by ISIS fighters near the central city of Raqqa and was burned alive in a cage sometime before February 3, 2015, when a video of the gruesome killing was published, according to the prosecution. On Wednesday, Jawdat al-Kassasbeh, the brother of the pilot told the Stockholm district court of the physical and psychological trauma the family has suffered since the killing. He said he learned of his brother's capture through a relative who worked at Jordan's foreign ministry and immediately went to the air force headquarters. 'There, I see that the head of the air force and the operations teams are having a meeting on the subject... There were large screens showing images of Syria,' he testified. The brother of a Jordanian pilot burned alive in Syria by the Islamic State revealed he asked the air force to bomb the house his brother was locked up in so he wouldn't be tortured by ISIS The brutal killing took place sometime in late 2014 or ealy 2015 and sparked outrage internationally. Osama Krayem, a 32-year-old Swede already serving long prison sentences for his role in the Paris and Brussels attacks in 2015 and 2016, is on trial in Stockholm suspected of war crimes and terrorist crimes for his role in the pilot's killing 'He told me: 'I think he's in this house',' he said. 'Psychologically, I was not doing well at that moment. So I told the head of the air force that ... I thought (ISIS fighters) would kill him in a horrible way. I asked if it would be possible to bomb the house so he could be spared an atrocious death,' he added. The Swedish investigation describes the al-Kassasbeh family as having close ties to Jordan's royal family and military. Jawdat al-Kassasbeh said he later learned of his brother's death on television. 'It was a shock. I watched the whole video but in bits. I couldn't watch the entire video until 2021,' he said. When his mother learned of the execution, 'she had to be hospitalised immediately'. His eldest sister 'developed diabetes', while their father 'contracted chronic illnesses, hypertension and is in poor psychological condition, he cries regularly,' al-Kassasbeh said. Jihadist Krayem could be the first person to be convicted in connection with the heinous killing of Maaz al-Kassasbeh. Prosecutors have said the killing was considered 'one of the most brutal murders committed by [ISIS] during the war in Syria'. The pilot's wife Anwar Tarawneh, holds a photo of him before his grotesque execution was confirmed The killing of the pilot violates the laws of war, and the killing and video constitute terrorist activities, the Swedish Prosecution Authority said in a statement. Under Swedish legislation, courts can try people for crimes against international law committed abroad. The ISIS militant group once imposed a reign of terror over millions of people in Syria and Iraq, controlling swathes of the countries between 2014 and 2017 before it was defeated in its last bastions in 2019. It is responsible for some of Europe's worst terror atrocities in recent years. Krayem, who is from Malmo in southern Sweden, joined ISIS in Syria in 2014 before returning to Europe. In June 2022, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison in France for assisting in the planning of the 2015 Paris attacks, in which 130 people died. The following year, he was given a life sentence in Belgium for participating in the bombings on March 22, 2016, at Brussels' main airport and on the metro system, which killed 32 people. Prior to his arrest on April 8, 2016, he was one of Europe's most wanted fugitives, and considered to be a hardened ISIS operative. Sadiq Khan delivered a public rebuke to Rachel Reeves today as he warned her spending plans risk 'levelling down London'. The mayor said he was 'disappointed' that the review unveiled by the Chancellor had not committed to new infrastructure in the capital. He also condemned the funding settlement for the police, saying the Met might have 'fewer police officers' as a result. The blunt intervention came after claims of bitter wrangling between the Treasury and Sir Sadiq over the plans. Despite Labour's massive borrowing-funded spending splurge, some areas are facing tough restrictions due to the NHS sucking up huge resources. Yvette Cooper's Home Office is thought to have been one of the losers, with police funding seeing limited real-terms increases despite a pledge to recruit 13,000 more officers and staff for neighbourhoods in England and Wales. Sadiq Khan delivered a public rebuke to Rachel Reeves today as he warned her spending plans risk 'levelling down London ' The mayor said he was 'disappointed' that the review unveiled by the Chancellor (pictured) had not committed to new infrastructure in the capital Your browser does not support iframes. The Spending Review documents suggested that some of the police funding would be from the council tax precept, which could rise by 14 a year for the next three years. In a statement after Ms Reeves announced her package, Sir Sadiq said he was 'determined to stand up for London'. He welcomed 'extra resources for transport and housing' saying he had been calling for a multi-year deal for City Hall and for Transport for London. 'However, I remain concerned that this Spending Review could result in insufficient funding for the Met and fewer police officers,' he said. 'It's also disappointing that there is no commitment today from the Treasury to invest in the new infrastructure London needs. 'Projects such as extending the Docklands Light Railway not only deliver economic growth across the country, but also tens of thousands of new affordable homes and jobs for Londoners. 'Unless the government invests in infrastructure like this in our capital, we will not be able to build the numbers of new affordable homes Londoners need. 'As Mayor, I'll continue to make the case to the government that we must work together for the benefit of our capital and the whole country. The way to level up other regions will never be to level down London. 'I'll continue to fight for the investment we need so that we can continue building a fairer, safer and greener London for everyone.' Chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council Gavin Stephens said: 'It is clear that this is an incredibly challenging outcome for policing. 'In real terms, today's increase in funding will cover little more than annual inflationary pay increases for officers and staff. 'Whilst we await further detail on allocation to individual forces, the amount falls far short of what is required to fund the Government's ambitions and maintain our existing workforce. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper looks to be one of the losers from the spending review 'A decade of underinvestment has left police forces selling buildings, borrowing money and raising local taxes to maintain the what we already have, with forces facing a projected shortfall of 1.2bn over the next two years, which is now expected to rise. 'This is against a backdrop of increasing crime rates, with new and escalating threats from organised crime and hostile states, and more offenders being managed in the community as a result of an overstretched criminal justice system. 'Cutting crime isn't just about officer numbers - we need specialist skills and people, supported with the right systems and technology, to better protect communities. 'We fully support the Government's drive to cut crime and grow officer numbers, but for these to succeed, investment in policing must live up to the ambition.' President Donald Trump's ICE continues to arrest criminal illegal aliens as protests and riots have engulfed Los Angeles. Over 160 anti-ICE protestors have been arrested in LA since Friday, according to local authorities, many for failure to disperse, and at least one - a Mexican national illegally in the U.S. - for attempted murder after throwing a Molotov cocktail at law enforcement. There have been hundreds of illegal aliens arrested in LA since the protest broke out on June 6, a source familiar with operations told the Daily Mail. Skirmishes between protestors wearing face masks and police draped in riot gear have percolated online for days. So have clips of looting, burnt out cars and mass protests. Clips show agitators pelting law enforcement and their vehicles with rocks - some of which shatter windshields, others slamming into agent's heads. Trump has repeatedly spoken out on the unrest, often ripping California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass for losing control of the frequently violent street protests. 'The incompetent Governor of California was unable to provide protection in a timely manner when our ICE officers, great patriots they are, were attacked by an out of control mob of agitators, troublemakers, and/or insurrectionists,' Trump wrote on social media Wednesday morning. Despite the stand offs with rioters, Newsom and Bass, the White House said deportation operations in LA are continuing. 'The Trump Administration will fulfill the Presidents promise to deport illegal aliens and no one not even violent left-wing rioters will get in the way of our mission,' White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Daily Mail. President Donald Trump and his administration are celebrating the containing ICE operations in LA that are rounding up illegal migrants despite violent protests and riots Anti-ICE protesters clash with police near the Federal Building and detention center in Los Angeles, California on June 9, 2025 amid protests over immigration raids ICE Los Angeles arrested Mab Khleb, a 53-year-old citizen of Cambodia, on Tuesday. According to ICE data shared exclusively with the Daily Mail he has previously been convicted of lewd action with a child and transportation of a controlled substance 'ICE is arresting illegal aliens and will continue to do so all around the country no matter what radical liberals do, the safety of the American people depends on it,' she told the Daily Mail in a statement. The White House has claimed that Newsom is working directly against the president. That comes despite Trump and Newsom speaking on Saturday for at least 16 minutes about the ongoing riots - a conversation confirmed after Trump posted a screen shot of his call with the governor. Still, the Republican and Democrat have been locking horns, and Trump has continued to lambast Newsom's leadership all week. The White House is now sending the message that regardless of what Newsom or the protestors think, ICE operations will continue. 'Radical liberal rioters, enabled by weak politicians like Gavin Newsom, are using violence to try and stop the American peoples agenda from being implemented. It wont work,' Jackson told the Daily Mail. 'In November, the American people gave President Trump a mandate: deportations.' And according to migrant arrest data exclusively provided to the Daily Mail, ICE's Los Angeles team is continuing to act on the president's orders. The rap sheets of five criminal aliens arrested Tuesday in LA were shared exclusively with the Daily Mail. ICE Los Angeles arrested Jose Jimenez-Alvarado on Tuesday. He has a previous felony conviction for multiple counts of theft, government officials said A protestor holds a flag in front of a container on fire during a protest in response to a series of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, in Los Angeles on Sunday It includes Hondurans Carlos Alberto Escobar-Flores, 43, whose criminal history includes a conviction for grand theft; and Jose Jimenez-Alvarado, who was convicted for felony theft, according to the White House. Mexican national Jesus Romero-Retana, 52, a man convicted for battery and intent to terrorize, was also apprehended by ICE on Tuesday, the White House revealed. So was Cambodian Mab Khleb, a 53-year-old citizen of Cambodia, with prior convictions for possession of controlled substances and lewd action with a child, officials said. Sang Louangpasert, a 66-year-old Laotion man who was ordered to leave the U.S. in 2001, was also arrested by ICE. He has previous convictions of lewd acts with a child under 14 and corporal injury on a spouse, the White House said. The family of a woman who was kidnapped and murdered in a high-profile case more than half a century ago have offered a 1 million reward to end of the agony of not knowing where her body is. Muriel McKay was snatched from her home in December 1969 after she was mistaken for the wife of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. Brothers Arthur and Nizamodeen Hosein were later convicted of the 55-year-olds kidnap and killing, one of the first times a murder conviction was brought without a body. Arthur died while serving time, while Nizamodeen recently provided information about Mrs McKays alleged whereabouts at the remote Hertfordshire location where she was held. But a search of land at 12-acre Stocking Farm in Stocking Pelham last year failed to reveal her whereabouts. Nizamodeen claims the mother-of-three had been given powerful sedatives and collapsed and died of a heart attack while watching a television appeal for her safe return by loved ones. Now, in a move inspired by the 1996 Mel Gibson movie Ransom, her family children Ian, Dianne and Jenny, and Diannes son Mark - are offering the seven-figure sum. It is the same amount the brothers demanded after taking her hostage. Mother-of-three Muriel McKay went missing from her home in Wimbledon, south-west London, in December 1969 Detectives launched a murder hunt 1969 and scoured Stocking Farm in Stocking Pelham, Hertfordshire, at the time and again in 2022 but were unable to find the body Police carried out a third search for Mrs McKay's in July last year but were again unsuccessful - despite one of her killers providing information about her potential whereabouts In the film, multi-millionaire Tom Cullen thwarts the demands of kidnappers who have taken his son Sean by offering the $2 million sum demanded as a bounty on their heads. My mother watched the film and came up with the idea, property investor and inventor Mark, 60, told the Mail. It inspired us to think outside the box a little. This is a ransom for truth. We are doing this because we know that my grandmother is buried somewhere and we know there are people that are holding secrets who may now be inspired to come forward to help. The Met Police have made it clear that if any other evidence came to light they would be happy to look at it. So, we are asking for someone who's hiding information to come forward. The reward, which has been provided by unnamed benefactors, is subject to stringent terms and conditions. It is very tautly drafted to make it clear that if somebody can provide specific, credible evidence that can be verified by the family, and that results directly in the recovery of remains, that's when it gets triggered, said McKay family lawyer Sheeva Vahid-Ashrafi. The reward would not be paid if it involved an illegal act, while if multiple individuals provide verifiable and credible information that collectively leads to the recovery of the remains, the reward would likely be divided. Nazamodeen Hosein told Mrs McKay's family he could pinpoint where at Stocking Farm her body was buried Police searching fields at the remote farm in Hertfordshire in April 2022 as the family waited, hoping that decades of uncertainty would end A police officer guarding a cordon while carrying out searches for Mrs McKay's body at Stocking Farm in April 2022 Mrs McKay, a native Australian who accompanied her newspaper executive husband Alick to the UK when he came to work here for Murdoch, was snatched from her home in Wimbledon, south west London. Murdoch, who was married at the time to his second wife Anna, an Australian journalist and novelist, had loaned the McKays his Rolls-Royce while he was on holiday. By the time the Hoseins realised they had the wrong woman, they decided it was too late to turn back and took her to Rooks Farm, as it was known at the time, and issued the ransom demand anyway. Attempts to hand over some money failed and she was never seen again. The brothers were jailed for life for blackmail, kidnap and murder following a trial at the Old Bailey in London. A search of the farm took place at the time and again in 2022 and July last year, although the family criticised police for not allowing Nizamodeen to be present to assist with the most recent dig. The killer - now 76 and living in Trinidad, where he was deported after his release from prison provided information about Mrs McKays whereabouts on the farm after Dianne and Mark flew out to speak to him early last year. But the Metropolitan Police said he cannot enter the UK without Home Office permission as he is a convicted murderer. The abduction was a case of mistaken identity - with the kidnappers intending to seize Anna Murdoch, second wife of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch Brothers Arthur, left, and Nazamodeen Hosein were found guilty of Mrs McKay's blackmail, kidnap and murder following a trial at the Old Bailey in London Mrs McKay was seized outside her family's home in Wimbledon, south-west London, in December 1969 Arthur and Nizamodeen Hosein were remanded in custody by Wimbledon magistrates I was twentytwo when my mother disappeared. In the five decades since, I have married, worked, and raised children, said Ian, 83. Yet I have never once laid a flower on her grave, and my grandchildren recognise her only from photographs. For our family its a wound that never closes. Dianne, 85, added: There have been times when I have been unbelievably low and wondered if I should just let it all go. I always come back to the fact that my mum deserves a final proper resting place. We are doing this for her. The family have a website www.murielmckay.com, which tells the full story of Mrs McKays tragic disappearance and the familys attempts to find her, alongside the terms and conditions for the reward. Its been 55 years since my grandmother was kidnapped and weve been trying to get her back ever since, Mark said. The sad truth is that everyone involved in this case is getting older and we are running out of time. Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of sexually assaulting his former assistant but not guilty of forcing oral sex on a teenage model. The disgraced movie mogul covered his face with his hands as he was convicted on Wednesday afternoon, knowing he faces at least 10 years longer in jail. Weinstein's retrial on rape and sexual assault charges before a New York Supreme Criminal Court jury in Manhattan lasted well over a month. The ailing 73-year-old protested his innocence in an interview with the Daily Mail from his cell in Bellevue Hospital last week, and vowed revenge. He was accused of sexually assaulting production assistant Mimi Haley in 2006, aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013, and model Kaja Sokola in 2006. A jury of five men and seven women unanimously found Weinstein guilty of sexually assaulting Haley but not guilty of forcing oral sex on Sokola. They are yet to reach a unanimous verdict on whether Weinstein raped Mann, after almost five days of deliberation, and will continue until they decide. Weinstein's mobility is so bad he is pushed in and out of the courtroom in a wheelchair by court officers, scrambling pathetically with his legs as he goes, and fears he may die before his appeals. Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of sexually assaulting his former assistant but not guilty of raping a teenage model Weinstein covered his face with his hands as the verdict was read out on Wednesday Weinstein was found guilty on Wednesday of first-degree committing a criminal sexual act against production assistant Mimi Haley (pictured) in 2006 Weinstein faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, and up to 25 years, for the one charge of first-degree committing a criminal sexual act. Almost every day since the trial wrapped up last Thursday morning has been filled with high drama in the jury room, coming to a head at the last moment. The jury foreman repeatedly complained he was being bullied for refusing to change his position and requested to speak with Judge Curtis Farber in private. 'He said words to the effect of 'I can't go back in there with the other jurors',' Farber explained later. The foreman was sent to wait in a separate room, where he penned a note saying, 'I need to talk to you about a situation'. When briefly brought into court, the foreman said he wanted to speak in private. He, the judge, prosecutors and Weinstein's lawyers then went behind closed doors. The discussion was closed to the press and public, but Farber later said the foreman had expressed that he didn't want to change his position - whatever it may be - and was being bullied. 'He did indicate that at least one other juror made comments to the effect of 'I'll meet you outside one day', and there's yelling and screaming,' the judge said. Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala told the court the man said he was concerned for his safety after his fellow panelist talked about meeting him outside and added, 'you don't know me'. 'I don't think the court is protecting this juror. Period,' Aidala said, going on to ask for a mistrial. Weinstein himself urged the judge to halt the trial, declaring: 'My life is on the line, and you know what? It's not fair.' 'It's time, it's time, it's time, it's time to say this trial is over.' The jury is yet to reach a unanimous verdict on whether Weinstein raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013, and will continue until they decide Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, however, said the foreperson hadn't seemed afraid or apprehensive, just 'stubborn.' 'He said he'd made up his mind, he didn't want to change it, and people were pressuring him to change it. That's what jury deliberations involve,' the prosecutor said. The foreman also complained on Monday about how heated the jury room discussions were, and accused other on the panel of being unfair. 'I feel like they are attacking, talking together, fight together. I don't like it,' he told the judge. He believed the jury was tasked only with considering 'what happened at the time, in the moment' of the crimes alleged by the prosecution, but others 'are pushing people, talking about his past.' 'I feel it is not fair taking the decision about the past,' the foreperson said. He added that others pushed people 'to change their minds,' when he thought they instead should seek to answer one another's questions and 'let that person make a decision.' Weinstein's camp claimed the dramatic jury deliberations were themselves grounds for appeal and implied the foreman was railroaded. 'This trial was fair until we got to the jury deliberations,' Weinstein's PR consultant Juda Engelmayer said. 'More than one juror had complained that other jurors had preconceived notions and are using their beliefs of Harvey's life as evidence of guilt. The foreman said he was threatened by other jurors. 'We believe there are serious appellate issues, and they will be explored.' Kaja Sokola, now 39, claimed Weinstein forcibly gave her oral sex in a hotel room in 2006 when she was just 19, but the jury acquitted him of that charge Weinstein's mobility is so bad he is pushed in and out of the courtroom in a wheelchair by court officers, scrambling pathetically with his legs as he goes Haley was the first of the three women to give evidence in the first week of the trial back in April, accusing Weinstein of forcing oral sex on her in 2006. She testified that she went to meet Weinstein on the sidelines of the 2006 Cannes film festival to ask for a job, but left in tears after he creepily asked for a massage/ But she accepted a three-week basic assistant job Weinstein arranged for her on his company's reality show Project Runway in June 2006. Haley said she accepted an invitation to visit Weinstein's Manhattan apartment one early evening because it would have been odd to decline. But when she got there, he lunged to kiss her. She said she leaped up and rebuffed him, but he grabbed her and forcibly backed her into a bedroom. Then, Haley said, he pinned her down on a bed and performed oral sex on her, ignoring her pleas that she didn't want it. Haley said she was again lured to Weinstein's hotel room under work pretenses, where he promptly maneuvered her to the bedroom. She said she didn't want sex but didn't physically resist because she felt stupid for agreeing to meet him. 'I made it clear at all occasions when he made advances that I didn't want to go there,' she said. The episode was discussed at trial but not part of the criminal case. She told him after that time' 'You know you can't keep doing this.' Mimi Haley (right) with her lawyer Gloria Allred speaks during a press conference outside Manhattan criminal court in New York after the verdict Haley was the first of the three women to give evidence in the first week of the trial back in April, accusing Weinstein of forcing oral sex on her in 2006 Sokola, now 39, tearfully recounted how she was allegedly raped and molested by the disgraced movie mogul twice under the guise of helping her acting career. She alleged in her testimony to a New York City jury that Weinstein held her down on a hotel bed and forced oral sex on her days before her 20th birthday in 2006. 'He forced himself on my vagina - he raped me,' she declared to the court, her voice rising with pent-up disgust and outrage. Sokola earlier broke down on the stand, sobbing uncontrollably, as she told the jury about another time Weinstein allegedly abused her when she was just 16. She told the jury he groped her vagina under her underwear, and forced her to touch his penis in 2002 after luring her to an apartment. Weinstein was only criminally charged with forcing oral sex on Sokola in 2006, but she sued him in 2019 over the 2002 incident in a case that was settled. Sokola testified that the 2006 incident took place when they were having lunch, along with her sister Ewa Sokola, and Weinstein told her he had a script for her to read and she should come with him upstairs. Weinstein led her to a hotel room, and once they got inside he allegedly grabbed her by the left shoulder and pushed her onto the bed. Kaja Sokola testified that Weinstein ripped off her boots, stockings, and underwear and pushed up her dress, then pinned her to the bed and forcibly gave her oral sex. 'I kept saying please stop, I don't want this - but he didn't listen,' she told the court. Weinstein allegedly kept going until he was finished, then told her: 'That wasn't so difficult, was it?' 'I wish I could forget [what he said], but I can't,' Sokola told the court. Sokola wearing United Bamboo Spring 2005 during Olympus Fashion Week Spring 2005 in NYC Sokola with her lawyers outside the courtroom during the trial Mann was the last of three accusers to testify in the case, and the one with arguably the most complicated history with Weinstein. The jury asked for more details about their relationship during their deliberations and appeared to be having trouble agreeing. Mann, a cosmetologist and hairstylist, said she met Weinstein at a party in late 2012 or early 2013, when she was 27 and had recently moved to Los Angeles to try to launch an acting career. She said she wasn't attracted to Weinstein and initially refused his first sexual advance, but eventually succumbed to him performing oral sex because Weinstein said he wouldn't let her leave until she let him 'do something'. Although she felt confused and 'defiled', she then agreed to consensual encounters with the then-married man, she said. Partly, she worried about the professional consequences of alienating a powerful producer who had just dangled the prospect of movie roles. In March 2013, she traveled to New York with a friend. After the pals made plans for breakfast with Weinstein, he showed up early and got a room at Mann's hotel, over her protests, she said. Weeping and wiping her eyes on the witness stand, she said she went upstairs with Weinstein to try to avoid a public argument and told him, 'I don't want to do this,' but he shoved the door shut as she tried to leave. After Weinstein demanded she undress and grabbed her arms, she said, she 'just gave up.' Mann said he then had sex with her - after, she believes, injecting himself with an erection-promoting drug that she later found in the bathroom trash. Sokola speaks at a press conference outside court after a jury acquitted Weinstein of forcibly performing oral sex on her Mann was the last of three accusers to testify in the case, and the one with arguably the most complicated history with Weinstein Over the ensuing months, she nudged him about a potential movie part he arranged an audition, which went nowhere - and told him she appreciated 'all you do for me,' according to emails shown to jurors. She also sent him her new phone number, relayed a compliment she'd heard about him, and asked whether he'd be in Los Angeles for her birthday. 'I compartmentalized the part of Harvey that was hurting me,' she said, adding that he had 'good sides.' Flattery and friendliness 'kept the peace,' she said, while she tried to keep a subtle distance by politely declining some invitations or delaying get-togethers. Mann issued a lengthy statement on Wednesday after the partial verdict, even as her own accusations were still being deliberated. 'I would never lie about rape or use something so traumatic to hurt someone,' she said. 'Rape can happen in relationships and in dynamics where power and manipulation control the narrative. 'Some victims survive by appeasing, and many carry deep empathy, even for their abusers. That's part of the trap. 'No matter the 'power' I gained, I never used it to harm him. I've advocated for men, studied consent law to protect both victims and the wrongly accused, and kept the fight where it belongs: in the courtroom. 'I never even sued him civilly when I could have been awarded damages. I waived liability because I only ask for accountability. Jurors are yet to decide if they believe Weinstein raped Mann in 2013 'Even in my dynamic with Harvey the lack of a 'seductress' is under-discussed and the evidence that usually follows a person with those intentions. 'The smear campaign built around me is hollow. The evidence doesn't exist because the propaganda isn't real. It's the nuances I fight to have heard while I'm objected at when answering in the courtroom. 'Coming forward cost me everything. My privacy, my safety. I laid bare my trauma, my shame everything I'd tried to bury just to keep living. Still, I stood up and told the truth. Again and again. 'Harvey hides behind PR firms, lawyers, spy agencies contracted to intimidate. I've had only my voice. 'Abusers pre-select their victims not just for vulnerability, but for how easily the world is ready to discredit them. 'For how 'believable' their destruction will be. They pick people society already doubts. People they think no one will miss. 'Then, when the damage is done, they bury the crime in the wreckage, point to the chaos, and say, See? It's her. 'I knew this would be hard because society is still evolving in understanding trauma. The way we frame good and evil often leaves no room for the complexity of dynamics. 'I didn't speak up to ruin his life. He did that. I spoke because mine matters.' Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala (pictured) demanded a mistrial several times due to the chaotic jury deliberations Weinstein's lawyers told the court the women consented to sex acts with Weinstein as a 'quid pro quo' to further their careers Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of sexually assaulting Haley and raping Mann, but last year, the New York Court of Appeals astonishingly ruled that Weinstein did not receive a fair trial - and tossed out his 23-year sentence. Mann and Haley restated their cases during the trial, and Polish ex-model Sokola was added to the mix, alleging Weinstein forced oral sex on her in 2006 when she was just 19. His lawyers told the court the women consented to sex acts with Weinstein as a 'quid pro quo' to further their careers. Weinstein was also jailed in Los Angeles for 16 years for rape, forced oral copulation, and third-degree sexual misconduct in 2022, and acquitted of four other charges. His lawyers filed an appeal weeks after the verdict, which is being considered by the California Court of Appeal. A teenage boy was sleeping soundly in a luxurious Miami high-rise home when a stranger sneaked into the building and knifed him to death in his bed. Dominic Ferrell, 17, was sleeping in the lavish Icon Brickell building in Miami in the early hours of Sunday with his door unlocked when suspect Kyrill Kehl, 26, managed to get inside. Kehl did not have a key fob for the secure building or its elevator. He piggybacked in behind a group of residents around 2am and rode the elevator up with them before getting out on a random floor. Next Kehl tried to open a number of units to test their locks. Ferrell's apartment on the 34th floor was unlocked at the time, and Kehl entered without using force before savagely stabbing him numerous times. In reported surveillance footage that has not been released to the public, investigators said Kehl was then seen sprinting from the apartment, and several knives were found at the scene. According to police, Ferrell was found dead in his bed by a witness who lived with him. It is unclear if the witness was a family member, and they have not been named. The Miami Herald reported that the apartment where Ferrell was killed was a 'short term rental.' In a shock twist to the violent episode, cops said Kehl ran to a nearby construction site before apparently falling off an upper level and dying. Dominic Ferrell, 17, was brutally stabbed to death in his sleep on Sunday after a stranger slipped into his luxury Miami high-rise apartment building and attacked randomly Police named Kyrill Kehl, 26, as the suspect who stabbed Ferrell to death at random after finding his apartment door unlocked. He sprinted from the scene to a nearby construction site, where he fell to his death The horror murder unfolded at 2am on Sunday night in the luxury Icon Brickell apartment complex (pictured), where apartments run into the multi-million dollars Investigators said Kehl had a history of mental illness, but have not established a motive for the killing and believe he had no prior contact with Ferrell before the attack. It is unclear if he purposefully jumped to his death at the construction site or accidentally fell. Police said they found his body at the construction site the next morning after following a trail of blood from the scene of Farrell's slaying. Kehl had worked at military defense giant Northrop Grumman from March 2022 to September 2024 in the company's Marine Systems, according to a LinkedIn profile reported to be Kehl's. According to a GoFundMe page first cited by the Miami Herald, Kehl went on to fundraise to travel to India in November 2024 when he left the defense contractor. He wrote of using his funds to donate clothing to those in need, and raised over $3,000 to bring impoverished communities in Varanasi. Investigators said Kehl had travelled from Arizona to Miami before the murder, and said it is unclear how he got there or if he had any ties to the area. A toxicology report is pending to establish if Kehl was on drugs or alcohol at the time of the murder. Tributes have poured in for Ferrell (seen in his youth) as his loved ones say they are devastated by the random killing, with investigators saying he and Kehl were not known to each other before the stabbing Investigators have not established a motive in the killing, with Kehl's LinkedIn profile saying he worked at military defense giant Northrop Grumman from March 2022 to September 2024 in the company's Marine Systems Tributes have poured in for Ferrell as his loved ones say they are devastated by the random killing. His mother, who has not been named, told NBC6 that she 'had nothing to say' as she came to terms with the reality of the senseless slaying. Ferrell was a student at Miami Beach Senior High and had opened a dog walking business in the vacation hotspot in January 2023. Following the shocking killing, residents in the Icon Brickell building and the surrounding area say they have recently been raising the alarm over safety issued in the luxury apartment complex, which comprises of three high rise skyscrapers. 'People are concerned with safety,' Christian Tang, owner of the Brickell & Downtown Miami Community Group, told NBC6. 'They feel uneasy with whats going on around the community in recent incidents in the last two, three, four months.' These incidents reportedly included an attempted rape at an apartment blocks away from Farrell's building last month. Cops said Kehl did not have access to the luxury high-rise, but waited for unwitting residents to enter at 2am Sunday before sneaking onto an elevator with them Cops seen at the building after Farrell's body was discovered 'There are a lot of issues with the security around here, especially since its supposed to be a luxury area,' added Icon Brickell resident Marianne Sucre to the Miami Herald. 'This kind of stuff has been happening a lot . . . You always hear that someone is approached or yelled at or [hear of] a lot of violent situations.' In a statement following the discovery of Kehl's body, Miami Police Chief Manny Morales assured residents there is no threat to public safety and clarified that the suspect and victim did not know each other. 'We know for a fact that they did not know each other. They were strangers and this guy was just going from apartment to apartment, opening and knocking on doors, so again it is very important to lock your doors and do not open them to strangers,' Morales said. Rachel Reeves confirmed she will spend almost 30billion a year more on the NHS to help get the country back on track - and bosses immediately said it was not enough. The Chancellor made the health service one of the big winners in her spending review with a 3 per cent annual uplift taking its funding to 226billion by 2028-29. But Health Service leaders warned that they could still not guarantee waiting times targets can be met. The Spending Review forces departments to fund pay increases out of their settlement, but doctors are considering strike action, with unions demanding astronomical pay rises. Earlier this month resident doctors - formerly junior doctors - warned they could launch co-ordinated industrial action with consultants and specialist doctors, if the groups vote to strike, in a move that would be 'immensely disruptive for patient care'. The physicians formerly known as junior doctors are being balloted in England for strike action that could last for six months by the British Medical Association (BMA) following criticism of the Government's recent pay rise offer of an average 5.4 per cent rise for resident doctors. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents all health organisations, said the funding boost was welcome, 'given the precarious state of public finances and will help the NHS to cope with rising demand from an ageing population, often with multiple or more complex physical and mental health conditions'. But he warned that 'difficult decisions will still need to be made as this additional 29 billion won't be enough to cover the increasing cost of new treatments, with staff pay likely to account for a large proportion of it'. 'So on its own this won't guarantee that waiting time targets are met,' he said. The Chancellor made the health service one of the big winners in her spending review with a 3 per cent annual uplift taking its funding to 226billion by 2028-29. The cash injection, widely trailed, came after Sir Keir Starmer pledged to ensure that by the next election 92 per cent of patients in England waiting for planned treatment will be seen within 18 weeks of being referred. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, warned that 'difficult decisions will still need to be made as this additional 29 billion won't be enough to cover the increasing cost of new treatments, with staff pay likely to account for a large proportion of it'. The Chancellor defended the Government's record on the NHS since coming into office, including 1,700 new GPs, 3.5 million more appointments and cutting waiting lists by 200,000. The cash injection, widely trailed, came after Sir Keir Starmer pledged to ensure that by the next election 92 per cent of patients in England waiting for planned treatment will be seen within 18 weeks of being referred. She said the Government was spending 10 billion on more digitising services as part of the Government's 10-year plan for the health service. But the scale of the spending on the NHS in England increasing to 226 billion by 2028-29, means squeezing other areas of public expenditure. Latest NHS data suggests around 60 per cent of people are currently seen in this time and figures released last month showed the overall number of patients on waiting lists had risen slightly from 6.24 million to 6.25 million. Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper welcomed investment in the NHS, but said it needed reform of social care alongside it to work properly. She told the Commons: 'The Chancellor knows, the Health and Social Care Secretary knows, this whole Parliament knows that today's investment in the NHS will be like pouring water into a leaky bucket if hospitals cannot discharge patients who are well enough to leave because there aren't the care workers to help them recover at home.' Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper welcomed investment in the NHS, but said it needed reform of social care alongside it to work properly. The NHS was a major winner from Ms Reeves's first Budget last October, when the Chancellor poured 22.6billion more into the flatlining health service. At the time Health Secretary Wes Streeting was brutally clear that this may not be enough, because the NHS is 'not just on its knees, it's on its face'. Todasy Ms Reeves faced MPs and said: 'This Labour Government is making a record cash investment in our NHS, increasing real-terms, day-to-day spending by 3 per cent per year for every year of this spending review. 'An extra 29 billion per year for the day-to-day running of the health service. 'That is what the British people voted for and that is what we will deliver. More appointments. More doctors. More scanners.' Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said: 'NHS trust leaders aren't taking the additional funding for granted. Far from it. 'They know patients, taxpayers and ministers will rightly demand more bang for their buck from the NHS through shorter waiting times and better services.' However, he said with tough targets to improve access to care right now plus a big maintenance backlog, 'trust leaders will ask whether the funding announced today enables the NHS to deliver everything being asked of it. We need to have an honest conversation about what the NHS can deliver now and in the future.' A South Carolina sanitation worker who lost both his legs just two years ago in a freak accident got trapped in his home during a disastrous fire. Matthew Lex, 21, was inside his home in Aiken - about an hour outside of Columbia - on Friday when it suddenly went up in flames. With the inferno burning quickly, Lex - who lost both his limbs after a 92-year-old man crashed a minivan into him while he worked on the back of a sanitation truck in April 2023 - thought fast to get himself to safety. 'I started hearing pops. I kid you not, sounds like gunshots pop, bang, pop,' he told WJBF. 'I threw my legs off. I took [it] because my leg was half off. I threw this leg up and I bolted for the back door.' By the time he escaped the burning home, Lex said it sounded like a 'train locomotive exploded' after a 'battery popped.' The blaze initially started as a car fire before it rapidly spread to his family's home, according to a GoFundMe page. While he made his way out of the burning structure, Lex's neighbor Charlie Stoke Jr. ran out to try and help him. It is unclear if anyone else was in the home at the time. Matthew Lex, 21, who lost both his legs in a freak accident in April 2023, got trapped inside his burning home Friday in Aiken The blaze initially started as a car fire before it rapidly spread to his family's home (pictured after the blaze) 'He was here going down the hill,' Stoke said. 'And we just basically told him he didnt need to go any further, that we would get him, you know, where he needs to be as far as safety and everything.' Thankfully, nobody was injured in the fire, but Lex's medical equipment that he's had to rely on for two years was destroyed. A lot of sentimental family items were also left charred, Cheryl Welsh, Lex's mother, told the outlet. 'You can see the damage, and this is a picture of our family in Myrtle Beach when my husband and I melted,' Welsh said. 'And you can see its melted. So, a lot of memories, a lot of pain in this room because we came here and we watched a lot of movies and spent quality time together. So, this is a very surreal situation. Its painful.' Not only has his family been startled by the fire, but, according to Lex, they are also frustrated with how long it took for emergency personnel to respond to the scene. He said the 911 dispatcher was confused on the phone and it took about 40 minutes for any help to arrive, per the outlet. 'I always have had a concern because even when Matthew was injured in his accident, I'm concerned about Aiken and their timeliness of some [of] these [things],' Welsh stated. Thankfully, nobody was injured in the fire, but Lex's medical equipment that he's had to rely on for two years was destroyed. (Pictured: Lex with his parents John and Cheryl) At 19, Lex lost both his legs after a 92-year-old man slammed a red mini van into him, pinning him between the car and sanitation truck (pictured) For now, Lex and his family are staying with relatives, but because of his limited mobility and wheelchair usage, it has been hard to navigate. The donation page was created by a close friend looking to raise money to get the family back on their feet. 'The Welsh family had recently invested in extensive home renovations to accommodate Matthews needs after he lost both of his legs. All of thatalong with his essential medical equipmenthas been completely lost in the fire,' the page read. The page, which has raised more than $6,100 as of Wednesday morning, also shared a heartbreaking image of the charred home after the fire. 'Weve been through a lot pinned between a Dodge Caravan, the garbage truck, escaping a burning house. You gotta be brave,' Lex said. Lex, who was 19 at the time of the car accident, has had to endure 11 surgeries and 27 blood transfusions since then. After he was pinned in between the van and his truck, he sat in his hospital bed full of fear and hope. Lex (pictured with hospital staff), who was 19 at the time of the car accident, has had to endure 11 surgeries and 27 blood transfusions since then 'They had to end up amputating his leg,' Welsh told WJBF at the time. 'His left leg has a high leg amputation to the thigh. Then he has a below mid-calf amputation as well.' At the time, Lex was working the compactor on the back of the truck when the van all of a sudden slammed into him. 'I remember feeling light and going in different felt like different dimensions doing that. And Ive conquered. I said no, Im not going to die. Im not going to let myself leave because Ive got too many people. I just dont want to leave this Earth right now, and Gods not ready for me to leave,' he said. A separate GoFundMe was created at the time to help his family cover the costs of his medical bills. DailyMail.com contacted Aiken County for more information regarding the blaze. People smugglers are adopting a dangerous new tactic of simultaneously launching multiple small boats at once to try and dodge French police, officials warn. EU border agency Frontex said in an official updated that traffickers were adapting their methods in an attempt to boost the number of successful crossings. It said the tactic of 'simultaneous departures' was putting more lives at risk by overwhelming search and rescue teams. The risk is being compounded by smugglers packing more migrants into flimsy dinghies, with 54 people per boat in the year ending March 2025 compared with 50 in 2024, according to Home Office figures. Channel crossings continued today, with pictures showing new arrivals wearing life jackets being brought to shore in a Border Force boat in Dover, Kent and being driven away from the port. Migrants - one of them wearing a rubber ring - rush a dinghy in an attempt to cross the Channel last year Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. They are the first to make the journey to the UK so far this month after a record first five months of the year bringing the provisional total so far to 14,812 arrivals. This has also surpassed the highest total recorded for the first six months of the year, which was previously 13,489 on June 30 last year. In 2024, the number of arrivals did not reach more than 14,000 until July 9 (14,058). The surge in Channel crossings came despite Frontex recording a 20 per cent drop in irregular border crossings into the European Union in the first five months of 2025. A major point of contention between Britain and France has been the French authorities' refusal to turn back migrants who are already in the water. The French government has now indicated its willingness to change tactics and turn back boats in the shallows, but are demanding more money to do so. Representatives from both governments are currently negotiating a new deal aimed at cracking down on smuggling gangs which is said to be in the early stages. Since 2015, British governments have spent 800 million to France to stop the crossings of people across the world's busiest shipping lane in small boats. Channel crossings continued today, with pictures showing new arrivals being driven away from Dover The migrants were brought ashore on a Border Force cutter in now familiar scenes This year has seen a record number of arrivals so far. This picture was taken today It comes as Rachel Reeves used her spending review to pledge to end the 'costly' use of hotels to house asylum-seekers but not for up to four years. The Chancellor said migrants would be moved out of hotels by the end of the current Parliament, with the next general election not due until 2029. She also promised 1billion of savings by speeding up the asylum system, along with 280million more investment in future years for the new Border Security Command. 'The party opposite left behind a broken system: billions of pounds of taxpayers' money spent on housing asylum seekers in hotels, leaving people in limbo and shunting the cost of failure onto local communities. We won't let that stand,' Ms Reeves told the Commons. 'So I can confirm today that, led by the work of the Home Secretary, we will be ending the costly use of hotels to house asylum seekers in this Parliament.' But the Tories said taking asylum-seekers out of hotels would simply move them into rented accommodation across the country, while speeding up asylum decisions would mean more people granted leave to remain. Julia Lopez wrote on X: 'The Home Office just wants people off their books as fast as possible - straight onto the books of local councils. 'That means more positive asylum decisions - only making it more attractive to cross. And so it will go on.' Shadow Home Office minister Matt Vickers added: 'Rachel Reeves claims Labour will 'end the use of asylum hotels'. 'But if they won't commit to deport all illegal immigrants, where will they go? Coming to a house on your street?' Latest figures show 3.1billion was spent on housing asylum-seekers in hotels in 2023-24, out of a total asylum support bill of 4.7bn. More than 30,000 asylum-seekers are currently housed in about 200 hotels across Britain, and ministers are currently looking at moving them into derelict tower blocks and student digs instead. A top Republican has fanned the flames of liberal outrage by urging Donald Trump to 'send in the troops... this time for real' to end the Los Angeles riots. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton has called for the president to deploy active-duty soldiers if the 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines who are currently mobilized in the Democrat city do not manage to end the violence. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, the 48-year-old Army veteran said Trump should invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act which allows the military to suppress uprisings when a state is unable or unwilling to do so. It comes five years after Cotton made the same argument amid the violence, looting and arson attacks which unfolded in the wake of George Floyd's murder by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020. He penned a New York Times op-ed titled 'Tom Cotton: Send In the Troops' in June 2020, which sparked widespread rage from liberals online - and from dozens of NYT employees who said they were 'deeply ashamed' that the paper published the piece. History is repeating itself this week as Cotton's WSJ article titled 'Send In the Troops, For Real', which says the LA riots are 'worse' than the Black Lives Matter uprisings, has once again prompted a flood of criticism from liberal readers. Several people slammed Cotton's approach as 'fascist' and un-American, while others went further by calling for him to resign - though several Arkansas residents also voiced support for his call to arms. 'You, sir, just said the most unconstitutional, disgraceful and foul action the US government could take against its citizens,' one person wrote on X. Republican Senator Tom Cotton (pictured) has fanned the flames surrounding the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles by saying Donald Trump should 'send in the troops... this time for real' Cotton has encouraged the president to deploy active-duty soldiers if law enforcement officers and National Guardsmen do not manage to stamp out the rally. (Pictured: Protesters walk by one of several Waymo cars that were set on fire in Downtown LA on June 8, 2025) Writing in the Wall Street Journal, the 48-year-old Army veteran said Trump should invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act which allows him to use the military to suppress uprisings 'You should resign in disgrace. Have you no shame?' Another X user accused Cotton of 'sending Air Force on your own people'. 'Shame on you,' they wrote. 'You want American troops to fire on American citizens? That's a horrible idea. Someone will be killed, then you're fighting a martyr,' a third person said. 'No matter how much you believe in your justification for the violence you inflict on others, in the end history will remember you as the bad guy.' 'Lol come on - LAPD is clearly handling it,' another person wrote. 'Keep your fascist fantasies for when there is serious unrest. the founding fathers would be appalled at your wish for military force to control the civilian population.' Meanwhile, Cotton's Republican supporters praised him on X for using 'common sense' in the face of violent protests. 'Great article,' another person agreed. A third person praised the article as 'law and order coming through'. 'Cotton knows how to restore peace,' they added, along with an American flag emoji. 'This guy is so accurate,' one X user said, while another said: 'Slay king'. Cotton's WSJ opinion piece is the latest in the war of words between Golden State Democrats and the federal government. The rhetoric reached a boiling point on Sunday when Governor Newsom called for Trump's border tsar Tom Homan to arrest him. It comes five years after Cotton (pictured) made the same argument amid the looting and arson attacks which unfolded in the wake of George Floyd 's murder by a Minneapolis police officer Cotton's WSJ opinion piece is the latest in the war of words between Golden State Democrats and the federal government over the fiery protests which have ground parts of LA to a halt It came in response to an MSNBC reporter telling him that Homan said he wouldn't rule out detaining California officials who got in the way of law enforcement. Trump has so far mobilized 4,000 National Guard members to quell the riots, along with 700 US Marines. Newsom slammed the move as fulfilling 'the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president'. Along with other Democrat lawmakers, Newsom has claimed the protests are 'peaceful' and accused Trump of 'manufacturing' a crisis while using fascist tactics against American citizens. Republicans have hit back by sharing footage of rioters waving Mexican flags as they circled burning vehicles on dirt bikes amid the carnage. Cotton laid out their argument in stronger terms in his WSJ opinion piece. 'Violent insurrectionists turned areas of Los Angeles into lawless hellscapes over the weekend, with anarchists setting fire to vehicles, throwing scooters and debris at police, and looting businesses all while waving foreign flags,' he wrote. Arkansas representative Cotton (pictured) has fanned the flames surrounding the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles by saying Donald Trump should 'send in the troops... this time for real' Pictured: An LA protester holds a mask showing Trump's severed head attached to a pole He argued that the riots in LA are worse than the Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of Floyd's death because of the presence of Palestinian and Mexican flags. 'Democrats also stood idly by or even celebrated as the Black Lives Matter riots ransacked our cities five years ago,' he wrote. 'If anything, these riots are worse.' 'At least the BLM rioters didn't wave foreign flags.' The protests in LA are ongoing, and have inspired anti-ICE demonstrations other cities including New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta. Some demonstrations involved a few dozen people, while others attracted thousands. LA Mayor Karen Bass said a curfew had been put in place from 8pm until 6am in an effort to quell the unrest. 'If you drive through downtown LA, the graffiti is everywhere and has caused significant damages,' Bass said, adding that 29 businesses were looted on Monday night alone. Demonstrators are protesting against Trump's immigration policies, which they said are breaking migrant families apart. A British tourist who vanished on a night out in Thailand has been mysteriously found on a life support system and having emergency brain surgery in hospital. Ashton Jones, 29, disappeared from his friends as they visited Bangkok, and was mysteriously found later in a hospital having emergency brain surgery. His family said the Welshman flew to Thailand's capital city 'on a whim' with a friend, where they met another friend and spent nearly a week 'making unforgettable memories.' But they said they were devastated to learn that he was found fighting for his life, and their anxiety only compounded after they saw a photo of tubes coming out of him as he lay in a hospital bed in Chonburi Hospital, a town about 55 miles southeast of Bangkok. Friends revealed they began an hours-long search for him after he disappeared from the nightclub they were partying in. And his family believe that Ashton, who suffers from epilepsy and lives with his grandmother Beverly Walker, was attacked while he was on a night out. His cousin Sophie, 26, told the Sun: 'It's heartbreaking because we're all really close. 'We're shocked and going out of our minds because we don't know what's going on. 'No one speaks English there and they're still struggling to get an English translator.' Ashton Jones, 29, (pictured) disappeared from his friends as they visited Bangkok, and was mysteriously found later in a hospital having emergency brain surgery His family said the Welshman flew to Thailand 's capital city 'on a whim' with a friend His family believe that Ashton, who suffers from epilepsy and lives with his grandmother Beverly Walker, was attacked while he was on a night out Your browser does not support iframes. His grandmother Beverly said: 'I am deeply concerned that without immediate financial or diplomatic assistance, my grandson may not survive. 'The emotional toll on our family is immense. We are heartbroken and fearful, watching from afar while Ashton suffers without the care he urgently requires.' She said that doctors and nurses at the hospital tried waking him up on Monday. Beverly said: 'It was a success but he still has a long way to go, he's bed-bound and suffering with fits, cannot talk, eat or drink and isn't aware. 'We all as a family are worried sick with fear for Ashton and how we can bring him home.' The family said they now face a massive hospital bill, as Ashton did not purchase travel or health insurance on the last minute trip. They have had to scrape all their saving together to pay for treatment and funding to bring him back to the UK, and have set up a GoFundMe to raise 50,000. Beverly said: 'The hospital in Thailand is asking for the cost of his treatment on going that is far beyond what our family can afford. 'In the meantime, Ashton's condition continues to deteriorate, and it feels as though we are being left helpless as time runs out. 'We have already put together life savings for medical bills, flights, travel, accommodation to be with him but would never be able to afford to get him home to better health care and his family.' So far they have raised just over 3,500. A Foreign Office spokesman told The Sun: 'We are supporting a British man who has been hospitalised in Thailand and are in contact with the local authorities.' Travis Decker now missing in Washington state's wilderness after allegedly murdering his three daughters had a history of escalating violence, according to his brother who revealed Travis' 'violent' reaction when his family attempted to hold an intervention. Thomas, 35, told the Daily Mail exclusively that his brother's actions are unrecognizable from when they were children and begged him to 'stop this evil' and turn himself in after the bodies of his children Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5, were found near Rock Island Campground. Authorities started the search for the three little girls after they failed to return home from a scheduled visit with their father on May 30. Three days later, they were found suffocated, with plastic bags over their heads and bound with zip ties, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office confirmed. Shortly after, a no-bail arrest warrant was issued for Travis, 32, on three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of kidnapping. Now, in the second week of the manhunt, authorities believe they are closing in on the army vet, writing in a Facebook post, 'Our office recently received a tip from a hiking party who stated they spotted a lone hiker in the Enchantments area who appeared to be ill-prepared for trail and weather conditions and appeared to be avoiding others. 'Tracking teams immediately acted upon the information and spotted a lone, off-trail hiker from a helicopter near Colchuck Lake who ran from sight as the helicopter passed.' But Thomas tells the Daily Mail he does not know if his younger brother will surrender when confronted by law enforcement. Thomas Decker (pictured with wife Jessica) spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail about his brother's alarming change in behavior over the past three years and issued a desperate plea for Travis to turn himself in Travis Decker showed violent tendencies after his brother and father staged an intervention following Travis' apparent financial abandonment of his family Thomas's wife, Jessica, posted this photo of her three children with Travis's daughters after the three girls' bodies were discovered on June 2 'I honestly do not know,' he said. 'We have been so disconnected for the last three years. 'I hope it is over soon. You know, there's a lot of people - not just within the family, but outside the family - that wants closure with this.' Heartbroken, Thomas describes how growing up together, being only two-and-a-half years apart, they were best friends. 'We did everything together, we hunted, fished, camped and fought with each other. We were best friends as kids.' The brothers also pursued similar career paths with Thomas joining the Army at 18 years old and Travis following in his footsteps. 'At times we were stationed at opposite ends of the world, but we stayed in touch with phone calls and emails. We rarely saw each other because of our military careers.' Thomas says how a little over three years ago he found out he was being stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord just outside Tacoma, Washington, a three-hour drive from Wenatchee, Washington, where Travis lived with his wife, Whitney, and their three daughters. Thomas made a call to his brother. 'Initially, Travis was excited about the news that we were going to be finally living in the same state after all of these years. 'I was excited, I have young kids, and Travis had three young girls. I thought we all could reconnect... with our wives and kids. Authorities released photos of Decker from before he went missing into the vast wilderness of Washington state, showing him with sunglasses that obscured his eyes and tattoos all down his arm Travis (right) followed in his brother's footsteps by joining the Army after he turned 18. Thomas is two-and-a-half years older and said they were close when they were growing up Thomas told DailyMail.com that he and his brother grew apart while serving in different locations, until he found out he'd be stationed in Washington where Travis lived with his wife, Whitney, and their three daughters 'Then, after I moved out, I called Travis on the phone, he appeared distant and uninterested, I was taken back by his demeanor. 'Months later I found out that Travis and Whitney were getting a divorce. He was still living at the house, but every time I spoke with him... it's hard to explain, but you couldn't communicate with him. 'He listened but wasn't listening.' Then, Thomas found out that Travis was starting to abandon his family. 'I told him, 'You can't leave your family like this. People get divorced all the time, if you are not happy in your marriage, that's okay.' ''But your kids do not deserve this, just because you are getting a divorce doesn't allow you to forgo your parental obligations.'' Thomas said at one point he and his father staged an 'intervention' with Travis at his house. Whitney took the girls away for the afternoon, and Thomas and their father showed up at Travis' house. 'We were trying to help him. We had hoped to have a good conversation with him - to ask him if he needed anything, any help, financial or otherwise. We are family, we want to help him and see what we could do to get him back on track. 'But things did not go well, he tried to resort to violence, because we were not supposed to be there and we just showed up unannounced,' said Thomas, who refused to elaborate further but clarified there was no physical violence. A year later, when their mother died in 2023, Thomas reached out to check on his younger brother and ask him if he wanted any of her possessions. Travis appeared 'distant and uninterested' when his brother moved to Washington State some three years ago The home where Whitney and her three daughters lived. It's also where the intervention took place, which Thomas said escalated to the point where Travis 'tried to resort to violence' because he and his father showed up 'unannounced' Whitney gave no indication that she thought she and her three daughters were at risk of being harmed, otherwise Thomas said, he would have intervened 'Again, whatever I said fell on deaf ears. By this time, he and Whitney were divorced, and he wasn't paying child support, nor fulfilling his parental obligations.' But Thomas said he had to eventually cut off Travis, adding that 'He was spreading lies about me and I just no longer wanted to deal with it. 'I have worked hard for what I have accomplished, and I did not want his lies to ruin my career or anything else. So I told myself I would not communicate with him anymore. 'And to cut him off was tough. We grew up together, he is my baby brother, we did a lot of things together, and I thought we were going to be a big happy family, take our kids on trips, be uncles and dads. 'It's tough now knowing that will never be the case.' Thomas last saw Whitney and the three girls about one week before they were murdered. 'We were being transferred again, and we were going to be driving near where they lived so we spent a night in Wenatchee. We got a hotel and Whit, the girls came swimming, and we had a little pizza party. We laughed and played and just caught up on conversation, normal family stuff. 'Whitney told my wife that she still wanted Travis to find help. But she never mentioned that she was concerned about her and her daughters' safety around Travis. 'Travis was still attending the girls' sporting events, but he still was not financially providing for his girls.' Thomas said nothing was out of the ordinary with Whitney, adding that if he 'knew of any potential danger we would have acted upon it. We did not get any vibe Whitney had any concern of potential violence.' Thomas and Jessica last saw Whitney and the three girls about one week before they were murdered The Chelan County Sheriff's Office says they believe they are closing in on the Army veteran as the manhunt enters its second week Authorities are increasingly confident theyre closing in on Travis after a hiking party reported seeing an 'ill-equipped' man actively avoiding contact on a trail at Colchuck Lake Whitney told Thomas that Travis had been going to a therapist and trying to get help. Once he started doing better, she told Thomas, he stopped going. Thomas said he can't speak on whether or not his brother had PTSD, saying, 'I don't know. I mean, everybody gets affected from different things differently. 'There are people in the military that can see the worst things and they're fine. And there's people that go to the office every day and they are out. Thomas said at the time they were originally speaking, they had plans to hang out - Travis was out of the military by this time. 'Then all of a sudden he changed - I don't know what changed or why, it is something I have been trying to figure out these past three years.' Travis was an infantryman in the US Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014, said Army spokesperson Lt Colonel Ruth Castro. He has training in navigation, survival and other skills, authorities said. He once spent more than two months living in the backwoods off the grid. 'The guy on the wanted poster for murdering my three nieces is not the brother I know,' said Thomas. 'I can't even comprehend what is going on. 'I am in complete shock that he would do something like this. He loves his daughters at least I thought he did. And Whitney is devastated beyond belief.' SWAT teams from the Snohomish County Sheriff's Special Operations unit looking for Travis. Thomas told the Daily Mail he's unsure if his brother will surrender when confronted by law enforcement 'The 'guy on the wanted poster for murdering my three nieces is not the brother I know,' Thomas told DailyMail.com Thomas said that part of him, if given the chance to talk to his brother, 'wants to ask Travis why? Why did you do this?' But he does not think Travis would be honest, asking, 'Can you trust somebody that did something like this to give you an honest answer?' Thomas said he is cooperating with law enforcement, speaking to them just days before his interview with the Daily Mail. 'They wanted to know anything I knew about Travis - other phone numbers, email addresses, likes or dislikes, what was he like, habits, etc. They wanted to get an idea of who he is.' A GoFundMe page set up to help the girls' mother raised more than $1.2 million by Wednesday afternoon. As for Thomas, he just wants to put this all to rest. 'I hope this is over soon so we can start the healing process and get some semblance of closure.' The Democratic mayor of San Antonio criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott for deploying the state's National Guard to the predominantly Hispanic city ahead of immigration protests that, so far, haven't happened. Mayor Ron Nirenberg condemned the move as unnecessary and politically motivated, comparing it to former President Donald Trump's deployment of military forces during protests in Los Angeles a decision that bypassed local authorities. Unlike LA, the protests in San Antonio haven't yet, and there is no indication from local law enforcement that the Texas National Guard is needed, the Democrat added. 'This has been geared towards theatre and provocation,' Nirenberg told reporters at a press conference Wednesday. Under normal protocol, a mayor would request National Guard assistance from the governor in response to emergencies such as natural disasters or anticipated violence. However, Nirenberg revealed that neither he nor the police department were consulted or informed before the Guard's deployment. 'No, sir and we didn't receive any advance warning either,' the mayor said. 'We weren't given this information. We had to go looking for it.' Standing alongside the mayor, Police Chief William McManus confirmed that the San Antonio Police Department had not been informed of the Guard's role or numbers and has had no direct communication with Guard leaders an unusual lack of coordination. Army National Guard soldiers close a gate after concluding a boat patrol on the Rio Grande River at the U.S.-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas will be the site of a protest Wednesday night 'We are fully prepared for a peaceful demonstration,' McManus said, referring to a planned protest at the Alamo on Wednesday evening and an anti-Trump rally scheduled for Saturday. 'But we are also prepared if it turns violent.' Gov. Greg Abbott previously sent Guard troops to the southern border during President Joe Biden's administration in another controversial decision. In response to questions from the Daily Mail, Abbott's press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, defended the decision. 'Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we've seen in Los Angeles,' Mahaleris told Daily Mail in emailed statement. 'Anyone engaging in violence or damaging property will be swiftly held accountable.' Recent anti-ICE demonstrations in Austin and Dallas were largely peaceful, though 13 arrests were made in Austin, where three officers were reportedly injured by thrown objects. A fourth officer was injured and spat on while detaining a demonstrator. In San Antonio, the deployment has stirred confusion and frustration. San Antonio leaders held a press conference Wednesday morning to announce they felt there was no need for the Texas National Guard to be mobilized to the city ahead of anti-ICE and anti-Trump protests this week. Police Chief William McManus stands at the podium while Mayor Ron Nirenberg stands to his right Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) arrives to speak to reporters outside of the West Wing after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on February 5, 2025 in Washington, DC. Abbott met with Trump to discuss the situation on the southern border. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) A family from Cuba is detained and escorted to a bus following an appearance at immigration court, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) A family from Cuba is detained and loaded on to a bus with tinted windows and bars following an appearance at immigration court, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) City officials were caught off guard, with the mayor's term set to end next week. Local authorities insist they can manage the protests without state military intervention. 'I have full faith in our San Antonio Police Department and our community to set an example of peaceful protest,' Nirenberg said. 'We must speak out against cruelty, but do so peacefully. That's the most powerful form of opposition.' Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests have been quietly taking place for weeks at San Antonio's federal courthouse, targeting migrants complying with court-mandated check-ins. The city's top officials made clear that while peaceful protests will be respected, anyone using them as a cover for violence will face consequences. City officials could not answer what role soldiers would play in the protests. 'I don't know how many [Guard members] are here or what they're going to do,' Chief McManus said. 'That question is probably better directed to Austin.' Austin's mayor also confirmed the National Guard is on standby for protest in his city over the weekend. An Alabama chiropractor's wife who has accused her husband of trying to poison her has testified that the first few years of their marriage were 'rough.' Hannah Mann, 25, gave evidence on Tuesday that her marriage to Brian Thomas Mann was 'isolating' and the first few years were a struggle for the couple, who only dated for six months before tying the knot. Brian Mann is charged with her attempted murder after it was alleged he continually poisoned her with lead inside their marital home in Decatur. He has pleaded not guilty. 'The first year and a half I would say was pretty rough,' she said of their marriage, according to The Decatur Daily. 'We had a lot of things to overcome, but it progressively got better as time went on. We had a couple of bumps in the road.' She remembered her marriage to Brian, 36, getting better after the birth of their first child in January 2020, but not even a year later, she began to fall ill. Hannah also testified that her husband began poisoning her in 2021, causing her to develop 'severe abdominal pain and really severe back pain and extreme nausea.' By August 2021, she began feeling ill and got an X-ray in October, where doctors found a glitter-like substance inside her. Brian Thomas Mann, 36, is on trial for allegedly poisoning his wife with lead to get a life insurance payout Hannah Mann, 25, testified on Tuesday that marriage was 'isolating' and the first few years were 'rough' for the couple, who only dated for six months before tying the knot. She remembered her marriage getting better after the birth of their first child in January 2020 'They took an X-ray of me, and it showed a bunch of glitter in my stomach,' she told the court. However, she wasn't immediately diagnosed with lead poisoning. She was during a follow-up visit, which after, her husband began to discourage her from seeking medical help, she testified. 'He would say they would send me right back home if I went to the doctor,' she said. By November 2021, she began experiencing dizzy spells. By the end of the year, she had lost 50 pounds, she testified, saying she weighed around 100 pounds then. The mother-of-two also claimed her husband isolated her - forcing her to get rid of all her social media accounts when they married in 2018 and discouraged her mother from coming over while she was ill. Her mother would sneak over while Brian was out, Hannah testified. The main group of people she'd be around while she was allegedly being poisoned was her husband's family and her church family, she said. Brian's alleged plan to cash out on the multimillion life insurance policies he had for his wife began to unravel after she was diagnosed with lead poisoning. She was hospitalized between January and March 2022. But not even a year later, she began to fall ill and was later diagnosed with lead poisoning, leading to her husband's arrest in 2022 She was hospitalized for two months from January to March 2022 after she fell too ill to care for herself It was in late January that the now-Hartselle Police Chief Alan McDearmond received a call from Department of Human Resources that Hannah had been poisoned and encouraged the police to place Brian under arrest, he testified. When they arrived at his residence, he wasn't home, according to his mom and grandmother. 'I talked to them about what had happened and asked if Brian was there. They said he wasnt,' he testified. When the husband later arrived at the home, he spoke with McDearmond, who asked if there was anything in the home that could have contained lead. 'Brian said Hannah took white powder, which was the generic form of Miralax, and from there we went back to the Police Department,' he said. Brian later called him from the hospital, where a nurse practitioner told the officer that another nurse at a different hospital had diagnosed the father-of-two with the same thing she did. An X-ray showed a substance in his stomach that he had recently digested. Police later took samples from Hannah's colostomy bag after getting a subpoena. It is unclear what police found. She was diagnosed with lead poisoning after getting an X-ray and doctors finding a glitter-like substance in her stomach Just days after she left the hospital, Hannah dropped her bombshell accusation of attempted murder and filed for divorce. She detailed the $1.3million in life insurance policies he held against her and another $1.5million in two additional insurance applications that were denied. She amended her complaint days later, saying Brian 'perpetrated acts of assault upon her person by intentionally causing her to unwittingly ingest particles of lead.' In late August 2022, Mann was indicted and on September 2 of that year he was arrested for attempted murder. He was released on $500,000 bond on September 7, 2022 with the conditions that he turn in his guns, wear an ankle monitor and give up his passport. A week later, however, Mann had his bond revoked because he allegedly did not give away his passport. In late November, Mann's father filed an affidavit asking his son to be released and promising he wouldn't flee the country. DailyMail.com has reached out to Chad Morgan, Brian's lawyer, for comment. When I read Greta Thunberg's claim that she'd been 'kidnapped' by the Israeli military while trying to deliver aid to Gaza, I did a double-take. Kidnapped? Really? That word carries weight among Israelis. Greta wasn't hunted down, dragged screaming into cars, assaulted or killed, but I nearly was. My brother and I are survivors of the Nova Music Festival massacre on October 7, 2023. We were there to enjoy music and dance, when the day suddenly devolved into a nightmare as Hamas murderers and actual kidnappers descended on the concert grounds. My brother and I were mere feet from death multiple times. Miraculously, we survived physically unscathed but mentally scarred. Others did not. Twelve hundred people in Israel were murdered on October 7. Two hundred and fifty were dragged away to Gaza. Today, too many remain missing and dozens more still are being held hostage after more than 600 days. When I read Greta Thunberg 's claim that she'd been 'kidnapped' by the Israeli military while trying to deliver aid to Gaza , I did a double-take. (Pictured: Greta Thunberg discussing her trip to Gaza on June 1). My brother and I are survivors of the Nova Music Festival massacre on October 7, 2023. (Pictured: Author, Ron Segev, 39) We were there to enjoy music and dance, when the day suddenly devolved into a nightmare as Hamas murderers and actual kidnappers descended on the concert grounds. (Pictured: Ron Segev at the Nova Festival in 2023). They were kidnapped. Greta was detained with a smile and handed a sandwich, yet this climate activist turned 'freedom fighter' dares to use the same word. What an insult to those who are now traumatized. However, we now see that Greta Thunberg is not concerned with such details when there are cameras to pose for. On Tuesday evening, Greta arrived back in her native Sweden after agreeing to be voluntarily deported from Israel when her 'selfie yacht,' carrying barely a truckload worth of food, was intercepted by the IDF. Some of the other activists who traveled with Greta chose to stay in Israel and contest their detention in the courts, but Greta knows that's not her strength. She's better in front of the microphones. She arrived in her home country to chants of 'Free Palestine,' now recognized as a cry for global intifada, and she was draped in keffiyehs. Though, when asked by Swedish media why she chose to join a so-called humanitarian effort alongside known terrorist sympathizers, like 'freedom flotilla' organizer Zaher Birawi , who has previously been pictured with former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Greta claimed ignorance. 'Should I ask exactly everyone what exactly they have said about everything?' she spat back at reporters. 'It would take some time.' Not that much time. Another activist who travelled with Greta on the boat was Brazilian Thiago Avila, who reportedly attended Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's funeral in Beirut last year. Avila wrote on social media that he was 'inspired' by the Lebanese terrorist chief. Ignorance, indeed. Greta wasn't hunted down, dragged screaming into cars, assaulted or killed, but I nearly was. My brother and I are survivors of the Nova Music Festival massacre (pictured) on October 7, 2023. They were kidnapped. Greta was detained with a smile and handed a sandwich, yet this climate activist turned 'freedom fighter' dares to use the same word. Before her deportation from Israel, Greta was asked to watch footage compiled by Israel of what happened on October 7. But Greta and her compatriots refused. If they had bothered to open their eyes, they would have likely seen the brutality of that day: people dragged, tortured, beheaded and gunned down. That is the 'resistance' that Greta seems to support. A true 'resistance' wouldn't attack civilians, brutally rape women, mercilessly kill the innocent or use infant hostages as bargaining chips. I once believed that Greta Thunberg was legitimately attempting to save the planet. Now, it's clear to me that she has lost her way. She isn't helping Palestinians. She is helping Hamas manipulate the world's sympathy. But I don't think she's evil. I think she has been manipulated, like millions of others, by people smarter than her, people with agendas. She doesn't realize that she's a pawn in their propaganda war that seeks to destroy Israel and the Jewish people. But we're still here. Scarred. Mourning. Fighting. Trying to bring our people home. Trying to live without fear. For many Israelis, we don't want revenge. We want our people back. We want to live in peace. But peace won't come from lies, nor will it come from PR stunts and social media posts. On Tuesday evening, Greta arrived back in her native Sweden after agreeing to be voluntarily deported from Israel after her 'selfie yacht,' carrying barely a truckload worth of food , was intercepted by the IDF. (Pictured: Greta arriving at Stockholm-Arlanda airport on June 10). It will only come when people stop repeating propaganda and start acknowledging the truth, even the parts that are inconvenient to their narrative. So, I'll tell her myself: Greta, you weren't kidnapped. You were detained for attempting to enter a restricted warzone and flown back to Sweden. The people who were kidnapped are either dead, traumatized or still trapped in a living nightmare. Say their names. Tell their story. Demand their release! Greta, if you ever truly cared about justice, now would be the time to show it. Britain has agreed to a 'fluid' Gibraltar border that will remove physical checks on travel between the territory and Spain - but allow EU passport controls at the Rock's airport for the first time. Gibraltarian chief minister Fabian Picardo welcomed what he said was a 'historic agreement' that means Britons will face Schengen-style border checks when landing there, despite it being a British Overseas Territory. Talks on rules governing the border have been ongoing since Britain left the EU in 2020, against a backdrop of Madrid's claim to the enclave, which it ceded more than 300 years ago. There will be dual border control checks for arrivals by air at Gibraltar airport, carried out by Gibraltarian and Spanish officials. It means Britons who fly to the Rock having to show their passports to Spanish or EU border guards, despite it being UK territory. However, it would also mean that the Spain-Gibraltar border could be fully re-opened so that people living either side of it can travel across it seamlessly. But the decision sparked anger among Brexiteer MPs with Mark Francois, the Tory shadow armed forces minister, saying: 'First Chagos and now Gibraltar and then probably the Falklands, too. Foreign Secretary David Lammy held talks with Gibraltar's leaders, members of the opposition and the business community before leaving the British overseas territory to head to Brussels this morning. There will be dual border control checks for arrivals by air at Gibraltar airport, carried out by Gibraltarian and Spanish officials. Gibraltarian chief minister Fabian Picardo welcomed what he said was a 'historic agreement' that removed a major bottleneck for commuters and trade at the border created after Brexit. 'This Europhile, human rights obsessed Government can no longer be trusted to robustly defend any of our overseas interests, as this further needless concession to Spain shows.' Foreign Secretary David Lammy held talks with Gibraltar's leaders, members of the opposition and the business community before leaving the British overseas territory to head to Brussels this morning. Ministers previously insisted that no deal would be done without the full support of Gibraltar's government. Mr Lammy said the agreement was a 'breakthrough' after years of uncertainty and that the UK's commitment to Gibraltar 'remains as solid as the Rock itself'. He said: 'Alongside the government of Gibraltar, we have reached an agreement which protects British sovereignty, supports Gibraltar's economy and allows businesses to plan for the long-term once again. 'I thank the Chief Minister and his Government for their tireless dedication throughout the negotiations. The UK's commitment to Gibraltar remains as solid as the Rock itself.' President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen also welcomed the deal, posting on X: 'It safeguards the integrity of Schengen and the Single Market, while ensuring stability, legal certainty and prosperity for the region.' Around 15,000 Spanish workers continue crossing the border every day either for work or to visit friends and relatives. Foreign Office sources denied that the deal would involve Gibraltar re-joining the Schengen zone per se. Foreign Secretary David Lammy held talks with Gibraltar's leaders, members of the opposition and the business community before leaving the British overseas territory to head to Brussels this morning. Former Brexit minister David Jones said: 'There is no reason why British people visiting their own territory should be providing their passports to foreign entities. 'This is contrary to Britain having sovereignty over Gibraltar and would do huge damage to our sovereignty over it. 'It's dreadful. We know the Spanish have wanted to get their hands on Gibraltar ever since the Treaty of Utrecht [which handed Britain sovereignty over Gibraltar in 1715] - it's a vitally important asset to us. 'It has thousands of our citizens living there and people visiting their own territory should not have to present their own passport to foreign officials.' Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: 'Another surrender and a handover in all but name. 'This Government consistently undermines Britain, and it is absolutely unforgivable. The Falklands will be next.' Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said: 'We need to wait and see the full details of the agreement and the legal text of the treaty. 'The last Conservative government worked closely with the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, and set out clearly the terms for the negotiations and our red lines, and we will now examine if this deal meets those. 'The Conservative Party in government, and now in Opposition has always been clear that any deal must ensure that the sovereignty and rights of Gibraltar are safeguarded in full and must carry the support of the Government and people of Gibraltar, as well as protect constitutional arrangements. 'We also consistently opposed any efforts by Spain to disrupt the flow of goods at the border. 'Gibraltar is British, and given Labour's record of surrendering our territory and paying for the privilege, we will be reviewing carefully all the details of any agreement that is reached.' A specific agreement covering the territory is needed because, at Spain's insistence, it was not included in the wider EU-UK trade pact struck in 2019. It was also not included in Sir Keir Starmer's 'reset' deal unveiled last month. It means anyone crossing over the Spain-Gibraltar must show their travel documents. Madrid still claims sovereignty over Gibraltar, but it officially remains a UK overseas territory after being ceded to the British crown in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. While the idea of foreign border guards on foreign soil could be controversial, French officials are currently stationed at St Pancras station in central London, where Eurostar passengers have their passports checked. They are also based in Dover before travellers catch ferries to the Continent. British officers are stationed in Belgium and France to allow travellers to leave the station without controls. A father and daughter took a 'bucket list' trip up Maine's highest mountain in bad weather - and ended up dead in a terrible double tragedy. Tim Keiderling, 58, and Esther Keiderling, 28, set off on Sunday morning to hike Mount Katahdin around 6am before they vanished in treacherous conditions that day. Their bodies were found days later, less than 1,000 feet of each other, near the summit, leaving their family devastated as they said the pair loved spending time together outdoors. 'They were doing a day hike, a bucket list thing, to climb this amazing mountain,' Tim's brother-in-law Heinrich Arnold wrote on Facebook. 'Both wonderful people, full of life, full of joy.' A bucket list is a list of achievements a person hopes to achieve before they 'kick the bucket' - die - although there's no suggestion that either Keiderling was ill or dying. As avid hikers, the father and daughter were said to have dreamed of summiting the mountain together, but were hit by severe weather that made the mountain trail freezing and slippery. The pair took the Abol Trail in an attempt to scale the 5,200ft mountain, the shortest route which is intended to be completed in a day but is described by officials as 'very strenuous', per the Boston Globe. Officials have not released a cause of death for the father and daughter. Tim Keiderling, 58, and his daughter Esther, 28, were on a 'bucket list' trip together hiking Maine's highest mountain before they both tragically died near the summit The father and daughter died within 1,000 feet of each other near Mount Katahdin's summit after taking a 'very strenuous' route up On the morning the father and daughter began hiking, Esther wrote on her Substack that she was 'a little nervous after everything I've read about the Abol Trail.' 'I'm going to do it if weather permits!', she wrote, adding: 'If you don't see me back on Substack notes again, that's where I am.' Officials began fearing for their safety after finding their car in the day-use parking lot on the trail. They launched a widespread search including K9 teams and Blackhawk and Lakota helicopters from the Maine Army National Guard, which were fitted with infrared thermal imaging. One of the K9 dog teams found Tim on Tuesday, and family members expressed hope that Esther may have been found alive before her body was discovered the next day. Tim's brother Joe Keiderling told WMTV after his body was found: 'No one has had a brother like mine. 'Tim lived exuberantly. He loved life, loved people, loved God. He was a storyteller like no one I've known with a rich sense of humor. 'He left us far too soon. My heart is broken for his wife and children.' Family members said they have been left stunned by their sudden passing on the mountain, and were described as 'wonderful people, full of life, full of joy' Officials began fearing for the pair's safety after finding their car in the day-use parking lot on the trail, and launched a widespread search including K9 teams and a Blackhawk helicopter before their bodies were found near the summit In a heartfelt obituary in their local paper The Daily Freeman in Ulster Park, New York, Tim was described as an 'avid outdoorsman', and both he and Esther were devout Christians. 'What drew both him and Esther to high places was always the view the broad expanse of Gods handiwork, laid out below them,' the obituary read. 'The unbearable tragedy of their passing aside, it is perhaps fitting that they went Home from a mountain top: a place of danger and solitude, but also, a place close to God.' The obituary said Tim is survived by his wife of 31 years Annemarie, as well as Esther's sisters Sophie, Heidi and Katherine, and brothers Karl and Timothy, and two granddaughters. 'Endowed with unquenchable energy and enthusiasm for life, Tim served his community in many capacities: as an elementary school teacher, a financial administrator, and, over the last ten years, as a travelling salesman for Rifton Equipment,' the obituary read. The pair took the Abol Trail in an attempt to scale the 5,200ft mountain, the shortest and toughest route that Esther had said in a Substack post before her death that she was 'nervous' to attempt He was 'especially close' with Esther, his eldest daughter, who also worked for Rifton Equipment as a customer service representative, and was said to have been a 'sensitive, deeply-thinking woman who loved reading and writing.' 'Her friends remember with great fondness how attentive she was to the needs of those around her, noticing when someone needed a word of encouragement or a small gift of some kind,' her obituary said. 'Such gifts often included her own heartfelt poetry.' Both Tim and Esther were members of the Bruderhof faith, a Christian community for people living in rural areas like they did in upstate New York. In a statement after their passing, their employer Rifton Equipment said they were 'deeply saddened' by their sudden deaths on the mountain. A coroner has paid tribute to a much-loved hospital chaplain who went 'above and beyond' in her role caring for patients and staff. Katie Watson, a former army captain, appeared on a Channel 4 documentary about life in a Newcastle hospital. The 50-year-old mother-of-two was found hanging in Jesmond Dene, Newcastle, last September, having suffered long-standing mental health issues which required both community and in-patient treatment. Coroner Karin Welsh, sitting in Newcastle, concluded that her death was suicide. The inquest heard how Ms Watson had a turbulent upbringing before she joined the military. Having served in Bosnia where she witnessed genocide, the inquest heard that she developed PTSD. She was ordained and became head of chaplaincy at the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust in 2020, during the pandemic. Ms Watson had already endured several periods of low mood over the previous decades and had expressed suicidal ideation, for which she had received treatment, the inquest heard. In late 2023, she was referred to the local psychiatric crisis team due to her deteriorating mental state. Katherine Watson, often known as Katie, became a recognisable community figure after appearing in the TV series Geordie Hospital, which focused on her work as a chaplain Revd Capt Watson appearing on Channel 4's Geordie Hospital in 2022 By March 2024, amid concerns over going on to half-pay having been off work sick, Ms Watson was treated as a mental health in-patient. She felt that she was 'treading water' in her treatment on the ward and she was eventually discharged home a month before she took her own life. The coroner said her work as an Army captain led to her 'leading from the front' and in her role as chaplain she took on a role 'above and beyond' what could be expected. Ms Welsh said although some areas of the chaplain's treatment from mental health services could have been handled differently, the coroner did not find that failings led to her taking her own life and she recorded a conclusion of suicide. Ms Welsh paid tribute, saying that although she had never met the chaplain, she knew others who had been supported by her. 'I work closely with people who knew Katie and they always spoke very highly of her and the work she has done,' the coroner told family members. Ms Welsh said the chaplain's work with families who had suffered the loss of a child was 'exceptionally helpful'. The coroner said: 'I hope she's at peace now.' Earlier, when questioning Dr Michael Wright, medical director at the hospital trust, the coroner said: 'She seems to have taken her work very seriously and effectively seems to have given above and beyond what might be expected for that, to provide a compassionate role within the hospital.' Dr Wright replied: 'She was extremely committed not only to the care of her patients but also to the welfare of other staff and your description of her characterises exactly how she did her job.' Revd Capt Watson (left) with other cast members from Geordie Hospital. Pictured: (L-R) Katie Watson, Poppy the Welfare hound, Isma Iqbal, Abbie, Jeremy French, Sean Marshall Kellie & Allan The 50-year-old ex-Army officer was missing from the Newcastle area since early Thursday afternoon After the hearing, her partner Dr Emily Watson said: 'Katie was a unique, inspiring, compassionate person who touched the lives of thousands of people. 'I am very grateful for the many hundreds of cards and messages I received when she died, and all the stories of how her ministry supported people at some of their darkest times. 'It is desperately sad that she wasn't able to see for herself how loved she was and I am sorry that mental health services in their current condition were not able to help her. 'She is deeply missed by us all.' Ms Watson featured in two series of the Geordie Hospital documentary, which followed the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's staff through a typical shift. Speaking about filming the documentary, Ms Watson said: 'Getting the chance to show people what hospital chaplaincy is actually about as opposed to what people think we do was great, and also a reminder to all of our team about how embedded and valued we are in the organisation.' The 14-year-old student who knifed a teaching assistant to death during a bag search at a school in France had just been reprimanded for kissing his girlfriend and specifically sought out a female supervisor for the attack, prosecutors claimed. Melanie G., a 31-year-old mother-of-one, was stabbed several times by the unnamed teenager outside the Francoise Dolto secondary school in Nogent, northeast France, on Tuesday. She was rushed into critical care in 'absolute emergency' but succumbed to her injuries within two hours. Melanie was the mother of a four-year-old child and lived in nearby Sarcey, where she also worked as a municipal councillor, Le Dauphine reports. She had celebrated her 31st birthday only a few days prior to the fatal attack and was described 'by all witnesses as a particularly well-liked person,' according to the prosecutor in nearby Chaumont, Denis Devallois. Speaking to Le Parisien during a press conference this afternoon, Devallois shared more information about the circumstances surrounding the killing after speaking with investigators. The student 'had a determined plan to kill a female supervisor,' the prosecutor said, adding that the boy had expressed a 'fascination with violence and death,' as well as with the 'darker characters' of television series. Devallois said the teenager appeared detached and expressed no feelings of remorse or compassion in his interview with police, nor did he exhibit any signs of a possible mental disorder. The student reportedly told police he attacked shortly after he was told off for sharing a kiss with his girlfriend at the school and 'could no longer tolerate the behaviour of female supervisors in general'. He said he had not specifically targeted Melanie, but was committed to attacking a female member of staff and doing the 'most damage possible', according to Devallois. Melanie G, mother to a four-year-old child, was tragically killed in France French gendarmes control the access to a secondary school after a 31-year-old teaching assistant was stabbed to death by a 14-year-old pupil A man walks past flowers on the fence of Francoise Dolto middle school in Nogent on June 11, 2025, a day after a secondary school pupil was arrested after killing a 31-year-old school assistant Melanie G. was attacked several times with a knife by the unnamed teenager outside the Francoise Dolto secondary school in Nogent, northeast France Melanie had only been working at the school since the start of the school year, having recently retrained as a teaching assistant to have more time to take care of her child. She was 'simply doing her job by welcoming students at the entrance to the school', said Elisabeth Allain-Moreno, secretary general of the SE-UNSA teachers' union, after the attack. A neighbour described Melanie as a 'devoted' person, a 'very kind woman' and 'a good mother'. The offending pupil was arrested and taken into custody immediately following the horrific attack on Tuesday. France's Education Minister Elisabeth Borne told reporters that the boy had been a student representative in the school's anti-bullying program, and had twice been suspended for disrupting class. French President Emmanuel Macron denounced what he called a 'senseless wave of violence', adding: 'We all stand with her family, her loved ones, her colleagues and the entire educational community.' 'The nation is in mourning and the government is mobilised to reduce crime,' he said in statements Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said the government plans to increase security measures at schools in an attempt to crack down on students carrying deadly weapons into the classroom. 'The government intends to move towards experimenting with security gates at the entrance to schools,' Bayrou said, adding that he wanted to ban certain blades, as currently 'a certain number of these knives are not considered weapons.' A neighbour described Melanie as a 'devoted' person, a 'very kind woman' and 'a good mother' A student and her mother speak to journalists after the horrific attack France's Minister of Education, Higher Education and Research Elisabeth Borne addresses journalists upon her arrival at the secondary school where a 31-year-old teaching assistant was stabbed Macron also said he would push for European Union regulation to ban social media for children under the age of 15 after the attack. He said he hoped to see results within the next few months. 'If that does not work, we will start to do it in France. We cannot wait,' he told the France 2 public broadcaster. 'Platforms have the ability to verify age. Let's do it,' he added. Backed by France and Spain, Greece has spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children's use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children's mental and physical health. Aurore, a close friend of the victim, told BFMTV yesterday afternoon that Melanie had only recently been promoted a supervisor role. 'She was very happy to have this profession, she wanted to help young people. She really liked the work atmosphere,' she told the outlet. French daily JHM reported that the attack occurred shortly before 8.30am at the entrance to the school during a bag search for knives and concealed weapons. A gendarme detaining the student suffered a slight hand injury during the arrest, the gendarmerie said. The motive for the attack still remains unclear. France has witnessed a spate of deadly knife attacks in schools in recent months. In April, a teenage girl was killed and three students injured in a stabbing attack at a private school in western France. Law enforcement officers were instructed to carry out bag checks at schools across the country from March in a bid to quell the violence. By April, the education ministry reported that some 958 bag checks in schools had resulted in the seizure of 94 knives - nearly one in every ten bags searched. Allain-Moreno said that the attack 'shows that nothing can ever be completely secure and that it is prevention that needs to be focused on.' A large emergency response force was quickly scrambled and support offered to students and teachers in the wake of the attack. Some 324 students were placed in lockdown. Classes on Tuesday and Wednesday were called off and students told to return home in small groups. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen denounced what she called the 'normalisation of extreme violence, encouraged by the apathy of the authorities.' 'Not a week goes by without a tragedy striking a school,' Le Pen said on X. 'The French people have had enough and are waiting for a firm, uncompromising and determined political response to the scourge of juvenile violence.' French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said the government plans to increase security measures at schools in an attempt to crack down on students carrying deadly weapons into the classroom A general view of the Francoise Dolto secondary school in Nogent, eastern France Your browser does not support iframes. Education Minister Borne, who introduced the bag searches, said she would go to Nogent 'to support the entire school community and the police'. It was the first year such bag checks had been coordinated at the school as part of a national push. The rectorate said that there had been 'no particular difficulties' at the school until now. The bag checks had been organised well in advance, in conjunction with the gendarmerie, it added. Jean-Remi Girard, president of the National Union of Secondary Schools, said: 'It's impossible to be more vigilant 24 hours a day. 'We can't say that every student is a danger or a threat, otherwise we'd never get out of bed in the morning.' Ms Borne announced in February that bag searches would be implemented across the country this year, citing concerns about 'a much more widespread use of bladed weapons' among young people. The searches, she said, would be carried out by law enforcement officers and not teachers or assistants, 'since this does not fall within the remit of education personnel', the minister said at the time. Police started carrying out random searches for knives and concealed weapons at schools in March. The attack and bag searches follow a series of violent attacks in French schools. In February, a 17-year-old high school student was seriously injured with a knife in the quad of his school in Bagneux. Then in April, a teenage girl was killed and three students injured in a stabbing attack at a private school in western France. The attacker was restrained at the scene after being restrained by a teacher at the Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides school in Nantes. After that attack, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called for 'more intensive checks around and inside schools'. Walmart is facing a furious boycott by the MAGA world after its billionaire heiress endorsed and promoted an anti-Trump rally amid the raging protests happening in Los Angeles. Republicans have erupted online over Christy Walton's support of the group 'No Kings' - which took to social media several times calling President Donald Trump's response to the protests 'a distraction' because 'he wants to blind us to the chaos and damage hes inflicting nationwide.' Christy Walton is the widow of John T. Walton, who was one of the sons of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. Although Walton, who is worth $19.4 billion, has not publicly spoken out about the protests or Trump, she placed a full-page ad in the New York Times Sunday calling on Americans to stand up 'against aggression by dictators' and 'mobilize' this upcoming Saturday - the same day the president is set to host a military parade in Washington D.C. The advertisement, which states it was 'paid for by Christy Walton,' went on to list eight beliefs she supports, including that Americans should 'stand by our allies,' 'uphold and defend the Constitution' and 'care for our veterans and children,' among others. 'We are the people of the United States of America. The honor, dignity, and integrity of our country are not for sale. Our government is of the people, by the people, for the people,' the ad, accompanied by an image of the Statue of Liberty, read. Around the time her advertisement hit the paper, disastrous riots broke out in LA, leading Trump to call on the National Guard and US Marines to take over the growing chaos - sparking an all out fight across the county. In the midst of the media coverage on the protests, 'No Kings' made several posts on X mentioning the violence and how it disagrees with the president's response. Walmart is facing a furious boycott by the MAGA world after an organization, promoted by its billionaire heiress Christy Walton (pictured in 2013), endorsed the anti-ICE riots happening in Los Angeles Around the time her advertisement hit the paper, disastrous riots broke out in LA, leading Trump to call on the National Guard and US Marines to take over the growing chaos - sparking an all out fight across the county One post read: 'THIS IS A DISTRACTION! Trump deploying 2,000 National Guard troops to LA to crush protests is a smokescreen. He wants to blind us to the chaos and damage hes inflicting nationwide. Dont fall for it hes hiding much worse!' Another showed an illustrated image of Trump appearing to look down on a scene of protesters while holding an 'economic report' and what appeared to be pictures of him and Jeffery Epstein. Walton's ad has visibly left many enraged and offended, leaving Republicans to call for a boycott of the popular retailer. 'Christy Walton from the family who own Walmart is Funding the day of defiance against Donald Trump. Enough is enough do not spend any money at Walmart or you are funding the things that are happening against our federal agents. Walmart is the one or most likely provided the gas masks during the riots,' one user wrote on X. Another wrote: 'Time to boycott Walmart!' 'Boycott Walmart sounds good to me specially how Christy China Walton is hates America and supports burning the United States Flag and likes people harassing ICE and federal employees,' wrote someone else. There are expected to be more than 1,800 events linked to the organization across the country Saturday, a No Kings spokesperson Andrew Cook told Forbes. 'On June 14Flag DayPresident Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday. A spectacle meant to look like strength. But real power isnt staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else,' the group's website states. Walton placed a full-page ad in the New York Times Sunday calling on Americans to stand up 'against aggression by dictators' and 'mobilize' this upcoming Saturday '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. 'On June 14th, were showing up everywhere he isntto say no thrones, no crowns, no kings,' it added. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers - one of the organization backing 'No Kings' to organize the anti-Trump protests - told the outlet: 'People from all walks of life support No Kings because our country was founded on the idea that presidents answer to the people not to authoritarian overreach or violence.' In regard to Walton's ad, a spokesperson for Walton told DailyMail.com the ad was a 'personal message' from her to the American people to urge them 'to engage peacefully and civically in next weekends events on June 14.' 'It is unrelated to the events we have seen unfold the past several days. Christy has provided no funding to organizations or individuals involved in the demonstrations in Los Angeles or other cities, nor has she provided any funding to those organizing the upcoming events. 'Her interest is simply in encouraging people to listen to one another, participate in their communities, and productively engage on the issues they care about,' they added. 'She condemns violence in all forms and continues to emphasize the importance of listening to one another.' This is not the first ad Walton has put out an ad as she posted a similar one in The New York Times in March calling on Americans to engage in the political process. In the midst of the media coverage on the protests, 'No Kings' made several posts on X mentioning the violence and how it disagrees with the president's response The advert also depicted an image of the Statue of Liberty with the head 'USA, USA, USA' printed near the torch. It then went into calls for action, including: 'We honor our commitments and stand by our allies,' 'We defend against aggression and dictators,' 'We respect our neighbors and trading partners' and 'We uphold and defend the Constitution.' The political ad ends by saying, 'The honor, dignity and integrity of our country is not for sale. Show up, attend your town halls, be civil.' In response to the uproar her ads have made, Joe Pennington, a Walmart spokesperson told DailyMail.com: 'We condemn violence, including when its directed towards law enforcement, and the damaging of property. 'As a company with associates and customers in the Los Angeles region, we remain focused on their safety and that of impacted communities. 'The advertisements from Christy Walton are in no way connected to or endorsed by Walmart. She does not serve on the board or play any role in decision making at Walmart.' DailyMail.com contacted The Walton Family Foundation for comment. A frantic manhunt is entering its fourth day after a Massachusetts fisherman was reportedly seen throwing equipment overboard before he and his girlfriend vanished without a trace. Shawn Arsenault, 64, and his partner Felicia Daley, 54, set off from Rock Harbor in Orleans, about 100 miles east of Newport, on Saturday. Locals reported to the Coast Guard that Arsenault was seen tossing electronic equipment into the water before leaving the Harbor. The couple had planned to go clamming near the Target Ship Wreck in Cape Cod Bay aboard their 30-foot white fishing boat, which features a painted mermaid on the bow and its name 'Seahorse' scrawled across the stern. But they never returned. The first sign something was wrong when locals reported to the Sunday morning when local resident Sam Miller and her father spotted a critical clue while walking along the beach. 'I noticed in the surf there was something floating, so I went down to see what it was, and it turned out to be a GPS unit off of a boat,' she told CBS Boston. 'We could tell it was a GPS unit off a boat... it had blue tape on it that said 'F/V Seahorse.' The Millers tried to return the device by leaving a note on Arsenault's nearby pickup truck in Rock Harbor. But when they returned Monday and saw the truck still unmoved, they alerted the harbormaster - who quickly contacted the Coast Guard. Shawn Arsenault, 64, and his partner Felicia Daley, 54, set off from Rock Harbor in Orleans on Saturday aboard their 30-foot white fishing boat, which features a painted mermaid on the bow and 'Seahorse' scrawled across the stern The couple had planned to go clamming near the Target Ship Wreck in Cape Cod Bay (Pictured: Shawn Arsenault) The frantic manhunt for a missing Massachusetts couple is entering its fourth day as the Coast Guard is investigating Officials say weather likely wasn't a factor in the disappearance, although search efforts have been hampered by fog and thunderstorms. 'We activated the Cape Cod Mutual Response System,' Coast Guard Commander Cliff Graham told CBS, noting visibility had been poor. 'Up today we are under a small craft advisory. Our search efforts are a little diminished because of the weather.' Authorities said a cellphone believed to be on board last pinged roughly two miles offshore from Chatham. Coast Guard Lt. Quinn LeCain confirmed reports that Arsenault was seen tossing items overboard shortly after departing. 'We received reports that he was seen throwing electronic equipment overboard,' LeCain said in an email to CBS. 'We can't confirm what exactly was thrown... there was a Facebook comment saying that it was his old GPS.' A GPS unit matching the vessel was later found washed ashore The pair planned to go clamming near Cape Cod Bay, but never returned (Pictured: Rock Habor in Orleans, MA) Now, as search crews scour the waters of Cape Cod Bay, Arsenault's family is fearing the worst. 'I really don't know what to think or feel right now,' his brother told WCVB. 'The boat was just checked out by his mechanic, he said everything was A-OK. 'He just got a new radar, a fish finder, and he was all excited about that. 'He got it all hooked up. He said he was going not coming home until he has his 30 bags.' He added a heartbreaking message to his brother: 'You're in my prayers, brother. I hope God takes care of you.' Anyone with information about the Seahorse or its occupants is urged to contact the Sector Southeastern New England command center at 866-819-9128. Argentina's former president unleashed an all-time rant after the country's highest court upheld her six-year prison sentence on corruption charges - ripping into everyone from the current Argentine president to Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Cristina Kirchner greeted thousands of supporters outside her party's headquarters in Buenos Aires on Tuesday night and slammed the Supreme Court's three-judge panel decision. The 72-year-old was found guilty in 2022 of awarding 51 public contracts for public works to companies that were tied to a close friend and convicted construction magnate. The agreements were priced 20 percent above the standard rate in a scheme that cost the South American nation tens of millions of dollars, the government found. Kirchner's administration carried out 'an extraordinary fraudulent maneuver' that harmed the interests of the government and resulted in the embezzlement of roughly $70 million at the current exchange rate. In March, Kirchner, who served as president from 2007 to 2015 and was Vice President from 2019 to 2023 under President Alberto Fernandez, asked the court to review her sentence. On Tuesday, judges Jorge Gorini, Rodrigo Gimenez Uriburu and Andres Bass whom were all appointed by Kirchner, rejected her petition because the prison sentence 'does nothing more than to protect our republican and democratic system,' according to the resolution that was obtained by the Associated Press. Kirchner spoke out against their decision as the crowd got riled up and shouted an expletive-laden chat directed at the judges. Argentina's Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it was upholding the six-year prison sentence that was handed to former President Cristina Kirchner in 2022 for awarding public works contracts to a friend Supporters gather outside the house of former President Cristina Kirchner Cristina Kirchner served as president from 2007 to 2015 and was the Vice President from 2019 to 2023 under President Alberto Fernandez 'They are three puppets who respond to natural commands far above them,' Kirchner said. 'Let no one be confused because the worst thing is not the opposition either, it is the economic power concentrated in the Republic of Argentina.' Kirchner did not stop there, going after current Argentine President Javier Milei and taking a thinly veiled shot at Trump, whom she accused of pandering to Elon Musk. 'He (Milei) is there because he was voted in, but when this puppet falls like the other puppet in the north, the friend of the chainsaw-wielding Elon Musk - look at the embarrassment and the mess, these things finally explode.' Kirchner, whose husband Nestor Kirchner was president from 2003 to 2007, has been given five business days to show up in court and turn herself in. The court also asked Argentina's security ministry to set up a detention center, where she is expected to be held. 'Being imprisoned is almost a certificate of political and personal historical dignity,' Kirchner said during the rally. Cristina Kircher following her presidential inauguration ceremony in Buenos Aires onDecember 10, 2007 Kircher was seen Tuesday at the headquarters of her political party acknowledging the support of her backers A supporter gestures holding a banner outside the house of former President Cristina Kirchner after Argentina's Supreme Court upheld her guilty verdict for defrauding the government Kirchner's lawyers have asked the court to consider allowing her to serve her six-year sentence under home confinement because of her age and health condition. The court ruling also means that Kirchner will be banned from running in this fall's Buenos Aires legislative elections just days after she launched her campaign. Supporters of Kirchner and her political movement, known as 'Kirchnerism,' blocked main roads into Buenos Aires and stormed the offices of Argentina's two main cable networks that are widely considered critical of the ex-leader, Channel 13 and Todos Noticias, smashing televisions, vandalizing cars and shattering windows. There we no injuries reported. Gregorio Dalbon, one of Kirchner's lawyers, vowed 'to take this case to all international human rights organizations.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt knocked a reporter for asking a 'stupid question' when being queried Wednesday over potential protests at President Donald Trump's military parade on Saturday. Jasmine Wright, from nonprofit journalism startup NOTUS, questioned the warning Trump gave protesters on Tuesday of being met with a 'very big force' at this weekend's parade to mark the Army's 250th anniversary - which also happens to take place on the president's 79th birthday. When Wright asked if 'peaceful protests on Saturday' would be allowed to go ahead, Leavitt cut her down. 'Of course the president supports peaceful protests. What a stupid question,' Leavitt snapped. Trump has referred to protesters in Los Angeles as 'people who despise our nation' and claimed they may even been 'paid insurrectionists.' Wright's original question asked Leavitt to 'clarify what kind of protest President Trump does support or find acceptable.' 'The president absolutely supports peaceful protests. He supports the First Amendment. He supports the right of Americans to make their voices heard,' the press secretary answered. 'He does not support violence of any kind, he does not support assaulting law enforcement officers who are simply trying to do their jobs.' 'It's very clear for the president what he supports and what he does not,' Leavitt continued. 'Unfortunately for Democrats that line has not been made clear, and they've allowed this unrest and violence to continue and the president has had to step in.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt snapped at a reporter during Tuesday's briefing and told she asked a 'stupid question' when queried about whether peaceful protests would be allowed to take place during the Saturday military parade President Donald Trump said Tuesday that people protesting Saturday's military parade in Washington, D.C. - to celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary, on the day of his birthday - would 'be met with very big force' Leavitt then moved on to the next reporter during a quick, 26-minute briefing. Organizers with the 'No Kings' movement are planning demonstrations across the country to coincide with Saturday's military parade and concert, to take place alongside Constitution Avenue and then at the Ellipse. 'No Kings' planners have pushed potential demonstrators to not take to the streets in D.C. - where there is already a robust security response. The White House, Capitol and certain roadways have been outlined with fencing ahead of Saturday's events. Instead 'No Kings' organizers have encouraged people to protest in Philadelphia or in suburban Maryland and Virginia, instead of D.C. proper. During Tuesday's briefing, Leavitt was also asked if the president sees himself as a 'king.' 'The president views himself as the president of the United States of America,' Leavitt said. 'This is a constitutional republic and we want to see all of our citizens be proud of the country in which they are given the privilege and the blessing to live.' Tuesday's briefing was dominated by questions about ongoing protests in Los Angeles - with demonstrations also popping up in major cities including New York and Chicago - all over Trump's 'mass deportation' plan. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt showed photographs of burning cars during her Tuesday briefing as she tried to justify President Donald Trump's decision to federalize the California National Guard and send U.S. Marines to quell the anti-ICE demonstrations Leavitt tried to justify Trump federalizing California's National Guard members and U.S. Marines to deal with the LA unrest by pointing to 'those images of foreign flags being waved by illegal criminals and by violent rioters in the face of cars blowing up and flames in the city.' She showed a number of photos of burning cars at the top of the briefing. 'President Trump saw these images and he said that is not going to be accepted or tolerated,' Leavitt said. 'And hence why he deployed the National Guard and United States Marines who have helped quell the violence.' California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sued over the National Guard use arguing that Trump lacked that authority to do so over the wishes of the governor. Leavitt was asked Tuesday whether other Democratic governors would be asked ahead of a similar National Guard deployment. 'President Trump was in contact with Gov. Gavin Newsom despite some of the claims he's made in the last couple of days,' Leavitt said, noting that Trump called the California Democrat Friday evening. Leavitt said Trump gave Newsom 24 hours to 'get it together' before making the decision to federalize California's National Guard. She didn't commit to Trump getting Democratic governors' permission if a similar thing happened again. President Donald Trump visited Fort Bragg on Tuesday and previewed Saturday's military parade. Some protest organizers are actually telling people to avoid protesting in D.C. - and instead to do so in Philadelphia or suburban Virginia or Maryland Leavitt instead argued that law enforcement officers have been 'kneecapped by incompetent Democrat policies and Democrat politicians,' using incorrect grammar to disparage the rival party. She concluded the briefing after being asked why Trump hasn't made more clear his support for 'First Amendment protection.' 'Why is he not out saying all peaceful protesters will be protected?' asked David Sanger of The New York Times. Leavitt answered that 'two things can be important at the same time.' 'And the president, as I just answered, supports the right of Americans to peacefully protest. He supports the First Amendment. But that is not the majority of the behavior that we have seen taking place in Los Angeles,' she continued. A large chemical spill in Ohio has grounded all flights within 4,000 square miles and sparked mass evacuations. Thousands of gallons of nitric acid, a hazardous chemical compound that can irritate eyes, throats and lungs, leaked from a tank at the Austin Powder Red Diamond plant in McArthur on Wednesday morning. The company produces industrial explosives used for construction and mining purposes. It is unclear how the leak started - but thick orange plumes of smoke were seen billowing across the blue sky in the area. An immediate evacuation order has been announced by the Vinton County Sheriff's Office, specifically for Zaleski - a small village in Ohio with a population of 750 locals. The panic occurred 185 miles east of where the 2023 toxic chemical train derailment happened in East Palestine, which completely devastated the small town. On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration banned nearly all airlines from flying within 3,700 square miles of airspace and 30 nautical miles near the terrifying spill. Only 'relief flights' are allowed in the no-fly zone. The urgent airspace ban spans across a land mass that is over double the size of Rhode Island. Dispatchers are currently directing local residents to evacuate their homes and go to the Vinton County High School gym. It could be hours before the air is deemed safe. Thousands of gallons of nitric acid leaked from a tank at Austin Powder Red Diamond plant in McArthur Wednesday morning in McArthur, Ohio Pictured: Austin Powder Red Diamond plant in McArthur, Ohio The massive leak is coming from a storage tank that holds 5,000 gallons of nitric acid, according to Jackson County Emergency Management. Robert Czechlewski, Jackson County Emergency Management Director, said 3,000 gallons leaked from the tank. When nitric acid mixes with the air, it causes a chemical reaction that produces nitric oxide, which creates and orange, brown gas to release. There are no reports of injuries from the chemical leak. In addition to feeling irritation in the eyes and nose, people could also feel drowsy and possibly fall unconscious, Brad Price with the Vinton County Health Department said. Price said anyone exposed to the dangerous chemical should immediately flush out their eyes and clean their skin. If symptoms worsen, he has urged people to call their primary health care provider for further assistance. Several local roads are also closed in the area, WBNS reported. When nitric acid mixes with the air it causes a chemical reaction that produces nitric oxide, which creates and orange, brown gas to release The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned nearly all flights from more than 3,700 square miles of airspace near the terrifying spill. 'Only relief flights' are allowed in the no-fly zone The train disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, two years ago caused chemicals, many of which are known carcinogens, to spill into the soil of the 5,000-person town and the nearby Ohio River. They also spread through the air in massive 'really toxic' smoke plumes,' which could increase the risk of 'cancer clusters' forming, according to the head of the watchdog group. East Palestine residents are still exposed to a dozen chemicals linked to respiratory issues, fatigue, high blood pressure, leukemia and kidney, lung, liver and brain cancer. And a recent paper found 540,000 square miles, spanning 16 states, were exposed to traces of volatile chemicals during the disaster. Over a dozen chemicals were in the rail cars, including several carcinogens. Vinyl chloride, for example, travels through the blood and gets broken down by the liver into even more toxic chemicals. Norfolk Southern - the train company that was derailed - agreed to pay $600 million in a class-action lawsuit settlement to the residents of the Ohio town in April of 2024. And at the beginning of this year, a fresh lawsuit alleged for the first time that people died because of the disastrous 2023 train derailment. The new litigation contains the first seven wrongful death claims filed against Norfolk Southern railroad - including the death of a 1-week-old baby. It also alleges the railroad, and its contractors botched the cleanup while officials at the EPA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on it and failed to warn residents about the health risks. Many of the other parties in the lawsuit cite lingering, unexplained health problems along with concerns something more serious could develop. A Scots soldier has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for killing a man in a bar in Canada. Corporal Craig Gibson, 30, struck Brett Sheffield three times with an elbow to the head and neck that later resulted in his death. Mr Sheffield, a 38-year-old businessman from Winnipeg, Manitoba, was left critically injured in the attack at a Toronto pub on August 28, 2023. He died two days later in hospital. Gibson, of Dalry, Ayrshire, had pleaded not guilty to a charge of manslaughter at Ontario Superior Court of Justice but was found guilty following a trial in December. The dad-of-one, who was originally charged with second-degree murder, has now been sentenced to four years and four months imprisonment. The soldier, who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan with 4 Scots, known as the Highlanders, was in Canada to take part in a military exercise. He has been dishonourably discharged from the Army following his conviction. CCTV footage from the Locals Only bar was played to the jury at Gibsons trial. It showed the soldier, who was wearing a kilt and Toronto Blue Jays shirt, striking his victim while the pair were standing at the bar. Corporal Craig Gibson was sent to prison for killing a man in a bar in Canada Brett Sheffield, 38, died in hospital two days after the assault. Mr Sheffield was on a business trip with colleagues when he started talking to the Scot. Their exchanges were initially good-natured but after a disagreement arose Gibson hit Mr Sheffield with his elbow three times. A forensic pathologist testified that the cause of death was a ruptured artery in his neck caused by blunt-force trauma. Gibson claimed he thought Mr Sheffield was going to stab him during the altercation. He told the court: I had seen his hand backing up. At the time I was certain he had a knife. However, a jury rejected his claim that he had acted in self-defence. The trial in Toronto heard how Gibson had drank several shots of whisky as he partied with around a dozen other squaddies in the city before the drunken bust-up. Addressing Mr Sheffields family in court, Gibson, who has no previous convictions, said: Im deeply sorry. Mr Sheffield did not deserve to die. Its something I have to live with for the rest of my life. Sentencing Gibson, Judge Justice Katherine Corrick said what happened was not a bar fight but a vicious assault with tragic consequences. Prosecutors had recommended a six-and-a-half-year sentence in the case while Gibsons defence team had asked for a jail term of between two and three years. A tribute was paid to Mr Sheffield online by his colleagues at NextGen Drainage, a firm he founded. They said: Brett Sheffield passed away on August 30 due to a random act of violence. His absence is felt deeply across the community, our company, and his vast network of friends and colleagues. Bretts passion for helping every person feel valued and cared for will continue to motivate us. A young woman who claimed she was picked to be a 'career astronaut' has gotten blowback from NASA about her questionable credentials. The controversy started on June 5 when Laysa Peixoto, 23, took to Instagram to reveal that she was chosen to fly missions to the moon and Mars after completing NASA astronaut training in 2022. The Minas Gerais native went on to explain that she was going to join Titan Space's inaugural flight in 2029, which will be led veteran NASA astronaut Bill McArthur. 'It hasn't fully sunk in yet, but I feel immense gratitude for the entire journey I've taken so far and for everyone who has been and is a part of it,' Peixoto wrote on the post, which was accompanied by a photo of her taken in a NASA shirt with the New York City skyline in the background. 'I was selected to become a career astronaut, working on manned space flights to private space stations, and for future manned missions to the Moon and Mars,' Peixoto said, while adding that she is 'officially an astronaut in the class of 2025. 'It is a great joy to represent Brazil as an astronaut in such a decisive era of space exploration, which will change the history of humanity forever,' she continued. 'It is an honor to carry the Brazilian flag with me as the first Brazilian woman to cross this frontier.' However, Peixoto's claims drew a ruthless response from NASA itself. 'While we generally do not comment on personnel, this individual is not a NASA employee, principal investigator, or astronaut candidate,' NASA said in a statement provided to the Daily Mail, saying she was involved in 'a workshop for students' that 'is not an internship or job at NASA.' Laysa Peixoto, 23, took to Instagram to reveal that she was chosen to fly missions to the moon and Mars after completing NASA astronaut training in 2022 'I was selected to become a career astronaut, working on manned space flights to private space stations, and for future manned missions to the Moon and Mars ,' Peixoto said, while adding that she is 'officially an astronaut in the class of 2025 NASA released a statement Wednesday indicating Peixoto 'is not a NASA employee, principal investigator, or astronaut candidate' 'It would be inappropriate to claim NASA affiliation as part of this opportunity.' Titans Space, which does not have a license from the Federal Aviation Administration to host human spaceflight, confirmed Peixoto's participation to Brazilian news outlet Metropoles. However, she is not on the list of astronauts for the potential flight. Peixoto attended the Federal University of Minas Gerais but was dismissed in 2023 when she failed to register for the second semester, the school confirmed to Metropoles. Peixoto also claimed that she was enrolled in an Application of Computing and Quantum Physics master's degree program at Columbia University. But the Ivy League school told the media outlet that it did not have any records of Peixoto attending. Peixoto sought to clear any confusion that her Instagram may have caused in a press release statement that was obtained by Brazilian outlet. O Tempo. 'In the announcement made on Instagram, the only statement given so far (June 11), having not checked any interview so far, Laysa explains that she was selected as an astronaut by the private company Titans Space,' Peixoto's publicist said. 'At no time is there a mention of NASA, or that it would be an astronaut from the agency. The post was never edited.' Peixoto had also claimed that she was enrolled in an Application of Computing and Quantum Physics master's degree program at Columbia University, but the Ivy League school told Brazilian news outlet Metropoles that the 22-yeear-old's name is not in their records A publicist for Laysa Peixoto released a statement Wednesday indicating the 22-year-old Brazilian student 'was selected as an astronaut by the private company Titans Space' Laysa Peixoto has not been included on Titan Space's astronaut list for its inaugural flight in 2029 However, the Instagram post, which has more than 83,000 likes, had been edited. The press release also indicated that Peixoto doesn't have any direct ties to NASA. 'It's explicit and clear: Laysa was selected to become a career astronaut by Titans Space, which will have as mission commander, Bill McArthur, a veteran NASA astronaut - the only mention made about NASA in the post,' the note mentions. The Daily Mail has reached out to Peixoto for comment. Nicola Sturgeons former chief of staff has been hired as a director of the book festival where the ex-First Minister will be one of the most high-profile speakers. Liz Lloyd has been taken on by the Edinburgh International Book Festival because of her valuable experience in communications, leadership and public affairs. It comes as Ms Sturgeon prepares to appear at the event in August to promote her memoir, entitled Frankly and amid a row over the lack of gender-critical writers on the programme. Ms Sturgeon tried to drive through abortive transgender reforms while in office - while Ms Lloyd recently said she did not think either side of this [transgender] debate could really walk around with a halo over their head saying, you know, we got this absolutely right. Ms Lloyd, 47, who now works for political risk consulting firm Flint Global, described herself as a thought partner for the former First Minister. In a message in November 2020, during the Covif epidemic, Ms Lloyd said: I just want a good old-fashioned rammy so can think [sic] about something other than sick people. Last night a Scottish Tory source said: Any hopes that Nicola Sturgeon might be subject to frank scrutiny when she plugs her self-serving book appear to have been dashed by this appointment. Liz Lloyd has been taken on by the Edinburgh International Book Festival because of her valuable experience in communications, leadership and public affairs What next - Val McDermid [a crime writer and friend of Ms Sturgeon] grilling her on her record? A spokesman for the Edinburgh International Book Festival said: We are pleased to welcome Liz Lloyd to the board of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Her appointment follows a fully advertised recruitment process, and she will bring valuable experience in communications, leadership and public affairs. Recent and upcoming board appointments reflect a broad range of expertise to support the Festivals strategic direction. Programming decisions remain solely with our executive and programming teams. The Festival did not disclose Ms Lloyds remuneration, and the latest accounts for the event, up to the end of 2023, pre-date Ms Lloyds tenure. They show one unnamed director received payments for consultancy fees of 18,557. Ms Lloyd was contacted for comment. Edinburgh International Book Festival, which is partially funded by the Scottish Government, has been criticised for giving a platform to Ms Sturgeon but not including gender-critical authors. The annual event has the theme of repair - but is not hosting those on the opposite side of the gender debate to the SNP. It was plunged into financial woes last year after complaints from Left-wing activists, and the Scottish Greens, forced Baillie Gifford to withdraw its sponsorship. The multinational company was criticised for its investments in fossil fuels, with climate change activists threatening to disrupt some of the events. New funding was supplied by Edinburgh-based crime author Ian Rankin as well as additional cash coming from the Scottish Government and the Peoples Postcode Lottery. But the line-up infuriated some writers who claimed no feminists are scheduled to speak. Jenny Lindsay, who has written about being hounded out of Scotlands literary scene due to speaking up for womens rights, was one of the most vocal critics. Ms Sturgeon prepares to appear at the event in August to promote her memoir, entitled 'Frankly She wrote on social media platform X: I cant believe I missed that the theme is repair, and theyve booked hounders over those hounded, are continuing to ostracise successful feminist writers trying to repair after houndings, AND theyre featuring many activist writers who had their funding destroyed last year and called them all sorts of names. Two Scottish Tory MSPs also condemned the Edinburgh line-up. Tess White said it was very disappointing that Edinburgh International Book Festival has given a platform to people like Nicola Sturgeon, but not to authors like Jenny Lindsay who have suffered such significant personal and professional cost from speaking out against self-ID. Fellow Tory MSP Pam Gosal added Edinburgh International Book festivals theme this year is repair - yet they refuse to invite Jenny Lindsay and other feminist writers opposed to [gender] self-ID. She said that instead they have given a platform to Nicola Sturgeon who threw women and girls under the bus. There was also no invite for the authors behind the Sunday Times bestseller The Women Who Wouldnt Wheest - a series of essays about the battle for womens rights in Scotland. One of those behind it, Susan Dalgety, said that she never really expected to be invited. She wrote on X that it included essays about how the book festival industry, like Nicola Sturgeon, had dismissed us as bigots and our book, and those by Jenny Lindsay, were simply not valid. Ms Dalgety added: One of the biggest challenges facing Scotland [and the rest of the UK] in recent years is the social and cultural divide that has arisen, not between the wealthy and working people, but between the lanyard class and the rest of us. The Edinburgh Book Festival (and others) largely pander to this small clique of middle-class folk whose luxury beliefs reinforce the power structures that celebrated the mutilation of children and put the demands of men first before the rights of even the most vulnerable women. But its their loss, because some of the best thinking and creativity around is being done by women who have (re)discovered the power of their individual and collective voices. The Festival was approached for comment on the claims. A woman who went missing from London's Hyde Park has finally been found - four months after she disappeared. Portia Vincent-Kirby, from Finchley, North London, 'dropped off the face of the earth' after spending the evening with friends on February 21. The 33-year-old - who once ran to be an MP - was spotted a month later by a family friend at the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel, but vanished again soon after. She is reported to have abandoned her flat and not accessed her bank card since early March while family said she had not used her passport to get out of the country. But Ms Vincent-Kirby has now been recovered 'safe and well', Metro, who have repeatedly appealed for information about her whereabouts, reports. Her mother, Janina Vincent, previously told the newspaper that the family had been bleeding quietly and inwardly since her disappearance. She explained that since Ms Vincent-Kirby disappeared she had been dangerously close to imploding as the horrifying ordeal took its toll on those who loved her. Portia Vincent-Kirby, from Finchley, North London, 'dropped off the face of the earth' after spending the evening with friends on February 21 Her mother, Janina Vincent, previously told Metro that the family had been bleeding quietly and inwardly since her disappearance. Pictured: Portia Vincent-Kirby and her mother Janina Vincent Ms Vincent said: I was thinking, How can this all be? How can my child just vanish? At one point I was dangerously on edge, and had to get away so I didnt become a mess. The Met Police were last known to be working on the theory that she may have been in Kent, where she grew up. She had also been known to live in Italy, Belgium, Greece and France. She was last seen on March 14 when she was spotted by a family friend. They did not know she was missing at the time, and they chatted for an hour in which time he bought her two drinks. The Met Police later shared footage of her at the pub - in which her mother said she looked 'very unwell and distressed'. Ms Vincent-Kirby's worried brother Max, who lives in Wigmore, Kent, previously said: 'She's got a masters' degree, she's an intelligent girl, she's not the kind of person who just vanishes. The 33-year-old - who once ran to be an MP - was spotted a month later by a family friend at the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel, but vanished again soon after She is reported to have abandoned her flat and not accessed her bank card since early March while family said she had not used her passport to get out of the country 'It's like she's dropped off the face of the earth.' Portia, who has had a number of careers, most recently worked as an administrator for an eco waste company. Before that, she worked at a law firm as a legal PA and in public relations, with her brother saying she had left her most recent role in February. She ran as the Green Party candidate for Hendon, North London, in 2019. A Pakistani man accused of plotting a chilling ISIS-inspired mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn has been hauled to New York to face justice. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was extradited from Canada after allegedly scheming to unleash a terror attack targeting Jewish Americans with automatic rifles - on or around the anniversary of Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. Prosecutors say Khan aimed to 'kill as many members of our Jewish community as possible' in a horrifying attack meant to mirror the devastation of 9/11. Khan, who had been living in Quebec, was arrested last September by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) just 20 kilometers from the U.S. border. According to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Khan had been communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as an ISIS sympathizer, laying out his entire plan - down to the AR-style rifles, ammunition, and getaway strategy. 'During one communication, Khan noted that "if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest attack on U.S. soil since 9/11",' prosecutors said in a statement. Khan began posting extremist propaganda online in late 2023 and soon connected with others via encrypted messaging apps, allegedly pledging support to ISIS and sharing attack blueprints with a U.S.-based co-conspirator. By August 2024, he allegedly switched his target to a Jewish community center in Brooklyn, with plans to carry out the shooting near the one-year mark of the Hamas-led rampage that left more than 1,200 people dead in Israel. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was extradited from Canada after allegedly scheming to unleash a terror attack targeting Jewish Americans with automatic rifles Prosecutors say Khan aimed to 'kill as many members of our Jewish community as possible' in a horrifying attack meant to mirror the devastation of 9/11 Pictured: Hasidic Jewish rabbis gather for the annual group portrait outside Chabad-Lubavitch Worldwide Headquarters in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Sunday, Dec. 1 2024 Khan is now facing multiple charges in the U.S., including attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and attempting to commit terrorism transcending national borders. If convicted, he faces life in prison. The shocking case has sent ripples through Jewish communities in New York and beyond, with authorities praising the undercover operation that stopped the alleged plot before it could be carried out. The allegations have not yet been proven in court. The case comes amid rising fears over anti-Semitic violence nationwidejust days after a pro-Israel rally in Colorado was firebombed in what the FBI is calling a 'targeted terror attack.' Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, allegedly injured eight peopleaged 52 to 88after launching a Molotov cocktail-style attack at a peaceful rally in Boulder on Sunday during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Terrifying footage showed victims lying motionless beside Israeli flags as flames erupted. One man was reportedly set ablaze. Soliman, shirtless and holding bottles of alcohol, yelled 'End Zionists' and 'Free Palestine' before hurling incendiary devices into the crowd, according to the ADL. The FBI labeled it a 'targeted terror attack,' while Colorado's Attorney General said it appeared to be a hate crime. Mohamed Sabry Soliman (pictured), 45, attacked demonstrators in Boulder, CO as they gathered to remember the October 7 victims who are still being held hostage by Hamas militants in Gaza Several people have been injured in a 'targeted terror attack' involving Molotov cocktails in Boulder, Colorado in the beginning of June Six people have been injured after a screaming shirtless man hurled Molotov cocktails at them during a peaceful pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado Soliman first entered the U.S. in 2022 on a visa under the Biden administration, overstayed it, and was later granted a work permit through 2025, officials confirmed. He was arrested without incident but also hospitalized for minor injuries. One victim remains in critical condition. Police evacuated several blocks around Boulder's Pearl Street Mall. The search for a missing three-year-old girl took a tragic turn as a body believed to be hers was found after cops accused her mother of creating an elaborate hoax about her 'disappearance.' An Amber Alert for Nola Dinkins was abruptly canceled on Wednesday after officials in Maryland said they believe her mother, Darrian Randle, 31, fabricated an abduction story. The alert for the missing girl had been issued the day before after her mother claimed a white couple kidnapped her daughter from her car at gunpoint around 7pm. A description of a bald male suspect around 40 years old with a patch of peach fuzz on his head was put out to law enforcement across the state, with Randle reportedly saying the man took off with a blond, white woman in a car. The mother described a terrifying encounter where she had pulled over to the side of the road on Gender Road in Newark, Delaware, to speak with her toddler because she was upset, before the 'suspect' approached her with a handgun. But within a day of the search, which also included a vehicle description of a dark-colored SUV, officials now say they believe the entire story was false. It is not clear how the investigators in the case came to believe the story was false, although Randle has been taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon. She has been charged with filing a false police report. In a tragic update hours after the Amber Alert was canceled, officials said they found a body around 4.15pm. The body has not officially been named as the three-year-old. The search for a missing three-year-old Nola Dinkins took a tragic turn as a body believed to be hers was found after cops accused her mother of creating an elaborate hoax about her 'disappearance' Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo (pictured) said officials are treating the incident as a homicide The FBI had joined the search for Nola on Wednesday after officials took Randle into custody. Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo told 6ABC that it is her understanding that the three-year-old's mother is cooperating with police. Search teams had reportedly been seen near Gender Road near the I-95 where Nola's mother told police she was kidnapped, as well as the Liberty Pointe Apartments. Nola's mother told police she had pulled over to the side of the road on Gender Road in Newark, Delaware, to speak with her toddler because she was upset, before a male 'suspect' approached her with a handgun Anyone with information is asked to contact the Maryland State Police at (410) 996-7800 or call 911. Amid the search for Nola earlier Wednesday, her cousin Myria Dinkins said on Facebook that 'Nola has gained her wings.' TikTok star Emilie Kiser wasn't home when her three-year-old son fatally drowned in the family's backyard pool, a source told DailyMail.com. Kiser, a popular mommy blogger, lost her son Trigg on May 18 - six days after he was found unresponsive in a backyard pool in Chandler, Arizona. Before it was confirmed that Trigg, who was often featured in his mother's viral videos, was the child who died, many speculated online about him being the victim. Once news broke that he was the boy who drowned, a 'media frenzy' unleashed as internet sleuths and fans of Kiser took it upon themselves to request records - including videos - in relation to his death, the source said. She then filed a lawsuit a week after his passing against several agencies in Maricopa County to block private information from getting out to the public. On June 4, the Arizona Superior Court for Maricopa County ruled in her favor, granting her temporary confidentiality, meaning evidence will not be released while the court makes its final ruling on the tragedy. The 26-year-old mother's declaration 'reflects an intensely personal account of her grief and trauma' that was 'submitted to help the court understand her perspective - not for public consumption,' per the source. In her motion, Kiser specifically urged the court to keep not just detailed records of Trigg's death private, but also footage as '100+ public records requests' for the video have come in, according to the source. TikTok star Emilie Kiser wasn't home when her three-year-old son fatally drowned in the family's backyard pool, a source told DailyMail.com Kiser, a popular mommy blogger, lost her son Trigg (right) on May 18 - six days after he was found unresponsive in a backyard pool in Chandler, Arizona The intense amount of records requests 'only serves to satisfy morbid curiosity more than any type of justice,' they added. Kiser 'should not be forced to relive the aftermath through viral footage,' the source stated. 'The motions behind the push for release are concerning. In many cases, requests appear to be driven by monetization and notoriety, not accountability,' they continued. 'That is not a valid justification for invading a familys grief.' Since news of her legal filing came out, many online have speculated that Kiser chose to do so as a way to cover up information, but according to the source, that is completely false. 'Emilie has fully cooperated with investigators. The focus here is not on withholding information, but on safeguarding the dignity of a child and allowing a grieving family the space and privacy to heal.' The source also revealed chilling details on what Kiser and her family are going through as 'rabid fans' have swarmed her home and tried to reach out to them. 'Rabid fans and media have surrounded Emilies home, filmed through her windows, and sent unsolicited packages' they said. Kiser has four million followers on TikTok and 1.7 million on Instagram, but according to the source, her 'public profile does not negate her right to privacy, nor does it make her sons death a matter for public consumption. Once news broke that he was the boy who drowned, a 'media frenzy' unleashed as internet sleuths and fans of Kiser took it upon themselves to request records in relation to his death Kiser (pictured with Trigg and her husband Brady Kiser) hasn't posted since the tragedy, but her followers have continued to flood her accounts with messages of support and condolences before she turned off her comment sections 'Being online should not strip someone of basic human decency.' Following the tragic ordeal, a neighbor told DailyMail.com that the influencer's house was swarmed with five police cars. Emergency responders arrived and performed life-saving efforts until Trigg was airlifted to Phoenix Children's Hospital for specialized care. Kiser hasn't posted since the tragedy, but her followers have continued to flood her accounts with messages of support and condolences before she turned off her comment sections. Meanwhile, her husband Brady Kiser, Trigg's father, made his accounts private following his death. Kiser or her legal representation haven't reviewed the police report, security camera footage, scene photos, 911 recording, or autopsy photos, per the lawsuit. Kiser and Brady first became parents in July 2021 when they welcomed their son Trigg Kiser and Brady first became parents in July 2021 when they welcomed their son Trigg. Just over two years later, in September 2024, the couple revealed they were expecting their second child. In March, the Kiser family officially grew by one with the arrival of their second son, Theodore. 'Emilie is trying her best to be there for her surviving son, two-month-old Theodore. But every day is a battle,' the suit said. The Chandler Police Department told DailyMail.com the case is still under investigation. The number of ambulance call-outs made to prisons after reported overdoses and poisonings has almost doubled in the past year, fuelling fears of a drug epidemic behind bars. New Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) figures show that 109 calls were made in 2023-24, a sharp increase on the 62 calls in 2022-23 a rise of 76 per cent. Prison bosses insisted they are working with police to prevent illicit substances entering our establishments, to protect people from the harm they cause. The figures came as a group which receives taxpayers money claimed free needles and vapes should be handed out to prisoners so they can take Class A drugs in a safer way. Last night Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: This shocking rise in ambulance call-outs for overdoses and poisonings in prisons confirms what staff have been warning about for years. The drugs epidemic inside Scotlands jails is escalating, putting inmates lives at risk, creating a toxic atmosphere for those trying to get clean and putting prison officers in danger. Its also adding to the strain on our already overstretched emergency workers - at a time when Scotlands ambulance service is unable to meet demand, these additional, avoidable pressures are making things worse. The number of ambulance call-outs to deal with drug overdoses in prisons in Scotland has risen sharply Among the prisons with the highest number of ambulance call-outs for overdose/poisoning since 2019 were HMP Shotts (65) in Lanarkshire and HMP Addiewell in West Lothian (47). A further 45 calls were made to HMP Glenochil [in Tullibody, Clacks], 42 at HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow, 38 at HMP Grampian, 23 at HMP Perth. Meanwhile, the Scottish Drugs Forum - which received almost 2million from the public purse last year - has suggested the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) should provide drug paraphernalia so inmates can inject narcotics in prison. That is despite guards battling a drug crisis as more than a third of inmates have admitted taking illegal substances in prison, with more than a quarter saying their drug use only started - or increased - while in custody. The Forums plan came after Health Secretary Neil Gray last week said a heroin shooting gallery in Glasgow may be extended to allow addicts to inhale crack cocaine. Commenting further on the ambulance call-outs last night, Tory MSP Mr Kerr said: Nationalist ministers, detached from reality in their Holyrood bubble, have allowed this situation to spiral out of control. There are solutions to this problem if the Scottish Government would only put in the time, effort and resource to examine and implement them. An SPS spokesman said: The health and wellbeing of those in our care is a key priority. We work with NHS partners, who are responsible for healthcare in our establishments, to ensure emergency calls to the SAS are only made when necessary and appropriate. Our staff work hard, alongside partners, including Police Scotland, to prevent illicit substances entering our establishments, to protect people from the harm they cause. A Scottish Government spokesman said: The SPS are managing a high and complex prison population and work closely with Police Scotland and other justice partners to prevent the availability and supply of illicit substances. This includes SPS piloting the introduction of grilles on windows in HMP Perth, HMP Edinburgh, and HMP Glenochil to prevent items being passed from drone to an individual in a cell. If successful, this pilot will be expanded where appropriate. The NHS, which is responsible for healthcare in prisons, works closely with the SPS to ensure emergency calls to the Scottish Ambulance Service are only made when necessary and appropriate. We are also increasing investment in our vital prison service by increasing the SPS resource budget by 10 per cent to 481.5million in 2025/26, which helps promote the health, safety, and wellbeing of all people who live in Scotlands prison system. A leisure centre used as an emergency shelter for families has been set on fire by hooded thugs during a third night of 'racist' violence in Northern Ireland. A large group of yobs torched Larne Leisure Centre in County Antrim, which is believed to have taken in Romanian immigrants to protect them from this week's riots. Local Alliance Party MLA Danny Donnelly, who was at the centre, told the BBC that 'a brick went through a window when a yoga class was on' and 'staff had to barricade themselves and run out the back door'. PSNI officers also returned to the streets of Ballymena for the third night in a row as up to 400 thugs gathered to hurl fireworks, petrol bombs and missiles at police vehicles - two days after a peaceful vigil of 2,500 people descended into mayhem. Several fires erupted in the town tonight and were lit dangerously close to residential homes, spreading from wheelie bins and piles of rubbish. The riots have taken place after two 14-year-old boys - who both required a Romanian interpreter in court - were charged with the attempted oral rape of a teenage girl last weekend. A third person, aged 28, was arrested in connection to the investigation on Monday night. Distressing footage taken outside Larne Leisure Centre tonight shows a group of hooded thugs setting the building's entrance alight. An Emergency Rest Centre (ERC) was opened there on Tuesday evening by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, following the riots in Ballymena which left a number of families in urgent need of temporary shelter. The council confirmed the activation of the ERC was part of its emergency response protocols. Distressing footage taken outside Larne Leisure Centre tonight shows a group of hooded thugs torching the building, which is understood to have held Romanian immigrants An Emergency Rest Centre was opened at the leisure centre on Tuesday evening by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, in response to the riots Fire fighters at the scene where the blaze broke out at Larne Leisure Centre following vandalism at the facility Fire burns near a demonstrator as riots continue in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, on Wednesday night A person throws harmful objects at riot police vehicles in Ballymena this evening PSNI riot squad officers form a blockade on Harryville bridge in Ballymena tonight to stop potential rioters from accessing the Clonavon terrace area Fireworks thrown at riot police illluminate the road during a thirs night of demonstrations in Ballymena A spokesperson for Mid and East Antrim Borough Council said: 'In line with normal protocols and in collaboration with local agencies, Council received a request to open an Emergency Rest Centre at Larne Leisure Centre last night, to provide emergency shelter for families in urgent need following disturbances in Ballymena. 'The families have all been safely relocated and are no longer availing of the facility.' Tensions rose in Ballymena again this evening as riot police warned force will be used if the crowd does not disperse. Around 400 people gathered together to face a barrier of armoured police cars lined up to stop the group accessing residential houses. Fireworks and flares were aimed at officers, while glass bottles and rocks were lobbed at PSNI lines by male and female rioters who cheered as they hit police vehicles. Petrol bombs were also hurled at armoured Land Rovers, igniting a sudden fire and shouts of encouragement from the crowd. A water cannon was on site in response to tonight's fires while police set off one AEP baton round. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour yesterday, while a male was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct in Newtownabbey. Last night saw the worst scenes of mass wanton destruction yet that left more police officers injured, with cars set alight and properties smashed up. One of his Senior Team, Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, said earlier today that the PSNI have redirected a significant number of extra officers into areas affected by two days of violent disorder, the worst of which took place in Ballymena. ACC Henderson labelled the violence over the past two nights as 'racist thuggery targeted at ethnic minorities and police officers'. He added that all footage of incidents was being reviewed and prosecutions would come. A man looks towards members of the PSNI riot squad stood next to their vehicles Police aim a water cannon at demonstrators as riots continue in Ballymena Police clash with residents during a third evening of unrest in Ballymena, Northern Ireland A masked protestor throws an item at Riot Police during a thrid night of demonstrations in Northern Ireland A young female youth throws item at police vehicles on the third day of unrest in Ballymena A view of the damage after protesters threw petrol bombs, bricks and fireworks at police during another night of disorder in Ballymena Police are calling the riots 'racist thuggery' as riot officers clash with protesters A demonstrator sits down opposite a row of riot police vehicles in Ballymena A member of the crowd gestures towards the PSNI riot squad officers in Ballymena A view of the damage after protesters threw petrol bombs, bricks and fireworks at police during another night of disorder in Ballymena A man sits with a drink opposite riot police vehicles on the third night of unrest in Ballymena Protesters try to throw items at the police who use water canons to clear them in Ballymena Meanwhile, Police Scotland has agreed to a request to send officers, after police in Northern Ireland requested extra support under mutual aid arrangements. The deployment will involve an undisclosed number of public order officers trained to police civil unrest. The PSNI said they have requested 80 officers from other forces in mainland UK. ACC Henderson revealed: 'We're taking steps to increase available resources and are surging a significant number of extra officers, vehicles and equipment to those areas where the rioting is taking place. 'This will have an impact on our communities. This will take away vital resources needed to police other areas. It will have an impact on our ability to serve communities. 'It's hugely important that people realise there are consequences for this.' ACC Henderson said many people woke up this morning 'feeling genuine fear for their lives and their livelihoods'. He added: 'This violence only serves to undermine the criminal investigation and cause further distress and turmoil to a young victim and her family. 'This violence threatens to derail the very pursuit of justice it claims to challenge.' Police said there have also been sporadic incidents of disorder in Carrickfergus, north Belfast and Newtownabbey, where one man was arrested. More demonstrations have been organised across Northern Ireland tonight with fears they will bring with it the potential for more trouble breaking out. One man, 29, has been charged with riotous behaviour, disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police after Monday's violence. The worst of the trouble has been taking place in Ballymena, mainly in the Clonavon Terrace area but also in nearby thoroughfares Larne Street and Queen Stree. Police officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bottles and fireworks lobbed in their direction. A member of the crowd gestures towards the PSNI riot squad officers A member of the crowd throws an object towards the PSNI riot squad officers Violence broke out in Ballymena on Monday following a peaceful protest by the local community against an alleged sex attack Residents look on as PSNI riot squad officers form a blockade on Harryville bridge to stop potential rioters from accessing the Clonavon terrace area A masked protestor falls after being hit by the Police water cannon, used in an attempt to disperse protestors Coloured smoke billows as demonstrators gather in front of riot police vehicles in Ballymena Riot police block a road in Ballymena during a third night of violence in the area A resident walks past PSNI riot squad officers and a dog handler as police form a blockade in Ballymena PSNI riot squad officers form a blockade on Harryville bridge in Ballymena tonight to stop potential rioters from accessing the Clonavon terrace area Protesters try to throw items at the police who use water canons to clear them in Ballymena A member of the crowd runs away while being sprayed with water from a cannon by the PSNI riot squad Crowds have gathered in Ballymena again tonight, with as many as 400 people standing together ACC Henderson said: 'There were people who were intent on violence right from the off, so that says to me that there was pre-planning involved from those who wanted to attack us. 'A number of other protests, attacks on homes and disorder took place in Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey.' Authorised officers discharged a number of Attenuating Energy Projectiles (AEPs) - a police source told MailOnline it was at least 20 - and two water cannons were also deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds. Some homes in the trouble-torn epicentre of the Harryville estate have begun displaying stickers outlining the residents' nationalities such as 'Filipino lives here' alongside Union Jack stickers and flags. Businesses and houses were attacked and damaged and a number of vehicles were also set on fire in the area. Even some homes with Union Jack flags on display fell victim to broken windows leaving local residents caught in the crossfire as a baying mob targeted properties were they believed non-nationals and migrants were living. At a press conference earlier today, police said it was 'not clear' if paramilitaries are coordinating rioting in Ballymena. The Harryville estate would be considered a loyalist area. ACC Henderson added: 'At this point it's not clear to us or through intelligence or what we're hearing if there's paramilitary coordination to it.' Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn is planning to visit Ballymena, it has been announced. Lady Anderson, speaking in the House of Lords today, said the Cabinet minister was having 'active conversations' with both the Stormont administration and the PSNI. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he 'utterly condemns' the violence and called them 'mindless attacks'. Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill said what was happening in Ballymena was 'pure racism, there's no other way to dress it up', while the Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said the violence was 'serving no purpose whatsoever' and was only damaging communities. The Trump administration has launched a review into the AUKUS security deal with Australia and the UK in an unexpected and ominous sign for Australia's nuclear submarine plans. The review, announced overnight on Thursday, will be spearheaded by Elbridge Colby, the US under secretary of defence policy - a known skeptic who previously branded the pact 'crazy'. A US defence official told Daily Mail Australia the review aims to ensure AUKUS aligns with President Donald Trump's 'America First' priorities. 'As Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has made clear, this means ensuring the highest readiness of our service members, that allies step up fully to do their part for collective defence, and that the defence industrial base is meeting our needs,' the official said. 'This review will ensure the initiative meets these common sense, America First criteria.' It comes almost two weeks after Mr Hegseth urged Australian counterpart Richard Marles to increase military spending. Australia's total defence spend in 2024-25 was about $53.94billion, or 2 per cent of GDP. This is set to increase to 2.33 per cent by 2033-34 - but the US wants the number to be at least 3 per cent. The AUKUS pact, signed in 2021 under former President Joe Biden, is designed to counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. The Trump Administration will be reviewing the A$368billion security pact with the UK and Australia to make sure it meets the United States' needs It involves Australia acquiring Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US by 2032, alongside advanced technologies like quantum computing, hypersonic missiles, and artificial intelligence. The deal, Australia's largest-ever defence investment, is expected to cost between $268 billion and $368 billion over three decades, with Australia contributing nearly $5billion to bolster the U.S. submarine industry. It marks the biggest defence investment in Australian history with the annual cost amounting to 0.15 per cent of GDP until the mid-2050s. Over the past six months, Australia has grown increasingly concerned about Beijing's military activities. In February, China conducted unannounced live-fire military drills with three warships just 300km east of Sydney, the closest its navy has ever operated to Australia's eastern coastline. The drills resulted in 49 aircraft being forced to change course, and the The Australian Navy deployed two vessels to shadow the Chinese. On Wednesday, Head of the US Seapower Subcommittee, Democratic Congressman Joe Courtney spoke up to encourage his government not to abandon the pact. 'The new administration certainly has the right to review the trilateral AUKUS mission,' he said. US Congressman Joe Courtney has encouraged a review of the deal but warned that ditching the pact would cause lasting harm (stock image) 'But as the recent UK government's defence review determined, this is a defence alliance that is overwhelmingly in the best interest of all three AUKUS nations, as well as the Indo-Pacific region as a whole. 'To abandon AUKUS which is already well underway would cause lasting harm to our nation's standing with close allies and certainly be met with great rejoicing in Beijing. 'The AUKUS mission also brings in over $3billion in foreign investments from Australia with $500 million already in hand to redouble our efforts to increase shipbuilding capacity,' he said. US Senator Jeanne Shaheen echoed the concerns that a prospective loss of pact could be good news for the Chinese government. 'News that the Trump Administration is considering backing away from AUKUS will be met with cheers in Beijing,' she said. The ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee warned the Chinese government is 'already celebrating America's global pullback and strained ties with allies under President Trump'. Adding to the uncertainty, in February, Trump appeared to be unaware of the military pact with Australia and the US when he was questioned about the deal. Asked by a British reporter if he would be discussing AUKUS with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a meeting at the White House, the bemused president responded 'What does that mean?' The Albanese Government was recently encouraged by US Defence Secretary Hegseth to ramp up its defence spending to at least 3 per cent of GDP When the reporter explained it was a three-way defence technology partnership between the US, the UK and Australia, Trump conceded it was on the agenda. A spokesperson for Mr Marles has confirmed to this publication that Australia and the UK were advised about the review. 'It is natural that the Administration would want to examine this major undertaking including progress and delivery,' they said. 'Just as the UK Government recently concluded an AUKUS review and reaffirmed its support including through the appointment of Sir Stephen Lovegrove as its AUKUS Adviser.' 'All three countries are committed to ensuring AUKUS meets national and trilateral objectives,' the spokesperson said. The latest review of the pact come just a week before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attends the G7 Summit in Canada, where he is expected to meet with Trump. The review is expected to be a major discussion point for Albanese, alongside new US trade tariffs, with Australia trying to carve out an exemption for its exports, such as steel and beef. Australia had been slapped with a 10 per cent tariff on all exports to the US, with steel and aluminium products having a 50 per cent tariff. The trilateral pact is central to Australia's strategy in China's rise in the Indo-Pacific It is understood Albanese and Trump have discussed AUKUS over the phone twice this year, on February 11 and May 5. Mr Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have also spoken to their American counterparts about the security pact. Shadow Defence Minister Angus Taylor expressed his concern about the review. 'The Prime Minister must urgently seek a direct meeting with President Trump to safeguard the AUKUS agreement and ensure Australia's national interests are protected,' he said. 'If AUKUS falls over it is Australia that pays the price. 'We would face a dangerous gap in capability at a time when we lack the capacity to go it alone.' Meanwhile former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also took to social media to highlight the lack of scrutiny of the AUKUS deal in Canberra. 'The UK is conducting a review of AUKUS. The US DoD is conducting a review of AUKUS,' he said on social media. 'But Australia, which has the most at stake, has no review. Our Parliament to date has been the least curious and least informed. Time to wake up?' A new poll shows that President Donald Trump's approval rating has ticked up slightly in the days following his dramatic crackdown in response to the Los Angeles riots. Trump's approval rating is now at 48 percent, according to the latest Daily Mail tracking poll conducted with J.L. Partners, up one point from last week's 47 percent, when the president was in the middle of a nasty public feud with billionaire and former close friend Elon Musk. The change falls within the survey's 2.3 percent margin of error. The president continues to win the majority of voters support for his approach to illegal immigration, even as the administration's aggressive posture toward deporting illegal immigrants has sparked protests in major cities across the United States. Fifty-five percent of voters favor his approach to illegal immigration while 45 percent disapprove. 'Trump might be inviting criticism on the airwaves, but these numbers show that voters are behind him on his approach to illegal migration,' J.L. Partners co-founder James Johnson told the Daily Mail. The poll included 1,807 registered voters and was conducted between June 10-11. Trump and his administration continue pursuing an aggressive approach to the deportation of illegal immigrants and the subsequent rioting that took place in the streets of Los Angeles. 'If our troops didnt go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now, just like so much of their housing burned to the ground,' Trump wrote on social media on Wednesday. 'The great people of Los Angeles are very lucky that I made the decision to go in and help!!!' United States President Donald J Trump speaks on fires and the Los Angeles protests in the Oval Office of the White House Your browser does not support iframes. Demonstrators wave flags from atop a wrecked car, standing beside burning Waymo vehicles, as protesters clash with law enforcement Trump's decision to send in National Guard troops and United States Marines drew angry condemnation from California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. But the president remains committed to a forceful response from the federal government, as he has repeatedly condemned Newsom as 'incompetent.' 'The INCOMPETENT Governor of California was unable to provide protection in a timely manner when our Ice Officers, GREAT Patriots they are, were attacked by an out of control mob of agitators, troublemakers, and/or insurrectionists,' he wrote. U.S. President Donald Trump takes the stage during a rally with U.S. Army troops on June 10, 2025 at Fort Bragg Your browser does not support iframes. Governor of California Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference Newsom has mounted a significant effort to challenge Trump's authority to send in federal troops to quell the riots, filing lawsuits to block his efforts. He also delivered a major address to Californians on Tuesday night, warning them that the very nature of American democracy was at stake . 'Democracy is under assault right before our eyes the moment weve feared has arrived,' he said. 'Hes taking a wrecking ball to our founding fathers historic project.' The world's largest museum system has bowed to President Donald Trump as it vows to re-examine its 'woke' exhibits. The Smithsonian's Board of Regents voted Monday to conduct a thorough review of all its content at its 21 museums and its zoo in accordance with the president's March executive order to remove 'improper ideology,' the Wall Street Journal reports. 'The board directed the secretary to assess content in museums and make needed changes to ensure unbiased content, including personnel changes,' a spokesperson for the Washington DC museum system said. 'The board requested that the secretary report back on progress and suggested next steps.' Under the president's executive order, Vice President JD Vance will work with Congress to target funding for programs at the Smithsonian museums, education and research centers and even the National Zoo that promote 'divisive narratives.' 'Museums in our Nation's capital should be places where individuals go to learn - not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history,' the order said. 'To advance this policy, we will restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness - igniting the imagination of young minds, honoring the richness of American history and innovation, and instilling pride in the hearts of all Americans,' it read. But the board did not set out a timeline for compliance at its meeting on Monday - the first quarterly meeting of the board since Trump issued his order, said Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez, whom the president also appointed to the board. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March to remove 'improper ideology' from the Smithsonian museums The Smithsonian Board of Regents voted on Monday to conduct a thorough review of all its content - including personnel decisions Gimenez said he and Vance pushed the other board members to conduct an expeditious review, but the other members wanted to give Lonnie Bunch - the secretary of the Smithsonian, three months. He also noted that a sticking point at the meeting was the fate of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet - whom Trump tried to fire via a Truth Social post late last month, though he does not actually have the authority to do so. 'Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am herby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as Director of the National Portrait Gallery,' he wrote on Truth Social on May 30. 'She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position' Sajet has taken pride in diversifying the National Portrait Gallery and said in 2022 that she wants to make it less about 'the wealthy, the pale and the male.' The Smithsonian, though, reiterated on Monday that it retains power over personnel decisions, and a person familiar with the meeting told the Wall Street Journal no decisions have been made about her position. In the meantime, Sajet has continued to work in her position. President Trump has called for National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet to be fired, and other conservatives have called for the removal of Secretary of the Smithsonian Lonnie Bunch Sajet has taken pride in diversifying the National Portrait Gallery and said in 2022 that she wants to make it less about 'the wealthy, the pale and the male' Conservatives have also called for the removal of Bunch, who in 2005 became the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. 'Lonnie Bunch is the wrong man at the wrong time,' said Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He and others disliked Bunch's leadership of the Smithsonian through the protests following George Floyd's death in 2020. They also point to exhibits and curriculum that Bunch oversaw, which address issues like systemic racism or 'internalized aspects of white culture.' Making matters worse, Bunch criticized Trump in his book, detailing a tour he gave the president of the African American History Museum, in which he discussed the slave trade and Trump brought up how popular he was in the Netherlands. It is unclear whether the board discussed Bunch's role on Monday or if any decisions have been made. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Smithsonian for more information. The 'costly' use of hotels to house asylum seekers will be ended, Rachel Reeves has vowed, but the system will still cost taxpayers billions a year. The Chancellor pledged that migrants would be moved out of hotel accommodation by the time of the next general election, due in 2029. Ms Reeves also promised 1 billion of savings by speeding up the asylum system, along with 280 million investment in future years for the new Border Security Command. 'The party opposite left behind a broken system: billions of pounds of taxpayers' money spent on housing asylum seekers in hotels, leaving people in limbo and shunting the cost of failure on to local communities,' Ms Reeves told the Commons. 'We won't let that stand. So I can confirm today that, led by the work of the Home Secretary, we will be ending the costly use of hotels to house asylum seekers in this Parliament.' Latest figures show 3.1 billion was spent on housing asylum seekers in hotels in 2023-24, out of a total asylum support bill of 4.7 billion. The 'costly' use of hotels to house asylum seekers will be ended, Rachel Reeves has vowed, but the system will still cost taxpayers billions a year. Pictured: Migrants set off aboard a small boat from the beach at Gravelines, Northern France, heading for the UK The Chancellor (pictured) pledged that migrants would be moved out of hotel accommodation by the time of the next general election, due in 2029 More than 30,000 asylum seekers are housed in about 200 hotels across Britain, many of whom arrived illegally in dinghies, and ministers are looking at moving them into derelict tower blocks and student digs. But despite Ms Reeves' pledge to end the use of hotels, the Tories pointed out that the small print of her Spending Review documents revealed that 2.5 billion will still be spent each year on asylum support by the end of the decade. In 2028-29, the Treasury document showed, Home Office day-to-day running costs will total 20.6 billion with the budget amounting to 18.1 billion excluding the 'asylum forecast'. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'Labour have slashed the Home Office budget in the middle of a border crisis. 'Their entire budget is built on an assumption that the hotels magically empty themselves. 'Yet there are more immigrants in hotels than when they took office, and they still have no plan for where these people will go. 'The Government's own figures just released show they still plan to spend 2.5 billion a year in 2028/29 on asylum seekers most of whom are illegal immigrants.' Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride said the Government was merely trying to shift the problem of where to house asylum seekers. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'Labour have slashed the Home Office budget in the middle of a border crisis' He added: 'Where are the migrants going to go? 'Are they going to be put into, dispersed into, communities in a particular way? I think that's a very important question to ask.' And Tory MP Julia Lopez warned that Labour's vow to speed up asylum decisions would mean more people granted leave to remain. Ms Lopez said: 'The Home Office just wants people off their books as fast as possible straight on to the books of local councils. 'That means more positive asylum decisions only making it more attractive to cross. 'And so it will go on.' The Spending Review document published by the Treasury also showed that the Home Office's budget will fall by 2.2 per cent in real terms over the next few years, from 22 billion in the current financial year to just 22.3 billion in 2028-29. But the Treasury insisted: 'Excluding the reduction in the Home Office's budget that will result from the planned reductions in asylum support costs, the Home Office's total DEL [departmental expenditure limit] grows in real terms.' Sir Keir Starmer was accused last night of striking another surrender deal after handing over control of Gibraltars border to the European Union. The agreement means Britons travelling to the peninsula could be refused entry by Spanish guards enforcing the EU rules despite it being a British Overseas Territory. The arrangement was made to enable the border to fully re-open between Gibraltar and Spain, which is crossed by thousands daily living either side to get to work or visit friends and family. Britons travelling to the territory at present face an initial passport check carried out by Gibraltar officials but they would face a second check carried out by Spanish border officials on behalf of the EU. It means Britons could be rejected if they do not meet strict Schengen Area rules. For instance, post-Brexit Britons cannot stay in the EU for longer than 90 days within any 180-day period without a visa. It raises the prospect of UK travellers needing to obtain an EU visa to visit a British territory if they have exceeded their 90-day allowance, or they face being refused entry at the border. A specific post-Brexit agreement, covering the territory and to keep the Spain-Gibraltar border open, was needed because, at Madrids insistence, it was not part of the wider EU-UK trade pact struck after Brexit. It was also not included in Sir Keirs reset deal unveiled last month. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and chief minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo agreed the new deal in principle in Brussels yesterday. Pictured: Lammy and Picardo in a social media clip Pedestrians and drivers cross the border from Spain to Gibraltar, in front of the Rock of Gibraltar, in La Linea de la Concepcion, southern Spain, June 4, 2024 Foreign Secretary David Lammy and chief minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo agreed the new deal in principle in Brussels yesterday. But Brexiteers warned that the Falklands could be next following Sir Keirs controversial Chagos Islands surrender deal. Tory Armed Forces spokesman Mark Francois said: First Chagos and now Gibraltar and then probably the Falklands, too. This Europhile, human-rights obsessed Government can no longer be trusted to robustly defend any of our overseas interests, as this further needless concession to Spain shows. Labour used to sing The Red Flag now they just wave a big white one instead. David Jones, former Brexit minister, said: There is no reason why British people visiting their own territory should be providing passports to foreign entities. This is contrary to Britain having sovereignty over Gibraltar. The Spanish have wanted to get their hands on Gibraltar ever since the Treaty of Utrecht [which handed Britain sovereignty in 1713] its a vitally important asset to us. It has thousands of our citizens living there and people visiting their own territory should not have to present passports to foreign officials. Former home secretary Suella Braverman said: Another surrender and a hand-over in all but name. It is unforgivable. The Falklands will be next. The text of the treaty is yet to be finalised and published. Sir Keir Starmer was accused last night of striking another surrender deal after handing over control of Gibraltars border to the European Union However, Government sources insisted nothing will compromise the way the Armed Forces operate at the strategically important RAF Gibraltar military base next to Gibraltar Airport. They insisted residents of the Rock will not be affected by the changes. As well as re-opening the Spain-Gibraltar border for people, the deal also removes goods controls, allowing for them to be traded more smoothly. Mr Lammy said: This government inherited a situation from the last government which put Gibraltars economy and way of life under threat. Todays breakthrough delivers a practical solution after years of uncertainty. Downing Street said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had, in a phone call, congratulated Sir Keir over the Gibraltar deal, claiming his government had succeeded where others had failed. The 'city killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 may not be on a collision course with Earth anymore. But NASA has raised the odds of it hitting the moon in just seven years' time. According to the space agency, there's now a 4.3 per cent chance that 2024 YR4 will smash into the moon on December 22, 2032. The impact event could be visible from Earth as a bright flash of light, as lunar material is ejected into space. Only discovered at the end of last year, 2024 YR4 is somewhere between 174 and 220 feet (53 and 67 metres) in diameter around the same size as a Boeing 747. If the space rock were to hit Earth, it would create a blast equivalent to detonating 7.7 megatons of TNT and leave a 3,000-foot-wide crater in the ground. The shockwave radiating out from the impact would wipe out an area the size of a major city, which is why it has been designated a 'city-killer'. Fortunately, the chance of it hitting Earth is effectively nil, but the new NASA observations increase the likelihood of it hitting the moon. The 'city killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 may not be on a collision course with Earth anymore . But NASA has raised the odds of it hitting the moon in just seven years' time (stock image) NASA has raised the odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the moon in just seven years time. Captured here is 2024 YR4 as observed by the Magdalena Ridge telescope in New Mexico, January 27, 2025 Impact probability 4.3 per cent: The chances of the rock hitting the moon will likely continue to rise and fall. This NASA image shows the range of possible locations - represented by yellow points - of 2024 YR4 on December 22, 2032 The new odds are slightly raised from the previous 3.8 per cent chance of 2024 YR4 colliding with the moon, according to NASA. 'As data comes in, it is normal for the impact probability to evolve,' said Molly Wasser, public affairs officer for NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office. At more than 30 million miles away, asteroid 2024 YR4 is now too distant to detect with telescopes on Earth. So NASA has been relying on observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is positioned in space about 1 million miles away from us. Asteroid 2024 YR4 is currently on a wide 'elliptical' (not perfectly circular) orbit around the sun, taking it even further from us before. Further updates will not be possible until 2028 when the space rock comes back around towards Earth and becomes bright enough to be detected again. Bu before it escaped from its view, JWST managed to collect one more observation of the object, made using its near-infrared camera last month. 'With the additional data, experts from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California further refined the asteroid's orbit,' said Wasser. Asteroid 2024 YR4 is currently on a wide 'elliptical' (not perfectly circular) orbit around the sun, while is taking it even further from us before it comes back around. This image shows the orbit 2024 YR4 in purple with the sun in the centre and orbits of planets (Mercury = cyan; Venus = yellow; Earth = dark blue; Mars = red). Note the asteroid's position (purple dot) in relation to Earth (dark blue dot) about a month before an impact might happen What do we know about 2024 YR4? First detected: December 27, 2024 Estimated size: 174-220 feet (53-67 metres) Speed relative to Earth: More than 30,000 miles per hour Date of possible moon impact: December 22, 2032 Probability of impacting the moon: 1-in-23 (4.3 per cent) Advertisement When it zooms back towards the inner solar system, the asteroid will reach an astonishing 85 million miles per hour (38,000 km per second). Asteroids speed up as they approach the sun because of the increased gravitational pull from the sun as they get closer a bit like an object travelling faster the closer it gets to the ground on Earth. In the event that the asteroid did hit the moon, it would not alter our natural satellite's orbit around Earth, according to NASA. However, it would create a huge crater, ejecting rocky lunar material into space, and generating a bright flash, which should be visible from Earth. The impact event would be the first time scientists could watch a known asteroid create a lunar crater in real-time. The data gathered from this impact could help scientists understand more about other craters on the lunar surface. It is worth nothing that there is a 95.7 per cent chance that it won't hit the moon at all, as it stands and the probability will likely continue to rise and fall. This image provided by the European Space Agency on April 2, 2025, captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, shows asteroid 2024 YR4 Asteroid 2024 YR4 is about the same size as the Tunguska asteroid, which caused the largest impact event in recorded history when it shot through Earth's atmosphere in 1908, flattening 830 square miles (2,150 square km) of forest (pictured) Asteroid 2024 YR4 was discovered on December 27, 2024 and soon became a global matter of concern. 2024 YR4 set alarm bells ringing at the world's space agencies in February when its probability of hitting Earth reached a peak of one-in-32, or 3.1 per cent. Thankfully, about a week later, the odds were vastly downgraded just 0.0039 per cent, or one in 26,000. Asteroid 2024 YR4 is thought to be at least the same size as the Tunguska asteroid which had an estimated diameter of 130 feet, according to NASA. Tunguska caused the largest impact event in recorded history when it shot through Earth's atmosphere in 1908, flattening 830 square miles (2,150 square km) of forest. Many lost consciousness and at least three people passed away as a direct consequence of the Tunguska event, according to a 2019 study. Experts are concerned that we may detect a civilization-threatening Earth-bound asteroid too late, with not enough time for a mission to knock it off course. It might sound like the culmination of a Bond villain's latest evil scheme. But the world's first 'black hole bomb' has officially become a reality. This theoretical doomsday device uses a series of spinning mirrors to reflect and amplify the waves of energy escaping from a black hole. In real black holes, this energy grows exponentially until it is either vented or the whole system explodes with the power of a supernova. Thankfully, the version created in the lab is just a safe demonstration model. Instead of drawing its power from a black hole, the bomb amplifies magnetic fields through a complex series of mirrors. During testing, the black hole bomb did explode - although the scientists reassure that this was 'nothing serious'. Professor Danielle Faccio, co-author of the study from the University of Glasgow, said: '[It was] more of a "pop" than an actual explosive "bang". However, she added: 'If one scaled this up in size, the "bang" would become more serious.' Scientists have created the first ever black hole bomb in the lab. This theoretical device reflects and amplifies the energy escaping from a black hole until it explodes The key to the black hole bomb is an effect known as 'superradiance'. Professor Vito Cardoso, an expert on superradiance from the Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugal who was not involved in the study, told MailOnline: 'Superradiance is the phenomenon whereby radiation is amplified when it interacts with a rotating object. 'In simple terms: if you send sound or electromagnetic waves of very low frequency to a spinning cylinder then certain "modes" will come back with more energy! In other words, energy is transferred from spinning objects to radiation.' There isn't anything mysterious about taking energy from a spinning object - just think about how you gain energy by stepping onto a spinning carousel. The black hole bomb simply applies this idea to a strange quirk of black hole physics - with explosive results. Due to 'weird and counterintuitive' rules of general relativity, when objects spin very close to a black hole they appear to gain energy from nothing. Professor Faccio explained: 'Seen from the outside, you will see an object or wave reflect away from the black hole and gain energy in the process. 'If you now create a surrounding cavity or mirror of some kind so that the wave gets reflected back and forth between the mirror and black hole, you will have a continuous and runaway amplification effect.' Instead of using a black hole, the laboratory model uses a spinning aluminium cylinder to simulate the physics of superradiance which causes the black hole bomb to generate energy exponentially How does a black hole bomb work? A black hole bomb works by exploiting an effect called superradiance. When radiation approaches a spinning black hole it gains energy before escaping. This slightly slows down the spin of the black hole like someone stepping onto a carousel. But if the energy is reflected back inwards, this speeds up the spin of the black hole and amplifies the energy again. The radiation bounces back and forth from the black hole and the mirror becomes stronger each time. Eventually, there is so much high-energy radiation that the heat and pressure overwhelm the system and it explodes. Advertisement Eventually, this high amplitude energy builds up between the mirror and the black hole and heats up so much that the pressure causes the entire system to explode. Since the nearest black hole is around 1,500 light-years from Earth, testing this theory in practice has been essentially impossible. However, in their pre-print paper, the researchers demonstrated that the basic physics behind the theory really does work. Instead of using a black hole, the experimental version rotates a 4-centimetre-diameter aluminium cylinder inside three layers of metal coils which are spun around the cylinder. The rotating coils can be used to both produce a magnetic field and reflect some of the field back into the system. In this model, the coils take the place of the mirrors while the magnetic fields play the role of light spinning around a black hole. During their testing, the researchers discovered that the small, low-frequency magnetic fields were quickly amplified into much larger signals. Even without the coils producing a magnetic field, the spinning device would still generate a runaway signal just like a black hole would. When the aluminium cylinder is spinning faster than the frequency of the magnetic field, it amplifies it. The resulting energy is then reflected back in and amplified again While the lab-based black hole bomb isn't nearly as powerful as a real black hole bomb, it was still capable of producing shocking amounts of power. Professor Faccio said: 'The electrical components in our setup were literally exploding!' While you might worry that the technology could be used to make an actual bomb, Professor Faccio insists it is 'hard to see' how this could happen. In fact, the researchers point out that this process could be beneficial in energy collection processes like what is already happening inside wind turbines. Instead, the more terrifying possibility is creating a real black hole bomb out in space. Theoretically, this could allow you to create a limitless source of energy. Although our own civilisation isn't yet up to the task, there is nothing to prevent another society from creating a scaled-up version of Professor Faccio's device. Professor Cardoso says: 'We can easily imagine a slightly more advanced civilization than us using something like this with a black hole! 'It's amazing, extracting energy from the vacuum to power a society.' But, just like nuclear power, a vast source of energy can quickly become a bomb if it isn't managed correctly. 'Any piece of technology with an immense power can always be dangerous,' concludes Professor Cardoso. 'In this particular case, a bad regulation - like nuclear plants - could lead to overproduction of radiation and therefore to explosion.' Black rats in Australia's biggest cities have developed a genetic mutation that increases their resistance to one of the most widely used poisons. New research led by Edith Cowan University PhD student and environmental toxicologist Alicia Gorbould found the mutation in over half the black rats tested in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney between 2021 and 2024. The mutation suggests the rats have developed a resistance to second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, also known as SGARs, but other animals continue to be inadvertently killed by these types of rat poison. SGARs are deadly to secondary predators, such as tawny frogmouths, Australian boobooks and eastern barn owls, that feed on rodents. Black rats are the most common introduced rat in Australia and experts warn their increase in resistance to poison could pose a serious risk to the country's wildlife. Ms Gorbould also expressed fears of a public health crisis as Australians may be using larger quantities of poison in an attempt to rid rats from their home. However, instead of working effectively, this would serve to introduce more poison into the food chain, and into waterways. Animals that consume the poison, which prevents blood clotting, die from internal bleeding. Over half of the black rats tested in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney between 2021 and 2024 were found to have a gene mutation that increases their resistance to certain poisons (pictured, family of rats spotted in Westfield Sydney) Alarming new research led by Edith Cowan University PhD student and environmental toxicologist Alicia Gorbould (pictured) found a mutation, which suggests resistance to second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, also known as SGARs, in over half the rats tested Research carried out by Ms Gorbould and her team found genetic mutation Tyr25Phe, which is associated with resistance to anticoagulant rodenticides, in 53.7 per cent of the 108 black rats they tested. Alarmingly, the gene was found in over 80 per cent of black rats tested in Perth, over 45 per cent in Sydney, 39 per cent in Melbourne. Tyr25Phe was found in none of the 10 rats tested in Brisbane. 'If you're using one of the baits that don't work people will probably try to use more, and more, and more,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'And so it's feeding back into that cycle of increasing the rates of resistance in the population, increasing those non-targeted poisonings, and then we're ending up essentially with a public health issue because we've got these rats that can't be controlled.' Second-generation rodenticides are so potent they are banned in the United States, Canada and the European Union. Ms Gorbould (pictured) has warned against using increasing amounts of poison to rid homes of rats Over half of the black rats tested in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney between 2021 and 2024 were found to have a gene mutation that increases their resistance to certain poisons (stock) The poison makes it way up the food chain and kills other animals in a huge risk to Australia's biodiversity. 'Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides dont break down quickly in the body of a rat or mouse, even once it has died,' Ms Gorbould said. 'If a predator eats a mouse or rat that has been feeding on a second-generation rodenticide, that predator takes the poison into their bodies. 'These poisons take time to take effect (kill an animal) so rats and mice can re-visit baits and eat more so they end up with very high concentrations of these poisons in their bodies in excess of what it takes to kill a rodent. 'Essentially, they can become walking baits themselves.' Scientists at Deakin University previously found rat poison was to blame for killing powerful owls. In 2022, in a study looking at the prey of powerful owls, the team dissected 160 possums. A study has shown rat poison is killing Australia's powerful owls (pictured) They found rat poison in 91 per cent of brushtail possums and 40 per cent of ringtail possums tested. Ms Gorbould urged Australians to consider against using rat poisons and instead look to non-poison alternatives. 'We dont know the full extent of resistance in our rats now (more research needs to be done here) so we need to tread carefully,' she said. 'Using other methods (physical methods) is important because the type of resistance we found in black rats can lead to resistance that can be stubborn to control. 'We also know that a lot of Australians attempt rodent control in their homes themselves. Until we have a co-ordinated and strategic approach to managing rodents in Australia, its important to try to change our behaviours when it comes to dealing with rodents. 'This means preventing rodents in the first place (sealing up entry points to the home, making sure compost is sealed and no pet food is left out and available) and using physical traps such as snap traps, electric traps, or even natural products (such as corn gluten meal and salt-based products). 'Using physical methods to control rats and mice does not feed into the resistance cycle and cannot be passed through our native food chains.' The first ever images of the sun's south pole have been snapped by satellite launched by the European Space Agency (ESA). Until now, every image of the sun has been taken from straight on, along the 'elliptical plane' - the flat disk on which all planets orbit. But by tilting its orbit to 17 degrees below the equator, the ESA's solar orbiter has managed to reveal a side of our home star that has never been seen before. Soon, the probe will tilt its orbit lower for an even better view - meaning the best images are yet to come. By meeting up with Venus once every few orbits, the orbiter can use the planet's gravity to shift and tilt its orbit. This has already allowed the probe to make some exciting new discoveries about the sun, and the researchers behind the project say that revelations are on the way. Dr Hamish Reid, an astronomer at UCL and UK co-investigator on the orbiter's Extreme Ultraviolet Imager, told MailOnline: 'This moment is very significant; we have been waiting decades since we first started observing the Sun to catch a glimpse of the poles. 'This really is the missing piece of the puzzle in our understanding of the solar magnetic field.' The European Space Agency has captured the first ever image of the sun's south pole, a region normally hidden from all planets and modern satellites in the solar system The Solar Orbiter has already used three of its 10 instruments to make new measurements of the sun's south pole, revealing the mechanisms that produce space weather Solar Orbiter used three instruments to capture images of the sun's hidden south pole, each looking at the sun in a different way. The Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) was used to study the sun in visible light and map the surface magnetic field. The Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) captures ultraviolet light to reveal million-degree charged gas in the Sun's outer atmosphere. Meanwhile the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument reveals the layers of the sun's atmosphere by capturing light from different temperatures of charged gas. Dr Sami Solanki, of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, says: 'We didn't know what exactly to expect from these first observations the Sun's poles are literally terra incognita.' Already, these observations are helping scientists understand how the sun's ever-changing weather could impact Earth. The sun's magnetic poles flip roughly once every 11 years in a process known as the solar cycle. This flip coincides with a period of massively increased activity known as the solar maximum, sending huge solar flares and waves of ejected material hurtling towards Earth. Using its magnetic sensors, the probe has revealed that the sun's magnetic fields are a mess at the moment. The south pole (pictured) currently has areas of north (red) and south (blue) polarity magnetic fields Solar Orbiter used three instruments to capture images of the sun's hidden south pole, each looking at the sun in a different way While these events can have serious consequences for our planet's electronics and communications systems, we don't know enough about the sun's magnetic poles to predict exactly when a solar maximum will occur. Professor Lucie Green, an astronomer at UCL and co-investigator on the EUI, says: 'Being able to observe the poles is vital for understanding how the Sun's magnetic field operates on a global scale, leading to an 11-year cycle in the Sun's activity.' One of the Solar Orbiters' first observations is that the magnetic fields at the sun's south pole are currently in a state of disarray. A normal bar magnet will have a clear north and south pole, but the sun's south pole currently has both north and south magnetic fields present. This only happens for a short time during the solar maximum right after the magnetic poles flip. After the flip, the polarity will slowly build up over the next five years to create clear north and south poles, bringing the sun to its most stable period known as a solar minimum. Scientists still don't fully understand how this build-up process happens, but the Solar Orbiters' new position should help them find out. Professor Green says: 'We'll see previously unobserved high-latitude flows that carry magnetic elements to the polar regions, and in doing so sow the fundamental seeds for the next solar cycle.' This period of messy solar activity coincides with the 'solar maximum', a short period during which the sun's magnetic poles flip. This is the period in which Earth is hit with the most solar flares and solar wind In addition to capturing the changing magnetic fields, the Solar Orbiter has captured the first look inside the south pole's different layers. The SPICE instrument measures the light, or spectral lines, sent out by specific chemicals when they are heated to known temperatures. By tracking these spectral lines, the Solar Orbiter can work out how fast clumps of solar material are moving in a process called 'Doppler measurement'. Tracking how these particles move between the sun's layers is vitally important since it can reveal how this material is flung out of the sun in the form of solar wind. Solar wind is responsible for triggering the Northern Lights but can also damage satellites in orbit, disrupt power grids on land, and bathe astronauts in dangerous radiation. Having now dropped below the equator, the Solar Orbiter could now help scientists understand this disruptive phenomenon. aDr Frederic Auchere, an astronomer from the University of Paris-Saclay and SPICE team leader, says: 'Doppler measurements of solar wind setting off from the Sun by current and past space missions have been hampered by the grazing view of the solar poles. 'Measurements from high latitudes, now possible with Solar Orbiter, will be a revolution in solar physics.' Scientists have used the Solar Orbiter to look at how particles move through the sun's layers. This image shows the light sent out by carbon particles heated to 32,000 C This image shows how those carbon particles are moving towards or away from the probe. Blue regions show clumps of material moving out of the sun towards the orbiter, while red patches show particles moving away However, these are just the very first observations and scientists say that more measurements and even more discoveries are yet to come. Large parts of the data from the first images still need to be analysed, with the full dataset expected to arrive back on Earth by October this year. In the years to come, all ten of the Solar Orbiter's instruments will collect vast quantities of data as further meet-ups with Venus shift the craft to an even more tilted orbit. Eventually, the Solar Orbiter will hit an angle of 33 degrees below the equator, giving an extremely clear view of the sun's southern pole. Dr Daniel Muller, ESA's Solar Orbiter project scientist, says: 'This is just the first step of Solar Orbiter's 'stairway to heaven'. In the coming years, the spacecraft will climb further out of the ecliptic plane for ever better views of the Sun's polar regions. 'These data will transform our understanding of the Sun's magnetic field, the solar wind, and solar activity.' It's a condition that affects roughly one in four people in Britain. And if you suffer from hay fever, you might want to stock up on anti-histamines. A 'pollen bomb' is set to hit the UK today, the Met Office has revealed. 'Have you been sneezing today?' the national weather and climate service asked on X. 'Pollen levels are currently very high across most of England and Wales.' Except for North East England, every region of England and Wales has 'very high' levels today - with the East of England, and London & South East England continuing to suffer through Thursday. Thankfully, the pollen bomb should subside by the weekend - although it's bad news if you were planning to hit the park to sunbathe. 'Levels dipping tomorrow as rain arrives,' the Met Office added. If you suffer from hay fever, you might want to stock up on anti-histamines. A 'pollen bomb' is set to hit the UK today, the Met Office has revealed The news will come as no surprise to many Londoners, who have complained of high pollen levels for weeks @lillian3600 never been hit by hay fever but Holy Ghost I couldnt breathe growth - Gede Yudis The 'pollen count' literally predicts the amount of pollen grains per cubic metre of air. The Met Office predicts the upcoming pollen count by combining measurements of pollen in the air with predicted weather patterns to work out how the pollen will spread. What is considered a high pollen count varies depending on the type of plant. For grass pollen, a reading of between 50 and 150 grains of grass pollen per cubic metre is considered high. Manwhile, a reading between 81 and 200 is considered high for birch pollen. Across the UK, the Met Office deisgnates each region one of five symbols, ranging from '-' (no significant pollen) to 'VH' (very high). On today's map, South West England, London & South East England, East of England, East Midlands, West Midlands, Wales, North West England, and Yorkshire & Humber have all been designated as 'very high'. North East England, Dumfries, Galloway, Lothian & Borders, Central, Tayside & Fife, Strathclyde, and Northern Ireland will experience 'high' levels. On social media, residents have complained of tight chests, red eyes, and brain fog as they walked through the parks How can you treat hay fever? Vaseline: Apply the jelly around the nose to trap pollen particles Nasal filters: They make a physical barrier between the pollen particles and the nasal membrane Air purifiers: The home appliances remove pollen particles from the air Eye drops and tablets: They contain antihistamine to reduce inflammation Immunotherapy: The process involves consuming the allergen over a number of years to build the body's tolerance Advertisement Meanwhile, people in Grampian will only have 'medium' levels, while those living in Highlands & Eilean Siar, and Orkney & Shetland can relax, with 'low' levels forecast. The news will come as no surprise to many Londoners, who have complained of high pollen levels for weeks. On social media, residents have complained of tight chests, red eyes, and brain fog as they walked through the parks. In a video posted to TikTok, one user said: 'I felt like I had literal shards of pollen going into my eyes. 'Please tell me I'm not the only one because that was scary and I need to know how to prepare for the rest of summer if it's going to be like this.' Conditions have been so bad that even those who normally don't suffer from hay fever say they have been affected. One commenter wrote: 'I thought it was just me. Ive never had an issue with hay fever until this weekend.' Piers Morgan was one of those affected by the pollen bomb, tweeting: 'Anyone else got shocking hay fever in London today? 'Even trusty Fexofenadine barely touching the wheezing, sneezy, fog-brained sides..' Thankfully, the pollen levels across much of the country will subside within a matter of days. The Met Office's forecast shows that by Saturday, most of England will have 'medium' or 'high' levels, while Scots will be able to rest easy, with 'low' levels across the country. Violent riots sweeping downtown Los Angeles appeared to erupt overnight. But a guest on Joe Rogan's podcast claims he predicted the unrest as far back as 2023. Two years ago, comedian Sam Tripoli told Rogan: 'The next thing you're going to see are immigration riots... immigration riots, people going nuts.' At the time Tripoli claimed he had heard from 'people in intelligence' were braced for immigration-related riots if Donald Trump was re-elected. The comedian, who is known for sharing conspiracy theories, shared the old clip on his X account Tuesday following the riots in LA. He wrote: 'I told you this was going to happen. All part of the plan, man!' The chaos in Los Angeles began Friday as ICE protesters attempted to stop a handful of police raids. Crowds took to the streets, burning cars and marching against what they call unfair deportations. Comedian Sam Tripoli, known for exploring conspiracy theories, reposted a short clip of the interview this week, saying: 'I told you this was going to happen. All part of the plan, man!' The discussion has flooded social media where users are proclaiming that Tripoli did predict what is currently happening in California. 'Sam Tripoli predicting the LA Riots 2 years ago with eerie accuracy on Joe Rogan,' posted TUPACABRA who has over 46,000 followers. However, some users pointed out that the comedian 'didn't get it right' as he said it would happen 'around the 2024 election.' During the 2023 episode, Tripoli made several predictions, including the the 'pride stuff' was going to 'go away', apparently referencing DEI policies, which the Trump administration has tried to dismantle. He told Rogan that independent journalist Melody Krell, who also acted alongside Robert De Niro in The Irishman, had passed him some information from intelligence sources. 'Mel K comes on my show and says, 'I've been talking to some people in intelligence, and they say this pride stuff is going away,' Tripoli said, referring to his podcast Tin Foil Hat. 'The next thing you're going to see are immigration riots. This is going to happen right around the next election.' Tripoli then claimed that Republican governors were sending immigrants, 'many from China and in the military,' to Democratic states 'as assets' to destabilize their societies. 'I know it sounds crazy, but that is 100 percent true,' Tripoli said. The chaos in Los Angeles began Friday when anti-ICE protesters responded to several police raids across the city. Crowds took to the streets , burning cars and marching against what they call unfair deportations Tripoli was a guest on Joe Rogan's podcast in 2023 where he 'predicted' immigration riots would break out in the US Also on the 2023 podcast was comedian and actor Bryan Callen, known for Mad TV, who argued that the movement of immigrants wasn't orchestrated but rather a result of then-President Joe Biden 'opening the borders.' It is estimated at least 8million illegal immigrants entered the US under the Biden Administration, leading to immigration becoming one of the main issues during the 2024 election. Starting in August 2022, Texas Governor Abbott began sending busloads of illegal immigrants who crossed the Mexico border to New York City. Texas has transported an estimated 37,100 to 46,000 migrants to the East Coast state over the past three years. This effort was part of a broader Texas strategy to send migrants to cities with Democratic mayors, aiming to shift border-related responsibilities to those cities. However, Tripoli quickly pushed back on Callen's claims, saying, 'That is what they want you to believe.' Trump has defended sending 700 Marines and the California National Guard to Los Angeles, dismissing California Governor Gavin Newsom's claim that the deployment worsened the situation An emergency curfew was rolled out Tuesday in a portion of downtown Los Angeles as looters began ransacking local businesses Meanwhile, Trump has defended sending 700 Marines and the California National Guard to Los Angeles, dismissing California Governor Gavin Newsom's claim that the deployment worsened the situation. And he would not rule out use of an authority to deploy military forces under his control to put down disturbances if he sees fit. 'If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see. But I can tell you, last night was terrible. The night before that was terrible,' Trump said. 'If we didn't send in the national guard quickly, right now, Los Angeles would be burning to the ground,' Trump told reporters in an impromptu Oval Office meeting with members of his team. The president also offered a warning amid complaints from critics that he is using the California standoff to flex authority in Democratic-run states. 'I can inform the rest of the country, when they do it, if they do it, they will be met with equal or greater force than we met here,' Trump said. 'This is the first perhaps of many or perhaps if we didn't attack this one very strongly, you would have them all over the country,' Trump said. An emergency curfew was rolled out Tuesday in a portion of downtown Los Angeles as looters began ransacking local businesses. The curfew, which runs from 8pm PT and goes until 6am, is expected to remain in place for at least several days. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on Tuesday: 'Last night, there were 23 businesses that were looted. 'I think that if you drive through downtown LA, the graffiti is everywhere and has caused significant damages to businesses and a number of properties.' Whole Foods has issued a warning to customers following a cyberattack on its main supplier. The supplier, United Natural Foods (UNFI), was forced to shut down certain systems after detecting unauthorized activity on its internal networks in recent days. As a result, Whole Foods has alerted employees about the potential for food shortages at its more than 500 locations across the US, according to an internal memo obtained by TechCrunch. The Amazon-owned grocery store added that the cyberattack has impacted UNFI's 'ability to select and ship products from their warehouses,' and that this will 'impact our normal delivery schedules and product availability.' Whole Foods spokesperson Nathan Cimbala said: 'We are working to restock our shelves as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for customers.' Shoppers have shared images of their trips to the store, showing that many of the shelves are empty. Ed Clearly, a Florida native spending the summer in Pennsylvania, posted on X: 'Small sample size of how empty these store shelves were today. Truly remarkable.' '[I] haven't seen a store like this since a hurricane was barreling towards Florida.' Whole Foods has alerted employees about the potential for food shortages at its more than 500 locations across the US. Pictured is a location in San Diego, California Julie Chang, a California local, was met with empty shelves during her visit to a Whole Foods in San Diego (pictured) UNFI said Wednesday that it is slowly restoring its systems, adding that it should increase 'capacity over the coming days.' The supplier is the largest publicly traded wholesale distributor of 'healthier food options' in the US and Canada, according to its website. It operates 53 distribution centers and delivers goods to over 30,000 stores. In May 2024 the company announced an eight-year extension to serve as primary distributor for Amazon-owned Whole Foods. The memo also provided staff a talking point when dealing with questions from customers, prompting them to only says that UNFI has been experiencing a 'nationwide technology system outage,' according to TechCrunch. Julie Chang, a California local, was met with empty shelves during her visit to a Whole Foods in San Diego. 'At Whole Foods just now. Lotsa shelves empty I asked what's going on. One of the largest food distributors in the US got cyberattacked,' she posted on X. 'That's troubling the food supply can be disrupted this way.' Ed Clearly, a Florida native spending the summer in Pennsylvania, posted on X: 'Small sample size of how empty these store shelves were today. Truly remarkable' (pictured( The grocery store has been forced to display signs where shelves and cases are barren, which read: 'We are experiencing a temporary out of stock issue on some products' Whole Food shoppers have shared images of their trips to the store, showing that many of the shelves are empty The same scene has also been reported in Illinois, Colorado and Florida. One Whole Food shopper shared that their location 'hasn't had water, eggs, real or milk substitutes for days.' The grocery store has been forced to display signs where shelves and cases are barren, which read: 'We are experiencing a temporary out of stock issue on some products.' The company said the incident temporarily hurt its 'ability to fulfill and distribute customer orders.' 'We apologize for the inconvenience and should have your favorite product back in stock soon.' A Whole Foods spokesperson told Reuters in an email on Monday that the company was 'working to restock our shelves as quickly as possible' and referred additional questions back to United Natural. UNFI, based in Rhode Island, said in a June 9 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it proactively took some systems offline after becoming aware June 5 of unauthorized activity on certain networks. The company said the incident temporarily hurt its "ability to fulfill and distribute customer orders. It added that the incident "is expected to continue to cause temporary disruptions" to its operations. Porsha Williams's estranged husband Simon Guobadia has been deported back to Nigeria after a four-month ICE detainment. DailyMail.com has confirmed that the 61-year-old ex of The Real Housewives Of Atlanta star, 43, was released from the U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement's custody and sent back to his home country. Guobadia is also no longer listed on the system of the U.S. Department Of Homeland Security. Government crackdown: Porsha Williams's estranged husband Simon Guobadia has been deported back to Nigeria after a four-month ICE detainment DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives of Williams and Guobadia. His friend Tai Savat told Us Weekly that Guobadia was sent back on a flight home to Nigeria a couple of days ago and was in 'good spirits' despite the tough experience of four months at the detention center - the first time he's been imprisoned. Amid the ongoing immigration protests in Los Angeles, Savet said that Guobadia is not mad at President Donald Trump and would actually like a sit-down meeting with him. Resilient: Guobadia's friend has said he is in 'good spirits' despite the tough experience of four months at the detention center In February, Porsha broke her silence after her estranged husband was detained by U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE). The entrepreneur was being held at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, at the time, according Us Weekly. His status was listed as 'in ICE custody,' according to U.S. Department Of Homeland Security's records. Amid the news in February, the TV star - who's going through a contentious divorce from Guobadia - took to her Instagram to reflect on the situation. She wrote: 'It's disheartening to see my estranged husband make choices that have led to this outcome. At this moment, my priority is moving forward with my family.' Guobadia, who immigrated from Nigeria to the U.S. in 1982, allegedly overstayed his visa and was declared deportable in 1985. He subsequently returned to the U.S. in 1986 and once more overstayed his work visa. It came amid Trump's order for massive deportations of illegal migrants, which he signed off on earlier this year. The order allows for the deportation of undocumented immigrants to their countries of origin. Guobadia, who pleaded guilty to fraud in 1987 and was deported in 1992 after two more arrests, returned to the U.S. a month later. His 2016 naturalization attempt was denied. In 2024, the Atlanta Black Star reported that he had been repeatedly denied residency. Porsha filed for divorce last year after just 15 months of marriage. The couple wed in November 2022 after getting engaged in May 2021. Their divorce is still ongoing. Bella Hadid has opened up about her relationship with cowboy boyfriend Adan Banuelos in a candid chat with Amelia Dimoldenberg on her interview show Chicken Shop Date. The 28-year-old model was first linked to Adan, 36, in 2023, shared her love language as she gave a rare insight into her love life. Bella said: 'I think I am the most romantic person on the planet to a detriment of romance. I think simple moments are very sweet.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Love is in the air: Bella Hadid talked about her love life in an interview on Chicken Shop Date with Amelia Dimoldenberg Going strong: The model was first linked to her cowboy boyfriend in Adan Banuelos in Fort Worth in October 2023 (seen in 2024) 'Kissing is the best part', Amelia added, and Bella agreed: 'Yeah, I like kissing my boyfriend.' Later in the clip, the model revealed the two things she looks for in a man and insisted if he doesn't have a nice 'scent or shoes', it's over. 'What's your favourite animal on the farm?', Amelia asked. Bella said: 'Every holiday, I always ask for a mini moo, which is like a very, very small micro cow. Wake me up for breakfast, one day I'll teach him how to make coffee. 'Hopefully we can sit together and snuggle in bed.' Successful: Adan is an accomplished cowboy and was voted into the NCHA Riders Hall of Fame at age 28, the youngest ever to be inducted In April 2024, Bella announced she would be taking a step back from modeling after moving to Texas with Adan. 'For the first time now, I'm not putting on a fake face. If I don't feel good, I won't go. If I don't feel good, I take time for myself,' she told Allure. Bella added: 'And I've never had the opportunity to do that or say that before. 'Now when anybody sees me in pictures and they say, I look happy, I genuinely am. I am feeling better; my bad days now were my old good days.' Smitten: Bella looked ecstatic as she gushed: 'I like kissing my boyfriend' Goofing around: Bella posed for funny snaps as she relaxed around Amelia for a candid chat 'Anyone have good balance?' The person asking is a cowboy called Cody who's stood by his steed on a Texan ranch. No sooner than I've raised a hand I'm encouraged to get in the saddle, slide back and stand up on the horse's bare butt. I'm clearly no cowgirl because the unfurling to upright proves a lengthy, nervy manoeuvre, but eventually I'm vertical enough to merit a 'Yee-haw'! Texas is in America's southwest and is the country's second largest state after Alaska. It's bigger than Spain and is impossible to cover in a week, so I'm sticking to an area close to Austin known as 'Texas Hill Country', a gently undulating region famed for wine, German heritage and cattlemen. At its heart is the town of Bandera, which is considered the cowboy capital of the world and is where I'm standing on the backside of that horse. Thankfully there are other less daredevil activities available at Rancho Cortez, like feeding longhorn cattle, a Texan breed whose horns can measure 8ft tip to tip. For an authentic Wild West feel the tiny town of Bandera (population 800) is hard to beat. Cowboys still canter down its dusty strip, hop off their horses and swagger into a bar, spurs and all. Its surrounded by ranches, most of which sit on hundreds of acres of land, have pools and are great for spending a day or night. Jo Kessel visits Bandera, Texas (population 800), stands on a horse and gets lassoed by a cowboy in Texas Hill Country Jo tests her balance and cowgirl skills on a trip to Texas Hill Country, an area close to Austin known for its wine, German heritage and cattlemen At the heart of Texas Hill Country is Bandera, considered the cowboy capital of the world Here in Bandera, cowboys still canter down the dusty strip, hop off their horses and swagger into a bar - spurs and all, says Jo Mayan Ranch offers hayrides to a cowboy breakfast served in the woods think scrambled eggs, spicy beans and crunchy bacon. And at Dixie Dude Ranch you can be lassoed (congratulations cowboy Zac for catching me) before heading off on horseback; no riding experience necessary. The one-hour trail crosses a parched, hilly landscape that's pocked by cacti, oaks and thorn bushes. It's like a scene from a Spaghetti Western, especially when the Stetson I'm wearing gusts off my head and is chased down by a galloping cowboy who resembles a young John Wayne. Cowboy boots are de rigueur in these parts and at Bandera's Western Trail vintage store I snare a square-toed, pre-loved $50 (38) brown pair. They're perfect for a night out at the 11th Street Cowboy Bar, legendary for its live country music, dance floor and Wednesday steak nights. For $10 (8) they provide sides and salads; all you've got to do is barbecue your own meat on a communal grill. After eating I spot cowboy Cody approaching, palm outstretched, eyes twinkling. 'Let's dance,' he says. Moments later I'm being whirled and twirled in a honkytonk two-step with a real-life wranglerwho'd have thought? Mayan Ranch offers hayrides to a cowboy breakfast served in the woods think scrambled eggs, spicy beans and crunchy bacon At the Dixie Dude Ranch, Jo explains that you can be lassoed and head off on horseback with no riding experience necessary It is, however, time to move on from the cowboys. It's a twelve-hour drive from Texas's top to bottom, but no journey in the Hill Country takes longer than 90 minutes or so. Locals are friendly and greet you with a 'howdy' or 'how ya'll doing?' But there's also another language. Germans settled here in the 1840s some of their original stone houses still stand and brought their native tongue with them. It morphed into a 'Texas German' dialect that's spoken even now in certain towns. The shops on Main Street in historic Fredericksburg have German names as well as 'Wilkommen' signs, including one outside a store selling cowboy boots that cost a whopping 380 new. Thank goodness I went second-hand. By contrast Fredericksburg's boutique Truelove Hotel is all-American, with a string of bijou clapboard cottages that have rocking chairs on their porches. Breakfast's freshly squeezed orange juice and a warm biscuit (similar to a scone) served in a wicker hamper. Apparently you've not been to Texas if you haven't climbed 'Enchanted Rock', a nearby solidified liquid magma batholith deemed sacred by Native Americans. It's a lung-busting twenty-minute slog to the top from where there are views of surrounding wineries. Early settlers brought grapes with them and Texas wine-making is now a burgeoning industry. You can try some at Signor Vineyard: their Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and dry; the Alberino is refreshingly fruity and the red Tannat is a bold, full-bodied cowboy vino which packs an almighty punch. Due to the German population that settled in Fredericksburg in the 1840s, many of the restaurants and shops still have German names Food's good too and it's not all rustic meats and beans. The 7-course tasting menu at Fredericksburg's Cabernet Grill is fine dining at its best. The quail stuffed with candied jalapenos, seared lion's mane mushroom and gourmet take on a pig in blanket (called a 'Texas Twinkie') are outstanding. I'd been drawn to Texas Hill Country by the cowboys, but find myself enjoying so many other unexpected experiences. Like feeding giraffes and stroking rhinos (their skin's surprisingly soft) at Longneck Manor, a conservation preserve outside Fredericksburg. Like dancing in the German town of New Braunfels' Gruene Hall a historic live music venue built in 1878 where Kris Kristofferson once played. No cowboys to two-step with this time. Then there's tubing, a Texan pastime which involves sitting in a giant rubber ring for a couple of hours and letting the current drift you down Comal River. Temperatures soar over 100 degrees in summer and it's a great way to cool down. Despite riding horses and all that dancing, however, it's my credit card which gets the biggest workout. Leave space in your case because Texas has duty free shopping. The chic boutiques are in the town of Boerne; the premium designer outlets are in San Marcos. And for beef jerky the convenience store Buc-ee's is a must it comes in umpteen flavours from cherry maple to Korean BBQ and Jalapeno Honey. One thing's for sure, Texas Hill Country caters for all tastes. Whatever you do, wherever you go, you're sure to have the ride of your life. A team of travel experts have revealed the cheapest and most underrated city to visit in Europe and Brits can get there for under 17. And it's Linz, a city in northern Austria, which is Europe's best cheap hidden gem, according to a study that looked at average Google searches across the UK in the last 12 months to find out where the continent's most underrated destinations are. Austria's third-largest city, Linz sits on the banks of the Danube River and has an attractive old town. Linz Castle is one of the city's top attractions, located at the heart of its historic centre. Tourists will find a museum inside where they can learn more about the region's culture. A visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: 'A beautiful museum with an impressive location in Linz Castle. The exhibitions are diverse, exciting and very well curated - from nature to technology and art.' Don't miss the Mariendom church in the Old Town, which is Austria's largest church. The striking building was finished in 1924 and can accommodate 20,000 people. Visitors can also climb to the top of the spire to enjoy panoramic views of Linz from above. Kids will love Linz's Grottenbahn, a dragon-themed train adventure that takes tourists through a miniature world. Linz is officially Europe's best cheap and underrated destination to fly to this summer Linz is also a fantastic base from which to explore the rest of Austria One visitor described it as a 'magical fairytale world for young and old' while another said it was very 'cute'. When it comes to eating out, there's one sweet dish that's a must-try. The city's Linzer Torte is a pastry with a lattice crust, almond filling and redcurrant jam. The experts at Holidu, the company who conducted the research, found one-way flights for under 17 and with low Google searches for the destination, tourists aren't likely to have to fight off crowds while they're there. A Holidu spokesperson says: 'This ancient city, named the European Capital of Culture in 2009, is particularly known for its history and culture.' But Linz is also a fantastic base from which to explore the rest of Austria. Holidu recommends visiting Hallstatt, famed as the location of the castle that inspired Disney's Frozen, and Salzburg, Mozart's birthplace, both of which are less than two hours away from Linz. After Linz, the next best underrated destination in in Europe, according to the study, is Poitiers in France. Brits can fly to Poitiers for just 15. Holidu describes the city's old town as a 'must-visit' due to its 'rich history' and 'Romanesque architecture'. Austria's third-largest city, Linz sits on the banks of the Danube River and has an attractive old town Holidu found one-way flights for under 17 and with low Google searches for the destination, tourists aren't likely to have to fight off crowds while they're there And if you're not looking to travel far this summer, the third underrated destination on the list could be the perfect spot for you. Kerry in Ireland can be reached for under 15 and is bound to 'impress with its stunning and dramatic landscapes', says Holidu. At the other end of the scale Dublin, Paris and Barcelona are the most-searched for destinations by British tourists. Alicante, Tenerife, Malaga and Malta are also popular choices with Brits looking for a summer break. For just $599, pass holders can enjoy limitless flights across the U.S. and beyond A US-based airline is offering its customers an annual 'all you can fly' pass for less than $600. For those dreaming of limitless journeys in 2025, Frontier Airlines is on hand to assist would-be jetsetters with a limited-time deal on its GoWild! Pass. For just $599, savvy adventurers can enjoy an unlimited number of flights across Frontier's domestic and international destinations, including the U.S., Caribbean, Mexico, and Latin America. The pass is valid for travel between 1 May, 2025 and 30 April, 2026, where it then automatically renews at $699 a year. Pass holders are granted access to a range of benefits, including the opportunity to book domestic flights a day before departure, and ten days before departure for international travel. Organised travellers can also plan ahead and select flights early by searching and choosing GoWild! when available - though an Early Booking charge may apply. Pass holders automatically become members of Frontier Miles upon enrollment, giving the opportunity to earn miles on all Go Wild! eligible purchases. Plus, passengers can use their Elite Status to secure seats and bring onboard bags free of charge. For those dreaming of limitless journeys in 2025, Frontier Airlines is on hand to assist would-be jetsetters with a limited-time deal on its GoWild! Pass To enroll themselves or another individual for the GoWild! Pass, purchasers must be 18 years or older and a resident of the United States. The pass holder must also be a resident of the United States and a Frontier Miles member, according to the terms and conditions listed on the airline's site. After purchasing the GoWild! Pass, passengers can book tickets on select flights for just $0.01 in airfare, plus applicable charges, fees and taxes. There are also other limitations worth considering before travellers buy into the scheme. Pass holders are unable to reserve seats, and fares do not include carry-on or checked luggage. All passes are subject to blackout dates as listed by Frontier, restricting passengers from travelling around the holidays and other busy periods. Additionally, purchasers cannot use their GoWild! passes to buy tickets for other travellers. Frontier first launched a monthly GoWild! pass in 2023, and has since been successful enough that the airline has expanded it to include summer and annual options. Pass holders are granted access to a range of benefits, including the opportunity to book domestic flights a day before departure, and ten days before departure for international travel The major airline operates routes across 100 destinations, from its main hub in Denver, to popular U.S. cities like Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas and Atlanta, to international locations in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Canada. Meanwhile, a former American Airlines boss has revealed the real reason why the firm terminated a passenger's 'lifelong' first-class plane ticket - after the frequent flier cost the company millions. Steven Rothstein, a businessman from Chicago, purchased an exclusive 190,000 AAirpass ticket in 1987, which granted him unlimited first-class flights for life. In addition to the AAirpass, Rothstein also splurged a further 115,000 for a companion pass, allowing him to travel with a guest. Solo travel is becoming increasingly popular with more and more travellers eager to explore the world alone. A new study has now revealed the best country in the world for solo travel taking into account safety, affordability of eating out and the ease of getting a flight from the UK. And top of the list is Italy which picks up a high score in each of the categories. From Rome's incredible historic landmarks to Bologna's world-famous tagliatelle bolognaise or the Dolomites' hiking trails, solo travellers will be spoilt for choice in Italy. Currently Rimini, an underrated seaside town, is the cheapest Italian destination to fly to in July. Both British Airways and easyJet recently launched direct flights to the beach hotspot. Next on the list is Japan, renowned as one of the world's safest countries. Solo travellers can explore the bright lights of Tokyo or head to Okinawa for beaches. Norway rounds off the top three. While its capital Oslo is one of the most expensive destinations for a city break, the country has some of Europe's most spectacular natural landscapes. Home to Europe's longest coastline, Norway has breathtaking beaches and offers tourists the chance to see the Northern Lights. A new study has now revealed the best country in the world for solo traveller taking into account safety, affordability of eating out and the ease of getting a flight from the UK. Top of the list is Italy From Rome's incredible historic landmarks to Bologna's world-famous tagliatelle bolognaise or the Dolomites' hiking trails, solo travellers will be spoilt for choice in Italy Spain takes fourth place on the list. Although its Costa del Sol beaches are particularly popular with Brits, there are many lesser-known spots to discover. Solo travellers could visit San Sebastian, known as Spain's gastronomic capital, or visit Granada's incredible Alhambra palace. Albania is ranked as the fifth best destination for solo travellers. An up-and-coming European holiday hotspot, the country is one of the more affordable destinations on the list. Sam Bruce, co-founder of Much Better Adventures, the company that commissioned the research, says: 'There are so many wild corners of the world still to explore, which is as exciting as it is overwhelming. 'That can make it tough to decide where to go next, especially if you're travelling solo. There's so much travel inspiration online, it can be hard to know what's right for you. 'Some of the most rewarding experiences come when you go beyond the beaches and the city breaks and into the wild places that most guides overlook. Getting away from the crowds doesn't just mean you have a more enjoyable experience, you're also helping to distribute the wealth of tourism to areas where it can have a positive impact and you'll learn a lot more about the places you see.' Portugal just misses out on a spot in the top five. The country is often described as the most affordable destination in western Europe and offers beaches and world-class hiking. Hikers might want to head to Nepal, which ranks sixth on the list. Home to Mount Everest, the country also has more accessible hiking suitable for walkers of all levels. Next on the list is Japan, renowned as one of the world's safest countries. Solo travellers can explore the bright lights of Tokyo or head to Okinawa for beaches Home to Europe's longest coastline, Norway has breathtaking beaches and offers tourists the chance to see the Northern Lights Spain takes fourth place on the list. Although its Costa del Sol beaches are particularly popular with Brits, there are many lesser-known spots to discover BEST COUNTRIES FOR SOLO TRAVEL 1. Italy 2. Japan 3. Norway 4. Spain 5. Albania 6. Portugal 7. Nepal 8. Montenegro 9. Jordan 10. Greece Source: Much Better Adventures Advertisement Sam adds: 'Italy, Norway and Albania are home to a great range of activities and culture-rich towns where you can get lost in experiencing new and wild things with welcoming locals. 'But don't let the distance of Japan or Nepal put you off experiencing these captivating countries solo. Both are unforgettable destinations.' Montenegro, Jordan and Greece round off the top 10 list while Peru, Canada and Guatemala land just outside. A female solo traveller who has visited 70 countries recently told MailOnline Travel where she thinks the most underrated destinations to travel are. Plans for a controversial holiday park in Loch Lomond have been stalled by the Scottish Government. Ministers had been expected to give permission for the resort development but have now reconsidered due to its 'potential impact on Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park'. Operated by Flamingo Land, the proposed 40m resort was set to feature a monorail, waterpark, hotel and restaurants. Ivan McKee, Scotland's Minister for Public Finance, said he is now recalling the plans as 'the appeal should be determined at a national level', reports the BBC. The original proposal was first rejected in September 2024 amid protests by local residents. Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park authority said the park did not comply with environmental policies. Flamingo Land then appealed to the Scottish government reporter who had said they planned to allow the resort as long as Flamingo Land signed a legal agreement with the national park. But following the recall, the final decision on the Flamingo Land resort's future will now be made by ministers. Plans for a controversial holiday park in Loch Lomond have been stalled by the Scottish Government Operated by Flamingo Land, the proposed 40m resort was set to feature a monorail, waterpark, hotel and restaurants Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park authority said the park did not comply with environmental policies Ross Greer, a Scottish Green MSP, said McKee's decision to recall the plans was the 'right move'. He said: 'Once ministers consider the flood risk, loss of ancient woodland, hundreds of additional cars which would have be brought onto notoriously congested roads and the litany of other devastating impacts it would have, I am sure they will reject the mega-resort application and finally end this decade-long saga.' Scottish Labour's deputy leader Jackie Baillie also welcomed the decision, claiming that the SNP had 'ignored concerns' about the park 'time and time again'. The Balloch and Haldane Community Council said it had had more than 50,000 new objections to the plans last week. Flamingo Land submitted updated plans for its park in 2020 and described the development, set to be called Lomond Banks, as a 'major step away' from its other theme park style resorts. The company currently runs the Flamingo Land resort in North Yorkshire which offers amusement rides and exotic animals. An Antiques Roadshow guest gasped 'I can't believe that!' as he learned the staggering value of a watch bought for 300 - while the BBC crowd erupted into applause. A repeat episode of the BBC show, which sees specialist appraisers value heirlooms and heritage items, went to Brodie Castle in the Moray area of Scotland. In the instalment that reran on Sunday, expert Richard Price was asked to assess a 1960s Rolex GMT-Master watch. The guest said he had owned the timepiece for 32 years, having inherited it from his uncle, who he thought most likely received it as a gift in the sixties. Richard quickly spotted the specific model on the dial, important to note for this watch brand: 'All Rolex collectors refer to these things by their reference number.' 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. An Antiques Roadshow guest gasped 'I can't believe that!' as he learnt the staggering value of a watch bought for 300 The crowd watching on during the episode of the popular BBC show erupted into applause In the instalment that reran on Sunday, expert Richard Price was asked to assess a 1960s Rolex GMT-Master watch (pictured) The expert explained further: 'It's the reference 1675, which is the classic GMT-Master. 'When you said sixties, I think we could fairly safely say 1960 to 1961 so that all fits in.' Inspecting it further, Richard was delighted to find it unaltered - a rare outcome, as watches are often modified when their owners take them in for servicing. The appraiser told the guest how watch repairs normally go: 'They would've changed the bezel and they would've changed the dial with an upgrade. 'You would've had it back thinking, "Oh, it looks new." Collectors hate that.' As to this particular timepiece, by contrast, Richard noted: 'It's absolutely original - spot on.' There was some cause for disappointment, however, over the style of the watch bracelet. The timepiece had a strap in Rolex's five-link Jubilee style, as opposed to the brand's iconic, older, three-link Oyster design. The timepiece had a strap in Rolex's five-link 'Jubilee' style (pictured), as opposed to the brand's iconic, older, three-link 'Oyster' design This 'detracts from it a little bit', Richard said - probably by 'a couple of thousand pounds' sadly, which saw the guest look visibly downcast Richard explained to the owner: 'It's a Rolex product of course but it says "Made in the USA". 'So, perhaps [his uncle] specified that he did not want the Oyster bracelet, he wanted a Jubilee bracelet, and they put this one on for him.' This 'detracts from it a little bit', he added - probably by 'a couple of thousand pounds' sadly, which saw the guest look visibly downcast. The expert estimated the watch would have cost around 300 to 350 when the guest's uncle bought it back in the sixties. The guest simply replied: 'Wish [my uncle] bought more.' But even the single watch proved a good investment - as Richard valued it as now being worth 12,000 to 15,000. The owner was left in utter shock, as the crowd broke into applause. He exclaimed: 'I can't believe that, can't believe that.' The watch proved a good investment - as Richard valued it as now being worth 12,000 to 15,000 The guest exclaimed: 'I can't believe that, can't believe that' It comes after another guest also came in with some surprisingly valuable Rolex timepieces. A recent instalment of Antiques Roadshow saw expert Ben Wright presented with a pair of Rolex watches. One of the watches, the Rolex Prince, belonged to the guest's great-great-grandfather. The other, more recent one, was the guest's father's, who had joined his son to appear on the popular BBC show. Of the older watch, Ben said: 'I notice there's a little bit of wear and tear on the dial and we've got a later winder on the case.' One of the guests replied: 'It was 21 when it was bought.' Ben went on to comment on the paperwork that accompanied the watch before looking at the Rolex Submariner, belonging to the father. 'I was a merchant navy cadet in 1976 and I saved up my pittance to by that in Singapore. It was 250 I think,' the father revealed. It comes after another guest also came in with some surprisingly valuable Rolex timepieces (pictured) One of the watches, the Rolex Prince (pictured), belonged to the guest's great-great-grandfather The father and son duo looked stunned, smiling and nodding silently at the whopping values of the timepieces before thanking Ben The expert then revealed his pricing estimate: 'At auction, the Rolex Prince is going to be between 3,000 and 4,000. 'The Submariner - it's in great condition. All in all, the full ensemble at auction - easily 8,000 to 12,000.' The father and son duo looked stunned, smiling and nodding silently at the whopping values before thanking Ben. Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and to stream on iPlayer. Andrea Levy's award-winning story of Jamaicans and Londoners involved in World War Two. Year: 2009 Certificate: 15 Watch now on BBC iPlayer Stylish two-part adaptation of Andrea Levy's award-winning 2004 novel, an epic love story set against the backdrop of the Second World War. Hortense (Naomie Harris) is an aspiring young teacher, arriving in London from Jamaica to join her husband Gilbert (David Oyelowo). At a time when landlords put up signs declaring 'no Irish, no coloureds', Gilbert feels lucky to have a roof over his head, however ramshackle; the respectable Hortense, however, is shocked by the conditions. Meanwhile, we are introduced to their kind-hearted landlady Queenie (Ruth Wilson), who longs for some passion in her life, which duly arrives in the form of her first black lodger - a mysterious and charming Jamaican airman called Michael Roberts (Ashley Walters). And he has history... Atmospheric, intriguing and thoroughly watchable. (Two episodes) Eva Longoria slammed 'un-American' ICE deportations that have led to riots in Los Angeles from France where she is filming a TV show. Her comments came before the city imposed a curfew across its riot-ravaged downtown in an effort to end pro-migrant protests which have gripped the city for five days. From 8pm Tuesday through to 6am Wednesday, swathes of the city will be under a strict lockdown as officers fight to regain control and stamp out widespread violence and destruction. Longoria, 50, spoke about the issue to her 10.6 million Instagram followers in an extended clip on Tuesday, admitting that while she was not physically in Los Angeles, her heart was with everyone impacted by the ongoing events. The stunning star - who played the role of Gabrielle Solis on 180 episodes of the popular ABC series Desperate Housewives from 20042012 - was in France. Longoria said the unfolding events were 'hard to witness from afar.' 'I can't imagine what it's like to be in Los Angeles right now,' the Corpus Christi, Texas-born star added. 'I can't believe it's happening in Austin, Texas. I can't believe it's happening all over the country. 'And the comments and people's reactions to it is really so surprising to me because it is un-American.' Eva Longoria was in France when she slammed 'un-American' ICE deportations that have led to riots in Los Angeles Her comments came before the city imposed a curfew across its riot-ravaged downtown in an effort to end pro-migrant protests which have gripped the city for five days The Mexican-American star said she was in the state of shock watching the events unfold, saying it went against the basic tenets America's forefathers laid out. 'We all can agree nobody wants criminals in our country, nobody wants rapists, nobody wants drug dealers, nobody wants bad actors in our country - that's not what's happening,' said the Golden Globe-nominated actress. Longoria said that President Donald Trump was overreaching in his actions, and had not stayed true to his campaign promise to deport only criminals. 'These roundups are happening in birthday parties, in elementary graduations, Home Depots - those are not criminals,' she said. Chrissy Teigen was among the Hollywood stars speaking out on social media about the ongoing protests in Los Angeles over ICE raids ordered by President Donald Trump. Multiple stars took to platforms such as Instagram amid news Trump ordered 2000 troops with Californias National Guard to the area amid ongoing unrest, to the objection of California Governor Gavin Newsom. On Teigen's Instagram Stories, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit alum shared a tweet that mused about the allocation of resources toward the raids as opposed to feed or help people in need. Another post implied Trump had deeply-political motives with the flurry of bold moves in Southern California. Longoria said the unfolding events were 'hard to witness from afar;' pro and anti-Trump protesters pictured demonstrating in Southern California Tuesday Longoria said that President Donald Trump was overreaching in his actions, and had not stayed true to his campaign promise to deport only criminals; seen in May in France Teigen also linked to advertisement for an event called the No Kings mass protest on June 14 along with a link provided by organizers. The outspoken star, who is married to A-list singer John Legend, has had a complicated history of activism. She emerged as a prominent voice of opposition to Trump in his first term, repeatedly getting under the sitting president's skin. Kim Kardashian also uploaded a post on Tuesday saying that 'there HAS to be a BETTER way' than what Trump is doing. 'When we we're told ICE is to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals great,' Kim wrote. 'But when we we witness innocent, hard-working people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do whats right.' Longoria in her clip said that standards in the immigration system under Trump are so warped and manipulated, that it's essentially a rigged game and impossible for people to achieve basic citizenship. 'Those of you that keep yelling, "Well, you should have come here legally, do it, get in the back of the line" - there is no line ... this mythical line that everybody's talking about. 'There's people that've been waiting for citizenship for 25 years that have been in line. And I just asked for you guys to educate yourself, if you're out there yelling, "Good, they deserve this" - they don't.' Kim Kardashian also uploaded a post on Tuesday saying that 'there HAS to be a BETTER way' than what Trump is doing Actress Justine Lupe reposted a screed by notoriously left-leaning actor Mark Ruffalo to her Instagram feed, though she was also out of the city Actress Justine Lupe reposted a screed by notoriously left-leaning actor Mark Ruffalo to her Instagram feed, though she was also out of the city. 'Im away from home but I love you Los Angeles. We showed up as a community in January and were showing up now. Get out of our home ICE. We love our neighbors,' she wrote. The post from Ruffalo criticized people who were blaming 'the poorest of the poor for ruining your life.' It comes as the city of angels continues to take further measures into stopping the rage and chaos. Mayor Karen Bass announced the new orders after she was locked in tense meetings with the police chief and senior officials to weigh whether a strict curfew would help act as a circuit breaker and soothe tensions. For five days now rioters have wreaked havoc on communities as they railed against President Donald Trump's efforts to rid the city of illegal migrants. They were only further enraged when Trump gave orders to send 700 Marines and 4,100 National Guard troops in to take over policing efforts and assist the LAPD. Rioters set fire to cars, looted buildings and attacked officers with rocks, fireworks and cement bricks in harrowing scenes of destruction which Attorney General Pam Bondi compared to a third world nation. LAPD officers detain a man and fire less-lethal munitions at protesters during clashes outside the Federal Building Bass said the curfew is expected to last several days and will encompass a square mile radius around the epicenter of the violence in Downtown LA. Any protester who defies the order and remains out in the area past 8pm will be arrested. A curfew is the natural next step in efforts toward regaining control of the city, as the LAPD ramps up arrests and cracks down on protesters breaching unlawful assembly orders. Hordes of protesters were zip-tied and forced onto LAPD buses en masse as authorities sought to bring an end to days of chaos and destruction. LAPD chief Jim McDonnell said protests had grown more violent as the week progressed. There were just 27 arrests on Sunday, with 40 on Sunday, 114 on Monday and nearly 200 by 6pm on Tuesday. He said public safety personnel, journalists and homeless people would be exempt from the order. It was May 2005 and a newly-single Brad Pitt was hiding out in the Chateau Marmont, living behind a paparazzi-proof tarpaulin in the hotel's private bungalow where John Belushi famously died in the 80s. Pitt's recent separation from actress Jennifer Aniston had convulsed the nation and rumors of his relationship with co-star Angelina Jolie were setting Hollywood ablaze. Fast forward 20 years, and it was Pitt and Jolie's adopted son who took shelter within the Chateau's mock Gothic walls. Twenty-one-year-old Pax was pictured last month bleary-eyed with a dopey, dazed grin, stumbling out of the hotel, propped up by several friends. They then headed to the Deja Vu strip club in the Hollywood Hills, eventually leaving at 2.30 am. It was a concerning scene, not overlooked by Pitt's camp. Indeed, in exclusive comments to the Daily Mail, a source says Pitt has washed his hands of Pax's drama: 'He has zero concern with what Pax does or doesn't do. [Pax's] actions reflect who he is.' 'Brad honestly considers his relationship with Pax unfixable,' they added. Brad Pitt's separation from actress Jennifer Aniston in 2005 convulsed the nation and rumors of his relationship with co-star Angelina Jolie set Hollywood ablaze (the pair are pictured in 2007) Now, in exclusive comments to the Daily Mail, a source says he has washed his hands of his son Pax (pictured last month in LA): 'He has zero concern with what Pax does or doesn't do. [Pax's] actions reflect who he is' It's a remarkable statement for a father to make, but nine years on from Angelina and Brad's 2016 split, Pitt now appears ready to cut ties with at least two of his children... while desperately holding out hope for reconciliation with the other four. Shiloh, Pitt and Jolie's 19-year-old Namibia-born daughter, whose baby photos fetched a record $4.1 million, legally changed her last name last year on the day she turned 18, dropping Pitt and officially opting to be known as Shiloh Nouvel Jolie. At least three of the other four kids appear to have informally dropped the famous last name. Zahara, a 20-year-old student at Spelman College in Georgia, adopted in 2005, reportedly goes by the surname Jolie - as does Vivienne, who with her twin brother Knox will turn 17 on July 12. Indeed, the familial strain is most apparent with the adopted boys; Maddox, 23 (adopted in 2001) and 21-year-old Pax (adopted in 2007). As far back as 2021, Maddox was reported to call himself Maddox Jolie. A pilot, who studied biochemistry at South Korea's Yonsei University, Maddox was reportedly involved in a physical confrontation with Pitt on a private jet in 2016 that sparked Pitt's separation and divorce from Jolie. Adopted from a Cambodian orphanage by Jolie, and then legally adopted by Pitt, Maddox was asked in 2019 by In Touch Weekly if his relationship with Pitt was done for good, and replied: 'Whatever happens, happens.' Pax has called Pitt 'a world class a**hole.' Pitt and Jolie adopted Maddox (left), now 23, and Pax, 21, in 2001 and 2007 respectively. They're pictured here in 2013 Nine years on from Angelina and Brad's split, Pitt now appears ready to cut ties with at least two of his children while desperately holding out hope for reconcile with the other four. (Pictured: Brad and Angelina with Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne in 2011). Shiloh, Pitt and Jolie's 19-year-old Namibia-born daughter, legally changed her last name last year on the day she turned 18, dropping Pitt and officially opting to be known as Shiloh Nouvel Jolie. (Pictured: Shiloh with a friend in May). On Father's Day in 2020, he wrote, with a photo of Pitt receiving his Oscar: 'You time and time again prove to be a terrible and despicable person. You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence. You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell. You may tell yourself and the world whatever you want, but the truth will come to light someday.' The source told Daily Mail that the 61-year-old actor blames his ex-wife, who had primary custody of the children for years, for their rebellions. 'Brad believes that whatever his kids are going through right now is a direct result of how they have been raised,' said the person familiar with Pitt's thinking. 'They are now old enough to make their own choices and if their choices include drama that is all on them. Brad would be there to give advice, but he cannot be when he is unable to have a relationship with them at this time.' The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Jolie and Pitt but has not received a response. However, a source close to Jolie hit back at her ex husband, saying: 'Brad continues to play the victim. His fractured relationship with his children is a direct result of how he has treated them. He should stop blaming others. If he wants to rebuild a relationship with the kids, he should acknowledge his own actions and make amends.' Pitt's problems with the adopted boys were perhaps foreshadowed in 2009, when he told a magazine that he saw it as his job to rein them in. 'I am [a disciplinarian] with the boys,' he said. 'Girls do no wrong, so I don't have to be. I feel like my job is to show them around, help them find what they want to do with their life, put as many things in front of them, and pull them back when they get out of line, so they know who they are.' Our source Pitt also said that the actor doesn't appear to be planning any outreach to either of his adopted sons: 'Pax and Maddox have made it abundantly clear how they feel, and Brad has nothing to say about either of them.' As to his other children, Pitt, the source says, 'holds out hope that the others will one day come around. Time heals wounds.' Pitt's sprawling Missouri-based family - in particular his parents Jane, 85, a retired school counselor, and William, 84, who ran a trucking company - also hope the children will repair their frayed ties to their father. 'The Pitt family was hoping that after Brad and Angelina's divorce was finalized [in December 2024] the kids would come around and re-establish a relationship,' a Pitt family insider told the Daily Mail. Vivienne, who with her twin brother Knox will turn 17 on July 12, reportedly goes by the surname Jolie. (Pictured: Vivienne and Knox). A source close to Pitt told Daily Mail that Brad Pitt blames his ex-wife Angelina Jolie (pictured at The 78th Cannes Film Festival), who had primary custody of the children for years, for their rebellions and resentments. In contrast, Jolie doesn't have much close family to speak of, something that isn't lost on the Pitt family. '[The Pitt-Jolie children] have no other family because Angelina is estranged from her brother and has no nieces and nephews,' the source said. 'Her mother is dead, and she has a difficult relationship with her dad. 'But the Pitt family is so loving, and they are so close all of them. Brad's children have 30 cousins who they were previously close to. They would spend vacations together at Brad's beach house and would visit. They haven't had any contact in years.' Meanwhile, Brad and Jolie remain in demand and busy. Pitt is in the midst of a promotional tour for his much-anticipated $200 million motor-racing film, F1, which is released on June 27. Jolie, who turned 50 on June 4, finished filming Paris fashion drama Couture in the spring, and is in pre-production for Maleficent 3. And, the drama shows little sign of abating. Brooke Hogan has been called out by fans over an 'out of touch' social media post. The former Australia's Next Top Model star took to Instagram this week to share a paid partnership post for luxe airline Emirates. The post featured a series of images showing Brooke enjoying the benefits of flying business class with the airline. The carousel was titled: '7 honest things no one tells you about flying Emirates Business class.' She the went on to extoll the virtues of the premium service, including a chauffeur-driven car service to and from the airport. 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. Australia's Next Top Model star Brooke Hogan has been called out by fans over an 'out of touch' social media post for luxe airline Emirates Other benefits identified by the entrepreneur included 'world class food', and 'exclusive designer Bulgari amenity kits'. 'There's free flowing wine,' Brooke wrote on one image. 'They have an extensive selection of complimentary drinks served throughout the flight including Moet & Chandon and a selection of six award-winning wines.' While the post was intended to elicit a sense of travel FOMO among her 619,000 followers, it appeared to have opposite effect. Many took to the comments to crtiticise Brooke for what they claimed was a 'tone deaf' post. 'Meanwhile the rest of the world has normal jobs and will never be able to afford this,' one jealous fan wrote. 'Such relatable content,' another quipped, while a third jumped in with: 'Looks so nice, dreamy and out of touch.' It didn't end there, either, with another offering: 'I mean you gotta get that bag girl, but this is a tough one to post and not cop some negative commentary.' The post featured a series of images showing Brooke enjoying the benefits of flying business class with the airline She the went on to extoll the virtues of the premium service, including a chauffeur-driven car service to and from the airport and 'free flowing wine' and the post elicited much criticism from followers Yet another offered: 'Glad you had a great experience, but everyone knows what business class looks like. 'Its definitely a case of "how do you know someone flew business class? Dont worry, theyll tell you".' It wasn't all negativity though, with many jumping in to the comments to admit their envy over the post. 'We flew Emirates business to Paris for our honeymoon last year. Wish Id known about the chauffeur,' one follower wrote. 'It was so great, it has unfortunately ruined me for regular flights.' Another chimed in with: 'OMG can I trade places with you,' while a third summed up the sentiment of many with: 'This is incredible.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Brooke for comment. 'Meanwhile the rest of the world has normal jobs and will never be able to afford this,' one jealous fan wrote 'Such relatable content,' another quipped, while a third jumped in with: 'Looks so nice, dreamy and out of touch' It wasn't all negativity though, with many jumping in to the comments to admit their envy over the post. Brooke is pictured with son Billy, one. Since appearing on Australia's Next Top Model in 2013, Brooke has taken her career across the globe while also being a regular fixture in Sydney and Melbourne. She has worked with brands from Myer, Tommy Hilfiger, Seafolly and YSL while also appearing as a television presenter for Channel 7 lifestyle show, The Great Weekend. Brooke is the founder of fashion and swimwear label Le Mon and the online Pilates platform Our Pilates. The entrepreneur welcomed her first child, Billy, with husband Myles Pitt back in 2023. The couple tied the knot in a lavish Mornington Peninsula wedding in 2022. Miley Cyrus managed to make Monica Lewinsky blush and hide her face while discussing a graphic sex term during Tuesday's episode of her Wondery podcast, Reclaiming. 'I was coming from Disney so, in my way too, it was never a strategic of "I'm going to shed the skin," but it was only so dramatic and so shocking for people... what I did wasn't shocking, it was who I was that was shocking,' the 32-year-old Hannah Montana star explained of her transition into adult pop star. 'Like if you imagine you know a couple years ago, like WAP, you know what it's about.' 'Wait I don't know what it is,' the 51-year-old cyberbullying activist confessed. Miley (born Destiny) appeared shocked: 'Are we telling Monica Lewinsky what WAP is about? Do I tell her? Do I tell her?' At that point, Monica buried her head in her hands and said 'I'm a loser.' Miley Cyrus (L) managed to make Monica Lewinsky (R) blush and hide her face while discussing a graphic sex term during Tuesday's episode of her Wondery podcast, Reclaiming Lewinsky's scandalous 18-month affair with President Bill Clinton from 1995-1997 while she was a 22-year-old White House intern made international headlines and led to him being charged with perjury, contempt of court, fined $90K, and was impeached by the House of Representatives. 'It stands for wet a** p****, okay? And it got performed at the [2021] Grammys,' Cyrus revealed. 'I dressed as a teddy bear [at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards] and got shamed, but Cardi B isn't for kids. She's not a child star.' The 32-year-old rapper's critically-acclaimed 2020 hit WAP, featuring Megan Thee Stallion, spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified 8 platinum by the RIAA. Rolling Stone and NPR praised the sex-positive track, which was produced by Ayo & Keyz and heavily sampled Frank Ski's 1993 Baltimore club single Wh***s in This House. New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even cleverly recoined the title 'Women Against Patriarchy' as it's remarkable for two women to reach success in the typically misogynistic medium of hip-hop. Cardi's record-breaking music video - directed by Colin Tilley - amassed 550M views on YouTube thanks to cameos from two tigers, a leopard, snakes, Kylie Jenner, Normani, Rosalia, Latto, Sukihana, and Rubi Rose. At the time, Miley wondered why she was always 'getting in trouble' but not Rihanna or her other pop rivals. 'It was because I was a kid star, so it's like the babysitter went went rogue,' Cyrus explained. The 32-year-old Hannah Montana star was discussing her difficult transition from the Disney Channel into adult pop star: 'What I did wasn't shocking, it was who I was that was shocking' 'Like if you imagine you know a couple years ago, like WAP, you know what it's about,' Miley noted The 51-year-old cyberbullying activist confessed: 'Wait I don't know what it is' Cyrus appeared shocked: 'Are we telling Monica Lewinsky what WAP is about? Do I tell her? Do I tell her?' At that point, Monica buried her head in her hands and said 'I'm a loser' Lewinsky's scandalous 18-month affair with President Bill Clinton (L, pictured in 1997) from 1995-1997 while she was a 22-year-old White House intern made international headlines and led to him being charged with perjury, contempt of court, fined $90K, and was impeached by the House of Representatives 'It stands for wet a** p****, okay? And it got performed at the [2021] Grammys,' the three-time Grammy winner revealed Miley continued: 'I dressed as a teddy bear [at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards] and got shamed, but Cardi B isn't for kids. She's not a child star' The 32-year-old rapper's (L) critically-acclaimed 2020 hit WAP, featuring Megan Thee Stallion (R), spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified 8 platinum by the RIAA New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even cleverly recoined the title 'Women Against Patriarchy' as it's remarkable for two women to reach success in the typically misogynistic medium of hip-hop At the time, Cyrus wondered why she was always 'getting in trouble' but not Rihanna or her other pop rivals: 'It was because I was a kid star, so it's like the babysitter went went rogue' The Tennessee-born belter's ninth studio album Something Beautiful just debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 Something Beautiful: The Visual Album, featuring nineties supermodel Naomi Campbell and Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard, hits US theaters this Thursday and international theaters on June 27 'I was like a babysitter for America's children, you know? You put them in front of the screen, you know if they're watching my show they're going to be good. 'I'm not going to say anything inappropriate. You feel safe with them spending time with me. And that's when people felt like I wasn't a safe place for their kids anymore. It was a lot.' The three-time Grammy winner's ninth studio album Something Beautiful just debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, Something Beautiful: The Visual Album, featuring nineties supermodel Naomi Campbell and Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard, hits US theaters this Thursday and international theaters on June 27. Miley - who gets 61.4M monthly listeners on Spotify - is making a big production out of her album because she quit touring in 2023. Cyrus had a big leg up in the industry thanks to her famous father Billy Ray Cyrus and her even more famous godmother Dolly Parton. Albert Square's next landlady at the Queen Vic pub has been revealed after owners Linda Carter and her mum Elaine Peacock were forced to put it up for sale. Leopard print-loving loudmouth Kat Moon, played by Jessie Wallace, is set to take over the EastEnders pub in her third time working behind the bar. She previously worked at the boozer alongside ex-husband Alfie Moon from 2010 to 2013. A source told The Sun: 'This will be Kat's third time working in the Queen Vic, but this will be her first time at the helm. 'It's a full-circle moment for the character, as when she first moved on to Albert Square in 2000, Kat gained employment as a barmaid at the pub. Then, ten years on, she helped Alfie. 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. Albert Square's next landlady at the Queen Vic pub had been revealed after owners Linda Carter and her mum Elaine Peacock were forced to put it up for sale Leopard print-loving loudmouth Kat Moon, played by Jessie Wallace, is set to take over the EastEnders pub for the third time 'But now she's going to be the sole licensee of the boozer and it will kick-start a whole new chapter for the pub.' Kat has already been part of the soap's biggest storylines, including Alfie's prostate cancer battle and a failed marriage to Phil Mitchell. Kat's new job comes as she has tied the knot with Alfie (Shane Richie) for the third time this week more than two decades after first saying 'I do'. The sale of the boozer comes after it blew up in February, claiming the lives of Martin Fowler (James Bye) and killer accountant Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman). MailOnline have contacted EastEnders' representatives for comment. In another major shake-up, Bobby Brazier is leaving his role on EastEnders after three years. The actor, 22, joined the soap in 2022 as Freddy Slater and even won the National Television Award for Rising Star for his work on the show. But Bobby has been inundated with other offers since taking part on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023. She previously worked at the boozer alongside ex husband Alfie Moon from 2010 to 2013 A source told The Sun: 'This will be Kat's third time working in the Queen Vic, but this will be her first time at the helm. It's a full-circle moment for the character, as when she first moved on to Albert Square in 2000, Kat gained employment as a barmaid at the pub' In another major shake-up, Bobby Brazier is leaving his role on EastEnders after three years According to The Sun, the actor will leave Albert Square later this year. An EastEnders spokeswoman said: 'We can confirm that Bobby Brazier will be leaving EastEnders, and we wish him all the best for the future.' A source added: 'Bosses had a meeting with Bobby only recently as they had a plan in mind for a storyline, and it just so happened that Bobby was also thinking that now was the right time to look for other opportunities outside the show. 'The timing of the decision worked for both, but his final scenes are not for a while yet. The character has had a great run, but the time is now right for Bobby to look for other opportunities, and for EastEnders to wave goodbye to Freddie Slater.' MailOnline has contacted a representative of Bobby Brazier for comment. Addison Rae was a guest on Quen Blackwells YouTube series Feeding Starving Celebrities on Sunday. While on the show, the 24-year-old burgeoning pop star who catapulted to fame in 2019 as Addison Rae discussed her unexpected name change. Six years into the spotlight, the TikTok sensation, born Addison Rae Easterling, is dropping the second half of her famous moniker. It comes days after she dropped her mononymous debut album, Addison, on June 6. She explained to Blackwell that she mulled over the LP title 'for a really long time,' explaining, 'When you do hear all of the music straight-through, there's not really a title that encompasses all of it.' Addison Rae was a guest on Quen Blackwells YouTube series Feeding Starving Celebrities on Sunday, where she explained her decision to alter her name She dropped her mononymous debut album, Addison, on June 6 Addison continued, 'Everybody that I played it to as well, they were just like, "Oh, it just sounds just like you. It just sounds like music you would make." 'I [didn't] really know what else to call it and so I was like, "Maybe, then, the album is just my name."' Quen offered: 'I like the fact that you are changing your stage name and taking off the Rae. Is that something youve talked about?' The Louisiana-bred music artist noted she hasnt spoken at length about her name switch, adding, 'But I said it in an interview, I was just like, "Oh, I think I've grown past just being called Addison Rae." And then the album being named Addison kind of was a tie-in for that.' She elaborated, 'Whoever knows me as Addison Rae and knew me as Addison Rae will always know me as that anyways.' And she admitted, 'I just am tired of also signing Addison Rae. It's really long.' 'I just would rather sign Addison,' she confessed with a laugh. 'And then I was like, "Yeah, it just makes more sense because it's going back to the roots, really."' The songstress then pointed out, 'But I know you're going to put Addison Rae on the title [of the YouTube video],' prompting Blackwell to mischievously side-eye the camera. While on the show, the 24-year-old burgeoning pop star - who catapulted to fame in 2019 -discussed her unexpected name change while dressed in a polka dot, midriff-baring outfit Six years into the spotlight, the TikTok sensation, born Addison Rae Easterling, is dropping the second half of her famous moniker The star also chatted about dropping the latter half of her stage name during an interview with Zane Lowe. 'If you got introduced to me as Addison Rae, as most people did, I think you will always know me as that. 'But I think for me and what making music is doing, for just my own soul and heart, is bringing me back to the core of everything. 'Addison Rae, yes, is a part of me and that will always be a part of who I am. There are element of me that are obviously Addison Rae and encapsulate what people have created as who Addison Rae is,' the blonde beauty stated. She reiterated, 'But I think for me it was all about coming back to the center of it all, which is just Addison.' Ruby Rose has credited baby goats and a lamb at a horse sanctuary for saving her life when she found it too difficult 'to go on'. The Aussie actor, 39, has been staying at Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary in Victoria, after claiming she had to move because she was being 'followed'. She has shared several clips of her visit to Instagram, with one video on Tuesday revealing how some of the animals have helped her through some difficult times. Rose uploaded a video that showed her lying in bed while two lambs attempted to hop into bed with her. As the Batwoman star encouraged them to jump up, Rose captioned the clip with some bittersweet words. 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. Ruby Rose, 39, has praised the baby goats - and one lamb - at a horse sanctuary for saving her life when she found it too difficult 'to go on' 'Forever indebted to Snoop, Martha and Bart,' she began - Snoop and Martha are baby goats, while Bart is a lamb. Rose also sang her praises to 'the incredible Anne' Young, who is a member on the board of Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary. 'Whenever my heart feels too broken to go on, I am stitched together by @horse_shepherd,' she added. Rose re-emerged at the horse sanctuary in Gordon this week after telling fans she has had to 'move house every few weeks' because she is being 'followed'. The Australian actor, 39, shared videos to Instagram on Monday, showing herself playing with goats at the sanctuary. Daily Mail Australia can reveal the movie star stays at the ranch for a few days at a time to visit the animals when she is in the area. Rose tagged the sanctuary in her videos and even urged her 20.1 million followers to donate to the business, which is committed to 'equine rescue and rehabilitation'. In the clips, Rose featured two baby goats named Martha and Snoop, who she has previously revealed lost their mother. The Aussie actor has been staying at Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary in Victoria The Aussie star appeared to be quite taken with the animals as she fed them, walked with them around the sanctuary, and cuddled up to them in her videos. It comes after Rose shared a series of troubling posts to Threads last week, claiming someone was trying to kill her. One of the posts included an eyebrow-raising remark about one of Jeffrey Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre. Giuffre recently took her own life after claiming she had been in a devastating car accident that was later revealed to be a minor prang. Rose's wild posts first came in response to a thread that asked: 'Who is a celebrity that gave it all up at the height of fame to go live a "normal" life?' 'Hi. We just leave when people try to kill us. When we are illegally debanked and [redacted]. Hope that helps,' Rose answered. 'Debanking' refers to a bank terminating a customer's accounts or restricting access to banking services due to perceived risks. This may happen for a number of reasons, including a perceived risk of money laundering, non-compliant customer activities, or a perceived reputational risk. She has shared several clips of her visit to Instagram, with one video on Tuesday revealing how some of the animals have helped her through some difficult times Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Rose was debanked for any of these reasons. It is unclear if Rose was actually debanked or if she was referring to someone else's plight. Rose then went on to say: 'I dont want to be labelled "crazy" and I dont want to pretend to know how Virginia Giuffre died - but DOZENS of people including a school bus, have tried to run me off the road in the last few years.' Giuffre was one of the most outspoken accusers of convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She died by suicide at age 41 at her farm outside Perth, Australia, on Thursday, April 24. Rose claimed: 'I have been followed almost every time I leave my home, since the day I broke my neck, back and ribs on Batwoman' - referring to her controversial exit from the TV series after she sustained injuries on-set. 'Since then I have doubled down on.... Epstein. This has resulted in some seriously wild attempts on my life. Believe it or dont. But I might as well update you.' Rose, who uses they/them pronouns also wrote, 'This,' beneath someone else's comment on the thread which read: 'Y'all they "left" bc it's a horrifying industry that is NOT safe.' Fans flocked to comments beneath Rose's Threads post, begging the star to 'stay safe and keep speaking out'. Rose re-emerged at the horse sanctuary in Gordon this week after telling fans she has had to 'move house every few weeks' because she is being 'followed' Rose responded to one concerned fan to let them know she'd had no suicidal thoughts of any kind 'thank you for asking'. 'In fact I am moving house every few weeks, countries every few months and trying desperately to stay alive until my book is finished and released,' Rose, who is currently writing a tell-all memoir, responded. 'If youre truly being followed and targeted, staying put is dangerous. You need to move ideally to another country, where you can be safe and off the radar,' another person told Rose. 'Trust no one unless youre absolutely sure of them. Change your routine completely. This isnt about fear, its about survival. Your safety comes first act now!' Rose, who has recently been splitting her time between the US and Australia following the death of her father just before Christmas, responded: 'Already done.' If you or anyone you know needs immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or via lifeline.org.au. In an emergency, call 000. The Bachelorette's Georgia Love is selling off her designer wardrobe for bargain basement prices following her separation from husband Lee Elliott. The couple, who met on the 2016 season of The Bachelorette and were married for four years, broke the news of their split in February. Georgia, 35, offloaded a rack of pricey winter coats and dresses at Rack It Club in Melbourne last week. 'Come buy my clothes!' the social media personality told her 209,000 Instagram followers as she posed up beside her colourful wares. The pre-loved women's fashion boutique, which has three bricks-and-mortar stores in Melbourne, rents out individual racks for $112 a piece. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to DailyMails new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The Bachelorette 's Georgia Love is selling off her designer wardrobe for bargain basement prices following her separation from husband Lee Elliott The six-day rental period allows sellers to offload quality garments without the hassle of trying to sell individual pieces online. The store then takes a 15 per cent commission on all sales. 'Ive got a rack at Brighton with a heap of gorg[eous] items (if I do say so myself!),' Georgia captioned her post advertising the sale. She said all the items for sale are from sizes 8 to 12 and include brands such as Aje, Witchery, Sheike, Steele, Life With Bird, Mosman and Country Road. Georgia's overflowing rack was given pride of place in Brighton shopfront at 604 Hampton Street. The former TV journalist turned said she had priced 'coats, sets, dresses, blazers and shoes' all under $60. 'Ill also be topping it up over the next couple of weeks as things sell!' she added. Georgia and Lee, who met and fell in love on The Bachelorette in 2016, sparked rumours of a split in December when fans noticed she often wasn't wearing her wedding rings. Georgia, 35, is selling a collection of pricey winter coats, dresses, shoes and sets for less than $60 at Rack It Club at 604 Hampton Street, Brighton. 'Come buy my clothes!' the former reality star told her 209,000 Instagram followers as she posed up beside her colourful wares The pre-loved women's fashion boutique, which has three bricks-and-mortar stores in Melbourne, rents out individual racks for $112 a piece per week She spoke about the decision to call time on her nine year relationship with Lee for the first time last month, in a sit down interview with Kate Langbroek on Mamamia's No Filter podcast. The emotional reality star admitted it was difficult to announce her split from Lee because of the amount of goodwill from others toward their relationship. 'I don't want to feel like I've let anyone down which is so silly because it's not about anyone else, it's about us,' she said as she broke down into tears. 'People have been so wonderful following our story since the start and so many say they look at our relationship and it gives them hope. I've been really sad feeling like I've let people down.' Georgia went on to say the hardest part about her split is 'entering a period of loss and grief again'. 'It was very hard at the end of last year with all the speculation about whether we had split. It was hard while I was trying to come to terms with what was happening,' she explained. 'Lee and I made the decision together but it doesn't mean it makes me happy. It doesn't, I'm really sad about it.' Georgia also gushed over Lee's 'amazing support' through their difficult times. The couple, who met on the 2016 season of The Bachelorette and were married for four years, broke the news of their split in February 'We have both and each been through big things in our nine years together. Some of those things we have grown through together and some we have grown apart,' she added. 'We have weathered a lot together and have a deep love and respect for each other and I hope we always will. I never expected to be here.' 'After nine wonderful years together, including four as husband and wife, [we] have made the incredibly difficult decision to lovingly part ways,' the couple wrote when announcing their split. 'Our relationship has been so special and we will always cherish the memories, love, and laughter we've shared,' she continued. 'There is no drama, no bad blood. 'Just two people who have grown in different directions while still holding deep respect and care for each other. 'We remain friends and we'd really appreciate our privacy as we navigate this next stage. Thank you.' The pair spent last Christmas apart with their respective families, before Georgia jetted off to New York City for a holiday without Lee. It seemed they were still living under the same roof at their marital home in Melbourne in the lead up to their big announcement. The Australian film industry is in mourning after legendary sound recordist Paul 'Salty' Brincat died last month, after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. The beloved sound recordist died in late May in New South Wales, after a long battle with illness. He was one of the country's most respected film identities, and worked on many Australian-filmed Hollywood blockbusters. Paul's family has set up a GoFundMe page which has a target of $10,000, to help with the funeral costs, and has currently raised over half its goal. 'It's hard to understate the profound impact that Paul Brincat has had upon the Australian Film Industry,' the page reads. 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. The Australian film industry is in mourning after legendary sound recordist Paul 'Salty' Brincat. Pictured 'For decades Salty was at the cutting edge of sound, recording dialogue for Hollywood Blockbusters and independent Australian feature films alike. 'So it is with no surprise that so many of our extended film family are travelling from far and wide, to Murwillumbah, to pay homage to the great man himself. 'With so many wonderful people in attendance, we have put together a small fundraiser, to help alleviate his family of some of the Behind the Scenes costs of the memorial.' Across his career, he worked on the 2002 Steve Irwin movie Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, The Invisible Man and many other acclaimed productions. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1999 for his sound work on the Sean Penn film The Thin Red Line. Paul also won an Emmy Award in 1996 for Outstanding Sound Mixing on the short-lived US series Flipper, featuring Neighbours star Alan Dale. Heartbroken colleagues took to social media to pay tribute to Paul. 'I was greatly saddened to hear of the passing of one of our longstanding members. He was much loved,' wrote industry body the Australian Screen Sound Guild. The beloved sound recordist died in late May in New South Wales Across his career, he worked on the 2002 Steve Irwin movie Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, The Invisible Man and many other acclaimed productions 'Vale Paul. Despite his formidable resume, I found that Salty was an extremely humble man, devoid of ego,' added fellow sound recordist Josh O'Donnell. 'I can honestly say that I would not be the man I am today without Salty.' 'We have lost a legend,' Aussie cameraman Jason Binnie chipped in. Paul worked in the industry for four decades, from the early '80s until last year. His final work was on the 2024 Australian film The Nut Farm, featuring Madeleine West and Arj Barker. Paul's funeral will be held on Saturday, June 14 in his home town of Murwillumbah, regional NSW. A New Zealand grandmother is the latest victim to be targeted by a love scam using AI-generated videos and images of Dr Chris Brown. Daana Tomlin, 73, was conned out of $786 when she was tricked into believing she had struck up a five-year long online romance with the 46-year-old Bondi Vet star. The fraudsters used emotionally manipulative messages to convince the pensioner she was in a romantic relationship with the star, reported The Daily Telegraph. They first made contact with a 'cheeky message' on Facebook while posing as Chris, before moving Daana to Telegram and WhatsApp to continue the manipulation. Daana, a semi-retired naturopath from Dunedin, said she was conned into sending the scammers almost $800 through gift cards, Apple cards and PayPal. 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 New Zealand grandmother is the latest victim to be targeted by a love scam using AI-generated videos and images of Dr Chris Brown, 46 The hoaxers used sophisticated AI-generated videos of Chris to speak to Daana and convince her to hand over her cash. 'Whenever I became suspicious and tried to end contact, he'd get angry and send me a video saying he was real. It certainly sounded and looked like him,' she said. 'I'm furious that it's not the real Chris Brown, I paid a few hundred dollars for a meet and greet at New Zealand airport through Apple Cards and gift cards.' However, when Chris was a no-show at the airport, Daana asked security for help and they said 'they had not seen him'. Daana said she 'feels silly and embarrassed' for believing it was real, adding the fake Chris would call her 'his wife' and rang 'for five years at 5.30 every morning'. 'What the scammer did was evil, it was devious, exploitative and invasive,' said Daana, who was married for 19 years and has a grown son. She added she 'thought a need was being met' in her and didn't discover she was being scammed until her support worker discovered the PayPal payments. The fraudster had claimed they bought Daana a car as a present, but demanded she send several hundred dollars through PayPal to pay for the registration. Daana Tomlin, 73, was conned out of $786 when she was tricked into believing she had struck up a five-year long online romance with the Bondi Vet star Daana isn't the first to fall victim to the sophisticated and long-running love scam. Last month it was reported UK pensioner Lisa Nock was also conned out of her life savings after falling for the same AI scam. The 44-year-old from Staffordshire was browsing Instagram in 2022 when a fake account posing as Chris bombarded her with direct messages. Lisa admitted she was lonely and vulnerable at the time after losing her partner in a car crash, and had been left disabled in another traffic accident. But the avid animal lover said her life changed and she was delighted when the TV star said he wanted to meet her in England. 'I was chuffed that Chris Brown had messaged me, I'm a huge fan and hoped this might be our chance to meet,' Lisa told the Daily Telegraph at the time. The surprise messages began a chain of correspondence that spanned two-and-a-half years, but the scammers soon told her Chris needed money to visit her. They moved the conversation to WhatsApp and continued to groom her, using artificial intelligence to convince her she was in a romantic relationship with him. The fraudsters used emotionally manipulative messages to convince the pensioner she was in a romantic relationship with the star. Pictured: Re-creation of the messages Daana received 'After a few months, I admit I was enamoured. He told me he loved me and wanted us to marry of course I said no, and asked if it was a scam,' Lisa said. She tried calling the WhatsApp number, but her attempts were blocked. Scammers then used a sophisticated AI program to call Lisa via the encrypted messaging app Telegram. An AI-generated version of Chris said he hoped the call had cleared her doubts. The conmen also used AI image generators to create 'photos' of the TV doctor and shared them with Lisa, a volunteer English and drama teacher. She lives off just $1246 each month from her UK pension, two thirds of which she pays to her parents in rent. The remaining $400 however ended up being sent to the cruel scammers each month for almost three years. Lisa sent the money through gift cards, Bitcoin and Crypto information. 'I was vulnerable and wanted to believe we could be friends, we both love animals, I had lost my partner in a car crash a few years ago,' she said. Lisa finally realised it was all fake when the conmen posed as Chris' 'management' team and told her he had been kidnapped, before demanding $40 million. Lisa has now reported the scam to British police. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Chris' representatives for comment. The use of weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy has surged in recent years. But the medications are not foolproof, as evidenced by a reality television star who just revealed hers 'stopped working.' Dolores Catania, 54, appeared on the June 6 episode of Jeff Lewis' eponymous SiriusXM show, where she revealed she's gained 20lbs. 'Im having a really hard time right now. My Mounjaro stopped working. I gained 20 lbs,' the Real Housewives of New Jersey personality shared. 'Ive been looking for therapy for all my friends. Im really having a bad time with this,' she said while on the show with co-star Margaret Josephs. Dolores Catania, 54, appeared on the June 6 episode of Jeff Lewis' eponymous SiriusXM show, where she revealed she's gained 20lbs GLP-1 prescriptions are FDA-approved and are often prescribed to people with diabetes. Mounjaro's main component is tirzepatide, while Ozempic and Wegovy are brand names for semaglutide. The drugs improve satiety, reducing appetite and optimizing how the body processes sugar and fat, according to MayoClinic. Catania initially dropped weight using the medication, but has now gained it back. When asked if switching her medicine could be helpful, she replied, 'I did it all.' She explained that she's no longer taking Mounjaro due to having a cardiac ablation to correct her abnormal heart rhythm. The Bravo star said shes doing 'fine' now: 'Im on a bunch of medicine, like, 10 pills a day. Its just a formality now. I have to take it for the next 90 days, then I should be done.' And she added, 'Maybe thats why I gained weight. Im hoping maybe thats why.' Catania was among the first crop of celebrities who openly admitted to using one of the three popular weight loss drugs. After two years of taking it, she said in a February Hello! magazine interview: 'I know it's time for me to wean myself off or go on a lower dose.' Im having a really hard time right now. My Mounjaro stopped working. I gained 20 lbs,' the Real Housewives of New Jersey personality shared Catania pictured left in March 2024 and right in July 2018 Dolores teased in an Instagram post, 'Just another chaotic, hilarious, and totally unfiltered day on Jeff Lewis Live with @jljefflewis, @therealmargaretjosephs & @shane.douglas' The reality television personality seen in a RHONJ season 11 promo picture in 2020 Catania weighed 157lbs when she started taking the GLP-1 medication, starting with Ozempic before switching to Mounjaro. She cautioned that anyone considering the medications 'must always go through a real doctor, who knows what they are doing.' 'Research is everything,' she emphasized. The mother-of-two added that the medicine was 'a life changer' for her and boyfriend Paul Connell, who lost 60 pounds. She shared: 'He no longer takes a certain blood pressure medication, and it's been really positive. There are side effects like nausea, but you take a pill for that.' Other stars who have been candid about turning to the weight loss support of Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy include Amy Schumer, Oprah, and Eric Stonestreet. American rapper Kendrick Lamar is bringing his Grand National tour to Australia. The Not Like Us hitmaker has announced two headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney this December - a welcome early Christmas present for Aussie fans. The Pulitzer Prize-winning star will play Melbourne's AAMI Park on December 3 and Allianz Stadium in Sydney on December 10. Promoter Live Nation took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce the Alright hitmaker's impending Down Under run. The post urged fans to get in quick, with the Vodaphone presale kicking off on June 12, while the Live Nation presale will get underway June 13. 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. American rapper Kendrick Lamar is bringing his Grand National tour to Australia The announcement generated quite a bit of chatter among fans. Some were less-than impressed that there were only two shows in the Australia leg of the tour, as well as the quick turnaround between announcement and presale. '2 shows isnt a tour and presale 48 hours from an announcement is ridiculous,' one fan offered. Another chimed in with: 'So grand. So national. A tale of 2 cities,' while another added: 'Incoming: Where's Perth.' One fan pointed out a potential scheduling faux pas, with R&B icon Usher performing in Sydney on the same night as Kendrick. 'Same day as usher too wtf, this is not a national tour with only two cities??' they wrote. It wasn't all negativity however, with many expressing their excitement over the superstar's Aussie stadium shows. 'It's happening!!! Everyone stay calm!!!' one fan excitedly quipped, summing up the sentiment of many. While many were crestfallen with the announcement of just two shows, Kendrick certainly won't be resting on his laurels on his Australian visit. The Not Like Us hitmaker has announced two headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney this December - a welcome early Christmas present for Aussie fans The announcement generated quite a bit of chatter among fans, however some were less-than impressed that there were only two shows in the Australia leg of the tour, as well as the quick turnaround between announcement and presale Last month, it was revealed that the rapper would be headlining the anticipated return of touring festival Spilt Milk. Kendrick tops the bill of the festival, alongside fellow US rapper Doechii. The impressive lineup will also include the likes of Sarah Landry, Dominic Fike, ScHoolboy Q, d4vd, Nessa Barrett, Sofia Isella, Skin On Skin, sombr, Rebecca Black, The Rions, South Summit, and many more. Festival fans took to social media to issue their joy over the impressive lineup. 'Oh you deserve the biggest kiss,' one fan offered, while another chimed in with a similar, 'Screaming crying throwing up omgggg.' Another gushed: 'Okay boo you really outdid yourself with this one, proud,' while another deemed it the best Aussie festival lineup in recent memory. 'This is THE LARGEST Lineup I have seen for an Australian festival in YEAAARSS,' they exclaimed. 'Ya'll really waited a year to take GOAT status like that huh?' Others were quick to urge organisers to be careful where they place Kendrick and Doechii on the anticipated bill. 'Dont u dare put Kendrick and doechii on at the same time,' one fan directed, to which organisers replied with an assuring, 'They won't be clashing.' The festival will kick off in Ballarat December 6 before moving on to Perth's Claremont Showground on December 7. It will then roll into Canberra followed by Canberra on December 13 and the Gold Coast on December 14. Kendrick fans will want to get in quick to secure their tickets to his stadium shows with all Spilt Milk shows, bar Perth, now sold out. Controversial influencer Kat Clark has been slammed for complaining about living in Los Angeles while anti-ICE protests rage through the city. As locals deal with a fourth day of riots in California, Marines and the National Guard have hit the streets to 'address the lawlessness' of protesters. However, Clark appeared oblivious to the chaos on Sunday as she uploaded a vlog about her daily inconveniences in LA. 'Australians and Americans may speak the same language, but today proved we live completely different lives. Firstly, why is there no good coffee in LA?' she began. 'They also take security very seriously,' she added as she showed footage of store fronts locked up with security gates. 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 influencer Kat Clark has been slammed by followers for complaining about living in Los Angeles while anti-ICE protests rage through the city Clark, who relocated to LA from the Gold Coast with her husband Jonathan and their daughter Deja, 14, went on to complain about people not using towels at the gym. 'These are just the small things I've noticed since moving here. Wait until you see what else I learned,' she continued. 'They love their ranch. They've got litres of it. They even have tuna flavoured bacon ranch. That sounds gross,' Clark added as she visited a Ralphs grocery store. 'I'm not going to lie, they have a lot of questionable things here, but they also have a lot of things that just make sense.' Followers flocked to the comments of the video to slam Clark for appearing to ignore the riots and military presence throughout LA. 'U not been on the news?' one person wrote. 'Kat completely oblivious to what's happen in LA right now,' another added. A third wrote: 'Are u going to talk about anything that's happening in LA atm?' As locals deal with a fourth day of riots in California, 700 Marines and 2,100 National Guard members have hit the streets to 'address the lawlessness' of protesters 'Y'all just pretending LA isn't a disaster rn,' said yet another. Clark responded to the comments, explaining she was was aware of what has been happening in the city. 'I hear you and I've been following everything closely,' she said. 'As someone on a visa, I have to be mindful about what I say, but please know I'm listening, learning and supporting where I can.' Fans then jumped in to offer their support to Clark. 'What is she supposed to do about it?' one person wrote. Another user said: 'She just moved there let her enjoy for like a second.' 'It's her life why does she have to do everything to satisfy u guys?' commented someone else. However, Clark appeared oblivious to the chaos on Sunday as she uploaded a vlog talking about her daily inconveniences in LA, and making no mention of the conflict Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Clark for comment. 700 Marines and 2,100 National Guard members have hit the LA streets to 'address the lawlessness' in California, according to President Donald Trump. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military will stay in the city for 60 days to combat violent 'rioters, looters and thugs' during the immigration riots. The chaos began on Friday when anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters seized on a handful of police raids across LA, taking to the streets to burn cars and march against what they say are unfair deportations. Local business owners are outraged as destructive looters continue to target downtown stores as the protests continue on. Trump on Tuesday flirted with invoking the Insurrection Act as he tore into 'bad people' and 'animals' he said brought the city to the verge of burning down. The president defended his decision to send 700 Marines as well as the California National Guard to LA, and brushed off California Gov. Gavin Newsom's claim the deployment inflamed the situation. And he would not rule out use of an authority to deploy military forces under his control to put down disturbances if he sees fit. 'If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see. But I can tell you, last night was terrible. The night before that was terrible,' Trump said. 'If we didn't send in the national guard quickly, right now, Los Angeles would be burning to the ground,' Trump told reporters in an impromptu Oval Office meeting with members of his team. Australian showbusiness royalty Patti Newtown is said to be being courted by Channel 10 for the upcoming 12th season of I'm a Celebrity!... Get Me Out of Here! The 80-year-old, who is recovering from a recent full hip replacement, is reportedly seriously considering a short stint in the South African jungle for a plum offer of between $180,000 and $200,000. Producers of the Logie-nominated TV series, co-hosted by Julia Morris and Robert Irwin, are said to have set their sights on the beloved widow of Bert Newton after veteran stars Kerri-Ann Kennerly and Denise Drysdale proved a ratings hit. 'Patti Newton was actually invited to take part in the first season in 2015,' an anonymous insider told Woman's Day. 'But at the time, with husband Bert still alive and her family commitments taking priority, she gracefully declined.' 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. Australian showbusiness royalty Patti Newtown is said to be being courted by Channel 10 for the upcoming 12th season of I'm a Celebrity !... Get Me Out of Here! 'Shes in good health, up for an adventure and, if the deals right, she could be ready to pack her bags!' the insider added. However, the mum-of-two and grandmother-of-six will not budge on one particular stipulation - her US-based son Mathew, 48, is off-limits. I'm a Celebrity! has proved its staying power as a popular reality formatthanks to its unique blend of celebrity drama, challenging trials and relatable human interactions. Viewers are drawn to the spectacle of pampered celebrities facing unusual hardships, but more so the nuanced, and often surprisingly profound, conversations the stars have amongst themselves. 'The deal is close but with some important boundaries in place. Pattis made it clear that if she heads into the jungle, she wont be talking about Matthew,' the source told the magazine. Matthew hasn't been home to Australia in years, and did not return for the funeral of his late TV legend father in 2021. The Looking for Alibrandi star has been enjoying a quiet and anonymous life in Austin, Texas, with his wife Catherine Schneiderman. He relocated to the US after a series of highly-publicised scandals, including domestic violence allegations from two former girlfriends, Australian actresses Brooke Satchwell and Rachael Taylor. However, the mum-of-two and grandmother-of-six would not budge on one particular stipulation - her US-based son Mathew, 48, is off limits Matthew (left) hasn't been home to Australia in years and did not return for the funeral of his late father in 2021. Pictured with his sister Lauren Newton Patti and Bert Newton were married for 47 years Stipulation or no, signing Patti would be a massive win for Ten. Producers are quietly confident they will be able to land Patti and are beginning medical assessments to work out which challenges will be safe for the 80-year-old to undertake. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia in 2021, Patti said the Australian press were 'just desperate to find a little glitch into (Mathew and Bert's relationship'. She also hit out at cruel reports Bert was estranged from their son when he died. 'I've had so many conversations with him,' she said at the time. 'We had a conversation last night and all the family were here. (The media) want to make it a rift, but there was no rift. There was never a rift with Bert. 'All that baloney about Matthew's devastating childhood - I mean, I have two children, Lauren and Matthew both had the same childhood. They both had a wonderful childhood.' Lauren and her two children were seen arriving at the family home to comfort Patti after the news broke. Patti, 80, underwent a full hip replacement surgery in May and has made a full recovery. Pictured with her grandson, Alby 'Lauren was more placid and easier to get along with, but there was never any major dramas or anything,' she said. Patti said she and Bert had stood firmly behind Matthew during his darkest days in 2006 when he was charged over an assault on his then-girlfriend. 'The major dramas were when Matthew was in Sydney and he had his major dramas, but it was really nothing to do with us and as most parents say: "you can only be there for your children". And we've always been around,' she said. 'And Bert more than me really. He was always saying "have we spoken to Matthew, have we done enough and have we said enough".' Patti said she flew to Sydney to support Matthew during his various court appearances. The matriarch renewed her showbiz career as a way to cope with the loss of her beloved husband, who died at the age of 83. Roseanne Barr's new documentary Roseanne Is America debuted on Tuesday, where she revealed how ABC asked her back on The Conners after she was killed off. ABC revived the 72-year-old comedienne's iconic 1980s/1990s sitcom Roseanne back in 2018, bringing back the original cast of characters in the fictional Lanford, IL. The original show ran nine seasons from 1988 to 1997, and is widely considered one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. ABC brought the show back for a 10th season in 2018, and while it was renewed for an 11th, the network quickly reversed their decision after Barr tweeted that former Barack Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett was an 'ape.' After ABC called the tweet, 'abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values,' they ultimately cancelled Roseanne and brought forth a new show, The Conners, which revealed in the series premiere that Roseanne's character had died from a drug overdose. Now Barr is revealing in her Roseanne Is America documentary - available on DVD and digital formats - that ABC actually wanted to bring her back as a 'ghost' guest star at some point during The Conners' run. Roseanne Barr 's new documentary Roseanne Is America debuted on Tuesday, where she revealed how ABC asked her back on The Conners after she was killed off. ABC brought the show back for a 10th season in 2018, and while it was renewed for an 11th, the network quickly reversed their decision after Barr tweeted that former Barack Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett was an 'ape' 'They called me and asked me if I would like to come back as a guest star. You're coming back as a ghost,' Barr revealed. The comedienne added, 'You're asking me to come back to the show that you f***ing stole from me and killed my a**, and now you want me to show up because you got s**t f***ing ratings and play a ghost?' She added in the film that she turned down the request by telling the network, 'I'm gonna be bowling that f***ing week.' Barr also commented on how her character was killed off in the show mirrors the real-life death of Glenn Quinn, who played Becky's (Alicia Goranson) husband Mark Healy on the original show, and died from an accidental overdose in 2002. 'Within three weeks, they revived the show as The Conners, and of course they killed off my character Roseanne in an opioid overdose,' Barr said in the documentary. 'Which was staggering because Glenn Quinn, who played Becky's husband, actually died of an opioid overdose,' she added. The show would go on to reveal that her overdose came as she was struggling with addiction that was exacerbated by knee pain and insufficient medical coverage. The Conners ran for seven seasons on ABC, coming to a close in late April with the finale, which surprised many fans since it didn't include any footage of Roseanne at all, despite multiple clips from the original show with other characters. 'They called me and asked me if I would like to come back as a guest star. You're coming back as a ghost,' Barr revealed. She added in the film that she turned down the request by telling the network, 'I'm gonna be bowling that f***ing week' 'Within three weeks, they revived the show as The Conners, and of course they killed off my character Roseanne in an opioid overdose,' Barr said in the documentary Roseanne Is America, from director Joel Gilbert (The Trayvon Hoax: Unmasking the Witness Fraud that Divided America, above left) is available to purchase on DVD or video on demand formats at RoseanneIsAmerica.com . Executive producer Dave Caplan explained to Deadline, 'It was contractual,' regarding Roseanne's absence in the finale. Another executive producer, Bruce Helford, added, 'She was very gracious in allowing us to continue the show because she had a say in that.' He added of her exit from the show, 'When she realized it would be putting 300 people out of work when the initial reboot was canceled, she gracefully allowed us to continue without her.' 'It really was about these people. This show was really about the lives of these other people in the family, the Conners, and we wanted to focus on them,' he added. Roseanne Is America, from director Joel Gilbert (The Trayvon Hoax: Unmasking the Witness Fraud that Divided America) is available to purchase on DVD or video on demand formats at RoseanneIsAmerica.com. Lucille Ball was so excited about the prospect of becoming a mother that she picked her favorite baby names in 1943, but she wouldn't welcome her first child until 11 years after marrying Desi Arnaz and suffering two heartbreaking miscarriages. In the newly-published biography Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television, author Todd S. Purdum revealed the flame-haired funny woman used to sign letters to her Cuban husband from their future kids 'Susan and Desi Jr.' At age 39 in 1951, Lucille had a high-risk geriatric pregnancy - which required a caesarean section - and she asked to see her newborn daughter 'the moment her anesthesia wore off.' '"I want to see Susan!" she told the nurse, using the name she believed that she and Desi had agreed on if the baby was a girl, after Lucy's good friend, the young actress Susan Peters, who had been paralyzed from the waist down in a duck-shooting accident,' Purdum wrote in his 368-page tome. '"You mean Lucie?" the nurse replied. Without consulting her, Desi had already written Lucie Desiree on the birth certificate, naming the little girl for her mother and maternal grandmother.' Lucille Ball (R, pictured in 1949) was so excited about the prospect of becoming a mother that she picked her favorite baby names in 1943, but she wouldn't welcome her first child until 11 years after marrying Desi Arnaz (L) and suffering two heartbreaking miscarriages In the newly-published biography Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television, author Todd S. Purdum revealed the flame-haired funnywoman used to sign letters to her Cuban hubbie from their future kids 'Susan and Desi Jr.' Ball 'was surprised but didn't make a fuss' since 'the name was, after all, a compliment she could hardly resist.' Lucie Desiree Arnaz arrived six weeks before Lucy and Desi began work on what would ultimately become their legacy, groundbreaking CBS sitcom I Love Lucy, which dominated the airwaves from 1951-1957. When Ball and Arnaz welcomed their second child - son Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV - in 1953, it directly coincided with their characters' welcoming Ricky Jr. in an episode watched by 71.7% of all American TV owners (more than President Dwight Eisenhower's inauguration). Behind the scenes, the four-time Emmy winner was tortured over the charismatic bandleader's reported philandering and boozing, which caused her to file for divorce in 1944 and again in 1960. 'It wasnt good for anyone,' 72-year-old Desi Jr. admitted in the new book. 'And we'll always remember when they sat us down and said, "Look, you know, things aren't working." I mean, I remember word for word.' 73-year-old Lucie also spoke with Purdum for the book following her own deep dive into her famous folks' 20-year marriage for her intimate 1993 documentary, Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie. Both nepo babies served as executive producers on Aaron Sorkin's 2021 biopic Being the Ricardos - which earned Oscar nominations for Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, and J. K. Simmons. At age 39 in 1951 (pictured), Lucille had a high-risk geriatric pregnancy - which required a caesarean section - and she asked to see her newborn daughter 'the moment her anesthesia wore off' Purdum wrote in his 368-page tome: '"I want to see Susan!" she told the nurse, using the name she believed that she and Desi had agreed on if the baby was a girl..."You mean Lucie?" the nurse replied. Without consulting her, Desi had already written Lucie Desiree on the birth certificate, naming the little girl for her mother and maternal grandmother' Ball 'was surprised but didn't make a fuss' since 'the name was, after all, a compliment she could hardly resist' (pictured in 1954) Lucie Desiree Arnaz arrived six weeks before Lucy and Desi began work on what would ultimately become their legacy, groundbreaking CBS sitcom I Love Lucy, which dominated the airwaves from 1951-1957 (pictured in 1955) When Ball and Arnaz welcomed their second child - son Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV - in 1953, it directly coincided with their characters' welcoming Ricky Jr. in an episode watched by 71.7% of all American TV owners (more than President Dwight Eisenhower's inauguration) Behind the scenes, the four-time Emmy winner was tortured over the charismatic bandleader's reported philandering and boozing, which caused her to file for divorce in 1944 and again in 1960 (pictured in 1959) 72-year-old Desi Jr. (L, pictured August 3) admitted in the new book: 'It wasnt good for anyone. And we'll always remember when they sat us down and said, "Look, you know, things aren't working." I mean, I remember word for word' 73-year-old Lucie (R) also spoke with Purdum for the book following her own deep dive into her famous folks' 20-year marriage for her intimate 1993 documentary, Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie Both nepo babies served as executive producers on Aaron Sorkin's 2021 biopic Being the Ricardos - which earned Oscar nominations for Nicole Kidman (L), Javier Bardem (R), and J. K. Simmons Lucie vented at a screening of her doc last Thursday: 'I tried to work on it and correct the incorrect parts, especially [my mother's] relationship with the writers. Totally wrong, right? She adored those people. They got along so well; none of that backstabbing, crazy, insulting stuff. [It was] such a crock of poop. It was so wrong' Arnaz had attempted to have a 'meaningful consultation' with the 64-year-old filmmaker (2-L, pictured in 2021) but scoffed: 'You can't talk to Aaron. He's Aaron Sorkin. "Well, what do you know? You were 15 months old!"' 'I tried to work on it and correct the incorrect parts, especially [my mother's] relationship with the writers,' Lucie vented at a screening of her doc last Thursday. 'Totally wrong, right? She adored those people. They got along so well; none of that backstabbing, crazy, insulting stuff. [It was] such a crock of poop. It was so wrong.' Arnaz had attempted to have a 'meaningful consultation' with the 64-year-old filmmaker but scoffed: 'You can't talk to Aaron. He's Aaron Sorkin. "Well, what do you know? You were 15 months old!"' Sarah Jessica Parker revealed the main reason she doesn't take pictures with fans - and explained what she prefers to do instead. The actress, 60 - who recently revealed a little known secret about Sex And The City - opened up about the topic during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show this week. The star discussed how these days people no longer ask for autographs and instead want selfies. Parker then recalled a recent incident when she was at the airport and explained, 'So here's what I've been trying to do, because I was just at the airport on Friday. 'A woman came up to me and she didn't say hello, she just said, "Can I take your picture?" And I said, "We didn't even meet. You didn't even introduce yourself. What's your name?"' Sarah stated that she turned down taking a photo but told the fan, 'But we're going to have a conversation. And I guarantee you it's going to be so much more meaningful.' Sarah Jessica Parker, 60, revealed the main reason she doesn't take pictures with fans - and explained what she prefers to do instead; seen in May in Paris Parker recalled, 'A woman came up to me and she didn't say hello, she just said, "Can I take your picture?" And I said, "We didn't even meet. You didn't even introduce yourself. What's your name?"' After getting settled inside the airport, Parker returned to the fan who was traveling with others from Minnesota. The Hocus Pocus actress shared that both she and her brother ended up 'talking to everybody at the table.' Stern cut in to respond with, 'It's like you're a schoolteacher teaching everyone how to behave. It's f***ing annoying, yeah?' The mom-of-three further explained why she 'prefers' talking to fans by adding, 'Here's the thing. I kind of prefer it to somebody walking up to me with the camera already ready, asking as they're clicking. 'I always am like startled by it,' Sarah continued. 'And I tell you, I much prefer to have a conversation. 'For someone to come up to me and say, "Maybe this isn't your best time. My name is Veronica and I'm just here and I'm excited to see you."' Howard then jokingly said, "My issue is I say to people point blank, I go, "Listen genius. I'd love to take a picture with you if I was George Clooney. I look like s**t."' As Parker began laughing, the host continued, 'And I don't need another bad picture of me running around because I see these pictures everywhere and I look like a monster. The mom-of-three further explained why she 'prefers' talking to fans by adding, 'Here's the thing. I kind of prefer it to somebody walking up to me with the camera already ready, asking as they're clicking' 'I always am like startled by it,' Sarah continued. 'And I tell you, I much prefer to have a conversation'; seen in May in NYC 'And I don't want you running around with my picture and I'm honest about it, but it's exhausting,' Stern said. Parker has mainly kept her private life out of the spotlight over the years. She is married to actor Matthew Broderick and the couple share three children: James, 22, and twins Tabitha and Marion, 15. During a recent interview with The Guardian, the actress expressed, 'Being a public person is complicated. 'It asks you to be generous of spirit at times in which you might have a child having a meltdown at an airport, or you're having a tough conversation on the phone. But if that's my cross to bear, I'm in a pretty enviable place.' And in a past interview with Vogue, the star talked about her own relationship with fame. 'You won't find me with an entourage of people,' Sarah said. 'We don't have limousines; we don't have bodyguards; we live on the streets of New York.' A few months earlier in April, Sarah and husband Matthew - whom she tied the knot with in 1997 - made a rare red carpet appearance with their twin daughters. They dressed to impress with their famous parents at the Broadway opening of Smash in NYC. During a recent interview with The Guardian , the actress expressed, 'Being a public person is complicated'; seen in May in Paris A few months earlier in April, Sarah and husband Matthew - whom she tied the knot with in 1997 - made a rare red carpet appearance with their twin daughters (seen above) Sarah has been keeping busy and has been reprising her role as Carrie Bradshaw in the Sex And The City reboot And Just Like That. The third season - which has finally impressed critics - began airing late last month in May on HBO Max, with episodes being released weekly on the streaming site. Parker joined Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis as they once again reprised their roles of Miranda and Charlotte. Other cast members that also appeared in the latest season include Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker, Mario Cantone, John Corbett, David Eigenberg and Evan Handler. Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones enjoyed a romantic date at a country house spa this week, as romance speculation continues to grow. BBC Morning Live co-stars Gethin, 47, and Helen, 41, have found themselves at the centre of romance rumours as news of their reported relationship circulated last month. And on Monday the pair were spotted getting cosy at a spa, after Gethin treated Helen to a date at his local country club. An insider has revealed of the flirty date: 'Gethin and Helen were all over each other. They are clearly super comfortable with each other and it wasn't just like two friends hanging out.' 'Helen was really laughing and smiling as they spent time together before heading off in the late afternoon,' they added to The Sun. Gethin and Helen both appear on BBC show on week day mornings, with the date said to have taken place after they left the Manchester studio together. 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. Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones enjoyed a romantic date at a country house spa this week, as romance speculation continues to grow (pictured on BBC Morning Live) BBC Morning Live co-stars Gethin, 47, and Helen, 41, have found themselves at the centre of romance rumours as news of their reported relationship circulated last month (both pictured in previous Instagram photos) Gethin lives in Altrincham in south Manchester after relocating from London back in 2022. Helen meanwhile is based in Cumbria with her children Ernie, nine, Louis, eight, and Elsie, three, who she shares with her ex-husband Richie Myler. The TV stars were pictured leaving the Bafta TV Awards together this month but they first fuelled romance rumours in March with their joint 24-hour roller-skating challenge for Comic Relief. During the challenge, Gethin publicly praised Helen's resilience and sense of humour. In a heartfelt Instagram post, he shared his admiration for her, revealing he called her within an hour of the event ending to debrief. Gushing over how much he enjoyed spending time with Helen, Gethin also let slip a secret nickname he has for her, as he captioned a snap of the star sporting a red nose with 'famous ferret'. Fans quickly picked up on their connection, with one writing: 'You two belong together. Love you guys. Epic challenge, a pleasure to watch.' Another commented: 'Cooooome on!!! It's staring you both in the face!!' An insider has revealed of the flirty date: 'Gethin and Helen were all over each other. They are clearly super comfortable with each other' The pair have since been seen at several high-profile events, including a charity ball, where their relaxed and cosy demeanour again caught attention. While neither Gethin nor Helen has confirmed the rumours, their growing closeness continues to keep fans guessing. Helen announced her separation from her husband Richie Myler, 35, in 2022 just four months after the birth of their third child. The split reportedly came as a shock, leaving Helen blindsided. Sharing the news on Instagram at the time, she wrote: 'Very sad to say that Richie and I are no longer a couple. He has left the family home. We will be doing our best to co-parent our small children.' Following the separation, Helen relocated with her three children to her hometown in Cumbria, focusing on her family and career. Helen is based in Cumbria with her children Ernie, nine, Louis, eight, and Elsie, three, who she shares with her ex-husband Richie Myler Helen was previously married to Richie, but in April 2022, she announced their separation - just four months after the birth of their third child (both pictured 2014) She later appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022, which she credited the show with helping her navigate the emotional aftermath of her marriage breakdown. Following Helen and Richie's abrupt separation, the rugby player started a new relationship and welcomed two more children. Gethin, meanwhile, has been single for two years having briefly dated First Dates star Cici Coleman in 2023. Previously, he had romances with TOWIE's Lucy Mecklenburgh in 2014 and German underwear model Katja Zwara in 2017. But his most serious relationship was with Welsh opera star Katherine Jenkins who he dated for four years from 2007. Aimee Lou Wood and Walton Goggins have reunited for the first time since addressing their feud rumours in tell all interview. The White Lotus stars appeared in great spirits as they sat side by side at a FYC Event held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in California on Tuesday evening. Beaming in the snaps, Aimee, 31, wowed in a simple little black dress with red flower corsage, while Walton, 53, kept it dapper in a grey suit. The pair were joined by the rest of the cast for the event as they posed together in a sweet group snap. The event comes after Aimee was pictured passionately embracing Happy Valley star Adam Long as the 'new couple' cuddled up on coffee date in London last week. 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. Aimee Lou Wood and Walton Goggins reunited for the first time since addressing feud rumours in tell all interview at a FYC Event in California on Tuesday The White Lotus stars appeared in great spirits as they sat side by side at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Beaming in the snaps, Aimee, 31, wowed in a simple little black dress with red flower corsage The actors, who star together in upcoming BBC series Film Club, looked smitten as they enjoyed a cuddle and a kiss outside of the cafe. Aimee has liked all of Adam's social media posts since their Film Club casting was announced last November. She was also quick to praise the star after he completed a sponsored run in aid of Movember and men's mental health awareness. On a snap of the actor and his running buddies, Aimee penned: 'YOU DID IT!!!!!!! ' It's believed the pair met last year working on their upcoming BBC Three series, written by Aimee, in which they play a couple. Meanwhile Aimee and Walton finally spoke out about the speculation over their strained relationship earlier this month - insisting they were both on good terms. Getting emotional in an interview for Variety Walton began: 'There is no feud. I adore, I love this woman madly, and she is so important to me.' The father-of-one, who has been married to Nadia Conners since 2011, proceeded to sing Wood's praises as he raved: 'This is Goldie Hawn. This is Meg Ryan. She can do anything, and she will.' The event comes after Aimee was pictured passionately embracing Happy Valley star Adam Long as the 'new couple' cuddled up on coffee date in London last week Walton, 53, kept it dapper in a grey suit and black boots as he sat beside Aimee during the panel at the event Aimee and Walton finally spoke out about the speculation over their strained relationship earlier this month- insisting they were both on good terms Getting emotional in an interview for Variety Walton began: 'There is no feud. I adore, I love this woman madly, and she is so important to me' The father-of-one, who has been married to Nadia Conners since 2011, proceeded to sing Wood's praises as he raved: 'This is Goldie Hawn . This is Meg Ryan . She can do anything, and she will' Aimee proceeded to address the outrage over headlines that Walton unfollowed her on social media, which fans perceived as a sign they did not get along Aimee posed with Leslie Bibb who wowed in a plunging white blazer style dress Her long-term partner and The White Lotus guest star Sam Rockwell was also in attendance looking relaxed in a colourful sunset-print shirt The Oscar winner wrapped an arm around his pal Walton, after the pair's dramatic scenes together on season 3 The pair were joined by the rest of the cast for the event as they posed together in a sweet group snap (pictured L-R Aimee Lou Wood, Sam Nivola, Tayme Thapthimthong, Walton Goggins, Parker Posey, Natasha Rothwell, Sarah Catherine Hook, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Carrie Coon, Jason Isaacs, Sam Rockwell, Leslie Bibb, Paul W. Downs) Aimee posed with Tayme Thapthimthong and Carrie Coon Carrie wowed in a stunning red lace dress which she paired with black heeled boots Walton and Aimee starred as couple Rick and Chelsea in White Lotus Aimee explained she wished more people were having 'conversations about the story' of their White Lotus characters, Rick and Chelsea, and simply enjoying the show As rumours swirled about them, Aimee revealed she initially wanted to correct people, but feared her words would get twisted Walton chimed in to say: 'If I may add, just to put this to bed? The following or unfollowing. Im a grown-a** man.' 'You watch what the next 20 years of her experience will be. Ill be on an island, I think Greece. But shes special. There is no feud. She is love and I know that I am that to her. We care about each other very deeply,' he continued. Aimee proceeded to address the outrage over headlines that Walton unfollowed her on social media, which fans perceived as a sign they did not get along. 'I think its such a comment on where were at culturally,' she said over the online fury. 'Why is everyone obsessing over Instagram? That is irrelevant. We dont give a s**t about Instagram.' Aimee explained she wished more people were having 'conversations about the story' of their White Lotus characters, Rick and Chelsea, and simply enjoying the show. As rumours swirled about them, Aimee revealed she initially wanted to correct people, but feared her words would get twisted. 'Eventually I just started to sit back and watch these people making something out of absolutely nothing,' she said of why she stayed silent. Walton chimed in to say: 'If I may add, just to put this to bed? The following or unfollowing. Im a grown-a** man.' Fern Britton has admitted she has struggled at times to maintain a cordial relationship with her ex husband Phil Vickery. The television presenter, 67, became divorced from TV chef Phil, 64, in 2020 after two decades together. Opening up about the painful split, Fern has revealed that she tries 'very hard' to not 'bad-mouth' Phil for the sake of their 23-year-old daughter Winnie. Fern shares twin sons Harry and Jack, 31, and daughter Grace, 27, from her first marriage, to Clive Jones, and daughter Winnie with ex Phil. She said she learned the valuable lesson from her own childhood experience: 'Winnie adores him,' she explained. 'I'm not going to bad-mouth him in front of her; at least, I try very hard not to. I was the child of divorced parents and my mum never bad-mouthed my father.' 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. Fern Britton has revealed her parents taught her a valuable lesson following her divorce from Phil Vickery (pictured together in 2017 shortly before their split) Opening up about the painful split, Fern has revealed that whatever her feelings toward her ex, she tries 'very hard' to not 'bad-mouth' Phil for the sake of their 23-year-old daughter Winnie In an interview with Yours magazine, Fern revealed that she has no relationship with Phil, revealing that he 'hasn't spoken to me for six years now. As soon as my mum died, he stopped talking to me.' A representative for Phil has been contacted by MailOnline for comment. Fern has previously spoken about growing up without her actor father Tony Britton's presence in the family home, explaining how she and her sister, scriptwriter Cherry Britton, were always given 'some convoluted stories about why he wasn't here.' Tony and his first wife Ruth, Fern's mother, divorced when she was just four years. Writing in her autobiography The Older I Get How I Repowered My Life the TV star detailed how she discovered why she had no memories of her father living with her. She revealed by the time she was born in 1957, her father had already left her mother to be with Eva Castle, the woman who would go onto be his second wife. She wrote: 'It transpired that during one visit of a few hours back to see her, he and my mum had temporarily rekindled their feelings and I was conceived. Did he go back to his new partner with a possibly guilty spring in his step? How did he manage to explain my eventual appearance to his future wife?' After only finding the secret out when she was aged 55, Fern admitted 'I was left with a strong feeling of "why did nobody say?" Everyone knew,' adding that is had left her was lasting trust issues. Ruth died in 2018 before Tony also passed at the end of the following year. She said she learned the valuable lesson from her own childhood experience, explaining: 'I was the child of divorced parents and my mum never bad-mouthed my father.' (Fern seen with her late mother Ruth) The double tragedy reportedly caused Fern and Phil to realise that they had to 'follow their own paths', whilst she has also said her children leaving home was a factor in their split. 'Often, the children leave home and you look at each other and go, 'Ah, where do we go from here?' I only wish I was the sort of person who could have persevered through that, but I couldn't,' she previously explained. The star has kept her private life out of the spotlight since calling time on her marriage but she recently admitted that while she does get 'lonely', she is still not looking for love five years on from her split. She told Woman & Home: 'I'm not looking for love - I'm still a bit too wary of losing my liberty. Fern has previously spoken about growing up without her actor father Tony Britton's presence in the family home (pictured together in 1995) '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 don't I just make my own decision?' 'Then I'm the only person who can go, 'I f***ed up there.' In 2020, the Celebrity Big Brother star moved 270 miles from her home in Buckinghamshire to the Southwest coast of England, revealing her relocation helped her heal following her divorce. The move has also inspired her to write more, years after the release of her first novel New Beginnings 2011. 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. She has also had a lifestyle overhaul, losing five stone in weight and recently revealed the turning point behind her dramatic change. Fern's mother died in 2018. Her split from Phil followed 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: '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.' A former Big Brother star has slammed A-list hotel Crown Sydney for 'ignoring' her and her family for not being 'fancy' enough. Posting to her stories on Wednesday Krystal Hipwell (nee Forscutt), who owns a real estate empire worth an estimated $25 million, shared details of her experience at the upscale venue which has hosted the likes of Matt Damon, Drake and Taylor Swift. Posting a selfie of her husband Neil and one of her kids enjoying themselves in the Crown pool, Krystal claimed that staff did not help them with baggage or offer assistance, even though they provided service to other guests around them. 'We don't often splurge on things like this,' Krystal said on Instagram, 'but I promised my kids one night here [at Crown Sydney].' She continued, 'When we arrived we were practically ignored by staff, the baggage handlers didn't offer any assistance like they did to everyone else around us and everyone seemed perplexed by what we were doing there...' 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. Former Big Brother star Krystal Hipwell has slammed A-list hotel Crown Sydney for 'ignoring' her and her family for not being 'fancy' enough. Pictured with her husband Neil Sharing another picture of herself hugging her developer husband in Crown Sydney bathrobes while posing by the pool, Krystal shared an explanation her experience. 'I assume it may have something to do with the fact that we aren't "fancy" people, we don't wear designer clothes or look very manicured at all 99% of the time. 'Our kids rarely wear shoes or brush their hair. But they are happy,' she continued. 'They don't yet understand comparisons or that feeling of being inferior or less than. 'And what a precious gift that is. I pray that they never have to feel that way and never judge anyone else by how they look.' The real estate maven did not disclose how much they spent on their accommodation at Crown Sydney. Packages for two adults and three children start at $699 a night. Krystal, who owns the boutique building company, Bunker Escapes, included a final panel in her slam, which she captioned 'cheers to not fitting in with the crowd'. She included a selfie in which she can be seen toasting her husband with an exotic looking beverage as he relaxes in a pool. Posting a selfie of her husband Neil and one of her kids enjoying themselves in the Crown pool, Krystal claimed that staff did not help them baggage or offer assistance, even though they providing service to other guests 'Our kids rarely wear shoes or brush their hair. But they are happy,' she said. 'They don't yet understand comparisons or that feeling of being inferior or less than'. Pictured with her kids Daily Mail Australia has approached Crown Sydney for comment. Aside from being a property mogul, Krystal is also mum to three children, Sunny, 10 Nakoda, 6, and Huska, 5. It comes after Krystal and her husband grow their already formidable real estate empire. Along with her property developer husband Neil, Krystal runs Bunker Escapes - a successful business building lavish homes - and the couple boast a $25million property portfolio. Krystal and Neil recently purchased a rural block on the outskirts of Bryon Bay. Located in the small town of Ewingsdale, the 4093sqm land set the couple back $1.1million, according to the Daily Telegraph. The property was formerly owned by Cornell Holdings - the Byron Bay-based investment company owned by actress Delvene Delaney and her late husband John 'Strop' Cornell. The purchase comes after Krystal and Neil recently bought a huge block of land in Byron Bay and built two modern multi-million homes on the site, with both lavish properties available for booking. The couple own a real estate empire worth an estimated $25 million Aside from being a property mogul, Krystal is also mum to three children, Sunny, 10 Nakoda, 6, and Huska, 5, All pictured Banks at Byron is located at the front of the plot and sleeps up to 18 guests at a cost of $6,000 for a two-night stay. Meanwhile, Bunker Byron is located behind on the back of the site and sleeps up to 14 guests. It costs around $8,000 for a minimum three-night stay. The high-class properties can be booked together for a huge group stay or separately and provide guests with a luxurious glimpse at the Byron coastline. It is not the first huge home renovation Krystal and her husband Neil have taken on, as they previously launched Bunker House in Gerrigong, NSW, back in 2021. The multi-storey mansion, which they originally built as their dream home after buying the land for $1.7million, is now a luxury rental which can accommodate 16 guests. A minimum three-night stay in this swanky abode costs around $3,500 per night. Krystal and Neil also own another resort style accommodation located just outside the Perisher Valley ski village at Crackenback in the NSW Alps. Built by the couple in 2021 and dubbed 'Jimmy Doo', it can accommodate 22 adults and eight children. The luxe ski lodge costs around $8,000 for a minimum three-night stay. Krystal shot to national attention back in 2006, when she starred on Big Brother alongside her mother Karen who had Krystal when she was just 16. During their time in the house, Karen was evicted in the third week while Krystal came in sixth place. Amy Childs stepped out in a stylish yellow summer dress as she began filming for the new series of TOWIE this week. After flying to Portugal to film the upcoming series, which marks the 15 anniversary of the show, the reality star, 34, soaked up the sun as she posed in the very plunging dress. Completing the look with a pair of dark shades and nude strappy sandals, Amy appeared in good spirits as she posed with her TOWIE pals Harry Derbidge and Lauren Goodger. Amy later slipped into a racy brown cut out swimsuit and mesh green cover up as she prepared to enjoy some sunbathing by the pool. The star has sparked concern in recent months with her new slimmed-down appearance after dropping an incredible two stone. 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. Amy Childs stepped out in a plunging yellow dress during TOWIE filming in Portugal this week after she spoke out about her extreme weight loss The reality star, 34, soaked up the sun as she posed in the very plunging dress as she showed off her surgically enhanced assets And last month she revealed the real reason behind her extreme weight loss after calling off her wedding to her fiance Billy Delbosq. Addressing the weight loss and cruel trolling she's received as a result of the weight loss in an emotional interview with OK! Magazine she said: 'I'm going through so much at the minute that the weight has fallen off me. 'I worry about my mum constantly. She's very emotional she thinks she's going to have another heart attack.' 'People think I'm not eating, but I do eat. To be honest, I do feel better when I'm a bit heavier than I am at the moment. There's so much going on at the minute it's the result of pure stress. We're also having renovations done in the midst of parenting four kids.' Amy added: 'But I'm strong, I've been in this industry for 15 years. I've had lots of people concerned about me, which I completely understand, but yes, people can be so quick to judge.' Amy also explained how she once tried using weight-loss injections 18 months ago, but it made her 'so ill she threw up three or four times'. However the star appeared in good spirits as she commenced filming and enjoyed lunch with the cast and her daughter Milly. TOWIE - which is one of ITVX's most streamed titles with 66million streams in the last 12 months - is back with the brand new series airing on ITV2 and ITVX later this year. The star has sparked concern in recent months with her new slimmed-down appearance after dropping an incredible two stone Amy later slipped into a racy brown cut out swimsuit and mesh green cover up as she prepared to enjoy some sunbathing by the pool with Lauren Goodger Lauren Goodger opted for a summery red and orange beach dress, shades, and bejewelled wedged sandals Last month she revealed the real reason behind her extreme weight loss after calling off her wedding to her fiance Billy Delbosq (pictured L) The star appeared in good spirits as she commenced filming and enjoyed lunch with the cast and her daughter Milly The family tucked into pizza at the restaurant as they were joined by Harry Milly, two, gave Harry a hug as she was seen sitting on his knee Harry paired the jorts with a black T-shirt and white She was seen enjoying a glass of fizz during the meal Milly wore a sweet summer dress and pink heart-shaped sunglasses Lauren Goodger also joined Amy as she opted for a summery red and orange beach dress and shades. Joe Blackman and Junaid Ahmed put on a very loved-up display as they shared a passionate smooch in snaps. Junaid made sure to catch eyes in a red and white checked polo shirt and matching shorts as he blew a kiss at the camera. Meanwhile Elma Pazar wowed in a figure hugging shimmery maxi dress adorned with embroidered seashells and starfish. She was joined by her boyfriend Sammy Root after the pair met in January on the second series of Love Island: All Stars. Amy also recently called off her wedding to her fiance Billy after a stressful period dealing with her mother's ill health and her own extreme weight loss. The reality star, who is said to be 'gutted' over the decision, has reportedly decided to cancel their impending nuptials to focus on her personal life. Joe Blackman and Junaid put on a very loved-up display as they shared a passionate smooch in snaps Junaid made sure to catch eyes in a red and white checked polo shirt and matching shorts as he blew a kiss at the camera Meanwhile Elma Pazar wowed in a figure hugging shimmery maxi dress adorned with embroidered seashells and starfish Dan Edgar opted for an all white ensemble as he paired a plain T-shirt with white shorts and black sandals Here come the boys! Diags, Jordan Brook, Roman Hackett, Sammy Root, Dan Edgar (pictured L-R) Saffron Lempriere looked stylish in a funky summer patterned short and shirt co-ord which she wore over a plunging blue swimsuit Elma, Saffron and Harry posed together for a snap Harry and Saffron greeted each other with a kiss as they arrived at the sunbeds The threesome were seen chatting together as they sipped their drinks Jordan kept it cool and casual in a white linen shirt, green shorts and sandals Freddie Bentley opted for a bold black and white print shirt which he paired with some tiny black shorts and flip flops It was previously claimed that Amy's 'perfect' day was under threat and it has now been reported by Closer magazine that the day is totally off for now. According to the publication, the plans have been pushed back due to 'last minute changes', after she first delayed the wedding in 2023. An insider said: 'Amy has had to cancel her wedding and shes absolutely gutted. There was going to be a show around it, following the run-up to their big day.. 'But theyve had to make some last-minute changes based on whats going on in their lives.' Sydney Sweeney brought along her rarely-seen younger brother as her date to the European premiere of Echo Valley and following afterparty at London's BFI Southbank on Tuesday night. The actress, 27, oozed Hollywood glamour at the premiere earlier that evening, wearing a halterneck baby blue gown, with a flowing tulle train, before undergoing a wardrobe change for the celebratory bash afterwards. Sydney stars opposite Julianne Moore in the psychological thriller, playing an addict named Claire, who arrives on her mum's doorstep covered in someone else's blood, with the film exploring how far a mother - played by Julianne - will go for their child. For the afterparty, Sydney slipped into a satin Miu Miu champagne-coloured dress, that clung to her incredible figure and displayed her cleavage and David Morris White Gold Jewellery. While her little brother Trent showed his pride for his sister as they posed for snaps together, cutting a trendy figure in a leather blazer, black trousers and aviator shades. 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. Sydney Sweeney brought along her rarely-seen younger brother as her date to the European premiere of Echo Valley and following afterparty at London's BFI Southbank on Tuesday night The actress, 27, oozed Hollywood glamour at the premiere in a halterneck baby blue gown, with a flowing tulle train, before undergoing a wardrobe change for the celebratory bash afterwards She slipped into a satin Miu Miu champagne-coloured dress, that clung to her incredible figure and displayed her cleavage and David Morris White Gold Jewellery The siblings were joined by Trent's girlfriend, Samayre Soto - with the couple looking utterly smitten as he planted a kiss on her cheek. Samayre looked effortlessly edgy for the event in a black corsetted satin dress, exposing her toned midriff and impressive collection of tattoos. Trent is Sydney's sole sibling and enjoys a life away from the limelight, with him rarely making appearances on red carpets. However, the brother-and-sister have frequently shown their very strong bond, with both taking to Instagram to share their support for each other. In 2020, Sydney touched on their relationship, as she discussed whether it was similar to the sibling rivalry depicted in her film Nocturne. She admitted: 'Not so much the competitive side, but I roughed him up and tried to push him to do more.' After a few minor acting gigs in his childhood, Trent ultimately opted not to follow in his sister's footsteps. In 2020, he began military training for the United States Air Force, with Sydney showing her support at the time on Instagram with a slew of throwback photos of the pair as kids. While her little brother Trent showed his pride for his sister as they posed for snaps together, cutting a trendy figure in a leather blazer, black trousers and aviator shades The siblings were joined by Trent's girlfriend, Samayre Soto - with the couple looking utterly smitten as he planted a kiss on her cheek Sydney stars opposite Julianne Moore in the psychological thriller, playing an addict named Claire, who arrives on her mum's doorstep covered in someone else's blood (seen in film) In a sweet tribute, she captioned the post: 'My little bro leaves for basic training tomorrow. wishing you luck bud when the going gets tough just remember your sister is tougher than you.' While Trent has also shown his support for Sydney from the start of her huge Hollywood career, previously taking to his Instagram to promote her Netflix series Everything Sucks! and protest its cancellation. While in 2019, he shared a throwback selfie of the pair together to voice his pride at her Screen Actors Guild nomination for The Handmaid's Tale. He gushed: 'I know this is an old picture and I already posted it, but I wanted to congratulate my sis @sydney_sweeney on being nominated for a SAG award and wish her the best of luck.' It comes after Sydney opened up about how she and Trent had to live in a Holiday Inn for nine months after her parents were declared bankrupt. She is now a multi-million dollar success story after making it with acting with roles in Anyone But You, The White Lotus and The Handmaid's Tale. But back before hitting the big time her family found themselves in hard times when her mother, Lisa, a criminal defence lawyer, and her father who worked in hospitality were declared bankrupt. In 2013 when she was 16, her parents who are now divorced, sold their home in Washington, with the family of four living in a one-bedroom hotel room for months. Trent is Sydney's sole sibling and enjoys a life away from the limelight, with him rarely making appearances on red carpets The brother-and-sister have frequently shown their very strong bond, with both taking to Instagram to share their support for each other (seen with their mother) In 2020, he began military training for the United States Air Force, with Sydney showing her support at the time on Instagram with a slew of throwback photos of the pair as kids While Trent has also shown his support for Sydney from the start of her huge Hollywood career, previously taking to his Instagram to promote her Netflix series Everything Sucks! and protest its cancellation While in 2019, he shared a throwback selfie of the pair together to voice his pride at her Screen Actors Guild nomination for The Handmaid's Tale Speaking to The Times last week of her tough childhood, she said: 'We lived in the Holiday Inn in Burbank [northwest LA] for eight and a half months but it felt like my entire life. 'We were sharing a one-bedroom hotel room, no kitchen, no balcony. A pull-out sofa bed, where my dad and brother slept, my mom and me in the bed' Detailing how her and Trent coped at the time, she said: 'My brother and I tried to make the best of it - we would joke around and say we were in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. 'We'd run around the different hallways and find stairwells and make friends with all the staff and they would make us grilled cheese.' In a far cry from her beginnings Sydney now boasts an incredible property portfolio after finding her own financial success thanks to her movie and TV work. She owns a 4.5million Bel Air home and another Tudor-style home in LA that is worth 3.3million. Sydney then has a 10.2million compound in the Florida Keys as well as several back home in the Pacific Northwest. She went on to tell The Times that she is also currently looking at places to buy in New York, Texas, Italy and London. Helen Skelton was all smiles as she departed BBC Morning Live on Wednesday after enjoying a weekend away at a country club spa with co-host Gethin Jones. The presenter, 41, appeared in good spirits as she was seen for the first time exiting the studios following the break. The pair left separately with Gethin, 47, following minutes behind his rumoured love interest and co-star. Helen looked stylish as she tucked a khaki tank top into a pair of black trousers and layered a white gilet. She kept comfortable in a pair of flat sandals and carried a large suitcase and a blue backpack. 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. Helen Skelton was all smiles as she departed BBC Morning Live on Wednesday after enjoying a weekend away at a country club spa with co-host Gethin Jones The pair left separately with Gethin, 47, following minutes behind his rumoured love interest and co-star The mother-of-three styled her blonde tresses loose in waves and placed her sunglasses on top of her head and wore a pair of chunky gold earrings. Meanwhile Gethin cut a cool figure in a burgundy fitted T-shirt which he teamed with jeans and a pair of trainers. The presenter carried a small rucksack and wore a pair of sunglasses as he checked his phone while walking. Gethin and Helen have found themselves at the centre of romance rumours as news of their reported relationship circulated last month. And on Monday the pair were spotted getting cosy at a spa, after Gethin treated Helen to a date at his local country club. An insider has revealed of the flirty date: 'Gethin and Helen were all over each other. They are clearly super comfortable with each other and it wasn't just like two friends hanging out.' 'Helen was really laughing and smiling as they spent time together before heading off in the late afternoon,' they added to The Sun. Gethin and Helen both appear on BBC show on week day mornings, with the date said to have taken place after they left the Manchester studio together. The presenter, 41, looked in good spirits as she was seen for the first time exiting the studios following the date which has caused romance speculation to grow Helen looked stylish as she tucked a khaki tank top into a pair of black trousers and layered a white gilet as she carried a large suitcase and a blue backpack Meanwhile Gethin cut a cool figure in a burgundy fitted T-shirt which he teamed with jeans and a pair of trainers Gethin lives in Altrincham in south Manchester after relocating from London back in 2022. Helen meanwhile is based in Cumbria with her children Ernie, nine, Louis, eight, and Elsie, three, who she shares with her ex-husband Richie Myler. The TV stars were pictured leaving the Bafta TV Awards together this month but they first fuelled romance rumours in March with their joint 24-hour roller-skating challenge for Comic Relief. During the challenge, Gethin publicly praised Helen's resilience and sense of humour. In a heartfelt Instagram post, he shared his admiration for her, revealing he called her within an hour of the event ending to debrief. Gushing over how much he enjoyed spending time with Helen, Gethin also let slip a secret nickname he has for her, as he captioned a snap of the star sporting a red nose with 'famous ferret'. Fans quickly picked up on their connection, with one writing: 'You two belong together. Love you guys. Epic challenge, a pleasure to watch.' Another commented: 'Cooooome on!!! It's staring you both in the face!!' Gethin and Helen have found themselves at the centre of romance rumours as news of their reported relationship circulated last month (both pictured in previous Instagram photos) An insider has revealed of the flirty date: 'Gethin and Helen were all over each other. They are clearly super comfortable with each other' The pair have since been seen at several high-profile events, including a charity ball, where their relaxed and cosy demeanour again caught attention. While neither Gethin nor Helen has confirmed the rumours, their growing closeness continues to keep fans guessing. Helen announced her separation from her husband Richie Myler, 35, in 2022 just four months after the birth of their third child. The split reportedly came as a shock, leaving Helen blindsided. Sharing the news on Instagram at the time, she wrote: 'Very sad to say that Richie and I are no longer a couple. He has left the family home. We will be doing our best to co-parent our small children.' Following the separation, Helen relocated with her three children to her hometown in Cumbria, focusing on her family and career. Helen is based in Cumbria with her children Ernie, nine, Louis, eight, and Elsie, three, who she shares with her ex-husband Richie Myler Helen was previously married to Richie, but in April 2022, she announced their separation - just four months after the birth of their third child (both pictured 2014) She later appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022, which she credited the show with helping her navigate the emotional aftermath of her marriage breakdown. Following Helen and Richie's abrupt separation, the rugby player started a new relationship and welcomed two more children. Gethin, meanwhile, has been single for two years having briefly dated First Dates star Cici Coleman in 2023. Previously, he had romances with TOWIE's Lucy Mecklenburgh in 2014 and German underwear model Katja Zwara in 2017. But his most serious relationship was with Welsh opera star Katherine Jenkins who he dated for four years from 2007. Blake Lively received a gushing message of support from her sister Robyn after Justin Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against her was dismissed. On Monday, Judge Lewis J. Liman - currently serving on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York - threw out Baldoni's defamation and extortion lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times. The judge found that Livelys statements were made within privileged court documents and therefore could not serve as the basis for Baldoni's claims. The legal battle stems from December 2024, when Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on set - allegations he denied - prompting him and Wayfarer Studios to file a defamation suit against Lively, Reynolds, and her publicist Leslie Sloane, which all three have denied. After the ruling, online attention quickly shifted to Judge Liman's family ties: he is the brother of Hollywood director Doug Liman, who worked with Lively in 2008 when she and then-boyfriend Penn Badgley appeared in a pro-Obama commercial directed by Liman for MoveOn.orgs Youth Vote program. Apparently in response to the decision, Robyn, 53, posted a string of glowing messages about Blake, 37, to her Insta Stories, which Blake reposted. Blake Lively received a gushing message of support from her sister Robyn after Justin Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against her was dismissed 'I held you then...,' Robyn wrote alongside a throwback photo of her hugging her sister, then added: '...now,' with a more recent snap of them cuddling up to one another, followed by: '...and always,' with a picture of them holding hands in Paris. 'No one knows you quite like I do, and man am I ever proud of you. I love you sister,' wrote Robyn, concluding her testimonial. Reposting the images to her own Insta Stories, Blake reacted: 'I love you more. Always. Forever. Near or far. Closer together.' Social media buzzed about the bizarre link after an X user posted, 'FUN FACT: the Judge that dismissed Justin Baldonis claims against Blake Lively is Lewis Liman, brother to Hollywood director, Doug Liman Doug and Blake worked together years ago, small world.' Some users responded by accusing Lively and Reynolds of wielding influence behind the scenes, calling for Judge Liman to have recused himself. Another added, 'I don't understand how he could preside then. That's a conflict of interest I'd assume.' Others dismissed the controversy as overblown, noting that Lively's only connection to Doug Liman was a brief appearance in a commercial nearly two decades ago. As one user wrote: 'Because his brother directed a show with thousands of actors 18 years ago, his years of being a lawyer and judge become invalid? Yall are delusional and ridiculous.' Apparently in response to the decision, Robyn, 53, posted a string of glowing messages about Blake, 37, to her Insta Stories, which Blake reposted 'No one knows you quite like I do, and man am I ever proud of you,' wrote Robyn, concluding her testimonial by writing: 'I love you sister' Baldoni is pictured outside the premiere of It Ends With Us in August 2024 On Monday, Judge Liman (pictured) currently serving on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New Yorkthrew out Baldoni's defamation and extortion lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds , and The New York Times After the ruling, online attention quickly shifted to Judge Liman's family ties: he is the brother of Hollywood director Doug Liman, who worked with Lively in 2008 when she and then-boyfriend Penn Badgley appeared in a pro-Obama commercial directed by Liman for MoveOn.orgs Youth Vote program; (Doug seen in 2024) Another echoed, 'You think this judge would dismiss a lawsuit because Blake did a COMMERCIAL with his brother? Lmfao.' DailyMail.com has not received a response to its request for comment from either Lively or Baldoni's representatives. Judge Lewis J. Liman currently serves on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, having been confirmed to the bench in December 2019 after a distinguished legal career that included roles as an Assistant United States Attorney and Deputy Chief of Appeals in the same district, according to Coulder Institute. A graduate of Harvard College (1983), Liman also holds an M.Sc. with distinction in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a J.D. from Yale Law School. His brother Doug pursued a career in film, directing major Hollywood projects such as The Bourne Identity franchise, indie films like Swingers and Locked Down, and working with Tom Cruise on Live Die Repeat and American Made. Doug Liman worked with Lively in 2008 when she and then-boyfriend Penn Badgley appeared in a pro-Obama commercial directed by Liman for MoveOn.orgs Youth Vote program Social media buzzed with speculation about the judges impartiality after an X user posted, 'FUN FACT: the Judge that dismissed Justin Baldonis claims against Blake Lively is Lewis Liman, brother to Hollywood director, Doug Liman Doug and Blake worked together years ago, small world' While social media users continue to debate the issue, there has been no clear indication of a legal conflict of interest in this situation at this time. On Monday, Lively released a statement hours after Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni's case. Lively, who shares four children with husband Ryan Reynolds, vowed that she was 'more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every womans right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story.' 'With love and gratitude for the many who stood by me, many of you I know,' Lively said. 'Many of you I dont. But I will never stop appreciating or advocating for you.' Liman dismissed Baldoni's suit alleging defamation and extortion on the basis that all Lively's allegations were made within privileged court papers. Liman said in the order obtained by DailyMail.com: 'The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged. His brother Doug pursued a career in film, directing major Hollywood projects such as The Bourne Identity franchise, indie films like Swingers and Locked Down, and working with Tom Cruise on Live Die Repeat and American Made 'The Wayfarer Parties have alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Times made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign. 'But the Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane or the Times would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them, as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law. 'The Wayfarer Parties additional claims also fail. Accordingly, the Amended Complaint must be dismissed in its entirety.' The judge ruled: 'The Times reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened. The Times had no obvious motive to favor Lively's version of events.' Liman, however, did state the Wayfarer Parties will be able to file a second amended complaint by June 23, 2025 but are only able to amend the allegations 'relevant to the claims of tortious interference with contract and breach of implied covenant.' Lively in December sued Baldoni amid claims of sexual harassment during production of the motion picture. In her lawsuit, the Gossip Girl alum accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways including body shaming her and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation. Baldoni and his reps have said in response to the lawsuit that Lively twisted the meaning of text messages and mislead the public about their interactions while making the motion picture. Liman, however, did state the Wayfarer Parties will be able to file a second amended complaint by June 23, 2025 but are only able to amend the allegations 'relevant to the claims of tortious interference with contract and breach of implied covenant' (Baldoni in 2024) In her lawsuit, Lively named a number of Baldoni's collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio's CEO and financial backer, and PR personnel Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel. Baldoni subsequently sued the newspaper for $250 million in a defamation claim over a December 21 story titled '"We Can Bury Anyone": Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine ;' the newspaper has denied the allegations. Baldoni on January 16 filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, alleging defamation and extortion. Baldoni told the court the trio had concocted 'false accusations of sexual harassment' against him. For months following their bombshell split last August, the king and queen of reality TV have dropped cryptic clues to their millions of online followers that they were back together. The first whispers of a reunion between Love Island sweethearts Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury surfaced at the start of the year, when the pair were spotted kissing at a star-studded New Years Eve party. Then came the not-so-subtle Instagram posts - cosy family photos in Center Parcs and sunny snaps from Dubai with their two-year-old daughter, Bambi. But if fans were still in doubt, nothing said were back together louder than Tommys surprise appearance in Molly-Maes YouTube video blog over the weekend - her first in ten months featuring the 26-year-old boxer. The blonde influencer, who boasts a whopping two million subscribers on the platform, giggled as Tommy declared: The wonder has returned! It all feels a bit full circle right now, smiled Molly, also 26 - and with that, their love story appeared to be back in full swing. The pair giggled like teenagers as they lounged in the pristine cream-toned bedroom of Mollys 4million Cheshire mansion, tucking into a box of iced cookies while watching Love Islands tenth anniversary special - the very show where they met in 2019. Its like nothings ever changed, Tommy said before planting a kiss on Molly, sending fans into a frenzy. Seeing you and Tommy together in your vlogs makes me happy beyond belief!, one viewer commented on the video. Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague smooching in her vlog It was a far cry from the drama of last summer, when Molly sent shockwaves through Gen Z with a dramatic Instagram statement to her nine million followers, confirming the couple - who were then engaged - had officially called it quits. Some excitable fans even likened the break-up to the royal split of Charles and Diana. The pair later hinted that they had separated largely due to Tommys problematic relationship with alcohol. He moved out of their expansive family home into a nearby property, with the pair continuing to co-parent Bambi. But now it seems that the pair are quietly rebuilding their fractured romance. But just as fans of the couple were celebrating their rekindled love, a fresh family drama has erupted - this time involving Tommys brother, heavyweight champ Tyson Fury, and his wife Paris. According to reports, the Furys are, well, furious about how Mollys older sister, Zoe Rae, behaved during the couples break. Zoe, who is also a social media influencer, has been vocal in her distrust towards Tommy since the split. She made her feelings clear in Mollys Amazon Prime reality show, Molly-Mae: Behind It All, in which she shared her fears that problems could potentially arise again if the couple were to get back together. According to reports, the Furys accused Zoe of painting Tommy in a bad light, questioning why Mollys sister would want to hinder their reconciliation. Molly-Mae and her sibling Zoe Rae (foreground), who has voiced doubts about her sister getting back with Tommy Zoe and her husband Danny (both left) moved into her sister's house after Molly-Mae split from Tommy (both right) last August But recently rumours of Tommy and Molly-Mae's reunion were sparked after they were seen at Manchester airport returning from a trip to Dubai last month But the Mail can today reveal that the real tension isnt with the Furys at all - but rather between Zoe and Tommy directly. An insider says: You need to look closer to home, inside Molly Maes house, where youll find the upset lies with Tommy and Zoe. There are tensions between them. Zoe is close with Molly and their bond has strengthened while Tommy has been away. But now Tommy is back with Molly and theyre really focused on moving forward as a family. Its probably difficult for Zoe. 'Of course its not going to be all sunshine. There have definitely been teething issues. But Tommy really wants to make it work. When Tommy moved out in August, Zoe and her husband Danny Rae - an Army corporal and personal trainer - moved in, temporarily living at Mollys mansion while they were house-hunting. Molly has since described the living arrangement as ideal, revealing she and Bambi are now spending more time at Tommys house anyway. During those rocky months following Molly and Tommys split, Zoe was practically glued to her younger sisters side, becoming a second mum to Bambi, who affectionately calls her Zo Zo. The couple, who met on Love Island, pictured before they split after five years together The sisters - along with Danny - even joked about being in a throuple. So its no wonder that, after caring for Molly through the heartbreak, Zoe might be sceptical about Tommys return. The fitness influencer said as much in a clip from Behind It All: I do worry for her and my relationship with her if they did get back together. Meanwhile, Paris Fury is said to be blindsided at suggestions that she is involved in the feud. The Furys, who live 100 miles away from Tommy and Molly in Morecambe, say they didnt know of any acrimony within in the family, with a source telling the Mail: Paris and Tyson are blindsided by the reports that they are upset with Molly Maes sister. They have no problem with her. They have purposefully kept well out of the family dynamic. 'Of course Tyson was by his brothers side during the rocky times and Paris has always wanted what was best for Bambi. As a proud mother of seven, she has only ever wanted her nieces mummy and daddy to get back together. Meanwhile, an official spokesperson for the Furys confirmed: Paris and Tyson do not comment on other peoples business. So while Molly and Tommy might be putting the past behind them, it seems some family members might not be willing to move on so quickly. Chinese vice premier meets with foreign guests attending Belt and Road conference Xinhua) 11:27, June 11, 2025 Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia Marina Ragus in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 10, 2025. Ding on Tuesday held separate meetings with several foreign guests who are in China to attend the second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) CHENGDU, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Tuesday held separate meetings with several foreign guests who are in China to attend the second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. When meeting with Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia Marina Ragus, Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China is willing to work with Serbia to implement the important consensus reached between the two heads of state, support each other's major concerns and core interests, deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, transform sci-tech innovation cooperation into a new growth point for bilateral relations, and promote further achievements in the construction of a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era. Ragus said that Serbia highly values its friendship with China, adheres firmly to the one-China principle, and is willing to strengthen practical cooperation with China in such fields as investment, the economy and trade, and science and technology, with the aim of building a community with a shared future between the two countries. When meeting with Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ramatov Achilbay Jumaniyazovich, Ding said China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to consolidate their political mutual trust and long-standing friendship, deepen their alignment of development strategies, and promote in-depth, substantive cooperation in areas such as connectivity, the economy and trade, and sci-tech innovation under the framework of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. Ramatov said that Uzbekistan is willing to deepen practical cooperation with China under the guidance of the strategic consensus reached between the two heads of state, and to promote the continuous development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. When meeting with Iran's Vice-President of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy Hossein Afshin, Ding said that guided by the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, China is willing to make joint efforts with Iran to implement the China-Iran comprehensive cooperation plan well, promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and further tap the cooperation potential in the field of science and technology to bring more tangible benefits to the people of the two countries. Afshin said that Iran attaches great importance to the development of bilateral relations with China and is willing to enhance its people-to-people bonds with the country, promote the implementation of the comprehensive cooperation plan, and make new progress in sci-tech cooperation. Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ramatov Achilbay Jumaniyazovich in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 10, 2025. Ding on Tuesday held separate meetings with several foreign guests who are in China to attend the second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Iran's Vice-President of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy Hossein Afshin in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 10, 2025. Ding on Tuesday held separate meetings with several foreign guests who are in China to attend the second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Eva Longoria was sizzling in a plunging bathing suit as she hit the beach in her new home of Spain - on the same day she slammed the ongoing ICE raids on the the other side of the world. The Desperate Housewives star, 50, kicked off swimsuit season with a fun-filled day of sun and sand with her family. Eva, who relocated from Los Angeles to Spain in 2023, couldn't have looked any happier splashing about with her husband, Televisa president Jose Baston, and their son, six-year-old Santiago, on Tuesday. She looked incredible in a cheeky bathing suit that clung to her amazing figure. The actress was the picture of happiness as she frolicked on the shore, swam in the waves with her son, and packed on the PDA with her spouse. While Eva was able to smile during the beach outing, she made no secret of her anger at the ICE raids occurring in the United States, 6,000 miles away. Eva Longoria absolutely sizzled in a plunging bathing suit as she hit the beach in her new home of Spain on Tuesday The star put on a steamy display with her husband Jose Baston Despite the distance between her and the United States, the Mexican-American actress has remained on top of the riots and unrest. She has been flooding her Instagram Stories with content condemning the raids, she posted a video slamming the 'un-American' ICE deportations that have led to riots in Los Angeles. Longoria spoke about the issue to her 10.6 million Instagram followers in an extended clip on Tuesday, admitting that while she was not physically in Los Angeles, her heart was with everyone impacted by the ongoing events. Her comments came before the city enacted a curfew in the downtown area in an effort to end protests in the neighborhood. Eva was enjoying some quality time with her husband Jose Baston and their son Sebastian The stunning star - who was in France at the time of recording - said the unfolding events were 'hard to witness from afar.' 'I wanted to get on here and finally compose myself to do a message because of everything that's happening with the mass deportations. 'Every time I try to record a message, I just start crying and then I don't want it to be about me and like my emotions about it, but it's just so inhumane, hard to watch. It's hard to witness from afar. 'I can't imagine what it's like to be in Los Angeles right now,' the Corpus Christi, Texas-born star added. 'I can't believe it's happening in Austin, Texas. I can't believe it's happening all over the country. 'And the comments and people's reactions to it is really so surprising to me because it is un-American.' The star said she was in the state of shock watching the events unfold, saying it went against the basic tenets America's forefathers laid out. 'We all can agree nobody wants criminals in our country, nobody wants rapists, nobody wants drug dealers, nobody wants bad actors in our country - that's not what's happening,' said the Golden Globe-nominated actress. She couldn't have looked any happier basking in the sunshine The Televisa president passionately flung his arms around his wife The couple shared a steamy kiss Eva also hit the waves with her six-year-old The actress held her son close as she ventured into the water The trio jogged barefoot down the shore The couple have been married since 2016 but looked as smitten as newlyweds Eva grinned as she walked towards the shore with her son She bent down to gaze at her son Longoria said that President Donald Trump was overreaching in his actions, and had not stayed true to his campaign promise to deport only criminals. 'These roundups are happening in birthday parties, in elementary graduations, Home Depot - those are not criminals,' she said. 'And I just hope that everybody has more compassion to this issue and realize we have industries dependent on immigrant labor. 'These are people who feed us and take care of us and take care of our families and our children and our communities and we can't deny them as humans. We just can't. 'And those of you that keep yelling, "well you should have come here legally... get in the back of the line", there is no line. There's no line, this mythical line that everybody's talking about, there's people that have been waiting for citizenship for 25 years that have been "in line,"' she said, adding in air quotes. 'And I just ask for you guys to educate yourself if you're out there yelling "Good, they deserve this." They don't. These are hardworking people from my community and I think we need to have more compassion for them. They want to just come here, work, and provide for their families. The orange swimsuit clung to her sculpted frame The family outing comes as Eva took to social media to speak out against the ICE raids 'For those of you guys protesting out there, be safe, be respectful. We have to remember that the reason why people are protesting, the reason we're protesting is because parents and mothers are being separated from young children. There are minors in detention centers for weeks at a time with adults. 'I mean, you can see the problem with that. The lack of due process for law-abiding, tax-paying immigrants that have been part of our community for a very long time. I'm going to continue to support and post and speak out.' The chaos began on Friday when ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) launched a series of raids in Los Angeles, sparking protests. The demonstrations in LA quickly turned into riots that saw downtown businesses looted and vehicles set ablaze. Longoria appeared to be dashing out of the water The couple played with their youngster Marchers from Seattle and Austin to Chicago and DC have taken to the streets chanting slogans, carrying signs against ICE and snarling traffic through downtown avenues and outside federal offices. While many have been peaceful, some have resulted in clashes with law enforcement as officers made arrests and used chemical irritants to disperse crowds. Activists are planning more and even larger demonstrations in the coming days, with 'No Kings' events across the country on Saturday to coincide with President Donald Trump's planned military parade through Washington. The Trump administration said it would continue its program of raids and deportations despite the protests. 'ICE will continue to enforce the law,' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted Tuesday on social media. On Instagram, where she has been showering her Instagram Stories with content condemning the raids, she posted a video slamming the 'un-American' ICE deportations that have led to protests and riots in Los Angeles Longoria spoke about the issue to her 10.6 million Instagram followers in an extended clip on Tuesday, admitting that while she was not physically in Los Angeles, her heart was with everyone impacted by the ongoing events The Governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, said he will deploy the National Guard this week, ahead of planned protests after protesters and police in Austin clashed on Monday. Trump's extraordinary measures of sending National Guard and Marines to quell protests in Los Angeles has sparked a national debate on the use of military on US soil and pitted the Republican president against California's Democrat governor. 'This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk. That's when the downward spiral began,' California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a video address on Tuesday. 'He again chose escalation. He chose more force. He chose theatrics over public safety. ... Democracy is under assault.' Newsom, widely seen as preparing for a presidential run in 2028, and the state of California sued Trump and the Defense Department on Monday, seeking to block the deployment of federal troops. Protests have been occurring in downtown Los Angeles in response to the ICE raids Trump in turn has suggested Newsom should be arrested. Hundreds of US Marines arrived in the LA area on Tuesday under orders from Trump, after he also ordered the deployment of 4,000 National Guard to the city. Marines and National Guard are to be used in the protection of government personnel and buildings and not in police action. LA Mayor Karen Bass said the deployments were not necessary as police could manage the protest, the majority of which have been peaceful, and limited to about five streets. However, due to looting and violence at night she imposed a curfew over one square mile of the city's downtown, starting Tuesday night. The curfew will last several days. Police said multiple groups stayed on the streets in some areas despite the curfew and 'mass arrests' were initiated. Police earlier said that 197 people had already been arrested on Tuesday - more than double the total number of arrests to date. Brian Austin Green's ex-fiancee Vanessa Marcil has defended their gay son Kassius from an online troll who condemned his homosexuality as a 'sin.' Vanessa and Brian co-starred in Beverly Hills, 90210 and struck up their romantic relationship in 1999 before splitting in 2003. Over the course of their involvement, they welcomed Kassius, who is now 23 years old and has entered showbiz himself as an actor and writer. Firing up her Instagram page, Vanessa, 56, posted a screen-grab of a message by a woman called Liz who denounced Kassius' sexual orientation. In response, Vanessa blocked the woman and wrote a furious statement aimed at her and 'every other so called Christian bible thumper coming to MY PAGE to tell me that my son is going to hell.' She added: 'First of all Im so sorry that you are so lonely & unhappy that you have to involve children in your self hatred, projection spirals but I promise you that my kid just feels sorry for you. Hes happy.' Brian Austin Green's ex-fiancee Vanessa Marcil has defended their gay son Kassius from an online troll who condemned his homosexuality as a 'sin'; Vanessa and Kassius pictured 2024 The General Hospital alumna went on: 'We all see clearly Liz that you are miserable. Id say I feel bad for you but Im not that mature.' Vanessa continued: My kid however is the most decent, forgiving, kind, educated, talented, FREE, committed (with the same boyfriend for 8 years), self reflective, non judgmental, philanthropic (look it up Liz), Intellect' She added that Kassius 'has actually studied the Bible and Judaism along with other religions, languages, cultures, and he would fight for your freedoms and your rights just like my man did in the Iraq war.' Vanessa is currently engaged to her longtime love MC Martin, whom she wrote fought abroad 'For you Liz. Both of my men have fought for you. I can take a guess about what any of the men in your life have done for society Liz. 'YOU unfortunately are going to have a real hard time getting into heaven, babe. But, dont worry.. my son just said he will put in a good word for you with God!' After welcoming Kassius with Vanessa, Brian was married to Megan Fox, with whom he welcomed three children, Noah, 12, Bodhi, 11, and Journey, eight. Since 2022 he has been engaged to Dancing With The Stars pro Sharna Burgess, with whom he shares a two-year-old son called Zane. A couple of years ago, Brian candidly discussed the 'fascinating' experience of raising Kassius, who at that point was 21 years old. Vanessa and Brian co-starred in Beverly Hills, 90210 and struck up their romantic relationship in 1999 before splitting in 2003; the couple are pictured in 2001 A couple of years ago, Brian candidly discussed the 'fascinating' experience of raising Kassius, who at that point was 21 years old He chatted frankly about his son's sexual orientation on the podcast Frosted Tips hosted by NSYNC alum Lance Bass, who is also gay. During a freewheeling conversation, Brian shared that 'my son being gay' was initially a 'challenge' on account of being a venture into the 'unknown.' In order to bridge the knowledge gap, he initiated 'conversations' with his son to 'understand the things that seemed so different to me' at the time. Lance showered praise on Brian for being 'so open-minded,' and described Kassius as having been 'so lucky to be able to be in your family.' He noted that 'so many kids out there dont get that, and even if their parents accept them, theres a lot of times where the kid still knows that they still disagree with it.' Shortly afterwards, Brian confessed: 'It's been a challenge, just because honestly, it was my son being gay, it was just unknown for me.' He then clarified: 'But I'm not I think a lot of people are afraid of the unknown, whereas Im not. To me it's intriguing and I wanna learn about it.' Brian recalled: 'So it was like, we would, I would get into these conversations with Kash where it was like, I really wanted to understand the things that seemed so different to me at first and then you realize like: "Oh, this isn't different at all. Like, it's just your choice of partner and your - it doesn't affect me at all."' The Beverly Hills, 90210 actor declared: 'And thats the thing Im always trying to beat into people now. Its like, it doesnt it does not affect you.' He added: 'Why do you care so much and why are you trying to somehow bully your feelings and your opinion into something that literally does not affect you at all?' Lady Amelia Windsor turned heads as she made a stylish arrival alongside Mia Regan and Clara Amfo at the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition party in London on Wednesday. The 29-year-old royal put on a leggy display in a neon green mini dress, teamed with black loafers. Mia looked incredible in a revealing sheer black skirt and a feathered top, teamed with chic pointed heels. The model's brunette tresses were scraped back in a neat updo, as she oozed confidence while posing for sizzling snaps. Clara showed off her figure in a skin-tight brown midi dress, teamed with quirky orange fringe heels. 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. Lady Amelia Windsor turned heads as she made a stylish arrival at the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition party in London on Wednesday Mia Regan and Clara Amfo looked sensational as they posed for snaps at the event Elsewhere, DJ Fat Tony and his new husband Stavros Agapiou made their first public appearance since their lavish London wedding. Helena Bonham Carter showcased her quirky sense of style in a black floral embroidered mesh dress. James Norton, Jessie Ware, and Emma Weymouth were also in attendance at the glamorous event. Held every year since 1769, the RA's Summer Exhibition celebrates contemporary art spanning mediums including painting, printmaking, film and photography. It is the worlds oldest open submission exhibition, meaning anyone can submit their work to be considered for inclusion. It comes after Lady Amelia shocked fans after posting risque photos on social media in just a T-shirt and knickers. The royal shared a trio of intimate snaps of herself modelling an undergarment from the brand POM Peace Of Mind. The granddaughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who is a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth, was pictured sporting a dark grey top from Ganni. The 29-year-old royal put on a leggy display in a neon green mini dress, teamed with black loafers Lady Amelia styled her short blonde tresses straight Mia looked incredible in a revealing sheer black skirt and a feathered top, teamed with chic pointed heels The model's brunette tresses were scraped back in a neat updo, as she oozed confidence while posing for sizzling snaps Clara showed off her figure in a skin-tight brown midi dress, teamed with quirky orange fringe heels Trinny Woodall looked elegant in a white figure-hugging gown and heeled boots Trinny posed with her daughter Lyla Elsewhere, DJ Fat Tony and his new husband Stavros Agapiou made their first public appearance since their lavish London wedding Helena Bonham Carter showcased her quirky sense of style in a black floral embroidered mesh dress The actress was joined by Nell Burton, who caught the eye in a hot pink dress Emma Weymouth put on an elegant display in a white and black lace gown Held every year since 1769, the RA's Summer Exhibition celebrates contemporary art spanning mediums including painting, printmaking, film and photography Jessie Ware and James Norton posed for a snap together Jessica wore an eye-catching black dress and accessorised with a 995 Mulberry Mini Soft Bayswater bag The Happy Valley star cut a dapper figure in a blue striped shirt, white linen trousers and dark shades Paloma Faith opted for a bold black mini dress, red heart knee-high socks and rhinestone heels Rahi Chadda cut a stylish figure in a Miu Miu jacket at the VIP event But the T-shirt was the only piece of clothing thing that Amelia was wearing, as she chose to almost bare it all on her Instagram account. She opted to pose barefoot seemingly in her stylish home as she sat down on a wooden chair in a black pair of underwear - costing 18.95 - from the brand with her legs crossed, as she read a book about art. Amelia used all of her professional model training she learnt from Storm Management, an agency which once represented Kate Moss, to smize at the camera gaze while lying on her vibrant red sofa. Another image also showed Amelia sitting on her white painted wooden flooring while applying her makeup in a full length mirror. She wore her dark blonde bob down in a straightened blow-dry and her makeup was natural and dewy. Amelia said that she wears POM's organic cotton period underwear every month and has grown to befriend the owner of the company. She captioned her post: ' I met Sabrina last summer and we have become friends whilst bonding over similar interests including the topic of female health and wellbeing. 'Sabrina set up @pom_peaceofmind_ - a period underwear company that I now wear every month. They are made from organic cotton and provide secure comfort when you need it most.' Alexa Chung and Tom Sturridge put on a loved-up display Jenna Coleman wowed in a blue maxi skirt and feathered black crop top Millie Brady stood out in a blue denim jack and skirt, with a white shirt underneath Claudia Winkleman opted for a classic white blouse and blac trousers She was joined by her dapper husband Kris Thykier Alex Jones looked a vision in a blue patterned Rebecca Vallance gown, with a belt that cinched in her waist Jennifer Saunders and Ade Edmondson wore matching black ensembles Amelia - who likes to be called 'Mel' by her close family and friends - is known for being passionate about the environment, like King Charles. After posting the image to her almost 100,000 followers, Amelia was met with many compliments from friends and fans who called her 'beautiful' and 'the cutest'. However, this isn't the first time that Amelia has stripped down to her underwear. In February 2024, she was filmed walking down a doorstep modelling bright red Stripe and Stare's knickers. She a video of herself stepping out of a front door wearing nothing but a black t-shirt, red underwear, scarf and trainers. The video opens with Amelia stepping out of a front door and shutting it behind her. She then tosses her scarf over her shoulder before walking down the steps to the camera. In 2021, she also posed for Polaroid-style snaps while wearing a sustainable baby pink bra made from seaweed and wood pulp for Alexander Clementine. The granddaughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who is a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth, was pictured wearing a dark grey top from Ganni along with the period underwear Amelia was filmed in February 2024 walking down a doorstep modelling bright red Stripe and Stare's knickers Amelia is the youngest child of George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, and Sylvana Tomaselli. Educated at the exclusive St. Mary's School Ascot, where boarders pay more than 45,000 a year, she went on to study Italian and French at the University of Edinburgh. Once named the most beautiful royal by Tatler magazine, Amelia has been signed with Storm Management since 2016 and modelled for brands including Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana. Lady Amelia regularly shares glimpses of her glamorous life with her followers on social media. Veteran soap actor Chris Robinson has died at the age of 86. The star was best known for roles as Dr Rick Webber in General Hospital and Jack Hamilton in The Bold and the Beautiful. Musician MJ Allen, who directed his last screen role in the 2022 feature film Just for a Week, wrote on Facebook: 'Prolific Hollywood actor Chris Robinson has passed away at the age of 86. 'He peacefully passed in his sleep at his ranch near Sedona, Arizona at 12:30am on June 9, 2025. 'He had been in heart failure for some time, and is his official cause of death.' Chris is survived by his wife of fourteen years, the artist Jacqui Shane-Robinson. 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. Veteran soap actor Chris Robinson has died at the age of 86 The star was best known for roles as Dr Rick Webber in General Hospital and Jack Hamilton in The Bold and the Beautiful Between 1978 and 1986 he began his role of Dr Rick Webber from originator Michael Gregory on General Hospital. His most notable storylines included a love triangle with his wife Lesley Webber and Monica Quartermaine. Following this, he joined Another World in late 1987, where he played the role of Jason Frame, and was reunited with Denise Alexander, who had played Lesley on General Hospital. He then appeared on another soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful as Jack Hamilton, joining in the early 1990s and leaving after three years. He last appeared in this part in 2005, having made several guest appearances over the years. Robinson returned to General Hospital after a 16-year absence in 2002, only to see his character of Rick killed off in a controversial storyline that altered the back story. In 2013, he appeared in a 50th-anniversary celebration episode as Rick's spirit, making peace with his old rival Alan Quartermaine when they both appeared to Monica and Alan's sister, Tracy. Robinson was married to artist and actress Jacquie and he had five sons from three previous marriages. Between 1978 and 1986 he began his role of Dr Rick Webber from originator Michael Gregory on General Hospital (seen with on-screen wife Lesley Webber played by Denise Alexander) Seen with his late General Hospital co-star Jacklyn Lee Zeman Seen with General Hospital co-star John Reilly Chris was born in West Palm Beach on November 5, 1938. He began his career as an actor and stuntman in the 1950s in films such as Diary of a High School Bride and Beast from Haunted Cave. His role in General Hospital led him to star in the Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup advert. 'I'm not a doctor, but I do play one on TV,' he said in the advertisement. He was eventually replaced by All My Children actor Peter Bergman. Chris previously pleaded guilty to federal income tax evasion in 1985. He was allowed to continue his role on General Hospital under a prison work-release provision. He also starred as a World War II bomber pilot on the 1960s ABC drama 12 O'Clock High. Robinson joined the cast of the Quinn Martin-produced 12 O'Clock High as Technical Sgt. Sandy Komansky for its second season in September 1965. Chris also worked alongside Burt Lancaster in The Young Savages (1961) and Birdman of Alcatraz (1962). Rick and Lesley's wedding in General Hospital General Hospital lost another veteran actor in Ron Hale last year. Tributes flooded in for 'dear friend' and 'amazing talent' Ron at the time, who died aged 78 at his South Carolina home. The Michigan-born actor, a soap veteran best known for playing Mike Corbin on ABC's General Hospital, passed away on August 27, his family confirmed. 'My dear friend Ron Hale has passed away. Ron was an amazing talent and an even better friend. I will miss you,' wrote fellow General Hospital star Jon Lindstrom. Days of Our Lives actor Billy Warlock took to social media to share his heartbreak at the news, writing, 'It's with a heavy heart that we've lost another great one.' Alongside his role in General Hospital, Ronald Hale Thigpen played Dr Roger Coleridge on Ryan's Hope, and was nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards. Harris Yulin - who was known for his work on films Ghostbusters II and Scarface - has died at 88. The talented actor of stage and screen died of cardiac arrest in New York on Tuesday. His death was announced by his family and manager Sue Leibman. In Ghostbusters II (1989) he portrayed Judge Stephen Wexler who famously presided over the case involving the ghost fighting group. He also starred as Mel Bernstein in Scarface (1983) as the character was a corrupt Miami Police Detective on the payroll of drug lord Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia) who attempts to extort Tony Montana (Al Pacino). Yulin - who was born in Los Angeles back on November 5, 1937 - enjoyed a successful career which spanned over six decades. Actor of stage and screen Harris Yulin (pictured in New York back in July 2022) has died at 88 In Ghostbusters II (1989) he (pictured left) portrayed Judge Stephen Wexler who famously presided over the case involving the ghost fighting group He made his New York theater review starring in Next Time I'll Sing To You by James Saunders in 1963. His work on stage was a staple throughout his career as he made his Broadway debut in Watch On The Rhine in 1980. Yulin returned to Broadway several times including roles in The Visit, The Diary Of Anne Frank, The Price, and Heda Gabler. His first film role was portraying Wyatt Earp in 1971 flick Doc which starred Stacy Keach as Doc Holiday. Other movie roles included Clear and Present Danger, Ghostbusters, and Training Day. He also had success on the small screen starring in Star Trek: Deep Space Night, 24, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and Entourage. Yulin was even nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 1996 for his role as Jerome Belasco in the sitcom Frasier. More recently he starred on 12 episodes of Netflix hit series Ozark from 2018 to 2018. The talented actor of stage and screen (pictured in April 2006) died of cardiac arrest in New York on Tuesday He (pictured left) also starred as Mel Bernstein in Scarface (1983) as the character was a corrupt Miami Police Detective on the payroll of drug lord Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia) who attempts to extort Tony Montana ( Al Pacino; pictured right) His work on stage was a staple throughout his career as he made his Broadway debut in Watch On The Rhine in 1980; he is seen in Death Of A Salesman in 2010 His final credit was starring as Professor Dusselberg in 2024 film Omni Loop which starred Mary-Louise Parker and Ayo Edebiri. Yulin dated Faye Dunaway from 1971 to 1972. He went on to marry actress Gwen Welles until she passed away in 1993. His second marriage was to Kristen Lowman as they tied the knot in 2005. Chris Pratt and Anna Faris reunited for the first time since 2018 weeks after he was blasted for failing to acknowledge her on Mother's Day. Jurassic Park star Pratt, 45, and actress Faris, 48, were both in attendance for the sixth grade graduation for their 12-year-old son Jack in Santa Monica on Monday. The two - who divorced in 2018 after a nine year marriage, put on a united front as they flanked their only son while posing for a family snap together. The former married couple proved that all is fine between the both of them as they shared a hug at the celebration. Chris was not alone as he was joined by 35-year-old wife Katherine Schwarzenegger whom he shares daughters Lyla, four, and Eloise, two, and son Ford, seven months. All was good between the action man's ex-wife and current wife as they also shared an embrace. Chris Pratt and Anna Faris shockingly reunited for the first time since 2018 weeks after he was blasted for failing to acknowledge her on Mother's Day - pictured with son Jack, 12 It definitely appeared to be a much lighter mood between the former partners to the last time they were pictured together as they looked strained on a walk in LA back in August 2018 It definitely appeared to be a much lighter mood between the former partners to the last time they were pictured together as they looked strained on a walk in LA back in August 2018. Chris and Anna met in 2007 when they starred together in the 1980s-set rom-com Take Me Home Tonight, and they got engaged the following year before tying the knot in Indonesia in 2009. They later announced their separation in 2017, and Pratt filed for divorce by December of that year. The divorce was finalized on Halloween of 2018. They have both moved on and have gotten married again: Faris tied-the-knot with cinematographer Michael Barrett in 2021 while Pratt wed Schwarzenegger in 2019. Just last month Chris once again upset fans by failing to acknowledge ex-wife Anna on Mother's Day. At the time, he took to Instagram to pay tribute to Katherine, writing in a caption, 'How do moms do it? Seriously. Its like running a circus, a hospital, and a five-star kitchen all at once. 'Our kids hit the jackpot with you, and so did I. We love you. Happy Mothers Day, Chief!' But his followers quickly called him out for snubbing Faris, with one asking, 'Wheres the tribute to mother of your first child????' Another person wrote, 'Anna Faris is a mother too.' The former couple were seen chatting at the event The 45-year-old Pratt and 48-year-old Faris were both in attendance for the sixth grade graduation for their 12-year-old son Jack in Santa Monica on Monday Chris was not alone as he was joined by 35-year-old wife Katherine Schwarzenegger - with whom he shares three children The two put on a united front as they flanked their only side while posing for a family snap together The action man was every bit the proud dad as he smiled while chatting with his son The former married couple proved that all is fine between the both of them as they shared a hug at the celebration All was good between the action man's ex wife and current wife as they also shared an embrace Chris and Katherine share daughters Lyla, four, and Eloise, two, and son Ford, seven months It definitely appeared to be a much lighter mood between the former partners to the last time they were pictured together as they looked strained on a walk in LA back in August 2018 Someone else advised, 'Please remember to acknowledge your first child's mother too, you guys may hate each other or don't speak for certain reasons, but you should acknowledge the mother or father of your child. Keep the peace at least for your child's sake.' And another pressed, 'What about your other baby-mama? Did you walk away from that era of being a father?' 'And where's the photo with the mother of your first child?' a social media user demanded to know. 'Pretty sure theres another woman who is the mother of your other child, the child apparently you didnt even give a damn about,' read another critical comment. DailyMail.com has contacted a representative for Pratt for comment. Pratt has similarly posted previous Mother's Day tributes without mention of Faris. In 2024 he wrote online, 'Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there! Love to my Mom Kathy who set a high bar for her love, patience, humor, and the joy in motherhood.' 'And a special thank you to my darling Katherine for all you do. Witnessing you be a mom to Lyla and Eloise and a stepmom to Jack makes me fall more and more in love with you every day.' Just last month Chris once again upset fans by failing to acknowledge ex-wife Anna on Mother's Day The Marvel star was married to the comedic actress from 2009-2018; they are seen together in December 2016 Faris wed Michael Barrett in 2021 - pictured February 2025 He took to Instagram to pay tribute to wife Katherine Schwarzenegger, writing in a caption, 'How do moms do it? Seriously. Its like running a circus, a hospital, and a five-star kitchen all at once. Our kids hit the jackpot with you, and so did I. We love you. Happy Mothers Day, Chief!' Another person wrote, 'Anna Faris is a mother too' Someone advised, 'Please remember to acknowledge your first child's mother too, you guys may hate each other or don't speak for certain reasons, but you should acknowledge the mother or father of your child' Another person pressed, 'What about your other baby-mama? Did you walk away from that era of being a father?' 'And where's the photo with the mother of your first child?' a social media user demanded to know Not all were upset by his post, however, as many joined the comments to defend the father-of-four. 'I have to say people are just weird who actually think that Chris should pay tribute to his ex wife. Get a life!!!!' one person wrote. Another weighed in, 'Every year, single baby mamas and irksome Karens with nothing interesting in their lives make sure they mark Mother's Day on their calendar. Why? So they can come comment on Chris Pratt's post.' Chris made headlines in 2021 when he thanked Schwarzenegger for giving birth to 'a beautiful, healthy daughter,' which fans interpreted as a slight in reference to Anna prematurely giving birth in 2014. The following year, he told Men's Health he 'cried' over the backlash and called it 'f***ed up' as his son may see the comments 'one day.' Ananda Lewis has died at the age of 52 after losing her nearly seven-year battle with breast cancer. The former MTV VJ passed away on Wednesday, June 11, as announced by her sister Lakshmi Emory via a Facebook post. She shared a black and white portrait of Ananda with the caption: 'She's free, and in His heavenly arms. Lord, rest her soul [prayer emoji]' Ananda's untimely death fell on the same day as her 14-year-old son Langston's middle school graduation, Lakshmi revealed to TMZ. She shares the teen boy, her only child, with husband Harry Smith, 54, who is the younger brother of Oscar-winning actor Will Smith, 56. The media trailblazer announced she was battling stage III breast cancer in 2020. In October 2024, she revealed that her cancer had advanced to stage IV after deciding not to undergo a double mastectomy when she was first diagnosed. Ananda Lewis died at the age of 52 on Wednesday, June 11 after losing her nearly seven-year battle with breast cancer; the star seen in 2019 As a fixture on MTV in the late 1990s, Ananda hosted hit shows like Total Request Live, Hot Zone and Spring Break; Ananda pictured with Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez of NSYNC in 2000 As a fixture on MTV in the late 1990s, Ananda hosted hit shows like Total Request Live, Hot Zone and Spring Break. Lewis nabbed her very own daytime TV talk show, The Ananda Lewis Show, in 2001, which ran for one season. She earned two NAACP Image Awards during her career and was once deemed the 'the hip-hop generation's reigning It Girl' by The New York Times. Lakshmi told TMZ that her sister died at her home in Los Angeles at 11:35am on Wednesday, June 11. She was in hospice care at the time of her death. Lakshmi said that a memorial would be held 'in a few weeks' and that celebrities who Ananda previously interview have already expressed interest in paying tribute to her at the upcoming service. In October 2020, Ananda shocked fans when she announced on social media that she'd been privately battling stage III breast cancer. 'I have been fighting to get cancer out of my body for almost two years,' she shared in the six-minute video posted to Instagram. She also admitted that she'd avoided getting regular mammograms due to fear of radiation exposure. 'I have refused mammograms... that was a mistake. I watched my mom get mammogrammed for 30 years almost and at the end of that she had breast cancer,' she explained. Four years after her announcement, Ananda confirmed that her breast cancer had metastasized and advanced to stage IV. She spoke about deciding not to undergo a double mastectomy in an October 2024 interview with CNN. Ananda's untimely death fell on the same day as her 14-year-old son Langston's middle school graduation; Ananda and Langston pictured in 2019 Lewis' death was confirmed by her sister Lakshmi Emory in a Facebook post Lewis explained that she had originally planned to 'keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way.' But when her tumor eventually metastasized, Ananda realized that she probably 'should have' gone through with the life-saving surgery. 'My plan at first was to get out excessive toxins in my body. I felt like my body is intelligent, I know that to be true. Our bodies are brilliantly made,' Lewis explained to CNN's Stephanie Elam. 'I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way,' she continued, before adding: 'Looking back on that, I go, 'You know what? Maybe I should have.'' Instead, Lewis pursued homeopathic remedies as well as medication and radiation, and although her situation improved for a while, she discovered last year that her cancer had spread. 'My lymph system really flared up. It was the first time I ever had a conversation with death because I felt like: This is how it is,' she said candidly. 'I was just like, "Fudge man, I really thought I had this." I was frustrated, I was a little angry at myself, and I said, "Man, listen. I know you're coming for me at some point. But I don't want it to be now. And if you could just wait, I promise when you do come, I'm gonna make it fun for you."' 'I literally had that conversation laying in my bed. I couldn't get out of bed for, like, eight weeks,' Lewis added. The former MTV VJ passed away on Wednesday, June 11; seen in 2007 Ananda died at her home in Los Angeles at 11:35am on Wednesday, June 11. She was in hospice care at the time of her death; Ananda seen in 1998 Referring to her decision to not have surgery, Lewis said: 'My quality of life was very important to me, like there's a certain things I know I'm not gonna be okay with and I know myself. I want to want to be here, so I had to do it a certain way, for me.' Days after her CNN interview, Lewis clarified her comments about refusing a double mastectomy. In reply to a fan on Instagram, she explained that she did 'say no to the original conventional plan that was laid out before me at first' and 'chose the integrative approach early on.' However, she claimed that the 'treatments I was getting closed down and the monitoring of the tumor stopped' due to the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020. 'Later, I felt the tumor growing and knew I had to re-consider my options with this new barrier of lockdowns. That's when I inquired again (after having said no which I stand behind as my choice in that moment) about surgery and was told it wasn't even something I could consider unless it was emergency surgery because that's all hospitals were doing at that time,' Lewis claimed. 'There are a TON of moving parts on most people's cancer journey and mine is no exception. I don't know that I would've opted for the surgery, I just knew I needed to adapt and take another look at all my options if I wanted to live.' Lewis said that she chose to be transparent about her cancer journey so that 'other women may learn from it, good or bad.' Ananda spoke about her cancer battle more recently in an essay published in the January 2025 issue of Essence magazine. The star stressed the importance of cancer prevention, dubbing it the 'real cure.' In October 2020, Ananda shocked fans when she announced on social media that she'd been privately battling stage III breast cancer for nearly two years 'I have refused mammograms... that was a mistake,' she told her 219,000 followers at the time 'We're not meant to stay here forever. We come to this life, have experiences and then we go. Being real about that with yourself changes how you choose to live. I don't want to spend one more minute than I have to suffering unnecessarily,' she wrote. 'That, for me, is not the quality of life I'm interested in. When it's time for me to go, I want to be able to look back on my life and say, 'I did that exactly how I wanted to.'' Lewis spoke about her Essence essay in an Instagram reel posted in February. The star appeared healthy and full of life as she showed off her copy of the magazine for her 219,000 followers. Lewis's last Instagram post was made on March 7 as she paid tribute to the legendary R&B hitmaker Roberta Flack, who died on February 24 of Roberta Flack at age 88. She wrote: 'Rest in Power [heart emoji] Thank you for shining your light so bright as Roberta Flack and leaving a musical legacy that will bless us forever' Lewis was born in Los Angeles in March 21, 1973 but her parents' divorce when she was just two-years-old led to her being raised by her mother and grandmother in San Diego, California along with her sister Lakshmi. She attended an arts high school before studying at historic Howard University in Washington, DC. She graduated from in 1995. Lewis first garnered TV fame as a host of BET's youth talk-show Teen Summit in Washington D.C., where she famously interviewed then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. In a 1999 interview with Teen People, Lewis said that her interview with Clinton was what 'got me noticed at MTV and in August of 1997, I moved to New York and started working there.' Ananda quickly became a fan-favorite fixture on MTV and interviewed many of the major stars of the late 90s and early 2000s, including Britney Spears and Beyonce. In 2001, the star took a major career leap as she left MTV to become the host of her very own daytime talk show. Four years after her announcement, Ananda confirmed that her breast cancer had metastasized and had advanced to stage IV; seen in February 2025 She spoke about deciding not to undergo a double mastectomy in an October 2024 interview with CNN After news of Lewis' death was made public, Gabrielle Union took to Instagram to pen a heartfelt tribute to the late star. Union, 52, recalled the fun times she shared with Ananda Ananda told Teen People at the time that she 'wanted a change' and that it 'was a matter of proving to myself that I can do [this].' The Ananda Lewis Show premiered in 2001 but was short-lived as it went off the air after one season. However, Ananda voiced regrets about the career move during a 2020 interview. 'I wish I had stopped the people that wanted me to do the show and said, "Not yet, it's a little too early to do this,"' she told Shondaland.com. 'It was overkill for me. It wasn't what I felt like I signed up for.' She served as a correspondent for The Insider from 2004 to 2005. Lewis then became a carpenter and hosted the 2019 revival of While You Were Out on TLC. After news of Lewis' death was made public, Gabrielle Union took to Instagram to pen a heartfelt tribute to the late star. Union, 52, recalled the fun times she shared with Ananda. 'Thinking about us at a local bar in Tobago singing karaoke and laughing our butts off,' she began in her Instagram Story post, which included a throwback photo of Ananda. 'Amanda [sic] was BRILLIANT and witty and a true pleasure to share space with and she loved US. May your soul rest in peace. 'Until the next singalong.....' Union concluded. America's biggest automaker is charging ahead. General Motors the owner of Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, and Buick says it has sold 62,000 EVs through May of this year. Chevy led the electric charge with its two crossover SUVs, the Equinox and the Blazer, selling 37,000 units by the end of May. The EV sales number is a stunning feat for the competition between America's most iconic carmakers: Chevy's sales were enough to beat Ford Corporation's entire EV lineup over the same period. GM namecalled Chevy's Ford-beating sales in its press release. Ford's three-pronged lineup of E-Transit commercial vans, F-150 Lightning pickups, and Mustang Mach-E crossovers sold 34,000 in the same month. That's an eight percent dip on a year ago. Ford blamed the drop on a redesigns of the Mach-E and Lightning. A spokesperson told DailyMail.com the modest design changes resulted in temporary inventory shortages. Ford said EV sales will rebound as stock returns, adding, 'We expect to see a strong June sales month as stock hits dealer lots.' GM said it just had its second-best month of EV sales in its history Chevy's sudden sales surge comes as the battery-powered industry goes through several major shifts. While Tesla still dominates the EV market, its grip is slipping. Legacy car brands like Chevy, Hyundai, Kia, and Toyota are launching a slate of new cars that often undercut Tesla's pricing. Customers are responding positively, with GM claiming that May was its second-best EV sales month ever. 'Customers are responding in record numbers to our world-class portfolio of electric and gas-powered vehicles,' Rory Harvey, the company's VP and president of global markets, said. 'We more than doubled our EV sales compared to the same period last year.' But even as legacy carmakers post electric milestones, headwinds are intensifying. Consumer interest in EVs is sliding, government incentives are under threat, and supply chains are starting to feel the pinch of geopolitical tension. A new poll from AAA found that 63 percent of Americans say they're 'unlikely or very unlikely' to consider an EV for their next vehicle a 10-point jump in just two years. GM's CEO Mary Barra has invested billions of dollars in new battery technologies, including lithium-iron-phosphate Ford said its EV sales decline was largely attributed to a redesign of the Mustang Mach-E 'Since we began tracking interest in fully electric vehicles, we've seen some variability,' Greg Brannon, director of automotive engineering. 'While the automotive industry is committed to long-term electrification and providing a diverse range of models, underlying consumer hesitation remains.' Political winds arent helping either. The Replican backed spending bill dubbed the Big, Beautiful Bill by President Donald Trump aims to slash the federal $7,500 EV tax credit, which has helped keep prices competitive. Killing the subsidy would instantly make EVs more expensive for many buyers. According to the AAA poll, Americans listed higher prices as the biggest problem with EVs. 'It's our belief that consumers will switch to electric when EVs achieve price parity with gas cars,' Seth Goldstein, an EV analyst at Morningstar, told DailyMail.com. Meanwhile, automakers are bracing for supply shortages after China responded to Trump's tariffs by tightening exports of rare-earth magnets a key component in EV motors. While gas cars use around half a pound of the material, electric cars need nearly a pound per vehicle. Automakers are betting big on new tech to weather the storm. Drivers have grown more skeptical of EVs, according to new polls from AAA GM is investing heavily in lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery development, which could cut costs, reduce reliance on rare earths, and enable domestic production all while meeting or exceeding current range standards. Toyota is launching three new EV models in the US, while several companies are looking at reshoring EV production across America. Automakers looking at the future of the industry still largely believe that Americans will eventually transition to fully electric vehicles. It just will take more time than originally expected. Jeremy Snyder, chief commercial officer of the newly-unveiled Slate electric truck company, told the Daily Mail that US EV manufacturing is a no-brainer. 'Building EVs for a new company is the only obvious solution,' he said. 'We expect to be a massive powerhouse in the industry that continues to give people what they're looking for in a vehicle.' A shopper called 911 on Walmart over a self-checkout glitch then claimed the store had 'robbed' him. An employee recalled the incident on Reddit, saying it began with pricing errors on a self-checkout register. 'This guy came up with a bunch of stuff,' the worker wrote in a post. 'He said one item said it was $9.99 on the shelf but was coming up $19.99. We got teamlead to check it out [and] got it fixed for him.' 'Same thing with another Item. That one we couldn't change.' Things really unraveled when the customer made a mistake ringing up avocados. 'I guess he accidentally hit 999 avocados instead of the nine he intended [and] his total jumped up to over $1300,' the employee said. The Reddit user claimed the customer told him to 'get the f***' away from him and dialled 911. However, the customer was in for a surprise after deciding to take on one of America's largest retailers. (Stock image only) A male customer claimed Walmart tried to rob him following a self-checkout error 'This dude creates a whole circus then shows everyone the self checkout screen. We fix it but he still won't shut up,' the employee claimed. By then, asset protection employees were involved and warned the infuriated shopper they would call him a trespasser if he didn't calm down. He refused to back down, and after demanding Walmart compensate him for 'pain and suffering and distress,' he was kicked out of the store. 'They do end up trespassing him, and since he won't leave, his own cops he called put him in handcuffs and take him outside,' the worker added. Other Reddit users claiming to be Walmart employees sympathized with the employee over the matter and shared similar work horror stories. 'Truly unhinged, but you know he absolutely was making a scene intentionally after the second "price correction,"' a commenter wrote. 'I had a customer who was causing a disturbance and making it very hard to work,' another person revealed. 'They kept threatening to call the cops. I dialed the number and handed them the phone. It's amazing how quickly they left...' Walmart's self-checkouts have been making headlines for including new gadgets to protect customers from card skimmers Walmart registers have been a growing nuisance in the eyes of social media users. The company has been working to ensure customers are safe from card skimmers, and several stores are using gadgets at self-checkout. Some locations have also removed self-checkout lanes, while its membership-only retailer Sam's Club axed them out at all stores to explore AI 'Scan & Go' technology. The register changes came after the chain announced its plan to invest $9 billion in store makeovers. The remodeling began in at least 650 locations, but the company has not revealed if self-checkout changes were part of it. While the changes were meant to raise customer satisfaction, they were not enough to cheer up shoppers who were furious over price hikes from tariffs. With prices jumping as much as 80 percent, the retailer was forced to slash about 1,500 US jobs last month on top of the hundreds initiated by the company in 2024. DailyMail.com has reached out to Walmart for comment about the incident. JPMorgan has warned junior employees that they will be fired if they accept future-dated job offers in the first year and a half of working for the bank. America's largest bank has begun cracking down on a common practice which sees graduate analysts accepting job offers up to two years in advance of their start date. Young bankers often begin on an analyst training program while setting up a high-paying private equity role as their next job hop. Private equity firms are happy for young talent to complete an analyst training program before bringing their skills and contacts with them. The practice has irked bankers and JPMorgan's threats have hardened the battle lines between the bank and the firms circling its talent pool. 'If you accept a position with another company before joining us or within your first 18 months, you will be provided notice and your employment with the firm will end,' global banking co-heads Filippo Gori and John Simmons wrote in a leaked email sent to new recruits. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has previously criticized the process, arguing it raises conflicts of interest as employees may be called to work on projects involving their future employers. 'I know a lot of you work at JPMorgan, you take a job at a private equity shop before you even start with us,' Dimon told business students at a talk in September. JPMorgan, headed by Jamie Dimon (pictured), has warned new recruits not to accept future-dated job offers I think that's unethical. I don't like it,' Dimon told the students. 'It puts us in a bad position, and it puts us in a conflicted position,' he added. 'You are already working for somewhere else, and you're dealing with highly confidential information from JPMorgan, and I just don't like it.' The bank has a strict policy requiring its employees to disclose future-dated job offers and acceptances to their manager. Bosses have warned that this policy could become even stricter with disclosure leading to the bank 'reconsidering the status' of their employment. The letter sent on June 4 also told new recruits that their future job searches must be done on their own time. 'To succeed in the investment banking analyst programme, your full attention and participation are essential,' it warned. But there was a sweetener thrown into the otherwise ominous note, which Fortune understands was only sent to new employees in the US. Trainees will now be given the chance to be promoted to analyst after two and a half years rather than the customary three. Young bankers face the chop if they make plans to jump ship before 18 months Dimon has also previously insisted on an ironclad stance on remote work. While speaking at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business in March, Dimon said he's 'had enough' of the now-common workplace practice and that it simply 'doesn't work' in his business. He got onto the controversial topic after a graduate student asked a question regarding leaked, expletive-loaded remarks from a company town hall about the finance firm's end of hybrid work. Under Dimon's leadership JPMorgan has grown to be the world's biggest and most powerful bank with $4 trillion. Its prominent retail and investment arms makes it one of the most closely watched institutions on Wall Street. Recently Dimon, with a personal net worth of $2.5 billion, has warned that the US economy is in peril. Analysts from the bank have also predicted the US could be heading in to a period of stagflation. Bollywood star Katrina Kaif has been appointed as the global brand ambassador for Maldives, the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) announced on Tuesday. The MMPRC, also known as Visit Maldives, announced Kaif, 41, as the new face of the aSunny Side of Life', a new campaign to promote the island nation, a popular tourist and honeymoon destination. Kaif expressed delight at being chosen as the face of the campaign, Sun Online reported. aThe Maldives represents the pinnacle of luxury and natural beauty a a place where elegance meets tranquillity. I'm honoured to be chosen as the face of the Sunny Side of Life,a she said. aThis collaboration is about bringing the finest travel experiences to global audiences, and I'm excited to help people around the world discover the unique charm and world-class offerings of this extraordinary destination.a Ibrahim Shiuree, CEO and Managing Director of Visit Maldives, said that Kaif, with her vibrant personality and global fanbase, is the perfect face for Maldivian tourism. "We are thrilled to welcome Katrina as our global brand ambassador. Her vibrant personality and strong connection with audiences worldwide make her a perfect representative for the Sunny Side of Life,a he said. The collaboration comes as Visit Maldives launches its Summer Sale campaign, designed to entice more travellers to the island nation. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who led a multi-party delegation to the US and four other countries to convey Indiaas stand following Operation Sindoor, on Tuesday said his delegation had agood resultsa everywhere with avery high-quality meetingsa and there was a complete understanding for the Indian position. Tharoor, who returned after his five-nation tour this evening, said from the governmentas perspective, the purpose of sending MPs both demonstrates the unity of India across political lines and at the same time to deliver an effective message to government officials, legislators, think tanks, opinion makers, media and the diaspora abroad. aAll of this was very thoroughly fulfilled,a he told reporters at the airport here. aI think it was a very good visit. We were all very pleased with the way all the five countries we went to received us. We thought we had good results everywhere. aWe had very high-quality meetings -- presidents, PMs, vice presidents, very senior interlocutors,a the Congress leader said. At the same time, there was complete understanding and support for the Indian position for why this whole thing had been triggered post-Pahalgam and what our reaction had to be, he said. aIn fact, many of the people we spoke to specifically expressed respect for the restraint we have shown in our reaction. I would say, we have come out of this extremely well,a Tharoor said. aWe have done what we were asked to do,a he said. Tharoor said what he observed during his visit to the US is that Pakistan has no narrative left to present. aNot only did everyone understand and accept our point of view, but even the responses from American lawmakers were strongly in our favour... Pakistanas position is extremely weak. They claim they havenat done anything and that India attacked them without provocation, but no one was willing to buy that argument,a he said. aThen they try to portray themselves as victims of the same extremists. I told them, a... If you raise a snake in your house, donat expect it to bite only your enemiesa. Thatas the message I conveyed to everyone,a he said. The delegation, led by Tharoor, visited the US on the last leg of a multi-nation tour to brief key interlocutors about Operation Sindoor which India launched in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack which claimed 26 lives. The delegation was one of the seven multi-party delegations India had tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community to emphasise Pakistanas links to terrorism. The group arrived in the US capital on June 3 and over the course of three days held a wide array of meetings on Capitol Hill as well as in Washington, briefing American government officials as well as lawmakers about Indiaas stance on cross-border terrorism. The team had earlier travelled to Guyana, Panama, Colombia and Brazil before arriving in Washington for the last leg of the tour. The other members of the delegation were Sarfaraz Ahmad (JMM), Ganti Harish Madhur Balayogi (TDP), Shashank Mani Tripathi (BJP), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Tejasvi Surya (BJP) and Indiaas former Ambassador to the US Taranjit Sandhu. 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 on May 7. The on-ground hostilities from the Indian and Pakistan sides that lasted for four days ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said the recent confrontation between India and Pakistan was not just a mere conflict between two neighbours, but it was about combating terrorism, which will eventually come back to haunt the West. Jaishankar, in an interview with the European news website 'Euractiv' Wednesday, also pitched for an EU-India free trade, underlining that India - a nation of 1.4 billion a offers skilled labour and a more trustworthy economic partnership than China. "Let me remind you of something a there was a man named Osama bin Laden. Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point?" Jaishankar, who is travelling to Europe a month after India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam attack, told Euractiv. He was replying to a question on the recent four-day conflict between India and Pakistan. "I want the world to understand a this isn't merely an IndiaaPakistan issue. It's about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you," he said while criticising the international media for framing Operation Sindoor as a tit-for-tat between two nuclear-armed neighbours. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which claimed 26 lives. India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7. The on-ground hostilities from the Indian and Pakistan sides that lasted for four days ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10. When asked why India has not joined the West's sanctions against Russia, Jaishankar said that differences cannot be resolved through war. "We don't believe that differences can be resolved through war a we don't believe a solution will come from the battlefield. It's not for us to prescribe what that solution should be. My point is, we're not being prescriptive or judgemental a but we are also not uninvolved," he said. He said India has a strong relationship with Ukraine as well a it's not only about Russia. "But every country, naturally, considers its own experience, history and interests," he added. "India has the longest-standing grievance a our borders were violated just months after independence, when Pakistan sent in invaders to Kashmir. And the countries that were most supportive of that? Western countries," he said. "If those same countries a who were evasive or reticent then a now say alet's have a great conversation about international principles', I think I'm justified in asking them to reflect on their own past," he added. On a question about India's place in the new geopolitical order, he said, "Multipolarity is already here. Europe now faces the need to make more decisions in its own interest a using its own capabilities, and based on the relationships it fosters globally." aI hear terms like astrategic autonomy' being used in Europe a these were once part of our vocabulary,a he said, adding that the EU is a major pole in the global order a and increasingly an autonomous one - and India wants to deepen the relationship in this multipolar world. On a question on the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), he said India is not opposed to it but it has "deep reservations". "Let's not pretend a we're opposed to parts of it. We have very deep reservations about CBAM and we've been quite open about it. The idea that one part of the world will set standards for everybody else is something which we are against," he said. The CBAM is the EU's planned tax on the carbon emitted while making goods imported from countries like India and China. The move has sparked a debate at multilateral forums, including the United Nations climate conferences, as the poorer countries fear such tariffs will harm livelihoods and economic growth. On the US-India ties, Jaishankar said, "Our aim is to advance every relationship that serves our interests a and the US relationship is of immense importance to us. It's not about personality X or president Y.a On ties with China, the minister said he has met with several European companies in India that have chosen to set up there specifically to de-risk their supply chains. "Many companies are becoming increasingly careful about where they locate their data a they'd rather place it somewhere secure and trustworthy than simply go for efficiency. Would you really want that in the hands of actors you don't feel comfortable with?a he said. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF (BATS:NULG Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 4,133 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $324,000. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NULG. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Investors Research Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF by 108.8% during the 4th quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 522 shares of the companys stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF during the 4th quarter worth about $73,000. Finally, Avalon Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF during the 4th quarter worth about $74,000. Get Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF alerts: Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF Stock Up 7.0% BATS NULG opened at $90.85 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.95 and a beta of 1.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $82.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $84.75. Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF has a 12-month low of $67.66 and a 12-month high of $91.24. Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF Profile The Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF (NULG) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI TIAA ESG USA Large Cap Growth index. The fund tracks an index composed of large-cap US companies with growth characteristics that also meet certain environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. NULG was launched on Dec 13, 2016 and is managed by Nuveen. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. City Holding Co. purchased a new position in Lennox International Inc. (NYSE:LII Free Report) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 63 shares of the construction companys stock, valued at approximately $35,000. Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Lennox International in the 1st quarter worth about $43,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Lennox International by 50.8% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 98 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Lennox International by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 117 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in Lennox International by 1,650.0% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 210 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. Finally, Vicus Capital bought a new position in Lennox International during the 4th quarter valued at about $202,000. Institutional investors own 67.07% of the companys stock. Get Lennox International alerts: Lennox International Trading Down 0.2% Lennox International stock opened at $554.78 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $559.13 and a 200 day moving average of $596.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.14. Lennox International Inc. has a 12-month low of $500.10 and a 12-month high of $682.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Lennox International ( NYSE:LII Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $3.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.25 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1 billion. Lennox International had a net margin of 15.11% and a return on equity of 126.79%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.47 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Lennox International Inc. will post 22.94 earnings per share for the current year. Lennox International announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, May 22nd that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to repurchase up to 5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the companys board of directors believes its stock is undervalued. Lennox International Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. This is a positive change from Lennox Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Lennox Internationals dividend payout ratio is currently 23.17%. Insider Buying and Selling In other Lennox International news, CAO Chris Kosel sold 509 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $568.05, for a total transaction of $289,137.45. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,582 shares of the companys stock, valued at $898,655.10. This trade represents a 24.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 9.73% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities analysts have issued reports on LII shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Lennox International from $625.00 to $570.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Lennox International from $455.00 to $549.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Lennox International from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Lennox International from $608.00 to $600.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Lennox International from $580.00 to $582.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lennox International has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $583.71. View Our Latest Research Report on Lennox International Lennox International Company Profile (Free Report) Lennox International Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets a range of products for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration markets in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The Home Comfort Solutions segment provides furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, packaged heating and cooling systems, indoor air quality equipment, comfort control products, and replacement parts and supplies; residential heating, ventilation, cooling equipment, and air conditioning; and evaporator coils and unit heaters under Lennox, Dave Lennox Signature Collection, Armstrong Air, Ducane, AirEase, Concord, MagicPak, Advanced Distributor Products, Allied, Elite Series, Merit Series, Comfort Sync, Healthy Climate, iComfort, ComfortSense, and Lennox Stores name. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LII? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lennox International Inc. (NYSE:LII Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Lennox International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lennox International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rowlandmiller & PARTNERS.ADV acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 856 shares of the asset managers stock, valued at approximately $810,000. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Amalgamated Bank raised its position in shares of BlackRock by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 28,711 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $29,432,000 after buying an additional 489 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 12,480 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $12,793,000 after purchasing an additional 578 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 65,396 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $67,038,000 after purchasing an additional 4,210 shares during the last quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock in the 4th quarter valued at $15,307,000. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp boosted its stake in shares of BlackRock by 242.3% in the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 21,905 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $22,455,000 after purchasing an additional 15,505 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.69% of the companys stock. Get BlackRock alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several brokerages have recently commented on BLK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of BlackRock from $1,046.00 to $988.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,196.00 to $1,178.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on BlackRock from $1,251.00 to $1,032.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of BlackRock from $950.00 to $990.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $1,035.00 to $1,105.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, BlackRock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $1,082.46. BlackRock Trading Up 0.4% BLK stock opened at $992.46 on Wednesday. BlackRock, Inc. has a 1-year low of $752.30 and a 1-year high of $1,084.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 5.23 and a quick ratio of 5.23. The company has a market capitalization of $153.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.63, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.41. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $927.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $972.57. BlackRock (NYSE:BLK Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The asset manager reported $11.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.84 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $5.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.47 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 31.21%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.81 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that BlackRock, Inc. will post 47.41 EPS for the current fiscal year. BlackRock Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $5.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $20.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. BlackRocks dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.63%. Insider Transactions at BlackRock In other news, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $912.50, for a total transaction of $9,125,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 66,034 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,256,025. This trade represents a 13.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.98% of the companys stock. BlackRock Company Profile (Free Report) BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BLK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, June 10th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of 0.25 per share by the real estate investment trust on Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.00%. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a payout ratio of 98.0% meaning its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the companys earnings decline. Get Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance alerts: Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:ARI traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $10.01. The stock had a trading volume of 64,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,120,025. The company has a market capitalization of $1.39 billion, a PE ratio of -10.54 and a beta of 1.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $9.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.33. The company has a current ratio of 51.19, a quick ratio of 51.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 1 year low of $7.70 and a 1 year high of $11.20. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research raised shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $11.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group reissued a neutral rating and issued a $10.00 target price (up from $9.00) on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a market perform rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $10.13. Read Our Latest Analysis on ARI Insider Transactions at Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance In related news, CEO Stuart Rothstein sold 52,074 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.99, for a total transaction of $520,219.26. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 385,928 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,855,420.72. This trade represents a 11.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Mark C. Biderman sold 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.48, for a total transaction of $94,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 60,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $576,260.76. This trade represents a 14.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.68% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance An institutional investor recently raised its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance stock. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE:ARI Free Report) by 43.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,016 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after purchasing an additional 6,358 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLCs holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance were worth $201,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.43% of the companys stock. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Company Profile (Get Free Report) Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that originates, acquires, invests in, and manages commercial first mortgage loans, subordinate financings, and other commercial real estate-related debt investments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ariana Resources (LON:AAU Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The company reported GBX 0.18 ($0.00) earnings per share for the quarter, Digital Look Earnings reports. Ariana Resources Stock Performance Shares of AAU opened at GBX 1.11 ($0.01) on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of 21.41 million, a P/E ratio of 41,148.15 and a beta of 0.65. Ariana Resources has a fifty-two week low of GBX 0.91 ($0.01) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 3.07 ($0.04). The businesss 50-day moving average is GBX 1.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 1.66. Get Ariana Resources alerts: Insider Activity at Ariana Resources In other Ariana Resources news, insider Michael de Villiers bought 1,783,333 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 1 ($0.01) per share, with a total value of 17,833.33 ($24,076.32). Company insiders own 43.73% of the companys stock. About Ariana Resources Ariana Resources is an AIM-listed mineral exploration and development company with an exceptional track record of creating value for its shareholders through its interests in active mining projects and investments in exploration companies. Its current interests include being a gold producer in Turkiye, a major gold development project in Zimbabwe that will become the Companys flagship project over time, and copper-gold exploration and development projects across the portfolio. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Ariana Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ariana Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV reduced its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS Free Report) by 0.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 37,294 shares of the companys stock after selling 206 shares during the period. Novartis accounts for approximately 1.1% of Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADVs investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADVs holdings in Novartis were worth $4,158,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth $109,739,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth $88,339,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 14,376.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 727,296 shares of the companys stock worth $81,079,000 after purchasing an additional 722,272 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,132,591 shares of the companys stock worth $207,522,000 after purchasing an additional 399,862 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,668,849 shares of the companys stock worth $259,706,000 after purchasing an additional 368,171 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Novartis alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms have recently issued reports on NVS. BNP Paribas upgraded Novartis to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an underweight rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $123.38. Novartis Stock Performance Shares of Novartis stock opened at $118.59 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $250.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.17, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.59. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $96.06 and a 12 month high of $120.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $110.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.78. Novartis (NYSE:NVS Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.16. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. The business had revenue of $13.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.80 EPS. The firms revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year. Novartis Company Profile (Free Report) Novartis AG engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NVS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Novartis Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Novartis and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bard Financial Services Inc. cut its position in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO Free Report) by 4.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 81,765 shares of the companys stock after selling 3,625 shares during the period. Bard Financial Services Inc.s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $5,678,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NVO. GQG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 74.7% in the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 12,994,533 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,117,790,000 after buying an additional 5,556,460 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter valued at $404,910,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 34.2% in the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 11,571,686 shares of the companys stock valued at $995,397,000 after buying an additional 2,947,771 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 73.2% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 6,244,931 shares of the companys stock valued at $537,189,000 after buying an additional 2,639,693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter valued at $158,657,000. 11.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Novo Nordisk A/S alerts: Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Up 5.2% NVO stock opened at $79.39 on Wednesday. Novo Nordisk A/S has a one year low of $57.00 and a one year high of $148.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $356.28 billion, a PE ratio of 24.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a fifty day moving average of $66.26 and a 200-day moving average of $80.17. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Novo Nordisk A/S ( NYSE:NVO Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.92. The business had revenue of $11.87 billion during the quarter. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 34.81% and a return on equity of 84.68%. As a group, analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current year. A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an equal weight rating for the company. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Dbs Bank cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a sell rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Guggenheim cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Novo Nordisk A/S presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $112.00. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on NVO About Novo Nordisk A/S (Free Report) Novo Nordisk A/S, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research and development, manufacture, and distribution of pharmaceutical products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, North America, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity Care, and Rare Disease. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NVO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Novo Nordisk A/S Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Novo Nordisk A/S and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund (NYSE:MPA Get Free Report) declared a monthly dividend on Wednesday, June 4th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of 0.066 per share by the investment management company on Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund Trading Up 0.2% Shares of NYSE MPA opened at $10.76 on Wednesday. BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund has a 52 week low of $10.26 and a 52 week high of $12.82. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $10.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.41. Get BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund In other news, major shareholder Saba Capital Management, L.P. sold 19,571 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.75, for a total value of $210,388.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,888,553 shares in the company, valued at $20,301,944.75. This trade represents a 1.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 502,307 shares of company stock valued at $5,463,938. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund Company Profile A hedge fund recently raised its stake in BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund ( NYSE:MPA Free Report ) by 2.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 66,568 shares of the investment management companys stock after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned 0.51% of BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund worth $746,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.70% of the companys stock. (Get Free Report) BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc It is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund invests in fixed income markets. It invests primarily in long-term investment grade municipal obligations exempt from federal income taxes and Pennsylvania income taxes. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bard Financial Services Inc. lessened its stake in shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI Free Report) by 0.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 107,150 shares of the companys stock after selling 485 shares during the period. Bard Financial Services Inc.s holdings in British American Tobacco were worth $4,433,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in British American Tobacco by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,288 shares of the companys stock valued at $483,000 after acquiring an additional 789 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its holdings in British American Tobacco by 92.0% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 25,171 shares of the companys stock valued at $914,000 after purchasing an additional 12,059 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC boosted its position in British American Tobacco by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 10,392 shares of the companys stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 2,456 shares during the period. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp boosted its position in British American Tobacco by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp now owns 34,310 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,246,000 after buying an additional 3,375 shares during the period. Finally, Edmp Inc. purchased a new position in British American Tobacco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.16% of the companys stock. Get British American Tobacco alerts: British American Tobacco Stock Performance NYSE:BTI opened at $47.49 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $98.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.75 and a beta of 0.31. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a fifty-two week low of $30.29 and a fifty-two week high of $47.98. The firms 50 day moving average is $43.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.23. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of British American Tobacco from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, February 17th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $33.00. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on British American Tobacco About British American Tobacco (Free Report) British American Tobacco p.l.c. engages in the provision of tobacco and nicotine products to consumers worldwide. It also offers vapour, heated, and modern oral nicotine products; combustible cigarettes; and traditional oral products, such as snus and moist snuff. The company offers its products under the Vuse, glo, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Rothmans, Camel, Natural American Spirit, Newport, Vogue, Viceroy, Kool, Peter Stuyvesant, Craven A, State Express 555 and Shuang Xi brands. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BTI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for British American Tobacco Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for British American Tobacco and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Curbstone Financial Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Free Report) by 13.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 21,946 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after acquiring an additional 2,612 shares during the quarter. Curbstone Financial Management Corps holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $1,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BMY. Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 137.5% in the 1st quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 475 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. 76.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Bristol-Myers Squibb alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on BMY shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Bristol-Myers Squibb from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Argus raised Bristol-Myers Squibb to a hold rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $55.00 target price (down from $67.00) on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $58.00. Insider Buying and Selling at Bristol-Myers Squibb In other news, EVP Samit Hirawat acquired 4,250 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,973,548.54. This trade represents a 5.36% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the companys stock. Bristol-Myers Squibb Price Performance NYSE:BMY opened at $49.96 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.90. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $48.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.92. The stock has a market cap of $101.66 billion, a PE ratio of -11.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.38. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 52 week low of $39.35 and a 52 week high of $63.33. Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $11.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.77 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a positive return on equity of 13.93% and a negative net margin of 18.53%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($4.40) earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 6.74 EPS for the current fiscal year. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Profile (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 Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BMY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Free Report). 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. EdgeRock Capital LLC trimmed its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK Free Report) by 9.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,984 shares of the companys stock after selling 297 shares during the period. EdgeRock Capital LLCs holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $268,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 251,096,107 shares of the companys stock valued at $24,979,041,000 after purchasing an additional 1,292,192 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 80,742,030 shares of the companys stock valued at $8,032,217,000 after purchasing an additional 4,932,647 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 61,181,863 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,072,582,000 after acquiring an additional 2,026,859 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $3,479,799,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 31,377,107 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,121,395,000 after acquiring an additional 4,511,742 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Merck & Co. Inc. alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Guggenheim reiterated a buy rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an overweight rating to a cautious rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a buy rating to a hold rating and reduced their price target for the company from $128.00 to $105.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $109.19. Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance MRK stock opened at $81.32 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $134.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $78.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.64. The stock has a market cap of $204.20 billion, a PE ratio of 12.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $15.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.07 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year. Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.98%. Merck & Co., Inc.s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.16%. Insider Buying and Selling In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,778 shares of the companys stock, valued at $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile (Free Report) Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kozak & Associates Inc. decreased its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Free Report) by 12.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 458 shares of the investment management companys stock after selling 63 shares during the period. Kozak & Associates Inc.s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $231,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. increased its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 170.0% in the 1st quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 54 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.21% of the companys stock. Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms have recently weighed in on GS. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $660.00 to $594.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $610.00 to $560.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $690.00 to $660.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $560.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $585.00 to $550.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $593.40. Insider Buying and Selling at The Goldman Sachs Group In related news, Director John B. Hess purchased 3,904 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $511.68 per share, with a total value of $1,997,598.72. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,904 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,997,598.72. The trade was a increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Up 0.2% The Goldman Sachs Group stock opened at $615.00 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $558.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $583.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $188.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.17, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.32. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $437.37 and a 52-week high of $672.19. The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 14th. The investment management company reported $14.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $12.57 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $15.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.99 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 13.30%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $11.58 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current year. The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $3.00 per share. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Groups payout ratio is 27.85%. About The Goldman Sachs Group (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. Read More 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. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt acquired a new position in shares of Reddit, Inc. (NYSE:RDDT Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 500 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $52,000. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RDDT. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Reddit in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Reddit in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Bogart Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Reddit in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Reddit by 970.0% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 214 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Reddit in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Get Reddit alerts: Insider Activity at Reddit In other news, CEO Steve Ladd Huffman sold 124,408 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.36, for a total value of $15,844,602.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 583,515 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $74,316,470.40. This represents a 17.57% 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, CTO Christopher Brian Slowe sold 26,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.43, for a total value of $2,559,180.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 251,373 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $24,742,644.39. This represents a 9.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 677,875 shares of company stock valued at $76,732,994 over the last three months. 34.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Reddit Stock Down 0.1% RDDT stock opened at $117.37 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $107.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $143.27. The stock has a market cap of $21.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.18, a PEG ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 1.99. Reddit, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $49.13 and a fifty-two week high of $230.41. Reddit (NYSE:RDDT Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $392.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $370.55 million. Reddit had a negative return on equity of 24.71% and a negative net margin of 37.25%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 61.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($8.19) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Reddit, Inc. will post 1.12 EPS for the current year. Analysts Set New Price Targets RDDT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Reddit in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They issued a sell rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Redburn Partners set a $75.00 price target on Reddit in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on Reddit from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America cut their price objective on Reddit from $190.00 to $110.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up previously from $140.00) on shares of Reddit in a report on Friday, May 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $139.78. View Our Latest Stock Report on Reddit Reddit Company Profile (Free Report) Reddit, Inc operates a website that organizes digital communities. It organizes communities based on specific interests that enable users to engage in conversations by sharing experiences, submitting links, uploading images and videos, and replying to one another. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding RDDT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Reddit, Inc. (NYSE:RDDT Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Reddit Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Reddit and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mainsail Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:AGG Free Report) by 14.3% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,766 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 1,476 shares during the period. Mainsail Financial Group LLCs holdings in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF were worth $1,164,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 238.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,984 shares of the companys stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 7,030 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,127 shares of the companys stock valued at $884,000 after purchasing an additional 3,044 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 25,330 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,454,000 after purchasing an additional 1,172 shares during the period. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC lifted its position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 4,312 shares of the companys stock valued at $418,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.63% of the companys stock. Get iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF alerts: iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Trading Up 0.2% iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF stock opened at $97.62 on Wednesday. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF has a 1 year low of $95.74 and a 1 year high of $102.04. The company has a market cap of $123.98 billion, a PE ratio of 124.57 and a beta of 0.24. The companys 50-day moving average is $97.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $97.82. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Company Profile IShares are index funds that are bought and sold like common stocks on national securities exchanges as well as certain foreign exchanges. iShares are attractive because of their relatively low cost, tax efficiency and trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell shares through any brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds in any type of brokerage account. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AGG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:AGG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Malvern International Plc (LON:MLVN Get Free Report) fell 17.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 15.35 ($0.21) and last traded at GBX 17 ($0.23). 109,465 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 54% from the average session volume of 71,020 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 20.50 ($0.28). Malvern International Stock Down 17.1% The firm has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 19.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 20.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of -69.48, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of 4.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.96 and a beta of 0.64. Get Malvern International alerts: Malvern International (LON:MLVN Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported GBX (0.53) (($0.01)) EPS for the quarter. Malvern International had a negative net margin of 1.81% and a positive return on equity of 6.64%. Malvern International Company Profile Malvern International Plc provides educational services in the United Kingdom. The company operates Malvern House London; Malvern House Brighton; Communicate School in Manchester; Language in Action; and International Study Centres. It also offers English language schools, juniors and summer camps programmes; business and management, accounting and finance, humanities and social sciences, and engineering and science; in-sessional and pre-sessional English programs; and international foundation year and programme, international year one, and international graduate diploma. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Malvern International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Malvern International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE:MAA Free Report) by 0.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 30,717 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Mid-America Apartment Communities accounts for about 3.2% of Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc.s holdings in Mid-America Apartment Communities were worth $5,148,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Alhambra Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 3.1% during the first quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 2,166 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $363,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities during the first quarter worth $153,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities during the first quarter worth $2,971,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities by 94.1% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,229 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,044,000 after buying an additional 3,020 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ibex Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Mid-America Apartment Communities during the first quarter worth $6,731,000. 93.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Mid-America Apartment Communities alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades MAA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $174.00 to $171.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Raymond James downgraded Mid-America Apartment Communities from a strong-buy rating to an outperform rating and dropped their price target for the company from $185.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Barclays boosted their price target on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Mid-America Apartment Communities from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Mid-America Apartment Communities from $182.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a sector outperform rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mid-America Apartment Communities currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $169.50. Insider Activity In other news, EVP Amber Fairbanks sold 173 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.85, for a total transaction of $28,865.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,012 shares in the company, valued at $502,552.20. This represents a 5.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO H Eric Bolton, Jr. sold 4,358 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.24, for a total transaction of $724,473.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 324,171 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $53,890,187.04. This trade represents a 1.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 7,313 shares of company stock valued at $1,171,707. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Mid-America Apartment Communities Stock Performance NYSE:MAA opened at $151.74 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $17.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The stocks 50-day moving average is $157.15 and its 200-day moving average is $157.81. Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. has a 1-year low of $136.77 and a 1-year high of $173.38. Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $549.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $551.21 million. Mid-America Apartment Communities had a return on equity of 8.53% and a net margin of 24.03%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.22 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. will post 8.84 earnings per share for the current year. Mid-America Apartment Communities Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th will be given a $1.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $6.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.99%. Mid-America Apartment Communitiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 126.25%. Mid-America Apartment Communities Company Profile (Free Report) Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the operation, acquisition, and development of apartment communities. It operates through the Same Store and Non-Same Store segments. The Same Store Communities segment represents those apartment communities that have been owned and stabilized for at least 12 months as of the first day of the calendar year. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Mid-America Apartment Communities Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mid-America Apartment Communities and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $545.31. A number of research analysts have recently commented on NOC shares. UBS Group lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $583.00 to $571.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $550.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a positive rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Northrop Grumman from a sell rating to a neutral rating and upped their target price for the stock from $424.00 to $521.00 in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Get Northrop Grumman alerts: View Our Latest Report on NOC Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Roshan S. Roeder sold 991 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $490.00, for a total transaction of $485,590.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 319 shares of the companys stock, valued at $156,310. The trade was a 75.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink . Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,090 shares of company stock valued at $533,853. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 55,522.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,520,158 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $778,336,000 after acquiring an additional 1,517,425 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 23.4% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,139,333 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $2,631,390,000 after buying an additional 974,633 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 1,425.2% in the 1st quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,001,198 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $512,624,000 after buying an additional 935,554 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter worth approximately $369,205,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,266,301 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $6,792,479,000 after buying an additional 588,520 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the companys stock. Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.5% NOC stock opened at $489.11 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $70.40 billion, a PE ratio of 17.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.14. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $490.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $482.30. Northrop Grumman has a fifty-two week low of $418.60 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.33 by ($0.27). Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. The business had revenue of $9.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.07 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman will post 28.05 EPS for the current year. Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. This is a boost from Northrop Grummans previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. Northrop Grummans dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.46%. About Northrop Grumman (Get Free Report Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The companys Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle management and command and control systems. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Northrop Grumman Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Northrop Grumman and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rivernorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund Inc. (NYSEARCA:RMM Get Free Report) announced a monthly dividend on Thursday, April 3rd, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of 0.0905 per share on Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.02%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Rivernorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund Stock Performance RMM stock opened at $13.54 on Wednesday. Rivernorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund has a 52-week low of $12.55 and a 52-week high of $16.37. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $13.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.46. Get Rivernorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In related news, President Patrick W. Galley acquired 4,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.14 per share, with a total value of $52,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 15,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $197,100. This trade represents a 36.36% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Institutional Trading of Rivernorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund Rivernorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund Company Profile A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Rivernorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Rivernorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund Inc. ( NYSEARCA:RMM Free Report ) by 10.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 268,226 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 25,822 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canadas holdings in Rivernorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund were worth $3,841,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. (Get Free Report) Rivernorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund Inc is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by RiverNorth Capital Management, LLC. The fund is co-managed by MacKay Shields LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. The fund primarily invests in investment grade municipal debt securities. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Rivernorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rivernorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR Get Free Report) Director Christopher John Killoy sold 8,583 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.01, for a total transaction of $317,656.83. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 41,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,538,098.59. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Trading Up 1.3% RGR stock opened at $37.74 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $624.79 million, a P/E ratio of 21.32 and a beta of 0.11. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.74 and a 52 week high of $46.40. The companys 50-day moving average price is $37.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.19. Get Sturm Ruger & Company Inc. alerts: Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.65 by ($0.19). Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a net margin of 5.70% and a return on equity of 9.49%. The business had revenue of $135.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $148.05 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.40 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Cuts Dividend Wall Street Analyst Weigh In The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.34%. Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Read Our Latest Stock Report on Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Institutional Trading of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $492,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 4.2% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,777 shares of the companys stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 239.4% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 100,834 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,962,000 after purchasing an additional 71,128 shares in the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 42.1% in the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 18,679 shares of the companys stock valued at $734,000 after purchasing an additional 5,537 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PDT Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $315,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.00% of the companys stock. About Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (Get Free Report) Sturm, Ruger & Co, Inc engages in the business of designing, manufacturing, and selling firearms to domestic customers. It operates through the Firearms and Castings segments. The Firearms segment focuses on manufacturing and selling rifles, pistols, and revolvers principally to a number of federally licensed, independent wholesale distributors. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Sturm Ruger & Company Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sturm Ruger & Company Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSE:SLF Get Free Report) (NYSE:SLF) have received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$86.89. A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays lowered their price target on Sun Life Financial from C$87.00 to C$86.00 in a report on Friday, May 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Sun Life Financial from C$96.00 to C$90.00 in a report on Monday, April 21st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$82.00 to C$88.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Cormark upgraded shares of Sun Life Financial from a hold rating to a moderate buy rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$94.00 to C$90.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Get Sun Life Financial alerts: Check Out Our Latest Research Report on SLF Insider Activity at Sun Life Financial Sun Life Financial Price Performance In other Sun Life Financial news, Senior Officer Stephen Peacher sold 80,048 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$87.70, for a total value of C$7,020,209.60. Also, Senior Officer Jacques Jr. Goulet sold 44,199 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$88.17, for a total transaction of C$3,897,025.83. Insiders sold 188,721 shares of company stock worth $16,554,701 in the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Shares of SLF opened at C$88.54 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of C$50.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.00, a quick ratio of 84,866.00 and a current ratio of 92.19. Sun Life Financial has a one year low of C$64.38 and a one year high of C$89.73. The stocks fifty day moving average is C$83.59 and its 200-day moving average is C$83.25. Sun Life Financial Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a $0.88 dividend. This is a positive change from Sun Life Financials previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.98%. Sun Life Financials dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.87%. About Sun Life Financial (Get Free Report Sun Life Financial is one of Canadas Big Three life insurance companies along with Great-West Lifeco and Manulife. Sun Life provides insurance, retirement, and wealth-management services to individual and corporate customers in Canada, the United States, and Asia. It also owns MFS Investment Management, a Boston-based asset-management firm. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Sun Life Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sun Life Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Northeast Investment Management lifted its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM Free Report) by 10.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,506 shares of the semiconductor companys stock after acquiring an additional 605 shares during the quarter. Northeast Investment Managements holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing were worth $1,080,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. City Holding Co. grew its position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 238.0% in the 1st quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 169 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 16.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing alerts: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Trading Up 2.6% TSM opened at $212.39 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.10 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.17, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.27. The firms fifty day moving average price is $176.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $188.14. 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 12-month low of $133.57 and a 12-month high of $226.40. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Cuts Dividend Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( NYSE:TSM Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $25.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $834.10 billion. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a net margin of 40.51% and a return on equity of 30.47%. As a group, research analysts expect that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited will post 9.2 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently declared 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 1.22%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings payout ratio is 30.46%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays restated an overweight rating and issued a $240.00 target price (up previously from $215.00) on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a buy rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Susquehanna reiterated a positive rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $217.00. Read Our Latest Stock Report on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing 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. 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. Trinity Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Free Report) by 1,169.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,500 shares of the investment management companys stock after buying an additional 6,909 shares during the quarter. The Goldman Sachs Group accounts for approximately 0.8% of Trinity Financial Advisors LLCs holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Trinity Financial Advisors LLCs holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $4,097,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GS. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 63,864.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,976,684 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $2,172,423,000 after acquiring an additional 3,970,467 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter valued at $1,603,315,000. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 4th quarter worth about $944,334,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 4th quarter worth about $624,844,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 14,007.0% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,059,716 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $606,815,000 after purchasing an additional 1,052,204 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.21% of the companys stock. Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts: The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Up 0.2% Shares of NYSE GS opened at $615.00 on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $437.37 and a 1 year high of $672.19. The firms 50-day moving average is $558.78 and its 200-day moving average is $583.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $188.71 billion, a PE ratio of 15.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.32. The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend The Goldman Sachs Group ( NYSE:GS Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 14th. The investment management company reported $14.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $12.57 by $1.55. The firm had revenue of $15.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $14.99 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 13.30%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $11.58 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current year. The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $3.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $12.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The Goldman Sachs Groups payout ratio is currently 27.85%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several brokerages have weighed in on GS. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $660.00 to $594.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Daiwa America downgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Citigroup dropped their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $585.00 to $550.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded The Goldman Sachs Group from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and cut their price objective for the company from $690.00 to $660.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $680.00 to $650.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $593.40. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on GS Insider Activity at The Goldman Sachs Group In other news, Director John B. Hess purchased 3,904 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was bought at an average price of $511.68 per share, with a total value of $1,997,598.72. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,904 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,997,598.72. This represents a increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. About The Goldman Sachs Group (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. Featured Articles 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. USA Financial Formulas reduced its stake in shares of Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI Free Report) by 13.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,562 shares of the pipeline companys stock after selling 6,709 shares during the quarter. USA Financial Formulas holdings in Kinder Morgan were worth $1,186,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. CX Institutional grew its position in shares of Kinder Morgan by 8.7% during the 1st quarter. CX Institutional now owns 17,027 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 1,366 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Kinder Morgan by 212.5% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,468,235 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $156,009,000 after buying an additional 3,718,521 shares during the period. Integrated Advisors Network LLC grew its position in shares of Kinder Morgan by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 11,064 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 1,299 shares during the period. Ibex Wealth Advisors grew its position in shares of Kinder Morgan by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 384,257 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $10,963,000 after buying an additional 3,241 shares during the period. Finally, Accurate Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Kinder Morgan by 14.7% during the 1st quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC now owns 25,567 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $676,000 after buying an additional 3,286 shares during the period. 62.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Kinder Morgan alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth KMI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Kinder Morgan from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Kinder Morgan from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Kinder Morgan from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an overweight rating on shares of Kinder Morgan in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Kinder Morgan from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $30.21. Kinder Morgan Trading Down 0.5% NYSE:KMI opened at $27.40 on Wednesday. Kinder Morgan, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.47 and a twelve month high of $31.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $27.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.45. The company has a market cap of $60.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.74. Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The pipeline company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.34. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.02 billion. Kinder Morgan had a return on equity of 8.09% and a net margin of 17.31%. As a group, analysts expect that Kinder Morgan, Inc. will post 1.25 EPS for the current fiscal year. Kinder Morgan Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a $0.2925 dividend. This represents a $1.17 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.27%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This is an increase from Kinder Morgans previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Kinder Morgans dividend payout ratio is presently 100.86%. Insider Activity In other news, President Thomas A. Martin sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.57, for a total value of $496,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 789,652 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $21,770,705.64. This represents a 2.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,522,440. 12.73% of the stock is owned by insiders. About Kinder Morgan (Free Report) Kinder Morgan, Inc operates as an energy infrastructure company primarily in North America. The company operates through Natural Gas Pipelines, Products Pipelines, Terminals, and CO2 segments. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment owns and operates interstate and intrastate natural gas pipeline, and storage systems; natural gas gathering systems and natural gas processing and treating facilities; natural gas liquids fractionation facilities and transportation systems; and liquefied natural gas gasification, liquefaction, and storage facilities. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Kinder Morgan Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kinder Morgan and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. USA Financial Formulas lowered its stake in The Bank of New York Mellon Co. (NYSE:BK Free Report) by 7.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,664 shares of the banks stock after selling 1,752 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon comprises 0.3% of USA Financial Formulas portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. USA Financial Formulas holdings in Bank of New York Mellon were worth $1,817,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. My Legacy Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 6.9% in the first quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 4,366 shares of the banks stock worth $366,000 after buying an additional 283 shares during the period. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Bank of New York Mellon by 68.9% during the 1st quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 12,512 shares of the banks stock valued at $1,049,000 after purchasing an additional 5,103 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in Bank of New York Mellon by 806.6% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 553 shares of the banks stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares during the period. Accurate Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Bank of New York Mellon by 16.2% during the 1st quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,382 shares of the banks stock valued at $496,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares during the period. Finally, Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its stake in Bank of New York Mellon by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 4,562 shares of the banks stock valued at $383,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.31% of the companys stock. Get Bank of New York Mellon alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades BK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Bank of New York Mellon from $86.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup lifted their target price on Bank of New York Mellon from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Bank of New York Mellon from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Bank of New York Mellon from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Bank of New York Mellon from $94.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bank of New York Mellon has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $91.85. Bank of New York Mellon Stock Performance NYSE BK opened at $89.96 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $64.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.69. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $83.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.77. The Bank of New York Mellon Co. has a fifty-two week low of $57.18 and a fifty-two week high of $90.63. Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The bank reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $4.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.76 billion. Bank of New York Mellon had a return on equity of 12.68% and a net margin of 11.35%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.29 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Bank of New York Mellon Co. will post 6.96 earnings per share for the current year. Bank of New York Mellon Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. Bank of New York Mellons dividend payout ratio is currently 30.62%. Insider Activity In other Bank of New York Mellon news, EVP J Kevin Mccarthy sold 30,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.03, for a total value of $2,370,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,115 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,355,738.45. This represents a 35.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kurtis R. Kurimsky sold 5,641 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.50, for a total value of $437,177.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 21,679 shares in the company, valued at $1,680,122.50. This trade represents a 20.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 101,114 shares of company stock valued at $7,869,795. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. About Bank of New York Mellon (Free Report) The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation provides a range of financial products and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and other segments. The Securities Services segment offers custody, trust and depositary, accounting, exchange-traded funds, middle-office solutions, transfer agency, services for private equity and real estate funds, foreign exchange, securities lending, liquidity/lending services, and data analytics. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Bank of New York Mellon Co. (NYSE:BK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Bank of New York Mellon Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of New York Mellon and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Free Report) by 7.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,015 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc.s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $798,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 0.3% in the first quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 36,397 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $4,828,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the first quarter valued at about $224,000. USA Financial Formulas boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 191.9% in the first quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 11,251 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $1,492,000 after acquiring an additional 7,396 shares during the period. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the first quarter valued at about $297,000. Finally, Strategic Equity Management bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the first quarter valued at about $306,000. Institutional investors own 75.18% of the companys stock. Get Abbott Laboratories alerts: Insider Activity In other news, Director Sally E. Blount sold 2,600 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $337,116.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 34,058 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,415,960.28. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $133.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, 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 research note on Thursday, April 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $142.59. Get Our Latest Report on ABT Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $134.04 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $130.82 and a 200-day moving average of $126.06. Abbott Laboratories has a 1 year low of $99.71 and a 1 year high of $141.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $233.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.73. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.02. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 20.74% and a net margin of 31.95%. The company had revenue of $10.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.38 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current year. About Abbott Laboratories (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. Further Reading 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. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lifted its position in EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR Free Report) by 24.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,370 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after buying an additional 7,935 shares during the quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NCs holdings in EPR Properties were worth $2,124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of EPR. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of EPR Properties in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of EPR Properties by 54.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,296 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 457 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of EPR Properties in the 4th quarter valued at $60,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in EPR Properties during the 4th quarter worth about $61,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in EPR Properties by 51.8% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,530 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.66% of the companys stock. Get EPR Properties alerts: EPR Properties Price Performance Shares of NYSE:EPR opened at $57.06 on Wednesday. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $51.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.86. The stock has a market cap of $4.34 billion, a PE ratio of 24.70 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 7.81 and a current ratio of 7.81. EPR Properties has a one year low of $39.87 and a one year high of $57.72. EPR Properties Announces Dividend EPR Properties ( NYSE:EPR Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.05. EPR Properties had a return on equity of 8.22% and a net margin of 28.87%. The business had revenue of $146.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $155.46 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that EPR Properties will post 4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently announced a may 25 dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $0.295 dividend. This represents a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. EPR Propertiess payout ratio is currently 217.18%. Analyst Ratings Changes EPR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on EPR Properties from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on EPR Properties from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $58.00 price target on shares of EPR Properties in a report on Monday, May 19th. UBS Group upped their price objective on EPR Properties from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed a strong-buy rating on shares of EPR Properties in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $54.57. View Our Latest Analysis on EPR Properties Insider Activity at EPR Properties In other EPR Properties news, SVP Brian Andrew Moriarty sold 2,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.99, for a total value of $129,975.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,299 shares of the companys stock, valued at $795,395.01. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Tonya L. Mater sold 3,120 shares of EPR Properties stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.90, for a total value of $161,928.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 46,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,430,321.30. The trade was a 6.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.31% of the stock is owned by insiders. EPR Properties Company Profile (Free Report) EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) is the leading diversified experiential net lease real estate investment trust (REIT), specializing in select enduring experiential properties in the real estate industry. We focus on real estate venues that create value by facilitating out of home leisure and recreation experiences where consumers choose to spend their discretionary time and money. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EPR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for EPR Properties Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for EPR Properties and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM Get Free Report) had its price objective dropped by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $135.00 to $115.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Companys price objective suggests a potential upside of 21.93% from the companys previous close. Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $120.00 price target on shares of J. M. Smucker in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup decreased their target price on J. M. Smucker from $129.00 to $128.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen raised J. M. Smucker from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, March 28th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on J. M. Smucker from $134.00 to $129.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on J. M. Smucker from $123.00 to $119.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $122.55. Get J. M. Smucker alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on SJM J. M. Smucker Trading Down 15.7% J. M. Smucker stock opened at $94.32 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.35. J. M. Smucker has a 12-month low of $93.93 and a 12-month high of $125.42. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $113.27 and a 200 day moving average of $111.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. J. M. Smucker (NYSE:SJM Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 10th. The company reported $2.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.18 billion. J. M. Smucker had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 5.96%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that J. M. Smucker will post 9.88 earnings per share for the current year. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, CFO Tucker H. Marshall sold 5,028 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.36, for a total value of $569,974.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,263 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,503,493.68. The trade was a 27.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jill R. Penrose sold 5,117 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.26, for a total value of $594,902.42. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,022,390.44. The trade was a 36.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.40% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of J. M. Smucker Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its stake in shares of J. M. Smucker by 188.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 231 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of J. M. Smucker by 87.0% during the 1st quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 215 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of J. M. Smucker in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in J. M. Smucker during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. J. M. Smucker Company Profile (Get Free Report) The J. M. Smucker Company manufactures and markets branded food and beverage products worldwide. It operates in three segments: U.S. Retail Pet Foods, U.S. Retail Coffee, and U.S. Retail Consumer Foods. The company offers mainstream roast, ground, single serve, and premium coffee; peanut butter and specialty spreads; fruit spreads, toppings, and syrups; jelly products; nut mix products; shortening and oils; frozen sandwiches and snacks; pet food and pet snacks; and foodservice hot beverage, foodservice portion control, and flour products, as well as dog and cat food, frozen handheld products, juices and beverages, and baking mixes and ingredients. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for J. M. Smucker Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for J. M. Smucker and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Peaceful looters have been busy all night in Los Angeles doing what they do best looting. Mayor Karen Bass of the Venceremos Brigade praised their peaceful nature as they caused millions of dollars of damage. Years of seeing looters go unpunished being told nothing they can do. Turned out we only needed a new president! I love watching these idiots get a good dose FAFO best video on the net right now. pic.twitter.com/lk7Lrxx1wK Shawn Hendrix (@TheShawnHendrix) June 10, 2025 Thank you for looting. Your greed and violent behaviour is a credit to the city and the values of the Democrat Party. Please carry on doing what you are doing to protest the heinous ICE immigration deportations of violent and dangerous criminals. The looters are just trying to feed their families during this difficult time. Everyone knows that you can feed your baby with a brand new iPhone. pic.twitter.com/JioL4ZeG5v C3 (@C_3C_3) June 10, 2025 Meanwhile, a teary-eyed and profoundly proud Gavin Newsom hailed the looting as young people simply doing what they do best and said that Trumps show of force was undemocratic. Looting is a 42nd Amendment right for illegal immigrants and hoodlums. By deploying the National Guard to stop looters is a hate crime against our Founding Fathers and Democracy, Newsom said. As always the case in these situations, bookshops were untouched. Culturally enriched looting of an Apple Store in Los Angeles. Just trying to feed their family right, @AOC ? pic.twitter.com/0gimsC2kAi AmericanPapaBear (@AmericaPapaBear) June 10, 2025 The supposedly peaceful protests in Los Angeles have taken a deadly turn, with live firearms being discharged at the police and National Guard who are trying to keep the peace. BREAKING: Democrat rioters are shooting at the police in broad daylight. They are literally trying to murder law enforcement. The democrat party is clearly the enemy of America.pic.twitter.com/ndtlsMkPCH Philip Anderson (@VoteHarrisOut) June 10, 2025 Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom wrongly stated that the protests were peaceful and that President Trump had overreached with Federal assistance by deploying the National Guard and Marines, this was despite much arson, vandalism, violence and looting of local businesses. The latest escalation now involves live firearms being discharged at law enforcement officers. Story developing Rhumbline Advisers lessened its stake in DXC Technology (NYSE:DXC Free Report) by 2.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 441,632 shares of the companys stock after selling 12,830 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned approximately 0.24% of DXC Technology worth $7,530,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Get DXC Technology alerts: Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of DXC Technology by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,816,970 shares of the companys stock valued at $116,223,000 after buying an additional 907,004 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of DXC Technology during the 4th quarter valued at about $17,399,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of DXC Technology by 43.8% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,943,649 shares of the companys stock valued at $38,834,000 after buying an additional 591,841 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in shares of DXC Technology by 99.3% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,173,407 shares of the companys stock valued at $23,445,000 after buying an additional 584,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of DXC Technology during the 4th quarter valued at about $11,078,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.20% of the companys stock. DXC Technology Price Performance NYSE DXC opened at $15.94 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $15.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $18.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market cap of $2.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -37.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.22. DXC Technology has a 52 week low of $13.44 and a 52 week high of $24.83. Analyst Ratings Changes DXC Technology ( NYSE:DXC Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.13 billion. DXC Technology had a negative net margin of 0.57% and a positive return on equity of 20.70%. The businesss revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that DXC Technology will post 3.35 EPS for the current year. A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on DXC shares. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of DXC Technology from $23.00 to $16.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of DXC Technology from $26.00 to $17.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Guggenheim restated a neutral rating on shares of DXC Technology in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of DXC Technology from $22.00 to $16.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of DXC Technology from $27.00 to $18.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $17.00. Get Our Latest Report on DXC Technology DXC Technology Company Profile (Free Report) DXC Technology Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides information technology services and solutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Australia, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Global Business Services (GBS) and Global Infrastructure Services (GIS). See Also Receive News & Ratings for DXC Technology Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for DXC Technology and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mid Ulster District Council has agreed to promote the Rural Communities Cancer Project, aimed at tackling cancer inequalities and helping to raise awareness of cancer locally among those in rural areas, particularly the farming community. The Rural Communities Cancer Project is a UK-wide partnership between The Farming Community Network (FCN) and Macmillan Cancer Support, helping to raise awareness of cancer signs and symptoms among the community. One of the Projects initiatives is the Nip it in the Bud campaign which encourages early detection and a proactive mindset towards getting checked. The motion proposed by councillor Sean Clarke recognises the importance of farmers and rural dwellers to our society, the impact of cancer upon rural families and businesses and includes a pledge that councillors use their influence to raise awareness to help save lives. Farmers, farm workers and people living in rural communities, can have lower access to cancer services and support due to the nature of their work and rural life, often in isolated areas; with migrant workers facing additional barriers when accessing cancer care. Research indicates that people living in rural communities often present with more advanced cancer when they are diagnosed and are 5% less likely to survive than those living in an urban environment (Newcastle University). Approximately 36% of Northern Irelands population lives in a rural area, and this can create unique challenges for accessing services and support (DAERA). The evidence in Northern Ireland is anecdotal; however, there is a firm belief amongst clinicians - who are increasingly concerned - that farmers in particular are hesitant to contact their doctor until the late development of the disease, the outcome of which is then generally less than positive. Councillor Clarke said the council can play an important supporting role by sharing information to assist farmers and people living in rural communities get checked for early signs of cancer and be aware of the level of available support. Chair of the Council, Councillor Frances Burton, said: Im delighted that the Council is offering its support to the important Nip it in the Bud campaign to help tackle cancer inequalities and assist in raising awareness of cancer locally for those in rural areas and in particular, the farming community. As public representatives it is imperative we use every opportunity to raise awareness of cancer symptoms and encourage them to go to the doctor as soon as possible if necessary, which could save lives. Councillor Sean Clarke added: We understand that farmers and those living in rural communities may not prioritise their health for several reasons - because of the lack of time and close proximity or availability of services and as a result some of the signs and symptoms of cancer such as prolonged pains, tiredness and fatigue can be missed or overlooked. It is for this reason that Council has agreed to do what it can to help get the Nip it in the Bud message out there and to encourage communities to get any symptoms checked. Council hope that its support of the campaign will encourage people in the rural areas of Mid Ulster to be more familiar with the early signs of cancer, and to take the necessary steps to get checked and nip it in the bud. Caitriona Crawford, National Manager (Northern Ireland) with The Farming Community Network, said: We are delighted that Mid Ulster District Council has agreed to support our Nip it in the Bud campaign intended to raise awareness and amongst the rural community. It is commonly known that farmers dont visit their GP promptly, often presenting at much later stages of disease. This is paired with barriers unique to rural communities, such as service provision, transport, travel time and costs etc. This can have a significant impact on farms, farming families and rural communities. This is an impact that can be further felt by those in our migrant worker communities who often face cancer treatment, complex instructions and support in their second language. The support provided by Mid Ulster District Council will undoubtedly help us encourage people living in the rural environment to be more aware and ultimately save lives from a curable and treatable disease if diagnosed and treated at the early stages. Sarah Christie, External Affairs Manager NI at Macmillan Cancer Support said: At Macmillan, we know that the earlier cancer is detected and treated, the better the outcomes are. This is why The Farming Community Networks new campaign Nip it in the Bud is so important. We are really excited to be partnering with the FCN to bring this campaign to life. If you are concerned about changes in your body, getting checked by a GP is crucial. It is important to remember that symptoms do not always mean you have cancer, but its good to get them checked out. Going for tests can be worrying, so if you need support or just want someone to talk to, call the Macmillan Support Line free on 0808 808 00 00. Some of the signs and symptoms of cancer - such as prolonged pains, tiredness and fatigue - can be missed or overlooked as being part of the job in farming, forestry, fishing and other rural industry. A lack of time or availability of services, particularly in rural areas, can also make it difficult to speak to a GP. It is also an opportunity for those trusted voices in our rural communities to hear more about the Project and what they can do to support the campaign going forward; with a wide range representatives invited from agriculture, fishery, forestry, rural organisations and charities, migrant networks, spiritual organisations, sporting clubs, political parties, business, education representatives and other cancer charities. The Nip it in the Bud campaign provides a range of useful resources for agri-businesses, colleges, community groups, businesses, employers and others to download or circulate some focused on specific cancers that farmers in particular can be more at-risk of developing, such as skin cancer, prostate cancer or lung cancer. Downloadable resources such as graphics, images and information sheets are available at FCN. The Police Ombudsman has found that the police investigation of the murder of Peter Gallagher in 1993 was wholly inadequate and failed his family. On March 24, 1993, 44-year-old Peter Gallagher, a father of seven from Toomebridge, was shot and killed by a loyalist gunman while arriving at work at the Westlink Enterprise Centre in west Belfast. The Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name for the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), claimed responsibility for the killing. Despite significant intelligence linking suspects to the crime, no arrests or convictions followed. The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Mrs. Marie Anderson, conducted a comprehensive investigation into the original police response and the quality of the murder investigation, prompted by complaints from Mr. Gallaghers family. Mrs. Anderson concluded that the police investigation was wholly inadequate and failed Mr. Gallaghers family. While there were 12 individuals identified as persons of interest, some were linked by corroborated intelligence but none were arrested. This was seen as a major failing, particularly given the mounting intelligence that should have prompted investigative action. The UDA/UFF unit responsible, C Company, was under police surveillance for months. However, this surveillance was halted on March 22, 1993, two days before the murder, due to a redeployment of resources in response to IRA threats. In the days following this pause, Mr. Gallagher and 17-year-old Damien Walsh were murdered, and other attacks were attempted. Surveillance was not resumed until March 30, after significant harm had already been inflicted. Despite increasing intelligence about impending attacks, police did not reassess or redirect resources, a failure that, while not directly causing the murder, created an environment where 'C Company' operated with reduced constraint. The initial crime scene response was largely thorough. A bicycle believed to be used by the gunman, and a 9mm Browning pistol wrapped in a balaclava were recovered near the scene. Over 50 statements were collected, and house-to-house inquiries and vehicle checkpoints were promptly carried out. READ NEXT: Family of Peter Gallagher welcome 'long-awaited report' Two suspects' homes were searched, and items including balaclavas and clothing were seized. However, forensic tests failed to link the items to the murder. Despite intelligence later focusing on three main suspects, no arrests were made. The main suspects included Person J, a well-known UDA figure and a key member of C Company. Intelligence consistently indicated he was orchestrating attacks against nationalists, and he had previously been arrested under terrorism legislation. In the weeks prior to Mr. Gallaghers murder, multiple intelligence reports detailed Person J's acquisition of weapons and involvement in planning meetings. Post-murder intelligence indicated he had participated in reconnaissance and had been left hidden near the murder site, potentially leaving forensic evidence. Despite this, Person J was not arrested. Person N was named in intelligence as the gunman in both Mr. Gallaghers and Damien Walshs murders. He was linked to Person Js team and reportedly fled toward Roden Street after the shooting. Despite being identified as a suspect early on, he too was not arrested. Person M owned a car seen in suspicious circumstances near the murder location the night before. He was reportedly seen with Persons J and N. Police seized the car and found no forensic evidence, but Person M was never arrested, despite substantial circumstantial information. Mrs. Anderson concluded that all three individuals should have been arrested based on the intelligence gathered. Members of C Company had been under surveillance, which hindered their operations. However, on March 22, 1993, surveillance ceased due to concerns over imminent IRA threats. In the next three days, Mr. Gallagher and Damien Walsh were murdered. A police inspector acknowledged the challenges of resource allocation, likening it to juggling water. Still, Mrs. Anderson criticized the failure to re-assess priorities or resume surveillance during this high-risk period. This lapse allowed 'C Company' to act with greater freedom and contributed to the deadly outcome. The Browning pistol used to kill Mr. Gallagher had been used in previous incidents and was linked to a large arms importation in 1987 involving the UDA, UVF, and Ulster Resistance. While some weapons were intercepted in 1988, many, including the one used in Mr. Gallaghers murder, reached loyalist groups and were used in subsequent killings. Former Ombudsman Dr. Michael Maguire previously concluded that there was a failure to investigate those responsible for importing these arms, which impacted efforts to bring perpetrators to justice. Mrs. Anderson referenced this in her findings, noting the broader systemic failures surrounding loyalist violence. The military, not police forensic staff, initially removed the murder weapon from the scene. The Army Ammunition Technical Officer (ATO) transported the gun to Girdwood Barracks, allegedly for clearing. A forensic scientist later confirmed no evidence that the weapon had been altered or fitted with a tracking device. This unusual chain of custody raised concerns, though no tampering was found. Still, Mrs. Anderson was unable to confirm why the military, rather than the police, handled the weapon. Another critical failing was the lack of investigative linkage between the murders of Peter Gallagher and Damien Walsh. Despite similarities in weaponry, suspect groups, and timing, the police did not join the investigations or explore overlapping intelligence. This fragmented approach weakened both investigations. Additionally, Mrs. Anderson found no evidence of meaningful case reviews or re-examinations by the Historical Enquiries Team or Serious Crime Review Team. Mr. Gallaghers family raised several concerns: These included photographic leaks: The family feared that police photos of Mr. Gallagher had ended up in terrorist hands. No evidence supported this claim. Lack of communication: The family was not kept updated during the investigation, a common issue in that era before the establishment of formal family liaison protocols Alleged collusion: The family expressed concern that the murder may have involved state collusion. Mrs. Anderson found no evidence that police or intelligence services facilitated the killing. However, due to legal rulings, she could not offer a formal conclusion on whether collusion occurred. Mrs. Anderson acknowledged the challenges of investigating historical cases, citing time lapses and unavailable witnesses. However, she emphasised that her team had compiled significant evidence and received cooperation from some former officers. She concluded that Peter Gallagher was an innocent victim of loyalist paramilitary violence. While the UDA/UFF alone bore responsibility for the murder, the police investigation was inadequate. Crucially, the failure to arrest suspects, connect the murder to other cases, and act on intelligence denied the Gallagher family justice. Mrs. Anderson stated that the Gallagher family was let down by a fragmented and deficient investigation, which also failed to pursue clear lines of enquiry related to other sectarian attacks during the same period. The Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) is celebrating success at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Northern Ireland Awards 2025, held at the Culloden Hotel, Holywood recently. Jacqui Lundy, Community childrens nurse was winner of the Patient Choice Award sponsored by the Patient and Client Council. Jacqui has been nominated by the parents of a girl who was diagnosed at birth with complex needs. They describe Jacqui as an absolute warrior and the light of our lives. From the beginning, the family has been supported by a team of dedicated health professionals, including specialists from the local area, as well as from Belfast and London. The parents explain that Jacqui is the one person who has truly stood out and made a lasting impact on the family. Her role extends far beyond providing nursing care and she is the cornerstone of the girls support system, with Jacqui being the first point of contact for advice. The parents explain how Jacqui seamlessly co-ordinates all aspects of their daughters care, ensuring that she receives the best possible support. The judging panel commended Jacquis patient advocacy skills and her high standard of care. Jonah Atos, International nurse co-ordinator, was runner-up in the Directors of Nursing Award, sponsored by Belfast, Northern, South Eastern, Southern and Western HSC Trusts. Jonahs dedication to inclusivity is renowned throughout the Trust, maximising opportunities to support internationally educated employees (IEN). Jonah joined the Trust as a band five nurse in 2002 and, through her determination and continued professional development, progressed to a leadership role. As an internationally educated nurse, Jonah understands the impact of leaving family to work in Northern Ireland. She supports IENs throughout their journey from pastoral care to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Trust maintaining a 100% pass rate in large part due to Jonahs dedication and support. Her mission is to promote the integration of IENs within the workforce and community life. She engages with ward teams to help them understand different cultures and traditions, hosting social events showcasing their national outfits, traditional dances, languages and food. The judging panel described Jonah as an inspirational leader and a breath of fresh air, adding that she is motivating and enthusiastic. Linda Britton Reid was runner-up in the Health Care Support Worker award, sponsored by Healthcare Ireland. Linda works in the Sperrin Suite within the North West Cancer Centre. Whilst working in the medical ward, Linda often cared for patients who received a cancer diagnosis during their in-patient stay. She provided support and a comforting ear, but felt ill-informed about what lay ahead for the patients following discharge. Linda believed, as a senior nursing assistant, that there was more she could offer patients and families following this life-changing diagnosis. She therefore seized the opportunity in 2018 to transfer to the Sperrin Suite. Linda embraced her new role with commitment, dedication and enthusiasm. Her nominator praises the emotional maturity that enables Linda quickly to ascertain the needs of patients and how to respond. She prides herself on providing high standards of care. The judging panel noted Lindas ability to communicate clearly with patients and family members, as well as the pride she takes in her role. Ashley Ferguson, Health visitor was joint runner-up of the Public Health Award, sponsored by the Public Health Agency. Ashley qualified as a midwife in 2016 and, with a passion for supporting breastfeeding, became a lactation consultant. When she subsequently qualified as a health visitor, her skills, knowledge and experience became invaluable. Ashley found that a high percentage of mothers stop breastfeeding between discharge and the new birth visit between days 10-14. Feedback from breastfeeding mothers and community groups highlighted the need for additional support during this period. Ashley initiated a quality improvement project to increase the rate of breastfeeding at the new birth visit. Ashley encourages women to attend a breastfeeding group she facilitates in partnership with Waterside Sure Start, and attendances have notably increased. Since January 2024, breastfeeding rates at the new birth visit have improved, with uptake expected to increase further. With the assistance of a child health assistant and in collaboration with the Minding Mum group, Ashley organised a quarterly programme of evening antenatal sessions for mothers and fathers. This has successfully promoted knowledge and confidence in breastfeeding. The judging panel noted Ashleys passion for promoting equal access to information and support, and her achievements in identifying and addressing gaps in service provision. IN PICTURES: Fun and games at Waterside Womens Centre 'One Big Lunch' Karen Harper and Helen McCormick, Clinical nurse specialists for lung cancer were Runners-up in the Cancer Nurse Award, sponsored by Macmillan Cancer Support. Karen and Helen support patients from a diagnosis of lung cancer through to treatment and follow-up. Holistic needs assessment [HNA] is a process focusing on listening to the patient and improving health outcomes through the development of a personalised care and support plan. It explores patients concerns and unmet need in order to develop, in partnership, a management plan. Although the regional cancer strategy specifies that an HNA should be offered to every person diagnosed with cancer, this standard was not always met. Karen and Helen were determined to change this and they established an HNA clinic which patients can access. The benefits to patients cannot be over-estimated. The clinic enables Karen and Helen to explore and consider possible interventions with the patient and then reach an agreed decision. Patient feedback includes acknowledgement of their compassionate, caring and kind approach and how they provide excellent care and support for both me and my family. The judging panel recognised how the clinic has been transformational for patients and that it would not have happened without the vision and dedication of Karen and Helen. Speaking about the Western Trusts success at the 2025 RCN NI Nurse of the Year Awards, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and AHPs and Executive Director of Nursing said: I am delighted for Jacqui, Karen, Helen, Jonah, Linda and Ashley for their well-deserved recognition in this years RCN NI Nurse of the Year Awards. "They are all exceptional nurses who are passionate about delivering the highest quality of care for their patients. We are immensely proud of our incredible nursing teams across the Western Trust and we are very fortunate to have them recognised for their leadership, development, research and improvement of services for our patients and their families who require care and treatment in our hospitals and community. We in the Western Trust are immensely proud of you all on receiving this richly deserved recognition. Thank you for your continued dedication and innovation to improving patient care. Well done. Year 9 students at Foyle College are in for a real treat on Thursday (June 12) when author Helen Dennis visits them. Helen Dennis is the author of the hugely popular River of Ink and the Secret Breakers series - both gripping series full of adventure, codes, puzzles and links to history. Book three of the Secret Breakers series was nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Before becoming a writer, she was a teacher for 20 years and a Head of English. As a student she worked at two schools for deaf children as well as Brighton Deaf Centre. Her talks and workshops are designed to encourage creativity, curiosity and perseverance as well as a love of story and her books are equally popular with both boys and girls of all abilities as they tap into the exciting worlds of code-breaking, symbol reading and real historical mysteries. Helen will be talking to five classes of Year 9 students about the inspiration for their own writing, enthusing them about the joy of reading and stimulating their creative writing and code breaking skills. Each participating student will also be gifted a copy of Secret Breakers Power of Three, which Helen will sign and dedicate. A signed book can be a permanent reminder of a special experience and can reinforce the message about the pleasure and importance of reading. The visit is part of a Literacy Project funded by the Merchant Taylors Foundation working with Authors Aloud UK, taking authors into schools in Southwark, Aylesbury, Wallingford and Derry. READ NEXT: Brilliant Ballinderry create more history The aim is that by meeting the authors, young people will be encouraged to increase their reading for pleasure and develop their creative writing skills, and it will support the literacy work that is done in the school. 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. Police in Northern Ireland are operating at a level which is downright dangerous, the organisation which represents rank and file officers has said. The Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) said the need to bring in support from forces in the rest of the UK has moved a step closer following further violence in Co Antrim. Chairman Liam Kelly said officers cannot continue to be exposed to unnecessary risk or extended frontline duties. Police were attacked during sustained violence in Ballymena for a second night on Tuesday. The PSNI also reported sporadic unrest in other areas. Mr Kelly said: A total of 33 officers have been injured in wholly unacceptable violence in Ballymena and other centres. This is deplorable and unsustainable for an already stretched and under-resourced police service. The option is there to call on policing colleagues across the United Kingdom to come to our assistance. Were under intense pressure and operating at a level that is downright dangerous. This violence has to end. Should it continue, I expect we will see more officers injured and they will inevitably have to be taken off the front line to rest and recover. Officers are doing an outstanding job in trying and challenging circumstances. They are saving lives and doing all they can to protect both people and property. Mr Kelly added: Mutual aid is there as a measure of last resort when it becomes clear that the PSNI, which is currently more than 2,200 officers below whats required, needs to bolster numbers on the ground. Calling for that assistance has now moved a step closer. Officer welfare must be the priority. They cannot continue to be exposed to unnecessary risk or extended frontline duties where they are unable to recover, recharge and get some badly needed rest. Again, I would appeal for this sickening, racially motivated lawlessness and mindless violence to end. The PFNI chairman said attacks on innocent people and police officers are reprehensible. He added: There should be no place in this society for violent thugs and racists to blatantly disregard the rule of law, intimidate and terrorise people out of their homes and criminally attack both persons and property. I would directly appeal to the right-minded public to condemn these actions and provide PSNI with the information that will assist in identifying the perpetrators so they can rightly be put before the courts. Speaking on Monday, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said that police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed in the wake of the Ballymena disorder. He said: Should I need any additionality, Im absolutely assured that my colleagues in policing in England and Wales, the National Police Operation Centre, stand fast and ready to support should we need that support. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he utterly condemns violence which left 17 police officers injured following a second night of disturbances in Ballymena. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that the rioting risks undermining the criminal justice process into an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in the Co Antrim town at the weekend. Stormont ministers have also made an urgent appeal for calm and said the justice process had to be allowed to take its course. Speaking during Prime Ministers Questions in the Commons, Sir Keir condemned the mindless attacks against police. I utterly condemn the violence that we have seen overnight in Ballymena and in other parts of Northern Ireland, including against PSNI officers, Sir Keir told MPs. Its absolutely vital that the PSNI are given the time they need to investigate the incidents concerned rather than face mindless attacks as they seek to bring peace and order to keep people safe. In a joint statement, ministers from across the Stormont powersharing Executive, which includes Sinn Fein, DUP, Alliance Party and UUP, said those involved in disorder have nothing to offer society but division and disorder. First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly later appeared together to voice their condemnation. Sinn Fein vice president Ms ONeill told reporters in Belfast: Its pure racism, there is no other way to dress it up. She said ministers stood full-square with the young girl who was subject to the alleged sex attack but she said the criminal justice system must be allowed to deal with that case. Separate to that is the racism that were seeing people being firebombed out of their homes, people having their doors knocked in, having their windows being smashed, families being intimidated, Ms ONeill added. That is absolutely unacceptable and everything that needs to be done to bring it to an end is our focus in terms of the engagement we have with the PSNI. Ms Little-Pengelly described the scenes in Ballymena as unacceptable thuggery, adding: Weve been in contact with the Chief Constable, and in constant contact with the PSNI throughout last night in terms of what was happening on the ground. I think today is about sending a very clear message that violence is wrong, it is entirely unacceptable. It must stop. With the protests focused in predominantly loyalist areas in Ballymena, Ms ONeill said she did not believe a visit by her would prove helpful in the current context. DUP MLA Ms Little-Pengelly was expected to visit the town on Wednesday. Police said their officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks in their direction in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena on Tuesday night. The PSNI deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannon as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. Police also reported that sporadic disorder had also occurred in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well as incidents in north Belfast. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged. A PSNI spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday evening that a number of protests took place in areas of Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine and Newtownabbey. In Carrickfergus, two bins were set alight and bottles and masonry thrown at police in the Sunnylands area by a group of 20 to 30 young people at around 8.30pm. In Newtownabbey bins were set alight at the roundabout on ONeill Road. During the course of the disorder in Ballymena, officers discharged a number of plastic baton rounds and the water cannon was also deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds. The spokesperson said: Businesses and homes were attacked and damaged and a number of vehicles were also set on fire in the area. Seventeen officers were injured with some requiring required hospital treatment. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in police custody this morning. A male was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour on the ONeill Road in Newtownabbey. A number of nearby roads were closed by police to ensure the safety of the public and local residents, and to enable officers to deal with the situation and disorder safely. All roads were subsequently reopened. Fifteen officers had been injured during similar scenes in Ballymena on Monday. Mr Boutcher said: The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable. These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice, and protection. Ironically, and frustratingly, this violence threatens to derail the very pursuit of justice it claims to challenge. Let me be clear: this behaviour must stop. I appeal to everyone involved to cease all further acts of criminality and disorder immediately. The Chief Constable said the investigation into the violence would include reviewing video footage and images of individuals would be released to identify offenders. He added: Since 2010, the PSNI has been critically underfunded. This neglect takes no account of the enormous demands placed on us by legacy issues or the unique challenges of policing in a post-conflict society. Our resourcing levels are not just inadequate they are dangerous. I will be making arrangements to activate mutual aid resources to ensure we have the necessary support to maintain public order and bring offenders to justice. Ireland looks set to endure a torrid time of it on the weather front over the next few days with thunderstorms to develop and bring some unusual conditions. Met Eireann's outlook is for "showery conditions, some heavy with embedded thunderstorms, mild and humid too," while Cathal Nolan from Ireland's Weather Channel has made two odd predictions for the coming days. Cathal said: "Our main focus weather wise this week has to be the period from Wednesday evening through Thursday, and again over the weekend where theres increasing confidence in the risk of some strong thunderstorms developing across the country. These storms have the potential to cause some local disruption. "By Wednesday Ireland will lie under a south to southeasterly airflow, with a shallow low pressure to our southwest steering up areas of increased instability from the Bay of Biscay. The combination of warm surface temperatures, high CAPE figures, favourable shear, and cooler upper air temperatures will lead to the development of thunderstorms. "All areas are at risk, however, the areas most likely to experience the highest chance of disruption looks to be through much of Leinster and East Ulster on Wednesday night. While the risk is more widespread as we go through the weekend. Some areas will escape without seeing these storms however, as is the nature of showers." Cathal said the risks include some unusual weather for Ireland including "large hail" stones and "frequent lightning." Other risks are localised flooding, power disruption and gusty winds. READ NEXT: 'People have had enough' - Bizarre reasons Irish tourists face big fines in Portugal hotspot Speaking about what's causing this weather, particularly the thunderstorms, Cathal added: "A shift in the jet stream will allow high pressure to build to our east while low pressure sits to our southwest before slowly pushing northwards through Wednesday, allowing for a very warm, humid but unstable airmass to become established. "This plume of very warm air will allow for the rapid development of thunderstorms with favourable CAPE and strong shear, all combining to lead to the development of strong and locally significant thunderstorms with the potential for some disruption in or two locations." Meanwhile, Met Eireann says Wednesday will be humid with "a mix of cloud and sunny spells." They add that "scattered showers will spread from the south during the evening, turning heavy and thundery in places later. Highest temperatures of 16 to 20 degrees in a moderate southerly breeze." The forecast continues: "Showery outbreaks of rain will persist overnight [Wednesday] with heavy and thundery falls in places. Heavy with temperatures not falling below 13 to 15 degrees. Breezy with moderate to fresh southeasterly winds. "Showery outbreaks of rain will persist with further thundery heavy falls [on Thursday], especially across northern and eastern areas. Some sunny spells in places too. Warm and humid with highest temperatures of 18 to 22 degrees, in a moderate to fresh southeasterly wind. "Further outbreaks of heavy showers with fresh southerly winds [on Friday]. Warm with highest temperatures of 17 to 21 degrees." READ NEXT: All you need to know about rare Strawberry Moon visible over Irish skies tonight Beyond that, they say "low pressure looks to dominate the weather with frequent showers, especially on Saturday." Weather warnings look likely as we near the weekend. This news comes days after freak thunderstorms caused lightning in Ireland, prompting warnings. During this weather event, Motorola is reportedly preparing to expand its G series smartphone with the Moto G86 in India soon. The smartphone is expected to succeed last years Moto G85 5G. While the company is yet to share any details on the device, the handset recently appeared on the BIS certifications site with model number XT2527-5, hinting at an imminent launch. Plus, the devices key specifications and other details have also been leaked. Additionally, the leaks also suggest that the phone would ship with some upgrades over its predecessor. Here are all the latest leaks about the Motorola G86 5G launch timeline, price, specifications, and more. Motorola G86 5G launch timeline (expected) Motorola G86 5G listing on the BIS certification site suggests that the phone may debut soon in India. This also coincides with the previous leaks. While the company has yet to confirm the exact launch date, it is expected to debut in July. Motorola G86 5G specifications (expected) The rumoured Moto G86 5G is tipped to feature a 6.67-inch 1.5K curved pOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 4,500 nits. The handset may also come with a Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection. Under the hood, it is likely to pack a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC, paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. For photography, the Moto G86 5G could ship with a 50MP Sony IMX766 primary shooter featuring optical image stabilisation (OIS) and an 8MP ultrawide sensor on the back. On the front, it may feature a 32MP selfie camera for capturing selfies and making video calls. Additionally, the device is tipped to be backed by a 5,100mAh battery with 33W charging support. Moto G86 may run on Android 15 out-of-the-box. Also read: Sonos Ace headphones just got better with TrueCinema, Dual Audio Swap and smarter ANC Motorola G86 5G price (expected) According to reports, the upcoming Moto G86 may come with a price tag of around Rs. 20,000 for the base model. 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. A man who produced a knife and threatened to stab a couple in the neck if they didn't give him money, has no memory of the incident, has been jailed for two and a half years at Dundalk Circuit Court. Morgan Ryan (26) also known as Morgan Butterly with an address at the Simon Community, Barrack Street, Dundalk and formerly of Simon Community, The Boulevard, Grangerath, Drogheda pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery, at Tesco Extra, Stapleton Place, Dundalk on April 27th last year. Charges of threatening to kill or cause serious harm and possession of a knife, were taken into consideration at the sentencing hearing. The court heard the defendant was frothing at the mouth and holding a partially crushed can of energy drink, when he approached the couple who were walking back to the car park and asked for 3 which he claimed was for his girlfriend's bus fare to Drogheda. He then said he had a knife and added "I'll stab you in the neck". READ NEXT: Gardai clock driver doing nearly double the limit outside Louth school at busy home time The couple, who were in fear, walked with him to an ATM and Morgan Ryan, while holding a knife flat on the palm of his hand continued to make threats. After the woman handed him 20 from the cash machine he told the couple he was there for their safety and to protect them before he tried to get them to hug and fist bump him. The knife was recovered from a bench outside the premises and when he was eventually fit to be questioned, he claimed he was only asking people for a bit of change. Judge Dara Hayes noted the defendant had a history of poly-substance abuse and was effectively exposed to drugs in utero. He had 43 previous convictions and his Defence barrister said he had spent the last eight Christmases in custody and is in protective custody in Wheatfield prison. He imposed a three and a half year sentence with the final 12 months suspended for 18 months to encourage him to engage with the Probation Service and drug rehabilitation. With traffic congestion around Bridge Street and Newry Bridge in recent weeks, Dundalk councillor Ciaran Fisher has renewed calls for better public transport. While welcoming recent road improvements, he warned that without new bus routes, particularly in the north and southwest of the town, car dependency will continue to rise. Speaking at a Municipal meeting, he urged Transport Ireland to prioritise long-promised bus expansions to ease pressure on local roads. The recent traffic congestion on Bridge Street, Castletown Road and the Newry Bridge has once more drawn attention to the poor connectivity across the Castletown River. While I welcome the improvements to Bridge Street and Linenhall Street, and I think they provide a much nicer approach to the town over the Newry bridge, Im wary that anti-car design may cause it to be a traffic hotspot. Time will tell on that one, but one thing that is for sure, is that the lack of bus connectivity forces thousands of people every week to use their cars to get around. The roadworks will only be finished at Bridge Street and well be looking at the Lisdoo junction and Armagh road improvements, so there is more congestion in the same area to come. Councillor Fisher said that a recent survey of traffic said that on a typical workday, Newry bridge has 5000 plus cars on it. The Tain bridge has traffic of 16000+ cars on a similar given day. Approximately 4000 people a day leave the northern region of the Dundalk area to come south into its other parts. He continued: If Transport Ireland wants to make an instant improvement in how people travel, and to reduce the traffic, a new bus route servicing the north of the town is needed. I can see gaps in the bus services in the south of the town too, such as no stops on the Avenue Road or Tom Bellew Avenue, not to mention the sprawl of houses on the south west of the town but Ath Lethan and the Lisdoo/Armagh Road are crying out for a bus service and have an enormous two way bus demand, in and out of the town. This is why I have resurrected this with the Active Travel team and implored them to get behind these proposed routes. There was a proposal to do so in the Local Transport Plan and I think it should be not just looked at, but enacted. Read Next: Louth solicitor named Lawyer of the Year In Tuesdays Muincipal meeting, I asked about the prospect of this happening, and mentioned how this would take cars off the road and reduce traffic. The response given was that the Council have been recently in touch with Transport Ireland about making this a reality. The conversations have centred around routes and road ownership so far. And while there is a way to go yet, its a stepping stone in the right direction. Meanwhile, the population on this side of the town is only going to grow. There is considerable strain on the water infrastructure on the south of town and planning has been granted for a sizable development out the Lisdoo Road in recent times, this only strengthens the case to get the transport infrastructure in place. Im asking for a carrot before stick approach, make it easier for people to choose not to take the car and sit in traffic, before talking about reducing road space, reducing car parking spaces and making it constantly more expensive to run a car. Caoimhe Kenny from Blackrock will represent Louth in the 2025 Miss Ireland Final coming up on June 14th at The Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim, Co Meath. 24-year-old Caoimhe works as a Beauty Buying Assistant for leading Irish retailers Brown Thomas and Arnotts, and is deeply passionate about creativity, sustainability, and empowering her community. She is a strong advocate for social equality and volunteers with Save Our Homeless Dundalk and Hygiene Hub Louth. Her commitment to sustainability is also reflected in her work with Junk Kouture. She has trained as a dancer since the age of five. The finalists vying for the coveted Miss Ireland 2025 crown will step into the spotlight at the weekend and embrace their journey of empowerment, leadership, and community impact with a spectacular ceremony, vibrant performances and a star-studded audience. Read also: PHOTOS: Leading Louth businesswomen honoured at awards Since 1947, the Miss Ireland pageant has celebrated intelligence, ambition, and cultural pride, evolving into a platform that champions female leadership and philanthropy. This years competitors will join a legacy of inspiring role models including former Miss World Rosanna Davison and former Miss Irelands - Pamela Flood, Holly Carpenter, Rebecca Maguire, Lauren McDonagh, Aoife O Sullivan, Amanda Brunker, Pamela Uba, Aoife Walsh, Michelle Rocca, Olivia Tracy, current Miss Ireland Jasmine Gerhardt and many more. In recent years the Miss Ireland franchise has raised over 350,000 for various charities including Laura Lynn, Temple Street, Alzheimers Ireland, Pieta House, The Cari Foundation and The Julian Benson Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The finalists of Miss Ireland are put through their paces in a challenging competitive process testing their skills in debating, public speaking, talent, sports, modelling, social media and each finalist will be tasked with raising much-needed awareness and funds for their chosen charities. Each finalist will advance to the national event for a chance to claim the Miss Ireland crown. The 77th crowned Miss Ireland will receive a lucrative agency contract and a host of prizes and will then have a chance to jet off to represent Ireland next year on an international stage at the Miss World Festival which is televised in over 100 countries around the world. The Department of Justice has confirmed that the former St Joseph's Female Orphanage & Industrial School and St Malachy's Convent at Seatown Place in Dundalk will be used to accommodate people fleeing the war in Ukraine but there is no set date to move people to the north Louth location. It was confirmed last year that the building was to be refurbished to accommodate refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. Previous to this, planning permission had been granted to convert the buildings into an apartment complex. Following the recent completion of the refurbishment works, the Dundalk Democrat contacted the Department of Justice last week for more information on its plans. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department said that: "A contract is in place between the Department and St. Malachy's Convent, Seatown Place, Dundalk to accommodate people fleeing the war in Ukraine. The capacity of the accommodation is 250 residents. "The room configurations at the property allow for a variety of groupings, including families with children. There is no set date to move people to St. Malachys Convent. "Due to a reduction in the number of people arriving from Ukraine, it is likely that those who are accommodated at St Malachys Convent will be relocated from properties whose contracts are ending. Those requiring relocation will be accommodated in the same area if possible. "Currently there are a number of contract terminations and relocations in process where people are moving from State contracted commercial accommodation. On completion of this current process, a detailed plan will be put in place regarding the use of St. Malachys Convent." The site was the location last year for a number of protests against the decision to house Ukrainian refugees there by anti-immigration protesters, as well as counter-demonstrations by activists welcoming the refugees. Gardai have launched an investigation after a cyclist died following an early-morning road crash in Dublin. The 19-year-old, who died in hospital, is the second cyclist to die on Irish roads in less than 24 hours. Gardai in Lucan say the fatal incident, involving a van and a cyclist, happened at around 7.30am this Wednesday. "Gardai were alerted after a cyclist was struck by a van at the junction of Griffeen Avenue, R136 and Balgaddy Road. The cyclist, a 19-year-old male, received treatment at the scene before being transported by ambulance to Tallaght Hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased. No other injuries were reported," said a spokesperson. Garda Forensic Collision Investigators are currently examining the scene and local traffic diversions are in place. The local coroner has been notified and arrangements will be made for a post-mortem examination. READ NEXT: 'Grave danger to public health' - Takeaways in six counties ordered to close doors in May Gardai are appealing for witnesses to the incident to come forward and any road users who may have relevant camera footage and who were traveling in the area around the time are asked to make this footage available. Anyone with information is asked to contact Lucan garda station in Dublin at (01) 666 7300, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any garda station. Separately, an investigation is continuing after an elderly cyclist was killed in a road crash on a busy tourist route in County Kerry. Gardai are appealing for witnesses following that incident which happened on the R569 road at Church Grounds, Kilgarvan, on Tuesday afternoon. The cyclist, a man in his 80s, was pronounced dead at the scene. Gardai in Killarney are investigating. Met Eireann has issued a Status Yellow thunderstorm warning for the Louth. The warning, which also applies to many neighbouring counties, will remain in effect from midnight tonight (Wednesday, 11 June) until 2pm on Thursday, 12 June. According to the national forecaster, the incoming weather system is expected to bring heavy showers and scattered thunderstorms. These conditions could result in localised flooding, lightning damage and poor visibility making travel conditions difficult. Cathal Nolan from Ireland's Weather Channel has made two predictions for the coming days. Cathal said: "Our main focus weather wise this week has to be the period from Wednesday evening through Thursday, and again over the weekend where theres increasing confidence in the risk of some strong thunderstorms developing across the country. These storms have the potential to cause some local disruption. "By Wednesday Ireland will lie under a south to southeasterly airflow, with a shallow low pressure to our southwest steering up areas of increased instability from the Bay of Biscay. The combination of warm surface temperatures, high CAPE figures, favourable shear, and cooler upper air temperatures will lead to the development of thunderstorms. "All areas are at risk, however, the areas most likely to experience the highest chance of disruption looks to be through much of Leinster and East Ulster on Wednesday night. While the risk is more widespread as we go through the weekend. Some areas will escape without seeing these storms however, as is the nature of showers." Cathal said the risks include some unusual weather for Ireland including "large hail" stones and "frequent lightning." Other risks are localised flooding, power disruption and gusty winds. READ NEXT: 'People have had enough' - Bizarre reasons Irish tourists face big fines in Portugal hotspot Speaking about what's causing this weather, particularly the thunderstorms, Cathal added: "A shift in the jet stream will allow high pressure to build to our east while low pressure sits to our southwest before slowly pushing northwards through Wednesday, allowing for a very warm, humid but unstable airmass to become established. "This plume of very warm air will allow for the rapid development of thunderstorms with favourable CAPE and strong shear, all combining to lead to the development of strong and locally significant thunderstorms with the potential for some disruption in or two locations." What I love about Christmas is that everyone gets a chance to dress up their homes with beautiful Christmas decorations and bright lights to enhance the festive season. Sadly, there is not too many houses, streets and establishment I see these days with lovely Christmas decors. Most of the houses I used to pass by in the past with lovely Christmas lights no longer have it. Quezon City is a sad place to look at these season, theres not a single Christmas light at commonwealth area. Is it because the QC mayor is saving up funds for he upcoming election? Anyway, whatever the reason is, I make sure our house is filled with the Christmas spirit. I make sure to make time to put up the Christms tree and place as many Christmas lights as possible at home. In fact, my house is so Christmasy that I am inspired to join Meralcos Maliwanag ang Pasko (MAP) Facebook app raffle where one gets a chance to win Php5,000 daily. Its so easy to join all I need to do is like Meralcos Facebook page on www.facebook.com/meralco. Install the Maliwanag ang Pasko app by clicking the MAP tab. Upload a photo of our well lit home or a Liwanag Park I recently visited and fill-up the my personal details and hit submit. The raffle started December 1st and will end on December 22, 2012. I just saw the last raffle and there were two winners who won Php5,000.00 each. If you dont know yet Meralcos Maliwanag ang Pasko is One Meralco Foundation CSR program now in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and with various local government in the country. For 2012, MAP wants to extend its electrification assistance to Buenavista in Bohol and Dinagat Islands in Mindanao. In regards with this project, Christmas light lighting party activities was held by Meralco together with DOT at Liwanag Parks of partner LGUs. These partner LGUs were given starter kits consisting of MAP parols and 500 boxes of Christmas lights to start lighting up their communities. For this , an award for the Best Liwanag Park will be awarded to the most beautifully-lit community. DOT sponsored cash prices for this contest (Php100,000 for 3rd place, Php150,000 for 2nd place and Php300,000 for the Grand Prize winner) so as to boost the Philippines tag line of : Christmas Is More Fun In The Philippines! I believe this is a worthy cause we should all support. So if encourage everyone to light up your homes, take your camera , take a shot of your beautifully lit homes and upload it at the Meralco Facebook page. Who knows you could with an extra Php5,000 for your Christmas shopping. Stay gorgeous everyone! This post is an advertorial for Meralco While all the other beauty stores out there screams KPop or Kawaii, The Body Shop is the only proud British brand in the country that has weathered all storm and now celebrating its 19th year in the country. As part of their celebration they are offering amazing sale items up to 50% off on your favorite TBS items and an in-store promos like Spot the Ben contest. But before I divulge that let me tell you more about the TBS birthday celebration. Yesterday, I was one of those invited to Celebrate with TBS anniversary , and know the surprise that The Body Shop is now a part of the SM Group of COmpanies! The brand has expanded its reach by opening its first-ever Shop-in-Shop concept store in the newly renovated The SM Store Makati, making it more accessible to all beauty fanatics. TBS is housed in a 22.5 sqm space, boasting the latest Pulse Shop-in-Shop concept design. Its size is bright and big enough to shop for your favorite products. With tables and accessible bays that are easy to browse, each showcases bestseller items and cult favorites from bath and body, down to make-up, skincare, & fragrance. Shopping for favorite products from the brand was made easy. The Pulse Shop-in-Shop concept aims to provide consumers not just a unique, interactive and memorable over-all beauty experience, but at the same time allowing the shoppers to experience the brand values and products that are derived from the finest natural ingredients around the world, making every shopper feel good about themselves. The Body Shop in The SM Store Makati was then followed by another same concept store in The SM Store Mall of Asia, occupying a 15.4 sqm space right beside other beauty brands.Together with the expansion is the celebration of the brands 19 years of cruelty-free beauty. This May, The Body Shop will be blowing away anniversary treats to everyone in celebration of its 19th birthday. Come and visit from May 1 to June 3, 2015 and enjoy exciting deals up to 50% off. Plus, find the perfect gift for mom! Take advantage of these exciting deals for the coming Mothers Day. The Body shop offers tons of totally indulgent gifts your Mum will truly love. And as for the in store promotions, when you are at a TBS store browse around and look for this little Ben Once you spot this Ben alert a TBS staff and you get to pick a prize. No purchase necessary. Another way to win is Spot this Big Ben and create a Dubsmash Video with it using any Beatles Song. Upload it to any of your social media accounts and tag @thebodyshopph and get a chance to win Php5,000 worth of TBS shopping spree.This contest starts on Saturday, May 9, 2015. The Body Shop now accepts SM Advantage Card for points earning and redemption, SM and Sodexo premium pass in all their stores nationwide. Gift sets are alsa available on sale. A perfect gift for your moms for Mothers Day! The Body Shop was founded in 1976 by Dame Anita Roddick in Littlehampton, England. The beauty brand pioneered corporate activism and was built on a philosophy that business can be a force for good.With its brand expression, Beauty with Heart, the company continues to be focused on five core values;Against Animal Testing, Support Community Fair Trade, Activate Self Esteem, Defend Human Rights and Protect The Planet. All products are created using the finest ingredients sourced from the four cornersof the globe, which are not tested on animals and are 100%. vegetarian. The Body Shop has been in the Philippine market for eighteen years with over 55 strategically located stores nationwide. Stay gorgeous everyone! #EGinSinulog Ive been to Cebu for a couple of times and explored what the place has to offer. I have checked on my personal bucket list of places to see and things to do in Cebu which included the following. Pigged out at the famous Zubuchon headquarters and enjoyed all the lechon they offer with the Marketman himself. Toured and adored all the original furnitures Kenneth Cobunpue designed at his first and original headquarters the Kenneth Cobunpue Hive in Cebu. Stayed at the five star Radisson Blu in Cebu and was there during its opening day. Enjoyed fun in the sun at one of their first class beach resort Plantation Bay! Conquered and survived the death defying stunts at the Skywalk Extreme Adventure. And of course explored what the place has to offer with a quick Cebu City Tour. I normally dont visit a place during the peak season, especially during their festival time because theres too many people that you cannot really appreciate and experience the place. But since I have done almost everything you can do in Cebu (one last thing on the bucket list is swimming with the whales!), I said yes to the opportunity to finally experience Sinulog upclose #EGinSinulog . Thank you to ASUS Philippines who invited me to #SeeSinulogUpClose using two of their latest smartphone offerings, the ASUS Zenfone Max and ASUS Zenfone Zoom. During my trip to Cebu, we staye at Marriott Hotel in Mactan, it was just a few minutes walk to Mango Avenue where the festival parade starts. Day 1 Day 1 was for the bloggers briefing about the new ASUS Zenfone Zoom and a photo challenge using it while visiting the Cebu Cathedral , Magellans Cross and the night light city view at Blue Elephant. Day 2 Day 2 was the 15 20 minute walk to Mango Avenue where we witnessed the Sinulog Festival Parade up close. We got there before lunch around 11 am and the parade just started. There was not that many people yet as some slept in late partying so we had a better view of the parade to take better shots and #SeeSinulogUpClose. ASUS booked a restaurant along the highway so we can have lunch there or get cooled and rest for a bit before getting back in the parade to take photos. It was such a wonderful experience to see the most colorful and most awaited and most attended festival in the Philippines. Sinulog is actually a Catholic festival for the Sto. Nino (baby Jesus Christ) it is a means of welcoming the coming of Catholicism in the country. It is a religious and also a cultural celebration and a part of the Philippine History that you should not forget #EGinSinulog Cebu is a place where Lapu-Lapu fought the battle with the Spaniards (Magellan) the Mactan Battle. That is why there is a Magellans cross in here and a shrine of Lapu-Lapu. Cebu is rich in history not just the party scene and that is what people should know why Sinulog is being celebrated. It is not just the wild parties that is wilder than Boracay #LaBoracay parties. Watch #EGinSinulog here: How about you, have you seen Sinulog before? Have you been to Cebu? Share your experience in the comment section below! Stay gorgeous everyone! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work: Im Anna Healy, Im an actress from Derry, where I grew up with a family of six children, all of us close in age. We played music and sport, sang in choirs, danced, did the Feis, went to Irish College in Donegal - but whatever we were involved in, the Healy children did it to the enth degree and beyond - if my mother spotted a talent in you for anything, you pursued it or she pursued you! I started acting at an early age and remained a loyal performer on the amateur acting scene after I left school with The 71 Players, a fabulous Derry company. At the age of 20, I applied for RADA (the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) in London, and got in with lots of stiff competition (25 places for 2,000 applicants). And that was the beginning of my wonderful professional acting adventures! I have really been so lucky in my career - the wonderful artists I have collaborated with, the theatre, film, television, and radio work that I have crafted. In 2023, I won Best Supporting Actress at the Irish Times Theatre Awards and I have done so much theatre over the years. You might also know me for my screen roles in ITV soap Emmerdale Farm; BBCs hit TV series Showtrial (season 2), and RTEs Ferguss Wedding, to name a few. I love Cork and the Midsummer Festival - the city has such a strong sense of itself, its culture and talent. The food is good, the pubs are hopping, and the people are warm, funny and welcoming! Im very much looking forward to spending a week at the Everyman. Im thrilled to be here with a new staging of Escaped Alone by Caryl Churchill (by Hatch Theatre), which makes its Irish premiere at the Everyman from June 12-14 (then on to Dublin from June 19-28). What is your ideal way to spend a night out? I was recently described as hyper social, hahaha! So take what you will from that - I love a party, a show, a film, a dinner with friends or family, or just a good chin-wag over a pint in the pub. Im not much of a sit-in girl! Lie ins or up with the lark.. which is it for you? Sleep has never come easy to me - I have to be coaxed to go to bed at night, as I never want the day to close, and then I practically have to tie myself to the bed from 6am onwards! I seem to be able to function at a high level with very little sleep Im sure that will catch up with me one day! Does work creep into your weekend at all? I dont see life as weekdays and weekends - so theres not really a day when working isnt an option. If an idea, inspiration, an article, or a book needs attending to, I jump on it when and wherever I want to. Of course, thats easier now that my children are adults and my time is my own again - but ultimately, I have always considered my life and my work as all one continuum. If money was no object, where would you head to on a weekend city break? And who would you bring with you? I love the old town in Malaga, Spain, and Marrakesh in Morocco - but most of all I love New York City. Closer to home, is there some place you like to head to recharge the batteries? Donegal is my soul place - I love the wild weather, the beautiful, rough landscape. I have always gone to Inishowen and Dunfanaghy to get a lungful of good thick air and a bit of headspace to catch myself on! Do you like to catch up with family/friends? My brothers and sisters, north and south, are very much principal players in the cast of my life, and we see a lot of each other and are in and out of the lives of each others families. My three sons have settled in and around Dublin, to my great joy, and I see them as often as they can put up with me! And of course, there is my little grandson Bear, the star of the show. We all see Bear as much as possible. Do you get to indulge any hobbies? Even as a spectator? I love to swim for exercise in a swimming pool, and for my mental health in the sea. Entertain or be entertained? If its the latter, do you have a signature dish? Both - I love to feed everyone and throw a big party. I really enjoy cooking, I find it relaxing. Mostly, I like to make big, greedy family dishes - roast in the oven, trays of vegetables with roast meats, and plenty of potatoes of all denominations, and delicious puddings. When we eat out, we like Indian food. We have so many places to eat out in Cork - where are your go to spots for coffee/lunch/special meal? The bar and grill at The [River] Lee Hotel is excellent. The Liberty Grill on Washington Street is my favourite for a meet-up and a bite to eat. I absolutely adore the Paradiso vegetarian restaurant. How do you like to spend your weekend? Sunday is a great day for long walks with my dog Betty, up a hill or by the sea - I often wonder, if dogs could talk, what would Betty have to say about all the comings and goings in my life Im sure she would have a wry comments or two! Sunday evening would be about good food, a glass of wine, and prep for the week ahead. What time does your alarm clock go off? No need for an alarm clock in this house - I am the alarm clock. Anything else you are up to right now... Im about to open a wonderful play by Caryl Churchill called Escaped Alone that premieres at the Everyman Theatre, as part of Cork Midsummer Festival. Im also prepping for a summer production in Galway with Andrew Flynn called Finding Sophia, a very moving story about a Down Syndrome couple and their fight to be together and where the leading roles are being played by two excellent actors, both with Down Syndrome, and I am playing their carer. Cork City and County Councils were owed a combined total of approximately 6.5m for uncollected vacant and derelict site levies at the end of 2023, it has been disclosed in Local Government Audit Reports. The audit report relating to Cork City Council for 2023 revealed that while the authority collected 1.1m of derelict site levies during the year, arrears at year's end had grown to almost 5m (4.935m). During 2023, the City Council collected 428k in Vacant Site Levies, including 294k related to two sites owned by the City Council itself. The auditors report noted: Arrears have increased to 364k, for which the Council has made a full bad debt provision. While Cork County Council issued invoices for 525k for vacant site levies during 2023 and a further 28k for derelict site levies, the Local Government Auditor found it collected just 126k in total and that the uncollected balance at years end was 843k in respect of vacant site levies and a further 363k in uncollected derelict site levies. Based on the register of derelict sites, it was noted at audit that a further 235k of DSL invoices should have been issued during 2023 but management advised this was not done due to a lack of a centralised approach across the various municipal districts. The total combined debt owed to Cork County Council when the Vacant Site Levy and Derelict Site Levy debts are added came to 1,206,000. When combined with Cork City Councils figures for derelict and vacant site levy arrears, this brings the total for both local authorities to almost 6,570,000. According to the County Council audit report, which is required under Section 60 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014, its Vacant Site Register had sites listed with an aggregate value of 7.5m. Cork City Council had eight confirmed sites on its vacant site register in 2023 with a combined market value of 7.1m, including two council sites with a combined value at 4.2m. No new sites had been added to the register since 2018. The auditors report states that it had previously been acknowledged that significant work has been undertaken by the Council to progress the identification and invoicing of derelict sites across each municipal district. Included in the auditors report is a response from Cork County Councils CEO Moira Murrell who described the vacant site levy (VSL) as a land activation tool and said regard must be given to the dynamic nature of the process when administering it. Cork County Council will continue to maintain and update its Vacant Sites Register as appropriate until it is replaced with the Residential Zoned Land Tax. The outstanding levies will remain as a charge on the land and will be collected when activation occurs. In relation to the Derelict Site Levy, the CEO said that the Council had conducted a comprehensive assessment of the details of its Derelict Site Levies Register during 2023. This was focused particularly on review of the market valuations of derelict sites and on changes in the ownership of properties on the Derelict Sites Register. One of the main objectives of this specific focus was to verify ownership details and to facilitate a targeted and centralised approach to DSL, the CEO wrote. To facilitate this, the overall management and monitoring of the Derelict Sites Registers for the 8 Municipal Districts in County Cork has been centralised and there are now 110 properties on the Derelict Sites Register for County Cork. Responsibility for the issuing of levy demands and for pursuing collection has also been centralised and a new process for the escalation of unpaid levies has been established to flag instances where pursuing defaulters through the courts should be considered. In the 2023 report for Cork City Council, the auditor noted that three of the accounts had been written off as they were deemed to be statute-barred. More robust processes are required to ensure levies are pursued in a more timely manner to prevent other accounts becoming uncollectable, the auditor noted. In a response included in the audit report, the City Council CEO described as challenging the collection of derelict site levies because the authority was dealing with distressed assets. This often involves lengthy engagement to achieve resolution, the chief executive said. Cork City Council will continue to work with all property owners to identify and ensure the timeliest removal of dereliction, the CEO said. Synergies will be achieved following the combination of planning, property, derelict and vacant sites into one directorate. In a statement issued in response to a query from The Echo, anti-dereliction campaigners Dr OConnor and Ms Sherry said that the latest data raised many questions, including why was it still taking so long for the Councils to enforce a law which was introduced in 1990 and which the Councils had been tasked with implementing from the outset. It is important to remember that this lack of enforcement is costing lives and traumatising generations through keeping homes off the market, and eroding our urban centres across the county, to name just two of many, many other well documented negative societal impacts, they said. China unveils new guidelines to deepen reforms in Shenzhen; Move exemplifies Chinas commitment to opening-up: expert 08:10, June 11, 2025 By Yin Yeping ( Global Times Visitors watch the demonstration of a humanoid robot at the 13th China Information Technology Expo (CITE 2025) in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, April 9, 2025. The expo kicked off at Shenzhen Convention &Exhibition Center (Futian) on Wednesday. Themed on "Technology Leading, Innovation Gathering in Shenzhen", the exhibition focuses on cutting-edge key areas such as intelligent terminals, optoelectronic displays, artificial intelligence, big data storage, basic components, and low-altitude economy, attracting more than a thousand companies to participate. (Photo/Xinhua) China will further advance comprehensive reforms in the vibrant southern city of Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong Province, and push for greater innovation and opening-up in the city, according to a set of guidelines unveiled on Tuesday. The guidelines, issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, highlight a new batch of reform measures for Shenzhen to break institutional barriers in education, science, and talent development, according to Xinhua. They emphasize strengthening the integration of innovation, industrial, capital, and talent chains, while exploring new pathways, scenarios, and platforms for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) cooperation. They aim to pioneer modernization in the construction of a globally oriented, innovation-driven city, Xinhua reported. By advancing reform and opening-up at a higher starting point, to a higher level, and for higher goals, Shenzhen will generate more replicable and scalable best practices. It will further amplify its role as a key engine in the GBA and as a radiating hub in the national development strategy. These efforts will contribute to building China into a modern socialist country in all respects, the guidelines said. Specifically, the guidelines call for a coordinated push to integrate reforms in education, science and technology, and talent development systems and mechanisms. This includes reinforcing the central role of enterprises in technological innovation and improving effective pathways for leading tech companies to serve as "problem setters" in research and development. They also promote integrated reforms in talent cultivation methods, education models, management systems, and support mechanisms. Universities and enterprises are encouraged to jointly cultivate high-caliber, interdisciplinary engineering talent and foster a pool of innovative entrepreneurs proficient in cutting-edge technologies. The guidelines also call for enhancing support systems for attracting overseas talent. In addition, the guidelines propose measures to enable the high-quality development of the real economy through finance, technology, and data integration. This includes supporting Shenzhen in launching a pilot program for the integration of finance and the tech industry. They also support reforms in unmanned aerial vehicle flight management, improvement of low-altitude flight regulations, and exploration of general aviation services such as cross-border helicopter flights and public service missions. Moreover, the guidelines call for the establishment of a new, higher-level open economic system. This includes facilitating goods trade and promoting innovations in customs clearance, with Shenzhen's Yantian Port designated as one of the areas where these measures will be implemented. The release of the guidelines is based on more than 40 years of exploration in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and years of reform efforts in the GBA, and its introduction carries great significance for promoting high-quality development and opening-up in both the city and the wider region, Li Changan, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies at the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times on Tuesday. "Shenzhen has been a national leader in technological innovation and application, and further progress in this area requires strong support from the education sector," the expert said, indicating the importance of the policy in prioritizing the integrated development of education, science, and talent. As of late 2024, Shenzhen's skilled workforce reached 4.033 million, with the proportion of highly skilled talent rising to 38.5 percent, according to Shenzhen government data. Both the size of the workforce and the share of highly skilled workers rank among the highest in the country. The guidelines for Shenzhen carry significant weight and relevance, given the city's longstanding position at the forefront of China's reform and its deep integration across various stages of the industrial chain from manufacturing and research and development to design, trade, and logistics, Hu Qimu, a deputy secretary-general of the Digital-Real Economies Integration Forum 50, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Hu noted that Shenzhen benefits not only from its role as home to major capital market platforms like the Shenzhen Stock Exchange but also from its strategic location in the GBA, the presence of leading universities and research institutions, a strong industrial foundation in the Pearl River Delta, and its vital status as a key hub in the country's reform journey. These conditions, Hu said, make the city an ideal testing ground for reform measures with potential for national application. Amid ongoing technological transformation, Shenzhen continues to exemplify China's commitment to further opening-up and global cooperation, even as protectionist and anti-globalization trends grow in certain countries, Hu noted. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) China's export controls on rare earths serve global security, trade stability 11:28, June 11, 2025 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily Recent concerns have been raised by certain nations regarding China's export control measures on certain rare earth-related items. It is important to clarify that all parties should approach these measures with reason and objectivity, respect China's legitimate rights in managing its national resources, and work together to uphold the international economic and trade order, as well as international peace and security. The primary objective of these measures is to safeguard national security and fulfill China's international non-proliferation obligations. Rare earth-related items have dual-use attributes for both military and civilian purposes, and imposing export controls on such items is in line with international practice, with the aim to better safeguard national security and interests and fulfill non-proliferation and other international obligations. The move reflects China's commitment to world peace and regional stability. Natural resources are the basis of human survival and development, also critical in maintaining peace and stability among nations. As a non-renewable strategic resource, rare earth elements are often referred to as the "vitamins" of modern industry. Their exceptional physical and chemical properties - such as magnetism, luminescence, electrical conductivity, and catalytic functions - make them indispensable for enhancing the performance of advanced materials in areas such as light, heat, electricity, and magnetism. They serve as critical raw materials for strategic industries, including advanced weaponry, aerospace components, wind power, new energy vehicles, robotics, and intelligent manufacturing. It is an indisputable right and responsibility of all countries to protect, utilize, and manage their own natural resources in a rational manner. China has consistently upheld the principles of openness, coordination, and shared development in its rare earth industry. Beyond fulfilling domestic demands for economic and social development, China has actively contributed to reliable global rare earth supplies and world economic growth by forging robust international partnerships. In recent years, China has introduced a range of policy measures to promote sustainable and sound development of its rare earth industry, including the establishment of market access standards, industry consolidation, and environmental protection. The regulations on rare earth administration, which took effect in October 2024, are designed to promote the high-quality development of the rare earth industry while ensuring high-level security. China has always rigorously fulfilled its international non-proliferation obligations and responsibilities and remains committed to safeguarding international peace and security. The fundamental purpose of China's export control measures on certain rare earth-related items is to ensure that such resources are used for legitimate and peaceful purposes, without targeting specific countries. By ensuring that relevant items are not used for military purposes or in sensitive fields, China demonstrates its strong commitment to safeguarding world peace and security as a responsible major country, serving the common interests of international security governance. China remains committed to high-level opening-up and attaches great importance to economic and trade cooperation with countries and regions around the world. It recognizes the rising global demand for medium and heavy rare earth elements in civilian sectors driven by industries such as robotics and new energy vehicles. Taking into account the legitimate needs and concerns of all parties in civilian applications, China reviews export applications for rare earth-related items in accordance with law and is ready to enhance communication and dialogue on export controls with relevant countries and regions to facilitate compliant trade. China has approved a certain number of export license applications for rare earth-related items in accordance with law and will continue enhancing the approval process. Experience has shown that as long as companies comply with legal requirements and are not engaged in activities that undermine China's national sovereignty, security, or development interests, export control measures will not affect their normal business operations and trade activities, let alone the stability and security of international industrial and supply chains. China's export control measures should not be mischaracterized as a "blockade" or an act of "confrontation." Rather, they are intended to ensure the effective protection and rational utilization of rare earth resources. China stands ready to work with all parties, on the basis of mutual respect for core interests and adherence to international rules, to build a global industrial and supply chain system that is secure and stable, smooth, efficient, open, inclusive, and mutually beneficial. Such collaboration will inject greater certainty and positive momentum into world peace and prosperity. (Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.) (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) A more joined up approach is needed if the real potential of rural bus routes in Cork is to be fully realised according to independent councillor Finbarr Harrington. Mr Harrington raised the issue when he proposed a motion to the recent meeting of the West Cork Municipal District. The motion asked: That this council would write to TFI (Transport for Ireland) and Bus Eireann and invite them to a meeting to discuss a way of coordinating their services better in order to make Cork more accessible. "These services are the only means of transport for many people and sometimes bus routes never meet making it difficult for people commuting. He said: These services are the only means of transport for many people but in some cases the bus routes never meet. For example the Mizen bus from Barleycove to Ballydehob and the Kilcrohane and Durrus service never meet. So you've got people from the Mizen who could go to Beara and vice-versa but the buses never overlap. Mr Harrington said that if services were properly integrated it would benefit the whole county. People could travel to Bandon, Kinsale, Clonakilty and on to East Cork. Especially for retired people who could head off on the bus, stay overnight. It would be a massive support for B&Bs, for our hotels and pubs if they could travel through the whole county independently and come and go as they please. It was agreed for the motion to be sent to the Corporate Policy Group to ask if it can be referred to the Development Committee. This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. While the turnaround time for passport applications has shortened considerably, particularly since the introduction of an online service, a printing press should be set up in Cork in order to be able to process emergency applications within hours if need be, a Fine Gael councillor suggested during Mondays meeting of Cork County Council. Cork East councillor Rory Cocking said he was sure all of his colleagues had been contacted, as he had, about first-time applications, or lost or out-of-date passports. While Mr Cocking acknowledged that while passport service staff were very informative and accommodating where they can be, sometimes applications are not completed in time and applicants are unable to travel despite their best efforts. This could be due to a variety of reasons, whether that be due to requests for further documentation or proof of identity, he told the council. We currently have two publicly accessible passport offices, one on the South Mall in Cork, and one in Mount St in Dublin, in addition to a passport printing facility in Balbriggan in Dublin. Of these three buildings, only two actually print passports, and both are located in Dublin. Mr Cocking said that the number of first-time applications had more than doubled to over 275,000 applications, the number of renewals sought had increased significantly to 725,000 in the past five years, and against that backdrop, the situation that there was no passport service outside of Dublin warranted review. In some cases we are literally talking about a matter of hours as to whether a passport is printed and dispatched or collected and an applicant can actually travel, said Mr Cocking. People may be required to travel to Dublin at short notice to collect a passport and then return to Cork to catch a flight. The current concentration of printing in Dublin severely disadvantages those coming from further afield, such as Munster, and a print facility in Cork should be explored as the service expands. Several councillors spoke in support of the motion, calling on the council to write to the Tanaiste and foreign affairs minister Simon Harris to seek his consideration for the demand for the establishment of a passport printing service in Cork. Cork city councillors have called for Bishop Lucey Park to be renamed to Pairc na mBan Chorcai. At Mondays council meeting, Workers Party councillor Ted Tynan proposed that Bishop Lucey Park be renamed. He explained that it was "under Bishop Cornelius Luceys watch and term of office and administrator, both as serving priest and bishop of the Diocese of Cork and Ross, much of the abuse, documented, proven or alleged, be it sexual or physical or psychological, occurred. He proposed that in view of the Ryan Report, the McAleese Report and the most recent Report of The Scoping Enquiry into Sexual Abuse in schools run by Religious Orders, Cork City Council should remove his name from the public park on Grand Parade. He suggested that the park be renamed Pairc na mBan Chorcai to honour to the women and girls who were victims of the institutional abuse that occurred under his reign both as priest and bishop and also to do honour to the women of Cork who participated valiantly in our War of Independence, such as Muriel McSweeney and Mary McSweeney among others. He also added that the name would celebrate the lives of Cork women who have distinguished themselves in Poetry, Literature, Theatre, Music, Art and Academia and those who have voluntarily contributed to the causes of Social Justice through various forms of community work and campaigning for betterment of social conditions throughout the city.. He was advised at the Community Culture and Placemaking Strategic Policy Committee: There are currently no plans as part of the redevelopment of the park to rename Bishop Lucey Park. "Should council request that this matter be progressed a process will be undertaken to explore same. The park has been closed since December 2023 for revamping works, and is set to reopen at the end of this year. Green party councillor Oliver Moran said that this refurbishment was the perfect time to rename the park, and supported Mr Tynans name suggestion, pointing out that it would be the first Irish language park name in the city. Midleton Distillery has celebrated a milestone moment, being named Most Awarded International Distillery at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) The recognition comes as the Cork distillery, which took home a grand total of 41 awards from the competition, marks 200 years of whiskey-making. For two centuries, Midleton Distillery has been home to craftspeople who have shaped Irish whiskeys including Jameson, Redbreast, Spot Whiskey's and Midleton Very Rare. This years SFWSC results for Midleton Distillery whiskeys include 21 Double Gold medals, 10 Gold medals, nine Platinum awards (awarded only to entries that have received a Double Gold for three consecutive years) and nine Best of Class finalists with winners to be announced at the Top Shelf Gala this autumn. Established by the Murphy family in 1825, Midleton Distillery became part of the Cork Distilleries Company (CDC) following an amalgamation of local distilleries in 1867. A century later, in 1966, Irish Distillers was formed through a merger of CDC with John Power & Son and John Jameson & Son. In 1975, a new, purpose-built distillery was constructed adjacent to the original site. Nodjame Fouad, CEO of Irish Distillers, said they were very proud to have scooped this top honour. To be recognised as the most awarded international distillery at one of the worlds most influential spirits competitions is a true honour. It is a testament to the passion, innovation and craftsmanship of our teams in Midleton both past and present and to the enduring appeal of Irish whiskey on the world stage to have received this accolade. Kevin OGorman, master distiller at Irish Distillers, said it was fantastic to get this nod during such a historically significant year. "As we celebrate 200 years of whiskey making excellence, this recognition pays tribute to the craftsmanship and dedication of the talented team at Midleton Distillery, where we have seen knowledge and expertise passed down through the generations. Each whiskey is crafted with care and meticulous attention to detail. To see our dedication acknowledged by this prestigious award is deeply rewarding for the entire team. At least two new fire stations in Cork city are needed by 2035, according to a new review, which has identified issues with two of the three current stations. Key findings of the Cork City Fire Cover Review report, which was published today, include the necessity for a new full-time fire station in the south-west of the city, which should be developed in the next three years as part of a three phased plan. The review was commissioned in response to the Strategic Review carried of the Cork City Fire and Building Control Department following the citys 2019 boundary extension, taking into account future projected population growth. Cork city grew fivefold and the population increased from 125,000 to 210,000 under the boundary extension. The city is also forecast to see a rise in population to 350,000 by 2040, meaning expanded fire services are required. Crowe Ireland, supported by a specialist UK spatial data and consultancy company Cadcorp, were tasked to analyse a wide range of data and to model how best fire cover can be provided. Response times The resulting review shows that the current response times from Ballincollig to major centres of potential high risk - including Cork University Hospital, University Collage Cork, Munster Technological University, and other significant industrial and commercial businesses - are suboptimal. The report said a new fire station in the south-western suburbs, adjacent to the N40 South Ring Road and potentially located between Ballincollig and Bishopstown, would provide much quicker response times to these high-risk centres, with the review noting that the establishment of this station would also improve service response times in Ballincollig. The report phase one goals to be implemented over the next one to three years include the development of the new full-time station in the south-western suburbs, closer to the city centre than Ballincollig. Cork City Council has confirmed that a funding application will be submitted for the immediate implementation of the phase one recommendations to the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management. Rather than being an additional fire station, this would likely be a replacement, as the report says that the present retained station at Ballincollig is not considered to be a suitable location due to its configuration, its limited expansion potential, and its distance from the city. It recommends that over the next three years, "future uses of the Ballincollig service should be considered with a view to repurposing it as a local and regional training, operational support and logistics facility. New station Under phase two, over the following four to seven years, the new station in the south-western suburbs could considered as the future location for the headquarters for the Cork City Council Fire and Building Control Department, and the base for specialist equipment and other operational resources relocated from Anglesea Street. Also contained in phase two is the identification of two new or reconfigured station locations, one in the city centre which might potentially be at Anglesea Street, subject to review and the other at a new location in the north-west. A review into the future uses of the Anglesea Street should take place during this phase, including redevelopment or the potential for the cessation of operational response services from this location and their relocation to a new location in or near the city centre. The report explains: The building is 50 years old, needs major refurbishment, and has a limited footprint, which restricts the opportunity for on-site operational training. It identifies that most of the Cork City Fire Brigade specialist fleet is located there, and the building provides office accommodation for operational staff and for other sections including building control, fire prevention, and administration. Whilst there may be a significant opportunity for Cork City Council to sell this property and relocate all resources based at Anglesea Street to other locations across the city, there is a strong case for retaining some fire cover in the city centre," reads the report. This case is being assessed, along with other options for new locations outside the city centre, including possible stations in the south-western and north-western suburbs. Training facilities If a smaller station were to be located in the city centre, office accommodation for other sections could be relocated elsewhere and training facilities could be considered for relocation to Ballincollig. Following the review of Anglesea Street, the best option identified should be put into place in the next eight to 10 years during phase three, with the other new station in the north-western suburbs also to become fully operational during this period. The report concludes: It is likely that Cork City Council will need to make a significant investment in the development of its fire service physical building infrastructure in the coming years, including both construction of new stations and refurbishment of existing locations. It noted the councils commitment that a funding application will be submitted for the implementation of phase one. The report has been welcomed by the fire service, with chief fire officer David Spillett saying he is particularly pleased that the report highlights the need for additional stations and infrastructure, "which will enhance fire service cover and our response capability across the entire city." This enhanced emergency service presence will help meet and future proof the increasing demands upon the emergency services within Cork city and allow us in the fire service to deliver on our vision of providing an excellent operational service to the public we serve. Welcomed Brian Geaney, the councils assistant chief executive and chairperson of the Fire Review Steering Group, also welcomed the conclusion of the review This report marks an important step in the process of modernising the City Council Fire and Emergency response Service to future proof same," said Mr Geaney. Its findings are designed to ensure that these critical services remain equipped to safeguard lives and adapt to evolving risks in an ever-changing landscape. The councils director of emergency management and climate action, David Joyce, said that the detailed report sets out a clear roadmap for the future. This report represents the culmination of a significant quantum of analysis, both spatial and statistical," said Mr Joyce. This resulting Fire Cover Review report clearly lays out a future development strategy which details the infrastructure investments which need to be delivered in Cork city to meet the expanding needs of our growing city, its communities and businesses. Over 100,000 worth of damage was caused by arson to one vehicle and further damage to two others parked at Cork Airport Business Park and today a 32-year-old man working in the area was refused bail on the charges. Detective Sergeant Pat Lyons arrested and charged Mateusz Stula of Orchard Court, Blackpool, Cork, with carrying out the arson attacks after 1am on Tuesday, June 10. The detective objected to bail because of the seriousness of the charges and the strength of the evidence. The charges before the court are very serious. Mateusz Stula is charged with three counts of arson. It is alleged that on June 10 at approximately 1.15am he entered the grounds of Cork Airport Business Park where he set fire to three vehicles parked there. One of these vehicles was a Swissport Airline waste removal tanker which has an approximate value of 100,000. A second vehicle was privately owned and had been parked at the business park while the owner was abroad. A third vehicle was a privately-owned animal transporter truck which had been dropped to the business park for repairs. Owing to the significant monetary value of the property, this case will most likely proceed on indictment where the likely sentence on conviction could be up to ten years' imprisonment. The incidents of arson in this instance have been captured on CCTV footage, Det Sgt Lyons added. Eddie Burke, solicitor, said the accused was on prescribed medication but that mixing alcohol with this was problematic. He said the accused had been in employment for the past two months at a premises in the Cork Airport business park and that the incident before the court was not a matter of him going to the airport in order to carry out this damage. For whatever reason, he left his place of work and went to where these vehicles were. He had made great strides but unfortunately this is now before the courts. He is asking to be released on bail on strict conditions so that he could get help with his drink difficulties, and in particular to go to Bruree treatment centre, Mr Burke said. Judge Mary Dorgan said: Matters before the court are extremely serious. The value of the damage was very high. The accused was remanded in custody until June 18. A public meeting will be held in North Cork next week to inform people of the work done to improve water quality in the area. The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) works on behalf of Irelands 31 local authorities to protect and restore good water quality in rivers, lakes, estuaries, ground and coastal water. Next Tuesday evening in the Firgrove Hotel, Mitchelstown, LAWPRO will hold a community information meeting about water quality and water-related issues in the Fermoy Municipal District. Under the River Basin Management Plan for Ireland, LAWPRO carries out work in areas identified as having poor water quality - called Priority Areas for Action (PAA) - to support targeted water quality improvements. The community information meeting is being held to make more people aware of work to improve water quality in the area, and to encourage as much engagement as possible with all stakeholders across the community. Ahead of the public meeting, Anthony Coleman, director of services with LAWPRO, said he hoped to engage as many people as possible at this meeting, because public participation and support was key to achieving water quality improvements. We would also like to thank all those whether in a voluntary or paid capacity, working in their local areas to help make a difference to their natural waters and the biodiversity that live in and around them, he said. The public meeting will be held at 7.30pm in Firgrove Hotel, Mitchelstown on Tuesday, June 17. To register, visit https://tinyurl.com/mrxphyxp. A man who drove off from gardai at speed in East Cork has been handed a lengthy driving disqualification after pleading guilty to dangerous driving at a recent sitting of Youghal District Court. Jack Sweetnam, aged 23, of Ardsallagh, Co, Waterford, pleaded guilty to multiple charges relating to three separate incidents that occurred in Youghal, Co Cork, in March and April 2025. Court presenter Sergeant Majella OSullivan told the court that the first incident occurred on March 15 when a patrol stopped Sweetnam at North Main St where the vehicle he was driving did not have valid tax, insurance, or NCT disks displayed, and was subsequently seized. On April 16, Sweetnam was stopped at Woodland Grove in Youghal at 11pm. A smell of cannabis was apparent and following a search he was found to be in possession of two cannabis joints which he admitted were his. On that occasion, Sweetnam did not have a valid drivers licence or motor insurance. Sgt OSullivan said Sweetnam was observed driving again on April 23, at Foxhole in Youghal. When gardai attempted to pull him over he drove off at speed in the opposite direction. He ignored garda sirens and blue lights, and the decision was taken not to pursue him for the safety of other road users who had to take evasive action. Defence solicitor James Moore said his client made full admissions, was co-operative with gardai, and all of the offending took place within a five-week period during which his client had come under the influence of a group who treated him as a patsy. He said Mr Sweetnam had not been in trouble before or since, and was now living at the family home. Judge Brian OShea said if Sweetnam had previous convictions, he would be going to prison. For the two no-insurance charges he was fined a total of 600 and disqualified from driving for four years and six years. For the two dangerous driving charges he was disqualified for four years and two years. All other charges were taken into consideration. Public consultation for the Mary St, Douglas St, and White St public realm enhancement scheme opens tomorrow. Cork City Council said the proposals seek to enhance the South Parish area, aiming to restore its village within the city. Following the consultation process, the scheme is expected to be brought before councillors later this year, with an aim to begin construction in late 2026 or early 2027. The area is currently known for its narrow streets, high traffic volumes, and limited public spaces. The proposed upgrades include pedestrian zones, one-way traffic systems, rationalisation of parking, enhanced public spaces, and landscaping. The scheme also includes a new neighbourhood pocket park at the eastern end of Douglas St. Red Abbey Sq. Cork City Council launches Mary Street, Douglas Street & White Street Public Realm Enhancement Scheme planning consultation Cork City Council will open the Part 8 planning public consultation tomorrow, with observations accepted up until Monday August 25. Among the proposals are the conversion of a number of streets into one way systems, including: Douglas St into a one-way east bound street between the junctions of Dunbar St and Rutland St; Meade St into a one-way south bound street; Drinan St into a one-way north bound street; Cove St into a one-way east bound street between the junctions with Meade St and Drinan St; Cove St into a one-way west bound street between the junctions with Mary St and Gould's Square; and White St to a one-way south bound street. A number of cul-de-sacs are also proposed. Contraflow cycle facilities are to be provided to allow two-way cycle access along one-way streets for portions of Cove St, Mary St, Red Abbey St, Dunbar St and Douglas St. The junctions at Friar St and Evergreen St, and Evergreen St and Abbey St, will be realigned to provide traffic calming measures and provide controlled and uncontrolled pedestrian crossing points. The introduction of a small city park on the eastern end of Douglas St is also among the plans, as is removing vehicle access to and from Douglas St from the junction with Langford Row. Douglas St-Rutland St junction. Cork City Council launches Mary Street, Douglas Street & White Street Public Realm Enhancement Scheme planning consultation An upgrade of Red Abbey Square is also included in the proposals. This would entail traffic calming along Red Abbey St, the removal of railings around Red Abbey Tower and the introduction of enhanced landscaping and lighting measures. The introduction of the TFI shared bike scheme is also proposed for Abbey Street. Bike parking, seating and enhanced lighting are other elements of the plan, as is the undergrounding of all overhead cables throughout the scheme. The project team undertook several rounds of public consultation and used the feedback to develop the proposed scheme. Two further public consultation open days during this consultation period will be held in Nano Nagle Place, where members of the public can view the plans, meet members of the design team and make their submissions. Abbey St-Evergreen St junction. Cork City Council launches Mary Street, Douglas Street & White Street Public Realm Enhancement Scheme planning consultation These events will take place on Friday June 20 and Friday July 4 from 9.30am to 7pm. Full details of the scheme, the drawings, and associated images will be available to view on the Cork City Council consult platform on https://consult.corkcity.ie from tomorrow. Observations and comments will be accepted up until Monday August 25. The South Parish area is one of the oldest inhabited parts of the city. Settlements in the area date back to the 10th Century and the Red Abbey, Cork's oldest surviving medieval structure, was built in the late 13th or early 14th century. By Jonathan McCambridge and Grainne Ni Aodha, PA A 29-year-old man has been charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested during disorder in Ballymena on Monday night. The man, who is due to appear before Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday, July 3rd, has also been charged with disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police. The scenes of violence in Ballymena which left 15 police injured were described as racist thuggery by a senior officer. Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force would have a significant operation in place over the coming days in case there was any repeat of the disturbances on Monday night in the Co Antrim town. He said: We are actively working to identify those responsible for last nights racially-motivated disorder in Ballymena and bring them to justice. Anyone who has information or who can help identify those responsible is asked to contact police on 101. The senior officer said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage. The UK prime ministers official spokesman described the events which saw police and ethnic minorities targeted as very concerning. At Clonavon Terrace, several houses had their windows smashed and two which suffered significant smoke damage remained sealed off on Tuesday. The violence flared following an earlier peaceful protest in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the town at the weekend. Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. On Tuesday, the PSNI said it had made a third arrest in connection with the incident and reiterated a public appeal for information. Detective Inspector Olphert from the PSNIs public protection branch said: A 28-year-old man was arrested yesterday evening, Monday June 9. He has been unconditionally released from police custody following questioning. After the later protest turned violent, police were attacked with petrol bombs and masonry. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the attacks should be loudly condemned by all right-thinking people. Any attempt to justify or explain it as something else is misplaced, he said at a press conference at Ballymena police station. He said that members of the minority ethnic community felt fear and there will be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community. I would strongly urge anyone who was involved in yesterdays disorder to reflect long and hard about their actions, they will have consequences, he said. Mr Henderson said that police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed to help the PSNI in the wake of the Ballymena disorder. He said: Should I need any additionality, Im absolutely assured that my colleagues in policing in England and Wales, the National Police Operation Centre, stand fast and ready to support should we need that support. The senior officer said police did not have specific intelligence that there would be a repeat of the violent scenes, but said a significant policing operation would be in place. A PSNI spokesperson said: At around 7.30pm, a planned vigil gathered in the Galgorm Road area before making its way towards Larne Street, onto Wakehurt Road and then down Queen Street. The vigil was initially peaceful as it made its way towards the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson speaking to the media following a protest in Ballymena over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town (Jonathan McCambridge/PA) Officers were present at the vigil to ensure an appropriate and proportionate policing response, due to the large number of people who had gathered in the area. A number of masked individuals then broke away from the vigil and began to build barricades, stockpiling missiles and attacking properties in the Clonavon Terrace area. Elements of the crowd then turned on to police and attacked officers with petrol bombs and masonry. This disorder was sustained and continued in the vicinity of Galgorm Street, Linenhall Street and Larne Road Link in the vicinity of the Braid. The statement added: Police officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, fireworks, heavy masonry and bricks thrown in their direction by masked rioters. Fifteen officers were injured with some requiring hospital treatment. Two police vehicles were also damaged during the disorder. A number of homes and businesses were damaged with windows and doors smashed. Four houses were damaged by fire with three people evacuated. The attacks on these properties are being investigated as racially-motivated hate attacks. A damaged property at Clonavon Terrace in Ballymena (Jonathan McCambridge/PA) Windows were also smashed of several business units in Galgorm Parks in the early hours. In total, six properties in Clonavon Terrace have sustained damage to windows and doors during the disorder. During the course of the serious disorder, authorised police officers discharged one attenuating energy projectile (AEP) with one rioter struck. As part of ongoing inquiries, police are also investigating a report of arson at the Tobar Park area of Cullybackey in the early hours of Tuesday. Shortly after 12.20am, it was reported that a petrol bomb had been thrown at a vehicle in the area which set it alight. Damage was caused to a nearby property, with a woman and two children inside. Downing Street said there could be no justification for the violence in Ballymena. British prime minister Keir Starmers official spokesman said: The disorder we saw in Ballymena is very concerning. Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers while they continue to protect local communities. PSNI and the justice system must be allowed to carry out their jobs and our thoughts are with the victims of the assault as well as the police officers who were injured. By Jonathan McCambridge, Cillian Sherlock and Grainne Ni Aodha, PA Fireworks and other objects have been thrown at police during a second night of disorder in Ballymena. Riot police were deployed around the Clonavon Terrace area on Tuesday night as hundreds of people have gathered in the Co Antrim town. PSNI vehicles formed barricades on some roads while riot police wearing armour and carrying shields stood nearby. Some protesters shouted abuse and threw objects at the police including glass bottles and pieces of metal. Police fired less-than-lethal rounds at some of those gathered and also used a water cannon to disperse the crowd. It comes after violent disorder on Monday followed an earlier peaceful protest in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. The scenes of violence in Ballymena which left 15 police injured on Monday were described as racist thuggery by a senior officer. Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force had a significant operation in place over the coming days in case there was any repeat of the disturbances on Monday night in the Co Antrim town. He said: We are actively working to identify those responsible for last nights racially motivated disorder in Ballymena and bring them to justice. Anyone who has information or who can help identify those responsible is asked to contact police on 101. A 29-year-old man has been charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested during disorder in Ballymena on Monday night. The man, who is due to appear before Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday, July 3rd, has also been charged with disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police. Mr Henderson said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage. The Prime Ministers official spokesman described the events which saw police and ethnic minorities targeted as very concerning. In Clonavon Terrace, several houses had their windows smashed and two which suffered significant smoke damage remained sealed off on Tuesday. The violence flared following an earlier peaceful protest in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the town at the weekend. Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. On Tuesday, the PSNI said it had made a third arrest in connection with the incident and reiterated a public appeal for information. Detective Inspector Olphert from the PSNIs public protection branch said: A 28-year-old man was arrested yesterday evening, Monday June 9. He has been unconditionally released from police custody following questioning. After the later protest turned violent, police were attacked with petrol bombs and masonry. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the attacks should be loudly condemned by all right-thinking people. Any attempt to justify or explain it as something else is misplaced, he said at a press conference at Ballymena police station. He said that members of the minority ethnic community felt fear and there will be a significant policing operation in the town in the coming days to reassure the community. I would strongly urge anyone who was involved in yesterdays disorder to reflect long and hard about their actions, they will have consequences, he said. Mr Henderson said that police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed to help the PSNI in the wake of the Ballymena disorder. He said: Should I need any additionality, Im absolutely assured that my colleagues in policing in England and Wales, the National Police Operation Centre, stand fast and ready to support should we need that support. The senior officer said police did not have specific intelligence that there would be a repeat of the violent scenes, but said a significant policing operation would be in place. A PSNI spokesperson said: At around 7.30pm, a planned vigil gathered in the Galgorm Road area before making its way towards Larne Street, onto Wakehurt Road and then down Queen Street. The vigil was initially peaceful as it made its way towards the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson speaking to the media following a protest in Ballymena over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town (Jonathan McCambridge/PA) Officers were present at the vigil to ensure an appropriate and proportionate policing response, due to the large number of people who had gathered in the area. A number of masked individuals then broke away from the vigil and began to build barricades, stockpiling missiles and attacking properties in the Clonavon Terrace area. Elements of the crowd then turned on to police and attacked officers with petrol bombs and masonry. This disorder was sustained and continued in the vicinity of Galgorm Street, Linenhall Street and Larne Road Link in the vicinity of the Braid. The statement added: Police officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, fireworks, heavy masonry and bricks thrown in their direction by masked rioters. Fifteen officers were injured with some requiring hospital treatment. Two police vehicles were also damaged during the disorder. A number of homes and businesses were damaged with windows and doors smashed. Four houses were damaged by fire with three people evacuated. The attacks on these properties are being investigated as racially motivated hate attacks. A damaged property in Clonavon Terrace in Ballymena (Jonathan McCambridge/PA) Windows were also smashed of several business units in Galgorm Parks in the early hours. In total, six properties in Clonavon Terrace have sustained damage to windows and doors during the disorder. During the course of the serious disorder, authorised police officers discharged one attenuating energy projectile (AEP) with one rioter struck. As part of ongoing inquiries, police are also investigating a report of arson at the Tobar Park area of Cullybackey in the early hours of Tuesday. Shortly after 12.20am, it was reported that a petrol bomb had been thrown at a vehicle in the area which set it alight. Damage was caused to a nearby property, with a woman and two children inside. Downing Street said there could be no justification for the violence in Ballymena. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: The disorder we saw in Ballymena is very concerning. Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers while they continue to protect local communities. PSNI and the justice system must be allowed to carry out their jobs and our thoughts are with the victims of the assault as well as the police officers who were injured. By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA A row erupted between TD Paul Gogarty, two councillors and protesters demonstrating outside the Dail over Government plans to buy Citywest Hotel. The State is to buy the Citywest Hotel to be used as part of the countrys immigration system, according to the Business Post. Around two dozen protesters gathered outside Leinster House on Wednesday holding signs that read Public consultation, not secret conversation and Save Citywest Hotel from being purchased by our Government. Locals who protested raised concerns about losing a significant amenity in the area. Dublin city councillors Malachy Steenson and Gavin Pepper, who do not represent the electoral area Citywest is located in, were also seen at the protest. As Independent TD for Dublin Mid-West Paul Gogarty addressed the crowd by megaphone, a row broke out between protesters, Mr Gogarty, Mr Steenson and Mr Pepper. Independent TD for Dublin Mid-West Paul Gogarty (left) speaks to protesters with Dublin councillor Malachy Steenson (right) as people demonstrate outside Leinster House (Brian Lawless/PA) Asked whether there was some confusion over how his comments had been taken, Mr Gogarty said maybe one or two people jumped the gun there. But I felt it was important to say what I stand for first of all, which is respect towards everyone whether or not they are economic migrants abusing the asylum system, genuine people fleeing persecution or IT professionals coming to this country. Bernie Cronin, from Clondalkin, said 200 people attended a meeting two weeks ago where concerns were raised about the Government plans to buy Citywest Hotel. Mr Cronin, who is a former member of Fine Gael and a current member of Independent Ireland, said it has been the areas greatest amenity for 40 years. People demonstrating outside Leinster House in Dublin over Government plans to buy Citywest Hotel (Brian Lawless/PA) If the Government buys it, it will never come back to the people of Saggart and the surrounding districts as the superb and magnificent luxury hotel that it has been for 40 years, he said. He said locals have no concern about its current use as an IPAS centre for housing asylum seekers. Mr Cronin said there have been concerns by the group that others could hijack what we are trying to do. Asked about outside elements at the protest, Mr Cronin said: They dont help us. They dont help us and I know thats a concern. Its not a question about race, its about space, Saggart resident Susan Murphy said. We dont have the space, we have two shops, one chemist, one post office, no Garda station. We cannot accommodate groups and groups of people. If the Government buys Citywest Hotel, they have free rein to do whatever they want with all the land there, which isnt fair on the residents here. Another local, Karen Tracey, said the village was already overwhelmed and it was difficult to get a GP appointment or school place. Within a five-minute walk within the hotel, theres about 8,000 new homes, not all of them have been occupied just yet and when they are occupied you can imagine how overwhelmed well be without this. By Nick Lester, Chief Lords Reporter A minister has warned it will take years to rebuild what has been broken in Northern Ireland following violent unrest that has left communities across the region very scared. Labour frontbencher Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent said the scenes of disorder in Ballymena had no place in Northern Ireland and branded the attacks on police officers wholly unacceptable. Responding to an urgent question in Parliament following a second night of disturbances in the Co Antrim town, she said that Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn hoped to visit the area in the coming days. Lady Anderson was joined by other peers at Westminster in condemning the appalling acts of racist thuggery seen on the streets of Ballymena. But she also heard concerns that the PSNI does not have enough officers and faced calls for additional funding. Police said their officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours in Ballymena on Tuesday night, with petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks hurled at them. The PSNI deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds and used water cannon as well as dog units as part of its response to the disturbances. Police also reported sporadic disorder occurred in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well as incidents in north Belfast. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in Ballymena on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged. Lady Anderson said: The recent scenes of civil disorder which we have seen in Ballymena have no place in Northern Ireland. The attacks on police officers as they work to keep people safe and on property are wholly unacceptable. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the PSNI, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, who have worked in difficult conditions over the past few days to keep people safe. My thoughts and prayers are with those officers still receiving treatment, and with the communities across Northern Ireland who woke up this morning very scared. The minister told the Lords: Members would have seen, as I have, horrendous images of whats actually happened within the community. This is not something that is now going to be solved tomorrow. Community engagement efforts will have to continue for months and years to rebuild what has been broken over the last 24 hours. She added: Northern Ireland Office officials have been meeting and engaging with community groups and will continue to do so. She welcomed the funding of 11 million announced by the Chancellor in Wednesdays spending review for community cohesion projects in Northern Ireland. A burnt-out house on Queen Street (Niall Carson/PA) Former Northern Ireland minister Lord Caine said: We too condemn unreservedly the appalling acts of racist thuggery in Ballymena for which there can be not a single shred of justification. There is nothing remotely British about wrapping oneself in the Union flag, attacking migrants, forcing people from their homes and scapegoating entire communities anywhere in the United Kingdom. Former police ombudsman for Northern Ireland Baroness OLoan said: I live in Ballymena and its awful to see what happened there. I think it must have taken enormous courage for officers to face the petrol bombs and other missiles which were hurled at them. I salute that courage, and I condemn absolutely what happened on the streets of our town. But the independent crossbencher pointed out the PSNI only had 6,200 officers and numbers had failed to keep pace with those in England and Wales. Lady OLoan said: We dont have enough police officers. PSNI still face national security risks and police them, and they are still at risk of murder and attack every day. She called on the Government to provide real ring-fenced funding in order to allow our police service to recruit more officers so that officers may police safely, and the people of Ballymena in Northern Ireland may be safe. Responding, Lady Anderson said policing was a devolved matter and it was up to the Northern Ireland Executive how it allocated funding, which recognised the special status of Northern Ireland. Labour former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Reid of Cardowan also urged the Government to look at ways of providing additional funding to police in the region. The peer said: It seems to me the logic of our position when the PSNI are confronted with at least two major issues that are not devolved issues but are actually UK-wide issues, which is the legacy and secondly counter-terrorism, that there may be some way of supplementing the normal grants, in view of the fact that these are UK-wide issues. I know its not easy but I would be obliged if the minister was to at least seek to inject that into the conversations with the Secretary of State. A Cork family has praised the nurses at LauraLynn for their invaluable support. Elizabeth Leahy and her husband, Kevin, live in Glanmire with their children, Gwen, 6 and Grace, 4. Grace was born with the genetic condition NACC1, resulting in multiple life-limiting conditions. When Grace is in respite at LauraLynn, Kevin and I can go for a walk and for dinner, says Elizabeth. We can enjoy quality time together. The LauraLynn nurses take over, offering a babysitting service for up to four hours. They take over. We know that Grace is in great hands. The nurses are medically trained. It is great. The LauraLynn nurses bring care and colour to families facing the toughest of journeys. Graces condition is very rare. There are only 50 children in the world with the same condition as Grace, says Elizabeth. Gwen (left) with her younger sister Grace. "Gwen adores Grace," says Elizabeth. The late Fionn Barry, from Charleville, who passed away age 7, was one of them. Sadly, I never got to meet Fionn. Like Fionn, Elizabeth and Kevins daughter brought huge joy into the lives of their families and to the people around them. I noticed at six months old that Grace wasnt sitting up or rolling around on the floor, says Elizabeth. Nobody else thought anything was wrong and put it down to mum is anxious. Mum is instinctive. I felt I needed to say to the GP and to the public health nurse, look at her muscle tone, says Elizabeth. Mary Naughton, in charge of the public health nurses in Cork, reviewed Grace. Within a week we were out to the Lavanagh Centre to see Dr Enright. He is a consultant paediatrician. Grace was referred to paediatric neurologist, Dr Olivia OMahony in the Mercy Hospital, says Elizabeth. She had genetic tests done as well as a spinal tap and more tests. Grace was irritable, she suffered long, colicky periods, she had to be peg-fed as there was no message getting to her muscles. Grace did not react to anything. She cried a lot, and she was hospitalised a lot. It was a neurological problem. When Grace was diagnosed, the family knew that they would need help, and they welcomed the help with open arms. We welcomed the help from the LauraLynn nurses and from the Jack and Jill nurses, says Elizabeth. The care they all provided to us was invaluable They knew before we did what we needed. Grace likes the nice things in life. Aine provides play therapy and Grace loves the music therapy, says Elizabeth. The nurses from the hub in Mallow will come and sit with Grace, and I can go out for a coffee. They are marvellous. Big sister Gwen is marvellous. Gwen adores Grace, says Elizabeth. Elizabeth and Kevin with their daughters Gwen and Grace. Grace has a very rare genetic condition. Gwen is mature. She is six going on 16! Gwen plays with Grace, and she introduced Grace to her pals. The girls have loving people around them every day. Kevins parents are just up the road, says Elizabeth. They are amazing, and they recognise Graces complicated needs. They are a great help. Grace poses challenges even for medically trained nurses. The LauraLynn nurses are well up for a challenge, and they are well up for providing their expert care to very ill children. Sometimes the house can be like a train station! says Elizabeth. The nurses are in and out all the time. They are like our extended family. Graces future is a palliative care future. When Grace experiences episodes, it could be her last one, says Elizabeth. I dont let my brain go there. I cant go there. It is difficult to think things will get harder in the future. Nobody knows. It could all end suddenly, which is terrible to say. Graces needs may become greater. As Grace gets heavier, she will need a suitable vehicle to accommodate a wheelchair, says Elizabeth. We may have to put on an extension to the house. For now, we live day-to-day. Grace loves lights and music, says Elizabeth. She responds to lights and music. She loves being tickled. Every day, though, Grace lights up the people in her life. Grace loves lights and music, says Elizabeth. She responds to lights and music. She loves being tickled. If I could tell you the amount of times that the nurses have threatened to steal her! says Elizabeth laughing. Thats not happening. I tell the nurses, you will bring her back when she has an episode! Grace is a people person. She loves the hustle and bustle going on around her, says Elizabeth. She loves watching the nurses come and go. Grace has a physiotherapist and an OT. The amount of support is incredible. Grace has brought incredible gifts to her family. She has brought amazing gifts and amazing people into our lives, says Elizabeth. Support from LauraLynn LauraLynn is Irelands only childrens hospice, providing palliative care and support for children with life-limiting conditions and their families. They offer services like respite care, crisis care, transitional care, and end-of-life care, along with family support. Since opening in 2011, LauraLynn has cared for more than 680 children and their families, helping them to support them through the childs illness and beyond. Grace is one of these children. LauraLynn currently provides care for 500 families, including children with life-limiting conditions. A survey carried out by LauraLynn in April, 2025, ahead of Childrens Hospice Week, found that 84% of respondents feel isolated in their caregiving role, and that 90% worry about the emotional impact on siblings. Also, 86% of caregivers wish they had more time to parent rather than a carer, while 65% of caregivers find it challenging to focus on parenting. There is a lot of time and effort needed to care for a child with a life-limiting illness, and 77% of respondents care for more than 12 hours a day. Some 95% feel overwhelmed by caregiving responsibilities, and 76% care for their child through the night. The impact on family dynamics is huge. 83% worry about not spending enough time with other children. 75% find it challenging to balance the needs of siblings. 55% find the psychological impact on siblings challenging. Finances can be difficult to manage. 86% say caregiving impacts their finances, 83% had to give up work, and 91% had to reduce work hours. 60% feel financial supports are inadequate. 63% find the financial implications challenging. We say to families caring for a child with palliative care needs, we understand the challenges in your everyday life, and we will continue to support you, said Kerry McLavery, CEO of LauraLynn. See LauraLynn.ie Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions. The worlds ocean has become dangerously polluted not just by plastics, chemicals and sewage, but by noise. At the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice on Tuesday, a coalition of ministers from 37 countries led by Panama and Canada launched an effort to reduce the underwater noise pollution that harms marine biodiversity and ecosystems. In a new declaration, the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean committed to the advancement of including noise reduction protocols and quieter shipping designs in their marine protected areas (MPAs). Underwater noise pollution comes from multiple sources, with negative impacts to marine life. The continuous din of cargo vessels and other human activities interferes with ocean creatures ability to navigate, communicate and find food. Too often, the issue of ocean noise has been sidelined in global environmental discourse, said Juan Carlos Navarro, Panamas minister of environment, in a press release from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). With this coalition, we are committing to act decisively to protect marine biodiversity from this invisible yet powerful threat. Underwater ocean noise negatively impacts marine mammals by disrupting their abilities to communicate, feed, mate, and migrate. Global leaders have launched the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean to protect marine life. [image or embed] NRDC (@nrdc.org) June 10, 2025 at 3:45 PM The constant underwater cacophony has been growing at an alarming rate, according to marine conservation groups. Many marine animals like dolphins and whales rely on sound to communicate, navigate and hunt by using clicks and whistles. Human noise pollution is drowning out these vital sounds, said Carlos Bravo of marine conservation group OceanCare, as AFP reported. Construction noise from offshore industries, the whirring propellers of cargo ships and sonar from navy vessels all emit sounds that have the ability to travel great distances underwater, WWF said. Beluga whales are able to detect sounds made by icebreaking ships as far as 52 miles away, causing them to panic and flee. The coalition said global efforts to reduce noise pollution in the worlds ocean have been limited and fragmented. Ocean noise is a global issue that requires ambitious global cooperation. Through this coalition, we are demonstrating Canadas commitment to international leadership on ocean conservation and inviting our partners to join us in restoring a quieter, healthier ocean for future generations, said Stephane Dion, Canadian ambassador to France and Monaco, speaking on behalf of Chrystia Freeland, Canadas transportation and internal trade minister, in the press release. The declaration outlined a far-reaching agenda that includes advancing quieter ship operations and design through new International Maritime Organization (IMO) policies; considering measures to reduce noise when creating and managing MPAs; implementing solutions for reducing vessel noise and other impacts of the shipping industry on sensitive marine wildlife; and supporting capacity-building through shared technologies and tools like those from the IMO GloNoise Partnership. We will not be able to meet our goals to protect marine biodiversity and ocean health without tackling the rising tide of ocean noise pollution, said Regan Nelson, NRDC senior ocean advocate, in the press release. The launch of the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean marks a long-overdue turning point. Governments around the world are coming together to shine a spotlight on this significant threat and commit to meaningful action. This is a powerful step toward restoring a healthier, quieter ocean. The countries in the coalition are Austria, Belgium, Belize, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Malta, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay. Bravo said the newly established coalition had taken a crucial step towards giving marine life back their voice in the blue planets symphony, as reported by AFP. Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions. Humpback whales and a flock of birds off the coast of Massachusetts on Feb. 1, 2015. Eric Kulin / Design Pics Editorial / Universal Images Group via Getty Images On the first day of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France, on Monday, 18 new countries ratified the High Seas Treaty for a total of 49 just 11 shy of the 60 needed for the agreement to be enforced. The swell of support added momentum to what could end up being a historic sea change in how the open ocean is governed. The entry into force is within our sight, and I call on all remaining nations to join swiftly, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters on Tuesday, as The Associated Press reported. We do not have a moment to lose. Director of the High Seas Alliance Rebecca Hubbard called the ratifications a powerful victory for the people who have pushed for high seas protections to take center stage on the worlds environmental agenda, reported Euronews. Todays surge of ratifications for the High Seas Treaty is a tidal wave of hope and a huge cause for celebration, Hubbard said. With just 11 more ratifications needed for entry into force, it could be just a matter of weeks before the 60 is achieved. President of France Emmanual Macron on Monday said the High Seas Treaty had garnered enough support to take effect at the start of 2026, which means we would finally have an international framework to regulate and administer the high seas. At the start of the summit, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said 40 million euros had been pledged to the Global Ocean Program by the European Union to bring the High Seas Treaty to life. The funds will be put toward supporting the efforts of African, Pacific and Caribbean nations to ratify and implement the High Seas Treaty. We all know the Treaty is a crucial instrument to protect our Ocean beyond borders, von der Leyen said. And indeed, we made it the Treaty was agreed and adopted. And today, we are inches away from the 60 signatures for ratification. Nearly two-thirds of the planets seas are beyond any nations jurisdiction. In these high seas lie over 90 percent of marine habitat, as well as some of the richest biodiversity on Earth, Conservation International said. But despite plastic pollution, overfishing and climate change, just one percent of these waters are currently protected, with seabed mining looming on the horizon. The High Seas Treaty formally the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction is the first agreement focused on the protection of marine biodiversity in international seas to be legally binding, The Associated Press reported. Until now, it has been the wild west on the high seas, said Megan Randles, Greenpeaces global political lead for oceans. Now we have a chance to properly put protections in place. The High Seas Treaty is crucial for meeting the global 3030 goal an international promise to safeguard 30 percent of the worlds land and sea by the end of the decade. The treaty creates the legal framework for the establishment of marine protected areas by nations in the high seas. This includes rules surrounding destructive activities such as deep-sea mining and geoengineering. Importantly, decisions under the High Seas Treaty are to be made through conferences of parties (COPs), not by individual countries. Once 60 ratifications are reached, a 120-day countdown starts before the treaty can officially be enforced. Once this time period elapses, protected areas can be designated and oversight mechanisms can be implemented. I see a momentum and an enthusiasm that was difficult to find in the past, Guterres said, calling the treatys pace of progress a record. The first Conference of the Parties (COP1) for the High Seas Treaty must take place within a year of it coming into force. The meeting will establish the treatys groundwork for implementation, including its financing, governance and the creation of main bodies for the evaluation of marine protection proposals. To reach 60 ratifications would be an absolutely enormous achievement, but for the treaty to be as effective as possible, we need countries from all over the world to engage in its implementation, Hubbard said. Among the nations that have just signed on to the treaty include the Pacific small island nations of Tuvalu and Vanuatu, Guinea-Bissau, Jamaica, the Solomon Islands and the Bahamas. Were on the brink of making high seas history, Hubbard said. Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions. As a testament to the exquisiteness of the ocean and the art of photography, the winners of the 2025 United Nations World Oceans Day Photo Competition were selected from thousands of submissions from around the world, inspired by this years theme, Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us. The worlds oceans are ever-changing places of magnificent vastness and beauty. The images the winners of this years competition captured give us a glimpse into a liquid world of myriad colors, characters and struggles to survive in marine habitats that present many challenges, including heat waves, plastic pollution and anthropogenic pressures. Since its inception in 2008, United Nations World Oceans Day (UN WOD) has been celebrated on June 8 to underscore oceans importance to the planet and our lives. In honor of the 2025 UN WOD theme, Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us, the United Nations is spotlighting the oceans essential wonder from the wonders it consists of to the wonders it ignites through a series of celebratory activations in Nice, France, a press release from Oceanic Global said. Historically, UN WOD has been hosted at the UN headquarters in New York, but moved overseas this year to take place ahead of the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC), held June 9 to 13 in Nice. The winners of the photo competition chosen by a panel of world-renowned judges from thousands of entries submitted by amateur and professional photographers were announced on World Oceans Day as part of the UN WOD celebration in Nice. This years judges were Ipah Uid Lynn, an underwater photographer from Malaysia; wildlife photographer Vanessa Mignon from France; William Tan, an underwater photographer from Singapore; and underwater photographer Marcello Di Francesco of Italy. Since the competition began in 2014, Ellen Cuylaerts, an underwater and wildlife photographer, has been its curator. The 2025 photo competition featured three recurring categories: Big and Small Underwater Faces; Underwater Seascapes; and Above Water Seascapes, as well as a fourth category added to celebrate the 2025 UN World Oceans Day theme of the same name: Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us. The four first-place winners each from a different country were Andrey Nosik of Russia, Dani Escayola of Spain, Leander Nardin of Austria and Rachel Moore of the United States. The first-, second- and third-place winners from each category are featured in a virtual gallery. The winners of the photography competition will be presented live during a conference panel on June 11. The images will also be on display throughout the week in gallery exhibitions at Nices NEO VogelART LAB and The Explorers Club in New York. With the two UN ocean events taking place back-to-back, the UN WOD celebration sets the stage for decision-makers at UNOC and around the world to honor the oceans wonder when determining its fate, the press release said. Here are the stunning photos by the winners of the 2025 UN World Oceans Day Photo Competition! Category 1: Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us First Place: Rachel Moore, United States @moore_rachel Rachel Moore This photo, taken in Moorea, French Polynesia in 2024, captures the eye of a humpback whale named Sweet Girl, just days before her tragic death. Four days after I captured this intimate moment, she was struck and killed by a fast-moving ship. Her death serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the 20,000 whales lost to ship strikes every year. We are using her story to advocate for stronger protections, petitioning for stricter speed laws around Tahiti and Moorea during whale season. I hope Sweet Girls legacy will spark real change to protect these incredible animals and prevent further senseless loss. Second Place: Luis Arpa Toribio, Spain @luis.arpa.photo Luis Arpa Toribio A juvenile pinnate batfish (Platax pinnatus) captured with a slow shutter speed, a snooted light, and deliberate camera panning to create a sense of motion and drama. Juvenile pinnate batfish are known for their striking black bodies outlined in vibrant orangea coloration they lose within just a few months as they mature. I encountered this restless subject in the tropical waters of Indonesias Lembeh Strait. Capturing this image took patience and persistence over two dives, as these active young fish constantly dart for cover in crevices, making the shot particularly challenging. Third Place: Steven Lopez, United States @explorersphotography Steven Lopez Shot in Cubas Jardines de la Reinaa protected shark sanctuarythis image captures a Caribbean reef shark weaving through a group of silky sharks near the surface. Using a slow shutter and strobes as the shark pivoted sharply, the motion blurred into a wave-like arc across its head, lit by the golden hues of sunset. The abundance and behavior of sharks here is a living symbol of what protected oceans can look like. Honorable Mention: Ollie Clarke, United Kingdom @ollieclarkephoto Ollie Clarke Humpback whales in their thousands migrate along the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia every year on the way to and from their calving grounds. In four seasons of swimming with them on the reef here, this is the only encounter Ive had like this one. This pair of huge adult whales repeatedly spy hopped alongside us, seeking to interact with and investigate us, leaving me completely breathless. The female in the foreground was much more confident than the male behind and would constantly make close approaches, whilst the male hung back a little, still interested but shy. After more than 10 years working with wildlife in the water, this was one of the best experiences of my life. Category 2: Big and Small Underwater Faces First Place: Andrey Nosik, Russia @andreynosik Andrey Nosik This photo of a Japanese warbonnet (Chirolophis japonicus) was captured in the Sea of Japan, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Vladivostok, Russia. I found the ornate fish at a depth of about 30 meters (100 feet), under the stern of a shipwreck. This species does not appear to be afraid of diverson the contrary, it seems to enjoy the attentionand it even tried to sit on the dome port of my camera. Second Place: Giacomo Marchione, Italy @marchione.giacomo Giacomo Marchione On one of my many blackwater dives in Anilao, in the Philippines, my guide and I spotted something moving erratically at a depth of around 20 meters (65 feet), about 10 to 15 centimeters in size. We quickly realized that it was a rare blanket octopus (Tremoctopus sp.). As we approached, it opened up its beautiful blanket, revealing its multicolored mantle. I managed to take a few shots before it went on its way. I felt truly privileged to have captured this fascinating deep-sea cephalopod. Among its many unique characteristics, this species exhibits some of the most extreme sexual size-dimorphism in nature, with females weighing up to 40,000 times more than males. Third Place: Lars von Ritter Zahony, Germany @larsvonritterzahony Lars von Ritter Zahony Trips to the Antarctic Peninsula always yield amazing encounters with leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx). Boldly approaching me and baring his teeth, this individual was keen to point out that this part of Antarctica was his territory. This picture was shot at dusk, resulting in the rather moody atmosphere. Category 3: Underwater Seascapes First Place: Dani Escayola, Spain @daniescayola Dani Escayola This year, I had the incredible opportunity to visit a jellyfish lake during a liveaboard trip around southern Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Being surrounded by millions of jellyfish, which have evolved to lose their stinging ability due to the absence of predators, was one of the most breathtaking experiences Ive ever had. Second Place: Gerald Rambert, Mauritius @gerald_rambert Gerald Rambert This shot captures a school of rays resting at a cleaning station in Mauritius, where strong currents once attracted them regularly. Some rays grew accustomed to divers, allowing close encounters like this. Sadly, after the severe bleaching that the reefs here suffered last year, such gatherings have become rare, and I fear I may not witness this again at the same spot. Third Place: Pedro Carrillo, Spain @pedrocarrillophoto Pedro Carrillo La Rapadura is a natural hidden treasure on the northern coast of Tenerife, in the Spanish territory of the Canary Islands. Only discovered in 1996, it is one of the most astonishing underwater landscapes in the world, consistently ranking among the planets best dive sites. These towering columns of basalt are the result of volcanic processes that occurred between 500,000 and a million years ago. The formation was created when a basaltic lava flow reached the ocean, where, upon cooling and solidifying, it contracted, creating natural structures often compared to the pipes of church organs. Located in a region where marine life has been impacted by once common illegal fishing practices, this stunning natural monument has both geological and ecological value, and scientists and underwater photographers are advocating for its protection. (Model: Yolanda Garcia). Honorable Mention: Lars von Ritter Zahony, Germany @larsvonritterzahony Lars von Ritter Zahony With only orcas as their natural predators, leopard seals are Antarcticas most versatile hunters, preying on everything from fish and cephalopods to penguins and other seals. Gentoo penguins are a favored menu item, and leopard seals can be observed patrolling the waters around their colonies. For this shot, I used a split image to capture both worlds: the gentoo penguin colony in the background with the leopard seal on the hunt in the foreground. Category 4: Above Water Seascapes First Place: Leander Nardin, Austria @akela.world Leander Nardin A serene lake cradled by arid dunes, where a gentle stream breathes life into the heart of Mother Earths creation: Captured from an airplane, this image reveals the powerful contrasts and hidden beauty where land and ocean meet, reminding us that the ocean is the source of all life and that everything in nature is deeply connected. The location is a remote stretch of coastline near Shark Bay, Western Australia. Second Place: Nur Tucker, United Kingdom/Turkey @nurtuckerphotography Nur Tucker Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) soar above the dramatic cliffs of Scotlands Hermaness National Nature Reserve, their sleek white bodies and black-tipped wings slicing through the Shetland winds. These seabirds, the largest in the North Atlantic, are renowned for their striking plunge-dives, reaching speeds up to 100 kph (60 mph) as they hunt for fish beneath the waves. The cliffs of Hermaness provide ideal nesting sites, with updrafts aiding their take-offs and landings. Each spring, thousands return to this rugged coastline, forming one of the UKs most significant gannet colonies. It was a major challenge to take photos at the edge of these cliffs at almost 200 meters (650 feet) with the winds up to 30 kph (20 mph). Third Place: Andrey Nosik, Russia @andreynosik Andrey Nosik Paradise Harbour is one of the most beautiful places on the Antarctic Peninsula. When I visited, the sea was extremely calm, and I was lucky enough to witness a wonderfully clear reflection of the Suarez Glacier (aka Petzval Glacier) in the water. The only problem was the waves created by our speedboat, and the only way to capture the perfect reflection was to lie on the bottom of the boat while it moved towards the glacier. Honorable Mention: Ken Findlay, South Africa @kenfinphoto Ken Findlay A South Atlantic swell breaks on the Dungeons Reef off the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, shot while photographing a big-wave surf session in October 2017. Its the crescendoing sounds of these breaking swells that always amazes me. Actor Joshua Jackson and actress Jodie Turner-Smith are in a legal disagreement over what's best for their 5-year-old daughter, Juno, especially when it comes to her schooling and time with each parent. Recently released court documents, including emotional letters from both parents, show a growing conflict over their daughter's future. The former couplewho finalized their divorce in May and were granted joint custody of Junoare struggling to agree on how to split time during the summer and where Juno should attend school next year. Jackson, 46, filed an emergency custody order on May 30, asking the court to step in after Turner-Smith, 38, proposed taking Juno to Europe for five weeks. According to ENews, Turner-Smith plans to work in London during that time and believes the trip would give their daughter a sense of "continuity and presence." In a letter dated May 23, Turner-Smith wrote, "I hear and appreciate your point that this is ultimately her time with each of us, and not the other way around. That framing feels important." However, Jackson expressed concern about being apart from Juno for such a long time. In his response dated May 26, he wrote, "At this age, four weeks is an eternity to her... Juno needs both of us. Ideally exactly equally." Joshua Jackson wrote an emotional letter to his ex-wife Jodie Turner-Smith objecting to their daughter being away from him for weeks at a time as the exes continue to fight over custody in court, Us Weekly can exclusively report. https://t.co/hA15Z2wOzf Us Weekly (@usweekly) June 10, 2025 Joshua Jackson Rejects On-Set Tutoring for Daughter's Education Jackson also objected to Turner-Smith's plan to bring Juno to Morocco, where she may have future work. He said he needed full detailssuch as dates, locations, and security plansbefore agreeing to any international travel involving their daughter, US Magazine said. But the heart of Jackson's filing centers on Juno's education. The "Dawson's Creek" star strongly believes Juno should remain at her current school in Los Angeles, where he says she has thrived socially and academically. He said he does not support on-set tutoring or switching to a school farther from his temporary home, especially without his input. He emphasized that on-location tutoring could not match the value Juno gained from regularly attending school and engaging with peers in a consistent learning environment. Turner-Smith, who reportedly enrolled Juno in a new school without Jackson's approval, has not publicly responded to that specific claim. Jackson's filing asks the court to ensure that both parents must agree before any future school changes are made. Despite their differences, both parents agree on one thing: they want what's best for Juno. "Thank you for your quick response," Jackson wrote to Turner-Smith. "I look forward to coming to an agreement together that balances all of [Juno's] needs to provide her with the best outcome possible." Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom are reportedly experiencing major relationship woes and may be calling it quits after five years together. "It's over," a source told Page Six. "They are waiting till her tour is over before they split." News of the breakup was reported just around the time Perry is on her "Lifetimes" tour, which started on April 23 and will run through December 7. The relationship difficulties are allegedly linked to the professional setbacks Perry has faced with her latest musical projects. Her album "143" received poor critical and commercial reception, creating what sources describe as significant stress within the household. "Katy was deeply frustrated following the reception of her new album," another source told PEOPLE magazine. "It made her very stressed. Orlando was understanding, but it did cause some tension." The disappointing album performance has reportedly been compounded by negative reviews of Perry's current tour performances. "She was also disappointed in some of the tour reviews," the source told the outlet. "It's put stress on their relationship." Previous Relationship Challenges This would not mark the first separation for the celebrity couple, who previously split for a year in 2017 before reconciling and becoming engaged. The "Thinking of You" hitmaker addressed their past breakup during a 2024 appearance on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, explaining, "We weren't really in it from day one." "He was because he had just done a huge time of celibacy, and he had set intentions. I was fresh out of a relationship, and I was like, I can't do this anymore. I need to swim in a different pond, but I had to do a lot real work." Katy Perry faces challenges in 2025 after a disappointing album and a criticized space flight. Sluggish ticket sales further strain her marriage to Orlando Bloom, as stress grows. Despite the negativity, she maintains a hopeful outlook for her future. pic.twitter.com/k3nywVbaDi Nyra Kraal (@NyraKraal) June 10, 2025 Professional Differences Create Distance Bloom has been candid about the professional challenges that create distance in their relationship. In an interview with Flaunt magazine in 2023, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor discussed his and Perry's different career paths. "We're in two very different pools [for their work]," Bloom explained. "Her pool is not a pool that I necessarily understand, and I think my pool is not a pool that she necessarily understands." He continued, "Sometimes things are really, really, really, challenging. I won't lie. We definitely battle with our emotions and creativity." Despite the challenges, Bloom expressed, "I think we're both aware of how blessed we are to have uniquely connected in the way that we did at the time that we did. And there's definitely never a dull moment." Originally published on Music Times Justin Baldoni suffered a significant legal blow this week after a federal judge dismissed the majority of his $400 million lawsuit against actress Blake Lively. The ruling effectively ends his defamation and civil extortion claims, with legal experts calling it a "devastating" outcome. "This is a devastating result for Baldoni, and it's really actually a surprising result because the court did something fairly unusual in these kinds of business dispute and defamation cases," attorney Seth Berenzweig told Daily Mail. Berenzweig, who is not involved in the case, stated that the core claims in Baldoni's complaint have now been removed. "The main guts of the case are dead," he said. "He threw out the extortion and defamation claims and he gave leave for Baldoni by the 23rd of this month to file amended claims for breach of implied contract and tortious interference with contract." Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, maintained that his client still has legal avenues available, claiming they may pursue up to four additional claims. However, Lively's legal team has disputed that assertion. The judge's ruling allows amendments solely for breach of implied covenant and tortious interference claims. Berenzweig believes Baldoni won't abandon the fight, especially with a looming deadline. "I believe Baldoni will try and come back and refile amended claims for his breach of implied contract and tortious interference with contract," he said. "He'll probably come back on that, by not later than the 23rd, because he definitely doesn't want to give up the fight." "If he walks away from those claims, then his entire case is sunk and then he'll be in default because he would miss that deadline," Berenzweig added. "He's still defending the claims that Lively is asserting against him that are going to be going to trial next year. So I doubt that he's going to want to give up whatever little leverage he has left." Berenzweig also highlighted the reputational damage both parties have endured, calling it "pretty catastrophic." Read more: Blake Lively Addresses Legal Triumph in Justin Baldoni Court Battle Dismissal Based on Legal Protections Attorney Michelle O'Neil stated that the judge's decision was based on legal immunity protections, not disputed facts. "Bottom line: this is a decision on the law not the facts," O'Neil told the Daily Mail. "No matter the opinion of the facts, the judge said the law doesn't make an actionable claim out of those facts so you don't have a case." According to O'Neil, Lively's defamation claims were protected as part of legal filings. "When a person files a complaint with the government about a civil rights claim here a sexual rights violation that complaint is immune from suit and even if the report is leaked to the media, reporting about it is still protected," she said. "Baldoni's suit is still gasping for air since the judge gave him until June 23rd to amend his contractual claims," she added. "However, the extortion claim... and the defamation claim are gone because under the law Baldoni wholly failed to state any claim that rises to the level of actionable under the law." A judge has dismissed Justin Baldonis $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. The judge, Lewis J. Liman, found that her accusations of sexual harassment were legally protected and therefore immune from suit. pic.twitter.com/e9blC7MBI8 Pop Base (@PopBase) June 9, 2025 Public Battle Continues Ethan Krasnoo, a partner at Reavis Page Jump LLP, noted that Baldoni could still seek to shape public opinion as his legal strategy weakens. "Baldoni can refile an amended version of his complaint, but only for two of his claims: tortious interference and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing," Krasnoo said. "The judge did not authorize Baldoni to file any of his other claims again... ruling that doing so would be futile." "It is likely that Baldoni will file his remaining claims again to maintain any minimum settlement advantage he may have left, although the bulk of his claims and alleged damages have been thrown out," he said. "Baldoni's loss of the affirmative suit does not mean that he cannot prevail as a defendant in Lively's counterclaims against him." The court dismissed Baldoni's lawsuit against not only Lively but also her husband, Ryan Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times. Judge Lewis J. Liman stated that Lively's claims were filed in legal documents protected under litigation privilege. "The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged," the judge wrote in his opinion. The legal feud began in December 2024 after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation. He denied the allegations and subsequently filed a lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, and others for defamation, civil extortion, and other claims. Baldoni also launched a $250 million defamation case against The New York Times after the publication reported on Lively's allegations. Brad Pitt is reportedly shunning two of his adopted children, Pax and Maddox Jolie-Pitt, as family tensions between him and former wife Angelina Jolie remain a decade after their split. A source close to Pitt told the Daily Mail that the 61-year-old actor "has zero concern with what Pax does or doesn't do," adding, "Pax's actions reflect who he is." The source also claimed that Pitt "honestly considers his relationship with Pax unfixable." Pax, 21, was recently spotted leaving the Chateau Marmont with friends before making his way to a strip club, causing some to worry. Maddox, 23, who allegedly had a physical altercation with Pitt on a 2016 flight that predated Jolie's divorce filing, has also shown signs of distance. this is what brad pitts child has to say about him by the way #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/aS1mX0pdt9 lilian (@liliandaisies) January 11, 2023 Jolie and Pitt's Children Distancing Themselves From Father's Name Pitt and Jolie have six children together: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne. Although the actor had apparently disowned his older adopted sons, he was reported to hope that the younger four may still have been covertly visiting him. Shiloh, 19, legally changed her last name to "Jolie" on her 18th birthday, dropping "Pitt" entirely. Zahara, 20, a student at Spelman College, and Vivienne, 16, also now reportedly go by "Jolie" in their personal and professional lives. Maddox was already known to use the surname "Jolie" as far back as 2021. He always wanted a daughter. The only kid he uses for his PR is Shiloh because she gets the most attention. Two of his other daughters dropped his name publicly before Shiloh did. This is one of many reasons why she dropped Pitt from her name. https://t.co/TEFFrDEydT pic.twitter.com/cpvf08r66J K (@lyntwig_) June 3, 2024 A source familiar with Pitt's thinking said the actor blames Jolie for the strained relationships. "Brad believes that whatever his kids are going through right now is a direct result of how they have been raised," the source told Daily Mail. "They are now old enough to make their own choices and if their choices include drama that is all on them. Brad would be there to give advice, but he cannot be when he is unable to have a relationship with them at this time." The insider added that Pitt has no plans to reach out to either Pax or Maddox: "Pax and Maddox have made it abundantly clear how they feel, and Brad has nothing to say about either of them." Angelina Jolie with Pax, Zahara, and Maddox. #NYFF62 (Pax and Angelina holding hands. My heart. ) pic.twitter.com/YoZTDvzBNc K (@lyntwig_) September 29, 2024 Jolie's Camp Responds, Pitt's Family Still Hopeful In response, a source close to Jolie pushed back against Pitt's alleged narrative. "Brad continues to play the victim. His fractured relationship with his children is a direct result of how he has treated them," the insider said. "He should stop blaming others. If he wants to rebuild a relationship with the kids, he should acknowledge his own actions and make amends." Pitt's family, based in Missouri, remains hopeful that reconciliation is possible. A family insider told Daily Mail, "The Pitt family was hoping that after Brad and Angelina's divorce was finalized [in December 2024], the kids would come around and re-establish a relationship." The source added that the children's disconnection from the Pitt side is particularly painful. "The Pitt family is so loving, and they are so close all of them. Brad's children have 30 cousins who they were previously close to. They would spend vacations together at Brad's beach house and would visit. They haven't had any contact in years." While awaiting trial on charges of first-degree murder, Luigi Mangione marked his 27th birthday behind bars last month by listing 27 things he's grateful for a message that comes as he faces intense scrutiny and mounting legal battles. Held at MDC Brooklyn, Mangione, 27, penned the list in an electronic message sent from the detention center, expressing appreciation for his friends, family, legal team, cellmate, and a growing number of supporters who have rallied behind him. Among his messages of gratitude, Mangione acknowledged the "Latinas For Mangione" movement and thanked donors who have raised over $1 million for his legal defense. He also recognized those sending him commissary funds, which he said allow him to make "big purchases" from the facility's store. JUST IN: Luigi Mangione shares in new letter: Last month, on May 6th, I turned 27 years old. I took some time to reflect on 27 things l'm grateful for: Among them: The some 30,000 individuals around the globe who have come together to donate over $1,000,000 to my legal pic.twitter.com/1EQzgEXMA3 The Luigi Case (@LuigiCaseFiles) June 10, 2025 Court Documents Reveal Violent Intentions Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both federal and state charges stemming from the December 4, 2024, fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan. Prosecutors say the killing was carried out as an act of terrorism and was the culmination of months of planning, as revealed in newly disclosed diary entries. A red notebook recovered during Mangione's December 9 arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania, includes entries where he details his disdain for the health insurance industry and outlines a plot to stage a high-profile act of violence. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office included excerpts in a new filing opposing a motion from Mangione's legal team to stay or dismiss the charges. In one August 2024 entry, Mangione wrote, "I finally feel confident about what I will do. The details are coming together. And I don't feel any doubt about whether it's right/justified." He continued, "The target is insurance. It checks every box." The entries suggest that Mangione was aware of how his actions would be perceived publicly. On October 22, he wrote, "Do you bomb the HQ? No. Bombs=terrorism. Such actions appear the unjustified anger of someone who simply got sick/had bad luck and took their frustration out on the insurance industry, while recklessly endangering countless employees." He emphasized the importance of avoiding collateral damage and portrayed his alleged actions as "targeted" and "precise." Mangione also critiqued past attackers such as Ted Kaczynski, writing, "They commit an atrocity whose horror either outweighs the impact of their message, or whose distance from their message prevents normies from connecting the dots." "By committing indiscriminate atrocities he becomes a monster, which makes his ideas those of a monster, no matter how true," he wrote. Industry Reacts to Threats Since the killing, authorities say threats have escalated against health insurance workers across the country. According to court filings, the shooting sparked fears within UnitedHealthcare and prompted protective measures for company executives. Some physicians asked not to sign denial letters, citing concerns for their safety. Others reportedly left their jobs altogether. The company removed executive photos from its website, advised employees to refrain from wearing branded clothing, and enhanced security at its offices. Mangione's next court appearance is scheduled for June 26. His federal trial is expected to begin in 2026. As Sean "Diddy" Combs faces sweeping criminal charges in a New York federal courtroom, one of his most prominent movie roles is drawing renewed scrutiny for what some see as an eerie reflection of the allegations now lodged against him. Combs, 54, is currently standing trial on accusations that he led a criminal enterprise responsible for sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice. He has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations. Yet his 2010 role in the Judd Apatow-produced comedy "Get Him to the Greek" is being reexamined in a darker light, especially by those closely following the courtroom testimony, according to THR. The hip-hop mogul portrayed Sergio Roma, a domineering record executive who exerts manipulative control over his employees in the satire about the music industry. What was once intended as self-parody now appears unsettlingly prescient. Abuse of Power on Screen and Off Multiple former staffers have testified that working for Combs involved psychological and emotional manipulation, mirroring his character's controlling behavior in Greek. David James, who served as Combs' assistant from 2007 to 2009, told the court he was warned during his job interview, "This is Mr. Combs' kingdom" and "we're all here to serve him." He recounted a disturbing moment when Combs allegedly used party footage as leverage against him after he was seen dancing under the influence. According to James, it was made clear that the footage would be used for "kompromat" if necessary. Combs' character in the film also displays a tyrannical streak. In one scene, Sergio humiliates a staffer during a meeting when his phone rings. He then delivers a tone-deaf monologue during a company-wide pep talk, boasting: "I got villas in Brazil, Tahiti, East Hampton, West Hampton, Sergio gonna be fine. F**k a recession. I own 21 Koo Koo Roos. Y'all don't own one Koo Koo Roo, not one, not one. Y'all are f***ed." Later, Sergio corners Jonah Hill's character, Aaron, with a bizarre and aggressive psychological tirade: "You've been mind-fucked before? I'm mind-fucking you right now. Can't you feel my dick fucking your mind? See? That's it. That's the art of it. I'm mind-fucking the shit out of you." Drug Muling and 'Freak-Offs' In court, former assistants and security personnel testified that Combs often tasked them with acquiring and delivering drugs. George Kaplan, who worked for Combs from 2013 to 2015, said he was frequently asked to transport what was euphemistically referred to as a "medicine kit" containing MDMA and other substances. He also testified that he was instructed to burn narcotics and clean up after disturbing scenes in hotel rooms. Kaplan was granted immunity for his testimony after saying he planned to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights. A similar moment occurs in Get Him to the Greek when Combs' Sergio casually encourages Hill's character to smuggle drugs: "It's only a little bit of heroin in your ass. Nobody's gonna die. You know what you signed up for." The movie's over-the-top party scenes, complete with drugs, gunfire, and chaotic violence, bear an unsettling resemblance to the "freak-offs" described in court by Cassie Ventura and another alleged victim. According to testimony, these were multi-day, drug-fueled sex parties that at times turned violent. Surveillance footage of a 2016 incident, in which Combs is seen assaulting Ventura in a hotel hallway, has been played repeatedly for the jury. Sexual Coercion and Abuse Allegations One of the most serious allegations presented in court came from a former employee identified only as "Mia," who testified that she was sexually assaulted and raped by Combs while working as his assistant for nearly 10 years. Separately, music producer Lil' Rod filed a civil lawsuit accusing Combs of unwanted sexual advances during their time working and living together in 2018. In "Greek," Combs' character forces a female groupie to have sex with Hill's character, despite his visible reluctance and existing relationship. The scene later results in Hill's character saying: "I think I've just been raped." What may have passed as dark comedy in 2010 now reads differently in the context of the current trial and shift around sexual misconduct. NEW ORLEANSIn drab, windowless rooms strung along a tight corridor, migrants who have flooded into the United States in recent years trickle before immigration judges each weekday morning. These makeshift courtrooms are a far cry from the scorched border with Mexico and busy ports and airports through which these millions of immigrants have entered the U.S., almost all illegally. But despite the differences in miles, atmosphere, and often language, the people appearing in U.S. immigration court (alien respondents, in legal terms) know what is afoot. In many cases, they are making their first appearance after being in the U.S. for years, and with careful pleadings and use of appeals, many know they can stay here for years to come. While headlines on Trump administration immigration tactics such as arrests and deportations dominate the headlines, the situation in court, where most of the final decisions will be made, is another the administration is trying to change. A surprising number of the aliens know how to work the system in an attempt to run out the clock on the Trump administration, by requesting serial continuances and filing frivolous or otherwise questionable appeals, and by motions to reopen, said Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge now with the Center for Immigration Studies, which opposes wide open immigration. Some will be successful, but as the recent immigration court arrests indicate, the administration is attempting to limit those efforts. Recently, RealClearInvestigations observed days of immigration court proceedings to gain insight into the current state of a system with a backlog of more than 3.6 million people, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which tracks immigration court figures through monthly Freedom of Information Act requests. New Orleans is but one thread in a sprawling web of often obscure courts, stretching from Massachusetts to Washington and from Saipan to Puerto Rico. From a first appearance to an asylum hearing, the New Orleans courts seemed busy. This reflects the fact that historically, most immigrants to the U.S. follow their legal schedule, which begins with a Notice to Appear being issued to them either when they are apprehended at the border or subsequently after they have been paroled into the 48 contiguous states. Its never been the case that people arent showing up en masse, said Kevin A. Gregg, an immigration attorney in California with the firm of Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli and Pratt. The numbers of those who show up has always been very high, especially among people who have been in the U.S. a very long time. Paradoxically, however, the Trump administrations recent vow to push arrests of illegal immigrants to 3,000 a day, along with some changes it has made to how it handles court cases, could serve to make attendance less regular, according to Gregg and others critical of Trumps push. As attorneys and court officials told RCI, never underestimate the community, meaning arrivals know the system from those who have gone through it before them. Now, if conventional wisdom says court appearances could lead to an earlier expulsion from the U.S., those here illegally will shy away. With immigration court specifically, ICE has been dismissing court proceedings in order to then immediately detain noncitizens and place them in expedited removal proceedings where they have far less rights and no eligibility for bond, said Gregg, who hosts the weekly Immigration Review podcast. Whether correct or not, many noncitizens will likely begin to view this as a trap, and may not show up to immigration court out of fear. I dont condone not showing up, of course, but I believe its a possible foreseeable consequence of what ICE is doing right now. Already, the Trump administrations aggressive approach has sparked litigation and civil disturbances, from a Milwaukee judge allegedly helping alien respondents escape criminal proceedings to the current riots in Los Angeles. Facing the Bar One late May morning, there were four New Orleans immigration courts operating, with a total of nearly 140 people on the docket, most of them first appearances. On this day, no-shows comprised a very small percentage of those on the master calendars, as the morning dockets are known. In Judge Joseph LaRoccas courtroom, for instance, only five of the more than 30 respondents listed on the master calendar did not appear; they were quickly handled in absentia and deemed removable. That same day, in Judge Alberto A. De Puys courtroom, as many as six languages were used. The court has a Spanish translator present at all times, but for other languages, interpreters on the East Coast join by phone. In the hearings RCI witnessed, these involved Arabic, Hindi, Hassaniyya, Turkish, and Konkani, reflecting a large percentage of Middle Eastern or Asian immigrants. Paperwork in the courts small waiting room is available in seven languages, including Creole and Wolof, an African tongue. De Puys master calendar hearing was a Zoom session with migrants at the federal detention center in Jena, La. There, men in dull gray scrubs sat in rows, while De Puy scrambled to find translators. This proceeding was further complicated by a protest outside the Jena facility, which has gained notoriety by holding the Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist, Mahmoud Khalil, and other foreign nationals arrested by federal authorities since President Trump took office. No one knows exactly how many people appear in U.S. immigration court each day that would be a great statistic, wouldnt it? said Susan Long, director of TRAC but there are more than 700 U.S. immigration judges, whom the attorney general appoints to the administrative posts under the Justice Departments Executive Office for Immigration Review. If somehow the New Orleans morning sessions RCI followed could be extended daily to each judges courtroom, perhaps a dent could be made in the backlog, which includes more than 2 million pending asylum cases, according to TRAC. Thats a fanciful assumption, of course, and at first glance, the looming numbers seem daunting to the Trump administrations goal of sharply reducing or clearing the dockets. Still, some experts see promising signs as the figures for illegal crossings plummet. The situation is improving, Arthur said. Its as if Trump patched a hole in the side of a boat, and now hes bailing out the water the boat took in. For all the hue and cry about due process protections that have captivated activists and the federal bench over the past four months, the migrants appearing in New Orleans displayed a savvy understanding of immigration law that allows the adjudication of the proceedings to stretch for years. The respondents sat quietly in wooden pews, in some cases accompanied by children. Most were neatly dressed and with their hair carefully braided or combed. The children appeared to be something of a prop, as each time they appeared, the judge asked that they attend school instead of court. Even on a first appearance, many of the respondents seemed to have a good idea of what would happen. Most master calendar cases involved a notice to appear (NTA), and few of those were recent. For example, most of the people RCI observed in court the morning of May 22 had received their NTAs a year and a half ago, in 2023, although a handful had received them as recently as last December. Few of the immigrants had lawyers, which court observers called a wise move. If it was a first appearance, the judge asked if they wanted representation, noting that while the Sixth Amendment does not entitle them to an attorney, the court maintains a list of immigration attorneys that may offer their services at affordable rates or pro bono. Invariably, the person requested time to find a lawyer and thus received another court date on these May days, that was set for seven months later in December. For the others not requesting more time to find a lawyer, the judge rapidly read boilerplate language and determined that the person had entered the U.S. illegally and was subject to removal. At that point, the judge asked the respondent if they wanted to designate a country for removal should removal become necessary. Here, the respondent or their attorney invariably declined. This is a well-understood delay tactic that often fails. Despite the lack of response, the judge quickly set a country for removal and moved to do the same for a removal hearing. The judges perused their computer screens, presumably for scheduling purposes, and in some cases then scheduled that hearing for 2029. In other words, almost all the alien respondents were given a lot more time. It was not unusual to see people having six years or more in the U.S. between the day of their arrival and a removal proceeding. A Lot More Detention The legal process is different for those in detention, and attorneys and court officials told RCI that there is a lot more detention now under the Trump administration. Judge De Puys master calendar involved the detained men in Jena on one screen, with the occasional immigration lawyer cutting in from a separate office and a government lawyer from Immigration and Customs Enforcements Office of the Principal Legal Advisor appearing on yet another video screen. De Puy gave those making a first appearance months to try to obtain counsel, but he was less forgiving of those who were making a second appearance and asked for more time after failing to obtain representation. Several men all those appearing were men requested more time, but De Puy did not grant it in the cases RCI observed. Some men requested voluntary departure. Arthur said this is a ploy that, in the past, allowed immigrants to melt into the interior, thereby delaying their cases, and the government lawyer seemed to have that in mind as he agreed to voluntary departure only with safeguards, which meant the men would remain in detention until their travel arrangements were made. Just how that might happen and when, given the migrant is responsible for them, was unclear. There were other oddities. For example, De Puy twice asked a man from India, who entered the U.S. in December 2023, if he would like to designate a country of removal. After not answering the first time, he then replied, I cant go back to India. The court is going to designate India as the country of removal, De Puy said immediately, at which point the man said he would like to go back to India and requested voluntary departure. Of those migrants held at Jena who appeared that morning, only those seeking voluntary departure seemed destined to leave the U.S. soon. The emphasis on detention is not the only major change the proceedings appeared to have under Trump, compared to when RCI first visited immigration court in 2022. Then, the government attorney would often offer what was dubbed prosecutorial discretion. This amounted to a get out of court free pass. The judge told the person receiving prosecutorial discretion, You are free to go and live your life, and the government has no interest in removing you from the country. Prosecutorial Discretion Its not clear how many illegal immigrants benefited from the Biden-era prosecutorial discretion, as the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions about it in 2022 or now. Those who received it were in addition to the more than 2.8 million the Biden administration simply paroled into the country immediately, a novel twist to immigration law subsequently ruled illegal by federal judges. Under Trump, a similar step is taken with a different tone. In some instances, the DHS lawyer announced the government was dropping charges as the person is no longer an enforcement priority. Doing so does not change the fact that these people have previously been ruled removable, and by dropping the charges, the Department of Homeland Security can arrest and deport the illegal immigrant. That has led to arrests right outside of immigration courts from Boston to New Orleans and elsewhere. While Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents cant be outside every courtroom every day, this emphatic new move is the very one that could lead immigrants to eschew court as word spreads in the community about what is happening. Judge LaRocca seemed concerned about this development, which, like some of the novel twists to immigration law under the Biden administration, has sparked federal litigation. At one point, when the government suddenly moved to drop the charges, LaRocca asked the immigrant if they wanted to accept that arrangement, which would leave them without status and still eligible for removal, or if they wished to continue to a removal proceeding. The overarching message was that the U.S. may move to deport the person. LaRocca warned the government to be up front about what this might mean for the respondent, saying he had heard of cases where he walked out the door and was arrested. Although the administration has endured criticism over the lack of due process for migrants deported on planes to El Salvador, judges in New Orleans unfailingly made clear to those in court the options available to them. In nearly every case, when the judge asked a person if they wanted to request asylum, the answer was yes. Seeking Asylum That requires another future court date, usually years down the road. Asylum proceedings are not open to the public absent approval from the judge and the seeker, but RCI obtained such permission to witness two hearings. In the first, a couple from Honduras who came to the U.S. in April 2022 had requested asylum on the grounds that they were afraid to return. The woman testified that her brother had been murdered, and that when they tried to bring information about the case to Honduran police, in a town hours away from their hometown, a masked man brandished a gun at them. Suspicious cars then began to lurk around their home. The government attorney asked why they could not move somewhere else in Honduras, or if they had tried to go anywhere other than the U.S. They had not, they testified. The husband said his sister is associated with drug gangs, and consequently, the couple did not feel safe anywhere in Honduras. The woman testified she never planned to immigrate, but for their familys welfare, they fled here. LaRocca considered the case privately for some 90 minutes, then denied the asylum application. He told the couple he believed their testimony, but their case did not meet the asylum requirements, which specify credible evidence that the applicant fears discrimination at home because of race, sex, religion, membership in social groups, or fear of torture. But that does not end the couples immigration court odyssey. LaRocca asked if they wished to appeal his decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals. When they said they did, LaRocca told them they must file that appeal in the next 30 days, which would lead to yet another court appearance. The second hearing RCI witnessed was before Judge Eric Marsteller. That case involved a 2022 application from an El Salvador woman and her two sons, who have each also filed separate asylum claims. For unclear reasons, the womans attorneys withdrew in February, and she told Marsteller that she had been unable to find a replacement since then. Although she has family in the U.S. a sister who has been granted asylum, a brother, and her mother all of the supporting evidence for her claim of horrific abuse from her father came from a letter sent by a former partner in El Salvador. Marsteller accepted the letter but told her it couldnt be entered into the record because it was in Spanish. A man in court, identified as her stepfather, stated that the woman and her sons live with him in Louisiana, and he informed the judge that he would be responsible for them. After more than an hour of the hearing, during which the sons departed the courtroom when the woman described her allegations of abuse, Marsteller asked the government for its position. The government attorney informed the court that the notice the woman had received was for a master calendar appearance, not an asylum hearing. Startled, Marsteller was forced to schedule another hearing. It will be in December 2026. Montanas population growth rate has declined from the rapid-fire increases of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, though certain communities, including East Helena and Kalispell, remain hot spots. Kalispell retained its title as the states fastest-growing city, with the Census Bureau estimating it added over 1,100 residents from 2023 to 2024 a nearly 4% population increase. The much-smaller East Helena saw an estimated increase of 110 residents, pushing its growth rate above 5%. Bozeman, in contrast, was long Montanas fastest-growing city, but has seen its growth rates decline in recent years. While it was pegged at a nearly 3% growth rate between 2020 and 2021, for example, it added fewer than 800 people between 2023 and 2024, a 1.4% growth rate. Adjacent to Bozeman, Belgrade has seen an even bigger drop, from 8.1% growth in 2021 to 2.3% this year, or an estimated net increase of about 280 residents. Great Falls has been the only large Montana city to consistently lose population since the 2020 census. Its population declined by 230 people from 2023 to 2024, a relatively small figure compared to its overall population. Butte-Silver Bow also posted a small population decline the same period. Montanas other cities with over 20,000 residents also saw modest population growth, with Billings adding 686 residents, Missoula 557 and Helena 360. Migration has been the primary driver of Montanas population growth in recent years. Between 2020 and 2023, the state had 51,000 more people move in than moved away, according to the Census Bureaus estimates, but the increase was somewhat offset by there being more deaths, 38,942, than births, 36,078, over that timeframe. The census indicates the state saw 12 more births than deaths between 2023 and 2024, the first time that figure has been positive since the 2019 statistics. Migration added 6,000 residents to Montana in 2024, the Census Bureau estimates, with the vast majority of that migration coming from other states, as opposed to from people born outside the U.S. These population figures are interim estimates produced by the Census Bureau to fill in the gaps between the full count of the U.S. population it conducts each decade. The population counts for each year represent the population estimated as of July 1, meaning the 2024 change estimates represent change between July 1, 2023 and July 1, 2024. Visitors to Talkeetna take in a view of Denali. President Donald Trump announced the name would be changed back to Mount McKinley during his inaugural address. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) On Friday, the federal agency in charge of offshore oil and gas drilling announced that it will be rewriting its core regulations to replace all references to Gulf of Mexico with Gulf of America. The change by the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management is only the latest in a series of actions by federal agencies, and a review of the Federal Register the official journal of the federal government shows most agencies have already implemented President Donald Trumps Jan. 20 executive order, which instructed the federal government to replace the gulfs name in official records. That order also officially renamed Denali to Mount McKinley, the name used by the federal government between 1896 and 2015 for North Americas tallest peak. In February and March, the domestic names committee of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names formalized the presidents order and a subsequent one by the U.S. secretary of the Interior about the Gulf of Mexico and Mount McKinley. At Denali National Park, websites changed the name of North Americas tallest mountain within 10 days; it was listed as Denali on Jan. 28, and by Jan. 30, it was Mount McKinley. The printed brochures took longer but are now updated. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which handles ocean mapping, changed the gulfs name on ocean charts, and the U.S. Geological Survey changed the name in the Geographic Names Information System, the federal governments core database. Even the agency in charge of the nations spy satellites altered its records. As the Atlantic hurricane season begins, the National Weather Services National Hurricane Center has already updated its maps, and the U.S. Coast Guard changed its regulations in March. Other agencies, including the BOEM, have taken longer to act. In late May, the federal agency in charge of pipeline safety changed its regulations. More actions are coming, according to notices published in the Federal Register, the official daily journal of the federal government. In August, the Federal Aviation Administration will change parts of its aviation maps to account for the new names. Additional changes are expected in the coming months from other agencies and from states, which have been slower to act on the new names. This story was originally produced by the Alaska Beacon which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. He emphasized his belief that ICE is focusing on the most dangerous criminals while millions of undocumented immigrants remain in the country. Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona and Michigan State University student Troy Forbush of East Lansing. (Photo by Ken Coleman for the Michigan Advance) Attorneys for three of the students wounded during the 2023 shooting at Michigan State University announced Tuesday a several million dollar settlement for their injuries, pain and suffering. The settlement comes more than two years after a gunman opened fire at the university, killing three students and injuring five. In a statement, law firms Grewal Law and Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman said the settlements totaling $29.75 million would bring closure to at least some of the survivors. Nathan Statly was shot in the head, resulting in brain injuries requiring extensive medical treatment and ongoing care. He will receive $14.25 million. Yukai John Hao was left paralyzed from the chest down after being struck by a bullet in his back. Hao will receive $13 million, with the university agreeing to waive tuition, room and board, and provide health insurance throughout the completion of his undergraduate and graduate degrees. Troy Forbush was shot in the chest and suffered a serious lung injury, requiring surgery and extensive rehabilitative therapy. He will receive $2.5 million. Grewal Law and Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman are honored to assist in obtaining justice for these remarkable young men, the firms said in a statement. In response, university spokesperson Amber McCann offered condolences to the students injured in the shooting, as well as their families and loved ones. While the university cannot comment on any specific settlements, we truly hope reaching a resolution helps provide some measure of relief, support and care to impacted individuals and their families, McCann said. This story was originally produced by Michigan Advance which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. The following is a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana: GREAT FALLS, Mont. - A Wolf Point man accused of distributing methamphetamine to a minor admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. The defendant, Brickie Cole Jackson, 36, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine to a person under 21 years of age. Jackson faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 1 year, a maximum term of 40 years, a $2,000,000 fine, and at least 6 years of supervised release. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for October 30, 2025. Jackson was detained pending further proceedings. The government alleged in court documents that in November 2023, law enforcement responded to Wolf Point High School after a student, Jane Doe, admitted drug use and tested positive. Doe, a 16-year-old female, disclosed she had gone to Jacksons house, and he provided her with methamphetamine. Doe said she had gone to the house multiple times over multiple days and Jackson provided her with methamphetamine on several occasions in November. In January 2024, Doe again admitted to hanging out with Jackson at his house over multiple days. He again provided Doe with methamphetamine. Jackson was interviewed. He admitted providing Doe with methamphetamine but said he believed she was 18 years old. Jackson said Doe stayed with him on two occasions, and he gave her about a gram of meth each time she stayed at his house. The U.S. Attorneys Office prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice, and Wolf Point Police Department conducted the investigation. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN. MCCOMB, Ohio For most people, the day starts with the smell of fresh coffee. For Ohio farmer Anthony Stateler, it starts with something a little stronger. We look at manure as a vitamin. Its like your morning vitamin, he told attendees during a farm tour on June 9. While most farmers may stick to conventional supplements for themselves, those relying on synthetic fertilizers in their fields are often getting only the basics like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, Stateler said. That means theyre missing out on the full range of nutrients crops need. Manure, by contrast, naturally contains those and more, including valuable micronutrients like sulfur and manganese. His farm, which includes corn, soybeans, wheat and a 7,200-head hog facility, doesnt have to spend extra money to reap the benefits. Statelers remarks came during the Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiatives farm tour, which visited three farms, including Stateler Family Farms, in Hancock County. The tour gave the public a close-up look at how local farmers are using science-based practices to improve both their land and Ohios waterways. One of the major drivers behind this progress is H2Ohio, the states water quality initiative that, among other goals, supports environmentally-minded farming practices that wont sacrifice farm productivity. Much of the Statelers tech and equipment upgrades have come thanks to the program, which helps farms spread nutrients more efficiently, reach distant fields and reduce the risk of runoff even during heavy rain. But the future of that progress isnt guaranteed. Proposed cuts of more than $120 million to H2Ohio over two years in the Ohio House budget could jeopardize innovation and limit access to these critical tools. It will start to hurt a little bit, Stateler acknowledged. And quite frankly, it just wont allow us to maybe be as innovative or to go and find different avenues for manure application, he said. Ideas at work Stateler Family Farms has aimed to bolster innovation from the beginning. Every acre of their 1,000-acre farm has been committed to the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network, a 10-year, $2 million initiative now wrapping up after a decade of data and outreach. The project is a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agricultures Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Ohio Farm Bureau. Its goal is to test and share real-world conservation practices that protect soil and water while keeping farms financially sustainable. The demonstration network was built to highlight not just new ideas, but how those ideas actually work on real farms, under real challenges and offering real results. Manure utilization has changed over the years, Stateler said. His farm reflects just how much. Theyve implemented eight core conservation practices and conduct detailed soil testing before applying any manure. About 60% of that manure stays on the farms own fields; the rest is sold to nearby operations, including organic farms. Using precision ag tools such as GPS-equipped spreaders and detailed field maps, they apply nutrients exactly where theyre needed, avoiding over-application. For every 1% increase in organic matter, the soil can hold about an inch more rainwater, reducing runoff and keeping moisture where crops need it most. This organic matter, boosted by cover crops and microbial activity, helps retain nutrients and supports healthy crop growth. Still, Stateler emphasized that most farmers across the state are doing things the right way. 99% of hog farms are doing no different than what we are, he said. Rigorous testing and careful nutrient application are becoming the norm, and only a small percentage of fields exceed environmental thresholds. Even as the formal Blanchard River project comes to an end, Stateler said their commitment to openness and progress remains. Just because its ending doesnt mean that our farm is just gonna shut its doors, Stateler said. But the question remains: is it enough? Recent years have seen smaller harmful algae blooms in Lake Erie, which are primarily caused by agricultural runoff, but thats mostly because theres been less rain not because phosphorus pollution has dropped significantly. Farmers are stepping up, adopting nutrient management plans and science-backed practices through H2Ohio. These plans are a key part of reducing phosphorus runoff. But theres a catch: without ongoing support, many farms may struggle to keep these practices going. According to the National Center for Water Quality Research, modeling shows that for real, widespread change, multiple conservation methods need to be implemented at about 70% of farmland in the western basin of Lake Erie. But according to the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture, only 43% have. A win-win. Bill Kellogg, a farmer managing about 7,000 acres in Forest, Ohio, has witnessed the evolution of conservation practices firsthand. His farm implements a variety of methods supported by the H2Ohio initiative, including strip-till equipment, nearly 70 acres of buffer strips, cover crops and nutrient management planning. Additionally, he employs subsurface phosphorus placement and variable rate technology, which enables precise application of inputs like fertilizer at varying rates across his fields. Despite logistical challenges like managing cover crops during busy harvest seasons with limited manpower Kellogg is pushing ahead. He believes technology is opening up new opportunities once thought impossible. What were doing now, if you would have told me 50 years ago when my career started, Id think you were crazy. But innovation and commitment cant stand alone without consistent support. He made it clear that defunding programs like H2Ohio would be a step backward. If youre cutting funding and dragging your money back, its not gonna happen, Kellogg said. What weve done to this point is wasted without continued support. Still, he cautioned that funding doesnt cover everything. Anybody in town that thinks that were sitting out here getting a check from H2Ohio and were making a lot of money on it its just offsetting some of the cost of the things we do, he said. Being enrolled in H2Ohio is the right thing to do, he said, even if it isnt always easy or profitable. Right now, its a win-win, Kellogg said. Its helping us offset some of our costs and its helping the environment. The fear, he added, is that if H2Ohio and federal conservation programs like NRCS lose funding, the progress made over decades could start to erode, and the future of sustainable farming in Ohio could hang in the balance. For Kellogg, part of the journey has been not just adopting conservation practices, but helping others understand them too. Over the years, hes had countless conversations with fellow farmers about H2Ohio and what the program really asks of them. Often, theyll show up with questions, concerns or even frustration. Thats when Kellogg looks for an opportunity to explain, offer perspective and help them understand how the practices actually work on the ground. If you can reason with them, he told Farm and Dairy, tell them, Well, it all comes back to checks and balances on what theyre doing, then some of the skepticism starts to melt. Its not about control, but about accountability and making sure practices actually work for the land, water and the farmer. Its huge. Chris Kurt runs a 470-acre farm in Dunkirk, Ohio. He said the H2Ohio program has played a big role in helping him put conservation practices into place and, to his surprise, they werent as difficult as he thought theyd be. Thanks to the program, hes using tools like variable rate technology to apply phosphorus only where its actually needed. It helps us only apply the phosphorus where we need it, he said. That kind of efficiency has made adopting conservation practices more manageable. Kurt admitted he thought things like strip-till would be a lot more complicated. I thought that was gonna be a lot harder, he told Farm and Dairy. I thought there was gonna be a lot bigger of a learning curve. It did end up being [not] as bad as I thought. Since buying his own strip-till machine wasnt realistic, Kurt worked with a local fertilizer company to make it work, showing that smaller farms can still take advantage of these methods with the right support. Kurt is all in on conservation. His entire farm, where he grows corn and soybeans using 11 different practices, is part of the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network. For him, the motivation goes beyond his own fields. Its about being part of a larger effort to learn and share what works. I think thats key. Its part of the reason I got involved with the Demonstration Farms project in the first place was the fact that theyre doing this research. Its huge, he said. Hes currently trying out lower fertilizer rates on his strip-tilled land to see if the yields can still compete with traditional methods. With the Blanchard River project wrapping up, Kurt says hes proud to have been part of it and hopes others have found it useful. Ive been thrilled to be a part of it My hope is that farmers who have been out to visit the farm and even the general public get something from it that they can possibly use on their farm. But hes worried that proposed cuts to H2Ohio funding could slow progress. I do know this: the less funding you have for farmers to do some of these practices, the less of these practices youre gonna have, he said. Related content Farmers embrace H2Ohio, but Lake Eries algae problem lingers OACI seeing new faces through farmer certification program Pilot program studies new way to treat manure Dairy processor Muller has launched a new programme to secure the future of organic milk production as Britain's supply is "at risk". With consumer demand for organic milk rising, but production falling, the dairy firm has developed a bespoke organic offering within its existing Muller Advantage programme. This new approach aims to safeguard and revitalise the future of its 60 organic dairy suppliers by providing greater stability and security of supply. Since 2020, organic milk production has declined amid rising farming costs and volatile farmgate prices, prompting some farmers to leave the sector. Despite growing sales of organic milk, Muller acknowledges that current pricing and support systems do not provide the confidence or competitiveness needed to maintain sustainable supply levels. To address these challenges, it has introduced a new pricing model that factors in fluctuating organic input costs, succession planning, labour expenses, and investments to reduce emissions. Beyond the incentivised Advantage programme, the company will also offer tailored workshops aimed at helping organic farmers reduce carbon emissions. Eligible producers will continue to participate in Mullers Next Generation and Fast Track programmes, which focus on cutting emissions through real-time farm data analysis. The new initiative was developed in partnership with organic farmers, Kite Consulting, and Mullers retail collaborators. Richard Collins, head of agriculture at Muller Milk & Ingredients, said the future of the British organic dairy sector was at risk. "Production has gone down over the past five years, with many hard-working farmers either leaving the industry or switching to non-organic methods. And as organic demand remains strong, we have to find new solutions, that are fully supported by our retail partners, to protect the long-term security of supply of organic milk. With our innovative new offering, it will provide stability, competitiveness and long-term confidence for our organic supplying farmers. "If we get that right, it not only builds supply chain resilience, but creates the conditions for further investment and innovation across the sector. ICE cotton futures slipped on Tuesday due to favourable weather in the US. Improved weather conditions have supported crop development and enhanced the production outlook. Although global cues remained positive, traders were cautious yesterday. The ICE cotton July 2025 contract settled at 65.42 cents per pound (0.453 kg), down 0.57 cent from the previous day. The contract hit its highest level since June 3 during the session. It has remained within the 65-cent range for the fourth consecutive session, signalling persistent pressure on short-term prices. The December 2025 contract settled at 67.71 cents, down 64 points. Other contracts declined by 24 to 66 points, while the October contract dropped 120 points, primarily influenced by price pressure from both old crop (July) and new crop (December) contracts. ICE cotton futures fell on Tuesday as favourable weather in the US, particularly in West Texas, improved crop prospects and pressured prices. The July 2025 contract dropped 0.57 cent to 65.42 cents/lb, while other contracts also declined. Rollover activity added technical pressure ahead of expiry. Trading volume surged to 99,170 contracts, and inventories increased, indicating ample supply. According to market analysts, West Texas received better-than-expected rainfall, which is bearish for cotton prices as it improves crop prospects. There was notable rollover activity, with traders moving out of the July contract into the December contract ahead of the nearby expiry, adding technical selling pressure. Total trading volume on ICE reached 99,170 contracts, indicating elevated activity compared to typical sessions. Contracts cleared the previous day were reported at 84,356, reflecting continued strong participation and liquidity in the futures market. The average daily trading volume for last week was updated to 60,347 contracts, correcting a previously misreported figure of 55,276 contracts. ICEs deliverable No. 2 cotton futures inventory rose to 53,351 bales as of June 9, up from 51,965 bales the previous trading day, suggesting adequate available stock. Currently, ICE cotton for July 2025 is trading at 65.67 cents per pound (up 0.25 cent), cash cotton at 63.67 cents (down 0.57 cent), the October 2025 contract at 65.70 cents (down 1.20 cents), the December 2025 contract at 67.89 cents (up 0.18 cent), the March 2026 contract at 69.26 cents (up 0.20 cent), and the May 2026 contract at 70.33 cents (up 0.17 cent). A few contracts remained at their previous closing levels, with no trading recorded today. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL) US and Chinese officials yesterday agreed in London to again try to implement the trade war truce that collapsed amid allegations from both sides weeks after it was reached during an earlier round of talks in Geneva. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced a handshake deal to put into effect the terms of the May 12 US-China agreement that called for both nations to lower their tariffs and take additional steps to facilitate trade. US and Chinese officials yesterday agreed in London to again try to implement the trade war truce that collapsed amid allegations from both sides weeks after it was reached in Geneva. US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick announced a 'handshake' deal to put into effect the terms of the May 12 US-China agreement. The London deal will be put into effect once it gets presidential nod on both sides. No text of either the London framework or the earlier Geneva accord to deescalate the US-China trade war was released by either side, but Lutnick said both nations would remove new trade barriers they had erected as the truce broke down, global newswires reported. The negotiators plan to return to brief their respective presidents. The deal will be put into immediate effect once it receives Presidential approval on both sides. China is expected to allow an increased flow of rare earth minerals for auto and defence production and that would lead Washington lifting measures that it imposed recently in a balanced way, Lutnick said. We do absolutely expect that the topic of rare earth minerals and magnets, with respect to the United States of America, will be resolved in this framework implementation, Lutnick was quoted as saying. He, however, did not specify which US measures would be lifted in response. The US delegation also included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US trade representative Jamieson Greer. The Chinese team was led by Vice Premier He Lifeng. The London talks were professional, rational, in-depth and candid, Chinese state media quoted Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang as saying. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) Streaming FIFA Club World Cup live Streaming FIFA Club World Cup live Fluminense v Chelsea Sign up with Bet365 here Make your first deposit of at least 5 Go to the Live section and watch every match Watch the match on Bet365 Viktor Gyokeres finds himself in the center of a storm that could lead to one of the most talked-about moves in the market. Both Arsenal and Manchester United have decided to take the final step and present offers for the Sporting CP forward, who is going through a tense moment with his current club. The position of the Portuguese club regarding his release clause has angered the attacker, who was expecting a very different scenario for this summer. The Swedish player had been assured that he could leave if a proposal in line with the previously agreed value arrived. However, after his excellent goal-scoring performance in Portugal, Sporting has raised their financial demands to 80 million euros, a figure that has upset the player's circle, as they feel that the commitments made are not being respected. Arsenal and Manchester United Want to Sign Gyokeres Meanwhile, Arsenal has closely monitored the striker since Andrea Berta took over the sporting direction. There is even talk of a verbal agreement with Gyokeres, although the London club also has other options in mind, such as Slovenian Benjamin Sesko, with negotiations advancing in parallel. Manchester United, who recently let Liam Delap slip away, has intensified their interest in Gyokeres and would be willing to enter the bidding despite the financial constraints they face. The outcome will now depend on whether either of the two English giants decides to meet Sporting's demands or if, on the contrary, the Portuguese club gives in to the player's pressure. In any case, Gyokeres' future seems far from Lisbon, and all signs point to the forward's next destination being the Premier League. This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los 2 clubes que aprietan para fichar a Viktor Gyokeres BOCA RATON, FL / ACCESS Newswire / June 10, 2025 / Newsmax Inc. (NYSE:NMAX) ("Newsmax" or the "Company") today reported May ratings for the Company's free streaming channel Newsmax2, with an increase of 25% in total viewership year-over-year. Newsmax2 airs across more than a dozen major OTT Fast platforms and over-the-air digital broadcast channels, and on the Newsmax App available on smartphones and televisions. More than 21.5 million cumulative viewers tuned into Newsmax2 in May 2025, according to third-party data provided by OTT platforms' internal dashboards. The data also showed that not only are more viewers tuning in, but they are watching Newsmax2 longer, with average time spent watching up 36% from May 2024. "Newsmax's investment in its streaming channel is paying off with more viewers watching more," said Jason Villar, Newsmax VP of Research. "Streaming and FAST channels are growing, and we are riding that wave positively and effectively." Villar noted that Newsmax2 is also broadcast on digital channels through terrestrial broadcast stations in more than 47 television markets, including serving six of the top 12 U.S. markets, including Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston and Philadelphia. The Newsmax2 channel airs 24/7 and includes news reports from the network's national and global bureaus as well as popular opinion shows with Ed Henry, Bianca de la Garza, John Bachman, David Harris Jr., Rudy Giuliani and Wendy Bell, among others. Newsmax Broadcasting airs several channels, including the popular pay TV channel Newsmax, the military history channel World at War and Newsmax2. "Our strategy of offering free and paid channels is working well for Newsmax and we expect to continue to see growth in these areas in the future," Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said. The Newsmax channel is carried by all major pay TV distributors and Newsmax2 is carried on FAST platforms on Samsung+, Roku, Vizio, LG, Xumo, Pluto TV, Amazon Fire and others. See Newsmax2 platforms and channels here. Both channels are also available on the Company's paid streaming service Newsmax+. The service is available on iPhone and Android phones with a free trial offer. About Newsmax Newsmax, through its subsidiary Newsmax Broadcasting LLC, operates Newsmax, the nation's fourth highest-rated cable news network, according to Nielsen. Newsmax is carried on all major cable, satellite systems, and virtual pay TV operators. Newsmax reaches more than 40 million Americans regularly through Newsmax TV, the Newsmax+ App, its popular website Newsmax.com, and publications like Newsmax Magazine. Reuters Institute says Newsmax is one of the top 12 U.S. news brands and Forbes has called us "a news powerhouse." For more information, please visit Investor Relations | Newsmax Inc. Forward-Looking Statements This communication contains forward-looking statements. From time to time, we or our representatives may make forward-looking statements orally or in writing. We base these forward-looking statements on our expectations and projections about future events, which we derive from the information currently available to us. Forward-looking statements can be identified by those that are not historical in nature. The forward-looking statements discussed in this communication and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives, may not occur, and actual events and results may differ materially and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us. Newsmax does not guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as predictions of future events. We are under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this communication to conform our prior statements to actual results or revised expectations, and we do not intend to do so. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include various factors, including but not limited to the factors set forth in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" in Newsmax's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, Newsmax's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2025, and other filings Newsmax makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Nothing in this communication should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements in this communication, which speak only as of the date they are made and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements herein. Investor Contacts Newsmax Investor Relations ir@newsmax.com SOURCE: Newsmax Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/publishing-and-media/newsmax2-fast-channel-sees-25-growth-in-may-1037561 Valletta, Malta--(Newsfile Corp. - June 10, 2025) - Kebab Factory, Malta's premier Turkish dining brand, announces the opening of its newest branch in Valletta, marking a significant milestone in its 7-year journey. Founded by Ulas Utku Bozdogan in 2019, Kebab Factory has grown from a single location to a nationwide chain known for its authentic kebab and doner dishes, serving locals and tourists across Malta. KEBAB FACTORY VALLETTA CELEBRATES 7TH ANNIVERSARY WITH EXPANSION INTO MALTA'S CAPITAL To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/255204_593b6772b4a78a14_002full.jpg The Valletta branch is strategically located in Malta's UNESCO World Heritage capital, attracting residents and visitors alike with its vibrant menu and welcoming atmosphere. Kebab Factory Valletta offers an immersive Turkish culinary experience featuring signature dishes such as succulent doner kebabs, golden falafel, Turkish pizzas, and traditional desserts like baklava and Turkish rice pudding. Complemented by beverages like aromatic Turkish tea and refreshing ayran, the menu captures the essence of Turkey's rich gastronomic heritage. Ulas Utku Bozdogan, Founder of Kebab Factory, stated, "Opening our Valletta branch is a pivotal moment in Kebab Factory's journey. It allows us to share the rich flavors of Turkish cuisine with a wider audience, right in the heart of Malta's historic capital. We are committed to maintaining quality and authenticity as we continue to grow and serve our valued customers across the island." Kebab Factory's expansion into Valletta completes its vision of a fully nationwide Turkish restaurant chain in Malta. Its previous locations in Msida, Mellieha, Hamrun, San Gwann, Paceville, and St. Julian's have become culinary landmarks in their own right. The Valletta branch, with its modern design and prime location near cultural landmarks, is poised to become a staple for Turkish cuisine lovers. Beyond dine-in and takeaway options, Kebab Factory also offers frozen doner meats and Turkish breakfast platters, further expanding the accessibility of Turkish culinary traditions throughout Malta. The brand's commitment to fresh, quality ingredients and sustainable sourcing underlines its dedication to excellence. For reservations, menu details, and delivery options, visit kebabfactory.com.mt. About Kebab Factory Since 2019, Kebab Factory has transformed the Turkish dining scene in Malta with a focus on authentic recipes, fresh ingredients, and exceptional service. The brand's seven branches serve a broad audience across Malta, blending tradition and innovation to offer a true taste of Turkey. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255204 SOURCE: Plentisoft Sydney, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 10, 2025) - Established gold producer Austral Gold Limited (ASX: AGD) (TSXV: AGLD) (OTCQB: AGLDF) ("Austral" or the "Company") advises in accordance with ASX Listing Rule 3.15.1 effective 10 June 2025, the Sydney office of Computershare Investor Services Pty Limited was relocated to: Computershare Investor Services Level 4 44 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000 Computershare's telephone numbers and postal address remain unchanged. About Austral Gold Austral Gold is a growing gold and silver mining producer building a portfolio of quality assets in the Americas based on three strategic pillars: production, exploration and equity investments. Austral continues to lay the foundation for its growth strategy by advancing its attractive portfolio of producing and exploration assets. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.australgold.com. 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. Release approved by the Joint Company Secretary. Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical, and consist primarily of projections - statements regarding future plans, expectations and developments. Words such as "expects", "intends", "plans", "may", "could", "potential", "should", "anticipates", "likely", "believes" and words of similar import tend to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statement in this news release is "Austral continues to lay the foundation for its growth strategy by advancing its attractive portfolio of producing and exploration assets". All of these forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied, including, without limitation, uncertainty of exploration programs, development plans and cost estimates, commodity price fluctuations; political or economic instability and regulatory changes; currency fluctuations, the state of the capital markets especially in light of the effects of the novel coronavirus, uncertainty in the measurement of mineral resources and reserves and other risks and hazards related to the exploration of a mineral property, and the availability of capital. You are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. Austral cannot assure you that actual events, performance or results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and management's assumptions may prove to be incorrect. Austral's forward-looking statements reflect current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof and Austral does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255208 SOURCE: Austral Gold Limited Orange Quantum Defender service available today, protecting enterprises against future quantum computing cyberattacks Orange Business and Toshiba Europe have partnered to launch the first quantum-safe networking service in Paris, France. Orange Quantum Defender uses Toshiba's Quantum Safe Networking technology, which combines Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) with Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) for defence in depth. The service is now commercially available in the greater Paris area. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250610183579/en/ A Quantum-safe network offering the ultimate protection for sensitive data against future threats (Photo credit: Orange Business Services) The quantum-safe network offers the ultimate protection for sensitive data against future quantum computing attacks. A leading French financial services company has already connected multiple sites to the network, accessing high-speed, resilient quantum-safe infrastructure to secure its critical financial data. The continued development of quantum technologies puts sensitive data under threat like never before, as quantum computers are set to render current public key encryption methods insecure. Organisations and enterprises within highly trust-sensitive industries, such as financial services, the public sector, critical infrastructure, and healthcare, are under particular threat from "store now, decrypt later" attacks. This is where sensitive data is collected today and stored by bad actors for decryption when quantum computers become available. To respond to this threat, organisations must take action to fortify their communications now to ensure they remain secure well into the future. Orange Quantum Defender is provided over the existing Orange commercial fibre network in Paris using Toshiba's QKD technology. A defence-in-depth principle combines hardware-based QKD and software-based PQC technologies to both protect sensitive data and ensure future data secrecy. The combination of QKD and PQC means organisations can benefit from a multi-layered security approach, providing the most secure network possible. "We are thrilled to launch Orange Quantum Defender a first-of-its kind service in France. This is a significant step in the Orange multi-layer quantum-safe networking strategy, as we help our enterprise customers respond to the growing and evolving security threats from quantum computing. Built on the robust technology by Toshiba, we are not just protecting sensitive data today; we are prepared and ready to partner with our customers for a secure and resilient future," said Aliette Mousnier-Lompre, CEO, Orange Business. The quantum safe network follows years of collaboration between Orange and Toshiba in validating QKD for commercial applications. Previous joint tests showed that Toshiba's QKD technology could successfully scale across long distances at high secret key rates while co-existing with conventional data signals. Not only did this show that QKD could be used by businesses to protect their data in real-life situations today, but that it could easily be deployed on existing fibre networks, lowering barriers to adoption. The new network marks a fundamental step not only in protecting highly sensitive commercial data but also supports France's national quantum strategy. "The quantum age isn't just some fringe concept anymore, and large organisations are on the frontline when it comes to the dangers posed by powerful quantum computers," commented Hiroshi Tsukino, Corporate Vice President of Toshiba Corporation, and Vice President of ICT Solutions Division at Toshiba Digital Solutions. "We have been collaborating with Orange for several years to validate QKD technology performance across existing fibre networks, and I'm excited to now jointly launch the first commercial solution that can deliver a quantum-safe future for organisations in Paris." About Orange Business Orange Business, the enterprise division of the Orange Group, is a leading network and digital integrator, supporting customers to create positive impact and digital business. The combined strength of its next-generation connectivity, cloud, and cybersecurity expertise, platforms, and partners provides the foundation for enterprises around the world. With 30,000 employees across 65 countries, Orange Business enables its customers' transformations by orchestrating end-to-end secured digital infrastructure and focusing on the employee, customer, and operational experience. More than 30,000 B-to-B customers put their trust in Orange Business globally. Orange is one of the world's leading telecommunications operators with revenues of 40.3 billion euros in 2024 and 291 million customers worldwide at 31 December 2024. In February 2023, the Group presented its strategic plan "Lead the Future", built on a new business model and guided by responsibility and efficiency. "Lead the Future" capitalizes on network excellence to reinforce Orange's leadership in service quality. Orange is listed on the Euronext Paris (ORA). For more information: www.orange-business.com or follow us on LinkedIn and on X: @orangebusiness Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited. About Toshiba In 2025, the Toshiba Group celebrates its 150th anniversary. As the company looks ahead, it is enhancing its management structure, streamlining operations, and investing in forward-looking businesses to build foundations for new growth. This will allow it to continue to support advances toward a sustainable future with products and services developed by its wide range of businesses in the energy, infrastructure, and electronic devices domains. Guided by its corporate philosophy, "Committed to People, Committed to the Future.," Toshiba brings industry-leading capabilities in green transformation (GX) and digital transformation (DX) to solutions for companies addressing the many challenges faced by modern society. By leveraging the power of data derived from its constantly evolving products and solutions, the Group is determined to help to achieve carbon neutrality and a circular economy. In fiscal year 2024, Toshiba Group recorded annual sales of 3.5 trillion yen and employed 95,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250610183579/en/ Contacts: PR Contacts: Orange Business: Severine Belhomme-Moisand: severine.belhommemoisand@orange.com Elizabeth Mayeri: elizabeth.mayeri@orange.com Toshiba: George Pope, Nelson Bostock Unlimited: george.pope@nelsonbostock.com US EPA projects taking a regulatory decision by end of September 2025; Dutch authorities finalise first phase of regulatory dossier for EVOCA in Europe Ghent, BELGIUM, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Press release Biotalys), an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrols for sustainable crop protection, is pleased to announce progress in the regulatory approval procedures in both the United States and Europe of its first protein-based biocontrol product, EVOCA*. In the US, Biotalys received a communication from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the company has provided responses to all the agency's requests for additional information. The EPA currently projects it will complete the scientific review of the EVOCA dossier later this summer and make a regulatory decision by September 30th, 2025. In Europe, Biotalys is pleased to confirm that both the Dutch Board for Authorisation of Plant Protection Products (CTGB) and the Dutch Institute for Health and Environment (RIVM) have now provided positive evaluations of EVOCA's regulatory dossier, paving the way for the peer review phase at the European level. In their review, both Dutch authorities have classified EVOCA's active ingredient as low risk based on the current data. This classification is important as it recognizes the active ingredient's safety profile and aligns with Biotalys' commitment to delivering sustainable, effective solutions for crop protection. No critical areas of concern were identified and therefore the Netherlands, as rapporteur Member State, proposes that the active ingredient of EVOCA can be approved in Europe, subject to the provision of certain additional data during the peer review phase. Biotalys' current assessment is that a regulatory decision in the European Union can be expected in the second half of 2026. Kevin Helash, Chief Executive Officer of Biotalys,said: "We are pleased with the regulatory progress in both the US and EU, and look forward to a favorable outcome. An approval decision would be a major milestone for our company and a validation for our unique AGROBODY technology platform. This platform has the potential to develop many more protein-based biocontrol solutions for growers to fight key pests and diseases in agriculture. I am very grateful for the thorough review and guidance by the regulatory agencies, and for the hard work by our team to generate and provide the required scientific data on our innovative product." The first biocontrol developed on Biotalys' AGROBODY technology platform, EVOCA helps safely control fungal diseases Botrytis (grey mold) and powdery mildew for fruit and vegetable growers looking to add effective, biodegradable solutions to their integrated pest management (IPM) initiatives to reduce chemical applications. * EVOCA: Pending Registration. This product is not currently registered for sale or use in the European Union, the United States or elsewhere and is not being offered for sale. About Biotalys Biotalys is an Agricultural Technology. For further information, please contact: Toon Musschoot, Head of IR & Communication T: +32 Important Notice Biotalys, its business, prospects and financial position remain exposed and subject to risks and uncertainties. A description of and reference to these risks and uncertainties can be found in the annual reporton the consolidated annual accounts published on the company's website. This announcement contains statements which are "forward-looking statements" or could be considered as such. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words 'aim', 'believe', 'estimate', 'anticipate', 'expect', 'intend', 'may', 'will', 'plan', 'continue', 'ongoing', 'possible', 'predict', 'plans', 'target', 'seek', 'would' or 'should', and contain statements made by the company regarding the intended results of its strategy. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are warned that none of these forward-looking statements offers any guarantee of future performance. Biotalys' actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements. Biotalys makes no undertaking whatsoever to publish updates or adjustments to these forward-looking statements, unless required to do so by law. Attachments Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Universal Digital Inc. (CSE: LFG) (FSE: 8R20) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that trading of its common shares has resumed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (the "FSE") under the symbol 8R20, following a successful change of business into a digital asset focused investment issuer. "This resumption on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is a key step in our broader international strategy," said Tim Chan, CEO of Universal Digital. "It reopens a channel for European investors to participate in our growth and supports our ambition to build a globally accessible digital investment platform." About Universal Digital Inc. Universal Digital Inc. is a Canadian investment company focused on digital assets, businesses and private and publicly listed entities that are involved in high-growth industries, with a particular focus on blockchain, cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency technologies. The Company aims to provide shareholders with long-term capital growth through a diversified investment approach, and to participate in the transformation of global finance through the integration of digital asset strategies. Neither the 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. Forward-Looking Information Certain statements in this release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws including, without limitation, the timing, nature, scope and details regarding the Company's exploration plans and results. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, its projects, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the company's current expectations regarding future events, performance and results and speak only as of the date of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255175 SOURCE: Universal Digital Inc. Today at Transform London, Twilio announced that it is partnering with Orange, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators, to scale the use of RCS Business Messaging across France. This partnership represents a major milestone in the evolution of mobile messaging in the country, providing French and international businesses with a rich, interactive, and secure communications experience directly in their messaging app. RCS already covers over 70% of the mobile base in France as of June 1, 2025 representing more than 45 million smartphones and is projected to reach 85% by the end of the year. In this context, Orange has chosen Twilio's globally recognized expertise to support the deployment of this next-generation messaging solution. Trust and transparency have become central to customer expectations. RCS fully addresses these priorities by enhancing the credibility and impact of brand communications. According to Twilio's 2025 State of Customer Engagement Report, 3 in 4 businesses plan to invest in RCS messaging this year and 81% of consumers prefer RCS over traditional SMS. "We are delighted to work with Twilio, a global technology leader that is helping to drive the transformation of digital communications worldwide. This partnership will help to accelerate the deployment of RCS Business messaging in France. With 70% of smartphones now able to send and receive RCS messages according to our latest figures, it is set to become the new standard for mobile messaging. RCS Business Messaging offers improved security for brands, which creates a trusted relationship with customers while enhancing brand credibility. This in turn will lead to greater response rates and improved customer engagement," said Amelia Newsom Davis, Director Payment, Messaging and Identity at Orange France. As the natural evolution of SMS, the RCS protocol is now available across both Android and iOS devices. It supports enriched exchanges and an interactive experience with features like images, carousels, actionable buttons, and detailed performance tracking. By partnering with Twilio, Orange will enable businesses in France to drive stronger customer engagement while maximizing message reach. For the remaining portion of the mobile base not yet covered by RCS, Twilio ensures seamless fallback to SMS, guaranteeing continuous service for all users. "Customers in France expect more than just messages, they want secure, engaging interactions they can trust. RCS gives businesses a powerful way to deliver rich, branded conversations directly in the native messaging app, with verified sender identity. We share a common vision with Orange: to make communication more human, more dynamic, relevant and amazing. This partnership will enable businesses to boost engagement, efficiency, and trust, while offering a more dynamic experience that truly leaves an impression on customers. And in a landscape filled with plenty of competing digital noise, RCS represents an opportunity to stand out from the crowd," said Tony Cheema, Vice President, EMEA, Communications at Twilio. For more information about Twilio's RCS services and how they can help your brand deliver reliable, personalized communications at scale, please visit twilio.com. About Twilio Today's leading companies trust Twilio's Customer Engagement Platform (CEP) to build direct, personalized relationships with their customers everywhere in the world. Twilio enables companies to use communications and data to add intelligence and security to every step of the customer journey, from sales to marketing to growth, customer service and many more engagement use cases in a flexible, programmatic way. Across 180 countries, millions of developers and hundreds of thousands of businesses use Twilio to create magical experiences for their customers. For more information about Twilio (NYSE: TWLO), visit: www.twilio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611178156/en/ Contacts: press@twilio.com Europe's fastest-growing fusion company unlocks funding to advance commercial fusion technology and secure energy resilience for the continent. Proxima Fusion, Europe's fastest-growing fusion energy company, today announced the close of its 130 million ($150 million) Series A financing the largest private fusion investment round in Europe. The Series A financing was co-led by Cherry Ventures and Balderton Capital Significant participation also came from UVC Partners, DeepTech Climate Fonds (DTCF), Plural, Leitmotif, Lightspeed, Bayern Kapital, HTGF, Club degli Investitori, Omnes Capital, Elaia Partners, Visionaries Tomorrow, Wilbe and redalpine, the latter of which led Proxima Fusion's seed round just one year ago. This brings Proxima Fusion's total funding to more than 185 million ($200 million) in private and public capital, accelerating its mission to build the world's first commercial fusion power plant based on a stellarator design. Francesco Sciortino, CEO and Co-founder of Proxima Fusion, said: "Fusion has become a real, strategic opportunity to shift global energy dependence from natural resources to technological leadership. Proxima is perfectly positioned to harness that momentum by uniting a spectacular engineering and manufacturing team with world-leading research institutions, accelerating the path toward bringing the first European fusion power plant online in the next decade." Shifting global energy dependence Proxima was founded in April 2023 as a spin-out from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP), with which it continues to work closely in a public-private partnership to lead Europe into a new era of clean energy. The EU, as well as national governments including Germany, UK, France and Italy, increasingly recognize fusion as a generational technology essential for energy sovereignty, industrial competitiveness, and carbon-neutral economic growth. By building on Europe's long-standing public fusion investment and industrial supply chains, Proxima Fusion is laying the groundwork for a new high-tech energy industry-one that transforms the continent from a leader in fusion research to a global powerhouse in fusion deployment. "We back founders solving humanity's hardest problems and few are bigger than clean, limitless energy," said Filip Dames, Cherry Ventures Founding Partner. "Proxima Fusion combines Europe's scientific edge with commercial ambition, turning world-class research into one of the most promising fusion ventures globally. This is deep tech at its best, and a bold signal that Europe can lead on the world stage." Proxima is taking a simulation-driven approach to engineering that leverages advanced computing and high-temperature superconducting (HTS) technology to build on the groundbreaking results of the IPP's Wendelstein 7-X stellarator experiment. Just earlier this year, together with the IPP, KIT and other partners, Proxima unveiled Stellaris. As the first peer-reviewed stellarator concept to integrate physics, engineering, and maintenance considerations from the outset, Stellaris has been widely recognized as a major breakthrough for the fusion industry, advancing the case for quasi-isodynamic (QI) stellarators as the most promising pathway to a commercial fusion power plant. Daniel Waterhouse, Partner at Balderton Capital, said: "Stellarators aren't just the most technologically viable approach to fusion energy-they're the power plants of the future, capable of leading Europe into a new era of clean energy. Proxima has firmly secured its position as the leading European contender in the global race to commercial fusion. We are thrilled to partner with Proxima's game-changing team of engineers, alongside Europe's top manufacturers, to build a company that will be transformational for Europe." With this new funding, the company will complete its Stellarator Model Coil (SMC) in 2027, a major hardware demonstration that will de-risk high-temperature superconductor (HTS) technology for stellarators and stimulate European HTS innovation. Proxima will also finalize a site for Alpha, its demonstration stellarator, for which it is in talks with several European governments already. Alpha is scheduled to begin operations in 2031, and is the key step to demonstrating Q>1 (net energy gain) and moving towards a first-of-a-kind fusion power plant. The company will continue to grow its 80+-strong team across three offices: at the headquarters in Munich, at the Paul Scherrer Institute near Zurich (Switzerland), and at the Culham fusion campus near Oxford (UK). "Fusion energy is entering a new era-moving from lab-based science to industrial-scale engineering," said Dr. Francesco Sciortino. "This investment validates our approach and gives us the resources to deliver hardware that is essential to make clean fusion power a reality." Ian Hogarth, Partner at Plural said: "Proxima Fusion exemplifies a new kind of European ambition a full force effort to develop the world's first fusion power plant. Since their first round of funding two years ago, Francesco and the team have hit extremely challenging milestones ahead of schedule and hired a team that spans plasma physics, advanced magnet design and computer simulation. Their peer-reviewed stellarator power plant design concept confirms that fusion really can be commercially viable, and creates an opportunity for Europe to be first to the target." About Proxima Fusion Proxima Fusion spun out of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in 2023 to build fusion power plants using QI-HTS stellarators. Proxima has since assembled a world-class team of engineers, scientists and operators from leading companies and institutions, such as the IPP, MIT, Harvard, SpaceX, Tesla, and McLaren. By taking a simulation-driven approach to engineering that leverages advanced computing and high-temperature superconductors to build on the groundbreaking results of the IPP's W7-X stellarator, Proxima is leading Europe into a new era of clean energy, for good. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611597730/en/ Contacts: Media Contact: Maria Dantz Head of Communications Proxima Fusion Email: maria.dantz@gmail.com Tel: 0031 614715715 Financing co-led by new investors EQT Life Sciences and Sanofi Ventures, with participation from Roche Venture Fund, as well as all existing investors Proceeds will support clinical development of lead program SB-007 in Stargardt disease Funding will also advance a broader pipeline of genetic medicines targeting indications in ophthalmology, neurology, and other undisclosed therapeutic areas BARCELONA, Spain, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SpliceBio, a clinical-stage genetic medicines company pioneering Protein Splicing to address diseases caused by mutations in large genes, today announced the close of a $135 million Series B financing co-led by new investors EQT Life Sciences and Sanofi Ventures, with participation from Roche Venture Fund, as well as all existing investors: New Enterprise Associates, UCB Ventures, Ysios Capital, Gilde Healthcare, Novartis Venture Fund, and Asabys Partners. The funding will be used to advance the clinical development of SpliceBio's lead gene therapy candidate, SB-007 for Stargardt disease, including the ongoing interventional Phase 1/2 ASTRA study and the observational POLARIS study. SB-007 is the first dual adeno-associated viral (AAV) gene therapy cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enter clinical development for Stargardt disease. SB-007 has also received regulatory clearance for clinical development from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Stargardt disease is an inherited retinal disorder caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene that leads to progressive vision loss and blindness, with no approved treatments available. SB-007 is designed to address the underlying genetic cause of the disease by producing a functional copy of the full-length ABCA4 protein with the potential to treat all patients, regardless of their specific ABCA4 mutation. The proceeds will also be used to accelerate SpliceBio's pipeline of AAV gene therapy programs in ophthalmology, neurology, and other undisclosed indications that utilise the company's proprietary Protein Splicing platform. "This financing marks a pivotal milestone for SpliceBio as we advance the clinical development of SB-007 for Stargardt disease and continue to expand our pipeline across ophthalmology, neurology and beyond," said Miquel Vila-Perello, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of SpliceBio. "The support from such high-quality investors underscores the strength of our programs and our unique Protein Splicing platform and its potential to unlock gene therapies for diseases that remain untreatable today. We are building a company positioned to lead the next wave of genetic medicines." SpliceBio is redefining and expanding the scope of diseases that can be tackled with gene therapies by addressing a fundamental limitation of AAV vectors in their inability to deliver genes that exceed their limited packaging capacity of 4.7 kilobases. Many genetic disorders remain untreatable because the necessary gene is too large to fit into the AAV vectors. SpliceBio's unique Protein Splicing platform leverages the use of a family of proprietary, engineered proteins called inteins, originally developed at Princeton University. The company's technology enables the splitting of the gene into two (or more) transgenes that are then delivered using dual AAV vectors. Once inside the cell, the DNA of each transgene is transcribed into messenger RNA and translated into protein. SpliceBio's engineered inteins are designed to then assemble the full-length protein that is needed to treat the disease. Daniela Begolo, Managing Director at EQT Life Sciences, commented: "We are proud to support SpliceBio, a pioneer among the next-generation of genetic medicine companies. Its Protein Splicing platform is designed to offer a novel solution to deliver large genes with AAV, one of the field's most pressing challenges, and exemplifies our commitment to backing transformational science that can meaningfully benefit patients' lives." Laia Crespo, Partner at Sanofi Ventures, remarked: "With compelling data for its lead program, SB-007, and a highly differentiated platform, we are excited to support SpliceBio as it tackles a fundamental challenge for genetic medicines. By enabling the delivery of large and complex genes through its novel AAV vector Protein Splicing technology, SpliceBio has the potential to make a significant impact on the field of gene therapy and to deliver best-in-class therapies to patients." Carole Nuechterlein, Head of Roche Venture Fund, added: "We are impressed by the team's strong execution, the momentum behind SB-007 in Stargardt disease, and the platform's potential to unlock a new class of genetic medicines. We are proud to support SpliceBio at this pivotal stage of growth as they advance their lead program through clinical development and explore additional high-impact indications." In connection with the financing, Daniela Begolo, Managing Director at EQT Life Sciences, Laia Crespo, Partner at Sanofi Ventures, and Carole Nuechterlein, Head of Roche Venture Fund, will join the SpliceBio Board of Directors. About SpliceBio SpliceBio is a clinical-stage genetic medicines company pioneering Protein Splicing to address diseases caused by mutations in large genes. The Company's lead program, SB-007, targets the root cause of Stargardt disease, a genetic eye disease that causes blindness in children and adults. SpliceBio's pipeline comprises additional gene therapy programs across therapeutic areas, including ophthalmology and neurology. SpliceBio's platform is based on technology developed in the Muir Lab at Princeton University after more than 20 years of pioneering intein, Protein Splicing, and protein engineering research. For additional information, please visit www.splice.bio . About SB-007 SB-007 is an investigational Protein Splicing dual AAV gene therapy in development for the treatment of Stargardt disease. It is designed to restore expression of the native full-length ABCA4 protein in the retina. SB-007 has been granted Orphan Drug Designation from both the FDA in the US and the European Commission in Europe. In December 2024, SB-007 received FDA IND clearance, marking the first-ever clearance for a dual AAV gene therapy in Stargardt disease. Alongside initiation of the Phase 1/2 ASTRA study, with the announcement of the first patient dosed in March 2025, SpliceBio continues to advance POLARIS, a natural history study of the disease. Both studies are actively recruiting. For more information or to enquire about participation in the studies, please visit https://splice.bio/clinical/. About EQT Life Sciences EQT Life Sciences was formed in 2022 following an integration of LSP, a leading European life sciences and healthcare venture capital firm, into the EQT platform. As LSP, the firm raised over EUR 3.0 billion (USD 3.5 billion) and supported the growth of more than 150 companies since it started to invest over 30 years ago. With a dedicated team of highly experienced investment professionals, coming from backgrounds in medicine, science, business, and finance, EQT Life Sciences backs the smartest inventors who have ideas that could truly make a difference for patients. More info: www.eqtgroup.com . Follow EQT on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. About Sanofi Ventures Sanofi Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of Sanofi, focused on investing in promising early-stage healthcare companies. The firm supports pioneering innovations in biotechnology, digital health, and life sciences aligning with Sanofi's mission to bring life-changing treatments to patients worldwide. For more information visit: www.sanofiventures.com About Roche Venture Fund The Roche Venture Fund is the corporate venture fund of Roche and invests in innovative life science companies. Over the past 20 years, the Roche Venture Fund has invested in over 60 companies globally and currently has a portfolio of around 30 companies located in 10 countries. As part of a multinational healthcare company, the Roche Venture Fund has access to considerable expertise both internally and externally and co-invests with leading venture funds, including other corporate venture funds, on a regular basis. https://www.roche.com/venturefund View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/splicebio-secures-135-million-series-b-financing-to-advance-lead-program-sb-007-in-stargardt-disease-and-expand-pipeline-of-genetic-medicines-302477917.html Global mental health and wellness solution leader Uwill accelerates international expansion with fifth UK partnership since January LONDON, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA) - one of the leading institutions in the country shaping industry-ready graduates in the UK's creative and cultural sectors, including fashion, design, hospitality, computer games, and business entrepreneurship - today announced the launch of a new campus-wide initiative that will provide immediate access to accredited counsellors to its more than 8,000 students and staff across its two Central London campuses. Through a collaboration with global mental health and wellness solution Uwill , the initiative expands access to mental health support for LCCA's diverse community - many of whom are busy professionals and adult learners balancing career and personal responsibilities. "Many of our students are managing a range of personal, professional, and familial responsibilities while pursuing careers in creative industries, and media. Supporting their mental health is an investment not only in their personal welfare, but also in their long-term academic and career success," said Faye Mitcham, Interim Head of Student Accessibility Services at the London College of Contemporary Arts. "This partnership underscores our commitment to supporting the whole student and our community - and bridging the gap in mental health provision through an innovative, immediate, and confidential resource." The introduction of this online counselling and crisis support is an extension of LCCA's broader efforts to meet the needs of its diverse student body, which it supports through undergraduate programmes, work placements, accessibility services, and other targeted student support initiatives. LCCA is a member of the Global University Systems (GUS). Recent studies highlight a significant rise in the number of university students and staff in the UK experiencing mental health conditions, underscoring the urgent need for expanded support. More than half of UK students - 57% - report experiencing mental health challenges. Research has shown that mental health difficulties are contributing to a growing number of university students who withdraw. The number of students leaving higher education due to mental health issues has tripled over the past decade, with 29% of students who withdraw citing mental health as the primary reason. In addition, more than 50% of colleges saw an increase in staff accessing mental health services and 81% reporting their institution should be investing more in resources to support faculty and staff. "As institutions move beyond traditional approaches to student support, we're seeing a new standard emerge-one that puts access, immediacy, and outcomes first," said Michael London, CEO of Uwill. "We believe mental health care should be as dynamic and responsive as the students we serve, and are proud to partner with LCCA, an institution embracing this forward-thinking model to ensure everyone in its community receives support when it matters most." Uwill was founded in 2020 to respond to surging mental health demands. Uwill's innovative platform is the only solution available in the UK to offer an immediate online counselling appointment with an accredited counsellor based on individual preferences, counselling by video, phone, chat, or message, a direct crisis connection 24/7/365, wellness programming, realtime data, and support. Uwill serves more than 3 million students at 400+ institutions worldwide. The service launched on 9 June 2025 across LCCA's two London locations: Sceptre Court in Tower Hill and The Amp on Commercial Road in East London. About London College of Contemporary Arts: London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA) is a privately owned higher education provider. It was established in October 2016 as an independently run organisation under Global University Systems (GUS), which is the parent company. Initially, the college was located in Holborn but relocated in 2021 to iconic premises at Tower Hill to accommodate the rapid expansion of student numbers. A second campus at Aldgate was added in 2024 to provide additional teaching and exhibition space. Originally LCCA was established as a specialist boutique arts institution with approximately 500 students. At this time the mission was to deliver primarily creative courses that spanned fashion, visual arts and media, supported by limited business and hospitality provision. LCCA concentrated on providing sub degree higher education (HNC/HND) with a small number of top ups and short courses to provide progression opportunities. Today, there are over 8,500 students enrolled on full degree programmes, all of which are validated by University of the Creative Arts (UCA). This strong partnership has facilitated collaboration, growth and expansion of the portfolio. Today LCCA has a reputation as a dynamic, innovative, and flexible institution offering high-quality degree programmes in partnership with UCA, the second highest-ranked specialist creative university in the UK for 2025.?LCCA provides a unique learning environment that emphasizes experiential learning and fosters a creative, business-oriented mindset.?With flexible study options, industry-expert tutors, and a focus on practical skills development, LCCA equips students with the knowledge and connections needed to succeed in the creative industries and beyond.?The college's commitment to diversity, inclusivity, collaboration, and community creates an inspiring atmosphere for students to pursue their ambitions and shape their creative careers. About Uwill: Uwill stands on its mission to offer immediate mental health and wellness support, eliminating barriers to care. As the leading global mental health and wellness solution for universities and students, Uwill is credited as the most cost-effective way to enhance an institution's mental health support offering. In 2024, Uwill was recognised as the 18th fastest growing company in North America according to Deloitte , and was named the 2025 EdTech Company of the Year by the Global Business Tech Awards. 400+ institutions partner with Uwill worldwide, including Dartmouth College, Princeton University, Northeastern University, and select programmes at the University of London. Uwill is a proud partner of AMOSSHE , The Student Services Organisation. For more information, visit uwill.com/uk . Contact: Brett Silk bsilk@uwill.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1920106/Uwill_1_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/london-college-of-contemporary-arts-launches-free-mental-health-and-wellness-support-for-students-and-staff-302478573.html New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - On June 9th, the exhibition "The Light of the Sun: Ancient Shu Civilization and the World" hosted by Information Office of Sichuan Provincial People's Government, opened in New York. Replicas and 3D printed parts of representative cultural relics of ancient Shu civilization, such as bronze human heads, gold masks, gold ornaments of the Sun God Bird, and gold scepters, are showcased collectively. The light of the sun, ancient Shu civilazation and the world To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8457/255212_321be3d7e4c5ebbc_001full.jpg The exhibition features a multimedia display project titled "Return to Ancient Shu", which is presented through a combination of three-sided surround projections and ground projections, and utilizes naked-eye 3D technology and 3D animation special effects. The entire film lasts approximately 3 minutes, comprehensively depicting the development trajectory of the ancient Shu civilization represented by Sanxingdui and Jinsha, as well as the key points of archaeological work. It organically integrates the visuals of the sites, dynamically presents the exquisite cultural relics, and visually showcases the charm of the Sanxingdui and Jinsha sites as the central sites of the ancient Shu civilization in the Bronze Age in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255212 SOURCE: The China Box EpiEndo Pharmaceuticals ('EpiEndo' or the 'Company'), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of oral anti-inflammatory drugs which enhance the host defence response to inhaled pathogens, has had three articles published in peer-reviewed journal, Pulmonary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. These publications describe the potential for EpiEndo's lead asset EP395, also known as 'glasmacinal', to be of therapeutic benefit in the treatment of COPD and support its continued clinical development. The article "Effect of EP395, a novel anti-inflammatory macrolide, in an inhaled lipopolysaccharide challenge model in healthy volunteers: a randomised controlled trial" reports that EP395 enhances the host defence response to inhaled LPS whilst reducing pro-inflammatory mediators. The paper was co-authored with investigators from Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine who conducted the study. The second article, "Effects of EP395, a novel macrolide, on acute neutrophilic airway inflammation" describes preclinical data that demonstrate EP395 has comparable inhibitory effects on acute neutrophilic airway inflammation to azithromycin, which is used chronically off-label for its immunomodulatory properties to reduce COPD exacerbations. Finally, "A novel macrolide, EP395, with reduced antibacterial activity and an enhancing effect on respiratory epithelial barrierreports that EP395 has negligible antibiotic activity and enhances the barrier function of the respiratory epithelium. Maria Bech, CEO of EpiEndo Pharmaceticals commented: "It is great to see the publication of this clinical and pre-clinical research in a peer-reviewed journal, highlighting the efficacy we are seeing with glasmacinal in neutrophilic inflammation. "The anti-inflammatory effects of glasmacinal are comparable to those seen with azithromycin preclinically, but without anti-microbial activity. The clinical LPS study shows that EP395 enhances the host defence response to inhaled challenge, supporting our hypothesis that glasmacinal could be effective in reducing exacerbations in COPD but without developing anti-microbial resistance. "We continue to develop glasmacinal as a potential new oral treatment option for COPD patients, aiming to bring additional therapeutic options to patients with chronic respiratory diseases." Professor Clive Page, Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology, King's College London and Chairman of EpiEndo Pharmaceutical's Scientific Advisory Board added: "These exciting new data demonstrate glasmacinal's effect on neutrophilic inflammation both in a clinical study and in established non-clinical models of airways disease. These novel findings, coupled with data presented at ERS in 2024 on EP395's anti-inflammatory effect on eosinophilic inflammation (caused by allergens), demonstrate the broad anti-inflammatory activity of this drug that has the potential to provide a novel, groundbreaking approach to treat patients with COPD, irrespective of their type of inflammation." About EpiEndo Pharmaceuticals (www.epiendo.com) EpiEndo is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a unique approach to chronic respiratory diseases that focuses on the role of epithelial function in various inflammatory disorders. EpiEndo's new class of orally available macrolides, with reduced antimicrobial resistance (AMR) potential, known as 'Barriolides', show promise as first-in-class therapeutics for chronic respiratory diseases as well as other inflammatory indications. EpiEndo's lead asset, glasmacinal, was the first Barriolide to enter clinical trials, for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Glasmacinal aims to be a first on-market oral treatment which is anti-inflammatory and enhances the host defense response to inhaled pathogens such as viruses, bacteria pollution.? Therefore, glasmacinal has the potential to become an impactful treatment in reducing exacerbations in patients with COPD. According to the WHO, COPD is the third leading cause of death globally, and the global economic burden of COPD is projected to cost $4.8 trillion by 2030. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611187825/en/ Contacts: EpiEndo Pharmaceuticals: Maria Bech, CEO +354 454 0090 Vigo Consulting (media relations): Rozi Morris +44 20 7390 0230 epiendo@vigoconsulting.com Basware marks 40 years with AI push amid tariff budget squeeze LONDON, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Companies are realizing a 136% spike in return on investment (ROI) from AI in financial technology. Savings exceed $1.36m for every $1m invested over a three-year period, according to a global survey. Amid economic turbulence, fueled by tariffs and global trade disruptions, AI is being tied directly to enterprises' financial performance. Trillions of dollars flow into AI investments as companies chase ROI hope. With the global AI market set to surge to $4.8 trillion by 2033, this trend is only set to grow for the foreseeable future. But most companies still struggle to prove returns. New research make these proven returns critical for economic growth. 82% of businesses investing significantly in AI see an increase in revenue, while 53% are seeing an increase in gross profit, compared to those not investing as heavily. The findings were revealed in Basware's AI to ROI report, conducted by independent research firm, Financial Times Longitude, observing the attitudes of AI for 400 global CFOs at enterprise businesses. AI reality check The survey found that cost efficiency tops every CFO's priority list, with 32% naming it their biggest transformation goal. Finance teams are facing mounting pressure to do more with less as cash flow issues persist. Manual processes in companies create bottlenecks, increase errors, and drain resources. In contrast, it was found that companies investing in AI are able to tackle their biggest challenges - data accuracy, fraud detection, and process delays. 75% report that AI enables its employees to focus on strategic activities instead of repetitive manual work. Jason Kurtz, CEO of Basware, commented on the findings: "We've been speaking with customers during our World Tour and it's clear that some finance leaders are facing the most pressure they've felt in 40 years. Companies prioritizing AI investment in areas that drive significant ROI becomes essential for gaining CFO and boardroom approval. It's not solely about saving money but funding the ability to accelerate growth." AI is no longer optional - it's essential The 136% ROI achieved by successful companies proves AI works when applied correctly to specific business problems. To address the issues being faced by finance teams, Basware is launching InvoiceAI. InvoiceAI brings AI into Basware's software across the invoice lifecycle in a way that helps AP teams maximize the technology. Basware's InvoiceAI roadmap features 16 new products in development. Two of the first products launched include: AP Business Agent - a GenAI-powered tool that summarizes invoices. It translates invoice numbers into words to help AP teams combine statistical analysis with business context. It spots patterns that humans may miss. It gives business users instant, AI-generated guidance on what to do with an invoice - right inside their approval workflow. AP Data Agent - an Insights tool that allows users to ask questions around invoices. Using natural language processing, it allows them to get clear answers about their invoices and produce reports. It provides recommendations on how to improve AP processes and better manage working capital. "InvoiceAI isn't just two new products - it's our framework for bringing AI advances directly into the invoice lifecycle as the technology evolves," added Jason Kurtz. "We're helping customers gain complete control of every invoice every time by staying ahead of whatever AI breakthrough comes next." 40 Years of Invoice Lifecycle Management Leadership Basware is celebrating 40 years of Invoice Lifecycle Management. During the four decades, Basware has handled more than $10.1 trillion in business spend - more than the economic output of the UK, Japan, and Australia. InvoiceAI is underpinned by real-world data, trained on over 2.3 billion invoices, to deliver ROI at scale for finance teams. About Basware - Basware is how the world's best finance teams gain complete control of every invoice, every time. Our Intelligent Invoice Lifecycle Management platform ensures end-to-end efficiency, compliance and control for all invoice transactions. Powered by the world's most sophisticated invoice-centric AI - trained on over 2 billion invoices - Basware's Intelligent Automation drives real ROI by transforming finance operations. We serve 6,500+ customers globally and are trusted by industry leaders including DHL, Heineken and Sony. Fueled by 40 years of specialized expertise with $10 trillion in total spend handled, we are pioneering the next era of finance. With Basware, Now it all just happens.? Further AI to ROI Stats Benefits of AI in AP: 93% said more accurate invoice coding and enrichment, 92% said faster identification of suspicious or fraudulent activity, 80% said reduced overpayments or duplicate payments. The number one goal of finance transformation for finance leaders is cost efficiency (32%). Lack of change management, budgets and strategy are hindering their ROI potential. CFOs are under pressure to make the right, targeted decisions to improve their transformation progress. Biggest barriers to finance transformation: 40% said a lack of change management capabilities, 33% said budget constraints, 31% said a lack of clear strategic vision for the future of the finance function. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2707916/AP_Business_Agent_and_AP_Data_Agent.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2583301/5361017/Basware_logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ai-delivers-1-36-return-for-every-1-invested-basware-study-reveals-302478191.html Launches refreshed sustainability strategy Built to Last TORONTO, June 11, 2025, highlighting the firm's achievements and progress against targets established in 2021. The report also offers a first look at Colliers' refreshed sustainability strategy, Built to Last, which is based on an updated materiality assessment conducted in the first quarter of 2025. The strategy is designed to align Colliers' priorities with today's most pressing environmental, social, and governance challenges and opportunities, anchored around three core pillars: Environmental sustainability: Supporting decarbonization and climate resilience Supporting decarbonization and climate resilience Workplace experience: Creating inclusive, healthy, high-performing spaces Creating inclusive, healthy, high-performing spaces Ethical governance & practices: Embedding trust, transparency, and responsible innovation "As a global provider of real estate, engineering and investment management services, we are in a unique position to help owner, investor and occupier clients realize their sustainability aspirations while driving the same positive impact for our own operations," said Jay Hennick, Global Chairman & CEO of Colliers. "I'm proud of our 2024 performance and remaining agile in our approach to what's next. I look forward to continuing our journey toward a more sustainable future though Built to Last." Highlights from the 2024 report include: Achieved a 27.6% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions per square foot from our 2021 baseline. Earned WELL Health-Safety Ratings in 87.4% of Colliers offices = 2,500 sq. ft., up from 35% in 2022. Expanded our electric vehicle fleet to 170+, representing a 5x increase in just two years. Reached 88% participation in our global employee engagement survey, with scores exceeding external benchmarks. 68% of our Colliers Gives volunteering goal achieved. To support the next phase of our sustainability leadership, Tonya Lagrasta has been appointed Global Head of Sustainability at Colliers. A long-time sustainability leader and trusted advisor within our business, Tonya brings more than 20 years of experience across sectors including commercial real estate, retail, consumer goods, financial services, pharmaceuticals, and the public sector. In this role she will spearhead the implementation of Built to Last and drive integration of sustainability across Colliers. "Sustainability is a reflection of our values in action, and a pathway to long-term resilience," said Lagrasta. "Built to Last reflects where we are today - and more importantly, where we're going. I'm energized by our people's passion and proud to help lead this next chapter of impact." The full 2024 Global Sustainability Report is available at www.colliers.com/sustainability. About Colliers Colliers, X @Colliersor LinkedIn. Media Contact Andrea Cheung Senior Manager, Global Integrated Communications +1 416 324 6402 andrea.cheung@colliers.com Financing was co-led by EQT Life Sciences and Sanofi Ventures, with participation from Roche Venture Fund, as well as all existing investors Proceeds will support the Phase 1/2 clinical development of lead program SB-007 in Stargardt disease, a genetic eye disorder that causes progressive vision loss and blindness Funding will also advance a broader pipeline of genetic medicines targeting indications in ophthalmology, neurology, and other therapeutic areas STOCKHOLM, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- EQT Life Sciences is pleased to announce that the LSP 7 fund has invested in SpliceBio. The Spanish biotech company is developing novel therapies for genetic diseases - including ophthalmology, neurology, and other therapeutic areas - by leveraging an innovative intein platform. The platform allows large genes to be split into smaller pieces, delivered separately, and then reassembled to create full-length proteins needed to treat diseases. The USD 135 million Series B financing round will help fund the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of SpliceBio's lead gene therapy candidate, SB-007, which is being developed to treat Stargardt disease. The round was co-led by EQT Life Sciences and Sanofi Ventures, with participation from new investor Roche Venture Fund, as well as all existing investors: New Enterprise Associates, UCB Ventures, Ysios Capital, Gilde Healthcare, Novartis Venture Fund, and Asabys Partners. Stargardt disease, which leads to progressive vision loss and blindness, is the most commonly inherited condition causing degeneration in the macula, affecting 1 in 8,000-10,000 people. Currently, there are no approved treatments available for Stargardt disease. The disease is caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene, which result in a dysfunctional ABCA4 protein. SpliceBio's SB-007 uses an innovative Protein Splicing technology, based on a family of proprietary engineered proteins called inteins, originally developed at Princeton University. The approach overcomes the challenge of the ABCA4 gene that is too big for traditional gene therapy delivery methods, thereby enabling the production of a healthy ABCA4 protein directly in the retina. This approach has the potential to benefit the entire addressable patient pool, regardless of which of the more than 1,200 known mutations responsible for causing Stargardt disease patients carry. Crucially, the difficulty of delivering large genes is also a common barrier in treating many other genetic disorders, highlighting the broad potential and versatility of SpliceBio's technology beyond Stargardt disease. "This financing marks a pivotal milestone for SpliceBio as we advance the clinical development of SB-007 for Stargardt disease and continue to expand our pipeline across ophthalmology, neurology, and beyond," said Miquel Vila-Perello, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of SpliceBio. "The support from such high-quality investors underscores the strength of our programs and our unique Protein Splicing platform and its potential to unlock gene therapies for diseases that remain untreatable today. We are building a company positioned to lead the next wave of genetic medicines." Daniela Begolo, Managing Director at EQT Life Sciences who will join the SpliceBio Board of Directors, commented: "We are proud to support SpliceBio, a pioneer among the next generation of genetic medicine companies. Its Protein Splicing platform offers a novel solution to deliver large genes, one of the field's most pressing challenges, and exemplifies our commitment to backing science that transforms patients' lives." Contact EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/eqt/r/eqt-life-sciences-co-leads-usd-135-million-series-b-financing-in-splicebio,c4162695 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/87/4162695/3498068.pdf PR_EQT invests in SpliceBio_11.06.25 https://news.cision.com/eqt/i/neuron-signal-transfer-original-1172027,c3417437 Neuron Signal Transfer original 1172027 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/eqt-life-sciences-co-leads-usd-135-million-series-b-financing-in-splicebio-302478828.html CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The commodity currencies such as the Australia, the New Zealand and the Canadian dollars weakened against their major currencies in the Asian session on Wednesday amid crude oil price drop, as markets awaited the outcome of US-China trade talks, which have yet to be approved by President Donald Trump, with China's poor oil demand and OPEC+ output increases weighing on the market. Brent crude futures slid 19 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $66.680 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude down 16 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $64.82. U.S. and Chinese officials reached an agreement on a framework to restart their trade truce and resolve China's export restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Tuesday, following two days of heated negotiations in London. The framework will first need to be approved by leaders in Washington and Beijing. Meanwhile, on the supply side, OPEC+ intends to boost oil output by 411,000 barrels per day in July as it attempts to break up production cuts for the fourth consecutive month, with some analysts not anticipating regional demand to absorb the surplus barrels. The weekly data on U.S. oil inventories from the Energy Information Administration, the Department of Energy's statistical arm, will be closely watched by markets. In the Asian trading today, the Australian dollar fell to 2-day lows of 1.7565 against the euro and 0.8890 against the Canadian dollar, from yesterday's closing quotes of 1.7519 and 0.8924, respectively. If the aussie extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 1.77 against the euro and 0.86 against the loonie. Against the U.S. dollar and the yen, the aussie edged down to 0.6498 and 94.20 from yesterday's closing quotes of 0.6530 and 94.57, respectively. The aussie may test support near 0.63 against the greenback and 92.00 against the yen. The NZ dollar fell to 2-day lows of 0.6024 against the U.S. dollar, 1.8941 against the euro and 1.0805 against the Australian dollar, from yesterday's closing quotes of 0.6060, 1.8876 and 1.0775, respectively. The kiwi may test support around 0.59 against the greenback, 1.90 against the euro and 1.10 against the aussie. Against the yen, the kiwi edged down to 87.35 from Tuesday's closing value of 87.77. On the downside, 85.00 is seen as the next support level for the kiwi. The Canadian dollar fell to a 2-day low of 1.5603 against the euro, from yesterday's closing value of 1.5633. The loonie may test support near the 1.38 region. Against the U.S. dollar and the yen, the loonie edged down to 1.3684 and 105.84 from Tuesday's closing quotes of 1.3669 and 105.97, respectively. The next possible downside for the loonie is seen around 1.38 against the greenback and 104.00 against the yen. Looking ahead, U.S. MBA weekly mortgage approvals data, U.S. CPI data for May, Canada building permits for April and U.S. EIA crude oil data are slated for release in the New York session. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX 2025 AFX News Nicola Czymek-Lauer, experienced financial expert from the company's own ranks, is taking over as CFO of NTT DATA Business Solutions Jurgen Purzer, the outgoing Chief Financial Officer, is moving to the parent company NTT DATA, Inc. as its CFO, strengthening the leadership team there The change underlines the close bonds within the NTT/NTT DATA Group and furthers the international growth strategy Norbert Rotter, CEO of NTT DATA Business Solutions: "Internal succession ensures continuity and sets a clear signal for stability at board level" BIELEFELD, Germany, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NTT DATA Business Solutions AG, leading SAP partner for the global SME sector, has announced a board-level change: Nicola Czymek-Lauer is the company's new CFO and joins CEO Norbert Rotter on the Executive Board. With this personnel decision, the SAP consulting company is strengthening its global growth course and its close collaboration with the NTT/NTT DATA Group. Jurgen Purzer, the previous CFO of NTT DATA Business Solutions, is taking over the role as CFO at the parent company NTT DATA, Inc. headquartered in London, reporting directly to CEO Abhijit Dubey. This change honors his comprehensive financial expertise and the significant contributions he has made to the sustained success of NTT DATA Business Solutions over the last five years. The company recently published record figures for the fiscal year 2024/25, including a double-digit revenue growth of 14.7 percent to 1.85 billion euros. With the appointment of Nicola Czymek-Lauer, NTT DATA Business Solutions has called a woman onto the Executive Board for the first time, setting a clear signal for modern and forward-looking leadership. Nicola Czymek-Lauer started her finance career with a traineeship in Business Administration at Siemens AG ("Stammhauslehre"), subsequently holding higher management positions at Siemens, Unify and Atos. Since her move to NTT DATA Business Solutions in 2020, she has overseen two global key areas as Head of Internal Audit and Head of Treasury. Most recently, she acted as Head of Global Finance and, as an Executive Vice President, formed part of the Global Leadership Team (GLT). She has worked closely with Jurgen Purzer over the past months to prepare for the transition of responsibilities and ensure a smooth handover. Friedrich Fleischmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of NTT DATA Business Solutions: "The Supervisory Board would like to thank Jurgen Purzer for his outstanding work and we are delighted that he will contribute his expertise at Group level in the future. Nicola Czymek-Lauer has impressed us with her broad financial knowledge and her comprehensive experience in key positions at the company. Her promotion is a strong signal for the successful development of leadership figures from the company's own ranks." Norbert Rotter, CEO of NTT DATA Business Solutions: "I congratulate Jurgen Purzer on his career move and wish him continuing success in his new role. Thanks to his foresight, we have achieved record results over the last five years. With Nicola Czymek-Lauer, we gain not only a competent and proven leader, but also a colleague who shares our goals and values. Internal succession ensures continuity and sets a clear signal for stability at board level. I look forward to working closely with her to set new impulses for NTT DATA Business Solutions." Jurgen Purzer, new CFO of NTT DATA, Inc.: "I look back with pride at five successful years at NTT DATA Business Solutions, which have been highly valuable for me both personally and professionally. I would like to thank all my colleagues for their trust and dedicated collaboration. I am looking forward to my new role and I am confident that Nicola Czymek-Lauer will leverage her expertise to develop NTT DATA Business Solutions' financial strategy with clarity and a forward-thinking approach." Nicola Czymek-Lauer, new CFO of NTT DATA Business Solutions: "I would like to thank everyone for the trust in my abilities and look forward to my new role with great motivation. Building on the outstanding work by my predecessor Jurgen Purzer, I intend to continue developing our financial strategy and strengthen our sustained growth. I look forward to working closely with CEO Norbert Rotter and I am confident that we will maintain our successful direction, even in a volatile environment, and make important decisions that will set the course for the future." Further information is available at nttdata-solutions.com. - Picture is available at AP - About NTT DATA Business Solutions NTT DATA Business Solutions is a leading global IT service provider focused on SAP with a powerful ecosystem of partners. With more than 35 years of in-depth experience, we enable companies worldwide to become Intelligent Enterprises. We deliver end-to-end solutions that accelerate sustainable growth and success - from strategic consulting and implementation to managed services and beyond. As a global strategic SAP partner, we drive innovation and leverage the latest technologies to support our customers individually and across all industries. Our more than 16,700 dedicated employees in over 30 countries work passionately every day to make it happen. NTT DATA Business Solutions is part of NTT DATA, a $30+ billion trusted global innovator of business and technology services headquartered in Tokyo. As One NTT DATA we serve 75% of the Fortune Global 100 and are committed to helping customers innovate, optimize and transform for long-term success. NTT DATA is part of NTT Group. Press Contact NTT DATA Business Solutions Jasmin Straeter Head of Global Communications NTT DATA Business Solutions AG Konigsbreede 1, 33605 Bielefeld, Germany T: +49 521 9 14 48 108 Email: Jasmin.Straeter@nttdata.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2707685/NTT_DATA_Business_Solutions_1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2707686/NTT_DATA_Business_Solutions_2.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ntt-data-business-solutions-appoints-nicola-czymek-lauer-as-new-cfo-302478010.html VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Kingfisher Metals Corp. (TSXV:KFR)(FSE:970)(OTCQB:KGFMF) ("Kingfisher" or the "Company") is pleased to announce an extensive exploration program including 7,500 metres of diamond drilling at the HWY 37 Project. Field crews arrived on site last week with camp construction underway and the first of two drills are expected to arrive in approximately one week. The 849 km2 HWY 37 Project is located within the Golden Triangle, British Columbia. Summary of 2025 Exploration Program The 2025 program is focused on the discovery of porphyry copper - gold deposits and will include 7,500 metres of diamond drilling, a ~1,700-line kilometre airborne mobile magnetotelluric geophysical survey (MMT), ~30-line kilometres of ground based induced polarization geophysics survey (IP), 150 days of geological mapping, geochemical sampling (>1,500 samples), and a LiDAR survey. Dustin Perry, CEO, states "The 2025 drill program at HWY 37 is the culmination of two years of consolidation, exploration, target generation, and a recently closed $10.9 million financing. The Hank-Williams porphyry Cu-Au targets represent the most compelling early-stage porphyry targets I have encountered in my career. The target area is host to a regionally significant mineral system with porphyry mineralization at valley-bottom elevations (347 metres of 0.33% copper and 0.39 g/t gold) that have only seen ~6,000 metres of historical drilling, and epithermal gold-silver mineralization up to 27.1 metres of 8.68 g/t gold up-slope at higher elevations. Except for Williams, historical exploration on this extensive mineral system has previously focused on outlining shallow precious metal mineralization. This program marks a turning point for the project where we will test multiple porphyry copper-gold targets as well as expanding upon what has already been discovered at Williams." Table 1 and Figures 1 and 2 outline the proposed areas of work for 2025 and a detailed breakdown of the largest ever exploration program on the extensive HWY 37 Project follows. Target Drilling IP Geophysics Geological Mapping Geochemical Sampling MMT Airborne Survey LiDAR Hank-Williams-Mary 7,500m ~30-line km X X North More X X Mess Creek X X Hickman X X Regional X X X X Table 1: 2025 Exploration Program - HWY 37 Project Figure 1: 2025 Proposed Work Areas at HWY 37 with District-Scale Gold Anomalies Figure 2: 2025 Proposed Work Areas at HWY 37 with District-Scale Copper Anomalies Diamond Drill Program The 7,500 metres diamond drill program will be supported with two diamond drills focused within the Hank-Williams area of the project (Figure 3). Additional targets may be tested beyond this area if additional high-conviction drill targets are identified within the course of the field program. The drill program will begin with one drill arriving on approximately June 18, 2025, and the second drill arriving approximately one week later. Figure 3: Hank-Williams Proposed Drilling 2025 Summary of Porphyry Drill Targets Williams Deposit Initial drilling at Williams will test for extensions of mineralization both above and below the limits of historical drilling as well as providing additional information on the orientation of the porphyry copper-gold system. Historical drilling at Williams encountered regions with intense potassic alteration hosting significant higher-grade intercepts including 190 metres of 0.49% copper and 0.57 g/t gold. Despite excellent initial grades, with limited historical drilling, the previous operator did not fully determine the orientation of the causative porphyry intrusions. The Company's working hypothesis for the Williams porphyry copper-gold deposit is that historical drilling only partially tested the structurally focused upper-levels of a broader porphyry system with potential for broadening at depth within a more intrusive dominated domain. The three initial planned drill holes range from 700 metres to 900 metres in length and are designed to determine the scale and grade potential of the Williams porphyry system at depth prior to initiating a more substantial step-out drill program. Williams East Drilling is planned east of the Williams Deposit to test a coincident chargeability and conductivity anomaly that shares the same sub vertical characteristics observed at Williams. Three holes are planned in this area ranging from 400-650 metres in length and drilled to the northwest and southeast. The furthest west hole is designed to test the broad chargeability anomaly located at depth and centered on Hank Creek. Additional Williams Area Drill Holes Additional drill holes are proposed within the Williams area to the northeast and south of the Williams deposit. These holes are based on a combination of coincident IP geophysics, magnetics, copper-gold geochemistry in soils and/or rocks, and the regional structural model developed by Kingfisher's exploration team. Kaip An initial 600 metre drill hole is proposed at the Kaip target, and it is designed to test for porphyry copper-gold mineralization below a near surface epithermal gold-silver mineralized zone that returned 24.8 metres of 5.6 g/t gold and 45.9 g/t silver as well 0.8 metres of 133 g/t gold and 263 g/t silver which contained visible gold. Prospecting and mapping in 2024 discovered copper mineralization cropping out in the valley bottom grading up to 0.23% copper. The initial drill hole will target an area over 300 metres below the area tested by historical drilling that focused on epithermal Au-Ag mineralization. Upper Hank The Upper Hank Target is upslope of the Pit Gold Deposit and includes intercepts grading up to 27.1 metres of 8.68 g/t gold. The target at Upper Hank is centered on a lithocap containing vuggy silica and advanced argillic minerals (dickite, alunite, diaspore). IP chargeability outlines a sub vertical pipe like anomaly that broadens at depth. The feature extends to surface and is represented by a ~500 x 600 metre breccia body that is cored by a 100 x 75 metre pyritic milled breccia. The Company's hypothesis is that this represents the top of a porphyry system. An initial 800 metre drill hole is designed to cross the pyrite breccia body and enter the broad chargeability anomaly at depth. The potential exists for intersecting high-sulfidation epithermal gold-silver mineralization enroute to the porphyry target. Follow up drilling contingent on initial results will test lateral extent as well as areas of favourable structural patterns which have the potential to focus hydrothermal ore forming fluids. Lower Hank The Lower Hank Target is located on trend and to the southwest of historical drill tests of epithermal gold-silver mineralization. The nearby Lower Au Hank Deposit epithermal results include 43 metres of 3.13 g/t gold and 31.7 g/t silver (DDH88-4), 64 metres of 1.97 g/t gold and 15 metres of 7.2 g/t gold (DDH89-4), and 342 metres of 0.33 g/t gold. Metal patterns in the Lower Hank Deposit plunge gently to the SW, interpreted by the Company to reflect direction of fluid flow and high exploration potential. The initial planned hole is designed to test a 700-metre gap in historical drilling where recent geological mapping has identified several hallmarks of a porphyry system. Geological mapping in 2023-24 identified large-scale zoned alteration patterns cored by copper grades up to 0.37% at surface. The Lower Hank Porphyry Target is located below these zoned alteration patterns, on the northern shoulder of a large chargeability anomaly and down plunge of the projected fluid pathway. Regional Surveys Mobile Magneto Telluric (MMT) Airborne Geophysical Survey A ~1,700-line kilometre MMT survey is planned to cover the Hank-Williams-Mary region as well as lateral and on-strike continuations of this highly prospective trend. The survey will be completed at 200 metre line spacing in order to provide high-resolution resistivity data across this trend that will aid in identifying additional porphyry centers as well as assisting with drill targeting within these regions. The Company is also considering extending the geophysical survey further to the west to cover the Northmore, Mess Creek, and Hickman targets. IP Geophysical Survey Approximately 30-line kilometres of IP geophysics is planned within the Hank-Williams-Mary trend. The survey is designed to further refine targets proximal to the area of drilling as well as extending coverage northwest, southeast, and along strike of the mineralized trend to the northeast towards Mary and the ME zone. Geological Mapping A geological mapping team led by Dr. Roy Greig and Dr. Stephanie Sykora will initially focus on the Hank-Williams-Mary trend and extend coverage to the NE from the 2025 drill area. Additionally, Northmore, Mess Creek, and Hickman will be assessed with the goal of refining drill targets for future drill programs. Geochemical Survey Geochemical sampling will be completed across a broad area in 2025. High priority soil sampling will begin by infilling gaps in historical sampling between Hank-Williams and Mary-ME. Initial sampling will take place northeast of Hank-Williams and south of Ball Creek to the cover a ~2.5 x 1.5-kilometre region and north of Ball Creek where a ~1.5 x 0.6-kilometre area with no historical sampling. Additional sampling will take place in the valley southeast of Hank Creek, along ridge and spurs within the greater Hank-Williams-Mary trend, and at Mess Creek. Rock sampling, prospecting, and collection of spectral data will take place alongside mapping across all target areas. LiDAR Survey A high-resolution LiDAR survey is planned for approximately half of the HWY 37 Project focused on the Hank-Williams-Mary area. The survey is being completed to provide structural data for 3D modelling, providing accurate topography, and baseline surface disturbance data. Qualified Person Dustin Perry P.Geo., Kingfisher's President and CEO, is the Company's Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and has prepared the technical information presented in this release. Webinar Kingfisher's President and CEO, Dustin Perry, will be participating in a Webinar hosted by Adelaide Capital, which is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at 2:00 pm EDT. Please click the following link to Register. About Kingfisher Metals Corp. Kingfisher Metals Corp. (https://kingfishermetals.com/) is a Canadian based exploration company focused on copper-gold exploration in the Golden Triangle, British Columbia. Through outright purchases and option earn in agreements (Orogen Royalties and Golden Ridge Resources) the Company has quickly consolidated one of the largest land positions in the region at the contiguous 849 km2 HWY 37 Project. Kingfisher also owns (100%) two district-scale orogenic gold projects in British Columbia that total 641 km2. The Company currently has 88,661,810 shares outstanding. For further information, please contact: Dustin Perry, P.Geo. CEO and Director Phone: +1 778 606 2507 E-Mail: info@kingfishermetals.com Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's property. This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements relating to expectations regarding the projects, and other statements that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, among others: the Company may require additional financing from time to time in order to continue its operations which may not be available when needed or on acceptable terms and conditions acceptable; compliance with extensive government regulation; domestic and foreign laws and regulations could adversely affect the Company's business and results of operations; the stock markets have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of companies and these fluctuations may adversely affect the price of the Company's securities, regardless of its operating performance. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. SOURCE: Kingfisher Metals Corp. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/kingfisher-announces-extensive-exploration-program-at-hwy-37-project-1038138 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! KANAZAWA, Japan, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University observe and model how the enzyme ADAR1 interacts with double-stranded RNA, which may be useful for future cancer treatment strategies. An enzyme type noted in several cancers is the family of adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs). These enzymes convert adenosines in double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into inosines, which cells read as guanosines. As such, ADARs can contribute to changes in protein-coding sequences and diminish the robustness of various RNA processes. Studies have shown that silencing one type of ADAR - ADAR1 - can prevent cancer proliferation and sensitize cancers to immunotherapy, suggesting that they could be a promising target for cancer treatments. However, so far, it has been difficult to pin down information on the structural dynamics of ADAR1 due to its size and complexity. Now, researchers led by Madhu Biyani at Kanazawa University, WPI-NanoLSI, Yasuhiro Isogai at Toyama Prefectural University, and Manish Biyani at Ishikawa Create Labo and Kwansei Gakuin University have combined high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) and 3D modelling to shed light on the enzyme's conformations and interactions with dsRNA. Like many proteins, ADAR1 functions through changes in its conformation. However, most experimental techniques for determining protein structure, as well as 3D modelling algorithms, give static or average conformations that obscure the structural dynamics so important to the protein's function. Combining 3D modelling with HS-AFM proved helpful in shedding light on these dynamic aspects of ADAR1. The researchers first used 3D modelling based on the machine learning algorithm AlphaFold2 to predict the conformations of the enzyme and noted that it could take the form of monomers, dimers, trimers, and tetramers. HS AFM observations, as well as theoretically simulated HS AFM, supported these initial conclusions regarding the possible oligomer formations. The researchers then looked at the conformations the enzyme formed in the presence of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). In particular, the researchers focused on a certain aryl hydrocarbon receptor 3'UTR mRNA as the target for ADAR1, since this receptor is known to be involved in the metabolism of substances alien to the body at those points. Observations of the dsRNA with HS-AFM not only agreed with previous structural studies but were able to provide insights into the structure of the target region in particular. Thanks to the speed and resolution of the HS-AFM image capture, the researchers were able to identify different conformations in the proteins that seemed to relate to distinct phases of the deaminizing process. In their report of the work, the researchers explain how ADAR1 first "searches" for the dsRNA and on "recognizing" it, adopts a flexible conformation as it approaches. The enzyme then engages in what the researchers describe as "capture" of the dsRNA backbone, for which the conformation transitions to something more stable and "anchor-like". The researchers highlight the role of dsRNA binding domains (dsRBDs) to stabilize the interaction with the dsRNA at this stage. They also note "a visibly large interfacial interaction between the deaminase domains, forming a dimer" as the enzyme dimer loops out on the dsRNA. The enzyme subsequently scans the RNA and dissociates to search for adenosine sites to convert. "These observations suggest that the dsRBDs are critical for initiating interactions between the deaminase domains, thereby promoting the formation of a stable, functional dimeric complex capable of efficiently binding and catalyzing the editing of dsRNA substrates," the researchers conclude in their report, thereby flagging the insights this study offers for further work towards possible cancer therapeutics. The researchers further propose future studies to compare ADAR1 and ADAR2, and to perform mutation analyses to clarify how ADAR1 dimerization influences A-to-I RNA editing, ultimately aiming to develop effective ADAR1 inhibitors. Figure 1: Three-dimensional modeling analysis of ADAR1 oligomerization. https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/Fig.-1_Nat.-Commun._Jun.-2025.jpg 2025 Biyani, et al., Nature Communications Figure 2: Simulated AFM images of ADAR1 oligomerization. https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/Fig.-2_Nat.-Commun._Jun.-2025.jpg 2025 Biyani, et al., Nature Communications Glossary Atomic force microscopy This imaging technique uses a nanosized tip at the end of a cantilever that is scanned over a sample. It can be used to determine the topography of a sample surface from the change in the strength of forces between the tip and the sample with distance, and the resulting deflection of the cantilever. It was first developed in the 1980s, but a number of modifications have augmented the functionality of the technique since. It is better suited to imaging biological samples than the scanning tunnelling microscope that had been previously developed because it does not require a conducting sample. In the 2000s, Toshio Ando at Kanazawa University was able to improve the scanning speed to such an extent that moving images could be captured. This allowed people to use the technique to visualize dynamic molecular processes for the first time. ADARs Adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs) convert adenosine to inosine, which is interpreted by cells as guanosine. This editing can influence alternative splicing, miRNA processing, double-stranded RNA stability, and protein-coding sequences. In mammals, there are two known ADARs responsible for adenosine to inosine RNA editing - ADAR1 and ADAR2. Notably, overexpression and increased activity of ADAR1 have been observed in cancers of the liver, breast, esophagus, prostate, and bone marrow. 3D modelling Several techniques are now available for protein structure prediction. In this study, the researchers used AlphaFold2 to model the structure of human ADAR1. Due to disorder regions in the N-terminal 822 residues, the final model focused on residues 823-1226, which encompass the deaminase domain. This monomer model served as the basis for building higher-order structures-dimer, trimer, tetramer, and polymer by superimposing it onto the ADAR2 dimer structure (PDB ID:1ZY7) through sequence alignment. Since determining ADAR1's full structure is challenging due to its size and complexity, the better-characterized ADAR2 provided a template to generate ADAR1 multimer models. Reference Madhu Biyani, Yasuhiro Isogai, Kirti Sharma, Shoei Maeda, Hinako Akashi, Yui Sugai, Masataka Nakano, Noriyuki Kodera, Manish Biyani, Miki Nakajima, High-speed atomic force microscopy and 3D modeling reveal the structural dynamics of ADAR1 complexes, Nature Communications16, 4757 (2025). DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-59987-6 URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59987-6 Funding and Acknowledgements Financial support from the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), KAKENHI, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (23K06067 to MadhuB), and the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), MEXT, Japan, are gratefully acknowledged. The authors thank Prof. Toshio Ando, Dr. Kenichi Umeda, Ms. Wei Weilin, Ms. Aimi Makino, and Ms. Kayo Nagatani for their technical support of HS-AFM experiments. Contact Kimie Nishimura (Ms) Project Planning and Outreach, NanoLSI Administration Office Nano Life Science Institute, Kanazawa University Email: nanolsi-office@adm.kanazawa-u.ac.jp Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan About Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University Understanding nanoscale mechanisms of life phenomena by exploring "uncharted nano-realms". Cells are the basic units of almost all life forms. We are developing nanoprobe technologies that allow direct imaging, analysis, and manipulation of the behavior and dynamics of important macromolecules in living organisms, such as proteins and nucleic acids, at the surface and interior of cells. We aim at acquiring a fundamental understanding of the various life phenomena at the nanoscale. https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/ About the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) The WPI program was launched in 2007 by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to foster globally visible research centers boasting the highest standards and outstanding research environments. Numbering more than a dozen and operating at institutions throughout the country, these centers are given a high degree of autonomy, allowing them to engage in innovative modes of management and research. The program is administered by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). See the latest research news from the centers at the WPI News Portal: https://www.eurekalert.org/newsportal/WPI Main WPI program site: www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-toplevel About Kanazawa University As the leading comprehensive university on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa University has contributed greatly to higher education and academic research in Japan since it was founded in 1949. The University has three colleges and 17 schools offering courses in subjects that include medicine, computer engineering, and humanities. The University is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Kanazawa, a city rich in history and culture. The city of Kanazawa has a highly respected intellectual profile since the time of the fiefdom (1598-1867). Kanazawa University is divided into two main campuses: Kakuma and Takaramachi for its approximately 10,200 students, including 600 from overseas. http://www.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/ View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/kanazawa-university-research-high-speed-afm-and-3d-modelling-help-towards-understanding-the-dynamics-of-a-protein-implicated-in-several-cancers-302478854.html Turin, 11th June 2025. IVECO, the brand of Iveco Group N.V. (EXM: IVG) that designs, manufactures and markets light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles, marks the 50th anniversary since its foundation in 1975. Throughout the year, a series of activities will celebrate the rich heritage of the brand and highlight its bold vision for the future at Group sites worldwide: Sete Lagoas, Brazil; Cordoba, Argentina; Madrid, Spain; Annonay and Bourbon-Lancy, France; Brescia, Bolzano, Foggia, Piacenza and Suzzara, Italy; Vysoke Myto, Czech Republic; Beijing, China; and many others. A special "50xBeyond" event will also be held from 12th to 15th June in Turin, IVECO's birthplace and the headquarters of Iveco Group. During the four days at OGR Torino - the late 19th-century industrial complex now turned into a hub of culture and innovation - Iveco Group's customers, dealers, partners and employees will be taken on a journey between past, present and future. They will be fully immersed in IVECO's fifty years of commitment to excellence and innovation in the transport sector and the way its people and vehicles have shaped the history of commercial mobility. There will be talks, performances and a display of the historic and latest models of vehicles and engines. Three new IVECO vehicles will be presented for the first time during the event. First, the S-eWay Artic, a fully electric heavy-duty truck with a range of up to 600 kilometres, which is IVECO's newest zero-emission solution designed for long-haul missions. Then, the two new electric vehicles deriving from the partnership with Stellantis that will expand IVECO's electric light commercial vehicle offering to cover the full spectrum of zero-emission urban mission solutions. Over the weekend, the celebration will extend to the local community. IVECO's 50th anniversary event at OGR Torino will be open to the public on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday morning, a procession of historic and state-of-the-art IVECO vehicles will parade through the city streets. IVECO has continued to evolve over the decades, trailblazing within the commercial vehicle market. Now it is ready for its next phase, offering a vehicle lineup with a unique combination of best-in-class innovation, reliability and sustainability. During the "50xBeyond" event the brand will be spotlighting this increasingly premium and distinctive force in the market. IVECO is setting in motion the spirit of the future together with its growing network of dealers, customers, and strategic partners who share the same forward-looking mindset. That's the essence of "Spirito in movimento", the brand's new pay-off that will drive IVECO into the future. In Turin, a new partnership with the National Automobile Museum and support to the Italian Red Cross On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, IVECO is partnering with the MAUTO National Automobile Museum of Turin, one of the most important automobile museums in the world. A special exhibition dedicated to the history of IVECO is being hosted at the museum, showcasing three IVECO vehicles - a Daily light commercial vehicle, an S-WAY heavy-duty truck and an IVECO Minibus. In addition, a special edition off-road Tigrotto is on display together with original blueprints, scale models, advertising campaigns, and a selection of iconic vehicle models that tell the story of one of Italy's most influential industrial players. As corporate citizens, Iveco Group collaborates with organisations committed to the social and economic development of local communities. In Turin, several initiatives have been implemented in collaboration with social impact NGOs. One such initiative will take place in the city centre on 14th and 15th June, when volunteers from the Italian Red Cross will offer the public free cardiology consultations on board an IVECO Daily set up as a mobile clinic. This is part of a larger joint project between IVECO and the Italian Red Cross to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease prevention. IVECO: a union of five European vehicle manufacturers IVECO's journey began in 1975 with the union of five leading European industrial vehicle manufacturers: the Italian Fiat Veicoli Industriali (which included Officine Meccaniche and Lancia Veicoli Speciali), the French Unic and the German Magirus-Deutz. Together, they combined over 150 years of engineering expertise and innovation under one name: IVECO, acronym of Industrial Vehicles Corporation. Out of that original conglomerate, through acquisitions, alliances and partnerships, emerged Iveco Group's seven brands - IVECO, FPT Industrial, IVECO BUS, HEULIEZ, IDV, ASTRA and IVECO CAPITAL - which combine to offer a comprehensive range of commercial vehicles, powertrains, buses, specialty vehicles and financial services. Today Iveco Group employs 36,000 people around the world and has 19 industrial sites and 30 R&D centres. Iveco Group N.V. Media Contacts: Francesco Polsinelli, Tel: +39 335 1776091 Fabio Lepore, Tel: +39 335 7469007 E-mail: mediarelations@ivecogroup.com Attachments 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! Precast concrete manufacturer announces acquisition and expansion into prestressed bridge segment FLORIDA CITY, FL AND OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Alcrete LLC, a leading provider of high-quality precast concrete products, announced today that it has acquired Florida Concrete Products LLC in Florida City, Florida. This strategic move expands Alcrete into the prestressed bridge segment throughout the state of Florida. Prestressed Concrete Bridge Florida Concrete Products began operations in the 1960s. The company is a key supplier to the Florida Department of Transportation for bridge projects throughout the state. Thomas L. Bond, director of Florida Concrete Products said, "Alcrete is the right partner to allow Florida Concrete Products to reach its full potential. The company is committed to our employees, customers, and suppliers, and will continue to invest in the business. I believe the company will flourish under Alcrete's ownership." Justin D. Norman, chief executive officer of Alcrete LLC said, "The acquisition of Florida Concrete Products is transformational for Alcrete. This addition allows Alcrete to enter the prestressed bridge market, expands our existing footprint in the state of Florida for storm & sanitary structures, and positions the company to continue to participate in the state's growing construction market. We are excited to welcome the employees of Florida Concrete Products to the Alcrete Team." According to Alcrete, the acquisition includes Florida Concrete Products' production facilities and equipment. Alcrete will retain the skilled workforce which will allow the company to increase its production capabilities and competitiveness within the prestressed concrete bridge market. ### About Alcrete: Alcrete is a manufacturer of precast and prestressed concrete products including stormwater, sanitary, bridge, and specialty structures. Alcrete provides construction contractors with precast solutions for vital infrastructure projects. Alcrete operates six manufacturing facilities located in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina with a corporate office in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. For more information on Alcrete, visit Alcrete.com. For press inquiries, please contact: info@alcrete.com Contact Information Nathan Smith PR Contact info@alcrete.com 1 (630) 672-7255 SOURCE: Alcrete View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/industrial-and-manufacturing/alcrete-llc-completes-acquisition-of-florida-city-fl-based-florida-con-1038029 Oakville, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - FendX Technologies Inc. (CSE: FNDX) (OTCQB: FDXTF) (FSE: E8D) (the "Company" or "FendX"), a technology company developing surface protection products, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a consulting agreement (the "Consulting Agreement") dated June 10, 2025 with a third party branding expert who will provide strategic branding and marketing support as the Company prepares for the market introduction of its eco-friendly sponge product line. As disclosed in the Company's April 24, 2025 news release, FendX entered into an exclusive supply agreement that enables the Company to produce its own line of eco-friendly sponge products using the supplied foam which is made with proprietary manufacturing trade secrets. The Company intends to introduce these sponge products to consumer, retail and other commercial cleaning markets globally. Dr. Carolyn Myers, CEO of FendX states, "A key initial step for a strategic rollout is the development of a distinct brand identity for the sponge product line, including naming, visual branding elements, such as color schemes and packaging design and creation of marketing promotional materials to support future promotion efforts. The engagement of a branding expert is expected to be instrumental in shaping a compelling and market-ready brand that effectively communicates the unique value of the sponge products." The monthly consulting fee is $5,000 plus taxes payable in common shares of the Company on a quarterly basis upon receipt of invoices (at a price per share equal to the greater of: the Company's market price, its last financing price or higher price as may be agreed to). In addition to the consulting fee, the Company has also agreed to grant the consultant 250,000 options (each, an "Option") to purchase Shares pursuant to the Company's stock option plan within two weeks of the date of the Consulting Agreement. The details of the Options grant will be included in a subsequent news release following the date of their respective grant. All securities issued pursuant to the Consulting Agreement will be subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including from the CSE. All securities will also be subject to resale restrictions in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the CSE and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The term of the Consulting Agreement is for a period of six months ending December 9, 2025, and includes an early termination provision whereby either of the Company or the consultant may terminate the agreement upon 7 days written notice. The Company has the option to renew the Consulting Agreement for one or more months after the initial six-month term on the same terms, and any renewal will be at the discretion of the Company. About FendX Technologies Inc. FendX is a Canadian innovation-driven technology company focused on developing advanced surface protection and cleaning solutions for everyday environments. The Company is building a diversified product portfolio that includes nanotechnology-based coatings and a sustainable sponge product line. Its lead product under development, REPELWRAP film, is a protective surface coating film designed to prevent the adhesion of pathogens and reduce their transmission. FendX is also developing a spray coating and a catheter coating. Expanding beyond nanotechnology, the Company is preparing for the launch of a line of eco-friendly sponge products. FendX conducts research and development activities in collaboration with industry-leading partners, including McMaster University, and holds exclusive worldwide licenses to its nanotechnology and a robust intellectual property portfolio. For more information, please visit https://fendxtech.com/ and the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. 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. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including with respect to: the plans of the Company; statements regarding the Consulting Agreement and issuance of any securities thereunder; renewal of the Consulting Agreement after the initial six month term; plans for the market introduction and production of a line of eco-friendly sponge products aimed at consumer, retail and other commercial target markets worldwide; and products under development and any pathogen reduction benefits related thereto. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks which may cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including: risks that Consulting Agreement may not receive regulatory approval, if required; adverse market conditions; risks and uncertainties associated with the Company's ability to raise additional capital to complete all of its planned activities including launching its proposed eco-friendly sponge products; risks related to the supply of bulk foam sponge rolls and securing a manufacturer to finish end-products; risks related to the size of the potential market for the Company's future sponge products; risks related to research and development activities for each of the film, spray formulation and catheter coating, including successful completion of real world performance testing and scale-up initiatives; risks that the Company may not expand its product pipeline or execute its business development and growth plans; risks that the Company's products, including the eco-friendly sponge, may not be commercialized, and if they are commercialized, that they may not be accepted and adopted by the public; the risk that the Company will not obtain necessary approvals and/or clearances as anticipated or at all; the effects of government regulation on the Company's business; risks associated with the Company's ability to obtain and protect rights to its IP; product candidates only being in formulation/reformulation stages; limited operating history; dependence on collaborative partners, licensors and others; effect of general economic and political conditions; and other factors beyond the Company's control. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity or performance. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made and, except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of such factors on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Readers should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factor disclosure outlined in the Company's filings with the British Columbia Securities Commission on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/253594 SOURCE: FendX Technologies Inc. Proactive operational and cost initiatives, as well as renewed focus on diverse industrial applications, have stabilized and realigned business Company provides initial outlook for Fiscal 2024 and 2025, which includes significantly improved gross margins and EBITDA VIA is seeking a long-term investor and partner to support its future pivot to growth VIA optronics AG (OTC: VIAOY) ("VIA" or the "Company"), a leading supplier of interactive display solutions, today announced several updates related to its business transformation initiatives, 2024 and 2025 outlook, as well as a search for a new strategic investor. This update follows the release of audited financials for fiscal 2023 and the Company plans to file its fiscal 2024 financial results shortly. Key Highlights: VIA has made significant progress executing against its proactive transformation and cost initiatives to stabilize and realign the business over the last several quarters. This includes further optimization of its efficiency and productivity programs, further reducing overhead costs, as well as developing and expanding partnerships with new customers and across new markets. The Company's global manufacturing footprint in Germany, Japan, and China provides competitive advantages to navigate the dynamic tariff situation and win new business as smaller competitors have exited numerous markets. VIA retains a strong position and reputation in the automotive market, and has significantly broadened its near-term focus on the less cyclical industrial display market, which is expected to grow at a 6.7% CAGR* through 2030 (Source: Industrial Display Market Size, Trends Industry Report, 2030). The Company's product strengths, such as optical bonding, metal mesh touch sensors, cameras and ruggedized displays, align well with these industrial sector trends. VIA maintained a disciplined approach to cash management over the last several years and has secured credit lines in Germany, China, and Japan, ensuring financial flexibility as it advances its operational turnaround. As a result of the completion of many of the Company's transformation and cost initiatives, it expects significantly enhanced gross margin and EBITDA in fiscal 2024, with further improvement in fiscal 2025. The Company is targeting a strategic investment partner to aid in the acceleration of its growth trajectory and capitalize on emerging market opportunities. Roland Chochoiek, Chief Executive Officer of VIA Optronics, commented "Over the last year and a half, we have made significant progress stabilizing the business by optimizing our platform through numerous efficiency and productivity programs, as well as disciplined cost controls. We have also redirected our focus on diversifying the end markets we support, through strategic investments in areas of the business that support the industrial display market. We continue to see significant growth opportunities globally across these markets, and believe they offer long-term opportunities that will make our overall revenues more stable and profitable over the long term." Chochoiek added, "Our competitive position has improved in many of our markets, and our strong manufacturing footprint in Germany, Japan, and China, allows us to service dynamic growth areas where display, camera, and touch technology is critical to our customer's success. I want to thank all of our employees, partners and customers for their support through our turnaround and believe we remain well positioned to drive long-term, sustainable growth as the economic climate improves." 2024/2025 Outlook As stated in the Annual Report for FY 2023 (published on the Company's website), VIA expects sales in 2024 to range between 100.0 million and 110.0 million, compared to 133.3 million in 2023. Gross margin is expected to improve by over 8.4 percent, driven by improved product and margin mix. As a result of the restructuring measures and cost saving initiatives, 2024 EBITDA is expected to improve considerably compared to 2023. 2025 sales are expected to be in the range of 75.0 million to 90.0 million following the switch to a consignment stock business model with a major customer that leads to revenue decrease but margin increase. The Company also expects both gross margins and EBITDA to improve in 2025 compared to fiscal 2024. "We have right sized our business to align with our revenue opportunities, and the majority of our transformation initiatives have been completed which will support meaningful improvement in our margin profile," said Chochoiek. "Looking ahead to 2025, we will leverage a more resilient operating model with improved working capital flexibility." Strategic Investor The Company is actively seeking a new strategic investor following the decision by Integrated Micro-Electronics, a major shareholder, to divest its position as part of a broader portfolio realignment. Chochoiek concluded, "We have initiated a formal search for a new long-term strategic investor and partner to help accelerate VIA's growth trajectory and innovation while reinforcing our competitive global position. This presents an opportunity to partner with an investor who shares our long-term growth strategy and commitment to innovation and can help the Company accelerate its business development efforts and pivot to growth in the future." Forvis Mazars Advisors Germany has been appointed as Financial Advisor to support VIA in its search for a new strategic investor. About VIA: VIA is a leading provider of interactive display solutions for multiple end markets in which superior functionality or durability is a critical differentiating factor. Its customizable technology is well-suited for high-end markets with unique specifications and demanding environments that pose technical and optical challenges for displays, such as bright ambient light, vibration and shock, extreme temperatures, and condensation. VIA's interactive display solutions combine customized design, interactive displays, touch functionality, cameras, and other hardware components. VIA's intellectual property portfolio, process know-how, optical bonding, metal mesh touch sensor and camera module technologies provide enhanced display solutions built to meet the specific needs of its customers. Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute "forward-looking statements." These statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to: the Company's expectations as to the timing of its delisting and deregistration process; the anticipated benefits and cost savings of such actions; and other statements that are not historical facts. The words, without limitation, "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "target," "will," "would" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these or similar identifying words. Forward-looking statements are based largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict 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 statement. Other factors include the risks described under Item 3. "Opportunity and Risk Report 5.3 Risk," in our audited Annual Report for FY 2023 published on the Company's website (VIA optronics Investors Financials Filings Annual Reports). Moreover, new risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. We caution you therefore against relying on these forward-looking statements, and we qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on the current expectations of VIA's management team and speak only as of the date hereof, and VIA specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611210845/en/ Contacts: Media Contact VIA: Alexandra Muller-Plotz Phone: +49 911 597 575-302 Amueller-ploetz@via-optronics.com Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) ("Ares"), a leading global alternative investment manager, announced today the final close of Japan DC Partners I LP ("JDC I" or the "Fund"), marking Ares' first vehicle dedicated to data center investment and development. With approximately US$2.4 billion (350 billion) in total equity commitments, the Fund positions Ares to be one of the largest data center investors in Japan with significant capital to meet the rapidly growing demand from cloud and artificial intelligence applications. JDC I will invest in the development of three data center campuses in Greater Tokyo, one of the world's largest data center hubs, that are expected to collectively deliver nearly 240MW of IT load. These development assets will incorporate strong sustainability standards, including renewable-enabled power sourcing and cooling systems aligned with leading water efficiency protocols. The Fund's campuses will be developed and operated by Ada Infrastructure ("Ada"), a global data center platform acquired by Ares as part of the GCP International transaction and now vertically integrated into Ares. Supported by a dedicated team of over 70 professionals globally, Ada provides deep knowledge in executing complex data center projects. Ares anticipates additional investment opportunities in the Japan data center sector, including execution of its secured pipeline, as well as synergies between its broader digital infrastructure and climate infrastructure capabilities to support long-term development. Further, Ares believes that its established local capabilities in Japan, including extensive land sourcing activity and relationships with key business partners and community stakeholders through its leading logistics real estate business, strongly position the platform to continue expanding its data center footprint. As one of the institutional investors in the Fund, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board ("CPP Investments") has made an equity commitment of approximately US$1.3 billion (193 billion). CPP Investments was joined by other large institutional investors including GLP Pte Ltd ("GLP"), a leading Singapore-based global investor focused on the new economy. GLP was the largest shareholder in GCP International prior to Ares' acquisition of GCP International on March 1, 2025 and continues to own digital infrastructure assets across major international markets, including investments managed by Ares. "This achievement underscores the leading investment and development capabilities that the combined Ares and GCP International platform brings to Japan's new economy sectors, and we appreciate the meaningful support from the Fund's investors, including CPP Investments," said Blair Jacobson, Co-President of Ares. "With the increasing adoption of AI and cloud computing technologies positioning Japan as a key market in the global data center ecosystem, we believe this capital will enable Ares to address supply constraints. As we work to introduce this next wave of critical assets, we are confident that the team's longstanding relationships with key data center customers and track record as reliable stewards of these assets will position us well as we seek to generate compelling risk-adjusted returns." "The demand for data centers in Asia Pacific continues to grow due to the increasing need for data processing and consumption," said Max Biagosch, Senior Managing Director Global Head of Real Assets for CPP Investments. "As one of the largest data center markets in Asia, Japan acts as a key connection point between Asia and North America to facilitate efficient data transfer. The commitment to the Fund will further advance our global data center strategy and deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns for CPP contributors and beneficiaries." About Ares Management Corporation Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, real estate, private equity and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for our stakeholders and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of March 31, 2025, Ares Management Corporation's global platform had approximately US$546 billion of assets under management, with operations across North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.aresmgmt.com. About CPP Investments Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) is a professional investment management organization that manages the Fund in the best interest of the more than 22 million contributors and beneficiaries of the Canada Pension Plan. In order to build diversified portfolios of assets, investments are made around the world in public equities, private equities, real estate, infrastructure and fixed income. Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York City, San Francisco, Sao Paulo and Sydney, CPP Investments is governed and managed independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm's length from governments. At March 31, 2025, the Fund totalled C$714.4 billion. For more information, please visit www.cppinvestments.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram or on X @CPPInvestments. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611308330/en/ Contacts: Ares Media: Priscila Roney Jacob Silber media@aresmgmt.com Investors: Greg Mason Carl Drake irares@aresmgmt.com CPP Investments Media: Connie Ling cling@cppib.com Smokers in the European Union (EU) consumed 38.9 billion illicit cigarettes in 2024, a 10.8% increase versus 2023, with serious repercussions for tax revenues, crime rates, and public health. France, the largest illicit market in Europe, reached 18.7 billion illicit cigarettes consumed last year, 37.6% of total consumption. Adding 10.2 ppt year-on-year, the Netherlands saw the largest increase in illicit cigarettes share, which doubled to 17.9% of total consumption. Countries such as Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Portugal-and Ukraine, outside the EU-have shown sizeable decreases in illicit consumption in 2024. Greece and Ukraine, in particular, saw as much as 30% declines vs. 2023. PMI calls forevidence-based regulation, predictable fiscal regimes, and strict law enforcement to address the roots of illicit trade while promoting economic stability and public health. Evidence shows that excessive tobacco control policies may be driving smokers to the black market. Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) today issues an urgent call for effective policymaking to counter the growing threat of illicit trade in the EU. In 2024, 38.9 billion illicit cigarettes were consumed in the region-the highest level since 2015-accounting for 9.2% of total cigarette consumption, with governments losing as much as 14.9 billion in tax revenues at a time when many countries face intense economic pressures. PMI believes that exacerbating the issue are steep and abrupt tax increases, benefitting criminals who supply unregulated, untaxed and inferior products, including counterfeits, at a lower price. To combat this growing threat, PMI urges the adoption of evidence-based regulation with balanced and predictable taxation through tax calendars, continued public-private collaboration and enhanced support of regional and national law enforcement agencies, as criminal organizations dealing in illicit cigarettes have cemented their presence in higher-priced Western European countries. According to the 2024 KPMG study, commissioned by Philip Morris Products SA, a large number of counterfeit cigarettes were consumed in the EU in 2024: 15.3 billion, a 20.2% increase vs. 2023. Additionally, so-called "illicit whites"-legally manufactured cigarettes smuggled across borders to countries where they have limited or no distribution-reached 8.2 billion. "The illicit tobacco trade threatens the European economy, public health, security and social stability; today, higher-taxed and higher-priced markets such as France and the Netherlands are especially impacted by illegally imported and counterfeit goods," said Christos Harpantidis, PMI's Senior Vice President, External Affairs. "Its massive socioeconomic impact negatively affects tax collection, job creation, and legitimate businesses, the engine of our European economies. The availability of cheap, unregulated cigarettes in the underground economy also impairs efforts to reduce smoking rates and achieve a smoke-free future." The 2024 KPMG report indicates the increase in illicit cigarette consumption was primarily driven by France and the Netherlands. The study points to an especially alarming situation in France, where 18.7 billion illicit cigarettes were consumed in 2024, almost 7.8 billion of which were counterfeits. In the Netherlands, illicit cigarette volumes increased drastically, by 1.1 billion-more than doubled in a year-reaching 17.9% of total consumption. Had these cigarettes been legally purchased, an additional 9.4 billion would have been raised in taxes in France and almost 900 million in the Netherlands. In contrast, countries such as Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Portugal-and Ukraine, outside the EU-have made significant progress in curbing the illicit tobacco market. Greece, for instance, had a 6.2 ppt drop in illicit cigarette consumption in 2024, to 17.5%-the largest decrease the country has seen in a decade. "Predictable tax regimes and robust support for local law enforcement actions have proven an effective policy recipe: We now know how to effectively counter the criminal entities that engage in the illicit manufacturing, distribution, and sale of consumer products. Other countries in the region should emulate that approach to get control over this dangerous trend," said Massimo Andolina, PMI's President, Europe Region. "This is the way forward if we are serious about defeating the illicit tobacco trade in our continent, which harms Europe's economies, undermines European competitiveness and growth, and opens the door to other criminal activities. Citizens cannot afford to be deprived of much-needed state revenues in this critical moment for Europe, which are being lost rather than applied to key issues such as defense, internal security, and social programs." Illicit trade affects the whole of Europe Across the 38 European countries included in KPMG's study (the 27 EU member states, as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom), 52.2 billion illicit cigarettes were consumed in 2024, accounting for 10.0% of total consumption. Tax revenue losses amounted to an estimated 19.4 billion. Illicit cigarette volumes in the U.K. decreased by almost 0.8 billion in 2024, though illicit cigarettes as a share of total consumption remained stable. The U.K. is still the third-largest illicit market in Europe, with 5.9 billion illicit cigarettes consumed last year. Ukraine, in contrast,saw the largest decline in illicit consumption, with contraband and counterfeit volumes decreasing by 2.4 billion or 29% (vs. a 1.1 billion or 14% increase in 2023). This is the 19th consecutive year that KPMG has measured and reported on illicit cigarette consumption across Europe. Heated tobacco products For the first time, the KPMG study included in its scope the illicit consumption of heated tobacco products in selected European countries: the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The study reveals that contraband consumption stood at 0.4 billion sticks (the consumables used in heated tobacco devices) in 2024, representing 0.9% of total consumption. The highest contraband volumes were found in Germany (0.15 billion sticks) and Poland (0.08 billion), with the U.K. having the highest share (7.8%). To date, no counterfeit flows have been identified. "Policymakers must recognize that repeating the policy mistakes that drive the illicit cigarette market when regulating smoke-free products-excessive and market-distorting taxation, extreme control measures such as bans, and inadequate law enforcement against illicit activities across the value chain-may and will lead to the same disaster we see today in the cigarette sector in countries adopting such policies, and that we are starting to see in countries banning the legal sale of smoke-free products," said Andolina. Illicit trade does not just affect the people who consume these products. It fuels ruthless criminal gangs, typically impacting the most vulnerable communities and populations. It deprives governments of critical revenues needed to fund public services, including security, defense and social services. And its proceeds facilitate other serious crimes such as human trafficking, corruption, and money laundering. For PMI, eliminating the illicit tobacco and nicotine trade has been a long-standing priority. The company implements preventive and protective measures and works with the public and private sectors to advance efforts to address this global issue. As PMI progresses on its commitment to deliver a smoke-free future-a future without cigarettes, by far the most harmful way to consume nicotine-it is increasing efforts to secure its supply chain and the products it sells and to protect consumers and its brands from smugglers and counterfeiters. PMI works closely with law enforcement agencies and other organizations worldwide to root out and shut down illegal activities, including counterfeiting and smuggling. A detailed overview of the results, country profiles and methodology of the KPMG study is available here. For more information about PMI's illicit trade prevention efforts, visit PMI.com. Note to editors Definitions of illicit cigarette categories, as detailed in the KPMG report: Counterfeit: "Cigarettes that are illegally manufactured and sold by a party other than the original trademark owner." Illicit whites: "Cigarettes that are usually manufactured legally in one country/market but which the evidence suggests have been smuggled across-borders during their transit to the destination market under review where they have limited or no legal distribution and are sold without payment of tax." C&C: "Counterfeit and contraband, including illicit whites. Contraband refers to genuine products that have been either bought in a lower-tax country and which exceed legal border limits or acquired without taxes for export purposes to be illegally re-sold (for financial profit) in a higher priced market." Other C&C: "Other C&C comprises contraband which does not fall within the Illicit Whites definition. It is often Duty Paid product from both EU27 and non-EU27 countries. There may also be counterfeit of brands that are not trademark-owned by participant manufacturers." Philip Morris International: A Global Smoke-Free Champion Philip Morris International is a leading international consumer goods company, actively delivering a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's current product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, nicotine pouch, and e-vapor products. As of December 31, 2024, PMI's smoke-free products were available for sale in 95 markets, and PMI estimates they were used by 38.6 million adults around the world. The smoke-free business accounted for 42% of PMI's first-quarter 2025 total net revenues. Since 2008, PMI has invested over $14 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate, and commercialize innovative smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of completely ending the sale of cigarettes. This includes the building of world-class scientific assessment capabilities, notably in the areas of pre-clinical systems toxicology, clinical and behavioral research, as well as post-market studies. Following a robust science-based review, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the marketing of Swedish Match's General snus and ZYN nicotine pouches and versions of PMI's IQOS devices and consumables the first-ever such authorizations in their respective categories. Versions of IQOS devices and consumablesand General snus also obtained the first-ever Modified Risk Tobacco Product authorizations from the FDA. With a strong foundation and significant expertise in life sciences, PMI has a long-term ambition to expand into wellness and healthcare areas and aims to enhance life through the delivery of seamless health experiences. References to "PMI", "we", "our", and "us" mean Philip Morris International Inc., and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611507314/en/ Contacts: David Fraser Philip Morris International T. +41 (0)58 242 4500 E. david.fraser@pmi.com Following successful validation, the AI-driven bioactive discovery company announces $3.6 mm round to scale next-gen food-as-medicine metabolic health solutions TEL AVIV, Israel, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Lembas (www.hellolembas.com), an AI-powered bioactive peptide discovery company, has emerged from stealth mode with a scientific breakthrough in activating GLP-1 - the key hormone that helps regulate appetite and metabolism. The company closed an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round of $3.6 mm led by FLORA Ventures, who also incubated the company, with participation from a group of leading venture capital funds Bluestein Ventures, Fresh Fund, Longevity Venture Partners, Maia Ventures, Siddhi Capital, Mandi Ventures and SDH. Nearly 75% of US adults are overweight or obese*, but the new GLP-1 pharmaceuticals are out of reach for many due to lack of accessibility, prohibitive costs, and severe side effects. This creates an urgent opportunity for the food and supplements industries to provide evidence-based solutions that help consumers manage their weight more naturally and effectively. Lembas is pioneering the next generation of science-backed bioactive ingredients for the functional food and supplements industry, with its first solution, GLP-1 Edge, targeting the $560B** global weight management industry. GLP-1 Edge is designed to naturally regulate appetite by enhancing the body's own GLP-1 response. It integrates easily into bars, shakes, snacks, beverages and supplements, bringing metabolic health into consumers' everyday routines. The company's proprietary computational AI discovery platform rapidly screens, analyzes and designs food-grade bioactive peptides that work with the natural metabolic mechanisms. In less than a year, Lembas discovered and designed food-grade bioactives that demonstrated positive cell and animal model results, stimulating successfully GLP-1 secretion to blood. While Lembas' initial focus is on natural GLP-1 for weight management and metabolic health, its computational platform has been developed to accelerate the discovery of new science-backed functional ingredients across a broader pipeline of health and wellbeing benefits. Founded in 2024, Lembas is backed by a licensed university patent pending technology and led by an accomplished team of serial entrepreneurs and interdisciplinary scientists: Shay Hilel (CEO), Dr. Zohar Barbash (CTO), Prof. Maayan Gal (CSO) and Dr. Daniel Bar. Its executive team and board consist of seasoned senior executives from PepsiCo, Mondelez, IFF, Shiru and Brightseed, including Rob Hargrove, former Chief R&D Officer at Mondelez. "At Lembas, we're creating a new category of science-backed nutrition, empowering consumers for the first time to effectively and conveniently manage their weight through companion food and supplements without pricy prescriptions, injections, and unpleasant side effects," said Shay Hilel, Co-Founder and CEO of Lembas. "Our early validation and the strong interest from global food and supplement companies shows there is a massive unmet need for our GLP-1 Edge solution, that works naturally with the body, not against it." Gil Horsky, Founding Chairman of Lembas and Managing Partner FLORA Ventures: "As a longtime food industry executive and investor in the space, I believe the discovery of GLP-1 is the biggest disruptor the food industry has faced in decades. Lembas is the first science-backed company enabling food players to seize this disruptive opportunity by setting a new bar for food-as-medicine." Horsky added: "We're combining deep-tech with cutting edge science to unlock a scalable, credible path to make functional food actually functional." With this funding, Lembas will accelerate scale-up and commercialization of its GLP-1 Edge bioactive, expand its AI discovery platform, and deepen commercial agreements across the ingredients, food and supplements value chain. About Lembas Lembas is an AI-powered discovery company pioneering the next generation of science-backed bioactives for the functional food and supplements industry, with its first solution, GLP-1 Edge, targeting the $560B global weight management industry. Backed by university-patented research and a proprietary AI computational platform, Lembas is building a scalable pipeline of food-grade bioactive ingredients that unlock the potential of food as medicine. For more information, please visit www.hellolembas.com, LinkedIn. Sources *Agrawal, N. Three-Quarters of U.S. Adults Are Now Overweight or Obese. The New York Times. November 14, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/well/obesity-epidemic-america.htm. **IMARC Group https://www.imarcgroup.com/weight-management-market?. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2707304/Lembas_1.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2707293/Lembas_2.jpg For media inquiries, partnership opportunities and more information: hello@hellolembas.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/lembas-emerges-from-stealth-with-breakthrough-discovery-in-natural-glp-1-for-weight-management-302478814.html VICTORIA, Seychelles, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MEXC, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, has unveiled a groundbreaking $100 million Guardian Fund to enhance user safety and trust across its platform. This fund is designed to provide a strong safeguard for users facing severe security threats, such as large-scale exploits, targeted attacks, or unforeseen system vulnerabilities. In a move toward greater accountability, MEXC has made the fund fully transparent by disclosing wallet addresses publicly-setting a new industry standard for proactive risk management and user protection. Complete Transparency And User Access MEXC's $100 million User Protection Fund is built on a foundation of complete transparency. All fund wallet addresses ( including holding USDT wallet address here), will be publicly displayed on MEXC's website, allowing anyone to verify balances and monitor transactions through the blockchain. Users can see exactly how much is available, review the full transaction history, and independently verify the fund's integrity-ensuring confidence through verifiable data. MEXC will create a special webpage where users can view wallet addresses, check fund balances, understand coverage scenarios, and track active compensation cases. This central hub provides complete visibility into how the fund works and what's covered. By combining transparent fund management with a user-friendly interface, MEXC empowers its community with the tools and visibility needed to stay informed and protected. What's Covered The fund covers various security incident scenarios such as: Platform Breaches: Compensation when MEXC's systems are compromised Technical Problems: Protection from losses due to serious system vulnerabilities Flexible and Responsive Protection Unlike traditional third-party insurance, which often involves lengthy claims processes and delays, MEXC's $100 million User Protection Fund offers a more agile and transparent approach. The fund is readily available and can be deployed swiftly once a security incident is verified-ensuring users receive timely support without the red tape. Security and User First In light of recent high-profile hacks across the industry, the importance of security can't be overstated," said Tracy Jin, COO of MEXC. "At MEXC, we take security seriously-and we take action. The $100 million User Protection Fund is our way of leading by example. We're not only strengthening our internal defenses, but also offering real, transparent protection for our users. This isn't just about promises-it's about accountability, and delivering visible safeguards when they matter most The launch of the User Protection Fund underscores MEXC's ongoing commitment to providing industry-leading security alongside its services. In addition to this new fund, MEXC also maintains a Proof of Reserves mechanism and a dedicated Insurance Fund Account for futures trading. The Proof of Reserves ensures that all user assets are 100% backed, while the Insurance Fund Account is designed to cover any shortfalls when users' losses during liquidation exceed their available margin. Together, these measures highlight MEXC's strong focus on asset security and risk mitigation. Combined with the $100 million User Protection Fund, MEXC offers traders comprehensive protection against extreme market volatility. About MEXC Founded in 2018, MEXC is committed to being "Your Easiest Way to Crypto." Serving over 40 million users across 170+ countries, MEXC is known for its broad selection of trending tokens, everyday airdrop opportunities, and low trading fees. Our user-friendly platform is designed to support both new traders and experienced investors, offering secure and efficient access to digital assets. MEXC prioritizes simplicity and innovation, making crypto trading more accessible and rewarding. MEXC Official Website | X | Telegram | How to Sign Up on MEXC Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2707284/1920x1080.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2668118/MEXC_new_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/mexc-unveils-100-million-guardian-fund-to-safeguard-users-against-security-threats-302478816.html SAN FRANCISCO, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Rasa , a leading conversational AI platform, today revealed a first look at what's next for enterprise voice automation: a new architecture that combines structured logic with multimodal input, closing the gap between real-time understanding and execution. The launch coincides with Rasa's presence at Customer Contact Week (CCW) Las Vegas, June 11-12, 2025, at Caesars Forum, where the Rasa team will meet with enterprise leaders to discuss the future of voice AI. By skipping the speech-to-text layer, Rasa removes the delays, disconnects, and distortions that have long held voice experiences back. Users can't afford to repeat themselves or wait for transcripts to catch up. With Rasa Voice, issues are understood as spoken, so the system can resolve them before the user finishes explaining. It's a new voice automation that earns trust in every interaction. "We believe voice is becoming one of the most strategic channels for customer experience, and enterprises need reliable solutions," said Melissa Gordon, CEO of Rasa. "What we're previewing today is voice automation grounded in structure, designed for scale, and ready to serve the enterprise with the speed, confidence, and nuance users expect." A new path from conversation to outcome Rasa Voice is designed for conversations that lead to action. It combines live audio and contextual signals to interpret meaning from the first word, without converting everything to text first. This allows: Faster handoff to execution by skipping transcription bottlenecks Richer interpretation of intent, emotion, and speech pattern More humanlike interactions by preserving the unique qualities of voice instead of reducing it to text alone Tighter alignment between what was said and what the system does Built for results, not just fluency Rasa Voice is powered by Rasa's CALM (Conversational AI with Language Models) framework, which blends the fluency of large language models with the reliability enterprises need. Rather than relying on prompts to deliver outcomes, CALM translates user input into structured, traceable commands that execute within defined business flows. Rasa Voice interprets user speech with nuance, context, and intent, then connects that to business outcomes with clear execution paths. There are no dropped steps or fragile handoffs, just reliable automation that works under pressure, across modalities, at enterprise scale. What voice AI needs to work in the real world To succeed in real-world deployment, voice AI must prioritize speed, accuracy, and cost-efficiency. Rasa's architecture focuses on these fundamentals from the start. By helping teams select the right language models, fine-tune for specific domains, and set strict latency and throughput targets, Rasa enables confident, informed decisions that avoid downstream risks. "We're not experimenting with voice. We're deploying it. That's the difference," said Loic Mayet, Information Systems Director at Groupe IMA. Groupe IMA, one of Europe's leading insurance/assistance providers, chose Rasa Voice after evaluating multiple vendors. "Rasa helped us architect the solution around our automation goals, and they've been a partner every step of the way." Similarly, Swisscom, Switzerland's leading telecommunications provider, selected Rasa Voice to scale its customer service automation while maintaining exceptional quality. Their success showcases how Rasa meets the demanding needs of large-scale enterprises. This new capability is now available to preview for select enterprise environments. Learn more at www.rasa.com/solutions/voice/ . About Rasa Rasa simplifies building complex conversational AI by extending LLMs with reliable business logic. Our platform enables enterprises to build sophisticated AI assistants that handle millions of interactions securely, giving you complete control to scale automation. Trusted by Fortune 500 companies, Rasa ensures data privacy, security, and scalability for enterprises. Rasa is privately held, with funding from Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Basis Set Ventures, PayPal Ventures, and StepStone Group. www.rasa.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2708112/Rasa_Technologies_Purple.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/rasa-introduces-multimodal-voice-ai-built-for-enterprise-at-customer-contact-week-las-vegas-302478314.html Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 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 that its CEO and co-founder, Sean Black has opted to exercise his earned performance warrants a year of head of schedule in confidence of the Company's long-term growth trajectory, aiming to further accelerate future expansion. "It was almost four years ago to the day that Sean Black and I formalized the support structure the company needed to build itself into a business shareholders would be proud to own. It was the start of a journey that formed a mission to build Canada's next great consolidator in the food space," said Shawn Moniz, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Happy Belly. "Having done so not once but twice before, Mr. Black has built successful and profitable food companies having sold them to publicly traded companies to both MTY and Recipe. It was time now for Mr. Black to use that experience to be on the other side of the fence and become that publicly traded company using the knowledge gained from a lifetime of growing and scaling business, including a successful track record of accretive M&A to build a meaningful company that would span both Canadian and US markets." "As it is typical practice in publicly traded companies with founders, Mr. Black was offered company shares in lieu of payment for his efforts to come aboard and steer the ship. In true fashion of putting shareholders first Mr. Black refused such compensation and elected with conviction to only be rewarded when shareholders are rewarded. It was Mr. Blacks brainchild to create performance warrants so that the board and management are given an opportunity to purchase shares ONLY if shareholders are rewarded for their trust and confidence first! It is why to this day no board member or member of management has received any compensated shares for their time here at Happy Belly, showing as proof our 'shareholders first' mentality when it comes to corporate compensation." "It is a true testament, beyond any doubt, to the growth trajectory of Happy Belly that Mr. Black has elected to exercise his earned performance warrants to date, a year ahead of schedule. Mr. Black will exercise 3,715,278 warrants, personally funding the company to the amount of $743,000, to be paid for over the next several quarters ensuring continued growth through the disciplined use of capital for accelerating corporate store growth and strategic accretive M&A. Mr. Black is putting his foot firmly on the pedal of growth, showing his long-term commitment to the company while enabling further acceleration of its strategic plan." We are excited to continually share updates on company progression as we secure real estate locations for our brands and continue our mission to become a predictable and disciplined growth company, Canada's #1 restaurant consolidator." "We are just getting started," said Sean Black, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Happy Belly. 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 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/255223_7477af199403a9a1_001full.jpg 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/255223 SOURCE: Happy Belly Food Group Inc. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Therma Bright Inc. (TSXV: THRM) (OTCQB: TBRIF) (FSE: JNX) ("Therma Bright" or the "Company"), a developer and investment partner specializing in advanced diagnostic and medical device technologies, announces, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"), that it will be undertaking a consolidation (the "Consolidation") of its common shares on the basis of eight (8) pre-Consolidation common shares for one (1) post-Consolidation common share. The Company expects that the Consolidation will provide the Company with increased flexibility in structuring and completing financings and potential business transactions. No fractional common shares will be issued, and fractions of less than one-half of a share will be cancelled and fractions of at least one-half of a share will be converted to a whole common share. Outstanding options, warrants and other rights to acquire common shares will likewise be adjusted for the Consolidation. The Company currently has 451,632,147 common shares outstanding and accordingly expects 56,454,018 common shares to be outstanding on completion of the Consolidation (subject to rounding adjustments and any further share issuances prior to the Consolidation). The Company does not expect to change its name or trading symbol in conjunction with the Consolidation. The Consolidation has been approved by the Board of Directors pursuant to the Company's Articles of Incorporation, which empowers the Board to effect share consolidations of up to 10:1 without shareholder approval. The Company confirms that this is the only share consolidation conducted within the past 24 months and the cumulative consolidation ratio does not exceed 10:1, in compliance with TSXV Policy 5.8. About Therma Bright Inc. Therma Bright develops and partners on cutting-edge diagnostic and medical device technologies that address key healthcare challenges. Therma Bright Inc. trades on the (TSXV: THRM) (OTCQB: TBRIF) (FSE: JNX). Visit: www.thermabright.com. Follow us on X FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking" statements. These statements relate to future events such as current and future development of Therma Bright's products and related technology as described in the news release. All such statements involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to vary from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, they should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and they will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether such results will be achieved. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to several factors and risks. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions on the date of this news release, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations. Completion of the Consolidation remains subject to all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals. If the required approvals are not obtained, the Consolidation may not proceed as contemplated or at all. 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 press release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255196 SOURCE: Therma Bright Inc. Not for distribution to United States Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Altamira Gold Corp. (TSXV: ALTA) (FSE: T6UP) (OTC Pink: EQTRF) ("Altamira" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of up to 40 million units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of C$0.10 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to C$4 million. Each Unit will be comprised of one common share and one-half common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"), with each whole Warrant exercisable into one additional common share of the Company at C$0.15 per share for a period of 24 months from closing of the Offering. Crescat Capital LLC ("Crescat") and Aura Minerals Inc. ("Aura"), two of the Company's largest shareholders and strategic investors, have indicated their intention to participate in this placement. Net proceeds of the Offering will be used for follow- up drilling at the Company's Maria Bonita porphyry gold Resource, the Central Area Mineral Resources, and other targets within the Cajueiro project. Funds will also support additional exploration programs within other projects and be used for general working capital purposes. President & CEO, Michael Bennett, commented; "The maiden resources at Maria Bonita significantly increase the known resource base, effectively doubling Altamira's Indicated and Inferred resources when combined with Cajueiro Central. With consistent near-surface gold mineralization and nine drill-ready targets so far identified within the district, this financing will allow us to advance drilling on many of the high-priority targets. We're focused on expanding known resources and unlocking further potential across the broader Cajueiro gold district." The Company has agreed to pay a finder's fee to arm's length parties for services rendered in respect of the Offering. The finder's fee will consist of a cash fee equal to 6% of the gross proceeds from the sale of Units to third parties sourced by the finders, and finder's warrants equal in number to 6% of the Units sold to third parties sourced by the finders. Each finder's warrant will be exercisable into one common share of the Company at an exercise price of C$0.15 per share for a period of 24 months from the date of closing. Closing of the Offering is expected this month and is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The securities issued pursuant to the Offering will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from the registration requirements. All securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a four-month hold period under Canadian securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, as applicable. About Altamira Gold Corp. The Company is focused on the exploration and development of gold and copper projects within western central Brazil, strategically advancing five projects spanning over 100,000 hectares within the prolific Juruena Gold Belt-an area that has historically yielded over 6 million ounces of placer gold*. The Company's advanced Cajueiro project contains two gold deposits. The central area comprises NI 43-101 resources of 5.66Mt @ 1.02 g/t gold for a total of 185,000 oz in the Indicated Resource category and 12.66Mt @ 1.26 g/t gold for a total of 515,000oz in the Inferred Resource category. In addition, the Maria Bonita gold deposit comprises additional open-pit Indicated Resources of 24.19Mt @ 0.46g/t for a total of 357,800oz, and Inferred Resources of 25.64Mt @ 0.44g/t for a total of 362,400oz. Ongoing exploration and fieldwork at Cajueiro indicate the presence of multiple porphyry gold systems, reinforcing its potential for district-scale development. These hard-rock gold sources align with historical alluvial gold production, highlighting the region's exceptional gold endowment and scalability. With a highly prospective geological setting and a track record of significant discoveries, the Company is well-positioned to unlock further value across its expansive land package. * Juliani, C. et al; Gold in Paleoproterozoic (2.1 to 1.77 Ga) Continental Magmatic Arcs at the Tapajos and Juruena Mineral Provinces (Amazonian Craton,Brazil): A New Frontier for the Exploration of Epithermal-Porphyry and Related Deposits. Minerals 2021, 11, 714. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11070714 On Behalf of the Board of Directors, Guillermo Hughes, FAIG and M AusIMM., a consultant to the Company as well as a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release. Neither 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. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the Offering, the use of proceeds and Crescat and Aura's intention to participate in the Offering. These statements are forward-looking in nature and, as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that include, but are not limited to Altamira's ability to complete the Offering, Crescat and Aura changing their investment intentions, general economic, market and business conditions; receipt and timing of regulatory approvals; new legislation; potential delays or changes in plans; the Company's ability execute and implement future plans. There is no guarantee that the Offering will close or that Crescat and Aura will participate in the Offering or that the Offering will complete at all. Actual results achieved may differ from the information provided herein and, consequently, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein speaks only as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking information or to explain any material difference between such and subsequent actual events, except as required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255220 SOURCE: Altamira Gold Corp. Invesco Bond Income Plus Ltd - Result of AGM PR Newswire LONDON, United Kingdom, June 11 Result of the Annual General Meeting ('AGM') of Invesco Bond Income Plus Limited (the 'Company') held on 11 June 2025 The Company confirms that all resolutions set out in the Notice of Meeting for the AGM of the Company held on 11 June 2025 were duly passed by shareholders on a poll. The results of the poll for each resolution were as follows: VOTES FOR (including votes at the discretion of the Chair) % VOTES AGAINST % VOTES TOTAL % of ISC VOTED VOTES WITHHELD Resolution 1 37,354,557 99.96 16,400 0.04 37,370,957 17.68% 181,430 Resolution 2 36,876,512 99.20 299,073 0.80 37,175,585 17.59% 376,802 Resolution 3 37,441,694 99.97 10,895 0.03 37,452,589 17.72% 99,798 Resolution 4 36,869,050 98.90 408,829 1.10 37,277,879 17.64% 274,508 Resolution 5 37,248,353 99.79 79,879 0.21 37,328,232 17.66% 224,155 Resolution 6 37,123,464 99.75 91,563 0.25 37,215,027 17.61% 337,360 Resolution 7 37,144,019 99.81 71,008 0.19 37,215,027 17.61% 337,360 Resolution 8 37,134,644 99.78 80,383 0.22 37,215,027 17.61% 337,360 Resolution 9 37,071,276 99.78 80,543 0.22 37,151,819 17.58% 400,568 Resolution 10 37,118,985 99.62 141,480 0.38 37,260,465 17.63% 291,922 Resolution 11 36,860,209 98.63 510,907 1.37 37,371,116 17.68% 181,271 Resolution 12 36,865,989 98.65 505,670 1.35 37,371,659 17.68% 180,728 Resolution 13 37,357,115 99.77 87,065 0.23 37,444,180 17.72% 108,207 Resolution 14 37,199,290 99.40 223,609 0.60 37,422,899 17.71% 129,488 Resolution 15 37,074,336 99.47 199,244 0.53 37,273,580 17.64% 278,807 The full text of the resolutions passed was as follows: Ordinary Resolutions: 1. To receive the annual financial report for the year ended 31 December 2024. 2. To approve the Directors' Remuneration Report. 3. To approve the Company's Dividend Payment Policy to pay four quarterly dividends to shareholders in May, August, November and February in respect of each accounting year. 4. To re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers CI LLP as the Company's auditor. 5. To authorise the Audit Committee to determine the remuneration of the auditor. 6. To re-elect Tim Scholefield a Director of the Company. 7. To re-elect Heather MacCallum a Director of the Company. 8. To re-elect Caroline Dutot a Director of the Company. 9. To re-elect Christine Johnson a Director of the Company. Special Business: Ordinary Resolution 10. THAT, in accordance with Article 158 of the Company's Articles of Association, the Directors of the Company be and they are hereby released from their obligation pursuant to such Article to convene a general meeting of the Company within six months of the AGM at which a special resolution would be proposed to wind up the Company. Special Resolutions 11. THAT, pursuant to Article 14.1 of the Company's Articles of Association, the Directors be and are hereby empowered to issue shares, up to 10% of the existing shares in issue at the time of the AGM, without pre-emption. 12. THAT, pursuant to Article 14.1 of the Company's Articles of Association, and in addition to any authority granted under Resolution 11 above, the Directors be and are hereby empowered to issue shares, up to 10% of the existing shares in issue at the time of the AGM, without pre-emption. 13. THAT, pursuant to Article 8.2 of the Company's Articles of Association and Article 57 of the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 as amended (the Law), the Company be generally and unconditionally authorised: (a) to make purchases of its issued ordinary shares of no par value (Shares) to be cancelled or held as treasury shares provided that: (i) the maximum number of Shares hereby authorised to be purchased shall be 14.99% of the Company's issued ordinary shares, this being 30,632,713; (ii) the minimum price which may be paid for a Share is 1p; (iii) the maximum price which may be paid for a share must not be more than the higher of: (i) 5 per cent. above the average of the mid-market values of the Shares for the five business days before the purchase is made; and (ii) the higher of the price of the last independent trade in the shares and the highest then current independent bid for the Shares on the London Stock Exchange; (iv) any purchase of shares will be made in the market for cash prices below the prevailing net asset value per share (as determined by the Directors); (v) the authority hereby conferred shall expire on the earlier of the conclusion of the next AGM of the Company held after passing of this resolution or 15 months from the date of the passing of this resolution, whichever is the earlier. 14. THAT, the period of notice required for general meetings of the Company (other than AGMs) shall not be less than 14 days. 15. THAT, with effect from the conclusion of the meeting the draft articles of association produced to the meeting and signed by the chairman of the meeting for the purposes of identification be adopted as the articles of association of the Company in substitution for, and to the exclusion of the Company's existing articles of association. The Company has 211,954,323 ordinary shares of no par value in issue. On a poll these carry one vote per share and accordingly the total voting rights are 211,954,323. The above table represents the number of votes registered. A copy of the poll results for the AGM will also be available on the Company's website: www.invesco.co.uk/bips In accordance with UK Listing Rule 6.4.2 R, copies of the resolutions that were passed at the annual general meeting, which do not constitute ordinary business will shortly be available for inspection via the National Storage Mechanism: https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism 11 June 2025 Contact: Hilary Jones JTC Fund Solutions (Jersey) Limited Telephone: 01534 700000 London, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In 2025 we live in an increasingly unstable world, where many people are searching for financial and personal security. If you're looking for a chance to reset and escape somewhere a bit less chaotic, BusinessesForSale.comhas put together a list of Ten Businesses You Could Buy to Escape the Apocalypse. From a diving resort in Fiji to a pet daycare in the secluded hills of New Zealand, these thriving businesses provide a safe retreat - as well as healthy cashflow. If purchasing any of these businesses sounds like an appealing idea, remember - asking prices are always flexible, and you don't need to have all the money up front. There are many financing options available, explored in our Loans to Buy a Businessguide. You can sign up and start sending enquiries to sellers on BusinessesForSale.com for free, with no hidden costs. Dive Shop in Taveuni, Fiji If you're looking to move somewhere remote, you can't do much better than Fiji. Surrounded by thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean and situated in a tropical rainforest, this eco resort offers diving lessons and accommodation for tourists. In the event of a disaster, it even has its own generator and water supply that should last you a few years - and those diving lessons could come in handy if the food runs out. Floating Boat Cafe in Neiafu, Tonga Has nuclear war made the land barren and uninhabitable? No problem! With this floating boat cafe, you can sip Pina Coladas while drifting peacefully in the Pacific Ocean. With its own solar power system, this self-reliant and affordable business could be both a profitable venture and a tropical escape. It even has a floating trampoline. Pet Daycare in Kapiti Coast, New Zealand Set in the scenic hills of New Zealand's Kapiti Coast, north of Wellington, this 2.1 hectare property contains both a 5-bedroom American barn-style house and a well-established pet boarding facility with 20% growth over the last four years. A dedicated Dog Studio could be the perfect place to train your canine companion to protect you from zombies or looters - all while enjoying the sea views and proximity to Wellington's nightlife. Pharmaceutical Plant in Rauha, Finland Medication could be in short supply if things take a turn for the worse - so why not buy your own pharmaceutical plant in the south of Finland? It comes with 2.12 hectares of fenced private land, as well as all the equipment, processes and personnel you'll need to produce and package your own medicine. It also comes with a 'microbiological and analytical laboratory' - which might just be the perfect place to develop a zombie cure. Vineyard on the island of Sardinia, Italy If you fancy seeing out the apocalypse with a nice glass of wine, this vineyard on the picturesque Italian island of Sardinia might catch your eye. It currently produces around 20,000 bottles of wine a year, alongside 300 litres of extra virgin olive oil. It's equipped for both wine tourism and retail sales, giving it potential for further growth. Mineral Water Spring in Bolkow, Poland There's no commodity more valuable than water in an apocalypse - so why not see out your days at a mineral water spring in the Polish countryside? This business borders the Buki Sudeckie Reserve and Katzbach Mountains, and includes offices, warehouses, two apartments, the spring as well as transport and production machines. Yoga Retreat in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Surviving the apocalypse is a stressful business. If you need to unwind, why not buy this lakeside Yoga retreat in Guatemala? This stunning building combines contemporary design with eco-conscious materials, catering for sustainably-minded tourists. It also contains a 100 square-metre rooftop Yoga Shala which can double as an effective watchtower. Organic Cacao Farm in Costa Rica This 67-acre cacao farm in Coto Brus, Costa Rica could allow you to build your own chocolate recipes and brand - all while enjoying stunning mountain views every morning. The land also contains abundant tropical fruit trees such as avocado, orange and grapefruit, meaning you won't be short on food supplies in the event of apocalypse. There's even pasture for horses and cattle, so you'll have a reliable mode of transport. Bakery in Tamarin, Mauritius This thriving cafe/bakery sits on the island of Mauritius, off the coast of Madagascar. It comes with everything you need to start making and selling your own bread, pastries, juice and drinks at an affordable asking price - plus its remote location makes it a safe bet. Restaurant in the Maldives This Italian restaurant is situated in the Maldives. It is a popular spot for both locals and tourists, serving authentic Italian food to a growing number of people staying on the island. Serve happy customers while enjoying stunning island views - and scanning the horizon for approaching warships. CEO and Founder Andrew Markou says: "Buying a business abroadcan be the perfect chance for a change of scenery, and the ten listed above all provide opportunities to grow your wealth in a unique environment outside the chaos of day to day life. Even if things haven't quite reached an apocalyptic level yet, we live in an increasingly unstable world where everyone is searching for financial and personal security. Buying any of these businesses is much more attainable than you might think - there are all kinds of financing options and loans available that can help you realise your dream." BusinessesForSale.com is the world's largest global platform for buying and selling businesses, with more than 56,000 listings across 27 countries. It is run by brothers Andrew and Marcus Markou, who inherited the business from their father Demetrios Markou in 1996. After starting out as a printed directory of fish and chip shops for sale in Birmingham, the business expanded rapidly during the internet boom of the early 2000s. It is now a global business with offices in the UK, Australia, India and Mexico, connecting entrepreneurs to international business, franchise and property investment opportunities. Attachment Delivers high-performing AI infrastructure through NVIDIA DGX Cloud Lepton to portfolio companies, creating a powerful competitive advantage in $100B+ life sciences market BioCorteX, Bioptimus, Cure51, and Latent Labs among first cohort of startups to gain GPU credits, helping position Europe at forefront of AI-driven drug discovery revolution Sofinnova Partners ("Sofinnova"), a leading European life sciences venture capital firm based in Paris, London, and Milan, today announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to support its portfolio of life sciences startups. The collaboration delivers significant Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) credits to select Sofinnova portfolio companies, effectively giving access to the same computational firepower used by tech titans in Silicon Valley. Amidst increasing demand for computational resources driven by AI, Sofinnova's portfolio companies will be able to access NVIDIA Blackwell and other NVIDIA architecture GPUs via NVIDIA DGX Cloud Lepton, an AI platform and marketplace connecting developers to global AI infrastructure. BioCorteX, Bioptimus, Cure51 and Latent Labs-four of Europe's most promising digital medicine startups-will gain access to computing resources through DGX Cloud Lepton, enabling them to process biological data sets and run computational models that would have taken months, completing them in days. Cure51, a pioneer in decoding the biology of exceptional cancer survivors, tested NVIDIA Parabricks, a GPU-accelerated genomics toolkit, and achieved up to 17x faster processing with NVIDIA H100 GPUs and more than 2x cost savings with NVIDIA L4 GPUs compared to their CPU baseline-dramatically accelerating their ability to analyze complex genomic data and scale their survivor-based insights. "This collaboration supercharges computation for life sciences innovation," said Antoine Papiernik, Chairman and Managing Partner at Sofinnova Partners. "The convergence of biology, AI, computation, and data isn't just our investment thesis-it's the defining battleground of the next decade. From our Digital Medicine strategy to our own proprietary AI platform Sofinnova.ai, we recognize the transformative potential of AI across our entire domain. By securing access to NVIDIA's infrastructure, we're not just funding companies; we're empowering them with the computational backbone needed to outperform incumbents and redefine what's possible in drug discovery, precision medicine, and scalable solutions that address both human health and sustainability." Learn more about NVIDIA DGX Cloud Lepton and view the official NVIDIA announcement. About Sofinnova Partners Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm in life sciences, specializing in healthcare and sustainability. Based in Paris, London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of professionals from all over the world with strong scientific, medical and business expertise. Sofinnova Partners is a hands-on company builder across the entire value chain of life sciences investments, from seed to later-stage. Founded in 1972, Sofinnova Partners is a deeply established venture capital firm in Europe, with 50 years of experience backing over 500 companies and creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners manages over 4 billion in assets. For more information, please visit: sofinnovapartners.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611102341/en/ Contacts: Sofinnova Partners Bommy Lee Head of Communications blee@sofinnovapartners.com +33 (0) 6 47 71 38 11 Media inquiries: United Kingdom Optimum Strategic Communications Hana Malik sofinnova@optimumcomms.com +44 (0) 20 3922 0900 France Strategies&Image (S&I) Anne Rein anne.rein@strategiesimage.com +33 (0) 6 03 35 92 05 Italy Havas PR Milan Pierluigi Cavarai pierluigi.cavaraiext@havaspr.com +39 (0) 392 77 999 33 Anaconda Biomed S.L., a medical technology company developing next-generation thrombectomy systems for the treatment of ischemic stroke, announced today the appointment of long-time medtech executive Charles (Chuck) Carignan, M.D., as chairman of the board. Dr. Carignan brings extensive clinical, product development, commercialization, and leadership expertise to the role. He has served on committees of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Additionally, he has led multiple successful corporations, including being the founding president and CEO of NinePoint Medical, president and CEO of BionX Medical, and CEO of SoniVie Inc. Additional prior roles include executive vice president and chief medical officer at Novasys Medical, chief medical officer of Endosurgery at Boston Scientific, and vice president of clinical research and medical affairs at Conceptus, Inc. He currently serves as the executive chairman of Cairdac, chairman of SamanTree Medical, and a director of Biothea and Prothea. "It is a privilege to welcome Chuck to Anaconda Biomed," said Trent Reutiman, chief executive officer. "With his leadership experience at Boston Scientific, numerous private venture-backed start-ups, and international government health agencies, Chuck brings a proven track record of developing and overseeing global healthcare companies. His operational and clinical insights will be invaluable as we continue to grow." Dr. Carignan is joining the company at a critical time as enrollment progresses in the global investigational device exemption (IDE) ATHENA clinical trial, and additional work continues on building the company's pipeline of products. Dr. Carignan added, "Beginning with the unique ANA Funnel Catheter technology, Anaconda has the opportunity to literally change the shape of the mechanical thrombectomy field. I am honored to join the board to actively contribute to the next phase of the company's successes by working closely with Trent and the rest of the board." About ANA Funnel Catheter ANA5 Advanced Neurovascular Access (ANA Funnel Catheter) is designed as an expandable and collapsable funnel catheter for interventional neurovascular procedures, requiring the retrieval of clot, and benefiting from limiting flow and/or flow reversal towards that goal. The device consists of a radiopaque nitinol braid funnel, covered with a polymeric coating enabling local flow arrest. The catheter is currently an investigational device and is not available for sale in the United States or the European Union. About Anaconda Biomed Anaconda Biomed is an innovative medical technology company dedicated to developing next-generation thrombectomy systems for the treatment of ischemic stroke. At the heart of its product portfolio is the ANA Funnel Catheter. Anaconda Biomed has received funding from prominent life science investment firms, including Ysios Capital, Omega Funds, Innogest, Asabys Partners, Banco Sabadell, and private investors. Additionally, through public grants, the company has received significant public support from ENISA, CDTI (Innvierte and NEOTEC), the Ministry of Science Innovation (Emplea and Retos), EIB, and EIT Health. For more information, please visit https://anaconda.bio and follow the company on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611110733/en/ Contacts: MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Duraes Pazanga Health Communications jduraes@pazangahealth.com 917-687-6419 AI Banker Agent helps teams work faster, increase market coverage, and rapidly deliver highly personalized service, fostering customer-aligned AI deployments in financial services KX, the leading high-performance analytical database for the AI era, today announced the general availability of its first production-grade Agentic AI Blueprint: the AI Banker Agent. Built with NVIDIA AI and specifically tailored for sell-side global markets banks, this collaboration delivers the first-of-its-kind agentic AI designed to transform how banks operate in fast-moving trading environments. Banks are at an inflection point. As AI-native hedge funds and early adopters set new performance benchmarks, traditional institutions must act now or risk falling behind. The AI Banker Agent helps teams work faster, increase market coverage, and rapidly deliver highly personalized service. This unlocks new revenue opportunities, improves customer satisfaction, expands fee-based offerings, and drives growth in assets under management. The KX AI Banker Agent Blueprint combines NVIDIA's AI stack, including NVIDIA NeMo, NVIDIA Nemotron, and NVIDIA NIM microservices, as well as NVIDIA accelerated computing with KX's high-performance time series and vector database to deliver intelligent, real-time workflows. It delivers real-time intelligence and autonomous decision-making capabilities by packaging domain-specific workflows, compliance-ready safeguards, and pre-tuned model logic, giving firms a reliable foundation they can adapt to their own data, policies, and trading strategies. "This is a critical moment for AI within capital markets, and the time is now to integrate a truly transformational AI strategy to navigate regime shifts, liquidity events and complex risk environments," said Ashok Reddy, CEO, KX. "We've entered the age of applied AI in capital markets-this is no longer theoretical. With the AI Banker Agent, we've made the AI Factory real. It's engineered for the speed, complexity, and regulatory rigor of global markets, giving banks a foundation to modernize faster and serve clients better." From signal detection to dynamic risk analysis, KX powers the low-latency, event-driven architectures that agentic AI requires to operate effectively in live trading scenarios. The KX platform's ability to process massive data volumes in real-time, combined with its proven track record in financial services, provides the speed, scale, and reliability essential for supporting these sophisticated AI workflows. "To thrive in today's competitive and volatile markets, Corporate Bankers, Private Bankers, and Wealth Managers are looking to provide clients with personalized advice in real time," said Malcolm deMayo, Global Vice President of Financial Services Industry, NVIDIA. "The AI Banker Agent, powered by NVIDIA NIM microservices, NVIDIA NeMo, AI Q and KX KDB.AI, harvests valuable insights from rich tabular and unstructured datasets and serves as an 'easy button' giving relationship managers a competitive edge." Banks can deploy the AI Banker Agent from KX to impact their business in the following ways: AI-Powered Research Assistant: Unlocks on-demand high-quality research at scale, enabling more complete market coverage with the same number of analysts producing better outcomes and managing risks in real time Unlocks on-demand high-quality research at scale, enabling more complete market coverage with the same number of analysts producing better outcomes and managing risks in real time AI-Powered Relationship Manager: Transforms client engagement into a revenue driver through hyper responsive service and deeper personalization Transforms client engagement into a revenue driver through hyper responsive service and deeper personalization Personalized Portfolio Manager: Enables premium advisory services with continuous personalization, expanding fee-based models and growing AUM To ensure rapid market adoption and seamless implementation, leading strategic technology partners including Capgemini, are actively involved in operationalizing these blueprints across the banking sector. Their participation provides clients with a clear, tested path from innovation to production deployment, helping financial institutions realize the promise of AI Factories through trusted, experienced partners. "Capital market leaders worldwide recognize the value of extracting insights at speed and see the potential to transform their trading operations," said Pierre-Olivier Bouee, Head of Financial Services for Europe, Capgemini. "Capgemini's expertise in AI and decades of experience in financial services allows us to work as a true partner to financial institutions implementing the AI Banker Agent to drive real impact in their business." In addition to demonstrating the capabilities of the AI Banker Agent at NVIDIA's GTC Paris June 10-12, KX and NVIDIA have also launched a dedicated AI Lab for enterprises to conduct their own experimentation with AI-driven workflows. Participants will have the opportunity to accelerate prototyping and proof-of-concept development, empowering them to innovate, test and optimize their solutions in a real-world, regulatory-compliant environment. Interested parties are invited to register. About KX KX software powers the time-aware data-driven decisions that enable fast-moving companies to outpace competitors, realizing the full potential of their AI investments. The KX platform delivers transformational value by addressing data challenges related to completeness, timeliness and efficiency, ensuring companies understand change over time and can achieve faster, more accurate insights at any scale, cost-effectively. KX is essential to the operations of the world's top investment banks, aerospace and defense, high-tech manufacturing, healthcare and life sciences, automotive and fleet telematics organizations. The company has established offices and a robust customer base across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. For more information visit www.kx.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611605702/en/ Contacts: Media Contact Kate D. Shapiro LaunchTech Communications 410-698-5211 Kate@golaunchtech.com PARIS, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PEGATRON, a globally recognized Design, Manufacturing, and Service (DMS) provider, is showcasing its latest AI server solutions at GTC Paris 2025. Built on NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, PEGATRON's cutting-edge systems are tailored for AI training, reasoning, and enterprise-scale deployment. NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 At the forefront is the RA4802-72N2, built on the NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 rack system, featuring 72 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs and 36 NVIDIA Grace CPUs. Designed for AI factories, it boosts output by up to 50X. PEGATRON's in-house developed Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) delivers 310 kW of cooling capacity with redundant hot-swappable pumps, ensuring performance and reliability for mission-critical workloads. NVIDIA HGX B300 Liquid and Air-Cooled Solutions The AS208-2A1, a 2U liquid-cooled GPU server with NVIDIA HGX B300 system and dual AMD EPYC 9005 CPUs in a compact form factor. Scalable within a 48U NVIDIA MGX rack, it supports configurations of up to 128 GPUs and 32 CPUs, operating under a high-efficiency direct liquid cooling design. Optimized for the AI reasoning era, the system leverages the Blackwell Ultra architecture to deliver breakthrough performance for complex workloads such as agentic systems, real-time reasoning, and video generation, making it an ideal platform for next-generation AI data centers. For data centers preferring air-cooled solutions, PEGATRON introduces the 8U air-cooled GPU server featuring an NVIDIA HGX B300 systems. This system supports either dual Intel Xeon 6 processors (AS801-2T1) or AMD EPYC 9005 GPUs (AS801-2A1), providing deployment flexibility while maintaining high-performance compute for AI model training, scientific research, and advanced analytics. NVIDIA RTX PRO Server The AS400-2A1 is a 4U RTX PRO server equipped with 8 NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs and dual AMD EPYC 9005 CPUs. It supports a wide range of enterprise AI workloads-from multimodal inference and physical AI to design, scientific computing, graphics, and video applications. It supports the NVIDIA MGX PCIe Switch Board with the ConnectX-8 SuperNIC, enabling 800 Gbps ultra-high-speed networking with enhanced throughput, energy and cost efficiency. "As AI continues to reshape industries, the need for powerful, scalable, and energy-efficient infrastructure is more critical than ever," said May Wang, Vice President of PEGATRON. "Our new platforms, built on NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra and RTX PRO architectures, empower organizations to unlock new levels of performance, reliability, and productivity." Meet PEGATRON at Booth G10, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, June 11-12, 2025. Learn more at PEGATRON SVR website and follow us on LinkedIn and YouTube. About Pegatron PEGATRON Corporation (hereafter referred to as "PEGATRON") was founded on January 1, 2008. With abundant product development experience and vertically integrated manufacturing, Pegatron is committed to providing clients with innovative design, systematic production and manufacturing service to comprehensively and efficiently satisfy all our customers' needs. Drawing on accumulated experience in server design and manufacturing, Pegatron now focuses on developing a variety of state-of-the-art servers that meet the requirements of present and future Cloud Service Providers' data centers, as well as enterprise-grade data centers. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2708298/GTCParis_News_1216x389_1.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/pegatron-unveils-ai-optimized-server-innovations-at-gtc-paris-2025-302478924.html After launching in the USA, Milestone's Project Hafnia is now engaged in Europe with the city of Genoa, Italy. The aim is to develop AI-driven solutions to enhance traffic management systems and create smarter cities with high-quality, regulation compliant video data trained with NVIDIA NeMo Curator on NVIDIA DGX Cloud. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611227692/en/ Genoa, Italy. Milestone is one of the early adopters of the newly announced NVIDIA Omniverse Blueprint for Smart City AI, a reference framework for optimizing city operations with digital twins and AI agents. Milestone is also expanding its data platform with NVIDIA Cosmos to generate synthetic video data from real world inputs. Leveraging both real and synthetic data, Milestone will build and train vision language models (VLMs) responsibly. European cloud provider Nebius will provide the required GPU compute to train the models. AI opens up new horizons for smarter, more efficient cities with Project Hafnia's data platform from intelligent traffic and transportation management to better safety and security for people and property. VLMs learn to map the relationships between text data and visual data such as images or videos, allowing these AI-models to generate summaries and insights from visual inputs. Milestone Systems is working with NVIDIA to empower European cities like Genoa to build and fine-tune computer vision and AI applications on a foundation of fully compliant and ethically sourced data. The project is rooted in regulatory integrity, data diversity, and AI relevance, aligning with the EU's legal frameworks, including GDPR and the AI Act. This ensures both transparency and fairness in the development of AI technologies. "I'm proud that with Project Hafnia we are introducing the world's first platform to meet the EU's regulatory standards, powered by NVIDIA technology. With Nebius as our European cloud provider, we can now enable compliant, high-quality video data for training vision AI models fully anchored in Europe. This marks an important step forward in supporting the EU's commitment to transparency, fairness, and regulatory oversight in AI and technology the foundation for responsible AI innovation," says Thomas Jensen, CEO of Milestone. Milestone's Project Hafnia provides the missing link for developing video-centric AI innovation with a fully compliant and ethically sourced data library for fine tuning classical video analytics models and VLMs. The VLM's accuracy and performance optimizations are tuned for running on NVIDIA GPUs and in NVIDIA AI Blueprint for video search and summarization (VSS). First service offering trained on transportation data from Genoa Project Hafnia now offers a fully European Visual Language Model for transportation management. The VLM is powered by NVIDIA and trained on a large volume of responsibly sourced and compliant transportation data from Genoa, Italy. "AI is achieving extraordinary results, unthinkable until recently, and the research in the area is in constant development. We enthusiastically joined forces with Project Hafnia to allow developers to access fundamental video data for training new Vision AI models. This data-driven approach is a key principle in the Three-Year Plan for Information Technology, aiming to promote digital transformation in Italy and particularly within the Italian Public Administration," says Andrea Sinisi, Information Systems Officer, City of Genoa. While the focus of these collaborations is initially on video data, the framework is designed to scale across multiple domains and modalities, enabling future expansion and adaptation improving the value of the data. Both the compliant dataset and the fine-tuned VLM will be made available to the cities using Project Hafnia through a controlled access license model, facilitating Europe's AI ambitions without compromising ethical standards. Nebius to serve as European cloud solution NVIDIA cloud provider, Nebius, will serve as the EU-based cloud solution for Project Hafnia's collaboration with Genoa. Choosing Nebius as a sovereign cloud provider ensures full compliance with European data protection regulations, supports digital sovereignty objectives and guarantees that sensitive public-sector data remains securely within EU jurisdiction. "Project Hafnia is exactly the kind of real-world, AI-at-scale challenge Nebius was built for," says Roman Chernin, Chief Business Officer of Nebius."Supporting AI development today requires infrastructure engineered for high-throughput, high-resilience workloads, with precise control over where data lives and how it's handled. From our EU-based data centers to our deep integration with NVIDIA's AI stack, we've built a platform that meets the highest standards for performance, privacy and transparency." ABOUT PROJECT HAFNIA When training an AI model, high-quality data is essential. Just like a person learns by absorbing knowledge, AI models require vast amounts of structured data to develop reliable insights. But where does this data come from? Enter Project Hafnia. Project Hafnia acts as the trusted librarian of AI video data, carefully curating, tagging, and delivering ethically sourced, regulation-ready video data for AI model training. By leveraging Project Hafnia, AI learns from high-quality, verified video data, ensuring not only precision and compliance but also the protection of citizen privacy. The vast network of end-customers, distributors and tech-partners enables Milestone to organize the world's Video Data Eco-system with Project Hafnia and drive AI development even further. With Project Hafnia, companies can confidently build and deploy AI models without compromising on compliance or quality. About Milestone Systems Milestone Systems is a world leader in data-driven video technology used in industries as diverse as manufacturing, airports, law enforcement, retail, and traffic management. We provide a clear picture of how to create a safer, better and more prosperous world. Our XProtect video management software, BriefCam AI-powered analytics, and Arcules cloud VSaaS help our customers learn from the past, understand the present, and predict the future. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Milestone employs more than 1,500 people worldwide and has been an independent company in the Canon Group since2014. For more information visit: www.milestonesys.com. For news and other press releases, visit our Newsroom. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611227692/en/ Contacts: Lisbeth Nedergaard Vice President, Communications lin@milestone.dk Tel: +45 4176 0272 Sophie Cederstrm Senior PR Advisor sce@milestone.dk Tel: +45 50 84 29 55 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Aurania Resources Ltd. (TSXV: ARU) (OTCQB: AUIAF) (FSE: 20Q) ("Aurania" or the "Company") reports on a resolution recently put forth by the Ecuadorian Control and Regulation Agency ("ARCOM" for its Spanish acronym) related to a new administrative fee on the mining sector. This resolution has not yet been published in the Official Registry, and therefore, to our knowledge is not yet in effect. The intention of this resolution is for all participants in the mining/exploration industry in Ecuador to fund ARCOM's efforts to stop illegal mining, strengthen oversight, and enhance the operational capacity of ARCOM. The document provides assessments of the amount each mining/exploration company is expected to pay based on the type of regime, size of concessions and stage of exploration. As presented, this proposed fee would require the Company to pay approximately US$24 million this year by July 31st. This figure is insupportable and represents approximately ten times the amount the Company pays for its annual concession fees in Ecuador. The Company is collaborating with the Mining Chamber of Ecuador's legal commission and all other mining/exploration companies in Ecuador, to ensure that relevant authorities understand that this fee is not feasible and will likely place the whole mining/exploration industry in Ecuador at risk. If the resolution is implemented as currently outlined, the regulation would result in an unsustainable cost burden for companies operating within the sector and may undermine confidence in Ecuador's regulatory consistency and commitment to mining development. The Company has reached out to the Ecuadorian Government at the highest levels and will continue in discussions with the Mining Chamber of Ecuador and the Company's respective legal counsels as joint industry efforts are taking place to prevent this regulation from being implemented. The Company will assess options for further courses of action. About Aurania Aurania is a mineral exploration company engaged in the identification, evaluation, acquisition, and exploration of mineral property interests, with a focus on precious metals and copper in South America. Its flagship asset, The Lost Cities - Cutucu Project, is located in the Jurassic Metallogenic Belt in the eastern foothills of the Andes mountain range of southeastern Ecuador. Information on Aurania and technical reports are available at www.aurania.com and www.sedarplus.ca, as well as on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/auranialtd/, Twitter at https://twitter.com/auranialtd, and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/aurania-resources-ltd-. For further information, please contact: 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 news release contains forward-looking information as such term is defined in applicable securities laws, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. The forward-looking information includes statements regarding the ARCOM resolution, its impact on the Company and the mining sector in Ecuador, and Aurania's objectives, goals and future plans in light of the ARCOM resolution. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to Aurania, including the current status of the ARCOM resolution and the interpretation of the application of the resolution. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. Risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking information include, among other things, the failure of efforts to dissuade the relevant authorities to proceed with the ARMCOM resolution, the publication of the ARCOM resolution in its current form, an application of the ARCOM resolution of more severe consequences than currently understood and a lack of options for further courses of action, including legal action which would not provide appropriate relief and, generally, the additional risks identified in our filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR+ (available at www.sedarplus.ca). Aurania cautions the reader that the above list of risk factors is not exhaustive. Although the Company 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 as anticipated, estimated, described, or intended. Investors are cautioned against undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required by applicable securities regulations, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update the forward-looking information. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255197 SOURCE: Aurania Resources Ltd. Dieppe, New Brunswick--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Colibri Resource Corporation (TSXV: CBI) ("Colibri" or the "Company") announces that, further to the Company's press release on May 14, 2025, Colibri has received approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") for the consolidation of its issued and outstanding common shares (each, a "Share") on the basis of five (5) pre-consolidation Shares for each one (1) post-consolidation Share (the "Consolidation"). The Consolidation is being effected pursuant to a resolution of the board of directors of the Company dated May 5, 2025. No shareholder approval is required for the Consolidation to come into effect. The Company has obtained a new CUSIP (194168407) and ISIN (CA194168407) in connection with the Consolidation. There will be no name change or trading symbol change in conjunction with the Consolidation. Effective at the opening of trading on Friday, June 13, 2025 (the "Effective Date"), the Shares will commence trading on the TSXV on a consolidated basis. As at the date hereof, there are a total of 115,417,625 Shares issued and outstanding. Assuming no other change to the issued and outstanding Shares, a total of 23,083,525 Shares, subject to adjustments for rounding, will be issued and outstanding on the Effective Date. No fractional post-Consolidation Shares will be issued as a result of the Consolidation. Fractional Shares will be rounded up to the next nearest whole number of Shares if the fraction is at least half of a Share and rounded down to the nearest whole number of Shares if the fraction is less than half a Share. The exercise or conversion price, and the number of Shares issuable under any of the Company's outstanding convertible securities, if any, will be proportionately adjusted upon the Effective Date. A letter of transmittal from the Company's transfer agent, Computershare Investor Services Inc., will be mailed to registered shareholders providing instructions on how to exchange their physical Share certificates representing pre-Consolidation Shares for new certificates representing post-Consolidation Shares. Shareholders who hold their Shares in DRS/Book or in brokerage accounts are not required to take action to effect an exchange of their pre-Consolidation Shares for post-Consolidation Shares. Until surrendered, each Share certificate representing pre-Consolidation Shares will represent the number of whole post-Consolidation Shares to which the holder is entitled as a result of the Consolidation. ABOUT COLIBRI RESOURCE CORPORATION Colibri is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSX-V (CBI) and is focused on acquiring, exploring, and developing prospective gold & silver properties in Mexico. The Company holds four high potential precious metal projects: 1) 49% Ownership of the Pilar Gold & Silver Project which is believed to hold the potential to be a near term producing mine, 2) 100% of EP Gold Project in the significant Caborca Gold Belt which has delivered highly encouraging exploration results and is surround by Mexico's second largest major producer of gold on four sides, and 3) two highly prospective interests in the Sierra Madre (Diamante Gold & Silver Project and Jackie Gold & Silver Project. For more information about all Company projects please visit: www.colibriresource.com. 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. Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements". Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255230 SOURCE: Colibri Resource Corporation Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 12, 2025) - Myriad Uranium Corp. (CSE: M) (OTCQB: MYRUF) (FSE: C3Q) ("Myriad" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will be conducting a non-brokered private placement of up to 6,000,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.25 per Unit (the "Financing") to raise gross proceeds of up to $1.5 million. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (each, a "Share") and one-half of one Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Share at a price of $0.35 for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the date of issuance. Securities issued under the Financing will be subject to a four month hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. The Company may pay finder's fees in connection with the Financing. Insiders of the Company may participate in the Financing. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Financing for exploration of the Company's mineral properties and for general working capital. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this news release in the United States. Such 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, accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements. About Myriad Uranium Corp. Myriad Uranium Corp. is a uranium exploration company with an earnable 75% interest in the Copper Mountain Uranium Project in Wyoming, USA. Copper Mountain hosts several known uranium deposits and historic uranium mines, including the Arrowhead Mine which produced 500,000 lbs of eU3O8. Copper Mountain saw extensive drilling and development by Union Pacific during the late 1970s including the development of a mine plan to fuel a planned fleet of California Edison reactors. Operations ceased in 1980 before mining could commence due to falling uranium prices. Approximately 2,000 boreholes have been drilled at Copper Mountain and the Project Area has significant exploration upside. Union Pacific is estimated to have spent C$117 million (2024 dollars) exploring and developing Copper Mountain, generating significant historical resource estimates which are detailed here. The Company also recently acquired, subject to completing a geophysical survey this year, a 100% interest in the Red Basin Uranium Project in New Mexico, which has a near-surface historical resource (non-43-101) at grades from 1,700 to 3,100 ppm with significant upside potential. The announcement regarding the acquisition can be viewed here and a subsequent announcement regarding an expansion of the Company's acreage to encompass 800 of 1,050 historical boreholes in the basin can be viewed here. Our Crux Investor overview page including recent interviews can be viewed here. The Company's presentation can be viewed here. News releases regarding historical drilling can be viewed here and here. Myriad also has a 50% interest in the Millen Mountain Property in Nova Scotia, Canada, with the other 50% held by Probe Gold Inc. For further information, please refer to Myriad's disclosure record on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca), contact Myriad by telephone at +1.604.418.2877, or refer to Myriad's website at www.myriaduranium.com. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking information" that is based on the Company's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. This forward-looking information includes, among other things, the Company's business, plans, outlook and business strategy. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "likely", "expect," "anticipate," "intend", "estimate", "plan", "forecast", "project" and "believe" or other similar words and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking information. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect, including with respect to the Company's business plans respecting the exploration and development of the Company's mineral properties, the proposed work program on the Company's mineral properties and the potential and economic viability of the Company's mineral properties. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in costs; litigation; legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; and technological or operational difficulties. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect our forward-looking information. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking information. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255436 SOURCE: Myriad Uranium Corp. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Hercules Metals Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB: BADEF) (FSE: C0X) ("Hercules" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has engaged GDT Strategic Communications Inc. ("GDT Strategic"), a Toronto-based investor relations and financial communications firm led by Greg DiTomaso, to provide investor relations and advisory services. Chris Paul, CEO and Director of the Company, noted: "I am delighted to welcome Greg to the Hercules team. Greg is a skilled investor relations professional with significant mining industry experience. As the Hercules story continues to grow and evolve, I am confident that Greg will be a positive contributor to communicating the Company's exciting value proposition to the investment community." The initial term of the engagement agreement (the "Agreement") is for a period of twelve months unless otherwise terminated earlier. As consideration for the services, the Company will pay a monthly fee of $10,000 in addition to 200,000 options exercisable for a period of 5 years with an exercise price of CAD$0.68. The options will vest in four equal tranches over a period of twenty-four months. GDT Strategic does not have any interest, directly or indirectly, in the Company or its securities, or any right or intent to acquire such an interest. Aside from this engagement, the Company does not have any relationship with GDT Strategic. The engagement with GDT Strategic is subject to compliance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. About Hercules Metals Corp. Hercules Metals Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB: BADEF) (FSE: C0X) is an exploration Company focused on developing America's newest porphyry copper district, in Idaho. The 100% owned Hercules Project located northwest of Cambridge, Idaho, hosts the newly discovered Leviathan porphyry copper system, one of the most important new porphyry copper discoveries in recent times. The Company is well positioned for growth through continued drilling, supported by a strategic investment from Barrick Mining Corporation. With the potential for significant scale, the Company's management and board of directors aims to build on its proven track record which includes the discovery and development of numerous base and precious metals projects worldwide. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. Any securities referred to herein have not 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 of an exemption from such registration is available. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information This news release contains certain information that may be deemed "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking information contained in this press release may include, without limitation, the expected execution of future exploration programs on the Property; assay results of future drill holes; results of operations, and the expected financial performance of the Company. Although the Company believes the forward-looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based on information available on the date hereof, by its nature, forward-looking information involves assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Examples of such assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, assumptions, risks and uncertainties associated with general economic conditions; the Covid-19 pandemic; adverse industry events; the receipt of required regulatory approvals and the timing of such approvals; that the Company maintains good relationships with the communities in which it operates or proposes to operate, future legislative and regulatory developments in the mining sector; the Company's ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favorable terms; mining industry and markets in Canada and generally; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; competition; the risk that any of the assumptions prove not to be valid or reliable, which could result in delays, or cessation in planned work, risks associated with the interpretation of data, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as other assumptions risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company, including as set forth in the Company's public disclosure documents filed on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca. THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF HERCULES METALS AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE HERCULES METALS MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS. 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 press release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255136 SOURCE: Hercules Metals Corp. Highlights Three contiguous mineral dispositions totaling 10,519.43 hectares have been added to the Gochager Lake Property. The Gochager Lake Property now consists of 39 contiguous mineral claims amounting to 34,409.34 total hectares. The new staking covers known mafic-hosted nickel-copper occurrences as well as known gold occurrences. The additional staked land covers the possible northeast and south-southwest extensions of the Borys Lake VMS-style trend. Wildfire conditions in the La Ronge area in north-central Saskatchewan has forced the postponement of planned field exploration at the Gochager Lake Property. Fathom plans to commence the planned field exploration later this summer when conditions permit. Company Update Webinar: Shareholders, investors and stakeholders are invited to attend Fathom Nickel's live update webinar taking place at 8:00 AM MST/10:00 AM EST today, Wednesday June 11, 2025. Link here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82545797840?pwd=8ZLAaoMmmVDywS5kVQrO8TYwbQGPxn.1 Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Fathom Nickel Inc. (CSE: FNI) (FSE: 6Q5) (OTCQB: FNICF) (the "Company" or "Fathom") is pleased to announce that it has expanded the Gochager Lake Property, through direct staking with the Government of Saskatchewan's Ministry of Energy and Resources. Additionally, due to the current wildfire situation in north-central Saskatchewan, the Company has been forced to postpone the planned Gochager Lake field program until later this summer. About The Expanded Gochager Lake Property Area (Figure 1): The Gochager Lake Property is host to the historic Gochager Lake deposit 1 . . Fathom's re-interpretation of a 2008 VTEM survey flown over the Gochager Lake Property area identified a very prospective structural corridor (the "Gochager Trend"). The Gochager Trend is a possible conduit that hosts the historic Gochager Lake deposit. The 2008 VTEM survey highlights a series of complex conductors trending along strike to the northeast and to the southwest within this interpreted structural corridor. Fathom's litho-geochemistry analyses of historic drill core from the Mal Lake Ni-occurrence 2 confirms that the Mal Lake Ni-Cu+Co mineralization and host rock is analogous to the historic Gochager Lake Ni-Cu-Co deposit (Fathom Press Release July 11, 2024). confirms that the Mal Lake Ni-Cu+Co mineralization and host rock is analogous to the historic Gochager Lake Ni-Cu-Co deposit (Fathom Press Release July 11, 2024). Similar to Gochager Lake and Mal Lake, the Hood Creek Cu-Ni+Co showings 3 mineralization, is hosted within a gabbroic host rock. mineralization, is hosted within a gabbroic host rock. Fathom's re-interpretation of a 2013 VTEM survey flown over the Borys Lake VMS-style Zn-Pb-Ag deposit 4 highlights numerous conductors associated with the VMS-style mineralization and has contributed to the interpreted Borys VMS Trend. highlights numerous conductors associated with the VMS-style mineralization and has contributed to the interpreted Borys VMS Trend. Within the Borys VMS Trend. several zones of Zn-Pb-Ag mineralization, defined by surface trenching and drilling, occur intermittently over a 3.8km strike 5 . . In-house re-interpretation of the 2008 and 2013 VTEM surveys flown over the current Gochager Lake Property area, along with a review of Saskatchewan government assessment files, was the rationale to expand the Gochager Lake Property. Immediately along strike of the Gochager and Borys VMS Trends, in the newly staked claim (MC00022552), multiple occurrences of anomalous Ni-Cu-Zn in bedrock is reported in a government assessment file 6 . . Within the most eastern recent claim acquisition (MC00019534), assessment files and SMDI files reference anomalous gold of up to 2.68 g/t Au associated with shear hosted quartz veins7. Ian Fraser, Fathom CEO and VP Exploration stated, "The Gochager Lake Property area is very well endowed and not just with nickel-copper-cobalt showings and deposits. The Borys Lake VMS zinc-lead-silver mineralization cannot be overlooked. With renewed attention being drawn to gold opportunities in Saskatchewan, we feel it is prudent to not overlook gold potential at the Gochager Lake Property. The Ni-Cu-Co mineralization attracted us to the Gochager Lake property in the first place - and continues to remain our focus. However, our most recent property expansion was motivated by a number of factors, including: 1) our ever evolving understanding of the greater property area and increased potential for additional magmatic nickel sulphide deposits; 2) a very prospective (and open) regional VMS begging for a focused exploration approach, and; 3) the potential for an orogenic gold discovery. This recent property acquisition has significantly expanded our playing field. I would also like to personally, and on behalf of our Company ,express our sadness to learn of the damage and losses suffered by the residents in and around La Ronge and surrounding areas resulting from this year's wildfires. We commend the bravery and dedication of those individuals who not only protected and saved their own properties, but the property of many other La Ronge residents. I have heard the stories firsthand - the heroism and the spirit of the community continues to prevail. Our thoughts and best wishes are extended to Fathom's stakeholders, suppliers, and friends as we work through these most trying of times." Figure 1 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7843/255221_71fef5c5246a3899_002full.jpg Qualified Person and Data Verification Ian Fraser, P.Geo., CEO, VP Exploration and a Director of the Company and the "qualified person" as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of the Company. About Fathom Nickel Inc. Fathom is an exploration company that is targeting magmatic nickel sulphide discoveries to support the green energy transition and to secure the supply of North American Critical Minerals. The Company now has a portfolio of three high-quality exploration projects located in the prolific Trans Hudson Corridor in Saskatchewan: 1) the Albert Lake Project, a 90,000+ hectare project that was host to the historic and past producing Rottenstone Mine8 (produced 28,724 tons @3.3% Ni, 1.8% Cu, 9.63 g/t 3E (Pd-Pt+Au) 1965-1969), and 2) the 34,000+ hectare Gochager Lake Project that is host to a historic, NI43-101 non-compliant open pit resource consisting of 4.3M tons at 0.295% Ni and 0.081% Cu1, and 3) the 10,000+ hectare Friesen Lake Project located 40km southwest of the historic Rottenstone Mine and 30km northwest of the historic Gochager Lake deposit. The Saskatchewan Mineral Deposit Index (SMDI #0880) reports drill indicated reserves at the historic Gochager Lake Deposit of 4,262,400 tons grading 0.295% Ni and 0.081% Cu mineable by open pit. Fathom cannot confirm the resource estimate, nor the parameters and methods used to prepare the reserve estimate. The estimate is not considered NI43-101 compliant and further work is required to verify this historical drill indicated reserve. Fathom drilling 2023-2024 has confirmed Ni-Cu-Co mineralization occurring at the Gochager Lake deposit. The Saskatchewan Mineral Deposit Index (SMID#0836) reports the location, geological details and exploration history at the Mal Lake Ni-Cu showing. The Saskatchewan Mineral Deposit Index (SMID#0849) reports the location, geological details and exploration history at the Hood Claims Cu-Ni showing. The Saskatchewan Mineral Deposit Index (SMID#0848) reports drill indicated reserves at the Borys Lake Deposit of 1,336,500 tons grading 1.91% combined Zn and Pb. Fathom cannot confirm this resource estimate, nor the parameters and methods used to prepare the reserve estimate. The estimate is not NI43-101 compliant and further work is required to verify this historical drill indicated reserve. The Saskatchewan Mineral Deposit Index files (SMID#'s 0848, 0857a&b, 0858) reports the location, geological details, exploration history and reserves at the Borys Lake Zn-Pb-Ag deposit and report on other Zn-Pb-Ag mineralized zones. The Saskatchewan Mineral Assessment Database (SMAD#73P15-0012) reports geologic work assessment details pertaining to base metal exploration (Cu-Zn-Ni) in the Forbes Lake area in 1997. The Saskatchewan Mineral Assessment Database (SMAD#73P15-0089) reports geologic work assessment details pertaining to gold exploration in the Forbes Lake area in 1994 and 1999. The Saskatchewan Mineral Deposit Index (SMDI #0958) reports the production grades noted above from a small open pit; the Rottenstone Mine. Fathom cannot confirm the production grade values, nor a historic resource estimate that may have been in place ahead of production. All historic records of pre-mine development and mine production are lost. The Company can confirm the historic Rottenstone open pit exists. Due to exploitation by mining (1965-1969), it is impossible to confirm production tonnage or pre-production tonnage. The Company trusts the production and grade values, as noted in SMDI #0958, to be accurate. The Company has performed test assaying of Rottenstone-type mineralization and results are consistent with reported production grades. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Ian Fraser" CEO, VP Exploration, Director Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking statements" that are based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "seek", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "suggest", "indicate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, and include, without limitation, statements regarding payment of terms under the Option Agreement, permitting for the Property, receipt of an exploration permit, timing of the exploration program on the Property and the Company achieving the earn-in thresholds under the Option Agreement. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. 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. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255221 SOURCE: Fathom Nickel Inc. Invesco Bond Income Plus Ltd - Appointment of Non-Executive Director PR Newswire LONDON, United Kingdom, June 11 LEI: 549300JLX6ELWUZXCX14 Invesco Bond Income Plus Limited Headline: Appointment of Non-Executive Director The Board of Invesco Bond Income Plus Limited ('the Company') is pleased to announce that Arun Kumar Sarwal was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Company with effect from the close of the Company's AGM on 11 June 2025. Arun has also been appointed to the Company's Audit & Risk, Management Engagement and Remuneration & Nomination Committees. Arun is currently Audit Chair of JPMorgan European Discovery Trust plc and Dunedin Income Growth Investment Trust plc and the Strategic Board Advisor at Tumelo. Arun brings extensive experience of the fund management industry gained over some 35 years in the UK, Europe, and Asia. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Fellow of The Association of Corporate Treasurers. His previous roles include CEO of Broadridge Fund Communication Solutions and DST Global Solutions, COO at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership and global roles at ABN AMRO and Societe Generale. Commenting on the appointment Tim Scholefield, Chairman said: "We are delighted to welcome Arun Sarwal to the Board. Arun brings extensive financial and fund management skills and experience. These skills will complement and further support the Board and the Company in delivering its investment and strategic objectives." Arun holds 23,820 shares in the Company. No further details are required to be disclosed under UKLR 6.4.8R. Contact: Hilary Jones JTC Fund Solutions (Jersey) Limited Telephone: 01534 700000 11 June 2025 The new brand reflects Firm360's steady focus on simplifying workflows and supporting accounting teams with tools that work. RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Firm360, a leader in cohesive practice management solutions for accounting firms, today announced a refreshed brand identity to reflect the company's evolution and future vision. The update includes a redesigned website, thoughtfully crafted to deliver a more modern, unified experience. Firm360 Rebrand Our updated brand reflects both who we are today and the ambitions we hold for the future - helping more firms eliminate silos, embrace automation, and gain deeper visibility into their operations. "Firm360 was founded by accountants who lived the daily challenges of running a firm," said Emily Maxie, VP of Marketing. "This brand refresh is more than a new look - it's a reaffirmation of our original mission: to build practical, purpose-driven tools that make work easier for accounting teams." Since its inception, Firm360 has helped accounting firms nationwide streamline their operations, reduce administrative overhead, and deliver better client service - all within a single, integrated platform. The rebrand marks a significant step in the company's journey as it accelerates market presence and product innovation. "This is a pivotal moment in Firm360's journey," added Patrick O'Neill, CEO of Firm360. "Our updated brand reflects both who we are today and the ambitions we hold for the future - helping more firms eliminate silos, embrace automation, and gain deeper visibility into their operations. We're not just keeping up with the industry's evolution - we're building the tools to lead it." Firm360's refreshed identity includes a new logo and updated color palette that capture the company's modern, forward-thinking spirit. The website and product interface have also been redesigned to improve usability and deliver a more cohesive digital experience across devices. From marketing materials to customer communications, every brand touchpoint has been thoughtfully updated to reflect a consistent, professional aesthetic that aligns with Firm360's mission to simplify and elevate firm operations. About Firm360 Firm360 delivers a unified practice management platform designed to help accounting firms streamline operations, collaborate more effectively, and grow their businesses. Trusted by thousands of accounting professionals, Firm360 combines intuitive workflows, robust integrations, and world-class support to power the modern accounting practice. To learn more, visit www.myfirm360.com . SOURCE: Firm360 View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/firm360-unveils-new-look-same-mission-purpose-built-software-for-1034564 DALLAS, TEXAS / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Sendero , a full-service management consulting firm, has been recognized by Great Place To Work and Fortune magazine as one of this year's Best Workplaces in Texas . This marks the second consecutive year that Sendero has been featured. Fortune Media and Great Place To Work Name Sendero to 2025 Fortune Best Workplaces in Texas To determine the Fortune Best Workplaces in Texas List , Great Place To Work surveyed nearly 116,000 employees at eligible companies via its proprietary platform . Companies were ranked based on their ability to offer consistently positive experiences and build trust with leaders and colleagues at all levels of the organization. To be eligible for the list, companies must be Great Place To Work Certified , have at least 10 U.S. employees, and be headquartered in Texas. "We are honored to be recognized by our employees as one of the Best Workplaces in Texas," said Ruth Farrar , Chief Operations Officer at Sendero. "This award is based on survey feedback from Senderoans, making it even more meaningful. We're proud to cultivate a workplace where every team member can thrive, build relationships, and grow in their career." The Best Workplaces in Texas list is highly competitive. Survey responses reflect a comprehensive picture of the workplace experience. Honorees were selected based on their ability to deliver positive outcomes for employees regardless of their role or status within the organization. "Congratulations to the Fortune Best Workplaces in Texas," said Michael C. Bush, CEO at Great Place To Work. "These companies prove that prioritizing people leads to better performance, and that leaders who invest in their people are rewarded with more sustainable and profitable businesses." In the past year, Sendero has been recognized by USA TODAY and Top Workplaces , certified by Great Place To Work , and named to the 2024 Fortune Best Workplaces in Consulting & Professional Services list. Sendero's award-winning culture is the result of the company's dedication to cultivating a workplace where employees feel valued, inspired, and empowered to achieve their fullest potential. About Sendero Sendero is a full-service management consulting firm focused on one thing: empowering rapid, significant, and measurable results. Sendero's experts provide guidance in strategic planning, digital transformation, and organizational effectiveness across a variety of industries to enable large and mid-sized companies to implement fundamental transformation. Since its founding in 2004, Sendero has routinely been recognized as a best place to work by employees, Top Workplaces, and the Dallas Morning News. With offices in Austin, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Nashville, and Phoenix, Sendero is focused on making an impact for its clients and community. Contact Information Lauren Wells Marketing Senior Manager press@senderoconsulting.com (972) 388-5806 SOURCE: Sendero Consulting View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/sendero-named-a-2025-fortune-best-workplace-in-texas-by-fortune-1037895 SAN FRANCISCO, June 11, 2025, a global leader in media, social and consumer intelligence, today announces a partnership with 8x8, Inc., empowering businesses to connect with customers through social media more efficiently, enhance service operations, and deliver superior customer experiences. 8x8 is the industry's most integrated platform provider for CX, which combines Contact Center, Unified Communication and CPaaS solutions, and supports enterprise organizations around the world with its suite of CX solutions. With Meltwater's social insights available directly within 8x8 Contact Center, 8x8 customers can now utilize social media as a customer care and engagement channel. Social media is a critical channel for customer engagement, but many contact centers lack the necessary tools to monitor and analyze the vast volume of customer interactions happening online. This new solution with 8x8 addresses this gap, equipping teams with the tools needed to make sense of the ever-growing mountain of social data. By leveraging Meltwater's industry leading dataset, which processes more than 1 billion pieces of content daily and transforms them into actionable insights, teams can respond to inquiries faster, identify emerging risks, and extend their reach to underserved audiences, enhancing the overall customer experience. Key benefits of the integration include: Advanced and configurable filtering: Use advanced keyword filtering to surface the most relevant and actionable social media conversations - such as @mentions and direct messages - and seamlessly route them to existing 8x8 Contact Center agent queues, just like any other channel. Use advanced keyword filtering to surface the most relevant and actionable social media conversations - such as @mentions and direct messages - and seamlessly route them to existing 8x8 Contact Center agent queues, just like any other channel. Elevated customer experience across social channels: Enable faster, personalized responses and consistent engagement across platforms. Enable faster, personalized responses and consistent engagement across platforms. Streamlined agent workflows: Unify social and support channels to reduce app switching and improve resolution times. Unify social and support channels to reduce app switching and improve resolution times. Boosted brand reputation and loyalty: Identify negative sentiment early, respond quickly, and amplify praise to elevate customer experience and strengthen customer trust. "Today's customers expect fast personalized responses, especially on social media. When mentions go unanswered or replies are delayed, it doesn't just mean missed opportunities, it can erode trust and damage brand reputation," said Doug Balut, Senior Vice President of Global Alliances and Partnerships at Meltwater. "This partnership brings together two industry leaders to empower brands with real-time insights they need to understand customer sentiment, anticipate issues, and respond with agility to improve the customer experience." "Social media has become a vital channel for customer engagement, yet many contact centers still struggle to support it effectively," said Victor Belfor, Global Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at 8x8, Inc. "We chose to partner with Meltwater because we believe it's one of the most powerful social listening platforms in the market. Together, we're helping organizations stay connected with their customers by delivering best-in-class technology from a single, trusted provider." The integration between 8x8 and Meltwater reflects the core strength of the 8x8 Technology Partner Ecosystem: delivering powerful, proven technologies without compromising the simplicity and reliability of a single-source solution. Joint customers benefit from a seamless, deeply integrated experience that feels native to the 8x8 platform, while still gaining access to cutting-edge capabilities helping businesses streamline operations, reduce total cost of ownership (TCO), and avoid the pitfalls of fragmented tech stacks. For more information, please contact: Stacy Slayden pr@meltwater.com About Meltwater Meltwater empowers companies with solutions that span media, social and consumer intelligence. By analyzing ~1 billion pieces of content daily and transforming them into vital insights, Meltwater unlocks the competitive edge to drive results. With 27,000 global customers, 50 offices across six continents, and 2,200 employees, Meltwater is the industry partner for global brands making an impact. Learn more at meltwater.com . Collaboration will leverage Key2Brain's technology to develop blood-brain barrier-crossing enzyme replacement therapies for lysosomal storage disorders Agreement is built on a partnership initiated 2022, supporting continued development led by positive in vivo proof-of-concept data demonstrating the potential of Key2Brain's technology PARMA, Italy and STOCKHOLM, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chiesi Group and Key2Brain today announced a worldwide license agreement to advance the development of two blood-brain barrier (BBB)-crossing recombinant enzyme replacement therapies (ERT) for lysosomal storage disorders (LSD), including alpha-mannosidosis (aMann) and Krabbe disease (KD), ultra-rare diseases that affect the central nervous system. The agreement also includes a framework for the parties to include additional enzymes into the collaboration, enabling the expansion of Chiesi's BBB-crossing ERT portfolio and further strengthening its development capabilities. The advancement of these programs will also contribute to Key2Brain's goal of establishing its technology as a leading BBB-crossing platform. At Chiesi Group these programs are spearheaded by Chiesi Global Rare Diseases, the Group's dedicated business unit focused on research, development, and commercialisation of therapies for rare and ultra-rare conditions. "At Chiesi Global Rare Diseases, we are deeply committed to building a sustainable pipeline in rare diseases by embracing emerging technologies that can enhance the treatment landscape," said Giacomo Chiesi, Executive Vice President, Chiesi Global Rare Diseases. "This agreement exemplifies that vision-working to address areas of profound unmet medical need, including neurodegenerative manifestations of ultra-rare diseases like alpha-mannosidosis and Krabbe disease. For too many families, there are still no therapeutic options. Our goal is to bring them hope where today there is none." Under the terms of the agreement, Key2Brain will provide Chiesi Group with a worldwide, royalty-bearing license to develop and commercialise two BBB-crossing ERTs. This agreement is built on an existing research collaboration that aimed to develop the production of a BBB-crossing recombinant alpha-mannosidase. Key2Brain will receive an upfront payment and is eligible to receive development and sales-based milestone payments and tiered royalties on potential sales. Chiesi Group will fund all research, development, and subsequent commercialisation worldwide. As part of this agreement, there is also a possibility, upon mutual agreement, for the parties to expand the license to Key2Brain's BBB-crossing technology platform for the development of additional BBB-crossing ERTs. "This exciting collaboration continuation with Key2Brain represents a strategic opportunity to build on the progress we've already made together," said Mitch Goldman, Senior Vice President R&D, Chiesi Global Rare Diseases. "By combining our deep therapeutic expertise with Key2Brain's proprietary BBB-crossing platform technology, we aim to enhance the biodistribution, efficacy and tolerability of promising therapies that have historically faced challenges reaching the central nervous system. Together, our goal is to unlock new therapeutic pathways for patients with lysosomal storage disorders, ultimately delivering meaningful and lasting innovation." Elisabet Sjostrom, Ph.D., Founder and CEO, Key2Brain, said, "Expanding our relationship with Chiesi Global Rare Disease allows us to build on a clinically validated foundation to address the neurological complications of lysosomal storage disorders, including alpha-mannosidosis and Krabbe disease. Through this agreement, we aim to accelerate the research of potential breakthrough therapies that address these neurodegenerative conditions. We believe this partnership serves as a testament to the versatility and competitiveness of our BBB-crossing technology, unique features that are being utilized in Key2Brain's development of our proprietary next-generation brain-targeting therapies." This collaboration leverages Key2Brain's proprietary BBB-crossing platform technology and Chiesi Global Rare Diseases' capabilities and expertise in this ultra-rare disease landscape, creating a path to advance the ongoing aMann-K2B program as well as initiate new preclinical programs that apply Key2Brain's technology to other LSDs. About Chiesi Group Chiesi is a research-oriented international biopharmaceutical group that develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in respiratory health, rare diseases, and specialty care. The company's mission is to improve people's quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment. By changing its legal status to a Benefit Corporation in Italy, the US, France and Colombia, Chiesi's commitment to creating shared value for society as a whole is legally binding and central to company-wide decision-making. As a certified B Corp since 2019, Chiesi is part of a global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact. The company aims to reach Net-Zero greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions by 2035. With 90 years of experience, Chiesi is headquartered in Parma (Italy), with 31 affiliates worldwide, and counts more than 7,500 employees. The Group's research and development centre in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France, the US, Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden. About Chiesi Global Rare Diseases Chiesi Global Rare Diseases is a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people living with rare diseases. As a family business, Chiesi Group strives to create a world where it is common to have a therapy for all diseases and acts as a force for good, for society and the planet. The goal of the Global Rare Diseases unit is to ensure equal access so as many people as possible can experience their most fulfilling life. The unit collaborates with the rare disease community around the globe to bring voice to underserved people in the health care system. About Key2Brain Key2Brain is a Swedish biotechnology company dedicated to developing next generation brain targeting therapeutics utilizing its proprietary blood-brain barrier-crossing (BBB-crossing) technology. The technology enables efficient brain uptake and broad distribution of CNS-therapeutics, utilizing small and flexible antibody fragments (VHHs). Key2Brain's VHHs can be integrated into a wide range of therapeutic molecules. The pipeline is being developed internally and in partnerships where Key2Brain's team leverages extensive industry experience in biologics and brain-targeting drugs, accelerating the translation from discovery to the clinic. Key2Brain was founded 2020 and is based in Stockholm. About Key2Brain's technology platform Key2Brain's technology enables efficient brain uptake and broad distribution of therapeutics, utilizing small (<15kDa) engineered single domain VHH antibodies with monovalent specificity for the Transferrin Receptor (TfR). The technology provides opportunities for the development of next generation brain targeting across a diverse range of therapeutic areas. Key2Brain's VHH technology can be efficiently integrated into or combined with therapeutic molecules without impacting either the disease target specificity, or the binding of transferrin to TfR. The modular and flexible platform is being applied to peptides, proteins, enzymes, and oligonucleotides. Key2Brain's VHHs can be expressed in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems and purified using commercial large-scale affinity purification systems. The proprietary platform includes species cross-reactive (human/primate/mouse) as well as human/primate specific binders together with a humanized TfR mouse model for translational studies. Chiesi Global Rare Diseases Media Contact Sky Striar LifeSci Communications sstriar@lifescicomms.com Key2Brain Media Contact Benjamin Nordin, CBO Key2Brain benjamin.nordin@key2brain.se Join Us for Insightful Discussions, Networking, and Vietnamese Cuisine LONDON, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- We are pleased to invite you to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Vietnam Enterprise Investments Limited (VEIL), taking place at 12:00 PM (UK time) on 18 June 2025 at The Stationers' Hall, Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7DD, United Kingdom. The meeting will be chaired by Sarah Arkle, Chair of VEIL, and will include a presentation on Vietnam's dynamic economic landscape by Dominic Scriven, Chair of Dragon Capital Group. Following this, Tuan Le, VEIL's Lead Portfolio Manager, will provide an update on the fund's performance and the outlook for Vietnam's stock market. After the formal proceedings and Q&A session, we warmly invite you to join us for a Vietnamese buffet lunch at 1:15 PM, offering a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow investors and industry experts. A Key Vote on VEIL's Future This year's AGM includes a vote on the Trust's continuation. Given Vietnam's strong domestic growth, ongoing government reforms, and compelling long-term potential, the Board believes VEIL is well-positioned for the future and recommends shareholders vote against discontinuation. We encourage all shareholders to participate in this important decision. Who Should Attend? The event is open to existing VEIL shareholders as well as those interested in learning more about investment opportunities in Vietnam. If you have colleagues who may wish to attend, please feel free to share this invitation and direct them to register via the link below. Register Here: https://www.veil.uk/2025-annual-general-meeting/ We look forward to welcoming you for an engaging and informative afternoon. For further information or interview requests, please contact: Rachel Hill +44 Thuy Anh Nguyen +44 Steven Mantle +44 Jefferies International Limited Stuart Klein +44 h2Radnor Iain Daly +44 About VEIL Vietnam Enterprise Investments Limited (VEIL) is a closed-end fund listed on the London Stock Exchange and one of the longest-running and largest funds focused on Vietnam. Since its launch in 1995, VEIL has invested in high-growth, well-governed Vietnamese companies, offering investors exposure to the country's vibrant economy. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/60b54085-a65b-405e-9930-6457c4e0e889 The Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF), a leader in patient-centered research and education, is proud to announce its participation in the European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) 2025 in Barcelona June 11-14. GHLF will present two abstracts highlighting innovative digital solutions designed to address suboptimal treatment and enhance disease management by strengthening doctor-patient communication and equipping individuals living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions. Empowering Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis Through OA Compass In the abstract titled "OA Compass: An Online Decision-Making Tool Empowering Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis Through Stories, Treatment Guidance, and Personalized Support" (Abstract #153, PARE Track), GHLF introduces OA Compass-a free, online, interactive resource designed to help patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) better understand and manage their condition can be found at https://ghlf.org/compass-koa-page/. "We heard time and again from patients that they felt overwhelmed and isolated when trying to make treatment decisions," said Shelley Fritz, Patient-Centered Engagement and Insights Manager at GHLF. "OA Compass was built to meet people where they are-offering support, education, and validation in a way that truly feels human." Developed through interviews with patients and orthopedic surgeons, OA Compass features real-life patient video stories, treatment information, and customizable guides to support shared decision-making with healthcare providers. Since its launch, the tool has reached nearly 2,000 users, generated over 900 hours of video engagement, and demonstrated its value in improving patient confidence and disease self-management. Real-Time Integration of Patient-Reported Insights in Rheumatic Disease Care A second abstract, "Implementing a Digital Platform for Real-Time Collection and Integration of Patient-Reported Insights in Rheumatic Disease Management" (Abstract #2835, Clinical Research Track), highlights a novel digital tool developed by GHLF to elevate the patient voice in routine rheumatology care. The tool-a brief, 2-minute digital questionnaire available at https://ghlf.org/rheumassessment/-was developed with direct input from both patients and clinicians. It captures real-time insights across conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. "Many patients struggle to communicate residual symptoms or are unsure how to raise concerns during medical appointments, often resulting in settling for suboptimal disease management. By encouraging open dialogue, the tool empowers patients to voice their experiences and needs and also guides them on how to communicate better with their healthcare team," says David Curtis, Chief Technology Officer at GHLF who led the design and development of the platform, building a streamlined, user-friendly interface that leverages real-time data to enhance patient engagement and clinical communication. Among the 2,192 patients who completed the tool, nearly 89% said they would share their results with their healthcare provider-highlighting its value in enhancing shared decision-making and surfacing hidden barriers to effective care. Innovating With, Not Just For, Patients "These projects reflect our unwavering commitment to developing tools that meet patients where they are," said Shilpa Venkatachalam, PhD, MPH, Chief, Patient-Centered Research Operations and Ethical Oversight Officer at GHLF. "We're proud to bring forward research that not only leverages digital health solutions but does so by embedding the patient voice from the start." GHLF's work continues to advance global conversations on integrating lived experience into rheumatology research, care delivery, and policy. Both abstracts highlight the role of accessible technology in enhancing patient-provider communication and improving quality of life for people living with chronic musculoskeletal conditions. For more information about GHLF's research or to explore the OA Compass and RheumAssessment tools, visit www.ghlf.org. About GHLF The Global Healthy Living Foundation is a U.S. based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, international organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for people with chronic illnesses by advocating for improved access to health care through education, patient-centered clinical research, support, advocacy, and economic and policy research. GHLF is also a staunch advocate for vaccines. The Global Healthy Living Foundation is the parent organization of CreakyJoints, the international, digital community for millions of people living with arthritis and their supporters worldwide who seek education, support, activism, and patient-centered research in English, Spanish, and French. In addition to arthritis and autoimmune disorders, GHLF supports dermatology, gastroenterology, neurology, cardiology, oncology, infectious disease, rare disease, and pulmonary patients through a host of different programs and activities which draw more than 700,000 patients a month to GHLF websites and create more than 10 million impressions a month on seven social media platforms. In 2024, GHLF had more than 1 million views and listens with its patient-centered audio-visual content, found on YouTube and podcast platforms. GHLF never asks the public for donations, receiving funding instead through governments, non-governmental organizations, foundations, industry, family foundations, and GHLF Co-Founder Louis Tharp. Visit www.ghlf.org for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611465381/en/ Contacts: Louis Tharp LTHARP@GHLF.ORG www.ghlf.org Dialogue, cooperation only right choice for China, U.S. 13:29, June 11, 2025 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily On the evening of June 5, Chinese President Xi Jinping took a phone call from U.S. President Donald Trump. This was the first conversation between the two heads of state since the current U.S. administration took office. The two presidents agreed that their respective teams should continue to make good on the agreement reached in Geneva and hold a new round of talks as soon as possible. At a time when China-U.S. relations face multiple challenges, this strategic communication between the two leaders has provided crucial guidance for overcoming disruptions and difficulties. It has also injected much-needed stability and positive energy into an increasingly turbulent world. Xi pointed out 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. It is particularly important to steer clear of the various disturbances and disruptions. This is an important lesson drawn from the history of China-U.S. relations, and it is of even greater significance today as the two sides work to properly manage differences and strengthen cooperation. This statement reflects China's consistent sense of responsibility in handling its relations with the United States. The phone call has drawn close attention from various sectors in both countries and the wider international community. Many believe that it sent a positive signal of enhanced communication and dialogue between China and the United States. There is widespread expectation that both sides will effectively implement their consensus and take concrete actions to improve and develop China-U.S. relations, thereby contributing greater stability and positive momentum to the world. China-U.S. economic and trade relations matter not only to both countries but also to global economic stability and growth. At the suggestion of the U.S. side, the two countries' leading 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 Chinese always honor and deliver what has been promised. China has approached the Geneva consensus with a high sense of responsibility and has been seriously and earnestly executing the agreement. In contrast, following the Geneva talks, the U.S. side has introduced a series of additional discriminatory and restrictive measures against China. These actions have severely undermined the existing consensus, seriously infringed upon China's legitimate rights and interests, and damaged the credibility of the U.S. side. The Chinese side is sincere about resolving economic and trade issues through dialogue and consultation, and at the same time has its principles. Since consensus has been reached, both sides must seek win-win results in the spirit of equality and respect for each other's concerns. The U.S. side should acknowledge the progress already made in an objective and fact-based manner and remove its negative measures taken against China. The Taiwan question concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and is at the very core of China's core interests. It is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations. China's resolve to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity is unwavering. 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. The U.S. side should strictly adhere to the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, stop sending any wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, and cease creating factors that heighten tensions across the Taiwan Strait. History and reality have repeatedly proven that China and the United States both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. China has always viewed and handled its relations with the United States in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. China remains committed to enhancing dialogue and communication with the U.S. side, properly managing differences, and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation. Following the adjustment of tariff measures in line with the Geneva consensus, there has been a surge in demand in the China-U.S. shipping market, with shipping capacity falling short of demand - underscoring the strong need for business cooperation between the two countries and once again demonstrating that mutual benefit and win-win outcomes are the essence of China-U.S. economic and trade relations. Whether it is promoting respective development, facilitating global economic recovery, or addressing international and regional hotspot issues, China-U.S. coordination and cooperation are indispensable. The two sides should enhance exchanges in diplomacy, economy and trade, the military, and law enforcement, increase mutual understanding, reduce misperceptions, and strengthen cooperation. Calling the U.S.-China relationship very important, Trump said the United States wants the Chinese economy to do very well. He noted the United States and China working together can get a lot of great things done, and the United States will honor the one-China policy and work with China to execute the deal reached in Geneva. The U.S. loves to have Chinese students coming to study in America, he added. It is hoped that the U.S. side will translate these statements into concrete actions. To keep China-U.S. relations on a steady course, it is essential to adjust direction and stay anchored - so that this giant ship can navigate past hidden reefs and rough seas. Both sides should make good use of the economic and trade consultation mechanism already in place, continue to deliver on the Geneva consensus, and hold another round of meeting as soon as possible. The peoples of both countries and the international community look forward to a stable, sound, and sustainable China-U.S. relationship that will enable both countries to fulfill their responsibilities as major countries and contribute to world peace and development. (Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.) (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Beyond the Grid: Neutrino Energy Group's Strategy for Land, Sea, Sky, and Space MUNICH, DE / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / A global energy transition is no longer optional-it's a necessity. But behind the scenes of solar and wind, another technology is entering industrial reality with far greater implications. Neutrinovoltaic technology, developed by the Neutrino Energy Group, is not a distant concept. It's an operational platform for decentralized, 24/7 energy generation that is now expanding into mobility, aerospace, marine systems, and even high-security communications. Neutrinovoltaic Energy: Quiet, Infinite, Everywhere. Neutrinovoltaic technology converts the kinetic energy of neutrinos and other non-visible radiation into electricity. These omnipresent particles trigger atomic vibrations in a nanomaterial composed of alternating layers of graphene and doped silicon. The resulting resonant frequency is transformed into direct current. Far from ambient energy scavenging, this is a controlled, scalable generation method already powering advanced applications. Power Without Fuel: The Neutrino Power Cube The Neutrino Power Cube is a compact, modular, and emission-free energy system delivering 5 to 6 kilowatts of continuous power. Weighing just 50 kilograms, it operates silently and autonomously, independent of weather or location. With no fuel, no combustion, and no grid connection required, the Cube holds the potential to decentralize energy infrastructure and become a cornerstone of clean, off-grid power generation worldwide. Autonomous Mobility: The Pi Car The Pi Car applies neutrinovoltaic integration to electric vehicles. Instead of relying on traditional charging infrastructure, the Pi Car generates power continuously by embedding neutrinovoltaic materials into structural components like the body panels and roof. After an hour in ambient conditions, the vehicle can achieve up to 100 kilometers of additional range. Collaborators include Simplior Technologies for AI-based energy optimization, C-MET Pune for materials development, and SPEL Technologies for battery integration. The concept also supports retrofitting existing EV platforms to enhance range and energy independence. Flight Beyond Limits: Pi Fly Pi Fly is Neutrino Energy Group's aeronautics program, developing UAVs powered by onboard neutrinovoltaic systems and supercapacitor storage. Current prototypes include multirotor and flying wing models. The next phase targets autonomous VTOL aircraft for cargo delivery. Supporting this effort are mobile hydrogen refueling units, also powered by neutrinovoltaics, enabling off-grid aviation infrastructure. Maritime Transformation: Nautic Pi Nautic Pi brings this energy platform to the sea. Neutrinovoltaic-powered marine vessels are under conceptual development, allowing autonomous navigation without onboard fuel or external charging. The system is particularly suited for long-duration missions, remote operations, and submersible platforms. Communication Breakthrough: Project 12742 Finally, Project 12742 explores neutrino-based data transmission. Unlike radio signals, neutrinos pass through dense materials with minimal interference. This allows for real-time, secure global communication even through rock, oceans, or planetary bodies-an enormous leap for high-security and interplanetary data systems. As governments and industries seek viable decarbonization paths, the Neutrino Energy Group is no longer just proposing solutions-it's deploying them. With a multidisciplinary team of hundreds of researchers, engineers, and scientists from over 40 countries, strategic alliances, and a growing portfolio of high-impact applications, neutrinovoltaic technology isn't coming-it's already here. And it's conquering the world. Neutrino Energy Group Neutrino Scientific Board Holger Thorsten Schubart - CEO Website: www.neutrino-energy.com Related Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiswrRR8H2Q SOURCE: Neutrino Energy Group View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/electronics-and-engineering/this-technology-is-conquering-the-world-neutrinovoltaics-redefining-glo-1037764 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Stardust Solar Energy Inc. (TSXV: SUN) (OTCQB: SUNXF) (the "Company" or "Stardust Solar") a leading North American provider of renewable energy solutions, is pleased to announce that Topp Home LLC ("Topp Home"), a premier solar and roofing company based in Central Pennsylvania, has officially joined the Stardust Solar franchise network. With over $3.42 million USD in annual solar sales achieved in 2024, Topp Home is projected to become the Company's highest-grossing franchise. This milestone also marks the final conversion of active franchisees from Solar Grids Development LLC ("Solar Grids"), completing a strategic integration that began with Stardust Solar's 2024 acquisition of the Solar Grids' assets. All 47 active Solar Grids franchise territories are now fully converted and operating within the Stardust Solar network. "Topp Home has demonstrated consistent strength in solar sales and operational practices within the industry," said Mark Tadros, CEO of Stardust Solar. "Bringing them into the Stardust family as our expected highest-revenue franchise is not only a key validation of our model, but also a strong close to the Solar Grids acquisition chapter. We're incredibly proud to now have all 47 active Solar Grids territories operating fully under the Stardust banner." Topp Home-led by industry veteran Todd Sanford-has become a well-established force in Pennsylvania's renewable energy landscape. Based on Topp Home's sustained past performance generating over $3.4 million USD annually, the company is expected to be the largest franchise within Stardust Solar's expanding network. Topp Home will operate under a Stardust Solar franchise agreement through March 21, 2033. Stardust Solar acquired the assets of Solar Grids in 2024 to expand its U.S. footprint and unify key franchise markets under a single national brand. While most franchise conversions were completed within the first months of the acquisition, Topp Home was among the last to formalize its conversion through the required addendum. The Company also welcomed former Solar Grids CEO Justin Kaiser into a key role, further enhancing integration efforts and leadership continuity. "This milestone demonstrates the strength of our platform and the appeal of our offering to seasoned solar entrepreneurs," added Tadros. "From onboarding top-tier operators like Topp Home to integrating entire regional systems, we believe that Stardust Solar is well-positioned to continue scaling across North America." About Stardust Solar: Stardust Solar is a North American franchisor of renewable energy installation services, specializing in solar panels (PV), energy storage systems, and electric vehicle supply equipment. The Company equips entrepreneurs with branded business management services, cutting-edge equipment, and comprehensive support, including marketing, sales, engineering, and project management. With franchises across Canada and the United States, Stardust Solar drives the adoption of clean energy solutions that boost economic development and create a more sustainable future. Disclaimer: 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. The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements, including statements relating to the Company's business plans and expected future growth, expected franchise expansions, expected franchise performance, the outlook of future operations, revenue growth, new opportunities and the demand for the Company's products. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward looking statements. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention. It assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255090 SOURCE: Stardust Solar Energy Inc. Extension of DDRCCC-25-076 confirms significant gold mineralization continues for over one kilometre from surface at the Blackjack deposit and confirms the potential for an underground mining component to the deposit Fourth drill rig mobilizing to the Rhosgobel target where up to 10,000 m of drilling is planned to follow up on discovery drill holes announce last fall First ever visible gold observed in drill core from the Saddle zone where drilling is currently testing a possible linkage between the Blackjack and Eiger gold deposits 30,000 metre drill program rapidly advancing with 17 holes totalling approximately 6,127 metres completed to date within the Blackjack-Saddle-Eiger area Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Sitka Gold Corp. (TSXV: SIG) (FSE: 1RF) (OTCQB: SITKF) ("Sitka" or the "Company") is pleased to announce initial assay results from its 2025 summer drill program currently underway at its 100% owned RC Gold Project located in Yukon's prolific Tombstone Gold Belt (see Figure 6). Results received from the extension of DDRCCC-25-076, which was initially completed to a depth of 810.8 metres during winter drilling earlier this year (see news release dated May 8, 2025) and subsequently extended to 944.9 metres, returned 65.0 m of 2.00 g/t gold from 806.0 metres, which includes two higher grade intervals of 8.0 m of 4.80 g/t gold and 6.26 m of 5.53 g/t gold (see Table 1). The Company is also pleased to announce that a fourth drill rig is being mobilized to the Rhosgobel intrusion target where up to 10,000 metres of drilling is proposed to build upon the discovery hole from last year that returned 164.8 metres of 0.82 g/t gold starting 9 metres from surface, including 119.0 metres of 1.05 g/t gold, 37.9 metres of 2.05 g/t gold and 11.5 metres of 4.32 g/t gold (see news release dated November 25, 2025). In addition, the Company is pleased to announce that visible gold has been observed for the first time ever in drill core from the Saddle zone. Three drill rigs are currently turning at the Blackjack, Saddle and Eiger zones (see Figure 6) as part of a fully funded, 30,000 metre drill campaign planned for 2025, with a total of over 6,127 metres within 17 drill holes completed so far this year. Assays are currently pending for DDRCCC-25-077 to DDRCCC-25-091. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6144/255209_7e3b44bdc42a4b3d_002full.jpg "Our decision to re-enter and deepen Hole 76 has yielded some impressive results," said Cor Coe, Director and CEO of Sitka. "As the deepest hole drilled to date, Hole 76 adds to the growing evidence of a potential underground component to the Blackjack gold deposit and demonstrates that intervals of significant gold values persist almost a kilometre deep from where this deposit begins at surface. The higher-grade gold seen at depth in this and other deep drill holes, supports the notion that we could be vectoring towards the potential source of this gold system." "We are also very excited to be mobilizing our fourth drill rig to the Rhosgobel intrusion where the first two diamond drill holes ever drilled, completed by Sitka last year, resulted in two new discovery holes that returned significant gold intervals starting 9 metres from surface. This target sits within a large 1.5 x 2.0 kilometre gold-in-soil anomaly with historical shallow drill results showcasing significant gold values. Sitka's discovery holes demonstrate that gold mineralization continues to at least 300 metres, suggesting the possibility of a large gold deposit being present in the area." "Lastly, we are happy to announce the first ever observations of visible gold at the Saddle zone, where drilling is currently ongoing as we investigate the potential of the Saddle zone to link the Blackjack and Eiger gold deposits. We have now confirmed that visible gold is present at the Blackjack, Saddle, Eiger, Josephine, Pukleman and Rhosgobel targets which are all located within the 5 x 12 kms Clear Creek Intrusive Complex area. With up to 10,000 metres of drilling about to begin at Rhosgobel, 5,000 metres of drilling allocated for Pukelman and 15,000 metres of drilling currently underway at the Blackjack-Saddle-Eiger corridor, we are looking forward to a steady flow of results as we further ramp up our fully funded 30,000 metre drill program at RC Gold." Figure 1: Cross Section of DDRCCC-25-076 demonstrating the continuation of higher-grade gold mineralization at depth in the hole. Gold mineralization continues to the end of the hole at 944.9 metres with 4.9 metres of 0.95 g/t gold reported in metasediments located in the footwall of the lamprophyre dyke. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6144/255209_7e3b44bdc42a4b3d_003full.jpg Figure 2: Plan map of drilling at the Blackjack Deposit showing the location of hole DDRCCC-25-076 and the location of hole DDRCCC-25-086 where visible gold was observed in drill core for the first time ever at the Saddle Zone. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6144/255209_7e3b44bdc42a4b3d_004full.jpg BLACKJACK DRILLING Drill hole DDRCCC-25-076 was drilled to a depth of 810.8 metres during winter drilling to test the deep underground potential of the Blackjack deposit. Winter results from Hole 76 returned 94.0 m of 1.15 g/t gold including 12.2 m of 4.55 g/t gold, and a separate interval of 25.0 m of 5.04 g/t gold, including 1.8 metres of 54.70 g/t gold within 86.4 m of 1.65 g/t gold (see news release dated May 8, 2025). Hole 076 was subsequently extended from 810.8 metres to a depth of 944.9 metres at the start of the summer drilling campaign, to follow up on gold mineralization identified at the bottom of the hole during the winter program. The extended drilling intercepted several examples of visible gold hosted within sheeted quartz veins cutting altered biotite schists and feldspar megacrystic quartz monzonite and returned 65.0 m of 2.00 g/t gold from 806.0 metres, which includes two higher grade intervals of 8.0 m of 4.80 g/t gold and 6.26 m of 5.53 g/t gold (see Table 2). The higher grade gold intersections were hosted within metasediments and intrusive rocks respectively. Gold mineralization was intersected at the end of the hole with 4.9 metres of 0.95 g/t gold from 940.0 metres to 944.9 metres in the footwall metasediments after cutting the lamprophyre dyke, demonstrating the mineralized conduit feeding this gold system continues to depth. RHOSGOBEL DRILLING Sitka is pleased to initiate the first large scale diamond drilling of the Rhosgobel intrusion with 10,000 metres of drilling planned on the target. Discovery hole DDRCRG-24-001, the first diamond drill hole ever completed on the Rhosgobel intrusion, returned 164.8 metres of 0.82 g/t gold starting 9 metres from surface, including 119.0 metres of 1.05 g/t gold, 37.9 metres of 2.05 g/t gold and 11.5 metres of 4.32 g/t gold (see Figure 4). The Rhosgobel intrusion is the largest and southernmost exposed intrusion that forms a part of the Clear Creek Intrusive Complex (the "CCIC"; see Figure 6). The Rhosgobel intrusion is a megacrystic quartz monzonite (MCQM) similar to the Saddle Intrusion that hosts the Blackjack Deposit 5 km to the north. Previous shallow reverse circulation drilling completed in 1995 identified widespread gold mineralization within a 1.5 by 2.0 kilometre gold-in-soil anomaly within the Rhosgobel intrusion demonstrating the potential of the intrusion to host a near surface gold deposit. No further work was completed on the Rhosgobel intrusion until 2024 when the Sitka completed the first two diamond drill holes ever drilled on the target. SADDLE ZONE DRILLING Current drilling has identified the first instance of visible gold at the Saddle Zone in Hole DDRCCC-25-086 ("Hole 86"). The Saddle zone is located midway between the Blackjack and Eiger deposits and is partially within the conceptual pit limit of the Blackjack resource. Drilling at Saddle will expand on previous drill intercepts including 84.0 m of 1.21 g/t gold in DDRCCC-25-054. Hole 86 was drilled at an azimuth of 210o and dip of -50o to a final length of 126.5 metres to test the shallow potential of gold mineralization in this area (see Figure 2). The drill hole intercepted broad areas of hornfels metasediments interlaced with quartz veining, quartz monzonite dykes/sills as well as some minor faults and breccia zones. Several instances of visible gold were noted throughout the hole, in quartz veins in metasedimentary rock (see Figure 5). Figure 3: Shallow historical reverse-circulation drilling in the Rhosgobel intrusion in 1995 demonstrated significant gold mineralization occurred within a 1.5 by 2.0 km gold in soil anomaly The first ever diamond drill holes completed at Rhosgobel in 2024 (DDRCRG-24-001 and 002) further highlight the potential for this gold system to continue to a depth of at least 300 metres. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6144/255209_7e3b44bdc42a4b3d_005full.jpg Figure 4: Examples of visible gold observed in DDRCCC-25-086 at the Saddle Zone To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6144/255209_sitkafig4.jpg To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6144/255209_7e3b44bdc42a4b3d_007full.jpg Figure 5: Regional map of the RC Gold Project located in Yukon's prolific Tombstone Gold Belt. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6144/255209_7e3b44bdc42a4b3d_008full.jpg Figure 6: A plan map of the Clear Creek Intrusive Complex (CCIC) showing the updated resource areas at Blackjack and Eiger, and the six additional areas that have drill targets indicated by the mauve hatched areas. The map highlights the numerous drill targets that Sitka has outlined within the CCIC which all are connected by the road network on the project and occur in an area measuring five (5) km north-south and twelve (12) km east-west. Additional areas highlighted by strong gold in soil anomalies are being advanced to the drill ready stage with additional geological work in 2025. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6144/255209_7e3b44bdc42a4b3d_009full.jpg Quality Assurance/Quality Control On receipt from the drill site, the HTW/NTW-sized drill core was systematically logged for geological attributes, photographed and sampled at Sitka's core logging facility. Sample lengths as small as 0.3 m were used to isolate features of interest, otherwise a default 2 m downhole sample length was used. Each sample is identified by a unique sample tag number which is placed in the bag containing the core to be assayed. Core was cut in half lengthwise along a predetermined line, with one-half (same half, consistently) collected for analysis and one-half stored as a record. Standard reference materials, blanks and duplicate samples were inserted by Sitka personnel at regular intervals into the sample stream. Bagged samples were placed in secure bins to ensure integrity during transport. They were delivered by Sitka personnel or a contract expeditor to ALS Laboratories' preparatory facility in Whitehorse, Yukon, with analyses completed in North Vancouver. ALS is accredited to ISO 17025:2005 UKAS ref. 4028 for its laboratory analysis. Samples were crushed by ALS to over 70 per cent passing below two millimetres and split using a riffle splitter. One-thousand-gram splits were pulverized to over 85 per cent passing below 75 microns. Gold determinations are by fire assay with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-AES) finish on 50 g subsamples of the prepared pulp (ALS code: Au-ICP-22). Any sample returning over 10 g/t gold was re-analyzed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish on a 50 g subsample (ALS code: Au-GRA21). In addition, a 51-element analysis was performed on a 0.5 g subsample of the prepared pulps by an aqua regia digestion followed by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) finish (ALS code: ME-MS41). About the flagship RC Gold Project Sitka's 100% owned RC Gold Project consists of a 431 square kilometre contiguous district-scale land package located in the heart of Yukon's Tombstone Gold Belt. The project is located approximately 100 kilometres east of Dawson City, which has a 5,000 foot paved runway, and is accessed via a secondary gravel road from the Klondike Highway which is usable year-round and is an approximate 2 hour drive from Dawson City. It is the largest consolidated land package strategically positioned mid-way between the Eagle Gold Mine and the past producing Brewery Creek Gold Mine. The RC Gold Project now has pit-constrained mineral resources that are contained in two zones: the Blackjack and Eiger gold deposits with 1,291,000 ounces of gold in 39,962,000 tonnes grading 1.01 g/t gold in an indicated category and 1,044,000 ounces of gold in 34,603,000 tonnes grading 0.94 g/t in an inferred category at Blackjack and 440,000 ounces of gold in 27,362,000 tonnes grading 0.50 g/t gold in an inferred category at Eiger. These resource estimate numbers are supported by the recently updated technical report for RC Gold, prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 standards, entitled "Clear Creek Property, RC Gold Project NI 43-101 Technical Report Dawson Mining District, Yukon Territory", prepared by Ronald G. Simpson, P. Geo., of GeoSim Services Inc. with an effective date of January 21, 2025. This report is available on SEDAR+ (http://www.sedarplus.ca) and on the Company's website (www.sitkagoldcorp.com). Both of these deposits begin at surface, are potentially open pit minable and amenable to heap leaching, with initial bottle roll tests indicating that the gold is not refractory and has high gold recoveries of up to 94% with minimal NaCN consumption (see News Release July 13, 2022). As of the end of 2024, the Company has drilled 72 diamond drill holes into this system for a total of approximately 25,136 metres. Other targets drilled to date include the Saddle, Josephine, Rhosgobel and Pukelman zones. The resource expansion drilling in 2023 at Blackjack produced results of up to 219.0 m of 1.34 g/t gold including 124.8 m of 2.01 g/t gold and 55.0 m of 3.11 g/t gold in drill hole DDRCCC-23-047 (see news release dated September 26, 2023) and in 2024 results of up to 678.1 metres of 1.04 g/t gold starting from surface in DDRCCC-24-068, including 409.5 metres of 1.36 g/t gold, 93.0 metres of 2.57 g/t gold and 5.5 metres of 17.59 g/t gold (see news release dated October 21, 2024). Results from DDRCCC-25-075, completed during winter drilling in 2025, produced the best high-grade intercepts drilled to date at Blackjack, returning 352.8 m of 1.55 g/t gold including 108.9 m of 3.27 g/t gold and 45.0 m of 4.52 g/t gold (see news release dated April 22, 2025). A planned 30,000 metre diamond drilling program for 2025 is currently underway at RC Gold. RC Gold Deposit Model Exploration on the Property has mainly focused on identifying an intrusion-related gold system ("IRGS"). The property is within the Tombstone Gold Belt which is the prominent host to IRGS deposits within the Tintina Gold Province in Yukon and Alaska. Notable deposits from the belt include: Fort Knox Mine in Alaska with current Proven and Probable Reserves of 230 million tonnes at 0.3 g/t Au (2.471 million ounces; Sims 2018)(1); Eagle Gold Mine with current Measured and Indicated Resources of 233 million tonnes at a grade of 0.57 g/t Au at the Eagle Main Zone (4.303 million ounces; Harvey et al, 2022)(2); the Brewery Creek deposit with current Indicated Mineral Resource of 22.2 million tonnes at a gold grade of 1.11 g/t (0.789 million ounces; Hulse et al. 2020)(3); the AurMac Project with an Inferred Mineral Resource of 347.49 million tonnes grading 0.63 gram per tonne gold (7.00 million ounces)(4) and the Valley Deposit, with a current Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource of 7.94 million oz gold at 1.21 g/t and an additional Inferred Mineral Resource of 0.89 million oz at 0.62 g/t gold(5). (1) Sims J. Fort Knox Mine Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, USA National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report. June 11, 2018. https://s2.q4cdn.com/496390694/files/doc_downloads/2018/Fort-Knox-June-2018-Technical-Report.pdf (2) Harvey N., Gray P., Winterton J., Jutras M., Levy M.,Technical Report for the Eagle Gold Mine, Yukon Territory, Canada. Victoria Gold Corp. December 31, 2022. https://vgcx.com/site/assets/files/6534/vgcx_-_2023_eagle_mine_technical_report_final.pdf (3) Hulse D, Emanuel C, Cook C. NI 43-101 Technical Report on Mineral Resources. Gustavson Associates. May 31, 2020. https://minedocs.com/22/Brewery-Creek-PEA-01182022.pdf (4) Thornton T., Jutras M., Malhotra D. Technical Report Aurmac Property Mayo Mining District, Yukon Territory, Canada. JDS Energy and Mining Inc. February 6, 2024. https://banyangold.com/site/assets/files/5251/banyan_gold_ni_43-101_technical_report_2024_03_18.pdf (5) https://snowlinegold.com/2025/05/15/snowline-gold-expands-measured-and-indicated-gold-ounces-by-96-in-updated-mineral-resource-estimate-at-its-valley-gold-deposit-yukon/ Upcoming Events Sitka Gold will be attending and/or presenting at the following events*: Take Stock - Calgary, AB: July 2 - 3, 2025 Yukon Mining Alliance Property Tours - Dawson City, Yukon: July 11 - 14, 2025 Precious Metals Summit, Beaver Creek, Colorado: September 9 - 12, 2025 Yukon Geoscience Forum, Whitehorse, YT: November 16 - 19, 2025 Swiss Mining Institute, Zurich, Switzerland: November 19 - 22, 2025 *All events are subject to change. About Sitka Gold Corp. Sitka Gold Corp. is a well-funded mineral exploration company headquartered in Canada. The Company is managed by a team of experienced industry professionals and is focused on exploring for economically viable mineral deposits with its primary emphasis on gold, silver and copper mineral properties of merit. Sitka is currently advancing its 100% owned, 431 square kilometre flagship RC Gold Project located within the Tombstone Gold Belt in the Yukon Territory. The Company is also advancing the Alpha Gold Project in Nevada and currently has drill permits for its Burro Creek Gold and Silver Project in Arizona and the Coppermine River Project in Nunavut, all of which are 100% owned by the Company. *For more detailed information on the Company's properties please visit our website at www.sitkagoldcorp.com. The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Gilles Dessureau, P.Geo., V.P. Exploration of the Company, and a Qualified Person (QP) as defined by National Instrument 43-101. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF SITKA GOLD CORP. "Donald Penner" President and Director Neither 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. Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements This 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 regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions and the Company's anticipated work programs. 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, market uncertainty and the results of the Company's anticipated work programs. 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. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255209 SOURCE: Sitka Gold Corp. ?? His Majesty King Willem-Alexander officially opened HEINEKEN's Global Research & Development Centre in Zoeterwoude, the Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre. The Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre, next to Europe's largest brewery, focuses on creating legendary new beers and beverages that delight consumers worldwide. The 45 million investment underscores HEINEKEN's status as the pioneering beer company as well as its commitment to continued leadership in the Dutch food technology sector. Amsterdam, June 11, 2025 - Today, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander inaugurated the Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre, HEINEKEN's new 8,800 m Global Research and Development Centre in Zoeterwoude, the Netherlands. Located next to the brewery in Zoeterwoude, the 45 million Centre is a key part of HEINEKEN's global R&D network and the company's growth and innovation strategy. Research at the Centre focuses on enhancing brewing techniques and developing legendary new beers and beverages that meet evolving consumer trends. The significant investment in the new R&D Centre underscores HEINEKEN's status as the pioneering beer company as well as its commitment to continued leadership in the Dutch food technology sector. Creating traditions through innovation As drinking occasions diversify, consumers are embracing new flavours, more natural ingredients, and are increasingly opting for low- and no-alcohol choices. With cutting-edge labs, sensory research facilities, packaging development departments and other resources, the Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre will accelerate product development and brewing advances to meet these changing needs. These innovations can include the next evolution of Heineken 0.0, a new premium lager next to Heineken, or beyond beer options for entirely new serving occasions. Through this new Centre, HEINEKEN continues to lead in meeting changing consumer needs and beer innovations, ensuring the creation of drinks with legendary brands and experiences for present and future generations. Dolf van den Brink, Chairman of the Executive Board/CEO at HEINEKEN: "HEINEKEN is the world's pioneering beer company. Innovation is at the heart of who we are. From the creation of our signature A-yeast in the 19th century, to the development of Heineken 0.0, we boldly explore new ideas to create legendary drinks, brands and experiences to delight consumers and stay ahead. With the opening of the Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre in Zoeterwoude, we are adding a chapter to our pioneering legacy that will shape the future of the category. As a vital part of our EverGreen Strategy, this Centre enables us to innovate faster and smarter, helping us to create distinctive beers and drinks, improve our brewing processes and reduce our impact on the planet. It brings us closer to our Brew a Better World 2030 goals and is a proud statement of our commitment to the Netherlands." Hubert te Braake, Director of Research and Development at HEINEKEN: "This Centre connects our pioneering brewing legacy with the best of modern science. Named after Dr. Henry Pierre Heineken, the first successor of HEINEKEN Founder Gerard Adriaan Heineken, the Centre stands for both scientific excellence and bold thinking. From next-gen fermentation techniques to improved packaging, we are innovating across the full brewing value chain. Every new product developed here aims to become part of tomorrow's drinking culture, creating new rituals while staying rooted in what makes beer sociable and enjoyable." The R&D Centre connects Zoeterwoude with leading global universities Strategically located near the Delft University of Technology and Europe's largest brewery, the Centre bridges academic research, brewing expertise, and global market needs. The Centre is home to innovative, cross-disciplinary collaboration between HEINEKEN's international R&D teams, universities, and suppliers, driving improvements in sustainable brewing and fermentation science. Professor Jack Pronk, Head of the Department of Biotechnology at Delft University of Technology: "This Centre is not just a facility, it is a launchpad for innovation in sustainable brewing. This long-term commitment to scientific excellence further strengthens HEINEKEN's position at the forefront of innovative beer research. At TU Delft, we are proud that our researchers and students will contribute to the Centre's mission." Erwin Nijsse, Director-General Business Policy & Innovation, Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs: "We are pleased that HEINEKEN has chosen Zoeterwoude as the location for its new global R&D Centre. HEINEKEN's investment not only underlines the Netherlands' leading position in the global food technology sector and makes a valuable contribution to our knowledge economy through partnerships with both Dutch and globally leading universities." About the Dr. H.P. Heineken Centre The Centre is named after Dr. Henry Pierre Heineken (1886-1971). As a Doctor of Chemistry, the second-generation brewer developed and implemented quality improvements and innovative, laboratory-fueled ideas. His profound knowledge of chemistry and sharp business acumen positioned Henry Pierre as the first successor to HEINEKEN founder Gerard Adriaan Heineken and his wife, Mary Tindal, in 1914. Key facts & figures Location: Zoeterwoude, Netherlands (adjacent to the largest brewery in Europe) Size: 8,800 m Investment: 45 million Staff: around 100 employees, from 12 nationalities Focus: Brewing innovation, flavour research, fermentation science, AI, packaging, and consumer science Purpose: Global hub dedicated to R&D in brewing innovation, next-generation product development and sustainability; leads HEINEKEN's worldwide R&D network including hubs in Mexico, South Africa, and Vietnam. Facilities: Offices, labs, sensory research, packaging development, supporting global brands such as Heineken, Desperados, and Amstel. Sustainability: Built to BENG standards with A++++ energy label, designed for long-term use. Photos Opening Ceremony Photos of the opening ceremony will be made available on this websiteshortly after the opening around 15:00 CET. About HEINEKEN HEINEKEN is the world's most international brewer. It is the leading developer and marketer of premium and non-alcoholic beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken brand, the Group has a portfolio of more than 350 international, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders. With HEINEKEN's over 85,000 employees, we brew the joy of true togetherness to inspire a better world. Our dream is to shape the future of beer and beyond to win the hearts of consumers. We are committed to innovation, long-term brand investment, disciplined sales execution and focused cost management. Through "Brew a Better World", sustainability is embedded in the business. HEINEKEN has a well-balanced geographic footprint with leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. We operate breweries, malteries, cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70 countries. Most recent information is available on our Company's websiteand follow us on LinkedInand Instagram. Press enquiries Marlous den Bieman E-mail: pressoffice.heineken@heineken.com Tel: +316 237 583 85 Former Vale CEO's expertise will help accelerate the commercialization of Molten Oxide Electrolysis for steel and critical metals BOSTON, June 11, 2025, a technology company redefining global metals production, today announced the appointment of Eduardo Bartolomeo, the former CEO of multinational metals and mining giant Vale, to its Board of Directors. The appointment of Bartolomeo-one of the most respected executives in the global mining and metals industry-marks a pivotal moment for Boston Metal as the company accelerates toward generating revenue from its Critical Metalsbusiness later this year and building its first demonstration plant for Molten Oxide Electrolysis. Bartolomeo brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in complex industrial operations, including transformational roles in sustainability, logistics and innovation. Most recently, as CEO of Vale from 2019 to 2024, he championed decarbonization initiatives, oversaw global operations and led the world's largest producer of iron ore and nickel through a period of strategic reinvention. Notably, he implemented the Vale Production System (VPS), enhancing operational excellence across the company's global operations. "Eduardo's decision to join our Board is a powerful signal that Boston Metal's technology and team have the potential to transform how metals are made," said Tadeu Carneiro, CEO of Boston Metal. "While his expertise leading multinational operations and deep understanding of the mining value chain will be invaluable as we enter the next phase of growth, this is more than a Board appointment. It's a clear indication that scalable, cost-competitive and green solutions will be a reality for our industry and Boston Metal is positioned to deliver." Boston Metal recently commissioned its multi-inert anode MOE industrial cell, a major breakthrough that proves the scalability of its technology. The milestone reinforces its position as the only company with a direct, zero-emissions solution for producing steel at global scale. "Boston Metal's vision and progress are unmatched in the industry," said Bartolomeo. "Having spent my career modernizing complex global operations, I recognize how transformational MOE can be-not only by producing green steel, but for the broader metals sector. I look forward to supporting the company as it scales a truly game-changing solution for sustainable industry." With operations in Woburn, Massachusetts and rapidly expanding operations in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Boston Metal is driving a global shift toward clean metals production. The company's MOE platformdelivers a scalable, emissions-free solution for steel and a sustainable, highly profitable pathway to recover critical metals from mining waste. As the company nears its first revenue from its critical metals business in Brazil and prepares for MOE Steel commercialization, the addition of Bartolomeo to its Board reflects Boston Metal's continued momentum, global relevance and readiness to transform the metals industry worldwide. To learn more about MOE and Boston Metal's work to unlock critical metals and revolutionize steel production, visit: https://www.bostonmetal.com. About Boston Metal Boston Metal is redefining global metals production with its patented Molten Oxide Electrolysis. Contact V2 Communications for Boston Metal bostonmetal@v2comms.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e0a6b7e5-add8-427e-82ba-9a6f37942c5e GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 11, 2025solution. This hardware platform performs lossless packet capture and analysis on 400G Ethernet networks and can be deployed in data centers or core high-speed network infrastructure. [Refer to fastrecorder-and-packetextractor-400g.jpg] With the surge in data volumes driven by AI workloads and bandwidth-heavy applications, network engineers need robust tools that ensure visibility and control over high-speed traffic. GL's PacketScan HDanswers this demand by capturing Ethernet traffic in real time at duplex speeds of up to 800 Gbps (400G East + 400G West) using a fiber tap, with direct recording to high-capacity NVMe SSDs-supporting up to 6 TB per minute. Vijay Kulkarni, CEO of GL Communications, states "GL provides an all-in-one platform that captures high-speed Ethernet traffic without loss across multiple ports. This solution, PacketScan HD, comes in both rack-mount and portable form factors, allowing network engineers to deploy it in a wide range of network and field environments." PacketScan HD has been upgraded to support lossless 400 Gbps capture and analysis. Its FastRecorder and PacketExtractorapplications now include a Linux-based web interface for multi-user access anywhere on the network. The system enables continuous, reliable packet capture over long durations, storing data directly on high-capacity NVMe SSDs up to 240 TB. FastRecorder captures Ethernet traffic in real time at up to 800 Gbps (duplex) using a non-intrusive fiber tap, storing data directly to NVMe drives for long-duration recording. It provides key capture metrics such as data rates, dropped packets, and port-level stats including bandwidth usage and error counts-streamlining high-speed packet capture in complex environments. PacketExtractor analyzes recorded traffic offline, allowing users to filter, slice, and extract specific streams or segments. It supports PCAP/PCAPNG formats and reports metrics like frame count, extraction rate, and processing time. Outputs from both FastRecorder and PacketExtractor can be further analyzed using GL's PacketScansoftware on the same platform. Other Key Capabilities Include: Supports PPS receiver modules for nanosecond-level timestamping and inter-system synchronization for nanosecond-level timestamping and inter-system synchronization Enables Test automation and regression testing via Python and REST APIs and regression testing via Python and REST APIs Facilitates real-time troubleshooting and in-depth performance analysis and in-depth performance analysis Allows hardware-level filtering by MAC, VLAN (802.1Q), IPv4/IPv6, tunneling, and transport protocols (TCP, UDP, SCTP) by MAC, VLAN (802.1Q), IPv4/IPv6, tunneling, and transport protocols (TCP, UDP, SCTP) Provides real-time insights into port status, received frames, link utilization, capture rates, error counts, and frame-length distribution for efficient network performance analysis into port status, received frames, link utilization, capture rates, error counts, and frame-length distribution for efficient network performance analysis Visualizes capture activity per port with real-time graphs to identify issues like segment drops, Multi-Packet Receive Queue (MPRQ) buffer overflows, missed or discarded packets during recording About GL Communications Inc., GL Communications is a global provider of telecom test and measurement solutions. GL's solutions verify the quality and reliability of Wireless, Fiber Optic, TDM and Analog networks. Warm Regards, Vikram Kulkarni, PhD Phone: 301-670-4784 x114 Email: info@gl.com The integration enables no-code development of agentic AI applications with sovereign control and production-grade performance for the enterprise EnterpriseDB (EDB), the leading Postgres data and AI company, announced today at NVIDIA GTC Paris the integration of its intelligent platform, EDB Postgres AI, with NVIDIA NIM microservices, enabling users across the enterprise to rapidly build and deploy generative AI chatbots and agentic applications using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)-with little to no coding required. According to EDB research (May 2025), just 13% of enterprises globally have successfully deployed a broad set of agentic AI apps at scale, slowed by fragmented infrastructure, limited model control, and the complexity of integrating AI with proprietary data. To overcome these barriers, EDB Postgres AI now leverages NVIDIA NeMo Retriever extraction, embedding and reranking models to ingest multimodal enterprise data. Support for a catalog of NVIDIA NIM microservices facilitates AI model processing. Together, these capabilities help enterprises operationalize their AI-securely, at scale, and on their infrastructure of choice. "With our intuitive no-code interface, we're empowering a broader range of users to rapidly build and safely launch generative AI applications into production faster than ever before," said Jozef de Vries, Chief Product Engineering Officer, EDB. "Because EDB Postgres AI integrates NVIDIA AI Enterprise components and runs on the customer's choice of cloud or on-premises, enterprises can bring models to their data, not the other way around. That means more control, more agility, and a more secure path to agentic AI." EDB's approach reflects a broader shift toward platform sovereignty: giving enterprises control over their data, infrastructure, and model deployment. Built on Postgres and designed to run natively in Kubernetes, EDB Postgres AI is uniquely architected to support secure, compliant, and scalable agentic AI development for real-world use cases. For more information on EDB's ongoing work with NVIDIA, visit the EDB NVIDIA Partner Page. About EDB EDB Postgres AI is the first open, enterprise-grade sovereign data and AI platform, built on the world's leading database, Postgres. With EDB Postgres AI, leading enterprises can become their own sovereign AI and data platforms with secure, compliant, and a fully scalable environment, on-premises and across clouds. EDB Postgres AI unifies transactional, analytical, and AI workloads, enabling organizations to operationalize their data and LLMs where, when, and how they need it-for customers, partners, and within their broader ecosystem. Supported by a global partner network, EDB Postgres AI delivers up to 99.999% availability and includes enterprise-grade capabilities like security, compliance, and observability. As one of the most active contributors to the PostgreSQL project, EDB Postgres AI is deeply invested in the strength and vitality of the vibrant global community. EDB Postgres AI is your sovereign data and AI platform: open, extensible, and built for long-term competitive advantage. For more information, visit www.enterprisedb.com EnterpriseDB and EDB are registered trademarks of EnterpriseDB Corporation. Postgres and PostgreSQL are registered trademarks of the PostgreSQL Community Association of Canada and used with their permission. All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611378379/en/ Contacts: Media Contact: Will Clark Marketbridge for EDB Email: edb@marketbridge.com Expanding Existing Contract from 5 to 7 Biomethane Production Plants Anaergia Inc. ("Anaergia", the "Company", "us", or "our") (TSX:ANRG) (OTCQX:ANRGF), through its subsidiary, Anaergia S.r.l., has signed a revised contract with Techbau S.p.A. ("Techbau"), a leading Italian company specializing in large-scale engineering and construction projects, to build two new biomethane production plants in Italy. This revised contract is an expansion of the contact announced on April 2, 2025, and it brings the total number of facilities Anaergia is supplying for Techbau to seven. Anaergia S.r.l. will supply state-of-the-art equipment for the biomethane production process for each of the facilities, while Techbau will serve as the general contractor, responsible for the engineering, procurement, and construction of the facilities that are to be strategically located across Southern Italy. These facilities will use Anaergia's advanced anaerobic digestion technologies to produce renewable biomethane from various agricultural and food processing wastes, supporting Italy's commitment to sustainable energy and decarbonization goals. All seven plants are expected to be fully constructed and operational, supplying renewable biomethane to Italy's gas pipeline grid by mid-2026. Under the expanded contract, Anaergia anticipates recognizing additional revenues of C$9.2 million, bringing the total anticipated revenues for all seven projects with Techbau to over C$36 million. "Anaergia has developed a unique combination of experience and expertise, enabling us to effectively meet our clients' needs within efficient timeframes," stated Assaf Onn, CEO of Anaergia. "However, we are particularly gratified that this increase in the number of projects we are working on for Techbau also demonstrates the positive relationship and the high level of trust between our companies." About Techbau Techbau is an Italian leader in the design and execution of complex infrastructure and industrial projects. Renowned for its innovative approach and technical expertise, the company operates across multiple sectors, including energy, transport, and manufacturing. Techbau's robust capabilities and proven track record make it a trusted partner for high-value projects both in Italy and abroad. About Anaergia Anaergia is a pioneering technology company in the renewable natural gas (RNG) sector, with over 250 patents dedicated to converting organic waste into sustainable solutions such as RNG, fertilizer, and water. We are committed to addressing a significant source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) through cost-effective processes. Our proprietary technologies, combined with our engineering expertise and vast experience in facility design, construction, and operation, position Anaergia as a leader in the RNG industry. With a proven track record of delivering hundreds of innovative projects over the past decade, we are well-equipped to tackle today's critical resource recovery challenges through diverse project delivery methods. As one of the few companies worldwide offering an integrated portfolio of end-to-end solutions, we effectively combine solid waste processing, wastewater treatment, organics recovery, high-efficiency anaerobic digestion, and biomethane production. Additionally, we operate RNG facilities owned by both third parties and Anaergia. This comprehensive approach not only reduces environmental impact but also significantly lowers costs associated with waste and wastewater treatment while mitigating GHG emissions. For further information please see: www.anaergia.com Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects Anaergia's current expectations regarding future events, including but not limited to, counterparty contractual performance, the capability of the Company's technology and performance with respect to the project objectives. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions, including, but not limited to counterparty contractual performance, the full development and funding of construction of the seven facilities, the capability of the Company's technology and performance with respect to the project objectives, and the sufficient sourcing of food waste and power generation. The Company is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, and under "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis. Actual results could differ materially from those projected herein. Anaergia does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required under applicable securities laws. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect Anaergia's operations or financial results are included in Anaergia's reports on file with Canadian regulatory authorities. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611742877/en/ Contacts: For media and/or investor relations please contact: IR@Anaergia.com RENO, NEVADA / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Brookmount Gold (sic. Brookmount Explorations Inc.) (OTC PINK:BMXI), a gold exploration and production company, is pleased to confirm that accounts, for the fiscal years 2021/22, have been finalized following conversion from USGAAP to IFRS. The accounts, which had previously been audited under USGAAP, will now be forwarded to the Company's auditor Russell Bedford, for audit sign off. The financials will reflect a net profit from operations of approximately $7 million for the 2022 year, within 10% of the result in the unaudited accounts for the year which were submitted to OTC Markets at the time, and represent EPS (earnings per share) of $0.04c per share based on shares outstanding at 2/28/2025. Signed audited accounts for 2021/22 will be posted to OTC Markets following sign off, with a press release at that time. Management confirms that the audit of the 2023/24 accounts is currently underway. When completed, the combined 2021-2024 IFRS audited accounts will be submitted for PCAOB review and sign off. About Brookmount Gold Founded in 2018, Brookmount Gold is a high-growth gold-producing company quoted on OTC Markets in the United States (OTC: BMXI). With producing gold mines in Southeast Asia and exploration and development properties in North America, the Company is also focused on acquiring and developing additional high-quality gold and rare earth mineral assets with JORC/NI 43-101 verified resources. Safe Harbor Statements: Except for the historical information contained herein, certain of the matters discussed in this communication constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "could," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "predict," "project," "future," "potential," "intend," "seek to," "plan," "assume," "believe," "target," "forecast," "goal," "objective," "continue" or the negative of such terms or other variations thereof and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future plans, actions, or events identify forward- looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding benefits of the proposed license, expected synergies, anticipated future financial and operating performance and results, including estimates of growth. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements included in this communication. For example, the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the pending transaction, including the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any required governmental and regulatory approvals of the pending transaction that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties to abandon the transaction, the ability to successfully integrate the businesses, the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the negotiations, the risk that the parties may not be able to satisfy the conditions to the proposed transaction in a timely manner or at all, risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the proposed transaction, the risk that any announcements relating to the proposed transaction could have adverse effects on the market price of Brookmount's common stock. All such factors are difficult to predict and are beyond our control. We disclaim and do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement in this report, except as required by applicable law or regulations. Investor Relations Contact: Kevin Sakser: Tel# 813 4945756 Kevin Holmes: Tel # 410 8253930 Website: https://www.brookmountgold.com Corporate Contact: corporate@brookmountgold.com Social Links: Brookmount Gold X (Formerly Twitter); https://x.com/brookmountgold SOURCE: Brookmount Explorations, Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/brookmount-gold-provides-update-on-ifrs-audit-1038209 Introducing the Balloon Dog Speaker and the Balloon Dog Lamp: two innovative editions imagined with The Broad, designed to inflate iconic art into everyday life. Lexon is proud to announce a historic collaboration with Jeff Koons, unveiling the Balloon Dog Speaker and Balloon Dog Lamp: two reimagined, sculptural objects that merge art and technology in an unprecedented way. These official editions envisioned with The Broad in Los Angeles bring the playful spirit of Koons' iconic art into homes worldwide. Pre-orders for this collection will be available starting June 17, 2025, exclusively on lexon-design.com with limited supply. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250610284981/en/ Lexon x Jeff Koons A Transparent Fusion of Art and Function The Balloon Dog Speaker and Balloon Dog Lamp expand Jeff Koons' iconic Balloon Dog into new, everyday objects, using a high-quality translucent material that echoes its signature curves and captivating presence. Originally conceived in the 1990s, Koons' Balloon Dog is one of the most recognized symbols of contemporary art. Now, in partnership with Lexon, this masterpiece has been 'inflated' with technology, giving rise to functional and accessible objects. The transformation of Koons' Balloon Dog into a tech-powered object is a remarkable feat of engineering, with over 50,000 hours dedicated to perfecting every detail. Conceived as a true acoustic art piece equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 technology, the Balloon Dog speaker delivers 360 high-fidelity sound with exceptional richness and depth. Its enveloping soundscape is born from the harmonious alliance of six ultra-precise active drivers and four finely tuned passive radiators, meticulously crafted to elevate the low frequencies. Every note fills the space with rare sensory intensity, transforming each moment into a deeply immersive listening experience. Packed with built-in microphones, it supports hands-free calls through your connected device, offering a fun and practical way to enjoy your Balloon Dog Speaker. Thanks to True Wireless Stereo (TWS) technology, two Balloon Dog Speakers can be paired to create an expansive stereo soundstage, offering greater depth, and a more powerful audio presence. The Balloon Dog Lamp harnesses advanced multicolor lighting through nearly 400 integrated LEDs, delivering up to 200 lumens of brightness. It offers a wide selection of hues including warm and cold white, blue, magenta, green, orange, and more, allowing users to tailor the lighting to any setting. More than illumination, it offers a dynamic play of light, empowering users to shape the atmosphere and mood of any space with precision and elegance. With Lexon's proprietary 'Easy Sync' technology, the Balloon Dog Lamp offers a next-level lighting experience, allowing you to connect and synchronize an infinite number of Balloon Dog Lamps in color and brightness effortlessly. Whether placed in different corners of a room or side by side for a striking visual effect, the Balloon Dog Lamps instantly sync together, creating a perfectly coordinated ambiance. Both objects share the same sculptural dimensions of 11 inches 28cm height and 2 pounds 900 gr of technology are crafted for durability and everyday use. This collaboration merges artistic heritage with technological innovation, transforming an iconic artwork into functional design with purpose, presence, and everyday relevance. "I'm excited about this new collaboration with Lexon, which has transformed Balloon Dog. The Balloon Dog Lamp has a wide range of vibrant colors, while the Balloon Dog Speaker surrounds us with immersive sound. The two objects are an exciting way for Balloon Dog to enter into our daily lives where art, design, and technology come together," says Jeff Koons. "Our creative alliance with Jeff Koons marks a historic moment for Lexon. It is both an honor and a milestone to bring together our passion for design and technology through a bold reimagining of Balloon Dog, one of the most iconic artworks of our time. This collaboration challenged us to go beyond form and function, crafting pieces that are not only innovative, but emotionally resonant; designed to be lived with, used daily, and cherished as true pieces of art. Through these two new Editions, we proudly reaffirm Lexon's mission as a Maison de Design Francaise: to make timeless, high-quality design accessible to all, offering everyday objects that elevate life through beauty and purpose," says Boris Brault, CEO of Lexon. Exclusive, Certified Authenticity Each piece is engraved with Jeff Koons' signature under its front paws and comes with a certificate of authenticity. To further solidify its exclusivity, both the certificate and the packaging feature a hologram, reinforcing authentication and enhancing its collectible value. The Balloon Dog Speaker and Balloon Dog Lamp are produced in a limited supply, with pre-orders starting exclusively on lexon-design.com beginning June 17 2025. Shipping for pre-orders will start in October 2025. An Immersive Journey Through Augmented Reality To further elevate this artistic and technological experience, Lexon has unveiled an augmented reality (AR) feature that allows everyone to preview the Balloon Dog Lamp and Balloon Dog Speaker directly in their own space. This immersive tool enables users to visualize the pieces in real scale and context, bringing the essence of the collaboration into their homes and daily lives. By merging digital innovation with iconic design, the AR experience makes interacting with art more personal, accessible, and playful. A Historic Collaboration with The Broad and The Shop at The Broad As part of this collaboration, the Balloon Dog Speaker and Balloon Dog Lamp will be showcased for the first time at The Shop at The Broad on September 20, 2025, celebrating the museum's 10th anniversary. The Broad, home to the original Balloon Dog sculpture, continues its mission to democratize art, making it accessible and meaningful beyond gallery walls. This partnership with Lexon enables the fusion of cutting-edge technology with iconic art, providing the public with a tangible, everyday connection to Koons' creations. From September 20 to October 20 2025, the Balloon Dog Speaker and Balloon Dog Lamp will be available for an exclusive one-month sale at The Shop at The Broad, both in-store and online, offering visitors another unique opportunity to see and purchase these limited-edition pieces. First Pre-order Details Pre-order Launch: June 17, 2025, starting exclusively on lexon-design.com Price: 750 $/ per unit (Speaker or Lamp) Shipping Start: October 2025 Pre-order Limits: 2 units per product, per customer Worldwide Availability: Pre-orders available internationally About Lexon Since its foundation in 1991, Lexon has relentlessly pushed boundaries and created a difference in the world of design, all while staying true to its commitment of making small objects useful, beautiful, innovative, and affordable. Whether in home, office, leisure, or travel accessories, Lexon has established a unique relationship with creativity and partnered with the best designers around the world to create timeless collections of lifestyle products, sold at million pieces every year. Today, with more than 30 years of existence, +250 awards, collaborations with some of the most renowned designers, a retail presence in 90 countries across the Globe, Lexon has truly established itself as an iconic French design brand. About Jeff Koons Jeff Koons is a leading contemporary artist known for transforming everyday objects into bold, reflective sculptures that engage with art history and modern culture. Born in 1955 in York, Pennsylvania, he studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since his first solo exhibition in 1980, his work has been showcased globally in major institutions like MoMA, the Guggenheim, and Tate and of course, The Broad. Koons' iconic pieces, including Balloon Dog, Rabbit, and Puppy, explore themes of self-acceptance and transcendence. His monumental floral sculptures and mirror-finished stainless steel works challenge perceptions of materiality and craftsmanship. Honored internationally, Koons has received the Legion d'Honneur from France and the U.S. Department of State's Medal of the Arts. He has also contributed to cultural diplomacy and child protection efforts through the Koons Family International Law and Policy Institute. About The Broad The Broad's mission is to make contemporary art accessible to the widest possible audience. Founded in 2015 on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, the museum offers free general admission and presents an active program of special exhibitions and innovative live events, all within a landmark building designed by Diller Scofidio Renfro. The Broad is home to the Broad collection, one of the world's leading collections of postwar and contemporary art, which continues to grow as new artists and artworks are added. The museum is the headquarters of The Broad Art Foundation's worldwide lending library, which has been loaning collection works to museums around the world since 1984. An expansion of the museum will open before the 2028 summer Olympics in Los Angeles, creating even greater public access. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250610284981/en/ Contacts: Annabel Corlay a.corlay@lexon-design.com ZEBULON, NC / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Local teen Caden Hudson is an exceptional 14-year-old whose life is already profoundly filled with a sense of purpose. She has a meaningful connection with the Zebulon and Wake Forest Police Departments, helping to bring comfort to children by creating crafted with love crocheted stuffed animals for their first responders to gift to children facing traumatic and crisis situations. Caden has also taught other Girl Scout troops how to crochet, and recruited adult crocheters to help make even more animals to donate. She is dedicated to serving her community, and continues to be an exemplary role model of selflessness, inspiring others. Kids Wish Network Hero of the Year It was now Caden's turn to receive an outpour of support for her acts of kindness, and it was all a big surprise. Caden thought she was going to the Zebulon Police Department to donate more of her crocheted stuffed animals for kids in her community, but it was all part of a top secret plan. After arriving at the police station with her family and grandparents, Kids Wish Network announced that Caden was chosen as its Hero of the Year 2024! First came a speech acknowledging Caden's accomplishments, followed by a jumbo check for $3,000! And it all went down surrounded by some of her biggest fans, officers of the Zebulon and Wake Forest Police Departments. It was a heartfelt gathering, embracing Caden and her deep connection with her community. The Zebulon PD had the room decorated with blue and silver balloons and a chocolate chip cookie cake, Caden's favorite! "Kids Wish Network is so happy to reward Caden for her dedication to helping children, and teaching and inspiring others, creating a rippling effect of do-gooders in her community," said Programs Manager Tambra Fulk. "Her compassion and dedication touches so many hearts." Caden was previously recognized in 2024 as a Kids Wish Network Hero of the Month, and once again thought of others when she was rewarded a retail gift card in her special Hero gift package. Caden could have gone on a shopping spree for herself, but chose to buy more yarn and materials to make more stuffed crochet animals to deliver to first responders. Caden also spent her entire spring break crocheting. She was later selected as a finalist among other extraordinary Hero of the Month nominees over the past year, and then selected as Kids Wish Network's Hero of the Year 2024. Heroes are recognized for their demonstrated acts of kindness, bravery, leadership, determination in overcoming challenges, and positivity, inspiring others. About Kids Wish Network Kids Wish Network has been making dreams come true for children since 1997. We started with the single purpose of granting wishes to children suffering from life-threatening conditions, but have since created additional programs to benefit kids nationwide, including Hero of the Month, Project Toy Drop, Holiday of Hope Gift Banks, and A Child Forever Funeral Assistance. For more information, visit www.kidswishnetwork.org . Contact Information: Tambra Fulk Wish Department Manager tambra@kidswishnetwork.org 727-789-0008 SOURCE: Kids Wish Network View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/publishing-and-media/teen-hooked-on-crocheting-kindness-is-awarded-kids-wish-networks-hero-of-the-y-1038310 Believes Urgent Change is Needed to Preserve Company Independence and Enhance Shareholder Value Water Street's Nominees Bring Decades of Relevant Industry, Management, and Legal Experience Believes Hanwha's Plan to Purchase All Shares of REC Silicon Drastically Undervalues REC Silicon's Assets and Intellectual Property By More Than 90% Urges Shareholders to Support Water Street's Director Nominees at Upcoming Annual General Meeting JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Water Street Capital, Inc. ("Water Street"), a long-term, value-oriented private investment firm which, together with its affiliates, collectively owns 8.26% of the outstanding common stock of REC Silicon ASA (OSL: RECSI.OL) ("REC Silicon" or the "Company"), today announced its highly qualified slate of director candidates that it has nominated for election to REC Silicon's Board of Directors at the Company's Annual General Meeting ("AGM") on 25 June 2025. Water Street's director nominations follow the announcement of its intention to vote against a proposal from Hanwha Solutions Corporation ("Hanwha"), REC Silicon's largest shareholder, to purchase all shares of the Company at the historically low price of NOK 2.20 per share, currently undervaluing the company by more than 90%, without giving proper value to the growth potential of silane gas. Water Street has also called for a formal investigation into the circumstances around Hanwha's termination of its 10-year purchase agreement with REC Silicon and other matters. "The incumbent REC Silicon Board, which is comprised of several Hanwha executives, has proven, in our view, that it is not representing the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. The recent share purchase proposal by Hanwha, if executed, significantly undervalues the intellectual property and assets of a company deeply respected across the silane-based materials industry globally and invalidates the efforts of hundreds of REC Silicon employees," said Gilchrist Berg, Founder and Principal at Water Street Capital. "Our director nominees possess decades of relevant industry experience and are committed to working on behalf of all REC Silicon shareholders, large and small." Water Street's nominees include: Dave Keck: Mr. Keck is President of Advanced Material Solutions, a producer of specialty gases for the electronics industry. From 2005-2016, he held numerous positions at GT Advanced Technologies, including as a General Manager of the company's polysilicon equipment business, Executive Vice President of Sales, and ultimately CEO. Mr. Keck successfully renegotiated $1.1 billion in debt and helped the company out of bankruptcy. Earlier in his career, he served as plant manager of Advanced Silicon Materials' (REC Silicon predecessor) Moses Lake facility before becoming the company's Vice President of Business Development. Mr. Keck earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Washington. Mr. Keck is President of Advanced Material Solutions, a producer of specialty gases for the electronics industry. From 2005-2016, he held numerous positions at GT Advanced Technologies, including as a General Manager of the company's polysilicon equipment business, Executive Vice President of Sales, and ultimately CEO. Mr. Keck successfully renegotiated $1.1 billion in debt and helped the company out of bankruptcy. Earlier in his career, he served as plant manager of Advanced Silicon Materials' (REC Silicon predecessor) Moses Lake facility before becoming the company's Vice President of Business Development. Mr. Keck earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Washington. Chris Greig, PhD: Mr. Greig is the Theodora D. ('78) and William H. Walton III ('74) Senior Research Scientist at Princeton University's Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. As an established academic, he has a PhD in Chemical Engineering and is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE). His 10-year academic career follows a 25-year career in industry, first as founder and Managing Director of an innovative engineering company serving the global sugar and minerals industries. Upon exiting this role in 2000, Mr. Greig transitioned to senior executive roles in the construction and energy sectors, including as CEO of ZeroGen, pioneering large-scale CCS. He has also served as a non-executive director for several infrastructure and engineering firms. Mr. Greig is the Theodora D. ('78) and William H. Walton III ('74) Senior Research Scientist at Princeton University's Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. As an established academic, he has a PhD in Chemical Engineering and is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE). His 10-year academic career follows a 25-year career in industry, first as founder and Managing Director of an innovative engineering company serving the global sugar and minerals industries. Upon exiting this role in 2000, Mr. Greig transitioned to senior executive roles in the construction and energy sectors, including as CEO of ZeroGen, pioneering large-scale CCS. He has also served as a non-executive director for several infrastructure and engineering firms. John Adams: Mr. Adams is a Principal at Water Street Capital, where he previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Analyst. He has spent his career in a multitude of financial and operation roles including a role at Prudential Financial Corporation, CFO of Kinnett Dairies, and Partner at Mellon Ventures, a private equity and venture capital arm of Mellon Financial Corporation. Mr. Adams earned his Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Mr. Adams is a Principal at Water Street Capital, where he previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Analyst. He has spent his career in a multitude of financial and operation roles including a role at Prudential Financial Corporation, CFO of Kinnett Dairies, and Partner at Mellon Ventures, a private equity and venture capital arm of Mellon Financial Corporation. Mr. Adams earned his Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Karina Fossmark: Ms. Fossmark is the Founder of Oldermann Law Firm, a leading business law firm advising corporate clients, investors, and boards in Norway and internationally. She is a member of the Norwegian Bar Association and specializes in structuring complex financings, distressed debt resolutions, and implementing full-scale corporate turnarounds, and has served as lead counsel in various restructuring processes and distressed asset refinancings. Ms. Fossmark regularly advises on syndicated loan structures involving sovereign and multilateral institutions including pension funds, commercial banks, and innovation funds. Since 2020, she has served as General Counsel for Legal and Compliance at Fjord Line AS, Norway's second-largest international ferry operator. Ms. Fossmark has served in board positions across a diverse array of industries and earned her Master of Law from the University of Bergen, Norway. Ms. Fossmark is the Founder of Oldermann Law Firm, a leading business law firm advising corporate clients, investors, and boards in Norway and internationally. She is a member of the Norwegian Bar Association and specializes in structuring complex financings, distressed debt resolutions, and implementing full-scale corporate turnarounds, and has served as lead counsel in various restructuring processes and distressed asset refinancings. Ms. Fossmark regularly advises on syndicated loan structures involving sovereign and multilateral institutions including pension funds, commercial banks, and innovation funds. Since 2020, she has served as General Counsel for Legal and Compliance at Fjord Line AS, Norway's second-largest international ferry operator. Ms. Fossmark has served in board positions across a diverse array of industries and earned her Master of Law from the University of Bergen, Norway. Jane Power: Ms. Power is an independent equities trader based in London with a diverse background in commodities trading, banking, and corporate strategy. She has taught strategic planning at the United States Federal Reserve and holds extensive experience in academic and professional growth with a focus on women and career development, a field in which she has published literature, organized and moderated panel discussions, and delivered lectures on at leading universities including Oxford University. Ms. Power has served in numerous board positions, including on the Alumni Boards of both Harvard University and Harvard Business School, as well as the Seven College Conference in the United Kingdom. Ms. Power earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard College and her Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Water Street urges all REC Silicon shareholders to vote FOR its highly qualified slate of independent director candidates at the Company's upcoming AGM in order to preserve the Company's independence and enhance shareholder value. REC Silicon Annual General Meeting Registration Details REC Silicon's virtual AGM will be held on 25 June 2025 at 13:00 CET. Shareholders can log in at https://dnb.lumiagm.com/103908571 and must identify themselves using the reference number and pin code from VPS accessible in investor services (Corporate Actions - General Meeting - ISIN), sent to them by post, or by contacting DNB Bank Verdipapirservice by phone (+47 23 26 80 20) or e-mail (genf@dnb.no). More information can be found at www.recsilicon.com. Media Contact Jonathan Gasthalter/Brandon Lin Gasthalter & Co. (212) 257-4170 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2694704/Water_Street_Capital_Inc__Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/water-street-capital-nominates-highly-qualified-slate-of-independent-directors-to-rec-silicon-board-302479142.html CAMBRIDGE, Ontario, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eclipse Automation, part of Accenture, recently signed multiple contracts related to the design, manufacture and supply of Automated Tooling and Equipment in support of the upcoming CANDU nuclear reactor refurbishment projects at Cernavoda, Romania and Qinshan, China. The contracts have a diverse scope that includes the design, manufacture and supply of equipment such as automated inspection tools, radioactive material handling equipment, reactor component retrieval systems, volume reduction systems, state-of-the-art control systems and an internal remote-control center. "As a long-term player in the nuclear industry, this win further solidifies Eclipse Automations' position as a trusted and reliable partner to AktinsRealis, and other stakeholders in the nuclear industry," commented Steve Mai, CEO, Eclipse Automation. "In the last decade, Eclipse has delivered automated solutions and equipment to support nuclear refurbishment work at the Embalse reactor in Argentina, and at the Darlington and Bruce nuclear generating stations in Canada". These refurbishment contracts add to the fortification of Canada's nuclear supply chain and expanding its nuclear strengths, two topics which are core to resilience and growth of the Canadian nuclear sector to 2050, according to Accenture's 2050 nuclear futures report. "Eclipse is a long-standing valued partner, demonstrating commitment to the nuclear industry with a focus on safety, quality, schedule and cost performance; all factors that are critical to the successful refurbishment of CANDU reactors globally," said Matthew Ross, Senior Vice- President, International Life Extension, Candu Energy Inc., an AtkinsRealis company. "Based in Cambridge and part of the Canadians for CANDU campaign, Eclipse is an important partner in our expanding supply chain. I look forward to many more years of successful collaboration." Eclipse takes an innovative approach by combining proven technology solutions with a deep understanding of nuclear quality requirements, while fostering a strong culture of health and safety. This enables our nuclear team to deliver reliable high-quality equipment on-time and on-budget to nuclear refurbishment projects both in Canada and around the world. A significant portion of this work is carried out in Ontario, where our dedicated nuclear team in Cambridge designs, manufactures, assembles, and tests specialized nuclear tools and equipment for all types of nuclear projects. Our team's extensive industry experience includes prior involvement in CANDU refurbishment, waste management and other nuclear projects, further strengthening our experience and capability to support other complex nuclear initiatives both in Canada and around the world. In addition to our Canadian operations, Eclipse maintains a global presence with facilities in USA, Europe and Asia. About Eclipse: Eclipse Automation, part of Accenture, provides innovative automation solutions that reinvent manufacturing. Our decades of experience, use of physical and digital tenets to connect the top floor to the shop floor. Eclipse's nuclear team consists of highly trained experts who specialize in automating and optimizing nuclear operations. With deep experience across the entire nuclear lifecycle - from new builds, to operations, life extensions, late life management, waste management, decommissioning and remediation - our team understands the intrinsic elements, including tooling and processes. Eclipse is vertically integrated, with in-house capabilities to design, manufacture, assemble and test custom equipment and tooling. Eclipse is committed to upholding the highest-quality standards. A global presence in North America, Europe, and Asia means we apply local expertise and global insights to solve automation challenges. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/14f47033-4f18-4efb-a92d-6ce8b889bcaf https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9683abdf-193a-4fb1-baea-b8b98602a49b https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/24487587-4625-43c1-a1ab-da02bfec0bc4 A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f6ce1d79-695a-49aa-ac08-44e3d5612786 Media contact: Name: Barbara Farag Job Title: Brand, Communications and PR Manager Contact Info: barbara.farag@eclipseautomation.com BANGALORE, India, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NCM Battery Material Market is Segmented by Type (NCM111, NCM523, NCM622, NCM811, Others), by Application (New Energy Vehicles, 3C Electronics, Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024-2031. The global market for NCM Battery Material was valued at USD 16.4 Billion in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 40.6 Billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 13.4% during the forecast period. Claim Your Free Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-6W6293/Global_NCM_Battery_Material_Market_Insights_Forecast_to_2028 Major Factors Driving the Growth of NCM Battery Material Market The usage of NCM battery material is growing despite its higher cost because it offers a superior balance of energy density, performance, and efficiency/critical attributes for electric vehicles and advanced energy storage systems. NCM chemistries, particularly high-nickel variants like NCM811, enable longer driving ranges, faster charging, and lighter battery packs, which are essential for meeting consumer expectations and regulatory demands. Additionally, ongoing innovations are gradually reducing cobalt content, helping to lower long-term costs and address ethical sourcing concerns. The strategic value of NCM in achieving cleaner mobility and efficient energy storage outweighs its initial cost, making it a preferred choice for manufacturers and governments investing in sustainable technologies. Unlock Insights: View Full Report Now! https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-6W6293/global-ncm-battery-material TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF THE NCM BATTERY MATERIAL MARKET NCM811, comprising 80% nickel, 10% cobalt, and 10% manganese, plays a pivotal role in the growth of the NCM battery material market due to its high energy density and cost-efficiency. The reduction in cobalt content addresses ethical and supply chain concerns, making NCM811 more sustainable and economical. It is widely adopted in electric vehicles (EVs) due to its ability to extend driving range and reduce battery weight, both of which are critical for improving EV performance and consumer acceptance. Additionally, NCM811 supports fast charging, enhancing convenience for users. As global EV sales rise, manufacturers are shifting to NCM811-based chemistries to meet performance demands and cost targets, significantly driving the demand for this battery material. NCM622, with a 6:2:2 ratio of nickel, cobalt, and manganese, contributes to the market by offering a balanced solution between performance, cost, and safety. It has become the preferred material in mid-range electric vehicles and consumer electronics, where high energy density is required without compromising stability. NCM622 provides greater thermal stability and cycle life compared to earlier chemistries like NCM111, making it suitable for both portable devices and stationary energy storage systems. Manufacturers favor NCM622 for its maturity in production processes and regulatory compliance. As the global demand for affordable, efficient energy solutions grows, NCM622 continues to hold a strong share in the market, accelerating its overall expansion. New energy vehicles (NEVs), including battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, are the primary demand drivers for NCM battery materials. As governments push for decarbonization, stricter emission norms and subsidies are boosting EV adoption globally. NCM-based cathode materials, especially NCM811 and NCM622, are essential in achieving the high energy density and cost goals of NEVs. These materials enable extended range, faster charging, and reduced dependency on cobalt, making them ideal for mass-market EVs. Automakers are forming partnerships with battery manufacturers to secure long-term NCM supplies. The exponential growth in NEV production directly influences the demand for NCM materials, cementing their role in the global energy transition. Consumer expectations for longer-lasting, faster-charging batteries have fueled the growth of high-energy density solutions, with NCM materials at the forefront. These materials allow more lithium ions to be stored and transferred, increasing both power output and efficiency. Applications such as electric vehicles, drones, and high-end electronics benefit from this enhancement in energy capacity. Battery manufacturers are prioritizing NCM formulations to meet industry demands for compact, lightweight, and high-performing battery packs. As energy density becomes a key parameter in battery innovation, NCM materials will remain central to future product development and technological adoption. One of the significant growth factors is the evolving battery chemistries that reduce cobalt content while enhancing performance. Cobalt is expensive, scarce, and often tied to unethical mining practices. By shifting toward high-nickel compositions like NCM811, manufacturers can reduce costs and improve ethical sourcing. These innovations make NCM batteries more attractive to ESG-conscious companies and consumers. The development of cobalt-light or cobalt-free formulations reflects industry efforts to ensure sustainable and scalable production. The successful commercialization of these materials enhances investor confidence and consumer acceptance, boosting the long-term viability of NCM battery technologies. Public policies supporting renewable energy and zero-emission mobility are fueling the demand for advanced battery technologies. Governments across Asia, Europe, and North America are providing financial incentives to promote electric vehicle adoption, which directly stimulates the NCM battery material market. Subsidies for battery manufacturing plants, tax breaks for EV buyers, and carbon reduction mandates are driving investments in battery supply chains. Many national policies now include mandates for domestic battery production and sourcing, leading to a surge in regional NCM material procurement. This policy-driven push is vital in ensuring sustained market demand and fostering innovation in the NCM segment. The rapid increase in electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing is significantly boosting the demand for NCM battery materials. Automakers are under pressure to meet regulatory CO2 targets and transition away from fossil fuels. NCM-based lithium-ion batteries offer high energy density and are essential for building longer-range EVs at lower costs. With battery performance being a key differentiator in EV adoption, manufacturers are investing heavily in NCM chemistries. Leading markets like China, the U.S., and Europe are offering tax benefits and subsidies that encourage the production and sale of EVs, indirectly accelerating the consumption of NCM battery components across regions. Claim Yours Now! https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Auto-6W6293&lic=single-user NCM BATTERY MATERIAL MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS The regional landscape of the NCM battery material market shows strong growth in Asia-Pacific, particularly in China, South Korea, and Japan, due to their dominance in battery production and EV adoption. China leads in raw material processing and has invested significantly in domestic EV infrastructure, propelling demand for NCM materials. South Korea and Japan contribute through technological innovation and exports of NCM-based battery packs. Europe follows closely, fueled by the EU's Green Deal policies and the expansion of local gigafactories. North America is emerging with increased investment in domestic battery production to reduce reliance on imports. Each region's industrial focus shapes the trajectory of NCM material consumption. Purchase Chapters: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-6W6293/global-ncm-battery-material/1 Key Players: L&F Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. Sinochem Umicore Toda Kogyo Tanaka Chemical Mitsui Mining & Smelting Nichia Corporation BASF GEM Tianjin Bamo Technology Ningbo Ronbay New Energy Hunan Shanshan Beijing Dangsheng Material Reshine New Material Hunan Cylico Guizhou Zhenhua New Materials Xiamen Simwe Pulead Technology Industry Purchase Regional Data: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Auto-6W6293/Global_NCM_Battery_Material_Market_Insights_Forecast_to_2028 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! - The global market for NMC & NCA Battery was estimated to be worth USD 27860 Million in 2023 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 48680 Million by 2030 with a CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period 2024-2030. - The global market for Cylindrical NMC & NCA Battery was estimated to be worth USD 18550 Million in 2023 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 34580 Million by 2030 with a CAGR of 9.3% during the forecast period 2024-2030. - The global market for Lithium Ion Battery Foil Materials was valued at USD 9893 Million in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 25070 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 13.4% during the forecast period. - Sodium Ion Battery Cathode Materials Market - Lithium-ion Battery Coating Materials Market - The global market for Battery Materials Crusher was valued at USD 164 Million in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 242 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period. - The global market for LNMO Battery Materials was valued at USD 2.9 Million in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 62.9 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 55.7% during the forecast period. - The global market for Lithium-ion Battery Materials was valued at USD 17290 Million in the year 2024 and is projected to reach a revised size of USD 36220 Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 11.3% during the forecast period. - High Nickel Ternary Battery Market - NMC 811 Battery Market DISCOVER OUR VISION: VISIT ABOUT US! 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PAUL, MN / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Antea Group USA is proud to announce that its service, Global Climate Risk Assessments, has been awarded the Grand Prize at the Antea Group Global Innovation Challenge 2025. This international competition, which culminated in an exciting final event in Amsterdam on May 23, celebrates and recognizes the most impactful and forward-thinking solutions developed across the global Antea Group network. The winning team from Antea Group USA, comprised of Natalya Holm, Audrey Beattie, Celine Morris, Laurell Ahn, and Eileen Lo, developed the Global Climate Risk Assessments service to address the urgent need for public and private companies to quantify and disclose the potential financial impacts of climate-related risks on their organizations. This comprehensive service is designed to align with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework and emerging global regulations, helping clients navigate both current and future climate states. "We are incredibly proud of the remarkable achievement of our team in winning the Global Innovation Challenge 2025," said Brian Ricketts, CEO of Antea Group USA. "Their approach to Global Climate Risk Assessments exemplifies the forward-thinking mindset and dedication to addressing critical climate-related challenges for our clients. This service not only helps our clients meet complex regulatory demands but also provides them with actionable insights to build resilience and drive sustainable growth. It truly sets a shining example of innovation, teamwork, and excellence." The Global Climate Risk Assessments service offers a structured, five-step approach: Geographic Climate Risk Screening: A global assessment of current-day climate-related physical and transition risks and opportunities. Scenario Analysis: Evaluation of how identified climate-related risks are expected to develop under various future climate scenarios. Financial Risk Modeling: Quantifying potential financial impacts based on client risks and business operation metrics. Risk Mitigation & Strategic Opportunities: Identification of measures and opportunities to abate business impacts. TCFD-aligned Disclosure: Disclosure of methods and results supporting compliance with various regulations leveraging the TCFD framework. "Winning this award is a tremendous honor," says Natalya Holm. "We hope this service empowers businesses to confidently move forward in their sustainability journeys, providing them with the clear data and strategic insights needed to understand, manage, and disclose their climate-related financial risks effectively." The victory of Global Climate Risk Assessments underscores Antea Group's dedication to leading the industry with innovative solutions that provide tangible value to clients facing evolving environmental and regulatory landscapes. This achievement reinforces the company's position as a forward-thinking partner in sustainability and environmental consulting. About Antea Group Antea Group is an environment, health, safety, and sustainability consulting firm. By combining strategic thinking with technical expertise, we do more than effectively solve client challenges; we deliver sustainable results for a better future. We work in partnership with and advise many of the world's most sustainable companies to address ESG-business challenges in a way that fits their pace and unique objectives. Our consultants equip organizations to better understand threats, capture opportunities and find their position of strength. Lastly, we maintain a global perspective on ESG issues through not only our work with multinational clients, but also through our sister organizations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and as a founding member of the Inogen Alliance. Learn more at us.anteagroup.com. Contact: Alison Bryant Marketing Director alison.bryant@anteagroup.us us.anteagroup.com View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Antea Group on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Antea Group Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/antea-group Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Antea Group View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/antea-group-usa-wins-global-innovation-challenge-grand-prize-for-1038407 Julius Baer Group Ltd. / Key word(s): Bond/Miscellaneous Julius Baer successfully places EUR 500 million senior unsecured notes 11.06.2025 / 17:45 CET/CEST Zurich, 11 June 2025 - Today, Julius Baer Group Ltd. successfully placed EUR 500 million 5-year senior unsecured notes through ELM B.V., a repackaging issuance entity incorporated in the Netherlands. This EUR senior unsecured issuance allows Julius Baer to further diversify its funding strategy in international debt markets. The transaction was targeted at European institutional investors and the proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. Julius Baer Group Ltd. will issue loan notes to, and which are held by, ELM B.V. (or a nominee acting on its behalf), which in turn will issue its own notes to investors secured by the Julius Baer Group Ltd. loan notes. The securities carry a fixed-rate, annually payable coupon set at 3.375% per annum and have been issued in denominations of EUR 100,000. An application for admission to trading of the notes issued by ELM B.V. on Euronext Dublin will be made. Contacts Media Relations, tel. +41 (0) 58 888 8888 Investor Relations, tel. +41 (0) 58 888 5256 This announcement is not and shall not be interpreted or construed as a solicitation to purchase any securities of/in Julius Baer Group. About Julius Baer Julius Baer is the leading Swiss wealth management group and a premium brand in this global sector, with a focus on servicing and advising sophisticated private clients. In all we do, we are inspired by our purpose: creating value beyond wealth. At the end of April 2025, assets under management amounted to CHF 467 billion. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd., the renowned Swiss private bank with origins dating back to 1890, is the principal operating company of Julius Baer Group Ltd., whose shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: BAER) and are included in the Swiss Leader Index (SLI), comprising the 30 largest and most liquid Swiss stocks. Julius Baer is present in around 25 countries and 60 locations. Headquartered in Zurich, we have offices in key locations including Bangkok, Dubai, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, Monaco, Mumbai, Santiago de Chile, Shanghai, Singapore, Tel Aviv, and Tokyo. Our client-centric approach, our objective advice based on the Julius Baer open product platform, our solid financial base, and our entrepreneurial management culture make us the international reference in wealth management. For more information visit our website at www.juliusbaer.com End of Media Release Swedish decor brand expands into Japanese market, launching localized platform and marketing campaign STOCKHOLM, June 11, 2025, marking a major milestone in the company's ongoing global expansion. With a strong presence across Europe and North America, Photowall's move into Japan reflects the brand's commitment to making personalized interior design accessible to a wider international audience. The launch includes a comprehensive marketing campaign, local customer support, and tailored logistics to ensure a seamless experience for customers in Japan. "We're thrilled to bring our products and design philosophy to Japan, a country that shares our appreciation for craftsmanship, aesthetics, and individuality," a company spokesperson said. "Japan's design culture is both rich and globally influential, making it a natural next step for us. We're excited to see how our wall art collections will inspire new creative spaces across the country." Founded in 2006 in Sweden, Photowall offers a vast library of wall decor - from striking nature scenes and minimalist patterns to exclusive artwork by international designers. Customers can also upload their own images to create one-of-a-kind wallpaper or prints, making every product deeply personal. All items are made to order in Stockholm using eco-friendly materials and water-based inks, ensuring minimal environmental impact. Japanese customers will benefit from a fully localized shopping experience, which features local currency, language, customer service, and optimized shipping. The site will also feature local design inspiration and partnerships with Japanese influencers, artists, and interior design experts. Photowall's products are particularly well-suited to Japan's evolving interior design trends, which increasingly embrace customization, biophilic design, and sustainable materials. Whether decorating a small apartment in Tokyo or a traditional home in Kyoto, Japanese homeowners and businesses can now transform their walls with designs that reflect their personality and values. The Japanese launch builds on Photowall's strong global momentum, as the company now serves customers in over 25 international markets. With a growing reputation for quality, fast production, and highly customizable design options, Photowall continues to gain loyal customers around the world - particularly in the United States, where its dedicated storefront at www.photowall.com/us has seen strong demand across both residential and commercial segments. For more information, visit: Japan: https://www.photowall.jp (https://www.photowall.jp/) (https://www.photowall.jp/) Germany: https://www.photowall.de/ (https://www.photowall.de/) (https://www.photowall.com/) A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/244af26e-35b8-4463-9394-b9eb6798a05c Media Contact: BJORN WAHLMAN Head of Digital Marketing, Photowall Email: press@photowall.com Publication of the convening notice Regulatory News: Claranova (Euronext Paris: FR0013426004 CLA) informs its shareholders that its Ordinary General Meeting will be held on Friday, June 27, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. CET at the Business Center Tour Egee, 9-11 allee de l'Arche, 92400 Courbevoie. The original French language version of the Convening notice, including the agenda and the text of the resolutions to be submitted to the General Meeting, was published in the French publication for legal announcements (Bulletin des Annonces Legales Obligatoires or BALO) today and is available on the Company's website along with a translation in English for information purposes. Details of how to attend and vote at this Meeting are provided in the notice. In accordance with legal and regulatory requirements, documents related to the preparation of this Meeting are available to the shareholders and may be consulted on the company's website www.claranova.com under "Shareholders' Meeting" in the Investors section. Shareholders are invited to attend the General Meeting, to be represented by proxy, or to vote by post or online. This last option can be exercised: by returning the voting form so that it reaches the Company no later than midnight, Paris time, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025; by voting online before the General Meeting. Online voting is possible as of today, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, until Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. Paris time. The online voting procedure is detailed in the convening notice. The General Meeting will be streamed live in French and the recording will remain available on the company's website. Financial calendar: July 31, 2025: FY 2024-2025 revenue October 29, 2025: FY 2024-2025 results About Claranova: Claranova is a global leader in e-commerce for personalized objects (photo prints, photo books, children's books, etc.) and software publishing (PDF, Photo and Security). As a truly international group, in 2024 it reported revenue of nearly a half a billion euros, with 95% of this amount originating from outside France. Through its products and solutions sold in over 160 countries, the Group's mission is to "Transform technological innovation into user-centric solutions". By leveraging its digital marketing expertise, AI and the analysis of data from over 100 million active customers worldwide, Claranova develops technological solutions, available online, on mobile devices and tablets, for a wide range of private and professional customers. Operating in high-potential markets, the Group will pursue a growth strategy focused on profitability and operational excellence, in line with its "One Claranova" strategic roadmap. Claranova is eligible for French "PEA-PME" tax-advantaged savings accounts For more information on Claranova Group: https://www.claranova.com or https://twitter.com/claranova_group Disclaimer: All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release about future events are subject to (i) change without notice and (ii) factors beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control that could cause the Company's actual results or performance to be materially different from the expected results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. CODES Ticker:? CLA ISIN: FR0013426004 www.claranova.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611594552/en/ Contacts: ANALYSTS INVESTORS +33 1 41 27 19 74 ir@claranova.com FINANCIAL COMMUNICATIONS +33 1 75 77 54 68 ir@claranova.com Filming Begins Thursday, June 12 at the New York Stock Exchange - Campaign Includes National TV Coverage, Earned Media, TV Commercials, and Full Social Media Amplification NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / New to The Street, one of the nation's longest-running business television platforms, proudly announces a new multi-part media series spotlighting Lahontan Gold Corp. (TSX-V:LG)(OTCQB:LGCXF) and its Founder, President, and CEO Kimberly Ann Arntson. The new campaign begins filming Thursday, June 12th from the iconic New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and will feature national television broadcasts, earned media placements, custom-produced commercials, and expansive social media distribution across all major platforms. The announcement marks a renewed and expanded collaboration between Lahontan Gold and New to The Street, building on prior successful media appearances. As part of this enhanced engagement, the series will integrate New to The Street'sNewsOut video press release platform, increasing the company's visibility to institutional investors, retail audiences, and global media outlets. "We know we're doing something right when great clients like Lahontan keep coming back and expanding into our new media offerings like NewsOut and TV commercials," said Vince Caruso, Creator and Executive Producer of New to The Street. "Kimberly Ann is a standout executive in the gold sector, and we're honored to help bring her story and vision to our national audience." The new series will air as sponsored programming on Fox Business Network and Bloomberg Television, and will be distributed to New to The Street's rapidly growing base of over 2.5 million YouTube subscribers. In addition, select segments will be amplified through outdoor placements across Times Square, Wall Street, and midtown Manhattan, as well as through targeted media placements with ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX local affiliates. The content will feature in-depth interviews with Kimberly Ann Arntson, highlighting Lahontan's exploration strategy in Nevada's prolific Walker Lane District, ongoing drilling results, and the company's plans for growth and shareholder value creation. Broadcast air dates and digital release schedules will be announced in the coming days. About Lahontan Gold Corp. Lahontan Gold Corp. is a Canadian exploration company focused on the development of high-grade gold and silver assets in Nevada. The company's flagship Santa Fe Project lies within the highly prospective Walker Lane District, a region renowned for its rich mining history and ongoing gold discoveries. Led by CEO Kimberly Ann Arntson, Lahontan is rapidly advancing its exploration efforts to unlock shareholder value through responsible and aggressive project development. Website: www.lahontangoldcorp.com About New to The Street New to The Street is a nationally recognized media platform that produces and distributes in-depth interviews and features on innovative public and private companies. Now in its 16th year, the show airs weekly as sponsored programming on Bloomberg Television, Fox Business Network, and digital outlets. With over 2.5 million YouTube subscribers, iconic Times Square billboard presence, and media partnerships across major networks, New to The Street is the go-to outlet for executive storytelling and financial news. The platform also manages NewsOut, a leading video press release syndication service that combines visual content with guaranteed media reach. For media inquiries or interview opportunities: Monica Brennan PR Director, New to The Street Monica@NewToTheStreet.com Follow New to The Street on Social Media: YouTube:@NewtotheStreetTV LinkedIn: New to The Street TV Twitter/X: @NewToTheStreet Instagram: @NewToTheStreetTV Facebook: @NewToTheStreetMedia SOURCE: New To The Street View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/publishing-and-media/new-to-the-street-launches-new-broadcast-series-featuring-lahontan-gold-corp.-1038447 AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a-" (Excellent) of Qatar Islamic Insurance Group Q.P.S.C. (QIIG) (Qatar). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect QIIG's 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. QIIG is a takaful insurer and operates through a hybrid model, whereby the shareholders' fund charges the policyholders' fund (PHF) a Wakala fee based on gross written contributions (GWC) and a Mudarabah fee based on investment income. QIIG's balance sheet strength is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalisation at the strongest level, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). AM Best assesses the company's risk-adjusted capitalisation on a combined basis, including its policyholders' and shareholders' funds, due to the strength of domestic regulation and requirement that the shareholders' fund would have to support the PHF were it to fall into deficit. Other positive balance sheet factors include the company's track record of internal capital generation through the retention of earnings and QIIG's accumulated surplus within the PHF. An offsetting factor to the assessment is QIIG's exposure to illiquid real estate assets and investments in associates, which accounted for 41.3% of its total investments as at year-end 2024. Despite this, the company maintains a robust level of liquidity, with its consolidated cash and deposits covering net technical provisions by 170.5% at year-end 2024, indicating that the company holds sufficient surplus capital to manage the higher investment risk appetite. AM Best assesses QIIG's operating performance as strong, evidenced by a five-year (2020-2024) weighted average return on equity of 16.6%. QIIG's combined family and general takaful portfolios have exhibited excellent underwriting performance over the medium term, with the five-year weighted average combined ratio of 73.1%. Underwriting performance of the general takaful book was affected adversely by underperformance of the medical segment in 2023 and 2024; however, the company has taken actions to remediate this portfolio. QIIG holds a niche position within its domestic insurance market, where it is a market-leading takaful player. The company has good diversification by line of business, offering a range of Sharia-compliant insurance products. In 2024, QIIG wrote GWC of QAR 551.2 million (USD 157.4 million). The business profile assessment is constrained by the company's geographical concentration and limited competitive position within the wider Qatari insurance market. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Performance Assessments, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2025 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611527488/en/ Contacts: Romeo Berti Senior Financial Analyst +44 20 7397 0267 romeo.berti@ambest.com Ben Diaz-Clegg Associate Director, Analytics +44 20 7397 0293 ben.diaz-clegg@ambest.com Christopher Sharkey Associate Director, Public Relations +1 908 882 2310 christopher.sharkey@ambest.com Al Slavin Senior Public Relations Specialist +1 908 882 2318 al.slavin@ambest.com THIS PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE EUROPEAN MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (596/2014) Shareholders approve all proposed resolutions EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ONWARD Medical N.V. (Euronext: ONWD and US OTCQX: ONWRY), the leading neurotechnology company pioneering therapies to restore movement, function and independence in people with spinal cord injury and other movement disabilities, today announces that that all proposed resolutions at its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) were duly passed. The meeting was held this afternoon in Amsterdam, the Netherlands at 4:00PM CET. Full details of the resolutions approved during the AGM can be found on the Company's Investor Relations website. About ONWARD Medical ONWARD Medical is the leading neurotechnology company pioneering therapies to restore movement, function and independence in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and other movement disabilities. Building on more than a decade of scientific discovery, preclinical research, and clinical studies conducted at leading hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, and neuroscience laboratories, the Company has developed ARC Therapy, which has been awarded ten Breakthrough Device Designations from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Company's ARC-EX System is cleared for commercial sale in the US. In addition, the Company is developing an investigational implantable system called ARC-IM with and without an implanted brain-computer interface (BCI). Headquartered in the Netherlands, the Company has a Science and Engineering Center in Switzerland and a US office in Boston, Massachusetts. The Company is listed on Euronext Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam (ticker: ONWD) and its US ADRs can be traded on OTCQX (ticker: ONWRY). To learn more about ONWARD Medical's commitment to partnering with the spinal cord injury community to develop innovative solutions for restoring movement, function, and independence after spinal cord injury, please visit ONWD.com. To be kept informed about the Company's technologies, research studies, and the availability of therapies in your area, please complete this webform. For Media Inquiries: Sebastien Cros, VP Communications media@onwd.com For Investor Inquiries: investors@onwd.com Disclaimer Certain statements, beliefs, and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect the Company's or, as appropriate, the Company directors' current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve several risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, delays in regulatory approvals, changes in demand, competition, and technology, can cause actual events, performance, or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions, or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person's officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Trademarks: ONWARD, ARC-EX, ARC-IM, ARC-BCI, and the stylized O-Logo are proprietary and registered trademarks of ONWARD Medical. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. ARC-EX Indication for Use (US): The ARC-EX System is intended to deliver programmed, transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation in conjunction with functional task practice in the clinic to improve hand sensation and strength in individuals between 18 and 75 years old that present with a chronic, non-progressive neurological deficit resulting from an incomplete spinal cord injury (C2-C8 inclusive). Other Investigational Products: All other ONWARD Medical devices and therapies including ARC-IM and ARC-BCI are investigational and not available for commercial use. Toronto, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Biosenta Inc. (CSE: ZRO) ("Biosenta") today announced that two independent, peer-reviewed studies conducted at the University of Calgary confirmed that its proprietary Tri-Filler core-shell calcium hydroxide-calcium carbonate (CSCC) nanoparticles achieved complete (100 %) bactericidal activity against multiple World Health Organization (WHO) priority pathogens and keep working far longer than conventional biocides. "Transforming a readily available mineral into a durable, broad-spectrum antimicrobial opens new opportunities for safer surfaces in hospitals, transit systems and homes," said Dr. Mehdi Mohammadi Ashani, lead author of both papers. Key laboratory findings The research, conducted and independently validated by University of Calgary scientists, is detailed in two recent peer-reviewed publications in Colloids and Surfaces A and The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering. These studies confirmed Tri-Filler's potent efficacy against multiple World Health Organization priority bacterial pathogens, including: Gram-negative bacteria: Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), Pseudomonas aeruginosa ), Gram-positive bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA) These findings were validated using both Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Biocidal Concentration (MBC) protocols, with consistent 100% elimination rates at the 2.5 mg/mL threshold across these bacterial strains. Traditional biocides rely on frequent re-application and can trigger resistance or toxicity. The 100 % kill rates reported above were obtained under controlled laboratory conditions. In addition, Biosenta has obtained similar promising results against other significant microbes, including the Gram-positive bacterium Enterococcus faecalis and fungi Candida auris and Candida albicans. These results are currently under preparation for peer-reviewed publication. "Achieving 100 per cent eradication across three WHO-priority species by a more environmentally friendly biocide at such relatively low dose moves Tri-Filler into a class of its own and is a decisive step toward safer, longer-lasting antimicrobial surfaces," added Dr. Maen Husein, professor of chemical and petroleum engineering and senior author of the papers. From personal loss to public good Biosenta's president and CEO Am Gill lost his uncle to a hospital-acquired infection. That tragedy drives the company's mission and underpins a $140-thousand donation to the Alberta Centre for Advanced Diagnostics to accelerate nanoparticle research. "We're turning grief into action," Gill said. "Embedding Tri-Filler into concrete, paint and coatings will let us stop pathogens at the surface and save lives." What happens next Regulatory filings - Health Canada and U.S. EPA submissions for Tri-Filler-enabled products are in preparation. - Health Canada and U.S. EPA submissions for Tri-Filler-enabled products are in preparation. Manufacturing scale-up - Bench output already tops 170 kg day; full commercial plant design is under way. About Biosenta Inc. Biosenta Inc. develops innovative antimicrobial products that offer environmentally friendly solutions to a global market. Based in Toronto, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta, the company is dedicated to the advancement of technology that combats microbial growth in various materials. Biosenta's flagship product, Tri-Filler, represents a breakthrough in antimicrobial technology, providing durable protection against a wide spectrum of bacteria, molds, and fungi. For more information, visit our website: www.biosenta.com References N. Darwish, M. M. Ashani, A. Mehairi, I. A. Lewis, M. M. Husein, "Synthesis of uniform core-shell calcium hydroxide-calcium carbonate biocidal particles via encapsulation into dry ice," Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 1. DOI: 10.1002/cjce.25670. N. Darwish, M. M. Ashani, I. A. Lewis, M. M. Husein, "Controlled carbonation of Ca(OH)2 surface and its application as an antibacterial particle," Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2024, 682. DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2023.132852. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"), including forward-looking statements relating the completion of the Transaction. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. If any such risks actually occur, they could impact the potential for discussion, agreement or completion of the Transaction and/or materially adversely affect the Company's business, financial condition or results of operations. In that case, the trading price of the Company's common shares could decline, perhaps materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purposes of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. Disclaimer The CSE has in no way passed upon the contents of this news release and further, has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the CSE) 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/255262 SOURCE: Biosenta Inc. Commercial Space, Storefronts and Office Smart Door Lock MIAMI, FL / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Finding a secure yet stylish smart door lock for narrow stile doors in commercial spaces can be challenging. These sleek doors, commonly found in offices, retail stores, and business environments, require a lock that fits seamlessly without compromising security. The Smart Door Lock Slim offers an advanced, space-saving solution designed specifically for narrow frames, providing robust protection while maintaining a modern aesthetic. Smart Door Lock Slim Key Features of the Smart Door Lock Slim Compact, Space-Saving Design Engineered to fit narrow door frames, this door lock blends effortlessly with modern commercial architecture, ensuring a sleek, unobtrusive appearance while delivering high security. Advanced Locking Technology Keyless Entry Options: Unlock with PIN codes, RFID cards, fingerprints, or a smartphone app. Multi-Layer Security: Anti-tamper protection and encrypted communication safeguard against unauthorized access. Durability for High-Traffic Areas Constructed with premium materials, the Smart Door Lock Slim is built to withstand daily use, making it ideal for busy office buildings, retail stores, and shared workspaces. Its weather-resistant design ensures reliability in semi-outdoor or high-moisture environments. One of our clients, Milbank Glass & More, chose the Smart Door Lock Slim for its sleek profile and dependable performance highlighting its suitability even for commercial glass storefronts requiring both style and security. Seamless Compatibility with Commercial Doors Designed to work with a variety of door materials including aluminum, wood, and metal the Smart Door Lock Slim integrates effortlessly into existing setups, minimizing installation modifications. Blue Ocean Media chose this smart door lock model for their aluminum-framed glass entry door , demonstrating just how seamlessly it adapts to commercial storefronts without compromising on design or function. Simplifying Access Management for Businesses Remote Control for Property Managers For property managers, smartphone app control allows remote locking and unlocking, providing real-time oversight of multiple doors from any location. This makes it easy to respond quickly to access requests or revoke entry without needing to be on-site. Keyless PIN Access for Employees For employees, PIN code access offers a secure and convenient way to enter designated areas without the need for physical keys. Each code can be customized and time-limited, giving managers full control over who enters and when. NFC Tap Entry for Mobile Users For mobile-first users, NFC-enabled smartphones provide fast, contactless tap-to-unlock entry, enhancing both efficiency and user experience. It's well-suited for workplaces that prioritize efficient entry management while maintaining strong security standards. Final Thoughts Before switching to the Smart Door Lock Slim, Blue Ocean Media among other forward-thinking businesses, dealt with lost keys and access delays for their staff and after-hours deliveries. Now, with mobile control and scheduled PIN codes, their team enters securely and on time, no more disruptions or compromises to their sleek storefront design. This upgrade highlights how smart door locks can streamline operations while maintaining a professional aesthetic. SOURCE: Connected Shop Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/consumer-and-retail-products/narrow-stile-doors-smart-lock-for-security-and-sleek-design-1036586 RuffleButts continues to expand its wholesale business by partnering with over 1,800 retailers worldwide. DALLAS, TX / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / RuffleButts , the beloved children's clothing brand known for its playful designs and high-quality UPF 50+ swimwear and family matching styles, is thrilled to announce the remarkable success of its wholesale retail program. Since January 2024, the company has partnered with 1,815 specialty retail stores globally, reinforcing its strong presence in the boutique space. With 28 of these partnerships established internationally, RuffleButts is steadily growing its global footprint and bringing its signature styles to more families around the world. A key driver of this success has been the company's strategic use of Faire's promoted listings, launched in September 2024. Since then, RuffleButts has acquired hundreds of new business accounts through these campaigns alone-marking a 59% increase in new customer acquisition since implementation. In total, 900 new wholesale customers have joined the RuffleButts family since May 2024. Retailers are not only discovering the brand but are coming back for more. Impressively, 25% of new wholesale customers have already returned to restock their shelves, a strong indicator of both brand satisfaction and customer demand. Morgan Heifetz, RuffleButts' Wholesale Manager, is excited about the growth they're seeing: "Our wholesale business is growing faster than ever, and the momentum we've experienced on Faire has been truly exponential. It's incredible to see how quickly things are scaling-thanks to our new monthly product drops, strong daily at-once sales, and the ability to prebook upcoming seasonal collections. I'm so excited to see this rapid growth continue and can't wait to dive into all the amazing opportunities ahead!" You can contact RuffleButts wholesale team directly by visiting their website or you can purchase RuffleButts products online via Faire.com & NuOrder.com . About RuffleButts + RuggedButts RuffleButts + RuggedButts is a digitally native premium children's apparel company founded in 2007 with a ruffle bloomer that has now grown to a full assortment of premium children's apparel. Known for lasting quality, playful prints, and family-matching collections for life's special moments, RuffleButts has quickly grown to annual revenue exceeding $40M. Our products can be found online at Rufflebutts.com, Ruggedbutts.com, Amazon, select premium retailers such as Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and hundreds of specialty retail locations around the globe. RuffleButts has been a Summit Park holding since 2020. Contact Information Scott Adams Sr. Director of Marketing sadams@rufflebutts.com (704) 825-8811 SOURCE: RuffleButts, Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/rufflebutts-celebrates-rapid-growth-and-success-in-wholesale-ret-1038111 Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - E-Power Resources Inc (CSE: EPR) (FSE: 8RO) ("E-Power" or the "Company") announces its intention to complete a flow-through non-brokered private placement to raise gross proceeds of up to $150,000 (the "FT Offering"). The Company will also complete a Hard Dollar Private Placement to raise gross proceeds of up to $50,000 (the "Hard Dollar Offering"). Securities to be issued pursuant to the FT Offering shall consist of an amount of up to 3,000,000 units of the Company (the "FT Units") issued at a price of $0.05 per FT Unit, each FT Unit being comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "FT Share") that will qualify as "flow-through shares" (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada)), and one-half Warrant, each Warrant entitling its holder thereof to acquire one Share at a price of $0.10 per Share for a period of 5 years from the closing date of the FT Offering. The Hard Dollar Offering units "Hard Dollar Units" shall consist of 1,000,000 units of the Company issued at a price of $0.05 per Hard Dollar Unit. Each Hard Dollar Unit shall consist of one common share in the capital of the Company and one full Warrant, each Warrant entitling its holder thereof to acquire one Share at a price of $0.10 per Share for a period of 5 years from the closing date of the Hard Dollar Offering. In connection with both the FT Offering and Hard Dollar Offering, the Company may pay cash finder's fees and issue broker warrants. The securities issued in connection with the FT Offering and Hard Dollar Offering are subject to the applicable statutory four-month and one-day hold period. Net proceeds from the FT Offering will be used by the Company to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that will qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures," as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and under section 359.1 of the Taxation Act (Quebec) (the "Qualifying Expenditures"), related to the Company's Tetepisca Graphite Property, located in the Tetepisca Graphite District of the North Shore Region of Quebec, on or before December 31, 2026. All Qualifying Expenditures will be renounced in favour of the subscribers to the FT Offering effective December 31, 2025. In addition, with respect to Quebec resident subscribers of FT Shares and who are eligible individuals under the Taxation Act (Quebec), the Canadian exploration expenses will also qualify for inclusion in the "exploration base relating to certain Quebec exploration expenses" within the meaning of section 726.4.10 of the Taxation Act (Quebec) and for inclusion in the "exploration base relating to certain Quebec surface mining expenses or oil and gas exploration expenses" within the meaning of section 726.4.17.2 of the Taxation Act (Quebec). Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and in accordance with National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-106"), the FT Shares and FT Units will be offered by way of private placement pursuant to applicable exemptions from NI 45-106. The FT Offering and Hard Dollar Offering are expected to close on or about June 20, 2025 (the "Closing Date"), subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the customary closing conditions, including the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE"). The securities to be offered pursuant to the FT Offering and Hard Dollar Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. 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 or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press 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 any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About E-Power Resources Inc. E-Power Resources Inc. is an exploration stage company engaged principally in the acquisition, exploration, and development of graphite properties in Quebec. Its flagship asset, the Tetepisca Graphite Property, is located in the Tetepisca Graphite District of the North Shore Region of Quebec, approximately 215 kilometers from the Port of Baie-Comeau. For further information, please refer to the Company's disclosure record on SEDAR (www.sedarplus.ca) or contact the Company by email at info@e-powerresources.com. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information This news release contains certain forward-looking statements 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 statements." 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. The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255269 SOURCE: E-Power Resources Munich, Germany--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd. (PACTL) and Ethiopian Airlines Group formalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during the transport logistic 2025 exhibition in Munich. This strategic agreement establishes a collaborative framework to strengthen the air cargo industry, optimize operational efficiency, and foster mutual growth opportunities between China and Africa. The two parties agreed to mutually designate each other as overseas air cargo terminal partners, working together to construct the Air Silk Road of the 21st century. The partnership signals a shared commitment to accelerating trade logistics between Asia and Africa through joint efforts in air cargo operations, facility development and digital innovation: Freighter efficiency enhancement : To strengthen logistics efficiency, the collaboration will streamline trade flows, prioritizing the transportation of high-demand e-commerce goods. By integrating upstream and downstream supply chains, the partnership aims to ensure faster and more reliable cargo handling. Terminal investment and collaboration : Both sides will explore joint investments in cargo facilities and promote knowledge-sharing initiatives to elevate operational standards. This includes expanding exchanges in areas such as security service management, operational excellence and digital transformation. Joint promotion and engagement: PACTL and Ethiopian Airlines Group will work together to raise international visibility for the China-Africa air cargo corridor through coordinated marketing and promotional activities from multiple perspectives. PACTL and Ethiopian Airlines partner to boost China-Africa air cargo at transport logistic 2025 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10816/254946_8df0285624090a4c_001full.jpg Aman Wole, Country Director China of Ethiopian Airlines, remarked: "By joining hands with PACTL, we are not only enhancing our operational capabilities but also building a more robust and resilient air cargo network between China and Africa. This partnership will enable us to better serve our customers, meet the increasing demand for air cargo services, and contribute to the economic development of both regions. We look forward to a long and fruitful cooperation with PACTL." "We are thrilled to partner with Ethiopian Airlines Group to strengthen the air cargo connectivity between China and Africa," said Carsten Hernig, Deputy General Manager VP Sales & Marketing and Production at PACTL. "This collaboration will create new momentum for air cargo development between the two regions through improved business facilitation." About PACTL Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd. (PACTL) is a German-Chinese joint venture founded in 1999, specializing in air cargo handling at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. With shareholders including SAA Logistics Development Co., Ltd. (51%), Lufthansa Cargo AG (29%), and JHJ Logistics Management Co., Ltd. (20%), PACTL operates four terminals across two Shanghai airports, offering more than 210,000 square meters of storage and a truck service network spanning mainland China. Equipped with advanced facilities and comprehensive certifications, PACTL ensures seamless and reliable handling of diverse cargo types. Currently, PACTL serves more than 70 airline companies and over 300 forwarders, with a global network spanning five continents. PACTL's long-term trusting customer relationships and its service excellence make it one of the world's leading air cargo terminals. About Ethiopian Airlines Group Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) is Africa's largest aviation group and a multi-award-winning airline with a proud history spanning over 79 years. Renowned for its leadership in aviation technology, network expansion, and operational excellence, Ethiopian serves as a key connector between Africa and the rest of the world. With its main hub in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian operates one of the most extensive air connectivity networks in Africa, flying to over 142 international passenger and cargo destinations, including 60 cities across the continent. Guided by its motto "Bringing Africa Together and Beyond," Ethiopian continues to play a pivotal role in enhancing regional and global trade and mobility. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/254946 SOURCE: The Alchemists Group Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Metalite Resources Inc. (CSE: METL) (OTC Pink: JNCCF) (FSE: D68) ("Metalite" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Kyle Appleby as Chief Financial Officer effective June 11, 2025. "We are pleased to welcome Mr. Appleby to the team," said Chris Hazelton, CEO of Metalite. "He is a highly experienced CFO with more than two decades of expertise in finance, accounting, auditing, and regulatory compliance. His leadership will be a valuable asset to the Company." Mr. Appleby has held Chief Financial Officer roles in both public and private companies and is a Chartered Professional Accountant in good standing with CPA Canada and CPA Ontario. The Company also extends its sincere thanks to Mr. Sheopaul for his contributions and wishes him continued success in his future endeavors. About Metalite Resources Inc. Metalite Resources Inc. is a Canadian junior mineral exploration issuer with a precious metals focused project in NSW, Australia. Contact Information Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release, and have in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transactions and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255272 SOURCE: Metalite Resources Inc. In partnership with Best Companies Group, Lawn and Landscape surveyed employees on corporate culture and communications; role satisfaction; work environment; relationship with supervisors; training, development and resources; pay and benefits and overall engagement. CHICAGO, IL / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Visterra Landscape Group, a premier commercial landscaping platform, today announced it has been named a repeat winner of Lawn & Landscape's Best Places to Work in Landscaping, recognizing best-in-class workplace culture, benefits, employee satisfaction, communications, resources, training, pay and overall engagement; winners will be recognized July 23, at Lawn and Landscape's Top 100 Executive Summit and Awards at Caeser's Palace in Las Vegas. Participating companies entered a two-part process. The first component, 25 percent of the total evaluation, consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, and demographics. The second part surveyed and measured the employee experience, worth approximately 75 percent of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and final rankings. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process and analyzed the data and used their expertise to determine final rankings. "It's no surprise we once again received such quality and professional entries for this contest, says Brian Horn, editor, Lawn & Landscape magazine. "It's a testament to the number of excellent companies in the green industry. These are companies that focus on creating positive work environments and providing great customer service." "Workplace awards are extra noteworthy as that they validate and authenticate the experience of our most essential company asset: our people. I couldn't be more proud of our team for being awarded this special industry honor for the past two consecutive years," said Visterra President and CEO Alan Handley. "We take particular pride in growing as a family of partner companies where all voices are heard, hard work is rewarded, safety remains paramount and our culture shines in attracting and retaining top talent." To be considered, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements: Have 50 percent or more of revenue coming from landscaping services, which includes maintenance, chemical lawn care, irrigation, design/build, hardscapes, tree care and interior landscaping, landscape lighting Be a publicly or privately held business Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business Be based in the U.S. or Canada Have a minimum of 15 full-time or part-time employees working in the U.S. or Canada Must be in business a minimum of 1 year Be willing to be featured in Lawn & Landscape magazine in print and/or online, if your company ranks on the Best Landscape and Lawn Care Companies to Work For lists. Visterra continues to grow organically and through acquisition, partnering with three landscape service providers to-date in 2025, and eight since the company's founding in 2022. Founders and owners of commercial landscaping businesses interested in a partnership with Visterra may send an email to inquiry@vlgllc.com, or visit https://www.vlgllc.com/grow-with-us/. ABOUT VISTERRA LANDSCAPE GROUP Visterra Landscape Group is a premier commercial landscaping platform, safely delivering expert landscape maintenance, enhancement, construction, sweeping and critical winter services with a reputation for excellence in client service. Visterra ranks among the 30 largest landscape service providers and 12th largest snow and ice removal companies in North America. Visterra is a repeat winner of both Lawn and Landscape's Best Places to Work in Landscaping and National Association of Landscape Professionals' safety excellence awards. With incumbent partner leaders guiding day-to-day operations, Visterra continues to grow its platform with a team that prioritizes employee safety, well-being and dynamic career opportunities. Visterra partner companies include Riverside Services and Herzog Landscape Solutions in the Northeast; Dyna-Mist in the South, and Oberson's, GroundsPRO, Full Care, H&M Landscaping and Cru Cutters serving the Midwest. For more information visit www.vlgllc.com. ### Contacts: Media: media@vlgllc.com M&A: inquiry@vlgllc.com SOURCE: Visterra Landscape Group View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/visterra-landscape-group-ranked-back-to-back-winner-of-lawn-and-1038552 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Pegasus Resources Inc. (TSXV:PEGA)(Frankfurt:0QS0)(OTC PINK:SLTFF) (the "Company" or "Pegasus") announces today that it has entered into debt settlement agreements with various creditors to settle an aggregate amount of $140,232.29 in outstanding debt obligations through the issuance of an aggregate of 1,598,682 common shares of Pegasus (the "Common Shares") at a deemed price of $0.087717 per Common Share (the "Shares for Debt Transaction"). The Shares for Debt Transaction is intended to preserve the Company's cash resources as it advances its uranium exploration strategy and continues to streamline its balance sheet. Closing of the Shares for Debt Transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). The Common Shares to be issued pursuant to the Shares for Debt Transaction will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance, in accordance with applicable securities laws and TSXV policies. About Pegasus Resources Inc. Pegasus Resources Inc. is a Canadian uranium exploration company focused on advancing high-potential projects in the United States. The Company's flagship asset, the Jupiter Uranium Project in Utah, is a drill-ready property positioned for resource expansion. With a commitment to strengthening domestic uranium supply, Pegasus is strategically developing its portfolio to capitalize on the growing demand for nuclear energy. For additional information, please visit www.pegasusresourcesinc.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors: Christian Timmins President, CEO and Director Pegasus Resources Inc. 700 - 838 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC V6C 0A6 PH: 1-403-597-3410 X: https://twitter.com/MrChris_Timmins X: https://twitter.com/pegasusresinc E: info@pegasusresourcesinc.com 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. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information This news release contains certain information that may be deemed "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking information contained in this press release may include, without limitation, statements regarding creation of value for Company shareholders, results of operations, the timing of completion of the Shares for Debt Transaction and the listing of the Common Shares on the TSXV upon receipt of TSXV approval. Although the Company believes the forward-looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based on information available on the date hereof, by its nature, forward-looking information involves assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Examples of such assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, assumptions, risks and uncertainties associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; the receipt of required regulatory approvals and the timing of such approvals; that the Company maintains good relationships with the communities in which it operates or proposes to operate, future legislative and regulatory developments in the mining sector; the Company's ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favorable terms; mining industry and markets in Canada and generally; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; competition; the risk that any of the assumptions prove not to be valid or reliable, which could result in delays, or cessation in planned work, risks associated with the interpretation of data, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as other assumptions risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company, including as set forth in the Company's public disclosure documents filed on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Pegasus as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While Pegasus may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws. SOURCE: Pegasus Resources Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/pegasus-announces-shares-for-debt-settlement-1038554 Distinguished Diplomat Joins Former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta on Public Company Board BOCA RATON, FL / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Newsmax Inc. (NYSE:NMAX) ("Newsmax" or the "Company") today announced the appointment of Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky to the Company's Board of Directors, effective immediately. Dobriansky will serve as a member of the Audit Committee alongside former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta, who was appointed to the Board upon the closing of the Company's initial public offering in March of this year. "We are delighted to officially welcome Secretary Acosta and announce the addition of Ambassador Dobriansky to our Board of Directors," said Chris Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax. "Their exceptional backgrounds in public service, regulatory policy and international affairs will provide valuable perspectives as we continue to execute our growth strategy and deliver trusted news to the American people and countries around the world." Ambassador Dobriansky and Secretary Acosta join the five member Newsmax Board of Directors that includes its CEO, Chris Ruddy, Ambassador Nancy Brinker and Christopher Nixon Cox. Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, a foreign policy expert and diplomat specializing in national security affairs, is Vice Chair of the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a Senior Fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She brings over 30 years of government and international experience across senior levels of diplomacy, business and defense. From 2010 to 2012, she was Senior Vice President and Global Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Thomson Reuters, responsible for designing and implementing a corporate approach for engagement in Washington and other key capitals around the globe. During this time, she was also appointed the Distinguished National Security Chair at the U.S. Naval Academy.? Dobriansky served as Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs from 2001 to 2009. In February 2007, as the President's Envoy to Northern Ireland, she received the Secretary of State's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal, for her contribution to the historic devolution of power in Belfast. During President Donald J. Trump's Administration, Dobriansky served on the Defense Policy Board, the Secretary of State's Foreign Affairs Policy Board and as Chair of the U.S. Export-Import Bank's Council on China Competition. Ambassador Dobriansky received a BSFS?summa cum laude?in international politics from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, as well as an MA and PhD in Soviet political and military affairs from Harvard University. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Diplomacy, and she has received high-level international recognition from the governments of Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Colombia and is the recipient of five honorary degrees. Secretary R. Alex Acosta Secretary Alex Acosta served as the 27th United States Secretary of Labor. He is the son of Cuban refugees and a first-generation college graduate, earning his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University. Mr. Acosta's diverse experiences include serving as Chairman of U.S. Century Bank, as Dean of the FIU College of Law, as U.S. Attorney and Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice, as a Member of the National Labor Relations Board, as a Senior Fellow at the Ethics & Public Policy Center and as an analyst at Lehman Brothers. Following law school, Mr. Acosta worked as a law clerk for then U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Samuel A. Alito, and as an associate, primarily in labor law and in appeals, at Kirkland & Ellis. Mr. Acosta has served in four presidentially appointed, Senate confirmed positions. In 2002, Mr. Acosta was confirmed as a Member of the National Labor Relations Board. In 2003, he was confirmed Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Acosta served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. From 2009 through 2016, Mr. Acosta served as the dean of the FIU College of Law, a majority-Hispanic law school. During his tenure, FIU Law flourished: FIU's U.S. News & World Report's ranking increased faster than any law school in the nation. In December 2013, Mr. Acosta was named Chairman of U.S. Century Bank, (USCB). Mr. Acosta served as chairman through May 2017, successfully leading a recapitalization and management renewal that resulted in an exit from TARP, a return to profitability, an extraordinary improvement in asset quality and a lifting of the FDIC consent order. In February 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Mr. Acosta to serve as Secretary of Labor. Secretary Acosta focused on addressing the nation's skills gap, advocating for expansion of apprenticeship programs and for other skills acquisition programs that provide in-demand skills. Mr. Acosta also served as Chairman of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and Board Member of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Secretary Acosta presently serves on the Newsmax Board of Directors and as Audit Committee Chair, and as a speaker and an advisor to private market ventures. For more information on Newsmax's Board of Directors, please visit Investor Relations | Newsmax, Inc. Financial Guidance Alongside today's announcement, Newsmax is issuing full-year revenue guidance for FY 2025 ending December 31. The Company expects total revenue to be in the range of $180 million to $190 million. This guidance reflects management's current expectations and is subject to risks and uncertainties, as further described herein. About Newsmax Newsmax Media, Inc. operates Newsmax, the nation's fourth highest-rated cable news network, according to Nielsen. Newsmax is carried on all major cable, satellite systems, and virtual pay TV operators. Newsmax reaches more than 40 million Americans regularly through Newsmax TV, the Newsmax+ App, its popular website Newsmax.com, and publications like Newsmax Magazine. Reuters Institute says Newsmax is one of the top 12 U.S. news brands and Forbes has called us "a news powerhouse." For more information, please visit Investor Relations | Newsmax, Inc. Forward-Looking Statements This communication contains forward-looking statements. From time to time, we or our representatives may make forward-looking statements orally or in writing. We base these forward-looking statements on our expectations and projections about future events, which we derive from the information currently available to us. Forward-looking statements can be identified by those that are not historical in nature. The forward-looking statements discussed in this communication and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives, may not occur, and actual events and results may differ materially and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us. Newsmax does not guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as predictions of future events. We are under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this communication to conform our prior statements to actual results or revised expectations, and we do not intend to do so. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include various factors, including but not limited to the factors set forth in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" in Newsmax's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, Newsmax's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2025, and other filings Newsmax makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Nothing in this communication should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements in this communication, which speak only as of the date they are made and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements herein. Investor Contacts Newsmax Investor Relations ir@newsmax.com SOURCE: Newsmax Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/publishing-and-media/newsmax-inc.-names-paula-dobriansky-alex-acosta-to-board-of-directors-1038583 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - GoldQuest Mining Corp. (TSXV: GQC) ("GoldQuest" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received today from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic the official Terms of Reference ("ToR") for the Company's Romero gold-copper-silver project (the "Romero Project"). This marks a significant milestone, initiating the final phase of the Environmental Impact Assessment ("EIA") process required to obtain an environmental license for the future development of the proposed underground mine. Luis Santana, CEO of GoldQuest, commented: "Receiving the Terms of Reference is a pivotal step in the responsible development of our Romero Project. This document confirms the project's Category A classification under environmental law and allows us to formally launch a comprehensive environmental study. Its issuance is a clear recognition of the project's quality and the Dominican government's commitment to advancing Romero." GoldQuest is also pleased to announce that AECOM, a globally recognized environmental consulting firm, has been selected to lead the EIA process for the Romero Project. AECOM's global experience and track record align with GoldQuest's commitment to exceed local environmental and social requirements by applying international best practices. In addition to AECOM, GoldQuest will engage a multidisciplinary team of licensed Dominican environmental professionals to support the preparation of the EIA in accordance with the issued ToR. Frank Balint, Chairman of GoldQuest, added: "We believe Romero has the potential to become a model modern mining operation in the Dominican Republic, delivering substantial economic benefits to local communities and the country, while protecting the environment through best-in-class practices." The Romero Project, located in San Juan Province, is a proposed underground mine designed to produce a copper concentrate containing gold and silver, using conventional processing methods. The project will incorporate state-of-the-art technology in both its mining and processing facilities to ensure operational efficiency, safety, and environmental performance. The Romero Project also includes an extensive infrastructure plan, encompassing the development of an access road, a processing plant, a filtered tailings storage facility, and a 69 kV power line connection to the national grid. About GoldQuest GoldQuest is a Canadian based mineral exploration and development company with projects in the Dominican Republic. GoldQuest is traded on the TSX-V under the symbol GQC and in Frankfurt/Berlin with symbol M1W. The Company is well funded to advance the development of its Romero gold/copper discovery, also located in the Tireo Formation of the Dominican Republic. Additional information can be viewed at the Company's website www.goldquestcorp.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of GoldQuest Mining Corp., "Luis Santana" Director & CEO 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 news release. Forward-looking statements: Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking information that involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the EIA process; the Company's plans to engage professionals to support the EIA process; the completion of a comprehensive environmental study by the Company; the Company's ability to obtain an environmental licence for the development of the Romero Project; the development of the Romero Project, as well as economic benefits and details related thereto; the merits of the Romero Project; the Company's plans, studies and programs for its mineral properties, including the timing of such plans, studies and programs; and the Company's belief that Dominican Republic authorities will support the development of the Romero Project. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "potential", "likelihood", "appears", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "at least", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". 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 the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, risks related to the EIA process; delays in obtaining governmental approvals; government regulation of mining operations; environmental risks; uncertainties inherent in drill results and the estimation of mineral resources; commodity prices; changes in general economic conditions; market sentiment; currency exchange rates; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's ability to raise funds through equity financings; risks inherent in mineral exploration and development; risks related to operations in foreign countries; future prices of metals; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; title disputes or claims; limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of litigation. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could affect the Company and may 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 forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, do not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All statements are made as of the date of this news release and the Company is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable, including expectations regarding mineral exploration and development costs; expected trends in mineral prices and currency exchange rates; the accuracy of the Company's current mineral resource estimates; that the Company's activities will be in accordance with the Company's public statements and stated goals; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; that all required approvals will be obtained and that there will be no significant disruptions affecting the Company or its properties. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255291 SOURCE: GoldQuest Mining Corp. Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Saturn Oil & Gas Inc. (TSX: SOIL) (OTCQX: OILSF) ("Saturn" or the "Company"), a light oil-weighted producer focused on unlocking value through the development of our assets in Saskatchewan and Alberta, is pleased to announce the launch, as of the date hereof, of our previously announced substantial issuer bid (the "Offer") pursuant to which the Company offers to purchase from holders ("Shareholders") of common shares of the Company (the "Shares") up to 7,000,000 Shares for cancellation at a purchase price of CAD$2.15 per Share (the "Purchase Price"), for an aggregate purchase price not exceeding $15,050,000. The Offer commences today and will expire at 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on July 16, 2025, unless extended, varied or withdrawn by the Company (the "Expiration Date"). Pursuant to the Offer, tendering Shareholders may elect to tender a specified number of Shares. The Offer is denominated in Canadian dollars, and Shareholders may elect to receive payment in either Canadian or United States dollars. The terms and conditions of the Offer, including instructions for tendering Shares, are included in the formal offer to purchase and issuer bid circular, letter of transmittal, notice of guaranteed delivery and other related documents (the "Offer Documents"), which have been sent to registered Shareholders, filed with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities, and made available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca as well as on our website at www.saturnoil.com. In light of a potential Canada Post workers' strike and the resulting disruption of mail services, the Company may be unable to mail the Offer Documents to beneficial (non-registered) holders. However, upon resumption of normal mail service following any potential disruption, Saturn intends to arrange for the mailing of the Offer Documents to the beneficial holders. Shareholders can retrieve the Offer Documents on www.sedarplus.ca and on Saturn's website at www.saturnoil.com. Copies of the Offer Documents may also be obtained upon written or oral request, without charge, to the Company at our head office at 2800, 525 - 8th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2P 1G1 or by email at info@saturnoil.com. As part of Saturn's ongoing efforts to maximize value for Shareholders, the Company has identified the Offer as an attractive and efficient means to continue returning capital to Shareholders, supplementing the impact of our normal course issuer bid ("NCIB") (which pursuant to applicable securities laws has been suspended during the term of the Offer). Assuming full and pro-rata shareholder participation in the Offer, the Company will have returned over $34 million of capital to our Shareholders since August of 2024, including approximately $19 million of share repurchases through the NCIB and $15 million of share repurchases through the Offer. In addition, Saturn has also repaid approximately $91 million of debt in the past nine months through the quarterly principal repayments, along with open market purchases at a discount, of our outstanding 9.625% senior notes due 2029 (the "Senior Notes"). The Board intends to continue considering future capital return initiatives in 2025 and beyond, with the ultimate goal of enhancing Saturn's equity value. These potential initiatives may include, but not be limited to, additional share buybacks, Senior Notes buybacks or other initiatives, all of which would depend on the overall results of the business, cash flow generation and the Company's strategic goals. There can be no assurance that any such initiative or transaction will occur or if it occurs, the timing thereof. However, as set out in the Offer Documents, such an initiative or transaction could result in the termination, extension or amendment of the Offer. Additional Information As of June 11, 2025, there are 194,926,651 Shares issued and outstanding (after taking into account the purchase and cancelation of 138,096 Shares pursuant to our NCIB for the first three trading days of June 2025, prior to its suspension in connection with the Offer). As at the Expiration Date there are expected to be 187,926,651 Shares issued and outstanding. Accordingly, a maximum of 7,000,000 Shares, or approximately 3.6% of the total number of Shares expected to be issued and outstanding on the Expiration Date will be taken up and paid for under the Offer. The Offer is optional for all Shareholders, who are free to choose whether to participate, and if they participate, how many Shares to tender. If more than 7,000,000 Shares are validly deposited and not withdrawn, then such deposited Shares will be purchased as follows: (i) first, the Company will purchase all Shares tendered by Shareholders who own fewer than 100 Shares (the "Odd Lot Holders"); and (ii) second, the Company will purchase on a pro rata basis according to the number of Shares deposited or deemed to be deposited by the depositing Shareholders, less the number of Shares purchased from Odd Lot Holders (subject to adjustments to avoid the purchase of fractional Shares). Shareholders who do not deposit their Shares (or whose Shares are not purchased under the Offer) will realize a proportionate increase in their equity interest in the Company to the extent that Shares are purchased under the Offer. The Offer is not conditional upon any minimum number of Shares being tendered. However, the Offer is subject to other conditions described in the Offer Documents. Saturn reserves the right, subject to applicable laws, to withdraw, extend or amend the Offer if certain events occur at any time prior to the payment for the tendered Shares. GMT Capital Corp. (together with its affiliates, "GMT") are the beneficial owners of, or exercise control or direction over 59,433,483 Shares, which in the aggregate represents approximately 30% of all issued and outstanding Shares. GMT has advised the Company that it does not currently intend to deposit Shares pursuant to the Offer. GMT reserves the right, without notice and for any or no reason, to change its investment decisions at any time prior to the Expiration Date. In addition, none of Saturn's directors, officers or insiders are expected to tender any shares to the Offer. The Company has engaged Odyssey Trust Company to act as depositary for the Offer. Shareholders who have questions regarding the Offer or require any assistance tendering Shares may contact Odyssey Trust Company by telephone at 1-587-885-0960, or by e-mail at corp.actions@odysseytrust.com. This news release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell Shares. The solicitation and the offer to buy Shares is only being made pursuant to the Offer Documents. The Offer is not being made to, nor will tenders be accepted from or on behalf of, holders of Shares in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance of offers to sell Shares would not be in compliance with the laws of that jurisdiction. None of Saturn, our Board or the depositary makes any recommendation to Shareholders as to whether to tender or refrain from tendering any or all of their Shares pursuant to the Offer. Shareholders are strongly urged to read the Offer Documents carefully and consult with their financial, tax and legal advisors prior to making any decision with respect to the Offer. ABOUT SATURN Saturn is a returns-driven Canadian energy company focused on the efficient and innovative development of high-quality, light oil weighted assets, supported by an acquisition strategy targeting accretive and complementary opportunities. The Company's portfolio of free-cash flowing, low-decline operated assets in Saskatchewan and Alberta provide a deep inventory of long-term economic drilling opportunities across multiple zones. With an unwavering commitment to building an entrepreneurial and ESG-focused culture, Saturn's goal is to increase per share reserves, production and cash flow at an attractive return on invested capital. The Company's shares are listed for trading on the TSX under ticker 'SOIL' and on the OTCQX under the ticker 'OILSF'. Further information and our corporate presentation are available on Saturn's website at www.saturnoil.com. READER ADVISORIES Forward-Looking Information and Statements Certain information included in this press release constitutes forward-looking information under applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information typically contains statements with words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "intend", "estimate", "propose", "project", "scheduled", "will" or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forward-looking information in this press release may include, but is not limited to: the number of Shares to be acquired and the amount of capital returned to Shareholders under the Offer, capital return strategy and plans; the desire or ability to initiate subsequent offers; the business plan; the Company's near and medium term strategic plans; the overall results of the Company's business and cash flow generation; value creation strategy and cost model of the Company; and the timing for closing the Offer. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Saturn, including expectations and assumptions concerning: the successful completion of the Offer, and the availability and sources of capital. Although Saturn believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because Saturn can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual plans and results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks, including the risks set out under "Risk Factors" in Saturn's Management Discussion and Analysis for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024, and Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2024, available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking information is based on a number of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such information, but which may prove to be incorrect. Although Saturn believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information because Saturn can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. In addition to other factors and assumptions which may be identified in this press release, assumptions have been made regarding and are implicit in, among other things, our capital expenditure and drilling programs, production and revenue guidance, debt repayment plans and future production and growth plans. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which have been used. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof and Saturn undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. All dollar figures included herein are presented in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise noted. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255277 SOURCE: Saturn Oil & Gas Inc. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Denarius Metals Corp. (Cboe CA: DMET) (OTCQX: DNRSF) ("Denarius Metals" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the voting results of the Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders held today. Shareholders holding 56,914,696 shares, being 52.09% of the outstanding shares of the Company as at the record date, were represented by proxy at the meeting. The detailed results of the votes for each matter acted upon are set out below: Item Description of Matter Outcome Voted Voted (%) 1. Fixing the number of directors at six Approved For 56,724,120 Against 190,575 99.67% 0.33% 2. The election of the following individuals as directors of the Company to hold office until the next annual meeting of the Company or until their successors are appointed or elected: Serafino Iacono Approved For 54,337,668 Withheld 35,600 99.94% 0.06% Federico Restrepo-Solano Approved For 54,318,869 Withheld 54,399 99.90% 0.10% Paul Sparkes Approved For 54,327,068 Withheld 46,200 99.92% 0.08% Mateo Restrepo Villegas Approved For 54,327,068 Withheld 46,200 99.92% 0.08% Francisco Sole Approved For 54,343,768 Withheld 29,500 99.95% 0.05% Patricia Herrera Paba Approved For 54,339,269 Withheld 33,999 99.94% 0.06% 3. Appointment of KPMG LLP as auditors of the Company at a remuneration to be fixed by the directors Approved For 56,908,196 Withheld 6,500 99.99% 0.01% About Denarius Metals Denarius Metals is a Canadian junior company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and eventual operation of precious metals and polymetallic mining projects in high-grade districts in Colombia and Spain. Denarius Metals is listed on Cboe Canada where it trades under the symbol "DMET". The Company also trades on the OTCQX Market in the United States under the symbol "DNRSF". In Colombia, Denarius Metals recently commenced mining operations at its 100%-owned Zancudo Project, a high-grade gold-silver deposit, which includes the historic producing Independencia mine, located in the Cauca Belt, about 30 km southwest of Medellin. In Spain, Denarius Metals has interests in three projects focused on in-demand critical minerals. The Company owns a 21% interest in Rio Narcea Recursos, S.L. and is the operator of its Aguablanca Project, which has recently been recognized by the EU as a Strategic Project. The Aguablanca Project comprises a turnkey 5,000 tonnes per day processing plant and the rights to exploit the historic producing Aguablanca nickel-copper mine, located in Monesterio, Extremadura. Denarius Metals also owns a 100% interest in the Lomero Project, a polymetallic deposit located on the Spanish side of the prolific copper rich Iberian Pyrite Belt, approximately 88 km southwest of the Aguablanca Project, and a 100% interest in the Toral Project, a high-grade zinc-lead-silver deposit located in the Leon Province, Northern Spain. Additional information on Denarius Metals can be found on its website at www.denariusmetals.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information", which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to anticipated business plans or strategies. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Denarius Metals to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated March 31, 2025 which is available for view on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and Denarius Metals disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. 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, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For Further Information, Contact: To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255290 SOURCE: Denarius Metals Corp. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) (the "Company" or "PreveCeutical"), is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of up to 15,000,000 units in the capital of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.05 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $750,000. Each Unit consists of one (1) common share of the Company (each, a "Share") and one-half (1/2) of one Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase an additional Share (each, a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.08 per Warrant Share for a period of 24 months from the closing of the Offering (the "Closing"); provided that the expiry of the Warrants can be accelerated if the closing price of the Company's common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") is $0.10 or greater for a minimum of ten consecutive trading days, and a notice of acceleration is provided in accordance with the terms of the Warrants. Finder's fees may be paid. The Company intends to use the aggregate gross proceeds from the sale of the Offering to pay outstanding payables, for operating expenses and for general working capital purposes. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period expiring four months and one day after the Closing. Completion of the Offering remains subject to certain conditions, including, without limitation, confirmation of no objection from the CSE. The securities issued under the Offering will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements under the Securities Act. 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 any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About PreveCeutical PreveCeutical is a health sciences company that develops innovative options for preventive and curative therapies utilizing organic and nature identical products. PreveCeutical aims to be a leader in preventive health sciences and currently has five research and development programs, including: dual gene therapy for curative and prevention therapies for diabetes and obesity; the Sol-gel Program; Nature Identical peptides for treatment of various ailments; nonaddictive analgesic peptides as a replacement to the highly addictive analgesics such as morphine, fentanyl and oxycodone; and a therapeutic product for treating athletes who suffer from concussions (mild traumatic brain injury). For more information about PreveCeutical, please visit our website www.PreveCeutical.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. On behalf of the Board of Directors of PreveCeutical, Stephen Van Deventer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Neither the CSE nor any Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the expectations of management regarding the proposed Offering, the expectations of management regarding the use of proceeds of the Offering, closing conditions for the Offering, the expiry of hold periods for securities distributed pursuant to the Offering and other statements regarding the company's proposed business plans. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements including that: the Company may not complete the Offering on terms favorable to the Company or at all; the proceeds of the Offering may not be used as stated in this news release; the Company may be unable to satisfy all of the conditions to the Closing; and those additional risks set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply 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. Except where required by law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. 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/255303 SOURCE: PreveCeutical Medical Inc. Munich, Germany--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd. (PACTL) and Lufthansa Cargo Servicios Logisticos De Mexico, S.A. DE C.V. (LCSLM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the transport logistic 2025 exhibition in Munich, marking a significant step forward in advancing cross-continental connectivity, trade efficiency and logistics innovation. Under the MOU, the two parties will collaborate to strengthen the air cargo supply chain between China and Mexico, with a focus on e-commerce exports and key import commodities. The strategic collaboration will focus on the following key areas: Increasing freighter operations : PACTL and LCSLM intend to jointly support the increase of freighter flight frequencies between China and Mexico by engaging key national and multinational carriers, supporting favourable regulatory conditions, and exploring synergies under the joint shareholder, Lufthansa Cargo AG. Facilitating trade flows : The partnership will enhance export-import logistics between China and Mexico, enabling more reliable cargo movement and supporting bilateral trade growth. Special emphasis will be placed on facilitating the e-commerce supply chain between the two countries and improving the handling of key imports to China, including perishables, pharmaceuticals, and other high-value goods. Joint marketing and promotion : The two companies will carry out joint branding and business development initiatives to increase visibility and unlock new market opportunities. Cargo terminal cooperation: Both sides will exchange expertise and cooperate in the terminal planning, construction, and operations to improve ground handling efficiency and infrastructure development. Executives from PACTL and LCSLM celebrate their strategic partnership to strengthen China-Mexico air cargo trade at the transport logistic 2025 exhibition in Munich To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10816/255276_9d0216f7c44baa32_001full.jpg Frank Nozinsky, CEO-Managing Director of LCSLM, addressed: "We are pleased to sign this Memorandum of Understanding with PACTL to strengthen airfreight connectivity between Mexico and China. In recent months, we have witnessed a significant rise in trade volumes between our two countries, driven by shifting global supply chains and evolving geopolitical dynamics. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to supporting this growth through enhanced terminal cooperation and operational synergy." Carsten Hernig, Deputy General Manager VP Sales & Marketing and Production, PACTL, added: "Partnering with LCSLM is a significant step in expanding our international footprint. Together, we aim to build a faster and more reliable cargo channel to support the evolving needs of global trade and deliver lasting value to our customers. We are excited about the opportunities this collaboration will bring." About PACTL Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd. (PACTL) is a German-Chinese joint venture founded in 1999, specializing in air cargo handling at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. With shareholders including SAA Logistics Development Co., Ltd. (51%), Lufthansa Cargo AG (29%), and JHJ Logistics Management Co., Ltd. (20%), PACTL operates four terminals across two Shanghai airports, offering more than 210,000 square meters of storage and a truck service network spanning mainland China. Equipped with advanced facilities and comprehensive certifications, PACTL ensures seamless and reliable handling of diverse cargo types. Currently, PACTL serves more than 70 airline companies and over 300 forwarders, with a global network spanning five continents. PACTL's long-term trusting customer relationships and its service excellence make it one of the world's leading air cargo terminals. About LCSLM Lufthansa Cargo Servicios Logisticos de Mexico (LCSLM) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Cargo AG, established in 2007 and based at Mexico City International Airport (AICM). As the leading airfreight warehouse handler at AICM, LCSLM is CEIV-certified and specializes in air cargo handling, including consolidation and deconsolidation services. While the company has been operating since 2007, it began a process of professionalization and business expansion in 2021. Today, LCSLM is powered by a growing team of over 150 employees, providing high-quality logistics solutions and serving as a critical link in Lufthansa Cargo's global network. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255276 SOURCE: The Alchemists Group Survey of 1,000 employees in the US US workers welcome robot technology in the workplace: About 70% think that robots help manufacturers to deal with the lack of factory workers ensuring competitiveness. Two-thirds believe the use of robots will help to bring industrial production back home. These are findings of the automatica Trend Index 2025. The study surveyed 1,000 employees in the US on behalf of automatica, the world's leading trade fair for robotics and automation (24-27 June in Munich, Germany). The US government is actively working to bring industrial production back to the United States. As the world's most advanced manufacturing countries have shown, robots are the key to integrating automation into a factory: China has more than doubled the ratio of robots to factory workers in four years (2018-2022), and now ranks third in the world. Robot density in China reached 470 robots per 10,000 workers in 2023, compared to 295 units in the United States, which ranks tenth, according to the International Federation of Robotics. 2.1 million unfilled jobs The push for automation technology is strongly driven by labor shortages. The Manufacturing Institute (MI) predicts that nearly 2.1 million manufacturing jobs will go unfilled by 2030 due to a lack of skilled workers. The automatica trend index shows that US workers welcome robots to take over dirty, dull and dangerous tasks: A strong majority of 75% believe that robots reduce the risk of injury to humans by performing tasks such as heavy lifting. 73% see robots as an important solution for handling hazardous materials. 65% say robots will assist workers, allowing older people to stay in work longer. "Showing how robots can take over repetitive or dangerous tasks, while allowing workers to focus on higher-value jobs, is important for the successful integration of robotics into a factory workforce," says Patrick Schwarzkopf, advisory board member of automatica at Messe Munchen in Germany. "Driven by a number of technological innovations such as artificial intelligence, easy-to-use programming or cost-saving efficiency, industrial robotics is becoming more accessible to companies than ever before. This will be demonstrated at the world's leading trade fair for intelligent automation and robotics 'automatica 2025' from June 24 to 27 in Munich, Germany. FULL TEXT press release at: https://automatica-munich.com/en/trade-fair/press/press-releases/detail/77%C2%A0percent-of-germans-want-robots-in-the-workplace.html About automatica https://automatica-munich.com/en/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250611174435/en/ Contacts: econNEWSnetwork Carsten Heer Tel. +49 40 82244284 newsroom@econ-news.com 12 June 2025 GiG Software Plc ("GiG" or the "Company") Bulletin from the Extraordinary General Meeting of GiG Software P.L.C. GiG Software Plc (First North: GiG SDB), a leading B2B iGaming technology company, held its Extraordinary General Meeting on Thursday, 12 June 2025, at which, the meeting resolved to approve the revised Memorandum and Articles of Associated as published on https://www.gig.com/corporate-governance/articles-of-association/ ("New M&A") and authorised the company secretary and/or any one director of the Company, acting singly, to: make any amendments to the New M&A as directed by the Malta Business Registry execute the New M&A for and on behalf of the Company to issue a certified extract of this resolution file the New M&A and the aforementioned extract with the Malta Business Registry, and/or any other competent authority, as may be required in terms of law. In terms of Clause 135 of the Companies Act (Cap 386), and Article 11.37 of the Articles of Association of the Company, the required majority for the purposes of this Meeting was not less than 75% in nominal value of the shares represented and entitled to vote at the Meeting, or if more than half in nominal value of all the shares having the right to vote at the meeting was represented at the Meeting, a simple majority in nominal value of such shares so represented shall suffice. The number of shares represented and entitled to vote at this Meeting corresponded to 37.37% of total shares entitled to vote at the Meeting, of which 100% voted in favour of the sole extraordinary resolution presented. Therefore, the resolution was approved. Full minutes of the Extraordinary General Meeting can be found enclosed and also on the company's website: https://www.gig.com/corporate-governance/shareholder-meetings/. By Order of the Board Claudio Caruana Company Secretary ir@gig.com About GiG Software Plc GiG Software is a leading B2B iGaming technology company that provides premium solutions, products, and services to iGaming operators worldwide, fully compliant with regulatory requirements. GiG's proprietary technology empowers our partners by delivering dynamic, data-driven, and scalable iGaming solutions that drive user engagement, optimise performance, and propel sustainable growth in the ever-evolving digital landscape. GiG's vision is to be the pioneering force in the iGaming industry, transforming digital gaming experiences through innovation and technology that inspire and engage players worldwide. GiG operates out of Malta and is listed on the Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market in Stockholm, Sweden, under the ticker GiG SDB. Find out more at www.gig.com . Follow us on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gig-gaming-innovation-group/ Anti-immigrant violence flared up for the second day on Tuesday in North Ireland town of Ballymena, leaving 17 officers injured and several houses and vehicles charred. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour. The violence erupted after a peaceful march to show support for the family of the victim of an alleged sexual assault on the weekend read more police use a water cannon near Clonavon Terrace, Ballymena, as people take part in a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town. Ballymena, Tuesday June 10, 2025. AP Police in Northern Ireland say 17 officers were injured during a second night of anti-immigrant violence in the town of Ballymena, where rioters threw bricks, bottles, petrol bombs and fireworks and set several vehicles and houses on fire. Police used water cannon and fired rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of several hundred people. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said Wednesday that the violence died down by about 1 am (0000GMT). Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What sparked the violence? Violence erupted Monday after a peaceful march to show support for the family of the victim of an alleged sexual assault on the weekend. Two 14-year-old boys have been charged. The suspects have not been identified because of their age. They were supported in court by a Romanian interpreter. After the march, a crowd of mostly young people set several houses on fire and pelted police with projectiles. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said 15 officers were injured that night. Police officers using a water cannon near Clonavon Terrace, in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, as people protest over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. AP There were similar scenes after dark on Tuesday, as well as small pockets of disorder in several other Northern Ireland towns. Police said agitators on social media were helping fuel what Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson called racist thuggery. What is the background? Some politicians said immigration had strained the town of about 30,000, some 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Belfast, long known as a bastion of hardline pro-British Loyalism. Jim Allister, leader of the conservative party Traditional Unionist Voice, said unchecked migration, which is beyond what the town can cope with, is a source of past and future tensions. Some Romanians in Ballymena told Britains PA news agency they had lived in the town for years and were shocked by the violence. A man cycles past a burnt-out overturned car on the street following a second night of violence during a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town, in Ballymena. AP Several houses in the Clonavon Terrace area that was the focus of the violence put up signs identifying their residents as British or Filipino in an apparent attempt to avoid being targeted. Henderson said there was no evidence that Loyalist paramilitaries, who still hold sway over Protestant communities, were behind the disorder. Has this happened before? Northern Ireland has a long history of street disorder stretching back to tensions between the British unionist and Irish nationalist communities. Though three decades of violence known as the Troubles largely ended after a 1998 peace accord, tensions remain between those largely Protestants who see themselves as British and Irish nationalists, who are mostly Catholic. In Belfast, peace walls still separate working-class Protestant and Catholic areas. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A man cycles past a burnt-out overturned car on the street following a second night of violence during a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town, in Ballymena. AP Street rioters sporadically clash with police, and recently, immigrants have become a target. Anti-immigrant violence erupted in Northern Ireland as well as England last year after three girls were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the northwest England town of Southport. Authorities said online misinformation wrongly identifying the UK-born teenage attacker as a migrant played a part. What will happen next? Police condemned the latest violence and said they would call in officers from England and Wales to bolster their response if needed. All the parties in Northern Irelands power-sharing government issued a joint statement appealing for calm and urging people to reject the divisive agenda being pursued by a minority of destructive, bad faith actors. On the alleged sexual assault, the statement added that it is paramount that the justice process is now allowed to take its course so that this heinous crime can be robustly investigated. Those weaponising the situation in order to sow racial tensions do not care about seeing justice and have nothing to offer their communities but division and disorder. With input from AP STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Over the past three years, Pakistan has seen a steady rise in its donkey population, thanks to growing demand from its all-weather ally, China. The hides of the animals are used in the production of ejiao, a gelatin used in traditional Chinese medicine, but it is draining poor Pakistanis of their livelihood read more Officials have shared that there are plans to export over 200,000 donkeys annually, and farms are now rearing special breeds, including American meant, for this meet China's demand. File image/Reuters The ChinaPakistan friendship is often described as higher than mountains, deeper than the ocean, stronger than steel and sweeter than honey. Now, even Pakistani donkeys seem to be playing a role in strengthening this bond. Over the past three years, Pakistan has seen a steady rise in its donkey population, thanks to growing demand from its all-weather ally, China. The humble farm animal is now turning into a valuable export for the cash-strapped nation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But as the demand rises, the profits arent reaching everyone. Many local owners, who depend on the animal for their daily bread, are now finding it even harder to afford or replace them. For many, its becoming a struggle to survive. So, what exactly is driving Chinas interest in Pakistani donkeys? And how is this booming trade creating problems for local communities? Heres a look at everything thats going on. The donkey boom in Pakistan Over the past five years, Pakistans donkey population has seen a noticeable rise, and it continues to grow steadily. As per the Pakistan Economic Survey (PES) for 202324, the number of donkeys in the country has now crossed 6 million, up from 5.9 million the previous year. Earlier figures show a gradual climb 5.5 million in 20192020, and 5.6 million in 20202021. Donkeys are, in fact, among the few animals in Pakistan whose numbers are on the rise. In contrast, populations of horses and mules have remained unchanged over the past five years, stuck at 0.4 million and 0.2 million, respectively. One key reason behind this growth is the rising demand from China and Pakistans readiness to tap into this opportunity. To cater to this demand, dedicated donkey farms and slaughterhouses have been set up in areas such as Okara and Gwadar. In Gwadar, a $7 million facility was opened earlier this year specifically to process donkeys for export, mainly to China. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Officials have shared that there are plans to export over 200,000 donkeys annually, and farms are now rearing special breeds, including American meant, for this growing market. Muhammad Hanif, 50, a labourer bathes his However, China earlier used to import its stock of donkeys from Niger and Burkina Faso, until the two West African countries banned their export. Since then, the country has become dependent on Pakistan for its supply. Dr Guo Jing Feng, who operates a medical centre in Karachi, highlighted that Chinas need for donkey hides is expected to rise further. This is now a global trade, he was quoted as saying in a PTI report. And Chinas demand is much higher than its supply. The Economic Survey also emphasised the governments focus on livestock as an economic driver. By implementing these measures, the government aims to stimulate growth in the livestock sector, generate employment opportunities, and contribute to the countrys overall economic growth and food security, the report stated. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But why does China want Pakistans donkeys? China is importing donkeys from Pakistan mainly to meet the rising demand for ejiao, a traditional medicine thats been used for over 3,000 years. Ejiao is made by boiling gelatin from donkey hides and mixing it with herbs and other ingredients. According to a 2019 report by The Guardian, its believed to help with immunity, bleeding issues, sleep quality, and overall energy levels. To keep the ejiao industry running, an estimated 5.9 million donkey skins are needed a demand that Chinas own shrinking donkey population can no longer meet. Pakistan, which has one of the largest donkey populations in the world, only behind Ethiopia and Sudan, has become a key supplier for China. Donkey traders say that Chinese buyers are so eager for hides that theyre even purchasing weak or sick animals. In one such case, as reported by PTI, a group of buyers paid Rs 40,000 each for 14 unhealthy donkeys just for their skins. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD China is importing donkeys from Pakistan mainly to meet the rising demand for ejiao, a traditional medicine made from donkey hides and has been in use for over 3,000 years. File image/ Reuters But its not just the hides that interest China. In Hebei province, donkey meat is considered a delicacy. Dishes like donkey meat burgers, or lurou huoshao in Chinese, are popular street foods, especially in cities like Baoding and Hejian. On paper, a flourishing donkey trade looks like a win-win situation for cash-strapped Pakistan. But in reality, the boom in exports is having a painful impact back home. How Chinas craze for donkeys is crushing Pakistans poor While the export of donkeys might seem like a good economic opportunity, its creating serious problems for people in Pakistan who rely on these animals for their daily livelihood. In rural and low-income areas across the country, donkeys play a crucial role. They carry water, transport bricks, pull carts, and do other hard labour that machinery often cant manage. While the export of donkeys might seem like a good economic opportunity, its creating serious problems for people in Pakistan who rely on these animals for their daily livelihood. File image/ Reuters A 2019 study by equine charity Brooke estimated that a single donkey transports up to 1,000 kilograms of non-recyclable waste and 100 kilograms of recyclable waste every day. Dr Sher Nawaz, regional manager of Brooke Pakistan (Sindh), told The Dawn that each donkey supports around six people, helping them earn between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 a day. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But with Chinas demand rising, so are prices, pushing donkeys out of reach for many workers who desperately need them. Just last week, Abdul Rasheed found himself in crisis after his donkey, Tiger his only means of income died in an accident. Now, without a cart, he has no way to earn a living. But buying a new donkey is simply too expensive. Prices have soared to Rs 2 lakh in cities like Karachi, far more than the Rs 30,000 Rasheed paid for Tiger eight years ago. Even at Lyari, Pakistans biggest donkey market, the cost of a healthy donkey has skyrocketed. Rasheed says the cheapest one he could find was Rs 1.55 lakh. How can I afford that? Even if I somehow buy one, what if it dies before I recover my investment? he asked. But with Chinas demand rising, so are prices, pushing donkeys out of reach for many workers who desperately need them. File image/ Reuters And Rasheed isnt alone. Across the country, many others who rely on donkeys for their day-to-day earnings are struggling with the same problem. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Beyond the economic pressure, the growing export trade is also raising ethical and religious concerns. Saleem Reza, a senior official of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, pointed out a key issue. The government has to ensure even if donkeys are in demand by China, they must be sent there without being slaughtered in Pakistan, he told PTI. Donkey meat is haram for us, and there has to be a process to ensure it is not used commercially, unethically, or illegally. There is a need to establish designated factories for the slaughtering and processing of hides and meat to ensure it does not circulate in Pakistani markets, he added. As the trade grows, so do the questions. For people like Rasheed, its not just about donkeys. Its about dignity, survival, and the quiet struggle to keep moving forward. With input from agencies The flag of Mexico has become ubiquitous on the streets of America as a protest symbol against Donald Trump and his governments immigration policies. Which makes sense given that many people in Texas and California have Mexican ancestry. Lets take a look at when the US purchased California and half of Mexicos territory in 1848 read more the flag of Mexico is being seen on the streets of America. AP The protests in Los Angeles, a response to the immigration policies of the Trump administration, continue to rage. Though US President Donald Trump has sent thousands of National Guard troops as well as hundreds of marines, the demonstrators seem to be undeterred. Interestingly, one facet of the protest is that the flag of Mexico is being seen on the streets of America. It has become a symbol of the movement against Trump and his governments immigration policies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Which makes sense given that many people in Los Angeles and California have Mexican ancestry. In fact, the United States purchased California as well as half of Mexicos territory in 1848. That came in the aftermath of the Mexica-American War and as the concept of manifest destiny began to take hold in the United States. But how did it all come about? Let us take a closer look The lead up It all kicked off way back in the 1840s. Tensions between the two countries had been growing for years. On the one side you had the US evangelists of the concept of manifest destiny which preached the superiority and the seemingly divine right of Americans to colonise whatever lands they saw fit on the continent and on the other you had a wary Mexico. By 1844, as a Democrat. Though Polk did not coin the term manifest destiny, he do more to propagate it than any other US president during his time in office. Indeed, Polk, a slaveholder from Tennessee, had promised voters he would take Texas which had declared its independence from Mexico nearly a decade earlier after a brief and bloody war as well as Oregon. America previously under President Martin Van Buren the eighth president of the United States had declined to do so after a threat from Mexico. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the meantime hostilities had nearly broken out between the two countries after the US Navy in 1942 wrongly believing that war had broken out seized Monterey in California. While Monterey was immediately returned, it was a harbinger of things to come. In 1845, outgoing President John Tyler annexed Texas as his final act in the US highest office. By then, Mexico had severed diplomatic relations with the United States. Polk began with diplomacy he initially attempted to buy California, New Mexico and land near Texas for $30 million. Though James K Polk did not coin the term manifest destiny, he do more to propagate it than any other US president during his time in office. Image courtesy: Whitehouse.gov In November 1845, he even sent US diplomat John Slidell to open negotiations with Mexico. However, Slidell was soundly rebuffed the Mexican government refused to even see him. But Polk was prepared he had already sent US Army commander Zachary Taylor to occupy disputed land. When Mexican troops fired on Taylor and his forces, Polk had the pretext he needed. Polk immediately moved Congress for a declaration of war against Americas neighbour. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He famously claimed that Mexico had invaded our territory and shed American blood on American soil. On May 13, 1846, Congress obliged putting the two nations at war. Mexican-American War and the purchase of the land The Mexican-American War would end the US comprehensively defeating its neighbour. American armies led by General Zachary Taylor and General Winfield Scott, often outnumbered, would defeat Mexican troops again and again in a series of pitched battles. The US lost more soldiers to infection and disease than actual battle. Ulysses S Grant and Robert E Lee, the men who would respectively lead the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War, received their first taste of real combat in Mexico. By September 1847, General Scott had taken Mexico City bringing an end to the war. Polk in April 1847 sent Nicholas Trist the then chief clerk to Secretary of State James Buchanan to negotiate with the Mexican government. Trist, an aristocrat who had married Thomas Jeffersons daughter, had served as a private secretary to both Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trist had already begun peace talks with the three representatives of the Mexican government Don Bernardo Couto, Don Miguel Atristain, and Don Luis Gonzaga Cuevas when Polk decided to recall him to Washington. Incredibly, Trist ignored the order thinking that Washington had no idea of the situation on the ground and continue to negotiate with the Mexican representatives. Knowing it to be the very last chance and impressed with the dreadful consequences to our country which cannot fail to attend the loss of that chance, I decided today at noon to attempt to make a treaty; the decision is altogether my own, Trist wrote to his wife in December 1847. On February 2, 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed between the two countries bringing an end to the war and securing America the rights to California and around 55 per cent of Mexicos territory for a cool $15 million. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. Image courtesy: Archives.gov This included all of Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado and Wyoming. The US now had extended its boundary west all the way to the Pacific Ocean. But Polk, who wanted even more land from Mexico, was irate with Trist. However, fearing political fallout and further delay, Polk decided to send the treaty to the Senate for ratification where it passed 34-14. Polk never forgave Trist his subordination. After Trist returned to Washington, he was summarily fired by the president and denied any salary earned during the negotiations. Trist eventually received his backpay during the Ulysses S Grant administration in 1871. Trist died in 1874 an unheralded part of American history. With inputs from agencies Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Tuesday that the government is planning to introduce a fixed temperature range for air conditioners. Under the proposed rule, ACs will be set to operate between 20 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius, which means they cannot cool below 20 degrees Celsius or heat above 28 degrees Celsius. The move aims to help manage energy use in homes and offices, especially as electricity demand rises and heatwaves become more frequent and intense read more The temperature standardisation for ACs will be set between 20C to 28C. Image: AI Generated/Representational Air conditioners in India may soon be limited to cooling only up to 20 degrees Celsius and heating no more than 28 degrees Celsius. Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced on Tuesday that the government is preparing to bring in a fixed temperature range for ACs. The Centres new rule will apply to all air conditioners, whether used at home or in workplaces. ALSO READ | How many air conditioners do Indians buy a year? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Many countries have already brought in similar limits, either through official orders or public guidelines, especially in offices and public spaces where power use is high. In this explainer, we look at what the government is planning, why this change is coming, what it means for people in India, and how it lines up with rules in other countries. Lets take a look: What is the new plan? How will it work? At a press briefing held in New Delhi, the Union Minister said, Regarding air conditioning standards, a new provision is being implemented soon. The temperature standardisation for ACs will be set between 20C to 28C, meaning we wont be able to cool below 20C or warm above 28C. This is a first-of-its-kind experiment, aiming to standardise temperature settings, he added. At present, people usually set their air conditioners between 20C and 22C. However, the ideal comfort level, according to standard guidelines, is between 24C and 26C. The plan will be rolled out shortly, with checks in place to see how well it works. The aim is to encourage consistent use of ACs and cut down the high electricity usage caused by extremely low cooling settings. The Centres order will fix the temperature range for all air conditioners, whether at home or in businesses. This means that once the rule takes effect, users would not be able to drop the cooling below 20C or raise the heating past 28C. Right now, many ACs sold in the market allow temperatures as low as 16C or 18C and heating options that go up to 30C. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At present, people usually set their air conditioners between 20C and 22C. Reuters/File Photo Under the new rule, manufacturers will have to either update the software or change how the devices are programmed to follow the 20C28C limit. While the government has said the change will be watched closely, details on how it will be enforced across different sectors are yet to be shared. Why did the government take this step? This move is meant to manage how energy is used in homes and offices, especially as India faces growing electricity demand and more frequent, severe heat waves. Union Minister Khattar called it a bold step to tackle the habit of using air conditioners at very low temperatures, which leads to a lot of power being used. The numbers behind the decision are strong. Even a one-degree rise in AC temperature can lower energy use by about 6%. If the country sets the minimum temperature at 20C, officials believe it could save up to 3 gigawatts of peak demand, Pankaj Agarwal, the ministrys top official, told Hindustan Times. This change also fits into a wider national push for using energy in a more balanced way. As more people from the middle class buy air conditioners and cities grow, electricity use is rising sharply during the summer months. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Running ACs at very low temperatures puts huge pressure on the power supply system. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) said most people in India tend to set their ACs at 2021C, lower than needed for basic comfort. This not only increases power bills but also leads to more pollution, as much of Indias electricity still comes from coal-based plants. By setting a lower limit of 20C for cooling and 28C for heating, the government wants to make ACs more efficient, reduce the pressure on the electricity grid, lower emissions, and shift how people think about using cooling systems. The aim is not just to change how machines work, but to change how people use them, encouraging smarter, more responsible choices. A study from the University of California, Berkeley, found that tougher energy-saving rules for ACs could help India avoid 60 gigawatts of extra electricity demand by 2035. This could also save up to 7.5 trillion rupees ($88 billion) in the cost of building new power plants and grid systems. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This change also fits into a wider national push for using energy in a more balanced way. Reuters/File Photo How will it impact Indian consumers? How much electricity will you save? The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has been pushing for better air conditioning habits for years. Their data shows that raising the AC temperature by just one degree can cut power use by around 6%. That means going from 20C to 24C could save up to 24% in energy use. Over the course of one summer, this could lead to much lower electricity bills and take a big load off the power grid. Many people may not realise that cooling a room to 16C in a hot, humid country like India is unnecessary, and not great for your health. Experts say the best temperature for comfort indoors is between 24C and 26C, especially when you account for humidity, fresh air, and regular indoor clothing. These new rules, then, match closely with actual comfort levels. They do not force people to feel too warm; they just push for more sensible, healthier use of air conditioners. What health experts are saying While the move is largely focused on climate and energy concerns, health experts point out that it could also have real benefits for the body, especially during the harsh summer months when many rely heavily on air conditioners for relief. Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, a senior consultant in Internal Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, told India Today that setting air conditioners at very low temperatures can interfere with the bodys natural ability to manage heat. When youre sitting in a very cold environment and then suddenly step outside into 44 or 45 degrees, your body experiences a temperature shock This transition can trigger colds, fatigue, or even stress the internal organs, he told the publication. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Though the governments guideline fixes the minimum setting at 20C, Dr Chatterjee advises going a bit higher. For most people, he recommends keeping the AC temperature between 22C and 24C. How Indias plan compares to global norms Indias move to fix air conditioner settings between 20C and 28C follows a global pattern where many countries are trying to control indoor cooling to save energy and reduce emissions. Some have made these rules official, while others treat them as strong recommendations. Italy has set a minimum of 25C for cooling in public buildings like schools and post offices. This step was taken to cut down on energy use and emissions in line with EU climate goals. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has been pushing for better air conditioning habits for years. Image: AI Generated/Representational In Japan, the Ministry of Environment advises keeping air conditioners at 28C during the summer, especially in workplaces. Though not a law, this is supported by public awareness drives and is accepted widely in corporate settings. In the United States, there is no fixed rule, but the Energy Star programme suggests keeping air conditioners at 25.5C (78F) when people are home. These guidelines are backed by incentives and campaigns led by power companies. China has made it compulsory to set the cooling at no less than 26C in government offices during summer. Non-compliance can result in penalties, at least in public buildings. Spain took a stronger approach in 2022. It passed a law requiring public places, offices, and commercial buildings to maintain cooling at no lower than 27C. This was part of a larger plan to cut energy use and address the rising cost of power. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Australia does not set limits on thermostat settings. Instead, it focuses on how efficient the AC units are. Through its Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), only devices that meet energy-saving rules can be sold. While offices and state guidelines often suggest keeping the temperature between 22C and 24C, these are not enforced by law. In Belgium, public buildings are required by law to keep cooling at no less than 27C in summer and heating capped at 19C in winter. This is part of a national push to use energy more responsibly. Compared to these examples, Indias 20C to 28C range gives more room for adjustment. While countries like Spain and China focus only on public spaces, Indias rule is expected to apply across homes, businesses, and industries. In doing so, India is not only following global trends but also aiming to take it a step further by setting a uniform rule that reaches all users and encourages a long-term shift in how cooling is used. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While the Labubu dolls have taken the world by storm recently, China seems to be taking things one step further. A rare Labubu recently fetched $150,000 (Rs 1.28 crore) at auction and regulators in Beijing have banned banks from luring customers by offering them in exchange for deposits read more The craze for the Labubu dolls remains undiminished. In May, Firstpost told you about how these cute monster dolls were taking the world by storm. Now, China seems to be taking things one step further. A Labubu doll in China recently fetched $150,000 (Rs 1.28 crore) at auction and regulators in Beijing have banned banks from luring customers by using the doll. Lets take a closer look: What is it? The Labubu first appeared in a 2015 picture book series. The books, entitled Nordic Fairy Tale, were created by Kasing Lung an artist born in Hong Kong who currently lives in Belgium. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Labubu, described as having pointed ears and a sharp grin, featured alongside characters such as Zimomo, Tycoco, Spooky, and Pato. Representing a tribe, the Labubu were described as playful, cat-sized creatures. They are described as kind-hearted and always eager to help though their good intentions often resulted in chaos. While all Labubu are female, the tribes leader, Zimomo, is male. Lung was said to be inspired by the Smurfs in this regard. Lung, the first Chinese winner of the Illustration Award in Belgium who ventured into toy design in 2010, signed a deal with Pop Mart in 2019. It was then that the Labubu began being sold as dolls. Pop Mart initially began selling these toys as part of a mystery box collectible series. The toy usually retails for about $7 (Rs 600) at its stores. However, Labubus popularity skyrocketed only after Lisa from K-pop band Blackpink was seen with the doll last year. Lisa also spoke of how much she loved the doll in interviews and spent her money on a Labubu toy collection. This image provided by Pop Mart, shows Labubu, the plush toy from Chinas Pop Mart. AP Pop stars Rihanna and Dua Lipa also were photographed with the dolls giving the Labubu a further boost. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The dolls were even seen at Paris Fashion Week. David Beckham also put up a post on social media of himself with a Labubu doll. The days of the Labubu dolls being easily available are now past. Its almost impossible to get a Labubu via the official channels, Pop Mart fan Evelyn Lin told CNN. What do we know about the craze for them in China? The mania for the Labubu doll seems to have reached new heights in China. One human-sized Labubu doll recently sold for $150,000 (Rs 1.28 crore) at an auction in Beijing. The auctioneer said that the mint green, 4 foot three inches tall Labubu doll was one of a kind. The auction, held by Yongle International Auction, was attended by around 200 people. A set of three Labubu sculptures, about 40 cm tall and made of PVC material, sold for $70,000 (Rs 60 lakh). The set, from a series called Three Wise Labubu, was limited to a run of 120 sets in 2017. Another one sold for $25,889.64 (Rs 22 lakh) at Sothebys most recent auction in Hong Kong. In all, four dozen items were sold for a combined price of $5.18 million (Rs 44.3 crore.) STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The auctions saw thousands of bidders vying for the items online. The mania for the Labubu doll seems to have reached new heights in China. Reuters One bidder, restaurant owner Du, said she had planned on spending $2,700 (Rs 2.37 lakh) to purchase a single Labubu doll. However, she was completely outbid by other fans. My child likes it so every time when Labubu released new products we will buy one or two items. It is hard to explain its popularity but it must have moved this generation, she said. Meanwhile even Chinas regulators have gotten on the action warning banks not to offer Labubu dolls to entice customers. Chinas National Financial Regulatory Administration has done so after Ping An Bank Co a local bank in Zhejiang offered Labubu dolls to those who could deposit $6,960 (around Rs 6 lakh) for three months. State media slammed the move as not a long-term solution to bring in customers. Banks in China usually offer new customers small home appliances and rice as a welcome gift. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Chinese regulators in 2018 had ordered commercial banks not to seek deposits through inappropriate means such as gifts or returning cash. With inputs from agencies Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir is reportedly arriving in the US on Thursday. During his visit, he will attend the US Armys celebrations to mark its 250th anniversary on Saturday (June 14) in Washington, DC. The trip comes amid recent escalation of tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad and American President Donald Trumps claim that he brokered a ceasefire between the rival neighbours read more Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir (C) prays after laying wreath on the martyrs' monument during a guard of honor ceremony at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on May 21, 2025. Photo by Handout/ Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)/AFP Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir is reportedly set to visit the United States this week. He will be attending the US Armys celebrations to mark its 250th anniversary on Saturday (June 14) in Washington, DC. The US Army will organise a parade on the streets of the American capital on the date coinciding with President Donald Trumps 79th birthday. The presence of Pakistans Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Munir at the celebrations will come over a month after strikes and counterstrikes between India and Pakistan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But whats behind his visit? Lets take a closer look. Pakistans Asim Munir to visit US Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir, who was recently promoted to field marshal, will join other military leaders in Washington, DC, for the US Armys celebrations on Saturday, top intelligence sources have told CNN-News18. He is likely to arrive in the US on Thursday (June 12), the report said, citing sources at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, DC. Munirs first visit to the US as Pakistans army chief was in 2023 when he met the then American Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Reacting to the visit at the time, New Delhi had said: Our concerns for Pakistans support to terrorism, its support to cross-border attacks is well-known. We would hope that other countries would also take counter-terrorism seriously. In April, a US delegation had met Munir in Rawalpindi and discussed regional security and cooperation in the defence sector, according to a statement by Pakistans Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). Why is the Pakistan army chief going to US? Asim Munirs trip to the US has garnered attention amid Pakistans tensions with India. However, his visit might not have an India angle but concern Islamabads all-weather ally, China. As per the CNN-News18 report, Washington has doubts about Pakistans neutrality due to its closeness to China through schemes like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). In view of the present geopolitical environment, the US may not view Pakistan as a credible or neutral mediator, sources said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD America is opposed to Chinas expanding influence in the world, especially in Asia. The Trump administration is also expected to nudge Pakistan to act against terrorist groups targeting Afghanistan and India during Munirs visit, as per the report. On its part, Islamabad could urge the US for assurances against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it accuses of using Afghan soil to launch attacks on Pakistan a charge rejected by Kabul. Pakistan, which is rich in lithium, copper, gold, and rare earth minerals, is eager for investment from foreign powers. This comes as it is wary of a potential debt trap linked to Beijings BRI. At $15 billion, China is already Pakistans biggest bilateral lender. Munirs trip is also aimed at improving the strained security relationship between the US and Pakistan. The Pakistan army chief could also push for Washingtons mediation on Kashmir, a move India is unlikely to approve of. A man sits beside a poster featuring Pakistani Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, along a road in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, on May 14, 2025. File Photo/AFP After claiming that he brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan last month, Trump offered to mediate to resolve the Kashmir issue. New Delhi dismissed the US presidents remarks, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirming Indias position that all issues related to the Union Territory must be settled bilaterally between the two neighbours. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We have a long-standing national position that any issues pertaining to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have to be addressed by India and Pakistan bilaterally. That stated policy has not changed. As you are aware, the outstanding matter is the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a briefing. Protests during Munirs US visit? Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has threatened to protest in the US during Munirs visit. PTIs Secretary for Overseas Affairs, Sajjad Burki, called for a protest outside the Pakistan embassy in Washington on Saturday. Let the White House know that any deal with this government is not acceptable to the people of Pakistan, Burki wrote on X. According to Pakistani daily Dawn, the US and Pakistani officials have not been tight-lipped about Munirs trip, likely due to security concerns and diplomatic caution, given the protest calls. India-Pakistan tensions While Munirs visit has more to do with the US-China rivalry, it comes against the backdrop of the recent conflict between India and Pakistan. Tensions between the two rival neighbours peaked after Indian strikes on nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under Operation Sindoor post the Pahalgam terror attack. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After four days of conflict, the two countries agreed to a ceasefire , for which Trump took credit. In fact, the US president declared the ceasefire half an hour before Foreign Secretary Vikram Misris announcement. India has since reiterated its anti-terrorism stance and held Pakistan responsible for the April 22 Pahalgam attack. During his recent Europe visit, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Politico: We are not going to live with it. So our message to them is that if you continue to do the kind of barbaric acts which they did in April, then there is going to be retribution, and that retribution will be against the terrorist organisations and the terrorist leadership. We dont care where they are. If they are deep in Pakistan, we will go deep into Pakistan, he added. Jaishankar also alleged that Pakistan is continuing to train and unleash thousands of terrorists against India. It (Pakistan) is a country very steeped in its use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy. That is the whole issue, he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shuklas long-awaited journey to the International Space Station (ISS) has been delayed once more. The Axiom-4 mission, which was set to launch on June 11, has been pushed back again after a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak was detected during post-test checks following a static fire of the booster. This is not the first time the launch has been postponed. It was earlier rescheduled from June 8 to June 10 because of unfavourable weather read more The mission crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson, along with specialists Tigor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, apart from Shukla. X/@NASASpaceOps Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shuklas much-awaited trip to the International Space Station (ISS) has faced another delay. The Axiom-4 mission was earlier planned to launch from Nasas Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 10. But bad weather led to a postponement, and the launch was pushed to Wednesday (June 11). Now, it has been delayed once more. A new launch date has not yet been announced. So, why has the mission been delayed again? When can we expect it to take off? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In this explainer, we answer these questions and take a closer look at the reasons behind the latest delay. Why Axiom-4 (Ax-4) has been postponed again The launch of the Axiom-4 mission , which was scheduled for June 11, has been delayed once again. This happened after a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak was found during checks carried out after a static fire test of the booster. Standing down from tomorrows Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete and pending Range availability we will share a new launch date pic.twitter.com/FwRc8k2Bc0 SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 11, 2025 Standing down from tomorrows Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak, SpaceX said in a statement. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), posting on X, confirmed that the LOx leak was spotted in the propulsion bay during a test. The leak involves a problem with the oxygen used in the launch system. Postponement of Axiom 04 mission slated for launch on 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS. As part of launch vehicle preparation to validate the performance of booster stage of Falcon 9 launch vehicle, seven second of hot test was carried out on the launch ISRO (@isro) June 11, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Based on the discussion on this topic by Isro team with the experts of Axiom and SpaceX it has been decided to correct the leak and carry out necessary validation test before clearing for the launch, the agency added. Notably, Isro has partnered with Nasa and SpaceX for the Axiom-4 mission. The aim is to carry out several custom-designed experiments aboard the ISS, which will contribute to Indias future space efforts. This is not the first delay. The launch was earlier moved from June 8 to June 10 due to poor weather. Initially, Axiom Space had planned the takeoff for May 29. It was then shifted to June 8 to align with changes in the ISS schedule. But what exactly happened with the oxygen leak? And where is the liquid oxygen normally stored? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What we know about the oxygen leak and technical issue In space missions, timing is everything. Since the ISS and other objects in space are constantly moving, a launch cannot happen at just any moment. The alignment of orbits plays a key role, and scientists carry out detailed calculations to ensure the spacecrafts path matches the path of the ISS. For missions headed to the ISS, rockets usually circle the Earth several times before catching up with the station. This route also helps manage the amount of fuel needed. The rocket being used has two stages. According to a report by The Indian Express, the first stage contains nine Merlin engines and tanks made from aluminium-lithium alloy, which hold liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene. The second stage includes one Merlin engine. This is why the oxygen leak has caused concerns. It was detected in a part of the rocket that is crucial for launch. So, any problem with its storage or flow needs to be fixed fully before the mission can go ahead. What Isro chief said on the missions delay Speaking to NDTV, Isro chairman Dr V Narayanan, who is also an expert in liquid engines, said that the decision has been made to fix the leak and carry out the required validation tests before giving clearance for the launch. The emphasis on carrying out necessary validation is typical of Isros rocket flying culture, he told the media outlet. He added that delaying the launch was a good decision, especially because human lives are at stake. Notably, Dr Narayanan has been an important figure in the development of Indias cryogenic engine, which uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as fuel. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Axiom-4 mission: What is it? Who are the crew members? The Axiom-4 mission will see its crew carry out nearly 60 scientific experiments during their stay aboard the International Space Station. According to Axiom Space, the research has been specially designed to be conducted in microgravity and is being carried out for organisations across the world. Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will focus on food and nutrition-based experiments developed in partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with support from Nasa. These experiments aim to explore ways to improve space nutrition and create self-sustaining life support systems, both of which are crucial for future long-term missions in space. The mission crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson, along with specialists Tigor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, apart from Shukla. This journey will mark Indias return to human spaceflight after 41 years. The last Indian in space was Rakesh Sharma, who flew aboard Soviet Russias Soyuz spacecraft in 1984. Shubanshu Shukla will be one of four astronauts taking part in the Axiom-4 mission. X/@NASASpaceOps When will Axiom-4 launch next? After multiple delays and a technical snag, SpaceX confirmed it is standing down from the planned Falcon 9 launch of Axiom-4. The company added that a new launch date will be shared once the required repairs are completed. Once complete and pending Range availability we will share a new launch date, SpaceX said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies US President Donald Trumps militarised response to immigration protests in Los Angeles has triggered backlash reviving questions over whether he will backtrack, as he has often done under pressure. As protests spread nationwide, all eyes are on the White House. Will Trump follow the Taco pattern Trump Always Chickens Out? 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 The ongoing protests in Los Angeles which were sparked by immigration enforcement raids were met with a swift federal response from Washington. United States President Donald Trumps move to deploy thousands of US troops to the city has resulted in a legal battle. At the heart of the controversy lies a simple question with complex implications: will Trump once again reverse course if opposition continues to mount? Trumps decision to send military personnel into LA overriding objections from California officials has reopened scrutiny into a longstanding pattern of policy flip-flops, especially when resistance grows or market impacts deepen. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This pattern, so familiar that it has come to be known by the acronym TACO Trump Always Chickens Out is now being put to the test once again. How Trump got the Taco tag The term TACO surged into public discussion in May 2025 after journalist Robert Armstrong used it in a Financial Times opinion column analysing Trumps trade strategies. It gained immediate traction for encapsulating a familiar political behaviour: the President often makes aggressive pronouncements or policy moves, only to withdraw them later under pressure. Armstrong wrote that the market was realising that the US administration does not have a very high tolerance for market and economic pressure, and will be quick to back off when tariffs cause pain. He dubbed this the Taco theory. Since then, commentators and financial analysts have pointed to multiple episodes that fit this mold. Among the most cited were the rapid pause in Liberation Day tariffs just a week after their announcement, Trumps public call to dismiss Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell followed by his retreat from that stance, and an agreement to scale back China-related tariffs after initial escalation. Financial Times Katie Martin cited three such turnarounds that had tangible impacts on market performance. Other reports, like Shannon Pettypieces for NBC News, documented as many as ten specific trade reversals: from duties on European wine and Canadian goods to proposed levies on iPhones and childrens toys. As protests and unrest continue across California and spread to other cities like Dallas, Austin, Chicago, and New York, the question resurfaces: will Trump remain committed to this path, or will the Taco theory play out once more? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Why Trumps federal deployment in questionable The Trump administration has defended its decision to deploy a significant military presence to Los Angeles, but the move has drawn sharp criticism for both its legal footing and fiscal cost. According to a Pentagon estimate presented to Congress, the deployment is expected to cost approximately $134 million over a 60-day period. This figure includes expenses related to housing, transportation, and food for the personnel involved. Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, a Pentagon official serving as a special assistant to the secretary of defense, shared the cost breakdown during testimony before a House subcommittee. The funding for this operation is being drawn from the Department of Defenses Operations & Maintenance budget. A total of 4,700 personnel have been activated as part of this mobilisation: 4,000 members of the California National Guard and 700 Marines. Though Marines have yet to be seen actively engaged on the streets, the presence of National Guard troops especially near federal buildings and ICE operations has been confirmed. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth appeared before lawmakers to defend the decision, asserting that every American citizen deserves to live in a community thats safe, and ICE agents need to be able to do their job. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Hegseth argued that the 60-day deployment timeline was intentional: We stated very publicly that its 60 days because we want to ensure that those rioters, looters and thugs on the other side assaulting our police officers know that were not going anywhere. Hegseth also accused demonstrators of being in the country illegally and claimed the deployment was meant to protect law enforcement personnel who were being attacked. Why Trumps decision is being brought to court The troop deployment has exposed a significant clash between the federal executive branch and Californias Democratic leadership. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a prominent critic of the Trump administration, has openly opposed the military presence in his state. Speaking in a nationally televised address, Newsom described the moment as a war being waged not just against protesters, but against the foundational principles of American democracy. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived, Newsom declared, warning that Trumps tactics reflect a larger attempt to centralise power in the White House and bypass the established norms of federalism. Newsom further added, Hes declared a war. A war on culture, on history, on science, on knowledge itself. Hes delegitimising news organisations, and hes assaulting the First Amendment. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Asserting that its time for all of us to stand up, Newsom urged peaceful resistance while criticizing Trumps actions as fundamentally anti-democratic. Simultaneously, California filed a legal challenge to the troop deployment, arguing that federal intervention in state matters without consent violates the principles of state sovereignty. In response, a judge opted not to issue an immediate ruling, instead granting several days for the administration to continue its actions ahead of a scheduled hearing. Adding to the friction, Trump claimed he had spoken to Newsom about the protests. The Governor disputed this directly on social media, writing: There was no call. Not even a voicemail. He added, Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesnt even know who hes talking to. Members of Congress, particularly Democrats, pressed the administration over the legal grounds for military deployment. Representative Pete Aguilar cited federal law that allows presidential use of troops only under limited conditions such as foreign invasion, rebellion, or inability to enforce federal law using regular means. Which authority is triggered here to justify the use? he asked. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Hegseth responded vaguely: I dont know. You just read it yourself so people can listen themselves, but it sounds like all three to me. He reiterated claims that demonstrators were undocumented and violent, though evidence of this was not independently confirmed during the hearing. Representative Betty McCollum challenged why Marines were being sent to LA now when a similar response was not undertaken during the 2020 unrest in Minneapolis. Hegseth defended the decision, referencing leadership requests: The police chief said she was overwhelmed, so we helped. However, it remains unclear which official Hegseth was referring to. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell had earlier issued a statement expressing concern over the deployment, saying it complicated efforts to de-escalate tension and posed logistical challenges due to lack of coordination. Will Taco Trump repeat himself? Trump has not ruled out invoking the Insurrection Act, one of the most severe emergency powers available to a U.S. president. From the Oval Office, he said: If theres an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. Well see. Trump also stoked further controversy by appearing to support the idea of Newsoms arrest if he were to obstruct federal immigration enforcement. I think its great. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing, the president told reporters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The broader context includes years of tension between Trump and California leadership, particularly Newsom. Trump has previously threatened to withhold wildfire aid, intervened in homelessness policy debates, and warned California residents that your children are in danger due to illegal immigration. His rhetoric often includes insults calling the governor New-scum and incendiary policy declarations. The recent protests, which began in response to ICE raids, have remained concentrated in downtown Los Angeles but are now being echoed in major cities across the US. Reports of teargas and violent clashes, including the torching of vehicles and highway blockades, have only heightened national interest. While Trump has so far stood firm on the military deployment, historical precedent suggests the possibility of a reversal. The presidents record be it trade threats, economic tariffs, or even high-profile dismissals shows a consistent pattern of retreat when faced with sustained opposition or political cost. With inputs from agencies A recent interview of Pakistani Senator Sherry Rehman with Sky News anchor Yalda Hakim has put a spotlight on a shadowy militant group linked to al-Qaeda Brigade 313. Rehmans deflections, alongside earlier admissions from Pakistans Defence Minister Khawaja Asif about the countrys history with terror outfits, have once again highlighted Islamabads proxy warfare strategies read more Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman found herself at the centre of controversy after evading direct questions about the secretive terror outfit known as Brigade 313, during a recent interview. The interaction, conducted by Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim, has since brought renewed global attention to the groups role within Pakistan and its wider connections to al-Qaeda and other jihadist networks. Rehman repeatedly claimed that Pakistan is a changed country and dismissed several questions as promoting Indias narrative. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How Rehman evaded questions about Brigade 313 Rehman was asked about the alleged involvement of Brigade 313 in terrorist activities, particularly in Kashmir. Citing assessments from the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC), journalist Yalda Hakim questioned whether the group described as al-Qaeda in Pakistan was responsible for several attacks targeting India. Rehman responded by questioning the credibility of the sources cited, stating: Most of the international analysts you are quoting are strongly aligned with Indias narrative. They tell only Indias story. What is Brigade 313? Is it Al Qaeda in Pakistan? I ask Vice President of the Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Sherry Rehman about ongoing terrorist activity in Pakistan. Watch the full exchange on YouTube. pic.twitter.com/toXchgeMW5 Yalda Hakim (@SkyYaldaHakim) June 9, 2025 She dismissed the notion that Pakistan continues to support such groups, asserting: Pakistan is a changed country nowwe are fighting terrorism. When asked about the Jaish-e-Mohammeds claim that 10 family members of its chief Masood Azhar were killed in Operation Sindoor, Rehman said children are not leaders, and sought to redirect the conversation by pointing to internal insurgencies within India. There are 100 insurgencies running in India. Are we responsible for what goes on there? Thats what this amounts toand how does this link to terrorist attack in Kashmir? she asked. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Rehman suggested that such narratives could be easily constructed, saying, I dont know who told you this, but I can produce any number of pages saying all this. Perhaps we should also produce a fact sheet and more than a fact sheeta digital dossier. What we know about Brigade 313 Brigade 313 is widely considered one of the most secretive and dangerous jihadist formations to have emerged from Pakistan in the early 2000s. The group was founded by Ilyas Kashmiri, a former Pakistani Army Special Services Group (SSG) commando turned al-Qaeda commander. He also held senior positions within Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI), and later served as a key figure in al-Qaedas South Asian operations. Kashmiri was designated a global terrorist by both the United States and the United Nations before reportedly being killed in a US drone strike in 2011. The name 313 draws from Islamic tradition, referring to the 313 soldiers who fought alongside Prophet Muhammad in the Battle of Badr. This symbolism has been used to frame the groups violent ideology within a broader religious narrative. Brigade 313 is not a standalone organisation but rather a composite outfit operating under al-Qaedas Lashkar al-Zil or Shadow Army. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The group has drawn its operatives from various banned militant organisations such as the Taliban, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), HUJI, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and Jundallah. Some of its cadre reportedly include defectors from Pakistans military and intelligence services. What Brigade 313s history tells us Under Kashmiris leadership, Brigade 313 was linked to several high-profile terror attacks: 2003 : Attempted assassination of Pakistans then-president Pervez Musharraf. 2008 : Killing of Major General Faisal Alvi, a retired SSG officer who had threatened to expose Taliban links with military elites. 2009 : Attack on Pakistan Army General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, which resulted in 17 fatalities. 2009 : A suicide bombing in Afghanistans Khost province targeting U.S. assets. 2011: Assault on the Pakistani Naval Base in Karachi, killing 14 military personnel, reportedly in retaliation for the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Brigade 313 also had alleged links to global terror operations, including plots in the United States. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as noted by the Combating Terrorism Center, documented Brigade 313s presence in multiple European cities. Ilyas Kashmiri was implicated in the 2009 New York subway bombing plot and a planned attack on Denmarks Jyllands-Posten newspaper. Following Kashmiris reported death, the leadership is believed to have passed to a figure known as Shah Sahib. Despite such leadership changes, the group continued its operations, sometimes under different labels, including through newer proxy outfits like The Resistance Front (TRF) and Peoples Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), which were active in Kashmir. What we know of Pakistans relationship with Brigade 313 Although Pakistan has officially distanced itself from Brigade 313, international analysts maintain that the group continues to function under the radar, with tacit support or at least tolerance from segments of Pakistans security establishment. A key element in Brigade 313s operational strategy is its white-label modus operandi. Unlike groups such as JeM or LeT that openly claim responsibility for attacks, Brigade 313 operates covertly, conducting assaults that are rarely acknowledged. This allows al-Qaeda to maintain plausible deniability, and for Pakistans state actors to avoid international scrutiny. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The group reportedly operates not just in Pakistans tribal areas and Balochistan but also has a footprint in urban centres like Karachi and Lahore. Its collaboration with other jihadist factions such as the Haqqani Network, LeT, and JeM has made it a pivotal player in the broader South Asian terror landscape. This dynamic highlights what many analysts describe as Pakistans long-standing strategy of using militant proxies to maintain strategic depth especially in its engagements with India and Afghanistan. Why Pakistans false narrative continues to fail The recent interview of Sherry Rehman follows earlier remarks made by Pakistans Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who admitted on Sky News that we have been doing this dirty work for the US for the past three decades, including the West and the United Kingdom. This candid admission of past collaboration with militant groups marked a rare public acknowledgment of a fact long debated in international circles. Despite this, senior politicians like Rehman now assert that Pakistan is shedding its past. You keep on talking about the past because it wasWe are fighting terrorism. Pakistan is a changed country now, she said. Also Watch: Yet, the consistent ambiguity surrounding groups like Brigade 313, and the countrys historical ties with such organisations, continue to raise doubts about how much has actually changed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While efforts to crack down on extremism have been publicly emphasised by Islamabad, the opacity and evolution of outfits like Brigade 313 suggest that such groups may still be operating from the shadows, beyond the reach of public accountability or international oversight. With inputs from agencies Zohran Mamdani, the Indian-origin Assemblyman from Queens, has emerged as a key contender in the 2025 New York City mayoral race. Mamdani, who is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair, is currently polling a close behind former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. If elected, Mamdani would be New York Citys first Muslim and Indian-American mayor read more If elected, Zohran Mamdani would be New York City's first Muslim and Indian American mayor. File image/Reuters Zohran Mamdani, the Indian-origin New York State Assemblyman and son of acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, is making waves as an unexpected contender in the 2025 New York City mayoral race. The 33-year-old, who represents Queens, has jumped into second place in newly released polls, putting him within the striking distance of the current frontrunner, former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Once considered a relatively low-profile figure, Mamdani has quickly built momentum thanks to a mix of strong fundraising, progressive ideas, and social media savvy. Inspired by Senator Bernie Sanders, Mamdani is pitching himself as the bold alternative to Cuomo. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If elected, Zohran Mamdani would be New York Citys first Muslim and Indian American mayor. Heres a closer look at who he is and why hes being called the candidate to watch. Who is Zohran Mamdani? -Zohran Mamdani was born on October 18, 1991, in Kampala, Uganda. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a well-known Indian-born Ugandan Marxist scholar, while his mother is acclaimed Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair. -When he was five, Mamdani moved with his family to Cape Town, South Africa. Two years later, they settled in New York City, where he eventually became a naturalised American citizen in 2018. -Mamdani completed his schooling at the Bronx High School of Science and later earned a degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College in 2014. While at Bowdoin, he co-founded the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. -His political journey began with grassroots work, first as a foreclosure prevention counsellor, and then as a volunteer on local campaigns for figures like Ali Najmi, Khader El-Yateem, Ross Barkan, and Tiffany Caban. In 2017, he joined the Democratic Socialists of America. -Mamdani was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020 after winning the Democratic primary. He has represented Queens 36th District since 2021 and was re-elected unopposed in both 2022 and 2024. -As an active member of the Democratic Socialists of America, he currently serves on several key committees. To date, he has sponsored 20 bills, three of which have been signed into law. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD -He officially entered the 2025 New York City mayoral race on October 23, 2024, shortly after federal investigations were launched into the administration of Mayor Eric Adams. Zohran Mamdani officially entered the 2025 New York City mayoral race on October 23, 2024, shortly after federal investigations were launched into the administration of Mayor Eric Adams. File photo/AFP -Outside politics, Mamdani has a creative side too. In 2019, he released a single called Nani under the stage name Mr Cardamom. The music video featured none other than Madhur Jaffrey, the famed cookbook author and actress. -He is a practising Shia Muslim and recently married Rama Duwaji, a Syrian-born illustrator whose work has appeared in major outlets like The New Yorker and The Washington Post. The couple lives in Astoria, Queens. About Zohran Mamdanis bid for the NY mayoral polls Inspired by democratic socialist leader Bernie Sanders, Zohran Mamdani is campaigning on a bold progressive agenda. His platform includes ambitious goals: freezing rents, making buses and childcare free, launching a Department of Community Safety, introducing city-run grocery stores in areas with poor food access, and raising the minimum wage to $30 by 2030. On international issues, particularly Israel-Palestine, he has been vocal in supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. He also opposes illegal settlements, calls for ceasefires in Gaza, and stresses the importance of rejecting antisemitism while recognising Israels right to exist. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At home, hes pushed for stronger anti-discrimination laws and spoken out against cuts to gender-affirming healthcare. His campaign has quickly gained traction. In its first fundraising cycle, it outpaced all other candidates, signalling strong grassroots support. Mamdani is also drawing on his South Asian heritage to connect with voters. He recently released a campaign video in Hindi, packed with references to iconic Bollywood films and dialogues. Billionaires ke paas already sab kuchh hai. Ab, aapka time aageya. Billionaires already have everything. Now, your time has come. pic.twitter.com/bJcgxzt37S Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) June 4, 2025 Polling shows that while Andrew Cuomo is currently ahead in first-choice votes, ranked-choice projections show Mamdani narrowing the gap considerably, coming within two points of the former governor in the first round of New York Citys ranked-choice voting system. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD His campaign has already mobilised over 20,000 volunteers, canvassing across the city. Endorsements are rolling in toofrom Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to the Working Families Party and United Auto Workers Shawn Fain. In a recent debate, Mamdani didnt hold back. He accused Cuomo of corruption and introduced himself as Donald Trumps worst nightmare, a progressive, Muslim immigrant who isnt afraid to fight for what he believes in. New York Citys Democratic primary is set for June 24, 2025. The election will use a ranked-choice voting system, allowing voters to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. With input from agencies Experts have recommended maintaining Covid-appropriate behaviour, such as wearing masks, practising hand hygiene, and avoiding crowded areas. read more The Indian government has mandated an RT-PCR test for ministers meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid a rapid increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country, reported Times of India. The country reported 306 fresh Covid cases in the past 24 hours, taking the tally of active cases to 7,121. Data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare revealed that six Covid patients died in the same period. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Of the six deaths, Kerala reported three, Karnataka two, and Maharashtra one. One victim was a 43-year-old man with a weakened immune system. The others were elderly with pre-existing respiratory and chronic health issues. The surge in infection is being blamed on new variants , including LF.7, XFG, JN.1, and the recently identified NB.1.8.1 subvariant of Covid-19. Governments issue advisories While the Union Health Ministry has not issued any new advisory so far for masses, several Indian states have issued guidelines over the past weeks, urging people to stay calm and be alert. In response to growing Covid cases, the Karnataka government appealed to the public to cooperate with health authorities to curb the spread and maintain safety. On May 23, the Delhi government also issued an advisory for hospitals to ensure they are ready with sufficient beds, oxygen, medications, and vaccines to deal with rising Covid cases. Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, however, said there was no need to worry. There is no need to worry. The Delhi government is alert and hospitals are prepared to deal with any eventuality, she said. In Odisha, Health Secretary Aswathy S reassured the public that all Covid patients are stable and urged calm. The latest ICMR report says that the present variant does not exhibit severe symptoms, and most cases are mild. Also, the Centre has not issued any guidelines, but advised all to remain vigilant in the wake of the changing weather, she said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In Arunachal Pradesh, state surveillance officer Lobsang Jampa encouraged residents to stay composed, noting the detected strain seems milder than previous variants. The health department is closely monitoring the situation and taking all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. We are also tracing all possible contacts the two women may have had, he added. What are experts saying? Experts have recommended maintaining Covid-appropriate behaviour, such as wearing masks, practising hand hygiene, and avoiding crowded areas. With increasing infections, the central government has sent advisories to states and union territories, stressing preparedness and vigilance. Medical professionals have highlighted the need to differentiate Covid-19 from other seasonal viral fevers, which present similar symptoms like fever, fatigue, and respiratory issues. From October, Sebi-registered intermediaries will be required to use validated UPI addresses designed specifically for investor transactions read more Indias markets regulator on Wednesday (June 11) announced a mandatory shift to a new Unified Payments Interface (UPI) mechanism for all registered intermediaries collecting funds from investors, a move aimed at reducing fraud and enhancing the safety of financial transactions in the securities market. The new system will take effect from October 1, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) Chairperson Tuhin Kanta Pandey said at a press briefing. This innovative mechanism is set to significantly improve the safety and accessibility of financial transactions within the securities market by providing a verified and secure payment channel, Pandey said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Heres what he said: #WATCH | Mumbai | SEBI today launched a new tool to verify the authenticity of UPI addresses SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey says, "We are introducing a system within the UPI system to check whether or not a UPI address is genuine, like that of a bank, broker, etc. This would pic.twitter.com/awpnMBfUv2 ANI (@ANI) June 11, 2025 New UPI handles and verification tool Under the directive, Sebi-registered intermediaries will be required to use validated UPI addresses designed specifically for investor transactions. These UPI IDs must be clearly communicated to investors and offered as a mandatory payment option, though investors may still use other payment modes including IMPS, NEFT, RTGS, or cheques. To further support investor awareness and prevent impersonation, Sebi is developing a new feature called Sebi Check, which will allow investors to verify the authenticity of UPI IDs. Users can confirm a registered intermediarys details either by scanning a QR code or by manually entering the UPI ID, which will reveal associated bank account numbers and IFSC codes. The new handles will allow investors to transfer up to Rs 5 lakh per day to verified intermediaries. Combating cyber fraud and fake apps The move comes amid rising incidents of cyber fraud, including the use of fake apps and phishing links that impersonate legitimate brokers. According to Pandey, many investors have fallen victim to deceptive apps, including those promoted via WhatsApp or similar-looking platforms. People are investing money thinking that they are actually dealing with registered brokers, but they are not, Pandey said. A huge amount of money has been lost this way. Pandey said the regulator is working with app marketplaces to ensure only verified applications are displayed. Sebi has already whitelisted broker apps hosted on official exchange websites and is coordinating with the Google Play Store and Apple App Store to improve vetting. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD To prevent disruption in ongoing mutual fund investments, existing systematic investment plans (SIPs) using current UPI IDs will remain valid. However, new SIPs, as well as renewals and extensions, will need to use the newly mandated UPI structure. QR codes and awareness campaigns Sebi is also requiring intermediaries to generate QR codes featuring a distinctive thumbs-up logo, which will be linked to the verified UPI IDs. Scanning these codes will offer a secure and reliable payment method for investors. Pandey said Sebi will roll out investor protection campaigns over the next two years, with a focus on cybersecurity and fraud prevention. We have 130 million unique investors now, and many new investors are entering the market, he said. We needed a system where people can know systemically that they are investing through the right channel. The shift to a secure UPI infrastructure comes after Sebi floated a consultation paper on the issue in January. Despite Lee Jae-myungs election as president of South Korea, the challenge of healing the national divide and kick-starting growth in Asias fourth-largest economy remains read more South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung takes his oath during his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul on June 4. Reuters Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is the new occupant of Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential palace in Seoul, also known as the Blue House. He won the snap presidential election on June 3. Lee succeeds Yoon Suk-yeol, the now-disgraced former president from the conservative People Power Party (PPP), whose short-lived declaration of martial law in December led to his impeachment and unanimous removal from office by the Constitutional Court. With Lees election, the chaos, confusion, and confrontation that have defined the past six months in South Korea has supposedly ended. But has it really? Ill answer that shortly. Key Issues in the Election The presidential election wasnt due until 2027 and wouldnt have happened this early under normal circumstances. But that changed on the night of December 3, 2024, when former President Yoon shocked the nation by declaring martial law. The move triggered mass protests, and on December 14, parliament voted to impeach him. Under the South Korean Constitution, a snap election must be held within 60 days of the Constitutional Court upholding the impeachment and formally removing the president. Given this backdrop, Yoons failed martial law bid became the defining issue of the election, pushing all others to the sidelines. Lee campaigned on promises to strengthen democracy and heal a divided nation. He also vowed to prosecute those involved in Yoons martial law attempt and implement stricter limits on a presidents ability to declare such powers. However, other pressing issues remain for Lee to address, without the typical two-month honeymoon period usually granted to South Korean presidents. These include a faltering economy, spiraling prices, the unpredictable trade policies of Donald Trump, worsening ties with North Korea, and the delicate balancing act between ChinaSouth Koreas biggest trading partnerand the US, its key strategic ally. A Foregone Conclusion Because the election was framed from the start by the failed martial law, the People Power Party was on the defensive. The result, therefore, felt like a foregone conclusion. Unsurprisingly, it unfolded along expected lines. Lee Jae-myung of the DPK was elected the 21st President of the Republic of Korea, defeating Kim Moon-soo of the ruling PPP. Heres what happened: According to the National Election Commission (NEC), 79.4 per cent of the countrys 44.4 million eligible voters cast their ballotsthe highest turnout since the 1997 presidential election. Lee Jae-myung secured 49.4 per cent of the vote. Kim Moon-soo of the PPP came second with 41.2 percent. Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party, a PPP splinter group, received 8.3 percent. Kwon Young-guk of the hastily formed Democratic Labor Party trailed far behind with 1 percent. Strongest in Decades When Lee lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon Suk-yeol by the narrowest margin in South Koreas democratic history (47.83 per cent to 48.56 per cent), many declared his political career over. But just a year later, in the 2024 legislative elections, he led his party to a resounding victory, securing 173 seatsa two-thirds majority. When Yoon declared martial law on December 3, Lee seized the moment. He stormed the National Assembly in a dramatic late-night session to pass a resolution opposing the declaration, forcing Yoon to reverse his decision within hours. Lees popularity surged, and, as widely expected, the 61-year-old was swiftly inaugurated on Wednesday, June 3. In a rare occurrence, Lee and his party now control both the presidency and parliament. This dual control makes him one of the most powerful presidents in South Koreas democratic history. It could prove to be a double-edged swordmore on that later. For now, a unified government offers Lee an opportunity to govern assertively until the next legislative election in 2028. He wont need many conservative votes to advance his agenda, while the conservative party itself is mired in internal crisis. The Reality Bites Lees victory might have seemed inevitable given the conservatives disarray. The PPP was so divided it struggled to even nominate a candidate before settling on Kim, a former leftist turned far-right firebrand. Given these dynamics, the PPP should have suffered a crushing defeat. But it didnt. And thats the sobering reality. South Korea remains politically fractured, and the post-election crisis is as serious as it was beforeif not more so. Fragile Victory Despite an 8-point margin, Lees victory is more fragile than it first appears. Heres a closer look: If Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok (8.3 per cent of the vote) had not run, the gap between Lee and the PPP would have been much narrower. Excluding two southwestern provincesDPK strongholds where Lee won over 80 per centhis lead over the PPP was just 26,000 votes out of nearly 35 million cast. In Seoul, the nations capital and economic hub, the combined conservative vote exceeded Lees by 0.5 percent. Rise of the Far Right The right-wing, and especially the far-right, remains a potent force. In conservative heartlands, their support has only grown. The two conservative candidatesKim (41.15 per cent) and Lee Jun-seok (8.34 per cent)together garnered more votes than Lee Jae-myung (49.42 per cent). Exit polls show far-right appeal is especially strong among young men. Three-quarters of men in their twenties voted for the two far-right candidates, compared to just over 58 per cent of women in that age group who supported Lee. In the 30s age bracket, around 60 per cent of men voted conservative, while 57 per cent of women voted for Lee. 2017 vs 2025 This isnt South Koreas first post-impeachment snap election. In 2017, following the impeachment of conservative President Park Geun-hye, liberal Moon Jae-in won. History repeated in 2025. Another conservative president was impeached, and another liberal won. But 2017 didnt mark the end of conservatism in South Korea. The same could be true in 2025if conservatives are willing to reform and rebuild. Decoding Lee Jae-myung If theres one word that defines Lee Jae-myung, its survivor. Hes endured extreme poverty, two suicide attempts, a near-fatal assassination, numerous criminal charges, and the martial law crisis. Now comes his toughest test: leading a deeply divided nation through a host of internal and external challenges. Lee, largely unknown outside South Korea, rose from hardship. According to his memoirs, he was the fifth of seven children in a dirt-poor family. Forced to leave school at 14, he worked in factories, suffering a workplace injury that left his left arm impaired. In 1982, he gained university admission on a full merit scholarship and later passed the notoriously difficult bar exam to become a lawyer. His rags-to-riches story resonates in a country that went from war-torn poverty to economic powerhouse in one generation. Boon or Bane Lee has cultivated an image as a pragmatic reformer focused on economic inequality. His journey from child laborer to lawyer to political leader is inspiring to many. But hes also polarising. Though he maintains his innocence, he faces multiple criminal charges, including bribery and election violations. Hes seen by critics as a radical populist with little respect for democratic norms or institutional checks. Whether he becomes a reformist statesman like Kim Dae-jungor another strongmandepends on his choices in the months ahead. Challenges Ahead Despite the peaceful conduct of this snap election, South Korea faces a long list of pressing issues: Domestically: Deep political and societal polarisation A slipping economy, with a 0.3 per cent contraction in quarter 1 and possible recession in quarter 2 Skyrocketing consumer prices One of the worlds lowest birthrates and a rapidly ageing population An urgent need for institutional reform, including a proposed shift to a four-year presidential term with re-election Externally: Navigating between China (biggest trading partner) and the US (strategic ally) Restarting dialogue with North Korea after three years of deteriorating ties Coping with US President Donald Trumps unpredictable trade policies Managing the North KoreaRussia military partnership Most urgent of all: healing the national divide and kick-starting growth in Asias fourth-largest economy. And What If As the celebration fades, Lee faces a sobering reality. He is still on trial in the Supreme Court for election law violations. The trial was postponed to avoid influencing the vote. A conviction could have disqualified him from running. Now that hes president, the law states he cannot be prosecuted for criminal offensesexcept for treason or insurrection. But its unclear what happens if hes found guilty. That uncertainty may hang over his presidency for months to come. The author is a multi-disciplinary thought leader with Action Bias and an India based impact consultant. He is a keen watcher of changing national and international scenarios. He works as President Advisory Services of Consulting Company BARSYL. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine early Tuesday, hitting Kyiv and Odesa and killing at least three people. President Zelenskyy called it one of the biggest strikes on the capital since the war began. read more This handout photograph taken and released by Ukrainian State Emergency Service Press Service on May 25, 2025 shows firefighters operating on burning houses following Russian strike in Kyiv region, amid Russian invasion in Ukraine. AFP Photo Russia launched a major overnight attack on Ukraine early Tuesday, targeting the capital Kyiv and the southern port city of Odesa with waves of drones and missiles. At least three people were killed and 13 injured in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as one of the biggest strikes on Kyiv since the war began three years ago. According to Zelenskyy, Russian forces fired 315 dronesmostly Iranian-made Shahedsand seven missiles. Russian missile and Shahed strikes are louder than the efforts of the United States and others to push for peace, he said, urging stronger action from the West. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In Odesa, a maternity hospital and residential buildings were hit, killing two people and injuring nine. Another person died in Kyivs Obolonskyi district. Officials said explosions and the buzzing of drones continued for hours across the capital. The assault followed an even larger drone attack the previous night, when Russia launched nearly 500 dronesits biggest aerial barrage of the war so far. The fresh attacks come despite recent peace talks in Istanbul, which yielded little progress as both sides maintain firm positions. However, one concrete outcome has been the exchange of prisoners of war. On Monday and Tuesday, both sides released groups of soldiers, including wounded Ukrainian troops captured years ago during the battle for Mariupol. Many of them suffer from serious health conditions. Russias Defense Ministry confirmed receiving its own group of returned soldiers. Ukrainian families welcomed the reunions with mixed relief and pain, as many still wait for news of missing loved ones. My struggle was much easier thanks to them, said Amina Ivanchenko, who was reunited with her husband after 18 months in captivity. Our country will definitely bring everyone back. At a time when Russia has ramped up aerial attacks, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the upcoming budget will cut military support to Ukraine. 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) Amid increasing Russian attacks, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced cuts to the military support to Ukraine. While the United States had been Ukraines principal supporter since Russia invaded the country in 2022, President Donald Trump has not just withdrawn active support but has essentially aligned himself with Vladimir Putin as he has accepted all demands of the Russian leader and trashed Ukraine frequently often resorting to falsehoods and repeating Russian talking points. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Hegseth said at a congressional hearing on Tuesday that the support to Ukraine will see a reduction in the upcoming federal budget as the Donald Trump administration had a very different view of the conflict. Hegseth said, This administration takes a very different view of that conflict. We believe that a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nations interests, especially with all the competing interests around the globe. Hegseth did not go into the specifics of cuts. ALSO READ: Even as Trump slams Putin for civilians killings, he rewards Russia by accepting its terms While the United States has largely continued to provide Ukraine with military supplies approved under the previous Joe Biden administration and cleared by Congress, the Trump administration has not announced any fresh assistance. Moreover, it recently emerged that Trump diverted as much as 20,000 anti-drone missiles marked for Ukraine to US forces in West Asia. The diversion of anti-drone missiles and announcement of cuts to military aid have come at a time when Russia has ramped up attacks on Ukraine. For weeks, Russia has been launching hundreds of drones and missiles into Ukraine on a near-daily basis. Russia on Sunday launched the largest aerial attack of the war on Ukraine with 479 drones and 20 missiles. Russia has killed dozens in such attacks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Zelenskyy has repeatedly sought air defence systems from the United States and other Western partners. He has offered to buy those systems. However, Trump has dismissed the need of air defence systems and has called Zelenskyy a warmonger for seeking air defence systems. One of the many occasions that he has used to trash Ukraine and Zelenskyy, Trump said that Zelenskyy is always looking to purchase missiles. He has further accused Zelenskyy, former President Biden, and Nato of starting the war. President Zelenskyy and Crooked Joe Biden did an absolutely horrible job in allowing this travesty to begin. There were so many ways of preventing it from ever starting, said Trump in April. In the hushed stillness of the evening, thousands gathered, some alone, others holding onto friends arms or shoulders. They lit candles, shed tears, and stood quietly in prayer or deep reflection read more People light candles at a makeshift memorial site after several people died in a school shooting, on June 10, 2025 in Graz, southeastern Austria. AFP People in the Austrian city of Graz held a candlelight vigil for the victims of a school shooting that killed 10 people, including the gunman who took his own life following the attack. The attack is the deadliest gun violence the country has seen in recent years. Police said that the 21-year-old gunman, a former student of the Dreierschutzengasse secondary school, the site of the mishap, killed himself in a bathroom shortly after going on a rampage. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said that nine people were confirmed dead, while 12 others were seriously injured in the shooting. Seven of the victims were female and three were male, authorities said without specifying their ages. A 17-year-old French student was among the victims, his father told AFP. Candles, cries and contemplation The vigil was held on Tuesday night at the city square, where a number of residents, mostly young, showed up to mourn the deaths of the victims. In the hushed stillness of the evening, thousands gathered, some alone, others holding onto friends arms or shoulders. They lit candles, shed tears, and stood quietly in prayer or deep reflection. Felix Platzer, a passerby at the vigil, told Reuters, When you hear about it, you have so much sympathy for the people, maybe you could have known someone. This is an example of solidarity, and you grieve together and together it is easier to cope, he added. Austria has declared three days of mourning, with a nationwide minute of silence scheduled for Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. local time to honour the victims. Flags at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, home to the office of President Alexander Van der Bellen, will be flown at half-staff. Who was the gunman? The suspect acted alone and took his own life in the school toilet, police said. The police said late Tuesday they had found a good-bye letter addressed to his parents during a search of his residence, but that it included no clues about his motive. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to police, the alleged perpetrator was an Austrian from the Graz region, who used two legally owned weapons. He was a former student at the high school, but had not finished his studies. With inputs from agencies Backed by France and Spain, Greece has spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit childrens use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on childrens mental and physical health read more French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said that the country will ban social media for teens soon. The development comes months after Australia disallowed children under the age of 16 from having social media accounts. I am proposing banning social media for children under 15, President Emmanuel Macron said on X on Tuesday evening. Platforms have the ability to verify age. Lets do it, he added. Cest une recommandation des experts de la commission ecrans : je porte linterdiction des reseaux sociaux avant 15 ans. Les plateformes ont la possibilite de verifier lage. Faisons-le. Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 10, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Backed by France and Spain, Greece has spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit childrens use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on childrens mental and physical health. Macron said that France would move ahead with the proposal if the bloc delays banning social media for teens. Talking to broadcaster France 2, the president said, We cannot wait. Meanwhile, France will also impose a ban on the sale of knives to minors in the country, days after the murder of a teaching assistant by a 14-year-old boy plunged the country into shock. A 15-year-old will no longer be able to buy a knife online. That means were going to impose massive financial sanctions and bans, Macron said. A secondary school pupil was arrested on Tuesday after killing a 31-year-old school assistant with a knife during a bag search in Nogent in eastern France. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Francois Bayrous office said a ban on the sale of knives to minors will be implemented by a decree issued within the next two weeks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Speaking to broadcaster TF1 on Tuesday evening, Bayrou said that the measure would come into force immediately. The list will include any knife that can be used as a weapon, he said. Bayrou has also called for a trial of metal detectors in schools. With inputs from agencies Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong will visit India this week, marking the second high-level exchange between the two countries this year. read more Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong is expected to visit India this week, marking the second high-level visit between the two countries this year, The Times of India reported. His trip follows Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misris visit to Beijing in January, where both sides agreed on steps to normalise ties. Suns two-day visit, starting Thursday, reflects improving relations after the completion of troop disengagement in eastern Ladakh, ending nearly five years of military standoff. It also follows key developments, including a meeting between PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Russia last October, and the resumption of Special Representatives (SR) Talks on the border issue in December. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD During his visit, Sun is expected to meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and hold talks under the foreign secretaryvice minister dialogue mechanism. Doval is also expected to host Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also Chinas SR, for another round of border talks later this year. More from World PM Modi@11: A decade of change and challenge This weeks meeting is expected to review the progress made since January, including Chinas agreement to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025a key Indian request. The vote marks the first step toward a potential early election, one that current polls suggest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would likely lose read more A drone view of Jerusalem with the Knesset, the Israeli parliament and the Israel Museum, in Jerusalem February 4, 2025. Reuters File Israels parliament is scheduled to hold a preliminary vote on Wednesday to dissolve itself, triggered by a dispute over military conscription. The vote marks the first step toward a potential early election, one that current polls suggest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would likely lose. However, the vote could be canceled at the last minute. Even if it proceeds and passes, it would be just the first of four required approvals to advance new elections. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The process would still leave Netanyahus ruling coalition with time to address its most severe political crisis yet and possibly avert an election, which would be the first since the war with Hamas in Gaza began. Boaz Bismuth, a lawmaker with Netanyahus Likud party, told Reuters dissolving the Knesset would only be a victory for Israels enemies. During war this is the last thing Israel needs, he was quoted as saying. Netanyahu has been pushing hard to resolve a coalition deadlock over a military conscription bill at the heart of the current crisis. Religious parties in his coalition want to maintain exemptions from mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students, while other lawmakers are demanding an end to those exemptions. Though long controversial, the issue has become especially charged during the Gaza war, as Israel faces its heaviest battlefield losses in decades and a strained military in urgent need of more troops. Frustrated by the impasse, ultra-Orthodox factions have threatened to back opposition efforts to dissolve the Knesset and trigger early elections, currently scheduled for late 2026. Its more than ever urgent to replace Netanyahus government and specifically this toxic and harmful government, Reuters quoted Labours opposition lawmaker Merav Michaeli as saying. Its urgent to end the war in Gaza and to bring back all the hostages. Its urgent to start rebuilding and healing the state of Israel, Michaeli added. More time If Netanyahu resolves the coalition crisis before Wednesdays vote, opposition parties may withdraw the bill to dissolve parliament. Even if the bill passes its first reading, it still needs three more votes, buying Netanyahu time to strike a deal on the conscription issue with his ultra-Orthodox allies. Between readings, the bill goes to committee, a process that could take days or even months. During this period, Netanyahu can still negotiate and block the bill. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD To pass, the bill needs 61 of 120 Knesset votes. If approved, an election must be held within five months. Polls suggest Netanyahus coalition would likely lose, with public anger still high over the security failure of Hamas October 7, 2023, attack, which killed 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages. Since then, Israels war in Gaza has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, devastated the territory, and displaced most of its population. Over 400 Israeli soldiers have died, further fueling opposition to exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men. While many Israelis demand equal conscription, ultra-Orthodox leaders insist religious study is sacred and military service incompatible with their way of life. With inputs from agencies President Donald Trump has announced that the United States and China have reached a trade deal after two days of talks in London. read more US President Donald Trump waves next to Chinese President Xi Jinping after attending a business event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017, during his first term. (Photo: AP) President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States and China have reached an understanding for a trade deal. Trump said that once he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping give their final approval, the two countries will end the ongoing trade war and restore regular trade. Under the terms of the deal, China will provide all rare earths and magnets and the United States will not go after Chinese students studying in the United States, Trump said in a post on Truth Social. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Once the deal is signed, Trump said that the United States will keep 55 per cent tariffs on China and China will keep 10 per cent tariffs on the United States. At the peak of the trade war, the United States had imposed 145 per cent tariffs on China and China had imposed 125 per cent tariffs on the United States . In the truce reached in talks in Geneva, the United States brought down its tariffs to 30 per cent and China brought down its tariffs to 10 per cent. Trumps announcement after two days of US-China trade talks in London. Previously, it had been reported that the focus of talks was more on rare earths than on tariffs. Earlier in the day, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that the United States and China had reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus and the understanding would take negativity out of the trade relationship. Separately, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that he was confident that the implementation of the framework would resolve the issue of rare earths. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is not yet clear whether Trump was referring to the same framework agreement in his social media post. Analysts have said that talks are expected to continue through the summer but the worst of the trade conflict appears to have passed. The US-China talks perhaps underscored how unlikely a comprehensive trade deal is anytime soon, but at least relations may not worsen as talks continue throughout the summer, AGF Investments Greg Valliere told Yahoo News. Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University told Yahoo that talks continued to show Chinas leverage: China is hurting, yes, but they still hold the upper hand on critical resources, and they know how to use them. While Trump in his social media post mentioned getting rare earths from China, he did not mention anything about relaxing US export controls on semiconductors, jet engines, and other technologies directed at China. Any relaxation would mean a big break from yearslong US bipartisan US position that sought to deprive China of important Western technologies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Kuwait has introduced a new rule requiring private sector foreign workers to obtain exit permits from their employers before leaving the country, further tightening controls under the kafala system. The move has drawn criticism from rights groups over migrant workers freedoms. read more Kuwait is to require foreigners working in the private sector to obtain their employers permission before leaving the country, authorities said on Wednesday, adding further restrictions on workers bound by the kafala sponsorship system. Human rights groups have long criticised the kafala system, which is widely prevalent in the oil-rich Gulf states and ties migrant workers visas to their employers, often preventing them from changing jobs or sometimes leaving the country. First Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef issued a ministerial circular requiring expatriate workers in the private sector to obtain an exit permit from their registered employer before leaving the country, the Public Authority of Manpower said in a statement on its X account. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies In a letter addressed on Monday to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Abbas outlined the main steps that he thinks must be taken to end the war in Gaza read more Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas holds a leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, April 23, 2025.- Reuters Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has said that Hamas must hand over its weapons and called for the deployment of international forces to protect the Palestinian people, France announced on Tuesday. In a letter addressed on Monday to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who this month will co-chair a conference on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, Abbas outlined the main steps that he thinks must be taken to end the war in Gaza and achieve peace in the Middle East. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Hamas will no longer rule Gaza and must hand over its weapons and military capabilities to the Palestinian Security Forces, wrote Abbas. He said he was ready to invite Arab and international forces to be deployed as part of a stabilisation/protection mission with a (UN) Security Council mandate. The conference at UN headquarters later this month will aim to resurrect the idea of a two-state solution Israel currently controls large parts of the Palestinian territories. We are ready to conclude within a clear and binding timeline, and with international support, supervision and guarantees, a peace agreement that ends the Israeli occupation and resolves all outstanding and final status issues, Abbas wrote. Hamas has to immediately release all hostages and captives, Abbas added. In a statement, the Elysee Palace welcomed concrete and unprecedented commitments, demonstrating a real willingness to move towards the implementation of the two-state solution. Macron has said he is determined to recognise a Palestinian state, but also set out several conditions, including the demilitarisation of Hamas. In his letter, Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to reform the Palestinian Authority and confirmed his intention to hold presidential and general elections within a year under international auspices. The Palestinian State should be the sole provider of security on its territory, but has no intention to be a militarised State. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD France has long championed a two-state solution, including after the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militants Hamas on Israel. But formal recognition by Paris of a Palestinian state would mark a major policy shift and risk antagonising Israel, which insists that such moves by foreign states are premature. US President Donald Trump has said that he is now much less confident about reaching a nuclear deal with Iran. read more US President Donald Trump has said that he is now less confident than he was two months ago about reaching a nuclear deal with Iran. Two days after he rejected the Iranian counter-proposal , Trump told New York Posts Pod Force One podcast that Iran appears to be delaying talks and he is no longer confident about reaching a deal. I dont know. I did think so, and Im getting more and more less confident about it. They seem to be delaying, and I think thats a shame, but Im less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made, said Trump. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD ALSO READ: Trump wants a verified nuclear peace agreement with Iran. But how different itd be from 2015 deal? The Trump administration and Iran have held five rounds of talks, but the two sides are at loggerheads over the issue of uranium enrichment, with Iran saying it should be allowed to enrich uranium for purported civilian purposes and the Trump administration maintaining that Iran would not be allowed any enrichment. The talks are aimed at reaching a deal seven years after Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal of 2015 that was negotiated by the Barak Obama administration. Thet talks also seek a reset of the US-Iran relationship. The talks are taking place at a time when Iran has ramped up the development of near-weapons grade uranium and has reduced the time needed to develop a nuclear weapon once the go-ahead comes from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Trump threatens war if no deal is reached Irrespective of Iran signing a deal, it would not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, but it would be preferable to ensure such an outcome with a deal instead of a war, said Trump. Well, if they dont make a deal, theyre not going to have a nuclear weapon. If they do make a deal, theyre not going have a nuclear weapon, too, you know? But theyre not going a have a new nuclear weapon, so its not going to matter from that standpoint. But it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, its so much nicer to do it, said Trump. Earlier on Monday, Trump had warned Iran that the failure to reach a deal could lead to death and destruction in Iran. Trump further told The Post that he does not see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal. Kumarans briefing came as part of Indias wider engagement at two back-to-back regional forums - the East Asia Summit Senior Officials Meeting on June 10 and the ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials Meeting on June 11 read more Secretary (East) P. Kumaran led the delegation at the East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting held in Penang, Malaysia. Image Courtesy: X/@MEAIndia Periasamy Kumaran, Joint Secretary at Indias Ministry of External Affairs, on Tuesday briefed senior ASEAN officials on Operation Sindoor during the East Asia Summit Senior Officials Meeting (EAS SOM) held in Penang, Malaysia. Kumarans briefing came as part of Indias wider engagement at two back-to-back regional forums - the EAS SOM on June 10 and the ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials Meeting (ARF SOM) on June 11. Secretary (East) P. Kumaran led the delegation at the East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting held in Penang, Malaysia. Secretary (East) underlined the important role of EAS towards promoting free, open, inclusive & rules-based Indo-Pacific as this premier leaders-led pic.twitter.com/BFoRKVhri3 Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) June 11, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Both meetings were chaired by Dato Sri Amran Mohamed Zin, Secretary General of Malaysias Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and brought together senior representatives from member countries. During the EAS SOM, Kumaran underlined the East Asia Summits key role in fostering peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific. He highlighted the convergence between Indias Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and ASEANs Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), and voiced Indias support for the proposed outcome documents for the 20th EAS. He also discussed a range of regional and global issues with other delegates, said MEA in a statement. Kumaran invited member states to participate in upcoming Indian-hosted events, including the EAS Knowledge Exchange Workshop on Energy Efficiency under the Mission LiFE programme, and a conclave of EAS Heads of Higher Education Institutions at Nalanda University. At the ARF SOM, discussions centered on enhancing cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism, maritime security, and cyber security. Addressing the forum, Kumaran voiced Indias concern over state-sponsored terrorism, citing the April 22 terror attack in , Jammu and Kashmirs Pahalgam. He described Indias military response Operation Sindoor as measured, proportionate, non-escalatory, and responsible. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Kumaran also held bilateral meetings with senior officials from Australia, Brunei, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Singapore during his visit. The meetings come amid reports that Pakistan is seeking full dialogue partner status in ASEAN through Malaysia, adding a layer of geopolitical significance to Indias outreach. With inputs from agencies The MEA has said that an Indian student seen being handcuffed at Newark Airport was being deported under a court order after entering the US illegally. He was admitted to a medical facility after his behaviour was found unfit for travel. read more The viral video shows an Indian student being handcuffed and pinned down by officials at a US airport. Image: X The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that the alleged handcuffing and restraint of an Indian student at Newark Airport in the United States occurred during the process of his deportation, which was being carried out as per a court order following his illegal entry into the country, according to sources. The student, whose video showing him being forcefully handcuffed and pinned down raised concerns on social media, has since been admitted to a medical facility. He will be deported once he is declared medically fit to travel. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With regard to a social media post about an Indian national detained at Newark Airport in New Jersey, our Consulate in New York has ascertained that the individual, a resident of Haryana, had entered the United States illegally without a valid visa and was being deported to India as per a court order, the MEA official said in a statement. During his transit through Newark, his behaviour was found to be not conducive for travel, following which he was restrained and admitted to a medical facility, the source added. I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal. He came chasing dreams, not causing harm. As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken. This is a human tragedy. @IndianEmbassyUS #immigrationraids pic.twitter.com/0cINhd0xU1 Kunal Jain (@SONOFINDIA) June 8, 2025 The MEA official further stated that once the individual is fit to travel, he will be deported to India. The Consulate in New York remains in touch with US authorities regarding the case. MEA raises matter with US Embassy Earlier, the ministry has reportedly raised the matter with the US Embassy in New Delhi. According to a report by news agency ANI, quoting sources, the MEA has formally taken up the issue with the US Embassy. Reference a social media post claiming that an Indian national was detained at Newark Airport in New Jersey. The Ministry has formally raised the matter with the US Embassy in New Delhi. Our Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Consulate in New York are also in contact with US authorities to ascertain further details, the sources told ANI. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, MEA sources noted that they have not yet received full details regarding the incident or the specific circumstances under which the individual was restrained. As Los Angeles protests turn into a mass movement against his rule and approval ratings fall, US President Donald Trump appears to be on a shaky wicket. Even as he prepares to roll down tanks and soldiers on his birthday, the brewing discontent and opposition challenges the show of strength. read more Demonstrators holding signs and flags face California National Guard members standing guard outside the Federal Building as they protest federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, on June 9, 2025. (Photo: AFP) US President Donald Trump had a euphoric start to his second term: he had just scored a historic victory, his approval ratings were soaring, the Democratic Party was in shambles, the Congress was essentially a rubber stamp body, and the Supreme Court was in his pocket. Now, five months later, Trump is facing brutal reality checks: the Los Angeles protests against his immigration policy are spiralling into a mass movement against his rule, he has received rebuke after rebuke from the courts about his executive overreach, his policies have plunged the US economy into recession fears and trade war with China has backfired, and his approval ratings have fallen. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trumps international reputation is also in tatters as he has failed to end wars in Ukraine and Gaza he had said he would end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. After National Guards, Trump has deployed US Marines in Los Angeles the deployment of military on domestic soil against own citizens is an extraordinary step. More Americans oppose such a deployment than support and more Americans disapprove of Trumps performance than approve, as per latest polls. Americans reject US Marines deployment, Trumps policies California Governor Gavin Newsom has said the deployment of US Marines to Los Angeles amounts to crossing a red line and the American public agrees. As many as 47 per cent Americans oppose Trumps deployment of Marines against 34 per cent who support it, according to a YouGov poll published on Tuesday. US Marines serve a valuable purpose for this country defending democracy. They are not political pawns. The Secretary of Defense is illegally deploying them onto American streets so Trump can have a talking point at his parade this weekend. Its a blatant abuse of power. We will sue to stop this. The Courts and Congress must act. Checks and balances are crumbling. This is a red line and theyre crossing it. Wake up! said Newsom. The YouGov poll also found that 52 per cent Americans disapprove of Trumps policies in the week ending Monday. Trump plans birthday parade even as uprising swells Even as the uprising against his rule is swelling, Trump is planning a military parade for his birthday on Saturday. Formally, the parade is supposed to mark the 250th foundation day of the US Army, but critics have said that the scale of the parade has been ramped up to unprecedented scale for the pleasure of Trump who would mark his birthday with the parade like leaders of authoritarian regimes usually do by removing the difference between their personal life and public office. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While Trump looks forward to the parade, Los Angeles protests have spread to at least 22 places across the United States, such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta. NBC News has reported that at least 25 rallies and demonstrations have been organised against Trumps rule since Monday. Unlike his first term when mass protests against his rule were rather frequent, such protests had not been reported until this month in Trumps second term. Trump defies laws and courts again With his deployment of military and mobilisation of National Guards, Trump has not just triggered Democrats, but has also possibly triggered courts again. In his second term, Trump has defied courts multiple times by not following its orders regarding immigration crackdown and deportations. Now, as Newsom has challenged the troop deployment, Trump is expected to defy courts again if they dont rule in his favour. If and when such defiance comes, the rule of law in the United States would further erode in the eyes of Trumps critics and possibly fan further protests. By law, the US government cannot deploy military for domestic law enforcement for law enforcement purposes unless certain laws like the Insurrection Act are invoked. Trump has so far not invoked the act. The Trump administration has maintained that National Guards were mobilised and Marines were deployed to just protect federal law enforcement personnel and properties. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Critics have said that owing to authoritarian tendencies where Trump does not recognise anything that goes against him, whether it is court orders or election results as seen in 2020 election when he egged on a mob to attack the Capitol to illegally overturn the result in his favour, the deployment of the military on American soil is a very dangerous precedent. Trump has managed to distract the masses from two of the biggest issues he was facing criticism for before the LA crisis erupted read more US President Donald Trumps controversial move to deploy the National Guard to quell protests in Los Angeles has created a political sandstorm in the country. Amid widespread opposition to his move, Trump appeared to double down on his immigration crackdown on Monday (June 9), approving deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guardsmen, joining the initial 2,000, alongside approximately 700 Marines, bringing the total military presence in LA to nearly 4,800. The protests and riots that erupted after the Trump administrations anti-immigration raids in Los Angeles have now engulfed dozens of American cities. Protests have taken place across New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C., with varying degrees of police presence and tension. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump, on the other hand, looks all set to escalate the crisis further as he labelled the protestors animals and foreign enemy on Tuesday (June 10) during a speech at Fort Bragg. Meanwhile, the crisis is soon slated to turn into a legal battle as California Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday filed an emergency request in federal court seeking to block the Trump administrations move to deploy troops. Sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy, he said. Donald Trump is behaving like a tyrant, not a President. We ask the court to immediately block these unlawful actions. Despite this deepening crisis in the USAs political arena, Trump has consequentially managed to distract the masses from two of the biggest issues he was facing criticism for: His so-called Big Beautiful Bill and the ongoing feud with tech billionaire Elon Musk. Trump manages to dodge criticism on BBB Ahead of the LA controversy, political pundits and media all had their guns pointed at Trump over the controversial Big Beautiful Bill. Now, everybody seems to be fixated on the administrations anti-immigration crackdown in LA and beyond, giving Trump a window to distract the masses. US Sen. Ed Markey echoed the same observation on Monday. While talking to an audience of business and community leaders in Boston, Markey said, Hes trying to distract America from what hes really trying to do. And that just becomes the circus. There was never a threat they had it under control. The governor didnt ask for any additional help. No president for 60 years has sent in federal troops without a governor requesting it, the Senator added, condemning the decision to deploy National Guard to California. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump-Musk feud The other out-turn is that the whole crisis has overshadowed the buzz around the Musk-Trump feud , which turned ugly before the tech billionaire appeared to scale back tensions. In fact, the LA episode has handed them an opportunity to form a united stance, at least in public messaging. Musk has condemned violent protests against Trumps immigration policies and openly backed the decision to deploy National Guard. For instance, Musk shared Trumps Truth Social post on his X account in which the US president called on California governor and LA Mayor Bass to apologise to the people for horrible job. Musk also shared an image of a masked man waving a Mexican flag atop a burning car and wrote, This is not ok. This is not ok pic.twitter.com/feOtg6f6ge Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As the political drama unfolds over the LA protests, there are signs of an emerging truce between the worlds most powerful man and the richest. Not only has Musk deleted several posts targeting the US president and linking him to Jeffrey Epstein files, but he has now expressed regret about some of his posts, saying, they went too far. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025 All in all, Musks recent actions suggest a pragmatic reunion over shared views on border security and public order. The LA unrest and federal response have certainly shifted public attention from the Trump-Musk feud and legislative battles to a growing unrest and a wider question of migrants, and a state-federal clash in the US. Tarique Rahman, the son of Khaleda Zia, has been living in exile since 2008, when he went to London for medical treatment but never returned, fearing persecution in Bangladesh read more Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman are set to meet in London Bangladeshs Chief Advisor Muhammad is all set to meet BNPs acting chairman and Khaleda Zias son Tarique Rahman in London on June 13, as speculations grow about the exiled leaders return to the country. Bangladesh has been embroiled in political uncertainty since the ouster of the Awami League government of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. Yunus, as the Bangladesh chief adviser , has the constitutional responsibility to hold elections. He has pegged the conduct of elections to his six-point reforms, causing an extended political stir in the country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Now, Yunus is seeking dialogue with opposition leaders to foster political reconciliation and stability. This comes after the BNP boycotted his reform push. Who is Tarique Rahman? Rahman has been living in exile since 2008, when he went to London for medical treatment but never returned, fearing persecution in Bangladesh. In 2023, a court in Bangladesh sentenced Rahman to nine years in prison after finding the opposition leader guilty in a corruption case filed by the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in 2007. Rahman has been at the forefront of running campaigns against Hasinas government, demanding her resignation. The governments Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case against Rahman in 2007, accusing him of amassing assets through illegal means and of concealing them in his wealth statements. Will Rahman return? Widespread speculation in Bangladeshi media and among the diaspora about whether the meeting signals Tarique Rahmans imminent return to Bangladesh. The speculation was boosted further by the comments of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who told reporters in Dhaka on Tuesday, He [Rahman] will return soon. Mirza Fakhrul didnt, however, give a timeframe. What will Rahman and Yunus discuss? Discussion between the two leaders is likely to centre on the timing and terms of the next national election. The other focal point could be potential reforms to the electoral process and assurances for free and fair polls. With inputs from agencies External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has warned the West that terrorism will haunt them one day if it continues to ignore Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. He also flagged the double standards regarding territorial aggression where nations want India to condemn Russia but stay quiet on Pakistans violation of Indian territorial integrity. read more External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has warned the West that terrorism will haunt them one day if it continues to ignore Pakistan-based terrorism. In an interview with Euractiv in Brussels, Jaishankar stressed that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism was not just an Indian problem but a world problem. He reminded that Osama bin Laden, the Al-Qaeda leader who presided over the September 11 attacks, was found living in Pakistan. There was a man named Osama bin Laden. Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point? I want the world to understand this isnt merely an India-Pakistan issue. Its about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you, said Jaishankar. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Laden was killed in a US special forces operation in 2011 in a compound in Pakistans Abbottabad. The house was essentially next door to Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), which is the equivalent of the US Military Academy, popularly called as West Point. Not just Laden but Khalid Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the principal architect of the Sept. 11 attacks, was found living just minutes away from the Pakisitani Army headquarters. Jaishankar is in Brussels to hold talks with the European Union (EU) leaders. He has so far met EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, EU Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, among other officials. India and EU are currently engaged in negotiations for a trade deal and the subject is expected to have figured prominently in these meetings. Jaishankar on Wests double standards Jaishankar also criticised the West on their double standards when it came to territorial aggression. Jaishankar said that while the West now expands India to join hands regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Western nations remained friendly with Pakistan even as it invaded India just weeks after Independence. India has the longest-standing grievance our borders were violated just months after independence, when Pakistan sent in invaders to Kashmir. And the countries that were most supportive of that? Western countries. If those same countries who were evasive or reticent then now say lets have a great conversation about international principles, I think Im justified in asking them to reflect on their own past, said Jaishankar. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In October 1947, Pakistan invaded Jammu and Kashmir, which was under negotiations with India for accession at the time. Even after J&K acceded to India, Pakistan continued the invasion and India and Pakistan fought a full-fledged war. Pakistan continues to illegally occupy parts of J&K to this date. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has announced a curfew in downtown after several nights of protests against ICE raids turned violent, with clashes, vandalism, and looting. read more Protesters confront police on the 101 Freeway near the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, on Sunday, following last night's immigration raid protest. AP Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday imposed a curfew in downtown after days of protests against ICE raids led to clashes with police, vandalism, and some looting at night. The curfew will be in effect from 8 pm Tuesday to 6 am Wednesday and will cover a 1-square-mile area. I have declared a local emergency and issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting, Bass said at an evening news conference. If you do not live or work in downtown LA, avoid the area. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew and you will be prosecuted. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Let me be clear: ANYONE who vandalized Downtown or looted stores does not care about our immigrant communities. You will be held accountable. Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 10, 2025 I think it is important to point this out, not to minimise the vandalism and violence that has taken place there, it has been significant, because it is extremely important to know that what is happening in this 1 square mile is not affecting the city, Bass said. Some of the imagery of the protests and the violence gives the appearance that this is a city-wide crisis, and it is not. Protests an assault on peace and public order: Trump Calling the protests an assault on peace and public order, Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to use the military to control demonstrators by invoking the rarely used and controversial Insurrection Act. Defending his decision to liberate Los Angeles, Trump said, What youre seeing in California is a full-blown attack on peace, public order, and national sovereignty, led by rioters waving foreign flags. Since the National Guard operates under both state and federal authority, California is preparing to sue Trump for bypassing the governor and deploying troops without his consent. California became President Trumps formidable adversary, fiercely challenging his administrations policies on immigration, funding and federal power through a wave of proactive legal actions read more We are all just prisoners here Of our own device The above lines from the lyrics of the classic rock song Hotel California by The Eagles couldnt be truer now with the streets of the city displaying a violent political divide . California emerged as a significant adversary to President Donald Trump due to a confluence of factors including his administrations perceived overreach of federal power, its policies on immigration and funding and Californias proactive legal challenges. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The relationship between Trump and California was consistently strained, with recent events indicating a deepening animosity. It has taken a turn for worse. Escalation of tensions and federal intervention The conflict between the Trump administration and California intensified dramatically, reaching a new low point. Several reports from the US indicated that the White House was aiming to severely reduce federal funding to California particularly targeting state universities. Protests erupted in Los Angeles following efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to make arrests leading President Trump to declare the federalisation of National Guard members and their deployment to Los Angeles, a move that California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, opposed. The deployment of the National Guard by a president without the governors request was described as a dramatic escalation. The National Guard was previously deployed to Los Angeles in 1992 after the Rodney King verdict, but the destruction at that time was far more extensive than the scattered violence reported in Los Angeles. Some analysts say Trumps order appear disproportionate. National Guard troops were also deployed in Minneapolis during protests related to the murder of George Floyd at the request of Governor Tim Walz. In all these cases, governors made the decision to deploy the National Guard. A US president had not done so on their own since 1965, when Lyndon Johnson federalised the Alabama National Guard from Governor George Wallace to safeguard civil rights marchers attempting to go from Selma to Montgomery. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Johnsons action followed demonstrations by local law enforcement of violent attacks on peaceful marchers, whereas the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department possessed ample experience and personnel to manage the weekends protests. The Washington Post quoted Elizabeth Goitein, a Brennan Center for Justice scholar specialising in presidential emergency powers, as saying that Trumps order was not backed by legal authority. The use of the military to suppress civil unrest is usually seen as an absolute last resort by any administration. Political motivations and centralisation of power Is Trump intentionally provoking a confrontation with California? There are critics saying that the president viewed stringent immigration enforcement as politically advantageous and sought to leverage the dispute to expand the federal governments authority over states. Trump has used funding as a political tool, giving credence to criticism that he thought could cut off funds to states for reasons of political retaliation or personal animosity. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A White House spokesperson said decisions regarding potential cuts were not yet final but justified them by saying that no taxpayer should be forced to fund the demise of our country. Some of these attempts to coerce states were likely illegal and would face successful court challenges, while others fell into grey areas or were plainly legal, where officials exercised legal but improper or unwise powers. This approach marked a significant departure from traditional American conservative defences of states rights, which historically advocated for local prerogatives against an overreaching federal government, even though these arguments were sometimes used to defend racist policies. Kristi Noem, the current secretary of Homeland Security, had previously expressed opposition to the federalisation of the National Guard last year when she was Governor of South Dakota. Trumps border czar, Tom Homan, had indicated his willingness to arrest Governor Newsom, an idea Trump publicly supported. Californias legal counteroffensive California mounted a significant legal challenge against the Trump administration, engaging in numerous court battles. US District Judge Myong J Joun, during a March hearing in Boston, questioned attorneys representing a coalition of states about the potential losses they would incur if he did not immediately intervene to block federal funding cuts to teacher training programmes nationwide. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD California Deputy Attorney General Laura Faer responded that the situation was dire and that programmes across the state faced potential closure, dissolution and termination. Judge Joun promptly issued a temporary restraining order, blocking the cuts as arbitrary and capricious, which was a victory for the states. However, less than a month later, the Supreme Court reversed this decision, finding that the states had failed to refute the administrations claim that it would be unlikely to recover the funds if they were disbursed during litigation. This was a setback for California but not the end of the dispute over teacher training and it represented one of many ongoing legal battles in a broader legal war waged by California and its allies against the Trump administration. California vs Trump: Two cases a week Media reports say that during President Trumps first 100 days in office in his second term, California challenged the administration in court, on average, more than twice a week. The state had filed 15 lawsuits against the administration, almost all alongside other states and had submitted briefs supporting other litigants suing the federal government in at least 18 additional cases. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Attorneys in California Attorney General Rob Bontas office were working at an intense pace to prepare and file complex legal arguments opposing Trumps policies on various issues, including immigration, the economy, tariffs, LGBTQ+ rights, federal employee layoffs, government oversight, the allocation of federal funding to states and localities, the limits of presidential executive authority and the budgetary tactics of his former advisor Elon Musk. California had achieved victories that had slowed Trumps agenda and could potentially block some of his policies permanently. The state had secured multiple temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions against Trump policy measures including a widespread freeze of trillions of dollars in federal funding already allocated by Congress to the states and a Trump executive order aiming to end birthright citizenship for US-born children of certain immigrants. California suffered some losses too California also experienced losses in court, with some judges allowing administration policies to take effect while the state continued to argue for their eventual reversal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Higher courts had overturned a couple of restraining orders sought by the state and granted by district court judges, including the one concerning teacher preparation grants and another that had halted Trumps mass firing of federal probationary employees. Additionally, the state was denied an emergency order to block Musks extensive control over the federal budget. California and its allies also secured early wins with their second lawsuit, challenging an Office of Management and Budget memo that froze trillions of dollars in federal funding pending a Trump administration review of whether the spending aligned with the presidents agenda. California also obtained a court order preventing employees from Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive Treasury Department data, although that order had since been modified to allow one specific Doge employee access. Furthermore, California won a permanent injunction to block substantial cuts to National Institutes of Health funding for research institutions nationwide, though the administration had indicated it would appeal this ruling. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Judges were reviewing briefings from California and the Trump administration in several other lawsuits, including the states claims that emergency relief was necessary and the administrations claims that the lawsuits lacked merit. These cases included challenges to mass firings at the Department of Education, billions in cuts to health and education funding, a Trump executive order requiring voters to show proof of citizenship and restricting mail ballots and Trumps widespread tariffs against foreign trading partners. Californias most recent lawsuit challenged the Trump administrations threat to revoke federal funding from schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programmes. California-Trump battle in nutshell California played a leading role in extensive litigation resisting the Trump administration during his first term, which involved approximately 120 lawsuits over four years. In the second Trump presidency, the White House and supporters of the president sharply criticised the latest lawsuits, asserting that California liberals were harming their constituents by disrespecting the will of voters who elected Trump. As school shootings become increasingly frequent around the world, no country can afford to assume its classrooms are immune to the threat of violence read more People light candles in honour of the victims of a deadly shooting at a secondary school, at the main square in Graz, Austria, June 11, 2025. Reuters In recent decades, schools, once considered sanctuaries for learning and growth, have become sites of unthinkable violence. The global increase in school shootings has challenged the assumption that such tragedies are confined to specific countries or regions. The shooting at an Austrian school on Tuesday came as a reminder that schools may no longer be safe havens for learning. A deeper analysis of recent incidents reveals a troubling trend: educational institutions worldwide are increasingly vulnerable to mass violence, often perpetrated by young individuals with access to firearms and driven by complex motives ranging from personal grievances to mental health crises. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The United States: A relentless pattern In the United States, school shootings have become tragically routine. According to CNN, by mid-May 2025, there had already been more than 20 school shootings that year alone, affecting both K12 schools and college campuses. The Gun Violence Archive, Education Week and Everytown for Gun Safety provide data showing hundreds of such incidents annually, with 2024 marking one of the deadliest years since tracking began. Education Week reported 56 shootings during the year, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries, while Everytown documented over two hundred incidents. Among the most notable tragedies in 2024 was the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, where a 15-year-old student fatally shot a teacher and a classmate before dying by suicide. Another horrifying event occurred in Texas, where an 18-year-old shot and killed several students in a high school, allegedly in retaliation for ongoing bullying. These incidents not only highlight the recurring threat of school violence in US but also highlight the accessibility of firearms to minors, a recurring theme in nearly all-American school shootings. The widespread availability of guns is one of the clearest contributing factors to the frequency of these attacks. The Small Arms Survey shows that US has more guns than people, with approximately 150 firearms for every one hundred citizens. Researchers such as Marieke Liem from Leiden University consistently link high firearm availability to increased rates of both domestic and public shootings, including those in educational settings. The countrys gun ownership culture, coupled with deeply polarised political views on gun control complicates efforts to create uniform policies aimed at preventing these tragedies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Europe: An emerging crisis While Europe has not seen school shootings on the same scale or frequency as US, the continent is no longer insulated from such violence. The shooting at BORG Dreierschutzengasse , a high school in Graz, Austria, on Tuesday marked one of the deadliest in the nations history. A former student returned to the school armed with legally acquired weapons, killing 10 individuals before taking his own life. This incident shocked Austria and prompted a national mourning period, reflecting the rarity and gravity of such violence in the region. European nations generally enforce stricter gun control laws, which has historically limited the prevalence of shootings. Austria, for example, ranks 12th in global civilian gun ownership, far behind US. Yet, even with tighter regulations, countries like Germany, Serbia, Czechia, Finland and Sweden have all experienced school-related shootings in the past two decades, many of which mirror the lone-gunman model so familiar in the American context. In Serbia, two school shootings in May 2023 profoundly disturbed the nation. In the capital Belgrade, a 13-year-old boy killed eight classmates and a security guard using weapons owned by his father. Just days later, another shooter opened fire in a nearby village, killing and wounding more than 20 people in total. These events prompted the Serbian government to introduce tighter restrictions on firearm possession and usage. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to reports cited in multiple European news outlets, both shooters exhibited signs of premeditation and emotional instability raising concerns about gaps in psychological screening and preventive measures. Sweden also experienced a deadly school shooting in February 2025, when a former student killed 11 people and injured six more at Campus Risbergska, an adult education centre in Orebro. The attacker reportedly struggled with mental health issues and had a history of disconnection from educational institutions. Authorities described his actions as motivated by suicidal intent rather than ideological extremism, but the consequences were no less devastating for the community. Czechia was similarly shaken in December 2023, when a 24-year-old student opened fire at Charles University in Prague, resulting in multiple fatalities. Authorities attributed his motivations to a fascination with foreign mass shootings, particularly those in US, suggesting a disturbing trend of global imitation. These incidents collectively demonstrate that while school shootings in Europe remain statistically rare, they are increasingly appearing in a growing number of countries, signalling a shift in global patterns of violence. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Common themes across borders Despite differing frequencies, school shootings across the globe share strikingly similar characteristics. One common thread is the presence of mental health issues among perpetrators. In both American and European contexts, attackers are often young males who exhibit signs of depression, anxiety, or social alienation prior to their acts of violence. Reports suggest that the experience in majority of the incidents including the Graz shooting and others mentioned above, mental health struggles are a recurring factor that often go unaddressed until it is too late. Another shared element is the use of legally owned firearms, frequently obtained from family members. This was true in both the Belgrade and Graz shootings. In US, many school shooters also acquire weapons from within their homes, bypassing background checks or secure storage requirements. This points to the need for better enforcement of gun safety laws and more robust systems for identifying at-risk individuals. Exposure to media coverage of mass shootings has also been cited as a motivator in multiple incidents. The shooter in Prague, for instance, was reportedly influenced by coverage of American shootings and had documented his admiration for previous attackers. This copycat phenomenon, amplified by social media and news reporting, exacerbates the spread of violent ideologies and makes prevention even more difficult. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Historical context and global comparisons While school shootings are often associated with lone actors, some of the most devastating attacks globally have been rooted in terrorism. The 2004 Beslan School Siege in Russia and the 2014 Peshawar School Massacre in Pakistan were politically motivated assaults that resulted in hundreds of deaths. The FBI categorises such attacks under terrorism due to their intent to instill fear and influence government or societal outcomes. While distinct from the lone-wolf model prevalent in Western school shootings, these incidents add to the narrative that schools, regardless of geography are increasingly targeted in acts of extreme violence. Europe has also seen several attacks over the past two decades that reflect both psychological and ideological motivations. Germany experienced deadly shootings in Erfurt in 2002, Coburg in 2003 and Emsdetten in 2006. Finland faced its own tragedies in Jokela in 2007 and Kauhajoki in 2008. These events led to legislative changes, including bans on certain types of firearms and the implementation of psychological evaluations for young gun license applicants. Ongoing prevention measures and their limitations Governments and educational institutions around the world are working to implement preventative strategies, yet challenges persist. In the United States, many schools have increased security through metal detectors, surveillance systems and armed guards. Active shooter drills have become routine and some districts have established threat assessment teams to identify students who might pose a danger to themselves or others. However, these measures vary widely in their effectiveness and often raise concerns about turning schools into fortress-like environments that may harm the learning experience. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD European countries have also responded with a combination of legal reforms and mental health interventions. Following the Belgrade shootings, Serbia introduced sweeping gun control measures. Germany and Finland took similar steps after their respective tragedies. Nonetheless, experts like Marieke Liem caution that no measure can fully eliminate the risk as long as firearms remain accessible and social systems fail to provide adequate mental health support. The global discourse on school shootings is increasingly recognising that no country is immune. Differences in gun laws and cultural attitudes may influence the frequency of incidents, but the root causesmental health issues, social isolation and the desire for notorietytranscend national boundaries. Human and societal toll The consequences of school shootings extend far beyond the immediate fatalities. Survivors often suffer from long-term psychological trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. Families and communities must grapple with the emotional and financial aftermath, including medical bills, funeral costs, and long-term therapy. Educational systems are also impacted. Fear of violence contributes to school absenteeism, lower academic performance, and increased teacher turnover. CNN has reported that some American educators have left the profession altogether due to fear and frustration over school safety. The societal cost of school shootings, therefore, encompasses not only the loss of life but also the erosion of trust in educational institutions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Rising incidents The growing frequency of school shootings around the world forces a sobering reevaluation of school safety. While US remains the epicentre of such violence, recent tragedies in Austria, Serbia, Sweden and Czechia demonstrate that the problem is spreading. A combination of gun availability, mental health crises and social alienation creates fertile ground for these attacks, regardless of national borders. Reposting a video of herself, where she can be heard condemning the violent demonstrations in the Californian city and urging Mexicans in the US to live peacefully, the president said, We have always been against violent protests read more Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has rejected claims made by a US official that she played a role in fuelling the protests in Los Angeles against immigration raids , saying the allegations are absolutely false. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, earlier this week, accused Sheinbaum of encouraging violent protests. Reposting a video of herself, where she can be heard condemning the violent demonstrations in the Californian city and urging Mexicans in the US to live peacefully, the president said, We have always been against violent protests. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Hace unos momentos, ante una pregunta de un medio, la secretaria de Seguridad Interior de los Estados Unidos, equivocadamente menciono que alente protestas violentas en Los Angeles. Le informo que es absolutamente falso. Aqui dejo mi declaracion del dia de ayer donde claramente pic.twitter.com/LEiVxdmvJv Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) June 10, 2025 On the other hand, our position is and will continue to be the defence of honest, hardworking Mexicans who support the United States economy and their families in Mexico, she added. Claudia Sheinbaum came out and encouraged more protests in LA and I condemn her for that. She should not be encouraging violent protests that are going on," Noem claimed on Tuesday. She added, People are allowed to peacefully protest. But the violence that were seeing is not acceptable, and its not going to happen in America. Immigration raids carried out across Los Angeles on Friday sparked mostly peaceful protests involving several hundred participants. However, tensions rose on Saturday when the US President Donald Trump took the extraordinary step of deploying the National Guard, asserting that the demonstrations constituted a rebellion against federal authority. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Mexican flag becomes flashpoint Meanwhile, the Mexican flag has become a flashpoint during protests in Los Angeles this week, waved by demonstrators proud of their heritage but cast by Trumps administration as heralding a foreign invasion. The only flag that will wave triumphant over the streets of Los Angeles is the American flag so help me God, the president told cheering soldiers Tuesday at Fort Bragg army base in North Carolina. Republicans lined up behind Trump to frame the protests as an invasion, with the Mexican flag as its symbol and the demonstrators as insurrectionists. Look at all the foreign flags. Los Angeles is occupied territory, top White House migration advisor Stephen Miller posted on X over footage of the demonstrations. With inputs from agencies Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, a deputy commanding general in the National Guard and head of the 4,700-troop deployment, said that the Marines will be allowed to temporarily detain individuals until law enforcement officers arrive to make formal arrests, according to a report read more Members of the California National Guard conduct exercises after being deployed to the Los Angeles protests in Los Alamitos, Calif. on Wednesday. AP A top US general on Wednesday confirmed that Marines will soon be deployed to the streets of Los Angeles to support local authorities amid ongoing unrest, though they have not yet been positioned on the ground. According to a Guardian report, Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, a deputy commanding general in the National Guard and head of the 4,700-troop deployment, said that the Marines will be allowed to temporarily detain individuals until law enforcement officers arrive to make formal arrests. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Theyre not on the streets yet, but they will be soon, The Guardian quoted Sherman as telling reporters, emphasising the militarys support role during the escalating protests. They do not do any arrest, they are strictly there to detain, to wait for law enforcement to come and handle those demonstrators, he added. Marines still receiving training Sherman confirmed the marines were receiving training on how to handle civil disturbances and they would not have live ammunition in their rifles during the deployment. Earlier, US Northern Command spokesperson told CNN that Marines deployed to Los Angeles have not yet completed their Standing Rules for the Use of Force (SRUF) and nonlethal weapons training, and there is no current estimate for when they will be activated by Task Force 51. Task Force 51, part of US Army North, serves as a contingency command post responsible for rapid troop deployment in homeland defence operations. The update comes despite assurances from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to lawmakers that all deployed troops were already fully trained. On Tuesday, CNN reported that Marines were still in the training phase, contradicting Hegseths earlier claim. The Marines and other deployed personnel are authorised to temporarily detain individuals only in narrowly defined situations, specifically when de-escalation fails and someone must be held until law enforcement arrives. CNN affiliate footage taken Tuesday showed Marines practicing detention procedures as part of their training. Marine Corps spokesperson Lt. Col. Joshua Benson said the exercises focused on non-lethal crowd control techniques to help de-escalate situations while protecting federal personnel and property. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Protests spread across US Protests against the Trump administrations immigration crackdown and military deployment have expanded beyond Los Angeles, with protests erupting in major cities across the US this week. In New York, large crowds marched through Manhattan on Tuesday, remaining peaceful for most of the day. However, tensions flared in the evening when protesters gathered near the building housing the citys Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, resulting in clashes with police. In Chicago, protesters also confronted law enforcement on Tuesday. Video footage from CNN affiliate WBBM captured chaotic scenes, including a vehicle driving through the crowd, appearing to strike demonstrators and a cyclist. Texas has seen unrest in multiple cities. In Austin, police declared a protest unlawful on Monday and used tear gas to disperse the crowd, arresting 13 people. Dallas witnessed a standoff between protesters and police the same day. In San Antonio, hundreds peacefully gathered outside City Hall on Sunday. In response to the ongoing unrest, Governor Greg Abbott has announced the deployment of the Texas National Guard to several locations across the state. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In San Francisco, two immigration courts in the Bay Area shut down Tuesday afternoon due to nearby demonstrations. Footage from CNN affiliate KGO showed protesters chanting outside the court on a picket line. Denver also saw anti-ICE protests, with marchers moving along major streets before police intervened and blocked their path. The Denver Police Department reported that 17 arrests were made during the protest. Other cities that have experienced similar demonstrations include Santa Ana, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston, and Washington, DC, indicating a nationwide swell of opposition to the administrations immigration policies and use of federal force. Mass arrests in LA Late on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Police Department conducted mass arrests after protest groups continued to gather in areas under curfew. Multiple groups continue to congregate on 1st St between Spring and Alameda, the LAPD wrote on X. Those groups are being addressed and mass arrests are being initiated, it added. According to The Guardian report, Mayor Karen Bass announced a 10-hour curfew in downtown Los Angeles, where protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have persisted. The curfew, she said, would run from 8 pm to 6 am. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The LAPD said it arrested over 300 protesters in the past two days, added the report. This crackdown followed California Governor Gavin Newsoms emergency request to block the Trump administration from deploying military forces alongside ICE agents in raids across Los Angeles. National Guard template for other states US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers on Wednesday that President Trumps recent decision to federalise the National Guard was not only a response to unrest in Los Angeles but also a strategic move to set a precedent for future deployments elsewhere. Part of it was about getting ahead of the problem," CNN quoted Hegseth as saying. So that if there are other riots, in places where law enforcement officers are threatened, we would have the capability to surge National Guard there, if necessary, he added. Trump leveraging the crisis? Trump, who won last years election partly on promises to combat what he calls an invasion by undocumented migrants, is now leveraging the crisis for political gain. He ordered the California National Guard to deploy over Governor Gavin Newsoms objections marking the first such presidential action in decades. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump escalated further by sending about 700 Marines, a force typically used for foreign combat. If our troops didnt go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now, Trump insisted on social media Wednesday. In a televised address Tuesday night, Newsom warned, Democracy is under assault right before our eyes. California may be first, but it clearly wont end here, the Democrat added. Trump has also voiced support for a call by a top official to arrest Newsom, a possible Democratic contender for the 2028 presidential race, when Trump must step down under constitutional term limits. With inputs from agencies Coercive trade policies are not a sustainable solution to todays trade tensions, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said without mentioning Trumps name read more Trump's tariff wars have been seen as a bullying tactic to get nations on the negotiating table with the US. Reuters/File Photo European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde on Wednesday (June 11) warned that coercive trade policies risk damaging the global economy and called for more cooperation among countries despite geopolitical differences. She said that being a bully on global commerce has no long-term advantages Speaking at the Peoples Bank of China in Beijing just hours after the United States and China announced a preliminary agreement aimed at easing trade tensions, Lagarde said protectionist measures fail to address the root causes of imbalances and could undermine long-term prosperity. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Coercive trade policies are not a sustainable solution to todays trade tensions, she said. Although Lagarde did not mention US President Donald Trump by name, her remarks came as global markets continue to assess the implications of his tariff policies. Trade friction between Washington and Beijing has intensified during Trumps presidency, largely due to repeated rounds of tariffs. European officials have expressed concern that renewed US tariffs could target European goods in a second Trump term. To the extent that protectionism addresses imbalances, it is not by resolving their root causes, but by eroding the foundations of global prosperity, Lagarde said. And with countries now deeply integrated through global supply chains yet no longer as geopolitically aligned as in the past this risk is greater than ever. Lagarde, who served as Frances trade minister earlier in her career and later led the International Monetary Fund, called on both surplus and deficit countries to take responsibility and play their part to maintain global economic stability. If we are serious about preserving our prosperity, we must pursue cooperative solutions even in the face of geopolitical differences, she said. Her remarks also addressed the growing use of export controls in global trade. Talks between the US and China in London earlier this week highlighted the increasing role of strategic resources in trade disputes, including access to rare earth elements and semiconductors critical to advanced manufacturing. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD China currently dominates global supply chains for many of these resources, which are essential in producing technologies such as electric vehicles, lasers, and smartphones. Given national security considerations and the experience during the pandemic, a certain degree of de-risking is here to stay, Lagarde said. Few countries are willing to remain dependent on others for strategic industries. The preliminary agreement between Washington and Beijing marks a rare step toward easing tensions, but analysts caution that fundamental disagreements remain, particularly in sectors deemed vital to national security. Beijing has strengthened its stance on frugality by updating regulations for party and state employees, introducing new measures that explicitly ban alcohol, luxury dishes, and cigarettes at official meals read more People look at a portrait of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing on February 23, 2025. Representative image/AFP Back in March, a Chinese government official died after consuming excessive alcohol with four of his coworkers at a seminar in the central city of Xinyang. They had gathered to learn about the governments updated regulations that required officials to be economical and sensible about spending. The officials overindulged and went through four bottles of baijiu, a Chinese liquor, at the event. An official account said that the death was swept under the rug as people at the lunch did not want their seniors to know about the participants illicit consumption of alcohol. Officials paid off the deceased officials family and committed drinking as his cause of death in their reports to seniors. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This case was highlighted in the Communist Party of Chinas top disciplinary agencys latest drive to denounce extravagant and profligate conduct within the partys ranks, as President Xi Jinping wages a war against what he considers widespread hedonism within the party. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said, The party center has beaten drums and swung hammers, issued orders time and again, adding that despite the partys efforts, some officials have turned a deaf ear and showed no fear or awe. What are the new rules? In May, Beijing strengthened its stance on frugality by updating regulations for party and state employees, introducing new measures that explicitly ban alcohol, luxury dishes, and cigarettes at official meals. Additional provisions forbid decorative floral arrangements, elaborate backdrops at meetings, and the purchase of extravagant equipment for events. These updates, building on a 2013 frugality code, are intended to reinforce the principle that thrift is glorious. Officials are also barred from displaying flower arrangements during work meetings, using government-issued vehicles for private purposes and gambling while travelling to other countries. However, Neil Thomas, a fellow on Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told the Wall Street Journal, Updating the frugality code will not solve Beijings fiscal challenges. But it reinforces Xis political control over the bureaucracy and burnishes his image as a leader who stands against corruption and excess, especially at a time when many ordinary Chinese are feeling economic pain, he added. Get used to living frugally Xi has been clear about his intentions of belt-tightening. He wants his officials to get used to living frugally and has ramped up the crackdown against members who engage in corruption. The crackdown has led to a record number of disciplinary actions, with nearly 313,000 individuals punished in 2024 for violating the eight-point regulations, a directive introduced by Xi shortly after he came to power in 2012 to curb extravagance and misconduct. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As part of Xis disciplinary measures, officials have to read four anthologies of Xis remarks on discipline and over a dozen sets of party regulations and directives. While cash-strapped Pakistans budget for 2025-26 brings a 20% hike for the military, common people have got new taxes on petrol and pensions, hikes in existing taxes, and removal of tax exemptions. read more A vendor speaks with a customer while selling fruits at a market in Karachi, Pakistan June 8, 2023. (Photo: Reuters) Cash-strapped Pakistans Budget 2025-26 brings a huge hike for the military, but deals a blow to commoners with new taxes, hikes in existing taxes, and removal of tax exemptions. The result is that even though Pakistans military gets 20 per cent more funds than last year, the overall government expenditure is projected to fall by 7 per cent in the coming fiscal year. The budget is in line with the austerity measures required by the International Monetary Funds (IMF) bailout plan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced new tax on fuel, pensions, and interest income. He also announced the removal of tax exemptions for tribal regions in the countrys west. ALSO READ: Defence and Debt: The two Ds that are draining Pakistans economy Aurangzeb, however, offered tax cuts to the salaried class and incentives to the construction sector. However, these benefits cover just a little over a fifth of the countrys population while tax hikes cover nearly the entire population. From petrol to pensions, Pakistanis have more taxes In the Budget 2025-26, Finance Minister Aurangzeb has introduced 2.5 per cent carbon tax on every litre of petrol, diesel, and furnace oil. Aurangzeb has also hiked tax on interest income to 20 per cent from 15 per cent. The move is set to disincentivise savings. Under the new tax regime, pensioners under the age of 70 will now face 5 per cent tax on pensions over Rs 10 million a year. Moreover, those who do not file income tax will face 1 per cent advance tax on all cash withdrawals. Such tax was previously 0.6 per cent. Imported solar panels will now be taxed at 18 per cent, according to Aurangzebs proposals. ALSO READ: Pakistans Economic Survey paints rosy picture, but reality tells harsher tale STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In addition to these new taxes and hikes in existing taxes, Aurangzeb has announced the gradual removal of tax exemptions for tribal regions. These exemptions have been extended to certain parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces where tribal communities live. We have to surpass India As his finance minister hiked taxes for the masses and served a 20 per cent hike the military, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the objective was to surpass the Indian economy. For context, the Indian economy is 10 times bigger than Pakistans economy. After defeating India in a conventional war, now we have to surpass it in the economic field, said Sharif. Even though India battered Pakistan in Operation Sindoor , laying waste to a score of airbases and other military sites, Shehbaz and his army chief, Field Marshall Asim Munir, have claimed victory over India in the last months conflict. On his part, Aurangzeb said that the budget was the start of a strategy to boost exports, increase foreign currency reserves to avoid the balance of payments crises that have rattled Pakistan over the years, and create a more competitive economy. In short, our budget strategy is to change the economys DNA by bringing basic changes, said Aurangzeb. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Texas Governor Greg Abbott warned that the National Guard will use every tool to help maintain law and order read more People hold a vigil at Fruitvale Station in Oakland, Calif. to show solidarity with demonstrations against ICE raids, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Source: AP Amid ongoing anti-immigration protests across the US, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared on X that the National Guard will be deployed to the state. The governor warned that the National Guard will use every tool to help maintain law and order. Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace & order. Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. @TexasGuard will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order, he wrote on X. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace & order. Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest.@TexasGuard will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order. https://t.co/rS8b5zgE3T Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 11, 2025 Our law enforcement officers are on the frontlines to KEEP Texas a law and order state. To have their back, I am signing a law to ensure they can use every tool available to combat criminals without being targeted by rogue prosecutors. We support our law enforcement officers, he further added. Adriana Martinez holds up signs during a rally of union workers and others in Las Vegas. (Source: AP) The decision comes after the Donald Trump administrations controversial move to deploy troops in Los Angeles in response to mass protests after anti-immigration raids. The Californian city now hosts more military personnel than Iraq and Syria combined. A police officer watches protesters march during an immigration demonstration, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Source: AP On Monday, President Trump deployed an additional 2,000 National Guardsmen, joining the initial 2,000, alongside approximately 700 Marines, bringing the total military presence in LA to nearly 4,800, compared to 2,500 troops in Iraq and Syria. Protests spread beyond Los Angeles Meanwhile, demonstrations against Trumps immigration crackdown have spread far beyond Los Angeles, with thousands of people gathering in at least two dozen cities by Tuesday night. Protests have taken place across New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C., with varying degrees of police presence and tension. These protests coincide with an escalating political and legal clash in California over deploying military forces for domestic immigration enforcement. During a speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday, celebrating the US Armys 250th anniversary, President Trump fiercely criticised Los Angeles protesters, calling them animals and a foreign enemy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He labelled their actions an invasion and justified sending National Guard troops and Marines to the city. Trump pledged to liberate Los Angeles, aiming to make it free, clean, and safe, and hinted at possibly invoking the Insurrection Act. He also cautioned that any disturbances during an upcoming military parade in Washington, D.C., would face very big force. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani national, allegedly plotted a mass shooting at a Jewish centre in Brooklyn last year to mark the first anniversary of Hamass deadly Oct 7 attacks read more The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Tuesday (June 10) revealed that Canada had extradited a Pakistani national to the US on charges of trying to carry out a terror attack in New York on October 7 last year to mark the first anniversary of Hamass deadly attack on innocent people in Israel. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a resident of Canada, allegedly plotted a mass shooting at a Jewish centre in Brooklyn last year; however, he was detained by Canadian authorities. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Major news earlier this afternoon, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, was extradited to the United States on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism, FBI director Kash Patel posted on X. Major news earlier this afternoon, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, was extradited to the United States on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism. In the fall of last year, Khan FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 10, 2025 In the fall of last year, Khan allegedly planned to travel from Canada to New York and carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish Center in Brooklyn. Khan allegedly planned his attack to occur on October 7, 2024 the one year anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel, Patel added. Patel wrote that Khan was arrested on September 4, 2024 by Canadian authorities following intel inputs from the FBI. He was taken into custody by Canadian authorities in the municipality of Ormstown, some 12 miles (19 kilometres) from the US-Canada border. Thankfully, the great work of FBI teams and our partners exposed those plans and shut them down and Khan was arrested by Canadian authorities on September 4, 2024. He has now arrived in the US and will face American justice, wrote the FBI chief. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Earlier, the US Justice Department also revealed the details of the case involving the 20-year-old Pakistani national. US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement that Khan planned to use automatic weapons to kill members of the Jewish community. He planned to use automatic weapons to kill as many members of our Jewish community as possible, all in support of IS, Clayton said. Khan allegedly revealed his plans in conversations with conspirators who were actually undercover law enforcement officers, the Justice Department said. Protests against immigration raids are spreading across the US after starting in Los Angeles, with demonstrators opposing ICE operations and President Trumps tough enforcement plans. read more Trump stumbled as he made his way up the stairs of Air Force One on Sunday. AFP Protests against immigration raids that began in Los Angeles have now spread to other cities across the US, including Seattle, Austin, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Demonstrators are marching with anti-ICE signs, blocking roads and gathering outside federal buildings. While most protests have been peaceful, some have turned tense, with police using chemical sprays and making arrests. President Donald Trump has said the tough immigration measures used in Los Angeles will be carried out nationwide, as massive protests and legal battles continue in the state of California. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yes, Trump said when asked if Americans should expect similar ICE operations elsewhere. Were moving murderers out of our country who were put here by Biden. Were not going to let them stay I can inform the rest of the country that if they [riot], they will be met with equal or greater force. Activists are planning more and even larger demonstrations in the coming days, with No Kings events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trumps planned military parade through Washington. The Trump administration said it would continue its programme of raids and deportations despite the protests. ICE will continue to enforce the law, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on Tuesday on social media. WhatsApp is the last surviving foreign messaging platform in Russia, and now, Putin wants it gone. The Russian president recently highlighted the need to establish a national messenger read more WhatsApp logo is seen in this illustration taken, on August 22, 2022. Reuters File Russian President Vladimir Putin wants his officials to deactivate their WhatsApp accounts and embrace a national messaging service that the country plans to create within the next few years. WhatsApp is the last surviving foreign messaging platform in Russia, and now, Putin wants it gone. The Russian president recently highlighted the need to establish a national messenger. The State Duma of Russia has adopted a federal law that will oversee the creation of the service for correspondence, telephone calls, and as a platform to receive public and commercial services. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The development was confirmed by presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to a report by TASS. What will the new messenger be like? Peskov has noted that Russias indigenous messaging service should be best quality and on par with foreign alternatives. The new service will run on Russian-developed software and be integrated with the government portal Gosuslugi, allowing users to verify their identity, present digital documents, register transactions, and certify documents using electronic signatures. The emergence of a national messenger is great, provided that it will be a competitive messenger that is on par, as they say, with foreign alternatives. Because there are many of them out there, and anyone can use them, Peskov said. Peskov emphasised the need to cultivate a competitive landscape in the sector, stating that a national messenger - and not just a single one - should appear in our country, highlighting the belief that competition fuels innovation. He added, There should also be a competitive environment in this field, because worldwide, messengers thrive only in conditions of very, very tough competition. Which countries have their own messaging services? With the introduction of its own messaging service, Russia wont be the first country to enter the market of correspondence apps. Countries like China, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea have their indigenous messaging applications. Among the dead were four children travelling in a school minibus. Authorities said they are still trying to determine the number of people missing. Hundreds of displaced families are currently taking shelter in community centres amid bitter cold read more Torrential rains and landslides triggered by a severe winter storm have killed at least 49 people in South Africas Eastern Cape province, officials said Wednesday (June 11). The victims include four children who were on a school minibus swept away by floodwaters. Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane said the death toll is expected to rise, as authorities continue to assess the extent of the damage and search for missing people in the largely rural region. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As of now, the stats have escalated to 49 [deaths], Mabuyane told reporters during a press briefing. Among the casualties were four children travelling in a school minibus that was carrying 13 people near the city of Mthatha when it was swept away by floodwaters. Sadly, four of those learners have been confirmed to be deceased, together with the driver and the conductor of the minibus taxi, Mabuyane said. Three students were rescued alive, while four others remain missing, he added. Much of South Africa has been battered by intense winter weather in recent days, including heavy rainfall, snow, and strong winds. The Eastern Cape, which extends from the Indian Ocean coastline into mountainous terrain inland, has been especially hard hit. We have never seen this kind of combination of snow and torrential rains in winter simultaneously, Mabuyane said. Search and rescue efforts ongoing Authorities said they are still trying to determine the number of people missing. Now we are busy with the rescue operation. So we are trying to get figures, our people out of that situation, dead or alive, Mabuyane said. Provincial Transport Minister Xolile Nqatha said the death toll is likely to increase as emergency workers continue their efforts. What we would not know, besides the four kids, is how many people we are looking for, he said. Photos and video from the affected areas showed informal settlements submerged in floodwaters. On Tuesday (June 10), three children were rescued after clinging to trees for several hours to escape rising water levels, officials said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Hundreds of displaced families are currently taking shelter in community centres amid bitter cold. Infrastructure, including power and water supplies, has also been severely damaged, provincial authorities said. Limited resources hamper response Mabuyane said the province is facing a shortage of emergency resources, with only one helicopter available for rescue operations. We need more resources, he told public broadcaster SABC News. We have never experienced disasters like this but now its inevitable with climate change and global warming. President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement that the harsh winter conditions remain life-threatening, and that emergency services, including the National Disaster Management Centre, were actively responding to the crisis. South Africas national weather service has warned that extreme winter weather is expected to persist through at least midweek. While winter storms, snow, and heavy rainfall are common in South Africa, the country remains vulnerable to the intensifying effects of climate change, which have increased the frequency and severity of droughts, floods, and wildfires, according to the Green Climate Fund. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Despite facing fiscal pressures, including nearly half the budget going toward debt servicing, the government has opted to sharply increase defence funding. This has affected health and environment budgetary allocations read more While Pakistan's populace suffers due to high inflation, unemployment, and poor healthcare facilities, the military gets high budget allocations. Agencies Pakistans federal budget for the fiscal year 202526 has once more brought the skewed national priorities of the country to the fore. While defence spending is sent soaring, critical sectors such as health and environment face steep cuts. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced a record 20 per cent rise in defense allotment to 2.55 trillion this marks the highest annual increase in over a decade and brings defense spending close to 2 per cent of GDP and 15 per cent of the entire federal budget. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Aurangzeb defended the decision, citing a precarious security environment and praising the armed forces for safeguarding the borders. A significant portion of the increase targets operational and infrastructure costs, potentially including repairs attributed to Indias Operation Sindoor, which hit several airbases. The Pakistan Army is allocated nearly 45 per cent of the defence budget, with the Air Force and Inter-Services Intelligence each receiving around 20 per cent. Health and environment budgets slashed dramatically The budget reads as a tale of two narratives. While the military receives record funding, environmental programs and healthcare have suffered deep reductions. The environment protection budget has been slashed from PKR 7.2 billion to PKR 3.1 billion, effectively halving funding for pollution control an alarming development for urban centres such as Lahore, which ranked among the worlds most polluted cities last year. Healthcare funding has been similarly reduced from PKR 52.1 billion (revised) to just PKR 31.9 billion. This retrenchment comes despite Pakistans ongoing struggle with diseases like diabetes, malaria, dengue, and a doctortopatient ratio far below WHO recommendations. Tensions surface between security and public welfare The sidelining of environment and health sectors has sparked criticism among analysts who argue that the governments focus on military investment comes at the expense of essential public services. Pakistan ranks among the most climate-vulnerable nations, regularly facing devastating floods and air pollution crises, while healthcare remains chronically underfunded. Despite facing fiscal pressures, including nearly half the budget going toward debt servicing under an IMF program and an overall 7 per cent spending cut, the government has opted to sharply increase defence funding. The Environment and health sectors have borne the brunt of austerity. Drastically reducing investments in pollution control and climate resilience could exacerbate health risks and economic losses. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The World Bank estimates climate-related damages could slash nearly 20% off Pakistans GDP by mid-century. In healthcare, low investment could undermine efforts to tackle infectious and noncommunicable diseases and worsen health inequalities. By prioritising defence spending now, Pakistan may be underinvesting in its peoples long-term resilienceraising critical questions about whether the country can sustain both its security needs and its duty to safeguard citizens well-being. US Central Command chief Gen. Michael Kurilla called Pakistan a phenomenal partner in counter-terrorism and praised the role of the Pakistani military and Army Chief Asim Munir in the fight against ISIS-Khorasan (IS-KP), according to a report read more A top US general has said that the United States must maintain ties with both India and Pakistan due to the Pakistani militarys role in combating the threat from Islamic State-Khorasan Province, comments that may not sit well with New Delhi. The Islamic State -Khorasan Province is a regional branch of the Salafi jihadist group Islamic State active in Central and South Asia, primarily Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. According to a Hindustan Times report, US Central Command chief Gen. Michael Kurilla, who is set to retire this summer, called Pakistan a phenomenal partner in counter-terrorism and praised the role of the Pakistani military and Army Chief Asim Munir in the fight against ISIS-Khorasan, also known as IS-KP. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Thats why we needto have a relationship with Pakistan and with India. I do not believe it is a binary switch that we cant have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India, HT quoted Kurilla as saying while answering questions from members of the panel. We should look at the merits of the relationship for the positives that it has, he added. There was no immediate response to Kurillas comments from Indian officials, added the report. His comments come as India has stepped up efforts to highlight Pakistans backing of cross-border terrorism, following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which claimed 26 lives. Following the attack, India carried out precision strikes under Operation Sindoor on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir early on May 7. After 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. Indian officials, including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, have stressed that victims of terrorism and the perpetrators of attacks like the one in Pahalgam should not be equated. New Delhi has also expressed frustration over several countries hyphenating India and Pakistan together in the wake of last months military clashes. The US Central Command (CENTCOM), headquartered in Florida, oversees military operations across 21 countries in West, Central, and South Asia, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. In contrast, military relations with India fall under the Hawaii-based US Indo-Pacific Command. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gen. Kurilla said that ISIS-K, based in Afghanistan, is among the most active terrorist groups planning attacks globally, including threats to the US homeland. He said the Afghan Taliban have targeted ISIS-K, pushing many of its fighters into the tribal regions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Kurilla said that Islamabad is targeting ISIS-Khorasan using limited intelligence support from the US. He added that Pakistan has faced roughly 1,000 terrorist attacks since the beginning of 2024, resulting in the deaths of around 700 security personnel and 2,500 civilians. Through a phenomenal partnership with Pakistan, they have gone after ISIS-Khorasan, killing dozens of them. Through a relationship we have with them, [and] providing intelligence, they have captured at least five ISIS-Khorasan high-value individuals, HT quoted him as saying. Kurilla said Pakistan extradited Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, a key figure behind the August 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul airport that killed 13 US service members and 160 civilians during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The first personthe (Pakistani) chief of army staff Munir (called) was me and said, Ive caught him, Im willing to extradite him back to the US, please tell the secretary of defense and the president, he said. Kurilla also told the committee that Pakistans importance as a counter-terrorism partner in Central and South Asia will only grow as the Taliban continues to grapple with internal security challenges. With inputs from agencies President Donald Trumps administration has launched a formal review of a defense pact that former President Joe Biden made with Australia and the United Kingdom allowing Australia to acquire conventionally armed nuclear submarines read more The administration of President Donald Trump has initiated a formal review of the AUKUS defence agreement, an alliance forged by former President Joe Biden with Australia and the United Kingdom to equip Australia with conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines. Led by the Pentagon, the review could unsettle Australia which views the submarine deal as vital amid rising concerns over Chinas growing military presence in the region. The move may also complicate Britains defence strategy, as AUKUS plays a key role in its planned submarine fleet expansion. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We are reviewing AUKUS as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the Presidents America First agenda, the official said of the review, which was first reported by Financial Times. Any changes to the administrations approach for AUKUS will be communicated through official channels, when appropriate. AUKUS, formed in 2021 to address shared worries about Chinas growing power, is designed to allow Australia to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines and other advanced weapons such as hypersonic missiles. Vocal skeptics of the AUKUS deal among Trumps senior policy officials include Elbridge Colby, the Pentagons top policy advisor. In a 2024 talk with Britains Policy Exchange think-tank, Colby cautioned that U.S. military submarines were a scarce, critical commodity, and that U.S. industry could not produce enough of them to meet American demand. They would also be central to U.S. military strategy in any confrontation with China centered in the First Island Chain, an area that runs from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines and on to Borneo, enclosing Chinas coastal seas. My concern is why are we giving away this crown jewel asset when we most need it, Colby said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Australian and UK embassies in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The US National Security Council also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Only six nations currently operate nuclear-powered submarines: the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, France, and India. Under the AUKUS pact, Australia is set to join that exclusive group by 2032, when it is expected to receive Virginia-class submarines from the U.S. Ahead of that, the U.S. and UK will begin rotational deployments of their submarines at an Australian naval base in Western Australia, starting in 2027. Subsequently, Australia and Britainsupported by the United Stateswill jointly design and construct a new class of nuclear-powered submarines. The first of these is slated for delivery to the UK in the late 2030s and to Australia in the early 2040s. While Australia has not confirmed whether its submarines would participate in a potential US-China conflict, experts point to its longstanding military ties with Washington, including troop deployments to the Vietnam War, as a sign of likely alignment. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD I think we can make a decent bet that Australia would be there with us in the event of a conflict, Colby said last year. Speaking in Congress on Tuesday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said were having honest conversations with our allies. On Australia, Hegseth said: We want to make sure those capabilities are part of how they use them with their submarines but also how they integrate with us as allies. With inputs from agencies In their discussions, the US officials have called for action against several politicians from Sheinbaums own Morena party and threatened to levy further tariffs if Mexico did not take action, according to sources read more US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, and US Attorney General Pam Bondi meet with Mexican Foreign Secretary Juan Ramon de la Fuente at the State Department in Washington, D.C., US, on February 27, 2025. Reuters File The Trump administration is pressuring Mexico to investigate and prosecute politicians with suspected links to organized crime, and to extradite them to the United States if there are criminal charges to answer there, according to sources familiar with the matter. The requests - raised at least three times by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team in bilateral meetings and conversations with Mexican officials - seek to push President Claudia Sheinbaums government to investigate current elected officials and launch an unprecedented crackdown on narco corruption, four people familiar with the matter said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In their discussions, the US officials have called for action against several politicians from Sheinbaums own Morena party and threatened to levy further tariffs if Mexico did not take action, two of the sources said. The conversations have not been previously reported. President Donald Trumps administration has justified its declarations of tariffs on Mexico on the growing influence of the cartels over the government. A crackdown - potentially targeting high-ranking elected officials while they are in office - would mark a dramatic escalation of Mexicos efforts against drug corruption. But it carries political risks for Sheinbaum, as some of the allegations involve members of her own party, a member of her security cabinet told Reuters. The US first raised the request at a meeting in Washington on February 27 led by Rubio and Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente, the four people familiar with the matter said. US Attorney General Pam Bondi and other officials from the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice as well as Treasury attended the meeting, the four people said. Mexicos Attorney General Alejandro Gertz and Secretary of Security Omar Garcia Harfuch were also at the meeting. The Mexican Presidency, foreign ministry, Attorney Generals Office and Security Ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the talks. The White House, State Department, Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security also did not reply to Reuters questions. Mexico sent 29 cartel figures to the U.S. in late February - the largest such handover in years - following Trumps threats to impose across-the-board tariffs on Mexican goods. The possibility of expediting the capture and/or deportation of priority DEA and FBI targets was also discussed, two of the sources said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As part of the discussions, two of the people familiar with the matter said, U.S. officials floated the idea of appointing a U.S. fentanyl czar to liaise directly with Sheinbaum on progress to combat the deadly synthetic opioid. Washington also pressed Mexico for more thorough inspections of U.S.-bound cargo and travelers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Although Mexicos federal prosecutors office is independent of Sheinbaums administration under the countrys constitution, Washington has long accused Mexico of protecting politicians alleged to have links to the cartels. Serving state governors and federal lawmakers are immune from prosecution for most crimes and can only be prosecuted for serious federal crimes like drug trafficking or racketeering if authorized by Mexicos Congress. Reuters could not determine if the U.S. provided Mexico with a list of politicians suspected of links to organized crime, or evidence against them. But two of the sources said five current Morena officials and one former senator were mentioned - including Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Avila. Avila announced on her social media accounts on May 11 that the U.S. had revoked her and her husbands tourist visas. She did not provide a reason and said canceling the visa was an injustice. The State Department and U.S. embassy in Mexico City havent commented on the case. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Going after serving politicians has long been considered a red line in Mexico, five diplomatic officials said. While Mexican politicians have occasionally been arrested and prosecuted for corruption in the United States, this has only happened after they left office. In 2020, when former Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos was arrested at Los Angeles Airport at the request of the DEA it sparked a diplomatic crisis and halted co-operation between the two nations on drug trafficking crimes. The US dropped the charges and Cienfuegos returned to Mexico where he has not faced prosecution. Five Western countries, including Canada, UK have sanctioned two Israeli ministers over inciting violence against Palestinians, amid growing global criticism of Israels settlement policies and the ongoing Gaza war. read more The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway have imposed sanctions on two Israeli ministers, accusing them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians. The sanctions target National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both leaders of far-right parties that support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus fragile coalition. This move comes amid growing criticism from Israels Western allies over its settlement policies in the West Bank and the surge in settler violence. The violence has intensified since Hamas 7 October 2023 attack, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Support for continued war, Gaza resettlement Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, key figures in Netanyahus government, strongly support the continuation of the war in Gaza. They have publicly backed what they call the voluntary emigration of Palestinians from Gaza and the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the territory. Sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans The sanctions could lead to asset freezes and travel bans against both ministers. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the five countries said Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous. Rubio condemns allies for sanctions US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the sanctions imposed Tuesday by Britain and other nations against two Israeli cabinet members accused of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians. These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war in Gaza, Rubio said in a statement. While the full details of their agreement are not available yet, negotiators from the US side have said that they absolutely expect issues surrounding the rare earths deal will now be resolved as part of the framework read more US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, and Chinese International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce Li Chenggang. AFP The US and China have agreed to a preliminary trade deal, avoiding the escalation of tensions, in talks led by Beijings Vice Premier He Lifeng, alongside US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in London. While the full details of their agreement are not available yet, negotiators from the US side have said that they absolutely expect issues surrounding the Rare Earths deal will now be resolved as part of the framework. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus. Once the presidents approve it, we will then seek to implement it, Lutnick said after the conclusion of two-day-long meetings. Meanwhile, Greer has said that the two sides do not have any upcoming meetings scheduled, adding that America and China will keep the communication lines open to talk whenever they want to. We do absolutely expect that the topic of rare Earth minerals and magnets with respect to the United States of America will be resolved in this framework implementation, the US commerce secretary said. When it comes to export controls and all those different things in eight years of negotiating with the Chinese, Ive never had a meeting where they didnt want to talk about export controls, Greer said. Tensions between Washington and Beijing have soared since Trump took office, with both countries engaging in a tariff war that took duties on each others exports to three figures an effective trade embargo. The Geneva pact to cool tensions temporarily brought new US tariffs on Chinese goods from 145 per cent to 30 per cent, and Chinese countermeasures from 125 per cent to 10 per cent. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But Trump recently said China totally violated the deal. A key issue was Beijings shipments of rare earths, crucial to goods including electric vehicle batteries. US State Secretary Marco Rubio directed the suspension of the agencys entire international workforce. The responsibilities of foreign assistance programs will now be transferred to the department read more US President Donald Trump has ordered the slashing of all USAID overseas positions by the end of September, in a move that will dramatically restructure the countrys remaining foreign aid operations. The Guardian obtained the cable of the order issued by the State Department, where Marco Rubio directed the suspension of the agencys entire international workforce. The responsibilities of foreign assistance programs will now be transferred to the department. The Department of State is streamlining procedures under National Security Decision Directive 38 to abolish all USAID overseas positions, the order read, adding that the transfer will take effect on June 15. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How will it affect aid? The directive impacts hundreds of USAID employees worldwide, including foreign service officers, contractors, and locally hired staff in over 100 countries. US embassy chiefs of mission have been instructed to prepare for these extensive changes to take effect within four months. The layoffs at USAID were brought in by the Department of Government Efficiencys (Doge) former chief, Elon Musk, who eliminated 86 per cent of USAIDs programs in just six weeks after Trump took office. Internal documents reveal that senior agency officials warned Senator Rubio about the potentially devastating consequences of the cuts, including leaving 1 million children without treatment for malnutrition, causing up to 160,000 malaria-related deaths, and resulting in 200,000 additional cases of childhood paralysis from polio over the next ten years if the reductions were carried out. Devastating Last month, in an ironic turn of events, Trump said that his administrations cuts to the US Agency for International Development and its aid programs worldwide have been devastating. Speaking beside South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a White House visit, Trump was asked about his cutting most foreign aid by a reporter who said the decision had significant impacts in Africa. Its devastating, and hopefully a lot of people are going to start spending a lot of money, Trump said in the Oval Office. With inputs from agencies US President Donald Trumps administration is discouraging governments around the world from attending a United Nations conference next week in New York on a possible two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. read more The Trump administration is urging governments worldwide to skip an upcoming United Nations conference in New York focused on a potential two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, according to a diplomatic cable dated June 10. The message warns that countries taking actions deemed anti-Israel following the event could be seen as opposing US foreign policy and may face diplomatic repercussions. It also states that the United States would firmly resist any unilateral moves to recognise a hypothetical Palestinian state. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It adds that Washington would oppose any steps that would unilaterally recognise a conjectural Palestinian state. This is a developing story With inputs from agencies In a letter to Israel PM Netanyahu, Defence Minister Katz and the head of the military, the group of 41 officers and reservists said the government was waging an unnecessary, eternal war in Gaza, according to a report read more A group of Israeli military intelligence officers have said that Israels government is issuing clearly illegal orders that must not be obeyed and announced they will no longer participate in combat operations in Gaza. According to The Guardian report, in a letter to Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and the head of the military, the group of 41 officers and reservists said the government was waging an unnecessary, eternal war in Gaza. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The letter, posted online late Tuesday, declared that the group would not participate in a war designed to preserve the rule of Netanyahu or to appease anti-democratic and messianic elements in (his) government, added the report. Though the signatories are unnamed, they identify themselves as members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intelligence directorate, a unit central to the 20-month Gaza offensive, particularly in selecting bombing targets. When a government acts for ulterior motives, harms civilians and leads to the killing of innocent people, the orders it issues are clearly illegal, and we must not obey them, The Guardian quoted the group as writing. The intelligence officers accused Netanyahus government of delivering a death sentence to Israeli hostages in Gaza by collapsing the ceasefire deal in March. The group, believed to include members of the elite Unit 8200, claimed that many hostages have already been killed by IDF bombings and said the government continues to abandon their lives. The letter, organised by the anti-war group Soldiers for the Hostages, reflects growing dissent within parts of the military and a reported rise in soldiers refusing to serve. The hope is that as many people as possible will challenge the legitimacy of this operation and of this government, one of the intelligence officers who signed the letter told the Guardian. All the death is unnecessary. The hostages suffer and die. Soldiers are sent for nothing. And all the killing in Gaza, everything is completely unnecessary, the officers added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to Gazas health authorities, Israels offensive has killed at least 55,000 people and wounded around 125,000, though the actual toll may be higher. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and militants. Fifty-six hostages remain in Gaza after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel. Israeli officials believe at least 20 hostages are still alive. The intelligence officers letter adds to mounting dissent within the Israeli military. In April, 250 Unit 8200 reservists and alumni urged an end to the war, though they stopped short of urging refusal to serve. The new statement urges all Israelis to oppose the war, some publicly refusing to serve, others doing so quietly. One officer who recently refused said they could no longer be part of a military that didnt think twice about civilian casualties. I felt it was immoral and insanely excessive, he said. They were willing to do everything to achieve a goal that wasnt even real if there is one, its to try to get rid of Gazas population by any means. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard has revealed that she relied on artificial intelligence (AI) to decide which documents related to the assassination of former President John F Kennedy should be made public and which files should continue to remain classified. read more Tulsi Gabbard might be the US intelligence chief, but it is artificial intelligence (AI) applications that appear to be calling shots. Gabbard on Tuesday said that she relied on AI to tell her which documents in the JFK files should remain classified and which should be made public. In March, the Donald Trump administration released over 2,200 files running into more than 63,000 pages related to the assassination of former President John F Kennedy, who was shot dead on November 22, 1963, during a roadshow in Dallas, Texas. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Speaking at the Amazon Web Services (AWS) conference, Gabbard said that she fed all the documents related to Kennedys assassination, referred to as JFK files, to assess which documents to make public. A couple of examples of the application of AI and machine learning that weve already used in this Directors Initiative Group has been around declassification. We have released thousands, tens of thousands of documents related to the assassinations of JFK and Senator Robert F Kennedy, and we have been able to do that through the use of AI tools far more quickly than what was done previously, said Gabbard. Gabbards admission has come at a time when risks related to artificial intelligence (AI) and vulnerabilities related to technology are under increased scanner. Companies owning chatbots or other AI applications, such as OpenAI or DeepSeek, can retain data and files that users feed. If Gabbard has fed data into a private chatbot, all those government secrets are now set to be stored in the chatbots server or backend. Such irresponsible usage of technology would not be the first in the Trump administration. Earlier this year, it emerged that top officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and then-National Security Advisor (NSA) Mike Waltz, were discussing top-secret operational plans on messaging application Signal. Even though Trump defended the usage and everyone denied any wrongdoing, Trump later sacked Waltz as NSA. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gabbard further said that the Directors Initiatives Group (DIG), her pet project, is using AI to process open-source information. Gabbard said, Ten thousand hours of media content, for example, that normally would take eight people 48 hours to comb through, now takes one person one hour through the use of some of the AI tools that we have here. So, those are a few of many examples that this Directors Initiative Group is focused on. Again, not only for ODNI [Office of the Director of National Intelligence], but really for us to be able to provide these efficiencies and these tools across the entire enterprise. Gabbard further said that there is now a dedicated chatbot for the US intelligence community that comprises 18 agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), etc. The demonstrators, linked to the UK branch of the Awami League and other associated organisations, accused Yunuss administration of human rights violations, lynchings, killings, and deteriorating law and order in Bangladesh read more Bangladeshs Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus was greeted by angry protestors outside during his visit to London . Hundreds of British Bangladeshis gathered outside the interim leaders hotel, demanding that Yunus go back. The demonstrators, linked to the UK branch of the Awami League and other associated organisations, accused Yunuss administration of human rights violations, lynchings, killings, and deteriorating law and order in Bangladesh. People held placards that read Yunus is the architect of mob rule, freeing jihadists and jailing patriots and demanded his resignation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yunuss popularity has been fading in Bangladesh, and not just among the Awami League. Tensions within the interim government and Bangladeshs army have been rift, with many blaming Yunus for not putting in enough effort to make the country better after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina last year. According to a report by News18, Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman has criticised the interim government for excluding the military from important decision-making processes, claiming that many actions are being taken without adequate consultation. He also emphasised the urgent need for inclusive elections, questioning the legitimacy of an unelected interim government in engaging with influential external actors and making significant decisions without a public mandate. Meanwhile, Yunus has promised polls will be held by April 2026 at the latest, but supporters of the BNP seen as the frontrunners in highly anticipated elections that will be the first since Hasina was overthrown demanded he fix a date. If the government fails to meet public expectations, it will be difficult for the BNP to continue extending its support, senior BNP leader Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain told reporters Thursday. The highest priority should be placed on announcing a clear roadmap for the election. Zaman is pushing for an earlier election, saying that Bangladesh is passing through a chaotic phase and that the situation is getting worse day by day. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The meeting between Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman comes at a time when both sides are at odds over the timing of the national election read more Leaders of Bangladeshs interim government and the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) are set to meet in London on Friday (June 13) in what could be a potential turning point in the democratic trajectory of the South Asian nation. The meeting between Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman comes at a time when both sides are at odds over the timing of the national election. Tarique is the son of former PM Khaleda Zia and now represents the countrys largest political party, following the interim governments decision to outlaw deposed PM Sheikh Hasinas Awami League. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tussle over election timing Muhammad Yunus, who embarked on his UK visit on Monday (June 9), declared last week that national elections would be held in the first half of April 2026. He claimed the interim government needed time to implement reforms. However, the BNP is pressing the government to hold elections by December this year, saying the reforms can be implemented much earlier. This came after Zia earlier said that Yunus being in power without being elected for around a year is a threat to democracy. She also urged her party cadres to hold protests in the country. Notably, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman in May also waded into the political crisis and pressed the Yunus government to hold polls by December. The BNP is now hoping to see resolution in the Friday meeting between Yunus and Tarique Rahman We hope this meeting will play a positive role in resolving the challenges facing the political landscape of Bangladesh, said party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. This meeting is the most significant event at present and holds great importance both nationally and internationally. Many issues could be resolved through this meeting, and new dimensions may emerge, Fakhrul added. Meanwhile, BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said the party had some proposals and observations to make to ensure the interim governments neutrality in the polls. Political discussions will certainly take place, along with talks about the current situation in the country. We are hopeful that the chief adviser will reconsider his decision [regarding election date], and also discuss the overall situation of the country and the current political situation, he was quoted as saying by the Daily Star. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Mainland urges U.S. to handle Taiwan question with utmost prudence Xinhua) 16:14, June 11, 2025 BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday urged the United States to handle the Taiwan question with the utmost prudence. At a regular press conference, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, reiterated that the Taiwan question remains at the very core of China's core interests and is the foremost red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations. She urged the U.S. side to strictly abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, to stop sending the wrong signals to separatist forces, and to prevent a small handful of separatists from undermining the broader China-U.S. relationship. Zhu also criticized Democratic Progressive Party authorities in Taiwan and separatist forces for clinging to "Taiwan independence" positions and colluding with external actors in provocative attempts to seek independence. "These are the root causes of tensions and instability across the Taiwan Strait," she said. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) realme India today announced its Bestseller Days event, featuring special offers on its popular GT Series smartphones including the GT 7, GT 7 Dream Edition, and GT 7T. realme Bestseller Days The sale offers up to Rs. 3,000 off with ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank credit cards, and up to Rs. 6,000 off on exchange. The realme GT 7 features a MediaTek Dimensity 9400e chipset built on a 4nm process, supporting efficient multitasking and gaming. It includes a 7,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging, reaching 50% in 14 minutes and full charge in 40 minutes, along with Smart Bypass technology and TUV Rheinland 5-Star Battery Certification. The phone has IceSense Graphene cooling and an AI Planner activated by double tap. The 6.78-inch AMOLED display offers 6,000 nits brightness, Dolby Vision, and IP69 water and dust resistance. Its Sony IMX906-based camera supports 4K underwater video, AI glare removal, 8K video at 30fps, and 4K video at 120fps. 8GB + 256GB Variant MOP (Price without Offer): Rs. 39,999 Bank/Exchange Offers: Rs. 3,000 off (Bank) / Rs. 5,000 off (Exchange) No-Cost EMI: Available for 9 months Price with Offer: Rs. 34,999 12GB + 256GB Variant MOP (Price without Offer): Rs. 42,999 Bank/Exchange Offers: Not applicable No-Cost EMI: Available for 9 months Price with Offer: Rs. 37,999 12GB + 512GB Variant MOP (Price without Offer): Rs. 46,999 Bank/Exchange Offers: Not applicable No-Cost EMI: Available for 9 months Price with Offer: Rs. 41,999 realme GT 7T The realme GT 7T offers many features of the GT 7 at a lower price, powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8400-MAX chipset and the same 7,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging. It has an IceSense Graphene back panel for better heat management and includes the AI Planner tool for task scheduling. The phone supports Google Gemini AI tools like AI Translator, AI Eraser 2.0, and AI Tools 2.0 for real-time translation and creative assistance, making it a capable mid-range smartphone. 8GB + 256GB Variant MOP (Price without Offer): Rs. 34,999 Bank/Exchange Offers: Rs. 3,000 off (Bank) / Rs. 6,000 off (Exchange) No-Cost EMI: Available for 9 months Price with Offer: Rs. 28,999 12GB + 256GB Variant MOP (Price without Offer): Rs. 37,999 Bank/Exchange Offers: Not applicable No-Cost EMI: Available for 9 months Price with Offer: Rs. 31,999 12GB + 512GB Variant MOP (Price without Offer): Rs. 41,999 Bank/Exchange Offers: Not applicable No-Cost EMI: Available for 9 months Price with Offer: Rs. 35,999 Availability The deals will be available exclusively on Amazon.in and realme.com from June 10, 2025, through June 14, 2025. After rolling out Android 16 beta update over the past few months, Google has finally started rolling out Android 16 stable update to Pixel smartphones today, as expected. Streamlined Notifications Android 16 is implementing live updates for notifications, beginning with ride-share and food delivery applications. This feature aims to provide real-time information without requiring users to open the respective apps. Collaboration with app partners is underway to integrate this capability across the Android ecosystem, including Samsungs Now Bar and OPPO and OnePlus Live Alerts. Additionally, notifications from a single app will be automatically grouped to reduce visual clutter. Enhanced Calling for Hearing Device Users Significant improvements are being introduced for individuals who use hearing aids. Android 16 now allows users to switch to their phones microphone for calls in noisy environments, addressing an issue where current LE audio hearing devices primarily use built-in front-facing microphones designed for external sound pickup. Native control for hearing devices is also being integrated, providing users with the ability to manage settings like volume directly from their Android phone. Advanced Protection for Enhanced Security Android 16 offers the option to activate Advanced Protection, described as Googles strongest mobile device security. This feature provides a suite of security measures designed to protect against online attacks, harmful applications, unsafe websites, and scam calls. Productivity Enhancements for Tablets Collaborating with Samsung, Android 16 introduces desktop windowing for large-screen devices. This new interaction model allows users to open, move, and resize multiple app windows on a single screen, similar to a desktop environment, in addition to existing single-app and split-screen modes. This feature is expected to roll out later this year on compatible devices. Upcoming updates will also include custom keyboard shortcuts and a taskbar overflow feature. Further productivity enhancements are planned for the future, enabling the connection of tablets and phones to external displays for an expanded desktop experience, with developer testing for these features commencing. Additional features in Android 16 encompass HDR screenshots, adaptive refresh rate, and identity verification, among others. How to get it? Android 16 is now available for Pixel 6 Series: Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a Pixel 7 Series: Pixel 7, 7 Pro, and 7a Pixel 8 Series: Pixel 8, 8 Pro and 8a Pixel 9 Series: Pixel 9, 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro Fold and 9a Pixel Fold Pixel Tablet through OTA update. You can get it from Android developer website here manually. If you are already on beta, you would have received the beta of the next Android 16 quarterly platform release (QPR1) which has all the features. Material 3 Expressive, Desktop Mode coming later this year Google said that it will continue to have quarterly Android releases. Material 3 Expressive changes, with visual refreshes to notifications, quick settings, the lock screen, and the launcher is already available in QPR beta update which was released last month, and the company already rolled out Android 16 QPR 2 beta today. This also brings Desktop Mode Google today confirmed that Material 3 Expressive design updates and are coming to Android 16 and Wear OS 6 on Pixel devices later this year with QPR1 stable update which is expected in September 2025. Google has launched its June 2025 Pixel Drop, introducing a wide range of smart, AI-powered features and improvements to Pixel phones. Alongside this rollout, Android 16 is also arriving on supported Pixel devices starting today. Pixel June 2025 Feature Drop VIP Contacts Widget Pixel users can now highlight their closest contacts as VIPs right on their home screen. This widget provides quick access to recent calls, messages (including WhatsApp), shared locations, and important events like birthdays. VIPs can also bypass Do Not Disturb mode to ensure urgent connections. Importantly, all sensitive info stays securely on your device. AI-Powered Custom Stickers in Gboard With Pixel Studio integrated into Gboard, creating personalized stickers is effortless. Just type a description and choose an emotionyour sticker is ready to send instantly. You can also transform photos by removing backgrounds automatically to make unique stickers. Expanded Pixel Features Availability Satellite SOS is now accessible in Australia, allowing emergency messaging without cellular or Wi-Fi. The Recorder app introduces AI-generated summaries in German and French. Pixel 8 owners can now use the Recorders Clear Voice feature to remove background noise from recordings. Camera Help Guide A new feature in the Pixel Camera app provides visual tips and how-to instructions for each mode, helping users capture better photos and videos. Enhanced Accessibility Tools The Magnifier app now includes live search, which highlights objects based on typed queries without needing photos. Devices from Pixel 9 onward, running Android 16, now work with LE Audio-enabled hearing aids, letting users manage calls, adjust sound levels, and access hearing presets directly through phone settings. Expressive Captions Improvements Captions now better capture speech nuances and emotions, including elongated words, and have expanded availability to countries like Canada, the UK, and Australia. Smarter Photo Editing (Coming Soon) Google Photos will soon offer AI-driven editing suggestions, quick access to relevant tools, and easier ways to adjust photos with features like Reimagine and Auto Frame. Other Notable Features Your Pixel now shows detailed info about your batterys condition, helping you decide the right time for a replacement. The Advanced Protection feature offers strong security measures to keep your device safe from cyber threats and harmful apps. With AI Mode built into the Pixel search bar, you get instant, AI-powered responses to your questions right from the home screen. Veo 3 is a new tool that turns your text ideas into short, high-quality AI-generated videos. Pixel 9 Pro owners receive a free one-year subscription, while others can try it free for a month. New Android 16 Features Personalized Group Chats: Google Messages will soon allow customized group chat icons and names, show whos using RCS, and mute chats for a set time. Revamped Photo Editor: The Google Photos editor will be redesigned for simplicity, featuring AI-assisted enhancements and new tools like Reimagine to create new edits from descriptions. Custom Google Home Favorites: Users will soon be able to assign smart home device shortcuts to specific platforms, like pinning security cameras to Google TV. Extend Safety Check: You can now easily add more time to Safety Check timers on your phone or watch while on the go. New Emoji Kitchen Stickers: Fresh combinations of emojis are available for more fun, expressive messages. Wear OS Transit Payments: Pay for public transit quickly with a tap from your Wear OS watch, even if the Wallet app isnt open. Availability These features begin rolling out today for supported Pixel models and will become widely available in the coming weeks. Cross Country Summer Road Trip in our Expedition This summer we are taking our kids on a 2 week road trip from the mid west to California and back. We're about half way through it right now. We're mostly winging it, but know we will stop in Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, and Arizona. We're hitting a few national parks (Yosemite and the Grand Canyon for sure), as well as a few others.We bought this 2019 Expedition specifically to tow our camper and haul all of our kids (my truck can't fit us all.) The Expedition is an FX4 3.5L. Because of the FX4 package it has the upgraded cooler, just needed a TBC. I was worried about the weight of the camper but on paper everything was fine and I'm practice it has been doing great.Most of our camping has been in dispersed wilderness campgrounds. It's been quite fun so far! I'll post some updates as we go. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2024. Mon Monday 98 /67 More sun than clouds. Highs in the upper 90s and lows in the upper 60s. Mon Monday 98 /67 Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 90s and lows in the upper 60s. Iran has 'intelligence superiority' over Israel: Defense minister IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Jun 10, 2025 Tehran, IRNA -- Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh says the acquisition of top-secret documents from Israel demonstrates Iran's "intelligence superiority" over the occupying regime. Nasirzadeh said on Tuesday that the unprecedented operation by Iranian intelligence forces in obtaining sensitive information from the Israeli regime once again showcased the Islamic Republic's infiltration capabilities and intelligence superiority in the complex security landscape of the region and beyond. "This brilliant victory... not only shattered the fabricated myth of Mossad but also dismantled the pretentious facade of the sinister Zionist regime's security structure, delivering yet another strong blow to its hollow hegemony," he added. The defense minister emphasized that the intelligence operation, through which a massive trove of sensitive Israeli documents was transferred to Iran, was part of the crushing blows delivered to Israel by the Resistance Front and heralds the regime's "premature" collapse. 2050**4353 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Intelligence haul shattered myth of Israel's invincibility: Ministry IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Jun 10, 2025 Tehran, IRNA -- The Ministry of Intelligence says the recent intelligence haul from Israel represents a uniquely historic achievement for the Axis of Resistance, shattering the myth of the regime's invincibility by penetrating its multiple security layers and successfully transferring the sensitive documents to Iran. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Ministry of Intelligence said the documents that have been obtained from the Israeli regime have strategic, operational, research, and scientific value. The documents contain a diverse hoard of information, some of which pertains to Israel's illegal and covert nuclear weapons program, including its nuclear facilities, its current and future nuclear plans, as well as research collaborations with American and European institutions. "The Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, through an unprecedented intelligence operation, dealt a heavy blow to the child-killing Zionist regime. This historic operation, designed to access sensitive, strategic, and top-secret classified documents of the regime, was successfully carried out in a dynamic operational environment under the strictest security measures. It was recently completed, with a substantial volume of documents transferred into the country, and all agents have returned safely to their bases," the statement said. The Ministry said that the documents obtained also include information related to Israel's military and missile programs, technical records of dual-use scientific and technical projects, as well as the names, profiles, images, and addresses of managers, officials, and scientists involved in these projects. It further highlighted, "One of the key discoveries is that the Zionist regime, in addition to employing its own citizens, has also hired researchers from other nationalities, whose full details have been obtained. Portions of these documents will be released to inform the Iranian people, while some scientific and research findings will be utilized domestically and shared with relevant institutions." "A significant portion of the documents will be used by our Armed Forces, while others may be exchanged with allied nations or provided to anti-Zionist organizations and groups," the Ministry emphasized. The Ministry added, "The obtained evidence clearly demonstrates how the U.S. and certain European countries have played and continue to play the role of backers, collaborators, and contractors in advancing the criminal Zionist regime's weapons programs, all while hypocritically accusing the Islamic Republic of Iran of pursuing non-peaceful activities with double standards." "Among the most striking documents obtained are numerous false reports submitted by the criminal Zionist regime to certain international institutions against our country's peaceful nuclear program. Even more telling is the exact replication of these deceitful claims in the reports and statements of those institutions," the statement noted. "The methods by which the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic accessed the Zionist regime's documents and extracted them from the occupied Palestinian territories were meticulously planned and executed, completely bypassing the regime's multiple security layers and intricate protective corridors," the statement concluded. 3266**4353 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran: Intelligence operation dealt 'severe blow' to Israel Iran Press TV Tuesday, 10 June 2025 3:43 PM Iran's Intelligence Ministry says its recent acquisition and transfer of a trove of classified documents from Israel was an unprecedented intelligence triumph. The operation delivered a severe blow to the Zionist regime and further eroded its image of invincibility, the ministry stated. In a statement outlining details of the operation on Tuesday, the ministry called the achievement a "watershed moment" in the Zionist regime's "shameful" history of intelligence and security failures, and a "historic, unique" victory for the Resistance Axis. "What we now hold comes at a time when the Zionist regime strives to portray itself as impervious to infiltration." "While they were reviewing lessons from previous intelligence defeats and believed they had sealed off every avenue of infiltration, they faced the epic 'Al-Aqsa Storm' operation by the heroic Palestinian mujahideen, which laid bare an unparalleled intelligence-security fiasco," the statement said. The ministry said that the operation was recently completed successfully under the Israeli regime's strictest security protocols. The statement added that the methods used to access and exfiltrate the documents from the occupied Palestinian territories were so ingeniously designed and executed that they completely neutralized the regime's multiple security layers. "The Zionist regime, highly focused on safeguarding these strategic files, had imposed its strictest security protocols. Accordingly, our operatives had to implement a multi-layered, highly sophisticated plan whose complexity remains beyond the regime's comprehension or the reach of any of its showy measures," the statement stressed. It further said that the regime had recently resorted to arresting and sacrificing a few of its own settlers in a sham display to repair its tarnished imagean effort that proved utterly fruitless. This referred to the arrest of several settlers in recent months by the regime's security forces on claims they were working for Iranian intelligence. 'Israeli docs already in use' The ministry stated that a significant volume of these materials is already being used by Iran's armed forces, and that portions can be exchanged with friendly states or provided to anti-Zionist organizations. "In terms of content, these documents, while diverse in subject, are of strategic, practical, research, and scientific value." "Some of this information pertains to the regime's illegal and covert nuclear weapons programs, including its facilities, research, and communications with American and European institutions, as well as its current and future nuclear plans," the statement read. It added that other portions include files on military and missile programs, technical dossiers on dual-use science and technology projects, and the names, profiles, photographs, and addresses of the managers, officials, and scientists involved. "Notably, the documents reveal that the Zionist regime employs not only its own citizens but also foreign-national researchers, whose identities are now known." The ministry said that select portions of the trove will be published for public information, while scientific and research findings suitable for domestic use will be shared with relevant institutions. 'Role of Western backers revealed' The statement also said the documents reveal the depth of Western support for Israel's arms programs and its nuclear development. The ministry lamented that the same countries have for decades "hypocritically" accused Iran of pursuing non-peaceful goals and imposed the harshest pressures on the country under such pretexts. "The papers clearly show how the United States and certain European countries have acted as backers, collaborators, and contractors in advancing the criminal Zionist regime's arms programs. Yet, through double standards and falsehoods, they accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran of pursuing non-peaceful ends," the statement said. Among the most striking findings are the multiple spurious reports the Zionist regime submitted to various international bodies, alleging that Iran's peaceful nuclear program constitutes wrongdoing, which were then echoed by those bodies almost verbatim, according to the statement. The ministry was referring to a probe by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of what it calls uranium traces in several undeclared nuclear sites in Iran. Iran has called the entire case an Israeli fabrication and urged the agency to distance itself from the regime and protect its professional independence. The West has long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, without providing any evidence. Tehran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful and part of the country's scientific progress. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'Pinpoint accuracy': IRGC says Iran missiles to strike Israeli targets 'more precisely' after intelligence op Iran Press TV Tuesday, 10 June 2025 6:05 AM The chief commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says the Islamic Republic will be able to strike potential Israeli targets "more precisely" now after it laid its hands on a trove of intelligence on the Israeli regime's sensitive nuclear facilities. Major General Hossein Salami made the remarks in a letter dated Monday, and addressed to Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib to congratulate the latter on the occasion of the recent counterintelligence operation. The triumph, reports of which began to surface on Saturday, saw Iranian intelligence agents penetrate a monumental cache of the regime's documents relating to its nuclear, military, security, and infrastructural facilities. The compromised targets included the Israeli sites that are related to the regime's clandestine nuclear program, which is widely reported to have helped Tel Aviv acquire hundreds of nonconventional missiles. "Undoubtedly, this sensitive intelligence will render the efforts that are aimed at accelerating the annihilation of the occupying Zionist regime more effective and increase the precision of [potential future] Iranian missile strikes," Salami wrote. Last year, the Islamic Republic targeted a host of sensitive and strategic Israeli targets across the occupied Palestinian territories during two wholesale retaliatory operations staged in response to the regime's acts of aggression against the Iranian soil. Operation True Promise I and II saw the country launch hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones towards the intended targets with 90-percent accuracy. Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has also addressed the upper hand that had been gained through the counterintelligence breakthrough, warning that Iran would target the Israeli regime's secret nuclear facilities if it undertook any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic. 'Astonishing victory in intelligence warfare' Salami called the triumph an "astonishing" development that was a "source of [great] pride" during its underway "intelligence warfare" against the Israeli regime. He described the "tremendous success" as "Operation al-Aqsa Flood II" in the intelligence arena, in reference to Palestinian resistance fighters' Operation al-Aqsa Flood of October 2023 against the occupied territories, during which they encircled strategic Israeli bases and captured hundreds of Zionists. The triumphant Iranian countermeasure "once again nullified the delusion and claim that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been weakened in the region," and "exposed the reality of the Zionist regime's supposed intelligence and security strength." 'A testament to Iran's intelligence command' The operation, he added, testified to the Islamic Republic's "intelligence command and [power of] infiltration" deep into the "hidden and unseen layers" of the Zionist regime's infrastructure. According to Salami, the triumph, therefore, dispelled the myth of the regime's purported world-class "espionage and security" structure, inflicting fresh "shock and instability" to it following al-Aqsa Flood. The commander finally vowed that the counterintelligence masterstroke would, by no means, mark the last time the Islamic Republic had struck the regime. "This blow will not be the final strike to this regime's decaying corpse, and heralds the final victory of truth over falsehood." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran Unveils Access to Israel's Missile Program, Vows to Share Intel Sputnik News 20250610 TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran has gained access to Israel's missile program and plans to share some data with anti-Israeli groups, the Ministry of Intelligence of Iran said on Tuesday. "Another part of the documents received is related to [Israel's] military and missile programs, as well as technical documentation related to dual-use scientific and technical projects," the ministry said in a statement. The ministry said that a significant part of the documents will be used by the armed forces of Iran, while the other part will be shared with friendly countries or will be provided to organizations and anti-Israeli groups. Earlier this month, the Tasnim agency reported that Iran had received a wide range of confidential documents on Israel's nuclear sector. Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib described the documents as "a treasure trove of intelligence information" that will strengthen the country's offensive potential. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian, Abkhazian Intel Officers Nab Ukrainian Spy Plotting Terror Attack - FSB Sputnik News 20250610 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The special services of Russia and Abkhazia detained a Ukrainian agent who planned to commit a terrorist attack at the Sokhumi airport, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Tuesday. "The Federal Security Service of Russia, in cooperation with the State Security Service of the Republic of Abkhazia ... has thwarted the illegal activity of a Russian citizen, born in 1980, carried out on the instructions of the Ukrainian special service. In order to carry out this criminal plot, the defendant proactively planned to hand over to the enemy the blueprints of ... [the Sokhumi airport] and the adjacent closed parking lot used to receive official international delegations. He also reported that this could be used to commit an act of sabotage and terrorism by planting explosives on its premises," the FSB said in a statement. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China's MSS discloses case of overseas recruitment for illegal biological data collection, safeguarding biological security Global Times By Global Times Published: Jun 11, 2025 11:12 AM China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) on Wednesday reminded the public to be vigilant against overseas organizations recruiting volunteers to illegally collect information on China's biological species, in order to safeguard biological security. In recent years, national security agencies have uncovered a number of cases that threaten the country's biological security, contributing to the protection of national biological safety. For instance, an overseas research institution, under the guise of conducting biological species research, recruited and induced volunteers to illegally collect data on the distribution of biological species in China, the MSS said in an article published on its official WeChat account on Wednesday. To evade oversight and review by relevant authorities, personnel from this institution required the participating volunteers to download specialized mobile software to transmit the collected data in real-time to overseas, said the MSS. National security agencies, in collaboration with relevant departments, promptly took preventive measures to effectively curb the biological security risks posed by the leakage of information on the distribution of biological species in China, according to the MSS. Biological security is closely related to the health and safety of the people, the long-term stability of the nation, and the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, said the MSS. On April 15, 2021, China's Biosecurity Law was officially implemented, providing a powerful tool for China to prevent and respond to biological security risks and safeguard national security, said the MSS. The implementation of the law marks a new phase in the legal governance of biological security in China, establishing a whole system for biological security risk prevention and governance, which includes national biological security strategy, laws, and policies, according to the MSS. China focuses on vigorous development of technologies for breakthrough multi-pathogen network monitoring, emergency vaccines, and treatment, which has greatly enhanced the capabilities for real-time monitoring, early detection, rapid response, and control of major emerging infectious diseases, according to the MSS. The country has vigorously promoted biosafety science popularization, enhanced public awareness of biosafety, and improved public understanding of issues such as laboratory safety, prevention of invasive alien species, and biodiversity conservation, said the MSS. Biosafety is a matter of common interest for all humanity. Currently, global biosafety governance faces new challenges while also presenting significant opportunities. In response to the new situations, challenges, and issues in the field of biosafety, China adheres to a systematic governance approach. While continuously strengthening its own biosafety defenses, China actively participates in global biosafety governance, contributing Chinese wisdom and providing Chinese solutions, said the MSS. China has proposed the Global Security Initiative and officially released "The Global Security Initiative Concept Paper." It clearly states the need to coordinate the maintenance of security in both traditional and non-traditional fields, advocating that countries adopt a global governance perspective of joint consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits, in order to collectively address global issues, including biological security, said the MSS article. China clearly advocates for strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention, firmly supports its purposes and objectives, fully and strictly fulfills its obligations under the Convention, and actively participates in and supports multilateral processes aimed at enhancing its effectiveness, according to the MSS. In 2021, the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for Codes of Conduct for Scientists were adopted the first international biosafety initiative named after a Chinese city and primarily based on Chinese proposals. The guidelines advocate for responsible biological research and call on governments and research institutions worldwide to enhance both regulation and self-discipline. The aim is to ensure that biological sciences benefit humanity while preventing potential misuse. Comprising 10 guiding principles and standards of conduct, the guidelines offer a practical model for biosafety governance at both national and institutional levels, making a meaningful contribution to the healthy and orderly development of global biotechnology, according to the MSS. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Contracts Contracts For June 10, 2025 MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY Integration Innovation Inc. (i3),* Huntsville, Alabama, is being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum amount of $428,991,242. Under this competitive follow-on contract, the primary focus of the contractor is to enable the identification, collection, distribution, and analysis of critical test data needed to assess and evaluate new and updated Missile Defense System capabilities to support fielding decisions to the Warfighter. A task order in the amount of $100,000 is being issued. The work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama and Colorado Springs, Colorado. The ordering period is from June 10, 2025, through June 9, 2030. The contract includes five one-year options for a total ordering period through June 9, 2035. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the SAM.gov website with fourteen proposals received. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $100,000 are obligated to this award. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0858-25-D-E001). AIR FORCE Cubic Defense Acquisition Inc., San Diego, California, was awarded a ceiling $399,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for follow-on depot contractor logistic support P5CTS contract for the Air Force and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs. Work will be performed at San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by June 9, 2032. This contract involves FMS to Australia, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore. This contract was a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2025 FMS funds in the amount of $2,947,160 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8210-25-D-B001). MilTrain II JV LLC, North Las Vegas, Nevada, has been awarded a $84,647,510 firm-fixed-price single-award contract for MQ-9 Aircrew Training Support. This contract provides for all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and all other items and services required to perform and support MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft aircrew academic instruction; courseware development; and air and ground intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance test and training support; and major command certified approaches/supplemental recovery procedures. Work will be performed at Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; Creech AFB, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, and 556 Test and Evaluation Squadron, Nevada; March Air Reserve Base, California; and Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, New York, and is expected to be completed by July 30, 2030. This contract was a competitive acquisition and four offers were received. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $833,476 are being obligated at time of award. Air Combat Command Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Hampton, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890-25-C-0003). NAVY Nammo MAC LLC, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, is being awarded a $95,000,000 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a five-year ordering period for the production of .50 Caliber Polymer Cased Ammunition. The contract ordering period is from June 10, 2025, to June 9, 2030. Work is to be performed at the contractor facility in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Fiscal 2025 procurement (Navy and Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $2,026,000 will be obligated at the time of award for delivery order one. Funding will not expire at the end of fiscal 2025. This contract is a sole source award under the authority of U.S. Code 3204(a)(7), Public Interest. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-25-D-5201). Coherent Aerospace & Defense, Murrieta, California, is awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the SONGBOW: Pulsed Fiber Lasers and Directed Energy Subsystems with High Bandwidth Wavefront Control Project. This contract provides for the development of pulsed fiber lasers for remote sensing and illumination and to further the development of a 400 kilowatt (kW) directed-energy subsystem by integrating a 50-kW laser with a beam-control assembly. Work will be performed in Murrieta, California, and is expected to be completed in January 2027. The total cumulative value of this contract, including a 20-month base period with one 11-month and one 18-month option periods which will run concurrently, is $29,981,651. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $12,881,201 are obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under long range broad agency announcement (BAA) N0001424SB001 entitled "Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology." Since proposals were received throughout the year under the Long-Range BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation is unknown. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N0001425C1506). GKG Contractors LLC, Isabela, Puerto Rico, is awarded an $11,093,780 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operations support services at Naval Support Activity Mid-South, Millington, Tennessee. Work will be performed in Millington, Tennessee, and is expected to be completed by September 2026. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2026 operation and maintenance (O&M), (Defense Agencies); fiscal 2026 civil works revolving fund, (Army Corps of Engineers); fiscal 2026 defense health program; fiscal 2026 Defense Commissary Agency account; fiscal 2026 O&M, (Army Reserve); fiscal 2026 O&M, (Army); and fiscal 2026 O&M, (Navy) contract funds, in the amount of $8,258,404 for recurring work, will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the base period. This contract was competitively procured via the SAM.gov website, with three offers received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-25-D-0036). Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $8,056,338 modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-16-C-2116) to increase the previously established requirements to support sailor infrastructure at Newport News Shipbuilding. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by April 2026. Funding will not be obligated at time of award. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTCS AGENCY Ameriqual Group LLC, doing business as Ameriqual Packaging, Evansville, Indiana, has been awarded a maximum $52,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for unitized group ration-A. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 3204 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a 167-day bridge contract. The ordering period end date is Nov. 23, 2025. Using military services are Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE3S1-25-D-Z208). Baxters North America Inc., doing business as The Wornick Co., Blue Ash, Ohio, has been awarded a maximum $28,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for unitized group ration-A. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 3204 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a 167-day bridge contract. The ordering period end date is Nov. 23, 2025. Using military services are Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE3S1-25-D-Z209). ARMY Western Marine Construction Inc.,* Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $26,950,000 firm-fixed-price contract for demolition and replacement of floating breakwaters. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Ketchikan, Alaska, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 30, 2027. Fiscal 2022 and 2025 civil operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $26,950,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Anchorage, Alaska, is the contracting activity (W911KB-25-C-0010). Place Services Inc., Canton, Georgia, was awarded a $17,179,200 firm-fixed-price contract for design-bid-build construction of an indoor small arms range. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in Walton, Indiana, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 10, 2027. Fiscal 2025 military construction, Air Force Reserve funds in the amount of $17,179,200 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-25-C-0012). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4212303/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Czech MoD accepts Swedish offer for continued use of Gripen aircraft Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic 3.6.2025 Author: by editorial staff The Ministry of Defence accepted the Swedish offer for further use of the JAS-39 Gripen aircraft and the conclusion of the new contract up to 2035 was endorsed by the Collegium of the Minister. Thanks to intensive negotiations, the Ministry reached an offer which is approximately 25 % more advantageous compared to last year's. An extension on the use of the Gripen will bridge the period until the introduction of fifth generation F-35 aircraft into the Czech Armed Forces. "After a series of negotiations, we have managed to reach an offer which was significantly more advantageous than the one from last year. Such an agreement is good news to the Czech Republic and its defence capability," said National Armaments Director Lubor Koudelka. The current Gripen lease ends in 2027, and the first substantially more modern F-35 will arrive to the Czech Republic in 2031. The F-35 should reach full operational capability in 2035 which is also the year the Gripen lease ends. According to the final offer, the Czech Republic shall pay a total of SEK 6.012 billion (CZK 16.695 billion according to the current rate, including VAT) for the lease of 12 Gripen aircraft, servicing and pilot training. Compared to the Swedish offer from the last year, this represents savings of approximately 25 %. The lease itself is not a significant part of the offer. The price is influenced especially by the age of the aircraft which are currently starting their third decade of service. At the same time, the prices of labour and materiel in the field of military aviation have significantly increased in the past 20 years. The planned contract thus reacts to the development of prices in the past years, which have well exceeded the long-term average. The offer for the Czech Republic was negotiated along the same lines and conditions as for the Swedish Air Force and other Gripen users. The reduction of the number of leased aircraft from 14 to 12 (10 of which are one-seat and 2 two-seat) will generate significant savings. "Even with a reduced number of aircraft, the Czech airspace will be protected. We will also ensure a seamless pilot training and their requalification to the F-35 platform," said Major General Petr Cepelka, Czech Air Force Commander. NATO was informed of the reduction given that such development needs to be reflected in the planning of the NATO Air Policing. It will be necessary to modernize the Gripen aircraft, also in response to the developments in contemporary battlefields. According to the prepared contract, the Ministry of Defence will pay SEK 1.454 billion (CZK 4.037 billion according to the current rate, including VAT) for the modernisation, which is a vital step for ensuring the operation of the aircraft. The process of modernisation has been underway since 2015. The Gripen has served the Czech Air Force reliably since 2004. The current lease expires in 2027, meaning it was necessary to find a solution for the future of the supersonic capability. A military recommendation prepared under the previous Government stated that the tasks of the future battlefield can only be provided by fifth generation aircraft. The only fifth generation currently available in the market is the F-35. The outcomes of the military recommendation have also been confirmed by NATO experts. The Swedish offer was endorsed after discussion by the Collegium of the Minister of Defence. The Collegium serves as an advisory body composed of Deputy Ministers, State Secretary, Directors General of MoD Divisions and other directors, Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, Deputy Chiefs of General Staff, Chief of the Military Office of the President of the Republic, Director of Military Intelligence and other persons, who evaluate the selection of the supplier based on documents presented by the contracting authority before the signature of the contract. The public contract and its assignment proposed by the contracting authority is also verified by the Public Procurement Control Department which evaluates whether the project is in line with the Act on Public Procurement. The process within the Collegium prevents it from being a single-person decision. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ministers of Defence of the Czech Republic and the Netherlands discussed Ukraine and spending, defence associations signed Cooperation Memorandum Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic 4.6.2025 Author: by MoD Defence Policy and Strategy Division, editorial staff (ob) Support of Ukraine and main topics of the Nato Summit in The Hague were among the points discussed by the Czech Minister of Defence and her Dutch counterpart Minister Ruben Brekelmans, who visited the Czech Republic as a member of the official delegation of His Majety King Willem-Alexander. Their meeting was followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Czech Defence and Security Industry Association and the Netherlands Industries for Defence and Security. The long-awaited two-day NATO Summit will take place in The Hague at the end of June and will focus on the increasing of defence expenses, further support to Ukraine and the strengthening of NATO deterrence stance towards Russia. The expected outcomes of the Summit include the adoption of a new Defence Investment Pledge, and the discussion will also focus on the strengthening of capabilities of the Alliance, especially through new capability targets. "As Europeans, we need to assume more responsibility and contribute our fair share. The Czech Republic is ready to do so," said Jana Cernochova to her counterpart, underlining that the Allies should use the Summit in The Hague to show unity and resolve. Parallel to the Czech Republic, the Netherlands also fulfilled the commitment to reach 2% GDP for defence expenditures. "Both countries agree on current key topics, such as the support of Ukraine and the need to increase defence spending. In this regard, I underlined that the Czech Government approved the increase of defence spending to 3% GDP by 2030, which is also necessary to achieve our new capability targets. We do not underestimate our own defence nor that of the entire European continent," said Minister Cernochova. Small countries - large assistance to Ukraine The Dutch Ministry of Defence comprises 43 thousand military professionals, 8 thousand reservists and 25 thousand civilian employees. By 2030, they have the ambition to reach a total of 100 thousand personnel - of whom there are to be 56 thousand military professionals and 20 thousand reservists. Czech cooperation with the Netherlands has a long tradition. Service members of both armed forces operate together for example in the Multinational Battlegroup in Lithuania since 2017. Common exercises take place on a regular basis. Both armed forces also use similar equipment: the Royal Netherlands Air Force lean on the F-35 aircraft and are in the process of procurement of the C-390 Embraer aircraft. The Land Forces operate CV90 armoured combat vehicles and are renewing their tank units using the Leopard 2A8 platform. The cooperation of both countries is all the more visible, when it comes to the support of Ukraine, concerning which the countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2024. "The Netherlands is one of Czech Republic's key partners in the support of Ukraine, both in the matters of financing and in the support of Czech initiatives," said Minister Cernochova and thanked Minister Brekelmans for "outstanding cooperation in the matter of deliveries of military materiel." Since the beginning of this year, the Netherlands contributed EUR 271 million to the ammunition initiative. The King of the Netherlands and the Czech President were presented the specific ways in which both countries helped Ukraine at the exhibition of selected military equipment and materiel provided by them for the defence of Ukraine at the Kbely Air Base. The close relationship of both countries is also reflected in the defence industrial cooperation, where there is significant potential in defence industry cooperation, as mentioned by the Czech Minister. King Willem-Alexander brought to the Czech Republic a numerous business delegation. According to Minister Jana Cernochova, the signing of the Memorandum on Cooperation between the DSIA and the NIDV is a promise of further deepening of cooperation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rumen Radev: The Development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route Is of Key Importance for Transport, Energy and Digital Connectivity between Europe and Asia President of the Republic of Bulgaria 9 June 2025 | 20:51 The Head of State participates in the Kazakh-Bulgarian Business Forum in Astana The development of the Trans-Caspian international transport route is of key importance for the transport, energy and digital connectivity between Europe and Asia. This was stated by President Rumen Radev, who participated today together with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Kazakh-Bulgarian Business Forum in Astana, organised by the National Company "Kazakh Invest ". The Bulgarian head of state highlighted Bulgaria's geographical advantages as an investment and logistics destination and stressed the significant potential of the ports in Varna and Burgas, both for maritime and rail connectivity between Europe and Asia. In terms of land transport, Bulgaria's border with Turkiye is the second busiest, after that between Mexico and the United States, Rumen Radev added. According to the President, the regional and global crises of recent years have necessitated a reconsidering the understanding of good neighbourliness, cooperation and solidarity between individual countries, as well as the need to improve connectivity in all areas. In this regard, Rumen Radev noted the importance of projects for the supply of electricity to Europe from renewable sources, including from Kazakhstan. Bulgaria is ready to share its experience in nuclear energy, the head of state also emphasised in connection with Kazakhstan's ambitions to build its own nuclear power plants. Rumen Radev identified high technologies and space exploration as a priority area for promoting bilateral partnership. Bulgaria is working seriously in this direction. Yesterday I visited the National Space Centre in Astana and was impressed by the capabilities you have, as well as the products, systems and applications being developed, which also open up opportunities for more active cooperation, the president pointed out. Later in the day, Head of State Rumen Radev held a meeting with Prime Minister Oljas Bektenov, visited the International Financial Centre in Astana and was seen off the plane personally by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon, Nigeria UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory Desperation deepens in Gaza as people risk safety in search of food OCHA warns that the crisis in Gaza has reached unprecedented levels of despair, as people continue to go hungry across the Strip. Many are forced to risk their lives in search of food, amid further reports of people being killed and injured near non-UN distribution sites. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), just this morning, 29 casualties arrived at the ICRC field hospital in west Rafah, eight of whom were dead. Almost all had explosive trauma wounds, with two others admitted with gunshot wounds. The UN reiterates that civilians must always be protected. No person - anywhere - should be forced to choose between risking one's life and feeding one's family. Fuel stocks in Gaza are critically low, putting further strain on critical services and humanitarian operations. Over the weekend, some 260,000 litres of fuel were looted in northern Gaza. Prior to this, the UN had repeatedly attempted to reach these stocks to retrieve them, but these attempts were denied by the Israeli authorities. Since 15 May, the missions to retrieve this fuel were denied by the Israeli authorities 14 times. Humanitarians' attempts to reach fuel supplies in Rafah, in the south of Gaza, also continue to be denied. The UN warns that unless a solution is found in the coming days, the entire aid operation could come to a standstill. Since the Israeli authorities allowed limited amounts of aid to enter Gaza on 19 May, the UN and its partners have only been able to collect about 4,600 metric tons of wheat flour from the Kerem Shalom crossing. Most of it was taken by desperate, starving people before the supplies reached their destinations. In some cases, stocks were looted by armed gangs. Attacks on humanitarian assets and personnel must never be tolerated. Israel, as the occupying power, bears responsibility with regards to public order and safety in Gaza. That should include letting in far more essential supplies, through multiple crossings and routes, to meet humanitarian needs and help reduce looting. Partners working on food security in Gaza estimate that between 8,000 and 10,000 metric tons of wheat flour is required to reach all families across the Strip with at least a single bag of flour to ease the pressure on markets and reduce desperation - alongside other diverse food supplies. Beyond this, the sustained and unrestricted flow of aid into Gaza must resume as soon as possible. Over the weekend, there were no missions to collect supplies from the Kerem Shalom crossing. The Israeli authorities announced that the crossing would remain closed on Friday and Saturday. Humanitarians also continue to face major impediments that hamper their ability to conduct these operations. These impediments include unacceptably dangerous routes, a severe shortage of vetted drivers, and delays, with teams having to wait, often for hours, for military activities to pause - for their safety - and for a green light to be given by the Israeli authorities to proceed, as well as the understandable hesitancy of truck drivers to operate in the current volatile environment. Today, the UN is leading a mission to deliver supplies that entered via Kerem Shalom to Gaza city. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners remain alarmed over the further deterioration of the healthcare system in Gaza, which is verging on complete collapse unless the situation improves urgently. Over the weekend, the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Suzanna Tkalec visited Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis -- alongside WHO and OCHA teams - to highlight the importance of continued access there and to other key facilities that are still partially functioning in Gaza. WHO and OCHA stressed that healthcare facilities must never be militarized and must always be protected. Meanwhile in the West Bank, operations by Israeli forces in the north have continued over the past week, destroying roads and disrupting Palestinians' access to essential services. The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to respond, including by providing water, sanitation and hygiene assistance to tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in the northern West Bank. Lebanon Extensive damage reported after strikes on southern Beirut OCHA remains gravely concerned by the humanitarian impact that ongoing military activities in Lebanon are having on civilians, including in the wake of Israeli air strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs late last Thursday, just ahead of Eid Al-Adha. Additional strikes were recorded in the southern village of Ain Qana that same night. Thousands of residents from the densely populated neighbourhoods targeted by the Israeli air strikes on 5 June fled their homes following displacement orders. This marks the fourth such strike on Beirut since the cessation of hostilities came into effect in November 2024. Civilians in Lebanon continue to be affected by Israeli military operations, exacerbating protection concerns, impeding the safe return of displaced people, hindering humanitarian access, and further driving needs. Along the Blue Line, hostilities have persisted on a near-daily basis, including artillery shelling, demolitions and air strikes, particularly in areas where the Israeli army maintains a military presence and has erected physical barricades and warning signage. Preliminary official assessments by the Beirut Area Reconstruction Committee indicate extensive damage from the air strikes, including to a school for people with disabilities. Nine residential buildings were destroyed, while more than 70 sustained partial damage. Some 115 housing units were destroyed, reportedly resulting in the displacement of about 300 families, who have been hosted by relatives. Additionally, nearly 180 commercial establishments and more than 870 residential units were affected, as well as approximately 50 vehicles. Continued military operations by Israel in Lebanon remain a driver of humanitarian needs, particularly in the South. The International Organization for Migration reports that more than 82,000 people remain displaced across the country, while over 981,000 have returned to their communities of origin. Nigeria UN Relief Chief fast-tracks funding to fight malnutrition Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has released US$6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to address the worst malnutrition crisis to hit north-east Nigeria in five years. "We need to get food to those in urgent need and get systems in place to reduce risk of future crisis," Fletcher said in a social media post today. OCHA is deeply concerned about the impact of escalating food insecurity in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states - in the north-east of the country - during the lean season between June and August. This year, 1 million children under 5 in these areas are at risk of severe acute malnutrition, which is double last year's figure and the highest number in at least five years. The new funding from CERF will help partners meet the most urgent nutrition and health needs of vulnerable people in north-east Nigeria, particularly women and children.* It comes at a critical time, as brutal funding cuts by key donors disrupt humanitarian response efforts. In Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, these cuts mean that humanitarians no longer have the capacity to prevent a further worsening of the situation. Just over a month ago, the UN and the Government of Nigeria launched a multisectoral plan for the lean season that seeks $160 million to 2 million people with life-saving assistance. *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Nigeria with urgent support. Posted on 9 June 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Army to change names of seven installations By U.S. Army Public Affairs June 10, 2025 WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army will take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic Soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu. Five of them received the Medal of Honor, three received the Distinguished Service Cross and one received the Silver Star. Fort Pickett (formerly Fort Barfoot) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett for his extraordinary heroism during World War II. While pinned down by enemy machine gun fire, Pickett crawled forward and destroyed two enemy positions with grenades. After being captured, he escaped from a transport train with fellow POWs and rejoined his unit before being killed in action. Fort Hood (formerly Fort Cavazos) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Col. Robert B. Hood for his extraordinary heroism during World War I. Amid intense shelling near Thiaucourt, France, then-Capt. Hood directed artillery fire under enfilading machine-gun fire. After his gun crew was lost to enemy fire, he rapidly reorganized and returned fire within minutes, restoring combat capability. Fort Gordon (formerly Fort Eisenhower) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon for his valor during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia. Gordon volunteered to be inserted to defend wounded crew members at a helicopter crash site and held off an advancing enemy force, protecting the pilot after exhausting all his ammunition. Fort Lee (formerly Fort Gregg-Adams) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Pvt. Fitz Lee for his heroism during the Spanish-American War. During a coastal assault in Cuba, Lee voluntarily disembarked under direct enemy fire to rescue wounded comrades from the battlefield. Fort Polk (formerly Fort Johnson) will be named in honor of Silver Star recipient Gen. James H. Polk for his gallantry in action as commanding officer of the 3rd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) during operations across Europe in World War II. Then-Col. Polk led reconnaissance and combat missions under fire, spearheading Third Army advances as part of Task Force Polk. He later served as commander in chief of U.S. Army Europe. Fort Rucker (formerly Fort Novosel) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Capt. Edward W. Rucker for extraordinary heroism in World War I. Flying deep behind enemy lines, then-1st Lt. Rucker and his fellow aviators engaged a numerically superior enemy force in a daring aerial battle over France, disrupting enemy movements and completing their mission against overwhelming odds. Fort A.P. Hill (formerly Fort Walker) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipients Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn and Pvt. Bruce Anderson for extraordinary heroism during the Civil War. Then-Capt. Hill, Pinn and Anderson executed significant actions separately at Cold Harbor, Virginia; Chapin's Farm, Virginia; and Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in support of the U.S. Army. The Secretary of the Army will take immediate action to implement these redesignations, which are in accordance with Section 1749(a) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Canada imposes fourth round of sanctions on facilitators of extremist settler violence against civilians in West Bank Global Affairs Canada News release June 10, 2025 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada is imposing new sanctions under the Special Economic Measures (Extremist Settler Violence) Regulations. This round of sanctions lists two individuals for their crucial role in facilitating the significant expansion of settlements and outposts in the West Bank, offering political cover to perpetrators of settler violence, and actively contributing to a more permissive environment for higher levels of harassment and violence by Israeli extremist settlers against Palestinian civilians. Extremist settler violence is leading to greater destabilization in the West Bank, resulting in the forced displacement of Palestinian communities, and increasingly threatening the viability of a two-state solution, as well as regional peace and security. Today's sanctions are in coordination with the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway, and are in response to the recent escalation of violence by Israeli extremist settlers and affiliates against Palestinian civilians and their property in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, contributing to insecurity for both Palestinians and Israelis. The two individuals are the following: Itamar Ben-Gvir Bezalel Smotrich The measures announced today do not deviate from our unwavering support for Israel's security and we continue to condemn the horrific terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas. Canada continues to oppose the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and is committed to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East. These measures focus on the West Bank, but of course this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza. Canada continues to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid. There must be no unlawful transfer of Palestinians from Gaza or within the West Bank, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. Canada will continue to work with the Israeli Government and a range of partners. Canada will strive to ensure an immediate ceasefire, the release now of the remaining hostages and for the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid including food. Canada wants to see a reconstructed Gaza, where Hamas can play no part, and ultimately a political pathway to a two-state solution. Quotes "With today's sanctions, we are sending a clear message that the continued expansion of settlements and acts of extremist settler violence in the West Bank are unacceptable and pose serious obstacles to peace and the realization of a two-state solution. We resolutely stand with the Israeli and Palestinian peoples and their right to live in peace and security, with dignity and without fear." - Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs Quick facts On May 16, 2024, Canada introduced the Special Economic Measures (Extremist Settler Violence) Regulations. In addition to the measures announced today, Canada implemented 3 rounds of sanctions in May 2024, June 2024, and February 2025, listing 15 individuals and 7 entities for their role in extremist settler violence. The United Nations reported that since October 7, 2023, there have been at least 1,800 attacks by settlers against Palestinians. Canada does not recognize permanent Israeli control over the territories occupied in 1967. The 1949 Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (Fourth Geneva Convention) applies in the occupied territories, including Gaza, and establishes Israel's obligations as an occupying power, particularly with respect to the humane treatment of the inhabitants of the occupied territories. As referred to in UN Security Council resolutions 446 (1979) and 465 (1980), Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The settlements also constitute a serious obstacle to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. Related products Backgrounder: Canada imposes sanctions on facilitators of extremist settler violence against civilians in West Bank NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Backgrounder - Canada imposes fourth round of sanctions on facilitators of extremist settler violence against civilians in the West Bank Global Affairs Canada Backgrounder The Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Extremist Settler Violence) Regulations designate two (2) officials of the State of Israel. There are reasonable grounds to believe that these individuals have engaged in activities that undermine the peace and security of the State of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories by directly facilitating, supporting, providing funding for or contributing to the use of violence by Israeli extremist settlers against Palestinian civilians or their property in the West Bank. Canadian measures Persons (individuals and entities) in Canada or Canadians outside Canada are thereby prohibited from dealing in the property of, entering into transactions with, providing services to, transferring property to, or otherwise making goods available to these listed individuals. These measures will also render these individuals inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Under the Special Economic Measures (Extremist Settler Violence) Regulation, a listed person may apply to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to have their name removed from the Schedule of designated persons. The Minister must determine whether there are reasonable grounds to make a recommendation to the Governor in Council for removal. The specific prohibitions are set out in the Special Economic Measures (Extremist Settler Violence) Regulations. The names of the individuals added to the Schedule of these regulations are the following: Itamar Ben-Gvir Bezalel Yoel Smotrich NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address June 10, 2025 By David Vergun, DOD News DOD Leaders Discuss Security Challenges Across Africa, Middle East The Defense Department is putting American interests first in the U.S. Central and Africa Commands' areas of responsibility, said Katherine Thompson, performing the duties of the assistant defense secretary for international security affairs, during a hearing today before the House Armed Services Committee. She elaborated that this means preventing and disrupting credible terrorist threats to the U.S., preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and supporting Israel's ability to defend itself. "State and non-state actors across the Middle East, such as ISIS, Iran and its proxies, continue to threaten the U.S. homeland, as well as our forces and posture across the region," Thompson said. She outlined several of the department's activities in the two regions, noting that DOD is working with African nations to enhance operational independence and empower them to counter shared threats. In Yemen, she said U.S. operations against the Houthis resulted in restoring freedom of navigation. While in Iraq, local security forces now lead most operations against ISIS remnants, requiring only a modest U.S. advisory role. Thompson said last month's $142 billion package in defense sales to Saudi Arabia will help increase burden sharing in the region. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile battery and a U.S. military crew to Israel, she said. Regarding China, Thompson said it has ambitions to expand its military power projection capabilities through overseas basing, naval access and establishing dominance over critical mineral resources in Africa to fund its defense supply chains. She added that DOD will work to prevent and counter Chinese efforts to position its forces in Africa in ways that threaten the ability to defend the U.S. "We will also work closely with interagency partners to counter Chinese efforts to exclude the United States from critical markets on the continent," she said. DOD's largest force posture in Africa is Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, which Thompson said hosts approximately 3,300 military and civilian personnel who support Africom, Centcom, U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Transportation Command. "This base, along with smaller, enduring locations, provides support to contingency operations, episodic military-to-military engagements and crisis response," she added. Centcom Commander Army Gen. Michael E. Kurilla said Iran has continued to increase its stockpiles of uranium, enriched to 60%, of which there is no civilian purpose. He said regional terrorists remain under pressure because of Centcom's relentless campaign aimed at the removal of hundreds of fighters and leaders on the battlefields in Iraq and Syria. He added that a network of partners has dealt significant blows to the ISIS-Khorasan networks exploiting the tribal areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan. "The United States now stands in a strategic window of opportunity to secure its national interests in the Centcom region, protect the homeland, secure economic prosperity, establish freedom of navigation and prevent a nuclear-armed Iran," Kurilla said. Marine Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, said he recently traveled to Morocco to attend the African Lion 2025 exercise, which involved 52 nations and 10,000 soldiers. The general also visited Nairobi, Kenya, to attend the African Chiefs of Defense Conference, co-hosted by Kenya and the U.S. and attended by leaders from 37 African nations. "This gathering showcased the Kenyan defense forces' commitment to fostering military dialog and demonstrated their leadership. The insights drawn from that forum will help inform Africom's approach to hearing how our African partners are solving challenges in their own neighborhoods and understanding where they can shoulder more of the load," Langley said. He added that Africa remains a theater that the United States cannot afford to ignore as it is home to terrorists who aim to grow and export their ideology, where China seeks to establish regional hegemony and where Russia seizes opportunities created by chaos and instability. Successful outcomes, enabled by burden sharing, are beneficial for all, Langley said, noting the U.S. seeks to enhance security through alliances, exercises, training events, security cooperation and its foreign military sales programs. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU-NATO: 10th progress report reaffirms commitment to advancing cooperation amid instability and security challenges European Council / Council of the European Union Council of the EU Press release 10 June 2025 15:13 The Council took note of the tenth progress report on the implementation of the 74 common proposals endorsed by the EU and NATO Councils on 6 December 2016 and 5 December 2017. The report confirms that NATO and the EU remain steadfast defenders of international peace and security and the rules-based international order. It stresses that shared security challenges such as Russia's actions, instability in Europe's Eastern and Southern neighbourhoods, rising tensions in the Western Balkans, and security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, require further strengthening of the transatlantic cooperation. This should be done through an even more robust, coherent and complementary NATO-EU partnership that addresses urgent issues such as enhancing defence readiness, notably by increasing European defence spending, addressing capability shortfalls, expanding defence industrial capacity and ramping up defence production. The report highlights and elaborates on the tangible progress achieved between June 2024 and May 2025 across the entire spectrum of EU-NATO cooperation agenda. Political Dialogue Political dialogue increased substantially, reflecting the determination of the new EU and NATO leadership to bolster mutual understanding, increase interactions and further strengthen cooperation across all areas of the EU-NATO partnership, in particular in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and EU initiatives to boost European defence. Following the publication of the EU White Paper on European Defence - Readiness 2030 and ReArm Europe Plan, the EU High Representative had an exchange - for the first time - with NATO Foreign Ministers on European defence. Since December 2024, High Representative Kaja Kallas also participated in the NATO-Ukraine Council Ministerial meetings. Political Security Committee (PSC)-North Atlantic Council (NAC) meetings have resumed, with a first one focused on Ukraine. Countering hybrid threats and other common challenges EU and NATO staff stepped up cooperation as regards resilience and preparedness in fields such as crisis management, critical infrastructure protection, health preparedness and related strategic communications.Close cooperation on counterterrorism also continued apace. The EU was represented for the first time at the annual NATO Hybrid Symposium. Staff exchanges allowed for the integration of lessons learnt from the NATO baseline requirements into the development of the EU's Preparedness Union Strategy. Cyber security and defence Joint work was taken forward with the first meeting of the structured dialogue on cyber, which focused on cross-participation in exercises, and ensuring consistency by exploring further synergies.Staffs were in close contact during diplomatic responses to cyber incidents, including under the EU Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox, and coordinated statements condemning malicious cyber activities.The NATO Cyber Defence Pledge questionnaire was released to the EEAS and European Commission, while the EU Cyber Census questionnaire was shared to NATO staff. Defence capabilities EU and NATO worked at ensuring enhanced coherence between various existing instruments (e.g., CDP, HLGP and CARD on the EU side and NDPP and PARP on the NATO side). Progress was also recorded on EU and NATO initiatives addressing critical capability shortfalls, strengthening national defence capabilities and ensuring coherence between EU and NATO multinational capability development across all domains. Standardisation remained a key area of cooperation to ensure interoperability and complementarity of efforts, avoid unnecessary duplication, and in respect of the leading role of NATO in military standards through Standardisation Agreements (STANAGs). To support this effort, the NATO Secretary General released a set of NATO unclassified STANAGs to the European Commission and the EEAS. EU and NATO continued exchanges on space. As regards military mobility,Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of rapid and unhindered movement of military forces, equipment and supplies. The EU and NATO intensified discussions on shared priorities and respective work strands, including on military requirements, transport infrastructure, transport of dangerous goods, simplification of customs procedures and cross-border movement permissions, engagement in exercises, and host-nation support. Defence industry, innovation and research The first Structured Dialogue on Defence Industry was launched, focusing on the White Paper and the ReArm Europe Plan, the NATO Industrial Capacity Expansion Pledge and the updated Defence Production Action Plan. Emerging and disruptive technologies were also the object of structured dialogue, with particular attention to dual-use application of artificial intelligence, quantum and biotech. Operational cooperation including maritime security The EU and NATO pursued dialogue between military staffs, and held the annual EU-NATO staff talks on maritime security, focusing on respective naval operations and activities, and potential cooperation between NATO and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), security of critical maritime/undersea infrastructure. Other examples of successful cooperation cover EUNAVFOR MED Operation IRINI and NATO MARCOM, and NATO's activity in the Aegean Sea, assisting Greece and Turkiye, and FRONTEX to counter irregular migration. Exercises Cooperation between NATO and the EU staffs contributed to increasing awareness of the resilience, preparedness and crisis management efforts of both organisations and their respective memberships, notably through continued implementation of the Parallel and Coordinated Exercises (PACE) concept, and the preparations and conduct of the EU Integrated Resolve Exercise 2024 (EU IR24) and NATO's Crisis Management Exercise 2025 (CMX25). Defence and security capacity building Regular staff consultations and cross-briefings continued both in Brussels and on the ground, serving as a valuable platform for exchanging views and sharing information on the political and security situation and assistance measures in eight partner countries - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Jordan, Iraq, Mauritania the Republic of Moldova, Tunisia, and Ukraine. The EU, NATO and their respective members continued to provide substantial support to Ukraine. Staffs continued regular exchanges on the respective assistance provided to Ukraine, including on the EU side through the European Peace Facility (EPF), the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM) - the main training provider for the Ukrainian Armed Forces - and the EU Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform to Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine). The EU and NATO remain firmly committed to further strengthen, deepen and expand their mutually reinforcing and beneficial cooperation by exploring avenues for further collaboration across all existing work strands. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Study: Support for businesses and security perceived as Estonia's most important foreign policy lines Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 10.06.2025 | 16:03 Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a study on the attitude of Estonian residents to current foreign policy issues and Estonia's foreign policy. The survey shows that the Estonian population considers its awareness of foreign policy moderately good, with 62% thinking that they are very well or rather well informed about foreign policy. Residents' opinions on Estonia's foreign policy and attitudes on foreign policy issues differ primarily on the basis of ethnicity. The study points out that the people of Estonia consider creating opportunities for Estonian companies in foreign markets (38%), strengthening regional cooperation with the Nordic and Baltic countries (37%) and strengthening NATO's collective defence (33%) the most important foreign policy directions. The promotion of digital development and cyber capabilities (42%) are seen as Estonia's strengths in the world. Another strength of Estonia that was highlighted was the promotion of education and e-education (36%) and the promotion of security and defence cooperation (33%). More than half of the respondents (58%) thought that Ukraine should not make any concessions in peace negotiations with Russia. 74% of Estonians, 19% of Russians and 54% of other ethnicities agreed with this statement. 15-29-year-olds (73%) and people aged 75 and older (74%) were in the majority among the proponents of this statement. When talking about Ukraine's security guarantees, 56% of those surveyed supported sending Estonian troops to Ukraine, while 39% did not support it. The greatest support (43%) was expressed for sending Estonian troops together with allied troops to Ukraine after the end of the war in order to ensure Ukraine's security. Support for Ukraine's accession to the European Union is quite high, with 64% agreeing. 56% of respondents supported Ukraine's accession to NATO. 56% of respondents considered Estonia's support for Ukraine to be sufficient, 3% considered it too small and 36% considered it too great. Economic reasons rather than giving in to foreign pressure are seen as possible arguments for reducing support to Ukraine. However, 57% of those surveyed believe that continued assistance to Ukraine is necessary in any case. NATO's presence in our region is considered important. 70% disagreed with the claim that NATO should rule out its military presence and exercises in Estonia and other Eastern European countries, as has been demanded by Russia. Although the economic situation is complicated, 75% of respondents, including nearly 90% of the Estonian population and nearly 50% of the Russian population, supported the sanctions against Russia. 56% of the population also disapproves of economic relations with Russia, while 38% think that Estonia should also impose its own restrictive measures to reduce them. When it came to shaping positions in the event of conflicts between the European Union and the United States, standing in solidarity with the EU member states and searching for a compromise were considered the most suitable lines to take for Estonia. More than half of the respondents (56%) could not take a position on Estonia's policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 19% find that Estonia's policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is balanced, 19% consider it too pro-Israel and 6% consider it too pro-Palestinian. The survey was commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and carried out by Turu-uuringute AS this spring. The full survey is available here (in Estonian): Valispoliitika raport NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tsahkna meeting with the Palestinian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs: two-state solution needed to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 10.06.2025 | 13:35 Today 10 June, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna met with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Palestine Varsen Ohannes Vartan Aghabekian in Tallinn to discuss the situation in the Middle East and cooperation between Estonia and Palestine. At the meeting, Tsahkna emphasised that Estonia continues to take the view that the two-state solution is necessary to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East. The ministers discussed violence by Israeli settlers, which aims, above all, to obstruct the economic activities of Palestinians and take over their lands. "Estonia condemns the expansion of settlements created in breach of international law on the West Bank," Tsahkna said, adding that the EU has imposed restrictive measures on violent settlers. "Estonia supports these measures and also supports the addition of new individuals to the sanctioned list if sufficient evidence is available." Tsahkna asked Aghabekian about the options the Palestinian Authority sees for peace in Gaza and the two-state solution. He said he hoped that diplomatic efforts would continue and lead to an end to the war in Gaza. "We have condemned the terrorist attacks against Israel and called for the release of hostages," Tsahkna said. "However, when fighting terrorist organisations, attacks on the civilian population must be avoided at all costs and international humanitarian law must be respected." Despite limited resources, Estonia has continued to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza and the wider region through various international aid organisations. Last week, Estonia decided to allocate 50 000 divided equally between the UN Population Fund and the Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund. The allocation follows the escalation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. There are 2.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Gaza. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is steadily deteriorating as Israel has effectively suspended humanitarian access since 2 March. Since 2023, Estonia has allocated a total of 330 000 for humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip through six different organisations. "Humanitarian aid must reach those in need, and blocking it and obstructing the work of the UN and independent aid organisations is unacceptable," the foreign minister stressed. "There is a need to open more border crossing points, to lift restrictions on the import of essential supplies by humanitarian organisations, and to ensure that aid convoys are allowed to move and that the distribution of aid is not disrupted." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Britain imposes sanctions on Israeli ministers for 'inciting violence' against Palestinians IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Jun 10, 2025 Britain has imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers over their controversial remarks regarding Gaza, which the British government said incited violence and human rights abuses. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir will face a travel ban and asset freeze in the United Kingdom, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced on Tuesday. Lammy stated that the ministers had "incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights." Defending the sanctions, he added, "These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now - to hold those responsible to account." Speaking in the Commons last month, Lammy described Smotrich's remarks about "cleansing" Gaza of Palestinians as "monstrous" and "dangerous extremism." Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey welcomed the sanctions but criticized the delay in action, calling it "disappointing" that the Conservative government and Labour "took so long to act." Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have also been criticized for their stance on the Gaza war, as both ministers oppose allowing aid into the territory and have called for Palestinians to be resettled outside Gaza. In a statement, the Foreign Office declared that "alongside partners Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway, the UK is clear that the rising violence and intimidation by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities in the West Bank must stop." It added that the measures against Smotrich and Ben-Gvir "cannot be seen in isolation from events in Gaza, where Israel must uphold International Humanitarian Law." Meanwhile, the Israeli regime condemned Britain's decision, saying it was "outrageous" that elected officials should face such measures. Britain's move reflects growing public and parliamentary pressure to take action against the Israeli cabinet for its aggression in both Gaza and the West Bank. It also follows a steady escalation of diplomatic pressure from Britain and other Israeli allies for the regime to end the war in Gaza. Last month, Britain, France, and Canada issued a joint statement warning that Israel risked violating international law. Britain has also broken off trade talks with Israel. Nearly 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. 3266**4353 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Minister Araqchi commends Palestinians' resilience against Israeli regime IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Jun 10, 2025 Tehran, IRNA -- Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that Iran will continue its comprehensive support for Palestine, praising the resilience of the Palestinian nation in the face of the Israeli regime. In a meeting with Deputy General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Jamil Mezher on Monday, Araqchi said that the Islamic Republic views the Popular Front as one of the oldest resistance groups against the regime and it attaches respect for this front, its martyred secretary-general, and its imprisoned secretary-general. He said that Iran supports the Palestinian cause and the formation of an independent Palestinian state with the Holy Quds as its capital, adding that the Islamic Republic will continue diplomatic and political support for Palestine in regional and international bodies such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The minister also emphasized the need to enhance unity among Palestinian groups to counter the Israeli regime's plots, saying that Operation Al-Aqsa Storm has revitalized the issue of Palestine worldwide. Mezher commemorated the memory of senior resistance and Iranian figures, praising the Iranian Leader, government, and people for their support of the Palestinian cause. He also presented a report on the situations in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Holy Quds, saying that the Palestinian people will continue resistance despite tactics such as genocide and the starvation policy against women and children. 4208**9417 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO and Bosnia and Herzegovina boost practical cooperation NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 10 Jun. 2025 Four military police vehicles were donated to the Military Police of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina at a ceremony held today (10 June 2025), at the Rajlovac barracks. The ceremony marked the completion of the delivery of this equipment and associated training, under Slovenia's lead, in the framework of NATO's Defence Capacity Building Package for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Piers Cazalet, Director for Defence and Security Cooperation at NATO Headquarters in Brussels participated, together with high-level representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of the International Community, including Zukan Helez, Minister of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borut Sajovic, Minister of Defence of Slovenia, Brigadier General Matthew Valas, Commander of NATO Headquarters Sarajevo, and Ambassador Vladimir Vucinic, Head of the NATO Political Engagement Support Cell. "Today, we take stock of an important milestone in NATO's cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina," Mr. Cazalet said. "Slovenia's steadfast leadership has been key to complete this programme. Slovenia is the first NATO Ally that stepped up its support to Bosnia and Herzegovina, when the NATO Defence Capacity Building Package of assistance was agreed; thanks to Slovenia, the Armed Force of Bosnia and Herzegovina are now better equipped and trained to conduct military police tasks, to cooperate with civilian authorities in the event of emergencies, and to be interoperable with NATO in operations and missions; this is a win-win for all," he added. In February 2023, Allied Defence Ministers endorsed a new Defence Capacity Building package for Bosnia and Herzegovina. This assistance package will strengthen the country's defence and security capabilities, including in areas such as crisis management, cyber defence, aero-medical evacuation and countering terrorism. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO releases new Science & Technology Strategy NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 05 Jun. 2025 Last updated: 10 Jun. 2025 On Thursday (5 June 2025), NATO Defence Ministers endorsed a new strategy that guides Alliance-wide scientific and technological research in support of defence and security. The NATO Science and Technology (S&T) Strategy stresses the importance of science and technology "to enable the Alliance to outperform strategic competitors and potential adversaries in inserting scientific knowledge and adopting emerging technologies across all NATO core tasks". It further emphasises the role that defence and security-related science and technology plays in the development of capabilities and enhancement of military interoperability, as well as in the further reinforcement of societal, political and industrial resilience. The Strategy sets three mutually-reinforcing strategic goals for the NATO S&T Enterprise: To "Anticipate and Invest": notably through enhanced foresight and increasing investment in critical S&T areas, such as AI, quantum and biotechnologies, and support for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. To "Safeguard and Protect" the NATO S&T Enterprise against hybrid threats such as interference. To "Orchestrate and Energize" S&T, including by promoting "denser, deeper and more agile coordination" and exploiting S&T results across all NATO core tasks. The new Strategy supersedes the NATO S&T Strategy released in 2018. It supports NATO's 2022 Strategic Concept and takes accounts of the science & technology macro trends that the Science and Technology Organization (STO) has identified as important for the Alliance for the next 20 years, and outlined in its 2025-2045 report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli attacks on educational, religious and cultural sites in the Occupied Palestinian Territory amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination, UN Commission says Press releases Independent investigation 10 June 2025 GENEVA -- Israel has obliterated Gaza's education system and destroyed over half of all religious and cultural sites in the Gaza Strip, part of a widespread and relentless assault against the Palestinian people in which Israeli forces have committed war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, said in a new report today. While the Commission paid special attention to the situation in Gaza, the report focuses on attacks in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as a whole, and in Israel. "We are seeing more and more indications that Israel is carrying out a concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life in Gaza," said Navi Pillay, Chair of the Commission. "Israel's targeting of the educational, cultural and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm the present generations and generations to come, hindering their right to self-determination." The Commission found that Israel used airstrikes, shelling, burning and controlled demolitions to damage and destroy more than 90 percent of the school and university buildings in Gaza, creating conditions where education for children, including adolescents, and the livelihood of teachers have been made impossible. Over 658,000 children in Gaza have had no schooling for 20 months. Israeli forces committed war crimes, including directing attacks against civilians and wilful killing, in their attacks on educational facilities that caused civilian casualties. In killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites, Israeli security forces committed the crime against humanity of extermination. The Commission documented and investigated several cases of burning and demolition of educational facilities by Israeli forces which it concluded were deliberate and unnecessary. Israeli soldiers recorded and distributed videos in which they mock Palestinians and Palestinian education, before destroying schools and universities. The Commission considers such acts as indicative of the Israeli security forces' intent to destroy these facilities to curtail Palestinians' access to education in the long-term. The Commission also found significant evidence that Israeli security forces seized and used educational facilities as military bases or staging areas for military activity, including transforming a part of the Al-Azhar university's Al-Mughraqa campus to function as a synagogue for the troops. The Commission found one instance where the military wing of Hamas had also used a school for military purposes. Such conduct violates the provision of customary international humanitarian law that requires parties to a conflict to distinguish between civilian objects and military objectives. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the education system has suffered from increasing military operations by Israeli security forces, the harassment of students, and an increase in checkpoints, demolitions and settler attacks which have affected more than 806,000 Palestinian students. Israel has done little to prevent or prosecute settlers who have intentionally targeted educational facilities and students to terrorise communities and force them to leave their homes. Israeli authorities have also targeted Israeli and Palestinian educational personnel and students inside Israel who expressed concern or solidarity with the civilian population in Gaza, resulting in their harassment, dismissal or suspension and in some cases humiliating arrests and detention. Israeli authorities have particularly targeted female educators and students, intending to deter women and girls from activism in public places. "Children in Gaza have lost their childhood. With no education available, they are forced to worry about survival amid attacks, uncertainty, starvation and subhuman living conditions," said Pillay. "What is particularly disturbing is the widespread nature of the targeting of educational facilities, which has extended well beyond Gaza, impacting all Palestinian children." Attacks by Israeli security forces have damaged more than half of all religious and cultural sites in the Gaza Strip, part of a wider campaign to destroy civilian targets and infrastructure through airstrikes and shelling. Israeli attacks also targeted religious sites that served as places of refuge, killing hundreds of people, including women and children. The Commission concluded that Israeli security forces knew or should have known the locations and significance of Gaza's prominent cultural sites and should have planned all military operations to ensure no harm. All ten religious and cultural sites in Gaza investigated by the Commission constituted civilian objects at the time of attack and suffered devastating destruction for which the Commission could not identify a legitimate military need. Artefacts were destroyed, removed or looted. In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Commission found that Israeli authorities have appropriated, developed and profited from cultural heritage sites representing Palestinian, Jewish and other cultures, displaced Palestinian residents from those sites, and blocked or severely restricted Palestinians from accessing such sites. In East Jerusalem, frequent militarised incursions, arrests and harassment against worshippers and religious figures in Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount have resulted in severe restrictions of freedom of worship and, on several occasions, ignition of wider conflict. Israeli authorities limited access of Palestinian worshippers to the site while allowing increased access of Jewish worshippers. The Commission emphasises that, while some actions by Israeli security forces at the site may have been linked to security justifications, these should be considered within the broader context of Israel's illegal occupation, settlement activity and support to settlers, and the erosion of the status quo. Israel's actions are governed by the law of occupation, the occupying power's obligation to ensure public order and safety, and international human rights law regarding the use of force, which must be necessary and proportionate. "Attacks on cultural and religious sites have deeply impacted intangible culture, such as religious and cultural practices, memories and history," said Pillay. "The targeting and destruction of heritage sites, the limiting of access to those sites in the West Bank and the erasure of their heterogenic history erode Palestinians' historical ties to the land and weaken their collective identity." In its recommendations, the Commission urges the Government of Israel to immediately end attacks targeting cultural, religious and education institutions and seizure and military use of such institutions; immediately end its unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory and cease all settlement plans and activities, including those conducted in or endangering religious and cultural sites; and comply fully with the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice. The Commission calls on the Government of the State of Palestine to ensure the protection, preservation and development of cultural heritage sites, including those representing non-Palestinian heritage, and to safeguard artefacts. The Commission calls on the de-facto authorities in Gaza to cease using civilian objects for military purposes. The Commission's report will be presented to the Human Rights Council's 59th session on 17 June 2025. ENDS Read the full report here. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Manalo Engages U.S. Secretary of State Rubio on Philippines-U.S. Relations During Meeting in Washington, D.C. Republic of the Philippines - Department of Foreign Affairs WASHINGTON, D.C. 10 June 2025 -- As a part of a working visit to the United States, Philippine Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss wide-ranging issues under the Philippines-U.S. partnership. On the economic front, the Secretaries looked forward to the positive conclusion of high-level talks between Philippine and U.S. economic managers on the U.S.'s reciprocal tariffs. They also underscored the importance of stronger economic relations in building a more enduring Philippines-U.S. alliance, and promoting overall security. Furthermore, they committed to exploring opportunities for cooperation with regional allies and partners, including trilaterally with Japan. The Secretaries reaffirmed the importance of continued defense and security cooperation, including through support for the Philippines' defense modernization efforts. They cited recent positive developments, including the Joint Vision Statement of the Philippine and U.S. Defense Secretaries on building our defense industrial cooperation, U.S. offers of foreign military sales to meet Philippine needs, and the conduct of the latest Balikatan exercises. The meeting follows up on engagements of the two Secretaries early in the current U.S. administration, including a phone call in January and a meeting during the Munich Security Conference in March. Secretary Manalo was accompanied by the Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez in the meeting. END NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Senate remands VP Duterte impeachment case to House Philippine News Agency By Wilnard Bacelonia June 10, 2025, 10:26 pm Updated on June 11, 2025, 7:12 am MANILA -- The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, voted 18-5 on Tuesday night to return the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte to the House of Representatives, rejecting calls for outright dismissal while leaving the case technically alive for further action. The motion, introduced by Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano, was presented as a compromise to preserve constitutional integrity without prematurely terminating the case. The motion explicitly stated that the return of the articles would not constitute dismissal or final judgment. "The effect of this is only about four days. It won't delay the proceedings and will even help the 20th Congress," Cayetano told reporters in an ambush interview, saying the move allows the next Congress to act with greater clarity and legitimacy. Those who voted against the motion were Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, and Senators Risa Hontiveros, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe and Sherwin Gatchalian. Hontiveros delivered a strong dissent, criticizing the language of the motion as vague and legally problematic. "The wording of the approved motion introduces unnecessary ambiguity to the already politically charged proceedings," she said. "Wala pong remand o return sa konstitusyon. Ang obligation natin (There is no remand or return in the constitution. Our obligation), try and decide," she added. She argued that if clarifications were needed, the Senate could have asked the House prosecution panel to file a formal compliance instead of sending the complaint back. Votes for remand Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, who voted in the affirmative, said his decision was anchored in experience and a commitment to constitutional order. "That's why I feel strongly about following each step in the Constitution. It's a sensitive matter that I take to heart," he said, recalling the aborted impeachment of his father, former president Joseph Estrada. Estrada emphasized that while impeachment is inherently political, the process must adhere to rules to avoid being arbitrary or agenda-driven. "Even in a political process like impeachment, we must adhere to established procedures to ensure that actions are neither arbitrary nor driven solely by political agendas," he said. Senator Francis Tolentino, meanwhile, clarified that his affirmative vote was "subject to a continuing firm stand" that the acts of the 19th Congress cannot be carried into the 20th. "Naniniwala po ako na hindi po talaga pwede at dapat tumawid (I firmly believe that it really cannot and should not carry over)," he said, referencing the transition between congressional sessions. Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, who earlier called for the complaint's dismissal due to alleged constitutional infirmities, expressed gratitude following the vote. "18-5 Returned!!! Thank you, Lord! I'm not trained nor equipped for this kind of task, but I am blessed with a clean heart and a fighting spirit that won't stop. So blessed to be guided by the Holy Spirit," he wrote on Facebook. Case not kicked out The decision means that the House may opt to refile, revise or affirm its impeachment complaint in the next Congress. Cayetano said the Senate will ask the House to certify whether the complaint violates the constitutional one-year bar on multiple impeachment attempts, a point of contention raised in Dela Rosa's initial motion to dismiss. Cayetano acknowledged that while some senators wanted to dismiss the complaint outright, the return serves as a middle ground. "Most of us do not want to dismiss it but agree that we have to look into the facts kung totoo o hindi na viniolate ang constitution (if the constitution was indeed violated)," he said. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Senate convenes as impeachment court Philippine News Agency By Wilnard Bacelonia June 10, 2025, 9:19 pm MANILA -- The Senate on Tuesday formally convened as an impeachment court, with 22 senators taking their oath as judges in the historic trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte. Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero, serving as presiding officer, led the oath-taking ceremony, marking the chamber's assumption of its constitutional mandate to try the impeachment complaint transmitted by the House of Representatives. Moments after the Senate organized itself, Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa delivered a lengthy privilege speech questioning the constitutionality of the impeachment complaint. He moved for its outright dismissal, citing what he described as serious procedural lapses, including the delayed action on earlier impeachment filings and the last-minute transmittal of a fourth complaint that bypassed the supposed one-year ban. "In view of its constitutional infirmities and questions on the jurisdiction and authority of the 20th Congress, I respectfully move that the verified impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte be dismissed," Dela Rosa said. But the motion was met with opposition from other senators, including Senator Risa Hontiveros, who argued that the Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials did not allow a senator-judge to raise such a motion. She added that any motion to dismiss should come from the respondent, not from the court. "A motion to dismiss is not found. Hindi po nahahanap itong motion to dismiss sa Rules of Procedure on Impeachment na literal kaka-adopt lang po natin. At kung mayroon man, hindi senator-judge ang magraraise noon kundi ang defendant (This motion to dismiss cannot be found in the Rules of Procedure on Impeachment that we literally just adopted. And if there is one, it would not be a senator-judge who would raise it, but the defendant)," Hontiveros said. Citing the Ang Tibay doctrine, she emphasized that due process requires both the prosecution and the defense to be heard before the court can rule on any dispositive motion. Hontiveros urged the Senate to first notify the parties and allow them to comment on Dela Rosa's motion before proceeding. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, sitting as a senator-judge, intervened in the discussion and suggested three possible courses of action: dismiss the complaint, remand it, or allow the proceedings to continue the following day. He said that while Dela Rosa had the right to maintain his motion, the court should tread carefully. "I cannot in conscience say that we decide today that it violated the one-year ban rule," Cayetano said. He noted that there was already a Supreme Court ruling on the matter, but questioned whether the prosecution was ready and whether the 20th Congress could legally carry forward the trial. Cayetano warned that dismissing the complaint outright could lead the House to simply refile it, while a remand to the House might at least prompt further deliberation. Proceeding immediately, on the other hand, could push the trial into a constitutional gray area once the 19th Congress ends and the new Congress begins. "If we dismiss, ibabalik din nila. Pag remand, may mangyayari (they will also return it. If remanded, something will happen)," Cayetano said. He added that the Senate could ask the House to certify that the impeachment did not violate the one-year rule and let the 20th Congress decide how to proceed. Until then, he said, it may be prudent to delay a final ruling on the motion. On Feb. 5, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Duterte, marking the first time a sitting vice president in the post-EDSA People Power era has been put on the verge of removal. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address AFP: 41 Chinese coast guard vessels, warships spotted in WPS in May Philippine News Agency By Priam Nepomuceno June 10, 2025, 2:29 pm MANILA -- A total of 41 China Coast Guard (CCG) and People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships were monitored in three Philippine-held features in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in May, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Tuesday. In a report, the military said the 41 CCG and PLAN vessels were spotted at the following locations: --Bajo de Masinloc: 15 CCG vessels, 11 PLAN ships; --Ayungin Shoal: 6 CCG, 1 PLAN; --Pag-asa Island: 4 CCG, 4 PLAN. In the same period, the AFP also monitored a total of 15,765 vessels across the Philippine archipelago. "This sustained operational tempo reflects the unwavering focus on maritime domain awareness and enforcement of our sovereign rights," it added. Of the total, 12,608 were classified as foreign vessels. The AFP said 1,349 vessels did not respond to radio challenges. "The majority of these incidents were recorded in Pag-asa (665 vessels), Tubbataha (184 vessels), and Ayungin Shoal (125 vessels) -- areas of high interest due to their proximity to other maritime zones," it added. The WPS refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago, including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Navy: Contingency plan in place for Chinese ships grounding in WPS Philippine News Agency By Priam Nepomuceno June 10, 2025, 2:06 pm MANILA -- A ranking Philippine Navy (PN) official on Tuesday said "appropriate contingency measures" are in place should Chinese maritime forces deliberately ground their ships in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). "In the PN and in the Armed Forces (of the Philippines), we do not deal (with) speculation. Nevertheless, we have appropriate contingencies in place for any eventuality," PN spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a press briefing. Trinidad did not mention specific details of these measures for security reasons. He was referring to the Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) vessel with bow number 16838, which ran aground in Pag-asa Island's Reef 1 last June 7 due to adverse weather conditions. The CMM ship was able to pull itself out a few hours later. Trinidad also maintained that when the Chinese grounding was reported, coordination was immediately done with the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). "The PCG was able to dispatch a rubber boat to be able to check on the safety of life and the equipment aboard the ship. There was no report on that. There was no report initially on the environmental damage. hindi naman sya ganung katagal nakasadsad dun (it was not grounded for very long), they were able to extricate after a few hours," he added. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Manalo, Rubio discuss growing PH-US economic ties, Chinese acts in SCS Philippine News Agency By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora June 10, 2025, 9:00 am MANILA -- The Philippines and the United States' top diplomats have met to discuss enhancing bilateral economic ties and China's "destabilizing actions" in the South China Sea, the US State Department said Tuesday. Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met during the former's working visit to Washington DC on Monday. "Secretary Rubio and Secretary Manalo committed to deepening cooperation on addressing China's destabilizing actions in the South China Sea and to increasing economic cooperation to mutually benefit American and Philippine citizens," said State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce in a readout. Rubio, she said, reaffirmed that the US-Philippines alliance, anchored on the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, plays a "vital role" in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Last month, the US Department of Defense criticized China over its actions in the South China Sea, including the use of water cannons against vessels and involvement in ship-to-ship collisions. The two officials cited recent positive developments on security relations, including commitments on building a defense industrial cooperation, the US offers of foreign military sales to meet Philippine needs, and the conduct of the latest Balikatan exercises. On the economic front, the two looked forward to the positive conclusion of high-level talks between the two nations' economic managers on the US reciprocal tariffs. Manalo and Rubio also "committed to exploring new opportunities" for cooperation with regional allies and partners, including trilaterally with Japan through the Luzon Economic Corridor, said Bruce. The Philippines, US, and Japan launched the corridor in April 2024 to back development in Luzon, with a flagship project of connecting Subic Bay, Clark, Manila, and Batangas through a cargo railway. Under this initiative, the three states commit to accelerating coordinated investments in high-impact infrastructure projects, including ports modernization, clean energy, semiconductor supply chains and deployments, agribusiness, and civilian port upgrades at Subic Bay. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel launches largest West Bank assault in years Iran Press TV Tuesday, 10 June 2025 6:49 PM The Israeli regime has launched a large-scale military raid into the heart of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, which has been described as the largest such incursion in years. Media reported on Tuesday that the raid had begun shortly after midnight local time when a large number of military vehicles entered the city from multiple directions. Israeli troops also brought fuel tanks for the vehicles, a measure that is not often taken during short-term incursions. Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinians, including a paramedic, deployed tear gas, arrested several individuals, and violently raided homes during the incursion. Footage shared by local media showed a Palestinian man with his hands raised approaching Israeli soldiers before a scuffle ensued and gunshots were heard in the background. Israeli media reported that two Palestinians were killed after allegedly attempting to seize a soldier's weapon. A Palestinian journalist at the scene said the two men were shot while trying to return to their homes. Ambulances were blocked from reaching them. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Nablus reported that at least 65 Palestinians were wounded. Fawaz al-Bitar, a PRCS operations officer, said some of the injured suffered gunshot wounds to the thigh, and some were the result of physical assault by soldiers. There were also cases of tear gas inhalation as Israeli forces fired tear gas bombs at homes in the alleys of a densely populated area of the city. "Our work was obstructed several times, and we were prevented from reaching the two injured young men," Bitar said. "An ambulance was also fired upon while in the city center, and one paramedic was shot." Munadil Hanani, a member of the city's Factional Coordination Committee, said there were indications that the incursion could last for a long period. Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers announced a curfew via loudspeakers, ordering residents to remain indoors until Wednesday morning. It has been the first such measure imposed in Nablus since the Second Intifada in 2000. Soldiers raised their weapons at residents and arrested dozens of young men during the raids on homes, and arbitrarily confiscated the belongings of residents. Life in Nablus was completely paralyzed by the raid, with markets deserted and schools, universities, and public institutions closed until further notice. Residents fear it may lead to a prolonged and devastating military assault similar to those taking place in Jenin and Tulkarm, where thousands of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced in recent months. Attacks in the West Bank have included the demolition of tents and agricultural rooms, physical assaults on shepherds, and the seizure of livestock. The regime has escalated its West Bank violence since October 7, 2023, when it launched its genocide in Gaza. Since then, Israeli forces and settlers have killed about 1,000 Palestinians in the occupied territory. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US no longer backs establishment of independent Palestinian state: Israel envoy Iran Press TV Tuesday, 10 June 2025 6:45 PM Mike Huckabee, the newly appointed US ambassador to the Israeli-occupied territories, says Washington no longer endorses the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, suggesting that if one were to be formed, it could be elsewhere in the region rather than the occupied West Bank. Huckabee made the remarks in an interview with Bloomberg News on Tuesday, ahead of a United Nations conference later this month to recognize the state of Palestine. "Unless there are some significant things that happen that change the culture, there's no room for it," Huckabee said, adding that those steps probably won't occur "in our lifetime." The 69-year-old radical Christian Zionist further noted that Israel's "Muslim neighbors" could give up their land to create such a state rather than asking Tel Aviv to make room. "Does it have to be in Judea and Samaria?" he asked, referring to the West Bank by its Israeli term. Huckabee is a devout Christian Zionist, firmly embracing the Zionist narrative that the occupied Palestinian territories belong to the Jewish people. On the presidential campaign trail in Massachusetts in 2008, he had used extremely inflammatory remarks that triggered severe backlash. His latest remarks come as France and Saudi Arabia are set to co-host a conference from June 17 to 20 in New York focusing on the recognition of the Palestinian territories. The two countries have pledged to remove the obstacles to the recognition of the Palestinian state during the international conference. France has been pushing European countries, including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium, to jointly recognize the state of Palestine at the forthcoming event. French President Emmanuel Macron hopes to use the conference to jumpstart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians by having several European states officially recognize Palestinian statehood. France and the UK would be the first G7 nations to recognize the state of Palestine - a decades-long demand from the Palestinians. More than 140 UN member states recognize the Palestinian state, with Spain, Ireland, and Norway joining the ranks last year. Elsewhere in his remarks, Huckabee placed the blame solely on the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas for the continuation of war in the Gaza Strip, saying the group must free its remaining hostages for the conflict to end. This comes as US President Donald Trump has consistently advocated for the takeover of Gaza since February, and the resettlement of its inhabitants to transform the area into a tourist attraction. This proposal has been met with rejection from the Muslim world and numerous other countries, who argue that it constitutes ethnic cleansing. The Israeli forces launched the genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli attacks on Gaza's schools, cultural sites are war crimes: UN Iran Press TV Tuesday, 10 June 2025 4:50 PM UN experts in a report have warned that destruction of over 90% of Gaza's educational facilities and more than half of its religious and cultural sites by Israeli forces in besieged Gaza amounts to war crimes and the crime against humanity of "extermination." In a report, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian Territory said on Thursday that Israel committed crimes by killing civilians sheltering at these sites. The report, which will be presented to the Human Rights Council on June 17, said all this was done as part of a "concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life." Israel's attacks represent a "widespread and relentless assault" on the Palestinian people, with "more and more indications that Israel is carrying out a concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life in Gaza," according to commission chair Navi Pillay. The report also detailed the destruction of 10 key religious and cultural sites in the blockaded Palestinian territory, which investigators say were civilian in nature and had no apparent military value. "Attacks on cultural and religious sites have deeply impacted intangible culture, such as religious and cultural practices, memories and history," Pillay said. More than 658,000 children in Gaza have been out of school for nearly two years, while airstrikes, shelling, and deliberate demolitions have decimated schools and universities, the report said. The commission documented Israeli soldiers mocking Palestinians and their education before destroying institutions and found that Israeli forces repurposed facilities like Al-Azhar University's campus as military bases or even synagogues. Harm done to the Palestinian education system was not confined to Gaza, the report found, citing increased Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank as well as harassment of students and settler attacks there. In the West Bank and East al-Quds, the commission found Israeli settler violence, military raids, and movement restrictions severely affected over 806,000 Palestinian students. It also accused Israel of profiting from appropriated heritage sites and blocking Palestinian access. The commission called on Israel to end its occupation, halt all attacks and settlement activity, and comply with international law. The report comes as the Israeli military pushes ahead with its genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. According to the Gaza health ministry, nearly 80 Palestinians have been killed across the Gaza Strip in the past day alone. The number of people killed in attacks on humanitarian aid distribution centers has also increased alarmingly. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has condemned the attacks on aid centers, saying the current process has become a "death trap" for the people of Gaza. The death toll from the genocide in Gaza is nearing 55,000, mostly women and children. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli drone bombs Hamas fighters in Gaza to save Daesh-tied militants Iran Press TV Tuesday, 10 June 2025 10:47 AM The Israeli military has carried out an airstrike against a group of Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip as the resistance combatants were preparing to launch an operation against Daesh-tied militants in the besieged territory, further exposing the nexus between the Tel Aviv regime and the Takfiri terrorists. According to Hebrew-language i24NEWS channel, Hamas members engaged in an exchange of gunfire with members of the so-called Abu Shabab group at a Gaza neighborhood late on Monday. The clashes intensified overnight, with both sides suffering a number of casualties. It was when the Israeli army deployed an unnamed aerial vehicle to the scene, which fired a missile. Four fighters from the Hamas resistance movement were killed as a result. The aerial attack marks the first of its kind by the Israeli military, whose sole purpose was to aid Daesh-linked Abu Shabab members. Earlier this month, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that the regime has been arming and supporting a gang associated with Daesh terrorists in the Gaza Strip to "counter the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas." The confession came after Avigdor Lieberman, a Knesset member and the regime's former minister for military affairs, said Israel had transferred weapons to criminal gangs. "What did Lieberman 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. "It is only good, it is saving lives of Israeli soldiers." The group Lieberman was addressing in his remarks was a local Bedouin tribe led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The head of the Daesh-affiliated group has spent time in prison in Gaza, and his tribe chiefs have recently denounced him as an Israeli "collaborator and a gangster." Evidence of the group's role in Israel's campaign of genocide led elders and leaders of the prominent Abu Shabab family to announce their disavowal of the group. Yasser Abu Shabab also has a known history of drug smuggling and has established a fortified base in an Israeli-controlled zone in Rafah under the regime's guidance. He comes from the Tarabin Bedouin tribe, which spans from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to southern Gaza and the Negev Desert, and has been identified in an internal UN memo as "the main influential figure behind the widespread and organized looting" of aid convoys to Gaza. Last year, the New Arab, a leading English-language news website, reported that Abu Shabab, among others, was working alongside hundreds of thieves under the protection of Israeli forces near the Karem Abu Salem crossing, the primary entry point for aid convoys. Last week, Palestinian resistance fighters revealed the group's involvement in Israeli covert operations by releasing videos showing the Yasser Abu Shabab forces working alongside Israeli undercover units targeting Palestinians in Rafah. Senior Israeli commanders have warned that the regime's armed forces lack the manpower and resources to fulfill the goals in the besieged Gaza Strip. They say Hamas remains in control of the Gaza Strip even nearly two years into the campaign of genocide. Israeli intelligence says virtually 20,000 Hamas fighters, including several commanders, remain active across Gaza. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address At least 20 Palestinians killed, over 120 injured as Israeli forces fire on Gaza aid seekers Iran Press TV Tuesday, 10 June 2025 8:03 AM At least 20 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military as they attempted to collect aid near a food distribution point in Gaza, according to local officials, marking the latest casualties of a new system to provide supplies that critics say is unethical, chaotic and dangerous. Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire on Tuesday morning as people went to receive supplies from a site in central Gaza run by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli and US-backed group. The authorities added that more than 120 others were wounded in the incident. The latest attack comes hours after Israeli forces killed 14 Palestinians who had gathered at the GHF site in southern Rafah. The deaths bring to over 110 the number of people killed while trying to find food in Gaza since May 27, when the GHF became responsible for civilian food provision. More than 1,000 others have been injured. Earlier this month, 31 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire as they went to receive food. The Israeli military alleged it had fired warning shots towards several suspects who advanced towards troops. The Israeli military resumed bombardment of Gaza on March 18, killing thousands of Palestinians, and injuring many others, after it shattered the 2-month ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian group Hamas and the deal on the exchange of Israeli captives with Palestinian abductees. At least 54,927 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and another 126,615 individuals injured in the brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 7, 2023. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the besieged coastal territory. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel launches strikes on Yemen's Hudaydah after missile attack at Ben Gurion airport Iran Press TV Tuesday, 10 June 2025 5:33 AM Israeli warplanes have carried out a new round of airstrikes against Yemen's strategic western province of Hudaydah, following the regime's threats to bomb three ports in the Arab nation to retaliate drone and missile strikes by Yemeni Armed Forces against the occupying entity. The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen television news channel reported that Israeli fighter jets attacked a number of sites in the port of Hudaydah on Tuesday morning, without providing further details about possible casualties and the extent of damage caused. The aerial raids came hours after the Israeli military had issued an "urgent" evacuation warning for three ports on Yemen's western coast. The Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army, colonel Avichay Adraee said in a post on his social media page X that aerial raids would target the ports of Ras Isa, Hudaydah, and Salif. Air traffic at Ben Gurion Airport was temporarily halted on Monday evening after the Israeli army announced the interception of a missile launched from Yemen. The Israeli Channel 12 reported that operations at the airport, located 20 kilometers (12 miles) to the southeast of Tel Aviv, were suspended due to the missile launch from Yemen. The Yemeni military claimed responsibility on Thursday night for a "hypersonic ballistic missile attack" against Ben Gurion Airport. "The operation came in response to the (Israeli) crime of starvation and thirst in Gaza and the enemy's aggression against the southern suburbs of Beirut," the Yemeni military spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said in a statement aired by al-Masirah television channel. "We will stand with Gaza until the aggression and blockade against Gaza stop," he added. The Israeli military earlier said in a statement that air raid warning sirens were heard across dozens of cities and communities, including al-Quds, several settlements in the occupied West Bank, and the area near Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv, sending settlers to shelters and safe rooms. The army also claimed that its anti-air missile systems intercepted a missile fired from Yemen. The Yemeni Armed Forces have made it clear that they will not halt their retaliatory operations until Israel ceases its ground and aerial offensives in Gaza. The devastating Israeli war has resulted in the deaths of at least 54,927 Palestinians so far, the majority of whom are women and children. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The EU's Legal Win Against Russian Oligarchs, And Its Expanding Roaming Zone By Rikard Jozwiak June 10, 2025 Briefing #1: Ukraine, Moldova Move A Step Closer To EU By Joining Bloc's Roaming Area What You Need To Know: Ukraine and Moldova are set to take a major symbolic step toward European Union membership by joining the bloc's "roam like at home" (RLAH) mobile phone regime on January 1, 2026. One of the EU's more popular policies since it began in 2017, RLAH allows people who have a mobile contract in one EU member state to be charged domestic rates for calls, text messages, and data when visiting another country in the club. The RLAH is also applicable in the other non-EU countries of the European Economic Area -- Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway -- as well as other states in which some telecom operators have decided to align with EU legislation, like the United Kingdom. But this move is the first time Brussels has invited EU candidate countries to join this part of its single market. Deep Background: The For Ukraine, this move is not entirely unexpected, nor is it something completely new. When the full-scale invasion of Ukraine occurred in 2022, the bloc's operators, in cooperation with several Ukrainian counterparts, struck a deal allowing Ukrainian refugees in the EU to benefit from either roaming free or very low costs while using their Ukrainian mobile phones. This benefit has been prolonged on numerous occasions by the EU since, most recently in July last year via a qualified majority (55 percent of the member states comprising 65 percent of the total EU population). In fact, EU diplomats have described this measure as one of the easiest to agree on among themselves, unlike other Ukraine-related policies such as the removal of trade barriers for Ukrainian goods coming into the bloc. Ukraine will now become a permanent member of the RLAH regime, with a final decision expected by the other members in July. A transition period is expected to be agreed upon until January 1, 2026, to make sure everything goes smoothly. During that transition period a final prolongation of the temporary roam like home provision will also be agreed on in July. Moldova, which also is expected to join Ukraine in the RLAH area by early next year, doesn't enjoy the same temporary roaming measures as Ukrainians in the EU do, but since last year Moldovan and EU operators have gradually and voluntarily lowered telecom costs. Drilling Down: Ukraine and Moldova are able to join RLAH because of an opening in the association agreement that both countries struck with the EU in the past decade. These agreements provided for what is called "mutual internal market treatment" for a product or a service such as roaming. This means that if Kyiv and/or Chisinau complies with all EU legislation for that product or service and the EU is happy with the implementation of the laws, they would be part of the EU's internal market in that specific area. EU hopefuls in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia) don't have this in their respective association agreements with Brussels because they were inked much earlier than those for the EU's eastern neighbors. Instead, the six Balkan nations created a specific "roam like home" policy among themselves with the aim of gradually reducing tariffs vis-a-vis the EU. Since last year both Ukraine and Moldova have introduced various EU roaming and telecom legislation. Some relates to technical standards, networks, and pricing, while other legislation addresses practical things like the number of masts and transmitters. Ukraine's parliament adopted the final necessary bill in this respect in April, and the European Commission received the final notification that all the laws had been published on June 6. It will soon recommend that EU member states vote in favor of Kyiv joining full time. Moldova, on the other hand, is a few weeks behind Ukraine, but the commission hopes to be notified of all the necessary legislative changes by the end of this month. While these measures in general are positive for consumers, there is no doubt that both Moldovan and Ukrainian mobile operators will lose out financially, just like EU operators did when RLAH was first introduced. And while the changes have been gradual, operators will likely compensate for their losses by raising charges for consumers in other areas. There will also be questions around what territory the RLAH policy actually covers when it comes to Moldova and Ukraine. Moldova's Transnistria should be covered, and there could be parts of the Russian-occupied Donbas where it works, but Kyiv has lost many transmitters due to the fighting and Crimea -- annexed by Russia in 2014 -- is now completely covered by the Russian telecom network. Briefing #2: EU Sanctions Score A Legal Win Over Russian Oligarchs What You Need To Know: 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. Deep Background: 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. Drilling Down: 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. 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. Looking Ahead Globesec will host its annual forum in Prague on June 12-14. Central and Eastern Europe''s biggest think-tank event brings together politicians, analysts and diplomats from all over Europe and beyond for plenty of insights and discussions on the most pressing security issues. I will be there for all three days -- please read more about it in next week's newsletter. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-legal-win-russia- oligarchs-roaming-zone/33438145.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 Afghanistan Starts Demarcating Borders, Restoring Border Markers - Reports Sputnik News 20250610 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Afghanistan has started to demarcate its borders with neighboring states along with restoration of border markers that were previously lost for various reasons, Afghan broadcaster reported on Monday, citing the Ministry of Borders, Ethnicities, and Tribes Affairs of Afghanistan. "Regardless of the sensitivity and length of the process, the ministry and its partner agencies are committed to precisely defining zero points and protecting the territorial integrity of the country," ministry spokesman Taslimullah Haqqani was quoted by the Tolo News broadcaster on Monday as saying. Negotiations are underway with neighboring countries that share official borders with Afghanistan on the renewal and reconstruction of border markers, according to a statement referenced by Afghan broadcaster. The broadcaster cited Afghan experts as saying that conflicts over the past two decades have led to the violation of the Afghan state border by neighboring countries, and the renewal of border markers would be an efficient step towards solving these issues. Afghanistan shares borders with six countries: Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China and Pakistan. At the same time, Afghanistan does not recognize the so-called Durand Line, which is a border between Afghanistan and Pakistan demarcated by British authorities in the late 19th century. This 2,640-kilometer (1,640-mile) line, which resulted from the negotiations in 1893 between Afghanistan and the Indian colonial administration, has been the subject of intense debates for decades. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Houthis Claim Israel Attacked Yemeni Port City of Hodeida Sputnik News 20250610 Hodeida has been a key entry point for food and other humanitarian aid for millions of Yemenis since the war began in 2014. Israel attacked docks in Yemen's port city of Hodeida on Tuesday, Al Masirah reported. "Two strikes by the Israeli enemy targeted the docks of the port of Hodeida," in western Yemen, stated the TV channel. Facilities that are key to aid shipments to the war-wracked nation were reportedly targeted. On Tuesday night, the Israeli military issued a warning to stay away from three ports on Yemen's western Red Sea coast - Ras Isa, Hodeida and al-Salif - over what it alleged was "the Houthi regime's use of seaports for its terrorist activities." The Israeli navy struck Yemen's port of Hodeida in response to Houthi missile launches at Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Chief Urges Members to Raise Spending to 5% or Brush Up on Their Russian Sputnik News 20250610 NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has repeatedly insisted that the alliance should be "stronger" and "more capable of deadly strikes," calling on European militaries to "step up" and spend "considerably north of 3%" of GDP on defense. Mark Rutte has warned NATO countries that unless they raise military spending to 5% of GDP, they should "learn to speak Russian." "If you do not go to the 5 per cent, including the 3.5 per cent for defence spending, you could still have the NHS...the pension system, but you better learn to speak Russian. That's the consequence," the bloc's Secretary General said at a conference in London, as quoted by British newspaper The Telegraph. In recent months, Rutte has constantly pointed to the so-called threats from Russia and China in his speeches, calling on the alliance states to increase spending on militarization by several times over at the expense of social spending. Earlier in June, Rutte proposed increasing defense spending from the current 2% to 3.5% of GDP, and spending another 1.5% of GDP on infrastructure development, military industry, and other security-related investments. In recent years, Russia has noted NATO's unprecedented activity near its western borders. The alliance is expanding its initiatives and calling it "containment of Russian aggression." Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the bloc's build-up of forces in Europe. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the authorities in Moscow remained open to dialogue with NATO, but on an equal basis, while the West must abandon its course toward militarizing the continent. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address United States Condemns UK, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, Australia Sanctions on Israeli Government Officials US Department of State Press Statement Marco Rubio, Secretary of State June 10, 2025 The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet. These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war. We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Rubio's Meeting with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson June 10, 2025 The below is attributable to Spokesperson Tammy Bruce: Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. They discussed President Trump's historic visit and the importance of the U.S.-UAE strategic partnership to promote security and prosperity. The Secretary thanked the Foreign Minister for the UAE's provision of humanitarian assistance and highlighted the imperative of ensuring that Hamas can never rule Gaza or threaten Israel again. They discussed other regional issues, including Syria and Sudan. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Deputy Secretary Landau's Meeting with Paraguayan Foreign Minister Ramirez US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson June 10, 2025 The below is attributable to Spokesperson Tammy Bruce: Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau met today with Paraguayan Minister of Foreign Affairs Ruben Ramirez Lezcano to discuss deepening the strong U.S.-Paraguay relationship. The two countries are working together on shared priorities, including economic cooperation, security, and illegal immigration. Deputy Secretary Landau, who lived in Paraguay for five years while growing up, emphasized the value of enhancing commercial ties and promoting bilateral investment. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address B-1B Lancer: 40 striking years News | June 5, 2025 By Senior Airman Jade M. Caldwell 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- June 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of B-1B Lancer at Dyess AFB. The multi-mission B-1, carrying the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force, is the backbone of America's long-range bomber force, rapidly delivering massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against any adversary, anywhere in the world, on demand. "For decades, the B-1 has been the foundation of our long-range strike capability," said Lt. Col. Brian Guyette, 28th Bomb Squadron commander. "At the formal training unit for the B-1, we take pride in forging the world's best combat aviators who will carry forward the proud legacy that has defined B-1 operations for the last 40 years." The B-1 was developed as a supersonic nuclear bomber to replace the B-52 Stratofortress after the Cold War. The first B-1, "The Star of Abilene," was delivered to Dyess AFB on June 29, 1985. Following the U.S. signing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which limited the number and types of nuclear delivery systems, the Department of Defense redefined the roles of Air Force bombers. The B-52 Stratofortress, flying at higher altitudes, and B-2 Spirit, a low-observable stealth bomber, retained nuclear capability while the B-1 undertook the role of a versatile, multi-mission weapon system able to integrate with joint forces; its superior speed and larger conventional payload set it apart "The B-1 is an incredible aircraft. It brings unmatched versatility and firepower to the fight," said Lt. Col. Ryan Stillwell, 9th Bomb Squadron commander. "Here at the 9th, we've demonstrated the B-1's ability to rapidly deliver munitions across the globe, consistently showing up for our allies and partners." In 2015, following the alignment of 7th BW to Air Force Global Strike Command, the B-1 supported continuous bomber presence missions from three European operating locations until the establishment of Bomber Task Force missions in 2018. BTF operations involve the regular and routine deployment of AFGSC's bomber forces worldwide to demonstrate readiness, enhance deterrence and support allied integration and National Defense Strategy objectives. During its support to BTFs, the B-1 has certified new airfields for hot-pit refueling and B-1 operations, integrated with allies and partners around the globe and conducted multi-day sorties in contested environments, projecting force and demonstrating the U.S.' unwavering commitment. The B-1 continues to support BTFs, deploying to various geographic commands and honing critical capabilities alongside partner and allied forces. "The B-1's ability to deploy quickly, operate at supersonic speeds and carry the largest conventional payload makes it inherently unpredictable to adversaries and a flexible combat asset," said Stillwell. "Whether it's integrating with our allies or responding to our adversaries, the B-1 enables a forward presence alongside critical strategic reach. Our adversaries never know when or where a B-1 will show up, but they all know exactly what it can do when it does." In 2024, the first B-1 combat mission where the aircraft departed from and immediately returned to the U.S. without landing took place February 1-3. B-1s assigned to the 28th BW launched from Dyess AFB to strike targets in Iraq and Syria, returning after 34 hours of flight. "When it comes to penetrating enemy defenses and delivering the final blow before coming right back home again, there is no aircraft or crews finer than the B-1 and the Airmen that support them," said Col. Seth Spanier, 7th Bomb Wing commander. "With in-flight refueling and advanced targeting capabilities, we can ensure bombs hit their target and aircrews return safely, all without the need for forward basing. It's a proven model; our adversaries know it, and our Airmen demonstrate it. The B-1 has always been and remains a testament to the dominance of U.S. airpower." After 40 years, the B-1 has proven itself as a multi-mission bomber relied on by the DoD to execute global strike capabilities and support NDS objectives. AFGSC employs the B-1 to deter threats worldwide as the fastest, highest-loading, and only purely conventional bomber in the Air Force. As the 7th BW celebrates the B-1, they also look to the future. The Air Force has named the B-21 Raider as "the backbone of the future Air Force bomber force." The B-21 will be nuclear-capable with systems created to integrate future modernization efforts and accommodate manned or unmanned operations. The B-21 will incrementally replace the B-1; Dyess AFB will be the third base to receive the new bomber. "The B-1 has defined what it means to deliver rapid, precise power across the globe, shaping how we project strength in today's era of great power competition," said Maj. Gen. Jason Armagost, commander of Eighth Air Force and Joint-Global Strike Operations Center. "Its legacy of combat credibility and adaptability laid the foundation for the future, the B-21 Raider. The B-21 is a bomber built from the lessons, achievements and relentless drive of the bomber community. Modernization isn't the retirement of the past, but a continuation of excellence forged through decades of real-world operations." Today, the 7th BW flies the B-1B Lancer in pursuit of its vision: to be the most respected and feared bomber force in the world. As the 7th BW transitions to the B-21, the B-1 remains ready, relevant and capable of striking tomorrow's missions with the speed, payload and precision demanded by modern warfare. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel and the OPTs: Minister for the Middle East Statement Written statement to Parliament Minister for the Middle East statement to Parliament on UK sanctions on Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Hamish Falconer MP Published 10 June 2025 Location: House of Commons Delivered on: 10 June 2025 With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The two-state solution is in peril. Catastrophic conflict in Gaza... and a shocking deterioration in the West Bank. This is an affront to the rights of Palestinians... but is also against the interests of Israelis... against their long-term security and their democracy. Today, I will update the House on new actions we are taking... to uphold human rights... and defend the vision and viability of two sides living side-by-side in peace. Mr Speaker, 2024 saw the worst settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank in the last two decades. 2025 is on track to be just as violent. Between 1996 and 2023, an average of seven illegal settler outposts were established annually. In 2024, settlers erected 59. These outposts are illegal under both Israeli and international law. Two weeks ago, the Israeli government itself announced 22 new settlements in the West Bank. Every outpost... every building the settlers erect... is a flagrant breach of international law... and disregards the views of Israel's partners. There are now in excess of five hundred thousand settlers living in the West Bank... and over 100,000 in East Jerusalem... the territory that must form the heart of a sovereign, viable and free Palestine. Mr Speaker, the sharp growth in settlements alone is dangerous enough. But it has been accompanied by a steep rise in settler violence and extremist rhetoric. Itamar Ben-Gvir has led seven provocative intrusions into Haram Al Sharif/Temple Mount since 2022. In 2023, settlers rampaged through the village of Huwara... in what Israel's own West Bank military commander described as a "pogrom done by outlaws". Last month, the villagers of Mughayyir ad-Deir fled their homes in fear after the construction of an illegal outpost 100m away. This month, settlers attacked the town of Deir Dibwan... setting fire to houses and injuring residents. This violence and rhetoric is deeply concerning. An assault not just on Palestinian communities... but on the very fundamentals of a two-state solution. An attempt to entrench a one-state reality, where there are no equal rights. The two-state solution remains the only viable framework for a just and lasting peace... I know it is supported on every side of this House. Israelis living in secure borders... recognised and at peace with their neighbours... free from the threat of terrorism. Palestinians living in their own state... with dignity and security... free of occupation. Mr Speaker, we are steadfastly committed to defending that vision... not just with words, but with action. That is why we have pledged 101m in additional support to the Palestinian people this year. Why we are working to strengthen and reform the Palestinian Authority... Why My Right Honourable Friend the Foreign Secretary signed a landmark agreement with Prime Minister Mustafa... and why my Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister welcomed him to Downing Street. Why we are clear that Hamas must release the hostages immediately and unconditionally, and that Hamas can have no role in Palestinian governance. Why we are committed to working with civil society - Israeli and Palestinian - to support those who believe in peace and coexistence. However, Mr Speaker, the gravity of the situation demands further action. The reality is that these human rights abuses... incitement to violence... the extremist rhetoric... comes not just from an uncontrolled fringe... but from individuals who are Ministers in this Israeli government. We have to hold them to account and protect the viability of the two-state solution. And so today, we are sanctioning Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir... acting alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway... who have also announced their own measures today. These two men are responsible for inciting settler violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank... violence which has led to the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of whole towns and villages. This violence constitutes an abuse of Palestinians human rights. It is cruel and degrading... and completely unacceptable. We have told the Israeli Government repeatedly that we would take tougher action if this did not stop. It still didn't. The appalling rhetoric has continued unchecked. Violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity. So let me tell the House now... when we say something, we mean it. Today, with our partners... we have shown the extremists we will not sit by while they wreck the prospects of future peace. Mr Speaker, our actions today do not diminish our support for the security of Israel and the Israeli people. The agendas of these two men are not even supported by the majority of Israelis... Israelis recognise that these individuals are not working in their interest. As the Foreign Secretary said to this House last month... we want a strong friendship with Israel based on shared values and our many close ties. Our condemnation of Hamas, a proscribed organisation... and the appalling attacks of October 7th is unequivocal. Our commitment to Israel's security and future is unwavering. We will continue to press for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza... the release of the hostages still held so cruelly by Hamas... a ramping up of aid to those Gazans in desperate need. The repeated threats by Hamas to the lives of the hostages are grotesque... and prolongs the agony of their families and loved ones. Hamas should release all the hostages immediately and unconditionally. Mr Speaker, the situation in the West Bank cannot be seen in isolation from events in Gaza. Extremist rhetoric advocating forced displacement of Palestinians... denial of essential aid... the creation of new Israeli settlements in the Strip... is equally appalling and dangerous. This Government will never accept the unlawful transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza... nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic. While Israel's ground and air operations expand, Gazans have been pushed into less than 20% of the territory. Hospitals have been destroyed and damaged. Gaza's entire population is at risk of famine. Meanwhile, Israel's newly introduced measures for aid delivery endanger civilians and foster desperation. They are inhumane. The Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah reported last week that it has responded to an unprecedented five mass casualty incidents in the two weeks prior... in each case, Palestinians have been killed or injured trying to access aid sites in Gaza. Desperate civilians who have endured twenty months of war should never face the risk of death or injury simply to feed themselves and their families. We need further action from the Israeli government now... to lift all restrictions on aid... to enable the UN and aid partners to do their work... and to ensure food and other critical supplies can reach people safely wherever they are. We will continue to support the UN and other trusted NGOs as the most effective and principled partners for aid delivery. Our support has meant over 465,000 people have received essential healthcare... 640,000 have received food... and 275,000 people have improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene services. We support the efforts led by the United States, Qatar and Egypt to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. And we welcome France and Saudi Arabia's initiative to chair an international conference later this month to advance a two-state solution. Mr Speaker, it is a two-state solution that is the only way to bring the long-lasting peace that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve. But it must not remain an empty slogan... repeated by generations of diplomats and politicians... but increasingly divorced from the reality on the ground. Mr Smotrich said there is no such thing as a Palestinian nation. Mr Ben Gvir has spoken of his rights in the West Bank... a territory his government is occupying... as more important than the rights of millions of Palestinians. Their own words condemn them, Mr Speaker. To defend those Palestinians' rights... to protect the two-state solution... to see Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in safety and security... this Government is taking action. I commend this statement to the House. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministers joint statement on measures targeting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich Joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom on measures targeting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and The Rt Hon David Lammy MP Published 10 June 2025 Joint statement: "Today, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom have announced sanctions and other measures targeting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. "Settler violence is incited by extremist rhetoric which calls for Palestinians to be driven from their homes, encourages violence and human rights abuses and fundamentally rejects the two-state solution. Settler violence has led to the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of whole communities. "We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution which is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long term stability in the region, but it is imperilled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion. "Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous. These actions are not acceptable. We have engaged the Israeli Government on this issue extensively, yet violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity. This is why we have taken this action now - to hold those responsible to account. The Israeli Government must uphold its obligations under international law and we call on it to take meaningful action to end extremist, violent and expansionist rhetoric. "The measures announced today do not deviate from our unwavering support for Israel's security and we continue to condemn the horrific terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas. Today's measures are targeted towards individuals who in our view undermine Israel's own security and its standing in the world. We continue to want a strong friendship with the people of Israel based on our shared ties, values and commitment to their security and future. "Today's measures focus on the West Bank, but of course this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza. We continue to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid. There must be no unlawful transfer of Palestinians from Gaza or within the West Bank, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. We will continue to work with the Israeli Government and a range of partners. We will strive to ensure an immediate ceasefire, the release now of the remaining hostages and for the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid including food. We want to see a reconstructed Gaza no longer run by Hamas and a political pathway to a two state solution." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UK and partners unite to sanction ministers inciting West Bank violence UK sanctions Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich in response to their repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities, alongside partners Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and The Rt Hon David Lammy MP Published 10 June 2025 UK sanctions Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich today, in response to their repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities alongside partners Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, the UK calls for immediate action against extremist settlers measures announced today demonstrate UK commitment to challenging those inciting hatred and violence As Palestinian communities in the West Bank continue to suffer from severe acts of violence by extremist Israeli settlers which also undermine a future Palestinian state, the United Kingdom has joined Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in stepping up the international response. In their personal capacity, Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich are now sanctioned for their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians, effective immediately. The UK has made clear in public and private to the Netanyahu government that Israel must cease expansion of illegal settlements which undermine a future Palestinian state, clamp down on settler violence, and condemn inflammatory and extremist statements from both individuals. The measures announced by international partners today demonstrate commitment to ensuring the individuals are held accountable for encouraging and inciting human rights abuses. Foreign Secretary David Lammy, along with the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway said in a joint statement: We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution and will continue to work with our partners towards its implementation. It is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long term stability in the region, but it is imperilled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now - to hold those responsible to account. We will strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of the remaining hostages by Hamas which can have no future role in the governance of Gaza, a surge in aid and a path to a two-state solution. As of April 2025, extremist settlers have carried out over 1,900 attacks against Palestinian civilians since January last year. The UK is committed to protecting the viability of a two-state solution and human rights, including by challenging those inciting violence. In a joint statement with partners, the UK reiterated its commitment to continuing "a strong friendship with the people of Israel based on shared ties, values and commitment to [its] security and future." The Foreign Secretary was also clear that the UK will "continue to work with the Israeli Government and a range of partners" to deliver long-term peace and security. Alongside partners Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, the UK is clear that the rising violence and intimidation by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities in the West Bank must stop. Measures today cannot be seen in isolation from events in Gaza where Israel must uphold International Humanitarian Law. The UK and partners support Israel's security and will continue to work with the Israeli Government to strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas must release the hostages immediately, and there must be a path to a two-state solution with Hamas having no role in future governance. Background Individuals and entities sanctioned today: Itamar BEN-GVIR (hereafter "BEN-GVIR") - is an involved person within the meaning of the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020 on the basis of the following ground: BEN-GVIR is responsible for, engaging in, inciting, promoting and/or supporting activity which amounts to a serious abuse of the right of individuals not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, in particular acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals in the West Bank. BEN-GVIR is now subject to an asset freeze, travel ban, and director disqualification. BEN-GVIR is Minister for National Security but is sanctioned in his personal capacity. Bezalel Yoel SMOTRICH (hereafter "SMOTRICH") - is an involved person within the meaning of the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020 on the basis of the following ground: SMOTRICH is responsible for engaging in, inciting, promoting and/or supporting activity which amounts to a serious abuse of the right of individuals not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, in particular acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals in the West Bank. SMOTRICH is now subject to an asset freeze, travel ban, and director disqualification. SMOTRICH is Minister for Finance and Additional Minister of Defence but is sanctioned in his personal capacity. Joint statement signed by the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway: Foreign Ministers joint statement on measures targeting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich - GOV.UK Definitions asset freeze: where an asset freeze applies, in summary, it is generally prohibited within the UK, and for UK persons outside the UK, to: o Deal with funds or economic resources, owned, held or controlled by a designated person o Make funds or economic resources available, directly or indirectly, to, or for the benefit of, a designated person o Engage in actions that, directly or indirectly, circumvent the financial sanctions prohibitions director disqualification sanctions: Where director disqualification sanctions apply, it will be an offence for a person designated for the purpose of those sanctions to act as a director of a company or to take part in the management, formation or promotion of a UK company travel ban: an individual subject to a travel ban will be an excluded person under section 8B of the Immigration Act 1971, meaning that they must be refused leave to enter or to remain in the United Kingdom NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York 10 June 2025 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General. ** Programming Note All right, good afternoon, everyone. Today, there won't be a briefing by Sharon Birch, the Spokesperson for the President of the UN General Assembly, but she will brief tomorrow, ahead of our Noon Briefing. Also, tomorrow, at 12:45 p.m., in this room, there will be a hybrid press briefing by Bob Rae, the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). He will be here, in person, to brief on Haiti and on the Joint Meeting of ECOSOC and the Peacebuilding Commission on Haiti. ** Rome Trip Announcement The Secretary-General landed in Rome a short while ago after he concluded his programme in Nice at the Ocean Conference. Tomorrow, Wednesday, he will be in Vatican City for an audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing the cooperation between the United Nations and the Holy See, notably on efforts to build a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. The Secretary-General will return to New York late tomorrow. ** Ocean Conference And earlier this morning, during a press event at the Ocean Conference, the Secretary-General told journalists we are in Nice on a mission to save the ocean to save our future. He warned that the Ocean is approaching a tipping point, adding that powerful interests are pushing us towards the brink. We are facing a hard battle with a clear enemy: greed, Mr. [Antonio] Guterres told journalists. A greed that sows doubt, that denies science, that distorts truth, that rewards corruption and destroys life for profit. He added we are in Nice this week to stand in solidarity against those forces and reclaim what belongs to us all. The Secretary-General said we have a moral duty to ensure that future generations inherit oceans swarming with life, and he called for stronger global cooperation, for action on plastic pollution and for the fight against climate change to extend to the seas. He also encouraged those countries that have yet to sign the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction to do so without delay. With ratifications coming in at a record rate, the treaty's entry into force is now within sight. Before leaving Nice, the Secretary-General also held bilateral meetings with Mohamed Al-Menfi, the Head of the Presidential Council of Libya, and with Dr. Philip Isdor Mpango, the Vice-President of Tanzania. ** Occupied Palestinian Territory Turning to Gaza, our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tell us that hostilities and hunger continue to fuel desperation among more than 2 million people who are being denied the basics necessary for their survival, amid reports of ongoing Israeli military operations. In northern Gaza, Israeli military operations have intensified in recent days, with mass casualties reported. Hungry and displaced people have also reportedly been killed while risking their lives to access food at militarized distribution hubs. Meanwhile, four new displacement orders have been issued by the Israeli authorities for northern areas of Gaza since 6 June. The last of these was said to be in response to reported Palestinian rocket fire into Israel. Combined, they cover about eight square kilometres but largely overlap with previously issued orders. OCHA underscores that civilians must be protected, including those fleeing and forced to leave through displacement orders and those who remain despite those orders. Civilians who flee must be allowed to return as soon as circumstances allow. OCHA reiterates that civilians must be able to receive the humanitarian assistance they need, wherever they are. All of this is required by international humanitarian law. Yesterday, some supplies, mainly flour, were collected from the Kerem Shalom crossing. The aid was bound for Gaza City but was taken directly from the trucks by hungry and desperate people who have now endured months of deprivation. As we have mentioned, separately, there have also been some instances of violent looting and attacks on truck drivers, which are completely unacceptable. OCHA reiterates that Israel, as the occupying Power, bears responsibility with regards to public order and safety in Gaza. That should include letting in far more essential supplies through multiple crossings and routes, to meet humanitarian needs and help reduce looting. Today, additional supplies have been sent to Kerem Shalom, and humanitarian partners continue their efforts to pick up supplies when they are allowed access by the Israeli authorities. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities continue to deny many humanitarian movements within the Strip to provide whatever limited services are available to the population. Yesterday, they rejected 11 out of 18 attempts by the UN to coordinate such movements. These included trucking water, retrieving fuel, carrying out a rescue mission in Khan Younis and repairing roads. In the West Bank, today, at around midnight, Israeli forces launched an operation in Nablus, focusing on the Old City. They imposed a curfew, conducted house-to-house searches and reportedly used a school as an interrogation centre. At least 20 homes have been searched, with reports of damage to property. Yesterday in Jenin, the Israeli authorities announced an imminent plan to demolish nearly 96 structures most of them residential in Jenin camp. Over 280 families who stand to be affected have been given 72 hours to retrieve their personal belongings. In Tulkarm, Israeli operations have intensified in its camps Tulkarm and Nur Shams since 6 June, coinciding with Eid al-Adha. The forces have implemented demolition orders for 58 structures. More than three dozen buildings have been demolished so far, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), with destruction extending beyond the original orders issued at the start of the month. ** Myanmar Julie Bishop, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Myanmar, briefed the General Assembly this morning and said that fighting across Myanmar continues and that the humanitarian crisis impacting its people is far worse than when she briefed last October. There has been no end to the violence, let alone any significant pause in the conflict between the warring parties, and the scale of the conflict has escalated over the four years since the military takeover in February 2021, she said. And she warned that if there is no end to the violence, Myanmar is on a path to self-destruction. A zero-sum approach persists on all sides, Ms. Bishop said, adding that the flow of weapons into the country is fuelling the expectations that a military solution is within reach. She reiterated the call from the UN Security Council, articulated in resolution 2669, for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained prisoners, including Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi. Regarding the recovery from the earthquake, she said that midway into 2025, the UN Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which covers the entire country, is less than 8 per cent funded. Without urgent funding, the Special Envoy said, recovery efforts risk stalling, particularly as monsoon rains and floods heighten the risk of disease. ** Iraq This morning, the Security Council held an open briefing on the situation in Iraq. Mohamed Al Hassan, the Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq known as UNAMI who is here in person, spoke about the progress made in Iraq in preparing for the national parliamentary elections set for November. He said that UNAMI will provide the most professional technical support needed. With just over six months remaining before UNAMI's mandate ends, Mr. Al Hassan assured the Council members that the Mission continues to pursue a structured transition according to schedule and in close cooperation with the Government of Iraq Transition Team. ** Sudan Turning to Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is alarmed by intensifying violence in the greater Kordofan region and the growing humanitarian impact of the fighting there. Air strikes have reportedly hit residential areas of Al Obeid city in North Kordofan state, in recent days, injuring civilians. OCHA reports that conflict in the Kordofan region continues to hinder aid operations, leaving many people in need out of reach. Ongoing battles have brought the fighting closer to critical pastoral routes, which herders use to move their livestock. The humanitarian situation elsewhere in the country also remains dire. In Northern State, partners report that nearly 6,000 people newly displaced from North Darfur many of them older, wounded or suffering from chronic diseases arrived in Ad Dabbah locality during the last two weeks of May. They urgently need healthcare, safe drinking water and protection services, including support for survivors of gender-based violence. In Khartoum State, cholera remains a threat, despite recent progress in the response by the UN, our partners and local authorities. Over 1,300 new cases were recorded by health authorities there between 26 May and 1 June, down from 7,000 the previous week. While the fatality rate has declined, partners warn that underreporting may be masking the true scale of the outbreak. OCHA also reports that while displacement remains staggering, there has been a slight decline in the overall number of people uprooted by the conflict. Since December, about 1.2 million internally displaced people have returned to their areas of origin a nearly 90 per cent increase since April. The majority returned to Al Jazirah, followed by Sennar and Khartoum States. Basic services remain very limited in these areas, and returnees will require significant support. We once again call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians, and unimpeded humanitarian access across conflict lines and borders. In addition, greater national and international support is urgently required to scale up the response and meet rising needs across Sudan. ** Abyei Our peacekeeping colleagues from the UN Mission in Abyei (UNISFA) report that a Joint Women's Committee of Ngok Dinka and Misseriya women was launched this week in Todach, marking a key step toward inclusive peace and security in the region. The committee will promote women's participation in peace dialogue, conflict prevention, and reconciliation, while addressing security concerns and advocating for empowerment. ** Ukraine Turning to Ukraine, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that according to local authorities, between 5 June and today, several civilians were killed and injured, including children, across urban centres and front-line areas of the country. Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa Ukraine's most populated cities were particularly impacted. In the capital, Kyiv, several first responders were reportedly killed and others wounded on duty while responding to earlier strikes. In Odesa, three health facilities an emergency medical services station, a maternity hospital and a blood centre sustained damage, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since the escalation of the war in February 2022, WHO has verified 2,446 attacks on healthcare across the country. On 6 June, in Kherson region, local authorities report that a clearly marked Ukrainian Red Cross vehicle was destroyed in a strike. No personnel were injured. Meanwhile, in the west of the country, the regions of Rivne, Ternopil and Volyn, previously less impacted by hostilities, also came under attack over the weekend. Civilians were injured and thousands were left without electricity following the attack. The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the attacks, calling them a stark reminder of the terror Ukrainians across the country experience daily. In all affected locations, we, along with national and international humanitarian organizations, distributed emergency shelter materials, hot meals and provided psychosocial support. Assistance continues amidst intensifying violence. ** Haiti Turning to Haiti, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report that the country is entering the 2025 hurricane season with no emergency stockpile amid lack of funding. The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that for the first time ever, its teams have no prepositioned food stocks in the country, nor the cash liquidity to mount a swift humanitarian response in the case of a hurricane or extreme weather event. In previous years, WFP could rapidly assist between 250,000 and 500,000 people in the immediate aftermath of a shock. The current lack of contingency stocks and operational funds leaves Haiti's most at-risk communities dangerously unprotected at a time of heightened vulnerability. The UN and partners have pre-positioned water, hygiene and sanitation kits for over 100,000 people and health supplies for 20,000 people across the country. However, these items, while important, are not sufficient on their own to meet life-saving needs in an emergency, especially in the absence of food. Limited logistics capacity further compounds the risk of catastrophic delays in the critical first hours of any new emergency. This shortfall comes as Haiti faces a deepening humanitarian crisis. Armed violence has displaced over 1 million people and continues to severely disrupt access to basic services. Food insecurity remains widespread, with more than 5.7 million people nearly half the population facing acute hunger, including 2.1 million in IPC Phase 4 (emergency levels). Haiti is one of only five countries worldwide with people facing famine-like conditions. The country's extreme vulnerability to natural disasters adds another layer to the crisis. OCHA stresses that humanitarians remain committed to supporting affected communities. Alongside national authorities, they continue to deliver food, clean water, healthcare, hygiene kits, shelter and psychosocial support despite insecurity and severe underfunding. OCHA calls on international partners to act urgently to fill these critical gaps and help ensure a timely and effective response as the hurricane season unfolds. The $908 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Haiti is currently just over 8 per cent funded with $75 million received. ** Colombia In a statement we issued last night, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the attempt on the life of Miguel Uribe Turbay, the Colombian presidential precandidate, in Bogota on 7 June. The Secretary-General hopes for Mr. Uribe Turbay's full recovery and expresses his solidarity with his family and the Colombian people. This deplorable act of political violence must be fully investigated and those responsible brought to justice. The coming elections present an opportunity for Colombians to further strengthen their democracy through a peaceful electoral process. ** Resident Coordinator Ecuador The UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) tells us that on 8 June, Laura Melo of Portugal took up her new post as UN Resident Coordinator in Ecuador. Her appointment follows the host Government's approval. She brings more than 20 years of experience in development and humanitarian work, with a focus on supporting the most vulnerable. She most recently led WFP's operations in Venezuela after holding similar roles in Guatemala and Cuba. Ms. Melo's full biography is available online. ** Birth Rates The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) today released a report showing that millions of people are unable to have the number of children they want, but not because they are rejecting parenthood. According to UNFPA, economic and social barriers are stopping them. The report finds that one in five people globally don't expect to have the number of children they desire. Key drivers include the prohibitive cost of parenthood, job insecurity, housing, concerns over the state of the world, and the lack of a suitable partner. UNFPA notes that a toxic blend of economic precarity and sexism play a role in many of these issues. The full report is available online. ** Dialogue among Civilizations Today is the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. In his message, the Secretary-General says that on this first International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, we celebrate the rich diversity of civilizations as a force to promote mutual understanding and global solidarity. ** Questions and Answers Deputy Spokesman : That's it for me. Yeah. Dezhi? Question : Yes. The US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, yesterday, during an interview, made a statement suggesting that a Muslim country in Middle East should offer its own territory to establish a Palestinian State rather than in that area. So, is that considered also a two-State solution? Deputy Spokesman : I would just reiterate that there are a number of UN resolutions, particularly of the Security Council, but also of the General Assembly, on this issue. And I would refer you to resolutions 242, 338 and their successors, and we expect the two-State solution to be something that is negotiated by the Israeli and Palestinian people. Question : But should Jerusalem be the capital city of both Palestine, State of Palestine, and Israel? Why don't you want to say that? Deputy Spokesman : We have made clear in our past statements that we expect Jerusalem to be the capital. Question : So, that is not two-State solutions from the UN's perspective? Deputy Spokesman : I'm not prejudging any proposals. What I'm saying is that we have clearly stated what our expectations are of the process, as has the Security Council, as has the General Assembly. Question : Right. Next, I don't know whether the Secretary-General's office have any comment on what's reported as massive injury and deaths during the aid delivery in US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) delivery point? Deputy Spokesman : Well, obviously, every day, we're aware of reports of the deaths of people who are trying to receive aid. As we've said repeatedly in recent days, no one should have to choose between feeding their family and risking their own lives. We want there to be safe conditions for people to receive aid. We have already established our track record over the years, including, just earlier this year, of being able to deliver aid safely. Question : The leader of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, on X has said that it's another day of aid distribution, another day of death traps. Does the Secretary-General share the same sentiment with Lazzarini? Deputy Spokesman : We believe that right now, conditions at the non-UN-run aid distribution sites are unsafe, and you've seen for yourself how unsafe that is. That cannot be how people are expected to receive humanitarian aid. Question : I'm curious. Have your colleagues told you about their feeling about this Gaza Humanitarian Fund operations? Is that unprofessional of the Gaza Humanitarian Fund? Do you think they're unprofessional? Deputy Spokesman : We have made clear what our concerns are. Again, the basic point of humanitarian aid distribution is that people who are in need should be able to safely access the aid that they need. That is not happening, under these circumstances. Gabriel, and then Yvonne. Question : Thanks, Farhan. Israel is still holding several of the activists from the aid ship that they seized illegally in international waters. Does the Secretary-General feel that they should be released, the people that they're still holding, immediately? Deputy Spokesman : Again, we believe that the right of people to engage in peaceful protest should not be hindered. We want to make sure that no harm comes to those who participated in this activity. Question : Do you have any reason to believe they committed any crime whatsoever? Deputy Spokesman : I'm not aware what the charges against them would be, but from our standpoint, this was an act of peaceful protest. Yes. Yvonne and then Volodymyr. Question : Thanks, Farhan. The UN operations, humanitarian operations that were prevented from going ahead by the Israeli military yesterday I think you said there were eight of them. Is that... did I get that figure right? So, eight were prevented going ahead. Do you have a figure on the number that were able to...? And secondly, what was the reason given for preventing those operations being carried out? Deputy Spokesman : What I said is that we had 18 attempts to coordinate humanitarian movements. Yesterday, 11 of them were rejected. So, seven, in other words, were not. But obviously, there are different reasons given, but many of them have to do with insecurity. But, like I said, these are some of the crucial activities that we're trying to do involving the distribution of aid throughout parts of Gaza. Volodymyr? Question : Thank you, Farhan. We see that [Vladimir] Putin's Russia continues to direct its strikes against carefully selected civilian targets, against maternity hospitals. You've seen today in Odesa, as mentioned, against Ukrainian historical landmarks, as seen today in Kyiv, with the damage of the UNESCO (United Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site, Saint Sofia Cathedral, and against museums just a few days ago, the Museum of the Second World War in Kyiv was shelled. Could you comment on this military activity by Moscow? Deputy Spokesman : Well, I mean, as we made clear just earlier in this briefing, obviously, there have been many different attacks on health facilities. The World Health Organization has recorded almost 2,500 such attacks since February of 2022, and that's a very serious set of infractions, because health facilities are supposed to be spared. And similarly, we've expressed our concerns, including through UNESCO, about the need to protect world heritage sites. All of those should be off limits from these sorts of attacks. Abdelhamid, and after that, you. Question : Thank you, Farhan. A report issued by the independent investigation team, which was established by the Human Rights Council in 2021, came up to the conclusion that attacking the cultural system, the educational system, the health system in Gaza is a part of a large campaign against the Palestinian people, and it could be classified as war crimes and the crime of genocide. Does the SG stand with that finding of the independent team of investigation? Deputy Spokesman : We are aware of the work of the independent team, and we believe it should be evaluated fairly by the members of the Human Rights Council, to whom the report was presented. Question : My second question, Farhan. I have read your statement about the flotilla Madleen, and you said we are observing. But I noticed you did not criticize the Israeli behaviour. You did not condemn it. You did not express concern. You just said we are observing what's going on. Do you see that Israel had not violated international law and the Law of the Sea? Deputy Spokesman : I would just refer you back to what I said yesterday, which I think expressed what our concerns were. Yes, please? Question : Thank you, Farhan. The two-State solutions summit will take place next week, as per the request of the General Assembly. What does the SG expect from it? And, also, what role will he take at the Summit? Deputy Spokesman : We will clarify the Secretary-General's role in this closer to the event, but I do expect him to be present and to speak at that, and you'll be able to hear his views about that Summit at that point. But certainly, the Secretary-General has made clear, including in his recent remarks, that the two-State solution has been on life support in recent years, and he certainly hopes that next week's events will help reenergize this process. Yes, Evelyn? Question : Thank you, Farhan. A couple of questions that maybe if they're just hopeful things, but has the UN spoken to the Russians about why civilians seem to be the main target? Deputy Spokesman : We have called on Russia and Ukraine to spare civilians in their activities, and we'll continue to do that. Question : Secondly, on the two-State solution, [Benjamin] Netanyahu does have opposition, and they possibly could win. The point is when the opposition comes to the right or the left, none of the leading candidates for his job have in any way backed the two-State solution. Has the UN spoken to some of the Israelis who are not necessarily speaking to the UN or just to see what the two-State solution might look like without Netanyahu? Deputy Spokesman : I don't want to speculate on what the future holds, but we expect both Israel and Palestine and all of the officials in those two entities to negotiate in good faith on a two-State solution. And with that, I wish you all a good afternoon. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell's opening remarks at the Annual Session of the UNICEF Executive Board UNICEF Remarks As delivered 10 June 2025 "Excellencies, distinguished delegates, colleagues, "It is a pleasure to welcome you to the 2025 Annual Session of the UNICEF Executive Board. Let me begin by extending heartfelt thanks to you, Ambassador Hikmat for your leadership as President of the Executive Board, and indeed to the entire Bureau. We deeply appreciate your guidance and your steadfast support to UNICEF. "This session comes at a pivotal time. We are midway through a year of extraordinary challenge and significant transition for the world, for our organization, and, above all, for children. "In the coming days, you will review our 2024 results and strategic direction through several important documents and updates. These include the annual report of the Executive Director, the draft Strategic Plan for 2026-2029, and critical reports on humanitarian action, risk management, and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse - among others. "I am also pleased that we will hear directly from the Chair of the Global Staff Association. The Association's advocacy and work on behalf of UNICEF's most important resource - our people - continues to be essential as we navigate an evolving and difficult funding environment, and the profound organizational changes underway. "Excellencies, the world continues to confront deepening instability and inequality. Children are bearing the brunt of cascading crises from conflict and climate shocks to economic turmoil. More than 460 million children are now living in or fleeing from conflict. And nearly a billion children live in poverty. "UNICEF remains resolute in our mission to uphold the rights and well-being of every child, everywhere. Last year alone, we responded to hundreds of emergencies in over 100 countries, reaching tens of millions of children with lifesaving health care, nutrition, education, protection, and water and sanitation services. "Our staff continue to serve with extraordinary dedication, often in some of the most challenging environments. I want to take this opportunity to thank them. It is their tireless efforts that drive our impact and uphold the values we all share. "Thanks to their work, UNICEF achieved important progress in 2024: "We delivered over 1.5 billion polio vaccine doses to 87 countries, contributing to a 25 per cent reduction in global polio cases. "We provided early detection services of wasting to 251 million children under five, and treatment for 9.3 million children with severe acute malnutrition. "We delivered education support for 26 million out-of-school children and adolescents including 9 million in humanitarian crises and 3.7 million children on the move. "And nearly 33 million people gained access to safe water through the work of UNICEF and our partners, with impressive gains in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa. "In humanitarian action, 2024 was another year of profound need and wide-scale response. We reached more than 56 million people including 31 million children with essential humanitarian assistance across the globe. This included responses to crises in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gaza, Haiti, the Horn of Africa, Sudan, and Ukraine. "As needs grow and funding tightens, we are sharpening our humanitarian focus prioritizing life-saving interventions for the most vulnerable in the hardest-to-reach areas, while strengthening the protection of children and communities, and continuing to build resilience. Our humanitarian action is guided by international humanitarian and human rights law, and grounded in a commitment to accountability and principled delivery. "Looking ahead, we will continue to localize our efforts, support national systems, and strengthen our ability to anticipate and prepare for emergencies. "We are also helping lead efforts to simplify the humanitarian response architecture including the cluster system where UNICEF leads the WASH, nutrition, and education clusters in line with the broader Humanitarian Reset, and the UN80 reform agenda. These steps aim to ensure we remain agile, fit-for-purpose, and able to deliver effectively for children in crisis. "UNICEF is a central part of this change to better serve the growing number of children who are living through crises. "Faced with resource constraints across the system, both the Resident and Humanitarian Coordination systems must recalibrate to optimize and align efforts. Coordination is most critical in large, complex crises often in lower income countries, and especially in fragile and conflict settings. It is in these contexts that we need a more agile and integrated coordination model to deliver better impact together. "Excellencies, as you'll hear in more detail over the course of the week, we delivered real results for children in 2024 - results that built on decades of progress in child rights and survival. "We must protect this progress, but the sudden and sharp global funding crisis puts our critical work at tremendous risk. In 2026, UNICEF projects at least a 20 per cent reduction in total income from 2024 levels, with a 26 per cent drop from the public sector. "This decline is not just a UNICEF crisis it is impacting the entire humanitarian and development ecosystem, with grave implications for children worldwide. In 2026, UNICEF is expecting only $250 million dollars from the public sector in regular resources. This is the lowest figure in more than a decade. These regular resources contribute to our institutional budget, which underpins our country programmes and critical oversight functions. "Millions of children risk losing essential services due to funding cuts. This includes up to 15 million children who could lose access to life-saving nutrition services, more than 20 million children and families at risk of missing out on essential healthcare, over 11 million who could lose access to safe water and sanitation services, and nearly 2 million children who could face disrupted access to education. "In response, UNICEF continues to implement bold changes to enhance our agility, efficiency and readiness for the future, and to be better equipped to deliver at scale - a process which began even before the sharp decline in funding support. "Under our Future Focus Initiative, we are further realigning structures and resources to sharpen programmatic focus and reduce operating costs. This includes consolidating several Headquarters and regional offices, relocating functions to lower-cost duty stations building on our HQ Efficiencies Initiative, and establishing Centers of Programmatic Excellence to support country offices in locations closer to the people we serve. "We know these changes are difficult, as they will directly impact staff, including many tremendously talented members of our team. But we are committed to supporting the entire UNICEF family throughout the transition, and we are determined to continue to meet the needs of the millions of children who rely on us. We must come out of this process leaner and more effective. "More broadly, UNICEF continues to be a leader across the UN in ensuring the integrity of our operations. "As part of this commitment, last month, we introduced a revised and robust anti-fraud policy along with a new mechanism to sanction implementing partners found to have engaged in fraud or other misconduct. As part of our ongoing effort to maintain confidence with our donors, we have adopted a new policy that will ensure all donors are given timely notification of integrity issues. "These internal reforms are designed to support the ambitious vision laid out in our new Strategic Plan, 2026-2029, which you will review during this session. The Plan will guide UNICEF's final push to help achieve the child-related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. It reflects our commitment to sharpen focus, strengthen systems, scale proven solutions, and build impactful partnerships. "The Plan identifies five key impact results to achieve by 2029: "Save 10 million child lives and ensure 500 million children are healthy, well-nourished, and developmentally on-track, enable 350 million children and young people to learn and gain skills, lift 100 million children out of poverty, protect 350 million children from violence, and shield 500 million children from disasters, climate and environmental risks. "To deliver these goals, the Plan integrates evidence-based strategies, emphasizes meaningful engagement with children and adolescents, and prioritizes scale, equity and resilience particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings. "The Plan also commits UNICEF to supporting and reinforcing national systems, promoting inclusive governance, and ensuring our work is rooted in the rights of children as articulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. "We will align these strategic shifts with the broader UN reform agenda. This includes the UN80 initiative, led by the Secretary-General. The UN must become fit for the 21st Century. That means a UN that is bold, effective and efficient. UNICEF fully supports practical, results-driven reforms that deliver better outcomes for children. "Excellencies, "In this time of tremendous change and upheaval - in which children face deepening challenges - UNICEF's mandate is more relevant than ever. But relevance is not enough. We must also be effective, efficient, principled, and trusted. "This demands flexibility in how we are funded. Nearly half of all humanitarian funding received by UNICEF last year went to just five emergencies a pattern driven by earmarked contributions. We must reverse this trend. Flexible funding is not a luxury. It is a lifeline. It is what allows us to reach children, quickly and at scale, wherever the need is greatest quickly, equitably and with impact. "As we look ahead, we cannot ignore the fact that the future of traditional development assistance is increasingly uncertain. "Shifting donor priorities and constrained fiscal environments are leading to development assistance being repurposed. For UNICEF, the implications for children and our organization are profound. "This is why UNICEF has adopted a conservative financial planning scenario, projecting a minimum 20 per cent drop in income between now and 2026-2029. These projections are sobering, and they underscore the need to future-proof our business model both in terms of income generation and programmatic delivery. "We are pursuing new partnerships across the multilateral system, including with development banks, to help governments access and invest concessional financing for children. And we are deepening relationships with both traditional and emerging donors. "At the same time, we continue to advocate for donor governments to deliver on their commitments to core resources. As signatories to the Funding Compact, we urge all partners to meet those obligations and to consider thematic contributions as a preferred option for earmarked funding. Now, only a handful of signatories to the Funding Compact do so. UNICEF is being held accountable to deliver on our commitments, and we will continue to uphold our end of the agreement. "We are especially grateful to programme countries that continue to support UNICEF's work through core contributions. We hope we can continue to count on your support. "Beyond public sector contributions, UNICEF's private sector engagement continues to play an increasingly vital role in sustaining our global programmes. "In 2024, UNICEF's Private Fundraising and Partnerships operations mobilized over $1.9 billion in revenue. This includes nearly $950 million in regular resources, accounting for the majority of regular resources raised across the organization. "These funds - largely driven by individual giving, by our fantastic National Committees, and corporate partners - provide UNICEF with the flexibility and predictability needed to act quickly and equitably. They also reflect the trust placed in us by millions of individual supporters, many of them among your nationals and constituents, who believe in our mission. "But let me be clear: increasing support from individuals and the private sector will not offset shrinking public sector contributions. Government funding for UNICEF remains essential to ensuring that our lifesaving work for children continues and we are grateful for the steadfast support of our public sector partners. "In 2024, total public sector contributions to UNICEF were $6.07 billion, including regular resource contributions of $513 million. I want to sincerely thank all of you who continue to champion flexible, unearmarked resources and support for our regular programmes. We simply cannot deliver without it. "Here, I must reiterate our economic outlook is grim, with public sector funding down by 26 per cent, and regular resources cut by 50 per cent, which is critically insufficient to support our lifesaving work for children. We all must do better. "In closing, let me return to the reason we are all here: children. Today, UNICEF is present in countries and territories across the globe, working with governments, partners and communities to give every child a fair chance no matter who they are or where they live. "Despite the challenges, I do remain hopeful. Because I see the difference we are making. Because I believe in the dedication of our staff, the power of our partnerships, and the strength and commitment of this Board. "Together, we can continue to be a force for good and a source of hope for the world's children. "Thank you." ##### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli attacks on Gaza schools could be crimes against humanity: UN probe 10 June 2025 - The Israeli military's destruction of Gaza's education and cultural infrastructure amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination, a UN investigative body said on Tuesday, as humanitarian agencies warned of continued mass suffering across the Strip. The UN Human Rights Council-mandated Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) report found that Israeli forces have used airstrikes, shelling, burning, and controlled demolitions to damage or destroy more than 90 per cent of schools and university buildings across Gaza. This destruction in the wake of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel has made education impossible for over 658,000 children, many of whom have been out of school for nearly two years. "We are seeing more and more indications that Israel is carrying out a concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life in Gaza," said Navi Pillay, Chair of the Commission. "Israel's targeting of the educational, cultural and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm the present generations and generations to come, hindering their right to self-determination." Classroom-turned military base The COI documented cases where Israeli forces seized and used educational institutions as military bases, including the conversion of part of Al-Azhar University's Al-Mughraqa campus into a synagogue for troops. The report also noted one instance where Hamas militants used a school for military purposes. Such conduct is a breach of international humanitarian law, which mandates the distinction between civilian objects and military targets. Targeting of religious sites More than half of Gaza's religious and cultural sites have been damaged or destroyed, including places serving as refuges for civilians - killing hundreds, including women and children. The Commission stated that Israeli forces knew or should have known the cultural significance of these sites and failed to prevent harm. In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities appropriated, developed and profited from cultural heritage sites representing Palestinian, Jewish and other cultures, while displaced Palestinian residents. They have also blocked or severely restricted Palestinians from accessing the sites. "Attacks on cultural and religious sites have deeply impacted intangible culture, such as religious and cultural practices, memories and history," said Ms. Pillay. "The targeting and destruction of heritage sites, the limiting of access to those sites in the West Bank and the erasure of their heterogenic history erode Palestinians' historical ties to the land and weaken their collective identity." Recommendations The Commission called on Israel to immediately cease attacks on cultural, religious, and educational institutions and to end the seizure and military use of such facilities. It urged Israel to end its occupation and settlement activities, especially near religious and cultural sites, and to comply fully with International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders. Investigators also urged Palestinian authorities to protect and preserve cultural heritage sites, including those of diverse origins, calling on de facto authorities in Gaza to stop using civilian objects for military purposes. Humanitarian crisis spiralling UN agencies continue to warn of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) highlighted the case of a five-year-old malnourished child whose recovery depends on adequate food and sustained care. "Aid at scale must be allowed into Gaza for children's health and survival," the agency urged. 'Another day of death traps' Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees, expressed deep concern over delays and obstacles in aid delivery, urging Israel to allow the UN safe and unhindered access to bring in supplies and distribute it safely. "This is the only way to avert mass starvation including among one million children," he said. Mr. Lazzarini warned that casualties and injuries continue to be reported daily at US-backed distribution points managed by Israeli and private security forces - creating in effect, daily death traps. He described the system as humiliating, forcing thousands of hungry and desperate people to walk tens of miles, while excluding the most vulnerable and those living too far from aid centres. Food aid disrupted The UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported that 59 trucks carrying essential wheat flour to northern Gaza were intercepted and offloaded by starving civilians desperate to feed their families. A second convoy of 21 trucks bound for southern Gaza faced a 36-hour delay awaiting clearances. As of 10 June - nearly three weeks after the limited resumption of aid - WFP transported over 700 trucks to the Kerem Shalom crossing, compared to 600-700 trucks of aid transported per day during the ceasefire earlier this year. "To stave off starvation, stabilize markets and calm desperation, we need to consistently support the entire population with basic food requirements every month," WFP said. Insecurity and lawlessness in Gaza have also led to trucks being looted, injuring drivers and damaging trucks. WFP called for faster approvals, safe routes and open crossings, as well as an urgent ceasefire, to allow it to reach those in need. "The food aid brought into Gaza during the ceasefire helped to push back the tide of hunger. We can do this again." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address World News in Brief: Global growth slows, deadly Ukraine attacks, Haiti hurricane hunger risk, legal migration for refugees 10 June 2025 - Global economic growth is expected to decline this year due to increased trade barriers and policy uncertainty, the World Bank said in a report published on Tuesday. Growth is projected to weaken to 2.3 per cent, or nearly half a percentage point lower than expected at the start of the year, according to the Global Economic Prospects report. "The global outlook is predicated on tariff rates close to those of late May prevailing," it said. "Accordingly, pauses to previously announced tariff hikes between the United States and its trading partners are assumed to persist." Although a global recession is not expected, average global growth is on track to be the slowest of any decade since the 1960s. Poor countries suffer Growth forecasts are being slashed in nearly 70 per cent of all economies, with the poorest countries most affected. In most developing countries, nearly 60 per cent, growth should average 3.8 per cent in 2025 before reaching an average 3.9 per cent in the following two years - more than a percentage lower than the average in the 2010s. The slowdown will impact efforts by developing countries in areas such as job creation, poverty reduction and closing income gaps with richer economies. "The world economy today is once more running into turbulence. Without a swift course correction, the harm to living standards could be deep," said Indermit Gill, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. The report calls for rebuilding trade relations as "economic cooperation is better than any of the alternatives - for all parties," he said. Countries are also urged to improve business climates and to promote employment by ensuring workers are equipped with necessary skills. At least three dead in new Russian drone assault on Ukrainian cities A massive new wave of Russian drone attacks has killed at least three civilians and left Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia engulfed in clouds of thick smoke, aid teams said on Tuesday. The attack was reportedly one of the largest since Russia's full-scale invasion more than three years ago. In an online update, the UN aid coordinating office, OCHA, said that a maternity ward in Odesa had come under fire, causing injuries and widespread damage to homes. Another terrible night The UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, underscored the impact of the violence on civilians, citing 16-year-old Sonya from Kyiv in an online post. "It was a terrible night," she said. "The sounds were so frightening - a buzzing sound that was getting closer and explosions every five minutes." Russia has intensified its airstrikes on Ukraine in recent days. According to Moscow, it stepped up its bombing campaign in retaliation for Ukraine's suprise drone attacks deep inside Russian territory last week codenamed operation spiderweb. Amid the ongoing conflict, UN humanitarian teams and partners continue to work to help civilians in cities across Ukraine. They provide first aid, protection services, food, construction materials and other support including counselling and legal advice. Haiti: Hurricane season is here, but there are no food supplies The World Food Programme (WFP) has reported that for the first time ever, it has no prepositioned food supplies in Haiti for the hurricane season, which lasts from June to November. WFP also said staffers do not have the financial resources to respond quickly to an emergency weather event in the country. Other UN agencies have prepositioned water and sanitation kits for 100,000 and health supplies for 20,000 people. However, these are not sufficient, especially in the absence of food, to meet needs during an emergency. "The current lack of contingency stocks and operational funds leaves Haiti's most at-risk communities dangerously unprotected at a time of heightened vulnerability," Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a briefing Tuesday. Famine-like conditions Food insecurity and malnutrition are already rampant, with over half the population facing acute hunger. Haiti is one of five countries worldwide which is experiencing famine-like conditions. Continuing armed violence by gangs in the capital and in other regions has displaced over one million people, compounding the hunger crisis and limiting access to other basic services such as clean water and health care. UN agencies in the country estimate that they will need $908 million to continue providing life-saving resources in Haiti, but currently, they have only received $78 million in emergency support. Refugees find hope through legal migration Nearly one million refugees from eight countries with high asylum recognition rates were granted entry permits to 38 destination countries between 2019 and 2023, according to a new report from UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Safe Pathways for Refugees. These permits were issued through existing systems for work, study, or family reunification. "Refugees are using the same legal channels that millions rely on every day," said Ruven Menikdiwela, UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection. "We don't need new systems - just safer access to the ones already in place." In 2023 alone, nearly 255,000 permits were issued, marking a 14 per cent increase from 2022 and the highest number recorded since tracking began in 2010. Countries such as Germany, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Sweden have played a leading role. UNHCR is urging States to remove obstacles for refugees and integrate them into regular migration systems. It also calls for stronger partnerships to expand access to legal pathways amid growing displacement and strained asylum systems. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Haiti, Ukraine UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory Gaza: Hostilities, hunger deepen civilians' suffering OCHA warns that hostilities and hunger continue to fuel desperation among more than 2 million people in Gaza who are being denied the basics necessary for their survival, amid reports of ongoing Israeli military operations. Between 5 and 8 June, 15 attacks were reported on residential buildings and tents sheltering displaced people across Gaza, killing tens of Palestinians and injuring others. In northern Gaza, Israeli military operations have intensified in recent days, with mass casualties reported. On 7 June, the Palestinian Civil Defence reported 30 fatalities, including women and children, in an air strike on a residential building in Gaza city. Hungry and displaced people have also reportedly been killed while risking their lives to access food at militarized distribution hubs. Meanwhile, four new displacement orders have been issued by the Israeli authorities for northern areas of Gaza since 6 June. The last of these was said to be in response to reported Palestinian rocket fire into Israel. Combined, they cover about 8 square kilometres but largely overlap with previously issued orders. OCHA underscores that civilians must be protected, including those fleeing and forced to leave through displacement orders and those who remain despite those orders. Civilians who flee must be allowed to return as soon as circumstances allow. OCHA reiterates that civilians must be able to receive the humanitarian assistance they need, wherever they are. All of this is required by international humanitarian law. Yesterday, some supplies - mainly flour - were collected from Kerem Shalom crossing. The aid was bound for Gaza city but was taken directly from the trucks by hungry and desperate people who have now endured months of deprivation. Separately, there have also been some instances of violent looting and attacks on truck drivers, which are completely unacceptable. OCHA reiterates that Israel, as the occupying power, bears responsibility with regards to public order and safety in Gaza. That should include letting in far more essential supplies, through multiple crossings and routes, to meet humanitarian needs and help reduce looting. Today, additional supplies have been sent to Kerem Shalom, and humanitarian partners continue their efforts to pick up supplies when they are allowed access by the Israeli authorities. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities continue to deny many humanitarian movements within the Strip to provide whatever limited services available to the population. Yesterday, they rejected 11 out of 18 attempts by the UN to coordinate such movements. These included trucking water, retrieving fuel, carrying out a rescue mission in Khan Younis, and repairing roads. West Bank: Northern areas affected by Israeli operations OCHA says Israeli forces' operations in northern areas of the West Bank continue to be reported. Today at around midnight, Israeli forces launched an operation in Nablus city, focusing on the Old City. They imposed a curfew, conducted house-to-house searches, and reportedly used a school as an interrogation centre. At least 20 homes have been searched, with reports of damage to property. Yesterday in Jenin, the Israeli authorities announced an imminent plan to demolish nearly 96 structures - most of them residential - in Jenin camp. More than 280 families who stand to be affected have been given 72 hours to retrieve their personal belongings. In Tulkarm, Israeli operations have intensified in its camps - Tulkarm and Nur Shams - since 6 June, coinciding with Eid al Adha. The forces have implemented demolition orders for 58 structures. More than three dozen buildings have been demolished so far, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, with destruction extending beyond the original orders issued at the start of the month. There is a heavy presence of military forces remaining at both camps. On 7 June, Israeli forces reportedly shot and injured a Palestinian man in Nur Shams. Israeli forces have also operated in parts of Tulkarm city, taking over buildings and using them as military posts. Sudan Fighting escalates in Kordofan region OCHA is alarmed by intensifying violence in the greater Kordofan region of Sudan and the growing humanitarian impact of the fighting there. Air strikes have reportedly hit residential areas of Al Obeid city, North Kordofan state, in recent days, injuring civilians. OCHA reports that conflict in the Kordofan region continues to hinder aid operations, leaving many people in need out of reach. Ongoing battles have brought the fighting closer to critical pastoral routes, which herders use to move their livestock. The humanitarian situation elsewhere in the country also remains dire. In Northern state, partners report that nearly 6,000 people newly displaced from North Darfur - many of them older, wounded or suffering from chronic diseases - arrived in Ad Dabbah locality during the last two weeks of May. They urgently need healthcare, safe drinking water and protection services, including support for survivors of gender-based violence. In Khartoum state, cholera remains a threat, despite recent progress in the response by the UN, its partners and local authorities. More than 1,300 new cases were recorded by health authorities there between 26 May and 1 June, down from 7,000 the previous week. While the fatality rate has declined, partners warn that underreporting may be masking the true scale of the outbreak. Partners estimate that US$40 million is urgently needed to rehabilitate water infrastructure in Khartoum state and prevent a cholera resurgence, especially with the onset of the rainy season this month and increased movement of people after Eid al Adha holidays. OCHA also reports that while displacement remains staggering, there has been a slight decline in the overall number of people uprooted by the conflict. According to the International Organization for Migration, some 10 million people were internally displaced as of the end of May - down from 11.6 million in January. This reduction is attributed to people returning, particularly to Khartoum, Sennar and Aj Jazirah states. Since December, about 1.2 million internally displaced people have returned to their areas of origin - a nearly 90 per cent increase since April. The majority returned to Aj Jazirah, followed by Sennar and Khartoum states. Basic services remain very limited in these areas, and returnees will require significant support. OCHA once again calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians, and unimpeded humanitarian access across conflict lines and borders. In addition, greater national and international support is urgently required to scale up the response and meet rising needs across Sudan.* *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Sudan with urgent support. Haiti Critical stocks, funding in short supply as hurricane season looms OCHA reports that Haiti is entering the 2025 hurricane season with no emergency stockpile, amid lack of funding. The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that for the first time ever, its teams have no prepositioned food stocks in the country, nor the cash liquidity to mount a swift humanitarian response in the case of a hurricane or extreme weather event. In previous years, WFP could rapidly assist between 250,000 and 500,000 people in the immediate aftermath of a shock. The current lack of contingency stocks and operational funds eliminates any buffer against an impending crisis, leaving Haiti's most at-risk communities dangerously unprotected at a time of heightened vulnerability. The UN and its partners have pre-positioned water, hygiene and sanitation kits for more than 100,000 people and health supplies for 20,000 people across Haiti. However, these items - while important - are not sufficient on their own to meet life-saving needs in an emergency, especially in the absence of food. Limited logistics capacity compounds the risk of catastrophic delays in the critical first hours of any new emergency. This critical shortfall comes as Haiti faces a deepening humanitarian crisis. Armed violence has displaced more than 1 million people and continues to severely disrupt access to basic services. Food insecurity remains widespread, with more than 5.7 million people - nearly half the population - facing acute hunger, including 2.1 million in emergency levels of acute food insecurity, or Phase 4 of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. Haiti is one of only five countries worldwide with people facing famine-like conditions. The country's extreme vulnerability to natural disasters adds another layer to the crisis. Recent flooding in late 2024 affected hundreds of thousands of people, particularly in the Nord-Est, underscoring the urgent need for disaster preparedness and anticipatory action to ensure humanitarians can respond as soon as a disaster strikes. OCHA stresses that humanitarians remain committed to supporting affected communities. Alongside national authorities, they continue to deliver food, clean water, healthcare, hygiene kits, shelter and psychosocial support, despite insecurity and severe underfunding. OCHA calls on international partners to act urgently to fill these critical gaps and help ensure a timely and effective response as the hurricane season unfolds. The $908 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Haiti is currently just over 8 per cent funded, with $75 million received. Ukraine Hostilities cause casualties in urban centres, front-line areas OCHA says large-scale attacks over the weekend killed dozens of civilians and injured hundreds across Ukraine. Local authorities report that between 5 June and today, nearly 30 civilians were killed and more than 200 were injured, including children, across urban centres and front-line areas. Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa - Ukraine's most populated cities - were particularly impacted. In the capital Kyiv, several first responders were reportedly killed and others wounded on duty while responding to earlier strikes, according to authorities. In Odesa, three health facilities - an emergency medical services station, a maternity hospital and a blood centre - sustained damage, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since the escalation of the war in February 2022, WHO has verified 2,446 attacks on healthcare across the country. On 6 June, in the Kherson region, local authorities report that a clearly marked Ukrainian Red Cross vehicle was destroyed in a strike. No personnel were injured. Meanwhile, in the west of the country, the regions of Rivne, Ternopil and Volyn - which were previously less affected by hostilities - also came under attack over the weekend. Civilians were injured, and thousands were left without electricity following the attack. The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the attacks, calling them a stark reminder of the terror Ukrainians across the country experience daily. In all affected locations, the UN and national and international humanitarian organizations distributed emergency shelter materials and hot meals and provided psychosocial support. Assistance continues, despite the intensifying violence. Posted on 10 June 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UNRWA Commissioner-General on Gaza: another day of aid distribution another day of death traps UNRWA 10 Jun 2025 From Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General as posted on his official X account (previously known as Twitter) Gaza, another day of aid distribution another day of death traps. Day after day, casualties and scores of injured are reported at distribution points manned by Israel and private security companies. This humiliating system continues to force thousands of hungry and desperate people to walk for tens of miles excluding the most vulnerable and those living too far. This system does not intend to address hunger. Aid deliveries and distribution must be at scale and safe. In Gaza, this can be done only through the United Nations including UNRWA. We have the expertise, the knowledge and community trust. The State of Israel must lift the siege and allow the UN safe and unhindered access to bring in aid and distribute it safely. This is the only way to avert mass starvation including among 1 million children. Today, there are 12000 UNRWA staff who continue providing health, sanitation and psychosocial services under the most brutal and adverse environment. Our warehouses outside Gaza are full with a volume of assistance equivalent to 6,000 trucks. Letting food rot and medicine deliberately expire would simply be obscene. Background Information: UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency's area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on. UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address S. Korea stops loudspeaker broadcasts in border area with DPRK: media Xinhua) 16:16, June 11, 2025 SEOUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's military stopped broadcasting propaganda through loudspeakers in the border area with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), multiple media outlets said Wednesday. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) Completes Patrol with Newly Awarded Combat Action Ribbon US Navy 10 June 2025 From U.S. Sixth Fleet Public Affairs NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) returned to Naval Station Rota, Spain on Jun. 10, 2025 with a Unit Combat Action Ribbon following completion of her first Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) patrol in the U.S. Sixth Fleet and Fifth Fleet areas of operations. Oscar Austin departed for Patrol One on Dec. 11, 2024, during which she sailed over 37,900 nautical miles supporting U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa. She operated as an independently deployed destroyer in the Mediterranean and in the Red Sea conducting combat operations with the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group. "I'm honored to have assumed command of Oscar Austin during her first patrol as a forward deployed warship," said Cmdr. David Nicolas, who took Command in May. "Having served previously as the ship's executive officer, I feel immense pride in witnessing the growth and development of the crew in their preparation for and completion of Patrol One." Oscar Austin welcomed the New Year in the East Mediterranean by sailing alongside the Republic of Cyprus National Guard. Oscar Austin and the Republic of Cyprus offshore patrol vessel Commodore Andreas Ioannides (P61) completed events involving advanced signaling and maneuvering. The exercises reinforced partnerships with regional partners, highlighting the strategic importance in fostering multinational cooperation. In April, Oscar Austin transited the Suez Canal into the U.S. Fifth Fleet area of operations with the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group. The ship provided air and missile defense, joining fellow Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) and USS Stout (DDG 55), and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64). In the Red Sea, Oscar Austin and the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group came under fire from various airborne threats. Sailors onboard Oscar Austin acted swiftly and professionally to defend the strike group, upholding freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. Capt. Alexander Mamikonian, Commodore of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 60, presented Nicolas and the Oscar Austin crew the distinguished award when they returned home. "This was Oscar Austin's maiden patrol as a Rota-based FDNF-E destroyer and her team performed exceptionally," Mamikonian said. "As their Commodore, I was impressed by their professionalism, proficiency and self-sufficiency on a daily basis. It was a pleasure watching them perform on patrol, but we're glad they're back home in Rota reunited with their loved ones." Sailors wear the ribbon proudly around the ship: exclusive to units in the Department of the Navy demonstrating satisfactory performance under enemy fire. Nicolas praised the crew for their skilled and courageous efforts during the patrol. "Executing multiple missions across two theaters, Oscar Austin displayed the immense versatility of the Arleigh Burke class destroyer: from conducting ballistic missile defense in the eastern Mediterranean Sea to seamlessly integrating with the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group in the Red Sea. But overall, it was the crew's grit and resiliency that fueled the ship's success throughout the patrol." After her time in the Red Sea, in May, Oscar Austin returned to the Eastern Mediterranean, postured to support America's commitment to NATO, defending Allies and working together to deter malign actors from escalating the war in Israel. Beyond crew-wide accomplishments, the Sailors onboard Oscar Austin also fulfilled numerous individual milestones, including six naval officers who earned their Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) pins, 78 enlisted personnel who acquired their Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) pins, and 54 promotions of rank. While underway, Oscar Austin also saw 17 Sailors raise their right hands to reenlist in the Navy, reaffirming the command's commitment to a culture of excellence. "This crew has demonstrated remarkable resilience and unwavering dedication throughout a period of significant change and demanding operations," said Cmdr. Gerald Sellars, the ship's Executive Officer. "From navigating the complexities of a homeport shift to successfully executing deployments in both Fifth and Sixth Fleets, their teamwork and commitment have been instrumental in overcoming every challenge. The crew's ability to adapt and persevere ensures mission success and, most importantly, a safe return home to their families. It is an honor to serve alongside this team." Upon their return home, Sailors manned the rails in their dress whites and newly-earned ribbons as the ship pulled into Pier 1 in Rota, Spain, marking the completion of its first FDNF-E patrol. Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allies, international partners, and other U.S. government departments and agencies to advance U.S. national interests, security and stability in Europe and Africa. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Red Flag 25-2 to Begin in Alaska US Navy 10 June 2025 From Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Red Flag-Alaska 25-2, a Pacific Air Forces sponsored exercise, is scheduled for June 12-27, 2025, with primary flight operations over the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. Red Flag-Alaska is designed to provide realistic training in a simulated combat environment. Approximately 1500 service members are expected to fly, maintain and support more than 70 aircraft from 35 units during this iteration of the exercise. Service members from the United States and three partner nations are scheduled to participate, enabling them to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures while improving interoperability within the multilateral force. Most participating aircraft will operate from Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Red Flag-Alaska training spans from individual skills to complex, large-scale joint engagements. The exercises can be adapted to integrate a mix of forces into a realistic threat environment utilizing more than 77,000 square miles of airspace in the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, which is the largest combat training range in the world. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Allied engineers reinforce Baltic shoreline during BALTOPS 25 US Navy 10 June 2025 From Chief Mass Communication Specialist Justin Stumberg LIEPAJA, Latvia -- U.S. Navy Seabees, U.S. Marine Corps combat engineers from 8th Engineer Support Battalion (8th ESB), and NATO allies joined forces on the Baltic coast to construct critical waterfront infrastructure during exercise Baltic Operations 2025 (BALTOPS 25). U.S. Navy Seabees, U.S. Marine Corps combat engineers from 8th Engineer Support Battalion (8th ESB), and NATO allies joined forces on the Baltic coast to construct critical waterfront infrastructure during exercise Baltic Operations 2025 (BALTOPS 25). The project, a centerpiece of this year's exercise, focused on replacing a deteriorating Cold War-era Soviet boat ramp with a newly engineered access point, enhancing Latvian coastal readiness and expanding NATO's expeditionary capabilities in the region. The joint engineering operation demonstrates the U.S. Navy's commitment to strengthening partnerships and modernizing infrastructure in support of distributed maritime operations. "This type of multinational construction directly supports the Chief of Naval Operations' Navigation Plan and the Commandant of the Marine Corps' Force Design 2030 vision," said Chief Warrant Officer 5, Chris Vollmer. "We're building real capability for real-world use, not just for us, but with and for our allies." The ramp was constructed using the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Submatt system, part of a U.S. Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) field experiment designed to test force projection infrastructure in cold-weather maritime environments. This marks the first use of the Submatt system in a Baltic coastal application, and a key milestone in advancing NATO's ability to operate in ice-prone littoral terrain. For the Marines of 8th ESB, the exercise marked a return to familiar terrain. As a recurring partner in theater, they've supported previous iterations of BALTOPS and other multinational engineering missions. "Working with the Latvian engineers reminded me of my time with the Seabees in Ghana," said Cpl. Favian Bernal, a combat engineer with 8th Engineer Support Battalion. In 2024, Bernal deployed to Ghana, where he supported Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCB) 1 and 11, helping build a concrete boat storage pad and a three-room schoolhouse. "Getting to work with Seabee battalions in the past really helped prepare me for a joint environment like this," Bernal said. "At first, it might feel like we all do things a little differently but once you're on the job site, everyone's focused on the same mission. Working with our NATO allies here is a great experience. We might come from different cultures, but we've all got that same get-it-done mindset." Latvia, which currently lacks a dedicated military engineering battalion, is actively developing its organic capability. Through this hands-on partnership, U.S. forces train together with Latvian soldiers to take on future missions independently, ensuring lasting security investments on both sides of the Atlantic. Navy Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 1 Seabee divers contributed to site preparation and underwater assessments, ensuring that the ramp will remain viable through seasonal changes and potential ice buildup. The Submatt ramp's durability and rapid assembly make it ideal for future operations, exercises, and real-world contingencies. "Cold water, shifting seabeds, and seasonal ice are real challenges here," said Senior Chief Carlos Hernandez, UCT 1 Master Diver. "Our job was to make sure the ramp's foundation could handle those variables and stay mission-ready year-round." Hernandez added that working alongside multinational partners brought unique value to the mission. "Every diver, every engineer on this project brought a different set of skills to the table," Hernandez said. "It's that kind of shared expertise that makes projects like this possible." The project also enables more frequent and cost-effective NATO training in Latvia by reducing logistical barriers and increasing accessibility to the coastline. BALTOPS includes training in a wide range of capabilities, including amphibious operations, gunnery, air defense, anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, explosive ordnance disposal, and medical response. It will also incorporate unmanned surface and underwater vehicles into various scenarios. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Readout of the Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan's Testimony Before Senate Armed Services Committee US Navy - Statements 10 June 2025 The Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs Office provided the following readout: Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee to discuss the Department of the Navy's priorities for FY26 and the challenges facing the Navy and Marine Corps team. "My top priority as Secretary is readiness," said Secretary Phelan. "Before a dollar is spent on any new program, platform or policy I always ask the following question: What is the impact to our readiness? And, does it increase or add to it? If the answer is no, we will not spend that dollar." Secretary Phelan outlined his three key priorities: building more ships in America, strengthening our warfighter culture, and improving the health, welfare, housing and training of Sailors and Marines. Since his confirmation, he has visited multiple domestic and overseas shipyards and military installations to assess the current state of the force and industry. Noting the increasing challenges posed by global adversaries, Secretary Phelan stated, "We are still the dominant naval power, but our adversaries are closing the gap at an accelerating rate. We need to make important cultural and strategic changes in order to maintain our competitive advantage." He further stressed the critical need to revitalize the U.S. maritime industrial base, calling it "a national security imperative." Secretary Phelan detailed his engagement with shipyard leaders and shipbuilders and urged a collaborative effort between Congress, industry, and the Department to rebuild the capacity and expertise required for naval superiority. Secretary Phelan reaffirmed his commitment to Sailors and Marines as the Department's greatest asset, highlighting ongoing efforts to invest in recruitment, training, and quality of service initiatives to support service members and their families. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address WFP expands footprint in Khartoum as families starts to return to devastated capital World Food Programme 10 June 2025 This is a summary of what was said by Laurent Bukera, WFP Sudan Representative and Country Director (speaking from Port Sudan via Zoom) - to whom quoted text may be attributed - at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. GENEVA - I've just returned from Khartoum State, where WFP opened a new office in Omdurman - Khartoum's twin city. This marks a key milestone in re-establishing our presence closer to the communities we serve and reaffirms WFP's commitment to deliver. The needs are immense. We saw widespread destruction, limited access to water, healthcare, and electricity, and a cholera outbreak. In parts of the city, life is returning - but many neighbourhoods remain abandoned, like a ghost city. Over the past six months, WFP has reached nearly 1 million Sudanese in Khartoum with food and nutrition support. This momentum must continue - several areas in the south of the city are at high risk of famine. Sudanese communities have been on the frontlines, hosting the displaced, but they are now at a breaking point. With returns expected to heavily damaged areas like Khartoum, pressure on overstretched resources will intensify. WFP is deeply concerned and meeting basic needs, especially food, is critical and urgent. Urgent action is needed to restore basic services and accelerate recovery - through coordinated efforts with local authorities, national NGOs, UN agencies, and humanitarian partners. At the same time, funding shortfalls are already disrupting assistance in Khartoum, Blue Nile, Al Jazira and Sennar states. Oil and pulses have been removed from the food basket due to a lack of resources. Without new funding in the coming months, further cuts in assistance will have to be implemented. In Khartoum, life-saving nutritional supplements for young children and pregnant or nursing mothers are out of reach - not because of access constraints, but due to a lack of resources. Without urgent support, we cannot deliver the full package that people need as they return to Khartoum. WFP has a longstanding presence and deep expertise in Sudan, built over six decades of operations. As we scale up efforts to address urgent food needs, we are also laying the foundation for a long-term recovery - expanding cash assistance to revitalize local markets and supporting bakeries and small businesses in their reopening. There's much we can do - and are doing - right now. WFP is now reaching 4 million people a month across Sudan. This is nearly four times more than at the start of 2024. As access has expanded, including to previously unreachable areas like Khartoum, we've rapidly scaled up operations to meet increasing needs. We are aiming to reach 7 million people monthly, prioritizing those facing famine or other areas at extreme risk across Darfur, Kordofan, Al Jazira, and Khartoum states. With sustained support, we can do even more. Progress remains fragile. The rainy season is now starting, compounding an already dire situation. At the same time, indiscriminate and unacceptable attacks on humanitarian personnel and operations are escalating - including last week's strike on a WFP-UNICEF convoy when it was just hours from reaching besieged El Fasher in North Darfur. The convoy was about 80 km from the city. The convoy came under attack in Al Kuma, resulting in the tragic loss of five humanitarian personnel and injuries to others. In April, aid workers were killed during a major escalation of fighting in Zamzam camp also near El Fasher. These attacks must stop immediately. While we can't thank donor partners enough for their support to humanitarian and resilience activities, needs are at the moment outpacing the funding we have received. Despite generous contributions from our donor partners, we are running short of over $500 million for emergency food and cash assistance alone for the coming six months. The international community must act now by stepping up funding to stop famine in the hardest-hit areas and to invest in Sudan's recovery. We must also demand respect for the safety and protection of the Sudanese people and aid workers. This is the moment to stand with the Sudanese people as they rebuild their lives, communities, and hope after two years of devastating conflict. We demand respect and safety for civilians and humanitarian workers. Above all, the only solution is peace. # # # The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. We are the world's largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NZ places travel ban on extremist Israeli politicians Beehive.govt.nz - The official website of the New Zealand Government 11 June 2025 Rt Hon Winston Peters New Zealand has joined Australia, Canada, the UK and Norway in placing travel bans on two extremist Israeli politicians, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. The bans will prevent Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from travelling to New Zealand. "Our action today is not against the Israeli people, who suffered immeasurably on October 7 and who have continued to suffer through Hamas' ongoing refusal to release all hostages. Nor is it designed to sanction the wider Israeli government. "Rather, the travel bans are targeted at two individuals who are using their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state solution. "New Zealand is a long-standing supporter of the two-state solution. Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have severely and deliberately undermined that by personally advocating for the annexation of Palestinian land and the expansion of illegal settlements, while inciting violence and forced displacement. "New Zealand's consistent and historic position has been that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are a violation of international law. Settlements and associated violence undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution." Today's targeted sanctions are consistent with New Zealand's approach to other foreign policy issues, Mr Peters says. "New Zealand has also targeted travel bans on politicians and military leaders advocating violence or undermining democracy in other countries in the past, including Russia, Belarus and Myanmar." The international community is overwhelmingly in favour of a future Palestinian state as part of a negotiated two-state solution, Mr Peters says. "The crisis in Gaza has made returning to a meaningful political process all the more urgent. New Zealand will continue to advocate for an end to the current conflict and an urgent restart of the Middle East Peace Process." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Trump's militarization of Los Angeles is illegal. Here's why. California Governor - Gavin Newsom Jun 10, 2025 LOS ANGELES - Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta are standing up all states by filing a lawsuit and request to block President Trump and the Department of Defense's illegal militarization of Los Angeles and the takeover of a California National Guard (Cal Guard) unit. The lawsuit and motion for an emergency temporary restraining order are crucial steps in holding President Trump accountable for his unwarranted and illegal overstep and for putting our democracy and our safety at risk. Here's why the federal takeover of the Cal Guard unit must be stopped: -The President's takeover was not just about California this action puts EVERY state at risk. While the President's rhetoric is aimed at California, his order applies to every state in the country. On June 7, one day after the protests began, President Trump issued a memorandum purporting to authorize the Department of Defense to call up 2,000 National Guard personnel into federal service for a period of 60 days, and declaring a "form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States" and directing the Secretary of Defense to coordinate with state governors and the National Guard to commandeer state militias. This order was not specific to California and suggests that the President could assume control of any state militia. -The law the President cited to take over a state guard requires the Governor's approval. The U.S. Constitution and the Title 10 authority the President invoked require that the Governor consent to federalization of the National Guard, which Governor Newsom was not given the opportunity to do prior to their deployment and which he confirmed he had not given shortly after their deployment. The President's unlawful order infringes on Governor Newsom's role as Commander-in-Chief of the California National Guard and violates the state's sovereign right to control and have available its National Guard in the absence of a lawful invocation of federal power. -There's no insurrection, no matter how many times Trump says the word out loud. The situation in Los Angeles didn't meet the criteria for federalization, which includes invasion by a foreign country, rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States, and being unable to execute federal laws. That is not the case in the Los Angeles area, where local and state law enforcement have remained vigilant and in control and able to subdue unlawful activity. -Local law enforcement had it handled, and the federal government wasn't equipped to step in. By the time the National Guard arrived on Sunday morning, the protests had dissipated thanks to local law enforcement, and the streets were quiet. The President's Actions and the military presence actually inflamed the very protest and violence it was supposedly meant to suppress. The introduction of a military presence on city streets has only led to larger crowds and more problems for law enforcement to solve. -Cal Guard has other things to do ...like emergency response and drug interdiction. The federalization of the California National Guard deprives California of resources to protect itself and its citizens, including those working on drug interdiction at the border, and of critical responders in the event of a state of emergency such as the January 2025 firestorm in Los Angeles, which Cal Guard responded to. -You can't threaten to arrest a Governor, just because you don't agree with them. We live in a democracy and the President's actions and subsequent threats put it at risk. As Governor Newsom said, President Trump's actions here are "an unmistakable step towards authoritarianism." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Governor Newsom files emergency motion to block Trump's unlawful militarization of Los Angeles California Governor - Gavin Newsom Jun 10, 2025 "Turning the military against American citizens" What you need to know: Standing up for American citizens and the Nation's foundational ban on martial law in peacetime, California Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta are requesting the court step in to immediately block the Trump administration's unnecessary militarization of Los Angeles to include immigration enforcement in communities. LOS ANGELES - Following President Trump's doubling down on the militarization of the Los Angeles area through the takeover of 4,000 more California National Guard soldiers and the unlawful deployment of the U.S. Marines, Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta are filing an emergency request for the court to block President Trump and the Department of Defense from expanding the current mission of federalized Cal Guard personnel and Marines. This mission orders soldiers to engage in unlawful civilian law enforcement activities in communities across the region, beyond just guarding federal buildings. "The federal government is now turning the military against American citizens. Sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy. Donald Trump is behaving like a tyrant, not a President. We ask the court to immediately block these unlawful actions." Governor Gavin Newsom "The President is looking for any pretense to place military forces on American streets to intimidate and quiet those who disagree with him. It's not just immoral It's illegal and dangerous. Local law enforcement, not the military, enforce the law within our borders. The President continues to inflame tensions and antagonize communities. We're asking the court to immediately block the Trump Administration from ordering the military or federalized national guard from patrolling our communities or otherwise engaging in general law enforcement activities beyond federal property." Attorney General Bonta The request was filed as part of the Governor's lawsuit against President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the Department of Defense (DOD), charging violations of the U.S. Constitution and the President's Title 10 authority, not only because the takeover occurred without the consent or input of the Governor, as federal law requires, but also because it was unwarranted. The lawsuit was filed as President Trump declared the federalization of 2,000 Cal Guard servicemembers after community members began protesting violent and widespread Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the Los Angeles region, which began on June 6. ICE began these operations without providing notification to law enforcement and engineered them to provoke community backlash. During the course of these operations, ICE officers took actions that inflamed tensions including the arrest and detainment of children, community advocates, and people without criminal history and conducted military-style operations that sparked panic in the community. In response, community members began protesting to express opposition to these violent tactics, arrests of innocent people, and the President's heavy-handed immigration agenda. Protests continued for two more days, and although some violent and illegal incidents were reported leading to justified arrests by state and local authorities these protests were largely nonviolent and involved citizens exercising their First Amendment right to protest. The protests did not necessitate federal intervention, and local and state law enforcement have been able to control of the situation, as in other recent instances of unrest. Local law enforcement, despite no communication or advanced notice from the federal government, responded quickly and did not request federal assistance. Illegal militarization On June 7, one day after the protests began, President Trump issued a memorandum purporting to authorize the DOD to call up 2,000 National Guard personnel into federal service for a period of 60 days, and declaring a "form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States" and directing the Secretary of Defense to coordinate with state governors and the National Guard to commandeer state militias. The action puts state sovereignty in danger, as his order was not specific to California and suggests that the President could assume control of any state militia. The U.S. Constitution and the Title 10 authority the President invoked in the memo require that the Governor consent to federalization of the National Guard, which Governor Newsom was not given the opportunity to do prior to their deployment and which he confirmed he had not given shortly after their deployment. The President's unlawful order infringes on Governor Newsom's role as Commander-in-Chief of the California National Guard and violates the state's sovereign right to control and have available its National Guard in the absence of a lawful invocation of federal power. Additionally, DOD has expanded Cal Guard's duties, ordering them to assist ICE agents in civilian law enforcement activities including arresting and detaining immigrants and others who may be suspected or accused of interfering with ICE a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution and the rights of American citizens. Cleaning up Trump's mess On Saturday, there were 250+ protesters pre-National Guard deployment. On Sunday, the protesters grew to 3,000+ post-deployment of the National Guard by the federal government. Their presence is inviting and incentivizing demonstrations. Since President Trump's impulsive memo and actions to send the military to the Los Angeles region, the state continued to work with local partners to surge 800+ additional state and local law enforcement officers into Los Angeles to clean up President Trump's mess. Local and state law enforcement has had to intervene to protect public safety. The National Guard is currently standing sentry outside federal buildings, with local and state law enforcement doing all of the work. The President's actions have not only caused widespread panic and chaos, but have unnecessarily created an additional diversion of resources as the state tries to calm a community terrorized by this reckless federal action. The hypocrisy is on full display In 2020, Trump said he wouldn't federalize National Guard members without the approval of the state's Governor first. His own Department of Homeland Security leader said just last year that federalizing the National Guard would be a direct attack on state rights. The federal administration is adding more National Guard soldiers and Marines to an already charged situation when they are unneeded. There are 1,600 soldiers waiting for commands at armories in the area. Read more about the lawsuit here. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DHS Sets the Record Straight on LA Riots, Condemns Violence Against Law Enforcement, Destruction of Property and Threats to ICE Agents Release Date: June 10, 2025 Politicians, media attempt to gaslight Americans, call lawless riots in the sanctuary state of California peaceful WASHINGTON -- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today released the following statement setting the record straight and condemning the destruction caused by the violent rioters in Los Angeles, California. Sanctuary politicians and the media have falsely claimed these are "peaceful" riots. "While the mainstream media and far-left politicians have lied point-blank to Americans that these riots in Los Angeles have not been violent, the American people can see with their own eyes the truth," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "Rioters are throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at law enforcement, defacing public property, setting cars on fire, defacing buildings, assaulting law enforcement, and burning American flags. The violent targeting of law enforcement in Los Angeles by lawless rioters is despicable and Democrat politicians must call for it to end." ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistani National Extradited to Face Charges in Connection with Plot to Carry Out ISIS-Inspired Mass Shooting at Jewish Center in New York City Tuesday, June 10, 2025 For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs A Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, was extradited to the United States on June 10, in connection with an indictment filed in the Southern District of New York. Khan was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO), the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries. Khan is scheduled to make an initial appearance in court on June 11. "The foreign terrorist organization ISIS remains a clear and present danger to the American people, and our Jewish citizens are especially targeted by evil groups like these," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "The Department of Justice is proud to help secure this extradition, and we will prosecute this man to the fullest extent of the law." "Khan allegedly tried to enter the United States to commit an attack on the Jewish community in New York City, planning an ISIS-inspired mass shooting around the one-year anniversary of the attack on Gaza by Hamas," said FBI Director Kash Patel. "Thankfully, the great work of the FBI and our partners shut that down, and Khan has now been extradited to New York to face American justice. I want to thank our teams and partners for their diligent work in this case and executing the mission." "As alleged, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan attempted to enter the United States to carry out a deadly terrorist attack on a Jewish center in New York City," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. "He planned to use automatic weapons to kill as many members of our Jewish community as possible, all in support of ISIS. Khan's deadly, antisemitic plan was thwarted by the diligent work of our law enforcement partners and the career prosecutors in this Office who are committed to rooting out antisemitism and stopping terror. Thanks to their efforts, Khan will now face justice in New York." Khan was provisionally arrested in Canada on Sept. 4, 2024 based on a complaint filed in the Southern District of New York. As alleged in the complaint, Khan, who resided in Canada, attempted to travel from Canada to New York City, where he intended to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons to carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, New York. Khan began posting on social media and communicating with others on an encrypted messaging application about his support for ISIS in or about November 2023, when, among other things, Khan distributed ISIS propaganda videos and literature. Subsequently, Khan began communicating with two undercover law enforcement officers (collectively, the UCs). During those conversations, Khan confirmed that he and a U.S.-based ISIS supporter (Associate-1) had been planning to carry out an attack in a particular U.S. city (City-1). Among other things, Khan said that he had been actively attempting to create "a real offline cell" of ISIS supporters to carry out a "coordinated assault" in City-1 using AR-style rifles to "target[] Israeli Jewish chabads . . . scattered all around [City-1]." During subsequent conversations, Khan repeatedly instructed the UCs to obtain AR-style assault rifles, ammunition, and other materials to carry out the attacks, and identified the specific locations in City-1 where the attacks would take place. Khan also provided details about how he would cross the border from Canada into the United States to conduct the attacks. During these conversations with the UCs, Khan emphasized that "Oct 7th and oct 11th are the best days for targeting the jews" because "oct 7 they will surely have some protests and oct 11 is yom.kippur." On or about Aug. 20, Khan changed his target location from City-1 to New York City. After initially suggesting certain neighborhoods in New York City to the UCs, Khan decided to target Location-1, a Jewish center located in Brooklyn, New York. Khan told the UCs that he planned to carry out this attack on or around Oct. 7, 2024 which Khan recognized as the one-year anniversary of the brutal terrorist attacks in Israel by Hamas, a designated FTO, which, on Oct. 7, 2023, launched a wave of violent, large-scale terrorist attacks in Israel. In support of his choice of New York City as his target location, Khan boasted that "New york is perfect to target jews" because it has the "largest Jewish population In america" and therefore, "even if we dont attack a[n] Event[,] we could rack up easily a lot of jews." Khan proclaimed that "we are going to nyc to slaughter them," and sent a photograph of the specific area inside of Location-1 where he planned to carry out the attack. Thereafter, Khan continued to urge the UCs to acquire AR-style rifles, ammunition, and other equipment for his attack, including "some good hunting [knives] so we can slit their throats." Khan repeatedly reiterated his desire to carry out the attack in support of ISIS, and discussed planning for the attack, including by identifying rental properties close to Location-1 and paying for a human smuggler to help him reach and cross the border from Canada into the United States. During one communication, Khan noted that "if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11." On or about Sept. 4, as Khan said he planned to do in connection with his attack, Khan attempted to reach the U.S-Canada border. To do so, Khan used three separate cars to travel across Canada towards the United States, before he was stopped by Canadian authorities in or around Ormstown, Canada, approximately 12 miles from the U.S.-Canada border. Khan is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization and one count of attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The FBI's New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles Field Offices are investigating the case. The Justice Department is grateful to Canadian law enforcement for their actions in this matter. The Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice's Criminal Division accomplished the extradition of Khan from Canada. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaylan E. Lasky and David J. Robles for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney Kevin C. Nunnally of the Justice Department's National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. A complaint or an indictment merely contain allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Topics: Counterterrorism National Security Components: Office of the Attorney General Criminal - Office of International Affairs Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Security Division (NSD) USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 25-599 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran executes nine convicted Daesh members: Judiciary Iran Press TV Tuesday, 10 June 2025 2:50 PM Iran has executed nine members of the Daesh terrorist group convicted of plotting to carry out attacks inside the country in 2018. Mizan news agency, affiliated with the Judiciary, reported on Tuesday that the death sentences were carried out after confirmation by Iran's Supreme Court. "The defendants were given a fair trial with legal representation and were sentenced based on evidence, confessions and witness testimonies," the news agency said. According to judicial officials, the men were charged with waging war against God -- a capital offence in Iran -- through armed rebellion, terrorism, and illegal possession of military weapons. The men were detained after a deadly clash with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on the western Iran border in January 2018. They intended to infiltrate Iran and carry out several terror attacks against civilians in the country. IRGC Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said at the time that "some of the terrorists blew themselves up with suicide vests" during the clashes, adding that "Three of our forces were martyred during the operation." Iranian intelligence forces seized a large cache of weapons and explosives from the terrorists' hideout, including a machine gun and 50 grenades. Iran has conducted several counterterrorism operations against Daesh in recent years, targeting cells attempting to carry out attacks within the country. In August 2023, Iran's Intelligence Ministry captured 14 Daesh-Khorasan members in Tehran, Alborz, Fars, and Khuzestan provinces. The ministry described them as part of a "US-Zionist-led group" and stated they had illegally entered Iran to carry out terrorist operations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump deploys Marines to quash protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles Iran Press TV Tuesday, 10 June 2025 8:06 AM The administration of US President Donald Trump has deployed Marine forces to Los Angeles to quell street demonstrations against immigration raids, fueling public outrage amid concerns over a national crisis. American media cited unnamed officials as saying that some 700 Marines based in Southern California were expected to reach Los Angeles Monday night or Tuesday morning as part of a federal strategy to crack down on street demonstrations opposing Trump's immigration raids. The US military had on Monday confirmed in a statement that it would send 700 Marines to Los Angeles to help protect what it claimed to be federal personnel and property. "The activation of the Marines is intended to provide Task Force 51 with adequate numbers of forces to provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the lead federal agency," the statement said. The US Northern Command also confirmed that Marines, who were placed in an alert status over the weekend, "prepare to depart for the greater Los Angeles area June 9." The deployment, which is aimed at filling the gaps until a full contingent of 4,000 National Guard troops can reach Los Angeles, is an extraordinary use of military force to suppress demonstrations. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pledged to carry out even more operations to round up suspected immigration violators, extending a crackdown that provoked the protests in the city with a large Latino population on Friday. The Trump administration officials branded the protests as lawless and blamed state and local Democrats for permitting upheaval and protecting undocumented immigrants with sanctuary cities. California sued the Trump administration to block deployment of the National Guard and the Marines on Monday, arguing that it violates federal law and state sovereignty. Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was "gravely troubled" by Trump's deployment of active-duty Marines. "The president is forcibly overriding the authority of the governor and mayor and using the military as a political weapon. This unprecedented move threatens to turn a tense situation into a national crisis," Reed said. "Since our nation's founding, the American people have been perfectly clear: we do not want the military conducting law enforcement on US soil," he said. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief Jim McDonnell also responded Monday afternoon to the possibility of the deployment of Marines in Los Angeles. "The arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles -- absent clear coordination -- presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city," McDonnell said in a statement. "The Los Angeles Police Department, alongside our mutual aid partners, has decades of experience managing large-scale public demonstrations, and we remain confident in our ability to do so professionally and effectively. That said, our top priority is the safety of both the public and the officers on the ground. We are urging open and continuous lines of communication between all agencies to prevent confusion, avoid escalation, and ensure a coordinated, lawful, and orderly response during this critical time." In a rare move on Saturday, Trump ordered the deployment of National Guard members to Los Angeles without a request from state or local officials, with about 300 troops arriving early Sunday morning in downtown Los Angeles. California officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom, vocally opposed the federal intervention and demanded that Trump rescind the order, underlining that the move violates the state's sovereignty. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Treasury Disrupts Sham Overseas Charity Networks Funding Hamas and the PFLP U.S. Department of the Treasury June 10, 2025 WASHINGTON -- Today, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning five individuals and five sham charities located abroad that are prominent financial supporters of Hamas's Military Wing and its terrorist activities. The individuals and entities sanctioned today are responsible for funding Hamas's Military Wing under the pretense of conducting humanitarian work, both internationally and in Gaza. Treasury is also targeting a separate fraudulent charity linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). As outlined in Treasury's 2024 National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment, terrorist financing risks still exist primarily in the context of sham charities abroad. This includes terrorist networks that establish seemingly legitimate charitable non-profit organizations (NPOs) under the guise of providing humanitarian assistance but instead are primarily utilized for funneling money to terrorist organizations. "Today's action underscores the importance of safeguarding the charitable sector from abuse by terrorists like Hamas and the PFLP, who continue to leverage sham charities as fronts for funding their terrorist and military operations," said Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender. "Treasury will continue to use all available tools to prevent Hamas, the PFLP, and other terrorist actors from exploiting the humanitarian situation in Gaza to fund their violent activities at the expense of their own people." Today's action, which is being taken pursuant to the counterterrorism authority in Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended, highlights the abuse of the nonprofit sector by terrorist financiers to illicitly generate, store, and move funds. The PFLP was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. Department of State in October 1997 and October 2001, respectively. The United States continues to closely coordinate with its partners in targeting Hamas, including a joint designation with Australia and the United Kingdom on January 22, 2024 that targeted Hamas financial facilitators, as well as three actions with the United Kingdom on March 27, 2024, December 13, 2023, and November 14, 2023 targeting Hamas leaders and financiers. TERRORISTS' EXPLOITATION OF THE NPO SECTOR Hamas and the PFLP have long abused the trust of the international community and public support for legitimate humanitarian causes to fund their terrorist activities and bring violence to the Israeli and Palestinian people. As Hamas continues to hold hostages, including two American citizens, following the October 7, 2023 attack, Treasury remains committed to exposing terrorists and terrorist organizations that seek to abuse the NPO sector to raise funds under the facade of humanitarian support. This helps reduce the overall terrorist financing risk of the NPO sector by publicly identifying financing networks in support of terrorist organizations and activities. For more information about how Hamas finances its terrorist activities, see the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's Alert to Financial Institutions to Counter Financing to Hamas and its Terrorist Activities. HAMAS AND PFLP FUNDRAISING SCHEMES Hamas and the PFLP have a long history of abusing the NPO and charitable sectors. Some of these NPOs and charities are entirely co-opted and run by these designated terrorists, with their links to Hamas and the PFLP intentionally obscured in order to evade sanctions. This allows Hamas and the PFLP to exploit the sympathy and generosity of the international public at the expense of the Palestinian people. The Gaza-based charity Al Weam Charitable Society (Al Weam) is clandestinely controlled by Hamas and fully integrated into Hamas's military wing. This secrecy has allowed Al Weam to raise funds and implement projects by international donors, many of whom are unwitting of the organization's ties to Hamas. Al Weam has also employed Hamas members throughout the organization, including its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Muhammad Sami Muhammad Abu Marei (Abu Marei), who is a Hamas military operative and facilitated fundraising on behalf of Hamas using Al Weam. Filistin Vakfi is a Turkiye-based charity that campaigned and raised funds with the clear intention of funding Hamas terrorist activities following the deadly October 7, 2023 attack. The President of Filistin Vakfi, Zeki Abdullah Ibrahim Ararawi (Ararawi), oversaw these fundraising campaigns that were in support of the Hamas military wing. El Baraka Association for Charitable and Humanitarian Work (El Baraka), based in Algeria, diverted funds intended for humanitarian causes to fund Hamas. As President of El Baraka, Ahmed Brahimi (Brahimi) worked to ensure that funds raised by the charity, including some by unwitting donors who thought they were helping Palestinian civilians, were instead diverted to Hamas. The Netherlands-based Israa Charitable Foundation Netherlands (Israa Foundation)is a member of U.S.-designated umbrella organization the Union of Good, which reports directly to the Hamas military wing and is composed of additional U.S.-designated organizations that generate revenue for Hamas under the guise of legitimate charitable work. Amin Ghazi Abu Rashed (Amin Ghazi), representative of the Israa Foundation, is a top Hamas operative in Europe responsible for raising millions of U.S. dollars in funds for Hamas by using sham charities as a cover. Israa Foundationrepresentative and Hamas operative Israa Abou Rashed (Abou Rashed) led campaigns on behalf of the Israa Foundation to raise and divert funds to Hamas. Treasury designated the Union of Good, an organization created by Hamas leadership to transfer funds to the terrorist organization, on November 12, 2008. Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Addameer), based in the West Bank, purports to represent the interests of Palestinian prisoners. However, like the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (Samidoun) that OFAC designated on October 15, 2024 along with one of its leaders, Khaled Barakat (Barakat), Addameer has long supported and is affiliated with the PFLP. Additionally, in the spring of 2022, Barakat coordinated with the PFLP to send funds to Addameer and to arrange meetings between Addameer and Samidoun. The Italy-based Associazione Benefica La Cupola d'Oro (La Cupola d'Oro), was established by U.S. sanctioned individual Mohammad Hannoun (Hannoun), who publicly promoted the charity and used it to continue evading sanctions and raising revenue for the Hamas military wing through donors, many of whom were unwitting of the links to Hamas. On October 7, 2024, Treasury designated Hannoun for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, Hamas. La Cupola d'Oro, like Charity Association of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, also designated by OFAC on October 7, 2024, is a sham charity established to support Hamas. Al-Weam is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Hamas. Abu Marei is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for owning or controlling, directly or indirectly, Al-Weam. El Baraka, Brahimi, Israa Foundation, Amin Ghazi, Abou Rashed, and La Cupola d'Oro, are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Hamas. Ararawi is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Hamas. Filistin Vakfi is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Ararawi. Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the PFLP. SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons. Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons. OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations on a strict liability basis. OFAC's Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC's enforcement of U.S. economic sanctions. In addition, financial institutions and other persons may risk exposure to sanctions for engaging in certain transactions or activities involving designated or otherwise blocked persons. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated or blocked person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. Furthermore, engaging in certain transactions involving the persons designated today may risk the imposition of secondary sanctions on participating foreign financial institutions. OFAC can prohibit or impose strict conditions on opening or maintaining, in the United States, a correspondent account or a payable-through account of a foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts or facilitates any significant transaction on behalf of a person who is designated pursuant to the relevant authority. The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC's ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, or to submit a request, please refer to OFAC's guidance on Filing a Petition for Removal from an OFAC List. Click here for more information on the persons designated today. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Latest: Los Angeles mayor announces curfew for downtown area Global Times By Global Times Published: Jun 11, 2025 09:25 AM A curfew issued in a part of downtown Los Angeles will be in effect from 8 pm Tuesday to 6 am Wednesday, Mayor Karen Bass announced during a news conference, according to CNN. The area of downtown Los Angeles where the curfew will take place is 1 square mile, Mayor Karen Bass said. The total area of the city is 502 square miles, she noted. Hundreds of protesters are marching in New York City this evening. Crowd gathered in New York City's Foley Square outside federal buildings and ICE offices first at around 5 pm East Time, and then they continued to march for several blocks to get to another ICE office location and immigration court, where they chanted for several minutes. The New York Police Department is letting the march go on and there is no show of force visible, according to CNN. Two immigration courts in the San Francisco Bay Area closed at 1:00 pm Tuesday due to protests, according to a source familiar with the situation, per CNN. As Los Angeles continues to reel, several masked people on Monday night looted an Apple store in the city, according to Times of India. A video has gone viral on social media where several masked individuals can be seen breaking into the Apple store and looting gadgets. Many were seen rushing out of the store as police arrived. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the military will remain in Los Angeles "until there's peace," amid criticism of his mobilization of the California National Guard and 700 Marines to the city, CNN reported. "I just want to see peace. If there's peace, we get out. If there's even a chance of no peace, we stay there until there's peace, and a lot of people are being arrested. The rioters or whatever you want to call them. They better know a lot of people are being arrested. They're going to be in jail for a long time," the president told reporters at Joint Base Andrews. He also said the National Guard will stay in the city "until there is no danger." Visiting Fort Bragg, a military installation in North Carolina, Trump offered a campaign-style rally for members of the US Army. Trump described the participants in protests as " rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country," according to Al Jazeera. "What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country," he told troops at Fort Bragg. California Governor Gavin Newsom has filed an emergency motion in federal court to block National Guard members and Marines from assisting with immigration raids in Los Angeles, Associated Press reported. "Trump is turning the [US] military against American citizens," Newsom wrote on X. Meanwhile, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum of encouraging violent protests in Los Angeles, according to Bloomberg. "Claudia Sheinbaum came out and encouraged more protests in LA and I condemn her for that," Noem said during a presidential press conference Tuesday, a day after Sheinbaum spoke out against what she described as human rights violations during the detention of Mexicans participating in the demonstrations. "She should not be encouraging violent protests that are going on." Sheinbaum quickly responded in a social media post, calling Noem's accusations "absolutely false." "Our position is and will continue to be the defense of honest, hardworking Mexicans who help the US economy and their families in Mexico," Sheinbaum said in the post. "I am certain that dialogue and respect are the best path to understanding between our peoples and our nations, and that this misunderstanding will be cleared up." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Immigration raids spark police-protester face-off in Los Angeles People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 10:45, June 11, 2025 * "This isn't about public safety. It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego," California Governor Gavin Newsom said. * The Los Angeles crisis represents a template for Trump's broader immigration strategy, which aims to conduct what officials call "the largest deportation operation in American history" with a goal of 1 million annual deportations. * The enforcement operations have already spread fear through immigrant communities nationwide. LOS ANGELES, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of U.S. troops and police were still surrounding small groups of peaceful protesters in downtown Los Angeles by Monday noon, following hours of confrontation. The unprecedented show of military force on American streets comes amid a constitutional crisis between the Trump administration and the state of California over immigration enforcement. What began as immigration raids on Friday has spiraled into the largest federal-state confrontation in decades, with U.S. President Donald Trump deploying over 4,100 U.S. National Guard members and 700 Marines so far without California Governor Gavin Newsom's consent -- the first time since then President Lyndon Johnson federalized Alabama's National Guard in 1965 without gubernatorial consent. Over 40 immigrants were arrested on Friday alone at garment factories, construction sites and day-laborer gathering spots as federal agents conducted coordinated raids across Los Angeles County. The operations employed tactical gear, armored vehicles and drones in what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials described as enforcement of federal search warrants. The most controversial arrest involved David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union California, who was detained while serving as a community observer during a raid. Union officials said Huerta was documenting federal operations when agents arrested him on felony conspiracy charges. By Friday evening, hundreds of protesters had gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, demanding the release of detained immigrants. The initially peaceful demonstrations quickly escalated into violent confrontations as protesters hurled chunks of concrete at police officers, prompting the deployment of tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang grenades. Saturday brought a dramatic escalation as protests spread to Paramount, where federal agents had staged additional operations near a Home Depot store. Demonstrators blocked streets with shopping carts, set cars ablaze, and threw glass bottles containing gasoline-like substances at law enforcement. One ICE agent was injured when protesters shattered a vehicle's windshield with rocks. Meanwhile, two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies were wounded by a protester who threw a Molotov cocktail, according to local police reports. Weekend violence peaked Sunday when hundreds of protesters stormed U.S. Highway 101, completely halting traffic in both directions while throwing rocks, electric scooters, street signs and concrete chunks from overpasses onto police vehicles below. Multiple patrol cars were damaged and at least one was set ablaze, forcing the California Highway Patrol to deploy tear gas canisters to clear the interstate. The chaos extended beyond clashes with law enforcement as five Waymo autonomous vehicles were vandalized with anti-ICE graffiti and set on fire near the detention center, prompting the car company to suspend service in protest areas due to toxic gas emissions from burning lithium-ion batteries. Trump responded Saturday evening by signing a presidential memorandum deploying California National Guard troops under federal command. The president characterized the protests as "a form of rebellion" against federal authority. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth then confirmed that 700 Marines from the U.S. Marine Corps base in Twentynine Palms were mobilized Monday to support National Guard operations, marking the first deployment of Marines since the 1992 Los Angeles riots. However, the massive security response now appeared dramatically disproportionate to the current threat level. A Xinhua correspondent observed Monday that approximately 1,000 to 2,000 peaceful protesters in downtown Los Angeles were merely chanting slogans -- no longer throwing objects -- while completely surrounded by police and National Guard forces. The federal deployment has been marked by significant dysfunction. Governor Newsom revealed Monday evening that the first 2,000 National Guard members deployed by Trump "were given no food or water" and "only approximately 300 are deployed -- the rest are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders." "This isn't about public safety. It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego," Newsom said on Instagram. "This is Reckless. Pointless. And Disrespectful to our troops." California filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking a restraining order to halt what state officials characterize as an unconstitutional usurpation of state authority. California Attorney General Rob Bonta argued that Trump violated both the 10th Amendment and statutory requirements that National Guard orders be "issued through the governors of the States." The legal challenge centered on whether Trump's characterization of civil unrest as "rebellion" met the threshold for federal intervention. California contended that no invasion or actual rebellion exists to justify bypassing normal state-federal coordination protocols. Trump has threatened to expand military deployments to other cities. "We're going to have troops everywhere. We're not going to let this happen to our country," he said. Border czar Tom Homan threatened Newsom's arrest if he interfered with federal operations, escalating tensions between state and federal authorities. Trump told a reporter Monday that he supported Homan's idea. The Los Angeles crisis represents a template for Trump's broader immigration strategy, which aims to conduct what officials call "the largest deportation operation in American history" with a goal of 1 million annual deportations. The administration is using military aircraft for deportation flights, costing up to 850,000 U.S. dollars per flight, according to government sources. The enforcement operations have already spread fear through immigrant communities nationwide, affecting key industries including agriculture, construction and hospitality. Economic analysts estimate deporting 1 million immigrants annually could cost 967.9 billion dollars over a decade while creating significant labor shortages. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Operation Gateway continues to strengthen regional security Issued by Defence Media 10 June 2025 The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has successfully completed its latest deployment under Operation Gateway on the northwest coast of Malaysia, reaffirming Australia's commitment to regional security and stability. During the three-week deployment, two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft conducted surveillance missions from Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Base Butterworth. Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones AO CSC RAN said the missions provided maritime domain awareness of the North Indian Ocean and South China Sea. "For over 40 years, Operation Gateway has been one of the main elements of the longstanding Malaysia-Australia Joint Defence Program," Vice Admiral Jones said. "The Indian Ocean is now the globe's busiest and most strategically significant shipping corridor, with more than half of the world's shipping container traffic and two thirds of oil shipments transiting the region. "The successful completion of this rotation reflects the ADF's ongoing commitment to working alongside our regional partners to ensure a stable, secure, and rules-based Indo-Pacific." The latest deployment included engagement between RAAF and counterparts from the Malaysian Armed Forces, including subject matter exchanges and information-sharing initiatives aimed at strengthening interoperability and mutual understanding. The operation demonstrates the ADF's ability to operate seamlessly across a range of environments in support of Australia's and Malaysia's mutual strategic interests. Operation Gateway involves personnel from RAAF No 92 Wing deploying from RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia to RMAF Base Butterworth in Malaysia. Established in 1980, Operation Gateway is one of Defence's longest continuously running overseas operations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Globemaster loadmasters 'share a mate's car' By Flight Lieutenant Imogen Lunny 10 June 2025 Loadmasters from four partner nations proved their interoperable readiness in the latest air mobility exercise, training to operate foreign force aircraft as effortlessly as borrowing a mate's car. Under Exercise Global Dexterity 25-1, ground and aircrew from the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and United States Pacific Air Forces showcased their versatility, conducting mixed crew flying aboard each other's C-17 Globemaster III variants. RAF loadmaster Sergeant Iain Blears likened the experience to borrowing a friend's car. "Once you figure out where the controls are, you already know how to drive," Sergeant Blears said. "That's how it works when operating our partner nation's aircraft. The principles are very much the same - we just go about the task as normal." For those RAF loadmasters, returning to Australia for Global Dexterity was a special reunion, as RAF C-17 crews conduct their loadmaster employment training at RAAF Base Amberley. The three-month specialised course includes extensive training on the C-17 aircraft systems, enabling loadmasters to work with allied mobility operations and foreign crews quickly - no matter the emblem on the tail. "I'm thrilled, happy and proud to back at RAAF Base Amberley," Sergeant Blears said. "It's an opportunity to refine our skillsets, learn from each other's techniques and prove that we can operate seamlessly as a combined team." As Australia moves towards a more agile, forward-deployed Defence posture, Global Dexterity ensures enhanced integration in the conduct of tactical airlift for teams both in the air and on the ground. It also develops aviator-level camaraderie between nations, with iteration 25-1 welcoming the Royal Canadian Air Force as participants to the exercise for the first time. Exercises such as Global Dexterity ensure RAAF achieves the National Defence Strategy initiatives of integrated force posture, regional partnerships and high readiness in and around the Indo-Pacific. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Naval leadership 'focused, lethal and ready' By Lieutenant Marcus Middleton 10 June 2025 The inaugural Australian Maritime Weapons and Tactics Conference (AUSMAR WEPTAC) last month at the Naval Synthetic Warfare Centre, HMAS Watson, represents the new gold standard in refining and focusing the Royal Australian Navy's human capability in tactical warcraft. The highly successful serial was the first in a new five-year campaign of 14 weapons and tactics conferences, with the second to be held later this year, driving innovation of tactical development in Navy. Commander Maritime Warfare Centre Captain Ben Hissink said the intent of AUSMAR WEPTAC was to address the endorsed problem statement within the theme of undersea warfare in a 'fight tonight' context, and to support the development of a verifiable Integrated Tactical Procedure - Provisional (ITP-P). "At its core, the purpose of the exercise is to enhance our capabilities to develop a tactical asymmetric advantage to Navy and the integrated force as part of a continual update cycle," Captain Hissink said. The inaugural conference included more than 100 participants from across the ADF and international partners. Participants were placed in groups across multiple disciplines, groups and services, and used design thinking methodologies to war-game innovative solutions to complex tactical and capability problems. "I was encouraged that a majority of the cohort were junior officers, revealing a strong appetite for tactical exploration from junior personnel," Captain Hissink said. "Their hard work and dedication saw all objectives completed within set time frames, showing that the future generation of our naval leaders are focused, lethal and ready." Executive Director Strategy Maritime Warfare Centre Renee Kidson said that planning for the next conference in October will see the problem set evolve from immediate warfare to a 'multi-domain strike' in a 'fight next year' context. "I was amazed at the standard that our first cohort was able to achieve. Over just a few days, they have set the bar for the next set of participants later this year," Dr Kidson said. "The groups' skills in military planning and familiarity with capabilities across the Integrated Force demonstrated the calibre of our officers and sailors, as thinking warfighters." Deputy Fleet Commander Commodore Anita Williams said the five-year commitment to AUSMAR WEPTAC exemplified the commitment Navy has to the ongoing professional development of officers and sailors. "We are steadfast in our commitment to investing in training and professional development opportunities for our hard-working and dedicated officers and sailors," Commodore Williams said. "The Australian Maritime Weapons and Tactics Conference is an excellent example of new and innovative training solutions to ensure that our fleet remains world-class and battle ready." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Question and answer - National Press Club Transcript Tuesday 10 June 2025 National Press Club Prime Minister Anthony Albanese The Hon Anthony Albanese MP Prime Minister of Australia TOM CONNELL, PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB: Thank you, Prime Minister. So, the Productivity Summit, you alluded to the one in the previous term on IR as well. Some of the business leaders in the wake of that said they felt like things were too slanted towards what the unions wanted. How would you reassure them this time around that it's worth participating and it will be a level playing field? ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're a Labor government, we support unions existing and some of the commentators prefer that unions didn't exist. That's the truth. But we will always respect both the role of business and the role of unions. And one of the things that I say is that there are common interests that - I say this to unions as well: you don't get union members unless you've got successful employers. It's the private sector that drives an economy. What the public sector should do is facilitate private sector activity and private sector investment. And that's what my Government is focused on. We will invite people to the gathering, the roundtable will be held in Parliament House. I've been working with Jim and the economic team. Jim will have more to say about it when he appears at the National Press Club here next week. But we want to have open and honest conversations, not shut down conversations by saying if someone raises an issue that means you immediately go from A to Z, which is often what happens. But early in the term, the Jobs and Skills Summit led to, I tell you what, without it, we would have greater skills shortages in this country. We wouldn't have Free TAFE, we wouldn't have the $10,000 incentives that we have for people in construction and energy. We wouldn't have those issues being addressed with, and a more rational discussion as well about the role that migration plays in that. So, we will be respectful. We want people to participate in the spirit of goodwill in which we're making this suggestion. CONNELL: Thank you. Alright. Well, we have what we call in the TV business a hard out of 1:35pm and a list that would have a whole AFL side, including a sub. So, we'll ask our questioners to be to the point, beginning with Michelle Grattan from The Conversation. JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you spoke of using the Federal Government's funding leverage to get reform in areas where it has indirect rather than direct power. And you particularly mentioned Gonski. Can I ask you about hospitals, though? They were a preoccupation of your predecessor, Kevin Rudd. Do you think that the present system, hospital system in Australia, is fit for purpose? You've got a funding agreement coming up in a year or two to negotiate a long term agreement. What areas of reform would the Federal Government be particularly looking for in trying to negotiate with the states in this area that's of preoccupation, I think, to a lot of people concerned about the health sector. PRIME MINISTER: Well, thanks, Michelle. We have an ageing of the population and that's part of the challenge that we have to deal with. But we came to an agreement with $1.7 billion extended - to extend the hospital agreement to enable us to then have a discussion, not in the context of a looming election, but to have a discussion about how it fits together - the public hospital system, primary health care. You know, the creation of Urgent Care Clinics really has made a substantial difference in taking pressure off EDs and provides for a middle path, if you like, and has been enormously successful. The satisfaction rates for people who go to an Urgent Care Clinic are extraordinary, which is why we announced an additional 50. The aged care reforms that we have had to delay some of the implementation to make sure it's got right. But that shows an example of where we were able to get agreement and credit to the former Minister for the work that Anika Wells did in that area. So, a lot of it is cost shifting because there are people in hospital beds who would be better for them as well as better for the country's finances as a whole, for there to be a more efficient and sensible way of dealing with the delineation between Commonwealth responsibility and state and territory responsibility. And that's what we intend to work through. I think, similarly, the NDIS, you know, there are people going on to the NDIS, the numbers mean that that growth that we inherited that was pretty close to 20 per cent, was simply unsustainable and the system would just collapse. So, how do you get rational decision making that is providing for the best service possible, but delivered in the most efficient way possible by each level of government, is the starting point. CONNELL: Next question. Jane Norman from the ABC. JOURNALIST: Hello, Prime Minister. Jane Norman. Thank you for your address today and for your ongoing support of the Club. I wanted to ask you about defence spending as it is an issue that's being considered globally at the moment. You've said time and time again that you don't want to set an arbitrary target where other countries around the world have started to sort of accelerate their funding. I just wanted to ask for sort of an insight into your thinking. So, if you're not going to set an arbitrary target, that's fair enough. But do you accept the global trend at the moment is to accelerate defence funding in this challenging strategic environment? And are you sort of open to lifting Australia's ambition above and beyond what's already been announced and budgeted for? PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have $57 billion over 10 years. $10 billion over the forwards of additional investment. It seems to me that if the Health Minister or the Comms Minister or the Infrastructure Minister came to us and said, 'we want you to spend X percentage of GDP but we won't tell you what it's for,' that - they wouldn't get far in an ERC process. And there is no reason why defence shouldn't be governed by anything other than one factor. What do we need? What is the capability we need to keep us safe? Our capability will always be supported, any submissions, by myself as Prime Minister. Because our first order is to keep us safe and we do that through capability, but we do it through something else as well - our relationships. The work that we have done with our neighbours, including Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, has been, I think, a real distinction between what we inherited and our status with ASEAN nations and Pacific Island Forum nations and Indian Ocean nations as well. And that is one of the things that we need to take account of as well and something that my Government is very focused on. CONNELL: So, the percentage of GDP spending on defence could go up, but it will be based on needs rather than - here's a figure. Is that fair to say, in a future budget? PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, of course. We will always provide for capability that's needed. But you saw the alternative. You don't have to theorise about it. You saw it during the election campaign, an announcement of $21 billion by the Coalition. They couldn't say where it was coming from or where it was going to. Australians voted on 3 May against a, frankly, unprepared for government Opposition, which was unprepared in so many ways. The only area in which they were prepared was in rhetoric and you can't defend a country with rhetoric. You defend it with assets. CONNELL: Mark Riley from Seven News. JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, we had quite a debate during the campaign on housing, but mostly for first home buyers with supply and demand side promises. And while we were out there on the campaign trail, the mean price of a house in Australia went above a million dollars for the first time. And affordability is a massive issue, but so is supply. Your Housing Minister just in the last couple of days has said it's just too hard to build a house in Australia. You have two big targets out there, 1.2 million houses, 130,000 for first home buyers. What will you do specifically and what do you want the states to do to make it easier to build a house in Australia. PRIME MINISTER: It is too hard, and one of the areas is regulation. So, there's a conscious decision made by myself as PM to appoint Clare O'Neil as Minister for Housing and Cities, because one of the things that we have to do is to make it easier. Developers say that it's just too complex, adds to costs as well. So, we have to look at ways in which we can bring costs down. I must say, that the actions of state governments right around the country are very positive. You know, the courage, frankly, that someone like Chris Minns has shown, to give one example on Rosehill - he was right. He was absolutely right in putting forward something that was controversial and in the end people knocked back, in spite of the fact it had the support of the leadership of the racing industry. But that's the sort of thing that we're going to need to do. You can't deal with supply issues without having the courage to do things like that. Or indeed, my local government area in the Inner West has produced a plan for planning that leads to, substantially, tens of thousands of additional people close to public transport. There'll be blowback for that. I'm sure I'll get representations as the local Member, but you've got to be prepared to do that. But what Clare has pointed towards is a very conscious decision. We had discussions when I was working out the Ministry and she has clear ideas about how to cut through. Some of that regulation is national and that's what, in terms of building standards, just unnecessary regulation. I want to make sure that housing is fit for purpose and all of that. But if we can cut through on some of the red tape, then that will reduce costs. CONNELL: Next question, Anna Henderson from SBS. JOURNALIST: Thank you. It's been an extremely traumatic time over the last week or so in the Indigenous community across the country. We've had the death in custody of 24 year old disabled Warlpiri man, Kumanjayi White, and a separate death in custody investigation after the death of a 68 year old Wadeye man who was remembered for his work lobbying for bilingual education. Advocates say on average, 40 Aboriginal people have been taken into custody in the NT every day since August 2024 after the legal changes in that jurisdiction. And 88 per cent of the prison population in the NT is Indigenous. Has your Government and previous governments, as Marion Scrymgour, your Envoy, said this week, dropped the ball on dealing with the death and custody issue in this country? And the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency is now urging a federal intervention into the NT justice system. Is that something you're considering? PRIME MINISTER: Can I say that, something I've said before - all governments have not done well enough in any of these areas. We, you know, attempted during our last term to break with business as usual. We attempted to do that. I think we, you know, can't be accused of shying away from that. We did it and we did it because we needed to engage in a different way with First Nations people. Look, I'm confident that Malarndirri McCarthy, who - my Minister - who, I don't think I'm breaching her privacy here, has dealt with the death of her father over the weekend, which is why she isn't here, is dealing with those issues, personal issues. But then she will, I think, be very focused on how do we do better? Now, in general, the idea of federal intervention, which is, frankly, an easy thing that people come up with. You know, why aren't you sending the AFP? Why aren't you doing that, without them saying where it leads. I need to be convinced that people in Canberra know better than people in the Northern Territory about how to deal with these issues, is my starting point. I think it comes out all the time with a range of issues. But we do need to engage directly and constructively with First Nations people. Now, people voted clearly in the referendum against the model that was put forward by First Nations people themselves in the Uluru Constitutional Convention in 2017. But we need to find different ways of engaging respectfully, of listening in a different form as well. CONNELL: Next question comes from Andrew Clennell from Sky News. JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Angus Houston, the co-author of your Defence Strategic Review, told the US Studies Centre last November that AUKUS boats, quote "must be a net addition to Australia's military capability. The only way they can be a net addition to Australia's military capability is to increase our defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP as we move into and through the 2030s." Will you take note of what he said? It may be in Australia's interest to stand up for the US on trade, but is it really in our interest to stand up to Donald Trump when it comes to how much we spend on defence? And if we don't spend more on defence, couldn't the Americans threaten to not build or give us the AUKUS submarines? PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think that Australia should decide what we spend on Australia's defence. Simple as that. That's my view. Now, if others think that that's not the case, then it's up to them to make that case. Angus Houston's been a friend of mine for a very long period of time and I always pay attention to anything that Sir Angus Houston has to say. But I've made it very clear, we will support the capability that Australia needs. I noticed in your question you haven't put forward one thing - one thing - that we should be investing in that we're not investing in. JOURNALIST: Has Angus Houston told you that (inaudible). PRIME MINISTER: That's my point. That's my point. Arbitrary figures, you know, lead to a cul-de-sac. And we want to make sure as well that every single dollar that Defence spends results in actual assets and under the former Government, there are a lot of media releases, just not many assets. And what we want to do is to make sure that we improve the capability of our defence forces. And that's what we're doing, for example, by manufacturing missiles here, which will be manufactured this year - something that never happened before. CONNELL: Phil Coorey from the AFR. JOURNALIST: Thanks, Tom. Hi, PM. I want to go back to Tom's question about the Productivity Summit because there was a lot of cynicism in the business community after the Jobs and Skills Summit that most of, if not all of those outcomes were pre-ordained, especially on IR. Now, it's hard to talk to a business group about productivity at the moment without them mentioning the first and second tranches of IR laws you passed in the first term and you've got plans now to enshrine penalty rates in legislation. Is your message to any of the business groups going to attend your summit, don't waste your breath if you're going to raise IR? PRIME MINISTER: People are entitled to raise whatever they want to raise. But I'm a Labor Prime Minister and I support penalty rates. I'm a Labor Prime Minister and I support real wages increasing. I'm a Labor Prime Minister and I support an economy that works for people, not people working for an economy. And, you know, if we look at the differentials of how workers on the minimum wage have come out in the last 20 years - pick whatever figure you like - and how chief executives of the top ASX companies are going. I reckon, you know, I reckon workers would be, you know, happy to be halfway to where their increases have come. So, workers getting a fair crack is not something that is, you know, something that we will abandon. We support workers getting a fair crack for their contribution. What we do support is companies being successful. We support proper negotiation between workers and businesses to achieve productivity improvements and we support, you know, living standards not going backwards. You know, I spoke a lot in the speech about the Australian way. And one of the things that the Australian way is, is to not have people who feel like they don't have a stake in the economy. And I think we see that in some places in the world, and a rise of populism - whether of the far right or the far left - as a result of that. That's not what I'm seeking here. I'm seeking an Australian way that does things differently, that looks at some of the division that's there in some international societies and says, "Gee, it's a good thing that people feel like they have a stake in Australian society and in our success." And that's something that I think is a big division in Australian society. I mean, we put forward a submission to the Fair Work Commission in our first Cabinet meeting, was approved - of this year - just like it was in 2022. It's resulted in a real wage increase. Is that a good thing? Yes, it is. CONNELL: Next question, Charles Croucher from the Nine Network. JOURNALIST: Hello, Prime Minister. You've seen the vision of Lauren Tomasi, my colleague and friend, who was shot while doing her job covering the situation in Los Angeles yesterday. If you get a chance to speak with Donald Trump in the next seven days, will you raise that incident? And what were your thoughts when you saw what happened? PRIME MINISTER: Well, I spoke with Lauren this morning and she's going ok. She's pretty resilient, I've got to say, but that footage was horrific. That was the footage of an Australian journalist doing what journalists do at their very best, at their very best, which is to go into an environment that's not comfortable. But where, in LA, it is not unreasonable to think that she would not have been targeted with a rubber bullet. It is not unreasonable to think that she could go about her coverage, clearly, as people can see in the footage, clearly identified as media. And so we have already raised these issues with the US administration. We don't find it acceptable that it occurred. And we think the role of the media is particularly important. JOURNALIST: Is that something you'll raise personally, though, with the President? PRIME MINISTER: Well, discussions I have with the President are discussions between myself and the President. That's the way I deal with people - diplomatically, appropriately and with respect. So I'll leave the discussions with the President till they occur rather than foreshadow them. CONNELL: You said targeted, was that how it was raised by the Australian Government? That she was seemingly targeted by police? PRIME MINISTER: Well, she was clearly identified. Was clearly identified. You know, there was no ambiguity. She wasn't, you know, wearing a trackie, she was wearing a helmet, and something that identified her as media. And, you know, it is not acceptable that a journalist, I say this here at the National Press Club, from time to time, I will have disagreements with journalists - that won't shock you. Sometimes, even with Sky journalists. But, you know, I respect the role that the media play, and people should respect the role that the media play in our modern society. CONNELL: I know you've never disagreed with a question from Greg Brown from the Australia. PRIME MINISTER: Never. JOURNALIST: Thanks, PM. In the context of the debate about defence spending, you've said that we have strategic competition in the region, but I was hoping for you to really simplify that so voters understand your thinking on this. So, do you think China is a national security threat to Australia? PRIME MINISTER: I think that our engagement with the region and the world needs to be diplomatic, needs to be mature and needs to avoid the, you know, attempts to simplify what are a complex set of relationships. And Australian journalists should do the same. And I believe - JOURNALIST: But isn't it less about simplifying it, like for what you're arguing? PRIME MINISTER: We have strategic competition in the region. JOURNALIST: But does that mean China is a potential military threat to Australia? PRIME MINISTER: We have strategic competition in the region. We have that, we have a Defence Strategic Review which outlines what Australia's defence needs are. And we engage constructively in the region, including with China and including with ASEAN nations. And what we say is that it is in Australia's interests, and indeed the world's interests, for there to be peace and security in our region and indeed around the world. That's our position. That's the mature way in which we are able, as a middle power, to exercise influence in the region. CONNELL: Next question, Paul Sakkal from the SMH and the Age. JOURNALIST: Thanks, Prime Minister. Thanks, Tom. Prime Minister, you might meet the US President next week. Would you be willing to walk away from that meeting without a deal if the Americans don't offer a good one? And on the productivity roundtable, if there are big ideas that come out of it, do you commit to going to the next election with those policies or could you legislate in the interim? PRIME MINISTER: Well on the latter, I don't want to preempt it. I want people to be able to have a discussion. To be able to have a discussion without screaming headlines saying, you know, this is going to happen because someone has raised it. I want people to be able to have a mature discussion around a room to see, where is it? Are there win wins on productivity? Are there win wins, I think in a whole range of areas. For example, on, you know, approvals, things that was in the speech. Approvals of things like housing, industry, how do we get things moving quicker but which are more sustainable as well? How do we use that to boost productivity going forward? And on any arrangements, as we did with the European Union, we'll only sign up to things that are in Australia's national interest. So, on things like the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the media bargaining code, our biosecurity in agriculture, they're not on the table as far as we're concerned. But are there areas in which Australia and the United States can have win wins? Yes, I believe that there are, and I will engage in those discussions respectfully, as we have over recent months. CONNELL: Next question, Dana Daniel from the Canberra Times. JOURNALIST: Thank you, Prime Minister. You've spoken about the importance of a free media to democracy. Traditional media companies have lost millions of dollars in revenue since Meta stopped paying for news on its platforms and they say that this threatens their viability. Your Government's announcement in December that a levy would be imposed on those who refused to pay seemed to hit a wall after Donald Trump's tariff announcement and a promised discussion paper is overdue. Will the progressive patriotism that you spoke about in your speech include Australia leading the world in safeguarding the viability of public interest journalism? And how soon can we expect the news media bargaining incentive to be legislated? PRIME MINISTER: We certainly support the news bargaining code, and we've made it very clear, for example, to the US we made it clear publicly that that's not on the table any more than the social media ban for under 16s is on the table either. We respect the role of, particularly local papers. As a local here in Canberra, it plays a vital role and it is of critical importance that those media organisations are able to survive. Now, media is changing. Legacy media isn't everything, but it's important and I respect the role that it plays, just like I respect new media as well. I did, well documented, I did 20 podcasts this year leading up to the election. I'll do other, I've got another one on Thursday morning. I'll continue to engage because you have to engage with people where they are. But where they are, Canberra Times is a good example. You have articles about local issues, including ones that are very difficult to read, including Josh Papali'i's two tries against us on Sunday - that brings heartache. But it's a wonderful story. It's a great story from a great Canberran and he was page one of the Canberra Times in the lead up to that game, breaking the record for most number of games played. The Telegraph or the Herald weren't covering that. Couldn't care less about that because it wasn't a big deal. It's a big deal in this town, in this city, and that's important. It's an example of why local media is essential. CONNELL: So whatever Donald Trump might say, no compromise, no changes? PRIME MINISTER: No, no. We're dealing with our policies, including on the news media bargaining code. CONNELL: Okay. Next question, Ben Westcott from Bloomberg. JOURNALIST: Ben Westcott from Bloomberg. Thank you for your speech, Prime Minister. And speaking of podcasts, we'd welcome you on the Bloomberg Australia podcast anytime you want to pop on over. PRIME MINISTER: Speak to Ms Murphy. JOURNALIST: I want to get some clarity on the Port of Darwin. During the election campaign, you said you wanted to see it back in Australian hands, but we do know since then there has been some approaches by US companies to potentially look into purchasing the Port or taking the lease. Are you adamant that it must be in Australian hands after it leaves Landbridge or would a friendly partner nation also be ok? PRIME MINISTER: Well, private equity has a different perspective, of course, when it comes to investing in infrastructure, and so you'd want to examine what the nature of any bid is. But I've said very clearly that it is, in my view it's in, we won't preempt those processes. But my view is very clear and was clear at the time of the Federal Government, Coalition Government giving an incentive to the Northern Territory Coalition or CLP government to flog off what was, in my view, an Australian national asset. So I think it should be in Australian hands is what I've said very clearly. And I'd need some convincing of that. You know, I think that that was a wrong decision. I haven't changed my view since it was made. CONNELL: Tess Ikonomou from AAP. JOURNALIST: Thank you very much for your time, Prime Minister. Millennials and Gen Z are making up a greater share of the electorate and despite both being younger voters, Gen Z are less anchored to the two party system. What impact will this have on policy and your messaging? PRIME MINISTER: I think we saw during the election campaign a different campaign in how to reach those people. I did, last week I was in, I've slowed down since the election, I did Hobart, South Australia, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra last week. And I did FM radios on a whole range of those as well as AM radios, and am doing a podcast on Thursday. You've got to talk with people where they're at and engage with them about issues. I, frankly, was somewhat surprised at the decision by the Coalition to oppose the cut in HECS debt. I thought that was at least as tone deaf as supporting an increase in income tax rates, which is what they went to the election with, or opposing working from home. You've got to look at the changes that are there in society and how we engage with people and what are their issues that they're concerned with. And a whole lot of new media, I won't give free ads to the ones that are, engage with those people and reflect what their opinions are going forward. So I think it will change the way that politics works. One of the things I'm really proud about is this morning we had a gathering of new Members of Parliament, sort of O Week where they come along and I was able to speak to them, including, you know, a 21 year old Senator, Charlotte from South Australia. You know, I look around everything from the Cabinet Room to the Caucus, you know, we have more women in the House of Representatives whose name people begins in A - starting with Anika Wells - than Liberal or Nationals have women on the floor of the House of Representatives. You know, our team are diverse, and that includes a range of younger people, not just 21 year olds, but other people in their 20s and early 30s who've got elected - that's great. That's what the Parliament should be. It should reflect Australian society. CONNELL: Do you ever get a bit nervous when maybe a younger staff member sends out a bit of an edgy insta post and you're not quite sure what it means but you're assured it's going to go well? PRIME MINISTER: That's why they give us young staff to explain it. No, look, I mean, I think politics has changed as well. Like people, I say this at National Press Club so it'll appear in a transcript in future years. People need to chill out about stuff that people will have on social media. You know, if people are held to account for what a 21 year old has on social media in 10 years' time, then we won't have anyone willing to put their hand up in public life. You know, it needs to change the whole way that we deal with those issues as part of the way of dealing with it. So less, you know, we don't go through what people put on social media. It's up to them. They're accountable for it. But there's no centralisation of that because it just wouldn't work. It just wouldn't work at all. And I understand the pressures that young people, you know, are under, which is very different from the pressures that were on, you know, I wouldn't particularly appreciate everything being documented when I was in young Labor, let me tell you. CONNELL: Alright, on that note, we're trying to get through two more. Karen Barlow from the Saturday paper. JOURNALIST: Hello, Prime Minister. Both the new leaders of the Coalition and the Greens, Sussan Ley and Larissa Waters, have indicated a different approach to Labor this coming term, reflecting I guess their personal styles as well as Labor's thumping majority. What's your approach in this coming term about negotiating your agenda? Are you going to get more involved in some of the negotiations? What are you going to be doing this term? How are you going to approach it? PRIME MINISTER: I lead a cabinet government that empowers Ministers. So Ministers go off and negotiate, but there's nothing unusual about me involving myself at some stage - usually with Senator Gallagher, when it gets to the crunch. And you know, we did that last December. I foreshadow things that aren't negotiable and I did that on the front page of the Herald, I think that that week of the last sitting week, but we got a phenomenal amount of legislation done. We got a whole lot done as well when Parliament resumed in February and then on Budget Week. One of the things that people missed, I think, was on the Wednesday just how much we got through the Senate, both houses, which is why we start from a position where a whole lot of our Budget and forward agenda is through. You know, Free TAFE, NBN, tax cuts, through, done and dusted. But I'm respectful. I contacted both the leaders, I've sat down already with Sussan Ley, as well as sitting down with David Littleproud. I've offered to sit down with Larissa Waters. I welcome constructive dialogue, I welcome input as well. We'll treat the crossbenchers with respect. We have 94 votes, but that actually doesn't make a difference compared with 78 - because 78 wins and 94 wins. You don't win bigger, you win, you pass legislation. We treat people with respect. If they've got ideas, we're up for it. We're up for it. And I welcome the fact that Sussan has made some constructive discussion and Larissa as well. But, you know, we'll wait and see, the proof will be in the pudding. I think they've both got issues with their internals that, fortunately for me, is something that I don't have. CONNELL: We'll see Sussan Ley here on the 25th - there's a bit of a plug. Final question, Katina Curtis from the West Australian. JOURNALIST: Thanks, Prime Minister. You've obviously spoken about doing things the Australian way. There does seem to be an American book that has been passed around your economics team, Abundance from Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. Several of them have referenced it. Have you read it? PRIME MINISTER: No. JOURNALIST: How do you see that abundance agenda applying in Australia? And one of the things it talks about a lot, particularly around housing, is the way that people who just don't want progress because they want to hold onto what they've got, kind of weaponise environmental laws and litigation. That's obviously in a US context, but I think we see it happening here with NIMBYism. How do you intend to stop that? PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm not going to comment on a book that I haven't read, which is probably a good idea. I'm old fashioned, I only launch books that I read which caused, in the last term, Daniel Mulino, who wrote a three and a half thousand word page book for me to not launch his book, as worthy as I'm sure it was. But I did launch Andrew Charlton's book - it was much smaller. So hint there for parliamentary colleagues, if you want me to launch your book, make it a bit shorter so it's realistic for me to do so given the amount of reading of cabinet papers, et cetera, that I have to do. But, so I won't comment on that. Suffice to say, look, our job is to just serve our national interests. I think the Australian characteristics and Australian politics are different from the United States. You know, I think that the events we're seeing in the United States are something that no doubt many books will be written about in future years and at some stage down the track I'll have time to read them, but I can't imagine that being the case over the next three years. CONNELL: Well, thank you very much for your time today, Prime Minister. It's not quite a Medicare card, but we've got another membership to add to your collection. PRIME MINISTER: You only need one Medicare card. CONNELL: You can pull that out again if you want. But anyway, ladies and gentlemen, please join me in thanking the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's talks with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov 10 June 2025 15:08 990-10-06-2025 On June 9-10, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov, who was on his first official visit in Moscow. The talks were held in a traditionally trust-based and truly comradely atmosphere. The ministers discussed a wide range of key issues of Russia-Belarus strategic partnership and alliance. They focused on diplomatic support for the integration process in the Union State. They voiced coinciding or quite similar positions, while considering current international and regional issues, including the resolution of the Ukraine crisis. The sides exchanged opinions regarding their future collaboration to forge a Greater Eurasian Partnership and new Eurasian security architecture. Following the meeting, Sergey Lavrov and Maxim Ryzhenkov signed a joint address to the foreign ministers of Eurasian states on drafting the Charter of Eurasian Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century. The ministers reviewed, in great detail, issues of future integration within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, as well as mutual collaboration at the United Nations Organisation and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Addressing a joint news conference, the foreign ministers of Russia and Belarus discussed, in great detail, the agreements reached by them. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's opening remarks during talks with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov, Moscow, June 10, 2025 10 June 2025 11:43 987-10-06-2025 Mr Ryzhenkov, Colleagues, Friends, We are glad to welcome the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus on his first official visit to the Russian Federation. We value the relationship between our countries, a relationship based on alliance, strategic partnership, good-neighbourliness, and mutual trust. The unique nature of our bilateral relations was once again reaffirmed during our joint celebrations of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The presidents of Russia and the Republic of Belarus, alongside other world leaders, participated in the Victory Parade on Red Square. Symbolically, Russian and Belarusian military marched ceremoniously shoulder to shoulder in Moscow and Minsk. Joint processions were held in various cities of the Union State as part of the Belarus Remembers and Immortal Regiment functions. The dialogue between the two heads of state outlines the strategic course in all areas of cooperation, providing the essential momentum and guidance. It calls on all of us, as agencies responsible for implementing foreign policy objectives, to maintain regular contacts and develop a creative approach towards devising a tactical line. Yesterday, we discussed a number of related issues. Today, we will certainly continue our discussion. Efforts by President Vladimir Putin and President Alexander Lukashenko set an example of importance for ensuring the regularity of our contacts. The scale and quality of our bilateral relations, as well as the challenges that arise as we seek to promote these relations, are such that a dialogue is needed on a regular basis. I recall our meeting in Brest last November, when we held a joint Board meeting. This year, it is our turn to provide a platform for this joint event. Today, we will also discuss preparations for it. Our inter-parliamentary and interregional dialogue continues to develop.This June, the Nizhny Novgorod Region will host the 12th Forum of Regions of Russia and Belarus on the theme "The Youth of Belarus and Russia as Heirs to the Great Victory and the Future of the Union State." We will also witness the grand inauguration of your General Consulate in Nizhny Novgorod, a symbolic event in its own right. We are expanding the number of our diplomatic missions in the territory of each other. Our cultural, humanitarian, and spiritual ties play a vital role in reinforcing the foundation that unites our peoples. The recent visit by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to the Republic of Belarus served as yet another confirmation of this fact. International issues are always part of our agenda. Yesterday, during our informal discussion, we also touched upon them. This includes matters related to our immediate environment, cooperation within the EAEU, CSTO and CIS, as well as activities at international venues, such as the UN and OSCE. I want to highlight a new initiative put forward by Belarus, which Russia has strongly supported. I am referring to Eurasian security and the establishment of a regular annual dialogue on this crucial subject. Together with you, we are promoting a document that could serve as a foundation for further collective efforts. At this stage, we will actively uphold the need for precisely this approach to Eurasian security, an approach based on the recognition of equal and indivisible security for any state. There is much to discuss, and I am pleased to see you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PLA Navy carrier formation featuring Liaoning, Shandong conduct training in Western Pacific: spokesperson Global Times By Liu Xuanzun, Liang Rui and Guo Yuandan Published: Jun 10, 2025 06:50 PM Updated: Jun 10, 2025 09:52 PM The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently tasked two aircraft carriers to conduct training in the Western Pacific, a Navy spokesperson announced on Tuesday. Chinese military affairs experts said the dual-carrier voyage is significant to China's defense. Formations of PLA Navy's aircraft carrier Liaoning and Shandong have recently conducted training in Western Pacific and other waters to test the forces' capabilities in far seas defense and joint operations, said Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng, a spokesperson for the PLA Navy on Tuesday, according to China Bugle, an official media account affiliated with the PLA news media center. These are routine training organized in accordance with the annual training plan, aimed at continuously enhancing the vessels' ability to fulfill their missions, which are consistent with relevant international laws and international practices and are not targeted at any specific country or objective, Wang said. In response to a question that Japan's Defense Ministry claimed two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted operating in the Pacific Ocean at the same time for the first time, whether Chinese side can provide any details or comments on this, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday that "I answered that question yesterday." "Let me reiterate that Chinese naval vessels' activities in those waters are fully consistent with international law and international practices. Our national defense policy is defensive in nature. We hope Japan will view those activities objectively and rationally," Lin said. Lin's remarks came after the Japanese Defense Ministry said on Monday that the PLA Navy aircraft carrier Shandong hosted aircraft takeoff and landing activities in waters north of Okinotorishima, reported Japanese media outlet Yomiuri. The Japanese Defense Ministry on Sunday also said that another PLA Navy aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which was sailing southeast of Iwo Jima, had made a similar move. It marks the first time in the Pacific Ocean near Japan that the simultaneous activities of both the Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers have been confirmed, according to Yomiuri. As of Monday, the Liaoning is deployed on the east side of the second island chain and Shandong on the west side, claimed the Yomiuri report. The Japanese Defense Ministry said on Monday that China's aircraft carrier Liaoning was operating in waters about 300 kilometers off the coast of Minamitorishima in Tokyo's Ogasawara Islands. This is the first time that a Chinese aircraft carrier has crossed the second island chain connecting the islands to Guam, claimed Jiji, another Japanese media outlet. Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday that two aircraft carriers can form a more complete combat system than just one. One of the most important directions for China's maritime defense is the Western Pacific, and a dual-carrier group could provide significant defensive support there. Some modern weapons have ranges of thousands of kilometers, so China needs defense depths beyond the first and second island chains to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, Wang Yunfei said. Two aircraft carriers holding simultaneous training in the Western Pacific can enable them to become familiar with the location and gain basic combat capabilities there, Wang Yunfei said. In October 2024, the formations of Chinese aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong carried out a dual aircraft carrier formation training for the first time in the South China Sea to hone their systematic combat capabilities, the Xinhua News Agency reported at the time. Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times that a dual-carrier group is not just a simply add up of forces, it can carry out more diversified and more complex tasks. But the diversity and complexity require high standards, which means that several trainings are needed. Being capable of fielding two aircraft carriers simultaneously and forming a dual-carrier group yields important significance to China's maritime defense and safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and development interests, Wang Ya'nan said. Zhang Junshe, another Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that in the future, the PLA Navy's aircraft carrier groups could also conduct far-seas training in waters such as the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Conducting navigation training on the high seas is a right granted to the PLA Navy under international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. With the increasing number of Chinese enterprises, businesspeople and students overseas, as well as China's growing needs on foreign energy supplies, the security of China's overseas interests and maritime energy routes has become a major concern for the Chinese people, Zhang noted. Under these circumstances, the development of China's far seas naval capabilities, including aircraft carrier groups, will first and foremost enhance the defense of national territorial security by extending the range of maritime defensive operations. Additionally, it will help safeguard China's overseas interests and the security of its sea lines of communication, while also enabling China to take on greater international responsibilities, such as humanitarian rescue and disaster relief efforts, Zhang said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China, South Africa vow to strengthen military cooperation Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China Source China Military Online EditorChen Zhuo 2025-06-10 17:44:28 BEIJING, June 10 -- Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun met with the visiting Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) General Rudzani Maphwanya in Beijing on June 10, 2025. Admiral Dong Jun praised that the traditional friendship between China and South Africa has endured over time and forged a special bond of "comrades and brothers" through the tests of the international situation. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the heads of state of the two countries, cooperation between the two militaries in various fields has flourished. "China is willing to work with South Africa to practice the true multilateralism and jointly oppose the hegemony, bullying, power politics, and division and confrontation," stressed Admiral Dong, adding that both sides should enhance exchanges, strengthen strategic communication, optimize cooperation mechanisms, expand pragmatic cooperation, promote a deeper, wider mil-to-mil relations, so as to contribute more to building a high-level community with a shared future for China and South Africa. General Maphwanya appreciated the Chinese military's long-standing strong support and assistance to the SANDF. "South Africa highly values its relations with China and firmly adheres to the one-China principle. The militaries of South Africa and China enjoy long-term friendship and are sincere friends and partners," he stated, adding that South Africa is willing to work with China to strengthen practical cooperation in such fields as joint exercises and training, military education, personnel training, and maritime security, and continuously improve the level of military cooperation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian's Regular Press Conference on June 10, 2025 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: June 10, 2025 17:44 AFP: Spokesperson for Japan's Defense Ministry said today that two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted operating in the Pacific Ocean at the same time. This is the first time that this has happened, the spokesperson said. Can the Foreign Ministry provide any details or comments on this? Lin Jian: I answered that question yesterday. Let me reiterate that Chinese naval vessels' activities in those waters are fully consistent with international law and international practices. Our national defense policy is defensive in nature. We hope Japan will view those activities objectively and rationally. Beijing Daily: Last year, the 78th session of the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution which declared June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations. June 10 of this year marks the first International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations. We noted that a series of celebration activities were held at the UN headquarters and the locations of multiple UN agencies. UN Secretary-General, UNGA President and many heads of UN agencies expressed their congratulations. Could you share more information on that? Lin Jian: One year ago, the 78th session of the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, and decided to declare June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations. This is part of China's efforts to actively advance the Global Civilization Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping, and an important contribution to equal-footed exchanges and dialogue among civilizations, and to world peace and development. Today is the first International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations. China, together with international organizations including the UN and many countries, held a variety of theme events in host cities of UN bodies such as New York and Geneva, as well as in many countries around the world. The events were live-streamed on the UN official website. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a video address entitled "Promoting Dialogue Among Civilizations to Build a Better World". He pointed out that in the face of the immense global impact from transformations unseen in a century, the international community should jointly uphold equality among civilizations, promote exchanges among civilizations, and advance the progress of civilizations so as to build an even better future of human civilizations. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly Philemon Yang, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Miguel Angel Moratinos and other heads of international organizations delivered remarks. They spoke highly of the global significance of the Global Civilization Initiative, called on the international community to strengthen solidarity, promote dialogue among civilizations, and safeguard peace and development. The creation of the International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations meets the shared desire of people around the world for more dialogue among civilizations to drive human progress, and reflects true multilateralism and the common values of humanity. China will remain guided by the Global Civilization Initiative, and work with the international community to give full play to the International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations as an important platform to safeguard equality and promote exchanges and progress among civilizations, and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind. Shenzhen TV: We noted that recently, a good number of foreign businesses have continued their investment in China.The Danish Chamber of Commerce in China and the German Chamber of Commerce in China mentioned that European companies are fully motivated to continue to invest in China. AI, digital twins, driverless cars and other new technologies are the blue ocean for their cooperation with China. The American Chamber of Commerce in China said in its latest survey that most U.S. companies are not planning to exit China. Many foreign businesses also ramp up R&D and innovation for localization. What's your comment? Lin Jian: The fact that more foreign businesses are betting on China says a lot about the stability and certainty that China's high-quality development and opening up provide and how much they are valued by the rest of the world. It is also the result of the strong dynamism created by China's new quality productive forces and innovation ecosystem. To speed up institutional opening up, China launched the 2025 Action Plan for Stabilizing Foreign Investment, and revised and expanded the Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment. Those new policy incentives cover sectors such as high-end manufacturing, digital economy and other frontier areas. In the first five months of this year, over 73,000 foreign companies generated imports and exports in China, hitting a five-year high. Right here in China, innovation breakthroughs keep coming, there is enormous demand for new industries and business formats, plus China's unique advantages such as complete industrial and supply chains, abundant human resources and a well-developed innovation ecosystem. All of those are driving foreign businesses to invest rapidly in new quality productive forces and be embedded in China's innovation process. More and more foreign businesses choose to have R&D in China and launch products to the world from China, creating sound dynamics between markets, businesses and resource factors. From a manufacturing giant to an innovation powerhouse, China continues to offer the world opportunities through its progress. We will continue to improve the business environment, and provide foreign businesses with more policy incentives. We welcome more foreign businesses to come to China with a global perspective, and achieve win-win and all-win results as China looks to unleash new quality productive forces. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address First meeting with President Trump Germany - Federal Government Federal Chancellor's inaugural visit to the USA The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, NATO, economic and trade issues, as well as bilateral relations: Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz brought a wide range of topics to the table in his first meeting with US President Trump. Thursday, 5 June 2025 "We agree on how terrible this war is, and we are looking for ways to end it." These were the words of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the press conference following his talks with US President Donald Trump, held in the Oval Office at the White House. With regard to the Russian war of aggression, the Federal Chancellor also emphasised that the President of the United States has the power to influence the Russian President, and to persuade him to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. It was the first meeting in person between Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Trump. The US President had invited the Federal Chancellor to Washington and welcomed him to the White House. The Federal Chancellor also said at the meeting that he wanted to intensify cooperation between the Federal Chancellery and the White House once again. With regard to the German origins of Trump's family, the Federal Chancellor explained that this could be a "very good basis for close cooperation between America and Germany". He also emphasised his deep gratitude to the United States for the liberation of Germany from Nazi rule 80 years ago: "We will never forget that." Federal Chancellor praises "good talks" After the meeting with the US President in the Oval Office, Trump and Merz met for lunch. Afterwards, Federal Chancellor Merz emphasised that he was "extremely satisfied" with the visit. He praised the positive atmosphere in the talks, which he said would be built on in future meetings and used as the basis for intensifying bilateral cooperation. Before Merz travelled home to Germany, he met with several senators in the Capitol. Expectations ahead of talks with US President Trump "I am looking forward to my visit with President Trump", Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasised in a statement ahead of his meeting with the US President. Nevertheless, he said he did not expect any major "breakthroughs" in the areas that the talks were to focus on. In addition to bilateral relations between Germany and the United States, the meeting was also intended to discuss the war in Ukraine, as well as economic and trade issues. Investments in defence were also set to be a focal area. To this end, the Federal Chancellor announced in his policy statement on 14 May 2025 that he intended to develop the Federal Armed Forces into the strongest conventional army in Europe. Federal Chancellor Merz arrived in the USA on Thursday morning for his inaugural visit. During his visit to Washington D.C., the Federal Chancellor was accommodated in Blair House - the guest house of the US President. Discussions before two major international meetings With the NATO summit in The Hague and the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, two major international meetings are taking place in the coming weeks. It was therefore very important to Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz to have the opportunity to meet US President Trump in person beforehand, after they had spoken on the phone several times. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India: High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas holds first EU-India Strategic Dialogue with Minister of External Affairs Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar European External Action Service (EEAS) 10.06.2025 Brussels, Belgium EEAS Press Team The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union/Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas and the Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar held the first EU-India Strategic Dialogue on 10 June in Brussels. During the Dialogue, High Representative Kallas and Minister Jaishankar discussed EU-India bilateral relations, regional and global challenges and advancing cooperation in the field of security and defence. Amid evolving and complex global security challenges, EU-India collaboration is vital in key areas of mutual interest, including counterterrorism, cybersecurity, hybrid threats, maritime security and maritime domain awareness, space security, defence industry cooperation and countering foreign information manipulation and interference. The Strategic Dialogue reaffirmed the strong commitment to a rules-based international order, global peace, stability and prosperity, rooted in shared democratic values and converging strategic interests. The exchanges underscored the importance of close cooperation on regional and global security matters, with the interconnectedness of security dynamics in European and the Indo-Pacific in mind. They reaffirmed the mutual interest in strengthening and deepening EU-India security and defence cooperation. High Representative Kallas welcomed India's confirmation of interest in engaging with the EU on the establishment of a Security and Defence Partnership. The EU and India agreed to establish a comprehensive Dialogue on Space, with a first session expected to convene in the final quarter of 2025. They provided updates on ongoing processes to launch negotiations for a Security of Information Agreement, highlighting the importance of secure and structured information exchange. They welcomed the increased cooperation at sea in recent years, including the development of operational arrangements between the EU Naval Force operations ATALANTA and ASPIDES, and the Indian Navy. On counterterrorism, the High Representative and Minister Jaishankar underlined the importance of continued cooperation and announced plans to convene a dedicated counterterrorism dialogue later this year. On regional and global issues, the EU and India recognised their shared strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific and underlined the importance of a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region. High Representative Kallas and Minister Jaishankar exchanged views on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and reaffirmed the necessity of achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in accordance with international law and the UN Charter. They reiterated their strong condemnation of the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. They shared the view that every nation, including India, has the right and responsibility to protect its citizens from acts of terror. While de-escalation efforts are ongoing, the High Representative encouraged continued bilateral engagement between India and Pakistan to support peace and stability in the region. On developments in the Middle East, the need for full adherence to international humanitarian and international law, and the urgent need for the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid in accordance with international humanitarian principles, were underscored. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU-India Strategic Dialogue: press remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas at the joint press point European External Action Service (EEAS) 10.06.2025 Brussels, Belgium EEAS Press Team Check against delivery! Thank you and it's a great pleasure to be here. It is my first press conference in this room, so [it is] great to also welcome Mr. Jaishankar here, and a [real] pleasure to host you in Brussels. The European Union and India are natural partners. Together, we make up a quarter of the world's population and GDP. By working together, we have great potential to make global impact. Today, we are holding the first ever EU-India strategic dialogue. This marks a significant step forward in our partnership, and in addressing threats like cyber-attacks and foreign interference. It also paves a way for much deeper defence corporation, sharing expertise, and exploring joint initiatives. First, on security, Europe and India faced many of the same challenges. Terrorism, military buildups, and violations of international law affect both of us. Last week, India and European Union held joined a naval exercise in the Indian Ocean. This is more than symbolic. It shows our shared commitment to uphold international law at sea. I want to reiterate the EU's strong condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Those responsible must be held accountable. India has the right to protect its citizens in accordance with the international law. Minister Jaishankar, you and I were in close contact after the attack. I regret the tragic loss of lives in India and Pakistan. The EU supports continued talks between India and Pakistan to reduce tensions, and no one stands to gain from renewed conflicts in the region. EU-India cooperation on counter-terrorism is also growing stronger. We already work together on information sharing, capacity building, and joint efforts to combat terrorism financing. And today, we also agreed to hold our next counter-terrorism dialogue in autumn. The EU is working more together with India on space. We already have access to each other's data from Earth observation satellites, and at our meeting, we agreed to establish a new formal dialogue on space. This will cover areas such as satellite navigation and security, and the first session is to take place also [in] autumn, this year. Looking ahead, there is a strong case for an EU-India Security and Defence Partnership. We already have such partnerships with seven other countries, and today, we renewed our intention to work towards this goal, because peace and stability in the in the Indo-Pacific are closely intertwined with peace and security in Europe. Beyond defence, we cooperate in many other areas, from digital connectivity to research and innovation, to green energy and trade. We are committed to progress towards an ambitious, free trade agreement this year. This was agreed by President von de Leyen and Prime Minister Modi in February. And finally, Minister Jaishankar and I also reaffirmed our shared commitment to multilateralism and stable rules-based international order. In today's contested global landscape, it is more than ever important to build strong and trusted partnerships. The European Union is a reliable, predictable, and credible partner for India. With the visit of the European Commission's College to New Delhi in February and next year's EU-India summit, we want to further deepen our partnership at all levels. So, dear Minister, thank you again for being here and looking forward to our further discussions later today. Thank you. Q&A. Q. I have two questions. The first one is for both. Did you discuss any diverging approaches to Russia, and did you come to conclusions on the matter? The second is for the High Representative, specifically, are there any details you could share about the proposal for the 18th sanctions package, and will it be a biting package as was discussed earlier? We will discuss the security situation further when it comes to the security situation in Europe as well as in the Indo-Pacific. So, we will have those discussions later on. When it comes to the details of the 18th package, we have a separate press conference today. We will reveal the details, and we can talk about that then. Q. Two questions. The first question is on Israel's raid on an international humanitarian aid ship to Gaza. There were nine EU citizens, including one member of Parliament. Several countries condemned it, and experts said that unlawful to stop it in the international waters. So, what is the EU position about it? And the same question for you, sir. And the second, if I may say, it is about India-Pakistan conflict, I would say, will the EU take initiatives to resolve the conflict in a peaceful way? So, of course, the consular protection for the citizens is up to the Member States to provide. When it comes to international law, it has to be followed also in the international waters. But what we discussed today also is that we have to develop the international law further when it comes to maritime issues, like we have the issue of stopping the shadow fleet, for example, [or] we have the issue of [damaged] subsea cables. All these things are new threats and new worries. And I think in the global multilateral fora, we need to develop the international maritime law further. Q. Will you be pushing today India to have a more tough position towards Russia? And then my second question, since you were at the Shangri-La Dialogue and the Philippines a few weeks ago, is tightening cooperation with India related to your concerns on China?? As I mentioned before, we will have those discussions later on. What is clear also from the discussions that we have right now, is that nuclear threats cannot pay off. And this is the mutual concern. We see different actors - in our case, Russia - using nuclear threats, and we also see other actors in the world using this. So, we will discuss this further. And then when it comes to our India policy, we have our separate Indian policy that is related to our bilateral relations. It is not against anybody, but it is really to our benefit to see where the mutual interests of both sides are. And I think in this global changing world, we need more partners than less and that is why we are working to really intensify our cooperation regarding security and defence, for example. Q. Despite the Brexit and probably due to the pressure of the geopolitical environment, there are more and more relations between the EU and the UK government now. Would you be in favour of more connections and also more EU officials or business leaders taking part in the next India Global Forum taking place in London on 16-19th of June? For us, we [have] just finished the security defence partnership that gives us possibilities to cooperate with the UK even further. We were also mentioning [that] in our meeting. We have several fora with India, regarding different topics. But of course, we also have different fora with the UK and [we are] also looking forward to intensifying our cooperation, especially in the security and defence field. Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-273400 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Operation Sindoor is proof that Govt has transformed India's security apparatus by changing attitude towards national security issues: Raksha Mantri India - Press Information Bureau Ministry of Defence "India recognised as Mother of Democracy, while Pakistan as Father of Global Terrorism" Shri Rajnath Singh urges international community to put strategic, diplomatic & economic pressure on Pakistan to deal with terrorism "India is protecting its borders and creating a system which is making it strategically, economically & technically strong" "Rs 1.75 lakh crore defence production & Rs 30,000 crore defence exports targets set for this year" Posted On: 10 JUN 2025 5:41PM by PIB Delhi "In the last 11 years, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi-led Government has transformed India's security apparatus by changing the attitude and the way of action towards every issue related to national security, and the world witnessed this shift during Operation Sindoor," said Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh while addressing a dialogue on the topic 'National Security & Terrorism', organised in Dehradun, Uttarakhand on June 10, 2025. Raksha Mantri described Operation Sindoor as the biggest action taken against terrorism in Indian history, which was carried out in response to the cowardly terror attack on innocent people in Pahalgam, J&K. He said the Pahalgam incident was an attack on the social unity of the country, and India took a big & strong action against terrorism and its perpetrators by destroying terror bases & related infrastructure in Pakistan & PoK. "Following the abrogation of Article 370, J&K heralded into the era of peace and progress. Our neighbors could not tolerate this, and executed the terror attack in Pahalgam. Despite Pakistan's best efforts, it has not been able to stop development in Kashmir. Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link is a shining example of the Government's relentless pursuit of progress in J&K. Soon, PoK will join us and say 'I, too, am Bharat'," he added. Shri Rajnath Singh asserted that while the Indian Armed Forces have given a befitting reply to terrorists, it is imperative to prevent terror incidents such as the one in Pahalgam in future. He emphasised on the need to be alert not just at the level of governments, but also at the public level. He described terrorism as a distorted moral reasoning, the biggest curse on humanity, a major threat to peaceful co-existence & democracy, and an obstacle in the path of progress. The fight against terrorism is not just a question of security, it is a battle to protect the basic values of humanity, he added. Branding terrorism as an epidemic destined to perish, Raksha Mantri stressed that the menace cannot be left to die a natural death as its existence will continue to challenge collective peace, development and prosperity. He underscored the urgent need for a permanent solution to terrorism. "Terrorists are not fighters with a cause. No religious, ideological or political reason can justify terrorism. No human objective can ever be achieved through bloodshed and violence. India and Pakistan attained independence at the same time, but today, India has been recognised as the Mother of Democracy, while Pakistan has emerged as the Father of Global Terrorism. Pakistan has always given shelter to terrorists, trained them on its soil and helped them. It always tries to justify this menace. It is important that we eliminate these terrorists and their entire infrastructure," said Shri Rajnath Singh. Raksha Mantri urged the international community to stop foreign funding to Pakistan, saying that a large part of this financial aid is spent on terrorism. "Funding Pakistan means funding the infrastructure of terrorism. Pakistan is a nursery of terrorism. It should not be nourished," he added. Shri Rajnath Singh expressed shock at the recent decision by the United Nations Security Council to name Pakistan as the Vice-Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Panel, especially when the panel was formed after the 9/11 terror attacks. "Pakistan had sheltered the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. Its land has been used as a refuge for global terrorist organisations. There, terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar roam around openly, and senior officers of Pakistan Army attend the funerals of terrorists. Now, the same country is expected to lead the global community against terrorism. This raises serious questions on the intentions and policies of the international system," he said. Raksha Mantri called upon the global community and organisations such as the United Nations to think on issues like terrorism more seriously, stating that "Only when we are free from terrorism, will we be able to move towards the goal of global peace, progress and prosperity." He added that the common people of Pakistan are of the same view, but the rulers there have put the country on the path of destruction. Shri Rajnath Singh advised Pakistan to seek India's help if it is unable to take action against terrorism on its soil. He stated that the Indian Armed Forces are capable of taking effective action against terrorism on either side of the border, which was witnessed by Pakistan itself during Operation Sindoor. Calling Pakistan stubborn, he termed it necessary for the whole world to put strategic, diplomatic and economic pressure on Islamabad to deal with terrorism emanating from its soil. Highlighting the strategy adopted by the Government to deal with terrorism and strengthen national security, Raksha Mantri said the defence sector has emerged as one of the strongest pillars of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and the weapons/platforms used during Operation Sindoor were Made-in-India. "Today, India is not only protecting its borders, but is also creating a system which is making us strategically, economically and technically strong. Earlier, we were completely dependent on foreign defence equipment, but today India is rapidly becoming Aatmanirbhar in defence," he said. Shri Rajnath Singh listed out the steps taken by the Government to strengthen the defence sector, including increasing the defence budget from Rs 2.53 lakh crore in Financial Year (FY) 2013-14 to Rs 6,22 lakh crore in FY 2024-25; reserving 75% of the budget for capital procurement from domestic companies and the issuance of a total of 10 Positive Indigenisation Lists, comprising over 5,500 items. "Today, Indian Armed Forces use state-of-the-art weapons, missiles, tanks and other systems/platforms manufactured within the country. Our indigenous missiles such as Agni, Prithvi & BrahMos stand ready to give a befitting reply to the enemy. We also have the strength to build aircraft carriers such as INS Vikrant," he added. Raksha Mantri underlined that the Government's persistent efforts are bearing fruit as the annual defence production, which was around Rs 40,000 crore in 2014, has crossed the record figure of Rs 1.30 lakh crore today, and defence exports, which were Rs 686 crore in 14, has skyrocketed to Rs 23,622 crore in FY 2024-25, adding that Made-in-India defence products are being exported to nearly 100 countries. "We have set a target of Rs 1.75 lakh crore defence production this year and Rs three lakh crore by 2029. Our defence exports should reach Rs 30,000 crore this year and Rs 50,000 crore by 2029," he said. Shri Rajnath Singh highlighted the growing use of information warfare in the 21st century, urging the people to become social soldiers by identifying lies, stopping rumours, and spreading awareness in the society. "While data and information are the biggest power, it is also the biggest challenge. During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan conspired to break the morale of our soldiers and citizens through fake videos, manipulated news and posts. Even though military actions have been stopped, information warfare is still going on. If people share false news without thinking, they unknowingly become a weapon of the enemy. It is time that all citizens become social soldiers. The Government is working on cyber security at its level, but every citizen needs to be a 'first responder'," he said. Raksha Mantri also exhorted the media that, in today's times, 'being most correct' must be accorded priority than 'being ahead'. "Instead of being 'verified', being 'viral' has become the standard of journalism. There is a need to avoid this," he added. Shri Rajnath Singh termed the media as a "watchdog" when the issue of national security is not only concerned with borders, but is now a challenge in cyber and social sectors. "Journalism is not just a profession but a national duty. It informs while keeping us alert and vigilant towards the security of the country. A free and healthy journalism is a stabilising force that makes the society alert, unites it and spreads consciousness," he said. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami was among the dignitaries who attended the event. **** VK/Savvy (Release ID: 2135420) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran will respond to any reckless action at the I.A.E.A. Board: Araqchi IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Jun 10, 2025 Tehran, IRNA -- Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has warned of an appropriate response if the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.) adopts an anti-Iran resolution drafted by the United States, Britain, France, and Germany, stating that these parties will bear responsibility for the consequences. Araqchi made the remarks during a phone conversation with Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Tuesday, a day after the I.A.E.A. Board convened its quarterly meeting in Vienna, where Iran's nuclear program was on the agenda. Ahead of the meeting, the U.S. and the three European countries, known as the E3, tabled a resolution accusing Iran of non-compliance. The Iranian foreign minister criticized the draft resolution as a misguided and provocative measure taken by the U.S. and the E3 in the midst of indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, warning the Board of Governors against adopting it. "Any reckless and destructive decision against Iran at the Board of Governors will be met with an appropriate response," he said, adding, "The parties that politicize the agency and use it as a tool will bear responsibility for the consequences." Araqchi reaffirmed the Islamic Republic's principled stance, which is to safeguard the legal and indisputable rights of the Iranian nation to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, including uranium enrichment. He further emphasized that Iran's position, rooted in Islamic teachings, prohibits the use of nuclear weapons. The top Iranian diplomat referred to Tokyo's moderate positions on foreign policy issues, expressing hope that Japan and other members of the Board of Governors would adopt a constructive stance aimed at fostering dialogue and cooperation. Takeshi Iwaya welcomed the ongoing talks between Tehran and Washington, which seek to reach a deal on Iran's nuclear program. He also reaffirmed Iran's legal right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. 4194**4353 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Exclusive | Anti-Iran resolution at I.A.E.A.'s Board of Governors undiplomatic: Takht-e-Ravanchi IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Jun 10, 2025 Tehran, IRNA -- Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-e-Ravanchi has criticized the attempt of some western countries to push for an anti-Iran resolution at the meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.), saying the sponsors of the draft cannot claim to support diplomacy. In an interview with IRNA on Monday, Takht-e-Ravanchi said that Iran's response to any resolution will be technical-political, which the country will announce in due course. "Those countries that are behind such an action at the Board of Governors cannot claim that they support diplomacy," he said, adding that the planned anti-Iranian move is nothing more than an allegation. The official said that the three European countries - namely France, Britain, and Germany - are misusing a specialized agency of the United Nations by opening the issue that was closed 20-odd years ago. "We cannot remain indifferent to this political misuse of the issue and will definitely take our own action," he said. He continued by saying that the issue related to Possible Military Dimensions (P.M.D.) of Iran's nuclear program was closed with the passage of a resolution by the I.A.E.A.'s Board of Governors and opening it again by the West aims to realize specific agenda for themselves. Referring to the potential activation of the snapback mechanism stipulated under the J.C.P.O.A., Takht-e-Ravanchi said that they had been using the I.A.E.A. platform to re-impose U.N. sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 deal. On the one hand, they say they support the ongoing talks, including the talks between Iran and the United States, but on the other hand, they are using the Agency against Iran to achieve their goals, he explained, saying "Our nuclear program is so clear and transparent that we do not hesitate to discuss it with anyone." During the interview, Takht-e-Ravanchi addressed a host of other domestic, regional, and international issues. On the indirect Iran-U.S. talks under the mediation of Oman, he said that the negotiations are not deadlocked despite the challenges facing both sides. "There are always many ups and downs in international negotiations as they have their own sensitivities and a lot of patience is required for these talks to reach a conclusion," said Takht-e-Ravanchi, who is one of the member of the Iranian negotiating team. Referring to previous negotiations, he said that there were difficult stages, which both Iranian and American delegations passed, but "the more we move forward [in the negotiations], the more likely it gets to face ups and downs." Regarding the written U.S. proposal that was recently delivered by the Omani foreign minister to his Iranian counterpart, Takht-e-Ravanchi said, "We are preparing a response that will be conveyed to the Americans through Oman once completed." 4399**9417 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tehran threatens to reduce cooperation with the I.A.E.A. if an anti-Iran resolution passes at the Board of Governors IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Jun 10, 2025 Tehran, IRNA -- Spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (A.E.O.I.), Behrouz Kamalvandi says the Islamic Republic may reassess its level of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.) if the agency adopts a resolution against the country's nuclear program. Kamalvandi made the remarks during an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (I.R.I.B.) on Monday, referring to a reported attempt by France, Britain, and Germany, in coordination with the United States, to present a draft resolution against Iran at the I.A.E.A. Board of Governors quarterly meeting in Vienna. He warned that Iran would take its positions against both the three European countries or E3 and the U.N. nuclear watchdog, stressing, "We have cooperated with the I.A.E.A. beyond our obligations, and if they are not grateful, we will naturally bring this cooperation to a normal level." The A.E.O.I. spokesperson said the I.A.E.A. has to be thankful to Iran's excessive cooperation with its inspectors so far, emphasizing that the Agency would definitely not be able to fulfill its duties, in case Tehran reduced its cooperation with it. Like previous occasions, Iran would definitely give a proportionate response, he said. In a separate interview a day earlier, Kamalvandi warned that the Islamic Republic had prepared countermeasures for the possible adoption of an anti-Iran resolution. "Last time, we issued a warning, but it was ignored and in response, we increased production of 60%-enriched uranium sevenfold," Kamalvandi said. "This time, we also have a list of countermeasures, which we have already communicated. The Agency should not expect Iran to continue constructive cooperation as before," he added Diplomatic sources have confirmed that the Western powers intend to push a draft resolution that accuses Iran of "non-compliance" with safeguards obligations. In response, Tehran cautioned the three European countries against making a "strategic mistake." 4399**9417 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Muscat will host sixth round of Iran-U.S. talks IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Jun 10, 2025 Tehran, IRNA -- Muscat is scheduled to host the sixth round of indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington on Sunday. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic and the United States will hold the newest round of talks in Muscat next Sunday, with Oman as the mediator. Regarding the latest program of Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, he said that the top diplomat will pay a visit to Norway to take part in the 22nd edition of the Oslo Forum. The Oslo Forum annually hosts global leaders, mediators, conflict parties, and experts to assess crises, support dialogue, and create pathways to peace. Iran and the United States have held five rounds of talks mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al-Busaidi, three in Muscat and two in Rome. 7129**9417 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran seizes four tankers smuggling fuel in Persian Gulf Iran Press TV Tuesday, 10 June 2025 2:15 PM Iran's naval forces have successfully intercepted and seized four tankers transporting thousands of liters of smuggled oil in the Persian Gulf. Ebrahim Taheri, the prosecutor of Minab County in Hormozgan Province, said in a statement on Tuesday that naval patrol officers, supported by a marine commando unit, carried out the operation. During the operation, they discovered and confiscated thousands of liters of fuel stored in the vessels and accompanying large fuel containers, he said. The vessels have since been handed over to the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company (NIOPDC). This operation follows a similar incident on March 31, when the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy seized two foreign tankers carrying over three million liters of smuggled diesel fuel. All 25 crew members aboard those vessels were arrested. Iran, known for some of the world's lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies, and at the same time, sharp price disparities with neighboring countries, continues to battle widespread fuel smuggling both by land and sea. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address IAEA chief's remarks on Iran nuclear sites 'devoid of legality', echo Israeli psyops: Eslami Iran Press TV Tuesday, 10 June 2025 11:17 AM Iran's nuclear chief says the recent remarks by the head of the UN atomic agency about the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities are void of technical and legal validity, while also chiming in with Zionist psychological operations against Tehran. Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), made the comments in a televised interview on Tuesday, addressing remarks made by Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "Mr. Grossi's remarks lack technical and legal aspect," the Iranian official said, describing the IAEA chief's discourse as totally being the product of "the psychological and political operations that the Zionist regime [of Israel] has been performing" against the Islamic Republic. He said by passing the remarks, Grossi had clearly shown "his [true] character," and proven to be among those that have been waging psyops against Iran for long. Eslami was referring to Grossi's interview with i24NEWS, an Israeli TV channel, in which the latter had said the Israeli regime could not "destroy" Iran's nuclear facilities with "a single surgical strike. "Disrupting them (the facilities) would require overwhelming and devastating force," the IAEA chief had also said. The Iranian nuclear chief said Grossi had issued the remarks, despite lacking all jurisdiction to comment on such issues. Eslami noted that the international law and precautions that concerned such matters essentially robbed the IAEA director general of any entitlement to intervene in affairs of such nature. Grossi had also said, "Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapon at this moment," but claimed that "it has the material" to make one, echoing the Israeli regime's and its Western allies' unfounded allegations about, what the accusing sides have described as, Iran's so-called "diversion" towards obtaining nuclear arms or its intention to develop one. The campaign has, most recently, manifested itself in the form of the IAEA Board of Governors issuing yet another anti-Iranian resolution amid Western and Israeli pressure. The campaign rages on, while the Islamic Republic is the most-vetted member of the IAEA, with the agency having found no evidence in support of the alleged "diversion." Tehran, itself, has also categorically ruled out the prospect of either pursuing, obtaining, or maintaining nuclear arms in line with moral and religious guidelines. Grossi had, however, additionally, alleged that the Islamic Republic harbored a "determination" to develop such weapons, adding that likely Israeli military aggression against the country could "potentially have an amalgamating effect, solidifying Iran's determination." He had also pointed to the Israeli regime's repeated threats to use military aggression against Iran's nuclear facilities, alleging that the threats meant that "the Iranian thing has incredible potential to become catastrophic." Eslami, however, denounced Grossi for resorting to "expressing concern for Israel," a regime that, unlike Iran, was a possessor of nuclear arms, and a non-member of the IAEA's Safeguards Agreement that would not brook any oversight of its nuclear sites. Adding to his comments, the Iranian official regretted that the IAEA chief's remarks indicated that "international organizations [such as the UN nuclear agency] are a tool in the hands of dominant powers as well as being totally subject to Israeli influence." On the other hand, Iran's attitude of outright opposition to the Israeli regime's atrocities, including those committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, proved that the Islamic Republic's view of various nations' rights in the face of foreign aggression was a "realistic one," Eslami concluded. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran: Next round of talks with US will be held in Oman Iran Press TV Tuesday, 10 June 2025 1:25 AM Iran says the next round of indirect negotiations with the United States will be held on Sunday in Oman's capital city, Muscat. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that following consultations, preparations are underway for the next round of indirect talks on Sunday. Since April, Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of indirect negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. Three rounds of the two countries' negotiations were held in Muscat, while the remaining two rounds were held in the Italian capital, Rome. The negotiations were marked by repeated shifts in US stances, which prompted Iranian officials to criticize the "contradictory" statements made by their American counterparts. Since April, Iran and the United States have held five rounds of indirect talks, mediated by Oman, on a replacement for the 2015 nuclear deal, which was derailed by the American withdrawal in 2018. However, the talks have faced an obstacle over the US demand for Iran to stop enriching uranium under any new deal. Iran says it will not forgo its right to uranium enrichment, which is guaranteed under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the NPT. In its latest report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) claimed that Iran has sharply increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons. In its quarterly report, the agency said that as of May 17, Iran possesses an estimated 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60 percent, marking an increase of 133.8 kilograms since the previous report in February. Iran's Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) issued a joint statement last week, denouncing it as a "political" and unbalanced report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog and said it has been drafted under European pressure. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nuclear Tensions Simmer As Iran, US Can't Even Agree On When To Argue By Kian Sharifi June 11, 2025 Diplomacy between the United States and Iran over the future of Tehran's nuclear program has hit a new snag -- not over uranium enrichment or sanctions, but over the simple matter of when to meet. As US President Donald Trump insists the next round of talks is set for June 12, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei maintains that negotiations will resume on June 15 in Muscat. Oman, which is mediating the talks, has not weighed in. The scheduling dispute comes as Iran's chief negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, is slated to be in Norway on June 12 for the Oslo Forum, making a session that day with the US unlikely, but not impossible. Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi will also be in Oslo, so if White House envoy and nuclear negotiator Steve Witkoff travels to Norway, a meeting could take place. Despite the calendar confusion, the stakes are clear: The sixth round of talks is shaping up to be a defining moment. Iran has formally rejected Washington's proposal for a deal, calling it "unacceptable" and lacking in key areas, especially the removal of economic sanctions and recognition of Iran's right to enrich uranium on its own soil. Iran's Counterproposal On Enrichment Tehran says it will soon submit a counterproposal via Oman, a plan it describes as "reasonable, logical, and balanced" and which it urges Washington to take seriously. While Iran has kept the details of its counteroffer under wraps, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi says it's not a lengthy document but a "rational" proposal that "can't be dismissed with a simple 'no.'" He describes it as a solid and acceptable basis for further discussion. Iran's counterproposal is expected to insist on the right to continue uranium enrichment -- a non-negotiable point for Tehran -- and demand effective and verifiable sanctions relief before any Iranian concessions. Trump and other US officials, for their part, remain firm that any deal must see Iran halt enrichment, a position Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has flatly rejected as "100 percent contrary" to national interests. Specter Of IAEA Resolution This is all unfolding as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors meets in Vienna for its quarterly session, a gathering dominated by the Iran file. The IAEA's latest comprehensive report, released on May 31, concluded that Iran has failed to provide credible answers about undeclared nuclear material and activities at several sites, and that its cooperation with inspectors has been "less than satisfactory." The United States and its European allies -- Britain, France, Germany, also known as the E3 -- are now pushing a resolution that would formally declare Iran in noncompliance with its safeguards obligations for the first time in two decades. If adopted, the resolution would not immediately escalate the matter to the UN Security Council, but it would give Iran a window to address the outstanding concerns. It would be a major step toward opening the door to the return of UN sanctions if Iran fails to comply. Meanwhile, Iran has threatened to retaliate if the resolution is adopted, teasing that it may expand its nuclear program, including installing thousands of advanced centrifuges. The "snapback" of UN sanctions is a provision under the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal and the E3 wants to use it before it expires in October. Whether the resolution is adopted could shape the tone of the next round of nuclear talks. Adding to the volatility, Iran's Intelligence Ministry claimed over the weekend that Tehran has obtained a "treasure trove" of sensitive Israeli documents, including material on Israel's nuclear program and defense capabilities. With Israel preparing to strike Iranian nuclear sites if the negotiations with the United States fail, the Supreme National Security Council said the alleged intelligence breach will allow Iran to retaliate to a potential attack "immediately" by targeting Israel's "secret nuclear facilities." For now, the world is left waiting -- not just for the substance of a deal, but for the negotiators to even settle on a time and place to argue. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-nuclear- tensions-us-talks/33439157.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 The UK commends the publication of Iraq's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security: UK statement at the UN Security Council Speech Statement by Caroline Quinn, UK Deputy Political Coordinator, at the UN Security Council meeting on Iraq. From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Caroline Quinn, UK Deputy Political Coordinator Published 10 June 2025 Location: United Nations, New York Delivered on: 10 June 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) Firstly, we welcome the smooth transition period towards the end of the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq. It is encouraging to see that Iraq has remained stable despite an escalation of conflict in the region during the last 6 months. We commend the publication of Iraq's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and the announcement of a date for federal elections. UNAMI's support to the Independent High Electoral Commission on the upcoming elections has been very valuable. And it was very good to hear today, from the SRSG, about the progress being made toward key milestones. We look forward to UNAMI assisting the Government of Iraq during the remainder of its mandate in ensuring the elections are free and fair. Second, President, we continue to follow closely efforts in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to form its regional government. This is vital for the stability of the KRI and should ideally precede the federal elections. We hope that the political leaders and parties of the KRI can overcome their differences and form a government soon. In this important electoral year for Iraq, we urge the Government of Iraq to ensure the protection of freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly, and to strengthen legal protection guarantees for journalists, the media and civil society. Finally, President, we thank the Secretary-General for his recent report on Kuwait, Iraq missing persons. As penholder on this issue and a member of the ICRC-chaired Tripartite Commission, we look forward to working with Iraq, Kuwait and all other interested parties to identify a route forward. In this regard, we are committed to undertaking close engagement with Council Members, stakeholders and the Secretariat regarding an appropriate post-UNAMI follow-on mechanism in the coming weeks. e region during the last 6 months. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN committed to supporting 'free, fair and transparent election with the participation of all Iraqis' 10 June 2025 - The top UN official in Iraq reiterated his confidence in the resilience of the country's people, and the determination of their leaders, in a briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday. "Iraq is a nation of profound history, strength, potential, and pride. By working together, Iraqis can continue to make meaningful strides towards stability, prosperity and human rights for all," said Special Representative Mohamed Al Hassan, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). He provided updates on political, human rights and other developments over the past six months, and the Mission's ongoing support to the authorities as it prepares to leave at the end of the year. UNAMI was established in 2003 and works to advance inclusive political dialogue as well as reconciliation at the national and community levels, among other mandated tasks. Parliamentary elections ahead At the outset, Mr. Hassan commended the Iraqi Government for providing humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Syria, and for supporting the new peace initiative between Turkiye and the Kurdistan Workers' Party, a militant group known as KPP. He said Iraq is well on the way to fresh parliamentary elections set for 11 November, and the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) is making notable progress towards polling day, with UNAMI's technical support. Although voter registration should conclude in the coming days, and nearly three-quarters of all voters have completed biometric registration, challenges and logistical concerns remain. Supporting the vote "But IHEC is committed to doing its best towards a free, fair and transparent election with the participation of all Iraqis without fear and intimidation," he said. "UNAMI will spare no effort in providing the most professional technical support towards this end, including efforts to promote the widest participation of women, youth and minorities." Mr. Al Hassan also reported on the aftermath of the successful parliamentary elections held in the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq last October. With formation of a regional government still outstanding, he called for a spirit of compromise to break the impasse. Returnees from Syria Turning to other matters, he said more than 800 Iraqis recently returned from the Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria. For years, thousands of people from Syria, Iraq and other countries have been held at the notorious complex for their alleged ties to Daesh extremists. He said the development is an indication of the Iraqi Government's commitment to accelerating returns of its citizens, with UN support. "It is nevertheless essential that adequate resources are invested in supporting a dignified reintegration of returning families, and in ensuring a fair judicial process for the detainees who are being repatriated," he added. Concern for Yazidi community Meanwhile, the situation of people displaced within Iraq continues to demand urgent attention. They include members of the Yazidi minority community who are living in camps and informal settlements in harsh conditions. More than a decade has passed since Dae'sh fighters attacked the Yazidi's ancestral homeland around Sinjar, in northern Iraq, committing atrocities such as executions, forced conversions and abducting thousands of women and girls into sexual slavery. Mr. Al Hassan said the Iraqi Government's recent recognition of Yazidi land rights was "a significant milestone," with over 1,300 ownership letters and nearly 100 title deeds distributed this year. Yet he stressed the need for a national plan that provides durable solutions. End the injustice "The return process cannot just be physical relocation, it needs to be a meaningful process that rebuilds lives, livelihoods, and hope for the future," he said. Speaking in Arabic, he said the Yazidis "have been greatly harmed in a manner that cannot be described." He called on all concerned in Iraq and neighbouring countries "to take all the necessary measures" to protect them. "We think it is important to put an end to this injustice that has been imposed on the Yazidi Iraqi people, and to guarantee their return to their homes and to their areas in dignity and in pride." Uphold human rights Moving on, he said that "commitment to human rights is at the heart of Iraq's stability and development." He pointed to measures including progress towards a draft law on minority rights and the adoption of a national strategy to counter hate speech. "Among the human rights files that must be dealt with urgently is that of those who have been disappeared and those who are in jail without any legal and just and transparent trials," he said. Planned withdrawal Regarding UNAMI, he said that "the Mission continues to pursue a structured transition according to schedule and in close cooperation with the Government of Iraq Transition Team." Its offices in Mosul and Kirkuk have closed and staffing levels are being gradually reduced, with the goal of balancing the drawdown as mandated tasks continue. This is taking place "in a context of serious financial constraints impacting the United Nations as a whole," he added. Before concluding his remarks, Mr. Al Hassan underlined his "complete trust and confidence in Iraq and Iraqis and the ability of this great country, which is among the founding members of the United Nations to regain its status among the nations." He said the UN "will spare no effort in our cooperation and our assistance because we believe in this country and its potential, and its capacities and the capabilities of its people." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Security Council Hears, as UN Iraq Mission Winds Down, of Progress Won, Work Yet Remaining Meetings Coverage Security Council 9933rd Meeting* (AM) SC/16083 10 June 2025 With parliamentary elections in Iraq scheduled for 11 November, and the drawdown of the United Nations Mission there slated for the following month, the senior United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today of the progress Iraq has made while he and other speakers also called for urgent efforts to resolve issues involving Baghdad's relationship with the Kurdistan region and Kuwait. "Voter registration is set to conclude in the coming days, and nearly three quarters of total voters have completed biometric registration," reported Mohamed al Hassan, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), as he welcomed the country's impending parliamentary election. However, noting that formation of a Government in Iraq's Kurdistan region remains pending, he said that the Baghdad-Erbil partnership necessitates ongoing dialogue and collaboration to effectively address and resolve any outstanding issues between the two sides. He went on to recall that more than 800 Iraqis returned 10 days ago from Al-Hawl camp in north-east Syria, illustrating the Iraqi Government's commitment to accelerating the process with UN support. However, adequate resources must be invested. He also stressed that Iraq's internal-displacement situation "continues to demand urgent attention", as hundreds of thousands of individuals primarily Yazidis from Sinjar live in informal settlements throughout the country. While the Iraqi Government's recent recognition of Yazidis' land rights was a significant milestone, sustainable return conditions require better political and security measures. "The return process cannot just be physical relocation it needs to be a meaningful process that rebuilds lives, livelihoods and hope for the future," he stressed. Therefore urging Iraq and neighbouring States to protect the Yazidis, he also called for measures to address the plight of those who have disappeared or been detained without just, transparent trials. He nonetheless voiced "great trust" in the Iraqi judiciary to "return hope to the thousands of families that have long waited to know the fate of their loved ones". The Iraq of the future "must be in harmony amongst itself and with its neighbours", he stated. Turning to missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals, he welcomed the increase in field missions and use of advanced technology to identify national burial sites. However, he called for redoubled efforts and cooperation, including in the context of locating the remains of 300 Kuwaiti missing persons and providing long-overdue answers to their families. He further emphasized the importance of expediting the location and return of missing property, including Kuwait's national archives. Kuwait was the victim of an invasion, he stressed, and closure requires collaboration to rebuild trust. This includes "promises that are fulfilled on the ground, away from any politicization", he stated. Meanwhile, UNAMI continues to pursue a structured transition on schedule, in close cooperation with the Government of Iraq. The Mission has closed offices in Mosul and Kirkuk and is gradually reducing staffing levels to balance drawdowns with continuing mandated tasks. He added that this is occurring "in a context of serious financial constraints impacting the United Nations as a whole". Council Members Welcome Progress, Spotlight Challenges That Remain As the floor opened, the representative of the United States stressed that the Mission "still has important work to do". He affirmed UNAMI's role in supporting Iraq's electoral commission, as well as in repatriating and reintegrating Iraqi families from camps in north-east Syria. He also encouraged Iraq and Kuwait to continue work on the return of persons and property, and agree on an appropriate UN follow-on mechanism before UNAMI concludes. He further stressed that "we must remain vigilant about the malign influence of Iran and other external actors who seek to exploit divisions for their own self-interest". However, the Russian Federation's delegate cited the Secretary-General's report showing that the situation in Iraq has "definitively normalized" as "further proof" of the timeliness and justification of drawing down UNAMI by the end of 2025. Applauding the "exceptional" work of the Government in this crucial period, he welcomed Iraq's improved socioeconomic situation, as well as domestic stability and security. "The facts speak for themselves," he stated. And underscoring the country's sovereignty, he stressed that Iraq should not be an arena for "political score-settling by external players". Several other Council members welcomed the positive developments described in the report, including hard-won security gains. The Republic of Korea's delegate welcomed both the decline in Da'esh attacks and the decision of the Kurdistan Workers' Party [PKK] to disarm. Nevertheless, he urged "continued vigilance" given the "potential resurgence of such forces amid ongoing regional instability". Further, he joined other speakers in voicing support for the "One UN Plan" to facilitate the reintegration of Iraqi nationals returning from camps in north-east Syria. Greece's representative, in that context, commended Iraq's "concerted efforts to accelerate the return of all its nationals from north-eastern Syria" and to "expedite the reintegration of internally displaced persons into Iraqi society on the basis of voluntary, safe and sustainable returns". He also encouraged Iraq to continue its efforts to assert State authority over armed actors and support disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes. In addition, he urged that the issue of unexploded ordnance be addressed, as civilian casualties continue to occur. Meanwhile, Slovenia's delegate joined others in encouraging the Iraqi Government to protect and promote the rights of women and girls, consistent with its international human rights obligations. "This applies also to any changes to the regulation of personal status matters," she added. She pointed out that upcoming parliamentary elections will provide an important opportunity to foster greater inclusion and meaningful participation for women, minorities and underrepresented groups. On the environment, Somalia's delegate also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Sierra Leone observed that the effects of climate change are exacerbating existing challenges in areas such as water scarcity and agricultural productivity. In this context, he commended the launch of the Environment and Climate Change Policy Advisory Group and encouraged the Government of Iraq to continue to combat this phenomenon. Similarly, Denmark's representative emphasized that "environmental degradation and desertification of agricultural lands present challenges not only in the short term, but risk undermining progress and stability in the long term". Addressing relations between Baghdad and Erbil, France's delegate called for the continuation of constructive dialogue on economic development and security, stressing: "At stake is the interest of Iraq as a whole, and Iraqi minorities need to be taken into account as part of the reform undertaken by the Prime Minister." Echoing that, the United Kingdom's representative said that the formation of a Government in the Kurdistan region is "vital" for its stability "and should, ideally, precede the federal elections". More broadly, he urged Baghdad to protect the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly. The representatives of Panama and China, addressing another bilateral relationship, voiced support for the Secretary-General's proposal of a follow-on mechanism to guarantee progress on pending issues between Iraq and Kuwait. The former stressed: "Panama knows about the suffering from conflict-related forced disappearances; we are also familiar with the open wound left by such an unresolved situation for loved ones who cannot close this painful chapter in their lives." He therefore called for redoubled efforts and cooperation to facilitate the restoration of Kuwaiti memory and identity. Iraq Seeks Closure of Past Chapter, Kuwait Calls for 'Tangible Actions' For his part, the representative of Iraq hailed upcoming parliamentary elections as "an important step towards consolidating democracy in the country", noting that the Government and the clergy seek to resolve differences. Additionally, the Government has made the return of the displaced a priority, allocating a budget that also provides many benefits for victims. He also detailed his country's efforts to be a force for peace, spotlighting Iraq's "return to our pivotal role in the region as a bridge for building trust". And as Baghdad was selected by the Arab Tourism Organization as an excellent destination, he called on all States to update their travel advisories. "The security situation in Iraq is back to normal," he stressed, while warning that the remnants of Da'esh in Syrian territory remain "a joint security threat". On UNAMI, he said that the Government has worked intensively with the Mission to develop a liquidation and transition plan, with its takeover of UNAMI offices in Mosul marking the "beginning of a new era between Iraq and the UN". Turning to bilateral relations with Kuwait, he stressed that "we seek seriously to end all outstanding issues". Iraq has honoured its commitments to pay $52.4 billion in indemnities, its obligations concerning border demarcation, and further, has worked to return Kuwaiti property. "We believe in closing this chapter of the past," he said. However, Kuwait's delegate emphasized that outstanding issues are a "strictly humanitarian file" not involving political or bilateral disagreements. Families of victims and the missing who have waited for decades "deserve truth and justice" for their loved ones, while an entire people await the return of Kuwait's national archives "a symbol of its identity, its history and its collective memory", he stated. Any delay, he stressed, undermines historic justice, and must not be subjected to political or procedural calculations. He called for "turning words into tangible actions", condemning previous procrastination, as over 300 persons are still considered missing with no progress made. He recalled recommendations for appointing a senior UN representative for the file once UNAMI's mandate is terminated. He added that, while bilateral collaboration with Iraq is imperative in this regard, Council supervision through a high-level mechanism is indispensable. __________ * The 9932nd Meeting was closed. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan-ROK Summit Telephone Talks Ministry of Foregn Affairs of Japan June 9, 2025 On June 9, commencing at noon for approximately 25 minutes, Mr. ISHIBA Shigeru, Prime Minister of Japan, spoke over the phone with Mr. LEE Jae Myung, President of the Republic of Korea (ROK). The summary of the telephone talks is as follows. Prime Minister Ishiba extended his congratulations to President Lee on his inauguration. Prime Minister Ishiba expressed his intention to move the Japan-ROK relations forward through the efforts of both sides, on the basis of the foundation built by the two governments. The two leaders concurred on the recognition that the Japan-ROK relations and the coordination among Japan, the U.S. and the ROK are important amid the increasingly severe strategic environment. The two leaders also confirmed that they will continue to progress the Japan-ROK relations stably. Prime Minister Ishiba also stated that he would like to work closely together on the policies on North Korea including on the abductions issue. Furthermore, the two leaders shared their expectations to hold an in-person meeting at an early stage and reaffirmed the importance of close communication between the two governments including between the two leaders. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan-New Zealand Summit Telephone Meeting Ministry of Foregn Affairs of Japan June 10, 2025 On June 10, commencing at 10:00 a.m. for approximately 15 minutes, Mr. ISHIBA Shigeru, Prime Minister of Japan, held a telephone meeting with Rt. Hon. Christopher LUXON, Prime Minister of New Zealand. The overview of the talk is as follows: At the outset, Prime Minister Ishiba stated that New Zealand is an important partner in promoting a free and open international order based on the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region and expressed his willingness to work closely with New Zealand. The two leaders held discussions on wide variety of economic fields, including increased uncertainty in the global economy and the multilateral free trade system. The two leaders also concurred on continuing to exchange views, taking advantage of various occasions, to further deepen the bilateral relationship, including in the field of security. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan-Iran Foreign Ministers' Telephone Talk Ministry of Foregn Affairs of Japan June 10, 2025 On June 10th, commencing from around 2 p.m. (Japan Time) for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a telephone talk with H.E. Dr. Seyyed Abbas ARAGHCHI, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The overview is as below. The two ministers had a candid exchange of views on Iran's nuclear issue. Minister Iwaya emphasized that Japan strongly hopes for a peaceful resolution of the issue and that Iran should not miss the opportunity for an agreement between the United States and Iran. Furthermore, Minister Iwaya strongly urged Iran to take concrete actions to fulfill its obligations under the IAEA safeguards agreement. Mr Iwaya also stated that Japan will continue its utmost diplomatic efforts for the peaceful resolution of the issue. In response, Minister Araghchi explained the position and efforts of Iran. Both ministers affirmed to continue close communication at various levels between Japan and Iran for the peace and stability of the region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Myanmar on the 'path to self-destruction' if violence does not end 10 June 2025 - Nearly three months after a catastrophic earthquake struck Myanmar, the country continues to grapple with its aftermath alongside the brutal civil war which has devastated the country since the February 2021 military coup. Since then, "there has been no end to the violence, even though thousands have been killed and thousands more injured," said UN Special Envoy to Myanmar, Julie Bishop, on Tuesday, briefing the General Assembly. "I have stressed consistently that without a ceasefire, a de-escalation of violence and a focus on the needs of the people, there can be no inclusive lasting peace," she said. Call for ceasefire Having spoken with survivors among the rubble of homes, hospitals and schools, Ms. Bishop said they "wanted the fighting to end so they could live in peace," as armed clashes continue to obstruct the aid and reconstruction effort. Although some parties to the conflict have announced ceasefires, "they have largely not been observed," she said. Reiterating her call for an end to hostilities she said civilian protection "must be the priority and inclusive and sustainable peace a shared goal." Without and end to the violence she said Myanmar would continue on "the path to self-destruction." Contested elections Ms. Bishop warned that unless there is an end to the violence and an inclusive and transparent electoral process, all that could result from any election - which the junta is planning to contest - would be "greater resistance and instability." "It is inconceivable how an election could be inclusive," she said, with so many political leaders still being held by the regime. Ms Bishop also reiterated the UN's call for the release of all arbitrary prisoners, including democratically elected leaders Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi. Rohingya's plight With up to 80 per cent living in poverty, the situation of the mostly Muslim Rohingya minority in both Myanmar and Bangladesh remains dire. Caught in the crossfire between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, Rohingya civilians in their historic homeland of Rakhine State are being subjected to forced recruitment and other abuse. As aid dwindles, Rohingyas living in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar face real consequences, including cuts to food rations and education. "A viable future for Myanmar must ensure safety, accountability, and opportunity for all its communities, including Rohingya, and must address the root causes of conflict, discrimination and disenfranchisement in all its forms," said Ms. Bishop. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas with President von der Leyen on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia European Commission Speech Jun 10, 2025 Brussels "Check against delivery" Good afternoon. This context, where we adopt this package proposal today, is very stark. It is clear that Russia does not want peace. Nothing suggests that Russia is ready for peace. On the contrary, Russia is escalating its war in Ukraine. Maternity hospitals, emergency medical wards, civilian houses and infrastructure are not military targets. This is an outright illegal war. Russia is cruel, aggressive, and a danger to us all and we act now to support Ukraine but also put the pressure on Russia. As the President said, the next round of EU sanctions against Russia will target Russia's energy revenues, including the shadow fleet, its military industry and its banking sector. On energy, like it was said, we propose adding another 77 vessels transporting Russian oil to the list, which would bring the total to over 400. When sanctioned, Russia's shadow fleet tankers cannot dock in ports and Russia has to find new vessels. This costs them more and runs down their profits. As president von der Leyen said, we are also proposing to lower the oil price cap from [$]60 to [$]45 - which is lower than the market price. And lowering the oil price gap will hit Russia's revenues hard. And we propose sanctions on the Nord Stream pipelines to prevent Russia generating any revenue in the future in this way. It sends a clear signal, we are not going back to business as usual. On the banking sector, we are turning the ban on Swift messaging services into full transaction ban. We propose 22 new banks to the list of institutions blocked from these transactions. And on the military industry, they would not be able to do what they are doing without the support of others, like it was said. So, we are going after the companies who are directly involved in producing weapons or enabling production, including in third countries. Today, we suggest adding 22 new companies - including some from China and Belarus - to the list of entities facing stricter restrictions on the dual use goods. This brings the total number of targeted companies to over 800. We do all this because sanctions work, every sanction weakens Russia's ability to fight. So, Russia wants us to believe that they can continue this war forever. This is simply not true. Russia has lost tens of billions in oil revenues. Its economy is shrinking, and its GDP has dropped. Sanctioning the Shadow Fleet has been particularly impactful: after our last sanctions package, the 17th sanctions package, the oil exports from Russia via the Black Sea and Baltic Sea routes declined by 30% in a week.* Only in the month of May, Russia's sovereign Wealth Fund declined by [$]6 billion, from 42 billion to 36 billion US dollars, and it could run out of money by next year. By cutting off revenue streams, we prevent them from refilling their war chest. Every day, Russia lies about its desire for peace. Putin is taking the world for a ride. Together with the United States, we can really force Putin to negotiate seriously. Every day Russia continues its war, the price must go up, and that is why we are proposing this 18th package of sanctions. Thank you. *Updated on 10/06/2025 at 18:30. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Meeting of the Security Council Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting of the Security Council via videoconference. June 10, 2025 17:00 Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues. The agenda of today's meeting of the Security Council focuses on improving the state policy of protecting traditional Russian spiritual and moral values. It is an extremely important current matter that is directly related to ensuring the sovereignty and national interests of Russia, strengthening our security, social harmony and stability, addressing the vital issues of saving the number of population and demographic development, bringing up the younger generation, and ensuring the continuity of our development as a state, nation and society. Traditional values are the moral guidelines that our forefathers have laid down over the centuries. They are the basis of our civilisation and identity, the pillar of life for individuals and families. They mould our culture, our sovereign world outlook, which is resistant to attempts to impose foreign will on us. Our fundamental values include the unity of the people of Russia, commitment to truth and justice, mercy and humanism, a strong family and love for our children, mutual assistance and a striving not only for personal well-being but also for the success of our country as a whole, as well as patriotism and devotion to our Motherland, of course. These values filled our forefathers with creative energy and inspired them towards great achievements. Today, they are the basis and the guideline for the development of our systems of education and upbringing, so that our children and teenagers clearly understand that being a citizen means knowing and respecting the history of our country, remaining true to our roots, working for the benefit of your families, home towns and the Fatherland, and assuming responsibility for its future. Of course, the younger generations must grown up to be strong, broadly educated, open to creation, globally competitive in knowledge and competencies, and willing to offer their original ideas and solutions rather than imitate others. You and I often meet with schoolchildren, students, young scientists, workers, engineers, the young people who have achieved a great deal in arts, business and creative professions. I am confident that our young people understand that freedom and responsibility go together, that they can contribute to the socioeconomic, scientific and cultural potential of our country, want to move forward and succeed, and see their future connected with the future of Russia. At the same time, we see that in the modern world, the domain of values and meanings has become a site of fierce competition. There is fierce competition, there is an aggressive struggle for influence on people's minds: many traditional values have been declared obsolete and archaic, while neo-liberal - so-called neo-liberal, but in fact, totalitarian - models are being promoted. Moreover, certain Western countries are not only relentlessly imposing those models at home, but are vigorously trying to export them, to impose them outside their own countries. It is clear why they are doing this - because by taking away the values that people turned to for support, by depriving nations of their sovereignty, it is easier to subordinate them, to turn them into vassals. Therefore, it is important to counter any attempts to impose on our citizens, especially young people, attitudes that can shatter our values. It is necessary to respond harshly to new challenges that provoke inter-ethnic and inter-religious conflicts. At the same time, we must realise that imposing selective bans or fencing ourselves off from the global information landscape, from the global information system is ineffective in the modern world. We need to consistently and vigorously promote our own values, develop our own humanitarian and cultural meanings that are in demand both in Russia and in the world. Russia's approach has been widely declared - we stand for respect for the identity of countries and peoples, for their customs and cultures. In this regard, we have numerous supporters all over the world, who share or respect our beliefs. It is important to coordinate our efforts with our partners in BRICS, the CSTO, the CIS and other countries that share our approaches. Undeniably, we need to remember the lessons of history. We need to remember about previous internal turmoil and upheavals, most of which had been fuelled and incited from the outside. Whoever sought to weaken Russia, tried to provoke a rift between ethnic groups and value systems. It is important for us to preserve and strengthen the cohesion of society, to support the respective initiatives proposed by citizens, or by public, religious and volunteer associations. I would like to remind you that our fundamental values and principles are enshrined in the Constitution and strategic planning documents, including the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values. Building on this document, a corresponding Plan of Measures has been implemented since July 1 of last year. It encompasses both the cultural sphere and many other areas. All our regions, ministries, agencies, scientific and cultural institutions, and all levels of education are involved in its implementation. In this regard, I would like to note that the tutorial component has been systematically reintroduced into Russian schools, and this approach is important for children. It is supported by both parents and teachers, who understand that upbringing and education are inseparable - it is together that they shape a well-rounded individual. Thus, a significant place in the educational process has been taken by the nationwide weekly lesson, Talking about What's Important. This format is constantly evolving, becoming more engaging, meaningful, and in demand. It features truly remarkable individuals whose achievements, hard work, courage, and heroic deeds serve as examples for young people. These include leaders in their professions, Heroes of Russia, participants in the special military operation, and, of course, children themselves. Public organisations are actively joining efforts aimed at enlightening and shaping younger generations. I would particularly like to highlight the Movement of the First and the Youth Army. They unite millions of children and implement numerous extracurricular educational programmes based on traditional values. Today, let us discuss how the Plan of Measures for the implementation of the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Values is being carried out overall, which tasks have been accomplished, and which issues remain unresolved. It is clear that we must continue building a system-wide state policy for the long-term preservation and protection of traditional values. To this end, relevant sections and sets of measures should be included in the strategic planning documents currently under development. Furthermore, we must improve legislative and regulatory instruments aimed at safeguarding traditional values. On May 9, we marked the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Fighting for freedom, our people demonstrated an inspiring example of unity and patriotism. Preserving the memory of the courage and deeds of the victorious generation holds immense moral, social, and national significance for us and for our future. I reiterate: we must continue to firmly uphold the historical truth about the events of World War II and the decisive role our people played in defeating Nazism, in any and all circumstances. Systematic efforts in historical education and combating the falsification of history must continue. I consider this extremely important. Let us proceed to the reports. The floor is given to Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova. Ms Golikova, please proceed. <...> NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address How Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Turned War Into A Windfall By Sergei Titov and Systema June 10, 2025 Foundations linked to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev have amassed about $850 million since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, RFE/RL's Russian investigative unit, Systema, has found. The rising fortunes of the foundations coincides with a wartime reincarnation of Medvedev, 59, who was dismissed as prime minister by President Vladimir Putin in 2020. But he has found an audience of millions in a new role as an online attack dog while keeping a hand in government as deputy chairman of Putin's Security Council and chairman of the dominant United Russia party. Medvedev, a once mild-mannered, moderate figure, has championed the war in wildly hawkish, hate-filled social media rants against Kyiv and the West. Taken together, 15 foundations with ties to Medvedev received a total of about 28 billion rubles ($424 million at the relevant exchange rates) between 2015 and 2021, the last year before Russia launched its all-out assault in February 2022, according to financial records examined by Systema. In 2022-24, that number jumped to more than 130 billion rubles ($1.39 billion), with more than half of the infusions coming last year. The organizations had a total of 23.5 billion rubles ($316 million) on their books at the end of 2021 and 86.4 billion rubles ($850 million) at the end of 2024, records showed. Outlays have gone to a range of recipients including Russian forces fighting against Ukraine and real estate projects with apparent ties to Medvedev from St. Petersburg to the Black Sea shore, Systema discovered. The foundations do not publicly identify their donors, and only two of the 14 that still exist currently have websites. One of those, Nasha Pravda(Our Truth) says it has spent 2.4 billion rubles in the past two years in support of the "special military operation," Putin's mandatory term for the war against Ukraine, with outlays going for thousands of drones as well as night-vision goggles, generators, medical equipment, and other supplies. Cooperation With United Russia Nasha Pravda was created at Medvedev's initiative, the head of United Russia's central executive committee, Aleksei Sidyakin, has said, and the foundation has cooperated with the party -- in February 2025, for example, jointly giving a Russian military unit equipment worth more than 14 million rubles ($177,000), according to the endowment's website. Medvedev's 29-year-old son, Ilya, who joined the party in September 2022, took part in the ceremony, according to an announcement on the Nasha Pravda website that identified him as a project director in the same party committee. Few of the foundations provide details about the targets of their spending. But evidence indicates some have been used for purposes that directly or indirectly support real estate projects with apparent links to Medvedev, a subject of scrutiny and public interest since the late Kremlin foe Aleksei Navalny'snow-outlawed Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) published a report revealing a network of mansions, yachts, vineyards, and other assets secretly owned by the then-prime minister. The FBK reportincluded alleged Medvedev residences in the Volga River town of Plyos, the Kursk region, the upscale Moscow suburb known as Rublyovka, and Sochi, as well as a winemaker called Skalisty Bereg and several yachts. Systema found that most of the properties mentioned in the report are still linked to foundations connected to Medvedev. In March, Nasha Pravda teamed up with Skalisty Bereg, which has vineyards near the coastal resort of Anapa, to help with the cleanup in the wake of a major fuel-oil spillin December. Skalisty Bereg is controlled by foundations linked to Medvedev as of December, and Ilya Medvedev sits on its board of directors. In December 2022, meanwhile, FKK -- a firm owned by a foundation linked to Medvedev -- acquired a management company, Makna, that in turn oversaw a dilapidated resort called Shingary, located a 7-minute drive from Skalisty Bereg and 100 meters from the sea. Demolition of the resort began a few months later, and FKK purchased several plots nearby while also leasing land in the area from Makna. The transactions suggested plans for a new development, but it is unclear what may be built. Closer to Medvedev's hometown of St. Petersburg, a foundation called Nevsky acquired a two-story cottage on the city's outskirts in 2023 -- and, in 2024, added a dacha in Pavlovsk, also nearby, where Medvedev spent summers as a child and paid a visit as president in 2009. Medvedev ignored the requests from Systema for comment, as did foundations including Nasha Pravda and Nevsky. Skalisty Bereg also did not respond to a request for comment. FKK's CEO hung up as soon as he heard a journalist was calling and did not respond to the questions sent to him via messenger. Fomenting A War Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the transformation of Medvedev's public persona has been stark. As president from 2008 until 2012, in between long stints with Putin in the Kremlin, the junior partner in the "tandem" portrayed himself as a relative liberal, a reformer, and proponent of greater freedoms. Russians who had hoped for change felt betrayed when Putin returned to the presidency in 2012, moving Medvedev to the No. 2 spot as prime minister. Amid an ever-tightening clampdown at home, Russia occupied Crimea and seized control of parts of eastern Ukraine in 2014, fomenting a war that was followed eight years later by the full-scale invasion. Widely seen as weak and unimportant after Putin demoted him and then pushed him out as prime minister in January 2020, Medvedev's public trust rating was under 23 percent at the end of 2021, compared to 65 percent for Putin, according to state-funded pollster VTsIOM. In VTsIOM results from June 1, Medvedev's trust rating had doubled to 45.7 percent, higher than any Russian political figure other than Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The Telegram channel he started weeks into the full-scale invasion, the main vehicle for his rabidly belligerent diatribes against Ukraine and the West, had made him the most popular Russian blogger by the end of 2022, with posts now averaging over 1.8 million views. Medvedev's frequently bilious social media posts have included sometimes profane attacks on Western governments, dire warnings for Kyiv, and thinly veiled threats of nuclear attack. In 2023, he mused aloud about bombing the Bundestagin Berlin. Last week, he said on Telegram that Russia's goal in the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in three years was not peace but "ensuring our swift victory and the complete destruction" of the government in Kyiv. The United States, the European Union, Britain, and other countries have imposed sanctions on Dmitry and Ilya Medvedev in connection with Russia's war against Ukraine. Adapted from the original Russian by Steve Gutterman Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/medvedev-money-funding- foundations-war-putin-russia/33438118.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 EU Targeting Deal To Lower Oil Price Cap For Russia By G7 Summit Next Week By Rikard Jozwiak June 10, 2025 The European Commission has presented new sanctions against Russia to the 27 EU member states, highlighted by a lowering of the cap on the price of Russian oil, as the bloc looks to find a unanimous agreement on the measures before the end of the month. The key proposal in this round, the 18th since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago, is to lower the price cap on Russian oil to $45 per barrel from the current $60. The hope in Brussels is that the Group of Seven (G7) countries will agree on this move when the heads of state and government meet for a summit in Alberta, Canada, next week. Other measures include a transaction ban on both Nordstream 1 & 2. While no Russian gas currently flows through the two Baltic Sea underwater pipelines that connect Russia with Germany, such a move aims to prevent the potential resumption of such supplies. "Oil exports still represent one-third of Russia's government revenues. We need to cut this source of revenues," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference in Brussels on June 10. She added that the cap change is necessary since the price of oil has dropped so much "that the effectiveness of the cap is to be questioned, and therefore we all want to lower the oil price from $60 per barrel down to $45 per barrel." Other sanctions include a proposal to lock out 22 Russian banks from the international financial messaging service, SWIFT, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and its subsidiaries will also be targeted by sanctions. Russia's Shadow Fleet Banned From Ports Like previous rounds of restrictive measures, there are more ships belonging to Russia's so-called shadow fleet being added to an EU servicing ban. So far over 300 vessels believed to be circumventing EU sanctions by carrying mainly Russian oil have been listed, meaning they are not allowed to call at EU ports or be serviced by companies in the bloc. In addition, nine individuals and 33 companies would be slapped with asset freezes, meaning the EU blacklist would surpass 2,500 entries. Rosneft is still not targeted, but a company from the United Arab Emirates and an Iranian businessman alleged by the bloc to be trading with the Russian oil giant are included. Belarus, which in various ways has supported the Kremlin's war effort, is hit in this round, too. Four arms companies from the country are sanctioned, and EU countries will no longer be able to import arms from Belarus. Previously there was only an EU arms export ban in place against Minsk. The club is also trying to close various sanctions loopholes by banning products to Belarus that can be used for military purposes such as various chemicals, metals, and plastics. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-deal-lower-oil-price- cap-russia-g7-summit/33439187.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 KMT passes NT$30,000 allowance for volunteer troops, DPP alleges move tied to recalls ROC Central News Agency 06/10/2025 10:06 PM Taipei, June 10 (CNA) Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers on Tuesday passed an amendment raising volunteer soldiers' monthly allowance to NT$30,000 (US$1,002), an increase of over NT$15,000, along with other benefits, a move the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said was aimed at helping KMT legislators facing possible recalls. The monthly allowance will be granted to all volunteer military personnel, regardless of rank, effective Jan. 1, 2026, under the amendment to Article 5 of the Armed Forces Pay Act, which was passed in a second round of voting, with 52 votes in favor and 50 against. Eight Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmakers were absent. Currently, volunteer military personnel for ranks of majors and below receives a monthly allowance of NT$15,000 in addition to their salary, while lieutenant colonels and colonels receive NT$14,000, and generals receive NT$13,000. The amended article also introduced new types of designated allowances for volunteer military personnel, with specific amounts to be determined by the Executive Yuan, and required all allowances to be adjusted accordingly whenever the cumulative consumer price index (CPI) reaches 3 percent. KMT Legislator Wang Hung-wei () said that the amendment was intended to address Taiwan's shortage of recruits. Wang cited Ministry of National Defense (MND) data stating that the total number of volunteer military personnel declined from over 164,000 in 2021 to more than 152,000 in 2024, leading to a significant shortfall in troop strength. "This highlights problems within the national defense system," she added. The KMT did not provide a budget estimate for the amendment. According to Wu Szu-yao (), a caucus whip of the ruling DPP, the amended Article 5 would require an annual budget of NT$38.6 billion. Wu accused the KMT of making another effort to prevent some of its members from being recalled. This amendment -- along with the recently enacted legislation that grants everyone four additional national holidays and extends Labor Day to public-sector employees, and a proposal to distribute a NT$10,000 cash handout -- serves to curry favor with voters and ensure the KMT's political survival, she said. As of Tuesday, 31 KMT lawmakers could face recall elections after civic groups -- dissatisfied with the party's actions in the Legislature, including massive government budget cuts -- launched recall campaigns and successfully gathered enough signatures through a two-stage process to initiate the cases. Regarding the amendment, the smaller opposition TPP abstained from voting on the KMT's version, as it favored a tiered structure for monthly allowances in the volunteer force -- NT$25,000 for majors and below, NT$18,000 for mid-level officers, and NT$13,000 for generals The TPP, however, voted in favor of the KMT's amendment to Article 6 of the law, which stipulates that the monthly salary of conscripted military personnel shall not be lower than the minimum basic wage. At present, salaries for conscripted military personnel are proposed by the MND and approved by the Executive Yuan, with privates second class receiving the lowest monthly pay of NT$21,350 -- below the minimum wage of NT$28,590. Later on Tuesday, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee () issued a statement saying the amendments passed by the Legislature violated Article 70 of the Constitution, which says that the Legislative Yuan shall not propose increases to the expenditures in the budget submitted by the Executive Yuan. They also violated Article 91 of the Budget Act and Article 5 of the Fiscal Discipline Act, which are designed to prevent the Legislature from unilaterally increasing government spending without legal and fiscal justification, Lee said. The Executive Yuan will seek legal remedies to overturn the amendments, Lee said, without specifying what measures it planned to take. Lee stated that the amendments would increase the government budget by NT$29 billion a year, which contradicted the figure provided by Wu. (By Wang Cheng-chung, We Shu-wei, Chen Chun-hua and Shih Hsiu-chuan) Enditem/cs NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tabletop exercise held on escalated Chinese military coercion ROC Central News Agency 06/10/2025 09:19 PM Taipei, June 10 (CNA) Three Taiwanese NGOs in a tabletop exercise on Tuesday simulated major escalations in Chinese military activities around Taiwan in 2030, including Chinese navy ships intruding into Taiwan's territorial waters. The two-day exercise, focusing mainly on China's "gray zone" activities, coercive actions that stop short of open conflict, was jointly hosted by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation, an educational foundation; the Taipei-based think tank Center for Peace and Security; and the Council on Strategic and Wargaming Studies (CSWS), a research institute. The event was attended by several former defense officials, including former Chief of the General Staff Lee Hsi-min (), retired United States' Navy Admiral Michael Mullen, former United States Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, former Japanese Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Shigeru Iwasaki, and former Chief of Staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Tomohisa Takei. The participants were divided into a guidance team, a control team, and four teams representing Taiwan, China, the United States and Japan. CSWS Chairman Alexander Huang () said at the opening of the event that the scenarios were set in 2030, so the wargames are conducted in the context that Taiwan has received all the weapons it has so far purchased from the United States. To ensure participants can speak freely and candidly, the organizers asked journalists not to attribute any remarks made during the discussions. In "Move 1" of the exercise, China crosses the outer boundary of Taiwan's territorial waters, which extends 12 nautical miles from its shore. This happens against the backdrop of frequent bilateral Cabinet-level visits between Taiwan and the U.S., despite protests from Beijing, and a slowing economy that is prompting scattered social unrest across China. Among the actions taken by Team Taiwan are deploying Coast Guard and Navy vessels to shadow the intruders and deploying submarines to "ambush zones" in waters northeast and southwest of Taiwan's main island. Notably, Taiwan decides not to open fire at the intruders based on the principle that it "does not fire the first shot, thus starting a war." Team U.S. replied that it would step up intelligence sharing with Taiwan and increase deterrence by moving forces from Guam or Sasebo, Japan into the region, but that it would not put troops on the ground in Taiwan yet. It said that at some point Taiwan may have to open fire to expel the Chinese intruders, but Taiwan would have to make sure to give the Chinese advance warning before doing so. Even then, the U.S. side stressed that Taiwan should prevent the situation from escalating into an all-out war. In response, a key member of the Control Team with a military background said Team Taiwan might have overreacted. For example, he questioned the need to deploy submarines in response to the level of threat, asking how then would Taiwan respond if China decided to turn a military exercise on the scale as the one seen in August 2022 following then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan into a surprise attack. "Faced with coercive threats, how do we ensure an effective response to existential threats at the same time? Is there a better way to respond to gray zone tactics, to simultaneously uphold our sovereignty and conserve our forces, so that we won't be defeated by the first wave of attack?" he asked. That, he added, is a question Taiwan's government and military need to consider. (By Sean Lin) Enditem/AW 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 2025/06/10 PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan Date 6 a.m. Jun. 9 (Mon.) to 6 a.m. Jun. 10 (Tue.) (UTC+8) PLA activities 14 sorties of PLA aircraft, 6 PLAN ships, and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected as of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 14 out of 14 sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's southwestern 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. 1140610_PLA air activities in the vicinity of Taiwan [Open a new window] 1140610_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 PM call with Chancellor Merz of Germany: 9 June 2025 The Prime Minister spoke to the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz ahead of the G7 and NATO summits later this month. From: Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP Published 10 June 2025 The Prime Minister spoke to the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz ahead of the G7 and NATO summits later this month. The leaders began reflecting on the Chancellor's visit to Washington D.C. last week and welcomed President Trump's efforts to secure a sustainable peace for Ukraine. Both leaders also welcomed efforts by NATO Allies to step up defence spending and agreed on the importance of a NATO that was fair, resilient and had the capabilities it needed to face the threats of today. Discussing proposals to increase focus and funding for national resilience and protecting critical national infrastructure, the leaders welcomed NATO's suggestions in this space. Turning to the challenge of tackling illegal migration, the leaders agreed on the importance of working together to intercept migrant routes upstream, and the need to go further together to break the business model of smuggling gangs. Both looked forward to seeing one another again soon. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine: 10th Human Rights Dialogue takes place in Kyiv European External Action Service (EEAS) 10.06.2025 Kyiv, Ukraine EEAS Press Team On 5 June in Kyiv, the European Union and Ukraine held its tenth Human Rights Dialogue and reaffirmed their active efforts to prevent and address any human rights violations, including in the temporarily occupied and in the liberated territories of Ukraine. Both parties stressed that accountability and human rights are an integral part of just and lasting peace and agreed to continue global outreach and coordinate actions in international fora in this regard. The parties discussed international human rights and international humanitarian law violations by the Russian Federation in the context of its full-scale invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine including arbitrary deprivation of life and detention, enforced disappearances, widespread and systematic torture and other ill-treatment against civilians and prisoners of war, summary executions, illegal deportation and forcible transfers of civilians (including children) to Russia and Belarus from the territories temporarily occupied by Russia, conflict-related sexual violence, and discrimination and persecution of Indigenous peoples. The parties deplored Russia's intensified attacks causing an increase of civilian casualties (including children) and paid special attention to the impact of Russia's war on the rights to health, work, education, water and sanitation, and adequate housing, also recognizing the disproportionate impact on persons in vulnerable situations. The parties explored options for closer cooperation in the documentation and investigation on the impact of such massive destruction on the environment, health and human life. Both sides expressed concerns regarding the deterioration of the situation and the restrictions on civic and political rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine by Russia, including by forcing Ukrainian citizens to change citizenship and/or obtain a Russian passport as well as imposing Russian identity, while suppressing expressions of Ukrainian identity. The parties exchanged views about the efforts and steps in the context of Ukraine's strategy for the restoration of temporarily occupied territories. They also underscored the importance of restoring the rights of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, torture and other violent crimes. The EU and Ukraine reiterated their commitment to ensuring full accountability for all international crimes and other violations of international law committed in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, including through the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression. The parties also discussed Ukraine's implementation of the provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and aligning coordination of national investigations and prosecutions such as via Eurojust, as well as the ongoing work of the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation Against Ukraine, and discussions on the set up of a future Claims Commission. Furthermore, in follow-up to last year's dialogue, discussions revolved around latest policy developments in the area of fundamental rights. The parties welcomed ongoing close cooperation and dialogue in the context of EU's accession. The EU reiterated the call for Ukraine to adopt legislation to address hate crimes and ensure non-discrimination of LGBTIQ persons, as well as the importance to monitor that legislation affecting freedom of religion and belief complies with obligations under international law. Finally, the parties exchanged views on the electoral framework and challenges ahead. Both sides further confirmed their mutual determination to continue close cooperation and coordination on all human rights issues in international multilateral fora. Ukraine expressed gratitude for the contributions of the EU and its member states to the UN humanitarian programmes for Ukraine. Ukraine encouraged further application of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime to individuals and entities responsible for crimes against humanity committed during Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The dialogue was marked by an atmosphere of cooperation and a common aspiration for progressive and decisive steps in the field of human rights. The meeting was co-chaired by Petra Gombalova, Head of Division Ukraine at the European External Action Service and Liudmyla Suhak, Deputy Minister of Justice for European integration of Ukraine. The next Human Rights Dialogue between Ukraine and the EU is expected to take place in 2026. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine/Russia: press remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas at the joint press conference on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia European External Action Service (EEAS) 10.06.2025 Copenhagen, 10/06/2025 EEAS Press Team Check against delivery! Good afternoon. This context, where we adopt this package proposal today, is very stark. It is clear that Russia does not want peace. Nothing suggests that Russia is ready for peace. On the contrary, Russia is escalating its war in Ukraine. Maternity hospitals, emergency medical wards, civilian houses and infrastructure are not military targets. This is an outright illegal war. Russia is cruel, aggressive, and a danger to us all and we act now to support Ukraine but also put the pressure on Russia. As the President said, the next round of EU sanctions against Russia will target Russia's energy revenues, including the shadow fleet, its military industry and its banking sector. On energy, like it was said, we propose adding another 77 vessels transporting Russian oil to the list, which would bring the total to over 400. When sanctioned, Russia's shadow fleet tankers cannot dock in ports and Russia has to find new vessels. This costs them more and runs down their profits. As president von der Leyen said, we are also proposing to lower the oil price cap from [$]60 to [$]45 - which is lower than the market price. And lowering the oil price gap will hit Russia's revenues hard. And we propose sanctions on the Nord Stream pipelines to prevent Russia generating any revenue in the future in this way. It sends a clear signal, we are not going back to business as usual. On the banking sector, we are turning the ban on Swift messaging services into full transaction ban. We propose 22 new banks to the list of institutions blocked from these transactions. And on the military industry, they would not be able to do what they are doing without the support of others, like it was said. So, we are going after the companies who are directly involved in producing weapons or enabling production, including in third countries. Today, we suggest adding 22 new companies - including some from China and Belarus - to the list of entities facing stricter restrictions on the dual use goods. This brings the total number of targeted companies to over 800. We do all this because sanctions work, every sanction weakens Russia's ability to fight. So, Russia wants us to believe that they can continue this war forever. This is simply not true. Russia has lost tens of billions in oil revenues. Its economy is shrinking, and its GDP has dropped. Sanctioning the Shadow Fleet has been particularly impactful: after our last sanctions package, the 17th sanctions package, the oil exports from Russia via the Black Sea and Baltic Sea routes declined by 30% in a week. Only in the month of May, Russia's sovereign Wealth Fund declined by [$] 6 billion, from 42 billion to 36 billion US dollars, and it could run out of money by next year. By cutting off revenue streams, we prevent them from refilling their war chest. Every day, Russia lies about its desire for peace. Putin is taking the world for a ride. Together with the United States, we can really force Putin to negotiate seriously. Every day Russia continues its war, the price must go up, and that is why we are proposing this 18th package of sanctions. Thank you. Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-273466 Q&A. Q1. It is two questions. One is a follow up, because you say, Ms. Madam President "I am looking forward to the discussions in the G7." How confident are you that the cap of 45 US dollar per barrel will actually be implemented. And two, maybe for Ms. Kallas, because you said the revenues of Russia would be hit hard by this $45 barrel cap. Do you know? How hard do you know what would this cost Russia? Yes, to add to that, [the effects are] accumulating, as well. I think we were also surprised that the last sanctions package on the shadow fleet had such a big effect that it was really reducing the revenues from oil exports via the Black Sea and Baltic Sea by 30%. We have adopted a lot of sanctions, but now they are also starting to accumulate. That is why I cannot give you an exact number. But we feel that these sanctions have a huge effect together with the other sanctions that we have already adopted. Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-273467 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Lithuania visit Kherson and Mykolaiv Ukraine Government Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, posted 10 June 2025 15:47 On Tuesday, 10 June, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys visited Kherson and Mykolaiv. The Lithuanian Foreign Minister became the first foreign minister to visit Kherson since its liberation in autumn 2022. "This is a powerful gesture of solidarity with our people amid ongoing russian terror against Kherson," Andrii Sybiha emphasised. In Kherson, the ministers visited a critical infrastructure facility and an underground school attended by over 120 children. They also toured an underground perinatal centre, where 61 babies have been born since the start of the year. "Kherson region continues to live, work, and persevere despite the challenges of war. It was important for us to visit the city of Kherson and Kherson region together with our Lithuanian friends. We spoke with locals and heard their urgent needs directly. We will work together to secure additional assistance for Kherson from international partners," Ukraine's Foreign Minister stated. The ministers discussed the current situation in the city and region with Kherson Regional Military Administration Head Oleksandr Prokudin, focusing on protection needs against russian terror and shelling, as well as the most pressing needs of the population. The foreign ministers also visited Mykolaiv, where they paid tribute to the heroes who lost their lives defending Ukraine against russia's full-scale invasion. The ministers discussed Lithuania's significant role in Ukraine's reconstruction. Andrii Sybiha thanked Lithuanian partners for key projects in Mykolaiv region, including the restoration of schools and energy infrastructure and the construction of bomb shelters. Notably, the day before, the foreign ministers held talks in Kyiv, coordinating further steps to counter russia's full-scale aggression, achieve a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace for Ukraine, and support the country's reconstruction. They discussed continued cooperation to strengthen Ukraine's defence capabilities, increase sanctions, and further isolate russia internationally. Lithuania remains committed to supporting supporter of Ukraine's integration into the EU and NATO. It is also a leading donor to Ukraine, ranking among the top contributors in terms of aid as a percentage of its national GDP. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Budrys in Kyiv: Lithuania is and will be with Ukraine - our support is comprehensive and long-term Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs Updated 2025-06-10 On 9 June in Kyiv, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Kestutis Budrys, met with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha. At the press conference following the meeting, the head of Lithuania's diplomacy assured that Ukraine is at the center of all major discussions. "Ukraine is at the centre of discussions about the global stability and security. We are making every effort to achieve peace here, understanding that there is one huge obstacle to it - Putin and his obsession with imperialism. We are trying to convince him to agree to a ceasefire, but he shows absolutely no interest in it," Budrys said. The Minister highlighted the impressive capabilities of Ukraine's armed forces and intelligence services, singling out the operation Spider Web: "It shows that Russia is vulnerable. Russia is not an invincible fortress. It has been and will be breached in the future." Budrys also assured that Lithuania's support for Ukraine is and will remain a comprehensive, long-term commitment. "I am here to once again underline that Lithuania will be here for the decade and beyond with our support for defence, security, your reforms and your accession to the European Union. Our commitment is long-term," said Budrys. According to the Minister, Ukraine's EU accession process must move faster and be based, as usual, on the principle of merit, with the target membership date remaining January 1, 2030. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Minister Budrys: Ukraine's operation "Spider's Web" showed - Russia is not the fortress it pretends to be Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs Updated 2025-06-10 During his visit to Kyiv, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Kestutis Budrys, held bilateral talks with Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov, and Minister of Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin. The meetings focused on the peace process, the situation on the front line, Ukraine's military operations against Russian military facilities, preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague, sanctions, military support for Ukraine, and cooperation in the field of the defence industry. "The successful operation "Spider's Web" carried out by the Ukrainian armed forces, has shown very clearly how vulnerable Russia is. It is far from the fortress it pretendsto be. Our path is clear, which is increasing international pressure, strict sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports that fund the aggressor's war machine," Budrys said. According to the head of Lithuania's diplomacy, the EU's 18th package of sanctions must include Russia's oil and gas sectors, also the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, Rosatom, the remaining shadow fleet vessels, Russian banks, and the IT sector. Support for Ukraine was also discussed at the meetings. Lithuania's military support for Ukraine will reach 1 billion euros this year. Lithuania also exceeds its commitment to provide 0.25% of GDP annually in military support to Ukraine and plans to provide 0.3% of GDP in 2025. The meetings also addressed cooperation in the field of armaments production and opportunities for joint production. Promising areas include the production of explosives, mines, ammunition, long-range FPV drones, and drone munitions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Second Group of Russian Soldiers Returned From Kiev-Controlled Territory Under Istanbul Deal Sputnik News 20250610 Another group of Russian prisoners of war has been released from Ukraine in line with the June 2 Istanbul agreement, the Defense Ministry confirms. The second group of Russian servicemen has been freed from territory controlled by Kiev, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. "On June 10, in accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements reached on June 2 of this year in Istanbul, the second group of Russian servicepeople was returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime," the ministry said in a statement. A group of Ukrainian prisoners of war was handed over to Kiev in exchange, the statement added. "Currently, the Russian servicemen are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are receiving necessary psychological and medical assistance," the Russian Defense Ministry added. The ministry stressed that all returning servicemen will be transported to Russia to undergo treatment and rehabilitation at medical facilities under the Ministry of Defense. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Military Unleashes Overnight Strikes on Ukrainian Defense Facilities Sputnik News 20250610 The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the nation's armed forces carried out a multiple-target attack overnight, hammering Ukraine's military-industrial complex and armed forces. "Tonight, the Russian Armed Forces conducted a coordinated strike targeting Ukrainian enterprises engaged in aviation, missile, armored vehicle, and shipbuilding industries in Kiev," the ministry stated. The strikes also hit: Ukrainian military command posts and troop positions; concentrations of enemy weapons and military equipment; military airfield infrastructure; ammunition and fuel depots. The attack utilized precision-guided weapons and combat drones. "The objectives of the strikes have been achieved. All designated targets were hit," the ministry emphasized. In response to enemy attacks on civilian infrastructure, Russian forces regularly conduct targeted strikes against Ukrainian military personnel and equipment locations. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatedly stressed that the Russian military does not target residential buildings or social institutions. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pentagon to Sign Contract Supporting Air Defense Systems for Ukraine's Navy Sputnik News 20250610 The US Department of Defense has announced plans to award a contract to defense firm Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) for the maintenance and support of counter-drone systems intended for the Ukrainian Naval Forces, according to government documents. Issued on behalf of the US Naval Air Systems Command, the documents outline the involvement of engineers, maintenance crews, and other technical experts, as well as remote support for systems deployed in Eastern Europe as part of NATO operations. The work will take place both within the continental US and abroad. The deal is set to be awarded on a non-competitive basis. As the documents note, SNC has the required technical expertise and system integration experience to meet the project's demands within the given timeframe. Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine hinder the settlement, directly involving NATO countries in the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine will be a legitimate target for Russia. The Kremlin stated that pumping weapons into Ukraine by the West did not contribute to negotiations and would have a negative effect. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address For Months Now, Russia Has Been Steadily Increasing the Number of Means of Destruction Used in Its Attacks - Address by the President President of Ukraine 10 June 2025 - 19:54 Dear Ukrainians! Today is another day of exchanges. We brought home our wounded, including those with very severe trauma. These are warriors from various components of our Defense Forces. All of them require serious medical care. We will make sure to provide all the support they need. We expect the exchanges to continue, and, for sure, there will be separate updates on that. The task is to find all of our people in Russian captivity and to free them all. I thank everyone who is helping us in this effort. I also want to thank all political figures, public leaders, and every media professional - everyone who continues to spread information about Russian strikes on our cities and our villages. It is vital that there is no silence in response to Russian escalation - and it is clear that escalation is underway. For months now, Russia has been steadily increasing the number of means of destruction used in its attacks. This is a consistent trend. And it means that Moscow fears no one in the world - no one among those who have called for an end to the killings and for meaningful negotiations on ending the war. Putin wants to continue killing and exploits the lack of a strong response. They don't listen to Washington. And that says a lot to the world - to everyone. The European Commission has taken an important step by announcing a new sanctions package. I am grateful that this 18th package is focused on Russian energy resources and banks. That is the right direction for pressure. But this package still needs to be filled with strong details. Russia's ability to continue the war equals its ability to sell oil and circumvent financial restrictions. That is why it is essential to maximally restrict the Russian tanker fleet, their technological capabilities for extraction and processing, and to do everything possible to keep the price of Russian oil below what they can sustain. Each of our partners knows what the necessary price cap is - no more than USD 30. That price level would mean real pressure on Russia - they must be forced to seek peace, as they don't understand any other incentives. I know that partners are currently discussing a compromise price, but enough compromising with Russia. Every such compromise only delays peace. We call for a real reduction in the price of Russian oil - in other words, a real step toward ending the war. And I especially want to thank those in the United States who are relying specifically on strength, including the strength of diplomacy through sanctions. Today, our military officials delivered their reports. I had a separate discussion with Defense Minister Umerov on our efforts to counter drones, protect against missiles, and reinforce our air defense. The Russians have once again used ballistic missiles from North Korea. We are also tracking evidence that Russian-Iranian drone technologies have spread to North Korea. This is extremely dangerous both for Europe and for East and Southeast Asia. The longer this war continues on our territory, the more warfare technologies evolve, and the greater the threat will be to everyone. This must be addressed now - not when thousands of upgraded "Shahed" drones and ballistic missiles begin to threaten Seoul and Tokyo. And one more thing. Today's Russian strike damaged ordinary residential buildings in various regions of Ukraine. In Odesa, a maternity hospital was hit. The Odesa Film Studio suffered major damage - decades of history destroyed. In the capital, even Saint Sophia Cathedral was damaged: part of the cathedral's facade collapsed under the blast wave. To all those who truly know history and feel connected to Christianity, even the slightest threat of damage or destruction to Saint Sophia is utterly unacceptable, indeed catastrophic. But not for Russia. Possessed maniacs with their "Shaheds" and the red button. Catastrophe is the very purpose of their existence. They produce nothing else - and will leave nothing behind. This must be addressed. They must be stopped. And it is not only we in Ukraine that need this - the whole world will benefit when Russia is forced into peace. I thank everyone who stands with Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Andriy Yermak and the Secretary of State of the Holy See Discuss the Return of Ukrainian Children Abducted by Russia President of Ukraine 10 June 2025 - 15:56 Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak held a phone call with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Andriy Yermak informed him about today's Russian strikes on Kyiv and Odesa, which resulted in deaths, injuries, and damage to civilian infrastructure. Russia used hundreds of "Shahed" drones along with cruise and ballistic missiles in the attacks. The Head of the Presidential Office stressed that these strikes once again demonstrate that Russia is not willing to establish peace, doing whatever it takes to keep the war going as long as possible. The Head of the Office of the President also thanked Pope Leo XIV for his prayers for Ukraine and efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace. Particular and detailed attention during the conversation was devoted to the return of Ukrainian children who were unlawfully deported and relocated by Russia. Andriy Yermak and Pietro Parolin agreed to continue close cooperation on this humanitarian issue, which remains one of Ukraine's highest priorities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 3 Dead As Russian Drone Strikes Target Kharkiv Ahead Of Odesa Summit By RFE/RL June 11, 2025 Russian drone strikes on two districts of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed three people and injured scores of others early on June 11 as European leaders converged on the southern port city of Odesa for a summit. Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said there were 17 drone strikes, including direct hits on multistory buildings, private homes, playgrounds, enterprises, and public transport. The intense strikes sparked fires in 15 units in a five-story building in the Slobidskiy district, and several houses were hit in the Osnovyanskiy district, Terekhov said. "Apartments are burning, roofs are destroyed, cars are burnt, windows are broken," he said, adding that people may be trapped under the rubble. "We are holding on. We are helping each other. And we will definitely survive," Terekhov said. "Kharkiv is Ukraine. And it cannot be broken." Regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said the death toll rose to three after a 65-year-old man died after suffering extensive burns from a fire sparked by the attacks. Nine of the injured, including a 2-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, have been hospitalized, Synyehubov added on Telegram. Russia has escalated its bombardments of Ukraine despite negotiations to end the violence that so far have yielded no breakthroughs as Moscow continues to reject calls for an unconditional cease-fire. The attack followed other large assaults on Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities within the last week amid intensified bombardments that Moscow said were in retaliation for drone attacks that destroyed dozens of long-range bomber aircraft across Russia. Despite the attacks, Odesa, which was pummeled by deadly air strikes earlier this week, was set to host senior politicians and leaders from 12 European nations as part of the Southeastern Europe summit. Guests at the summit, which will address security concerns in the region, include leaders from Romania, Moldova, Greece, North Macedonia, Croatia, and Serbia, among others. The attendance by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, in power for 12 years, will mark his first visit to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Seen as an ally of Moscow, Belgrade has refused to join international sanctions against Russia. But with European aspirations, it has also condemned the war in Ukraine and the country's territorial integrity. Meanwhile in Washington, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States budget for 2026 will scale back military aid to Ukraine. "This administration takes a very different view of that conflict,"Hegseth told a congressional committee on June 10. "We believe that a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nation's interests." Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhiy said earlier that military aid from the United States continues to arrive, and Ukrainian diplomats are working to ensure that it continues. US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on June 4 that the Trump administration has not yet made decisions on future assistance to Ukraine as it remains "focused on preserving President Trump's ability to end hostilities." Most of the questions for Hegseth from members of the committee were about the deployment of about 700 Marines to Los Angeles to assist more than 4,100 National Guard troops in protecting federal buildings and personnel amid protests against immigration enforcement operations. Hegseth suggested that the controversial use of US military troops inside the United States will expand. "I think we're entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland," he said. With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia- war-kharkiv-drone-attack/33439659.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 MONTREAL, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prime Drink Group Corp. (CSE: PRME) (Prime or the Company) announces that its bottling subsidiary, formerly known as Triani Canada Inc. (Triani), has been placed into receivership and has ceased operations. Trianis receivership was ordered on June 10, 2025, by the Superior Court, District of Montreal, at the request of Triani's principal creditors pursuant to Section 243 of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada), as disclosed in the Company's press release dated April 7, 2025. The Company wishes to clarify that the parent company, Prime Drink Group Corp., and all of its other subsidiaries are not subject to this receivership. Ownership of the freshwater rights is segregated from Triani, and operations are continuing. Consistent with its objective of resuming growth of its business and brands, Prime is currently evaluating several options, including its intention to submit an offer to the principal creditors to acquire certain strategic assets of Triani. In addition, the Company is considering other avenues of recourse with respect to Triani and the various stakeholders. The receivership of Triani a few months after its acquisition puts us in a challenging situation but our resolve and vision remain unwavering. It is our intention to fight to recover what is owed to Prime and to continue developing our valuable strategic water and beverage assets. We are fortunate to have an experienced team in innovation, brand strategy and marketing that will be able to leverage Prime's assets for the benefit of our shareholders and come out stronger, said Olivier Primeau, VP Marketing, Strategic Vision and Acquisitions at Prime. The Company reaffirms its commitment to the responsible development of its water resources in Quebec. Discussions with government authorities are progressing well. Prime also wishes to announce the appointment of Jean Gosselin as Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Jean has over 40 years of experience in finance and operations and previously served as Vice President of Finance and Corporate Secretary of Prime. About Prime Drink Group Prime Drink Group Corp (CSE: PRME) is a Quebec-based corporation focused on becoming a leading diversified holding company in the beverage, influencer media and hospitality sectors. For further information, please contact: Jean Gosselin, CFO Phone: (514) 394-7717 Email: info@prime-group.ca Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information 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 (including negative and grammatical variations) of such words and phrases or statements that certain acts, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information in this press release may include, without limitation, statements relating to the receivership and the Companys intentions with respect to recovering Triani from receivership. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including risks regarding the beverage industry, market conditions, availability of financing to the Company on acceptable terms, general economic factors, and the equity markets generally. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance of Prime may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward-looking statements. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although Prime believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, they can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, Prime disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. (West Red Lake Gold or WRLG or the Company) (TSXV: WRLG) (OTCQX: WRLGF) is pleased to announce the results of its annual general meeting of shareholders held on June 10, 2025. The Company elected six directors to its board, namely, Tom Meredith, Shane Williams, Duncan Middlemiss, Hugh Agro, John Heslop, and Susan Neale. The shareholders approved all other matters as proposed, including the appointment of MNP LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants as auditors of the Company and approval of the Companys 10% rolling stock option plan. ABOUT WEST RED LAKE GOLD MINES LTD. West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. is a mineral development company that is publicly traded and focused on advancing and developing its flagship Madsen Gold Mine and the associated 47 km2 highly prospective land package in the Red Lake district of Ontario. The highly productive Red Lake Gold District of Northwest Ontario, Canada has yielded over 30 million ounces of gold from high-grade zones and hosts some of the worlds richest gold deposits. WRLG also holds the wholly owned Rowan Property in Red Lake, with an expansive property position covering 31 km2 including three past producing gold mines Rowan, Mount Jamie, and Red Summit. ON BEHALF OF WEST RED LAKE GOLD MINES LTD. Shane Williams Shane Williams President & Chief Executive Officer FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Gwen Preston VP Communications Tel: (604) 609-6132 Email: investors@westredlakegold.com or visit the Companys website at https://www.westredlakegold.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. The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements". When used in this document, the words "anticipated", "expect", "estimated", "forecast", "planned", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements or information. These statements are based on current expectations of management, however, they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this news release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements. West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. does not undertake any obligation to revise or update any forward- looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date hereof, except as required by securities laws. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Telescope Innovations Corp. (Telescope Innovations, Telescope, or the Company) (CSE: TELI) (OTCQB: TELIF) (FSE:4JU) is a leader in intelligent automation platforms for accelerating chemical process development. The Company announces that it has entered into a secured loan facility with a group of lenders which includes Jason Hein and Henry Dubina, pursuant to which the Company has received a loan (the Loan) in the amount of CAD $1,200,000 to support operational activities. The Loan bears interest at a rate of 6.95% per annum and matures on June 1, 2026. Each of Messrs. Hein and Dubina are directors of the Company and are related parties of the Company pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). As a result, the portion of the Loan provided by Messrs. Hein and Dubina, which totals CAD $600,000, constitutes a related party transaction. The Company is relying on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 pursuant to Sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) respectively, as neither the fair market value of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the Loan exceeds 25.0% of the Companys market capitalization. This private credit instrument demonstrates the commitment and continued enthusiasm of our founder, board and executive management to accelerate the development of the Companys Self Driving Laboratory (SDL) platforms. We are on the verge of introducing our break-through technology platform to address this completely underserved, rapidly growing market opportunity, commented Henry Dubina, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Telescope. Dr. Jason Hein, Founder and CTO, said, Our SDL pairs robotics with real-time chemistry analytics and machine-learning-guided experimental loops. The system sets up reactions, measures kinetics on the fly, and decides on the next experiment without researcher slowdown exactly the automation, data connectivity, and AI foundations that are still lacking as global pharma companies race to modernize their labs. We are accelerating our SDL development efforts precisely when most big-pharma labs are budgeting multi-million dollar upgrades. By acting now, we are positioning Telescope at the forefront of this industry shift. The Company paused the previously announced non-brokered private placement equity financing (February 4th, 2025) due to tariff uncertainty and public market volatility. Currently, private credit offered the optimum flexibility to the Company than traditional commercial credit due to better terms, repayment schedules, covenants, and collateral requirements. As conditions improve, the Company may seek future equity financing as and when the Company needs. About Telescope Innovations Telescope Innovations is a chemical technology company developing scalable manufacturing processes and tools for the pharmaceutical and chemical industry. The Company builds and deploys new enabling technologies including flexible robotic platforms and artificial intelligence software that improves experimental throughput, efficiency, and data quality. Our aim is to bring modern chemical technology solutions to meet the most serious challenges in health and sustainability. On behalf of the Board, Telescope Innovations Corp. Henry Dubina, Chief Executive Officer Forward-Looking Information Forward-looking information is based on a number of opinions, assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date of this news release, are subject to known and unknown risks, and uncertainties that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements containing any forward-looking information, or the factors or assumptions underlying them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. NEW YORK CITY and NEW ORLEANS, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (KSF) and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until July 22, 2025 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Organon & Co. (NYSE: OGN), if they purchased the Companys 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 Do If 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 by July 22, 2025 . About the Lawsuit Organon 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 Companys 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 Organons 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, LLC KSF, 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 Services To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. Contact: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com 1-877-515-1850 1100 Poydras St., Suite 960 New Orleans, LA 70163 CONNECT WITH US: FaceBook || Instagram || YouTube || TikTok || LinkedIn Ghent, BELGIUM, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Press release Biotalys (Euronext - BTLS), an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrols for sustainable crop protection, is pleased to announce progress in the regulatory approval procedures in both the United States and Europe of its first protein-based biocontrol product, EVOCA*. In the US, Biotalys received a communication from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the company has provided responses to all the agencys requests for additional information. The EPA currently projects it will complete the scientific review of the EVOCA dossier later this summer and make a regulatory decision by September 30th, 2025. In Europe, Biotalys is pleased to confirm that both the Dutch Board for Authorisation of Plant Protection Products (CTGB) and the Dutch Institute for Health and Environment (RIVM) have now provided positive evaluations of EVOCA's regulatory dossier, paving the way for the peer review phase at the European level. In their review, both Dutch authorities have classified EVOCAs active ingredient as low risk based on the current data. This classification is important as it recognizes the active ingredients safety profile and aligns with Biotalys commitment to delivering sustainable, effective solutions for crop protection. No critical areas of concern were identified and therefore the Netherlands, as rapporteur Member State, proposes that the active ingredient of EVOCA can be approved in Europe, subject to the provision of certain additional data during the peer review phase. Biotalys current assessment is that a regulatory decision in the European Union can be expected in the second half of 2026. Kevin Helash, Chief Executive Officer of Biotalys, said: We are pleased with the regulatory progress in both the US and EU, and look forward to a favorable outcome. An approval decision would be a major milestone for our company and a validation for our unique AGROBODY technology platform. This platform has the potential to develop many more protein-based biocontrol solutions for growers to fight key pests and diseases in agriculture. I am very grateful for the thorough review and guidance by the regulatory agencies, and for the hard work by our team to generate and provide the required scientific data on our innovative product. The first biocontrol developed on Biotalys AGROBODY technology platform, EVOCA helps safely control fungal diseases Botrytis (grey mold) and powdery mildew for fruit and vegetable growers looking to add effective, biodegradable solutions to their integrated pest management (IPM) initiatives to reduce chemical applications. * EVOCA: Pending Registration. This product is not currently registered for sale or use in the European Union, the United States or elsewhere and is not being offered for sale. About Biotalys Biotalys is an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrol solutions for the protection of crops and aiming to provide alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides for a more sustainable and safer food supply. Based on its novel AGROBODY technology platform, Biotalys is developing a strong and diverse pipeline of effective product candidates with a favorable safety profile that aim to address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain, from soil to plate. Biotalys was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and is listed on Euronext Brussels since July 2021. The company is based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium. More information can be found on www.biotalys.com. For further information, please contact: Toon Musschoot, Head of IR & Communication T: +32 (0)9 274 54 00 E: IR@biotalys.com Important Notice Biotalys, its business, prospects and financial position remain exposed and subject to risks and uncertainties. A description of and reference to these risks and uncertainties can be found in the annual report on the consolidated annual accounts published on the companys website. This announcement contains statements which are "forward-looking statements" or could be considered as such. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words aim, 'believe', 'estimate', 'anticipate', 'expect', 'intend', 'may', 'will', 'plan', 'continue', 'ongoing', 'possible', 'predict', 'plans', 'target', 'seek', 'would' or 'should', and contain statements made by the company regarding the intended results of its strategy. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are warned that none of these forward-looking statements offers any guarantee of future performance. Biotalys actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements. Biotalys makes no undertaking whatsoever to publish updates or adjustments to these forward-looking statements, unless required to do so by law. Proceeds to advance potentially disruptive, fast-acting therapeutics for treatment-resistant depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders First-in-class, non-addictive, non-hallucinogenic molecules with a non-synaptic target, differentiated from existing drugs such as ketamine Elkedonia, a new startup company launched by Argobio, attracts venture capital funding from a European syndicate of leading Life Sciences investors Elkedonia integrates research from Sorbonne University and industry experts from Argobio Delphine Charvin, transitioning from her role as Argobio Operating Partner, appointed as Elkedonia CEO Strasbourg, France and Charleroi, Belgium, June 11th 2025 Elkedonia SAS, a company pioneering a novel neuroplastogen approach to develop therapeutic agents to treat depression and other neuropsychiatric condition, announced today that it has closed an oversubscribed EUR 11.25 million Seed funding round. The round was co-led by Kurma Partners, WE Life Sciences and the French Tech Seed fund managed on behalf of the French government by Bpifrance as part of France 2030, with participation from Argobio, Angelini Ventures, CARMA Fund, Capital Grand Est and Sambrinvest. Elkedonia is bringing together stakeholders from across the European ecosystem, with headquarters in Strasbourg, France and an affiliate in Charleroi, Belgium. Elkedonia was founded by Argobio, an international startup studio whose mission is to launch and support translational research projects with disruptive therapeutic potential. The company leverages the translational research led by Dr Jocelyne Caboche, PhD, Director of Research at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) at Sorbonne University. This research focuses on a novel intracellular target, Elk1, which plays a pivotal role in reward brain circuits and neuroplasticity key mechanisms that are altered in conditions such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and addiction, making the conditions chronic instead of transient. Trauma, chronic stress, substance abuse and other factors can contribute to major depressive disorders and anhedonia (the inability to experience pleasure), driven by an impaired neuroplasticity. This disruption in the brains ability to adapt leads to a breakdown in its normal functioning. Elkedonia is developing a neuroplastogen, to restore neuroplasticity without the side effects of psychedelics or ketamine derivatives. Supporting evidence from preclinical and clinical studies suggest that Elk1 inhibition is a therapeutic lever in depression, with rapid efficacy, and devoid of sedation, dependence, hallucinations or other side effects commonly associated with existing anti-depressant treatments. I am thrilled to welcome our founding seed investors and thank my colleagues at Argobio for their support in creating Elkedonia. The novelty of our neuroplastogen approach offers a strong value proposition supported by groundbreaking neuroscience research. We are positioned to make a significant impact on the treatment of major depressive disorders, bringing relief to all patients, including young people, adolescents and the elderly, said Delphine Charvin, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Elkedonia, previously Operating Partner at Argobio. In addition, our development of biomarkers will allow us to pursue a precision medicine for patient selection and treatment efficacy monitoring. Major depressive disorder is a large market of 300 million people globally that remains poorly addressed, with roughly one third of patients resistant to currently available treatments, said Thierry Laugel, Chairman of the Management Board of Argobio and Managing Partner at Kurma Partners. Elkedonia serves as a first proof of concept for Argobio where we are extremely proud to have identified this opportunity to benefit human health and to have provided industry competencies to accelerate and de-risk product development. Furthermore, this seed investment co-led by our team at Kurma Partners is both an exciting opportunity for Kurma Biofund IV and builds on our overarching strategy of supporting creation of globally competitive companies across Europe. Investing in Elkedonia demonstrates WE Life Sciences' commitment to advancing the best cutting-edge innovations through collaboration with top-tier European life sciences investors, said Valentin Tonnel, Investment Director at WE Life Sciences. We are proud to support the realization of this promising innovation from Argobio, while fostering its growth in Wallonia, Belgium, a region increasingly recognized for its excellence in health and biotechnology. Bpifrance, as a founding investor of Argobio, is delighted to support the seed round of this promising new venture, said Jean-Francois Morin, Investment Director Life Sciences at Bpifrance. We are thrilled to develop the foundational research that comes from CNRS at Sorbonne University. This investment underscores our commitment to advancing mental health solutions, which is currently a priority for France. Proceeds from the Seed financing will go toward identification and optimization of drug-like small molecule inhibitors of Elk1. Part of the financing will be directed toward biomarker research and validation efforts, supporting a precision-based therapeutic strategy. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a fast growing and devastating health crisis, despite widely marketed anti-depressant therapeutics. Affecting around 25 million individuals in the United States, same numbers in Europe, and 300 million people worldwide, MDD is highly linked to a risk of suicide, that is the third leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds. One third of patients affected by MDD do not respond to existing treatments, leading to the growing issue of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). This highlights the urgent need for innovative, effective and well tolerated solutions to address the unmet needs of those still suffering from this debilitating condition. Elkedonia (www.elkedonia.com) is a Franco-Belgian start-up company dedicated to transforming the treatment of mental health disorders. Elkedonia is introducing a first-in-class antidepressant approach that leverages precision medicine. The lead discovery program targets the inhibition of the intracellular Elk1 protein to address the needs of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Argobio (www.argobiostudio.com) is an international biotech start-up studio committed to turning cutting-edge innovations into breakthrough biotech companies. The studio sources early-stage therapeutic projects from leading European academic research institutions, focusing on rare diseases, neurological disorders, oncology, and immunology. By selecting and incubating these projects, Argobio aims to develop them into fully-fledged biotech companies, advancing them to significant Seed or Series A financing. With a team of highly experienced biotech entrepreneurs, the studio offers extensive expertise in novel drug discovery and development. Kurma Partners (www.kurmapartners.com) Founded in Paris in 2009, Kurma Partners has become a key player in financing innovation to build the healthcare industry of tomorrow. Kurma invests in companies from their inception and to finance their growth, across the spectrum of the healthcare sector through its various franchises. These have grown with successive funds in early-stage biotechnology (Biofunds I, II, III and IV), digital health and early-stage diagnostics (Kurma Diagnostics and Kurma Diagnostics 2) and, more recently, growth capital (Kurma Growth Opportunities Fund). Kurma's teams, with a total of 25 people and 10 partners, are based in two offices, in Paris and Munich. They are deeply involved in the European ecosystem and have built up a solid network of international connections with prestigious research institutes, hospitals, entrepreneurs, industry and fellow investors. Kurma Partners is part of the Eurazeo group. WE Life Sciences (www.wallonie-entreprendre.be/fr/expertises/life-sciences/ ) is a public backed venture capital fund specialized in Life Sciences and based in Wallonia, Belgium. WE Life Scienes is committed to empowering breakthrough health innovations by supporting visionary researchers and entrepreneursthe Local Heroeswho turn scientific excellence into real-world solutions that improve lives. More than just investors, WE Life Sciences is a long-term partner. Its team brings deep sector expertise, strategic guidance, and international connectivity to help ventures grow from early-stage development to large-scale impact. By championing bold, high-potential companies across all stages, WE Life Sciences accelerates the emergence of next-generation health technologieswhile helping position Wallonia as a vibrant, globally connected hub for life sciences. Bpifrance (www.bpifrance.fr) is the French national investment bank: it finances businesses at every stage of their development through loans, guarantees, equity investments and export insurances. Bpifrance also provides extra financial services (training, consultancy) to help entrepreneurs meet their challenges (innovation, export). Endowed with 500 million euros, the French Tech Seed Fund aims to support fundraising efforts of startups and innovative small businesses less than 3 years old that are developing highly technology-intensive innovations. As part of the Programme dinvestissements davenir (PIA), now part of France 2030, and operated on behalf of the French government by Bpifrance and operated by Bpifrance, the fund relies on certified business contributors who are responsible for identifying and qualifying these young companies and connecting them with private investors. Angelini Ventures (www.angeliniventures.com), the venture capital arm of Angelini Industries, is a Series A and Series B investment firm focused on accelerating disruptive innovations and trends in BioTech and Digital Health. Angelini Ventures will invest 300 million across a global portfolio in Europe and North America, drawing on a global team, strategic advisors and partners to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses into transformative category-leading companies. To date, Angelini Ventures has invested around 100 million into 18 companies covering a range of therapeutic areas and modalities. Angelini Ventures BioTech portfolio includes Nuevocor, Neumirna, Cour Pharmaceuticals, Nouscom, Pretzel Therapeutics and Freya Biosciences. The Companys Digital Health portfolio includes Vantis Health, Avation, Cadence Neuroscience, Nobi, Noctrix and Serenis. CARMA FUND I (www.carma-fund.com) is an early-stage investment fund for advancing Life Science and Healthcare technologies. The fund started off with a First Closing in June 2022 and has 50M under management. The Fund, based in Munich and Frankfurt am Main is uniquely suited for young companies and projects from the Life Science and medical space due to an extra-long term, flexible investment modes and its close relationships with leading technology transfer offices and industry partners. Capital Grand Est (www.capitalgrandest.eu) is an independent and AMF-approved regional private equity firm. Since 2012, the team of 14 professionals at Capital Grand Est has supported over 60 companies in the Grand Est and Bourgogne-Franche-Comte regions.With nearly 220 million in assets under management and 6 investment vehicles, Capital Grand Est structures capital operations for various types of businesses in the region to accelerate their success. Capital Grand Est supports all stages of business development: seed funding for innovative startups, expansion capital to accelerate growth, buyout operations to support shareholding evolutions, and rebound capital to assist companies in stabilizing their transition strategy. Sambrinvest (www.sambrinvest.be), with over 40 years of experience supporting businesses and entrepreneurs, a portfolio of nearly 330 SMEs, and more than 220 million under management, Sambrinvest is a key player in venture capital financing within the Charleroi region of Belgium. Beyond investing, Sambrinvest actively drives ecousystem growth, prioritizing strategic investments in companies within key sectors, namely industry, agrifood, materials, and life sciences. These efforts are further enhanced by major real estate investments, creating a fertile environment for business development. For more information please contact: Elkedonia Cohesion Bureau Delphine Charvin Chief Executive Officer delphine.charvin@elkedonia.com International media & investors Chris Maggos chris.maggos@cohesionbureau.com +41 79 367 6254 French/Belgian media Sophie Baumont sophie.baumont@cohesionbureau.com +33 6 27 74 74 49 Attachments Updated AI-powered OSCE platform launched to enhance medical education delivery and evaluation. Successfully deployed at University of Minnesota with 240 students and potential of ~40% cost savings. Features AI-simulated patients and real-time scoring to support faster, accurate and objective assessments. Preliminary results presented at 2025 AAMC annual GIR meeting in Minneapolis. Significant reduction in faculty preparation and administrative workload. Real-time scoring that aligns directly with clinical learning objectives. Objective student evaluations with built-in educational and remediation support. Alignment with LCME standards. Secure and scalable exam delivery on campus or remotely. The University of Minnesota has calculated their Administrative cost savings ~ 40%. treatment.com Dublin, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Japan Home Accessories Market, By Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2020-2030F" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Japan Home Accessories Market was valued at USD 10.23 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 15.61 billion by 2030, rising at a CAGR of 7.30%. Market growth is being driven by a combination of cultural values, urban lifestyle changes, and increased consumer spending. Japanese preferences for minimalist, functional, and aesthetic designs are fueling demand for compact, multi-purpose home accessories. The influence of international trends and popular home organization concepts such as KonMari is further shaping consumer tastes. Demographic shifts, including an aging population and rising single-person households, are prompting demand for ergonomic and space-efficient solutions. E-commerce expansion and the integration of smart technologies - such as modular decor and smart lighting - are broadening product accessibility and appeal. Sustainability is becoming a core focus, with consumers favoring locally sourced, eco-friendly materials. These factors are collectively fostering innovation and quality, making Japan's home accessories market a dynamic and growing segment within the home decor and furnishings industry. Key Market Driver Rising Homeownership Across the Region: The increase in homeownership, particularly in Japan's rural regions, is playing a crucial role in driving the home accessories market. As of 2023, Japan's homeownership rate stood at 60.9%, supported by initiatives like "akiya banks," which offer vacant homes at low costs to encourage renovation and settlement. These trends are spurring demand for home accessories that blend traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern functionality. Consumers, particularly younger homeowners relocating to rural areas, are seeking personalized solutions for home renovation projects. Popular items include modular furniture, smart home accessories, and decor that reflects both contemporary taste and cultural heritage. This growth in homeownership not only stimulates demand for furnishings but also aligns with lifestyle changes that prioritize comfort, efficiency, and sustainability, thereby expanding the scope and appeal of the home accessories market. Key Market Challenge High Competition and Price Sensitivity: The Japan home accessories market is characterized by intense competition and heightened price sensitivity. Both domestic and international brands vie for consumer attention, creating a crowded and competitive landscape. As a result, companies face challenges in differentiating their products and building long-term customer loyalty. The prevalence of similar offerings often triggers price-based competition, which compresses profit margins and limits pricing flexibility. Japanese consumers are especially discerning and value-conscious, carefully evaluating quality and price before purchasing. This environment requires brands to maintain a delicate balance between affordability, design innovation, and quality assurance. Companies must also streamline production and supply chains to remain competitive, while staying responsive to shifting consumer expectations in a highly saturated and fast-paced market. Key Market Trend Rising Demand for Eco-Friendly Products: The growing emphasis on sustainability is significantly impacting Japan's home accessories market. Consumers are increasingly choosing products crafted from environmentally friendly materials like bamboo, recycled metals, organic fabrics, and reclaimed wood. This shift aligns with longstanding cultural values that appreciate natural simplicity and imperfection, such as wabi-sabi. Manufacturers are responding with offerings that reflect these preferences, including biodegradable decor items, modular furniture, and energy-efficient lighting. The Japandi trend, which merges Japanese minimalism with Scandinavian functionality, is also contributing to the popularity of eco-conscious design. These sustainability trends are not only influencing consumer behavior but also driving ethical innovation across the supply chain, positioning eco-friendly products as a key pillar of market growth. Key Market Players Profiled: Nitori Co., Ltd. Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd. Francfranc Corporation IKEA Japan K.K. Miles Kimball Herman Miller, Inc. home24 Dekorcompany Pepperfry Limited D'decor Report Scope In this report, the Japan Home Accessories Market has been segmented into the following categories: Japan Home Accessories Market, By Product Type: Mirrors Candles Lighting Vases & Bowls Others Japan Home Accessories Market, By Price Range: Economy/Mass Premium/Luxury Japan Home Accessories Market, By Distribution Channel: Supermarket & Hypermarket Gift Shops Dedicated Pet Stores Online Others Japan Home Accessories Market, By Region: Hokkaido & Tohoku Chubu Chugoku Kyushu Rest of Japan Key Attributes Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 82 Forecast Period 2024-2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $10.23 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $15.61 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 7.3% Regions Covered Japan For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/x47aiz 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. London, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In 2025 we live in an increasingly unstable world, where many people are searching for financial and personal security. If youre looking for a chance to reset and escape somewhere a bit less chaotic, BusinessesForSale.com has put together a list of Ten Businesses You Could Buy to Escape the Apocalypse. From a diving resort in Fiji to a pet daycare in the secluded hills of New Zealand, these thriving businesses provide a safe retreat - as well as healthy cashflow. If purchasing any of these businesses sounds like an appealing idea, remember asking prices are always flexible, and you dont need to have all the money up front. There are many financing options available, explored in our Loans to Buy a Business guide. You can sign up and start sending enquiries to sellers on BusinessesForSale.com for free, with no hidden costs. Dive Shop in Taveuni, Fiji If youre looking to move somewhere remote, you cant do much better than Fiji. Surrounded by thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean and situated in a tropical rainforest, this eco resort offers diving lessons and accommodation for tourists. In the event of a disaster, it even has its own generator and water supply that should last you a few years and those diving lessons could come in handy if the food runs out. Floating Boat Cafe in Neiafu, Tonga Has nuclear war made the land barren and uninhabitable? No problem! With this floating boat cafe, you can sip Pina Coladas while drifting peacefully in the Pacific Ocean. With its own solar power system, this self-reliant and affordable business could be both a profitable venture and a tropical escape. It even has a floating trampoline. Pet Daycare in Kapiti Coast, New Zealand Set in the scenic hills of New Zealands Kapiti Coast, north of Wellington, this 2.1 hectare property contains both a 5-bedroom American barn-style house and a well-established pet boarding facility with 20% growth over the last four years. A dedicated Dog Studio could be the perfect place to train your canine companion to protect you from zombies or looters all while enjoying the sea views and proximity to Wellingtons nightlife. Pharmaceutical Plant in Rauha, Finland Medication could be in short supply if things take a turn for the worse so why not buy your own pharmaceutical plant in the south of Finland? It comes with 2.12 hectares of fenced private land, as well as all the equipment, processes and personnel youll need to produce and package your own medicine. It also comes with a microbiological and analytical laboratory which might just be the perfect place to develop a zombie cure. Vineyard on the island of Sardinia, Italy If you fancy seeing out the apocalypse with a nice glass of wine, this vineyard on the picturesque Italian island of Sardinia might catch your eye. It currently produces around 20,000 bottles of wine a year, alongside 300 litres of extra virgin olive oil. Its equipped for both wine tourism and retail sales, giving it potential for further growth. Mineral Water Spring in Bolkow, Poland Theres no commodity more valuable than water in an apocalypse so why not see out your days at a mineral water spring in the Polish countryside? This business borders the Buki Sudeckie Reserve and Katzbach Mountains, and includes offices, warehouses, two apartments, the spring as well as transport and production machines. Yoga Retreat in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Surviving the apocalypse is a stressful business. If you need to unwind, why not buy this lakeside Yoga retreat in Guatemala? This stunning building combines contemporary design with eco-conscious materials, catering for sustainably-minded tourists. It also contains a 100 square-metre rooftop Yoga Shala which can double as an effective watchtower. Organic Cacao Farm in Costa Rica This 67-acre cacao farm in Coto Brus, Costa Rica could allow you to build your own chocolate recipes and brand all while enjoying stunning mountain views every morning. The land also contains abundant tropical fruit trees such as avocado, orange and grapefruit, meaning you wont be short on food supplies in the event of apocalypse. Theres even pasture for horses and cattle, so youll have a reliable mode of transport. Bakery in Tamarin, Mauritius This thriving cafe/bakery sits on the island of Mauritius, off the coast of Madagascar. It comes with everything you need to start making and selling your own bread, pastries, juice and drinks at an affordable asking price plus its remote location makes it a safe bet. Restaurant in the Maldives This Italian restaurant is situated in the Maldives. It is a popular spot for both locals and tourists, serving authentic Italian food to a growing number of people staying on the island. Serve happy customers while enjoying stunning island views - and scanning the horizon for approaching warships. CEO and Founder Andrew Markou says: Buying a business abroad can be the perfect chance for a change of scenery, and the ten listed above all provide opportunities to grow your wealth in a unique environment outside the chaos of day to day life. Even if things havent quite reached an apocalyptic level yet, we live in an increasingly unstable world where everyone is searching for financial and personal security. Buying any of these businesses is much more attainable than you might think there are all kinds of financing options and loans available that can help you realise your dream. BusinessesForSale.com is the worlds largest global platform for buying and selling businesses, with more than 56,000 listings across 27 countries. It is run by brothers Andrew and Marcus Markou, who inherited the business from their father Demetrios Markou in 1996. After starting out as a printed directory of fish and chip shops for sale in Birmingham, the business expanded rapidly during the internet boom of the early 2000s. It is now a global business with offices in the UK, Australia, India and Mexico, connecting entrepreneurs to international business, franchise and property investment opportunities. Attachment TORONTO, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Conavi Medical Corp. (TSXV: CNVI) (OTCQB: CNVIF) (Conavi Medical or the Company), a commercial-stage medical device company focused on designing, manufacturing, and marketing imaging technologies to guide common minimally invasive cardiovascular procedures, today announced that Thomas Looby, CEO, will present live at the Life Sciences Virtual Investor Forum hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com, on June 12th, 2025 DATE: June 12th TIME: 2:00 PM ET LINK: REGISTER HERE This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event. It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates. Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com . Recent Company Highlights Upsized $20 million CAD financing led by U.S. institutional investors is expected to support finalizing product development of the next-generation Novasight Hybrid system, submit for regulatory clearance and enable commercial launch New U.S. intracoronary imaging guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and recent peer-reviewed research strongly validate Novasights unique value proposition U.S. FDA 510(k) submission remains on track for calendar Q3 2025 About Conavi Medical Conavi Medical is focused on designing, manufacturing, and marketing imaging technologies to guide common minimally invasive cardiovascular procedures. Its patented Novasight Hybrid System is the first system to combine both intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) to enable simultaneous and co-registered imaging of coronary arteries. The Novasight Hybrid System has 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and regulatory approval for clinical use from Health Canada, China's National Medical Products Administration, and Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. For more information, visit conavi.com. About Virtual Investor Conferences Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors. Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking information or forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws regarding Conavi and its business, which may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the anticipated use of proceeds from the April 2025 public offering, Conavis exposure to the U.S. investment community, the commercialization and development of the Novasight Hybrid System and the achievement and timeline of key milestones towards commercialization and development of the Novasight Hybrid System. All statements that are, or information which is, 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 or statements". Often but not always, forward-looking information or statements can be identified by the use of words such as "shall", "intends", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "expect", "intend", "estimate" "anticipate" or any variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "might", "can", "could", "would" or "will" be taken, occur, lead to, result in, or, be achieved. Such statements are based on the current expectations and views of future events of the management of the Company. They are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Although management believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release, may not occur and could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting the Company, including, without limitation, those listed in the "Risk Factors" section of the short form prospectus dated April 15, 2025 and the joint information circular of the Company dated August 30, 2024 (both of which are on the Company's profile at sedarplus.ca ). Although Conavi 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 Conavi 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. No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the content of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulatory Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. Contacts: Conavi Medical Stefano Picone Chief Financial Officer ir@conavi.com (416) 483-0100 Virtual Investor Conferences John M. Viglotti SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access OTC Markets Group (212) 220-2221 johnv@otcmarkets.com Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anne Rene Brashier, creative director, Stories & Makebelieve (source: Stories & Makebelieve) Two visionary forces in creativity and technology announce their strategic partnership. This moment is pivotal for Stories & Makebelieve, the creative studio and freelance consulting firm led by creative director Anne Rene Brashier, and MooresLabAI, an emerging AI startup focused on redefining chip design and development. Together, they create a new model for how storytelling and tech innovation can meaningfully converge. Moving into freelance work has given me the chance to work with the people building the future, the founders, engineers, and problem-solvers who are at the edge of whats possible, says Brashier. What excites me about working with MooresLabAI is that I can take part in shaping how we understand and emotionally connect with powerful, often invisible technology. Ive always believed that storytelling is about values, presence, and clarity. This collaboration lets me bring that belief into a space thats shaping our world. Through Stories & Makebelieve, Brashier has led brand storytelling and multimedia campaigns across industries, with a fluency in emotionally resonant communication. Known for her hybrid approach that draws from theater, film, and interactive design, Brashier has directed films screened at international festivals. She also spearheaded branding work for major institutions and grassroots initiatives. Brashiers vast experience working within complex organizational transformations provided her valuable insight into aligning every decision with a brands core values. With this new chapter, she offers tech startups a combination of creative strategy, brand architecture, and hands-on media direction tailored for the agility and focus that early-stage companies demand. Inspired by her architect father, Brashier emphasizes the emotional and sensory aspects of user experience. This aspect is evident in the works of Stories & Makebelieve, where great design bridges form and function, as well as structure and emotion. Through Brashiers creative direction, the studio helps companies build brands that are as emotionally connective as they are strategically sound. Stories & Makebelieves storytelling techniques involve leveraging sight, sound, and even scent to create moments that resonate long after first contact. Whether developing a brands launch video or designing the spatial experience of a live demo booth, the goal is to humanize technology through honest, thoughtful, and impactful storytelling. That philosophy now infuses Stories & Makebelieves work with MooresLabAI. The startup, founded by industry veterans, built a next-generation AI-powered platform that intends to reduce the time and cost of chip development. Traditional chip design timelines and labor models are increasingly strained by market demands. MooresLabAIs mission is to make chip design faster, more accessible, and more agile by integrating advanced agent-based AI systems into the process. Our goal is huge. We want to shift the standard timeline and scale of chip development. But we also want to make that ambition approachable, Shelly Henry, co-founder and CEO of MooresLabAI, states. Anne has helped us bring our bold vision to life without losing the human thread. The way she frames our story visually, emotionally, and strategically has enabled us to connect with customers in a way that feels fresh, grounded, and personal. She brings a clarity and artistic sensibility that sets our brand apart from the standard corporate tech fare. That approach will be evident at major upcoming events, where MooresLabAI will present its offering. Brashier leads the full creative direction of MooresLabAIs presence at the prestigious Design Automation Conference (DAC), which will be held at Moscone West Center in San Francisco, California, from June 22 to 25, 2025. Brashier is working with MooresLabAIs leadership team to develop the booth layout, aesthetic, video content, and user flow. Drawing from her background in theatrical staging and interactive experience design, Brashier crafts a visually distinctive and emotionally inviting space. Her video work also tells a story of a future shaped by smarter, more human-centered technology. Later this fall, Brashier will also guide creative storytelling efforts for MooresLabAIs presence at the AI Infra Summit, one of the industrys largest full-stack AI infrastructure events. There, her role will once again center on helping the brand cut through technical noise with a narrative that highlights the human stakes of infrastructure innovation. Brashier looks forward to making more impact through Stories & Makebelieve. Her work with MooresLabAI is only the beginning. Shes already in conversations with other forward-thinking startups that recognize the value of storytelling at the foundation of innovation. For her, the goal is creative evolution that centers the human spirit in spaces usually dominated by systems. Media Contact Name: Anne Rene Brashier Email: media@mooreslab.ai Clinical progress, industrial partnerships, and global recognition drive momentum in rehabilitation, personal mobility, and humanoid robotics. New agreement with Renault Group accelerates commercialization and advances Wandercrafts global robotics footprint. NEW YORK, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wandercraft, the global leader in self-balancing robotic mobility systems, today announced that it has secured $75 million funding and financing as part of its Series D round, with major contributions from Renault Group, PSIM fund, managed on behalf of the French State by Bpifrance as part of the France 2030 plan, Teampact Ventures and Quadrant Management. This influx of capital arrives during a time of rapid growth, increased global visibility, and product innovation in clinical, consumer, and industrial robotics. The new funding will help propel Wandercraft into its next phase of growth: bringing Eve, the worlds first self-balancing personal exoskeleton, to market as early as 2026; expanding clinical adoption of its flagship rehabilitation system, Atalante X; and developing and deploying Calvin-40, its humanoid robot. "The momentum weve achieved over the past few years is extraordinary, said Matthieu Masselin, CEO and Co-founder of Wandercraft. Weve expanded globally, launched pivotal clinical trials, readied the commercialization of Eve, our personal exoskeleton, and entered a landmark partnership with Renault Group. This funding allows us to continue our mission of transforming how people live, move, and work across rehabilitation, home environments, and soon on factory floors. The news comes off the back of Wandercrafts announcement with Renault Group, whereby the car manufacturer now has a minority stake ownership and a strategic partnership with Wandercraft. The partnership brings Renault Groups industrial expertise to scale up production of Wandercrafts exoskeletons and industrial robots, laying the groundwork for cost-efficient scaling of Eve and the broader Calvin humanoid family. Renault Group is also Wandercrafts first commercial partner and customer of Calvin-40, named for its development time of just 40 days. Calvin-40 is an industrial-grade robot intended for physically demanding tasks and the first humanoid robot developed by a European company. Calvin-40's rapid development was made possible by using Wandercrafts rapid development process and existing leading-edge robotics platform integrated with NVIDIA Isaac technologies, including the NVIDIA Isaac GR00T N1 foundation model and the NVIDIA Jetson edge AI platform. Looking ahead, the Series D funding will accelerate: Commercial deployment of Eve, the personal exoskeleton , in home and outdoor environments. in home and outdoor environments. A new phase of growth and support for Atalante X. Industrial development and rollout of Calvin-40 and the broader Calvin humanoid family. Paul-Francois Fournier, Executive Director of Bpifrance Innovation said, We are delighted to renew our support for Wandercraft, which has been supported by the State with Bpifrance since 2017. This Series D alongside Renault Group will enable the company to accelerate the industrial deployment of its unique robotics technology and make the Eve exoskeleton accessible to as many people as possible. Access to health and mobility for all is indeed a strategic focus supported by the French State through the France 2030 plan. Todays news follows a period of major growth since the company raised its Series C round of $45 million, led by Quadrant Management, which fueled U.S. commercial expansion and helped drive a tenfold increase in revenues. Other participants in the Series D round include LBO France, Mutuelles Impact Managed by XAnge, Cemag Invest, Martagon Capital, and AG2R LA MONDIALE. Wandercrafts momentum comes from its dedication to restoring independence through self-balancing, hands-free robotic systems that allow upright movement without crutches or walkers. The technology is powered by AI and has been life-tested, refined through billions of simulations and tens of millions of real-world steps. The result is a growing list of industry firsts and clinical achievements: Clinical Innovation, Powered by AI Received its first FDA clearance for rehabilitation exoskeleton Atalante X for stroke followed by a second FDA clearance in less than a year, then expanding its use in U.S. hospitals and clinics. Launched the worlds first clinical trial of a self-balancing personal exoskeleton, Eve, designed to help individuals with severe mobility impairments walk hands-free at home and in their communities. Deployed Atalante X in more than 100 hospitals and rehabilitation centers globally, including the Kessler Foundation, the Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Research Innovation Institute, and Vivantes Klinikum Spandau and Schon Klinik. Evaluated in more than 20 clinical studies; key findings include meaningful improvements in walking speed, balance, independence, and postural control often accompanied by perception of reduced pain, reduced spasticity, and increased muscle strength. Enabled 2,500 people with mobility disabilities to take more than 14 million steps to date, rediscovering the freedom of upright movement once considered out of reach. Rehabilitation Access in the Heart of New York Opened Walk in New York by Wandercraft, the first walk center to offer regular exoskeleton walking sessions for people with mobility disabilities with conditions such as stroke and SCI. The facility sits within Cure, a healthcare innovation campus in New York City, which also houses Wandercrafts U.S. headquarters. The company intends to establish the center as the first regional hub for Eves deployment ahead of its anticipated U.S. launch in 2026. Product Innovation and Recognition Showcased personal exoskeleton Eve at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay, symbolizing a new global standard in mobility technology. Featured by NVIDIA at CES 2025 and their annual technology conference NVIDIA GTC, the Super Bowl of AI, recognizing Wandercrafts use of NVIDIAs state-of-the-art technology and physical AI to enable autonomous, hands-free walking. Honored by SXSW with a 2025 Innovation Award in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) category for its robotic exoskeleton, which represents one of the most transformative advancements in technology. Joined the FT120 Index, Frances highest honor for startups, recognizing Wandercraft as a global leader in the field of robotics. Wandercraft invites individuals to learn more about its ongoing clinical trial for Eve, the personal exoskeleton. The study evaluates real-world usability, focusing on ease of movement, endurance, and integration into daily life. Adults aged 18 and older with complete or incomplete motor SCI (at or above T6) may be eligible to participate, provided they have or can secure a physically able companion for support. To inquire or apply, email clinicaltrials@wandercraft.health. Wandercraft is growing, and were seeking curious, mission-driven individuals to join our team. If you're passionate about shaping the future of mobility and tackling complex robotics challenges, check out our current openings, including roles in robot control, machine learning, customer care, and software leadership. Contribute your expertise and help us create technology that moves the world. About Wandercraft Wandercraft is a robotics company on a mission to restore mobility and expand whats possible through self-balancing, AI-powered systems. Founded in 2012, Wandercraft is globally recognized for creating the worlds first self-balancing walking exoskeleton, Atalante X, which is used in more than 100 rehabilitation centers across four continents to assist individuals with disabilities in taking more than a million steps each month. Building on over a decade of real-world experience and a proprietary neural network trained on billions of steps, Wandercraft is now bringing mobility beyond clinical settings. Its personal-use exoskeleton, Eve, is designed to assist wheelchair users in standing and walking in everyday life. Additionally, with the launch of the Calvin family of autonomous humanoid robots, Wandercraft is expanding its platform to support industrial and assistive tasks relieving workers from hazardous labor and aiding caregivers in their daily activities. With more than 30 patents and a deeply human mission, Wandercraft believes that everyone should have the chance to move freely and that robotics should connect with people where they are, with reliability, responsiveness, and purpose. Learn more at wandercraft.eu. WANDERCRAFT PRESS CONTACT Lilly Kofler +1 954-292-8187 lilly.kofler@wandercraft.health Jean-Louis Constanza +33 607 529 895 Jean-louis.constanza@wandercraft.health GROUPE MASCARET PRESS CONTACT Estelle Monraisse +33 6 60 41 81 52 estelle@altercom-conseil.fr BPIFRANCE PRESSE Juliette Fontanillas juliette.fontanillas@bpifrance.fr Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2e60bff0-e3f4-4ee6-9151-b0adef9d81fa https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/af346313-9a85-41af-9eed-5fa05de3ed95 Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Warehouse Management System (WMS) market is undergoing a transformative shift, shaped by the increasing demand for efficiency, automation, and real-time data visibility across supply chains. As of 2024, the market is estimated to be worth USD 4.75 billion, and it is poised to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.3%, reaching USD 9.2 billion by 2034. This impressive growth trajectory is driven by a confluence of factors such as the proliferation of e-commerce, rising complexity in logistics operations, and the accelerated adoption of advanced digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing. Download PDF Brochure: https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/request-sample/64898 Deployment Models: On-Premise vs. Cloud-Based Solutions The WMS market is segmented by deployment type into on-premise and cloud-based solutions. On-premise systems have traditionally dominated, favored by large enterprises for their high customizability and greater control over data and infrastructure. This segment still commands about 60% of the market share, though its growth is beginning to plateau due to high operational costs and complexity. Conversely, cloud-based WMS solutions are witnessing robust adoption, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These systems offer significant advantages in terms of scalability, ease of integration, and reduced capital expenditure. Currently, they account for 40% of the market, with a trajectory that points to faster future growth as companies seek flexible, agile, and cost-effective solutions. Functional Capabilities Driving Demand Among the core functionalities offered by WMS solutions, inventory management remains the most critical. It accounts for approximately 30% of the overall market, as businesses strive to minimize stockouts, avoid overstocking, and ensure accurate inventory levels. This is especially relevant in industries such as retail and e-commerce, where customer satisfaction hinges on product availability. Order fulfillment, another pivotal functionality, contributes around 25% to the market. With the growth of omnichannel retailing, businesses are under pressure to ensure accurate and timely deliveries. Meanwhile, labor management and transportation management hold 15% and 10% shares, respectively, helping organizations reduce labor costs and streamline logistics operations. Resource management rounds out the list, with a smaller share but growing importance as companies aim to optimize warehouse floor space and equipment usage. Diverse End-Use Applications Across Industries The WMS market serves a broad spectrum of industries. Retail is the largest end-use segment, responsible for about 25% of the demand. With consumer preferences rapidly shifting toward digital shopping experiences, retailers rely heavily on WMS solutions to manage high volumes of inventory and ensure quick order processing. The manufacturing sector, holding 20% of the market, leverages WMS to improve inventory control, reduce downtime, and align warehousing functions with production workflows. Transportation and logistics also represent a substantial share (around 20%), driven by the need to enhance last-mile delivery and route planning. Other key verticals include pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, and e-commerce, all of which demand high compliance standards, real-time tracking, and advanced inventory accuracy. Enterprise Size: SMEs vs. Large Corporations When segmented by enterprise size, large enterprises currently dominate, accounting for approximately 70% of the market. These organizations often require fully customized solutions that can integrate seamlessly with complex, global supply chains. However, SMEs are emerging as a fast-growing segment, thanks in part to the accessibility of cloud-based platforms. Representing about 30% of the market, SMEs are beginning to embrace WMS technologies as they aim to compete with larger counterparts and streamline their warehouse operations. Market Segmentation Deployment Type On-premises WMS Cloud-based WMS Functionality Inventory Management Order Fulfillment Labor Management Transportation Management Resource Management End-use Industry Retail Manufacturing Transportation and Logistics Food & Beverage Pharmaceuticals E-commerce Enterprise Size Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Large Enterprises Region North America Europe Asia-Pacific Latin America Middle East and Africa Buy Now: https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/purchase/?currency=USD&type=single_user_license&report_id=64898 Regional Insights: Global Market Dynamics Geographically, North America leads the global WMS market, contributing around 40% of total revenue in 2024. The region benefits from a mature logistics infrastructure and high technology penetration, particularly in the U.S. The adoption of automation and AI-driven tools continues to accelerate, further strengthening North Americas market position. Asia-Pacific follows closely, with a market share of 28% and a projected CAGR of 10.5%, making it the fastest-growing regional market. This surge is fueled by booming e-commerce, rapid industrialization, and increasing investment in digital infrastructure across countries like China, India, and Southeast Asia. Europe accounts for 25% of the market, characterized by strong regulatory frameworks and a growing focus on sustainability. Emerging markets in Latin America and the Middle East & Africa (MEA) offer high potential, albeit with challenges related to infrastructure, technology access, and regulatory inconsistencies. Latin America is forecast to grow at 9% CAGR, while MEA is expected to grow even faster at 12% CAGR. Market Drivers Fueling Growth Several critical factors are fueling the expansion of the WMS market. Foremost among these is the rise in automation and digital transformation across industries. Businesses are increasingly deploying AI and machine learning to predict demand patterns, manage labor schedules, and reduce human error. These technologies enable real-time visibility into inventory levels and warehouse operations, significantly improving decision-making. Moreover, the growth of omnichannel commerce is compelling retailers to enhance their supply chain responsiveness. Real-time tracking, mobile access, and integration with ERP and CRM systems are now standard expectations from modern WMS platforms. Regulatory compliance is another driver, particularly in sectors like food, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare, where strict inventory and traceability standards must be met. Challenges and Market Restraints Despite the promising outlook, the WMS market is not without challenges. High initial setup costs and complex implementation processes remain major barriers, especially for smaller firms with limited IT budgets. Additionally, ongoing system maintenance and upgrades require both financial and human resource investments, which can strain organizations over time. Supply chain disruptions, often triggered by geopolitical tensions or global crises, can delay the deployment of WMS systems as companies prioritize short-term contingency plans. Moreover, the pressure to offer competitive pricing in an increasingly crowded marketplace is squeezing margins, prompting vendors to balance innovation with affordability. Emerging Trends and Future Opportunities The future of the WMS market lies in cloud integration, mobile technology, and AI-driven analytics. Cloud-based WMS platforms offer scalable, subscription-based models that lower the entry barrier for new adopters. Additionally, mobile-enabled WMS systems are transforming warehouse workflows by enabling remote access and real-time updates, increasing agility in day-to-day operations. There is also a growing focus on sustainability and green logistics. Organizations are looking for solutions that help reduce energy consumption, optimize delivery routes, and cut down on material waste. WMS platforms that incorporate sustainability metrics and reporting tools are likely to gain traction. Key Competitors SAP SE Oracle Corporation Manhattan Associates Blue Yonder (formerly JDA Software) Infor (a Koch Industries company) HighJump (a Korber Company) TECSYS Inc. IBM Corporation Microsoft Corporation Korber AG Mantis Solutions Swisslog Holding AG SnapFulfil SkuVault 3PL Central Browse full Report - https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/64898/global-warehouse-management-system-wms-market Recent Strategic Developments by Key Players The competitive landscape of the WMS market is dynamic, with leading companies continuously investing in innovation and strategic partnerships: SAP SE launched a new version of its Extended Warehouse Management in August 2023, introducing machine learning features that enhance inventory forecasting and improve operational agility. launched a new version of its Extended Warehouse Management in August 2023, introducing machine learning features that enhance inventory forecasting and improve operational agility. In July 2023, Blue Yonder entered a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to infuse AI capabilities into its WMS offerings, aiming to provide more responsive and predictive warehouse operations. entered a strategic partnership with to infuse AI capabilities into its WMS offerings, aiming to provide more responsive and predictive warehouse operations. Korber AG made headlines in September 2023 with the acquisition of a robotics startup, signaling its commitment to full automation and intelligent warehousing solutions. made headlines in September 2023 with the acquisition of a robotics startup, signaling its commitment to full automation and intelligent warehousing solutions. Infor , a Koch Industries company, enhanced its CloudSuite WMS in October 2023 with advanced analytics and reporting, aiming to support smarter decision-making and improved warehouse visibility. , a Koch Industries company, enhanced its in October 2023 with advanced analytics and reporting, aiming to support smarter decision-making and improved warehouse visibility. Oracle Corporation unveiled new real-time tracking features in November 2023 for its Oracle Warehouse Management Cloud, emphasizing supply chain transparency and responsiveness amid rising disruptions. This report is also available in the following languages : Japanese (WMS), Korean ( (WMS) ), Chinese (WMS), French (Marche des systemes de gestion d'entrepot (WMS)), German (Markt fur Lagerverwaltungssysteme (WMS)), and Italian (Mercato dei sistemi di gestione del magazzino (WMS)), etc. Request Sample Pages: https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/64898/global-warehouse-management-system-wms-market#request-a-sample More Research Finding Cloud Data Warehouse Solutions Market The global cloud data warehouse market is poised for significant growth, valued at approximately $18 billion in 2024. By 2034, this market is projected to reach around $58 billion, reflecting a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 12.5% over the forecast period of 20252034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65817/cloud-data-warehouse-market Cloud Logistics Market The global cloud logistics market is poised for robust growth, projected to reach a value of approximately $18 billion in 2024. This growth trajectory reflects an increasing demand for scalable and efficient logistics solutions, particularly as businesses seek to enhance supply chain agility. From 2025 to 2034, the market is anticipated to expand significantly, reaching an estimated $53 billion by the end of the forecast period. This growth delivers a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.5%. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65812/cloud-logistics-market SaaS-based SCM Market The global Software as a Service (SaaS) Supply Chain Management (SCM) market is projected to reach a value of approximately $20 billion in 2024. As businesses increasingly adopt cloud-based solutions for efficiency and scalability, the market is poised for robust growth, with an anticipated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.5% from 2025 to 2034, potentially elevating the market value to nearly $70 billion by the end of the forecast period. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/65349/global-saas-based-scm-market Order Picker Machines Market The global market for order picker machines is valued at approximately $6.5 billion in 2024, driven by increasing demand for efficient warehouse management and automation solutions. The forecast period from 2025 to 2034 anticipates a significant growth trajectory, projecting the market to reach around $10.5 billion by 2034, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.0%. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/63859/global-order-picker-machines-market Warehouse Dehumidifier Market The global warehouse dehumidifier market is valued at approximately $1.5 billion, driven by heightened awareness of moisture control in various industries, including food storage, pharmaceuticals, and textiles. The market is projected to reach around $2.8 billion by 2034, indicating robust growth as businesses increasingly invest in climate control solutions to protect goods and ensure compliance with industry standards. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/63696/global-warehouse-dehumidifier-market Electric Order Pickers Market The global electric order pickers market is valued at approximately $1.2 billion in 2024, demonstrating robust growth driven by increased demand for efficient and automated warehousing solutions. The market is projected to reach around $2.5 billion by 2034, reflecting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.5% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/63054/global-electric-order-pickers-market Utility Carts Market The global utility carts market is valued at approximately $1.25 billion in 2024, with expectations to reach around $2.1 billion by 2034. This growth signifies a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.4% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/62827/global-utility-carts-market Unit Conveyance Systems Market The global unit conveyance systems market is valued at approximately $22.5 billion in 2024, with projections estimating growth to around $36 billion by 2034, indicating a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 5.1%. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/62200/global-unit-conveyance-systems-market Pallet and Box Shuttle Market The global pallet and box shuttle market is valued at approximately $3.2 billion, driven by increasing automation in warehousing and logistics. The demand for efficient storage solutions, coupled with the rise of e-commerce, is propelling this market forward. It is projected to reach nearly $5.5 billion by 2034, indicating significant growth. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/60619/global-pallet-and-box-shuttle-market Forklift Camera Market The global forklift camera market is valued at approximately $300 million in 2024, with expectations to reach around $640 million by 2034. This growth represents a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 8.2% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/60580/global-forklift-camera-market Warehouse Slotting Software Market The global warehouse slotting software market is valued at approximately $1.2 billion, driven by increasing demands for operational efficiency and automation in logistics. The forecast period from 2025 to 2034 anticipates significant growth, with a projected market value reaching around $2.6 billion by 2034. This translates to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2%, reflecting a robust trend toward advanced inventory management solutions. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/60447/global-warehouse-slotting-software-market Goods-to-Person AMRs Market The global Goods-to-Person Automated Mobile Robots (AMRs) market is anticipated to reach a value of approximately $5.2 billion in 2024. The market is poised for significant growth, with a projected value of around $11.8 billion by 2034, driven by increasing demand for automation in warehousing and fulfillment sectors. This translates to a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 8.5% from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/60421/global-goods-to-person-amrs-market Warehouse Slotting Software Market The global warehouse slotting software market is valued at approximately $1.2 billion, driven by increasing demands for operational efficiency and automation in logistics. The forecast period from 2025 to 2034 anticipates significant growth, with a projected market value reaching around $2.6 billion by 2034. This translates to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2%, reflecting a robust trend toward advanced inventory management solutions. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/60389/global-warehouse-slotting-software-market Goods-to-Person AMRs Market The global Goods-to-Person Automated Mobile Robots (AMRs) market is anticipated to reach a value of approximately $5.2 billion in 2024. The market is poised for significant growth, with a projected value of around $11.8 billion by 2034, driven by increasing demand for automation in warehousing and fulfillment sectors. This translates to a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 8.5% from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/60363/global-goods-to-person-amrs-market Lifting Tables Market The global lifting tables market is valued at approximately $1.25 billion in 2024, with expectations to grow significantly, reaching an estimated $2.1 billion by 2034. This growth translates to a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 6.2% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/58671/global-lifting-tables-market Line Marking Tape Market The global line marking tape market is projected to reach a value of approximately $1.2 billion in 2024, with a robust growth trajectory anticipated through the forecast period of 2025 to 2034. By 2034, the market is expected to achieve a valuation of around $2.2 billion, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5%. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/58528/global-line-marking-tape-market Line Marking Equipment Market The global line marking equipment market is poised to reach an estimated value of approximately $1.2 billion in 2024. With increasing infrastructure development and stringent regulations regarding road safety guidelines, the market is projected to grow significantly, with an estimated value of $1.9 billion by 2034. This indicates a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 5.4% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/58522/global-line-marking-equipment-market ST. LOUIS, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ATIS, one of North Americas leading providers of vertical transportation consulting, inspections, and managed services, is proud to announce two key executive appointments that reflect the companys continued commitment to innovation and growth. David Berndt has been named Chief Information Officer (CIO), and Matt Davis will serve as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). Both leaders will begin their new roles in the coming weeks. These additions mark a significant step forward in ATISs strategic roadmap, reinforcing its focus on operational excellence, customer experience, and digital transformation. As CIO, David Berndt brings a deep well of experience in technology leadership and will head the companys technology strategy. His background includes co-founding DataServ, a Managed services firm leveraging technology-enabled services and growing it into a successful SaaS business. Over the past decade, he has consulted for private equity-backed organizations and served as a Senior Partner at Experience on Demand, a national consulting firm. In these roles, David has helped organizations align technology with business objectives through strategic planning and solution assessmentensuring technology delivers measurable value and supports long-term growth. Joining as CCO, Matt Davis brings more than 20 years of leadership in the business services and elevator industries. Most recently, Matt led sales and go-to-market efforts at Johnson Controls, where he was instrumental in launching new, innovative products and earned global recognition for top performance. His career includes leadership roles at Elevated Technologies Inc., Schindler Elevator Corporation, and Otis Elevator Company, where he consistently delivered double-digit growth and built high-performing teams. Matts expertise in strategic planning, customer engagement, and sales will be instrumental in driving ATISs commercial success. These appointments position ATIS to capitalize on significant opportunities as we continue to scale, said Jim Fox, CEO of ATIS. David and Matt bring deep expertise and a track record of results that will help us strengthen our foundation and accelerate our growth. Their leadership will be instrumental in delivering even greater value to our customers and partners. About ATIS ATIS (atis.com) is one of North Americas largest providers of vertical transportation consulting, inspections, and managed services. With a team of more than 200 inspectors and consultants, ATIS provides unparalleled service across the US and Canada to more than 15,000 customers, promoting the safety and performance of nearly 100,000 elevators and escalators. Renowned for its commitment to excellence and innovation, ATIS provides expert consulting services for a wide range of projects across all sectors, including new construction, modernization, and asset management, with fully managed elevator solutions that include maintenance management and certificate management. Media Contact: Rachel Baker SVP, Marketing rbaker@atis.com London, UK June 11th, 2025, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- London, UK June 11th, 2025 Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust has announced the launch of the Proactive & Accessible Transformation of Healthcare (PATH) initiative in collaboration with General Catalyst, NVIDIA, Hippocratic AI, and Sword Health. PATH brings together leading technology companies to explore comprehensive solutions to deliver the NHSs vision of the three shifts - from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention. Through harnessing frontier machine learning and agentic AI technologies, PATH aims to transform NHS care delivery - enabling a more proactive, coordinated, and efficient health system, and laying the foundation for a scalable, national model of population health. Professor Ian Abbs, CEO of Guys and St Thomas, said: Our Strategy to 2030 set out a bold ambition to deliver better, faster, fairer healthcare for all. PATH seeks to bring that ambition to life - combining cutting-edge technology and clinical care to build a more proactive NHS. Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram, Clinical Lead for Innovation at Guys and St Thomas, said: This is a first for the NHS - rethinking pathways end-to-end with AI at the centre, from referral to recovery. Were aiming not just to treat more patients, but to treat them better." Tackling the Elective Care Crisis with Proven AI Solutions PATH will first target one of the Trusts most urgent challenges: the elective care waiting list. At Guys and St Thomas alone, over 53,000 patients are waiting for a first appointment, and 25,000 are awaiting surgery. PATH will explore end-to-end solutions that go further than just managing waiting lists - it aims to transform the patient journey entirely. Through integrating AI-powered patient support, remote monitoring, and virtual care technologies, PATH will enable Guys and St Thomas clinicians to prioritise cases based on clinical need, help patients become active participants in their care, and ensure resources are allocated efficiently across the system. The result should be a more responsive healthcare model that provides timely access while maintaining quality and the human aspects of care delivery. PATH combines: Guys and St Thomas Centre of Innovation, Transformation, and Improvement (CITI), with its mission to support the Trust to deliver better, faster, fairer healthcare. Hippocratic AIs Safety-focused Generative AI Healthcare Agents, powered by its clinically proven and patented Polaris safety constellation architecture, conduct non-diagnostic patient-facing outreach. To date, more than 2.49 million patient calls have been made with a high average patient satisfaction rating of 8.95/10. Sword Health's AI Care platform has already treated over 500,000 patients globally across physical pain, pelvic health, and other clinical areas, delivering 6.5 million AI sessions to date and saving nearly $1 billion in unnecessary healthcare costs. NVIDIA Inception for startups, including technical tools and training for AI developers, preferred pricing on NVIDIA hardware and software, and opportunities to connect with NVIDIAs network of venture capital firms. General Catalysts health system expertise to identify transformative technology providers and align incentives through shared-savings models that drive measurable impact. Munjal Shah, Founder and CEO of Hippocratic AI, said: "Our safety-focused generative AI healthcare agents open the door to the age of healthcare abundance in the UK. More personalized care will help patients feel more supported and heard, expanding access to care and improving outcomes." Virgilio Bento, Founder & CEO of Sword Health, said: "At Sword Health, we've delivered AI Care to more than half a million patients to date, leading to higher access and quality, reducing waste, and materially improving clinical outcomes. Our ambition is to turn waiting lists into recovery journeys." Howard Wright, VP of startup ecosystem, NVIDIA, said: AI is driving a new era in healthcare that is smart, fast, and even more patient-centric. This collaboration helps build upon the transformative impact that innovative startups can have when advanced AI is harnessed to serve public health." A Scalable Model for the Future NHS PATH could be a blueprint for a new operating model for the NHS. NHS care teams, augmented with intelligent systems, will be able to better manage chronic conditions, coordinate care, and deliver patient support. Patient care will shift from reactive to proactive, and access to care will be improved. Technology can extend the reach of NHS teams and enable a workforce model designed for quality, sustainability, speed, and scale. Chris Bischoff, Managing Director at General Catalyst, said: "The goal of PATH is to enable the NHS to work better for everyone, starting with Guys and St Thomas. By deploying applied AI to increase access, improve care, optimise resources and empower staff, we believe we can build an NHS fit for the future." ROUYN-NORANDA, Quebec, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GLOBEX MINING ENTERPRISES INC. (GMX Toronto Stock Exchange, G1MN Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Berlin, Munich, Tradegate, Lang & Schwarz, LS Exchange, TTMzero, Dusseldorf and Quotrix Dusseldorf Stock Exchanges and GLBXF OTCQX International in the US) is pleased to provide a brief update to shareholders as regards ongoing work by Brunswick Exploration Inc. (BRW-TSXV, BRWXF-OTCQB) on Globexs Lac Escale royalty claims, a part of Brunswicks Mirage project, located in the James Bay area of Quebec. Brunswick Exploration Inc. (BRW:TSXV) reported in a press release dated June 10th, 2025 the following highlights: A newly discovered dyke located approximately 250 metres northeast of MR-6 (a previously discovered lithium area) with hole MR-25-115 intersecting 29.5 metres grading 1.19% Li 2 O which is open in all directions and; The Stacked Dyke area has been extended 150 metres to the northeast in three holes with hole MR-25-106 intersecting 1.01% Li 2 O over 17.4 metres, hole MR-25-105 intersecting 1.44% Li2O over 12.5 metres. The Stacked Dyke area continues to show significant potential and widespread mineralization over the entire length of the drill holes with 32 mineralized dykes intersected across these holes. Note: Intersection lengths are reported core lengths as logged by Brunswick. Central Zone of the Mirage Project Globex is pleased by the progress on Globexs Lac Escale royalty claims and Brunswicks ongoing efforts to outline a lithium deposit therein. In other news, Globex has posted the Ironwood NI 43-101 Technical Report titled NI 43-101 Technical Report, Ironwood Gold Deposit, Cadillac, Quebec, Canada, by SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd., effective April 15, 2025, written by Qualified Person Reno Pressacco, M.Sc. (A), P.Geo., FGC. and available on Sedar and Globexs website here. This press release was written by Jack Stoch, P. Geo., President and CEO of Globex in his capacity as a Qualified Person (Q.P.) under NI 43-101. We Seek Safe Harbour. Foreign Private Issuer 12g3 2(b) CUSIP Number 379900 50 9 LEI 529900XYUKGG3LF9PY95 For further information, contact: Jack Stoch, P.Geo., Acc.Dir. President & CEO Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. 86, 14th Street Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec Canada J9X 2J1 Tel.: 819.797.5242 Fax: 819.797.1470 info@globexmining.com www.globexmining.com Forward-Looking Statements: Except for historical information, this news release may contain certain forward-looking statements. These statements may involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity and performance to be materially different from the expectations and projections of Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. (Globex). No assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits Globex will derive therefrom. A more detailed discussion of the risks is available in the Annual Information Form filed by Globex on SEDARplus.ca. 56,095,836 shares issued and outstanding A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7b9cf9af-5a90-4bcb-a2e2-405da929359e Dublin, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Premium Denim Jeans Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2020-2030F" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Premium Denim Jeans market was valued at USD 9.80 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to USD 12.67 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 4.43% during the forecast period. The global premium denim jeans market is experiencing steady growth, driven by rising disposable incomes, evolving fashion trends, and increasing consumer preference for high-quality, durable, and stylish apparel. Sustainability has become a key focus, with brands incorporating eco-friendly materials and ethical production practices. Customization, limited-edition releases, and celebrity endorsements further enhance market appeal. From 2018 to 2023, the European apparel market experienced an average annual growth rate of 4.1%. Major importing markets include Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland. The rising demand for apparel in the region is fueling the growth of the premium denim jeans market. Key Market Drivers Rising Disposable Incomes and Changing Consumer Lifestyles: The increasing purchasing power of consumers, particularly in emerging economies, is a major driver of the premium denim jeans market. As middle-class populations expand and economic conditions improve, more consumers are willing to invest in high-quality, durable, and stylish denim. Premium denim brands often position themselves as aspirational fashion statements, appealing to a growing segment of consumers who prioritize quality and exclusivity. Urbanization and the rising influence of Western fashion trends, particularly in countries like China, India, and Brazil, have further contributed to the demand for premium denim. Consumers in these regions are increasingly drawn to luxury fashion, preferring premium jeans over mass-market alternatives. Additionally, the rise of a fashion-conscious younger demographic, influenced by social media and celebrity endorsements, has created sustained demand for premium denim products worldwide. Key Market Challenge High Production Costs and Sustainability Pressures: The production of premium denim jeans involves high-quality materials, skilled craftsmanship, and advanced manufacturing processes, all of which contribute to elevated production costs. Unlike mass-market denim brands, premium denim manufacturers use specialized fabrics, unique washes, and intricate stitching to justify their higher price points. However, rising costs of raw materials, such as organic cotton and sustainable fibers, further increase production expenses. Additionally, ethical manufacturing practices, including fair wages and environmentally friendly processes, add to the overall cost structure. Sustainability initiatives, while necessary to meet consumer and regulatory demands, pose a financial challenge for premium denim brands. Water-efficient dyeing, laser distressing, and eco-friendly finishing techniques require significant investments in technology and infrastructure. While some leading brands have successfully integrated sustainable practices, smaller premium denim companies often struggle to balance sustainability efforts with profitability. As consumers become more price-sensitive amid economic fluctuations, brands must find innovative ways to maintain quality and sustainability without drastically increasing prices. Key Market Trend Revival of Vintage and Retro Styles: The resurgence of vintage and retro fashion has significantly influenced the premium denim market. Consumers, especially millennials and Gen Z, are drawn to nostalgic styles from the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s, leading to increased demand for high-waisted jeans, flared silhouettes, and baggy fits. The rise of secondhand and upcycled denim has also contributed to this trend, with many shoppers opting for pre-worn, vintage-inspired pieces that offer a unique aesthetic. Premium denim brands are capitalizing on this movement by reintroducing archival designs, incorporating classic washes, and embracing distressed, worn-in finishes. The popularity of thrift culture and sustainable fashion has further accelerated the demand for vintage-inspired denim, with many brands launching collections that mimic aged denim's texture and appearance. As nostalgia-driven fashion continues to gain traction, vintage denim styles are expected to remain a dominant trend in the market. Key Players Profiled in the Premium Denim Jeans Market: Levi Strauss & Co. Centric West LLC (Hudson Jeans) J Brand Inc. Diesel S.p.A. AG Adriano Goldschmied, Inc. Group eStore B.V. (G-Star) Delta Galil USA, Inc. (7ForAllMankind) True Religion Apparel, Inc. Kering S.A H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB Report Scope In this report, the Global Premium Denim Jeans Market has been segmented into the following categories: Premium Denim Jeans Market, By Product Type: Skinny Jeans Straight Jeans Wide-leg Jeans Flared Jeans Others Premium Denim Jeans Market, By End-User: Women Men Kids Premium Denim Jeans Market, By Sales Channel: Specialty Stores Supermarkets/Hypermarkets Online Others Premium Denim Jeans Market, By Region: North America Asia-Pacific Europe South America Middle East & Africa Key Attributes Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 181 Forecast Period 2024-2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $9.8 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $12.67 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 4.4% Regions Covered Global For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/mfs4kv 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 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Commercial Dehumidifier Market - Focused Insights 2021-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Commercial Dehumidifier Market was valued at USD 2.35 billion in 2024, and is projected to reach USD 3.28 billion by 2030, rising at a CAGR of 5.71%. The global commercial dehumidifier market is set to grow due to rising demand for indoor air quality solutions and the expansion of commercial infrastructures. KEY TAKEAWAYS By Product Type : In 2024, the refrigerant dehumidifiers had the largest market share of over 68%. : In 2024, the refrigerant dehumidifiers had the largest market share of over 68%. By Operation: The fixed dehumidifiers segment shows the highest growth of 6.23% during the forecast period. The fixed dehumidifiers segment shows the highest growth of 6.23% during the forecast period. By Capacity: The low- and medium-duty dehumidifiers segment accounted for the largest global commercial dehumidifier market share. The low- and medium-duty dehumidifiers segment accounted for the largest global commercial dehumidifier market share. By End-User: The corporate offices segment dominates and holds the largest market share in 2024. The corporate offices segment dominates and holds the largest market share in 2024. By Geography: The APAC region accounted for the largest commercial dehumidifier market share of over 46% and showed the highest growth during the forecast period. GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS The APAC region accounted for the largest global commercial dehumidifier market share of over 46% and showed the highest growth during the forecast period. The APAC region, with its high-humidity tropical regions such as Southeast Asia, monsoon countries such as India and Bangladesh, has a varied but moisture-stressed climate profile. This creates perpetually high demand for humidity control solutions, particularly in commercial environments where unchecked moisture can spoil goods, electronics, health, or infrastructure. India, China, and Vietnam are heavily investing in commercial properties, airports, shopping malls, metro lines, and hospitals, all of which require strong systems for humidity control. In highly occupied buildings, not only is humidity control important to the longevity of equipment and structure preservation, but also important to meet current building codes that are IAQ-oriented. APAC's tropical zones, such as Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the Maldives, receive huge tourist traffic throughout the year, and high humidity in these areas poses problems for in-building comfort and health. Hotels and resorts are retrofitting dehumidifiers in guest rooms, spa areas, indoor pools, and conference centers to prevent mold, condensation, and mildew smells, Thus, the region's commercial dehumidifier market is thriving due to all the work in the region. COMMERCIAL DEHUMIDIFIER MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS IoT And Smart Dehumidifiers The global commercial dehumidifiers market is witnessing a seismic shift with the advent of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, and smart dehumidifiers are being developed. These smart products are revolutionizing the market dynamic by providing superior efficiency, convenience, and alignment with sustainability goals. Intelligent dehumidifiers can be readily embedded in existing Building Management Systems (BMS) so they can be centrally monitored and controlled for indoor air quality. In today's commercial buildings, this embedding is a requirement for the optimization of energy use and healthy indoor spaces. IoT-enabled dehumidifiers come with easy-to-use interfaces, customizable settings, and real-time notifications, which collectively enhance the user experience. Voice command compatibility and virtual assistant support are some of the features that make it convenient, thus making the product more appealing to tech-savvy consumers and businesses. Rising Focus on Energy-Efficient Models The transition towards energy-efficient models is one of the most important developments that is defining the global commercial dehumidifiers market. This transition indicates a change in customer demand, government policies, and technology, all of which are compelling the design and use of dehumidifiers that use less power but provide better performance. Operating expenses are a big worry for companies. Dehumidifiers are running 24/7 in commercial buildings, which contributes to a lot of electricity usage. Energy-efficient ones save on long-term operating costs. GREENDRY Series by Munters is energy-saving desiccant dehumidifiers which reduce costs and boost productivity. Several countries have adopted minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) and eco-labeling schemes. Regulators such as the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the European Commission (EU Ecodesign Directive) have enforced energy efficiency requirements on HVAC equipment. Such regulations force manufacturers to redesign products to comply. Rising Demand For Indoor Air Quality Solutions Greater emphasis on respiratory well-being, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, has raised the profile of indoor contaminants such as mold spores, dust mites, and bacteria that flourish under high-humidity conditions. Excessive relative humidity (>60%) can exacerbate conditions such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and other respiratory conditions. Public places like schools, health clubs, and hospitals are integrating dehumidifiers to mitigate the risk of airborne infections. Emerging applications in the hospitality, healthcare, education, and retail industries are adding IAQ systems to building design requirements. Urbanization at a high pace has created more sealed, highly occupied structures with restricted natural ventilation. As global temperatures increase with climate change, the level of humidity increases, especially in the tropics and subtropics. Commercial properties in most areas in Asia, South America, Africa, and the southern US are experiencing consistently high relative humidity. Commercial properties in these regions are relying on dehumidifiers as a necessity for year-round IAQ management. Expansion of Commercial Infrastructures The growth of commercial infrastructures, including the construction of new buildings and the renovation of existing facilities in sectors like retail, healthcare, hospitality, education, and data centers, is a strong market driver for commercial dehumidifiers. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has managed an investment of around $4 billion in projects across the US aimed at deploying broadband infrastructure and improving and expanding public computer centers. Unprecedented urbanization, particularly in the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and selected parts of Africa and Latin America, is driving massive commercial development. New office structures, shopping malls, hotels, and mixed-use complexes are rising in city centers that tend to have high ambient humidity. Industries like hospitality (hotels, resorts), healthcare (hospitals, clinics), and education (universities, schools) are investing in new infrastructure and building upgrades to accommodate population needs. These settings focus on comfort and hygiene to reduce the humidity levels. Commercial dehumidifiers are therefore becoming a standard feature in new and refurbished infrastructure projects. INDUSTRY RESTRAINTS High Initial Cost & Maintenance Commercial dehumidifiers are intended for high-capacity and continuous use. They typically contain heavy-duty compressors, high-end sensors, and controls. These features raise the production cost considerably. Most prospective purchasers consider the initial capital cost exorbitant, particularly in the developing world or small-scale commercial enterprises, thereby curtailing uptake. The price range starts from $300 and can go up to $20,000+ for high-duty dehumidifiers. The placement of a commercial dehumidifier typically involves site-specific layout design, electrical, and drainage etc. These added setup and engineering fees increase the total cost of ownership, and facility operators seek lower-cost or integrated offerings. COMMERCIAL DEHUMIDIFIER MARKET VEDNOR LANDSCAPE The global commercial dehumidifier market report contains exclusive data on 30 vendors. The market is moderately concentrated. The market has a few key players that have a substantial share, but not enough space for small or local firms. Large companies like Bry-Air, Condair Group, Dantherm Group, Legend Brands, Munters, and Therma-Stor control large segments of the market. The market witnesses fierce competition, particularly in terms of product innovation, such as cutting-edge features, pricing policies ranging from penetration pricing and discounts to dynamic pricing models, and post-sales service like warranties, responsive customer support, and easy return policies. Firms are competing not only on product performance but also on energy efficiency, noise reduction, smart features (IoT connectivity), and simplicity of installation.The AlorAir Storm Elite Crawlspace commercial-grade dehumidifier comes with smart app control. Although the technology barrier to entry is moderate, as core technologies are accessible, well-documented, and don't require proprietary innovation or significant R&D investment. Having a global distribution network, certification compliance, and robust service infrastructure may prove difficult for new entrants. Key Vendors Bry-Air Condair Group Dantherm Group Legend Brands Munters Therma-Stor Other Prominent Vendors Abestorm Airecoler Airwatergreen AprilAire AquaAuraIndia Costway DEHUM Dehumidifier Corporation of America Desiccant Technologies Group DriSteem Ebac Industrial Products EdenDirect Fisen Corporation FRAL MET MANN Moiswell Origin Corporate Services ORION Machinery Seibu Giken DST Rehoboth Enviro Systems Waykar Woosh XPOWER Yakeclimate Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 129 Forecast Period 2024 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $2.35 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $3.28 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 5.7% Regions Covered Global SEGMENTATION & FORECASTS By Product Type Market Refrigerant Dehumidifiers Desiccant Dehumidifiers By Operation Portable Fixed By Capacity Low & Medium-Duty Dehumidifier Heavy-Duty Dehumidifier By End-User Corporate Offices Logistics & Warehousing Hospitality Healthcare Retail Spaces Educational Institutes Others By Geography APAC China Japan India South Korea Europe Germany UK France Italy North America US Canada Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East & Africa Turkey Saudi Arabia UAE For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gml0ak 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 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Ireland Existing & Upcoming Data Center Portfolio" database has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This database product covers the Ireland data center market portfolio analysis, which will provide the following information on the colocation data centers: Detailed Analysis of 37 existing data centers Detailed Analysis of 20 upcoming data centers Locations covered: Belfast, Cork, Dublin, Ennis, Meath, North Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow 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 Key Market Highlights Upcoming IT power capacity in Ireland is around 1,070 MW, which is over 3x the current existing capacity. Echelon Data Centres, Art Data Centres, and GreenScale are the major contributors to upcoming capacity. Digital Realty, K2 Data Centres, and Equinix are the largest data center operators in the country today. Upcoming rack capacity is close to 135,000, while existing rack capacity stands at around 48,000. The data points covered in the database across each facility are mentioned below: Existing Data Centers (37 Facilities) Market Snapshot Location (Region/Country/City) Facility Address Operator/Owner Name Data Center Name i.e., (DB3 or Citywest 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 (20 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 The major operators/investors covered in this Ireland Data Center Colocation Market Database include: Amazon Web Services (AWS) Art Data Centres Atlantic Hub Avaio BT Ireland Cork Internet eXchange CyrusOne Digital Realty Echelon Data Centers EdgeConneX Eircom Energia Data Centre EngineNode Equinix Google GreenScale Herbata JCD Group K2 Data Centres Keppel Data Centres Microsoft Prescient Data Centres Pure Data Center ServeCentric Sungard Availability Services T5 Data Centers Universal Developers (AWS) Vantage Data Centers Viatel 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: About the Database Scope & Assumptions Definitions Snapshot: Existing & Upcoming Data Center Facility Existing Data Center Database Upcoming Data Center Facility Existing vs. Upcoming Capacity (Infographics) Colocation Pricing For more information about this database visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/i7xe6r 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. STOCKHOLM, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Photowall, the Swedish interior design company renowned for its custom wall murals, wallpapers, and canvas prints, is proud to announce its official entry into the Japanese market. From now on, Japanese customers can explore and shop the full Photowall collection in their local language at www.photowall.jp , marking a major milestone in the companys ongoing global expansion. With a strong presence across Europe and North America, Photowalls move into Japan reflects the brands commitment to making personalized interior design accessible to a wider international audience. The launch includes a comprehensive marketing campaign, local customer support, and tailored logistics to ensure a seamless experience for customers in Japan. Were thrilled to bring our products and design philosophy to Japan, a country that shares our appreciation for craftsmanship, aesthetics, and individuality, a company spokesperson said. Japans design culture is both rich and globally influential, making it a natural next step for us. Were excited to see how our wall art collections will inspire new creative spaces across the country. Founded in 2006 in Sweden, Photowall offers a vast library of wall decor from striking nature scenes and minimalist patterns to exclusive artwork by international designers. Customers can also upload their own images to create one-of-a-kind wallpaper or prints, making every product deeply personal. All items are made to order in Stockholm using eco-friendly materials and water-based inks, ensuring minimal environmental impact. Japanese customers will benefit from a fully localized shopping experience, which features local currency, language, customer service, and optimized shipping. The site will also feature local design inspiration and partnerships with Japanese influencers, artists, and interior design experts. Photowalls products are particularly well-suited to Japans evolving interior design trends, which increasingly embrace customization, biophilic design, and sustainable materials. Whether decorating a small apartment in Tokyo or a traditional home in Kyoto, Japanese homeowners and businesses can now transform their walls with designs that reflect their personality and values. The Japanese launch builds on Photowalls strong global momentum, as the company now serves customers in over 25 international markets. With a growing reputation for quality, fast production, and highly customizable design options, Photowall continues to gain loyal customers around the world particularly in the United States, where its dedicated storefront at www.photowall.com/us has seen strong demand across both residential and commercial segments. For more information, visit: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/244af26e-35b8-4463-9394-b9eb6798a05c Beverly Hills California, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Matthew Smith, a financial executive with experience at GE Capital, Bridgewater Associates, and Columbia Bank, has launched a new creative business. He is the founder of Kicksmith Studios, a sneaker customization studio located in Norwalk, Connecticut. Kicksmith Studios operates on a paint-and-sip model. Participants create custom sneakers in guided sessions. Events include childrens parties, corporate team-building, and adult social nights. The studio serves a diverse customer base across age, gender, and background. Smith has collected over 500 pairs of sneakers. He started customizing his own designs years ago. He launched the business during a break between finance roles. He wanted to build something meaningful, creative, and sustainable. His goal was also to create jobs and provide a new experience for the community. My kids see this business. They help with the design. They wear the merch. Its real to them, said Smith in a recent episode of Burnout Club, hosted by Patrice Bonfiglio. Smith co-founded the studio with longtime friend Greg Self. Self runs daily operations. Smith remains focused on his finance career and family. The studio operates independently with a trained team. The studio also partners with schools and nonprofits. It gives children and families a place to explore art and creativity. Participants leave with wearable art and a sense of pride. The most rewarding part is watching people discover they are creative, said Smith. Even those who say they arent always leave excited about what they made. Smith credits his success to discipline and clear priorities. He encourages others to listen to themselves and take breaks when needed. Burnout is real. But so is recovery. Sometimes you need to pause to move forward, he said. Watch the full episode on Youtube. About The Burnout Club Podcast The Burnout Club Podcast is a community-driven platform that explores the intersection of professional success and burnout. Hosted by Patrice Bonfiglio, a seasoned hedge fund executive with nearly two decades of experience, the podcast delves into the realities of burnout in high-pressure environments. Media Communications: Inquiries: AdamTorres@MissionMatters.com Attachment NEW YORK, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lowey Dannenberg, P.C ., is thrilled to welcome our newest partner, Matthew A. Cartwright. Matt has long distinguished himself as a trial lawyer and a public servant, and now brings his skills to Lowey. He joins Loweys Healthcare Litigation Team and will be based in the Pennsylvania office in West Conshohocken. After beginning his career in the litigation department at a major Philadelphia law firm, he became one of Pennsylvanias leading trial lawyers for 25 years. His courtroom experience resulted in 23 reported cases, including Lawrence Ins. Group v. KPMG Peat Marwick, LLP., a complex commercial case refining the New York standard for spoliation of evidence, and Wilprint v. Wachovia Bank, NA., a bet-the-company lender liability trial resulting in a record jury verdict in Pennsylvania. From 2013 to 2025, he served as a U.S. Congressman for Pennsylvanias 8th and 17th Districts, introducing more bipartisan bills than any other House Democrat during that time. As chair of the Appropriations Committees Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee, he authored 16 bills signed into law by three presidents, including the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, which benefits U.S. Marines and their families poisoned by well water at that military base. He has also served as Business Torts Practice Section Chair and as a member of the Board of Governors, of the American Association for Justice, the leading organization to promote civil justice in the United States. Additionally, Matt co-authored West Publishings legal treatise Litigating Commercial and Business Tort Cases . When it comes to complex business tort litigation, Lowey Dannenberg is one of the top firms in the United States. This firm is comprised of thought leaders in the fields of multidistrict and class action litigation. These dedicated lawyers have achieved astonishing recoveries for wrongful business conduct for over half a century. Im excited to join such a gifted team, and I cannot wait to get to work, Cartwright said. We are honored to welcome Matt Cartwright to Lowey Dannenberg. His extraordinary legal acumen, deep commitment to public service, and proven track record as a trial lawyer make him an exceptional addition to our partnership. Matts leadership and experience will strengthen our firms ability to serve clients in Pennsylvania and across the country, Said Gerald Lawrence, Partner, COO, and Head of the Pennsylvania office at Lowey Dannenberg. He earned his bachelors degree, magna cum laude, from Hamilton College in 1983, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and his juris doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School where he served two years as an editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. Matt has been admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New York. Please join us in welcoming Matt Cartwright to Lowey Dannenberg. About Lowey: Lowey Dannenberg, P.C. is a prominent litigation law firm based in White Plains, New York, with a legacy of over 50 years specializing in complex legal matters. Founded in the 1960s by Stephen Lowey and Richard Dannenberg, the firm has established itself as a leader in consumer protection, securities, antitrust, healthcare, and whistleblower litigation. Contact: James Spencer Digital Marketing Manager Jspencer@lowey.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6a0a4f3f-1df6-4975-bfa5-cd1513995952 Not for distribution to U.S. newswire services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. securities law. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marimaca Copper Corp. (Marimaca or the Company) (TSX: MARI) (ASX: MC2) is pleased to announce the closing of the first tranche of the previously announced non-brokered private placement (the Private Placement). Pursuant to the Private Placement, Assore International Holdings Limited (AIH) and Ithaki Limited (Ithaki) each subscribed for 2,250,000 common shares of the Company (the Shares) at a price of C$4.60 per Share for total gross proceeds to the Company of approximately C$20,700,000 (Tranche 1). An additional institutional investor together with its affiliates (the Additional Investor) will subscribe on the same terms as AIH and Ithaki for an additional 811,416 Shares (Tranche 2) for total gross proceeds of C$3,732,514. Tranche 2 is expected to close on or around June 12th, 2025 and is subject to standard irrevocable commitments. AIH is a related party of the Company by virtue of its significant shareholding and contractual right to nominate a director to the Companys board. Additionally, Ithaki is a related party of the Company by virtue of holding more than 10% of the issued and outstanding Shares. The net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used for exploration, to advance the Companys flagship Marimaca Copper Project located in the Antofagasta Region of northern Chile and for general corporate purposes. The Shares issued pursuant to the Tranche 1 are, and the Shares to be issued pursuant to Tranche 2 will be, subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws and are being issued pursuant to the ASX Listing Rule 10.11 waiver granted to Marimaca at the time of admission. Related Party Transaction Disclosure The participation by AIH and Ithaki, each of which is a related party of the Company under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101), constitutes a related party transaction. The Company is relying on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, respectively, as neither the fair market value of the Shares issued to, nor the consideration paid by, such related parties exceeds 25% of the Companys market capitalization. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. 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 any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Other Information In connection with the Private Placement, Greenstone Resources L.P. and certain of its affiliates have agreed to waive their respective option to participate pro rata in equity financings by the Company. In addition, in connection with the Private Placement, Mitsubishi has been offered the option to purchase Shares pro rata on the same terms as the Private Placement within 30 business days of the closing of the Private Placement. Mitsubishis current ownership, prior to giving effect to the Private Placement, is approximately 4.6% based on public filings. About Marimaca Marimaca is a copper exploration and development company focused on its 100%-owned flagship Marimaca Copper Project and surrounding exploration properties located in Antofagasta Region, Chile. The Marimaca Copper Project hosts the Marimaca Oxide Deposit (the MOD), an IOCG-type copper deposit. The Company is currently progressing the Marimaca Copper Project through the Definitive Feasibility Study led by Ausenco Chile Ltda. In parallel, the Company is exploring its extensive land package in the Antofagasta region, including the >15,000ha wholly-owned Sierra de Medina property block, located 25km from the MOD. This news release is authorized for release by the Board of Directors of Marimaca. Contact Information For further information, please visit www.marimaca.com or contact: Tavistock +44 (0) 207 920 3150 Emily Moss / Ruairi Millar marimaca@tavistock.co.uk Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain forward-looking statements under applicable Canadian securities legislation, including statements related to the anticipated participation in the Tranche 2 of the Private Placement, the closing date of Tranche 2 of the Private Placement, advisory fees payable and the use of proceeds. 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. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Marimaca, 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 forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: risks related to share price and market conditions, the inherent risks involved in the mining, exploration and development of mineral properties, the uncertainties involved in interpreting drilling results and other geological data, fluctuating metal prices, the possibility of project delays or cost overruns or unanticipated excessive operating costs and expenses, uncertainties related to the necessity of financing, uncertainties relating to regulatory procedure and timing for permitting reviews, the availability of and costs of financing needed in the future. The intended use of the proceeds of the Private Placement by the Company might change if the board of directors of the Company determines that it would be in the best interests of the Company. Many of these risks and uncertainties and additional risk factors generally applicable to the Company are described in the Companys annual information form of the Company dated March 27, 2025 and other filings made by the Company with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities (which may be viewed at www.sedarplus.ca). Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. None of the TSX, ASX or the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Richmond, Virginia, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Virginia Credit Union will donate $100,000 during the next three years to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond. The donation will support the clubs' Life & Career Pathways initiative, which provides young people with real-world career exposure, durable job skills, enriching summer programs, and confidence-building mentorship opportunities. "At VACU, we understand the power of local giving and its profound impact on people and our communities, especially initiatives that help young people reach their greatest potential," said VACU President/CEO Chris Shockley. "We are proud to continue supporting and investing in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond and their many programs that positively impact the lives of kids, teens, and their families." VACU has previously supported the Boys and Girls Clubs, including a $25,000 donation in 2023 and participation last year in the organization's "Unlocking Success" program, a five-week course designed to help teens learn money management basics and sharpen their job-readiness skills. "At the heart of everything we do is the belief that young people thrive when they're surrounded by people who believe in them. And we know that lasting impact isn't created in isolation; instead, it's built through meaningful partnership," said Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond President and CEO Sean Miller. "We're deeply grateful to Virginia Credit Union for being more than a funder; they are a true partner in our mission to fuel the boundless potential of young people. Together, we're ensuring that more youth are prepared to lead, thrive, and succeed in life, in school, and in their future careers." To learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond, visit bgcmr.org VACU is deeply committed to charitable giving and community engagement. Last year, the credit union donated more than $1 million to charitable and community causes, volunteered 2,500 hours at local nonprofits, schools, and community events, and reached more than 100,000 individuals through its financial education initiatives. In recent years, the credit union has focused its community engagement efforts on children's health and wellness, financial education, food security, and community well-being. That focus enables us to have a more significant impact in areas that most closely align with our mission and our position as a trusted community partner. About Virginia Credit Union & Member One A financial cooperative serving almost 500,000 members, Virginia Credit Union and its Member One division offer a variety of affordable banking services, loans, mortgages, and free financial education resources, with a focus on helping people be more confident with their finances. Virginia Credit Union and its Member One division are equal housing opportunity lenders and are federally insured by the NCUA. Attachment ADJOURNMENT OF THE GENERAL MEETING INITALLY CONVENED ON JUNE 25, 2025 NANTES, France, June 11, 6:30 PM OSE Immunotherapeutics SA (ISIN: FR0012127173; Mnemo: OSE), announces the cancellation of the convening of the mixed General Meeting initially scheduled for June 25, 2025 (the General Meeting ) to clarify the situation. The Board of Directors will convene a new General Meeting within the allotted time frame. Following the publication on June 3, 2025, of a concerted declaration on the website of the Autorite des Marches Financiers and as indicated in the press release of June 9, 20251, OSE Immunotherapeutics requested the President of the Nantes Commercial Court to extend the legal deadline for holding the General Meeting. The President of the Court granted an extension of this deadline until September 30, 2025, by order issued on June 10, 2025. The Board of Directors of OSE Immunotherapeutics has acknowledged this judicial decision and has taken all necessary consequences. It will convene the General Meeting within the now allotted time frame. This period will allow for verifying the regularity and transparency of the General Meeting and ensuring shareholders are well informed. Proxy forms already received become void, and all information regarding the new convocation, agenda, resolution texts, and participation and voting procedures will be communicated in due course. The Board of Directors of OSE Immunotherapeutics, chaired by Didier Hoch, states: Dear shareholders, we wish to inform you of the postponement of our General Meeting. We will communicate the new date to you shortly. This situation calls for everyone's responsibility. It is my duty to ensure that each of you arrives at this meeting with all the necessary and useful information to vote in an informed and enlightened manner. Together, you will decide on the future of the Company. Our Company is dynamic and sustainable, with innovative research programs and significant clinical trials underway. I sincerely hope that we can, together, provide the OSE teams with the means to continue this momentum in the service of patients. The Board of Directors of OSE will continue to pursue this objective in a spirit of responsibility and openness to dialogue. OSE Immunotherapeutics reaffirms its commitment to rigorous governance and transparent communication and pledges to keep its shareholders informed of the outcomes of this decision. ABOUT OSE IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS OSE Immunotherapeutics is a biotech company dedicated to developing first-in-class assets in immuno-oncology (IO) and immuno-inflammation (I&I) that address the unmet patient needs of today and tomorrow. We partner with leading academic institutions and biopharmaceutical companies in our efforts to develop and bring to the market transformative medicines for people with serious diseases. OSE Immunotherapeutics is based between Nantes and Paris and is quoted on Euronext. Additional information about OSE Immunotherapeutics assets is available on the Companys website: www.ose-immuno.com. Follow us on LinkedIn. Contacts Fiona Olivier fiona.olivier@ose-immuno.com Sylvie Detry sylvie.detry@ose-immuno.com French Media Contact FP2COM Florence Portejoie fportejoie@fp2com.fr +33 6 07 768 283 U.S. Media Contact Rooney Partners LLC Kate Barrette kbarrette@rooneypartners.com +1 212 223 0561 Forward-looking statements This press release contains express or implied information and statements that might be deemed forward-looking information and statements in respect of OSE Immunotherapeutics. They do not constitute historical facts. These information and statements include financial projections that are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by OSE Immunotherapeutics management considering its experience and its perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. These forward-looking statements include statements typically using conditional and containing verbs such as expect, anticipate, believe, target, plan, or estimate, their declensions and conjugations and words of similar import. Although the OSE Immunotherapeutics management believes that the forward-looking statements and information are reasonable, the OSE Immunotherapeutics shareholders and other investors are cautioned that the completion of such expectations is by nature subject to various risks, known or not, and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of OSE Immunotherapeutics. These risks could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in or implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. These risks include those discussed or identified in the public filings made by OSE Immunotherapeutics with the AMF. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. This press release includes only summary information and should be read with the OSE Immunotherapeutics Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on April 30, 2025, including the annual financial report for the fiscal year 2024, available on the OSE Immunotherapeutics website. Other than as required by applicable law, OSE Immunotherapeutics issues this press release at the date hereof and does not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information or statements. 1 EN_250509_Update-GM.pdf Attachment BEIJING, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following the conclusion of the first meeting of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism in London, CGTN published an article summarizing the key outcomes and progress achieved. The article underscores China's commitment to dialogue based on equality and mutual benefit, emphasizes the importance of cooperation over confrontation, and reaffirms that resolving trade issues through constructive engagement serves the interests of both countries and contributes to global economic development. China and the United States have made new progress in addressing each other's economic and trade concerns after their two-day in-depth and candid trade talks in London, according to a statement released by the Chinese side on Wednesday. From June 9 to 10 (local time), the world's two largest economies held their first meeting of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism. They reached a principled agreement on implementing the important consensus reached by the two heads of state during their phone call on June 5 and the framework of measures to consolidate the outcomes of the economic and trade talks in Geneva. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Beijing's lead person for China-U.S. trade and economic affairs, attended the meeting with Washington's lead person Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. He called the meeting an important consultation under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state. Noting that the essence of China-U.S. economic and trade relations lies in mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, the vice premier said cooperation between China and the United States in the economic and trade field benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both. He also urged the United States to resolve trade disputes with China through equal dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation, adding that while China is sincere in pursuing economic and trade consultations, it also has its principles. The latest meeting presented an opportunity for both sides to clarify the outstanding economic and trade issues and help steer bilateral relations back on track, Sun Taiyi, an associate professor of political science at Christopher Newport University in the United States, told CGTN. Trade ties benefit both The first meeting of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism took place almost a month after both sides made substantial progress at a high-level meeting, May 10-11, in Geneva, Switzerland. In a joint statement issued on May 12, China and the U.S. agreed to significantly reduce bilateral tariff levels. The U.S. lifted 91 percent of its additional tariffs on Chinese goods, with China reciprocating by removing 91 percent of its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports. Additionally, the U.S. suspended 24-percent "reciprocal tariffs" for 90 days while China similarly halted its corresponding countermeasures. During their phone call last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the meeting in Geneva marked an important step forward in resolving economic and trade issues through dialogue and consultation and was welcomed by both societies and the international community, while U.S. President Donald Trump called it very successful and said it produced a good deal, pledging that the U.S. will work with China to execute the deal. Immediately following the adjustment of tariff policies, container bookings from China to the U.S. surged by nearly 300 percent, according to Vizion, a container tracking data provider. A manager at a cargo warehouse at Yantian Port in Shenzhen, which handles over a quarter of China's total export volume to the U.S., told China Media Group that inbound container volume had surged by over 60 percent, jumping from approximately 120 to more than 200 containers on a daily basis at the end of May. The tariff war is like a reality check, proving that China is an important market as well as a supplier of goods for the U.S., said Michael Hart, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, last month. Following the London meeting, China's international trade representative, Li Chenggang, said it is hoped that progress made will be conducive to strengthening trust between China and the U.S. and further promoting the steady and healthy development of economic and trade ties between the two countries. Professor Sun told CGTN that the Chinese and U.S. sides have demonstrated their respective strategic capabilities and established a clear understanding of each other's positions in London. The meeting has led to a mutual recognition that cooperation and pursuing mutually beneficial outcomes serves their interests better than prolonged confrontation, which would ultimately prove detrimental to both, he added. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-06-11/China-U-S-reach-principled-consensus-after-trade-talks-in-London-1E7iNezpjIA/p.html Contact: CGTN cgtn@cgtn.com Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan. NANTERRE (FRANCE) JUNE 11, 2025 FORVIA FURTHER IMPROVES ITS DEBT PROFILE BY USING PROCEEDS FROM AN ADDITIONAL ISSUANCE OF SENIOR NOTES DUE 2030 AND AVAILABLE CASH TO REPURCHASE EXISTING 2027 SUSTAINABILITY-LINKED NOTES FORVIA issued an additional 250 million of additional Senior Notes due 2030 Proceeds from the issuance and available cash used to fund the repurchase of 300 million of FORVIAs outstanding 2.750% Sustainability-Linked Notes due February 2027 (the 2027 Sustainability-Linked Notes) in a cash tender offer (the Tender Offer) FORVIA has successfully closed its offering of 250 million in aggregate principal amount of additional senior notes due 2030 (the New Notes), which will be consolidated and form a single series with the existing 750 million senior notes due 2030 issued on 24 March 2025 after the expiry of a 40-day distribution compliance period. The associated Tender Offer for the repurchase of FORVIAs existing 2027 Sustainability-Linked Notes also settled today. With the success of the Tender Offer, and using available cash, FORVIA decided to increase the maximum amount of the 2027 Sustainability-Linked Notes accepted for tender in the Tender Offer to, and has accepted the tenders of, 300 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2027 Sustainability-Linked Notes, which have now been cancelled. This Tender Offer reduces the outstanding amount of the 2027 Sustainability-Linked Notes, which now stands at 900 million against the initial 1.2 billion issuance. IMPORTANT NOTICE This document is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The notes being offered by Forvia (the New Notes") may not be sold in the United States unless they are registered under the Securities Act or are exempt from registration. The offering of New Notes described in this announcement has not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, and accordingly any offer or sale of New Notes may be made only in a transaction exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Nothing herein shall be construed as an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell or buy any notes, including the 2027 Sustainability-Linked Notes. Nothing herein constitutes a notice of redemption for the 2027 Sustainability-Linked Notes. It may be unlawful to distribute this document in certain jurisdictions. This document is not for distribution in Canada, Japan or Australia. The information in this document does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in Canada, Japan or Australia. Promotion of the New Notes in the United Kingdom is restricted by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the FSMA), and accordingly, the New Notes are not being promoted to the general public in the United Kingdom. This announcement is directed solely at (i) persons located outside the United Kingdom, (ii) persons with professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the Order), (iii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order and (iv) persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the FSMA) in connection with the issue or sale of any securities of the Issuer or any member of its group may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons in (i) (iv) above being relevant persons). Any investment activity to which this announcement relates will only be available to and will only be engaged with relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this announcement. The offer and sale of the New Notes will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Regulation from the requirement to produce a prospectus for offers of securities. This announcement does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of the Regulation EU 2017/1129, as amended (the "Prospectus Regulation") or an offer to the public. The offer and sale of the New Notes will be made pursuant to an exemption under the UK Prospectus Regulation from the requirement to produce a prospectus for offers of securitieThis announcement does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the UK Prospectus Regulation) or an offer to the public. MiFID II professionals/ECPs-only/No PRIIPs KID Manufacturer target market (MIFID II product governance) is eligible counterparties and professional clients only (all distribution channels). No PRIIPs key information document (KID) has been prepared as the New Notes are not available to retail investors in EEA. MiFIR professionals/ECPs-only/No UK PRIIPs KID Manufacturer target market (UK MIFIR product governance) is eligible counterparties and professional clients only (all distribution channels). No UK PRIIPs key information document (KID) has been prepared as the New Notes are not available to retail investors in the UK. Neither the content of Forvias website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on Forvias website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this announcement. The distribution of this announcement into any jurisdiction may be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this announcement comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No money, securities or other consideration is being solicited, and, if sent in response to the information contained herein, no money, securities or other consideration will be accepted. Attachment DENVER, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crusoe , the industrys first vertically integrated AI infrastructure provider, today announced it has secured a $750 million credit facility from Brookfield Asset Management, through its infrastructure debt platform. This significant financing will primarily be deployed to fuel the continued growth and scaling of Crusoes development of AI factories, including purpose-built AI data centers and Crusoes AI cloud platform. It further solidifies Crusoes position as a leader in providing energy-first AI infrastructure. "The demand for AI infrastructure is growing exponentially, and this new credit facility from Brookfield provides us with the capital needed to accelerate the buildout of new AI factories," said Chase Lochmiller, CEO and co-founder of Crusoe. "Brookfields commitment validates Crusoes demonstrated ability to rapidly develop and deliver critical infrastructure to the largest AI projects in the world. This funding will enable us to expand our footprint, and continue to provide our customers and partners with the best-in-class solutions they need to innovate and scale." We are excited to partner with Crusoe, a company at the forefront of powering the critical infrastructure needed for AI, including one of the world's largest AI data centers in Abilene, Texas, said Eric Wittleder, Deputy CIO of Brookfields Infrastructure Debt business. Crusoes ability to provide backbone infrastructure solutions at scale aligns perfectly with our investment philosophy, and we look forward to supporting their continued expansion and impact in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. This new financing follows Crusoes recent momentum, including its $600 million Series D funding round in December 2024, a $225 million credit facility from Upper90 announced in early 2025 to support the growth of its AI cloud infrastructure, and a $15 billion joint-venture with Blue Owl and Primary Digital Interactive to fund a 1.2 gigawatt AI data center in Abilene, Texas. The $750 million credit facility from Brookfield marks another significant milestone in Crusoes journey to meet the growing global demand for AI compute capacity. Eastdil Secured represented Crusoe as its exclusive financial advisor on the transaction. About Crusoe Crusoe is on a mission to align the future of computing with the future of the climate. Crusoe provides a reliable, scalable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly solution for AI infrastructure by harnessing large-scale clean energy, building AI-optimized data centers, and empowering builders to reach their AI potential. Crusoe is empowering the AI revolution. To learn more, visit https://crusoe.ai/ . About Brookeld Asset Management Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (NYSE: BAM, TSX: BAM) is a leading global alternative asset manager, headquartered in New York, with over $1 trillion of assets under management across renewable power and transition, infrastructure, private equity, real estate, and credit. We invest client capital for the long-term with a focus on real assets and essential service businesses that form the backbone of the global economy. We offer a range of alternative investment products to investors around the world including public and private pension plans, endowments and foundations, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions, insurance companies and private wealth investors. We draw on Brookfields heritage as an owner and operator to invest for value and generate strong returns for our clients, across economic cycles. For more information, please visit our website at www.bam.brookfield.com. About Eastdil Secured As the most relevant and trusted advisor in the commercial real estate capital markets, Eastdil Secured creates value for clients through creative, actionable ideas and flawless execution. With an unrivaled combination of capital markets expertise and in-depth understanding of real estate fundamentals, Eastdil Secured delivers best-in-class advice on mergers and acquisitions, sales, joint ventures, debt placement, structured credit and loan sales to investors around the world. Headquartered in New York, Eastdil Secured has a broad global footprint to support clients with offices across the United States in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Orange County, San Francisco, Seattle, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., and internationally in Dubai, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Milan, Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo. For more information on Eastdil Secured, the global real estate investment bank, please visit https://www.eastdilsecured.com . Contacts Crusoe: Andrew Schmitt +1.415.706.7499 aschmitt@crusoe.ai Brookfield Asset Management: John Hamlin +44.204.557.4334 john.hamlin@brookfield.com Eastdil Secured: Erik Carlson / Sarah Salky Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher +1.212.355.4449 Dublin, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Manufacture and Wholesale of Basic Iron And Steel in South Africa 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report on the manufacture and wholesale of basic iron and steel, including metal casting, includes information on production, manufacturing performance, capacity, demand and profitability. The report looks at plans by ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) to shut down its long business and possible solutions, the status and performance of mini mills, and US steel tariffs. The report also includes information on notable players, corporate actions and new capex projects. There are profiles of 64 companies including steel companies such as AMSA, Scaw Metals, Columbus Stainless, Cape Gate, Macsteel and BSi Steel, and casting companies such as Autocast, Mitak, Wahl Industries, Weir Minerals and Atlantis Foundries. Introduction South Africa's crude steel production declined by 5% year on year in 2024. The local steel industry is at a crossroads, with speciality steel producer AMSA announcing in December 2024 that it would shut its long steel business. The company has blamed a lack of local demand, the government's scrap metal policy which favours competing mini mills, and escalating logistics and electricity tariffs, which have made it unsustainable. Industry challenges include significant overcapacity, dumping and decarbonisation. Metal casting has faced similar challenges, and the number of companies involved in the sector has contracted significantly in recent years. Trends A number of countries have added tariffs recently to protect their steel sectors. Decarbonisation of steel. Foundries are investing in technology solutions like 3D printing and robotics to become more competitive. Imports of steel flats are growing. Steel demand locally and globally remains low. The growth of local mini mills, with a number also expanding production recently. Opportunities 3D printing and robotics in metal casting to improve productivity. Opening a mini mill, given the supportive policies for scrap metal and IDC funding available. Some steel products have a local content threshold of 100% (the product must be made entirely of local steel) designated for procurement by state entities. The African Continental Free Trade Area agreement. The introduction of export support and support for downstream producers to export to the rest of Africa. Challenges AMSA's imminent closure threatens to reduce the country's steel competitiveness. Dumping of steel by other countries has created unfair competition with cheap imports. Environmental regulation affects steel producers and foundries. Imports are rising. Input costs have grown, particularly for logistics and electricity. Large producers like AMSA say the state's scrap metal policies have created unfair benefits for mini mills. Low steel demand, in part due to delayed infrastructure projects, means that there is significant overcapacity. Poor logistics have created additional costs for producers. Shortage of skilled employees. Steel tariffs are lower than in other steel-producing countries. The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism may reduce exports to Europe. Outlook Steel producers say the outlook for the basic iron and steel production industry is grim as local demand is expected to remain low as the economy barely grows. The industry is facing increased competition from cheap imports and challenges such as high electricity and logistics charges. Some experts have said that AMSA's R1.7bn loan from the IDC will just delay the inevitable closure of the business. AMSA expects no real improvement in the steel market in 2025. With an increase in demand unlikely, the solution to the crisis facing long steel producers is to increase exports or reduce capacity. Key Topics Covered: 1. INTRODUCTION 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE INDUSTRY 2.1. Industry Value Chain 2.2. Geographic Position 2.3. Size of the Industry 3. LOCAL 3.1. State of the Industry 3.2. Key Trends 3.3. Key Issues 3.4. Notable Players 3.5. Trade 3.6. Corporate Actions 3.7. Regulations 3.8. Enterprise Development and Social Development 4. AFRICA 5. INTERNATIONAL 6. INFLUENCING FACTORS 6.1. Economic Environment 6.2. Environmental Issues 6.3. Technology, R&D, Innovation 6.4. Government Support 6.5. Input Costs 6.6. Performance of End User Industries 7. COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT 7.1. Competit 7.2. Ownership Structure of the Industry 7.3. Barriers to Entry 8. INDUSTRY SUMMARY 9. OUTLOOK 10. INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS COMPANY PROFILES - IRON AND STEEL A Holman Trading Company (Pty) Ltd Aeroton Steel (Pty) Ltd Africa Pipe Industries (Pty) Ltd Allied Steelrode (Pty) Ltd Andrew Mentis (Pty) Ltd Arcelormittal South Africa Ltd Argent Industrial Ltd Augusta Steel (Pty) Ltd Barnes Reinforcing Industries (Pty) Ltd Barnes Tubing Industries (Pty) Ltd Bsi Steel (Pty) Ltd Cape Gate (Pty) Ltd Capital Africa Steel (Pty) Ltd Clotan Steel (Pty) Ltd Coega Steels (Pty) Ltd Columbus Stainless (Pty) Ltd Consolidated Wire Industries (Pty) Ltd Duferco Steel Processing (Pty) Ltd Fischer South Africa Facilities (Pty) Ltd Garsin Steel Tube And Pipe (Pty) Ltd Hall Longmore Holdings (Pty) Ltd Hudaco Trading (Pty) Ltd Jaguar Metals (Pty) Ltd Kamal Cape Town Iron And Steel Company (Pty) Ltd Macdonald Steel Sa (Pty) Ltd Macsteel Service Centres Sa (Pty) Ltd Meshco (Pty) Ltd N J R Steel Holdings (Pty) Ltd Neven Matthews (Pty) Ltd Pro Roof Steel And Tube (Pty) Ltd Rand York Minerals (Pty) Ltd Richards Bay Titanium (Pty) Ltd Sa Metal Group (Pty) Ltd Scaw South Africa (Pty) Ltd Shaurya Steel (Pty) Ltd Stewarts And Lloyds Holdings (Pty) Ltd Tradecore Steel (Pty) Ltd Unica Iron And Steel (Pty) Ltd United Heavy Industries (Pty) Ltd Veer Steel Mills (Pty) Ltd COMPANY PROFILES - CASTING Akhani 3D (Pty) Ltd Arcelormittal South Africa Ltd Atlantis Foundries (Pty) Ltd Autocast South Africa (Pty) Ltd Bosal Afrika (Pty) Ltd Cast Products South Africa (Pty) Ltd Ceracast (Pty) Ltd Copalcor (Pty) Ltd Elmacast (Pty) Ltd Get Metal Group (Pty) Ltd Hudaco Trading (Pty) Ltd Kimberley Engineering Works (Pty) Ltd M I S Engineering (Pty) Ltd Me Elecmetal Prima Manufacturing (Pty) Ltd Natal Iron And Brass Foundry Cc Non-Ferrous Metal Works (S A) (Pty) Ltd Pressure Die Castings (Pty) Ltd Prevail Engineering (Pty) Ltd Rely Precision Castings (Pty) Ltd Rustenburg Engineering And Foundry (Pty) Ltd South African Roll Company (Pty) Ltd Thomas Foundry (Pty) Ltd Thos Begbie And Company (Pty) Ltd Transnet Soc Ltd Vereeniging Foundries (Pty) Ltd Viking Foundry (Pty) Ltd Wahl Industries Cc Weir Minerals Africa (Pty) Ltd For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ceq9wg 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. AUSTIN, Texas, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vereigen Media, a leader in precision B2B demand generation, has released the latest episode in its Direct from the Source executive interview series, featuring a guest whose career defies convention: Hrvoje Smolic, an astrophysicist-turned-AI founder and the CEO of GraphiteNote. The episode explores how no-code machine learning, explainable AI, and first-party data are redefining demand generation and why human insight remains the decisive factor for scalable, trustworthy growth in todays privacy-first marketing landscape. Hosted by Dave Steinmeyer, Managing Partner at Vereigen Media, the interview bridges two perspectives: one from the product innovation side and one from the demand generation frontline. The result is a high-utility conversation for B2B marketers, sales leaders, and GTM operators who are balancing automation, personalization, and compliance. If you dont want a general answer, you need first-party data, said Smolic. Thats the essence of real insights data thats 100% relevant to your company. As organizations struggle to extract value from their data, Smolics commentary resonates with a growing movement toward data integrity and ownership. This belief in contextual, company-specific intelligence is the foundation of Vereigen Medias demand strategy, built entirely on clean, compliant, and verified first-party signals. Dont miss the debut episode of Direct from the Source featuring Hrvoje Smolic Watch it now on YouTube and explore how human-centric AI is reshaping B2B insights. Why First-Party Data Wins Every Time Rather than promoting automation for its own sake, the interview highlights the overuse of AI without oversight. Smolic emphasizes that business users, not algorithms, should make the final decision. Im not a fan of let AI do everything, he noted. Even in our case, human decision-making is critical at the final step. This human-in-the-loop approach is a core principle of how Vereigen Media validates content engagement and ensures that campaign outcomes reflect real buyer intelligence, not just activity. The companys model does not rely on third-party data aggregators or lead resellers; instead, every signal is traced, verified, and reviewed before its passed to the client. Hrvojes perspective affirms what we see every day in our campaigns, said Dave Steinmeyer, Managing Partner at Vereigen Media. First-party data is crucial in todays business environment; its more accurate, more actionable, and provides the needed insights to better understand how the modern buying process actually works. With increasingly strict regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA, across global regions, Vereigen Medias no-outsourcing policy and direct data ownership not only protect brand integrity but also improve the signal-to-noise ratio that many B2B marketers struggle to manage. Created for Revenue-Driven Marketers Direct from the Source is not another webinar or interview series. Its Vereigen Medias flagship thought leadership series, explicitly built for growth marketers, revenue leaders, and digital strategists who want real insight, not scripted talking points. Each episode is structured to provide focused, applicable value across significant areas of B2B performance, such as: Improving pipeline velocity with verified leads Building campaigns from first-party engagement data Scaling outreach without compromising compliance Enabling ABM with intent-backed audience intelligence Episodes are available in multiple formats to meet the needs of a multitasking professional audience: About Hrvoje Smolic Hrvoje Smolic is the CEO and Founder of GraphiteNote, a no-code machine learning platform that enables business users to deploy predictive models and make data-driven decisions without needing technical expertise. His journey from astrophysics to SaaS product innovation provides him with a unique perspective on transforming complex data into practical business value. Under his leadership, GraphiteNote continues to pioneer AI that is transparent, explainable, and usable across industries. About Vereigen Media Vereigen Media is the partner of choice for B2B organizations seeking Leads. Done Right. Built on a foundation of first-party data, zero outsourcing, and human-verified content engagement, Vereigen Media helps businesses cut through digital noise and connect with the right people at the right companies with unprecedented accuracy and accountability. With over 107M+ proprietary contacts worldwide, Vereigen Media drives growth for clients in technology, cybersecurity, finance, healthcare, and beyond. Every lead is verified, every signal is trusted, and every campaign is built to perform. Discover how verified, privacy-first leads drive real results! Connect with Vereigen Media today! https://vereigenmedia.com/get-extra-value-add-b2b-leads/ Ready to see what first-party precision can do for your pipeline? Book a call with our team today to explore how Vereigen Media can accelerate your demand generation strategy. Discover more at www.vereigenmedia.com Contact: Janvi Gandhi - Brand Marketing Manager Vereigen Media LLC Email: marketing@vereigenmedia.com Phone: +1 512-240-2212 (US) A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/29fe8b61-060e-438a-9cfa-16c883cdf0a1 New York City, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Money Mutual has introduced a straightforward way for U.S. borrowers to access bad credit loans quickly and easily. With many traditional banks turning people away due to low credit scores, Money Mutual offers a free, fast, and secure alternative for getting personal loans, even for those who have been denied in the past. Backed by top-rated lenders and a smart matching system, Money Mutual helps borrowers find flexible loan options in real-time. Whether you need a loan for an emergency or personal expenses, Money Mutual offers up to $5,000 in funding with a simple 3-minute application and no hard credit check. 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Money Mutual connected me with a lender who cared about my income, not my credit score." Why Money Mutual is Useful in 2025 Many Americans today are living paycheck to paycheck, and traditional banks often fail to meet the needs of everyone. Millions of people are excluded from fair lending due to poor credit, past debt, or non-traditional jobs. Money Mutual is here to change that. With Money Mutual, you can apply for loans for bad credit without worrying about your credit score. If you're looking for a $500 payday loan guaranteed or a $1,000 quick loan no credit check, the process is simple and fast. Money Mutual also provides no credit check payday loans, so your credit report wont be affected. If you need an emergency loan bad credit guaranteed approval, Money Mutual can connect you with the funds you need, even with a low credit score. Whether youre after personal loans for bad credit guaranteed approval or no credit check loans guaranteed approval, Money Mutual can offer a solution that works for your situation. In 2025, Money Mutual remains one of the best options for getting fast financial help. With the ability to borrow amounts from $100 to $5,000 and easy approval based on income, Money Mutual is the go-to platform for those in need of bad credit loans. Apply now for your guaranteed approval bad credit loan and get the assistance you need, quickly and easily! NO CREDIT CHECK REQUIRED - APPLY WITH MONEY MUTUAL >> Disclaimer: Money Mutual is not a lender and does not make loan decisions. Loan approval is subject to the lender's terms and conditions, including income verification and eligibility. Loan amounts, fees, and repayment terms may vary based on the lenders policies. Emergency loan bad credit guaranteed approval, no credit check loans guaranteed approval, and other offers are available based on individual circumstances and lender requirements. Approval is not guaranteed and may depend on various factors, including your income and financial history. Always review loan terms before accepting any offer. Attachment TORONTO, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Montero Mining and Exploration Ltd. (TSX-V: MON) (OTCPK: MXTRF) (Montero or the Company) is pleased to announce that its shareholders (the Shareholders) have approved the previously announced return of capital to Shareholders. This will be done through a cash distribution totalling C$15,036,892.50, paid out pro rata to Shareholders by reducing the Companys stated capital (the Distribution). Each Shareholder will receive C$1.80 per common share of the Company (the Shares), based on the current number of Shares issued and outstanding as of the date hereof. The funds for this Distribution come from part of the net proceeds Montero received from its US$27 million settlement with the United Republic of Tanzania, which resolved the dispute related to the expropriation of the Wigu Hill rare earth project. Important Dates: Record Date: June 24, 2025. Payment Date: July 3, 2025. Important Dates, Trading and Due Bills: Due to the fact that the Distribution is greater than 25% of the companys current market value, the TSX Venture Exchange requires special trading rules, as follows: From the beginning of trading on June 24, 2025, to and including July 3, 2025 (the Due Bill Period), Montero Shares will trade with a Due Bill attached. This means that anyone who buys Shares during this period is also buying the right to receive the Distribution. If Montero Shares are sold during the Due Bill Period, the right to receive the Distribution will pass to the buyer of such Shares. Montero Shares will begin trading without the right to the Distribution (ex-distribution) on the opening of trading on July 4, 2025, accordingly, Shareholders at the close of business on July 3, 2025, are the Shareholders that will be entitled to receive the Distribution. July 4, 2025, will be the ex-distribution date. The Due Bill will be redeemed on July 4, 2025, once all trades with the Due Bills attached have been settled. Shareholders shall receive their pro rata share of the Distribution on or around this date. More information can be found in Monteros Management Information Circular dated May 7, 2025, this is also available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com, as well as Monteros website www.monteromining.com. The Distribution is subject to the final approval by the TSX Venture Exchange. About Montero Montero Mining and Exploration Ltd. is a Canadian exploration company with a focus on mineral development in emerging markets. The Company recently concluded a US$27 million settlement with the Government of Tanzania, bringing closure to the dispute over the expropriated Wigu Hill rare earth project. Montero holds the Avispa copper-molybdenum project in northern Chile and is currently advancing the project through exploration. The Companys board and management have a strong track record in discovering and developing precious metal and base metal projects. Montero is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol MON and has 8,353,833 Common Shares and 741,667 stock options outstanding. For more information, contact: Montero Mining and Exploration Ltd. Dr. Tony Harwood, President, and Chief Executive Officer E-mail: ir@monteromining.com Tel: +1 604 428 7050 www.monteromining.com 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. All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Generally, forward-looking information 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 state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information in this press release include statements with respect to the Distribution, including the timing and amount thereof. Such information is based on information currently available to Montero and Montero provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking information by its very nature involves inherent risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of Montero to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Actual results relating to, among other things, the Corporations deployment of capital, business prospects, strategies, regulatory developments, future commodity prices, exchange rates, satisfactory arrangements for the payment of legal expenses, the ability of the Company to find suitable exploration projects, results of exploration, project development, reclamation and capital costs of Monteros mineral properties, and financial condition and prospects, all of which could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: the inability to complete the Distribution on the terms currently contemplated, or at all; the decision of the Board to re-allocate part or all of the Distribution funds changes, in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with Monteros activities; and other matters discussed in this news release and in filings made with securities regulators. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of Monteros forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Montero does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Bozeman, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bozeman, Montana - Mountain Heating and Cooling recently shared details about their Mitsubishi Heat Pump Installation at the Historic Baxter Hotel in Bozeman Montana. The hotel needed a way to cool its event space while maintaining its historical charm. The Bozeman-based company rose to the occasion, finding a solution that combines modern technology with respect for the building's original architecture. For the job, they used a Mitsubishi MXZ-8B48NA heat pump along with MSZ-GE12NA indoor wall-mounted units. These units are known for being quiet and energy-efficient, blending seamlessly into the hotel's structure. Corey Johnson, the President of Mountain Heating and Cooling, explained the project's goals: "The customer was looking for an energy-efficient option to condition their event space in the hopes to grow their business opportunities. Due to lack of space, a traditional HVAC system was out of the question. We were able to design a system that maintained the historical character of the building and provided much-needed comfort that the customer was asking for." The entire installation took just five days, making it less disruptive for the business. This latest Case Study, which once again demonstrates the creative problem solving approach shown in their first Case Study, reflects how Mountain Heating and Cooling can bring modern comforts to historical places without changing their essence. Katie K., a representative from the Baxter Hotel, shared her satisfaction in a review: "Cole did an excellent job installing split-pack AC units in our building, which previously had no air conditioning. They were professional, efficient, and respectful of our space. The install was clean, and the system works perfectlyquiet, effective, and a huge upgrade in comfort. Highly recommend them!" Her comments highlight both the quality of the installation and the increased comfort offered by the new system. More such customer reviews can be found on Mountain Heating and Cooling's website. This project, once again shows Mountain Heating and Cooling's commitment to helping Bozeman grow while preserving its historical sites and . By opting for an energy-efficient, modern HVAC system, the Baxter Hotel not only takes care of its cooling needs but also boosts its ability to host various events, potentially attracting more business. This Mitsubishi Heat Pump installation is a significant step in the company's approach to handling HVAC installations in challenging settings. For visual insights, the process and outcomes are available to watch on YouTube. Mountain Heating and Cooling stands out in the HVAC sector due to their dedication to quality and customer satisfaction. This project illustrates their knack for merging modern systems with traditional designs comfortably. Through this creative installation, they show how companies can enhance functionality while maintaining historical values. Homeowners and business owners in Bozeman who need efficient, custom HVAC solutions can rely on Mountain Heating and Cooling's proven expertise for dependable service and lasting results. More information about their services, including maintenance and repair, can be found on their website. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulIWedwOZf4 The successful Mitsubishi Heat Pump Installation at the Historic Baxter Hotel in Bozeman Montana highlights Mountain Heating and Cooling's key role in delivering tailored HVAC solutions in unique and demanding settings. Their blend of innovation, historical respect, and focus on efficiency poises the company as an industry leader committed to improving comfort while preserving heritage. For further details about the full range of services, visit Mountain Heating & Cooling's official website. ### For more information about Mountain Heating and Cooling, contact the company here: Mountain Heating and Cooling Corey Johnson (406) 586-4007 coreyj@mountainheating.com 6693 Lynx Ln. Bozeman, MT 59718 Albuquerque, NM, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A delegation of government, economic development, association and industry leaders and businesses will represent the New Mexico bioscience industry at the BIO International Convention in Boston June 16-19. The Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance (AREA) will promote the New Mexico bioscience industry, learn about the latest bioscience trends, and connect with companies interested in relocating or expanding their business in greater Albuquerque. The greater Albuquerque region has a growing number of bioscience assets and workforce clusters that make it a prime location for medical technology companies, said AREA President & CEO Danielle Casey. This conference gives us an opportunity to highlight assets driving that growth, to understand how to best support our local firms and to see how trends and technology are shaping site location and expansion decisions. Representatives from AREA will exhibit at the conference with partners from Presbyterian Health, UNM Health Sciences, the New Mexico Bioscience Authority, Sandoval Economic Alliance, the New Mexico Economic Development Department, Tricore, Los Alamos National Labs. The City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and Sandoval County are also serving as sponsors of this effort. Each partner will highlight different aspects of the bioscience industry, which is broadly defined as any science that deals with the biological aspects of living organisms, by showcasing their respective organizations. Bernalillo County is ready and eager to partner with biotechnology businesses looking to expand in central New Mexico, said Marcos Gonzales, Executive Development Officer for Bernalillo County. The I-40 TradePort Corridor is a key asset for companies seeking to integrate national or regional logistics and distribution capabilities into their growth strategies. If your expansion plans include logistics automation or multi-modal connectivity, were here to find the right solution together. The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Office of Research is honored to participate in the 2025 BIO International Convention, said Dr. Hengameh Raissy, Vice President of Research at UNM Health Sciences. As part of the New Mexico booth, our team is eager to showcase groundbreaking research, build strategic partnerships, and explore new opportunities for collaboration that drive advancements in health and biomedical sciences. We are excited to engage with global leaders in biotechnology and life sciences, and to highlight the impactful work taking place at UNM Health Sciences and throughout New Mexico. A featured and exciting showcase will occur on Tuesday, June 17 during the main exhibit hall reception, courtesy of Visit Albuquerque, where booth visitors will experience the thrill of a hot air balloon ride from the safety of the ground through virtual reality. The region has seen consistent growth within the industry, thanks to high concentrations of technical occupations, key regional assets like national laboratories and top-tier research universities, and a statewide talent pipeline of STEM-based graduates that has seen steady growth over the past five years. Overall, the state of New Mexico has seen a 26% job growth increase in the past five years in the bioscience cluster and 3,970 Statewide STEM Graduates. Albuquerque offers the innovation ecosystem, workforce, and infrastructure needed to help bioscience companies thrive and scale, said Economic Development Director Max Gruner. Were committed to meeting businesses where they are and building new partnerships. The BIO International Convention is the largest and most comprehensive event for biotechnology, representing the full ecosystem of biotech with over 20,000 industry leaders from across the globe. It is regarded as one of the most significant gatherings in the industry, providing a platform for New Mexico to connect and make strategic connections with investors, businesses interested in their research or products, and industry leaders from the pharmaceutical, med tech, life science, health care, government, and academic institutions. The Exhibition showcases over 500 exhibitors offering cutting-edge solutions in product development, contract research, contract manufacturing, and beyond, providing the New Mexico bioindustry an opportunity to build new partnerships and increase visibility and brand awareness of New Mexico as a leading location to do business. To view the New Mexico delegations schedule of booth events and representatives, as well as reports and data on the bioscience industry in New Mexico, visit www.newmexicobio.org. For more information about the conference, visit: https://convention.bio.org/. About AREA The Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to lead and execute strategies designed to grow and diversify the economic base of the greater Albuquerque region, creating a prosperous, diverse and inclusive economy and elevating the standard of living for all. AREA provides confidential assistance to businesses considering the area for expansion and new investment. Since its creation in 1960, AREA has recruited more than 250 companies and more than 35,000 jobs to the Albuquerque metro area. AREA also provides retention and expansion assistance to existing industry. For more information, visit ABQ.org. SAN FRANCISCO, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shares of Compass Diversified (NYSE: CODI) plunged nearly 15 percent in intraday Wednesday trading, as the private equity firm scrambled to shore up its finances following the discovery of troubling accounting practices at one of its subsidiaries, which has sparked a securities class action. Hagens Berman is investigating the claims and urges investors who purchased Compass shares and suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now. Class Period: May 1, 2024 May 7, 2025 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: July 8, 2025 Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/codi Contact the Firm Now: CODI@hbsslaw.com | 844-916-0895 Liquidity Measures Unveiled Amid Crisis The Connecticut-based investment company announced a series of urgent steps designed to bolster its liquidity. Among them: a forbearance agreement with lenders, a reduction in management fees, and a suspension of its quarterly cash distributiona dividend cherished by income-focused investors. Compass also said it would curtail new investment in Lugano Holdings, the subsidiary at the center of the controversy, in order to concentrate resources on its other eight portfolio companies. CEO Elias Sabo assured investors, Our diversified structure allows us to contain the issues at Lugano while continuing to support the growth of our other businesses. Regulatory Scrutiny and Delayed Filings The companys troubles deepened after it received notice from the New York Stock Exchange last week, warning that Compass was out of compliance with listing requirements because it failed to file its quarterly report on time. The company now faces a six-month deadline to remedy the situation or risk delisting. Investor Class Action The financial turbulence follows the filing of a securities class action lawsuit in federal court in California. The suit alleges that Compass and certain executives misled investors about the financial health of Lugano Holdings, which operates in the branded consumer goods sector. Plaintiffs claim that undisclosed financing arrangements and irregularities in sales, inventory, and receivables rendered Compasss 2024 financial statements unreliable, ultimately forcing the company to announce a restatement. The lawsuit, brought on behalf of investors who bought Compass shares between May 2024 and May 2025, contends that the companys internal controls were inadequate, and that key information was withheld from shareholders. The crisis came to a head on May 7, when Compass revealed in a regulatory filing that it had uncovered irregularities in Luganos financial practices. The companys audit committee concluded that its 2024 financial statements could no longer be relied upon, prompting a dramatic sell-off that erased more than half of Compasss market value in a single day. In the aftermath, Compass announced it would delay the release of its first-quarter 2025 financial results as its internal investigation continues. Hagens Bermans Investigation Hagens Berman, a national investor rights law firm, has announced it is investigating potential securities violations by Compass Diversified. The companys recent moves to preserve cash and limit exposure to Lugano point to the magnitude of the financial reporting issues alleged in the lawsuit, said Reed Kathrein, the partner at Hagens Berman leading the firms probe. If you invested in Compass Diversified and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firms investigation, submit your losses now. If youd like more information and answers to frequently asked questions about the Compass Diversified case and our investigation, read more. Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Compass Diversified should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email CODI@hbsslaw.com. About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Bermans team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw. LAS VEGAS, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new scholarship opportunity is now available to help undergraduate students pursuing careers in medicine achieve their academic and professional goals. The Dr. Hazem Afifi Scholarship for Medical Students has been established by renowned physician Dr. Hazem Afifi to provide meaningful financial support and recognition to dedicated medical students across the United States. This scholarship program reflects Dr. Afifis commitment to fostering the development of future medical professionals who are poised to make significant contributions to healthcare. It aims to identify and support students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, strong ethical values, and a passion for improving patient care and community health. Dr. Hazem Afifi is widely respected in the medical community for his dedication to patient care, medical innovation, and mentorship. Through this scholarship, he seeks to extend his impact beyond clinical practice by encouraging aspiring physicians to pursue their goals with purpose and determination. Dr. Afifi believes that investing in students today will help shape a healthier tomorrow. Education and service form the cornerstone of a rewarding career in medicine, Dr. Afifi stated. This scholarship is designed to assist medical students who are truly committed to healing and making a difference. It is both a financial award and a recognition of their potential to positively influence the lives of their patients and communities. The Dr. Hazem Afifi Scholarship invites applications from undergraduate students currently enrolled in accredited colleges or universities in the United States and pursuing a degree specifically in medicine. Students at any stage of their medical education are encouraged to apply. Applicants are required to submit a 500 to 700-word essay addressing the following prompt: What inspired you to pursue a career in medicine, and how do you plan to make a meaningful impact in the lives of your future patients? The essay will be evaluated on originality, clarity of expression, depth of personal insight, and how well it aligns with the values and mission of the scholarship. In addition to the essay, applicants must provide their full name, current institution, field of study, and contact details. Including a resume is optional but can help support the application by showcasing relevant academic and extracurricular accomplishments. The application deadline is February 15, 2026. Completed applications must be submitted via email to apply@drhazemafifischolarship.com. The scholarship recipient will be announced on March 15, 2026, with the winners name posted on the official scholarship website. Dr. Hazem Afifis professional journey is marked by a commitment to excellence in patient care and a drive to innovate within the medical field. Through this scholarship, he hopes to inspire the next generation of physicians to embody the same values of compassion, integrity, and dedication that have shaped his career. Prospective applicants and interested parties can find comprehensive information about eligibility, submission guidelines, and the scholarships objectives on the official website at https://drhazemafifischolarship.com. The launch of the Dr. Hazem Afifi Scholarship for Medical Students represents a significant opportunity for emerging medical professionals to receive support during a critical phase of their education. By encouraging academic excellence and community-focused service, the scholarship is poised to help shape compassionate and skilled physicians who will lead the future of healthcare. Contact Information: Spokesperson: Dr. Hazem Afifi Organization: Dr. Hazem Afifi Scholarship Website: https://drhazemafifischolarship.com Email: apply@drhazemafifischolarship.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4907b2f2-8fef-4949-b2c4-ae08c581228e Dallas, TX, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright today announced a move to enhance its corporate finance capabilities by bringing on Jonathan (Jon) Riley as a partner in both its Dallas and Chicago offices. Norton Rose Fulbright continues to prove its commitment to deepening its client offering in transactional law. More than 40 new partners have joined the firms business practice group globally this year through promotions and lateral additions, giving further momentum to its growth in this strategic area. A dynamic and trusted advisor, Jon is widely recognized for his deep experience representing major financial institutionsincluding banks, hedge funds, and private credit firmsin structuring, negotiating, documenting and executing complex finance transactions. His broad practice spans fund finance products, asset-based and cash-flow loans, specialty finance, and high-level credit structures. Jons proven success in the private credit and private wealth spaces will immediately enhance our corporate finance offering, said Jeff Cody, Norton Rose Fulbrights US Managing Partner and Global Co-Managing Partner. Not only will his entrepreneurial nature blend seamlessly with the culture of our Dallas office, but his strong ties to Chicago will also be a major asset to that office and its growing client roster. Jons legal acumen and commercial sensibility have made him a go-to counsel for senior and subordinated lenders alike. He has experience in mezzanine and unitranche transactions, refinancings, debt restructurings, workouts, and secured and unsecured credit facilities. He has led both bilateral and syndicated deals, with a focus on leveraged acquisitions and nuanced intercreditor and lender agreements. Stephen Castro, the firms US Head of Finance, underscored the strategic significance of the hire: Jon has built an enviable lender-focused practice by guiding some of the worlds most sophisticated financial institutions through complex credit transactions. His addition is a major win for our team and reflects our broader commitment to strategically scaling our finance capabilities. Jon joins Norton Rose Fulbright from Holland & Knight, drawn by the firms commitment to excellence in private banking and family office advisory. Im thrilled to be joining a firm that not only mirrors the focus of my practice but also offers an ideal platform for expansion, he said. The depth of relationships the firm has with leading financial institutions in the US, Canada and Europe positions my practice for significant growth. Dual-licensed in Texas and Illinois, Jons arrival significantly enhances the firms capabilities in two of its key US markets, while his skills will boost the firms offerings throughout the US and beyond. He earned his law degree from the Southern University Law Center and his bachelors degree from Louisiana State University. Norton Rose Fulbright Norton Rose Fulbright provides a full scope of legal services to the worlds preeminent corporations and financial institutions. The global law firm has more than 3,000 lawyers advising clients across more than 50 locations worldwide, including Houston, New York, London, Toronto, Mexico City, Hong Kong, Sydney and Johannesburg, covering the United States, Europe, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East. With its global business principles of quality, unity and integrity, Norton Rose Fulbright is recognized for its client service in key industries, including financial institutions; energy, infrastructure and resources; technology; transport; life sciences and healthcare; and consumer markets. For more information, visit nortonrosefulbright.com. Attachment ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ann Arbor will become a national hub of skilled trades excellence this summer as approximately 6,000 union members from across the U.S. and abroad converge to enhance their expertise. Nearly 5,000 will train at Washtenaw Community College (WCC). The influx of trades professionals brings not only advanced training to the region but a $23 million boost to the local economy. Plasterers and cement masons; roofers; ironworkers; electrical workers; and plumbers and pipefitters will train with their respective trade organizations each for a week from June through August. The Train the Trainer partnerships bring union members from throughout the United States and countries such as Canada, Ireland, Australia and beyond. Through a multi-year program, trainers work to enhance their skills and safety practices and then go back to teach fellow trades workers in their organizations. A new report from Destination Ann Arbor revealed that three of the major unions impacted the local businesses, restaurants and economies of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County by $23 million last summer. Union members and their families booked nearly 21,000 nights of hotel rooms and spent nearly $18 million during their stay. This years summer of training kicked off Monday with approximately 120 members of the Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons International Association on campus. The United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers & Allied Workers will bring approximately 200 members for training June 23-27. The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union will bring approximately 700 members July 12-18. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers National Electrical Contractors Association (NTI) will bring approximately 2,000 members to the Ann Arbor area July 23-August 1. The electrical workers will split training between WCC and the nearby Eastern Michigan University campus, with about 1,000 concentrated at WCC. The summer of training concludes the week of August 9-15 with up to 3,000 members of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA). Highlights of the week include Industry Day, in which hundreds of industry leaders and vendors are hosted on campus, as well as the UAs International Apprentice Contest (INAC). Union trainers typically spend a week on campus enrolled in hands-on instruction to stay ahead of the curve in cutting-edge skills and technological developments within their industries. Some also return at various times throughout the year for specific training. Additionally, union members may also enroll as WCC students to pursue a certificate or associate degree. Destination Ann Arbor will host downtown Ann Arbor block parties July 30 for the electrical workers and August 11 for the United Association. Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons International Association: June 9-13 120 people June 9-13 120 people United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers & Allied Workers: June 23-27 200 people June 23-27 200 people International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union: July 12-18 700 people July 12-18 700 people International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers - National Electrical Contractors Association (NTI): July 23-August 1 2,000 people total (1,000 at WCC & 1,000 at EMU) July 23-August 1 2,000 people total (1,000 at WCC & 1,000 at EMU) United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA): August 9-15 2,500-3,000 people About Washtenaw Community College Washtenaw Community College (WCC), Ann Arbor, Michigan, educates students through a wide range of associate and certificate programs in areas such as healthcare, business, STEM and advanced transportation and mobility. The college also works through community, business and union partnerships to develop highly specialized training programs to meet the regions workforce talent needs. For more information about Washtenaw Community College, visit www.wccnet.edu. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7ba2fcc8-366d-49eb-882d-899cad331b07 Craftsman promotes ancient silver craft in SW China's Yunnan through innovation People's Daily Online) 16:37, June 11, 2025 Li Yaohua skillfully engraved an auspicious cloud pattern onto a silver bracelet, using an engraving tool in his left hand and a small hammer in his right, in Xinhua village, Caohai town, Heqing county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. Heqing silver craft, with a history spanning over 1,000 years, has earned a strong reputation thanks to the continued efforts of generations of local silversmiths. Li Yaohua works on a silver handicraft in Xinhua village, Caohai town, Heqing county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Hao) Li, a 39-year-old silversmith of the Bai ethnic group, is a provincial-level representative inheritor of the Heqing silver craft. After venturing out to study modern silver craftsmanship, he returned to his hometown to start his own business. Over more than a decade, he has trained over 60 apprentices. After graduating from junior high school, Li accompanied his unclea silversmithon trips to Sichuan and Qinghai provinces, as well as Xizang Autonomous Region, to learn silver craftsmanship. Fueled by passion and dedication, he gradually mastered the techniques and was able to complete customer orders independently by the age of 19. When his uncle was ready to hand over the workshop, Li made a surprising decision: he gave up the established business to study modern craftsmanship in a major city, a choice that puzzled his family. Through long-term observation, Li had realized that the overall style of the Heqing silver craft was relatively rough, particularly in the engraving process, and that there remained a significant gap between traditional craftsmanship and modern standards. In 2008, he moved to Shanghai to study jewelry making at a silver jewelry company. During his five years in Shanghai, Li not only broadened his horizons but also refined his skills. "Most importantly, I learned how to engrave more delicately and realistically," he said. Apprentices learn silver craftsmanship in Li Yaohua's workshop in Xinhua village, Caohai town, Heqing county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/Tang Li) With his exceptional skill and commitment to learning, Li quickly stood out and became a master craftsman at the company. Still, he chose to return home to launch his own business. In 2014, the Heqing silver craft was included in China's fourth list of national intangible cultural heritage. Heqing seized the opportunity to boost the silver processing industry, developing a 'silversmith village' centered on Xinhua village. Li embraced the chance and set up his workshop in the village. Promoting the innovative development of the Heqing silver craft became Li's top priority after returning home. Combining his expertise in relief carving and traditional filigree art, Li developed a technique for creating three-dimensional engraving patterns. Since returning to his hometown, Li has earned many honors. Today, his primary focus is training the next generation of silver artisans. How can intangible cultural heritage be better preserved and promoted? Li believes the key is to integrate Heqing silverware into everyday life. He now emphasizes designing practical items such as bowls, pots, cups, and tea sets, while also exploring new materials to modernize the craft. To date, Heqing has 80 representative inheritors of the silver craft, including two at the national level and eight at the provincial level. In 2022, "Heqing Silversmiths" was designated a national-level labor brand, helping over 1,500 households engage in silver handicraft processing, with more than 5,600 people directly involved. "Over the years, Heqing silverware has gained wider recognition and is now sold across China," Li said. He hopes that, through the continued dedication of future generations, the Heqing silver craft will continue to thrive. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) The Six Five Summit: AI Unleashed 2025 will feature executives from 30+ companies leading the future of AI innovation and adoption Analysts from Moor Insights & Strategy and The Futurum Group host powerful sessions with industry leaders Austin, Texas, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Six Five Media has released the complete agenda for its annual Six Five Summit, set to take place virtually from June 16-19, 2025. This year's summit, themed "AI Unleashed 2025," will unpack the transformative power of artificial intelligence and its impact across various industries. To view the full agenda and register, please visit sixfivemedia.com/summit. The Six Five Summit: AI Unleashed will deliver four days of exclusive, on-demand content, featuring insights from the industry's most influential voices at the center of AI, tech, and their markets. Attendees will gain access to fresh video sessions and interactive thought leadership from top tech executives, with new content released daily. This years agenda will include sessions exploring the intersection of AI with 14 different track topics: Automotive DevOps Cloud Infrastructure Enterprise AI Intelligent Edge Enterprise Applications Collaboration Modern Work Cybersecurity Semiconductors Sustainability Data & Observability Quantum Computing As the AI landscape continues to expand exponentially, this years program will introduce a new track focusing on Channel Ecosystems & Marketing. In addition to the events opening keynote speaker, Michael Dell, Founder, Chairman, and CEO at Dell Technologies, leaders from the following companies will share valuable information relating to AI and its intersection with trends like Agentic AI, Co-Pilots, Frontier Models, and SLMs: About The Six Five Summit The Six Five Summit is an annual, digital event hosted by Six Five Media, bringing together the leading voices in technology to discuss the most important trends and innovations transforming industries and markets. The summit provides a platform for in-depth analysis, thought leadership, and networking, with top tech CEOs and C-suite executives paired with insights and commentary from top analysts, pundits, and strategists in the industry, delivered directly to attendees' screens. About Six Five Media Six Five Media is a global technology media, and events company. They provide industry-leading B2B technology analysis and produce high-profile thought leadership content from the top voices in tech. Attachments CARY, N.C., June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- What do most pet owners misunderstand about dog boarding? In a featured article in HelloNation Magazine , Trace Essex of Pupsi Inc in Cary, North Carolina, explains that boarding is far more than a temporary kennel stay. Many people assume that providing food, water, and a soft place to sleep is enough for their dog while theyre away, but Essex emphasizes that this limited approach fails to support the social and emotional well-being of dogs. According to Essex, quality dog boarding involves structured routines, human interaction, and mental engagement that closely mirror a dogs home environment. Without these elements, even short stays can become stressful for dogs accustomed to companionship and predictable daily rhythms. Facilities that offer supervised play, enrichment activities, and knowledgeable staff help reduce stress and keep dogs calm, safe, and stimulated. Importantly, these features support not just a dogs physical needs, but also its behavioral and emotional health. Essex also highlights the misconception that upscale accommodationssuch as luxury suites or plush beddingare the best indicators of care. Instead, attention should focus on staff training, dog-to-caregiver ratios, and how the facility integrates observation and interaction into every part of a dogs day. Transparent communication with pet owners and detailed knowledge about each dogs habits and responses further distinguishes high-quality care. These insights are featured in the HelloNation Magazine article, What Most People Get Wrong About Dog Boarding . About HelloNation HelloNation is a premier media platform that connects readers with trusted professionals and businesses across various industries. Through its innovative edvertising approach that blends educational content and storytelling, HelloNation delivers expert-driven articles that inform, inspire, and empower. Covering topics from home improvement and health to business strategy and lifestyle, HelloNation highlights leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities. Patrick McCabe info@hellonation.com www.hellonation.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0de025f3-2e3a-46d8-9b51-54fb5e756c4f BRUNSWICK, Ga., June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- How can buyers avoid missing the right property by being too rigid in their search? In an article featured in HelloNation Magazine , Crystal Akers of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Cooper Real Estate Hodnett in Brunswick, Georgia, encourages home seekers to broaden their strategies and look beyond the traditional checklist. Many buyers start with specific goalslike a certain number of bedrooms or a preferred ZIP codebut this can unintentionally limit the possibilities. By expanding criteria just slightly, buyers may uncover more suitable properties that better meet their lifestyle and long-term goals. Akers emphasizes that adjusting expectations on square footage, age of the home, or architectural style can reveal hidden value and better functionality. In competitive or fast-paced markets like Saint Simons Island, a more flexible home buying approach can provide access to neighborhoods with similar amenities, lower taxes, or better pricing that might have been overlooked initially. She notes that this strategy isnt about giving up key priorities, but rather about refining the search to match the buyers true needs, even if those werent obvious at the outset. Especially in Georgia coastal real estate markets where inventory may fluctuate and planning restrictions apply, this adaptive mindset helps buyers stay responsive and confident. A broader perspective often results in finding properties that offer charm, usability, and investment potential beyond what the original checklist captured. These real estate search strategies are outlined in the HelloNation Magazine article, Looking Beyond the Checklist: Expanding Your Home Search Strategy . About HelloNation HelloNation is a premier media platform that connects readers with trusted professionals and businesses across various industries. Through its innovative edvertising approach that blends educational content and storytelling, HelloNation delivers expert-driven articles that inform, inspire, and empower. Covering topics from home improvement and health to business strategy and lifestyle, HelloNation highlights leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities. Patrick McCabe info@hellonation.com www.hellonation.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8599a3e7-d37a-490f-aa98-0b0dd90f3727 Sessions cover the latest updates in psychedelic neuroscience, from psilocybins effects on brain connectivity to trial design, clinical outcomes for PTSD, depression, addiction, and OCD, and the future of drug development through translational models and AI innovations Speakers include globally renowned experts like Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Ph.D., Michael Bogenschutz, M.D., Robin Carhart-Harris, Ph.D., Alan K. Davis, Ph.D., Gul Dolen, M.D., Ph.D., Ben Kelmendi, M.D., Franklin King, M.D., Amy Lehrner, Ph.D., Leslie Morland, Psy.D., David Nutt, Ph.D., Stephen Ross, M.D., Emmanuelle Schindler, M.D., Ph.D., and Nolan Williams, M.D. Representing institutions include Columbia, CU Denver, Imperial College London, Johns Hopkins, LSU, Massachusetts General Hospital, NYU, Ohio State, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCSD, UCSF, University of Alabama, University of New Mexico, University of Washington, and numerous VA centers DENVER, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Psychedelic Science 2025 (PS2025), the worlds leading conference on psychedelic research, medicine, policy, and culture hosted by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), announced its Science, Studies, and Trials tracksthree of the conferences most anticipated and data-rich offerings. Taking place June 1620, 2025, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, PS2025s research tracks will convene top clinical investigators, neuroscientists, biotech pioneers, and social scientists to present a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary view of this transformative field of study. At a time when the global mental health crisis continues to grow, PS2025 showcases therapeutic research using psychedelic compounds such as psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, and ketamine, which are being investigated as treatments for serious mental illnesses such as addiction, depression, PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well as neurological conditions such as pain, Alzheimers, Lyme Disease, and Parkinsons. Beyond clinical trials, PS2025 also offers the latest in psychedelic neuroscience, examining data from studies using new neuroimaging, cellular, and molecular research tools that deepen the understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying their remarkable effects. Social science research is also included that examines the usage, attitudes, and experiences of trial participants, psychedelic consumers, and the general public, providing important context for societal views about this rapidly growing field. With the science and understanding of psychedelic substances expanding exponentially in recent years, were honored to welcome some of the worlds top academic researchers to PS2025 so they can share this new knowledge with attendees from around the globe. Philippe Lucas, Ph.D., Director, Research & Safe Access, MAPS The Science, Studies, and Trials tracks will feature both senior research leaders as well as emerging voices from public and private universities throughout North America, as well as international institutions in the UK, Europe, and Latin America. This highly anticipated convergence allows scientists to engage deeply about hot topics, including durability of efficacy, safety and risk, placebo dynamics, the role of psychotherapy, transdiagnostic effects, precision psychiatry, biological mechanisms, novel compounds, and the role of government grants and private capital in innovation. Visit PsychedelicScience.org to view the full schedule, register for workshops, and explore hotel and travel options. Workshop spaces are limited and available on a first-come basis. Featured sessions in the Science, Studies, and Trials tracks include: 20 Years of Human Neuroscience Research with Psychedelics David Nutt, Ph.D., reflects on two decades of pioneering work using brain imaging and neuropharmacology to explore consciousness, depression, and psychedelic mechanisms of action. Psychedelic Frontiers at the National Institutes of Health: NIH-funded Studies, Research Opportunities, and Priorities Join a conversation moderated by Stacy Fischer, M.D., featuring Michael Bogenschutz, M.D., and Patrick Finan, Ph.D., as they unpack the latest NIH-funded studies, explore future research opportunities, and discuss the evolving priorities shaping this rapidly growing field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Frontiers in Psilocybin Research for OCD: Neural Mechanisms, Treatment Response, and Clinical Implications In a session moderated by Jamila Hokanson, M.D., Ben Kelmendi, M.D., and Terence Ching, Ph.D., explore cutting-edge research on psilocybins neural effects, clinical outcomes, and its potential as a treatment for OCD. Studies of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy for Addiction Disorders Join a conversation with Matthew Johnson, Ph.D., and Rayyan Zafar, Ph.D., moderated by Peter Hendricks, Ph.D., for a discussion on the latest research into the use of psychedelics as tools to treat addiction. This session will explore emerging evidence, clinical insights, and the challenges and promises of integrating psychedelic-assisted therapy into addiction treatment frameworks. Psychedelic Therapy for Military Veterans: A New Paradigm of Healing the Wounds of War Moderated by Chris Stauffer, M.D., and featuring Allie Kaigle, PharmD, BCPP, Amy Lehrner, Ph.D., and Leslie Morland, Psy.D., this session examines how psychedelic-assisted therapies are reshaping the landscape of care for Veterans grappling with PTSD, depression, and moral injury. By combining cutting-edge research with lived experience, these experts reveal how these innovative therapies can unlock hope, resilience, and lasting healing for those who have served. Five-Year Outcomes from a Trial of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder In this presentation, Alan K. Davis, Ph.D., shares groundbreaking findings from a long-term follow-up study examining the sustained effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy for individuals with major depressive disorder and what these results mean for the future of psychedelic treatments in mental health care. Ayahuasca: Bridging Molecular and Clinical Insights A Multidisciplinary Panel Draulio Araujo, Ph.D., moderates a conversation with Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Ph.D., Marcelo Falchi Parra Carvalho Silva, M.D., and Marcelo Leite, Ph.D., on the multifaceted world of ayahuasca through a unique convergence of molecular research, clinical practice, and traditional wisdom. The conversation offers insights into ayahuascas molecular mechanisms and its applications in healing trauma and supporting personal growth. Developing Ibogaine for Opioid Use Disorder: Bridging Science, Public Benefit, and Sacred Roots Susan Ousterman moderates a conversation with Jeremy Weate, Ph.D., Ryan Rich, and Peter Hendricks, Ph.D., on the journey of ibogaine from traditional medicine to modern addiction therapy. Together, theyll explore clinical advancements, regulatory challenges, and how to ethically integrate indigenous knowledge and practices to address the opioid epidemic. Improving Standardization and Reducing Bias in Psychedelic Drug Development Trials Using an AI-Enabled Platform Jennifer Tippett, Psy.D., and Danielle Schlosser, Ph.D., discuss how artificial intelligence can transform psychedelic research by improving standardization, reducing bias, and enhancing data quality in clinical trials. Discover how this innovative approach is shaping the next generation of rigorous, ethical, and effective psychedelic drug development. The Potential for Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in Conflict-Affected Populations: Ukraine and the Balkans Moderated by Tadeusz Hawrot and featuring Oksana Gryshchenko, Elise Wilson, Zina Besirevic, Ph.D., and Galyna Pidpruzhnykova, Ph.D., this panel explores how psychedelic-assisted therapies might offer pathways to healing for individuals and communities affected by war and conflict. Exploring Differences in Therapeutic Outcomes Between Synthetic Psilocybin and Whole Psilocybe Mushrooms: A Qualitative Study Join Pamela Kryskow, M.D., and Joseph La Torre, Ph.D., as they present their qualitative study exploring the participants lived experiences and perceptions, offering a deeper understanding of how these distinct forms of psilocybin influence healing, integration, and personal transformation. The Unique Challenges and Potential for Studying Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy for Palestinians and Jews in Israel Moderated by Keren Tzarfaty, Ph.D., MFT, and featuring Adar Avnon, Sidi Ronen, Ph.D., and Clinical Psychologist Wasim Biroumi, this session dives into the promise and complexities of researching psychedelic-assisted therapy in the unique socio-political landscape of Israel. The panel will discuss how shared trauma and cultural dynamics shape therapeutic approaches and the role psychedelics may play in fostering healing, understanding, and resilience across communities. Transdiagnostic Outcomes from Yale's Real-World Psilocybin Trial: Connecticut-Funded Pioneering Psychedelic Therapy Program and Insights from Other State Initiatives Jesse MacLachlan and Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Ph.D., share findings from Yales groundbreaking psilocybin trial, the first state-funded psychedelic therapy program in the U.S. This session will examine the transdiagnostic benefits observed in real-world settings and highlight key insights from Connecticuts initiative alongside other state-led programs shaping the future of psychedelic-assisted care. Of Critical Periods and Cephalopods: A Conversation with Neuroscientist Dr. Gul Dolen Join Gul Dolen, M.D., Ph.D., and Amy Emerson for a fascinating conversation that spans critical periods in brain development and the remarkable learning abilities of cephalopods. This session will illuminate the connections between these insights and the potential of psychedelics to re-open windows of plasticity in the adult brain. Listening to Lead: How a Community-Informed Psilocybin Study is Guiding New Mexicos Regulated Model Crystal Romero, Janus Herrera, Dara Menashi, Ph.D., Larry Leeman, M.D., and Hanifa Nayo Washington (moderator) explore how New Mexicos historic Senate Bill 219 is paving the way for the nations first state-regulated medical psilocybin program. This panel spotlights the community-informed pilot study by the Psychedelic Health Equity Initiative (PHEI), designed to center equity, accessibility, and culturally attuned care for underserved communities. Expanding the Lens: Mechanisms, Models & Modes - Transdiagnostic Potential of Psychedelic Medicines Join Charles Nichols, Ph.D., and Robin Carhart-Harris, Ph.D., as they unpack the unique mechanisms and models of action that position psychedelics as potential transdiagnostic treatments by addressing shared root causes across conditions. Treating Care Providers and Long COVID with Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Anthony Back, M.D., moderates a vital discussion with Lawrence Purpura, M.D., Ph.D., Benjamin Lewis, M.D., Kush Bhatt, M.D., and Saleena Subaiya, M.D., on the emerging promise of psychedelic-assisted therapy to help those suffering from long COVID and the burnout experienced by care providers. This session will share clinical updates, innovative approaches, and new possibilities for fostering healing for those on the front lines of care. A Machine Learning Perspective on Psychedelics and Psychopathology Arthur Juliani, Ph.D., shares how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing clinical trial design, protocol optimization, and predictive modeling for psychedelic studies. From Rodents to Humans: Unlocking the Science of Psychedelic-Induced Neuroplasticity Moderated by Lindsay Cameron, Ph.D., and featuring Manesh Girn, Ph.D., Max Vargas, Ph.D., and Neil Savalia, M.D./Ph.D(c), this session investigates the limitations of preclinical models in capturing the complexity of human psychedelic experiences and what these challenges mean for the future of psychedelic drug development. Psilocybin Desynchronizes the Human Brain Join Joshua Siegel, M.D., Ph.D., as he delves into cutting-edge research exploring how psilocybin disrupts established patterns of brain connectivity unpacking how these transient states of neural desynchronization might illuminate new pathways for therapeutic breakthroughs, and revealing the brains remarkable flexibility and potential for healing. About Psychedelic Science Psychedelic Science 2025 (PS2025), hosted by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), is the worlds leading psychedelic conference. Returning to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver from June 16-20, 2025, this five-day event brings together a global community of scientists, therapists, policymakers, cultural leaders, and advocates to explore the forefront of psychedelic research, therapy, and culture. Facilitated by Superfly , known for producing iconic events such as Bonnaroo and Outside Lands, PS2025 will feature expert speakers; hands-on workshops; community events with art, music, and mindfulness activities; and scholarship opportunities to support broad participation. Since its inception in 2010, the Psychedelic Science conference series has fostered knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and community-building within the psychedelic ecosystem. Join thousands of attendees as we explore the transformative potential of psychedelics and shape the future of mental health, policy, and cultural understanding. For more information and registration details, visit psychedelicscience.org , and follow us on X , Instagram , LinkedIn , and Facebook . ABOUT MAPS Founded in 1986, MAPS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana. MAPS' conference flagship, Psychedelic Science , has been the leading convening of the psychedelic community since 2010. MAPS incubated Lykos Therapeutics, a drug-development public benefit company, and the Zendo Project , a leader in psychedelic harm reduction. Since MAPS was founded, philanthropic donors and grantors have given more than $150 million to advance research , change drug policy , and evolve education in the field of psychedelics. LOUISVILLE, Ky., June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Norton Childrens, a comprehensive pediatric health care system based in Louisville, plans to build a new pediatric care campus that will include a full-service hospital for children with complex medical needs, research facilities and expanded specialty services. The project marks a major expansion for the health care system and will feature the systems second dedicated childrens hospital. We believe it will be a national destination for lifesaving care with virtually no limit to how we can shape what childrens health care and family support will look like in the future, said Russell F. Cox, president and CEO, Norton Healthcare and Norton Childrens. Our vision is to build a village for pediatric care unlike anything Kentucky or the region has seen. This campus will bring together leading-edge technology; top pediatric specialists; and compassionate, family-centered care all in one place. The new campus will be located on more than 150 acres near the intersection of interstates 64 and 265 in Jefferson County. It will complement care provided at Norton Childrens Hospital, Norton Womens & Childrens Hospital, Norton Childrens Medical Center, and other specialty and clinical locations throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana. The site will be developed in phases, beginning with construction of the new full-service pediatric hospital. Future plans include behavioral and mental health care, expanded clinic space for pediatric specialists, and research facilities to support development of new treatments and cures for childhood conditions. To ensure the campus reflects the communitys needs, Norton Childrens will host listening sessions across Kentucky and Southern Indiana over the next year. Sessions will begin in Louisville in July and expand to other cities. Growing need for childrens specialty care The United States ranks among the lowest developed countries for childrens health, according to UNICEF. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 20% of children ages 6 to 11 in the U.S. are obese, increasing their risk for future health problems. The deadliest conditions for children ages 5 to 9 accidents, cancer and congenital disorders often require specialized, ongoing care. Our doctors and scientists are going to take research and innovation to a new level, said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. And we are going to build one of if not the largest pediatric health campuses in the country, creating 1,000 jobs for this hospital. That makes this the largest jobs announcement in Kentucky this year. The communitys support has always been key to Norton Childrens growth and success, Cox said. That support will be more important than ever as we move ahead, and we look forward to our upcoming listening sessions. Average employee salary for the new hospital alone is expected to be around $60,000. A groundbreaking date will be announced once it is finalized. Additional information about the full campus plan will be shared following the community input phase. Updates on the campus and listening sessions can be found at NortonChildrens.com/new-campus. # # # About Norton Childrens Norton Childrens is a comprehensive pediatric health system that provides high-quality pediatric care across a spectrum of specialties and locations throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Comprising two hospitals, a medical center, regional outpatient centers, and primary and specialty care physician practices, Norton Childrens has an extensive network of highly trained pediatricians, pediatric specialists and support services providing care for children of all ages. As the need for pediatric care has grown in our region, so has the footprint of Norton Childrens, with over 600 pediatric providers across more than 170 locations. Our medical facilities currently serve more than 215,000 patients and see nearly 1 million patient visits each year. Located in downtown Louisville, the 300-bed Norton Childrens Hospital is Kentucky and Southern Indianas only full-service, free-standing pediatric hospital, the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in Louisville and serves as the primary pediatric teaching facility for the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Norton Childrens Hospital provides a complete range of services for children, with more than 35 clinical specialties represented, including pediatric intensive care and one of the nations largest Level IV neonatal intensive care units. Norton Womens & Childrens Hospital, a full-service community hospital located in the St. Matthews area of Louisville, is Kentuckys only combined womens and childrens hospital. The hospitals services specifically for children include pediatric inpatient care, surgery, a 48-bed Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a sleep center, a rehabilitation center and pediatric emergency services, plus specialized care for pediatric gynecology, neurology and urology patients. Norton Childrens Medical Center in northeastern Jefferson County is the only pediatric outpatient center of its type in Kentucky, with a 24-hour pediatric emergency department, full-service laboratory, diagnostic imaging services and a wide range of pediatric outpatient surgery services. Novak Center for Childrens Health is located in downtown Louisville, a few blocks from Norton Childrens Hospital. The outpatient center provides access to primary care, more than 20 pediatric specialty practices, and is home to Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute, a part of Norton Childrens Endocrinology, serving as Kentuckys largest and most comprehensive pediatric diabetes facility. Norton Childrens Outpatient Centers in Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Frankfort, Owensboro, Paducah and Shepherdsville, Kentucky, provide access to specialty and follow-up care closer to home for families throughout the region. In addition to offering care at Norton Childrens Outpatient Center locations, Norton Childrens Heart Institute also provides care at satellite offices in 11 additional locations across Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Norton Childrens relies on support from the community through the Norton Childrens Hospital Foundation. The foundation raises funds to support critical programs, purchase new equipment and technologies, fund clinical research, expand regional programs, and build or enhance facilities, and assists in making Norton Childrens services available to all families regardless of their ability to pay. More information is available at NortonChildrens.com. Beijing, China, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A Japanese civil group said in an exclusive interview with the Global Times on Tuesday that Japanese junior high school history textbooks contain inaccurate descriptions regarding the causes of World War II. The group warned that Japan's current lack of responsibility in addressing historical issues could make it difficult for Japanese young people to understand the true history of the war and to critically examine the essence of contemporary social issues. Since April, junior high schools across Japan started to use new textbooks. The changes to the way World War II is described have sparked concern and unease among the Children and Textbooks Japan Network 21, a non-governmental organization formed in 1998 that has long been focusing on issues surrounding textbook approval and the presentation of war history in Japan. "We reviewed junior high school history textbooks published by Tokyo Shoseki, Kyoiku Shuppan, Teikoku-Shoin, Yamakawa Shuppansha, Nihon Bunkyo Shuppan, and Manabisha. Among them, only Manabisha's version explicitly writes that 'Japan started the war,' while most textbooks used descriptions like 'the war began,'" Yoko Kojiya, secretary-general of the organization, told the Global Times on Tuesday via email, noting this expression makes it difficult for students to understand and contemplate why Japan started the war and how it proceeded with colonial rule. Kojiya pointed out particularly that the descriptions in textbooks about Japan's invasion of China are not sufficiently detailed. Also, the content about why Japan went to war with the US and the UK in 1941 is problematic because it is described as "Japan had to go to war due to being isolated by the ABCD [America, Britain, China and Dutch] encirclement." Kojiya said to better teach history and allow Japanese students to grasp war history more fully and impartially, it's vital to enable discussions on why Japan started the wars and how Japanese people should prevent such conflicts from happening in the future. "Therefore, it is necessary to provide a large amount of historical material to help understand the nature of war." Kojiya also highlighted the changes concerning the "Nanjing Massacre" and "comfort women," slamming Japanese government's textbook screening policy as political interference in educational content. "The term 'Nanjing Massacre' is used in fewer textbooks nowadays, with many referring to it as the 'Nanjing Incident' instead. And the number of people massacred is accompanied by caveats such as 'there are various opinions' or that the number 'is being researched,'" Kojiya said. The Nanjing Massacre is one of the darkest chapters of World War II. The atrocities began on December 13, 1937, when Japanese troops captured the then-Chinese capital Nanjing, unleashing six weeks of devastation that claimed the lives of an estimated 300,000 civilians and unarmed soldiers, according to Xinhua. Regarding "comfort women," Kojiya said that the removal of the term "accompanying the military" in the textbooks aims to hide the fact that these women were forced into sexual servitude by the Japanese military. "The National History Textbook published by ReiwaShoseki even writes 'There is no evidence of Japanese troops forcibly taking away women.' I consider it a serious problem that this passed the government screening without any objections," Kojiya said. The "comfort women" system was a military sexual slavery regime enforced by the Japanese government and its military during World War II. It resulted in at least 400,000 innocent women worldwide being forced into sexual slavery. Nearly half of them were Chinese, according to Xinhua. According to Xinhua, in 2021, the Japanese government decided through a cabinet meeting to deem expressions such as "comfort women accompanying the military" as "inappropriate textbook terminology." Japan's education authority subsequently requested modifications to related teaching materials, including those already distributed. Kojiya told the Global Times that it is a serious problem that the descriptions in Japanese history textbooks can be greatly influenced by the policies of the government at any given time. "The current textbook screening in Japan is not focusing on pointing out academic errors, but rather on whether the descriptions align with government inclinations," said Kojiya. This year marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. On May 31, the organization held a seminar in Tokyo to discuss the proper role of Japanese history education eight decades after the war. According to the seminar material Kojiya sent to the Global Times, during the seminar, Hisao Ishiyama, former chairman of the History Educationalist Conference of Japan, said that since 2014, forces that glorify war and distort history started to utilize the deteriorated textbook system and government power to launch a government-wide effort to distort the entire population's understanding of history. In response to this challenge, Kojiya told the Global Times that she is especially worried about the rise of conservative forces, such as the "Tsukurukai," which attack reflection on the war and the pacifism of the constitution, advocate for a constitutional amendment, and push forward policies aimed at expanding military capabilities to build Japan into a country that can wage war. "Thus, it is crucial to squarely face the historical facts of aggression on the basis of the reflection that led to the creation of the Japanese Constitution, and to gather the strength of people who wish to stop policies that will make Japan a 'war state'," Kojiya said. This story first appeared in Global Times: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202506/1335854.shtml. Company: Global Times Contact Person: Anna Li Email: editor@globaltimes.com.cn Website: https://globaltimes.cn City: Beijing Disclaimer: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. ST. LOUIS, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) today announced that Victor Nesi, Co-President and Head of the Institutional Group, will retire from his day-to-day operating responsibilities effective July 1, 2025, after 16 years of distinguished service. Mr. Nesi will, however, continue to serve the firm, simultaneously joining its Board of Directors. Victor has been instrumental in building the platform we have today, said Ronald J. Kruszewski, Chairman and CEO of Stifel. The transformation of our Institutional Group under his guidance is one of the great success stories in our firms history. His strategic vision, leadership, and relentless focus on client service elevated Stifel into a major player in the investment banking world. On a personal level, I am grateful for Victors partnership and steady counsel, and I am thrilled he will continue to contribute as a valued member of our Board. Mr. Nesi joined Stifel in 2009, at a formative moment for the firms Institutional Group. Under his stewardship, the Institutional Groups overall revenue grew from $391 million in 2008 to a peak of $2.2 billion in 2021, while extending its reach across geographies, products, and capabilities. Investment banking revenue alone climbed 20x during this time from $84 million to a record $1.6 billion. In 2024, the Institutional Group reported $1.6 billion in revenue, which represents a more than fourfold increase since Mr. Nesis arrival. Importantly, Victor has also ensured that the Institutional Group is well-positioned for continued success, added Mr. Kruszewski. He has put in place a seasoned leadership team and a strong organizational structure designed to carry forward the culture that he helped establish. It has been an honor and privilege to help grow Stifel into a premier full-service investment bank, said Mr. Nesi. Our success is a direct reflection of the extraordinary people of Stifel their talent, relentless drive, and unwavering commitment have made everything possible. Together, we have built something enduring with the momentum to achieve even greater things. Consequently, I believe this is the appropriate time for me to step back and allow the next generation of leaders to continue driving our firm forward. I am still energized and eager for new challenges and I look forward to supporting Stifels continued success in my new role on the Board. Mr. Nesis career in investment banking spans four decades. Before coming to Stifel, he held several leadership positions at Merrill Lynch, including Head of Americas Investment Banking. He has also worked as an investment banker at Salomon Brothers and Goldman Sachs and practiced corporate and securities law at Shea & Gould. Stifel Company Information Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifels broker-dealer clients are served in the United States through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, including its Eaton Partners business division; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.; Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC; and Stifel Independent Advisors, LLC. The Companys broker-dealer affiliates provide securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities. Stifel Bank and Stifel Bank & Trust offer a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel Trust Company, N.A. and Stifel Trust Company Delaware, N.A. offer trust and related services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the Companys website at www.stifel.com. For global disclosures, please visit https://www.stifel.com/investor-relations/press-releases. Media Contact Neil Shapiro, +1 (212) 271-3447 shapiron@stifel.com Investor Relations Contact Joel Jeffrey, +1 (212) 271-3610 investorrelations@stifel.com IRVING, Texas, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arra Finance, LLC (Arra or the Company), a subprime indirect auto finance company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the auto financing division of Crescent Bank (Crescent), a New Orleans-based FDIC insured bank with approximately $1 billion in assets that has provided nationwide indirect auto lending since 1991. The deal accelerates the rapid expansion of Arras platform, enhancing its technology stack and analytics capacity well ahead of growth expectations. Crescent will retain its branch and online retail banking platforms, as well as its commercial lending program, and Arra will become the servicer for Crescents $815 million originated auto loan portfolio. The transaction is expected to close in 3Q 2025. Financial terms were not disclosed. As a well-established operator in the subprime auto financing space, Crescent has originated upwards of $5.3 billion in auto loans nationwide over its 30-year history and $652 million in the last two years. This acquisition brings Crescents e-contracting, internal loan servicing and accelerated auto-decision capabilities to the Arra platform, alongside advanced analytics and additional fraud protection tools in underwriting and funding. With financial backing from Obra Capital (Obra), Arra now has the operational bandwidth and capital structure necessary to provide a comprehensive suite of financing solutions to auto dealers across the country. Arra expects to rapidly scale delivery of customer financing solutions to dealers by leveraging Crescents existing operations, with a significantly increased auto finance origination capacity, larger dealer base and the ability to respond to credit applications within seconds of submission. As part of the acquisition, Arra will welcome approximately 180 new employees from Crescent, expanding Arras best-in-class team by a factor of six. This includes 24 new sales team members, who will support the deployment of Arras capital base and provide a consistent touchpoint for new and existing dealer customers alike. The new additions will continue to be primarily based in Carrollton, Texas, supporting a seamless operational integration while opening new pathways for opportunity, as enabled by Arras access to asset-backed financing solutions. With todays announcement, we have rapidly advanced Arras growth trajectory, substantially improving our ability to be the premier financing partner for franchise and select independent dealers, said Kenn Wardle, Chief Executive Officer of Arra Finance. After only six months in market, we are on track to outpace our growth targets by a number of years, and we have developed the platform capabilities necessary to deliver responses to credit applications in a matter of seconds. I look forward to welcoming our new team members as we bring our combined offerings to market and continue to streamline the car buying experience for dealers and consumers across the country. Gary Solomon Sr., Chairman of Crescent Bank praised the transaction, stating: Partnering with Arra and Obra has ensured the talent, momentum and reputation Crescent has garnered over the years will continue to support the auto industry, as Crescent Bank shifts its focus to our core retail banking business. Crescent Bank has significantly grown its online banking presence nationwide in recent years, particularly in its offering of Certificates of Deposits. Mr. Solomon added, This is a pivotal moment for Crescent Bank, as we refocus our investment strategy in support of our local New Orleans area community and nationwide customers alike. Todays announcement is a major growth milestone for Arra, and a testament to the opportunity in the auto finance market, added Blair Wallace, President and CEO of Obra. With the capital structure and flexibility provided by Obras insurance company balance sheets, Arra has taken decisive and aggressive steps to meet the needs of dealers across the country and become a leading player in the subprime space. The business is capitalized for success in the long term, and we look forward to seeing whats next. About Arra Finance Arra Finance is a subprime indirect auto finance company that purchases and services retail installment contracts originated by U.S. automobile dealers. Arra offers fast, simplified solutions and options for dealers. The companys cutting-edge auto finance platform provides more than 1,200 franchise and independent dealerships across 15 states (with planned business expansion to dealerships in 37 states) with auto financing solutions for used car buyers. Its scalable origination system and data warehouse provide dealers with access to finance solutions and enables them to facilitate auto sales for the dealerships customers. For more information about Arra Finance, please visit www.arrafinance.com. About Crescent Bank Crescent Bank is a Louisiana chartered, FDIC insured bank which has served the New Orleans area community since 1991 providing retail banking services and direct lending to businesses and consumers. Shortly after its founding, Crescent Bank began to open loan production offices throughout Louisiana to provide auto loans to consumers who were not being served by traditional lending institutions. As the bank succeeded and grew, its geographical lending footprint expanded nationwide. In recent years it has further expanded its retail operations to include offering certificates of deposits to consumers and investors in all states. About Obra Capital Obra is a specialized alternative asset management firm with approximately $5.8 billion in capital under management as of May 31, 2025. Obra provides investment products and solutions across insurance, multi-sector credit, asset-based finance and longevity investment strategies. Obra aims to generate long-term value and attractive returns for investors through a variety of funds and separate accounts. With capabilities in investing, originating, structuring and servicing, Obra strives to provide differentiated investment opportunities and capital solutions for investors worldwide. For more information about Obra and its registered investment advisors, please visit www.obra.com. Media Contact: Dan Gagnier Gagnier Communications Obra@gagnierfc.com 646-569-5897 TORONTO, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediPharm Labs Corp. (TSX: LABS) (OTCQB: MEDIF) (FSE: MLZ) (MediPharm or the Company), a pharmaceutical company specialized in precision-based cannabinoids, today announced that the Superior Court of Justice Ontario (Commercial List) (the Court) has fully dismissed the application (CV-25-00743454-00CL) (the Application) issued by Apollo Technology Capital Corporation (Apollo) and Nobul Technologies Inc. (together with Apollo, the Applicants) against the Company on May 16, 2025 (the Notice). The Applicants sought an order from the Court, amongst other things, appointing a third-party independent chair to preside over the Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Company (the Meeting) on June 16, 2025. The Applicants argued that MediPharm has a design or plan to invalidate proxies and that the Company had acted improperly warranting the appointment of a third-party independent chair. The Court dismissed the Application in full. In doing so, the Court found that a third-party independent chair was not required in the circumstances as there was no evidence or indication that MediPharms proposed meeting chair will act unfairly at the Meeting. Regarding the conduct of Apollos principal, Mr. Regan McGee, the Court found: The evidence shows that Mr. McGee has threatened to release a draft press release which, among other things, compared Mr. Pidduck to known serial killers. Press Releases have also been issued by Mr. McGee or the Applicants which accuse MediPharm and the Board of securities fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and running a corrupt election process to entrench themselves. Mr. McGee has threatened to sue the Board by way of a derivative action for breach of fiduciary duty and associated damages because of the rejection of the $3.4 million offer and has commenced a lawsuit against MediPharm, two of its senior officers and directors, as well as the Companys external litigation firm (Tyr LLP) and counsel (James Bunting) which claimed $50 million in damages. Mr. McGee, repeated the allegations set out in the lawsuit in the Dissident Circular and then abandoned and withdrew the claim against Tyr LLP and Mr. Bunting, and agreed to terms of settlement that included a declaration by Mr. McGee that Tyr LLP and Mr. Bunting are not in a conflict of interest in acting for MediPharm, that they had not misused confidential information, that Mr. McGee would not disparage Mr. Bunting or Tyr LLP and provided a full release to Tyr LLP and Mr. Bunting. The Company remains committed to a fair shareholder meeting process, in compliance with its constating documents and all applicable laws. We encourage shareholders to please vote using ONLY the GREEN proxy or GREEN voting instruction card and to support each of the director nominees recommended by MediPharms Board of Directors (the Board) and the other matters being considered at the Meeting. To ensure your proxy is counted at the Meeting, please submit it well in advance of the June 13 proxy cut-off. Vote for the Highly Qualified MediPharm Nominees MediPharm urges shareholders to vote only using the GREEN proxy or GREEN voting instruction form in support of all of the Companys nominees and resolutions. To ensure your vote is counted, shareholders are encouraged to proactively contact their broker to obtain their 16-digit control number associated with the GREEN management proxy. Once received, you can cast your vote by visiting www.medipharmlabsagm.com. You may receive materials or outreach from the dissident please disregard any such communications and vote only using the GREEN proxy in support of the Companys nominees. About MediPharm Labs Founded in 2015, MediPharm Labs specializes in the development and manufacture of purified, pharmaceutical-quality cannabis concentrates, active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and advanced derivative products utilizing a Good Manufacturing Practices certified facility with ISO standard-built clean rooms. MediPharm Labs has invested in an expert, research driven team, state-of-the-art technology, downstream purification methodologies and purpose-built facilities for delivery of pure, trusted and precision-dosed cannabis products for its customers. MediPharm Labs develops, formulates, processes, packages and distributes cannabis and advanced cannabinoid-based products to domestic and international medical markets. In 2021, MediPharm Labs received a Pharmaceutical Drug Establishment License from Health Canada, becoming the only company in North America to hold a commercial-scale domestic Good Manufacturing Practices License for the extraction of multiple natural cannabinoids. This GMP license was the first step in the Companys current foreign drug manufacturing site registration with the US FDA. In 2023, MediPharm acquired VIVO Cannabis Inc., which expanded MediPharms reach to medical patients in Canada via Canna Farms medical ecommerce platform, and in Australia and Germany through Beacon Medical Australia PTY Ltd. and Beacon Medical Germany GMBH. This acquisition also included Harvest Medical Clinics in Canada which provides medical cannabis patients with Physician consultations for medical cannabis education and prescriptions. The Company carries out its operations in compliance with all applicable laws in the countries in which it operates. Shareholder Voting Assistance: If you have any questions or require any assistance in executing your GREEN proxy or voting instruction form, please call Sodali & Co at: North American Toll-Free Number: 1.888.777.2059 Outside North America, Banks, Brokers and Collect Calls: 1.289.695.3075 Email: assistance@investor.sodali.com North American Toll-Free Facsimile: 1.877.218.5372 For up-to-date information and assistance in voting please visit: www.medipharmlabsagm.com Investor Contact: MediPharm Labs Investor Relations Telephone: +1 416.913.7425 Email: investors@medipharmlabs.com Media Contact: John Vincic Oakstrom Advisors +1 (647) 402-6375 john@oakstrom.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as expects, or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, budget, scheduled, forecasts, estimates, believes or intends or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results may or could, would, might or will be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things: timing of the Annual and Special Meeting, any impacts to MediPharm shareholders of the actions relating to the Applicants or Mr. McGee, and any outcomes resulting from the circumstances and information cited herein. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the inability of MediPharm Labs to obtain adequate financing; the delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; and other factors discussed in MediPharm Labs continuous disclosure filings, available on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca. 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 the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, MediPharm Labs assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Western Star Resources Inc. (CSE: WSR) (Western Star or the Company) is pleased to announce the closing of the first tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of CAD$394,400. The Company issued 2,629,333 million units of the Company, at a purchase price of $0.15 per unit. Each unit is comprised of one common share in the capital of Western Star and one share purchase warrant, which is exercisable into one common share at an exercise price of $0.30 per share expiring June 11, 2027. The warrants will be subject to an acceleration clause which states: Pursuant to the financing, in the event the Company's share price closed at a price of CAD$0.40 per share for a period of 10 consecutive trading days on the CSE Canadian Securities Exchange, the Company may accelerate the term of the Eligible Warrants to a period of 30 days commencing 7 days after the last premium trading day with notice given to the warrant holders in writing or by news release. All securities issued under the Offering and including Warrants will be subject to a four (4) month holding period. The Company paid a finders fee to Ventum Financial Corp for the total of $5,500 in cash. The Company intends to use the net proceeds to define high priority drill targets at its flagship Western Star Project, general working capital and market awareness. All securities issued to U.S. purchasers are restricted securities pursuant to Rule 144 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 registration. Consulting Service Agreement The Company also announces that it has entered into a consulting services agreement (the Agreement) with 1123963 B.C Ltd. DBA Capitaliz On It (Capitaliz), a social media influencer focused digital marketing agency out of Vancouver, BC, to increase investor awareness and interest in the Company as well as attracting new investors through various online platforms and to provide a comprehensive digital media marketing campaign for the Company. The Agreement is for an initial term of 3 months with an overall marketing budget of $110,000 CAD. The engagement of Capitaliz is subject to the approval of the "CSE" Canadian Securities Exchange Approval (the CSE) and no services shall be provided until such approval has been obtained. The services to be provided by Capitaliz will include assisting the Company with the development of a corporate marketing strategy and providing marketing and public relations advisory services, assisting with the coordination of marketing, news flow and events, making introductions to Capitalizs network of media contacts, internet and social media marketers and other such providers, as well as to assist with various other public relations efforts. The services provided will be facilitated by way of digital venues such as programmatic digital marketing, social media marketing, select television broadcasts and radio advertising, email marketing, influencer outreach and placement of related marketing content on public websites. To the best of the Companys knowledge, none of Capitaliz or any of its directors, officers or shareholders holds, directly or indirectly, any securities of the Company or have any right or intent to acquire any such securities. The proposed compensation for Capitaliz does not include any securities of the Company. About Capitaliz On It Capitaliz is a content-driven digital marketing agency that connects public companies with social media influencers across all major social media platforms, leveraging a creator network that reaches over 100 million subscribers. Capitaliz On It www.capitalizonit.com 778-237-1431 Vancouver, B.C Additional Information Additional information about the Company and the transaction is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca under the Companys profile. The summary of the transaction set out above is qualified in its entirety by reference to the description of the transaction in the Companys filing statement posted on SEDAR+. About Western Star Resources Inc. Western Star is a mineral exploration and development company. The companys objective is to increase shareholder value through the development of exploration properties using cost-effective exploration practices, acquiring further exploration properties and seeking partnerships by either joint venture or sale with industry leaders. The company currently owns nine non-surveyed contiguous mineral claims totaling 2,797 hectares, which are located within the Revelstoke mining division of British Columbia. The Western Star property group is located approximately 50 km southeast of Revelstoke, BC, and roughly 10 km north of the abandoned community of Camborne. Contact Information: Blake Morgan, CEO and Director blake@acvc.vc 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. Certain of the statements made and information contained herein may constitute forward-looking information. In particular references to the private placement and future work programs or expectations on the quality or results of such work programs are subject to risks associated with operations on the property, exploration activity generally, equipment limitations and availability, as well as other risks that we may not be currently aware of. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. HAMILTON, Ontario, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- United Steelworkers Director for Ontario and Atlantic Canada, Kevon Stewart, issued the following statement after ArcelorMittal announced it will shut down its wire-drawing mill in Hamilton, affecting over 100 workers: This is a devastating day for more than 100 Steelworkers, their families, and the entire Hamilton community. And it underscores just how urgently we need the federal government to act without delay on jobs, and on the future of our industry. For months, weve sounded the alarm: dumped foreign products are flooding our market, and the federal government continues to stall on much-needed industry and worker supports. Todays closure is the cost of that delay and it will only be the beginning if this government fails to act now. Steelworkers and their communities dont need sympathy they need immediate action. That means support for affected workers and measures that defend steelworker jobs and our industry from unfair trade and dumping. Communities like Hamilton helped build this country. They deserve better than silence from Ottawa. For more information, please contact: Kevon Stewart, USW District 6 Director, 416-243-8792, kstewart@usw.ca Arushana Sunderaeson, USW Communications, 416-243-8792 ext. 1233, asunderaeson@usw.ca SYDNEY, June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acronis, a global leader in cybersecurity and data protection, today announced a key leadership appointment in the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) region, naming Terry Christie as General Manager for ANZ. This appointment highlights Acronis ongoing investment in the region and its focus on growth through local expertise and strong partner engagement. With more than 25 years of experience in IT and cybersecurity, Christie will lead the ANZ team in accelerating business growth, deepening relationships with partners and customers, and expanding Acronis presence in the region. As General Manager, he will be responsible for shaping regional strategy, scaling operations, and driving collaboration across Australia and New Zealandparticularly in helping service providers deliver modern cyber protection through integrated security and remote monitoring and management (RMM) capabilities. Christie has previously held senior roles at Nitro, Aruba (HPE), Commvault, IBM, Lenovo, Samsung Electronics, and Ingram Micro. What excites me most about joining Acronis is the opportunity to be part of a company thats at the forefront of cybersecurity and data protection, said Terry Christie, General Manager for ANZ. The market is evolving rapidly, and Acronis' unified platform combining backup, disaster recovery, endpoint protection, and cybersecurity is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of modern businesses. Im passionate about helping our partners and customers understand the power of this integrated approach and the value it brings to securing digital environments. Joining Christie on the ANZ team, Pete Bouris has been named Strategic Partner Account Manager. Bouris brings extensive experience in partner development and cybersecurity sales. In this role, he will focus on partner recruitment and enablement efforts across Australia. Bouris most recently served as Head of SMB Sales ANZ at Veeam and has held roles at Arcserve and StorageCraft. His experience working with MSPs and MSSPs positions him well to support Acronis channel-first go-to-market strategy in the region. Acronis is expanding in Australia and New Zealand, thanks to growing potential and strong partnerships in these countries, said Pasha Ershow, Senior Vice President for APJ & Middle East. These appointments reflect our commitment to invest into a strong local team that delivers innovative, AI-powered cyber protection for our partners. With Terry and Pete onboard, well continue to accelerate our business growth, which is already growing more than 40% year on year, delivering AI-powered security, data protection, and RMM platform, helping more than 600 partners to address evolving cybersecurity challenges with confidence. Acronis uniquely combines cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management into one integrated solution. With built-in RMM, advanced threat detection, and AI-driven automation, Acronis empowers service providers to deliver seamless protection and extended detection and response (XDR) while maximising efficiency and minimising complexity. As MSPs and businesses across ANZ navigate increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, these capabilities are critical. For more information about Acronis, please visit: https://www.acronis.com/ About Acronis Acronis is a global cyber protection company that provides natively integrated cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management for managed service providers (MSPs), small and medium businesses (SMBs), and enterprise IT departments. Acronis solutions are highly efficient and designed to identify, prevent, detect, respond, remediate, and recover from modern cyberthreats with minimal downtime, ensuring data integrity and business continuity. Acronis offers the most comprehensive security solution on the market for MSPs with its unique ability to meet the needs of diverse and distributed IT environments. A Swiss company founded in Singapore in 2003, Acronis has 15 offices worldwide and employees in 50+ countries. Acronis Cyber Protect is available in 26 languages in 150 countries and is used by over 21,000 service providers to protect over 750,000 businesses. Learn more at www.acronis.com. Acronis Media Contact: Seok Cheng Chia Corporate Communications Senior Specialist SeokCheng.Chia@acronis.com TORONTO, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediPharm Labs Corp. (TSX: LABS) (OTCQB: MEDIF) (FSE: MLZ) (MediPharm, the Company, we or us), a pharmaceutical company specialized in precision-based cannabinoids, today reminded its shareholders that the deadline is approaching to cast your vote for the upcoming Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders on June 16, 2025 (the Meeting). All votes must be received no later than 3:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on Friday, June 13, 2025. We encourage shareholders to please vote using ONLY the GREEN proxy or GREEN voting instruction card and to support each of the director nominees recommended by MediPharms Board of Directors (the Board) and the other matters being considered at the Meeting. To ensure your proxy is counted at the Meeting, please submit it well in advance of the June 13 proxy cut-off. Please remember that your vote is important, regardless of the number of shares you own. MediPharms Strategy Is Working MediPharm has undergone a successful transformation over the past three years, led by David Pidduck who joined as CEO in April 2022. Faced with negative gross margins and an operating loss of $48.9 million in 2021, the Company implemented a plan to refocus operations, prioritizing the most strategic business lines, divesting of non-core assets and reducing operating costs. The acquisition of VIVO Cannabis Inc. in April 2023 provided a foundation to accelerate international growth and realize synergies from combining the two companies. We described our strategic turnaround in a Chairs Letter to Shareholders dated May 11, 2025. In Q1 2025, we continued our track record of year-over-year revenue growth, led by an 87% revenue increase in the international medical market which now represents more than half our revenue. We achieved positive Adjusted EBITDA1 for the first time in more than five years and our gross profit margin of 38.7% was the highest in more than five years. Operating loss narrowed to less than $0.5 million, an improvement of more than $3 million from Q1 2024. A strong cash position with virtually no debt enabled us to invest in inventory to pursue near-term growth opportunities. With diversification in our product mix and sales channels, a strong reputation as a GMP-certified producer and expanding international partnerships, MediPharm has established a solid foundation for further growth. We are confident the strategy and team currently in place is the best way to create sustainable value. The Dissident Group has NOT Made a Case for Change Apollo Technology Capital Corp. (Apollo), led by Chairman and CEO Regan McGee, and former MediPharm CEO and director Patrick McCutcheon (collectively, the Concerned Stakeholder), have filed an amended and restated dissident proxy circular dated May 15, 2025, as updated by an addendum dated June 4, 2025, nominating six alternative directors (the Dissident Nominees) for the Board. In recent weeks we have described numerous deficiencies in Apollos plan and the track record of Mr. McGee and the other Dissident Nominees. With the addition of Pat McCutcheon to the dissident team, a number of new concerns now emerge. Important points for shareholders to remember include the following. Apollos strategic plan for MediPharm appears to have been hastily constructed and lacking in substance, while presenting current MediPharm strategies as their own. Apollo has shown inconsistencies regarding support for or aversion to M&A activities. We provided a detailed analysis of Apollos inadequate plan in our Board Letter to Shareholders issued May 29, 2025. Apollos disclosure has been characterized by numerous misrepresentations and outright fabrications. We highlighted a small sample of the false statements they have made in an Apollo Myths vs. Facts document on our AGM website. Independent proxy voting and corporate governance advisory firm ISS met with Apollo, considered its arguments and its plans for the Company and concluded that Apollo did not make a compelling case for change. Please see our news release issued June 2, 2025 for more details. The Dissident Nominees have potential conflicts of interest and a web of interlocking relationships that would impair their independence as Board members. We described these problems in our May 15, 2025 news release. Patrick McCutcheons Tenure at MediPharm Mr. McCutcheon, who is now formally acknowledged as a member of the Concerned Stakeholder dissident group, served as CEO of MediPharm until December 10, 2020, Chairman of the Board until August 16, 2021, and as a director until December 7, 2021. While Apollo has been critical of the current leadership teams performance on such measures as share price, revenue growth, gross profit, cash usage and operating loss, we note the following about Mr. McCutcheons track record with the Company. One of Apollos primary arguments has been that the current MediPharm team has been responsible for the decrease in the Companys share price since its peak on May 14, 2019. Of the total decrease in share price since May 14, 2019, more than 97% occurred while Mr. McCutcheon served as Chairman, CEO or director. Less than 1% of the total decrease has occurred since David Pidduck joined as CEO on April 20, 2022. In 2020, Mr. McCutcheons final year as CEO, the Companys revenue decreased by 72% year-over-year with gross profit of negative $44.0 million, cash from operations of negative $37.8 million, and operating income of negative $72.6 million. We note Apollos reference to the decrease in the Companys asset values over time. Some of this asset decrease was in fact due to the write-offs required as a result of Mr. McCutcheons excessive multi-year capital expenditure program including the procurement of millions of dollars of equipment, much of which was not needed and was never used. The Board urges shareholders to send Mr. McGee and Mr. McCutcheon a strong message that you want to stop their expensive and aggressive attacks against your Company. Vote for the Highly Qualified MediPharm Nominees MediPharm urges shareholders to vote only using the GREEN proxy or GREEN voting instruction form in support of all of the Companys nominees and resolutions. To ensure your vote is counted, shareholders are encouraged to proactively contact their broker to obtain their 16-digit control number associated with the GREEN management proxy. Once received, you can cast your vote by visiting www.medipharmlabsagm.com. You may receive materials or outreach from the dissident please disregard any such communications and vote only using the GREEN proxy in support of the Companys nominees. About MediPharm Labs Founded in 2015, MediPharm Labs specializes in the development and manufacture of purified, pharmaceutical-quality cannabis concentrates, active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and advanced derivative products utilizing a Good Manufacturing Practices certified facility with ISO standard-built clean rooms. MediPharm Labs has invested in an expert, research driven team, state-of-the-art technology, downstream purification methodologies and purpose-built facilities for delivery of pure, trusted and precision-dosed cannabis products for its customers. MediPharm Labs develops, formulates, processes, packages and distributes cannabis and advanced cannabinoid-based products to domestic and international medical markets. In 2021, MediPharm Labs received a Pharmaceutical Drug Establishment License from Health Canada, becoming the only company in North America to hold a commercial-scale domestic Good Manufacturing Practices License for the extraction of multiple natural cannabinoids. This GMP license was the first step in the Companys current foreign drug manufacturing site registration with the US FDA. In 2023, MediPharm acquired VIVO Cannabis Inc., which expanded MediPharms reach to medical patients in Canada via Canna Farms medical ecommerce platform, and in Australia and Germany through Beacon Medical Australia PTY Ltd. and Beacon Medical Germany GMBH. This acquisition also included Harvest Medical Clinics in Canada which provides medical cannabis patients with Physician consultations for medical cannabis education and prescriptions. The Company carries out its operations in compliance with all applicable laws in the countries in which it operates. Shareholder Voting Assistance: If you have any questions or require any assistance in executing your GREEN proxy or voting instruction form, please call Sodali & Co at: North American Toll-Free Number: 1.888.777.2059 Outside North America, Banks, Brokers and Collect Calls: 1.289.695.3075 Email: assistance@investor.sodali.com North American Toll-Free Facsimile: 1.877.218.5372 For up-to-date information and assistance in voting please visit: www.medipharmlabsagm.com Investor Contact: MediPharm Labs Investor Relations Telephone: +1 416.913.7425 Email: investors@medipharmlabs.com Media Contact: John Vincic Oakstrom Advisors +1 (647) 402-6375 john@oakstrom.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as expects, or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, budget, scheduled, forecasts, estimates, believes or intends or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results may or could, would, might or will be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things: timing of the Annual and Special Meeting, the ability of the Company to pursue near-term growth opportunities, future growth opportunities available to the Company, sustainable value creation at MediPharm, any impacts to MediPharm shareholders of the actions relating to the Dissident Nominees described herein, and any outcomes resulting from the circumstances and information cited herein. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the inability of MediPharm Labs to obtain adequate financing; the delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; and other factors discussed in MediPharm Labs continuous disclosure filings, available on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca. 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 the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, MediPharm Labs assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change. ___________________________________ 1 Represents a non-GAAP financial measure, which is not a standardized financial measure under IFRS and which might not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. MediPharm calculates Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) with interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, non-cash adjustments and other unusual or non-recurring items added back. Refer to the sections entitled Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Measures in MediPharms managements discussion and analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2025, which is incorporated by reference herein and which can be located on MediPharms profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Vancouver, June 10, 2025 - Pluto Ventures Inc. (CSE: PLTO) ("PLTO" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Tyler Tian as the director of the Company, effective immediately. Mr. Tyler Tian graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology with a B.Eng. degree in Mining and Mineral Resource Engineering. He also holds a Master of Engineering Management degree from the University of Ottawa and a second undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering. Mr. Tian is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) in British Columbia. He has participated in a range of mineral exploration projects across Canada, including in British Columbia, Ontario, the Yukon, and Quebec. Through Fargo Exploration Ltd., a BC-based private company, he provides geological consulting services to both public and private sector clients. The Company also announces that Queenie Kuang has resigned as the director and chair of the audit committee effective May 31, 2025. The Board extends its gratitude to Ms. Kuang for her contributions and wishes her well in her future endeavors. About the Company Pluto Ventures Inc., headquartered in Vancouver, BC, Canada, is a mineral exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties. The Company's current principal project is the Dardanelle Project, which covers an area of 1,434 hectares located 23 kilometers east of Terrace, British Columbia. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Lawrence Tsang" Lawrence Tsang, President and Chief Executive Officer Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this new release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements related to the Proposed Transaction, satisfaction of the conditions precedent to the Proposed Transaction, and the acquisition of the Union Bay Property and related matters. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward- looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255108 VANCOUVER, June 10, 2025 - K92 Mining Inc. ("K92" or the "Company") (TSX: KNT; OTCQX: KNTNF) is pleased to announce the voting results of its 2025 annual general meeting ("AGM") of shareholders that was held today as a virtual and in-person event. All of the resolutions proposed at the meeting were duly passed. A total of 160,902,226 common shares, representing 66.83% of the Company's issued and outstanding common shares as at the record date were voted. All of the Company's six director nominees were elected and detailed results of the votes on directors are shown below: Name of Nominee Votes For Votes Withheld Number % Number % Mark Eaton 141,576,374 97.81 3,174,920 2.19 Anne E. Giardini 144,542,464 99.86 208,830 0.14 Saurabh Handa 144,109,082 99.56 642,212 0.44 Cyndi Laval 144,710,951 99.97 40,343 0.03 Nan Lee 144,721,191 99.98 30,103 0.02 John D. Lewins 144,699,736 99.96 51,558 0.04 Shareholders also voted in favour of the following matters: Set the number of directors at six (6); Re-appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditor of the Company for the ensuing year and authorized the directors to fix the auditor's remuneration; and Approved the non-binding advisory resolution accepting the Company's approach to executive compensation. Matter Votes For Votes Against Number % Number % Number of Directors (6) 160,667,308 99.85 234,918 0.15 Appoint Auditor 158,954,274 98.79 1,947,951 1.21 Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation 137,964,551 95.31 6,786,743 4.69 All six directors will serve on the Company's Board of Directors until the next annual meeting of shareholders or until their successors are elected or appointed. Further details on the above matters are set forth in the Company's meeting materials, including the Management Information Circular dated April 23, 2025, that are accessible on K92's website at www.k92mining.com and under the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Final voting results on all matters voted on at the AGM are also contained in the Report on Voting Results filed under the Company's profile on the SEDAR+ website. About K92 K92 Mining Inc. is engaged in the production of gold, copper and silver at the Kainantu Gold Mine in the Eastern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea, as well as exploration and development of mineral deposits in the immediate vicinity of the mine. The Company declared commercial production from Kainantu in February 2018, is in a strong financial position, and is working to become a Tier 1 mid-tier producer through ongoing plant expansions. A maiden resource estimate on the Blue Lake copper-gold porphyry project was completed in August 2022. K92 is operated by a team of mining company professionals with extensive international mine-building and operational experience. On Behalf of the Company, John Lewins, Chief Executive Officer and Director For further information, please contact David Medilek, P.Eng., CFA, President and Chief Operating Officer at +1-604-416-4445 CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation: (i) the results of the Kainantu Mine Definitive Feasibility Study, including the Stage 3 Expansion, a new standalone 1.2 mtpa process plant and supporting infrastructure; (ii) statements regarding the expansion of the mine and development of any of the deposits; (iii) the Kainantu Stage 4 Expansion, operating two standalone process plants, larger surface infrastructure and mining throughputs; and (iv) the potential extended life of the Kainantu Mine. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our ability to control, that may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, without limitation, Public Health Crises, including the epidemic or pandemic viruses; changes in the price of gold, silver, copper and other metals in the world markets; fluctuations in the price and availability of infrastructure and energy and other commodities; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; volatility in price of our common shares; inherent risks associated with the mining industry, including problems related to weather and climate in remote areas in which certain of the Company's operations are located; failure to achieve production, cost and other estimates; risks and uncertainties associated with exploration and development; uncertainties relating to estimates of mineral resources including uncertainty that mineral resources may never be converted into mineral reserves; the Company's ability to carry on current and future operations, including development and exploration activities at the Arakompa, Kora, Judd and other projects; the timing, extent, duration and economic viability of such operations, including any mineral resources or reserves identified thereby; the accuracy and reliability of estimates, projections, forecasts, studies and assessments; the Company's ability to meet or achieve estimates, projections and forecasts; the availability and cost of inputs; the availability and costs of achieving the Stage 3 Expansion or the Stage 4 Expansion; the ability of the Company to achieve the inputs the price and market for outputs, including gold, silver and copper; failures of information systems or information security threats; political, economic and other risks associated with the Company's foreign operations; geopolitical events and other uncertainties, such as the conflicts in Ukraine, Israel and Palestine; compliance with various laws and regulatory requirements to which the Company is subject to, including taxation; the ability to obtain timely financing on reasonable terms when required; the current and future social, economic and political conditions, including relationship with the communities in Papua New Guinea and other jurisdictions it operates; other assumptions and factors generally associated with the mining industry; and the risks, uncertainties and other factors referred to in the Company's Annual Information Form under the heading "Risk Factors". Estimates of mineral resources are also forward-looking statements because they constitute projections, based on certain estimates and assumptions, regarding the amount of minerals that may be encountered in the future and/or the anticipated economics of production. The estimation of mineral resources and mineral reserves is inherently uncertain and involves subjective judgments about many relevant factors. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The accuracy of any such estimates is a function of the quantity and quality of available data, and of the assumptions made and judgments used in engineering and geological interpretation, Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance, and actual results and future events could materially differ from those anticipated in such statements. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actual results to differ materially from those that are 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. The Company disclaims any intention or 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. Perseus Mining Ltd. (ASX/TSX: PRU) (Company) is pleased to provide its gold production and All-In Site Cost (AISC) outlook for the five-year period from FY26 to FY30 inclusive for its portfolio of mines located in Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire and Tanzania. The Five-year Operating Outlook incorporates the updated planning outlook for each of Perseus's three existing operations based on planning assumptions reflecting current operating conditions. It also takes into account Final Investment Decisions (FID) for the CMA underground mining operation at the Yaoure Gold Mine in Cote d'Ivoire (see ASX announcement "Perseus Mining takes Final Investment Decision on CMA underground project at Yaoure" dated 28 January 2025), as well as the development of the Nyanzaga Gold Project (NGP) in Tanzania (see ASX announcement "Perseus Mining proceeds with development of the Nyanzaga Gold Project" dated 28 April 2025). HIGHLIGHTS Perseus expects to recover at total of 2.6Moz - 2.7Moz of gold with average gold production from the four operating mines of approximately 515koz - 535koz per annum in the five-year period to the end of FY30. The weighted average AISC over the five-year period is forecast to be US$1,400/oz - US$1,500/oz with not more than 10% change year-on-year over the period, emphasising the benefit of our portfolio approach to asset management. Total development capital of ~US$878M that has been allocated to the operating assets during the period to achieve this production outlook is excluded from the AISC estimate. At a long-term gold price of US$2,400/oz, Perseus's cash operating margin is expected to consistently exceed US$500/oz at all mines over the five-year period. In some cases, it is significantly higher. The five-year outlook is underpinned by a high level of geological and technical confidence with 93% of the gold ounces in the mine plan comprising existing Ore Reserves with the remaining 7% from Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources. Inferred Mineral Resources and other upside projections of mineralisation were specifically omitted from Perseus's five-year outlook. The five-year outlook reinforces Perseus's commitment to the three core components of its capital allocation policy, namely: maintenance of a resilient balance sheet, delivery of strong, consistent operational performance and careful deployment of discretionary capital for growth and capital returns to shareholders. Perseus's CEO and Managing Director, Jeff Quartermaine said: "In FY22, Perseus's gold production reached approximately 500,000 ounces for the first time and set in train our ambition to maintain or exceed this level of production on a consistent basis going forward. Perseus's decision in 2023 to defer development of its Meyas Sand Gold Project in Sudan and pivot towards acquisition and development of the Nyanzaga Gold Project, will lead to a short term shortfall in 2026 and 2027 relative to this target. From the five-year outlook published today, it is clear that this is a temporary setback and that Perseus's strategy of consistently producing between 500,000 to 600,0000 ounces of gold per year at a cash margin of not less than US$500 per ounce, is eminently achievable. With cash and undrawn debt capacity currently exceeding US$1.1 billion, Perseus is fully funded to not only deliver the five-year outlook as presented today but also consider a prudent mix of future growth opportunities beyond the current plan, as well as generous returns to shareholders". Group Outlook Perseus's five-year outlook delivers on the Company's strategy of building a sustainable, geopolitically diversified, African-focused gold business of three to four operating mines that produce between 500koz to 600koz of gold per annum at a cash margin of not less than US$500/oz. As part of its annual planning cycle, the Company has reassessed the growth opportunities available within its portfolio with the approach of optimising the portfolio rather than focussing on fixed investment targets for each asset. In this way, the Company has sought to find the balance between investment in growth opportunities and the cash margin generated by the business. Average gold production for the group over the five-year period is 515koz - 535koz per annum for a total of 2.6Moz - 2.7Moz with Yaoure contributing 34%, Edikan contributing 28% and Sissingue contributing 10%. Based on the current schedule, the recently committed NGP in Tanzania is anticipated to provide 28% of the metal production for the portfolio over the next 5 years. The Company's weighted average AISC over the five-year outlook is estimated at US$1,400/oz - US$1,500/oz. AISC rises slightly in the first two years, driven by lower production base. In FY28, the integration of lower-margin ore sources into the mine plan contributes to a slight increase in AISC. The portfolio's diverse production base allows AISC to remain within 10% of the five-year average on a year-to-year basis. Figure 1 Perseus Group five-year gold production and AISC cost outlook The Company has strong confidence in its ability to deliver on this five-year outlook, which is underpinned by a mine plan with high geological and technical certainty, with 93% of the production ounces forming part of the existing Ore Reserves with the remaining 7% from Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources (as detailed in ASX announcement "Perseus Mining updates Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves" dated 21 August 2024). Nyanzaga Ore Reserves are detailed in ASX announcement "Perseus Proceeds with Development of Nyanzaga Gold Project" dated 28 April 2025. The Company will provide an update to the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve statement in August 2025, in line with its annual disclosure. Incremental production included in the mine plan at Yaoure, Edikan and Sissingue comes from well-understood deposits with a proven operating history. This production does not require significant additional infrastructure or capital beyond the investment necessary to access the mineralisation. Table 1 Five-year production outlook, AISC and development capital forecast ASSET TOTAL PRODUCTION 5-YEAR OUTLOOK AISC 5-YEAR RANGE1 TOTAL DEVELOPMENT CAPITAL 5-YEAR Yaoure 870koz - 905koz $1,480/oz - $1,580/oz US$170M2 Nyanzaga 725koz - 750koz $1,230/oz - $1,330/oz US$523M3 Edikan 720koz - 750koz $1,450/oz - $1,550/oz US$180M4 Sissingue 265koz - 275koz $1,580/oz - $1,680/oz US$5M TOTAL 2,580koz - 2,680koz $1,400/oz - $1,500/oz US$878M 1) AISC includes sustaining capital but excludes development capital 2) Yaoure Development capital relates to capitalised underground development and includes US$21M forecast to be incurred to 30 June 25 3) Includes development and pre-production capital cost incurred post-FID up to first gold pour. In addition it includes US$38M forecast to be incurred to 30 June 25 4) Development capital relates to capitalised waste stripping costs at Esuajah North and Fetish deposits and development capital for ESS Underground Table 2 Portfolio key production indicators by year Key Production Indicators Units FY26 FY27 FY28 FY29 FY30 5-year totals Open Pit Ore Mined - Open pit Mt 11.7 12.2 14.8 17.1 10.5 66.2 Ore Grade Mined - Open pit g/t 1.10 1.06 1.18 1.25 1.41 1.20 Total Mined - Open pit Mt 52.9 103.0 102.6 87.1 63.4 409.1 Strip Ratio t:t 3.54 7.43 5.93 4.10 5.05 5.18 Underground Ore tonnes - Underground Mt 0.2 0.6 1.0 2.1 2.0 5.8 Ore Grade Mined - Underground g/t 3.51 3.36 3.13 1.27 1.48 1.94 Total Tonnes Mined - Underground Mt 0.5 0.9 1.5 2.6 2.1 7.6 Milling Ore Milled Mt 12.7 14.5 16.5 15.8 12.8 72.3 Ore Grade Milled g/t 1.18 1.10 1.26 1.37 1.42 1.27 Recovery % 85% - 90% 85% - 90% 85% - 90% 85% - 90% 85% - 90% 85% - 90% Gold Produced koz 420-440 450-470 590-610 610-630 510-530 2,580-2,680 Capital Allocation Perseus is in a strong financial position, with a resilient balance sheet and an operational portfolio that continues to safely and efficiently generate reliable operational cash flow. This allows the Company to look to deploy operating cashflow to shareholders and other stakeholders in the business. Figure 2 summarises Perseus's capital allocation priorities. Figure 2 Perseus capital allocation priorities The five-year outlook is the result of a systematic process to assess and prioritise internal growth opportunities to ensure the portfolio continues to deliver strong operating margins over the long term. The deployment of capital within the business complements existing capital management strategies, including a share buyback programme and the payment of dividends. While Perseus continues to consider inorganic growth opportunities, these are required to compete rigorously for discretionary investment and be assessed in the context of overall business risk and delivery of value. By allocating discretionary capital to internal organic growth, Perseus can invest in jurisdictions where it has an established operating presence, on known geological terranes, and with a proven workforce capable of safely and efficiently delivering value. Yaoure Gold Mine The five-year forecast for Yaoure includes mining of the recently started Yaoure open pit and CMA underground as the primary ore sources. Supplementing the primary ore sources, material is also sourced from Zain, CMA Southwest and long-term stockpiles to maximise mill capacity. Figure 3 Yaoure Gold Mine - Percentage five-year metal production by source Yaoure will continue to be a cornerstone asset in Perseus's portfolio, total gold production of 870koz - 905koz and a weighted average AISC of $1,480/oz - $1,580/oz over the five-year outlook. While FY26 sees a reduction in gold produced compared to previous years, the change in production volume was anticipated and is a result of a combination of factors including change in ore characteristics and material sources (as detailed in the ASX announcement "Perseus extends life of the Yaoure Gold Mine to 2035" dated 18 September 2023). Table 33 Yaoure key production indicators, five-year outlook KEY PRODUCTION INDICATORS UNITS FY26 FY27 FY28 FY29 FY30 TOTAL 5-YEAR OUTLOOK Open Pit Ore Mined - Open pit Mt 4.3 2.8 3.7 5.7 2.6 19.2 Ore Grade Mined - Open pit g/t 1.06 1.08 0.98 0.99 1.14 1.04 Total Mined - Open pit Mt 26.1 28.6 30.5 27.9 12.2 125.2 Strip Ratio t:t 5.02 9.15 7.17 3.90 3.70 5.53 Underground Ore tonnes - Underground Mt 0.2 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.8 3.2 Ore Grade Mined - Underground g/t 3.51 3.36 3.43 3.33 3.80 3.49 Total Tonnes Mined - Underground Mt 0.5 0.9 1.1 0.9 0.8 4.1 Milling Ore Milled Mt 3.7 3.8 3.6 3.4 3.4 17.9 Ore Grade Milled g/t 1.66 1.43 1.69 1.89 1.85 1.70 Following FID on the CMA underground operation in January 2025, the project is due to cut the first of four underground portals in Q1 FY26. The expansion to include underground operations allows further exploitation of the CMA deposit, which has proven to be a reliable and well understood geological domain of the Yaoure operation to date. At steady state production, it is planned that underground ore will represent approximately 20% of the tonnes of ore mined on the site from both open cut and underground operations. Since approving FID, Perseus has worked with its mining contractor to further develop the mine schedule ahead of commencement of underground operations in Q1 FY26. This milestone is aligned to the project schedule detailed in ASX announcement "Perseus Mining takes final investment decision on CMA Underground Project at Yaoure" dated 28 January 2025. As of this update, changes to the underground schedule have resulted in the development capital allocated for the CMA underground increasing by 36% from the approved US$124.6M to US$170M. Development capital for CMA Underground has increased due to bringing forward underground development into the pre-commercial production period and updated capitalisation methodology to include royalties and G&A previously expensed. Further optimisation of the Yaoure life of mine plan is scheduled as several on-lease targets are assessed as part of the regular mine planning process. Nyanzaga Gold Mine Nyanzaga is forecast to be the lowest cost operation in the Perseus's portfolio. Gold production totals 725koz - 750koz, with peak metal output in FY28 over the five-year outlook. The weighted average AISC ranges between US$1,230/oz - US$1,330/oz. Nyanzaga's increasing contribution to Perseus's portfolio underscores the decision to acquire and proceed with project development. During the five-year period, all of the Nyanzaga's Kilimani pit is mined providing initial ore supply to the mill with the remainder of the material sourced from the main Nyanzaga deposit. All material mined is part of the stated Ore Reserve (see ASX announcement "Perseus Mining proceeds with development of the Nyanzaga Gold Project" dated 28 April 2025). Total gold production over Nyanzaga's current 11-year life of mine, Phase 1 mine production is currently estimated to be 2.01 Moz based on a JORC 2012 Probable Ore Reserve of 52.0 Mt @ 1.40 g/t gold for 2.3 Moz. The development capital cost for the plant and site infrastructure is estimated at US$472M inclusive of US$49M of contingency, and pre-production capital of US$51M, giving a total capital cost to first gold pour of US$523M. Table 44 Nyanzaga key production indicators - five-year outlook KEY PRODUCTION INDICATORS UNITS FY26 FY27 FY28 FY29 FY30 TOTAL 5 YEAR OUTLOOK Open Pit Ore Mined - Open pit Mt - 1.8 6.3 6.2 6.2 20.5 Ore Grade Mined - Open pit g/t - 1.02 1.37 1.39 1.25 1.31 Total Mined - Open pit Mt 1.0 31.1 47.2 47.2 48.9 175.4 Strip Ratio t:t - 16.74 6.51 6.56 6.84 7.55 Milling Ore Milled Mt - 1.8 6.1 5.7 5.6 19.1 Ore Grade Milled g/t - 1.02 1.40 1.47 1.32 1.37 As previously advised, Perseus has committed to completing a second round of infill drilling at Nyanzaga, involving a number of drilling programmes aimed at confirming the tenor of the current mineralisation and testing extensions of the known mineralisation. Results received to date have been compelling and Perseus is expected to update the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserves (MROR) in Q1 FY27, in line with our annual MROR update. Edikan Edikan's updated five-year outlook combines mining from the existing Nkosuo deposit and the commencement of a cutback of the Esuajah North pit, along with the second phase of mining at the Fetish pit, following completion of mining of the first phase in April 2025. Total gold production over this period is expected to be 720koz - 750koz, with a weighted average AISC of around US$1,450/oz - US$1,550/oz per ounce. Figure 4 Edikan Gold Mine - Percentage five-year metal production by source Both Fetish and Esuajah North cutbacks have been incorporated into the updated five-year plan, reflecting the opportunity to extend Edikan's mine life at an incremental AISC. Together, the Fetish and Esuajah North cutbacks attract capitalised waste stripping costs of $168M but contribute ~200koz of production to Edikan's mine life and diversify the ore availability in the plan. Table 55 Edikan key production indicators - five-year outlook KEY PRODUCTION INDICATORS UNITS FY26 FY27 FY28 FY29 FY30 TOTAL 5 YEAR OUTLOOK Open Pit Ore Mined - Open pit Mt 5.7 6.4 4.3 4.5 1.4 22.4 Ore Grade Mined - Open pit g/t 0.90 0.90 0.92 1.24 2.44 1.07 Total Mined - Open pit Mt 15.6 34.2 16.9 8.0 1.8 76.6 Strip Ratio t:t 1.73 4.36 2.95 0.78 0.23 2.43 Underground Ore tonnes - Underground Mt - - 0.2 1.3 1.2 2.7 Ore Grade Mined - Underground g/t - - 1.68 1.82 2.08 1.93 Total Tonnes Mined - Underground Mt - - 0.5 1.7 1.3 3.5 Milling Ore Milled Mt 7.4 7.5 5.4 5.8 3.5 29.7 Ore Grade Milled g/t 0.81 0.84 0.79 0.93 1.14 0.88 In addition to these open-pit sources, Perseus is progressing an updated Feasibility Study for the Esuajah South underground deposit, with a view to bringing this project into production later in the decade. If approved through to development, Esuajah South would become the company's second underground mine and its first such operation in Ghana. The combination of Fetish, Esuajah North, and Esuajah South underground has extended the life of mine plane out to FY32. Perseus remains committed to brownfields exploration on its existing mining leases and exploration licences at Edikan to support ongoing production growth and to extend the Edikan production pipeline over the longer term. Sissingue Sissingue's updated five-year outlook involves the continuation of mining at Sissingue Stage 4 open pit and commencement of new mining areas at Bagoe and Airport West (included in Sissingue in Figure 5) in FY26, as well as a Sissingue Stage 5 open pit cutback in FY27. This plan extends Sissingue's mine life to FY30, producing a total 265koz - 275koz of gold at a weighted average AISC of US$1,580/oz - US$1,680/oz over this period. Figure 5 Sissingue Gold Mine - Percentage five-year metal production by source Following an assessment of growth opportunities on site, additional mining inventory was included in the life of mine plan from the Sissingue Stage 5 pit. The addition of the expanded pit in the five-year outlook extends the mine life by approximately 12 months out to FY30, providing a meaningful contribution to Sissingue's production profile from existing mining areas. As part of this assessment other growth options were considered but were not included in the plan, as they require further technical assessment to confirm their economic feasibility. Table 66 Sissingue key production indicators - five-year outlook KEY PRODUCTION INDICATORS UNITS FY26 FY27 FY28 FY29 FY30 TOTAL 5 YEAR OUTLOOK Open Pit Ore Mined - Open pit Mt 1.6 1.3 0.5 0.6 0.2 4.2 Ore Grade Mined - Open pit g/t 1.94 1.86 2.39 2.18 2.34 2.03 Total Mined - Open pit Mt 10.2 9.1 8.0 4.0 0.6 31.9 Strip Ratio t:t 5.40 6.22 14.86 5.43 1.77 6.60 Milling Ore Milled Mt 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.0 0.3 5.7 Ore Grade Milled g/t 1.83 1.67 1.35 1.68 1.86 1.65 Infill drilling is included in Sissingue's FY26 budget to confirm the mineralisation and design parameters for the Sissingue Stage 5 pit along with further geotechnical and grade control programmes at Bagoe and Airport West that are intended to further reduce operational risk. This market announcement was authorised for release by Perseus's Managing Director and CEO, Jeff Quartermaine. COMPETENT PERSON STATEMENT All production targets referred to in this release are underpinned by estimated Ore Reserves and Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources which have been prepared by competent persons in accordance with the requirements of the JORC Code. Edikan The information in this report that relates to the Mineral Resources and Ore Reserve at Edikan was updated by the Company in a market announcement "Perseus Mining updates Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves" released on 21 August 2024. The Company confirms that all material assumptions underpinning those estimates and the production targets, or the forecast financial information derived therefrom, in that market release continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company further confirms that material assumptions underpinning the estimates of Ore Reserves described in "Technical Report - Edikan Gold Mine, Ghana" dated 7 April 2022 continue to apply. Sissingue, Fimbiasso and Bagoe The information in this report that relates to the Mineral Resources and Ore Reserve at the Sissingue Gold Mine including Fimbiasso and Bagoe was updated by the Company in a market announcement "Perseus Mining updates Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves" released on 21 August 2024. The Company confirms that all material assumptions underpinning those estimates and the production targets, or the forecast financial information derived therefrom, in that market release continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company further confirms that material assumptions underpinning the estimates of Ore Reserves described in "Technical Report - Sissingue Gold Project, Cote d'Ivoire" dated 29 May 2015 continue to apply. Yaoure The information in this report that relates to the Mineral Resources and Ore Reserve at Yaoure was updated by the Company in a market announcement "Perseus Mining announces Open Pit and Underground Ore Reserve update at Yaoure" released on 21 August 2024. The Company confirms that all material assumptions underpinning those estimates and the production targets, or the forecast financial information derived therefrom, in that market release continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company further confirms that material assumptions underpinning the estimates of Ore Reserves described in "Technical Report - Yaoure Gold Project, Cote d'Ivoire" dated 19 December 2023 continue to apply. Nyanzaga The information in this report that relates to the Mineral Resources and Ore Reserve at Nyanzaga was updated by the Company in a market announcement "Perseus Mining proceeds with development of the Nyanzaga Gold Project" released on 28 April 2025. The Company confirms that all material assumptions underpinning those estimates and the production targets, or the forecast financial information derived therefrom, in that market release continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company further confirms that material assumptions underpinning the estimates of Ore Reserves described in "Technical Report - Nyanzaga Gold Project" dated 10 June 2025 continue to apply. CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION: This report contains forward-looking information which is based on the assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management of the Company believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made by the Company regarding, among other things: the price of gold, continuing commercial production at the Yaoure Gold Mine, the Edikan Gold Mine and the Sissingue Gold Mine without any major disruption, development of a mine at Nyanzaga, the receipt of required governmental approvals, the accuracy of capital and operating cost estimates, the ability of the Company to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner and the ability of the Company to obtain financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used by the Company. Although management believes that the assumptions made by the Company and the expectations represented by such information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information 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 of the Company to be materially different from any anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, the actual market price of gold, the actual results of current exploration, the actual results of future exploration, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Perseus does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Gold'n Futures Mineral Corp. (CSE: FUTR) (FSE: G6M), (OTC: GFTRF) (the "Company" or "Gold'n Futures") announces that it has closed the previously announced debt settlement agreements (the "Settlement Agreements") to settle outstanding debts totaling $83,201.22 owed to certain arm's length creditors (the "Creditors") for unpaid services previously provided, including legal, investor relations, corporate administration, accounting, and capital markets and trading-related services. Pursuant to the Settlement Agreements, the Company has issued an aggregate of 11,885,887 common shares (the "Shares") at a deemed price of $0.007 per Share, based on a 20-day volume-weighted average trading price ("VWAP"). The board of directors has determined that settling these obligations through the issuance of the Shares is in the best interests of the Company, as it will preserve cash for working capital purposes. The Company will rely on the "Employee, Executive Officer, Director and Consultant" exemption contained in section 2.24 (the "Exemption") of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions to issue the Shares to three of the Creditors. Securities issued under this exemption are not subject to a hold period and will be free trading upon issuance. Additionally, the Company will rely on the debt settlement exemption under section 2.14 of NI 45-106 for one Creditor, and the Shares issued to that party will be subject to a statutory hold period of four (4) months and one (1) day from the date of issuance, in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE). The securities being referred to in this news release have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States (U.S.) Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the U.S. or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the 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 the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Gold'n Futures Mineral Corp. Gold'n Futures Mineral Corp. (CSE: FUTR) (FSE: G6M) (OTC: GFTRF) is a mineral exploration company conducting programs to expand its gold resources and to develop viable gold mining operations through the application of extensive geological experience and knowledge combined with advanced technologies and computer modeling. On behalf of the Board of Directors Vicki Rosenthal Chief Financial Officer Email: matt@fishpurdy.com Ph: 416-400-8580 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. Forward-Looking Statements: Certain information contained in this news release may constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information is often identified by the use of words such as "plans," "expects," "may," "should," "could," "will," "intends," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "forecasts," or variations of such words and phrases, including the negative forms thereof, as well as terms such as "pro forma" and "scheduled," and similar expressions that refer to future events or outcomes. Forward-looking statements in this release, including, without limitation, statements relating to the anticipated timing, review, completion, and filing of the Annual Filings, the Company's ongoing operations, and the expected duration of the MCTO, involve 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 statements. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information contained herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS. VANCOUVER, June 11, 2025 - Zeus North America Mining Corp. (CSE:ZEUS)(OTCQB:ZUUZF)(FRANKFURT:O92) (THE "COMPANY" OR "ZEUS") is pleased to announce it has signed a binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") dated June 9, 2025 to acquire a 90% interest in both the Delker and Bulls Eye copper-gold ("Cu-Au") properties in northeast Nevada, USA. About the Delker Property: The Property is located approximately 79 kilometers ("km") from the town of Elko Nevada (see Figure 1); Adjacent to Ridgeline Minerals Corp.'s Big Blue Porphyry and carbonate replacement ("CRD") style Cu-Au-silver ("Ag") lead-zinc ("Pb-Zn") project. Ridgeline is currently drilling on the western flanks of the historic Delker Butte mine which is testing both high-grade Cu-Au skarn and potential porphyry Cu-Au targets at depth. The past producing Delker Mine, which produced 94,434 pounds of copper at an average grade of 6.2% Cu between 1916-1917 (*Smith, R.M., 1979), shares its northern boundary with the Delker property and the southern boundary with Reyna Silver's Medicine Springs Ag-Pb-Zn CRD project; The Property is within Elko County and consists of 400 Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") claims and there are no protected areas within the Property; Nevada was ranked the world's top mining jurisdiction by the Fraser Institute in 2022; The Property is road accessible and can be worked year-round; The Property lies within the "new base metal trend" in Nevada (see Figure 2); The Property lies within the Dolly Varden-Delker Butte Cretaceous to lower Jurassic intrusive Belt. The regional geologic setting is generally composed of Jurassic intrusive rocks intruding the Paleozoic Carbonate Shelf sequences of limestone and dolomites. This region is the host to various mineralization styles such as porphyry-style, Cu-skarn, CRD, and sediment/carbonate hosted and Carlin-type gold mineralization; Most of the recent exploration in the area was focused on gold. Companies that held claims within and around the Delker Property include Newmont USA, Nevada Gold, PegasUS Gold Corp., Kinross Gold, and Battle Mountain Gold. Historic surface work included 114 surface (soil) samples collected by Pegasus Gold Corp. within a small portion of the Delker Property which were analyzed for Au and As. Seventeen samples returned greater than (">") 0.1grams per tonne gold ("g/t Au") up to 2.8 g/t Au; Historical surface work by GHK (1980) at the Delker Hill area within the Property included eight rock grab samples containing >0.2 g/t Au, having a peak value of 2.33 g/t Au; Historical shallow drilling (less than 100m drill holes) within the West Buttes area by Pegasus Gold Corp. resulted in broad zones with anomalous Au including: WB-1: 9.14m of 0.74 g/t Au including 4.57m of 1.30 g/t Au; WB-4: 35m of 0.32 g/t Au including 1.52m of 0.45 g/t Au, 0.58 g/t Au, and 0.42 g/t Au, 4.57m of 0.41 g/t Au and 0.66 g/t Au; WB-5: 6.10m of 0.24g/t Au; 13.72m at ~0.56 g/t Au, including 4.57m of 3.86 g/t Au; WB-18: 7.62m at ~0.22g/t Au including 1.52m of 0.57 g/t Au; Recent surface samples collected by NV Resources within the Property included six rock grab samples containing >1.8 per cent ("%") Cu, up to 14.8% Cu (pXRF) and 13 rock grab samples containing greater that 1% Cu up to 7.8% Cu (American Assay Laboratories); The Property is underlain by a regional magnetic feature(s) that are interpreted to be part of an underlying metals-bearing intrusive event (porphyry target) and a potential heat source responsible for skarn-type mineralization in the Delker Buttes and Delker Hill areas, and the precious metal mineralization throughout the Medicine Range. About the Bulls Eye Property: The Property is located approximately 79 kilometers ("km") from the town of Elko Nevada, 17 km north of the Delker Property; The Property is within Elko County and consists of 40 BLM claims and there are no protected areas within the Property; The Property is underlain by a coincidental magnetic high and gravity high suggesting a potential buried porphyry. Future Exploration: Full data compilation for both properties; Surface mapping; Surface soil and rock grab sampling program; Ground geophysics including but not limited to magnetics and induced polarization ("IP"); Reconnaissance drilling. Terms of the Option Agreements: Subject to Canadian Securities Exchange approval, completion of due diligence and signing of definitive agreements for both properties, Nedeel LLC ("Nedeel") will grant Zeus the sole and exclusive right to acquire a 90% interest in each Property over a three year period by making the following cash and share payments: $50,000USD upon signing the LOI as an exclusivity payment (the "Initial Payment"); if a definitive option agreement (the "Option Agreement") is not completed within 60 days of signing the LOI, Zeus will pay an additional $50,000USD as break fee which will be non-refundable. $230,000USD upon the signing of the Option Agreement, provided that the Initial Payment shall become a credit towards such amount upon the signing. Issue an aggregate of 1,000,000 common shares of Zeus (each a "Share") to Needel as follows: On or before the first anniversary of the date of the Option Agreement, 250,000 Shares; On or before the second anniversary of the date of the Option Agreement, a further 250,000 Shares; On or before the third anniversary of the date of the Option Agreement, a further and final 500,000 Shares and a final payment of $250,000USD in cash (the "Third Year Payment). Each of the above cash and share payments are single payments towards a 90% interest in both Properties. If all cash and share payments have been made within the three year option period, Zeus will be deemed to have acquired a 90% interest in both Properties and will grant to Nedeel a 3% net smelter returns ("NSR") royalty on both Properties, of which one half of the respective royalty (1.5%) may be acquired by Zeus at any time within ten years of the date of the Option Agreement in increments of 1/15 for a purchase price of $100,000USD per increment in the first five years (for an aggregate purchase price of $1,500,000USD) or $200,000USD per increment if acquired in the period from the fifth to ten year anniversary (for an aggregate purchase price of $3,000,000USD). Upon the exercise of the option, Zeus and Nedeel will form a joint venture in respect of each Project. Nedeel will retain a carried interest in the Properties until the time of the Feasibility Payment (as defined below). In addition to the payments to exercise the options, Zeus will also be obligated to make certain additional bonus payments, in respect of each Property, to Nedeel as follows: Upon defining a maiden resource of at least 750,000 oz of gold (Au) or AuEQ and other base and precious metals (including copper) for either Project, Zeus shall pay Nedeel an additional $1,500,000USD in cash (the "Resource Payment"); Upon the earlier of (i) the completion of the positive bankable feasibility study on either Project, or (ii) the making of a decision to mine either Project, Zeus shall pay Nedeel an additional US$3,000,000 in cash (the "Feasibility Payment"). For clarity, the Bonus Payment and the Feasibility Payment are single payments in respect of both Projects and are payable at the initial time a Project reaches the applicable milestone, but not again at the time the remaining Project then achieves such milestone, if any; Zeus shall not be obligated to pay the Third Year Payment ($250,000USD) if Zeus has become obligated to pay and has paid the Resource Payment; Zeus retains the discretion to pay either the Resource Payment or the Feasibility Payment through the issuance of Shares, provided that if Zeus elects to pay the Resource Payment in Shares, the Resource Payment will be $2,000,000USD and, if Zeus elects to pay the Feasibility Payment in Shares, the Feasibility Payment will be $4,000,000USD. The deemed value of any such Shares issued will be equivalent to the 30 day VWAP of the Shares on the CSE for the 30 days immediately prior to the applicable payment due date, subject to a minimum price of $0.05CDN per share, subject to the approval of the CSE. Figure 1: Location of the Delker and Bulls Eye Property Figure 2: Nevada's New Base Metal Trend *This is presented simply as a record of previous exploration at the project and to show the geological prospectively of the area. All information is derived solely from management of Zeus Mining and otherwise publicly available third-party information which are believed to be reliable, but which have not been independently verified by the Company and as a result are not guaranteed as to accuracy and completeness. Zeus's management cautions that past results or discoveries on properties in proximity to Zeus may not necessarily be indicative of mineralization within the properties. Qualified Person The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dean Besserer, P.Geo., the President & CEO for the company and Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101. On behalf of the board of directors. "Dean Besserer" President and CEO For more information, please contact the Company at info@zeusminingcorp.com FOR INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT: Kin Communications Inc. Ph: 604-684-6730 ZEUS@kincommunications.com About Zeus North America Mining Corp. The Company is in the business of mineral exploration. The Company is focused on its exploration properties in the state of Idaho known as the: Cuddy Mountain; Selway; and Great Western properties, respectively. The Idaho properties consist of 101 (Cuddy Mountain), 57 (Selway) and 38 (Great Western) lode mining claims respectively and cover a cumulative area of approximately 4,200 acres. The Company's flagship Cuddy Mountain Property is adjacent to Hercules Metal Corp's Leviathan Copper Porphyry discovery. Forward-Looking Statements When used in this news release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although the Company believes, in light of the experience of their respective officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the parties can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. The forward-looking statements and information in this news release include, amongst others, the Company's exploration plans. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company. There are risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements or implied by such forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others: currency fluctuations; limited business history of the parties; disruptions or changes in the credit or security markets; results of operation activities and development of projects; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general development, market and industry conditions. The Company undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of its securities or its financial or operating results (as applicable). The Company cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. The Company does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws. The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. SOURCE: Zeus North America Mining Corp. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire VANCOUVER, June 11, 2025 - Kingfisher Metals Corp. (TSXV:KFR)(FSE:970)(OTCQB:KGFMF) ("Kingfisher" or the "Company") is pleased to announce an extensive exploration program including 7,500 metres of diamond drilling at the HWY 37 Project. Field crews arrived on site last week with camp construction underway and the first of two drills are expected to arrive in approximately one week. The 849 km2 HWY 37 Project is located within the Golden Triangle, British Columbia. Summary of 2025 Exploration Program The 2025 program is focused on the discovery of porphyry copper - gold deposits and will include 7,500 metres of diamond drilling, a ~1,700-line kilometre airborne mobile magnetotelluric geophysical survey (MMT), ~30-line kilometres of ground based induced polarization geophysics survey (IP), 150 days of geological mapping, geochemical sampling (>1,500 samples), and a LiDAR survey. Dustin Perry, CEO, states "The 2025 drill program at HWY 37 is the culmination of two years of consolidation, exploration, target generation, and a recently closed $10.9 million financing. The Hank-Williams porphyry Cu-Au targets represent the most compelling early-stage porphyry targets I have encountered in my career. The target area is host to a regionally significant mineral system with porphyry mineralization at valley-bottom elevations (347 metres of 0.33% copper and 0.39 g/t gold) that have only seen ~6,000 metres of historical drilling, and epithermal gold-silver mineralization up to 27.1 metres of 8.68 g/t gold up-slope at higher elevations. Except for Williams, historical exploration on this extensive mineral system has previously focused on outlining shallow precious metal mineralization. This program marks a turning point for the project where we will test multiple porphyry copper-gold targets as well as expanding upon what has already been discovered at Williams." Table 1 and Figures 1 and 2 outline the proposed areas of work for 2025 and a detailed breakdown of the largest ever exploration program on the extensive HWY 37 Project follows. Target Drilling IP Geophysics Geological Mapping Geochemical Sampling MMT Airborne Survey LiDAR Hank-Williams-Mary 7,500m ~30-line km X X North More X X Mess Creek X X Hickman X X Regional X X X X Table 1: 2025 Exploration Program - HWY 37 Project Figure 1: 2025 Proposed Work Areas at HWY 37 with District-Scale Gold Anomalies Figure 2: 2025 Proposed Work Areas at HWY 37 with District-Scale Copper Anomalies Diamond Drill Program The 7,500 metres diamond drill program will be supported with two diamond drills focused within the Hank-Williams area of the project (Figure 3). Additional targets may be tested beyond this area if additional high-conviction drill targets are identified within the course of the field program. The drill program will begin with one drill arriving on approximately June 18, 2025, and the second drill arriving approximately one week later. Figure 3: Hank-Williams Proposed Drilling 2025 Summary of Porphyry Drill Targets Williams Deposit Initial drilling at Williams will test for extensions of mineralization both above and below the limits of historical drilling as well as providing additional information on the orientation of the porphyry copper-gold system. Historical drilling at Williams encountered regions with intense potassic alteration hosting significant higher-grade intercepts including 190 metres of 0.49% copper and 0.57 g/t gold. Despite excellent initial grades, with limited historical drilling, the previous operator did not fully determine the orientation of the causative porphyry intrusions. The Company's working hypothesis for the Williams porphyry copper-gold deposit is that historical drilling only partially tested the structurally focused upper-levels of a broader porphyry system with potential for broadening at depth within a more intrusive dominated domain. The three initial planned drill holes range from 700 metres to 900 metres in length and are designed to determine the scale and grade potential of the Williams porphyry system at depth prior to initiating a more substantial step-out drill program. Williams East Drilling is planned east of the Williams Deposit to test a coincident chargeability and conductivity anomaly that shares the same sub vertical characteristics observed at Williams. Three holes are planned in this area ranging from 400-650 metres in length and drilled to the northwest and southeast. The furthest west hole is designed to test the broad chargeability anomaly located at depth and centered on Hank Creek. Additional Williams Area Drill Holes Additional drill holes are proposed within the Williams area to the northeast and south of the Williams deposit. These holes are based on a combination of coincident IP geophysics, magnetics, copper-gold geochemistry in soils and/or rocks, and the regional structural model developed by Kingfisher's exploration team. Kaip An initial 600 metre drill hole is proposed at the Kaip target, and it is designed to test for porphyry copper-gold mineralization below a near surface epithermal gold-silver mineralized zone that returned 24.8 metres of 5.6 g/t gold and 45.9 g/t silver as well 0.8 metres of 133 g/t gold and 263 g/t silver which contained visible gold. Prospecting and mapping in 2024 discovered copper mineralization cropping out in the valley bottom grading up to 0.23% copper. The initial drill hole will target an area over 300 metres below the area tested by historical drilling that focused on epithermal Au-Ag mineralization. Upper Hank The Upper Hank Target is upslope of the Pit Gold Deposit and includes intercepts grading up to 27.1 metres of 8.68 g/t gold. The target at Upper Hank is centered on a lithocap containing vuggy silica and advanced argillic minerals (dickite, alunite, diaspore). IP chargeability outlines a sub vertical pipe like anomaly that broadens at depth. The feature extends to surface and is represented by a ~500 x 600 metre breccia body that is cored by a 100 x 75 metre pyritic milled breccia. The Company's hypothesis is that this represents the top of a porphyry system. An initial 800 metre drill hole is designed to cross the pyrite breccia body and enter the broad chargeability anomaly at depth. The potential exists for intersecting high-sulfidation epithermal gold-silver mineralization enroute to the porphyry target. Follow up drilling contingent on initial results will test lateral extent as well as areas of favourable structural patterns which have the potential to focus hydrothermal ore forming fluids. Lower Hank The Lower Hank Target is located on trend and to the southwest of historical drill tests of epithermal gold-silver mineralization. The nearby Lower Au Hank Deposit epithermal results include 43 metres of 3.13 g/t gold and 31.7 g/t silver (DDH88-4), 64 metres of 1.97 g/t gold and 15 metres of 7.2 g/t gold (DDH89-4), and 342 metres of 0.33 g/t gold. Metal patterns in the Lower Hank Deposit plunge gently to the SW, interpreted by the Company to reflect direction of fluid flow and high exploration potential. The initial planned hole is designed to test a 700-metre gap in historical drilling where recent geological mapping has identified several hallmarks of a porphyry system. Geological mapping in 2023-24 identified large-scale zoned alteration patterns cored by copper grades up to 0.37% at surface. The Lower Hank Porphyry Target is located below these zoned alteration patterns, on the northern shoulder of a large chargeability anomaly and down plunge of the projected fluid pathway. Regional Surveys Mobile Magneto Telluric (MMT) Airborne Geophysical Survey A ~1,700-line kilometre MMT survey is planned to cover the Hank-Williams-Mary region as well as lateral and on-strike continuations of this highly prospective trend. The survey will be completed at 200 metre line spacing in order to provide high-resolution resistivity data across this trend that will aid in identifying additional porphyry centers as well as assisting with drill targeting within these regions. The Company is also considering extending the geophysical survey further to the west to cover the Northmore, Mess Creek, and Hickman targets. IP Geophysical Survey Approximately 30-line kilometres of IP geophysics is planned within the Hank-Williams-Mary trend. The survey is designed to further refine targets proximal to the area of drilling as well as extending coverage northwest, southeast, and along strike of the mineralized trend to the northeast towards Mary and the ME zone. Geological Mapping A geological mapping team led by Dr. Roy Greig and Dr. Stephanie Sykora will initially focus on the Hank-Williams-Mary trend and extend coverage to the NE from the 2025 drill area. Additionally, Northmore, Mess Creek, and Hickman will be assessed with the goal of refining drill targets for future drill programs. Geochemical Survey Geochemical sampling will be completed across a broad area in 2025. High priority soil sampling will begin by infilling gaps in historical sampling between Hank-Williams and Mary-ME. Initial sampling will take place northeast of Hank-Williams and south of Ball Creek to the cover a ~2.5 x 1.5-kilometre region and north of Ball Creek where a ~1.5 x 0.6-kilometre area with no historical sampling. Additional sampling will take place in the valley southeast of Hank Creek, along ridge and spurs within the greater Hank-Williams-Mary trend, and at Mess Creek. Rock sampling, prospecting, and collection of spectral data will take place alongside mapping across all target areas. LiDAR Survey A high-resolution LiDAR survey is planned for approximately half of the HWY 37 Project focused on the Hank-Williams-Mary area. The survey is being completed to provide structural data for 3D modelling, providing accurate topography, and baseline surface disturbance data. Qualified Person Dustin Perry P.Geo., Kingfisher's President and CEO, is the Company's Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and has prepared the technical information presented in this release. Webinar Kingfisher's President and CEO, Dustin Perry, will be participating in a Webinar hosted by Adelaide Capital, which is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at 2:00 pm EDT. Please click the following link to Register. About Kingfisher Metals Corp. Kingfisher Metals Corp. (https://kingfishermetals.com/) is a Canadian based exploration company focused on copper-gold exploration in the Golden Triangle, British Columbia. Through outright purchases and option earn in agreements (Orogen Royalties and Golden Ridge Resources) the Company has quickly consolidated one of the largest land positions in the region at the contiguous 849 km2 HWY 37 Project. Kingfisher also owns (100%) two district-scale orogenic gold projects in British Columbia that total 641 km2. The Company currently has 88,661,810 shares outstanding. For further information, please contact: Dustin Perry, P.Geo. CEO and Director Phone: +1 778 606 2507 E-Mail: info@kingfishermetals.com Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's property. This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements relating to expectations regarding the projects, and other statements that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, among others: the Company may require additional financing from time to time in order to continue its operations which may not be available when needed or on acceptable terms and conditions acceptable; compliance with extensive government regulation; domestic and foreign laws and regulations could adversely affect the Company's business and results of operations; the stock markets have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of companies and these fluctuations may adversely affect the price of the Company's securities, regardless of its operating performance. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. SOURCE: Kingfisher Metals Corp. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire VANCOUVER, June 11, 2025 - Yukon Metals Corp. (CSE: YMC, FSE: E770, OTCQB: YMMCF) ("Yukon Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has commenced the inaugural drilling program at its 11,755-hectare AZ Project, located 6 kilometers west of the Alaska Highway and 36 kilometres south of Beaver Creek, Yukon. The fully funded exploration program includes 2,000 metres of diamond drilling, along with extensive geological mapping and rock-chip sampling across several high-priority targets. (Figure 4). 2025 AZ Drilling Program: 2,000 metres of diamond drilling of extensive copper mineralization at Chair Mountain, with surface values up to 3.49% copper (Figures 1 and 5). Hole AZ25-001 contains malachite and azurite down to 22.4m (Figure 2). Follow-up on the Nutzotin skarn mineral occurrence, where historic trench samples returned up to 10.3% copper (AR # 095814) as well as testing of an intrusive-hosted chalcopyrite-bearing vein system (Figure 4). Yukon-based and local First Nation contractors engaged: drill pads constructed by Minconsult in partnership with Vision Quest Drilling, a Kluane First Nation citizen-owned company; helicopter support provided by Yukon-based Capital Helicopters; drilling services contracted to Platinum Drilling; camp services provided by Kagani, a Kluane First Nation citizen-owned enterprise in partnership with longstanding Yukon-based exploration contractor - Archer Cathro. "We are encouraged by the presence of visible copper oxide minerals, including malachite and azurite (Figures 2 and 3), observed in the upper portion of the first hole at AZ," said Rory Quinn, President & CEO of Yukon Metals. "These visual indicators align well with our exploration model, and we look forward to receiving assay results to confirm the extent and grade of mineralization." Figure 1 - First drill rig mobilized at the AZ Project. Photo taken June 6, 2025. Figure 2 - Drill core from hole AZ25-001 at 22.4m containing malachite, azurite, and pyrite. Photo taken June 7, 2025. Figure 3 - Drill core from hole AZ25-001 at 13.4m highlighting strongly oxidized core with abundant azurite mineralization. Photo taken June 7, 2025. Figure 4 - Interpreted mineralization trend the focus of the 2025 field program at AZ highlighted along with 2024 prospected gossan area. Building on last season's successful prospecting at Chair Mountain, where rock chip samples returned up to 3.49% copper (see YMC news release issued January 15, 2025 here), the Company has identified a high-priority target area extending an additional 2.5 kilometers toward the Nutzotin mineral occurrence. Notably, hematite alteration (see YMC news release issued February 19, 2025 here) observed at surface and the presence of multiple copper occurrences along this corridor suggest the potential for a porphyry-style system. Figure 5 - Sample K140202 grading 3.49% Cu at AZ Project. About the AZ Project In September 2024, Yukon Metals conducted a helicopter-supported mapping and sampling program on its AZ property. A prominent zone of orange iron-stained and altered rocks was followed over 1.2 kilometres on the north and eastern flanks of Chair Mountain. Consistent copper mineralization was found along the prospected area. Of the sixty rock-chip samples taken, 18 samples showing significant copper content, assayed from 0.12-3.49%. Hematite alteration was also noted in the area. This can be associated with oxidized hydrothermal fluids, which are key drivers in forming major porphyry copper deposits. Rock-chip samples were collected in quartz veins within basalt and andesite volcanic rocks in both outcrop and float exposures near the ridge tops. This area is coincident with a major topographic lineament, mapped regionally as a NW trending fault zone, that extends a further kilometer down to Sanpete Creek (a past alluvial gold producer) and the property boundary to the southeast. The large gossan and mineralized veins provide evidence of a large hydrothermal system driving fluids through the faults and fractures on Chair Mountain. Strongly clay-altered biotite-quartz diorite dykes were mapped in the vicinity of mineralization and are interpreted to be part of the Nutzotin suite of intrusions. Grant of Equity Incentive Awards Yukon Metals announces that it has granted a total of 2,594,000 options ("Equity Incentive Awards") to various employees, consultants, directors, and officers of the Company. The Equity Incentive Awards have been granted pursuant to the Company's Omnibus Incentive Plan and are subject to vesting provisions. The options have an exercise price of $0.53 per share and will expire five years from the date of grant. Qualified Person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Helena Kuikka, P.Geo., VP Exploration for Yukon Metals and a Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101). About Yukon Metals Corp. Yukon Metals is well financed and represents a property portfolio built on over 30 years of prospecting by the Berdahl family, the prospecting team behind Snowline Gold's portfolio of primary gold assets. The Yukon Metals portfolio consists primarily of copper-gold and silver-lead-zinc assets, with a substantial gold and silver component. The Company is led by an experienced Board of Directors and Management Team across technical and finance disciplines. Yukon Metals is focused on fostering sustainable growth and prosperity within Yukon's local communities, while simultaneously enhancing stakeholder value. Our strategy centers around inclusivity and shared prosperity, offering both community members and investors the chance to contribute to, and benefit from, our ventures The Yukon The Yukon ranks 10th most prospective for mineral potential across global jurisdictions according to the Fraser Institute's 2023 Survey of Mining Companies and is host to a highly experienced and conscientious local workforce, fostered by a long culture of exploration coupled with deep respect for the land. Recent major discoveries with local roots such as Snowline Gold's Rogue Project - Valley Discovery, demonstrate the Yukon's potential to generate fresh district-scale mining opportunities. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF YUKON METALS CORP. "Rory Quinn" Rory Quinn, President & CEO Email: roryquinn@yukonmetals.com Phone: 604-366-4408 For additional information please contact: Kaeli Gattens Vice President, Investor Relations & Communications Yukon Metals Corp. Email: kaeligattens@yukonmetals.com Website: www.yukonmetals.com CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release contains certain forward-looking information, including information about the metal association and geology of the prospect areas at the AZ project, including Chair Mountain, Nutzotin, Wrangell and California, the accuracy of the copper mineralization, the potential for economic grades of copper, silver and gold, Yukon's potential to generate fresh district-scale mining opportunities, and the Company's future plans and intentions. Wherever possible, words such as "may", "will", "should", "could", "expect", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict" or "potential" or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify the forward-looking information. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof. Forward-looking information involves significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those discussed or implied in the forward-looking information. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Chair Mountain and other properties not being prospective copper-rich, gold-rich or silver-rich geological systems; rock samples analysed not being representative of overall mineralization; the required assumptions of completed helicopter-supported mapping and sampling programs; not having significant scale and a lack of economic grade minerals; the Yukon not having the potential to generate fresh district-scale mining opportunities; and other risks and uncertainties. See the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's listing statement dated May 30, 2024, available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca for additional risk factors. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information. Although the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with the forward-looking information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise the information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. References Mitchell, A., B.Sc. (2012). Assessment report describing soil and rock geochemical sampling at the Nutz Property, Nutz 1-30 YD110353-YD110382, NTS 115/K02. Prepared for Strategic Metals Ltd. by Archer, Cathro & Associates (1981) Limited. Whitehorse Mining District, Yukon Territory. February 2012. AR # 095814 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/defe9b1d-b22c-402c-bc67-a6bbbecdbbe6 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6f9dadb0-9d19-43de-9e18-b42e93db9542 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/851bcef6-5c85-4a5e-af5b-bed58a3960f4 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c628ae4a-f0cd-4a64-921f-b144546c821f https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bcd68fb9-b5ec-4602-a736-a72d94eb8e7d Voters embraced mail ballots in 2020, but some legislators want to restrict their use. Steph Solis | ssolis@masslive.com/Steph Solis/TNS Hundreds of Bills to Restrict or Expand Voting A Gwinnett County election worker looks over absentee and provisional ballots at the Gwinnett Voter Registrations and Elections office on Nov. 6, 2020 in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Jessica McGowan/TNS Court-Ordered Changes Shook Voter Confidence Partisan Control of State Legislatures Source: NCSL Making Better Access Permanent Would Federal Voting Standards Work? Debate Rages Over Federal Voting Standards People wait in a long line Oct. 13 to vote at an early voting location at the Renaissance Austin Hotel. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman/TNS)The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would strengthen protections for communities of color. JAY JANNER/AMERICAN-STATESMAN/TNS Precinct representatives in line to turn in their election materials. Sue Dorfman/TNS Pleasing Losers Is a Big Challenge The mechanics of election administration became a national obsession in 2020. Whether from pre- and post-election disinformation about fraud or the efforts of public officials and private-sector groups to help voters during the pandemic, passions over election integrity have soared since the November presidential election. They reached a fever pitch following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and in the weeks since, hundreds of bills have been put forward in state legislatures in the name of election reform.Now, voting rights advocates are on edge as the Supreme Court considers a case that could thwart efforts to protect minority voters. The Arizona attorney general and the state's Republican Party have asked the court to review an appellate court decision that Arizona laws restricting ballot collection and out-of-precinct voting are discriminatory. A worst-case scenario would be a ruling that not only overturns the earlier decision but also includes a departure from precedent that weakens the Voting Rights Act bigger percentage of eligible voters cast votes in November than in any other election in the past 120 years. Practices implemented to make voting safe during the public health emergency, such as early voting and vote-by-mail, were popular with voters and added to the turnout. They werent the only factors driving participation, however. A pre-election Pew survey found that more than 80 percent of voters felt that it really mattered who won the election.Both parties want to build on the lessons learned from the general election, but they have different ideas about what that means. Research and experience might show that absentee voting does not change outcomes, but some find it hard to believe there is no meaning in the fact that only a third of Trump supporters voted by mail, while nearly 60 percent of Biden voters used mail ballots.Election officials moved fast to make changes during the pandemic, says New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, the president of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS). Early voting and vote-by-mail were expanded in states with fundamentally different political viewpoints out of the necessity to prevent large crowds of people from gathering in one place.Now there's going to be contention over whether to codify some of those changes or to see them as problematic, says Toulouse Oliver. Largely, the states that are trying to make things more restrictive are coming from a point of view of believing the conspiracy theories that have been batted around. An analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice published on Feb. 8 identified 165 bills in 33 states that could restrict voter access, and more than 500 in 37 states that intended to expand access. Since that time, hundreds more have been introduced, says Eliza Sweren-Becker, counsel in the centers Democracy Program and the lead author of the roundup.Her most recent count is 253 restrictive and 704 expansive proposals in 43 states. Although no instances of irregularity or voter fraud have been found that affected the outcome of the election, state lawmakers continue to use the false charge that both occurred to justify restrictive legislation, says Sweren-Becker.Election administrators across the country made sure that voters could vote in a safe and secure manner, she says. After a historic turnout, were seeing a backlash, with state lawmakers trying to put stumbling blocks in the way of voters at every step of the way.These include such things as eliminating no excuse voting and permanent early voting lists, aggressive purging of voter lists, shortening early voting periods, banning drop boxes and preventing the mailing of absentee ballots to those who have not requested them. Five states are seeking to eliminate same-day voter registration, a practice that, according to estimates by social scientists , would give millions more Americans the opportunity to vote.An Oklahoma bill calls for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that, among other things, would prohibit the mailing of an absentee ballot to any citizen unless in response to a request that is notarized or signed by two other eligible voters. Violation of these and other requirements would be a felony punishable by at least five years in prison.Arizona bills would give the Legislature the authority to overturn results certified by election officials, says Sweren-Becker. An Iowa bill would impose criminal sanctions on election officials. A New Hampshire bill mandates that members of the public must be permitted to observe the processing and counting of absentee ballots without obstruction and from a distance of 6 feet.Of course, it should be the expectation that election officials are going to follow the rules, but thats not the way to lead qualified, dedicated election officials to stay on their jobs, says Sweren-Becker. The unrelenting pressures of the pandemic, the disparagement of election officials for adhering to the rule of law and threats against their safety have already led to a wave of resignations For those who have remained on the job, a flurry of bills seeking to cancel practices that resulted in increased participation can feel like one more attack, this time from state lawmakers. But some see things differently.Attorney Mark Braden served as counsel to the Republican National Committee for 10 years and has decades of experience in cases involving voting rights, redistricting and contested elections. The most important thing, he says, is for voters to believe that the system works which he is confident it does.Its important that the winners win, but equally important is the fact that the rational supporters of the losers believe that the person who won actually won, he says. Those are so much more important than anything else.While he considers 90 percent of the former presidents assertions about fraud to be total nonsense, he does feel there are legitimate reasons to be concerned about the process. For example, the disruptive circumstances of the pandemic led to election guidelines being revised through consent decrees and court orders.The Democrats couldnt get exactly what they wanted through the legislatures, so they just went to the courts, he says, setting a precedent for future midstream changes.Derek Muller, an election law expert who teaches at the University of Iowa, believes that these court-ordered changes late in the election process shook voter confidence. The appearance that alternate voting rules were coming from left-leaning courts or judges added to the sense that they were unfair, he says.Those who were willing to believe that voting systems were manipulated, despite paper records and recounts that indicated otherwise, are unlikely to be reassured by legislation, says Muller. I think the key is to get people to understand and trust existing procedures, rather than buy into concerns that arent empirically proven.Its not surprising that the combination of an exceptionally controversial and polarizing presidential campaign and a pandemic would impact the election process, says Braden, but the next election will be different. A lot of places will return to their more traditional system, which will be less controversial and should be easier for people to understand.More than three times as many bills have been introduced to expand access to the polls as to restrict it. We are seeing a number of state lawmakers look to 2020 and see which of the policies that were temporarily adopted worked, says Sweren-Becker.The Brennan Center found that proposed expansion legislation focuses largely on mail voting, early voting, voter registration and voting rights. These include proposals for no-excuse mail voting in every election and authorizing or requiring drop boxes for ballots. Lawmakers in numerous states want to allow election officials to start processing ballots before election day and to restore rights to persons with past criminal convictions.Bills that expand voting access have been put forward in states also considering restrictive policies. Republicans currently control legislatures in 30 states , and Democrats in 18. Republicans hold the legislature and the governorship in 23 states, the Democrats 15. With the putative leader of the Republican Party and three-fourths of self-identified Republicans still holding to the belief that the election was stolen , efforts to codify recent changes will be fought hard.In some states these bills will have no chance, says election law expert Rick Hasen, Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science at UC Irvine, of legislation aimed at increasing access. In other states where there's more cooperation or perhaps divided government and there's room for compromise, those bills could have a chance.If disagreement about best practices for election administration is the norm at the state level, differences could be reduced by setting federal standards. Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution grants Congress the right to make or alter regulations regarding the Times, Places and Manner of holding elections.HR1, the For the People Act first introduced in the House of Representatives in 2019 and passed by that chamber, aims to provide such standards. It was reintroduced in January and has the support of every House Democrat The For the People Act is built on three pillars, says Daniel Weiner, deputy director of the Brennan Centers Election Reform Program. The first expands voting access and creates a baseline federal standard that includes modernizing voter registration and restoring the right to vote to formerly incarcerated persons. The second puts safeguards over redistricting into place and bans partisan gerrymandering, and the third overhauls the campaign finance system.The election practices that HR1 would prescribe are already in place in many states, including online voter registration (40 states), automatic registration (18 states and the District of Columbia), same-day registration (21 states and D.C.) and pre-registration of voters at age 16 (23 states). Voter participation would be enhanced by practices such as two-week early voting periods, no-excuse vote by mail, prepaid ballot mailings, drop boxes and curbside voting.The bill addresses election security by eliminating paperless systems, setting standards for equipment and requiring it to be certified, and post-election risk-limiting audits . Provisions to end gerrymandering include the creation of independent commissions to oversee redistricting, a ban on the use of maps that favor or disfavor one party and uniform rules for drawing congressional districts. These would not take effect until after the 2030 Census.Campaign finance reform proposals include the creation of a small donor matching system which would provide a 6-to-1 match for donations up to $200 to Congressional candidates from a Freedom from Influence Fund.Small donor matching provisions are the most effective way to counter the trends weve seen over the last decade, says Weiner. The only way to have a different system, particularly given how the Supreme Court has ruled, is to create some sort of viable path for candidates to fund their campaigns in a different way.Mitch McConnell has called HR1 a power grab, but Weiner thinks it has a chance. Our democracy had a near-death experience in some ways, he says. Theres an unprecedented understanding that our democracys challenges are multifaceted and require a multifaceted solution.Mark Braden is adamantly opposed to attempts to nationalize the election system. One of the virtues of our system is that its diverse and done differently in different locales, which are appropriate because people have different situations, he says.For Braden and Muller alike, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) is a cautionary tale about unanticipated consequences from federal action. In an effort to address controversy around the possibility that inaccurate punch cards affected the outcome of the 2000 presidential election, HAVA allocated $650 million for states to purchase electronic voting equipment that proved to be even more of a security concern.I can see the logic behind trying to create more of a standard across the states, says NASS President Maggie Toulouse Oliver. I still think it's really important for states to have a lot of freedom and flexibility and funding to be able to implement any sort of federal mandate.Theres little doubt that HR1 will pass the House, but Hasen isnt sure it will make it any farther. With a one-vote majority in the Senate, Democrats would have to get rid of the filibuster to push the bill through and there does not appear to be enough Democratic support to make this happen.HR1 also would strengthen the Voting Rights Act, referencing the Supreme Courts 5-4 Shelby County v. Holder decision in 2013. In this case, the court effectively ended a requirement for states and jurisdictions with histories of discrimination against voters to receive federal approval before implementing changes to their voting rules by ruling that the formula used to decide who should go through this preclearance was outdated.As HR1 moves forward, another federal voting reform bill is also in play, one that directly addresses the racial dimensions of voting rights and disenfranchisement of minority voters.The Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA), which passed the House and was renamed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in the Senate, proposes a new formula for preclearance, based on documented evidence of discrimination. It establishes guidelines for notifying voters about changes, and enables the attorney general to send federal observers to monitor elections, prevent voter intimidation and report what they have found.No legislation could be expected to cure all partisan fears, says professor Muller. When Republicans win elections, Democrats lose faith in the electoral process, and when Democrats win elections, Republicans lose faith. If a Republican loses in 2024, it wont matter what restrictions were placed on absentee voting or how many observers were allowed to watch vote counts, he says.Legal challenges are to be expected for any bills that make it to law. If the For the People Act did manage to make it into law, it should withstand a Constitutional test, says Joshua A. Douglas, a law professor at the University of Kentucky.As for the new state restrictions, I certainly expect them to be challenged, he says. Unfortunately, the latest Supreme Court precedent unduly defers to the states, making it even harder to successfully challenge election laws.It would be a mistake not to reflect on the role the will of the people played in the 2020 election. It may not be possible to gauge how much the 2020 turnout was due to opportunities introduced during the pandemic and how much by a sense that the very soul of the nation was at stake, but its a question worth asking.There are a lot of really important empirical questions that remain unanswered about the changes that Republicans and Democrats are talking about, says Muller. Despite the fact that there is so much partisan wrangling, its hard to know if all of these things are making very much of a difference.New Mexico Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver and her colleagues are still thinking about the ways that misinformation interfered with their work and public confidence in it, generating not just discontent but threats of violence against election officials.Weve started talking about reconstituting a committee or task force to try to get a better handle on public education, she says. Folks who were willing to buy into the conspiracy theories had no knowledge of, or no interest in, how election processes really work. Imola's F1 axe is not the final word Imola has been dropped from the Formula 1 calendar - but the iconic Italian venue is not giving up. Lewis Hamilton, Emilio Romagna GP 2025 Ferrari At Tuesday's meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Macau, the FIA rubber-stamped another 24-race schedule proposed by F1 - with Madrid confirmed as a brand new host. And with F1, the FIA and the teams all agreeing that the 2026 calendar cannot accommodate a 25th grand prix, fears that Imola would be the host left without a place were confirmed. This is news that we were aware of and that understandably generates questions, disappointment and a sense of bitterness, Imola mayor Marco Panieri and regional president Michele de Pascale admitted in a joint statement. However, we want to be very clear - this news is by no means the final word. On the face of it, the only chance of an immediate comeback for Imola would be Madrid's new street circuit failing inspection by the FIA. Both F1 and the FIA admit that the Madrid GP next year is only scheduled subject to FIA circuit homologation . Germany's major newspaper Bild notes that there is actually a big question mark hovering over the inaugural 2026 Madrid GP. Many doubt that the street circuit will be ready in time for its planned premiere, it claims. If it doesn't work out, Imola is the first alternative candidate. Indeed, Imola's Panieri and de Pascale confirm that a race budget for 2026 is already allocated. Also teetering on the brink of losing its own spot on the F1 calendar is long-time host Barcelona - even though the event is still on the schedule for 2026. However, the long-time Spanish GP host does not have a contract beyond 2026. The official ambassador for the new Madrid GP, Williams driver and Madrid native Carlos Sainz, said this week: I wish Barcelona the best, and I hope we have two home races during my entire racing career. Banco Santander is a long-time supporter of Spain's Formula 1 interests, and its sponsorships boss Felipe Martin said he is hoping the Barcelona race can survive beyond next year. Having a grand prix is a highly prized right in many countries, and for Spain to be able to have two, in the two largest cities, would be a luxury, he admitted to Diario Sport. For us, next year will be wonderful, and I hope this situation lasts for many years, with one grand prix before the summer and another afterward. I want, I hope, and I wish that we can have two grands prix in Spain for a long time to come. (GMM) Lindblad gets green light for F1 race debut The FIA has given Arvid Lindblad's fast track to the Formula 1 grid a big boost. Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Spanish GP 2025 Red Bull Just as the prospect of a one-race ban hangs over Max Verstappen's head, F1's governing body on Tuesday considered a request from Red Bull to grant British-Swedish F2 talent Lindblad the mandatory F1 credential. Lindblad, currently third in his rookie F2 season, had already qualified for the super license based on the points system, but the FIA requires any eligible Formula 1 driver to be 18 and with a valid road driver's license. He passed his driving test over the winter, but Lindblad does not turn 18 until September. That's why we're currently applying to the FIA for an exemption, which (Kimi) Antonelli got, Red Bull F1 advisor Dr Helmut Marko revealed recently. It emerged a few days ago that the FIA would consider Red Bull's application on Tuesday. In the event that a further FIA sanction for Verstappen results in another penalty point on his super license this weekend in Canada, it is possible the quadruple world champion will have to sit out Red Bull's home grand prix in Austria. Marko says that would be a catastrophe , but Red Bull is still having to draw up contingency plans. Reports suggest the outfit would put either Liam Lawson or Isack Hadjar in Verstappen's car, but Lawson has already been demoted in 2025 while Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer is begging Red Bull to leave Hadjar be. For heaven's sake, don't take this talent away from us too soon, the Swiss newspaper Blick quotes Bayer as saying. He should learn the ropes here until the end of 2026. Until then, we'll just have to keep him in handcuffs! Lawson or Hadjar aside, Red Bull's primary reserve driver this season is Ayumu Iwasa - setting up the possibility of an all-Japanese (Iwasa and Yuki Tsunoda) lineup at Red Bull Racing for the Austrian GP. Red Bull, however, now has another option. The FIA has received a request to grant a super licence to Arvid Lindblad prior to his 18th birthday, the FIA confirmed after Tuesday's meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Macau. After considering the information presented in support of this request, the World Council found that the driver has recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition and therefore approved the request. (GMM) Embrace innovation to build sustainable businesses Entrepreneurs advised Elizabeth Nyaadu Adu Business News Jun - 11 - 2025 , 08:51 The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rigworld Group, Dr Kofi Amoa-Abban, has advised the youth to embrace innovation and strategic networking as pathways to sustainable entrepreneurial success. He said true innovation extended beyond creating technologies, therefore, young entrepreneurs must identify and address local market gaps through improved service delivery and collaborative approaches. The advice comes at a time when Ghanas unemployment rate remains a significant concern, with many young people seeking alternative pathways to economic empowerment through entrepreneurship. Innovation does not always mean inventing new technologies. Sometimes, it is about offering a better service, filling a local gap, or finding smarter ways to collaborate, he said. Forum Dr Amoa-Abban gave the advice in his keynote address at the opening of the 2025 Graduate Practitioners Forum in Accra last Friday on the theme: Dynamic Strategies for Global Industry Leadership. The two-day forum, which was organised by the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) School of Graduate Studies for final-year students, aims to equip graduates with practical insights and professional skills for career advancement and real-world success. Other speakers at the forum were the acting Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GAGL), Obuobia Darko-Opoku, and the Director of the UPSA Centre for International Education and Collaboration (CIEC), Ivy Heward-Mills. Solving problems He further challenged the youth to shift their focus from seeking social media influence to becoming practical problem-solvers who can contribute meaningfully to Ghanas economic development. Theres too much pressure to look successful instead of becoming successful. Focus on the work, build relationships and keep learning. Ghana needs more problem-solvers, not just more influencers, he stated, highlighting the countrys need for entrepreneurs who could address real challenges facing communities and industries. The Vice-Chancellor of UPSA, Professor John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, urged students and young professionals to prioritise adequate preparation as the cornerstone of career success. He explained that in todays competitive job market, preparation extended beyond academic qualifications to include practical skills, networking and continuous learning. Therefore, those who consistently prepare themselves are better positioned to recognise and capitalise on career-defining moments when they arise, he added. Rationale The acting Dean of Graduate School at UPSA, Dr Linda Narh, explained that the forum was designed to provide practical insights into corporate world opportunities and challenges while offering students direct interaction with industry experts. According to Dr Narh, the initiative formed part of the comprehensive training programme for graduate students at UPSA, reflecting the institutions commitment to Scholarship with Professionalism. She stressed that the universitys approach went beyond traditional academic learning to ensure real-world preparation through meaningful engagement with industry leaders. Next article: ASANA Bar and Kitchen opens at Kempinski Accra Chamber of Licensed Gold Buyers secures EPA fee waiver Suleiman Mustapha Business News Jun - 11 - 2025 , 02:44 The Chamber of Licensed Gold Buyers has successfully secured an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fee waiver through a collaborative effort with the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod). The achievement aims to lower operational costs for licensed gold buyers, promote industry growth and encourage more entities to obtain necessary licensing by alleviating the financial barriers associated with EPA fees. It is also expected to enhance the competitiveness of licensed gold buyers, support sustainable practices and foster growth within the industry. Gold trading This development follows a meeting between the chamber, led by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kwaku Amoah, and the GoldBod, led by its CEO, Sammy Gyamfi, where key issues affecting the gold trading sector, including the new licensing regime and EPA fees, were discussed. This waiver is a testament to the productive collaboration between the two entities, Mr Kwaku Amoah said. Tier 1 gold buyers are licensed entities authorised to purchase gold directly from artisanal and small-scale miners (ASMs), providing financing to the miners, for onward sale to licensed Tier 2 buyers. Through the latest collaboration, a streamlined process has been established, waiving EPA fees for Tier 1 licences and paving the way for a possible reduction in EPA fees for Tier 2 licences. Mr Gyamfi welcomed the collaboration between the two institutions and expressed the hope that the initiative would encourage more entities to obtain the necessary licences from the relevant authorities. This development makes licensing more accessible to industry players. The chamber's expertise and advocacy were instrumental in negotiating favourable terms while ensuring compliance with EPA regulations. The chamber's expertise and advocacy played a crucial role in negotiating favourable terms and ensuring compliance with EPA regulations. Industry growth This initiative is anticipated to boost the competitiveness of licensed gold buyers, promote sustainable practices and drive industry growth. Members seeking to obtain or renew Tier 1 and 2 buying licences can access detailed information and application guidance through the chamber's official channels. The chamber expressed its support for the GoldBod's policy direction and proposed collaborative efforts to achieve its objectives and create economic value for its members. "We propose working together to achieve the board's objectives while creating economic value for our members, particularly in the downstream sector," Mr Amoah said. The chamber's network spans the Ashanti, Western, Central and Northern regions. GoldBod The GoldBod has received over 200 applications from Tier 2 licence applicants, with a deadline for the licensing process set for June 21, 2025. After this date, only licensed gold buyers will be permitted to purchase gold, while unlicensed buyers will face penalties. The partnership between the Chamber of Licensed Gold Buyers and the GoldBod aims to ensure a smooth licensing process and promote a responsible and sustainable gold trading sector in Ghana. MGIL expands to boost Ghanas apparel export Business Desk Report Business News Jun - 11 - 2025 , 09:03 Ghanas ambitions to become a major player in global apparel exports are gaining momentum, with Maagrace Garments Industries Limited (MGIL) set to ramp up production following a strategic expansion backed by Growth Investment Partners Ghana Ltd (GIP). The investment, led by GIPa platform established by British International Investmentwill fund the construction of a new production facility at MGILs base in Koforidua. It aims to boost output capacity, scale exports and catalyse job creation across the countrys manufacturing sector, with a particular focus on women and youth employment. MGIL, a subsidiary of UK-headquartered Ethical Apparel Africa (EAA), currently exports over 90 per cent of its garments to major brands in the US, UK and Europe. With the new facility expected to go live by early 2026, the company plans to significantly increase volume while positioning Ghana as a dependable supplier in the global apparel supply chain. The expansion is driven by rising demand from both long-standing clients and new international brands. But beyond commercial considerations, MGIL is doubling down on its social impact model. The co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ethical Apparel Africa, Keren Pybus, said the growth strategy was both market-driven and socially conscious. She added that MGILs emphasis on quality, innovation and inclusive workforce development sets it apart from regional competitors and helps build resilience in a volatile global market. With over 700 employees (72 per cent of them women), MGIL provides structured training to all recruits. Workers receive education on workplace standards, health and safety protocols, and sewing-machine operation, enabling new hires to join export sewing lines within four to six weeks. The company has also established a wellness centre, subsidises meals and transportation, and promotes gender equity, with women holding half of all managerial roles. Our aim is to be the best place to work in the apparel industry, Ms Pybus said, noting that employees earn, on average, four times their previous income. Ghana already competes well internationally. As soon as rules of origin and other trade protocols under AfCFTA are clarified, we believe Ghana will emerge as a continental export leader in apparel, the CEO of GIP Ghana, Jacob Kholi, stated. Featured YellowPay and HanyPay are unlicensed digital platforms in Ghana BoG warns public Graphic.com.gh Business News Jun - 11 - 2025 , 18:34 The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has cautioned the public against engaging with two digital financial service providers YellowPay and HanyPay for operating without the necessary licenses and regulatory approvals in Ghana. In a public notice dated June 10, 2025, the central bank flagged YellowPay, a product of Yellow Card Financial Inc., for promoting itself as a provider of digital payment services, cryptocurrency trading, and cross-border remittance solutions, despite lacking authorization to operate in Ghana. According to the BoG, YellowPay enables users to send and receive electronic money and stablecoins, convert them into local currency, and make payments across bordersfunctions that fall under the Banks regulatory mandate and therefore require licensing. The institution clarified that Yellow Card Financial Inc. is not licensed by the Bank of Ghana to conduct any such activities within the country. Compounding the regulatory concern is YellowPays reported collaboration with HanyPay, a platform claiming to be licensed by the so-called Africa Diaspora Central Bank (ADCB). The partnership reportedly involves the development of a new stablecoin, AKL Lumi, for use in global digital finance. However, the Bank of Ghana made it clear that it does not recognize the Africa Diaspora Central Bank as a legitimate central bank, and that HanyPay is neither licensed nor authorized to operate in Ghana. This development raises significant regulatory concerns, the statement read, stressing that HanyPays operations are not sanctioned under Ghanaian law. The BoG has therefore directed financial institutions, the general public, and stakeholders to refrain from doing business with Yellow Card Financial Inc. and HanyPay Ghana. The warning underscores the Banks commitment to protecting Ghanas financial system from unregulated digital operations and potential risks associated with cryptocurrency activities conducted outside established legal frameworks. Africa doesnt need validation from the West- FESTAC Africa Chairman Gifty Owusu-Amoah Showbiz News Jun - 11 - 2025 , 13:21 3 minutes read Engr Yinka Abioye, the Chairman of FESTAC Africa, a prominent arts and culture organisation, has boldly declared that Africa doesn't need validation from the West due to its rich cultural heritage. He mentioned that his position is a powerful assertion of African identity and creativity, emphasising the continent's rich cultural heritage and its ability to stand on its own merit. Speaking at the official launch of 2025 FESTAC Africa Renaissance Festival held at the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) on Tuesday, June 10 and to officially announce Ghana as host, Mr Yinka encouraged Africans to take pride in their cultural achievements and to recognise the value of their own stories and experiences. ( Read Ghana to host 6th FESTAC 2025) "FESTAC AFRICA is more than a festivalit is a Pan-African movement of cultural reclamation, honouring ancestral wisdom, economic empowerment, and African pride. Africa's true power lies not in her minerals, but in her people. Culture is the language that unites us beyond boarders. It is how we remember, how we resist, and how we rise. Culture is our compass and our currency. We no longer need to seek validation from the west. Let us look inward - to our ancestors, our elders, and our youth for the blueprint of our renaissance. Ghana, with its unmatched leadership in heritage and unity, is the rightful host for this renaissance, he said. The festivals launch also saw the announcement of Ghana with its national capital, Accra, as the host of this years FESTAC Africa Renaissance Festival 2025, taking place from September 21 -27, 2025. The festivals theme, Harnessing Health, Culture, Trade, Climate Change, Gender Equity, and Tourism for Sustainable Economic Growth, aims to promote Pan-Africanism, cultural restoration, and economic collaboration. The festival dates hold special significance, as they coincide with two important celebrations: September 21st, the birthday of Ghana's first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and September 27th, World Tourism Day. Maame Efua Houadjeto, CEO of Ghana Tourism Authority Maame Efua Houadjeto, CEO of Ghana Tourism Authority, said her team was proud to support FESTAC Africa 2025, recognising its potential as a driving force for cultural and economic growth, while showcasing Ghana's position as a leader in African culture and tourism. Today marks a defining moment in our national and continental journey. We are proud to officially launch FESTAC AFRICA 2025, with Ghana as the host country of this monumental celebration of African culture, heritage, innovation, and unity. This is not just a festival. It is a declaration and want to use the opportunity to invite Africans, private sector stakeholders, public sector institutions, and the media to participate in this celebration of unity, culture, and economic transformation, she said. First held in Dakar, Senegal, in 1966, then later in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1977, FESTAC Africa Renaissance Festival didnt hold for 45 years until its return in 2022 when it was held in Zanzibar. Since then, the festival which has been a yearly affair has been held in Tanzania (2023), Kenya (2024) with Ghana taking the baton as host tin September. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FESTAC Africa Renaissance, Grace Mumo The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FESTAC Africa Renaissance, Grace Mumo announced a line up on interesting activities featuring cultural performances, sports camps, art gallery, exhibitions, conferences, movie and health screening. Also, the festival would feature food and fashion shows, climaxing with a Ghana-Naija jollof showdown. Featured Fix GH fashion industry structure to go global Victoria Michaels Edith Mensah Showbiz News Jun - 11 - 2025 , 18:28 3 minutes read ALTHOUGH Ghanas fashion industry is loaded with creativity and a new wave of confident and young talents, industry insiders say there's still a long way to go before it can truly compete on the global stage. They say despite the growing visibility, the fashion sector in Ghana is facing serious roadblocks, such as limited infrastructure, lack of funding, weak policy support and overreliance on foreign trends, stifling its progress. International model and fashion advocate Victoria Michaels is one of the voices calling for urgent change. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic recently, she held that while Ghanaian designers and creatives have the drive and talent, the environment in which they work was not strong enough to push them forward. Ghana's fashion industry has made tremendous strides, and theres undeniable creativity and cultural richness here. However, while we are ready in spirit and talent, we still face structural and institutional challenges that hold us back from full global competitiveness. Access to funding, limited production infrastructure, inconsistent branding and lack of global exposure are major barriers. Additionally, our designers need more robust support systems for scalingfrom mentorship and export readiness to digital marketing. The talent is there. Whats missing is the ecosystem that can elevate them to the next level, she stated. She added that although some initiatives are recognising the creative sector, fashion still does not receive the policy focus it deserves. Unfortunately, its still underdeveloped. While there are initiatives that acknowledge the creative sector, fashion isn't always prioritised in policymaking. We need intentional investment, policy frameworks and creative-friendly regulations that support local designers, protect intellectual property and create export pathways. Touching on how Western beauty standards continue to influence local fashion, sometimes causing Ghanaian designers to lose touch with authenticity, she said: There is also a lingering influence of Western aesthetics, often due to the desire for international validation. But I believe we're at a turning point where originality, heritage and storytelling are becoming central to how we define Ghanaian fashion. Like I always say, we are not where we want to be. When asked about African representation in international fashion spaces, Ms Michaels admitted that African models still face tokenism, where they are included in campaigns and shows only to tick diversity boxes. (Read Theres too much exploitation in GH modelling industry: Victoria Michaels, Victoria Michaels represents Africa at Austrian World Summit) There has been progress, yes, but tokenism hasnt disappeared. Often, African models are brought in to tick a diversity box rather than being truly embraced for their individuality and talent. Real inclusion means having African faces both in front of the camera and behind the scenes in decision-making roles. She believes media and fashion houses must do more to reflect the true diversity and richness of African beauty and culture. We need to challenge and expand what is considered beautiful. That means spotlighting different skin tones, body types, ages and stories. Media and brands should actively collaborate with local creatives and culture-bearers to reflect the full spectrum of Ghanaian beautynot just imported ideals. Robert Klah calls for government support for Dance industry Edith Mensah Showbiz News Jun - 11 - 2025 , 11:10 2 minutes read The CEO of Dancetera, organisers of the Ghana Dance Festival, Robert Klah, has issued a passionate plea to the government to provide more support for the dance industry. Klah, who has been a driving force in promoting Ghanaian culture through dance, believes that government backing is essential for the growth and development of the industry. ( Read Pay dancers what they deserve Robert Klah tells event organisers and musicians) In an interview with Graphic Showbiz, he also stressed the need for support from key cultural and government institutions. Relevant government agencies such as the National Commission on Culture, Creative Arts Agency, National Theatre, etc. should support dance-related projects such as Ghana Dance Festival and Ghana Dance Industry Awards, among others. Also, the dance departments of academic institutions should be given the right support to ensure dancers excel. The business of dance is a key area of education that is missing. Dancers need to be empowered with the requisite knowledge on how to translate their passion into a profession. They need to learn to monetise their craft and make a decent living off it. He, however, challenged dancers to step up and be proactive about their development if they want to see long-term change. Dancers and dance institutions of this age must understand that what we dont have will only be attained by us coming together and fighting for it. It is incumbent on dancers and dance institutions to create structures that will ensure growth and development of the industry, and make dance easier for future dancers, he stated. He finally added, Lets rectify this neglect and elevate the status of dancers in Ghana. Let us honour their integral role in our culture and give them the recognition and compensation they have always deserved. The time to act is now; together, we can weave dance back into the fabric of our national identity. Next article: Elon Musk says he regrets some posts he made about Donald Trump Donald Trump says US-China deal 'is done' bbc.com International News Jun - 11 - 2025 , 13:53 3 minutes read US President Donald Trump has said a deal with China "is done" after two days of talks between top officials in London. Trump said that, subject to final approval from President Xi Jinping and himself, the US will get the rare earth metals it needs, while Chinese students can take up their places at American colleges. Earlier, the US and China said they had agreed in principle a framework for de-escalating trade tensions between the world's two biggest economies. Last month, Washington and Beijing agreed a temporary truce over trade tariffs but each country has since accused the other of breaching the deal. Posting on his Truth Social platform, the president said: "Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me. "Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!)." Chinese exports of rare earth minerals, which are crucial for modern technology, were high on the agenda of the meeting in London. Following the talks, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the deal between the two countries should result in restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets being resolved. The US has criticised China, saying it has been slow to release exports of rare earth metals and magnets which are essential for manufacturing everything from smartphones to electric vehicles. Meanwhile, Washington has restricted China's access to US goods such as semiconductors and other related technologies linked to artificial intelligence (AI). "We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus," Lutnick told reporters. "Once the presidents approve it, we will then seek to implement it," he added. The new round of negotiations followed a phone call between Donald Trump and China's leader Xi Jinping last week which the US President described as a "very good talk". "The two sides have, in principle, reached a framework for implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state during the phone call on June 5th and the consensus reached at the Geneva meeting," China's Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang said. When Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imports from a number of countries earlier this year, China was the hardest hit. Beijing responded with its own higher rates on US imports, and this triggered tit-for-tat increases that peaked at 145%. In May, talks held in Switzerland led to a temporary truce that Trump called a "total reset". It brought US tariffs on Chinese products down to 30%, while Beijing slashed levies on US imports to 10% and promised to lift barriers on critical mineral exports. It gave both sides a 90-day deadline to try to reach a trade deal. But the US and China have since claimed breaches on non-tariff pledges. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said China had failed to rollback restrictions on exports of rare earth magnets. Beijing said US violations of the agreement included stopping sales of computer chip design software to Chinese companies, warning against using chips made by Chinese tech giant Huawei and cancelling visas for Chinese students. Ahead of this week's talks, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Saturday that it had approved some applications for rare earth export licences, although it did not provide details of which countries were involved. Trump said on Friday that Xi had agreed to restart trade in rare earth materials. Elon Musk says he regrets some posts he made about Donald Trump bbc.com International News Jun - 11 - 2025 , 13:42 2 minutes read Billionaire Elon Musk has said he regrets some of the posts he made about US President Donald Trump during their war of words on social media. "I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far," he said on his platform X. The two were embroiled in a public fallout, after the Tesla owner called Trump's tax bill a "disgusting abomination". His post comes after Trump declared that their relationship was over, and that he had no interest in mending ties with Musk. The budget, which includes huge tax breaks and more defence spending, was passed by the House of Representatives last month and is now being considered by senators. Musk urged Americans to call their representatives in Washington to "kill the bill" as he believed it would "cause a recession in the second half of the year". The tech billionaire claimed, without evidence, that Trump appears in unreleased government files linked to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The White House rubbished those claims. In response Trump said Musk had "lost his mind" and threatened to cancel his government contracts which have an estimated value of $38bn (28bn). A significant chunk of that goes to Musk's space technology company SpaceX. "I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the president," Trump said in an interview with NBC on Sunday. Musk appeared to have deleted many of his posts over the weekend, including one that called for Trump's impeachment. Musk was the largest donor for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and had been considered the president's right-hand man. Former Trump aide Steve Bannon called for Musk, who was born in South Africa, to be deported. US Vice President JD Vance said he hoped that "eventually Elon comes back into the fold" but that it might be difficult considering the billionaire went "nuclear". Most Republicans have called for the two men to reconcile. While Democrats have watched the feud unfold. Their fallout came shortly after Musk left the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), after just 129 days in the job. Next article: Kenya police barred from work after man dies in custody Previous article: Elon Musk says he regrets some posts he made about Donald Trump Kenyan blogger was hit, assaulted to death, Autopsy reveals bbc.com International News Jun - 11 - 2025 , 11:25 1 minute read A Kenyan blogger who died in police custody was hit on the head and his death was likely to have been caused by assault, a post-mortem has revealed. This contradicts police claims that Albert Ojwang "sustained head injuries after hitting his head against a cell wall". His death has sparked widespread outrage in Kenya, with rights groups demanding that police be held accountable. Mr Ojwang, 31, was detained following a complaint by the deputy police chief, who accused him of tarnishing his name on social media. "The cause of death is very clear; head injury, neck compression and other injuries spread all over the body that are pointing towards assault," state pathologist Bernard Midia said. Police have not yet commented on the findings. Mr Ojwang was arrested in Homa Bay, a town in western Kenya, on Friday, over a post on X that was allegedly critical of Deputy Inspector General of Police, Eliud Lagat. He was subsequently transferred over 350km (220 miles) to the capital, Nairobi, and booked into the Central Police Station on Saturday. Police said he was later found unconscious in his cell with self-inflicted injuries. But an autopsy, conducted by five pathologists who released a unanimous report, revealed that Mr Ojwang had severe head injuries and suffered neck compression and multiple soft tissue trauma. Featured Nearly 50 people killed in South Africa floods bbc.com International News Jun - 11 - 2025 , 18:24 2 minutes read At least 49 people, including several schoolchildren, have been killed in the floods that have swept through South Africa's Eastern Cape province as torrential rain and snow have hit parts of the country. "The numbers are just escalating hour after hour. The situation is so bad on the ground," provincial premier Oscar Mabuyane said. Among the bodies recovered are those of four children, a driver and a conductor who were on a bus that was carried away in flood waters as it was crossing a bridge in the town of Mthatha on Tuesday morning. Mabuyane said rescue efforts were continuing to find four more children who had been in the vehicle that has since been found on a riverbank with no-one inside. Earlier, an official had told private TV station Newzroom Afrika that eight bodies, including that of the bus driver, had been found. Public broadcaster SABC reported that three children were rescued alive on Tuesday, found clinging to trees. It is now known that there were 13 people on the bus, 11 of them schoolchildren. On Wednesday morning, Mr Mabuyane visited the scene to witness rescue efforts, and to meet affected communities in Decoligny, a village outside Mthatha. Hundreds of residents had been left displaced, many spending the night in makeshift shelters, he said. Mr Mabuyane praised those who were assisting officials in locating the missing and for alerting their neighbours when the floods began. Officials said 58 schools in Eastern Cape had been affected across three districts: OR Tambo, Amathole and Alfred Nzo. "For all these years that I've lived, I've never seen something like this," Mr Mabuyane said. In neighbouring KwaZulu-Natal, 68 schools across nine districts have been damaged but no fatalities have been recorded. The heavy snow, rains and gale force winds have also left nearly 500,000 homes without electricity since Tuesday - and state-owned power provider Eskom says efforts are being made to restore connections. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered his condolences to the families of those who died as he urged citizens to "display caution, care and cooperation as the worst impacts of winter weather take effect across the country". The Eastern Cape - the birthplace of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela - has been worst-affected by the icy conditions, along with KwaZulu-Natal province. The bad weather has forced the closure of some major roads in the two provinces to avoid further casualties. Next article: Six new Mpox cases confirmed, Ghana's total now 85 Previous article: GTEC writes to Tanko-Computer about 'unearned' PhD and requests he ceases using Doctor title Featured ECG targets residential, commercial, and government customers in nationwide revenue drive Christian Eyako Dovlo Jun - 11 - 2025 , 15:23 1 minute read The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has announced a robust nationwide revenue mobilisation exercise set to run from Monday, June 16, to Friday, June 27, 2025, targeting unpaid bills across all customer categories. The initiative, aimed at recovering outstanding arrears, will focus on residential, commercial, industrial, and government entities, including Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). In a statement released on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the ECG outlined the scope of the exercise, stating, This revenue mobilization exercise will focus on all categories of customers with arrears- residential, commercial, industrial and Ministries, Departments and Agencies. The company warned that special teams will monitor the process, with strict measures in place for non-compliance. The exercise will be monitored by special teams who will apprehend and prosecute customers who attempt to interfere with the exercise, and/or undertake illegal self-reconnection after disconnection, the statement read. The ECGs move comes as part of ongoing efforts to address revenue shortfalls that have strained its operations, often leading to inefficiencies in service delivery. Customers with outstanding bills are urged to settle their arrears promptly to avoid disconnection and additional reconnection fees. Customers with arrears are advised to pay their bills now to avoid disconnection, and payment of reconnection fees, the company advised, encouraging the use of convenient payment channels such as the ECG Mobile App, downloadable from the Google Play Store, or contacting the ECG call centre at 0302611611. Book, research allowances captured in budget - Dr Forson assures teacher unions Daily Graphic Jun - 11 - 2025 , 09:57 1 minute read The Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has assured tertiary education unions that the 2025 Budget fully provides for the payment of Book and Research allowances. During a meeting yesterday with the leadership of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) of the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) and the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), he confirmed that disbursement processes had already started in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to ensure timely release of the funds. The unions used the meeting to formally seek clarification on the status of the allowance. Labour Relations Desk During the engagement, the unions proposed the establishment of a dedicated Labour Relations Desk at the Ministry of Finance to improve dialogue and coordination on labour-related matters. Dr Forson welcomed the proposal, describing it as a constructive step towards enhancing stakeholder engagement. The meeting also reviewed ongoing payroll reforms, including an audit by the Auditor-General. Preliminary findings reveal the presence of ghost names on the payroll, and the minister underscored the importance of addressing the issue to safeguard public resources. Dr Forson also reaffirmed his commitment to fostering transparency, accountability, and equity in public sector compensation through continued collaboration with key stakeholders. The National President of UTAG, Professor Mamudu Akudugu, on behalf of the unions, thanked the minister for hosting them for the frank discussions. Commemoration of World Lupus Awareness Day: Include lupus disease treatment under NHIS Dr Zanetor Joshua Bediako Koomson Jun - 11 - 2025 , 09:57 2 minutes read The Member of Parliament (MP) for Korle Klottey in Accra, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has called for the inclusion of lupus treatment on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). She said the cost involved in the diagnosis and treatment of the chronic autoimmune disease was expensive, thus creating a major barrier to patients. The MP was speaking at an event to mark World Lupus Awareness Day at Parliament House in Accra on the theme: Make lupus visible. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks healthy tissues, affecting organs, such as the skin, joints, kidneys and brain. Common symptoms include fatigue, joint pain, skin rashes and hair loss. Globally, over five million people live with the lupus disease. Capacity-building Dr Agyeman-Rawlings, who also serves on the National Health Insurance Authority Board, stressed the need to train more health workers to diagnose the disease early while calling for psychological, emotional and financial support for patients. She further urged the medical community to pay greater attention to lupus despite the lack of nationwide data on its prevalence. The Clerk to Parliament, Ebenezer Djietror, also encouraged citizens to become advocates of lupus awareness in their respective homes and communities. He called for improved treatment options, early detection and increased research funding. Concerns The Executive Director of the Oyemam Autoimmune Foundation, Emma Halm Danso, expressed concerns over the severe shortage of rheumatologists in the country. There are only three rheumatologists nationwide. She attributed the diseases under-recognition to frequent misdiagnoses and a lack of awareness, and entreated the Ghana Health Service to step up education and public health promotion efforts. People are suffering, families are losing loved ones, and out-of-pocket costs are unbearable. Even the basic medications covered by NHIS offer little relief, she added. Situation At the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Mrs Danso said that about seven people were diagnosed with lupus every month. However, she said that only those who could afford the expensive tests, some of which were sent to countries such as Germany, South Africa or India to get a definitive diagnosis, could be treated. People die because they delay diagnosis and dont have money, she said. Imagine waking up and not being able to open a water bottle, or driving 15 minutes and needing to park and sleep before continuing, she said. Mrs Danso cautioned that without access to affordable treatment, more lives would be lost to the disease. This is how the strike by nurses is having an effect on patients in various areas of Ghana Daily Graphic Jun - 11 - 2025 , 10:22 6 minutes read An 18-year-old man lost his life following the inability of his relations to secure treatment for him at the Tema General Hospital yesterday due to the nationwide strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), writes Benjamin Xornam Glover. The deceased, whose name was not disclosed, had been rushed to the facility from Kpone but could not be attended to as the family met an empty Out- Patients -Department (OPD). A relative of the deceased, who pleaded anonymity, told the Daily Graphic that she had brought her nephew, who complained of abdominal pains, to the hospital for immediate attention but met an empty OPD on arrival. Sounding very frustrated and angry, she appealed to the government to address the concerns of the nurses urgently while calling on the striking nurses to reconsider their decision to save Ghanaian citizens who needed their services most. From Sekondi-Takoradi, George Folley reports that the ongoing strike by nurses is having a toll on patients in the metropolis. Owing to the situation, most patients have had to return home or seek alternative means of treatment outside the public hospitals. The Fijai Hospital, which serves communities like Fijai, Effia-Kuma, Kansaworadu and its surrounding areas, was not as busy as it usually is with the OPD being virtually empty. However, some patients were still hoping that the strike would be called off sooner than later. Despondency was visibly written on the faces of patients and family members who had accompanied their relatives to the hospital. The situation was no different at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital. A woman, who gave her name as Afiba Yankey, said her 16-year old child, who was referred to the hospital, was highly disappointed after she was left with no alternative than to return to Axim in the Nzema East Municipality. Upper West Region From Wa, Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor reports that an anonymous patient who was not happy about the situation appealed to religious bodies and other stakeholders to intervene to resolve the impasse. The locked up Emergency Ward of the Wa Municipal Hospital As at the time of filing this report, some relatives of out patients were planning to seek medication at private clinics. The ongoing nurses and midwives strike has left the Wa Municipal Hospital, which used to be the Upper West Regional Hospital, completely deserted, leaving only the administrative staff and some student nurses on rotation. The atmosphere in the facility showed that most of the residents were aware of the strike, hence they did not bother to seek medical care at the hospital. The place was a pale shadow of its usual self as the usually buzzing environment was turned into an eerie silence akin to a cemetery. A visit to the facility by the Daily Graphic revealed an almost empty facility with the Emergency Ward firmly locked with a red banner hanging on the door to indicate to the public that they were on strike. Ashanti Region Gilbert Mawuli Agbey reports from Kumasi that the strike declared by the Ghana National Registered and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has affected health facilities in the Ashanti Region in their quest to deliver medical services to patients. A visit to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), the Suntreso Government Hospital, Kuamsi South Hospital popularly referred to as Agogo hospital and other medical facilities revealed a dire situation as members of the GRNMA had fully complied with the directive by their national executives to abandon the health facilities. Visit During a visit by the Daily Graphic team to the facilities, the Out Patient Departments (OPDs) had been locked and closed with not a single nurse at post. The always busy OPDs had been deserted with seats that are always occupied by patients being empty. Fortunately, at the Suntreso hospital, some patients were spotted in long queues waiting for their turn to see medical officers on duty in their various consulting rooms. A staff of the facility who spoke on condition of anonymity stated that the medical officers had, apart from their own roles, added the roles played by nurses in attending to the patients. KATH situation At the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), a notice had been posted at vantage points to inform patients and the public of the closure of the OPD unit, which read: OPD is closed due to nurses strike. Please send urgent cases to the accident and emergency unit". One of the patients, Sandra Boakye, expressed worry that she had been scheduled for a review only to visit the hospital to see the OPD closed. The Ashanti Regional Assistant Secretary, Ebenezer Acquah, in an interview said the situation in the facilities since the strike was declared showed that members of the GRNMA constituted majority of the workforce in the health sector. Bono Region Biiya Mukusah Ali reports from Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital, that there were some disruptions in healthcare delivery, including emergency services, at the government health facilities in the region. The ongoing nurses strike action left several patients stranded as nurses totally vacated their posts, leaving doctors to perform roles meant for nurses. A visit to some facilities in the Sunyani Municipality saw some doctors performing routine nursing duties, such as checking patients' blood pressure, conducting laboratory investigations, and assisting in emergency and outpatient care. However, the situation was dire at the Sunyani Teaching Hospital (STH) where the facility serves as a major referral centre in the region. The absence of nursing staff clearly slowed down some critical healthcare services, compromising quality healthcare delivery in the process. The Deputy Head of Administration at the STH, Adams Umar Mengu, told the Daily Graphic that the absence of nurses at the facility was seriously affecting healthcare delivery. Eastern Region From the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua, Haruna Yussif Wunpini reports that healthcare delivery within the Eastern Region, particularly the New Juaben South and North Municipalities, was suffering from the impact of the industrial action by the GRNMA. The strike action is negatively affecting some key health facilities such as the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua Polyclinic, SDA Hospital and St. Joseph Orthopaedic Hospital, among others. A visit to the Eastern Regional Hospital yesterday revealed that no nurse was at post, except only doctors who were attending to patients. The nurses were supposed to be present to assist the doctors since there were many patients to be catered for at the facility, which is a referral point in the region. Some of the patients who spoke to Daily Graphic said the situation had impacted negatively on them, some of whom had travelled from distant places for treatment. Others stated that they were confused; not knowing whether to continue waiting or go home without being treated. A patient, Esther Gyan from Koforidua, was not happy about the situation and said she came to the facility as early as 6:30 a.m. only to realise that the nurses would not be available to attend to them. Northern Region From Tamale, Mohammed Fugu and Abukari Alhassan Baba report that patients across various hospitals in the Northern Region have been left stranded following the nationwide strike. When the Daily Graphic visited the Tamale West Hospital, Northern Regional Hospital, and Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), many patients appeared helpless. Only a few nurses from other unions attended to them. Explore investment opportunities back home Diaspora Investment Forum speakers Pacome Emmanuel Damalie Jun - 11 - 2025 , 12:53 4 minutes read Ghanaians living abroad have been encouraged to explore investment opportunities in their home country to help develop various sectors of the economy. Speaking at a Ghana Diaspora Investment Forum in Accra yesterday, the Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Myriam Montrat, said a significant portion of Ghanaians in the diaspora did not have financial connections with banks in Ghana and other investment opportunities. While advocating an intensified awareness creation on investment opportunities for members of the diaspora by stakeholders, Ms Montrat also emphasised the need for members of the diaspora to utilise available services and resources, including Ghanas missions abroad as well as trade offices, to explore investment opportunities. Diaspora forum Organised by the Global Affairs Canada, Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited, and the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), the forum attracted over 100 public and private sector stakeholders such as policymakers, development partners, financial institutions and diaspora-focused organisations, including the Diaspora Affairs Office of the President. Also at the forum were the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Impact Investing Ghana/Savanah Impact Advisory, Opportunity International Canada (OIC), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). The forum focused on fit-for-purpose mechanisms to channel remittances into productive sectors and shifting the trend towards long-term and job-creating investments, on the theme: "Why Ghana diaspora should invest in their country of origin: perspectives of Ghanas financial institutions". Some dignitaries present at the forum were the Ambassador of Canada to the African Union, Ben Marc Diendere; the EU Ambassador to Ghana, Irchad Razaaley; the GIZ Country Director, Dr Dirk ABmann, and the Founder and Head of Mission of the Africa Diaspora Forum, Dr Erieka Bennett. The Canadian envoy highlighted the exponential contribution members of the diaspora had made to the countrys economy over the years. In 2024, remittances to Ghana reached approximately $6.65 billion, exceeding the combined foreign direct investment and official development assistance. This is a powerful testament to the economic strength and commitment of the Ghanaian diaspora, she stated. Ms Montrat added that in Canada alone, the Ghanaian-born population was estimated at over 100,000, many of whom are professionals in government, health care, education and business. Others are entrepreneurs trading Ghanaian and African products. Yet, the full scope of the financial contributions from Diaspora to Ghana remains underreported and underutilised, the High Commissioner stated. She called on stakeholders to do more to track, measure and amplify these contributions not just as remittances but as strategic investments that drive development outcomes. Investment gap, engagement barriers The Head of Partnerships, Sustainability and CSR at Fidelity Bank Ghana, Nana Yaa Afriyie Ofori-Koree, highlighted a paradox of Ghanaians living abroad sending billions back home as remittances while investing very little. A recent study found that only 43 per cent of Ghanaian diaspora have savings or deposit accounts in Ghana, and even fewer (about 12-16 per cent) invest in a business or government bonds. Alarmingly, about 36 per cent of diaspora respondents reported having no formal savings or investment in Ghana at all. In other words, a third of Ghanaian professionals living overseas have no concrete ties to our financial sector, she said. Ms Ofori-Koree said that the gap meant that the country was missing out on a huge pool of talent and capital. She said although many Ghanaians abroad had registered interest to invest in the country, they often felt far from the process as they faced red tapes, lack of clear information or simply the hustle of managing a portfolio while overseas, adding that lets not overlook the trust deficit. She, however, encouraged Ghanaians in the diaspora to change the narrative because banks and the government had turned the spotlight on the diaspora and lowered barriers as well as designed products with the diaspora in mind. Using Fidelity Bank Ghana as an example, she said: We have the Non-Resident Ghanaian (NRG) account a specially designed account that lets Ghanaians abroad manage their money back home easily. Ms Ofori-Koree explained that Ghanaians abroad could open an account online, save in cedis or dollars, pay bills, fund investments or send money to relatives with just a few taps from anywhere in the world. On the side of the government, she said policies were being improved to welcome diaspora investment, with regulators also making it easier for banks to innovate. Across the sector, we see a growing ecosystem: fintech firms building diaspora-friendly apps, government programmes encouraging diaspora entrepreneurs, and even ideas like diaspora bonds being explored. These mean that if you want to invest $5,000 or $500,000 in Ghana today, there are more avenues than ever before to make it happen smoothly and securely, Ms Ofori-Koree said. President Mahama receives credentials from 5 envoys Kester Aburam Korankye Jun - 11 - 2025 , 09:57 3 minutes read President John Mahama yesterday received the credentials of five new ambassadors to Ghana at the Jubilee House in Accra. They are Vietnam Bui Quoc Hung; Greece - Athanasios V. Kotsionis; Jamaica High Commissioner Lincoln George Downer; Tunisia Antit Mohsen, and Burundi Edouard Nduwimana. President Mahama urged all the envoys to explore new areas of cooperation during their tenure, particularly in trade, education and cultural exchange. The ceremony was attended by senior government officials, including the Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, and the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah. Vietnam President Mahama told the Vietnamese envoy that he had been following the countrys economic development trajectory, and that Vietnam is rapidly transforming its economy and we're trying to do the same here. President Mahama proposing a toast with Bui Quoc Hung, Ambassador of the Republic of Vietnam "You are coming at a time when we have introduced a 24-hour Economy policy and are also implementing a reset agenda for accelerated development of our country," he added. In response, Ambassador Hung said this year marked the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties between Ghana and Vietnam. We share many similarities in history. We are ready to cooperate on agriculture so Ghana can better tackle food insecurity, he said. Mr Hung extended an invitation to President Mahama to visit Vietnam. Greece During discussions with the Ambassador of Greece, President Mahama said both countries had gone through similar experiences with debt sustainability. Athanasios V. Kotsionis, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic of Greece, presenting his credentials to President Mahama We have successfully restructured our debt and are resetting our economy, he said. For his part, Ambassador Kotsionis highlighted ongoing Greek investments in Ghana's bauxite sector and proposed stronger cooperation in energy and education. Jamaica Discussions between the President and Mr Downer focused on deepening cultural and economic ties. "Our two countries are joined by blood and history," President Mahama said, referencing Ghana's Right of Abode policy that had benefited many Jamaicans. In response, Ambassador Downer said that "Jamaica is keen on strengthening bilateral relations, particularly in trade and investment with Ghana. We have the largest logistics hub in the Caribbean, which offers opportunities for Ghanaian investors," the envoy said. Tunisia Mr Mohsen emphasised the need to revive the Ghana-Tunisia Joint Commission. President John Mahama posing for the cameras with Antit Mohsen, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia, after receiving his credentials "We should open a new page in our relations to enhance cooperation to the highest levels," the envoy added. President Mahama acknowledged Tunisia's post-Arab Spring progress and said: "You set an example that the government must serve the people's interest something we are also pursuing through our reset agenda." Burundi The President expressed satisfaction over the cordial relations between Ghana and Burundi and urged the ambassador to work towards strengthening that cooperation. President John Mahama with Edouard Nduwimana, Ambassador of the Republic of Burundi We know that Burundi has come out of a time of turbulence, and we are following the progress. I think Burundi has done well in building back the tenets of democracy and management of the countrys resources for the people, he added. For his part, the ambassador pledged to work hard to further improve the cooperation between the two countries. Burundi is a peaceful country, and our democracy is growing stronger, he said. Sky train case: Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi, former GIIF CEO move to vary bail terms Justice Agbenorsi By Justice Agbenorsi & Joselyn Kafui Nyadzi Jun - 11 - 2025 , 07:57 3 minutes read Lawyers of the former Board Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) are seeking to vary the bail condition bordering on the accused persons reporting to the case investigators. The two Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, who is a former Board Chairmain of GIIF, and Solomon Asamoah, a former CEO of GIIF are standing trial at the Criminal Division of the High Court for allegedly causing financial loss of $2 million in a deal to construct a sky train for the country. Conditions The two, who have pleaded not guilty to six counts of conspiracy, willfully causing financial loss to the state and intentional dissipation of public funds, have been admitted to bail in a combined sum of GH25 million with two justified sureties. Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi has been asked to report to the police once every week while Asamoah is required by the bail conditions to report to the investigator every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. When the case was called yesterday, counsel for the two prayed the court in an oral application for the court to vary the bail terms which required their clients to report to the investigators. However, the court, presided by Justice Comfort Tasiame asked both lawyers to file the application with stated reasons for the Attorney-General to respond. The case has been adjourned to June 24, 2025 for Case Management Conference (CMC) where the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, is expected to withdraw some witness statements in the matter. Prosecutions facts Asamoah and Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi have been accused by the Attorney-General for allegedly transferring the $2m from GIIFs account into Africa Investor Holdings Limited, a company incorporated in South Africa, without board approval to acquire shares as part of the deal to construct the sky train, but nothing was done. Per the facts of the case as narrated by Dr Srem-Sai, the Accra Sky Train project was to be constructed on a design, finance, build and operate basis. In a memorandum of understanding (MoU) covering the project, GIIF was to be the anchor equity investor and local project development partner to the Africa Investor Holdings (Proprietary) Limited. Dr Srem-Sai said it was further agreed in the MoU that GIIF would conduct due diligence and develop a bankable feasibility study on the project. Subsequently, a shareholders' agreement dated January 9, 2019, was signed between Africa Investor Holdings Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of the Seychelles with IBC, on one part, and the GIIF on the other. In the agreement, Africa Investor Holdings Limited was to transfer 10 per cent of its alleged 100 per cent shares in a company styled Ai SkyTrain Consortium Holdings, a limited liability company registered in Mauritius, to GIIF. Asamoah, according to the prosecution, signed the shareholders' agreement on behalf of GIIF. A few weeks later, on February 4, 2019, Ai SkyTrain Consortium Holdings, citing the shareholders' agreement as a basis, wrote a letter in which it requested a payment of the lump sum of $2 million as the price for the alleged shares. On February 25, 2019, Asamoah and Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi, jointly in a letter, instructed the United Bank for Africa (GIIF's bankers) to transfer $2 million from GIIF Project Development Company accounts to the bank account of the Africa Investor Holdings Limited in Mauritius. The payment was duly effected, after which nothing was heard, said or done by GIIF or its governing board on the alleged share acquisition. Nothing was ever said or heard about the $2 million either. Squatters pose threat to Ghana Lebanon Islamic School Timothy Ngnenbe Jun - 11 - 2025 , 09:07 3 minutes read The Ghana Lebanon Islamic Secondary School (GLISS) has sent a distress call to the government and relevant state security agencies to take immediate steps to demolish a slum community around the school. The nefarious activities of squatters at a sprawling slum that straddles the Odaw River from the Graphic Road to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle are posing serious safety and security threats to GLISS. The students and teachers of the school, which is located between the Accra Digital Centres and the VIP Transport Station, fear for their lives as the miscreants in the squalor settlement continue to threaten them. From dawn to dusk, the slum enclave bustles with gangster lifestyles, including the sale and use of hard drugs, prostitution and violent exchanges that put the school community at risk. Although the school authority has raised concerns about safety threats to students and staff members over the years, the situation continues to deteriorate as the gangsters have now resorted to the use of arms. Dire situation The Daily Graphics visit to the area last Monday brought to the fore the reality of gangsterism and its excruciating impact on the school community. Abdul Rahim Mohammed, Member of the PTA, speaking to the media about his concerns after the visit For instance, a member of the GLISS Parent Teachers Association (PTA), Abdul-Raheem Mohammed, told the Daily Graphic last Tuesday, there were sporadic gunshots in the area, leaving students to run into hiding. The situation is getting out of hand and the students are no longer safe. Parents fear walking through the slum to the school to see their children because they can be robbed or attacked; students do not feel secure to learn; and very soon, the school will lose its population, he said. Mr Mohammed added that the increasing spate of criminal activities and social vices among the squatters was having a negative impact on the moral fibre of the students. This school has boarding facilities with students staying on campus. However, every Friday, the squatters organise naked jams just 50 metres away from here, and you can imagine the harm it is causing to our students. With this kind of thing happening around a school, the students are not safe, he added. He also said it was worrying that although the issue had lingered on for some time now, students and staff members of the school continued to fall prey to the miscreants who robbed them. Mr Mohammed said although several petitions had been sent to the mandated city authorities and security agencies to clamp down on the activities of the squatters, nothing significant has been done. The squatters started putting up temporary structures along the Railway Line in January, this year, and we took steps to report to the mandated authorities. We sent petitions to the Ghana Railway Authority, the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC), the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA), the police and other state agencies; but nothing has been done about it, he said. Mr Mohammed alleged that some political forces were behind the failure of the state institutions to demolish the slum community and the continuous existence of the squatters. The squatters feel so emboldened that they even come to the school to warn us that they will attack us because we are reporting them to the government for demolition, he said. Timber racketeers invade Abutia Game Reserve Alberto Mario Noretti Jun - 11 - 2025 , 08:40 2 minutes read Armed timber racketeers believed to be coming from a neighbouring country have invaded the Kalakpa Game Reserve in Abutia in the Ho West district in the Volta Region. They cut trees and hunt buffaloes and antelopes in the reserve with impunity. Unless drastic steps are taken to halt the trend, the reserve will soon become a desert, the Paramount Chief of Abutia, Togbega Abutia Kodzo Gidi V, has said. He disclosed this to the Daily Graphic after a tree planting exercise in the Abutia communities of Teti, Agorve, and Kloe last Sunday as part of activities for the commemoration of this years World Environment Day. The Paramount Chief said some residents in the settler communities around the reserve often connived with the timber mafia for paltry gains, a situation he described as very dangerous and inimical to the reserve, environment and the people of Abutia. Togbe Gidi alleged that some unscrupulous workers in the reserve also connived with the raiders who operated at night. He urged patriotic citizens of Abutia and all stakeholders to stand firm to resist the criminal activity and report the perpetrators to the assembly, Wildlife Division and security agencies without delay. DEC When contacted, the Ho West District Chief Executive (DCE) Prosper Francis Dusey, confirmed the story, saying the activities of the raiders were now rampant and great cause for worry. He said investigations by the assembly also revealed a large number of the raiders were from the North Tongu District. For that reason, he said, the Ho West District Security Council was poised to hold an emergency meeting with the North Tongu Security Council to adopt prompt measures to address the problem. Mr Dusey said those behind the criminal activities in the reserve would suffer swift and ruthless consequences. He said the invaders often cut rosewood trees in the reserve, and sometimes set fire in the reserve to trap grasscutters and other animals. Now, many animals in the reserve are fleeing the zone to seek refuge in more serene environments, the DCE added. In all, about 300 trees were planted along the Abutia-Sokode road during the exercise which was carried out under the auspices of the Abutia Development Union. Togbe Gidi said more trees, including fruit species, were expected from the Forestry Commission for planting in the area. We must ensure the future generations become inheritors and not just survivors, he added. Next article: GTEC writes to Tanko-Computer about 'unearned' PhD and requests he ceases using Doctor title GNAT seeks government support for affordable teacher housing project Mohammed Ali Jun - 11 - 2025 , 15:34 2 minutes read The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has urged the government to provide land for affordable housing projects for teachers nationwide and to appoint a presidential liaison to address their concerns promptly, reducing the risk of industrial action. During a meeting with President John Dramani Mahama at the Jubilee House on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, GNAT consultant Mr Kwame Pianim revealed that the unions Teachers Fund, currently valued at approximately GH4 billion, could have reached nearly US$2 billion under stable economic conditions. He explained that each member contributes GH100 monthly to the fund, which has financed projects such as the GNAT Heights housing development on Independence Avenue in Accra and provides soft loans to teachers. We are asking for government support in acquiring land so we can build houses for teachers at the district level. This way, teachers can retire into homes of their own, Mr Pianim told the President, describing GNAT as the most progressive union in Ghana. GNAT also proposed the appointment of a liaison within the Presidency to handle teachers concerns directly, a measure they believe would prevent strikes and maintain stability in the education sector. Mr Pianim, also Chairman of the Teachers Fund Investment Committee, detailed the unions investment portfolio, noting that GNAT owns Teachers Fund Properties and holds interests in Tier Financial Services, Credit Mall, Unique Insurance, and Aviance ground handling services. GNAT has built a business model that supports teachers. Tier Financial Services, for instance, gives small loans to SMEs. We also hold shares in banks like Ecobank, SG-SSB, GCB and UBA, he said. He added that the Teachers Fund has disbursed GH2.5 billion in low-interest loans to members and is financially poised to support further housing initiatives if land is provided. However, Mr Pianim highlighted a challenge: a three per cent third-party charge on payroll deductions, costing the fund nearly GH40 million annually. GNAT has requested the government to reconsider this charge, as its removal would free up funds for teacher-focused projects. Mr Thomas Tanko Musa, GNAT General Secretary, disclosed that alongside the Teachers Fund, the union operates a medical support scheme, with each teacher contributing GH5 monthly, generating approximately GH1.4 million monthly to assist members with cancer and other critical medical needs. Mr Ransford Nsiah Lolih, GNAT National Treasurer, speaking on behalf of the leadership, reaffirmed the unions commitment to maintaining calm in the education sector and supporting the governments efforts to reset Ghana. Previous article: This is how the strike by nurses is having an effect on patients in various areas of Ghana Government directs patients to available clinics as nurses strike continues Mohammed Ali Jun - 11 - 2025 , 10:15 2 minutes read A nationwide strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has disrupted healthcare delivery across public hospitals, prompting the government to redirect patients to selected clinics in an attempt to keep services running. On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, the Minister for Government Communications, Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu, announced on Channel One TV that the Ministry of Health had published a list of clinics unaffected by the strike. These include private facilities and some public health centres that are still operating. The Health Minister has published a list of healthcare facilities to help guide patients to where services are still available, Mr Ofosu said. His comments came amid mounting pressure on the government to address the growing crisis, with outpatient departments and wards in many public hospitals largely deserted. Now in its second week, the strike follows the governments failure to implement the 2024 Collective Agreement. The agreement includes provisions for a 13th-month salary, fuel allowances, and incentives for rural postings. Mr Ofosu said government projections indicated it would cost about GH2 billion annually to meet the demands, a figure that had not been included in the 2025 budget. Unplanned spending is what led to past economic challenges, Mr Ofosu said. We must find a solution that protects the economy while addressing the concerns of the nurses. To address the shortfall in personnel, the Ministry of Health has appealed to retired nurses and midwives to offer temporary support. According to Mr Ofosu, district health directorates are coordinating their deployment. He emphasised that this is only a stopgap measure and not a long-term response to the strike. This is just to safeguard patients during this difficult period, he added. The reliance on retired staff has stirred debate, with critics questioning whether it undermines the nurses demands. Still, some nurses have remained at post despite the strike, and Mr Ofosu acknowledged their efforts. The strike's effects have been especially severe in some regions. At the Ho Teaching Hospital, several wards have been shut. In response, private facilities like Royal Hospital are handling more patients than usual, and their nurses are working longer hours. Were seeing 20 to 25 deaths daily due to this crisis, a GRNMA representative claimed, underscoring the urgency of the situation. Mr Ofosu said the government was hopeful that talks would resume soon. He noted that negotiations with labour unions tend to evolve over time. According to him, the Ministry of Finance and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission have been tasked with preparing an implementation plan that could serve as a basis for further dialogue. GRNMA rejects governments call for retired nurses to return to work amid strike GraphicOnline Jun - 11 - 2025 , 06:37 2 minutes read The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has rejected the governments plea for retired nurses and midwives to return to work temporarily as a solution to the ongoing nationwide strike, labelling the proposal as impractical and dismissive of the underlying issues. The Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, had urged retired health professionals to fill the gap left by striking nurses, but the GRNMA has called for immediate action on their demands instead. In an interview on Citi Eyewitness News on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, the GRNMA Vice President Samuel Alagkora Akologo described the ministers suggestion as tone-deaf. We just feel we are not being treated fairly, he said, highlighting the dire circumstances faced by retired nurses. What he said that they have asked retired nurses and midwives to come and supportThey are battling with cardiovascular diseases, [metabolic] chemical diseases, which they are using their meagre pension money to take care of. Mr Akologo argued that retired nurses, many of whom left the profession early due to poor working conditions, are neither physically nor financially equipped to handle the demands of active service. So to say you are calling on retired nurses to come and work the solution to the problem is: weve made a proposal. Start the implementation now. At least if there are arrears and you think you cannot pay, you can discuss that one later. But to tell us to wait till next year is not something that we will accept, he asserted, pressing for the immediate implementation of revised conditions of service. Questioning the feasibility of the governments plan, Mr Akologo pointed out the limited number of retired nurses available. How many are the retired nurses? Most of them go home very early. So how many are they? And they are our members The minister is not even aware of that, he remarked, exposing a disconnect between the governments approach and the realities on the ground. While acknowledging that some retirees might volunteer to assist during the crisis, Mr Akologo stressed that such efforts would be a temporary bandage on a systemic wound. We have no problem if they decide to come and assist after all, we are also not happy with the situation in the country. So if they come and they are able to deal with the dying emergencies, it is fine with everybody. But it is not the solution to the problem. How long can they go? he questioned. GTEC writes to Tanko-Computer about 'unearned' PhD and requests he ceases using Doctor title Enoch Darfah Frimpong Jun - 11 - 2025 , 15:29 8 minutes read A source at the office of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), where Sofo Rashid Tanko-Computer works as the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), has confirmed to Graphic Online that they have received a letter from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) directing Sofo Rashid Tanko-Computer to "cease" using the doctor title. According to the source, the GTEC letter dated June 3, 2025, indicated that the said PhD Tanko-Computer claims to have earned in 2016 from Kingsnow University was "unearned." GTEC has therefore requested that he cease using the title Doctor and remove it from all official documents and platforms. Additionally, GTEC has asked Tanko-Computer to submit verifiable evidence that the title has been removed from all relevant platforms, including but not limited to official documents, institutional profiles, websites, letterheads, and any other public or professional representations. The commission's letter indicated that it was expecting his full cooperation in the matter and was looking forward to receiving confirmation of compliance at his earliest convenience. Read also: GTEC to name, shame and take legal action against politicians on usage of honorary doctorate titles Already, GTEC in a May 30, 2025, notice, issued a warning about the recent increased misuse of titles such as Doctor and Professor by individuals without recognised qualifications. The Commission reiterated its earlier caution against the use of especially honorary academic titles, particularly emphasising the need for public compliance. The directive, GTEC stated, was especially aimed at politicians, business people, and other public figures who often incorporate honorary titles into their official communications and public engagements. The Commission described the practice as deceitful and unethical, stressing that it undermines the credibility of the higher education system and devalues the significance of earned doctoral degrees and academic promotions. GTEC further announced that it will begin naming and shaming individuals who flout the directive and will pursue legal action against repeat offenders. The Commission urged all stakeholders to support efforts to preserve the integrity and standards of Ghanas tertiary education landscape. According to GTEC, such misuse contravenes the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023) and damages public confidence in the countrys educational system. The commission stressed that only accredited institutions are permitted to award honorary degrees, and recipients should not present them as academic qualifications. Read Also: GTEC to name, shame and take legal action against politicians on usage of honorary doctorate titles GTEC's letter to Tanko-Computer on use of "Doctor" title In the Tanko-Computer issue, Tanko-Computer himself has clarified on a number of occasions in social media and mainstream interviews that it was not an honorary PhD and that it was doctorate degree conferred on him by the Kingsnow University. In two separate media interviews recently, he dismissed calls by critics and said he did not need to prove anything to anybody. He reiterated that Kingsnow University conferred the Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration degree on him and that it was an online programme he pursued between 2012 and 2016. When he appeared on Joy Prime's television morning show today [June 11] he described those questioning his credentials as foolish and undeserving of his time. He was responding to comments made on social media that challenged the legitimacy of his academic qualifications in the television interview. WATCH THE ATTACHED VIDEO BELOW Tanko Computer, a public administrator and the deputy director of elections of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), dismissed the claims against him. I dont respond to such claims because I dont engage with foolish people, he said. He explained that he obtained his doctorate in Public Administration through an online programme at Kingsnow University, which he began in 2012 and completed in 2016. My PhD from Kingsnow University is legitimate, and Im proud of it, he stated. He urged Ghanaians to judge his qualifications based on their merit, rather than what he described as unfounded accusations. He said that giving attention to his detractors only fuels unnecessary controversy. In Ghana, we must call a spade a spade, not a long spoon, he said, adding that his priorities remain with his work and students, not online critics. His appointment as acting CEO of GIFEC by President John Dramani Mahama on February 14, 2025, has drawn both support and scrutiny. GTEC's request to remove Dr title from official documents and platforms But from what Graphic Online has gathered from the GIFEC source, the GTEC letter dated June 3, 2025, which was addressed to Tanko-Computer indicated the commission's observance of Tanko-Computer's continued use of the academic title Doctor, specifically in reference to himself as "Dr Sofo Rashind Tanko-Computer." It indicated that for the avoidance of doubt, the Commission was expressing its serious concern regarding the use of the unearned academic titles, whether conferred by institutions within Ghana or abroad. The letter said such titles particularly where they lack formal academic validation can be misleading and is inconsistent with the established academic protocols governing the conferment and use of academic distinctions in Ghana. In view of the above, "you are by this letter requested to cease the use of the title Doctor. "Additionally, you are required to submit verifiable evidence that the title has been removed from all relevant platforms, including but not limited to official documents, institutional profiles, websites, letterheads, and any other public or professional representations," the letter indicated. "The Commission expects your full cooperation in this matter and looks forward to receiving confirmation of compliance at your earliest convenience," it added. Tanko-Computer first announced his links to Kingsnow University on December 11, 2016 on Facebook where he said he had obtained a PhD from that university. He wrote: Comrades, today I have mixed feelings: "We just lost a crucial elections which has taken a toll on me. Still figuring out what really went wrong.. Emotionally disturbed. "Kingsnow University has conferred on Tanko Rashid the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration and all the rights and privileges thereunto appertaining. In witness therefore, this degree duly signed has been issued and the Seal of the University affixed. Presented on the first day of September, two thousand and sixteen. Alhamdulilah, Allah is great." I thank my family and Prof Alex for the support that got me this far. It shall be well with us. Shehamforash! Kingsnow University and the online information about the university online The Kingsnow University referred to by Sofo Rashid Tanko-Computer which he said offered the PhD programme through online, has a web presence as a blog on wordpress.com as Kingsnowuniversity.wordpress.com, a domain which gained web presence just recently when discussions about the credibility of that university deepened. This is how the one-page blog as of Wednesday June 11, 2025 describes the university: The Kingsnow University online degree program is designed to provide its students with opportunities to improve their learning style. The university has marked its position as one of the most prestigious universities that offer accredited online degrees and certifications. It has a revised and updated curriculum that suits the needs of all its students. Not only has it earned a strong reputation among others in the field, but also have excelled in providing ease and convenience for those who seek it. It has diversified range of disciplines and subjects that covers almost all the professional fields and markets. The fundamental mission of Kingsnow University is to accumulate the subject of interest, and provide its students with degrees that would help them achieve their respective professional goals. It builds an extensive and intensive framework of networking that allows its students to interact and engage themselves in different activities and practices. Such activities boost their level of confidence as well the knowledge about related subjects. The network also includes interactive conversations of enrolled students with experienced professionals, who are available to guide them at every hour on the clock. The university is known to have set high standards of education in order to maintain international competitiveness. The primary focus of Kingsnow University is to provide academic excellence to its students without having them face any hassle. It facilitates them with online courses that they can access anytime they feel like and get themselves educated about the subjects they are interested in. It strongly believes in the power of technology and the industrial revolution in terms of e-learning, academics and educational institutes. The university has fully integrated the technology into their core learning experience. Each student of Kingsnow University has access to the vast database maintained by the professionals, where they can find relevant academic literature and evident resources to support their research. In addition to this, Kingsnow University accumulates all mediums of technology in order to provide a learning experience that none could compete with. It is spread across different forms of technology including websites, mobile app, electronic database and 24/7 functional online portal for consultancy. The university also encourages its student to implement the theories their study into practical situations, and raise queries if they face any difficulties. The purpose of such activity is to make them comfortable with different situations that may rise in any working environment. GIFEC boss Tanko Computer defends PhD, denies certificate from Kingsnow University is fake [VIDEO] https://t.co/tEVm0gCF0p pic.twitter.com/7e46YxS8wQ DailyGraphic GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) June 11, 2025 Writer's email: [email protected] Follow @enochfrimpong Follow @Graphicgh Previous article: This is why NAPO is being investigated by NIB Deputy Attorney General reveals President approves promotions for deputy directors of education Mohammed Ali Jun - 11 - 2025 , 19:02 2 minutes read President John Dramani Mahama has approved the promotion of Deputy Directors of Education who have remained in their positions for between 10 and 15 years without advancement. He has also pledged to release outstanding teacher allowances, including the 20 per cent out-of-station and deprived-area payments. This follows concerns raised by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) over the stalled progression of deputy directors, which has largely been attributed to limited office accommodation at higher levels within the Ghana Education Service. The announcement was made on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, during a meeting between the President and the GNAT leadership at the Jubilee House. The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, who was present at the meeting, said the decision means that promotions would go ahead regardless of office space constraints. Your approval means those affected will be promoted despite the absence of office accommodation, the Minister told the President at the meeting, which was attended by GNAT General Secretary, Mr Thomas Tanko Musa, and economist Mr Kwame Pianim. According to Mr Iddrisu, Mr Mahama has also instructed that no new school buildings should be constructed without provision for teacher accommodation. The Education Minister confirmed that this directive is being implemented. The government is now awaiting a formal instruction from the President to the Minister of Finance to release the pledged allowances. These include the long-outstanding 20 per cent payments for teachers working in deprived areas and those stationed away from their home districts. Mr Musa congratulated President Mahama on his re-election and said GNAT was confident the President would honour his promises, especially those concerning teachers. The Ghanaian people spoke clearly in December, Mr Musa said, expressing the unions belief that the new administration would deliver on its commitments to education workers. The Education Minister also assured the President that teacher-related issues were being handled constructively and that there was no threat to industrial peace in the sector. Nurses strike: Government appeals to retired nurses, midwives to volunteer services GNA Jun - 11 - 2025 , 07:54 4 minutes read The government has appealed to public-spirited retired nurses and midwives to volunteer their services for a brief period pending the resolution of the ongoing industrial action by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA). Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister of Health said while working round the clock to resolve the impasse, the Ministry had taken the steps to mitigate the suffering of Ghanaian patients unduly affected by the strike. Addressing the press at the Presidency in Accra, he said the Ministry would, in the next few hours, publish a comprehensive list of facilities to complement places where nursing services were lacking and where patients could seek healthcare. We further express our deep appreciation to practicing nurses who have opted to remain at post to help suffering patients and urge others to show similar fellow-feeling and assist our ailing compatriots even as efforts are made to address their concerns, he said. Mr Akdadoh said the ongoing strike action by the GRNMA was borne out of discussions on the new Conditions of Service signed in May, 2024 and originally scheduled for implementation in July, 2024. He said upon assuming office, he had, on behalf of the government, engaged with the GRNMA on several occasions to explore the best possible avenue to approve and implement the new Conditions of Service. While expressing regret over the current impasse, he stated that the government appreciated the invaluable contributions of Ghanaian nurses and midwives to the development of the health sector. The government remains committed to the needed engagements that will lead to the approval and implementation of the new Conditions of Service for nurses and midwives, he said. Accordingly, the Ministry of Finance and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission had been directed to, as a matter of urgency, lead the development of a roadmap to ensure a smooth implementation of the process. I engaged the leadership of all nurses and midwives associations within the health sector on 30th May, 2025 to address their challenges and discuss the subsequent roadmap leading to the implementation of the new Conditions of Service, he noted. Fortunately, the other associations supported my intervention with the exception of the GRNMA, which declined and proceeded to declare the strike on 2nd June 2025 despite the caution by the National Labour Commission (NLC). The NLC, on Thursday, June 5, summoned all stakeholders to an emergency meeting to address the matter, Mr Akandoh said, however, the GRNMA did not cooperate nor attend the meeting. Consequently, the NLC was compelled to take legal steps to declare the strike illegal and called on the GRNMA to immediately call it off in line with the law. On Monday, June 9, Mr Akandoh said he invited the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to engage the GRNMA, and the Ministry of Finance on a roadmap for the successful implementation of the new Conditions of Service. At that meeting, the FWSC once again, per the law, directed the GRNMA to call off the strike to allow negotiations to continue. He reiterated the governments readiness to further engage towards implementing the Conditions of Service in a manner that would not dislocate the National Budget. We wish to draw attention to the fact that the conditions of service under reference are not captured in the 2025 Budget and will completely throw the economy off-gear if implemented immediately in the manner it currently exists, he said. We are mindful of the serious economic consequences of unbudgeted expenditure and want to avoid the economic slippages that led to hardships in the recent past. Mr Akandoh reiterated the Governments commitment to continuing to engage with the nurses to achieve a mutually acceptable outcome in the interest of the public for full services to be restored. Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem, the Deputy Finance Minister, said the Ministry was ready to support in resolving the industrial action, considering the critical role of the GRNMA to healthcare delivery. But the reality is that we have over 120,000 nurses and the implementation of the current condition of service that they are demanding will have serious consequences for the budget, he said. In fact, if we fully implement it, we are going to add in excess of two billion cedis to the compensation budget. We have all committed that in our resolve to reset the economy of this country, we must maintain a 1.5 per cent primary balance surplus every year in order to bring our debt to sustainable levels. Mr Ampem appealed to the leadership of the GRNMA to negotiate with the Government to ensure a winwin situation, assuring the nurses to have faith in the current administration to give them a fair wage for their sacrifices. Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Presidential Spokesman and Minister of State in-charge of Government Communications, said governments doors were opened for further negotiations to reach an agreement that would foster an amicable resolution of the matter. credit: GNA Featured President Mahama calls for reinstatement of PTAs in schools to boost accountability Mohammed Ali Jun - 11 - 2025 , 15:51 3 minutes read President John Dramani Mahama has urged the full reinstatement of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) in schools nationwide, arguing that sidelining parents from school governance has undermined accountability and community involvement. Speaking during a meeting with the leadership of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) at the Jubilee House in Accra on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, Mr Mahama described the marginalisation of PTAs as misguided. The trend everywhere in the world is to give communities a say in how their schools are run, he said. I felt very scandalised when PTAs were virtually shoved aside and not allowed to be a part of the running of our schools, especially at the secondary level. PTAs were significantly reformed following the 2019 abolition of mandatory PTA levies under the Free Senior High School policy. The Ghana Education Service later restructured them into Parent Associations, subjecting them to strict financial regulations. While intended to prevent fund misuse and protect families from unauthorised charges, this reduced parents influence in supporting school infrastructure and oversight. Civil society groups, such as the African Foundation for Educational Development, warned at the time that the changes could diminish community engagement in schools. The Ministry of Education has since confirmed efforts to reintegrate PTAs into daily school operations, recognising their vital role. Mr Mahama pledged to collaborate with GNAT and other unions to restore PTAs effectively. PTA participation must be fully restored so that they work with teachers and school administration to make sure our children are getting a good outcome in terms of teaching and learning, he added. Addressing broader teacher concerns, including accommodation, pensions, and welfare, the President announced that all newly constructed basic schools would include residential facilities for teachers. We have passed a directive that every school being built at the basic level must come with accompanying accommodation for teachers, he said. He also unveiled plans to partner with the Teachers Fund on a home ownership scheme, enabling teachers to acquire homes through salary deductions over time. They should be able to retire in dignity and not have to quarrel over family property, he noted. On pensions, Mr Mahama promised imminent discussions with the Trades Union Congress and organised labour to consider a national conference to review the current pension structure and address persistent grievances. Providing an update on education reforms, he revealed that the government received the final report from the national education review committee the previous week. He assured GNAT leaders of full stakeholder consultation before implementation, highlighting a proposal to decentralise school supervision to the district level. It is easier for the education service to supervise and monitor schools at the district level than to try and do it from the centre, he noted. Commenting on the economy, Mr Mahama reported a 5.3 per cent growth rate in the first quarter of 2025, attributing the cedis appreciation to improved real incomes and more predictable business operations. He praised GNAT for acquiring the Sweden Ghana Medical Centre and proposed a partnership with the Ghana Medical Trust Fund to finance treatment for non-communicable diseases like cancer and heart conditions. Additionally, he commended GNATs investments in businesses such as Aviance, encouraging the union to expand its shareholding in viable ventures to strengthen its financial base and enhance member services. Concluding the meeting, Mr Mahama reaffirmed his commitment to the teaching profession. A happy, well-motivated teacher leads to positive learning outcomes. Our children deserve that, he said. President Mahama pledges cold storage facilities and fair markets to end post-harvest losses Mohammed Ali Jun - 11 - 2025 , 14:13 3 minutes read President John Dramani Mahama has committed to constructing cold storage facilities nationwide and enhancing access to fair markets for farmers, as part of a renewed effort to address post-harvest losses that threaten agricultural livelihoods. Speaking at the opening of the Ghana Horticulture Expo 2025 in Accra on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the President highlighted the challenges farmers face, stating, a single field season can erase many years of effort due to inadequate storage and unreliable markets. We must ask ourselves: Can a nation prosper if the very hands that feed it remain its most neglected? Mr Mahama told a gathering of exporters, farmers, policymakers, and international partners. Our answer today, through this expo and our policies, is a resounding no. He outlined that the governments Feed Ghana programme, running from 2025 to 2028, includes plans to deliver cold-chain systems to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance the export readiness of Ghanaian produce. The initiative forms part of the broader Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda. Reflecting on his travels across Ghana, from Kejetia to Komenda and Techiman to Tamale, Mr Mahama noted the silent labour of our farmers, cooperatives, our mothers hunched over tomato beds, and young people innovating with very little support. Despite their efforts, he added, many farmers struggle to store produce or access reliable markets. This is not merely a technical challenge, he said. It is a moral imperative. The Feed Ghana programme will establish farmer support centres offering mechanisation services, irrigation systems, and designated agri-industrial zones. These centres will include agribusiness youth clinics to equip young people with skills, capital, and guidance for success in agriculture. Mr Mahama also announced that, from July 1, the governments 24-Hour Economy Initiative will take effect, with Tema and Takoradi ports designated as 24-hour operational zones. This measure aims to expedite the transport of fresh produce, such as pineapples, mangoes, chillies, and herbs, to international markets, minimising waste and maximising value. He confirmed that the Ministry of Trade and Agribusiness, the Ministry of Transport, the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, and the Ghana Shippers Council are collaborating to implement the system. Looking ahead, Mr Mahama projected that Ghana could earn over $10 billion in export revenue by 2030, up from $3.5 billion in non-traditional exports in 2024, with horticulture as a key driver. To stabilise our currency, we must earn more foreign exchange, and one of the surest ways is to expand high-value agricultural exports, he said. He framed these initiatives within the African Continental Free Trade Area, describing it as a single market of 1.4 billion people. He advocated for a regional production model, stating, Imagine if Liberia grew fresh ginger, Ghana processed it, and Kenya packaged it, and we exported it as one brand. Addressing development partners, Mr Mahama appealed, Invest with us in infrastructure, agri-tech, and skills, not as donors, but as partners. He also urged local financial institutions, particularly Ghana Exim Bank, to take greater risks in agriculture and provide capital to agribusiness start-ups. Ghana Exim Bank, particularly, must be a cutter, he added. Mr Mahama stressed that agriculture should be seen as a viable and respected livelihood, not a fallback option. The Ghana Horticulture Expo 2025, organised by the Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters (FAGE) in partnership with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, showcased the sectors potential. Closing his address, the President urged action: Let us move from conferences to cold chains, from words to warehouses, and from policies to productivity. The time is now. Suriname seeks closer cultural, trade and tourism ties with Ghana Ambassador Alberto Mario Noretti Jun - 11 - 2025 , 17:41 3 minutes read The Surinamese Ambassador to Ghana, Fidelia Graand-Galon, has reaffirmed her countrys commitment to strengthening relations with Ghana in the areas of culture, tourism and trade, for the mutual benefit of their peoples. She gave the assurance at the second Tree Planting Festival of the people of Liati-Wote, in the Afadzato South District of the Volta Region, last Saturday (June 7). According to the ambassador, Ghana and Suriname are already bound by shared ethnic and traditional values, with similar lifestyles that could be explored to deepen bilateral cooperation. There are glaring similarities in certain traditions such as royalty, tribal ethics, reverence for the palaces, and customs, which testify to the fact that we are actually one people, she told the gathering. Ambassador Graand-Galon highlighted that in Suriname, people pour libation to the ancestors, and before doing so, they say agoo, just as is customary in Ghana. She also noted that there are seven ethnic languages spoken in Suriname, several of which share words with Ewe. For example, Ewe words such as kpedevi, atuu, and woezor are used daily in Suriname, she said. She further noted that among the Surinamese, a girl born on Monday is called Madzo, which is similar to the Ewe name Adzo in Ghana. Describing Liati-Wote as a community with features similar to those in Suriname, the envoy added that both countries produce similar foodstuffs and enjoy the same types of meals. We now need to re-write our own authentic history and relate as brothers and sisters from the same background, she emphasised. Ambassador Graand-Galon also advocated for stronger collaboration between the two countries in the fields of art and fashion, which she described as a potentially lucrative venture. She observed during the tree planting exercise that Ghana and Suriname shared similar flora and fauna, reinforcing their natural bond. The District Chief Executive for Afadzato South, Manfred Tawiah, praised the people of Liati-Wote for their respect and care for the environment. Also speaking at the event, the Volta Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Paschal Agbagba, said the devastation caused by rainstorms in Liati-Wote earlier this year underscored the need to plant more trees and nurture them to act as windbreaks and environmental buffers. The Regional Customer Service Officer of the Forestry Commission, Mr Tordey Gershon Amaglo, revealed that the commission is pursuing a programme to plant 300,000 trees in the Volta Region before the end of the year. Meanwhile, the Dufia of Liati-Wote, Togbe Kodadza V, renewed his appeal to the government to take urgent steps to improve the mobile network coverage in the area and rehabilitate the roads leading to the community to boost tourism and attract other business ventures. Next article: President Mahama calls for reinstatement of PTAs in schools to boost accountability Featured Yeji: Police arrest 3 in connection with murder of young woman GNA Jun - 11 - 2025 , 17:33 1 minute read Police have arrested three young men for their alleged involvement in the murder of a young lady at Vutideke, near Yeji in the Pru East District of the Bono East Region. The suspects were Hayford Boateng, 31 years, identified as the deceased boyfriend, and his two friends, Kojo Emmanuel, 28 years, and Michael Kabutey, 34 years. They attempted to transport the lifeless body of the lady, believed to be a student of the Yeji Midwifery Training School Vutideke to Yeji and were arrested upon a tip-off, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) was informed. A source at the Yeji Police station who confirmed the incident said the suspects were using an unregistered Hyundai private saloon car with the number DV 8388Y-2025 and are assisting with investigations. The incident happened Tuesday afternoon June 10, 2025, and the police have since deposited the body at a mortuary for preservation and autopsy. 1992 Constitution crafted to ensure stability Asiedu Nketiah at NDC@33 Emmanuel Bonney Politics Jun - 11 - 2025 , 07:57 4 minutes read The Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has stated that certain provisions were put in the 1992 Constitution to ensure stability in the countrys politics. Some of the provisions, he said, included the creation of the District Assemblies Common Fund, barring of chiefs from engaging in active party politics because they were a rallying point for all and the Electoral Commission (EC). In drafting the Constitution, we were consciously looking for ways to produce a Constitution that would last. So we took all the previous constitutions from the Independence Constitution to the Limann Constitution in 1979, looking for ways of putting in articles and clauses that would stabilise this country. I'm happy that so far we have achieved that. But when we mention some of the provisions, you will not know that they were put in there to provide stability in our politics. One of them is the creation of the District Assemblies Common Fund, he said. NDC anniversary Mr Asiedu-Nketiah was speaking at a solemn event to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the NDC at the partys headquarters in Accra yesterday. The event, which was attended by party gurus and supporters, involved the cutting of an anniversary cake, wreath laying and the hoisting of Ghana, NDC and cadres flags. He said the chieftaincy institution was recognised as a very powerful institution since chiefs were a rallying point for everybody. We said that, let us move a motion to prevent, to bar chiefs from active participation in politics. Luckily, when it started, it was taken as a joke. But eventually, we got it passed, even though there was a significant number of paramount chiefs from all across the country who were present. We managed to convince them that if you are a chief, and you involve yourself in politics, not everybody in your paramountcy will belong to your political party. So others will also join another party, he said. Mr Asiedu Nketiah explained that the barring of chiefs from active participation in politics was not intended to take away their democratic right, pointing out thatwe thought that if they remained neutral, and when there is controversy among the political actors, then you have a stabilising force that can calm the politicians who are misbehaving. So that is the reason we did what we did, and that has also contributed in stabilising our democracy. So my appeal is that the constitutional review committee that is currently doing their work, it may be very useful for them to engage the surviving members of the consultative assembly so they can understand the rationale behind some of the provisions that we put in there. One important provision had to do with the creation of the Electoral Commission, he said. Historical background Mr Asiedu Nketiah who gave a historical background of the forming of the party, said the party was formed with the intention of making it a third force but had become the first force with the other parties lagging behind. It was intended to be the third force because in this country we have known the CPP tradition and the UP tradition, and so NDC came in as a third force. Fortunately or unfortunately, it has now become the first force, and the others are lagging behind, he emphasised. Much of the history, he said was also documented in the partys book, The Administrative History of NDC. Again, he said there was a compilation of NDC constitutions from 1992 to date as well as the manifestoes of the party. The one that we are working on now has to do with NDC in the news. We've compiled all the important news items in the Daily Graphic and in Ghanaian Times about NDC from 1992 to date. Very soon, that one will also be launched so that we can have a proper documentation of our history, he said. GIFEC boss Tanko-Computer defends PhD, denies certificate from Kingsnow University is fake [VIDEO] Enoch Darfah Frimpong and Mohammed Ali Politics Jun - 11 - 2025 , 11:33 6 minutes read Sofo Rashid Tanko-Computer, the acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), has denied suggestions that this PhD from Kingsnow University is fake. He described those questioning his credentials as foolish and undeserving of his time. He was responding o comments made on social media that challenged the legitimacy of his academic qualifications in a television interview with Joy News on Wednesday morning [June 11]. WATCH THE ATTACHED VIDEO BELOW Tanko-Computer addressed the matter during an appearance on Joy Primes morning show. Read also: Sofo Rashid Tanko-Computer takes office as Acting CEO of GIFEC Concerns over unverified academic titles have drawn national attention in recent months. On April 7, 2025, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) issued a warning about the misuse of titles such as Doctor and Professor by individuals without recognised qualifications. Tanko-Computer first announced his links to Kingsnow University on December 11, 2016 on Facebook where he said he had obtained a PhD from that university. He wrote: Comrades, today I have mixed feelings: "We just lost a crucial elections which has taken a toll on me. Still figuring out what really went wrong.. Emotionally disturbed. "Kingsnow University has conferred on Tanko Rashid the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration and all the rights and privileges thereunto appertaining. In witness therefore, this degree duly signed has been issued and the Seal of the University affixed. Presented on the first day of September, two thousand and sixteen. Alhamdulilah, Allah is great." I thank my family and Prof Alex for the support that got me this far. It shall be well with us. Shehamforash! Kingsnow University and the online information about the university online The Kingsnow University referred to by Sofo Rashid Tanko-Computer which he said offered the PhD programme through online, has a web presence as a blog on wordpress.com as Kingsnowuniversity.wordpress.com, a domain which gained web presence just recently when discussions about the credibility of that university deepened. This is how the one page blog as of Wednesday June 11, 2025 describes the university: The Kingsnow University online degree program is designed to provide its students with opportunities to improve their learning style. The university has marked its position as one of the most prestigious universities that offer accredited online degrees and certifications. It has a revised and updated curriculum that suits the needs of all its students. Not only has it earned a strong reputation among others in the field, but also have excelled in providing ease and convenience for those who seek it. It has diversified range of disciplines and subjects that covers almost all the professional fields and markets. The fundamental mission of Kingsnow University is to accumulate the subject of interest, and provide its students with degrees that would help them achieve their respective professional goals. It builds an extensive and intensive framework of networking that allows its students to interact and engage themselves in different activities and practices. Such activities boost their level of confidence as well the knowledge about related subjects. The network also includes interactive conversations of enrolled students with experienced professionals, who are available to guide them at every hour on the clock. The university is known to have set high standards of education in order to maintain international competitiveness. The primary focus of Kingsnow University is to provide academic excellence to its students without having them face any hassle. It facilitates them with online courses that they can access anytime they feel like and get themselves educated about the subjects they are interested in. It strongly believes in the power of technology and the industrial revolution in terms of e-learning, academics and educational institutes. The university has fully integrated the technology into their core learning experience. Each student of Kingsnow University has access to the vast database maintained by the professionals, where they can find relevant academic literature and evident resources to support their research. In addition to this, Kingsnow University accumulates all mediums of technology in order to provide a learning experience that none could compete with. It is spread across different forms of technology including websites, mobile app, electronic database and 24/7 functional online portal for consultancy. The university also encourages its student to implement the theories their study into practical situations, and raise queries if they face any difficulties. The purpose of such activity is to make them comfortable with different situations that may rise in any working environment. Read also: GTEC to name, shame and take legal action against politicians on usage of honorary doctorate titles According to GTEC, such misuse contravenes the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023) and damages public confidence in the countrys educational system. The commission stressed that only accredited institutions are permitted to award honorary degrees, and recipients should not present them as academic qualifications. Tanko Computer, a public administrator and the deputy director of elections of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), dismissed the claims against him. I dont respond to such claims because I dont engage with foolish people, he said. He explained that he obtained his doctorate in Public Administration through an online programme at Kingsnow University, which he began in 2012 and completed in 2016. My PhD from Kinsnow University is legitimate, and Im proud of it, he stated. He urged Ghanaians to judge his qualifications based on their merit, rather than what he described as unfounded accusations. Mr Tanko holds two MSc degrees, in Criminal Justice and Public Administration, from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Education, Winneba. He said that giving attention to his detractors only fuels unnecessary controversy. In Ghana, we must call a spade a spade, not a long spoon, he said, adding that his priorities remain with his work and students, not online critics. His appointment as acting CEO of GIFEC by President John Dramani Mahama on February 14, 2025, has drawn both support and scrutiny. His background includes roles such as Deputy National Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Northern Regional Director of the Youth Employment Agency, and lecturer at Tamale Technical University and Tamale College of Education. GIFEC boss Tanko Computer defends PhD, denies certificate from Kingsnow University is fake [VIDEO] https://t.co/tEVm0gCF0p pic.twitter.com/7e46YxS8wQ DailyGraphic GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) June 11, 2025 Writer's email: [email protected] Follow @enochfrimpong Follow @Graphicgh President Mahama's administration bans DStv subscriptions at Jubilee House in cost-cutting drive GraphicOnline Politics Jun - 11 - 2025 , 06:15 2 minutes read In a move to curb unnecessary public expenditure, the Mahama administration has prohibited all offices within the Jubilee House, Ghanas presidential seat, from subscribing to DStv or any satellite television services, according to Government Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu. The policy was unveiled during an interview on JoyNews on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Mr Kwakye Ofosu revealed the stringent measure, stating, I can reveal to you that if you come to this house, there is no office in this house that is allowed to subscribe to DStv or any satellite television. He explained that the decision, while seemingly minor, is part of a broader strategy to eliminate wasteful spending. You would say that that is a trivial matter, but he has done that. Because when you computed the cost, it was significant money, he elaborated, highlighting the financial significance of the policy. The ban confines televisions at the Jubilee House to local channels only, a move Mr Kwakye Ofosu demonstrated during the interview. You can turn on the television that you see here, you will find that Im only limited to local television stations, he noted, underscoring the administrations resolve to lead by example. The policy is set to extend beyond the presidency to other government agencies, aiming to safeguard taxpayer funds across the public sector. Mr Kwakye Ofosu praised President Mahamas leadership, describing it as a model of modesty and accountability. This is a man deeply committed to making savings for the Ghanaian people. Governance necessarily involves taking tough decisions but the citizenry must see corresponding levels of modesty on the part of government officialsand thats what President Mahama is committed to doing, he stated, framing the initiative as part of a larger ethos of responsible governance. The decision comes at a time when Ghanaians are increasingly vocal about the need for fiscal restraint in government operations. By targeting seemingly small expenditures like satellite TV subscriptions, the administration seeks to demonstrate its sensitivity to public concerns over resource allocation. Political analysts suggest this move could resonate with citizens grappling with economic pressures, though some may question its overall impact on the national budget. As the Mahama administration pushes forward with its cost-cutting agenda, the ban on DStv at the Jubilee House signals a broader intent to instil fiscal discipline across government institutions. For now, the presidencys televisions will remain tuned to local channels, a symbolic gesture of a government striving to align its actions with the aspirations of the Ghanaian people. Speak for justice, speak for Torkornoo Akosua Manu appeals to Vice President Graphic.com.gh Politics Jun - 11 - 2025 , 08:21 7 minutes read Youth advocate and entrepreneur, Akosua Asaa Manu commonly referred to as Kozie has appealed to Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, to intervene in what she describes as the unjust treatment and public humiliation the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo who has been suspended. In an Open Letter, she expressed concern over the processes that led to the Chief Justices suspension by President John Dramani Mahama, and what she termed a deliberate and concerted effort to not only remove Justice Torkornoo, but also subject her to the highest possible form of public ridicule. What began as scrutiny has swiftly transformed into a siege, and our democracy suffers alongside its distinguished daughter, she wrote. The open letter, titled When Scrutiny Turns Into Siege, pays tribute to the Vice Presidents legacy as a trailblazer in Ghanas academic and political history and calls on her to use her moral authority to defend the dignity of the Chief Justice and the judicial institution. You are the icon who ascended to Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast In unlocking this door, you reminded us with those poignant words: What really matters is not first to come through the door, what matters is holding the door open for those behind to enter. Kozie invoked the history of female leadership in Ghanas judiciary and pointed to former Chief Justices Georgina Wood and Sophia Akuffo, as part of a legacy now under threat. Why then is Justice Torkornoo not merely being pushed out, but also being bruised and embarrassed on her way out? the letter queried. She also raised concerns about the methods used by state investigative agencies, alleging that the Chief Justice has endured random searches, the seizure of mobile devices, home invasions, and synchronized media trials. These, she argued, are inconsistent with the ideals of fairness and respect for constitutional officeholders. Akosua Manu, who contested the 2024 Parliamentary election in the Adentan constituency on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) stressed that her appeal was not to shield any official from accountability but to protect the dignity of Ghanas institutions. Justice must not be sacrificed on the altar of vendetta. Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done, she cautioned. She also referred to a recent statement by the Majority Leader in Parliament, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, indicating the governments intention to introduce legislation outlining clear procedures for removing a Chief Justice. Manu described this as an admission that the present process is flawed. Kozie called on the Vice President to stand up for institutional integrity and Ghanas promise of justice and demanded, Will you rise not just as Vice President, but as a woman who knows what it means to lead against the odds. Attached below is a copy of the open letter From scrutiny to siege: An open letter to the Vice-President Your Excellency, I trust this letter finds you well. News of your return home has brought a welcome sense of refreshment to a national and political landscape that can often feel overly toxic and cynical. During your time away, my thoughts often returned to the cheerful words of encouragement you shared with me years ago. While Im discreet about making your specific words public, anyone who has engaged with you would recognise your unwavering belief in the competence and depth of the Ghanaian woman. It is for one such daughter, sister, and mother that I write to you today. As you are aware, His Excellency, President John Dramani Mahama, has acted on petitions seeking the removal of Chief Justice Her Ladyship Gertrude Torkornoo. Subsequently, acting on the non-binding advice of the Council of State, the President has suspended the Chief Justice pending the determination of these petitions. Beyond this, the distinguished Chief Justice has endured egregious ill-treatment by investigative agencies, experiencing a denial and maligning of her rights in ways unprecedented for her high office. Any observer not exercising extreme restraint can only conclude that there is a deliberate and concerted effort not only to remove Madam Torkornoo but also to subject her to the highest possible form of public ridicule. What began as scrutiny has swiftly transformed into a siege, and our democracy suffers alongside its distinguished daughter. I address you, Madam Vice President, because I know you. I know you just as every woman and young girl in this country does. You are the icon who ascended to Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, the just and fair woman who now occupies an office never before held by another woman. For all our strides, there has always been a ceiling to shatter or a locked door to open. In unlocking this door, you reminded us with those poignant words: What really matters is not first to come through the door, what matters is holding the door open for those behind to enter. When you spoke those words, you addressed not only the Ghanaian women of the future but also acknowledged the women who came before you, knocking on that very door. Women like Justice Georgina Wood, our first female Chief Justice. She, too, like yourself, believed that merely entering was insufficient; her duty was to hold the door open for those who followed. And indeed, she held it beautifully, enabling Justice Sophia Akuffos elegant entrance in 2017. In that beautiful moment in 2023, Chief Justice Torkornoo was sworn in. Why, then, is she not merely being pushed out, but also being bruised and embarrassed on her way out? I am not oblivious to the political, social, and legal undertones of this pursuit. It is not lost on me that pre-election commentary indicated Madam Esaabas position was under threat following the NDCs victory. What was not said was that she would be robbed of her dignity. It is this dignity that I implore you to intervene and restore. Dear Madam Vice President, help restore it by entreating the President and his administration to cease the violation of the Chief Justices rights. The random searches, the seizure of mobile devices, the home invasions, and the synchronised media trials must end. The tone and tactics being employed to discredit and oust the Chief Justice send a deeply concerning signal in the year Ghana celebrates its first female Vice President. While we may hold differing views on the perceived frivolity of the petitions, it is crucial to understand that this is not about shielding any official from accountability. It is about safeguarding the dignity of our institutions and the message we convey to every Ghanaian girl with dreams. Madam Vice-President, during your unveiling as then-Flagbearer Mahamas running mate, he emphasised that you bring integrity and truth to the ticket, providing a necessary balance. It is for this reason that I write today, urging you to use your moral leadership to rise above the fray and call this nation back to its better self. Justice must not be sacrificed on the altar of vendetta. Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done. The Majority Leader, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, has indicated the governments intent to table legislation on the processes to remove a Chief Justice(click here). This, in itself, is an admission that the present process is flawed and that any well-meaning Ghanaian should not pursue this current means to remove the Chief Justice. Madam Vice-President, this nation has always been brimming with promise. That promise propelled us to independence. That promise saw us through the tense moments of the 2024 election. Indeed, that promise safeguarded and facilitated your ascendancy to the Vice-Presidency. That promise, reflecting in your journey, is more than personal; it symbolises Ghanas progress. Will you stand by as that promise is battered, just as Justice Torkornoo is being battered? Will you allow purveyors of injustice to tarnish Ghanas reputation and its institutions, or will you rise not just as Vice-President, but as a woman who knows what it means to lead against the odds? Madam Vice-President, your voice carries immense weight. Use it, not just for the Chief Justice, but for justice itself. Respectfully, A Ghanaian Woman When Jeremy Salamon, of Agis Counter in Crown Heights, opened a second restaurant, I would not have guessed that the standard-bearer of Hungarian Jewish cookings party-of-one revival movement would go so goyische. Salamon had just published Second Generation, a cookbook devoted to keeping alive the traditions of his grandmother, Agi, who survived Holocaust-era Budapest. At Agis, Salamon makes dill-feathered nokedli soup and warm Hungarian crepes known as palacsinta using Agis own recipes, plus Ashkenazi American staples like borscht and chopped liver (the menu calls it chicken liver mousse, but we know better). And then in January, with his boyfriend and partner Michael Herman, he opened Pitts, with country-club fare like shrimp cocktail and chops. The restaurant, in the old Fort Defiance space in Red Hook, seemed like an act of defiance itself, with the striped awnings and carrot-print wallpaper of a Dodie Thayer fantasy. Wainscotting. Peggy Lee on the stereo. French-fried onions and powdered ranch on the menu. Farblunget! When I went to Pitts back in February, it was, despite being perched nearly on the Ikea rim of Red Hook, packed. But I didnt get it. New York was pulling out of a stretch of supper-club faddism, restaurateurs with gourmet bona fides pushing pandemic comfort food to its illogical conclusion, midwestern Masonic Hall fare at New York City prices. Id already had enough upsold shrimp cocktail to last a lifetime. It looks like a childrens book in here, my sister-in-law whispered as we were ushered into a windowless back room, with a clubby, rec-room bar and the carrot wallpaper. The shtetl seemed very far away. But restaurants, like the rest of us, have seasons, and summertime seems to agree with Pitts. Not because its especially light; of four entrees, only one isnt red meat, and that one is a catfish amandine so lavishly brown-buttered it tastes like pastry and so thickly topped with slivered almonds it resembles a cake. The menu nevertheless retains a picnic-basket charm that complements the lengthening days and the tree-lined sidewalks of Van Brunt Street. A meatloaf tea sandwich pate, really, with pork liver and belly served cold on squishy triangles of crustless white bread with a sidecar of pepper jelly was cool and perfect when washed down with an $8-on-Wednesday martini, the kind of pairing thatll kill you, happily. By now, you will have heard the thick southern twang that vibrates through Pitts menu. Salamon comes by it honestly his other grandmother is country-club-going Arlene, whose plates decorate the walls and at whose North Carolina home he spent summers. (In later years, he cooked in the Research Triangle, too.) So fried onions are tobacco onions, and veal sweetbreads are cornmeal-crusted; a wedge salad features green tomatoes. Theres pimento cheese made with Gouda. . . Clockwise from top left: pimento cheese, escargot, meatloaf, and steak in lovage butter. Hugo Yu. Clockwise from top left: pimento cheese, escargot, meatloaf, and steak in lovage butter. Hugo Yu. The way to think about Pitts and Agis is less as two sides of one chefs biography and more as one expression of his M.O.: commitment to the bit. Hes an enthusiast, firm in his convictions, and, as Agis unexpected Hungarian renaissance indicates, a pretty good evangelist, too. Southern cooking doesnt need as much introduction to the wider population of New York diners as Hungarian does, and Salamon uses this built-in knowledge to his advantage: The world he has built in Red Hook is, if anything, even more elaborate than Agis. Even the toilet-paper holders, a carved bear and carved horse, are hunting-lodge kitsch. In the cold dark of February, this put me off. As May turned to June, I warmed up. Pitts shtick may be a bit, but it isnt a joke. Salamon swaps the beef in his patty melt for lamb, for a more sophisticated gaminess, and drags perfectly tender steak through a veg-patch swath of lovage-infused butter. I didnt love the pimento gouda, but I did the homemade fried saltines served with it, and a cold salad of confit mussels with tomato dressing didnt remind me of any country restaurant Ive ever been to just this one. Its the rare meal at Pitts that doesnt end with head pastry chef Goldie Flavelles pancake souffle, served with maple syrup and salted butter and to be ordered, like La Grenouilles before it, at the beginning of the meal. Its treated with all due pomp and circumstance, arriving tall, bronzed, and gorgeous, steaming mightily. Its IHOP couture, a quirk that works, and it makes you believe in shtick. The only thing that could improve it, the ultimate commitment, would be for Pitts to take it to its logical conclusion: Open on weekend mornings and serve it for the shtickiest meal of all, brunch. Samsungs teaser campaign for the Galaxy Z Fold7 is already underway, and the brand is now dropping its first hint for the camera upgrades coming to its new foldable. Samsung will offer a more capable multimodal AI search straight from the Galaxy Camera app. This should be a new in-house Galaxy AI-powered feature. Samsung says the camera on the Z Fold7 will be able to get what youre looking at and respond to situations. The new teaser also mentions the "Ultra experience" catchphrase seen on the previous two teasers. The Z Fold7 will be Samsungs thinnest and lightest horizontal foldable phone yet and its expected to launch in mid-July alongside the Z Flip7 and Z Flip FE clamshells. As the United States Army commemorates its 250th birthday this June, the University of Guam announced that 16 members of its Fanomnakan (Spring) 2025 graduating class were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a May 24 ceremony. They include: 2LT Brian Jay Garcia Canlas, Quartermaster Corps, active duty 2LT Gabriel Sazon Castro, Medical Service Corps, active duty 2LT Napu Frank Baleto Cruz, Quartermaster Corps, active duty 2LT Marc Ethan Delfin, Quartermaster Corps, active duty 2LT Christian Joseph Delgado, Quartermaster Corps, active duty 2LT Jordan Thomas E. Diego, Ordnance Corps, active duty 2LT Johnsey Venus Hagel, Armor, active duty 2LT Jerrid Shane Greer Igisaiar, Military Police Corps, Reserve Force 2LT Marvin Mitchell Diaz Leon Guerrero, Quartermaster Corps, active duty 2LT Khloe Ann Camia Miranda, Military Intelligence Corps, Reserve Force 2LT Leimana Bernise Rolinski Naholowaa, Signal Corps, active duty 2LT Kevin Ashley Pineda Paat, Medical Service Corps, active duty 2LT Kyle Andre Pineda Paat, Medical Service Corps, active duty 2LT Cody Jurel Junsay Villegas, Signal Corps, active duty 2LT Gavin Sablan Whitt, Military Police Corps, Reserve Force 2LT Arren Jacob Duenas Yatar, Transportation Corps, active duty The University of Guam is proud to help develop the next generation of Army officers leaders who will serve with distinction both in uniform and in their communities, UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez said in a statement. As we recognize the Armys 250th anniversary, we also celebrate the Triton Warrior Battalions long-standing contribution to public service and professional leadership. UOG, in a release, said its Senior Army Reserve Officers Training Corps, ROTC, program, is a cornerstone in preparing graduates to serve in military and civilian leadership roles at home and abroad. The program began commissioning officers in 1982 and has commissioned 625 officers over the last 43 years, the university said, each bringing leadership, service, and public value to both military and civilian spheres. LTC Neil Armstrong, professor of Military Science at UOG, said its an incredible honor to commission this group of Army officers during the Armys 250th year of defending the nation. These cadets have demonstrated exceptional leadership potential, character, and commitment and they will go on to serve with distinction in uniform. Our mission here at UOG Senior Army ROTC is to develop leaders of character for our nation and our island of Guam, Armstrong said. Triton Warriors Lead the Way! Fullo: ROTC alumni spotlight Among the programs more than 609 commissioned officers is 2LT Lidio Fullo, a 2024 Distinguished Military Graduate and the first Senior Army ROTC cadet in UOG history to serve as valedictorian of the graduating class. A graduate of the psychology program, Fullo said he was drawn to Army ROTC by a desire to help address what he viewed as one of the worlds greatest problems poor leadership. If the problem in this world and its future is poor leadership, then I feel a sense of duty to become a leader of leaders, he said. Now serving on active duty in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, Fullo leads a platoon at Camp Casey in South Korea and manages critical communications systems. Looking ahead, he hopes to one day return to Guam to help develop future Army leaders as a JROTC instructor or professor of military science at UOG. Leadership doesnt start when you have the position, Fullo said. Its 24 hours, every single day, someones watching. The Guam Department of Educations deputy superintendent of finance and administrative services, Morgan Wade Borja Paul, on Wednesday pushed back on Sen. Vince Borjas call for his removal from GDOE over what the senator described as consistently late, deficient, and in many instances, contradictory release of GDOE financial information. Paul has been on the job for some 10 months, starting in July 2024. This is a personal attack against me, Paul said in an interview with the Pacific Daily News. Ive been on this job since July of last year, trying to fix the financial issues with GDOE. As chairman of the 38th Guam Legislatures committee on education, Borja wrote a June 11 letter addressed to Education Superintendent Erik Swanson, sharing his and that of his fellow senators growing frustration with Pauls performance and conduct. The senator asked Swanson to remove Paul. At this point, continued reliance on hope and goodwill is not a viable strategy. For the sake of our children, our educators, and our islands future, I am formally requesting that Mr. Morgan Wade Borja Paul be removed from his position immediately, Borja wrote. Swanson, in a statement sent to the PDN via GDOEs public information officer Damen Michael Borja, said the superintendent will be writing a formal response to the senator. He would like to add that some of the information stated in the senators letter mainly around the idea that there was no response time is erroneous. All proposals have been submitted within the timeline and a copy has been submitted to all parties that required it. Furthermore, a major realignment in GDOEs leadership has already been planned and discussed and will be placed into action in the near future, the GDOE spokesperson said. Borja, 2 senators in DC Sen. Borja sent the letter while hes in Washington, D.C. along with Vice Speaker Tony Ada and Sen. Shelly Calvo. Ada, in a release, said the senatorial delegation is meant to advocate for island priorities. At a time when your department faces a financial challenge exceeding $150 million, an amount GDOE and the Guam Education Board have asked the Legislature to help address, accurate, timely, and consistent information is not just helpful; it is essential, Sen. Borja wrote. And yet, the data and financial information being provided to policymakers is consistently late, deficient, and in many instances, contradictory. The senator said this is not a minor oversight. It directly undermines our ability to act in the best interests of the students and families we are all sworn in to serve, he said. Sen. Borja warned the delays in financial reporting have now impacted the broader Government of Guam. This is not just a departmental issue; it is now a government-wide liability, he wrote. The cascading effect of this delay undermines public trust, disrupts financial planning across agencies, and puts Guam at further risk. He said guidance from the U.S. Department of Education and Del. James Moylans office on submitting documentation for appeals has been repeatedly ignored or delayed. That guidance has apparently been ignored or delayed...again, to the detriment of the very system we are all trying to preserve and improve, Sen. Borja wrote. Borja also said GDOE employees have reported concerns with Pauls performance. Employees of GDOE have made it clear that Mr. Paul has not demonstrated the professionalism, urgency, or collaborative spirit necessary to help the department navigate this crisis, he wrote. This is not a matter of personality; this is a matter of leadership and mission alignment. Paul: Borjas wrong Paul on Wednesday dismissed the senators claims, defending his work with GDOE and pointing to deep-rooted issues he said predate him taking on the position. There are problems in the GDOE business office that we are trying to fix. That is the FY 24 audit. July, August. I was on board the last three months of that fiscal year, Paul said. GDOE...has...wrong practices that are causing us to have a hard time turning in our initial SEFA report. SEFA stands for Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards. Paul said Borjas claim that required federal documentation had not been submitted was flat out wrong. His comment that we didnt submit a request to the (USDOE), that right off the bat is wrong, and he should verify his facts before he makes statements like that in public, Paul said. I have all the documents that we submitted to the U.S. Department of Education since over two months ago when this all started, and putting together a rebuttal, and all the supporting documents will be provided to the media. 150 vendors Paul also addressed fluctuations in financial reports that he said result from daily invoice updates, especially under the American Rescue Plan grant, which involves 105 vendors. They asked us to give a brief on the financial status of GDOE. Numbers change. We receive new invoices every day, so I dont know if hes expecting to see one number. This is what we need but thats not the case, especially with ARP. We are still trying to consolidate from the 105 vendors that were under the ARP funding grant, Paul said. Paul said there have been recent internal discoveries as examples of the depth of problems he is working to correct. Theres a problem we discovered yesterday about how were recording expenditures for off island travel, where part of the bill is being recorded and part of it is not being recorded, he said. Thats the kind of stuff Im discovering in this job. He said each invoice must be individually reviewed for accuracy before being submitted, which he said Sen. Borja fails to understand. Were having to dig into individual accounts and individual invoices and match them up. He apparently doesnt understand that this is not just a matter of filling out a form and turning it in, Paul said. The SEFA has to be accurate so that [Ernst & Young] can begin their audit of our entire program. Role misunderstood Paul said the criticism also stems from a misunderstanding of his role. I dont manage federal programs. I pay the bills. Theres a different section thats responsible for drawing down the amount and coming up with a plan to expend those amounts, he said. I do the reporting to the board on where we stand with that, because its a finance piece, but I dont supervise that section. Thats a completely different department. Paul said he has already informed Swanson of the letter and planned to meet with him to discuss next steps. I just made Superintendent Swanson, my boss, informed of the letter, and we are going to discuss it later this [Wednesday] afternoon, how were going to respond to it, he said. Weighing defamation suit Paul said he is preparing a formal rebuttal and weighing legal action. Im preparing a rebuttal to this, and Im probably going to seek an attorney for this defamation of me, he said. He insisted that documentation submitted to the federal government does exist and is verifiable. We have all the documentation of what we submitted to USDOE, and he doesnt understand that, Paul said. Just because he does not have it in his hand does not mean it does not exist. In his letter, Borja compared the current state of GDOE to his military service and said strong leadership is required. Having served in organizations like the United States Army, I understand that when an individual no longer aligns with the mission, or worse, becomes an impediment to achieving it, decisive action must be taken, Borja wrote. Failure to act in such circumstances is a recipe for systemic collapse. Guam Fire Department officials on Wednesday told senators that there are now four new ambulances responding to emergency calls on the island and two more would be purchased in fiscal 2026, while also saying that GFD plans to increase by $2 its current $1 surcharge for emergency 911 calls. Now what were finding is a dollar surcharge that we currently have does not suffice to cover all the costs, Fire Chief Darren Burrier said in response to a question from public safety committee chair Sen. Shawn Gumataotao. Since the emergency 911 surcharge was first implemented in 2001, GFD has not updated its rate. Moreover, though GFD went from a legacy to next-generation system, the cost of running and maintaining the modern system increased but the surcharge did not, Burrier said. The annual maintenance cost of the next-gen 911 system is about $2.7 million, he said. GFD intends to meet with the Public Utilities Commission to seek this increase in the current emergency 911 surcharge, Burrier added. Better but not ideal Burier told lawmakers that the four new ambulances are already in service, bringing the number of operational units up to six as of Wednesday. Thats still short of the eight ambulances GFD has said are necessary to provide adequate emergency response under national standards. But the numbers are better than what the department saw last year, when there were just four operational ambulances at times. $42.6M budget request Burrier told senators that GFDs requested $42.6 million budget for fiscal 2026 will allow them to buy two more ambulances. The fire departments fiscal 2026 request is essentially a status-quo budget, which includes about $39.9 million from the governments General Fund and about $2.7 million from special funds. Assistant Fire Chief Michael Uncangco told senators that an $800,000 earmark in the budget will cover the cost of the two new ambulances. According to Uncangco, GFDs ambulance fleet remains at 15, despite the four new additions, because four old ambulances were deemed unserviceable. Uncangco told the Pacific Daily News last July that the youngest ambulance in GFDs aging fleet was already five years old. Burrier on Wednesday said the balance of nine ambulances in the fleet are being rotated out for maintenance. He added that GFD is getting assistance through military and federal firefighters, though the number of calls where that assistance comes into play is a low percentage, he told Gumataotao. Besides ambulances, Uncangco told senators that the department has about $450,000 secured with the help of Del. James Moylans office to buy a new fire truck. $4.5M for overtime GFD wants $4.5 million to pay for overtime in fiscal 2026. According to Uncangco, thats about $600,000 less than what GFD is authorized for in the current fiscal year. Burrier told lawmakers that GFD continues to face staffing issues that challenge their ability to meet standards set by the National Fire Protection Association and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Retirements, extended military deployments, and medical profiles among firefighters remain issues, he said. A staffing report showed 228 uniformed fire personnel, from the chief down, with about 46 vacancies. During fiscal year 2025, we graduated 32 fire recruits in March, with an additional 16 that will be graduating in September, he told lawmakers. But some 38 personnel have either retired or resigned since fiscal 2024, he said, with another four on track to leave by years end. Some of the burden has been eased, he said, through authorization for yearly fire recruit cycles that senators provided in the fiscal 2023 budget act. Despite the attrition rate we are experiencing and challenges and the challenges...we continue to ensure that we achieve the mission of our department, he said. Burrier told senators that new recruits have eased overtime expenditures. However, Uncangco stressed that the department will need to recruit another 20 firefighters in the upcoming fiscal year, or else overtime expenditures will continue to grow. Gumataotao also asked Uncangco to speak with the Office of the Governor about $316,000 in outstanding overtime payments the department owes. He said the payments accrued for overtime during various typhoons, dating all the way back to Typhoon Francisco in 2014, which happened during the Calvo administration. Fire station, new fees Burrier told senators that GFD in December awarded a contract to Surface Solutions for a new Sinajana fire station. The fire chief did not specify the cost of the new station, though $14.37 million for the project was earmarked in the governors spending plan for American Rescue Plan funds in January. He did note that the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority was involved in the project. Burrier said GFD is preparing to update its fees, which are outdated for a community the size of Guam. For example, it costs $35 to conduct an inspection for a small storefront, while it costs the same amount to inspect any one of our Tumon hotels, he said. He added that GFD charges less than 25% of the reimbursable costs for emergency medical services allowed by Medicare and Medicaid. We are nowhere near industry standard, Burrier said. Members of the Guam Ethics Commission on Wednesday voted to appoint former Guam Visitors Bureau research and planning director Nico Fujikawa as the commissions new executive director. Fujikawa was a longtime GVB employee before being fired by former tourism head Carl Gutierrez for insubordination in April 2024. The former GVB director has contended the firing was in retaliation for him raising issues at GVB, and has since appealed the decision to the Civil Service Commission and now the Superior Court of Guam. Fujikawa will replace the last GEC executive director, Jesse Quenga, who resigned from the commission in February and has since moved to Guam Memorial Hospital. Ethics commissioners initially met on May 27 and discussed Fujikawas hiring in executive session. But they lacked a quorum necessary to make a hiring decision on that date. They reconvened in an emergency meeting on Wednesday, voted to approve his appointment, and adjourned in about five minutes. Fujikawa previously told the board that he wants to move the ethics commission towards being more proactive about public trust. I have a strong passion for this, and I believe in it, and I know that we are facing very difficult times economically, globally, theres a lot of unrest, he said. Those conditions, he said, present an opportunity for the Ethics Commission. I really do think that the commission has an opportunity to be proactive, to kind of get that out there in the community, and really empower everyone together, to come forward, to hold each other accountable, he said at the May 27 meeting. Fujikawa said he wants to examine, how much does the community trust the public officials that are in place? and use that as a scorecard. He told commissioners he wants to use his background in research and planning to build a framework they can use to survey the community about public trust. Survey the community, public officials, individuals, even the private sector, to see how their interactions with certain government agencies help their business, hurt their business, or how does that sway their confidence, he said. Firing appeal Fujikawa was fired from his previous role at GVB after being accused by former tourism general manager Gutierrez of using insulting and abusive language during a Jan. 11, 2024 meeting with Gutierrez and then deputy general manager Gerry Perez. The former GVB employee subsequently filed a Civil Service Commission firing appeal and a claim with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging Gutierrez targeted him for harassment and dismantled his research team. Fujikawa alleged the targeting began after he refused to sign a petition in 2023 supporting Gutierrezs evaluation by the GVB board of directors. He alleged that the former general manager had his door removed, among other retaliatory acts. Gutierrez resigned from GVB in November, shortly before the agency board was set to weigh his removal after more than a year of conflict with the board and slow tourism recovery. His resignation came just six months after he fired Fujikawa. A firing appeal filed by Fujikawa was dismissed by the Civil Service Commission in December over a technical issue, after commissioners found his appeal was filed a day late. Fujikawa, through his attorneys, objected to the findings, and appealed them in court this past March. Superior Court Judge Vernon Perez has postponed to September the sentencing for Paul John Tuncap Cruz, who was convicted in April of child abuse as a third-degree felony linked to the November 2023 death of his 1-year-old son, Pablo. The judge granted the request of defense attorney Thomas Fisher for two primary reasons: an ongoing review in the Guam Supreme Court involving the former chief medical examiner, Dr. Jeffery Nine, and Cruzs responsibility to care for his children. Fisher said Cruzs wife, Giltinan Ramangmou, who was convicted in December 2024 of negligent homicide and child abuse in the same case, is currently serving a sentence of three years in jail, followed by three years of supervised release. Hes got a number of children that he needs to take care of, Fisher said. In the event the court imprisons him, his wife is also in prison, so he is still trying to accumulate funds, obligations. The judge acknowledged both the pending review issue and Cruzs family situation and continued the sentencing to Sept. 8 at 3:30 p.m. Stay focused, Mr. Cruz, keep reporting as you have been, and Ill see you in September, Perez said. A jury found Cruz guilty after a day-and-a-half of deliberations in April. During the trial, Nine testified the child showed signs of battered child syndrome, repeated head trauma, and severe malnourishment. Prosecutors argued that while Cruz did not physically harm the child, he failed to seek medical help after the boy was punched by Ramangmou. The Mangilao Municipal Planning Council on Wednesday night voted unanimously in favor of a proposed rezoning of a government property in the village for a new medical campus and Guam Memorial Hospital. The proposal was to rezone the site from agricultural to public utilities use. Rezoning is key to allowing the Guam Power Authority and the Guam Waterworks Authority to begin construction of support infrastructure, including a power substation, wastewater pump station, two to three new water wells, a 2.5-million-gallon water holding tank, and a water filtration system. Back in March, the Consolidated Commission on Utilities had already approved GWAs plan to take $62.9 million in American Rescue Plan funds to install sewer and water for a new hospital in Mangilao. With the Mangilao Municipal Planning Council approving the rezoning, the measure now proceeds to the Guam Land Use Commission for final determination. While the hospital project moves forward, theres a pending federal lawsuit that Attorney General Douglas Moylan filed, alleging illegalities in the process. Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority have asked the federal court to dismiss the AGs lawsuit. The governors office has maintained that the hospital project can move forward despite the AGs objections. Wednesday nights meeting marked the completion of required public hearings for the proposed rezoning in Mangilao. The first public hearing hosted by the Mangilao Municipal Planning Council was on May 30. In a statement Wednesday evening, Adelup said while residents in attendance posed important questions, no opposition to the project was expressed. Its a win-win for the people of Mangilao, Chalan Pago, and Yona, Mangilao Municipal Planning Council member Art Mariano said. Improvements to the power and water systems, according to Adelup, will directly benefit the growing needs of residents of Mangilao, Chalan Pago, and Yona. Adelup earlier said technical assessments are also underway. Topographical mapping of the property has begun, it said. Coordination is in progress with the Department of Agricultures Division of Fish and Wildlife to evaluate existing vegetation, and also working with State Historic Preservation Officer Patrick Lujan on the archaeological survey, now that the surveyor has cleared the necessary paths, the governors office said. A University of Guam researcher has launched a qualitative study to analyze transformations in the CHamoru language and is calling on Fino CHamoru speakers of all fluency levels to participate in a new study. The study is aimed at understanding the languages evolution and its current state. The study, Inaguyon Fino CHamoru, provides a unique opportunity for the community to contribute to vital linguistic research which will provide critical data for language preservation policies and educational curriculum, UOG said in a release. Principal investigator Elvin Quitugua is leading the study, which focuses on identifying which grammatical and structural features of Fino CHamoru are being retained, transformed, or lost in modern usage. By comparing insights from speakers at all levels of proficiency-from fluent native speakers to new learners-the findings will document language trends and create an invaluable resource for both preservation and academic knowledge, UOG said. We want to understand the subtle changes happening beneath the surface of our language. This research is crucial to ensure that as Fino CHamoru is passed on, we arent unintentionally distilling it or losing its rich, built-in features that make it distinct and unique, Quitugua said in a statement. Quitugua said the findings will directly inform curriculum proposals and preservation strategies. Every speaker holds a piece of this story, and their participation is vital to protecting our linguistic heritage, the lead researcher said. The study design relies on insights from two distinct participant groups and offers convenient, confidential ways to contribute: 1. Online survey: A 1020 minute confidential online survey where participants answer questions based on different sentence structures. To take the survey, visit finochamorustudy.laguas.com. 2. Focus groups: Interactive sessions for a more in-depth conversation. These are held in person at public gathering spots in Guam once a week during the weekends. For CNMI or off-island participants, virtual focus groups via video call are also being held. The enrollment period to join focus group sessions ends on June 18. Slots are limited. The study is conducted under the CHamoru Language and Culture Researcher Training Program and has been approved by UOGs Institutional Review Board. All data collected will be confidential, and the studys spelling conventions adhere to the official orthography of the Kumision I Fino CHamoru. How to participate in the study: Take the online survey by visiting finochamorustudy.laguas.com. Join a focus group. To inquire about limited slots, contact the research team by email at: infochamorustudy@laguas.com or via the contact form at finochamorustudy.laguas.com/contact. The enrollment period to join focus group sessions ends on June 18. In a recent article published in the Pacific Daily News, political scientist Van Jackson examined United States military power limitations and disputes forecasts for Chinese dominance in Micronesia but failed to address Chinas strategic goals and military threats while providing an incomplete explanation of how U.S. influence shapes regional stability. (Jackson, a senior lecturer on international relations at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and former advisor for the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense, spoke during a two-day virtual Security and Insecurity Micronesia forum hosted by Guam-based think tank Pacific Center for Island Security.) Despite a reduction in Chinese investments since 2016, Micronesia remains strategically valuable to China compared to Melanesia and Polynesia. The strategic significance of Micronesia stems from its location near important U.S. military installations, including the operational center Guam, which supports U.S. Pacific military operations. Micronesia could become a potential buffer area during future hypothetical military confrontations between China and the United States. After 2016, investments from China decreased, which suggests China is adjusting its strategic approaches instead of pulling out of the region. Through strategic aid programs and elite relationship building, China strengthens its regional influence while expanding diplomatic and political outreach. These methods are less obvious than massive infrastructure ventures, but they hold an equal capacity to shape future political and economic developments. Jackson dismissed concerns about Chinas intentions as paranoia without acknowledging the substantial evidence of PRCs military expansion and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea alongside its efforts to alter international rules in its favor. The PRC shows its readiness to disregard international law by establishing territorial claims through artificial island construction and military stationing and by attacking coastal fishing ships. China displays unique features when compared to Imperial Japan but its activities reveal its intentions as a revisionist state that seeks to extend its international influence by confronting U.S. dominance in global affairs. Jackson failed to recognize that Chinese police assistance plays multiple roles besides traditional police work by claiming U.S. national security interest as its principal trigger. The deployment of Chinese police assistance for surveillance and intelligence gathering operations enhances political and social understanding of regional dynamics. China uses its assistance programs as instruments of political control that undermine democratic systems and propagate its own strategic priorities. Chinese security assistance activities extend beyond the objectives described in its official mission statement. Jacksons perspective failed to recognize the U.S.s lasting stabilizing impact within the Pacific region and its core security commitments to allied nations and partners. The U.S. actively supports oceanic freedom and democratic systems in the Pacific Ocean while its military strength functions to deter potential threats from bordering nations. The U.S. maintains its fundamental role in delivering stability and security to the region even after having committed previous mistakes in regional interactions. Micronesian nations must pursue increased autonomy along with self-governance through partnerships with the U.S. to uphold regional stability and counter external threats. The U.S. needs to thoroughly assess any decrease in its exclusive presence to stop China from taking advantage of resulting power vacuums to strengthen its influence and undermine regional security systems. The COFA agreements give the U.S. military authorization to sustain its regional operations while securing vital defense pledges from the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau. The agreements should receive continuous assessments and modifications to address evolving bilateral needs while remaining vital for regional security. Jackson noted that military spending generates fewer jobs in comparison to other sectors, yet we must acknowledge the essential security benefits and stability military spending offers, which support long-term economic growth. Nations must build a stable and secure environment as a prerequisite for sustainable economic development alongside effective trade promotion and foreign investment acquisition. U.S. military presence secures stability beyond defense responsibilities, which enables Micronesian nations to progress toward their social and economic goals. Van Jacksons examination of U.S.-China Pacific competition provided useful observations yet understanding demands analysis of both countries strategic goals together with Chinas expanding power and the U.S.s vital role in regional stability. Reduced U.S. military engagement without addressing security matters and Chinese power exploitation threatens both Micronesian interests and regional stability. Pacific Island nations can protect their future prosperity by balancing security alliances with economic progress and safeguarding their sovereignty. If you judge by military enlistment rates alone, you might think Guam is the most patriotic place in America. We serve with courage. We serve without hesitation. But many Americans dont know the truth: we serve without a vote. Were asked to defend democracy while being denied its full rights ourselves. High enlistment rates on Guam dont just reflect patriotism. They also reflect limited opportunity. Many young people enlist not only out of love for the country, but because its one of the few doors open to them. Good-paying jobs and stable careers are scarce on the island. Guam has long been trapped in economic dependency. When a young person must choose between leaving home or being left behind, its not a real choice. We must stop pretending this is normal. Its not normal for those who fight for a nation to have no say in who leads it. Its not normal for generation after generation to leave home to find a future that should be possible right here. If were good enough to serve, were good enough to vote. If were strong enough to fight, were strong enough to decide. Military pride without political power is not honorits injustice. The cost of silence is too high. We owe it to ourselvesand to every service memberto demand more. Because pride doesnt come from quiet sacrifice. It comes from standing up and saying: We serve. We sacrifice. We deserve a voice. Apple announced the next version of the Mac operating system at the WWDC 2025 keynote. As was already suspected last week, Apple is continuing to assign nicknames with reference to California: The upcoming version is called macOS Tahoe. It is named after the largest mountain lake in North America, Lake Tahoe on the border between California and Nevada. Anzeige Apple is also changing the version scheme to years instead of consecutive numbers. So instead of macOS 16, the next upgrade will be called macOS 26. Major redesign across all platforms The glass WWDC logo already hinted at it: Apple is modernizing the interface of macOS and making it a little more vivid again with a translucent glass look as well as light, shadows and glass-like distortions on the window edges and controls. The design, called "Liquid Glass", is inspired by visionOS and will be similar across all systems. It's not just the windows that macOS consistently shows in glass, but also icons, buttons and menus. There are also more animations. The menu bar has no background and the menu commands float directly above the background image. The "Liquid Glass" design can be seen in the control center, for example. A special "Clear Look" gives the entire OS a continuous glass look if desired, without any colors. Icons and text then look like they have been engraved in glass. There is also a special dark mode familiar from iOS, with monochrome tinted icons. The optional "Clear Look", which is available across all systems, largely dispenses with colors. The last major overhaul was macOS 11 Big Sur in 2020, when Apple also largely abandoned plastic elements such as buttons on the Mac. Anzeige More customization Until now, the Control Center had to be configured via the system settings. In macOS 26, this can be done interactively and, as with iOS/iPadOS, you have significantly more freedom. You can also color folders in the Finder without additional tools and add icons to them. Bild 1 von 18 macOS 26 Tahoe (18 Bilder) Das Redesign von macOS 26 Tahoe wirkt zunachst subtil, aber Apple hat fast alles angefasst, von Menuleiste uber Dock bis zur Seitenleiste in Apps. Apple Intelligence Apple Intelligence has hardly impressed since its launch last year, even after various updates. Siri is said to have been slightly improved in the new systems, but Apple is putting off the completely revised Siri for another year as suspected . Apple Intelligence supports a few more languages, and developers can access Apple's local Large Language Model for the first time via the "Foundations Models Framework" and use it in their apps. Applications can be integrated into Apple Intelligence via App Intents, for example to search for marked image elements via Visual Intelligence. Shortcuts Users can now use Apple Intelligence in their shortcuts and specify whether the local LLM, Apple's Private Cloud Compute or ChatGPT (if activated) should be used. Variables can be integrated into the prompts so that the AI can, for example, summarize a transcript of an audio file in one step. The automations familiar from iOS/iPadOS are finally coming to the Mac. They make it possible to execute shortcuts automatically. This is not only time-controlled, but also works for certain events such as connecting a screen, changing files or receiving messages from certain senders. Spotlight with clipboard history In the revised system search, four buttons next to the search field provide direct access to Mac apps and iPhone apps, recently used documents, shortcuts and the clipboard. The window can apparently be scaled to any size, including width. A tab bar allows quick filtering by document type. Spotlight provides access to recently used documents in macOS 26 Tahoe. Spotlight can execute application functions directly and specify parameters for shortcuts. For example, an e-mail can be sent directly to a specific recipient in the search window or a recording can be started in voice memos. With "Quick Keys", macOS offers 26 shortcuts to call up commands with just a few letters, such as "sm" for "send message". Finally, the menu bar of the active application can be searched via Spotlight to execute commands directly. Previously, you could only access previously copied content via clipboard managers that had to be installed separately. Now Spotlight comes with its own clipboard history. To enable Spotlight to address app functions, developers must integrate app intents. The shortcuts then also benefit from this. Continuity & phone app Apple has once again refined the collaboration between the systems. For example, macOS now displays the live activities of iPhone apps in the menu bar. With a click, the corresponding app opens directly on the Mac via iPhone synchronization (iPhone Mirroring). Apple had already introduced this function with macOS 15 Sequoia, but it is not yet available in the EU. It is not yet clear whether this will change with macOS 26. The new Phone app provides access to recent contacts or voicemails. You can also start calls directly, which are still handled by the iPhone. New features of iOS 26 such as live translations are also on board. Gaming and Metal 4 The new Games app bundles all games on the Mac in one place. During a game, system settings can be adjusted via overlay, friends can be invited to play along via Game Center or chat with them. With Metal 4, developers benefit from new rendering functions such as frame interpolation and denoising. Further innovations Apple Music gets improvements such as live translation of lyrics and notes on intonation. There is also an AI-supported automix function that mixes songs like a DJ to create a continuous soundtrack. gets improvements such as live translation of lyrics and notes on intonation. There is also an AI-supported automix function that mixes songs like a DJ to create a continuous soundtrack. In future, chats in iMessages can be provided with individual backgrounds. You can also create surveys. can be provided with individual backgrounds. You can also create surveys. Notes can be exported as a Markdown file. can be exported as a Markdown file. Passwords now remembers changes so that you can access a previously used password. now remembers changes so that you can access a previously used password. Using Apple Intelligence, reminders suggest tasks or purchases, for example based on emails. The app can also automatically create sections. suggest tasks or purchases, for example based on emails. The app can also automatically create sections. The diary app Journal appears on the Mac with macOS 26. appears on the Mac with macOS 26. Families have more extensive controls for children's accounts, such as for the App Store or communication limits. Improved accessibility Part of macOS are the new accessibility features announced in mid-May. For example, macOS 26 brings the Magnifier app to the Mac for the first time and uses iPhone or USB cameras for live magnification. The new Accessibility Reader offers a system-wide reading mode with individual font design. Vehicle motion cues visually indicate movements to prevent motion sickness. Braille support is being expanded and Macs will be able to open files in Braille Ready Format (BRF) in future. Eye and head tracking enable alternative control without a mouse or trackpad. In future, the Mac App Store will display accessibility labels that provide information about supported accessibility features before downloading. Finally, accessibility settings can be shared with other devices. Hardware requirements The rumors that Apple would remove support for some Intel Macs with macOS 26 Tahoe have unfortunately come true. Five years after the introduction of Apple Silicon Macs, only a few x86 models remain: iMac 2020 Mac Pro 2019 MacBook Pro 16" from 2019 MacBook Pro 13" from 2020 with four Thunderbolt 3 ports The following Intel models are no longer supported: iMac 2019 iMac Pro 2017 Mac mini 2018 MacBook Air 2020 MacBook Pro from 2018 MacBook Pro 13" from 2019 with two Thunderbolt 3 ports All supported models: iMac from 2020 (Intel and Apple Silicon) Mac mini from 2020 (Apple Silicon) Mac Studio from 2022 (Apple Silicon) Mac Pro from 2019 (Intel and Apple Silicon) MacBook Air from 2020 (Apple Silicon only) MacBook Pro 13" from 2020 (Intel and Apple Silicon) MacBook Pro 16" from 2019 (Intel and Apple Silicon) Availability of macOS 26 Tahoe The final version of macOS 26 will be released to end customers in the fall. Developers can install the developer beta from today. The freely accessible public beta will be released in July. (wre) 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 incident allegedly took place off the coast of Porvoo, about 50 kilometres east of Helsinki, in the early afternoon. The Finnish Border Guard is leading the investigation. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirmed that Russias deputy head of mission was called in for a meeting on Wednesday. The ministry declined to provide further details. Finland has summoned a senior Russian diplomat following a suspected violation of Finnish airspace by a Russian military aircraft on Tuesday afternoon. Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said that authorities began examining the case immediately after it occurred. We are treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves, he told local media. The incident is the second of its kind in recent weeks. In late May, two Russian military aircraft were suspected of breaching Finnish airspace in the same area. That episode prompted the foreign ministry to summon Russias ambassador to Finland, Pavel Kuznetsov, and deliver a diplomatic note. The Defence Ministry and the Border Guard have not disclosed which type of aircraft was involved in Tuesdays case, nor how far or how long it may have entered Finnish territory. Russia has not commented publicly on the incident. In previous cases, Moscow has denied intentional airspace violations and characterised such occurrences as navigational errors. The Finnish government has raised concerns about the pattern of incidents and views the suspected breaches as unacceptable. Airspace violations, even brief ones, are treated as serious matters under international law and often lead to diplomatic consequences. Finland joined NATO in April 2023 and has since increased its defence coordination with alliance members. The Finnish Air Force has also stepped up aerial surveillance near the eastern border in response to heightened regional tensions. No Finnish military aircraft were reported to have been scrambled in connection with the suspected breach on Tuesday. The investigation is ongoing. The foreign ministry has not said whether additional diplomatic action will follow. HT Chinese language competition winners honored in Myanmar's Yangon Xinhua) 16:53, June 11, 2025 YANGON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The award ceremony for the 2025 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition was held on Tuesday in Yangon. The competition was divided into three groups: college, middle school, and primary school. A total of 30 finalists were selected from all groups combined, with about 10 finalists chosen from each group, Than Htut Aung, director of Fuxing Confucius Classroom, told Xinhua. The award ceremony was held in both Yangon and Mandalay, with top winners earning the opportunity to represent Myanmar at the international "Chinese Bridge" competition in China, Than Htut Aung said. "Such competitions help people in Myanmar improve their Chinese language skills," he said. "Through language, we can better understand and connect with the people of China." Among the winners was Moe Pwint Phyu, 23, who secured first prize in the college group. "This is my second time competing. I won second prize last year, but this time, I worked even harder while managing my schoolwork," she said. This year's competition was more challenging, as it included a Q&A session, unlike last year's format which focused only on presentations and performances, she added. She also pointed out the benefits of competing in this contest, saying it opens doors to studying in China and increases the chance of receiving scholarships. "Two top winners from Yangon and Mandalay will go to China to compete in the Chinese Bridge competition alongside participants from many other countries. I'm so happy, and I'm excited to represent Myanmar in China," she said. In the middle school group, 12-year-old Aung Phone Pyae won second prize. "It's my first time competing, and I'm very happy. I gained a lot of experience through the competition and I'm looking forward to joining again next year," he said. Eight-year-old Aung Shein Lin, who won first prize in the primary school group, proudly shared, "I'm very happy. I gave a presentation about the friendship between Myanmar and China." The event featured speeches from special guests and talent shows such as singing, poetry recitation and dancing, highlighting the students' Chinese language skills and celebrating cultural exchange. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Cities like Helsinki, Lahti and Oulu offer vouchers to all lower secondary school graduates. The vouchers, typically worth around 300350 euros, are meant to subsidise wages and support teenagers in gaining early work experience. Despite these efforts, uptake remains low. Thousands of summer job vouchers intended to help 15-year-olds into seasonal work are going unused in several Finnish cities, as employers cite weak demand, high labour availability, and limited value of the subsidies. In some cases, adult jobseekers are filling the positions originally intended for teenagers. In Helsinki, fewer than half of the roughly 4,000 vouchers issued have been used in recent years. The city's programme covers all ninth-graders and students in preparatory education. Employers must pay a minimum of 500 euros in wages, with the city covering 350 euros. Around 6,000 young people are eligible each year. Tiina Horkko, area manager at Helsinki Youth Services, said summer job opportunities have declined compared to previous years. Weve also seen an increase in unemployed adults applying for the same jobs, she said. Lahti has issued vouchers for the third consecutive year to all interested ninth-graders. More than 880 applied in 2024, but fewer than 300 have historically been used. Jasmina Lebnaoui, a specialist at Lahtis employment services, said many teens fail to find a job where they can use the voucher. Feedback from employers suggests that the value of the voucher is often too small to cover costs, and some businesses only hire adults. Tiina Vidgren, CEO of Lahti-based Vidgren Oy, said demand for services has fallen, and the labour market has shifted. We see more workers available, and that leaves younger applicants without positions, she said. The vouchers typically require employers to hire the young person for at least ten working days or 60 hours between May and August. The work must be compensated in accordance with collective agreements, or with a minimum gross salary of 360 euros. Some cities have responded with stricter eligibility rules or budget-based restrictions. In Hameenlinna, 497 vouchers were issued in 2024, but the city ran out of funds before fulfilling all applications. The voucher values vary: 200 euros for two weeks of work and 400 euros for jobs over a month. In Tampere, the system has seen strong uptake. The city increased its voucher offering from around 550 in 2023 to 720 this year, and nearly all have been used. The voucher covers 320 euros of a minimum 400-euro wage, and is available for 1517-year-olds. Petri Rasanen, coordinator of the programme, said young people found work in retail, cleaning, restaurants, law offices, farms and theatres. In contrast, budget cuts in Jyvaskyla reduced voucher availability significantly. Only 90 were distributed in 2024, compared to 280 the previous year. Applicants needed to secure a job before receiving the subsidy. In the end, 177 vouchers were used, including unused ones from prior rounds. Oulu issued 8,200 vouchers to teens aged 1518 but expects only half to be used. Outi Soderman-Juva, from BusinessOulu, said municipal summer jobs attracted 1,300 applications, 300 more than last year. The surge reflects reduced private sector hiring, she said. Though the vouchers aim to ease young people into the labour market, many fail to secure jobs. Tiina Horkko said the scheme still has long-term benefits. The experience can help prevent social exclusion and lead to permanent employment, she said. HT Historic Preservation Commission is compiling neighborhood histories Residents attended an informational meeting about the Neighborhood History Project at Star of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in April. Hendersonvilles Historic Preservation Commission is inviting individuals with connections to the West End, Peacock Town, Harris Street, Black Bottom and Brooklyn neighborhoods to take part in an upcoming Neighborhood History Project Collection Event. Related Stories The events are part of the ongoing Hendersonville Neighborhood History Project, which aims to preserve the personal stories, photographs, and historical documents that reflect the cultural heritage of these communities. Community members are encouraged to attend a collection event to record oral histories and bring materials for scanning with the assistance of an archivist. Scheduled events are: Friday, June 27, 5-7 p.m., Star of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, 201 N. Whitted St. Saturday, July 12, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Henderson County Public Library, Kaplan Auditorium, 301 N. Washington St. Team members led by the Blue Ridge Community College Archives will guide participants through semi-structured interviews designed to capture oral histories. Additionally, participants are encouraged to bring items for scanning and archiving that relate to the neighborhoods being studied. Collection Tips: Items should be tied directly to one of the neighborhoods, or a significant personal or community memory. Items for scanning can be photos, documents, letters, maps, programs, or other memorabilia. A maximum of 1015 items per person can be scanned at the event. Bring a flash drive if you would like a digital copy of your scanned items. Individuals with more materials than can be accommodated at the events can schedule an appointment with the Blue Ridge Community College Archives. www.hendersonvillehpc.org/nhp Those unable to attend the collection events can also contribute by filling out an online form at The Neighborhood History Project builds on past efforts by the HPC to document Hendersonvilles historic communities, many of which received historic district designations, including West Side, Lenox Park, Hyman Heights, Druid Hills, Cold Spring Park, as well as the Main Street and Historic Seventh Avenue districts and Oakdale Cemetery. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected claims from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about encouraging violence in immigration protests in Los Angeles, calling them "absolutely false." In a social media publication, Sheinbaum attached a video in which she "clearly condemn violent demonstrations." "We've always been against it and even more so given my responsibilities. Moreover, our stance remains that of defending honest, hardworking Mexicans who contribute to the U.S. economy and their families in Mexico. I'm certain dialogue and respect are the best way for our people to understand each other and that this misunderstanding will be clarified," Sheinbaum added. Earlier on Tuesday, Noem had told reporters that "Claudia Sheinbaum came out and encouraged more protests in LA and I condemn her for that." "She should not be encouraging violent protests that are going on," Noem added. Sheinbaum did criticize the immigration raids taking place in Los Angeles, which catalyzed the protests that have been taking place in the city since Friday and have, at times, become violent. She said he city "wouldn't be what it is" without migrants. "They migrate out of need and send resources to their families from there," the president added. "Mexicans will always have our backing and demand that their human rights be respected. They must know that, should they wish to return to Mexico, we will welcome them with open arms." Mexican officials said on Monday that dozens of nationals had been arrested in the raids and some had already been deported. Concretely, Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente said that 42 Mexican migrants 37 men and five women were arrested over the weekend. Speaking at Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's daily news conference, de la Fuente said the detained individuals were being held in four different detention centers. He noted that consular officials had compiled a complete database of detainees, including family contact information, and had already begun reaching out to relatives. De la Fuente said most of those arrested were working at a textile factory in downtown Los Angeles at the time of the raids. A group of protesters gathered outside the U.S. embassy in Mexico on Monday to demonstrate against the raids. Organizacion Binacional Migrante Aztlan, which called the protest, said the Trump administration's policies are "brutal, abusive and xenophobic." Originally published on Latin Times California Governor Gavin Newsom slammed his Florida counterpart Ron DeSantis for offering to send National Guard troops to deal with immigration protests in Los Angeles. In an email to the Miami Herald, Newsom spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo said the offer was declined because "the guard were not needed in the first place" and called it an "attempt to inflame an already chaotic situation made worse by his party's leaders." DeSantis addressed the protests taking place in Los Angeles on Tuesday, saying episodes of violence seen in the city "would never fly in the state of Florida, not for one minute." "You would end up in the slammer very quickly," he added. The governor went on to say he supports the Trump administration's decision to send National Guard troops against the wishes of Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats. The administration has also sent 700 Marines there. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, on his end, said he will deploy National Guard troops in anticipation of protests across different cities this week, vowing to "ensure peace and order." Abbott said in a statement that while "peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation," Texas "will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles." "Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be swiftly held accountable to the full extent of the law," adds a passage of the statement reported by ABC News. Bass did implement a curfew in downtown Los Angeles on Friday and after five nights of protests, resulting in dozens of arrests. Demonstrations, however, have spread across the U.S. CBS News detailed that some have taken place in Austin, Washington D.C. and San Francisco this week, and more are expected in the coming days. In fact, activists are planning larger protests on Saturday to coincide with President Donald Trump's military parade in Washington. Events are set to be called "No Kings." Originally published on Latin Times The Sanderling Resort, the only full-service resort on North Carolina's Outer Banks, is poised to become the destination's most luxurious beachfront escape as it has just unveiled a transformative redesign, marking the property's 40th anniversary. The new iteration of the storied resort has revealed fully reimagined interiors by Ward + Gray, a restaurant by acclaimed chef Vivian Howard, a venue to host premier gatherings and luxury weddings, and engaging experiences poised to establish The Sanderling Resort as a year-round destination. Check-In to Check-Out The Sanderling Resort offers guests a sophisticated retreat to experience the simple joys of sea, sand, and sky. From their first arrival to the two-story Beach House - where The Sanderling's lobby and check-in, Beach House Bar, and bespoke retail reside - travelers will be enveloped in the warmth of North Carolina's coastal heritage. A color palette evoking a sense of tranquility will instantly put guests at ease as they soak in views of the Atlantic Ocean to their east and the Currituck Sound to their west - settling into a laid-back, vacation state of mind. A New Way to Stay on the Outer Banks Ward + Gray has carried the understated elegance of the Beach House through The Sanderling Resort's 123 guest rooms and suites. Highlighting the natural beauty of the Outer Banks with layered textures, curated patterns, refined furnishings, and thoughtful outdoor spaces, each accommodation offers guests their own private enclave to relax, unwind, and disconnect. With a variety of accommodation types, The Sanderling will become a world-class resort for families, friends, and couples vacationing on the East Coast. The Residences at The Sanderling Resort The Residences at The Sanderling Resort - a collection of six 3-, 4-, and 6-bedroom vacation homes accommodating between eight and 16 guests - offer travelers a refined option for extended stays or large family get-togethers. With expansive living rooms and full kitchens, wraparound decks, easy beach access, sunset views of the Currituck Sound, and more, these multi-story houses combine the comforts of home with the luxuries of a full-service resort. Chef Vivian Howard Arrives at The Sanderling Resort North Carolina native, award-winning chef, and New York Times best-selling author Vivian Howard has introduced her latest culinary concept, Theodosia, at The Sanderling Resort. Every aspect of this new dining destination draws inspiration from the culture and history of the Outer Banks and connects diners to a unique place and time. Named for Theodosia Burr - daughter of the infamous Aaron Burr, wife of South Carolina Governor Joseph Alston, and lead character in centuries-old folklore of a ship lost at sea on the Outer Banks - Theodosia inspires a sense of intrigue. The waterfront setting invites guests to ponder Theodosia Burr's fate as she journeyed from South Carolina to New York in the early 19th century. Theodosia welcomes guests to a dining room dressed in rich, feminine textures, where views of the horizon meeting the Currituck Sound feel endless, and soft lighting invites quiet conversation. The menu tells a story of the area's salt marshes and fishing boats, of recipes passed down and flavors inspired by the island setting, all showcasing Howard's penchant for innovative Southern fare. The menu at Theodosia reflects Howard's signature blend of elevated Southern cuisine and storytelling through food and place. Highlights include shrimp prepared two waysclassic cocktail-style and as "Miss Vivian's Shrimp Ball"as well as flaked bluefish and potato puffs served with herbed horseradish cream. Entrees such as flounder toast with crab rice and basil beurre blanc, slow-baked grouper in Frogmore broth with crispy cornmeal dodgers, and blueberry BBQ duck accompanied by squash casserole pudding showcase the depth and creativity of Howard's culinary approach. For a sweet finish, Howard's lemon pie with a Ritz cracker crust offers a nostalgic nod to classic regional desserts. Theodosia's cocktail program is a cornerstone of the restaurant, inspired by the mystique of the Outer Banksfrom rum barrels beneath Jockey's Ridge to hidden Prohibition stills along the Alligator River. Centered on premium cane spirits, the menu blends nostalgic flavors with modern mixology. Since its opening, Theodosia has become the anchor of The Sanderling's culinary experience. The resort's collection of restaurants and bars also includes the historic Lifesaving Station for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; casual pool and beachside fare at The Sandbar; and Beach House Bar serving fresh coffee and pastries in the morning and cocktails and bites in the evening. The Sanderling Resort as a Year-Round Retreat The Sanderling Resort will introduce a calendar of diverse experiences that establish the property as a sophisticated destination to visit in summer, fall, winter and spring. From floral arranging workshops to cocktail classes and book clubs, stargazing, ghost crab hunting, art exhibitions, beach picnics, holiday celebrations, and more, The Sanderling will engage guests of all ages from sunup to sundown. Vacationers can also independently explore the resort grounds with self-guided bird watching, walking trails, family scavenger hunts, wildlife sketching, and more. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, sun-seekers will find ample ways to enjoy The Sanderling's picturesque setting: kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, surfboards, boogie boards and skim boards, a zero-entry family swimming pool and the adults-only Tranquility Pool, complimentary beach chairs and umbrellas, and classic games like cornhole and bocce ball, Connect Four and Jenga. With The Sanderling as a home base for an Outer Banks vacation, guests can immerse themselves in the destination's land, sea, and air experiences - from biking along scenic trails to peaceful nature walks or off-roading with wild horses, offering the perfect way to unwind and reconnect with nature. For those seeking a new perspective, hang gliding and bi-plane tours offer phenomenal views of the coastline. Wellness & Renewal The Sanderling Spa, long celebrated as the region's premier wellness destination, offers guests a serene escape to rejuvenate their mind, body, and soul. With ten tranquil treatment rooms that feature views of the Currituck Sound and a robust menu of skincare, body, nail, and haircare treatments, spa-goers can discover a state of total relaxation at The Sanderling. The resort also boasts a state-of-the-art fitness center and specialized fitness classes, including sunrise yoga on the beach and guided meditations. Dance, Dine & Gather at The Sanderling Resort The Sanderling Resort's new Sunset Ballroom has debuted as one of the region's most coveted event spaces. Located across from the main resort, this 2,481-square-foot waterfront venue sets the tone for elegant social celebrations and group events on the Outer Banks. Vaulted ceilings, hanging lanterns, and a clean, classic design by Ward + Gray frame stunning views of the Currituck Sound through a striking wall of windowsan incomparable backdrop to impress any bride or groom envisioning a breathtaking reception. The Sunset Ballroom adds to The Sanderling's already extensive offering of resort-style meeting and event spaces, including the refreshed Lawn - an oceanside setting for outdoor weddings and celebrations; The Event House with an executive boardroom and expansive outdoor deck; The Observation Deck overlooking the beach and ocean; Keeper's Loft with sunset views over the Currituck Sound; The Great Hall, situated on the tranquil shores of the Currituck Sound; and quiet stretches of beach for on-the-sand events. For more information about The Sanderling Resort and to book your stay, visit thesanderling.com, Facebook, and Instagram. Hotel website IHGHotels & Resorts, one of the world's leading hotel companies, has signed a management agreement with Atithi Gokul Hotel Inns Pvt Ltd (Part of AG Group, Ahmedabad) to develop a new hotel, "Holiday Inn Ahmedabad". Scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2028, the hotel reflects IHG's strategy to expand its presence in high-potential markets across India, offering guests trusted, quality hospitality in key urban, commercial and leisure centers. Renowned globally with over 1,200 open hotels, IHG's Holiday Inn brand has consistently evolved over the years to meet the needs of modern travellers. Known for its warm and welcoming service that helps guests make the most of their journey and its consistent offerings, the brand remains a preferred choice among both business and leisure travellers. The Holiday Inn brand family has received exceptional response in India and the latest signing reflects a great brand fit for travellers and owners alike. Holiday Inn Ahmedabad, the 150-key hotel will form part of Highline - a mixed use development comprising residential and commercial spaces. Positioned strategically along the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway, will benefit from excellent connectivity to government institutions, educational hubs, corporate offices, and IT parks, making it an ideal choice for business and transient travellers visiting the city. Guests at the hotel will have access to well-appointed rooms and suites, three vibrant dining options including an All-Day Dining restaurant and Lobby Lounge, as well as a ballroom, fitness centre, swimming pool, and ample parking, delivering on the Holiday Inn brand promise of making travel more relaxed and enjoyable. Recognised as one of India's major commercial and manufacturing centres, Ahmedabad plays a crucial role in sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, petrochemicals, and automobiles. It is the second-largest cotton producer in India, a leading exporter of gems and jewellery, and the largest denim supplier in the country. As the state capital of Gujarat and the seventh-largest metropolis in India, Ahmedabad offers a vibrant mix of industry, culture, and commerce making it an ideal market for IHG's expansion. IHG currently has 50 hotels operating across six brands in India, including Six Senses, InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza, voco Hotels, Holiday Inn Resort and Holiday Inn Express, and a strong pipeline of 63 hotels due to open in the next 3-5 years. Hotel website Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced the opening of the adults-only, all-inclusive Secrets Baby Beach Aruba. The opening of this resort marks the first Inclusive Collection branded property on the island of Aruba, further strengthening Hyatt's brand presence in the destination alongside Hyatt Place Aruba Airport and Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort, Spa and Casino. Situated near the peaceful shores of Baby Beach Bay on the island's southeastern coast, Secrets Baby Beach Aruba offers a scenic and serene retreat in one of Aruba's most beautiful coastal towns, with white coral sands and vibrant turquoise waters. With proximity to the charming town of San Nicolas, one of Aruba's most breathtaking locales, guests can visit the vibrant San Nicolas Street Murals, an outdoor art gallery created by local and international artists that reflect the rich culture and history of the country, as well as Boca Grandi, a beach paradise for advanced kite surfers and enthusiastic spectators. Elevated Accommodations Guests can unwind in the stylist comfort across 304 thoughtfully appointed suites, each featuring private, furnished balconies or terraces and daily refreshed minibars, with nature-inspired decor that include elements of water and earth, with cactus, lush palm tree flora, and stunning views of the Caribbean Sea, creating an authentic and serene ambiance. The resort's architecture emphasizes open, airy spaces, highlighting majestic ocean views, and a desert-like landscape where guests can relax and recharge. For those seeking elevated accommodations, the Preferred Club offers select room categories with private pools, providing a more intimate and secluded escape. Additional amenities are available for Preferred Club guests including private soaking tubs on terraces, butler service, a dedicated Preferred Club Lounge with concierge service, daily continental breakfast service, afternoon hors d'oeuvres, decadent desserts, a dedicated bar, pool and more. Culinary Offerings Secrets Baby Beach Aruba highlights both regional and international cuisine at four a la carte gourmet restaurants such as Pan-Asian and South American fusion options, an elevated, thoughtfully curated buffet, a cafe and a grill, along with 24-hour in-room dining options. At Secrets Baby Beach Aruba's six bars and lounges, including a swim-up bar, music lounge and lobby bar, guests can relax and unwind with top-shelf spirits and premium brand domestic and international beverages. Guests can further indulge with a variety of culinary adventures, including local rum tasting and local theme nights. Vibrant Inclusions Secrets Baby Beach Aruba seamlessly blends relaxation and adventure to create a unique vacation experience. Renowned for its blend of adventure and relaxation, guests can participate in bike tours, cocktail and cooking classes, dance lessons, macrame, mixology lessons, and more. The three pools on-site complement the expansive beach and include two infinity pools, a more active pool and two outdoor whirlpools. For those seeking a more calming atmosphere, the 3,200 square foot Secrets Spa welcomes guests to pamper themselves with rejuvenating treatments, a reflecting pool, hydrotherapy circuit, sauna and steam room, and an indoor lounge area. Weddings, Meetings, and Events Secrets Baby Beach Aruba offers 2,569 square feet of flexible meeting room space with state-of-the art technology. Dedicated group event planners work with groups to provide immaculate care and personalized attention, creating a memorable group function from creative theme parties to team building activities and elegant gala dinners. The opening of Secrets Baby Beach Aruba complements Hyatt's growing brand footprint in the Latin America and Caribbean region following the recently opened Secrets St. Lucia Resort & Spa. Hyatt's thoughtful brand expansion throughout the region is expected to continue in 2025 with multiple planned openings including Secrets Playa Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Dreams Playa Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana, Cas En Bas Beach Resort St. Lucia, and Grand Hyatt Grand Cayman Hotels & Residences. World of Hyatt members can earn 500 Bonus Points for qualifying nights at Secrets Baby Beach Aruba with the New Hotels Bonus Offer. For more information or to join World of Hyatt and book your stay, visit here. To learn more about Secrets Baby Beach Aruba, visit the resort's website or follow along on Instagram. The term "Hyatt" is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates. Hotel website Colliers, a leading diversified professional services and investment management company, announces the continued expansion of its nationally recognized capital markets platform. Scott Hutchinson and Hana Friedman join Colliers from CBRE and will be based in Boston and New York, respectively. The pair brings a combined track record of nearly $2 billion in hospitality transactions across more than 20 states. Hutchinson, Executive Vice President, and Friedman will work together in Colliers' Hospitality Practice Group, led by Mark Owens, Vice Chair, across investment sales, debt and equity placement, and advisory services. Hutchinson has led several high-profile, award-winning sales across the Northeast and Florida, including the 2020 "Deal of the Year" at The Americas Lodging Investment Summit for the Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro in 2019. He was also recognized as a finalist in 2024 within the Lodging Transaction of the Year category for the Roxbury Experience at Stratton Falls. Colliers, a leading diversified professional services and investment management company, announces the continued expansion of its nationally recognized capital markets platform. Scott Hutchinson and Hana Friedman join Colliers from CBRE and will be based in Boston and New York, respectively. The pair brings a combined track record of nearly $2 billion in hospitality transactions across more than 20 states. Hutchinson, Executive Vice President, and Friedman will work together in Colliers' Hospitality Practice Group, led by Mark Owens, Vice Chair, across investment sales, debt and equity placement, and advisory services. Hutchinson and Friedman bring decades of experience to Colliers, having collaborated in diverse markets and asset types. From urban hotel portfolios to single-asset resort sales, their breadth of expertise enhances Colliers' ability to deliver comprehensive, integrated client solutions. Hana's experience spans 90+ hotels across 18 states. Friedman transactions include the sale of two New York City hotels for $300,000,000 on behalf of a prominent New York City developer and 45 of Starwood Capital's Raptor hotels portfolio. The Newbury Boston, a luxury property managed by Highgate, announces the promotion of Robert Rouleau to General Manager of the iconic Back Bay hotel. Rouleau steps into the new role with a strong foundation, having most recently served as Hotel Manager since 2023. In his elevated position, Rouleau will oversee all aspects of operations, strategy, and guest experience for the AAA Five-Diamond hotel. The Newbury Boston features 286 refined guest rooms and suites, The Street Bar, and Contessathe celebrated rooftop restaurant designed by Major Food Group. As General Manager, Rouleau will drive innovation across service touchpoints, deepen the hotel's presence in the community, and lead a passionate team in delivering excellence for both local and international guests. Rouleau joined The Newbury Boston in 2021 as Director of Food & Beverage, bringing more than two decades of hospitality experience to the property. He was then appointed Hotel Manager in 2023. Previously, Rouleau held a range of senior leadership positions at The Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows, where he was instrumental in leading the food and beverage division, managing a team of 250, and overseeing multiple dining venues, banquet operations, and in-room dining. Prior to this, Rouleau held several other positions at The Beverly Hills Hotel, including Assistant Director of Food & Beverage, Catering Sales; Director of Restaurants; Assistant Director of Food and Beverage, F&B Operations; Director of The Cabana Cafe and Pool; Bar Nineteen12 Department Head; and Beverage Manager. A native of Massachusetts, Rouleau began his hospitality journey behind the bar before moving into management roles at The Westin Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego and Indigo Grill, a concept by renowned chef Deborah Scott. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication from Westfield State University. As The Newbury Boston continues to set the standard for luxury in the city, Rouleau's leadership marks a new chapter of refinement, service, and thoughtful innovation at one of Boston's most storied addresses. London, UK - Rwandas Travel & Tourism sector broke all records in 2024, with its contribution to the economy, employment and domestic and international visitor spend all reaching record levels. In 2024, Rwandas Travel & Tourism sector contributed a record breaking Fr1.9TN to the economy, representing 9.8% of the total economy and 17.7% above the previous peak in 2019. Despite lagging in 2023, job numbers and international visitor spend both reached record levels last year. According to the research from the global tourism body, Travel & Tourism supported just under 386,000 jobs last year, whilst international visitors spent a record Fr1TN representing an increase of Fr169BN on 2019. Domestic spending was above pre-pandemic levels by almost one third (32.2%) to reach more than Fr773BN. This growth reflects the Rwandan governments strategic investment in tourism as a pillar of economic diversification. Infrastructure projects such as the new Bugesera International Airport, which when completed will be able to handle 14 million passengers a year, will further boost long-term connectivity, international visitor numbers and spending. A look at 2025 In 2025, Travel & Tourism in Rwanda is poised for another year of robust growth, with WTTC forecasting a 13% year on year increase in economic contribution to reach Fr2.1TN 10.3% of national GDP. The sector is set to support more than 402,000 jobs, accounting for over 8% of total employment. Growth is expected to be driven by both international and domestic spending worth Fr1.2TN and Fr822BN respectively. Rwanda continues to champion a high-value, low-volume tourism model that prioritises sustainability, conservation, and community benefit, particularly through flagship experiences like gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park and eco-tourism expansion across Akagera and Nyungwe. Rwanda is a standout example of how tourism, when supported by clear vision and partnership, can deliver real economic impact and long-term opportunity. The Presidents focus on sustainability, innovation, and diversification is setting a benchmark not only for Africa, but globally. From gorilla trekking to high-level business events and major sporting competitions, Rwanda is showing whats possible when a country invests in its tourism future. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO Looking to 2035 WTTC forecasts that by 2035, the sector will contribute Fr3.1TN to the economy, a 10% share of GDP, and support more than 545,000 jobs across the country. Over 140,000 new jobs are expected to be created in the next decade. For more information and to access the full factsheet, please visit WTTC's Research Hub. About WTTC The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global travel & tourism private sector. Members include 200 CEOs, Chairs and Presidents of the world's leading travel & tourism companies from all geographies covering all industries. For more than 30 years, WTTC has been committed to raising the awareness of governments and the public of the economic and social significance of the travel & tourism sector. WTTC Press Office WTTC View source Outdoor Hospitality in Europe: The Rise of the Horizontal Hotel - By Irene Santos - Image Credit Unsplash+ Outdoor hospitality in Europe once seen as rustic or seasonal is experiencing a major transformation. Spurred by the pandemic, technological advances, and investor interest, this sector is evolving into one of the most dynamic and resilient parts of the tourism landscape. Travellers are now choosing nature-based experiences, combining comfort with open-air escapes. Defining outdoor hospitality Outdoor hospitality blends the natural environment with varying levels of comfort from traditional campsites to luxurious glamping setups. It caters to travellers seeking immersion in nature without forgoing convenience. Trends and post-pandemic acceleration Over the past decade, the sector has evolved rapidly. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated demand as travellers sought safety, open spaces, and wellness. Traditional camping remains popular, but glamping and eco-resorts have seen significant growth. In Spain alone, glamping bookings surged 107% in one year (Hosteltur). Why travellers are choosing nature This shift is about more than safety. After years of confinement, people crave fresh air, slow days, and real connection with nature and loved ones. Outdoor stays now represent wellness, reconnection, and mental restoration. The sectors broad spectrum from affordable to ultra-luxury makes it accessible to families, couples, and solo adventurers alike. Social media has helped too: picturesque domes, hammocks, and cabins spark a desire for unique experiences. Premium segments are booming, with guests seeking exclusivity and authentic engagement with landscapes and local culture. Core trends shaping the future Sustainability: Many operators embrace eco-friendly practices like solar energy and zero-waste kitchens, reflecting a shared value with their guests. Many operators embrace eco-friendly practices like solar energy and zero-waste kitchens, reflecting a shared value with their guests. Experiential Travel : Activities such as olive harvesting or stargazing offer more than just a bedthey deliver lasting memories. : Activities such as olive harvesting or stargazing offer more than just a bedthey deliver lasting memories. Luxury, Redefined : Premium outdoor stays now emphasize space, quiet, and minimal intrusion rather than just amenities. : Premium outdoor stays now emphasize space, quiet, and minimal intrusion rather than just amenities. Technology: Enhancements like online booking and smart check-ins improve convenience while preserving tranquillity. Growth stories Several brands are reshaping the sector: Kampaoh (Spain): Started with 5,000 in 2016, now operates over 3,500 glamping units across four countries. Started with 5,000 in 2016, now operates over 3,500 glamping units across four countries. Huttopia (France): Operating since 1999, with over 130 sites in nine countries. Operating since 1999, with over 130 sites in nine countries. Wecamp: Supported by Meridia Capital, has revitalized older campsites into sustainable resorts, managing 15+ locations. Hotel brands join the movement Traditional hotel chains are also tapping into outdoor hospitality: Marriott acquired Postcard Cabins and partnered with Trailborn in 2024. Hilton joined with AutoCamp to add boutique glamping near national parks. Hyatt partnered with Under Canvas to expand into upscale outdoor offerings. Accor is testing Flying Nest, a modular outdoor hotel concept using shipping containers. This is about more than diversification it reflects a shift in guest values toward sustainability, wellness, and authentic experiences. Investment landscape Investor interest is booming, particularly in glamping, which represents a high-end, design-forward, sustainable subsegment. From 2015, demand has grown over 60% in some markets. The European glamping market hit USD 1.22 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 2.08 billion by 2030 (CAGR of 9.5%). France alone contributed USD 281.6 million in 2024, expected to grow to USD 457.1 million by 2030 (grandviewresearch). The outdoor hospitality sector in Europe benefits from limited supply, which is constrained by strict regulations and limited land availability. This scarcity helps drive higher occupancy rates and allows operators to maintain premium pricing. In France, for example, the number of campsites has declined by 1,600 since 2000. Of the 7,460 campsites that remain, only about 4,000 are considered high-performing highlighting a market where demand is increasingly concentrated on better-quality sites as weaker ones exit the market (Lemonde.fr). In Spain, leading players such as HolaCamp, Taiga, and Meridia Capital are driving modernization and consolidation in the outdoor hospitality sector, with over 600 million in planned investments to develop or upgrade numerous sites nationwide (EjePrime, Europa Press). Additional projects, including glamping developments in Peniscola and eco-sustainable initiatives by Altanea in Tarifa highlight the growing focus on premium, experience-led offerings. These developments mirror a broader European shift toward high-quality outdoor accommodations. The potential for higher yields compared to traditional hotels, the diversification potential and alignment with sustainability goals, are drawing interest from private equity giants like Blackstone, Brookfield, and KKR, alongside family offices and local entrepreneurs. Reflecting this momentum, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) recently acquired a significant minority stake in European Camping Group (ECG) from PAI Partners. The transaction (set to close in Q2 2025, subject to regulatory approval) highlights the growing confidence among global institutional investors in the sectors long-term performance and resilience. Looking ahead The rise of outdoor hospitality is more than a trend it reflects a fundamental shift in how we travel and connect. As the sector grows, the challenge will be preserving its core values: nature, sustainability, and meaningful experiences. Far from a passing fad, outdoor hospitality is likely to remain a vital part of Europes tourism future, offering both economic potential and a return to something essential our connection with the natural world. Irene Santos is a seasoned consultant at Horwath HTL Spain, specializing in hotel planning and development, as well as valuations. Connect with Irene on LinkedIn. This article originally appeared on Horwath HTL. What is the best way for guests to get from Milan Linate Airport to Hotel degli Arcimboldi? Hotel degli Arcimboldi has parking for hotel guests so for most visitors spending time in Milan, renting a car for around $19/day may be the best option. This will give you the ability to get to and from Milan Linate Airport, and also give you the flexibility to get around the area. Taking a taxi or rideshare service from the nearest airport, Milan Linate Airport, to your hotel is often the most cost effective transportation solution. 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. Williamstown Names New Rep to Woodlands Partnership WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The Select Board on Monday appointed the town's second representative to the Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts. Elise Leduc-Fleming was the lone applicant to succeed Henry Art on the board of the partnership, which is dedicated to "outreach and education to the communities, research and demonstration of "exemplary sustainable forest management practices," and technical assistance related to local recreation and tourism." Twenty towns and cities in Berkshire and Franklin Counties, along with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, University of Massachusetts Extension and several nonprofits are represented on the board. Leduc-Fleming is an environmental scientist who currently manages the 2,600-acre Hopkins Memorial Forest for Williams College. She earned her bachelor's degree at Williams and master's at Duke University and previously served on the Conservation Commission in Bourne, Mass., for six years. "This seems like a wonderful opportunity to be involved in community affairs and learn more about what's going on regionally with our forests," Leduc-Fleming told the Select Board on Monday. "I'm hoping I can be a good fit on the committee. I don't know that I could ever fill Hank Art's shoes, but we'll see what I can do." Art, an emeritus professor of environmental studies and biology at Williams, was a longtime member of the town's Conservation Commission and served as chair of the then-Mohawk Trail Woodlands Partnership after he was appointed to represent Williamstown on the body in 2019 Leduc-Fleming said Community Development Director Andrew Groff recruited her to fill the position after Art decided to step down. "It would be hard to find someone more suited to the position," Select Board member Matthew Neely said before a 4-0 vote to appoint her (Jeffrey Johnson did not attend the meeting). While her appointment fills one role, the town is seeking volunteers for two dozen other board and committee spots that are up for renewal at the end of the month. Vice Chair Peter Beck read the full list at the outset of Monday's meeting, and the board made plans to appoint new and returning members at its June 23 meeting, one week before terms expire. Interest residents can see that list on the town's website and were encouraged on Monday to fill out a Government Engagement Activity Form. In other business on a light agenda, the Select Board approved a seasonal all-alcohol license for the vendor who operates at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Shana Dixon told her colleagues that the town's inaugural Pride Month celebration at Milne Public Library was well attended despite the weather. She said about 100 people came to the Sunday, June 1, celebration. "It was raining off and on, but the kids and families had a great time," Dixon said. "A lot of people were there to witness the first [Progress Pride Flag] raising in Williamstown." During the meeting's public comment period on Monday, Leslie Gura asked the board to consider following up on three issues that carry over from its 2024-25 term: the operation of the Hoosac Water Quality District, the establishment of a leash-free area for dogs at the Spruces Park and a request she made in spring for a local ordinance to ban "SGAR" rodenticides on town properties. "We set up a section for unleashed dogs at the Spruces with some plans for signage and things, and I wanted to get an update on that," Gura said. "Maybe [Town Manager Robert Menicocci] could bring that up in his next report." As for the water district, Gura said she realized that the HWQD commissioners had settled on its budget and plan of operations for fiscal year 2026, but she said she hoped the issue would not go away for a year until the FY27 budget discussion. Select Board members agreed that they should revisit the question of composting at the water treatment facility. But Chair Stephanie Boyd, participating remotely from an airport, noted scheduling that conversation could be difficult. She wants all five board members to be able to attend as well as representatives from the HWQD. "It's possible, depending on people's schedules, we can do it before September," Boyd said. "I [am] just guessing there are going to be people in and out in July and August. It's an important issue. I don't want to hold things up because I'm not there, but I think we all probably want to be part of that." Dixon pressed the board to find the soonest date possible that works. "September just seems so far away," she said. "I think if we want to be proactive about the situation at hand, we should do it sooner rather than later." The Berkshire Tobacco Free Community Partnership Program is hosting a conference on Saturday on the strategies and solutions to the use of vaping products. BRPC public health planners Noe Gonzalez Ortiz, left, and Andy Ottoson, and Joyce Brewer, TFCP program manager, talk about vaping at iBerkshires.com. PreviousNext Tobacco-Free Partnership Hosting Youth Vaping Conference Saturday Joyce Brewer of the Tobacco-Free Community Partnership is focused on educating residents about the dangers of nicotine and substance abuse. She's spearheading Saturday's conference on youth vaping. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. They're flavorful. They're attractive. They give off a cool vibe. But under those wrappings, vaping is an addictive health hazard that young people may not comprehend. "It kind of introduces that concept of the quick fix to them, that you can just take a hit off your vape," said Andy Ottoson, a public health planner with Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. "And it is true, it does address your anxiety, your stress ... "It introduces not only the mind, but also the body physiologically, that when you're feeling bad, when you're feeling stressed, there is a way you can get that quick solution, and that can cascade towards other substances and towards other substance-use disorders in addition to nicotine use disorder." The Berkshire Tobacco Free Community Partnership Program is hosting a conference on Saturday at the Stationery Factory in Dalton that will look at not only how to deter youth from vaping but listen to them as well. "I have an activity that I'm going to ask people to do when they get there, which is, if you're an adult, I want you to tell me one thing that you would like the youth to know in Berkshire County, and if you're a youth, I want you to tell me what's one thing that you would like to see adults know," said Joyce Brewer, program manager of the Tobacco Free Community Partnership. "Our first session will be prevention needs. We have a youth group from Northern Berkshire Community Coalition that's going to do that presentation. We're so excited. They will talk about the results of the survey from a youth perspective, which I think is amazing." "Award Winning Choices: Take a Starring Role in Ending Youth Vaping" will run from 8 to 3, with check-in and breakfast at 7. The free gathering will include panels, resources, networking, fireside chats and presentations for educators, providers, lawmakers, youth and anyone interested in learning about vaping and strategies to stop it. The conference is being funded by a grant from Attorney General's Office through the Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program and hosted in a partnership between Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and Berkshire Area Health Education. The Prevention Needs Assessment is done every two years and taken students in Grades 8, 10 and 12 and is a long list of questions that asks about current or past substance and the risk and protective factors they're experiencing. Ottoson said the 2025 results were good there's a measurable decline in vape usage locally across those three grades from the last PNA and the numbers are on par with national results. "Just looking at all high school seniors, 87 percent have not vaped in the past in the past 30 days," he said. "The numbers are good, and that is all the more reason for us to take more action so that we are not seeing these increase, that we continue to see these numbers slow. We could see continue to see these numbers slope downwards, hopefully towards zero." Brewer said the coalition youth group will be working off the assessment for their presentation. "I'm looking at this as an opportunity to come together and not only receive tools, but also let us know what's working," she said of the conference. "What are you doing right now that's working that may benefit other school systems, other agencies, the community as a whole, parents. ... we do have a lot of youth coming, and I am so excited about that, because that connection, I think is important." Those connections go beyond just youth, she said, adding she's also looked at food insecurity, maternal and infant mortality and mental health, and the LGBTQ community. "We have to look at all those things when we start talking about youth and addiction," she said. Speakers on these issues will include biology professor Nicole Porther of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, licensed social worker Kelly Shuff-Heck and a doctor from Boston Children's Hospital. "There's a really neat collective effervescence in Berkshire County, and I think that pulling together agencies such as the schools and BRPC and stuff just sends a message that this is something that that we care about," said Brewer. "From my perspective, it's always been education, so getting this information out and helping the schools who are facing these this concern right now, I think, is has been my main goal when I originally applied for the money to get this conference going. ... "I think we just want to bolster everybody's education about this and see what we could do as a group for more collective activities." When vaping, or e-cigarettes, first came on the scene they were sometimes touted as a way to stop smoking cigarettes. But these devices deliver nicotine, cannabis or synthetics with amplified potency. "The average person takes maybe 10-12 puffs [of a cigarette]. It depends on if you walk away, put it down ... it doesn't deliver the nicotine at the concentration that a vape will deliver, because vaping is a liquid," said Brewer. "It's almost always stronger, and in especially the last several years, typically you would have a product out there that would have maybe 100 to 1,000 puffs on one device before you had to refill it." Noe Gonzalez Ortiz, also a public health planner with BRPC, said youth often don't understand how vaping can increase their health risks, such getting popcorn lung, or damage to the lung's small airways that is irreversible, and to their cognition. "I think it's because of the concentration. Vaping products have a higher concentration of nicotine in them, and it's not the same thing with smoking a cigarette," he said. "Not that I'm saying that smoking one cigarette is fine, but the concentration just taking a hit from from a vape pen is higher than just smoking a cigarette." And Brewer noted that vape devices are also an environmental hazard as many are powered by lithium batteries and they're becoming litter around public areas. North Adams Public School Superintendent Barbara Malkas said the school district is trying to address vaping on multiple levels. "We have preventative work, which is the education in the early grades, and really talking about substance use in general terms, but also talking about just lifestyle choices and how to have a healthy lifestyle," she said. "What we do see is that a lot of students turn to substance use as a means of feeling better, because maybe the underlying root cause may be some depression or anxiety or school phobia or a whole host of social emotional learning behaviors that can be mitigated through substance use, which is not really an appropriate response. ... "What we do try to educate is how to live that healthy lifestyle, so that you can have healthy response to life stressors." The tobacco industry has a long history marketing to youth, Malkas pointed out, that goes beyond just flavors. Vaping devices can essentially be hidden if they mimic other items, like a pen or a flash drive that a teacher wouldn't notice. "We do have policies regarding prohibition of these devices on campus, but the industry became more sophisticated in marketing to children and giving them tools to get by some of those very policies," she said. "So intervention is part education but also really having those social emotional supports to have the conversation for our students who to recognize they are, in fact, nicotine addicted through their vape device, and then what can they do about it." Ottoson said the use of substances by youth overall has dropped dramatically since the early 1980s when about 80 percent were abusing substances. "Around about 2000, when I graduated high school, that hit about 50 percent and nowadays, nationally, as well as locally, it's about 35 percent," he said. "Enormous credit to the schools and educators. It's exactly as you were saying: It's increased social emotional learning. It's increased mental health support. ... We're getting a better understanding of how to support and nurture young people." Social norms and expectation are set by adults, Ottoson said and, referring to a drinking culture in Berkshire County, "youth say that that influences their decisions on whether to use alcohol more so than what their peers are doing, what they're seeing not only parents and other adults in their lives do, but in the community as well." Supporting Democracy Leadership Award Winners Named WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The Williamstown League of Women Voters named the Supporting Democracy Leadership Award winners to student essayists ages 16-21. The three first place essay winners were Ella Bissaillon from Hoosac Valley High School, Lilliana Penna-Ward from Wahconah Regional High School and Tyler Nourse from Mt Everett Regional High School. Each student was the recipient of $500.00 and were able to shadow an elected official. State Senator Paul Mark welcomed the students to his District Office in Pittsfield. Winners shadowed the senator during the day. Students were able to observe meeting sessions with constituents from the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Special Needs. Senator Mark also brought the winners along to the State House where they had a behind the scenes tour that included a view of Boston from the front of the building balcony. They also were told historic stories. Later they attended a meeting with the Senate Chair of Labor and Workforce Development that took place in Ludlow. Essays were 300 words and students must be pre-registered or registered to vote. Ella Bissaillon, 16, wrote: "Until I am eligible to vote I will do my part by volunteering at polling places within my community. By staying informed, speaking out and advocating for those who need it, I hope to help create a society that values justice and equality." Lilliana Penna-Ward, 17, wrote: "...civic engagement means addressing societal concerns and increasing community well-being through efforts in policy, volunteerism, activism, and /or involvement. Acts of civil engagement serve to support and empower the community ultimately contributing to a stronger and more representative democracy. Through exploring topics like environmental policy and environmental justice in school, I have learned more about how governance systems, past and present, mediate and shape interactions between people and the environment with lasting effectsI hope to deepen my studies, further enabling me to fight for my community and for the environment perhaps through policy." Tyler Nourse, 18, wrote: "Voting is meant to be one of the easiest ways to make a difference, but for many young people it can feel confusing, frustrating, or even pointless. In today's world, there are plenty of obstacles to casting a vote that truly reflects our valuesBut these barriers aren't unbreakable. Schools, communities, and even simple conversations among friends can help make voting easier and more accessible. The more we educate ourselves and each other, the more we can turn obstacles into action." 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 US and Chinese officials have agreed on a framework to de-escalate trade tensions between the world's two biggest economies after a series of tariff disputes. US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick said the framework put "meat on the bones" of a deal reached last month in Geneva to ease retaliatory tariffs. The two sides had been seeking to find a way to resolve disputes over mineral and technology exports that shook a fragile truce on trade reached after talks in Geneva last month. Both sides made the announcement at the end of two days of talks in London that wrapped up late on Tuesday. Top US and Chinese economic officials were pushing for a deal that would ease duelling export controls that threatened to unravel the Geneva accord that cut tariffs back from triple-digit levels. The officials will now take the framework to their respective presidents for approval. Mr Lutnick said the deal should result in China easing restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets. First, we had to get sort of the negativity out and now we can go forward, he told reporters after the meeting. He said both sides would move forward with the framework pending its approval by US president Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Once the presidents approve it, we will then seek to implement it, Mr Lutnick added. The talks in London followed a phone call between Mr Trump and Mr Xi last week to try to calm the waters after both nations engaged in a dramatic tit-for-tat tariff war earlier this year. Li Chenggang, a vice minister of commerce and Chinas international trade representative, said the two sides had agreed in principle on a framework for implementing the consensus reached on the phone call and at the talks in Geneva. Mr Lutnick hinted at Washington's willingness to ease the US measures imposed in response to Chinese curbs on exports of rare earths once the supplies of the minerals rose. China holds a near-monopoly on rare earth magnets, a crucial component in electric vehicle motors, and its decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets upended global supply chains and sparked alarm in boardrooms and factory floors around the world. "Also, there were a number of measures the United States of America put on when those rare earths were not coming," Mr Lutnick said. "You should expect those to come off, sort of as president Trump said, in a balanced way." The two countries announced on 12 May that they had agreed to a 90-day suspension of most of the 100 per cent-plus tariffs imposed on each other in an escalating trade war that had sparked fears of a recession. Since the Geneva talks, the US and China have exchanged angry words over advanced semiconductors that power artificial intelligence, visas for Chinese students at US universities and rare earth minerals vital to carmakers and other industries. Customs data published on Monday showed that China's exports to the US plunged 34.5 per cent in May, the sharpest drop since the Covid pandemic. Wendy Cutler, a former US trade negotiator, said the disputes had frittered away 30 of the 90 days the two sides had to try to resolve their disputes. The US and China lost valuable time in restoring their Geneva agreements, said Ms Cutler, now vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute. Now, only sixty days remain to address issues of concern, including unfair trade practices, excess capacity, transshipment and fentanyl. Chinas commerce minister Wang Wentao was part of the delegation in London headed by vice premier He Lifeng. They met with Mr Lutnick, treasury secretary Scott Bessent and trade representative Jamieson Greer at Lancaster House. Asian stock markets rose on Wednesday after the agreement was announced. 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 South Koreas new president has launched a public referral system to involve citizens directly in the selection of high-level government officials. Between 10 and 16 June, members of the public can submit nominations for cabinet ministers, vice-ministers, and heads of state institutions via the personnel management ministrys website, president Lee Jae Myungs social media accounts or by email. The initiative, open to any South Korean aged 14 and above, is part of Mr Lees effort to promote popular sovereignty and more participatory governance, the newly elected presidents spokesperson said. Citizens can even nominate themselves by submitting forms requiring details like the candidates name, field of expertise, contact information, and reason for recommendation. True democracy begins when citizens exercise their sovereignty, get involved and make a change, Mr Lee said in a Facebook post on 10 June. Mr Lees office will compile submissions into the National Human Resources Database and then begin an internal vetting process to create a shortlist, without public involvement at this stage. open image in gallery People cheer as they watch the inauguration ceremony of South Koreas president Lee Jae Myung outside the National Assembly in Seoul on 4 June 2025 ( AFP via Getty ) According to spokesperson Kang Yu Jung, the screening will involve the presidential secretary for civil service discipline and incorporate an open review component. The initiative fulfils a key campaign pledge by Mr Lee to enhance grassroots engagement in governance. He revealed earlier that a plan to livestream questions at presidential press briefings had come from a citizens suggestion on social media. Mr Lee, meanwhile, nominated six new vice ministers for finance, foreign and industry on 10 June outside of the public recommendation system. Vice ministerial appointments dont require confirmation hearings by the National Assembly, according to The Korea Herald. open image in gallery South Korean president Lee Jae Myung leaves following his inauguration ceremony in Seoul on 4 June 2025 ( AFP via Getty ) We promise to restore the administration that suffered a rupture after the insurrection in a speedy manner, Ms Kang said, referring to ousted president Yoon Suk Yeols failed bid to declare martial law last December. We will create a government capable of overcoming global protectionism. Kim Min Seok, Mr Lees nominee for prime minister, defended the referral system as a very natural process in that democracy is in the process of expanding. Mr Lee is currently working with ministers appointed by Mr Yeol, who was impeached by the National Assembly for declaring martial law and subsequently removed from office by the constitutional court. The presidential office announced that public access to Cheong Wa Dae, the historic Blue House compound in central Seoul, would be partially restricted from 16 to 31 July and fully closed beginning in August. The closure is part of preparations to relocate the presidential office back to Cheong Wa Dae, reversing Mr Yoons 2022 decision to move it to Yongsan. Public tours of the site will resume once Mr Lees administration completes the transition, local media reported. 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 South Korea's military has ceased its loudspeaker broadcasts of anti-North Korea propaganda along the inter-Korean border, signalling a move towards easing tensions between the two nations. The broadcasts, which had been resumed in June of the previous year after a prolonged pause, were a response to North Korea's psychological warfare campaign involving trash-filled balloons sent into South Korean territory. According to South Koreas Defence Ministry, this decision reflects efforts to "restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula". North Korea has yet to respond to Seoul's initiative. The move follows a period of heightened tensions, during which North Korea launched approximately 7,000 balloons carrying items such as wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts, and manure into South Korea between May and November of the previous year. North Korea stated that its balloon campaign was a reaction to South Korean activists sending balloons filled with anti-North Korean leaflets and USB sticks containing South Korean songs and dramas. Trash carried by at least one North Korean balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound in July, raising concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean facilities. Officials said that the balloon contained no dangerous material and no one was hurt. open image in gallery A South Korean military vehicle with loudspeakers is seen in front of the barbed-wire fence in Paju, near the border with North Korea ( AP ) South Korea, in response to the North Korean balloons, reactivated its front-line loudspeakers to blast propaganda messages and K-pop songs toward the North. The playlist was clearly designed to strike the nerve of Pyongyang, as Kim Jong Uns government since the Covid-19 pandemic has been intensifying a campaign to eliminate the influence of South Korean pop culture and language among the population in a bid to strengthen his familys dynastic rule. The Cold War-style psychological warfare campaigns added to tensions fueled by North Koreas growing nuclear ambitions and South Korean efforts to expand joint military exercises with the United States and strengthen three-way security cooperation with Japan. South Koreas new liberal president, Lee Jae-myung, who took office last week after winning an early election to replace ousted conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, has vowed to improve relations with Pyongyang, which reacted furiously to Yoons hard-line policies and shunned dialogue. During the election campaign, Lee promised to halt the loudspeaker broadcasts, arguing that they created unnecessary tensions and discomfort for South Korean residents in border towns. In recent months, those residents had complained about North Koreas retaliatory broadcasts, which included howling animals, pounding gongs and other irritating sounds. In a briefing on Monday, South Koreas Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, also called for South Korean civilian activists to stop flying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border. Such activities could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threaten the lives and safety of residents in border areas, said Koo Byoungsam, the ministrys spokesperson. open image in gallery South Korean army soldiers patrol along the barbed-wire fence in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea ( AP ) In his inaugural address last week, Lee vowed to reopen communication channels with North Korea to ease tensions. But prospects for an early resumption of dialogue between the rival Koreas remain dim, as North Korea has consistently rejected offers from South Korea and the United States since 2019, when nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang collapsed over sanctions-related disagreements. North Koreas priority in foreign policy is now firmly with Russia, which has received thousands of North Korean troops and large amounts of military equipment in recent months for its war with Ukraine. Yoon, who was removed from office in April over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December, had focused on strengthening military partnerships with Washington and Tokyo and on securing stronger US assurances of a swift and decisive nuclear response to defend the South against a North Korean attack. In a fierce reaction to Yoons policies, Kim in January 2024 declared that he was abandoning the long-standing goals of a peaceful unification with the South and instructed the rewriting of the Norths constitution to cement the South as a permanent principal enemy. 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 India has forcibly deported over 2,500 alleged Bangladeshi nationals since early May in an intensified nationwide campaign, raising concerns about violations of human rights, legal procedures and international norms. The campaign, launched on 7 May, involves mass detention of suspected illegal immigrants across several states, including Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam and Rajasthan, followed by their transfer to border states such as Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya, The Indian Express reported. There, they are handed over to the Border Security Force and pushed back into Bangladesh. In a striking shift from earlier, the detainees are reportedly transported to the border in air force aircraft. Authorities claim the crackdown is driven by national security concerns sparked in particular by a terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on 22 April left 26 civilians dead and led to a military conflict with Pakistan. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed the northeastern state had detained almost 1,000 alleged Bangladeshis in recent months and expelled 303, IANS news agency reported. A digital identification system has become key to the deportation campaign. The Foreigners Identification Portal originally designed in 2018 to track Rohingya refugees from Myanmar has been expanded to store biometric and demographic data of suspected migrants from Bangladesh, according to The Indian Express. State governments, union territories, and the foreign ministry now have access to the portal, enabling deportation when identity cant be verified. Additionally, applicants for national identity documents such as biometric-based Aadhaar card, voter IDs and ration cards are being screened against this database. open image in gallery Border Security Force personnel patrol along the border with Bangladesh in Golakganj, Assam ( AFP/Getty ) The home ministry has given states a 30-day deadline to verify the status of suspected undocumented immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. This drive is supported by a centralised server integrating data from border and immigration agencies. The campaign is also targeting Rohingya refugees and convicted foreign nationals in detention facilities. Mr Sarma said even individuals who had received temporary protection from deportation by Indias Supreme Court and various high courts had been expelled though later re-admitted to India through diplomatic intervention. The chief minister cited the Supreme Court ruling upholding Section 6A of the 1955 Citizenship Act to justify bypassing Foreigners Tribunals, a quasi-judicial process for determining citizenship. Section 6A allows those who entered Assam between 1966 and 1971 to apply for Indian citizenship, but it has long been opposed by Assamese groups who argue it legitimises migration from Bangladesh. State authorities refer a person suspected to be a foreigner to a tribunal, which looks at documentary evidence to decide whether the person is Indian or not. The efficacy of the system has been criticised, however. In an egregious case, a tribunal declared Assam resident Rahim Ali a foreigner, forcing him to wage a 12-year legal fight to prove his citizenship. By the time he was recognised as an Indian citizen by the Supreme Court, Ali had died. Delivering its ruling in July last year, the court called the tribunals order a grave miscarriage of justice. Bangladesh has formally protested the deportations. On 8 May, Dhaka lodged a diplomatic complaint with India and foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain confirmed that another protest note was forthcoming. We see its happening. Its not feasible to resist physically, Mr Hossain said. He urged both countries to resolve the issue through legal and diplomatic channels. Despite Indias assertion that migration from Bangladesh was rising, Bangladeshs Border Guard previously said that such flows had declined due to economic gains in their country. In 2020-21, Bangladeshs per capita income briefly surpassed Indias, complicating the narrative of economic desperation as a primary driver of migration. Still, Indian officials continue to press for faster nationality verification from Bangladesh. Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said over 2,360 people were awaiting deportation pending confirmation of their Bangladeshi citizenship, with some cases stalled since 2020. In the capital Delhi, police have arrested 66 alleged Bangladeshi immigrants, PTI news agency reported, quoting officials. open image in gallery Suspected Bangladeshi migrants detained by police during an overnight operation in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on 26 April 2025 ( AFP via Getty ) The expulsion campaign has sparked condemnation from rights groups as many of the deported people claim to be Indian nationals wrongfully identified as Bangladeshis. Khairul Islam, 51, a former government schoolteacher in Assams Morigaon, is one of them. He was picked up from his home by Assam police on 23 May and thrown across the border four days later. In a video posted by a Bangladeshi journalist, Mr Islam was seen standing in a field between Assam and Bangladeshs Kurigram district. My hands were tied like I was a thief and I was made to sit in the bus, he said, recounting his ordeal. Mr Islam had been declared a foreigner by a tribunal in 2016, a decision upheld by the Gauhati High Court in 2018. He spent two years in a detention centre before being released on bail. His appeal to the Supreme Court is still pending. After being stranded in no mans land between the two countries for two days, he was taken to a camp run by Bangladeshs Border Guard. A few days later, the group was escorted to the Indian border, where he was taken into police custody again and finally released on Thursday. I am an Indian, so why would I go to Bangladesh? Mr Islam said, adding that he was beaten at the Matia Detention Centre when he resisted deportation. His family had submitted documents proving his Indian citizenship to local authorities but to no avail. This is injustice and there will be judgement for this one day, Mr Islam was quoted as saying by the Indian news outlet Scroll. We are not Bangladeshi. We are swadesi [native-born]. They should check and verify this before doing such acts. Human rights campaigners, academics and lawyers have condemned the deportation of people to Bangladesh, calling it a violation of protections granted by the Indian constitution and the right to due process. Demanding an end to all pushbacks, 125 academics and activists called on the Indian government to allow the return of those citizens who have already been forcibly deported to Bangladesh. This is not just a legal failure, they said in a statement, it is a humanitarian crisis that strikes at the core of Indias constitutional democracy. The concern followed Indian media reports that at least 40 Rohingya refugees had been flown from Delhi to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, then allegedly abandoned in the sea off southeastern Myanmar, handcuffed and blindfolded. Bangladeshi media reported that some 300 individuals, including Rohingyas, were forced back into the country from India between 7 and 9 May, often through isolated and remote border points. 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 Few figures are as synonymous with LGBT+ rights as is Peter Tatchell. He was integral to the organisation of Britains first Pride march, in 1972. Ive been to every London Pride march since then, says the 73-year-old. This year will be my 54th. In his six decades of activism and protest, which began as an instinctive reaction against injustice when he was a young teenager, hes been arrested 103 times (at time of writing) and received too many hate letters and threatening phone calls to count. Hes been subjected to more than 300 violent assaults and 50 attacks on his flat. Horrifyingly, these vicious acts have included bottles and bricks being thrown through his windows, arson, and even a bullet through his front door. Hes previously been under armed police protection, and was even listed as a target for assassination in a foiled plot in the Nineties. He describes these experiences as akin to living through a low-level civil war. Of course, enduring such atrocities has taken its toll. Its been terrifying, and for years Ive suffered from PTSD, says Tatchell. Yet hes determined never to give up, and doesnt want to let the bigots win. Protest is the lifeblood of democracy, he says, and without it we end up like Putins Russia. Tatchell maintains that, as long as he has good health, hell continue to protest and might consider retiring around the age of 95 but acknowledges that such freedom of expression is under threat. Police are increasingly cracking down on the right to peaceful protest, he tells me. One of his main campaigns at the Peter Tatchell Foundation, formed in 2011, is #ApologiseNow. It seeks acknowledgement of the indignities previously suffered by the LGBT+ community at the hands of some police officers, including harassment, entrapment, beatings, raids on gay venues, and the public outing of LGBT+ people. He thinks a formal apology would help to rebuild trust. As part of this campaign, Tatchell is appealing to Pride organisers across the country to ban the participation of the police in their marches if theyve refused to apologise. Greater Manchester Police plan to march in Manchesters event this year, but have point blank refused to apologise, says Tatchell, though he adds that police are welcome to march as individuals in civilian clothes. For Tatchell, it is evident that there are still problems between the police and the LGBT+ community. Its something he still experiences: in May this year, he was forcibly removed from the Birmingham Pride march after West Midlands Police claimed he didnt have permission to march and that organisers had requested his removal. Tatchell says the police stance is a complete lie, and the events organiser later condemned the episode. Tatchell claims that some of the most vicious homophobic officers in the country worked for West Midlands Police in the 1970s and 80s, and that they wrecked LGBT+ peoples lives. He thinks his recent treatment only reinforces how homophobic they are. So far, the #ApologiseNow campaign has won apologies from 21 of the UKs 45 forces, including the Metropolitan Police, Merseyside, and Police Scotland. As a direct impact of the Peter Tatchell Foundations work, there have been systemic changes within some forces, such as the introduction of homophobic hate crime hotlines and the appointment of LGBT+ liaison officers. Other campaigns orchestrated by the foundation include helping more than 200 LGBT+ refugees by supporting them in making asylum claims and putting them in touch with solicitors who can represent them, all without charge. Much has changed since Tatchell began campaigning, including the full decriminalisation of homosexuality and an end to the use of electroconvulsive therapy as a cure for being gay. But now, he says, attitudes are beginning to roll back. Until a decade ago, public opinion was shifting towards ever greater acceptance, but now its gone into reverse, says Tatchell. Theres a new demonisation of trans people that echoes that of LGBs in the 1970s and 80s. Its all based on scaremongering and blanket generalisations. Tatchell attributes this to a combination of Conservative government, the rise of Ukip and Brexit, plus Twitter has helped amplify and quasi-legitimised homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. He doesnt see things improving any time soon, adding: I fear anti-LGBT+ sentiment will get worse. This change in attitudes is being felt on a far wider scale than just within Britain. In March, Hungary passed a draconian law that effectively bans Pride and similar events by outlawing any public assembly that might be considered to involve the promotion of homosexuality. Its a move that critics say is a breach of EU law, and opposes the fundamental values of human dignity, freedom, equality, and respect for human rights enshrined in the EU treaties. In response, Tatchell is organising a Solidarity Pride protest that will be held outside the Hungarian embassy in London on 21 June. The aim is to stand with the beleaguered LGBT+ people of Hungary, and to show them people in other countries know and care about their victimisation, he says. Hes calling for pressure to be put on the EU to sanction the regime of Hungarys prime minister Viktor Orban in order to prevent the emboldening of other right-wing member states to act similarly. He says some EU countries have been vocal in opposing the Budapest ban, but notes: We havent seen any action yet... We need more than words, we need sanctions. Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice As the calendar heads toward the Dog Days of the summer, its getting hotter. But, turning up the AC may come with some unintended repercussions that affect the health of you and your family. Moisture that sits inside air conditioning units for an extended time can result in the growth of harmful mold. Exposure to that mold may lead to respiratory issues or other infections. Recently, 1.7 million Midea window air conditioners were recalled due to this risk. Pooled water in the air conditioners can fail to drain quickly enough, which can lead to mold growth. Mold exposure poses risks of respiratory issues or other infections to some consumers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned. But, what should homeowners know and how great is the risk? Heres what the experts say... The mold is around There is always some mold, which grows where there is moisture. Also found around doors, windows, and other spots, the most common indoor molds are Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus. Their spores can act as allergens. open image in gallery Exposure to mold can lead to a variety of health effects or none ( AFP/Getty ) Most species of Cladosporium arent harmful to your health, but reactions can potentially cause fungal infections in the lungs. A case of fatal pneumonia caused by Penicllium infection was reported by researchers in in 2013. Aspergillus can cause aspergillosis, a life-threatening disease primarily affecting the lungs. Black mold is also common, causing eye irritation, congestion, and worsening asthma symptoms. Breathing in black mold causes an allergic reaction, if you have black mold allergies. You cant get rid of these allergies, but you can treat your symptoms with drugs such as antihistamines, corticosteroids, and decongestants, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Mold is found both indoors and outdoors. Mold can enter your home through open doorways, windows, vents, and heating and air conditioning systems, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes. Mold in the air outside can also attach itself to clothing, shoes, and pets can and be carried indoors. The health effects vary It seems likely that some dampness-related microbiologic exposures will turn out to be the cause of the health problems, but we just dont know for sure yet, Dr. Mark Mendell, a former air pollution research specialist at the California Department of Public Health and former staff scientist and epidemiologist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, told The New York Times. Exposure to such mold can lead to a variety of health effects or none. People who are immune-compromised or are allergic may have worse reactions. For some, mold can result in a cold symptoms, a skin rash, or burning eyes. Recent research has suggested theres a potential link of mold exposure to asthma development in children, according to federal health authorities. open image in gallery Climate change is turning up the temperature and moisture. A warmer world means more humidity ( Getty ) Severe reactions, such as fever or shortness of breath, may occur among workers exposed to large amounts of molds in occupational settings, such as farmers working around moldy hay, the CDC warns. The climate plays a role Warming global temperatures mean an atmosphere that can hold more moisture. As cities become increasingly hot and humid cities that are nearly 10 degrees warmer than suburban areas on their borders the risk of mold development also rises. Fungi are relatively under-researched compared to viruses and parasites, but these maps show that fungal pathogens will likely impact most areas of the world in the future, Norman van Rijn, a climate change and infectious diseases researcher at the University of Manchester, told CNN in May. So, what do I do? Not having air conditioning can be more dangerous. Clean your filter to help prevent growth. Assure that your unit is properly ventilated and regularly maintained. Cleaning your space is also a good idea. If you already have mold, remove it safely, taking precautions including wearing gloves and a face mask. Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Images taken from the depths of the Caribbean are the clearest evidence yet that a 300-year-old shipwreck worth 15bn has been located, researchers say. The richest wreck in history the Spanish galleon San Jose, was transporting treasure from Peru to Spain to finance the Spanish side of the War of the Spanish Succession when it was intercepted by the British Navy in 1708. The treasure-laden ship, which was loaded with gold, silver and emeralds estimated to be worth as much as $20bn (15bn), sank and was not seen again. It wasnt until 2015 that a wreck was identified by the Colombian navy, but it was not conclusively proven to be the San Jose. But new sophisticated underwater imaging has analysed some of the cargo on the sunken ship 600m below the surface of the Colombian Caribbean Sea. open image in gallery Photograph of cob hoard area in the port section of the stern, showing the coins, as they were seen on the seabed ( ARC-DIMAR 2022/VARGAS ARIZA ET AL. ANTIQUITY 2025 ) In the study, published in the journal Antiquity, researchers used a remotely-operated underwater vehicle to capture high-resolution images of coins scattered near the wrecks stern. Researchers then created digital models to allow them to analyse the wreck. A 3D reconstruction of the coins onboard the ship suggest they are and-struck silver cobs or macuquinas, with heraldic symbols of Castile and Leon and a clear mint date of 1707. Researchers suggest these coins came from Peru. Chinese porcelain from the Kangxi period (16621722) and inscriptions on the cannons dating to 1665 were also found on the ship, suggesting it sank in the early eighteenth century. Daniela Vargas Ariza, lead researcher from Colombias Naval Cadet School and the National Institute of Anthropology and History explained the San Jose is the only ship that matches these characteristics. open image in gallery An 8-escudos cob of 1707, based on high-resolution in situ photographs from the study ( DIMAR 2022/VARGAS ARIZA ET AL. ANTIQUITY 2025 ) Study authors said: This find presents a rare opportunity to explore an underwater archaeological site and deepen our understanding of colonial maritime trade and routes. It represents only the first step in a long-term project. The initial phase focuses on non-invasive surveys, with no plans for object recovery or excavation until the entire site is fully characterised, they added. However, both Spain and Colombia claim they own the San Jose and its cargo, while indigenous groups also argue their ancestors mined the treasure and therefore are owed reparations. In addition, an American salvage company, Sea Search Armada, has also claimed a share because it located the wreck and informed the Colombian government, hoping they would be entitled to half. 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 Almost a quarter of the overseas aid budget will be spent on asylum accommodation in the UK next year while overall spending suffers dramatic cuts. This will leave the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) with less money to spend on projects that treat the biggest causes of child mortality and to pay into global systems that fund vaccines and treatments for HIV, TB and malaria. Delivering her spending review plans to MPs on Wednesday, chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government planned to end the costly" use of hotels for asylum-seekers by July 2029, which is paid for from the overseas aid budget. But a rule change means any savings will not be used to top up overseas spending. Twenty-one per cent of the aid budget was spent on asylum hotels and other housing costs for refugees in 2024/25, which is due to increase to 23 per cent next year, as overall funding for aid is reduced. Not only is Keir Starmer the first Labour Prime Minister on record not to increase aid spending, but he is on course to deliver the most severe cut to aid investment in other countries in decades going further than Thatcher, Major, Johnson or Sunak ever did, said Adrian Lovett, executive director of the ONE Campaign, a charity which works to end poverty in Africa. Ms Reeves confirmed plans announced by the prime minister in February to cut aid spending from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent of the UKs gross national income (GNI) a measure of the nations total wealth amount to a 40 per cent reduction in funding. open image in gallery Rachel Reeves said she would end the use of hotels as asylum accommodation this Parliament. ( House of Commons ) What was revealed in the spending review was how the money would be shared out between different departments: the FCDO which mainly spends money on projects in developing countries, and the Home Office and other departments which pay for refugee costs in the UK. The Home Office is set to receive 5.8bn over the next three years in total to pay for refugee accommodation, while the FCDO receives 19.9bn to pay for overseas development. The bigger the share of the aid budget allocated to the Home Office, based on what the government thinks it might spend on costs including asylum accommodation, the less is available to spend on addressing global challenges. Asylum housing disaster The charity Refugee Action described the asylum housing system as a disaster. The cost to the taxpayer has skyrocketed and money stripped from the [aid] budget while people seeking safety have been put in properties that are segregated and threaten their health, Refugee Actions head of campaigns Asli Tatliadim said. Instead, refugees and asylum-seekers should be provided with more appropriate and more affordable housing within communities, the charity said. open image in gallery Asylum seekers are housed in hotels if there is not enough space in accommodation provided by local authorities or other organisations (David Angel/Alamy/PA) After next year, the share of aid spending on refugee costs will start coming down but this wont benefit aid projects, at least in the short-term. A rule change means any saving wont be used to top up overseas spending, at least over the next three years. Previously, when the Home Office overspent on refugee costs the FCDO would have to find the extra money to cover it. But if it underspent from its share of the aid pot, that money would be sent back to the FCDO. Now any savings it will go back into Treasury coffers. Stealth cut The chancellor said on Wednesday that refugee-related costs would drop by 1bn a year. But Gideon Rabinowitz, director of policy and advocacy at Bond, a network of development organisations, said there seemed to be a contradiction between this claim and the relatively small reduction in planned [development] spending on these costs . This raises concerns that the Treasury may be keeping the additional savings for itself, effectively creating a hidden stealth cut to the [aid] budget that could push it below 0.3 per cent. Thats the minimum the government has said it will spend. Bond welcomed the plan to end hotel use by the end of this Parliament, but it had hoped the government would go further. Along with more than 100 partner aid organisations, in April Bond called on the government to use a break clause in its hotel contracts to end them next year. The UK is not alone in cutting its aid budget. Several rich countries have announced cuts to their development spending in recent months, alongside a shift to spending more on defence. But its the US that has stood out in the sheer scale of its cuts, which are already having wide-ranging destructive effects, from leaving millions on the brink of famine, to derailing the end of the AIDS pandemic, driving millions of preventable deaths. The UK, as one of the biggest spenders on global health, is actually quite well placed to fill the vacuum left by the US, Pete Baker, deputy director of global health policy at the Center for Global Development said. I think that lack of leadership right now is very painful." This story is part of The Independents Rethinking Global Aid project 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 Homes and cars have been set on fire during a second night of violence in Ballymena as police condemned the unrest as racist thuggery. Dramatic scenes unfolded in the Northern Ireland town as rioters hurled petrol bombs, fireworks and glass bottles at police officers. Seventeen officers were injured with some requiring hospital treatment, the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) said. Riot police wearing armour and carrying shields were deployed to the County Antrim town as hundreds gathered in the area, with rioters smashing windows and damaging the doors of homes. Two homes, which suffered significant smoke damage, remained sealed off on Tuesday. Damage was caused to a nearby property while a woman and two children were still inside, and the windows of several business units were smashed in the area. The violence originally flared after a vigil in support of the family of a teenage girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the town over the weekend. open image in gallery A vehicle on fire near Clonavon Terrace in Ballymena, Northern Ireland ( PA ) Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday, charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. PSNI said it had made a third arrest in connection with their investigation into the serious sexual assault on Monday evening. The 28-year-old man was unconditionally released from police custody following questioning. The scenes of violence were described as racist thuggery by a senior officer, while Northern Irelands first minister Michelle ONeill called the two nights of violence racist and sectarian, adding that the rioting was abhorrent and must stop immediately. During Prime Ministers Questions, Sir Keir Starmer denounced the events. I utterly condemn the violence that we have seen overnight in Ballymena and in other parts of Northern Ireland, he said. Police fired less-than-lethal rounds at some of those gathered and also used a water cannon to disperse the crowd. Calm was restored to the town around 1am, but the force reported further disorder in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, with some incidents in north Belfast. open image in gallery Riot police were deployed around the Clonavon Terrace area on Tuesday night ( PA ) The peaceful vigil began on Monday around 7.30pm heading towards the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena. Police were present due to the large number of people who had gathered when a number of masked individuals broke away from the gathering and began to build barricades, stockpiling missiles and attacking properties nearby. Members of the crowd turned on police and attacked officers with petrol bombs and masonry as the disorder continued in the nearby vicinity of Galgorm Street, Linenhall Street, as well as Larne Road Link near the Braid. North Antrim MP Jim Allister said on Monday that he had spoken to the family of the alleged victim, who had said they did not want to see violent scenes. Sadly the narrative has been diverted, and it has been diverted by those who [who] wrongly and foolishly involved in violence and made the story something that it otherwise should be, he added. A 29-year-old man has been charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested during disorder in Ballymena on Monday night. The man, who is due to appear before Ballymena Magistrates' Court on 3 July, has also been charged with disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police. PSNI assistant chief constable Ryan Henderson said other arrests are expected following the examination of video footage as the force are actively working to identify those responsible for last night's racially motivated disorder in Ballymena and bring them to justice. PC Henderson said the force had a significant operation in place over the coming days in case there was any repeat of the disturbances on Monday night in the town, calling for the attacks to be loudly condemned by all right-thinking people. open image in gallery Riot police wearing armour and carrying shields in Ballymena ( PA ) Any attempt to justify or explain it as something else is misplaced," he said at a press conference at Ballymena police station. He added that members of the minority ethnic community felt fear and that the policing operation in Ballymena aimed to reassure the community. I would strongly urge anyone who was involved in yesterdays disorder to reflect long and hard about their actions, they will have consequences, he said. PC Henderson said that police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed to help the PSNI in the wake of the Ballymena disorder. He said: Should I need any additionality, Im absolutely assured that my colleagues in policing in England and Wales, the National Police Operation Centre, stand fast and ready to support should we need that support." open image in gallery Police officers from England and Wales will be brought to Northern Ireland if needed ( PA ) The senior officer said police did not have specific intelligence that there would be a repeat of the violent scenes, but said a significant policing operation would be in place. Stormont ministers have made a joint appeal for calm following the violence, across the powersharing executive including Sinn Fein, DUP, Alliance Party and UUP. The statement said: As ministers representing every party and department in the Northern Ireland Executive, we strongly condemn the racially motivated violence witnessed in recent days and make an urgent appeal for calm across society. The alleged serious sexual assault reported on 7 June in Ballymena was appalling and our collective thoughts are with the victim and their loved ones at this deeply traumatic time. It is paramount that the justice process is now allowed to take its course so that this heinous crime can be robustly investigated. Those weaponising the situation in order to sow racial tensions do not care about seeing justice and have nothing to offer their communities but division and disorder. open image in gallery A second night of violence took place in Ballymena ( PA ) While all of our citizens have the right to engage in peaceful protest, there can never be any justification for the violence that has taken place in recent days, during which residents have been terrorised and numerous PSNI officers injured. The statement added: We are urging everyone in our communities to play their part in that effort and reject the divisive agenda being pursued by a minority of destructive, bad faith actors. Downing Street said there could be no justification for the violence in Ballymena. The prime ministers official spokesperson said: The disorder we saw in Ballymena is very concerning. Obviously, the reports of sexual assault in the area are extremely distressing, but there is no justification for attacks on police officers while they continue to protect local communities, they said. PSNI and the justice system must be allowed to carry out their jobs and our thoughts are with the victims of the assault as well as the police officers who were injured. Northern Ireland secretary Hilary Benn has said there is no justification for attacks on police officers or vandalism in Ballymena. The terrible scenes of civil disorder we have witnessed in Ballymena again this evening have no place in Northern Ireland, he said in a social media post. There is absolutely no justification for attacks on PSNI officers or for vandalism directed at peoples homes or property. 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 group of masked individuals have set fire to a leisure centre in the latest night of violence in Northern Ireland. The blaze broke out at Larne Leisure Centre in County Antrim on Wednesday following vandalism at the facility. The attack came on the third night of public disorder in the town of Ballymena, 30 minutes away from Larne. Local Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly said the leisure centre had been attacked by masked thugs. Windows smashed and fires lit nearby. Larne does not need this, he added in a social media post. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council said the facility had been designated as an emergency rest centre for those in urgent need following disturbances but the families had been safely relocated elsewhere. open image in gallery The PSNI deployed riot police in Ballymena for a third night ( Getty ) The Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI) deployed riot police in Ballymena for a third night as a significant crowd gathered around the Clonavon Terrace area. The trouble in Ballymena broke out on Monday after an alleged sexual assault on a girl in the area. Police came under attack from masked protesters throwing fireworks, glass bottles and pieces of metal on Wednesday night. Riot police with shields advanced on crowds to disperse them, and officers also used dog units and drones in their response to the gathering. At least one protester was struck by a plastic baton round fired by police while officers also used a water cannon on the crowd. Rioters who gathered on Bridge Street near the residential area were told to disperse shortly before 9pm after a firework was thrown at officers. Police came under sustained attack as those participating in the disorder hurled petrol bombs, masonry and fireworks at police vehicles and officers standing nearby. open image in gallery Missiles were thrown at officers in the area on Wednesday night ( Reuters ) Earlier, a senior officer said the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had requested support from colleagues in the rest of the UK. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force would be bringing extra officers, vehicles and equipment to areas where unrest has flared. He said there were disgraceful scenes in Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey on Tuesday, as businesses, homes and cars were attacked and damaged. By Wednesday, six individuals had been arrested for public order offences, and one person was charged. open image in gallery Riot police with shields advanced on crowds to disperse them ( Getty ) Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said he utterly condemns the violence which left 32 police officers injured after the second night of disturbances. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that the rioting risks undermining the criminal justice process into an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in Ballymena at the weekend. Stormont ministers have also made an urgent appeal for calm and said the justice process had to be allowed to take its course. open image in gallery Officers used dog units and drones in their response to the gathering ( Reuters ) Providing an update on the policing operation on Wednesday, Mr Henderson said: We are taking steps to increase available resources and are surging a significant number of extra officers, vehicles and equipment to those areas where the rioting is taking place. This will have an impact on our community, this will take away vital resources needed to police other areas. He said they have requested about 80 officers through mutual aid. In a joint statement, ministers from across the Stormont powersharing Executive, which includes Sinn Fein, DUP, Alliance Party and UUP, said those involved in disorder have nothing to offer society but division and disorder. First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly later appeared together to voice their condemnation. Sinn Fein vice-president Ms ONeill told reporters in Belfast: Its pure racism, there is no other way to dress it up. She said ministers stood full-square with the young girl who was subject to the alleged sex attack but added the criminal justice system must be allowed to deal with that case. open image in gallery Missiles were thrown at officers in the area on Wednesday night ( Getty ) Police said their officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks thrown in their direction in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena on Tuesday night. The PSNI deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannon as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. Police also reported that sporadic disorder had also occurred in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well as incidents in north Belfast. The violence began around Clonavon Terrace on Monday night following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged. 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 Bricks and petrol bombs were thrown at police on a third night of violent disorder in a town in Northern Ireland on Wednesday night. Houses, cars, and a leisure centre turned into an emergency shelter for families were also set alight by the protesters, who were responded to by officers firing water cannon and plastic baton rounds. The trouble in Ballymena, in County Antrim, broke out on Monday after an alleged sexual assault on a girl in the area. Follow our live coverage of the Northern Ireland riots here Ethnic minorities appear to have been targeted across the three nights of violence, with some residents resorting to displaying signs in their home windows to show their nationalities. Unrest has also spread to the towns of Larne and Coleraine as Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) seeks help from other forces in England and Wales to deal with the disturbance. open image in gallery A protester stands close to a fire burning in Ballymena, where there have been three consecutive nights of disorder ( Reuters ) What is happening in Ballymena? For the third night in a row, the town has witnessed violence, described by police as racially-motivated, that has seen properties damaged, cars set alight and police attacked. It began on Monday night, when unrest broke out around Clonavon Terrace in Ballymena, where several houses had their windows smashed and two suffered significant smoke damage. Despite police dispersing the protesters, trouble returned on Tuesday night in the same area, with lined officers again coming under attack from masked people throwing fireworks, glass bottles and pieces of metal. open image in gallery Some masked protesters shouted abuse and threw objects at the police, including fireworks, glass bottles and pieces of metal ( Getty ) During the first two nights of disorder, 32 police officers were injured, and six people were arrested. On Wednesday night, despite a joint statement by political leaders calling for the violence to stop, trouble occurred again. Hundreds of protesters gathered again around the Clonvaon Terrace area, attacking riot police with petrol bombs, bricks and fireworks as officers with shields advanced on the crowd to disperse them. Rioters smashed the windows of a house on North Street and set multiple fires on streets in the surrounding area. The disorder and stand-off with police continued past midnight. Unrest spreads to nearby towns With the situation escalating over the week, violence has also taken place in towns around Ballymena. On Tuesday night, police reported sporadic disorder in Newtownabbey, where bins were set alight, and Carrickfergus, where bricks were thrown at police by a group of 20 to 30 young people. And on Wednesday night, in Larne, which is a 30-minute drive from Ballymena, masked youths attacked the leisure centre, which was being used as an emergency shelter for families impacted by the disturbance in Ballymena. open image in gallery Larne Leisure Centre, which was being used as an emergency shelter, has also been attacked ( Liam McBurney/PA Wire ) Standing at the scene, where people had been arriving to attend swimming classes and yoga sessions, local Alliance Party MLA Danny Donnelly told BBC News NI it was "absolute disorder". How did the riots start? The unrest started after a peaceful protest on Monday which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. In connection with the incident, two 14-year-old boys have appeared in court charged with attempted rape. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. On Monday night, a third arrest was made, before the 28-year-old man was unconditionally released from police custody following questioning. Where is Ballymena and what is it like? Ballymena is town which has a 30,000 population and is located a 30-minute drive from Belfast. Described in tourist brochures as a pretty shopping town, its main roads resembled a war zone on Tuesday night as tensions boiled over in the community. open image in gallery A house displays a British flag in its window as police respond to the disorder in Ballymena ( Liam McBurney/PA Wire ) With ethnic minorities appearing to be targeted, residents have chosen to display signs about the nationalities of those normally resident, including one saying British household and another with Filipino lives here. The local community are said to be in fear and want the violence to stop, according to deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly, who met with residents on Wednesday. Protests have been focused in predominantly loyalist areas in Ballymena, although first minister Michelle ONeill, who has condemned the violence, said she not believe it would be helpful for her to visit in the current context. What has the reaction been to the events? Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he utterly condemns violence which left 32 police officers injured after the second night of disturbances. Speaking during Prime Ministers Questions, Sir Keir condemned the mindless attacks against police. I utterly condemn the violence that we have seen overnight in Ballymena and in other parts of Northern Ireland, including against PSNI officers, Sir Keir told MPs. Its absolutely vital that the PSNI are given the time they need to investigate the incidents concerned rather than face mindless attacks as they seek to bring peace and order to keep people safe. open image in gallery Residents in Ballymena have told politicians they are in fear and want the violence to stop ( Liam McBurney/PA Wire ) PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that the rioting risks undermining the criminal justice process into an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in Ballymena at the weekend. Stormont ministers have also made an urgent appeal for calm and said the justice process had to be allowed to take its course. In a joint statement, ministers from across the Stormont powersharing Executive, which includes Sinn Fein, DUP, Alliance Party and UUP, said those involved in disorder have nothing to offer society but division and disorder. Sinn Fein vice-president Ms ONeill told reporters in Belfast: Its pure racism, there is no other way to dress it up. What happens next? A heavy police presence remains in Ballymena as the disorder continues, while work starts to clear the streets of debris and repair damage to homes and businesses. Firefighters are also at the scene at Larne Leisure Centre, where the clear-up continues. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force would be bringing extra officers from other forces, vehicles and equipment to areas where unrest has flared. By Wednesday, six individuals had been arrested for public order offences, and one charged. The 29-year-old man charged with riotous behaviour was arrested on Monday night. He will appear before the courts. 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 Rachel Reeves has pledged to end the use of asylum hotels by 2029 as part of a spending review that saw the Home Office budget cut. Speaking to MPs in the Commons on Wednesday, the chancellor said her plans to reform the asylum system would save 1bn a year. However, Treasury estimates show that the Home Office still expects the annual cost to be 2.5bn by the final year of this parliament. Labour had already made a manifesto commitment to end the use of hotels for migrants, but Ms Reeves has now committed to doing this within four years. Refugee charities welcomed the news, saying that hotels are hugely expensive and isolate asylum seekers from local communities, but urged ministers to move faster. Where will the government put asylum seekers instead? The Home Office has been exploring the use of medium-sized sites for asylum seekers instead of hotels, including former student accommodation. They are also working with local councils to try to house more people in flats and other accommodation within communities. Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle has said empty tower blocks, former teacher-training colleges and disused student accommodation are being considered as alternatives. Joanna Rowland, a senior civil servant at the Home Office, told MPs on Tuesday that the governments providers were clear that we are exiting hotels and we need to do that rapidly due to cost. But she added: We need to do the hotel exit and the alternative accommodation in a highly controlled way. If it was just an edict to close hotels, get dispersed, then we would end up with uneven concentration and some local authorities, I know, are feeling that acutely right now. Labour has moved away from Conservative plans to repurpose former military bases for migrants, as these sites are expensive to run and very isolated, and are often not close to local services such as doctors surgeries and schools. The controversial Bibby Stockholm barge contract was ended, and officials axed plans to use the former RAF Scampton site in Lincolnshire. But the Home Office is yet to provide further details on whether they would buy the new required sites or rent them, or to disclose which sites they are looking at. What else is the government doing to reduce the need for hotels? Ministers are also putting more resources into processing asylum claims and asylum appeals in an effort to clear the backlog of people waiting to have their cases processed. The Home Office has recruited more staff to assess claims, which has resulted in an increase in asylum claims being rejected. Once their claims have been rejected, applicants no longer qualify for Home Office accommodation and must either support themselves or go to local councils for emergency housing support. The number of asylum applications in the UK has hit a new high of 109,343 in the year to March 2025, up 17 per cent from 93,150 in the year ending March 2024. But the backlog of cases waiting for a decision has fallen to its lowest level since 2021. Home Office figures show there were 109,536 people waiting for an initial decision at the end of March 2025 down 12 per cent from 124,802 at the end of December 2024 and the lowest number since December 2021. How much money will be saved, and how much do we currently spend on hotels? Asylum seekers housed in hotels account for around 35 per cent of all people in asylum accommodation; however, the money spent on hotels makes up a much larger proportion of the overall spend. Around 76 per cent of asylum contract costs, or 1.3bn, was spent on hotels in 2024-25, the National Audit Office found. Around 110,000 people seeking asylum were being housed by the Home Office in December 2024, with some 38,000 in hotels, the watchdog said. New figures from March show that 32,345 asylum seekers were being housed in hotels at that time. Under spending plans published by the Treasury on Wednesday, officials estimated that they would still have to spend 2.9bn on the asylum system in 2027-28, and 2.5bn in 2028-29. This year, asylum costs are expected to total 3.9bn. Is 2029 a realistic target? The Home Offices top civil servant told MPs earlier this year that the department is aiming to bring hotel use down to zero but that this would depend on any ups and downs. Sir Matthew Rycroft, who has now left the top job, said: Ministers will want to keep the committee and parliament updated on the total numbers [of hotels], which have fallen from over 400 to 218, but I do not think you should expect a gradual decline of that number down to zero neatly by the end of this parliament. Our aim is to get to zero by the end of this parliament, but there will be ups and downs. Why are politicians so keen to clear migrant hotels? Hotels are more costly than other forms of accommodation, and private companies are making significant profits from providing hotel rooms to the Home Office. The day-to-day running of these hotels is often subcontracted, and in some cases, Home Office officials in charge of large hotel contracts have been unaware of who is providing vital services. According to testimony provided to MPs, sexual assaults, threats, and prostitution have taken place inside hotels, and children have experienced malnutrition due to poor food. Hotels can also be isolating for asylum seekers who are keen to get to know people in the community, with sites often located away from city centres. Hotels have also been targeted by anti-migrant rioters and activists, with several being attacked during last summers rioting. YouTubers have also visited migrant hotels to film themselves intimidating residents. What has been the reaction to the pledge? Refugee charities have welcomed the news but urged the government to go further. Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said: Asylum hotels have become a flashpoint for community tensions and cost billions to the taxpayer, so ending their use is good for refugees, the taxpayer and communities. The deadline of 2029 feels far away, and we urge government to make it happen before then. He added that asylum seekers should be placed within our communities not isolated in remote hotels. Charity Care4Calais said moving asylum seekers from hotels to accommodation within communities would be welcome and called for an end to the for-profit asylum accommodation model that has created billionaires. Chief executive Steve Smith said: Asylum accommodation should be provided based on the needs of people seeking asylum, not the profits of private owners and shareholders. Involving local authorities in the delivery of accommodation in their areas would be a first step in that direction. Shadow chancellor Mel Stride said the Home Office is still squandering money on asylum costs because this government simply doesnt have a plan on illegal migration. 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 officer who strip-searched a 15-year-old Black schoolgirl has admitted a series of failings in her handling of the incident, but denied her actions were discriminatory, a misconduct panel has heard. The girl, known as Child Q, was strip-searched by officers in Hackney, east London, on 3 December 2020, after her school wrongly suspected her of carrying cannabis. The police search involved the removal of Child Qs clothing, including her underwear, and her bending over while she was menstruating, a previous hearing heard. Trainee detective constable (TDC) Kristina Linge, Pc Victoria Wray and Pc Rafal Szmydynski, who were all Pcs at the time, all deny gross misconduct over their treatment of the girl. On Wednesday, TDC Linge, who conducted the strip search alongside Pc Wray, gave evidence to a Metropolitan police misconduct panel in London, where she admitted a series of failings regarding the incident. The 46-year-old agreed when questioned by her barrister, Luke Ponte, that there was no appropriate adult present during the strip search and that she had not conducted a less intrusive type of search prior to the strip search. open image in gallery People demonstrate outside Stoke Newington Police Station in London following the incident ( PA ) Mr Ponte asked the officer: You failed to make a record of the search? That is correct, TDC Linge replied. He said: You accept that in all the circumstances you did not properly step back and consider the proportionality of the situation? Thats correct, she said. Mr Ponte asked: You accept the search should not have happened? Yes, she replied. You accept that it happening caused Q harm and distress? he said. I believe so, she responded. Mr Ponte then asked TDC Linge whether she would have done anything differently had the circumstances been exactly the same but Child Q had been white, to which she replied: No. The panel heard that TDC Linge did not accept accusations of breaches of respect for authority and respecting courtesy. The officer said that upon her arrival at the school, the deputy safeguarding staff member was adamant that the girl had drugs on her and that the headteacher said she wanted to make sure the girl was not carrying drugs for herself or others. When asked about the likelihood of finding drugs concealed in the groin area or bra using a JOG search (meaning removal of jacket, outer coat and gloves), the officer replied, saying she thought this would be impossible. open image in gallery Scotland Yard has previously apologised over the incident ( PA ) TDC Linge told the panel that prior to the incident, she had not attended a school before for policing purposes. Before the strip search of Child Q, the officer said she had only taken part in stop-and-search JOG searches that had been conducted on the street. The panel heard that these factors had contributed to why TDC Linge felt she had got things wrong on this occasion. TDC Linge also said she had never observed an MTIP (More Thorough Intimate Parts) search, commonly known as strip searches, before searching Child Q. A previous hearing heard that Child Q informed the two officers who searched her that she was menstruating, but the search continued during which her sanitary pad was exposed. When no drugs were found after the strip search, Child Qs hair was also scoured. According to the allegations, Pcs Linge and Szmydynski performed a search that exposed the girls intimate parts when this was disproportionate in all the circumstances. Pcs Linge and Wray are also accused of performing or allowing the search in a manner which was unjustified, inappropriate, disproportionate, humiliating and degrading. All of this happened without authorisation, in the absence of an appropriate adult, and with no adequate concern being given to Child Qs age, sex, or the need to treat her as a child, and that the childs race was an effective cause of this, it is also alleged. Pcs Szmydynski and Linge are further accused of giving a misleading record of the search afterwards. The girl will not be giving evidence at the tribunal, because of the psychological effects that this strip search has had on her, the panel previously heard. Outrage over Child Qs treatment led to protests outside Stoke Newington Police Station. Scotland Yard has previously apologised over the incident. The hearing continues. 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 The United States has condemned the UKs decision to sanction two Israeli ministers over what was described as egregious abuses of human rights in Gaza. Marco Rubio, Donald Trump's secretary of state, argued that the travel ban and asset freeze imposed on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire and called for the measures to be reversed. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Tuesday that the ministers had been inciting violence against Palestinian people for months and months and months, they have been encouraging egregious abuses of human rights. The UK is taking the action alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway. Mr Rubio said that the US stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel. In a post on X, he said that the United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet. These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war. He went on to say that America reminds our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel. The sanctions against Israels security and finance ministers were announced on Tuesday. Mr Smotrich and Mr Ben-Gvir both belong to right-wing parties which help to prop up Benjamin Netanyahus fragile coalition government, and both have been criticised for their hardline stance on Gaza. Mr Smotrich has campaigned against allowing aid into Gaza and also supported the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the sanctioned ministers had been inciting violence against Palestinian people ( PA ) Meanwhile, Mr Ben-Gvir has called for Gazas people to be resettled from the territory. In a joint statement with the foreign ministers of the other nations who also imposed sanctions, Mr Lammy said that the two sanctioned ministers had incited serious abuses of Palestinian human rights and described their actions as not acceptable. The statement added: We will strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of the remaining hostages by Hamas, which can have no future role in the governance of Gaza, a surge in aid and a path to a two-state solution. Downing Street said that the two men had been sanctioned in their personal capacities and not their ministries and departments. As the Israeli ambassador to the UK has said in recent interviews, their statements in their ministerial capacities do not even represent government policy, a Number 10 spokesman said. The UK and other allies have upped pressure on Israel in recent weeks, amid aid shortages in Gaza and suggestions that a large-scale offensive could be launched into the territory. It has been reported that only scarce amounts of aid are making it into the hands of people, and the slow flow of food and medicines has prompted warnings of famine and starvation. 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 woman has been rushed to hospital after a collision between a bike and a bus outside London Bridge station. City of London police officers were called to the scene at around 8am during the Wednesday morning rush hour, and closed the bridge to all northbound traffic. The London Ambulance Service attended and the woman was taken to hospital to be treated for a leg injury. As a result, Blackfriars Road between Scoresby Street and Meymott Street was forced to close while emergency services responded to the incident. London Bridge has now reopened, but commuters have been warned that some bus routes remain on detour. Chief Inspector James Minney, City of London Police, said in a statement: City of London Police officers are attending the scene of a road traffic collision involving a bus and a cyclist at 8am on London Bridge. The bridge is currently closed to northbound traffic and wed ask people to avoid the area. A woman was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service. A London Ambulance Service spokesperson: We were called at 8.29am today (June 11) to reports of a road traffic collision on London Bridge, SE1. We sent an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and a clinical team manager to the scene. Our first paramedics arrived on scene in approximately five minutes. We treated a woman for a leg injury and took her to a major trauma centre as a priority. 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 Rachel Reeves will today make one of her biggest statements to MPs since Labours general election victory. The chancellor will unveil the results of her line by line spending review, setting out the budgets of government departments until the end of the decade. The review will be the first conducted by a Labour government since Alistair Darling and Gordon Browns comprehensive spending review in 2007. And it will see Ms Reeves walk the tightrope between delivering on the partys election promises while seeking to squeeze within her self-imposed fiscal rules. open image in gallery Rachel Reeves is braced for a row over her spending review ( PA ) As a result, some departments are likely to face deep spending cuts, while others see their budgets increase for the years to come. The Independent looks at what the spending review is likely to include and the rows it is already causing. What is the spending review? Ms Reeves spending review has taken place in two parts, with phase one set out in her October Budget - which included 40 billion of tax hikes and set out departmental spending until 2026. The second phase has seen departments ordered to set out how adopting technologies such as AI and reforming public services can free up government cash and support the delivery of Labours missions. Wednesdays review will set out day-to-day departmental spending for the next three years and investment spending for the next four. Reeves has ruled out borrowing for day-to-day spending and has insisted she will not raise taxes again, prompting questions about how the policies will be funded and whether cuts will be made. When is the spending review? The spending review will take place after Prime Ministers Questions, so at around 12.30pm, on Wednesday, 11 June. What has already been announced? Ms Reeves hopes a government splurge on infrastructure will be enough to keep the cabinet and Labour backbenchers onside, with the chancellor touting changes to her fiscal rules allowing her to borrow more to invest. On Wednesday she set out plans to invest billions of pounds in public transport in the North and Midlands, with billions more expected to be unveiled next week. Reeves has also confirmed that the government will U-turn on its decision to take winter fuel payments away from 10 million pensioners, a policy change that is estimated to cost around 1.25bn. The government has also said that the overseas aid budget will be cut to fund a boost in defence spending, which will increase from 2.3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) to 2.5 per cent by 2027. Labour is under pressure to raise it to 3 per cent by 2034. The chancellor has unveiled an 86 billion package for science and technology, while the NHS is set to receive a boost of as much as 30 billion and schools will get a 4.5 billion boost to cover higher pay for teachers. Alongside this, the government on Monday announced plans to invest an extra 1 billion into scaling up UK computer power by a factor of twenty to ensure Britain is an AI maker not an AI taker. And on Tuesday, ministers confirmed its intention pump billions of pounds into Britains nuclear energy sector, putting 14.2bn towards construction of the new Sizewell C nuclear power station. In the final hours before the review was unveiled, Ms Reeves announced she would be putting 39bn towards affordable homes over the next 10 years, as well as announcing an extension of the 3 bus fare cap until March 2027. What else might be announced? Ms Reeves confirmed Wednesdays statement will not see another round of bumper tax hikes, as some had expected, meaning that we are likely to see sweeping cuts to unprotected departments. Only the protected defence, health and education departments are likely to be spared. Others will see spending slashed, with the days leading into the statement dominated by cabinet infighting over the cuts. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has already warned that sharp trade-offs are unavoidable. With the government already having vowed more money for the Ministry of Defence to boost spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, the money will have to come out of other departments budgets. Meanwhile, the ever-ballooning NHS budget will also see pressure piled on other departments, as Labour prioritises investment in the health service to cut waiting lists. But the trade-offs could undermine Labours promises elsewhere, with police chiefs writing to Sir Keir Starmer warning him forces could face stark choices about which crimes to prioritise due to potential cuts. How have the cabinet and others reacted? Yvette Cooper and Angela Rayner both refused to agree to the spending settlements with the Treasury until just 48 hours before the review was unveiled, with a senior Labour figure telling The Independent the cuts will lead to key manifesto spending promises being ditched. Areas that could be affected are border control, policing, and social care. open image in gallery Ed Miliband and Angela Rayner are reportedly among those holding out on agreeing to the spending plans ( PA ) But cuts are necessary due to the lacklustre growth forecasts for the UK economy, which may be further downgraded in the autumn as a result of Donald Trumps tariffs. Metropolitan Police head Sir Mark Rowley was among those warning the prime minister of far-reaching consequences if the Treasury pushes ahead with slashing costs, including cuts to frontline policing last seen under austerity. Downing Street had been enlisted to help in discussions over the Home Office settlement, with the department concerned an uplift in police spending would be offset by cuts elsewhere. Outside Whitehall, the mayor of London raised concerns the capital will get nothing in Wednesdays review, despite having called for major investments in transport projects and the power to introduce a tourist levy. Sources close to Sir Sadiq Khan were warning the government it risked returning to an anti-London agenda seen under the Conservatives. How is Britain's economy looking? open image in gallery Keir Starmer has already vowed to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP ( PA ) The government has claimed that an economic turnaround in recent months has meant it can finance changes such as the U-turn on winter fuel payments, with Sir Keir on Wednesday saying it is also why Labour backs the state pension triple lock. The economy performed unexpectedly strongly in the first three months of the year, with the chancellor highlighting that Britain had the fastest growth in the G7, with GDP rising by 0.7 per cent. But despite the positive figures, experts warned that the economic landscape has shifted considerably since the first quarter, particularly with the introduction of Mr Trumps tariffs. 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 Sir Keir Starmer appears to be heading for a number of major U-turns amid growing concern from MPs about the direction of government and following a devastating performance at the local elections. The prime minister last month announced plans to reverse his controversial cuts to winter fuel payments, saying he wants more pensioners to be eligible for the benefit - a move that has now been confirmed. There is also a growing expectation he will lift the two-child benefit cap. While nothing has been announced yet, the prime minister is privately said to be in favour of lifting the cap but has refused to commit to anything until the child poverty strategy is published in the autumn. Below, The Independent looks at all the times Sir Keir has U-turned on his promises or let voters down on the journey from Labour leader to prime minister. open image in gallery Sir Keir Starmer has been repeatedly accused of u-turning on key issues ( The Independent ) Winter fuel payments In July, the chancellor announced that pensioners not in receipt of pension credits or other means-tested benefits would no longer receive winter fuel payments - a 300 payment to help with energy costs in the colder months. After spending months ruling out a U-turn, the prime minister in May told MPs he now wants to ensure more pensioners are eligible for the payment something he claimed has come as a result of an improving economic picture. After weeks of speculation over what the changes would look like, it has now been confirmed that 9 million pensioners will be eligible for the payment - a huge uplift from the 1.5 million pensioners who received the payment in winter 2024-25. open image in gallery Sir Keir Starmer was in Jeremy Corbyns top team when Labour warned winter fuel cuts could kill pensioners ( PA ) Two-child benefit cap Promising in 2020 to create a social security system fit for the 21st century, Sir Keir said: We must scrap the inhuman Work Capability Assessments and private provision of disability assessments... scrap punitive sanctions, two-child limit and benefits cap. But before the election, Sir Keir said Labour was not changing the Tory policy if Labour were to win power. He has stuck to his guns, even suspending seven Labour MPs for rebelling against his Kings Speech in a bid to have the policy scrapped. And now, it looks like the prime minister is gearing up to row back on the position. While nothing has been announced, the prime minister is privately said to be in favour of lifting the cap. He has refused to commit to anything until the child poverty strategy is published in the autumn but has insisted he is absolutely determined to drive down child poverty and has repeatedly sidestepped questions on the issue when pressed on it. Waspi women In a 2022 interview, Sir Keir said: All your working life youve got in mind the date on which you can retire and get your pension, and just as you get towards it, the goalposts are moved and you dont get it, and its a real injustice. We need to do something about it. That wasnt the basis on which you paid in or the basis on which you were working. But, in a familiar change of tune since becoming prime minister, Sir Keir last year sent his work and pensions secretary out to tell Women Against State Pension Inequality, Waspi women, they would not be getting any compensation. 28bn green investment pledge open image in gallery Rachel Reeves unveiled the 28bn green investment pledge, which was ditched by the party ( Getty ) As shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves announced the partys plans for an extra 28bn a year in green investment at Labours conference in September 2021. But before the election, Sir Keir ditched the 28bn a year target and said instead that he would spend a far smaller sum on Great British Energy, a national wealth fund for clean investment and pledges on energy efficiency. National insurance Labours pre-election manifesto promised not to increase national insurance. It stated: Labour will not increase taxes on working people, which is why we will not increase National Insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates of Income Tax, or VAT. But, Sir Keir and Chancellor Ms Reeves used the ambiguity around whether they meant employer or employee national insurance contributions to steamroll the pledge at Labours first Budget in power. The pair argue that they only promised to keep employee contributions frozen and instead landed firms with a 2 per cent increase to employer national insurance contributions. Tractor tax open image in gallery Keir Starmer has faced fury from farmers over his so-called tractor tax ( PA ) Farmers have also said they feel betrayed by the PM, after a 2023 National Farmers Union (NFU) speech in which he promised to have a new relationship with the countryside and farmers. Sir Keir claimed to be concerned that each day brings a new existential risk to British farming. He added: Losing a farm is not like losing any other business, it cant come back. Going even further, then shadow environment secretary Steve Reed said it was desperate nonsense to suggest he would scrap tax breaks for farmers, just weeks before the July 4 poll. But, in another hugely unpopular Budget bombshell, Sir Keir slashed agricultural property relief, meaning previously exempt farms will be his with a 20 per cent levy on farming assets worth more than 1m. Critics have said it will see family farmers forced to sell up, ripping the heart out of countryside communities. Bankers bonuses Strict regulations on bonuses, which limit annual payouts to twice a bankers salary, were introduced by the EU in 2014 in a bid to avoid excessive risk-taking after the 2008 financial crisis. Former prime minister Liz Truss and chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng scrapped the cap in 2022, in a bid to encourage more investment in the UK. Sir Keir had previously vowed to reinstate the cap, saying in 2022 that lifting it shows the Tories are absolutely tone deaf to what so many people are going through. But in another major U-turn, Ms Reeves announced before the election that the party does not have any intention of bringing that back. 10 pledges Sir Keirs bid to become leader of the Labour Party was based on 10 pledges, now infamous for having almost all been summarily dumped since. They included promises to increase income tax for top earners, abolish tuition fees, support public ownership of energy and water firms, give voting rights to EU nationals and defend freedom of movement. He has said a tougher economic backdrop means the promises are now no longer deliverable. But many Labour members who backed Sir Keirs leadership bid feel betrayed, arguing that he posed as a left-winger to win over Corbynistas before pivoting sharply to the right. Non-doms After figures showed an exodus of millionaires from the UK had accelerated since Labour took office, chancellor Ms Reeves offered a concession to the super-rich and hinted Labour would row back on its non-dom tax raid. The planned changes will see Labour expand the temporary repatriation facility, which lets non-doms bring income and capital gains into the UK with a minimal tax bill. 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 The new chairman of Reform UK has said there is a very strong case for the death penalty - 24 hours after Nigel Farage said he would not support its reintroduction. Dr David Bull, a former medical doctor, has said he would support the return of capital punishment for criminals such as Axel Rudakabana, who murdered three girls in a mass stabbing at a childrens dance class in Southport. For those people, I think there is a very strong case that I would support the death penalty, Dr Bull, who succeeded Zia Yusuf as Reforms chairman on Tuesday, told Times Radio. open image in gallery David Bull said yes when asked if burqas should be banned ( AFP/Getty ) He also added to a row in Reforms ranks over burqas, calling for the religious covering to be banned, saying I dont like seeing people in them. He added: I don't like seeing people in burqas. I feel particularly in East London, where I live, it certainly has divided the community. We've got a whole swathes of people not even speaking English, which I just think is not acceptable. Dr Bull was unveiled as Reforms chairman at a press conference at which Mr Farage sought to put the chaotic saga of Mr Yusufs sudden and unexpected departure - and swift return just days later - behind him. Asked for his thoughts on the death penalty, Mr Farage has said it is an issue of conscience, likening it to the debate over assisted dying. He said: Personally, given there have been 500 quite serious miscarriages of justice in this country since the 1970s, I dont think I could ever support it. But I understand why others take a different view. I think it is quite interesting that the younger generation seem to increasingly support the death penalty it will be back in the next decade as an issue of major national debate. The death penalty was fully abolished in the UK in 1998. Asked about his view on the Reform row about banning burqas, he said he had wider concerns about face coverings. open image in gallery Nigel Farage said he would not support the death penalty ( AFP/Getty ) He added: Do I think in cultural terms the burqa fits in with the British way of life? Not really, no. Former television presenter Dr Bull was announced as the party's chairman at a press conference in Westminster, as Mr Farage told reporters that his job would be to "give leadership" and "not to get involved with the admin". The appointment of Dr Bull, who previously presented Watchdog, Tomorrow's World and Most Haunted Live! comes after businessman Mr Yusuf resigned from the position last week following an internal row over the party's position on the burqa. Mr Yusuf said he was "hugely excited" that former MEP Dr Bull was taking the role. "This party is no longer a start-up," Mr Yusuf told reporters. "I think it's gone to a scale-up phase ... the reality is what we need now in a chairman is someone who is an incredible communicator, someone who's loved universally across the party ... someone who's going to I think do a better job than me at energising volunteers on the front line." "I wholeheartedly congratulate him and I know he's going to do an incredible job for us," he added. Mr Farage said Dr Bull would come to the chairman's role with "terrific verve, energy, enthusiasm". He described Dr Bull as a "terrific communicator" and that his "job is not to get involved with the admin, is not to get involved in the tech" but rather is to "give leadership to that volunteer army out there of people". Mr Farage also said it is "very good" that the new chairman has television experience, telling reporters that "message delivery and simplicity of message in politics is very important". Mr Yusuf returned to Reform over the weekend, just 48 hours after he quit, saying he had made an "error". His departure followed a row, in which he said the party's newest MP, Sarah Pochins question to the prime minister about banning the burqa was "dumb". 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 Rachel Reeves cheered beleaguered Labour backbenchers with record investment in her spending plans as she unveiled major boosts for the NHS, social housing and defence. In her long-awaited spending review, the chancellor also promised to save 1bn by closing all asylum hotels as she took aim at Nigel Farage and Reform. But experts warned that she will have to break her manifesto pledge not to raise taxes or increase borrowing much further to pay for her promises. open image in gallery Reeves set out her spending plans for the rest of this parliament ( House of Commons ) In a damning assessment, Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), said: The chancellors speech was full of numbers, few of them useful. In particular, there were concerns over how savings will be made on housing asylum seekers amid a surge in small boat crossings, and there were questions over how pay rises for public sector workers will be met. The chancellor said that across the review period lasting until 2028-29 for day-to-day spending and 2029-30 for capital investment departmental budgets would grow 2.3 per cent a year in real terms. But that has been front-loaded by the cash injections made since Labour took office, meaning that from 2025-26 the increase is a more modest 1.5 per cent on average. And the scale of the extra spending on the NHS in England which will increase to 226bn by 2028-29, equivalent to 3 per cent annual increases means squeezing other areas. The chancellors speech was cheered by Labour backbenchers but elsewhere there were concerns, with Labour mayor Sir Sadiq Khan expressing disappointment over Londons settlement. According to the IFS, eight departments were left facing real-terms cuts to their budgets, potentially fuelling further cabinet rows after tetchy negotiations saw a stand-off to the final day with home secretary Yvette Cooper. Her department is facing some of the biggest cuts, with a 2.2 per cent real terms loss by the end of the parliament. Police chiefs lashed out, saying the increase of 1.7 per cent over the next three years was a huge blow that would leave forces struggling to meet their pledge to recruit 13,000 neighbourhood officers. Cash to expand free school meals meant that the schools budget was tight while the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) are facing outright budget cuts, according to the IFS. open image in gallery Mel Stride responded for the Tories ( House of Commons ) Meanwhile, questions were being raised over how Ms Reeves will meet the pay demands of public sector workers after telling government departments that increases will need to be funded from their budget settlements. Already, resident doctors are threatening to go on strike if the government fails to meet their demands for a 29 per cent rise. Former government economist Jonathan Portes warned the spending outlined by Ms Reeves meant tax rises were very likely. He said: At present it looks very likely indeed that the spending totals today will mean that taxes need to go up in October so that the chancellor can meet the fiscal rules (in particular the target of balancing the current budget). Mr Portes suggested Ms Reeves may target savings, pensions and fuel duty. Meanwhile, the spending review allows local government to increase council tax above inflation by 5 per cent annually. Mr Johnson suggested that the 445m investment in Welsh rail infrastructure, 14.2bn for the Sizewell C nuclear plant in the energy budget and extra funding for defence will mean Ms Reeves will have to reconsider her tight rules on borrowing. He said: If the government insists on accumulating the extra spending its planning over the full parliament, it seems only fair to also draw attention to the 140bn of extra borrowing were forecast to do over the same period. That borrowing incurs a cost in the form of additional debt interest and one thats bigger than it was a year ago. However, the chancellor insisted that she would meet all the government commitments with no extra tax or borrowing because of the tough decisions she made in her Budget last November. In a defiant 40-minute speech, which appeared to be an attempt to answer critics from within her own party, she insisted: My choices are Labour choices. It followed weeks of wrangling with other cabinet ministers, including deputy PM and housing secretary Angela Rayner and Ms Cooper, as they sought to avoid major cuts in their departments. open image in gallery Paul Johnson, director of the IFS, was scathing in his assessment of the spending review ( PA ) Denying her approach is austerity 2.0, Ms Reeves said: "This is a spending review to deliver the priorities of the British people: security a strong Britain in a changing world. Economic growth powered by investment and opportunity in every part of Britain. "And our nation's health with an NHS fit for the future. I have made my choices. In place of chaos, I choose stability. In place of decline, I choose investment. "In place of pessimism, division and defeatism, I choose national renewal." The chancellor took aim twice at Mr Farage in her speech, saying he should spend more time focusing on the priorities of the British people and less time in the Westminster Arms pub, as Labour continues to face the threat of the rise of Reform UK. But opposition politicians were quick to criticise her plans. Tory shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride told MPs that Wednesday's spending review was a "fantasy" and "not worth the paper that it is written on". He warned: She knows that she will need to come back here in the autumn with yet more taxes, and a cruel summer of speculation awaits. Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: Behind the smoke and mirrors is a potential black hole for social care as local government budgets remain at breaking point. Putting more money into the NHS without fixing social care is like pouring water into a leaky bucket. Wealth fund managers also warned of tax rises leading to a flight of millionaires from the UK. Head of investment analysis at AJ Bell, Laith Khalaf said: Attention will now turn to what tax rises might be in the post. And Nigel Green, the chief executive of deVere, said: Reeves is spending money she hasnt got and the tax reckoning will come this autumn. Theres simply no other path. The UK is already heavily taxed, growth is flat, borrowing costs are high, and the global appetite for gilts is thinning. The autumn Budget is where the axe will fall. 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 Rachel Reeves has delivered her first spending review as chancellor after months of bitter negotiations with her cabinet colleagues. She has unveiled what amount to cuts for some departments, fuelling accusations Labour is returning the country to the austerity agenda pursued by the Conservatives. But the chancellor has also splashed the cash in key areas as she bids to convince voters Labour is listening to their concerns and reverse the partys decline in the polls. The Independent looks at what is in the spending review, and, crucially, what is not Regional transport The chancellor highlighted 15.6 billion of transport spending in Englands city regions as part of a 113 billion investment spree. The 15.6 billion package for mayoral authorities included funding to extend the metros in Tyne and Wear, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, along with a renewed tram network in South Yorkshire and a new mass transit system in West Yorkshire. Nuclear projects The spending review also contained 16.7 billion for nuclear power projects, including 14.2 billion for the new Sizewell C power plant in Suffolk. Borders Ms Reeves also rolled out hundreds of millions of pounds worth of spending to secure Britains borders. She is offering up to 280 million per year to the Border Security Command Labour has set up to tackle people smuggling gangs. And she confirmed that the government will end the use of asylum hotels by 2029, saving the taxpayer 1 billion per year. Skills and industry funding Ms Reeves has also promised to plough 22 billion per year into research and development funding, highlighting the potential for AI developed in the UK to solve the daunting challenges facing the country. She she announced 2 billion specifically for the governments AI action plan and 6 billion to encourage start-ups to grow in Britain. Housing The review also promised 39 billion over the next decade to fund affordable housing in what has been billed as the biggest investment in a generation. Ms Reeves set out plans to almost double annual investment in affordable homes to 4 billion by 2029-30, compared to 2.3bn between 2021 and 2026. The money will go to local authorities, private developers and housing associations. NHS The NHS was also one of the big winners in next weeks spending review, with a boost of up to 30 billion at the expense of other public services. The Department for Health and Social Care got one of the biggest settlements in the governments spending review, while other areas faced cuts. Its budget will rise by 3 per cent each year for three years - a cash increase of 29 billion by 2028. Bus fares The chancellor also extended the 3 cap on bus fares until 2027, arguing that without it a single journey between Leeds and Scarborough could cost as much as 12. Schools The chancellor has promised a 4.5 billion uplift in the budget for schools each year, with 2.3 billion each year to fix our crumbling classrooms. Ms Reeves said her schooling experience in the 1980s and 1990s, including being taught in temporary classrooms, showed her the necessity of investing in schools. She wrote for The Independent on the same topic last week. Welsh railways Ms Reeves also rolled out 445 million to pay for upgrades to Welsh railways. Free school meals The chancellor also confirmed her announcement that all children with a parent claiming universal credit will be eligible for free school meals. The Treasury said it comes as part of a package to support households through the cost of living crisis. Other measures included caps on the cost of school uniforms and a 13.2 billion plan to insulate peoples homes. ... Two-child benefit cap? Labour backbenchers will be feeling let down by Ms Reeves after her spending review. Expectations had been building that a climbdown by the government on the Tory-era two-child benefit cap was imminent. But, in a spending review containing few positive surprises, the chancellor ducked the opportunity to lift the cap - hated by Labour MPs. And nothing for London? Sir Sadiq Khan had kicked up a fuss about the lack of investment in London and the Treasurys refusal to give mayors the power to levy tourist taxes. The London mayor aso fought for support for several transport projects as well as a substantial increase in funding for the Metropolitan Police - with his lobbying failing to win over Ms Reeves. Government officials highlighted that London will receive its biggest multi-year settlement in more than a decade, with 2.2 billion by 2030. But after the review, Mr Khan, said: I remain concerned that this Spending Review could result in insufficient funding for the Met and fewer police officers. Its also disappointing that there is no commitment today from the Treasury to invest in the new infrastructure London needs. Projects such as extending the Docklands Light Railway not only deliver economic growth across the country, but also tens of thousands of new affordable homes and jobs for Londoners. Unless the government invests in infrastructure like this in our capital, we will not be able to build the numbers of new affordable homes Londoners need. 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 With the dust barely settled on Rachel Reeves first major spending review since Labours return to power, debate is already raging over the scale, shape, and consequences of the chancellors plans. Unveiled to MPs at 12.30pm today, Reeves review promises sweeping investment in the NHS, affordable housing, transport and nuclear energy all under the banner of what she calls Britains renewal. Among the pledges: 30bn for the NHS, 39bn for social and affordable housing, 14.2bn for nuclear, and billions more for AI and public transport in the North and Midlands. Supporters of the review argue it strikes a necessary balance between fiscal discipline and public investment. Reeves herself insists it will make working people better off without raising taxes or borrowing for day-to-day spending. Others, such as senior economists in Labours policy circle, have welcomed the focus on infrastructure and science as critical to long-term growth. But critics are already lining up. Police chiefs, including Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, have warned of far-reaching consequences if budget squeezes lead to a drop in frontline policing. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner reportedly resisted signing off on spending cuts until the final hours, fearing damage to border control, housing and social care. Outside Whitehall, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has accused the government of reviving an anti-London agenda by neglecting the capitals transport needs. And the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned bluntly that sharp trade-offs are unavoidable with many departments bracing for stealth austerity. So what do you think? Has Rachel Reeves delivered a spending review that invests wisely in Britains future? Or is Labour already falling short of the promises it made just weeks ago? We want to hear from you. Share your thoughts on Rachel Reeves spending review in the comments and vote in the poll below well feature the most compelling responses and discuss the results in the coming days. All you have to do is sign up and register your details then you can take part in the debate. You can also sign up by clicking log in on the top right-hand corner of the screen. 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 The UK and the EU have agreed a post-Brexit deal to implement a fluid border between Gibraltar and Spain which will not require checks on people crossing. The move marks a breakthrough in talks that have been ongoing since Britain left the European Union in 2020. Under the agreement, checks will not be required on those crossing the border between Spain and the British colony. More controversially, however, there will be Eurostar-style dual border control checks at Gibraltar airport, which will be carried out by both Gibraltar and Spanish officials. Operating in a similar way to the UK and French system for checking documents used at Londons St Pancras station, Britons arriving on the Rock will have to show their passports when they land. There will be dual border control checks for arrivals by air at Gibraltar airport ( PA ) Foreign secretary David Lammy said the agreement was a breakthrough after years of uncertainty and that the UKs commitment to Gibraltar remains as solid as the Rock itself. It comes after decades of problems at the border with Spain, which claims Gibraltar for its own. The issue became a crisis for Gibraltans when the UK left the EU and, in effect, ended freedom of movement with the rest of the bloc. The UK has had control over Gibraltar since 1713 via the Treaty of Utrecht as part of the compensation for Britain to withdraw from the War of the Spanish Succession. It currently hosts an RAF base at its airport and an important naval facility. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed the deal, saying: It safeguards the integrity of Schengen and the single market, while ensuring stability, legal certainty and prosperity for the region. Gibraltars chief minister, Fabian Picardo, said the deal would protect future generations of British Gibraltarians and does not in any way affect our British sovereignty. Now is the time to look beyond the arguments of the past and towards a time of renewed cooperation and understanding. Now the deal is done, its time to finalise the treaty. Mr Lammy held talks with Gibraltars leaders, members of the opposition and the business community before leaving the British overseas territory to head to Brussels on Wednesday morning. Gibraltar is heavily in favour of remaining a British overseas territory. The last time it voted on a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain, in 2002, almost 99 per cent of Gibraltarians rejected the move. The Conservatives reiterated that Gibraltar is British, warning of Labours record of surrendering our territory in past negotiations. Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said: The last Conservative government worked closely with the chief minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, and set out clearly the terms for the negotiations and our red lines, and we will now examine if this deal meets those. She added: The Conservative Party in government, and now in opposition, has always been clear that any deal must ensure that the sovereignty and rights of Gibraltar are safeguarded in full and must carry the support of the government and people of Gibraltar, as well as protect constitutional arrangements. Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller said: Im glad to see were one step closer to a proper trade deal with the EU but its vital that parliament is given the opportunity to scrutinise the details of this agreement. There can be no question mark left over the status of Britains sovereignty of the Rock and our commitment to the self-determination of Gibraltarians. This deal must work in their interests. While Tom Brufatto, from pro-EU campaigners Best for Britain, said: In much the same way that we have French border guards in St Pancras station, it seems that this pragmatic agreement will allow Spanish officials to operate in Gibraltar airport, providing much needed certainty for the thousands who cross the border every day. We can be optimistic that this agreement removes an obstacle to greater EU-UK cooperation in other areas, which can bring prices down for UK consumers and restore opportunities back to British citizens. 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 tourist was gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park Tuesday after a large group of visitors approached it too closely, park officials said. The confrontation happened around 9:45 a.m. in the Old Faithful area. The 30-year-old man, from Randolph, New Jersey, sustained minor injuries and received treatment at the scene, according to park officials. He was taken from the scene by first responders. Park officials have not released the man's name or provided details about his condition, citing an ongoing investigation. They also didnt release further details about the incident. A bison roams in front of Castle Geyser in the Upper Geyser Basin at Yellowstone National Park ( AP ) The cofrontation is the second bison attack in Yellowstone this spring. On May 7, a 47-year-old man from Cape Coral, Florida, suffered minor injuries after being gored in the Lake Village area. Bison gored at least two people in Yellowstone in 2024, including an 83-year-old South Carolina woman who was seriously injured. A bison gored an Arizona woman in the park in 2023. Yellowstone bison injured two people in 2022. Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other wild animal. They can run up to 35 mph, faster than the mens world record in the 100-meter dash. Standing up to 6-feet tall and weighing up to 2,000 pounds , they are North America's biggest land animal. Park regulations require visitors to keep at least 25 yards away from bison and other large herbivores and 100 yards away from wolves and bears. Wild animals can be aggressive if people dont respect their space, Yellowstone park officials said. Bison will defend their space when threatened, the statement said, describing the animals as unpredictable. 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 An extensive search is underway after a fishing boat went missing off the coast of Cape Cod and the ships GPS was discovered abandoned on the beach. The Coast Guard has been searching for the F/V Seahorse, a white 30-foot fishing boat with a mermaid on the bow and Seahorse painted on the stern, since Sunday, WCVB reported. The boat and its captain, Shawn Arsenault, were fishing near Eastham's Target Ship Wreck in Cape Cod Bay; however, a cellphone tracking placed the boat 2 miles offshore of Chatham, Massachusetts, about 15 miles away and along the coast. Arsenault, 64, and his girlfriend had set sail out of Orleans, about halfway between Eastham and Chatham, with plans to go clamming. Officials received reports that Arsenault was throwing items overboard just after leaving Orleans. A search is underway after a fishing boat, its captain and his girlfriend went missing off the coast of Cape Cod over the weekend. ( U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England ) It was reported he was throwing something overboard, Coard Guard Commander Cliff Graham said. I cant confirm what kind of equipment or what it was specifically. Arsenaults brother told the outlet his boat was just checked out by a mechanic ahead of the trip, and everything seemed up to par. The boat was just checked out by his mechanic, he said everything was A-OK. he just got a new radar, a fish finder, and he was all excited about that. He got it all hooked up. He said he was not coming home until he has his 30 bags, the brother said. On Sunday morning, Sam Miller and her dad were walking on the beach and found a GPS navigator saying F/V Seahorse, and left it along with a note on Arsenaults truck. Its unclear how they tied the boat to his specific truck. I noticed in the surf there was something floating, so I went down to see what it was, and it turned out to be a GPS unit off of a boat, Miller said. The next day, they discovered the note and truck remained untouched and called the harbormaster, who then alerted the Coast Guard. As the investigation enters its fourth day, Arsenaults brother said, Youre in my prayers, brother. I hope God takes care of you. The Coast Guard is urging members of the public with any information to call the Sector Southeastern New England command center at (866) 819-9128. 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 chemical leak in an Ohio town has prompted officials to evacuate hundreds of residents. There was a large release of toxic nitric acid at a powder plant near the village of Zaleski Wednesday morning, WSYX reported, citing local emergency official Robert Czechlewski. A tank with a 5,000-gallon capacity had a leak, which caused the nitric acid to release. Around 3,000 gallons of nitric acid leaked, The Telegram News reported, citing officials. Its unclear what caused the leak. The plant, located in McArthur, makes explosives for mining and construction, according to WBNS. Residents of Zaleski, about an hour and 30 minutes' drive southeast of Columbus, were evacuated as a result. According to the World Population Review, Zaleski has a population of 216 residents. open image in gallery A chemical leak in an Ohio town has prompted officials to evacuate residents ( Ohio EPA ) The Vinton County Sheriffs Office said on Facebook Wednesday morning, A shelter has been setup at the Vinton County High School for those with no where to go. Czechlewski said that when the nitric acid was released, it created a chemical reaction, causing a plume of nitric oxide that looked like a red cloud, WOWK reported. Nitric acid is a liquid which can be toxic when inhaled and is corrosive to metals and tissue, according to the National Library of Medicine. Nitric oxide is a gas which can be toxic when inhaled or absorbed into the skin. Prolonged exposure to low concentrations or short term exposure to high concentrations may result in adverse health effects, the institute warns. Czechlewski said the situation is expected to last for a few hours and is dependent on wind conditions. He said the plume is heading northeast. Once the leak is contained, the Environmental Protection Agency said it will monitor the air quality, according to WOWK. The Ohio EPA wrote on Facebook Wednesday afternoon the release of the chemicals has stopped and no injuries have been reported. A spokeswoman for the plant said all of its employees are safe, according toThe Telegram News. Most workers were temporarily sent away, while some stayed back to do assessments. The plant has canceled production for the rest of the day. Senator Jon Husted, an Ohio Republican, wrote on X Wednesday afternoon, My team and I are closely monitoring the chemical leak in McArthur and remain in contact with federal, state, and local authorities on the situation. Please stay safe, follow local guidance, and reach out to my Columbus office if we can help. 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 Senior U.S. and Chinese negotiators have agreed on a framework to move forward on trade talks after a series of disputes had threatened to derail them, Chinese state media said Wednesday. The announcement followed two days of talks in the British capital that ended late Tuesday. The disputes had shaken a fragile truce reached in Geneva last month, leading to a phone call last week between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to try to calm the waters. Li Chenggang, a vice minister of commerce and Chinas international trade representative, said the two sides had agreed in principle on a framework for implementing the consensus reached between the two leaders and at the talks on Geneva, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Further details, including any plans for a potential next round of talks, were not immediately available. Li and Wang Wentao, Chinas commerce minister, were part of the delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng. They met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at Lancaster House, a 200-year-old mansion near Buckingham Palace. Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator, said the disputes had frittered away 30 of the 90 days the two sides have to try to resolve their disputes. They had agreed in Geneva to a 90-day suspension of most of the 100%-plus tariffs they had imposed on each other in an escalating trade war that had sparked fears of recession. The U.S. and China lost valuable time in restoring their Geneva agreements, said Cutler, now vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute. Now, only sixty days remain to address issues of concern, including unfair trade practices, excess capacity, transshipment and fentanyl. Since the Geneva talks, the U.S. and China have exchanged angry words over advanced semiconductors that power artificial intelligence, visas for Chinese students at American universities and rare earth minerals that are vital to carmakers and other industries. China, the world's biggest producer of rare earths, has signaled it may ease export restrictions it placed on the elements in April. The restrictions alarmed automakers around the world who rely on them. Beijing, in turn, wants the U.S. to lift restrictions on Chinese access to the technology used to make advanced semiconductors. Cutler said it would be unprecedented for the U.S. to negotiate on its export controls, which she described as an irritant that China has been raising for nearly 20 years. By doing so, the US has opened a door for China to insist on adding export controls to future negotiating agendas, she said. Trump said earlier that he wants to open up China, the worlds dominant manufacturer, to U.S. products. If we dont open up China, maybe we wont do anything, Trump said at the White House. But we want to open up China. ___ Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Paul Wiseman in Washington and Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this story. 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 Immigration authorities raided a meat production plant in Omaha on Tuesday morning, detaining dozens of workers and leaving company officials perplexed. The raid occurred at approximately 9am at Glenn Valley Foods, located in a south Omaha region where nearly a quarter of residents are foreign-born, according to the 2020 census. A small group of protestors gathered at the scene, some attempting to obstruct officers by jumping on a vehicle's front bumper, while others threw rocks at officials' vehicles as a bus carrying workers departed from the plant. Chad Hartmann, president of the food packaging company, expressed his bewilderment at the raid's aggressive nature and the company's targeting. "My biggest issue is: why us?" Hartmann stated. "We do everything by the book." Hartmann added that the plant uses E-Verify, the federal database for checking employees' immigration status. When he pointed this out to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, they reportedly told him that the E-Verify system "is broken." I mean, what am I supposed to do with that? Hartmann said. This is your system, run by the government. And you're raiding me because your system is broken? Omaha police and the Douglas County sheriff said immigration officials had warned them about their plans, and their departments helped block off traffic around the neighborhood where many food production plants are located while ICE officers worked. open image in gallery Sara Schulte-Bukowinski, a faith leader in Omaha, Neb., holds a sign protesting an immigration raid, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Glenn Valley Foods, a meat packaging plant in south Omaha. (AP Photo/Margery A. Beck) ( AP ) Meatpacking plants rely heavily on immigrant workers who are willing to do the physically demanding work. The industry has not yet been the focus of President Donald Trumps immigration enforcement efforts, but the administration has been intensifying its efforts in recent weeks. Trump called out the National Guard this week to respond to ongoing protests in Los Angeles over his immigration policies. CEO and owner Gary Rohwer told WOWT in Omaha he wasnt made aware of the operation ahead of time. He said federal agents entered the plant with a list of 97 people they wanted to screen. Of course not. Its a raid, said Rohwer, whose company makes the Gary's QuickSteak brand of ready-to-grill steak. Estefania Favila, a supervisor at Glenn Valley Foods, said she was in a morning meeting when federal officials began banging on the plant's doors and yelling, Homeland Security! They just came in and said that it was a raid and we had to get everybody out of production," Favila said. Employees were separated by those who had documents showing they were US citizens, those who had valid work documents and those who did not have documents, she said. About 70 people were taken away in buses with the windows blacked out, Favila said. Among them were two of her cousins who immigrated from Honduras, she said. open image in gallery Federal agents are seen near Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha ( Omaha World-Herald ) ICE officials confirmed in an email the raid at Glenn Valley Foods, saying it was based on an ongoing criminal investigation into the large-scale employment of aliens without authorisation to work in the United States. They said it was likely the largest worksite enforcement operation" in Nebraska since the start of Trump's second term. Hartmann, the company president, said he planned to contact Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who represents the district, and other Nebraska leaders to try to get answers. By Tuesday afternoon, Bacon had issued a statement saying the ICE raid sought to investigate stolen identities and that ICE verified that Glen Valley Foods complied with E-Verify 100% and is a victim in this as well. Douglas County Commissioner Roger Garcia, who rushed out of a regular meeting Tuesday morning after he learned about the raid, said the community is shaken. It clearly instills a lot of fear, said Garcia, who represents the area. People are asking me if this is going to continue for multiple days here in Omaha. People are asking me if this is going to spread to other cities. 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 family is demanding answers after a 79-year-old grandmother died when she became trapped under her car in a hospital parking garage in April. Theresa M Phillips, 79, was driving her husband, Walter, to a doctors appointment in a Pittsburgh hospital when the tragic accident occurred. Upon entering the parking lot, Phillips turned into the wrong entrance, forcing her to exit her car to retrieve a ticket. Her familys attorney said that the Phillips did not put the car into park, causing it to roll towards her, eventually trapping her underneath. The familys defense attorney, Matthew Scanlon, said her husband attempted to lift the car off his wife but had to watch her be crushed to death. Poor Mr. Phillips was trying, I cant imagine having to watch [...] This was absolutely a preventable tragedy, he said. According to her daughter, Marie Lawton, emergency services took 30 minutes to arrive at the scene. A University of Pittsburgh Medical Center spokesperson said the hospital was deeply saddened by the tragic accident. While emergency crews quickly responded, the victim did not survive. Our deepest sympathies are with the family, the spokesperson added. Philips is survived by her daughter, Marie Lawton; her grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and her sister. Philips was 'crushed to death' by her car inside the UPMC Shadyside Aiken Parking Garage in Pennsylvania ( Google Maps ) According to her obituary, Phillips was a U.S. Army Veteran who enjoyed playing video games, her pets, card club, bingo, and shopping. She was very, very active; no grass grew under her feet. She always had something to do. But in the past two months, Ive wanted to call my mom 20 times a day about the dumbest things, like mom did you hear, not being able to call her thats the hardest, Marie Lawton told local station WPXI. Scanlon said the family intends to file a lawsuit to determine what took so long and why no one from the hospital, just a few steps away, stepped in to help Philips. The public deserves answers on this, this is a public safety issue, UPMC being the largest provider in the area, we all deserve answers to this, Scanlon said. Its not on the world, its the impact on me, on my husband, on my grandchildren, on my dad. Thats where she left the impact, and we take it out into the world, Lawton added. The family hopes to file the lawsuit in Allegheny County court within the next month. The Independent contacted UPMC Shadyside, Philips relatives, and Scanlon for comment. 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 Kim Kardashian spoke out Tuesday night against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles which have sparked days of protests across the country. President Donald Trumps sweeping deportations of illegal immigrants sparked mass protests in the City of Angeles Friday, which have continued for days. In an unprecedented move, Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles, without California Governor Gavin Newsoms permission, in response to the protests. Gov. Newsom said the move inflamed a combustible situation, and the state has challenged it in court. Kardashian used her platform of 356 million Instagram followers to stand up for the immigrant population of her home city, telling fans there has to be a better way to deal with illegal immigration than these ICE raids. open image in gallery Kim Kardashian spoke out Tuesday night against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles ( Getty ) open image in gallery President Donald Trumps sweeping deportations of illegal immigrants sparked mass protests in the City of Angeles Friday, which have spanned five days so far ( AFP/Getty ) When we're told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals-great. But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do what's right, she wrote on Instagram. Growing up in LA, I've seen how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city. They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers, and family. No matter where you fall politically, it's clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants. We can't turn a blind eye when fear and injustice keep people from living their lives freely and safely. There HAS to be a BETTER way, she wrote. Kardashian has praised Trump in the past, saying on late-night TV that she was very grateful after he commuted the sentence of Alice Johnson in 2018. Johnson served over 20 years of a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense when she was freed with the help of Kardashian. The celebrity had spent months working to commute Johnsons sentence, which included meeting with Trump. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in July 2018, Kardashian, who had met with Trump that May, said, I have nothing bad to say about the president. 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 After a week of unrest, more protestors took to the streets against the Trump administration's ongoing nationwide workplace raids. A string of ICE raids in Los Angeles last week sparked a wave of demonstrations, which saw Trump deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines. By Friday morning, the flare-ups have spread to more than 40 cities across the U.S., The Independent has uncovered. More marches are scheduled for Friday, with Saturday set to become a flashpoint for the nationwide protests. A total of 1,900 No Kings rallies are planned across all 50 states, coinciding with a D.C. parade for the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, which critics contest is an extravagant birthday bash for Trump. Tens of thousands of Los Angelenos buckled in for their third evening of curfew in the downtown area on Thursday as Mayor Karen Bass continued her crackdown on looters and vandals. The city said they may last a few more days. open image in gallery Anti-ICE protesters have flooded U.S. streets for a week, railing against Donald Trumps immigration policies ( AP ) Here, The Independent breaks down what you need to know as LA and other major cities experience further unrest. How did the protest start? Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers conducted search warrants at multiple locations on Friday. One search was executed outside a clothing warehouse in the Fashion District after a judge found probable cause that the employer was using fictitious documents for some of its workers, representatives for Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S Attorney's Office said. Crowds tried to stop ICE agents from driving away following the arrests. Another protest was sparked outside a federal building in downtown, after demonstrators discovered detainees were allegedly being held in the basement of the building. Protests then erupted in Paramount after it appeared federal law enforcement officers were conducting another immigration operation in the area. Hundreds of people joined demonstrations as they spread to the nearby city of Compton. The White House said on Wednesday that 330 immigrants have been arrested in LA in the past week, including 44 people in last Friday's operations. Why did Trump first deploy the National Guard? open image in gallery Members of the California National Guard stand guard at the loading dock of the Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday ( AFP via Getty Images ) On Saturday, Trump ordered the deployment of at least 2,000 National Guard troops to LA. If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!! he wrote on Truth Social. Newsom responded on social media that the federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers. That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions. The state National Guard had not been federalized by a president, thereby overriding a governor, since 1965. How have things progressed since? open image in gallery A protester gestures in front of members of law enforcement in Los Angeles on Monday ( Reuters ) The first National Guard troops arrived in areas of Los Angeles on Sunday, including Paramount and the downtown area. Footage shared online showed an escalation in the clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement, with police in riot gear using tear gas to disperse people. Fireworks and other projectiles were lobbed at officers, while vehicles were set ablaze, and f*** ICE graffiti was sprayed in multiple locations. By Sunday morning, the LAPD had already made dozens of arrests, with law enforcement braced for several more protests in the city throughout the day. Police first reported that there had been reports of looting in the city in the evening. After sharply criticizing Newsom and Bass, Trump continued his rebuke against protestors on the ground. Late Sunday, he wrote on Truth Social that its looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!! open image in gallery On Sunday multiple arrests were made in both Los Angeles and New York city, after anti-ICE demonstrations were also staged in Lower Manhattan ( Reuters ) By Monday, Trump ordered the Defense Department to take control of an additional 2,000 California National Guard members to join the 2,000 troops already stationed throughout Los Angeles. About 700 Marines were also mobilized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with Newsom deploying an additional 800 law enforcement officers in a bid to clean up President Trumps mess. Protests on Monday were mostly quelled by the evening and remained less violent than Sundays fiery clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement officers. On Tuesday, authorities enforced the first curfew in a portion of downtown LA between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. Wednesday, with Bass warning that anyone who failed to comply would be detained. The LAPD said that it made mass arrests after the restriction was imposed. Police officers on foot and horseback dispersed crowds on Wednesday evening in downtown LA before Bass enforced a second curfew in as many days. Thursdays protests appeared more peaceful, though Bass enforced a third curfew in downtown. In a major blow to Newsom on Thursday, Trump maintained control of the National Guard following a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in response to a federal judge ruling that the presidents decision to deploy troops was illegal. Protests spill into other U.S. cities open image in gallery Protesters light a fire outside the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle Wednesday ( AP ) Anti-ICE protests began spreading to parts of California and other major U.S. cities, from Seattle to New York City. Approximately 60 protesters, including juveniles, were arrested Sunday in San Fransico after a group began to vandalize property. Over on the East Coast, around 20 anti-ICE protesters were also led away by police in New York, following demonstrations in lower Manhattan. On Monday, multiple people were arrested near San Franciscos City Hall after two small groups broke off from thousands of protestors marching peacefully to commit vandalism and other criminal acts, police said. A peaceful protest in Santa Ana developed into violence with rocks thrown and fireworks set off at law enforcement officers, officials say. By Tuesday, clashes broke out between police and protesters near the ICE office in New York. Protesters were thrown to the ground as police tried to handcuff them. Others lobbed water bottles at officers. After a protest Wednesday afternoon outside an ICE office in Spokane, Washington, Mayor Lisa Brown imposed a curfew in the citys downtown area. Thirty arrests were made, according to police. Protests against Trumps immigration raids continued for another day in Chicago on Thursday, with hundreds of demonstrators displaying signs and chanting that the president is a clown through the streets. By Friday morning, 40 cities had experienced protests against Trumps immigration raids, The Independent uncovered. What has the reaction been? open image in gallery People walk through downtown Los Angeles following the lifting of an overnight curfew after numerous businesses were broken into ( Getty Images ) Newsom and Bass have both continued to speak out against the presidents decision to deploy the troops, describing it as unnecessary and an attempt by the administration to create chaos. Speaking to KTLA on Sunday, Bass said that Trumps action was unnecessary and just political. By Monday, Newsom rebuked Trumps blatant abuse of power and said that the state will sue to stop this. In a televised address Tuesday, Newsom lambasted Trump for fanning the flames of the LA protests, stating he had inflamed a combustible situation. Wednesday, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard has peddled the White Houses theory that some protestors in LA are being clearly paid. On Thursday, California Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed and handcuffed at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noems press conference after asking a question, causing fury among Democrats. Other Democrats, including Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New Jersey Senator Corey Booker, backed Newsom and Bass, with Booker describing the presidents actions as hypocritical at best. 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 A highly anticipated Netflix documentary on the 2023 OceanGate tragedy shows the moment that the submersible companys CEO, Stockton Rush, fired senior sub-pilot and whistleblower David Lochridge. Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster delves into the accounts of staff members and the events that led to the Titan submersible's implosion on June 18, 2023, resulting in the deaths of five people inside. Lochridge, OceanGates former director of marine operations, held reservations about the vessels carbon fibre hull and said he only entered the project on the assumption that the Titan sub would become classed meaning that it would be independently certified as safe. Sub-expert Rob McCallum said he pulled out of the project the day Rush decided to proceed without third-party classification. The contentious relationship between Lochridge and the CEO came to a head when Rush steered the sub into a dangerous position during a trip to the SS Andrea Doria wreckage ahead of the Titan tour. An incident, the former sub-pilot said, was a complete turnaround and resulted in the end of their relationship. In one clip, taken from inside the sub, Rush is seen almost crashing the vessel into a debris field, forcing Lochridge to intervene. Lochridge said he was ostracized from the Titan project following that trip, adding that he became totally out of the loop. On January 18, 2018, Lochridge submitted a scathing report to Rush and other senior staff outlining the dangerous risks posed by Titans inefficient hull design and the company's testing methods. A day later, Lochridge was asked to attend a meeting with Rush, Bonnie Carl, the HR director, Scott Griffith, the quality assurance director, and Tony Nissen, the engineering director. What brought this on? How long have you had some of these concerns? Lochridge is asked by Rush during the January 2018 meeting. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. What led up to this, and whats your goal with this document? open image in gallery Former OceanGate's Director of Marine Operations, David Lochridge, center, testifies, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in front of the Titan Marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, in North Charleston, South Carolina ( AP ) Lochridge, who appears taken aback, responds, I, I, no. The goal for this document for me is the safety of anybody that goes in there, including you. Rush, who grew angered during the discussion, continues to say: Its completely opposite of what everyone else says. Everyone says, Oh, carbon fibre cant handle compression. Theyre full of s*** and Ive proven them to be full of s***. You know this has been an eight-year project, he says. I know what the hell Im talking about, he continues before asking Lochridge to continue explaining himself. In terms of you going in the submersible, I am so against you doing it, Lochridge says. We should be putting that sub on a wire, with everything thats experimental which youre doing. Rush interjects, stating, I know thats your issue. A wire is not without safety issues for one, and secondly, this is how were doing it, period. open image in gallery OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush as seen in 'Titan: The OceanGate Disaster' ( Netflix ) Ive looked at it. What you do is you set a testing program where you do it incrementally. Its not just going to go to 3100 [metres] and be perfect and at 3200 [metres] it all goes anyway. That aint going to happen, and I will put my life on the line to say that aint going to happen, Rush says, in the haunting clip. I dont want anybody in this company who is uncomfortable with what were doing. Were doing weird s*** here, and I am definitely out of the mold. Im doing things that are completely non-standard and Im sure the industry thinks Im a f******* idiot, he states. Rush said he would continue at all lengths in his pursuit of success, no matter what anyone else thought. open image in gallery The OceanGate sub disaster resulted in five deaths on June 18, 2023, killing all five on board ( American Photo Archive/Alamy ) Lochridge, who was left shell-shocked by the interaction, said Rushs decision was understood and felt gutted about how things deteriorated to that point. The departure of Lochridge meant that OceanGate operations had to be made more secure as life at the company would continue under the leadership of a narcissist and a psychopath, according to former engineering director Tony Nissen in the documentary. HR director Bonnie Carl also left the company following that meeting. Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster was released on Netflix on Wednesday. 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 Long before it became the target of the Trump administration, which wants to defund the news organization over claims of left-wing bias, NPR was a product of the counterculture and seemed to embrace the mantra of sex, drugs and rock & roll, a new tell-all book reveals. In fact, according to veteran journalist Steve Oney, the news network which was founded in 1970 once had its own cocaine dealer on staff, who helped fuel the newsroom through late-night sessions. Promoting his recent book On Air: The Triumph and Tumult of NPR, Oney spoke to Mediaite editor Aidan McLaughlin this week on the SiriusXM program Press Club. While much of the conversation centered on the current fraught situation the public broadcaster finds itself in with President Donald Trump, Oney also spent much of his time detailing the culture of openness and experimentation that marked the outlets early years. Discussing how employees in the 1970s saw themselves as radio revolutionaries, Oney talked about how the staff was full of young and ambitious reporters at the time. This also resulted in many of these journalists frequently sleeping with each other and taking part in the illicit drug scene. It was the counterculture, he said. People were using [cocaine] for recreational purposes. Other times, theyd have an all-night edit session and snort a couple lines and then just work. In a new tell-all book, Steve Oney reveals that NPR had an in-house cocaine dealer during its formative years. ( AP ) With the staff fully engaged in the sex, drugs, and rock & roll lifestyle, Oney stated that one of the employees at NPR even served as the in-house supplier. There was a cocaine dealer at NPR in the late 70s, early 80s, he told McLaughlin. He worked there. He was a staffer, and he had a side business as the in-house dealer. You could page him over the NPR intercom system, and he would come to your studio or your cubicle with cocaine that he would sell. The book, which Oney said took 14 years to complete, dives into the decades-long history of the broadcaster and the many other controversies and accomplishments NPR has experienced along the way. It depicts how NPR created a medium for extraordinary journalismin which reporters and producers use microphones as paintbrushes and the voices of people around the world as the soundtrack of stories both global and local, Amazon notes in its synopsis. Featuring details on the controversial firing of Juan Williams, the sloppy dismissal of Bob Edwards, and a $235 million bequest by Joan B. Kroc, widow of the founder of McDonalds, On Air also chronicles NPRs daring shift into the digital world and its early embrace of podcasting formats, establishing the network as a formidable media empire. Meanwhile, Oney was also asked by McLaughlin about the presidents accusations about NPR being biased against conservatives, which has been the central reason behind the White House calling for the network to lose its federal funding. NPR has since fired back, suing the administration over its textbook retaliation while claiming Trumps order to cut the networks funding is a clear violation of the Constitution and the First Amendment's protections for freedom of speech and association, and freedom of the press. I dont think its consciously left-wing. Sometimes its too damn cute. Theres a kind of know-it-all quality, Oney said, claiming that NPR is essentially a collective of college stations at its roots and not intended to be a bastion for liberals. In the end, this is going to be settled not so much by government, but by reinforcing the idea that NPR provides a quality product, he added. NPR needs some good PR from people who are planning to win. 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 federal contractor tasked with performing background checks on Department of Defense employees seeking high-level security clearances copped to submitting reams of bogus reports when she claimed to have thoroughly vetted candidates who, in fact, had not been properly checked out. Of 39 allegedly fraudulent investigations Nousheen Qureshi carried out over the course of more than a year for the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency, at least a half-dozen included fabricated interviews with people who later said they had never even heard from her at all, according to a plea agreement obtained first by The Independent. The results of the background investigations conducted by [Qureshi] were used to determine whether to grant security clearances to individuals at various levels, including and up to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) access, states the plea agreement, which was unsealed Tuesday in Santa Ana, California federal court. To conduct the investigations, [Qureshi] herself had TS/SCI clearance. Qureshi, a Mission Viejo resident, worked at the time for CACI International, a $7.7 billion Virginia-based conglomerate that bills itself as being ever vigilant in helping our customers meet their greatest challenges in national security. Each of the 299 background investigations she turned in between July 2020 and August 2021 had to be re-worked by the agency, costing taxpayers nearly $250,000 extra, according to the plea agreement. Qureshi was subsequently hired by two other companies to run background checks for the Department of Homeland Security, doing more than 600 of them until her past finally came to light and she was removed from all DHS projects, the plea agreement says. She was charged by information on June 2, and the case has not been made public until now. Tucker Atkins, Qureshis court-appointed lawyer, did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. open image in gallery Nousheen Qureshi worked for CACI International, a federal contractor that positions itself as 'ever vigilant' ( Getty ) Since the September 11 terrorist attacks there has been a tremendous increase in the number of security clearances issued by the federal government, according to attorney Dan Meyer, a former U.S. Navy officer who is now a national security partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Tully Rinckey, PLLC. As the system has become more and more overloaded, investigators have seen their workloads double, triple, or even quadruple to as many as 40 cases a week, Meyer told The Independent. Along with this, the incentive to cut corners has also increased, said Meyer. And once they start falsifying documents, theres a greater incentive to falsify documents because youve got to hide it once youve done it, he said. Further, Meyer pointed out, the Trump administration has publicly undercut the gravity of rigorous security clearances, where he said sends a message out to the rank-and-file, who start to think, Hey, maybe this isnt so important. A sham background report such as those generated by Qureshi can lead to extremely serious counterintelligence issues, according to Seamus Hughes, a senior researcher at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center, a partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omaha and DHS. Intelligence officials are trusted with some of the nations most important secrets. Fabricating background interviews and gaming the process has the potential to put those secrets at serious risk, Hughes told The Independent. Theres been an increasing number of criminal cases recently against government employees with high-level security clearances leaking classified information. A thorough security clearance review is paramount to preventing such disclosures. open image in gallery Qureshi carried out security clearance investigations for the Department of Defense, and later, the Department of Homeland Security ( Getty ) The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency is responsible for ensuring U.S. government job candidates, as well as those already on the payroll, can be trusted with, among other things, classified information. As Americas gatekeeper, the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency conducts over two million background checks each year on people applying for both civilian and military roles, and reinvestigates current employees security clearances at regular intervals. Qureshi began working at CACI in June 2018, and was assigned to the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency security clearance investigations, according to her plea agreement. In that capacity, [Qureshi] conducted background investigations for the Department of Defense, the plea agreement says. The investigations included applicants for DoD employment, DoD employee background reinvestigations, and investigations for security clearances of defense contractors employees. Qureshi was responsible for interviewing friends, acquaintances, and associates of those under investigation, and writing reports on her findings, according to the plea filing. It says the clearances in question went all the way up to the TS/SCI level, which allows individuals with a demonstrated need to know to access highly classified materials. To ensure security clearance investigations are being done properly, the agencys Quality Management Oversight Group randomly selects reports to review and re-contacts the individuals interviewed with written questionnaires about the process, the plea explains. In June 2021, amid a routine probe into one of Qureshis reports, the agency heard from J.F., a person she had spoken to as part of background investigation into a Top Secret security clearance candidate identified in the plea filing as M.C. J.F.s response to DCSA stated that he provided information to [Qureshi] about M.C.s drug use, the plea states. [Qureshis] report of J.F.s interview did not contain this derogatory information. It also says that Qureshi willfully falsely reported that she had interviewed M.C.s landlord, S.R., and that S.R. stated that M.C. had lived at a Lancaster, California residence alone. However, the plea filing goes on, Qureshi well knew that she had not interviewed S.R., and S.R. had not stated M.C. lived alone. In a subsequent interview with S.R., DCIS Special Agents learned that M.C. lived at the Lancaster residence with four roommates and that two rooms at the residence were used as vacation rentals, the plea continues, adding that Qureshis false statements were material to the decisions that followed by DCSA as to granting M.C. a security clearance. The plea agreement, which does not specify if M.C.s clearance was ultimately approved or not, says CACI then pulled a sample of Qureshis other background investigations, to recheck her work. open image in gallery After she was fired from her job doing Department of Defense clearance investigations, Qureshi found work doing them for the Department of Homeland Security ( Getty ) Of the cases CACI reviewed, it came to find out that six individuals claimed they had not been interviewed at all by Qureshi, who, the plea maintains, submitted six separate reports stating that she had interviewed those individuals and provided factual narratives of their conversations. As a result, the plea says CACI fired Qureshi in August 2021. Once she was gone, the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency reworked the 299 background investigations Qureshi had conducted over the prior year, for which she had spoken to 1,025 sources, according to the plea. In all, it says special agents discovered no fewer than 39 false reports, and pegs the cost of redoing them at $240,306.04. Two months later, Qureshi hired on as an investigator at a pair of other federal contractors, Omniplex World Services Corporation and ADC Ltd., the plea filing states. It says the two companies had contracts with DHS to perform background checks on prospective employees applying for jobs at the agency. Between late October 2021 and February 2024, when the DHS Office of Inspector General connected the dots and had Qureshi removed from all assignments connected to the agency, she conducted 608 background investigations on applicants to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to the plea. Messages seeking comment sent on Wednesday to CACI and ADC went unanswered. In an email, an Omniplex spokesman said, Given that this is a legal matter between an individual and the U.S. Attorneys Office, it is inappropriate for us to comment. In 2020, another CACI employee conducting security clearance investigations for DCSA pleaded guilty to fabricating nearly 70 reports in 11 months. Two years later, a Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency staffer pleaded guilty to falsifying reports as part of security clearance investigations. In 2024, another agency investigator pleaded guilty to near-identical charges, admitting to having made up more than 40 security clearance interviews that never actually took place. Qureshi pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements, a charge that carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In Qureshis case, however, prosecutors are recommending she be sentenced to probation and home detention. Qureshi is due to appear in court on June 16. 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 For James McDonough, Saturday's military parade in Washington, commemorating the Army's 250th anniversary, is a testament to the resilience of both the institution and the nation it serves. The parade coincides with President Donald Trump's birthday. The 78-year-old, a veteran of the US Army who served in Vietnam and delivered aid to Rwanda, now resides in Crofton, Maryland. He said: "The soldiers marching that day represent all of that history. They dont represent a single day. They dont represent a single person. Its the American Army still standing straight, walking tall, ready to defend our country." However, Christopher Purdy, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, views the parade as a superficial display that masks policies targeting military veterans and service members, including cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs and a ban on transgender troops. Purdy believes the parade, long desired by Trump, will unnecessarily showcase US military strength on the presidents 79th birthday. Its embarrassing, said Purdy, 40, of Atlanta. Its expensive. And whatever his reasons are for doing it, I think its entirely unnecessary. Until recently, the Armys long-planned birthday celebration did not include a big parade. Added under the Trump administration, the event, featuring hundreds of military vehicles and aircraft and thousands of soldiers, has divided veterans. open image in gallery James McDonough served in the US Army for 27 years, fighting in Vietnam and delivering humanitarian aid to Rwanda ( AP ) Some liken it to the military chest-pounding commonly seen in North Korea, a step toward authoritarianism or a perverse birthday party for Trump. Others see it as a once-in-a-lifetime accounting of the Army's achievements and the military service of millions of soldiers over centuries. The parade is not about Trump, they say, but the public seeing the faces of soldiers when so few Americans serve. The Army expects up to 200,000 people could attend and says the parade will cost an estimated $25 million to $45 million. Trump, speaking at Fort Bragg this week, said Saturday would be a big day" and noted "we want to show off a little bit." Were going to celebrate our greatness and our achievements," he said. "This week, we honor 250 years of valor and glory and triumph by the greatest fighting force ever to walk the face of the Earth: the United States Army. Divisive politics have ruined it For Edmundo Eugenio Martinez Jr., an Army veteran who fought in Iraq, the parade is a missed opportunity to honor generations of veterans, many of whom paid a steep price and came home to little fanfare. Sadly, the timing and the optics and divisive politics have ruined it, said Martinez, 48, of Katy, Texas. And Im not picking one side or the other. Both sides are guilty. Its just suspicious' open image in gallery U.S. Marine Corps veteran Joe Plenzler during the Unite For Veterans Coalition protest, which he helped organise ( Joe Plenzler ) Joe Plenzler, a retired Marine who fought in Iraq, said Trump wants to see troops saluting him on his birthday as tanks roll past. It's just suspicious," the 53-year-old from Middletown, Virginia, said of the timing. I absolutely love the Army from the bottom of my cold black Marine heart, he said. But if the Armys birthday was a day later, we probably wouldn't be doing it. Id rather see that $50 million take care of the men and women who went off to war and came back with missing arms, legs and eyeballs, and with damaged brains. Part of American culture Joe Kmiech, who served in the Army and Minnesota National Guard from 1989 to 1998, supports the parade because the Army is "part of American culture and our fabric. He notes the Army's pioneering contributions to engineering and medicine, from dams to new surgical techniques. Like many veterans, he has a strong familial connection: His father served in the Army, and so did his maternal grandfather, who fought in World War II. I didn't vote for President Trump, but the commander in chief is going to be part of that celebration, said Kmiech, 54, of Roberts, Wisconsin. The distinction needs to be made that the parade is a celebration of our Army, not of a person. Stroking Trumps ego' For Gulf War Army veteran Paul Sullivan, Trump and the parade are inextricably linked. This Trump tank travesty is all about stroking Trumps ego, said Sullivan, 62, who lives outside Charlottesville, Virginia. If Trump truly cared about our service members, he would sit down with them quietly and say, What can we do with $50 million or $100 million to make your lives better? Hes not. We are a great nation open image in gallery McDonough, the veteran from Crofton, Maryland, disagrees that the parade is about Trump or too costly. ( AP ) McDonough, the veteran from Crofton, Maryland, disagrees that the parade is about Trump or too costly. He said the US held a grand celebration in New York after World War II when the nation was deeply in debt. We certainly need to bring our debt down, and we certainly need to take care of our veterans, he said. But its a false dichotomy. Its like saying if we bought two less aircraft carriers, we could do so much better to take care of our poor. And McDonough said soldiers' oath is to the Constitution, not to Trump. The president understands the importance of doing this, not only for the Army, but for the nation, McDonough said. A real dark turn Purdy, the veteran from Atlanta, said the parade's brazen flex of military strength is not an American tradition, particularly absent a recent victory. I'm not saying we shouldn't celebrate the country," he said. But for us to be projecting this type of hard power, in such a real in-your-face way, thats just not who we are. Trump is brushing aside old alliances and foreign aid that have helped maintain peace for decades, Purdy asserted. It signals a real dark turn if were just going to roll out the tanks," Purdy said. People are the Army Michael Nardotti, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, said military hardware has long been in American parades, which can help recruitment. More important, he said, is the tremendous value in the public seeing soldiers' faces in a parade when active-duty troops make up less than 1% of the population. 'People are the Army,' said Nardotti, 78, of Aldie, Virginia, quoting a former Army chief of staff. Nardotti said he'll listen carefully to Trump's speech. I hope it sends the right message, he 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 President Donald Trump has the authority to abolish national monuments protected by his predecessors, the Justice Department recently said. In a legal document dated to May 27, the department overturned a nearly 90-year-old opinion that said presidents did not have that ability, saying that its conclusions were wrong and can no longer be relied upon. The Antiquities Act of 1906 permits a president to alter a prior declaration of a national monument, including by finding that the landmarks, structures, or objects identified in the prior declaration either never were or no longer are deserving of the acts protections; and such an alteration can have the effect of eliminating entirely the reservation of the parcel of land previously associated with a national monument, the Office of Legal Counsels Deputy Assistant Attorney General Lanora Pettit wrote. The contrary conclusion of the Attorney General in Proposed Abolishment of Castle Pinckney National Monument, 39 Op. Atty Gen. 185 (1938), was incorrect. The document specifically refers to former President Joe Biden establishing Californias Chuckwalla and Sattitla Highlands National Monuments. The monuments, that have particular significance to Native American tribes and extend over some 848,000 acres of land, barred oil and natural gas drilling and mining there. The Trump administration told The Washington Post in March that it has plans to eliminate them. In April, the paper reported that Interior Department Officials were studying whether to scale back at least six national monuments, and a person briefed on the matter said the aim was to free up land for drilling and mining. Biden established 10 new monuments during his tenure. Americas energy infrastructure was on life-support when President Trump got into office; and in nearly six months, the administration has shocked this critical industry back into life, making good on another promise to the American people, the White Houses Harrison Fields, principal deputy press secretary, told The Independent in an emailed statement responding to question about the Justice Departments opinion. Its imperative that the Senate passes OBBB to completely end Bidens war on American energy, and will liberate our federal lands and waters to oil, gas, coal, geothermal, and mineral leasing. open image in gallery A recent opinion from the Justice Department said President Donald Trump has the authority to abolish the nations national monuments. The opinion does not overturn any national monument but hints at future action ( Getty/iStock ) The Justice Department did not immediately respond to The Independents request for comment on the matter. While this opinion does not overturn any national monument, it hints at future action. Trump has taken steps to shrink monuments in the past. During his first administration, he moved to slash Utahs Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments: the first such move of its kind in more than 50 years. Biden reversed Trumps decision before the courts could make a final ruling on the matter. Earlier this year, Trump opened the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine national monument to commercial fishing while leaving the monument in place. The Interior Department is weighing changes to monuments across the country as part of the push to restore American energy dominance. open image in gallery The fight over Bears Ears national monument started during President Trumps first term. He had moved to slash the monuments protections, but the decision was reversed by President Biden ( Getty/iStock ) The National Park Service alone manages more than 100 national monuments established under the authority of the Antiquities Act. Some are also co-managed by the U.S. and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Army, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Some of those include the Statue of Liberty, the Stonewall Inn, the Grand Canyon, Sequoia National Forest, and the Lincoln Memorial. While Congress must approve the designation of national parks, a national monument is designated by a president via the Antiquities Act. Around half of the nations national parks were first designated monuments, and all except three presidents have used the act to protect areas both offshore and on land. Presidents, including Dwight Eisenhower, have also diminished monuments. open image in gallery The Lincoln memorial is managed by the National Park Service. The D.C. landmark is a popular tourist destination ( Getty/iStock ) Responding to the document, environmental advocate groups have asserted there might not be much legal standing and that moves to eliminate or shrink monuments would be less than popular. "Theres no reason to think the OLC opinion should make much difference to the White House. National monuments have broad public and political support, and shrinking or revoking them will only damage the Trump Administrations popularity, Aaron Paul, the staff attorney for the Grand Canyon Trust, told The Independent in an emailed statement. Besides, if the president tries to shrink or eliminate monuments, it would send the question to the courts, which is the real test of whether the OLCs views have any validity or not." open image in gallery Social media users wondered if there would be impacts to Stonewall. It was declared a national monument under former President Barack Obama in 2016 ( Getty/iStock ) The Trump administration can come to whatever conclusion it likes, but the courts have upheld monuments established under the Antiquities Act for over a century. This opinion is just that, an opinion. It does not mean presidents can legally shrink or eliminate monuments at will, Jennifer Rokala, executive director of The Center for Western Priorities, said in a written statement. Once again the Trump administration finds itself on the wrong side of history and at odds with Western voters, she said. With reporting from The Associated Press 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 Forty-two men were flown to Alaska on Monday for detainment after they were arrested outside of the state by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Alaska Department of Corrections is now holding 40 men after two were transferred, agency spokesperson Betsy Holley told News from the States. These men were taken in under an existing contract for federal detainees, and the department will receive $223.70 per man per day, Alaska Deputy DOC Commissioner April Wilkerson told Alaska Public Media. Wilkerson expects theyll be kept there for a month. Its not clear where the men were arrested and held before this weekend. The Independent has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for more information. Anchorage immigration attorney Nicolas Olano said at least some of the inmates are being held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, which he described as having very poor conditions. He said the men would be better off at the next-closest immigration facility in Tacoma, Washington. open image in gallery The Anchorage Correctional Complex, where some of the 42 men flown to Alaska after being arrested by ICE are being held ( Alaska Department of Corrections ) The food is terrible, and the medical attention is subpar, Olano told Alaska Public Media. This is different, and I'm not saying that it's a great camp, but my understanding of what the clients have told me, the treatment, the food, the space in the facilities, are much better in Tacoma. Olano added that Alaska has a shortage of interpreters. He said this move was unusual and unlike anything he has seen in his ten years as an attorney in Alaska. Alaska Department of Corrections spokesperson Betsy Holley told The Independent the 40 men are receiving the same standard of care, attention, and services as any other individuals in our custody. Cynthia Gachupin, a victims' rights advocate with the organization Victims for Justice, says shes concerned about how families will get information about where these men are being held. A lot of these families dont know where their family members are, Gachupin told News from the States. And now, if theyre moving and moving and moving them, like how are they going to get in contact with them? Its just really wrong, I think morally as human to human, I dont think under any reason we should be treating people that way, she added. This comes amid President Donald Trumps crackdown on immigration. In a recent escalation, his administration is reportedly preparing to send thousands of undocumented migrants to Guantanamo Bay as soon as this week. open image in gallery The Trump administration is expected to send thousands of undocumented migrants to Guantanamo Bay (pictured) ( U.S. Navy/AFN Guantanamo Bay Public Affairs ) Los Angeles protestors launched a major demonstration against Trumps immigration policies over the weekend. Trump aide Stephen Miller called the protesters insurrectionists, while the president deployed thousands of military personnel to clamp down on the demonstration. Trump also said he would support arresting Newsom on Monday. California leaders responded Tuesday by suing the administration for deploying the National Guard. The protest was reportedly sparked by White House aide Stephen Millers call to ICE officials demanding they ramp up arrests after falling short of Trumps goal to carry out record-breaking deportations. 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 Bo Loudon, the purported best friend of Barron Trump, has claimed he is responsible for the arrest of the worlds most famous TikToker who was detained by ICE and later forced to leave the U.S. The MAGA, Gen-Z influencer, who has been pictured numerous times with the president and his son, said he had personally taken action to have Khaby Lame deported. No one is above the law! he wrote in a series of posts on X, later adding: I've been working with the patriots at President Trump's DHS to make this happen. He was just ARRESTED in Vegas and is in ICE CUSTODY! Despite a community note on the post calling Loudon out for false information, ICE confirmed that Lame had been detained at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for violating the terms of his visa on June 6. The 25-year-old star had entered the U.S. on April 30 on a temporary visa. A spokesperson for ICE said he had been granted voluntary departure following his arrest and had since left the country. open image in gallery Bo Loudon, a Gen-Z influencer, who has been pictured numerous times with the president and his son, said he had personally taken action to have TikTokstar Khaby Lame deported ( Getty ) No one works faster than President Trump's administration! Loudon wrote, following news of Lames departure. ICE has not confirmed Loudons involvement publicly, and did not provide further information when contacted by The Independent. open image in gallery Serigne Khabane Lame is a Senegalese-Italian TikToker known for his deadpan reactions to other videos. His viral videos have earned him a following of more than 162 million ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) Lame, whose real name is Serigne Khabane Lame, is a Senegalese-Italian TikToker known for his deadpan reactions to other videos. His viral videos have earned him a following of more than 162 million. While in the country, Lame attended the Met Gala in New York City on May 5. He has not commented publicly on the allegations that he overstayed his visa. open image in gallery Despite barely being old enough to vote, Loudon and Barron Trump (pictured) were unofficially recruited onto team Trump to help the oldest presidential candidate in history tap into the manosphere and capture the bro vote in the run up to the 2024 presidential election ( AFP via Getty Images ) It is also unclear if Lame returned to Italy immediately and posted an Instagram Story of himself in Sao Paulo, Brazil, after leaving the U.S. Despite barely being old enough to vote, Loudon and Barron Trump were unofficially recruited to help the oldest presidential candidate in history tap into the manosphere and capture the bro vote in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. Loudon, from Palm Beach, Florida, is the son of Dr Gina Loudon, the conservative television pundit and former co-chair of Women for Trump in 2020, and John Loudon, a former Missouri state senator. 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 168-page House report has slammed the Department of Homeland Security for egregious funding mismanagement. The House Appropriations Committee released its report on Wednesday for the Homeland Security funding bill, conveying complaints regarding departmental policies. The report also included guidance on how it would like the funding for the 2026 fiscal year to be spent. One of the concerns included Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spending more money than it had received. Lawmakers from both the Democrats and the Republicans have made such complaints amid the Trump administrations ratcheting up of deportations. This comes as the White House waits for Congress to pass a spending package, which may include billions of dollars in funding for immigration enforcement. Actions already taken in fiscal year 2025 are especially egregiousICE began spending more than its appropriated level shortly after the fiscal year commenced and operations now far exceed available resources, the report states. Fiscal year 2025 began in October. While the Committee recognizes the dynamic environment in which ICE must function, neither ICE nor the Department should rely on other components to fund the deficits that ICE itself often creates, it adds. Not only does that presuppose that other missions within DHS are less important, but it also sets the precedent that the Department can shift funding away from congressional priorities within other components to compensate for ICEs budgetary mismanagement. A House report has blasted Immigration and Customs Enforcement for spending beyond its means ( AFP/Getty ) The report states that such mismanagement is unacceptable and calls on ICE to update the committee on a monthly basis, to ensure appropriate congressional oversight. The Homeland Security appropriations subcommittee chair, Republican Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada, told ICE Director Todd Lyon during a recent hearing that the agency was at risk of violating the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal agencies from incurring expenses before Congress has approved the spending. I would appreciate it if you, for your part, would let folks know up your chain of command that this information, if its not coming in real time, is not useful, Amodei told Lyons, according to Politico. He added that they have to keep in mind things like the Antideficiency Act and Ill just be honest with you, speaking for me, I dont know that I have the information that I need to make sure that were doing our job in the context of that. The report also states that there are concerns about the TSA, FEMA policy, cybersecurity, as well as the Coast Guard, in addition to the other agencies operated by DHS. The full committee will mark up the bill on Thursday; however, Republican leadership in the House hasnt announced any floor action as of yet on any of the bills handling fiscal year 2026. Bipartisan funding negotiations havent started with less than four months until the start of the next fiscal year. Additionally, the White House has yet to send a full budget request. Two-thirds of federal law enforcement spending is taken up by immigration and border issues for the 2025 fiscal year, the Cato Institute noted. That includes roughly $19 billion for CBP, $10 billion for ICE, $3.2 billion for DHS general offices, and $281 million for USCIS. ICE spending has increased significantly since its creation in 2003. Recently, its budget has gone from $8.4 billion in 2023 to $9.6 billion in 2024, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Homeland Security Appropriations Bill for 2026 currently includes proposed funding for ICE of $11 billion, about $960 million more than this year. Kristi Noem brands all of Los Angeles a 'city of criminals' as she defends the ICE raids and deportations While congressional Republicans have shared concerns about the Trump administration spending too much on deportations, the White House is so far pushing ahead anyway, according to Politico. The administration is pushing legislators to pass the big, beautiful bill, which would add billions of dollars for border security. The Big Beautiful Bill Act would direct $168 billion to immigration and border security, according to the Congressional Budget Office, compared to $34 billion in fiscal year 2025. This comes as Trump aide Stephen Miller is pushing for at least 3,000 arrests of illegal immigrants a day. Lyons noted earlier this month that ICE is currently averaging about 1,600. An administration official told Politico earlier this month: Its not just the Democrats saying theyll throw a wrench in this. Its the Republicans, too, questioning why were spending beyond our means. 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 Leaders in the FBI are reportedly pushing to move one of the bureaus training programs from its headquarters in Quantico, Virginia, to Huntsville, Alabama, as part of President Donald Trumps desire to move federal agencies out of the Washington D.C. area. Dan Bongino, the FBI deputy director, has preliminarily proposed moving the FBI National Academy, a 10-week training academy for 250 domestic and international law enforcement officers, to Huntsville, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. The FBIs training program for new bureau hires and other parts of its facilities, including the laboratory division, would remain at Quantico, people familiar with the discussion told The Post. While the proposal is still in preliminary stages, it aligns with Trumps April deadline asking agencies to create plans to move their headquarters from Washington D.C., to separate areas of the country to be where the people are. However, the push to move to Huntsville, the most populous city in Alabama, has drawn criticism from some personnel who believe the move could be unjustifiably costly, The Post reported. FBI leaders have had preliminary discussions about moving the bureaus training headquarters in Quantico to Huntsville ( AFP/Getty ) While the FBI has operated at Redstone Arsenal, a U.S. Army base near downtown Huntsville, for decades, some expressed concern that sending hundreds of staff and agents to set up the training facility would require upgrades. If you look at FBI field offices, for example, youll see many that are not located in downtown areas given the highly specialized nature of these facilities and their security requirements, Norman Dong, the former Public Buildings Service commissioner under the Obama administration, told Federal News Network in April. In places like Atlanta or Sacramento, these FBI offices are located far outside of the central city, Dong added. The FBI Academy is currently located in Quantico, a town in Prince William County, Virginia, which is approximately 35 miles outside of D.C. A spokesperson for the FBI said that any relocation options were being evaluated to determine if it could save the bureau money while also serving as a sufficient facility. Since Trump took office in January, the bureau has undergone significant changes, beginning with its leadership. Trump nominated Kash Patel to serve as FBI director despite Patel having a history of taking controversial pro-Trump stances. The president then tapped Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who became a popular right-wing podcaster, as deputy director. After Patel was sworn in, he said he would relocate roughly 1,000 staff and agents out of the D.C. office and said hed move 500 people to the Huntsville facility so the FBI could have more of a presence in other cities. Trump proposed moving federal buildings and agencies outside of D.C. during his first administration, but the plan did not have immense success, in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Trump moved the Bureau of Land Managements headquarters from D.C. to Grand Junction, Colorado in 2019 so it could be closer to the land it manages. However, a review by the Biden administration found that the move caused more than 80 percent of the agencys employees to leave. Eventually, the headquarters were restored back to Washington D.C. 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 After Gavin Newsom pushed back on Donald Trumps claim that the two had a phone call a day ago about the ongoing protests in Los Angeles, Fox News published what it called receipts from the president that supposedly proved that the California governor was lying. Instead, the call log that Trump handed over to Fox News anchor John Roberts on Tuesday showed that Newsom was right all along, something that was made clear in Roberts follow-up on-air report. That didnt seem to matter to the right-wing network, though, as multiple hosts and reporters still dishonestly spun for the president despite their receipt supporting the governors claim. Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon, the president was asked when he last spoke to the governor, who is currently suing the administration for federally deploying the National Guard to LA in response to the demonstrations over Trumps immigration raids. A day ago, the president responded. Called him up to tell him, got to do a better job, he's doing a bad job. Causing a lot of death and a lot of potential death. Captioning a clip of Trumps remarks, Newsom immediately disputed the president in a social media post. There was no call. Not even a voicemail, the governor wrote. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying the Marines onto our streets doesnt even know who hes talking to. open image in gallery Fox News host Jesse Watters presented a misleadingly edited clip of Donald Trump's comments in the Oval Office to claim that Gavin Newsom lied about when Trump called him. ( Fox News ) Following Newsoms denial that a call had taken place within the past day, Trump quickly called up Roberts and told him that the governor was lying. The Fox News anchor then posted on X the presidents comments as well as a screenshot of Trumps phone showing the latest call activity with Newsom. President Trump just contacted me from Air Force 1 to say this: First call was not picked up. Second call, Gavin picked up, we spoke for 16 minutes. I told him to, essentially, get his a** in gear, and stop the riots, which were out of control. More than anything else, this shows what a liar he is - Said I never called. Here is the evidence, Roberts tweeted. The screenshot on the presidents phone log, meanwhile, showed two calls made to Newsom, one of which was not picked up and the other lasting for over 16 minutes. Both of these calls took place at 1:23 a.m. ET on June 7, which would have been late Friday night in California - days earlier then Trump claimed in the Oval Office. Newsom had already publicly discussed that call with multiple reporters in recent days, including in an interview with NBC News that featured the governor daring the administration to come get me after Trumps border czar threatened to arrest him. The governor told NBC News on Sunday that he had a very decent conversation with Trump late Friday night that lasted roughly 20 minutes, adding that the president never brought up the prospect of mobilizing the National Guard. While the call log from the president clearly supported Newsoms timeline, Roberts framed the matter as the president bringing the receipts to disprove the governor during an on-air report. At the same time, he massaged the presidents Oval Office remarks to give Trump a bit more cover. After Trump said in the noon hour in the Oval Office that he called him yesterday or the other day, Gavin Newsom tweeted the following: There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying the Marines onto our streets doesnt even know who hes talking to, Roberts stated, suggesting the president said something he never uttered. Going through the presidents screenshot and comments to him, Roberts conceded that this showed the call happened on June 7 and that it would have been late Friday night where the governor was located. Still, the segment was framed as the president catching Newsom in a lie. Were waiting to see if Gov. Newsom has a response to the presidents essentially what he has there is the receipts for what he says is the call that was made, co-anchor Molly Line declared, prompting Roberts to add: Its all about the receipts! open image in gallery Fox News anchors John Roberts and Molly Line boast that Donald Trump brought "receipts" that proved Gavin Newsom was lying about a recent phone call. ( Fox News ) That Fox News segment was quickly picked up by MAGA media personality Charlie Kirk, who tweeted that it was gold because it revealed that Trump had dropped the receipts on his call with Gavin Newsom. The governor, however, promptly pushed back. If only he had shown the right ones... Trump doesnt even know what day it is, he posted on X. Meanwhile, in response to Roberts initial tweet of the presidents screenshot, Newsoms press office flatly pointed out that this call was from 3 days ago. Despite it being clear at this point that Trump had not refuted Newsoms claim that a call did not take place the previous day, the network continued to frame the presidents comments and phone log as proof to the contrary. Trump brings receipts he called Newsom amid LA riots as California gov claims there wasn't 'even a voicemail, the headline read of Fox News digital story on the back-and-forth, which was co-bylined by Roberts. While the digital story includes comments from Newsom and his press office pointing out that the governor was clearly responding to Trumps comment this morning of a day ago, the report largely revolves around how the president hit back at the governors claims that the president did not recently call him. The networks senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy, in multiple reports on Fox News and its sister network Fox Business, essentially just pretended that the disagreement wasnt over when the president last called Newsom, but rather if Trump had ever phoned him. Newsom then claimed that there was no call, not even a voicemail, Doocy said on Special Report after airing a clip of Trumps Oval Office comments. A screenshot of an iPhone call log to Fox News John Roberts shows two calls from the president to Newsom on Saturday. One lasted for 16 minutes! With the networks straight news division laying the groundwork, the conservative cable giants pro-Trump opinion hosts were then apparently given free rein to get even more deceptive with their own spin. During his primetime show Tuesday night, Jesse Watters who had already asserted on The Five hours earlier that Newsom was lying because he cant control the narrative presented an edited clip of Trumps Oval Office remarks that completely excised the presidents assertion that it was a day ago that he called the governor. Newsom responded, and he said there wasnt a phone call. He said Trump never called him. Not even a voicemail, he said, Watters proclaimed after airing the edited video. But John Roberts got Trumps call logs, and it shows Trump called him late Friday night and they talked for 16 minutes, the MAGA host added. Why would Newsom lie and claim Trump never called him? Why would he do that?! The president, in the end, made sure to reference his text to Roberts when he was asked on Tuesday night about Newsom disputing his claim that the two had talked on Monday. Gov. Newsom says he did not speak to you a day ago, as you said in the Oval Office earlier. Whats your response to that? a reporter wondered after Trump returned from his Fort Bragg speech. It wasn't a day ago, a little longer than that, and I presented the phone conversation to Fox News John Roberts and Molly Line at Fox News, because they were the ones that said it, Trump responded. And we actually spent 16 point something minutes on the phone. And I told him, he's got to get his act together. . We had a pleasant conversation. . I'm sure you all saw it. You saw them, yeah? But why would you ask me that question if you saw it? 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 California Governor Gavin Newsom has lashed out at President Donald Trumps special envoy Richard Grenell for pushing claims that his wife was out shopping during the protests in Los Angeles. Grenell, a White House special envoy for special missions, claimed that the governor and Jennifer Siebel Newsom dont care about the chaos after a report claimed the first lady of California was shopping in Beverly Hills Monday. She came to Los Angeles to shop using her $4k purse, Grenell posted on X early Wednesday. @GavinNewsom and his wife dont care about the chaos. Newsoms representatives furiously denied the claims. This story is an outright lie and needs to be retracted entirely, the Governors press office responded on X Wednesday, quoting Grenells post. The photo is from months ago when the first partner was picking up skin care products. She is recovering from a past skin cancer diagnosis, you SICK people. open image in gallery California Governor Gavin Newsoms office has denied claims peddled by Ric Grennell that his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom was shopping in Beverly Hills Monday during the protests. ( AFP/Getty ) But Grenell, a regular critic of Newsom, doubled down on his claims and accused the couple of pathetic spin. In 2023, Jennifer Newsom revealed she had undergone surgery for the second time to treat a type of skin cancer. This is pathetic spin from @GavinNewsoms wife, Grenell said in a follow up post. Using a previous skin cancer diagnosis to explain why you are tone deaf to the LA riots is shameful. I had 5 rounds of R-CHOP chemotherapy for 18 weeks, Grenell added. Its offensive for the First Partner of California (this is the title she demands we use) to use cancer as a reason you need to be in Beverly Hills picking up skincare products while the riots are unfolding around you. The Independent has contacted the State Department for comment. Representatives for the governor could not be immediately reached. open image in gallery Grenell, a White House special envoy for special missions, claimed that Jennifer Siebel Newsom was shopping in Beverly Hills Monday. The governors press office furiously denied the claims. ( Getty ) It follows the governors televised address Tuesday where he lambasted Trumps brazen abuse of power. Newsom said the presence of troops was exacerbating tensions and asked for an emergency injunction to halt the deployment, arguing it is unlawful and unnecessary. A hearing is set Thursday. In the latest developments in the city, the downtown curfew enacted by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in response to the presidents escalation of the response to immigration protests has been lifted. Meanwhile, approximately 700 Marines mobilized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will arrive in the city soon after training in Seal Beach, 30 miles south. The administration is now considering deploying troops to other cities to quell further protests, an official told the New York Times. 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 California Governor Gavin Newsom was rejected after urgently appealing to a federal judge on Tuesday for an immediate order barring the National Guard and Marines deployed in response to the Los Angeles protests from joining in immigration raids, claiming such operations could be slated to begin any moment. In a filing in a California federal court, the state said the Trump administration intends to use unlawfully federalized National Guard troops and Marines to accompany federal immigration enforcement officers on raids throughout Los Angeles. Federal antagonization, through the presence of soldiers in the streets, has already caused real and irreparable damage to the City of Los Angeles, the people who live there, and the State of California, the filing continued. They must be stopped, immediately. California sought a temporary restraining order preventing the military outfits from participating in immigration operations in Los Angeles, though a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California decided to give the administration a day to respond to the claims, scheduling a court hearing on the motion for Thursday. In a brief response, the Justice Department called Californias claims legally meritless. Filing seeks to bar California National Guard and U.S. Marines from joining in immigration operations, which may be imminent ( AFP/Getty ) It seeks an extraordinary, unprecedented, and dangerous court order, the administration argued, warning the restraining order would jeopardize the safety of Department of Homeland Security personnel and interfere with the Federal Governments ability to carry out operations. The judge did not grant Newsoms request and has set a hearing on the matter for 1.30pm ET on Thursday. Governor Newsom, the most public face of the Democratic opposition to Trumps involvement in the Los Angeles crisis, had been hinting that the presidential administration was planning to step up enforcement. Were on the other side of the red line, Newsom previously warned in a podcast interview on Monday, describing the alleged attempt to operationalize the troops. The White House said the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles are carrying out their mission. President Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to protect federal law enforcement, federal buildings, and the federal mission after Gavin Newsom enabled violent riots and attacks on law enforcement, spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement to The Independent. Military troops are providing protection for federal law enforcement officers as they continue operations to remove the worst of the worst from Los Angeles, the Department of Homeland Security said in a separate statement. If any rioters attack ICE law enforcement officers, military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain them until law enforcement makes the arrest. The violence against ICE law enforcement must end. The Independent has contacted the Marine Corps and U.S. Northern Command, which is overseeing the Los Angeles operation, for comment. Tuesdays request from Newsom claimed that state officials learned between June 9 and 10 that the administration plans to use some of the 4,000 federalized National Guard members in Los Angeles to accompany immigration agents on operations throughout the community, fulfilling roles like holding a secure perimeter and securing routes over public streets where immigration enforcement officers would travel. Trump threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act in Los Angeles Elsewhere in the request, the state suggested contingents from the 700 Marines deployed to Los Angeles could join in the effort, with both forces having the potential to physically interact with or detain civilians. If such operations begin to take place, they would represent a major development, given the high legal firewalls keeping the military from domestic law enforcement activity in all but the most emergency circumstances. The dramatic request came as part of the lawsuit California filed on Monday against the administration for activating the states National Guard to respond to the protests against the wishes of the governor and mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass. On Tuesday, President Trump said he was open to the even more dramatic possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which would grant the military additional domestic power to respond to the protests. As part of the Trump administrations goal of rapidly deporting millions of people, the White House has reportedly explored ways to operationalize other parts of federal law enforcement, including drug and gun enforcement agents, to tackle illegal immigration. 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 Ivanka Trump was slammed as tone deaf for sharing photos of herself surfing on World Oceans Day, as protests against her fathers immigration raids escalated into chaos in Los Angeles. President Donald Trumps eldest daughter received intense criticism after sharing images of herself surfing Tuesday, writing, Theres no place I feel more free, more grounded, and more at peace than in the ocean. The Internet did not take kindly to Ivankas seemingly inconspicuous post, deeming her tone deaf and complicit as Trumps sweeping Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids have sparked mass protests, some of which turned violent. Ivanka Trump is not part of the administration this term, unlike her fathers first, but has been seen around him at several events in recent months. Your father ruins my peace hourly, one commenter wrote. Another chimed in, Ivanka Antoinette. While America burns, she surfs. The narcissist doesnt fall far from the orange tree, one person wrote. Ivanka Trump was slammed online for sharing images of herself surfing as protests rage on in Los Angeles. ( AFP/Getty ) Another jibed: My father is bringing our country to the brink of Civil War, Im going surfing! Lol! The nearly week-long protests prompted a curfew to be enacted at 8 p.m. Tuesday in downtown LA as well as mass arrests for those who fail to comply. California leaders say the curfew will prevent looters and vandals from taking advantage of what they say is Trumps intentional escalation of the situation. So far, the Trump administration has deployed 4,000 National Guard troops, with 700 Marines set to join Wednesday all against Gov. Gavin Newsoms wishes. Newsom, who says the troops will only exacerbate tensions, asked a judge for an emergency injunction regarding their deployment, arguing it is unlawful, as well as excessive and unnecessary. A judge rejected Newsoms emergency injunction and allowed the Trump administration more time to respond to the court filing. The governor also snapped at Trumps brazen abuse of power during a televised address Tuesday, warning that democracy is under assault because of Trumps actions. Meanwhile, Trump continued to fire shots at Newsom early Wednesday morning, writing on his Truth Social, The INCOMPETENT Governor of California was unable to provide protection in a timely manner when our Ice Officers, GREAT Patriots they are, were attacked by an out of control mob of agitators, troublemakers, and/or insurrectionists. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! The president is reportedly weighing whether to deploy troops to other cities where similar protests have begun to emerge, including New York and Chicago. More protests were set to sweep parts of the nation Wednesday in cities such as Seattle, St. Louis and Indianapolis. 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 Last month, Fox News star Jesse Watters melted down over James Comeys 8647 social media post, insisting that it proved the former FBI director obviously was trying to put out a hit on President Donald Trump. Three weeks later, the MAGA host let slip that his outrage over Comey was all a performative show when he reacted to the firing of Terry Moran by celebrating that the ABC News correspondent had been 86d by the network. MAGA world absolutely erupted in mid-May when Comey, a vocal critic of the president who was fired by Trump as FBI chief in 2017, posted an image of seashells on the beach that were arranged to spell out the numbers 8647. Based on 86 being a restaurant-based slang term meaning to get rid of or throw out, Trump immediately claimed that the image meant assassination, as he is the 47th president. The Secret Service would soon launch an investigation into Comey, who claimed there was no dark intention and that it was crazy to suggest he was trying to get the president killed. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard would tell Watters that the ex-FBI director should be put behind bars over the since-deleted post, while FBI deputy director Dan Bongino fumed that Comey brought shame to the FBI again with the image. Of course, many of the conservatives who were apoplectic about Comeys Instagram pic had previously used similar terms in reference to other politicians or impeaching former President Joe Biden, and pro-Trump retailers are still selling 8646 merchandise. open image in gallery Fox News host Jesse Watters says that ABC News 86'd correspondent Terry Moran less than a month after calling for James Comey to be prosecuted for his "8647" post. ( Fox News ) Matt Gaetz, the former GOP congressman who now hosts a show on far-right conspiracy channel One America News, once boasted that he had 86d several prominent Republicans from leadership roles. I was speaking in the past tense about things that had already happened, Gaetz told The Independent last month. Comey was putting out a call for future action. These are distinct. Watters, meanwhile, was one of the loudest voices in pro-Trump media condemning the former FBI director and calling for action to be taken over the death threat against the president. He obviously was trying to put out a hit on Trump, got caught, and deleted it, Watters grumbled on the May 16 broadcast of The Five, adding: Anybody with common sense knows what this guy meant. He would go on to complain that Comey was calling for [Trumps] head and that he hoped the Secret Service would soon pay him a visit because this cant stand. During his primetime show later that evening, Watters aired a lengthy segment about the Comey post and even went so far as to call for the feds to check for sand under [Comeys] fingernails to see if he was the one who arranged the seashells on the beach. He also took issue with mainstream and liberal media outlets not taking the threat against Trump seriously. open image in gallery During the May 16 broadcast of The Five, Fox News host Jesse Watters accused James Comey of placing a "hit" on Donald Trump with his "8647" social media post. ( Fox News ) The media pretending not to know what 8647 means, the same way they pretended not to know that MS-13 was on an American dads knuckles, Watters fumed. Suddenly, it is legal to threaten the president's life. Fast forward a few weeks, though, and it appears that the Fox News host has now learned that 86 could have a more ambiguous meaning. ABC just 86d Terry Moran for calling Stephen Miller a hateful bigot, he declared on Tuesday night, referencing Morans termination following a late-night tweet criticizing Trump and Miller. This was probably the easiest thing that ABC ever had to do. As he spoke with fellow Fox News host Julie Banderas about ABC parting ways with its longtime correspondent and gaining credibility with the White House, an on-air graphic blared TERRY MORAN 86D BY ABC across the screen. Meanwhile, Watters sudden realization that the term 86 doesnt necessarily mean murder was not lost on his critics, who were more than happy to point out his hypocrisy and faux indignation on the Comey situation. The entire 86'd thing was basically a litmus test for who is an honest broker and who is not, American Immigration Council senior fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick reacted. Those who seriously claimed it was a death threat simply should not be trusted to make honest arguments. Starting to think these guys may not be entirely on the level, Media Matters writer Matt Gertz flatly stated, sharing screenshots of Watters segments from last month and Tuesday night. 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 White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt got into a heated back and forth with reporters on Wednesday as she held her first briefing since President Donald Trump federalized the National Guard in California and sent active-duty Marines to join them in cracking down on protests and unrest over immigration roundups in Los Angeles. Leavitt condemned the protests as shameful, citing what she described as left-wing radicals waving foreign flags who she accused of viciously attacking Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers and Border Patrol agents as well as Los Angeles Police Department officers as part of an assault on American culture and society itself. Leavitt also condemned Democratic elected officials in the Golden State, specifically Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, accusing them of having shamefully failed to meet their sworn obligations to their citizens by not ordering a forceful military response to protesters. She also lauded Trump for ordering the mob of protesters to be stamped out. The criminals responsible will be swiftly brought to justice, and the Trump administration's operations to arrest illegal aliens are continuing unabated, Leavitt said. She added that Newsom and Bass had sided with illegal alien criminals in their communities and violent rioters and looters over law enforcement officers who are just doing their jobs. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday took to the White House briefing room for the first time since the unrest in California broke out and things got heated when reporters pressed her on military call-up. ( Getty ) But Leavitts pugnacious attacks on California leaders did not satisfy reporters, who repeatedly asked her about the extent to which the military service members whove been deployed in Los Angeles are authorized to aid in immigration law enforcement, nor did she fully explain how Trumps threats to use very big force against protesters at his planned military parade in D.C. this weekend comport with Americas constitutional guarantees of free speech. She also aggressively denied that the immigration crackdown that precipitated the protests and violence over the weekend had been ordered up in an effort to change the national conversation from Trumps messy split with billionaire Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX boss who wrapped up a stint as an unpaid adviser to the administration late last month. Asked about the possibility that Trumps crackdown was meant as a distraction to their social media war, Leavitt replied: That's an incredibly disingenuous attack. She said Trump had been moved by images of border patrol and ICE agents being hailed with rocks and Molotov cocktails and vehicles being burned to the ground with illegal aliens flying foreign flags. Leavitts press briefing came less than a day after Trump threatened to forcibly put down any protests that spoil the military parade he has ordered up for his birthdayon Saturday to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Armys founding during the American Revolutionary War. During a media availability in the Oval Office on Tuesday, the president warned that any protests of the parade would be met with very big force on Saturday. White House unable to provide evidence to support Trump's 'paid protestors' claims He reiterated the explicit threat a moment later, telling those people who want to protest that they would be met with very big force once more. He also opined further that any protest against the parade on Saturday would consist only of people who hate our country. The president has a long history of pushing for the use of state violence against protests, which he considers to be a personal affront and a reflection of weakness on his part. During protests for racial justice in Washington following the May 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer, he reportedly pushed to have military and law enforcement open fire on other protesters, asking then his then-Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, General Mark Milley, why National Guard troops deployed as a result of the demonstrations could not shoot protesters in the legs. But Leavitt denied that Trump has any intention of attacking protests against his parade or his policies this weekend. Seemingly ignorant of the presidents history of urging violence against demonstrations, Leavitt claimed the president supports the right of Americans to peacefully protest and supports the First Amendment while suggesting that the protests in Los Angeles have consisted entirely of mobs of violent rioters and agitators assaulting law enforcement officers, assaulting our federal immigration authorities. Thankfully, the President took action and stepped in to protect our federal law enforcement agents, to perfect protect federal buildings, to protect the federal mission of deporting illegal criminals off of our streets, and that mission will continue every day, as far as we're concerned, she 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 DHS chief Kristi Noem wants the US military directly involved in detaining and arresting protesters in Los Angeles, according to a letter sent to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The letter, first obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, was authored by Noem prior to her meeting on Monday with Donald Trump and other top Cabinet officials concerning the unfolding demonstrations in Los Angeles. It seemed to baselessly accuse some participants in the demonstrations as being part of foreign terrorist organizations as Noem requested support [for] our law enforcement officers and agents across Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Federal Protective Services (FPS). Noem added that federal immigration authorities were supposedly facing invasive, violent, insurrectionist mobs that seek to protect invaders and military-aged males belonging to identified foreign terrorist organizations, and who seek to prevent the deportation of criminal aliens. White House and DHS officials have not made such accusations publicly. Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem said that terorrist organizations were active in Los Angeles ( Getty Images ) A DHS spokesperson told the Chronicle that the posture of our brave troops has not changed, seemingly indicating that the letters requests were not fulfilled. US troops do not have constitutional authority to make arrests, but an official told CBS News that members of the armed forces may "hold a rioter until police come to arrest them if they witness an assault or another criminal act. Trumps order directing the National Guard to Los Angeles states that troops may perform those military protective activities that the Secretary of Defense determines are reasonably necessary to ensure the protection and safety of Federal personnel and property, but does not specifically grant arrest power. Mostly centered around a federal building where detainees are believed to be held, demonstrations kicked off in the city last week after ICE raids began under new direction from the White House to target businesses and other public settings in broad sweeps a departure from efforts to specifically identify persons with criminal backgrounds for deportation. The new direction came at the order of Stephen Miller, architect of Trumps mass deportation plan. Over the weekend the protests grew sporadically violent, with a number of Waymo self-driving cars torched and a handful of clashes between police and protesters. But city officials including LAPDs chief have said that the addition of National Guard troops and Marines to fortify the federal building and other areas of the city is a needless escalation by the White House. City officials have roundly condemned the Trump administrations response to the unfolding unrest, while also vowing to hold protesters who commit criminal acts accountable. Let me be clear: ANYONE who vandalized Downtown or looted stores does not care about our immigrant communities. You will be held accountable, Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said on Tuesday. But their responses havent made a dent in the criticism coming from the White House, as Trump and members of his administration continue to paint Democratic leadership in the city as ineffective, corrupt and focused on attacking Republicans over public safety. On Tuesdsay, the tension escalated as the president endorsed a threat issued by his border czar, Tom Homan, to order the arrest of Californias Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom. Meanwhile, the presidents critics argue that his decision to lean on the military to suppress dissent in Los Angeles is a sign of the authoritarian bent of Trumps second administration. A Rolling Stone investigation published on Tuesday cited two sources with knowledge of the presidents conversations as saying that Trump was speaking to aides about identifying the earliest possible moment when it would be appropriate to send in federal troops for crime suppression efforts quickly after taking office in January. The president himself this week also threatened a massive law enforcement response against any demonstrations that disrupt a military parade the White House putting on in Washington, D.C. this Saturday to mark the Armys 250th anniversary. 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 Attorney General Pam Bondi has declined to say what the president was thinking about the possibility of invoking the drastic emergency powers of the Insurrection Act to respond to the Los Angeles immigration protests. Right now in California, were at a good point, Bondi told reporters outside the White House, insisting controversial measures like sending federalized California National Guard troops and Marines are working to resolve the crisis. Were not scared to go further, Bondi added. Were not frightened to do something else, if we need to. The president was similarly vague when asked on Tuesday about his threshold for invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow active-duty military members to break with the usual strict legal prohibitions on engaging in domestic law enforcement. If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it, Trump said during an Oval Office press conference. We'll see. Attorney General Pam Bondi and President Trump have left door open to invoking the Insurrection Act, but have offered few details on exact threshold that would provoke White House to trigger emergency law ( Reuters ) The Attorney General said Wednesday that the police response to aligned anti-immigration raid protests in other cities had been more encouraging than that of officials in Los Angeles. Weve seen it in New York, she said. What happened in New York was very different. NYPD came in right away. NYPD came in and shut it down. We all believe in peaceful protest...There were peaceful protests happening in New York. At least 25 rallies and demonstrations have broken out across the country in the wake of the conflagration in Los Angeles, in locales including New York, Dallas, Chicago, and San Francisco. More than 300 people have been arrested over the Los Angeles protests, while at least 14 were arrested across protests in Austin and Dallas, more than 150 have been arrested in San Francisco, and at least 86 have been taken into custody in New York. Even without the Insurrection Act, federal and state troops in Los Angeles are already edging closer to law enforcement roles in response to the protests, which kicked off late last week in response to immigration raids. White House denies LA response is to distract from Musk feud Military troops are providing protection for federal law enforcement officers as they continue operations to remove the worst of the worst from Los Angeles, the Department of Homeland Security told The Independent. If any rioters attack ICE law enforcement officers, military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain them until law enforcement makes the arrest. The violence against ICE law enforcement must end. The state of California is suing the Trump administration, seeking orders barring the military from joining in immigration raids and challenging the overall deployment of the Guard against state leaders wishes. Federal antagonization, through the presence of soldiers in the streets, has already caused real and irreparable damage to the City of Los Angeles, the people who live there, and the State of California, the state wrote in an emergency filing in federal court on Tuesday. They must be stopped, immediately. Local leaders have also taken emergency measures, including a curfew for parts of downtown Los Angeles that was instituted on Tuesday following continued spurts of violence and occasional looting. 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 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to make light of the contributions made by Americas NATO allies during the war in Afghanistan at a Capitol Hill hearing on Wednesday. Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hegseth attempted to make a point that the White House and President Donald Trump himself have frequently made: that other NATO member-states should increase their defensive capabilities to match the benchmarks laid out in the defense pacts charter. Instead, the secretary harked back to a remark he told Sen. Chris Coons (D-Conn.) was commonly made by US service members on the ground in Afghanistan during his time in the service. Hegseth said his fellow Army National Guardsmen would often joke that the ISAF acronym on their shoulder patches which stood for International Security Assistance Force really stood for, I saw Americans fighting. Ultimately it was a lotta flags. Lotta flags. [But it] was not a lot of on-the-ground capability, Hegseth continued in disparaging the NATO troops. Youre not a real coalition, youre not a real alliance, unless you have real defense capability, and real armies that can bring those to bear. His remark drew immediate rebuke from Coons, who noted the military and human contributions that Americas allies made after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when NATOs Article 5 was invoked for the first time. Pete Hegseth told senators that the bulk of the effort was American during the war in Afghanistan ( AP ) The Democratic senator launched into an explanation about how Denmark, with a population of just six million, suffered some of the highest losses per capita of any coalition ally, only closely trailing the United States. Let's just make clear for the record that our military partners in Afghanistan included many who served and died, said the senator. But Hegseth wasnt finished. Dont try and make it look like I dont care about the investments of our partners, said the secretary. Of course I do. I recognize that there were lives lost from other countries. But the bulk of the effort was Americans. Alongside the US, 31 other countries participated in the war in Afghanistan and saw soldiers killed in combat and due to other circumstances. The U.S. lost 2,461 troops over the course of the longest military engagement in U.S. history, followed by the UK, which lost 457 service members. The final deaths of the war occurred during a chaotic withdrawal from the country in 2021, following the fall of large tracts of territory to Taliban militants the U.S .and its allies failed to dislodge over the course of 20 years. A blast attributed to Islamic State militants killed more than a dozen US service members outside of Kabuls airport during the evacuation, while thousands of desperate Afghans crowded the facility and sought exit on American planes. Americas participation in the war grew unpopular as it dragged on, and the withdrawal of forces was ordered by Donald Trump during his first presidency. Completed under Joe Biden, the chaotic nature of the pullout and the speed of the collapse of Afghanistans democratic government were points of soreness and contention in Washington, with defense hawks fretting that the Taliban takeover amounted to the country turning into a breeding ground for al Qaeda, the Islamic State and other terror groups once again. Britains House of Commons library reports that the total cost of UK contributions to the war topped 32.8 billion pounds, adjusted for 2024-25 price levels. Tens of thousands of Afghan refugees were also resettled by the UK and other US partners. In 2021 and the two years following, Afghan refugees were the most common nationality accepted by the Home Office, according to the governments figures. The Trump administration in January froze a program allowing Afghan citizens who helped the US during the war against the Taliban, Islamic State and Al Qaeda to resettle in America. 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 God-fearing patriots will now have a choice to make on Saturday between watching Donald Trumps military and birthday parade, and a special address by Pope Leo XIV. The pontiff has announced plans to screen a video message and mass in his hometown of Chicago at the same time that the presidents multi-million dollar party will be happening in Washington, D.C. Tickets for the event, which is to be held at the Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox (Pope Leos favorite team), are being sold online at $5 each. As of Wednesday the 40,000-sea stadium was almost entirely sold out. A prayer service, which is reportedly directed at young people of the world, begins at 2:30 p.m local time and mass will be held at 4:00 p.m. Both will be live streamed. Some 700 miles away in Washington, D.C., the atmosphere will be somewhat different. Trumps military parade is set to feature around 6,600 Army troops and military equipment such as a WWII-vintage B-25 bomber, a P-1 fighter and Huey helicopters used in the Vietnam War, as well as 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, and four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles. open image in gallery Pope Leo XIV is set to broadcast a video message in his hometown of Chicago that will coincide with the Saturdays military parade and birthday celebrations of Donald Trump. ( Reuters ) Leo was elected to become The Holy See last month, and prior to his ascension was known to have disagreed with the president and vice president J.D. Vance in social media posts published while still a cardinal. The papacy has also criticized anti-immigrant rhetoric such as the comments from the Trump administration, though has not named the president specifically. In a mass on Sunday, held in St. Peters Square, Leo criticized the surge of nationalist political movements in the world and prayed for reconciliation and dialogue. Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for security zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms, he said. open image in gallery Pope Leos message is aimed at the young people of the world and is likely to strike a different tone to Trumps military parade, which is set to feature around 6,600 Army troops and military equipment, to showcase the strength of the U.S. Army ( AP ) On the American west coast, violent clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement continued in Los Angeles following heavy-handed raids by immigration authorities. Trump later ordered 4,000 state national guardsmen to be mobilized to assist policing of the protests, as well as 700 active duty U.S. Marines. Prior to becoming pope, Leo also voiced opposition to the treatment of El Salvadorian immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration claimed was part of the MS-13 gang which was not proven. The administration later admitted Abrego Garcias deportation was an administrative error and was later forced by a U.S. court to facilitate his return. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele called the decision preposterous. In response, Leo reposted a link to an article by a bishop, who was born in El Salvador, asking, Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet? 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 on Wednesday announced that American and Chinese negotiators in London have struck a deal to avert the trade war he had been stoking against Beijing since returning to office in January. In an early-morning, all-caps post on Truth Social, Trump claimed the deal was done pending a final approval by him and Chinese President Xi Jinping. He also said Beijing had agreed to supply full magnets and any necessary rare earths to American buyers up front in exchange for the president dropping his plan to prohibit Chinese students from enrolling at American colleges and universities while adding that the U.S. and China would maintain effective tariff rates on respective imports at 55 percent and ten percent. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!" he said. Trumps announcement came following two days of talks in the U.K. capital between Chinese representatives and three top Trump administration officials, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer. Li Chenggang, Chinas international trade representative who also serves as a vice-minister of commerce, told the state-run Xinhua news service that the American and Chinese sides had come to an agreement in principle regarding a framework to fully implement what had been already agreed to after a prior round of talks in Geneva. The latest round of talks were meant to shore up what had been a fragile truce between Washington and Beijing in Trumps trade war following those previous talks in Switzerland after a series of tit-for-tat impositions of export controls threatened to blow up the detente last month. open image in gallery President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping through their negotiators in London have struck a deal to avert the trade war he had been stoking against Beijing since returning to office in January. ( REUTERS ) The U.S. had restricted Chinese access to semiconductors used in computers needed for artificial intelligence, while China had put a wholesale block on the export of rare earth metals used in all sorts of electronic products including the motors and batteries that power electric vehicles. Amid the rising tensions, Trump and Xi spoke last week in 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. He had previously 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. 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. open image in gallery Screengrab of a Truth Social post announcing a US-China trade deal ( Truth Social ) 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. 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 President Donald Trump on Tuesday turned what was meant as a celebration of the U.S. Armys 250th anniversary, for soldiers at one of the nations most storied military bases, into a bellicose campaign-style rally as he attacked Democratic elected officials and denigrated the countrys second-largest city as a cesspool made rotten by uncontrolled migration. Speaking before a crowd of uniformed soldiers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Trump defended his decision to send National Guard soldiers and active duty Marines to quell protests against his anti-immigrant deportation operations in Los Angeles as necessary to prevent attacks on federal law enforcement from a violent mob. He claimed that had he not ordered the soldiers into federal service over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles would be on fire, and compared the guardsmens mission to past overseas battles in which the Army had fought over its 250 years. Generations of army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness here at home, like is happening in California. As Commander in Chief, I will not let that happen. It's never going to happen, Trump said, overstating the current state of affairs in LA by several degrees. Trump told the soldiers that the protests and unrest in Los Angeles represented a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags, with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country, before segueing into a partisan attack on former President Joe Biden. President Donald Trump stands onstage to deliver inflammatory remarks about Los Angeles and immigration during a visit to Fort Bragg Tuesday. ( REUTERS ) He accused stupid people or radical left people or sick people in the previous administration of having allowed millions of people to come into our country, totally unchecked and unvetted and claimed those people were responsible for attacks on police in Los Angeles over the last few days. They're hurling bricks and cinder blocks at law enforcement ... they're breaking up the sidewalks and the curbs, breaking it up with big, strong hammers. These guys are professionals. These are not amateurs, he claimed. These are animals, but they proudly carry the flags of other countries, but they don't carry the American flag. They only burn it. The president cast his effort to use military force to tamp down protests against his immigration policies as a battle against a foreign foe rather than repression of the free speech rights guaranteed to all by the U.S. Constitution, telling the soldiers whod been ordered to attend his speech that his administration would not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. That's what they are. Lot of those people were let in here by the Biden administration. They just poured right in. They came from prisons. They came from jails from all over the world. They came from mental institutions. They were the leaders of gangs. They were drug lords, allowed to come into our country, he said. Trumps partisan commentary to the troops touched on many of the anti-immigrant tropes that have long been a staple of his political stump speech during his three campaigns for the presidency, including claims that other countries have deliberately sent criminals and mental patients to the United States to claim asylum with the consent of the Biden administration and the aid of Democrats in state and local governments. He also praised the thousands of National Guard soldiers and Marines he has dispatched over the past two days for standing guard to protect federal property and personnel and uphold the supremacy of federal law while accusing Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of fomenting the violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. In Los Angeles, the governor of California, the mayor they're incompetent and they paid troublemakers, agitators and insurrectionists, they're engaged in this willful attempt to nullify federal law and aid the occupation of the city by criminal invaders, he said. Continuing, the president praised his own election as a turning point when the country rejected Democratic rule and slammed Los Angeles as having gone from being one of the cleanest, safest and most beautiful cities on earth to being a trash heap with entire neighborhoods under the control of transnational gangs and criminal networks. Echoing the openly racist rhetoric of European far-right parties, Trump blamed uncontrolled migration for the citys supposed condition of chaos, dysfunction and disorder and suggested that European leaders should adopt his anti-immigrant stance. They have it in Europe too. It's happening in many of the countries of Europe. They don't like it when I say it, but I'll say it loudly and clearly. They better do something before it's too late, he said. The presidents rabidly partisan denunciation of duly elected officials in the nations most populous state came just hours after he made a chilling threat against free speech rights of Americans in the nations capital ahead of the military parade he has ordered up to celebrate his own birthday on Saturday. Speaking in the Oval Office following an impromptu event to discuss forest management ahead of the upcoming summer wildfire season, Trump was riffing on what he described as violent excesses by protesterswhove been demonstrating against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles when he was asked about the possibility of protests against the June 14 parade. The president said it would be an amazing day and cited the tanks ... planes ... all sorts of things that will be on display during the spectacle, which is ostensibly meant to mark the Armys 250th. He compared the parade, which breaks from the American tradition that largely eschews militaristic or jingoistic displays of the sort routinely seen in authoritarian countries, to European celebrations of the end of the Second World War. We won the war, and we're the only country that didn't celebrate it, and we're going to be celebrating big on Saturday. We're going to have a lot of and if there's any protest that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force, Trump said. He reiterated the explicit threat a moment later, telling those people who want to protest that they would be met with very big force once more. He also opined further that any protest against the parade on Saturday would consist only of people who hate our country. 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 Soldiers appearing near President Donald Trump at a Tuesday speech at Fort Bragg were reportedly screened for their partisan politics and physical appearance. Ahead of Trumps visit to the North Carolina base, service members were asked to alert superiors if they had political differences with Trump so they could be removed, Military.com reports, citing internal 82nd Airborne Division communications. "If soldiers have political views that are in opposition to the current administration and they don't want to be in the audience then they need to speak with their leadership and get swapped out," one note to troops obtained by the outlet said. Another allegedly focused on the troops physical appearance, bluntly commanding, No fat soldiers. "This has been a bad week for the Army for anyone who cares about us being a neutral institution," a commander at Fort Bragg told the outlet. "This was shameful. I don't expect anything to come out of it, but I hope maybe we can learn from it long term." Critics argued entire Trump speech at Fort Bragg was violation of norms around separating politics and the military, as president trashed California leaders and Biden administration over immigration ( Reuters ) The Independent has contacted the 82nd Airborne Division for comment. During Trumps visit, a vendor was also reportedly allowed to sell campaign-style Make America Great Again merchandise to troops, and the crowd of soldiers booed and cheered at Trumps partisan speech, all of which broke with the militarys tradition and regulations around remaining non-political. "Believe me, no one needs to be encouraged to boo the media," Sean Parnell, a top Pentagon spokesperson, said in response to the reporting. "Look no further than this query, which is nothing more than a disgraceful attempt to ruin the lives of young soldiers." The Tuesday speech in question saw Trump lash out at Democratic opponents like California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, baselessly accusing them of paying L.A. protesters and backing troublemakers, agitators and insurrectionists. The president also defended his decision to send federalized California National Guard troops into the Los Angeles crisis over the objections of state and local leaders. Generations of Army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness here at home, like is happening in California, Trump said. As Commander in Chief, I will not let that happen. It's never going to happen. Trump Makes Several False Statements To Fort Bragg Troops Some criticized the event, arguing Trump was breaking longstanding political norms around respecting the militarys independence. No president in modern history has done more to put the military in the middle of political and cultural crossfire than Donald Trump, one columnist wrote in The New York Times. The criticisms come as Trump has pushed the boundaries of military norms in response to the Los Angeles protests by federalizing state National Guard troops and sending Marines to join in with the local police response to the civil unrest, coming perilously close to using the military for domestic law enforcement. The president has also vowed to use force on those who protest a Saturday parade in Washington for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Armys founding that coincides with Trumps birthday. Other presidents have been accused of using appearances alongside the military for political points, including Joe Biden, who was criticized for a 2022 anti-Trump speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia that featured Marines in dress uniforms in the background. 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 a year after Donald Trump was convicted in a Manhattan courtroom, federal appeals court judges in New York are now wrestling with the scope of a sweeping Supreme Court ruling that shields a president from criminal prosecution for actions tied to his official duties in office. A three-judge panel in Manhattan heard long-gestating arguments Wednesday from the presidents legal team in an effort to remove his historic hush money case into federal court where a Department of Justice stocked with Trump loyalists could make the case disappear. Trump has already been tried, convicted and sentenced, but his attorneys argue that certain pieces of evidence should have been blocked off from jurors under the Supreme Courts immunity ruling arguments that have already been shot down in several courts. Everything about this cries out for federal court, according to former acting U.S. solicitor general Jeffrey Wall, who is representing Trump in his federal appeal. The scope of federal constitutional immunity for the president of the United States should be decided by this court and the Supreme Court not by New York state courts. The nations high court would be stunned if evidence under that federal constitutional immunity wasnt enough to move the case to federal court, Wall said. open image in gallery Lawyers for Donald Trump are asking a federal appeals court take his hush money case out of the hands of New York prosecutors and into federal jurisdiction ( Getty ) If Trump loses his appeal, he could ask the Supreme Court to step in once again. Jurors reached a 34-count guilty verdict against the president on May 30 following a weeks-long trial surrounding Trumps efforts to pay off an adult film star to prevent her from speaking publicly about having sex with him. Roughly one month later, the Supreme Court issued its immunity decision, throwing a wrench into his federal criminal indictments and opening a door for his lawyers to question his conviction in New York. His lawyers argue that Manhattan prosecutors rushed the case to trial instead of waiting for the Supreme Courts decision and wrongfully included evidence covered by that ruling. The inclusion of that evidence and allegations that Trump violated federal campaign finance laws as part of his hush-money conspiracy should have triggered a move into federal court, according to Wall. But the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued that Trump was too late. The fact that we are now past the point of sentencing would be a compelling reason to find no good cause for removal, the district attorneys appeals chief Steven Wu told the judges. Even if that removal process was available, there are no good cause grounds to do so, he argued. The purpose of removal is to make a threshold decision at the start of a trial, not to divert a case after a defendant has been tried, convicted and sentenced, Wu said. Trumps team has already conceded that the case against him relates to unofficial conduct, not acts while he was in office. open image in gallery Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in connection to payments to Stormy Daniels to keep their affair secret before the 2016 election. ( Getty ) He was not president when he committed the crimes at the center of the case, and any discussion about the alleged conspiracy in the early days of his first administration should similarly not be considered official duties, Wu argued. Trumps attorneys are conflating an important distinction the evidence they challenge is not intrinsic to the crime, but remains relevant because it involves Trumps conversations about the crimes he committed, according to Wu. Wu compared the case to a Post Office worker who commits a robbery and then confesses at work while in uniform. The Supreme Courts decision similarly doesnt undercut the case against the president. The slate was not wiped clean, he said. The judges appointed by former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden appeared both skeptical and intrigued by the arguments. But they agreed that the case is an unusual and extraordinary one. It seems to me that we got a very big case that created a whole new world of presidential immunity, said Judge Myrna Perez, a Biden appointee. The boundaries are not clear at this point. Trump may be an unusual defendant, Wu said, but there is nothing unusual about a defendant raising arguments in an attempt to appeal his convictions. But that appeal should stay in state court not federal court, he said. Trumps lawyers first tried to move the case to federal court after his indictment in New York in March 2023. His lawyers tried again, two months after the Supreme Courts immunity ruling. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied both requests, arguing that the criminal case involves Trumps personal decisions, not actions tied to the presidency. 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 Donald Trumps administration is reportedly preparing to send thousands of illegal immigrants to the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as soon as this week, marking a rapid escalation of the presidents mass deportation agenda which could target hundreds of people from European allied countries. Immigration officials are considering whether to transfer as many as 9,000 foreign nationals, including people from the United Kingdom as well as Ireland, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey and Ukraine, according to reporting from The Washington Post and Politico. Officials are not expected to inform their home countries about their imminent transfers to the notorious facility, which opened in 2002 at the height of the War on Terror. Most European allies accept deportees from the United States to their home countries, making it unclear why the Trump administration would first force them into a detention camp roundly condemned by international human rights groups. The naval base is expected to temporarily detain deportees before theyre removed to their home countries in an effort to free up bed space at immigration detention facilities on American soil. A Department of Defense spokesperson did not provide any comment. The Independent has also requested comment from Homeland Security. The Trump administration is expected to ramp up use of the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to detain immigrants before deporting them from the United States ( via REUTERS ) In January, the president said as many as 30,000 immigrants could be imprisoned inside tents and camps at the naval base, though the tents were removed in recent weeks as the number of deportation flights to the facility fell and the prison didnt reach capacity. Dozens of Venezuelan detainees were initially held there before the administration abruptly emptied the facility in February following a lawsuit from civil rights groups. Roughly 300 immigrants in the country illegally were imprisoned there within the first few months of his administration. A recent lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union suggests roughly 70 immigrants are currently detained at the facility, where they face punitive conditions, rodent infestations, insufficient food, a lack of clean clothes, and only one hour of relief from their indoor cage. In effect, the government is perversely utilizing Guantanamos well-known history as a site of abuse and mistreatment, including as the location of two former CIA black sites, to frighten immigrants, according to the lawsuit. Use of the facility exceeds $100,000 per day per detainee, according to Sen. Gary Peters, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security committee. Guantanamos drastically expanded use would follow pressure from top Trump administration officials to boost immigration arrests after falling short of the presidents campaign ambitions for the largest mass deportation operation in American history. Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have repeatedly defended use of the facility to jail suspected Tren de Aragua gang members and the worst of the worst and illegal criminals, according to Noem. But the administration has also detained lower-threat immigrants at the facility who were in the United States illegally but have never been charged or convicted of violent offenses or other serious crimes, according to federal guidelines. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Sending anyone to Guantanamo is a profoundly cruel move and yet another effort by the Trump administration to deny due process and circumvent both U.S. and international law, Amnesty International said in a statement. Gitmo should be shut down now and forever, the group added. The potential escalation follows the presidents deployment of National Guard service members and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles to crush protests against the administrations anti-immigration agenda. 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 Trumps administration has urged justices to speed up the dismissal of pending immigration cases so that federal agents can arrest their subjects, according to a report. This comes as part of an attempt to bolster the total number of undocumented migrants being held in detention. Trumps crackdown on illegal immigration has intensified in the last week, inspiring the protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Los Angeles that have since spread to other cities. The new tactic to increase the number of arrests was outlined in a memo from the Justice Department sent to immigration judges, which was seen by NBC News. The justices in question, who answer to the executive branch and are not part of the independent judiciary, are instructed to permit Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attorneys to make oral motions to dismiss. Then, justices are told to move swiftly to grant those dismissals, rather than allow immigrants the 10-day response time. open image in gallery ICE agents guard Delaney Hall, a newly-converted immigrant detention centre in Elizabeth, New Jersey ( AFP/Getty ) Oral decisions must be completed within the same hearing slot on the day testimony and arguments are concluded, states the memo, which is dated Friday, May 30. It also instructs the judges that no additional documentation or briefing is required, in the hope of cutting down on bureaucratic delays. Once the cases in question are dismissed, the immigrants concerned can be entered into expedited removal proceedings or deemed subject to mandatory detention by ICE without being granted an opportunity to present their case for asylum in the United States before they are deported, the memo advises. A source close to the judges union told NBC that, while the move was legal, it has nevertheless caused consternation to many immigration judges. They think it makes a mockery of the whole process and that it flies in the face of what Trump ran on, the insider said. Immigration enforcement means its done in a fair manner... and this isnt fair. The memo notes a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that outlines the conditions under which the U.S. government can move to dismiss an immigrants case. Still, it misstates the wording of the statute in doing so. open image in gallery A protester denounces ICE operations in downtown Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday ( AP ) Judges may grant motions to dismiss a migrants case when circumstances have changed to such an extent that continuation is no longer in the best interest of the government, the memo claims. However, the precise wording of the act makes clear that this can only happen when circumstances of the case have changed to such an extent that continuation is no longer in the best interest of the government. Greg Chen, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told NBC that he believes the Justice Departments guidance order is not legal because it omits those crucial three words. The omission of the words of the case is deliberate because DHS is trying to avoid having to speak to the individual case, he said. The law requires them to provide particular reasons for their motion, and they are not doing that. The email is the written policy that contradicts the law. Former ICE chief of staff Jason Houser said that the purpose of speeding up case dismissals was to enable agents to arrest more people, but, in practice, it would not actually help with Trumps mass deportation push because there is simply not enough space at already-overcrowded detention centers to accommodate more detainees. Over 51,000 immigrants were being held in ICE custody as of May 23, according to the agency's own official data, while it only has the funding to hold 41,500, which means it risks keeping people in substandard living conditions that fall below court-mandated standards. Flooding the system with thousands of non-criminals wastes time and resources when federal law enforcement should be focused on national security threats, 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 Los Angeles may resemble a war zone, with thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines deployed in response to widespread anti-immigration raid protests, but the Trump White House reportedly couldnt be happier about the politics of the situation. We couldnt have scripted this better, a senior White House aide told The Atlantic of the dynamic inside the Oval Office. Its like the 2024 election never ended: Trump is strong while Democrats are weak and defending the indefensible. Trump insiders reportedly believe that the images of the protests, which have featured both large-scale peaceful demonstrations and multiple days of violence against police and immigration officers, as well as protesters burning vehicles and holding Mexican flags, play into the administrations message. On the campaign trail, Trump frequently claimed Democrats are weak on law and order, while alleging most immigrants are violent national security threats, despite data showing the opposite. This is what America voted for, period, a Trump adviser told NBC News. This is the America First focus that got the president elected and is driven by nothing else than what he promised American voters. Look at the violence, the attacks on law enforcement, the adviser added. If Democrats want to support that, let them. This is why we win elections and they do not. open image in gallery Trump administration reportedly believes Americans are on its side for sending military to respond to chaotic protests in Los Angeles, playing into 2024 law and order message ( Reuters ) Trump has long valorized the military and called for them to form part of an aggressive response to civil unrest, reportedly sparring with his first term Defense Secretary Mark Esper over his opposition to sending active-duty troops to counter 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and allegedly asking if troops could shoot them in the legs or something. During his first term, Trump ultimately deferred to state governors on whether to call up National Guard troops to respond to the 2020 protests, and governors in 32 states and Washington, D.C., ultimately did. open image in gallery Protesters face members of the California National Guard and US Customs and Border Protection agents holding up shields outside the Federal Building in LA ( AFP/Getty ) This time around, Trump does not want to appeal to local leaders and is forging ahead on his own, including federalizing the California National Guard over the wishes of Los Angeles and state leaders, who have sued. Trump seems super intent on a very different path now, with a serious show of righteous force to protect American lives and property, Steve Cortes, a longtime Trump adviser, told Politico. White House unable to provide evidence to support Trump's 'paid protestors' claims Another key force for the military-led response has been White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner who has repeatedly accused California officials of being in open rebellion against the government and its migration policies, a potential prelude to the White House invoking the emergency Insurrection Act. "Stephen has been clear in all the meetings: More military, faster," a Trump adviser told Axios. Top Democrats in California have accused the Trump administration of deliberately trying to provoke a crisis as a means to seize more power, first with heavy-duty immigration raids and then by invoking emergency powers to send military troops in to respond to the protests that followed. Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a nationally televised speech Tuesday evening. But they do not stop there. Trump and his loyalists thrive on division because it allows them to take more power and exert even more control. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, meanwhile, has said the White House is using the crisis as a lab experiment. This is chaos that was started in Washington, Bass said Monday during a press conference. An outlier in his party, Senator John Fetterman has accused his fellow Democrats of losing the moral high ground over the crisis by what he said was a refusal to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement. Democratic leaders have generally condemned the violence and called for peaceful protest, while being sharply critical of the Trump administrations response. The Los Angeles crisis has also likely provided a welcome distraction from last weeks major political scandal, the acrimonious public split between Trump and his former top ally, Elon Musk, who savaged the presidents Big, Beautiful Bill spending package and accused Trump of being tied to the Jeffrey Epstein pedophilia scandal. In recent days, Trump and Musk have signaled they could be open to a reconciliation. 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 This Saturday the nations capital is set to see a lavish military parade to celebrate the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army, and the 79th birthday of Donald Trump. However, sadly for the president, the majority of his Republican friends in Congress will not be at the party. Only seven out of 50 GOP lawmakers, when asked by Politico, said they would be in attendance, with others choosing to leave Washington, D.C., and return home for the weekend. President Trump looks forward to a historic crowd at the Army Birthday Parade, where he will be joined by top military leaders, administration officials, congressional representatives, and most importantly, thousands of patriotic Americans to celebrate 250 years of honor, courage, and sacrifice by our United States military, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement shared with The Independent. open image in gallery Only seven out of 50 GOP lawmakers, in a recent sruvey said they would be in attendance at the lavish celebrations in Washington, D.C., this weekend to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the military and Donald Trumps 79th birthday ( REUTERS ) The Independent understands that senior military leaders and at least 15 Cabinet members, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, are due to attend. However, other top military officials in Congress, have reportedly chosen a different extravagant military gathering to attend the 2025 International Paris Air Show. His closest MAGA allies, such as Byron Donalds, Elise Stefanik and Marjorie Taylor Greene, have confirmed their attendance. Yes, of course, Greene told Politico on Tuesday. Im going to be there for the 250th anniversary of the Army. The parade is set to feature around 6,600 Army troops and military equipment such as a WWII-vintage B-25 bomber, a P-1 fighter and Huey helicopters used in the Vietnam War, as well as 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, and four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles. open image in gallery The parade is set to feature around 6,600 Army troops and military equipment such as a WWII-vintage B-25 bomber, a P-1 fighter and Huey helicopters used in the Vietnam War, as well as 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, and four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles ( REUTERS ) open image in gallery Trump said the cost of the event estimated as up to $45 million is peanuts compared to the value of doing it. The president said he wanted to show off that the U.S. had the greatest weapons in the world ( AP ) There will also be 18 miles of fencing and 175 metal detectors installed, according to The Associated Press. The Army expects up to 200,000 people could attend and says the parade will cost an estimated $25 million to $45 million. Such expense has led Republicans to question the cost and optics of the spectacle, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker and Republican Rand Paul. Some have even drawn parallels to the military pageantry of North Korea. Republican Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin fiscal hawk, told Politico recently, If it costs money, I wont go. But Trump said the cost of the event is peanuts compared to the value of doing it, in a May 4 interview on NBC News Meet the Press. 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 President Donald Trump said hes open to forgiving Elon Musk after their public spat last week over his Big Beautiful Bill. Trump revealed he has no hard feelings towards Musk in a Monday appearance on the podcast Pod Force One with Miranda Devine. Instead, Trump said he was surprised and not a happy camper after Musk slammed his sweeping budget legislation and claimed the presidents name appeared in the so-called Epstein Files. Musk went on later to apologize for the online feud. When asked if he could forgive Musk, Trump responded, I guess I could. I was really surprised that that happened, Trump said. He went after a bill thats phenomenalI think he feels very badly that he said that actually. I was disappointed in him, but it is what it is, he added. open image in gallery President Donald Trump said hes open to forgiving Elon Musk even after the billionaire claimed his name appears in the unreleased Epstein files ( AP ) Trump added that he is focused now on straighten[ing] out the country and his sole function now is getting this country back to a level higher than it's ever been. Musk said he regretted what he said about the president in a post on X hours before the interview aired. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week, the billionaire wrote. They went too far. The feud began on June 3, when Musk attacked the Big Beautiful Bill, Trumps sweeping budget legislation. The bill includes no tax on tips or overtime, no tax on social security and higher restrictions on Medicaid. Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore, Musk wrote. 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 expressed his disappointment in Musk shortly afterward: Elon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore. Musk said the bill will increase the deficit to $2.5 trillion and argued that Trump would have lost the election without his support. The president then claimed Musk is opposed to the bill because it ends the electric vehicle incentives, which could harm Tesla. open image in gallery Musk and Trump got into an online feud last week. Though, Musk has since apologized for the spat. ( REUTERS ) Less than an hour later, Musk dropped a bombshell allegation. 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, Musk wrote on X. Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files, he added. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Jeffrey Epstein, a sex offender who orchestrated a massive child sex trafficking ring with his associates, died by suicide in 2019 while in custody on federal sex trafficking charges. He was associated with dozens of celebrities and powerful politicians, bringing international interest to the case. After his death, interest mounted over redacted court documents naming his alleged associates and victims. These documents are known as the Epstein files. Attorney General Pam Bondi moved to release some of these documents in February in what she labeled the first phase of declassified files but much of the information was already public. Critics say the administration hasnt released enough and must move to declassify more information. Throughout this public battle, Trump called confidants and acquaintances to discuss the falling out. During one of these calls, he alleged that Musks behavior could be explained by illicit drug use, according to a report by The Washington Post. White House officials said Trump was concerned about Musks drug use and it was one factor that contributed to the feud, according to the Post. 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 is considering cutting federal education funding to California as tensions between the White House and Governor Gavin Newsom continue to escalate. Trump has deployed thousands of National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines to quash Los Angeles protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Stretches of city freeways have been overrun by protesters, and police cars were destroyed in the demonstrations. Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have called on the president to rescind the order and return control of the National Guard to the state. The last time a president made such a move was in 1965 when President Lyndon B Johnson sent troops to Alabama to disperse pro-segregation protestors. Due to Newsoms actions, administration officials said the Education Department may stop the disbursement of formula funds to California, according to Politico. The federal payouts are distributed to schools and school districts based on a predetermined formula to assist with education. Its not clear if the administration will move forward with barring the funds. Public schools in California receive $8bn from the Education Department annually. Some of the payouts go toward programs for students with disabilities and from low-income homes. Public schools in California receive $8bn from the Education Department annually, but that may be at risk after tensions over protest response in LA ( AFP/Getty ) In a statement to the outlet, Kush Desai, a White House spokesperson, said: No taxpayer should be forced to fund the demise of our country, and thats what California is doing through its 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. No final decisions, however, on any potential future action by the administration have been made. Its not the first time the president has threatened to withhold federal funds from California. As the state fought off several wildfires in January, Trump threatened to bar California from accepting federal disaster funds unless state leaders changed water policies. In May, Trump once again threatened to take away federal funds from California if a transgender athlete participated in a girls track meet. The Los Angeles protests are largely in response to immigration raids that are being carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the area. Approximately 900,000 undocumented people live in the city, while 4.8m people of Latino heritage live in the city. 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 House Speaker Mike Johnson notched his first major policy win when he herded Republicans in the House of Representatives to pass President Donald Trumps One Big, Beautiful Bill last month. By all appearances that began the process of the Senate deliberating its version of the legislation and dealing with holdouts in the upper chamber. All the better to get the signature legislation of Trumps second term onto his desk and ready for that famous Sharpie signing. Well, not so fast. The legislation technically had not been sent over to the Senate yet. Today, the House passed a rule that also included a provision to make various corrections to the spending bill. The fixes are fairly minute. U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson react during an Invest America Roundtable in the State Dining room, at the White House, in Washington, U.S., June 9, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein ( Reuters ) There is nothing on the changes to Medicaid, the size of the tax cuts or the phasing out of renewable energy tax credits or other concerns that some Republican Senators have raised. It also does not remove the ban on states regulating artificial intelligence that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she opposed despite her vote for the bill. Rather, they are mostly technical fixes, striking out various paragraphs about formatting. But that means the clock had not yet even started on the Senates formal consideration of and debate over OBBB as Wednesday dawned. Later Wednesday, the corrected version passed ... again ... and finally handed over to the Senate. The road to get here in the first place was circuitous at best. It ultimately took a day-long committee hearing, a last-minute deal cut behind closed doors and the deaths of older Democratic colleagues for Johnson to avoid a failure on the floor the first time around. The bill includes numerous provisions that Trump and Republicans want, such as extending the 2017 tax cuts, enacting work requirements for food assistance and Medicaid, rolling back numerous renewable energy credits and ramping up spending for oil drilling, the military and immigration enforcement. The Senate hopes to pass OBBB using budget reconciliation, which allows them to avoid a filibuster from Democrats as long as the bill relates to federal spending. Since big beautiful also includes a debt limit increase, Republicans are working on a limited time table as the United States is set to hit the debt ceiling next month. Elsewhere, it removed the word intelligence for a provision to spend $90,000,000 for the development of reusable hypersonic technology for military strikes and intelligence. It also struck a whole section titled Enhancement of Military Intelligence Programs. Furthermore, the legislation removes part of the reconciliation bill that retracts a Biden administration-era public land rule that withdrew National Forest System lands from mining. Unsurprisingly, Democrats in the House and Senate are urging their Republican counterparts to, as Elon Musk famously implored, Kill the Bill. The bottom line is this, though: a congressmembers core power is the power to vote, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in his morning remarks. Thats what the Constitution gave them, Schumer said. And House Republicans who say they dont like the bill should exercise that power today. They have a unique opportunity to make the very changes theyve been talking about for weeks. Schumer said that Democrats flagged the flaws in the language that caused the do-over. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, also sent a letter to his colleagues calling for them to kill the bill. Regardless of party, if you have sounded the alarm about this bill and vote yes on todays rule, youre complicit in what you claim to oppose, he said. Most of these are technical changes, but they illustrate just how delicate of a process Republicans have to navigate to pass Trumps signature legislation. And that does not even begin to paper over the legitimate policy disputes between the House and Senate conference or even within the conferences about federal spending levels. 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 Austria has been left reeling after ten people were killed in the deadliest gun attack in its recent history, carried out in the gunmans former school. Thousands of Austrians lit candles in a vigil for the victims in Graz on Tuesday evening. Police have confirmed they are nine teenagers ranging from 14 to 17 years old, and a 59-year-old teacher. The gunman, a 21-year-old former student who reportedly felt bullied during his time at the BORG school, was found dead in a toilet, suspected of having turned the gun on himself. He has been named in Austrian media as Arthur A. As the country mourns, the horrors of Tuesday morning have now been laid bare in traumatic witness accounts from the students and teachers who barricaded themselves in their classrooms as booming gunfire rattled through the school. It would be 17 minutes before armed police had secured the school and began the speedy evacuation of the survivors. It has since been reported that a chance to stop the gunman may have been missed, after he sent his mother a suicide note. Here is the full story of Austrias deadliest shooting in decades. open image in gallery School students gather and mourn in the main square the day after the nearby school shooting in Graz, Austria ( Getty Images ) What happened on Tuesday morning? Armed with a shotgun and a pistol, the gunman descended on the school at around 10am on Tuesday. He was spotted trying to shoot the lock off a door to the building by religious studies teacher Paul Nitsche, who was leaving his classroom as the gunman tried to enter. "This is something I couldn't even imagine before," Mr Nitsche told national broadcaster ORF. "That's what the situation was like as I ran down the stairwell. I thought to myself: 'This wasn't real.'" Eyewitness videos show panicked students hiding under tables as the shots echo out in the background. Students and teachers called family members to say goodbye and tell them they loved them, survivors told Kronen Zeitung. "We're safe, but the situation is dire. Shooting's going on constantly, one teacher told her husband over the phone. Meanwhile, hundreds of police officers and dozens of ambulances were rushing to the scene of the deadliest crime Austria has suffered in decades. Not long more than quarter of an hour had passed before police had swarmed the site and declared the danger over. At this point, ten people had died including the gunman, and 12 had been injured. Paramedics faced a scene of horror, nearly two dozen people having suffered gunshot wounds at the hands of the suspected attacker. An eleventh victim later died from their injuries. Traumatised survivors were taken to a nearby centre where they were cared for by medics and counsellors. open image in gallery A heavy police presence remained throughout the day ( AFP/Getty ) What do we know about the victims? Details on the victims have so far been limited. Ten people, including students, were killed by the gunman according to police. According to Kronen Zeitung, police confirmed that the youngest victim, one of nine teenagers killed in the attack was 14 years old. The other teenagers were between 15 and 17, while a 59-year-old teacher was also killed. Another 12 were injured, but it is unclear whether this total became 11 after confirmation that a 10th victim had died in hospital. Nine of those injured were in a serious condition and two were critical, the Austria Red Cross said. The names of the victims have not yet been confirmed by authorities, but at least one teacher is believed to be among the dead. open image in gallery Residents hold vigil for victims on Tuesday evening ( APA/AFP via Getty Images ) What do we know about the shooter? The 21-year-old Austrian gunman, who lived in the Graz area, was once a pupil at the same school in which he unleashed gunfire, police said. He failed to complete his studies. He had not attracted any previous police attention, but upon searching his apartment police found discarded plans for a bomb attack, alongside a non-functional pipe bomb. According to Austrian news programme Heute, the gunman lived with his mother, older brothers and a cat in Graz. A struggling student, the gunman had to repeat the year while studying in the information technology department, before leaving the school in 2022, the outlet reported. Frustration and disappointment marked that era of his life, Heute reported, as he subsequently failed to gain a foothold in the job market. A suicide note was found by police after the shooting, according to reports in Salzburger Nachrichten and Kronen Zeitung. The note appeared to show that he considered himself a victim of bullying. Heute reported that the suspects mother was sent a video clip from her son declaring his intentions to carry out the shooting. However, she did not open it for 24 minutes and by that time she had seen it and reported it to the police it was too late, Heute adds. In a press conference on Tuesday, police said they believed the gunman took his own life in the schools toilet and that he had been carrying two firearms, for which he had licences. Mr Karner said everything else is still speculation, and investigators were working to find out the shooters motives. open image in gallery The Borg school in Graz, where the shooting took place ( APA/AFP/Getty ) What is happening now? Austria has declared a three-day period of national mourning, following one of the largest peacetime tragedies in the countrys history. The governor of Styria, Mario Kunasek, said no public events will be held in the state for the mourning period. Chancellor Christian Stocker, vice chancellor Andreas Babler, education minister Christoph Wiederkehr and interior minister Gerhard Karner attended a memorial service at Graz cathedral on Tuesday evening. The police investigation into the shooting will continue, as Austrians question how and why the gunman was able to carry out the attack. open image in gallery Memorial service takes place in Graz cathedral on Tuesday evening ( Reuters ) Police have not named the shooter nor his supposed motive. The identities of the ten victims are likely to be released in the near future, after authorities have formally confirmed their identities and informed the families. 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 group of Tesla owners in France is suing Elon Musk's car company, alleging its vehicles have become "far-right totems" that are harming their reputation, according to the law firm representing the group. The group is seeking to terminate their lease contracts and recover legal costs at the Paris Commercial Court, citing the "direct and concrete" harm caused by Musk's public behaviour after he rallied in support of Donald Trump's presidential bid and Germany's far-right AfD party. The lawsuit comes amid plummeting Tesla sales in key European markets, including France, Britain, Germany, and Italy, partly in protest of Musk's political activities and as customers favour Chinese electric vehicles due to their competitive prices. "Tesla vehicles have become powerful political symbols and are now perceived as true far-right 'totems,' much to the dismay of those who purchased them solely as innovative and eco-friendly vehicles", the plaintiffs' lawyers Patrick Klugman and Ivan Terel, at law firm GKA said. Tesla Europe did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. About 10 Tesla leaseholders have joined the lawsuit ( AP ) GKA said about 10 Tesla leaseholders had joined the lawsuit. Musk helped bankroll Trump's presidential campaign and spearheaded Trump's efforts to cut federal jobs and slash what the administration perceived as wasteful public spending. Musk's involvement in the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) saw him become a political lightning rod, fueling protests and vandalism at Tesla showrooms in the United States and Europe. The GKA statement referred to a hand gesture by the billionaire during Trump's inauguration celebrations that drew online comparisons to a Nazi salute as an example of his harmful behaviour. Musk dismissed the criticism of the gesture as a "tired" attack. Musk said on Wednesday he regretted some of the remarks he made on the social media platform X, which he owns, during an acrimonious and very public falling out with Trump last week. I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far, the worlds richest man wrote. On the same day that Musk appeared to extend an olive branch, Trump said in a pre-recorded podcast interview that reconciliation between the pair was possible. Look, I have no hard feelings, Trump said in the interview recorded on Monday. I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill thats phenomenal. He just I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually. 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 Two environmental activists are facing potential prison sentences after climbing onto the mast of a whaling boat and remaining there for 33 hours during a protest in Iceland. Elyssia Phillips, a British woman from Lewes, and her close friend Anahita Babaei, who is Iranian, had been campaigning against the controversial practice of killing endangered fin whales. Only three countries in the world defy the International Whaling Commissions ban on commercial whaling, which sees the enormous sea creatures killed with explosive harpoons and has been a cause celebre for environmental movements for decades. Since being released on bail following their arrest in September 2023, they have been charged with three criminal offences, which could see them spend six months in prison or pay a hefty fine. Their lawyers, however, argue they are being made an example of as Icelandic police aim to crack down on civilian protests, in the wake of several anti-whaling and anti-fishery movements that have gained traction in the Nordic country. open image in gallery Babaei remained there with no food or medication ( Boris Niehaus/Hard to Port ) Speaking to The Independent, Ms Phillips, 36, said that she and Ms Babaei, also 36, had travelled to the port to board two vessels owned by the company Hvalur hf, the countrys last whaling company. It is civil disobedience, we didnt hurt anybody or damage anything, she said. It is us peacefully sitting up there saying we didnt want the whales to be murdered. A report by Icelands Food and Veterinary Authority last year found that using the harpoons to kill the large animals was taking too long, with some whales taking two hours to die after being hit several times by the devices. After remaining up on the 15m-high masts for 33 hours, in which they claim the Reykjavik police took Ms Babaeis bag of food and medical supplies, they returned to ground level and were arrested and taken into custody. They also claim that they were manhandled during the process of their arrests, despite complying with police orders and allowing themselves to be led to police vans. Their lawyer, Linda Emilsdottir of the law firm Rettur, said: Its part of the anti-whaling campaign, but its also a bigger sense that we feel the police are pushing cases against protesters in Iceland. open image in gallery Whale hunting is a controversial practice that is still legal in Iceland ( Boris Niehaus/Hard to Port ) Maybe thats because there are a lot of protests now, such as anti-whaling and fish farming, but also against immigration law and Israel-Palestine and so on. Theyve been investigating for two years now and have now decided to take it to court, but we dont really see why. It was just a peaceful protest, and although they went up the mast on the ship, they didnt cause any damage; its part of a political conversation, it was peaceful. Their legal team has now applied to have the case dismissed, after the pair were charged with trespass and entering, breaking maritime law and refusing to obey police commands. Based on the provisions, they could be facing jail time or more likely a fine depending on the charges, but they didnt make any damage so there are no financial costs, there was no harm and the investigation has taken two years. open image in gallery The tails of two 35-tonne fin whales are bound to a Hvalur boat in 2009 ( AFP/Getty ) As a result, the two women have been unable to apply for visas while they have waited in limbo to understand the outcome of the case, with Ms Babaei unable to visit her family in Iran and both struggling to travel for work. Faced with the prospect of having to pay thousands in legal fees, they have now launched a GoFundMe to help fight their case. Ms Emilsdottir added: A primary concern is that the prosecution has brought forward three separate charges, none of which can be justifiably linked to the conduct in question. The indictment lacks sufficient reasoning or evidentiary support in both its text and the accompanying case files. Furthermore, the defendants actions, which consisted of a peaceful protest, caused no harm, did not breach public order, nor did they pose any threat to public safety. The initiation of criminal proceedings appears to be motivated not by the pursuit of justice, but by an intent to implement a punitive stance against individuals engaging in protest. It is also of serious concern that the case has remained under prolonged police investigation. Despite efforts to expedite the process, the investigation has been unnecessarily delayed. The mere status of being under prolonged criminal investigation imposes a significant burden on the accused and effectively constitutes a form of punishment. They have now had to return to Iceland for court hearings, and are due to face trial in front of a judge in January 2026. The Foreign Office said it has not been approached for consular assistance but is ready to support. The Icelandic police have also been contacted for comment. 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 French President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to advocate for EU-wide regulation to ban social media access for children under 15. The move follows a recent fatal stabbing at a school in eastern France, which has intensified concerns about youth safety and violence. In an interview on Tuesday, Mr Macron expressed his urgency to address the issue, stating his aim to implement the ban within the next few months. "If that does not work, we will start to do it in France. We cannot wait," he told France 2, hours after a 14-year-old student was questioned by police over the fatal knifing of a 31-year-old school aide. The incident occurred during a bag search for weapons at a middle school in Nogent, Haute-Marne. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou told parliament the incident was not an isolated case. Mr Macron said social media was one of the factors to blame for violence among young people. open image in gallery A fatal stabbing occurred in Nogent ( bobphoto52 - stock.adobe.com ) Writing on social media platform X after the interview, Mr Macron said such regulation was backed by experts. "Platforms have the ability to verify age. Do it," he wrote. Mr Macron's comments come amid a wave of measures in countries around the world aimed at curbing social media use among children. Australia in 2024 approved a social media ban for under-16s after an emotive public debate, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there was a clear, causal link between the rise of social media and the harm [to] the mental health of young Australians. open image in gallery Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ( AP ) In May, Greece launched Kids Wallet, a state-developed smartphone app that allows parents to monitor their childrens screen time. In Germany, teens aged 13-16 need their parents permission to use social media, while under-14s in Italy must also seek parental consent. New Zealands Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has also proposed a social media ban for under-16s, saying the law would force social media companies to verify users ages or face fines up to NZ$2m (901,984). "It's time that New Zealand acknowledged that, for all the good things that come from social media, it's not always a safe place for our young people to be," Mr Luxon told reporters. This is about protecting our children. Its about making sure social media companies are playing their role in keeping our kids safe. 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 European leaders have redoubled their efforts to prise Donald Trump away from Russia by warning that the US president is being mocked by Vladimir Putin, alleging that Moscow is using chemical weapons in Ukraine and demanding that the US restore weapons supplies to Kyiv. The move came after Ukraine said it had endured the biggest overnight air attack of the entire war, with swarms of 500 drones and missiles intended to overwhelm already stretched air defences. Radek Sikorski, Polands foreign minister, called for the US to end its suspension of air defence missiles and other weapons most of which are on standby for delivery to Poland and derided Trumps fruitless efforts to secure a ceasefire. Mr Trump, Putin is mocking your peace efforts, said the Oxford-educated Sikorski. In addition, the Dutch and German governments said their intelligence services had evidence of widespread use of chemical choking agents (teargas) against Ukrainian trenches by Russian troops. These have been used to force soldiers into the open where they could be shot by Putins forces. open image in gallery Firefighters at the site of a strike on Kyiv by Russian drones and missiles ( Emergency Service of Ukraine ) This intensification is concerning because it is part of a trend we have been observing for several years now, where Russia's use of chemical weapons in this war is becoming more normalised, standardised, and widespread," said the Dutch defence minister Ruben Brekelmans. With the recent US focus on its attacks on Iran in support of Israel, Russia has been gradually stepping up efforts against Kyiv. Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has been warning for weeks that his country faces a critical shortage of defensive weapons, so the announcement that the US is suspending promised weapons such Patriot air defence missiles will inevitably entrench the already strong belief that Trump has taken Putins side after Moscows full-scale invasion of Ukraine and that the US is no longer a real ally in the defence of Europe. Pentagon officials suggested the suspension was a pause in delivery of Patriots, precision artillery and Hellfire missiles mounted on Ukrainian F-16 aircraft as part of a review of US supplies worldwide. But the US has not declared a pause in supply to any other nation. Israel is the largest recipient of US military aid by far and has recently enjoyed an uptick in supplies of bombs and missiles even as it stands accused by the United Nations of ethnic cleansing and its prime minister has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. open image in gallery Ukrainian servicemen on radiation, chemical and biological hazard drills near Kharkiv ( Reuters ) Trump has been trying to secure a ceasefire in the Ukraine war for months. Despite Kyiv offering a 30-day pause in fighting, Putin has repeatedly made it clear that Russia is not interested while it pursues a summer offensive to carve out the east of Ukraine. Trump has suggested he is frustrated by Putin but has threatened the Russian president with no definitive sanctions. Kyiv, however, has endured having its intelligence feed from the US blinded during the Russian counterattacks to retake Kursk, seen military aid suspended, been offered no new promises of support, and forced into a mineral deal that trades future US weapons for mining profits. In March, Trump said he was very angry and pissed off after the Russian president continued to swerve his attempts to get Moscow to agree a ceasefire. The pair spoke again at length on Thursday in what turned out to be, from the Oval Office perspective, another unsatisfactory call. When asked if he had any success with Putin on Ukraine, Trump was clear: No, I didnt make any progress with him today at all... Im not happy about that. Im not happy about that. But again there was still no sign that the US was going to lift its suspension of military aid to Ukraine, let alone increase it to try to force Russia to negotiate a workable ceasefire. open image in gallery The suspension of arms supplies from the US to Ukraine entrenches the already strong belief that Donald Trump has taken Vladimir Putins side ( AFP/Getty ) So Russia continues its grinding offensive, claiming this week to have captured all of Luhansk province, which it has already illegally annexed. As a precondition to any ceasefire, Putin has demanded he keep at least Luhansk, Crimea, Kherson, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia provinces. The US has largely accepted this position as a given and further insisted that in any long-term peace deal Ukraine is prevented from joining Nato and will not get security guarantees from the US to defend its future borders. So Natos European and Canadian members are now planning, training and producing weapons to fill an American void that is widening. Kyiv has held on in spite of the massive air attacks and meat grinder Russian land assaults, largely because of its superiority in drone technology. But Moscow has now forged ahead with the development of long-range wire-guided first-person view (FPV) drones and is developing AI weapons. For the last year or so Russian drone pilots have been using civilians in Kherson as target practice on training operations, with FPV drones killing several people most weeks. It wont be long before we see people being hunted through the streets of Kyiv by AI drones in swarms. We need to defeat Russia before that happens, said a senior officer in Ukraines drone warfare operations. That will be difficult while Trump holds back critical arms when Ukraine needs them most. 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 Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was flown home on Tuesday after being deported from Israel, where the navy prevented her and fellow pro-Palestinian activists from sailing to Gaza with aid. We did nothing wrong, the 22-year-old told reporters after landing in Paris, accusing Israel of kidnapping her. We were 12 peaceful volunteers sailing on a civilian ship carrying humanitarian aid on international waters, she said. She spoke of war crimes that Israel is systematically committing against Palestinians by not letting aid come to starving people. Forces seized their small aid ship, the Madleen, which was seeking to break the longstanding naval blockade of Gaza. Four of those on board, including Ms Thunberg, agreed to immediate deportation, while eight others contested the repatriation order. They have been detained near Tel Aviv airport awaiting a court hearing on their legal status; among them are Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament. "We were well aware of the risks of this mission, Ms Thunberg added. The aim was to get to Gaza and to be able to distribute the aid. Israel has imposed a rigid land, air and sea blockade on Gaza, saying the shutdown is needed to prevent arms from reaching Hamas militants. It allows in limited supplies of food that are mainly distributed by a private group it backs. Israel has dismissed the sea mission as a publicity stunt. Greta and her friends brought in a tiny amount of aid on their celebrity yacht. It did not help the people of Gaza. This was nothing but a ridiculous gimmick, foreign minister Gideon Saar said. He said the supplies aboard the yacht would be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels. Greta Thunberg on a flight to Sweden from Israel, via France ( X/Israel Foreign Ministry ) Ms Thunberg defended the aid effort, organised by a pro-Palestinian group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, saying a larger boat that could carry a bigger cargo was disabled last month in the Mediterranean by drones allegedly operated by Israel. She also laughed off criticism from Donald Trump, who had described her overnight as angry and strange. She said: I think the world needs a lot more young angry women to be honest, especially with everything going on right now. Ms Thunberg, who headed on to Sweden, travels mostly by train and has long shunned aeroplanes because of their hefty carbon emissions. In 2019, she crossed the Atlantic by boat to attend a climate summit. In March, Israel imposed a total blockade on all supplies to Gaza, which experts say has driven the population of more than two million to the brink of famine. Over the past two weeks Israel has allowed in limited food supplies, largely distributed by a new Israeli-backed group. Israel says the step is necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting aid. Hamas has denied stealing aid. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Americans flight data may have been sold to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without their knowledge, internal CBP documents obtained by 404 Media suggest. A data broker, the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), owned by several of the top airlines in the U.S., including Delta, American Airlines, and United, reportedly gathered the flight records of U.S. travelers and sold access to CBP. Part of the contract was that CBP wasnt allowed to share where the data had originated from, the report says. The data included passengers' names, itineraries, and financial information, according to Wired. CBP is part of the Department of Homeland Security. The agency has stated that it requires the data to support state and local law enforcement in tracking individuals of interest. This comes after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) outlined how it also bought the data. Delta Airlines is one of the owners of the Airlines Reporting Corporation ( AFP/Getty ) The big airlinesthrough a shady data broker that they own called ARCare selling the government bulk access to Americans' sensitive information, revealing where they fly and the credit card they used, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said in a statement. "ARC has refused to answer oversight questions from Congress, so I have already contacted the major airlines that own ARClike Delta, American Airlines, and Unitedto find out why they gave the green light to sell their customers' data to the government." Publicly shared documents show that ARC is owned and operated by at least eight top U.S. airlines. Delta, Southwest, United, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, as well as European airlines Lufthansa and Air France, in addition to Air Canada, all have representatives on the companys board of directors. Over 240 airlines use ARCs services for ticket settlement. The company also connects airlines and travel agencies, locating travel trends with other companies such as Expedia. It also provides fraud prevention, the ARC YouTube channel and website show. The selling of travel information is conducted via the companys Travel Intelligence Program (TIP). The documents obtained by 404 Media via a Freedom of Information Act request state that CBP needed access to the information to support federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to identify persons of interests US domestic air travel ticketing information. The documents reveal that ARC asked CBP to not publicly identify vendor, or its employees, individually or collectively, as the source of the Reports unless the Customer is compelled to do so by a valid court order or subpoena and gives ARC immediate notice of same. The data delivers visibility on a subjects or person of interests domestic air travel ticketing information as well as tickets acquired through travel agencies in the U.S. and its territories, the documents state. According to a DHS Privacy Impact Assessment, the data is updated daily and includes more than a billion records over the course of 39 months of travel, both past and future. TIP can be searched using names, credit cards, or airlines. However, the data only includes travel arrangements made using a travel agency accredited by ARC, such as Expedia. If the passenger buys a ticket directly from the airline, then the search done by ICE will not show up in an ARC report, the assessment states. It also says that data is included on both U.S. and non-U.S. persons. The deputy director of the Center for Democracy & Technology's Security and Surveillance Project, Jake Laperruque, told 404 Media that While obtaining domestic airline datalike many other transaction and purchase recordsgenerally doesn't require a warrant, theyre still supposed to go through a legal process that ensures independent oversight and limits data collection to records that will support an investigation. The government seems intent on using data brokers to buy their way around important guardrails and limits, he added. A spokesperson for CBP told Wired that the agency is committed to protecting individuals privacy during the execution of its mission to protect the American people, safeguard our borders, and enhance the nations economic prosperity. CBP follows a robust privacy policy as we protect the homeland through the air, land and maritime environments against illegal entry, illicit activity or other threats to national sovereignty and economic security, the spokesperson added. ARC earlier told The Lever that TIP was established after the September 11 terrorist attacks to provide certain data to law enforcement for the purpose of national security matters and criminal probes. The Independent has contacted ARC and CBP for comment. Donald Trump says that anyone who burns the American flag should be thrown in prison. The president made the remarks at Fort Bragg on Tuesday (10 June) during a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Army. During his speech, Trump boasted about the thousands of troops hes deployed in Los Angeles amid protests over his administrations immigration raids. The president condemned the demonstrators as a vicious, violent mob, falsely claiming that many of them burned the American flag during standoffs with law enforcement. People that burn the American flag should go to jail for one year, Trump declared. He took it a step further by adding that hes working with a few senators to get that done. In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that burning the American flag is a form of symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment. Data centres electricity use rose again last year Donegal has the lowest residential use, and Kildare the highest Data centres are swallowing up grid capacity. Stock image: Getty John Burns Tue 10 Jun 2025 at 15:00 Metered electricity consumption by data centres increased by 10pc last year, from 6,335 Gigawatt hours (GWh) to 6,969, according to new data from the Central Statistics Office. '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? Sparks on their enigmatic image: There are no ghosts in the closet kept from everybody and also, its none of their business Russell Mael on releasing the bands 28th album MAD!, their spat with Morrissey, their 1979 record that became a blueprint for electronic duos and their delight at having a growing army of younger fans Maintaining their character: Russell and Ron Mael of Sparks. Photo: Munachi Osegbu Lauren Murphy Wed 11 Jun 2025 at 03:30 There is a song on Sparks new album, MAD!, that sums up their ethos to a tee. The lyrics of Do Things My Own Way include Saw the Pope, told him, nope / Gonna do things my own way and My advice? No advice / Gonna do things my own way. A tribunal has made a reduced award to a Penneys worker after finding her mostly liable for her own dismissal after she replied with two crying laughing emojis when a colleague declared she would skull drag a manager in a WhatsApp group. Jill Vickers-Kealy had to seek shelter as clashes took place between protesters and police on the Los Angeles streets An Irish woman who was visiting Los Angeles said she had to take refuge in a bar as police and protesters clashed on the streets. As the Trump administration cracks down on immigrants, protests against raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spilled out into the wider downtown area of LA, with many shops looted and damaged. Infamous dine-and-dash couple from Co Mayo caught after CCTV footage went viral Bernard and Ann McDonagh were jailed last year for fraud following their scam Bernard and Ann McDonagh. Clodagh Meaney & Neil Fetherstonhaugh Wed 11 Jun 2025 at 11:37 An infamous Co Mayo dine-and-dash couple were caught after CCTV footage of their crime went viral, police in Wales have said. Almost all government ministers and junior ministers owe money to the State due to errors in pension payments. They will be informed in the coming days of the sums to be repaid, ranging from as low as 100 up to 30,000. Audeon Guy's family were upset to see him being roughly handled during the RTE Investigates programme A daughter has told of her distress at finding her father covered in faeces at one of the nursing homes in the Beneavin campus in north Dublin. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke of discovering her father, who has dementia and was fastidious about his appearance, in his room in Beneavin House in Glasnevin . The Central Bank is to tell politicians that its incorrect to claim it can impose sanctions on the processing of so-called Israeli war bonds on the basis of international court rulings. Governor Gabriel Makhlouf is to tell the Oireachtas Finance Committee that it is up to international bodies including the UN and the EU to respond to breaches of international law by Israel, and to determine if sanctions are necessary. Association president Jarlath Burns hails significant investment in redevelopment of Belfast venue The Irish Government and the GAA have welcomed the UKs belated decision to commit 59m in funding to the redevelopment of Casement Park. Ireland had first offered 50m for the project in February last year, and today UK chancellor Rachel Reeves told the House of Commons she would provide 50m (59m) towards the regeneration of the GAA venue in Belfast. Jenny Maguire: For so many students, our options are: live with mammy or head to Australia and government policy is to blame Six people have been arrested following a second night of violence in Northern Ireland as police have appealed for the disorder to stop. A further 17 police officers were injured following attacks by what has been called a baying mob with fireworks, masonry and petrol bombs. None of those officers were hospitalised but it brings the number of injured police across two nights of violence to 33. The use of the term genocide by the Taoiseach to describe what is happening in Gaza will not change the Central Banks decision to approve the sale of Israeli bonds. So-called war bonds, which it is claimed are being used to fund the killing of innocent children and civilians in Gaza, are under intense scrutiny as a second Dail motion was tabled to ban them. They threatened to kill us victims of Ballymena racist riots tell of terror Thugs screamed at us to come out and burnt property, say scared residents Kevin Rous beside his torched car. Photo: Gabrielle Swan Gabrielle Swan Wed 11 Jun 2025 at 03:30 A man whose home was attacked in Ballymena, Co Antrim, has told of his shock after a mob arrived and threatened to kill him. Ishaan Tharoor: Destruction of Gaza has brought Europe to point of no return in dealing with Israel Continued support for Netanyahus regime hurts EUs credibility in efforts to end war in Ukraine, French leader says A woman at the funeral of a journalist and three Palestinian medics killed in an Israeli airstrike at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Photo: Reuters Ishaan Tharoor Washington Post Wed 11 Jun 2025 at 03:30 Far from European capitals and the ruins of the Gaza Strip, Frances leader still found cause to criticise Israel. Emmanuel Macron opened his speech at a recent Asian security forum in Singapore with a warning about double standards in international politics. Why did it take gardai six years to find the body of Tina Satchwell under the stairs of her own home? And why didn't the search of a slurry tank just yards from where Mike Gaine disappeared, result in his body being found? Gardai are under pressure to answer those questions as the two high-profile murder cases continue to grip the country. Richard Satchwell is finally behind bars for the murder of his wife Tina, but the person responsible for the killing of Mr Gaine remains at large. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris says there are lessons to be learnt from these cases, but what are they? Today on the Indo Daily, Kevin Doyle is joined by Ralph Riegel, southern correspondent with the Irish Independent, to ask what gardai could do differently when a missing person's case quickly turns into a murder investigation. When Nancy Lehane from Meelin was crowned the Cork Rose on selection night earlier in June, the 21-year-old said hearing her name called out was definitely a shock. I wasnt really thinking about it (winning) because it was a very long night and we were probably a bit tired at that stage, and I wasnt sure whose name would be called out, but I was not expecting mine, she said. I was just like oh my God, I cant believe it, she added. Ms Lehane has been busy since receiving the sash, and she said it is an honour to represent Cork as a whole. I really want to get around as much of Cork as I can because, I remember a lot of people telling me from home that Im the Cork Rose, not the Meelin Rose, and we are a very clannish-based group up here. It is an honour to represent Cork as a whole and with it being such a big county, she said. Ms Lehane tried to sign her boyfriend up as an escort, as she thought I should get him to do that. He said not in a million years but Ms Lehane decided to sign herself up for the Rose selection in protest. I was just on the phone to him one night and he was saying that an escorting ad popped up on his phone as we were talking, and I was thinking I should get him to do that. So, I started applying for him and I asked him all the questions subtly to fill in the form, and when it came to his references, and I had to ask, what is your employers phone number? He was like what are you doing? she laughed. He knew then and said not in a million years so I said I would enter as the Rose if you wont enter as an escort. I think as it was getting closer (to the Cork Rose selection), I was saying its too late now, you made your decision, she laughed. The primary school teacher said there were plenty of celebrations across Meelin, known as the highest village in Ireland. We had plenty of celebrations. We had a guard of honour on the Monday and last weekend with the match, there was a big crowd out as well. We had a gathering festival in the next parish over in Rockchapel, so I was at that all weekend doing different things. I was a special guest for a three counties rivalry variety show, and I was part of the Cork-based clan for that, she added. The Rose of Tralee International Festival means a lot to Ms Lehane, as the start of the festival would usually signal a trip across the Cork border into Waterford to watch the spectacle alongside some of her cousins. My mom is from quite a big family; I have 48 first cousins on my mothers side but the majority of them would be based in Waterford. So, theres a group of 10-12 girl cousins who would have always met up in Waterford to watch it (Rose of Tralee) every year together. We have always said to each other who will be the first Rose? It would be cool if we had a Cork Rose and a Waterford Rose in the same year. Hopefully they will get inspired and go for the Waterford Rose in the future, there are enough of them, she laughed. Looking back on the six weeks before the selection night, Ms Lehane said there was a friendly rapport between the contestants. There was definitely a great friend rapport and everyone was there for each other. We were all in the same boat at the end of the day and there was no point not being friendly with each other, or having a rivalry because none of us knew who was going to win it. Everybody had a very impressive story on stage or an act and none of us had a clue who was going to win it, she said. Galway Bay FMs Head of Sport and Fine Gael Councillor Ollie Turner was the host on the night and Ms Lehane said he was brilliant. I remember chatting about this to my family - all the supporters, obviously they are there to hear everyone, but they are mostly there for their family member or friend that they are supporting. He (Ollie) made the night very enjoyable for the supporters, as it was a long evening, but he was also very easy to talk to, even when you got stuck, he would brush over it and no one would even notice that you were struggling with a question, she said. The Cork Rose Centre is on the ball since Ms Lehane received the sash. Its great to have the Cork Rose Centre, that is so well established, and they are on the ball with everything because it would be very hard to prepare for that (The Rose of Tralee) by yourself. They have been very, very, very helpful so far, she added. Ms Lehane will represent the Rebel county in Tralee from August 15 to 19. Cork solicitor Tracie Nolan has been named Sole Practitioner of the Year at the LEAP Irish Law Awards 2025. Cork solicitor Tracie Nolan has been named Sole Practitioner of the Year at the LEAP Irish Law Awards 2025. The award which was announced at a gala ceremony on Friday, June 6 at the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, recognises Ms Nolans outstanding legal excellence and commitment to client-focused service. The Irish Law Awards are the most prestigious accolades in the legal industry in Ireland, celebrating innovation, dedication and excellence across all sectors of legal practice. The Sole Practitioner of the Year Award honours an outstanding firm of solicitors headed by a sole Practitioner. The firm will have demonstrated in an exemplary manner an exceptional achievement or achievements in the law. Ms Nolans achievement reflects a distinguished career spanning over 30 years. Her reputation for compassionate, strategic advocacy in family law has made her a respected and trusted legal professional throughout Cork and Munster. Her ability to blend legal precision with empathy has consistently delivered favourable outcomes for her clients, especially in sensitive matters such as divorce, custody disputes and domestic violence cases. Ms Nolan said she is thrilled and honoured to be named Sole Practitioner of the Year. This recognition is a wonderful milestone in my legal career and a tribute to the incredible support of my clients and team. I am grateful to the judges and organisers for this honour." Tracie Nolan Solicitors, established in Cork city in December 2023, while specialising in family law matters, the firm also offers conveyancing, probate and a wide range of family-related legal services. With deep roots in West Cork and a BCL Honours degree from University College Cork, Tracie has brought decades of diverse legal experience into her own practice. Her career journey, from a rural general practice to equity partnership and now to award-winning sole practitioner, demonstrates her dedication to the legal profession. Locals are particularly concerned over the impact of the proposed mussel farm on the towns key pleasure beach and now councillors in the district have come out unanimously against it Kinsale's councillors have all come out to oppose a decision to grant a licence for a mussel farm in the waters off a popular beach in the West Cork town famed for its sailing and watersport activities. On May 30 Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon granted an aquaculture licence to Woodstown Bay Shellfish Limited for bottom-culture mussel farming on a 23-hectare site in Kinsale Harbour between Charles Fort, James Fort and the Dock beach. The application was first submitted in 2018, when it received over 1,000 objections, including from Cork County Council, and was resubmitted in 2021. Kinsale Councillor Gillian Coughlan (Fianna Fail), told this week's meeting of Cork County Council that the area of the proposed farm is the size of "12 GAA pitches" and threatens "the only beach really in proximity to Kinsale town." "To say that the people of Kinsale are dismayed and disappointed at this decision is an understatement. I am asking that Cork County Council would consider appealing this grant of license. It was an objector in the first instance, I think it would be important that Cork County Council stand up and be counted now as the harbour authority and to support the people of Kinsale. Cork County Council has spent a huge amount of time and effort in attracting cruise liners into Kinsale and that has become an extremely successful tourism aspect of our municipal district. Tourism is a key plank of our economic success in this county and Kinsale is the jewel in the crown of our tourism industry," Cllr Coughlan said. Cllr Coughlan said the mussel farm would adversely impact shipping, sailing, and tourism in the town. "If there are going to be lorries trundling up and down to collect those mussels there is no road really of any substance to that location. In my opinion no cognizance has been taken of the social and economic impact on the people of the town and visitors." Cllr Marie O'Sullivan (Fine Gael) said the licence "will have a detrimental effect on all existing business and leisure activities at the mouth of the harbour. It's the Kinsale beach, it's where everyone goes. It's full from once the weather turns. There's probably two hundred swimmers there all year round. You've a kayaking group, there's a triathlon run out of there, it's used by everybody. And to see that beach destroyed by dredging, which will happen if a mussel farm is there. When they move the sea bed the silt comes up and it will go over towards the beach. We'll no longer have a sandy beach, we'll have a beach full of mussel shells." Cllr O'Sullivan said the farm would pose a threat to shrimp fishing in that area and also to boat engines if the mussels get into the intakes. Cllr John Collins (Independent Ireland) said: "Minister Hayden mentioned it was in the public interest to grant this license. It certainly isn't in the public interest of Kinsale and surrounding areas." Cllr John Michael Foley (Fine Gael) said: "this proposed mussel farm would certainly affect the economy and existing local businesses so I have to support my colleagues on this." Cllr Alan Coleman (Independent) also voiced his support for his Kinsale colleagues, saying: "It appears that in this case there's universal opposition to this proposal across a wide range of Kinsale society." He expressed the hope that Cork County Council will also voice its opposition to the proposal. Cllr Ann Bambury (Social Democrats) urged that "we do our utmost to reject this license. The site is inappropriate and everyone is stating that fact. We have to prioritise the protection of public amenities, marine ecosystems, and local livelihoods over private commercial interests. Dock Beach and its surrounding waters are a cherished resource for the community of Kinsale and beyond and allowing this proposal to proceed would irreparably damage the area's character and undermine its value as a public recreational and economic asset. I trust that our executive will take that onboard." Moira Murrell, Chief Executive of Cork County Council, told the meeting that she is mindful that the Council is both the port authority and the planning authority in this instance: "I do have to make that distinction as the planning authority and the regulatory authority we have to give consideration, notwithstanding if a submission has been made previously." She said that it's open to the elected members, whether individually or collectively, to submit their objections during the appeal period. "It's an independent process, it's an independent body and we are in the appeal period so I need to be conscious of that as well. As the port authority, we're also the planning authority, so as the executive of Cork County Council we have to give consideration to that and to where it is exactly in the process and whether there are foreshore considerations yet to be considered," Murrell added. A protest meeting in Kinsale last weekend attracted hundreds of people and heard from a marine biologist, a harbour pilot, fishermen, and the yacht club among others who expressed fears the mussel farm would negatively impact local businesses, leisure activities and the environment. A petition to stop the farm has gained over 3,000 signatures. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. Tralee born singer-songwriter Francie Conway has stated in no uncertain terms that what is happening in Gaza amounts to murders and not killings as the latter is more widely used within media discourse. The popular musician, who has lived in Amsterdam, Geneva and London but is currently living in Dublin, posted his appeal on social media saying all media platforms should replace the word killed with murdered when reporting on wars in the world. He added while he can only speak for himself, the word murdered affects him more than the word killed and reinforces the notion these innocent people did not die in an accident when in fact someone deliberately extinguished their lives. Francie said the world owes it to the victims to tell the truth about how they died, they werent killed, they were murdered, he said. Speaking to The Kerryman about his message, Francie explained that anyone familiar with his songs and musical journey knows that themes of love, peace and justice are consistently written about. A song of his called Everything Grooves was considered one of the best peacetime songs by BBC Northern Ireland. The frightening thing is were seeing it [death] and it is being allowed to go on. People are living with it. If everyone starts using their voice no matter how small eventually, the people making these decisions will know there is not a mandate for it, he said. Francie said mainstream media is nervous to classify and call out the killings as murder. He feels they should call it as it is. We had 10 road deaths in Kerry this year. These werent deliberate killings. What were seeing in wars are deliberate on a continuous basis. Its not just in Gaza, but other places too, he said. Francie referred to his recently released song Hit By A Hurricane as a song for todays turbulent times. It relates to a future that is unpredictable, uncertain, unsafe and unsure. The song is being played in America and UK and was written in a time of peace that is now encapsulating the chaos of war. The track is opening up a conversation. If we all say there is nothing we can do, then we have to ask if complacency is the same as agreeing with something bad that is happening, he said. The censorship coming into things being written about in 2025 is absolutely crazyIf you listen to the press conferences coming out of the White House it is terrifying and a farce. Its becoming accepted, he said. Im not advocating here for one side over the other. Peace and injustice is a subject Ive been writing about for many years. Its just come to the fore recently and I felt compelled to put that message out there. That a little ripple can start a wave is still possible we have to believe in that hope, Francie said. Jerry Maloney was killed when the car he was a passenger in crashed on the Barrettstown Road in Newbridge The heartbroken family of Jerry Maloney, a young man who died in a crash in Co Kildare last week, has told mourners at his funeral mass today that the pain of his sudden loss will never go away. Jerry Maloney (19) from Newbridge in Co Kildare, who was a member of the Traveller community, tragically lost his life when the pick-up truck he was a passenger in crashed on the Barrettstown Road in Newbridge, Co Kildare shortly after 8pm on Thursday, June 5. Jerry, who only recently married his wife Chloe, was taken to Naas General Hospital where he was later sadly pronounced dead. Follow Independent Kildare on Facebook The male driver, also aged in his teens, was taken to Tallaght Hospital for treatment of non life-threatening injuries. There were no other injuries reported. Hundreds of mourners, all wearing different shades of blue and navy, filled St. Conleths Parish Church in Newbridge, Co Kildare to celebrate the memory of a man who lost [his] life too young. Standing at the front of the church, which was adorned with flowers and countless pictures of Jerry, Ellen Maloney, Jerrys cousin, paid tribute to a young man with such a big heart. Im just lost for words, Ellen Maloney told the congregation. This pain is never going away because how can we accept that Jerry is gone to heaven. "You used to collect us all and bring us to the sunbeds and on the way home you would put on love songs for us and we would sing our hearts out. Jerry gave you something money cant buy, continued Ellen as she addressed Jerrys wife, Chloe. He gave you love. He loved his Chloe so much. "Life is so cruel. When he got all he dreamed and prayed for, he didnt get to live it out. The late Jerry Maloney Ellen next read out a tribute from Jerrys wife, Chloe, whom he married only a few months ago. "You found part of me I didnt know existed and in you I found a love I no longer believed was real, read Ellen on behalf of Chloe. You fought so hard to get me. You loved me with every piece of your heart. "Falling in love with you my baby was one of the greatest things in my life. You stole my heart away leaving me breathless. "I love you my Jerry, love your wife, Chloe. We will be together again, husband and wife. Sleep tight. Applause vibrated around the church as mourners took it in turns to place their hands on Jerrys coffin, taking one last moment with him. The late Jerry Maloney with his wife, Chloe "Today was one of the hardest days you will ever face, said parish priest, Fr Ruairi O Domhnaill as he addressed Jerrys family and many friends. So today you need to be easy on yourself and be easy on each other because today is a hard day. "My friends, I know that the sadness of this day has been compounded for many of you by things that have happened in the town [Newbridge], continued Fr O Domhnaill. I know they have made the sadness even more difficult to bear. "For anyone that asks me, I want this message to go out. I know people are watching on webcam, I know we have lots of people in the church. One word came to me last evening, when all of you had left the church. And you know what that word was? The word was dignity. "You carried yourselves with absolute dignity yesterday. Absolute dignity. And I want to say that publicly that all of you showed such respect in the church. You showed such respect to Jerry and you carried yourselves with absolute dignity and I know you will carry yourselves with absolute dignity today. "You are showing the measure of how funerals should be celebrated and marked at this church. Thank you for the dignity and the respect that you showed yesterday and I know that you will show today. "You are the example, you are the marker for how people should act and respect a place of worship and respect your loved ones who have died. Its important for me to say that publicly. You are absolutely an example to everyone. The funeral comes a few days after members of the Traveller community locally expressed their upset and disappointment at the closure of pubs and restaurants in Newbridge town as they mourned the tragic death of Jerry. Speaking to The Irish Independent, Sinn Fein representative for Newbridge, James Stokes, who is also a member of the Traveller community, said the closure of these businesses while a family was in mourning is very disappointing. "It is very disappointing that travellers who are from Newbridge town and in mourning have been treated like this, he said. "If it was anyone else from another community who had died, these pubs and restaurants would not have closed. Whats so sad about this is that this discrimination doesnt just happen in Newbridge, it happens all around Ireland whether its a travellers wedding, a funeral or a wake. Hurling Michael Verney: Tipperary trust in Liam Cahill repaid as Premier County rises from the ashes Liam Cahill will deflect praise to his players or backroom team at every opportunity, but the Tipperary boss has taken the Premier from the scrap heap to an All-Ireland SHC final in just over a year. The Gap Arts Festival is back, with a mix of professional drama, late-night outdoor movies, live music, talks, exhibitions, circus performers and family fun days, from August 7 to August 10. Furthermore, the Music Mentoring and Subh Dubh workshops will take place during June and July. Speaking on this years festival schedule, festival director Garrett Keogh said, We have a long tradition of hands-on workshops. Working side by side with professional artists, young and old have gained skills in writing, performing, making giant puppets, and in painting, photography and film making. As a result of these workshops many local writers and musicians had first-time performance and publication opportunities at the festival, Keogh said. Four participants went on to the Institute for Art and Design, two have worked in the arts sector, and some have developed their own arts practices. Named a unique festival by the European Festivals Association, the Gap Arts Festival was nominated for the European Rural Inspiration Award 2019 for its Community Portrait Photographic Project. With these workshops, and by commissioning local artists in collaborative projects Keogh said, the Gap Festival is not just about bringing the arts here, but about enabling the community to have ownership of the creations, said Garrett. Subh, Dubh, Agus Cnuasach Na Tire Jam, Black, And The Fat Of The Land, will be a great chance for adults to be outdoors, enjoy the weather, learn about local fruits and flowers, and how to make jams, vinegars, relishes and chutneys. Funded and supported by Wexford County Council in partnership with Creative Ireland, artists Garrett Keogh and Caoimhe Dunn will host a series of indoor and outdoor workshops exploring hands-on the traditions, stories and lore of foraging and preserving local wild fruits, the elderflower, bilberry, and blackberry. Well have a local forager and a chef to help. And it doesnt matter how much or how little Irish you have, itll be fun, a hands-on way for adults to explore, learn and use the language in a friendly, non-school situation, said Caoimhe. This years Music Mentoring will feature guitar, bass, drums and singing. Festival directors are also open to other musical interests and will do their best to accommodate them. Anyone who 12 years old and above who is interested in music is encouraged to get involved with the Gap Arts Festival. Places for both series of workshops are limited, so anyone interested should contact the Gap at gapartsfest@gmail.com. The women of Wexford are being encouraged to go and get themselves checked, following the return of the BreastCheck mobile unit to the grounds of Ely Hospital in Wexford town. The unit had been absent from the grounds for quite some time, meaning that women were being forced to travel to the likes of St Vincents in Dublin for mammograms. Labour TD George Lawlor was particularly happy to see the return of the unit and is urging those eligible to undertake their free examination. "Its great to see the return of this mobile unit, he said. Its a vital component in the battle against breast cancer, where we know that early detection is vital. Under the current BreastCheck scheme, women aged from 50 to 69 are invited to get a free mammogram every two years, however, women of all ages are encouraged to be breast aware and self-check regularly. I think, realistically, the screening eligibility age needs to be lowered to 40, Deputy Lawlor said. I will be lobbying the government for this, but in the meantime, Id urge those in the target cohort to make an appointment by calling 1800 454555 and get checked out. Proposed changes to special school system pose serious risk to childrens wellbeing They would struggle in a mainstream school A principal of a school in Wexford which caters for children with mild general learning disabilities believes the move is not in the best interests of pupils Leaving Cert class and staff from Our Lady of Fatima School pictured in 2024, Emily McMahon, Glenda McKeown (Principal), Eddie Sullivan, Sarah Mylett, Glenn Molly, Sorcha Donnelly, Sean O'Connor, Lee Kelly, Adam Sinnott, Bridget Lacey (Deputy Principal), Emer Kehoe (Leaving Cert Class Teacher). Pic: Jim Campbell Simon Bourke Wexford People Fri 13 Jun 2025 at 12:29 Proposed changes to the special school system across Ireland will, according to a Co Wexford principal, leave children at risk of slipping through the cracks and not fulfilling their potential. A letter issued by the Department of Education last week outlined its plans to review the designation of existing special schools for the academic year 2026/2027. Arklow RNLI volunteers recently hosted vice president and former deputy chair of the lifesaving charity, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, for a special visit ahead of the stations naming ceremony for their new Shannon-class lifeboat and their 200th anniversary celebrations next year. No stranger to Ireland, having served as a chair of the RNLIs Operations Committee and visited several Irish lifeboat stations during his tenure, this was Sir Tims first time visiting Arklow lifeboat station the oldest established RNLI lifeboat station on the island of Ireland. Receiving a warm welcome from all present, the vice admiral was introduced to the assembled lifeboat crew, station management, fundraisers, and their families by lifeboat operations manager John Bermingham, with guest in attendance including Arklow Harbour master, captain Paul Ivory, Arklow MD cathaoirleach, Cllr Pat Kennedy and Arklow Sailing Club commodore Seamus Cramer. Coxswain Eddie McElheron and mechanic Craig OReilly gave Sir Tim a tour of the new 3.1m Shannon class lifeboat, and there was also a visit to the boathouse and shop, before the visit concluded with a stop at the towns maritime museum, which recently hosted an RNLI 200 exhibition. Former Lifeboat operations manager Jimmy Tyrrell and coxswain Brendan Dillon were on hand for a tour and some station history. Jimmy was responsible for the RNLI naming the Shannon class after an Irish river, in recognition of the service of Irish volunteers to the charity over two centuries, a fact that was shared with their visitor. Commenting on the special visit, John Bermingham said: We were delighted to host Sir Tim Laurence for a special visit to our station. Arklow is a lifeboat station steeped in RNLI history, and the town has a hugely important maritime background. We are very proud to be the first RNLI lifeboat station on the island of Ireland and to be naming our new Shannon class lifeboat soon, following its arrival last October. It was Sir Tims first time visiting the station, and we hope to welcome him again in the future. Martin and Luke Whelan were cheering on Glencormac United during the Thomas Scott Cup Final at Ballygannon. Photo: Leigh Anderson Parish of Powerscourt with Kilbride Services of Worship in St. Patricks Church, for this Sunday Trinity Sunday: 11.30am All Age Service. Service of Worship in St. Brigids Church, Kilbride, for this Sunday The Day of Pentecost: 9.45am Holy Communion 2. Services at Powerscourt with Kilbride: All Services of Worship are available on the Parish YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0XYER9clb4mj3NcYdExQ. Holy Trinity, Killiney: Revd. Jane Burns has been appointed the new Rector of Holy Trinity, Killiney. A date for the Service of Institution of Revd. Burns has yet to be announced. Irish Trefoil GuildGuiding for Life: Calling all former leaders of the Irish Girl Guides in Bray and the surrounding area. There is now a Trefoil Guild in Bray. Contact Anne at: braytrefoilguild@gmail.com. St Marys Church Parish Website: www.enniskerryparish.ie is the Parish website of the Immaculate Heart of Marycheck it out for the latest information about our parish. Facebook Page: There is a facebook page for the parish of Enniskerry, incorporating all four churches which facebook users will find under Enniskerry parish with a cover photo of trees and profile picture of a quote from Pope Francis. Please give it a like and feel free to post news from your community. Enniskerry (also Curtlestown & Glencree) Parish Office opening times: Monday to Friday: 10am to 1pm; email: stmarys@enniskerryparish.ie; or call 01-2760030. Please Note: The parish office at St. Marys now covers St. Mochonogs also. Anyone wishing to book a funeral, wedding or baptism should do so by contacting Aideen at 086-8182241. If, however, you call the number for Kilmacanogue, 01-2021882, it will automatically be transferred to the above mobile number. Mass intentions can be called in, again using 01 2021882, or sent via WhatsApp to the above mobile number. If you would prefer to give your intention in person, Breda Connolly is very happy to take intentions in the sacristy after mass. These options will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Parish Churches Schedule of Masses: Enniskerry St. Marys: Saturday evening 6pm and also via parish webcam; Sunday 11am and also via parish webcam. Weekday Mass at Enniskerry is at 10.15am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and also via parish webcam lay-led prayer service on Wednesday; and Saturday at 10.15am, and also available via the parish webcam. Masses in Curtlestown and Kilmacanogue are on Sunday at 10am. Mass in Glencree is at 9am on the first Sunday each month. New Music Ministry: Please join us if you would like the opportunity to sing and fill in from time to time when our regular musicians are not available. We currently meet on Tuesday evenings at 7.15pm in St. Marys Church. See you there. Baptism Requests: Requests for Baptism now take place online at www.enniskerryparish.ie. Downtime Thursday/Adoration: Downtime Thursday takes place on the last Thursday of the Month. The next Downtime Thursday will take place on Thursday June 26th from 7pm to 8pm in St. Marys Church, so why not pop into the church for some quiet time. You can sit in silence with candlelight and gentle music. Take a few minutes for yourself and just be. Light a candle, say a prayer. Just sit if thats what you need. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will take place. Cemetery Sunday in Springfield Cemetery, Bray: The Blessing of Graves will take place this Sunday at 3pm. There will be no Mass. Magsie Goor Fundraising Memorial Concert: This concert will take place at 3pm on Sunday June 22nd. It will be a musical extravaganza on a summer afternoon. A full orchestra of strings and a smaller group of strings will entertain us, with a very special performance by a promising young cellist who will play The Swan (Saint-Saens),Curtlestown Choir and more. It will certainly be well worth attending. Although it will be a donation fundraiser, we would very much like to get an idea of numbers, so if you are interested in being there, please register your interest at the parish office. All proceeds go to Enniskerry Parish. Glencullen Cemetery Mass: Takes place at 3pm in St. Patricks Cemetery, Glencullen, at 3pm on Sunday, July 6th (no 10am Mass that Sunday). New Here?: You are very welcome. You can keep up to date with us through the parish webpage at www.enniskerryparish.ie. Broadcast List: A broadcast list for the parish is now up and running. This is to keep everyone up to date with what is happening in the parish and for easy communication in relation to building our communities. If you would like to have your name added to the list please contact Aideen at 086-8182 241. History Society Members and supporters of the Enniskerry History Society are asked to note that the following events will take place in the coming week. This Saturday the Kilmacud Stillorgan Local History Society will hold a Genealogy Day with researchers from the Genealogical Society of Ireland from 11am to 4pm in St. Laurences Parish Centre, Lower Kilmacud Road, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin. All are welcome admission is free. Please note that there is a car parking charge of 1 per hour at this venue coin payment. Next Wednesday Dr Noel Carolan will present the annual Ray Wickham lecture Get Ready for the 1926 Censusthe Past is Free! at 6.30pm in Raheny Library, Howth Road, Dublin 5. Admission is free but is required which can be directly with Raheny Library, email: rahenylibrary@dublincity.ie or call 01-2228323. Enniskerry Library Opening hours are Tuesday 10.30am to 12.30pm & 1.30pm to 4.30pm; Wednesday: 2pm to 4.30pm & 6pm to 8pm; Friday: 10.30am to 12.30pm & 1.30pm to 4.30pm; Saturday: 10am to 2.30pm. The library can be contacted at 01-2864339 or email: enniskerrylib@wicklowcoco.ie. On-line services including e-books, audio-books, digital magazines and newspapers and e-learning are available from the library website. Enniskerry Bridge Club Enniskerry Bridge Club meets every Tuesday night in the Powerscourt Parochial Hall (beside Poppies) at 7.30pm. New members are always very welcome. For more information please contact the Secretary at 085-7112179. School enrolment St. Marys & St. Gerards National School is now open for enrolmentsJunior Infants to 6th Class. For further information call 01-2868851 or email: info@enniskerryns.ie I'm Your Venus OTT Release Date: This new thrilling documentary is dropping on Netflix starting June 23, 2025. It shines a spotlight on Venus Xtravaganza, the transgender star of the landmark film Paris Is Burning. Venuss life was full of raw passion and vibrant ballroom energy, but it ended tragically when she was murdered in 1988. Now, decades later, Im Your Venus reunites both her biological siblings and her chosen family from the House of Xtravaganza to relive her story, seek justice, and honour her fierce spirit. Whats it about? Directed by Kimberly Reed, the film picks up nearly 35 years after Venuss death. It follows her three brothers, John, Joe, and Louie Pellagatti, as they sift through old police records, fight for a posthumous name change, and search for answers. Alongside them are members of the House of Xtravaganza, including House Mother Gisele Alicea and other prominent figures from the ballroom scene. Across home visits, legal meetings, and heartfelt interviews, the two families form a bridge between different worlds, biological and chosen, united by love and loss. The documentary also weaves in archival footage from Paris Is Burning, showing Venus in her own words and moves. Her voguing, her dreams of modelling, her raw interviews, these are revisited, reminding viewers of just how alive and present she was, even before the tragedy struck. Behind the scenes Kimberly Reed isn't new to documentaries; she previously made award-winning films like Prodigal Sons and Dark Money. She produced Im Your Venus with Jamie Schutz, Steven Cantor, and Mike Stafford, working alongside cinematographers Rose Bush and Joshua Z. Weinstein. The film was edited by Eric Daniel Metzgar, Michael Palmieri, and supervising editor Dava Whisenant, who helped tie together the old and the new into a seamless narrative, 80 to 85 minutes of emotional storytelling. Executive producers Jonovia Chase, Dominique Jackson, David Linde, Jennie Livingston (who directed Paris Is Burning), Henry Schleiff, and Courtney Sexton lend their voices and perspectives to help shape this tribute. Venuss life and legacy Born Venus Pellagatti on May 5, 1965, in Jersey City, New Jersey, she became involved in drag and performance in her teens. By the early 1980s, shed joined the House of Xtravaganza, one of the most iconic houses in New Yorks ballroom world. Paris Is Burning immortalised her, and her presence still resonates today. But her life was cut short on December 21, 1988, when she was found strangled in a New York City hotel room. Her case went cold and remained unsolved. In 2022, thanks in part to the efforts sparked by this documentary, her murder was re-examined. The NYPD reopened the case, and her family successfully changed her name legally to Venus Pellagatti Xtravaganza, symbolic acts meant to restore her to history and fight for recognition. For more news and updates from the world of OTT and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment. While nothing seems to be going right for NewJeans, who have since rebranded themselves as NJZ, they received a glimmer of hope when a male stalker was punished for his crimes. A man in his twenties has been sentenced to prison for illegally entering the former dorm of the five members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein and stealing personal items, an incident that has reignited growing concerns over idol safety and privacy. Male stalker receives prison sentence As reported by Dispatch on June 11, the Seoul Western District Court's 9th Criminal Division held a trial for a man identified only as "A," who was charged with theft and trespassing. He had unlawfully entered an apartment that was formerly used as the dormitory of the members. Although the members had already moved out, he stole remaining items such as hangers and banners left behind in the unit. During the hearing, prosecutors requested a 10-month prison sentence. Although "A" admitted to all charges and appealed for leniency by citing it as his first offense, the court ultimately ruled in favor of a custodial sentence. The case has once again sparked public concern over the safety measures in place to protect idols, especially in private spaces meant to offer them respite from public scrutiny. NewJeans still embroiled in a legal dispute The idols remain entangled in a legal battle with their agency ADOR, following the departure of CEO Min Hee Jin. The group is fighting for independence after attempting to rebrand and cut ties with HYBE, while the agency pushes to enforce their exclusive contract. At the June 5 hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, HYBE reportedly proposed a settlement, but NJZ declined. A representative for the group told reporters, "The relationship of trust has completely collapsed a settlement is highly unlikely." The judge encouraged both sides to seek a "mutually agreeable" solution. While ADOR says it's open to discussions after the court's decision, NJZ appears unwilling to reconcile. The standoff continues as HYBE chairman Bang Si Hyuk faces separate scrutiny over alleged stock manipulation, now under FSS investigation. For all the latest K-drama, K-pop, and Hallyuwood updates, keep following our coverage here. Eiichiro Odas One Piece remains a global favorite, keeping fans hooked with its gripping plot and iconic characters. As the journey unfolds, each new chapter brings fresh excitement, leaving readers eager for whats next. However, with Chapter 1152 facing a delay, many are wondering when the manga will return. Here's everything you need to know about the updated release schedule and what lies ahead. One Piece chapter 1152 delayed, new release date Eiichiro Oda has confirmed a break following the release of One Piece chapter 1151. Typically, Oda releases three consecutive chapters before taking a short break, and this time is no different. The manga will be on a two-week hiatus and is scheduled to return on June 22, 2025, which falls on a Sunday for most international fans. In Japan, however, the chapter will be released at 12 AM JST on Monday, but readers in other parts of the world will get access to it on June 22. #ONEPIECE1151 Gaban using the last bit of his strength to remind everyone that he's the No.2 of the Roger pirates not No.3 pic.twitter.com/CqtStILYwj BlueLeg (@Khaled71697) June 4, 2025 Luffy vs. Imu in One Piece manga The Elbaf arc is finally approaching its climax, with One Piece chapter 1151 laying the groundwork for the major events ahead. In this chapter, Luffy and his crew sensed a powerful surge of Haki from Imu, who unleashed it upon arriving in Elbaf. The crew began making preparations to return to the Sun Realm of Elbaf, where a massive battle is set to take place. The long-awaited fight between Luffy and Imu is just around the corner, with chapter 1152 expected to mark the crew's return to the Sun Realm and the beginning of the confrontation. Where to read One Piece manga? International readers can access Chapter 1152 through three primary platforms once its officially released. Viz Medias website and Shueishas MANGA Plus provide free access, although they limit the number of available chapters. For unlimited access to One Piece and other manga titles, fans can opt for a subscription to Shueishas Shonen Jump+ service, which comes at an affordable monthly cost. For more news and updates from the world of OTT, as well as celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment. US President Donald Trump has announced a tentative trade agreement with China, resolving key issues such as rare earth supplies and student exchanges. The deal still awaits final approval from both Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Whats in the Deal: Rare earths, student visas and tariffs Trump stated that China has agreed to resume supplying essential magnets and rare earth materials to the US. In return, the US will allow Chinese students to continue studying at American colleges and universities. The deal is described by Trump as done but subject to final approval from both leaders. We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. Relationship is excellent! Trump wrote on Truth Social. He also confirmed China will provide rare earths up front, while the US will fulfill agreed terms, including student access to American education institutions. Background: Trade war reignited since Trumps second inauguration Since Trumps second inauguration in January 2025, US-China trade tensions escalated sharply. Trumps new Liberation Day tariffs added another 34% to existing tariffs, bringing the total to 54% on Chinese imports. In response, China imposed equivalent tariffs and additional export controls on rare earth elements. Tariff levels on both sides peaked at 125%, causing significant disruptions in global supply chains and raising economic uncertainty. US President Donald Trump | Credit: X Rare earths: The strategic flashpoint Rare earth elements, crucial for sectors like defence, semiconductors, and electric vehicles, became central to the dispute. With China controlling nearly 90% of global supply and refining capacity, its early 2025 move to tighten export licensing had serious effects. Major US manufacturers such as Ford faced production halts due to rare earth shortages. The new agreement aims to resolve this by restoring rare earth supplies, which US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick believes will help stabilize trade relations. Student exchanges: A key link maintained The deal also preserves student exchange opportunities, allowing Chinese students to continue their education in the US. This aspect of the deal is seen as vital for maintaining people-to-people ties. Chinese students account for one of the largest groups of international students in the US, contributing approximately $14 billion annually through tuition and expenses. In the past, both governments have supported education programs to enhance mutual understanding. With increasing visa issues and political tensions, this part of the agreement is seen as a stabilising step for long-term diplomatic relations. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. Govind Raghuvanshi, elder brother of Sonam Raghuvanshi, has openly stated he believes his sister was involved in the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya last month. He also confirmed that Sonam used to tie rakhi to co-accused Raj Kushwaha, with whom she allegedly had an affair. According to the evidence found so far, I am 100% sure she has committed this murder, Govind said while addressing the media in Indore. All the accused in this case are related to Raj Kushwaha. We have broken our ties with Sonam Raghuvanshi. I apologise to Rajas family, he added. Family breaks ties, demands justice Govind visited the family of the deceased in Indore and said his family would now fight for justice on behalf of Raja Raghuvanshi. Sonam doesnt consider herself guilty. There has been no contact...We have severed all ties with her, he told reporters. He also called for strict punishment, stating that if Sonam is proven guilty, she should be hanged. His remarks have added a new layer to the ongoing investigation that has already seen conflicting claims and emotional public responses. Raja Raghuvanshi | Credit: X The rakhi connection: used to call her didi Govind also shed light on the nature of Sonams relationship with Raj Kushwaha. According to him, Kushwaha referred to Sonam as didi (elder sister) and that Sonam had tied rakhi to him every year for the past three years. Raj Kushwaha always used to call her didi. For the last three years, she has been tying rakhi to him, he stated. Murder during honeymoon in Meghalaya Sonam and Raja had gone to Meghalaya for their honeymoon in May. They were reported missing on May 23, and Rajas body was discovered in a gorge on June 2. Sonam resurfaced in Uttar Pradeshs Ghazipur last week, claiming she had been drugged and kidnapped. The police have dismissed these claims. Vipin Raghuvanshi, brother of the deceased, also spoke out, saying that Govind had contacted him to confess his sisters role in the murder. He told me that his sister should be hanged for the mistake she made, Vipin said. Raj Kushwahas family maintains innocence Meanwhile, Raj Kushwahas mother has claimed that her son is innocent and being falsely accused. My son is just 20 years old... He worked in Sonams brothers factory. He is being falsely accused. I request the government to prove him innocent, she said. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. Days after a public dispute with the U.S. President Donald Trump, Elon Musk has admitted he regrets some of the social media posts he made about him. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far, Musk wrote online. Fallout from budget bill criticism The tension began when Musk strongly opposed a new spending bill backed by Trump. Calling the bill a disgusting abomination, Musk went on to urge political retaliation against Republican lawmakers who supported it. This comment drew sharp attention from the White House. Trump, in an interview with NBC News, warned of very serious consequences if Musk moved forward with plans to fund primary challengers to Republican incumbents. He didnt specify what those consequences might be, but made it clear that the relationship had soured, saying, I have no intention of speaking to him. Musk resigns from government advisory role Just a week before the public fallout, Trump had praised Musk for his work as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which focused on improving federal spending practices. Musk stepped down from the role shortly after, citing differences over the administrations spending plans. Following his resignation, Musk began publicly criticising Trumps legislative agenda. The situation escalated quickly, with Trump accusing Musk of being ungrateful and threatening to re-examine federal contracts awarded to Musks companies. Epstein allegations and deleted posts At the height of the conflict, Musk posted a claim on social media suggesting Trump was linked to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Time to drop the really big bomb: (Trump) is in the Epstein files, Musk wrote, without providing evidence. He claimed the documents were being suppressed and added, The truth will come out. However, the posts were deleted by the next morning. Trump dismissed the allegations as old news, saying, Even Epsteins lawyer said I had nothing to do with it. He acknowledged knowing Epstein but denied any illegal involvement. Publicly released records have not implicated Trump in wrongdoing.Musks regrets, deleted posts, and public fallout with Trump mark a significant shift in their dynamicwith uncertain outcomes ahead. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. French President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to press the European Union for a regulation that would ban social media access for children under 15 years old. His push follows a deadly incident at a middle school in eastern France, where a 14-year-old student allegedly stabbed a 31-year-old school aide during a bag search for weapons. Speaking to France 2 on Tuesday, Macron said he expects progress within months. If that does not work, we will start to do it in France. We cannot wait, he said, stressing the urgency of the situation following the latest attack at a school in Nogent, Haute-Marne. Violence in schools prompts political urgency The fatal stabbing has reignited debate about youth violence and school safety in France. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou addressed the matter in parliament, describing the attack as part of a wider pattern of similar incidents. Police have questioned a 14-year-old in connection with the stabbing, which occurred during a routine bag search. Macron has linked rising aggression among teenagers to social media influence. He pointed to platforms' ability to verify user ages but noted that enforcement remains weak. Macron urges tech platforms to verify age of users Macron continued his stance on social media accountability via a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he wrote: Platforms have the ability to verify age. Do it. He cited expert support for age-based restrictions and emphasized that the responsibility lies with major tech platforms to implement and enforce these controls. Emmanuel Macron | Credit: X Although many platforms officially restrict users under 13, enforcement is minimal and bypassing age checks is reportedly easy. Macrons remarks aim to put pressure on both European regulators and tech companies. Australia's precedent adds global momentum Macrons comments come as global interest in regulating youth access to social media intensifies. Australia passed a law last year banning access to social media for children under 16. The decision followed public debate and set a precedent as one of the strictest regulatory frameworks against Big Techs influence on children. France may follow suit if EU-wide action is not forthcoming, Macron warned. The growing consensus among global leaders suggests a shift towards tighter controls on digital access for minors in response to rising safety concerns. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg has responded to the U.S. President Donald Trumps recent remarks about her temperament. Trump had described her as a strange and angry young person following her involvement in an aid mission to Gaza, which ended in her brief detention by Israeli forces. Trump criticises Thunberg after Israeli detention The exchange began after Thunberg was detained by Israeli authorities while aboard the Madleen, a British-flagged vessel participating in the Freedom Flotillas mission to deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza. The boat, part of a coalition-led pro-Palestine effort, left Italy on June 1. Responding to the incident, Trump commented, Anger management I think she has to go to an anger management class. Thats my primary recommendation for her Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg. Thunberg had earlier described her teams detainment as kidnapping by Israeli forces. Israel rejected those allegations, calling them unfounded. Officials stated that the activists were deported in line with international legal standards. US President Donald Trump | Credit: X Thunberg responds to Trump and defends her actions Following her deportation, Thunberg landed in Paris and addressed the media at Charles de Gaulle Airport. When asked about Trumps remarks, she said, I think the world needs many more young angry women, to be honest. Especially with everything going on right now. Thats the thing we need the most of. She also stood by her criticism of Israeli authorities. Speaking to reporters, Thunberg accused Israel of breaching international obligations, stating, This is yet another intentional violation of rights that is added to the list of countless other violations that Israel is committing. She added that her boat was intercepted early Monday and her team was forcibly taken to Israelactions she considers to be violations of both maritime and human rights law. Longstanding tensions between Thunberg and Trump The confrontation adds to a history of public disagreement between the two figures. Their exchange dates back to 2019, when Trump responded sarcastically to Thunbergs United Nations speech, calling her a very happy young girl. Later that year, after Thunberg was named Time Magazines Person of the Year, Trump again mocked her on social media, suggesting she work on her Anger Management problem and chill. Thunbergs recent remarks and Trumps criticism reflect ongoing tensions, now amplified by the international spotlight on Gaza and aid missions. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. China offers a 10-day free trip to US Influencers: This July, China is offering a free 10-day, all-expense-paid trip to American social media creators as part of its "China-Global Youth Influencer Exchange Program." The program, which aims to change the global perspective through digital diplomacy, encourages well-known influencers to visit Chinese sites and e-commerce sites, as well as regional partnerships with local content producers, to get a firsthand look at Chinese culture. This calculated action supports Beijing's efforts to increase soft power, particularly in light of the ongoing tensions between the US and China. The ad draws attention to how diplomacy is evolving in the twenty-first century, where influence is shaped just as much online as at political gatherings. About China-Global Youth Influencer Exchange Program China is inviting American influencers to join a 10-day, all-expense paid trip through the country this July | Credit: Freepik According to recruitment posts by Chinese state-affiliated media outlets, such as the China Youth Daily, the program, called the "China-Global Youth Influencer Exchange Program," aims to recruit young social media influencers with at least 300,000 followers to work with Chinese content creators. According to a different article in College Daily, a magazine that focuses on Chinese students in North America, candidates for the exchange program who are based in the US must "love Chinese culture" and "have no history of bad behaviours." It urged Chinese students studying abroad to recommend influential people in their networks to apply, and it stated that the chosen applicants would receive an official invitation from China and special help from the government in obtaining their visas. Where will the US Influencers go to travel in China? While relations between China and the US have deteriorated in recent months over issues including geopolitics, technology and trade, the programme marks an effort to boost cultural exchanges | Credit: Freepik In addition to covering China's e-commerce hubs and the corporate offices of enterprises like Xiaohongshu Technology Co. and BYD Co., the tour aims to take participants through five Chinese cities: Suzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Handan, and Beijing. According to the posts, the influencers will also be able to live-stream their visit to the Great Wall and engage in cultural activities like Taichi. The agreement will include exchanging ideas with Chinese social media influencers and promoting their work through China's official media. Who will be eligible for this program? Young social media influencers with at least 300,000 followers are sought after in order to work with Chinese content producers and promote "Real China." US applicants for the exchange program should be active on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and X, "love Chinese culture," and "have no history of bad behaviours," according to a post in College Daily. This publication specifically targets Chinese students in North America, according to the report. Why is China planning for a 10-day free trip for US influencers? In an attempt to increase people-to-people interactions and promote the "real China," Beijing is asking American influencers to travel through the nation for 10 days in July, all expenses paid. The program represents an attempt to increase cultural contacts, even if geopolitical, technological, and trade challenges have caused a decline in U.S.-China relations in recent months. President Xi Jinping, who had earlier announced a plan to bring 50,000 American students to China, called for expanded interactions between Chinese and American institutions last year. To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow Indiatimes Trending. The launch of the Axiom-4 space mission carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed again due to a technical snag in SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. This is the second time that the mission has been postponed, as originally, it was scheduled for June 10, 2025, and later it was rescheduled to June 11 at 5:30 pm IST. Following the latest delay announcement, it faces an indefinite delay with no new updates. Why has the Axiom-4 space mission been delayed again? According to ToI, the delay comes after engineers detected a liquid oxygen (LOX) leak while conducting the post-static fire inspections of the rocket boosters. On Wednesday, issuing a statement, SpaceX announced the delay and said that it was standing down from the Falcon-9 launch to allow time for necessary repairs. "Once complete and pending range availability, we will share a new launch date," the company said in a post on X." Standing down from tomorrows Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete and pending Range availability we will share a new launch date pic.twitter.com/FwRc8k2Bc0 SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 11, 2025 Oxygen leak detected during hot test launch pad The ISRO Chairman, V Narayana,n confirmed that the LOX leak was found in the propulsion bay during a seven-second hot test conducted on the launch pad. According to a PTI report, Narayanan stated, "The ISRO team discussed with experts at Axiom and SpaceX, and it was decided that the leak would be fixed and necessary validation tests conducted before clearing for the launch." While the hot test was aimed at validating the performance of Falcon 9's booster stage. Hence, the Axiom mission, which was to be initially carried out on June 11, 2025, has been officially postponed. Credit: X |@SpaceX Necessary validation tests were conducted before launch On the other hand, Axiom Space also confirmed that the team of ISRO discussed with experts at Axiom and SpaceX, and it was decided that the leak would be fixed and necessary validation tests conducted before clearing for the launch. The 14-day mission is significant for countries including India, Poland, and Hungary, as it marks a return to human spaceflight for all three countries. However, the Axiom-4 mission was initially postponed multiple times, first to June 8, then June 10 and now June 11. What's next for Axiom-4 and Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla? This is not the first delay; the mission was postponed earlier on June 11 due to 'unfavourable weather', the Indian Space Research Organisation announced on Monday. So far, no new launch date has been announced. Indian Air Force pilot Group Shubhanshu Shukla has been selected as the pilot for the Axiom 4 mission. Shukla will be the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS and the second Indian to travel to space, after 41 years since Rakesh Sharma made history during the landmark 1984 mission. To stay updated on the stories that are going viral, follow Indiatimes Trending. Tastefully Yours ending explained: The ENA drama Tastefully Yours, starring Go Min Si and Kang Ha Neul, wrapped up its 10-episode run with an emotional and satisfying finale. While the short series faced criticism for its slow middle episodes, the ending delivered heartfelt resolutions, unexpected twists, and even a jaw-dropping cameo from Park Ji Hoon of Weak Hero Class fame, leaving K-drama fans shocked. For the unversed, the K-drama follows the unlikely romance between Han Beom Woo (Kang Ha Neul), a polished executive director at Korea's elite food conglomerate Hansang, and Mo Yeon Joo (Go Min Si), a passionate countryside chef who runs a tiny, hidden restaurant with just one table. When their worlds collide in Jeonju, their contrasting approaches to food and life spark both conflict and attraction. As they work side by side in Yeon Joo's humble kitchen, Beom Woo rediscovers the true meaning of cooking beyond corporate success, while Yeon Joo learns to open her heart again. Credit: X Tastefully Yours ending explained: Breaking down the heartwarming finale of the series By the end of Episode 8, Mo Yeon Joo discovers Han Beom Woos true intentions via his brother Han Seon Woo (Bae Nara). He had initially come to her countryside restaurant, Jungjae, to steal recipes for his familys conglomerate, Hansang. Feeling deeply betrayed, she leaves everything behind and isolates herself in the mountains. Meanwhile, Beom Woo, realizing his mistakes, quits his high-ranking position at Hansangs fine dining branch, Motto. His redemption arc begins as he tries to make amends, but the damage seems irreversible. The ultimate cook-Off: Jungjae vs. Motto The prestigious Diamant Guide sets up a high-stakes cook-off between Jungjae and Motto for a battle of three stars, though in reality, its a battle between Jungjae and Hansang. The challenge is both restaurants must prepare the best chicken dish possible. However, Hansang plays dirty. They ensure Jungjae cant source fresh chicken, forcing them to use frozen meat. Despite this, Myung Sook, Jungjaes head chef, steps up and crafts a remarkable dish. On the other side, Young Hye, Mottos chef (who previously stole recipes from Jungjae to gain three stars), finally decides to cook something original, marking her personal growth. When the results are announced, the Hansang chairwoman (Beom Woos mother) declares a tie, but the French judge refuses to accept her corruption and storms out. A rematch is proposed, but Young Hye quits, leaving Motto without a chef. Yeon Joos final gamble: A homemade meal Instead of a rematch, Yeon Joo offers to cook a final meal for the chairwoman and proposes that if she dislikes it, Jungjae will close forever. But much to everyone's shock, the dish she prepares isnt a gourmet dish but a simple home-cooked meal, the same one Beom Woos mother once tried to make for her sons on TV while ignoring their pleas for attention. Credit: X As the family eats together, the chairwoman finally tastes the love and care missing from her childrens lives. Though she initially scoffs, she eventually admits the food is good, especially the kimchi, a callback to Beom Woos childhood. When Beom Woo moves to shut down Jungjae as promised, his mother stops him, saying, "If it closes here, youll just open somewhere else." Yeon Joo agrees, "Jungjae is where we are." Did Yeon Joo forgive Beom Woo? Credit: X Yes, but not without struggle. While Beom Woos deception was severe, Yeon Joo recognises that his mothers neglect shaped his actions. More importantly, she sees how much hes changed. Her own mothers advice about forgiveness likely played a role, but ultimately, Yeon Joo chooses love over resentment. The surprising Weak Hero Season 2 cameo callback In a fun twist, Park Ji Hoon (star of Weak Hero Class) makes a surprise cameo at the end of Tastefully Yours, instantly sending fans into a frenzy. But what really caught viewers off guard was a direct nod to Weak Hero Class 2. Yoo Sun Bin, who played the notorious Choi Hyo Manone of the bullies at Eunjang Highshows up here as Shin Cheun Sung, the son of the gukbap restaurant owner who ends up working full-time at JunJae. When his character crosses paths with Park Ji Hoons Lee Si Eunnow going by Eun Jae and working as an actorhe casually asks, Where did you go to high school? The response? A chilling death stare from Si Eun, hinting that he hasnt forgotten a thing from their Eunjang days. Park Jihoon's cameo in Tastefully Yours Episode 10 where "Sieun" met "Hyoman" again is in theqoo HOT post! https://t.co/ATFfkb5H5lpic.twitter.com/UsrU4G3dso winkandhearts ( fan) (@winkandhearts) June 10, 2025 Interestingly, Tastefully Yours and Weak Hero Class have more in common than just cast crossovers. Both dramas were directed by Park Dan Hee, which might explain the clever callbacks and emotional continuity. And theres moreBae Nara, who played Beom Woos older brother in Tastefully Yours, also stepped into the spotlight as the main villain in Weak Hero Class 2. This unexpected crossover delighted fans, blending two very different K-drama worlds in a way that felt both nostalgic and thrilling. For all the latest K-drama, K-pop, and Hallyuwood updates, keep following our coverage here. In a shocking update, a United Nations (UN) report revealed on Tuesday that India's population for 2025 is estimated at 1.46 billion as well and it has also flagged a declining total fertility rate (TFR) in the world's most populous country. According to the UN Population Funds (UNFPA) 2025 State of World Population Report, released on Tuesday, the population is expected to rise to about 1.7 billion before it starts to fall around 40 years from now. Moreover, the population of China is estimated to reach 1.41 billion in 2025. On the other hand, India's population was 1.44 billion previous year, as per the World Population Prospects-2024. India's fertility drops below the replacement rate The report titled 'The Real Fertility Crisis' states that one in three adult Indians (36 per cent) face unintended pregnancies, while 30 per cent of them experience unfulfilled desire for having either more or fewer children. Credit: PTI Additionally, the UNFPA report showed India's TFR has dropped to 1.9, which is below the replacement level fertility of 2.1 births per woman. This number indicates that women are having fewer children than needed to maintain the population size from one generation to another. What can be done to reverse the decline? We should not take comfort in the fact that Indias population has reached 1.46 billion. Instead, we should be concerned about the steadily declining Total Fertility Rate (TFR), which has now dropped to approximately 1.9. Reversing declining fertility rates requires a multi-faceted approach. Improving reproductive health services, including quality maternal and child healthcare, family planning resources, and STI prevention, is crucial, says Dr Usha BR, Consultant - OBGYN, Robotic surgeon, Fertility & Laparoscopic Surgeon, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru. Family-friendly policies like paid parental leave, childcare support, and flexible work arrangements can encourage childbearing. Fertility awareness education and community involvement can dispel myths and misconceptions. Investing in maternal and child health programs to reduce infant mortality rates can increase confidence in raising children. Additionally, offering fertility support services like IVF can help those struggling with conception, ultimately supporting a healthier demographic balance and mitigating declining fertility rates in India, adds Dr. BR. Risk factors for the declining fertility rate in India If this trend continues, our population may begin to decline significantly, possibly falling to around 930 to 940 million by the year 2100. What is even more alarming is that in urban areas, which comprise about 45 per cent of Indias population, the TFR is even lower, between 1.6 and 1.7, warns Dr Manjunath, Deputy Medical Director, Birla Fertility and IVF, Bangalore. This decline is largely attributed to delayed marriages, and among those who are married, delayed pregnancies, with many couples opting to have only one child. Compounding this issue is the growing incidence of diminished ovarian reserve among young women, which is becoming increasingly common. Additionally, the rising trend of women prioritising careers and postponing childbirth is contributing to the fertility decline. Credit: Freepik Southern states are particularly affected, with sharper drops in TFR compared to their northern counterparts, prompting governments like Andhra Pradeshs to consider incentives for couples having more children. According to Dr. Manjunath, If this trend continues, India may soon face fertility patterns similar to those seen in parts of Southeast Asia and developed European countries, leading to the loss of our demographic dividend. What can be done to manage the situation? To counter this, it is important to encourage young couples to plan during their peak reproductive years. Dr. Manjunath says, We also need to raise awareness that fertility significantly declines after the age of 35. Conceiving naturally or with minimal medical assistance is typically easier between the ages of 25 and 35, and timely family planning is key to preserving reproductive health and national demographic stability. In a harrowing turn of events straight out of a digital-age nightmare, a YouTuber rivalry appears to have erupted into fatal violence on the Las Vegas Strip. Two people were gunned down in front of the iconic Bellagio fountains and it all may have unfolded live on a now-removed livestream. At around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, Las Vegas police officers heard gunshots during a routine patrol on South Las Vegas Boulevard. They found a man and woman later identified as 44-year-old Rodney Finley and 43-year-old Tanisha Finley suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Both were declared dead at the scene. By Monday morning, the suspected shooter, 41-year-old Manuel Ruiz, had turned himself in to authorities at a Henderson police station. On June 8, 2025, near the Bellagio in Las Vegas, YouTuber Finny Da Legend and a woman were fatally shot during a livestream by another YouTuber, allegedly SinCity-MannyWise, over a social media dispute. Police detained the suspect, and the area was locked down. pic.twitter.com/PxarrVvRnA toenail (@toenail) June 9, 2025 Rivalry over content spirals into chaos Rodney Finley, known to his followers as Finny Da Legend, had built a YouTube presence livestreaming life in Las Vegas. But his content also frequently called out Ruiz, who ran a channel under the name SinCity-Manny. Their online tension became public last year when Finley accused Ruiz of hitting his channel with a copyright strike a move that could have led to channel termination under YouTubes policy. In a now-deleted video titled Look at what Sin City Family (Pmanny & Julie) Did to Me, Finley shared screenshots of the YouTube violation. The incident may have intensified a feud that already seemed personal and bitter. According to a police report, Ruiz described their relationship as a rivalry and claimed he acted in self-defence, insisting he had no idea the Finleys were livestreaming at the time. The livestream, which captured the terrifying moment gunfire broke out and bystanders scattered in panic, has since been removed. Awaiting justice Ruiz is currently being held without bail as he awaits a court appearance scheduled for Thursday. Know about Khaby Lame: The Senegalese-Italian social media sensation Khaby Lame, who gained international recognition during the pandemic for his silent but amusing reaction videos to too-difficult life hacks, has become a household name. His emotive, wordless comedy has garnered billions of views, and he has partnered with major businesses like UNICEF and Hugo Boss, making him the most popular TikToker. Khaby recently became the focus of immigration attention after self-deporting from the United States after being briefly held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for overstaying his visa. His journey from factory worker to global hero continues to inspire millions of people despite the setbacks because of his unique blend of humor, sincerity, and resiliency. Who is Khaby Lame? Khaby Lame is a TikToker | Credit: Instagram Lame is an Italian national who was born in Senegal and currently has 162.2 million followers on the immensely famous TikTok social media app. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he became well-known with his silent videos that parodied the complicated lessons and advice that are widely available online. He presents his straightforward solutions while interspersing his films with his signature gesture, which is palms toward the sky with wide eyes and a knowing smile. After losing his work as a factory mechanic in March 2020, he was roaming about the housing project in Chivasso, close to Turin, where his family lived when he had the idea for his content. According to Forbes, he made an estimated $16.5 million via marketing agreements with businesses between June 2022 and September 2023 as a result of his popular posts. Additionally, he appeared in Fortune's 40 Under 40 and Forbes' 30 Under 30. Khaby Lames education qualifications Khaby Lames family Up to the age of 14, Khaby Lame attended schools in Italy. After that, he relocated to Senegal to attend a Quranic school. Later, he was employed at a plant close to Turin, Italy, as a machine operator. He was a student at India's Government Higher Secondary School in 2021. Lame is reportedly an ambassador for the men's clothing company Boss | Credit: Instagram On March 9, 2000, Lame was born in Senegal. When he was one year old, his family relocated to Italy, where they resided in a public housing complex in Chivasso, close to Turin. There are three siblings for him. Before his parents temporarily sent him to a Quranic school close to Dakar when he was 14, he attended Italian schools. Prior to being let go in March 2020, Lame operated CNC machines in a facility close to Turin. Khaby Lames dating life Khaby Lame was well-known for his silent movies, expressive hand gestures, and emotive emotions, but until late 2023, not much was known about the content creator's personal life. However, things changed in November 2023 when Lame secretly married Danish South African model Wendy Thembelihle Juel. At the time, the news of his marriage did not garner much attention, according to TOI. According to the report, just a small number of the wedding photos made their way online; there were neither viral reels nor an unending supply of social media photos. However, according to reports, the couple was divorced in a little more than seven months. Vanity Fair claims that Nicola Paparusso, Khaby's manager, used the excuse of "unexpected and irremediable incompatibility of character" for their breakup. Therefore, the answer to the question is still "Yes." Khaby Lames net worth Khaby Lames estimated net worth in 2025 is a remarkable USD 16.520 million, according to reputable financial outlets like Fortune and Celebrity Net Worth. His income streams include up to $750,000 per sponsored post, along with highprofile brand collaborations featuring Hugo Boss, Fortnite, Sony Pictures, and Walmart. Khabys earnings are further supported by real estate investments and a signature product line sold through Walmart. In addition to his social media success, he has ventured into actingappearing in Bad Boys: Ride or Dieand became a judge on Italias Got Talent, while also taking on the role of UNICEF goodwill ambassador, all contributing to his diversified income portfolio. Khaby Lame's career During the COVID-19 outbreak, Lame lost his job and started posting on TikTok. He was seen dancing and playing video games in his early recordings. He became well-known for his video answers to movies showing intricate "life hacks" using TikTok's "duet" and "stitch" capabilities. In the videos, he completes the identical work silently and with a distinctive hand gesture. He overtook Addison Rae as the second most-followed personality on TikTok overall in April 2021 after surpassing Gianluca Vacchi as the most-followed Italian on the app. Lame costarred in the announcement of Manuel Locatelli by Juventus FC in August 2021. He was a special guest at the Venice Film Festival in September 2021 for the premiere of Xavier Giannoli's French film Lost Illusions. Lame and Hugo Boss struck a multi-year contract in January 2022, and Lame was highlighted in the #BeYourOwnBoss campaign. He appeared in Forbes' 30 Under 30 and Fortune's 40 Under 40 lists in 2022. He received the Premio la Moda Veste la Pace in March of that year, which is given annually at the European Parliament by the African Fashion Gate organization. Why is Khaby Lame detained by US Immigration? Khaby Lame, is the most well-known TikTok performer in the world. He fled the United States after being arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Las Vegas for reportedly overstaying his visa. This coincides with President Donald Trump's intensifying immigration campaign, which includes raids in Los Angeles that sparked days of anti-ICE rallies. The Senegalese-Italian influencer Lame was arrested Friday at Harry Reid International Airport but was allowed to depart the country without a deportation order, according to an ICE official. He "overstayed the terms of his visa," according to the spokeswoman, after arriving in the US on April 30. Those who are facing removal from the United States might avoid a deportation order on their immigration record, which could bar them from returning to the country for up to ten years, by voluntarily leaving, as Lame was permitted to do. To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow Indiatimes Trending. The European Commission's support for member states during this year's fire season will be boosted, Commission and Greek Fire Department officials said at a technical briefing on Wednesday. Zacharias Giakoumis,head of the Communications section of the Directorate-General forEuropean Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG-ECHO),said that the assistance for 2025 is based on three pillars - aerialmeans, prepositioning European firefighters, and providing technicalknow-how to countries that need it. Some 641firefighters from 14 European countries will be strategically placedon standby at critical high-threat areas in France, Greece, Portugaland Spain to help local firefighters. Some 22 firefighting aircraftand 4 helicopters will be stationed at 10 countries to intervene ifnecessary, Giakoumis said. Greece in particularwill get 4 amphibian mid-sized aircraft. In addition, the EuropeanCommission is investing significant funds in acquiring 12 newfirefighting airplanes and 5 helicopters. "The first helicoptersare expected to be delivered in 2026, while the first Canadair isexpected to arrive at the end of 2027 or the start of 2028. The firstof these is expected to arrive in Greece, and is under constructionright now," the EU official added. He also revealedthat the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) will setup a special support group of 29 fire experts from June 16 toSeptember 19 to follow fire threats and analyse data. The experts, henoted, will include a Greek and a Cypriot colleague. Support to Greece Concerningpreventative measures, he said that Greece has significantlybenefited from Civil Protection Mechanism programs, and was one ofthe first to ask to be evaluated for threat, along with Italy andGermany's Bradenburg state. Cooperation between Greece and theEuropean Commission is year round, he said. On his side, DeputyFire Department Chief Vassilis Bikas, coordinator of the Associationof Fire Department Foreign Missions Officers, presented detailed dataon the prepositioning program of European firefighters that began ona trial basis in Greece in 2022. This year, he said,a total of 14 countries will participate, 3 of them for the firsttime. Some 641 firefighters will be distributed among Greece, France,and Portugal. Specifically, Greece will receive 50% of Europeanfirefighters, or 323, from July 1 to September 15. The first toarrive will be the Bulgarian firefighters (40 people), based inThessaloniki, ending with Romanian and French firefighters (120 and25, respectively). Another 50 from Austria, 44 from Moldova, and 44from the Czech Republic will be assigned to Patras and Attica. As Bikas explained,it is the second consecutive year that Greece will sendcorrespondingly a unit of forest operations to France. "We areparticularly happy because this time we shall send our forces to theisland of Corsica. In addition, for three consecutive years, Frenchfirefighters assigned to Greece have come from the particular unitfrom the island of Corsica," he added. In terms of theprogram's development, Bikas noted that Greece is a destination indemand for European firefighters because is serves as "an openuniversity for forest fires, where both an experienced firefighterand a less experienced one will come here to learn by the side of themore experienced Greek firefighters, fatefully, as we have to facesmall, or large, or very large forest fires on a daily basis." Bikas also notedthat "Greece has a leading role in the mechanism, as it hasactivated it 13 times to now since 2016, to its benefit, but on theother it has also responded 54 times, and the balance clearly leanstoward our contribution." There is no spare in the fight for theclimate crisis, he noted. iefimerida.gr A 61-year-old hiker was killed after being pushed off a cliff by a bear during an excursion in the Fraktos forest near Drama, according to his hiking companion who witnessed the attack. The tragic incident occurred over the weekend. Dimitris Kioroglou recounted the fatal encounter, saying that his friend, Christos Stavrianidis, had briefly stepped away to admire the view when he called out about seeing a bear. Mr. Kioroglou initially believed the animal was distant. "I imagined the bear was 100 meters away," Mr. Kioroglou told Mega TV's "Live News," explaining he tried to spot it without moving. However, Mr. Stavrianidis urged him closer. "I realized something was happening and suddenly I see a huge bear 2-3 meters in front of me. I was truly stunned," Mr. Kioroglou said. "My dog, who was behind me, jumped in front and stopped the bear's charge. The bear backed up a little, I managed to get out the [bear] spray and sprayed to defend us. It turned back, went to my friend, and pushed him over the cliff." Mr. Kioroglou stated he did not see the actual push but heard his friend cry out, "Oh, oh, oh." "And suddenly I saw him hanging over the cliff. When he went over the cliff, I saw him," he emphasized, adding, "He did not slip, it pushed him." Following the attack, Mr. Kioroglou experienced memory loss. He remained at the scene for about two hours, calling emergency services (112 and 166) and providing coordinates. His trained dog, Warrior, alerted him that the bear was still nearby. Once the dog stopped growling, Mr. Kioroglou cautiously searched for a path down, fearing for his own safety before special rescue units (EMAK) arrived near dusk. Mr. Stavrianidis was located unconscious early Tuesday morning and pronounced dead. Both men were experienced explorers familiar with the area; Mr. Stavrianidis had notably discovered the wreckage of a 77-year-old military plane in the same forest last year. Mr. Kioroglou stressed the bear was not at fault, as it was in its natural habitat, and insisted neither he nor his friend provoked or threatened it. He credited his dog, Warrior, with delaying the initial bear charge, giving him time to deploy the deterrent spray. iefimerida.gr A 38-year-old Turkish entrepreneur faces domestic violence charges and an outstanding international arrest warrant after coast guard officers apprehended him aboard his luxury yacht off Mykonos, authorities say. The dramatic arrest unfolded after his wife accused him of assault. The businessman, who was accused by his 42-year-old wife of assault on June 4, attempted to flee as the Hellenic Coast Guard intercepted the vessel, which was flying a British flag, in Platis Gialos Bay. During the ensuing high-speed chase, officers boarded the yacht, handcuffed the suspect, and took him into custody. Medical personnel treated the woman aboard the yacht for facial injuries before she declined further transfer, stating she planned to return to Turkey. Investigators then discovered a February 2025 Red Notice from Turkish authorities seeking the businessman's arrest for robbery and defamation charges for which he had been sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison by a court in Izmir. The businessman was held at the Syros police precinct pending an appearance before a public prosecutor on the domestic violence charges. No further suspects were reported in connection with the incident. iefimerida.gr TIF-HELEXPO has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center (OCEC), continuing its strategy for international networking and extroversion. The memorandum was signed by the CEO TIF-HELEXPO: Memorandum of Cooperation with the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center - Greeces Anti-Money Laundering Authority has failed to publish a single annual report for the past six years - despite a legal obligation to do so - raising serious concerns about transparency and the countrys commitment to combating financial crime, especially as neighboring Cyprus sets a markedly different example. For the past six years, Greeces Anti-Money Laundering Authority the national body responsible for combating the laundering of criminal proceeds has failed to publish its annual reports, despite being legally required to submit them to Parliament and make them publicly available. On its updated official website (aml-authority.gov.gr), there is a section designated for these reports, yet it remains completely empty. Even the older reports from before 2018, which had previously been accessible on the authoritys former website, have disappeared without explanation. This prolonged silence is particularly striking when compared to the transparency demonstrated by Cyprus. The countrys Financial Intelligence Unit, known as MOKAS, has just published its 2024 annual report a detailed 49-page document outlining its operations and achievements over the past year. The report provides not only a statistical overview of its activities but also vivid descriptions of specific cases it helped to resolve. These cases were often uncovered with the help of bank disclosures, foreign authority requests, and even analysis of open-source media reports. A key takeaway from the Cypriot report is MOKAS's robust engagement in international cooperation. In 2024 alone, the unit executed 26 official requests for judicial assistance involving the freezing or confiscation of illicit assets. These requests came from a wide array of countries, including Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, and others across Europe and beyond. Notably absent from this list, however, is Greece. Throughout 2024, Greek judicial authorities did not send a single request to their Cypriot counterparts concerning asset freezes or seizures a fact that raises questions about Greeces level of engagement in cross-border financial crime investigations. The Cypriot report also highlights a trend that is increasingly challenging for financial intelligence units across the world: the growing complexity of money laundering methods. Criminals are evolving their tactics, often moving illicit proceeds into investment portfolios and digital assets like cryptocurrencies. MOKAS observes that todays requests for judicial cooperation are more demanding and technically complex than in years past, reflecting the sophisticated nature of modern financial crime. #ENGLISH_EDITION #CYPRUS #GREECE A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos State, has sentenced nine Chinese nationals to one year in prison following their conviction for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud. The verdict was delivered by Justice D. E. Osiagor on Tuesday, after they pleaded guilty during proceedings. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, announced that the convicts were apprehended in December 2024 during a large-scale sting operation. Advertisement The group forms part of a wider network of 792 suspects allegedly involved in cryptocurrency investment scams and romance-related fraud schemes. According to an EFCC, the defendants identified as LI Dong, Deng Wei Qiang, Huang Bo, Xiong Zhen, Lai Rui Feng, Zhao Xiao Hui, Lui Hai Rong, Lui Gang, and Du Ji Feng, were formally charged in February 2025. The single-count charges centered on unauthorized access to computer systems with the intent to disrupt Nigerias economic and social infrastructure, in violation of Section 27 (1)(b) and punishable under Section 18(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015. After their guilty pleas, EFCC prosecuting counsel Nnaemeka Omewa requested sentencing, a motion that was not contested by the defence. The court sentenced each defendant to one year in prison, with the term effective from their arrest date, December 10, 2024. Each convict was also fined N1,000,000. Justice Osiagor also ordered the repatriation of the nine persons to China within seven days of completing their sentences. Items recovered from the convicts, including mobile phones, laptops, computers and routers, were forfeited to the Federal Government. The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that Governor Siminalayi Fubaras alleged offenses cannot be erased even if he defects to the party. Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, the caretaker committee chairman of the APC in Rivers, Tony Okocha, addressed concerns about Fubaras recent visit to President Bola Tinubu during the Sallah celebrations and its possible political implications. Okocha emphasized that the governors suspension and discussions surrounding a possible state of emergency in Rivers State were due to misdemeanors, not politics. Advertisement If Fubara decides to join the APC, it has nothing to do with the state of emergency in Rivers state. His sins cannot be forgiven because he came to our party, Okocha stated. You will jump into APC today and your sins are forgiven? That cannot be true. It wont work that way. READ MORE:https://www.informationng.com/2025/06/peter-obi-desperate-for-power-knows-nothing-about-governance-daniel-bwala.html He stressed that the APC will not become a haven for political figures seeking refuge after misconduct, adding, Then, it would have made APC as a dumping ground for people who commit misdemeanor. On the issue of defection, Okocha said Fubara had not followed the proper process. He will enter the party through the door not the window. There are procedures for defection. I have asked, nobody brought any information about him entering APC, he said. Dismissing any tension over Fubaras meeting with Tinubu, Okocha added, How can I be worried that somebody visited my President? Perhaps, if I had made an application to see Mr President, I would have been there with my team. President Bola Tinubu has expressed his readiness in welcoming Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike into the ruling All Progressives Congress whenever he chooses to join officially. Speaking on Wednesday, during the commissioning of the Arterial Road N16 and other infrastructure in the Katampe District of Abuja, President Tinubu hailed Wikes contribution to his administration and light-heartedly referenced the ministers signature tune from his previous political rallies. He: We have somebody, Nyesom Wike, he is not a member of my party (APC), not yet. But the day he changes his mind and registers with the progressives, we will welcome him. Because we will enjoy singing as e dey pain dem, e dey sweet us. Advertisement This project represents more than a stretch of asphalt. It affirms our commitment to urban transformation, under our Renewed Hope Agenda. Since assuming office in May 2023, this administration has been guided by a philosophy anchored on reform and regeneration. Today, weve seen tangible proof of that philosophy in action. Infrastructure is not a luxury. It is a necessity. It is the bedrock of national competitiveness, growth, social integration and economic opportunity. READ MORE: Ignore Busybodies, Focus On Transformation Of Abuja Tinubu To Wike INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that Wike, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, has stirred political discourse since publicly supporting Tinubu during the 2023 general election. Many Nigerians, including members of the PDP have accused the former governor of Rivers State of engaging in anti-party activities. They also alleged that Mr. Wike is responsible for the ongoing internal crisis facing the major opposition party. Ekiti State Police Command has commenced an investigation, following a death of a lady in a hotel adjacent a private radio station along NTA road, in Ado-Ekiti area of the state. The deceased, which identity was not disclosed by security agency was said to have been confirmed dead shortly after she was rushed to the hospital. INFORMATION NIGERIA learnt that the lady was a staff member of the hotel, adding that she was hale and hearty when she reported for duty. Advertisement In a statement by Spokesman for Ekiti State Police Command, Sunday Abutu, disclosed that investigation was ongoing as some of the staff would be brought in for questioning to ascertain the cause of her death. Sunday also said that an autopsy would be carried out to assist the investigation. READ MORE: Ekiti Police Nab Three Suspects Over Alleged Armed Robbery He said: Yes, the workers at the hotel informed us about the development on Tuesday morning and we went to the hospital to see the corpse. We have also invited some of the co-workers in the hotel to help our investigation Let me tell you that an autopsy will be conducted on the deceased. She was one of us here as staff and she didnt show any sign of sickness or issues with her, until the incident happened We tried everything to revive her and in the hospital she was pronounced dead. It was shocking and devastating. Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady, has been honoured with the esteemed chieftaincy title of Ugosimba 1 of Enugu by the Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council. The title, which translates to jewel or eagle from another kingdom, was bestowed on her Tuesday as part of her two-day working visit to the state. Chairman of the Council, Igwe Ikechukwu Asadu, stated that the title was in recognition of her affection for Enugu, dedication to humanitarian causes, and contributions to national development. Advertisement READ MORE: Funke Akindele Unveils Premiere Date For Aiyetoro Town Season Two You served three terms in the Senate and were honoured with the Commander of the Order of Niger. But beyond politics, we admire your compassion for the less privileged, your support for nurses and midwives, and your work in uplifting humanity, Asadu said. While accepting the honour, Mrs Tinubu conveyed sincere thanks and described Enugu as a calm and welcoming place that had brought her a feeling of inner peace since she arrived. She noted that the title was more than a personal recognition, saying it also honoured her husband, President Bola Tinubu, as well as their entire family. This is a special honour that I will cherish forever. I love your stateit is calm and welcoming. As you have honoured me today, Enugu State will be remembered for good, she said. A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dele Momodu, has expressed displeasure over the state of the nation. Mr. Dele, during an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, said that the country, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu is regressing into civilian dictatorship. His statement is coming, ahead of Nigerias 26th Democracy Day celebration, which is mark on the 12th of June. Advertisement The founder of Ovation Magazine added that those who fought and died for democracy, particularly during the June 12 struggle, would be heartbroken if they could witness the current state of the nation. READ MORE: Defection: Dont Turn Nigeria Into Dictatorship, Dele Momodu Tells Tinubu He said: Im very happy that today coincides with the lead-up to June 12 (Democracy Day), so that if we still have any iota of conscience left, well realise we have damaged this democracy. The summary of it all is that on the eve of June 12, Nigeria is virtually back to civilian dictators who dont care how you feel or what you think. Nigerians are hungry. Weve damaged this democracy, and I hope weve not damaged it beyond repair because the audacity, the effrontery of this set of politicians, whether in the executive, legislature, or local government is totally unbelievable. All those who suffered for this democracy, especially those who are now in heaven if they can see us, they would be crying. Dele Momodu, a notable figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has firmly ruled out the possibility of defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite growing tensions within his party. Speaking during an interview on Wednesday, the former presidential aspirant made it clear that joining the APC is out of the question. Momodu, known for his strong opinions and long-standing political involvement, criticized the leadership style within the APC, accusing it of promoting autocracy and sidelining voices of reason. Advertisement He said, I cannot sit in a room where one man will dictate to able-bodied adults who have worked all their lives and say that he is the lord of the manor. READ MORE:https://www.informationng.com/2025/06/continue-your-good-works-dont-pay-attention-to-busybodies-tinubu-tells-wike.html He stressed that if he had any intentions of joining the APC, his current political tone and commentary would be different. If I wanted to join the APC, I wouldnt be talking to you the way I am this morning, he said pointedly. The media entrepreneur also shared that his connection to the PDP has significantly weakened, suggesting that his loyalty is fading. According to him, My soul has already left the PDP. Only my body remains in the party. This declaration follows his recent call for a coalition of political parties to stand a chance of defeating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections. Momodu believes that a united front is the only viable way to unseat the current administration. As speculation continues about realignments ahead of the 2027 elections, Momodus firm stance may influence conversations within the PDP and the broader opposition landscape. President Bola Tinubu has advised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to ignore distractions and remain focused on delivering quality leadership in Abuja. Tinubu made the remarks on Tuesday during the inauguration of the rehabilitated International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja. The president commended Wikes commitment to transforming the nations capital and urged him not to be deterred by critics. Advertisement Dont pay attention to the busybody and the bystanders. Whatever they say, continue with your good work. Youre a transformational leader, you have the foresight and determination to succeed, Tinubu said. READ MOREhttps://www.informationng.com/2025/06/pdp-slams-governor-otu-over-alleged-silence-on-aides-misconduct.html Wike, while speaking at the event, praised the president for backing the ICC renovation project. He noted that the centre, built in 1991 by the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida, had never been renovated before. Wike also disclosed that he faced pressure from unnamed individuals over the project. There was pressure from some people, he stated without mentioning names. Emphasizing sustainability, the minister announced that ministries and agencies would now be required to pay to use the facility, regardless of their status. Nothing like my brother, my sister is going to have wedding. If you want to use a place like this, then you must drop something, he insisted. Tinubu backed the policy, saying it reflects the new standard of governance. The ICC renovation was handled by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and now bears Tinubus name. The president lauded the project as a sign of changing times. It is part of our effort to change the way we do things and reflect us as people of quality, people of character, he said. A Lagos High Court sitting in Ajah has sentenced 45-year-old businessman, Chukwudi Goodness, to 74 years imprisonment for stealing N360 million and issuing 31 dud cheques, following a prolonged fraud trial that began in 2016. Justice Josephine Oyefeso, who delivered the judgment on Tuesday, found Goodness guilty on 32 out of the 33-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The case centered around a fraudulent business deal with one Mr. Henry Nnadike, who was defrauded of N360 million between June and July 2015 in Ikeja. Advertisement One of the charges read: That you, Chukwudi Okonkwo Goodness, sometime between the months of June and July, 2015 at Ikeja, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, fraudulently converted and stole the sum of N360,000,000.00 (Three Hundred and Sixty Million Naira), property of one Henry Nnadike. READ MORE:https://www.informationng.com/2025/06/adelekes-defection-will-doom-apc-in-2026-osun-youth-group-warns.html The EFCC, led by prosecutor T.J. Banjo, presented four witnesses and multiple documents as evidence. Goodness pleaded not guilty, but Justice Oyefeso ruled that the EFCC had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. She sentenced him to seven years for the main charge of stealing, two years each for the 30 counts of issuing dud cheques, and another seven years for a separate count of theftall to run concurrently. Additionally, the court ordered the convict to restitute N215 million to the victim within 30 days, warning that consideration for a fine would only follow compliance with the restitution order. The only count Goodness was cleared of involved possession of documents with false pretenses. Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has applauded the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the G5 group for their decision to zone the 2027 presidential ticket to the South and for reaffirming Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the partys National Secretary. In a statement issued in Yenagoa on Tuesday, Acting Chairman George Turnah described the move as a commitment to the survival and unity of the party. He commended the G5 members, including former Governors Samuel Ortom, Okezie Ikpeazu, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, for their roles in reinforcing internal democracy. Advertisement Turnah, speaking through the partys Publicity Secretary, Derri Wright, praised Wike for his consistency. Wikes commitment stood him out and had endeared him strongly to all genuinely committed members of the party nationwide, he said. READ MORE:https://www.informationng.com/2025/06/senator-neda-imasuen-dumps-labour-party-for-apc-over-party-crisis.html According to the statement, Bayelsa PDP fully backs the resolutions reached at the June 9 Abuja meeting. We stand by our decision, and to state that there is no vacancy requiring any replacement whatsoever, it read, affirming the party constitution and a recent Supreme Court ruling on Anyanwus position. On zoning, the party said, This strategic move does not just demonstrate our commitment to inclusivity and fairness. It also ensures that our party remains attuned to the voices of all Nigerians. Reaffirming loyalty to the meetings resolutions, the statement concluded: Bayelsa State PDP remains steadfast in its support for Nyesom Wike as our national leader, as well as our endorsement of Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary. Fitness expert and media personality Maje Ayida has opened up about falling into depression after his highly publicised divorce from Nollywood actress Toke Makinwa. In a video that began trending on Tuesday, Ayida, while speaking at a church in the UK, shared how the aftermath of the divorce took a heavy emotional toll on him. He explained that the heavy public scrutiny left him deeply ashamed, ultimately pushing him into seclusion. Advertisement Ayida revealed that the emotional burden took a toll on both his mental health and career. He stopped working, missed out on business opportunities, and found it difficult to manage even simple daily tasks. READ MORE: Adeboye Pays Courtesy Visit To Alaafin Of Oyo He said, I will be honest about the fact that I want through a divorce which resulted in me being depressed. It was a very publicised divorce. And that left me feeling very alone. I withdrew from society, I was really ashamed of my situation. Not just for myself, of course, my self-esteem was affected, but legacy is very important to me. I was ashamed of what I felt I had done to my familys name. As a result, I went into hiding. I didnt want to interact with anyone. I wanted to be alone, stay at home. I stopped going to work. I found it very difficult to work. It was very hard. I not only lose focus but also motivation. I lose the essence of to even get up in the morning. What am I getting up for? Everyone already feels a certain way about me. So, I started to lose work as a result of it. That was when it really started to get to me. He also revealed the loss of professional identity hit hardest, As a man, your work is your identity, and I started to lose work, business deals so it became a real problem for me. That was when I made a decision. I had to make a decision for my own survival because I was living in hopelessness. It went on for weeks. Ayida disclosed that the depression lingered for an entire year, during which he struggled with sleepless nights and persistent paranoia. I was out of the look for a whole year. I checked out of life for a year to recoup. I realised that I was in a very dark space. I was in a hole but I needed to get out of it I was on the floor. Whats sleep? I didnt even know what that was. I had insomnia.. I was overly suspicious as well so the few chances that I do get to go out, I have created a scenario in my own mind that everybody is talking about me, people are looking at me. And that would just send me back into my own home. That feeling of hopelessness and the noise that was going on around me even though I was in silence was out of control. I made a choice. I decided that I didnt want to stay in this space. I did research on how to deal with it. The top of the list of the research that I did was accountability. I took the blame on myself. It made me feel worse at first until I began to take practical steps. Ayida and Makinwa tied the knot in 2014, but their marriage fell apart in 2016 following claims of infidelity. In 2017, Ayida filed a 100 million defamation lawsuit against Makinwa over her memoir, On Becoming, which described the challenges in their marriage. His legal representatives had earlier requested that Makinwa take out the allegedly defamatory portions from the book a demand she declined to comply with. In November 2020, a Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square delivered a judgment in favour of Ayida. The court ordered both the first and second defendants to pay 500,000 in damages, with the sum directed to a charity chosen by Ayida. Additionally, the judgment prohibited any further publication of the book containing the defamatory material. Popular media personality Yeni Kuti has engaged in a heated exchange with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Segun Sowunmi over his visit to President Tinubu. Reports indicate that over the weekend, Segun Sowunmi paid a visit to President Tinubu at his residence in Lagos State. Segun Sowunmi, a former spokesperson for Atiku Abubakarthe PDPs presidential candidate in the 2023 general electionis known for being an outspoken critic of President Tinubu. Advertisement READ MORE: Curses Await Those Who Criticise Men Of God Pastor Chris Warns His visit stirred mixed reactions and drew criticism across social media platforms. However, during Tuesdays episode of TVCs Your View, tensions flared between Segun Sowunmi and co-host Yeni Kuti after she posed the question, When are you moving to the APC? Kuti said Youve had a lot of criticism for the president, now your tune seems to have changed (after visit). So when is your own move? When are you leaving the PDP to join APC? Sowunmi replied; Although I cannot see who is asking those questions, I didnt come to your programme so you can try to be cheeky with me, stop that. Kuti responded; I cant be cheeky with you because Im sure that Im older than you. Sowunmi reacted Oh sister oo! My Aunty! I take that back. Please dont be angry Firing back, the 64-year-old media personality responded by saying, Im not your aunty. Factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has issued a stern warning to the partys 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, urging him to desist from blackmailing the partys leadership. The warning, conveyed through a statement signed by the factions National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, was in response to Obis recent interview with Arise TV. In the interview, Obi alleged that the APC-led Federal Government had infiltrated the Labour Party to instigate internal crises. Advertisement Reacting on Tuesday, the Abure-led faction described Obis claim as baseless, accusing him and Governor Alex Otti of Abia State currently suspended for anti-party activitiesas the true architects of the partys troubles. READ MORE:https://www.informationng.com/2025/06/pdp-cant-unseat-tinubu-in-2027-without-unity-dele-momodu.html The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party was called to an interview on Monday granted by the partys candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Gregory Obi, wherein he alleged that the APC-led Federal Government has infiltrated the leadership of the Labour Party and is fomenting crisis in the party. But when asked to produce the evidence, Obi could not provide any tangible evidence, the statement read. The party further called on Obi to take responsibility for his own shortcomings rather than blame external forces. We dare Obi to produce any tangible or intangible evidence which suggests remotely or otherwise that the Abure leadership of the Labour Party is on the bed with the APC-led government. Nobody is infallible, and it behoves on anyone who makes mistakes to be bold enough to own it. Obi failed in providing leadership for the party. He should own up to his mistakes, the statement concluded. The faction reaffirmed that the party would not align with any other political platform ahead of the 2027 elections. A Pride flag is flown in downtown Collingswood celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community in March 2024. Read more Ashraf Khalil, the owner of iCreate Cafe in Pottstown, flies a rainbow flag outside the business as a clear message: Youre welcome here. As an immigrant, gay, vegan business owner, I sit at the intersection of a few minority identities and Im proud of every one of them," Khalil said. Owning that and staying true to myself has helped build a business where people feel at home, no matter who they are or what they eat. Advertisement There are an estimated 1.4 million LGBTQ+ business owners in the U.S., including many in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, according to the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). These businesses contribute $1.7 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, while the LGBTQ+ community as a whole spends more than $917 billion every year on goods and services. Many of our regulars some whove been coming for over a decade first walked in because they saw that flag, Khalil said. It told them they could be themselves. If youre LGBTQ and running your own small business or thinking of starting one here is some advice from experienced business owners. Get certified as an LGBTQ Business Enterprise To be certified as an LGBTQ Business Enterprise with the NGLCC, your business needs to be at least 51% owned, operated, managed, and controlled by an LGBTQ individual who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The benefits are many. Certified businesses can join the NGLCCs Supplier Diversity Initiative to connect with corporate buyers, participate in networking and business-building events, and apply for certain contracts as minority-owned businesses. They also enjoy enhanced visibility in the community and nationwide. Thanks to these resources and opportunities, the NGLCC says, certified suppliers stay in business more than twice as long as the average American small business. We needed a way to showcase that LGBTQ people were a vital part of America as business owners and employers, NGLCC cofounder and president Justin Nelson said. LGBTQ business owners were, and are, an essential part of the engine that makes the U.S. economy run and therefore deserve an equal place at the table. Chance Mitchell, cofounder and CEO of the NGLCC, said LGBTQ-owned businesses have created tens of thousands of jobs nationwide. Becoming certified requires creating a business profile on the NGLCC website, submitting supporting documentation about yourself and your business legal structure, hosting a site visit, and responding to any questions from the organizations certification committee. A two-year renewal process is also required, and there are annual fees. Tap into LGBTQ networks Several business owners in the region pointed to networks that have helped them. Crust Vegan Bakery in Manayunk belongs to the LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, owner Meagan Benz said. They consistently have provided us with resources like community events, grants to apply for, and more, Benz said. Nima Etemadi, who runs Cake Life Bake Shop in Frankford, belongs to the Independence Business Alliance, which provides connections, opportunities, and other resources to LGBTQ+ businesses, professionals, and allies in the Greater Philadelphia tristate area. Khalil recommends StartOut and William Way Center, both nonprofits that support both LGBTQ businesses and individuals. LGBTQ small businesses need support from organizations like these that are easy to find, simple to use, and built for real life, Khalil said. Visibility matters Etemadi said the only real disadvantage of being an openly LGBTQ-owned business is that we live in a country rife with bigotry against our community, and there are inevitably many people who wont ever be your customer just because of who you are and opportunities you miss for the same reason. Etemadi said the risk level for violence and vandalism is higher for LGBTQ business owners, and its an unfortunate reality. In the last three years, more than 2,200 anti-LGBTQ incidents have been recorded in the U.S., according to advocacy group GLAAD (formerly known as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). Those include protests and propaganda as well as vandalism, assaults, and threats of violence. There are still folks who react negatively, said Khalil, of iCreate Cafe in Pottstown. Some see the flag or our all-gender restroom signs and leave or post fake reviews. It stings, but weve been here in Pottstown for 13 years, and the love and support from the community far outweighs the noise, Khalil said. LGBTQ business owners should always be prepared for hate and bias, but we need to deal with it calmly and professionally, said Micky Angelo Petrillo, who is transgender and the owner of Baskets-n-Beyond, a gift store in Dumont, N.J. Let your response reinforce your values, not theirs, Petrillo said. You need to stay calm so they cant say transgender people are hateful. Etemadi said being an LGBTQ-owned business provides a community that can rally around you and support you. This is especially powerful with the queer community, since its members cut across all other cultural groups and demographics, Etemadi said. Ray Daly, the owner of eco-friendly refill store and general shop Rays Reusables in Northern Liberties, said the LGBTQ community has always been really supportive of their business. The neighborhood has a lot of queer-owned businesses, and they enjoy a lot of camaraderie, they added. When I think back to being younger, I dont remember having many queer role models or having many queer adults in my life, Daly said. Theres something special about being able to support and cheer on someone in whom you see your identity reflected. Philadelphians may stay close to home this summer. Read more Kate Wagner Schleighs family of four usually spends $2,000 to $3,000 each summer on vacations to places like Pigeon Forge in Tennessee and Lake Wallenpaupack in northeastern Pennsylvania. This summer, theyre cutting back. Advertisement We are taking a weekend trip to Altoona this year, which is fine, said Schleigh, a 43-year-old Lansdowne resident. Schleigh, who works in politics, and her husband, an attorney, booked an Airbnb for $350 and got discounted tickets to the DelGrossos theme park in nearby Tipton. With prices rising, we just cant afford to take a week vacation, Schleigh said. She is among the growing number of U.S. consumers who decided this spring to scale down their summer travel plans, according to Deloittes 2025 summer travel survey. Others are cutting out vacation altogether. Fewer than half of people plan to travel this summer, a recent Bankrate survey found. And 65% of non-travelers said theyre skipping a trip because they cant afford it. The biggest issue is not the cost of the trip itself, according to the survey, but the increased cost of day-to-day life. Reports like these coupled with recent stock market volatility and low consumer confidence have vacation towns across the country on edge. Business owners in destinations like the Outer Banks and the Ozarks recently told the New York Times that they remain cautiously optimistic, hoping more people will travel domestically than internationally, as many surveys indicate. Amaya Thomas, a 29-year-old event manager from Deptford, and her husband, a transportation coordinator, are opting for a family vacation to Ocean City, Md., this summer. In recent summers, she said, they traveled to St. Lucia and Puerto Rico, paying about $3,000 per trip. Theyll spend less than half that this year. Every time Thomas feels sad about postponing a more exotic vacation, she said a bill comes due, or she buys groceries. The cost reminds her why the decision was necessary. I am fortunate that we are able to travel and still have a family vacation, she said. This is the cutback we have to make. In December, the couple hopes to travel to Hawaii for their first wedding anniversary, if their budget allows. More travelers are making last-minute plans Airline and hotel bookings are down nationwide, with an increasing number of travelers taking a wait-and-see approach. Thats been a trend at the Jersey Shore, as well, where Realtors and tourism folks report a delayed rental season. Several Philadelphia-area travel agents said their spring and early-summer business has been less consistent than usual, with more clients booking last-minute trips. Jennifer Byrne, CEO of the Tropical Travelers, said her clients typically book about six months in advance. But in the past three weeks, weve been inundated with last-minute requests, said Byrne, who is based in Malvern and whose clients spend about $7,000 per trip on average. Its like everybody wants to go right now. READ MORE: How the Instagram and TikTok generations are bringing travel agents back Tara Fox, a Morgantown-based travel planner with A Scoop of Magic, said she isnt sure whether people lost track of time this year or didnt want to part with money amid economic uncertainty. People say, Maybe I shouldnt spend money that I dont need to spend right now, said Fox, who plans trips that can range from $2,400 to $40,000. Paul Ferdinand, president of Rainbow Voyages Travel in Philadelphia, thinks more people are hesitant to book due to financial precarity. Every time you turn on the TV or open a newspaper or go online, its right at you, said Ferdinand, who recorded his best spring ever until May. Since then, he said business has been very slow. Even in good economic times, clients are often choosing a vacation over a new TV, furniture, or another big-ticket purchase. Now, those decisions are even harder. He added: Youre probably competing this year with Christmas for families. How to save on travel Even higher-end clients are hungry for savings this year, said Byrne. Theyre definitely looking for deals, and they want good value for their money, she said. For people who have been toying with the idea of a summer vacation, travel agents say it is not too late to book. And with up-and-down demand, last-minute planners can even snag some deals, especially if they are flexible about dates and location. Here are some of travel agents top tips: Cristobal Balenciaga's flamenco style dress to the far right pictured with a day dress and evening gown by Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli. Read more By 1951 Paris designer Cristobal Balenciaga was loved by high society women worldwide for his tailored, corseted, curve-hugging silhouettes. His clients including Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, and more adored how he added black and brown lace overlays to body-skimming gowns fashioned from hot pink satin. There wasnt a ruffle or a cinched waist Balenciaga didnt feel free to play with. That year, Wanamakers fashion merchandise director Mildred Custin was on the lookout for gowns to feature in a swank fashion show and fundraiser to benefit Abington Hospital. The Gala Soiree was the department store executives attempt to stimulate the economy and get people interested in high fashion after the war. Advertisement Custin who would become the president and chairperson of Bonwit Teller in the 1960s went to the Paris shows and picked a frothy black and white Balenciaga, forever known as Balenciaga 66, off the runways. She purchased the gown for $3,000 worth more than $36,000 in todays money. Shortly after the Gala Soiree, which, according to a 1951 Philadelphia Inquirer article featured a group of fashions considered among the most sensational in Paris openings, Wanamakers donated the Balenciaga gown to the Art Museum, where it still resides as part of its permanent costume collection. The designer behind classic shapes like the no frills chemise, the baby doll dress, and the empire waist dress, Balenciaga could work a silhouette. This Balenciaga, however, is decadent. Its a dreamy precursor to the 1950s princess gowns and romanticism. Its flamenco style is a nod to Balenciagas Spanish heritage and features a removable white overskirt sitting atop a fringe of black organza petals. The white cotton juxtaposed with the waterfall silk makes for a very interesting piece, said Dilys Blum, senior curator of costumes and textiles at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is now on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Arts ongoing exhibition Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s. The must-see piece is one of 25 chic outfits displayed in the museums Dorrance Galleries. The vintage pieces sit next to minimalist furniture, abstract art, and gelatin silver print photographs born in the dynamic years that yanked America out of the Great Depression, thrust her into World War II, and set the stage for the opulent 1950s. The exhibits clothing represents a time often romanticized as Americas best-dressed: women wore hats, gloves, hose, and pumps every day. Philadelphia was particularly well-dressed. Back in the day, according to that Inquirer article, Philadelphia was among the most fashion active city in the world by manufacturers and fashion followers throughout the world. Nestled in the collection are beautifully tailored pieces from Christian Dior and Elsa Schiaparelli as well as American designers Irene Lentz and Claire McCardell. The vivid fabrics and familiar shirtwaist silhouettes may be 80+ years old, but they are very wearable even today. Case in point: Nicole Kidman wore a copy of the Balenciaga No. 66 to the 2024 Met Gala. Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s is on view through Sept. 1. Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy., philamuseum.org Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele asked anyone with information about Jabriil Morgan-Cook's whereabouts to call Montgomery County Detectives at 610-278-3386 or Norristown Police at 610-270-0977. Read more Montgomery County prosecutors have identified the third and final gunman they believe carried out a targeted killing of a rival gang member in Norristown late last month, and they are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to his capture. Jabriil Morgan-Cook, 18, is wanted on charges of first-degree murder and related crimes in the May 23 shooting of Tahaj Andru Pooh Harrison, District Attorney Kevin Steele said in announcing the warrant for the teens arrest. Advertisement Morgan-Cook was one of three masked and hooded gunmen who fired at Harrison as he stood in front of his home on Corson Street, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest. After the killing, authorities say, Morgan-Cook and two other teens, Naseem Worrell, 17, and Kaleem Roland, 16, fled to a nearby home on Basin Street. Investigators said the home is a known hangout for the All Black Bandits/300s, the street gang all three teens are affiliated with. Worrell and Roland were arrested last week and remain in custody, charged with murder. Investigators identified the suspects in part through social media posts, which detailed an ongoing feud between the All Black Bandits/300s and the Grimy Boys/6s, to which Harrison belonged, the affidavit said. The gangs, investigators said, have been involved in multiple shootings in both Philadelphia and Norristown in recent years. Harrison posted a derogatory comment on a post honoring Seth Pop Marshall, a 15-year-old member of the All Black Bandits/300s. Marshall was slain in a West Philadelphia corner store three days before Harrison was killed, the affidavit said. In response, Worrell threatened Harrison in messages sent through Instagram, and Harrison challenged Worrell to come find and attack him, according to excerpts from those messages included in court filings. Hours before Harrisons death, Worrell, Morgan-Cook, and Roland met at the home on Basin Street near the crime scene, according to a confidential witness who spoke with police. There, Morgan-Cook recorded a video of all three teens brandishing handguns, the affidavit said. Morgan-Cooks gun was equipped with an extended magazine that prosecutors say is similar to one later recovered from the homicide scene. The witness told police that Morgan-Cook said the three had to go handle something before they departed for Harrisons home, according to the affidavit. Steele, the prosecutor, warned that Morgan-Cook is armed and dangerous. He asked anyone with information about his whereabouts to call Montgomery County detectives at 610-278-3386 or Norristown police at 610-270-0977. A Philadelphia man sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for shooting at a Philadelphia police officer was mistakenly released from prison, authorities said, and remained out for nearly a month before being arrested Wednesday. Jamal Burkett, 53, was taken into custody by U.S. marshals about 7 a.m. at a relatives home on the 7900 block of Lindbergh Boulevard without incident, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement. Advertisement Burkett is charged with failure to surrender and was taken to a federal detention center, authorities said. Burkett pleaded guilty in February 2023 to assaulting a federal officer and weapons possession for shooting at a Philadelphia police officer who had been assigned to a federal task force on March 26, 2022, according to court records. He was sentenced to 192 months, or 16 years, in federal prison for his crimes, court records show. On May 14, Burkett was mistakenly released from Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility after local charges were satisfied, the U.S. marshals said. A Tuesday audit by the marshals revealed that Burkett had been released prematurely, and a federal judge immediately issued a warrant for his arrest, the marshals said. In a statement issued late Wednesday afternoon, John Mitchell, spokesperson for the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, said: PDP honors judicial detainers. In this specific case, PDP did not have a detainer on file, which would have indicated Mr. Burkett was due to be transferred to federal custody to serve his federal sentence. Authorities believe Burkett had been staying at the relatives home in the Eastwick section of the city since he was released, said Robert Clark, supervisory deputy U.S. marshal for the Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force. Burkett was well aware of the more than 10 years remaining on his prison sentence, Clark said. The Lower Merion High School graduate said they were "targeted for my pro-Palestinian views." Read more A Lower Merion High School student said they were forced to remove a keffiyeh-print headscarf and consent to be searched to participate in their graduation last week, then removed by police after receiving their diploma. The student, who posted about the incident Monday on Instagram, said they were told by administrators that the headscarf represented a political statement, which the high school had prohibited students from displaying during the June 5 ceremony at Villanova University. The keffiyeh, a traditional Middle Eastern headdress, is often associated with Palestinian identity and the struggle for a Palestinian state. Advertisement The student, who declined to be interviewed on the record, said they initially refused to remove the scarf and were escorted out of the building. But after their mother persuaded them to take it off, they were not allowed back in. Instead, their mother had to negotiate with administrators, who required that the student consent to a search, they said in the Instagram post. They also had to provide identifying information to police. The student said they were restricted to watching the ceremony via livestream in a separate area, under monitoring by police. When it was time to receive their diploma, they said, they were permitted onstage, but escorted out of the building by police. i believe i was targeted for my pro palestinian views, the student said in the Instagram post, which had drawn more than 3,000 reactions as of Wednesday. The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on Lower Merion district officials Tuesday to apologize and revise their policies. The violation by LMSD of this students right to full participation in the ceremony after their agreement to the removal of the keffiyeh-patterned headscarf is deeply troubling, said Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, executive director of CAIR-Philadelphia. Tekelioglu said other students reported that at Harriton High School, also in the Lower Merion School District, students were allowed to walk during their graduation last week with displays of the Israeli flag and messages of support for the Israeli hostages. He did not have photos of students with those displays; some community members circulated social media photos showing students with yellow ribbons, which have been used as a symbol of support for the hostages taken by Hamas. If somebody wants to show support for Israeli hostages, students should be allowed to do that, Tekelioglu said in an interview. But at the same time, theres nothing wrong with somebody who may want to wear a keffiyeh. Tekelioglu said that he does not consider the keffiyeh to be a political statement, though in many ways, everything in life can be political. He said he wears one as an expression of solidarity and acknowledgment of the Palestinian people, especially in a world that so often dehumanizes them. A district spokesperson did not comment directly on the keffiyeh incident or respond to a question about assertions that Harriton students had pro-Israel displays. To ensure that all students and families felt safe and supported during the Lower Merion High School graduation ceremony, and to avoid disruptions or displays that would detract from the inclusive and celebratory nature of the event, students and families received clear guidance regarding acceptable apparel and accessories, said spokesperson Amy Buckman. A letter from Lower Merion High Schools principal had instructed students that political or personal statements that distract from the purpose of the ceremony will not be permitted. Buckman said that students who violated the guidance were given a choice between removing those items and participating in the ceremony or not removing them and not participating. She did not comment on the students specific treatment, including the involvement of police. Jonathan Gust, a spokesperson for Villanova University, said that university public safety officers were present during the event but that the student was escorted out by Lower Merion High School officials. Gust did not comment on other aspects of the students account. The Lower Merion district has been grappling with speech around the Israel-Hamas war, as parents of Jewish students, including members of the Lower Merion Jewish Families Association, have accused the district of not doing enough to stop antisemitism. Some Middle Eastern parents and pro-Palestinian students, meanwhile, say the district has wrongly accused them of antisemitism. Lower Merions dedication to zionist comfortability is a poison to freedom of speech and expression, the student who was forced to remove the keffiyeh said on Instagram. They said they had previously worn the same scarf to school without incident. In comments on the Instagram post, some critics accused the student of a political stunt and described the keffiyeh as a terrorist symbol, embraced by Hamas; others said Lower Merion had gone overboard in targeting what was simply a cultural scarf. In a statement, a parent group, Lower Merion Alliance for Free Speech on Palestine, said the keffiyeh incident reflected political bias and inherent racism. The group recently launched in response to concerns of a pervasive anti-Palestinian/pro-Israel climate in school, said Naomi Barton, one of the groups organizers. Barton, who is Jewish, said group members had made informal overtures to school leaders about their childrens experiences, and to call for policy changes. The group questioned the intent of Lower Merions ban on political statements at graduation, a policy it said was new this year. Buckman did not respond to a question on whether Lower Merion had restricted political statements at previous graduations. Lower Merion was not alone among area schools in facing controversy around graduation displays. Upper Dublin school officials on Wednesday told community members that some attendees of their high schools graduation Monday regrettably chose to express their views through displays of a flag, which tarnished the occasion for many in attendance and especially for our Jewish students and families. Upper Dublin officials said they met Tuesday with representatives of the districts Jewish Families Association and leaders of local synagogues, and said they were deeply sorry that what should have been a time of pride and joy left you feeling uncomfortable or fearful. Temple University campus in Philadelphia. Temple is one of three state-related universities that could soon be subject to a new performance-based funding model. Read more The Pennsylvania legislature is likely to vote soon on a formula to award new state funding to Pennsylvania State University, Temple University, and the University of Pittsburgh based on each schools performance, beginning next summer. The new performance measures, which include graduation rates, affordability, and enrollment of low-income students and those pursuing degrees in wide-ranging occupations deemed critical for the state, were developed by a bipartisan council of legislative leaders and the acting secretary of education over the last several months. Advertisement The criteria outlined in a report made public last month would be used only for new money, not for existing funding, at least under the recommendations made by the council. Whether the schools get any increase in state funding through this new formula remains to be seen, as Pennsylvania faces a multibillion-dollar structural deficit. The recommendations adoption could bring an end or at least an ease to funding battles between the legislature and the so-called state-related universities over transparency and accountability. State-related universities received hundreds of millions in state funding, yet have a quasi-public status exempting them from much of the states open records laws, a fact that has long been criticized by some legislators. The three colleges, which got a total of about $551 million in general state support this year, have not received a funding increase in six years. Lincoln University, the fourth state-related school and a historically Black college that is much smaller than the other three schools, would be exempt from the performance-based funding under the new law. READ MORE: Scholarships, funding, and oversight boards: Higher education takeaways from the Pa. state budget Pennsylvania House Minority Leader Jesse Topper (R., Bedford), who chaired the eight-member committee, said the new process would help take the politics out of funding and reward colleges for showing improvement on specific data targets. Its not the silver bullet to solve it all, but I do believe it goes a long way toward restoring trust between the institutions and the legislature, which is something that is sorely needed after these few years, Topper said. Legislators, he said, need to see a return on investment. We need to know these schools are producing what we need for our workforce and for our economy. READ MORE: Gov. Shapiro proposes funding increases for Temple, Penn State and Pitt. But a performance-based formula has yet to be developed. Pennsylvania is not alone in attempting to distribute funds based on performance. In 2023, 30 states had distributed more than $7.8 billion through similar formulas, according to the councils report. Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D., Allegheny), who also served on the council, said the five voting members on the committee adopted the recommendations unanimously. Others on the panel were Sen. Wayne Langerholc (R., Cambria), Rep. Peter Schweyer (D., Lehigh), and Angela Fitterer, former acting education secretary. Its a well-thought-out and well-reasoned product, Costa said. One of the keys for Costa was that colleges current funding would not be at risk. He also was pleased that each of the three universities had a nonvoting representative on the council who could share the schools views and concerns and that experts gave input at public hearings. The criteria established are important measures for which the colleges should be aspiring to hit high marks, he said. The measures that will count Under the recommendations, colleges would be rewarded based on factors including their total weighted student count. That figure would be calculated by looking at overall enrollment, with additional weight for students receiving federal Pell Grants targeted toward low-income families, students who attended high schools where 40% or fewer of graduates go to college, and community college transfers. Research suggests that one of the unintended outcomes of performance-based funding can be a decrease in access, particularly for underserved students, due to gamification, the report said. These student weights serve as a disincentive for universities to restrict access in order to improve performance. Additional weight would be given for enrolling students pursuing degrees in high priority occupations, including such careers in education, technology, and science. The formula also would take into account colleges efforts to keep cost increases under the Higher Education Price Index. And it would incorporate overall four- and six-year graduation rates and six-year graduation rates specifically for Pell-eligible students. Some of the measures, including graduation rates, would apply only to the colleges in-state students, whose tuition is discounted because of state funding. If the legislature adopts the councils recommendations, the new formula would go into effect for fiscal year 2026-27, which begins next July. Any new money in the 2025-26 budget Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed giving the schools $60 million likely would be distributed under the current formula, giving schools a little help in getting ready to meet the new criteria the following year, Costa said. Lawmakers must approve a budget for fiscal year 2025-26 by July. Topper said it would be a gesture of good will from the legislature, almost like a signing bonus. The universities reactions The recommendations received mixed reviews from the universities. We feel good about the outcome and really look forward to fiscal 2027 when it will be fully implemented, said Ken Kaiser, Temples senior vice president and chief operating officer, who had served initially as a nonvoting member of the council. Temple would benefit from the measures on community college transfers and Pell-eligible students, he said. More than a third of students who attended Temple last year were Pell-eligible. And the university also has improved graduation rates through its Fly in Four program, which provides support to students to finish their degrees on time. Its not perfect, but it is good and will incentivize the right behavior and hold people accountable and hopefully generate new dollars for state-related schools, he said. Penn State was more critical. Mike Stefan, Penn States vice president for government and community relations, called it a transparent and predictable path forward for future increases but said the recommendation does not meet all of our goals. Penn State the largest of the three schools, with more than 41,800 in-state undergraduates has maintained it does not get its fair share of funding per student, and Stefan said the new formula does nothing to address that. Penn State will continue to receive less funding per student compared to Pennsylvanias other public universities, he said in a statement. We will continue to educate members of the General Assembly about this inequity and advocate for fairness. Pitt did not offer specific criticism or praise. We appreciate the work of the council and the thoughtful collaboration that has gone into developing this inaugural formula, the school said in a statement. We look forward to continued partnership with the commonwealths leaders as the proposal advances through the legislative process. IBXs Medicaid unit, AmeriHealth Caritas, had a net loss of $199 million last year, a sharp swing from a $368 million profit in 2023. Enrollment declined as COVID-era Medicaid rules ended. The loss, reported in the audited financials statements of Independences partner Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, was the first for AmeriHealth Caritas since 2019, when the company lost $200 million. Advertisement Its five-year streak of double-digit revenue increases also came to an end, as Medicaid enrollment declines and a failure to win certain new state Medicaid contracts hurt results. The Newtown Square-based companys revenue climbed just 3%, to $24.3 billion, last year. In an emailed statement, AmeriHealth Caritas attributed last years disappointing financial results to industrywide challenges. During the federal COVID-19 public health emergency, individuals did not have to reapply for Medicaid benefits. They could keep the government-funded health insurance benefits even if they did not still qualify. READ MORE: AmeriHealth Caritas lays off administrative staff as Medicaid enrollment falls In Pennsylvania, Medicaid enrollment ballooned from 2.2 million people in early 2020 to a peak of 3 million in the spring of 2023. By April, the statewide figure had fallen to 2.4 million. AmeriHealth Caritas enrollment had an even bigger percentage decline in Pennsylvania, its biggest market. Insurance executives at AmeriHealth and other companies have said that the people who maintained Medicaid coverage were sicker on average than those who lost coverage. That meant that the rates the Medicaid insurers received from states didnt reflect how much care Medicaid beneficiaries needed, according to the industry. We are working with our state partners to close the gap in 2025 as we remain focused on opportunities that ensure our members can get the care they need and stay well, AmeriHealth Caritas statement said. Now, AmeriHealth Caritas and other Medicaid management companies are facing the potential loss of many thousands more customers if Congress follows through with proposals to make it harder for people to keep Medicaid by imposing work requirements and making other changes to the program. The Admiral Court apartments fire took firefighters about two hours to get under control. No injuries were reported. Read more The Philadelphia Fire Marshals Office has ruled that a four-alarm fire that gutted a vacant West Philadelphia apartment building over the weekend was deliberately set, and the police departments Southwest Detectives Division has opened an arson investigation. The blaze broke out around 5 a.m. Saturday at the Admiral Court apartment complex, a four-story eyesore at 48th and Locust Streets that had been neglected for several years by notorious landlord Phil Pulley. Advertisement More than 150 firefighters and support personnel responded to the scene, bringing the fire under control in about two hours. No injuries were reported. About 750 residents temporarily lost power. Admiral Court has been vacant since Pulley evicted all residents in 2018 to make way for what he said at the time was a sale. The sale didnt happen. Instead, Pulley took out a $25 million mortgage on the property and an adjacent complex, called Dorsett Court, which is also vacant. Records show Pulley has since defaulted on the loan, which ostensibly was for construction work. The low-rise buildings have continued to deteriorate, racking up a slew of violations from the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections. Building inspectors have cited Admiral Court 33 times since 2018, including several fire code violations in 2022. The building most recently failed reinspection in March 2025. READ MORE: The law finally caught up with notorious Philadelphia landlord Phil Pulley ... but for voting fraud It was unclear Tuesday who currently owns the gutted property. City spokespersons said Tuesday that, according to their records, Admiral Court is still owned by a limited partnership affiliated with Pulley and his property management company, SBG Management. The partnership purchased the property in 2004. But multiple representatives for Pulley said the Admiral Court property had been sold. Court records show that a company based in the Cayman Islands called Descartes Specialty Finance pursued Pulleys company in court after it defaulted on the $25 million mortgage in 2023. Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, whose district includes the abandoned apartment buildings, said the city needs to do a better job of holding Pulley and other landlords accountable. Whether there are 100 tenants in a building or zero, landlords have a responsibility to maintain their properties to the standards mandated by law, Gauthier said in a statement. I am angry that the slumlord owner of this building ignored very serious safety concerns, Gauthier said, and that the City of Philadelphia did not compel them to fix the property even though it had several L&I violations, including fire safety ones. On Monday, the smell of smoke still lingered in the neighborhood. Bits of charred rubble had fallen onto the sidewalk of Locust Street near a crossing guard for children at Henry C. Lea Elementary School. Clarice Cook, who lives across the street from Admiral Court, said the smoke was so thick Saturday morning that it drifted into her building. It was huge, Cook said of the fire. Im just really thankful for the fire department. Cook and her boyfriend, Josh Hall, said they had often wondered why Admiral Court has remained vacant, especially in a poor city facing a housing crisis. You can tell it has good bones because its still standing, Hall said, looking down 48th Street at the blackened structure. They dont build them like that anymore. The fire is only the latest sign that Pulleys real estate empire in crumbling. In 2022, his Lindley Towers apartment building, in North Philly, partially collapsed displacing about 100 residents and was later condemned. Today, Lindley remains a vacant husk. The city is seeking to bill Pulleys companies for its demolition. The following year, the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office filed a consumer-protection suit against Pulley and his companies, including SBG Management, accusing them of deplorable conduct. Then-Attorney General Michelle Henry said SBG neglected the safety and basic human needs of their tenants, then thought they could intimidate those who spoke up by imposing unfair retaliatory fees. That case is ongoing. In September 2024, Fannie Mae, a government-controlled mortgage financier, filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Pulley-affiliated real estate companies defaulted on seven mortgages for properties in Philadelphia and Delaware County. That suit claims those companies owe $59 million on loans and an additional $1.2 million in interest, which was growing daily by $6,600. The following month, in October 2024, part of the Darrah School Apartments parapet wall came crashing down on the citys Francisville neighborhood, showering the street and sidewalk with bricks. The Inquirer later reported that Pulley had failed to submit the required facade inspections to the city. The Darrah School building is still marked as imminently dangerous and failed a follow-up inspection by city building inspectors in May . In January, Pulley was sentenced to three years probation and 100 hours of community service for voter fraud. He admitted casting ballots in several different counties in the 2020 and 2022 federal elections. U.S. District Judge Mitchell Goldberg found Pulleys verbal apology in court so insincere that he required him to write a letter with a more introspective explanation for why he decided to falsely register and vote in Philadelphia, Montgomery County, and Broward County, Fla., where he has a waterfront house and a yacht. Pulley did submit the letter, according to his defense attorney, Brian McMonagle. In a separate filing that month, Pulley requested the judges permission to travel to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador in mid-May. McMonagle said the trip did not happen, due to Pulleys health issues. Last month, Pulley pleaded guilty to state charges for voting in both Philadelphia and Montgomery County in the 2021 and 2023 municipal elections. Inquirer staff writer Abraham Gutman contributed to this article. Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has joined a lawsuit filed by 27 states and the District of Columbia to prevent 23andMe, a popular DNA testing company that helps determine ancestry information, from selling consumer data as part of its bankruptcy proceedings. The lawsuit says the California-based genomics biotech company is proposing to sell an unprecedented compilation of highly sensitive and immutable personal data: a human beings permanent and everlasting genetic identity. Advertisement The risk of a data transfer is too great, the complaint says, as DNA data are unique to an individual and can be used to identify relatives past and future. And genomic data live forever, even after a person dies. If stolen or misused, it cannot be changed or replaced, the complaint says. The state attorneys general ask a federal judge in Missouri, where bankruptcy proceedings are underway, to issue a declaratory judgment to prevent the transfer of the data to any third party as part of a sale unless 23andMe receives expressed, informed, affirmative consent from customers. READ MORE: A DNA test revealed Matt Katz was conceived by a sperm donor. His mother had no idea. The millions of consumers including many Pennsylvanians who paid for these services certainly did not expect their sensitive data to one day be sold off to a highest bidder, Sunday said in a statement. A 23andMe spokesperson said in a statement that the sale of the data is permitted under bankruptcy law and the companys privacy policies. The company declared bankruptcy in March, which according to its website does not mean that it is going out of business. Instead, the company is looking for a buyer to continue its operations. There are two remaining bidders committed to abiding by 23andMe privacy policies, the spokesperson said. We required any bidder to adopt our policies and comply with applicable law as a condition to participating in our sales process, the 23andMe spokesperson said. Customers will continue to have the same rights and protections in the hands of the winning bidder. The maker of the popular home DNA testing kits was founded in 2006 and in 2021 was worth $6 billion. The companys value plummeted in recent years, and one of the current bids for purchase is for $256 million by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, a New York-based drug developer. A sale hearing for 23andMe is scheduled for Tuesday. The deadline for consumers to file a proof of claim in the bankruptcy case is July 14. READ MORE: 23andMe data breach and settlement: What to know How do I delete my 23andMe data? 23andMes database has genetic data on more than 15 million people, according to the lawsuit. In 2023, hackers breached the companys data, potentially affecting 6.9 million people, a 23andMe spokesperson said at the time. The ability to cross-reference large amounts of DNA data has led in recent years to people finding unknown relatives and uncovering biological parents, as well as solving decades-old crimes. Sunday said in his statement that he encourages 23andMe customers to delete their data from the companys database. To do so, customers should enter the 23andMe Data section in the account setting, according to the companys website. That allows customers to remove the majority of their personal information, though 23andMe says it is required to retain some data to comply with legal obligations. Deleting your account will also permanently delete the data associated with all profiles within it. After a request to delete your account is submitted, 23andMe will send you an email with its account-deletion policy that requests confirmation. Keep in mind, once you confirm your request to delete your Personal Information, it cannot be canceled, undone, withdrawn, or reversed, the companys website says. Philadelphia police clash with activists at 11th and Markets Streets during a protest over rumors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests within the city and in solidarity with protesters in Los Angeles. Read more Two Philadelphia police officers suffered minor injuries and 15 protesters were arrested after a physical confrontation erupted Tuesday evening in Center City during a march denouncing deportations, police said. Two protesters also reported minor injuries and received medical treatment, police said. Advertisement Video showed a confrontation at 11th and Market Streets with police arresting at least one masked man, who was held down on the ground by an officers knee, while other officers used bicycles to push protesters away. Another video showed at least three officers struggle to pull down another man they apparently were trying to arrest. One officer with a bullhorn struck the man several times in the legs with a baton and the man fell to the ground. Several officers employed force while making arrests. Consistent with Philadelphia Police Department policy, every use of force has been documented and will undergo a review to ensure compliance with departmental guidelines, the department said in a statement late Tuesday night. The Philadelphia Police Department supports the publics right to lawful, peaceful protest. We remain committed to facilitating First Amendment activity while protecting public safety and maintaining order on city streets, the department said. Around 4 p.m., about 50 people gathered for an emergency action at the Federal Detention Center at Seventh and Arch Streets after rumors spread online about multiple arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the city. ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Immigrant rights group Juntos confirmed one ICE arrest in South Philadelphia about 7 a.m. Tuesday, saying the group had connected the person to the Mexican Consulate for legal support. The crowd drew honks and cheers from evening commuters, and after growing in size began marching. Police said at some point there were 150 demonstrators. The group marched to the offices of ICE at Eighth and Cherry Streets, then returned to the Federal Detention Center, police said. Then, according to police, a second march began disrupting traffic and allegedly endangered public safety. Police said they issued orders to disperse three times. The protesters allegedly ignored the orders and continued blocking traffic while confronting officers. Around 7 p.m., officers attempted to make arrests and the crowds behavior escalated, becoming violent and extremely disorderly, police said. Besides the 15 arrests, including one for alleged felony aggravated assault on an officer, police said one of their vehicles was vandalized with spray paint. One immigration advocate, who declined to give his name, said those arrested were unclear on what they did wrong. Police pushed them for six or seven blocks, he said. They declared it an illegal assembly. President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown led to violent clashes in the Los Angeles area after large numbers of heavily geared officers from ICE descended on several locations to detain people. In response to the protests around Los Angeles, Trump sent the National Guard and Marines, despite the objections of Democratic leaders in California. It was a peaceful protest and then they started throwing people to the ground, said Dresden Diaz, of Center City. The attacks were vicious. One woman, who declined to give her name citing fear of police reprisal, said she joined the protesters after work because she thinks the immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, and the Trump administrations subsequent use of the National Guard to quell peaceful protests, was disgusting. Immigrants make up this country. Our families are immigrants, another woman said. Around 8:30 p.m., a small group of protesters returned to the Federal Detention Center. No other incidents were reported. Around Pennsylvania, immigration advocates and ICE have reported increased enforcement sweeps. More than 20 people in Norristown have been taken into custody by ICE since the start of the month. Rendering of a swing bridge that would connect Pearl Street to Cooper Poynt Park in Camden as part of Camden County's 34-mile LINK Trail through Camden County. Trail advocates say funding for the project, as well as others totaling $60 million are in jeopardy under the Trump administration. Read more Schuylkill Trail users rejoiced earlier this year with the announcement of a federal grant to build the proposed Wissahickon Gateway. The new trail segment, which had just been awarded federal money, would provide a paved path allowing walkers, runners, and cyclists to circumvent the busy nexus of roads around Ridge Avenue and Main Street in Manayunk. Advertisement Now, that $14 million grant is one of five trail projects in Philadelphia, Chester City, and Camden County that could be in the crosshairs of the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE), the agency formerly led by Elon Musk. Advocates for trails in the Philly region say the U.S. Department of Transportation, which had already approved the grants, has not signed contracts or made payments toward them. We were trying to close 2025 with a big bang, said Patrick Starr, chair of the nonprofit Circuit Trails Coalition. Weve been trying to build 500 miles of circuit trails by the end of 2025. It looked like we would be resolving problems around really gnarly, complicated trail connections that weve been talking about for years. The projects would have greatly enhanced safety for walkers and cyclists because they bypass traffic, Starr said. We finally achieved the funding needed to solve those problems, Starr said. Its very frustrating. The U.S. Department of Transportation, which had approved the grants prior to President Donald Trump taking office in January, did not respond to The Inquirers request for comment. Some projects had been awarded grants years ago. The projects, when complete, would become part of the Circuit Trails, a planned 850-mile network of trails across the Philadelphia region and South Jersey. About 411 miles have been built and the new segments would have added to that. Starr said officials have not been able to get answers from the DOT on why contracts have not been signed, which would trigger release of the funds. What Ive heard from our partners is that the line has gone dead, Starr said. Which trails are affected? Starr said the following trail segments have not received promised funds totaling about $60 million: $13.7 million for the Wissahickon Gateway, which would connect Philadelphias Schuylkill River Trail from Manayunk to Passyunk Avenue. It was to be funded by the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP), and provide a safe connector. Currently, walkers and cyclists must share a narrow sidewalk outside a SEPTA transit center to navigate the intersection. READ MORE: $14 million project will connect the Schuylkill River Trail to Manayunk and Passyunk Ave. $23.3 million for the Reaching the Steps project, which would transform Eakins Oval through a former Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant, now called BUILD under Trump. The trails segment would increase safety and access at the oval in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. $2 million for the Richmond Industrial Trail, from American Street to Aramingo Avenue in Philadelphia, and funded through a Reconnecting Communities Program (RCP) grant, which would transform a freight rail corridor into a path. $2.5 million for PA 291 East Coast Greenway / 9-11 National Memorial Trail in Chester and funded by a Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) grant. Safety improvements would allow Route 291 to reconnect residents to jobs along the waterfront and the Port of Chester. $19 million for the planned 34-mile Camden LINK Trail through a RAISE grant. The grant was to go toward an initial section of the trail that would start at the Ben Franklin Bridge and ultimately run through 17 towns, ending in Winslow Township. The real question is why Starr said the Circuit Trails Coalition has reached out to local U.S. representatives, as well as Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania and Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker in New Jersey, seeking help, with mixed responses. Carlile Soldo, a spokesperson for Fetterman, said the office has no record of a letter the coalition said it sent. Soldo said, however, that the office will reach out to the DOT. Representatives for McCormick and Kim did not respond to The Inquirers request for comment. The real question is why why is it on hold? Starr asked. The Circuit Trails coalition said all five grants are paused pending DOT review to see if they align with administration priorities. It is part of a wider review of grants awarded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, that was signed by President Joe Biden in 2021. It is possible some of the Circuit Trail grants run contrary to the Trump administrations stances on environmental justice and climate science; or that the projects no longer fit in with the DOTs retreat to vehicle-centric infrastructure. Kevin Mills, a vice president at the nonprofit Rails to Trails Conservancy, which is seeking to build a national network of trails, said only about 10% of grants that have been frozen for review have moved forward. Trail-related grants approved under the Biden administration are under review as part of the Trump administrations attempt to downsize government through DOGE, which also seeks to weed out programs that do not align with the administrations priorities. When the administration came into office, they very quickly put a freeze on lots of different funding in lots of different policy arenas, Mills said. Of course, every administration wants to control how resources are spent. Normally, when an administration comes in, its forward looking. In this case, they made the unusual move of reaching back and saying we want to take a look at grants made by the prior administration. Nearly five months into the Trump administration, a lot of people are in limbo, Mills said. He said a March Department of Transportation internal memo had infrastructure for bicycles as a concern. To be precise, $38.7 million in federal dollars were awarded in January for Circuit Trails projects in Pennsylvania, Mills said. But since January, and with the arrival of the new federal administration, its like someone hit pause and lost the remote." Photographs of Renty, Delia, Jack, Jem, Drana, Alfred, and Fassena, a community of Africans enslaved in South Carolina, will finally be released from Harvard University. This collection of 12 items dating back to 1850 shows a father, Jack, and his daughter, Drana, stripped naked to the waist and photographed by daguerreotypist Joseph T. Zealy, at the behest of Harvard geologist Louis Agassiz. Advertisement Once held by Harvards Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, this image collection will now move on to the International African American Museum in South Carolina for increased public engagement. The transfer is part of the settlement of a lawsuit between Harvard and Tamara Lanier, a descendant of the subjects of the photos, whose fight to reclaim the images of her ancestors made it all the way to the Massachusetts Supreme Court. The Lanier case is hardly the first time the university went to court to defend its property claim over the daguerreotypes. Harvard threatened to sue contemporary artist Carrie Mae Weems, who included the images in a photographic installation called From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried (1995-1996). After Weems reproduced altered versions of the original photographs in a new work, the university moved from threat of suit to demanding she make payments upon the sale of her work before finally purchasing Weems 33-image photo series for its own collection. This backstory to Harvards relationship to the images baffles students every time I teach this information. Together, we wonder less about why Harvard would not release the items to a family member, but why Harvard would want to maintain possession of these materials after much bad press and increasing public outcry. By turning to legal intervention, universities treat such artifacts as intellectual property and thereby miss important opportunities to rectify atrocities related to African Americans. Deliberations about the return of historical artifacts to their original country, or repatriation, have sent Benin bronzes back to Nigeria and sparked outcry about the collections of the British Museum. In another case, African American bodily remains were recently returned to the U.S. from Germany. Oddly, however, Harvard has continued to wage its fight over Rentys likeness for more than a decade, despite its statement on repatriation. Likewise, the remains of MOVE members that were held for years at the University of Pennsylvania are still embroiled in a repair process. For sure, this delay is likely compelled by both ethical and financial questions. Artifacts are also assets with monetary value that might make them compelling attributes of university portfolios. In the marketplace, images of enslaved African Americans still hold firm. Even with numerous copies in circulation, images of Peter Gordons scourged back list at a high price, selling most recently for $175,000 in 2023. We may never know the monetary value associated with the 12 images of Rentys community. As museums around the world contend with the histories of conquest that have built their collections, U.S. universities must think critically about African American archival materials and concepts of repatriation. To whom must these items be returned? Labels on the photographs taken by Zealy provide a sense of place for the people in the images. Jack, the labels indicate, was born in Guinea, and Drana was country born, or native to the U.S., before their enslavement on the Columbia, S.C., plantation of B.F. Taylor Esq. The reclamation of their images by Lanier is an invitation for us to consider what repatriation is for African Americans. Jasmine Nichole Cobb is a visual and cultural historian. She is a professor of art history and African American studies at Duke University. The signs are out a day ahead Monday, June. 9, 2025 at Holy Eucharist Parish in Cherry Hill, a polling place for Tuesday's primary election. Democratic and Republican voters across New Jersey will decide their party nominees for governor (among other local offices). Political observers view it as a test of the first year of President Donald Trumps second administration. (Virginia is the only other state with a governors race this year, and its primaries are uncontested.) Read more Across Cherry Hill Tuesday, voters held a variety of views on a gubernatorial primary election that drew six Democrats and five Republicans and set up the November race to replace two-term Gov. Phil Murphy. U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill won the Democratic nomination, while former state Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli was Republicans choice. Advertisement From healthcare access to support for law enforcement, heres how Cherry Hill residents voted, and what brought them to the polls. Mikie Sherrill, Sean Spiller seen as strong leaders Many Democrats listed civil rights, education, and healthcare as top issues. Others said they wanted to see a governor who could push back against President Donald Trump. Sherrill supporters said her background as a former Navy helicopter pilot, federal prosecutor, and mom stood out. She was a member of the House of Representatives. She knows how the system works, said Ed Masarsky, 83. For Masarsky and his wife, Sharon, 82, social security and the economy were at top of mind. At our stage of life, the issues are so important, Sharon Masarsky said. Others threw their weight behind Sean Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association and former mayor of Montclair. Tom Love, 59, said he appreciated Spillers role as head of the states largest teachers union and saw him as somebody fresh who has probably got a lot of really creative ideas. Standing outside of the Saint Thomas Greek Orthodox Church, Tom Guggino, 78, said Spiller seemed the most sincere out of all of the Democratic candidates. A former school board member and small business owner, Guggino said hes concerned about education and taxes. Even with local endorsements, Sweeney falls short for some Despite campaign signs lining the roads for South Jerseys Steve Sweeney, voters said they werent particularly drawn to his campaign. The Gloucester County resident and longtime state Senate president was the only candidate from South Jersey running on the Democratic ballot. He was endorsed by the Democratic committees of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties. Sweeney has been in there a long time, Love said, adding that he was hoping for a newer voice in Trenton. Linda Panna, 74, said she voted for Sweeney on her mail ballot weeks ago but wished she could change her vote to support Sherrill. She can handle a lot with four children. Shes got an excellent military background, Panna said of Sherrill. I think women tend to want to prove themselves more because were so overlooked. READ MORE: Steve Sweeneys comeback faces an uphill battle this election after power of South Jersey machine diminished One couple splits their vote Dale and Denise Bauer, who voted at the Unitarian Universalist Church, intentionally register in different parties. They dont always follow the party line, so they read and research together to determine the best candidates regardless of their party affiliation and make a plan how to vote between them. In primaries, Denise Bauer said, the two of us vote for different parties at times, and sometimes if we want to split a ticket, one can vote on their party, and I vote on my party. So were each registered in two different parties in order to do that. We want to have it split up so that we have some thoughts from both sides, she added. Wouldnt you have two different people in a marriage do the same thing? Patriotism, support for law enforcement key for two Republicans For David Barg, 55, the Republican primary came down to one word: values. A longtime Republican, Barg said his support of the United States and Israel pushed him to vote for Ciattarelli. Barg said he was alarmed by Democrats on the ballot who were on the lunatic liberal fringe and were really not supportive of the values of this country. The only Democrat Barg would consider voting for is U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer. Gottheimer is a strong supporter of Israel and has broken with Democrats on some Israel-related votes in the U.S. House. Despite New Jerseys blue lean, Barg thinks a Republican could break through and win in November. Trump almost won this state. [Gov. Phil] Murphy has been a dreadfully awful governor and he won by a very slim margin, he said. Trump came within six points of winning New Jersey in 2024 and threw his weight behind Ciattarelli. READ MORE: Is New Jersey becoming a swing state? Outside of Cherry Hill High School East, a 48-year-old state corrections official said he voted for radio host Bill Spadea, calling him a commonsense candidate who promised to restore cost-of-living raises for law enforcement officers. Staff photographer Tom Gralish contributed reporting. U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) demands the release of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka after his arrest while protesting outside an ICE detention center on May 9, 2025, in Newark, N.J. Read more TRENTON, N.J. U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted Tuesday on federal charges alleging she assaulted and interfered with immigration officers outside a New Jersey detention center while Newarks mayor was being arrested after he tried to join a congressional oversight visit at the facility. Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced the grand jury indictment in a post on X. Advertisement While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve, Habba said. READ MORE: Prosecutors charge McIver with pushing and grabbing agents while trying to stop mayors arrest In a statement, McIver said the charges amounted to the Trump administration trying to scare her. The facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation, she said. McIver, a Democrat, was charged in a complaint by Habba last month with two assault charges stemming from the May 9 visit to Newarks Delaney Hall a 1,000-bed, privately owned facility that Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses as a detention center. The indictment includes three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials. Habba said two of the counts carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison. A third has a maximum sentence of one year. McIvers lawyer, former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman, said in a statement that they would challenge the allegations head-on in court. The legal process will expose this prosecution for what it truly is -- political retaliation against a dedicated public servant who refuses to shy away from her oversight responsibilities, Fishman said. The indictment is the latest development in a legal-political drama that has seen President Donald Trumps administration take Democratic officials from New Jerseys largest city to court, tapping into the presidents immigration crackdown and Democrats efforts to respond. The prosecution of McIver is a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress for allegations other than fraud or corruption. At the same visit that resulted in McIvers charges, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on a trespassing charge, which was later dropped. Baraka is suing Habba over what he said was a malicious prosecution. READ MORE: Newark mayor sues New Jerseys top federal prosecutor after arrest at immigration detention site A nearly two-minute clip released by the Homeland Security Department shows McIver on the facility side of a chain-link fence just before the arrest of the mayor on the street side of the fence, where other people had been protesting. She and uniformed officials go through the gate, and she joins others shouting that they should circle the mayor. The video shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and officers. At one point, her left elbow and then her right elbow push into an officer wearing a dark face covering and an olive green uniform emblazoned with the word Police on it. It isnt clear from police bodycam video whether that contact was intentional, incidental or a result of jostling in the chaotic scene. The complaint says she slammed her forearm into an agent then tried to restrain the agent by grabbing him. The indictment says she placed her arms around the mayor to block his arrest and repeats the charges that she slammed her forearm into an agent and grabbed the agent. New Jersey Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez had joined McIver at the detention center that day. They and other Democrats have criticized the arrest and disputed the charges as well. By law, members of Congress are authorized to go into federal immigration facilities as part of their oversight powers, even without notice. Congress passed a 2019 appropriations bill that spelled out the authority. McIver, 38, first came to Congress in September in a special election after the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. left a vacancy in the 10th District. She was then elected to a full term in November. A Newark native, she served as the president of the Newark City Council from 2022 to 2024 and worked in the citys public schools before that. Jack Ciattarelli, a three-time candidate for New Jersey governor, won the Republican primary Tuesday with the backing of President Donald Trump. The Associated Press called the race for the former Assembly member at 8:17 p.m., just minutes after polls closed in the state. Ciattarelli will now go on to face U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee, in November. Advertisement Ciattarelli, 63, lost the Republican primary in 2017. He went on to win the nomination in 2021 and came within about three points of Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021, a term-limited Democrat. READ MORE: Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli will face off in N.J. governor election On Tuesday, he defeated former conservative radio host Bill Spadea, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac, contractor Justin Barbera, and state Sen. Jon Bramnick, the only candidate critical of Trump. Ciattarelli previously served in the state Assembly for a little over six years and lives in Somerville in Somerset County. His camapign celebrated at Bell Works in Holmdel in Monmouth County. He benefited from name recognition in the state and an established base. Trumps endorsement this year gave Ciattarelli an edge in a race where the White House played an outsized role with the president coming up often in debates, candidate ads, and with conversations with voters. Ciattarelli and Spadea had a bitter rivalry throughout the race, and often bickered about who was more loyal to Trump. Both men had been critical of the president in the past. Ciattarelli went from being a never-Trumper in 2015, to avoiding the subject during his 2021 run while trying to reach both moderates and Trump supporters, to full-on embracing the president this time around. Trump had criticized Ciattarelli on Spadeas radio show last year for not seeking out his support in 2021, but said in his endorsement announcement that Ciattarelli has gone ALL IN. Trump said on a telerally for Ciattarelli last week that Jersey is ready to pop out of that blue horror show with Ciattarelli. At the polls on Tuesday, Republican voter David Roy, 68, of Woolwich, had trouble pronouncing Ciattarellis name but said he voted for him because of the Trump endorsement. I voted for Trump, so voting for this guy made sense, said Roy, a retired computer-science engineer. Trump saved Republicans from extinction. Ciattarelli had support from political operative and former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, who was in Trumps ear about Ciattarellis campaign and supported attack ads focused on discrediting Spadea. Ciattarelli has said he will end the states Immigrant Trust Directive known as the states sanctuary policy on his first day in office and will threaten state funding for sanctuary cities. Staff writer Al Lubrano contributed to this article. U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for New Jersey governor, speaks at a "Get Out the Vote" rally in Elizabeth, N.J. days before her victory. Read more U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill won the Democratic primary in the New Jersey governors race, the Associated Press projected. The Associated Press called the race for Sherrill at 8:39 p.m. on Tuesday, a swift election night win. Shell face Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a three-time candidate, in November. Advertisement Sherrill, 53, defeated five opponents in the uniquely competitive primary, in which she was the only woman. If she wins in November, shell be the second female governor in the states history and the first woman to hold the office in more than two decades, succeeding term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. READ MORE: Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli will face off in N.J. governor election Her campaign celebrated at The Westin Governor Morris in Morristown. Sherrill, who lives in Montclair, represents parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic Counties. She is a former prosecutor, Navy helicopter pilot, and mother of four. She flipped a red district in 2018, defeating a Republican opponent after the GOP incumbent retired. She campaigned on making New Jersey housing, healthcare and utilities more affordable and standing up to the Trump administration. Her opponents in the crowded primary included U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, and former state Senate President Steven Sweeney. Sherrill consistently polled at the top throughout the race but each candidate was still viewed as having a potential path to victory given the size of the field and the fragmentation of the party. The four-term member of Congress had the most establishment support in the race, with 10 Democratic county committees endorsing her in the central and northern parts of the state. These machine endorsements have been seen as a ticket to victory for decades until this year, when the county line ballot design was nixed. While Baraka and Fulop ran toward the left, Sherrill struck a more center-left tone as she pitched her resume and electability and benefitted from significant North Jersey establishment support. She touted being able to attract a large net of supporters within the Democratic Party. Sherrill was the first House Democrat in New Jersey or Pennsylvania to call on former President Joe Biden to step down from the 2024 presidential primary, following a disastrous debate performance. She was also part of a group of freshman Democrats who called for Trump to be impeached during her first term in 2019 and twice declined to vote for U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the long-time party leader, as speaker. Sherrill would be the first Democratic woman to lead the state if shes successful in November. Christine Todd Whitman led the state as a Republican from 1994 to 2001. At the polls on Tuesday, supporters of Sherrill said her background as a former Navy helicopter pilot, federal prosecutor and mom stood out in the crowded field. She was a member of the House of Representatives. She knows how the system works, Ed Masarsky, 83, said in Cherry Hill. At the Gloucester Township Blackwood Rotary Public Library, Nicole Landis, 52, said she voted for Sherrill because she felt a connection to the mother of four. She just clicked with me, Landis said. [She] speaks to the kind of person I am. Even with the support of much of the New Jersey establishment, voters like Landis said they saw Sherrill as someone with a fresh perspective and different voice, after eight years with Murphy at the helm. During a visit to Evesham in Burlington County last week, Sherrill spoke to a crowd of about 20 supporters who sat in lawn chairs at Evesboro Downs Park for the short-notice stop. Rachel Alban, 35, also a Naval Academy graduate, said she had been hoping to attend a Sherrill event and stumbled upon the appearance. She said shes attracted to Sherrills background. I support fellow Naval Academy women and veterans, and think that we need more of them serving our country in various government positions, said Alban, a South Jersey resident. Greg Newcomer, a Moorestown business owner, said he began supporting Sherrill after seeing her debate performances. Hes impressed by her national experience and is drawn to her results-oriented approach. Shes had success in going to Washington and understanding what the situation is now and bringing that here, he said. That experience will be good for us so that we can figure out how to move forward in the current times. Sherrill told the crowd that the state needs to stabilize and modernize the controversial school funding formula, a hot topic across party lines. She emphasized the need for New Jersey to encourage more shared services between the states many municipalities, another view spanning party lines that she acknowledged isnt original but is in dire need of addressing. Polling ahead of the election showed Sherrills support was more concentrated in North Jersey. She said in an interview days before the election that voters in South Jersey seem concerned about a lack of public transportation while North Jersey voters are more focused on decrepit infrastructure. She said she is creating a plan to grow transportation, housing, and business throughout the whole state. Not a North Jersey plan, she said, acknowledging that South Jersey voters feel like they havent gotten as much attention as the rest of the state. A statewide plan. She said last week she believes she ran an incredibly strategic, disciplined race, and that she hopes for the chance to take a nap on Wednesday. Staff writers Nate File and Denali Sagner contributed to this article. Stopping on their way to dropping their sons off at school, Emily Getzinger and Matt Zmijewski leave their polling place with Booker, 9, and Winslow, 6, after casting their ballots inside McDaid Hall at St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish Holy Saviour Church in Westmont. Read more The gubernatorial primaries were vigorously contested; Assembly nominees were chosen in all 21 counties; and while President Donald Trump wasnt on the ballot, he was very much on the minds of candidates and voters. For all that, in the nations most densely populated state, crowd control evidently was not an issue at the polls Tuesday in New Jerseys primary election. By midday at the Rutgers-Camden polling place, only 10 people had voted. Advertisement Still, political observers were confident that the turnout would well exceed that of the 2021 primary. Voters interviewed expressed strong and often contrasting opinions about the candidates and the state of the nation. As usual, some voted out of a sense of duty. I always vote, Shelly Mack, 56, said outside the municipal building in Woolwich Township, Gloucester County. Primaries, presidential elections, school elections your vote matters. If you dont do it, you have no voice. Mack was supporting former Democratic state Senate President Steve Sweeney for governor. At the Cape May County Library in Sea Isle City, on what turned out to be a splendid beach day after a dreary start, turnout was way better than I thought it would be, said poll worker Toni Grdinich. Plus, more than 10% of those registered already had cast ballots by mail or via early voting. It wouldnt take a whole lot for turnout to surpass that of 2021, when only 17% of the eligible registrants cast ballots in a primary that featured a contested, four-way GOP gubernatorial race. While former Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli won convincingly, a mere 10% of eligible Republicans voted for him that year. Once again, Ciattarelli, this time with Trumps backing, was declared the winner shortly after the polls closed in an election in which both primaries had crowded fields in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. READ MORE: Jack Ciattarelli, backed by President Trump, becomes the Republican nominee for N.J. governor Ciattarelli will oppose U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, winner of the Democratic primary. Among those supporting Ciattarelli were David Barg, 55, who voted in Cherry Hill. He said the issue came down to one word: values. A longtime Republican, Barg said he was alarmed by Democrats on the ballot who were on the lunatic liberal fringe and are really not supportive of this country. In Atlantic City, Daj Blackwell, 50, who like many other South Jersey Democrats, cast her ballot for former state Senate President Steve Sweeney, saw things differently. Blackwell, a housekeeper at the Hard Rock Casino, said she was no fan of Trumps, adding that morale was down throughout the party because of actions taken by his administration in its first months. She hailed Sweeney as staunch supporter of unions, adding, housekeepers are in danger. Voting in Gloucester Township, Camden County, Nicole Landis, 52, said she was backing Sherrill, because she just clicked with me. She said it mattered to her that Sherrill, bidding to become the states second female governor, is a woman and a mother and speaks to the kind of person I am. While neither a woman nor a mother, Dean Horneck, 31, a lawyer who lives in Fairfield, Essex County, said, I just think we need a woman governor. READ MORE: U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill wins crowded Democratic primary for N.J. governor Ryan Myers, 42, another voter critical of Trump, voted for Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. At the library in Sea Isle City, the restaurant manager said that he wanted a choice that was a little bit outside of the norm. He said he was familiar with Sweeney, and not the biggest fan. Myers said he favored progressive issues and just sort of anything anti-whats currently happening with our national politics. Tara Smith, a teacher, and her daughter Chloe Smith, 23, a recent college graduate who live in Essex County, both said they voted for Baraka, but for different reasons. Tara Smith said she liked what she viewed as the positive change Baraka brought to Newark. Chloe Smith said she decided to vote for Baraka after seeing videos of him engaging with his constituents in a way she hasnt seen from Sherrill. Outside the James J. Cullen Community Center in Hazlet, Monmouth County, locals Freddie and Linda Moore declared that they voted for Ciattarelli and against woke. In addition to the gubernatorial and Assembly races, Democratic voters in Atlantic City were deciding whether to renominate incumbent Mayor Marty Small Sr., who is facing trial on charges of physically and emotionally abusing his daughter. Small, opposed by Local 54 president Bob McDevitt, was endorsed by the citys police and fire unions in the mayoral primary. Blackwell said she voted for McDevitt but was not passing judgment on Small. I have nothing to say about that, she said. Im a parent. I have three children, and you have to discipline them. For Dale and Denise Bauer, voting in Cherry Hill, the primary was splitsville politically, that is. They make it a point to each register with a different party. We want to have it split up so that we have some thoughts from both sides, Denise Bauer said. Wouldnt you have two different people in a marriage do the same thing? Staff writers Nate File, Tom Gralish, Denali Sagner, and Aliya Schneider contributed to this article. This article was produced by Capital & Main. It is published here with permission. Zulene Mayfield took a seat in front of a panel of legislators. Behind her, audience members were dressed in purple T-shirts and hoisted signs above their heads. On an overcast day in early March, she was there to urge members of the Pennsylvania House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee to pass House Bill 109, a bill that would establish protections for communities overburdened by industrial pollution communities like hers. Advertisement Mayfield is from Chester, a city of 34,000 just 15 miles southwest of Philadelphia, which is widely known as an environmental justice community one where residents, predominantly low-income people of color, have faced disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards. Its home to a paper plant, a waste incinerator, and a sewage treatment facility and neighbors a natural gas processing hub, all of which choke the air with nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. The community has twice the asthma rate of the rest of the state and the highest rate of infant mortality in Pennsylvania. READ MORE: 2025 may be a watershed year for bankrupt Chester after 3 decades of distress in Pa.s oldest town The room was packed an unlikely occurrence for such informational hearings, often held in sterile meeting spaces in the halls of the state Capitol, where the few who attend are generally lobbyists and political staffers. This hearing, however, was held miles from Harrisburg, where it was met by a different crowd advocates and residents calling on lawmakers to accomplish something the state has been attempting to do for years. Our children literally cannot breathe, and the [Pennsylvania] legislature has done nothing, said Mayfield, who cofounded the grassroots advocacy group Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living 33 years ago. We are asking the legislature to do their part. The bills impact on environmental justice communities would be multifold. It would require the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to hold public hearings for projects proposed in environmental justice areas and would require the applicants for those projects to submit cumulative impact reports assessing how their proposal interacts with existing industrial pollution in the area. It also would give the department the authority, though not the objective, to deny project permits based on those cumulative environmental impacts. The legislation applies to anything considered a major source of air pollution, such as landfills, coal mines, and electric generators, or of water pollution, such as sewage treatment plants. The bill cleared the House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee in April along party lines. It has yet to be called for a floor vote in the House, where Democrats hold a majority and are currently passing a flurry of bills before June 30, the state budget deadline. If that happens, it must also clear the Republican-controlled Senate, where it would face an uphill battle. Similar legislation has been introduced in the past with little success. Between 2019 and 2024, more than two dozen pieces of legislation mentioning environmental justice were introduced in Harrisburg. All but one died in committee. The one that made it out of committee a bill introduced by former Rep. Donna Bullock (D., Philadelphia) in 2023, after which H.B. 109 is modeled was never brought to a floor vote. This bill would be just a good solid tool to give DEP something they should already have now, the bills author, Rep. Greg Vitali (D., Delaware), told Capital & Main. Its just protecting peoples health. Thats the whole point of the bill. Vitali believes the legislation has stalled in the past because of the influence of powerful industries. Indeed, trade groups from the fracking, chemical and plastics, and agriculture industries have all opposed H.B. 109, according to letters sent to the House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee, which Vitali chairs. Yet its the quiet opposition from Pennsylvanias building trades that Vitali fears could halt Democratic House leadership from moving the bill though the majority of attempts at environmental justice legislation have come from within their own party. H.B. 109 comes at a time when the phrase environmental justice is becoming increasingly partisan at the federal level. The March hearing in Chester came a little over a month after newly inaugurated President Donald Trump issued two executive orders striking federal environmental justice protections, one of which ordered the dismantling of environmental justice offices in the same blow that it did diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Several weeks later, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a memo to staff ordering them to terminate environmental justice programs and jobs. So far this session, H.B. 109 has yet to get further than its predecessors did in the past. As the Trump administration engages in an assault on environmental justice, states have the opportunity to express their opposition by standing firm. Whether Democrats in Pennsylvania will do so or run the risk of alienating their base by staying quiet is an open question. The bill has failed in the past, but the pressure has not been as great as it is now, said Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. This bill could have its moment now where it could actually be passed in Pennsylvania, she said. Because the states are really the last refuge. The March hearing in Chester was far from the first time Mayfield has sat in front of state legislators on behalf of her community and others like it. It is estimated that there are close to 2,000 environmental justice communities in the state. She spoke to a panel of legislators in August 2023 to dissuade them from endorsing a new liquefied natural gas terminal in her area. Decades earlier, she testified before the state House Judiciary Committee in 1995 when an infectious waste facility was slated for Chester. The next year, her advocacy group sued state regulators, alleging they had violated the Civil Rights Act in permitting more waste-processing facilities in predominantly Black neighborhoods compared with predominantly white ones. In granting permits, the state never inquired into the nature of the community or the number of other facilities in the area, said the late Jerome Balter, then a lawyer with the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, on behalf of Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living. While the environmental justice movement in the U.S. is typically traced back to the 1980s, the term showed up infrequently in legislative language in Pennsylvania until the mid-2010s. In 2016, Bullock, who later authored a bill similar to the current environmental justice bill, drafted a resolution that called for honoring the principles of environmental justice. Though purely symbolic, the resolution faced a Republican majority in the House and did not make it out of committee. Attempts to enshrine environmental justice into law have been only slightly more successful in the executive branch. In 1999, the state formed an Environmental Justice Working Group, which authored a 2001 report with a slate of recommendations. Among them: that regulators hold public meetings about projects proposed in environmental justice areas; that regulators consider the cumulative impact of proposed projects in those areas; and that regulators seek the authority to deny permits based on this analysis. Vitalis bill is still attempting to do the same. In 2004, the state DEP authored an Environmental Justice Public Participation Policy that acted on some of these recommendations. It urged the DEP and companies applying for permits to communicate clearly with environmental justice communities via plain-language notices and public meetings. Yet it fell short of mandating these things. David Hess, secretary of the DEP between 2001 and 2003, said the state was early to the conversation around cumulative impacts. Though the 2004 policy was not legally binding, Hess said, the work that went into it did have a major impact on how DEP interacted with communities in the permit process. Even so, he said, DEP gets 40,000 permits or so in the door every year and just a tiny percentage of those ever involve public hearings and even fewer public meetings. Hess fears that, at the agencys current funding level, requiring the DEP to host public hearings for every proposed project in an environmental justice area would be impossible. In 2023, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiros administration published an interim final environmental justice policy that superseded the one from 2004, completing a task mandated by a 2021 executive order from his predecessor, Democrat Tom Wolf, which led to the creation of the states Office of Environmental Justice. But that policy failed to require industrial operators to change their processes in any meaningful way, instead encouraging them to note that the project crosses into an [Environmental Justice] area on their permit applications and provide a short description of the anticipated direct and indirect environmental impacts from the project. One of the largest question marks left from this policy update is the unrelenting use of words such as should or may, wrote Maya K. van Rossum, leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, in a comment at the time. If these qualifiers are allowed to remain in the document, it seems as though the draft policy is largely aspirational and would have very little practical effect. Some opponents of the policy acknowledged that it fell short of mandating polluters to do anything. The policy carefully states that no obligations are imposed on regulated entities, wrote a group of Republicans serving on Vitalis environmental committee at the time. Yet they opposed it anyway: There are many very concerning issues with the policy, but at a basic level, we do not believe that it is acceptable for the government to be treating citizens and businesses differently based on where they happen to live within our state. Carluccio, of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, does not mince words: In the nearly two years since it was adopted, she said, The policy has not moved the needle on environmental justice considerations in Pennsylvania. But she believes H.B. 109 would finally do that. Edith Abeyta, a 59-year-old artist living in North Braddock, a small, low-income borough east of Pittsburgh, said the bill would have really been helpful in 2014, when she found herself fighting a set of proposed fracking wells in her community. The region is home to the 150-year-old U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Works, and Abeyta and her neighbors feared fracking would pose additional health and environmental risks atop those of legacy steel production. If there was a bill like H.B. 109 then there would have been consideration from the DEP that, like, would this be a good site for potentially 16 to 30 frack wells for 25 years when this is already a location of a major source polluter? Abeyta said. She and her neighbors worked for years wrangling regulatory agencies for information. But it wasnt until she was put in touch with the DEP Office of Environmental Justice that her efforts started to pay off. Though the office was clear that all it could do was send her information, Abeyta at least had a point of contact. The office also created a website where it posted updates on the fracking project and held an informational meeting between community members and the companies involved. Up until that point, fighting the fracking well permits required sheer desperation and tenacity, she said. In 2021, U.S. Steel announced it had canceled the fracking project. North Braddock, along with the rest of metro Pittsburgh, is a liberal island surrounded on all sides by conservative-leaning areas, where Republican state lawmakers have historically opposed environmental justice policy. In 2023, two members of Senate leadership from southwestern Pennsylvania, Sens. Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland) and Joe Pittman (R., Indiana), coauthored a comment urging the DEP to immediately withdraw Shapiros environmental justice policy, arguing it added needless layers of regulation that would have a chilling effect on economic growth in Pennsylvania. Both senators have environmental justice areas in their districts. Walter Tsou, a board member of Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania, said many of the states environmental justice areas are predominantly white, rural communities, where people are living alongside oil, gas, and coal development. No one really talks about [these areas] as environmental justice, he said. The district of Rep. Tim Twardzik (R., Schuylkill), located in the depths of anthracite coal country, fits the description. Though Twardzik, who serves on the environmental committee that passed the bill, voted against it, he said he is sympathetic to health concerns stemming from proximity to dirty industries. But he said he fears H.B. 109 could hurt local economies and introduce a double standard for operators. We had a lot of miners who passed away from black lung, Twardzik said. But my fear is, if we just stop all development in an area, youre never going to get any better. Vitali said that H.B. 109 was modeled after a similar bill in New Jersey that was approved in 2020. That law goes a step further by requiring state regulators to deny permits for projects in overburdened communities. Supporters argue that, in the years since it passed, it has not hurt the states economy. Rather, Pennsylvanias environmental justice working group wrote in its 2001 report that environmental justice rules have the potential to facilitate economic development through the remediation and restoration of contaminated sites. Mayfield is less concerned about the health of businesses in her area than she is about the health of her neighbors. And though H.B. 109 would offer protections that have been floating around the state for more than two decades protections she urgently supports she is not starry-eyed. For instance, the bill would not do anything to mitigate past harms, or protect her from existing infrastructure that she fears has already poisoned her friends. It does nothing for that, she said. No bill is ever perfect. Capital & Main is a nonprofit publication that focuses on investigative reporting, news features, and analysis. Former Justice Department attorney Ryan Crosswell, right, participate in a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington in April. Crosswell in running for Congress in the Lehigh Valley. Read more Former Republican Ryan Crosswell, who resigned his post as a federal prosecutor in the Department of Justice in February in a break with the Trump administration, has announced that he is running for Congress in the Lehigh Valley as a Democrat. Crosswell, a 44-year-old Marine veteran who was born in Pottsville, joins Democrats Carol Obando-Derstine and Lamont McClure in the effort to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in Pennsylvanias 7th Congressional District. Advertisement In Congress, Crosswell said, I will work to lower costs for hardworking Pennsylvanians, protect healthcare and the Social Security and Medicare benefits that seniors have earned, and fight political corruption and attacks on our democracy, rights, and freedoms. Crosswell, who left the GOP and became a Democrat late last year, has raised the ire of both of his opponents, who now find themselves in a three-way race for the Democratic nomination. [Crosswell] is a lifelong Republican who has never lived in the Lehigh Valley and had spent time in the Trump administration attacking civil rights, said McClure, the Northampton County executive. And a statement released by the office of Obando-Derstine, a onetime staffer for former U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, declared: Voters dont want a D.C.-backed Republican parachuting into this district. They want someone who understands their struggles. Crosswell garnered some renown for leaving the Justice Department over the handling of New York City Mayor Eric Adams now-dismissed corruption case. The Biden administration had indicted Adams on charges of accepting bribes from Turkey. When Trump came into office, however, prosecutors were ordered to drop the matter after Adams pledged to help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents deport undocumented immigrants. In dismissing the case, U.S. District Judge Dale Ho wrote in his decision: Everything here smacks of a bargain: Dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions. Crosswell, who has little connection to the Lehigh Valley, wrote in his resignation letter that his superiors made clear there would be professional consequences if the motion [to dismiss the Adams case] was not filed. He added on his website that when Donald Trump tried to get the prosecutors in my section to use the Department of Justice as a weapon against his enemies, that was something I would never do, so I stepped down. He added that he is aiming to stop the biggest threat our democracy has ever known, even if hes the President of the United States. Much is at stake as the trio of Democrats battle to take on Mackenzie in Pennsylvanias 7th Congressional District, which represents Carbon, Lehigh, and Northampton Counties, plus part of Monroe County. The race could have significant implications for the balance of the U.S. House in the 2026 election. Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, who held the seat for three terms before Mackenzie bested her last November by a single percentage point, has endorsed Obando-Derstine. While his opponents question the authenticity of Crosswells break with Trump and his nascent tenure in the Democratic Party, it is not that unusual, said Christopher Borick, a professor of political science and director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion. During the two Trump administrations, its become more common for officials to leave over disagreements, he said As an example, Borick pointed to David Jolly, the former Florida congressman who left the Republican Party because of his rejection of Trump and is now running for governor of his state as a Democrat. Mayor Jim Kenney, pictured in April at the unveiling of a new storyboard honoring Civil War troops, says his administration's 'sanctuary city' policies ensure fair treatment. Read more Former Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney called the citys sanctuary city policy a pragmatic and common-sense solution to a broken immigration system that he said is now being weaponized by President Donald Trump. In the absence of much-needed federal immigration reform, mayors and governors are forced to figure out how to make our communities run, Kenney wrote in an op-ed published Tuesday in the Washington Post, defending the policy he signed via executive order in 2016. Advertisement Signing the declaration was a common-sense policy decision. And as a descendant of once-marginalized Irish immigrants, I thought it was the right thing to do, he said. For Kenney, a Democrat who was term-limited and left office in 2023, the op-ed provides rare public commentary on a high-stakes issue from someone who advocated passionately for the citys immigrants as mayor but has kept out of the public eye since. It comes as his successor, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, has exhibited a much more taciturn response to Trumps aggressive approach to immigration and as federal immigration authorities increasingly deport undocumented immigrants with no criminal history. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles have sparked protests in recent days, prompting Trump to send in the National Guard and U.S. Marines, against the will of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, who called such deployments an overreaction that has only aggravated the situation. Kenney weighed in on that situation in a statement to The Inquirer, applauding Newsom for standing up to what he called domestic tyranny. I would encourage Gov. Newsom and other governors and mayors to continue the fight to defend and protect our core American values against Donald Trump and his misguided and unAmerican agenda, Kenney said. A spokesperson for the White House, Kush Desai, responded to Kenneys op-ed by calling him a moronic career politician who ruined once-iconic American cities like Philadelphia with soft-on-crime and sanctuary policies that have spurred violence, open-air drug use, and decay. In Philadelphia, local law enforcement officials do not fulfill ICE detainers without a warrant. But ICE still carries out its enforcement of immigration law, and there have been reports of ramped-up raids in the region. If the Philadelphia Police Department ever had a migrant in custody who had committed or was suspected of a crime, all Immigration and Customs Enforcement had to do was get a judicial warrant and we immediately transferred custody to them, Kenney wrote. What Trump paints as lawlessness is actually a requirement that an administration inclined to ignore the rules follow due process in each and every proceeding. Kenney estimated 50,000 Philadelphians are undocumented in the city of 1.5 million. He said the policy was meant to assuage fear that could prevent them from going to hospitals or reporting crimes. Kenney has not commented on Parkers handling of the situation, and his op-ed did not criticize any Democratic leaders but did compel them to speak common-sense rhetoric on immigration that does not deny our welcoming values. Its the smart thing to do for our politics, and its also the right and moral thing to do for our country, he said. Philadelphia is one of five cities and 11 counties in Pennsylvania that the Trump administration listed as sanctuary jurisdictions, at risk of losing federal funding. Parkers administration responded by distancing itself from the term sanctuary, saying Philadelphia is a welcoming city. The citys law department has said it will defend the policy on the books, regardless of what it is called. As of Tuesday, Philadelphia had received no official notification from the federal government about potential cuts. The sanctuary list was removed from the Department of Homeland Securitys website days after its release. After a judge ruled in favor of Philadelphias sanctuary city status in 2018, Kenney celebrated the ruling with a dance in his office and a speech in City Hall in which he touted immigrants contributions to the city. He said then that Trump cant bully Philadelphia into changing its policies. Democrat Patrick Dugan won the GOP nomination to be Philadelphias next district attorney, but he has previously said that he would not accept it. Dugan, a former municipal judge, lost the Democratic primary to incumbent District Attorney Larry Krasner last month by double digits. Advertisement READ MORE: How Larry Krasner won Philadelphias district attorney primary again But he earned 6,167 Republican write-in votes, six times the number needed to earn a spot on the November ballot, according to a report by the Philadelphia Office of the City Commissioners, the board that runs the citys elections. Republicans did not field a candidate of their own to be the citys top prosecutor. In the weeks leading up to the May 20 primary, the Philadelphia Republican City Committee organized a write-in campaign to nominate Dugan in anticipation that he would lose the Democratic primary to Krasner. The GOP write-in campaign painted Dugan as a moderate who could oust Krasner, an outspoken progressive, in the November general election. Dugan said before the election he would not accept the GOP nomination if he received it. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday night about whether that remains the case. According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, Dugan has until Aug. 11 to either pay a filing fee to be the GOP nominee or withdraw from the ballot. If he does not pay the filing fee, the GOP nomination will be declared vacant. Republicans have been hopeful that Dugan may reconsider. Party leaders have said they prefer Dugan because he is tougher on crime than Krasner. Republicans needed 1,000 voters to write in Dugans name in order to nominate him. The write-in campaign greatly exceeded that goal, with Dugan receiving the lions share of the 7,145 GOP write-in votes in a race without a declared candidate. Dozens of other votes were cast for what appeared to be various misspellings of Dugans name or incorrect first names paired with Dugans last name. In an interview last month, Philadelphia Republican Party chair Vince Fenerty suggested that Dugan could prevail in November by forming a coalition of independent, Republican, and moderate Democratic voters. On Wednesday, Fenerty said he remained hopeful Dugan would reconsider. Right now, to the best of my knowledge, the judge is looking at all his options, Fenerty said. The intent of this work has always been to sharpen our understanding of private markets. The very significant capital in this part of the system is made up of Australians superannuation and insurance monies, so quite frankly it is in the public interest that ASIC take a closer look and lead the debate, he said. The team at BZI are grateful for the support from Youi during this transformational period of growth. We are confident that both businesses will continue to grow and evolve to suit our unique customer needs, Fagen said in a statement. SFMI has been expanding its global footprint in recent years, with operations across the US, Europe and Asia. The company has focused on new markets, including Indonesia and Vietnam, and continues to position itself as a player in key international insurance hubs. Market impact and industry response The judgment is likely to intensify scrutiny of aviation war-risk policies and has already prompted market participants to reassess the scope and structure of such coverage. Insurers including AIG and Lloyds declined to comment to Bloomberg in the aftermath of the ruling, while AerCap and DAE have yet to release formal statements. Survey findings showed that 51% of participating firms had already completed acquisitions of AI-related businesses. A further 46% indicated plans to pursue such transactions in the near term, reflecting a marked increase from the 33% reported in 2024. As an insurance provider, we see first-hand the tragedy caused by significant weather events, and we want these communities to know they are not forgotten. Through this partnership, we aim to provide meaningful support and promote key messages of resilience, well-being, and the power of community connection, he said. UAA has built deep-rooted relationships grounded in mutual respect, reliability, and a genuine commitment to supporting our valued customers. Garys wealth of experience and leadership will be instrumental in enhancing these partnerships and driving innovative solutions that truly meet the needs of our brokers and clients, she said. The company lauded Johnsons expertise, noting his more than 50 years in the insurance industry. He was described as having built lasting client relationships as an advisor and partner to clients and colleagues in the industry. The entire Johnson Benefit Planning team will join Alliant; while the specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The insurance program, created in partnership with Aspen Insurance, is available to brokers on a non-admitted basis through Victors professional liability for architects and engineers practice. It offers policy limits of up to $5 million and is available across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The legislation repeals the previous Section 632, replacing it with a new mandate that all health insurance policies offered, issued, or renewed in the Commonwealth must cover the full cost of mammographic examinations for individuals aged 40 and older. It also extends coverage to those under 40 when a physician recommends it. After hours of flying from the U.S., American businessman Mike Grote rushed to China's Foshan without stopping, all to advance his collaboration with a local factory. Just as he said after experiencing a dragon boat racing, "We have a win-win relationship with our partners here." #Globalink If youve worked with an insurer that stands out for its coverage quality, claims handling, communication, or responsiveness, nows your chance to give them the recognition they deserve. The act applies to requests made on or after the effective date, which is set for 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the General Assembly. However, if a referendum petition is filed under section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution, the law would take effect only if approved by voters at the November 2026 general election. The House also reconsidered House Bill 356, which would allow home insurance policies to be issued based on a stated value rather than the current market value. The bill would permit homeowners or their agents to request that insurers issue policies based on the property's assessed value, as determined by the most recent parish records. During the confirmation hearings, Richardson said that she had stepped back from her NAIC committee roles and had not introduced any related recommendations at DIFI. She also said her actions were consistent with state law and emphasized her commitment to working transparently with lawmakers and industry representatives. According to the letter, the language in the bill may extend beyond machine learning systems to include common data tools and software regularly used by insurers. If enacted, the provision could limit regulators' ability to monitor and address evolving issues associated with emerging technologies that do not fall strictly under the category of AI. President Donald Trumps nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday that the 85 near-miss incidents at Reagan Washington National Airport since 2021 were unacceptable. On January 29, a Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional passenger jet near Reagan, killing 67 people. In the years preceding that tragic night in January, there were 85 similar near misses at Reagan National. How did this go unaddressed? Its unacceptable, FAA nominee Bryan Bedford said, adding that the FAA needs significant investment in air traffic control. The National Transportation Safety Board said in March that since 2021 there were more than 15,200 occurrences at Reagan 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. If confirmed, my top priority will be public safety and in restoring the publics confidence in flying, said Bedford, who has raised questions about the FAAs leadership and culture. On Wednesday, acting FAA administrator Chris Rocheleau, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy and Army Aviation Brigadier General Matthew Braman will answer questions from senators about a May 1 incident in which two passenger airline flights were forced to abort landings at Reagan because of a nearby Army helicopter. The FAA barred the Army from training or priority transport flights around the Pentagon after the incident. A bipartisan group of 10 former FAA administrators and acting heads of the agency endorsed Bedford, including his predecessor Mike Whitaker, who stepped down on January 20, a little over a year into his five-year term. In the years ahead, the FAA will be at the center of efforts to modernize and rebuild our nations air traffic control system an undertaking that requires immediate action, the former FAA officials wrote in a letter to senators, saying Bedford was exceptionally qualified to lead this effort from day one. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wants tens of billions of dollars to overhaul air traffic operations. Separately, two dozen U.S. senators on Monday asked the inspectors general for the Pentagon and Transportation Department to open audits in response to the January 29 collision. (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Matthew Lewis) Topics Aviation Aerospace The European Union proposed a ban on the Nord Stream gas pipelines and the reduction of an oil price cap as part of a new sanctions package that aims to pile pressure on Moscow to end its war against Ukraine. Russias goal is not peace its to impose the rule of might, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels Tuesday. Therefore we are ramping up pressure on Russia because strength is the only language that Russia will understand. The 27-member bloc is stepping up measures aimed at Russia in the fourth year of its war in Ukraine as US President Donald Trump backs off demands for an unconditional ceasefire. The new package, which is subject to change, may be adopted when EU foreign ministers next meet on June 23. It requires the unanimous backing of all 27 member states. Europe is putting Nord Stream 1 & 2 behind for good. We also propose to lower the oil price cap from 60 to 45 $ per barrel. Oil is one third of Russias government revenues. We need to cut this source. Well discuss how to best coordinate with partners at the G7 Summit. Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 10, 2025 The measures were reported last month by Bloomberg News. The ban on Nord Stream, the Baltic Sea gas-transit channel directly linking Russia to Germany though inoperable since the first year of Russias war will entail prohibiting operators from from making transactions involving Nord Stream. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also backed the measure. Theres no return to the past, von der Leyen said. Lowering a Group of Seven-sponsored oil-price cap to $45 will require backing from the US. The price threshold, which bans G-7 service providers from transporting and dealing with crude sold above the cap, is currently set at $60. G-7 leaders will discuss the issue when they meet in Canada later this month, von der Leyen said. By lowering the cap, we adapt to changed market conditions and restore its effectiveness, von der Leyen told reporters, expressing confidence that the G-7 would agree to do it together. The EUs move follows diverging positions on Russia between the White House and Brussels. The US president suggested last week that he may look on as Russia and Ukraine continue to wage war, even as US lawmakers weigh plans to force a ceasefire with sanctions supported by a broad bipartisan majority. Despite the votes, supporters show little sign theyre ready to challenge Trump. Merz, who visited Trump in the White House last week, said sanctions had been a heavy blow to the Russian economy and encouraged the US administration to move. The question of how long Russia can endure this war also depends on the effectiveness of the sanctions, the German leader said in Berlin alongside his Dutch counterpart, Dick Schoof. That is why we, and I personally, are advocating for America to impose sanctions now. The Nord Stream ban aims to put an end to persistent speculation about reviving flows. Even without a formal ban, activating Nord Stream 2, which was completed but never certified by the German government, was unlikely to happen. A September 2022 bomb explosion that partially damaged the pipelines brought a complete halt to transits. The bloc is also proposing cutting 22 banks from SWIFT, the international payments system, and imposing some 2.5 billion ($2.9 billion) worth of fresh trade restrictions as it seeks to further curtail Russias revenue and ability to secure technology for weapons. Additionally, the EU wants to list an additional 77 vessels that make up part of Russias so-called shadow fleet used to transport sanctioned products and introduce a ban on the import of refined products based on Russian crude oil. EU firms are involved in an array of service provision for Russia thats legal under the cap at current prices but wouldnt be at $45. That includes use of the large Greek oil-tanker fleet, as well as insurance and reinsurance thats provided by different firms across the continent. Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Topics Energy Europe Oil Gas Russia Canopius Group, the London-based specialty and property/casualty insurer and reinsurer, announced that Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance (SFMI) has entered into an agreement to purchase an additional 21% equity stake, bringing its shareholding to 40%. This stake has been purchased from existing shareholders Fidentia Fortuna Holdings, which is led by U.S. private equity firm, Centerbridge Partners. This will mark SFMIs third investment in the group, following previous investments in 2019 and 2020, and builds on a long-standing strategic partnership, Canopius said. The amount of the investment was not disclosed by the companies. A Reuters article published in July 2024 indicated that Centerbridge was exploring exit options for Canopius, which included an initial public offering or a sale. Canopius was founded in 2003, and in March 2018, Canopius became a standalone business after it was purchased from Sompo Holdings by a private equity consortium led by Centerbridge for $952 million. We are delighted that SFMI has chosen to increase its shareholding in Canopius. Their continued support reflects a shared confidence in our long-term strategy and the value we aim to create, commented Neil Robertson, group chief executive officer of Canopius Group, in a statement. SFMI has been a trusted partner since its initial investment, and we look forward to deepening our relationship as we continue to build a resilient and forward-looking business. Munhwa (Marvin) Lee, CEO of Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance said: This additional investment goes beyond a financial stakeit represents a strategic milestone toward increased collaboration and shared value creation. We remain committed to expanding our overseas footprint and driving innovation to evolve into a top-tier global insurer. SFMIs decision to increase its investment in Canopius reflects the groups outstanding growth and financial performance over the last three years, delivering on its strategic plan, according to Centerbridge Partners Senior Managing Directors Ben Langworthy and Matthew Kabaker, in a joint statement. We look forward to continuing our successful partnership with Canopius and SFMI as the company embarks on its next chapter with exciting ambitions for growth globally. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Fenchurch Advisory Partners is acting as financial adviser on the transaction to Canopius and Fidentia Fortuna Holdings, led by Centerbridge Partners. Macquarie Capital is acting as SFMIs financial adviser for this transaction. With underwriting operations in Australia, Bermuda, Singapore, the UK and US, Canopius underwrites through Lloyds Syndicate 4444 (managed by Canopius Managing Agents Ltd.), a US surplus lines insure (Canopius US Insurance Inc.), and Canopius Reinsurance Ltd., a Bermuda-based Class 4 reinsurer. Topics Carriers Excess Surplus Lloyd's Ryan Specialty announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the business of J.M. Wilson Corporation. JM Wilson is based in Michigan and its operations will become a part of RT Binding Authority, the binding authority specialty of Ryan Specialty. Founded in 1920, JM Wilson has six offices throughout the United States. The business has a broad range of offerings, including products ranging from personal lines to surety and is well known for its expertise in transportation. JM Wilson generated approximately $19 million of operating revenue for the 12 months ended January 31, 2025. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025. Philo Smith served as exclusive financial advisor to JM Wilson. Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Michigan The rise of autonomous vehicles will force a reconfiguration of the $400 billion US auto-insurance industry, as accidents caused by human error decrease and costs are slashed, but questions about liability remain, according to Goldman Sachs. Autonomy has the potential to significantly reduce accident frequency longer-term and reshape the underlying claim cost distribution and legal liability for accidents, Goldman Sachs analysts including Mark Delaney wrote in a June 9 note to clients. The autonomous vehicle market is growing fast and projected to reach $7 billion in 2030, and the potential market for autonomous virtual drivers for Class 8 trucks in the US will be around $5 billion by the same year, the analysts wrote. Tesla Inc.s long-awaited robotaxi service is set to launch this week in its hometown of Austin, Texas, which has become a focal point for the growing robotaxi industry, with companies such as Alphabet Inc.s Waymo already operating there. Texas has relatively relaxed rules around autonomous driving, which is regulated much like any other type of passenger vehicle operation. The driverless vehicles are required to have cameras and be able to follow traffic laws and have to have insurance. Goldman analysts see insurance costs declining over 50% in the next 15 years, from about $0.50 in 2025, to around $0.23 per mile in 2040. Still, they see modest real growth in auto insurance premiums for at least the next 10 to 15 years. Whos Responsible? The big question, however, is liability, which is at the heart of the US automobile insurance system. Currently, the person driving a vehicle is responsible for any injuries or property damage caused by their driving. But that calculation becomes far trickier when the vehicle is being driven by a computer and the person is just a passenger. Whos responsible, and whos going to pay? The underlying protection needed for autonomous vehicles could shift the insurance pool towards product liability and cyber coverage a different underlying risk profile than what auto insurers cover today. Therefore, incumbent auto insurers may need to invest in talent and capabilities to profitability underwrite a new set of underlying risk, the analysts wrote. Clearly, these are complex issues that will likely have to be addressed in federal courts or Congress or both. To Goldman, Tesla, Alphabet, self-driving technology developer Aurora Innovation Inc., ride hailing companies Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc., and insurance provider Progressive Corp. are either beneficiaries of AVs or buy-rated stocks where we believe investor concerns about risks from AVs are overdone. Progressive and Allstate Corp. are the insurers with the highest exposure to the auto market, and Goldman analyst Rob Cox expects Progressive to continue taking market share, driven by competitive advantages in customer acquisition and pricing segmentation. PGR has been vocal on vehicle technology for over a decade and has shown an ability to embrace technology, such as its early implementation of usage-based insurance nearly 30 years ago, he wrote in the note. Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. The US Food and Drug Administration said more than 20 million eggs have been recalled after 21 people were hospitalized with salmonella. The eggs, distributed by the August Egg Company, were sold to retailers including Walmart Inc. and Safeway Stores Inc. between February 3 and May 19. The sell-by dates ranged from March 4 to June 19, the FDA said with its full list of brands involved. August Egg Company recalled the eggs on June 6 and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was opening an investigation into the outbreak. Overall, 79 people across seven states got sick with a strain of salmonella linked to the eggs, according a statement from the CDC. California has recorded 63 people sick with salmonella. Nevada and Washington have four people who are sick. Arizona, New Jersey, Nebraska and Kentucky have reported three people or less. Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, the CDC says. The symptoms usually appear six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria. Most people will recover four to seven days later without treatment, according to the Atlanta-based agency. The US experienced an egg shortage earlier this year due to an ongoing bird flu outbreak in poultry, sending egg prices soaring to record highs. Prices have cooled in recent weeks as the outbreak slowed. The recall also comes as the US is seeing another salmonella outbreak linked to whole cucumbers that has sickened 45 people and hospitalized 16, according to the CDC. The CDC says the true number of people who are sick across the two outbreaks is likely higher than reported as it takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak. Photo: Emily Elconin/Bloomberg Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Ategrity Specialty Insurance Company Holdings announced today the pricing of its expected initial public offering (IPO)of 6,666,667 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $17.00 per share. The aggregate gross proceeds to the company from the offering are expected to be $113.3 million before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. Its shares will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday under the symbol ASIC. New York-based Ategrity Specialty Insurance Co. is a national specialty property/casualty insurer focused on the excess and surplus (E&S) lines market. The company will list its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol ASIC. Upon completion of the offering, Zimmer Financial Services Group, which has invested $335 million in the insurer since its launch in 2018, will continue to own more than a majority of the voting power of its shares. The offering is expected to close on Thursday, June 12, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The company said the offering is intended to increase its capitalization and financial flexibility and to create a public market for its common stock. The firm intends to use the net proceeds to grow its business and for other general corporate purposes. J.P. Morgan and Barclays are acting as joint lead bookrunning managers of the offering and as representatives of the underwriters. Citigroup, TD Securities, and Wells Fargo Securities are acting as joint bookrunning managers. The company describes itself as a profitable and growing specialty insurance company dedicated to providing excess and surplus products to small to medium-sized businesses. It has built a proprietary underwriting platform that combines data analytics with automated and streamlined processes. For the year ended December 31, 2024, the company wrote $437 million in gross written premiums, representing a compound annual growth rate of 28.4% over the last two years. Its combined ratio for the year was 93.9%, a decrease of 3.6% from 2023. Its members equity at December 31, 2024, was $398.3 million, an increase of $76.6 million (23.8%) from December 31, 2023. Ategrity operates on a surplus lines basis in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Four states have 5.0% or more of its gross written premiums: California (21.0%), Florida (16.2%), Texas (12.8%), and New York (6.4%). Its offerings include general liability, commercial property, management liability, healthcare and architects and engineers. Mike Miller, the long-time president and chief operating officer of excess and surplus lines giant Scottsdale Insurance Co., was among the founders of Ategrity in 2018. Justin Cohen succeeded Miller as chief executive officer in 2023 as part of a planned succession. The Ategrity action follows two other recent noteworthy insurance IPOs. On June 9, insurance tech company Slide said it was aiming for a valuation of up to $2.12 billion in its IPO. Last month, Bermuda-based specialty insurer Aspen Insurance raised $397.5 million in its IPO. Some Florida policyholders and their attorneys have long complained about real or perceived delays in the claims-handling process after a loss. A Florida appeals court ruled last week that telling a jury about those delays may be prejudicial and out of bounds in a claims dispute lawsuit. The essential question was whether the insured complied with the required document production. Yet throughout trial, the insureds counsel suggested the insurer was slow or incompetent in processing the claim, Floridas 4th District Court of Appeals wrote in the June 4 opinion in Universal Property & Casualty Insurance vs. West Naze. The decision overturned a Broward County Circuit Court judgment and remanded the case for a new trial. It also underscored previous court rulings that have held that an insurers claims behavior is not relevant in most claims disputes, said Matt Lavisky, an insurance defense lawyer and former president of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association. You cant litigate claims disputes and bad faith at the same time, he said. The 4th DCA ruling stemmed from a Broward County lawsuit in which a jury in 2023 awarded $47,000 to Naze, the homeowner, finding that the policyholder had shown that the property suffered a loss from a water leak. Universal appealed, arguing that the plaintiffs attorney had skewed the jurys opinion by repeatedly bringing up allegations that Universal had not assigned an adjuster to the case, had asked for the same documentation more than once, and had dragged its feet throughout all of which implied bad faith by the insurer. A bad faith claim was not part of the complaint and should not have been allowed under Florida law until after the claims dispute was resolved. The Naze lawyers argued that the claims handling response by Universal was essentially inseparable from its breach-of-contract actions. You [the jury] get to determine believability, the Naze attorney, Maria Corvaia ODonell said at the trial. Now, we learned, during this case, that they (Universal) didnt even have an adjuster assigned at the time they were making these document requests. They didnt assign an adjuster until April. So who was it that was looking at these documents and making a determination? When we begged for a determination in April, correspondence with them, did they say, No problem, well get you a determination, were missing these documents? No, they said nothing. The appeals court judges relied heavily on the 4th District Courts 2018 opinion in Citizens Property Insurance vs. Mendoza. In that case, like the Naze dispute, one of the main questions was whether insurance coverage was barred by a policy exclusion. Naze had not provided receipts or invoices from a plumber or documentation on whether the dishwasher had been replaced, Universal argued. Instead of providing us the checks, the documentation before filing a lawsuit, he (the insured) stayed quiet. He filed a lawsuit, and instead, that resulted in prejudice to [the insurer], the Universal attorney said at the trial. The appeals court agreed with Universals lawyers. As we stated in Mendoza, the jury could have decided the insured prevailed solely because the [insurer] did not do a good job regardless of whether the incident fell within the policy exclusion, 4th DCA Judge Melanie May wrote. The court also declined to award attorney fees for the policyholder. The outcome could be seen as a victory for Florida insurance carriers, on top of legal-system reforms in recent years. The Florida Legislature in 2022 raised the bar on filing bad-faith claims, requiring a court ruling that the insurer had breached the insurance contract by failing to pay a claim before a bad-faith claim can be pursued. Still, some plaintiffs lawyers have stepped closer and closer to making claims litigation about other issues, such as foot-dragging by insurers as an improper way to subdue claims, attorneys have said. I think this puts the line back to where it was in case law years ago, Lavisky said. I hope it carries over to discovery, as well, because the plaintiffs bar is starting to get into claims handling in discovery in breach-of-contract cases. This is a good reminder that the issues are separate. The Broward County Circuit judge in the Naze case, Martin Bidwell, stressed that he did not suggest to the jurors that they consider bad faith. The distinction Im drawing in this particular case is the difference between bad faith on the one hand and, on the other hand, omission and negligence, okay? Judge Bidwell noted in response to Universals request for a new trial. I didnt give a bad faith instruction on this particular case. The appellate judges disagreed, noting that Bidwells jury instructions and the plaintiff attorneys arguments wrongly stressed the insurers duty to adjust. The verdict form asked the jury if Universal properly excluded the claim from coverage. The insured did not include any allegations of poor claims handling in his complaint, the 4th DCA wrote. The pretrial stipulations did not include allegations of poor claims handling. In short, the admitted evidence was irrelevant to the issues pled. By admitting this irrelevant evidence, the insured was able to paint the insurer in a bad light and suggest its bad faith in handling the claim. In a dissent, appeals court Judge Ed Artau said the Mendoza case was significantly different and did not apply here. Because the evidence presented here was relevant to counter the insurers second affirmative defense, which was that the insured failed to provide the insurer with all of the required documents, it was not unreasonable for the trial court to conclude that the evidences probative value was not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, Artau wrote. A Universal attorney could not be reached for comment this week. Topics Florida Claims All of lifes carnival is on display in a collection of photographs recently acquired by the Kerry Writers Museum. Tony Fitzmaurice passed away in 2019 aged 87. Little did the wider world including some close relatives know of the archive he built up over half a century taking photos of his homeplace, Ballybunion, and the people of north Kerry. His photos from the 1950s in particular evoke the world of the Brooklyn film starring Saoirse Ronan, a time when cigarette-smoking was de rigueur. Kathy Reynolds, nee Kathy Fitzmaurice, left Ballybunion as a 13-year-old in the 1960s, emigrating to London. Her father was Fitzmaurices guardian. She is a photographer, as is her English husband. They called to Fitzmaurices house shortly after his death. Fitzmaurices widow, Madeline, had asked them to do something with the photos and negatives that were stored in her late husbands office at the back of the house and in their loft. While rooting around, they stumbled upon Fitzmaurices calling card, Tonys Photo Service: Kerrys Youngest and Best Ballroom Photographer. As a child, Reynolds remembered her surrogate uncles darkroom, effectively an oversized cupboard at the bottom of the kitchen, but she had no appreciation of the photos he took. I had this vague impression he used to do photography, but I didn't realise he did ballroom photography, says Reynolds. It's clear he did it to fund his photographic hobby. It was kind of a weekend thing. Reynolds adds: My interest is in landscape photography. I talked to Tony umpteen times about landscape photography, about different films, different cameras, different lenses to produce particular types of shot. So when I got his archive, the first thing I said to Madeline was, I'm really looking forward to going through this because you'll have some fabulous landscape shots of Ireland. And she looked at me and said, Why Kathy? He took people. Jack Savage pictured in 1960. Picture by Tony Fitzmaurice, courtesy of Kerry Writers Museum Fitzmaurice live out his life in Ballybunion. It was his inspiration, his subject, in that he took photos of its people throughout that time. The only place he stood for hours waiting for a sunset was on Ballybunion Castle Green. It was the first thing that surprised me the fact he didn't do a lot of landscape photography, as he was in the most wonderful place. One of the early photographs I found was of a sunset in Ballybunion. It was taken in October 1968. It wasnt printed it was a Kodak colour slide. "Ive been in touch with archives in Ireland, like the John Hinde archive, and they haven't got anything like it. Its probably my favourite photograph because its the castle of my childhood, what I remember as a child. If you go back there now, most of the top of the castle what you might call the chimney part is gone. So that's my childhood in Ballybunion. Fitzmaurice was born in 1932. He spent his working life as a civil servant with the Kerry County Council, while moonlighting as a photographer. He got his first camera in 1953 as a gift for his 21st birthday, initially taking photos of family and friends, of young people in their late teens and early twenties, in their homes, and on the strand in Ballybunion, learning and developing his craft. His first recorded photograph dates back to 1954. The first commercial work he did was the annual Teacher's Dress Dance in Listowel in 1956, says Reynolds. It was a big social event. Once we began digitising those photos, we realised they were amazing, that there was really good photographs of people. "People were dressed up to the nines in their evening wear, which tells us so much about the fashion, the social mores at that time. The fashion of the ladies was incredible. A lot of their dresses were handmade. After the war, cloth wouldn't have been that easy to get. I came across things like 1960 Confirmation Day in Ballybunion. That was amazing because it was the character of the kids that shone through. They were dressed up for their day. There are ones from a Wren Boys competition in Listowel. Most of them are around the dance hall, but those dances are very much community-based like The Pioneers Social. That one is wonderful because there isn't a drink in sight. It's tea and cake, everybody sitting there. Its those moments captured that are important. A couple at a dance. Picture by Tony Fitzmaurice, courtesy of Kerry Writers Museum Reynolds and her husband spent three winters digitising their haul. Then began the great search to put names on faces. They started posting Fitzmaurices photos on a webpage. They reached out to the public through a variety of channels, including north Kerry Facebook pages and through a friend, Noelle Hegarty, a retired postmistress in Lisselton, who recognised people and connected Reynolds with others who could name those photographed. Last year, Reynoldss project kicked on a gear when she approached the Kerry Writers Museum in Listowel, who agreed to archive and help restore the collection she has gifted to them. The Heritage Council has already invested 100,000 over two years in the restoration work. This includes the job of cataloguing more than 26,000 photos in a searchable database, and making them freely available to the public. In mid-May, there was a showcase event at the collections new home, in which a 10x8-feet montage of 70 photos were put on display in the museum. The idea was to start a conversation with the community around north Kerry. There are plans for a book, and an exhibition based on the book, which is being led by the curator Ciaran Walsh. Mary Walsh (right) and an unnamed woman looking happy in one of Fitzmaurice's pictures. Picture by Tony Fitzmaurice, courtesy of Kerry Writers Museum Kathy Reynolds liked the idea of the collection going into a small museum in north Kerry where it would not be monetised, but would be made publicly available to everyone, says Walsh. She saw it was like handing it back to the community from whence it came. I suppose if you were to ask me one word that defines this collection its community. What stands out is how Tony had total access to the community of Ballybunion. The result is an extraordinary intimacy of portrayal. Take the girl in a floral dress where she's lying beside a couple wrapped around one another in the sand dunes. "Another photograph and take that this is around 1954 theres a family on the beach and the mother is sunbathing in her bra. Its that complete absence of difference between the photographer and the people he's photographing. There are no inhibitions, no walls. Theres a photo we used on a poster of two girls lying on the grass. From a woman's perspective, the 1950s in Ireland were pretty grim. Here you have two young women full of life. It's so positive. Its a close-up. He must have been only about two or three feet from their faces. There's this wonderful intimacy about that photograph, but it's also the joy that comes through. The Tony Fitzmaurice Collection is housed at Kerry Writers Museum, Listowel, Co Kerry. See: www.curator.ie and kerrywritersmuseum.com Other images from the Tony Fitzmaurice collection Men sip their tea a dance in Ardee. Pictures by Tony Fitzmaurice, courtesy of Kerry Writers Museum A couple kiss in the dunes. A group of young people at a dance. A happy-looking couple at a dance. Three Kerry women, including one who is almost finished eating her apple. A woman shades children on the beach. Cork Rocks For Rory is a citywide event that marks the 30th anniversary of Rory Gallagher's passing in June 1995. A number of exhibitions, concerts, discussions, etc, will take place in Cork over the next few weeks. Confirmation Day, South Mall, Cork, 1960: Rory Gallagher and his mother on his confirmation day at the South Mall in Cork. Picture courtesy of the Gallagher family Rory and his mother, Monica, on the day of his confirmation, standing on the South Mall, looking back towards Cork City Library in the background. Rory is wearing short pants, which all schoolboys would have worn at the time, a cap from his school, the North Mon, and a suit my mother bought for him, although for Rory, even in his showband days, wearing a uniform was never the done thing for him. Competition Winner, Academy St, Cork, 1961: Rory Gallagher on the roof of the Irish Examiner building on Academy Street in 1961. Picture: Irish Examiner Archive Rory won a talent contest at Cork City Hall. It was part of the Ideal Homes exhibition. They had heats for it up in the balcony, which was curtained off. They built a small stage. I remember being there with him. He did two numbers, including Lonnie Donegans The Grand Coulee Dam. The guy doing compere said he couldnt get over the fire and energy that Rory put into the performance. Somebody from the Evening Echo wanted to get a picture of Rory so he was brought to the Examiners Academy St office. The photographer took him onto the roof because the light was better. It was Rorys first photo in the press. Showband Days, The 32 Club, North London, 1965: Rory Gallagher, second from right, on stage with the Fontana showband in the 32 Club in London in 1965. Picture courtesy of the Gallagher family This is a picture of the Fontana showband. As far as I know, it was taken at the 32 Club, which was a venue for showbands in north London. Rory must have been 17 years old at the most. Rory is on the right-hand side, behind the microphone. You can tell its him because of the guitar he's got this Stratocaster. The band used to go over and play gigs in England, usually at Lent, because they couldnt play in Ireland during Lent. Cavern Club, Leitrim St, Cork, 1966: Rory Gallagher with the Taste outside the Cavern Club on Leitrim Street in Cork in 1966. Picture courtesy of the Gallagher family This is Taste on Leitrim St in Cork. You can see the chimney stack in the background, which is the old Murphy's brewery. Rory's on the left. The centre guy is Eric Ketteringham, the bass player, and on the right, Norman Damery, the drummer. Theyre outside the Cavern Club where they did a residency. Behind them is their old VW van, with its split screen. At that time, the band would have been booked around Munster, the odd gig in Dublin, and then trying to break through up to Belfast. I did travel in that VW van with them up to Belfast. It was quite fun, but cold in the winter though because of the engine being at the back. Isle of Wight Festival (on stage), 1970: Rory Gallagher and Taste at the Isle of Wight festival in 1970. Picture courtesy of the Gallagher family This is a backstage shot at Tastes Isle of Wight performance, taken looking out at the audience, which no one could put a number on. I've seen figures suggesting it was 100,000 people, with people camped up on the hills. Oddly enough, it was the day the band decided to split up. Rory was unhappy with the management. There was a lot of tension. There was a very early start, getting out of London, to get down to the ferry to get out to the island. When they got there, the manager was there and there were all sorts of disputes, but it was the biggest day of their lives. They put things to one side. They said, OK, this will be the last one. Let's make the best of it, which they did. The band did several encores. They stole the show. Isle of Wight Festival (backstage), 1970: Rory Gallagher and Taste at the Isle of Wight festival in 1970. Picture by John Minihan, courtesy of the Gallagher family This is Rory in his check shirt. Richard McCracken is in the middle with his arms around both guys, the drummer, John Wilson, being on the right. That picture was taken by the famous photographer, John Minihan. John was there at the Isle of Wight festival covering it, probably for the Daily Mail. Its backstage after their performance. They played in the afternoon. John was so proud, being Irish. He made his way backstage. He wanted to get the picture. The exhibition, Rorys Early Impact - Rory Gallagher's Early Years in Cork up to Taste MK2, is at the Atrium, Cork City Council offices, June 14 to July 4, as part of the Cork Rocks For Rory event. Cork Rocks for Rory Gallaghers 30th Anniversary: Five highlights Last week I visited the Skinakas Astronomical Observatory on Mount Ida on the island of Crete. Its a small observatory perched 1,750 metres above sea level, beyond the reach of the cloud layer that would make the site otherwise unusable for astronomical observations. The atmosphere here is unusually 'stable', evidenced by the lack of twinkling of the stars and the remarkable detail that can be captured in images from the Observatorys two telescopes. About 60 kilometres west of Skinakas is the city of Heraklion. Unlike the steady stars above, the lights of Heraklion far below appear to dance about and change colour a kind of terrestrial twinkling on steroids. As I watched this entrancing spectacle I was reminded of the impact that Greek (and Cretan) culture has had on our world from great minds such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Archimedes and Hippocrates. Their ideas spread across the globe, sometimes taking years to cross country boundaries, sometimes much longer. 1.0m Telescope. Picture: Vangelis Pantoulas / Skinakas Observatory So what has this got to do with Skinakas, the observatory? More than you might think, because Mount Ida is one of the sites around Europe that is taking part in experiments to move ideas around the globe employing technologies that would have seemed magical to those great minds. Using a small telescope with a mirror that is one metre in diameter and thats small by current day standards the site will use a laser beam to connect to a satellite above, which will then itself transfer that beam (and the ideas contained in it) to receiving stations across Europe and beyond. In a fraction of a second. And in huge volumes. Indeed volumes which are much greater than we can move with current satellite technologies. Sending a beam from a small telescope to a moving satellite some 500km 2000km above your head is no mean technological feat, and the state-of-the-art technology is still somewhat in its infancy. But give it a few more years and its likely that this mode of communication will mature and be widely used. In the future, when you send an email or ask ChatGPT to summarise the differences between a South American Parakeet and a Common Irish Tern there will be a new information superhighway that ticks along unnoticed involving remote mountain tops and orbiting satellites. 1.0m Telescope. Picture: Ioannis Nektarios Papadakis / Skinakas Observatory Meanwhile, June is a curious month for the casual sky observer. The nights start late, theyre short, and the sky never gets truly dark, but at least its (relatively) warm. Despite the astronomy drawbacks, theres still much to see: The planet Venus shines brightly to the west of the setting sun and is an easy spot in the evening sky throughout the month Theres a full moon on June 11, called the Strawberry Moon a North American term which refers to the time of year when berries, including strawberries, started to ripen and become edible. And on June 29, Mars is very close to the top-left of the moon. On June 21 we have the longest day of the year, marking the peak of the summer season for Earths northern hemisphere. We are familiar with a season lasting three months, but on Saturn a season lasts 7.5 years; on Uranus its 21 years; and on Neptune its about 40 years. By contrast, there are no seasons on Mercury, Venus or Jupiter. This is because only planets that have a tilted axis ours is 23.5 can experience seasons. For sure the ancient inhabitants of Heraklion were aware of seasons on earth. They had no knowledge of seasons on other planets. Despite their immense achievements in architecture and construction, they had to rely on the slow spread of ideas beyond their immediate locality. I wonder what they would think if they came back today to witness how their ancestors are once again at the leading edge of a transformation in our world. Summertime is when many of us love taking time out by the seaside. Watching over the open expanse of ocean, feasting our eyes on stunning turquoise depths of each incoming wave, feeling the invigorating freshness of sea air. Walking along the shoreline we might watch and listen to terns, global migrants who breed on Irish coastlines during the summer months, feeding on small fish caught fresh from the surface of the sea, enthralling us with their elegance as they swoop and dive. We might immerse ourselves in the blue-green waters, exhilarating and energising mind and body with the joy of sea swimming. As conscious as we are of our island nation state, we are only vaguely aware that Irelands marine territory spans more than 10 times our territorial land mass. We are also generally aware of our dependence on the sea for much of our wealth and resources, yet dont tend to consider just how much we impact the health of ocean ecosystems with our activities. For most of history, humans have rightly considered the oceans as being far too large for us to ever inflict much of an influence upon. Everything is ready in Nice, France, for the UN Ocean Conference. Starting Monday, world leaders, scientists and other civil society representatives from around the world will come together to share their perspectives and solutions to #SaveOurOcean. https://t.co/1qJ91HbXkN pic.twitter.com/s4FJebCyJk United Nations (@UN) June 8, 2025 Yet over the past 50 years, it has become clear that human activities are causing life threatening harm to the fabric of ocean life. This is the subject of the third United Nations Ocean Conference that has been taking place this week in Nice, France. As international law and multilateral cooperation are being sorely tested and challenged on several fronts at present, the Ocean Conference is a vital opportunity for international governance and policy to prevail, with the task none other than charting a path to a liveable future for all of us. Oceans, and the life they contain, actively shape conditions for life on land. Marine plankton constitute as much as 90% of life in the open seas and maintain the balance of atmospheric gasses that sustains all the rest of us, including regulating climate by absorbing excess carbon dioxide, moving heat around the planet, and producing the oxygen that all other lifeforms depend on. Plankton of course are the basis of every marine food chain, their distribution and abundance tightly embroiled with the millions of species on both land and in water. Perhaps beginning with hunting whales, the largest animals on the planet, until many species were threatened with extinction, humans started to exert a significant impact on the health of marine ecosystems. Fishing has always taken place, and is not inherently bad for the ocean. But the combination of technological advancements, rapid growth in fleet size and massive subsidies for industrial fishing that have caused fish to be harvested faster than stocks can replenish. Overfishing is now officially recognised as the most significant driver of declines in ocean wildlife, pushing target and non-target populations to the brink of collapse. And lest we think that Ireland is innocent in this, we are one of the worst offenders when it comes to overfishing. On top of these pressures, the oceans have been absorbing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a process that has, until recently, been buffering and delaying the impacts of climate change, but has been causing acidification in marine waters. Ocean temperatures, specifically sea surface temperatures, have been soaring, with about a quarter of the worlds oceans experiencing marine heat waves in 2024. Last summers extreme marine heatwave off the coasts of Ireland raised sea temperatures by 5C. There is another marine heatwave underway currently. It is hardly surprising that the ecological equilibrium of the worlds oceans are wobbling toward a fall. And if that happens, we will all go down. All of this is to say that international cooperation to address the pressures and implement solutions is crucial. This is why the gathering of more than 50 heads of state this week in France, along with scientists, activists, and business executives, is a deeply hopeful event. While many have turned to scepticism about the potential of such UN conferences to chart international agreements that go far enough to be effective, it is worth remembering that international summits such as these are still the most viable way of collectively agreeing and implementing solutions to global problems. These processes are also the only opportunity that small island states have to influence global politics. The UN Ocean Conference has been working to develop international governance and mobilise financial resources for a suite of measures to protect the healthy functioning of the worlds oceans. One of the key aspects of this is securing the ratification of the High Seas Treaty, a legally binding instrument to protect the high seas beyond national jurisdiction. A moratorium on deep-sea mining is also on the agenda. Many civil society groups across Ireland and internationally have also been focusing energy on the need for a scaling up of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Ireland has made progress in recent years, having increased the area of MPAs from less than 2.5% in 2022 to just over 9% by 2024, though still leaving a long way to go to achieve the EU Biodiversity Strategy target to protect at least 30% of the Irish Maritime Area by 2030. A swathe of marine biodiversity hotspots that are in urgent need of legal protection have been identified and proposed by the Fair Seas campaign, a coalition of civil society groups across Ireland. Another essential component of progressing the Irish MPA network is the long awaited Marine Protected Area Bill. The UN Ocean Conference puts much needed pressure on Ireland, as an island national, to progress long overdue national policy while simultaneously being part of the momentum for urgent multilateral action. Globally, the oceans are changing faster than any time since the ice age. This time, it is human activities that are the agents of the transformation. We, too, are capable of transformation, once we understand that radical change in human activities is the only way we can allow the oceans to recover. For this, the success of international cooperation is a prerequisite, a necessity for a viable future. Government and opposition politicians from across the country have pressed home serious concerns over a lack of garda visibility to the Garda Commissioner. Several TDs and Senators told Drew Harris that his description of the garda service being provided to the community did not tally with their experiences. Commissioner Harris was appearing before the Oireachtas Justice Committee in what is likely to be for the last time, before he retires at the end of August. The bulk of members thanked him for his service and wished him well, while also expressing sympathies on the death of Garda Kevin Flatley during the course of his duties a month ago. Three deputies and a senator from Dublin, a deputy and a senator from Cavan/Monaghan, along with a senator from Cork and a senator from Galway all told of the experiences of constituents and themselves on the visibility of gardai and their response to calls. Garrett Kelleher, Fine Gael senator for Cork North Central, told the commissioner: The lack of visible gardai in Cork city centre needs to be addressed. He said people felt the merging of policing in Ballincollig and Bishopstown, as well as Douglas and Carrigaline, had reduced garda resources and responses. Fianna Fail TD for Dublin Bay North, Tom Brabazon, said there was a gap between what commissioner thought of the policing service in communities and the experience on the ground. He said the new policy where all members of the public had to ring 999 for a garda response was not working as many people thought 999 was only for emergencies and not for calls about anti-social behaviour or quality of life issues. Sinn Fein TD for Dublin Mid West Mark Ward said the commissioners perspective was not reflected among his constituents and said there was a genuine lack of garda visibility and that some calls are not responded for days. He said some people, living in certain parts of the community, felt like they were "a lawless society. Social Democrats TD for Dublin Central, Gary Gannon, said parts of Dublin were not being policed and cited several parks with open drug dealing. Fianna Fail Senator for Galway Anne Rabbite said garda responses had decreased dramatically. Fianna Fail Senator Robbie Gallagher of Cavan-Monaghan invited the commissioner and the two deputies with him down to his area. He said he would buy each of them a pint or a coffee for every garda on patrol they saw adding it would not cost me much. He said the size of the new division under the operating model spanned Monaghan, Cavan and Louth. Committee chair, Matt Carthy, Sinn Fein TD for Cavan Monaghan said it made no logic to have urban Dundalk and rural Belturbet in same division and said the new operating model had weakened the connection between gardai and communities. Mr Harris said he had expected he would now have 15,200 gardai, rather than 14,200, and said this, rather than the operating model, was affecting visibility. But he said the force was "growing" and that recruitment was "very, very strong". The head of the Central Bank is to tell politicians that it cannot refuse to approve the sale of Israeli war bonds despite mounting pressure to do so. Gabriel Makhlouf will say that the Central Bank is required to approve a prospectus where it meets the standards of completeness, consistency, and comprehensibility under the legislation. "Our legal obligations are clear and we do not need guidance to follow them," he is due to tell the Oireachtas Finance Committee on Wednesday. "The law is also clear that, by approving a prospectus, the Central Bank does not endorse the issuer and does not endorse the securities. "Rather, it means the Central Bank is satisfied that the issuer has disclosed the required information, in the required manner, to potential purchasers of the securities, so that investors can make their own informed investment decision." Mr Makhlouf will say that claims that the Central Bank could refuse to approve the Israeli bond prospectus on the basis of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) provisional rulings in the ongoing South Africa case is "incorrect". "The Central Bank cannot decide to impose sanctions for breaches or alleged breaches of international law," he is expected to tell the committee. Meanwhile, the Government will not be supporting a cross-party motion demanding the Central Bank end the facilitation of Israeli war bonds and will instead table its own counter motion. Calls to provide Fianna Fail and Fine Gael TDs with a free vote on a motion supported by four opposition parties have also been ignored by the coalition parties ahead of a Dail debate on Wednesday. The Social Democrats, Sinn Fein, Labour, and People Before Profit-Solidarity have united behind the motion that demands that the Government enact emergency legislation to explicitly force the Central Bank to stop facilitating the sale of Israel Bonds. It also calls on the coalition to advise the bank that "by acting as the enabling cog in Israels fund-raising machine in the EU it is putting the State at risk of a charge of complicity in genocide". Seventeen police officers have been injured following a second night of sustained violence in Ballymena, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that the rioting risks undermining the criminal justice process into an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in the Co Antrim town at the weekend. Stormont ministers have also made an urgent appeal for calm and said the justice process had to be allowed to take its course. In a joint statement, ministers from across the powersharing Executive, which includes Sinn Fein, DUP, Alliance Party and UUP, said those involved in disorder have nothing to offer society but division and disorder. Police have come under attack for a second night in Ballymena, County Antrim as racially motivated rioters set fire to property and launched fireworks and missiles at police lines. Police said their officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks in their direction in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena on Tuesday night. The PSNI deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannon as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. Police also reported that sporadic disorder had also occurred in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well as incidents in north Belfast. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged. A burnt-out and boarded up property that was damaged on Monday evening in violence in Ballymena, during a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire A PSNI spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday evening that a number of protests took place in areas of Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine and Newtownabbey. In Carrickfergus, two bins were set alight and bottles and masonry were thrown at police in the Sunnylands area by a group of 20 to 30 young people at around 8.30pm. In Newtownabbey, bins were set alight at the roundabout on ONeill Road. During the course of the disorder in Ballymena, officers discharged several plastic baton rounds and the water cannon was also deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds. A police car drives past a burnt-out overturned car on the street following a second night of violence in Ballymena, during a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire The spokesperson said: Businesses and homes were attacked and damaged and a number of vehicles were also set on fire in the area. Seventeen officers were injured with some requiring required hospital treatment. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in police custody this morning. A male was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour on the ONeill Road in Newtownabbey. A number of nearby roads were closed by police to ensure the safety of the public and local residents, and to enable officers to deal with the situation and disorder safely. All roads were subsequently reopened. PSNI vehicles forming a barricade at Clonavon Terrace, Ballymena, as people take part in a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire Fifteen officers had been injured during similar scenes in Ballymena on Monday. Mr Boutcher said: The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable. These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice, and protection. Ironically, and frustratingly, this violence threatens to derail the very pursuit of justice it claims to challenge. Let me be clear: this behaviour must stop. I appeal to everyone involved to cease all further acts of criminality and disorder immediately. Police vans at Clonavon Terrace, Ballymena, as people take part in a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire The Chief Constable said the investigation into the violence would include reviewing video footage and images of individuals would be released to identify offenders. He added: Since 2010, the PSNI has been critically underfunded. This neglect takes no account of the enormous demands placed on us by legacy issues or the unique challenges of policing in a post-conflict society. Our resourcing levels are not just inadequate they are dangerous. I will be making arrangements to activate mutual aid resources to ensure we have the necessary support to maintain public order and bring offenders to justice. A view of a damaged police car outside Ballymena Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) station, following a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town. Picture: Tuesday June 10, 2025. Hundreds of masked rioters attacked police and set homes and cars on fire in the Northern Irish town of Ballymena on Tuesday (June 10) in the second successive night of disorder. Officers in riot gear responded with water cannon and plastic baton rounds after being attacked by petrol bombs, scaffolding and rocks. Police said they were dealing with "serious disorder" in the town about 45 km (30 miles) from the capital Belfast, and urged people to avoid the area. Police in Northern Ireland have requested support from colleagues in the rest of the UK following violence in Ballymena, a senior officer has said. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force would be bringing extra officers, vehicles and equipment to areas where unrest has flared. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he utterly condemns violence which left 17 police officers injured following a second night of disturbances in the Co Antrim town. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that the rioting risks undermining the criminal justice process into an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in Ballymena at the weekend. Stormont ministers have also made an urgent appeal for calm and said the justice process had to be allowed to take its course. Providing an update on the policing operation on Wednesday, Mr Henderson said: We are taking steps to increase available resources and are surging a significant number of extra officers, vehicles and equipment to those areas where the rioting is taking place. This will have an impact on our community, this will take away vital resources needed to police other areas. Northern Irelands First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly speak to media at the Ulster Hall in Belfast on Wednesday (David Young/PA) It will have an impact on our ability to serve communities. As part of my forward planning I have now activated the request for mutual aid resources from policing colleagues in Great Britain to ensure we have the necessary support and maintain public order and bring offenders to justice in the days to come. Speaking during Prime Ministers Questions in the Commons, Mr Starmer condemned the mindless attacks against police. I utterly condemn the violence that we have seen overnight in Ballymena and in other parts of Northern Ireland, including against PSNI officers, Mr Starmer told MPs. A second night of violence took place in Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) Its absolutely vital that the PSNI are given the time they need to investigate the incidents concerned rather than face mindless attacks as they seek to bring peace and order to keep people safe. In a joint statement, ministers from across the Stormont powersharing Executive, which includes Sinn Fein, DUP, Alliance Party and UUP, said those involved in disorder have nothing to offer society but division and disorder. First Minister Michelle ONeill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly later appeared together to voice their condemnation. Sinn Fein vice president Ms ONeill told reporters in Belfast: Its pure racism, there is no other way to dress it up. Rioters attacked police in Ballymena on Tuesday night (Niall Carson/PA) She said ministers stood full-square with the young girl who was subject to the alleged sex attack but she said the criminal justice system must be allowed to deal with that case. Separate to that is the racism that were seeing people being firebombed out of their homes, people having their doors knocked in, having their windows being smashed, families being intimidated, Ms ONeill added. That is absolutely unacceptable and everything that needs to be done to bring it to an end is our focus in terms of the engagement we have with the PSNI. Ms Little-Pengelly described the scenes in Ballymena as unacceptable thuggery, adding: Weve been in contact with the Chief Constable, and in constant contact with the PSNI throughout last night in terms of what was happening on the ground. I think today is about sending a very clear message that violence is wrong, it is entirely unacceptable. It must stop. With the protests focused in predominantly loyalist areas in Ballymena, Ms ONeill said she did not believe a visit by her would prove helpful in the current context. DUP MLA Ms Little-Pengelly visited the town on Wednesday. Police said their officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks thrown in their direction in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena on Tuesday night. The PSNI deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannon as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. Police also reported that sporadic disorder had also occurred in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well as incidents in north Belfast. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged. A PSNI spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday evening that a number of protests took place in areas of Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine and Newtownabbey. In Carrickfergus, two bins were set alight and bottles and masonry thrown at police in the Sunnylands area by a group of 20-30 young people at about 8.30pm. In Newtownabbey, bins were set alight at the roundabout on ONeill Road. During the course of the disorder in Ballymena, officers discharged a number of plastic baton rounds and a water cannon was also deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds. The spokesperson said: Businesses and homes were attacked and damaged, and a number of vehicles were also set on fire in the area. Seventeen officers were injured with some requiring hospital treatment. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in police custody this morning. A male was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour on the ONeill Road in Newtownabbey. A number of nearby roads were closed by police to ensure the safety of the public and local residents, and to enable officers to deal with the situation and disorder safely. All roads were subsequently reopened. Fifteen officers had been injured during similar scenes in Ballymena on Monday. Mr Boutcher said: The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable. These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice, and protection. Ironically, and frustratingly, this violence threatens to derail the very pursuit of justice it claims to challenge. I will be making arrangements to activate mutual aid resources to ensure we have the necessary support to maintain public order and bring offenders to justice Let me be clear: this behaviour must stop. I appeal to everyone involved to cease all further acts of criminality and disorder immediately. The Chief Constable said the investigation into the violence would include reviewing video footage, and images of individuals would be released to identify offenders. He added: Since 2010, the PSNI has been critically underfunded. This neglect takes no account of the enormous demands placed on us by legacy issues or the unique challenges of policing in a post-conflict society. Our resourcing levels are not just inadequate they are dangerous. I will be making arrangements to activate mutual aid resources to ensure we have the necessary support to maintain public order and bring offenders to justice. A man who drove off from gardai at speed in East Cork has been handed a lengthy driving disqualification after pleading guilty to dangerous driving at a recent sitting of Youghal District Court. Jack Sweetnam, aged 23 of Ardsallagh, Co Waterford, pleaded guilty to multiple charges relating to three separate incidents that occurred in Youghal, Co Cork, in March and April of 2025. Court presenter Sergeant Majella OSullivan told the court that the first incident occurred on March 15, 2025 when a patrol stopped Mr Sweetnam at North Main Street where the vehicle he was driving did not have valid tax, insurance or NCT disks displayed and was subsequently seized. The court was told that on April 16, 2025, Mr Sweetnam was stopped at Woodland Grove in Youghal at 11pm. A smell of cannabis was apparent and following a search he was found to be in possession of two cannabis joints which he admitted were his. On that occasion Mr Sweetnam did not have a valid drivers licence or motor insurance. Sgt OSullivan said that Mr Sweetnam was observed driving again on April 23 at Foxhole in Youghal. When gardai attempted to pull him over he drove off at speed in the opposite direction. He ignored garda sirens and blue lights and the decision was taken not to pursue him for the safety of other road users who had to take evasive action. Sentencing Defence solicitor James Moore said that his client made full admissions and was co-operative with the gardai. He said that all of the offending took place within a five-week period during which his client had come under the influence of a group who treated him as a patsy. He said that Mr Sweetnam had not been in trouble before or since and was now living at the family home. Judge Brian OShea said that if Mr Sweetnam had previous convictions he would be going to prison. For the two no insurance charges he was fined a total of 600 and disqualified from driving for four years and six years. For the two dangerous driving charges he was disqualified for four years and two years. All other charges were taken into consideration. This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme. The behaviour of a man who shouted racial abuse at another man who was walking down the street was described as outrageous by a district court judge. Sergeant Majella OSullivan told Youghal District Court the incident occurred on the afternoon of September 2, 2024, on Main Street in Youghal. The victim reported he had been approached by the accused, Eugene Quirke, 47 of South Main Street, Youghal, who began to verbally abuse him. The court heard Mr Quirke asked the victim: What the fuck are you looking at? And called him a rat and a Paki cunt. When the injured party told Mr Quirke not to threaten him, the accused came up behind him and said: "I will threaten you. Defence solicitor James Moore said his client had been drinking vodka before the incident and could not remember it. He said Mr Quirke deeply regretted it and did not dispute what happened. He said his client would apologise to the injured party but was advised to have no contact with him. He said although Mr Quirke had 15 previous convictions, the most recent was 11 years ago. Judge Brian OShea said: How can someone go from repairing the boardwalk to going out and insulting and abusing a man in a racist way? The excuse that he was drunk makes it even worse, that he got so drunk he went out and did this. Judge OShea adjourned the matter to allow Mr Quirke to gather 400 in compensation for the injured party and to write a letter of apology. He said if this was done, Mr Quirke would be convicted and fined 300. The judge said the alternative would be a three-month prison sentence. This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme Two Limerick brothers jailed for an unprovoked attack on a former friend, have been transferred from Limerick Prison to an open, low-security facility, four months into sentences of two and two-and-a-half years in jail. Cian Hayes (aged 33) and Daragh Hayes (aged 37), who were both jailed on January 30 last, have served around 19 weeks as prisoners among the general population of the high-security Limerick Prison. The two siblings, from Ballyashea, Kildimo, Co Limerick, were transferred from Limerick Prison to Shelton Abbey, Co Wicklow, an open, low-security prison for males who are regarded as requiring lower levels of security, last Monday, several reliable sources confirmed on Wednesday. The Hayes brothers lured their then friend and former Limerick athlete and minor Gaelic football star, Ciaran Ryan, to Daragh Hayess house and attacked him with a hurley and a foot-long steel wrench. The two brothers interrogated Mr Ryan about a text message he had sent to Daragh Hayes's ex-partner several months beforehand, which the court heard had been entirely innocent in nature. When contacted on Wednesday and asked for his reaction to the transfer of the two men who attacked him leaving him with serious injuries, Mr Ryan replied: No comment, I just want to get on with my life. Mr Ryan was Cian Hayess best man at the time of the attack. He suffered a collapsed lung, multiple fractures including to one of his legs, arm, fingers, as well as extensive bruising and severe psychological trauma. He told the brothers sentencing hearing: They beat me like they wanted me dead. The court heard Mr Ryan was lured to Daragh Hayess house on the pretense of making plans for Cian Hayess impending wedding. Daragh Hayes was jailed for three years with the final six months suspended. File picture: Brendan Gleeson Daragh Hayes was jailed for three years with the final six months suspended, and Cian Hayes was jailed for two-and-a-half years with the final six months suspended. A security source said it was not surprising that the two brothers had been deemed suitable for transfer to an open prison, despite only serving four months of their sentences. Both defendants would have automatically received a quarter off their sentences for having pled guilty as well as having no previous convictions. They were regarded as being model prisoners inside Limerick Prison which, like other prisons, is battling overcrowding. Sources said it is likely the two brothers would be eligible for release before the end of the year, meaning they would serve less than 12 months each of their sentences. When asked for comment, The Irish Prison Service replied it does not comment on individual prisoner cases. Two Irish tourists accused of raping a young woman in Magaluf are from Cork, and one is well-known in sporting circles, it is understood. The alleged female victim is also Irish, it is understood. The men, who cannot currently be named for legal reasons, were arrested on suspicion of rape and appeared in court in the Majorcan capital Palma on June 5. The attack allegedly occurred earlier that morning in the well-known party town of Magaluf. The accused are believed to be brothers. The Civil Guard Spanish police say the allegation is that two men met the woman and her female friend and after a few hours, invited them to continue partying in their room. There the victim, after consuming alcohol, began to feel unwell and fell asleep. When she woke up she realised she had been sexually assaulted. Police attended and helped the victim. "After interviewing her and carrying out a rapid investigation, they tracked down the suspected offenders and proceeded to arrest them. The two men were handed over to the courts, Spanish police said. Both men have denied any wrongdoing, it is understood. The family of a young Clare schoolboy who was fatally injured in a road traffic collision near his home last year has sought a review of a decision by the DPP that no prosecution should arise out of the circumstances of his death. Dylan Coady-Coleman, aged 10, of Corrib Drive, Shannon, Co Clare was rushed by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick after being struck by a van near his home at Purcell Park, Shannon, shortly after 2pm on February 25, 2024. The 4th-class pupil from St Tolas National School in Shannon was subsequently transferred to Childrens Health Ireland at Temple Street in Dublin where he died three days later. A sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court on Wednesday heard that the young boys family has sought a review of a decision by the DPP that no criminal prosecution was warranted in relation to the fatal incident. Detective Inspector Ken Hoare applied for a three-month adjournment of the inquest into Dylans death. Det Insp Hoare explained that gardai were awaiting the outcome of a review of the DPPs decision on the Garda file on the case which had been requested by the deceaseds family. A male in his 20s was arrested as part of the Garda investigation into the death of the schoolboy but he was later released without charge. Coroner Aisling Gannon granted the application and adjourned the hearing for further mention to September 10 next for an update on the outcome of the review. The brief hearing was attended remotely by Dylans parents, Garry Coleman and Laura Coady, as well as their solicitor, Caitriona Carmody. Ms Gannon observed that it would not be appropriate to proceed with the inquest pending the outcome of the review of the DPPs direction in the case. Postmortem results At a previous hearing of the inquest last December, the coroner confirmed that the results of a postmortem showed that Dylan had died as a result of catastrophic head injuries arising from a road traffic collision. Dylans father also revealed that he and his partner had made the decision to donate their sons organs for transplant after being informed by hospital staff that there was nothing more that could be done to save his life. The death of the schoolboy was considered particularly tragic as Ms Coady gave birth to a baby boy in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin on the day before her other son died. The infant, who was brought to Dylans bedside before he passed away, was christened Shane Dylan, in honour of his late brother. The couple have one other child a daughter, Zoe. The Trump administration does not have plans to imprison Irish people living in America illegally in Guantanamo Bay prison, the Government has said. The department of foreign affairs has confirmed it has engaged with the Trump administration on the matter, after US media reported plans to jail undocumented immigrants in the Cuban prison. In a statement, a spokesperson for the department confirmed it is aware of news reports on the matter and said: From our engagement with EU partners and with US authorities, our understanding is that there are no plans to deport EU citizens to Guantanamo Bay. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also dismissed the reports, describing the Washington Post story as fake news and not happening. In its story, published on Wednesday morning US time, the paper said the US government were preparing to transfer thousands of illegal immigrants to the Guantanamo Bay military base. It asserts that foreign nationals from a range of friendly countries, including Ireland, would be sent to the prison, adding that their governments would not be informed of their removal from the US to Guantanamo. US officials speaking to the paper said the plan itself was needed to free up space at existing detention facilities, amid US president Donald Trumps moves to expel hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from the US. The prison itself was established by George W Bush to hold suspected terrorists following the September 11 attacks. The Government has been warned it is on the "the wrong side" of history after rejecting a motion to prevent the facilitation of Israeli war bonds. Opposition parties united behind a motion demanding the Government enact emergency legislation to explicitly force the Central Bank to stop facilitating the sale of Israel bonds. The Social Democrats motion, supported by Sinn Fein, Labour, and People Before Profit-Solidarity also called on the coalition to advise the bank that "by acting as the enabling cog in Israels fund-raising machine in the EU, it is putting the State at risk of a charge of complicity in genocide". However, the Government's countermotion stated that it had "received advice from the Attorney General that recently proposed legislation to introduce 'restrictive measures' was not compatible with our obligations as members of the EU and in conflict with Article 215 and Article 63 Treaty on the Functioning of the EU". The motion with the amendment put forward by the Government was then passed by 85 votes to 71. Speaking in the Dail ahead of the vote, finance minister Paschal Donohoe said: "Despite the human feelings I have and the determination of the Government to respond to this, I have to recognise the law with regard to the EU and the law that recognises the independent operation of the Central Bank of Ireland." But Social Democrats TD Cian O'Callaghan claimed that the Government was "hiding behind technicalities" and could act on the matter if it wanted to. Let us be clear about this. Genocide is taking place and is being part-funded by the sale of Israeli bonds including in Europe, which is being facilitated by the Irish Central Bank. Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty described Mr Donohoe's response as "shameful", adding: "History will show that the minister is on the wrong side of this issue. He has used carefully constructed words to tell us what we cannot do. "However, the reality is that if Government wants to initiate national measures that will ensure that the Central Bank does not sign off on a prospective and therefore, not facilitate the sale of these war bonds in Ireland, then it can do so." Brazils former president Jair Bolsonaro denied participation in an alleged plot to remain in power and overturn the 2022 election result as he gave evidence on Tuesday for the first time before the Supreme Court over the charges. Bolsonaro and seven close allies were being questioned by a panel of top judges as part of a trial over allegations they devised a multistep scheme to keep Bolsonaro in office despite his defeat to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. There was never any talk of a coup. A coup is an abominable thing Brazil couldnt go through an experience like that. And there was never even the possibility of a coup in my government, Bolsonaro said. The defendants are standing trial on five counts: attempting to stage a coup, involvement in an armed criminal organisation, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, aggravated damage and deterioration of listed heritage. Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes hears evidence from Brazils former president Jair Bolsaro (Eraldo Peres/AP) A coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years. When combined with the other charges, the accused could be sentenced to decades behind bars. The far-right politician entered the witness box just after 2.30pm local time. When asked by Justice Alexandre de Moraes at the beginning of questioning whether the accusation was true, Bolsonaro said no. The accusation does not hold, Your Excellency, Bolsonaro said. The former president has repeatedly denied the allegations and said he is the target of political persecution. The eight defendants are accused of making up the plans core group. Justices are also questioning Bolsonaros former running mate and defence minister Walter Braga Netto, former ministers Anderson Torres and Augusto Heleno and ex aide-de-camp Mauro Cid, among others. Judges will hear from 26 other defendants at a later date. The court has already heard from dozens of witnesses in hearings that began in mid-May. Cid, who has signed a plea bargain with the federal police, told the court on Monday that Bolsonaro read and edited a document that aimed at cancelling the election result. Cid also said that Bolsonaro refused to interfere regarding camps by supporters that were set up in front of army facilities calling for a military intervention after the then-president lost the election. Many of those followers were later part of the January 8 2023 riot, when the Supreme Court, Congress and presidential palace in Brasilia, the capital, were ransacked. Police say their uprising which came after Lula was sworn in was an attempt to force military intervention and oust the new president. Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet alleges the riot was one part of a sprawling, antidemocratic scheme to overturn the election result. Part of that plot allegedly included a plan to kill Lula and Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The plan did not go ahead at the last minute because the accused failed to get the armys commander on board, according to Mr Gonet. Bolsonaro, a former military officer who was known to express nostalgia for the countrys past dictatorship, openly defied Brazils judicial system during his 2019-2022 term in office. He has already been banned by Brazils top electoral court from running in elections until 2030 over abuse of power while in office and casting unfounded doubts on the countrys electronic voting system. Thiago Bottino, a law professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a think tank and university, called the trial historic. Its the first time we see people accused of an attempted coup are being subjected to a criminal trial, with the guarantees of due criminal process being able to defend themselves but answering for these accusations, he said. Bolsonaros questioning lasted just over two hours. A convoy carrying hundreds of activists has arrived in Libya after driving from Algeria and crossing through Tunisia on its way to the Gaza Strip to challenge Israels blockade on humanitarian aid on the territory. The convoy is made up of at least 1,500 people, including activists and supporters from Algeria and Tunisia with more expected to join from Libya. The group arrived in Zawiya city in Libya on Tuesday and plans to reach Gaza via Egypts Rafah Crossing, travelling by cars and buses. Members of a humanitarian convoy of at least 1,500 people (Yousef Murad/AP) It drove through the Libyan cities of Tripoli, Misrata, Sirte, and Benghazi to reach the Saloum Crossing which borders Egypt. It is expected to soon reach Cairo before heading to the Rafah Crossing. Jamila Sharitah, an Algerian participant, said that authorities in Tunisia and Libya have been co-operative with the convoy, helping facilitate their smooth journey. Zayed al-Hamami, another participant, said the convoy aims to push for re-opening crossings and allowing aid into the Gaza Strip. There are land, sea and air convoys that will arrive in Gaza despite the restrictions, said convoy organiser Terkiya Shayibi. She added that violent responses against the convoy will not frighten them. Israels military seized a Gaza-bound aid boat with Greta Thunberg and about a dozen other activists on board on Monday, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the Israel-Hamas war. Israeli forces deported Ms Thunberg on Tuesday. The activists on the boat began their journey to protest over Israels military campaign in Gaza one of the deadliest and most destructive wars since the Second World War as well as the blocking of humanitarian aid. Experts have warned of famine in the territory of more than two million people unless the blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive. The UK has agreed to a fluid border between Gibraltar and Spain, clearing the way to finalise a post-Brexit deal on the territory with the EU. Under the agreement, checks will not be required on people crossing the border. Hundreds of US Marines were undergoing refresher training in riot and crowd control just outside of Los Angelesand will move into the city soon, a military official said, as protests over President Donald Trump's immigration raids spread from California to other parts of the country. Trump's decision to dispatch National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles over the objections of California's governor has sparked a national debate on the use of the military on US soil. The Marines will be in Los Angeles "soon" but not on Wednesday, US Army Major General Scott Sherman, who is commanding the troops, told reporters at a news briefing. The governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, said he will deploy the National Guard on Wednesday ahead of planned protests in San Antonio and other parts of the state, making him the first governor to take that step. Police in Austin, Texas, fired tear gas and pepper balls in a standoff with demonstrators on Monday. Protesters marched in New York, Atlanta and Chicago on Tuesday night, chanting anti-US Immigration and Customs Enforcement slogans and at times clashing with law enforcement, while downtown Los Angeles spent its first night under a mandatory curfew after five days of demonstrations. The protests are likely to expand on Saturday, when several activist groups have planned hundreds of anti-Trump demonstrations across the country. That day, tanks and other armoured vehicles will rumble down the streets of Washington, D.C., in a military parade marking the US Army's 250th anniversary and coinciding with Trump's 79th birthday. Trump says the military deployment in Los Angeles prevented the violence from raging out of control, an assertion California Governor Gavin Newsom and other local officials have decried as untrue. "This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk. That's when the downward spiral began," Newsom, a Democrat widely expected to mount a presidential run in 2028, said in a video address on Tuesday. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the deployments were not necessary and that local police could manage the protests, which have been largely peaceful and limited to about five downtown streets. But the mayor imposed a curfew over one square mile of the city's downtown starting on Tuesday night after some businesses were looted. Police said multiple groups stayed on the streets in some areas despite the curfew, and "mass arrests" were made. Newsom sued Trump and the Defence Department on Monday, seeking to block the deployment of federal troops. Trump, in turn, has suggested Newsom should be arrested. A car burns during protests over the Trump administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles, Monday, June 9, 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Ethan Swope PROTECTING ICE AGENTS The 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops that Trump has mobilised are assigned to protect government personnel and buildings and do not have arrest authority. The Pentagon has said the Marines, along with National Guard troops, will also be used to safeguard ICE officers during immigration raids. ICE posted photos online on Tuesday of National Guard troops standing guard with weapons in hand as ICE officers handcuffed apparent migrants against the side of a car in Los Angeles. California Attorney General Rob Bonta told Reuters that allowing federal troops to protect personnel could violate an 1878 law that generally forbids the US military, including the National Guard, from taking part in civilian law enforcement. "Protecting personnel likely means accompanying ICE, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into communities and neighbourhoods, and protecting functions could mean protecting the ICE function of enforcing the immigration law," Bonta said. Sherman, the troops' commanding officer, said they are authorised to detain individuals temporarily until law enforcement can arrest them if it becomes necessary to protect federal personnel. The last time the military was used for direct police action under the Insurrection Act was in 1992, when the California governor at the time asked President George H.W. Bush for help responding to the Los Angeles riots over the acquittal of police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King. A protester holds a sign up in front of the Metropolitan Detention Centre in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, June 9, 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Eric Thayer 'LIBERATE LOS ANGELES' The standoff in Los Angeles has become the most intense flashpoint in the Trump administration's efforts to deport migrants living in the country illegally. Trump centred much of his campaign last year on his promise to deport millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. The Department of Homeland Security, ICE's parent agency, said on Monday that ICE had arrested 2,000 immigration offenders per day recently, far above the daily average of 311 in fiscal year 2024 under former President Joe Biden. An immigration raid on Tuesday at a meat production plant in Omaha, Nebraska, was the "largest worksite enforcement operation" in the state during the Trump presidency, DHS said. Republican Congressman Don Bacon told local media that 75 to 80 people were detained. The company, Glenn Valley Foods, said it was surprised by the raid and had followed the rules regarding immigration status. Fireworks explode during protests over the Trump administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles, Monday, June 9, 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Ethan Swope SATURDAY PROTESTS A coalition calling itself "No Kings" has planned demonstrations and other events in over 1,800 locations across the US on Saturday as a counterpoint to Trump's military parade in Washington. Trump has warned that any protesters at the parade will be met by "very big force." Thousands of agents, officers and specialists are being deployed from law enforcement agencies across the country for the parade. The No Kings coalition includes over 100 civil rights and other groups and says it is planning peaceful protests against Trump and his administration's policies. The aim is for "a mass, nationwide protest rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarisation of our democracy," according to a No Kings press release. - Reuters A Manhattan jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty on a sex crimes charge on Wednesday in a retrial after a state appeals court last year overturned the former movie mogul's 2020 conviction. Weinstein, once one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood, was accused by prosecutors in the case of raping an aspiring actress and assaulting two other women. Weinstein, 73, pleaded not guilty and has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex. The jury found Weinstein guilty on one of the three counts he faced, which stemmed from his alleged assault of former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006. The jury found Weinstein not guilty of a charge stemming from his alleged assault of Kaja Sokola in 2002 when she was a 16-year-old aspiring actress. The jury has not yet reached a verdict on the third count, which charges him with raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. They will resume deliberations on that count on Thursday. In closing arguments on June 3, the prosecution told the 12 jurors that the evidence showed how Weinstein used his power and influence to trap and abuse women. The defence countered that the accusers lied on the witness stand out of spite after their consensual sexual encounters with the Oscar-winning producer failed to result in Hollywood stardom. Jurors reached their partial verdict on the fifth day of sometimes fractious deliberations. The retrial began on April 23. Weinstein has had a litany of health problems and attended the retrial in a wheelchair. A jury had in February 2020 found Weinstein guilty of raping Mann and sexually assaulting Haley. Sokola's allegation was not part of that case. The conviction was a milestone for the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by powerful men. But the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, threw out that conviction in April 2024. It said the trial judge erred by letting women testify that Weinstein had assaulted them, though their accusations were not the basis of the criminal charges. Though the 2020 conviction was thrown out, Weinstein has remained behind bars because of his 2022 rape conviction in California, which resulted in a 16-year prison sentence. He is appealing that verdict. More than 100 women, including famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of misconduct. The retrial was handled by prosecutors with the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. They 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. The defence rejected that characterisation, saying Weinstein engaged in "mutually beneficial" relationships with his accusers, who ended up with auditions and other show business opportunities. Weinstein co-founded the Miramax studio, whose hit movies included "Shakespeare in Love" and "Pulp Fiction." His own eponymous film studio filed for bankruptcy in March 2018, five months after sexual misconduct accusations against him became widely publicised. Weinstein has experienced several health episodes while being held at New York City's Rikers Island jail, and in September was rushed to a hospital for emergency heart surgery. - Reuters Atlanta rapper Silento has been sentenced to 30 years in prison over the killing of his cousin in 2021. The 27-year-old, known for his hit song, Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), pleaded guilty but mentally ill on Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter and other charges in the shooting of his 34-year-old cousin. Silento, whose legal name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, DeKalb County district attorney Sherry Boston said in a statement. Hawk also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, possessing a gun while committing a crime and concealing the death of another. A murder charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. Rapper Silento achieved fame with his hit song Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) in 2015 (Drew Gurian/Invision/AP) DeKalb County police found Frederick Rooks III shot in the leg and face in the early morning hours of January 21 2021 outside a home in a suburban area near Decatur. Police said they found 10 bullet casings near Mr Rooks body, and security video from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding away shortly after the gunshots. A family member of Mr Rooks told police that Silento had picked up his cousin in a white BMW SUV, and GPS data and other cameras put the vehicle at the site of the shooting. Silento confessed about 10 days later after he was arrested, police said. Ballistics testing matched the bullet casings to a gun that Silento had when he was arrested, authorities said. Mr Rooks brothers and sisters told DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L Johnson before sentencing that Silento should have received a longer sentence, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The rapper was a high school junior in suburban Atlanta in 2015 when he released Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) and watched it skyrocket into a dance craze. Silento made multiple other albums, but said in an interview with the medical talk show, The Doctors, in 2019, that he struggled with depression and had grown up in a family where he witnessed mental illness and violence. Ive been fighting demons my whole life, my whole life, he said in 2019. Depression doesnt leave you when you become famous, it just adds more pressure, Silento said then, urging others to get help. And while everybodys looking at you, theyre also judging you. I dont know if I can truly be happy, I dont know if these demons will ever go away. Silento had been struggling in the months before the arrest. His publicist, Chanel Hudson, has said he had tried to kill himself in 2020. In August 2020, Silento was arrested in Santa Ana, California, on a domestic violence charge. The next day, the Los Angeles Police Department charged him with assault with a deadly weapon after witnesses said he entered a home where he did not know anyone looking for his girlfriend and swung a hatchet at two people before he was disarmed. In October 2020, Silento was arrested after police said they clocked him driving at 143 miles per hour on Interstate 85 in DeKalb County. Ms Hudson said at the time of Silentos arrest in the killing of Mr Rooks that he had been suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses. Wednesday, Jun 11th, 2025 (1:32 pm) - Score 1,440 Internet provider Hey! Broadband, which reaches various areas covered by F&W Networks (Fibre and Wireless) alternative gigabit speed full fibre (FTTP) lines mostly across the South East of England, has cut their electronic waste by becoming the latest ISP to reuse customer-premises equipment (CPE) like home routers and optical modems (ONT). The idea of reusing consumer broadband routers and Optical Network Terminals (ONTs) is nothing new and several internet providers, such as BT (inc. EE and Plusnet) and Virgin Media, are already known to do something similar in order to reduce their e-Waste (and probably some costs too), while also lessening their environmental impact. NOTE: F&W is backed by Maestro Capital and Foresight Group LLP. However, F&W Networks points out that their joint sustainability journey began with notable challenges, not least because reusing routers initially proved more expensive than sourcing new ones. Nevertheless, the company continued to invest in the programme. Each device is now screened and tested to ensure it is fully fit for purpose, with multiple trials undertaken to verify performance following firmware updates and upgrades. Advertisement The initiative has since scaled-up to include not only routers, but also ONTs and Smart WiFi (wireless extender) units. All reused equipment undergoes secure data erasure, diagnostics, and quality assurance testing. Hey! Broadband continues to deliver symmetrical speeds exceeding 900Mbps and states that customers using refurbished devices experience the same high performance, reliability, and security as with brand-new hardware. Xavier Balleste, Chief Operations Officer at F&W Networks, said: At F&W Networks, sustainability is at the core of how we operate. Reusing routers and ONTs is a practical way to reduce our carbon footprint, avoid unnecessary manufacturing, and support the principles of a circular economy. Our goal is to successfully reuse 90% of all returned equipment and were proud of the meaningful progress weve already made. Lourdes Saez, CEO of Hey!Broadband, said: We believe small, deliberate changes across our industry can collectively deliver a big impact. This initiative enables us not only to lessen our environmental footprint, but also to offer customers more competitive prices without compromising quality. It is a win-win for the planet and for broadband users. F&W has so far managed to extend their gigabit-capable broadband network to cover 410,000 UK premises read-for-service (Feb 2024 data) across 30 locations in parts of South East of England, such as Greater London, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and West Sussex. The operator is also home to a growing customer base of over 35,000. The network is also supported by a number of other ISPs (Octaplus, Link Broadband, Home Telecom and more), although its not known if they have a similar scheme. By Mata Press Service Canadas proposed border security legislation, Bill C-2, is facing fierce backlash from human rights groups, refugee advocates, and opposition MPs who say the sweeping bill undermines the fundamental right to seek asylum and mimics hardline U.S. immigration policies. At the heart of the outcry is what critics describe as an alarming shift in Canadas refugee and immigration stanceone that risks eroding international obligations, trampling civil liberties, and scapegoating migrants under the guise of national security. Seeking asylum is a human right, said Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canadas English-speaking branch. With Bill C-2, the Canadian government threatens to chip away at that right... This attack on the right to seek asylum will severely diminish Canadas international standing when it comes to protecting human rights. Tabled this month, the proposed legislation introduces measures that would: Bar most refugee claims made more than one year after a person first entered Canada; Disqualify refugee claims made by migrants who cross the Canada-U.S. border irregularly and wait more than 14 days to apply. Give the immigration minister sweeping powers to cancel visas, permits, and applications at will, based on vaguely defined notions of public interest. Critics argue that these changes could retroactively deny protection to thousands of individuals, including long-term residents, students, and workers, while also contravening Canadas Charter of Rights and international refugee obligations. The Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) warns that Bill C-2 dangerously conflates asylum seekers with public safety threats. Under the guise of a bill that claims to make Canada safer, the CCR said, adding the government is introducing sweeping legislative changes that will seriously weaken refugee rights. The bill appallingly treats refugees as if they were in the same category as fentanyl or illegal weapons, CCR continued. This rhetoric and these policies have no place in a country that prides itself on opening its doors to people seeking refuge. Opposition MPs have expressed concern that Bill C-2 reflects a sharp turn toward Trump-style enforcement tactics. It seems to me this piece of legislation is Canadas attempt to mimic some of those measures that the United States is adopting, said B.C. NDP MP Jenny Kwan. I never thought that this day would come where Canada would go down that road. Kwan pointed to the bills provision allowing the cabinet to cancel or suspend immigration documents without judicial oversight, a move she said could result in mass cancellations with no accountability. I dont accept that the Liberals say, Dont worry, were the good guys, so trust us. That is just not acceptable. Julia Sande, a lawyer with Amnesty International, echoed that concern: People give up their entire lives, in some cases, their life savings And so to have the government be able to pull the rug out from under wide groups of people is concerning. She also questioned the vague language in the bill, which allows the minister to act if in the public interesta phrase she says opens the door to abuse. Whats in the public interest? In the fall, we saw migrants and refugees being scapegoated for the housing crisis. Under current law, people who cross the U.S.-Canada border irregularly can still file for refugee protection if they wait 14 days before submitting a claim. Bill C-2 would eliminate that option for many, while imposing retroactive restrictions on those who arrived after June 2020 and did not file within a year. Amnesty International says this violates the principle that asylum should remain accessible to those whose circumstances change, such as people who later face persecution due to political activity, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The only recourse for many would be a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA), which lacks the procedural safeguards of a refugee hearing, including the right to an oral hearing, an appeal, or an independent decision-maker. This last resort is not equivalent to the robust and independent refugee claim process managed by the Immigration and Refugee Board, said the CCR. The bill also proposes removing inactive cases, making removal orders immediate upon withdrawal of a claim, and authorizing the government to suspend refugee hearings if the claimant is outside Canada. Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab has defended the legislation as a necessary modernization effort that enhances security and border integrity. Were improving security at the Canada-U.S. border and making our immigration and asylum systems stronger, more flexible, and responsive to new and developing pressures, Diab said in a press release. She said the new powers are intended to deal with one-off events like pandemics or exceptional circumstances, and that Canadians should feel safe that we are putting in all these safeguards. Canada has experienced a sharp rise in refugee (asylum) claims in early 2025, with more than 28,880 applications filed in just the first quarter. A particularly notable trend is the increasing number of international students seeking asylum. In the first three months of 2025 alone, 5,500 international students submitted refugee claimsa 22% increase over the same period in 2024. Key Provisions of Bill C-2 Makes refugee claims ineligible if not filed within one year of entry (retroactive to June 24, 2020) Disqualifies claims from migrants crossing irregularly and waiting more than 14 days Grants ministers the power to cancel immigration documents and suspend application processing Allows the government to pause or cancel applications without a refund or recourse Facilitates inter-departmental sharing of personal immigration data Shifts asylum decisions exclusively to cases where the claimant is in Canada Today Sunshine this morning followed by increasing clouds and a few showers this afternoon. High 89F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Tomorrow Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. Hot. High around 90F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. 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. 06/11/2025 By Brett Buckner Ironically, Dr. Benjamin Gross was in a grant-writing training seminar when he received an email stating that he'd been awarded a $60,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)the largest NEH award in Jacksonville State University's history. The highly competitive Spotlight on Humanities in Higher Education grant is awarded to institutions with enrollments under 10,000 and meets other conditions, such universities serving more than 40% of students receiving Pell grants. Out of 37 national applicants, only six institutions were selected. "I was flabbergasted," Dr. Gross said. "The fact that the NEH trusts us to do this work is the highest honor. This work is going to advance the humanities and advance our students, our community, and our nation's understanding of the importance of the humanities by investigating fundamental questions of American government and life it's just incredible." The NEH funding will benefit the Tocqueville Lecture Series. Launched by Dr. Gross in 2020, the Tocqueville Lecture Series was initially funded by a $10,000 grant from the Jack Miller Center for Teaching America's Founding Principles and History. Named in honor of 19th-century French observer of American democracy Alexis de Tocqueville, the series invites scholars to discuss liberty, equality, and other concepts important in the founding and continuation of American government. "This series highlights the best of the humanities by bringing people together to have those conversations," Dr. Gross said. "So, instead of just bringing in someone to talk about equality, let's bring in two people, who are both academically achieved, who have disagreements on this core idea of humanity and can show us through the model of civic discourse, how we can discuss this important concept of humanity." The Tocqueville Lecture Series has hosted 21 events, attracting more than 1,400 people to attend both physically and digitally, as lectures aired simultaneously through Zoom-based webinars. Dr. Gross believes this hybrid approach appealed to the NEH reviewers. "We can get people from Japan, Europe, California, and New York watching this, and yes, that's great," he said. "But it also reaches a population that is normally excluded from the humanities students who are caretakers of an elderly parent, are working a job at night or cooking dinner for their family. They now have access to this discourse, even if it's with an earbud in and listening to a Zoom call. They're still engaged." This was the sixth NEH grant awarded to Jax State and is the largest in the university's history. "The NEH is a tough agency to crack in obtaining funding, and for Dr. Gross to be funded a $60,000 award is phenomenal," said Dr. Michael Wetherholt, senior director for Jax State's Office of Sponsored Programs, who assisted with the application process. "Dr. Gross will conduct a superlative project, and the NEH will be very satisfied with the quality of his work. The NEH will then be aware of JSU and how we can add to the Humanities in rural, northeastern Alabama and beyond." For context, 331 awards from the NEH have been given to Alabama universities since its inception in the mid-1960s. Of those, nearly 28 percent went to the University of Alabama, about 16 percent went to Auburn University, and UAB received around 10%. "These are large research universities," Dr. Gross said. "Tuskegee University, which is often recognized as among the top research facilities among Historically Black Colleges and Universities, is fourth with about 6 percent of the state's NEH awards." According to Dr. Maureen Newton, Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the grant will fund two more years of programming and at least ten more events. "I am delighted that Dr. Benjamin Gross and Jacksonville State University have been awarded a $60,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to integrate more unique learning experiences for our students," she said. "Being awarded this grant from the NEH is a special honor recognizing the important work of our faculty in helping to prepare students for active participation in our democratic society." "Given the prestige and competitive nature of NEH grants, this award will bring national attention to Jax State and the work of Dr. Benjamin Gross, said Dr. Tim Lindblom, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences. "His leadership of the Tocqueville Series lectures focuses primarily on liberty and equity in the United States. With an emphasis on civil discussion, the series provides an important opportunity for students, faculty and the general public to engage with the concepts that form the foundation for our democracy. It also helps JSU fulfill its mission of public engagement and outreach, as the series is free and open to the public. Because of the timeliness of the lecture series and its potential impact on our region, it is a great project for funding by the NEH." Creating the lecture series, meeting necessary qualifications, and writing the grant proposal were all tasks outside of Dr. Gross' regular workload. "Where faculty at research universities can make this part of their job, this work took nights, weekends, and summers to achieve," he said. "It took my family having to make sacrifices and join in supporting this project." That included hosting the post-event receptions at the Gross family home. "At the end of the day, there are numerous factors that explain why Jacksonville State University has a minimal relationship with the NEH," he said. "I, and I know others on campus, are working to change this." By Natasha Bulowski Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Wildfire season is here, and if the last few years are any indication, Canadians will spend the summer sorting through a firestorm of disinformation. People searching for good information in times of crisis are up against a slew of broken systems. Social media algorithms promote misinformation and disinformation and bury official sources. Governments at different levels struggle to coordinate information release as quickly as rumours spread. Not every community has local news, and there are fewer reporters and more news deserts. Imperfect information systems and the inherent chaos of a crisis allow well-intentioned but false information to spread, like people making false statements and observations about fire behaviour and what buildings have been destroyed. Peoples thirst for information during a crisis creates an information vacuum, and right-wing actors and groups are increasingly filling the empty space with conspiracies about arson, government control and environmental terrorism, as previously reported by Canadas National Observer. Some bad information is easier to spot, like baseless claims that wildfires are caused by arson carried out by environmentalists and government actors, or even space lasers. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith fed the flames of disinformation last summer after the town of Jasper was largely destroyed by wildfires. Smith told talk show host Ryan Jespersen the province would bring in arson investigators when he asked about the role climate change played in the 2024 wildfire season. Climate change, driven primarily by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, is causing higher temperatures and drier conditions, which exacerbate the frequency and severity of wildfires. Maxime Bernier, the far-right Peoples Party of Canada leader, went even further during 2023s record wildfire year, when he said it outright: I bet a good portion of the wildfires raging across the country were started by green terrorists who want to give their climate change campaign a little boost. Sorting through information on social media is no easy task, especially when politicians are participating in the disinformation, but there are some actions we can take to identify or at least remain skeptical about bad information. People should ask themselves, Does this feel right? Is this coming from the right place? Does this seem pretty sensational? said Kevin Skrepnek, manager of community and emergency services at the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and BC Wildfire's former head information officer. Is this a screenshot of something, or is this an actual link to something? Sometimes, old photos are circulated and made to appear recent, so its important to think critically about the account or individual that posted an image, what their claims are and whether its possible to verify the source of the image. One way to get more information about an image is to do a reverse image search. Sometimes, a simple internet search of the topic at hand, combined with the words fact check, will reveal whether someone has already verified or debunked the information youre unsure about. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security also recommends checking the spelling of website domains and social media handles, keeping an eye out for small typos that are used to make a site or social media account look like it belongs to an official or trusted organization. The most outlandish, viral conspiracies may appear to be confined to the online sphere, but this disinformation can and does have serious impacts on the ground. In 2023, the BC Wildfire service and police were confronted by a so-called Convoy of Truth and Freedom, attempting to gain access to a roadblock while authorities tried to evacuate people and fight the fires in North Shuswap. The agencies responding to fires are focused on pretty meat and potatoes stuff, like trying to keep people safe, Skrepnek said spending effort addressing Looney Tunes-level theories makes it harder to get important information out. Skrepnek emphasized that some people, especially in his rural region, ignore evacuation orders and stay behind to tend to their livestock and livelihoods, and he cant fault them for that. However, he said there is a much smaller, though growing, number of people driven by disinformation or distrust of government who resist wildfire evacuation orders on that basis. He said there were issues during the 2021 White Rock Lake fire, when people ignored an evacuation order or sneaked back in because, in their minds, the wildfire service either wasn't there or wasnt doing enough to defend the remaining properties. That created a whole issue where now you've got civilians running around within an evacuation order area trying to fight the fire themselves, getting in the way of the wildfire service in some situations, Skrepnek said. Getting the right information is key, and Skrepnek recommends identifying all the official information channels and bookmarking them so you know where to find updates when a crisis hits. If your local government or your First Nation or whatever it is, has a subscription-based alerting system, subscribe to that and know that that's always going to be the right info because it's coming directly from them, he said. Skrepnek acknowledged this answer wont be satisfactory for some people, and government communications wont always be perfect, but that is going to be the best information that you can get. Relying on information that has been verified by the press or various levels of government is all well and good, but for many remote, rural and Indigenous communities, the reality is that a lot of information, good and bad, circulates on Facebook pages. People in remote First Nations communities primarily get their information from social media, said Amy Cardinal Christianson, an Indigenous fire specialist and co-author of two books, one of which is on First Nation wildfire evacuations. Some nations are doing a great job of using Facebook and YouTube livestreams for chiefs to give timely, accurate updates to the community, Christianson said. But lots of times, misinformation is being shared by us, right? By community members who are very concerned and want an answer for a situation, so they see something and immediately post it, Christianson said. Skrepenk said one citizen-led Facebook group in his region did a good job using a Facebook page to amplify official wildfire information, but said this usually isnt the case, and people often end up sharing unverified information and causing confusion. Many people have good intentions but still contribute to the spread of inaccurate information, Christianson said. In the past, what we've seen is people will just post like, I heard that so and so's house burned, or this burned, or that burned, or the fire is here now, or the fire jumped the river, and people immediately just get very upset about that. Christianson said a good rule of thumb is not to share anything on Facebook or social media if its not from an official source or you haven't been able to verify it because things can get wildly out of control. However, official sources might look different for remote communities, she added. Usually, there's a contingent of folks in every Indigenous nation that gets evacuated who stay behind, and a lot of that is to do with firefighting or infrastructure protection, to feed dogs or animals that are left behind in the community, she said. Those people are often incredibly reliable sources of information for the community. ( Tomdispatch.com ) In an aphorism sometimes attributed to Leo Tolstoy, sometimes to John Gardner, all literature relies on one of two plots: a person goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town. Let me offer my own version. We might summarize the entire history of the human race in two words: people move. Everything else is just elaboration on that basic plot. Some of historys worst atrocities can be attributed to certain people trying to control other peoples movements, whether by capturing them, herding them into prison camps (concentration camps, strategic hamlets, model villages), enslaving and transporting them, or warehousing them in besieged countries or regions while barricading the borders of anyplace to which they might want to flee, often consigning them to death in treacherous deserts or seas for trying to exercise the basic human right of freedom of movement. European Freedom and Colonial Domination In February, President Trump astonished the world by proclaiming that the United States should take over Gaza and rid it entirely of its Palestinian population. Yet in many ways, as startling as that might have seemed, his proposal fit right in with his drive to remove millions of people from the United States. Both reflected a colonial arrogance that the U.S. and Israel share: the idea that some people (Americans/Europeans/Whites/colonizers) have the right to move themselves as they desire while moving others against their will. Consider it, after a fashion, a contemporary (as well as historic) version of apartheid. Forcing people to move or prohibiting their mobility are two sides of the same colonial or neocolonial coin. Colonizers invade and drive people out or enslave, transport, enclose, and imprison them while barricading off the privileged spaces they create for themselves. In a vicious cycle, colonizers or imperial powers justify their borders and walls in the name of security while protecting themselves from those desperate to escape their domination. And such ideas, old as they may be, are still distinctly with us. European imperial actors from Christopher Columbus on claimed the right to freedom of movement on this planet. Today, the flyer you get in the mail with your passport proudly insists that, with your U.S. passport, the world is yours! Or consider historian and scientist Jared Diamonds nonchalant claim that no traditional society tolerated the relatively open access enjoyed by modern American or European citizens, most of whom can travel anywhere merely by presenting a valid passport and visa to a passport control officer. Diamond argued that Americans and Europeans exemplify the freedoms of modernity, while more traditional societies oppress people by restricting their travel. But if Americans and Europeans enjoy the freedom to travel, its not because they are so much more modern than other inhabitants of this planet. Its because other countries dont restrict their freedom. On the other hand, its the U.S. and Europe, Diamonds symbols of modernity, that tend to impose the greatest restrictions with their militarized borders and deportation regimes. Perhaps we could better define modernity as the European drive to control mobility, forcing others to accept their intrusions while denying free mobility to the rest of the world. The United States and Israel offer a spectrum of examples of how the right to deport, the right to transport, the right to enclose, and the right to exclude tend to complement one another on this strange planet of ours. Both countries claim to be liberal democracies and celebrate their commitment to equal rights, while reserving those rights for some and excluding others. Colonialism and the Postwar Order While its easy to imagine that colonialism is part of our past, think again. Its structures, institutions, and ideas still haunt our world. And one of the defining powers of colonizers always was the way they reserved for themselves (and only themselves) the right to move freely, while also reserving the right to move those they had colonized around like so many chess pieces. Moving (and moving others) has been inherent in every colonial project. The roots of todays deportation regimes particularly in the United States, Europe, and Israel lie in the determination of colonializing countries to wrest wealth from the lands and labor of those they colonized and enjoy that wealth in their own privileged spaces from which the colonized are largely excluded. The rules-based world order that emerged after World War II created institutions for international cooperation and international law, ended colonial empires (as the former colonies gained independence), and dismantled segregation in the United States and, eventually, apartheid in South Africa. But none of that truly or totally erased what had existed before. Global postwar decolonization and the struggle for equality proved to be lengthy and sometimes extremely bloody processes. In the U.S., people of color are full citizens and can no longer, as a group, be legally enclosed or removed against their will. Europe, too, has dismantled its colonial empires. But the post-colonial world has developed a new form of global apartheid, where the racialized drive to enclose and remove is now directed at immigrants, the vast majority of them escaping the ongoing ravages left by colonialism (and more recently climate change) in their own countries. Israel is in some ways an anachronism in that twentieth-century trajectory. Its colonizing project was carried out just as other colonized peoples were throwing off their rulers. Its expulsions of Palestinians, which began in the 1940s, have only accelerated in our own time. Meanwhile, Israel created its own legal version of apartheid (even as South Africas was dismantled), with those Palestinians who were not expelled increasingly surrounded by prisons and walls. The Right to Deport: Israel Zionists began to assert the right to expel well before the state of Israel was created in 1948. In 1895, in an often-quoted passage, Zionisms founder, Theodor Herzl, proposed that we shall try to spirit the penniless [Arab] population across the border The removal of the poor must be carried out discreetly and circumspectly. During the post-World War I British Mandate in Palestine, Zionist, Arab, and British officials agreed that there could be no viable Jewish state in all or part of Palestine unless there was a mass displacement of Arab inhabitants. Palestines British colonial authorities advocated such a displacement in their 1937 Peel Commission Report. It was then enthusiastically endorsed by Zionist leaders like David Ben-Gurion, later Israels first prime minister (The compulsory transfer of the Arabs from the valleys of the proposed Jewish state could give us an opportunity which we never dared to dream in our wildest imaginings) and Chaim Weizmann (If half a million Arabs could be transferred, two million Jews could be put in their place). Israel compounded its right to deport with the right to imprison, enclose, and kill. A plethora of laws and walls continue to restrict the return, movement, and residence of Palestinians. Israeli historian Ilan Pappe described the Israeli occupation regime in the West Bank and Gaza since 1967 as having created the biggest prison on earth. In the older settler colonial countries, the days of Trails of Tears, imprisonment on reservations, the forced removal of children to boarding schools, and wars of extermination are mostly in the past. But in Israel, we are witnessing such a project happening before our very eyes. The eliminationist project there is proceeding apace with the tens of thousands killed in Gaza, and in President Trumps and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus bald proposals for the complete removal of the Palestinian population from that strip of land, as well as in the restrictions on mobility and the thousands of home demolitions and displacements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Right to Deport: The United States In the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this country ended slavery and enclosure and granted previously enslaved Africans and their descendants, as well as Native Americans, the right to citizenship. Until after the Civil War, however, immigrants meant White Europeans the only people then allowed to become citizens. Citizenship by birth, mandated by the 14th Amendment after the Civil War, complicated that picture because non-Whites born in U.S. territories also became citizens. To avoid this, the country quickly began to racially restrict immigration. By the late twentieth century, the right to immigrate and more equal rights inside the country were extended to non-Whites. But those rights were always fragile and accompanied by anti-immigrant and deportation campaigns, increasingly justified with the concept of illegality. Developments in the twenty-first century clearly suggest that the arc of history does not necessarily bend toward justice, as a racial deportation regime resurges in a major fashion under President Donald Trump. He, of course, has long distinguished between shithole countries and countries like Norway as he continues to tighten the screws around most immigrants from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, while recently ostentatiously welcoming White Afrikaaners from South Africa. The Trump administrations repressive treatment of immigrants includes endless border militarization, the stripping of legal status from hundreds of thousands of immigrants, inventing increasingly draconian excuses for deportation, expanding immigrant incarceration, and pursuing exotic extraterritorial imprisonment and deportation schemes, including pressuring and bribing countries ranging from Costa Rica and Venezuela to Libya and South Sudan to take people forcibly deported from the United States. Others are being disappeared into prisons in Guantanamo and El Salvador. Strangely or maybe not so strangely at the same time that the United States is deporting such despicable human beings, its demanding the extradition of others, including dozens of Mexicans. The previous Administration allowed these criminals to run free and commit crimes all over the world, Trump complained. The United States intention is to extend its justice system, a Mexican security analyst explained, so that the U.S. can prosecute Mexicans for crimes committed in Mexico. Forcibly moving people works both ways. Connecting the U.S. and Israel Through Importation-Deportation The colonial importation-deportation-incarceration regimes of the United States and Israel are intertwined in many ways. Of course, the U.S. decision to strictly limit Jewish (and other southern and eastern European) immigration in the 1920s contributed to the desperate search of European Jews for refuge in the Hitlerian years to come and to the growth of Zionism, and the postwar migration to Israel. The new United Nations made up primarily of colonizers who had been keen to deport (or, in the case of the United States, make sure they didnt add to) their own Jewish populations partitioned Palestine to create Israel at the end of 1947. As the only powerful country to emerge from World War II unscathed, the United States would play an outsized role in that organization. President Trumps proposal to take Gaza and eliminate its population expresses his own (and Israels) settler-colonial dream for what Australian anthropologist Patrick Wolfe famously called the elimination of the native. Trump initially suggested deporting Gazas population to Egypt and Jordan, then to Sudan, Somalia, and Somaliland, and then to Libya proposals enthusiastically endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. By mid-March of this year, Israel was creating a new migration authority to oversee the planned expulsion and 80% of Jewish Israelis found that plan desirable (though only 52% thought it was practical). As of late May, none of those countries had accepted Trumps proposal, though negotiations with Libya were evidently ongoing. But Trumps plan to pressure or bribe poorer, weaker countries to accept Palestinian deportees mirrored his deals to deport unwanteds from the United States. In addition to the several Latin American countries where his administration has already sent deportees, it is looking to Angola, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Libya, Moldova, and Rwanda as possibilities. As Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained, We are working with other countries to say, we want to send you some of the most despicable human beings to your countriesWould you do that, as a favor to us? And the further away from America, the better. Another connection between the deportation regimes of the U.S. and Israel is the way the Trump administration has mobilized charges of antisemitism to imprison and deport Palestinians and their supporters. In ordering the deportation of protester Mahmoud Khalil and others, Rubio claimed that their condoning antisemitic conduct undermined American foreign policy objectives. The United States and Israel share another dystopian project as well: ratcheting up fear and suffering to inspire people to self-deport. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem flooded social and other media with a multimillion dollar ad campaign threatening immigrants: Leave now. If you dont, we will find you and we will deport you. In this respect, MAGA Republicans differed little from liberal Democrats, as Noem was echoing Vice President Kamala Harriss words to Guatemalans: Dont come If you do, you will be turned back. In an eerily similar fashion, on the Israeli-occupied West Bank, settler advertisements appear on screens and billboards telling Palestinians, There is no future in Palestine. Though their tactics differ in scale the United States is not massacring immigrants and bombing their neighborhoods they share the goal of eliminating a population. One apparent difference makes the comparison even more revealing. The United States is aiming its repression at immigrants; Israel against the native population. But the earliest history of deportation in the United States began with the pushing out or slaughtering of the indigenous Native American population in order to clear the land for White settlement. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Africans were forcibly imported to provide labor, many of them even before the U.S. became an independent state. They then remained enslaved and their mobility restricted for almost a century. Colonial control of freedom of movement, in other words, can take different forms over time. Both the United States and Israel also disproportionately imprison their minoritized populations another denial of freedom of movement. In the United States, this means people of color. Black people make up 14% of the population but 41% of the prison and jail population. Native Americans are incarcerated at four times the rate of White people. The United States also maintains the worlds largest immigrant detention system, with expansion plans already underway. In Israel, its Palestinians who are disproportionately imprisoned, both inside that country and in its occupied territories. While Palestinians constitute about 20% of Israels population, they constitute about 60% of Israels prisoners. (Such statistics are hard to come by today, so that figure doesnt include the thousands taken prisoner since Oct. 7, 2023.) Many Palestinian prisoners languish in what Israel calls administrative detention, a status created for Palestinians that allows lengthy detention without charge. Borders, Walls, and Global Apartheid We are so accustomed to imagining a world of equally sovereign countries, each creating its own immigration policy, that its easy to miss the colonial dimensions of immigration flows and the ways that colonial histories, immigration restrictions, expulsions, and incarceration are connected. Settler countries like Israel and the United States have particular similarities (and particular connections), but most European powers that have benefited from the worlds colonial order now barricade their borders against potential migrants. Most of the world agrees that apartheid inside a countrys borders is the epitome of injustice. Why, then, are we so ready to accept a global version of it? Copyright 2025 Aviva Chomsky Via Tomdispatch.com As the West Bank is being annexed to Israel through blood and violence, many Israeli and international businesses and financials are tacitly supporting the ethnic cleansing with their business operations in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. Recently, the Norwegian parliament rejected efforts to tighten rules on its huge sovereign wealth fund investing in companies operating in the West Bank. Despite Norways central role in the initiation of the two-state peace process in the 1990s, the Norwegians lawmakers voted by 88 to 16 against a proposal that would have ordered the fund to withdraw from companies that contribute to Israels war crimes and the illegal occupation of the West Bank. Fueled by vast revenue from Norways abundant oil and gas exports, Norways sovereign wealth fund is the biggest in the world and has some $1.8 trillion invested around the globe. Its precedence-setting example matters, especially as it prides itself over the fact that many companies are excluded from its portfolios on ethical grounds. Why then the vote for continued war crimes, illegal occupation and ethnic cleansing? Double standards According to its ethical guidelines, the Fund cannot invest money in companies that directly or indirectly contribute to killing, torture, deprivation of freedom or other violations of human rights in conflict situations or wars. But in practice, the fund is allowed to invest in a number of arms-producing companies, as only some kind of weapons, such as nuclear arms, are banned by the ethical guidelines as investment objects. In the past two decades, the Fund has excluded some Israeli companies, but in a highly restrictive manner, including Elbit Systems (Sep. 2009), due to supply of surveillance systems for the Israeli West Bank barrier; Africa Israel Investments and Danya Cebus (Aug. 2010), and Shikun Uvinui (Jun. 2012), due to violation of international humanitarian law in occupied Palestinian territory by being involved in developing settlements. Such exclusions create an impression of token concern because there are dozens and dozens of both Israeli and international companies operating in the West Bank, even as its Palestinian residents are under constant threat of violence and ethnic cleansing. In Norway, the government was under pressure to use its financial clout to influence Israels policies in Gaza and the West Bank, where its settlement policy has long been deemed illegal under international law. Some 50 Norwegian NGOs, spearheaded by the countrys main union, called on the Labor government to ensure that the funds investments were in line with the countrys legal obligations. Meanwhile, UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, urged Oslo to fully and unconditionally divest from all entities linked to Israels unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory. In his reply of May 30, Norways finance minister Jens Stoltenberg said the Norwegian government was deeply concerned by developments in Palestine, both in Gaza and in the West Bank. Then he proceeded to defend the legality of the Funds controversial investments in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. Stoltenberg is the former chief of NATO. Business operations in the West Bank Since the late 2010s, the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) has used independent international fact-finding missions to investigate the implications of the Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem. These reports do not cover all companies operating in the occupied territories. However, they do include the major ones that play the most critical roles (see Table at bottom). The overwhelming majority of these firms are headquartered in Israel. There are more than 110 such companies. Since the first OHCHR report in 2020, some are no longer involved in the listed activities, such as General Mills and its Israeli subsidiary, which likely divested following a campaign to get the company to stop manufacturing its Pillsbury products on stolen Palestinian land. In addition to a broad variety of Israeli companies making money on the illicit territories, several international companies prevail in these areas, including Airbnb and Expedia (U.S.), Booking.com and Tahal Group (Netherlands), J.C. Bamford Excavators and Opodo (UK). Still others operate through their parent organizations, including Motorola and Booking Holdings (U.S.), Egis (France), and Altice (Luxembourg), and licensors or franchisors, such as Greenkote (UK). European financial institutions behind settler expansion According to Dont Buy into Occupation (DBIO), a coalition of 25 Palestinian, regional and European organizations, in the early 2020s almost 800 European financial institutions, including banks, asset managers, insurance companies, and pension funds, had financial relationships with more than 50 businesses that were actively involved with Israeli settlements. All of these companies were involved in activities that raise particular human rights concerns, which constitute the basis for inclusion in the UN database of business enterprises. The list had almost 40 major European creditors, including BNP Paribas, HSCBC and Barclays, and 50 European investors, including Credit Agricole, Deutsche Bank and Allianz. In addition to Israeli companies, defense contractors, financial institutions and universities that have been targeted in boycott and sanction campaigns for years, recent boycott efforts have increasingly centered on companies that play a critical role in the occupied territories, especially in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Under international law, Israeli settlements, their maintenance and expansion are illegal activities, which give rise to individual criminal liability as war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Israeli, European, and international business enterprises, operating with or providing services to Israeli settlements, play a critical role in the functioning, sustainability and expansion of illegal settlements. Israelis for boycotts In the past decade, the Israeli government has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in PR struggles against the international boycott movement. Though controversial, the latter has attracted some Israeli Jews. Despite different political motivations, they are united by the quest for peace and the view that international pressure is necessary to achieve change in Israel. In 2012, Avraham Burg, the former chair of the Knesset and interim president of Israel, endorsed a boycott of Israeli settlement products. Personally, he boycotted all products produced in the settlements, refusing to cross the Green Line; that is, the pre-1967 borders. Such products were not made in Israel and should not be mislabeled that way. Colonizing Palestinian lands has made Israel the last colonial occupier in the Western world. Burgs views were echoed by Haaretz journalist Gideon Levy, who also supported boycotting Israel, stressing that it was the Israeli patriots final refuge. As far he was concerned, the change wont come from within. International boycotts are painful, but they cost less than human massacres and economic expenditures associated with forever wars. They are neither antisemitic nor anti-Israel. They target the occupation, the settlers and their allies in Israel and elsewhere, and their violence. Yet, the likelihood that most Israelis would adopt Gideon Levys view of Israeli boycotts is currently minimal, thanks to the parallel universe created by decades of massive U.S. military aid and money flows by American Jewry to Israel. If the status quo is untenable and change wont come from within, then change can only come from without. Squatters, Digital, 2024 Table Israeli and International Companies in the Occupied Territories Companies in settlements* A. Business enterprises no longer involved in listed activities: Amnon Mesilot Ltd. Ashtrom Properties Ltd Avgol Industries 1953 Bank Otsar Ha-Hayal Brand Industries Ltd. Citadis Israel Ltd. Darban Investments Ltd. Energy Renewable Energies General Mills Inc. General Mills Israel Indorama Ventures P.C.L. Jerusalem Economy Ltd. Municipal Bank Ltd. Pelegas Ltd. Zorganika Ltd. B. Business enterprises involved in listed activities Airbnb Inc. American Israeli Gas Corp Amir Marketing and Investment Inc. Amos Hadar Properties and Inv. Angel Bakeries Archivists Ltd. Ariel Properties Group Ashtrom Industries Ltd. Bank Hapoalim B.M. Bank Leumi Le-Israel B.M Bank of Jerusalem Ltd. Beit Haarchiv Ltd. Bezeq the Israel Telecom Corp Booking.com B.V. C Mer Industries Ltd. Cafe Cafe Israel Ltd. Caliber Cellcom Israel Ltd. Cherriessa Ltd. Chish Nofei Israel Ltd. Comasco Ltd. D.B.S Satellite Services Ltd Delek Group Ltd. Delta Israel Brands Ltd Dor Alon Energy in Israel 1988 Ltd Egis Rail Egged Transportation Ltd. Electra Afikim EPR Systems Ltd. Extal Ltd. Expedia Group Inc. Field Produce Ltd. Field Produce Marketing Ltd. First International Bank of Israel Galshan Shvakim Ltd. Hadiklaim Israel Date Growers Hot Mobile Ltd. Hot Telecom Systems Mivne Real Estate Israel Discount Bank Israel Railways Corp Italek Ltd. J.C. Bamford Excavators Kavim Public Transportation Lipski Installation Matrix IT Ltd. Mayer Davidov Garages Mekorot Water Company Mercantile Discount Bank Merkavim Transportation Tech Mizrahi Tefahot Bank Modiin Ezrachi Group Mordechai Aviv Tassiot Motorola Solutions Israel Naaman Group Ltd. Nof Yam Security Ofertex Industries 1997 Partner Communication Paz Oil Pelephone Communications Proffimat S.R. Rami Levy Chain Stores Rami Levy Hashikma Re/Max Israel Shalgal Food Ltd. Shapir Engineering Shufersal Ltd. Sonol Israel Ltd. Superbus Ltd. Supergum Industries Tahal Group International TripAdvisor Inc Twitoplast Ltd. Unikowsky Maoz Ltd. Zakai Agriculture Know-how ZF Development ZMH Hammerman Ltd. Zriha Hlavin Industries C. Business enterprises involved as parent companies: Alon Blue Square Alstom S.A.10 Altice International Ltd. Ashtrom Group Ltd. Booking Holdings Inc. Delta Galil Industries ODIGEO S.A. Egis Group Electra Group Ltd. Export Investment Co Hadar Group Hamat Group Ltd. Kardan N.V. Mayers Cars and Trucks Motorola Solutions Inc. Natoon Group Villar International Ltd. D. Business enterprise involved as licensors or franchisors Greenkote P.L.C. European creditors * Loans and underwriting services to selected companies, by creditor parent: BNP Paribas HSBC Deutsche Bank Societe Generale KfW Barclays Credit Agricole Santander ING Group UniCredit Banco Bilbayo Vizcaya Argetaria Commerzbank Groupe BPCE Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken NatWest Standard Chartered Intesa Sanpaolo Credit Mutuel La Caixa Danske Bank Swedbank Landesbank Baden Wurttemberg DZ Bank Nordea BayernLB Rabobank Landesbank Hessen-Thuringen Svenska Handelsbanken KBC Group DNB Lloyds Banking Raiffeisen Banking Norddeutsche Landesbank Hamburg Commercial Bank Erste Group Paragon Bank La Banque Postale BNP Finance Banco de Sabadell European investors * Share and bondholding in selected companies, by investor parent: Government Pension Fund Global Credit Agricole Deutsche Bank Groupe BPCE Legal & General Allianz Deka Group Nordea AB Industrivarden BNP Paribas DZ Bank Schroders Swedbank Algemeen Burgerlijk Pensioenfonds HSBC Janus Henderson Intesa Sanpaolo Barclays AMF Pensionsforsakring Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken Svenska Handelsbanken AXA Alecta Abrdn Pensioenfonds Zorg en Welzijn Sjunde AP-fonden M&G Baillie Gifford La Banque Postale Storebrand Aviva Flossbach & von Storch Pensioenfonds Metaal en Techniek Bpifrance Forsta AP-Fonden B-Flexion Ackermans & Van Haaren Independent Franchise Partners Credit Mutuel Man Group Royal London Rothschild Pensioenfonds van de Metalektro Fjarde AP-Fonden Banco Mediolanum AKO Capital Aegon Tredje AP- Fonden KBC Anima * OHCHR update, UN Human Rights Office of the Commissioner, June 30, 2023. ** European Financial Institutions Continued Complicity in the Illegal Israeli Settlement Enterprise, Dont Buy into Occupation, Dec., 2023. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - Goldshore Resources Inc. (TSXV: GSHR) (OTCQB: GSHRF) (FSE: 8X00) ("Goldshore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its latest assay results from its recently completed 20,000-meter drill program targeting new mineralized shear zones to the north of the QES zone as part of the follow up drilling from the discovery of the Superion zone at the Moss Gold Project in Northwest Ontario, Canada (the "Moss Gold Project"). Michael Henrichsen, CEO of Goldshore commented, "Additional drilling to the west of the Superion discovery continues to deliver new mineralized shear zones on the northern side of the QES Zone within or near the conceptual open pit. We believe the definition of these new mineralized zones clearly demonstrates the emerging nature of the deposit as we continue to expand mineralization. In addition, the higher-than-average resource grades that have been encountered thus far on the northern side of the pit are very encouraging and will be a focus for additional drilling in the future, as we look to define a near surface high-grade zone that could be accretive to the economic performance of the deposit." Highlights: Results from a series of holes testing an undrilled area between and on the northern flank of the QES and Main zones have intercepted multiple new mineralized shears within the existing conceptual pit. Best intercepts include: 10.35m of 0.59 g/t Au from 109.0m in MQD-25-178 and 6.0m of 1.14 g/t Au from 138.0m, including 3.0m of 1.73 g/t Au from 138.0m, and 15.4m of 0.64 g/t Au from 239.6m, including 4.0m of 1.44 g/t Au from 246.0m 17.7m of 1.52 g/t Au from 333.0m in MQD-25-179 , including 2.3m of 8.24 g/t Au from 334.0m and 4.0m of 1.27 g/t Au from 346.0m, and , including 6.85m of 3.01 g/t Au from 436.0m including 2.0m of 9.76 g/t Au from 436.0m 22.0m of 0.48 g/t Au from 185.0m in MQD-25-180, and 18.4m of 1.36 g/t Au from 285.6m , including 10.75m of 2.01 g/t Au from 293.5m , including Results from the most northern step back hole, MQD-25-179, intersected the Superion mineralized trend extending the strike length to 380m with an intercept of: 13m of 0.84 g/t Au from 35m in MQD-25-179, including 2.00m of 3.84 g/t Au from 44.0m Technical Overview Figure 1 illustrates the location of the drill holes being reported in relation to the planned winter drill program. Figure 2 shows a cross-section through drill holes MQD-25-178 and MQD-25-179. Tables 1 and 2 provide summaries of significant intercepts and drill hole locations, respectively. Figure 1: Summarizes the winter 2025 drill program targeting resource expansion within the conceptual open pit outlined in grey. Drill holes being reported are highlighted in red. Figure 2: Cross section through MQD-25-178 and MQD-25-179 illustrating additional mineralized shears near the pit shell edge on the northern side of the QES Zone Drill results reported herein are from the Superion exploration drill program, targeting a significant and largely untested area beneath swampy terrain on the north side of known mineralized shears within or near the conceptual open pit defining the Moss deposit. MQD-25-178 was drilled approximately 300m west of the newly discovered Superion Zone. The hole collared into a porphyritic diorite before transitioning into a multi-phase diorite complex like that of the Main Zone host rock. The diorites are variably altered, changing between chlorite-epidote to sericite-silica-hematite to sericite-chlorite dominated assemblages, all of which contain 2-3% disseminated pyrite. Shear zones are altered with sericite-silica-hematite and sericite-chlorite assemblages and mineralization locally increasing to 3-5% pyrite. They yield intercepts of 10.35m of 0.59 g/t Au from 109.0m, 6.0m of 1.14 g/t Au from 137.0m including 3.0m of 1.73 g/t Au, and 15.4m of 0.64 g/t Au from 239.6m including 4.0m of 1.44 g/t Au from 246.0m. MQD-25-179 was drilled as a 160m step back behind MQD-25-178. The hole collared into andesitic volcanics and transitioned to dacite volcanics at 39.0m where the contact is strongly sheared with Superion-style sericite-silica alteration containing highly deformed quartz-carbonate veining and 3-5% disseminated pyrite-chalcopyrite mineralization, which yielded an intercept of 13.0m of 0.84 g/t Au from 35.0m, including 2.0m of 3.84 g/t Au from 44.0m. Two shearing fabrics were measured in the area, an east-west-striking fabric, in line with the Superion mineralization trend, and a northeast-southwest-striking fabric following the main deposit trend. It is unclear at this point which trend is controlling mineralization. The hole continued in dacitic volcanics until 263.0m intersecting the same multi-phase diorite complex as described in MQD-25-178. Shear zones are altered with sericite-silica-hematite and sericite-chlorite alteration packages hosting 3-5% disseminated pyrite-chalcopyrite mineralization; and yielding multiple intercepts including 17.7m of 1.52 g/t Au from 333.0m including 2.3m of 8.24 g/t Au from 334.0m and 4.0m of 1.27 g/t Au from 346.0m, 6.1m of 0.66 g/t Au from 362.0m, and 6.85m of 3.01 g/t Au from 436.0m including 2.0m of 9.76 g/t Au from 436.0m. Figure 3: Sericite-chlorite altered and pyrite-chalcopyrite bearing shears in MQD-25-179 returning 17.7m of 1.52 g/t Au from 333.0m as part of the Superion program between the Main and QES zone and 300m west of the Superion zone. MQD-25-180 was drilled as a 200m step out and MQD-25-181 as a 100m step out to the west of the Superion mineralization along the deposit strike. Both holes collared into a dacitic volcanic package which contained frequent 5-10m scale diorite dykes before intersecting the multi-phase diorite package at 150m and 135m, respectively. Both holes encountered similar alteration assemblages and sheared mineralization, as described in MQD-25-178 and MQD-25-179. Sericite-silica-hematite altered shears occur as 10-20m wide intersections in MQD-25-180 yielding intercepts of 22.0m of 0.48 g/t Au from 185.0m, 1.0m of 9.23 g/t Au from 253.65, and 18.4m of 1.36 g/t Au from 285.6m, including 10.75m of 2.01 g/t Au; while the shear widths reduced to 1-5m in MQD-25-181 yielding intercepts of 4.85m of 0.73 g/t Au from 116.0m, 0.9m of 10.4 g/t Au from 149.0m, and 3.0m of 2.23 g/t Au from 275.0m. Minimal gold intercepts were encountered along strike to the east suggesting the zone has begun to pinch out. An additional 200m area to the west remains untested between the new intercepts and the previously defined Main Zone mineralized shears. Additional drill holes in this area will be planned for later in the year. Table 1: Significant intercepts HOLE ID FROM TO LENGTH (m) TRUE WIDTH (m) CUT GRADE (g/t Au) UNCUT GRADE (g/t Au) MQD-25-178 57.00 62.85 5.85 3.9 0.31 0.31 109.00 119.35 10.35 7.0 0.59 0.59 137.00 143.00 6.00 4.1 1.14 1.14 incl 138.00 141.00 3.00 2.0 1.73 1.73 182.00 189.00 7.00 4.8 0.61 0.61 196.00 198.00 2.00 1.4 1.70 1.70 217.35 223.00 5.65 3.9 0.52 0.52 239.60 255.00 15.40 10.7 0.64 0.64 incl 246.00 250.00 4.00 2.8 1.44 1.44 298.00 300.00 2.00 1.4 0.65 0.65 MQD-25-179 26.00 28.00 2.00 1.3 0.31 0.31 35.00 48.00 13.00 8.5 0.84 0.84 incl 44.00 46.00 2.00 1.3 3.84 3.84 63.00 65.00 2.00 1.3 0.69 0.69 317.90 320.00 2.10 1.5 0.42 0.42 333.00 350.70 17.70 12.6 1.52 1.52 incl 334.00 336.30 2.30 1.6 8.24 8.24 and 346.00 350.00 4.00 2.8 1.27 1.27 362.00 368.10 6.10 4.4 0.66 0.66 436.00 442.85 6.85 5.0 3.01 3.01 incl 436.00 438.00 2.00 1.4 9.76 9.76 incl 436.00 437.00 1.00 0.7 17.5 17.5 MQD-25-180 175.00 178.05 3.05 2.2 0.73 0.73 185.00 207.00 22.00 15.6 0.48 0.48 237.00 244.50 7.50 5.4 0.32 0.32 253.65 254.65 1.00 0.7 9.23 9.23 265.20 275.00 9.80 7.0 0.33 0.33 285.60 304.00 18.40 13.2 1.36 1.36 incl 293.25 304.00 10.75 7.7 2.01 2.01 incl 299.00 300.00 1.00 0.7 5.29 5.29 328.00 330.00 2.00 1.4 0.73 0.73 335.30 341.00 5.70 4.1 0.72 0.72 354.50 359.55 5.05 3.7 0.41 0.41 MQD-25-181 102.00 108.00 6.00 3.9 0.41 0.41 116.00 120.85 4.85 3.2 0.73 0.73 149.00 149.90 0.90 0.6 10.4 10.4 160.00 169.00 9.00 6.0 0.32 0.32 216.00 220.25 4.25 2.8 0.54 0.54 266.60 269.00 2.40 1.6 0.62 0.62 275.00 278.00 3.00 2.0 2.23 2.23 313.00 315.00 2.00 1.4 1.21 1.21 Intersections calculated above a 0.3 g/t Au cut off with a top cut of 30 g/t Au and a maximum internal waste interval of 5 metres. Shaded intervals are intersections calculated above a 1.0 g/t Au cut off. Intervals in bold are those with a grade thickness factor exceeding 20 gram x metres / tonne gold. True widths are approximate and assume a subvertical body. Table 2: Drill Collars HOLE EAST NORTH RL AZIMUTH DIP EOH MQD-25-178 669,639 5,379,690 428 161.2 -49.6 327.00 MQD-25-179 669,588 5,379,845 435 150.0 -49.7 480.00 MQD-25-180 669,706 5,379,798 428 157.5 -50.1 381.00 MQD-25-181 669,791 5,379,844 428 158.3 -48.6 379.35 Analytical and QA/QC Procedures The HQ diameter drill core has been oriented using ACTIII or equivalent tools and validated in the core shack. All core has been sawed in half cut just off the core orientation line (bottom of hole) with the right half (looking down hole) of the core bagged and sent a third-party analytical laboratory. The left half of the core was returned to core boxes and is stored at Goldshore's Kashabowie core yard facility. All samples were sent to ALS Geochemistry in Thunder Bay for preparation and analysis was performed in the ALS Vancouver analytical facility. ALS is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) for the Accreditation of Mineral Analysis Testing Laboratories and CAN-P-4E ISO/IEC 17025. Samples were analysed for gold via fire assay with an AA finish ("Au-AA23") and 48 pathfinder elements via ICP-MS after four-acid digestion ("ME-MS61"). Samples that assayed over 10 ppm Au were re-run via fire assay with a gravimetric finish ("Au-GRA21"). In addition to ALS quality assurance / quality control ("QA/QC") protocols, Goldshore has implemented a quality control program for all samples collected through the drilling program. The quality control program was designed by a qualified and independent third party, with a focus on the quality of analytical results for gold. Analytical results are received, imported to our secure on-line database and evaluated to meet our established guidelines to ensure that all sample batches pass industry best practice for analytical quality control. Certified reference materials are considered acceptable if values returned are within three standard deviations of the certified value reported by the manufacture of the material. In addition to the certified reference material, certified blank material is included in the sample stream to monitor contamination during sample preparation. Blank material results are assessed based on the returned gold result being less than ten times the quoted lower detection limit of the analytical method. The results of the on-going analytical quality control program are evaluated and reported to Goldshore by Orix Geoscience Inc. Qualified Person Peter Flindell, PGeo, MAusIMM, MAIG, Vice-President, Exploration, of the Company, and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. Mr. Flindell has verified the data disclosed. To verify the information related to the winter drill program at the Moss Gold Project, Mr. Flindell has visited the property several times; discussed and reviewed logging, sampling, bulk density, core cutting and sample shipping processes with responsible site staff; discussed and reviewed assay and QA/QC results with responsible personnel; and reviewed supporting documentation, including drill hole location and orientation and significant assay interval calculations. He has also overseen the Company's health and safety policies in the field to ensure full compliance, and consulted with the Project's host indigenous communities on the planning and implementation of the drill program, particularly with respect to its impact on the environment and the Company's remediation protocols. About Goldshore Goldshore is a growth-oriented gold company focused on delivering long-term shareholder and stakeholder value through the acquisition and advancement of primary gold assets in tier-one jurisdictions. It is led by the ex-global head of structural geology for the world's largest gold company and backed by one of Canada's pre-eminent private equity firms. The Company's current focus is the advanced stage 100% owned Moss Gold Project which is positioned in Ontario, Canada, with direct access from the Trans-Canada Highway, hydroelectric power near site, supportive local communities and skilled workforce. The Company has invested over $75 million of new capital and completed approximately 100,000 meters of drilling on the Moss Gold Project, which, in aggregate, has had over 255,000 meters of drilling. The 2024 updated NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate ("MRE") has expanded to 1.54 million ounces of Indicated gold resources at 1.23 g/t Au and 5.20 million ounces of Inferred gold resources at 1.11 g/t Au. The MRE only encompasses 3.6 kilometers of the 35+ kilometer mineralized trend, remains open at depth and along strike and is one of the few remaining major Canadian gold deposits positioned for development in this cycle. Please see NI 43-101 technical report titled: "Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Moss Gold Project, Ontario, Canada," dated March 20, 2024 with an effective date of January 31, 2024 available under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. For more information, please visit SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and the Company's website (www.goldshoreresources.com). For More Information - Please Contact: Michael Henrichsen President, Chief Executive Officer and Director Goldshore Resources Inc. 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. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements relating to expectations regarding the exploration and development of the Moss Gold Project; the potential mineralization at the Moss Gold Project based on the winter drill program, including the potential for additional mineral resources; the enhancement of the Moss Gold Project; statements regarding the Company's future drill plans, including the expected benefits and results thereof; that the Superion target has the potential to significantly add to the current mineral resource estimate within the top 200 meters from surface with continued drilling and to reduce the overall strip ratio of the deposit; the potential for resource growth at Moss and the fact that the results have the potential to significantly impact the economic performance of the deposit moving forward; the potential for a much larger mineralized system and that it will be pursued in the near future through additional drilling; and other statements that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, among others: uncertainty and variation in the estimation of mineral resources; risks related to exploration, development, and operation activities; exploration and development of the Moss Gold Project will not be undertaken as anticipated; the Company may require additional financing from time to time in order to continue its operations which may not be available when needed or on acceptable terms and conditions acceptable; the economic performance of the deposit may not be consistent with management's expectations; the Company's exploration work may not deliver the results expected; the fluctuating price of gold; unknown liabilities in connection with acquisitions; compliance with extensive government regulation; delays in obtaining or failure to obtain governmental permits, or non-compliance with permits; environmental and other regulatory requirements; domestic and foreign laws and regulations could adversely affect the Company's business and results of operations; risks related to natural disasters, terrorist acts, health crises, and other disruptions and dislocations; global financial conditions; uninsured risks; climate change risks; competition from other companies and individuals; conflicts of interest; risks related to compliance with anti-corruption laws; the Company's limited operating history; intervention by non-governmental organizations; outside contractor risks; the stock markets have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of companies and these fluctuations may adversely affect the price of the Company's securities, regardless of its operating performance; the Superion target may not add to the current mineral resource; and other risks associated with executing the Company's objectives and strategies as well as those risk factors discussed in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. The forward-looking information in this news release is based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this news release. Certain material assumptions regarding such forward-looking statements were made, including without limitation, assumptions regarding: the future price of gold; anticipated costs and the Company's ability to fund its programs; the Company's ability to carry on exploration, development and mining activities; prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services; the timing and results of drilling programs; mineral resource estimates and the assumptions on which they are based; the discovery of mineral resources and mineral reserves on the Company's mineral properties; the timely receipt of required approvals and permits; the costs of operating and exploration expenditures; the Company's ability to operate in a safe, efficient, and effective manner; the Company's ability to obtain financing as and when required and on reasonable terms; that the Company's activities will be in accordance with the Company's public statements and stated goals; that the Superion target will add to the current mineral resource; that the Company's exploration work will deliver the results expected; and that there will be no material adverse change or disruptions affecting the Company or its properties. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. VANCOUVER, BC, June 11, 2025 /CNW/ - Nuclear Fuels Inc. (CSE: NF) (OTCQX: NFUNF) ("Nuclear Fuels" or the "Company") announces the commencement of its 2025 drilling program, with an initial plan for at least 100,000 feet, at the Kaycee Uranium Project ("the Project") located in the Powder River Basin ("PRB") of Wyoming. The regional drilling conducted in late 2024 successfully identified two new zones of roll front-hosted uranium mineralization. Notably, the Outpost and Trail Dust Zones were discovered during the late stages of the 2024 program, and the Company is excited to follow up on these promising new areas during the 2025 drill program. Highlights from the 2024 Regional Exploration Program (Nuclear Fuels NR January 29, 2025): Drill hole LT24_050 returned 0.082% eU 3 O 8 over 6.5 feet for a total grade thickness ("GT") of 0.532, beginning at a downhole depth of 767.0 feet at the Outpost Zone; O over 6.5 feet for a total grade thickness ("GT") of 0.532, beginning at a downhole depth of 767.0 feet at the Outpost Zone; At the Trail Dust Zone, located approximately 1.5 miles to the north of the Outpost Zone, drill hole LT24_037 returned 0.0553% eU 3 O 8 over 5.5 feet for a total hole GT of 0.304, beginning at a downhole depth of 886.0 feet; O over 5.5 feet for a total hole GT of 0.304, beginning at a downhole depth of 886.0 feet; The 2025 exploration program is now underway at the Project and will follow up on these results, as well as test other high priority targets; This fully-funded exploration program consists of an initial 100,000 feet of rotary mud drilling, with results to be reported at a similar cadence to the 2024 drill program. "Our 2025 drill program is designed to build on the discovery of the Outpost Zone and further test the potential of the Kaycee Project," said Greg Huffman, Chief Executive Officer. "This new zone of roll front-hosted uranium mineralization not only validates our geological model but also highlights the potential for further discoveries within this district. As we commence our 2025 drilling campaign, our priority is to delineate the extent of the Outpost Zone and assess its potential to contribute to future resources at Kaycee. We remain committed to advancing the Kaycee Project and delivering value to our shareholders through systematic exploration and development." Strategic Transaction with Premier American Uranium Inc. On June 5, 2025 the Company and Premier American Uranium Inc. (TSXV: PUR, OTCQB: PAUIF) announced that they have entered into an arm's length definitive agreement (Nuclear Fuels NR June 5, 2025), pursuant to which Premier American Uranium has agreed to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Nuclear Fuels by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement" or the "Transaction"). Under the terms of the Arrangement, shareholders of Nuclear Fuels will receive 0.33 of a common share of Premier American Uranium for each Nuclear Fuels Share held. Existing shareholders of Premier American Uranium and Nuclear Fuels will own approximately 59% and 41% (on a basic shares outstanding basis), respectively, of the pro forma outstanding PUR Shares on closing of the Arrangement. The Transaction will require approval by at least 66 2/3% of the votes cast by NF Shareholders and, if required by Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions, a simple majority of the votes cast by Nuclear Fuels Shareholders excluding certain interested or related parties, in each case by shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at a special meeting of NF Shareholders to be called in connection with the Transaction (the "NF Special Meeting"). The NF Special Meeting is expected to be held in the third quarter of 2025 and Closing of the Transaction is anticipated to occur in the third quarter of 2025. Kaycee Uranium Project, Wyoming The Kaycee Project in Wyoming's PRB, Nuclear Fuels' priority project, consists of 55 square miles of mineral rights over a 35-mile mineralized trend hosting 430 miles of identified roll fronts. The Kaycee Project is believed to be the only project in the PRB where all three known historically productive sandstone formations (Wasatch, Fort Union, and Lance) are mineralized and potentially accessible for ISR extraction. The Kaycee Project, under Nuclear Fuels, represents the first time since the early 1980's that the entire district is controlled by one company. In 2023, Nuclear Fuels acquired the Kaycee Project from enCore Energy Corp., which retains a back-in right for 51% of the project by paying 2.5X the exploration costs and financing the Kaycee project to production (costs recoverable from production) upon Nuclear Fuels establishing a minimum 15 million pound eU 3 O 8 43-101 compliant resource. Wyoming is a proven and prolific uranium producer with a pro-energy government and established regulatory regime for the permitting and extraction of uranium through ISR technology. Wyoming is one of the few "Agreement States" hosting ISR uranium deposits, where the federal government and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have ceded regulatory authority to the state government, permitting and advancing uranium projects is more efficient and streamlined as compared to most other states. Wyoming, with over 250 million pounds of historic uranium production, ranks as the state with the second most uranium production to date; most of which has been through the ISR technology since 1990, predominantly from the PRB. The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mark Travis, CPG., a contractor to the Company, and a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101. About Nuclear Fuels Inc. Nuclear Fuels Inc. is a uranium exploration company advancing early-stage, district-scale In-Situ Recovery ("ISR") amenable uranium projects towards production in the United States of America. Leveraging extensive proprietary historical databases and deep industry expertise, Nuclear Fuels is well-positioned in a sector poised for significant and sustained growth on the back of strong government support. Nuclear Fuels has consolidated the Kaycee district under single-company control for the first time since the early 1980s. Currently executing its 2025 drill program following successful 2023 and 2024 drilling, the Company aims to expand on historic resources across a 35-mile trend with over 430 miles of mapped roll-fronts defined by 3,800 drill holes. The Company's strategic relationship with enCore Energy Corp., America's Clean Energy Company, offers a mutually beneficial "pathway to production," with enCore owning an equity interest and retaining the right to back-in to 51% ownership in the flagship Kaycee Project in Wyoming's prolific Powder River Basin. Forward-Looking Information The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements relating to planned exploration programs and the results of additional exploration work in seeking to establish mineral resources as defined in NI43-101 on any of our properties. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with the completing planned exploration programs and the results of those programs; the ability to access additional capital to fund planned and future operations; regulatory risks including exploration permitting; risks associated with title to our mineral projects; the ability of the company to implement its business strategies; and other risks including risks contained in documents available for review at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. 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. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 /ZEUS NORTH AMERICA MINING CORP. (CSE:ZEUS) (OTCQB:ZUUZF) (FRANKFURT:O92) (THE "COMPANY" OR "ZEUS") is pleased to announce it has signed a binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") dated June 9, 2025 to acquire a 90% interest in both the Delker and Bulls Eye copper-gold ("Cu-Au") properties in northeast Nevada, USA. About the Delker Property: The Property is located approximately 79 kilometers ("km") from the town of Elko Nevada (see Figure 1); Adjacent to Ridgeline Minerals Corp's Big Blue Porphyry and carbonate replacement ("CRD") style Cu-Au-silver ("Ag") lead-zinc ("Pb-Zn") project. Ridgeline is currently drilling on the western flanks of the historic Delker Butte mine which is testing both high-grade Cu-Au skarn and potential porphyry Cu-Au targets at depth. The past producing Delker Mine, which produced 94,434 pounds of copper at an average grade of 6.2% Cu between 1916-1917 (*Smith, R.M., 1979), shares its northern boundary with the Delker property and the southern boundary with Reyna Silver's Medicine Springs Ag-Pb-Zn CRD project; The Property is within Elko County and consists of 400 Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") claims and there are no protected areas within the Property; Nevada was ranked the world's top mining jurisdiction by the Fraser Institute in 2022; The Property is road accessible and can be worked year-round; The Property lies within the "new base metal trend" in Nevada (see Figure 2); The Property lies within the Dolly Varden-Delker Butte Cretaceous to lower Jurassic intrusive Belt. The regional geologic setting is generally composed of Jurassic intrusive rocks intruding the Paleozoic Carbonate Shelf sequences of limestone and dolomites. This region is the host to various mineralization styles such as porphyry-style, Cu-skarn, CRD, and sediment/carbonate hosted and Carlin-type gold mineralization; Most of the recent exploration in the area was focused on gold. Companies that held claims within and around the Delker Property include Newmont USA, Nevada Gold, Pegasus Gold Corp., Kinross Gold, and Battle Mountain Gold. Historic surface work included 114 surface (soil) samples collected by Pegasus Gold Corp. within a small portion of the Delker Property which were analyzed for Au and As. Seventeen samples returned greater than (">") 0.1grams per tonne gold ("g/t Au") up to 2.8 g/t Au; Historical surface work by GHK (1980) at the Delker Hill area within the Property included eight rock grab samples containing >0.2 g/t Au, having a peak value of 2.33 g/t Au; Historical shallow drilling (less than 100m drill holes) within the West Buttes area by Pegasus Gold Corp. resulted in broad zones with anomalous Au including: WB-1 : 9.14m of 0.74 g/t Au including 4.57m of 1.30 g/t Au; WB-4 : 35m of 0.32 g/t Au including 1.52m of 0.45 g/t Au, 0.58 g/t Au, and 0.42 g/t Au, 4.57m of 0.41 g/t Au and 0.66 g/t Au; WB-5 : 6.10m of 0.24g/t Au; 13.72m at ~0.56 g/t Au, including 4.57m of 3.86 g/t Au; WB-18 : 7.62m at ~0.22g/t Au including 1.52m of 0.57 g/t Au; Recent surface samples collected by NV Resources within the Property included six rock grab samples containing >1.8 per cent ("%") Cu, up to 14.8% Cu (pXRF) and 13 rock grab samples containing greater that 1% Cu up to 7.8% Cu (American Assay Laboratories); The Property is underlain by a regional magnetic feature(s) that are interpreted to be part of an underlying metals-bearing intrusive event (porphyry target) and a potential heat source responsible for skarn-type mineralization in the Delker Buttes and Delker Hill areas, and the precious metal mineralization throughout the Medicine Range. About the Bulls Eye Property: The Property is located approximately 79 kilometers ("km") from the town of Elko Nevada, 17 km north of the Delker Property; The Property is within Elko County and consists of 40 BLM claims and there are no protected areas within the Property; The Property is underlain by a coincidental magnetic high and gravity high suggesting a potential buried porphyry. Future Exploration: Full data compilation for both properties; Surface mapping; Surface soil and rock grab sampling program; Ground geophysics including but not limited to magnetics and induced polarization ("IP"); Reconnaissance drilling. Terms of the Option Agreements: Subject to Canadian Securities Exchange approval, completion of due diligence and signing of definitive agreements for both properties, Nedeel LLC ("Nedeel") will grant Zeus the sole and exclusive right to acquire a 90% interest in each Property over a three year period by making the following cash and share payments: $50,000USD upon signing the LOI as an exclusivity payment (the "Initial Payment"); if a definitive option agreement (the "Option Agreement") is not completed within 60 days of signing the LOI, Zeus will pay an additional $50,000USD as break fee which will be non-refundable. $230,000USD upon the signing of the Option Agreement, provided that the Initial Payment shall become a credit towards such amount upon the signing. Issue an aggregate of 1,000,000 common shares of Zeus (each a " Share ") to Needel as follows: On or before the first anniversary of the date of the Option Agreement, 250,000 Shares; On or before the second anniversary of the date of the Option Agreement, a further 250,000 Shares; On or before the third anniversary of the date of the Option Agreement, a further and final 500,000 Shares and a final payment of $250,000USD in cash (the " Third Year Payment ). Each of the above cash and share payments are single payments towards a 90% interest in both Properties. If all cash and share payments have been made within the three year option period, Zeus will be deemed to have acquired a 90% interest in both Properties and will grant to Nedeel a 3% net smelter returns ("NSR") royalty on both Properties, of which one half of the respective royalty (1.5%) may be acquired by Zeus at any time within ten years of the date of the Option Agreement in increments of 1/15 for a purchase price of $100,000USD per increment in the first five years (for an aggregate purchase price of $1,500,000USD) or $200,000USD per increment if acquired in the period from the fifth to ten year anniversary (for an aggregate purchase price of $3,000,000USD). Upon the exercise of the option, Zeus and Nedeel will form a joint venture in respect of each Project. Nedeel will retain a carried interest in the Properties until the time of the Feasibility Payment (as defined below). In addition to the payments to exercise the options, Zeus will also be obligated to make certain additional bonus payments, in respect of each Property, to Nedeel as follows: Upon defining a maiden resource of at least 750,000 oz of gold (Au) or AuEQ and other base and precious metals (including copper) for either Project, Zeus shall pay Nedeel an additional $1,500,000USD in cash (the "Resource Payment"); Upon the earlier of (i) the completion of the positive bankable feasibility study on either Project, or (ii) the making of a decision to mine either Project, Zeus shall pay Nedeel an additional US$3,000,000 in cash (the "Feasibility Payment"). For clarity, the Bonus Payment and the Feasibility Payment are single payments in respect of both Projects and are payable at the initial time a Project reaches the applicable milestone, but not again at the time the remaining Project then achieves such milestone, if any; Zeus shall not be obligated to pay the Third Year Payment ($250,000USD) if Zeus has become obligated to pay and has paid the Resource Payment; Zeus retains the discretion to pay either the Resource Payment or the Feasibility Payment through the issuance of Shares, provided that if Zeus elects to pay the Resource Payment in Shares, the Resource Payment will be $2,000,000USD and, if Zeus elects to pay the Feasibility Payment in Shares, the Feasibility Payment will be $4,000,000USD. The deemed value of any such Shares issued will be equivalent to the 30 day VWAP of the Shares on the CSE for the 30 days immediately prior to the applicable payment due date, subject to a minimum price of $0.05CDN per share, subject to the approval of the CSE. Figure 1: Location of the Delker and Bulls Eye Property Figure 2: Nevada's New Base Metal Trend *This is presented simply as a record of previous exploration at the project and to show the geological prospectively of the area. All information is derived solely from management of Zeus Mining and otherwise publicly available third-party information which are believed to be reliable, but which have not been independently verified by the Company and as a result are not guaranteed as to accuracy and completeness. Zeus's management cautions that past results or discoveries on properties in proximity to Zeus may not necessarily be indicative of mineralization within the properties. Qualified Person The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dean Besserer, P.Geo., the President & CEO for the company and Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101. On behalf of the board of directors. "Dean Besserer" President and CEO For more information, please contact the Company at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. FOR INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT: Kin Communications Inc. Ph: 604-684-6730 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. About Zeus North America Mining Corp. The Company is in the business of mineral exploration. The Company is focused on its exploration properties in the state of Idaho known as the: Cuddy Mountain; Selway; and Great Western properties, respectively. The Idaho properties consist of 101 (Cuddy Mountain), 57 (Selway) and 38 (Great Western) lode mining claims respectively and cover a cumulative area of approximately 4,200 acres. The Company's flagship Cuddy Mountain Property is adjacent to Hercules Metal Corp's Leviathan Copper Porphyry discovery. Forward-Looking Statements When used in this news release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although the Company believes, in light of the experience of their respective officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the parties can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. The forward-looking statements and information in this news release include, amongst others, the Company's exploration plans. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company. There are risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements or implied by such forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others: currency fluctuations; limited business history of the parties; disruptions or changes in the credit or security markets; results of operation activities and development of projects; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general development, market and industry conditions. The Company undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of its securities or its financial or operating results (as applicable). The Company cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. The Company does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws. The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. TORONTO / Jun 11, 2025 / Business Wire / Silver Storm Mining Ltd. (Silver Storm or the "Company") (TSX.V: SVRS | FSE: SVR), is pleased to announce that it has closed the second and final tranche (the Final Tranche) of its previously announced best efforts brokered private placement (the Offering) for total gross proceeds of $1,470,950 from the sale of 11,315,000 units of the Company (each, a Unit) at a price of $0.13 per Unit (the Offering Price). In aggregate pursuant to the Offering, the Company sold 92,400,000 Units at the Offering Price for aggregate gross proceeds of C$12,012,000, which includes the full exercise of the agents option. Red Cloud Securities Inc. acted as lead agent and bookrunner for the Offering and Ventum Financial Corp. acted as co-agent (collectively, the Agents). The Offering was originally announced on May 20, 2025, and subsequently updated on May 29, 2025, May 30, 2025, and June 5, 2025. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (each, a Unit Share) and one common share purchase warrant (each a Warrant). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share (each, a Warrant Share) at a price of $0.20 at any time on or before that date which is thirty-six (36) months from the date of issuance. The Units were issued to Canadian purchasers pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions (NI 45-106) and in reliance on the Coordinated Blanker Order 45-935 Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption). The Unit Shares and Warrant Shares underlying the Units are not subject to any hold period under applicable Canadian securities legislation if sold to purchasers resident in Canada. The Units sold under the Offering to offshore and purchasers in the United States were sold in accordance with OSC Rule 72-503 - Distributions Outside Canada (OSC Rule 72-503). The Units sold to purchasers in the United States will be made on a private placement basis pursuant to one or more exemptions from registration requirements of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act). The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for: (i) the procurement of mine processing flotation cells; (ii) to commence rehabilitation work of the La Parrilla processing facility including equipment purchase and refurbishment, labour and supplies; (iii) to order long lead items including deposits on mining equipment and ventilation fans; (iv) to fund ongoing operations for the next twelve months; and (v) for general corporate and working capital purposes, all as further detailed in the amended and restated offering document related to the Offering dated May 30, 2025 that can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Companys website at www.silverstorm.ca. As consideration for their services in the Final Tranche of the Offering, the Agents received an aggregate cash payment of $82,416.10 and 633,970 non-transferable common share purchase warrants (the Broker Warrants). Each Broker Warrant is exercisable into one common share of the Company at the Offering Price for a period of thirty-six (36) months from the date of issuance. The Offering remains subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the TSXV). This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. 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. About Silver Storm Mining Ltd. Silver Storm Mining Ltd. holds advanced-stage silver projects located in Durango, Mexico. In 2023 Silver Storm acquired of 100% of the La Parrilla Silver Mine Complex, a prolific past producing operation comprised of a 2,000 tpd mill as well as five underground mines and an open pit that collectively produced 34.3 million silver-equivalent ounces between 2005 and 2019. The Company also holds a 100% interest in the San Diego Project, which is among the largest undeveloped silver assets in Mexico. For more information regarding the Company and its projects, please visit our website at www.silverstorm.ca. 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 news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of the phrase forward-looking information in the Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations. Forward-looking statements are not comprised of historical facts. Forward- looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or 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 the Company, 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 intended use of proceeds of the Offering, final TSXV approval of the Offering, the Company's plans and expectations for La Parrilla, and the ability to eventually place the La Parrilla Complex back into production. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company have applied several material assumptions, that the Company will use the net proceeds of the Offering as anticipated; that the Company will receive all necessary approvals in respect of the Offering; the Companys financial condition and development plans do not change because of unforeseen events, and managements ability to execute its business strategy and no unexpected or adverse regulatory changes with respect to La Parrilla, the decision to potentially place La Parrilla into production, other production related decisions or to otherwise carry out mining and processing operations, being largely based on internal non-public Company data and reports from previous operations and not based on NI 43-101 compliant reserve estimates, preliminary economic assessments, pre-feasibility or feasibility studies, resulting in higher risks than would be the case if a feasibility study were completed and relied upon to make a production decision. Forward-looking statements and information are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of the Company to control or predict, that may cause the Companys actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein. Such forward-looking information represents managements 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. THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES Activist Greta Thunberg returned home to Sweden late Tuesday after being deported from Israel, lambasting the country for its "violations of international law and war crimes" in Gaza. Thunberg was deported after Israeli security forces intercepted a boat carrying her and 11 other activists attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and break the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory. The 22-year-old was greeted by around 30 cheering supporters waving Palestinian flags amid a large media presence at Stockholm's Arlanda airport, after landing just after 10:30 pm (2030 GMT), an AFP journalist reported. Earlier Tuesday during a stopover in Paris, Thunberg accused Israel of "kidnapping" her and the other activists. Asked in Stockholm if she was scared when the security forces boarded the Madleen sailboat, Thunberg replied: "What I'm afraid of is that people are silent during an ongoing genocide". "What I feel most is concern for the continued violations of international law and war crimes that Israel is guilty of," Thunberg told reporters. She accused Israel of carrying out a "systematic genocide" and "systematic starvation of over two million people" in Gaza. Several rights groups including Amnesty International have accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza but Israel vehemently rejects the term. "We must act, we must demand that our government acts, and we must act ourselves when our complicit governments do not step up," Thunberg said. She rose to fame as a schoolgirl activist against climate change and seeks to avoid flying because of its environmental impact, going so far as to cross the Atlantic by sailboat twice. She appeared confused about reporters' questions about how it felt to travel by plane, replying, "Why are you asking about that?" Of the 12 people on board the Madleen carrying food and supplies for Gaza, eight were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily. Four others, including Thunberg, were deported. All of them have been banned from Israel for 100 years, according to the rights group that legally represents some of them. The October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 54,981 people, the majority civilians, have been killed in the territory since the start of the war. The UN considers these figures reliable. Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. The brother of a Jordanian pilot burned alive in Syria by the Islamic State (IS) group spoke on Wednesday of the family's enduring pain at the trial of a jihadist accused of involvement in the grisly execution. The brutal killing took place sometime in late 2014 or early 2015 and sparked outrage internationally and in Jordan, which was participating in the US-led coalition's strikes against IS positions in Syria. Osama Krayem, a 32-year-old Swede already serving long prison sentences for his role in the Paris and Brussels attacks in 2015 and 2016, is on trial in Stockholm suspected of war crimes and terrorist crimes for his role in the pilot's killing. On December 24, 2014, an aircraft belonging to the Royal Jordanian Air Force crashed in Syria. The pilot, Maaz al-Kassasbeh, was captured the same day by IS fighters near the central city of Raqqa and was burned alive in a cage sometime before February 3, 2015, when a video of the gruesome killing was published, according to the prosecution. On Wednesday, Jawdat al-Kassasbeh, the brother of the pilot and a plaintiff in the case, told the Stockholm district court of the physical and psychological trauma the family has suffered since the killing. He said he learned of his brother's capture through a relative who worked at Jordan's foreign ministry and immediately went to the air force headquarters. "There, I see that the head of the air force and the operations teams are having a meeting on the subject... There were large screens showing images of Syria," he testified. "He told me: 'I think he's in this house'," he said. "Psychologically, I was not doing well at that moment. So I told the head of the air force that ... I thought (IS fighters) would kill him in a horrible way. I asked if it would be possible to bomb the house so he could be spared an atrocious death," he added. The Swedish investigation describes the al-Kassasbeh family as having close ties to Jordan's royal family and military. Jawdat al-Kassasbeh said he later learned of his brother's death on television. "It was a shock. I watched the whole video but in bits. I couldn't watch the entire video until 2021," he said. When his mother learned of the execution, "she had to be hospitalised immediately". His eldest sister "developed diabetes", while their father "contracted chronic illnesses, hypertension and is in poor psychological condition, he cries regularly," al-Kassasbeh said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted the leaders of several countries across southeastern Europe in the port city of Odesa Wednesday, hours after it was targeted by Russian strikes. The summit included leaders from across the region, including from Romania, Moldova, Greece and Croatia. The leaders signed a declaration condemning Moscow's invasion, including calling for NATO membership for Ukraine and denouncing "war crimes" committed by Russia. Serbia's president Aleksandar Vucic, who maintains strong ties with Russia, was also at the summit in his first visit to Ukraine since the Russian invasion, but was not in the list of leaders who signed the declaration, published by Zelensky's office. The declaration called for Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine and condemned the "deportation of thousands of Ukrainian civilians -- including children" by Russia. "A free, peaceful, and prosperous Europe is impossible without a free, peaceful, and prosperous Ukraine," the declaration said. In his opening speech, Zelensky pushed for unity among the region's leaders. "Sadly, our region is one of Russia's main targets - main targets for causing chaos," Zelensky told the summit. "We've seen this before - across the Balkans, where Russia fuelled ethnic tensions, sabotage, and even coup attempts," he said. "We've witnessed attempts to manipulate public opinion in Romania, with Moscow's involvement. And for three decades now, Russia has tried to keep Moldova in poverty and instability, to bring it fully under its control," he added. Odesa has been repeatedly hit by Russian drone and missile strikes throughout the conflict. A drone attack "damaged homes, civilian boats and warehouses" in the Odesa region overnight, Ukraine's foreign ministry said Wednesday. Kyiv launched annual Ukraine-Southeast Europe summits in 2022 to boost connections with the region amid its war with Russia. At last year's summit, held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, Zelensky called for Europe to "unite" and called on Brussels to accelerate the process of letting in new members to the EU, including Ukraine. A recent analysis from Bader Law sheds new light on how criminal convictions in the United States create long-term financial hardship that often far outlasts a jail or prison sentence. The report explores the extensive and often underestimated economic impact of being convicted, including fines, fees, lost wages, and hidden expenses that can total hundreds of thousands of dollars over a lifetime. According to the study, wrongful convictions alone cost impacted individuals an average of $6.1 million, or approximately $1,334 for every day spent behind bars. But even for those lawfully convicted, the combined cost of mandatory court payments, supervision fees, incarceration expenses, and reduced earning potential can exceed $500,000 over a lifetime. A Financial Web That Extends Beyond Sentencing While most people assume the cost of a criminal conviction ends at legal fees and bail, the Bader Law report outlines a much more extensive chain of financial consequences: Court fines and supervision fees Mandatory classes, drug testing, and electronic monitoring Medical costs incurred during incarceration Loss of employment or reduced job prospects post-release Housing instability and family disruption due to detention These costs do not scale with income, meaning individuals from low-income communities are more likely to be buried under debt they cant afford even when theyve already served their time. Low-Income Households Hit Hardest The study reinforces existing data showing that people living in poverty, particularly within communities of color, face the most severe financial repercussions from criminal convictions. The inability to pay bail often leads to extended pre-trial detention, which in turn results in job loss, eviction, and in some cases, the loss of child custody. Court-imposed fees and fines continue accumulating throughout incarceration and probation, regardless of whether the individual has the means to pay. These compounding debts trap families in long-term financial instability. A Multi-Billion Dollar Industry of Punishment The United States spends over $80 billion annually on public prisons and jails. Private service providers profit further through for-profit facilities, inmate phone systems, and monitoring technologies. Families spend an estimated $2.9 billion per year on phone calls and commissary items alone. Additionally: Prison costs rose 15% year-over-year year-over-year Incarceration rates increased 3% , showing continued system expansion , showing continued system expansion Inmates earn an average of 86 cents per day , making self-payment impossible , making self-payment impossible Private prison firms benefit from $3.9 billion in federal and state contracts This financial infrastructure disproportionately benefits vendors and contractors while penalizing individuals, families, and communities already at risk. Key State-Level Trend Bader Laws research also identifies significant disparities in how states use fines and fees as revenue sources. In 2022 alone, state and local governments collected nearly $14 billion from penalties, fines, and asset forfeiture, equivalent to 0.3% of their general revenues. Some jurisdictions depend on this income more heavily than others. For instance: Texas , Florida , Georgia , California , and Illinois lead in overall court-imposed fines , , , , and lead in overall court-imposed fines North Dakota , Maine , and Vermont impose lower fines and rely more on general taxation , , and impose lower fines and rely more on general taxation In cities like Ferguson, Missouri, revenue from penalties can exceed that collected from property taxes This reliance on punitive revenue streams leads to over-policing in low-income areas and encourages financial extraction from those least able to pay. Debt With No Expiration Date According to the Fines and Fees Justice Center, nearly 1 in 3 Americans has faced court-related fines or fees in the past decade. Of those: 26% are still repaying the debt 33% believe they will never pay it off The financial strain of these obligations often leads to broader consequences: 35% report skipping meals to pay court costs report skipping meals to pay court costs 27% experience housing insecurity experience housing insecurity 14% delay or avoid medical treatment due to financial pressure These outcomes highlight how criminal convictions often lead to long-term social and economic decline, especially for those who already live near or below the poverty line. Reform Considerations Moving Forward The findings in Bader Laws report point to clear areas for policy improvement. Potential solutions include: Reducing or eliminating cash bail in non-violent cases Capping or waiving fines based on ability to pay Limiting private-sector contracts that profit off supervision and incarceration Creating alternatives to court-imposed revenue generation, especially in smaller municipalities A justice system built around financial penalties regardless of guilt, intent, or individual capacity reinforces cycles of poverty and undermines public trust. Reforming the economic structure behind punishment may be key to building a more equitable legal system. Commentary by By Jake Fuss and Grady Munro The cost of living and affordability remain top of mind for Canadians, so its critical to understand how taxes affect our household finances. Canadians pay many different taxes (income taxes, sales taxes, fuel taxes, property taxes, etc.) so it can be hard to know how much you pay in total each year. While some of these taxes are visiblefor instance, you can check your income tax return to see how much you pay in personal income taxesmany taxes are hidden or less visible. To help Canadians understand how much we pay in taxes, each year Fraser Institute analysts calculate Tax Freedom Daythe day of the year when the average Canadian family has earned enough money to pay all taxes levied by the federal, provincial and local governments. In other words, if Canadians had to pay all their taxes up front, Tax Freedom Day is the day of the year Canadians get to start keeping the money they earn. This year, the average Canadian family (of two or more people) will earn $158,533 in income and pay an estimated $68,266 (or 43.1 per cent) in taxes. So, if we paid all our taxes for 2025 up front, the average Canadian family would pay the government every dollar they earn until June 8. After working for the first 158 days of the year for the government, we now get to work for ourselves. This years Tax Freedom Day of June 8 comes one day earlier than last yearmeaning the average Canadian family must work one less day to pay off its total tax billbecause the average familys income rose faster (5.2 per cent) than its total tax bill (4.0 per cent) partly due to tax changes from governments across the country. For example, Prince Edward Island lowered its business tax rate, Nova Scotia cut its HST rate, and both Alberta and the federal government reduced (or have committed to reduce) personal income tax rates. These changes all act to slow the growth in the amount governments collect in taxes. Despite these changes that slow growth in the tax burden today, poor fiscal management by governments across the country is raising the tax burden Canadians may face in the future. The federal government will run a projected $42.2 billion deficit this year (though the Carney governments election platform suggests the deficit may actually reach $62.3 billion). And combined, provincial governments across the country will run projected deficits totalling $42.7 billion. All told, thats $84.9 billion in new federal and provincial government debt. Again, to pay for todays debt accumulation, future generations of Canadians may face higher taxes. Canadian families must work nearly half the year before they are free from their tax burden. Unless governments across the country finally get their finances in order, Tax Freedom Day will likely only come later in the future. In a World Where Every Move is Tracked, Amicus International Offers a Legal Path to Total Privacy VANCOUVER, Canada In a digital age where government surveillance, biometric scanning, and artificial intelligence monitor every footstep, phone call, and financial transaction, the notion of disappearing has become a nearly impossible feat. The worlds citizens are more exposed than ever before, watched not only by governments but also by corporations, search engines, border agencies, and data brokers. However, Amicus International Consulting has emerged as a rare beacon for those who seek not to evade illegal activity, but to live legally outside the scope of digital control. Through legal identity transformations, second citizenships, and strategic digital footprint management, Amicus empowers clients to ghost the griddisengaging from intrusive systems without breaking any laws. The practice is not rooted in escapism or conspiracy theories. Instead, it is a sophisticated response to a surveillance state that increasingly merges facial recognition, banking data, social media, and geolocation into a near-inescapable web. Surveillance Is Now Globaland Personal In 2025, the scope of surveillance has exploded beyond what privacy advocates feared a decade ago. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and independent watchdog Privacy International: More than 180 countries now share biometric information through INTERPOL, visa databases, and banking institutions. now share biometric information through INTERPOL, visa databases, and banking institutions. Facial recognition is installed in over 90% of international airports. is installed in over 90% of international airports. Phone metadata who you call, when, and whereis routinely stored for years in dozens of countries. who you call, when, and whereis routinely stored for years in dozens of countries. Public-private partnerships with data brokers now allow governments to purchase location and internet history without a warrant. with data brokers now allow governments to purchase location and internet history without a warrant. AI-driven predictive surveillance maps travel and purchase behaviours in real time, flagging unusual patterns. As a result, those who wish to start over, recover from reputational harm, protect their families, or flee dangerous circumstances often find no legal room to breatheunless they understand the new playbook for disappearing legally. Legal Disappearance: A Definition Amicus International defines legal disappearance not as law-breaking or identity fraud, but as the complete lawful transformation of ones identity, jurisdiction, and digital presence through existing legal channels. This process includes: Legally changing ones name in a jurisdiction that permits discretion Acquiring a second citizenship and passport through investment, descent, or residency Removing oneself from searchable public records using privacy laws Restructuring financial life through offshore foundations, trusts, and anonymous asset protection tools Managing digital exposure through privacy-focused technology and identity decoupling Case Study: From Targeted Journalist to Private Citizen In 2019, an investigative journalist in Latin America became the subject of threats and harassment after exposing cartel-linked corruption in provincial elections. Despite international support, she faced growing danger from both state and non-state actors. With Amicus help, she: Acquired second citizenship in St. Lucia through a donation to the National Economic Fund Changed her legal name in a privacy-respecting Caribbean nation in a privacy-respecting Caribbean nation Migrated her digital footprint from known platforms to anonymous services Obtained privacy residency in Malta Transferred her savings into a Panamanian foundation untraceable to her former identity She now lives legally and safely in Southern Europeher past behind her, her new life fully protected by law. Who Ghosts the Gridand Why? While many assume that only criminals attempt to disappear, Amicus serves an entirely different population: 1. Whistleblowers Professionals who expose wrongdoing often find themselves surveilled, blacklisted, and harassedeven when their revelations are protected by law. 2. Domestic Violence Survivors Some clients are fleeing abusers with access to tracking tools or legal influence that makes conventional relocation unsafe. 3. Political Dissidents Individuals persecuted for their political opinions seek refuge and a new identity in democratic nations. 4. Wrongfully Accused Professionals Executives, physicians, and other high-level professionals have had careers destroyed by false accusations, smear campaigns, or financial collapse. 5. Wealth Privacy Seekers High-net-worth individuals targeted by extortion, cybercrime, or media sensationalism seek to withdraw legally from high-visibility environments. Phase by Phase: How Amicus Builds a Legal Ghost The Amicus process is not a single transactionit is a six-phase transformation guided by legal expertise and privacy strategy. Phase 1: Legal Risk and Jurisdictional Review The process begins with a confidential audit to determine the clients current risk exposure, travel restrictions, and legal obligations. Phase 2: Identity and Name Change Clients are guided through countries where legal name change is discreet, fast, and does not require public advertisement. Phase 3: Second Citizenship and Passport Options include: Economic citizenship (e.g., Dominica, Vanuatu, Antigua) (e.g., Dominica, Vanuatu, Antigua) Citizenship by descent (e.g., Ireland, Italy, Poland) (e.g., Ireland, Italy, Poland) Long-term residency-to-citizenship programs (e.g., Paraguay, Uruguay) Passports from these nations allow visa-free travel and financial access. Phase 4: Asset Protection and Financial Migration Amicus helps transfer assets into anonymous foundations, private trusts, or international life insurance wrappers that protect both privacy and access. Phase 5: Digital Footprint Management DMCA takedowns Search engine de-indexing Anonymous mobile devices and VPN networks Removal from people-search databases Phase 6: Relocation and Integration Amicus coordinates visas, housing, digital onboarding, healthcare, and other essential services to ensure a seamless new start. Case Study: The Crypto Founder Who Walked Away A fintech entrepreneur in Singapore faced multiple regulatory investigations, not criminal, but paralyzing for operations. Trolls falsely accused him of fraud online, and vendors blacklisted his company. Amicus helped him: Obtain St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship via a $200,000 real estate investment Change his name in the Isle of Man Withdraw assets to a Cayman Islands trust Create a new business identity based in Dubai Remove over 120 pages of internet content tied to his name His firm re-launched and was acquired in early 2024 for $17.2 million. Surveillance Technology: The Opponent 1. Biometric Traps Facial recognition is now deployed in border crossings, retail establishments, public transportation, and even ATM networks. Amicus educates clients on how to avoid biometric uploading and tracking legally. 2. AI Surveillance Predictive policing tools now flag individuals for travelling frequently, visiting specific countries, or using multiple devices. Amicus helps clients establish new behavioural patterns to avoid potential red flags. 3. Geo-Fencing and Device Linking Even without name data, surveillance can identify people by their phones movements or Bluetooth fingerprint. Amicus assists clients in creating clean, unlinked device stacks. Not for Fugitives Were not in the business of hiding criminals, says an Amicus employee. We offer a lawful route for people who need a second chancepeople failed by the systems meant to protect them. This clear ethical line is what distinguishes Amicus from underground networks or fake passport sellers. Their work is documented, notarized, and structured to survive audits, inquiries, and legal due diligence. Dark Web vs. Amicus: A Stark Contrast Feature Dark Web Sellers Amicus International Documents Forged or stolen Legally issued Legal Status Fraudulent Recognized worldwide Biometric Conflict Detected at borders Fully compliant Risk of Arrest High None Use in Banking Blocked or flagged Accepted Long-term Security Unstable Sustainable Case Study: The Activists New Beginning An LGBTQ+ rights activist in Egypt had been arrested multiple times and feared for his life. Unable to live or work safely, he contacted Amicus with one request: a new life. In 22 months, Amicus helped him: Obtain residency and name change in Uruguay Gain Portuguese citizenship through ancestry Remove over 90 social media links and photos Build a new identity as a writer and consultant in Spain Today, he operates legally, proudly, and safelystill advocating for human rights, but now from a place of protection. From Surveillance Subject to Sovereign Individual Ghosting the grid isnt about erasing yourselfits about reclaiming control. Amicus doesnt offer fantasy. It offers paperwork, persistence, and a plan. In an era when surveillance is often justified in the name of safety, Amicus reminds the world: Privacy is not a crime. Contact Information Phone: +1 (604) 200-5402 Email: [email protected] Website: www.amicusint.ca Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter/X | Facebook | Instagram A Seoul court has approved a provisional seizure of two luxury apartments owned by Kim Se Eui, head of the controversial YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute, amid an 12 billion ($8.8 million) defamation lawsuit filed by actor Kim Soo Hyun. According to a June 11 report by Money Today, the Seoul Central District Court granted the seizure request on June 9. The order covers a 120.27 unit in Seocho-gu and a 208.65 unit in Apgujeong, Gangnam-gu. Kim co-owns the Apgujeong property with his sister, and the seizure targets his 50 percent share. The total claimed value is estimated at approximately 4 billion. Kim Soo Hyun's agency, Gold Medalist, filed the suit following accusations from Kim Se Eui and the family of the late actress Kim Sae Ron, who alleged that Kim had an inappropriate relationship with her in 2015, when she was still a minor. Kim Soo Hyun has strongly denied the claim, stating that their relationship began in 2019, after she became an adult. In a statement, a legal expert familiar with the case, attorney Roh Jong Eon, told Money Today, "This means the court found the lawsuit submitted by Kim Soo Hyun's side sufficiently compelling. They substantiated who was responsible for the defamatory actions and detailed the estimated damage to the agency." Roh added that the court's decision was based on written documents and issued without a hearing from Kim Se-eui or Kim Sae-ron's family. "The final damage amount may still change during the main trial," he said. Gold Medalist reportedly submitted evidence refuting any relationship prior to 2019 and argued that a press conference held by Kim Se-eui in May, during which he played an alleged audio file of Kim Sae-ron confirming the relationship, caused reputational and financial harm. That file was later identified as an AI-generated deepfake. Despite the seizure, legal experts caution that full recovery of the damages is uncertain. "Both apartments are reportedly collateral for existing loans," the report noted, meaning asset liquidation may not cover the full 12 billion being sought. Kim Soo Hyun, one of Korea's highest-paid actors, has remained publicly silent beyond initial legal statements. His agency had previously stated that it would take "all possible legal measures" to protect the actor's reputation. Kim Se Eui has not publicly commented on the court's decision. The defamation case has drawn widespread attention, coming amid growing scrutiny over the use of AI-generated media and escalating tensions between public figures and independent online broadcasters. China airlines to open more routes to woo travelers as summer travel peak approaches Global Times) 08:16, June 11, 2025 (Photo/Courtesy of China Southern Airlines) China airlines continue to increase its efforts in international and regional routes with the opening and increasing the frequency of overseas routes as the summer travel peak is approaching. Starting from June 16, China Southern Airlines will open a new direct flight from Beijing to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan with two flights per week. Starting from June 25, China Southern will open a new direct flight from Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province to Almaty, Kazakhstan with three round trips per week. Also, starting from June 30, China Southern will open a new direct flight from Guangzhou to Tashkent, Uzbekistan with three round trips per week, followed by a new direct flight from Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province to Vladivostok, Russia with two round trips per week from July 1. In addition to the new routes, China Southern will further increase flights on popular routes such as Australia and Southeast Asia. Starting from June 1, the Urumqi-Tbilisi route will be increased from four round trips per week to seven per week. Starting from June 11, the Urumqi-Yerevan route will be increased from two round trips per week to three. Starting from June 12, the Guangzhou-Brisbane route will be increased from five round trips per week to seven. China Southern's international and regional routes will reach 150, with a planned weekly flight volume of 2,000 flights by then, the airlines said. On June 24, China Eastern Airlines will launch a direct flight from Xi'an to Istanbul, Turkey. This is the second direct international route to Turkey opened by China Eastern after the Shanghai-Istanbul route, marking a new step in the aviation cooperation between the two countries. In terms of increasing or resuming routes, Air China will increase the number of direct flights from Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province to Singapore from the current one flight per day to two flights per day starting from June 20; and increase the number of direct flights from Chengdu to Tokyo to one flight per day starting from June 30. Spring Airlines will open a round-trip route from Chengdu to Phnom Penh starting from June 25, with one flight per day; and resume a round-trip route from Chengdu Tianfu to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi starting from June 27, with one flight per day. The expanded flying network came along as China has been continuously expanding its visa-free "circle of friends." China began to implement a trial visa-free policy on Monday for ordinary passport holders from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, expanding the nation's unilateral visa-free policy to 47 countries. From June 9, 2025, to June 8, 2026, passport holders from these countries and whose transit does not exceed 30 days may enter China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, exchanges, or transit without a visa. In the first quarter, China received more than 9 million visits by foreigners, up by more than 40 percent year-on-year. In the first four months, more than 18,000 foreign-invested companies were established in China, up by 12.1 percent year-on-year, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- China saw a vibrant surge in inbound consumption following the rollout of its refined tax-refund-upon-departure policy, with notable increases in both the number of tax refund stores and the total amount refunded. Between April 27 and May 26, the number of departure tax refund transactions processed by the country's tax authorities jumped 116 percent year on year, and sales at tax refund stores climbed 56 percent, the State Taxation Administration said on Tuesday. The country has expanded its refund-upon-purchase service model nationwide, with the number of related transactions increasing 32-fold and sales surging 50-fold year on year, according to data released by the administration. Driven by the new policy measures, 1,303 new departure tax refund stores were established across the country during the period, raising the total to 5,196, which was a 40 percent increase from the end of 2024, the data shows. This rise in inbound consumption is a result of China's latest efforts to encourage foreign tourist spending. On April 27, the country introduced a package of measures to optimize its departure tax refund policy, including measures lowering the minimum purchase threshold for refunds, raising the cash refund ceiling, expanding the network of participating stores, and broadening the range of products covered. China is also promoting a refund-upon-purchase service model, allowing eligible tourists to receive tax refunds instantly at retail outlets rather than waiting until they leave the country. International tourists in China can now claim a tax refund if they spend at least 200 yuan (about 27.84 U.S. dollars) at a single store in a single day and meet other relevant requirements, with refunds payable in multiple forms, including mobile, bank and cash payments. The upper limit for cash refunds has been raised to 20,000 yuan. China's metropolises led this shopping surge. In the month following the policy rollout, Shanghai saw an 86 percent year-on-year increase in sales involving tax refund transactions and a 77 percent rise in the total amount refunded, according to local tax authorities. With a raised cash refund ceiling and a lowered minimum purchase threshold for refunds, the new policy allows shoppers from overseas to enjoy benefits across a wide range of products, from high-end goods to everyday items like clothing, said Chen Xiaoling, general manager of Shanghai's Florentia Village outlet mall. The policy has made shopping in China more convenient and yielded better value for money for international visitors, Chen noted. This streamlined refund process has boosted shopping enthusiasm among international tourists. At WF Central, which is a luxury mall on Beijing's popular Wangfujing shopping street, a large banner promoting the refund-upon-purchase tax service hangs prominently in the central atrium. This service is now available at nearly 40 international-brand stores in the mall. Alice, a tourist from the United States visiting her family in China, recently purchased a watch and applied for a tax refund immediately after. She presented her passport along with her shopping and departure details at the service counter, and received her refund within minutes. It was her first time purchasing luxury goods in China, and she found the service to be convenient, she said. Plaza 66 in Shanghai regards the refund-upon-purchase service as an important engine to boost its market competitiveness and strengthen its international profile. As of May 27, the mall has processed over 280 refund-upon-purchase transactions -- already exceeding the whole-year total for 2024. China is accelerating development of international consumption center cities to stimulate inbound spending. The country is working to transform five cities -- Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing -- into major centers for shopping. Also to stimulate inbound consumption, China will increase its number of duty-free stores and expand the range of products eligible for the refund-upon-purchase service, particularly high-tech digital goods such as smartphones, smartwatches and small household appliances, as well as items that are popular among younger consumers, Shi Zeyi, an official of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said last month. China's Vice Commerce Minister Sheng Qiuping recently stated that China will continue to improve its international consumption environment, increase its supply of high-quality products, and create more diversified consumption scenarios to boost inbound consumption. Three leading experts have weighed in about the risks of fishing in known crocodile hotspots after the image was shared online. Pictures taken of an adult and child fishing near the edge of an Australian river known to be home to hungry saltwater crocodiles have sparked a debate online. The anonymous duo were snapped at the infamous Cahills Crossing in Kakadu this week, just metres from signs warning tourists that a fatality occurred nearby. The images were shared on a social media page popular with 4WD enthusiasts, where some said the pair looked to be at a reasonable distance from the waters edge. Doesnt look that bad, one person said. However others were more cautious, with one saying the image made him feel sick to the stomach with worry. What is wrong with people? another said. Yahoo spoke to three of Australias top experts in the predator's behaviour to better understand the dangers involved with navigating crocodile country. ADVERTISEMENT Professional crocodile wrangler Tommy Hayes said while its hard to tell how close the people in the photograph are to the waters edge, its good the image sparked debate and that people are aware of the extreme danger the reptiles pose. Im glad people are paying attention, and not shrugging it off, he said. Pictures of the duo fishing at Cahills Crossing sparked debate, and Tommy Hayes thinks thats a good thing. Source: Supplied What's the biggest danger to humans near crocodile rivers? Matt Cornish, the co-founder of Community Representation of Crocodiles (CROC), warned that the biggest danger to humans is complacency. Cahills Crossing is considered to be a high-risk crocodile location where people need to be extremely vigilant, he told Yahoo. We have had crocodile fatalities there over the last couple of decades." Because the stretch of river where the photograph was taken is also a popular fishing area, there are increased numbers of interactions between crocodiles and humans. Anyone visiting the area needs to ensure their fish are kept away from the waters edge. ADVERTISEMENT Will I see a crocodile coming? Mick Bender, a licensed reptile handler and educator at Wildlife Unleashed, explained the recommendation is that people keep five metres back from the waters edge. That number is based off the strike range of the largest recorded salt water crocodile which was seven metres. Their strike range is half of their body length that's tip of their nose to the base of their tail and they can do that in the blink of an eye, he told Yahoo News. So you're looking at a three and a half metre strike range right there. We obviously don't know how big crocs are, so you give yourself that little bit extra. ADVERTISEMENT Crocodiles are so fast-moving that humans are unable to respond fast enough to move out of the way. Children are at more of a risk because smaller crocodiles will attack them. Mick warns that travellers also need to be mindful that crocodiles can launch themselves up in the air, towards anyone standing on a bank. This behaviour is often on display during boat trips, when tour guides tempt crocodiles high out of the water using meat attached to a stick. In the wild, crocodiles will use that to grab birds or bats flying over the river, thats how fast they are, he said. People don't realise that there's no warning from a crocodile. It's not like you're going to see it coming. They're an ambush attack predator. They rely on being completely hidden and unseen. Crocodiles are able to launch themselves out of the water to catch bats or birds. Source: Getty Influencers sending tourists wrong message about crocodiles Tommy believes that influencers who work with crocodiles have an important role to play in setting a good example for tourists. ADVERTISEMENT It's hard when youre battling d**kheads who say dont go near the water and then film themselves jumping in. Youve got to lead by example, he said. People see these Aussie larrikins doing it, and they go, 'he did it, so I will too'. Tommy has a three-year-old son, who hes educated about the importance of staying away from the water. And he hopes the general public are now getting the message too. Hes more croc-wise than I am. When we go fishing were a minimum five metres back, he said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories. So far 14 stores have seen EV chargers installed in carparks with two more coming in the weeks ahead as the retail giant meets the 'changing needs' of customers. More than a dozen stores have been fitted with the new technology. Source: TikTok/ElectrifyThis/Getty As more and more electric cars appear on Australia's roads, drivers will have another, and very familiar, place to recharge their battery-powered vehicles. Retail giant Bunnings Warehouse is rolling out a range of EV chargers in the carparks of selected stores, meaning EV owners can charge up while they shop. Yahoo understands that Bunnings has so far installed chargers at 14 of its store locations in NSW, Victoria and WA, as well as New Zealand. The company currently has two more stores to be equipped with chargers in the coming weeks. Given the business has more than 500 stores across Australia and New Zealand, the rollout is currently being hyper targeted to where the retailer believes demand is strongest. Sydney woman Sarah Aubrey who runs a social media business dedicated to developments in electric vehicles, battery technology and electric home appliances described the chargers as "brilliant" after happening upon a 120kW installment at the retail giant's Alexandria store in the city's inner west this week. ADVERTISEMENT "You're at Bunnings, you're spending some time here lollygagging, 120 kilowatts, that is very fast," she said in a video sharing the find with her followers. "So you'll be good to go. I am so stoked about that, that is awesome." Bunnings Director of Stores Rod Caust told Yahoo News Australia the early rollout was about "meeting the changing needs" of customers. "As electric vehicles become more common in Australia and New Zealand, were installing EV charging stations in some of our store car parks so our customers with EVs can charge up while they shop," he said. Bunnings has installed a number of different charging options at more than a dozen stores. Source: Reuters The Bunnings chargers include a mix of 22kW, 50kW and the super fast 120kW chargers seen in the Alexandria store. Customers will be able to use their chosen EV charging station app to see if their local store has chargers installed with signage and instructions in relevant carparks to help customers. ADVERTISEMENT Late last year the mega hardware store began stocking a range of new EV-related products, including Tesla's Powerwall home batteries as the EV trend gained more and more momentum. "Were launching a range of electric vehicle chargers and accessories across selected stores to make it easier for our customers to own and maintain EVs," Bunnings director of merchandise Cam Rist told Yahoo News in November. "The range, which includes wall-mounted EV chargers that can be installed in customers homes, is currently being rolled out to 40 pilot stores across Australia in a phased approach. We know the EV market is growing rapidly in Australia and were pleased to be making these products more accessible to customers at an affordable price, which have been traditionally hard to find in retail stores." Aussies still being fooled by EV myths More than a third of Australians believe misinformation about electric vehicles, while almost half accept the myth battery-powered cars are more likely to catch fire, a study shows. ADVERTISEMENT Researchers from the University of Queensland and three German institutions released the findings late on Monday, following surveys of more than 6,300 people in Australia, the United States, Germany and Austria. Their results mirrored concerns in a recent NRMA study, which found misinformation about battery safety was preventing motorists from investing in low-emission cars. The UQ peer-reviewed research, published in the Springer Nature Energy journal, included the results of four surveys, the first of which asked non-electric vehicles drivers for their opinions about false information about the cars. Despite the untruthful claims, more than one in three Australians on average went along with the assertions (35 per cent) - slightly lower than the average across all four nations (36 per cent). Incorrect statements that EVs were more likely to catch fire than petrol or diesel cars gained the highest acceptance from Australians surveyed (47 per cent), while 44 per cent also believed EV batteries were deliberately non-upgradeable. ADVERTISEMENT Other claims about manufacturing outweighing the lower emissions of electric cars (35 per cent) and EV accidents being under-reported (26 per cent) were also concerning, University of Queensland environmental psychologist and co-author Chris Bretter said. "We know this sort of false information is out there and circulating but the scale of acceptance is concerning and poses a significant challenge to the global transition to more sustainable transport," he added. The findings come days after NRMA released a report, prepared by Ipsos, that found two in three Australians remained concerned about electric vehicle battery fires and safety despite low incident reports. Eight electric vehicle fires have been reported in Australia to November 2024, according to EV Firesafe, including one with an unknown cause. with AAP Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Kennesaw State architecture students bring eco-centered design to global stage in Italy KENNESAW, Ga. | Jun 11, 2025 A group of Kennesaw State University architecture students is gaining international attention for its nature-focused designs as part of a global exhibition in Italy exploring sustainable practices in the built environment. The installation titled Design for the Shared Environment, is featured in the Time Space Existence exhibition, an event aligned with the Venice Architecture Biennale and one of the most prestigious platforms in global design. The exhibition, hosted by the European Cultural Center through November 23, showcases work from world-renowned institutions like Harvard University, Columbia University, and ETH Zurich. The project originated in a Fall 2024 focus studio led by Kathryn Bedette, professor and associate dean in KSUs College of Architecture and Construction Management. The studio explored posthumanist design, a concept that encourages students to consider the built environment from the perspective of all living species. This studio allowed students to consider how buildings interact with the full biosphere, not just human occupants, Bedette said. It was about imagining architecture as something that engages with all forms of life. Students conducted research at the KSU Field Station, selecting specific plant, animal, or fungal species to design for, treating them as co-clients alongside human users. Their challenge was to create architecture that coexists with, rather than disrupt, existing ecosystems. The international recognition highlights not only the strength of the students work, but also the colleges broader commitment to sustainable and socially responsive design. This international recognition reflects the depth of creativity and critical thinking we cultivate in our students, said Hazem Rashed-Ali, dean of the College of Architecture and Construction Management. It underscores our commitment to preparing future architects who can lead in addressing the worlds most pressing environmental challenges. The work of ten students was selected for the international exhibit, including Stephanie Les B-Hive a system designed to support the endangered rusty patched bumble bee. I used UV-visible patterns to help each bee recognize its own hive, Le said. It may seem like a small detail, but it shows that architecture can be thoughtful and precise, even for something as small as a bee. Robinson Badell-Garcias design explored how architecture could reflect movement and temporality, using bridges and research zones that responded to the motion of species across the site. The building became a breathing catalyst for life rather than an empty husk, he said. We designed it to be vulnerable to natures long-term influence. Lindsey Garcia focused on integrating materiality and environmental rhythms into the spatial framework. We wanted to create a space that coexists with nature, not one that dominates it, she said. Using materials like rammed earth allowed us to reflect the passage of time. The final design felt more like a living system than a finished product. For Abigail Yeagley, who centered her design on pollinator navigation, the experience revealed how even small ecological insights could inspire architectural choices. It taught me that architecture can impact more than we often consider, in both subtle and profound ways, she said. The studio continued into the spring semester through a directed study course, where selected students refined their designs, developed exhibit materials, and prepared their work for international display. This process introduced them to professional standards of production and exhibition design. Participating in a professional exhibition like this pushes students to elevate their work, Bedette said. They produced projects that are not only academically rigorous, but also relevant to global conversations. Curators and guest have praised the exhibits originality and the diversity of perspectives it presented around the theme of shared environments. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, Bedette said. Each project interprets the central theme differently with students creating a breadth of approaches to designing for the shared environment. Story by Raynard Churchwell Photo provided Related Stories A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The universitys vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu. Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - A video has emerged showing a young Kenyan lady, visibly intoxicated, at a dingy drinking den, highlighting the growing crisis of alcohol and substance abuse among the countrys youth. The pretty lady, believed to be in her early twenties, appears to be under the influence of both alcohol and possibly drugs. In the video, she is seen attempting to hold a conversation with a man nearby, and despite her state, she expresses a desire to settle down and start a family. I want to get a man and settle down, she says with a smile. However, the man responds bluntly, questioning her readiness for marriage in such a state. Who will marry you in this drunken stupor? he asks. The exchange, though lighthearted in tone, has sparked serious conversations online about the growing challenges facing Kenyas youth, particularly with regard to alcohol and drug abuse. Watch the video. A beautiful Kenyan LADY captured on camera at a dingy drinking den while heavily intoxicated as alcoholism and drug abuse take a toll on Kenyan youth pic.twitter.com/uZhVdxDxyo DAILY POST (@dailypost_ke) June 11, 2025 The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - Nairobi Anti-terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) detectives have apprehended a fraudster who posed as one of their own, swindling an unsuspecting Ethiopian refugee based in Nairobi over Sh3 million under the pretence that he could assist him in acquiring Kenyan citizenship. The suspect, Rev. Richard Macharia Njuguna, affiliated with the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA) in Juja Farm under the Thika South Diocese of Kiambu County, was arrested at the Overstone Hotel in Ruiru area along the Eastern Bypass, following a complaint lodged at the Capitol Hill Police Station in Nairobi. The case was subsequently transferred to the ATPU for thorough investigation. Investigations have since revealed that between December 20, 2024, and February 12, 2025, Rev. Njuguna, posing as an Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) officer attached to the Directorate of Immigration Services, cunningly duped the refugee into believing he could facilitate the acquisition of Kenyan citizenship, fraudulently obtaining a total of Sh3,030,500 in the process. Following his arrest, detectives searched Njuguna's residence in Kahawa West and his vehicle. The search led to the recovery of incriminating evidence including a variety of documents and wooden stamps allegedly belonging to several institutions, such as the Chief Magistrate in Nairobi, Kenya Immigration Officer at JKIA, Immigration Control in Busia, the Embassy of the Republic of Kenya in Somalia, and the Ministry of Lands Head Office, among others. Currently, Rev. Richard Njuguna remains in custody, where he is undergoing processing pending his arraignment. Meanwhile, the seized items and his vehicle are being detained as exhibits in the ongoing investigation. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - A disturbing video has emerged showing a police officer in Nakuru kicking a moving boda boda carrying two female passengers, causing a serious accident that has drawn outrage on social media. The incident occurred during demonstrations in Nakurus London Estate, where protesters engaged anti-riot police in running battles throughout the day. The video, which has since gone viral, shows the motorbike approaching a police line as tear gas fills the air. Without any visible provocation, one of the officers suddenly moves forward and kicks the moving motorcycle. The rider instantly loses control, and the boda boda veers off the road before crashing violently. In the footage, the two female passengers are seen scrambling to their feet, clearly shaken. However, the male rider remains motionless on the ground, appearing to be seriously injured. The officers at the scene continue to fire tear gas canisters and appear unmoved as the victims writhe in pain. The incident has sparked condemnation from Kenyans online, with many calling for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the officers involved. Watch the video. Look at what Kiganjo D (minus) idiots did to a bodaboda rider in London Nakuru pic.twitter.com/XfmBByZ3Hn The Government Critic (@magwaz3) June 10, 2025 The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - Kileleshwa MCA, Robert Alai, has strongly condemned the online harassment and targeting of children of public officials, terming it a dangerous and unacceptable trend. In a statement posted on social media on Wednesday, Alai expressed deep concern over the rising wave of online attacks involving children of Government figures, amid heightened political tensions. "My heart sinks as I write this. As someone who has been a tech blogger, fought for digital rights, and now serves as MCA, Im deeply troubled by what Im seeing online," Alai wrote. He cited the specific case of Ryan Kimutai Lagat, son of Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat, whose personal details, including phone number and student ID, were leaked online. "This is a child. Social media should never be a platform for doxxing or cyberbullying, and this must stop immediately," he stated. Alai pointed to constitutional protections under Articles 27, 31, and 53, as well as laws like the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (2018) and the Data Protection Act (2019), all of which he said were being blatantly ignored. He criticized law enforcement for failing to respond to the threats, warning that inaction was enabling a culture of online mob justice that threatens national cohesion. Alai confirmed he has formally written to the Inspector General of Police, Data Protection Commissioner, DCI, Communications Authority, and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, demanding swift enforcement of laws to protect minors from digital abuse. The police must act now. Children, including those of officials who support President Ruto, should never be punished for their parents positions, he said. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - The Controller of Budget (CoB), Margaret Nyakango, has revealed that the government requested over Ksh523 million to fund ODM leader Raila Odingas unsuccessful bid for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship. In her National Government Budget Implementation Review Report for the Financial Year 2024/2025, Nyakango disclosed that the National Treasury allocated Ksh523.8 million to the State Department for Foreign Affairs in November 2024 for Railas campaign. However, in February 2025, her office only approved Ksh216.2 million of the requisted amount. Nyakango clarified that although Treasury had approved the full Ksh523.8 million, only Ksh216.2 million was formally requested and subsequently authorized for use. Railas high-profile bid for the AUC top seat ended in defeat to Djiboutis Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, despite Kenyas vigorous lobbying that involved President Ruto and over 100 MPs attending the January 2025 summit in Addis Ababa. In the aftermath, concerns were raised over the campaigns cost, with Juja MP, George Koimburi, controversially claiming Ksh13 billion had been spent. Raila dismissed the figure as exaggerated, saying the Government only provided logistical support for his international travels. I don't know which world these guys live in or whether they even understand what a billion means, Raila stated. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - Nairobi Woman Representative, Esther Passaris, has sparked outrage online after publicly defending Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat, who is under fire over the death of Albert Ojwang in police custody. Ojwang was arrested in Homa Bay for allegedly defaming Lagat and later transferred to Nairobi, where he died under mysterious circumstances. Police initially claimed he had inflicted fatal injuries on himself by banging his head against a cell wall. However, an autopsy has contradicted that narrative, revealing Ojwang died from torture and strangulation, fueling calls for Lagats resignation. In a tweet responding to political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi, who speculated that rogue officers may have been used to frame Lagat, Passaris defended the embattled police boss. She claimed that she was with Lagat and he appeared genuinely shocked upon receiving news of Ojwangs death, suggesting he had no prior knowledge of the incident. Passaris comments have drawn sharp criticism online, with many Kenyans accusing her of being insensitive and prematurely absolving Lagat before investigations are complete. See the post and reactions below. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen came under intense pressure in the Senate on Wednesday, June 11th, as lawmakers demanded accountability over the death of blogger Albert Ojwang at Central Police Station. While appearing before the Senate, Murkomen told lawmakers that he had no constitutional authority to identify those responsible for Ojwangs death, stating that only investigative agencies hold that mandate. Unfortunately, the Constitution did not give me the eyes to see who is culpable. Those eyes have been given to investigative authorities, Murkomen said. However, his remarks infuriated Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, who called for Murkomens immediate resignation. You have the audacity to come before Parliament and say you dont see and dont know? For the respect of this young man - you are not fit for that docket. Resign immediately, Khalwale said, referencing Ojwang, who was 31 at the time of his death. Ojwang, a digital activist, died in custody on June 8th after being arrested over post on X about DIG Eliud Lagat. Police claimed he hit his head against a wall, but a postmortem found blunt-force trauma and neck compression injuries consistent with assault. Meanwhile, President William Ruto has strongly condemned the incident, calling it tragic and unacceptable, and urged investigative agencies to act swiftly to ensure justice is served. Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has disclosed that the X (formerly Twitter) account linked to deceased blogger Albert Ojwang was operated under the handle Pixel Pioneer. Appearing before the Senate on Wednesday, June 11th, Kanja said the account had amassed over 13,000 followers and was behind posts alleging corruption within the National Police Service. According to Kanja, one post accused Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat of placing loyal officers at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Occurrence Book desks, and traffic shifts to control intelligence flow and revenue streams. "The post claimed that he was involved in corruption within the NPS. Specifically, the published information alleged that Lagat has strategically placed his most trusted officers in charge of the DCI books desk and traffic shifts in order to control both revenue streams and intelligence flow," Kanja said. Another viral post alleged that Lagat was under investigation by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for purchasing a $2.6 million home in Dubai, labelling him Mafia Police. "EACC investigating top cop after purchase of $2.6 million home in Dubai, accompanied by Lagat's image and the headline "Eliud Lagat mafia police". Kanja told the Senate that DIG Lagat, feeling defamed, lodged a complaint with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, triggering investigations under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018. DCI Director Mohammed Amin assigned the case to the Cybercrime Unit. Investigators wrote to the EACC and the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) to verify the claims and identify the account holders. On June 4th, CA confirmed the Pixel Pioneer account was active. The following day, EACC denied any ongoing investigation into Lagat. Further analysis linked another X account, Kevin Moishyleez, to the same defamation campaign. This led investigators to two suspects: Albert Ojwang and Kevin Moinde. Moinde was arrested in Kisii on June 5th, and Ojwang in Homa Bay on June 7th and transferred to Nairobi where he died in police custody. Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - President William Ruto has addressed the death of blogger Albert Ojwang while in police custody, describing it as "heartbreaking, unfortunate and unacceptable." In a statement issued on Wednesday, the President strongly rebuked the conduct of police officers involved, noting that any negligence or criminal actions that contributed to Ojwang's death must be held to account. This tragic occurrence, at the hands of the police, is unacceptable. I strongly condemn the actions and omissions, including any negligence or outright criminality, that may have contributed to his untimely death, read the statement. Ruto reminded members of the National Police Service (NPS) of their duty to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals once they are in custody. When police officers take a person into custody, they assume a tremendous responsibility for that persons safety, security and welfare, he stated. He called on the NPS to uphold professionalism, warning that misconduct erodes public trust. The NPS must rise to the challenge of combating crime while also eliminating misconduct within its ranks. They are custodians of public security and must maintain credibility in the eyes of the people, Ruto said. The President urged full cooperation with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and called for a transparent and speedy investigation into Ojwangs death. He appealed to the public to avoid rushing to judgment and expressed confidence that justice would be served. Ojwang died on June 8th while in custody at Central Police Station. Police had initially claimed that he succumbed to self-inflicted injuries after banging his head on the cell wall but a postmortem confirmed he had been tortured and strangled. The Kenyan DAILY POST A very 'clever' owl's performance in Queensland last week has highlighted an increase in incidents of birds getting trapped in large retail stores. Staff at an Officeworks in Queensland called for help last week after they made a concerning discovery. Source: Keith Porteous/The Wildlife Rescuer A call from concerned staff at an Officeworks store has triggered a three-day rescue mission after a surprise visitor was spotted chucking laps around the stores roof. Employees were stunned to discover one morning last week that a boobook owl had also decided to clock in at the Maroochydore venue, in Queensland. Hoping the bird would realise his error and head home, they placed a bowl of water on the ground in a bid to keep him comfortable. But as the owl continued to flap his wings metres above their heads, staff realised they needed proper help. Enter Keith Porteous, otherwise known online as The Wildlife Rescuer. After arriving at the Officeworks, the Sunshine Coast local told Yahoo News he tried to catch the owl as it slept during the day but it was too clever for that. The following day he tried to lure the boobook down with mealworms and mice, but it wouldn't budge. ADVERTISEMENT He wasnt coming down at all. I think because the store had the lights on 24 hours, and the bird being nocturnal, it was totally spun out by that, Porteous said. The factor that concerned me most is, like all big stores, they lay baits for rodents, so there was a high possibility it might pick up one of those in the store. So I was quite keen to get it out as quickly as possible. Owl stuck in Officeworks rescued after three days Finally, after eluding Porteous for three days, the owl, which had likely chased his dinner into the warehouse, was captured with the help of an extremely fine net that is virtually invisible to the bird. Its such an unnatural place, with very, very high ceilings and very, very low doors, and the doors are glass as well, so the birds cant understand that. So they get their way in there, and they just cant navigate their way out, the rescuer told Yahoo. ADVERTISEMENT Video footage shows Porteous repeatedly trying to catch the owl as it flaps across the rows of shelves, before gently retrieving it with the large net. After cutting off the netting in the stores locker room, he found the bird was healthy and released it in the carpark. Keith Porteous said he's seen a huge increase in call-outs for birds stuck in stores this year, but he's unsure why. Source: Keith Porteous/The Wildlife Rescuer Rescuer sees huge jump in call-outs for birds stuck in stores While one of the great perks of living in Australia is being able to observe its distinct wildlife, such incidents appear to be occurring more frequently. Last year Bunnings shoppers shared concerns for the welfare of a barn owl flying around a shop in Melbournes west. Earlier this year, two Coles stores were visited by curious magpies, one of which frequented a Canberra supermarket for a month. Usually, Porteous responds to two to three call-outs for birds stuck in stores a year. In the past six months he has completed 10 to 12 rescues. Over the last few years I have done quite a lot, but its stepped up a heap this year compared to others, he told Yahoo. ADVERTISEMENT However Porteous said he wasnt sure if the increase was due to it occurring more often, or if locals were simply more familiar with his work and know he can handle such situations. Other wildlife rescuers have also noted a jump in the number of birds getting caught in shops, with Nigel Williamson previously telling Yahoo it seems to be happening more and more often. Ive been getting birds out of supermarkets for 40 years now, but it does seem to me that Im doing more and more of them as time goes on," he said in March. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - The investigation into the death of blogger Albert Ojwang has taken a dramatic turn after the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) revealed that CCTV footage from the OCSs office at Central Police Station had been tampered with. IPOA Deputy Chairperson, Ann Wanjiku, made the revelation on Wednesday, June 11th, while appearing before the Senate. She confirmed that IPOA only became aware of Ojwangs death through media reports and a police signal issued by Inspector General Douglas Kanja. Our investigations uncovered that CCTV systems in the OCS' office had been interfered with, Wanjiku told Senators. The tampering has raised serious concerns about the integrity of police accounts of Ojwangs final hours in custody. Wanjiku also confirmed that five officers were involved in the arrest, including three police commanders and two sergeants. Ojwang was arrested in Homa Bay County at around 2:30 p.m. on June 7th, taken to Mawego Police Station, and later transferred to Central Police Station in Nairobi, where he was booked at 9:31 p.m. The Senate session turned tense as lawmakers expressed outrage over the CCTV tampering. Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua demanded clarity on where Ojwang was booked in Nairobi and whether he was in good health upon arrival. Who interfered with the CCTV cameras? This is a serious concern, Wambua said. Nominated Senator Veronica Waheti questioned the absence of backup footage at a high-security facility like Central Police Station. Meanwhile, President Ruto has strongly rebuked the conduct of police officers involved, noting that any negligence or criminal actions that contributed to Ojwang's death must be held to account. This tragic occurrence, at the hands of the police, is unacceptable. I strongly condemn the actions and omissions, including any negligence or outright criminality, that may have contributed to his untimely death, read the statement. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - A tragic incident unfolded at State House, Nairobi, after a highly trained GSU (General Service Unit) officer lost his life while attempting to rescue a 2-year-old boy who had fallen into an abandoned quarry filled with water within the compound and drowned. Reports indicate that the boy had wandered near the unsecured quarry when he accidentally slipped and fell into the deep water. The GSU officer, whose identity has not yet been officially released, rushed to the scene in a heroic attempt to save the child. Unfortunately, he drowned and died during the rescue operation. The child he was trying to rescue also tragically lost his life. A video shared on X by a local journalist shows the scene where the tragic incident happened. State House is yet to issue a statement on the incident that occurred on Sunday. Tragedy at RUTOs official residence: A well-trained GSU officer dies while trying to save a 2-year-old boy who drowned in an abandoned quarry at State House pic.twitter.com/abxNKlyIkc DAILY POST (@dailypost_ke) June 11, 2025 The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - The United States Embassy in Kenya has voiced concern over the death of 31-year-old influencer and teacher Albert Ojwang, who died in police custody under suspicious circumstances. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Embassy became the first foreign mission to publicly comment on the incident, backing widespread calls for a transparent and independent investigation. It urged the Kenyan Government to ensure the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is fully supported in its efforts. The Embassy of the United States of America extends our condolences to the family and loved ones of Albert Ojwang during this time of mourning, the statement read. Noting concerns around the circumstances of Ojwangs death, the Embassy supports calls from government, parliamentarians, and Kenyan citizens for accountability through a transparent investigation. It continued: The Embassy urges the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to conduct its ongoing investigation swiftly and thoroughly. We also call on the Kenyan government to ensure IPOA has the access and support needed to perform its duties. Earlier, President William Ruto strongly condemned the police conduct in the case, describing Ojwangs death as tragic and unacceptable. Ojwang, a teacher and digital activist, was arrested on June 7th in Homa Bay and transported to Central Police Station in Nairobi where he died while in custody. While police initially claimed he sustained fatal self-inflicted injuries, a postmortem revealed he was tortured and strangled. Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - A dramatic standoff unfolded in Nakurus London Estate after a man was captured on camera fearlessly charging at police officers while armed with a panga during a protest. In the now-viral video, the unidentified man is seen dragging the machete on the ground, taunting the officers and shouting defiantly as tensions ran high. The confrontation occurred during a clash between security forces and local demonstrators after cops shot dead a man in the area. In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, one of the officers fired a teargas canister towards the man. Despite the crowd control measure, the man continued advancing toward the police line, shouting Endeni huko (Get away from here), undeterred by the gas or the threat of force. The incident has since sparked heated debate online, with many Kenyans expressing concern over the growing strain between citizens and law enforcement. While some praised the mans bravery, others condemned the act as reckless and dangerous, highlighting the need for calm and accountability on both sides. Watch the video. Watch the moment a daring man wielding a panga charged at the police in Nakuru during demos pic.twitter.com/esSBGVKNKK DAILY POST (@dailypost_ke) June 11, 2025 The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - Kitui Central MP and Wiper legislator, Makali Mulu, has accused President William Rutos administration of manipulating the 2025/2026 budget to bolster his 2027 re-election prospects at the expense of key public sectors. Speaking to Citizen TV on Wednesday, Mulu faulted the National Assemblys Budget and Appropriations Committee for prioritizing political survival over public interest, citing glaring cuts in education, health, and social services. This is an Executive-driven budget. Most allocations are designed to support Government visibility ahead of elections rather than improve the lives of Kenyans, Mulu claimed. He expressed concern over heavy funding towards the Presidency, which has been allocated Ksh.11 billion in recurrent expenditure, while only Ksh.4 billion has been set aside for hiring staff under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) program - half of the required Ksh.8 billion. The MP further decried cuts to the Teachers Service Commission (Ksh.570 million), university education (Ksh.920 million), and secondary education capitation (Ksh.5 billion), arguing these reductions directly harm ordinary citizens. Meanwhile, the National Police Service is set to receive an additional Ksh.1.8 billion, including Ksh.800 million for police operations. Mulu urged the Government to instead boost private sector investment and job creation. The National Assembly will debate the estimates ahead of Treasury CS John Mbadis official budget presentation. Updated: There are mounting calls for Victoria's government to publicly release documents that led to its decision to shoot koalas from helicopters. At Victoria's budget estimates, there have been repeated calls for the government to release more information about the shooting of over 1,000 koalas. Source: AAP/Jessica Robertson Three months after an Australian state authorised a plan to shoot over 1,000 koalas after a bushfire scorched their national park habitat, a fiery clash over what led to the decision has erupted. At Victorias budget estimates late on Tuesday, the state government was grilled for seven minutes about the lethal program carried out at Budj Bim National Park. It was repeatedly asked when it would publicly release documents that led to the world-first decision to kill the marsupials using shooters in helicopters. John Bradley, the secretary of the Environment Department (DEECA), justified the aerial shooting plan, saying a veterinary expert plan that was peer reviewed judged it to be the most humane response following a "rigorous process". But the Deputy Chair, the Liberal's Nick McGowan hit back, quipping that if being shot from a helicopter was doing the koalas a favour then he wouldnt want any favours from the department. To be frank with you, it does sound like gobbledygook. And what's more, it sounds medieval, McGowan said of DEECAs explanation of the so-called cull. ADVERTISEMENT How anyone with a shotgun from a helicopter can make these kinds of split-second assessments in killing and culling koalas seems to me somewhat barbaric. Related: Fear for joeys as Australia guns down hundreds of koalas from helicopters Nick McGowan (pictured) called on the Victorian government to release internal documents that led to the shooting of koalas from helicopters. Source: AAP Minister explains reason for aerial shooting of koalas During the session, Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos explained that only 13 per cent of Budj Bim was accessible on foot due to the topography and the risk of falling trees. At this point McGowan chided him, saying, Its not Mount Everest were talking about here. Due to the extraordinary circumstances following the bushfire, Dimopoulos maintained it was better to complete health checks from helicopters than on the ground. The people who briefed me in the department over multiple meetings [said] you could get a better view of a koala from a helicopter because they're at the top of the tree, than you could at the bottom of the undulating ground looking up at the tree canopy, Dimopoulos said. ADVERTISEMENT So it was actually all done in the interest of actually assessing the koala better. And while it sounds interesting, the helicopter was flying very, very low to the canopy, and that way it was more effective. During regular health assessments of koalas at Budj Bim, its normal practice to bring them to the ground, according to a source who has worked on the program. But this year, DEECA took expert advice following the extraordinary situation which made access to the park difficult to stop koalas from suffering. Of the 2,219 koalas assessed, 1,091 were examined from the ground and 1,128 from the air. In total 1,061 (48 per cent) were euthanised. Of those shot from helicopters, the bodies of 14 were recovered. And during the operation, one was taken into care for treatment. Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos (pictured) revealed why DEECA thought assessments from the air were preferable from those on the ground. Source: AAP Public kept in dark over koala culling decision According to Bradley, an assessment of the "euthanasia" operation found DEECA "had been successful in humanely euthanising fire-impacted koalas in areas of the park that were not safely or readily accessible by foot and that would otherwise have been left to suffer unnecessarily." ADVERTISEMENT In ordinary circumstances, scientists usually release peer-reviewed research. But the killing of koalas at Budj Bim was conducted without public scrutiny until Yahoo News was given a tip-off and began asking questions of DEECA. Several wildlife agencies were aware of the program, but later said they were unaware of its scale. As the operation continued, DEECA responded to questions from Yahoo about how many koalas were being euthanised and what methods were being used with open, frank and detailed answers. But now politicians and critics of the program face a new challenge. Three months after the operation began, the government has dodged requests to publicly release documents relating to why it was necessary to shoot the koalas from helicopters in the first place. Another pressing argument for them to do so is that the Victorian state government claims the operation was a success. Because of this, many wildlife advocates are concerned DEECA could authorise aerial culling of wildlife again something they oppose. During budget estimates, the government was asked on three occasions when the full veterinary reports and operational data from that aerial koala cull would be released for independent scrutiny. It did not commit to doing so during the session. Concerns turn to koalas living around national park Described as "euthanasia" by DEECA, and a "cull" by some ecologists and critics, the operation lasted from March 14 to April 25, and eventual publicity sparked fierce debate, making international headlines. ADVERTISEMENT While koalas are federally listed as endangered in Queensland, ACT and NSW, the populations in Victoria and South Australia are considered abundant. During budget estimates, Dimopoulos described Victoria's population as "healthy" but said there was "over-population" in locations including Budj Bim, which caused a "problem" for koalas as they were already "stressed". According to experts with knowledge of the region and koalas, the problem has been caused by the logging of eucalypt plantations that surround the national park. When trees are cut down, koalas that live in them have nowhere to go except for Budj Bim. After the government "euthanised" the 1,061 koalas, wildlife advocates called for it to halt timber harvesting in the surrounding area. It is yet to commit to doing so. More than 5,000 people have signed a petition calling for an inquiry into the bluegum industry and its impact on koalas. DEECA set to release more information about Budj Bim response Following publication of this article, Yahoo was contacted by DEECA about its intentions to release more information in relation to Budj Bim. It's understood that operational documents related to its wildlife emergency response will be made available following its review of the operation. "The decision to humanely euthanise was not taken lightly and was made on animal welfare grounds to end the suffering of wildlife. Wildlife that were assessed as healthy and not in a critical condition were left in their habitat," it said in a statement. "DEECA proactively engaged with wildlife groups, local carers and other stakeholders throughout the incident to ensure the response is guided by expert advise and the Koala health welfare is the highest priority.' Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories. The two friends, from Western Australia, had been prospecting for decades. But their luck struck twice when they uncovered this whopping haul recently. The nugget found at Sandstone, weighing 895 grams, is valued at a whopping $161,000. Source: PerthNow/Shire of Sandstone Council A pair of "good mates" in the country's west are reportedly now more than $160,000 richer after unearthing multiple large gold nuggets during a single prospecting mission. James Allison, Amalgamated Prospectors and Leaseholders Association of Western Australia's president, said the two men were trying their luck at Sandstone, a small town some 400km north-west of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, when they uncovered serious treasure recently. Allison told the Kalgoorlie Miner the two men had been prospecting for decades, but at the end of May, they came across a one-ounce nugget worth more than $5,000. Later that same day, their luck struck again in a big way when their detector picked up a second very promising sound. It prompted the men to dig up another piece buried at about 250mm deep and weighing 895 grams, which at today's values puts it at a whopping $161,000, based on the Perth Mint spot price as of June. Allison said the men celebrated over a beer later that evening and continued to prospect the following day, with the incredible find making front page news on Wednesday. The men made quite the splash with their 'jackpot' find. Source: Kalgoorlie Miner/Facebook Is there still more gold to be found by amateurs in Australia? It's certainly not the first time dedicated Aussies have hit the jackpot prospecting in the outback lately. ADVERTISEMENT Tyler Mahoney, also from Kalgoorlie in WA, is a fourth-generation gold prospector. She sold a mammoth nugget for a cool $9,500 back in January 2024. Tyler, who starred in the reality series Gold Rush, told Yahoo that most of the time it's the "small pieces of gold" she finds that end up paying her wages. Gold prospector Tyler Mahoney found a nugget worth $9,500 in Kalgoorlie last year. Source: Tyler Mahoney Tyler explained that the state's long history of gold mining dates back to the 1880s, with the first gold rush sparked by the discovery of the "Golden Mile" at Kalgoorlie in the 1890s. Sizeable nuggets are "getting harder and harder" to find, she said, meaning that it's exceptionally "lucky" to uncover such large treasures. ADVERTISEMENT Because of this, natural gold nuggets called alluvial gold, which have broken away from their original source can sell for about 30 per cent more than refined gold like bars, coins, or ingots. Thats because theyre rarer and more sought-after by collectors, so they come with a higher price tag. Angus James dug up a five ounce nugget. Source: Supplied And it's not just those in WA who have recently uncovered gold. Last year, Angus James found $20,000 worth of gold in a single day in Victoria. Angus insists working full-time with his metal detector is bringing in more than the average wage. He said there is still a lot of valuable metal waiting to be discovered. So much remains that he's more than happy to share some very specific tips on how to find it. "The Golden Triangle in Victoria is one of the best places to go looking for gold. So, Inglewood, Bendigo, Ballarat have all got places worth searching," he told Yahoo last year. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. A MAN received a six-month prison sentence with a further 12-months suspended for charges relating to sexual acts with a child aged 12 at Naas Circuit Court recently. The accused pleaded to multiple charges, including the defilement of a child under the age of 17 years; use of information and communication technology to facilitate sexual exploitation of a child; sexual assault and meeting a child for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The man, who was 19 at the time, and child, who was 12, began talking through a dating, friends and hookups app called Wink, where the child was pretending to be 19 years old. The two began talking and eventually arranged to meet up on 20 May 2023. Both the man and the child met at Heuston Station in Dublin, before going to the cinema, and later making their way to the accuseds family home at a location in Kildare. The court heard that the accused was only made aware that the child was not the age she had posed as online during the date, when the victim told the accused she was 16. However, the man would later tell gardai he knew her true age. Later that evening, at the accuseds home where he resides with family, he and the 12-year-old child engaged in sexual intercourse, before she stayed overnight. Meanwhile, the victims family contacted gardai which prompted a missing persons investigation. The accused claimed that he wasnt aware that her parents were looking for her, and when he found out he brought her back to Heuston Station where they met the day before. Gardai located the child on 21 May at Heuston Station where they noticed that the child had love bites on her neck. She subsequently disclosed the events that had taken place, which prompted further investigation and a search at the accuseds address, carried out on 24 May 2023, four days after the incident. The accused admitted to gardai that the child had been at his home address and knowing her age. One year later, both the man and child had made contact again through social media and shared sexually explicit images. After this, the two arranged to meet once more. This time, the man drove out of county and met her at a Centra in Mullingar. Prosecutor Jordan Fletcher explained: He drove to a secluded area where (the child) got onto his lap and there was kissing and touching. The accused was on bail when he committed these offences and would have known that his victim was now 14. After this event, the victims parents got in contact once again with gardai. Defending barrister, Michael Bowman, said that man engaged in what he understood to be consensual sex on the first occasion, and explained the feelings of the accused through a statement which indicated he got lost in the moment on the second occasion of meeting up. On some level, they believe they have a relationship, said Mr Bowman. The court heard details of the accuseds upbringing, which involved bullying in primary and secondary school, poor mental health including suicidal thoughts, and a lack of friendships and social life. The man, who is described as a lonely man who psychologically presents younger than his age, should be judged in accordance with his difficult past, Mr Bowman argued. He suggested it might have been the reason he was not willing to let the connection between himself and the victim go. Judge Terence OSullivan said: Its clear that the accused entered into a sexual relationship with the victim believing she was 19, then that she was 16. The problem is that any sex with a 12-year-old is not good for their health and needs to be protected by law. She is entitled to protection of the law. He continued: The difficulty is that a year later theres interaction between them. Knowing her age, he did engage in a sexual way. This man is not a sexual predator in my view. He quickly entered a relationship which was offered to him and that was very attractive to him. He has a difficult background and presents psychologically younger. Speaking about maturity in relation to men and women, Judge OSullivan noted that men often mature at a slower rate than women. Often in their mid-20s they get sense and dont fall into the kind of trap that he did. The defendant was sentenced to a six-month headline sentence on one count which had already been served by the date of sentencing, and a 12-month suspended sentence was imposed on another count. The accused was then directed to enter a bond of good behaviour, which includes paying a bond of 100, keeping probation officers up to date with his address, engaging with the probation service, seeking employment and prosocial activities and maintaining no contact with the victim for a period of three years, until she is of legal age. A Kildare-based stroke survivor is taking on a 100km walking challenge with her dog in aid of the charity that guided her through a health nightmare. In December 2020, Sallins woman Sharon Fitzharris (36) had just been made redundant from her marketing role due to the pandemic, when she experienced a stroke. Next month Sharon will embark on the challenge to raise funds for the Irish Heart Foundation, which has given her ongoing support since. The challenge will see people and dogs across the country complete the walk throughout the month of June. Sharon will take part in the Irish Heart Foundations Walk 100km with your Dog in June challenge alongside Danann, her mini-Dachshund. Danann came into my life as a tiny puppy full of joy after my stroke and made the worst parts of my difficult recovery so much more bearable, she said. Recalling the health emergency, Sharon said she was getting ready to meet friends when she felt a jabbing pain in the left side of her head. She initially thought it was a bad migraine, but after a few days of being on a waiting list with persistent pain, nausea and dizziness, she finally got an appointment with her GP. They recommended I go to A&E for a brain scan, as a precaution, said Sharon. On the way to the hospital, my health began to severely deteriorate and when I arrived, I was incoherent and didn't know my own name. I mixed up my words and was slurring my speech - the receptionist saw the F.A.S.T. [face, arm, speech, time] signs of stroke and I was immediately brought to triage. Sharon was given medication to dissolve a clot and her family were told that she was in a critical condition. She was diagnosed with a stroke, cognitive difficulties, subsequently epilepsy and was told she may never regain her full health. The stroke team at the hospital helped with rehabilitation of her speech, physical capabilities and cognitive abilities. Two weeks later, she was released, heavily medicated and completely dependent on her parents and her siblings. I was feeling isolated and reached out to the Irish Heart Foundation, she said. That is where I met the Stroke Group Coordinators, who have been an amazing support to date. Sharon is now a member of the Irish Heart Foundations Young Stroke Survivors Network and the Peer-to-Peer Support Group. Being involved with the Irish Heart Foundation has given me the opportunity to meet other stroke survivors, take away from the feeling of isolation, share stories and build friendships. I needed people who understood my situation to talk to and to support me and I found this sense of connection with the Irish Heart Foundation. Naas company Manguard Plus has become the first security company in the world to win one of the industrys most prestigious awards for the fourth year in a row. The company which provides security services for some of the biggest companies in the country, took the overall Outstanding Security Company (Guarding) at the OSPAs (Outstanding Security Performance Awards) this year. Manguard Plus, which is Irelands largest privately owned Irish security company, has already won several accolades since the Inaugural OSPAs Awards Ceremony took place in Ireland, including its CEO Sean Hall taking the much-coveted Inaugural OSPA Lifetime Achievement Award. Members of the Manguard team at the awards As well as winning the prestigious overall award once again this year, Manguard Plus also took the Outstanding Female Security Professional which was awarded to Rayssa Rodrigues Vitorio, and the security team contracted to provide services to Workday won the Outstanding Security Team Award. Fresh from the awards, CEO of Manguard Plus, Sean Hall, said he is genuinely humbled and heartened by the many awards the company has won, and that it reinforces its position as the industry leader in Ireland. Rayssa Rodrigues Vitorio won the Outstanding Female Security Professional "Since our inception almost 30 years ago now, we set out to establish Irelands best and most professional security company, and I take huge pride in the fact that we have done exactly that. We have clients who have worked with us since our foundation, we have retained staff for decades, we are continuously upskilling our staff and supporting them in their professional journey, we provide." "Its a huge team effort and I am so conscious of the fact that we really do offer an unrivalled service and always evolving and improving. The OSPA Awards are so important as they are tangible recognition by our peers of our ongoing commitment to excellence, hard work, and continuous improvement across the entire industry. "Our colleagues are the backbone of our operation; their dedication, exacting standards and professionalism make us what we are, and I am immensely proud of them." Naas company, Manguard Plus, is winner of Ireland OSPA's awards for fourth year on the trot He concluded: "Its onwards and upwards for all of us at Manguard Plus and I couldnt be happier with our ongoing successes." Communities in Freshford and Kilkenny City are in mourning today following the sudden death of popular parish priest Monsignor Kieron Kennedy. Msgr Kennedy (74) was the parish priest in Freshford since 2018. He was found dead at home in the parochial house yesterday afternoon, and his body was later removed for a post-mortem. Local councillor and chair of Kilkenny County Council Michael McCarthy paid tribute to him, describing him as 'a very nice man, and a popular priest'. Msgr Kennedy was Episcopal Vicar for Family and Social Affairs for the diocese. The son of a Callan-based garda, a young Kieron Kennedy studied for the priesthood in Rome, where he was director of the Irish Holy Year Office after his ordination in 1974. He had numerous roles in Kilkenny, including in St Canice's Parish, Kilkenny also serving as president of St Kieran's College and the administrator in St Mary's Cathedral with Bishop Seamus Freeman, before his appointment in the Parish of Freshford in October 2018. He remained very involved in different organisations in Kilkenny City, including the local Meals on Wheels distribution service. Funeral details have yet to be announced. READ: RECENT DEATHS IN KILKENNY Kilkenny GAA are hosting a meet and greet in UPMC Nowlan Park at 6.45pm this Wednesday, June 11 as supporters will be given a chance to meet their heroes ahead of the All-Ireland Hurling Semi-Final next month. Derek Lyng's men secured provincial honours for a remarkable sixth year in a row, beating Galway 3-22 to 1-20 in Croke Park. All are welcome to watch the light training session beforehand at 6pm and then meet the hurlers on the pitch from 6.45pm onwards. READ NEXT: 'We got our reward' - Lyng hails Kilkenny squad as they remain top of the Leinster tree Special autograph cards with photos of all our senior hurlers will be available on the night. Entry via Ardan de Gras on the Hebron Road only and gates will open at 5.30pm. "We kindly ask everyone to cooperate with stewards on the night for a safe and enjoyable evening and to remember that Nowlan Park is located in a residential area and we ask everyone to park responsibly," a spokesperson for Kilkenny GAA said. "Lets give our senior hurlers a great welcome and show them your support ahead of the All-Ireland Semi-Final," they added. FOR MORE KILKENNY GAA NEWS, CLICK HERE Windgap will celebrate the summer solstice with a packed weekend of events at ancient sites and other festivities. The solstice will be marked on June 21 which will offer an opportunity to experience the alignment of light at the historic Knockroe passage tomb in the Lingaun Valley. The dawn alignment is scheduled for 8:40am when the first rays of sunlight will illuminate the ancient site and the evening alignment will occur at 3:40pm depending on favourable weather conditions. These alignments, deeply tied to Irelands ancient heritage, provide a glimpse into the ingenuity and spiritual connection of our ancestors within the cycles of nature. The celebration will continue on June 22 at the passage tomb at 5:05am where visitors can gather to watch the sun rise. For early risers, guided walks will depart from several historic landmarks in the parish. READ MORE: Five Kilkenny swimming sites to be open and staffed with lifeguards for summer The departure times are: Killamery, 3:30am; Windgap grotto, Tullahought, Lamogue Ogham Stone, 4:10am; Miners Egg, Slatequarries and Kiltrassy-Castlejohn, 4:30am. To conclude the weekend festivities, Sunday mass will be held outdoors in the Windgap grotto at 12:30pm which will celebrate the solstices themes of light and renewal. Following the mass, attendees are invited to the parochial house for refreshments. As part of the summer solstice weekend, a night of music, song and storytelling will be held at Kilkieran Cottage Barn Venue (E32 N832), from 8pm to 11pm on Saturday, June 21 where admission will be 10 per person. FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS, CLICK HERE The big question everyone is asking. That was how Cllr Ger Frisby summed up public interest over when the entirety of the South-East Greenway will be completed. Speaking at this months meeting of the Piltown Municipal District in Ferrybank, South Kilkenny, Cllr Frisby called for clarity on the projects timeline and the status of its engagement with local landowners. How far away are we from that [opening]? he asked. Hopefully the temporary car park [at Curraghmore] will be up for discussion too. If we were to go permanent, wed want to be engaging with local people. Theres not a lot of works around it to protect landowners on either side, and there are worries about illegal parking locally. A conversation needs to be had. Cllr Fidelis Doherty echoed the call for certainty. She also urged the council to consider keeping the temporary car park at Curraghmore. READ MORE: Latest major appointments confirmed in Local Electoral Area of Kilkenny Sad to think it will be only temporary, she said. Can Curraghmore car park be kept? Is it possible to retain it? Her concerns were shared by Cllr Tomas Breathnach, who said there would be merit in retention of the car park at Curraghmore, with the caveat of consultation. Responding to the points raised, Acting Director of Services Ian Gardner said they would be brought back to the South-East Greenway project team. The South-East Greenway, much of which runs through South Kilkenny, has been under phased development. The meeting heard that the next phase of its opening, a 5.5km section from Ferrybank to Curraghmore, is due to open this quarter, but that a date hadn't been set yet. Snagging is ongoing with minor finishing works (including signage and boundary fencing requirements for opening) being actioned. Creative Ireland funding has also been received for a wall mural on concrete screen fencing in Ferrybank and the design for same is currently under review by Kilkenny County Council with a view to completion prior to greenway opening. SEE ALSO: A few bangs prompt safety fears on Kilkenny road famous for deer crossings The Project Landowner Liaison Officer is continuing to engage with landowners adjoining the greenway in relation to boundary treatment and crossing points for the remaining lots of the greenway. Of the 24 kilometres of greenway, some 14 kilometres are now completed or substantially completed. Fehily Timoney and Company Ltd continue to advance the detail design on the remaining sections of the greenway. FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS, CLICK HERE Councils claim they can simply chop down large trees and plant new ones. But is the claim often too good to be true? Inner West Council plans to cut down this tree and plant new ones, but a leading expert warns it will take decades for them to grow large enough to replace it. Source: Pete Bowen An Australian council has slapped a notice on a towering gum tree, informing residents of its intention to cut it down. Like other local governments around the country, Sydney's Inner West Council intends to plant replacement trees when the yellow bloodwood is gone, but a leading planning expert warns this seemingly sensible solution often contains one key flaw. "Sadly, it takes decades for trees to grow big enough to provide habitat," Professor Sarah Bekessy said. Bekessy is a professor of sustainability and urban planning at RMIT and a lead councillor at the Biodiversity Council, and shes been working with colleagues to find "clever ways" of maintaining old trees in urban environments. The problem of managing large trees in suburban areas is confounding councils around Australia, and often the simplest solution is to get a quote from an arborist and chop it down. But as Waverley and Randwick councils in Sydney's east recently discovered, chopping down beloved street trees often infuriates the residents theyre charged with servicing. ADVERTISEMENT The tree the Inner West Council wants to cut down is located in Leichhardt on a street dominated by mid-story natives, making the large eucalypt an anomaly. Photos indicate it is surrounded by a footpath and road with no shrubs or grasses underneath, meaning locals are likely to walk underneath it. Randwick council previously backed down on a plan to axe a beloved 24-metre-high tree. Source: Supplied Council declares tree a 'serious risk' to public Social media has been running hot with debate about the Leichhardt tree. One said the eucalypt was simply "existing" and the plan to cut it down was "nonsense". Other residents agreed with council, with one declaring it looked "way too big for the street and pavement". "If a qualified arborist said it's unsafe and then council ignored this advice, then there'd be some explaining to do," another added. ADVERTISEMENT The notice on the tree indicates the decision was made because it's damaging infrastructure and dropping limbs. When Yahoo News asked for more information, council responded with a short statement explaining it was a danger to the public. "This tree is being removed due to safety concerns. Between 2019 and 2024, the tree has dropped three limbs and poses a serious risk to the public," it said. "To balance the need to uphold safety and increasing the canopy, the Inner West continues to plant more than 1,000 trees each year." US-tech company Honeywell backed down on a plan to remove a 400-year-old tree in Melbourne. Source: James Shugg Expert's simple solution that's helping other councils save trees While Bekessy doesn't want to dismiss the danger the tree could pose, she notes in many situations there are simple, low-cost solutions to keeping the public and vehicles out of harm's way. ADVERTISEMENT "No one wants to be bumped on the head by a branch, but one of the things that we've been doing with councils is planting out underneath trees," she said. "A prickly mid-story of plants happens to be absolutely fabulous habitat for birds and insects. But it also makes it very unlikely that someone's going to want to sit there or park a car there." A similar solution was suggested after US-tech company Honeywell said it needed to cut down a 400-year-old tree because of the danger it posed to people walking to the building recently constructed next door. It ultimately found a way to save the tree. Whether Inner West Council explored this option remains a mystery, as it did not respond directly to questions from Yahoo about this matter. And it's possible local authorities have no choice but to remove the tree. ADVERTISEMENT It's also unclear whether it has investigated what sorts of wildlife will lose their habitat when it is felled, or what species of replacement trees will take its place. Speaking generally about mature trees, Bekessy said they "punch above their weight" when it comes to providing health and wellbeing benefits to residents. "It's time we started seeing green infrastructure as legitimate infrastructure. Sometimes it needs to be managed so it's not damaging other infrastructure, but we can't trade them off each other. We need to work out better designs to enable both to exist," she said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories. The Lakeshore Chorale, based in Wisconsin, USA, will perform a free concert in Kilkenny City on Sunday, June 22 at 5.30pm. The ensemble, known for its eclectic repertoire and long-standing commitment to choral excellence, is embarking on a tour of Ireland and has chosen Kilkenny as one of its stops. Audiences can expect a rich mix of sacred and classical music, including works by Bruckner, Victoria, and Elgar. READ MORE: Kilkenny garda warning as new piece of kit hitting the streets is unveiled Picture: Lakeshore Chorale The programme includes Locust Iste by Bruckner, Just As I Am by Brad Nix, Mirabile Mysterium by Victoria, As Torrents in Summer by Elgar, Might Lord, Thy Faithfulness Abideth Ever by Lotti, Soon Ah Will Be Done by William Dawson, and Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain by Joseph Shabala. READ NEXT: Kilkenny survive Galway scare to secure sixth Leinster crown in a row The concert is free and open to the public, with all encouraged to attend what promises to be a memorable musical experience. The Lakeshore Chorale is one of the oldest independent choral organisations in Wisconsin. SEE ALSO: New Book on Irish WW1 soldiers to launch in Kilkenny this week The Herald reports: The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has confirmed Adrian Orr resigned as Governor as he wanted more funding for the central bank than the Government was willing to provide. The bank said in a statement released under the Official Information Act that its board chaired by Neil Quigley conceded a lesser amount of funding was fine. This led to Mr Orrs personal decision that he had achieved all he could as Governor of the Reserve Bank and could not continue in that role with significantly less funding than he thought was viable for the organisation, the RBNZ said. Mr Orr and Professor Quigley entered discussions which led to Mr Orrs decision to resign. The matter was distressing for Mr Orr. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Some sunshine with a thunderstorm or two possible this afternoon. High around 85F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On June 11, ONTIME DATA and the Datong Municipal Data Bureau held a strategic cooperation signing ceremony, marking the official launch of the former's Datong base. The new facility, established to meet surging business demand, is a high-standard data annotation center that will leverage Datong's ambition to become a national hub for data labeling. Supported by local authorities, the Datong base will significantly expand ONTIME DATA's production capacity and enhance its ability to serve the development of new quality productive forces across industries. Photo credit: ONTIME Under the agreement, the two parties will collaborate to advance Datong city's data industry by drawing on their respective strengths. ONTIME DATA plans to build a professional annotation team of more than 500 people at the Datong base, with over 200 staff members in the initial phase. In line with Datong's industrial support policies, the Datong Municipal Data Bureau will assist ONTIME DATA in integrating into the local data services ecosystem and provide a favorable environment for the base's operations. Data, a foundational pillar of AI development, is gaining strategic importance. Data annotation, which enhances data aggregation, quality, and utility, is emerging as a core enabler in artificial intelligence and a priority area for development nationwide. As one of the first cities selected by the National Data Administration to build a dedicated data annotation hub, Datong is capitalizing on its stable, low-cost, high-quality electricity infrastructure and the national "Eastern Data and Western Computing" strategy to become a center of computing power. The city is positioning itself as a key AI services hub for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and has already attracted major players such as JD.com, ByteDance, and Qinhuai Data to develop local operations focused on data and computing, gradually forming a significant cluster of AI industry activity. ONTIME DATA is the full-stack AI data production, service, and management solution launched by ONTIME. It aims to become a data engine for the AI era. Backed by Robotaxi commercialization expertise, extensive travel platform data, and insights into emerging AI applications such as autonomous driving, ONTIME launched in 2023 the AI-enabled data and model solutions encompassing data collection, annotation, management, and model traininginitially targeting the autonomous driving sector. Today, ONTIME DATA has expanded its reach to sectors including healthcare, education, finance, law, biotechnology, and AI large models. It has built a professional annotation team of over 1,500 members and delivers more than 700,000 labeled frames per month. With stable output, high efficiency, and consistent quality, ONTIME DATA's client base continues to grow, including leading companies such as GAC Group, Tencent, Pony.ai, MEGVII, Li Auto, Alibaba Cloud, iFLYTEK, ByteDance, and Meituan. US and China agree on plan to ease export controls after trade talks in London 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. ARCADIA, La. A hearing that may lead to the termination of the Bienville Parish schools superintendent got started Monday. Shangahai (Gasgoo)- On June 5, 2025, BYD, in partnership with local distributor LOXEAa subsidiary of CFAO Groupheld a brand launch event in Libreville, the capital of Gabon. Photo credit: BYD Gabon, known as an environmental bench in Africa with a forest coverage rate exceeding 85%, is accelerating its "Green Economy Transformation Plan." "BYD's entry into Gabon is strategically significant," said Marc Hirschfeld, CEO of CFAO Mobility. "The country's environmental policies align closely with BYD's mission to 'Cool the Earth by 1C.' Leveraging our distribution network across Africa, we aim to honor our commitment to 'Rooted in Africa, Serving Africa' by replicating the Gabon model across West Africa." Yao Shu, Director of Automobile Sales for BYD Africa, emphasized that entering Gabon marks a further step in BYD's regional expansion. "Gabon's vision for electrification aligns perfectly with BYD's," he said. "Drivers in Gabon will now be able to enjoy world-leading new energy vehicle technologies and a low-carbon, high-quality mobility experience." Photo credit: BYD At the launch event, BYD introduced two vehicle models: the Yuan PLUS (known internationally as the BYD ATTO 3) and the Dolphin. As BYD's first global export model, the Yuan PLUS has been widely recognized by overseas consumers. With its aerodynamic design, sleek contours, and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in just 7.3 seconds, the model promises Gabonese consumers a new level of comfort and efficiency for urban commuting. To date, BYD has established a presence in 17 African countries and regions, playing an active role in the continent's green transformation. Looking ahead, the company plans to strengthen its market footprint by working closely with partners to offer African consumers more diverse and environmentally friendly new energy mobility solutions. Dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together to demand that the Trump administration stop the stepped-up immigration raids that have spread fear across their cities and sparked protests across the U.S. They also called on President Donald Trump to pull back from using troops alongside immigration agents during the raids 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 OneTeam Partners, NFLPA, MLBPA logos A key in-house lawyer at the NFLPA retained outside counsel in response to the federal probe of the union and the MLBPA and their ties to the organizations group licensing and marketing joint venture, OneTeam Partners, sources said. The move comes as the lawyer accused NFLPA leadership of sidelining an internal investigation into the matter in a May 30 memo to top player leaders. Awful Announcing obtained a copy of the memo. Heather McPhee, whose name was on a litigation hold letter sent to NFLPA employees in December after the unions internal investigation commenced, has retained Bill Pittard at Kaiser Law, the sources said. Pittard previously represented whistleblower Sarah Feinberg, whose claims of fraud against Booz Allen led to a $377 settlement. NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell was the chief financial officer of the government contractor during the period outlined in the charge and, according to Feinberg, was aware of and tolerated the alleged malfeasance. In the May 30 memo to the unions executive committee, which is composed of senior player leadership, McPhee wrote she had been contacted by federal investigators regarding the investigation into the activities of members of the unions leadership. In the memo, McPhee writes she was ordered to stop working on anything connected to OTP with the threat of employment discipline. The NFLPA internal probe, conducted by two outside law firms, McPhee wrote, was sparked by an Awful Announcing report of a National Labor Relations Board charge filed against MLBPA by a whistleblower group. The whistleblowers have a host of allegations, including that MLBPA leadership got equity options illicitly from OTP. Sources close to OTP have denied such equity options were ever issued. Because the MLBPA and the NFLPA jointly own OTP, McPhee started an investigation based on the NLRB report. She wrote in the memo the probe had raised serious questions about self-dealing and the competencies of OTP leadership. She did not describe the self-dealing or who allegedly committed it. But she described herself and outside counsel at Willig Williams & Davidson as alarmed. She described the situation as serious, noting that senior staff leaders were the subject of a federal probe, and called herself devastated for having to relay the news. The probe includes the Department of Labor and the FBI, according to reports and sources. McPhee did not respond to a request for comment, nor did her counsel. The NFLPA is likely trying to block McPhee from speaking with federal investigators, given that what she may say could be considered legally privileged. The information would likely have to be deemed evidence of an ongoing crime to break the legal privilege shield. In her memo, McPhee urged the executive committee to meet. Its unclear if that occurred. The NFLPA did not respond to several outreach attempts for comment. Four NFLPA staff members, including Howell, are board members at OTP, which was valued at $2 billion in 2022. Meanwhile, the sources said Howell has retained Billy Martin at Barnes & Thornburg, which represented Booz Allen against the whistleblower charges. One source said Martin has long represented Howell. The unions executive committee has retained WilmerHale. Its unclear precisely what the FBI is investigating, but the case is reportedly being handled out of the Eastern District of New York. The internal investigation at the NFLPA and the NLRB charge filed against the MLBPA by the whistleblower group each sought information on possible equity grants to OTP board members. McPhee is associate general counsel of the NFLPA and has been with the union since 2009. Previously she was a lawyer at Patton Boggs, and Latham & Watkins. By Jonathan McCambridge, Rebecca Black, David Young and Cillian Sherlock, PA A fire broke out at Larne Leisure Centre following vandalism at the facility during several nights of disorder in Northern Ireland. Masked individuals smashed windows at the leisure centre in Co Antrim on Wednesday and set fires outside which spread inside. The attack coincided with a third night of public disorder in the town of Ballymena, 30 minutes away from Larne. Larne leisure centre has been attacked by masked thugs. Windows smashed and fires lit nearby. Larne does not need this. pic.twitter.com/F3mlQVwgFy Danny Donnelly MLA (@DannyDonnelly1) June 11, 2025 Local Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly said in a social media post: Larne leisure centre has been attacked by masked thugs. Windows smashed and fires lit nearby. Larne does not need this. The PSNI deployed riot police in Ballymena for a third night as a significant crowd gathered around the Clonavon Terrace area. Demonstrators who gathered on Bridge Street near the residential area were told to disperse shortly before 9pm after a firework was thrown at officers. Riot police block a road close to Clonavon Terrace in Ballymena on Wednesday night (Jonathan McCambridge/PA) Officers also used dog units and drones in their response to the gathering. Riot police with shields advanced on the crowd to disperse them. Missiles were thrown at officers in the Clonavon Terrace area on Wednesday night. Earlier, a senior officer said the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had requested support from colleagues in the UK following further violence in Ballymena. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force would be bringing extra officers, vehicles and equipment to areas where unrest has flared. He said there were disgraceful scenes in Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey on Tuesday, as businesses, homes and cars were attacked and damaged. By Wednesday, six individuals had been arrested for public order offences, and one charged. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he utterly condemns violence which left 32 police officers injured after the second night of disturbances. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that the rioting risks undermining the criminal justice process into an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in Ballymena at the weekend. Stormont ministers have also made an urgent appeal for calm and said the justice process had to be allowed to take its course. Providing an update on the policing operation on Wednesday, Mr Henderson said: We are taking steps to increase available resources and are surging a significant number of extra officers, vehicles and equipment to those areas where the rioting is taking place. This will have an impact on our community, this will take away vital resources needed to police other areas. A second night of violence took place in Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) He said they have requested about 80 officers through mutual aid. Speaking during Prime Ministers Questions in the Commons, Sir Keir condemned the mindless attacks against police. I utterly condemn the violence that we have seen overnight in Ballymena and in other parts of Northern Ireland, including against PSNI officers, Sir Keir told MPs. Its absolutely vital that the PSNI are given the time they need to investigate the incidents concerned rather than face mindless attacks as they seek to bring peace and order to keep people safe. In a joint statement, ministers from across the Stormont powersharing Executive, which includes Sinn Fein, DUP, Alliance Party and UUP, said those involved in disorder have nothing to offer society but division and disorder. First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly later appeared together to voice their condemnation. Northern Irelands First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly speak to media at the Ulster Hall in Belfast on Wednesday (David Young/PA) Sinn Fein vice-president Ms ONeill told reporters in Belfast: Its pure racism, there is no other way to dress it up. She said ministers stood full-square with the young girl who was subject to the alleged sex attack but added the criminal justice system must be allowed to deal with that case. Separate to that is the racism that were seeing people being firebombed out of their homes, people having their doors knocked in, having their windows being smashed, families being intimidated, Ms ONeill added. That is absolutely unacceptable and everything that needs to be done to bring it to an end is our focus in terms of the engagement we have with the PSNI. Ms Little-Pengelly described the scenes in Ballymena as unacceptable thuggery, adding: Weve been in contact with the chief constable, and in constant contact with the PSNI throughout last night in terms of what was happening on the ground. I think today is about sending a very clear message that violence is wrong, it is entirely unacceptable. It must stop. Rioters attacked police in Ballymena on Tuesday night (Niall Carson/PA) With the protests focused in predominantly loyalist areas in Ballymena, Ms ONeill said she did not believe it would be helpful for her to visit in the current context. DUP MLA Ms Little-Pengelly met residents in the town on Wednesday and said the local community are in fear and wanted the violence to stop. The key message here today is around that violence, and that the violence needs to stop, thats what the community wants to put across, and thats why Im here to send that very clear and united message from right throughout the community and local residents for that to stop, she said. Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly (third right) during a visit to Clonavon Terrace (Niall Carson/PA) Police said their officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks thrown in their direction in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena on Tuesday night. The PSNI deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannon as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. Police also reported that sporadic disorder had also occurred in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well as incidents in north Belfast. The violence began around Clonavon Terrace on Monday night following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged. By Cillian Sherlock, PA The Central Bank of Ireland does not consider the Genocide Convention when approving prospectuses for Israel bonds, the banks governor has said. However, Gabriel Makhlouf said the intensity of the conflict in Gaza does put a question mark over whether the financial viability of Israel remains secure. The Central Bank is the designated authority in relation to the sale of Israel Bonds in the EU, and has determined the securities meet the standards of the blocs prospectus regulations. Israel Bonds have been advertised as supporting the countrys economy, and more recently, websites promoting the securities emphasise their role in supporting Israels military operations in Gaza. Protesters and opposition parties have called for legislation that would give Ireland the power to refuse the sale of Israeli war bonds over human rights concerns. They say the bonds are intended to fund the war in Gaza, while Ireland has an obligation under the Genocide Convention to use all means likely to have a deterrent effect on those suspected of preparing genocide. Demonstrators rallied outside Leinster House on Wednesday as the head of the bank appeared before the Finance Committee, before a Dail vote calling on the Government to take action to prevent the approval of the bonds. Mr Makhlouf said the Central Bank must carry out the statutory tasks and functions it has been assigned. He said it was incorrect to say the bank could refuse to approve the Israeli bond prospectus on the basis of international law rulings and opinions. The Central Bank cannot impose sanctions on Israel, for example by refusing to approve the Israeli bond prospectus, in circumstances where the EU has not imposed any such sanctions itself. Asked by Sinn Fein finance spokesman Pearse Doherty if the Central Bank subscribes to the Genocide Convention, the governor said the authority has to operate within the legal framework allocated to it, but added that the Genocide Convention does not feature in the EU prospectus regulation. Pressed on whether it applied to the bank overall, Mr Makhlouf said it applies to the state and added that, with regard to approving prospectuses: In that sense no, it doesnt. Under similar questioning from Social Democrats deputy leader Cian OCallaghan, deputy governor Mary-Elizabeth McMunn said: Ireland is the contracting party under the Genocide Convention. It does not explicitly say the Central Bank is a contracting party under the Genocide Convention. Asked if he believed what was happening in Gaza was genocide, Mr Makhlouf said that was a legal concept determined by the ICJ and no one at the Central Bank could comment authoritatively as experts on that matter. He added: But whats clear is that what is happening in Gaza is appalling, horrific. The governor said everyone at the Central Bank wants to see an immediate end to hostilities by all parties. The Israel Bond prospectus is up for renewal in September. Asked by Labour finance spokesman Ged Nash what factors the bank would be looking for in engagements with Israel at that point, Mr Makhlouf replied: I think the intensity of the conflict in in Gaza probably does put a question mark over whether the financial viability of the state still remains secure. The fact that the European Union has indicated that its going to look at its co-operation agreement of Israel, I think thats a factor. The fact that the [Israeli] finance minister has just been sanctioned by a number of countries, that may be a factor. He said it would be up to Israel to assess whether these factors affect its financial standing when putting together the prospectus, but added that the bank would be required to approve the next prospectus if all matters are completely disclosed. Meanwhile, Mr Makhlouf said national restrictive measures could be imposed by the Oireachtas to stop the approval of the prospectuses, if they were consistent with EU law. However, he said he would find it difficult to say that it is possible to do that in this case, because one member state acting on its own would undermine the whole prospectus regulation. He said he had not taken legal advice on this and added that he was not ruling out the possibility. Prospectus regulation doesnt just apply to states, it applies to corporates, it applies to anybody who wants to issue a regulation in certain circumstances. So what Im not ruling out is the possibility that some domestic legislation could prevent an individual corporate being able to issue security in certain circumstances, but this is real hypothetical stuff. Mr Doherty asked if the Central Bank would deem the ICJ findings a risk for an investor who wishes to purchase Israel Bonds. Mr Makhlouf said the case taken by South Africa against Israel was included in the September prospectus that was approved by the bank. Gerry Cross, the banks director of capital markets and funds, added that it was the authoritys belief that it was articulated and disclosed to the level that is required. Mr Cross later told the committee that the Bank had made approximately 13,300 euro in fees through its work relating to the bonds since October 2023. Sarah Slater An elderly Kilkenny man who was murdered during an alleged robbery while he was walking to his home in London is to be buried in his native village at the end of this month. John Mackey (87), originally from Mellowes Park in Callan, but who resided in Finsbury Park, London, will be brought back home for a final time as he wished, according to his funeral notice, which describes him as a kind, gentle and charming man. He lived for several decades in London, having moved there in the 1950s. Mr Mackey died in hospital two days after he was injured in the alleged incident, which occurred on Thursday, May 8th, along Goodchild Road in the Manor House district area of Hackney just before 6pm. He had been walking home from the shops when he was allegedly attacked and his bag, containing groceries and a newspaper, was taken. Peter Augustine (58) of Green Lanes, Hornsey, Haringey, was subsequently charged with Mr Mackeys murder and alleged robbery and has been remanded in custody. His funeral details have now been released and detail how Mr Mackey was in his 88th year and was taken from his family in tragic circumstances. Mr Mackey was predeceased by his brothers Paddy, Christy and Milo, his sisters Kitty, Mary and Ann and his nephews Tony and Brian. Deeply regretted and sadly missed by his loving family, his brothers Tommy and Liam, his sisters Betty and Ellen. Much loved uncle of 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, his funeral details add. Remembered with love by his friends and neighbours in London. A kind, gentle and charming man. Brought home for a final time, to be buried here - as he wished. The Kilkenny natives remains will repose at Molloys Funeral Home, Callan on Wednesday, June 25th June from 5pm, concluding with Rosary and Vigil Prayers at 7pm. Funeral prayers will take place on Thursday, June 26th, 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. Following his death, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, who is leading the investigation for the Metropolitan Police said: "John was a proud Irishman and an innocent member of the public, and was walking back home after running errands when he was the victim of this tragic incident," said, who is leading the investigation. "His family tell us he was one of 11 children. He was born in Callan, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland and moved to London in the 1950s. "He was uncle to a remarkable 22 nieces and nephews and a brother to his remaining four siblings; they will all miss him. The chief inspector added: John's family describe him as funny and charming. He was a lifelong Arsenal fan who was adored by his family and was loved by his local community. "His family will join John on one final trip back to Ireland, where he'll be laid to rest. "I would like to reassure the local community that a man has been charged and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with John's death." Tributes continue to be paid on RIP.ie with one sympathiser saying that Mr Mackey was one of lifes top individuals. The tribute noted: When he would come home on holidays to Mill Street, he would always be a joy to meet. Always looked so well and loved chatting about Callan and Arsenal. You were a wonderful ambassador for the town of Callan. Tom Tuite "My life has changed completely since that day. I feel disgusted and utterly violated," were the words of a woman traumatised after a man stood behind her on a crowded Luas tram and soiled her dress with his semen. Security guard Abdiweli Ali (24) was jailed for eight months for the broad daylight sexual assault on June 10th last year. Dublin District Court heard it happened as the woman and her friend travelled in broad daylight to the 3Arena for a Smashing Pumpkins concert. Describing it as an "appalling offence", Judge Grainne Malone stated she had to ensure women could travel safely on public transport without being violated in this way, and there had to be a deterrent. Ali, from Somalia, came to Ireland in 2020, claiming he fled from terrorist groups. He denied the allegation for a year and changed his plea shortly before his trial was due to start. Garda Colm Maguire played CCTV footage and described how Ali and the victim, in her late twenties, boarded the tram at the Busaras Luas stop at 7.20pm. It was jam-packed, and Ali stood behind her for the eight-minute trip. "At one point during the journey, the injured party felt something wet on the back of her leg but didn't have enough room to check what it actually was while on the Luas." "On arrival at The Point Luas stop with her friend, she check her skirt and found what she suspected to be semen on her skirt." Ali also got off and ran to a taxi to take him to work. She reported it to gardai on beat in the area, and her skirt was later sent for forensic examination, confirming her suspicion. A large amount of CCTV was gathered during the investigation, and the accused was the only male identified as a suspect. Garda Maguire spotted Ali on June 27th at O'Connell Street and recognised him from the video footage, wearing the same clothes. He was arrested and questioned but made no admissions, insisting it was not him on the CCTV of the Luas. However, a DNA sample from Ali matched the sample from the skirt. Gada Maguire said it was "a thousand million times more likely that it came from the accused than any other person". Pictures of the stained skirt were handed into court. The garda agreed with defence counsel Rory Mulvaney that it was an isolated incident. The court heard Ali had no prior convictions but had been given a strike-out for obstruction of a garda after donating money to charity last year. Prosecutor Derek Mangan outlined how the State had been ready to bring 10 witnesses to testify after Ali maintained his denials for a year. He also said the victim wished to address the court. In a powerful impact statement, she said: "My life has changed completely since that day. I feel disgusted and utterly violated." She recalled how he was heading to the concert with her friend. "We were not talking to men or wearing anything provocative. I was just going on the Luas with my friend, as I have on many different occasions. "I thought I had no reason to doubt my safety as I was in a public space on a busy Luas in broad daylight. Now, I can't make any plans without having to consider the safety of every part of the plan." "Any sense of safety I had has been taken away," she said, adding that she has been attending counselling costing 80 per session. She opened up about how preparing for the trial and the possibility of giving evidence left her "re-traumatised again and again over the last year, replaying the assault and preparing to be questioned." "As a woman, I have always been wary of drunk men, rowdy men and creepy men. Now I am wary of every man and even every person. Any sense of safety I had has been taken away. Every part of my life is different now." All her decisions are now influenced by her encounter on the Luas, which led her to change her habits. "I can't stand at a traffic light with someone waiting behind me without having to move because it makes me feel so anxious." "When I'm in a crowded room, I need to have my back to the wall if I'm standing, and if I'm sitting down, I feel the need to have my chair facing the room so that no one can pass behind me." It also significantly affected her professional and personal life. The court heard she had taken numerous weeks off work due to anxiety and stress. She avoids public transport, does not walk to work anymore, relies on taxis or lifts, and often questions her clothing choices, terrified she might attract "unwanted attention." "I have been forever changed by this assault," she stated, but concluded her statement by expressing hope that someday she could go about her daily life without overwhelming anxiety. Mr Mulvany told the judge that his client, who did not address the court and could not explain his actions, was ashamed and recognised the distress caused. Ali offered an "unreserved apology" through the barrister. The court heard Ali claimed he came to Ireland five years ago to avoid "various terrorist gangs trying to recruit young people into their organisations." He was allowed to stay, trained and obtained a security guard's license. Ali worked in that role for two years and was posted at an International Protection Accommodation Services (Ipas) centre until this allegation came to light. Sentencing, Judge Malone said jurisdiction had been accepted earlier by another judge for the case to remain in the District Court, which could impose a maximum of one year's imprisonment. Taking into account the guilty plea, she suspended the final two months on condition Ali did not reoffend for two years. She praised the victim for coming forward, which will protect others from Ali, and she commended the Garda investigation. ALMOST 900,000 was spent on private emergency accommodation for homeless people in Laois last year. A new plan presented in county hall shows that Laois Co Council spent 894,766 on emergency beds, mainly in hotels and B&Bs. The figure prompted one councillor to suggest that the local authority should buy a property for use as a homeless shelter, rather than pay for temporary rooms. The draft 2025-2029 Midland Region Homelessness Action Plan was presented by Fionnuala Daly, senior social worker in the councils housing section, at the latest monthly meeting of Laois County Council. The plan was unanimously approved by councillors, with many praising the councils ongoing work for homeless individuals and families. The plan aims to end homelessness in the county by 2030, in line with national policy. Currently, the level of homelessness in Laois is half that of Offaly but double that of Longford. As of 21 May 2025, Laois had 38 households in emergency accommodation, including 11 children. A total of eight families and 26 individuals were living in B&Bs, while four single people were in hostels. Figures for May 2024 show that the Laois housing section was contacted by 38 people that month who were facing homelessness, including eight children. Figures for the other three midland counties that month were highest in Westmeath at 91, including 17 children; 76 in Offaly, of whom 26 were children and 18 in Longford, all adults. Overall in the midlands last December, a total of 207 adults were homeless 126 men and 81 women. The majority were aged 25-44 (106), while 28 were aged 18-24, a further 66 were aged 45-65 and seven were aged over 65. The overall number in the midlands fell to 172 last month. Of the 207 midlands adults categorised as homeless, 151 were Irish citizens, 24 were from the European Economic Area (EEA) and 15 were non-EEA citizens. Ms Daly said the causes of homelessness are complex and range from economic hardship, addiction and mental health problems to domestic violence, family disputes, notices to quit, prison releases and the shortage of affordable housing. People given emergency accommodation in Laois include people who were sleeping rough, people given notices to quit their rental properties and individuals leaving foster care or prison. Ms Daly said the length of time spent in emergency accommodation can range from one night to six months. Laois is the only midland county with no homeless hostel but 27 supported houses for homeless people in the county are provided by the Peter McVerry Trust (22) and Midlands Simon (5). The Laois spend on private emergency accommodation last year was the second lowest of the four midland counties. Offaly spent 1.5m, Westmeath 1.4m and Longford 324,000. Ms Daly that Laois Co Council relies either on B&Bs or regional shelters in emergency situations and always tries to keep families with children within the county. She said: We keep them in Laois if there are school-going children. We dont send them to Longford or Westmeath. The draft plan aims to eliminate homelessness within the next five years through a range of measures, including building new houses, improving supports and cooperating with the HSE, Mental Health and Disability Services, Addiction Services, Laois Domestic Abuse Service and Tusla. During a wide-ranging debate on the plan, councillors were largely positive about current and potential services for homeless people in Laois, compared to other counties. Cllr Aisling Moran (Ind) highlighted the fact that Laois has no hostel for the homeless and is spending nearly 900,000 on hotels and B&Bs. She felt it would make more sense for the council to purchase a property, instead of having children pulled away from their friends and sometimes missing school. Cllr Barry Walsh (FG) said that, while there were cases of families that unfortunately had to move outside the county for emergency accommodation, the council was generally doing a great job. He said: You dont see any evidence of people on the street. Cllr Paschal McEvoy (FF) commented: We have all come across people who had to move out fairly quick but, once we contact the homeless section, it is dealt with quickly. I think we are doing fantastic work in Laois County Council. You rarely see anyone on the street here and if you do, its maybe by choice. Theyre given every opportunity to get off the street. Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley (Ind) said that Laois was very lucky compared to other counties but warned: There is a whole cohort of people on the brink of homelessness because of rising rents. Cllr Dwane Stanley asked the council to examine the possibility of helping people to downsize or right-size, saying: We have lots of elderly couples in three- or four-bedroom houses that are privately owned who want to downsize but cant, because they dont have the money to buy a smaller house, while some are in houses that are unsuitable for them because of illness. Cllr Paddy Buggy (FG) observed: Downsizing sounds good but people are often in that house since they were in their 20s or 30s, so maybe we could have smaller units in the same area. We have to be careful as we are dealing with peoples lives. Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald said that Laois needs more retirement villages but it hasnt happened because there is no money in that for developers. Council chief executive Michael Rainey said the council is focusing on building one- and two-bedroom social homes, which reflects demand and gives people the opportunity to move from three- and four bedroom properties. He said: The convent project in Portlaoise is a really good example. There will be a few people taking accommodation in the convent as a result of rightsizing. He added that the number of social houses built in Laois over the past few years has far exceeded government targets. The county was given a target in 2022 to build 534 new units by 2026 but has already delivered 669, which includes houses built by approved housing bodies. Mr Rainey said: We have another 387 social houses under construction in 2025, which is a significant number for any county to show. However, councillors James Kelly, Aisling Moran and Caroline Dwane Stanley all argued that the targets were exceeded because they were too low. They called for higher targets to be set for the construction of badly needed social housing units around the county. MUSIC Generation Laois and Laois School of Music will host their annual open evening on Tuesday 17 June from 6-8pm. The event will be held in Laois Music Centre, Portlaoise and its a great way to meet the music tutors and try out lots of different instruments. Tutors from both Music Generation Laois and Laois School of Music will be on hand to guide families on the huge variety of music lessons on offer, with lots of musical instruments on-site for everyone to try out. Laois Music Centre is a unique facility for music education in the midlands, located on Church Avenue in Portlaoise with access to top-of-the-range facilities for music students. Laois Music Centre houses both Music Generation Laois and Laois School of Music. Laois School of Music provides lessons in voice/singing, piano, violin, cello, flute, recorder, guitar, drums, kindermusic (an introduction to music for younger children aged 4-6) and pre-instrumental music for children aged 7-8 years. There is also a range of ensembles for young musicians to participate in, including the Laois School of Music Junior and Senior Orchestra, and an adult string ensemble, Dunamaise Strings. Laois School of Music provides classes for students who wish to take leaving cert music outside of school, with adult students very welcome, as many adult students attend classes. Music Generation Laois provides group lessons in brass, bodhran, harp, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, concertina, traditional flute, keyboard, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, singing, ukulele, drum kit, double bass and The Music Box a performance music education programme for children and young people with special needs. Performance opportunities are available by joining Music Generation Laoiss harp ensembles, trad orchestra, junior and intermediate trad groups, community choir, BOP Orchestra and rock and pop bands. And a large array of instruments are available for hire to both Laois School of Music and Music Generation Laois students. Music Generation Laois, in partnership with LOETB Portlaoise Further Education and Training Centre, offers full-time and part-time study options in music studies with popular music, traditional music and sound production, QQI levels 5 and 6. Speaking ahead of the event, Rosa Flannery, music development officer with Laois Music Centre said: Our annual open evening is always a huge hit with families and the wider community. It's a great chance for people to find out what's available in our centre and to meet our team and try out a wide range of instruments. For those who already play music, our bands or ensembles might be of interest, or our accredited further ed music programmes. To find out more about prices and age requirements for instruments, click on the Sign Up Now button on musicgenerationlaois.ie Music Generation Laois is part of Music Generation, Ireland's national music education programme, co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds and the Department of Education. Music Generation Laois is part of Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board and supported by Laois County Council. Laois School of Music is part of Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board and supported by Laois County Council's Arts Office. A MAN with Alzheimer's was found wandering around Portlaoise after leaving The Residence nursing home, while staff had no idea he was missing. The shocking alleged incident was highlighted in Dail Eireann last night, amid ongoing outrage over revelations made in the RTE Prime Time Investigates programme last week. Laois TD Brian Stanley made new claims about disturbing incidents at the Portlaoise nursing home, which was one of two Emeis-run nursing homes featured in the programme. Deputy Stanley told the Dail: A man with Alzheimer's from another town in the county was recognised by a former neighbour walking around the town - he did not even know where he was and contacted one of his family members. They got him back to the nursing home. He was wandering around and nobody had missed him. A plan was agreed, and corrective measures were to be taken, but these were not implemented. Deputy Stanley said the incident was among some of the "appalling practices" outlined by a former carer in The Residence, who had said that the RTE programme only touched the surface. He said: She described at length what she saw during her time working in the nursing home over a number of years and outlined the appalling practices there. There are some shocking examples and these occurred before anything came out on RTE. An elderly mother was looking to have her incontinence pad changed and, despite repeated requests, it did not happen. Her family eventually took her out of there. Describing scenes recorded at The Residence in Portlaoise and the Beneavin home in Dublin as shocking, the Laois TD commented: What we saw was a shocking level of neglect; abusive behaviour; residents told to soil on incontinence pads; elderly, vulnerable residents left lying in urine for hours at night, calling for help but getting none; rough handling; shortages of sanitary goods and other basic items and no assistance with eating, which is a major issue. There are 15 or 20 minutes allocated to getting people fed. Some of these people cannot feed themselves, so the food is not eaten. Then it is taken away as if they are not hungry that day, when they might be very hungry. He added that a protected disclosure was made about a third nursing home and the person making the disclosure had to go to RTE, because nothing was done for two years. The shortage of staff was not addressed. He said: The abuse and neglect continued, despite families bringing it to the attention of management and being assured that improvement plans would be put in place and it would be addressed. This did not happen. Worst of all, the nursing home continued taking admissions despite being banned by HIQA. Where are the sanctions? There are none. HIQA has failed miserably. I had faith in HIQA up to about ten days ago. I have no faith in it now. I have lost all confidence in its ability to monitor care in nursing homes and enforce regulations and rules. Deputy Stanley asked Minister of State for Older People Kieran ODonnell: Will we have a Garda investigation into some of the criminal activity we saw? Has HIQA issued financial penalties? Has it deregistered any of the nursing homes owned by these large companies. I understand that the one in this case owns 27 homes. He pointed out that he met representatives from the Irish Nursing Home Alliance earlier yesterday, who told him that 77 small independent nursing homes had closed in the past five years. Most of this happened due to strict demands. Deputy Stanley said: HIQA holds such homes to the letter of the law, in order to make sure they are closed. Ballard Lodge in Portlaoise, which was providing excellent care - I never heard a complaint against it - closed recently. That is one of the most recent casualties of HIQA standards. These smaller homes are being held to the standards. Abbeyleix public nursing home was almost closed 13 years ago because of HIQA demands, but a large public campaign that I and others were involved in stopped it from happening. Thank God we kept it there. Why does it appear there is a more lackadaisical approach to the larger multiples such as that which we saw last week on the television? Have they got more clout? I do not know. In reply, Minister ODonnell said: We were all shocked and appalled by what we saw on the RTE Investigates" programme last week. I especially recognise how incredibly difficult it has been for the residents of the Residence in Portlaoise and Beneavin Manor and their families. I want to make it clear that poor care, neglect and any form of abuse of individuals residing in long-term residential care centres is wholly unacceptable. The highest standards of care and dignity must be always upheld, without exception. Every nursing home resident deserves the highest standard of care at all times. To achieve this, registered providers must adequately support their staff. Having effective governance and management arrangements in place ensures that staff are equipped to deliver person-centred care to residents. The distressing footage aired during the RTE Investigates programme highlighted serious issues of non-compliance within these facilities. The welfare of residents and their families remains a paramount concern for me. Action is being taken to address these failures and strengthen oversight to ensure the protection and well-being of all individuals in these nursing homes. The minister continued: First, I fully expect HIQA and the office of the chief inspector to utilise all powers available to them to ensure rigorous oversight and accountability in nursing home care. HIQA's chief inspector has confirmed their continuous intensive engagements with the two nursing homes concerned and has committed to providing me with an update on their progress by the end of this week. I assure the Deputy that my Department and I are monitoring developments closely, with both these nursing homes and the welfare of residents remaining my highest priority. Second, I have formally requested an overview of the nursing home operators owned by Emeis. The chief inspector has committed to furnishing an interim report to me by the end of this week and a full report by the end of next week, providing an overview of regulatory history, including but not limited to regulatory compliance, escalating enforcement actions and any additional conditions of registration. Third, the directors of nursing from both local HSE community support teams have been on site at the two nursing homes in question. Additionally, local safeguarding and protection teams are actively reviewing all safeguarding concerns raised in relation to these facilities. I and Department of Health officials met with representative bodies and stakeholders from the nursing home sector earlier today. The engagements were constructive, with an immediate focus on delivering the highest quality of care to residents of nursing homes in Ireland. On the safeguarding points the Deputy made and on adult safeguarding in the sector more generally, the Government is fully committed to strengthening existing protections. We will publish a national adult safeguarding policy for the health and social care sector shortly. The policy will commit to the development of adult safeguarding legislation for the sector and will build on the range of existing legislation, policies and procedures already in place in the sector for preventing, reporting and responding to abuse. The Government has included a health (adult safeguarding) bill in its current legislative programme to facilitate this. It is recognised that this will be an important further development in preventing abuse and protecting vulnerable adults from abuse. What happened in the two nursing homes featured in the RTE Investigates programme was appalling. It was sheer neglect and abuse of older people. This is something that I, the Department and the Government take very seriously. It is something I want to ensure, through the process I have outlined, never happens again. However, Deputy Stanley said he would like an explanation for a whistleblower having to go to the media, after two years of inaction on the part of the chief inspector and HIQA. He said: Surely that is a scandalous situation. They say you judge a society by how it treats its weakest. The weakest are the elderly and the very young - infant children. The Minister of State said the chief inspector will carry out a review. The chief inspector has failed in relation to three nursing homes, and possibly many more. My understanding is the chief inspector's position, legally, is supposed to be separate from the inspections carried out by HIQA operatives, yet HIQA staff must have their reports approved by the chief inspector. HIQA does the report but it is filtered through the chief inspector despite the fact that there is supposed to be separation. Why does the chief inspector have to approve all of these reports? The problem is that this rests on one person. One person's determination or judgment will decide what will or will not happen. HIQA cannot issue the report without that approval. When will unannounced inspections be carried out? They must be thorough and strict inspections. When will there be effective sanctions? What about deregistration and financial penalties? Are there financial penalties? I do not know. Perhaps the Minister of State can tell me whether there are penalties in law. When will this important legislation - the 2017 Bill on safeguarding the elderly - be enacted? It has been sitting there for eight years. We are all to blame for that but primarily the Government is to blame because it is a Government Bill. I would like to see it progressed. I understand that the officials have drafted the Bill but we have not seen it in the House. We need to do this urgently. Minister ODonnell said he expected the adult safeguarding policy for the health and social care sector to be brought to the Cabinet before the summer recess. He said: Following that, we will be looking for approval to progress a health and adult safeguarding Bill, which is in the current legislative programme. It is a matter of absolute priority. I am on record as saying that I would like to see inspections taking place more quickly and timeframes for protected disclosures. The Deputy will appreciate that I want to work within a process. Immediately after the two nursing homes were named by RTE, I met representatives of HIQA and requested two things. The first was that HIQA would engage intensively with the nursing homes. It committed to doing that. The second was that it would provide a report on the Emeis group and all its nursing homes. I asked for an overview of all its nursing homes and its regulatory history, including but not limited to regulatory compliance, escalating enforcement actions and any additional conditions of registration. I expect to receive a report with an update on the two nursing homes by the end of this week. I also expect an interim report in respect of the Emeis group by the end of this week and a more substantive report on it - the full report - by the end of next week. This is all about older people in nursing homes. I want them to have safe environments. We all have elderly relatives. It is something I feel strongly and passionately about. A NEWLY qualified solicitor is the new cathaoirleach (chairperson) of the largest county council district in Laois. Fine Gael councillor Conor Bergin was elected unopposed as chair of the Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District this morning, having been proposed by party colleague Cllr John King from Rathdowney and seconded by Cllr Ollie Clooney (Ind) from Durrow. He takes over for the next year from outgoing chairperson Cllr Seamus McDonald (FF), who is celebrating 40 years on Laois County Council this month and is the councils longest serving elected member. Meanwhile, Cllr Clooney was elected unopposed as vice-chair of the six-seater district, which stretches from Clonaslee to Cullohill and is the largest of the countys three local electoral areas in terms of geographical size. Cllr Clooney was proposed as vice-chair by Cllr Paddy Bracken (FF) from Mountmellick and was seconded by Cllr King. Due to an ongoing pact between the two main parties, who hold a majority on the 19-seat county council, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail share out the top roles annually, supported by Cllr Clooney who is non-party but part of the Fine Gael gene pool. From Shanboe, Borris-in-Ossory, Cllr Bergin was only 25 when he was first elected to Laois County Council in 2019 and topped the poll in last years local elections, scooping the highest ballot in the county with 1,606 votes. In 2021, he became the youngest county council cathaoirleach in Ireland when he was elected as the youngest-ever chairperson of Laois County Council. He previously worked as a political advisor to Laois TD Charlie Flanagan during his tenure as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and as Minister for Justice and Equality. Now aged 31, Cllr Bergin won a nomination to run for Fine Gael in the 2024 general election last November but withdrew to give current TD Willie Aird a clear run in the interest of party unity. He ran unsuccessfully in the Seanad elections earlier this year and qualified as a solicitor in May. Educated at Roscrea Community College, he has a BA (Hons) degree in History and Politics and a Masters degree in Public Policy from University College Dublin, where he was actively involved in campus politics and served as chairperson of the UCD Young Fine Gael Society. Proposing him for the top role in Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick, Cllr King said he had already proved himself as a very successful county council chairperson and had gained a lot of experience over the past six years, with a poll-topping performance in 2024. Supporting the proposal, Cllr Clooney said that Cllr Bergin was young and an ideal candidate, as he congratulated him on completing his studies and qualifying as a solicitor. Cllr Bergin said it was a huge privilege to become district chairperson for the first time and he was very proud to chair a council that does great work. He joked: It took me almost four-and-a-half years to do my apprenticeship as a solicitor but the apprenticeship is much longer on the council! Many tributes and congratulations were paid to Cllr McDonald on his 40th anniversary in local politics and his efficiency as chairperson for the past year. Cllr Clooney remarked: What a fine man you are and there wasnt a cross word out of you. Cllr King complimented the Rosenallis mans calm demeanour and positive approach, while Cllr Bergin said he had now earned the title Father of the Council. Cllr Bracken told his Fianna Fail colleague that 40 years on the council was a great achievement and that he had chaired meetings very effectively and calmly. Cllr James Kelly (Ind) from Mountrath said that Cllr McDonald was very effective and a good friend outside the council chamber, as he quipped: Im sure youre looking forward to being elected next time too! On behalf of council staff, director of services Angela McEvoy described Cllr McDonald as very cool, calm and collected as she thanked him for his work over the past year. A man of few words, Cllr McDonald thanked everyone for their good wishes and for their cooperation during his time in the top role. As well as Mountmellick and Borris-in-Ossory, the large district takes in many towns and villages that include Mountrath, Rathdowney, Rosenallis, Ballyfin, Camross, Castletown, Errill, Clough, Donaghmore, Ballacolla and Durrow. By Jonathan McCambridge, Rebecca Black, David Young and Cillian Sherlock, PA Police in Northern Ireland have requested support from colleagues in the UK following violence in Ballymena, a senior officer has said. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the force would be bringing extra officers, vehicles and equipment to areas where unrest has flared. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he utterly condemns violence which left 17 police officers injured following a second night of disturbances in the Co Antrim town. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has warned that the rioting risks undermining the criminal justice process into an allegation of a sex attack on a teenage girl in Ballymena at the weekend. Stormont ministers have also made an urgent appeal for calm and said the justice process had to be allowed to take its course. Providing an update on the policing operation on Wednesday, Mr Henderson said: We are taking steps to increase available resources and are surging a significant number of extra officers, vehicles and equipment to those areas where the rioting is taking place. This will have an impact on our community, this will take away vital resources needed to police other areas. Northern Irelands First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly speak to media at the Ulster Hall in Belfast on Wednesday (David Young/PA) It will have an impact on our ability to serve communities. As part of my forward planning I have now activated the request for mutual aid resources from policing colleagues in Great Britain to ensure we have the necessary support and maintain public order and bring offenders to justice in the days to come. Speaking during Prime Ministers Questions in the Commons, Sir Keir condemned the mindless attacks against police. I utterly condemn the violence that we have seen overnight in Ballymena and in other parts of Northern Ireland, including against PSNI officers, Sir Keir told MPs. A second night of violence took place in Ballymena (Niall Carson/PA) Its absolutely vital that the PSNI are given the time they need to investigate the incidents concerned rather than face mindless attacks as they seek to bring peace and order to keep people safe. In a joint statement, ministers from across the Stormont powersharing Executive, which includes Sinn Fein, DUP, Alliance Party and UUP, said those involved in disorder have nothing to offer society but division and disorder. First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly later appeared together to voice their condemnation. Sinn Fein vice president Ms ONeill told reporters in Belfast: Its pure racism, there is no other way to dress it up. Rioters attacked police in Ballymena on Tuesday night (Niall Carson/PA) She said ministers stood full-square with the young girl who was subject to the alleged sex attack but she said the criminal justice system must be allowed to deal with that case. Separate to that is the racism that were seeing people being firebombed out of their homes, people having their doors knocked in, having their windows being smashed, families being intimidated, Ms ONeill added. That is absolutely unacceptable and everything that needs to be done to bring it to an end is our focus in terms of the engagement we have with the PSNI. Ms Little-Pengelly described the scenes in Ballymena as unacceptable thuggery, adding: Weve been in contact with the Chief Constable, and in constant contact with the PSNI throughout last night in terms of what was happening on the ground. I think today is about sending a very clear message that violence is wrong, it is entirely unacceptable. It must stop. With the protests focused in predominantly loyalist areas in Ballymena, Ms ONeill said she did not believe a visit by her would prove helpful in the current context. DUP MLA Ms Little-Pengelly visited the town on Wednesday. Police said their officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks thrown in their direction in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena on Tuesday night. The PSNI deployed riot police, fired plastic baton rounds, and used water cannon as well as dog units as part of its response to the disorder. Police also reported that sporadic disorder had also occurred in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, as well as incidents in north Belfast. It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area. Two teenage boys, who spoke to a court through a Romanian interpreter, have been charged. A PSNI spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday evening that a number of protests took place in areas of Belfast, Lisburn, Coleraine and Newtownabbey. In Carrickfergus, two bins were set alight and bottles and masonry thrown at police in the Sunnylands area by a group of 20-30 young people at about 8.30pm. In Newtownabbey bins were set alight at the roundabout on ONeill Road. During the course of the disorder in Ballymena, officers discharged a number of plastic baton rounds and a water cannon was also deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds. The spokesperson said: Businesses and homes were attacked and damaged and a number of vehicles were also set on fire in the area. Seventeen officers were injured with some requiring hospital treatment. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in police custody this morning. A male was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour on the ONeill Road in Newtownabbey. A number of nearby roads were closed by police to ensure the safety of the public and local residents, and to enable officers to deal with the situation and disorder safely. All roads were subsequently reopened. Fifteen officers had been injured during similar scenes in Ballymena on Monday. Mr Boutcher said: The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable. These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice, and protection. Ironically, and frustratingly, this violence threatens to derail the very pursuit of justice it claims to challenge. Let me be clear: this behaviour must stop. I appeal to everyone involved to cease all further acts of criminality and disorder immediately. The Chief Constable said the investigation into the violence would include reviewing video footage and images of individuals would be released to identify offenders. He added: Since 2010, the PSNI has been critically underfunded. This neglect takes no account of the enormous demands placed on us by legacy issues or the unique challenges of policing in a post-conflict society. Our resourcing levels are not just inadequate they are dangerous. I will be making arrangements to activate mutual aid resources to ensure we have the necessary support to maintain public order and bring offenders to justice. On 10 June Mexicos Presidentemphatically rejected a claim by the US Homeland Security Secretarythat she had encouraged violent protests against US immigration enforcement in the city of Los Angeles in the US state of California. End of preview - This article contains approximately 345 words. Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article Not a Subscriber? Choose from one of the following options He's no stranger to fame but in 2025, Nat Wolff is making headlines not for his next film or releasing a song, but for a kiss. Paparazzi cameras captured the 30-year-old actor and musician sharing a tender, champagne-laced moment with Billie Eilish on a Venetian balcony, sending social media into a frenzy. Was it love? A fleeting rendezvous? Or the natural evolution of a deeply rooted friendship between two artists who share more than most fans ever realized? Read more: Billie Eilish and Jesse Rutherford Split up After Several Months of Dating To understand how Wolff landed here as the soft-spoken center of internet gossip and Hollywood whispers you have to rewind two decades to a very different kind of stage. From Nickelodeon Teen Star to Indie Actor Born Nathaniel Marvin Wolff on December 17, 1994, in Los Angeles, Nat was quite literally raised in showbiz. His father, Michael Wolff, was the bandleader for The Arsenio Hall Show, and his mother, Polly Draper, was an actress and filmmaker best known for "Thirtysomething." Showmanship was in his DNA. By age nine, Nat was starring alongside his younger brother, Alex Wolff, in "The Naked Brothers Band," a mockumentary-style series on Nickelodeon created by Draper. The show ran from 2007 to 2009, with Nat writing original songs and charming tweens across America. Unlike many child stars, Nat didn't burn out. Instead, he slowed down purposefully pivoting to indie films, modest roles, and character work. "I never wanted to peak at 12," he told Rolling Stone in a 2022 interview. "I wanted a career I could still be proud of at 50". The Serious Pivot: Paper Towns, Palo Alto, and Beyond After the Nickelodeon years, Nat gradually carved out a place for himself as a go-to young actor in thoughtful, often literary films. He starred as Isaac in "The Fault in Our Stars" (2014), played Quentin in "Paper Towns" (2015), and took on challenging indie roles in "Palo Alto" (2013), "Ashby" (2015), and" The Kill Team" (2019). He also appeared in the controversial "Death Note" (2017) remake, facing criticism with quiet humility and using the experience to learn. By 2020, Wolff had traded red carpets for rehearsal rooms, choosing projects like Gia Coppola's Mainstream and the supernatural drama "Mortal," while continuing to tour with his brother in their band, Nat & Alex Wolff. Tourette's, Acceptance, and a Connection with Billie What many fans don't know: Nat Wolff lives with Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary tics a fact he kept private for years. Billie Eilish, who has also publicly discussed living with Tourette syndrome, became a source of inspiration for him. "She was the first public figure I saw really owning it," Nat said during a 2023 podcast interview. "It made me feel less alone." That connection became more than symbolic. In 2024, Nat & Alex Wolff opened several dates on Billie's "Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour." Backstage, the two bonded over music, anxiety, and neurodiversity. They collaborated on creative projects, most notably the haunting, dreamlike music video for Eilish's single "Chihiro," which Billie directed and Nat starred in. The chemistry was instant, and fans took notice. Venice: The Moment That Changed Everything Then came the balcony moment. During the Venice Biennale in 2025, the two artists were seen sipping champagne and sharing a quiet, intimate kiss overlooking the Grand Canal. It wasn't flashy or staged it was real and unguarded. Within hours, #NatWolff trended on X, formerlyTwitter. Media outlets picked up the story. Speculation ran wild: Were they dating? Collaborating again? Just friends? Neither has confirmed a relationship, but close friends say the two have grown "incredibly close" in the last year. A source told Elle: "They're both old souls, they're both neurodivergent, and they feel really safe around each other". A New Kind of Fame Today, Nat Wolff finds himself at an unlikely intersection: nostalgia icon for Millennials who grew up with his Nickelodeon hits, and romantic mystery man to Gen Zers following Eilish's every move. But behind the tabloid buzz is an artist who's been quietly building a thoughtful, multifaceted career. He's an actor with range, a musician with soul, and an advocate for honesty whether about mental health, creativity, or falling in love in the public eye. Originally published on Enstarz Rex Heuermann has been charged with the murders of seven women. AP Rex Heuermanns alleged crimes are explored in the Peacock docuseries The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, but where is Heuermann now? More than a decade after several dead bodies were found near Long Islands Gilgo Beach in 2010 and 2011, Heurmann, 60, was arrested in July 2023. He was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of seven women. Those seven women were Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla, and Valerie Mack. Investigators believe Heuermann may be responsible for several additional murders. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty and has yet to stand trial. He is currently incarcerated at the Riverhead Correctional Facility in Suffolk County, New York. In March, Suffolk County Sheriff Dr. Errol D. Toulon Jr told People that Heuermann doesnt congregate with his fellow inmates because of the crimes hes accused of. I think his hobbies right now are reading books, reading his discovery, sleeping, and watching TV inside of his cell, Toulon said. And hes been very compliant. There havent been any issues. Despite Toulons assessment that Heuermann has become acclimated to prison life, he still wants his day in court. We are looking forward to having [jurors] sit in that courtroom and listen to the evidence, Heuermanns attorney Michael Brown told reporters in February, per the New York Post. Listen to the lack of evidence. Listen to the whole picture as opposed to just snippets that you may have heard. READ MORE: Reality star shares heartbreaking statement about wifes plot to have him killed Heuermanns ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, filed for divorce in 2023 shortly after Heuermanns arrest. They finalized their divorce in March. In The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, Ellerup expressed doubt about Heuermanns guilt. Thats not the Rex I know. So, if theyre going to sit there and tell me that he only did this during these particular time periods that I was away on vacation, I have to question that, Ellerup said in the docuseries. I believe that I would know. And until I see definite, definitive proof, theres no way Im going to know for sure whether or not I saw the signs. Heuermann and Ellerup tied the knot in 1996. Heuermann became a stepdad to Ellerups son Christopher after their marriage. The couple later welcomed daughter Victoria together. In the docuseries, Victoria said shed never noticed abnormal behavior from her father. If there was any knowledge at all of some unusual behavior in that man, I would have walked out the door, she said. READ MORE: Where is Sherri Papini now? An update on the woman who allegedly faked her own kidnapping Victoria told cameras that she was on the fence about her dads guilt. Half of me believes he didnt do it, but at the same time, he could have totally had a double life, she said. However, a statement at the end of the three-part docuseries reads, A week before the series release, Victoria Heuermann told the producers that based on publicly available facts that have been presented and explained to her, she now believes her father is most likely the Gilgo Beach killer. A date has not yet been set for Heuermanns trial, as lawyers continue to argue over details including whether there should be one trial or multiple for the seven alleged murders. The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets is available to stream on Peacock. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips/. The U.S. State Department recently downgraded its travel advisory level for Jamaica to a less severe level, but still warned travelers to "exercise increased caution." Canva The U.S. State Department recently downgraded its travel advisory level for Jamaica to a less severe level, but still warned travelers of some risks in the island nation. According to the advisory, travelers are warned to exercise increased caution due to crime in certain areas and limited medical services throughout the country. Heres what you need to know if you plan on traveling to Jamaica. What does the latest travel advisory to Jamaica mean to you? Item Detail Start Date May 29, 2025 Whats changing Updated travel advisory warning travelers to exercise increased caution in Jamaica due to crime and limited medical services What will happen? Travelers should buy insurance before leaving for Jamaica, as most places overseas do not accept U.S. health insurance. Travelers should also not bring firearms or ammunition, avoid walking or driving at night, avoid public buses and avoid remote places. If they face a robbery attempt, travelers should not physically resist it. They should also be aware of their surroundings at all times while traveling throughout the country. Who will it affect? Travelers to Jamaica The agency gave a Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution advisory to Jamaica due to crime and limited medical care available in the area. The level is a downgrade from its previous risk level, Level 3: Reconsider Travel, which is the second-highest risk warning from the State Department when ranking countries. While violent crime in Jamaica has decreased since 2024, it remains statistically high throughout the country. Tourist areas generally see lower rates of violent crime than other parts of the country, the State Department notes. The homicide rate reported by the Government of Jamaica is among the highest in the Western Hemisphere. Armed robberies and sexual assaults are common, the agency added. The State Department also noted that U.S. Citizens should not expect the same level of medical care in Jamaica that is available in the U.S. Travelers are also strongly advised to buy supplemental health insurance before travel as most health facilities do not take U.S. health insurance. Which areas of Jamaica still have a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory? While the State Department downgraded the advisory level for most areas in Jamaica, select parishes still have certain sections that remain at a Level 4. The following parishes have off-limits zones for U.S. government employees: St. Anns Parish Steer Town and the Buckfield neighborhood near Ocho Rios St. Catherines Parish panish Town, Central Village, areas within Portmore, including Naggo Head, New Land, Old Braeton, Portmore Lane, Gregory Park and Waterford Clarendon Parish all of Clarendon Parish, unless you are just driving through Clarendon Parish using the T1 and A2 highways St. Elizabeths Parish Vineyard District Community, between the communities of Salt Spring and Burnt Savanna, St. Elizabeth Hanover Parish Logwood and Orange Bay St. James Parish/Montego Bay the inland side of the A1 highway and The Queens Drive from San San to Harmony Beach Park Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Cassava Piece, Duhaney Park, Grants Pen, Standpipe, Swallowfield, Elleston Flats, August Town and downtown Kingston, which is between Mountain View Avenue and Hagley Park Road, and south of Half Way Tree and Old Hope Roads Manchester Parish Green Vale and Gray Ground neighborhoods of Mandeville St. Thomas Parish Black Lane neighborhood in Seaforth, Grands Penn, Church Corner neighborhood near Yallahs, Town of Yallahs, except if you are driving through on the main highway Trelawny Parish Clarks Town Westmoreland Parish Russia community in Savanna-la-Mar, Morgan Bay, Kings Valley, The Whitehall, Bethel Town and Red Ground neighborhoods of Negril You can find more information about traveling to these off-limits zones here. What is the highest travel advisory? There are four levels of travel advisory, Level 1 through Level 4. This travel advisory for Jamaica is a Level 2 concern for the entire area, and Level 4 for certain parishes for Embassy employees. 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 Jamaica do in light of this travel advisory? Travelers to Jamaica should buy insurance before leaving for Jamaica, as most places overseas do not accept U.S. health insurance. Travelers should also not bring firearms or ammunition, avoid walking or driving at night, avoid public buses and avoid remote places. If faced with a robbery attempt, travelers should not physically resist it, and should be aware of their surroundings at all times while traveling throughout the country. For more information and advice about traveling to Jamaica, read the full 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. REVENUE officers seized 34,160 cigarettes and 2.4 kgs of tobacco following searches, under warrant, of two premises in Offaly. The illicit tobacco products, branded Marlboro, Winston, Rothmans, and Gold Virginia, have an estimated retail value of over 32,900, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of approximately 25,900. Investigations are ongoing. Revenue say the seizure is part of Revenues ongoing operations targeting the shadow economy and the supply and sale of illegal tobacco products. The Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe told the Dail in May 2025 gave figures on seizures nationally. "In 2024, Revenue had 4,920 seizures of cigarettes valued at 95.6 million and 1,500 seizures of tobacco with an estimated value of 32.6m. To the end of April 2025, Revenue had 1,731 seizures of cigarettes valued at 13.9m and 529 seizures of tobacco valued at 12.7m," he said. He added that there were 49 prosecutions in 2024 and 16 to end April this year. If businesses or members of the public have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on free phone number 1800 295 295. Some staff have reportedly been suspended following the RTE Investigates documentary at nursing homes in Portlaoise and Dublin. It has also emerged that staff working at all nursing homes run by Emeis Ireland have been put on alert for inspections in the wake of the RTE programme that uncovered extensive failings in the care of the elderly. Ahead of an interim report by the regulator HIQA on The Residence and a Dublin nursing home, it has emerged that staff at other Emeis homes, such as the Kilminchy Lodge in Portlaoise, have been advised on their actions concerning likely imminent inspections. This is happening as a result of Government-ordered review of all Emeis homes. RTE Investigates reporter Aoife Hegarty reported on Prime Time that staff have been suspended from duty arising from the issues highlighted in the programme on Portlaoise and Beneavin Manor nursing home in Glasnevin. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA is to deliver a report to the Government by Friday, June 14 on the situation in The Residence and Glasnevin home. The Health and Safety Authority is also involved in inspections. HIQA has also been asked to carry out a review of all Emeis nursing homes in Ireland. It emerged on Prime Time that staff at a Mayo facility have been told that rotas need to change to comply with guidelines for rest periods. Staff have been advised not to have their phones in their pockets or wear uniforms entering or leaving the home "because inspectors could be watching". Night staff in particular are advised that there should be no sleeping on duty because managment do not want HIQA inspectors "seeing staff asleep". The note concludes with a message that when it is all over, "staff can relax". Emeis Ireland told RTE that it had reiterated to staff the standards expected. It has also emerged that representatives of families in private nursing homes have met with the Minister for Older People Kieran O'Donnell, asking for an extensive review of regulation. They also want a specific unit in HIQA to be set up so that protected disclosures can be responded to faster. The HSE told the Leinster Express that it has engaged with the nursing homes following the extremely concerning airing of the Primetime Investigates Programme which identified poor practice and safeguarding concerns. READ ALSO: Abuse and neglect former employee of The Residence speaks out It said the immediate actions were: Community Support Teams (CST) have carried out immediate welfare checks on residents in the two identified private nursing homes. Families who have any concerns can engage with this CST team, including the local HSE Safeguarding and Protection Team, who will address any concerns or complaints and appropriately signpost to health services professionals. The HSE said people can continue to phone HSE Live to speak to one of its agents on: Freephone: 1800 700 700 or 00 353 1 240 8787 (from outside Ireland) or contact National Safeguarding Office please e-mail safeguarding.socialcare@hse.ie or phone 061 46 1165 (9am to 5pm Monday to Friday). A man with Alzheimer's who went missing from The Residence nursing home in Portlaiose was not missed by staff until his family returned him after the found him wandering around the town, a Laois TD has claimed. Brian Stanley has also claimed that corrective measures promised to prevent a repeat were not implemented at the home, which is the subject of intensive review following revelations in an RTE Investigation. The independent TD spoke in the Dail on May 10, about what he has learned of the incident involving the home which is located near Portlaoise Train Station. "A man with Alzheimer's from another town in the county was recognised by a former neighbour walking around the town (Portlaoise) - he did not even know where he was and contacted one of his family members. They got him back to the nursing home. He was wandering around, and nobody had missed him. A plan was agreed, and corrective measures were to be taken, but these were not implemented," said Dep Stanley. The Portlaoise-based politician outlined other problems. "A former carer in Portlaoise nursing home has informed us that the RTE programme only touched the surface. She described at length what she saw during her time working in the nursing home over a number of years and outlined the appalling 2practices there. There are some shocking examples, and these occurred before anything came out on RTE. An elderly mother was looking to have her incontinence pad changed and, despite repeated requests, it did not happen. Her family eventually took her out of there," he said. He was highly critical of the failure so far to sanction the operators, Emeis Ireland, for accepting new referrals into The Residence after being ordered to cease admissions from April 22 by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA). "Worst of all, the nursing home continued taking admissions despite being banned by HIQA. Where are the sanctions? There are none. HIQA has failed miserably. I had faith in HIQA up to about ten days ago. I have no faith in it now. I have lost all confidence in its ability to monitor care in nursing homes and enforce regulations and rules. "Will we have a Garda investigation into some of the criminal activity we saw? Has HIQA issued financial penalties? Has it deregistered any of the nursing homes owned by these large companies? I understand that the one in this case owns 27 homes," he said. The TD told the Minister for Older People Kieran O'Donnell that he had met representatives from the Irish nursing home alliance who told him that 77 small independent nursing homes have closed in the past five years in the main due to strict demands. He highlighted one such home in Portlaoise which shut in April around the time that The Residence was banned from restricting admissions. READ ALSO: Abuse and neglect - former carer speaks out "Ballard Lodge in Portlaoise, which was providing excellent care - I never heard a complaint against it - closed recently. That is one of the most recent casualties of HIQA standards. These smaller homes are being held to the standards. "Abbeyleix public nursing home was almost closed 13 years ago because of HIQA demands, but a large public campaign that and others were involved in stopped it from happening. Thank God we kept it there. Why does it appear there is a more lackadaisical approach to the larger multiples such as that which we saw last week on the television? Have they got more clout? I do not know, he said. Minister O'Donnell said the Government is committed to an adult safeguarding policy for the health and social care sector. MORE BELOW PICTURE. Pictured: The Residence "I expect the issue will be brought to the Cabinet before the summer recess. Following that, we will be looking for approval to progress a health and adult safeguarding Bill, which is in the current legislative programme. It is a matter of absolute priority. READ ALSO: Staff suspensions follow RTE Investigates "I am on record as saying that I would like to see inspections taking place more quickly and timeframes for protected disclosures. The Deputy will appreciate that I want to work within a process. Immediately after the two nursing homes were named by RTE, I met representatives of HIQA and requested two things. The first was that HIQA would engage intensively with the nursing homes. It committed to doing that. "The second was that it would provide a report on the Emeis group and all its nursing homes. I asked for an overview of all its nursing homes and its regulatory history, including but not limited to regulatory compliance, escalating enforcement actions and any additional conditions of registration. I expect to receive a report with an update on the two nursing homes by the end of this week. I also expect an interim report in respect of the Emeis group by the end of this week and a more substantive report on it - the full report - by the end of next week," he said. Emeis Ireland has apologised and promised action to address the failings. A landmark Laois building which featured in a Hollywood film is to be purchased by Laois County Council. The old cinema in the centre of Portarlington could now be transformed into an enterprise space. The old cinema features a mural which was painted to commemorate its appearance in the 1992 film Into the West. Independent Cllr Aidan Mullins welcomed the move which he said would assist in the ongoing upgrade of Market Square in the town. Laois County Council have just announced that they are currently finalising the purchase of the former cinema in Portarlington, Cllr Mullins revealed. It has been vacant for many years and the Council will explore its potential to create a new town centre enterprise space. This is welcome as the Portarlington Enterprise Centre on Canal Road is at full capacity, he said. According to Cllr Mullins, this will also assist in the continuing upgrade of the Market Square and in the implementation of the Portarlington Regeneration Strategy. The former cinema was advertised for sale as an imposing three-storey 4,000 sq ft building with potential for retail plus residential overhead, or to remodel, by Portarlington Auctioneer Matt Dunne. Mr Dunne told the Leinster Express that the entire building has recently been reroofed at "enormous expense" when he had it on sale with a guide price of 300,000. He said it is located on the Market Square, for which extensive regeneration plans are in place. The nearby Market House is being renovated for public use. READ ALSO: Cinema from Into the West up for sale Laois County Council had backed public calls for it to be returned to some use as part of the preparation of the 2030 Portarlington Regeneration Strategy. Gardai and the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals rescued three puppies and two dogs from a property in Laois last week. In a coordinated and compassionate effort following numerous failed attempts to gain access to a property, the ISPCA along with the support of local Gardai, rescued five severely neglected Cavachon dogs from a home in Portlaoise. The rescue took place following concerns made to the ISPCAs National Animal Cruelty Helpline from a concerned member of the public, about the welfare of dogs on the premises. ISPCA Inspector Jimmy McCormack said: It was a sad state of neglect. One of the dogs was so terrified that it took some time to catch him. He could hardly move due to the condition of his badly matted coat, and it was one the worst cases of neglect I have seen for a while. His skin was irritated from the weight of this coat pulling on his skin. The living conditions were very grim, with rubbish strewn everywhere and the long-term neglect of this situation, is something that will disturb me for long time. The ISPCA said all the dogs are settling in well in care and following a badly needed groom, which required sedation to prevent further suffering, and following extensive rehabilitation, the animal care team is hopeful that the dogs will be available for adoption in the coming months. Were asking the public for help, whether its fostering or adopting an animal in ISPCA or making a life-saving donation here: https://ispca.ie/donations/ to support the animals in our care. Every cent will count no matter how small or big, as we continue our animal care and rehabilitation work to give these dogs the second chance they deserve, the IPSCA said. ISPCA Inspectors investigate allegations of animal cruelty made to their National Animal Cruelty Helpline on 0818 515 515, and take the most appropriate action to protect the animals involved, whilst working within the scope of the Animal Health and Welfare Act (AHWA) 2013. In a coordinated and compassionate effort, after numerous failed attempts to gain access to a property last week, the ISPCA along with support from local Gardai, rescued five severely neglected Cavachon dogs from a home in Portlaoise. Read more: https://t.co/3XrayxUAOs pic.twitter.com/LQzFBdLzrF ISPCA (@ISPCA1) June 11, 2025 They asked members of the public to please continue to report any suspicions of animal neglect or abuse in confidence here: https://ispca.ie/report-cruelty/ or by emailing helpline@ispca.ie The ISPCA said investigations into the rescue in Portlaoise are continuing. The Government have announced the opening of applications for the 2025 Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance. Over 54 million secured to support families across Ireland, including over 2,131 recipients in Laois alone. This once-off payment helps families cover the rising cost of essential school items like uniforms and shoes. In 2025, eligible families will receive 160 for children aged 411 and 285 for those aged 12 and over in secondary school. Fianna Fails Laois TD, Sean Fleming, has welcomed this news. Im delighted to confirm that applications are now open for the 2025 Back-to-School Allowance," said Deputy Fleming. "Weve secured 54.4 million for this scheme to ensure families dont face unnecessary pressure gearing up for the school year. Parents shouldnt have to worry about affording basics like school shoes or uniforms. This support means they can focus on what really matters, their childs education, not their bank balance," he said. More than 75% of payments will go out automatically this July. I urge all families to check their MyWelfare account and ensure theyre not missing out on this vital help. The majority of families, over 114,000, will receive their payment automatically, covering approximately 197,000 children. These automatic payments, totalling 42 million, will be issued during the week starting 14th July 2025. Families will be notified via MyWelfare or by post. Anyone who doesnt receive an automatic notification can apply online at www.MyWelfare.ie from today, Monday, 9th June. This scheme is a lifeline for many, especially during times of rising living costs. Ill continue working with the Minister to keep supports like this in place for the families who need them most," Deputy Fleming concluded. Heartfelt tributes have been paid to a 'beautiful young girl' from Celbridge, Co Kildare, who passed on Monday, June 9 2025. Sofia Kemple, Oldtown Mill, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, passed suddenly at home on June 9. Sofia is sadly missed by her loving parents Dermot and Marjo, brother Daniel, grandmother Tuula, her loving uncles, aunts, cousins and many friends. May She Rest In Peace. Tributes paid to Sofia on RIP.ie this week include: Sincere condolences to Sofia's parents, her family and all of her friends...rest in peace beautiful young girl...send much love to all... And: Dear Marjo and Family, I am deeply saddened to hear about the loss of your daughter Sofia. My condolences to you and your family during this difficult time. While another mourner wrote: My heart goes out to you all on the loss of your beautiful daughter and sister. May she rest in peace. And another added: My deepest and heartfelt condolences go out to the whole of Sofia's family, friends and clubmates. It's heartbreaking news to see such a beautiful young girl taken at such an age. Sweet dreams and rest in eternal peace. Reposing at her home on Thursday from 5pm - 8pm, with prayers at 7pm. Removal on Friday at 12:30pm to arrive at St. Patrick's Church, Celbridge for 1pm Funeral Mass, followed by burial in Donacomper Cemetery. The Funeral Mass can be viewed live in the "webstream" section below. Oliver Reilly Funeral Directors accept no responsibility for any live webcam interruptions or issues Family flowers only please. Donations if desired to The Samaritans by clicking on the charity section below. It is the family's wish that everyone attending Sofia's Funeral Mass would wear colourful clothes to celebrate her short, but wonderful life. For all enquiries, please contact Oliver Reilly Funeral Directors on (045) 868230. Those we love don't go away. They walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near. Still loved, still missed and very dear. Webstream Funeral service: https://celstra.ie/live-feeds/ Donate to The Samaritans: https://eventmaster.ie/fundraising/pages/SK44234630/donate.html READ NEXT: Kildare households used the most electricity in 2024 - and here's why Kildare County Council is to seek more money from the Minister for Housing seeking money to fund the Tenant in Situ scheme - which facilitates the purchase of homes rented privately and where the tenant is at risk of eviction because the landlord is selling. Two councillors - Chris Pender and Pat Balfe - say this is needed because of the increasing demand on the scheme. READ NEXT Kildare cemetery premises can't be used for funeral services They say it plays a critical role in preventing homelessness. They also say its essential that adequate resources are made available to ensure KCC can act quickly and effectively where a tenant is at risk of losing their home due to a property being placed on the open market. At a KCC meeting, Cllr Pender said the scheme has assisted 55 families in the county last year and "it made a real difference in preventing homelessness. Cllr Pender also highlighted the plight of single people who find it very difficult to access suitable accommodation - partly because of the shortage of one bedroom housing. Caller Aoife Breslin said that the provision of 15m, earmarked for KCC for 2025, is not enough. We haven't got a fair allocation, she said, adding that homelessness is a national scandal. Cllr Suzanne Doyle also said that the provision was not enough and said that funding should be provided on a rolling basis as opposed to a stop start system. Cllr Paula Mulroe said is it more cost effective to deal with homelessness as it is affecting people - ranger than trying to tackle it after it happens. Independent councillor Tom McDonnell said that the problem is being exacerbated by the numbers of people coming into Ireland through an open border and he said building 100,000 homes would not deal with the issue - an observation which drew a critical reaction from a number of councillors. KCC previously indicated that no money was available and this meant the council cannot purchase any tenant in situ properties. KCC official Annette Aspell said that the allocation for this year is fully utilised. She said it will be spent on a combination of sales to be completed, refurbishment costs and buy and renew properties. Ms Aspell also said KCC concluded 22 second sales last year. Only five out of 100 housing estates that have been taken in charge by Leitrim County Council have had their water infrastructure taken over by Uisce Eireann, Leitrim TD Frank Feighan said in the Dail recently, adding that residents are being left in limbo . A number of these estates are in an unfinished state, he noted. Mr Feighan stated: "I compliment the planning department of the local authority on working with developers in some cases and, in many others, on its own, albeit with the support of the Department of housing. "Despite the best efforts of the council, there seems to be an unwillingness by Uisce Eireann to play its part. "Meanwhile, many residents in these housing estates have been left in limbo. "Local authorities are becoming more and more frustrated, as they no longer have their own water and wastewater sections. "Will the Government review this situation and ask Uisce Eireann to step up to the plate and work with local authorities in taking housing estates in charge? asked Deputy Feighan. Taoiseach Michael Martin responded that he took the "Deputy's point" adding, "We need to review the interaction between Uisce Eireann and local authorities. "While I understand on one level Uisce Eireann's focus on large conurbations, the bottom line is that the entire country needs to be serviced as well. "That is part of the remit that local authorities, prior to the formation of Uisce Eireann, had and initiated. "We have to examine the entire area again, said Mr Martin. Price of sewerage and water connections is "the issue" Previously, Cllr Paddy O'Rourke had said at a meeting in Carrick-on-Shannon that the "biggest single impediment to building houses in Leitrim is the behaviour of Irish Water". He continued that the "price of sewerage and water connections" was the issue in his view and that "a few large contractors have a monopoly and are not compelled to compete for work. One family here in Leitrim has an estimate of 150,000 to connect their home to the network." Referring to legislation that the management of urban wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure being transferred from local authorities to Irish Water in 2014, he said it "was slipped in in April 2014 when everybody's attention was on local or European elections." He spoke of another Leitrim case where "a contractor gave an estimate- it was only a few metres to connect to a sewer- of 24,000 and he couldn't award it to him because he wasn't on the so-called list and those who were on the list charged him 80,000." Cllr Enda McGloin said: "In Drumshanbo, we're trying to open the second food hub on the Dowra Road and they are very anxious to move in and have their equipment ready to go. We are waiting on a water connection and despite the fact there is already water in it, they wanted 35,000. Then they asked for a sample of the current outflow from the company which is trading beside the distillery in the first food hub. They want two or three weeks of samples. The first food hub has been there for the last 15 years and has caused no problems." Cllr McGloin said they are "humming and hawing and coming back and forth and it's hugely vexing for the water company to act like this and it's been brought to the attention of the Minister for Enterprise." Uisce Eireann said it implemented an enduring Connection Charging Policy in January 2019. Killargue man Pat McTigue walked over 50km around north Leitrim at the weekend to raise funds for the Irish Guide Dogs Association. The walk, which took place last weekend, has raised nearly 1,000 for the charity, which provides guide dogs for people who are blind or have impaired vision. "It's something that not many people seem to realiseit costs an awful lot of money to train just one dog, you know what I mean? It's not just a few euros, it's a lot of money, said Pat, who was inspired to raise funds after witnessing the incredible work these animals do. READ MORE: Leitrim residents being 'left in limbo' by Uisce Eireann, Dail hears Pats journey took him from Drumkeeran to Dromahair to Manorhamilton over the weekend. He was accompanied for part of the walk by his Samoyed-Husky, Bailey. When Bailey got tired, Pat continued on his own before being joined by supporters along the way. It was a nice group there to meet mefriends, family, sponsors, and all that, he said. The north Leitrim man, who is in his 60s, was delighted to finally complete the walk, which he had been planning for some time but had to postpone after suffering a stroke. Id had some health issues myself a few years back. I suffered a stroke three years ago, he said. Im happy it went well. I had a good support teamthe local radio, Ocean FM, were very good to me, as were the businesses in Manorhamilton and Glenfarne, and people I know from all over. They all rallied around me. READ MORE: Jail for man who made bogus calls to RNLI and stole from Leitrim church Leitrim Volunteer Centre is currently seeking volunteers to support older women in nursing homes throughout County Leitrim. This opportunity is part of the Age Friendly Homes Programme under Age Friendly Ireland, which is dedicated to helping older people live with dignity and independence for as long as possible. Six nursing homes in Leitrim are seeking volunteers, including St Phelim's Nursing Home in Dromahair, Lough Erril Nursing Home in Mohill, Arus Carolan Nursing Home in Mohill, Ballinamore Nursing Home, Arus Breffni Nursing Home in Manorhamiliton, and St Patricks Nursing Home in Carrick on Shannon. Volunteers have the chance to make a meaningful difference in the lives of older women by offering companionship and social connection. READ NEXT: Leitrim residents being 'left in limbo' by Uisce Eireann, Dail hears The role involves a minimum of two hours a week and includes activities such as befriending a resident, engaging in shared interests like reading, listening to music or simply enjoying conversation. The aim of these interactions is to help promote wellbeing and promote positive mental health among nursing home residents. There are no age restrictions for volunteers. All thats required is an intermediate level of English, and a genuine interest in spending time with older people. Ideal volunteers are empathetic, reliable, personable and welcoming. READ NEXT: Hypothermic hikers rescued by Sligo Leitrim Mountain Rescue Team A minimum commitment of six months is required for the role. The screening process includes Garda vetting, informal interviews, reference checks and identification verification. If youre interested in making a real difference in someones life in Leitrim, you can register for the opportunity here. The Arts Council has spent 60,000 euro to date on legal action against contractors over a failed IT grants system which cost more than six million euro. The States arts body is pursuing legal action against four key contractors, where it is hoping to recoup some of those costs on behalf of the taxpayer. It has spent 60,000 euro on legal proceedings against two contractors to date, which were initiated in late 2022, and began pre-legal actions against two other contractors in recent months, Arts Council director Maureen Kennelly said. But the Department of Culture said it had told the Arts Council to pause all spending on the system until an independent review is completed in the autumn. In February, it emerged that the Arts Council spent 6.67 million euro on a failed IT project that had been in development since 2019. The upgrade was to replace a clunky system for grant applications given to hundreds of organisations and thousands of artists in Ireland. The system was originally meant to take two and a half years and cost three million euro. The Arts Council is currently using the old system as the department has paused all approval pending the findings of the independent review. It said an off the shelf system it has opted for instead will cost an additional 1.5 million euro, pending approval from the department, which has an annual subscription of 241,000 euro. The original system would have cost 560,000 euro per annum to administer, the committee heard. Arts Council representatives, who appeared before the Oireachtas Culture Committee on Wednesday, would not comment on how much legal action against contractors was expected to cost nor how long it would take. The committee was told 60,000 euro has been spent so far on legal proceedings against two organisations and pre-legal action against two other firms. The secretary general of the Department of Culture told the committee that they are of the view that no further funds should be spent on the IT system until a review is completed. We would be supportive of a response where there was likely to be a good outcome for the taxpayer and were engaging with the attorney general, Feargal O Coigligh told the committee. I think what we have said is that the Arts Council should not incur any further costs on legal action at this point until review. The department has said to the Arts Council that no further expenditure should be incurred This after the 60,000. Mr O Coigligh said project creep was part of what led to the failures in creating the IT system and said he took responsibility for the Departments role in it. If you look at the history of the project, there was a lot of project creep, the functions, the scope of the project expanded, complexity expanded. Theres the whole issue around not just delivering a complex ICT project, but making it more and more complex as it went ahead. And I think thats a fundamental issue as well. So theres the issue of the expertise and the issue of the project scope. Ms Kennelly, who is due to finish in the role in June, said she was disappointed in the arts ministers position in relation to her contract which she said was a heavily conditioned up-to-nine months term. She said she felt it was unacceptable and said she would have liked to stay on. Im disappointed about the outcome, certainly, but I know that the board has confidence in me, and I know that my colleagues have confidence in me. Arts Council staff grew from 58 members in late 2019 to 122, she told the committee, which included staff in the Irish language and staff helping artists with disabilities to make applications. She said the Arts Council asked the Department for an additional ICT person in house, and since then, in April and May 2024, two ICT staff have been hired. She said of the 2,000 artists they fund, around a dozen are comedians, which Senator Evanne Ni Chuilinn said seemed a bit low. The chairman of the Culture, Communications and Sport committee, Alan Kelly, said it was an extraordinary committee hearing and that some issues raised were alarming, mentioning in particular the concerning ethos in how the department handled the issue. Ex-Speaker J. Fonati Koffa arrives on the grounds of the Temple of Justice for Tuesdays trial. Graduates of Cuttington University School of Graduate and Professional Studies (CUSGPS) at Trinity Cathedral on Broad Street in Central Monrovia at the 63rd baccalaureate service. Theres a disagreement between federal investigators and a company hired by Montana Rail Link about the cause of a June 24, 2023, train derailment of 17 rail cars. There's also disagreement about whether the investigation into the incident has been finalized. The derailment caused the collapse of a Stillwater County train bridge that crossed the Yellowstone River about 6 miles east of Reed Point. Ten rail cars carrying hazardous materials were ruptured in the crash, resulting in 419,000 pounds of asphalt petroleum liquid and 12,000 gallons of molten sulfur being released into the waterway. Another derailed car dumped tons of scrap metal into the river. A representative for the Washington Corporation, the company that owned Montana Rail Link before it was sold to BNSF, said the company is unaware of a final report from FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) that has been released detailing the agencys investigative findings or conclusions. Although a Federal Railroad Administration representative told the Billings Gazette the report was finalized, it is not scheduled to be publicly released on the agencys website, according to an FRA representative. The Washington Corporation's representative said the company had contacted the federal agency following the Billings Gazette's request for a comment and was told the report was not yet finalized. Bridge was sound Initially, given two years of high-water flows on the Yellowstone River including a one-in-500-year flood in 2022 there were concerns that one of the bridge piers had been scoured by the high water and failed, causing the derailment. But the Federal Railroad Administrations investigation discounted the theory following diver inspections of the footings. The investigation quotes the divers report saying, it appears that the impact of the moving truss broke the pier off of the footing as there was no reinforcement in these old piers attaching the footing to the pier. As the train cars derailed and struck the piers, the impact was catastrophic and caused complete failure of the structure, the report noted. Broken rail theory The probe into the cause of the crash also included analysis of a broken rail. During the investigation, a broken weld was discovered on the east end of the bridge on the North rail, according to a redacted report obtained by the Billings Gazette through a Freedom of Information Act request. Montana Rail Link hired a company to conduct a failure analysis on a section of the fractured rail using visual inspection, chemical analysis, scanning electron microscopy and a microstructural analysis. The companys analysis revealed a fracture near where two sections of rail had been welded, but the Federal Railroad Administration said it didnt agree that the weld failed and lead to the derailment. Federal rejection The government agency cited several findings it said refute the MRL companys conclusion. The fracture face of the analyzed rail was clean, the report said. There is no internal friction batter from the two rail ends rubbing together, typical in broken rail derailments of this nature. The broken weld is nearly 350 feet away from the bridge collapse and several wheel sets would have traveled over the broken weld causing internal friction batter if this rail was a causal factor in this derailment. FRAs investigation reveals this weld was likely pulled cleanly apart by the extreme forces presented by the bridge collapsing during the derailment. The federal investigators also said derailment caused by a broken rail typically causes a catastrophic pile-up that occurs directly near the broken rail. This train was traveling approximately 38 mph and the cars directly over the broken rail and between the broken weld and bridge collapse were upright indicating something occurred down the track resulting in the slowing of the cars over the broken weld, the report added. More details on the crash Although not pointing to a cause, and concluding the investigation is still active and ongoing, details from the investigation set the scene for the catastrophic crash. The westbound train was crossing a bridge over the Yellowstone River while traveling from Laurel to Missoula early in the morning on a rainy day when the 36th of 52 cars went off the rails. Ten of the 17 cars that derailed plunged violently into the river. Luckily, no one was injured in the accident. As a result of the hazardous material spill, the river was closed to recreation for days as crews assessed the damage and planned cleanup efforts that stretched across two years. Sampling of downstream fish for exposure to elevated hydrocarbon levels also prompted fish consumption warnings for certain species near and below the crash site. The cleanup response, which scoured the river 131 miles downstream, recovered a little more than half of the spilled asphalt about 236,000 pounds. The molten sulfur dissolved. Where the weld failed The railroad track where the weld failed was located on the east end of the bridge. The steel tracks were joined in a process known as thermite welding. During the process, a machine heats the rails to 600 degrees before using a chemical reaction to join the metal. The rail was installed and welded in 2018 and initially it was believed the fracture occurred before the derailment. The break had a dark aged color through the head and halfway into the web indicating a possible pre-existing fracture, one of the federal reports said. The bottom half of the web and base of the rail exhibited a sparkling cast look, indicative of a sudden or catastrophic failure. The fracture was blamed on a hot tear defect. A hot tear is a crack that forms as the weld cools unevenly making the rail more susceptible to fatigue cracking. Wheel flange marks were noted on the crossties and crosstie plates immediately after this break indicating the wheel path suddenly diverged from the rail, the report said. The force of the heavy cars traveling askew as they carried loads weighing 90 tons or more and traveling at 38.6 mph, sheared off the bridge trusses leading to the dramatic collapse of the structure. When the derailing cars reached the opening on the north side between the diagonals of the first and second span, the cars impacted the first diagonal truss on the second span and pushed the rest of the north vertical trusses over into the river, the report said. Once the vertical trusses were sheared off, the bridge deck and stringers could not sustain the vertical load and folded up, falling into the river. Interviews with railroad workers on a different train that crossed the bridge prior to the derailment indicated no one aboard noticed any abnormalities. Inspection records for the track and bridge were up to date and met railroad standards. The investigation also ruled out a mechanical failure of the train. Precious Joy Teeweh, the 2022 inaugural recipient of Liberias Presidential National Best Teacher Award with some of the graduates at the Liberia Learning Center in Paynesville City over the weekend. A LIMERICK school has been crowned national winners for their inspirational efforts in water conservation and environmental action. Mungret Community College were named as national Water School of the Year at the An Taisce Green Schools awards. They emerged as winners in the second-level category. The annual event marked the twelfth year of Uisce Eireanns sponsorship of An Taisces Green-Schools programme, which supports schools working to gain a Green Flag under the water theme. Mungret Community College established a student-led Green-Schools committee of over 40 members, supported by 10 teacher mentors. READ ALSO: Over 2,000 trees planted at Limerick school as part of major biodiversity project Peer education is a core element of their work. Uisce Eireanns head of customer operations, Geoffrey Bourke, was on hand at the award ceremonies and said that the record number of entries was evidence of the Green-Schools Water Programme going from strength to strength around the country. The Green-Schools awards are always a wonderful occasion and this year, the quantity and quality of the submissions across the various categories has been truly incredible, he said. The vital work being done by Green-Schools in schools across Ireland is clearly bearing fruit in terms of how our young people think about water and the need to conserve and respect it. We in Uisce Eireann are proud of our long-standing sponsorship of the programme. Their initiatives included Bin It Or Flush It experiments and a tip sheet for water-saving at home. Annual Action Days such as Blue Day, combined fun with purpose through themed games, bake sales, face painting and awareness stations. Proceeds have gone to organisations like Self Help Africa to plant trees. With water surveys and a Water Think-In planned with local schools, Mungret Community College led by example in whole-community sustainability education. Cathy Baxter, An Taisce director of education, said: The Green-Schools Water Awards are one of the highlights of our year. They celebrate the creativity, commitment and teamwork of students and teachers working together to protect one of our most precious resources: water. These young people are leading by example and showing that real environmental change begins in our schools and communities. Were so proud of their efforts and inspired by their impact. Throughout the current academic year, An Taisce has been engaging directly with 330 schools on the Water Flag, working with over 100,000 students and 10,000 teachers across the country. The Green-Schools water theme is a grassroots sponsorship that aims to foster awareness and understanding of a range of activities, tailored to students at both primary and secondary level. In addition to developing awareness around water conservation, the sponsorship incorporates wider engagement around stewardship of our water resources. THE University of Limerick (UL) has honoured Michael Guinee, former CEO of Ei Electronics with an honorary Doctorate of Engineering in recognition of his huge legacy as an engineer, employer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist in the Mid-West. Under his leadership of over 35 years Ei Electronics has become one of Irelands largest and most successful indigenous manufacturing and exporting companies with a turnover of 425 million in 2024. It is estimated that since its inception, over 17,000 people have worked at the Shannon based organisation. Speaking from the ceremony in Plassey House, ULs Acting President Professor Shane Kilcommins said: Michael Guinees work in engineering, sustainability, business and community development has been recognised on multiple occasions by both Ennis and Limerick chambers of commerce and today, it is fitting that University of Limerick recognises and honours his immense legacy. He added: Michaels extraordinary commitment to maintaining manufacturing in Shannon, his tenacious support of his dedicated staff and his ability to innovate at scale are just some of the many reasons we celebrate him. READ MORE: Over 2,000 trees planted at Limerick school as part of major biodiversity project Michael moved to Shannon in 1981 and two years later, he was appointed Managing Director of GE subsidiary Ei Company. AN EXTRAORDINARY discovery at a landmark local site has sparked astonishment and curiosity this week. A team of archaeologists and other heritage experts have discovered centuries-old human skeletal remains while doing excavations ahead of a major building scheme which will benefit hundreds of people. The find was made as workers were digging on a site near King Johns Castle. READ MORE: Top Gear star due at manufacturing roadshow in Limerick This is being done in preparation for the construction of flood defence walls which will stretch from the heart of Limerick city out to Kings Island, an area ravaged when the River Shannon burst its banks back in 2014. Below: Preparatory work taking place near King John's Castle ahead of the erection of flood defence walls (Picture: Adrian Butler) Its some discovery. We are stunned, to be honest. Its an amazing find, said one local. In a statement released to the Leader this Tuesday, Limerick City and County Council confirmed human remains have been found and a specialist team had identified at least 36 burials associated with the former City Gaol. This building was located where the councils current civic offices are now at Merchants Quay in the city centre. The local authority added the human remains appear to date from the late 18th or early 19th century. Preliminary research suggests they may be the remains of persons who died or were executed either just before the City Gaol was built, or during the gaols operation, a spokesperson for council added. The find was made after an archeological excavation was undertaken near the councils offices. More unearthing is planned, which may pave the way for further discovery. Limericks old City Gaol operated between 1813 and 1904, and for a period, public hangings took place outside. After 1904, the complex became Gearys biscuit factory. The factory and the remains of the City Gaol facing the River Shannon were demolished in the late 1980s to make way for the building which housed what was then Limerick Corporation. As well as the human remains, other findings include the site of a possible treadmill. This was a machine where several prisoners were forced to walk as a form of hard labour. The prisons hospital and yards were also found. Preparatory works for the flood defence walls began in the final quarter of last year, with Ward & Burke Construction put in place as contractors. Despite the astonishing find, there is not expected to be any delay to the completion of the walls, expected by the end of 2026. A council spokesperson explained that because the archaeological survey had been planned in advance of the timeline for building the walls, it will not impact its overall delivery schedule. The project team remain committed to preserving Limericks rich heritage while progressing essential flood protection infrastructure for the Kings Island community, the councils statement concluded. MORE than 1,000 people are expected in Coonagh this week at a special manufacturing roadshow organised by Technological University of the Shannon (TUS). Representatives of over 120 firms from across Ireland will be present at the colleges newest campus for Manufacturing Solutions Ireland 2025. The event is taking place all day this Wednesday and Thursday, June 11 and 12. READ MORE: Limerick university awards honorary doctorate to industry leader Its being organised by TUS in partnership with the British Gauge and Toom Makers Association, alongside the Precision Tooling and Machining Association of Ireland. Since its launch in 2016, it has grown into the largest of its kind in the country. Among the firms set to attend are those in medical devices, aerospace, automation, pharmaceutical life-sciences, oil, gas and materials engineering. A highlight this year will be a discussion on resilience in an evolving global trade landscape. Part of the panel are the new chief executive of Enterprise Ireland Jenny Melia and Dr Stephen Kinsella, a professor of economics at University of Limerick. They will be joined by Takumi founder Gerry Reynolds, founder of Raheen firm Takumi Precision Engineering and chair of the Precision Tooling and Machining Association of Ireland, Quentin Willson, one of the original hosts of the hit TV series Top Gear also will be in attendance. TUS president, Prof Vincent Cunnane said: We are delighted to once again welcome industry representatives to our Coonagh campus and to facilitate the many new relationships which will be forged here as a result. A key mission of TUS is being able to play a leading role in meeting the ever-changing needs of industry and, via this event, we can see up close some of those new technologies that are changing the landscape for enterprises. Co-organiser and programme leader in precision engineering at TUS, Ciaran OLoughlin, added: Manufacturing Solutions provides a pathway for specialist suppliers to plug into the needs of industry and in tandem society too. It is exciting to see the potential of the machinery and equipment on show and to be at the coalface as collaborations are struck up which allow for advancements to come to fruition. Entry to the event is free and refreshments will be available through both days. LIMERICK City and County Council is to buy 33 patches of land and close eight rights-of-way in south Limerick, in a move which will pave the way for a new roundabout at a known accident blackspot. The local authority has long planned to build the roundabout at ORourkes Cross in Bruree. This is because as things stand, the busy crossroads has been the site of more than double the number of collisions expected in a section of national road like this. READ MORE: 'Making it easy to charge wherever you are': New high-power EV charging locations for Limerick Executive engineer with council, Deirdre Clarke, has previously outlined that there has been 19 material damage collisions, four minor, one serious collision and one fatality at ORourkes Cross. Last month, Limerick Live revealed that An Bord Pleanala had cleared the way for the council to compulsorily purchase the land to build the roundabout. At the time, a spokesperson for the council confirmed it would be publishing a notice of this approval in a local newspaper, in accordance with legal requirements. This has now happened, with the confirmation appearing over two pages in last weekends Limerick Leader. The authority also added talks will take place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland to secure funding to advance the project to the design and construction stages. This week, a council spokesperson said there was nothing further to add to this. Members of the public who wish to view full details of the Compulsory Purchase Order approved by An Bord Pleanala can do so in a number of ways. Between now and Wednesday, July 30, they can get details from the councils corporate headquarters at its offices at Merchants Quay in the city, as well as its offices in Dooradoyle and Kilmallock. By appointment only, the details can be viewed in the Mid-West Roads Design Office elsewhere in Dooradoyle. On top of this, it can be viewed online here. If there are no appeals against the decision to grant the Judicial Review will become operative at the end of this month. There is a long history behind the provision of this roundabout. Ultimately, council hopes to construct a new roundabout, and new approaches on the N20 to the junction. A new cycleway and footway are proposed plus the relocation of bus stops, in order to do the work. Councillors had initially approved the plans, a move which was rubber-stamped by An Bord Pleanala in 2021. However, the scheme has attracted opposition from James Beechinor, who owns the N20 Service Station at the junction. He is concerned about an inability to develop his business further with the roundabout in place, and effectively being left cut off by the development. Mr Beechinor expressed the view in the past that a fifth arm to the roundabout would accommodate a seamless movement in and out of his service station without impeding safety. He appealed An Bord Pleanalas 2021 decision to approve the compulsory purchase of land to the High Court. A judge quashed An Bord Pleanalas ruling, forcing council to resubmit the application. Now, following an oral hearing, the national planning authority has once again ruled in favour of the council's bid to compulsorily acquire the land. Cllr PJ Carey previously said the junction can be treacherous and welcomed the news. The roundabout is obviously needed. I know a lot of people who work in Croom Hospital and in Limerick and they need this roundabout. They are caught on the Bruree side every morning and every evening, he said. MET EIREANN is warning that localised flooding and lightning damage can be expected in most counties, including Limerick, over the next 24 hours. In its latest update, the forecaster has issued a number of status yellow thunderstorm warnings, covering a total of 24 counties across Ireland. The first of the warnings - for Limerick, Clare, Cork and Kerry - came into effect at 3:33pm this Wednesday and remains valid until 10pm. "Heavy showers with localised thunderstorms," states the warning which adds that possible impacts include spot flooding and lightning damage. A separate status yellow warning - for Waterford and Cork - will come into effect at 10pm this Wednesday and will remain valid until 3am on Thursday. READ NEXT: 'It's some discovery': Skeletons unearthed in Limerick Another status yellow warning - for all of Leinster, Tipperary and Waterford - will be valid between midnight and 2pm on Thursday with Met Eireann again warning of heavy showers with scattered thunderstorms. Motorists are being advised that poor visibility and difficult travel conditions are likely during any rainfall. The fourth warning - for Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo - will come into effect at 7am on Thursday and will remain valid until 5pm. Clare, Cork, Kerry & LimerickWed 15:00 to 22:00 Cork & WaterfordWed 22:00 to 03:00 Thur Leinster, Tipperary & WaterfordThurs 00:00 to 14:00 Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Leitrim, Roscommon, SligoThurs 07:00 to 17:00 Northern IrelandThurs 06:00 to 21:00 pic.twitter.com/zWvBtPGjWi Met Eireann (@MetEireann) June 11, 2025 The UK Met Office is also warning that heavy rain and thunderstorms will move northwards across Northern Ireland during Thursday and may lead to some disruption in places. It has also issued a status yellow warning for all six counties. That warning is valid from 6am on Thursday until 9pm. OpenAI has officially launched o3-pro, a new artificial intelligence model the company is hailing as its most advanced to date. The latest addition to the o3 family is now available to ChatGPT Pro and Team subscribers, with rollouts for Enterprise and educational users expected in the coming days. The o3-pro model, designed to handle complex reasoning tasks with greater precision, is intended to enhance performance across a range of professional fields, including science, education, mathematics, programming, and writing. OpenAI says the model surpasses its predecessor, o1-pro, in multiple domainsboth in internal evaluations and user preference tests. In a statement, OpenAI confirmed that o3-pro will also be accessible via its API. The company has set the pricing at $20 per million input tokens and $80 per million output tokens. The announcement follows a recent 80 per cent cost reduction in o3 token usage, a move aimed at broadening access to the platforms latest capabilities. According to internal testing by OpenAI, human reviewers consistently favoured o3-pro over previous models. It was preferred in 66.7 per cent of personal writing evaluations and in 62.7 per cent of coding tasks. Reviewers also rated it higher in areas such as clarity, adherence to instructions, and the depth of its responses. The model is equipped with advanced tools that allow it to perform more sophisticated tasks, including web browsing, data file analysis, Python code execution, and visual reasoning. It also makes use of user memory for more tailored interactions. However, these functionalities can result in slightly longer response times compared to earlier modelsa trade-off OpenAI suggests is worthwhile for users prioritising accuracy over speed. Despite the advancements, the company acknowledges a few current limitations. The model does not support image generation, and temporary chats within ChatGPT are currently disabled due to a technical issue. Moreover, the Canvas workspace feature remains unavailable when using o3-pro. Mumbai: Adani Group needs to raise about 2.5 trillion (about $30 billion) over the next five years to meet its $100-billion capital expenditure plan and meet its debt obligations, two top executives said, outlining the conglomerates growth strategy as it emerges from last years bribery allegations. The capital investments will be focussed on the energy and utilities and the infrastructure and logistics sectors, said Sagar Adani, executive director of Adani Green Energy Ltd and nephew of Adani Group chair Gautam Adani. Sagar Adani spoke with Mint on Wednesday in his first media interview since US authorities in November charged him along with Gautam Adani and group executive Vneet Jaain with securities fraud. He did not comment on the subject. Gautam Adani said in his recent annual address to shareholders of flagship company Adani Enterprises Ltd that the group would invest $15-20 billion ( 1.3-1.7 trillion) annually over the next five years. That investment figure was the base case, said Jugeshinder Singh, Adani Groups chief financial officer, adding that under ideal circumstances the investments could be higher. Adani Group invested 1.26 trillion in FY25 and is looking to increase its capital expenditure this financial year, Singh said, adding that the group accounts for a fifth of the private capex in India. While the bulk of the groups capex needs will be met through the cash it generates, the conglomerate will need additional fund infusion, including to service its debt, Singh said. The Adani Group has about 1.6 trillion in debt maturities between 2025-26 and 2029-30, as per an investor presentation. We will borrow to refinance the debt that we need to pay back. (Including refinancing and capex) well need roughly 2.5 lakh crore ( 2.5 trillion) in new borrowings over the next five years," the CFO said. Also read | BlackRock buys nearly third of Adani group promoters $1 bn private bonds Adani Groups focus: Only two things Sagar Adani emphasised Adani Groups core investment philosophy of focussing on energy and utilities" and infrastructure and logistics", explaining how this helped the conglomerate beat its rivals in commodities such as cement and metals by delivering low-priced products. Its a little bit of a misnomer that were a diversified group. We only do two things as a groupone is energy and utilities and the second is transport and logistics," he said. All the other things we do are around these two fundamental pillars." For instance, in the cement sector, three-fourths of the cost are energy, raw materials, and logistics, Adani explained. Adani Group, which has become the second-largest cement maker in India by a wide margin through a string of acquisitions starting 2022, is betting on group synergies to source cheap electricity and coal and on low transportation costs to beat peers in terms of margins, Adani said. No one can supply electricity at scale and cost better than us, and no one can handle and operate logistics in a more streamlined way that we can," he said. The group also plans to invest in copper, aluminium and other metals in the coming years. Adani Group operationalized a copper smelter with capacity for 0.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in Mundra earlier this year, which it plans to ramp up to 1 MTPA. The copper relies on ore imported from Chile. For aluminium, the group plans to bid for bauxite ore mines through government auctions. Once raw material supply is secured, it will invest in aluminium. Both the metals consume significant energy for production, giving Adani Group an edge by sourcing cheap power, he said. Also read | Adani Ports latest deal raises growth concernsmarkets arent impressed Airports demerger, cements merger Among Adani Groups various companies, it is the airports business that would be listed next, Sagar Adani said. Presently, this business is housed under the groups flagship company Adani Enterprises, which is also the groups incubator for new businesses. The airports business, which operates eight airports including Mumbai and Ahmedabad, will be ready for demerger from Adani Enterprises by FY28, said Singh, Adani Groups chief financial officer. Meanwhile, the groups multiple listed cement companies, including Ambuja Cements Ltd, ACC Ltd, Sanghi Industries Ltd, and Orient Cement Ltd, as well as unlisted Penna Cement Industries Ltd, will eventually be merged, but only after the operations are streamlined, he added. The bigger objective is to first operationally stabilize everything. Currently we are not 100% there," Singh said, adding that streamlining brands, supply chains, and distribution across the groups cement companies would take about 18 months. Sagar Adani added that although Adani Group focusses on energy and infrastructure, it does not face any risk of concentration of assets. No single asset contributes more than 9% of our Ebitda." Ebitda, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, is a key measure of operational efficiency. Adani Groups emphasis on its growth strategy comes after Gautam Adani, as per media reports, began talks with US President Donald Trumps administration earlier this year to seek dismissal of the criminal charges against him in the bribery probe. The Adani Group had been previously battling allegations raised by short-seller Hindenburg Research in January 2023. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had in November alleged that the Adanis paid or promised over $250 million in bribes to Indian officials to secure favourable solar energy contracts for Adani Green Energy, the company headed by Sagar Adani. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the DOJ was investigating whether Adanis companies violated US sanctions on Iran. Adani Group has denied all the allegations. Also read | Adani Group adopts strategy to manage, diversify borrowings in wake of Hindenburg crisis MUMBAI: While much of the attention in India's learning business has focused on the edtech industry's spectacular boom and bust, 75-year-old S. Chand and Co. has thrived with a disciplined focus on academic publishing, adjusting to digital times but staying true to its core. The legacy education content publisher posted a 65% jump in operating income in FY25 and ended the year with over 100 crore in cash reserves, without raising fresh capital or going all-in on digital pivots. According to Saurabh Mittal, chief financial officer of S. Chand, the companys focus has been clear: resist the hype, avoid overextension, and double down on content that works across formatsprint and digital alike. Also read: Education, manufacturing transformation key to India becoming developed: NITI Aayog chief executive Education is a staircase business, not an elevator business," Mittal said in an interview. Wed rather grow slower but generate consistent free cash flows, than chase high topline growth that doesnt translate to meaningful returns. Weve seen cases where companies doubled revenue but still struggled with cash burn. For us, its about sustainable, efficient growth." The company's stock ended little changed at 217.65 on the BSE on Wednesday. S. Chand has stayed conservative in the years of edtech's rise and fall, cutting inefficiencies, expanding its digital content library and preparing its backend systems. The company is structuring its content and tech infrastructure in a way that makes it flexible and ready to be delivered across multiple platforms or formats, including print, digital, hybrid, or even third-party platforms. Reinventing without the noise Delhi-based S. Chand emerged from the covid years leaner, profitable and more agile. In FY19, the company had net sales of 522 crore and a net loss of 67 crore. In FY20, the revenue fell to 429 crore, while losses jumped to 111 crore. Since then, the company has seen a turnaround, with FY21 loss narrowing to 6 crore, and it has been profitable since FY22, when it made 8 crore. Our tech stack is fully consolidated, but we havent tried to build it ourselves," Mittal said. Enough vendors are building good tools. We focus on content and let tech specialists handle distribution layers." The companys digital content library has expanded by nearly 30% over the last two years, with new content across national-level education boards CBSE, ICSE and NEP-aligned curricula. Test-prep material, tie-ups with educational YouTubers and QR-enabled Google Lens (image recognition technology) integrations are also part of the growing ecosystem. Print, however, remains the mainstay. K8 books still drive the bulk of revenues," Mittal said. Despite the noise, most schools that switched to tablets have moved back to print. Books are cheaper, simpler to use and less distracting." Betting on NEP The ongoing implementation of Indias National Education Policy (NEP) and new curriculum frameworks is proving to be a structural tailwind. As National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks are updated and state boards begin aligning their syllabi, S. Chand is often a first mover in content creation. Also read: Implement educational reforms in honour of Dr Kasturirangan (1940-2025) While Mittal acknowledged that states such as Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Karnataka have resisted adopting the NCERT framework, he described the overall NEP-driven rollout as a tailwind. We already created NCF (national curriculum framework)-based content two years ago. Now, were mapping it to the actual NCERT textbooks as they come out," he said. The NEP 2020, which replaced the previous National Policy on Education of 1986, is a comprehensive education policy that aims to transform India's education system from early childhood to higher education. The NCF provides a roadmap for how to implement NEP's vision in classrooms through curriculum design, pedagogy, and assessment practices. The company is also looking to fill white spaces in its portfolio via selective acquisitions. Two potential targets are under active considerationone in the exam-prep segment and another focused on international curriculum content such as Cambridge or International Baccalaureate (IB), areas where S. Chand currently lacks scale. But the CFO is clear: valuations must be reasonable. Some players expect 2x revenue valuations. Thats unrealistic in this category unless theres exceptional growth or margins," he said. Were not paying a premium when we ourselves are trading below that." Not competing, just enduring In many ways, S Chands strategy is not to directly compete with high-decibel edtech brands, but to endure alongside them. The company positions itself as a content-first, platform-neutral player. We dont see ourselves competing with BYJUs or Physics Wallah," Mittal said. Were not trying to be a tech company. Were an education content company that delivers across formats." That stance has also helped the company sidestep the challenges faced by venture-funded edtech platforms, many of which expanded rapidly during covid and are now cutting costs or winding down verticals. Also read: Despite high income, HNIs in India struggle with financial goals like retirement planning, childrens education: Report There was a lot of FOMO (fear of missing out) and hype during the pandemic. But learning outcomes were not always great. In fact, many schools and countries like those in Scandinavia have gone back to physical classrooms," Mittal noted. The company also avoids large marketing campaigns or brand-led spends. Growth is driven primarily by school relationships, workshops and teacher-enablement programmes. We do over 4,000 teacher workshops a year. Thats where our impact is felt," he said. Preparing for the next decade Mittal acknowledged that higher education textbooks have seen a decline, with college students increasingly going digital. But the K8 market, he said, remains resilient. For older students (Classes 912), hybrid learning is gaining some traction, but the overall addressable market is relatively small compared to early school years. Importantly, S. Chands content is already structured to go digital when required. Every book we create now has videos, assessments and platform-readiness built in," Mittal said. If a school wants to switch tomorrow, were ready." Even though it has explored monetizing its digital intellectual properties (IPs) or spinning off subsidiaries in the past, the company is now focused on internal consolidation. Were merging entities back to stay efficient. Raising funds just for the sake of it doesnt make sense," he said. MUMBAI : Global private equity firms including Apax Partners, Bain Capital, Carlyle and General Atlantic are vying for a controlling stake in the digital transformation services (DTS) business of Harman US in India, three people aware of the development said. Harman US, a Samsung Group company, is looking at a valuation of $400-500 million for the Indian DTS business. Currently, the funds are doing due diligence. The second round of bids is likely only next month," one of the people cited above said on the condition of anonymity. Harman US has hired global investment bank Deutsche to help with the process. Mint was the first to report on the groups plans to sell a controlling stake in the India business on 12 May. Harman US is famous for its JBL, Harman Kardon and Infinity audio products; however, these are separate from its DTS business that's up for sale in India. Also read | Mint Exclusive: JBL maker Harman to sell controlling stake in India unit A Harman India spokesperson said, Harman does not comment on market speculation or rumors. As a global leader in technology and innovation across the automotive, consumer, and enterprise markets, we remain focused on delivering solutions that amplify life experiences. We are always exploring opportunities to strengthen our business, enhance our capabilities, and deliver value to our customers and stakeholders." Spokespersons for Apax and Carlyle and General Atlantic declined to comment, while Bain Capital did not respond to emailed queries. Among top brands Harman US is a Connecticut-based manufacturer of audio systems, automotive infotainment systems, lifestyle products, and connectivity solutions provider. It is counted among the top brands globally, with the majority of the revenue being derived from the automotive business and has contracts from some of the leading automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). It operates in more than 30 countries. Also read | Global PE firms eye stake in Tessolve at $300 mn valuation Harman's DTS business builds systems for clients across life sciences, high-tech, and industrial and consumer sectors. It helps life sciences and med-tech companies accelerate clinical trials and modernize platforms. For high-tech firms, it helps simplify platform engineering, accelerate development, and unlock end-of-life revenue. It also helps industrial and consumer clients to operate smarter and serve betterthrough real-time factory insights, connected ecosystems, and enterprise systems. Revenue driver The DTS business, particularly its Indian operations, plays a crucial role in driving revenue growth for the group. India is a centre of excellence for the DTS business, with a significant number of employees based here. India is a major hub for technology development within Harman's DTS business, with a substantial workforce and a focus on key verticals like healthcare, communications, and industrial. Harman India is a wholly owned subsidiary of Harman US. It has four major business segments, namely, Lifestyle, India Development Centre, Connected Car, and Professional. Harman Group joins the list of global companies looking to sell or monetize their India business. For Harman, the DTS business is non-core to its global strategy and it is looking to monetize it," the second person cited above said. In the recent past, companies such as Thyssen Krupp, Haier and Siemens Gamesa have considered selling their Indian business and focusing on their core business. With private equity firms getting active along with domestic business houses which are hungry for inorganic growth, the deal activity in this segment is likely to pick up going forward. (Bloomberg) -- Marelli Holdings Co., the struggling auto parts supplier for Nissan Motor Co., Stellantis NV and other carmakers, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US as it seeks to slash its debt burden and restructure under new ownership. About 80% of the companys lenders have signed an agreement to support the restructuring, which will deleverage Marellis balance sheet and strengthen its liquidity position, Marelli said in a statement. It added it does not expect the process to have any operational impact on its business. Marelli has received a commitment for $1.1 billion in debtor-in-possession financing from its lenders. Upon Court approval, this amount, coupled with cash generated from the companys ongoing operations, is expected to provide sufficient liquidity to support the company through the Chapter 11 process, Marelli said. The auto parts supplier has been caught up in industry upheaval as electrification and automation force global carmakers to shift their strategy to cope with declining sales in key markets. One person familiar with the matter said earlier this week that global investment firm Strategic Value Partners LLC, led by Victor Khosla, will effectively become the new owner of Marelli. KKR & Co., the US-based private equity group that created Marelli in 2019 by merging its Calsonic Kansei and Magneti Marelli units, will transfer its shares to the consortium of lenders as part of the proposed deal, the person said. Representatives for KKR declined to comment. Strategic Value Partners didnt respond to an email seeking comment. Marelli, which employs more than 50,000 people, had sought unsuccessfully to restructure over the past few years as orders from customers fell. The manufacturer based in Saitama, Japan, operates around 170 facilities globally that supply lighting systems, air conditioning, electric motors, suspensions and other components to carmakers. Apart from SVP, Marellis creditors include Deutsche Bank AG, Mizuho Financial Group Inc. and other lenders. The consortium also includes Seoul-based MBK Partners Ltd. and New Yorks Fortress Investment Group LLC, the person said. Marelli filed for court-led rehabilitation in 2022 and at that time, its total debt was around 1.1 trillion ($7.6 billion), the most ever for a Japanese manufacturer. That was since reduced to around 650 billion. After careful review of the companys strategic alternatives, we have determined that entering the Chapter 11 process is the best path to strengthen Marellis balance sheet by converting debt to equity, Marelli CEO David Slump said in the statement. Taking this action now provides access to new liquidity to fund our long-term growth and innovation pipeline. (Updates with detail from official statement.) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com (Bloomberg) -- The European Unions lending arm will partner with large European lenders including Deutsche Bank AG to provide 3 billion ($3.4 billion) in funding for defense, overcoming reluctance in the sector to participate in the regions rearmament. The European Investment Bank reached an agreement with the German bank to provide 500 million liquidity to small and medium-sized enterprises in the defense and security sector, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. A second agreement with Frances BPCE is expected as early as next week, the person said. The EU has been ratcheting up its military capabilities as member states grow increasingly concerned about Russian aggression and a wavering US commitment to the regions security. The bloc set up a 150 billion instrument to provide cheap loans to national governments and eased fiscal oversight to facilitate military financing. The EIB, the worlds largest multilateral bank, has gradually opened its gates to financing the defense industry after years of avoiding the sector over concerns about the impact on its rating and rules pertaining to environmental and social investments. The EIBs resources allocated to defense and security still amount to 2 billion planned initially for this year against a balance sheet of about 600 billion. Weapons and ammunition remain out of the lenders scope. An EIB spokesperson declined to comment. The European Commission, the EUs executive arm, has been pushing for the EIB to ease its restrictions to fund defense projects, supporting a greater role for European banks. But regional lenders, the main source of financing for companies over capital markets, are only wading into a sector they had considered unattractive until recently. Banks also faced difficulties financing companies in the sector because of strict rules. Lenders including Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas SA, UniCredit SpA, Intesa Sanpaolo SpA, ING Groep NV and Cooperatieve Rabobank UA formed a task force to explore ways to address regulatory hurdles, Bloomberg has reported. The commission is expected to come forward with a proposal this month to address various impediments confronted by the defense industry, including financing. Defense executives and NATO officials alike have long been asking for the EIBs rules on defense investments to be relaxed. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Insurance companies must compensate aircraft lessors and owners for planes that Russia seized when it took counter-sanction measures after the invasion of Ukraine, a UK judge ruled potentially leaving insurers on the hook for billions in payouts. The verdict comes after a years-long legal stand off between aircraft lessors and owners including AerCap Holdings NV and Dubai Aerospace Enterprise Ltd., who sued the insurers, such as units of AIG and Lloyds of London, over allegations they failed to cover the hundreds of leased planes that were held by Russia after sanctions forced termination of the deals. The ruling relates to 147 planes and 16 engines that had insurance claims worth $4.5 billion attached. While its a victory for the lessors, the judge clarified what kind of insurance policies covered the losses, meaning not everything would be covered. The judgment concludes that the aircraft have been lost after Russian legislation that banned the export of the planes and equipment in March 2022, Judge Christopher Butcher said in a summary of the ruling. The lessors can claim compensation for the lost jets from their policies that covered war risks but not under policies that covered all risks, the judge said. The UK High Court ruling could set the tone for other similar high-stakes legal battles in the UK as well as Ireland and the US. Russia transfered hundreds of foreign-owned jets to its own aircraft register after contracts were terminated. But a number of insurers and lessors reached settlements for some aircraft before and during the trial. AerCaps initial case for $3.4 billion was cut to around $2 billion after settlements and claims by other lessors ran into hundreds of millions of dollars, according to court filings. Aercaps cover under war risks is limited to $1.2 billion, according to the judgment. Until February last year, AerCaps 116 jets and 15 engines remained in Russia, used by 15 airlines including Aeroflot. Insurers denied the claims during the hearing. The planes werent lost as Russian airlines continued to use them and specific exclusions in the policies applied, lawyers for some of the insurers argued. Its a reassuring outcome, said Julian Acratopulo, a lawyer for aircraft lessors, including Dubai Aerospace. Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine and subsequent restraint of over 400 commercial aircraft was the paradigm scenario the owners thought that they had insured against. AIG declined to comment while spokespeople for Aercap and LLoyds of London didnt respond to requests for comment. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. BENGALURU : E-commerce startup CityMall has turned operationally profitable in FY25, following a major revamp of its grocery delivery model across tier-2 and tier-3 towns. The Gurugram-based firm, now active across 60 cities in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, National Capital Region (NCR), hit breakeven after streamlining its supply chain and pivoting away from its original social commerce approach. Backed by Accel, Elevation Capital, and General Catalyst, CityMall has grown over 3x in the past 15 months and is currently doubling its revenue year-on-year, according to co-founder and CEO Angad Kikla. Also read: Accel to sharpen focus on startups serving tier-2 areas after $650 mn fundraise We are now positive at the unit economics level. We are making money on every order through multiple iterations in our supply chain while building the cheapest possible grocery distribution channels," Kikla told Mint in an exclusive conversation. While absolute FY25 numbers are yet to be filed with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), the company clocked 427 crore in revenue in FY24 with a loss of 159 crorea 10% increase over the previous year, per Tofler data. Rethinking the model CityMall, founded in 2019 by Kikla and Naisheel Verdhan, was initially built around group-buying led by community leaders"local influencers who drove sales in their neighbourhoods. But this social commerce model was scrapped after the company faced scaling challenges. We started in the pre-Covid era where fewer consumers were purchasing grocery and other goods online. At the time, our community leaders were tasked with generating demand in their respective clusters as well as facilitating fulfilment," Kikla said. But post-pandemic, the behaviour shifted. We realised that everybody is using e-commerce. We dont need to do the tough task of getting them on the platform through the micro entrepreneurs. Finding a way of delivering them with the best price is the most critical part in this category." To solve this, CityMall now works with local milkmen or shop owners in each cluster. Orders are delivered in bulk to these micro-entrepreneurs from centralised warehouses, and they handle last-mile fulfilment. This tweak has improved operational efficiency by at least 3x, Kikla noted. The company is currently in talks with investorsincluding existing backers like Accelfor a new funding round, possibly at a lower valuation. In March, it raised 50 crore in debt from Trifecta Capital and Alteria Capital. In total, CityMall has raised over $100 million, with its last major equity round being a $75 million Series C in March 2022 led by Norwest Venture Partners. Social commerce struggles to scale CityMall isnt the only player to pivot. Some of the largest startups in the space have pivoted from the model owing to inherent structural and behavioural barriers. Bengaluru-based value e-commerce firm Meesho scaled down its community offering Superstore in 2022 as did Lightspeed-backed Udaan with its Price Company vertical. DealShare, which raised nearly $400 million in total, has also moved to a hybrid model. Experts point to the fragmented nature of Indias consumer base. High diversity in income levels, regional preferences, and technology adoption creates challenges in standardising or scaling group-based online models especially in price-sensitive markets like India," said Mit Desai, consumer and internet practice member at consulting firm Praxis Global Alliance. Offline stronghold Even as digital transactions surge across India, grocery shopping in smaller towns remains largely offline. Despite the rise of 'shopcializing' (shopping influenced by community/friends), the actual transactions still skew towards individual rather than collective decision-making online," Desai said. Also read: Realtors eye new addresses in tier-2 cities According to him, the online shopper base grew rapidly until 2023 but is expected to slow between 2023 and 2027, with growth tapering to 10% CAGR from 24% earlierdue to metro saturation and slower adoption in smaller towns. Yet, Kikla remains optimistic. The company plans to deepen its presence in its existing markets and scale further in states like Bihar, betting on its revamped supply chain and cost-conscious execution. Also read: AI-native startups edge out SaaS in investor playbooks as tech shift accelerates It is not a good time to be a migrant in the US. Crackdowns on migrants, including on those with legal rights to stay, have increased dramatically in recent months since Donald Trump took over as US president. Los Angeles is currently seeing a wave of violence after migrants resisted arrest by immigration authorities. This resistance is, in turn, fuelling further violent crackdowns on civilian populations in the city. Any long-term changes in US policies on migrants will have implications for Indians who have moved thereincluding green card holders having permanent resident status and those who have gone to the US for study, work, or to be with family. Indian-origin population in the US was estimated at about 3.4 million in 2023, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Indian diaspora is the second-largest foreign population in the US, after the Mexican diaspora. Over the previous three decades, Indians have increased their share in each of the visa types issued by the US to non-immigrants for four main purposes: tourism, studies, work, and to visit dependents. In 2022-23, Indians accounted for 86% of the USs H-4 visas (intended for dependents of foreign workers), 78% of H1-B visas (work visas), and 29% of student visas. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, Indians accounted for about 14% of US green cards issued in 2022, up sharply from about 8% a decade earlier. Post-covid surge The broader context is that overall migration to the US, including by those on non-permanent visas (like student visas, but excluding tourists), has risen sharply in the post-covid period. While estimates by different arms of the US government vary sharply, the rise is unmistakable. The Congressional Budget Office, whose estimate of 3.3 million net migration to the US in 2024 is among the highest, predicts that net migration will fall to 2.6 million in 2025 and 1.6 million in 2026. The post-covid surge was partly a recovery from the sharp slump caused by the pandemic, when strong international travel restrictions were in place. It is also a result of economic weakness in source countries in the post-covid period and a strong demand for workers in the US itself. According to a study by the Hamilton Project in the US, the surge in immigration added 0.1 percentage points to the US GDP in each of the years from 2022 to 2024. Indians abroad Post-covid, inward migration soared not just in the US but in high-income countries collectively. As per the OECD, its 38 member countries saw unprecedented levels" of around 6 million new migrants in 2022, excluding those from war-hit Ukraine. In 2023, per OECDs estimate, about 150 million people living in its member countries were foreign-born, whith about a third of them living in the US. About 6.5 million Indians live in OECD countries, over half of them in the US. Indians now make up about 10% of the foreign-born population in countries such as Canada, Australia, and the UK. Some of these countries are imposing restrictions on migration, although several of them have ageing populations and depend on migrants to fill gaps in their labour force. Remittance economy As part of his clampdown on foreign migrants, Trump has proposed a 3.5% tax on foreign remittances by non-citizens in the US. This comes at a time when the US, and rich Western countries in general, have become more critical to Indias remittance economy. In 2023-24, India received remittances of $118.7 billion. Less than a decade ago, West Asian countries such as the UAE were the principal source. Now, its the US, with its share rising from 22.9% in 2016-17 to 27.7% in 2023-24, as per the Reserve Bank of India. Its debatable what effect any tax on such remittances may have. A large proportion of remitters could use non-official channels to avoid the tax. According to RBI, 78% of Indian migrants to the US are employed in high-income sectors such as management, business, and science. In contrast, workers in the Gulf have tended to be manual labourers employed in construction or real estate. These may be uncertain times for all. www.howindialives.com is a database and search engine for public data Bismarck city commissioners have started the process of handing over management of the Bismarck Event Center to a third party, an option a national consultant has called the most effective way to address operational inefficiencies and chart a sustainable future. Commissioners voted 4-1 on Tuesday to pursue a third-party operator for the Event Center following a discussion of various operating options and a push from Mayor Mike Schmitz. Commissioner Greg Zenker -- who has always signaled his opposition to a third-party manager -- was the lone dissenting vote. "We have had 18 months-plus of difficult time, and I certainly appreciate all of the hard work that has gone on by the team members at the Event Center," Schmitz said. "But we have to recognize the fact that the citizens of Bismarck deserve better than what we've had operating for the last several decades." The city will now work with Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle on a request for proposal to contract with a third-party operator. The RFP will also include an employee protection plan presented by JLL on Tuesday, and will look to establish an authority board to oversee operations. The move comes after commissioners were presented a management and operations study from JLL during an April 22 meeting, where they were recommended to transition to a third-party operator. At an April 29 special meeting, the board requested further information on three operating models: keeping operations how they currently are, a full transition to a third-party entity or contracting with a third-party manager while retaining staff as city employees. Will Event Center staff be city employees? At Tuesday's meeting, JLL Managing Director Dan Fenton presented a report of those potential operating models, a possible structure for an authority board, and an employee protection plan to support current staff during the transition. The report said that if the city retains its current operations model and hires a new Event Center director, the director may face challenges in matching the industry connections, cost efficiencies and standardized best practices a third-party manager could offer. As a result, the new director may struggle to meet key performance indicators compared to a third-party operator. If the city moves to a model with a third-party manager while keeping staff as public employees, the arrangement could pose significant challenges, according to the report. It noted that having public and private sector employees working side by side would be difficult due to differences in pay scales, benefits and job security. City Human Resources Director Leanne Schmidt echoed those concerns, saying the two sectors operate under different employment laws and incentive structures, making such a mix unworkable. "It would be administratively very challenging and problematic to have private employees performing the same work next to public employees in a city department that are doing the same (work)," Schmidt said, adding it would likely negatively impact morale. JLL recommended moving operations entirely to a third-party entity, but with a robust employee protection plan to help transition current staff. The report suggested the plan include provisions requiring the third party to retain current staff, offer transfer opportunities to other city departments for those who choose not to work for the third party, and implement a moratorium on performance-based terminations for a period following the transition. Fenton also recommended creating an authority board to oversee the Event Center. The board would serve as a fiduciary body responsible for recommending budgets, evaluating the general manager and monitoring overall performance. The report called for a seven-member board. The use of authority boards is common in managing large venues such as the Event Center. North Dakota's two largest venues -- the Fargodome in Fargo and the Alerus Center in Grand Forks -- both operate under authority boards that report to their respective city governments. Mayor pushes for third-party manager After a motion was made to pursue a third-party manager, the mayor urged the Commission to approve the change during the discussion. Schmitz said a February 2024 report from the City Commission Fact Finding Subcommittee found that there were operating issues at the Event Center, and that "several" of them have yet to be addressed -- such as inventory of alcohol beverages. He added that the city lacks a system to track cash flow from parking operations and is not properly inventorying concessions. Schmitz said the findings of both the subcommittee and the JLL report make it clear the city needs to take a new direction. He argued that a third-party operator could offer competitive compensation packages to incentivize staff to attract events that will drive economic development and spending in the community. "This is an opportunity for us to be bold and to provide to our citizens an opportunity to truly attract things that will bring dollars to the community and events to the community that the citizens want to see," Schmitz said. "Being busy does not mean we're productive." City officials have been working to chart a course for the facility after a year of upheaval. The discord began with a whistleblower complaint in late 2023 that led to city and state investigations of the facility's operations. The probes covered everything from the working atmosphere to the handling of cash, and explored whether any ethical violations had occurred regarding vendors. No criminal charges resulted, but then-Director Charlier Jeske -- who defended his leadership -- ultimately reached a settlement with the city under which he received a $325,000 severance and retired. Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has laid out a forward-looking action plan for implementing the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) during high-level meetings with Swiss leadership. The plan places innovation, regulatory alignment, and skill development at the core of the future collaboration, the commerce ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Goyal, currently on a five-day official visit to Switzerland and Sweden to bolster economic and trade ties with key European partners, addressed over 1,000 delegates at the 18th Swissmem Industry Day on Tuesday. Also Read: India-UK FTA sets precedent with dedicated anti-corruption, anti-bribery chapter He invited Switzerlands mechanical and precision industries to deepen their engagement with India during his two-day visit to the country. During the visit, Goyal held productive meetings with top leadership from the Swiss government and industry, aimed at reinforcing strategic synergies and unlocking new avenues for trade, investment, and innovation-led growth, the statement said. He met with federal councillor Guy Parmelin, head of the federal department of economic affairs, education and research (EAER), and state secretary Helene Budliger Artieda to chart a forward-looking roadmap for TEPA implementation. Discussions focused on regulatory cooperation, skills development, innovation partnerships, and mechanisms to facilitate faster investment decision-making, it added. Trade deals Last March, India and the four-nation EFTA signed a free trade deal to integrate and strengthen supply chains, attract investments and generate new business opportunities. The EFTA comprises Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The EFTA has also made a binding commitment to invest $100 billion in India and create one million direct jobs in the next 15 years. Also Read: India-UK FTA a shot in the arm for India's green energy manufacturing space The TEPA with the EFTA was the third major trade deal finalized by the Modi government since early 2022, after signing separate bilateral agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia. India has since then completed a trade agreement with the UK and is in the process of completing one with the European Union and the US. Meanwhile, during his latest visit to Switzerland, Goayl engaged extensively with Swiss industry leaders across sectors, including biotech and pharma, healthcare, precision engineering, defence, and emerging technologies. In his sectoral roundtables and bilateral meetings, he highlighted Indias growing economic strength, policy stability, and the governments commitment to creating a conducive and facilitative ecosystem for global investors, the commerce ministry said. In his keynote address, Goyal invited Swiss companies, including SMEs and deep-tech innovators, to scale up investments in India by leveraging the new trade architecture offered by the TEPA, the statement said. He spoke about Indias demographic dividend, globally recognised engineering talent, and robust supply chains, encouraging Swiss industry to anchor R&D, establish local manufacturing bases, and co-create technologies for the Global South, it added. A standout moment from the visit was the swift resolution of a facilitation request by Endress+Hauser, a global process automation firm with expanding operations in India, the ministry said. The company flagged an issue regarding land availability near its Maharashtra facility, it said, adding that within hours, the matter was resolved through coordinated action by Goyal and Indian authoritiesan outcome industry leaders hailed as a model of responsive and investor-friendly governance. Also Read: Why the India-UK FTA has spooked medical device manufacturers. Hint: China In Sweden, Goyal will co-chair the 21st Session of the Indo-Swedish Joint Commission for Economic, Industrial, and Scientific Cooperation (JCEISC) alongside Benjamin Dousa, minister for international development cooperation and foreign trade. * Deliberations marred by infighting and threats * Retrial follows overturned 2020 New York conviction * Weinstein's 2022 California conviction still stands (Adds length of potential sentence in paragraph 5) By Jack Queen and Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK, June 11 (Reuters) - A Manhattan jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty on a sex crimes charge on Wednesday, though the jury has not yet reached a verdict on all counts the former movie mogul faces in deliberations that have been marred by infighting and threats. Weinstein, once one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood, is facing a retrial after a state appeals court last year overturned his 2020 conviction. He was accused by prosecutors in the case of raping an aspiring actress and assaulting two other women. Weinstein, 73, pleaded not guilty and has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex. The jury found Weinstein guilty on one of the three counts he faced, which stemmed from his alleged assault of former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006. The jury found Weinstein not guilty of a charge stemming from his alleged assault of Kaja Sokola in 2002 when she was a 16-year-old aspiring actress. The jury has not yet reached a verdict on a third count, which charges him with raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. They will resume deliberations on that count on Thursday. Regardless of their eventual verdict on the rape charge, Weinstein faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced. He has separately been sentenced to 16 years in prison following a rape conviction in California. Jurors in the New York case reached their partial verdict on the fifth day of sometimes fractious deliberations. Before the jury announced their verdict on Wednesday, Justice Curtis Farber met privately with one person on the 12-member jury referred to as Juror One. The judge then stated in open court that there had been "fighting" in the jury room. "Juror One has made it very clear that he is not going to change his position," Farber said, adding that Juror One did not tell him what his position was. "He indicated that at least one other juror made comments to the juror that Ill meet you outside one day, and theres yelling and screaming." Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala asked for a mistrial. As Farber was preparing to dismiss jurors for the day to give them a chance to "cool off," the jury sent a note indicating it had reached a verdict on some counts. The retrial began on April 23. Weinstein has had a litany of health problems and attended the retrial in a wheelchair. In closing arguments on June 3, the prosecution told the 12 jurors that the evidence showed how Weinstein used his power and influence to trap and abuse women. The defense countered that the accusers lied on the witness stand out of spite after their consensual sexual encounters with the Oscar-winning producer failed to result in Hollywood stardom. #METOO MILESTONE A jury had in February 2020 found Weinstein guilty of raping Mann and sexually assaulting Haley. Sokola's allegation was not part of that case. The conviction was a milestone for the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by powerful men. But the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, threw out that conviction in April 2024. It said the trial judge erred by letting women testify that Weinstein had assaulted them, though their accusations were not the basis of the criminal charges. Though the conviction was thrown out, Weinstein has remained behind bars because of his California conviction. He is appealing that verdict. More than 100 women, including famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of misconduct. The retrial was handled by prosecutors with the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. They 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. The defense rejected that characterization, saying Weinstein engaged in "mutually beneficial" relationships with his accusers, who ended up with auditions and other show business opportunities. Weinstein co-founded the Miramax studio, whose hit movies included "Shakespeare in Love" and "Pulp Fiction." His own eponymous film studio filed for bankruptcy in March 2018, five months after sexual misconduct accusations against him became widely publicized. Weinstein has experienced several health episodes while being held at New York City's Rikers Island jail, and in September was rushed to a hospital for emergency heart surgery. Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 11 (ANI): International action cinema gets a thrilling new crossover as martial arts maestro Sunny Pang is set to debut in Indian cinema with the upcoming film 'Lakadbaggha 2 - The Monkey Business'. The sequel, which continues the gritty narrative of a vigilante animal lover, stars Pang alongside Indian actor Anshuman Jha, who reprises his role from the original. Following his memorable showdown with Tom Hardy in the recent action feature 'Havoc', Pang joins the Indian film industry with much anticipation. For 'Lakadbaggha 2', Pang and Anshuman Jha trained in Bangkok with the action choreography team led by Kecha Kamphakdee and Jaika Stunts. The film is currently being shot in Kolkata and West Java, Indonesia. Actor Anshuman Jha, speaking about his co-star, shared, "I loved Sunny Sir's work in Headshot. It was a dream to work with him, let alone match him in a fight. Sunny Pang brings with him a legacy of real, visceral action. Having him in Lakadbaggha 2 is not just a casting win, it's a statement," in a press note. For Pang, the experience marks more than just a career milestone. "This is my first time working on an Indian film, and the level of respect and passion I've experienced here has been incredible," said the actor. "Lakadbaggha 2 isn't just another action film, it's a story with soul, a fight with purpose. At its core, it champions animal rights, and that mission gives every punch, every kick, a deeper meaning," he added. Washington [US], June 11 (ANI): The creators of the hit HBO series 'The Last of Us,' Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, have confirmed that season three will star Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, a character who brutally murdered Pedro Pascal's character Joel in the second season. The announcement was made during an Emmys FYC event, where Mazin and Druckmann teased the direction of the upcoming season, as per The Hollywood Reporter. According to Druckmann, season three will be "more of a water season than a fire season," indicating a shift in tone and setting from previous seasons. Mazin added that it will be "a wetter season than a hotter season," suggesting a change in the visual and atmospheric approach to the show. Druckmann expressed his gratitude to HBO for allowing the creative team to take risks and make bold decisions in the storytelling. "I was sure that they wouldn't let us do this when we started adapting this, but they've leaned into what makes, I believe, the story special," he said, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter. The decision to kill off Joel early in the second season was a controversial one, but Druckmann believes it was necessary for the story. Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Abby, joined the conversation remotely and expressed her excitement about being part of the show. "The controversy surrounding Abby was never really a concern for me," she said, praising the creative team and the experience of working on the set. Mazin discussed the decision to kill off Joel, explaining that it's a show about grief, not revenge. "How are we supposed to grieve if nobody we truly, truly are invested in dies?" he asked. The immigration crackdown may already be starting to show up in the job market. Employment growth in industries that rely heavily on unauthorized workers has slowed. There has been a large decline in the foreign-born labor force since March. And recent immigrants appear more reluctant to take part in the Labor Departments monthly survey of households. Still, there is no definitive measure of the unauthorized workforce, and the data that does exist can be volatile and difficult to parse. The Labor Department relies on two surveys to produce its monthly jobs reportone of employers, the other of householdsand each has blind spots. The employer survey is where the main monthly jobs number comes from. It queries firms on how many workers they have on their payrolls. It doesnt ask questions about workers legal status, but some companies, such as those with people working off the books, probably dont respond accurately. The employer survey also doesnt include farmworkers and workers in private householdstwo employment categories with a large number of unauthorized workers. That survey does include some industries with large shares of unauthorized workers, such as landscaping services and slaughterhouses. And as a group, these have been adding jobs at a slower rate than other private-sector employers since last summer, when the number of people coming into the U.S. began to fall, according to an analysis by economist Jed Kolko, who was Under Secretary for Economic Affairs at the Commerce Department during the Biden administration. But that slowdown has actually been less pronounced in recent months, according to Kolko. We probably havent seen the full effect from immigration policies this year yet," he said. The Labor Departments separate survey of households is where the unemployment rate, among other labor measures, comes from. It doesnt ask questions about immigration status, though it does ask if people were born in the U.S. or not. It also makes a pledge of confidentiality, but many unauthorized immigrants are still probably reluctant to participate in the survey, and lately that reluctance might have grown. Indeed, the response rate of recent immigrants has fallen this year. A man under arrest by federal law-enforcement agents in Georgia earlier this year. That, Goldman Sachs said in a note to clients last week, raises concerns that the survey may have missed many unauthorized immigrants who are scared to go to work amid the intense immigration crackdown." Data released alongside Fridays jobs report showed that the number of foreign-born people either working or looking for work fell by about one million from March to May. That was the biggest two-month decline in the foreign-born labor force since the early days of the pandemic. Some economists pointed to that decline as an indication that more unauthorized workers are exiting the labor force. That data is extremely volatile, though, and not adjusted for seasonal swings, which are severe in sectors such as farming. The ratios of both foreign- and native-born employed people to population have behaved similarly in the past year. Immigration has long been an important source of labor in the U.S., particularly in recent years as the number of unauthorized immigrants flowing across the border surged. But the number of people coming into the country began falling in the later part of last year after the Biden administration tightened up the border. And it has fallen precipitously since President Trump came back into office, while raids on workplaces have made some immigrants fearful of showing up for work. Workforce authorization backlogs continue to grow and reports of arrests at regular immigration appointments rise, scaring some potential applicants away from the process. Nicole Hallett, who runs the Immigrants Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago, which offers free legal assistance, said many of her clients have quietly exited the workforce as new Trump administration policies put pressure on their ability to work legally in the U.S. Work permits also often create a path for migrants to other identification and access other social programs. That said, many of the people who crossed the Southern border last year are likely still entering the labor-force pipeline. Many unauthorized immigrants, such as those who apply for asylum, are eligible for work permits, but often are required to wait before applying, and then wait for approval. As of Aprilthe latest data availablethe number of people applying for these permits was high, points out Wendy Edelberg, an economist at the Brookings Institution. Hallett said she believes that many people are likely still applying for work permits even now. Workers have to feed their families, after all. Work authorization is so valuable that I think people are still applying," Hallett said. But I would say that the level of fear that people are feeling, just because they know that any time they file something, they get put on the radar, is a lot higher." New policies that strip work permit eligibility will likely have a harsher impact on workers with better jobs, not those who have found a way to survive by being paid under the table, Hallett said. An employer who pays attention to immigration law is more likely to also care about other labor laws, she has found. Conchita Cruz, co-executive director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, which represents more than 700,000 migrants in all 50 states, said the groups members arent the only ones who feel the moments uncertainty. Employers want the answers just as bad as the workers do in this case," Cruz, an attorney, said. Its a rare instance where business owners and the business community are on the same page as unions and the labor movement and immigrants." The groups members span a wide range of industries, and for example include both doctors and cleaners at the hospital, she said. Immigrant workers are playing a critical role in many different industries, Cruz said, and employers dont want to lose them. At the end of the day, its very costly to have to retrain someone, to have to find new employees, to have to replace people who otherwise are doing a great job and you would want to keep in a job." It will still take time for the effects of the new immigration policies to show up. UBS economists further note that the unemployment rate for workers ages 16 to 19 rose to 13.4% in May from 13% a month earlier. Because teens typically work in sectors with higher shares of immigrant workers, the economists expect teen unemployment would fall, not rise, in response to immigrants leaving the labor force. It might not take long for the immigration crackdown to show up more clearly. The Labor Departments employer and household surveys are based on midmonth readings. That means that the May jobs report that was released last week didnt include the dialing up of immigration enforcement that came in late May after top White House aide Stephen Miller told Immigration and Customs Enforcement to just go out there and arrest illegal aliens." The June jobs figures, due July 3, will be based on the pay period and week that includes the 12th of this monththat is, Thursday. Write to Justin Lahart at Justin.Lahart@wsj.com Flying with your pet this summer? Better brush up on confusing rules and higher fees. Oh, and have a plan B ready in case things go awry at the airport. Christina and Michael Kutzner spent hours boning up on the regulations so she could travel with her mothers dog from Las Vegas to Detroit in first class in April. They called Delta, tested different pet carriers, scoured online forums about in-cabin pet travel and more. It wasnt enough. The 20-pound dog was turned away at the airport for being too tall for an under-the-seat pet carrier. Christina and her mom had to buy expensive, last-minute tickets on American for the next day. Christina Kutzner and her mother were told that Kona was too tall for their pet carrier. They also had to get a new crate so Kona, a Shiba Inu, could fly in cargo. (Delta no longer takes pets in cargo except for certain active military or State Department employees.) And they had to fly into Chicago instead of Detroit and rent a car. It was, they say, an expensive lesson. We just want to make sure that people are aware theres not a lot of good information out there, Michael Kutzner says. Traveling with pets has never been simple. And it has become more difficult and expensive since U.S. airlines, with the support of the Transportation Department, banned emotional-support animals in 2021 after a surge in incidents. The only animals allowed in the cabin now are service animals with proper documentation and small pets in approved carriers that fit under a seat. The list of rules and regulations to bring your cat or small dog on the plane reads like the fine print on a basic economy ticket. Its even worse if youre traveling internationally. Figuring out whether that carry-on bag will pass muster in the airline bag-sizer is a cinch compared with whether your pet carrier and its beloved occupant will be cleared to fly with you. Airlines have robust pet sections on their websites but deciphering them isnt always easy, especially for newbies. Deltas website, for example, states that in-cabin pets must be small enough to fit comfortably in a kennel with the ability to move around without touching or sticking out from the sides." Americans says only that the pets must be small enough to fit comfortably inside the closed/zipped carrier." The rules keep changing, too. Alaska Airlines last week said it would no longer allow passengers to book a separate seat for their pet. It was the last U.S. airline to offer the option of buying a second seat for a dog crate. It was popular with owners of medium-size dogs too big to fit under the seat. Other airlines that let you buy a second seat for a pet dont let you put the carrier on the seat. Thanks to Signature Pet Transport, a Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen named Rooney was delivered from his breeder to his new family. Supporters have filed a petition to reverse the decision. The airline also decreased the eligible carrier size for under-seat pets and said it would no longer take birds and rabbits beginning next year. (Alaska says it and other changes are designed to align its policies with those of merger partner Hawaiian Airlines.) Another challenge for travelers: Pet fees can now cost more than your plane ticket. A friend texted me last week lamenting the $300 price tag to bring her dog on a United flight from Denver to South Dakota. Her own ticket cost $209. American and United raised their domestic pet fees to $150 one way last year. Delta, which previously charged $95, joined the $150 club in April. JetBlue and Southwest charge $125 each way, Alaska $100. Cargo prices are higher. (Its all still cheaper than sharing a private charter or flying the new BARK Aira luxury charter service for dogs, with prices starting at $6,000 one way for a pet and its human from New York to Los Angeles in July.) Even professionals find it hard to stay ahead of the varying pet policies and prices on airlines. We do our best to keep up with all of it," says Christian Diaz. The former flight attendant founded Signature Pet Transport in San Diego, which provides a variety of servicesfrom phone consultation to guardians who travel with your petto help travelers navigate pet transport. Diaz, who is a regular contributor to the popular Flying with Dogs Facebook group, can rattle off airlines with what he considers the most generous under-seat carrier sizes (Delta tops the list domestically) and those with the stingiest (Hawaiian, American and now Alaska). Then there are the differences between a 20-pound French bulldog and a 20-pound Italian greyhound when it comes to fitting into a regulation-size carrier. The short, compact bulldog wont occupy much space, he says, but the greyhound has longer legs and probably wont make the airlines cut, says Diaz who also breeds dogs and shows them. Diaz offers the following tips to reduce the chance of problems at the airport. Long before the day of travel, make sure the dog fits in the carrier and is comfortable. Practice, practice, practice.Dont take a chance if you think the dog is on the bubble sizewise. (Google any airlines pet policy and one of the related searches is always How strict is this airline?")Print out or bookmark the airlines policies and bring them with you. Airline employee understanding and enforcement of the complex rules can vary from flight to flight, airport to airport.Always have a backup plan. The Kutzners story had a happy ending on American, but they wished they had received better directions from Delta throughout the process. Delta apologized for any miscommunication and says its pet policies are designed for safety and comfort throughout all aspects of flight." Write to Dawn Gilbertson at dawn.gilbertson@wsj.com THIS IS an economic revolution and we will win." Donald Trumps line on tariffs sounds like something from Robespierre or Engels. And as any revolutionary knows, to sweep away the old order it is not enough just to raise import duties. You also have to seize and refashion the institutions that control the culture. In America that means wresting control of Ivy League universities which play an outsize role in forming the elite (including Mr Trumps cabinet). The MAGA plan to remake the Ivies could have terrible consequences for higher education, for innovation, for economic growth and even for what sort of country America is. And it is only just beginning. The target has been exquisitely chosen. Over the past decade elite universities have lost the bipartisan support they used to enjoy. This was partly their own fault. In too many cases they succumbed to faddish groupthink about oppression, became scared of their student-customers and turned away speakers in the name of safety. At the same time, American politics became more polarised by educational achievement. Kamala Harris lost the popular vote in the 2024 presidential election. But she won Americans with post-graduate degrees by 20 points. This combination left the academy vulnerable. But the most substantive change has been within the Republican Party. Conservatives considered elite universities to be hostile territory even before William F. Buckley published God and Man at Yale" in 1951. Yet they also respected the basic compact that exists between universities and the federal government: that taxpayers fund scientific research and provide grants for students from poor families, and in return, universities do world-changing research. Some of the researchers may have views that irk the White House of the day. Many are foreigners. But their work ends up benefiting America. That is why, in 1962, the government funded a particle accelerator, even though some people who would use it had long hair and hated American foreign policy. And why, later that decade, researchers at American universities invented the internet, with military funding. This deal has been the source of military as well as economic power. It has contributed to almost every technological leap that has boosted output, from the internet to mRNA vaccines and GLP-1 agonists to artificial intelligence. It has made America a magnet for talented, ambitious people from around the world. It is this compactnot bringing car factories back to the rust beltthat is the key to Americas prosperity. And now the Trump administration wants to tear it up. His government has used federal grants to take revenge on universities: the presidents of Princeton and Cornell criticised the government and promptly had over $1bn in grants cancelled or frozen. It has arrested foreign students who have criticised the conduct of Israels war in Gaza. It has threatened to increase the tax on endowments: J.D. Vance (Yale Law School) has proposed raising it on large endowments from 1.4% to 35%. What it wants in return varies. Sometimes it is to eradicate the woke-mind virus. Sometimes it is to eradicate antisemitism. It always involves a double standard on free speech, according to which you can complain about cancel culture and then cheer on the deportation of a foreign student for publishing an op-ed in a college newspaper. This suggests that, as with any revolution, it is about who has power and control. So far, universities have tried to lie flat and hope Mr Trump leaves them alone, just like many of the big law firms that the president has targeted. The Ivy presidents meet every month or so, but have yet to come up with a common approach. Meanwhile, Harvard is changing the leadership of its Middle East studies centre and Columbia is on its third president in a year. This strategy is unlikely to work. The MAGA vanguard cannot believe how quickly the Ivies have capitulated. The Ivies also underestimate the fervour of the revolutionaries they are up against. Some of them dont just want to tax Harvardthey want to burn it down. Resisting the administrations assault requires courage. Harvards endowment is about the same size as the sovereign-wealth fund of the oil-rich sultanate of Oman, which should buy some bravery. But that mooted tax could shrink it quickly. Harvard receives over $1bn in grants each year. Columbias annual budget is $6bn; it receives $1.3bn in grants. Other elite universities are less fortunate. If even the Ivies cannot stand up to bullying, there is not much hope for elite public universities, which are just as dependent on research funding and do not have vast endowments to absorb government pressure. How, then, should universities respond? Some things that their presidents want to do anyway, such as adopting codes protecting free speech on campus, cutting administrative staff, banning the use of diversity" statements in hiring and ensuring more diverse viewpoints among academics, accord with the views of many Republicans (and this newspaper). But the universities should draw a clear line: even if it means losing government funding, what they teach and research is for them to decide. Like Ike This principle is one reason why America became the worlds most innovative economy over the past 70 years, and why Russia and China did not. Yet even that undersells its value. Free inquiry is one of the cornerstones of American liberty, along with the freedom to criticise the president without fear of retribution. True conservatives have always known this. The free university", said Dwight Eisenhower in his farewell presidential address in 1961, has been the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery". Eisenhower, who was president of Columbia before he was president of the United States, warned that when universities become dependent on government grants, the government can control scholarship. For a long time that warning seemed a bit hysterical. America never had a president willing to exert such authority over colleges. Now it does. Subscribers to The Economist can sign up to our Opinion newsletter, which brings together the best of our leaders, columns, guest essays and reader correspondence. ISTANBULMoscows chief negotiator in peace talks with Kyiv was a lead architect of the historical revisionism that drove Russia to invade Ukraine. Now, Vladimir Medinsky is drawing on his view of history again as he tries to convince Ukraine that it would be better off unwinding its integration with the West and embracing Moscows terms for peace. With Russia, its impossible to fight a long war," Medinsky said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, citing Russias 21-year war with Sweden in the 18th century as evidence that the country prevails in protracted fights. Medinsky, who spoke to the Journal after the latest round of negotiations in Istanbul, played down the impact of Ukraines recent drone assault that destroyed at least 12 Russian bombers, saying that it hadnt cast a cloud over talks. The talks yielded no breakthrough, though the sides have agreed on a series of prisoner exchanges. President Trump, who has been pushing for a peace deal, said last week that he might let the two sides fight for a while." Medinsky warned that a lack of compromise from Kyiv would only lead to more territorial losses. We want peace," he said. But if Ukraine keeps being driven by the national interests of others, then we will be simply forced to respond." Ukraine has long argued that it is precisely this kind of rhetoricechoed in regular statements by Russian President Vladimir Putinthat has prevented any breakthrough in peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. It contends that the only Russian with a mandate to decide the terms of a truce with Ukraine is Putin, and the negotiators sent by him to Istanbul were simply messengers for the Kremlinthough Ukrainian officials acknowledge Medinsky has played a role in arranging crucial prisoner swaps. Russians dont want peace," said Ukraines former defense minister, Andriy Zagorodnyuk, who currently advises the Ukrainian government. And we dont need Medinsky to prove this to us." Ukrainian officials say Medinsky, during talks in Istanbul, has routinely turned to questionable interpretations of conflicts from past centuries to try to press his points on the Ukrainian team. It is through interpretations of the past that Medinsky, a bespectacled, stern 54-year-old, first achieved prominence in political circles. In the 2000s, he penned a series of popular history books titled Myths about Russia," in which he assailed primitive cliches about Russian drunkenness and cruelty, examined the concept of a Russian soul," and railed against claims that Russians are authoritarian at heart. As Putins culture minister between 2012 and 2020, he pushed a more positive vision of Russias past. The ministry sponsored a number of historical action moviesat least three of them about World War II-era tankswith thin plotlines and video game-style shootouts that were popular with cinema audiences. Medinsky also oversaw the construction of statues to Russian historical figures across the country. The senior Putin aide has co-written Russian textbooks that have been introduced as part of a sweeping reorientation of the curriculum toward what the Kremlin calls patriotic education" that plays down the dark pages of Russias past and justifies the war in Ukraine, which Moscow calls a special military operation." At the June 2022 presentation of another history book series, he noted past Russian statesmen who contributed to the countrys rapid territorial expansion over the centuries. Now its a bit smaller," he said of Russias territory. But thats not forever." Mikhail Zygar, a Russian author and expert on Putins inner circle, has alleged that Medinsky is the ghostwriter for many of Putins historical texts, including a June 2021 essay that denied Ukraines right to statehood and introduced many themes Putin would later invoke to justify the invasion. Medinsky said he has been involved in writing notes and preparing documents for Putin, but doesnt write the texts. He has headed up Russias delegation in talks with Ukraine since 2022, which Kyiv abandoned after Russia withdrew from Ukraines capital and surrounding areas, and left behind evidence of atrocities that hardened Kyivs stance. Medinsky, in his interview with the Journal, said the Wests mistake is that it views the war in Ukraine as something similar to a conflict between England and Francetwo countries with their own distinct histories and cultures. He argued that the war with Ukraine is instead a fratricidal fight between two states with a common language and culture that are essentially one people and are destined to be close allies. This is like a conflict between two brothersone older and one youngerabout who is smarter and more important," he said. This conflict sadly deepens our differences, and thats why we want it to end as soon as possible." Ukraine has said Russias view of Ukrainians as younger brothers in the same family is the kind of language that masks expansionist ambitions at the core of Moscows campaign. If Russia claims to be a brother to any Central or Eastern European nation, it is the Cain in the story, already holding the stone," said Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesman for Ukraines foreign ministry. Medinsky has warned Ukrainians that long wars with Russia end in inevitable defeat for its enemies. He cited the Great Northern War at the start of the 18th century, which pitted Peter the Great against the Swedish Empire. Peter had proposed a truce that would leave in Russias hands only the territory of modern-day St. Petersburg, with its access to the Baltic Sea. Sweden refused and launched an ill-fated march on Moscow that ended with its crushing defeat at the Battle of Poltava in Ukraine and its later loss of the Baltic provinces. Putin has invoked that war as inspiration for the war in Ukraine, arguing that Russia today is taking back territory that rightfully belongs to it. That war would go on for 21 years," Medinsky said of the fight with Sweden. We dont want [that]. We want peace." But some long wars fought by Russians have ended in defeat, including a nearly decadelong invasion of Afghanistan that drained Moscows resources and ended in 1989 with a military withdrawal that accelerated the Soviet collapse two years later. Western officials say Russia has suffered more than 10 times as many casualties in Ukraine as the Soviet Union did during the entire Afghan campaign. Write to Matthew Luxmoore at matthew.luxmoore@wsj.com New Delhi: In what may cause consternation among farmers, the Union government plans to cap subsidised fertilizer distribution and instead link allocation of soil nutrients to crop requirements and sowing patterns specific to different regions, two people said. The move is aimed at controlling excessive fertilizer use, aligning domestic agricultural practices with Indias export ambitions, optimising the use of soil nutrients through scientific planning, and curbing Indias rising subsidy burden, one of them said. The plan is currently under inter-ministerial consultation, this person added. If the government goes ahead with this plan, soil nutrients will be allocated to farmers through point-of-sale units in their villages or panchayats (village councils) based on their crops requirements, said the second person mentioned above. Both of them declined to be identified. A calibrated fertilizer usage will not only help restore soil health but also improve the quality of crops, which is critical for meeting residue and quality norms in global markets," said Rakesh Arrawatia, professor (finance), Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA). The overuse of fertilisers, especially urea, has become a dual challengedepleting soil health, and putting a heavy burden on the governments subsidy bill, although this has been declining gradually. The government's spending on providing fertilisers at subsidised rates declined from 2.54 trillion in 2022-23 to 1.88 trillion in FY24 and 1.77 trillion in FY25. For FY26,Indias fertiliser subsidy has been pegged at 1.68 trillion. Spokespersons of the ministries of agriculture and chemical and fertilizers did not immediately reply to Mints queries. What farmers say The governments plan to cap the distribution of subsidised fertilizers risks becoming a politically vexed issue given the sensitivity of farmers to changes in policy, according to some experts. India has witnessed two high-deciblefarmers protests in recent years. The first was during the pandemic years over the governments plan to liberalise rules governing agriculture markets and trade, and the more recent one over the governments proposal for private-sector involvement in the purchase, processing, and marketing of crops. As a member of the governments MSP committee, I have submitted my recommendations to ensure better utilisation of fertilisers," said Pramod Kumar Choudhary, who represents the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), a farmers organisation. MSP is the minimum support price at which the government procures crops from farmers to ensure a guaranteed income from farming. Also read |Privatization of fertilizer companies back on the menu, one small firm at a time I have proposed that instead of routing subsidies through fertiliser companies, the government should transfer the amount directly to farmers accounts. For example, a 45 kg bag of urea is currently priced at 242, whereas its actual cost is around 2,650. The difference 2,408 should go straight to the farmer, while fertiliser companies should be free to sell at the market price," Choudhary said. This shift will have a significant impact on fertiliser usage patterns, encouraging farmers to adopt alternative soil nutrients, which in turn will support the growth of agricultural exports," he said, adding that India has about 350 million acres of arable land. Agreeing with Choudhary, another farmers leader, Rakesh Tikait, told Mint over phone that the government should invite farmer representatives for discussions and consider giving fertiliser subsidies directly to farmers based on their landholding size. What about those farmers who dont use fertilisers because they practice organic farming? Their share of the subsidy is also going into the pockets of fertiliser companies. The government should seriously consider transferring the money directly into farmers accounts rather than allocating a quota of soil nutrients based on land size," said Tikait, national spokesperson of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), another farmers organisation. A crucial step? As India works on strategies to scale up exports in high-value segments like basmati rice, fruits, vegetables, and organic produce, quality compliance has become a key focus. Indias overall agricultural exports have shown an increasing trend, rising from $32.43 billion in FY23 to $33.24 billion in FY24 and $36.97 billion in FY25, indicating growing demand for Indian crops and related products. But rejections of Indian consignments in the European Union and other developed markets have often been traced to chemical residues and non-compliance with agro-chemical standards. Experts say streamlining fertiliser use is a crucial precondition for building a globally competitive agri-export ecosystem. For Indian produce to gain wider access to premium markets, quality must begin at the soil level. Controlling fertiliser misuse is a necessary step," said Shahid Khan, a fruit exporter who owns Royal Farms in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Also read |Millions of drones to be deployed in villages to spray fertilizers Under the governments proposed pilot fertiliser distribution plan, a farmer with 10 acres of land cultivating three cropspulses, wheat, and ricewould receive an allocation of soil nutrients based on the specific requirement of each crop. The distribution would be managed through point-of-sale units located in the farmers village or panchayat. Digital tools such as the governments Soil Health Card platform and Aadhaar-linked direct benefit transfers would be leveraged to implement the plan, with Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha likely to be among the first to pilot the initiative, according to the two people mentioned above. New Delhi: The newly formed task force on textile exports held its first meeting under the chairmanship of outgoing commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal on Tuesday, focusing on challenges impacting shipments and strategies to enhance the sectors global competitiveness, the commerce ministry said on Wednesday. The discussions spanned the entire textile value chaincovering skilling, labour productivity, cost structures, scaling up manufacturing, adoption of renewable energy, and sustainability practices. The task force also reviewed the effectiveness of existing government schemes aimed at supporting the sector. Barthwal underlined that the task forces primary goal is to establish a unified platform for addressing long-standing issues facing the textile industry, and to develop coordinated, actionable solutions with inputs from all key stakeholders. The timing of the task force meeting is seen as significant, given Indias ongoing efforts to diversify its textile export destinations and reduce reliance on a few traditional markets such as the US and the European Union. With a vision to scale textile exports to $100 billion by 2030-31, the government is stepping up its engagement with industry players to strengthen policy alignment and unlock new opportunities. Also read | India, EU discuss textile duty relief in exchange for whisky concessions under FTA Indias textile exports have shown a mixed trend in recent yearsrising from $35.55 billion in FY23 to $36.55 billion in FY25, after falling to $34.40 billion in FY24. Traders present at the meeting stressed the need for sustained support to overcome global demand fluctuations, price competitiveness issues, and supply chain bottlenecks. Rajesh Agrawal, commerce secretary-designate, stressed the need for continuous innovation and alignment with evolving global trends as crucial for expanding Indias share in the international textile market. We need to think ahead and build on our strengths to meet shifting consumer preferences, said Agrawal. Satya Srinivas, special secretary in the Department of Commerce, added that the industry must capitalize on the governments ongoing trade negotiations and preferential access frameworks, including zero-duty market arrangements, to drive growth. Other key areas discussed included improving regulatory and quality control standards, strengthening logistics, promoting Geographical Indication (GI) products, enhancing productivity of natural fibres such as jute, and advancing the planned Export Promotion Mission by the commerce department. The meeting concluded with an agreement to set up ministry-led sub-task forces, which will submit detailed recommendations to the main panel. These sub-groups will be composed of representatives from various Textile Export Promotion Councils, industry associations, and exportersensuring that policy formulation is closely informed by on-the-ground realities, the ministry said. Stakeholders said that the task force marks a renewed push to bring coherence to textile sector reforms and unlock Indias full potential as a global sourcing hub. India is framing guidelines for companies, developers and public institutions to report artificial intelligence-related incidents as the government seeks to create a database to understand and manage the risks AI poses to critical infrastructure. The proposed standard aims to record and classify problems such as AI system failures, unexpected results, or harmful effects of automated decisions, according to a new draft from the Telecommunications Engineering Centre (TEC). Mint has reviewed the document released by the technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The guidelines will ask stakeholders to report events such as telecom network outages, power grid failures, security breaches, and AI mismanagement, and document their impact, according to the draft. Consultations with stakeholders are going on pertaining to the draft standard to document such AI-related incidents. TECs focus is primarily on the telecom and other critical digital infrastructure sectors such as energy and power,"said a government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. However, once a standard to record such incidents is framed, it can be used interoperably in other sectors as AI is being used everywhere." The plan is to create a central repository and pitch the standard globally to the United Nations International Telecommunication Union, the official said. Key Takeaways India is framing guidelines for companies and institutions to report AI-related incidents to manage risks to critical infrastructure. The proposed standard aims to classify AI system failures, unexpected results, and harmful automated decisions. Guidelines will require reporting on incidents like telecom outages, power grid failures, and security breaches due to AI mismanagement. The goal is to create a central repository for AI incidents and propose this standard globally to the UN's ITU. The initiative builds on a MeitY recommendation for a national AI incident database to improve transparency and accountability. Experts suggest starting with guidelines and self-regulation for reporting, emphasizing learning over penalization. Recording and analysing AI incidents is important because system failures, bias, privacy breaches, and unexpected results have raised concerns about how the technology affects people and society. AI systems are now instrumental in making decisions that affect individuals and society at large," TEC said in the document proposing the draft standard. Despite their numerous benefits, these systems are not without risks and challenges." Queries emailed to TEC didn't elicit a response till press time. Also read | AI at war: Artificial intelligence is reshaping defence strategies Incidents similar to the recent Crowdstrike incident, the largest IT outage in history, can be reported under India's proposed standard. Any malfunction in chatbots, cyber breaches, telecom service quality degradation, IoT sensor failures, etc. will also be covered. The draft requires developers, companies, regulators, and other entities to report the name of the AI application involved in an incident, the cause, location, and industry/sector affected, as well as the severity and kind of harm it caused. Like OECD AI Monitor The TECs proposal builds on a recommendation from a MeitY sub-committee of on AI Governance and Guidelines Development. The panels report in January had called for the creation of a national AI incident database to improve transparency, oversight, and accountability. MeitY is also engaged in developing a comprehensive governance framework for the country, with a focus on fostering innovation while ensuring responsible and ethical development and deployment of AI. According to the TEC, the draft defines a standardized scheme for AI incident databases in telecommunications and critical digital infrastructure. It also establishes a structured taxonomy for classifying AI incidents systematically. The schema ensures consistency in how incidents are recorded, making data collection and exchange more uniform across different systems," the draft document said. Also read | Apple quietly opens AI gates to developers at WWDC 2025 Indias proposed framework is similar to the AI Incidents Monitor of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which documents incidents to help policymakers, AI practitioners, and all stakeholders worldwide gain valuable information about the real-world risks and harms posed by the technology. Notably, the framework proposed by TEC has also taken reference from a research paper published in July 2024 by Avinash Agarwal and Manisha J. Nene on the subject. So far, most of the conversations have been primarily around first principles of ethical and responsible AI. However, there is a need to have domain and sector-specific discussions around AI safety," said Dhruv Garg, a tech policy lawyer and partner at Indian Governance and Policy Project (IGAP). We need domain specialist technical bodies like TEC for setting up a standardized approach to AI incidents and risks of AI for their own sectoral use cases," Garg said. Ideally, the sectoral approach may feed into the objective of the proposed AI Safety Institute at the national level and may also be discussed internationally through the network of AI Safety Institutes." Need for self-reglation In January, MeitY announced the IndiaAI Safety Institute under the 10,000 crore IndiaAI Mission to address AI risks and safety challenges. The institute focuses on risk assessment and management, ethical frameworks, deepfake detection tools, and stress testing tools. Standardisation is always beneficial as it has generic advantages," said Satya N. Gupta, former principal advisor at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). Telecom and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) cuts across all sectors and, therefore, once standards to mitigate AI risks are formed here, then other sectors can also take a cue." Also read | AI hallucination spooks law firms, halts adoption According to Gupta, recording the AI issues should start with guidelines and self-regulation, as enforcing these norms will increase the compliance burden on telecom operators and other companies. The MeitY sub-committee had recommended that the AI incident database should not be started as an enforcement tool and its objective should not be to penalise people who report AI incidents. There is a clarity within the government that the plan is not to do fault finding with this exercise but help policy makers, researchers, AI practitioners, etc., learn from the incidents to minimize or prevent future AI harms," the official cited above said. NEW DELHI : The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, proposing sweeping reforms such as 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) and composite licensing, is likely to be tabled in the Monsoon Session of Parliament in July, three people aware of the plan said. However, amendments to clarify the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016, and changes to the Companies Act, 2023, are unlikely to make it to the coming session, the people said on the condition of anonymity. The Centre is also awaiting a Parliament select committees views on the new Income Tax Bill, 2025, meant to simplify direct tax laws, expected in July, so that it can be introduced in the Winter Session of Parliament towards the end of November or early December, said one of the three people quoted above. The select committee, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJPs) Baijayant Panda, is expected to give its report on the first day of the monsoon session, likely to begin on 21 July. Insurance reforms The insurance amendment bill was slated for introduction in the Budget session, but got delayed as the finance ministry sought to add provisions on 100% FDI and the ease of operational considerations for foreign investors, requiring fresh vetting by the law ministry before cabinet approval. Several provisions of the bill required time for regulatory and industry readiness. It has now been finalized," the second person said, adding that the cabinet approval could come soon. The bill focuses on ensuring clarity and preparedness, said the third person. It will revise three key legislationsthe Insurance Act, 1938, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) Act, 1956, and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) Act, 1999paving the way for greater autonomy for the insurance regulator and the LIC for appointments, office setup, and staffing. The comprehensive legislative structure will eliminate the need for future amendments to the LIC Act and related laws to enable composite licensing. Also read | To curb mis-selling, finance ministry tells lenders to stop incentives on insurance The bill proposes composite insurance licences with a higher capital threshold of 150 crore while retaining existing capital norms for insurance and reinsurance at 100 crore and 200 crore, respectively. A composite licence, already allowed in Singapore, Malaysia, and the UK, will allow a single insurer to offer both life and non-life products, currently permitted only through separate entities. Besides allowing 100% FDI, the bill simplifies operating conditions for foreign reinsurers by slashing the net-owned fund requirement from 5,000 crore to 1,000 crore. Queries emailed to spokespersons for the ministry of finance and corporate affairs on Tuesday remained unanswered. Experts believe the bill will deepen insurers' reach in underserved rural and semi-urban areas, making insurance more accessible with tailored, affordable products. It will also enhance firms risk management capacity, speed up tech adoption, and grow their customer base, leading to a strong foundation for long-term sectoral growth. However, some industry executives have their reservations. Also read | The health insurance puzzle: 83% Indians aware but only 19% covered The reforms are well-intentioned. Well thought-out? Perhaps not. A 100% FDI for insurers will be welcome, but how many will bite remains to be seen. Even now, many foreign partners in joint ventures have not touched the current permissible 74%," said Balasundaram, secretary general, Insurance Brokers Association of India. As for composite licences, it is an uncharted area in India, and the outcomes are not easy to predict. Capital for serious insurers has never been an issue; so, the lowering of the minimum requirement does not really add value," he added. He said ease of operations for foreign entities sounds good on paper, but implementation and market conditions will decide whether it will work or not. In short, outcomes remain an act of crystal gazing as of now. Since 2000, when the insurance sector was opened to private players by gradually raising FDI limits from 26% to 74%, it has seen robust growth. Between 2014 and January 2024, while the number of insurers rose from 53 to 70, insurance penetration grew from 3.9% to 4%, and insurance density nearly doubled from $52 to $92. A flat 4% insurance penetration against the global average of 7% "means that while the insurance sector has expanded, the expansion has been in line with the broader economy and has not really outpaced it, which you would expect a sunrise sector to", said Narendra Ganpule, partner and national financial services advisory leader, professional services firm Grant Thornton Bharat. The need of the hour is revolutionary changes, which is what the bill attempts to bring about to propel India to achieve its espoused vision of Insurance for all by 2047," he added. Also read | Heath insurance in India ought to cover preventive care as well Pavanjit Singh Dhingra, joint managing director, Prudent Insurance Brokers, echoed his views, saying the proposed changes will help attract the required capital, greater focus, and a wider distribution network, all of which are critical to deepening insurance penetration, especially in underserved and rural markets. The draft bill also empowers the insurance regulator to set relaxed licensing and capital requirements for smaller insurers or single-product entities, replacing the fixed capital clause with a more flexible, consultative framework. It introduces a differential licensing regime to support micro and niche insurerswith a minimum capital of 50 crore on a case-by-case basisin serving low-income and rural populations. It also paves the way for captive insurers, allowing conglomerates to establish in-house insurers to manage group-level risks. In an earlier conference, M. Nagaraju, financial services secretary, had said the new insurance laws would attract global investors, foster competition, enhance product quality, improve customer service, and lower premiums, bringing India on par with economies like Canada, Brazil, Australia, and China. But C.R. Vijayan, former secretary general of the General Insurance Council, a representative body of general insurers, said though the reform measures signal a liberal investment climate, investors will judge it by the sectors long-term returns over a decade or more. Long-term returns entail higher risk for investors, especially given the potential impact of a change in government and its implications on investment policies." Corporate reforms While the IBC amendments under discussion mainly seek to clarify legislative provisions in light of certain judicial pronouncements and to make the law more efficient, the proposed Companies Act amendments are based on an expert committees suggestions for modifying the regulatory framework for statutory auditors and improving the ease of doing business. Bankruptcy law experts said that while further legislative streamlining of the IBC is awaited, all stakeholders should strive for timely decision-making and ensure the sanctity of the debt resolution process. Also read | Indian insurtech startups look overseas as AI reshapes global insurance The stakeholders need to develop and follow the right practices in insolvency resolution processes. The regulatory authorities should honour the IBC principles and should not leverage their position as a regulator to recover the dues during the moratorium period," said Anoop Rawat, partner (Insolvency and Bankruptcy) at law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. (Bloomberg) -- Two men accused of kidnapping and torturing an Italian tourist in an attempt to force him to turn over access to his cryptocurrency accounts pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging them with first-degree kidnapping. The defendants, John Woeltz and William Duplessie, made their pleas before New York State Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro in Manhattan on Wednesday and were held without bail pending another appearance in July. Assistant District Attorney Sarah Khan asked Carro to keep the two men in prison, while their attorneys requested they be released on $1 million bail packages. The two were arrested after the victim, severely injured and barefoot, escaped from the Prince Street townhouse where he was allegedly being held on May 23 and flagged down a traffic officer. The case comes amidst a spate of crimes targeting high-profile crypto investors and executives, including an attempted kidnapping of family members of the chief executive of French crypto exchange Paymium last month. Duplessies attorney, Sanford Talkin, argued that his client voluntarily surrendered and is not a risk of flight. He said prosecutors allegations that the victim was held and tortured are entirely false and that there are videos showing the victim smoking crack, being involved in a sex orgy and having the time of his life. Khan said the victim was friends with the defendants for several years and eventually introduced them to each other. All three were involved in cryptocurrency and several months ago, the defendants allegedly persuaded the victim to travel to a location outside of Manhattan where they convinced him to turn over his devices as well as a passkey, depriving him of access to a substantial amount of money. The victim left voluntarily and months later the pair invited him to another meeting in Manhattan. During this time he felt threatened by them, Khan said. He gave them more electronic devices and he felt that if he didnt, bad things would happen to him and his family. The victim then went home, but came back on May 6 in response to threats from the defendants. He was then captive, his phone was taken away and he was constantly watched, Khan said. He was allegedly pistol whipped and cut with a small chainsaw, and the defendants arranged for him to be photographed in various poses and acts to create the impression he was not being held against his will. He was not allowed to leave without an escort, she said, but on May 23, the victim finally escaped, barefooted, and made a desperate run to the first uniformed officer he saw. The victim received medical treatment and has never received any of his money back, Khan said. His account has been corroborated by other sources, she said, and a search warrant executed on the residence where he was allegedly held led to the discovery of a loaded pistol and a chainsaw, as well as a photograph of one of the defendants placing a gun to the victims head and another photo of him tied to a wheelchair. Prosecutors are still reviewing numerous devices that were recovered from the location, including about 30 cell phones and laptops and another 30 storage devices, she said. He came and went as he pleased, Talkin said, noting that a dog walker told them the victim would take regular strolls with him. Talkin also said the defense has obtained surveillance videos of the victim hanging outside of a nearby eyeglass store 36 hours before he left the residence where he was laughing, smoking and talking with passerby. The story that he is selling just doesnt make sense, Talkin said. The alleged victim was out and about in the neighborhood throughout the time he was here in New York, Woletzs attorney, Wayne Gossell, said. He was at church, he was at clubs, he was at dinner. Khan said that someone in defendants circle is selectively leaking videos to combat the prosecutors allegations and urged the judge to review the evidence in the case before making a decision on bail, saying they have evidence of the victim being lit on fire and that victims of abuse are not always going to act in a way that we expect people to do. There is evidence that the defendants sometimes poured tequila on the victim and set him ablaze before putting the flames out, sometimes by urinating on him, which shows the severity of things that were going on in that house. Prosecutors have also been told by other law enforcement agencies that this is not the first time that these defendants have held people against their will, and that there are least two other alleged victims in other locations. Carro declined to set bail after Wednesdays hearing, saying he wants to review the grand jury minutes. He set a status conference for July 15. --With assistance from Olga Kharif. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Oswal Pumps IPO price band: The Oswal Pumps Limited IPO price band has been fixed in the range of 584 to 614 per equity share of the face value of Re 1. The Oswal Pumps IPO date of subscription is scheduled for Friday, June 13, and will close on Tuesday, June 17. The allocation to anchor investors for the Oswal Pumps IPO is scheduled to take place on Thursday, June 12. The floor price is 584 times the face value of the equity shares and the cap price is 614 times the face value of the equity shares. Oswal Pumps IPO lot size is 24 equity shares and in multiples of 24 equity shares thereafter. Oswal Pumps IPO has reserved not more than 50% of the shares in the public issue for qualified institutional buyers (QIB), not less than 15% for non-institutional Institutional Investors (NII), and not less than 35% of the offer is reserved for retail investors. Tentatively, Oswal Pumps IPO basis of allotment of shares will be finalised on Wednesday, June 18, and the company will initiate refunds on Thursday, June 19, while the shares will be credited to the demat account of allottees on the same day following refund. Oswal Pumps share price is likely to be listed on BSE and NSE on Friday, June 20. The firm focuses on producing solar-powered and grid-connected submersible and monoblock pumps, electric motors including induction and submersible types, as well as solar modules, all marketed under the Oswal brand. With over 22 years in the industry, it has accumulated significant knowledge in engineering, product design, manufacturing, and testing. As of December 31, 2024, Oswal Pumps had fulfilled 38,132 turnkey solar pumping system orders under the PM Kusum Scheme in states such as Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra. According to the red herring prospectus (RHP), the company's publicly listed competitors include Kirloskar Brothers Ltd (with a P/E of 41.94), Shakti Pumps (India) Ltd (with a P/E of 66.72), WPIL Ltd (with a P/E of 27.31), KSB Ltd (with a P/E of 66.79), and Roto Pumps Ltd (with a P/E of 42.08). For the nine months ending December 2024, the company disclosed revenues of 1,065.67 crore and a net profit of 216.71 crore. As of April 2025, the total outstanding borrowings on a standalone basis were 308.57 crore. Oswal Pumps IPO details The IPO includes a new issuance of equity shares worth 890 crore and a sale of up to 8.1 million shares by one of the company's promoters, Vivek Gupta, who currently holds a 25.17 percent stake in the firm. Of the funds raised, 89.86 crore will be used for capital expenditures, 273 crore will be invested in the subsidiary Oswal Solar to build a new manufacturing facility in Haryana, 280 crore will be dedicated to debt repayment, and 31 crore will go towards settling debt at Oswal Solar. The leading managers for this issue are IIFL Capital, Axis Capital, CLSA India, JM Financial, and Nuvama Wealth Management. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has extended a crucial deadline for older venture capital funds (VCFs) to wind up expired schemes, following direct engagement with the industry to smooth their transition to a new regulatory framework. The Sebi granted a one-year extension for liquidations, but maintained a firm stance on migration, requiring funds to apply to the Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) framework by 19 July 2025. People aware of the matter told Mint that Sebis outreachboth independently and through industry associations such as the Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association (IVCA) and the Private Equity and Venture Capital Chief Financial Officer Association (PEVCCFO)helped clarify longstanding challenges and led to the extension for VCFs to wind up expired schemes. Sebis engagement came amid concerns over a tepid response to its 2024 circular offering VCFs an opportunity to migrate under specified conditions. Many VCFs, some of which still operate despite the expiry of their scheme lifespans, have yet to begin the transition. Also read: IndusInd board says it didn't know. Sebi thinks it did. Now what? Through IVCA and directly, the regulator reached out to VCFs to find out why they are not doing the migration," said Rahul Shah, executive vice president at IVCA. He explained that in the meeting, IVCA's members clarified that they were trying to liquidate the balance investments and then apply for migration. They also wanted to see if they can liquidate and wind up the VCF, instead of undertaking the process of migration," Shah said. The VCF structure, governed by Sebis 1996 regulations, was designed to promote early-stage and unlisted startups. However, with the rollout of the AIF Regulations in 2012, which offer broader coverage for private investment vehicles, Sebi has been steering the industry toward a single, modernized regime. Under the new framework, VCFs fall into Category I AIFs, alongside SME, social venture, and infrastructure funds. In its July 2024 circular, Sebi allowed eligible VCFs with unexpired or unwound schemes holding residual investments to migrate as Migrated VCFs". Those unwilling to migrate may continue operating under the old rules until their schemes close, or surrender registration if all activities are complete. However, industry feedback revealed outdated contact records and confusion around the regulatory shift. To address these issues, Sebi enlisted IVCA and PEVCCFO to help communicate the changes. Also read: Sebi to roll out new F&O risk measures in phases Sebi was told by the associations that even after migration, the liquidation of assets is still to be undertaken by funds, which has its own set of issues. The extension helps buy critical time to clean up without compromising on governance. For one, a rushed transition could have adverse effects on fund performance and investor returns," said Shruthi Cauvery, founder and managing partner of VAIA, a firm advising VCFs. She noted that fund managers and family offices were still grappling with the AIF regime's reporting and compliance requirements. There is some concern that this extension might lead to prolonged uncertainty, and I think that might lead to extended delays as well unless strict timelines are imposed." Shah emphasized that some VCFs continued operating well past their permitted tenure. Sebi overlooked then. But now you have time till July 19, 2025 (to migrate) without any penalty. If there are VCFs who will continue operating without the migration process, Sebi may not look at it nicely," he said. He added that Sebi is open to supporting compliant funds: If you first migrate and take your problem to Sebi, it will hear you." Not everyone in the industry supports a blanket migration approach. A VCF manager, speaking on condition of anonymity, questioned its necessity in certain cases. If they have a single investor, or if the promoter is missing, liquidation will be difficult. Why to migrate then?" the manager asked. Also read: Sebis co-investment plan wins fund favour; lawyers warn of tax, legal cracks Still, most agree the move reflects Sebis intent to bring all pooled investment vehicles under a unified regulatory framework. VCFs were born under a different regulatory mindset and AIFs represent the evolved, principles-based framework Sebi wants to standardize for all pooled investment vehicles going forward," said another fund manager, also speaking anonymously. Only VCFs with clean records and no pending investor complaints can opt for migration, Sebi has clarified. Sebis extension of the additional liquidation period gives VCFs more room to transition into the AIF regime without triggering regulatory action. However, this opportunity is reserved for clean and compliant fundsthose free from unresolved investor complaints or governance issues," said Venkatesh Chitla, client relationship manager at SBI-SG Global Securities Services Pvt. Ltd. Common disqualifiers, he added, include onboarding ineligible investors, incomplete know your customer (KYC) or anti-money laundering checks, side letters offering preferential terms, or breaches of investment conditions. For legacy funds nearing maturity or inactive, the compliance burden may outweigh the benefits of migration, leading to some consolidation in the space. But for institutional fund houses aiming to align with global best practices and continue raising capital, this is a strategic chance to clean up structures and reposition under a modern regulatory regime," Chitla said. Legal professionals also welcomed Sebis move. The certainty that the recent extension circular provides particularly for funds in the process of seeking migration or awaiting Sebis approval cannot be overstated," said Anita Jain, partner at IC Universal Legal. She noted that the extension gives managers sufficient time to plan asset liquidation in an orderly and investor-friendly manner. Without this extension, VCFs that had already migrated but whose liquidation period had expired prior to migration, were under pressure to make immediate decisions either to exit all underlying investments or undertake in-specie transfers and file for winding-up by July 19, 2025, or to finalize the dissolution plan with investors and file the dissolution plan application with Sebi within the same timeframe," Jain explained. The additional year offers much-needed flexibility, enabling fund managers to take well-considered, strategic decisions in the best interest of investors," she added. Even as the extended liquidation period is seen as a relief, Sebi has made its message clear: the VCF regime is being phased out. Only those willing to align with the AIF framework will be able to continue operations post-migration. Indias largest port operator has set itself an ambitious target: double revenue, Ebitda, and operating cash flow by FY29. After a strong FY25 performance, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd is betting on a mix of domestic capacity expansion, global acquisitions, and rising logistics volumes to deliver this multi-year growth. The company ended FY25 with revenue of 31,100 crore, up 14% from the previous year, and net profit of 11,061 crore, up 37%. Now, its gunning for 65,500 crore in revenue, 36,500 crore in Ebitda (up from 19,000 crore), and 34,500 crore in operating cash flow (up from 17,200 crore) over the next four years. A 75,000 crore capex plan has been lined up to support this aggressive push. Read this | We are generating more cash than we know how to use: Adani Ports MD Karan Adani But while the building blocks are in place, execution will be key. Domestic cargo volumes underpin growth Cargo volumes hit a record 450 million metric tonnes (MMT) in FY25, rising 7% year-on-year. Domestic cargo, which makes up the bulk of this, grew 5% to 431 MMT. International volumes, still a small share, surged 72% to 19 MMT. That helped Adani Ports expand its all-India market share slightly, from 26.5% to 27%. The company now aims to nearly double overall cargo volumes to 1,000 MMT by 2030. India buildout is the foundation Of the 75,000 crore capex plan, 45,00050,000 crore is earmarked for domestic port infrastructure. Adani expects domestic cargo to rise from 633 MMT to 850 MMT by 2030, largely via organic capacity additions. The company already holds environmental clearances for 1,560 MMT across its ports, allowing fast expansion without new regulatory hurdles. Key upcoming projects include container terminals at Mundra and Vizhinjam, a multi-commodity berth at Dhamra, multipurpose berths at Hazira, and expanded Ro-Ro capacity. Investments will also go into port connectivity and evacuation infrastructure, prioritising terminals linked to customer demand and upcoming industrial corridors. East-West corridor powers global push Adani Ports expects its international business to contribute 150 MMT toward its 1,000 MMT volume goal. Its overseas expansion strategy targets majority control, strong profitability, and alignment with the East-West corridora vital trade route linking East Asia with Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and accounting for ~60% of global trade. Ports like Mundra (West coast) and Dhamra (East coast) are well-positioned to capture this traffic. The company has also established operations in Haifa (Israel), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and Colombo (Sri Lanka), with the latter two having gone live in FY25. A major piece of the global puzzle fell into place in April with Adani Ports acquisition of the North Queensland Export Terminal (NQXT). The asset supports the companys 1,000 MMT vision and is expected to add 15% to total volumes. NQXT operates under long-term take-or-pay contracts and currently runs at 85% utilisation. Most cargo is Asia-bound. In FY25E, the terminal posted 1,952 crore in revenue (up 10.7%) and 1,275 crore in Ebitda (up 15%). Adani projects Ebitda to rise to 2,237 crore in four years as capacity scales up to 120 MMT. The terminal may also evolve into a green hydrogen export hub, given its location in resource-rich Queensland. The deal is earnings-accretive from the outsetadding 6% to consolidated revenue and 7% to Ebitda. (Figures converted at 55.94/AUD.) Read this | Adani Ports international expansion gets a leg up with Abbot Point deal By FY29, Adani Ports expects its port revenue to nearly double to 50,700 crore, compared to 26,120 crore, with Ebitda rising to 32,700 crore, from 16,967 crore. Margins are likely to stay stable at around 64%. Logistics business expansion Adanis logistics arm posted 39% revenue growth in FY25 to 2,881 crore, with Ebitda up 19% to 642 crore. Margins fell 400 basis points to 22%, but the company is confident of improving operational efficiency and return on capital. The logistics roadmap targets 14,000 crore in revenue and 3,500 crore in Ebitda by FY29. A 15,00020,000 crore investment will scale up rakes (from 132 to 300), logistics parks (12 to 20), trucks (937 to 5,000), warehousing (3.1 to 20 million sq. ft.), and agri silos (1.2 to 10 MMT). Strong capital discipline underwrites growth Despite the scale of its ambition, Adani Ports has maintained a conservative financial stance. Net debt-to-Ebitda stood at 1.9x in FY25, well within its 2.5x ceiling. Operating cash flow is expected to exceed planned capex, reducing reliance on debt. Free cash flow as a share of gross debt rose from 28% to 34% over the past year, and interest coverage improved from 5.6x to 7.1x. Premium valuation signals investor confidence The stock currently trades at 30x earnings, above its 10-year median of 23x but below JSW Infrastructures 44x. The valuation premium reflects investor belief in its long-term visibility and integrated model. Indias high logistics costs14% of GDP versus 8-10% in developed economiesalso present a structural opportunity. As infrastructure upgrades kick in, Adani Ports stands to benefit more than most. Also read | This pharma stock surged 10X, crashed 60%, and rose to an all-time high again. Can it sustain the momentum? Can Adani Ports pull it off? The targets are steep. But Adani Ports has a few key advantages: a dominant domestic position, regulatory clearances already in hand, and a growing international footprint. The logistics business, though less mature, is being scaled aggressively. For more such analysis, read Profit Pulse. If it executes on schedule, doubling revenue, Ebitda, and cash flows by FY29 is within reach. But the real test lies in delivering consistentlyacross geographies, asset classes, and economic cycles. About the author: Madhvendra has over seven years of experience in equity markets and has cleared the NISM-Series-XV: Research Analyst Certification Examination. He specialises in writing detailed research articles on listed Indian companies, sectoral trends, and macroeconomic developments. Disclosure: The writer does not hold the stocks discussed in this article. The purpose of this article is only to share interesting charts, data points, and thought-provoking opinions. It is NOT a recommendation. If you wish to consider an investment, you are strongly advised to consult your advisor. This article is strictly for educational purposes only. Americas debt burden and interest expense have become untenable, a situation that may lead investors to move out of dollar-based assets, according to DoubleLine Capitals Jeffrey Gundlach. Theres an awareness now that the long-term Treasury bond is not a legitimate flight-to-quality asset, the veteran bond manager said Wednesday in an interview at the Bloomberg Global Credit Forum in Los Angeles. A reckoning is coming. In a wide-ranging discussion that also touched on golds attractiveness, stretched market valuations, the state of private credit, artificial intelligence and long-term investment opportunities in India, Gundlach said investors should be considering non-dollar-based holdings, adding that his firm was starting to introduce foreign currencies into its funds. Gundlach, 65, likened todays market to the environment in 1999, just before the dot-com bust, as well as 2006 and 2007 before the global financial crisis. Going further, he said the booming private credit sector is analogous to the market for collateralized debt obligations,or CDOs, in the mid-2000s, where theres just tremendous issuance, theres tremendous acceptance. The investor noted that public credit markets have outperformed their private counterparts in recent months, and sees overinvestment and a risk of forced selling in the latter. I just dont think the excess reward is anything close to what it used to be, Gundlach said. He cited possible selling of private assets by US institutions such as Harvard University, which has explored offloading part of its endowments private equity holdings as the Trump administration cuts off grants and funding. Gundlach founded DoubleLine in 2009 after a contentious exit from TCW, where hed become a star bond manager. DoubleLine managed $93 billion in assets and had more than 250 employees as of March. The firm and its founder havent shied away from bold takes. Gundlach, who called Donald Trumps first presidential win in 2016, gave the Federal Reserve an F grade in September for its response to the economy as he correctly predicted a half-point rate cut, and earlier this year the firm posed an open question of whether Microsoft Corp. debt was safer than Treasuries. Next Stop 6%? As for Treasury debt, Gundlach said yields on long-term bonds could continue to rise as the economy starts to weaken. If yields reached 6%, that could prompt the Federal Reserve to step in and start quantitative easing, buying long-term Treasuries to rein in borrowing costs. DoubleLine and peers including Pacific Investment Management Co. and TCW Group Inc. have been avoiding the longest-dated US government bonds in favor of shorter maturities that carry less interest-rate risk in the face of spiraling federal debt and deficits. US 30-year yields touched a near two-decade high of 5.15% last month, and traded at 4.91% as of Wednesday. In a telling sign, yields on the long-term benchmark are higher year to date, even as rates on shorter-term Treasuries have fallen. While known for his fixed-income calls, Gundlach has grown more bullish on gold, doubling down on its status as a real asset class and one that is no longer for lunatic survivalists and speculators. We have a tremendous paradigm shift where money is not coming into the United States, and gold is suddenly the flight to quality asset, he said. Gundlach previously predicted that the price of gold would shatter records, as happened this year, and in May, he told CNBC that the precious metal could swell to $4,000 per ounce, up from about $3,350 now. He also pointed to India as one of the most bankable long-term investment opportunities. The way to invest in periods like this is to go with long-term themes, Gundlach said. It might take 30 years, but you should invest in India because it has a similar profile today that China had 35 years ago. With assistance from Elizabeth Campbell, Loukia Gyftopoulou and Michael Mackenzie. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. Hong Kongs pension fund managers have formed a preliminary plan to sell down their Treasury holdings within as soon as three months if the US loses its last recognized top credit rating, according to people familiar with the matter. Industry groups including the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association and the Hong Kong Trustees Association discussed the proposal with the pensions regulator on Wednesday, the people said, asking not to be identified as the meeting was private. Under local regulations, managers of the citys HK$1.3 trillion Mandatory Provident Fund system can only invest more than 10% of their funds in Treasuries if the US has a AAA or equivalent rating from an approved agency. The downgrade of US sovereign debt by Moodys Ratings last month left Japans Rating & Investment Information Inc. as the only remaining approved firm with the highest score. While R&I has said it isnt considering cutting its US rating, the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority last month urged pension fund managers to draw up contingency plans in case of a downgrade. London Stock Exchange Groups FTSE Russell, which runs the MPF World Government Bond Index, a key benchmark that pension fund managers widely use for exposure to Treasuries, formulated an analysis of the divestment plan at the request of the industry groups earlier this month, according to the people. Ka Shi Lau, chair of Hong Kong Trustees Association, said a deck of materials on the potential impacts and analysis was given to the regulator. Lau also confirmed Wednesdays meeting. Representatives from the MPF Schemes Authority and FTSE Russell declined to comment. The Hong Kong Investment Funds Association didnt respond to a request for comment. The situation highlights the risks of the US falling foul of the unusually strict investment mandates governed by Hong Kong regulations. The bulk of global investors dont require the top-tier rating to invest freely in US Treasuries, minimizing the risk of forced sales. While any potential forced sales in Hong Kong are unlikely to materially rock the global market for US Treasuries given its size and liquidity, its a headache for portfolio managers who must contemplate an overhaul of their investment strategies. For funds focusing exclusively on government debt, options are limited given the lack of large issuers comparable to the US. Concerns about demand for long-end Treasuries have caused the yield on 30-year bonds to spike to some of the highest levels since 2023. An auction on Thursday will be closely watched for clues about investor appetite at a time when the Trump administrations tax-and-spending bill is expected to swell the nations debt. Under the plan, the weighting of Treasuries in FTSE Russells bond index would need to fall considerably if R&I downgrades US debt. US government bonds make up the biggest portion at 46.37%, followed by China, France, Japan and Germany. To provide a buffer against market fluctuations, Treasuries would need to be kept at around 9% of the benchmark to avoid breaching the 10% limit, the people said. Pension fund managers proposed to be given three to six months to rebalance positions in the event of a downgrade, the people said. Allocations would shift to other sovereign bonds of issuers with AAA ratings, and those with large market values, the people added. Germany and Singapore, which are in the FTSE index, are rated AAA by major agencies. Potential impacts of the reallocation were included in the materials shown to the regulator, the people added. The bond gauge has returned an annualized 1.03% on a hedged basis since inception. Pension fund managers had earlier asked the authority to reconsider the rule. But the regulator pushed back with its request for trustees to develop contingency plans and make timely and orderly adjustments to their asset allocations in response to possible market developments. The MPF, introduced in 2000, has more than 4 million contributing members, with various financial institutions managing funds under the system. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. Dassault Aviation, the company behind the Rafale brand, saw its share price drop by more than 3.31% during Wednesdays trading session, closing at 298 on June 10. Over the past month, the Rafale jet makers stock has declined by 0.60%, delivering flat returns. As of June 2, Dassault Aviation shares ended the day at 322.40 each, just 3% below their 52-week peak of 332.20. Dassault Aviation shares drew strong investor interest following the Indian armed forces' Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025. Amid rising India-Pakistan tensions, the stock initially surged by as much as 66 per cent but later surrendered those gains. Also Read | Chinese defense stocks surge as Pakistan plans J-35 fighter jets purchase Operation Sindoor was a carefully planned military operation by Indian forces aimed at destroying terrorist camps located 200 kilometres inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistani territory, without violating Pakistans airspace. As per several reports, the Indian Air Force executed the mission using Rafale jets equipped with SCALP cruise missiles and HAMMER precision-guided munitions. Analysts believe that Dassault Aviation share price gave a failed breakout of a 53-day-long bullish cup and handle pattern. Where's Dassault Aviation share price headed in short-term? According to Anshul Jain, Head of Research at Lakshmishree Investments, Dassault Aviation stock is now showing signs of weakness, and a sustained move below 299 will trigger long unwinding as trapped bulls exit positions. This breakdown can swiftly drag the stock lower towards 265, which is the immediate support and potential downside target. Volume activity suggests lack of conviction on the breakout, reinforcing the bearish short-term view, Jain said. Riyank Arora, Technical Analyst at Mehta Equities Ltd, noted that if the price holds above 332 with supporting volume, it could trigger renewed buying interest. Dassault Aviation is trading near a key resistance at 332. A decisive breakout above this level could open the path toward the next resistance zone at 350-360. On the downside, immediate support is placed at 310, and if breached, the stock may slip toward the next support at 300. The overall trend remains mildly positive, Arora said. Oil surged as the US government ordered a partial evacuation of its embassy in Iraq amid rising security risks. West Texas Intermediate futures jumped 4.9% to settle above $68 a barrel, the largest gain since October, as the Trump administration reduced embassy staff in Iraq and permitted military service-members families to leave the region in response to ongoing security concerns. The UK Navy also issued a rare warning to mariners that higher tensions in the Middle East could affect shipping. The developments compounded speculation about possible supply disruptions in the Middle East after AFP reported that Iran threatened to target US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out. Iranian rhetoric has turned notably more hostile, and these threats are being substantiated by real-world developments, said Rebecca Babin, a senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth Group. While geopolitical rallies are often seen as selling opportunities, this situation carries the added complexity of potential Israeli military action if negotiations break down, which is keeping traders more cautious about selling into the rally. Elsewhere, President Donald Trump told the New York Post hes less confident about whether he can convince Tehran to agree on shutting down its nuclear program. He also posted on social media that a trade deal with China was done, subject to the approval of President Xi Jinping. Oil had been weighed down by expectations that a trade war between the worlds two largest economies would hurt demand and that a deal with Iran would bring back sanctioned barrels, adding to rising OPEC supplies. Prices have recovered in recent sessions, supported by easing trade tensions and the outlook for summer demand. A monthly report from the US Energy Information Administration underscored the oil markets current uncertainties. While the agency expects supply to eclipse demand by 800,000 barrels a day this year, the most since it began publishing a forecast for 2025, it also doesnt see US crude production topping last months levels before the end of next year, a sign that lower prices are curbing some supply. Signs of market tightness have also appeared along the futures curve. Earlier this week, the February-March WTI spread flipped to backwardation where near-term prices are higher than longer-dated ones for the first time since April, with several subsequent months following suit earlier today, signaling concerns about oversupply are easing. To get Bloombergs Energy Daily newsletter in your inbox, click here. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. Stock market today: The Indian stock market closed on a mixed note on Wednesday, with large-cap stocks outperforming their mid- and small-cap counterparts. Although benchmark indices ended in the green, they closed well off their intraday highs as profit-booking continued in financial and FMCG stocks. However, gains in IT and OMC stocks lent support to the indices, helping them end the session with modest gains. The Nifty 50 settled 0.15% higher at 25,141, closing above the 25,000 mark for the third consecutive session, while the Sensex gained 123 points, or 0.15%, to end at 82,515. In contrast, the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 indices declined by over 0.50%. Participants remain slightly cautious amid mixed global cues, and the divergent trend among index heavyweights continues to weigh on overall sentiment. Among large-cap stocks, all three oil marketing companiesIOC, HPCL, and BPCLended the session with gains of up to 4%. The rally followed the U.S. Energy Information Administrations (EIA) projection that oil inventories will rise by an average of 0.8 million barrels per day in 2025, which is 0.4 million bpd higher than last months estimate. Domestic tech stocks also witnessed healthy buying on a volatile day, as U.S. and Chinese officials agreed on a framework to revive their trade truce and address Chinas export restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets. Meanwhile, bilateral trade talks between Indian and U.S. officials in New Delhi made progress, with discussions covering key areas such as industrial goods, agriculture, tariff reductions, and non-tariff barriers, Reuters reported, citing Indian government sources. On the economic front, the World Bank, in its Global Economic ProspectsJune 2025 report, projected Indias economy to grow slightly faster at 6.5% in FY27 and 6.7% in FY28. However, it lowered its global growth forecast to 2.3% for the year, citing escalating trade tensions and policy uncertainty. Sectoral Performance: Oil & Gas stocks lead; banking lags Out of the 13 sectoral indices, five ended in the green. The Nifty Oil & Gas index emerged as the top performer, rising 1.47%, followed by the Nifty IT index, which gained 1.26%. Other sectors such as Nifty Pharma, Nifty Auto, and Nifty Realty also posted healthy gains. On the other hand, PSU banks continued to face selling pressure, with the Nifty PSU Bank index falling 1.04%. FMCG stocks also saw profit-booking, dragging the Nifty FMCG index down by 0.7%. Commenting on today's market performance, Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said, Profit booking continues in the broader markets, driven by elevated domestic valuations. However, large-cap resilience is supporting the indices, with institutional investors favoring companies with stable earnings outlooks. The auto and IT sectors remain in focusauto stocks are gaining on improved monthly sales, while IT is benefiting from optimism around a potential US-China trade resolution. "Meanwhile, following the recent rally, the market lacks clear direction as investors await key macroeconomic data and updates on trade negotiations. US inflation data, due later today, is expected to show a slight uptick, driven by recent tariff increases," he further added. Also Read | Tata Group stocks lead as 18 Nifty 50 stocks surge up to 37% in just 2 months Bullish momentum likely to continue towards 25,350, says expert Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, said, "The Nifty remained volatile throughout the day before closing flat. However, the overall sentiment remains positive as the index continues to hold above the breakout point. Additionally, a golden crossover is in place, which supports the bullish outlook. Any dip should be viewed as a buying opportunity. Crucial support is placed at 24,850. As long as the index holds above this level, the trend is likely to remain positive, with the potential to move towards 25,350 in the short term." * Top macadamia producer South Africa exploring Asian markets * Trump announced 31% tariff on US imports from South Africa * The US is South Africa's second largest macadamia market By Sisipho Skweyiya LIMPOPO, - Gene Likhanya's macadamia nut farm, started with personal savings and built up over two decades in South Africa's picturesque Madimbo valley, faces a sudden challenge from U.S. import tariffs that is causing him to look for other markets. South Africa is the world's top producer of macadamia nuts, known for their distinctive buttery flavour and cherished by some for their perceived health benefits, and the U.S. is its second largest market behind China. Likhanya has big ambitions for a business he has already grown to employ 78 people and that has just produced 25 tonnes of nuts this year. He aims to triple output over the next four years. But U.S. President Donald Trump's drive to impose higher tariffs could disrupt that. Although the "reciprocal" levies announced by Trump on April 2 - set at 31% for South Africa - have been paused to allow for negotiations, Likhanya said he and fellow macadamia nut farmers were already looking for alternative markets. "I feel that there's so much more we can do internationally to explore other markets. There are markets we are busy talking to. We're talking to India," Likhanya, 40, told Reuters in an interview at his farm. "India has 1.5 billion people that are also looking for macadamia. So there's always an alternative plan." Other South African farmer groups have warned of potential devastation from the U.S. tariffs. Citrus growers, whose annual exports to the U.S. average $100 million, have said that tariffs could potentially hit 35,000 jobs in their industry. Likhanya, a board member at Macadamias South Africa, the main industry body for growers, described the tariff stand-off as a "lose-lose" situation and hopes it can be resolved. "America imports kernels, which they further process. Those jobs are threatened. So it's a win-win or lose-lose kind of a situation, which I feel we do not want to get into," he said. Indian stock markets surged on June 11 as hopes of a near-term trade agreement between India and the United States lifted investor sentiment. Ongoing bilateral talks in New Delhi between trade officials from both nations focused on enhancing market access, easing digital trade restrictions, and reducing customs barriers. With the July 9 tariff deadline looming, policymakers expressed confidence that a deal could be finalized soonfueling a rally in the benchmark indices and prompting market experts to share their strategic investment advice. Trade Progress Sparks Market Momentum Over the past week, US and Indian officials engaged in extensive dialogue aimed at resolving long-standing trade disputes and improving bilateral commerce. The discussions, which remain confidential, were described as productive by an Indian government official. India's Foreign Minister noted that the country was "hopeful" of sealing an agreement before the current 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs expires on July 9. Sensex surged 391 points to reach an intraday high of 82,783.51, while Nifty rose 118 points to 25,222.40, reflecting investor optimism. A potential breakthrough in trade relations, particularly with the USformerly Indias largest trading partnercould significantly improve the export landscape and ease tariff-related concerns. Despite a persistent trade deficit of $45 billion, both sides aim to push bilateral trade to $500 billion, although India is cautious about concessions in sensitive sectors like agriculture. Market Strategy: What Investors Should Focus On Saurav Ghosh, Co-founder of Jiraaf, believes the market may remain volatile until the deal is finalized, but any resolution would be a net positive. A successful agreementeven with India taking a more flexible stancecould boost consumer sentiment, increase corporate capex, and attract new investments. For long-term investors, this reinforces the importance of staying invested in equities and mutual funds through a buy-and-hold strategy, he said. Ghosh also advised cautious sectoral allocation, especially into beneficiaries of a trade-driven rally, while using fixed-income instruments to manage volatility. Anil Rego, Founder and Fund Manager at Right Horizons PMS, said the deal could unlock new opportunities for exporters, particularly in digital services and high-value manufacturing. Investors are hopeful about an interim pact by June. If achieved, this could reduce trade friction and strengthen economic ties. Combined with the RBIs recent policy support, including a 100bps rate cut and 2.5 trillion liquidity injection, this sets a favourable backdrop for Indian equities, Rego said. Sectors to Watch: Beneficiaries and Risks According to Mayank Jain, Market Analyst at Share.Market, export-oriented sectors stand to benefit the most if trade flows improve. Pharma, specialty chemicals, and IT players such as Dr. Reddys, Divis Labs, and Infosys could see earnings upgrades, he said. However, he cautioned that agriculture and segments of the auto industry may face pressure due to potential tariff reductions for US imports. Jain also flagged uncertainties stemming from recent US tariff hikes on Indian steel and aluminum and the 26 percent reciprocal tariffs temporarily suspended until July 9. More Indians than ever before are choosing destination weddings or marrying abroad because of work, residency conditions or convenience. But are such weddings legally valid in India? The answer isnt straightforward. Just because you've had a lavish wedding in Italy or signed papers in New York doesnt mean Indian law automatically acknowledges your union, several legal experts told Mint. Recognition depends on your personal law and the manner in which the marriage was solemnised. Key Takeaways Validity is Nuanced: A wedding performed abroad by Indian citizens is not automatically legally valid in India; its recognition depends on how it was solemnized and registered. Two Paths to Legality: For an Indian citizen's marriage solemnized outside India to be valid back home, it must be performed either under the Foreign Marriage Act, 1969 (FMA) in the foreign country or subsequently registered under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 (SMA) in India. Registration is Crucial: Even if a traditional religious ceremony occurs abroad, it alone isn't enough for Indian legal recognition; formal registration under the FMA or SMA is essential. Challenges for Destination Weddings: Destination weddings following only traditional customs abroad, without FMA solemnization, typically require SMA registration in India, which involves a notice period and physical presence. Protection for Divorce/Alimony: Registering a foreign marriage in India provides a strong legal basis for future matters like divorce, alimony, child custody, and property disputes under Indian law. Where to register the marriage The marriage of an Indian citizen in cases where the wedding took place outside India is valid back home when it is solemnised in either of these ways: in the foreign country under the Foreign Marriage Act, 1969 (FMA) or in India under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 (SMA). In simple terms, solemnised means a religious or legal ceremony was conducted to make a marriage official. Also read: Marriage changes womens livesmens, not so much. The data shows it. An Indian citizen is likely to marry outside India under one of three circumstances in a destination wedding, if they are marrying a non-resident Indian (NRI) or a foreign citizen in their partners country of residence, or if they are a resident of a foreign country and wish to register the marriage there. In all three cases, the marriage must be solemnised under the FMA or SMA for it to be legal in India. This is required irrespective of whether the couple had a traditional ceremony based on their religious customs in the foreign country, experts said. Shashank Agarwal, advocate and founder, Legum Solis, said, Section 15 of the Foreign Marriage Act, 1969 provides that the marriages between parties (one or both of whom is an Indian citizen) solemnised outside India in any foreign country will be good and valid in law in India. The only condition is that the marriage should be solemnised in compliance with the provisions of the FMA." Besides the ceremony, the registration of marriage and a certificate of marriage from the marriage officer in that foreign country is a must," he added. Registering a marriage under the FMA is fairly simple. Shaishavi Kadakia, partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, explained that it requires submitting forms, paying a fee, and having the marriage attested by three witnesses. For solemnisation under FMA, the prospective couple must appear before the marriage officer, who is a consular officer in a foreign country, with three witnesses and submit a notice of intended marriage, a fee, and a declaration confirming their age, citizenship and other relevant facts. The notice is then published both in India and the foreign country, and if no objections are received within 30 days, the marriage can be solemnised before the marriage officer in the presence of three witnesses," she said. As the FMA requires both partners to be physically present in the country to submit the notice at least 30 days before the wedding, it may not be viable for Indian citizens who simply want to marry outside India at a destination wedding. Also read | The split-up: How to protect your assets before and after marriage A destination wedding performed as per traditional customs but not solemnised under the FMA must be solemnised under the SMA in India to be valid. Indian laws recognise a marriage solemnised as per traditional customs only if it is performed in India. If the traditional ceremony took place abroad, the ceremony alone will not suffice. Mrunalini Deshmukh, a family and matrimonial lawyer, said, Say, under the Hindu Marriage Act, the law requires that the marriage be solemnised within the territorial jurisdiction where it is being registered. So, if the marriage was performed abroadeven if all the Hindu rituals were followedit may not be possible to register it under the Hindu Marriage Act in India." In such a case, unless the couple once again performs Hindu rituals in India, the marriage should be registered under SMA and not the Hindu Marriage Act. However, in reality, most couples present documentation to the registrar suggesting that the wedding took place in India just to register the marriage under their personal laws, a lawyer who did not wish to be named told Mint. This is common practice, though not strictly legal." When to register under SMA The SMA allows registration of marriages that werent necessarily solemnised in India, and doesnt require religious ceremonies, said Deshmukh. However, the couple has to go through the process of issuing a public notice and being physically present in India to complete it. Its therefore not preferred by NRIs, who instead get the marriage solemnised under the FMA in the country of their residence. Tushar Kumar, an advocate at the Supreme Court of India, said while a foreign marriage solemnised under the FMA need not be registered in India to be considered legally valid, parties may still choose to register it under Indian law for evidentiary or administrative convenience. If the parties reside in India, they may apply for registration of their foreign marriage under Chapter III of the SMA," he said. The Indian registration acts only as a domestic acknowledgment and formal entry into Indian records. It does not replace or nullify the foreign registration." View Full Image Graphics: Mint Also read: Weddings spark a bill shock, from venues to flowers This SMA registration process involves giving a formal notice to the local marriage registrar, followed by the publication of the notice for a 30-day objection period. Upon completion of verification procedures and satisfaction of all legal criteria, the marriage is officially registered. Deshmukh recounted cases in which couples married in a foreign country such as Italy or the US and later struggled to get it recognised or registered back in India. Some Indian registrars even refuse to register marriages solemnised abroad unless they fall under the FMA or the SMA," she said. What about divorce and alimony? Since marriages involving Indian citizens registered in a foreign country are considered valid in India, Indian alimony laws would also apply if such a couple were to file for divorce before an Indian court. Agarwal said the laws definitely apply if the couple resided in India. If both the parties are living outside India, no petition for divorce or any of the Indian alimony laws can apply. However, if either of them is residing in India then the divorce petition may be filed, depending on the facts of the case, before an Indian court and the Indian alimony laws can apply," he said. Also read | Lights, camera, reels: How your wedding can be the ticket to social media virality Deshmukh strongly advised couples who married outside India to register their marriage in India, even if they have a valid foreign certificate. Registration gives you a signed and sealed document from Indian authorities. Thats a strong legal shield," she said. Such registration plays a vital role during potential divorce proceedings, custody battles, alimony claims, property disputes, and even visa and immigration processes. It gives you legal clarity and proof. Otherwise, you may have to prove the existence of your marriage all over again if its ever challenged," Deshmukh added. Priyanka Desai, co-founder and partner, The Fort Circle, said, The validity of a marriage may come under scrutiny in matters relating to divorce, alimony, maintenance, inheritance or immigration. For a marriage solemnised outside India to be considered valid in India, it must be considered valid under the laws of the country where it was solemnised and must also comply with the Indian laws as per applicable personal laws and customs." After successful editions in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi, Mint Horizons now arrives in Pune on June 20, bringing Indias most trusted voices in finance and investing to the city for an exclusive evening of insights, strategies, and dialogue on global investing. Seats are limited, you can register here to join the event. Hosted by Neil Borate, Editor of Mint Money, this masterclass series is designed for investors looking to expand their portfolios beyond domestic markets and understand the frameworks that drive global capital allocation. As the US gives way to other markets in global market share, our experts weigh in on who will benefit, said Neil. What to Expect at the Pune Edition Set in the elegant venue of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Shivaji Nagar, the evening event will feature, An opening address by Neil Borate, Editor Mint Money, on the why and how of global investing A fireside chat with Swanand Kelkar, Managing Partner, Breakout Capital, decoding emerging market opportunities Strategic insights from Subho Moulik, Founder & CEO, Appreciate Wealth A deep-dive discussion with Raunak Onkar, Fund Manager & Head of Research at PPFAS, on building resilient global portfolios Global diversification has become increasingly attractive for Indian investors, especially as domestic and international markets diverge in performance. With U.S. leading the race of innovation and dollar appreciating every year, diversification is a trend here to stay, said Subho. The sessions are crafted for investors, wealth advisors, and finance professionals eager to understand new global trends, macroeconomic signals, and smart diversification strategies. Only 60 Seats Register Now There are just 60 seats available, and registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Register now to secure your place at this high-impact session on the future of investing. Mint Horizons is where Indias investing leaders meet to learn, share, and stay ahead. Dont miss your chance to be part of this growing community in Pune. Indias wealthy are increasingly exploring investment opportunities beyond domestic markets, driven by the dual motivations of maximising returns and diversifying portfolios. The Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), AIF (Alternative Investment Fund) structures at GIFT City, and the concept of accredited investors are all opening new doors for Indian investors to diversify their wealth, broaden their global reach, and potentially access more stable returns. Rising appetite for overseas investments With the LRS introduced in 2004, Indian residents can remit up to $250,000 annually for a variety of capital and current account transactions, including investments in foreign securities and real estate. As a result, Indian interest in overseas investments has surged. According to The Wealth Index Report by 360 ONE Wealth, transfers for deposits, property acquisitions, and investments in equities and bonds reached $2.45 billion in 2022-23, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26% since 2018-19. Of these, equities and debt securities formed the largest category, boasting a 31% CAGR. A distinct appeal of these overseas investments is their potential to enhance portfolio diversification. With Indian equity markets showing a positive but relatively low correlation to global equities, investments in developed markets provide a buffer against domestic market volatility. This risk mitigation is particularly valued by wealthy Indian investors seeking to safeguard their portfolios against local economic fluctuations. Diversification benefits Given an environment of global uncertainty and volatility, investors prefer a diversified portfolio with exposure across the US, other developed markets, and emerging markets. Moreover, an actively managed approach is often preferred, as clients are deeply engaged in running their own businesses and value the oversight of dedicated advisors who actively monitor and manage their portfolios. The need for advice and active management is enhanced in times of volatility and uncertainty. Indias gateway to international finance Indias efforts to create a global finance hub led to the establishment of GIFT City in Ahmedabad in 2015, modelled after free trade zones in Singapore and Dubai, the avenue aims to position India as a powerhouse for international financial services by offering tax incentives, a streamlined regulatory framework, and facilities to facilitate cross-border financial activities. No FIF (Family Investment Fund) has received approval in GIFT for Indian resident capital going out. Nevertheless, GIFT City remains a relatively new and complex concept. Awareness is limited, with only 55% of survey respondents aware of its offerings, and nearly half expressing no interest in exploring the opportunities it presents. For those who are attuned to the benefits, GIFT Citys FIF structure can serve as a lucrative vehicle for managing family wealth internationally, providing Indian investors with a controlled yet global platform. Exploring the accredited investors avenue For wealthy individuals seeking access to a broader array of financial products, accredited investor status offers significant opportunities. Introduced by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in 2021, this designation allows individuals and entities meeting specific financial thresholds to engage in relatively high-risk, high-reward investments. Accredited individuals must have a net worth of at least 5 crore, with an annual income of 50 lakh or more, while corporates require a net worth of 25 crore. The purpose of accredited investor classification is to empower wealthy, financially sophisticated investors to diversify into high-potential yet complex financial products. Despite the potential advantages, only a fraction of Indias affluent are taking advantage of this designationthe report held that while 50% of respondents are aware of the status, a substantial 85% have not applied for it. In comparison, the concept of accredited investors is well established in markets like the US, where 24 million households qualify as accredited, making up 18.5% of all households. Investment opportunities for Indias affluent are expanding well beyond domestic boundaries. With a growing number of Indians investing abroad under the LRS, a robust international financial centre in GIFT City and the emergence of the accredited investor category, Indian wealth is increasingly globalised. While some investors remain cautious, professionals can be instrumental in helping them understand, assess, and capitalise on the diverse avenues available. As awareness builds and more high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth families and individuals embrace these opportunities, Indias wealthy are well-positioned to secure and grow their wealth across borders, underscoring the power of a well-optimised, internationally diversified portfolio. Aarthi Ramakrishnan, head of strategy, 360 ONE Asset. The Bombay High Court on Tuesday, June 10, directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to pay 50 lakh each as compensation to the kin of eight victims of a hotel fire incident in Kurla or Mumbai. All eight victims died in a fire in Hotel City Kinara in 2015. As many as eight persons were killed when a fire broke out inside the Kurla hotel on October 16, 2015. Seven of them were students aged 18-20, and the eighth victim was a 31-year-old design engineer from Virar. The high court was hearing petitions filed by parents of the victims seeking to quash the Lokayukta's February 2017 order, which dismissed their complaint seeking a probe. The Lokayukta, while dismissing their pleas, noted that compensation of 1 lakh each was disbursed. The families sought the enhancement of the compensation amount. Citing its gross failure in the discharge of its duties, the high court ordered the civic body to pay 50 lakh each to the families of the victims within 12 weeks. Due to the failure of the BMC in taking action, the illegality in Kinara continued unabated and ultimately led to the fire and the loss of life, a bench of Justices B P Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla said. The court remarked it was "shocking" that the BMC took no action against the hotel, even though it was aware the establishment lacked the necessary fire department approvals. Had the BMC taken prompt action, then the fire incident would not have definitely not occurred, the court noted. The negligence and breach of statutory duties by the BMC is a proximate cause of the fire, and the civic body can be held vicariously liable for the acts of commission and omission of its officials. This violation of the fundamental rights of the petitioners and their kin under Article 21 of the Constitution of India has been caused as a direct result of the negligence and breach of statutory duties on the part of BMC, the court said. The court also noted a list of violations on part of the hotel, saying it operated a service area on the mezzanine floor, which was supposed to be a storage area and also did not have a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department. Kinara was granted an eating housing licence without obtaining any fire NOC from the fire department, the court said. The hotel had also stored several gas cylinders which was prohibited. Three women, believed to be of Indian origin, were removed from a Spirit Airlines flight in the United States following a heated exchange with a flight attendant. A video of the incident, shared on TikTok, has gone viral, amassing over 4 million views within days. The altercation led to a delay of more than an hour as police were called to escort the women off the aircraft, Hindustan Times reported. TikTok user @khamisidrismoh posted footage showing the three women seated in a row, engaged in an argument with a flight attendant standing in the aisle. The dispute reportedly began when the attendant incorrectly stated that the flight was headed to New Orleans, not New York. You dont know where the flight is going. First of all, you dont know one of the women is heard saying in the video, confronting the attendant about her mistake. The flight attendant quickly acknowledged the error, saying, Im sorry about that. That is my mistake. She then asked the women to place their bags under the seat in front of them. However, the women appeared either not to hear her or chose to ignore the request, instead continuing to question the earlier slip. You told so many times that is New Orleans. So first of all you have to know where we are going, one woman said. The situation escalated when the flight attendant, visibly frustrated, said: Okay, you know, just for that, Im going to make sure you guys get off. This is easy for me. Watch, before walking away. Police Escort After Onboard Delay In a follow-up video, police officers are seen boarding the plane and attempting to remove the women. After the previous video I posted, we were delayed for an hour. Ultimately the cops had to show up and threaten to use physical force to remove them, the TikTok user wrote. A police officer is heard calmly instructing: Stand up and walk with us. We can talk more out there. But right now, stand up and walk with us. Despite the officers requests, the women initially refused to leave and continued arguing. One officer warned them, saying, Im telling you whats happening. Either you are gonna get off the plane, or youre going to jail. The women eventually collected their belongings and exited the aircraft, allowing the flight to depart after the hour-long delay. Zeeshan Akhtar, a prime accused in the murder of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique, has been arrested in Canada, Maharashtras Minister of State for Home Affairs, Yogesh Kadam, confirmed on Wednesday. The 22-year-old was apprehended in connection with a fake passport case, according to sources close to the investigation. Zeeshan, who was involved in the Baba Siddiqui murder case, has been arrested in Canada. We have initiated the process to bring him back to India. We will interrogate him further (after bringing him back), Kadam told PTI Videos, highlighting the authorities intent to expedite his extradition and deepen the probe. Baba Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister and prominent NCP leader, was fatally shot in the Bandra area of Mumbai on 12 October 2024. The high-profile assassination sent shockwaves through the political landscape of Maharashtra, prompting a swift and intensive police investigation. So far, law enforcement agencies have arrested at least 25 individuals linked to the case, including key figures believed to have orchestrated the killing. According to Mumbai Police, the murder contract was allegedly given by Anmol Bishnoi, brother of the notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, to Zeeshan Akhtar and another accused, Shubham Lonkar. The Bishnoi gang has been under intense scrutiny for its involvement in various criminal activities, and this case has further spotlighted their alleged role in political assassinations. The arrest of Zeeshan Akhtar in Canada marks a significant breakthrough in the investigation, especially as he had reportedly been evading Indian authorities by using forged travel documents. The fake passport case has provided a crucial lead for the police to track and detain him abroad. A bride in Shamshabad town, Agra, called off her wedding on Saturday after discovering that her room at the venue, arranged by the grooms family, had no air conditioning. The incident led to a heated exchange, police intervention, and a formal complaint of dowry harassment. Police said the bride arrived at the venue and complained of feeling suffocated due to the intense heat. Calling it an unacceptable and inhuman situation, she demanded that an air conditioner be arranged immediately. This request sparked a dispute, during which the groom allegedly abused the bride and her family. Refusing to proceed with the marriage, the bride walked away from the mandap. She told her parents that in a house where there is no respect for her and such a basic facility could not be arranged, her life would become hell, a police offical was quoted as saying by The Print. As the argument intensified, local police were called to the venue. Hansraj Bhadoria, the officer in charge of the police station, said they attempted to mediate between the two families. However, the bride stood by her decision and returned home with her family on Sunday morning. The brides mother later filed a formal complaint at the local police station, accusing the grooms family of making excessive dowry demands. Authorities have launched an investigation into the allegations. New Delhi: The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved two multitracking railway projects at a cost of 6,405 crore to improve connectivity and mobility, and generate jobs in Jharkhand, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Additionally, the project will reduce logistic cost, decrease oil imports and contribute to lower CO2 emissions. "The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. These multi-tracking proposals are poised to streamline operations and alleviate congestion," said railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in a press briefing. The projects are essential for transportation of coal, iron ore, finished steel, cement, fertilizers, agriculture commodities, and petroleum products etc. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude of 49 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). The project will cover seven districts in Jharkhand, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh increasing the existing network by about 318 km. The KodermaBarkakana doubling project, having a total length of 133 km will pass through a major coal producing area of Jharkhand while the BallariChikjajur doubling project (185 km) will traverse through Ballari and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka and Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. Also read | Cabinet approves higher MSP, extension of interest subvention scheme for farmers The two projects are likely to be completed in three years. "Since it's a multitracking project (doubling of track) so majority of the land parcels are with railways except a few patches, which is not an issue. We expect to complete the two projects in three years' time," said Vaishnaw. The approved multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to 1,408 villages, which have a total population of about 2.8 million. Also, the projects will generate direct employment for about 10.8 million human-days during construction. Beyond economic and logistical gains, the ministry of railways noted the projects will have a positive environmental impact. By shifting freight to rail, the initiative is projected to reduce oil imports by 520 million litres and cut CO2 emissions by 2.6 billion kg, which is equivalent to planting 110 million trees. According to Vaishnaw, the projects are the result of the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity and are designed to promote integrated transport planning across regions. Read this | Cabinet approves fresh coal linkages to boost procurement and capacity addition by thermal plants amid high power demand The Union government appears to be placing a strong emphasis on expanding railway infrastructure in its third term. In cabinet meetings held so far during the NDA's third term, the union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved 27 railway projects worth 96,311 crore. According to Vaishnaw, the projects sanctioned by the cabinet will usher in significant developments across the country. Prominent railway projects approved by the cabinet at various Union Cabinet meetings include a new rail-road bridge in Kashi at an estimated cost of 2,642 crore, the Errupalem-Amaravati-Namburu new line in Andhra Pradesh at an estimated cost of 2,245 crore, the Manmad-Jalgaon fourth rail line worth 2,773 crore, and Kharsia-Naya Raipur-Parmalkasa fifth and sixth line in areas of Chhatisgarh, estimated at 1,332 crore. The strengthening of railways network would not only reduce the logistics cost but also bolster India's export competitiveness. India has continued to witness a rise in the Covid-19 cases, with the total climbing over 6,800 in the latest 24-hour cycle with Karnataka and Gujarat reporting as many as over 120 infections in a day. Three persons also succumbed to the Covid-19 infection, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. While officials have not yet indicated a return to widespread restrictions, the citizens have been urged to remain cautious, follow hygiene protocols, and consider mask usage in crowded or enclosed spaces. Kerala, which was one of the states to report a spike in Covid-19 infections, has registered 96 new cases. Amid an increase in Covid-19 cases, Kerala Health Minister Veena George has said that special care should be taken as the disease remains more severe among the elderly and those with other diseases. Also Read | America's expert on China says fungus smuggling case worse than Covid, urges US govt to sever relations She added that the Omicron JN.1 variants LF.7 and XFG were the most common in Kerala. These variants are "not as severe" but have a high potential for spreading the disease. Masks should be worn in public places and during travel. Genomic sequencing is being conducted to identify the Covid-19 variant. The Omicron JN.1 variant LF.7 and XFG, which are spreading in Southeast Asian countries, are the most common in Kerala. Although these variants are not as severe, they have a high potential for spreading the disease, the minister said. "There are currently 2,223 active Covid cases in the state. 96 people are under treatment. Most of them have other diseases. 431 cases have been reported in Ernakulam district, 426 cases in Kottayam and 365 cases in Thiruvananthapuram," the ministry said. Prof. (Dr) Balram Bhargava, former Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and former Secretary of the Department of Health Research, said the emergence of the XFG variant is a natural part of the SARS-CoV-2 viruss ongoing evolution. He also emphasized that India is well-equipped to detect and respond to new variants quickly, thanks to the extensive use of rapid molecular diagnostic tools like Truenat across the country. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said a trade agreement was reached between the US and China, pending final approval from him and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The announcement follows weeks of escalated tensions between the two countries and two days of intense trade negotiations. Central to the deal is Chinas commitment to supply essential magnets and any necessary rare earth materials to the United States, a critical issue that had previously stalled talks in London. According to Donald Trump's statement, the US will, in return, permit Chinese students to continue their studies at American colleges and universities, a move welcomed by both sides. However, the agreement remains subject to final approval by President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me. Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. Relationship is excellent! Thank you for your attention to this matter! Trump wrote on Truth Social. US President Donald Trump says a significant agreement has been reached between Washington and Beijing following two days of intense trade negotiations. US-China trade tensions: A renewed clash in Trumps second term Since President Donald Trumps second inauguration on January 20, US-China trade relations have sharply deteriorated, reigniting a fierce trade war. Early in April, Trump unveiled his Liberation Day tariffs, imposing an additional 34 per cent tariff on Chinese imports, pushing the total tariff burden on Chinese goods to 54 per cent. China swiftly retaliated with matching tariffs on US products, including a 34 per cent levy and new export controls on rare earth mineralsvital to high-tech industries. The tit-for-tat escalations intensified rapidly, with tariffs soaring to as high as 125 per cent on both sides, severely disrupting global supply chains and increasing economic uncertainty worldwide. Why rare earths are a strategic battleground Rare earth elements have become a critical flashpoint in this trade conflict. These minerals are essential for manufacturing electric vehicles, semiconductors, defence systems, and other advanced technologies. China dominates about 90 per cent of the global rare earth supply and refining capacity, giving it significant leverage. In early 2025, China imposed strict export controls requiring licences for rare earth shipments, disrupting supply chains and forcing some US manufacturers, including Ford, to halt production temporarily. This move underscored the strategic vulnerability of US industries reliant on these materials, making rare earth access a key focus in trade negotiations. The recent US-China trade agreement includes Chinas commitment to resume supplying rare earths and magnets to the US market, easing a major bottleneck for American industries and defence contractors. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressed optimism that resolving the rare earth issue would help stabilise trade talks and reduce economic uncertainty. Importance of student exchanges in US-China ties Educational exchanges have long been a vital pillar of US-China relations, fostering cultural understanding and economic benefits. Chinese students represent one of the largest groups of international students in the US, contributing around $14 billion annually through tuition and living expenses, according to US government data. Notably, Chinese President Xi Jinpings daughter, Xi Mingze, reportedly studied at Harvard University. The Chinese government has also promoted programmes encouraging American students to study in China to deepen mutual understanding. However, rising political tensions and visa restrictions have caused uncertainty and declining enrolment, threatening these benefits. Human-caused climate change has led to an unnatural spike in Iceland and Greenlands temperatures by several degrees. The record-setting May heat wave raises concerns about the long-term implications of melting Arctic ice for weather around the world, reported AP. According to the report, the Greenland ice sheet melted many times faster than normal during the heat wave in May. Some parts of Iceland saw temperatures more than 10C (18 F) above average, and the country set a record for its warmest weather in May when Egilsstadir Airport hit 26.6C (79.9 F) on May 15. The findings come as global leaders are focusing more on Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, following US President Donald Trump's comments that he would like to seize the mineral-rich island. What caused unnatural spike in temperatures? Burning fossil fuels in huge quantities to generate electricity and fuel transportation lead to the release of pollutants such as carbon dioxide that cause the planet to warm unnaturally fast. The Arctic is one of the fastest-warming places on the planet. Even in todays climate, the occurrence of such a strong heat wave in the Arctic region is relatively rare, with just 1 per cent chance of occurring in a year. Friederike Otto, associate professor of climate science at Imperial College London, told AP that without human-caused climate change, such an event would be basically impossible. Global impacts from melting Arctic Otto also told AP that the extreme weather event will affect the world. As the Greenland ice sheet melts, it releases massive amounts of fresh water into the salty oceans. Scientists say this could slow down the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, an ocean current that circulates water from the Gulf of Mexico across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe and then the Arctic, said AP. Such a slowdown could disturb global climate and weather patterns. The nature of weather in the Northern Hemisphere is directly tied to whats happening in the Arctic, because that ice floor basically at the bottom of the atmosphere helps determine the weather patterns that we get, Waleed Abdalati, who heads an environmental sciences institute at the University of Colorado Boulder told AP. The Greenland ice sheet and other ice covering the Arctic region can influence where and when wind blows, how much water content the wind has and whether precipitation falls as rain or snow, said AP. Also Read | Climate change may make it harder to spot submarines Usually, most of the melting of the Greenland ice sheet happens in June, July and August. The May heat wave means there will be a longer melting season this year, which can threaten lives. Melting ice sheets and glaciers can also cause the sea level to rise, threatening to flood coastlines globally and flood low-lying island nations in the Pacific Ocean, said AP. Indigenous communities in Greenland are increasingly dealing with dangerous travel conditions as melting ice means that access to traditional hunting locations are lost, and sled dogs can no longer travel the same routes. The situation can also destabilise buildings and increase risks of landslides and tsunamis caused by landslides, reported AP. Greenland rejects US annexation move Trump recently showed interest in annexing Greenland due to its rich reserves of oil, gas and rare earth minerals. The islands proximity to the US, Russia and Europe also has a geopolitical appeal. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has said Greenland will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone, as reported by AP. Also Read | India is working with multilateral bodies on climate funding: Sitharaman The deputy lead scientist at the US National Snow and Ice Data Center, Twila Moon, told AP it is important that Greenlanders lead decisions about their own territory. Certainly an important part of this conversation is about climate change and climate impacts, she said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has delivered a powerful message to the international community, highlighting the global threat posed by terrorism linked to Pakistan. In a revealing interview with European news website Euractiv, Jaishankar stressed that the recent India-Pakistan confrontation was not merely an IndiaPakistan issue. Its about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you. A Man Named Osama Bin Laden Referring to the infamous terrorist Osama bin Laden, Jaishankar asked, Let me remind you of something there was a man named Osama bin Laden. Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point? Osama bin Laden (19572011) was the founder and leader of the militant Islamist group al-Qaeda, responsible for orchestrating numerous terrorist attacks worldwide, including the devastating September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Born into a wealthy Saudi family in Riyadh, bin Laden became involved in the Afghan mujahideen resistance against the Soviet invasion in the late 1970s. In 1988, he founded al-Qaeda to promote global jihad against what he saw as Western oppression of Muslims. His network carried out attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa, the USS Cole, and ultimately the 9/11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people and triggered the US-led War on Terror. After years in hiding, Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011. Operation Sindoor NOT Tit-for-Tat Move The Union Minister criticised international media for framing Indias Operation Sindoor, launched after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that claimed 26 lives, as a simple tit-for-tat between two nuclear-armed neighbours. Jaishankar clarified, I want the world to understand this isnt merely an IndiaPakistan issue. Its about terrorism. On Russia-Ukraine War On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar explained Indias neutral stance, saying, We dont believe that differences can be resolved through war we dont believe a solution will come from the battlefield. He emphasised Indias balanced approach, noting, India has a strong relationship with Ukraine as well its not only about Russia. Also Read | Russia returns bodies of 1,212 soldiers to Ukraine amid stalled Istanbul talks Jaishankar Asks West to Reflect on The Past Jaishankar also called on Western countries to reflect on their past actions, stating, India has the longest-standing grievance our borders were violated just months after independence, when Pakistan sent in invaders to Kashmir. And the countries that were most supportive of that? Western countries. He added, If those same countries who were evasive or reticent then now say lets have a great conversation about international principles, I think Im justified in asking them to reflect on their own past. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government is hopeful of reaching an agreement on a trade deal with the United States before the tariff suspension ends on 9 July. The threat of reciprocal tariffs was raised on April 2, but we had already begun bilateral negotiations for a trade agreement, Jaishankar said in an interview with French daily Le Figaro. The Minister is on an official visit to Belgium and France until 14 June. Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi was hosted by (US President) Donald Trump in February, and they agreed to expand access to each others markets. We are hopeful of reaching an agreement before the tariff suspension ends on July 9, Jaishankar said, according to a report in The Indian Express. Jaishankar was responding to a question on Donald Trump administration's threat of a 26 per cent tariff, and the Indian government's relations with the Trump administration. On 2 April, the US announced 26 per cent reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods. However, the decision was paused for 90 days, ending on 9 July. Jaishankar's remarks come right when a team of top US negotiators held closed-door meetings with their Indian counterparts in New Delhi over four days. The talks that concluded on 10 June, Tuesday, focused primarily on greater market access for both industrial and agricultural products in either country, tariff cuts, and non-tariff barriers, according to media reports. In the interview, Jaishankar reiterated that for over a quarter-century, under five US Presidents, India's ties with the US have continuously strengthened. "Structural forces economic, technological, educational, scientific, strategic, military are driving this relationship, he said. On Pakistan Jaishankar also spoke about the military action between India and Pakistan. He said the issue was actually about terrorism, not Pakistan. It has become an India-Pakistan issue because Pakistan harbours and supports terrorists. The conflict is between India and terrorism, not with a specific country, the Minister said. As many as 26 people were killed and several others injured in the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on 22 April. Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on 7 May, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. India is ready to strike deep' In a separate interview during the tour, Jaishankar issued a stern warning against future terrorist provocations, reiterating that India will not hesitate to strike back against Pakistan regardless of location. Politico is an American political digital newspaper company. "And we don't care where they are. If they are deep in Pakistan, we will go deep into Pakistan," Jaishankar said in the interview with Politico during his official visit to Brussels, Belgium, for high-level trade talks with the European Union. We are hopeful of reaching an agreement before the tariff suspension ends on July 9. The Karnataka cabinet will decide the timeline for the caste re-enumeration to be conducted in the state within 90 days, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on 10 June, promising a transparent process that protects the interests of all sections of society. Shivakumar spoke after the party announced its decision on the caste recount following a high-level meeting with Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was also among the leaders present during the deliberations. "Several ministers and communities have expressed apprehensions, and keeping this in mind, the party leadership has decided to re-enumerate castes in the state," Siddaramaiah told reporters. A recount could mean either a full re-survey or supplement the existing data using records maintained at the gram panchayat and ward levels. It remains unclear whether the survey that the Congress High Command has approved would mean a completely new survey or a partial survey. But why re-enumeration? Karnataka's socio-economic and educational survey was first announced in 2015 during Siddaramaiahs first term as chief minister. The report of the survey, which reportedly cost 165 crore, was prepared by the Karnataka Backwards Classes Commission under then-chairman HK Kantharaj. It was submitted to the chief minister in February 2024, soon after Siddaramaiah returned to power for a second term, by the current chairman, KJ Jayaprakash Hegde. This report recommended 51 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), arguing that OBCs comprise 70 per cent (4.16 crore) of Karnatakas population. The report triggered a controversy among the states two dominant castes the Vokkaligas and the Lingayats who claimed that their communities had been undercounted. Vokkaliga and Lingayats undercounted? The Vokkaliga and Lingayat organisations demanded a fresh survey, after their population was found to be a little over 10 per cent and close to 11 per cent, respectively. This, they said, was much less than estimated so far. The Vokkaligas (the caste that Shivakumar belongs to) and Lingayats currently enjoy reservation under the III A and III B categories of the OBC quota in the state. The non-Kuruba backward classes also raised objections to the recommendation that the Kurubas a community to which CM Siddaramaiah belongs be moved from more backward to most backward category. Some leaders said that the 2015 data was old and did not reflect the reality on the ground. So the the Congress high command felt these were serious objections and needed to be addressed, according to sources quoted by The Indian Express. Opposition Seeks Apology from CM The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka criticised CM Siddaramaiah for his usual recklessness and sought an apology. Taking to X, Karnataka BJP general secretary Sunil Kumar Karkala contended that the Congress high command has scrapped the caste census report prepared by the state government. The report, he said, was even scheduled to be approved in a cabinet meeting at Nandi Hills. But the Congress high command has now stepped in, rejected the report, and asked for a re-census within a time frame, citing inaccuracies in the data, he said. The BJP demanded an apology from the CM and the Congress party for creating discontent among communities. The saffron party alleged that CM had pushed for the report marred by discrepancies to be accepted by the cabinet. The BJP also alleged that the state government is raising the caste census now to cover up its flaws in connection with the recent stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, in which 11 people were killed Whenever the Congress-led state government faces a crisis due to its administrative failures, it brings up the caste census issue. This isn't out of social concern, but rather a constant ploy to divert the attention of the people of the state," state BJP President BY Vijayendra said. In accordance with the high command's instructions, the Karnataka government has decided to complete the survey and submit the report within 90 days. No one will be excluded: Dy CM Shivakumar, who is also the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), emphasised that the census would be conducted transparently while involving all communities. "The cabinet will decide the date and timeline of the survey, which is a long and big process. The CM will announce the date," he said. The Deputy CM assured that the new census would address the concerns of every community without excluding anyone. He said even those living outside Karnataka would be given an opportunity to enrol through the online mode. People should not be anxious about our government. We will take into confidence everyone and give justice. This is our party's commitment. "People should not be anxious about our government. We will take into confidence everyone and give justice. This is our party's commitment," Shivakumar said, appealing to all communities and organisations to cooperate in the survey. New Delhi: The central government is gearing up to launch a sweeping drive across 500 districts to return unclaimed financial assets, ranging from dormant bank deposits and unpaid dividends to lapsed insurance policies and pension funds, to their rightful owners, a person familiar with the matter told Mint. The initiative was proposed by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the 29th meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) held in Mumbai on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai), and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). As part of the plan, regulators have agreed to hold coordinated outreach camps at district headquarters to help citizens claim these unclaimed assets, the person said, requesting anonymity. To simplify financial access, the council also decided to implement a unified Know Your Customer (KYC) framework, which is expected to be completed by the end of the current financial year (FY26). While all regulators will follow common KYC norms in general, individual regulators may include additional sector-specific requirements if needed. Standardised KYC will enhance ease of living, the person said. The objective is to enhance ease of living for citizens and simplify financial access. Spokespersons for the ministry of finance, RBI, Sebi, MCA, Irdai, and PFRDA did not respond to emailed queries. During Tuesdays meeting, Sitharaman called for expedited efforts to return unclaimed financial assets and pushed for streamlining the KYC process to improve user experience across the financial system. The FSDC also reviewed Indias macro-financial stability and preparedness, and discussed the need to bolster cyber resilience in the financial sector. In light of the analysis of cybersecurity regulations, sectoral preparedness, and the recommendations of the Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) 2024-25, the FSDC considered strengthening the cyber resilience framework of the Indian financial sector through a financial sector-specific cybersecurity strategy, the finance ministry said in a statement. Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Wednesday said the state government is planning to merge Tumakuru district with Bengaluru city. Citing Bengaluru's rapid growth, Parameshwara said that he had submitted a proposal for the same to the state government. The state home minister said while speaking to the media that Tumakuru district has been proposed to be converted into Bengaluru North district. Also Read | Ramanagara district to get a new name Bengaluru South He also said that Bengaluru's rapid growth may expand to neighbouring cities such as Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Kolar, and Chikkaballapur. In such a situation, there is a difference between Tumkur district and Bengaluru North district. For those in New York, Bengaluru North is easy to understand. Tumakuru district is somewhere like this. That is why such an effort has been made. Bengaluru city has already grown beyond Nelamangala. Tumakuru can be reached by travelling 30 km from there. Therefore, it would be beneficial to expand the city area, the Karnataka home minister further said. A proposal to include 14 gram panchayats has also been prepared under the jurisdiction of Mahanagara Palike. Hailing Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar, Parameshwara said that he has made a good proposal to make Ramanagara city a part of the Bengaluru South district. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar made a good plan and made Ramanagara district the Bengaluru South district. The government has approved this plan and issued an order. As soon as it is called Bengaluru South, its nature changes. Similarly, he said that they will think about how to make Tumakuru district, he said. Meanwhile, on Monday, Parameshwara said that he has requested Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to permit the construction of a 'Welcome' arch on the national highway in Tumakuru. Meghalaya honeymoon murder case: There is a strong possibility of Sonam Raghuvanshi being involved in the killing of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon but it is tough to confirm yet, the Meghalaya police said on Wednesday. Dismissing reports that Sonam had confessed to murdering Raja Raghuvanshi while they were on their honeymoon in Meghalaya, East Khasi Hills Additional SP Ashish said that the information in the public domain is not concrete. Today, the paperwork is being done to forward the suspects to the court. So we didn't get time to question them. There is a strong possibility that she (Sonam Raghuvanshi) is involved. But it is tough to confirm that yet because the investigation is pending, he told the media during a briefing. The police officer said that the investigation is at its initial stages and police will share information soon. We are at the initial stages. As soon as we come to know new information, we will share it. Whatever information (in the public domain) right now is not concrete, he said. SP East Khasi Hills Vivek Syiem further informed that now that the accused have been brought to Shillong, where the murder allegedly happened, a thorough investigation will start. He also said that the police have adequate information about Sonam Raghuvanshi's involvement in the crime. We have just brought the accused here. Now, a thorough investigation will start. We have adequate evidence of her involvement. Regarding the whole picture - how much was her involvement and what she did- all this will come out later, Syiem told the media. Our evidence shows that she is very much involved, but the interrogation will give a clearer picture, he added. Sonam Raghuvanshi's brother makes major claim As police began investigating the murder, in relation to which Sonam, her alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha and three others Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi have been arrested, her brother made a major claim. Speaking to reporters after visiting Raja Raghuvanshi's family, Govind, Sonam's brother, said he was 100% sure that his sister committed the crime. Also Read | Indore Honeymoon Couple Case: Meghalaya Minister demands apology from families According to the evidence found so far, I am 100% sure that she has committed this murder. All the accused in this case are related to Raj Kushwaha, he said. Govind, who visited his deceased brother-in-law's family on Wednesday, said he stood with the kin of Raja Raghuvanshi and has decided to boycott Sonam. I dont know whether she (Sonam) admitted to the crime or not. I stand with Raja Raghuvanshi, and I will fight this battle for him. Even my parents have accepted the truth, they didnt know anything before, but after finding out, they themselves decided to boycott Sonam. Govind said that he will appoint a lawyer to take legal action against Sonam. I have apologised to Rajas family, and I will always stand by them. We will make sure that Sonam is punished, and we will appoint a lawyer to take legal action against her, he said. When Lia Lando lost her job as a co-anchor on WKBW-TV (Channel 7), it looked like another high-profile job loss in a media industry that is struggling for audience, advertising dollars and relevance in the digital age. Lando said it was something else entirely: blatant discrimination. In a lengthy text message addressing for the first time her abrupt exit in April, Lando said her departure from the E.W. Scripps station followed a pattern of discrimination against female anchors at the ABC affiliate that has gone on since the days when Irv Weinstein, Rick Azar and Tom Jolls made WKBW the consistent No. 1 news station in Buffalo. And she is considering her next steps to hold the station and its parent corporation to account for her dismissal, which includes a lawsuit claiming age, gender and disability discrimination. I am not sharing this because I want people to feel bad for me. I am speaking out as a voice for others going through something similar, she said. We have to advocate for ourselves and future generations of female workers because this has to stop. Landos attorney, Harvey P. Sanders of Western New York Employment Law, confirmed that he is preparing a lawsuit. He added that Scripps hasnt been interested in talking about a negotiated settlement. Molly Miossi, senior manager, external communications for Scripps, said in an email about Landos claims: We cant comment on potential or pending litigation. We can confirm Lia Landos position was eliminated in March. The position eliminations at WKBW in March were part of position eliminations across about a dozen Scripps stations. Lando, 48, said she learned she was losing her job days after being treated for a rare form of cancer at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. She added her departure has created a hardship for her family. But she said she never even should have been in this position because there shouldnt have been a main female anchor opening at WKBW. Why you ask? she wrote. Because (former Channel 7 anchor) Joanna Pasceri should still be there. Ever wonder what happened to her after decades of hard work in the industry and five-star reviews? She was forced out at the age of 50 and replaced with younger (20-something) and cheaper while her male co-anchor was allowed to continue with his lucrative career and decide when he wanted to retire. Ashley Rowe replaced Pasceri in 2016 and was teamed with Keith Radford, who retired amid fanfare in 2021. Lando replaced Rowe, who left Channel 7 in 2022. Since Landos departure, Jeff Russo is the only anchor listed on Channel 7s website on the newscasts they co-anchored at the third-rated TV news department in town. Lando noted that Radford was celebrated for weeks before his retirement. Joanna didnt get that, but she deserved it! wrote Lando. I used to look up to her as a journalist and followed her career admiring her integrity. Told of Landos comments, Pasceri said in a text message: I wish Lia the best. Lando believes the headlines tying her departure to financial cuts made by Scripps, Channel 7s owner, misrepresented what happened. No what happened to me cant be masked as necessary layoffs, she said. It is blatant discrimination, and it needs to stop for the sake of our children! WKBW has always been known as the Irv, Rick and Tom station and it hasnt changed since sexism was the norm. Its still the place thats safe for men but not women with too many birthday candles on their cake. And were supposed to just accept this? This was never OK. Its really disheartening to be treated like youre disposable because youre a woman and you have cancer. Scripps is the latest of multiple owners of the station since the stations halcyon days from the 1960s into the 1990s. A former Rochester anchor, Lando said she moved her family to Buffalo from a Rochester suburb because she was told it was a requirement to get the job she expected to be in for decades. My son forced to switch schools. My husband transferred to his office in Buffalo. All for the promise of a long career. The reason that changed is unacceptable and discriminatory. Lando said she learned that management announced she was being laid off from friends and colleagues on March 4, after being at the doctors office for two days, one day at Roswell Park. I was diagnosed with a rare cancer years ago and have been treated differently despite my continued hard work. How would you feel if you were questioned by upper management every time you had to take time for appointments at Roswell? It made me very uncomfortable because I sensed it wasnt coming from a genuine place of concern but I felt pressure to answer. It is 2025. Stations are trying to do more with less having a main anchor with cancer isnt ideal. I am certain I was targeted. Its enough to be cut and watch 20-something-year-old female anchors continue on anchoring. Its another thing to be treated as if youre disposable because you have cancer. She said she is now living in an apartment in the Rochester suburb of Penfield because her son wanted to come back to his school to be with his friends. My heart breaks not being able to take him back to his childhood home, which I now cant afford because its gone up hundreds of thousands in value, because we had to sell our Buffalo home and are in limbo now. This impacted my children who were forced to leave their forever home, but I assured them it was for a steady, reliable career that would allow me to support them. I had no doubts. Lando said although this experience has been painful for her on a number of levels, she is more interested in telling the story of what happened to her in the hopes that it does not happen to someone else. We dont know how much some people can handle and if I allow this to happen without trying to correct it and stop it from happening again, I wouldnt be a good person, she said. Meghalaya honeymoon murder case: Sonam Raghuvanshi's brother Govind on Wednesday said that that if his sister is guilty of murdering her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, then she should be hanged. Claiming that Raja Raghuvanshi was close to him, Govind said that his family had severed all ties with Sonam who remains in the custody of Meghalaya police and is being interrogated for allegedly being involved in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi. If Sonam is the culprit, she should be hanged, Govind told reporters after visiting Raja's family. He said his family will fight on behalf of Raja Raghuvanshi. Sonam has not considered herself guilty. There has been no contact. We have severed all ties with her. We will fight on behalf of Raja (Raghuvanshi). Sonam's brother to stand with Raja Raghuvanshi During the press conference in Indore, Govind came out in support of the victim's family as he reached Raja Raghuvanshi's house to console the family. I dont know whether she (Sonam) admitted to the crime or not. I stand with Raja Raghuvanshi, and I will fight this battle for him, he said. He said that Sonam's parents have also accepted the truth and have decided to boycott her after finding everything out. Even my parents have accepted the truth, they didnt know anything before, but after finding out, they themselves decided to boycott Sonam. I have apologised to Rajas family, and I will always stand by them, he said. Govind vowed to fight a legal battle on behalf of Raja Raghuvanshi. We will make sure that Sonam is punished, and we will appoint a lawyer to take legal action against her, he said. Sonam Raghuvanshi's brother makes big claim Speaking further, Govind made a shocking claim that he was 100 per cent sure that his sister Sonam Raghuvanshi had committed the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi. According to the evidence found so far, I am 100 per cent sure that she has committed this murder, he said. He claimed that all the accused in the case are related to Raj Kushwaha, Sonam Raghuvanshi's alleged boyfriend. All the accused in this case are related to Raj Kushwaha. I am no one to ask for forgiveness from the (Raja's) family. But I have apologised but this family had lost their son, Govind told reporters. Meghalaya honeymoon murder case The Meghalaya honeymoon murder case involves the killing of Raja Raghuvanshi, a resident of Indore. His body was found in a gorge near Sohra, close to Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, on June 2. Raja was on his honeymoon with his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, to the northeastern state in May, 2025. Both had been reported missing earlier during the trip. Meghalaya honeymoon murder case: As Sonam Raghuvanshi and her alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha got remanded to police custody on Wednesday for the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, her brother Govind opened up about the relationship that the both accused shared. Talking to reporters during a press conference in Indore, Govind said that Raj Kushwaha used to call Sonam Raghuvanshi didi and she used to tie rakhi to him a sacred thread that sisters usually tie on brothers' hands. Sonam Raghuvanshi and Raj Kushwaha are the main accused of the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, who was killed in Meghalaya during the couple's honeymoon. Police have alleged that the duo, along with three contract killers Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi planned and executed Raja's death. Raj always called Sonam didi (sister). Sonam tied a rakhi to me and Raj while together in my house, Govind told the media on Wednesday. Also Read | Indore Honeymoon Couple Case: Meghalaya Minister demands apology from families Speaking further, he said that 21-year-old Kushwaha was an employee of the family's business and used to manage the office. Raj was just our employee. He was working in our office for two-three years. He used to manage the office and handle clients. Govind also vowed to fight for Raja Raghuvanshi legally, saying that Sonam should be hanged if she is found guilty. If Sonam is found guilty, she should be hanged straight away. I will appoint a lawyer myself to represent Raja Raghuvanshi's family in the court, he said. I am with the truth. Raja Raghuvanshi's family has lost a son. I have apologised to his family. Our family has broken ties with Sonam, the prime accused's brother added. Raj Kushwaha innocent, says mother Meanwhile, Raj Kushwaha's mother Chunni Devi has claimed that her son is innocent. Speaking to PTI earlier, she said, My son is innocent. He has been framed. How can a 20-year-old boy commit such a big crime? He is the only breadwinner in our house after my husband passed away. She also claimed that her son even attended Raja Raghuvanshi's funeral procession and returned home in tears. My son was saddened by Raja Raghuvanshi's death and even went to his funeral procession. After returning from the funeral procession, he was crying a lot. I had consoled him that everything will be fine and what is the use of crying now, the mother of the alleged main conspirator said. Raja Raghuvanshi's body was found on June 2 in a gorge near Cherrapunji after he went missing last month during his honeymoon with Sonam. Meanwhile, she was nowhere to be found until she surrendered to police in Ghazipur. After advancing over Kerala and parts of south and west India in record time, the monsoon is now stalled. What has affected their progress, and how will this impact various parts of the country? Mint explains. Also read: Southwest Monsoon to advance over Central and adjoining East India around 14 June: IMD What happened to the monsoon this year? Monsoon rains reached Kerala and the southern parts of the Indian mainland in end-May. This was the earliest onset of the rains since 2009. Monsoon reached Mumbai around the same time, the earliest onset in 35 years. Heavy showers in May and early June have already caused flooding in Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and northeastern states where rains triggered landslides. Pre-monsoon showers in Delhi led to the citys wettest May in over a hundred years, flooding the streets and bringing life to a standstill. The governments India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a normal monsoon this year for the country. So, why has its progress stalled? Weak weather conditions have stalled the monsoons in the western region at Mumbai and in eastern India near West Bengal, IMD officials told media outlets. Low pressure systems over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea draw southwest monsoon winds towards the north, bringing rains all over the country. These systems were stronger than usual last month, prompting the early onset of the rains. Now, both have weakened, leaving north India and the interiors of the Deccan plateau dry. This has caused heat waves in north and northwestern India; Delhi recorded its hottest day of the year yet while the intensity of rains in Mumbai has reduced. Also read: Indian Market Outlook: HSBC MF stays bullish on India amid growth revival and fair valuations How will the rains behave, going ahead? The IMD says monsoon will likely continue their normal trajectory from this week onwards because western disturbances and low pressure systems are building up over Bay of Bengal and northwest UP. Despite the delay, the monsoon is not late yet; rains cover central and north India between 15 and 30 June. However, heatwaves are predicted, too. Whats the general impact of early rains? Heavy pre-monsoon rains caused major cities to flood across west, south, and northeast India, where landslides occurred. They also brought relief from record high temperatures and heat waves in Odisha, Jharkhand, UP and Rajasthan in March, a month earlier. While early rains help reduce the burden of heat, they also disrupt the growing and harvesting of crops in peninsular India, such as mango, banana, and onions. Besides, early rain hurt peak summer sales of consumer goods including air conditioners. Also read: Delhi on IMDs orange alert for heatwave as Bengaluru, Mumbai brace for more rain; check weather forecast here How will consumer demand be impacted? India is struggling with a demand slowdown, especially in urban areas where prices are rising but incomes are not, forcing people to cut back on discretionary spending. Rural demand is doing better, giving hope to consumer and auto firms. But without normal rains farm incomes will suffer, denting the demand situation further. Already, firms like HUL, ITC, and Tata Consumer have reported tepid volume growth in FY25. These firms along with car-makers will need good rains to bring sales back on track. Piyush Goyal on June 11 said that the EFTA process from Switzerland would likely be implemented by October this year, as per an ANI report. The Union Commerce Minister added that three other countries Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, have already ratified the trade deal. Speaking to the agency during his two-day visit to Switzerland, Piyush Goyal said, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland have reified this agreement. Switzerland's process will last another two and a half months (or so). It is expected that we will be able to implement this in October. What can we expect from the deal? We expect an investment of $100 dollars (into India) to come from these countries, because they have committed under the EFTA, Piyush Goyal told ANI. "There is a possibility of investment in many sectors, be it space sectors, high precision engineering or food processing or pharmaceutical. I think that India will be able to take full advantage of the technology that Switzerland has achieved. We have skills and talent. Our expenses are low," he supplemented. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA), was set up in 1960 to promote free economic trade and integration for its four member states. India and the EFTA began negotiations in 2008, and reached an agreement in March 2024, after 21 rounds of talks, the EFTA website states. India-ETFA deal, what's the benefits? The minister contextualised that Switzerland is a high per capita income country, and thus anything manufactured there would be difficult to market in countries with relatively lower income, adding: India will prove to be a very reliable partner for them. Speaking about other ongoing trade deal negotiations, the minister said that a very good progress has been made with the EU. Three round of discussion at ministerial level between May 1 to June 3 have happened, in just thirty to thirty-five days we have met thrice, he said. Piyush Goyal added that counterpart Maros Sefcovic, who is the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, will visit India from June 28-29, for the last few rounds of discussion. Very, very, very, active negotiations are underway, he added. Piyush Goyal in Switzerland Addressing a gathering of Swiss businesses and Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin on the second day of his visit, Piyush Goyal highlighted India's remarkable transformation over the last 11 years, in terms of technology, innovation, and business opportunities. The minister encouraged Swiss businesses and industries to explore growth and investment oppornities in India, and leverage the country's skilled and talented workforce and facilitative business ecosystem. Also Read | Russias top peace negotiator is a historian who justified the war What other deals does India have on the table? On the deal with Oman, the minister said that significant progress has been made, the report said. He added that they also wish to conclude the New Zealand deal quickly, but the Commerce Ministry is over stretched. We are working with the US, so there was a commitment given to us. US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have a bilateral trade agreement by September 2025, he shared. Further, discussions with Peru and Chile are progressing well so effectively the ministry is fully engaged today with discussions with all continents across the world, he concluded. Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has dismissed any strained relationship with Sachin Pilot, claiming that he had never distanced himself from his former deputy. "When were we ever far apart? We were never distant," Gehlot was quoted as saying by the new agency PTI on 11 June. The former CM said the love and affection between the two Congress leaders will continue. Also Read | Congress expels Digvijaya Singh's brother for 6 years Gehlot's remark hinted at a possible softness in relations between the two senior Congress leaders after years of political tussle. Pilot led a revolt against CM Gehlot in July 2020, when the Congress party was in power in Rajasthan. The revolt of Pilot and 18 Congress lawmakers against Gehlot triggered a month-long crisis. The crisis, however, was resolved when the Congress leadership removed Pilot as the deputy chief minister and state party chief. The Congress however lost the next assembly election in Rajasthan. Gehlot made the fresh comments while attending a memorial event in Dausa marking the death anniversary of former Union minister Rajesh Pilot, the father of Sachin Pilot. The ceremony, which included a tribute and an exhibition on Rajesh Pilot's life and legacy, was attended by several Congress leaders, including AICC Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra, leader of opposition Tikaram Jully, many of the party MPs and MLAs, former ministers, former MLAs, and party office bearers. In addition to them, a large number of party workers and local people were present at the programme held on Rajesh Pilot's 25th death anniversary. At the crowded venue, reporters asked Gehlot what the message was behind the two leaders coming close. "Ham Door Kab The? Ham Dur The Hi Nahi. Prem Mohabbat Bani Rahti Hai aur Bani Rahegi. (When were we ever far apart? We were never distant. Love and affection remain and will continue to remain)," Gehlot said, responding with a smile. Pilot and other leaders were also near him when the senior Congress leader made the remarks. Remembering Rajesh Pilot Gehlot remembered Rajesh Pilot, saying that he and Rajesh Pilot were together in Parliament, and his commitment to the farmers and the poor is still remembered. "Today we are paying tribute to him. Look at the enthusiasm of the people. Young as well as elderly people have come. Those who have worked with him have also come. People who have heard about him have also come. This gathering in itself is a message about the kind of personality he had. I have worked with him and memories of that time have also been refreshed today," Gehlot said. Sachin Pilot said his father served the nation while being in the Indian Air Force and later in politics. "Today it has been 25 years of his death and he is still with me. His way of working and dedication is an ideal for us. I hope that the coming generation will take inspiration from him and we all will follow the path that he has shown," he said. Sachin Pilot accompanied Gehlot during the exhibition and briefed him about it. Rajesh Pilot died in a road accident in Dausa on 11 June 2000. He was Dausa MP at that time. Sachin Pilot holds a death anniversary programme every year in Dausa. Sachin Pilot recently visited Gehlot at his residence to invite him to this programme. The tug-of-war between Gehlot and Sachin Pilot began after the Congress came to power in December 2018. Gehlot, a two-time chief minister, won the race and was at the helm for a third time, while Sachin Pilot, who was the PCC chief at that time, was appointed his deputy. However, the palpable discord between the two leaders came out in 2020 when Pilot, along with a section of Congress MLAs, revolted against Gehlot's leadership. This led to a month-long political crisis that ended after the party high command assured Pilot that it would look into the issues raised by Pilot. Following the revolt by Pilot and 18 other MLAs, Gehlot used terms such as "gaddar" (traitor), "nakara" (incapable) and "nikamma" (worthless) for Pilot and accused him of being involved with BJP leaders in a conspiracy to topple the Congress government in the state. It was during this revolt that Pilot lost his posts of deputy chief minister and PCC president. In September 2022, a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting was convened at the chief minister's residence to pass a one-line resolution authorising the party high command to decide on a change in the state leadership as Gehlot was in the race for the party president's post. When were we ever far apart? We were never distant. Love and affection remain and will continue to remain. In April 2023, Pilot had observed a fast at the Shaheed Smarak in Jaipur to demand action in cases of alleged corruption related to Vasundhara Raje led previous BJP government in the state. The was another front Pilot had opened against the then Gehlot government, apparently accusing the government of not taking action on corruption cases of the previous BJP government. The final stretch of India-US trade talks is centred around sensitive sectors such as dairy, agriculture, digital and medical services, three people aware of the matter said, with Washington keen to open them up while New Delhi is pushing back with demand for a balanced agreement that safeguards vital sectors. A US team led by Brendan Lynch, Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, was in New Delhi for the face-to-face bilateral talks from 4 June to 10 June. While half of the team has returned, the rest in New Delhi have sought definitive commitments on market access in sensitive areas, the people cited above said on the condition of anonymity. The talks will continue virtually to seal the deal. India has traditionally resisted opening these areas due to concerns over unregulated competition and social sensitivities. Indian negotiators now navigate political and economic complexities related to sectors vital to rural livelihoods and food security, amid the hardened US stance. The negotiations are not progressing as expected. The talks were meant to be two-way, as agreed. However, the US teams insistence on opening certain critical sectors comes across as a take-it-or-leave-it offer," said the first among the three people cited above. Queries emailed to the spokespersons of US Secretary of Commerce, USTR and US Embassy in New Delhi, along with spokespersons of ministries of commerce and external affairs remained unanswered. Two-way road Mint reported on 21 April that Indian negotiators have made it clear that unless the US changes its animal feeding practicesspecifically the use of non-vegetarian feed for cattleor adopts Indias vegetarian certification process, US dairy products such as cheese and butter won't be allowed in. At the same time, India has conveyed its willingness to consider tariff concessions on certain nuts and fruits. Tying up a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by 9 July is critical to stop the 10% universal tariff and the additional 16% country-specific US tariffs. According to the second person cited above, the Indian side views the US insistence as a breach of the 13 February joint statement issued by both leaderships to negotiate a mutually beneficial BTA by fall 2025. The US wants India to significantly reduce duties on American agricultural goods, dairy products, and shrimp, as well as to remove non-tariff barriers that currently restrict US dairy exports, all without offering substantial market access to Indian goods in return, the officials cited above said. India still sees hope, with about a month remaining before the 90-day pause on Trumps reciprocal tariff ends on 8 July, to finalize the first tranche of the deal. Its not that it cant be doneits possible, as both countries are in favour of it. In fact, India was the first country to be offered a trade agreement. We are trying our best to make it happen and keep the trade dialogue on track," said the third person. However, this person denied that changing geopolitical situations were affecting the ongoing BTA talks, citing recent developments where the US successfully concluded trade agreements with the UK and China as evidence. For an open market A Niti Aayog working paper last month suggested that India open its market to a broad range of US agricultural products, including rice, pepper, soybean oil, shrimp, tea, coffee, dairy and poultry under the BTA. However, these recommendations ignore risks to Indias 700 million farm-dependent citizens, according to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a thinktank. Co-founder Ajay Srivastava has called for a broader public consultation on these recommendations. Meanwhile, Indian negotiators have raised concerns over stringent US sanitary and phytosanitary norms, drug regulations, and provisions such as the destruction of entire consignments of fruits if even a few units fail to meet prescribed standards. These are viewed as excessively harsh and trade-restrictive. At present, India imposes a basic customs duty of 35 per kg on shelled almonds, 100 per kg on in-shell almonds, along with a 10% Agriculture Infrastructure Development Cess. Walnutsboth in-shell and shelledattract a 100% duty when imported from the US, while pistachios face a 10% duty calculated on the cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) value. In 2024, US exports of agricultural and allied products to India stood at nearly $2 billion, including $452 million worth of alcoholic beverages and $1.3 billion worth of fruits and vegetables. In comparison, Indias total agricultural exports to the US in FY24 were valued at $2.12 billion. Sharp asymmetry Tariff comparisons show a sharp asymmetry. India imposes an average tariff of 37.66% on US agriculture, meat, while US tariffs on Indian goods in the same category stand at just 5.29%. In the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sector, US goods face a 9.68% duty in India, whereas Indian products are subject to only 1.06% in the US. Dairy products from the US attract a high duty of 28.42% in India, while Indian dairy exports to the US face a minimal 0.59% tariff. Similarly, US processed food, sugar, cocoa, and related preparations are subject to a 29.66% duty in India, compared to just 4.67% for Indian goods of the same categories in the US. On cereals, vegetables, fruits, and spices, US exports to India are taxed at an average rate of 8.82%, while Indian products in these categories face only 3.1% in the US. For pharmaceuticals, US exports to India face a 10.91% duty, whereas Indian pharma products exported to the US attract a negligible 0.01% tariff. After UK's industries faced American tariffs of 25% on all aluminium, steel and derivatives (announced on 12 March), 25% tariff on passenger vehicles (announced on 3 April ), 25% tariff on automobile parts (beginning 3 May ), and a 10% baseline tariff on all imports (from 5 April) the UK and the US on 8 May announced an economic prosperity deal (EPD). The mini deal secured some concessions for the UK, but the 10% baseline tariff continued. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime conspirator in the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, remained determined to go through with the killing even when her alleged accomplices backed out at the last moment, according to Raj Khushwaha, another accused now in police custody. Raj Khushwaha's statement adds a chilling new layer to Sonams image a bride seen smiling in her wedding photos, all while allegedly cooking up a murder plot in secret. While the interrogation of the four accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case continues, cops have uncovered terrifying new claims that have started to surface. Police have arrested Sonam's alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha and three contract killers Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi in connection with the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case. Sonam Raghuvanshi, too, was detained from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh and kept at Shillong Sadar Police Station in Meghalaya. Accused backed out, Sonam insisted on killing Raja A senior police officer who is working with the Meghalaya Police in the Indore honeymooners' case told Hindustan Times that during the interrogation, Raj Khushwaha also allegedly Sonam's boyfriend claimed he did not want to be part of the murder plot and even urged the other three accused to back out but, Sonam insisted. Raj Kushwaha claims he didnt want to support Sonam and at the last moment, cancelled his plan to go to Meghalaya. He also allegedly asked the three others not to go, but they went to see Meghalaya after Sonam booked the tickets," a senior police officer said. He revealed that the three accused Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi refused to murder Raja Raghuvanshi on the final days of the plot but Sonam insisted on it, promising 15 lakh to them. Even at the last moment, the three refused to kill, but Sonam insisted and said she would give 15 lakh for that. Police are verifying these claims, the cop from Indore said. After the murder, Sonam Raghuvanshi paid 20 lakh to the three, a Meghalaya Police officer said. She had also given 15,000 to the contract killers that she had taken from her husband's wallet during the crime. In fact, Sonam Raghuvanshi, who was initially reported missing in Meghalaya, apparently visited Indore after her husband was murdered and stayed in a rented flat for three days, a police official said. We have received the information that Sonam came to Indore and stayed in a rented flat in Dewas Naka area between May 25 and 27, the official said. From wedding to murder How it happened? After their wedding on May 11 in Indore, Raja and Sonam travelled to Meghalaya for honeymoon. They disappeared on May 23, hours after checking out of a homestay at Nongriat village. They both were considered missing. On June 2, Raja's body was found in a gorge. Police also recovered a bloodstained machete (dao), which they believe was used in Rajas murder. A raincoat also believed to belong to the couple, was recovered from Mawkma village, a few kilometres away from the gorge where Raja's body was found. Raja's autopsy report revealed that he was hit twice on the head with a sharp object. On Monday, June 9, Sonam Raghuvanshi was picked up from a dhaba in Ghazipur. In police custody, Sonam claimed that she was drugged and didn't remember how she reached Ghazipur. Mumbai: Iqbal Khan, who stepped down as national corporate lead at JSA Advocates, will be joining Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) as a partner in the corporate practice along with his team. Iqbal Khan has stepped down as national corporate lead at JSA Advocates and Solicitors. Khan joined JSA from Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas in October 2024, along with a team of 18 lawyers, including three retained partners, strengthening mergers, acquisitions and private equity teams in JSAs corporate practice. JSA confirmed that Iqbal Khan's team, which has also resigned, includes some of his team members, such as Ambarish, who joined with Khan from Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas Also Read | JSA onboards SAM's Iqbal Khan and Ambarish along with 18 lawyers "Iqbal Khan has communicated his resignation to JSA. The exit modalities will be worked out mutually keeping in mind the interest of clients, teams involved and the firm, Vivek Chandy, JSA's managing partner, said in a statement on Wednesday. JSA has grown exponentially over the last 18 months and has integrated well with all its lateral partners who are aligned with the culture and values of the firm. The firm will continue to aggressively pursue its growth path and wishes Iqbal well." Khan's exit comes as top law firms witness mass movement to rivals. He was brought into JSA to work closely with the joint managing partners, practice area chairs, and the executive committee to fortify the firms corporate practice and augment its range of services. Prior to joining JSA, he was with Paul Weiss and Kirkland & Ellis in the United States. Khan also holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar); the Parker School Certificate for Achievement in International and Comparative Law; and LLB from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Also Read | JSA expands projects, real estate practices with new leadership team He was the editor of the Columbia Journal of European Law and has been ranked as one of the top M&A and private equity lawyers in India by various legal rankings. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted raids at multiple locations linked to Congress Bellary MP E Tukaram and three Congress MLAs as part of a money laundering investigation connected to the alleged Valmiki scam, according to PTI report citing people who are familiar with the developments. The ED searches were carried out at five sites in Bellary and three premises in Bengaluru under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). These included residences belonging to Tukaram and MLAs Nara Bharath Reddy (Bellary City), J N Ganesh (Kampli), and N T Srinivas (Kudligi). The raids aim to collect evidence regarding allegations that funds siphoned from the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation (KMVSTDC) accounts were diverted and subsequently used to finance election expenses. Specifically, the misappropriated money is alleged to have been distributed as cash to voters and Congress workers during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the Ballari constituency. What did Siddaramaiah Say? Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said his government will not support any violation of the law, nor will come in the way of implementation of law. "What should I do? The ED has conducted raids. Let them do whatever they want in accordance with the law. We will not support any violation of law. We will not come in the way of the implementation of the law. We won't obstruct it," Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah said in response to a question from reporters. Also Read | Karnataka Valmiki Corp scam: State Minister B Nagendra to resign What is the Valmiki Scam case? The Karnataka Valmiki case, also known as the Valmiki Corporation scam, involves the alleged misappropriation and money laundering of crores of rupees from the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation (KMVSTDC). This corporation, established in 2006, aims at the socio-economic development of Scheduled Tribe communities in Karnataka by running welfare schemes for them. Also Read | ED raids Dino Morea's Mumbai residence in Mithi River Desilting scam case Key Details of the Valmiki Scam Case: Funds worth approximately 89 crore were allegedly diverted from the KMVSTDC accounts into fake accounts and laundered through shell entities. About 21 crore of these funds were reportedly used to finance the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the Bellary constituency. How the Valmiki Scam Came to Light: The irregularities surfaced after the accounts superintendent of the Valmiki Corporation, Chandrasekharan P, died by suicide in May 2024. He left behind a suicide note alleging pressure to facilitate unauthorised fund transfers exceeding 80 crore. Investigations into Valmiki Scam Case The Karnataka Police, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and Enforcement Directorate (ED) are investigating the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). FIRs were registered based on the allegations of fund diversion and laundering. Arrests and Searches: Several Congress leaders, including Bellary MP E Tukaram and three Karnataka MLAs (NT Srinivas, NB Reddy, and JN Ganesh), have been raided by the ED. Former state minister B Nagendra has been named as a mastermind behind the scam and was arrested, though he was later granted bail due to lack of direct evidence of personal use of the funds. Political Angle of Valmiki Scam Case: BJP leader CN Ravikumar exposed the scam in 2024, accusing Congress leaders of withdrawing and misusing the KMVSTDC funds for election purposes. The ED alleges that a portion of the siphoned money was spent on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Bellary. Meghalaya honeymoon murder: A court in Shillong on Wednesday ordered that Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of murdering her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, along with her four alleged accomplices, be sent to eight days of police custody. Sonam, 24, was brought to Meghalaya late Tuesday from Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, while the other accused arrived on Wednesday on transit remand from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, according to police officials. The police had initially sought a 10-day remand, but the court granted eight days, allowing the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to reconstruct the crime scene in Sohra (Cherrapunji), where the murder took place. Raja Raghuvanshi, a 29-year-old businessman from Indore, and his wife Sonam went missing on May 23 while on their honeymoon in Meghalayas East Khasi Hills district. Rajas decomposed body was discovered on June 2 in a deep gorge near a waterfall. Sonam was arrested on June 8 after resurfacing in Ghazipur, where she surrendered to local police. Investigations revealed that Sonam had allegedly conspired with her boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, and hired three menVishal Singh Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmito kill Raja. Police have said Sonam was so determined to eliminate her husband that she threatened to push him off a cliff herself if the hired killers failed. The autopsy report confirmed Raja died from two sharp blows to the head. The SIT has secured custody of all accused from different states to aid in piecing together the sequence of events leading to the murder. Sonams brother has publicly supported Rajas family and vowed to fight for justice. Also Read | Indore Honeymoon Couple Case: Meghalaya Minister demands apology from families Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder: Sonam Raghuvanshi's brother Govind on Wednesday apologised to Raja Raghuvanshi's family and said that he has broken all ties with his sister Sonam. Govind further added that he is 100% sure that she has committed this (Raja Raghuvanshi) murder. Earlier today, police disclosed that Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime conspirator in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, had insisted on proceeding with the killing despite others withdrawing their support. This determination reportedly played a crucial role in the tragic event. Authorities have since arrested Sonams alleged boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, along with three contract killersVishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmiin connection with the case. Sonam herself was taken into custody in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, and is currently held at Shillong Sadar Police Station in Meghalaya. 100% sure Sonam has committed murder Sonam Raghuvanshi's brother Govind visited the household of his sister's in-laws on Wednesday. At their residence, Govind and Raja Raghuvanshi's brother Vipin held a joint press conference. According to the evidence found so far, I am 100% sure that she has committed this murder. All the accused in this case are related to Raj Kushwaha. I apologise to Raja's family, Govind told the media. We have broken our ties with Sonam Raghuvanshi Govind also informed that his family had broken ties with murder accused Sonam Raghuvanshi. I don't have an idea if she (Sonam) has confessed to the crime, but I am saying that she has done it. I am with Raja... I will boycott Sonam, Govind said. "Our parents have also accepted it. They were not aware of the details earlier today. Not only my family but the entire society will boycott her (Sonam). I have apologised to the (Raja's) family. I will always stand with them," he added. Earlier on June 6, Govind had sought a CBI probe into the missing Indore couple's case, and asked Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma to treat it as a case of abduction, and not look for her dead body. Sonam's brother Govind had feared that she had been trafficked to Bangladesh. What did Raja Raghuvanshi's brother Vipin say? Vipin Raghuvanshi, brother of Raja Raghuvanshi, revealed that Govind, Sonam Raghuvanshis brother, had been in contact with him. He explained that Govind had informed him of his intention to visit his house to make a confession. Govind wanted to admit that his sister had committed a grave mistake and expressed that she deserved the death penalty for her actions. My son is being trapped Raj Singh Kushwahas mother has vehemently claimed that her son is being trapped in the murder case and insisted that he could never do something like this. The 21-year-old, who is alleged to be Sonam Raghuvanshis boyfriend, was arrested by police for his purported involvement in conspiring to kill Raja Raghuvanshi in May. My son is not like that; he can never do something like this. He is very young and used to taking care of his three sisters after his father passed away. He started working at Govind's (brother of Sonam Raghuvanshi) office. My husband passed away in 2020. After that, Raj has taken care of our family, Kushwaha's mother was quoted as saying by ANI. Meghalaya honeymoon murder According to the Meghalaya Police, Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi's wife Sonam (25) was allegedly involved in the conspiracy to murder him with her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha (21). The duo had hired three killers to execute the plan. Raja Raghuvanshi (29) and his wife Sonam got married on May 11. They went missing during their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 23. Raghuvanshi's body was found in a deep gorge near a waterfall in the Sohra area (also known as Cherrapunji) in the East Khasi Hills district on June 2. Orkla India, the parent company of food brands like MTR Foods and Eastern Condiments, has filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for an initial public offering (IPO), which will consist solely of an offer-for-sale (OFS) of 22.8 million shares by the promoter entity, Orkla Asia Pacific Pte and other shareholders, Navas Meeran and Feroz Meeran. This means that the IPO will not raise any fresh capital for Orkla India and all proceeds from the share sale will go only to the selling shareholders. While the company has not officially disclosed the issue size, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said it could be in the range of 3,200-3,500 crore. Orkla India declined to comment on the projected issue size. Orkla Asia Pacific Pte Ltd and Norwegian industrial investment firm Orkla ASAcollectively hold a 90% stake in the company. Navas Meeran and Feroz Meeran hold 5% stake each. Orkla ASA entered India by acquiring ready-to-eat food maker MTR in 2007 and spicemaker Eastern Condiments in 2020. Also read: More Retail raises 400 crore ahead of 2026 IPO There has been a significant consolidation in the packaged food market as large players acquire brands to expand their portfolio and enhance presence. Patanjali Ayurved acquired a bankrupt Ruchi Soya Industries in FY20, ITC purchased Sunrise Foods in FY21, Orkla India acquired Eastern Condiments in FY21, Tata Consumer Products bought Capital Foods and Organic India in FY24 and Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting acquired the Kerala-based packaged food brand Brahmins last fiscal. Orkla has appointed ICICI Securities, Citigroup Global Markets India, JP Morgan India and Kotak Mahindra Capital Company to help manage the share sale. Orkla ASAs shares fell 2.87% to 111.6 Norwegian Krone (NOK) on Wednesday. Orkla India's decision to launch an IPO, solely through an offer for sale, signifies a broader trend among MNCs in India. This move allows MNCs to monetize their investments and capitalize on the robust valuations currently prevalent in the Indian market, reflecting a strategic shift to unlock shareholder value. Also read: Dry Fruit brand Bolas eyes 900 crore in first PE round to fuel expansion In recent times, long-time investor British American Tobacco (BAT) sold a partial stake in ITC while Hyundai's South Korean parent offloaded some stake in the Indian unit in its IPO last year. Over the last year, Conagra Brands announced the sale of its controlling stake in Indias Agro Tech Foods while Japan's Sumitomo Wiring Systems sold a 4.4% stake in Samvardhana Motherson International. Other transactions include Whirlpool's 24% stake sale in its Indian arm and Fairfax's group entity Fairbridge Capital (Mauritius) Ltd selling about 8.5% stake in Thomas Cook India. In February, Mint exclusively reported that ITC Ltd is in early discussions with Orkla to acquire its Indian businessesMTR and Eastern Condimentsfor about $1.4 billion, citing people familiar with the matter. While it did not drop its IPO plans, the company was also exploring options in the private markets. Formerly known as MTR Foods, Orkla India offers a range of products including spices, masalas, ready-to-eat sweets, and breakfast mixes under brands such as MTR, Rasoi Magic and Eastern. MTR Foods and Eastern lead the market for ready-to-cook foods and spices in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. MTR Foods also sells several products in North America, West Asia, Japan and some South-East Asian countries. MTR's South Indian range of products is a key category in many international markets. According to a Technopak report, the Indian packaged food market was estimated at 10.18 lakh crore in FY24, growing at a CAGR of 10.8% from FY19. After the launch of the MTR brand in the food space in 1950 by the Bengaluru-based Maiya family, MTR Foods has gone through several rounds of diversification, before becoming a top player in the spices and ready-to-cook space in South India. MTR and Eastern are the two main businesses under Orkla India. Also read: Farmley raises $40 mn in series C funding round led by L Catterton In FY25, the company reported 2,455 crore in total income, higher than 2,387 crore a year earlier, according to the draft red herring prospectus. It posted a profit of 255 crore, up from from 226 crore in FY24. MTR Foods and Eastern Condiments got three-fourths of their sales from southern states in 2024. However, competition in the spices and ready-to-cook space is increasing with more brands and unorganized players coming in. An auto driver from Mumbai recently made headlines after a LinkedIn user heaped praises on his "brilliant business" model -- where the social media user claimed that he earns 5 to 8 lakh a month not by driving the auto, but by just standing outside the US consulate in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and safeguarding the belongings of the visitors. The driver has now landed in hot waters as Mumbai Police have summoned him along with 12 others involved. Last week, VenueMonk co-founder Rahul Rupani had shared the auto driver's story on LinkedIn, which went viral on social media, leaving several users in "disbelief." The man in the post claimed that he was not allowed to carry his bag inside the US consulate during his visa appointment and was unsure of where to keep his belongings. That's when a nearby auto driver extended a helping hand but with a fee of 1,000. Sir, bag de do. Safe rakhunga, mera roz ka hai, the driver reportedly said. In his viral post, he claimed the driver was making 58 lakh a month through this side hustle. The post drew attention, even earning praise from billionaire Harsh Goenka, who called it pure Indian jugaad. However, the drivers claimed earnings have now been debunked. Police intervene, halt service As the post went viral, Mumbai Police summoned the auto driver along with 12 others who were offering similar locker services to US consulate visitors. A senior officer from the BKC police station told Hindustan Times that parking is strictly prohibited in the area due to heightened security, and auto drivers are only allowed to drop passengers off and leave. The police also noted that the drivers had no legal permission to run locker services or store items in nearby shops. Authorities flagged that any misplaced items could lead to serious security risks. Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence, has revealed that she relied on artificial intelligence (AI) to determine which secrets within the John F. Kennedy assassination files should remain classified and which could be made public. Speaking at an Amazon Web Services conference in Washington, DC, Tulsi Gabbard explained how AI significantly expedited the review of approximately 80,000 pages of government documents released earlier this year. AIs Role in Unlocking JFK Files Tulsi Gabbard's office has released tens of thousands of pages of material related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and his brother, New York Senator Robert F Kennedy, on the orders of President Donald Trump. The JFK assassination files, contained a vast trove of documents, many of which were handwritten, poorly catalogued, and difficult to interpret, according to Gabbard. The sometimes slow pace of intelligence work frustrated her as a member of Congress, Gabbard said, and continues to be a challenge. Tulsi Gabbard disclosed that the documents were fed into an AI programme tasked with analysing the content and flagging sensitive information that warranted continued secrecy. We have been able to do that through the use of AI tools far more quickly than what was done previouslywhich was to have humans go through and look at every single one of these pages, she said. The intelligence community already relies on many private-sector technologies, and Gabbard said she wants to expand that relationship instead of using federal resources to create expensive alternatives. How do we look at the available tools that exist largely in the private sector to make it so that our intelligence professionals, both collectors and analysts, are able to focus their time and energy on the things that only they can do," she said. Embracing AI Amidst Controversy Tulsi Gabbards admission comes amid growing debate over the use of AI in sensitive government work. Critics have raised concerns about the reliability and ethical implications of AI, especially when it comes to handling classified information. Nevertheless, Tulsi Gabbard remains a strong advocate for harnessing AI to modernise intelligence work, stating that such tools enable analysts to focus on tasks that require human judgement. Also Read | Musk Must Face Suit Challenging Power as Trump Aide, Judge Says What did JFK Files Reveal? The recent JFK assassination files released by the Trump administration have not revealed any major new secrets or bombshells. Although the documents provide additional insight into how the CIA monitored Lee Harvey Oswald prior to the assassination, they largely reaffirm the longstanding conclusion that Oswald acted alone. The files also include sensitive personal information, raising privacy concerns. A New Era for Intelligence Transparency While the JFK files did not reveal any earth-shattering secrets, the AI-assisted review process represents a major step forward in government transparency and efficiency. Billionaire Elon Musk has posted on his social media platform X, expressing regret about some of his posts regarding United States President Donald Trump last week. Notably, Elon Musk and Donald Trump engaged in a public fued over TV interviews and X posts after the Tesla and SpaceX CEO left his role in the government and criticised the Republican party's new tax bill proposal. One such post by the world's richest man alleged that Donald Trump is on the infamous Jeffrey Epstein files, and implied that this is why the government is not releasing the documens to the public. 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! Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out, alleged Elon Musk in his post, which was deleted on June 7. What did Elon Musk say? I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far, Elon Musk posted on X on June 11. Friends to Enemies and Back? The Elon Musk vs Donald Trump saga Earlier on June 10, Donald Trump and Elon Musk appeared to take a step back from their highly publicised feud that dominated headlines. When asked by reporters if he plans to speak to the Elon Musk, the US President said, I havent really thought about it actually. I would imagine he wants to speak to me. If I were him, I would want to speak to me. Maybe hes already called. Youd have to ask him. We had a good relationship and I just wish him well, very well actually. Reacting to a clip posted on X, Elon Musk posted a simple heart emoji, indicating that the hostilities were at least on pause, if not stopped. The relationship took a turn for the worse, after the world's richest person openly criticised the Republican's One Big Beautiful Bill Act and lambasted it as outrageous, pork-filled and a disgusting abomination, urging GOP lawmakers to kill it. In retaliation, Donald Trump said the tech billionaire went crazy and lost his mind, while threatening to halt federal contracts for Elon Musk's companies, including removing SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft from NASA missions. After nearly a week of mudslinging and online sparring, Elon Musk has backtracked on his attacks against Donald Trump, softening his stance on the United States president, hinting at a possible truce and reconciliation between the two. In a post on X, Elon Musk admitted that some of his remarks about Donald Trump went too far. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far, Elon Musk said. The SpaceX founder served 130 days as a special government employee at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with a mandate to eliminate what he characterised as bloated government programmes. Days after bowing out of his role as one of Donald Trump's closest advisors and special government employee in the federal government, Elon Musk hammered the tax cuts and spending mega-bill as a disgusting abomination. This marked the beginning of a week-long feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Tax cuts bills is disgusting abomination In a post on X, Elon Musk said, 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. A day later, Elon Musk further criticised the spending bill, saying a new one should be drafted. No one who actually reads the bill should be able to stomach it, he wrote on X. In response, a White House official said the federal government will not consult every policy decision with Elon Musk. Musk's tirade continues: KILL the BILL Determined to get the bill abolished, Elon Musk went on a tirade against it with calls to kill the bill. Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL, he said. In another post shared on X, Elon Musk stated, This spending bill contains the largest increase in the debt ceiling in US history! It is the Debt Slavery Bill. Trump responds In his first response to Elon Musk's attacks, Donald Trump said the bill is incredible and said don't know if he and Musk will have a great relationship anymore. He blamed Musk's reaction on the decision to eliminate consumer tax credits for electric vehicles. Elon Musk is upset because we took away the EV mandate, he said. Donald Trump also thought withdrawing a nominee to lead the NASA space agency whom the tech tycoon had backed was also one of the reasons, he thought, Musk was upset about. Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore. I was surprised, Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. I'm 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. 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? We'll get you a little makeup. He also said that the Republicans would have won Pennsylvania without Elon Musk. Musk hits back: Such ingratitude Hitting back at Donald Trump over his Pennsylvania remarks, Elon Musk said, 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. All this while, Tesla Inc.s shares sank. Trump threatens Musk's govt contracts US President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that he may terminate U.S. government contracts and subsidies given to Elon Musk's companies, as the public feud between the two men escalates over a tax and spending bill. Responding to this, Elon Musk said as Donald Trump mentioned cancelling his government contracts, SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately before taking a U-turn. He also responded yes to a post on X calling for Donald Trump's impeachment. Elon Musk also said in a post that Donald Trump's tariffs will result in recession in second half of the year. And then came the bomb! Amid a spiralling feud with Donald Trump, Elon Musk claimed that Trump 's name is mentioned in the Epstein files and added that it is the real reason they have not been made public. 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. Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out. This came from the same Elon Musk who was seen jumping around the stage during Donald Trump's rallies during Presidential elections in an apparent show of his support for the Republican leader. But he also deleted this post later. After the explosive remark insinuating that Trump was withholding the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein because of his own presence in them, Elon Musk signaled he would move to cool tensions with the US President. But Donald Trump was in no mood to reconcile. A White House source recently claimed that Donald Trump was not interested in talking to Elon Musk. Cut to June 10, Elon Musk Elon Musk appears to be making a serious effort to get back in Donald Trump's good graces. He recently dropped a heart emoji on a video of Trump saying, I wish him [Elon Musk] well. A day later, Elon Musk said he regrets some of the things he said about Trump. It looks like the policies surrounding illegal immigration in the US have been turned up a notch, after a US National Guard commander has stated that atleast 500 US National Guard troops have been trained adequately to accompany ICE agents on immigration raids, according to an AP report. This statement comes shortly after the US National Guard was deployed by the Trump administration in Los Angeles after things got out of hand following the immigration crackdown in the downtown areas by ICE agents. So far, about 500 National Guard troops have been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations, said Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, a marked shift and escalation of their initial duties of securing federal property during protests, the AP report reads. National Guard helped detain civilians In yet another update, the US National Guard troops temporarily detained civilians in the Los Angeles protests over immigration raids. According to an AP report, the civilians were then quickly turned over to law enforcement, according to Major General Scott Sherman the commander in charge. Photos of guard members providing security for the agents have already been circulated by immigration officials. Sherman is the commander of Task Force 51, which is overseeing the more than 4,000 Guard troops and 700 Marines who have been deployed to Los Angeles to provide security during the protests, the AP report continued. The US National Guard was called in after things got out of hand following the immigration raids by ICE agents in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, which led to the arrest of 44 people. This triggered widespread protests in the state, and after the anti-ICE protestors began clashing with the police, leading to the deployment of the US National Guard by the federal administration. As protests over anti-immigration raids plunged Los Angeles into chaos, local criminal mobs seized the moment, ransacking multiple stores in the protest zones and making off with stolen goods. From Apple store to Adidas outlet to pharmacies as many as 23 incidents of similar loots were reported in downtown Los Angeles. City officials said that opportunists come in to smash storefronts and loot businesses after peaceful protesters leave. According to a New York Post report, looters have ransacked multiple stories across Los Angeles, destroying even a museum dedicated to Japanese-American immigrants. In Los Angeles' Broadway, criminals stormed an Apple store by breaking its windows and fled with stolen goods. A video captures a scene of stolen iPhones scattered across a pavement, their alarms blaring loudly. In Los Angeles' Broadway, criminals stormed an Apple store by breaking its windows and fled with stolen goods Empty displays sit at the Tower Apple Store that was robbed and broken into last night The alert text written on the stolen iPhones read: Please return to Apple Tower Theatre. This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted. An Adidas store in downtown LA was also ransacked and its shelves emptied, despite the presence of a store representative. A viral video on X shows dozens of masked individuals in hoodies storming the Adidas store, grabbing jackets, sneakers, and other merchandise before fleeing the scene. People wore masks even as Donald Trump announced a ban on the use of masks at protests as tensions in Los Angeles escalated. Product lies on the floor of an Adidas store after it was looted According to the reports, a jewellery store, two marijuana dispensaries and a pharmacy were also raided. Multiple videos captured masked looters ransacking stores, grabbing armfuls of anything they could put their hands on, and fleeing into the chaos of the LA streets. Looters break into a gas stations market place as demonstrators and law enforcement clash with demonstrators during a protest LA mayor imposes curfew As Los Angeles reeled from escalating anti-immigration protests, followed by reports of loot, Mayor Karen Bass imposed curfew or a local emergency in parts of the city. In a press conference, Karen Bass said she had declared a local emergency and that the curfew will run from 8 pm on Tuesday until 6 am on Wednesday, while also asserting that expect the emergency to last several days. The curfew will be in place in a 1 square mile (2.59 square kilometre) section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. "We reached a tipping point after 23 businesses were looted, Karen Bass said. Whats behind the demonstrations? The protests have been driven by anger over Trumps stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. They started Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to neighboring Compton and the city of Paramount. Federal agents arrested immigrants in LAs fashion district, in a Home Depot parking lot and at several other locations on Friday. The weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the LA area climbed above 100, federal authorities said. Many have also been arrested while protesting. Nationwide protests broke out in the US after federal immigration raids in Los Angeles led to dozens of arrests, sparking outrage over what many described as militarised enforcement and civil rights violations. President Donald Trump deployed thousands of troops and defended the move as necessary to restore order, while hinting at invoking the Insurrection Act. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared an emergency and imposed a curfew, criticizing the militarys limited role. California Governor Gavin Newsom challenged the deployment in court, escalating tensions with the White House. As demonstrations spread to over a dozen cities. Police clashes, mass arrests, and growing political opposition continue. Here are 10 key developments from the nationwide unrest sparked by immigration raids and the federal crackdown that followed. 1. Trump deploys troops, defends action US President Donald Trump deployed over 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles amid protests, saying on Truth Social: If our troops didnt go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now. At Fort Bragg, he labeled protesters animals and a foreign enemy, vowing to liberate Los Angeles. Demonstrations began Friday after federal immigration agents arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set vehicles ablaze. Police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades. 2. Mayor declares emergency, sets curfew Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and imposed a nightly curfew: We reached a tipping point after 23 businesses were looted, she said. The curfew covers a 1-square-mile downtown area and excludes residents, media, and emergency personnel. 3. Mayor questions military role Bass criticised Trumps claim that troops saved the city: The National Guard didnt even arrive until Sunday. They are stationary at the federal building not doing crowd control. She added: What are the Marines going to do? Thats a good question. 4. Trump mulls Insurrection Act Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act: If theres an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. Well see. But I can tell you last night was terrible, and the night before that was terrible, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. This law allows the president to use military force within the US in extreme circumstances. 5. Gov. Newsom pushes back, goes to court California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned Trumps actions, calling them an assault on democracy. He filed an emergency legal motion to halt military assistance in immigration enforcement: California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. 6. ICE and Guard presence expands Photos released by ICE showed National Guard troops protecting officers during raids. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted: ICE will continue to enforce the law. 7. Downtown LA: 197 arrests, 7 officers hurt LAPD made 197 arrests on Tuesday (June 10), including 67 for blocking the 101 freeway. Charges included vandalism, looting, assault with a deadly weapon, and attempted murder (Molotov cocktail). Seven officers were injured, two hospitalised and released. 8. Protests spread nationwide Rallies erupted in Seattle, Austin, Chicago, NYC, and D.C. Arrests were made in New York, and Austin police used chemical irritants. Saturdays No Kings Day protests are planned to coincide with Trumps military parade. Earlier Tuesday, Trump warned that more immigration raids were coming and said any future protestsincluding those at the upcoming paradewould be met with an even stronger response. If they do, Trump said, they will be met with very big force. I havent even heard about a protest but you know, this is people that hate our country. But they will be met with very heavy force. 9. Demonstrations span across US cities Nationwide protests erupted against ICE raids and immigration policies and police responded with arrests, tear gas, and pepper spray. Philadelphia About 150 protesters marched from the Federal Detention Center to ICE headquarters and back, with some using bicycles to block roads. Police arrested 15 people, citing disorderly conduct and one case of aggravated assault. Two officers and two protesters sustained minor injuries. San Francisco Roughly 200 demonstrators rallied outside the Immigration Court Tuesday after two nights of unrest that saw over 150 arrests and injuries to police. Violence, especially against SFPD officers, will never be tolerated, police said, though Mondays march was described as overwhelmingly peaceful. Seattle About 50 people protested outside the immigration court, chanting anti-ICE slogans. Legal observers and media were denied court access. New York City Crowds in lower Manhattan rallied near federal immigration buildings. Chants like ICE out of New York rang out amid heavy police presence. Several protesters were taken into custody, though charges werent immediately released. Chicago Protesters marched through downtown calling for an end to deportations and federal military deployment. A car drove through the crowd at one point, but no injuries were confirmed. Denver Protesters with anti-ICE signs gathered at the state capitol and split into groups to block traffic. Police maintained minimal presence initially, later monitoring from behind. Santa Ana (CA) A small crowd demonstrated near the Civic Center as cleanup crews removed graffiti and debris. Armed National Guard troops controlled access to federal buildings. A counter-protester in MAGA gear exchanged words with the crowd. San Antonio Texas National Guard was deployed in anticipation of protests. Soldiers are on standby in areas where mass demonstrations are planned, said Gov. Greg Abbotts office. Austin Protests turned violent as demonstrators defaced buildings and threw rocks. Police used pepper balls and tear gas. Four officers were injured, 13 people arrested. Peaceful protest is welcome. Violence is not, said Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis. Dallas A bridge protest ended in a police crackdown after objects were thrown. One arrest was confirmed. Once you cross the line, you will be arrested, Gov. Abbott warned. Boston Hundreds protested the arrest of union leader David Huerta. Protect our immigrant neighbors, one sign read. AFL-CIO President Chrissy Lynch said, An immigrant doesnt stand between an American worker and a good job, a billionaire does. Washington, D.C. Union groups and lawmakers protested near the DOJ. Rep. Pramila Jayapal said, Enough of these mass ICE raids innocent people are being swept up and protesters are being met with tear gas and rubber bullets. 10. $134 million price tag for military deployment The Pentagon confirmed the deployment cost at $134 million. As Los Angeles reels from escalating anti-immigration protests marked by widespread vandalism and looting, Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday, June 10, imposed curfew or a local emergency in parts of the city. Karen Bass also called on US President Donald Trump to end the raids. I call on Donald Trump to end the raids, the Los Angeles Mayor said. In a press conference, Karen Bass said she had declared a local emergency and that the curfew will run from 8 pm on Tuesday until 6 am on Wednesday, while also asserting that expect the emergency to last several days. The curfew will be in place in a 1 square mile (2.59 square kilometre) section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. "We reached a tipping point after 23 businesses were looted, Karen Bass said. The 'No Kings' protest movement will be organized on June 14 across the United States, which has been called for to protest against Donald Trump's "rising authoritarianism", according to those who are leading this movement. What is the No Kings protest about? This call for a coordinated protest across the country comes after the announcement of Donald Trump's military parade in Washington DC. It is being estimated that nearly 3 million people may assemble in these 'No Kings' protests across the United States, which coincides with the parade to commemorate the 250th birthday of the US Army. "We dont do Kings. Theyve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too. far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings," the description of the No Kings' protest website stated. The preparations for the No Kings protest are currently underway, with the last update on the site reading, "We have added a required ALL NO KINGS HOST CALL on Wednesday evening. This will be a space where we will fill you in on our latest alignment going into No Kings weekend, and ensure you have up-to-date guidance to prepare you for No Kings Day. This call will lead directly into the Marshal Training on the same Zoom link. We strongly encourage all hosts to attend." There are event hosting options, as well as host toolkits and options to register for an event, available on the No Kings official site. The map of all events happening across the country is also present on the site for further understanding of the magnitude of the protest call. Will there be street closures? In some US regions, including streets adjacent to Bellingham City Hall in Bellingham's Lottie Street could see street closures, as the event's permit allows the same. Between Lincoln Avenue and Hess Road in Douglas County, there are possibilities of a curfew as the protest falls on the same day as the Parker Days Festival. In a rather abrupt incident, Silver Airways, a Florida-based airline, took to Instagram to announce that it is halting all operations and is now advising passengers not to go to the airport. This move has left dozens of passengers stranded and flights being cancelled. The bankrupt airline also announced on Instagram that it has agreed to sell its assets to a buyer, and on the basis of this move, flight operations are now halted. The Instagram post by the company reads, We regret to inform you that we are ceasing operations as of today, June 11, 2025. In an attempt to restructure in bankruptcy, Silver entered into a transaction to sell its assets to another airline holding company, who unfortunately has determined to not continue Silver's flight operations in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Please do not go to the airport. All credit card purchases should be refunded through your credit card company or your travel agency, the post continues. Silver Airways' sudden closure saw some swift reactions on the Internet, with major concern increasing about the number of passengers stranded at US airports due to this unexpected crisis. After failing to secure a buyer during bankruptcy, Silver ceased all operations following an asset sale to Wexford Capital, which opted not to continue flights. The shutdown left passengers stranded and approximately 350 employees jobless. More on Silver Airways Silver Airways was a regional airline headquartered in Hollywood, Florida, founded in 2011 after acquiring assets from bankrupt Gulfstream International Airlines. It operated scheduled flights primarily from hubs in Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, and San Juan (Puerto Rico), serving destinations across Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean with a fleet of turboprop aircraft including Saab 340s and ATR 42/72s . Sabrina Carpenter has returned from her 'short and sweet' break and has already announced the name of her upcoming album. "Man's Best Friend", her new project, follows the lines of her previous album "Short n' Sweet". Carpenter shared this news on Instagram on June 11 that her project will be launching this summer. She took to Instagram to post this new update, with the caption, "My new album, Mans Best Friend is out on August 29, 2025. I cant wait for it to be yours x. Pre-order now." The post featured Carpenter in black stilettos, down on her knees, with a man grabbing a fistful of her hair. Another image in the post featured a dog with a collar and locket that reads Man's Best Friend. More on Sabrina Carpenter's music career Sabrina Carpenter's career began with YouTube covers at age 10, leading to her Disney Channel breakthrough as Maya Hart in Girl Meets World (20142017) . Simultaneously, she released early albums (Eyes Wide Open, Evolution, and the Singular series) under Hollywood Records, blending teen pop with introspective themes . Transitioning from Disney, she pursued mature acting roles in films like The Hate U Give (2018) and Netflixs Tall Girl franchise . Her 2021 shift to Island Records brought in some mainstream stardom with Emails I Cant Send (2022), featuring viral hits Nonsense and Feather. A 20232024 opening slot on Taylor Swifts Eras Tour amplified her global reach. Later, her album Short n Sweet debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, spawned the chart-topping "Espresso" and "Please Please Please," and earned two Grammy Awards, cementing her pop icon status. New Delhi, June 11 (PTI) The US has told the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that the tariffs on automobiles and auto components are not safeguard measures and there is "no basis" for India to seek consultations on the matter. Earlier this month, India sought consultations with the US under the WTO safeguard agreement over American tariffs on auto and auto components. "The United States is not maintaining these actions pursuant to the safeguards / emergency action provision in Article XIX of the GATT (General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs) 1994 and the Agreement on Safeguards. "These actions are not safeguard measures and, therefore, there is no basis to conduct consultations under the Agreement on Safeguards with respect to these measures," according to a WTO communication shared by the US on India's request. Though the US is open to discuss the issues with India, it said. However, any discussions regarding the tariffs would not be under the Agreement on Safeguards and would be without prejudice to our view that the tariffs are not safeguard measures. India's move comes after India reserved the right to impose retaliatory duties on select US products in response to American tariffs on steel and aluminium. On March 26, 2025, the US adopted a measure in the form of a tariff increase of 25 per cent ad valorem on imports of passenger vehicles and light trucks, and on certain automobile parts originating in or from India, a communication sent by India to the WTO has said. The measure on automobile parts applies from May 3, 2025, and for an unlimited duration. India has stated that it considers the measure, in its design and effect, a safeguard measure. Donald Trump can continue enforcing his global tariffs for now while the appeals process moves forward, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday, June 10 marking a victory for the United States president on one of his key economic policies. The order Tuesday by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit extends an earlier, short-term reprieve for the Trump administration as it presses a challenge to a lower court ruling last month that blocked the tariffs. The Justice Department argued that the concerns of US officials over ongoing trade negotiations took precedence over the economic harm reported by the small businesses that filed the lawsuit. What does it mean? The court ruling means that President Donald Trump can, for now, continue enforcing his Liberation Day tariffs on imports from most US trading partners. This includes a separate set of tariffs specifically imposed on Canada, China, and Mexico. Also Read | 21 times Trump changed his mind about tariffs since February 7, a curated list of events The order giving a green light to Trump's tariffs also comes before the US President's 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariffs is set to expire. On July 9, US tariff rates are set to increase drastically for many nations, absent a trade or further extension. Goods from the European Union, for instance, are facing a 50 per cent levy. The Appeals court also put the case on an expedited track, citing the issues of exceptional importance at stake. The arguments are now scheduled for July 31. Also Read | The Trump administration turned to the appeals court after the US Court of International Trade ruled last month that Trump had improperly used an emergency law to impose the tariffs. The tariffs, used by Trump as negotiating leverage with US trading partners, and their on-again, off-again nature have shocked markets and whipsawed companies of all sizes as they seek to manage supply chains, production, staffing and prices. US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a dire warning on Tuesday (June 10), claiming the world is closer to nuclear annihilation than ever before. The message came in a stark, three-minute video posted to her personal account on X, shortly after her visit to Hiroshima, Japan. I recently visited Hiroshima and stood at the epicenter of a city scarred by the unimaginable horror caused by a single nuclear bomb dropped in 1945, Gabbard said in the video. What I saw, the stories I heard, and the haunting sadness that remains, will stay with me forever. Closer to the brink than ever before Tulsi Gabbard called out what she described as a reckless global drift toward nuclear conflict, driven by political elites and warmongers. This is the reality of what's at stake, what we are facing now, she said. Because as we stand here today, closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before, political elite and warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers. No specific countries named Although Gabbard refrained from naming any specific nations, her message comes at a time of heightened nuclear anxieties involving Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. Gabbard appeared to echo recent Russian narratives surrounding the war in Ukraine a conflict the Trump administration has been trying to de-escalate. Graphic footage and simulation of nuclear attack The video includes Gabbard touring Hiroshima landmarks and historical archive footage of the 1945 atomic bombings. A single nuclear weapon today could kill millions in just minutes, Gabbard warned. Theyll have shelters we wont Gabbard also suggested that political leaders may be less concerned about the consequences because they have access to exclusive protection. Perhaps it's because they are confident that they will have access to nuclear shelters for themselves and for their families that regular people won't have access to, she said. We must reject this path to nuclear war. Demand an end to this madness In her closing appeal, Gabbard called on the public to act. New Delhi: In a double blow to Indias trade diplomacy, the US has rejected New Delhis second attempt within days to initiate consultations at the World Trade Organizationthis time over steep tariffs on automobiles and auto parts. Washington has turned down Indias notice for WTO consultations on the USs 25% tariff on auto components, asserting that the auto duties were imposed on national security grounds and so are not subject to multilateral trade rules, as per a WTO paper. Nonetheless, we are open to discuss this or any other issue with India. Any discussions regarding the tariffs would not be under the Agreement on Safeguards and would be without prejudice to our view that the tariffs are not safeguard measures," Washington said in its response to the trade body. This signals that the US is open to discussing the 25% tariff on auto components or any other issue with India, such as the 50% tariff on steel and aluminium. India has filed notices with WTO on these two issues. When the US rejected Indias long-pending case on steel and aluminium duties a few days ago, it did not make any such statement or submission hinting that it was open to discussions. New Delhi has said that it reserves the right to impose retaliatory duties on US automobile tariffs, an official with Indias commerce ministry said, requesting anonymity. Although the USs 25% tariff on auto components is expected to have a minimal impact on Indias automobile sector, the latest development underscores Washingtons take-it-or-leave-it approach in its negotiations with New Delhi for a landmark bilateral trade agreement. During a tribute to soldiers on Tuesday, President Donald Trump defended his decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles amid tensions over his immigration policy saying, LA has gone from being one of the cleanest, safest and most beautiful cities on earth, to being a trash heap Within the span of a few decades, Los Angeles has gone from being one of the cleanest, safest and most beautiful cities on earth, to being a trash heap with entire neighbourhoods under the control of transnational gangs and criminal networks...As the entire world can now see, uncontrolled migration leads to chaos, dysfunction, and disorder. "What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags." Very simply, we will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean, and safe again, he goes on to add. Trump's visit to Fort Bragg, home to some 50,000 active-duty soldiers, followed his move to deploy 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in an escalating response to street protests over his immigration policies. Defending the move, Trump said the troop deployment was essential to safeguard federal personnel and property. Also Read | Trump open to deploying troops to Los Angeles under Insurrection Act Meanwhile, Californias Democratic-led administration has filed a lawsuit to halt the move, denouncing it as an overreach of authority and a needless provocation. Street demonstrations have been underway since Friday, when activists clashed with sheriff's deputies. Los Angeles officials have said the unrest has been limited to a few downtown blocks and that the majority of demonstrators are protesting peacefully in support of immigrants. In North Carolina, Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended a planned event marking the US Army's 250th anniversary. They watched soldiers perform a special forces assault and operate a long-range missile launcher. Also Read | Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass considers curfews if protests escalate Speaking to reporters earlier on Tuesday in the Oval Office, Trump warned against demonstrators at that parade, saying "they're going to be met with very big force." He made no distinction between peaceful and violent protesters. The FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department have said there are no credible threats to the event. The United States and China have reached a preliminary agreement on a framework to ease trade tensions, based on the consensus established during talks in Geneva, according to negotiators from both countries, Bloomberg reported. We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters in London. This comes after nearly 20 hours of talks held over two days in a Georgian-era mansion near Buckingham Palace, Chinas chief trade negotiator Li Chenggang stated that both the US and Chinese delegations will now present the proposed framework to their respective leaders for further consideration. Once the presidents approve it, we will then seek to implement it, Lutnick added. Moreover, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said there were no other meetings scheduled, but added that the American and Chinese sides talk frequently and are able to do so whenever they need, according to a report by Bloomberg. Following nearly 20 hours of talks held over two days in a Georgian-era mansion near Buckingham Palace, Chinas chief trade negotiator Li Chenggang stated that both the US and Chinese delegations will now present the proposed framework to their respective leaders for further consideration. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent earlier called the high-stakes trade talks productive, despite leaving London before negotiations concluded due to scheduling conflicts. According to a US official speaking to AFP, Bessent returned to Washington to testify before Congress. The U.S. delegation was led by Bessent alongside Lutnick and Greer, while the Chinese side was headed by Vice Premier He Lifeng, joined by chief negotiator Li Chenggang and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. This time, China's exports of rare earth minerals -- used in a range of things including smartphones, electric vehicle batteries and green technology -- were a key issue on the agenda. "In Geneva, we had agreed to lower tariffs on them, and they had agreed to release the magnets and rare earths that we need throughout the economy," US President Donald Trump's top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, told CNBC on Monday. Senior negotiators from the United States and China have reached a framework agreement to advance trade discussions, following a series of disputes that had put the negotiations at risk, according to Chinese state media on Wednesday. The tensions had disrupted a fragile truce brokered in Geneva last month, prompting a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last week to ease the escalating friction. US-China trade war timeline Trump administration 2.0 Feb 1 Trump slaps 10% tariff hike on Chinese goods to curb fentanyl flow Trump signed an executive order imposing a 10% tariff increase on imported goods from China, effective February 4, as part of efforts to combat the flow of fentanyl into the United States. The move specifically targeted Chinese imports believed to be tied to the trafficking of fentanyl and its precursors. In a broader crackdown, 25% tariffs were also imposed on Canada and Mexico, citing similar concerns over the role of cross-border shipments in the drug crisis. Moreover, Trump also eliminated the de minimis exemption, introducing stricter rules for packages handled by both postal services and commercial delivery companies. The de minimis rule, in place since 1938, allowed low-value imports (under $800) to enter the US without tariffs or rigorous screening. However, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have increasingly criticised it, calling it a loophole that enables Chinese goods to evade tariffs and lets illicit drugs and fentanyl precursors slip into the country unchecked, according to Reuters. February 4 China retaliates On February 4, Chinas Ministry of Commerce announced the introduction of counter-tariffs on a range of US goods. The move was a direct response to the United States tariff hikes and marked a significant escalation in the ongoing trade tensions between the two countries. The purpose of the Chinese government's implementation of export controls on relevant items in accordance with the law is to better safeguard national security and interests, and to fulfil international obligations such as non-proliferation, said the Commerce Ministry of China, reported the news agency Reuters. Feb 5 Trump amends tariff rule: De Minimis exemptions stay In a revision to his earlier executive order, Trump announced that eligible packages will continue to receive de minimis exemptions temporarily. The amendment stated that these exemptions will remain in effect until adequate systems are established to efficiently process incoming shipments and ensure full collection of tariff revenue. Exports of steel from the Peoples Republic of China (China) have recently surged, exceeding 114 million metric tons through November 2024 while displacing production in other countries and forcing them to export greater volumes of steel articles and derivative steel articles to the United States, according to the official statement by the White House. Feb 10 Steel storm: Trump hikes tariffs on Chinese and global steel, aluminium Trump on February 10 said that he would impose 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports into America, reported the news agency AFP. The newly imposed 25 per cent tariffs will apply to everybody which includes countries such as Canada, Mexico, allied nations, and other large trading partners, as per the report. Feb 21 Trump's crackdown on Chinese investment Donald Trump signed a memorandum directing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to impose new restrictions on Chinese investments in strategic sectors. According to a report by Reuters citing a White House official, the memorandum states that China is leveraging American capital and innovation to modernise its military, intelligence, and security apparatus, which the administration views as a direct threat to U.S. national security. Mar 4 China hits US agriculture: Tariffs on meat, dairy, grains The Commerce Ministry announced that US-grown chicken, wheat, corn, and cotton would be subject to an additional 15% tariff. It also stated that tariffs on sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products would be raised by 10%. Speaking on the same lines, the ministry said in a statement, The USs unilateral tariff increase damages the multilateral trading system, increases the burden on US companies and consumers, and undermines the foundation of economic and trade cooperation between China and the US. Apr 2 Liberation Day: Trump slaps 34% additional tariff on China On April 2, Trump imposed a 34% reciprocal tariff on Chinese imports, declaring the date Liberation Day to mark what he framed as a turning point in US economic independence from China. This was in addition to an earlier 20% tariff introduced as punishment for China's alleged role in supplying fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has contributed to the US drug crisis. The move was seen as one of the most aggressive steps in Trump's trade agenda, aimed at what he described as the economic liberation of the United States from foreign dependenceparticularly on Chinas manufacturing and supply chains. Apr 4 Beijing hits back with 34% tariff on all US goods China announced on April 4, that it is set to impose an additional 34 per cent tariff on all goods imported from the United States as a counter-move after US President Donald Trump announced his reciprocal tariff move on Liberation Day, April 2. The purpose of the Chinese government's implementation of export controls on relevant items in accordance with the law is to better safeguard national security and interests, and to fulfil international obligations such as non-proliferation, said the Commerce Ministry of China, reported the news agency Reuters. Apr 8 White House confirms 104% tariffs on Chinese imports The White House on April 8 confirmed that steep 104% tariffs on Chinese goods will officially go into effect, marking a dramatic escalation in trade tensions between the worlds two largest economies. The additional duties will be collected starting April 9, as announced by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Apr 9 China slaps 84% tariffs on US, blacklists 6 American firms China on April 9, responded to US President Donald Trumps tariffs on Chinese exports by levying 84 per cent on its imports from America, intensifying the trade war between the world's top two economies. China also added six US firms to its unreliable entity list, the Commerce Ministry announced. Disregarding strong opposition from China, these companies have participated in arms sales to Taiwan or engaged in military technology cooperation with Taiwan, undermining China's sovereignty, security, and development interests, news agency Xinhua reported. Apr 11 China raises tariff wall to 125% but signals 'no more tit-for-tat' Chinas Ministry of Finance raised tariffs on US exports to 125%, intensifying the trade conflict. Despite the sharp hike, the ministry signalled it would no longer engage in tit-for-tat responses, stating, China does not want to fight these wars but is not afraid of them. If the US continues its tariff numbers game, China will ignore it. "If the US insists on continuing to substantively infringe upon Chinas rights and interests, Chinas response will continue to the end," the ministry said. May 12 - Trump accuses China for violating agreement with US Donald Trump said that he had struck a "fast deal" with China and accused China of "totally violating" the agreement, suggesting a breakdown in compliance shortly after the deal was made. On Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Two weeks ago China was in grave economic danger! The very high Tariffs I set made it virtually impossible for China to TRADE into the United States marketplace which is, by far, number one in the World. We went, in effect, COLD TURKEY with China, and it was devastating for them. Many factories closed and there was, to put it mildly, civil unrest. I saw what was happening and didnt like it, for them, not for us. I made a FAST DEAL with China in order to save them from what I thought was going to be a very bad situation, and I didnt want to see that happen." Because of this deal, everything quickly stabilized and China got back to business as usual. Everybody was happy! That is the good news!!! The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!, he added. May 14 Geneva Talk: Both sides agree to temporary 90-day tariff rollback In a key breakthrough during trade talks held in Geneva, Chinese and US officials reached a temporary agreement to de-escalate tariff tensions, with both sides agreeing to reciprocal tariff reductions totaling 115%. Major takeaways: 1. The US tariff rate on Chinese imports will be brought down to 30%. 2. Chinas tariff rate on U.S. goods will be reduced to 10%. 3. A 90-day freeze will be placed on introducing any new trade barriers. 4. The two countries also agreed to further amend the de minimis rules, specifically targeting low-value shipments from China, to improve oversight and enforcement. May 28 US Court says Trump lacked authority for sweeping tariffs The US Court of International Trade in New York issued a major ruling, declaring that Trump lacked the legal authority to impose certain broad tariffs, including several targeting Chinese imports. The court said, The question in the two cases before the court is whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) delegates these powers to the President in the form of authority to impose unlimited tariffs on goods from nearly every country in the world. June 2 - China rebukes US for undermining trade truce In response to US President Donald Trumps accusation that China had violated the recent trade agreement reached in Geneva, Chinas Ministry of Commerce issued a sharp rebuttal on June 2. According to an official translation, a spokesperson for the ministry said the U.S. actions had seriously undermined the trade truce, citing several recent U.S. measures. The spokesperson said that following last months Geneva talks, the US had successively introduced a number of discriminatory restrictive measures against China, including issuing export control guidelines for AI chips, stopping the sale of chip design software (EDA) to China, and announcing the revocation of Chinese student visas. June 5 Trump, Xi speak for 90 minutes Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump held a lengthy phone conversation on Thursday to address escalating tensions stemming from their tit-for-tat tariff war, according to Chinas state-run Xinhua News Agency. During the call which Xinhua noted was held at the latters (Trumps) request both leaders agreed to continue trade negotiations through their respective representatives in an effort to resolve the ongoing standoff. After the phone calls, Trump in a post on Truth Social said 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. The call lasted approximately one and a half hours, and resulted in a very positive conclusion for both countries. There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products, he said, referring to Beijing blocking rare earth metals exports crucial to manufacturing automobiles, phones and missiles. June 6 - Trump to send high level delegation to London Donald Trump announced that the United States will send a high-level delegation to London for the next round of trade negotiations with China, set to begin on June 9. The U.S. delegation: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. June 11 - Once the presidents approve say US, China officials Senior US and Chinese negotiators have agreed on a framework to resume and advance trade negotiations, according to Chinese state media reports on Wednesday. Once the presidents approve it, we will then seek to implement it, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters in London, as reported by Bloomberg. The breakthrough came after two days of high-stakes talks in London, which concluded late Tuesday. Li Chenggang, a vice minister of commerce and Chinas international trade representative, said the two sides had agreed in principle on a framework for implementing the consensus reached between the two leaders and at the talks in Geneva, the official Xinhua News Agency said. WASHINGTON The Flight 3407 families and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Wednesday that President Trumps nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration underwhelmed them at his confirmation hearing by refusing to commit to maintaining a key safety reform stemming from the 2009 crash that claimed lives in Clarence. The FAA nominee, longtime Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford, repeatedly told the Senate Commerce Committee that he would do nothing in his new role to weaken aviation safety. But in a dialogue between Bedford and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, Bedford refused to say for certain that he would preserve the requirement that new pilots have 1,500 hours of flight experience before flying a commercial passenger plane. That being the case, one of the lead members of the Families of Continental Connection Flight 3407, John Kausner, said: He said what I expected him to say ... I didnt expect him to say anything except for emphasizing his former stance and saying: We never do anything jeopardize safety. Well, thats what the Colgan CEO said. Colgan Airlines was the regional carrier that operated Flight 3407 on behalf of Continental, and its CEO at the time of the crash repeatedly stressed the companys emphasis on safety even though investigators blamed the crash on pilot error. Schumer, a New York Democrat, was far more critical of Bedfords appearance than Kausner, saying he would lobby all Democratic senators to oppose Bedfords nomination and try to win a few Republican votes in opposition, as well, although thats not likely in the highly partisan Senate. I was terribly disappointed, Schumer said. Safety should come first. I dont care if youre a Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative safety should come first. It will be my job and the job of the families to make sure that safety is first. Weve made safety first for 15 years. Were not quitting now. Schumer, who is not on the Commerce panel, praised Duckworths relentless questioning of Bedford. When Duckworth asked whether Bedford would commit to not reducing the current number of flight hours required for new pilots, Bedford responded by noting the spirited conversation he previously had with her about the issue. He then went on to praise Duckworth, adding: I dont think we actually have a lot of gap between where were at. We both want to have the safest pilots operating our aircraft. Correct? Yes, but youre not answering me, replied Duckworth, a former Army pilot who lost both her legs when her helicopter was hit by a grenade during the Iraq War. I mean, it doesnt sound like a yes. It sounds like youre leaving the door open to reduce the number of flight hours. Hearing that, Bedford said: What Im saying is, I dont believe safety is static, and I can tell you, weve worked closely with our military, evaluating how theyre training pilots. And the way theyre training pilots today is not the same way they were training pilots in 2020, 2015 or 2010. Theyre taking advantage of emerging technologies and utilizing them in ways to create more pilot proficiency. Transportation secretary to meet with Flight 3407 families The meeting is scheduled to occur early next week, before Wednesday's Senate Commerce Committee's confirmation hearing for Bryan Bedford, the longtime CEO of Republic Airways, to be FAA administrator. Duckworth replied by noting that the Army is now considering forcing its pilots to get more flight hours out of the fear that trainees now rely too heavily on technology. She then asked Bedford if he would commit to not revisiting the 1,500-hour rule until after modernizing the nations air traffic control system and bolstering its staffing. This is not my priority. My priority is fixing the air traffic control system, Bedford replied. He then added: I will not roll back safety. There wont be safety loopholes. I commit to you: We will never do anything to reduce the safety and competency of our pilots. Duckworth then asked whether he would commit to taking any changes in the pilot hour rules to an FAA committee that studies such changes, and whether he would commit to that panels recommendations. Bedford didnt clearly answer either question, and instead just repeated his vow to maintain aviation safety. A frustrated Duckworth then replied: Ive asked you four questions on whether or not you will unilaterally reduce the 1,500-hour rule, and would you resist that, and at no point have you answered yes. So, you are leaving the door open. 'Incredibly dangerous': Schumer, Flight 3407 families lambaste Trump FAA nominee Bryan Bedford's nomination as FAA administrator has Sen. Chuck Schumer and families of the victims of Flight 3407 upset because of his past efforts to roll back safety laws regarding pilot training. Several other Democratic senators also mentioned the 1,500-hour rule, but elicited no direct response from Bedford. The rule is a key part of the 2010 law backed by the Flight 3407 families that also bolstered pilot training and rest requirements. For years before his nomination, Bedford criticized that rule, saying it has contributed to a pilot shortage. At Republic in 2022, he sought an exemption to that rule that would have allowed the airline to put pilots in the cockpit after only 750 hours of experience if they had been through Republics training program. The FAA denied that request. And at a congressional hearing in 2014, Bedford called the 1,500-hour requirement arbitrary. Given that history, the Families of Continental Flight 3407 earlier this week issued a statement criticizing Bedford. Our families fought to establish the 1,500-hour rule because we saw firsthand the devastating consequences of inadequate training in the cockpit, said Scott Maurer, who lost his 30-year-old daughter Lorin in the 2009 crash. It is deeply troubling that Mr. Bedford attempted to create a backdoor around these proven safety standards for his own airline. Now, with his nomination to lead the FAA, we need firm assurances that he will not tamper with or weaken the rules that have made air travel in the U.S. safer than ever before. Final FAA bill preserves Flight 3407 safety measures for 5 years The easiest legislative pathway to weakening the Flight 3407 aviation safety measures is about to be blocked for the next five years. That's because House and Senate negotiators have agreed on a five-year bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration, and that bill includes no significant changes to those flight safety provisions But the families have stopped short of flat-out opposing the Bedford nomination as Schumer has. Asked why, Kausner who lost his daughter Ellyce in the crash said: The consideration is: What would his replacement be like? Is that worse? Meanwhile, Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, also a New York Democrat, announced her opposition to Bedfords nomination. The FAA needs an administrator that will advocate for aviation safety, not dismantle rules that keep our skies safe, Gillibrand said. I cannot in good conscience support Mr. Bedfords nomination to be administrator. Republicans on the Commerce Committee which will eventually vote on Bedfords confirmation seemed supportive of his nomination. And the committee chairman, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, lambasted the 1,500-hour rule, even though Kausner and Ron Aughtmon from the Flight 3407 families attended the hearing. Fifteen-hundred hours of mindless banner-towing is no way to train a commercial pilot, Cruz said in his opening remarks. Meta Platforms and TikTok have taken legal action against the European Commission, arguing that a supervisory fee imposed under the European Unions Digital Services Act (DSA) is disproportionate and based on flawed calculations. The challenge was heard on Wednesday by the General Court, Europes second-highest judicial body. The fee, introduced as part of the DSA which came into effect in 2022, applies to 19 major online platforms, including Meta and TikTok. It is calculated at 0.05 per cent of a company's global net income and is intended to fund the European Commission's oversight of compliance with the legislation. However, both companies are contesting how the fee has been assessed. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, criticised the methodology, saying the Commission relied on figures from the parent company rather than its EU-based subsidiaries. We are not trying to evade our obligations, Metas legal representative Assimakis Komninos told the five-judge panel. But the way the Commission has calculated the fee remains unclear to us. It lacks transparency, is riddled with inconsistencies, and produces implausible outcomes. Komninos argued that the approach contradicts the intent of the DSA and leaves companies in the dark about how their dues are determined. TikTok, owned by Chinas ByteDance, echoed the criticism. Its lawyer, Bill Batchelor, said the fee imposed on TikTok was not only inflated but also unfairly penalised the platform for user behaviour. Also Read | Was Khaby Lame really arrested by ICE for living illegally in the US? Also Read | TikTok star Khaby Lame leaves US after ICE detained him for overstaying visa What has happened here is anything but proportionate, Batchelor said. The Commissions method includes duplicated user counts, for example when someone uses TikTok on both a phone and a laptop. This leads to an overestimation of active users and skews the fee unfairly. He further argued that the Commission had breached its legal limits by basing the fee cap on group-level profits, rather than on the finances of individual entities. In response, Commission lawyer Lorna Armati defended the institutions methodology. She said it was logical to use consolidated accounts when calculating the levy, as the financial strength of the entire group supports the subsidiarys ability to comply with regulatory costs. All providers were given enough information to understand the calculation process, she said, denying any breach of the companies rights or instances of unequal treatment. The legal challenges are part of two separate cases: T-55/24 Meta Platforms Ireland v Commission and T-58/24 TikTok Technology v Commission. A final ruling from the General Court is expected in 2026. A Pakistani man was extradited from Canada to the United States on Tuesday to face charges of plotting to carry out an attack on Jews in New York City, the Justice Department said. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, was arrested in Canada in September. According to a criminal complaint, Khan planned to travel to New York and carry out a mass shooting in support of the Islamic State (IS) at a Jewish center in Brooklyn on the October 7 anniversary of the deadly 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. FBI Director Kash Patel on X wrote, ""Earlier this afternoon, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, was extradited to the United States on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism." He added that Khan allegedly planned his attack to occur on October 7, 2024 the one-year anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. In the fall of last year, Khan allegedly planned to travel from Canada to New York and carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish Centre in Brooklyn, added FBI Director. US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement, He planned to use automatic weapons to kill as many members of our Jewish community as possible, all in support of IS. Khan allegedly revealed his plans in conversations with conspirators who were actually undercover law enforcement officers, the Justice Department said. He was taken into custody by Canadian authorities in the municipality of Ormstown some 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the US-Canada border. Khan is charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization and attempting to commit acts of terrorism. He could face a maximum of life in prison if convicted. Against the odds, some in China are questioning the top-down push to get aboard the artificial intelligence (AI) hype bandwagon. In a tightly controlled media environment where these experts can easily be drowned out, its important to listen to them. Across the US and Europe, loud voices inside and outside the tech industry are urging caution about AIs rapid acceleration, pointing to labour market threats or more catastrophic risks. But in China, this chorus has been largely muted. Until now. Also Read: Parmy Olson: The DeepSeek AI revolution has a security problem China has the highest global share of people who say AI tools have more benefits than drawbacks, and theyve shown an eagerness to embrace it. Its hard to overstate the exuberance in the tech sector since the emergence of DeepSeeks market-moving reasoning model earlier this year. Innovations and updates have been unfurling at breakneck speed and the technology is being widely adopted across the country. But not everyones on board. Publicly, state-backed media has lauded the widespread adoption of DeepSeek across hundreds of hospitals in China. But a group of medical researchers tied to Tsinghua University published a paper in the medical journal JAMA in late April gently questioning if this was happening too fast, too soon." It argued that healthcare institutions are facing pressure from social media discourse" to implement DeepSeek in order to not appear technologically backward." Doctors are increasingly reporting patients who present DeepSeek-generated treatment recommendations and insist on adherence to these AI-formulated care plans." The team argued that as much as AI has shown potential to help in the medical field, this rushed rollout carries risks. They are right to be cautious. Also Read: The agentic AI revolution isnt the future, its already here Its not just the doctors who are raising doubts. A separate paper from AI scientists at the same university found last month that some of the breakthroughs behind reasoning modelsincluding DeepSeeks R1, as well as similar offerings from Western tech giantsmay not be as revolutionary as some have claimed. They found that the novel training method used for this new crop is not as powerful as previously believed." The method used to power them doesnt enable the model to solve problems that the base model cant solve," one of the scientists added. This means the innovations underpinning what has been widely dubbed as the next steptoward achieving so-called Artificial General Intelligencemay not be as much of a leap as some had hoped. This research from Tsinghua holds extra weight: The institution is one of the pillars of the domestic AI scene, long churning out both keystone research and ambitious startup founders. Another easily overlooked word of warning came from a speech by Zhu Songchun, dean of the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence, linked to Peking University. Zhu said that for the nation to remain competitive, it needs more substantive research and less laudatory headlines, according to an in-depth English-language analysis of his remarks published by the independent China Media Project. These cautious voices are a rare break from the broader narrative. But in a landscape where the deployment of AI has long been government priority, it makes them especially noteworthy. The more President Xi Jinping signals that embracing AI technology is important, the less likely people are to publicly question it. This can lead to less overt forms of backlash, like social media hashtags on Weibo poking fun at chatbots errors. Or it can result in data centres quietly sitting unused across the country as local governments race to please Beijingas well as a mountain of PR stunts. Also Read: AI as infrastructure: India must develop the right tech Perhaps the biggest headwind facing the sector, despite the massive amounts of spending, is that AI still hasnt altered the earnings outlooks at most of the Chinese tech firms. The money cant lie. This doesnt mean that AI in China is just propaganda. The conflict extends far beyond its tech sectorUS firms are also guilty of getting carried away promoting the technology. But multiple things can be true at once. Its undeniable that DeepSeek has fuelled new excitement, research and major developments across the AI ecosystem. But its also been used as a distraction from the domestic macro-economic pains that predated the ongoing trade war. Without guard-rails, the risk of rushing out the technology is greater than just investors losing moneypeoples health is at stake. From Hangzhou to Silicon Valley, the more we ignore the voices questioning the AI hype bandwagon, the more we blind ourselves to consequences of a potential derailment. Bloomberg The author is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia tech. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued a directive on 22 May. A few newspaper editorials and opinion pieces criticized this directive, but these were profoundly misleading. Since the criticism was levelled at the CBSE directive to introduce teaching in the mother tongue of students in primary classes, lets first examine what the notice actually says. It states that the first language of literacydenoted as R1 or the language in which the child first learns to read and writeshould be the childs mother tongue. If that is impractical due to the presence of children with different mother tongues in the same classroom, the childrens next most familiar languageoften the most widely used local languageshould be used. In short, children should learn to read and write first in a language they already know. Also Read: Implement educational reforms in honour of Dr Kasturirangan (1940-2025) The CBSE circular further clarifies that R1 should naturally serve as the medium of instruction for other subjects, including literacy in a second language (R2). It adds that once a child gains literacy in both R1 and R2, either language could be used for teaching other subjects. Even those misguidedly criticizing the directive acknowledge what global research, experience and common sense affirm: Children learn to read and write far more effectively in a language they already know. This way, teachers leverage their existing linguistic and social knowledge, making it easy for students to connect known words with written symbols. Conversely, teaching literacy in an unfamiliar language compounds the difficulty, as children must simultaneously learn a new language and develop the capacity of reading and writing. The directives critics conceded this fundamental principle, but their analysis still went wrong. Why? The error lies in making assertions such as the following: application of the same logic uniformly across our multilingual education system creates complexities; this makes it hard to choose the language of teaching in classrooms in cities and towns where students from different linguistic backgrounds are present. Also Read: Indias consensus on school education makes space for optimism Such arguments suggest that criticism was aimed at the directive without full comprehension of itor that it was driven by outrage at the idea of English being displaced. The CBSE directive addresses the complexities of multilingual environments rather than introducing them. Its logic leads to locally appropriate language choices for R1, which resolvesbut does not createmultilingual challenges. On the other hand, the logic implicit in the arguments of critics is perverse: it advocates the uniform imposition of English in multilingual settings, which is a deeply flawed and dysfunctional approach because English is the most unfamiliar language for the vast majority of children in any of Indias multilingual settings. In looking at this issue, one must not conjure up the image of ones own children or grandchildrenwho likely represent 2% of the country. For 98%, English is alien, particularly in early childhood. A simple example illustrates this. Consider a Class 1 classroom in Mangalore, where the mother tongues of students may include Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu, Tulu and Konkani. Since these children live in Mangalore, most would have reasonable familiarity with Kannada, regardless of their mother tongue. Its highly unlikely any would know English. Thus, Kannada would be the most effective R1: for some, it would be their mother tongue; for others, a familiar language. English, by contrast, would be unfamiliar to all. Also Read: Three-language formula: Chhattisgarh offers an education case study This scenario repeats across India. Even in large metropolitan cities with migrants from other states, children are far more likely to know the local language than English. The CBSE directive, therefore, is the most educationally sound approach to literacy in the context of our multilingual reality.It is aimed at addressing one of our deepest systemic issues: how to enable the achievement of literacy, the foundation of all learning and subsequent education. The use of a familiar language alone is insufficient to tackle this task but is central and necessary. We need not reiterate the scale of Indias literacy crisis or the urgency of addressing itfor improving education and making it more equitable and inclusive. The vice-like grip English holds on our elite imagination manifests in editorials and opinion pieces that seem reflexive, with inadequate thought devoted to them on technical matters of education. There is a good reason that we do not see such misguided takes on, say, hospital cardiac care protocols. Its too technical for shallow lay analysis. Yet, in education, even the most technical issues are dissected loosely. Also Read: Focus on foundational literacy and numeracy to improve educational outcomes No doubt, English remains socially and economically aspirational. So, many want every Indian child to learn the language. But critics fail to recognize that the CBSEs approach will be far more effective for both literacy and teaching English. Gaining literacy in a familiar language is more efficient; English can then be learnt afterwards. This is vastly different from forcing literacy in an unfamiliar English. The approach advocated by the directives critics would not only make literacy goals difficult to achieve, but make learning English even more so. Visit so-called English-medium schools and youll see children struggling with reading, writing and English itself. We should laud the CBSE for its educationally correct and brave approach, not condemn it. The author is CEO of Azim Premji Foundation. Hello Kitty seems an unlikely trigger for an immigration debate. But thats what happened in Japan this week when Megumi Hayashibara, a prominent voice actress behind icons from Kitty to the long-running anime franchise Evangelions Rei Ayanami, took to her blog to discuss the growing population of outsiders. She called for a crackdown on rule-breaking foreigners, and criticized overseas students on free scholarships while locals pay for their education. The thrust of her post was a call for readers to vote. But her most cutting remark was a fear that local habits and Japaneseness itself might be lost if current trends continue, like the native crayfish endangered by an invasive species of crustacean threatening its natural habitat. While its hardly the protests in Los Angeles, her comments show how immigration is becoming a heated topic in a country where it has only recently become a feature. And its one that authorities should not ignore, as politicians elsewhere were content to do until fringe groups become seen as the only ones with the answers. I wrote in 2022 about how Tokyo, long stereotyped as being closed to immigration, was accepting more foreigners than many realized. That trend continues, with immigrants nearly doubling in the past decade and a record 10% jump in 2024. Its less the absolute level as the pace of change: Foreign residents have gone from less than 1% to more than 3% of the population in the past three decades, and will reach around 10% in 2050. Criticism is fueled by the mistakes of Western nations and promoted by influencers who conflate Japan with other countries. Tokyos strategy has been far subtler than many nations now struggling with anti-immigration populism, but its no less vulnerable to the YouTube algorithm: A quick search for Japan immigration issues immediately turns up videos by the likes of the ubiquitous Hiroyuki Nishimura, the message-board entrepreneur with millions of followers and a controversial take on everything. These videos have titles like Why should Japanese have to provide for foreigners?, Japan is defenseless and Japan will no longer be a country for Japanese! What they ignore is that Japan doesnt have a vast force of idle foreigners who are burdening the state. It accepts few asylum seekers, has been selective about the nationalities it attracts, and has functioning border control. The number of illegal residents is a quarter of three decades ago, despite the increase in foreigners; the number of foreign-committed crimes shows a similar downtrend. Copy-pasted arguments from other countries dont apply here. But there are also areas of legitimate concern where authorities have not kept pace. From worries that short-term stayers are exploiting Japans generous medical insurance system, to a bizarre loophole allowing tourists to easily get Japanese drivers licenses, theres a worry that the countrys hospitality is being exploited. The declining domestic population is complicating things. Working-age locals fell by 224,000 last year. This simultaneously lifts the need for foreigners to supplement the labor force, while heightening concerns about Japanese being replaced in their own country. The truth of Hayashibaras comments lies in the fact that the thing many love about Japanese society the it just works nature of public life, from mass transit to healthcare to the low crime rate is deeply dependent on everyone following the rules. Newcomers are often irked by all the procedures, from putting out garbage to talking on the subway. But these are necessary for residents, in particular those in cities stacked cheek-by-jowl, to coexist in harmony. Hayashibaras complaints about bad manners will be familiar to those who live in Japan, foreign or local; everyday annoyances have increased since the borders were reopened after Covid. In a Justice Ministry survey, nearly 78% said they most wanted foreign residents to follow local rules and customs. The government hasnt kept up with the times. Only now is Tokyo discussing simple issues, such as stopping tourists with unpaid medical debt from returning or rejecting visa extensions for those who havent paid healthcare. I recently noted Japan doesnt track how easy it is for foreigners to buy property. A highly followed story since then concerns a Tokyo building where foreign ownership is seemingly seeking to force out residents to operate an illegal Airbnb. Politicians are reacting, slowly. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has pledged the country will accept foreigners who follow the rules while cautioning that those who dont will be dealt with strictly. Longtime ruling party leadership candidate Taro Kono has recently been burnishing his credentials by criticizing illegal immigration. Its all the growing pains of a changing nation. Talk of invasive species is unhelpful at best. But Japan also shouldnt repeat the mistakes of countries that dismissed citizens concerns about immigration and ghettoization, only to watch them turn to fringe politicians when no one else would listen. The way to stave off the rise of populist talking heads is to address these worries, and enforce a sense of fairness and equal treatment. After all, what else would Kitty want? More From Bloomberg Opinion: The figure also lowballs the total, as Japan does not count foreigners who became naturalized citizens. This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Gearoid Reidy is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Japan and the Koreas. He previously led the breaking news team in North Asia, and was the Tokyo deputy bureau chief. /opinion 2025 Bloomberg L.P. Here are some facts. Today, the share of services in global trade stands at about 25%. More importantly, it is the only category of trade that has expanded at a rapid pace since the financial crisis year of 2008. In recent years, the share of goods in trade has fallen by about 5 percentage points and there has been a corresponding increase in the case of services. This pattern is mirrored in Indias case. According to the Economic Survey 2024-25, the share of services in terms of export gross value added (GVA) has increased from around 51% in 2014-15 to around 55% now. Further, it is growth in services trade which has kept Indias current account deficit (CAD) at a manageable 2% of GDP. It was the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that led to a decline in global tariffs. Till recently, except some countries in South Asia, import tariffs were in single digits (before Donald Trump took office in the US). And today, international arguments increasingly revolve around non-tariff barriers (NTBs). Also Read: Services led exports are a mixed blessing for the Indian economy It was a stalemate over NTBs at the World Trade Organization (WTO) that led many countries to take recourse to regional trading arrangements to expand their trade over the last two decades. This has the advantage of going beyond the WTO in new areas. One of these is trade in services. The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) was based on a positive list approach, where countries only need to make offers when they want to. But this has meant very little forward movement here along the lines of commodity trade negotiations under GATT. Another critical hold-back is the lack of reliable data. Unlike commodities, services have no border restrictions like tariffs, but are constrained by internal regulation that can be complex. For example, trade in infotech services is hampered not only by visa systems (as in the US), but also by other regulatory constraints like data adequacy rules, FDI norms and totalization agreements (to avoid double taxation via social security payments). Nor are these regulatory constraints the same across countries. Also Read: Ajit Ranade: India must diversify its exports of manufactured goods Under the WTO, there was an attempt to create a template for international comparison by clubbing services trade under four headsor so-called modes. Unfortunately, the positive list approach has meant that GATS has been a non-starter. To cut a long story short, as services trade has increased globally by leaps and bounds, countries are increasingly grappling with the issue of codifying trade in services. As the above discussion indicates, the process will have to begin by recognizing the comparability of services across countries. For example, in educational services, we would need mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) to define comparability of degrees. This is easier said than done. In India, education is on the concurrent list for the Centre and states to legislate on, and regional regulations would also have to be considered. An effort to achieve a degree of international comparability has started with the WTOs classification of services into 12 main sectors and 160 sub-sectors. This was mainly done to allow member countries to categorize their services into four modes under the GATS. However, since these multilateral negotiations have ground to a halt, it is now for countries to take this forward under various free trade agreements (FTAs). The difficulty lies in establishing a single measure (like tariffs in the case of commodities) that could establish restrictiveness of services across countries after MRAs are signed. Also Read: Special trade ties with America arent Indias only export game This is particularly important for India, whose global strength seems to lie in trade in services. Yet, due to all the difficulties listed above for codifying trade in services, Indias experience has been unsatisfactory. In 2005, such an attempt was made in the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, but there was little progress as the issue of MRAs moved nowhere either in banking or in education. Similarly, in the case of Indias trade relations with Asean, it was agreed in 2005 that an agreement on trade in services would follow the deal struck on goods, but so far no discussions have been held with Asean countries on this. Also Read: Will the WTO get crushed under an avalanche of bilateral trade deals? As mentioned earlier, the issue is how to generate a single number to define restrictiveness in services that can form a benchmark for further negotiations on trade in services. There have some attempts by both the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and World Bank to create a Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI), but as shown in Quantification of Services Trade Restrictions: Some New Results (Pant and Sugandha, March 2022) published in the Economic and Political Weekly, these indices have serious statistical shortfalls that can lead to a complete reversal of sectoral rankings by trade restrictiveness. Yet, this STRI approach seems to offer a way forward for India to hold talks on market access for services. It could feature in talks underway with the US and EU. The STRI can help begin negotiations on broad sectoral lines before proceeding to granular talks on specific regulatory issues. So far, India has focused on Mode 4 (the movement of natural persons) to enhance trade in services. This effort, however, has largely been a failure. As I have argued before, such a narrow approach seems like too weak an attempt at exploiting Indias comparative advantage in services. We need a better researched approach. The author is visiting professor, Shiv Nadar University. Canada should bolster ties with China to hedge against uncertainty from US President Donald Trumps approach to bilateral relations, according to a former top Canadian official. Who are the other reliable partners we have in the world? said Bill Morneau, who served as finance minister under former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau through 2020. Noting that China is Canadas second-largest trading partner, after the US, he said its no surprise that Prime Minister Mark Carney is looking to build a more stable and expansive trading relationship with China and other countries. Morneaus comments come as Canada seeks to diversify its economic partnerships while talks with the US drag on. Earlier this month, Carney spoke with Chinese Premier Li Qiang about trade and tackling the fentanyl crisis in a sign of warming ties. Carneys government also invited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the Group of Seven leaders summit in Alberta this weekend. Morneau, speaking Wednesday at the Bloomberg Invest conference in Hong Kong, said that while Ottawa should look to reach a trade deal with Washington and maintain strong ties, officials also need to protect the economy and Canadas own interests from the currently very volatile relationship with its southern neighbor. Canadian and US officials have been holding trade talks for months, with Trump and Carney in direct contact ahead of the G-7 meeting beginning June 15. The two sides are looking to negotiate a deal to ease tariffs on each others goods. Meanwhile, many of the issues Trump has raised, including undocumented migration into the US, dont relate to Canada, Morneau said. My expectation is that much of this is obviously posturing, said Morneau, who was also previously governor of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. The renegotiation of the trade agreement between the nations will likely include greater access into Canadas protected dairy market and an increased Canadian role in NATO, Morneau said, while any major change to natural-resource sharing such as Canadian fresh water is off the table. Carney this week announced a boost to defense spending to meet NATOs target this year, saying its needed in a darker, more competitive world. Trump has called for all countries to increase their share of global military spending in order to rely less on the US. You want to get to as best you can with as many partners as you can, whether its with China or with other parts of the world, Morneau said. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. Mexicos government has pledged to provide jobs for citizens deported from the US, but recent data shows that barely 4% of the tens of thousands expelled since late January have been matched with employment. Mexican officials initially expected that planes carrying deportees would land in Mexico City, where they had organized services to receive them. But their plans were disrupted when US deportation flights began landing instead at airports in southern Mexico. The shift underscores the broader immigration crackdown pursued by President Donald Trump, as US authorities increasingly return Mexican migrants to airports near the Guatemalan border apparently to discourage them from attempting the arduous journey north again. It also leaves many far from job opportunities and other reintegration services which are concentrated in the capital and in northern Mexico, undermining a strategy designed by President Claudia Sheinbaums administration in partnership with private companies to welcome them home. Making matters worse for the would-be migrants, some of those deported by plane to Tapachula in Chiapas state, and Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco state, were kept in the dark by US officials. Several of them mentioned to us that at no time was it explained to them that they were going to be deported to southern Mexico, said Karen Perez, the head of the Jesuit Refugee Service in Mexico. She added that Mexicos migration institute INM has transported deportees from the Tapachula airport to a nearby bus terminal. While the government provides them with a one-time cash benefit, many still cant afford a ticket home, stranding them where jobs are scarce. Chiapas and Tabasco are among Mexicos poorest states. INM declined to comment for this story or provide information on its plans to better assist deportees sent to southern Mexico. Not a single deportation plane has landed in Mexico City since Feb. 17, according to publicly-available flight data. Instead, 46 deportation planes have flown to Tapachula, at the southern tip of Mexico, and another 47 have landed in nearby Villahermosa. While the Mexican government is aware of the schedule of the US deportation flights, its not clear how much lead time Washington provides. Most of the flights are operated by Miami-based charter carrier GlobalX, said Tom Cartwright, a former JP Morgan executive who now advocates for migrants and who collected the flight data. His count shows that the number of Mexican deportees expelled via flights versus land crossings has risen sharply, from around 12% of the total in January to reach more than a third by late May. While Trump officials have not scaled up deportations compared to those registered during the previous administration, the US has stepped up raids targeting unlawful migrants as well as yanking temporary protections for many others. Over the past few days, it dramatically escalated enforcement actions, targeting anti-deportation protesters in Los Angeles by calling up National Guard troops as well as several hundred active duty Marines. Last month, Sheinbaums interior minister told reporters that some 1,500 deported Mexicans have landed jobs in Mexico since Trump returned to the White House. But that covers only around 4% of the nearly 40,000 she says have been deported over the roughly four-month period. The US Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment about the total number of deportees this year or the increase in the number of flights to pair of southern Mexican cities. The day after Trump took office, Sheinbaums government formally launched its deportee reception program dubbed Mexico Embraces You. At the time, Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez touted months of preparations, which included help registering for social security benefits as well as a 2,000-peso voucher that can be converted to cash. She said the program would provide our compatriots with an appropriate reception and give them certainty of opportunities for a dignified life in their native country. The program enlists the support of leading business association CCE, and more than 380 companies including Coca-Cola bottler and convenience store operator Femsa as well as retail giant Walmart. Rodriguez has claimed that 60,000 permanent jobs have been offered up for repatriated Mexicans by CCE-affiliated firms. The CCE purchased office equipment and hired staff for job fairs to assist expelled Mexicans at Mexico Citys AIFA airport. But so far, the chairs and tables purchased in March have not yet been used for any fairs because regular flights havent arrived, according to Donaciano Dominguez, the coordinator of the program for the CCE. Instead, contract workers promote online job placements and make follow up calls. The hangar designated to host the fairs is now primarily a warehouse for cargo and aircraft repairs, said Dominguez. Geographical Mismatch Sheinbaums office and the interior ministry did not respond to questions about whether her government has been consulted by US officials on where deportation flights land, or provide updated deportation figures. Since the beginning of this year, large numbers of deported Mexicans have been expelled across US-Mexico land crossings. But so far, no CCE job fairs have so far greeted deportees there. Meanwhile, the group points to the lack of space at smaller airports in southern Mexico to host fairs where job openings could be offered. Dana Graber Ladek, chief of the UN migration agencys Mexico mission, noted that much of the Mexican governments repatriation resources have been directed near the US-Mexico border. The UN agency organized nearly three dozen job fairs last year for deported Mexicans, mostly in northern and central Mexico. These repatriated Mexicans are going to need to be where jobs are and where their family connections are, so if thats not in the south, they will need to make their way to those locations, she said. Around 40% of the more than 70,000 job openings reported in mid-May were located in the northern industrial hub of Nuevo Leon state, Mexico City and the surrounding State of Mexico, plus west-central Jalisco state, according to CCE data. By contrast, Chiapas and Tabasco are among the states with the fewest openings, less than 1,000 each. Beyond the geographical mismatch, available jobs are often a bad fit, according to Ariel Ruiz, an analyst with the DC-based Migration Policy Institute. These types of jobs often times do not give returnees an opportunity to exercise the skills that they learned while they were abroad, he said. But he added that Sheinbaum deserves credit for being more proactive than previous administrations. Ruiz pointed to government help obtaining identification documents, beds in tent shelters, as well as funds for transportation to their home towns. Eddie, a Mexican deported in February, explained in an interview that he had to prove that he had been living in northern Mexico to avoid being sent south. He said a fellow deportee from western Michoacan state was flown to Tabasco because he was unable to make his case. For Eddie, who asked that his surname be withheld for fear of reprisals, the US governments goal is clear: Trump wants to make it as hard as possible for deportees to be anywhere near the US border. Many deported Mexicans will almost certainly face further upheaval even after they step off the plane, but some more than others. Migrants from Indigenous communities that mainly speak native languages face additional hurdles. Fabiola Mancilla, the head of Indigenous migrant aid group PUCOMIT, argues that the deportees her organization supports are unlikely to seek out factory jobs since many instead opt to return to their hometowns before agonizing over what to do next. Theres two options, the first is migrating to the fields in the north of the country, and going back to the United States, said Mancilla. People are never going to stop migrating. With assistance from Alicia A. Caldwell. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. The US Justice Department urged a federal judge not to interfere with the Trump administrations deployment of the National Guard and US Marines to respond to deportation protests in Los Angeles. The Trump administration deployed thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of US Marines in recent days to respond to protests in Los Angeles, over the objections of state and city officials. California is seeking a court order to limit military involvement in the protests over President Donald Trumps immigration raids. There is no rioters veto to enforcement of federal law, the US said in the filing Wednesday. And the president has every right under the Constitution and by statute to call forth the National Guard and Marines to quell lawless violence. Justice Department lawyers argued that a bid by California to limit the troops to guarding federal property and personnel is illegal and called it a crass political stunt. US District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco has scheduled a hearing in the case for Thursday afternoon. The president and California Governor Gavin Newsom have traded barbs over attempts to quell unrest in the city. Newsom said the decision to send in troops was illegal, and Trump suggested that Newsom should be arrested for his response to the protests. In a joint statement on Wednesday, Democratic attorneys general from 18 states including New York and Illinois said the deployment was unlawful, unconstitutional and undemocratic because it was done without Californias consent. The dispute is the latest flash point in a broader legal fight over the limits of president Trumps executive power. Other state leaders have expressed support for Trumps decision, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, who vowed to use National Guard troops if needed in protests planned for June 14 in the state. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, also a Republican, offered to deploy members of the Florida State Guard to assist efforts to respond to the California protests, but Newsom rejected his offer, according to the Orlando Sentinel. At least 400 people have been arrested in the greater Los Angeles area since the weekend amid clashes between police and demonstrators rallying in response to increasingly aggressive raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Mayor Karen Bass imposed a nighttime curfew on Tuesday in a one-square-mile section of downtown where tensions have run high during days of demonstrations. She said 23 businesses were looted the night before, many were also vandalized and the area had been covered in graffiti. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. Russia proposed transferring Irans excess nuclear material to its territory as part of efforts to assist Iran and the US in reaching an agreement over the Islamic Republics atomic program, Interfax reported. We are ready to provide assistance to both Washington and Tehran, not only political assistance in the form of suggestions that could be used in the negotiating process, but also practical assistance, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Wednesday, according to the news service. For example, through the removal of surplus nuclear material made in Iran and adapting it for the production of reactor fuel. US President Donald Trump said this month that Russia may take a role in negotiations with Iran after a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin amid difficulties in the talks between Tehran and Washington. In 2015, Russia took delivery of a significant part of Irans enriched uranium as part of the landmark nuclear accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed to by Iran, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany. The International Atomic Energy Agency on May 31 reported that Irans accumulation of highly enriched uranium rose by almost 50% to 409 kilograms over the last three months, which could quickly be enriched to form the core of about 10 nuclear bombs. Iran will suggest a framework agreement in nuclear talks with the US, a senior official said Tuesday, raising the prospect of an interim deal that could be followed by further negotiations. Tehran is working on a fresh proposal ahead of a sixth round of talks with Washington in Oman on Sunday that can be used as a basis for work, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency. Ryabkov seemed to back that idea, saying an interim arrangement is a potential solution. For our part, we believe that the moment has not been completely lost, and now it would be necessary to redouble efforts in order to reach even if only a palliative and not a comprehensive solution to the problems, he told journalists in Sochi, Interfax said. Iran and the US have been engaged in negotiations since April in a bid to end an acrimonious years-long standoff over Tehrans nuclear program including through an easing of US sanctions and have so far had five rounds of talks mediated by Oman. Last week, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized a US proposal for a nuclear deal and called American officials arrogant for expecting the Islamic Republic to cease uranium enrichment. With assistance from Patrick Sykes. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. For the first time in history, scientists have captured direct images of the Sun's north and south poles, thanks to the European Space Agency-led Solar Orbiter mission. By tilting its orbit 17 degrees out of the ecliptic plane the flat plane in which Earth and most planets orbit Solar Orbiter has provided humanity with a rare and valuable new view of our nearest star. Today we reveal humankinds first-ever views of the Suns pole, said Prof Carole Mundell, ESAs Director of Science. These new unique views from our Solar Orbiter mission are the beginning of a new era of solar science. Why the poles matter Until now, all solar imagery has come from the equatorial perspective. The poles critical to understanding the Suns magnetic field and solar cycle remained hidden. What we have been missing to really understand this (solar cycle) is what is actually happening at the top and bottom of the sun, said Dr. Hamish Reid, solar physicist at University College Londons Mullard Space Science Laboratory. First results from the South Pole The new images, released by ESA on Wednesday (June 10), were taken in March at a time of maximum solar activity, from about 40 million miles (65 million km) away. They reveal chaotic magnetic fields with both north and south polarity present at the Suns south pole a phenomenon that only occurs during the solar maximum, when the Suns magnetic field is about to flip. We see in the images and movies of the polar regions that the sun's magnetic field is chaotic at the poles at the (current) phase of the solar cycle - high solar activity, cycle maximum, said Prof Sami Solanki, principal investigator of Solar Orbiters PHI instrument from Germanys Max Planck Institute. Magnetic field flip underway Solar Orbiters images are crucial to understanding the 11-year solar cycle, during which the Suns magnetic poles flip. This drives the formation of sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections all of which can affect life on Earth. Whilst the Earth has a clear north and south pole, the Solar Orbiter measurements show both north and south polarity magnetic fields are currently present at the south pole of the sun, explained Reid. In the coming years, the sun will reach solar minimum, and we expect to see a more orderly magnetic field around the poles of the sun. A mission years in the making Solar Orbiter, a joint mission between ESA and NASA, launched in 2020 from Florida. Its tilted orbit was achieved through a Venus gravity assist in February 2024. Further flybys will increase this angle beyond 30 degrees, enhancing our view of the polar regions. This is just the first step of Solar Orbiter's stairway to heaven, said Daniel Muller, ESAs Solar Orbiter project scientist. These data will transform our understanding of the Suns magnetic field, the solar wind, and solar activity. A successor to Ulysses While the Ulysses mission in the 1990s flew over the solar poles, it lacked imaging capabilities. Ulysses... did not carry any optical instruments telescopes or cameras and hence could not image the Sun, said Solanki. Solar Orbiter changes that. North Pole data incoming The data from the north pole is still being transmitted to Earth and is expected to arrive in the coming weeks. Scientists are eager to analyse the new imagery and expand models of the solar cycle and heliosphere the vast bubble formed by the solar wind that envelops the entire solar system. The data that Solar Orbiter obtains during the coming years will help modelers in predicting the solar cycle, said Reid. This is important for us on Earth because the sun's activity causes solar flares and coronal mass ejections which can result in radio communication blackouts, destabilize our power grids, but also drive the sensational auroras. Distance to the Sun: ~93 million miles (149 million km) Oak Ridge, Tenn., earned the moniker Atomic City" as a base for the Manhattan Project and later as a center of the U.S. nuclear power program. Now, it is home to a group of scientists at Standard Nuclear who are tryingagainst all oddsto power up Americas next nuclear era. They are developing meltdown-resistant fuel for a smaller, safer type of nuclear reactor that has become an imperative for meeting modern energy needs, including both strategic and industrial independence from China and the rise of power-hungry artificial intelligence. So strong was their conviction in the breakthrough that more than 40 employees of the startups precursor worked for about eight months with little or no pay. Some sold their homes or downsized, juggling mortgages and daycare expenses, convinced the departure of a single scientist would risk sacrificing their progress. Building advanced AI systems will take city-sized amounts of power and a low-carbon energy source such as nuclear is the preferred choice. Microsoft, Meta and other tech giants are putting big money into revitalizing reactors that are decades old, and sometimes even being decommissioned. But Big Tech and venture-capital money is also being steered into new modular reactors designed with safety considerations informed by over a half-century of nuclear mishaps. Billionaire investor Peter Thiel, OpenAI leader Sam Altman and Bill Gates are among the tech titans who have placed their bets. Since 2021, venture capitalists have invested $2.5 billion in U.S. next-generation nuclear technology, according to data firm PitchBook. Most years before that, investment hovered near zero. Its time for nuclear," President Trump said last month at the White House, signing four new executive orders aimed at accelerating nuclear-power deployment. The Defense Department wants the small reactors to power its ships and bases, and to deploy in the Arctic region and on remote islands in the Pacific. The Pentagons Defense Innovation Unit this spring announced eight companies were in line for awards to work with the Army and Air Force to install microreactors on military bases. This nuclear reboot is riskyprevious attempts ended in bitter disappointment with cost overruns or environmental disasters, and billions of dollars lost. Standard Nuclears success is hardly guaranteed, nor is that of the dozens of other startups aiming to fill out Americas nuclear-power supply chain. But to many, the drive to build a new nuclear age in the U.S. seems irreversible. I really see it as a very low probability that this is going to go away because I cant think of an alternative," Kurt Terrani, Standard Nuclears chief executive, said. At some point, were going to run out of gas." The U.S. produces less nuclear power than it did a decade ago. Reactor projects have been plagued by delays, manufacturing mishaps and cost overruns, causing utility companies to backpedal. U.S. efforts to mine and enrich uranium, the staple fuel ingredient, were long ago abandoned. The country has no significant commercial source of enriched uranium, although new startups are trying to fill the void. Russia controls roughly half of the worlds market for enriched uranium, and about a quarter of Americas. As the U.S. lagged behind, China emerged as its largest competitor, expected to outproduce the U.S. in the next five years. China right now has 31 reactors under constructionhalf the global totaland plans to build 40 more in around the next decade, according to the World Nuclear Association. We cant allow ourselves to lose the AI arms race with China. But we need power," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told tech executives in April. First we have to win the power race." The designers of small, modular reactorsknown as SMRshave mostly repackaged old technology into smaller, more efficient designs that most everyone agrees are safe. Standard Nuclear said it is the largest source of tristructural isotropicaka triso"fuel outside of China, based on its capacity to produce fuel. Triso fuel, in high demand for use in SMRs, is known for its durability and safety: Poppyseed-size pellets of uranium are coated in carbon and silicon carbide to trap nuclear material and prevent leaks. Ultra Safe Nuclearthe precursor to Standard Nuclearhad been a sprawling enterprise funded largely by a single man, Richard Hollis Helms, a former Central Intelligence Agency operative. After Helms died last year, funding immediately dried up. The former CEO left and Terrani was put in charge, tasked with laying off almost 300 people. He took care to retain the fuel scientists. Terrani gave weekly updates to his staff, which were mostly: We have no funds, no cash." Every day, you get in your car and go to work knowing youre not going to get paid," said Terrani, 39. One manager, Dan Billings, sold the three wooded acres surrounding his home to developers so he could keep working. The buyer began clear-cutting and demolished his kids treehouse. The $50,000 from the sale helped pad Billingss bank account. Im not gonna lie, I refreshed my LinkedIn profile because I didnt know which way it was going to go," said Billings, 39. Christmastime brought relief. A group of venture capitalists, led by a former Special Forces officer, invested $42 million to reboot and rebrand the company Standard Nuclear. The deal marked an extraordinary bet by venture capitalists, who have historically steered clear of heavily regulated enterprises that require huge amounts of capital up front. The lure of AI and heightened competition with China have changed that calculation. The investment environment for nuclear is very attractive right now," said Tommy Hendrix, who led the bailout. Hendrix, a venture capitalist at Decisive Point, acknowledged the risk of his bet, but said, You follow the money, follow where the government is investing." Standard Nuclears fortunes are tied to other companies trying to fill out a fractured supply chain largely dominated by adversaries. Russias enriched uranium will become off limits in 2028 when a U.S. ban takes effect. Los Angeles-based General Matter, backed by a fresh $50 million from Thiels venture fund, is aiming to replace Russian imports. The prospective buyers of Standard Nuclears fuel have designs for SMRs but none has completed building onealthough China has. Critics say they dont produce enough energy to justify their expense, and that entrepreneurs and investors underestimate the regulatory complexity. I dont think this is an area for the faint of heart, or for the quick buck to get turned," said Ross Fubini, managing partner of XYZ Venture Capital. Fubini looked at around 15 nuclear-sector startups over the past two years, and passed. None showed promise of deploying their technology before running out of money. Trumps executive orders seek to slash some red tape and hasten deployment, including by allowing reactors on federal lands, which could result in largely bypassing the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The industry was elated. Its a pathway for everything I and others in the industry hope for," said Staff Sheehan, a uranium chemist who co-founded a nuclear-sector startup. The orders triggered a fuel-buying spreeStandard Nuclear is sold out through much of 2027. Critics argued the administrations push suggests less independence for the NRC and a more permissive environment for startups without a safety record. Back in Tennessee, Billings says he has no regrets about working without payand even losing the kids treehouse. I believe that if we can get this technology out to the market, we can solve a lot of energy crises," he said. For more than a decade, big tech companies like IBM, Google and Microsoft have been loudly announcing that quantum computers will soon solve tasks that stump today's supercomputers. From simulating molecules for drug discovery to optimizing global logistics, they promised revolutionary breakthroughs, and all that in seconds instead of months and years. Quantum computers do hold a lot of promise. Two bits in the traditional or classical computers we use in homes and offices today can represent one of four possible states00, 01, 10, or 11but only one at a time. In contrast, two quantum bits (qubits) in a quantum computer can represent all four states simultaneously, thanks to superposition and entanglement properties, effectively functioning like four classical computers in one. However, as a quantum computers power grows exponentially when you add more qubits, it also becomes more prone to errors. In technical terms, these are known as Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices that typically host fewer than a few hundred qubits, but are incredibly fragile and lose their quantum properties when disturbed by variables like heat, vibrations, or electromagnetic interference. Tech companies use the term "error correction" to remedy this situation. It can be likened to having multiple backup musicians playing the same part in a noisy concert hall. If one musician makes a mistake, the others can detect it and correct it in real-time. In quantum computing, this means using many physical qubits (individual musicians) to create one "logical qubit" (the perfect musical note) that can maintain its quantum state reliably. But how soon is soon? Quantum, by its very nature, is unpredictable. Hence, the error correction process is gradual and not a one-time achievement. For instance, Google's quantum computing chip named Willow made waves in December 2024 for its ability to reduce system errors despite adding qubits, and solving a computation in under five minutes that would take a supercomputer 10 septillion years (1 with 25 zeroes), more than the age of the Universe, to finish. It even prompted Elon Musk to react with a 'Wow' when Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, announced this on X. But the next challenge, as Google itself put it, was "to demonstrate a first 'useful, beyond-classical' computation on today's quantum chips that is relevant to a real-world application". Google is targeting 1 million qubits by the end of the decade, though error correction means only 10,000 will be available for computations. This February, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced its new Ocelot quantum computing chip "that can reduce the costs of implementing quantum error correction by up to 90%". AWS designed Ocelots architecture with built-in error correction from the ground up, using cat qubitsnamed after Schrodingers catfor their natural ability to suppress certain errors. In a first, AWS researchers integrated cat qubits with additional error correction components on a microchip, using scalable manufacturing techniques adapted from the microelectronics industry. That very month, Microsoft too announced a "significant leap in quantum computing" with the launch of Majorana 1, which it touted as a revolutionary quantum chip powered by a new topological core. While introducing the chip, Satya Nadella said on X that this "entirely new state of matter (the other three main states of matter being: solid, liquid and gas)", unlocked by a new class of materials called "topoconductors", is what powers Majorana 1. Microsoft added that this means the chip incorporates error resistance at the hardware level, making it inherently more stable. Key Takeaways Tech giants like Google, AWS, and Microsoft are intensely focused on developing robust error correction techniques and new chip architectures to make fragile quantum computers reliable for real-world applications. IBM has brought forward its goal to build the first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer to 2029, leveraging new qLDPC codes for significantly more efficient and reliable quantum operations. Current "noisy" quantum devices are fragile; effective error correction is the key to moving beyond limited demonstrations and unlocking the full, transformative potential of quantum computing for complex problems. Significant capital and talent are converging in the quantum field, signaling a rapid progression that could soon give quantum-enabled businesses a major competitive edge over those relying solely on traditional computing. India's National Quantum Mission is funding startups and aiming for 50-100 qubit quantum computers within five years, while also launching a dedicated initiative for quantum algorithm development, especially for error correction. IBM advances the timeline IBM had earlier announced its commitment to building a 100,000-qubit fault-tolerant system by 2033. On 10 June, it advanced this deadline, unveiling a roadmap to build the world's first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029. "IBM is charting the next frontier in quantum computing," CEO Arvind Krishna said in a press statement, attributing the progress to the company's "expertise across mathematics, physics, and engineering is paving the way for a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer that will solve real-world challenges". The IBM Quantum Starling, to be housed in a new data center in New York, will perform 20,000 times more operations than current quantum computers. Its computational state would require memory equivalent to more than a quindecillion (1 and 48 zeroes) of today's most powerful supercomputers. Further, the new system addresses quantum computing's fundamental challenge: error correction. Starling will execute 100 million quantum operations using 200 logical qubitsunits that combine multiple physical qubits to monitor and correct errors. This foundation will enable IBM Quantum Blue Jay, capable of 1 billion operations over 2,000 logical qubits. IBM's breakthrough centres on quantum low-density parity check (qLDPC) codes, which reduce required physical qubits by approximately 90% compared to existing methods. It has detailed the architecture's efficiency and real-time error correction capabilities in two separate technical papers. The roadmap includes three stepping stones: IBM Quantum Loon (2025) will test qLDPC architecture components; Kookaburra (2026) combines quantum memory with logic operations as the first modular processor; and Cockatoo (2027) will link multiple quantum chips together. This fault-tolerant quantum computer could revolutionize drug development, materials discovery, chemistry, and optimization by accessing computational power previously impossible to achieve at scale. These advancements are designed to culminate in Starling in 2029. IBMs decision to pull its 100-000-qubit goal forward to 2029 is just one out of multiple announcements to be made for quantum computings commercial decade," Anders Indset, business philosopher and tech investor, said. Capital is pouring in, talent is converging, and the first consolidations are already reshaping the field. When money and competence collide at this scale, progress doesnt follow Moores law (number of transistors on a computer chip doubles roughly every two years, making computers faster and cheaper over time), it can be much more radical." Indset expects more breakthrough announcements this year. "Boards that still treat quantum as a slide-deck talking point and potential future topics will soon be negotiating with rivals who are quantum secure and can model molecules or optimise global supply chains in minutes, not months," he added. What are other companies doing? Precedence Research pegs the global quantum computing market at $1.44 billion in 2025 and predicts it to touch $16.22 billion by 2034. While IBM, Google, Microsoft, and AWS lead with hardware-heavy approaches, startups like Quantinuum, PsiQuantum, and Riverlane are pushing complementary innovationsfrom new codes to scalable photonics and decoding software. D-Wave doesnt currently use standard quantum error correction because its machines are annealers, not universal quantum computers. Instead, it focuses on noise-aware design and error mitigation. A quantum annealer is a special type of quantum computer designed to solve optimization problems (finding the best solution out of many possible ones). Closer home, India's National Quantum Mission (NQM), launched in 2023 with an outlay of 6,003 crore, has already awarded up to 30 crore each to eight startupsQNu Labs, QPiAI India, Dimira Technologies, QuPrayog, Quanastra, Quan2D, Pristine Diamonds, and Prenishq. The idea is to jumpstart Indias presence in quantum technologies, including quantum computing, sensing, communications, and quantum error correction (QEC). With NQM, India plans to develop quantum computers with 50-100 qubits in about five years, and accelerate it to 1000 qubits and beyond in eight years. Recognizing the importance of robust algorithm developmentparticularly for fault tolerance and error correctionAjai Chowdhry, chairman of the NQM Mission Governing Board, and EPIC Foundation, told Mint in an interview that NQM is launching a dedicated initiative focused on quantum algorithms. The adoption of quantum technologies across industries could potentially add $280310 billion of value to the Indian economy by 2030 with the manufacturing, high-tech, banking, and defence sectors at the forefront of quantum-led innovation, according to a 2022 Nasscom-Avasant report. A 19-year-old man was killed and six other people were injured in a shooting in the western Georgia town of LaGrange TN stores seeing more customers from AL after new vape law takes effect UPDATE: Two men who are charged in a deadly shooting at Eastgate Loop in 2024 are scheduled to appear in court next week. Police said 29-year-old Jadarius Conyers and 31-year-old Dominique Jones were arrested in the shooting death of 27-year-old Johnny McNabb in the 900 block of Eastgate Loop the morning of April 26. McNabb was attending court ordered classes over a domestic assaults when he was targeted by the suspects, according to police. On September 23, a grand jury indicted both men on charges of First Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Murder, Tampering with Evidence, and Arson of Personal Property. The indictment said a third suspect, 28-year-old Tyrick Johnson, fired at McNabb during the shooting; however, Johnson died in June of 2024. A fourth suspect, Chanity Tampani Upshaw, was charged with accessory after the fact. Police said Upshaw admitted to driving the car and waiting on the suspects during the murder. No records of Upshaw's arrest or case appear in online court records. Despite both men being named in one indictment, they will appear separately in court with Conyers scheduled to appear on Monday, June 16 and Jones on Friday, June 20. Both suspects are being held at the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center on $350,000 bonds. Stay with Local 3 News for updates to this story. PREVIOUS STORY: A grieving mother is speaking out following the death of her 27-year-old son, Johnny McNabb, who was shot and killed outside the Tennessee Community Counseling Services and DUI Center in April. Lakeisha Davis, McNabbs mother, says her son had expressed fear for his life just 10 days before his death. Surveillance video obtained by Davis shows McNabb sprinting into the counseling center after shots were fired. Davis shared that McNabbs troubles began with an argument in a court-mandated class related to his domestic assault charges. He and the boy exchanged words in this class, she said. Since they have a history, I told my son to request a class change. However, Davis says her sons request to switch classes was denied by Judge Larry Ables. As the class was a court-ordered requirement, McNabb faced jail if he did not attend. Three individualsTampari Chanity Upshaw, Jadarius Conyers, and Dominique Joneswere arrested in connection with McNabbs death. Chattanooga Police confirmed that McNabb was targeted outside the counseling center, though the precise motive remains unclear. Davis described her anguish, saying, It put me in a deep depression. She has since sought answers about why her sons request for a class change was denied. According to Davis, McNabbs attorney had appealed to Judge Ables for the change, but the request was denied. What would it have taken to change his class? Davis asked. Five minutes? Ten minutes? It could have saved his life. When asked about the decision, Judge Ables secretary stated the judge remembered McNabbs name but could not recall specific details about the court appearance. Kelli Mullins, CEO of the Tennessee Community Counseling Services, said the center was unaware of any issues McNabb had with other attendees. Mullins noted that if staff had been informed, they could have moved him to another class or allowed him to participate via Zoom. Attorney Robert Friedman, who worked with the McNabb family on a potential lawsuit, confirmed that McNabbs request for a class change had been denied. The lawsuit was ultimately not filed due to insufficient evidence. Davis continues to seek clarity and accountability. If you cant go to people who took an oath to help and protect you, who can you turn to? she asked. Davis says her fight for answers is far from over. She says he was in fear for his life. On April 16, he was denied moving classes. On April 26, Chattanooga police say he was shot and killed on the 900 block of Eastgate Loop. Jadarius Conyers and Dominique Jones were arrested and charged with first degree murder. Police say it was a targeted attack. PREVIOUS STORY: Chattanooga police say two men have been indicted in connection to an April homicide on Eastgate Loop. Police say 29-year-old Jadarius Conyers and now 31-year-old Dominique Jones are accused of shooting a 27-year-old man in the 900 block of Eastgate Loop the morning of April 26. The unidentified victim later died at a local hospital. The case was sent to a grand jury, which indicted the suspects on charges of First Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Murder, Tampering with Evidence, and Arson of Personal Property. CPDs Fugitive Unit found Conyers in Cleveland, where he was arrested and taken to the Hamilton County Jail. Jones is being held in the Catoosa County Jail where he awaits extradition to Hamilton County. Police say the investigation is ongoing. Stay with the Local 3 News app for updates to this story. PREVIOUS STORY: Chattanooga police have arrested 26-year-old Tampari Chanity Upshaw in connection with a deadly Eastgate shooting that took the life of a 27-year-old man. Prior to the homicide, surveillance video showed two people exiting a black Hyundai Tucson and shooting the victim multiple times. A third suspect standing by the car also fired additional shots. Police say the car was located on fire just minutes after the homicide. The surveillance video lead police to identifying Upshaw. She eventually admitted to being the driver of the car and waiting on the suspects from the homicide. Upshaw is being charged with accessory after the fact, police say. The other suspects identities have not been released yet. Local business owners concerned after shooting at Eastgate Circle on Friday Its very concerning, we try to keep our doors locked at all times now. Our girls have keys to get in and out to make sure our doors are able to stay locked, Crow said. PREVIOUS STORY: Chattanooga police say a shooting victim who they believe was targeted at Eastgate Loop on Friday has died. Police say they were called to the 900 block of Eastgate Loop around 10:00am and arrived at the scene to find a 27-year-old man with life-threatening bullet wounds. Police say the preliminary investigation shows the victim was walking through a parking lot in the area when he was shot. Police say the victim appears to have been targeted by the shooter. Police say the victim was taken to a hospital where he later died. His name has not been released. If you have any information about this case, please call CPD's Homicide Tip Line at 423-643-5100. Stay with the Local 3 News app for updates to this developing story. PREVIOUS STORY: The Chattanooga Police Department says the shooting on Eastgate Circle was a targeted incident. The victim is 27-years-old and suffering from life-threatening injuries. CPD's Homicide Unit is investigating the shooting. They ask anyone with information to call 423-698-2525. PREVIOUS STORY: The Chattanooga Police Department says the victim was walking into a business on Eastgate Circle around 10:00am on Friday when a suspect/suspects started shooting. Police say the victim was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. No one has been arrested. This is a developing story. PREVIOUS STORY: The Chattanooga Police Department confirms that one person was shot at the 900 block of Eastgate Circle. The victim has been taken to the hospital, and their condition is unknown at this time. This is a developing story. We are working to learn more. 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. Kenya's Ruto says blogger died at hands of police, shifting official account FILE PHOTO: Human rights activists protest following Albert Ojwang's death in police custody at the Central Police Station, in Nairobi FILE PHOTO: Human rights activists protest following Albert Ojwang's death in police custody at the Central Police Station, in Nairobi NAIROBI (Reuters) -Kenyan President William Ruto said on Wednesday that a blogger arrested last week had died "at the hands of the police", reversing official accounts of his death in the latest case to draw scrutiny to the actions of the country's security services. Ruto urged caution in drawing conclusions from the death of blogger Albert Ojwang, which follows years of extrajudicial killings and disappearances that the president has repeatedly promised to stop in the face of rising public anger. Police initially said Ojwang, 31, was arrested in western Kenya on Friday for allegedly defaming the country's deputy police chief online, and died "after hitting his head against a cell wall". His wounds, including a head injury, neck compression and soft tissue damage, pointed towards assault as the cause of death, according to pathologist Bernard Midia, who was part of a team that conducted an autopsy. ADVERTISEMENT The Independent Policing Oversight Authority, the police watchdog, has launched an investigation and named five police officers who arrested Ojwang in Homa Bay County and escorted him to Nairobi's central police station. On Wednesday, Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja apologised for the police's implication that Ojwang died by suicide. "Based on the report by IPOA... it is not true... He did not hit his head against the wall," Kanja told a Senate hearing. The death of Ojwang, who wrote about political and social issues, has drawn widespread condemnation from rights groups and touched off protests outside the mortuary where his body was examined in the capital Nairobi. "This tragic occurrence, at the hands of the police, is heartbreaking and unacceptable," Ruto said in a statement. ADVERTISEMENT "As we mourn his passing, let us patiently but vigilantly follow the progress of the investigations without making premature judgements or drawing conclusions." Two days after Ojwang's arrest, on June 8, police took him to hospital where he was declared dead, IPOA Vice Chairperson Ann Wanjiku told the Senate hearing, adding that the IPOA attended Ojwang's post mortem examination. "We are committed to ensuring that everyone who was involved in the crime is brought to justice expeditiously and that no interference from any quarter is brought to bear on the investigation," Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen told the Senate. (Reporting by Humphrey Malalo, Edwin Okoth and Hereward Holland; writing by Hereward Holland; editing by Ammu Kannampilly, Mark Heinrich and Aidan Lewis) A contractor has been appointed to carry out the water main upgrade from Carrickboy to Ballymahon and replace a problematic and porous pipe that frequently bursts and has adversely affected thousands of residents and business owners. Representatives at last Ballymahon Municipal District meeting received the update from Uisce Eireann who will start site investigation works in the near future with the water main upgrade work due to commence later this year. Read more: Garda found not guilty of forging signature following lengthy Longford circuit court trial Fianna Fail Councillor Pat O'Toole said it was encouraging that there has finally been a positive update, but Legan-based Councillor Paul Ross stated they have had their hopes dashed so many times during the past 18 months that he is not getting carried away. The area has been described by the local Fine Gael councillor as being the 'worst in the country' for outages and there has been repeated calls by householders, business owners and from local representatives for Uisce Eireann to take urgent action. Over 6,000 residents in the Ballymahon, Legan, Ballymahon, Carrickedmond, Forgney and Ardagh areas have regularly had to endure frequent bursts and loss of water supply since 2019. There has been increasing annoyance, exasperation and anger with eight outages in the 11 day period between Friday, May 9 and Tuesday, May 20 and the tally was well into the double figures by the end of last month. Fianna Fail Councillor Pat O'Toole said the majority of the bursts have occurred on the N55 stretch of road between Ballymahon and Carrickedmond Church and he believes in the last few weeks they have 'probably had a burst every second day'. "We have had a memo that came in from Irish Water to our monthly meeting last Tuesday to say that they have conducted a tender process and a contractor has been appointed to install 5.4 kilometres of new wavin piping. "The current one is a very old mains so that is one of the reasons it bursts so often and that will run from Toome crossroads towards Carrickedmond Church and as 90% of the bursts are on that stretch of road. Cllr O'Toole stated they met Uisce Eireann officials after Storm Eowyn back in February and they put it to them that they had been hearing about this contract going out to tender for on numerous occasions, but it had not happened. Cllr O'Toole said he believes the significant number of water outages in May and the negative reaction and publicity had led to action and the work is due to start in July. "I think that was the catalyst in the end to say this is just happening so many times we couldn't go on with it. "There is a huge urgency, there was no water in Ballymahon on Christmas Day and ironically there was no water in Ballymahon on Easter Sunday. "That's just taking those two days in isolation but the impact it has been having on businesses, on farms, on schools, on ordinary households, it's gone way beyond anything people could comprehend. "I was getting calls every second day." Cllr Ross is not fully convinced. There has been four bursts during the past week, I hope it's true but I won't believe it until I see diggers in the ground. Cllr Ross has submitted a motion for this week's monthly meeting of Longford County Council where he is seeking a meeting with Uisce Eireann senior management to resolve the 'serious issue' of the Carrickboy to Ballymahon water main. 'This main is bursting on a daily basis causing hardship for families, businesses and farms and there is no information available as to when the upgrade is due to start or what is causing the delay. This level of service is unacceptable and this issue needs to be resolved as soon as possible'. Read more: Local Longford Solicitor Fiona Baxter honoured as Legal Luminary of the Year A member of An Garda Siochana has been found not guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice and of forging two signatures in his official Garda notebook in the investigation of an underage sex case. The verdict was given in the trial of Owen Flynn, of Dunlo Hill, Ballinasloe, Co Galway, who appeared before Judge Jonathan Dunphy and a jury of 12 over the course of 12 days in Longford Circuit Court. He stood trial on one charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice by recording a confession of alleged sexual intercourse with an underage female in his Garda notebook, and one count of forgery by recording two signatures within that notebook. Over the course of the trial, the jury heard evidence of how, on February 13, 2019, Garda Flynn was working a night shift at Ballymahon Garda Station, when three men arrived to speak to him. Also read: Longford brothers jailed following outbreak of violence outside funeral home One of the men, who cannot be named due to the nature of the conversation, told Shane Geraghty BL, prosecuting for the state, and Dara Foynes SC, for the defence, that he had gone to the station to get his side of the story across regarding allegations that he had engaged in sexual intercourse with an underage girl. I understood she was 17 but she wasnt, she lied to me. Afterwards, I knew that she was 14. She was quite a tall girl, he said in court. CCTV footage showed the three men in conversation with Gda Flynn, before two of them wrote their names on a folded up piece of paper, which was then handed to Gda Flynn before they left the station. That piece of paper was produced in court, with the witness confirming that it was his name in print, but not a signature. Ms Foynes, defending, put it to the witness that Gda Flynn had left the station shortly after the conversation, and gotten him to sign the notebook. Im going to suggest to you that Gda Flynn met you on your way back home and had the notebook with him and asked you to sign it, having told you what was in it, she said. I do not remember that, the man replied. Also read: Longford man hit with suspended sentence for van engine repairs deception The court heard that, following the visit to the Garda station, the man drank a naggin of Irish whiskey and four tall cans of beer. Is it possible your recollection is hazy? Ms Foynes asked. Maybe, the witness replied. Ms Foynes proceeded to read from Gda Flynns official notebook, which stated the girl "told me she was 17 years old before we had sex. I didnt know she was 14. She put it to the witness that his signature was below the statement and later asked him to confirm that the details in the notebook are what you said - theyre correct. Probably, yes, he replied. A handwriting report furnished to the court during the course of the trial, analysed several samples of the mans signature against the signature in the Garda notebook. Overall, the report was inconclusive as to whether or not the signatures were forged. Also read: Longford Garda thought of colleagues who were killed as menace to society crashed into patrol car After four hours and 46 minutes of deliberations, the jury returned a not guilty verdict on both counts on the indictment. An emotional Garda Flynn, surrounded by his supportive family thanked his counsel, and shook hands with Garda colleagues and the prosecution before leaving the courtroom. Local solicitor Fiona Baxter of Baxter Mimnagh Solicitors celebrated being honoured as Civil Litigation Lawyer of the Year for Leinster last Friday night in Dublin's Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin 4. The law firm of Baxter Mimnagh Solicitors were also nominated as finalists in the category of Medical Negligence and Personal Injury Lawyer/ Law Firm of the Year. The annual Irish Law Awards aim to recognise excellence in Irelands legal profession and aim to identify, honour and publicise outstanding achievements, while also recognising those who have dedicated their lives to serving in the legal profession. Also read: Longford Solicitor Fiona Baxter honoured as Legal Luminary of the Year In attendance was Minister for Justice Jim OCallaghan who recognised the important role of legal practitioners. The prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, who also addressed attendees. The awards highlight the extraordinary achievements of individuals, firms, and teams who demonstrate outstanding dedication, skill, and leadership in the practice of law. This year saw a record number of entries, with over 550 applications. The title of Civil Lawyer of the Year recognises Ms Baxters and Baxter Mimnagh Solicitors significant contribution in the area of civil litigation and in particular medical negligence in the region. Also read: Olivia Mollaghan is Miss Longford representing her county in the 77th Miss Ireland Final The award follows Ms Baxter being honoured with the prestigious title of Legal Luminary of the Year at the esteemed Women of Vision Awards 2025 on May 23 last which celebrates the contributions of women who are making significant contributions in their respective fields. Approximately 45% of renters are in a tenancy arrangement with what the Government deems to be a small landlord. Rental reforms announced by Housing Minister James Browne on Tuesday draw a distinction between large and small landlords. Large landlords, defined as having four or more tenancies, will be banned from carrying out no-fault evictions for tenancies beginning from March 1 2026. A small landlord can end tenancies via a no fault eviction in limited circumstances, such as economic hardship or to move a family member in, but if they do that, they cannot reset the rent. All landlords can end a tenancy where there is a breach of tenant obligations or where the dwelling is no longer suited to the tenants. The cut-off point between a small and large decision is understood to have been a political decision around distinguishing accidental landlords with one or two properties from those engaged in business activity. The Department also said that all landlords will have the right to reset rent where the rent is below market at the end of each six-year tenancy, unless a no-fault eviction occurs. The new measures are designed to see a reduction in no-fault evictions. Figures released by the Department of Housing show that 25.09% of rental arrangements are with a landlord who has one tenancy alone. Some 12.19% of arrangements are with two-tenancy landlords, while 7.78% are with three-tenancy landlords. The data, which is from a point of time in the first quarter of the year, shows just over 45% of tenancies are with so-called small landlords. The figures are approximate as there are instances where a property is registered to more than one landlord. For example, there are 69,036 one-tenancy landlords associated with 60,368 tenancies in that category. There are 16,176 two-tenancy landlords for 29,330 homes, and 6,775 three-tenancy landlords associated with 18,719 properties. In the range of large landlords, there are 3,544 in the category of having four tenancies but this accounts for 13,161 tenancies, meaning some have been double counted. There are 2,235 five-tenancy landlords associated with 10,370 arrangements or 4.31% of the total. There are 4,199 landlords with between 6 and 10 tenancies accounting for 29,017 rental agreements (12.06%). There are 1,597 landlords with between 11 and 20 tenancies, associated with 8.54% of the total or 20,548 of the overall number of tenancies. There are 662 landlords with between 21 and 50 tenancies, associated with 18,334 rental arrangements (7.62%). There are 125 with between 51 and 100 tenancies, covering 8,132 homes or 3.38% of the total. Finally, 121 landlords have more than 101 tenancies making up 13.56% of the total (32,626 homes). Met Eireann has issued a series of warnings with Ireland set to be blitzed by thunderstorms in the next 24 hours. Met Eireann has issued three separate warnings for thunderstorms with a fifth issued by the UK Met Office for Northern Ireland. Each warning is alerting people to the risk of spot flooding, difficult driving conditions and possible lightning damage. Met Eireann says there is a risk of heavy showers with localised thunderstorms. Also read: Heartbreaking to say goodbye: Longford gym announces plans to close permanently A Status Yellow Thunderstorm warning for Cork and Waterford will be the first to come into effect tonight. It will be in place from 10pm tonight until 3am tomorrow morning. A Status Yellow Thunderstorm warning for Leinster, Tipperary and Waterford is valid from midnight until 2pm on Thursday. A Status Yellow Thunderstorm warning for Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo will be in place from 7am on Thursday until 5pm on Thursday. A Yellow Thunderstorm Warning for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry has been issued by UK Met Office Weather. That is valid from 6am on Thursday until 9pm on Thursday. PICTURES | An excellent weekend in Longford at the 41st annual Goldsmith Literary Festival Local News By Chris Boyle Published: June 11 2025 Your Next Chance to Become a 101st Airborne Paratrooper is Saturday, June 28, 2025! Coming off a successful May 3, 2025 debut flight, American Airpower Museum continues their popular C-47 D-Day Living History Flight Experience with three additional dates in 2025 to commemorate the End of World War II 80th Anniversary. AAMs mission is to educate the public about aviation history and in particular, the important role that military aviation has played in defense of the United States during WWII and beyond. Our flights are an excellent way to teach present day Americans what it was like to participate in an actual combat mission during WWII. AAM kicked off Summer 2025 with a successful Legends of Airpower Weekend, by flying its Warbirds in the Jones Beach Air Show. The museums C-47 D-Day Living History Flights, continues to honor the end of WWII with special flying events throughout the Summer and Fall. AAM is proud to celebrate its 25th Anniversary Year with three more C-47 Saturday dates during 2025, June 28th, September 6th and October 4th (rain date on Sunday). If youre a Long Islander who will fly on AAMs Douglas C-47 Skytrain Second Chance, youll be joined by our Living Historians for a breathtakingly realistic and unforgettable recreation of what U.S. Paratroopers experienced on D-Day. Four flights are set for each of the above dates, 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., and passengers should arrive 60 minutes before their flight. Seats are allocated a first come, first served basis and book up fast, so act now to reserve your flight. To book flights online, visit www.americanairpowermuseum.org and click on Flight Experience tab. Or call (516) 531-3950, (631) 454-2039, visit AAMs Cockpit USA gift shop Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Hangar 3, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale, NY 11735. AAMs Living History Flight Experience is a one-of-a-kind immersive educational program, where professional reenactors accompany you on our fully restored WWII C-47, providing a sense of what 82nd and 101st Airborne Division Paratroopers felt on their incredible 1,200-plane D-Day assault, when Allied forces stormed the coast of northern France. The crew are all licensed pilots, some in the reserves or ex-military, who have flown our C-47 and other restored AAM aircraft for years. Your commanding officer is famous WWII Living Historian Robert Scarabino, Director of the 101st Airborne Living History Group, who has led AAMs C-47 D-Day flights since 2003. With his 101st Airborne Living Historians, Honorary Captain Scarabino transports passengers back in time. Your flight experience as a WWII paratrooper includes: a mission briefing for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation which launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II; a chance to wear authentic military field jackets, helmets, and gear throughout the mission; the rare chance to take flight in an original WWII C-47, one of the last few true C-47s still in original military condition! The 506 PIR CO starts off with a briefing at Hangar 3, with charts and maps of the French coast. He lays out your objective, to destroy a Nazi German garrison and secure causeways leading to the beach. Before dismissing his paratroopers, he will issue them a tourniquet, a box of what was meant to be morphine, plus a reminder to take out a GI life insurance policy. Youve been training hard and fast for two years, Scarabino shouts to the room full of his soldiers. God bless you, and Ill see you in the assembly area. Once on board, Scarabinos paratroopers will experience the sights, smells and sounds as the C-47s mighty radial engines fire up and youre off into the blue! Youll watch the crew operate their C-47 as paratroopers get ready for battle. As they fly over Jones Beach, everyone lines up and gets ready to parachute down. They will relive the WWII experience right up to the very moment when each soldier hooks up their parachute to the above static line and gets ready to jump! Many participants reported they were sweating and hearts racing because it was so realistic! After about half an hour in the air, the C-47 lands at Republic and taxis back to Hangar 3. Once back in the hangar, passengers pull a card from their pockets to learn the actual paratroopers fate whose identity each had assumed. For most, this exciting flight experience is a teachable moment theyll never forget! The cost for each C-47 flight is $375. A flight experience entitles you to bring an additional person who can watch the flights take off and land, plus visit AAMs exhibits all day free of charge. Others may also wish to visit AAM on these three scheduled dates, just to watch each flight and tour the museum. In that case, admission for adults is $18, seniors and veterans is $15, and for children ages 3-12, $12. (No tickets or pre-registration is needed for regular admission.) This is a wonderful way to educate Americans about WWII and our Greatest Generation veterans. Youll support AAMs mission to honor veterans and military aviation history by helping to maintain and preserve their legacy, the museums iconic aircraft. Help Keep em Flying! Second Chance was transferred to the Royal Air Force in 1945 and flew in the Berlin Airlift (1948 - 1949) with the RAF, serving until 1950. The aircraft next served in the Belgian Air Force for two years. In 1952 she went to the French Air Force, serving two years in Vietnam, as well as India, Algeria, Morocco and the Congo. In 1967 she was sold to Israel and flew in the Israeli Defense Force 32 years. Offered for sale in 1999, she was renovated by Aero Services and acquired by the American Airpower Museum in 2001. Aside from AAMs C-47 Living History Flights, she also performs at regional air shows in classic WWII D-Day markings with the original D8 code. One of the last C-47s in stock military configuration, this aircraft has just over 18,000 hours in the air, one of the worlds lowest flight times ever. C-47s were nicknamed Gooney Birds by their pilots after the Albatross seabird, which has an impressive wingspan and is known for its endurance and ability to fly great distances! The American Airpower Museum is an aviation museum located on the landmarked former site of Republic Aviation at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, NY. The Museum maintains a collection of aviation artifacts and an array of operational aircraft spanning the many years of the aircraft factory's history. The Museum is a 501 (c) (3) Nonprofit Educational Foundation Chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. Crime By Chris Boyle Published: June 11 2025 Dengjin Chen, 44, is charged with Grand Larceny 3rd degree. The First Squad reports the details of a Grand Larceny/Elder Scam that occurred in North Merrick on Thursday May 22, 2025 and 4:17 p.m. and was reported to Police on Friday, May 23, 2025 at 3:35 p.m. According to Detectives, a 71-year-old female victim was text messaged by an unknown person stating that fraudulent activity had been detected on her Apple account. She then spoke to an unknown male on the phone claiming to be a Chase bank representative. He instructed her to withdraw $30,000 (USC) from her Chase Bank account. After returning home with the money, she was advised to meet a Chase Bank courier at the corner of Old Mill Road and Sandra Lane. The victim followed the instructions and handed over the $30,000 to an unknown male. After reporting the incident to Police, an investigation was conducted and Detectives located the suspect, Dengjin Chen, 44, at his 132-05 Avery Avenue, Flushing home. He was placed under arrest without further incident. The investigation is ongoing. Defendant Dengjin Chen is charged with Grand Larceny 3rd degree. He will be arraigned on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at First District Court, 99 Main Street, Hempstead. While in custody it was discovered that the suspect was involved in another Elder Scam, involving a larceny of $25,000 (USC), that occurred on June 4, 2025 in Wilton Connecticut. First Precinct Detectives contacted the Wilton Police Department and the defendant will also be charged there. Crime By Chris Boyle Published: June 11 2025 Gherson Lopez Faces 20 Years in Prison for 2023 Fatal Stabbing. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Gherson Lopez, 29, a Salvadorian national, pleaded guilty to Manslaughter in the First Degree for fatally stabbing 34-year-old Jose Argueta-Canales outside of a Copiague deli in May 2023. No legal outcome can bring back Mr. Argueta-Canales but now this defendant will be held accountable for his actions, said District Attorney Tierney. Our office remains committed to prosecuting violent crimes to the full extent of the law. According to the investigation, on May 15, 2023, Lopez and the victim were smoking outside of a Copiague deli when they got in a verbal altercation. The altercation turned physical, but the fight ended when Lopez complained that he hurt his hand during the scuffle. Lopez and the victim allegedly then shook hands, and the victim sat down on a bench near the deli and began eating. The two men exchanged words again as the victim was seated on the bench, when the defendant stood over the victim and stabbed him in the chest twice, causing his death. On June 11, 2025, Lopez pleaded guilty to Manslaughter in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, before Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro. Lopez faces 20 years in prison, followed by 5 years post-release supervision. Lopez is due back in court on August 13, 2025, and is being represented by Christopher Gioe, Esq. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Elena Tomaro of the Homicide Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Kenneth Buckheit of the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad. Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law. The dust has settled, and another WWDC keynote is over. And in some ways Im relieved, because the rumored cross-platform interface redesign turned out not to be quite as radical as some of us feared. But my feelings about Liquid Glass are complicated. Yes, it looks nice. No, in most cases (the Apple Watchs Workout app being the most obvious exception), Apple doesnt seem to have messed too much with the navigational structure and location of controls, so the updated operating systems shouldnt be too confusing to use. But, at the risk of sounding contrary, Im worried that the aesthetics arent weird enough, and that the pleasant looks are a sign that Apple has looked to the present rather than the future for its visual inspiration. Let me explain. The good kind of bad design It would be an understatement to say that the logo for the 2012 London Olympics, featuring the year in a stylized font, was controversial. At its 2007 unveiling, the design firms chairman overheard a journalist openly describing it as fking awful. Newspapers ran competitions to come up with something better. Almost 80 percent of respondents to a BBC poll gave it the lowest available rating: not gold, not silver, not even bronze, but wooden spoon. To anyone who looked at it, it was weird. Some people said the logo bore an unfortunate resemblance to two cartoon characters doing something rude. But the logos trick was that its lookjagged, angular, garishwas simply ahead of its time. The 2007 designers had consciously created something that would resonate in five years time. The London Olympics logo fit nicely with the aesthetic trends of 2012, and by the time the Olympics rolled around, the logo was viewed with fondness. Compare that to iOS 7, which even after this week remains undefeated as Apples most controversial operating system. Released in 2013, it struck unsuspecting iPhone owners as brash, gaudy, weirdly flat, and totally unfamiliar. Which was exactly what was needed in order to begin a new chapter in the iPhones story. iOS 7 looked weird in 2013, normal in 2015, and was still holding up (with a few tweaks) in 2025. Thats forward-looking design, the sort of radical leap forward that enables you to be consistent for long periods the rest of the time. Now theres iOS 26, which looks pleasant and inoffensive right now. Its nice, but its a 2025 (or earlier) aesthetic: all transparency effects and shiny specular highlights. You dont need to project yourself into an imagined future for it to make sense. One of my colleagues said it was reminiscent of the Sky Glass rebrand from 2021. Another argued that the mimicry of physical materials harks back to the skeuomorphic conventions that existed before iOS 7 came along. The point is that by adopting a glasslike aesthetic, Apple isnt leading the design conversation, its simply giving users what theyre already used to. Glassmorphism is a popular UI style at the moment, but it was identified as a trend as early as 2020. This is fine for the time being, but suggests that Liquid Glass might start to appear dated far sooner than iOS 7s 12-year lifespan. And software interfaces are not like ads and other marketing materials. You want to change them as rarely as possible. The three measures of success To my mind, there are three criteria for success when it comes to a software interface: in descending order of importance, these are practicality, familiarity, and attractiveness. Liquid Glass does well on the last count, I would say, even if the attraction is short-lived. But there are question marks over the other two. As I said at the start of this article, iOS 26 and the other new operating systems announced at WWDC 2025 are a lot less unfamiliar than I feared they would be. They obviously look different from their predecessors, but the differences are mostly cosmetic rather than fundamental. Take away the Liquid Glass effect, and the structure beneath is largely the same. You wont have to retrain your muscle memory very much. Youll just have to get used to some new effects. iOS 26 will be unfamiliar to many iPhone users who download it in September, but not in ways that will be difficult to deal with. Practicality is an even bigger worry. The glassmorphic effects that look so smart in Apples marketing videos are proving distracting and faintly ridiculous in the real world, with numerous beta testers posting mocking screenshots and videos to social media. Notification Center is impossibly busy with glass layers over glass layers, all competing for your attention: its the opposite of focus. And all these animations and visual effects are making demands on your processor and battery that seem completely unnecessary. Had Apple created something a bit weirder, maybe people would have embraced it, but even in the best situations, Liquid Glass doesnt seem to be worth the potential problems it brings. Its (extremely) early days, of course, and many of the less user-friendly aspects of iOS 26 and its siblings on the Mac, Apple Watch, and so on will be ironed out before public launch. By the time the 26.1 updates come out in late October or thereabouts, the interfaces should be buttery smooth and largely free from flaws. Well also have had time to get used to them, and the moderately unfamiliar should have become thoroughly familiar. Life will be easier. But I suspect that, in time, Apple may regret that its broadest software design update ever was not a little more daring and, well, weirder. Foundry Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but its cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too. WWDC 2025 special 10 WWDC features you need to know (but probably missed). Apple needed to fix one thing at WWDC25 and it didnt. iOS 26 makes massive changes to your iPhones home screen and major apps. macOS 26 Tahoe: The 5 best features coming to your Mac this fall. iPadOS 26 is seriously making Roman Loyola think about dumping his MacBook Air. Your Apple Watch just got a lot smarter with watchOS 26. Trending: Top stories Stop! Dont buy a new iPhone until youve read this. Alex Blake spent $35 to save his iPhone from wilting in the summer heat. You thought the Mac mini was small, wait till you see the Pico Mac Nano. Reviews corner Bitwarden review: A free and easy password manager . . Internxt review: Fast and easy-to-use cloud backup . . SwifDoo PDF for Mac review: Basic PDF editor with limited functionality. TikTok carousel The rumor mill iPhone 17 Pro Max video shows off brand-new beautiful design. The upcoming A20 chips killer feature could be better battery life. iOS 26 code hints at the imminent release of 2nd-gen AirTag. Leaked Apple charger points to incredibly fast iPhone 17 MagSafe charging. Its not just you: The iOS 18.5 Mail app is having a problem delivering mail. And with that, were done for this weeks Apple Breakfast. If youd like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters, including our new email from The Macalopean irreverent, humorous take on the latest news and rumors from a half-man, half-mythical Mac beast. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, or X for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley. 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. UPDATE: Investigation clears Boston official of allegations by fired City Hall staffer City Hall administrators are pushing back against members of the Boston City Council, saying human resources information the councilors requested is beyond their legal purview. After Councilors Erin Murphy and Ed Flynn filed an emergency resolution ahead of Wednesdays Council meeting calling for a third-party investigation into the firing of two city hall staffers, Chief People Officer Alex Lawrence sent a letter to the council reminding them that the governing body cannot participate in individual personnel matters, which are outside the scope of the City Councils legislative authority and constitute an impermissible intrusion into staffing decisions. We cannot comment further on a personnel matter, but urge the council to refrain from further actions that, in addition to exceeding the councils authority, might interfere with a fair and expeditious review for all involved, Lawrence wrote. Murphy and Flynn filed the resolution Wednesday morning after Marwa Khudaynazar and Chulan Huang were terminated last month following an internal review. Khudaynazar was chief of staff for Bostons Office of Police Accountability, and Huang was neighborhood business manager for the citys Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion. Khudaynazar and Huang, who dated for about a year, were arrested on domestic violence charges stemming from an incident at Huangs apartment on May 15. During the incident, which became physical between the two at times, Huang told police that Khudaynazar had gone on a date with his boss and booked a hotel to spite him, according to police reports. Khudaynazar also pushed a responding officer and after they were handcuffed, Huang said, We both work for the city, this is unnecessary, according to police. Khudaynazar has since claimed she was fired in retaliation because she rejected inappropriate advances from Huangs boss, Segun Idowu, chief of economic opportunity and inclusion, who invited her to meet her at a hotel. She told the Boston Globe that on the night of her arrest, she bumped into Idowu at a bar, drove him to the hotel, and dropped him off, but did not go to the room. She then drove to Huangs apartment to tell him about the interaction, which sparked the argument. Flynn called for Idowus resignation in the days after Khydaynazars and Huangs terminations. An internal review conducted by the citys Human Resources department, which included interviews with Khudaynazar, Huang and other involved employees, found no wrongdoing on Idowus part, according to Lawrence. The City had not received any allegations of misconduct or harassment from any parties through the internal review process prior to the media reports, Lawrence wrote. Mayor Michelle Wu told reporters at an unrelated event Tuesday that she was aware of the allegations, but like Lawrence, said they had not come up during the investigation. Any time the city of Boston receives any kind of allegation or report or suggestion that there has been improper behavior by a city employee, we conduct a review, she said. Lawrences letter also addressed another item on Wednesdays City Council agenda, another resolution filed by Murphy and Flynn to provide work-from-home accommodations to an employee of the Inspectional Services Department undergoing cancer treatment. According to the resolution, the employee has been working in-person on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, and remotely the rest of the week, but has now been asked to work fully in-person on Mondays and Fridays, despite no evidence of performance issues and without consideration of her medical accommodations. Lawrence wrote in the letter to the council that this issue, too, was outside the bodys purview, as it involves personal medical information and is subject to city review. In addition, the employee is represented by a union contract, which is explicitly beyond the jurisdiction of the council, as noted in the Charter. The City Council is expected to hold its regular weekly meeting at 12 p.m. on Wednesday. Mayoral candidate Josh Kraft speaks during a visit to the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments in Jamaica Plain. Will Katcher/MassLive This story was updated at 9 a.m. Thursday, June 12 to include a statement from the Wu campaign. Mayoral candidate Josh Kraft criticized the Boston Housing Authoritys handling of maintenance issues at its public housing properties during a press conference Wednesday. Kraft called out a February report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in which inspectors found numerous issues throughout Housing Authority properties. During an appearance at the Authoritys Mildred C. Hailey development in Jamaica Plain Wednesday morning, Kraft, the former head of the Boys and Girls Club of Boston and the son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, called the report heartbreaking. What is safe or healthy about broken or missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors? About electrical hazards or blocked exits? he said. What is dignified about seniors and disabled residents having to climb seven flights of stairs because the elevators in their building do not work? HUD auditors inspected a sample of 36 units across the BHA system and found 113 deficiencies, of which 37 had been present at the time of HUDs last inspection and 18 were categorized as life-threatening. In addition, a survey of 24 BHA buildings found 105 deficiencies in common areas, exteriors, mechanical systems and sites, of which 18 had been present at the last inspection and 31 were life-threatening. The report also found that the BHA had largely failed to respond to maintenance issues in a timely manner, due in large part to a lack of staffing and of oversight of its own inspections, along with a backlog of work orders. In a written response to HUDs findings included in the report, BHA Administrator Kenzie Bok acknowledged that there are opportunities for operational improvements and additional quality control and said the Authority was already working to establish new protocols to address those improvements. Bok explained that because HUD relaxed its inspection requirements for public housing authorities in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when the BHA resumed inspections, it had a major backlog of both work orders and outstanding unit inspections to address. At the same time, according to the report, staffing shortages and COVID infections meant the Authority did not have the resources available to conduct inspections and repairs. Although the agency hired a contractor to help with the inspections, the contractor also experienced delays due to COVID infections among its staff and ultimately withdrew from the contract. The Mildred C. Hailey Apartments, a Boston Housing Authority property in Jamaica Plain. Will Katcher/MassLive On Wednesday, Kraft said he thinks Mayor Michelle Wu cares about issues at BHA housing, but said he questioned if she had the management skills to fix them. Ive seen up close what housing instability does to a family. Youre living in a suitcase. Kids get pulled out of schools, he said. Its not only undignified, its heartbreaking, and it should never be allowed to happen in a city like Boston. Multiple BHA properties are currently undergoing significant redevelopment or modernization projects, including its two largest properties, the Mary Ellen McCormack and Charlestown developments. Like other public housing authorities, the BHA gets a significant amount of funds from the federal government. However, as the Trump administration slashes funding across the country, public housing has experienced reductions. Last month, the BHA began sending out letters to landlords of tenants with Section 8 housing vouchers which are administered by the housing authority asking them not to raise rents for the next year, citing cuts to the housing assistance program, according to the Boston Globe. On Wednesday, Kraft acknowledged that the BHA has limited funds to cover the extensive upgrades its properties need. However, he said the city should better prioritize its own money to cover some of those costs, giving the multimillion dollar White Stadium redevelopment as an example of something that Boston is putting too many resources toward. There are definitely some places we would need to look and look hard and find savings, he said. But I do know this: I managed multimillion dollar budgets as CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, and when pressed, you can always find savings. A spokesperson for the Wu campaign denounced Krafts statements, calling them misleading. Mayor Wu has invested more city dollars directly into public housing than any Mayor of Boston in history, the spokesperson wrote in an email. The city capital budget includes hundreds of millions of dollars for BHA maintenance, retrofits, and redevelopments. The campaign listed several investments currently underway at BHA properties, including $60 million at Mildred Hailey, where Kraft visited Wednesday. This summer, the development will receive a new community center, youth center, play area and splash pad, along with hundreds of new housing units. In addition, the city has invested in the modernization of 10 elevators at the Ruth Barkley Apartments in the South End, and since the HUD audit was conducted, the BHA has overhauled its maintenance system and cut open work orders by more than 90%, according to the campaign. All of the maintenance issues named in the report have been addressed. In HUD inspections so far this year, BHA-owned properties are averaging a score of 95 out of 100, the campaign spokesperson wrote. Josh Kraft cant be bothered to learn about the hard work of the people who already show up to serve Bostons public housing communities every day; he shouldnt be trusted to lead them. A scene from "Four Mothers," the opening-night film for the 38th Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival. Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival HARTFORD A lot has changed in the Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festivals 38-year history. The festival began in 1987, the year homosexuality was no longer considered a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. It wasnt until three years later, in 1990, that the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases. Massachusetts was the first state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage, on May 17, 2004. The festival was already 17 years old. Now in its 38th year, festival director Shane Engstrom says a lot has changed for the event. I remember when I first started, we would go to the post office weekly to pick up VHS tapes that had been mailed to us, said Engstrom, who has been involved with the festival since 2000 and has served as its director since 2008. We used to sit in the same room and watch movies on the TV as a group, but now we get so many submissions that we cant possibly watch it all together, so we have to divide and conquer, he said. Engstrom and fellow board members Wendy Peek, David Kirk, Peter Michelsen and Jaime Ortega, together with a 35-person committee, had the monumental task this year of screening more than 700 films. Ninety-ones were ultimately chosen for this years festival, which begins its eight-day run June 20. The event comes as President Trump targets the LGBTQ community. A scene from "Lesbian Space Princess," to be screened this month at the 38th Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival. Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival This administration is trying to take voices away from the LGBTQ community, and our festival is a way to let people hear those voices and to provide a safe space for the community to come together, Engstrom said. The festival opens June 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Cinestudio on the campus of Trinity College in Hartford. The short film Die Bully Die will precede a screening of Four Mothers by director Darren Thornton. The film follows Edward, a shy gay man who is left to care for his elderly mother and his friends mothers after his friends take off for a Pride weekend getaway. Following the screening, one of the films writers flying into Hartford from Dublin, Ireland will host a question-and-answer session with the audience. An afterparty to celebrate the launch of the 2025 festival will follow. The following days will feature films that range from romantic comedies like Sauna on June 21, documentaries like Row of Life on June 22 and animated features like Lesbian Space Princess on June 27. Each full-length film will be accompanied by a short. Mancrush Monday, a gay shorts program, will be offered on June 23 at 7:30 p.m. (available virtually from June 24-July 6). Ill Have What Shes Having, a lesbian shorts program, will be held on June 24 at 7:30 p.m. (available virtually from June 25-July 6). The centerpiece film, which comes midway through the festival on June 25, is a timely snapshot of the fight for transgender rights. Heightened Scrutiny is told through the eyes of Chase Strangio, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union and the first openly transgender person to argue before the Supreme Court. He is fighting in court to overturn Tennessees ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. A scene from the documentary "Heightened Scrutiny," to be screened this month at the 38th Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival. Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case later this month, making its screening at the festival especially timely. Its a great opportunity for people who dont know a lot about transgender struggles with the courts (to learn more), Engstrom said. Heightened Scrutiny will be screened in-person at Cinestudio starting at 7:30 p.m. and will be available to watch virtually from June 26-July 6. A centerpiece reception will precede the film at 6:30 p.m. attendance is free with tickets to the film. Bridgeport connections A scene from the documentary "A Culinary Uprising - The Story of Bloodroot," to be screened this month at the 38th Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival. Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival One documentary on the roster this year, A Culinary Uprising - The Story of Bloodroot, chronicles a Bridgeport business, Bloodroot, one of the longest-running feminist restaurants and bookstores in the U.S. Bloodroot was founded in 1977 by Selma Miriam and Noel Furie. More than 46 years later, it still operates several days a week. The film follows the two women and their working partnership over the years as they navigate homophobia, sexism and a changing society. To this day, Bloodroot describes itself as a feminist restaurant & bookstore with a seasonal vegetarian menu on its website. The venue, at 85 Ferris St., serves dinner Wednesday through Saturday, as well as lunch on Saturday. But there has been a change in management, including the death this year of one of its founders, Selma Miriam. A post on the @culinaryuprising Instagram page reported Miriams death on Feb. 6, 2025. Dozens of tributes poured in, including one from Emmy-nominated Chef Plum, which read: What this woman did for women in the hospitality industry, her lessons for anyone in the industry, should never be forgotten, I will never forget her kindness and warmth. A Culinary Uprising will be screened at Cinestudio on Sunday, June 22 at 4 p.m., followed by a free reception. The film festival closes on June 28 at the Connecticut Science Center with Perfect Endings, a Portuguese romantic comedy directed by Daniel Ribeiro. The film follows Joao, an aspiring filmmaker who tries to break into the industry but ends up directing amateur erotic films instead. The full-length film will be preceded by the short film The Exchange, starting at 7 p.m. A closing night party will follow the screening attendance is free with tickets to the show. Single-show tickets and festival passes can be purchased online. An all-access Festipass, priced at $125 for individuals and $200 for a two-person household, includes access to all the festivals screenings (both virtual and in-person) as well as opening and closing night shows. A five-show pass, which can be used to attend any five screenings excluding the opening and closing night shows, can be purchased for $50 for individuals and $90 for a two-person household. Single-day passes are $13 general admission, $11 seniors, $30 for opening/closing show tickets (including afterparties) and $25 for opening/closing show senior tickets (including afterparties). Students are admitted free to any showings with a valid student ID. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the festivals website. Eight Massachusetts residents have been charged as part of an ongoing investigation into Massachusetts-based theft of U.S. Treasury tax refunds, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorneys Office announced Friday. The defendants are facing theft of government funds charges in connection with stealing a total of more than $8.8 million in taxpayer dollars in 2023 and 2024, the U.S. Attorneys office said in a press release. The defendants are accused of stealing between $150,000 and over $2.5 million. Each one is accused of altering a U.S. Treasury tax refund check or credit that was due to a taxpayer to make it payable to shell companies within their control, the U.S. Attorneys office said. They then deposited the check or credit in bank accounts around Greater Boston. The defendants include: Framingham resident Gurprit Singh, 34, who is charged with stealing $2,547,508. Leominster resident Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, who is charged with stealing $1,355,863. Framingham resident Domingo Villari, 49, who is charged with stealing $1,288,575. Quincy resident Eric Banks, 70, who is charged with stealing $1,173,482. Brockton resident Gino Rosario Tyler Alexander Allegra, 31, who is charged with stealing $861,646. Woburn resident Nnamdi Opara, 30, who is charged with stealing $700,767. Framingham resident Amarpreet Singh, 33, who is charged with stealing $536,214. Boston resident Lonnie Smith-Matthews, 33, who is charged with stealing $150,000, as well as bank fraud in the amount of $232,588. 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, Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in the release. 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. It is unclear whether the defendants have any kind of relationship with one another or whether they were part of an organized effort to steal tax refunds. The U.S. Attorneys office also did not say whether or not more defendants are expected to be charged in connection with the ongoing investigation. Banks, El-Ghoul, Gurprit Singh, Opara, Smith-Matthews and Villari were arraigned in federal court in Boston on Friday, the U.S. Attorneys office said. Allegra and Amarpreet Singh were still at-large as of Friday. The charge of theft of government funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. A Silver Airways turboprop is seen at a gate at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP) AP Silver Airways a regional carrier servicing destinations in Florida and the Caribbean announced Wednesday that it was ceasing its operations effective immediately, telling passengers Please do not go to the airport. Silver flew to five airports in Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Pensacola, as well as 11 in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Saint Martin, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, according to its website. In a travel advisory posted to its website and social media, the company said, We regret to inform you that we are ceasing operations as of today, June 11. In an attempt to restructure in bankruptcy, Silver entered into a transaction to sell its assets to another airline holding company, who unfortunately has determined to not continue Silvers flight operations in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, Silver added. Silver said all flights purchased with a credit card will be refunded through a passengers credit card company or travel agency. The bankruptcy announcement leaves passengers expecting to travel soon stranded and having to find alternative flights on short notice or cancel their travel plans. Read More: American Airlines to bring back flights between Worcester and Philadelphia The Associated Press reported that Silvers fleet and workforce had been reduced in the lead-up to the bankruptcy announcement. Most remaining employees will also lose their jobs the AP reported, citing an email to employees from the company CEO. However, a Silver subsidiary called Seaborne Airlines will continue its operations in the Caribbean, according to the AP. Read More: Breeze Airways adds new flights from Bradley to NC Silver began operations 14 years ago in 2011 and once served up to 28 destinations, the AP noted. A Boston man was charged in connection with a brick used to fracture another mans skull outside an ice cream shop in Revere last month, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Haydens office said. Leonard Lomax, 33, was charged with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (brick), and malicious destruction of property exceeding $1,200. Along with a criminal case out of Boston Municipal Court Central, Lomax has a criminal history going back to 2009, Haydens office said in a statement. He was released on personal recognizance, the statement read. Judge Kimberly Foster denied the prosecutors request that Lomax be held for a dangerousness hearing and revoke his bail. The facts here lay out a vicious attack that left the victim with serious external and internal injuries, Hayden said in his statement. Our request for a dangerousness hearing and bail revocation was entirely justified given the sheer violence underlying these allegations. At around 3:34 am on May 4, two men Lomax and Jeffrey Satterwhite, 35 were seen kicking a vehicle outside a Twist N Shake at 82 Revere Beach Boulevard, according to camera footage reviewed by investigators. As they damaged the car, the owner, 33, called 911 before Lomax approached him, Haydens office said. The man stepped back after he saw a brick in Lomaxs hand, pleading that he drop the brick. Satterwhite was seen driving away, parking a car and then walking up to the man before he struck him with an object believed to be a rock, Haydens office said. After the man fell, Satterwhite struck him with the object three more times before Lomax ran up to the man on the ground and struck him with the brick. The man had orbital fractures, a skull fracture and a brain bleed, the statement read. He was treated at Mass General Hospital. The man later identified both Lomax and Satterwhite from a photo array, Haydens office said. Lomax is expected to appear in court again on July 23. A Brockton man pleaded guilty to bribing road test takers to issue drivers licenses to people who did not pass their tests, United States Attorney Leah Foleys office said. Carlos Cardoso, 71, pleaded guilty to one count of honest services mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud. The owner of a driving school, Cardoso paid cash bribes as high as $20,000 to road test examiners at the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Brockton, Foleys office said in a statement. This was to show that people who failed their tests had passed and eventually received their drivers licenses. Some applicants did not appear in person to take their tests, the statement read. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled Cardosos sentencing for Sept. 11. The charge of honest services mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The "Seahorse" is a fishing boat that was supposed to dock two days ago and was last seen in Cape Cod Bay. The U.S. Coast Guard said it was searching for it on Tuesday. U.S. Coast Guard The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a fishing boat that was last seen in Cape Cod Bay and is two days overdue to dock. The missing boat, called the Seahorse, was known to be fishing in near the Target Shipwreck off the coast of Eastham, the Coast Guard said in a Tuesday Facebook post. A cell phone ping last indicated it was two miles offshore of Chatham. The Seahorse is white, 30 feet long, has a mermaid painted on its bow and SEAHORSE painted on its stern in rough lettering, the Coast Guard said. The fishing boats captain is named Shawn Arsenault. Anyone with information about the missing boat is asked to call the Coast Guards Southeastern New England command center at (866) 819-9128. A former bouncer who worked at Cask n Flagon in Boston was found guilty of raping a woman inside a mens bathroom in 2022, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Haydens office said Wednesday. In Suffolk County Superior Court, Michael Campbell, 32, of Dorchester, was found guilty of rape and indecent assault and battery, Haydens office said in a statement. Jury deliberations begin on Monday. Campbells sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on June 23. These types of cases are always difficult, particularly for the victims who must relive traumatic experiences in order to give jurors a full account of what happened to them, Hayden said in the statement. The victim in this case showed great courage and composure on the stand and I thank her, the jurors and everyone who worked on this case for the verdict returned today. At around 1:51 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2022, a woman knocked on the door of Cask n Flagon, where she asked to use the bathroom, the statement read. Though the bar was closed, Campbell allowed her inside while bar staff were actively closing the restaurant. Campbell walked her to the mens bathroom, Haydens office said. She was unsteady on her feet, swaying and focusing on her phone, the statement continued. As President Donald Trump has deployed the National Guard and the United States Marines to Los Angeles in the wake of violent protests over federal immigration raids, Americans have soured on the presidents response as Angelenos continue to take to the streets. Forty-five percent of adults disapprove of Trump deploying the California National Guard, while 38% approve, according to a YouGov poll released on Tuesday. The poll also shows that 17% of Americans are not sure about the deployment. Another YouGov poll released Tuesday showed that more Americans disapprove than approve of the Pentagon sending the Marines to Los Angeles, with 47% disapproving and 34% approving. There are 19% about 1 in 5 who are unsure. Conducted on June 10, the YouGov poll surveyed 4,309 U.S. adults. Since protests began on Friday, June 6, Trump has repeatedly defended his actions. On Monday, he took to Truth Social to suggest that Los Angeles would be completely obliterated if he did not send in the National Guard. If I didnt SEND IN THE TROOPS to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now, much like 25,000 houses burned to the ground in L.A. due to an incompetent Governor and Mayor, Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday. Gov. Gavin Newsom did not approve or consent to Trumps deployment of the National Guard and has attacked the presidents actions since last week. When Trump and White House border czar Tom Homan floated the idea that Newsom should be arrested for not approving, Newsom dared them to arrest him. Among several elected Republican lawmakers who have criticized Newsom and the developments out of Los Angeles, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the governor should not be arrested. But he offered an outdated alternative. Im not going to give you legal analysis on whether Gavin Newsom should be arrested but he ought to be tarred and feathered, Ill say that, Johnson told reporters. Newsom saw this and replied in an X post. Good to know were skipping the arrest and going straight for the 1700s style forms of punishment, the governor wrote Tuesday. As of Wednesday morning, Trump ordered the deployment of over 4,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Pentagon also deployed 700 U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton, with a military convoy heading from Twentynine Palms toward the City of Angels. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ordered an 8 p.m. to 6 p.m. curfew on Tuesday, but 25 people were arrested in connection with violating the curfew, the Times reported. In Norfolk Superior Court, a Stoughton man was sentenced to prison on Tuesday for killing a couple while drunkenly driving in Stoughton in 2021, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrisseys office said. Judge Mark Hallal sentenced Raffaele Frontino, 65, to three years in prison, followed by a two-and-a-half-year sentence in the House of Correction with 18 months to serve, followed by probation, Morrisseys office said in a statement. Frontinos probation includes not drinking alcohol and using a remote breathing device, not driving a car, taking an alcohol abuse evaluation and performing 25 hours of community service at a head injury clinic, Morrisseys office said. Frontino was found guilty on May 21 of two counts of motor vehicle homicide while driving negligently and under the influence of alcohol in the deaths of Stoughton residents Alfredo and Aldina Pedro, 50 and 51, respectively, Morrisseys office said last month. On June 28, 2021, Alfredo Pedro drove his motorcycle with his wife as a passenger when a car driven by Frontino crossed into the oncoming traffic lane and struck them head-on, Morrisseys office said. The couple was pronounced dead at the scene near 1317 Washington St. in Stoughton. Frontino took a blood-alcohol level test two hours after the crash, the district attorneys office said. At that time, the alcohol content of his blood was still 0.125% well above the legal driving limit of 0.08%. Additionally, during his four-day trial, witnesses testified that they saw Frontinos car driving erratically prior to the crash, Morrisseys office said. Their testimony was corroborated by security camera footage from the scene and from nearby. If youre a member of the Bay States political and chattering class, and you needed a reminder that Massachusetts is officially in the thick of a gubernatorial campaign season, then you didnt have to look much further than your email inbox on Monday. There, you would have found dueling press releases from Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve, the two former Baker administration officials vying for the GOP nomination for the Corner Office in 2026. The target, inevitably, was Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, whod signed onto a statement with her fellow Democratic governors criticizing the Trump administrations decision to federalize National Guard forces in response to immigration protests in Los Angeles. The statement, issued through the Democratic Governors Association, took the Republican White House to task for its unusual decision to sidestep Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom when it called in the National Guard which 700 U.S. Marines have since supplemented. The White Houses end-run was an alarming abuse of power. Governors are the commanders-in-chief of their National Guard, and activating them within their own borders without consulting or working with a states governor is ineffective and dangerous, the DGAs statement asserted. Kennealy, who served as Bakers housing and economic development czar, was first out of the gate at little after 4 p.m., arguing that, by opposing the federal response, the Democratic incumbent was legitimizing criminal behavior under the guise of protest. Shortsleeve, who ran the MBTA under Baker, followed up around 6:30 p.m. He got in a similar shot, condemning Healey for appearing to side with rioting protesters waving foreign flags who were violently attacking American law enforcement officers. Shortsleeve also slammed Healey for her management of the states hugely expensive migrant crisis and, by implication, her criticism of the aggressive tactics of federal immigration agents as theyve rounded up undocumented people across the state. If cooperation between the federal and state governments is what she wants, you wouldnt know it by her refusal to work in an orderly way to ensure criminal illegal immigrants in our state were delivered to federal law enforcement for deportation instead of released onto our streets, Shortsleeve said. Kennealy, who didnt explicitly mention the migrant crisis, but who has been publicly critical, observed that when the federal government offers help to restore order and protect citizens, we take it because doing the right thing for our people should always come before scoring partisan points. Taken together, the broadsides from the two Republican hopefuls were a reminder that the migrant crisis, which has subsided in its intensity, remains a potent line of attack, and that the Democratic incumbent remains vulnerable on the issue. More than half of respondents (52%) to a UMass Amherst/WCVB-TV poll in February, for instance, said they disapproved of the Arlington Democrats management of the shelter crisis. Their mood was reflective of national trends. A broader UMass poll in April found Americans to be of two minds on the issue, supporting a path to citizenship, even as they supported the White Houses moves against migrants with criminal records. A CBS News poll completed before Saturdays unrest in Los Angeles, however, provided a reminder that public patience for the White Houses tactics extends only so far. Thats because support for enforcement against non-criminals drops off precipitously, the poll found. While 55% of respondents approved of Trumps deportation goals, only 44% approved of his approach to the deportation effort. Healey, in public appearances, repeatedly has drawn that line. Shes stressed that she supports taking criminals off the streets, even as shes decried the apparent shroud of secrecy thats enveloped the apprehension of such noncriminal migrants as Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk and Milford High School student-athlete Marcelo Gomes da Silva. This is part of the problem that were seeing with ICE across the country. And certainly here in Massachusetts, people are being picked up. We have no information about their circumstances, Healey said after an unrelated news conference at the State House last month. There have been real questions raised about due process and whether or not ICE and immigration officials are ... complying with due process here and in other states. And we need answers. Its not clear, however, if the Massachusetts voters were grasping the subtlety of that policy fine line. An internal poll by Kennealys campaign pointed to a similar vulnerability for Healey on immigration issues, The Boston Herald reported last month. And 49% of respondents to a University of New Hampshire poll last week said they approved of her job performance, compared to 45% who said they disapproved. With the polls 3.3% margin of error, thats a statistical dead heat. Even still, Healeys loyalists pounced on the UNH canvass, dismissing it as an outlier, as they pointed to other public polling that showed her more broadly popular overall. Governor Healey is going to earn reelection because she understands Massachusetts people need someone whos going to fight to lower costs for them, going to fight to increase housing opportunities for them, going to fight back against Donald Trump, state Democratic Party Chairperson Steve Kerrigan said during an interview on WBZ-TVs Keller @ Large program that aired last weekend. And frankly, neither Mike Kennealy nor Brian Shortsleeve are willing to do any of that. The lingering question is what happens if Massachusetts, which already has been targeted by the White House, finds itself facing a Los Angeles-style protest that results in Trump doing a gubernatorial end-run by federalizing the state National Guard or, at its extreme end, dispatching U.S. troops to Boston or some other city. If elected, would Kennealy or Shortsleeve acquiesce in the face of such an action? Or would they protest a usurpation of their executive authority? At that point, the question moves from political to practical. Healey staked out her territory with that DGA statement. The responses from Shortsleeve and Kennealy would speak volumes about how they intend to lead during what presumably would be the final two years of Trumps term. Thats something that Massachusetts voters would have to decide for themselves. Which makes their answers bear watching. DETROIT, MI - MAY 14: Boston Red Sox RP Justin Slaten (63) pitches in relief during the game between Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers on May 14, 2025 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI (Photo by Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images BOSTON It had been the Red Sox hope that reliever Justin Slaten would only miss a short period of time when he was first placed on the IL earlier this month. But nearly two weeks later, Slaten (right shoulder inflammation) hasnt made much progress and appears nowhere close to returning to the mound. He remains shut down from throwing. Its slower than we expected, said Alex Cora. Lets put it that way. He hasnt thrown. He hasnt reacted to treatment the way we expected. Were in the slow process now. Slaten was being counted on as a high-leverage option while occasionally handling closing duties when Aroldis Chapman wasnt available. Its a big (loss), said Cora. You start looking at what weve been doing bullpen-wise in the last month, weve been throwing the ball great. Its great usage now and some guys are feeling it (without Slaten). Obviously, its a big loss, just like last year when we lost him, and Chris (Martin). Hopefully, its just something that we can figure out in the upcoming days and get him going. But right now, it doesnt seem like its going to be soon (that hes available). Other Red Sox injury updates: *Tanner Houck (flexor pronator strain) threw a bullpen Tuesday and is expected to throw another later this weekend. *Nick Burdi (foot contusion) also threw a bullpen for the Sox on Tuesday afternoon. He could go on a rehab assignment when the Red Sox leave for a nine-game West Coast swing. *Wilyer Abreu (left oblique strain) may start swinging a bat Friday. If that happens, Cora added, Abreu would be back relatively quickly. *Liam Hendriks (right hip inflammation) has yet to resume throwing and is just undergoing treatment. Theres currently no timetable for his return. Calling all Disney adults, park lovers, and Starbucks tumbler collectors: this might be the collab of the year. Just in time for the summer celebration, Disneyland has released a brand-new limited edition Starbucks Travel Tumbler with Straw to honor its 70th anniversary, and its nothing short of magical. Mickey Mouse Starbucks Travel Tumbler with Straw Disneyland 70th Anniversary $49.99 This limited-edition Disney Starbucks Tumbler is available at the Disney Store official website, but only while supplies last. Buy Now at Disney Store The iconic new tumbler is now available for $49.99 exclusively at Disneystore.com, but fans are already rushing to grab it, and with a limit of two per customer, you know it wont stay in stock for long. Everything about this tumbler screams collectors item, from the bold pink Mickey ears lid to the shimmering galaxy-inspired black body and the bright retro Disneyland 70 graphic on the front. Its the perfect mix of nostalgia, park magic, and Starbucks aesthetic. Key features of the tumbler include:: This isnt just built for display - the Starbucks x Disney Tumbler is built to use. Its tall, durable, and designed to keep your drinks cold while youre strolling through the park, commuting to work, or sipping iced matcha at the beach. The Disneyland 70th Anniversary Starbucks Tumbler is only available at Disneystore.com. So, if you want to snag one before its sold out, head to the official Disney Store website now. Demonstrators gather at the 1550 Main St. in April to rally against the latest significant changes in benefits made from the Trump administration. (Sophie Markham/ Special to The Republican, File) The Republican SPRINGFIELD A number of Western Massachusetts groups will join the national No Kings Day of Defiance with a rally Saturday outside the U.S. District Court building. The rally is expected to run from 12 to 2 p.m. in front of 300 State St. Naisha Rodriguez was arraigned at Chicopee District Court on Wednesday morning for operating under the influence and other charges. Rodriguez averted her face from the medias cameras during the proceeding. She was represented by defense attorney Daniel Bergin. (Douglas Hook / The Republican) Douglas Hook CHICOPEE The woman who police say crashed into a Massachusetts state trooper early Tuesday morning, seriously injuring him, was arraigned in Chicopee District Court today. Naisha Rodriguez, 32, of Springfield, was arrested hours after the crash, which occurred when the trooper had pulled over a tractor trailer for a traffic violation on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Chicopee around 2:20 a.m. After driving into the trooper, she fled the scene, according to police. Milford high school student Marcelo Gomes Da Silva speaks to reporters after being released from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Burlington. Trea Lavery/MassLive An interview with Milford teenager Marcelo Gomes da Silva, recently released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, is casting doubt on several statements ICE made about the arrest. ICE had claimed Gomes da Silva was not the target of the arrest, and that ICE agents were after his father, Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira. But Gomes da Silva said in an interview published by NBC News on Wednesday that ICE agents never asked him about his father or his family when he was arrested. He added that ICE agents knew his name, that he was 18 and that he was heading to school. He (the ICE agent) said I was an illegal immigrant and put me in the car. I was in complete shock, Gomes da Silva said in the interview. I didnt cry, I wasnt angry or anything. I didnt understand what was happening, I didnt understand what I did wrong. I was clueless. Gomes da Silva made local and national headlines after ICE agents arrested him on May 31. The 18-year-old was driving in a car with members of his volleyball team when ICE agents pulled him over and made the arrest. For six days, he was detained at an ICE field office in Burlington. On June 5, an immigration judge ordered Gomes da Silva be granted bond, and he was subsequently released from custody. Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, said during a press conference in Boston on June 2 that ICE agents stopped the car Gomes da Silva was in because it was his fathers car. We were looking for his father obviously, hes the father of the year, because he brought his son up here illegally as well," Lyons said June 2. In addition to new questions about whether the father was the target of the ICE action, the other part of Lyons statement that Gomes da Silva was brought to the U.S. illegally is also in dispute. Gomes da Silvas attorney, Robin Nice, said on June 5 that the teen had come to the U.S. from Brazil on a visitor visa when he was younger than 7. The visitor visa had turned into a student visa, which had lapsed years ago. She added that Gomes da Silva has an asylum application pending. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that officials were looking for Gomes-Pereira because he had been identified as a known public safety threat a statement Gomes da Silva forcefully disputed. McLaughlin said that local authorities notified ICE that Gomes-Pereira drove at speeds over 100 mph through residential areas, endangering Massachusetts residents. First of all, its completely impossible to drive 100 mph in a residential area, Gomes da Silva told NBC. They could have at least thought a little bit harder to make up a lie. Read more: Milford High student released from ICE detention: Nobody should be in here' The 18-year-old also said his father has to stay home out of fear of being arrested but that his lawyers are working to address the situation. Gomes da Silva told NBC that he was born in Brazil but that he grew up in an American environment. He added that he wants to become an American citizen and stay in the country. Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino told MassLive on Wednesday that he was upset about Gomes da Silvas arrest, stating it compromises ongoing investigations within the community. It harms the migrant communitys willingness to come forward and disclose crimes to the police, he said. Tusino said he could not comment about whether Milford Police passed on information to federal authorities about Gomes da Silvas father. Milford police only assist ice with criminal arrests, not civil detainers and not illegal entry, Tusino said. He added that Gomes da Silva was never part of any criminal investigation. A spokesperson for ICE did not provide comment as to whether they are still seeking to arrest Gomes da Silvas father. Same old Marcelo It was a normal day for Gomes da Silva as he returned to Milford High School Tuesday, according to his friend Fiona Lentini as much as it could be after the teen was detained recently by federal immigration officials for almost a week. The two spoke for five minutes before classes, chatting about plans to play volleyball soon, Lentini told MassLive Tuesday. A sophomore at the high school, Lentini said her friend seemed happy to be back in school. Hes good, she said about Gomes da Silva. Same old Marcelo. On Tuesday, Gomes da Silva returned to Milford High School to continue the remainder of his junior year, according to Lentini. She said it was nice to see her friend again. What Gomes da Silva is most excited about is to play volleyball again this summer, she said. Playing volleyball just brings us all closer since we all connect about our love for the sport, Lentini said. My cousin has a net and in the summer we play there. Gomes da Silva also got to see his girlfriend graduate from Milford High School last weekend, according to his cousin, Marcelo Bastos. Bastos told MassLive Tuesday that Gomes da Silvas mother, father and two younger siblings are also safe, with all five still living in Milford. Theyre pretty much OK, Bastos said. Theres no problem. Bastos told MassLive that Gomes da Silvas father and mother were not born in America but Gomes da Silvas younger siblings were. He added that Nice plans to submit paperwork that would allow the mother and father to go outside their house without fear of arrest. He did not know what the paperwork in question was. Nice did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday and Wednesday. As the family remains home, Bastos has been trying to help by delivering and leaving food and water at their doorstep. He added that the familys neighbors have also been making deliveries to their house, bringing them food, flowers and money. Everybodys doing a little bit, he said. We do good. Lentini said that her friend is happy to be back with his family but said it is hard knowing that his parents are still possibly in danger. Obviously, its devastating to have to worry that your family may be torn apart, she said. Tuesdays Worcester City Council meeting was canceled after anti -Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protesters interrupted the session. A crowd of people entered the city council chambers June 10 during the meetings public comment period chanting, ICE out of Worcester now, according to footage of the city council meeting. Protesters can be seen holding up signs in the chamber, with one reading Due process for all. Some hurled expletives at Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty and City Manager Eric D. Batista, according to the Telegram & Gazette. The expletives could not be heard in the footage of Tuesday nights meeting that was posted on the citys website. In a statement sent to MassLive on Wednesday, Petty confirmed that the meeting was adjourned due to the protests. None of the items on the city councils meeting agenda for that night were discussed. Petty wrote that while he shared the protesters frustration, he said their actions resulted in the disruption of daily operations by adjourning the meeting early. Unfortunately, we were unable to do the peoples business tonight we had over 40 items on the agenda, and there were people in the audience who wished to speak on items that were important to them, but could not, Petty said. ICE has been the subject of previous protests in Worcester after agents arrested 40-year-old Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira of Brazil on May 8. Ferreira-De Oliveira is a mother of three who is currently being detained at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island. The arrest took place on Eureka Street in Worcester, where more than 30 people confronted and protested the agents on the scene demanding them to show a warrant and chanting, dont take the mother! Members of the Worcester Police Department arrived at the scene to keep the peace, according to one officer who was on Eureka Street that day. Officers told the protesters they were conducting an unlawful assembly. They arrested the 17-year-old daughter of Ferreira-De Oliveira after she reportedly kicked the passenger side of a vehicle her mother was reportedly placed inside. They also arrested disqualified School Committee candidate Ashley Spring after they sprayed water on a police officer. The Worcester Police Department has asked the court to dismiss the case against the 17-year-old. Lt. Sean Murtha previously told MassLive he is not aware of the department dropping any of Springs charges. There have been protests against ICE in Worcester following the arrest. A protest took place on May 13 outside City Hall, where protesters accused the Worcester Police Department of collaborating with ICE. City Manager Eric D. Batista issued an executive order on May 16, reading that Worcester Police would not inquire about a persons immigration status and further clarifying Worcesters policy on interaction with ICE. The city also released footage of body cameras worn by police officers during the Eurkea Street incident. I want to be undeniably clear that our Police Department will never target individuals based on their immigration status, Batista said in his May 16 statement. The footage of a family being torn apart is disturbing to watch but the municipality cannot interfere in or prevent a federal detainment. As a community, we must come together in support of one another and not allow external forces to divide us. Worcester has always and will always be a welcoming and inclusive city. Aer Lingus have announced a partnership with proud Mayo woman and future space explorer, Doctor Norah Patten. Doctor Patten is aiming for history as she gears up to be the first Irish person in space. READ MORE: Mayo v Donegal - Three Donegal players to keep an eye on The Ballina native has already achieved plenty as she endeavours to achieve the historic feat, and this two-year deal will see her become one of the faces of the Irish airline. Norah is a trained aeronautical engineer and is currently going through intensive training to prepare herself for the voyage at the National Research Council station in Ottawa, Canada. Norahs passion for space exploration came at the tender age of eleven, when she visited the NASA Glenn Research Cleveland Centre in Ohio. Now, with Aer Lingus routes available to Orlando International Airport, less than an hours drive from the Kennedy Space Center, where you can watch rocket launches, as well as Washingtons Dulles International Airport, just over half an hour from the Smithsonian National Air and Space museum, there are plenty of opportunities to explore space travel. Doctor Patten expressed her delight at the partnership. "This partnership with Aer Lingus will enable me to travel seamlessly to North America to continue my practical preparation and research, with each step bringing me closer to making this dream a reality, she stated. Together, I hope we can ignite the imaginations of young dreamers, encouraging them to undertake their own adventures, wherever they may be. READ MORE: Match Preview - Mayo Must take their chances and win the game The Aer Lingus CEO, Lynne Embleton, echoed those sentiments. We are immensely proud to support Norah as she embarks on this historic journey over the next two years, said Embleton. This is a once-in-a-generation milestone for Ireland, and we have no doubt that her mission will inspire people across the nation and beyond to pursue their own aspirations. Norah is a true trailblazer, paving the way for Irish women in STEM and leaving a legacy that will resonate for generations to come. The Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of Paul Foxe as its new Chair. Paul, who owns Foxe & Co Chartered Accountants in Roscommon, has served on the Foundations Board for a number of years and brings extensive experience and a deep commitment to Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation. Paul succeeds Mike Smith, a Boyle-based auctioneer, who recently completed his five-year term as Chair. Under Mikes leadership, the Foundation has continued to grow and strengthen its support for patients and families across Mayo and Roscommon. 2021 saw the launch of Roscommon Hospice, an eight bed inpatient unit with full day-care. This came in under budget at 6.3 million. Founded in 1993, the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation funds, develops, and delivers palliative care services to individuals living with life-limiting illnesses. Over the past 32 years, the Foundations Palliative Care Teams have supported more than 25,000 patients and their families, both in local communities and dedicated hospice facilities. READ MORE: PICTURES: Were you at the recent anniversary celebration at Ballyglass FC? Paul Foxe, Chair of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation said: Having served on the Board for several years, Im honoured to step into the role of Chair. I understand both the challenges we face and the opportunities ahead as we work to expand and enhance our services in the West of Ireland. Im genuinely excited about our plans for the next three years. "I want to sincerely thank Mike Smith for his outstanding leadership over the past five years, I certainly have big shoes to fill. I look forward to continuing to work alongside him, Martina, and the rest of the Board. Were fortunate to have such a dedicated voluntary team, and Im thrilled to lead and collaborate with them as we move forward. The new chair, Paul Foxe Outgoing Chair Mike Smith added: It has been a true privilege to serve as Chair of the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation. Opening Roscommon Hospice was one of my proudest moments. Working with Martina and the board over the past number of years has been an absolute pleasure, their openness and transparency made the role all the more rewarding. Im delighted to pass the baton to Paul, whose dedication and vision make him a fantastic choice for this role, and I look forward to continuing my work with the Board as we support him in this new chapter. READ MORE: Mayo academic recognised with prestigious teaching excellence award Martina Jennings, Chief Executive of the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, said: We warmly welcome Paul as our new Chair and look forward to working closely together to further our mission. Paul has been an active and committed member of the board, serving as Chair of our Audit and Governance Committee, and playing a key role in implementing our vision over the past number of years. Im really looking forward to working with him on our future plans. "Id also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Mike for his tireless dedication and service, and to his wife Mary for generously sharing his time with us. Im thrilled that Mike will continue to serve on our board. Ive been very fortunate to work with exceptional Chairs, and to continue working alongside a passionate and dedicated board. Both Mike and Paul have generously given their time and expertise, and their leadership continues to make a meaningful difference to patients and families we serve. Members of the board thanked Mike for his commitment and work over the last five years and wished Paul all the best in his new role as Chair. Anyone who wishes to make a donation to Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation can do so by logging on to www.hospice.ie or by phoning 094 9388666 or by calling to the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation office on the Main Street in Knock. READ MORE: Food wholesaler close to Mayo border closed after mouse dropping discovered The Croagh Patrick Stakeholders Group, in partnership with Leave No Trace Ireland, has launched a fresh call for passionate outdoor enthusiasts to become Volunteer Ambassadors for 2025, a unique opportunity to play a hands-on role in preserving one of Mayo and Irelands most iconic upland landscapes. Now entering its third year, the Croagh Patrick Ambassador Programme is seeking up to 12 dedicated volunteers to champion responsible recreation, environmental education, and the long-term stewardship of this sacred mountain. For those curious about what the role entails, a shadowing opportunity is available throughout June and July. Prospective Ambassadors can join current volunteers on a weekend day to gain real insight into the experience, from engaging with hikers to promoting Leave No Trace principles on the mountain. To arrange a shadowing session, simply get in touch with the programme team. READ MORE: New Chairperson announced for Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation Launched in 2022, the programme aims to inspire behavioural change, foster environmental responsibility, and build a skilled network of outdoor stewards. Ambassadors play a crucial role in welcoming visitors, offering guidance, and helping to protect the mountains fragile ecosystems and deep cultural heritage. Those selected for the 2025 cohort will receive expert training, including certified Leave No Trace instruction and knowledge of the natural and cultural landscape of Croagh Patrick. Once trained, Volunteers will engage with visitors during peak visitor periods, acting as on-the-ground Ambassadors for sustainable access and mountain care. Martin Keating, Chairperson of the Croagh Patrick Stakeholders Group, emphasised the importance of the initiative: Volunteer Ambassadors are essential to safeguarding the future of Croagh Patrick. Their presence enhances the visitor experience, nurtures local pride, and ensures the mountain remains protected for generations. READ MORE: Aer Lingus announce partnership with Mayo astronaut Dr Norah Patten Maura Kiely, CEO of Leave No Trace Ireland, echoed the call to action: This programme empowers individuals to actively care for the environment while enjoying Irelands great outdoors. Were excited to support a new wave of Ambassadors as they begin their stewardship journey. Croagh Patrick is a place of spiritual, cultural, and recreational significance and its future depends on people like you. If youre passionate about nature, heritage, and helping others enjoy the outdoors responsibly, this is your chance to make a difference. To learn more or express your interest in shadowing or applying, contact clare@leavenotraceireland.org by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, June 10, 2025 Actor Jon Hamm is starring in a new campaign for Carvana, highlighting a) how easy it is to sell your car on the online platform and b) how hard it is to wriggle out of certain invitations. In the first spot in the new campaign, called Excuses, Hamm tries to dodge a neighbors dogs birthday party by claiming he needs to sell his car, only to be exposed as a Carvana customer whose vehicle is already loaded onto a hauler. A second spot is coming soon, says Keith Marsh, Carvanas associate director of brand marketing, and the new campaign also includes paid and organic social posts that will roll out over the next two months. The ads all focus on how easy, convenient and hassle-free selling a car is on Carvana, he tells Marketing Daily. advertisement advertisement The spot also fits into the Phoenix-based companys ongoing approach of pairing A-list talent with product-first storytelling. With Hamm, he says, Were hoping to relay some new comedic tones as well. Marsh declined to give a budget for the new campaign, but says that while the broader goal is boosting sales numbers, were also looking for shifts in overall sentiment. We feel strongly that we will see an increase in positive brand sentiment from these spots. Carvana created the ads inhouse. Marsh said Hamm fits Carvanas goals of working with celebrities with broad generational appeal. Were not pigeonholing ourselves. Hamm can connect with all kinds of car buyers, whether in their 50s or 60s or their 20s and 30s. He offers that kind of connection. Carvana is on a sales tear of late, with retail units jumping 46% in the first quarter, reaching 133,898 retail units for total revenue of $4.23 billion, a 38% increase. Both are quarterly records. Net income reached $373 million, which is also a record. And while tariffs continue to roil much of the automotive industry, Carvana says it may be one of the few companies that benefit from the ongoing trade war. In a recent earnings call webcast for investors, Carvana CEO Ernie Garcia acknowledged that tariffs boost prices and create uncertainty, but added that the company has heard reasonable arguments that new car prices will be hit harder than used. Tariffs may be a directional benefit to used cars. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, June 10, 2025 Former Federal Trade Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya, one of two Democrats ousted by President Donald Trump in March, has officially resigned from the agency. Bedoya plans to continue with a lawsuit challenging the firing as unlawful, but is no longer seeking reinstatement. For personal reasons, I can no longer afford to go without any source of income for my family, Bedoya stated in a declaration filed Monday with U.S. District Court Judge Loren L. AliKhan in Washington, D.C. Serving as an FTC commissioner is a dream job. But my number one job is to take care of my family, he added in a statement posted on social media. He elaborated that ethics rules would limit his ability to accept other work while serving on the FTC. Bedoya's resignation comes three months after Trump fired Commissioners Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. Both claimed Trump's move was unlawful and sued for reinstatement, arguing that a president can only fire an FTC commissioner for three reasons set out by Congress -- inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office. advertisement advertisement They sought judicial declaration that their firing was illegal, and an order reinstating them to the commission -- which Congress established as an independent five-member body, with each member appointed for a term of seven years and removable only for cause. Bedoya plans to continue as a plaintiff in the case, and is seeking backpay. Bedoya was confirmed by the Senate in 2022 and his term wasn't set to expire until September 25, 2026. Slaughter joined the FTC in 2018, and was confirmed for a second time in March 2024. Her term wasn't slated to expire until September 2029. They recently urged AliKhan to rule in their favor, arguing that Supreme Court precedent is on their side. They specifically pointed to the Supreme Court's 1935 decision in a case known as Humphrey's Executor, which involved President Franklin Roosevelt's attempt to fire an FTC commissioner. The court ruled in that matter that Roosevelt lacked authority to dismiss an FTC member except for the grounds set out by Congress. The Justice Department countered in a recent court filing that today's FTC wields greater power than it did 90 years ago, when the Supreme Court limited the president's ability to fire a member of that agency. by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, June 10, 2025 Havas Media Network today announced the launch of its Health Equity Marketplace, designed to convey healthcare-related marketing messages from brands to underserved communitiesincluding minority groups, rural populations and underinsured patientsacross the North America region. The company is partnering with healthcare adtech firm DeepIntent on the project. DeepIntent will provide the programmatic infrastructure and healthcare-specific data connections that will power the marketplace. advertisement advertisement Havas Medias Holly Dunn, managing partner-performance, said the marketplace was developed after brands told us they wanted to do more than just talk about health equity, they wanted measurable ways to act on it. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, June 11, 2025 California is asking a federal appeals court to reinstate portions of the state's Age-Appropriate Design Code, arguing that the law advances the government's interest in protecting minors' privacy. The lower court insisted that the Act is an attempt by the state to engage in content censorship. But the Act is about privacy, not content, Attorney General Rob Bonta argues in papers filed Tuesday with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The statute (AB 2273), passed in 2022, would restrict the ability of online companies likely to be accessed by minors under 18 to harness minors' data, and to display content to them. Among other mandates, the statute would require online companies to configure default settings in a privacy-protective way, unless the business can show a compelling reason that a different setting is in the best interests of children. advertisement advertisement Another provision would require online sites to enforce their content policies. Other portions would have required online sites likely to be accessed by users under 18 to evaluate whether their services' design could expose minors to potentially harmful content, and to mitigate that potential harm. The tech industry group NetChoice sued over the law, arguing it unconstitutionally restricts speech. U.S. District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman has sided with NetChoice twice. First, in 2023 she blocked the entire law. California appealed that ruling to the 9th Circuit, which upheld the block on the provisions regarding potentially harmful content, but returned the case to Freeman with instructions to further analyze the other provisions. This March, Freeman blocked the remaining provisions of the law -- in part, because she found them too murky. For instance, she wrote, the requirement to use privacy-protective settings unless other settings are in minors' best interests is unconstitutionally vague. The phrase 'best interests' is not defined in the Act, she wrote. Without an understanding of that phrases meaning, covered businesses will not have notice of what conduct is proscribed and what conduct is permitted, as required to satisfy the constitution. Among other arguments, state Attorney General Rob Bonta now argues the best interests standard is not unconstitutionally vague because it's commonly used in family court. This phrase -- 'best interests of children' -- is a legal term of art with a long pedigree in family law, California argues, adding that the standard is used in child custody disputes and juvenile delinquency proceedings. When Freeman enjoined the law, she also said the provision requiring companies to enforce content policies is impermissibly vague because those policies are subjective. As an example, she cited a New York Times policy from 2017 that told commenters to use respectful language, and then posed the rhetorical question: If the New York Times publishes content criticizing the California Attorney General for draconian censorship, will the California Attorney General deem that 'respectful?' Will his successor? Bonta says he isn't immediately asking the appeals court to reinstate the provision requiring companies to enforce their content policies, but will seek to restore that provision in the future. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, June 11, 2025 Streaming video subscriber Detrina Solomon is asking a federal appellate court to reconsider her claim that Flipps Media's TrillerTV violated a video privacy law by allegedly sharing information about her viewing history with Meta Platforms, via its tracking pixel. Last month, a three-judge panel of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a trial judge's decision dismissing Solomon's class-action complaint. Her lawyers now say that ruling wrongly created a loophole in the video privacy law, and are asking the entire 2nd Circuit to re-hear the matter. The dispute between Solomon, a subscriber to TrillerVerzPass, and TrillerTV dates to 2022, when she alleged in a class-action complaint that the company transmitted information about the videos she viewed -- along with her Facebook ID -- to Meta Platforms. advertisement advertisement She claimed that the alleged data sharing violated the Video Privacy Protection Act -- a 1988 law that prohibits video providers from disclosing users' personally identifiable video-viewing history. In the last three years, numerous plaintiffs throughout the country have sued a range of businesses offering video clips -- including newspapers, television companies and other streaming video providers -- for allegedly violating that law by embedding analytics tools like the Meta Pixel on their websites. U.S. District Court Judge Joan Azrack in Central Islip, New York, dismissed Solomon's complaint, ruling that even if she proved her allegations, they wouldn't show that her Facebook ID was personally identifiable. Solomon then appealed to the 2nd Circuit, arguing that TrillerTV disclosed Solomon's identity to Meta Platforms' Facebook by transmitting her Facebook ID to the company. TrillerTV countered that the complaint didn't spell out how an ordinary person could access or use Solomon's Facebook ID, which was associated with Meta's cookie on her browser. The streaming service also argued that the complaint didn't say whether she used her real name when creating her Facebook account. The 2nd Circuit sided with TrillerTV and upheld the dismissal. We conclude that 'personally identifiable information' encompasses information that would allow an ordinary person to identify a consumers video-watching habits, but not information that only a sophisticated technology company could use to do so, Circuit Court Judge Denny Chin wrote in an opinion joined by Judges William Nardini and Reena Raggi. Solomon's lawyers argue in the new petition that the ruling is inconsistent with lawmakers' intentions. The 'ordinary person' standard creates a loophole that is unsupported by the statutory text and contrary to the purpose of the statute -- a loophole that companies are exploiting to provide granular information about their users video watching to Facebook without those users consent, counsel argues. Counsel also notes that the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2016 ruling that pseudonymous device identifiers, combined with location data, were personally identifiable information. Some other appellate courts have ruled that pseudonymous data such as a serial number isn't in itself personally identifiable -- though in those cases the pseudonymous data wasn't disclosed to the same company that created the identifier. For instance, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a Roku serial number that was allegedly transmitted to Adobe was not personally identifiable information because an ordinary person wouldn't be able to determine someone's identity based on a Roku serial number. Alan Butler, executive director and president of the advocacy group Electronic Privacy Information Center, previously criticized 2nd Circuit's ruling for TrillerTV. This 'ordinary person' standard comes from nowhere, he told MediaPost last month. It's not in the statute, and it's not the right way to think about how to define personally identifiable information. Butler added that the Facebook ID is more than simply identifiable by Facebook, because that ID actually identifies a particular account. Despite conservative consumer backlash against DEI marketing, several automakers have continued with their Pride-focused or ongoing LGBTQ+ efforts. Ford Motor Co., which made headlines last August after announcing it was withdrawing from the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, continued on as a top sponsor of the Motor City Pride Parade, along with Jeep and General Motors. Ford employees and family members marched in the parade carrying giant rainbow letters spelling Ford. "We're back at Motor City Pride this weekend, and throughout the month, all employees have the option to participate in a variety of Ford-sponsored Pride events and internal programs around the globe," a Ford spokesperson told The Detroit News. "All our efforts are designed to promote mutual respect and inclusion for every person at Ford." advertisement advertisement Jeep had a very visible presence at the parade, which is held in downtown Detroit. "Jeep brand will be activating on the ground," a Stellantis spokesperson told Marketing Daily ahead of the event. "We'll have three rainbow-grille-wrapped static vehicles at the event through the weekend, and for the parade on Sunday, there will be six vehicles along the parade route." Hyundai Motor America doesnt have any specific activations tied to Pride month, but the automaker says it has ongoing campaigns targeting a variety of audiences, reflecting the wide range of customers who drive our vehicles, including LGBTQ. We continue to be the presenting sponsor of the GLAAD Media Awards and several multicultural events, according to a statement from the company. We also work with LGBTQ content influencers and artists throughout the year. BMW of North America is working on a social activation with Antoni Prowski from "Queer Eye," who is currently host of his own show, No Taste Like Home. The shoot, taking place in New York, will feature a BMW X5 50e Plug-In Hybrid SUV. In past years, BMW ran an campaign in celebration of Pride Month and the LGBTQIA+ community, entitled Driven By Pride, but that was not a part of this years plans, according to a spokesperson. A Subaru spokeperson says the automaker has no formal activations planned for Pride Month but as in previous years, our employee LGBTQ+ resource group, Out+Ally, has several activities and events planned throughout the month. A popular film and TV actor, Dipshikkha Nagpal has been a part of several iconic films including Koyla (1997), Baadshah (1999), Partner (2007), Sirf Tum (1999), Dillagi (1999) and Jaanam Samjha Karo (1999). In a recent interview, the actress recalled her breakout role in Koyla and perhaps the film she is most remembered for Baadshah and how she bagged it. She opened up about meeting Shah Rukh Khan for the first time and how his comment towards her was quite rude. She told Instant Bollywood how she was completely smitten by Shah Rukh Khans on-screen persona especially after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge but what happened on the first day of Koyla sets left her hurt as well as determined to prove herself. She recalled, When Shah Rukh came, he was smoking. So Rakesh ji came in and said, Do you know Dipshikkha? He said, She is a fantastic actress. Rakesh ji was very impressed with me. Shah Rukh said, Yeah, lets see. It hurt my ego. He was so rude. I was like, This is Shah Rukh. I love him. Then I took it as a challenge. Reports speculating a possible collaboration between Shah Rukh Khan and Mythri Movie Makers (the production company behind Pushpa) were making rounds on social media for some weeks, and we have a solid report on whether this partnership is really happening or not. According to the latest reports, Shah Rukh Khan is not collaborating with Mythri Movie Makers or Sukumar for a movie and is currently focusing on his upcoming action thriller, King. A source told Pinkvilla,Shah Rukh Khan is presently focusing and putting all his energies on King. He will take a call on his next after King by the end of this year. He has not done any meeting with Mythri, so the matter of greenlighting a script doesnt even come into the picture. At the recent promotional event of his upcoming film Kuberaa, Telugu superstar Nagarjuna hailed the real pan-India star of Indian cinema and according to him its neither Shah Rukh Khan, Allu Arjun nor Prabhas. At the event, the superstar praised co-star Rashmika Mandanna who has been a part of several massive blockbusters in the last two years including Varisu (Rs 290 crore), Animal (Rs 917.82 crore), Pushpa 2: The Rule (Rs 1742 crore) and Chhaava (Rs 716.88 crore). Praising Rashmika, Nagarjuna said, This girl, you know, this girl is one powerhouse of talent! I mean, if you see her filmography in the last three years, just outstanding. None of us are 2000-3000 crore actors, guys. This is the one. This is the one - who beat all of us! Patients, doctors and nurses across the country are waiting with bated breath as the fate of the Trump-endorsed One Big Beautiful Bill, which proposes a $625 billion cut to Medicaid, is decided on the floor of the U.S. Senate in the coming month. Although the GOP budget reconciliation bill has yet to pass into law, nonprofit organizations that rely on the government-sponsored health insurance for low-income Americans in the Charlottesville area are already bracing for impact. Since 1969, the Region Ten Community Services Board has been a hub for various resources for those with mental health disorders, developmental disabilities, substance addictions and behavioral issues. More than 30% of its operating budget comes from federal funds or billing Medicaid. Region Ten typically bills Medicaid around $18.4 million annually for the roughly 3,000 people it serves in Central Virginia who are eligible for coverage. An additional 800 individuals in the region are eligible for Medicaid under an expansion measure passed by the Virginia General Assembly seven years ago to cover all Virginia adults under 65 who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Should Medicaid expansion end in Virginia, the need for services through Region Ten will increase, while the capacity to provide services will decrease, according to a Region Ten statement sent to The Daily Progress by spokeswoman Joanna Jennings. If Medicaid expansion ends, those served under Medicaid expansion will no longer have insurance coverage for behavioral health services. Today, there are 1.5 million children and adults on Medicaid in the commonwealth, including roughly 630,000 that were covered as a result of the expansion. Region Ten estimates it will lose around $3.2 million in annual revenue from Medicaid if the 2018 expansion is reversed. So far, no funding has been lost yet. Region Ten will maintain other revenue sources, including funding from state and local governments, donations, self-payment and grants, but even some of those are under threat. Jennings said that the organization has seen several grants through the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, led by vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy, end earlier than expected. The unexpected termination of those federal grants has affected a small number of positions within Region Ten, whose salaries or positions were entwined with the grants. We are currently working with those impacted staff to explore other employment opportunities within the agency, according to Jennings. The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill would have a cascade effect felt across the health care industry if thousands of patients lose access to public behavioral health safety, according to Region Ten. People who do not have access to needed ongoing behavioral health services are more likely to experience a psychiatric emergency, wrote Jennings. An increase in such emergencies will lead to an increase in visits to emergency departments which will likely directly correlate with a rise in the number of people admitted to local jails and state psychiatric hospitals, who have historically been the default service providers when there are not alternative community-based services, according to Jennings. Region Ten is far from the only nonprofit group in the Charlottesville area that relies on Medicaid funding. Back in mid-April, Sarah Tok, spokeswoman for the VIA Centers for Neurodevelopment, told The Daily Progress that the nonprofit provider of educational programs for those on the autism spectrum does bill Medicaid for our adult and pediatric services and would be forced to react accordingly if Medicaid refuses payment for any reason. At the time, though, the organization was not aware of any federal plans to cut Medicaid funding for these purposes. While theres little to be done locally about the progression of the One Big Beautiful Bill, Region Ten is attempting to manage what remains within its sphere of influence. That includes the development of a conservative budget for the upcoming fiscal year that will hopefully put ourselves in as strong a position as possible. Region Ten also said its leadership is calling on state officials to retain the commonwealths Medicaid expansion regardless of federal cuts. Some of those legislators are listening. Former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor this year, decried the GOP budget bill in a statement released on the day it was passed by the House of Representatives. If signed into law, this legislation would threaten the survival of Virginias rural hospitals, disrupt the ability of small businesses to provide coverage to their employees, and risk driving up healthcare premiums for working families, she said. Del. Katrina Callsen, D-Albemarle, threw her weight behind Spanberger during a recent press conference at her district office in downtown Charlottesville. Joined by David Toscano, a former Charlottesville mayor and Democratic minority leader in the House of Delegates, and sitting Charlottesville Mayor Juandiego Wade, the three Democrats spoke of the critical importance of Medicaid for Virginians and the detrimental impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill. Republicans in Congress have continued to push a message that the budget bill is designed to cut waste, fraud and abuse from the Medicaid program. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has repeatedly claimed that the only Medicaid recipients who will lose insurance are the 1 million-plus illegal immigrants who are cheating the system. However, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated the One Big Beautiful Bill would cost nearly 14 million Americans their health care coverage over the next decade if it passes the Senate. All Army installations that were renamed in recent years to sever ties with the Confederacy will have their original names restored, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday. "We won a lot of battles out of those forts. It's no time to change, and I'm superstitious -- we want to keep it going," Trump told a crowd of uniformed service members during a speech at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Nine Army posts including Fort Benning, Fort Hood and Fort Gordon shed their Confederate names in 2023 following an independent review ordered by Congress. Most were rechristened to honor American war heroes and other legendary figures of Army lore. Read Next: Army Birthday Celebration Falls in Shadow of LA Military Deployment, Immigration Policy Protests Fort A.P. Hill, for instance, was renamed after Mary Edwards Walker, a Union Army surgeon and the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor. Fort Moore was named after Vietnam War legend Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife Julia, a prominent advocate for military families. Fort Liberty was not given a namesake amid infighting between senior Army officials over whether it should be named after a paratrooper or Special Forces soldier. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the base to revert back to Fort Bragg and Fort Moore to return to its previous identity as Fort Benning during the early days of the Trump administration. Both had previously been named after figures who fought with the slaveholding South during the Civil War. Hegseth and the Pentagon reversed the earlier work of Congress and the military aimed at scrapping names honoring the Confederacy but have sought out names of other service members that match those of the Civil War-era figures as replacements. Earlier this month, Hegseth also ordered the Navy to strip the name of gay rights icon Harvey Milk, who served as a diving officer on the submarine rescue ship USS Kittiwake during the Korean War, from one of its ships. The service is also reportedly considering renaming other ships, including the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and USNS Harriet Tubman. Below are the new names for Army bases and reasons for the selection, according to the service. Military.com has not verified all of these anecdotes. Fort Pickett, previously renamed Fort Barfoot, will now recognize 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, a Distinguished Service Cross recipient for heroism in World War II. According to the Army, Pickett destroyed two enemy machine gun nests with grenades while under fire and later escaped from a prisoner-of-war transport train before being killed in action. Fort Hood, previously Fort Cavazos, will honor Col. Robert B. Hood, an artillery officer who in World War I directed fire amid intense shelling and reorganized his unit under machine-gun fire near Thiaucourt, France. Fort Gordon, previously renamed Fort Eisenhower, will now commemorate Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, the Medal of Honor recipient whose sacrifice during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu was memorialized in "Black Hawk Down." Gordon volunteered to defend downed pilots and held off overwhelming enemy forces until he ran out of ammunition. Fort Lee, which was renamed Fort Gregg-Adams, will revert to its name while honoring Pvt. Fitz Lee, a Medal of Honor recipient from the Spanish-American War who rescued wounded service members under direct fire during a coastal assault in Cuba. Fort Polk, which had carried the name Fort Johnson, will now celebrate Gen. James H. Polk, a Silver Star recipient and former commander of U.S. Army Europe, who led mechanized cavalry operations in World War II. Fort Rucker, renamed Fort Novosel, will instead honor Capt. Edward W. Rucker, a World War I aviator awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for engaging superior enemy forces deep behind lines in France. Finally, Fort Anderson-Pinn-Hill, formerly Fort Walker, will now bear the names of three Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn, and Pvt. Bruce Anderson. Each was recognized for extraordinary heroism in separate engagements supporting the Union Army. Related: Hegseth Orders Navy to Strip Name of Gay Rights Icon Harvey Milk from Ship It was supposed to be a routine appearance, a visit from the commander in chief to rally the troops, boost morale and celebrate the Army's 250th-birthday week, which culminates with a Washington, D.C., parade slated for Saturday. Instead, what unfolded Tuesday at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, bore little resemblance to the customary visit from a president and defense secretary. There, President Donald Trump unleashed a speech laced with partisan invective, goading jeers from a crowd of soldiers positioned behind his podium -- blurring the long-standing and sacrosanct line between the military and partisan politics. As Trump viciously attacked his perceived political foes, he whipped up boos from the gathered troops directed at California leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom -- amid the president's controversial move to deploy the National Guard and Marines against protesters in Los Angeles -- as well as former President Joe Biden and the press. The soldiers roared with laughter and applauded Trump's diatribe in a shocking and rare public display of troops taking part in naked political partisanship. Read Next: Army Birthday Celebration Falls in Shadow of LA Military Deployment, Immigration Policy Protests For this story, Military.com reached out to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office as well as the Army and the 82nd Airborne Division directly with a series of questions that ranged from the optics of the event to social media posts showing the sale of Trump campaign merchandise on the base, to the apparent violation of Pentagon policies on political activity in uniform. Internal 82nd Airborne Division communications reviewed by Military.com reveal a tightly orchestrated effort to curate the optics of Trump's recent visit, including handpicking soldiers for the audience based on political leanings and physical appearance. The troops ultimately selected to be behind Trump and visible to the cameras were almost exclusively male. One unit-level message bluntly said "no fat soldiers." "If soldiers have political views that are in opposition to the current administration and they don't want to be in the audience then they need to speak with their leadership and get swapped out," another note to troops said. Service officials declined to comment when asked about the extent to which troops were screened, whether soldiers displaying partisan cheers on television -- a violation of long-standing Pentagon rules -- would be disciplined or if soldiers who objected to participating in the event, citing disagreements with the administration, would be disciplined or admonished in any way. "This has been a bad week for the Army for anyone who cares about us being a neutral institution," one commander at Fort Bragg told Military.com on the condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation. "This was shameful. I don't expect anything to come out of it, but I hope maybe we can learn from it long term." Experts were quick to come out and say that the public silence from military leadership is a missed opportunity to reinforce the military's nonpartisan nature. Meanwhile, the political leadership at the head of the Defense Department was far from apologetic. "Believe me, no one needs to be encouraged to boo the media," Sean Parnell, a top Pentagon spokesperson, said in a statement to Military.com. "Look no further than this query, which is nothing more than a disgraceful attempt to ruin the lives of young soldiers." Adding to the spectacle, a pop-up shop operated by 365 Campaign, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based retailer that sells pro-Trump and other conservative-coded memorabilia, was set up on-site with campaign-style merchandise on Army property. Soldiers were seen purchasing clothing and tchotchkes, including "Make America Great Again" chain necklaces to faux credit cards labeled "White Privilege Card: Trumps Everything." Permitting the sale of overtly partisan merchandise on an Army base likely runs afoul of numerous Defense Department regulations aimed at preserving the military's long-standing commitment to political neutrality. The Army has historically gone to great lengths to avoid even the appearance of partisanship. Parnell did not respond to follow-up questions about the sale of MAGA campaign gear directly to troops but Col. Mary Ricks, a spokesperson for Fort Bragg, said that the vendors presence is under review to determine how it was permitted and to prevent similar occurrences in the future in a statement provided after this story was first published. Trump used much of his speech to slam California Democrats and tout his ongoing and unprecedented surge of nearly 5,000 federalized Guard soldiers and Marines to quell immigration protests. "We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean and safe again," he proclaimed to soldiers, adding that Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass are "incompetent" and falsely said they're aiding "insurrectionists" while goading troops into booing them. "I bet none of those soldiers booing even know the mayor's name or could identify them in a lineup; they're nonexistent in the chain of command," an 82nd Airborne noncommissioned officer told Military.com. "So, any opinion they could possibly have can only be attributed to expressing a political view while in uniform." President Donald J. Trump attends the U.S. Army 250th Birthday Celebration at Fort Bragg, N.C., June 10, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Jaquari Lindsey) Trump is far from the first president to use the troops as a backdrop for a speech that had political notes. But experts say this speech crossed a line and showed the military's ethics can be vulnerable. "What I think is so remarkable about Bragg is that it's really a breakdown on the military side," Risa Brooks, an expert of civil-military relations at Marquette University, told Military.com. "It shows it's possible -- that the military's professional ethics could fail," she said. In 2022, Biden received criticism for delivering a speech outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia that aimed to warn the public about the authoritarian impulses of then-former President Trump and his supporters. He was flanked by two Marines in dress uniform. Republicans and reporters immediately jumped on Biden, slamming him for politicizing the military. "The only thing worse than Biden's speech trashing his fellow citizens is wrapping himself in our flag and Marines to do it," Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., wrote on social media at the time. Another Trump administration official, James Hutton, said Biden "used U.S. Marines as props" and slammed the move as "despicable conduct in attacking more than half of Americans." Ari Fleischer, a conservative commentator at the time, said the speech was not only "inappropriate" but that the Marine Corps had "some explaining to do" for allowing the speech to occur. Neither Fleischer, Hutton nor Issa appears to have made any posts criticizing Trump's speech as of publication. Going back decades, presidents have all used troops as background and set dressing for addresses and appearances that at times skirted the line between the nonpartisan nature of the military and the politics of the presidency. Biden's White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, noted to reporters after Biden's speech in 2022 that "it is actually normal for presidents from either side of the aisle to give speeches in front of members of the military, including President ... Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush." "It is not an unusual sight or is not an unusual event to have happened," she added. Brooks also agreed and noted that many of the instances of troops being used as props "are mostly instigated by the civilian side." However, many of those examples were presidents choosing the setting to speak to the troops about military policy and issues that affected them personally, and with the exceptions of polite applause and laughs at presidential jokes, troops have not been especially vocal or reactive to the rhetoric being offered. "Trump has gone farther than any other politician in the tenor and content of his comments, overtly treating events with troops in the audience as campaign rallies, and overtly and directly criticizing his opponents," Brooks said. Long before the unprecedented speech at Fort Bragg this week, Trump has been blurring the lines between politics and military events. In the early days of his first term, he spoke to troops at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida and told the assembled troops "we had a wonderful election, didn't we?" "And I saw those numbers, and you liked me and I liked you. That's the way it worked," he added. Trump also went on to use the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes to sign a ban on travel from Muslim-majority countries during his first term. Marines appeared in a 2020 Republican National Committee video that he shot at the White House. That same year, then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley appeared alongside Trump in Lafayette Square outside the White House after federal officials forcibly cleared a street of peaceful protesters for a photo opportunity in front of a local church. Milley later apologized for his presence. Despite the silence from military brass this week, other experts, military observers and a handful of former leaders, have condemned the speech or the ensuing silence. Retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, best known for serving as the task force commander that coordinated military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, called the speech "inappropriate." "I never witnessed that s..t like this in 37 years in uniform," Honore wrote on social media Tuesday. "Once you see one instance of this happening, it potentially normalizes it," Brooks warned. "It opens the door to more instances and more overt violations of the nonpartisan ethic." Editors note: This story has been updated with a statement from Fort Bragg provided to Military.com after the story was published. Related: Trump Deploys Hundreds of Marines to LA in Growing Military Response to Immigration Raid Protests Relatives of the late Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams-Earley anticipated it, but when President Donald Trump announced their parents' names would be stripped from the Virginia base, they were still surprised. Trump, in front of a crowd of Army soldiers Tuesday at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, said "for a little breaking news" that his administration would be removing the name Fort Gregg-Adams, which was bestowed on the base in 2023, and returning it to Fort Lee, originally named in honor of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, who commanded troops of the slave-holding South during the Civil War. In a follow-up statement from the Army, it became clear that the base would not be explicitly named for the leader of the Confederate troops but instead for Pvt. Fitz Lee, a Buffalo soldier awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery in combat during the Spanish-American War. Read Next: Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump's Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance In all, the Trump administration is restoring the names of nine Army bases that shed Confederate namesakes in 2023 following an independent commission review directed by Congress. In each case, the administration found service members to use as namesakes who shared the names of the Confederate Civil War-era figures that were removed. The latest renaming was designed to sidestep the law passed by Congress ordering the removal of names honoring Confederates who fought to secede from the U.S. However, in Trump's speech at Fort Bragg, he specifically mentioned "Robert E. Lee." It was seen as a slight to the descendants of Gregg and Adams-Earley. Stanley Earley, the son of the soldier who served as the highest-ranking Black female officer in World War II, told Military.com that while he wasn't shocked at the change, he was "surprised" as well as "disappointed and upset" by the sudden announcement. "The naming of Fort Gregg-Adams sent a powerful positive message to the future," Earley told Military.com in an interview Wednesday. "Undoing it sends an even stronger, deeply negative message." Just two years ago, Fort Lee was renamed for Gregg -- the first Black brigadier general in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps and the first Black lieutenant general in the Army -- as well as Adams-Earley, who was the first Black officer in what would later become the Women's Army Corps prior to her death in 2002. It was a particularly powerful moment for Alicia Collier, Gregg's daughter. He was one of the first service members in recent history to have a base named after him while he was still alive. He died in August at the age of 96. "It's very disheartening," Collier told Military.com on Wednesday. "My father worked his entire life trying to move the Army and, as a result, the nation forward, and now we're watching it slip backwards." Collier and Earley both first spoke to Military.com in February, expressing worries that their parents' names could be removed from the Virginia base under Trump's Department of Defense. Both previously praised the intensive review process of the Naming Commission, which was created by Congress to make recommendations on base names and ultimately landed on their parents' histories to honor. Notably, neither said anything negative regarding Pvt. Lee, whose name will now adorn the Virginia base. The Spanish-American War hero was born just 25 miles away from the base in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's database. "During a coastal assault in Cuba, Lee voluntarily disembarked under direct enemy fire to rescue wounded comrades from the battlefield," the Army's statement said. Ultimately, it's the legal technicalities that are concerning to the relatives of Gregg and Adams, as well as Trump's own admission during the speech that it was to honor "Robert E. Lee." "I think that the intent is that we're still honoring the original Robert E. Lee," Collier said. "It's a very interesting way to work around." Neither Collier nor Earley said they had been contacted by government or military officials prior to Tuesday's announcement by Trump. Earley said he was caught off guard, in part, because in late April, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson honored the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the Six Triple Eight commanded by Adams, with a Congressional Gold Medal. Johnson praised "the incomparable Lt. Col. Charity Adams-Earley who guided her unit" and commended her "unshakable grace and resolve," according to a copy of his remarks. In a few weeks, Earley was surprised that sentiment seemed to change. "They just had the Congressional Gold Medal session for the Six Triple Eight, and there were so many positive statements about the unit and my mother and what they did," Earley said. "It's a little bit surprising." The renaming of the bases is just the latest in a wide range of Trump administration actions removing historical ties. Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to rename a ship that honored Harvey Milk, a gay rights icon, and other ship names are reportedly under review. Given the cultural shift by the administration, both of the descendants said it's not clear what the next steps forward would be. "There isn't really any recourse that's likely to be successful, so I guess we'll just have to move forward and hope that maybe, at the very least the original decision to rename, and that Charity Adams and Arthur Gregg's names, will still be a part of our history and that we won't erase it," Collier said. Related: Their Relatives Were Black Heroes. They Fear the Military Won't Celebrate Their Stories Anymore. BERLIN German NATO General Christian Badia has called for the return of military conscription in Germany amid a shortfall of up to 60,000 troops in the Bundeswehr, the country's military. The reintroduction of conscription must be prepared now, Badia told the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper in remarks published on Tuesday. Germany suspended compulsory military and civilian service in 2011 after 55 years, dismantling all relevant structures. Badia, who helps adapt NATO planning at its Transformation Command in the United States, said voluntary enlistment had failed to fill the Bundeswehr's ranks in recent years and warned that further delays would leave Germany unable to meet its NATO capability goals. Badia also dismissed arguments that Germany lacks the infrastructure to support a draft army. Old barracks could be refurbished and operated by private investors, he said, with the Bundeswehr as tenant. The idea of reviving conscription has gained traction amid growing security concerns in Europe. Merz says compulsory military service could be reconsidered German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday said his coalition's plans for a voluntary military service could be reconsidered. "I share the assessment of the defense minister that we are already short of a high five-digit number of soldiers in the Bundeswehr," Merz said after a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in Berlin. Merz said the government will "have to take a close look" at whether programs and voluntary service are sufficient to recruit enough soldiers to fill the army's ranks in line with new NATO targets. "If voluntary service is not enough, then we will have to discuss additional steps very soon." However, Merz emphasized that additional measures would not be in breach of his conservative bloc's coalition agreement with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). The agreement states that the government "will create a new, attractive military service that will initially be based on voluntary participation." The chancellor highlighted the word "initially." SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch had previously said that there would be no negotiations on a possible return to conscription during this legislative period. "The coalition agreement clearly states that we are committed to voluntary service," Miersch told the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung newspaper. "Conscription can then be negotiated in the next legislative period, if necessary, but not in this one." The new parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, Henning Otte, told German broadcaster ARD that the troops must be protected from excessive demands, adding that compulsory military service might be required. "I will put this on the agenda again," Otte said, "and I will do so before the end of this year." 2025 dpa GmbH. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested Wednesday that the Trump administration could send troops to any city in America over the objections of state and local officials, as it is doing now in Los Angeles. During a Senate Appropriations Committee defense subcommittee hearing Wednesday, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, asked Hegseth about the fact that the order President Donald Trump issued Saturday that has sent Marines and the National Guard into L.A. mentioned neither a specific location nor specific units that it applies to. "Do you think this order applies to any Guard anywhere, any service branch anywhere?" Schatz asked. "Did you just potentially mobilize every Guard everywhere and every service member everywhere. I mean, create the framework for that?" Read Next: Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump's Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance Hegseth responded that one intention of the order "is getting ahead of a problem, so that if in other places, if there are other riots in places where law enforcement officers are threatened, we would have the capability to surge National Guard there if necessary." Hegseth added that "hopefully" governors in other states would mobilize their Guards themselves and took a swipe at California Gov. Gavin Newsom for "playing politics." Trump ordered about 4,000 Guardsmen and 700 Marines into Los Angeles in response to protests against immigration raids in the city and its suburbs despite the fact that Newsom and L.A. officials said local law enforcement had the situation under control and did not need military assistance. The Marines were still being trained on crowd control tactics and had apparently not been sent into the city yet on Wednesday afternoon. While there have been isolated incidents of protesters throwing rocks, burning cars, vandalizing buildings and committing other violent or destructive acts, local reports have said the protests have been largely peaceful and limited to a few blocks in downtown L.A. Meanwhile, protests against immigration raids have spread to other cities, including Seattle, Austin, Chicago and Washington, D.C., according to The Associated Press. Some states with governors aligned with Trump, such as Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas, have deployed their National Guard to quell protests. The Trump administration is also reportedly planning on expanding the type of immigration raid that sparked the L.A. protests to other cities or areas with Democratic leaders, including Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, northern Virginia and New York, according to NBC News. The administration is pursuing increasingly aggressive mass deportation raids across the U.S. Images of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents -- often in tactical gear and masks -- arresting people in communities across the country have proliferated, while high-profile deportations to a mega prison in El Salvador without court hearings have triggered lawsuits. Trump's Saturday order that provided his legal framework for deploying troops to L.A. called for "at least 2,000 National Guard personnel," but otherwise had few specified details, including any geographic constraints. The order said the deployment would be 60 days, but could be extended "at the discretion of the secretary of defense." It also said the secretary "may employ any other members of the regular armed forces as necessary" and that deployments could happen anywhere protests against immigration officers are "occurring or are likely to occur." National security law experts have said the vague wording of the memo could presage Trump deploying troops anywhere he wants. Trump himself said Tuesday that the L.A. deployment "is the first, perhaps, of many." The legal authority Trump invoked for the deployments was Section 12406 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code, according to the Saturday memo. That law stipulates that the National Guard can be federalized in three scenarios: if the U.S. "is invaded or is in danger of invasion by a foreign nation;" if "there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States;" or if "the president is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States." In addition to pressing Hegseth on whether the administration believes it can deploy troops anywhere in the U.S., Schatz on Wednesday pressed Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine on whether the country is being invaded by a foreign nation. "At this point in time, I don't see any foreign state-sponsored folks invading," Caine replied, though he added he is "mindful" of immigration issues and would defer to the Department of Homeland Security. Schatz also asked Caine whether there is "a rebellion somewhere in the United States." Caine said only that he thinks "there's definitely some frustrated folks out there." Related: Hegseth, Democrats Tangle over Troop Deployments to Los Angeles As protests in Los Angeles became more widespread and some turned violent over the weekend, leaders of the Veterans Affairs L.A. Ambulatory Care Center made the tough call to close the facility, which serves thousands of patients a week. The center is one of four federal buildings in a block in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood, the focus of demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and the center of ongoing operations by the Los Angeles Police Department and Army National Guard. Not knowing how long the ambulatory care facility would be closed, Veterans Affairs providers scrambled Sunday evening to make sure their patients -- including vulnerable veterans who require daily medication -- could access vital medical care in the coming week. Read Next: Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump's Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance Schedulers have worked assiduously to shift appointments to either a later date or to telehealth, while those who get weekly therapy or take methadone to manage substance use disorder were encouraged to seek treatment at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. A VA staff member with knowledge of the events told Military.com it was an overwhelming response by employees. "When a crisis like this happens, [the center] is able to respond," the employee said. "Most places don't have the resources we have at the VA." VA officials said Tuesday that the center would remain closed at least through Wednesday, with a reassessment of the situation regarding operations through the end of the week. VA Secretary Doug Collins said the facility will reopen "as soon as it is safe to do so, and in the meantime, in-person appointments at the facility are being rescheduled or shifted to telehealth." "California leaders have repeatedly put the interests of illegal immigrants and criminals above those of hard-working citizens, and now Los Angeles Veterans are paying the price. We are thankful President Trump has the courage to bring order and safety back to the citizens of Los Angeles -- something California leaders have failed to do," Collins said in a statement to Military.com. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass both opposed the deployment of military troops to the city, saying local law enforcement was equipped to handle the protests over the Trump administration's increasingly aggressive immigration raids across the country. Over their objection, Trump commandeered the California National Guard, ordering about 4,000 soldiers and 700 Marines to L.A. Newsom filed an emergency motion in court Tuesday to stop Trump from expanding the mission, saying that "sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy." Meanwhile, the health of veterans with mental health conditions or those prescribed medication for substance use treatment are considered particularly at-risk because their conditions may worsen without treatment or they could suffer debilitating withdrawals or relapse. Patients who abruptly stop taking methadone, for example, may experience nausea, vomiting, pain, agitation and insomnia, according to the National Institutes of Health. VA Press Secretary Peter Kasperowicz said that since Monday, the facility's patients who have needed urgent care are "being supported at nearby facilities," and those who require daily medication were offered "courtesy pick-up and take-home doses" from the West Los Angeles VA. The VA's vocational rehabilitation and employment counselors, who work for the VA's Regional Benefits Office at the site, also have pivoted to provide support via virtual appointments, according to Kasperowicz. Related: Veterans' VA Referrals to Private Medical Care Will No Longer Require Additional Doctor Review SEOUL, South Korea South Koreas military has shut down loudspeakers broadcasting anti-North Korea propaganda along the inter-Korean border, marking the new liberal governments first concrete step toward easing tensions between the war-divided rivals. The South resumed the loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year following a yearslong pause in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign. South Koreas Defense Ministry said Wednesday that the move was part of efforts to to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its third-generation ruler, Kim Jong Un, didn't immediately comment on the step by Seoul. From May to November last year, North Korea flew about 7,000 balloons toward South Korea in 32 separate events to drop substances such as wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and even manure. The North said that its balloon campaign came after South Korean activists sent over balloons filled with anti-North Korean leaflets, as well as USB sticks filled with popular South Korean songs and dramas. Trash carried by at least one North Korean balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound in July, raising concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean facilities. Officials said that the balloon contained no dangerous material and no one was hurt. South Korea, in response to the North Korean balloons, reactivated its front-line loudspeakers to blast propaganda messages and K-pop songs toward the North. The playlist was clearly designed to strike the nerve of Pyongyang, as Kims government since the COVID-19 pandemic has been intensifying a campaign to eliminate the influence of South Korean pop culture and language among the population in a bid to strengthen his familys dynastic rule. The Cold War-style psychological warfare campaigns added to tensions fueled by North Koreas growing nuclear ambitions and South Korean efforts to expand joint military exercises with the United States and strengthen three-way security cooperation with Japan. South Koreas new liberal president, Lee Jae-myung, who took office last week after winning an early election to replace ousted conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, has vowed to improve relations with Pyongyang, which reacted furiously to Yoons hard-line policies and shunned dialogue. During the election campaign, Lee promised to halt the loudspeaker broadcasts, arguing that they created unnecessary tensions and discomfort for South Korean residents in border towns. In recent months, those residents had complained about North Koreas retaliatory broadcasts, which included howling animals, pounding gongs and other irritating sounds. In a briefing on Monday, South Koreas Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, also called for South Korean civilian activists to stop flying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border. Such activities could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threaten the lives and safety of residents in border areas, said Koo Byoungsam, the ministrys spokesperson. In his inaugural address last week, Lee vowed to reopen communication channels with North Korea to ease tensions. But prospects for an early resumption of dialogue between the rival Koreas remain dim, as North Korea has consistently rejected offers from South Korea and the United States since 2019, when nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang collapsed over sanctions-related disagreements. North Koreas priority in foreign policy is now firmly with Russia, which has received thousands of North Korean troops and large amounts of military equipment in recent months for its war with Ukraine. Yoon, who was removed from office in April over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December, had focused on strengthening military partnerships with Washington and Tokyo and on securing stronger U.S. assurances of a swift and decisive nuclear response to defend the South against a North Korean attack. In a fierce reaction to Yoons policies, Kim in January 2024 declared that he was abandoning the long-standing goals of a peaceful unification with the South and instructed the rewriting of the Norths constitution to cement the South as a permanent principal enemy. During his three-plus decades in the military, Aaron Nance says some service members are still surprised he flies jets. Nance, a chief warrant officer 5 in the Washington Army National Guard, considers that the biggest misconception he encounters fairly regularly. "'Yeah, I sure do. It's what we do,'" Nance told "The Fighter Pilot Podcast," recalling his usual response. "'Wow, I had no idea. I thought you guys just flew helicopters.'" As the Army prepares to commemorate its 250th birthday on Saturday, June 14, 2025, "The Fighter Pilot Podcast" -- hosted by former Navy fighter pilot Vincent "Jell-O" Aiello -- is rebroadcasting five episodes this month that focus on Army aviation. So far, an overview with Nance and a look at the U.S. Army flight school with Chief Warrant Officer 2 Nicholas Allen have been reposted. Read Next: 2 Elite Marine Corps Pilots Reveal What It's Like to Fly a F-35B Fighter Jet Army aviation flight school students from Fort Novosel, Alabama, participate in a proof-of-concept for a pilot program that is paving the way for Flight School Next, which would establish a significant transformation in how the service trains its future helicopter pilots, April 8, 2025. (Leslie Herlick/U.S. Army photo) Dating to the Union Army Balloon Corps during the Civil War, aviation has played a role in the United States' oldest military branch. Today, the Army operates both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, including the UH-60 Black Hawk -- which Nance described as "the backbone of United States Army aviation." While Nance has flown rotary-winged aircraft such as the AH-64 Apache combat helicopter, his role at the time the podcast was recorded was as a standardization officer for the C-26 Metroliner. "It's a little bit bigger version of a turbo prop," Nance said of the C-26. "It's a tough aircraft, to say the least. It's a little bit of old school mixed in with a little bit of new. It's got a big, old yoke like a school bus. I love it. It can take a beating, it does things really well and it does them efficiently." During his 64-minute discussion with Aiello, Nance -- who also has flown the UC-35 transport plane -- touches on the importance of aviation in the Army then and now, the specific roles of rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, how 9/11 altered the course of his career and book recommendations about Army aviation, among other topics. The Army wouldn't be what it is without an aviation component, according to Nance. "Wherever the U.S. military is at, Army fixed wing is there," he said. Anywhere theres a major presence for the United States Army, theres going to be some type of fixed-wing presence there, just to support them internally to get them around to where they need to be or to provide them the products they need. To listen to Aiello's conversation with Nance, click on the video below. For more on Army aviation, "The Fighter Pilot Podcast" intends to rebroadcast audio-only episodes on the topic every Monday of this month. Those will be available on the podcast's website, as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Overcast. Related: Army Birthday Celebration Falls in Shadow of LA Military Deployment, Immigration Policy Protests Want to Know More About the Military? Be sure to get the latest news about the U.S. military, as well as critical info about how to join and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. A handful of Virginias 133 localities have agreed to work with federal immigration enforcement. Several more, including the Portsmouth Sheriffs Office, are in the process of signing similar agreements, according to documents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Many other Virginia police departments and sheriffs offices, though, have not agreed, arguing that such an agreement would undermine investigators ability to solve crime in immigrant communities. Immigrant advocacy organizations also vehemently oppose the partnerships. The list includes Buckingham and Greene counties near Charlottesville. Loudoun County remains Virginias largest locality to sign up to partner with federal immigration officials. Its been joined by 12 other smaller localities in the western portion of the commonwealth, including Bedford County, near Roanoke. The agreements allow for local law enforcement to do some of the work typically reserved for employees of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Typically, the agreements have allowed for sheriffs deputies to question detainees about their immigration status, a process which can then escalate into deportation proceedings if an undocumented individual is identified. Trained officers can also hold undocumented immigrants for a longer period of time. Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman told NBC4 Washington that the ICE partnership would improve public safety and downplayed backlash. I think theres much ado about not a whole lot here, quite frankly, Chapman told the station in April. ICE publishes a list of law enforcement agencies that have signed what are known as 287(g) agreements, a reference to the federal immigration code that authorizes the partnerships. The counties are joined by the Virginia State Police and the Virginia Department of Corrections, which were directed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to sign their own 287(g) agreements in February. Youngkin also created a state police task force and directed his cabinet to certify that all sheriffs and jail administrators would comply with that task force and cooperate with ICE. Sheriffs are constitutionally elected officials and their compliance is voluntary, although Youngkin threatened to defund local jails in December, a threat that was ultimately defused in budget negotiations with the state legislature. Under one agreement model, known as the task force model, local law enforcement can interrogate any alien as to his right to be or remain in the United States, as well as process them for immigration violations. Officers certified by 287(g) can also execute warrants of arrest and issue immigration detainers. Detainers are requests to take a person into federal custody. The agreement signed by the Loudoun County Sheriffs Office is narrower and only authorizes deputies to serve warrants on individuals who are already in jail. Its the same agreement, described by ICE as a warrant service officer model, thats being pursued by the Portsmouth Sheriffs Office. Portsmouth Sheriff Michael A. Moore confirmed that his office was in the final stages of signing off on such an agreement. Moore, a former agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said he felt compelled to help federal law enforcement, but cautioned that he wasnt going to do anything that violated peoples civil rights. Our assistance will be pretty limited. Well be able to serve ICE warrants to people that come into our facility, said Moore. All the 287(g) agreements were signed by the 12 participating jurisdictions in the wake of Youngkins February executive order, ICEs database shows. Several civil rights groups have condemned Youngkins encouragement of 287(g). In a statement, progressive advocacy organization New Virginia Majority said Youngkins order takes away freedoms by enabling law enforcement to become de facto immigration agents in Virginia. Immigrant advocacy group CASA said Youngkins order will create a climate of fear and profiling that harms all Virginians. And the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia said Youngkin would be wasting Virginians tax dollars terrorizing local communities. Executive orders like this play politics with peoples lives, waste taxpayer dollars, and ignore the fact that immigrants have been an indispensable part of Virginia for centuries, the group said in a statement. When he announced the executive order, Youngkin said he was doing so to safeguard Virginians. Dangerous criminal illegal immigrants should not be let back into our communities to assault, rape and murder. They should be sent back where they came from, said Youngkin in a statement announcing the initiative. In April, Youngkin credited the 287(g) agreements for what he said were more than 500 arrests made since Feb. 25. Youngkin said more than 130 of those arrested were gang members. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called Youngkin and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares incredible partners with the Department of Justice. Several more state agencies have ICE partnerships that have not yet been finalized. They include the Department of Wildlife Resources, the Department of Corrections internal police force and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, which polices Virginias coastline and fisheries. June 11: The Jays will place Lukes on the 7-day concussion list as the corresponding move to bring Robertson to the majors, manager John Schneider announced today (via MLB.coms Keegan Matheson). June 10: The Blue Jays are promoting outfielder Will Robertson to the majors, according to a report from Trevor Hahn of News Tribune Sports. Toronto has space on their 40-man roster, so the only corresponding move needed to bring Robertson into the fold will be one to clear room on the active roster. Robertson, 27, was Torontos fourth-round pick back in 2019. After getting a taste of pro ball in Low-A during his draft year, Robertsons career was delayed slightly by the canceled minor league season in 2020 and when he returned in 2021 he struggled somewhat across 56 games at the High-A level with a wRC+ of just 94 as he hit .235/.310/.385. He once again put up relatively middling numbers the following year, this time slashing .215/.291/.401 (89 wRC+) across 90 games in his first taste of the Double-A level. Overall, Robertsons approach came with a hefty dose of strikeouts and somewhat limited power that made it difficult for him to put up even average results early in his professional career. Things began to change during a repeat of the Double-A level in 2023, however. That year, Robertson hit .245/.323/.488 with a wRC+ of 118. He pushed his walk rate up to 9.7%, the best it had been since his draft year, cut his strikeout rate by two points, and slugged 19 homers in 103 games. That sort of strong performance is to be expected of a 25-year-old making his second trip through Double-A, but it was still enough to get him promoted to Triple-A Buffalo for the first time in his career. While Robertsons increased walk rate and power remained from the year prior, his strikeout rate jumped to 31.3% in 2024 as he struggled against Triple-A pitching an ultimately slashed just .226/.319/.429 with a wRC+ of 95. Robertsons 2024 performance may have seemed to indicate he didnt have much of path to the big leagues, but hes changed that narrative with a brilliant season in 2025 so far. In 51 games for the clubs Buffalo affiliate, Robertson has crushed the ball to the tune of a .288/.410/.582 slash line. He has 12 home runs in just 188 plate appearances, hes walking a whopping 17.0% of the time, and hes striking out less than he has since 2019 with a 23.9% clip. Taken together, it leaves him with a 159 wRC+ thats good for fourth in the International League this year. Robertson isnt considered much of a prospect, as he isnt even ranked on MLB.coms Top 30 Blue Jays prospects list. Regardless of a players prospect status, however, Robertsons numbers are the type that will get you attention from the big league club. Thats especially true for a Blue Jays club that is running a bit thin on outfield depth after losing both Anthony Santander and Daulton Varsho to the injured list. Alan Roden, Myles Straw, Jonatan Clase, Addison Barger, and Nathan Lukes have been mixing and matching in the outfield for the Jays in recent weeks alongside veteran right fielder George Springer, and Ben Nicholson Smith of Sportsnet was among those to relay this afternoon that Lukes had been scratched from todays lineup due to neck discomfort. Perhaps Robertsons call-up is a sign that Lukes neck issue is serious enough to require a stint on the injured list, though its also possible Robertsons phenomenal play to this point in the year has simply forced the issue in the eyes of Blue Jays brass. DEAR ABBY: A few months ago, I found out my adult child is transgender. Nobody knows yet except for me, my husband and my other child. Until this year, I have always worked in a very caring, loving and supportive environment. Recently, I overheard a new male co-worker say in a high-pitched voice, Im transgender! Im transgender! while spinning in circles and waving a scarf around his head. I was floored. I wanted to say something to him about that being inappropriate and hurtful, but I was speechless. I have never before encountered this type of behavior. How do I handle this if something similar happens again? My child is not ready for the world to know, so I need to be careful. Im kicking myself for not speaking up at the time. -- REGRETFUL IN THE MIDWEST DEAR REGRETFUL: It is unfortunate that transgender people (who make up less than 1% of the population) are being scapegoated by ignorant, ill-informed individuals. Gender identity disorder is not contagious. Trans people are a danger to no one, and they dont deserve to be ridiculed. The next time this happens (and it may), dont be shy about telling your co-worker that what hes doing is inappropriate and hurtful and not to do it in front of you again. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. Bruce Campbell in "Ash vs. Evil Dead" on Starz. Campbell and Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" from 1981 will be on tour in concert in 2025. Photo by Matt Klitscher | Starz Entertainment DETROIT - You will soon be able to experience a cult classic horror film with a live orchestra. The 1981 flick, The Evil Dead, will be on tour with the film playing on a large HD cinema screen while Joe LoDucas film score is performed on stage with a live orchestra. The Evil Dead stars Royal Oak, Michigans Bruce Campbell and was written and directed by Royal Oaks Sam Raimi. The 50-city North American tour kicks off on September 22 and includes a special three-night run in Los Angeles over Halloween. The Evil Dead: The Tour will be in Campbell and Raimis home state of Michigan at the Masonic Cathedral Theatre in Detroit on Wednesday, October 8. Tickets can be purchased here. The presale began at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 11. The 1893 shipwreck of the Corisan, a two-masted wooden schooner, rests at the bottom of Lake Huron near Alpena. The entire crew went down with the ship after a collision in morning fog on June 1, 1893. NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary ALPENA, MI Thick fog rose above the surface of Lake Huron on the morning of June 1, 1893, making it difficult for the crews of two ships to see each other until it was too late. The steel steam barge Corsica collided with the wooden schooner Corsican about 10 miles from Thunder Bay, according to records. The Corsican was nearly cut in two and went to the bottom instantly taking its entire crew with it. RELATED: Michigans shipwreck alley has 7 shallow sites perfect to snorkel, paddle Launched in 1862 by H. Rogers in Olcott, N.Y., the ship was carrying coal when it went down. Its unclear how many crew members were aboard. The 1893 shipwreck of the Corisan, a two-masted wooden schooner, rests at the bottom of Lake Huron near Alpena. The entire crew went down with the ship after a collision in morning fog on June 1, 1893. NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Today, this watery grave rests 160 feet below the surface, at the bottom of the Great Lake at GPS coordinates N4454.760 W8303.300 within the NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. RELATED: Glass-bottom boat tours offer shipwreck views without getting wet Large sections are missing from the cabin and stern of the wreck. Piles of jumbled wreckage cover the collapsed deck. The steering wheel is wrenched upward and no longer attached to the rudder. The bow windlass is still wrapped with an anchor chain. Rigged spars rest atop the wreckage and across the lake bottom. Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, designated in 2000, is a 4,300-square-mile underwater preserve that protects more than 100 historic shipwrecks in Lake Huron off the Michigan coast. It was the first marine sanctuary in the Great Lakes. Shipwrecks are available for recreation, including diving, snorkeling and paddling. RELATED: Photos: Rare, up-close look at Michigans unique Little Red lighthouse Historic photos of the S.S. Badger coal-powered car ferry show the 410-foot ship through the years. The ships entered service on Lake Michigan in 1953. (Provided by Interlake Maritime Services) Provided by Interlake Maritime Services LUDINGTON, MI A Northern Michigan museum is seeking stories from past and present crew members of Great Lakes car ferries for a new exhibit. In 2027, the Mason County Historical Society will unveil an interactive kiosk featuring personal accounts and memorabilia from people who spent time working on Ludingtons historic twin ships, S.S. Badger and S.S. Spartan. Using text, audio, video and photography, the display will bring their experiences to life, the historical society said. This exhibit will be at the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum. Its opening will coincide with the museums 10th anniversary. RELATED: Last coal-powered car ferry in the U.S. marks 72nd anniversary on Lake Michigan The 410-foot, coal-powered Badger and Spartan entered service in 1953, carrying railcars across Lake Michigan. Today, the Badger carries passengers and vehicles across Lake Michigan, between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wis. The Spartan serves as a parts vessel for the Badger, which was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 2016. The twin ships have had several owners, and the museum is interested in accounts from people who worked for all of them: Flint & Pere Marquette Railway, Pere Marquette Railway, Chesapeake & Ohio/Chessie System, Michigan-Wisconsin Transportation and Lake Michigan Carferry. Whether the employment was for a summer or for years, each story could be valuable for the exhibit. RELATED: 1950s summer employee welcomed by S.S. Badger captain during Lake Michigan trip Contributions can include oral interviews, journals, scrapbooks, family stories, photographs and other media. The society can digitize a wide range of materials, including books, journals, photographs, negatives, slides, video and audio tapes. Anyone with a story or materials to share can reach out to Amber Valentine, collections/archivist manager, at amber@mchshistory.org or 231-843-4808. Volunteers are needed to help collect stories and materials. To get involved, contact project chair Rob Alway at editor@mediagroup31.com or 231-757-3202. RELATED: Lake Michigan car ferry captain still uses 1850s technology to send orders to engine room Founded in 1937, the Mason County Historical Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, Historic White Pine Village, The Rose Hawley Archives, and the Mason County Emporium and Sweet Shop. Maykol Bogoya Duarte, 18, was driving to a field trip on May 20, 2025 when he was stopped by local police then detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He's now facing an imminent deportation. (Photo provided by the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center) Photo provided by the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center Supporters of a Michigan teenager who was detained by immigration officials while driving to a field trip are urging for his release so he can finish high school before going back to his home country of Colombia. Maykol Bogoya Duarte, 18, from Western International High School in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, was detained after a traffic stop on May 20. Federal officials say the teen, whos lived in the United States for nearly three years, had a removal order after his appeal for asylum was denied last year. Duarte is now facing imminent deportation, according to attorney Ruby Robinson from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. Related: Michigan high schooler detained on field trip now facing deportation The Detroit Public Schools Community District Board of Education is demanding a stay of deportation after more than 100 people spoke in support of Duarte at a Tuesday, June 10 meeting. We call for the immediate release of Maykol and request a formal stay of his deportation. We want him to complete his coursework and graduate with his high school diploma just as he has worked hard to do," said the board in a statement. Nearly 1,500 people have also signed a petition urging for Duartes release so that he can finish three credits needed to graduate. It describes Duarte and an ideal student who is an intelligent and caring individual, loved by students and staff alike. This young man is just hoping to be able to get released from detention in order to complete his high school diploma, the petition said. Robinson said Duarte planned to leave the United States, but hes been delayed trying to get a new Colombian passport now that hes an adult. Related: In rural Michigan, a prison is reopening as biggest ICE detention hub in Midwest Duarte was driving three other students to a field trip last month when he was stopped by the Rockwood Police Department in southeastern Wayne County. Local police then contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection after finding out Duarte had no drivers license. Detroit Public Schools Community District Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said Duarte didnt have permission to go on the field trip, so he was not under the protection and responsibility of the district at the time. The teen was then turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and transported to the Chippewa County Correctional Facility, a detention center about 350 miles north of Detroit, where he was held for three weeks. Within the past couple of days, he was transferred to Pine Prairie Correctional Facility in Louisiana. Several state lawmakers have also joined the call for Duartes release. Democratic State Sens. Stephanie Chang, Mary Cavanagh, Sylvia Santana and Rosemary Bayer released a joint statement Tuesday saying the courts should consider a stay of deportation for Duarte. We join over a thousand teachers, students and parents calling on ICE to release Maykol from detention so that he can return to his family, even temporarily, and finish his schooling, the statement said. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment on Duartes case. Daytime soap opera actor Chris Robinson, known for his role as Dr. Rick Webber on General Hospital has died at the age of 86. According to a Facebook post made by longtime collaborator and friend MJ Allen, Robinson died in his sleep on June 9 at his home in Sedona, Arizona. Allen said that Robinson had been in heart failure for some time before his death. Robinson spent several years as a cast member of the daytime soap opera and appeared in more than 100 other productions over his 65-year career. While he is known for his role on General Hospital, Robinson is also known for his time as a spokesperson for Vicks. In a 1980s TV commercial promoting Vicks Formula 44 cough medicine, he delivered the iconic line Im not a doctor, but I play one on TV. Over the course of his career, Robinson appeared on Murder, She Wrote, Fantasy Island, and Hogans Heroes. His last role came in the 2022 film Just for a Week. He is survived by his wife Jacquie Shane-Robinson, his seven sons Shane, Coby, Christian, Taylor, Christopher Robinson, Christopher Lance, and adopted son Robb Walker, and five grandchildren. The Michigan State Police Troopers Association and the Michigan State Police Command Officers Association has called for the resignation of Col. James F. Grady II, director of the MSP, and Lt. Col. Aimee Brimacombe. LANSING, MI Michigan State Polices top leaders are facing mounting pressure to step down after troopers overwhelmingly took a vote of no-confidence in their leadership. The Michigan State Police Troopers Association (MSPTA) and the Michigan State Police Command Officers Association (MSPCOA) issued a joint letter Monday, June 9, calling for the resignation of Col. James F. Grady II, director of the MSP, and Lt. Col. Aimee Brimacombe. According to the letter, both groups conducted an anonymous survey of their members regarding their confidence in Grady and Brimacombes leadership. Troopers overwhelmingly voted no in the survey, with over 98% of the MSPTA voting no confidence and 90% of MSPCOA respondents voting no confidence. Over 75% of each groups members voted in the survey, the letter said. Republicans from Michigans House and Senate joined in calling for Grady and Brimacombes resignations, citing the results of the trooper survey. An overwhelming majority of our troopers have made their voices loud and clear, State Rep. Mike Mueller (R-Linden) said in a Tuesday, June 10 statement. They have no confidence in the current leadership. It is corrupt, dishonest, and doesnt keep the best interest of its own troopers in mind. If they have any shame, Grady and Brimacombe should resign right now. Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, called the trooper survey a damning indictment of the current administration. It is undeniable that this is the absolute worst leadership our state police has ever seen and completely unacceptable for the troopers and public they serve, said Nesbitt, who is running for governor. There needs to be a change at the top and that change needs to happen immediately. Col. Grady must step down or the governor must relieve him of his duties. Mueller said morale has sunken to an all-time low at MSP. He testified before the House Oversight Committee regarding MSPs leadership issue in May, citing concerns about self-awarded bonuses in pay, discoveries of Brimacombes disciplinary record, and mistreatment of employees, he said. Gov. Gretchen Whitmers office expressed its support for Grady in a statement to the Detroit News this week, saying Grady has demonstrated strong and steady leadership at the department. MSP has around 1,150 troopers assigned statewide, and a total of 1,860 enlisted members. A GPS-collared bull moose shows 25-30% hair loss in this photo. The hair loss is a visible sign of winter tick infestation, which can impact moose health and survival. The Michigan DNR This tiny parasite can cause moose deaths. Michigans most in-depth study to date into why the moose population in Michigans Upper Peninsula is stagnant is looking at several factors that could be impacting mortality, including winter ticks, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which provided an update today. Disclaimer: Were diving into the creepy-crawly world of ticks, the DNR said on Facebook. Side effects may include phantom itching, involuntary shudders, and saying ew out loud. Youve been warned. The post was in response to questions about the impact of winter ticks on the moose population after officials provided an update on the study in May. That report included the births of nine calves and the deaths of two. RELATED: When 2 moose calves died in the U.P., their tracking collars solved the mystery The study began in February when 20 moose were fitted with GPS collars. Winter ticks are not your average tick, and may be one of several potential factors impacting health and survival of Michigans moose herd, the DNR said. The small parasite can cause big problems for moose, sometimes leading to their deaths. In March, researchers flew thermal sensing drones and captured aerial images of collared moose. They were looking for signs of winter tick infestation. Some of the moose photographed had lost 25-30% of their coats due to intensely grooming themselves due to the itching triggered by the tick infestations. RELATED: 9 calves born to 6 moose collared for U.P. population study Though they do their best to detach the ticks, once attached, they are hard to shake off, the DNR said. A Michigan moose photographed in 2021 shows significant hair loss and a heavy load of winter ticks. Winter tick infestation can impact moose health and survival. Michigan DNR While these ticks dont carry disease, blood loss, irritation and fur loss can be fatal to moose, which depend on thick coats to survive the U.P.s cold winters. Calves are especially vulnerable to the cold. Without their insulating coat, they can freeze to death, the DNR said. Moose can be infested with 100,000 winter ticks in a single season, according to Cornell University. These ticks stay with their host for their entire life cycle. In the fall, larvae climb onto vegetation and wait for a host to walk by, the DNR said. Large and active, moose are easy targets. Researchers are using a variety of tools, including GPS collars, drone imagery, and field observations, to learn more about moose movement, habitat use, survival rates, and stressors like parasites. In February, 20 moose were captured, sedated and fitted with tracking collars; the study will eventually have 60 collared moose. Ten of the moose included in the study so far are cows (adult females). The other 10 are adult males, or bulls, and calves. RELATED: 60 Michigan moose will be sedated, fitted with tracking collars for new study While the big animals with their paddle-like antlers once roamed across Michigan, by the early 1900s their numbers had grown sparse and were limited to the U.P. An attempt to reintroduce them in the 1930s went nowhere, according to the DNR. It took the famous Moose Lift of the 1980s for any real population to take hold. This involved fitting 59 of these big animals into carrying slings and airlifting them by helicopter, then transporting them by truck from the Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, to the U.P.s Marquette County. The goal was to have a 1,000-strong moose population in that area by 2000. But the latest numbers show just over 400 of the animals - not even half of what DNR researchers thought wed have by now. Answering the questions behind this sluggish moose population gives a broader insight into the health of the U.P. wildlife system. Moose - actually the largest of our native deer species - have a complex role to play, the DNR said. Chief among those is what they eat: Aspen, birch and balsam fir. Both the presence and absence of moose can affect forest growth, creating cascading effects throughout the habitat, impacting deer, birds, insects and plant life, said Tyler Petroelje, Northern Michigan wildlife research specialist for the DNR. As a keystone species, moose have a disproportionate impact on their environment compared to most other species. The new study is led by the DNR, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and researchers at Northern Michigan University. To learn more about Michigans mainland moose population, check the DNRs website here. A view of a M777 Howitzer during Northern Strike in Camp Grayling on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. This exercise was infiltrated by five Chinese students from the University of Michigan, leading to federal surveillance charges. MLive file photo. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com ANN ARBOR, MI Surveilling a military exercise. Illegally voting in the 2024 election. Moving biological pathogens across U.S. borders. Since October 2024, four federal cases involving University of Michigan students from China have gone public. The two most recent involve a doctoral student and her boyfriend working to smuggle a potential agroterrorism weapon into the country and a Chinese scholar trying to send roundworm material to a UM lab. The smuggling cases, particularly the possible agroterrorism one, are disturbing national security threats, said Javed Ali, a former U.S. counterterrorism official and associate professor of practice at the University of Michigans Ford School of Public Policy. Based on the latest case, seems like a pattern is emerging, he said in a June 10 email to MLive. (Its) unclear though whether these are the only ones that will entail arrests or indictments, or whether this is the tip of the iceberg with more to follow. Does that mean the University of Michigan is uniquely vulnerable to foreign threats? Ali said the answer is not clear as Republican lawmakers seek answers on this latest UM-adjacent threat from China. Foreign governments have long targeted higher education institutions, Ali said, but the string of Chinese student criminal cases require serious examination from federal and university officials. It reinforces the enduring nature of this sort of threat from foreign governments and foreign intelligence services, he said. Again, its hard to know in at least the most recent cases, but this has been going on for decades. China is President Donald Trumps top national security issue, Ali said. Its possible this has the FBI prioritizing these investigations into students with links to China, he said. That could be a driver, as well, (but) thats speculation on my part, Ali said. The criminal cases In August 2023, five Chinese students at the University of Michigan were found with cameras near military vehicles and classified communications equipment during the Northern Strike training exercise at Camp Grayling in Northern Michigan. An FBI complaint filed Oct. 1 charged Zhekai Xu, Renxiang Guan, Haoming Zhu, Jingzhe Tao and Yi Liang with conspiracy, making false statements to investigators and destroying records during the federal investigation. Read more: 5 Chinese University of Michigan students charged in countersurveillance probe The same month, a 19-year-old student, Haoxiang Gao, cast a ballot at an early voting site in Ann Arbor on Oct. 27, days before the November general election. Gao left the country and faces additional federal charges for fleeing the U.S. to avoid prosecution. Read more: University of Michigan student fled to China after illegal vote in 2024 election This month, authorities unsealed a federal criminal complaint against Yunqing Jian, the UM doctoral student, and her boyfriend Zunyong Liu. They are accused of conspiring to defraud the United States and smuggling a fungal pathogen, Fusarium graminearum, into the country. The pathogen causes rot and head blight to cereal crops. It is considered an agroterrorism weapon, according to the journal Food Security. Read more: Harmful fungus? What to know about Chinese scholars who smuggled pathogen into U.S. Also this month, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. in Detroit announced a doctoral student at a Wuhan university is accused of sending four packages from China to the U.S. since 2024. They contained nematode growth medium, or NGM, a nutrient-rich, agar-based material used to cultivate nematode worms, in petri dishes, alleges the June 9 criminal complaint. Nematodes are a kind of roundworm. The packages, according to the complaint, were addressed to people associated with a UM lab. Read more: Chinese academic bound for University of Michigan nabbed for smuggling roundworm material In 2020, UM students from China were caught photographing military and naval infrastructure at Naval Air Station Key West in Florida. They were convicted of illegally photographing military installations and sentenced to prison, federal records show. National security in higher education Foreign governments and intelligence services have seen higher education institutions for decades as places of potential opportunity to further national interests or collect intelligence, Ali said. This includes previous adversaries such as Iran, China and Russia since it was the Soviet Union. Whatever is happening or has been happening at UM isnt new at a much bigger level, he said. Neither UM nor the Detroit FBI Office responded to requests for comments on follow-up actions taken. The university said last week in a statement that it is cooperating with federal law enforcement on these cases. We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the universitys critical public mission, the university shared in a June 3 statement. It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals. FBI Director Kash Patel addressed news of the charges against Jian and Liu, saying on X the case is a sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party is working to infiltrate American institutions. U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Caledonia, sent a letter Oct. 31 to former university President Santa Ono urging the end of UMs partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The five Chinese students at Camp Grayling came from a program between the two institutions. The Moolenaars efforts yielded results, as UM severed ties with Shanghai Jiao Tong in January. Moolenaar, chairman of the U.S. Houses Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, said Jians case should be fully prosecuted as a threat against our country. This is only further proof that American universities must be more vigilant when it comes to research security and the participation of Chinese nationals in these institutions, Moolenaar said in a June 3 statement. A spokesperson for Moolenaar did not immediately respond to questions about UMs vulnerability to threats but pointed to a statement made after Hans case went public. Another Chinese national linked to Wuhan has been caught smuggling biological materials into the U.S. and lying to federal agents, reads a June 9 X post by Moolenaars committee. This isnt randomits a pattern. The (Chinese Communist Party) is exploiting our open system. We need action." His fellow Michigan lawmaker on the committee U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, also co-penned a letter that led to Eastern Michigan, Oakland and Detroit Mercy universities to end partnerships with Chinese universities. Walberg is co-sponsoring a DETERRENT bill to require stronger disclosure requirements for research faculty and universities like UM. His spokesperson Sara Robertson said the university is a clear target, though smaller research institutions like the University of Detroit Mercy and Oakland University are also vulnerable. Our adversaries will look for any angle, Robertson said in a statement. This is just the tip of the iceberg, the examples that make the news cycle are just the ones that get caught. Two of the cases with Chinese students have apparent security ramifications, Ali said. The illegal voting seems to be isolated and not an intelligence collection effort like the Camp Grayling case, Ali said. Its illegal what he did, but was it done to somehow affect the election? Ali said. The alleged fungus smuggling is most disturbing, Ali said. This wasnt directed research. This wasnt funded research. This was something they were trying to do covertly and illegally, Ali said, adding Jians membership in the Chinese Communist Party raises questions about motives. This was a pretty serious thing that they were trying to do here, Ali said. Jian received money from a Chinese foundation with backing from the Chinese government to conduct the research, the complaint states. Its hard to tell if UM is a unique national security risk, Ali said. The answer would come from an official source. Its the FBI that has the best insight into what this activity looks like from what they know, Ali said. But even what they know may not be everything. If you would like more reporting like this delivered free to your inbox, click here and signup for our weekly newsletter: Michigan Schools. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter. A house for rent at 516 Catherine St. in Ann Arbor on June 8, 2025. According to a listing on RentCollegePads.com, it's five bedrooms and rent is $5,800-$6,200. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com) Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News ANN ARBOR, MI Its no secret Ann Arbor is growing increasingly unaffordable for many people as housing prices have soared to new heights in recent years. One-bedroom apartments priced at over $1,700 per month are now considered affordable housing compared to some of the steeper rents in new developments, Zillow puts the average home value in the city at about $527,000 and even vacant neighborhood lots can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars. Functional dishware inspired by the 1960s made by a local lawyer and artist, Suellen J. Parker, is seen in this file photo taken at the Flint Art Fair. (Jake May | MLive.com file) Jake May | MLive.com FLINT, MI - One of Michigans longest-running art festivals is happening this weekend, and dads get in free on Fathers Day. The Friends of Modern Art (FOMA) will host the 58th annual Flint Art Fair from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 14, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 15, Fathers Day, kicking off the summer events season in Flint. Held at the Flint Institute of Arts (FIA) in the Flint Cultural Center, 1120 E Kearsley St., Flint Art Fair will feature more than 100 juried artists from Michigan working in various mediums, including ceramics, glass, painting, jewelry, fiber, metal, mixed media, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and woodworking. In addition, local art groups, including the FIA Clay Club, Art at the Market, and Flint Underground, will highlight local talent. Live music in the beer tent, courtesy of FIMs Music Around Town, will include Dan Devins and the Blues Delegation on Saturday and the popular Rodeo Drive on Sunday. And for those with an appetite, a variety of food trucks and vendors will provide everything from fresh lemonade, specialty teas, kettle corn, and hand dipped ice cream, to burgers, fries, BBQ, empanadas, crepes, and sandwiches, FIA officials said in a statement. A childrens area with free art activities will be offered throughout the fair. The make-and-take activity will be hosted by the Flint Public Library on Saturday, and by Detroit-based nonprofit We Are Art on Sunday. We Are Art also offers face painting and will have a free Flint Art Fair themed design available throughout the fair. Admission is $5 for everyone 12 and up and children under 12 get in free. Dads get in free on Sunday. Find more information at flintartfair.org. Want more Flint-area news? Bookmark the local Flint news page or sign up for the free 3@3 daily newsletter for Flint. Flint-built trucks in a vacant field off I-75 can be seen in this MLive photo. (Jake May | MLive.com) Jake May FLINT TWP, MI - Flint Township has taken a significant step toward boosting local tax revenue and managing growth through its first-ever use of conditional zoning. Its a flexible land-use tool that played a crucial role in the recent approval of General Motors massive 70-acre vehicle storage lot near the Flint Assembly plant. The conditional zoning approval - unlike traditional zoning - allows the township to attach specific conditions to development projects, ensuring new investments meet community needs while providing much-needed economic benefits. Until now, Flint Township had limited opportunities to generate tax revenue from large-scale commercial developments, making this a landmark moment for local officials and residents. The State of Michigan Zoning Enabling Act PA 110 of 2006 authorized an owner of property to voluntarily offer and a township to approve a use under contracted conditions, said Tracey Tucker, Flint Townships Economic Enhancement Director. The 70-acre GM storage lot, located near Van Slyke and Maple roads, will consolidate thousands of vehicles produced at the Flint Assembly plant, streamlining outbound logistics and potentially eliminating the automakers need to park vehicles across multiple sites in Genesee County. The project supports GMs $1 billion investment in upgrading its Flint operations for next-generation trucks. Tucker said this opens the door for other opportunities. Any large long term investments in our community benefit not only our residents but it encourages others to invest, she said. Chad McCarty, owner of R1 Consulting and R2 Property Ventures, has led the project for GM and said he owns 60 of the acres in the township where the lot will be. Its the first time Flint Township has done conditional zoning and thats a big deal for townships, McCarty said. It lets them have some flexibility and bring tax revenues to the community that may have never seen tax revenues. Those properties were owned by the land bank so theyve never brought tax dollars into the community. McCarty praised the conditional zoning process and said community input was important to seek. We had multiple townhall meetings with the community, he said. Were giving easements away to a lot of the residents that tie into the development just to be good neighbors with them. We took the concerns the community had and worked through those concerns. The approved site plan includes requirements for an 8-foot berm and greenbelt buffer, shielded lighting, restricted access points to minimize traffic through residential areas, and environmental safeguards such as stormwater management. The GM storage lot project is expected to break ground within two weeks, McCarty said, led by DCC Construction. Its slated to be completed by May of (2026), McCarty said. I think this is great for the local community because weve been able to support probably the largest employer in our area while remaining efficient, which keeps them competitive. Twenty-eight years after leaving a box full of mementos in his parents backyard in Spring Arbor, Michigan, Brhett Butler and his children dug up the treasure and opened the capsule on Saturday, June 7. Photo Courtesy of Brhett Butler SPRING ARBOR, MI When Brhett Butler graduated from Concord High School in 1997, he needed to do something with his stuff. He had grown up digging for treasure left by his grandparents. So, he buried it. He dug a hole in his parents backyard, placed a box full of items, didnt tell anyone and left it there. Twenty-eight years later, on Saturday, June 7, Butler; his two sons, Ryan, 7, and Ben, 5; and other family members unveiled his treasure. The box included coins, clothes, model cars and other family memorabilia passed down generations. It was a magical feeling, said Butler, 46, who now lives in Cape Coral, Florida. He said it was even more special his sons were around the same age Butler was when he discovered coins left in a medicine tin by his grandfather. (Ryan and Ben) were excited that they really found treasure and pulling it out, Butler said. ... I just tried to make it special of my childhood by putting things in there. Just little treasures of my childhood. Part of the reason Butler decided to unearth the treasure now was because his parents are considering selling their farm on Spring Arbor Road in Spring Arbor, he said. Butlers mother, Kathleen Flack, didnt even know the treasure existed. When I woke up (Saturday), they were out hunting for treasure with the map he just made up, Flack said. And the box was pretty much deteriorated, because its been 28 years. Butler admits in the 28 years since he buried the treasure hes frequently forgotten about it. Yet, when he visits his parents in the summer, he looks out at the backyard and remembers the time capsule he left. Butler, a realtor, continues to be interested in treasure, leaving chests on his travels, he said. He left one on a beach in Portugal, where Christopher Columbus first set sail near Lisbon. He left others in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Isle of Skye, Scotland; and St. Albans, England. Each is near a big rock, he said. He hopes his children potentially go to the locations and uncover the hidden items, or someone else finds them. The treasures typically include coins, jewelry and a few personal items, he said. He tries to make them somewhat valuable, Butler added. He also includes his contact information and hopes if the treasure is found they reach out to him, but no one has yet. Brhett Butler (left) poses with his children, Ryan, 7 (center), and Ben, 5 (right), after unearthing a time capsule on Saturday, June 7, left by Butler 28 years ago. Butler wanted to leave the treasure after he grew up unearthing treasure left by his grandparents. Photo Courtesy of Brhett Butler When Butler first staked out the spot on his parents farm Saturday where he left the box, it was all overgrown, he said. He wanted to make sure the treasure was still there. After he ensured it was, he made a map, showing the X marking the treasure near a rock and a line of trees. Then, the digging began, with Butler taking up most of the task. He first was a couple feet, from the correct location, he said. Finally, they located it, dug it up and could open his chest and see his artifacts. I thought everything in there was gonna be more well preserved, Butler said. I put it in a plastic box and inside it was in a wooden crate. The elements of the Earth got to a lot of it, so were gonna do a lot of cleaning up of the coins. I had a shirt that I really liked, I put it in there, but that was all torn up. I had a model car that kind of did all right. But Butler wasnt too down about any damage to the items. It was more about creating a memory with his family, he said. They all got to keep different items in the chest. It was so muddy and dirty, and (Butlers) hands were all black, because dirt got into it and everything sort of disintegrating, Flack said. As much as Butler cherished the reactions of Ben and Ryan, Butler said it meant just as much to him. Flack said Ryan kept a trophy from the chest. He comes running and says, Im gonna wash this! I got a trophy! Flack said. With Fathers Day around the corner Butler wants to share his story so other families can create a similar tradition. In this digital age, I think its something more physical to go out into nature with your family, Butler said. Its just something totally unique to do for your family or for someone else who finds it. I almost think everyone should do this someday in their life. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter. VICKSBURG, MI -- A $3.4 million grant will fund the replacement of an aging dam in Vicksburg. The dam was constructed in 1850 and has deteriorated significantly, according to a press release from Kalamazoo County. Without repairs, the dam is at risk of failing during major rainfall events. The dam is on Sunset Lake near downtown Vicksburg. Currently, wooden stoplogs used to control water levels in the dam have to be removed manually before heavy rainstorms. Removing the stoplogs can be safety risk, the release said. The concrete structures of the dam are also in poor condition, the release said. The dam lacks the capacity to handle a 200-year flood, as mandated by state regulations, said Jason Wiersma, Kalamazoo County drain commissioner. The combination of its outdated design and poor condition makes this replacement project urgent. Most of the grant, $2.5 million, comes from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding via Kalamazoo County. The other $900,000 was given to the county through the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Dam Safety Program. The grant will fund the demolition and reconstruction of the dam with a modern concrete spillway, channels and enhanced safety features. The new dam is still in the design phase, the release said, so no timeline was given. Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Kalamazoo daily newsletter. A Michigan State Police logo on the side of a vehicle. (Brad Devereaux | bdeverea@mlive.com) VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI A Paw Paw man was injured in a shooting, the Michigan State Police reports. It happened at 8:50 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, 8:50 p.m. at 31626 Red Arrow Highway, Antwerp Township. The 33-year-old Paw Paw man was shot and treated at the scene for minor injuries, MSP said. Troopers at the MSP Paw Paw Post are investigating the case. A 49-year-old Paw Paw man was arrested on charges of assault with intent to murder and felon in possession of a firearm. He is lodged at the Van Buren County Jail. The shooting stemmed from a dispute, police said, and further details are under investigation. No other injuries occurred, MSP said, and there is no threat to the public. Paw Paw and Mattawan police departments assisted the state police. Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Kalamazoo daily newsletter. TEXAS TOWNSHIP, MI -- After a yearlong delay, Pine Island Chapel has opened in Texas Township. Construction on the chapel finished in early 2024, but the church was at odds with the township over the requirement to install screenings for nuisances. The church took legal action against the township, but later reached a compromise after more discussions, said Seth Weeldreyer, a pastor at First Presbyterian Church. Its a great culmination of all the work ... and the dreams that people have had for many years, Weeldreyer said. RELATED: A Kalamazoo County church is suing a township over a tree dispute The chapel at 8882 West Q Ave. is another location for First Presbyterian Church, which based in downtown Kalamazoo. Unlike the downtown church, the Texas Township location is surrounded by large trees, manicured houses and a marsh. Before the chapel was built, patrons of Pine Island Church, a smaller church, held outdoor services on the land during the COVID-19 pandemic. It then merged with First Presbyterian in 2019. Pine Island Chapel in Texas Township. Courtesy of First Presbyterian Church of Kalamazoo Construction on the new chapel started in August 2023 and ended in early 2024. But the township said the church hadnt installed enough screening to separate the property from nearby residential properties. The township asked the church to install more evergreen trees, which is the form of screening the church chose to use. But the church couldnt afford to install the number of the trees the township requested. Ten trees were planted while the chapel was being constructed on the west and north property lines, according to legal documents. The back of the property is a marshy area with houses off in the distance. The townships zoning ordinance requires two rows of evergreen trees set back 50 feet from the property line on the entire west, north and east property lines. Weeldreyer said the township compromised, allowing the church to meet zoning requirements if it planted 16 more evergreen trees at the property far fewer than the original ask. The church also planted other tree types around the property for decorative purposes. If the township had required evergreen trees be planted in the marshy area behind the church, they would have died anyways, Weeldreyer said. A Texas Township representative confirmed the chapels landscape plan was approved in alignment with zoning requirements. Building the 1,900-square-foot chapel cost $500,000 and was supported through a fundraising campaign. Inside, theres capacity for 90 people with 30 parking spaces outside. So far, the chapel has held a Sunday Service, funeral and Bible study meetings. Reservation of the chapel can be made through First Presbyterian Church. Were trying to be respectful of our neighbors and be good neighbors for the whole community, Weeldreyer said. Thats what we really want, to be a space to try to help life flourish for all. Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Kalamazoo daily newsletter. Bay City State Park is seen in this file drone image. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com file Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com BAY CITY, MI The Music from the Marsh Summer Concert Series is back for 2025, offering a season of free outdoor performances at Bay City State Park. Beginning Saturday, June 14, and running through Aug. 30, concerts will be at 7 p.m. every Saturday on the parks outdoor stage. This years lineup features a wide array of musical styles, from folk and roots rock to Cajun and country. Some groups featured on the schedule include Ray Kamalay, La Compagnie and the lively Mardi Gras in the Mitten finale with Zig Zeitler and Perry English. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and insect repellent. In case of rain, performances will move indoors to the adjacent Visitor Center auditorium. Admission is free, though a Michigan State Park passport is required for vehicles. Donations are welcomed. More information can be found on the Friends of Bay City State Park Facebook page. 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. Want to subscribe to our Hello, Bay City newsletter? Sign up for free here. Protesters demonstrate against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk outside the Ann Arbor Federal Building, 200 E Liberty St. in Ann Arbor on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com As President Donald Trump celebrates his 79th birthday and the Armys 250th birthday with a military parade in Washington, D.C., protests are planned in cities across the U.S. on Saturday. That includes dozens of Michigan cities where organizers have big plans for No Kings Day demonstrations against Trump, from Ann Arbor to Battle Creek, Bay City, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Muskegon and beyond. Trump is holding a $45 million birthday parade in D.C. with tanks and he thinks this is how a president behaves? Maybe in Russia or some authoritarian country, said Gus Teschke, one of the organizers of the Ann Arbor rally. We dont do that in the U.S. and so were going to be everywhere else showing what democracy really is its a pro-democracy protest. Organizers expect the nationwide day of defiance June 14 to be the largest collective demonstration and rejection of authoritarianism since Trump returned to office in January, saying millions are expected to rally in over 1,500 cities against billionaire-first politics and militarization of democracy. It also happens to be Flag Day and the American flag is about fighting against kings, not celebrating someone trying to act like a king and, who knows, maybe a dictator, Teschke said. The Ann Arbor rally and march is planned for 4-6 p.m. outside the downtown Federal Building on Liberty Street. Local officials and other speakers are expected to touch on a range of topics from workers rights and the growing wealth gap in America to supporting immigrants and diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as how to get involved in the resistance movement. Local musicians also will be performing and there will be a special event for kids and families beforehand at 3 p.m. at the downtown Ann Arbor library with sign-making and free flags for Flag Day, Teschke said, calling it a family-friendly event. The kids are going to march around the block at 3:30 and then the main event is at 4, he said. Were going to have fun basically. Were going to make fun of Trump. The Lansing protest at the Michigan State Capitol includes a Kick Out the Clowns rally from noon to 2 p.m. followed by a march and then a No Kings carnival from 3-6 p.m. Various groups, including the Ingham County Democratic Party, are organizing the event in response to Trumps parade and encouraging participants to bring flags. Planned circus-themed activities will highlight the absurdity of the administrations self-aggrandizement and flagrant disregard for American laws and norms, organizers said in a statement. Marchers will call for accountability, transparency and the protection of democratic institutions. Its planned as a peaceful protest and violence of any kind will not be tolerated, organizers said. Organizers also said theyll be standing in solidarity against what they consider an abuse of taxpayer funds, suggesting the money spent on Trumps parade should go to programs like Social Security, SNAP, Medicaid or public schools. The Detroit edition of the No Kings protest is scheduled for 1-4 p.m. at Clark Park and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, is expected to be among the speakers. See the full list of protests planned. Were building our pro-democracy movement, Teschke said of what he hopes to accomplish. If you look at the history, when you get an authoritarian government, you need to get a broad-based organization of people, diverse and big, and you can bring down an authoritarian ruler that way. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) AP Photo/Alex Brandon By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, JOSH BOAK, PAUL WISEMAN and DIDI TANG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that China will make it easier for American industry to obtain much-needed needed magnets and rare earth minerals, clearing the way for talks to continue between the worlds two biggest economies. In return, Trump said, the U.S. will stop efforts to revoke the visas of Chinese nationals on U.S. college campuses. Trumps comment on social media came after two days of high-level U.S.-China trade talks in London. Details remain scarce. Trump didnt fully spell out what concessions the U.S. made. Beijing has not confirmed what the negotiators agreed to, and Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump himself have yet to sign off on it. What Trump described as a deal is actually less than that: Its a framework meant to set the stage for more substantive talks. And Trumps own comments created confusion about what was happening to his taxes - tariffs on Chinese imports, generating uncertainty about more than $660 billion in annual trade between the two countries. On social media, Trump declared: WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT! But a White House official, who was not authorized to discuss the terms publicly and insisted on anonymity to describe them, said the 55% was not an increase on the previous 30% tariff on China because Trump was including pre-existing tariffs, including some left over from his first term. We have no idea what the rules are, said Rick Woldenberg, CEO of the educational toy company Learning Resources, who is part of a lawsuit challenging Trumps authority to impose the tariffs. In a follow-up social media post, Trump said he and Xi are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade. This would be a great WIN for both countries!!! The framework emerged late Tuesday in London after intense talks involving U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer. Leading the Chinese delegation was Vice Premier He Lifeng. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has deployed tariffs aggressively, seeing them as a way to raise money for the federal government, protect American industries, lure factories back to the United States and pressure other countries into bending to his will. He has imposed baseline 10% tariffs on imports from almost every country on earth after having introduced and then suspended for 90 days bigger tariffs on countries based on the size of U.S. trade deficits last year. To American trading partners and to businesses calculating their import tax bills, the presidents mercurial approach to trade policy can be baffling. For example, he recently doubled his steel and aluminum tariffs to 50%, likely increasing costs for U.S. manufacturers and construction companies that rely on the metals as raw materials. Likewise, he threatened a 50% tariff on the European Union under the belief that it would jumpstart talks with the bloc, only to back down as his self-imposed 90-day negotiating period is set to expire around July 9. But his approach to China has been especially bewildering. After imposing a 20% tariff on Chinese imports, the American president quickly upped the ante, raising the levy to 54% to offset what he said were Chinas unfair trade practices. Then, enraged when China retaliated with tariffs of its own, he increased those levies to a staggering 145%. Beijing counterpunched with 125% tariffs on U.S. imports. Those triple-digit tariffs threatened to effectively end trade between the United States and China, causing a hair-raising selloff in financial markets. At a meeting in Geneva last month, the two countries agreed to back off: Americas tariffs went back down to a still-high 30% and Chinas to 10%. In April, the Chinese announced licensing requirements that slowed the supply of desperately needed rare earth minerals to the United States. Furious about the move, Trump threatened to call off the Geneva arrangement, setting the stage for talks Monday and Tuesday in London. And there the Chinese agreed to speed up the rare earths shipments. The agreement came as an international rights group said that several global brands are among dozens of companies at risk of using forced labor through their Chinese supply chains because they use critical minerals or buy minerals-based products sourced from the far-western Xinjiang region of China. The report by the Netherlands-based Global Rights Compliance says companies including Avon, Walmart, Nescafe, Coca-Cola and Sherwin-Williams may be linked to titanium sourced from Xinjiang, where rights groups allege the Chinese government runs coercive labor practices targeting predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities. Many analysts complained that all the drama hadnt accomplished much. Dan Kritenbrink, who was assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Biden administration, said the London meeting produced a fragile truce. Both sides have now demonstrated that they know where the others weak points are, said Kritenbank, now a partner at the Asia Group. They demonstrated that they both have leverage and tools they can use to inflict damage on the other. The Chinese know that when it comes to rare earths they can turn that spigot on and off at will... They really have incredible leverage over the United States in the global economy with rare earths, and theyre not afraid to use it. Still, he welcomed the London ceasefire because the alternative is no truce at all, and a supply chain war that threatens not just U.S. and Chinese economies but the global economy as well. Danny Russel, vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Trumps latest pressure campaign on China appeared to be ending with a whimper, not a bang. The U.S. found it needed to back off the restrictions it had thought would generate leverage, he said, and in exchange, they get merely a promise by the Chinese to dole out critical minerals a bit more quickly. Veronique de Rugy, senior research fellow at George Mason Universitys Mercatus Center, dismissed the London truce as a handshake deal ... It can change at any time. CHARLEVOIX, MI You know youve been looking up north more in hopes of the perfect getaway. The real question is: Why not move there where you can live the Charlevoix lifestyle in this iconic Greek Revival estate, just a short walk from downtowns shops and restaurants? Offered for sale for the first time in nearly 40 years, this historic and architecturally significant estate in the heart of downtown Charlevoix is more than a home its a rare opportunity to own a piece of Michigans heritage in one of its most charming coastal towns, the listing states. Located at 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix, this gem is listed at $4.2 million through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. Exterior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) I think when youre buying real estate, its all about location. In northern Michigan, people want to be on water. Its rare to find an opportunity with a lot this big in size of a home with walkability downtown and be on the water, said Matt Crane. To rebuild with this architecture, it would be cost prohibitive to do today. Thats what makes it unique and special. This one-of-a-kind property is MLives House of the Week. Homes across the state of various architectural styles and prices are showcased every Wednesday. This 0.88-acre estate boasts approximately 125 feet of private Lake Michigan frontage, offering panoramic views framed by mature trees. A terraced path at the edge of the yard leads to a stretch of sugar sand beach quiet and secluded thanks to a natural dune barrier along the northwest property line. A beachside storage shed offers convenient space for chairs, umbrellas, and lake essentials. With unmatched views, the beach is both tranquil and practical for daily enjoyment or larger gatherings. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) With unmatched views, the beach is tranquil and practical for daily enjoyment or larger gatherings. Commissioned by Col. Moses Schoenberg in 1912, this Greek Revival mansion was built as a grand lakeside residence and features grand columns and intricate moldings. His brother-in-law, David May founder of the May Company built the neighboring home at 429 Michigan Avenue, highlighting the significance of this storied stretch of Charlevoix. Greek Revival architecture flourished in the early 19th century, inspired by the symmetry and proportion of ancient Greek temples. Hallmarks of the style include columned porticos, pedimented gables, and white-painted exteriors emulating marble. Commissioned by Col. Moses Schoenberg in 1912, this Greek Revival mansion was built as a grand lakeside residence and features grand columns and intricate moldings. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) This architectural language conveyed democratic ideals and was embraced across the United States, particularly for stately homes and public institutions. Acquired by Leigh Block, owner of Inland Steel in 1942, then the sixth-largest steel company in the U.S., the home entered a chapter tied to American industrial prominence. For the past several decades, it has served as a cherished family retreathosting weddings, reunions, and gatherings on nearly two private acres with 132 feet of Lake Michigan frontage. Encompassing approximately 9,000 square feet of finished living space, this estate offers 10 bedrooms and 6.75 bathrooms, easily accommodating large families or overnight guests up to 50 have stayed in a single night. The bathrooms are thoughtfully distributed: one three-quarter bath in the basement, two half baths on the main level, three full baths on the second floor and two full baths on the third floor. Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Classic details showcase the reflection of the homes early 20th century heritage, like porcelain pedestal sinks, a clawfoot tub and wood flooring, preserving the homes historic charm. Elegant touches such as transom windows and wainscoting in the foyer evoke the craftsmanship of the era, while board-and-batten walls lend warmth and texture to several rooms. Two fireplaces serve as focal points, anchoring the primary living spaces. Its one of the most iconic homes in Charlevoix, Johnny Crane said. The thoughtful flow of the first floor makes it ideal for intimate gatherings and larger entertaining. These period-inspired features, along with the richness of the den, contribute to the homes enduring elegance and historical appeal. French doors open to gracious formal living and dining rooms, each filled with natural light and timeless detailing. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) French doors open to gracious formal living and dining rooms, each filled with natural light and timeless detailing. A screened-in porch and large composite deck extend the living space outdoors, which is perfect for lakefront entertaining. At the center of the home are its original, well-crafted living spaces. The formal living room is anchored by a fireplace, with board-and-batten walls and a coffered beam ceiling that speak to the craftsmanship of the era. Hardwood floors, tall ceilings, and wide hallways run throughout the main level details rarely found in modern construction. Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Just off the kitchen, the den offers wood-paneled walls, built-in shelving, and a fireplace, creating one of the homes most character-rich rooms. The kitchen blends timeless design with practical functionality, featuring classic inset cabinetry, a large central island and ample counter space, perfect for daily living and effortless entertaining. The formal dining room, generously-sized at 20 by 15 feet, reflects the homes grand proportions and easily accommodates a full dining table. Expansive windows frame beautiful views of Lake Michigan, creating a stunning backdrop for every gathering. Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) A grand staircase leads to the upper levels, where wide hallways and tall ceilings create an open, airy ambiance. The second floor offers six spacious bedroomsmany with lake views and access to a covered balconywhile the third floor adds three additional bedrooms, two baths and a balcony, perfect for accommodating guests. An attached three-car garage provides ample storage space. Outside, a private, walkable beachfront with dedicated storage for beach chairs and water toys makes enjoying the lake simple and seamless. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Outside, a private, walkable beachfront with dedicated storage for beach chairs and water toys makes enjoying the lake simple and seamless. Designed with entertaining in mind, the grounds offers an exceptional blend of privacy, space, and breathtaking views. With Lake Michigan as a backdrop, it has hosted weddings and events for up to 175 guests. Mature trees frame the lawn, while an irrigation system keeps it lush and green. A natural berm on the northwest side enhances privacy. The exterior elevation of the home is equally stunning, featuring several covered porches and balconies, and a composite deck each providing a front-row seat to the spectacular views of this northwest-facing property. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) The exterior elevation of the home is equally stunning, featuring several covered porches and balconies, and a composite deck each providing a front-row seat to the spectacular views of this northwest-facing property. Whether for casual barbecues or formal outdoor events, this space elevates every occasion. The home has undergone numerous thoughtful updates over time. The garage was added in the late 1950s, and the basement was finished in the early 1990s. Most of the interior has been upgraded with drywall, and electrical systems were updated in 2004. Nearly all decking and railings have been rebuilt, and the front porch underwent a complete renovation in 2018. The homes exterior was repainted in 2023, and spray foam insulation was added in many areas, including the attic, to improve efficiency. Just a leisurely stroll across the picturesque Pine River Channel leads to downtown Charlevoix, where timeless charm meets everyday convenience. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Just a leisurely stroll across the picturesque Pine River Channel leads to downtown Charlevoix, where timeless charm meets everyday convenience. Here, youll discover some of Northern Michigans most beloved dining establishments. The town features a curated selection of boutiques and local shops, making it effortless to step out for coffee, enjoy a relaxed breakfast or lunch, indulge in dinner or drinks or simply browse and support local within walking distance of the estate. Homes like this rarely change hands, it hasnt been available for nearly 40 years, said Matt Crane. Theres not many like this home. They dont come around often. Once bought, they keep them. You dont see this on the market. It gives you something that no other waterfront property can, which is walkability. Youre downtown, but completely tucked away, especially the backyard. Grand architecture, location on the lake and you can walk downtown there are very few properties that check all those boxes." With timeless craftsmanship, expansive lake views, and a setting just steps from downtown, the home offers an unmatched combination of privacy, presence, and walkable lifestyle. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) With timeless craftsmanship, expansive lake views, and a setting just steps from downtown, the home offers an unmatched combination of privacy, presence, and walkable lifestyle. This is more than a homeits a generational legacy. Scroll down to see 12 of the images from the photo gallery for a glimpse inside this home to see why its MLives House of the Week. Exterior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Interior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) Exterior photographs of 431 Michigan Ave. in Charlevoix. This gem is listed at $4,200,000 through through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate Traverse City with Johnny Crane and Matt Crane. (Photos provided by Johnny Crane, photographed by WayUp Media) View the listing on the realtor website here. View all 101 photos of the home here. See more of MLives high-end home features: Breathtaking lakefront estate hits market for under $3.5M Rare lakefront Michigan mansion hits the market at $5.25M. And its spectacular. Peace, quiet and trails galore: Immersive wilderness, privacy key for $1.2 million U.P. paradise Tranquility in northern Michigan: Magnificent log home hits market for under $1 million Floating fireplace, lavish manicured gardens accent rare $2.89 million Michigan mansion All signs point toward our first day or two over 90 degrees along with higher humidity is only one week away. We meteorologists look at numerous computer models to figure out what Mother Nature is going to throw us in weather. Some models we use for just todays weather. Other models we trust somewhat out to a week or so in the future. When several of these longer-range models all forecast the same general weather idea we have pretty good confidence it will happen. Our two best long-range models both agree a hotter atmosphere is on the way within a week. The look is also for the hot weather to last a couple of days. The long-range human forecasters at NOAA are even highlighting a slight chance of excessive heat over far southern Michigan by late next week. Excessive heat forecast shows far southern Michigan with a slight chance of excessive heat over far southern Michigan between June 19 and June 22. NOAA NOAA makes the determination on the level of excessive heat for a particular location. In Michigan at this time of year they call excessive heat several days with temperatures in the 90s. Notice on the forecast above they bring the slight chance of excessive heat up to about I-94 in far southern Michigan. This would include Kalamazoo, Jackson, Ann Arbor and Detroit. This is a forecast for the second half of next week. Heres why we should likely expect at least a day or two of temperatures in the 90s and higher humidity over southern Michigan. Forecast for temperature deviation from average for June 20, 2025 (in degrees F) NOAA The models show temperatures running 10 degrees to 18 degrees warmer than normal next Friday. This puts at least the southern half of Lower Michigan between 90 degrees and 95 degrees. We are in an upper-air flow with storm systems being carried across the northern U.S. and into the Great Lakes every three to four days. If we get really hot I dont see it lasting more than a couple of days before we get a cooler break down into the 70s and 80s. If you are craving some really deep, hot summer weather it is coming. And remember if heat is above normal just to our south at this time of year we should get hotter through July. There is going to be plenty of summer this year. There may be more summer than what you think. I think that is going to be the case even though weve had a slow start to summer temperatures. 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I Accept No entry for KCR family in Congress, says Telangana CM Revanth Reddy amid BRS infighting Sonalee Borgohain 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 Rahul Gandhi writes to PM Modi, flags delay in scholarships for students from marginalised communities 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. 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 Centre looking to cut turnaround time to set up nuclear power plants by five years Sweta Goswami 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 Ankita Sengupta 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 Eight-legged water bear to travel to space: Here's why Shubhanshu Shukla is taking a tardigrade on a space mission Sheetal Kumari is a skilled sub-editor and content creator with expertise in digital news, multimedia storytelling, and social media content. With a strong grasp of topics like science, politics, and many more, she crafts compelling narratives, transforming complex topics and trending stories into engaging, accessible reads across various media platforms. 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. 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I Accept UAE-headquartered digital infrastructure company Khazna Data Centres has announced plans to collaborate with multinational corporation and technology company Nvidia to build artificial intelligence (AI) factories in the Middle East Africa (MEA) region. Through this collaboration, Nvidia has certified the design of Khaznas next-generation facilities to support the Nvidia Blackwell architecture, an architecture that, says Nvidia, defines the next chapter in generative AI with unparalleled performance, efficiency and scale. Khazna says its ongoing and upcoming infrastructure developments will feature Nvidia-ready blueprints as standard, ensuring full compatibility with the latest GPU-accelerated workloads. Khazna adds that it will design the majority of its future data halls with capacities of up to 50MW, developing individual AI clusters of up to 250MW. With many of these data halls situated in the massive, and as yet unbuilt, UAE-US AI campus, which is to be located in Abu Dhabi, this will place the UAE among the worlds most advanced AI infrastructure hubs. Khazna is also expanding rapidly across the Middle East, Africa and Europe, with plans to scale up to 1GW of capacity in countries such as France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Kenya. Hassan Alnaqbi, CEO of Khazna Data Centres, says: The world is entering a new era of AI-driven innovation, and the UAE is uniquely positioned to lead. Our work with Nvidia represents a bold step forward in delivering high-performance, future-ready infrastructure at unprecedented scale. It reinforces our support for the UAEs ambitions to become a global AI leader. Sheetal Kumari is a skilled sub-editor and content creator with expertise in digital news, multimedia storytelling, and social media content. With a strong grasp of topics like science, politics, and many more, she crafts compelling narratives, transforming complex topics and trending stories into engaging, accessible reads across various media platforms. 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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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 Google offers hundreds of employees buyouts as it looks to reduce workforce 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 Aabhas Sharma 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 Google rolls out Android 16 with smarter notifications, stronger security, and better tablet support 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 Aabhas Sharma 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 Aihik Sur 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 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. 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 Zoom deepens India push with Zoom Phone launch in four new circles, Contact Center launch Danish Khan is the editor of Technology and Telecom. He was previously with the Economic Times and has tracked the sector for 14 years. 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 Hemant Abhishek 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. 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 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. 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I Accept Qualcomm reportedly launched a new AI R&D centre in Vietnam on Tuesday, which the government hopes will help boost the countrys generative AI research capabilities. According to the official Vietnam News Service, the AI R&D centre will have facilities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with teams of scientists, researchers, and AI specialists developing generative AI and agentic-AI solutions. The move follows Qualcomms acquisition in April this year of Vietnamese AI research startup MovianAI, the now-former generative AI division of VinAI Application and Research JSC (VinAI) and a part of the Vingroup ecosystem. VinAI specialises in R&D in the areas of generative AI, machine learning, computer vision and natural language processing. Research at Qualcomms new AI R&D centre will focus on applications for things like smartphones, personal computers, extended reality (XR), automotive technology and IoT, the report said. The AI R&D centre is Qualcomms second R&D facility in Vietnam, with the first opening shop in Hanoi in 2020 (which was also Qualcomms first research centre in Southeast Asia) with a focus on 5G chipsets and related technologies. At the launch event in Hanoi, Vietnams deputy minister of Science and Technology Le Xuan Dinh said the centre would boost Vietnams AI research capabilities, help train up skillsets of local AI experts, and contribute to Vietnams economic development. Thieu Phuong Nam, country director of Qualcomm Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, said that Qualcomms activities in Vietnam align with the countrys national strategies on AI, semiconductors, and digital transformation. China wants Pakistan's donkeys: What's driving the demand and how it is hurting the poor 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 Did Myanmar rebels down a Pak-supplied JF-17 fighter jet? Suspicions rise after warplane crash in Sagaing 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. 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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 Explained: Why Los Angeles, with 900,000 illegal migrants, has become ground zero for immigration unrest 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. 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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 Missiles over medicine: Pakistan hikes defence spending while health gets less than 1% of GDP 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. 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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 Regret posts about Donald Trump, they went too far, says Elon Musk after ugly feud Armaan Bhatnagar 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 Its been a little more than two years since the military installation named for Confederate officer Edmund W. Rucker at its inception in 1942 was renamed to honor a more contemporary soldier, CWO4 Michael J. Novosel Sr., a Medal of Honor recipient and 44-year veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Now it appears Fort Novosel could revert to Fort Rucker if President Donald Trumps remarks during a speech at Fort Bragg Tuesday come to fruition. We won a lot of battles out of those forts and its not time to change, Trump told the crowd assembled at Fort Bragg. We have not yet received any formal orders or directives regarding the name of the installation and cant comment on that topic at this time, said Chief of Public Affairs John Drew Hamilton Tuesday afternoon. Within an hour, Hamilton forwarded a comment that had just been received from the United States Army Public Affairs Office. The Army will take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu. Five of them received the Medal of Honor, three received the Distinguished Service Cross and one received the Silver Star. Fort Rucker (formerly Fort Novosel) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Capt Edward W. Rucker for extraordinary heroism in World War I, the U.S. Army PAO statement continued. Flying deep behind enemy lines, then-1st Lt. Rucker and his fellow aviators engaged a numerically superior enemy force in a daring aerial battle over France, disrupting enemy movements and completing their mission against overwhelming odds. Fort Pickett (formerly Fort Barfoot) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett for his extraordinary heroism during World War II, the U.S. Army Public Affairs news release said. While pinned down by enemy machine gun fire, Pickett crawled forward and destroyed two enemy positions with grenades. After being captured, he escaped from a transport train with fellow POWs and rejoined his unit before being killed in action. Fort Hood (formerly Fort Cavazos) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Col. Robert B. Hood for his extraordinary heroism during World War I, the U.S. Army PAO statement said. Amid intense shelling near Thiaucourt, France, then-Capt. Hood directed artillery fire under enfilading machine-gun fire. After his gun crew was lost to enemy fire, he rapidly reorganized and returned fire within minutes, restoring combat capability. Fort Gordon (formerly Fort Eisenhower) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon for his valor during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia, according to the statement from the Army. Gordon volunteered to be inserted to defend wounded crew members at a helicopter crash site and held off an advancing enemy force, protecting the pilot after exhausting all his ammunition. Fort Lee (formerly Fort Gregg-Adams) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Pvt. Fitz Lee for his heroism during the Spanish-American War. During a coastal assault in Cuba, Lee voluntarily disembarked under direct enemy fire to rescue wounded comrades from the battlefield. Fort Polk (formerly Fort Johnson) will be named in honor of Silver Star recipient Gen. James H. Polk for his gallantry in action as commanding officer of the 3rd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) during operations across Europe in World War II. Then-Col. Polk led reconnaissance and combat missions under fire, spearheading Third Army advances as part of Task Force Polk. He later served as commander in chief of U.S. Army Europe. Fort Anderson-Pinn-Hill (formerly Fort Walker) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipients Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn and Pvt. Bruce Anderson for extraordinary heroism during the Civil War. Then-Capt. Hill, Pinn and Anderson executed significant actions separately at Cold Harbor, Virginia; Chapins Farm, Virginia; and Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in support of the U.S. Army. The Secretary of the Army will take immediate action to implement these redesignations, which are in accordance with Section 1749(a) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, the Army PAO said. On April 10, 2023, members of the Novosel family, Wiregrass elected officials, and civic leaders gathered with active duty and military retirees at Veterans Park as Fort Rucker became the first active-duty Army installation to be renamed as part of a 2021 National Defense Authorization Acts Renaming Commissions recommendation to change the names of military installations named for Confederate soldiers. The Virginia National Guard post formerly known as Fort Pickett was renamed Fort Barfoot after Tech. Sgt. Van T. Barfoot on March 24, making the Home of Army Aviations name change the first at an active Army installation. Other military installation renamed were Fort Benning, Ga., to be renamed Fort Moore after Lt. Gen. Hal and Julia Moore; Fort Bragg, N.C., to be renamed Fort Liberty after the value of liberty; Fort Gordon, Ga., to be renamed Fort Eisenhower after General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower; Fort A.P. Hill, Va., to be renamed Fort Walker after Dr. Mary Walker; Fort Hood, Texas, to be renamed Fort Cavazos after Gen. Richard Cavazos; Fort Lee, Va., to be renamed Fort Gregg-Adams after Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams; and Fort Polk, Louisiana, to be renamed Fort Johnson after Sgt. William Henry Johnson. Under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the North Carolina installation was named back to Fort Bragg, although instead of being named for Braxton Bragg, the installation pays tribute to Private First-Class Roland Bragg, a soldier who was assigned to the 18th Airborne Corps at the base during World War II. Fort Moore has also reverted to its longtime name, Fort Benning. Army Naming Commission The name changes became reality after a final report from the Army Naming Commission was approved by Congress and then-Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The Commission recommended name changes for nine U.S. military installations named in commemoration of the Confederacy. The recommendations were drawn from 89 possible names by the Commission, which was created to consider renaming military installations and assets that were named to commemorate the Confederate States of America or anyone who voluntarily served the Confederacy. The Commissions request for public input drew more than 34,000 submissions of 3,670 unique names. Fort Rucker was named for Confederate officer Edmund W. Rucker, who became an industrial leader in Birmingham after the Civil War. A Commissions final report was delivered to Congress by Oct. 1, 2022, and included the costs of removing and changing the names. The renaming process was to implement of the commissions plan no later than Jan. 1, 2024. 'Relationship is excellent': Trump claims 'deal is done' with China on rare earths, tariffs and student visas 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 Key events from day 1,203 of Russia's war in Ukraine On the 1,203rd day of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, June 10, 2025, intense fighting was reported in several frontline areas, particularly in the eastern regions, with both sides claiming tactical engagements, according to a report in Al Jazeera. Ukrainian officials reported continued Russian shelling impacting civilian infrastructure in multiple settlements. Internationally, discussions among Ukraine's allies reportedly focused on the structuring of future military and financial aid packages, while new proposals for tightening sanctions against Russia were also under consideration by Western governments. There were also updates concerning the humanitarian situation, highlighting ongoing challenges in providing aid to conflict-affected populations and addressing the needs of displaced persons. UN hands Pakistan keys to terror oversight: Should India worry about a fox guarding the henhouse? 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 US Open first round pits players against brutal Oakmont setup Players are competing in the first round of the 2025 US Open at Oakmont, navigating what is described by the source as a brutal course setup, The Guardian said in a report. Early in the round, JJ Spaun and Ludvig Aberg held the lead at two-under-par. Rory McIlroy, referred to as the Masters champion, moved to one-under-par after making a birdie on the 11th hole. On the same hole, Justin Rose, who won the US Open in 2013, narrowly missed a long putt. Spaun, identified as this years Players runner-up, also birdied the 12th and created another birdie opportunity on the par-three 13th, where the pin was reported to be in a challenging, sand-surrounded position. US Marines arrive in LA on Trump's orders as immigration protests persist Arindam Roy 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 Experts see politicized federal workforce in Trump's 'Patriotic' hiring plan President Donald Trump's proposed 'Patriotic' hiring plan is drawing scrutiny from experts who caution it could lead to a politicized federal workforce by applying loyalty considerations, typically for political appointees, to career civil service roles, according to a report in The New York Times. This approach is viewed as a substantial deviation from the merit-based system designed for a non-partisan government, with some analysts warning it could echo a "spoils system." The plan's 'Patriotic' framing is interpreted by some critics as prioritizing political allegiance over impartial expertise, prompting concerns about impacts on governmental effectiveness and the professional civil service, historically protected by measures like the Pendleton Act against political interference. 'World needs more young angry women': Greta Thunberg fires back at Trump after return to Paris Deblina Halder 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 The Philippines has joined an expanding list of nations offering visa-free access to Indian travellers, marking a significant milestone in the country's efforts to tap into one of the world's fastest-growing outbound tourism markets. Beginning 8 June 2025, Indian passport-holders can enter the Philippines without a visa, joining countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Jamaica in removing traditional barriers to travel. This ground-breaking policy represents a strategic shift in the Philippines' approach to international tourism, as the archipelago nation seeks to diversify its visitor base and recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The move comes at a time when Indian travellers are gaining unprecedented global access, with 2025 emerging as a pivotal year for barrier-free international travel. Under the newly-implemented guidelines, Indian nationals can now stay in the Philippines for up to 14 days without requiring a visa, provided they meet standard entry requirements. The policy becomes even more attractive for travellers who hold valid visas or permanent residence permits from select countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Schengen zone nations, Singapore and Japan. These individuals qualify for an extended visa-free stay of up to 30 days. The entry requirements remain straightforward but essential for compliance. Travellers must present a passport valid for at least six months beyond their arrival date, confirmed return or onward travel tickets within their allowed stay period, proof of accommodation arrangements during their visit, and evidence of sufficient financial resources to support their stay. While the visa requirement has been eliminated, these standard immigration protocols ensure orderly entry and maintain security standards. Alongside the Philippines' announcement, Palau has also opened its doors to Indian travellers by joining the visa-free club. This Pacific island nation, renowned for its pristine marine environments, world-class diving sites and unique Jellyfish Lake represents another exciting destination now accessible to Indian passport holders without the traditional visa application process. Palau's decision to eliminate visa requirements for Indian nationals reflects the broader global trend of destinations recognising India's potential as a major source market for international tourism. The country's spectacular underwater biodiversity, including the famous Blue Corner and German Channel dive sites, combined with its commitment to sustainable tourism practices, makes it an attractive proposition for Indian travellers seeking unique and environmentally conscious experiences. The inclusion of Palau in the visa-free arrangement is particularly significant given its status as a premium diving and eco-tourism destination. Indian travellers interested in marine adventures, snorkelling, and diving expeditions now have streamlined access to one of the world's most celebrated underwater paradises. The Philippines' decision to implement visa-free entry stems from encouraging tourism statistics and the recognition of India's potential as a major source market. In 2024, nearly 80,000 Indian nationals visited the Philippines, representing a solid 12% year-on--year (y-o-y) increase according to official department of tourism data. However, this figure still represents a relatively small portion of the country's total tourist arrivals, which exceeded 5mn (million) visitors last year. As India's middle class continues to expand and disposable incomes rise, more Indian citizens are seeking international travel experiences beyond traditional destinations. The Philippines recognises this trend and aims to position itself as an attractive alternative in the competitive Southeast Asian tourism market. The timing of this policy aligns with broader regional travel patterns, as Indian tourists increasingly explore Southeast Asia through improved air connectivity and competitive pricing. The Philippines seeks to establish itself not only as a primary destination but also as an attractive stopover for Indian travellers exploring the wider region. The visa-free policy extends beyond tourism convenience to encompass broader economic and strategic objectives. The Philippine hospitality, transportation and service sectors, still recovering from pandemic-related disruptions, stand to benefit significantly from increased Indian visitor numbers. Higher hotel occupancy rates, increased bookings for domestic flights and island tours and stronger demand for retail and food services are anticipated outcomes. Travel industry professionals in both countries have welcomed the development, citing its potential to simplify travel planning and reduce administrative barriers for clients. The policy is expected to encourage not only leisure travel but also business exchanges, medical tourism, and educational partnerships, particularly given the Philippines' popularity among Indian students pursuing medical and aviation education. Airlines operating routes between India and the Philippines, including Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and regional carriers connecting through major hubs like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, are positioned to benefit from increased passenger demand following the policy implementation. The policy also supports the Philippines' broader strategy of diversifying its tourism source markets. Historically dependent on visitors from South Korea, China and the United States, the country is actively pursuing non-traditional markets like India to create a more balanced and resilient tourism portfolio. The visa policy announcement coincides with significant improvements in air connectivity between the two countries. Air India has announced the launch of non-stop flights between Delhi and Manila beginning 1 October 2025. The airline will operate five weekly flights using Airbus A321neo aircraft, offering business, premium economy and economy class options. This development makes Air India the sole carrier providing direct connectivity between India and the Philippines, eliminating the need for connecting flights and making travel more convenient for Indian tourists. The Philippines, a country of more than 7,000 islands provide endless opportunities for beach lovers, with world-renowned destinations like Boracay's white sand beaches, Palawan's El Nido with its dramatic limestone cliffs and crystal-clear waters and Siargao's surf-friendly coastlines. Beyond beaches, the Philippines offers rich cultural experiences in cities like Cebu, historical sites in Manila and vibrant festivals throughout the archipelago. The visa-free policy is part of a broader modernisation of the Philippines' immigration and tourism infrastructure. The country has recently introduced an e-visa system to streamline applications for longer stays and non-tourism purposes, making the overall travel experience more efficient and user-friendly. Additionally, President Bongbong Marcos has announced plans for a digital nomad visa which will allow remote workers employed by companies based outside the Philippines to live and work in the country for extended periods. This initiative reflects the Philippines' ambition to attract international professionals and long-term visitors, positioning itself as a hub for remote work and digital entrepreneurship. The Philippines' visa-free policy aligns with similar initiatives by other Southeast Asian countries competing for Indian tourism. Thailand and Indonesia have already implemented streamlined entry processes for Indian travellers, recognising the market's potential. Malaysia and other regional destinations have also introduced various facilitation measures to attract Indian visitors. This regional competition benefits Indian travellers who now have multiple visa-free or simplified entry options throughout Southeast Asia. The Philippines' challenge lies in differentiating itself through unique experiences, competitive pricing and superior service quality while maintaining the accessibility that visa-free travel provides. Amazon Australia has officially launched Amazon Business, a new B2B marketplace designed to make purchasing easier and more cost-effective for Australian businesses of all sizes. This move comes as new YouGov research reveals that 90% of Australian small and medium businesses (SMBs) are struggling with rising operating costs, with over 80% forced to increase prices by an average of 13% in the past three years. Amazon Business aims to ease these financial pressures by offering tailored purchasing solutions that deliver meaningful cost savings and operational efficiencies. Rising costs driving change The YouGov study, commissioned by Amazon Australia, found that 92% of SMBs have faced higher costs in the last three years. Operating expenses are the biggest concern for 79% of businesses surveyed, with the cost of goods and products identified by 62% as the main driver of rising costs. As a result, 83% of SMBs have had to pass on these costs to customers. Lena Zak, Amazon Business Australia Country Manager, said: Amazon Australia is excited to support Australian businesses and organisations of all sizes with simplifying a critical aspect of their operations, so they can focus on whats most important to them: serving their own customers better, while growing their organisations. We know that 78 per cent of SMBs have had to implement cost-cutting measures over the past three years. As operating costs keep rising, Amazon Business can help take some of that pressure off by offering meaningful savings on everyday goods and supplies, along with the convenience and simplicity of our delivery experience. What Amazon business offers The platform provides a wide range of products including office supplies, electronics, and furniture, all backed by Amazons efficient delivery network. Australia is now the 11th country to launch Amazon Business, following markets like the US, UK, and Germany. Key features for business users include: Verified customers get 30% off (up to $100) on their first purchase until June 30, 2025. Combines fast shipping with business-focused features like shared accounts and buying policies to streamline procurement and reduce costs. Save up to 10% on hundreds of thousands of products, and up to 20% when buying in bulk. Help businesses control budgets by setting purchase limits and requiring approvals. Allow multiple employees to shop with customised roles while maintaining oversight. Directs employees to preferred products and suppliers to enforce purchasing policies. Available on many products to assist with accounting. Highlights sustainable products to help businesses reduce their environmental impact. Boost for Australian sellers The launch also opens new opportunities for thousands of Australian sellers on Amazon.com.au. Through Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), sellers can leverage Amazons logistics network to store, pack, and ship orders efficiently to business and consumer customers. Majid Ali, owner of Canberra-based Posh Majestic, said: Selling on Amazon has been a great move for our business, connecting us with customers all over Australia. Im really looking forward to what Amazon Business can do for my business as it will open up a whole new cohort of customers, meaning I can now reach business customers through Amazon. It makes things so much easier with simple tools to manage stock and track how were doing. Our anti-fatigue mats are perfect for offices and workspaces, so being able to sell directly to businesses is a huge chance for us to grow. A growing global platform Since launching in the US in 2015, Amazon Business has grown to serve more than 8 million customers globally, including large corporations like 96 of the Fortune 100 companies. It generates roughly $35 billion in annualised sales by providing deep discounts, a broad product range, and smart procurement tools. With this Australian launch, Amazon Business joins Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the UK, and the US as a strategic partner to businesses worldwide. To learn more or register, visit: www.amazon.com.au/business. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara speaks during an interview at the largest European retrospective of his work at the Hayward Gallery in London, Britain, June 9, 2025. REUTERS Australian airline Qantas announced Wednesday it will shut down its loss-making budget carrier Jetstar Asia on July 31, citing rising operational costs, higher Changi Airport fees, and intense regional competition. Jetstar Group Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Tully said rising costs have been felt across the entire ecosystem the airline operates out of. Higher airport fees at Singapores Changi Airport, which took effect on April 1 to fund a S$3 billion (US$2.3 billion) upgrade, were partly responsible. "The airport fees are a part of that. That has had an impact on the business," Tully said, as quoted by Bloomberg. Qantas group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said Qantas is "incredibly proud" of the Jetstar Asia team. "This is a very tough day for them. Despite their best efforts, we have seen some of Jetstar Asia's supplier costs increase by up to 200%, which has materially changed its cost base." The Singapore-based regional carrier's 500 staff will be laid off and receive redundancy benefits as well as help finding new jobs, AFP quoted the Australian group as saying. Passengers with canceled flights on the airline -- which flies to 16 Asian destinations -- will be offered refunds, Qantas said. Jetstar Asia was expected to make an underlying loss of A$35 million (US$23 million) this financial year prior to the closure decision, according to Qantas, which owns 49% of the carrier. Jetstar Asia's 13 A320 aircraft will be progressively redeployed to Australia and New Zealand, Qantas said, creating more than 100 local jobs. Shutting the carrier would deliver up to A$500 million for Qantas to support the group's fleet renewal program, it said. Qantas said the decision to shutter Jetstar Asia was taken together with the offshoot's 51% shareholder, Westbrook Investments. Bruce Springsteens Berlin concert echoes with history and a stark warning View Photo BERLIN (AP) Veteran rock star Bruce Springsteen, a high-profile critic of President Donald Trump, slammed the U.S. administration as corrupt, incompetent and treasonous during a concert Wednesday in Berlin. He was addressing tens of thousands of fans at a stadium built for the 1936 Olympic Games that still bears the scars of World War II and contains relics from the countrys dark Nazi past. Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices, stand with us against authoritarianism, and let freedom reign, he said. Springsteen has made increasingly pointed and contentious public statements in recent concerts. He peppered Wednesdays performance with mentions of the American democracys system of checks and balances designed to ward against authoritarianism. His short speeches referencing recent headlines about immigration raids, the freezing of federal funds for universities and measles outbreaks came between songs that were also captioned in German on large screens beside the stage. The set was flanked by an American flag on one side and a German flag on the other. Still, the Boss remained hopeful: The America that Ive sung to you about for the past 50 years of my life is real. And regardless of its many faults, its a great country with great people. And we will survive this moment. But last month in Manchester, he denounced Trumps politics during a concert, calling him an unfit president leading a rogue government of people who have no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American. Springsteen is no stranger to Berlin. In July 1988, he became one of the first Western musicians to perform in East Germany, performing to a roaring crowd of 160,000 East Germans yearning for American rock n roll and the freedom it represented to the youth living under the crumbling communist regime. Im not here for or against any government. Ive come to play rock n roll for you in the hope that one day all the barriers will be torn down, Springsteen said in German at the time, before launching into a cover of Bob Dylans Chimes of Freedom. An Associated Press news story from that period says fireworks streaked through the sky and hundreds of people in the audience waved handmade American flags as they sang along to Born in the USA. The Berlin Wall fell the following year, and some experts credit the concert for its part in fueling the protest movement that brought the end of the Communist government. Almost four decades later, Springsteen issued a stark warning: The America that I love, the America that Ive sung to you about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration. The rocker closed Wednesdays three-hour show with Chimes of Freedom. By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press Senators return the impeachment case against Sara Duterte to the Philippine House View Photo MANILA, Philippines (AP) Philippine senators set themselves as an impeachment court Tuesday for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte over corruption and other criminal allegations, but voted to send the raft of complaints back to the lower House of Representatives due to legal questions. Dozens of activists protesting outside the Senate condemned Senate President Chiz Escudero and 17 other senators for voting to send back the impeachment complaint to the House instead of immediately bringing Duterte to trial. Five senators rejected the move. The Senate action will delay the start of Dutertes impeachment trial but its unclear what other impact it would have on her case. There is no `remand or `return in the constitution, said Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who has demanded an immediate trial of the vice president. Our obligation is to try and decide. Escudero said the move did not mean that the impeachment complaint was being dismissed and underscored that point by issuing summons for Duterte to appear before the impeachment court when the trial proceeds. Duterte was impeached by the House in February on a range of accusations that include plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and large-scale corruption. Many legislators who backed Dutertes impeachment were political allies of Marcos and her impeachment deepened a bitter political rift between the two highest leaders of one of Asias most rambunctious democracies. The vice presidents supporters have said the legislators violated the constitution and congressional rules to force her impeachment and prevent her from running in presidential elections in 2028, when Marcos six-year term ends. Duterte, 47, is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte who was arrested in March and flown to The Netherlands to face charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court. The Hague-based court had ordered the former presidents arrest through Interpol, the global police organization, after accusing him of committing a crime against humanity over deadly anti-drug crackdowns he oversaw while in office. Associated Press Indian customs officers have seized nearly 100 exotic animals, including lizards, sunbirds and tree-climbing possums, from a passenger arriving from Thailand, in what officials called a "significant" wildlife smuggling bust. Customs officers said the passenger, who was also carrying two tarantula spiders and tortoises, had "exhibited signs of nervousness" on arrival at India's financial capital Mumbai. The seizure comes after a passenger was stopped smuggling dozens of venomous vipers, also arriving from Thailand, earlier in June. Wildlife seized included iguanas, as well as a kinkajou or honey bear -- a small raccoon-like animal from Mexico's rainforests -- as well as six "sugar gliders", a gliding possum found in Australia. Photographs released by the customs unit showed the six sugar gliders huddled together in a basket, as well as a box crammed with lizards. "In a significant operation, customs officers... intercepted an Indian national... leading to the seizure of multiple live and deceased wildlife species, some of which are protected under wildlife protection laws", the Ministry of Finance said in a statement late Monday. Wildlife trade monitor TRAFFIC, which battles the smuggling of wild animals and plants, on Tuesday warned of a "very troubling" trend in trafficking driven by the exotic pet trade. More than 7,000 animals, dead and alive, have been seized along the Thailand-India air route in the last 3.5 years, it said. Customs officers at Mumbai airport are more used to seizing smuggled gold, cash or cannabis -- but instances of wildlife seizure have seen a gradual rise recently. Customs officers seized dozens of snakes and several turtles from an Indian national flying from Thailand earlier in June. Among them were several spider-tailed horned vipers, a venomous species only described by scientists in 2006 and classed as "near-threatened" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). TRAFFIC said its analysis showed that while most cases involve animals smuggled out of Thailand, more than 80% of interceptions happened in India. "The almost-weekly discoveries and diversity of wildlife en route to India is very troubling," said TRAFFIC's Southeast Asia director Kanitha Krishnasamy. Many of those captured were alive, which "shows that the clamor for exotic pets is driving the trade," she added. In February, customs officials at Mumbai airport also stopped a smuggler with five Siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Those small creatures, listed as endangered by the IUCN, were "ingeniously concealed" in a plastic crate placed inside the passenger's trolley bag, customs officers said. In November, authorities found a passenger carrying a wriggling live cargo of 12 turtles. South Korea halts propaganda broadcasts along border with rival North in a move to ease tensions View Photo SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Koreas military shut down loudspeakers broadcasting anti-North Korea propaganda along the inter-Korean border on Wednesday, marking the new liberal governments first concrete step toward easing tensions between the war-divided rivals. The South resumed the daily loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year following a yearslong pause in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign. South Koreas Defense Ministry said the move, ordered by President Lee Jae-myung, was part of efforts to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. Kang Yu-jung, Lees spokesperson, described the decision as a proactive step to reduce military tensions and ease the burden for South Koreans residing in border areas, who have also been affected by North Koreas retaliatory loudspeaker broadcasts. North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its third-generation ruler, Kim Jong Un, didnt immediately comment on the step by Seoul. South Korea reactivated its front-line loudspeakers to blast propaganda messages and K-pop songs toward the North last year in response to thousands of trash balloons that Pyongyang flew toward South Korea to drop substances including wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and even manure. From May to November last year, North Korea flew about 7,000 balloons toward South Korea in 32 separate occasions, according to the Souths military. The North said that its balloon campaign came after South Korean activists sent over balloons filled with anti-North Korean leaflets, as well as USB sticks filled with popular South Korean songs and dramas. Trash carried by at least one North Korean balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound in July, raising concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean facilities. Officials said that the balloon contained no dangerous material and no one was hurt. The Souths broadcast playlist was clearly designed to strike a nerve in Pyongyang, where Kims government has been intensifying a campaign to eliminate the influence of South Korean pop culture and language among the population in a bid to strengthen his familys dynastic rule. The Cold War-style psychological warfare campaigns added to tensions fueled by North Koreas growing nuclear ambitions and South Korean efforts to expand joint military exercises with the United States and strengthen three-way security cooperation with Japan. Efforts to improve relations Lee, an outspoken liberal who took office last week after winning an early election to replace ousted conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, has vowed to improve relations with Pyongyang, which reacted furiously to Yoons hard-line policies and shunned dialogue. During his election campaign, Lee promised to halt the loudspeaker broadcasts, arguing that they created unnecessary tensions and discomfort for South Korean residents in border towns. In recent months, those residents had complained about North Koreas retaliatory broadcasts, which included howling animals, pounding gongs and other irritating sounds. On Thursday morning, South Koreas military said North Korean broadcasts werent heard in South Korean frontline areas, but it wasnt clear if the North has formally halted its own broadcasts. In a briefing on Monday, South Koreas Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, also called for South Korean civilian activists to stop flying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border. Such activities could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threaten the lives and safety of residents in border areas, said Koo Byoungsam, the ministrys spokesperson. In his inaugural address last week, Lee vowed to reopen communication channels with North Korea. But prospects for an early resumption of dialogue between the rival Koreas remain dim. North Korea has consistently rejected offers from South Korea and the United States since 2019, when nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang collapsed over sanctions-related disagreements. The Norths nuclear threats remain North Koreas priority in foreign policy is now firmly with Russia, which has received thousands of North Korean troops and large amounts of military equipment in recent months for its war with Ukraine. South Korean and U.S. officials have expressed concern that Kim in return could seek Russian technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by his nuclear weapons and missile program. Yoon, who was removed from office in April over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December, had focused on strengthening military partnerships with Washington and Tokyo and on securing stronger U.S. assurances of a swift and decisive nuclear response to defend the South against a North Korean nuclear attack. In a fierce reaction to Yoons policies, Kim declared in January 2024 that he was abandoning the long-standing goals of a peaceful unification with the South and instructed the rewriting of the Norths constitution to cement the South as a permanent principal enemy. Following years of heightened testing activity, Kim has acquired a broad range of missiles that could potentially target rivals in Asia and the U.S. mainland. He has also called for increased production of nuclear materials to create more bombs. Rafael Mariano Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Monday that the U.N. nuclear watchdog is monitoring signs that North Korea may be building a new uranium-enrichment plant at its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon. __ Associated Press writer Hyung-jin Kim contributed to this report. By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press Russian attacks kill 3 and wound 64 as drones hit Kharkiv and other parts of Ukraine Russian attacks kill 3 and wound 64 as drones hit Kharkiv and other parts of Ukraine View Photo KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russian forces launched a new drone assault across Ukraine overnight on Wednesday, killing three people and wounding 64 others, Ukrainian officials said. One of the hardest-hit areas was the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, where 17 attack drones struck two residential districts, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. Emergency crews, municipal workers and volunteers worked through the night to extinguish fires, rescue residents from burning homes, and restore gas, electricity and water services. Those are ordinary sites of peaceful life those that should never be targeted, Terekhov wrote on Telegram. Three people were confirmed killed, according to Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov. In a statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 64 people had been wounded and reiterated his calls for greater international pressure on Moscow. Every new day now brings new vile Russian attacks, and almost every strike is telling, he said. We must not be afraid or postpone new decisions that could make things more difficult for Russia. Without this, they will not engage in genuine diplomacy. And this depends primarily on the United States and other world leaders. Everyone who has called for an end to the killings and for diplomacy must act. Moscows forces have launched waves of drones and missiles in recent days, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday. The attacks come despite discussions of a potential ceasefire in the war. The two sides traded memorandums at direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2 that set out conditions. However, the inclusion of clauses that both sides see as nonstarters make any quick deal unlikely. Zelenskyy urges more sanctions Speaking at a meeting of leaders of countries of southeast Europe in Odesa, Zelenskyy urged the European Union to toughen its latest package of sanctions now being prepared. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Tuesday that the bloc is proposing to lower a cap on the price of Russian oil from $60 to $45, which is lower than the market price, to deprive the Kremlin of extra profits to fund its war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy prodded the EU to lower the cap further, arguing that real peace comes with a $30 cap - thats the level that will truly change thinking in Moscow. You can all see - Putin does not want to end this war, he told his audience. He believes that as long as he can fight and dominate his neighbors, he stays politically alive. But no matter what he believes, our job is to force Russia into a position where they must seek peace and political survival by non-military means. This is absolutely possible. Widespread destruction Kharkiv has been frequently targeted in recent months as Russia launched repeated large-scale drone and missile attacks on civilian infrastructure. Wednesdays strikes also caused widespread destruction in Kharkivs Slobidskyi and Osnovianskyi districts, hitting apartment buildings, private homes, playgrounds, industrial sites and public transportation. Images from the scene published by Ukraines Emergency Service on Telegram showed burning apartments, shattered windows and firefighters battling the blaze. We stand strong. We help one another. And we will endure, Terekhov said. Kharkiv is Ukraine. And it cannot be broken. Ukraines air force said that 85 attack and decoy drones were fired over the country overnight. Air defense systems intercepted 40 of the drones, while nine more failed to reach their targets without causing damage. Repatriation of the deceased In other developments, Russia has returned 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers in line with an agreement reached during the talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations. Ukraines Coordination Headquarters for Treatment of Prisoners of War said that the bodies came from Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, as well as Russias Kursk region where Ukrainian forces waged an incursion. It said that authorities would work to determine their identities as quickly as possible. Russia has received the bodies of 27 fallen soldiers as part of an exchange with Ukraine, said Vladimir Medinsky, who led Russias delegation at the Istanbul talks. International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson Pat Griffiths said the ICRC was involved in the repatriation of remains as neutral observers, providing technical advice and monitoring the process. The repatriation of the deceased is an important step that can be taken by authorities to maintaining the dignity of the dead, Griffiths said. It can provide answers to their families and give closure to people who have lived with endless uncertainty as they waited for news of their loved ones. __ Samya Kullab in Kyiv contributed to this report. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press Malta jury sentences 2 men to life in prison for supplying bomb that killed journalist Malta jury sentences 2 men to life in prison for supplying bomb that killed journalist View Photo VALLETTA, Malta (AP) Two men were sentenced to life in prison Tuesday after being convicted of complicity in the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Jamie Vella and Robert Agius were accused of supplying the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia. They received the maximum possible sentence after being convicted of the charges last week. Caruana Galizia, 53, was murdered on Oct. 16, 2017, by a car bomb that was detonated while she was driving near her home. The journalist had written extensively about suspected corruption in political and business circles in Malta. Her murder shocked Europe and triggered angry protests in Malta. At the time of her death, she was facing more than 40 libel suits. The six-week trial also concerned the separate murder of a lawyer, Carmel Chircop, who was shot and killed in 2015. Two other men, George Degiorgio and Adrian Agius, were convicted last week and sentenced to life in prison for that murder Tuesday. George Degiorgio and his brother Alfred Degiorgio both pleaded guilty in 2022 to carrying out the murder of Caruana Galizia. They were each sentenced to 40 years in prison. A third man, Vincent Muscat, pleaded guilty in 2021 for his role in the Caruana Galizia murder, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He testified in the recent jury trial after being granted a presidential pardon for his role in the Chircop murder on the condition he tell the whole truth. Yorgen Fenech, a prominent Maltese businessman, is currently out of jail on bail awaiting trial on charges of alleged complicity in the Caruana Galizia murder. ___ This story has been corrected to show the sentences in the lawyers killing were issued Tuesday, not Thursday. Associated Press EU and UK reach accord on cross-border trade and travel in Gibraltar View Photo BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union and the U.K. announced Wednesday that they have reached an agreement to ease cross-border trade and travel in Gibraltar after years of post-Brexit wrangling over the contested territory at the tip of the Iberian peninsula. In a post on social media, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic raised the deal as a truly historic milestone: an EU-UK political agreement on the future relationship concerning Gibraltar. This benefits everyone and reinforces a new chapter in the relationship. Britain left the European Union in 2020 with the relationship between Gibraltar and the bloc unresolved. Talks on a deal to ensure people and goods can keep flowing over the Gibraltar-Spain border previously had made only halting progress. Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713, but Spain has maintained its sovereignty claim ever since. Relations concerning the Rock, as it is popularly referred to in English, have had their ups and downs over the centuries. In Britains 2016 Brexit referendum, 96% of voters in Gibraltar supported remaining in the EU. The tiny territory on Spains southern tip depends greatly on access to the EU market for its 34,000 inhabitants. The British government said the agreement resolves the last major unresolved issue from Brexit, while Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Albares said the deal was historic and marked a new beginning in the relationship between the U.K. and Spain. He said that Spain will guarantee free movement of people and goods, adding that Gibraltar would now be linked to Europes free travel zone known as the Schengen Area with Spanish authorities controling entry and exit. The deal, which must be ratified by parliaments in Spain and the U.K., will remove all physical barriers, checks and controls on people and goods moving between Spain and Gibraltar, the EU said in a statement. In order to preserve The EUs free travel zone and borderless single market for goods, entry and exit checks will instead be conducted at Gibraltars airport and port by both U.K. and Spanish border officials. The arrangement is similar to that in place at Eurostar train stations in London and Paris, where both British and French officials check passports. The U.K. and Gibraltar had previously resisted Spains insistence that Spanish border officials be based at the airport, which is also home to a Royal Air Force base. An agreement was also reached Wednesday for visas and travel permits. The U.K. said that half Gibraltars population crosses the border each day and that without an agreement, new EU entry-exit rules mean every one would have to have their passports checked. The British government hailed the deal as a win in Prime Minister Keir Starmers attempt to reset relations with the EU, five years after the U.K.s acrimonious departure from the bloc. The U.K. said the agreement does not impact sovereignty and ensures full operational autonomy of the U.K.s military facilities in Gibraltar. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez noted that Spain maintains its claim of sovereignty over Gibraltar. After three centuries of no progress, the EU, the United Kingdom, and Spain have reached a comprehensive agreement that benefits citizens and our bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom. All this without renouncing Spanish claims to the isthmus and the return of Gibraltar, he said on the social network X. Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo also hailed the agreement and said it will bring legal certainty to the people of Gibraltar, its businesses and to those across the region who rely on stability at the frontier. - Lawless reported from London, Naishadham from Madrid. By LORNE COOK, JILL LAWLESS and SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press Colombian authorities charge 15-year-old with attempted murder of presidential candidate View Photo BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) Colombian authorities on Tuesday charged a 15-year-old with attempted murder for the assasination attempt on Miguel Uribe, the conservative presidential candidate who was shot in the head this weekend and is now in critical condition. The Attorney Generals office said the teenager shot at Uribe during a rally in Bogotas Modelia neighborhood and was captured fleeing the scene with a gun. The teenager, whose name has not been released, pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is currently recovering in a hospital from leg wounds. Colombias Defense Minister said on Tuesday that authorities are still investigating who may have been behind the attack on Uribe, a 39-year-old senator and one of the nations most visible opposition figures. Armed groups in Colombia frequently recruit minors for assassinations and other crimes, a practice driven by the lenient penalties they face under Colombian law. The teenager charged with attempted murder on Tuesday faces up to eight years in detention. A judge has ordered his detention at a juvenile center once he leaves hospital. The attack on Uribe has been widely condemned in Colombia, where many voters are concerned about the countrys deteriorating security situation. Uribe, whose maternal grandfather was a Colombian president, is the son of Diana Turbay, a prominent news anchor who was assassinated in 1991 after being kidnapped by the powerful Medellin Cartel. Colombian opposition parties have asked for greater security guarantees in the wake of the attack, with some also urging President Gustavo Petro to moderate his rhetoric, as the nation prepares for presidential elections next year. While Petro condemned the attack on Uribe, he often refers to opposition leaders in his speeches and social media posts as Nazis oligarchs and enemies of the people. On Tuesday, Uribes wife Maria Claudia Tarazona addressed journalists outside the hospital where the senator is being treated, calling for unity and calm. I call on every sector, on all the political groups, on armed groups and on every corner of this country to heal, she said, adding that Uribe is a warrior who is fighting for his life. ____ Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america By MANUEL RUEDA Associated Press What to know about Bolsonaros trial now that he has testified over an alleged coup plot What to know about Bolsonaros trial now that he has testified over an alleged coup plot View Photo SAO PAULO (AP) Brazils former president Jair Bolsonaro has finally testified before the countrys Supreme Court over an alleged plot to remain in power and overturn the 2022 election result. After Bolsonaro and 33 allies were charged in February with five counts related to a plan to remain in power, a five-Justice panel of Brazils top court opened a first trial for eight of them, including the former leader. Judges will hear from 26 other defendants in coming months. The former president has repeatedly denied the allegations and said he is the target of political persecution, but kept a soft tone in his testimony on Tuesday. The case stems from a Jan. 8, 2023 riot, when the Supreme Court, Congress and the Presidential Palace in Brasilia, the capital, were stormed by thousands of Bolsonaro supporters. Police say the uprising which came after current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in was an attempt to force military intervention and oust the new president. If convicted for the alleged coup, Bolsonaro could be sentenced to up to 12 years. When combined with the other charges, the accused might face decades behind bars. The case might not be over even after a conviction by the panel, which Bolsonaro can appeal before Brazils Supreme Court full panel. Heres what is next in the trial: Testimonies The testimonies of the eight defendants is the final stage of the evidence collection phase, but their attorneys are allowed to request additional searches to help their case. Legal experts have said it is unlikely that Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the presiding judge and a member of the panel, will allow it. The evidence phase will be deemed complete once de Moraes decides on all requests. Final allegations Fifteen days after the collection phase is finished, Brazils attorney-general will be allowed to present his final allegations. The attorneys of the defendants will get the same chance. Each of those allegations are expected to take several hours or even days. This needs to be completed before July, when Brazils Supreme Court enters its recess until August. As soon as the final allegations stage is completed, the sentencing phase starts. Sentencing A Supreme Court panel of five judges will decide whether Bolsonaro and his allies are guilty or not. The judges who will decide the future of Brazils former president are de Moraes, Carmen Lucia, Cristiano Zanin, Flavio Dino and Luiz Fux. All of them had public battles with Bolsonaro. De Moraes was the primary judge in several cases against the far-right leader, while Zanin and Dino joined the court as Lulas appointees. Lucia and Fux were also targets of Bolsonaro during their respective tenures chairing the electoral court and the Supreme Court. Should Bolsonaro be convicted, these judges will also decide his penalty. What if hes found guilty Bolsonaro would still be able to appeal to Brazils Supreme Court full panel. Brazils top prosecutor could do the same if the former president is not convicted on all counts. Before any potential jail time, Bolsonaros lawyers could further delay the conclusion of the trial by asking for clarifications on the decisions of each judge. Legal experts have said all these steps are likely to be concluded by the end of the year. ___ Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america By MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press Japans Princess Kako addresses Brazils Congress, meets with Lula in presidential palace View Photo BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) Japans Princess Kako of Akishino, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, was welcomed on Wednesday by Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for a private ceremony on the latest leg of her 11-day tour of the South American nation. The younger daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko also addressed Congress and thanked Brazilians for hosting Japanese immigrants for more than a century. Her trip, which started on June 5, marks the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The efforts of the Japanese who came, and the Brazilians who went to Japan, are deepening our bilateral relationship of friendship, Kako told Brazilian lawmakers. I hope that the relationship between the two countries is a long lasting one. Congress speaker Hugo Motta told the princess he hopes Brazils ethanol can help Japan reduce its dependency on fossil fuels. Brazil has the largest population of people of Japanese descent in the world, estimated at about 2.7 million. About half of those live in Sao Paulo state, official figures show, where the princess last week received the states highest honor from Gov. Tarcisio de Freitas. Emperor Naruhito has no male children, which makes his brother Akishino, Princess Kakos father, the first successor in line. Japans tradition does not allow women to take the throne. Princess Kako will arrive in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, where she will visit the Christ the Redeemer statue and a museum of Japanese immigration. The last part of her trip will take place in the city of Foz do Iguacu, where the world famous Iguacu falls are located. By MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press Mariposa County Sheriffs Foundation membersPhoto courtesy Alvarado-Gil's Office View Photo Mariposa County, CA Mother Lode State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil (R-Jackson) recently chose the Mariposa County Sheriffs Foundation as one of Senate District 4s 2025 Nonprofits of the Year. Alvarado-Gil noted that this years recognition focused on nonprofits that promote public safety, prevent crime, support first responders, and build stronger, more resilient communities. She added that the foundation stood out for its unwavering dedication to assisting local law enforcement, first responders, and communities throughout Mariposa County. Public safety isnt just a talking pointits about real people stepping up to protect and strengthen our communities, said Senator Alvarado-Gil. The Mariposa County Sheriffs Foundation has shown time and again what it means to stand with our first responders, support families in crisis, and invest in the future of Mariposa County. Im incredibly proud to honor their dedication, compassion, and tireless service as Senate District 4s Nonprofit of the Year. Regarding the award, Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese released the following statement: The Mariposa County Sheriffs Foundation has been an essential pillar of our community, working tirelessly to support not only the Mariposa County Sheriffs Office but also our employees, their families, and the residents we proudly serve. Established to bridge a critical gap, the foundation enables citizens to contribute toward vital equipment, training, and educational opportunities for our deputies while also providing emergency assistance to staff in times of need. Yet, its impact goes far beyond supporting law enforcement. The foundation plays a crucial role in helping our community during times of crisis, offering financial relief during devastating wildfires and natural disasters. In our countys darkest hours, the foundation has stepped up, ensuring that both first responders and community members have access to critical resources when they need them most. Beyond disaster response, the foundation has made an extraordinary difference by awarding scholarships to local youth, helping families facing food insecurity, and building stronger relationships between law enforcement and the community. Remaining completely independent of the Sheriffs Office budget, the Foundation operates with full transparency, led by a dedicated group of citizen volunteers who ensure that every dollar raised directly benefits those who need it most. While many counties in California have similar organizations, what truly sets the Mariposa County Sheriffs Foundation apart is its steadfast commitment to service, its grassroots spirit in a rural community with limited resources, and its ability to create a meaningful connection between law enforcement and the people we serve. Thanks to the generosity and dedication of its volunteers, the foundation has made a real and lasting difference in countless lives. I am incredibly proud of their work and thrilled that they are being recognized as the 2025 Nonprofit of the Year in Public Safety. Their efforts embody the true spirit of public service, and they are more than deserving of this high honor. The Mariposa County Sheriffs Foundation was established to bridge the gap between public resources and vital needs by sponsoring equipment, training, scholarships, disaster assistance, and community engagement. The Foundation, which is run by citizen volunteers and operates independently of the Sheriffs Office budget, provides total transparency and direct community benefit. During times of disaster, such as severe wildfires, the foundation has been instrumental in giving emergency assistance to both first responders and civilians. Beyond crisis response, the foundation shared that it invests in the countys future by providing scholarships to local students, assisting families experiencing food hardship, and developing strong connections between law enforcement and the community. They added that events such as its annual gala honor the service and sacrifice of the sheriffs office while also strengthening ties between the agency and the communities it serves. For more foundation details, click here. The Moving Wall Brochure View Photo Columbia, CA The Fathers Day Fly-In is Saturday at the Columbia Airport, and a special aspect this year will be The Vietnam Moving Wall on display at the adjacent former Columbia Armory building. The Moving Wall is a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, and it annually makes stops across the country. It is scheduled to be on display this Thursday through Sunday inside the Columbia Armory (next to the airport). Vietnam Veterans Chapter 391 spokesperson, Frank Smart, says there will be a special ceremony at 10 am on Friday, inside the Armory, adding, The ceremony will be based around the 11 young men from Tuolumne County who died in the Vietnam War. Smart says several friends and family members will be on hand to speak about what they were like growing up. Smart adds, This ceremony is going to be built around honoring those young men and putting a face to them. He continues, These young men are enshrined on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial over at the Sonora Library. They are also on the California Memorial at Capitol Park in Sacramento, and of course, on the Vietnam Wall. It is free to visit The Vietnam Moving Wall this Thursday through Sunday, and it will be open 24/7, with volunteers providing security. Meanwhile, Saturdays 56th Fathers Day Fly-in will cost $7 for adults to enter, $3 for ages 10-17, and is free for Veterans and those under 10 years old. Saturdays theme will be Honoring our Heroes: Vietnam Veterans. There will be the annual airplane rides, a pancake breakfast, live music, a classic car show, vendor booths, food sales, and other attractions. The hours on Saturday are 9 am 3pm. Click here to find a recent Mother Lode Views show in which Airport Manager Tonya Sheftner previewed all the events. Judge tosses lawsuit over Trumps firing of US African Development Foundation board members View Photo A federal judge has tossed out a lawsuit over President Donald Trumps dismantling of a U.S. federal agency that invests in African small businesses. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C., dismissed the case on Tuesday, finding that Trump was acting within his legal authority when he fired the U.S. African Development Foundations board members in February. In March, the same judge ruled that the administrations removal of most grant money and staff from the congressionally created agency was also legal, as long as the agency was maintained at the minimum level required by law. USADF was created as an independent agency in 1980, and its board members must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In 2023, Congress allocated $46 million to the agency to invest in small agricultural and energy infrastructure projects and other economic development initiatives in 22 African countries. On Feb. 19, Trump issued an executive order that said USADF, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Inter-American Foundation and the Presidio Trust should be scaled back to the minimum presence required by law. At the time, USADF had five of its seven board seats filled. A few days later, an administration official told Ward Brehm that he was fired, and emails were sent to the other board members notifying them that they had also been terminated. Those emails were never received, however, because they were sent to the wrong email addresses. The four board members, believing they still held their posts because they had not been given notice, met in March and passed a resolution appointing Brehm as the president of the board. But Trump had already appointed Pete Marocco as the new chairman of what the administration believed to now be a board of one. Since then, both men have claimed to be the president of the agency, and Brehm filed the lawsuit March 6. Leon said that even though they didnt receive the emails, the four board members were effectively terminated in February, and so they didnt have the authority to appoint Brehm to lead the board. Brehms attorney, Bradley Girard with Democracy Forward, expressed disappointment with the judges decision. But in our parallel case, Rural Development Innovations v. Marocco, a grantee and two USADF employees have also challenged Maroccos unlawful appointment, Girard wrote in an email. We are hopeful that the Court will reject the defendants attempt to ignore the constitutional and statutory requirements for appointing board members to federal agencies. That lawsuit is still pending before the same judge. In that case, two USADF staffers and a consulting firm based in Zambia that works closely with USADF contend that the Trump administrations efforts to deeply scale back the agency wrongly usurps Congress powers. They also say Marocco was unlawfully appointed to the board, in part because he was never confirmed by the Senate as required. Leons ruling in Brehms case did not address whether the Trump administration had the power to install Marocco as board chair on a temporary basis. By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press The United States has sanctioned five individuals and five sham charities for financially supporting Hamas under the guise of humanitarian work. The U.S. has also targeted a fraudulent charity linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or PFLP. The PFLP was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the State Department in 1997 and 2001. These sanctions target so-called charities that operate in Turkiye, Algeria, the Netherlands, Italy, and the West Bank and Gaza, as well as those who serve in leadership positions in these organizations. This action underscores the importance of safeguarding the charitable sector from abuse by terrorists like Hamas and the PFLP, who continue to leverage sham charities as fronts for funding their terrorist and military operations, said Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender. Treasury will continue to use all available tools to prevent Hamas, the PFLP, and other terrorist actors from exploiting the humanitarian situation in Gaza to fund their violent activities at the expense of their own people. Hamas and the PFLP have long abused the trust of the international community and public support for legitimate humanitarian causes to fund their terrorist activities and bring violence to the Israeli and Palestinian people. As Hamas continues to hold hostages, including two American citizens, following the October 7, 2023, attack, the United States remains committed to exposing terrorists and terrorist organizations that seek to abuse the non-profit organization, or NPO, sector to raise funds under the facade of humanitarian support. Hamas and the PFLP have a long history of abusing the NPO and charitable sectors. Some of these NPOs and charities are entirely co-opted and run by these designated terrorists, with their links to Hamas and the PFLP intentionally obscured in order to evade sanctions. This allows Hamas and the PFLP to exploit the sympathy and generosity of the international public at the expense of the Palestinian people. The United States will use all available tools to prevent abuse of the nonprofit sector for the benefit of terrorist groups like Hamas and the PFLP, said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce in a statement. We are committed to ensuring humanitarian aid can be delivered by reliable and safe organizations. Appeals court lets Trump administration keep collecting tariffs while challenges continue View Photo WASHINGTON (AP) A federal appeals court agreed Tuesday to let the government keep collecting President Donald Trumps sweeping import taxes while challenges to his signature trade policy continue on appeal. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit extends a similar ruling it made after another federal court struck down the tariffs May 28, saying Trump had overstepped his authority. Noting that the challenges to Trumps tariffs raise issues of exceptional importance, the appeals court said it would expedite the case and hear arguments July 31. The case involves 10% tariffs the president imposed on almost every country in April and bigger ones he imposed and then suspended on countries with which the United States runs trade deficits. It also involves tariffs Trump plastered on imports from China, Canada and Mexico to pressure them to do more to stop the illegal flow of immigrants and synthetic opioids across the U.S. border. In declaring the tariffs, Trump had invoked emergency powers under a 1977 law. But a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled he had exceeded his power. The tariffs upended global trade, paralyzed businesses and spooked financial markets. By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer Arizona governor vetoes bill banning teaching antisemitism, calls it an attack on educators View Photo PHOENIX (AP) Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed a proposal that would have banned teaching antisemitism at the states public K-12 schools, universities and colleges and exposed educators who violate the new rules to discipline and lawsuits. The proposal would have prohibited teachers and administrators from teaching or promoting antisemitism or antisemitic actions that create a hostile environment, calling for the genocide of any group or requiring students to advocate for an antisemitic point of view. It also would have barred public schools from using public money to support the teaching of antisemitism. Educators would have personally been responsible for covering the costs of damages in lawsuits for violating the rules. Hobbs, a Democrat, said Tuesday that the bill was not about antisemitism but rather about attacking teachers. It puts an unacceptable level of personal liability in place for our public school, community college, and university educators and staff, opening them up to threats of personally costly lawsuits, she said in a statement. Additionally, it sets a dangerous precedent that unfairly targets public school teachers while shielding private school staff. Hobbs described antisemitism as a very troubling issue in the U.S., but said students and parents can go through the states Board of Education to report antisemitism. The measure cleared the Legislature last week on a 33-20 vote by the House, including a few Democrats who crossed party lines to support it. Its one of a few proposals to combat antisemitism across the country. Democrats tried but failed to remove the lawsuit provision and swap out references to antisemitism within the bill with unlawful discrimination to reflect other discrimination. The bills chief sponsor, Republican Rep. Michael Way, of Queen Creek, called the veto disgraceful, saying on the social media platform X that the legislation was meant to keep egregious and blatant antisemitic content out of the classroom. To suggest that it threatened the speech of most Arizona teachers is disingenuous at best, he added. Opponents said the bill aimed to silence people who want to speak out on the oppression of Palestinians and opened up educators to personal legal liability in lawsuits students could file. Students over the age of 18 and the parents of younger pupils would have been able to file lawsuits over violations that create a hostile education environment, leaving teachers responsible for paying any damages that may be awarded, denying them immunity and prohibiting the state from paying any judgments arising from any such lawsuits. Last week, Lori Shepherd, executive director of Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, wrote in a letter to Hobbs that if the bill were approved it would threaten teachers ability to provide students with a full account of the holocaust. Under the bill, those discussions could be deemed antisemitic depending on how a single phrase is interpreted, regardless of intent or context, she said. The bill would have created a process for punishing those who break the rules. At K-12 schools, a first-offense violation would lead to a reprimand, a second offense to a suspension of a teacher or principals certificate and a third offense to a revocation of the certificate. At colleges and universities, violators would have faced a reprimand on first offense, a suspension without pay for a second offense and termination for a third offense. The proposal also would have required colleges and universities to consider violations by employees to be a negative factor when making employment or tenure decisions. Under the proposal, universities and colleges couldnt recognize any student organization that invites a guest speaker who incites antisemitism, encourages its members to engage in antisemitism or calls for the genocide of any group. Elsewhere in the U.S., a Louisiana lawmaker is pushing a resolution that asks universities to adopt policies to combat antisemitism on campuses and collect data on antisemitism-related reports and complaints. And a Michigan lawmaker has proposed putting a definition of antisemitism into the states civil rights law. California governor says democracy is under assault by Trump as feds intervene in LA protests California governor says democracy is under assault by Trump as feds intervene in LA protests View Photo LOS ANGELES (AP) Calling President Donald Trump a threat to the American way of life, Gov. Gavin Newsom depicted the federal military intervention in Los Angeles as the onset of a much broader effort by Trump to overturn political and cultural norms at the heart of the nations democracy. In a speech Tuesday evening, the potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate said the arrival of National Guard and Marine troops in the city at Trumps direction was not simply about quelling protests that followed a series of immigration raids by federal authorities. Instead, he said, it was part of a calculated war intended to upend the foundations of society and concentrate power in the White House. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next, a somber Newsom warned, seated before the U.S. and California flags. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived. As head of the heavily Democratic state known as the epicenter of the so-called Trump resistance, Newsom and the Republican president have long been adversaries. But the governors speech delivered in prime time argued that Trump was not just a threat to democracy, but was actively working to break down its guardrails that reach back to the nations founding. Hes declared a war. A war on culture, on history, on science, on knowledge itself, Newsom said. Hes delegitimizing news organizations, and hes assaulting the First Amendment. Newsom added that Trump is attacking law firms and the judicial branch the foundations of an orderly and civil society. Its time for all of us to stand up, Newsom said, urging any protests to be peaceful. What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence, to be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him. His speech came the same day that Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, with some guardsmen now standing in protective gauntlet around agents as they carried out arrests. The judge chose not to rule immediately, giving the Trump administration several days to continue those activities before a hearing Thursday. Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders, though the Marines have not yet been spotted in Los Angeles and Guard troops have had limited engagement with protesters. They were originally deployed to protect federal buildings. Newsoms speech capped several days of acidic exchanges between Trump and Newsom, that included the president appearing to endorse Newsoms arrest if he interfered with federal immigration enforcement. I think its great. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing, Trump told reporters. Over the years, Trump has threatened to intercede in Californias long-running homeless crisis, vowed to withhold federal wildfire aid as political leverage in a dispute over water rights, called on police to shoot people robbing stores and warned residents that your children are in danger because of illegal immigration. Trump relishes insulting the two-term governor and former San Francisco mayor frequently referring to him as Gov. New-scum and earlier this year faulted the governor for Southern Californias deadly wildfires. Trump has argued that the city was in danger of being overrun by violent protesters, while Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have called the federal intervention an unneeded and potentially dangerous overreaction. The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated in the citys downtown hub. Demonstrations have spread to other cities in the state and nationwide, including Dallas and Austin, Texas, Chicago and New York City, where a thousand people rallied and multiple arrests were made. Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. Its one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president. If theres an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. Well see, he said from the Oval Office. By MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP Political Writer Trump says US gets rare earth minerals from China and tariffs on Chinese goods will total 55% Trump says US gets rare earth minerals from China and tariffs on Chinese goods will total 55% View Photo WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that China will make it easier for American industry to obtain much-needed needed magnets and rare earth minerals, clearing the way for talks to continue between the worlds two biggest economies. In return, Trump said, the U.S. will stop efforts to revoke the visas of Chinese nationals on U.S. college campuses. Trumps comment on social media came after two days of high-level U.S.-China trade talks in London. Details remain scarce. Trump didnt fully spell out what concessions the U.S. made. Beijing has not confirmed what the negotiators agreed to, and Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump himself have yet to sign off on it. What Trump described as a deal is actually less than that: Its a framework meant to set the stage for more substantive talks. And Trumps own comments created confusion about what was happening to his taxes tariffs on Chinese imports, generating uncertainty about more than $660 billion in annual trade between the two countries. On social media, Trump declared: WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT! But a White House official, who was not authorized to discuss the terms publicly and insisted on anonymity to describe them, said the 55% was not an increase on the previous 30% tariff on China because Trump was including pre-existing tariffs, including some left over from his first term. We have no idea what the rules are, said Rick Woldenberg, CEO of the educational toy company Learning Resources, who is part of a lawsuit challenging Trumps authority to impose the tariffs. In a follow-up social media post, Trump said he and Xi are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade. This would be a great WIN for both countries!!! The framework emerged late Tuesday in London after intense talks involving U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer. Leading the Chinese delegation was Vice Premier He Lifeng. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has deployed tariffs aggressively, seeing them as a way to raise money for the federal government, protect American industries, lure factories back to the United States and pressure other countries into bending to his will. He has imposed baseline 10% tariffs on imports from almost every country on earth after having introduced and then suspended for 90 days bigger tariffs on countries based on the size of U.S. trade deficits last year. To American trading partners and to businesses calculating their import tax bills, the presidents mercurial approach to trade policy can be baffling. For example, he recently doubled his steel and aluminum tariffs to 50%, likely increasing costs for U.S. manufacturers and construction companies that rely on the metals as raw materials. Likewise, he threatened a 50% tariff on the European Union under the belief that it would jumpstart talks with the bloc, only to back down as his self-imposed 90-day negotiating period is set to expire around July 9. But his approach to China has been especially bewildering. After imposing a 20% tariff on Chinese imports, the American president quickly upped the ante, raising the levy to 54% to offset what he said were Chinas unfair trade practices. Then, enraged when China retaliated with tariffs of its own, he increased those levies to a staggering 145%. Beijing counterpunched with 125% tariffs on U.S. imports. Those triple-digit tariffs threatened to effectively end trade between the United States and China, causing a hair-raising selloff in financial markets. At a meeting in Geneva last month, the two countries agreed to back off: Americas tariffs went back down to a still-high 30% and Chinas to 10%. In April, the Chinese announced licensing requirements that slowed the supply of desperately needed rare earth minerals to the United States. Furious about the move, Trump threatened to call off the Geneva arrangement, setting the stage for talks Monday and Tuesday in London. And there the Chinese agreed to speed up the rare earths shipments. The agreement came as an international rights group said that several global brands are among dozens of companies at risk of using forced labor through their Chinese supply chains because they use critical minerals or buy minerals-based products sourced from the far-western Xinjiang region of China. The report by the Netherlands-based Global Rights Compliance says companies including Avon, Walmart, Nescafe, Coca-Cola and Sherwin-Williams may be linked to titanium sourced from Xinjiang, where rights groups allege the Chinese government runs coercive labor practices targeting predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities. Many analysts complained that all the drama hadnt accomplished much. Dan Kritenbrink, who was assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Biden administration, said the London meeting produced a fragile truce. Both sides have now demonstrated that they know where the others weak points are, said Kritenbrink, now a partner at the Asia Group. They demonstrated that they both have leverage and tools they can use to inflict damage on the other. The Chinese know that when it comes to rare earths they can turn that spigot on and off at will They really have incredible leverage over the United States in the global economy with rare earths, and theyre not afraid to use it. Still, he welcomed the London ceasefire because the alternative is no truce at all, and a supply chain war that threatens not just U.S. and Chinese economies but the global economy as well. Danny Russel, vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Trumps latest pressure campaign on China appeared to be ending with a whimper, not a bang. The U.S. found it needed to back off the restrictions it had thought would generate leverage, he said, and in exchange, they get merely a promise by the Chinese to dole out critical minerals a bit more quickly. Veronique de Rugy, senior research fellow at George Mason Universitys Mercatus Center, dismissed the London truce as a handshake deal It can change at any time. ___ Follow the APs coverage of President Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump. By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, JOSH BOAK, PAUL WISEMAN and DIDI TANG Associated Press Convoy arrives in Libya en route to Gaza to challenge Israels blockade on humanitarian aid View Photo ZAWIYA, Libya (AP) A convoy carrying hundreds of activists has arrived in Libya after driving from Algeria and crossing through Tunisia on its way to the Gaza Strip to challenge Israels blockade on humanitarian aid on the territory. The convoy is made up of at least 1,500 people, including activists and supporters from Algeria and Tunisia, with more expected to join from Libya. The group arrived in Zawiya city in Libya Tuesday and plans to reach Gaza via Egypts Rafah Crossing, traveling by cars and buses. It drove through the Libyan cities of Tripoli, Misrata, Sirte, and Benghazi to reach the Saloum Crossing which borders Egypt. It is expected to soon reach Cairo before heading to the Rafah Crossing. Jamila Sharitah, an Algerian participant, said Tuesday that authorities in Tunisia and Libya have been cooperative with the convoy, helping facilitate their smooth journey. Zayed al-Hamami, another participant, said the convoy aims to push for reopening crossings and allowing aid into the Gaza Strip. There are land, sea and air convoys that will arrive in Gaza despite the restrictions, said convoy organizer Terkiya Shayibi. She added that violent responses against the convoy will not frighten them. Israels military seized a Gaza-bound aid boat with Greta Thunberg and about a dozen other activists on board on Monday, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the Israel-Hamas war. Israeli forces deported Thunberg on Tuesday. The activists on the boat began their journey to protest Israels military campaign in Gaza one of the deadliest and most destructive wars since World War II as well as the blocking of humanitarian aid. Experts have warned of famine in the territory of over 2 million people unless the blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive. Its not clear whether members of the convoy were able to cross into Egypt as of Wednesday night. However, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement that any foreign delegations need to obtain prior approvals before visiting the border area adjacent to Gaza, which includes Arish city and the Rafah border crossing. Regulatory procedures include obtaining visas or prior permits from Egyptian embassies abroad or foreign embassies in Cairo, and submitting requests to the Egyptian foreign ministry. Egypt affirms, in this regard, that no requests or invitations will be considered or responded to if submitted outside the framework specified by the regulatory provisions and the established mechanism in this matter, the statement read. By YOUSEF MURAD Associated Press Nvidia chief calls AI the greatest equalizer but warns Europe risks falling behind View Photo PARIS (AP) Will artificial intelligence save humanity or destroy it? Lift up the worlds poorest or tighten the grip of a tech elite? Jensen Huang the global chip tycoon widely predicted to become one of the worlds first trillionaires offered his answer on Wednesday: neither dystopia nor domination. AI, he said, is a tool for liberation. Wearing his signature biker jacket and mobbed by fans for selfies, the Nvidia CEO cut the figure of a tech rockstar as he took the stage at VivaTech in Paris. AI is the greatest equalizer of people the world has ever created, Huang said, kicking off one of Europes biggest technology industry fairs. Huangs core argument: AI can level the playing field, not tilt it. Critics argue Nvidias dominance risks concentrating power in the hands of a few. But Huang insists the opposite that by slashing computing costs and expanding access, were democratizing intelligence for startups and nations alike. But beyond the sheeny optics, Nvidia used the Paris summit to unveil a wave of infrastructure announcements across Europe, signaling a dramatic expansion of the AI chipmakers physical and strategic footprint on the continent. In France, the company is deploying 18,000 of its new Blackwell chips with startup Mistral AI. In Germany, its building an industrial AI cloud to support manufacturers. Similar rollouts are underway in Italy, Spain, Finland and the U.K., including a new AI lab in Britain. Other announcements include a partnership with AI startup Perplexity to bring sovereign AI models to European publishers and telecoms, a new cloud platform with Mistral AI, and work with BMW and Mercedes-Benz to train AI-powered robots for use in auto plants. The announcements underscore how central AI infrastructure has become to global strategy and how Nvidia, now the worlds most valuable chipmaker, is positioning itself as the engine behind it. As the company rolls out ever more powerful systems, critics warn the model risks creating a new kind of technological priesthood one in which only the wealthiest companies or governments can afford the compute power, energy, and elite engineering talent required to participate. That, they argue, could choke the bottom-up innovation that built the tech industry in the first place. Huang pushed back. Through the velocity of our innovation, we democratize, he said, responding to a question by The Associated Press. We lower the cost of access to technology. As Huang put it, these factories reason, plan, and spend a lot of time talking to themselves, powering everything from ChatGPT to autonomous vehicles and diagnostics. But some critics warn that without guardrails, such all-seeing, self-reinforcing systems could go the way of Skynet in The Terminator movie vast intelligence engines that outpace human control. To that, Huang offers a counter-model: layered AI governance by design. In the future, he said, the AI that is doing the task is going to be surrounded by 70 or 80 other AIs that are supervising it, observing it, guarding it, ensuring that it doesnt go off the rails. He likened the moment to a new industrial revolution. Just as electricity transformed the last one, Huang said, AI will power the next and that means every country needs a national intelligence infrastructure. Thats why, he explained, hes been crisscrossing the globe meeting heads of state. They all want AI to be part of their infrastructure, he said. They want AI to be a growth manufacturing industry for them. Europe, long praised for its leadership on digital rights, now finds itself at a crossroads. As Brussels pushes forward with world-first AI regulations, some warn that over-caution could cost the bloc its place in the global race. With the U.S. and China surging ahead and most major AI firms based elsewhere, the risk isnt just falling behind its becoming irrelevant. Huang has a different vision: sovereign AI. Not isolation, but autonomy building national AI systems aligned with local values, independent of foreign tech giants. The data belongs to you, Huang said. It belongs to your people, your country your culture, your history, your common sense. But fears over AI misuse remain potent from surveillance and deepfake propaganda to job losses and algorithmic discrimination. Huang doesnt deny the risks. But he insists the technology can be kept in check by itself. The VivaTech event was part of Huangs broader European tour. He had already appeared at London Tech Week and is scheduled to visit Germany. In Paris, he joined French President Emmanuel Macron and Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch to reinforce his message that AI is now a national priority. ___ Chan reported from London. By THOMAS ADAMSON and KELVIN CHAN Associated Press Serbias Moscow-friendly president visits Ukraine but refuses to sign anti-Russian declaration View Photo BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) Serbias Russia-friendly leader made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Wednesday for a summit on strengthening European support for Kyivs fight against Russian aggression, but he refused to sign a joint declaration calling for tougher sanctions against Moscow. It was President Aleksandar Vucics first visit to Ukraine since taking office over a decade ago. He attended the summit between Ukraine and 12 Southeast European states in Odesa. While saying he wants Serbia to join the European Union, Vucic has maintained close relations with Russia. He defied EU warnings and attended Russias Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9. EU officials said it was inappropriate for Vucic to stand side by side with President Vladimir Putin, considering Moscows invasion of Ukraine. Vucic told Serbian media on Wednesday that the signing of the anti-Russian declaration wasnt easy and simple for us, and he abstained, noting its mention of sanctions as one reason. But I would like to once again express my full gratitude to President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy for the exceptional hospitality here in Odessa, Vucic added. Serbia, which relies almost fully on Russia for its energy supplies, has refused to join Western sanctions on Russia imposed after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, though it officially supports Ukraines territorial integrity. Vucics visit to Ukraine comes weeks after Russia accused Serbia of exporting arms to Ukraine, calling it a stab in the back by its longtime Balkan ally. The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service alleged that the exports were going through NATO intermediaries, primarily the Czech Republic, Poland and Bulgaria. Recently, exotic options involving African states have also been used for this purpose. Serbia has neither admitted nor denied reports that it has been providing ammunition to Ukraine, but it has promised Russia it would open an official investigation into the matter. Yves here. We linked to the paper by Apple scientists which gave a pretty devastating blow to the idea that large language models like ChatGPT could be considered to engage in thinking. Tom Neuburger provides a longer-form treatment below. To be clear, these findings do not necessarily mean that some other class of AI model wont be able to engage in processes that meets the bar for reasoning. But the big bucks have been chasing tool of all trades, master of none LLMs, which respond to queries in conversational form and hence so what amounts to faking thinking. By Thomas Neuburger. Originally published at Gods Spies AI cant solve a problem that hasnt been previously solved by a human. Arnaud Bertrand A lot can be said about AI, but there are few bottom lines. Consider these my last words on the subject itself. (About its misuse by the national security state, Ill say more later.) The Monster AI AI will bring nothing but harm. As I said earlier, AI is not just a disaster for our political health, though yes, it will be that (look for Cadwalladers line building a techno-authoritarian surveillance state). But AI is also a disaster for the climate. It will hasten the collapse by decades as usage expands. (See the video above for why AI models are massive energy hogs. See this video to understand neural networks themselves.) Why wont AI be stopped? Because the race for AI is not really a race for tech. Its a greed-driven race for money, a lot of it. Our lives are already run by those who seek money, especially those who already have too much. Theyve now found a way to feed themselves even faster: by convincing people to do simple searches with AI, a gas-guzzling death machine. For both of these reasons mass surveillance and climate disaster no good will come from AI. Not one ounce. An Orphan Robot, Abandoned to Raise Itself Why does AI persist in making mistakes? I offer one answer below. AI doesnt think. It does something else instead. For a full explanation, read on. Arnaud Bertrand on AI Arnaud Bertrand has the best explanation of what AI is at its core. Its not a thinking machine, and its outputs not thought. Its actually the opposite of thought its what you get from a Freshman who hasnt studied, but learned a few words instead and is using them to sound smart. If the student succeeds, you dont call it thought, just a good emulation. Since Bertrand has put the following text on Twitter, Ill print it in full. The expanded version is a paid post at his Substack site. Bottom line: Hes exactly right. (In the title below, AGI means Artificial General Intelligence, the next step up from AI.) Apple Just Killed the AGI Myth The hidden costs of humanitys most expensive delusion by Arnaud Bertrand About 2 months ago I was having an argument on Twitter with someone telling me they were really disappointed with my take and that I was completely wrong for saying that AI was just a extremely gifted parrot that repeats what its been trained on and that this wasnt remotely intelligence. Fast forward to today and the argument is now authoritatively settled: I was right, yeah! How so? It was settled by none other than Apple, specifically their Machine Learning Research department, in a seminal research paper entitled The Illusion of Thinking: Understanding the Strengths and Limitations of Reasoning Models via the Lens of Problem Complexity that you can find here (https://ml-site.cdn-apple.com/papers/the-illusion-of-thinking.pdf). Can reasoning models reason? Can they solve problems they havent been trained on? No. What does the paper say? Exactly what I was arguing: AI models, even the most cutting-edge Large Reasoning Models (LRMs), are no more than a very gifted parrots with basically no actual reasoning capability. Theyre not intelligent in the slightest, at least not if you understand intelligence as involving genuine problem-solving instead of simply parroting what youve been told before without comprehending it. Thats exactly what the Apple paper was trying to understand: can reasoning models actually reason? Can they solve problems that they havent been trained on but would normally be easily solvable with their knowledge? The answer, it turns out, is an unequivocal no. A particularly damning example from the paper was this river crossing puzzle: imagine 3 people and their 3 agents need to cross a river using a small boat that can only carry 2 people at a time. The catch? A person can never be left alone with someone elses agent, and the boat cant cross empty someone always has to row it back. This is the kind of logic puzzle you might find in a children brain teaser book figure out the right sequence of trips to get everyone across the river. The solution only requires 11 steps. Turns out this simple brain teaser was impossible for Claude 3.7 Sonnet, one of the most advanced reasoning AIs, to solve. It couldnt even get past the 4th move before making illegal moves and breaking the rules. Yet the exact same AI could flawlessly solve the Tower of Hanoi puzzle with 5 disks a much more complex challenge requiring 31 perfect moves in sequence. Why the massive difference? The Apple researchers figured it out: Tower of Hanoi is a classic computer science puzzle that appears all over the internet, so the AI had memorized thousands of examples during training. But a river crossing puzzle with 3 people? Apparently too rare online for the AI to have memorized the patterns. This is all evidence that these models arent reasoning at all. A truly reasoning system would recognize that both puzzles involve the same type of logical thinking (following rules and constraints), just with different scenarios. But since the AI never learned the river crossing pattern by heart, it was completely lost. This wasnt a question of compute either: the researchers gave the AI models unlimited token budgets to work with. But the really bizarre part is that for puzzles or questions they couldnt solve like the river crossing puzzle the models actually started thinking less, not more; they used fewer tokens and gave up faster. A human facing a tougher puzzle would typically spend more time thinking it through, but these reasoning models did the opposite: they basically understood they had nothing to parrot so they just gave up the opposite of what youd expect from genuine reasoning. Conclusion: theyre indeed just gifted parrots, or incredibly sophisticated copy-paste machines, if you will. This has profound implications for the AI future were all sold. Some good, some more worrying. The first one being: no, AGI isnt around the corner. This is all hype. In truth were still light-years away. The good news about that is that we dont need to be worried about having AI overlords anytime soon. The bad news is that we might potentially have trillions in misallocated capital. [] David Huerta, president of SEIU California and SEIU-United Service Workers West, was injured and then arrested while documenting a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Friday. He is now facing a felony charge of conspiracy to impede an officer with the the Los Angeles natives detention the latest example of how organized labor is being hit hard from the raids by masked ICE agents. Not only is the Trump administration not going after the employers of undocumented labor, but it is instead targeting union members who were legally living and working in the US. Team Trump is doing so by cancelling humanitarian parole, revoking the visas of many graduate student union members, and other ICE actions that target individuals in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong skin color and potentially the wrong outlook on capital-labor relations. Unions are increasingly sounding the alarm that the ICE agents snatching people off the street is part of the administrations wider crackdown on organized labor. The AFL-CIOs Department of People Who Work for a Living (DPWL) recently held a series of hearings across the country to provide a platform for working people and local communities to express their views on the current administrations policies. Summarized in this report, they argue that the Trump administrations mass deportation program, with its disregard for due process, threatens the constitutional rights of every worker and poses serious disruptions in key industries and local economies. Lets take a look at what theyre saying and how this is playing out. Far from focusing immigration enforcement efforts on people who pose a public safety risk, Trump has taken active steps to strip status and work authorization away from millions of working people,many of whom have been members of our workforce and our unions for decades. These enormous populations have all had their status terminated and are now fighting in the courts to preserve their ability to live and work here: Nearly 1 million workers with Temporary Protected Status due to unsafe conditions in Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti and Venezuela. More than 1.5 million workers with Humanitarian Parole (an unfortunately named form of protection that has nothing to do with the criminal justice system) who were invited here with sponsors from Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Note that all these countries have in recent yearsand in some cases, dating back much furtherbeen on the receiving end of US invasions, counterterrorism operations, sanctions, regime change efforts, and other modes of violence and plunder. In return, some lucky few get to live the American dream working long hours for low pay and have had the temerity to try to better their lot by joining unions here in the US. Their reward? Like our federal workforce, hundreds of thousands of these immigrant workers received notice through harshly worded form letters that their status, and therefore their ability to work, was being terminated. Some were given as few as seven days to pack up and leave the country, and told that failure to do so would result in criminal prosecution.64 These callous terminations are effectively resulting in mass layoffs of workers across the country, causing massive disruptions in key industries, local economies and union membership. Larger Plan at Work While militarized ICE agents sweeping into communities across the country might appease some of Trumps MAGA supporters and provide the illusion of doing something about the exploitation of foreign workers, a closer look shows that it is part of a coordinated attack on all of labor. How so? Lets start with Donald himself and go from there. Trumps businesses rely on and continue to seek H-2B non-agricultural guest workers. A crucial difference between the H-2B and H-2Acovering agricultural workersand individuals who worked in the US under temporary protected status or humanitarian parole is that the latter two categories didnt have their ability to stay in the country legally tied to their work. That made them less exploitable. They were free to change jobs and unionize. Guest workers, on the other hand, are loved by Trump and many employers because they are basically indentured servants. Even the Departments of Labor and Homeland Security acknowledge that H-2B workers face structural disincentives to reporting or leaving abusive conditions, and often lack power to exercise their rights in the face of exploitative employment situations. H2-A guest workers also faced a major setback in their fight to organize last year when a District Court Judge issued an injunction in August that blocked them from unionizing in 17 states. Meanwhile, the guest worker program features labor trafficking, and rampant wage fraud, illegal recruitment fees, wage theft, and illegal threats of retaliation. Abuse is made easy by the fact that its almost impossible for workers to quit their jobs since their visas are tied to a single employer. Mike Rios, a DOL regional agricultural enforcement coordinator, describes the H2 program as the literal purchase of humans. As of 2024 there were 384,900 H2-A and 215,217 H2-B workers in the US. About 40 percent of U.S. farmworkers are undocumented, and as of 2020 there were more than 406,000 individuals with Temporary Protected Status, which allows them to reside and work legally in the US due to unsafe conditions in their home country. The similar humanitarian parole covered another 530,000-plus. Trump is trying to end Temporary Protected Status, and on May 30 the Supreme Court allowed the administration to pause humanitarian parole. Notably, Trump and his ICE goons are not going after H2 workers, but they are targeting those who try to organize them. In March, ICE agents smashed his car window and detained Alfredo Lelo Juarez, who began working as a berry picker at the age 14 and helped found Familias Unidas Por La Justicia, an independent farmworker union in Washington State. He advocated around issues like overtime pay, heat protections for farmworkers and criticized the exploitative nature of the H-2A program. A Seattle immigration judge had ordered Juarez Zeferinos removal in 2018. Edgar Franks, the political director of Familias Unidas, tells Truthout that the view from the ground makes the Trump administrations aims fairly obvious. Its not about ridding the country of immigrant workers nor even prioritizing the white working class. Its about making all of labor more easily exploitable: It was meant to silence the organizing, deport as many people as possible, and to bring in a captive workforce through the H-2A program. We think that might be the ultimate plan: to get rid of all the immigrant workers who are organizing and fighting back for better conditions, and to bring in a workforce thats under the complete control of their employer with basically no rights. Itll make it even harder to organize with farmworkers if more H-2A workers come. It wouldnt be impossible, but itll be more difficult. A White House official told NBC News that Trump wants to improve the H-2A and H-2B programs, although its unclear what exactly that means. If his first term is any indication, it means improve for the employers. During Trump 1.0 the temporary work visa programs steadily grew a total of 13 percent larger, and he used the Covid emergency to help make it happen: During the pandemic, his administration issued a series of emergency measures that made H-2A and H-2B visas more flexible and employer-friendly. Workers were allowed to stay in the country for longer periods of time, in part because they had been deemed essential workers, and wages for H-2A workers were effectively frozen. With more emergencies arriving on multiple fronts, it wouldnt be surprising to see a replay. Should the Trump administration succeed in replacing temporary protected status, humanitarian parole, and others with guest workers, it would make it that much harder to organize. As Noah Zatz, a law professor at UCLA notes: work under threat of incarceration outside of criminal punishment, or racialized state violence outside incarcerationalso highlight continuity with immigration detention and deportation. This continuity is particularly important because labor advocates and the labor movement have come to understandthrough a long and still-contested processhow employers gain power to intimidate, retaliate against, and divide workers when the states deportation threat hangs over them and can be invoked by employers. Labor Needs Due Process and Free Speech The AFL-CIO also notes how the disregard for due process and crackdowns on speech hurt immigrant workers now and will do doubt be turned on all workers down the line: In another alarming development, immigrant workers, including green card holders and work visa holders, have faced arrest, detention, revocation of status and deportation with a complete lack of due process. These attacks are affecting more and more of our union siblings, including: SMART Brother Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to a Salvadoran mega-prison in what the Department of Justice has admitted was a mistake. The administration is refusing to comply with a unanimous Supreme Court order to facilitate his return. Former UAW Brother Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder with a pregnant U.S. citizen wife, who is being detained without charge and told his green card will be revoked for criticizing U.S. foreign policy. SEIU Sister Rumeysa Ozturk, a grad student worker, was being detained, and was just recently released, for the offense of writing an op-ed in the Tufts University Law School Journal. Hundreds of other higher education student workers around the country from a wide range of unions have had their visas revoked for reasons ranging from the exercise of free speech to being from countries now being considered for new travel bans. The quickly escalating efforts to deny due process, define what constitutes acceptable speech, and arbitrarily strip workers of their visas and work permits creates a climate of fear and sets a dangerous precedent for the rights of all working people, whether they are citizens or not. Despite all the masked ICE agents ripping people out of Home Depots and actions and ICE Barbie parachuting in for photo ops, the administration has yet to go after employers of illegals, which is the easiest and most effective way to stop their hiringbut thats not the goal here. Heres the AFL-CIO with a fine example: As an indication of what this imbalance in spending and priorities looks like in practice, ICE reported that it conducted a recent raid at a Philadelphia car wash because it had reports that workers were being exploited. The consequence, however, fell to the seven immigrant workers who were arrested, rather than the employer who was violating their rights. In a country where we rely on workers to report violations to enforce our labor laws, inappropriate enforcement responses such as this risk chilling the exercise of workplace rights, making all workplaces less safe and undermining our organizing efforts. Moreover, these misplaced worksite enforcement priorities incentivize predatory employer behavior that will fuel a race to the bottom in wages and working conditions in major industries around the country. At the same time, the Trump administration is gutting the Department of Labor that was already woefully understaffed (750 investigators overseeing fair labor standards at 11 million workplaces) and unserious about penalties anyways (maximum penalty per child laborer is $15,000). It has been a bipartisan effort to continually torch it with Trump now acting as an accelerant. As the administration continues to dismantle the federal agencies charged with enforcing our labor and employment laws, the investment in immigration enforcement continues to increase. Our nation already spends 14 times more on immigration enforcement than it does to enforce all the laws to protect more than 165 million workers in job sites around the country. Gutting our governments resources and capacity to enforce labor standards and protections while stripping immigrant workers of rights and ramping up immigration enforcement is a core part of the anti-union, anti-worker playbook that will enable employers to violate worker rights with impunity. This is a toxic formula that will drive down standards for all workers in key industries and increase wage theft, child labor violations, and preventable workplace injuries and fatalities. Indeed, that appears to be the plan. With Trump and DOGEs gutting of the National Labor Relations Board, attacks on federal workers unions, selective deportations, Gold Cards, and promotion of H-2 workers, the goal is to make all workers more like the undocumented ones. Heres Michael Macher: President Trump deploys National Guard and US Marines to California in support of ICE arrests. Governor Gavin Newsom files suit in opposition. Protestors burn Waymos. Context & Strategy The White House Marching Orders That Sparked the L.A. Migrant Crackdown Wall St Journal in late May, Stephen Miller, a top White House aide and the architect of the presidents immigration agenda, addressed a meeting at the headquarters of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE. The message was clear: The president, who promised to deport millions of immigrants living in the country illegally, wasnt pleased. The agency had better step it up. Gang members and violent criminals, what Trump called the worst of the worst, werent the sole target of deportations. Federal agents needed to just go out there and arrest illegal aliens, Miller told top ICE officials, who had come from across the U.S., according to people familiar with the meeting. Agents didnt need to develop target lists of immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally, a longstanding practice, Miller said. Instead, he directed them to target Home Depot, where day laborers typically gather for hire, or 7-Eleven convenience stores. Miller bet that he and a handful of agents could go out on the streets of Washington, D.C., and arrest 30 people right away. The Big Beautiful Bill Will Bring ICE Raids to Your City David Dayen, American Prospect Because the mega-bill is primarily about extending the Trump tax cuts, and because the most politically salient pieces are about cutting Medicaid, not much attention has been given to the surge of money that will go to immigration enforcement from this bill. The House version provided $151.3 billion in additional resources for immigration agencies, and while the Senate Judiciary Committee has not yet released its text, the targets in their budget resolution would raise that number even higher. A big chunk of this money (about one-third) goes to border wall construction. But even more goes toward detention and enforcement. The $45 billion earmarked for building new detention centers would represent a 364 percent annual increase to the construction budget, supercharging the detention beds available to at least 125,000. The entire federal prison system only holds a little bit more than that. Then, another $27 billion is plowed into enforcement and deportation, enough to hire 10,000 more ICE officers over the next five years. Trump Sends In Troops Presidential Memoranda June 7, 2025 Department of Defense Security for the Protection of Department of Homeland Security Functions In light of these incidents and credible threats of continued violence, by the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby call into Federal service members and units of the National Guard under 10 U.S.C. 12406 to temporarily protect ICE and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions, including the enforcement of Federal law, and to protect Federal property, at locations where protests against these functions are occurring or are likely to occur based on current threat assessments and planned operations. Further, I direct and delegate actions as necessary for the Secretary of Defense to coordinate with the Governors of the States and the National Guard Bureau in identifying and ordering into Federal service the appropriate members and units of the National Guard under this authority. The members and units of the National Guard called into Federal service shall be at least 2,000 National Guard personnel and the duration of duty shall be for 60 days or at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense. In addition, the Secretary of Defense may employ any other members of the regular Armed Forces as necessary to augment and support the protection of Federal functions and property in any number determined appropriate in his discretion. Donald J. Trump USNORTHCOM statement on additional military personnel in the Los Angeles Area U.S. Northern Command has activated the Marine infantry battalion that was placed in an alert status over the weekend. Approximately 700 Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division will seamlessly integrate with the Title 10 forces under Task Force 51 who are protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area. **UPDATE** As of today, June 9th 2025, there are approximately 1700 soldiers from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, a California National Guard unit in a Title 10 status, in the greater Los Angeles Area. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies before House Defense Appropriations subcommittee Acting Pentagon comptroller Bryn MacDonnell: So the current estimated cost is $134 million which is largely just TDY cost, travel, housing, food, etc. coming out of their O & M (Operations and Maintenance) accounts. Rep. Pete Aguilar (D CA): With the most recent deployment of the Marines, Mr. Secretary, whats the justification for using the military for civilian law enforcement purposes in LA? Why are you sending war fighters to cities to interact with civilians? Every American citizen deserves to live in a community thats safe. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: Uh, and ICE agents need to be able to do their job. Theyre being attacked for doing their job, which is deporting illegal criminals that should happen in any city, Minneapolis or Los Angeles, and if theyre attacked, thats lawless and President Trump believes in law and order, so he has every authority and he has done mobilizing National Guard or active duty troops under US code to protect federal agents in their job. Which is exactly what were doing and were proud to do it. Were proud to do it. 10 USC of the US Code 12406 as a legal basis that the president used cites three examples, um, and circumstances for the guard, invasion by a foreign nation, a rebellion or dangerous rebellion against the authority of the government of the United States, or the president is unable with regular forces to execute the laws of the United States, which authority is triggered here to justify the use. I dont know. You just read it yourself and people can listen themselves, but it sounds like all three to me. If youve got millions of illegals and you dont know where theyre coming from, theyre waving flags from foreign countries and assaulting police officers and law enforcement officers. Thats the problem. The governor of California is unable to execute the laws of the United States. The governor of California has failed to protect his people along with the mayor of Los Angeles, and so President Trump has said he will protect our agents and our guard and Marines are proud to do so. Exclusive: DHS secretary sought military arrests and drones in Los Angeles in leaked letter San Francisco Chronicle U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to direct the military to detain or arrest lawbreakers, a move one expert called a grave escalation. A letter sent Sunday from Noem to Hegseth, obtained by the Chronicle, requested that the Pentagon give Direction to DoD forces to either detain, just as they would at any federal facility guarded by military, lawbreakers under Title 18 until they can be arrested and processed by federal law enforcement, or arrest them. Gavin Newsoms Political Journey Newsom called the Abrego Garcia deportation fight a distraction. Then came the pushback Los Angeles Times April 21, 2025 Pod Save America Slams Gavin Newsom For Calling Mans Mistaken Deportation A Distraction Huffington Post April 18, 2025 Gavin Newsom praises congressmans El Salvador trip after deportation controversy The Sacramento Bee April 25, 2025 Californians doubt Newsom is focusing on his day job, poll finds Politico May 7, 2025 Newsom Responds to Trump NEW: I just filed an emergency motion to block Trumps illegal deployment of Marines and National Guard in Los Angeles. Trump is turning the U.S. military against American citizens. The courts must immediately block these illegal actions. pic.twitter.com/ms4JELUk3v Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 10, 2025 The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I dont care if youre a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation this is an unmistakable step toward pic.twitter.com/tsTX1nrHAu Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025 Newsom-Trump truce explodes as president deploys troops against his wishes California Matters (The) carefully calibrated truce, forged in the wake of Januarys devastating wildfires across Los Angeles, appeared to implode over the weekend when Trump sent the California National Guard into the city against Newsoms wishes to quell immigration enforcement protests. Newsoms furious, at times vitriolic, response comparing Trump to a dictator and calling him a stone cold liar for supposedly misrepresenting a phone call between them harkens back to the immediate aftermath of the November election, when the governor was poised to assume national leadership in the resistance to the second Trump administration. Just two days after Trumps re-election, Newsom practically invited a confrontation with the president by announcing a special legislative session to set aside funding for litigation against the federal government. That provocation has come to fruition seven months later with troops in the streets and a pending court challenge to the presidents constitutional authority. Many of you called me out as, Its too extreme. Shouldnt you be working with Donald Trump during his transition? when I called that special session, Newsom told a reporter during an interview Sunday night with Fox LA. We knew something would happen. But I gotta say, I never expected Donald Trump to do this. Newsom has rallied Californians and his liberal base with his open defiance, even sending a fundraising email Sunday morning about the National Guard deployment. The posturing nevertheless puts both the governor and his state at increasing risk of reprisal. Constitutional Crisis? Trump suggests border czar should arrest Newsom CNN Reporter: Gavin Newsom is daring (White House Border Czar) Tom Homan to come and arrest him. President Donald Trump: Did he do it? I would do it. Our job. I think its great that Gavin likes the publicity, but I think (arresting him) would be the right thing. Hes done a terrible job. Look, I like Gavin Newsom. Hes a nice guy, but hes grossly incompetent. Homan says Trump administration has no intention to arrest Newsom after Trump says Id do it CBS Evening News border czar Tom Homan told CBS News on Monday theres no intention to arrest California Gov. Gavin Newsom, after President Trump suggested he was open to the idea escalating a war of words over the protests and law enforcement response in Los Angeles. That whole things been taken out of context, Homan said. They havent crossed a line yet If you cross that line, I dont care who they are the governor, the mayor, whatever and when you commit a crime against ICE officers, we will seek prosecution. If you know anything about the use of force cards given to the troops deployed to Los Angeles, text me securely via Signal at 202-510-1268. Here's what they look like: pic.twitter.com/3Ujnw6sgvT Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) June 10, 2025 Contending Narratives The disparity btwn whats actually happening in Los Angeles and the way its being mischaracterized is one of the biggest stress tests of modern media in recent memory. Botted socials, AI, old clips, declining literacyits like seeing a broken emergency response system hit by a storm. Mina Kimes (@minakimes.bsky.social) Jun 10, 2025 at 4:57 PM Real Clear Politics Headline Roundup pic.twitter.com/sBDFaZ5o6Y Nat Wilson Turner (@natwilsonturner) June 10, 2025 Statement from ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons on assaults against federal law enforcement officers in Los Angeles June 6 What took place in Los Angeles yesterday was appalling. As rioters attacked federal ICE and law enforcement officers on the LA streets, Mayor Bass took the side of chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement. Our brave officers were vastly outnumbered, as over 1,000 rioters surrounded and attacked a federal building. It took over two hours for the Los Angeles Police Department to respond, despite being called multiple times. The brave men and women of ICE were in Los Angeles arresting criminal illegal aliens including gang members, drug traffickers and those with a history of assault, cruelty to children, domestic violence, robbery, and smuggling. These violent rioters will be held accountable if they harm federal officers, and make no mistake, ICE will continue to enforce our nations immigration laws and arrest criminal illegal aliens. Sanctuary politicians would do well to remember that impeding our efforts only endangers their communities, law enforcement officers, and the detainees they claim to support. Los Angeles Protests Amplified by Influencers and Online Creators New York Times Outfitted with their own makeshift press helmets and vests, many creators many of whom lean conservative have livestreamed entire days of coverage and posted to social platforms like X and streaming sites like Twitch and YouTube. During some of the weeks most violent moments, Trump officials like Stephen Miller and billionaires like Elon Musk chose to amplify what the creators published, causing the posts to go viral and feeding the narrative that the violence has been out of control. False Flags Ken Klippenstein Channel 5, the gonzo-style show hosted by YouTuber Andrew Callaghan, sent a balaclava-donned correspondent to the streets to talk to the protesters. Theyre terrorizing U.S. citizens, one man said of law enforcements deployment of tear gas to disperse the protests. The clear emphasis on how this affects people in general not just immigrants surprised me. Another protester, a black woman named Alex Walls from Louisiana, told CNN that the deportations were disturbing to children. Youre separating people from their kids, families, and whatnot, she said. Yall got kids dont understand whats going on, seeing this going on. Its very disturbing. Others said explicitly that their motive was to impede the deportations, like Ron Gochez, who also told CNN: For every single minute that we were here resisting against the Border Patrol, that was time that they were not out deporting people in our community. Got teary at the airport this band was talking about their solidarity with protests happening in LA and proceeded to sing This land is your land pic.twitter.com/UMj6zyukAs Andrea (@iiiitsandrea) June 9, 2025 This song couldnt hit any harder right now with whats going on in LA. Siempre con mi gente! Esto es por la cultura!!! No se me rajen!!! Shoulder to shoulder! @SomosLAFC @LAFC https://t.co/EbBROFr0s2 Omar Higareda (@omar_gherd) June 11, 2025 During Sunday nights anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, New York Post photographer Toby Canham was struck in the head by a rubber bullet fired by the LAPD. I just got shot in the head! Canham shouted. He was hospitalized for whiplash and neck pain and left with a severe pic.twitter.com/ldbm6HMR8Y The Kind Joe (@TheKindJoe) June 10, 2025 This psycho shot me in the groin twice with 40mm munitions because I asked him for his name (which was ripped off of his helmet) after he shot others in the groin at close range too Watch him tell me hes going to shoot me just for asking who he is: https://t.co/IoqQBbRSIJ pic.twitter.com/flXaMWhUnl Shakeer Rahman (@sh4keer) June 10, 2025 Linton shot the top lawyer that fights the LAPD. Shakeer was asking for his badge number. And the only reason the LAPD released the badge numbers was because of his work. Currently hes representing us on three of our CPRA lawsuits. Film The Police LA (@FilmThePoliceLA) June 10, 2025 2,000 LA anti-ICE rioters take over 101 Freeway downtown as self-driving cars are lit on fire in chaotic scene New York Post Only a third of Americans are backing the LA protests over the ICE raids, poll finds The Independent Around one in three Americans (36 percent) said they approve of the protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, compared to 45 percent who disapprove, a YouGov poll of more than 4,200 U.S. adults found. Of those polled, 19 percent said they were not sure. Its really starting to look like @GavinNewsom is losing the plot. This isnt compelling politics. It looks more like a hostage video. I think American liberals are completely trapped in their Orange Fuhrer fantasies and are starting to unwind. pic.twitter.com/63Karnl9ms Philip Pilkington (@philippilk) June 10, 2025 Test Case for Martial Law? What Trump Might Really Be Doing In Los Angeles. Steven Donziger Its virtually unheard of for a President to take over a state national guard which is a reserve force of the US Army without a formal request from the states Governor. Yet California Governor Gavin Newsom has condemned Trumps move and is suing him over it. But if the Trump-Miller anti-immigrant crusade keeps going in the same direction, I believe Trumps next step will be to try to invoke an obscure statute from 1807 called the Insurrection Act (see here for an explanation) to turn the actual US army into a policing force that can be unleashed against US citizens. This has long been on his authoritarian wish list. In my view, this easily could lead to martial law, curfews, and shoot to kill orders in certain neighborhoods. Hes already called for Governor Newsoms arrest. Trump is using federal law enforcement to try to create a spectacle of violence that can be used to justify turning the US military against the people. Waymos so sad :( wonder who ordered them and how this went down, did people order them to burn them? Wonder what data Waymo is looking at https://t.co/p52e1BDAb7 Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) June 9, 2025 LAPD Publishes Crime Footage It Got From a Waymo Driverless Car404 Media Waymo is rapidly expanding in Los Angeles; anecdotally, I see many Waymos driving around town every day, and the company just announced that the autonomous vehicles have expanded the geographic region in which they would operate in the city and that it would soon begin testing them on Los Angeles freeways. The proliferation of Waymo cars also means the proliferation of roving surveillance cameras. LAPD has shown an interest in obtaining footage from autonomous vehicles that operate in the city; last year we reported on a case in which the LAPD obtained footage from an autonomous food delivery robot to investigate a crime. A Waymo spokesperson told 404 Media that it does not proactively give footage to police. Why people are burning Waymos Taylor Lorenz As police begin to leverage tech like Waymo cars, protesters are becoming more aware of the surveillance infrastructure being built into modern life. Many activists have called attention to the fact that social platforms, like Meta, have handed user data over to the police. (In 2022, Facebook handed the data of a mother and daughter facing criminal charges for allegedly carrying out an illegal abortion to law enforcement). And more of the public is becoming aware of tools like facial recognition software, that the police have begun to use heavily. When I asked a few protesters on the ground yesterday why they thought the Waymos were burning, they told me that the cars spy on people and could be recording protest footage. We still dont know who exactly set fire to the cars or why, but its clear that more people are perceiving Waymos as an extension of the police surveillance infrastructure. Several Waymos have been destroyed on Los Angeles Street pic.twitter.com/IWyM53PKVR James Queally (@JamesQueallyLAT) June 9, 2025 Different Strategic Approaches Heroes & Villians Brian Wilson, June 20, 1942 June 11, 2025 Mike Bloomberg: Technology is the opposite of sex. Even when its great, its terrible. Why do most American young men now think otherwise? IM Doc sent this report recently: One thing that gets little air time but may have everything to do with the fertility rates. I do not mean to be forward. But this is a serious issue. Twice today. Constantly all the time. Men 20s and 30s lots of them have no clue how to engage women in intercourse. It literally blows me away. We are talking the basic mechanics of pleasing a woman. They are so inept that they have tried a time or two been total disasters and never want to again. And then become neurotic because of it. I have been doing this career for 35 years and this has never happened before to this level the last 5 years or so. I mean it is absolutely overwhelming. Like, whatever happened to high school and all the experimentation, locker room talk, 1st base, home run, parked cars in the forest, etc. I had more experience in one month than these guys have had in their life by age 29. There are literally days I feel like a sex therapist. But most important WHERE ARE THEIR FATHERS? IM Doc is 100% correct in saying that there is a broader societal pattern of young men not being very keen about sex. But the root causes are more pervasive than bad encounters. And fresh UN study found that the reason for the worldwide decline in fertility, as in baby-making, is the cost of raising offspring.1 So male sexual reticence is not a significant driver. From a January 2025 New York Post story, Americans are saying no to sex like never before with young men leading the depressing trend: Rates of sexlessness are climbing from coast to coast among adults ages 22 to 34, statistics plucked from the newly unsheathed National Survey of Family Growth showed with 10 percent of young males and 7 percent of their female counterparts saying theyre still virgins. A whopping 24% of males 22-34 had not had sex in 2022-2023 up from 9% in 2013-15. For females, the number was 13%, up from 8%. And when asked if theyd had sex in the last three months, 35% of men said no another big jump from 20%. Women didnt fare much better, with 31% concurring this time around, up from 21%. Narrowing the focus to discover when these trends began, the experts said that much of the jump occurred between 2019 and 2022 the same time as the pandemic. The article argued that not being married had a big role in these men not getting much whoopie, since marriage rates are down. Single people have sex less often than their married peers. Perhaps my anecdata from New York City is biased, but this appears to be a post-HIV era pattern. I heard from therapist friends and others with decent sized samples that it was common for married couples to have little sex, on the order of once a month or even every other month. My assumption was it was the female partner withholding, consciously or not, as a result of resentment engendered by accumulated insensitivities. So among the possible contributing factors are greater use of porn during the pandemic, making it harder to be aroused by real world partners, getting badly out of practice with flirting and other seduction communication, which would feed into anxiety and poor communication about sex, and antidepressants. IM Doc may disagree vehemently when he sees this, but this pattern strikes me at least in part a libido issue. To put it bluntly, in my youth, the average man was hornier than the average woman. Weirdly, that no longer seems to be the case. My sample from female friends and working in male-dominated workplaces confirms the stereotype. So did my too much information gay men friends. One went (this in the early 2000s) on about the trouble he was having with a new lover who wanted sex three times a day when all he wanted was three times a week. He still quipped, if they [straights] knew how much sex we are getting, theyd kill us all. His gay bathhouse-frequenting friends took it upon themselves to inform that this fellow was lust-deficient by their standards, having had only about 600 partners by his early 40s. I have known some high libido older men and oddly a few women too. They absolutely had to get laid very often or they would engage in destructive behavior like drinking way too much. So this level of men giving up on or reticent about sex with live partners suggests that lower prevailing sex drives compared to the old normal is at least a part of the picture. Otherwise, the very strong itch of their horniness would compel them to keep trying. Or alternatively, they find porn to be more consistently satisfying. Tom Greene, in Why Young Men Lost Interest in Having Sex, lends some support to this thesis: If the 1960s ushered in the sexual revolution, the 2020s are ushering in the asexual revolution. In fact, theres an entirely new sexual identification known as Ace. Its for people who find all forms of sex repulsive. So, whats causing this asexual revolution? Could it be that young men ages 18-29 are simply struggling to find a mate? Unfortunately its not that simple. 57% of single adults arent even looking for a relationship-or even casual dates. Only 13% are in a committed relationship. There is simply a lack of interest in pursuing an intimate relationship today. A recent survey suggests the sexual activity of Americans stands at a 30 year low. The number of adults age 18-30 having sex each year is worse. About 28% report having no sex in the prior year For women, the dating apps are overwhelming. There is an oversupply of very available and very odd men. The simple truth is that dating apps are littered with naked guys. Most are carefully posing in cringe-worthy positions. As if somehow presenting your tools for examination makes you more desirable for that 30-minute Starbucks meetup. Its enough to make you want to give up on the future of the human race. Debby Herbenick is a professor at the Indiana University School of Public HealthBloomington, She studies human sexuality. She recently completed a study examining the decline in all forms of sexual activities. There is no easy answer to why this trend is occurring. Its likely a myriad of causes. She opines that sex looks very different today than it did in the 1960s. Sex for some has become, well, weird. As a likely result of the rapid increase in on-line pornography, many women report an increase in rough sex. That is, sex that involves some form of intentional pain or abuse. One study found that 58% of women college students had been choked or partially asphyxiated during sex. And you thought the world couldnt get any weirder than a shirtless guy on Tinder carrying a long- handle axe. But it can. Hold my beer. Todays porn normalizes a variety of very risky behaviors and fantasies that are completely unrealistic and often violent. Because, sure, its totally normal for these two to show up at your door in bikinis to fix your cable. Thats a typical pornography story line. Greenes theory is porn has made sex with real people not very stimulating: By the time young men are sexually active, theyve spent years watching professionals engage in outlandish sex acts in high-definition, on-demand Porn. As a result, young men have lost all curiosity. Sex is no longer mysterious. When they finally engage in a sexual relationship it pales in comparison to the porn version. Its the equivalent of the Daytona 500 at 35 mph with turn signals for lane changes. Its, frankly, very boring to them. In addition, 26% of men under 40 have erectile disfunction, which is not, contra Victorians, the result of all that masturbating. Work from home is likely contributing. McKinsey in its heyday was rampant with intra-office shaggging and quite a few marriages, and not all that much partners with secretaries but among the consultants. Oddly, while web searches show that endocrine disruptors can reduce libido, the studies find that the effect is more pronounced in women. And it now appears that overall, young women are more randy than young men. So this issue does not appear to have all that much explanatory power. I wonder if there are deeper causes. Yours truly has pointed out that womens expectations for relationships in the brave new world of reproductive control and much better access to highly-paid work had moved well ahead of mens. For instance, they expected men to shoulder more of the burden of house and child care when at least in the US, the traditional home duties did not change much. In addition, starting in the 1980s, women were urged to become sex positive, as in embrace their urges and enjoy sex. That means expect to enjoy sex. In the old normal, the deal was that women provided sex to men in return for economic security. One of my women friends (who is very, erm, experienced) is totally serious in her insistence that women should always be paid to have sex, reflecting how often sex is defined as the man gets his orgasm, whether you get yours is subject to question. So if datable young women now expect to be pleasured well, men face much more pressure than before, not just getting and keeping an erection, but also servicing his partner well. Is this just too intimidating? Girl locker room talk confirms that men who prove to be excellent lovers often have trouble performing on their first time together. How many men admit to each other that that is far from uncommon? And I have to take issue with the tacit assumption in IM Docs opener, that men are a good source of information about how to gratify women. They are the only source of information that men typically have, and no doubt seasoned men can give clues on clitorises, G-spots, and perhaps even tongue techniques. But the best source for how to pleasure a woman is a particular woman about her particular appetites. Admittedly, good dancers can have a leg up here (pun not intended) because they have to keep focused on their partner and absorb non-verbal signals. But a personal proof of the primacy of communication with your partner: I have found first time sex with gay men2 on average to be markedly better than with straight men. Why? Aside from (per above), the typical gay man has had a lot more sex than his straight counterpart, they know they dont know much about what women want physically. They ask and take guidance, something I found rare with heterosexual men. _____ 1 Fron BBC UNFPA surveyed 14,000 people in 14 countries about their fertility intentions. One in five said they havent had or expect they wont have their desired number of children. The countries surveyed South Korea, Thailand, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, US, India, Indonesia, Morocco, South Africa, and Nigeria account for a third of the global population. They are a mix of low, middle and high-income countries and those with low and high fertility. UNFPA surveyed young adults and those past their reproductive years. The world has begun an unprecedented decline in fertility rates, says Dr Natalia Kanem, head of UNFPA. Most people surveyed want two or more children. Fertility rates are falling in large part because many feel unable to create the families they want. And that is the real crisis, she says In all countries, 39% of people said financial limitations prevented them from having a child. The highest response was in Korea (58%), the lowest in Sweden (19%). In total, only 12% of people cited infertility or difficulty conceiving as a reason for not having the number of children they wanted to. But that figure was higher in countries including Thailand (19%), the US (16%), South Africa (15%), Nigeria (14%) and India (13%). The article also argued that an overreaction to earlier messaging about overpopulation was in play. I know young couples who have serious reservations about having children, both due to environmental concerns and doubts whether they will have satisfying lives. Even when I was young, long before concerns about planetary degradation and resource limits became common, I thought having children was one of the cruelest things that people do. Every major world religion has as a major purpose reconciling believers to the inevitability of suffering. If there is such a thing as reincarnation, there must be planes of existence under better management. 2 Needless to say, sex with gay men is usually a one-off. Its hard to imagine another country album as effortlessly cool as Caitlin Cannons Love Addict. Cannon invokes muses from pop, 60s country, outlaw country and her own endless inventiveness for a collection of songs that examines what it truly means to love or at least fuck somebody. The title track kicks off with a saucy lust letter to the best drug in Tennessee, delivered with Cannons silky voice and stiletto humor. I Wouldnt Say I Love You similarly dances around commitment, but in Cannons expert hands the song is less cheeky and more sincere: Why doom something good with the weight of expectations? Cannon doesnt spare other forms of love. Jesus Is My Lover and Dr. Dealer are two of the more uproarious tracks on Love Addict, distilling the frenetic energy of manic episodes and medication dependence into a dark smirk. However, its when Cannon gets serious that her songs are most lethal. The gentle waltz of My Own Company contemplates how to be in relationship with oneself you know, the one we all tend to ignore. Its not so funny when Cannon closes the album with Waiting, a true study in devotion and one based on the life of her brother, who has been incarcerated for decades. Throughout Love Addict, Cannon has asked us to weigh our options and give real consideration to whom we give our energy to, but Waiting throws that all out the window how could we not lean on each other when everything else is stripped away? State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (RFranklin) and state Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (RCrossville) have filed a bill that would criminalize doxxing of federal agents and allow for the removal of elected officials in the latest escalation against Nashville Mayor Freddie OConnell. The bill, which will be debated in next year's legislative session, would make the criminally negligent public release of certain confidential records a class-E felony, and would pave the way for the removal of public officials from office with a news release about the legislation specifically naming OConnell, who is now the subject of a congressional investigation spearheaded by Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles. The bill also aims to expand confidentiality protections under the Tennessee Public Records Act regarding undercover officers and sensitive enforcement activity, and increase penalties for unauthorized disclosures of protected law enforcement information. On May 30, O'Connell pushed back against the Republican spotlight on his administration, noting that he's not particularly concerned about the congressional investigation. By definition, Nashville is not a sanctuary city, OConnell said at the time. We do not nor have we ever had a policy that violates the state law. As we've stated several times in recent weeks, Metro does not have any legal authority as it relates to immigration enforcement, and we do not impede federal law enforcement actions. In fact, we regularly partner with state and federal law enforcement agencies to take violent criminals off our streets. In a release, Johnson cites a WKRN report on OConnell saying that he wont rescind Executive Order 30 an order outlining Metros response to extensive Nashville arrests in early May by federal immigration officials and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Johnson says the legislations purpose is to prevent future political defiance that undermines the rule of law and puts law enforcement at risk. +2 ICE, State Troopers Remove Dozens of People From South Nashville An unknown number of people were detained in traffic stops and surrendered to federal immigration authorities, then bused out of state The bill is in part a response to the Metro Nashville government posting the names of several ICE employees on a city website, something that the mayor's office said was mistakenly included. Republicans have pounced on the error and characterized it as doxxing. It was never the intent of the executive order for those names to be posted, OConnell said. They were removed as soon as we were made aware that they had been posted. We're working on new safeguards and procedures to avoid it happening again. State Republicans say Johnson and Sextons bill complements a new federal bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn the Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act, which could carry a sentence of to up to five years in prison for someone who publicly names a federal law enforcement officer with the intent to obstruct a criminal investigation or immigration enforcement operation. It sends a message not only to Mayor OConnell, but to any other blue-city mayor who may consider following his lead," says Johnson. "Tennessee will protect its officers, not sacrifice them for political theater." Some critics have characterized Republican leaders' immigration rhetoric and actions as political theater, with several faith leaders describing Ogles, Johnson and the state GOPs fixation on OConnell as "harassment of the mayor. The entirety of the Senates Republican leadership Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile, Republican Caucus Chairman Ken Yager and Finance Committee Chairman Bo Watson are co-sponsoring the bill. This article was first published by our sister publication, the Williamson Scene. Amazons humanoid robots: The future of delivery or the end of human jobs? Amazon is developing AI-powered humanoid robots to handle last-mile deliveries, with testing underway in a San Francisco "humanoid park" designed to simulate real-world obstacles. The move could replace human delivery drivers, sparking debates about job displacement. While Amazon claims automation creates new roles (e.g., "robot managers"), critics warn of reduced opportunities for low-skilled workers. Robots must navigate unpredictable environments (e.g., pets, uneven sidewalks), which may limit initial deployments to controlled areas. Scaling up will require advanced adaptability beyond current AI capabilities. Beyond delivery robots, Amazon is integrating self-driving vans (via Zoox acquisition) and warehouse automation, aiming for minimal human involvement in logistics. The shift reflects industry trends (e.g., Tesla, Boston Dynamics) but raises ethical questions will robotic deliveries improve efficiency or disrupt livelihoods? Public reception remains divided. By the end of 2025, Amazon packages might not be delivered by human worker but by a humanoid robot. According to reports from The Information, Amazon is developing artificial intelligence (AI) software to power humanoid robots capable of taking over last-mile deliveries the final step in getting packages from vans to doorsteps. The tech giant is constructing a "humanoid park" in San Francisco, an indoor testing facility where these robots will navigate obstacle courses before hitting real-world streets. This move signals the e-commerce giant's aggressive push into automation. It also raises questions about the future of human jobs, the reliability of robotic deliveries and whether society is ready for machines to replace traditional workers. (Related: Drivers, privacy advocates not sold on putting AI-powered cameras in Amazon delivery vans.) Amazon's strategy involves using humanoid robots to work alongside human delivery drivers, with a view to eventually replacing their flesh-and-blood colleagues. The robots would ride in Amazon's Rivian electric vans, then "spring out" to drop off packages. The company already has over 20,000 Rivian vans in its U.S. fleet, with one reportedly placed inside the testing facility. The indoor obstacle course, roughly the size of a coffee shop, simulates real-world conditions. If successful, Amazon plans to take the robots on "field trips" to test them in actual neighborhoods. All these efforts for these goals: Faster deliveries, lower labor costs and a fully automated supply chain. Robot workers vs. human workers: Who wins? The most pressing concern is job displacement. Hundreds of thousands of delivery workers currently handle Amazon's global logistics. If robots take over, what happens to those jobs? Amazon has already experimented with automation in warehouses, using robots like Agility Robotics' Digit, a humanoid machine designed to assist (or replace) human workers. The company also insists that automation creates new roles, such as "robot managers." However, critics argue that the net effect will be fewer opportunities for low-skilled laborers. Historically, technological advancements have eliminated certain jobs while creating others but the transition is rarely smooth. While the concept sounds futuristic, real-world implementation is fraught with challenges. Professor Subramanian Ramamoorthy, an expert in robot learning at the University of Edinburgh, noted that while controlled environments like Amazon's "humanoid park" are one thing, unpredictable streets are another. Pets, children, uneven sidewalks and varying home layouts could trip up even the most advanced AI. Amazon may limit initial deployments to standardized neighborhoods, but scaling up will require robots to adapt to chaos something humans do effortlessly. Amazon isn't just testing delivery robots; it's building an entirely automated supply chain. In 2020, the company acquired Zoox, a self-driving car startup, signaling ambitions for driverless delivery vans. Combined with warehouse robots and AI-powered logistics, Amazon envisions a future where human involvement is minimal. This aligns with broader industry trends. Companies like Tesla and Boston Dynamics are also advancing humanoid robotics, suggesting that automation will soon extend beyond factories into everyday life. Amazon's robotic delivery plans represent a pivotal moment in labor and technology. While automation promises efficiency, it also threatens jobs and raises ethical questions about reliance on machines. Will these robots make life easier, or will they be another step toward a workforce dominated by AI? Watch this video about Amazon purchasing humanoid robots to ostensibly "free up" human staff. This video is from the TRUTH will set you FREE channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Tesla CEO: Google robots threaten to annihilate human race. Amazon prepares army of 750,000 ROBOTS to eliminate HUMAN workers. Amazons warehouse robots are injuring the human employees who are forced to work alongside them. Sources include: Technocracy.news Reuters.com TheVerge.com Brighteon.com Antibiotic overuse perpetuates infectious-disease nightmare, study reveals: Drug resistance in gut microbes persists years after single course Even short-term antibiotic use permanently alters gut microbiomes, fostering antibiotic-resistant bacteria that persist for years. Countries with high antibiotic sales harbor populations with significantly more drug-resistant gut microbes, even in non-users. Early-life antibiotic exposure reduces gut biodiversity irreversibly, destabilizing microbiome networks for life. Bacteria evolve resistance without losing fitness, making them a persistent global health threat. Probiotics, avoiding unnecessary antibiotics, and natural antimicrobials can mitigate risks. Antibiotics, hailed as lifesavers, are fueling an "infectious-disease nightmare" as bacteria adapt and evolve resistance at alarming rates. A study in Nature reveals that even a five-day course of ciprofloxacin leaves gut bacteria with permanent mutations, enabling resistance to spread for over a year. This crisis is escalating globally, driven by antibiotic overuse in nations like Spain and Italy, where high prescription rates link to higher drug-resistant genes in residents microbiomes. New research shows that bacteria selectively evolve to survive, creating a reservoir of resistance threatening modern medicines foundation. How resistance thrives: Evolution in fast-forward Bacteria deploy four main strategies to outlive antibiotics: intrinsic resistance (heritable traits), genetic mutations, borrowed DNA from other resistant organisms and horizontal gene transfer. A Nature-funded study tracked 60 participants taking ciprofloxacin, revealing a stark reality: within days, bacteria like Escherichia coli mutated their gyrA gene. This alteration neutralized the drugs lethality while sparing bacterial fitness a no cost, high gain adaptation. Lead researcher Dr. Mark Smith etched the implications: These mutations persist beyond 10 weeks, predictably clinging to dominant bacteria populations. The microbiome becomes a resistance reservoir, risking future cross-species contamination. Worse, the gyrA mutation spread across 34 participants species, showing resistance can evolve independently in unrelated germs. A nations pill habit impacts every gut A parallel study in Nature Communications underscored how national antibiotic policies determine individual risk. Analyzing global gut microbiomes, researchers found stark divides: residents of high-consumption nations like Italy held four times the resistance genes of peers in Denmark. Antibiotics shape entire ecosystems, explained co-author Dr. Elena Vazquez. Even visitors to high-use countries return with augmented resistance, spreading contagion back home. The study also warned of lingering generational tolls. Drops in antibiotic sales like in Spain post-2015 reforms showed no rapid microbiome recovery. Resistance genes embed into commensal bacteria, surviving long after prescriptions fade, the authors stated. This ecological memory ensures communities pay future health debts from past medical choices. Childhood courses cast a lifetime shadow Animal trials detailed in Microbiome highlighted irreversible harm from early antibiotic exposure: ceftriaxone administered to four-week-olds caused 14-month deletions in microbial diversity and keystone species like Akkermansia. These structural architects of gut health never rebounded. The microbial web frays permanently, the studys team of researchers noted. With human microbiomes maturing by 2-3 years old, childhood antibiotics may launch lifelong immune and metabolic disruptions. Protecting your microbiome: Practical steps Minor infections often resolve without drugs. Challenge doctors to distinguish viral vs. bacterial causes. Fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi) daily replenish beneficial species no synthetic supplements required. Swap vegetable oils for olive oil or butter to reduce gut inflammation and resistance-promoting environments. Garlic, honey and ginger possess proven antimicrobial properties without promoting resistance. Antibiotics as double-edged swords The microbiomes fragility demands a paradigm shift. Weve treated antibiotics as convenience tools, said Dr. Mercola, but their legacy outlives the prescription. As global resistance claims over 1.27 million lives annually, personal and policy vigilance is non-negotiable. Every pill is a vote for germs survival. Respect that power, Dr. Mercola urged. Only through mindful use and microbiome stewardship can we avert a future where even basic infections reignite mass mortality. For additional resources on managing antibiotic resistance, visit the CDCs antimicrobial resistance overview. Sources for this article include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org CDC.gov MedicalXpress.com Climate change skepticism in floods: Aussie farmers push back against climate dogma NSW farmers reject climate alarmism despite record floods, citing centuries of natural variability. Stalled high-pressure system blamed for extreme rains part of weather cycles, not CO2 trends. Dairy farmer Craig Emerton highlights historical evidence of past flooding predating industrialization. Greens antinuclear stance undermines credibility among skeptics pushing for pragmatic energy solutions. Scientists insist climate change is linked to rainfall, but farmers argue cycles predate human influence. As torrential rains once more inundate New South Wales, a group of fourth- and fifth-generation Australian farmers are defiantly resisting what they call climate crisis propaganda. Citing decades of historical weather patterns and the Tasmanian high-pressure system stalled for weeks, farmers like Craig Emerton of Croki and Sue McGinn of Dungog insist recent flooding is merely an extreme but natural extension of Australias long-known land of droughts and floods. Despite climate researchers linking the rains to shifting weather patterns allegedly tied to human carbon emissions, these agrarian skeptics argue the science remains too fuzzy to justify ideological mandates. Flood scars in the landscape show massive inundations long before cars and factories, Emerton told ABC Rural. My dad spoke of six floods in six weeks back in the 1920s so were just in a wet phase, like any cycle. The science and the silence: Natural storm systems amidst the climate debate University of Melbourne atmospheric scientist David Karoly identified a blocking high over the Tasman Sea as the immediate cause of the stalled weather front, where southeasterly winds dragged moisture ashore for days. Yet skeptics counter his claim of an anthropogenic new world of uncontrolled storms by pointing to similar weather mechanisms documented for centuries. Tom Saunders of the ABC noted the jet stream split a phenomenon he said occurs regularly created a weather traffic jam. The high-pressure system isnt novel, Emerton retorted. Whats new is the scaremongering around it. Emerton estimates Mays rainfall reached triple previous highs on his farm, but he attributes this to predictable hydrological cycles, not catastrophic human interference. Why Greens opposing nuclear power fuel skepticism among conservatives Eric Worrall, a British climate commentator, argues the absence of nuclear energy in Australias climate policy toolkit despite Frances 60% nuclear success exposes contradictions in mainstream environmentalism. If climate change were truly existential, greens would embrace any clean energy, but theyre ideologically fixated on renewables, Worrall wrote in a recent essay. Their dogma justifies doubting other claims. Australian Greens have ruled out nuclear power despite public polls showing 70% support among voters. Climate Council-affiliated figures like Karoly reinforce skepticism by pairing anticarbon rhetoric with oppose nuclear a stance Worrall calls irrational. If nuclear is too dangerous or costly, why does Frances model work? This shows the climate debate is political, not scientific, he said. Historical context: Why farmers stories matter today Australias history is etched in extremes: The 1896 floods that swamped Bourke, the 1955 Hunter Valley deluge, and even biblical accounts like antediluvian rains long predate industrial-age CO2. Farmers argue that climate sciences narrow focus on anthropogenic causes ignores millennia of naturally chaotic cycles. These storms are part of our heritage, not a harbinger of doom, said McGinn. My family has survived lean times and lush times we adapt, but we wont be bullied by climate bullies. Her skepticism echoes broader skepticism among agricultural communities who feel climate policies are driven by ideology rather than data. The science isnt settled (but the show must go on) As Australia braces for another rainy week, the divide between climate activists and rural realists sharpens. Farmers like Emerton and McGinn embody a growing movement challenging alarmist narratives with help from meteorologists and critics who question policy choices like renewables-only energy plans. Karoly and his peers insist climate change amplifies extremes, but skeptics demand proof beyond correlation and policy solutions that arent built on green fundamentalism. In a land where drought cycles have always tested survival, these farmers argue, human-caused doom is unnecessary. Well keep fighting the floods, Emerton said. Just dont tell us its our fault. Sources for this article include: WattUpWithThat.com ABC.net.au JERUSALEM Israel deported activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday, the country's Foreign Ministry said, a day after the Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized by the Israeli military. Thunberg left on a flight to France and was then headed to her home country of Sweden, the Foreign Ministry said in a post on X. It posted a photo of Thunberg, a climate activist who shuns air travel, seated on a plane. Speaking upon arrival at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Thunberg called for the release of the other activists who were detained aboard the Freedom Flotilla. She described a quite chaotic and uncertain situation during the detention. She said the conditions they faced are absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now. "We were well aware of the risks of this mission," Thunberg added. The aim was to get to Gaza and to be able to distribute the aid. She said the activists would continue trying to get aid to Gaza. Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on the Madleen, a ship carrying aid to Gaza that was meant to protest Israel's ongoing war there and shed light on the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group behind the journey. Israeli naval forces seized the boat without incident early Monday about 125 miles off of Gaza's coast, according to the coalition, which along with rights groups, said Israel's actions were a violation of international law. Israel rejects that charge because it says such ships intend to breach what it argues is a lawful naval blockade of Gaza. The boat, accompanied by Israel's navy, arrived in the Israeli port of Ashdod Monday evening, according to the Foreign Ministry. Other activists face deportation The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said three activists, including Thunberg, had been deported along with a journalist. It said it had encouraged some of the group to do this so they could speak freely about their experiences. Eight other passengers refused deportation and were being held in detention before their case is to be heard by Israeli authorities. Adalah, a legal rights group in Israel representing the activists, said the eight were expected to be brought before a court later Tuesday. "Their detention is unlawful, politically motivated and a direct violation of international law," the coalition said in a statement. It called for the remaining passengers to be released without deportation and said their lawyers would demand that they be allowed to complete their journey to Gaza. Sabine Haddad, a spokeswoman for Israel's Interior Ministry, said the activists who were being deported Tuesday had waived their right to appear before a judge. Those who did not will face one and will be held for 96 hours before being deported, she said. Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was also among the passengers on board the Madleen. She has previously been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. It was not clear whether she was being immediately deported or detained. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday that one of the detained French activists signed an expulsion order and will leave Israel on Tuesday for France. The other five refused. He said all the activists received consular visits. Sergio Toribio, a Spanish activist who was deported, slammed Israel's actions after he arrived in Barcelona. "It is unforgivable, it is a violation of our rights. It is a pirate attack in international waters," he told reporters. Questions over a breach of international law On Monday, Adalah, the rights group, said that Israel had "no legal authority" to take over the ship, because the group said it was in international waters and it was headed not to Israel but to the "territorial waters of the state of Palestine." "The arrest of the unarmed activists, who operated in a civilian manner to provide humanitarian aid, amounts to a serious breach of international law," Adalah said in a statement. Amnesty International said Israel was flouting international law with the naval raid and called on Israel to release the activists immediately and unconditionally. Israel said its actions were consistent with international law. Israel viewed the ship as a publicity stunt, calling it the "selfie yacht." Israeli officials said that the flotilla was bringing "meager" aid with what amounted to less than a truckload of goods. A longstanding blockade of Gaza Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of a blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's Palestinian population. During the 20-month-long war in Gaza, Israel has restricted and sometimes blocked all aid into the territory, including food, fuel and medicine. Experts say that policy has pushed Gaza toward famine. Israel says Hamas siphons off the aid to bolster its rule. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack that ignited the war and took 251 hostages, most of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas is still holding 55 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said that women and children make up most of the dead. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of the territory's population, leaving people there almost completely dependent on international aid. Israel retrieves body of Thai hostage as 95 more people reported killed in Gaza offensive Israel says more than half of the 55 hostages remaining in Gaza are dead. Families again called for a ceasefire deal to bring all hostages home. EUs Digital ID Wallet sparks privacy backlash amid push for 2027 rollout The EU plans to roll out a mandatory Digital Identity Wallet by 2027, centralizing government-issued credentials like IDs, driver's licenses and bank accounts into a single digital platform to streamline authentication and cross-border services. Visa Europe's Marie Austenaa hailed the wallet as a "game-changer" for financial services, citing a successful pilot involving real-time payment authentication and urging banks to act quickly to meet the 2027 timeline. Austenaa emphasized that technical readiness, particularly around access control servers (ACS), is achievable, but the bigger hurdle lies in banks' willingness to adapt and invest in the necessary changes. Critics warn that centralizing sensitive data could lead to mass surveillance, corporate misuse and loss of autonomy, especially if Wallet usage becomes tied to essential services without proper safeguards. Privacy advocates stress the need for public debate, transparency and strong legal frameworks to ensure the system benefits individuals and doesn't compromise civil liberties or democratic oversight. As the European Union (EU) moves forward with its Digital Identity Wallet, growing concerns over privacy, surveillance risks and centralized control threaten to overshadow its rollout. At the Money 2020 conference in Amsterdam, Visa Europe's Head of Digital Identity Marie Austenaa championed the initiative as a "game-changer" for financial services, predicting it would streamline banking, payments and cross-border verification. The Wallet, set for partial deployment by 2026 and full mandatory adoption by 2027, will centralize government-issued credentials, including national IDs, driver's licenses and bank accounts, into a single digital platform. (Related: Senate committee passes bill creating national digital ID system, but they will never require it for voting.) "One of the exciting things is that there are certain mandatory requirements around the Wallet, it must be used to authenticate a payment transaction, it's written there, that's at least the view we have taken," she said. "That sets certain obligations of the banks, if this really is happening, which I think it is, by 2027 we need to see some changes in the way payment is being authenticated." If implemented as planned, the Wallet will streamline digital identity verification, replacing a patchwork of bank-specific systems and apps. However, critics warn that the convenience comes at a steep cost: the erosion of privacy and the risk of state or corporate surveillance. "The risk of misuse, especially if access to the Wallet becomes tied to essential services, could create a structure where individuals are effectively required to participate in the system to function in daily life. The potential for function creep, where a system introduced for one purpose expands into others without adequate transparency or consent, is also a significant concern," Ken Macon wrote in his article for Reclaim the Net. "Without meaningful safeguards, it becomes difficult for users to control how their identity is shared or reused." Moreover, privacy advocates argue that getting it "right" requires more than technical integration. It requires public debate, legal safeguards and a commitment to building a system that serves individuals, not just institutions. Austenaa urges banks to act on Digital ID Wallet despite privacy concerns Despite privacy concerns, Austenaa pointed to a successful pilot involving real-time payment authentication via the Wallet, which she described as promising but dependent on highly adaptable banking partners. Now she disclosed during the event that her only concern is that institutions may hesitate rather than act. "I am concerned about the timelines. We have done the implementation using the Wallet for authentication for a live payment transaction, and it works. You need to tweak your access control server (ACS); that in itself is a challenge," she said. "We were lucky we had a bank with a super flexible team around ACS. So what worries me is the time it is going to take, especially if the banks are going to argue about why, and if and how it's good enough instead of [looking at it as] an opportunity." The European Commission has framed the Digital Identity Wallet as a cornerstone of its broader digital transformation agenda, aiming to empower citizens and bolster trust in cross-border digital services. But critics warn that the same system hailed for its efficiency could carry significant risks for privacy, autonomy and democratic oversight. Centralizing such sensitive information could open the door to mass surveillance, corporate overreach and exclusion of individuals unable, or unwilling, to participate. Follow PrivacyWatch.news for more news about the digital ID system. Watch this video to learn how the digital ID will control your life. This video is from the Data Dumper channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: One state's collection of health data sparks privacy and digital ID concerns. Scotland's digital ID system sparks "Big Brother" fears amid privacy backlash. Utah governor signs bill to launch pilot program for blockchain-based digital ID system. Digital ID system incoming: Nebraska now collecting citizens' digital health data. Australian parliament passes digital ID law to enshrine the globalist control matrix down under. Sources include: ReclaimtheNet.org NationalTechnology.co.uk Brighteon.com FTC intensifies antitrust probe against advocacy groups and advertising coalitions over alleged collusion against X platform The FTC is investigating advocacy groups and ad coalitions (e.g., WFA, GARM) for potential illegal collusion to boycott X (formerly Twitter) by orchestrating advertiser withdrawals, violating antitrust laws. X Corp's lawsuit claims Media Matters "manufactured" evidence showing ads alongside extremist content, manipulating algorithms to trigger a mass advertiser exodus (e.g., Disney, IBM), slashing X's revenue by 90 percent. The FTC is examining whether watchdog groups coordinated behind the scenes to enforce "brand safety" standards, potentially crossing into illegal suppression of X. Media Matters denies wrongdoing, calling its reporting legitimate and suing Musk for retaliation. Its president accused the FTC of political bias, linking the probe to Trump-era "bullying" tactics. Organizations like Ad Fontes Media criticized the FTC's demands as "intrusive," asserting their activities are lawful and protected by the First Amendment, complicating the legal battle. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has intensified its antitrust investigation against advocacy groups and advertising coalitions for allegedly engaging in illegal collusion to isolate Elon Musk's X platform through orchestrated advertiser boycotts. On May 20, the FTC initially issued a formal request to nearly a dozen organizations for an inquiry into "possible collusion." The probe centers on whether these groups violated antitrust laws by leveraging economic power to impose content moderation standards on X after Musk acquired it in 2022. According to the X Corp, which filed a defamation lawsuit against Media Matters for America in November 2023, the left-leaning non-profit "manufactured" evidence that ads from major brands appeared alongside antisemitic content. Musk accused Media Matters of manipulating his platform's algorithm to create false associations, triggering an exodus of advertisers, including Apple, Disney, IBM and Paramount, that slashed X's ad revenue by an estimated 90 percent. In line with this, the FTC has expanded the investigation beyond initial concerns over antitrust violations, now examining the broader mechanics of how advocacy networks influence online discourse through advertiser withdrawals. The FTC is demanding that Media Matters for America disclose communications with entities like the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and the now-defunct Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), probing whether these groups coordinated a systematic boycott of X. This escalation raises critical legal questions: Did efforts to enforce "brand safety" standards cross into illegal coordination under the Sherman Act? The letter suggests investigators are assessing whether watchdog groups evaluating "misinformation" and "hate speech" engaged in behind-the-scenes alliances to suppress the ad revenue of X. Media Matters denies any wrongdoing, accuses FTC of political bias Media Matters has denied wrongdoing, insisting its reporting exposed legitimate brand safety concerns. The group countersued Musk in California, accusing him of retaliating against investigative journalism. Additionally, Media Matters President Angelo Carusone accused the FTC of political bias. (Related: Media Matters assembled $13.4M budget for 34-person team focused on destroying, discrediting the independent media.) "The Trump administration has been defined by naming right-wing media figures to key posts and abusing the power of the federal government to bully perceived opponents and silence critics. It's clear thats exactly whats happening here," he said. Ad Fontes Media CEO Vanessa Otero, one of the organizations that received a formal request, echoed a similar statement. Otero criticized the inquiry of the FTC, calling it an "intrusive demand" and asserting that the activities of her company are lawful and constitutionally protected. "No matter what the possible claim the FTC is investigating, we are confident that Ad Fontes Medias business activities are not only proper and lawful, but constitutionally protected," Otero said. "So we are dismayed to even receive such a broad and intrusive demand letter in the first place." Check out Censorship.news to read more news on speech suppression measures pushed on social media and tech giant firms. Watch Emerald Robinson talk about X Corp.'s lawsuit against Media Matters below. This video is from The Absolute Truth w/ Emerald channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: THE IRONY: Elon Musk threatens to file defamation case against Anti-Defamation League for waging advertiser boycotts against X (Twitter). Twitter parent company X Corp sues Center for Countering Digital Hate over "scare campaign" that drove away advertisers. Censorship defenders finally admit they hate First Amendment, want free speech curtailed as policy of "national interest." Rumble CEO accuses Media Matters of misrepresenting Rumble in an effort to target free expression online. Twitter filing LAWSUIT against pro-censorship operatives including Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). Sources include: ReclaimtheNet.org Bloomberg.com Brighteon.com Secretary Kennedy purges ACIP, firing 17 industry-connected vaccine zealots in revolutionary overhaul of CDC advisory panel For decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has rubber-stamped every vaccine pushed by Big Pharma regardless of safety concerns or conflicts of interest. Now, under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s leadership, all 17 members have been terminated, making way for independent experts who will prioritize truth over profit. The ACIP, which dictates vaccine policy for millions of Americans, has long been infiltrated by pharmaceutical insiders who green lit dangerous shots from COVID-19 boosters to outrageous 90 dose vaccine childhood schedules while burying evidence of harm. Kennedys sweeping purge follows bombshell revelations that nearly every ousted member had financial ties to Pfizer, Moderna, Merck, and other vaccine manufacturers. Key points: All 17 ACIP members have been removed, ending Big Pharmas stranglehold on vaccine policy. Leaked records show rampant conflicts of interest, with members receiving funding from Pfizer, Merck, and Moderna. Past ACIP votes fast-tracked unsafe vaccines, including COVID-19 shots linked to heart damage and autoimmune disorders. RFK Jr. will appoint new advisors with zero ties to industry, prioritizing independent science over corporate profits. The end result could mean smaller vaccine schedules, warnings about dangerous vaccines, and vaccine use recommended only in high risk situations. The corrupted ACIP: Pharmas puppets exposed The ousted ACIP leaders celebrated as independent experts by the mainstream media were actually deep in Big Pharmas pockets and promoted vaccines for children, despite expert testimony warning about things like myocardial infarction and autoimmune conditions. Heres the dirt on their disclosed ties to the vaccine industry: Dr. Helen Talbot (Vanderbilt University): Received NIH grants while Vanderbilt cashed in on Modena/Pfizers mRNA windfall. Co-led Tennessees vaccine mandatorati during the Pfizer Operation Warp-ish Speed rollout, burying reports of vaccine-injured kids. Dr. Edwin Asturias (University of Colorado): Served on the WHOs vaccine safety panel (which called autism mythology). Pushed polio vaccines in poor nationsdespite reports of live virus mutations triggering paralysis. Dr. Noel Brewer (UNC Chapel Hill): Took Merck cash while insisting HPV shots protect teens from cervical cancer. Pushed behavioral coercion tactics to browbeat anti-vaccine families. Dr. Oliver Brooks (Watts Healthcare): Co-chaired Californias vaccine equity program prioritizing Pfizers bottom line over Black parents consent rights. Ex-NMA president: The National Medical Association partnered with Pfizer for diverse clinical trial inclusion. Dr. Lin Chen (Harvard): Harvard authored CDC travel vaccine guidelines while Mount Auburn Hospital cozied up to AstraZeneca. Downplayed safety in CDCs Health Information for International Travel, ignoring mercury toxicity concerns. Dr. Denise Jamieson (University of Iowa): As CDCs director of pregnancy safety, greenlit rushed Pfizer shots for mothers-to-be with zero safety data. Voted on RSV vaccine mandates while sitting on Pfizers trial boards. Dr. Mini Kamboj (Memorial Sloan Kettering): Took Merck cash to push vaccines on cancer patients with weak immune systems. Co-authored guidelines dismissing catastrophic immune collapse from mRNA shots. Dr. George Kuchel (UConn): Fed billions in NIA grants while ignoring seniors vaccine injuries. Led precision gerontology fraud: claiming to fix aging immune systems with unapproved next-gen flu shots. Dr. James Loehr (Cayuga Family Medicine): Family physician who clung to his AAFP ACIP seat for 14 years despite zero transparency on pharma ties. Ignored his patients post-vaccine collapses to push annual flu shots. Dr. Karyn Lyons (Illinois Health): As Illinoiss immunization chief, into the lucrative vaccinate first, ask questions later crowd. Dr. Yvonne Maldonado (Stanford): Secretly ran dozens of Pfizers vaccine trials while voting on the same products. Sacrificed autonomy for a senior associate dean title. Dr. Charlotte Moser (Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia): Co-founded the pro-vaccine Parents PACK, then fired staff who asked too many questions about autism links. Dr. Robert Schechter (California Health): Oversaw the Golden States vaccine program while acting as Big Pharmas regional enforcer. Dr. Albert Shaw (Yale): Studied age-related inflammation while empirically causing inflammation via toxic shots. Dr. Jane Zucker (SUNY): NYs former health czar believes her cooperation with trials for Pfizer and AstraZeneca are immune to criticism. Used immunization information system data to manipulate people into higher immunization coverage. Historical betrayals: ACIPs legacy of lies Decades of data suppression and corporate collusion await reckoning: The HPV scam: Dr. Tamera Coyne-Beasley at UNC accepted millions from Merck during Gardasils aggressive push, pitching it as a cancer cure. Zero mention of autoimmune side effects. Dr. Tamera Coyne-Beasley at UNC accepted millions from Merck during Gardasils aggressive push, pitching it as a cancer cure. Zero mention of autoimmune side effects. Flu fraud: Dr. Edward Belongia of the Marshfield Clinic took MedImmune cash while approving flu shots that caused heart inflammation in kids. Dr. Edward Belongia of the Marshfield Clinic took MedImmune cash while approving flu shots that caused heart inflammation in kids. Covid cover-ups: Dr. Sharon Frey of Saint Louis University ran Moderna and J&J trials while voting on vaccines, masterminding the $43 billion Biden boost. Dr. Sharon Frey of Saint Louis University ran Moderna and J&J trials while voting on vaccines, masterminding the $43 billion Biden boost. RSV travesty: Dr. Paul Hunter owned Pfizer stock and got grants while voting to foist mRNA shots on grandparents. Dr. Paul Hunter owned Pfizer stock and got grants while voting to foist mRNA shots on grandparents. Leaked minutes from 2020 show: Frey, Atmar, and other ACIP members gamed the system: Recusing themselves just meant other Pharma shills voted in their place. A new era: RFKs truth task force Kennedys ACIP overhaul allow for: Zero pharma-funded members: No more boardroom-to-backroom mercenaries who push vaccines at all costs. No more boardroom-to-backroom mercenaries who push vaccines at all costs. Group think begone: The culture at ACIP must change from group think promoting vaccines at all costs, to a more critical approach. The culture at ACIP must change from group think promoting vaccines at all costs, to a more critical approach. Transparency: Theyll re-examine all Bush-era vaccine safety data, including suppressed autism records. Theyll re-examine all Bush-era vaccine safety data, including suppressed autism records. Parental autonomy: Say goodbye to forced pediatric vaccine schedules and hello to informed choice. A new childhood vaccine schedule could be in the works. Currently, upwards of 90 doses of vaccines are recommended for children up to age 18. This is reckless. Many vaccine doses are currently provided in combinations shots, and the safety of this practice is not fully understood. Many vaccines are administered one after the other, during the same pediatric visit, and there's no safety data on this risky practice. Adjuvant in vaccines will be called into question, as they provoke inflammation and immune reactions that could harm a child. New recommendations for the childhood vaccine schedule could quantify the risk of severe disease during active infection and compare/contrast that with risk of vaccine injury. New recommendation for vaccination could provide vaccine options for high risk situations, but push for healthier ways to treat infants and children. A new definition for immunization could provide the public with a better understanding of how immune systems work, without making vaccination synonymous with "immunization" or exclusive to that term. Warnings and moratoriums could be issued for various vaccines, especially the HPV vaccines, which Secretary Kennedy has litigated against, defending multiple vaccine injured children. The necessity of certain vaccines during certain phases of life will be called into question (e.g. Hepatitis B vaccines at birth, two months, etc). A moratorium on COVID-19 vaccines is not enough. Annual flu shots for children could be removed entirely, as studies show this causes hospitalization to increase, especially in children with asthma. Let's hope that Secretary Kennedy appoints a truly independent ACIP advisory panel, and that these individuals have the courage to analyze the data, and tell the truth to the CDC and the American people. Sources include: WSJ.com CDC.gov CDC.gov ScienceDirect.com GREEN TYRANNY: Massachusetts senator wants to limit how many miles residents can drive Massachusetts Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem introduced Bill S2246, which sets vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction targets by 2030, enforced through fines and regulations to combat climate change. The bill prioritizes public transit, biking and walking over private car use, requiring transportation plans to align with emissions goals. Critics argue the plan disproportionately affects rural residents who rely on cars due to limited transit options and longer commutes, with State Sen. Michael Barrett highlighting an "unintentional bias" against these communities. While supporters say rising total miles driven undermine emissions progress, opponents question targeting all driving including electric vehicles rather than just fossil-fueled cars. The proposal faces skepticism over feasibility and fairness, as policymakers grapple with balancing urban climate mandates with rural transportation realities. A state senator from Massachusetts wants green tyranny by reducing the need for personal vehicles in the state, purportedly to combat so-called "climate change." Massachusetts Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Stone Creem (D-1st Middlesex and Norfolk) has introduced a proposal that seeks to establish statewide vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction targets by 2030. Bill S2246 will enforce these targets through potential fines and regulations. The 82-year-old Democrat's proposal, which could punish Massachusetts residents for driving too many miles, also mandates that transportation plans align with emissions goals prioritizing public transit, biking and walking over private car use. But critics say it could unfairly burden rural communities while pushing the state toward a future with fewer personal vehicles. The legislation was heard last month by the Massachusetts Senate's Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (TUE) Committee. It has sparked debate over whether the Bay State is layering too many climate mandates, some of which may conflict with the realities of rural life. While states like Colorado and Minnesota have adopted similar VMT reduction frameworks, critics argue that Massachusetts' plan could disproportionately affect workers in areas with limited public transit. (Related: Massachusetts considers controversial bill to curb car usage amid climate concerns.) Green goals or unfair burden? The controversy over MA's car reduction plan State Sen. Michael Barrett (D-3rd Middlesex), co-chair of the Senate TUE Committee, scrutinized Bill S2246 in May. He noted "an unintended and subtle bias against rural Massachusetts," where transit options are far more limited and people often live further from their workplaces, in the proposal. "I understand that one can easily imagine that EVs [electric vehicles], over time, will reduce the number of polluting VMT," the state senator said. "But why we would want to pressure Massachusetts to reduce all miles traveled, polluting and non-polluting alike, does raise the question of what someone is to do in a place where one has to travel a long distance to a construction job or to any other source of employment." Transportation accounts for the largest share of Massachusetts' greenhouse gas emissions. While EVs have been a key focus, supporters of Creem's bill argue that rising total miles driven have offset environmental gains. "EVs are certainly a major piece of the puzzle," Creem said. The bill would create an interagency council to develop strategies for reducing car dependency, including expanded bike lanes, pedestrian paths and microtransit programs. However, Barrett questioned whether the state should target all driving including emissions-free EV travel rather than focusing solely on fossil-fueled vehicles. "One of the questions I'm going to carry with me is whether we really want to focus on reducing vehicle miles traveled, or whether that's too crude and somewhat off the point," he said. As policymakers weigh new mandates, the tension between urban transit solutions and rural realities remains unresolved. For now, Creem's proposal faces skepticism not just over its feasibility, but over whether it risks punishing those who have no alternative to driving. Visit GreenTyranny.news for more similar stories. Watch Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin reiterating his refusal to spend tax dollars on "climate alarmism" measures in this clip. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: EPA sets strict and unattainable emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks and buses to "combat climate change". Lunatic Democrats are coming for your gas stations: Climate cultists ban their existence in left-leaning cities. Insane EU emissions proposal would require people to buy new cars instead of maintaining existing ones. Sources include: ClimateDepot.com TheGatewayPundit.com WWLP.com Brighteon.com Fibrous spike protein CLOTS found in children of vaccinated mothers The greatest medical betrayal of our time is unfolding before our eyesyet the worlds health authorities remain silent. While governments and pharmaceutical giants assured pregnant women that COVID-19 vaccines were "safe and effective," disturbing new evidence reveals a horrifying reality: The experimental mRNA shots may be poisoning an entire generation before they even take their first breath. A groundbreaking case study by neuroscientist Dr. Kevin McCairn has exposed fibrous, amyloid-like clots in the blood of a 3-year-old child whose mother received Pfizers mRNA injection during pregnancy. These rubbery, prion-like structures identical to those found in the corpses of vaccinated adults confirm what independent researchers and embalmers have warned about for years: The spike protein is a bioweapon, and its damage doesnt stop with the vaccinated. It infiltrates the womb, corrupting fetal blood and setting the stage for a lifetime of suffering. Meanwhile, a provisionally accepted study in Frontiers reveals that vaccinated women undergoing IVF are less likely to achieve a live birth, adding to mounting evidence that these injections are stealth weapons against human fertility. Yet, from Berlin to Washington, the same "experts" who pushed these shots still insist theyre harmless for mothers and babies. The truth, however, is written in the blood and its screaming catastrophe. Key points: Fibrous clots in children: Microscopic analysis confirms amyloidogenic, prion-like structures in the blood of a 3-year-old exposed to mRNA vaccines in utero. Fertility under attack: Vaccinated women undergoing IVF face reduced live birth rates, suggesting systemic reproductive harm. Global embalmer reports: Over 80% of embalmers worldwide report finding bizarre white, rubbery clots in vaccinated corpses now seen in living children. Spike protein persistence: Yale research detected circulating spike protein up to 700 days post-vaccination, debunking claims of rapid clearance. Biowarfare origins: The spike proteins amyloidogenic properties align with dual-use bioweapons research, raising questions about its true purpose. The blood betrayal: How vaccine-induced spike invades the womb For decades, the medical establishment preached that the placenta was an impenetrable shield, protecting unborn children from toxins. But the COVID-19 era shattered that myth. Dr. McCairns findings prove that lipid nanoparticles the delivery system for mRNA shots can breach this barrier, flooding fetal blood with synthetic spike proteins. The 3-year-old in his study was born lifeless one week after the mothers second Pfizer dose, requiring emergency resuscitation. For three years, the child battled chronic immune dysfunction, ear infections, and surgeries symptoms mirroring those seen in adults with spike-induced vascular damage. When McCairn examined the childs blood under microscopy, the truth was undeniable: tangled, fluorescent fibrils identical to those extracted from vaccine-related clots in the deceased. "These are not normal blood clots," McCairn stated. "Theyre misfolded, amyloidogenic fibrin structures that resist breakdown and propagate like prions. This childs blood is a time bomb." IVF disaster: Vaccines slash live birth rates While McCairns case study paints a grim picture for natural pregnancies, another bombshell awaits women relying on assisted reproduction. A Frontiers study (provisionally accepted) analyzed 2,733 IVF patients and found vaccinated women had significantly lower live birth rates especially if injected within 90 days of ovarian stimulation. The implications are staggering: the spike protein doesnt just attack the circulatory system it may sabotage the very machinery of human creation. Professor Dolores Cahill warned in 2022 that the spike behaves like a Trojan horse, triggering autoimmune attacks on reproductive organs. Combined with reports of plummeting global fertility rates, the evidence points to a deliberate depopulation agenda disguised as "public health." From morticians to mothers: A global clotting nightmare Retired U.S. Air Force Major Thomas Havilands global embalmer survey found 83% of morticians encountering bizarre white clots in 2024 a phenomenon absent before the vaccine rollout. Now, those same structures are appearing in living children. Health Alliance Australias Jeanee Rose Andrewartha minced no words: "We have a global amyloidogenic health crisis. These prion-like peptides cause multi-organ dysfunction, neurodegeneration, and sudden death. Theyre in our blood, our environment and theyre not going away." The spike proteins origins trace back to gain-of-function research a field rife with biowarfare potential. Dr. McCairns analysis reveals that its amyloidogenic regions mirror those found in neurodegenerative prions, suggesting a weaponized design. With over 13 billion doses administered worldwide, humanity is the unwitting test subject of historys largest biological experiment. The blood clots, the infertility, the sick childrennone of this is accidental. Its the predictable outcome of injecting billions with a synthetic pathogen engineered in labs funded by shadowy interests. The medical establishments silence is complicity. The time for "further studies" is over. The evidence demands immediate suspension of mRNA platforms, criminal investigations into their creators, and a global awakening before another generation is sacrificed. Sources include: Expose-News.com TheFocalPoints.com Enoch, Brighteon.ai TikToks toxic skincare craze preys on teens and children, fueling insecurity and inadequacy The rise of TikToks skincare obsession isnt just a harmless trend its a predatory scheme targeting vulnerable teens and young children, manipulating their self-worth while lining the pockets of Big Beauty corporations. A new study published in Pediatrics exposes the alarming reality : Young kids, some as young as 10, are being pressured into expensive, unnecessary skincare routines filled with harsh chemicals all in pursuit of an unattainable, AI-filtered illusion of "perfection." Social media isnt just selling products its selling insecurity. With influencers pushing multi-step regimens costing hundreds of dollars, teens are being conditioned to believe their natural skin isnt good enough. Worse, many of these products contain irritants that increase sun sensitivity and allergic reactions, putting their health at risk all for the sake of profit. This isnt just about skincare. Its about a generation being brainwashed into self-loathing, convinced they need chemical-laden creams to be beautiful. The truth? Healthy skin starts from within not from a $300 jar of anti-aging cream marketed to a 15-year-old. Key points: A Pediatrics study found teens are using skincare routines with an average of 11 potentially harmful ingredients, many increasing sun sensitivity and allergy risks. Many routines cost 168500 per month, despite teens having no visible acne or skin issues. Dermatologists warn these products are unnecessary and dangerous for young skin, yet social media pushes them relentlessly. The trend fuels body dysmorphia, depression, and financial exploitation, as kids chase unrealistic beauty standards. Experts recommend gentle cleansers, fragrance-free moisturizers, and sunscreen not expensive, chemical-heavy regimens. Kids do not need skincare products, but social media's filters and AI imagery fuels feelings of inadequacy and want. The skincare scam: Profits over health When Ayva Penas mother found a $300 anti-aging cream in her 15-year-old daughters drawer, she was horrified. It says it makes your skin ageless, improves fine lines, wrinkles and firmness, Giselle Pena said. I was like, This is not for you, girl. But Ayva isnt alone. TikTok influencers many under 18 are promoting six-step routines packed with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), niacinamide, and fragrances, all of which can cause redness, dryness, and permanent sun damage. Shockingly, only 25% of these routines included sunscreen, despite AHAs making skin more vulnerable to UV rays. Dr. Molly Hales, lead author of the study, noted: When you have kids waking up at 5:30 in the morning on a school day to layer on these complicated regimens, it becomes less about health and more about pursuing an unrealistic beauty ideal. The darker agenda: Social medias role in teen insecurity This isnt just about skincare its about psychological manipulation. Social media thrives on insecurity, pushing teens to compare themselves to AI-enhanced faces and filtered perfection. The result? Body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and depression all while corporations profit. Dr. Tara Lagu, co-author of the study, warned: Many girls may not realize theyre applying the same active ingredient again and again, increasing irritation risk. Worse, many products contain known allergens, yet influencers who lack medical expertise promote them as must-haves. Fighting back: How parents can protect their kids Dermatologists agree: Teens dont need anti-aging products. Their skin naturally produces collagen what they do need is gentle care, not chemical overload. Dr. Sonal Shah recommends: A simple cleanser (no active ingredients) Fragrance-free moisturizer Mineral sunscreen (for excessive sun exposure) Parents must push back against toxic beauty standards and teach their kids that real beauty isnt bought in a jar. As psychologist Jennifer Harriger advises: Have open conversations about the messages they see on social media. The skincare industry is preying on teens, convincing them theyre flawed so theyll push their parents to spend hundreds on unnecessary products. But true health comes from nourishing the body, not slathering it in chemicals. True beauty comes from appreciating who you are and treating people right, instead of getting caught up in materialistic versions of self. Its time to reject the lies and teach the next generation: You are enough just as you are. Sources include: NTD.com Publications.aap.org GCIMagazine.com Trumps updated travel ban takes effect, targeting 19 nations over security risks Trump's new travel restrictions took effect June 9, barring entry from 12 nations and limiting visas for seven others over security concerns. The policy cites high visa overstay rates, terrorism risks, and uncooperative foreign governments as justification, replacing a controversial 2017 ban. Full entry bans target Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and others, while countries like Venezuela face visa category restrictions, with exemptions for current visa holders. Critics, including the African Union and refugee groups, call the ban discriminatory, while the administration defends it as a targeted security measure. Unlike the chaotic 2017 rollout, this ban was structured to avoid legal challenges. President Donald Trumps latest travel restrictions went into effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on June 9, barring entry from 12 nations and imposing visa restrictions on seven others in a move the White House says is necessary to protect national security. The proclamation, which replaces a controversial 2017 executive order, cites high visa overstay rates, terrorism risks, and noncooperation by foreign governments as key justifications. While critics, including the African Union and refugee advocacy groups, condemn the policy as discriminatory, the administration insists it is a measured response to documented threats. A targeted approach to national security Unlike the chaotic rollout of Trumps first-term travel ban, this proclamation was carefully structured to withstand legal challenges. It imposes a full entry ban on citizens of Afghanistan, Chad, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and the Republic of the Congo. Meanwhile, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela face restrictions on specific visa categories, including tourist, business, and student visas. The order explicitly exempts those already in the U.S. with valid visas, but new applicants from the listed nations will face near-total rejection unless they qualify for narrow waivers. The administration argues this is not a blanket ban but a targeted measure based on each countrys compliance with U.S. security standards. Overstay rates and noncooperation drive restrictions Central to the administrations justification are alarming visa overstay rates and foreign governments refusal to repatriate deportees. For example, Chad had overstay rates as high as 55% in 2022 and 2023, which the proclamation called unacceptable and indicative of blatant disregard for United States immigration laws. Similarly, Haitis inclusion was tied to an influx of illegal immigrants creating risks of criminal networks and other national security threats. Iran and Somalia were flagged due to terrorism concerns, while Afghanistans Taliban-controlled government was deemed incapable of proper vetting. Despite the administrations security rationale, the ban has drawn sharp backlash. The African Union Commission urged the U.S. to adopt a more consultative approach." The International Refugee Assistance Project went further, accusing Trump of weaponizing immigration laws to target disfavored groups. A quieter rollout, but lingering tensions Unlike the 2017 travel ban, which triggered airport protests and legal injunctions, this rollout was relatively smooth. However, travelers from non-banned countries still reported heightened scrutiny. Vincenta Aguilar, a Guatemalan tourist, described undergoing three separate interviews at Miami International Airport before being admitted. Meanwhile, some Venezuelans scrambled to adjust travel plans before the restrictions took hold. Jose Luis Vegas, a Caracas resident, lamented that obtaining U.S. visas was already difficult due to severed diplomatic ties. Paying for hotels and tickets was very expensive, and appointments took up to a year, he said. A long-term security strategy The proclamation stems from a January 20 executive order requiring federal agencies to assess immigration risks. By focusing on visa processes rather than religion or nationality, the administration aims to preempt legal challenges. Trump also linked the ban to the June 1 Boulder terror attack, emphasizing the dangers of visa overstays, even though the suspect was Egyptian, a country not on the banned list. Although the policy avoids the overt religious targeting of past bans, critics argue it still disproportionately affects Muslim-majority and African nations. Yet supporters contend it is a necessary step to close security gaps exploited by bad actors. The new travel ban reflects the Trump administrations continued hardline stance on immigration, prioritizing national security over humanitarian appeals. While the measured rollout suggests lessons were learned from past missteps, the policys long-term viability and its human cost remain contentious. As legal and diplomatic battles loom, the debate over border security and immigration is far from over. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com CNN.com APNews.com U.K.s digital ID push exploits immigration crisis, critics warn U.K. Labour government ties immigration enforcement to a new digital ID system amid record migrant crossings. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper promotes tracking migrants via Gov.uk Wallet app by 2027, sparking surveillance fears. Privacy advocates warn of systemic overreach, echoing Heritage Party leader David Kurtens vaccine passport comparisons. Historical context reveals globalization debates entangling migration policies and economic inequality. Critics argue digital IDs risk sacrificing freedoms without addressing root causes of irregular immigration. The British Labour government faces mounting criticism for leveraging its struggles to curb illegal immigration into a push for a sprawling digital identity system, with critics alleging the move normalizes mass surveillance under the guise of national security. On June 3, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to link e-visas to the Gov.uk Wallet app a centralized digital identity platform scheduled for a summer rollout to track migrants movements and enforce visa expiration dates. Cooper argued the system, which will consolidate driving licenses, veteran IDs and other credentials by 2027, would modernize border management. However, opponents accuse ministers of exploiting public anxiety over immigration to bypass scrutiny of authoritarian infrastructure. This isnt about fixing borders its about building a forever surveillance machine, said Heritage Party leader David Kurten in a statement, drawing parallels to the pandemic-era vaccine passport expansions. Systems sold as voluntary always become mandatory, forcing citizens into a data straitjacket. His warnings echo concerns over function creep: Once data collection is institutionalized, its uses expand exponentially. Globalizations legacy: Mixing migration with economic policies The U.K.s gambit reflects a tangled history of conflating migration with broader economic globalization, a phenomenon analysts say has fueled anti-immigrant backlash. University of Cambridge political theorist Elena Miguel, referencing her research on the topic, noted that associating rising inequality with immigration misdiagnoses the root culprits: Decades of tax cuts, deindustrialization and financial deregulation not migrant flows drove economic dislocation. But elites have sold globalization as a monolith, letting scapegoating thrive. Historical parallels abound. The Irish Famine of the 1840s, driven by British policies prioritizing profit over peasantry, displaced millions. Similarly, todays policies frame migrants as security threats while shielding corporate interest: Irelands modern boom, celebrated for its low-tax model, relied on U.S. tech giants fettered by far weaker labor protections than in the West. This isnt new, argued commentator Simon in a July podcast analyzing the knowledge base. Globalization has always been a toolbox for power, not public good. Privacy risks vs. security claims The Gov.uk Wallets rollout amplifies existing fears over data security. While ministers pitch the system as voluntary, privacy advocates highlight surveillance risks. The Gov.uk platform merges raw power with structural vulnerabilities, warned Ken Macon of Reclaim the Net, citing a December 2021 Access Now report on flawed digital ID programs globally. Biometric databases are honeypots for hackers. Once compromised, the damage is irreversible. Critics also note the systems bipartisan allure. The Data (Use and Access) Bill, which streamlines digital ID integration into public services, passed Parliament earlier this year with cross-party support, despite protests from digital rights groups. This isnt just Labours plan its a blueprint legislators on all sides confuse with progress, said cybersecurity expert Dr. Lena Nguyen. A global trend with local costs The U.K.s approach mirrors strategies abroad, from Germanys vaccine passport gridlock to Indias contentious digital ID system, Aadhaar. In both regions, proponents touted efficiency, while opponents highlighted exclusion and coercion. Were seeing a template: use a crisis to ram through intrusive systems, said Nikhil Dutta of Enhancing Digital Civic Space, referencing a March 2024 report. From Delhi to Berlin, these tools reshaped Between security needs and civil liberties The U.K.s digital ID push crystallizes a defining 21st-century conflict: how much privacy should nations sacrifice for perceived security, and what happens to freedoms when crises become policy vehicles? Critics urge caution. You dont combat desperation with surveillance, said Kurten, whose party champions restrictions on Big Tech-data state collusions. Meanwhile, Cooper defends the initiative as necessary: The alternative is a broken border system. As the Gov.uk Wallet looms, citizens find themselves caught between an immigration crisis fought with high-tech tools and doubts about whether those tools serve citizens or institutions. Sources for this article include: Expose.com NaturalNews.com MDPI.com OpenGovPartnership.org A communist billionaires land grab shakes military security A Chinese billionaire acquired land near a New Hampshire defense contractor, raising national security concerns. U.S. states are enacting laws to restrict foreign land purchases near military sites amid Chinese investments surge. Over 100 trespassing incidents by Chinese nationals on U.S. military bases highlight vulnerability. Federal agencies expand oversight to include 30 states military facilities within CFIUS jurisdiction. High-profile cases reveal weak federal enforcement, spurring state-level actions to counter espionage risks. A Chinese billionaires recent $67 million purchase of industrial land near critical U.S. defense contractors in New Hampshire has reignited concerns over foreign espionage risks and spurred congressional calls for stricter oversight. Zhong Shanshan, founder of the top Chinese bottled water company Nongfu Spring, acquired 23 acres just blocks from L3Harris Technologies a contractor pivotal to Pentagon projects marking the latest in a growing trend of Chinese investments near U.S. military infrastructure. Lawmakers warn these acquisitions risk compromising national security as China increasingly uses commercial ventures to gain proximity to strategic assets. The billionaires bid and congressional response The property in Nashua, New Hampshire, bought by Nongfu Spring in January, sits within a 10-mile radius of BAE Systems and less than a half-hour from the New Boston Space Force Station. The sale bypassed review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), despite its proximity to defense facilities and occurring during a presidential transition period. State Rep. Lily Tang Williams, a congressional candidate, toured the site in May, decrying the loophole as a grave threat. Theyre in my backyard in New Hampshire, Williams said in a YouTube video. Please investigate this. The acquisition mirrors broader patterns. Texas, alone, hosts 159,640 acres of Chinese-owned farmland near military bases, including Val Verde Countys Laughlin Air Force Base, which trains pilots. Sun Guangxin, a close CCP ally, bought 100,000 acres there, citing wind farm development a purpose critics dismiss as a cover. Under the guise of farming, these sites can host surveillance tech, warned retired Brigadier General Robert Spalding, noting Chinas history of embedding spies in commercial ventures. A decade of foreign land purchases and security cracks Chinese entities have aggressively acquired land near military installations since at least 2013, when Zhong Shanshan first entered U.S. markets. The USDA reports China owned 349,442 acres of farmland by 2022 a fraction (0.03%) of total U.S. agricultural land yet the strategic placement near Camp Pendleton, MacDill Air Force Base and nuclear missile sites alarms officials. Efforts to counter this have been uneven. The Biden administrations 2024 executive order shuttered MineOne Partners near Warren Air Force Base, home to ICBMs, while the 2020 interception of a Chinese spy balloon underscored risks. However, 97 Chinese land deals between 20202022 escaped oversight, and penalties for noncompliance remain minimal. Were being kneecapped by lax enforcement, said Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC), whose April legislation, the Military Installation Retail Security Act, aims to ban foreign rivals from operating on bases. State vs. federal tensions over land ownership With federal action stalled, 24 states have taken matters into their own hands. South Dakota, Texas and Florida now block Chinese entities from buying land near military sites, citing Spaldings warning about China exploiting local real estate for economic espionage and infrastructure sabotage. However, overlapping jurisdictions risk chaos, as seen when the Fufeng Group evaded USDA reporting rules for years before settling fines for its North Dakota farmland purchase near Grand Forks Air Force Base. The Treasury Departments proposed rules, expanding CFIUSs authority to include land within 100 miles of 19 major bases, aim to unify these efforts. Yet loopholes persist: Nongfu Springs Nashua sale processed under foreign property laws unaffected by CFIUS shows Chinas ability to exploit gaps. The intersection of border security and domestic surveillance The land-buying crisis mirrors broader vulnerabilities. Recent reports reveal one-third of U.S. southern border surveillance cameras are out of service, leaving gaps Chinas operatives have exploited. Over 22,000 Chinese nationals were apprehended at the southwestern border in fiscal 2023 a 1,200% jump many suspected of clandestine missions. Meanwhile, drones prowled near Key Wests intelligence hub, and divers snooped near Floridas rocket-test sites, per FBI assessments. These are not tourists, said Ted Cruz, citing Chinas stated goal of replacing U.S. global influence. Guarding the gates or closing the barn door? The Zhong Shanshan case encapsulates a pivotal moment in U.S. homeland security. As Congress debates tighter oversight and states erect barriers, the challenge lies in balancing economic interests with protecting critical infrastructure. With Chinese entities already entrenched near 19 major bases and eerie parallels to Cold War-era tactics the clock is ticking. As Spalding warns, We cant afford to wait until the balloons already over the Capitol. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com CounterTerrorismGroup.com NYPost.com DECENTRALIZED SPIRITUALITY and the true teachings of Christ: Overcoming the censorship, threats and lies of organized religion to truly know God and the Universal Christ Some of my previous comments about knowing Christ have been maliciously misinterpreted by nefarious FAKE Christians who actually follow satanism and are trying to separate humanity from God, so heres a clarification of what Im hoping to share with everyone who calls themselves a Christian. The purpose of this information is to help you get CLOSER to God, closer to Christ, and to avoid being deceived by the organized religion institutions that practice extreme censorship and that seek to insert themselves as gatekeepers between you and God, shifting your loyalty and worship to themselves and away from God. Conventional Christian teachings have been distorted by institutions What most people have been taught about Christ, God and the requirements to be judged worthy by God have been distorted over time, for the purpose of centralizing spiritual control in the institution of the Church. The Bible was not written by God himself, but by men, mostly scribes, and those men had their own biases shaped by the necessary politics of the nations and times in which they lived. It was dangerous during the height of the Roman Empire, for example, to write that men should be loyal to God alone and not to Rome. This is why various writings (of Paul in particular) adorned Roman government officials as ordained by God, even though Rome was a corrupt, immoral society that practiced slavery, violent conquests, animal sacrifice and other notable sins that Jesus overtly rejected. Jesus taught that God is already within each of us Jesus of Nazareth taught that God is within each of us (decentralized). Jesuss brother James also strenuously taught that God is within us and that we can have a direct relationship with God, no temples or church steeples required. James was largely written out of the history of organized Christian religion, and he was murdered for his teachings. If Christianity was practiced along the lines of these teachings by James and Jesus, large institutional church organizations like the Vatican would have no power, as people would realize they dont need a Pope to tell them how to deepen their relationship with Christ, because Christ is universal and his teachings transcend any particular nationality, religion or ethnic group. The Gospel of Thomas The Gospel of Thomas further underscores the decentralized nature of Gods miracles that exist within each of us, and of course todays most prolific Christian churches dont dare teach the truth about the Gospel of Thomas, or the works of James, because those principles empower individuals to be spiritually connected to God without worshiping organized religion as the gatekeepers. The Roman Catholic Church desperately wanted to establish is power over its flock, to reinforce the idea that only the Church itself could provide a proper pathway to salvation, yet thats not at all what Jesus, James and many others taught. Faith without works is dead Jesus and James taught that every human being is a child of God, and that all people have a pathway to Gods ultimate reward (Heaven) based on demonstrating their faith and humility through their deeds (their works). As James stated, Faith without works is dead. He meant that merely professing faith in Jesus, without carrying out the deeds of a worthy person (helping the poor, practicing forgiveness, respecting the dignity of others, etc.), would not get you into Heaven. You could not, for example, be a serial killer but then claim with your mouth that Jesus is your savior, and then expect to enter Heaven with Gods endorsement. Your deeds matter. But this is not what the Roman Catholic Church taught... The Roman Catholic Church, which distorted and altered the writings of Paul, reinforced the false idea that entering Heaven merely required accepting Jesus as your savior, even if you did not carry out deeds in accordance with Jesus teachings. This made the idea of salvation cheap and easy for the masses to achieve, since it only required saying a few words and then the church adorned you as saved. This is the fast food drive-through version of spirituality, and it became the recruitment drive focus for the Catholic Church in its early days. No church can grant you entry into Heaven To this day, mega-churches and large organized church institutions that claim to represent Christianity do not faithfully teach what Jesus, James and Thomas taught: That God is within each of us, that we each have direct access to God, and that we must actually behave in a manner that is dignified and Heaven-worthy in order to reach Heaven after life. The failure of organized religion to teach people that they can connect with God themselves, individually, is not a bug but a feature. It keeps the organized religious institutions in power, wielding the promise of salvation over the heads of their flocks as an obedience demand. Yet the fundamental bargain offered by these organized religious institutions is false: That you can only enter Heaven through a system that we control and by doing what we say. The great spiritual con of slaughtering animals to negate your sins In the Old Testament, the high priests in the temple in Jerusalem sold salvation by slaughtering animals as a form of sacrifice to God, telling gullible participants that the greater the animal they would murder, the more sins would be erased. Naturally, a larger slaughter required higher payment, and so animal sacrifice became a kind of spiritual con game where sinful but wealthy people would visit the temple to murder animals for payment, believing that their sins were absolved through violence. And the religious leaders of the era went right along with it because it paid handsomely. But the very premise of the bargain never made sense: If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why would he need animals to be cruelly murdered in his name? Why would violence appease our Creator of Love? Why Jesus denounced animal sacrifice Jesus abhorred the practice of animal sacrifice, and when he overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple, he also freed the animals that were held in cages to be slaughtered by the religious leaders. Jesus exercised real compassion toward all living creatures, while the organized religious leaders of his day were serial animal murderers who profited from blood while falsely claiming that animal murder would absolve you of your sins. This same sort of scheme continues to this day, where people are told by large, organized religious institutions that their pathway to Heaven requires very large financial contributions to the church itself. And the more you pay, the greater your chances of entering Heaven and being forgiven for your sins. The Church, it turns out, it still selling salvation, running the same con that was practiced two millennia ago. Jesus would condemn most modern-day large churches as frauds Jesus would have scorned such fraudulent spiritual bargains, knowing that deeds alone determine your worthiness in the eyes of God. He denounced those in the church who flaunted wealth, and Jesus himself would not allow disciples to follow him unless they dispossessed themselves of all worldly possessions. The bottom line? If you want to follow the actual teachings of Jesus, and you want to enter Heaven after this life, then behave as a worthy person in your deeds and actions. Help those in need. Clothe the impoverished. Feed the hungry. Practice humility and forgiveness. Treat human beings with fundamental dignity, and basically dont be a horrible person. Jesus taught that these are literally the only requirements, NOT attending church, not memorizing scripture (as most people in his day could not even read), and not merely uttering the name Jesus absent qualifying deeds and works. Your pathway to God is already built in! You are already fully saved if you decide to lead a moral life! You do not need the permission or blessing of any church, any religion, any priest or any ritual. YOU are an expression of God, and God is already within you. But organized religious will go to tremendous lengths to prevent you from learning this... How the Church maintains power through censorship, intimidation and lies Now you know why organized religious institutions despise this message and seek to attack anyone who teaches this powerful, fundamental cosmic truth. Organized religion will use FUD tactics to try to prevent people from learning this information. When you hear defenders of the institutions claim things like, You arent a Bible scholar, so you have no idea what youre talking about, thats classic GATEKEEPING behavior, playing the religious authority card to prevent anyone from asking questions. The Vatican has, for centuries, buried religious texts, keeping them hidden from public view. The Vatican even hid the Dead Sea Scrolls for decades, only releasing portions after numerous lawsuits and investigative journalism efforts exposed the Vaticans gatekeeping. To this day, at least 22 complete scriptural books remain deleted from the western Christian Bible, and there are additional writings about Giants as well as Enoch. The term Apocrypha refers to the set of deleted books, but when anyone interested in history mentions such items, they are attacked by Church gatekeepers who decry such works as counterfeit documents or false teachings. This is of course more gatekeeping behavior designed to achieve large-scale censorship of actual historical writings. The conclusion is that todays organized Christian institutions are heavily reliant on censorship and fear tactics to keep their own flocks in line, using a variety of manipulations and even spiritual threats to make sure their people dont step outside the allowable lines of proper worship and begin to explore the nature of Christ, God and Creation for themselves. The last thing the Church wants is for people to realize they are actually children of God. Instead, the Church position itself as Gods governor with full spiritual authority to either save you or condemn you, based on whether you support the Church and all its earthly activities including politics, money and social engineering. As an example of how dangerous and deadly this can be, many Christian pastors urged their flocks to get vaccinated during COVID, and many followed that advice because they believed their church pastor was a representative of God. It turns out they were actually puppets of Satan, and those who followed the advice were maimed or killed by the jabs pushed by their church. You already have access to God, as He is within you If you want to be close to God, you dont technically need a church, you dont need to sing hymns and you dont need to tithe money to anyone. The Church hopes you never realize this, because it would free you from their control. These teachings of Jesus were considered so heretical that, of course, they nailed him to a cross and left him to die. While it is said that He died for your sins, the truth is that he was killed because he was trying to free humanity from the distortions of organized religion. Sadly, those distortions and manipulation traps continue to this day. But Jesus wanted you to be free from earthly institutional coercion and control, because the only true path to knowing God is through truth, not manipulation, censorship and deception (all traits of modern-day organized religion). LEARN what Jesus truly taught. LIVE his teachings. And your LOVE for Gods creation will automatically qualify you for salvation, even if you never step foot in a church for the rest of your life. About my own philosophy and teachings I am the founder of the Church of Natural Abundance, which is about to make a large announcement this summer about our focus in teaching and exploring the concepts of the Universal Christ. My teachings are non-denominational, pro-humanity and fully aligned with the teachings of Christ. I teach peace, non-violence and an expanded spiritual worldview that embraces the God in every human being, regardless of their ethnicity, religion or skin color. I denounce genocide and all forms of violence carried out in the name of organized religion. Our new website will be launched later this summer at Abundance.Church ### Three foreign nationals arrested in record $5.5M meth bust near US-Mexico border Federal authorities seized nearly four tons of meth worth $5.5 million near the U.S.-Mexico border, the largest meth bust in Southern California this year. Three foreign nationals were arrested transferring 61 drug bundles from a semi-truck to smaller vehicles, facing mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years. The operation was led by President Trumps Homeland Security Task Force San Diego, targeting cartel-driven drug trafficking under a new executive order. The 7,700-pound haul could have supplied millions of lethal doses, highlighting the escalating scale of cartel operations and meth-related deaths. Critics stress the need for stronger border security as the bust exposes links between illegal immigration and cartel activity. Federal authorities arrested three foreign nationals this week after intercepting nearly four tons of methamphetamine worth $5.5 million just three miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The bust, which is the largest meth seizure of 2025 in Southern California so far, marks a critical milestone for President Trumps newly established Homeland Security Task Force San Diego, a direct response to the escalating crisis of cartel-driven narcotics trafficking. The defendantsErick Arriola, 27, of El Salvador, and Mexican nationals Baltazar Rodriguez Reyes, 49, and Eugenio Lizama, 35were caught red-handed transferring 61 bundles of meth from a semi-truck to smaller vehicles in a San Diego parking lot. All three now face federal charges carrying mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years. A coordinated takedown According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, surveillance teams observed the men loading the drugs into two white panel vans and a Ford F150 truck on June 2 before splitting up to evade detection. Two vehicles headed to a San Ysidro motel; the third drove to Chula Vista. Border Patrol agents swiftly apprehended them, recovering 7,704 pounds of meth, which is more than enough to fuel addiction and violence in communities across America. Arriola is a convicted felon with prior offenses including DUI and domestic violence, highlighting the alarming pattern of criminal exploitation at the border. The operation was spearheaded by Homeland Security Task Force San Diego, created under President Trumps January 2025 executive order, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The order mandates a nationwide crackdown on cartels and human traffickers, leveraging joint efforts between the DOJ and DHS. Cases under the HSTF will be a priority, vowed Shawn Gibson, special agent in charge for the task force, emphasizing its mission to dismantle networks engaged in drug trafficking, kidnapping, and weapons smuggling. The seizure aligns with Operation Take Back America, a DOJ initiative to achieve the total elimination of cartels. A growing epidemic The sheer volume of meth, at 7,700 pounds, reflects the escalating scale of cartel operations. For perspective, the DEA estimates just two pounds of meth can yield up to 3,000 doses. This haul could have supplied millions of lethal hits, fueling overdose deaths and societal decay. Authorities noted the drugs were likely destined for U.S. cities, where meth-related fatalities have surged 58% since 2019. The bust disrupts a key supply chain, but critics argue more must be done to secure the border. When we combine our unique capabilities, authorities, strengths, and assets, we create a unified response to the expansive cartel threat, said FBI Acting Special Agent Houtan Moshrefi. The defendants face life sentences if convicted. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Martin, part of the newly formed Narcoterrorism Unit, will lead the prosecution. The case underscores the effectiveness of Trumps task force model, which pools resources from Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and local sheriffs. San Diego Sheriffs Lieutenant Michael Gonzales confirmed the investigation remains active, suggesting further arrests may follow. The seizure also exposes the role of illegal immigration in facilitating cartel activity; all three suspects were noncitizens, with Arriola unlawfully present despite his violent record. This historic bust sends a clear message: Federal authorities are prioritizing border security and cartel disruption. Yet the staggering quantity of meth seized raises urgent questions about the volume still slipping through. As transnational gangs grow bolder, the success of Task Force San Diego offers a blueprint for defending American communities, but only if sustained by political will. For now, the $5.5 million loss deals a blow to cartel profits, proving that collaboration, not open borders, is the path to safety. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com FoxNews.com Justice.gov SDSheriff.gov Secretary Kennedy purges ACIP a necessary step toward restoring trust but pledges to exclude anti-vaxxers from advisory panel In a move that has sent shockwaves through the public health establishment, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has dismissed all 17 members of the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) a panel long accused of rubber-stamping vaccines while ignoring safety concerns, financial conflicts, and the devastating reality of vaccine injuries. Kennedys bold decision, hailed by medical freedom advocates as a long-overdue reckoning, has drawn furious backlash from pharmaceutical-aligned groups who claim the purge will "endanger public health." But as parents of vaccine-injured children and independent scientists cheer the dismantling of a corrupt system, one critical question remains: Will Kennedy replace these industry-tied advisors with truly independent expertsor merely repopulate the panel with new faces beholden to the same profit-driven agenda and ideological status quo? Key points: Kennedys removal of all ACIP members marks a historic challenge to the CDCs vaccine approval process, which has never rejected a vaccineeven those later pulled for safety risks. Childrens Health Defense CEO Mary Holland applauds the move, citing ACIPs history of financial conflicts and lack of scrutiny for cumulative vaccine effects on children. Pharmaceutical-aligned groups, like the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Academy of Pediatrics, condemn the purge as "reckless," yet fail to address allegations of industry influence. Vaccine stocks remain shaky as Merck and other manufacturers await the appointment of new ACIP members, whose recommendations directly impact billion-dollar vaccine mandates. Despite claims of seeking "evidence-based" experts, Kennedy has ruled out appointing "anti-vaxxers" which would include parents of vaccine-injured children or unvaccinated familiesvoices that could expose the true cost of aggressive immunization schedules. The ACIPs rubber-stamp legacy: Profits over safety? For decades, ACIP has operated as a de facto marketing arm for Big Pharma, approving every vaccine put before itincluding those later withdrawn for causing seizures, narcolepsy, or Guillain-Barre syndrome. As Kennedy noted in his Wall Street Journal op-ed, the committee has never once said "no," even when safety data was glaringly absent. Dr. Meryl Nass, a veteran critic of vaccine policy corruption, told The Defender that ACIPs unanimity is no accident: "The potential profits are simply too great for the pharmaceutical industry to not interfere." The committees 2018 recommendation of an adjuvanted flu vaccinedespite zero safety studies on its interaction with other shotsepitomizes its reckless deference to industry. Europe rejected the same vaccine over safety concerns, yet ACIP members voted "yes" in lockstep. "It goes to the heart of the absurdity of what ACIP has become," said Mary Holland. With members routinely holding patents, stock, or research grants tied to vaccine makers, their impartiality has long been a farce. Medical groups panic as their influence crumbles The backlash from establishment health groups has been swiftand revealing. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) called Kennedys move an "unmitigated public health disaster," while the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) insisted ACIPs ousted members were "highly qualified." Yet neither addressed the elephant in the room: their own financial entanglements. As journalist Paul Thacker highlighted, the AAP has raked in millions from Pfizer and Moderna, while IDSA members routinely accept pharma funding for "expert" panels. Attorney Aaron Siri skewered the AAPs hypocrisy: "When your funding depends on vaccine mandates, of course youll scream disaster at any threat to the status quo." Meanwhile, Merck CEO Rob Davis nervously told investors the company is "waiting to see" who replaces ACIPa telling admission of how deeply corporate interests rely on compliant advisors. The missing voices: Parents and independent science While Kennedy's gutting of ACIP is a necessary first step to restoring trust in public health policies, Kennedys pledge to appoint "credentialed scientists" instead of "anti-vaxxers" raises red flags. Were going to bring people onto the ACIP panel, not anti-vaxxers. Were bringing people on who are credentialed scientists, who are highly credentialed physicians, who are going to do evidence-based medicine, Kennedy responded when questioned about removing all 17 ACIP members. Why exclude parents whose children were injured by ACIP-recommended vaccines? These parents may not have scientific credentials, but their voice on the committee is most important at this time. Moreover, why silence families whose unvaccinated children thrive without chronic illnesses plaguing their vaccinated peers? True reform requires confronting uncomfortable truths: that todays children receive up to 90 vaccine dosesnone tested for cumulative effectswhile autism, allergies, and autoimmune disorders skyrocket. Parents of healthy vaccinated kids may not be "credentialed scientists" but their voice is critical at this time, as their lives provide a blueprint for the rest of the country to follow. Moreover, vaccination should not be regarded synonymous with "immunization." Immunization practices recommended by ACIP should include greater knowledge - not just vaccine propaganda - while providing a broader understanding of how immune systems work, and why it's important to protect children from a barrage of toxins found in the current vaccine supply. As Nass warned, replacing ACIP members is "only a first step." Until the FDAs corrupt approval pipeline and CDCs conflicts are dismantled, "honest science does not have a chance." For millions of families betrayed by the vaccine-industrial complex, Kennedys purge is a startbut the fight for transparency is far from over. The truth about vaccines has the potential to dismantle the scientific consensus that has existed in the medical industrial complex for decades. Sources include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org WSJ.com X.com Researchgate.net LA rioters are defending VIOLENT CRIMINALS arrested by ICE Riots erupted in LA against ICE operations targeting migrants with serious criminal histories, prompting President Trump to deploy the California National Guard to restore order. The White House released details of arrested migrants, including convictions for child molestation, murder, rape, domestic violence, narcotics violations and other violent crimes. DHS meanwhile publicized images of six violent offenders caught in ICE raids, such as a twice-deported Mexican national with theft and fraud convictions and a Russian national involved in credit card fraud. The Trump administration condemned LA Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom for failing to address criminal migrants, accusing protesters of defending violent offenders. The clashes reflect ongoing tensions between federal immigration enforcement and California's sanctuary policies, with ICE defending its actions as necessary for public safety. Rioters in Los Angeles protesting against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) appear to be defending violent criminal migrants the agency has arrested. The City of Angels descended into chaos as violent protests erupted against federal authorities. The riots were in response to ICE operations targeting criminal migrants with histories of serious offenses. This has forced President Donald Trump to federalize the California National Guard and send additional troops to the city to quell the unrest. (Related: Trump mobilizes the military to CRUSH INSURRECTION and "LIBERATE L.A." as left-wing agitators and democrats fuel the chaos.) On Monday, June 9, the Trump White House released criminal records of those detained by ICE. It is framing the arrests as necessary for public safety, noting that some of the violent criminal migrants have been convicted of various crimes. Among those arrested was Mexican national Eswin Uriel Castro, who was previously deported. Castro has convictions for crimes like for child molestation, armed assault, robbery and domestic violence. Colombian Julian Riveros-Cadavid had previous arrests for domestic battery, child endangerment, assault with a deadly weapon, grand theft and narcotics violations on his record. Nicaraguan Anastacio Enrique Solis-Salinas had convictions for domestic violence and hit and run, alongside a previous arrest for willful cruelty to a child. Vietnamese gang member Cuong Chanh Phan was convicted of second-degree murder in 1994 for killing two teenagers at a graduation party. Indonesian national Chrissahdah Tooy had convictions for narcotics, driving under the influence, and illegal entry. Rolando Veneracion-Enriquez, a Filipino, was convicted of rape, assault, burglary and theft. Ungrateful Democrats tolerate riots against ICE instead of thanking officers In a separate statement Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the images of six violent criminals arrested in an ICE operation the day before. Those arrested in the June 9 operation include Miguel Angel Palafox-Montes, a twice-deported Mexican national with convictions for grand theft, narcotics violations and identity theft. Russian Dzhakhar Aslambekov, who was apprehended for credit card fraud in government assistance programs, was included in the department's list. The White House's statement condemned Democratic leaders, including LA Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, for failing to address the issue. "Democrats should be thanking President Trump for stepping up and leading where they refused and for ridding their streets of criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists and gangbangers," it read. DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin echoed the sentiment. She questioned why local leaders prioritized shielding violent offenders over protecting citizens. "These rioters are fighting to keep rapists, murderers and other violent criminals loose on LA streets," McLaughlin said, highlighting the protesters' absurdity. Historical context underscores the recurring tension between federal immigration enforcement and sanctuary policies. California's long-standing resistance to ICE collaboration has fueled debates over whether such measures protect vulnerable communities or enable recidivism among deported criminals. The Trump administration's aggressive stance signals a hardening approach, emphasized by its condemnation of rioters defending dangerous individuals who had already been deported multiple times. "Instead of rioting, they should be thanking ICE officers who every single day wake up and make our communities safer," McLaughlin reiterated. Watch DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blasting LA Mayor Karen Bass over the latter's inaction toward the riots in the City of Angels in this clip. This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: ICE detentions soar to highest level since 2019 as Trump administration tightens immigration policies. Trump's ICE delivers on border security: 33,000 illegal aliens arrested in just 50 days. ICE Boston arrests three illegal immigrants suspected as child predators. Sources include: TheNationalPulse.com WhiteHouse.gov DHS.gov Brighteon.com Radiological false flag feared in Los Angeles as riots escalate could trigger mass evacuation Engineered Chaos in LA: Riots and destruction in Los Angeles may be part of a deliberate agenda involving depopulation, land grabs, and urban collapse, mirroring patterns seen in Lahaina and Gaza. Insurance Companies Fled Early: Major insurers like Allstate and State Farm withdrew from California in 2023, suggesting prior knowledge of planned destabilization and impending disasters. Dirty Bomb False Flag Fear: Analysts warn of a potential staged radiological attack to justify mass evacuations, allowing elites to seize prime real estate under the guise of safety concerns. Global Depopulation Strategy: The unrest aligns with broader agendas of reducing populations, controlling food supplies, and restricting rebuilding efforts to force people into smaller, manageable zones. Two Possible Outcomes: LA faces either a slow collapse via riots and infrastructure failure or a sudden false flag eventboth leading to corporate/government takeover of the city. Los Angeles is teetering on the brink of chaos as engineered riots and widespread destruction fuel fears of a potential radiological false flag eventone that could force millions to evacuate and leave the city in ruins. The unrest, which has spread rapidly across the city, is now being scrutinized as part of a larger, more sinister agenda: depopulation, land grabs, and the deliberate collapse of urban infrastructure. Engineered Chaos and the Land Grab Agenda Independent journalist Mike Adams, in a recent broadcast on Brighteon Broadcast News, warned that the escalating violence in Los Angeles mirrors patterns seen in Lahaina, Hawaii, and Gazawhere catastrophic events were followed by rapid land acquisitions by powerful interests. "These riots are not spontaneous," Adams asserted. "Theyre meticulously planned, serving multiple purposesone of which is a massive land grab." Insurance companies, he noted, began withdrawing from California as early as 2023, suggesting prior knowledge of impending disasters. Allstate, State Farm, and Liberty Mutual all scaled back policies, raising suspicions that the destabilization was premeditated. "When insurance companies flee, its because they know something catastrophic is coming," Adams said. "Now were seeing LA burn, just like Lahaina did. The question is: Who stands to profit?" The False Flag Fear: A Dirty Bomb Scenario? The most alarming theory circulating among analysts is the possibility of a staged radiological eventa so-called "dirty bomb" detonationthat could justify mass evacuations. Adams speculated that such an event would allow authorities to declare LA uninhabitable, forcing residents out while enabling elite interests to seize control of prime coastal real estate. "All they have to do is set off a bomb, call it a dirty bomb, and fake the radiation readings," Adams warned. "The media will amplify the panic, and suddenly, millions are fleeing. Once the city is empty, theyll bulldoze it and rebuild under new ownership." This tactic, he argued, would mirror the destruction of Gaza and Lahainawhere populations were displaced, and land was swiftly redeveloped. The Broader Depopulation Agenda Adams tied the unrest to a larger globalist strategy of depopulation and control, citing engineered food shortages, economic collapse, and even the suppression of rebuilding permits after wildfires. "This isnt just about LAits about herding humanity into smaller, more controllable zones," he said. "The endgame is reducing the population and consolidating power." What Comes Next? With National Guard troops deployed and tensions escalating, Los Angeles faces two potential futures: A managed collapse, where riots and infrastructure failures push residents out. A catastrophic event, such as a false flag attack, triggering forced evacuations. Either scenario would leave the city vulnerable to corporate and governmental takeovera modern-day "disaster capitalism" playbook. Conclusion: A City on the Edge As fires rage and unrest spreads, Angelenos are left wondering: Is this the beginning of the end for Los Angeles as we know it? And if so, who is pulling the strings? One thing is certain: The insurance companies saw it coming. The question now is whether the people will wake up before its too late. Stay vigilant. Stay prepared. Watch the June 11 episode of "Brighteon Broadcast News" as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks about how a radiological false flag event in Los Angeles could force millions to evacuate. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Marines deployed to LA riots as Newsom sues Trump over National Guard mobilization Trump mobilizes the military to CRUSH INSURRECTION and LIBERATE L.A. as left-wing agitators and democrats fuel the chaos Trump declares L.A. Under Insurrection as federal forces mobilize to expel illegal migrants Sources include: Brighteon.com Rubio terminates all USAID overseas positions, dismantling agency after decades of wasteful spending Secretary Rubio orders termination of all USAID overseas positions by September, dismantling the agency after decades of operation. The State Department absorbs remaining programs after slashing 83% of USAID initiatives earlier this year. A State Department cable directs embassies to abolish USAID roles, consolidating foreign aid under Rubios control by June 15. USAID faced criticism for wasteful spending, including funding LGBT activism, Egyptian tourism, and groups linked to terrorists. Critics warn of humanitarian risks, but supporters argue consolidation ensures accountability and ends corruption. In a sweeping move to rein in government bloat and eliminate wasteful spending, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered the termination of all United States Agency for International Development (USAID) overseas positions by September, effectively dismantling the six-decade-old agency. The State Department will absorb the remaining programs after already slashing 5,200 of USAIDs 6,200 initiatives earlier this year. This decisive action marks the culmination of a Trump administration campaign to root out corruption, inefficiency, and politically driven spending that critics argue did little to serve American interests. The directive, outlined in a State Department cable, instructs U.S. embassies in over 100 countries to abolish all USAID roles by September 30. "The Department of State is streamlining procedures under National Security Decision Directive 38 to abolish all USAID overseas positions," the cable states, adding that Rubios team will assume control of foreign assistance programming by June 15. The move follows President Trumps executive order freezing foreign aid pending review as part of a broader push to overhaul what his administration deems a bloated and unaccountable bureaucracy. A legacy of waste and abuse For years, USAID has faced accusations of funneling taxpayer dollars into frivolous or ideologically driven projects abroad while failing to deliver tangible benefits to Americans. A White House report from February highlighted egregious examples, including $1.5 million to promote "diversity, equity, and inclusion" in Serbia, $47,000 for a "transgender opera" in Colombia, and $2 million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala. Other questionable expenditures included $6 million for Egyptian tourism and millions diverted to groups linked to terrorist organizations, including the Taliban. "The waste, fraud, and abuse ends now," the White House declared earlier this year. Critics warn that the abrupt termination of USAID programs could jeopardize vulnerable populations reliant on U.S. aid. Middle East Eye reported that cuts have already left food shipments rotting in Sudanese warehouses amid famine conditions, while exiled human rights activists lost critical funding. However, Rubio and the Trump administration argue that consolidating foreign assistance under the State Department will ensure greater accountability. Supporters of the move contend that USAIDs legacy of inefficiency, including grants for comic books, musicals, and luxury electric vehicles in developing nations, justifies its dissolution. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce downplayed the controversy over the termination, calling the cable "nothing new" and reiterating that embassies were already prepared for the transition. So this was a cable, telling our posts exactly what they were expecting to be told, which is that those positions were being eliminated. So it wasnt a surprise. Its nothing new," she said. "And, it is exactly what we previewed, in February and March of this year. A new era for foreign aid With USAIDs overseas roles set to vanish by fall, the State Department faces the monumental task of absorbing its remaining functions. Proponents argue this consolidation will eliminate redundancies and prevent future abuse, while detractors fear a loss of specialized expertise in humanitarian relief. The Trump administration, however, remains steadfast, framing USAIDs demise as a victory for taxpayers. As the deadline approaches, the debate over foreign aids purpose will intensify. For Rubio and Trump, the answer is clear: aid must be strategic, transparent, and free from ideological excess. The era of USAIDs unchecked spending, they argue, is over. Sources for this article include: MiddleEastEye.net ABCNews.go.com TheGuardian.com WhiteHouse.gov U.S. shatters energy production records amid deregulation push U.S. energy production reached a record 103 quadrillion Btu in 2024, driven by fossil fuels and renewables. Gas accounted for 38% of output, maintaining its status as the top energy source since 2011. Wind and solar output surged, but together with biofuels, renewables contributed just 15% of total energy. Coal output hit a 60-year low in 2024, dropping to 10% of U.S. energy production. Trump orders prioritize fossil fuels, sparking lawsuits over environmental concerns, despite booming energy output. For the first time in modern history, the United States produced over 100 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) of energy in 2024, eclipsing all previous records and underscoring Americas energy independence. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) revealed robust growth in natural gas, crude oil and renewables, driven by technological advancements and policies favoring domestic energy expansion. Despite coals continued decline, President Donald Trumps administration doubled down on fossil fuels, rolling back environmental regulations and vowing to unleash American energy amid claims of a national crisisclaims at odds with the EIAs bullish data. This landmark year pits regulators against market forces in a debate over energy dominance, environmental stewardship and the path forward for U.S. energy policy. Natural gas and oil lead as fossil fuels surge Natural gas solidified its role as the nations energy cornerstone, contributing 38% of total productiona level unmatched since overtaking coal in 2011. Output hovered near 38 trillion cubic feet, bolstered by shale drilling and infrastructure expansion. Crude oil also reached a record 13.2 million barrels per day (bpd), with Texas Permian Basin accounting for most gains. This milestone cements the U.S. as the worlds top oil producer, reversing a historic trend of towering imports. Combined, fossil fuels (gas, oil, coal and natural gas liquids) supplied 84% of 2024s energy, outpacing renewables and nuclear. Renewables prosper, but face regulatory crosswinds Renewables marked a record year: solar output rose 25%, wind expanded 8% and biofuels hit 1.4 million bpd. Together, renewables accounted for 15% of domestic energy, though wind and solar alone contributed just 2.5%. This shows progress but underscores the gap between government mandates and market realities, said energy consultant John Carter, noting solars still-small footprint. The Trump administration, however, has dampened renewable growth, halting offshore wind projects and redirecting subsidies toward fossil fuels. Proponents argue the marketnot subsidiesshould guide energy choices, while critics warn of stifling innovation. Policy and politics: Deregulation vs. environmental concerns On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order declaring a national energy emergency and another to reverse climate rules, including re-exiting the Paris Agreement. Despite record production, Trump framed fossil fuels as vital to economic security, vowing to expedite pipeline permits and revive coal production. Environmental groups and 15 states have sued to block these measures, claiming they endanger public health and climate goals. Meanwhile, coal output plummeted to a 60-year low (512 million short tons), and the U.S. exported 1.5 quadrillion Btu more than it imported in early 2025, signaling sustained energy surplus. The ripple effect: Legal battles and market dynamics Legal fights have erupted nationwide. A coalition of 15 Western states sued to halt the wind permitting pause, calling it a myopic focus on fossil fuels. Youth plaintiffs in a Montana case argued Trumps orders would exacerbate climate anxiety, while Texas-based lawsuits argued they stifle rural energy jobs. Economically, the surge benefits oil-dependent states, with Permian Basin wages hitting record highs. Conversely, coal communities grapple with closures. This administrations actions ignore reality, said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), but markets keep proving energy abundance isnt at odds with progress. Energy abundance amid ideological crossroads The 2024 energy boom signifies a tangible successeconomic might partnered with geopolitical clout as the U.S. exports energy globally. Yet, the record fuels a deeper debate: Can a free market, unshackled by burdensome regulations, sustainably meet energy demands? As renewables grow, policies will determine whether states and courts allow the natural rise of market-driven innovations or enforce limits. With oil approaching 13.5 million bpd by 2025, this may prove the first chapter in reshaping Americas energy future, which is clearly stronger will a wide variety of energy sources. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com EIA.gov CapitalPress.com UK sanctions Israeli ministers over abhorrent Gaza comments, sparking outrage from Israel and the U.S. The UK imposed sanctions on Israeli ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir for inciting violence against Palestinians, including asset freezes and travel bans. Smotrich justified starving Gaza civilians, while Ben-Gvir praised violent settlers as "heroes," drawing global condemnation. Foreign Secretary Lammy condemned their actions as unacceptable, aligning with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway. Israel called the sanctions "outrageous," while the U.S. criticized them as counterproductive to ceasefire efforts. The UKs move signals growing Western frustration with Israels extremist rhetoric and settler violence in Gaza and the West Bank. The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, for their inflammatory remarks and alleged incitement of violence against Palestinians in a move that underscores growing international frustration with Israels conduct in Gaza. The sanctions, announced by UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, include travel bans and asset freezes, marking a rare instance of Western nations directly targeting Israeli officials over human rights abuses. The decision comes amid escalating settler violence in the West Bank and a devastating military campaign in Gaza that has drawn global condemnation. Smotrich, who suggested that starving Palestinian civilians could be justified as part of Israels war strategy, and Ben-Gvir, who praised violent settlers as "heroes," have long been accused of fueling extremism. A moral stand against extremism Foreign Secretary Lammy, speaking on behalf of the UK alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway, declared that the ministers actions were "not acceptable" and warranted accountability. "These two individuals have been inciting violence against Palestinian people for months and months," Lammy stated, emphasizing the need to curb extremist rhetoric that undermines peace efforts. The sanctions specifically target Smotrich and Ben-Gvir in their personal capacities, avoiding restrictions on their ministries. However, the move has drawn fierce backlash from Israel, which called the measures "outrageous." Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the sanctions, arguing that elected officials should not face such penalties. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized the UK-led action as counterproductive to ceasefire negotiations, insisting that Hamas and not Israeli leaders remains the "real enemy." Smotrichs comments have been particularly alarming. In May, he openly advocated for the mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, stating, "Gaza will be entirely destroyed, civilians will be sent to the south to a humanitarian zone without Hamas or terrorism, and from there they will start to leave in great numbers to third countries." Even more chilling was his suggestion last year that starving two million Palestinians might be "justified" if it pressured Hamas to release hostages. Ben-Gvir, meanwhile, has repeatedly incited violence, storming Jerusalems Al-Aqsa Mosque and calling for its replacement with a Jewish temple. His glorification of settler attacks in the West Bank has further inflamed tensions, with reports of arson and assaults against Palestinian civilians escalating under his watch. Testing Western resolve The UKs decision reflects mounting pressure on Israel to rein in extremist elements within its government. While the U.S. continues to shield Netanyahus administration from harsher consequences, Britain and its allies are signaling that unchecked settler violence and dehumanizing rhetoric will no longer go unchallenged. Lammy reiterated the UKs commitment to a two-state solution but stressed that extremist actions jeopardize any hope for peace. "We continue to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid," he said, condemning Israels blockade-induced famine in Gaza. The sanctions against Smotrich and Ben-Gvir represent a long-overdue step toward holding Israeli officials accountable for their role in perpetuating violence and human rights abuses. While Israel and its allies dismiss the move as politically motivated, the moral imperative to confront genocidal rhetoric and state-backed extremism cannot be ignored. As the death toll in Gaza surpasses 54,000 and settler attacks rage unchecked in the West Bank, the UKs actions serve as a reminder that complicity in atrocities will eventually face consequences. Whether this marks a turning point in Western policy or merely a symbolic gesture remains to be seen, but Britain has taken a stand that history may yet vindicate. Sources for this article include: TheNationalPulse.com TheGuardian.com Reuters.com Wisconsin defies CDC, keeps pushing COVID shots for pregnant women and kids despite safety concerns Wisconsin defies updated CDC guidance by continuing to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women and children as young as six months. The CDC now advises individualized decisions for children and no longer pushes vaccines for pregnant women, citing a lack of new supporting data. Florida praises the CDCs shift, calling it evidence-based, while Wisconsin faces criticism for lacking clinical proof for its stance. Critics highlight that COVID-19 vaccines for children and pregnant women lack long-term safety data, fueling distrust in public health institutions. The conflicting recommendations deepen debates over medical freedom, transparency, and whether state policies prioritize science or bureaucratic inertia. In a bold departure from federal guidance, Wisconsin health officials are doubling down on their recommendation that pregnant women and children as young as six months receive COVID-19 vaccines, despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) abandoning its universal endorsement of the shots. The move has reignited debates over medical autonomy, informed consent, and the politicization of public health, as critics question whether the states stance is grounded in science or bureaucratic inertia. While the CDC now advises individualized decisions for children and no longer pushes vaccines for pregnant women, Wisconsin insists the shots prevent severe illness and death. State officials cite an "independent review" of federal recommendations, though they provided no new clinical data to justify their position. Meanwhile, Floridas health leaders applauded the CDCs updated guidance, calling it a step toward evidence-based medicine in a striking contrast to Wisconsins unwavering support for an unproven vaccine strategy. State doubles down as CDC shifts course On June 4, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced it would continue recommending COVID-19 vaccines for all residents aged six months and older, including pregnant women. Kirsten Johnson, the departments secretary, declared the shots "an important tool in preventing severe illness and death," despite the CDCs May decision to drop its blanket recommendation for these groups. The CDCs updated guidance now states that healthy children should only receive the vaccine after consultation with doctors and parents, emphasizing "informed consent through the clinical judgement of their healthcare provider." For pregnant women, the agency no longer advises vaccination in a reversal that Wisconsin officials dismissed, claiming the federal change was "not made based on new data, evidence, or scientific or medical studies." Wisconsins defiance ignores critical unknowns. The current Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax vaccines were approved in 2024 based on animal studies and antibody responses, not human clinical trials. CDC data presented in April showed modest protection but offered no long-term safety data for pregnant women or infants. Florida praises CDC while Wisconsin digs in Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo hailed the CDCs updated guidance as "an important advancement for parents, physicians, and children," adding that "scientific evidence dictates that the use of these products should end for all populations." His statement underscored a growing divide between states prioritizing medical freedom and those adhering to legacy pandemic policies. Wisconsin, however, remains an outlier. The states Medicaid program will still cover the vaccine for pregnant women and children, despite the CDCs retreat. When pressed for evidence supporting the shots efficacy, the Wisconsin DHS did not respond. Critics note that past recommendations for children lacked clinical data, as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pointed out, calling prior mandates unscientific. The American Pharmacists Association, meanwhile, broke ranks with the CDC, refusing to endorse the updated adult immunization schedule. The group claimed COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is "safe and effective," despite the CDCs reversal in a contradiction that highlights the confusion permeating public health messaging. CDC data shows only 14% of pregnant women have received the latest shot, reflecting widespread hesitancy. Patrick Remington, an emeritus professor at UW-Madisons medical school, acknowledged the discord risks eroding public trust. "When you see disagreement between the federal government and experts, sometimes the public throws up their hands and says, 'If they cant agree, I dont believe anything,'" he said. The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), whose members were recently dismissed by Kennedy, is set to meet in June to revisit COVID-19 vaccine guidance. Until then, Wisconsins stance leaves families navigating a maze of conflicting advice with no clear answers on how the shots affect fetal development or long-term child health. Wisconsins insistence on universal COVID-19 vaccination for vulnerable groups, going against the tide of federal updates, raises urgent questions about who dictates medical choices: patients, doctors, or state agencies. As Florida embraces individualized care and the CDC walks back its mandates, Wisconsins rigid stance risks alienating families seeking unbiased information. With trust in public health at a crossroads, the debate transcends vaccines. Its a battle over transparency, bodily autonomy, and whether institutions will prioritize people over dogma. For now, Wisconsins pregnant women and parents must weigh the states assurances against a growing chorus of skepticism and decide whose guidance they trust. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com JSOnline.com WEAU.com Sorry, something doesn't look right. Something seems unusual about your device or browser. Please contact support. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Morning clouds will give way to afternoon sunshine. High around 85F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Low 63F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Due to scheduled maintenance from Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 10 PM to Sunday, March 16, 2025, at 2 AM, there may be interruptions for our News Gazette Digital subscribers. During this time frame, please click on any News Gazette website content without logging into your News Gazette Digital subscription account. Thank you for your patience during this scheduled maintenance. A group wedding ceremony is held in the Shenyang Palace Museum in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, May 22, 2024. (Xinhua) BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- China is rolling out extended marriage leave in at least 27 provincial-level regions as part of ongoing efforts to foster a more family-friendly society. The government of Sichuan Province, one of the country's most populous regions, has unveiled a plan to extend marriage leave from three to 20 days, with an additional five days for those who opt for a premarital medical checkup. The proposal is currently open for public comment throughout June. "Previously, with only three days off, it could be a challenge to get home for a wedding itself -- forget about a honeymoon!" said Wang Mengdi, an employee at a Sichuan-based human resources firm. "But with 25 days, you have ample time to enjoy a decent honeymoon." Shandong Province in east China, the ancestral home of Confucius, with a permanent population exceeding 100 million, further reinforced its cultural emphasis on family bonds by extending marriage leave from three days to a maximum of 18 days through legislative action in January. Currently, China grants newlyweds a three-day marriage leave at the national level, a tradition that dates back to 1980. "The one- to three-day marriage leave can barely meet the needs of today's young couple for wedding preparation and ceremonies. This has even impacted marriage registration and fertility rates to some extent," said Xu Jinmei, a senior legislator in Shandong. Amid rapid industrialization and urbanization, millions of young adults have migrated from their hometowns in pursuit of education and career opportunities. Despite this mobility, the deeply rooted tradition of returning home for wedding celebrations remains strong. The custom requires substantial time investments, as many must travel a long way back home to hold their weddings. Provincial-level regions in China have the autonomy to determine the length of marriage leave, often influenced by local customs and demographic policies. The provinces of Shanxi and Gansu offer the most generous policies, allowing up to 30 days of paid leave for newlyweds. The incentive measures were rolled out amid marriage registration declines in China. Official data show that 1.81 million couples registered to tie the knot in the first quarter of 2025, down 8 percent year on year. After a brief rebound in 2023, registrations fell again last year, reaching the lowest level since 1980. Scholars attribute the drop to several factors, including a shrinking pool of marriage-age adults and waning enthusiasm for matrimony. "In the 1980s, more than 20 million people were born each year in China. But since 2000, that number has dropped to just over 10 million annually. So naturally, the base number for marriage registrations is much lower now," said Jiang Quanbao, a professor at the institute for population and development studies at Xi'an Jiaotong University. Li Ting, a demographer at Renmin University of China in Beijing, noted that higher levels of education and a growing sense of individualism have combined to significantly challenge traditional views on marriage. "In the past, young people got married around the time they graduated or started working, but now many won't consider marriage until they're planning to have children," Li added. In a country where the traditional belief is that marriage should precede childbearing, declining marriage rates have become one of the factors behind falling birth rates. In response to these challenges, authorities across the country have introduced various measures to foster a newlywed-friendly society. China streamlined marriage registration. Since May, couples have been able to register their marriage anywhere in the country without presenting a household registration booklet. A couple poses for photos with their marriage certificates at a marriage registration office in the Xuanwu Lake Park in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo) Local authorities have also extended maternity leave and paternity care leave to support family planning. However, some worry that extended marriage leave, maternity leave, and other benefits could end up becoming empty promises due to the economic pressures faced by enterprises. Zhai Zhenwu, president of the China Population Association, noted that the overall extension of marriage leave and maternity leave is not that costly. "This should not be a barrier to extending maternity leave," he said. Zhai also proposed that local budgets help enterprises to offset some of the costs of maternity and marriage leave policies. The suggestion appears to have resonated with policymakers, as reflected in the draft policy statement from Sichuan provincial authorities. The policy document open for public consultation noted that governments at or above the county level should coordinate multi-channel funding to establish a reasonable cost-sharing mechanism for marriage and parental leave, striving to guarantee the full implementation of the leave. Editor: Zhang Zhou A recent study from the Institute of Biomedicine at the University of Eastern Finland shows that the glucocorticoid receptor can both promote and inhibit prostate cancer progression, depending on the circumstances. Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones that are also used as drugs. Owing to their strong anti-inflammatory effect, synthetic glucocorticoids are among the most prescribed group of drugs across the world, and they are also used to alleviate the side effects of cancer therapy. The effects of glucocorticoids in the body are mediated through the glucocorticoid receptor, which binds to the DNA, altering gene transcription and thereby affecting many vital functions. Steroid receptors also include the androgen receptor, the hyperactivity of which is the main factor contributing to the pathogenesis and progression of prostate cancer. Therefore, androgen receptor inhibition is the primary goal of drug therapy targeting prostate cancer, but prostate cancer can also become resistant to such therapies. This resistance is often facilitated by the glucocorticoid receptor, which can replace the androgen receptor and become a cancer-promoting factor itself. These oncogenic, or cancer-promoting, effects of the glucocorticoid receptor have been studied by many research groups across the world, including by the Paakinaho Lab led by Academy Research Fellow, Docent Ville Paakinaho at the University of Eastern Finland. Previous studies have focused on the function of the glucocorticoid receptor in prostate cancer, where the activity of the androgen receptor has been inhibited by drug therapy. The crosstalk between the androgen and the glucocorticoid receptor in prostate cancer has, however, been overlooked in research." Docent Ville Paakinaho, University of Eastern Finland Published in Genome Research, a recent study by the Paakinaho Lab addressed this knowledge gap, utilising both genome-wide deep sequencing techniques and single-cell genomics methods. When both the androgen and the glucocorticoid receptor were activated simultaneously, the number of binding sites for the glucocorticoid receptor in prostate cancer cells doubled. This effect was mediated by the androgen receptor, which activated regulatory regions in the DNA, allowing the glucocorticoid receptor to bind to the DNA. If the androgen receptor was not activated, the glucocorticoid receptor could not bind to these regulatory regions. The new binding sites for the glucocorticoid receptor also affected the regulation of gene transcription. The activation of both receptors synergistically affected the transcription regulation of certain genes, i.e., the combined effect of the androgen and glucocorticoid receptor was greater than their individual effects. This occurred at the level of the whole cancer cell population, as well as at the level of individual cancer cells. Surprisingly, it was found that these synergistic effects targeted cancer suppressor genes, increasing their transcription. Bioinformatics analyses using patient data illustrated that more active transcription of these genes had a positive impact on patient survival in prostate cancer. Thus, the glucocorticoid receptor is a double-edged sword in prostate cancer. Due to it promoting the development of drug resistance in prostate cancer, it was shown to have oncogenic effects. The results of the present study, however, indicate that the crosstalk between the androgen and the glucocorticoid receptor suppresses prostate cancer cell division and, consequently, tumour growth. In other words, the effects of glucocorticoids largely depend on androgen receptor activity. In the presence of the androgen receptor, the glucocorticoid receptor has a cancer-suppressing effect, whereas without the presence of the androgen receptor, the glucocorticoid receptor promotes cancer survival. "It is crucial to understand the effects of this crosstalk, and how this knowledge can be leveraged in the development of better therapies," Paakinaho says. The study was funded by the Research Council of Finland, Sigrid Juselius Foundation and Cancer Foundation Finland. A new study in Neurodegenerative Diseases looks closely at how Parkinsons disease can affect something as everyday and essential as recognizing emotion in someones voice. The research suggests that both the side of the body most affected by symptoms and the medications used to treat those symptoms may influence how patients interpret vocal emotion. Image Credit: S. Karger AG Researchers from the University of Geneva and Rennes University Hospital studied how people with Parkinsons disease are able to recognize different emotions when hearing speech recordings. Participants were grouped based on whether their physical symptoms were more prominent on the left or right side of the body. The study included individuals in both early and advanced stages of the disease, with early-stage participants tested on and off dopaminergic replacement therapy (DRT). The results were striking. The authors wrote, patients with a predominance of left-sided symptoms had more difficulty recognizing vocal emotions than both healthy controls and patients with right-sided symptoms. The role of treatment also stood out. In the early-stage group, the researchers found a deleterious effect of DRT on the recognition of vocal emotions for the patients with left-predominant symptoms, and the inverse pattern (i.e., a positive effect of dopatherapy) for the patients with right-predominant symptoms. This suggests that the side of symptom onset may affect how DRT interacts with the brains emotion-processing systems. While the sample size was small, the study points to the value of a more individualized approach to care. As the authors put it, These results bring to knowledge the differential effects of disease duration, DRT and motor symptom asymmetry on vocal emotion recognition in Parkinson's disease. Based on converging results, they propose that asymmetry is a key feature of the disease and should be taken into account at all stages of Parkinsons, especially when evaluating current and future treatment strategies, The team also emphasizes the importance of replication across independent studies to strengthen the reliability and generalizability of these findings, and to further advance personalized approaches to care." Professor Julie Peron, Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology Laboratory (CENLab), University of Geneva This research invites us to think beyond movement symptoms and consider how Parkinsons affects communication, connection, and emotional understanding. Read the full paper here In a revealing Genomic Press Interview published today in Brain Medicine, Sara Poletti, PhD, senior researcher at IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele Milan, illuminates the profound connections between childhood adversity and lifelong vulnerability to psychiatric disorders through persistent neuroinflammation pathways and alterations in brain structure. Bridging psychology and neurobiology Dr. Poletti's groundbreaking research has transformed understanding of how early life experiences become biologically embedded, creating lasting changes in brain structure and immune function. As the only tenure-track psychologist in psychiatry at her institute, she has pioneered multidisciplinary approaches that combine neuroimaging, genetic analysis, and immunological markers to decode the biological signatures of childhood trauma. The immune system doesn't just fight infections-it plays a crucial role in shaping our mental health throughout life. Childhood trauma can fundamentally reprogram these immune responses, creating vulnerability to depression, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric conditions decades later." Sara Poletti, PhD, senior researcher at IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele Milan Her work raises critical questions about prevention and intervention: Can we identify biological markers of trauma early enough to prevent psychiatric disorders? How do protective factors buffer against neuroinflammatory responses? What role does timing play in trauma's biological impact? These questions drive Dr. Poletti's innovative research program. From microscope to mind: An unexpected journey Dr. Poletti's path to neuroscience began with a childhood microscope and evolved through encounters with Freud's writings and neuroimaging studies of violent criminals. This eclectic background equipped her with unique perspectives on brain-behavior relationships. Despite warnings that psychedelic and inflammation research was "career suicide" in 2006, she persisted in exploring these then-marginalized areas that have since become central to psychiatric research. As Project Leader at San Raffaele's Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology Unit, Dr. Poletti coordinates diverse teams of psychologists, physicians, and biologists. Her leadership of a European Research Area Network (ERA-NET) Neuron project on the consequences of infections on mental health exemplifies her ability to foster international collaboration in advancing inflammation's role in psychiatric disorders. Transforming challenges into opportunities One defining moment in Dr. Poletti's career came when she reluctantly accepted a teaching position in human physiology-a field she knew little about. "It required extensive studying and put me to the test," she recalls. "However, I learned a great deal from this experience, both scientifically and personally." This challenge deepened her understanding of body-brain interactions, proving invaluable for her later research on neuroinflammation. Her resilience in facing academic challenges mirrors the resilience she studies in trauma survivors. Some individuals exposed to severe childhood adversity develop psychiatric disorders while others don't-understanding these differences could revolutionize preventive psychiatry. What biological factors confer resilience? How can we enhance natural protective mechanisms? Dr. Poletti's research addresses these fundamental questions. Clinical implications and future directions Dr. Poletti's findings have immediate clinical relevance. By identifying specific inflammatory markers associated with childhood trauma, her work provides potential targets for novel interventions. This precision medicine approach could transform psychiatric treatment from symptom management to addressing underlying biological mechanisms. Following this line of reasoning she published the first paper on the use of an immunomodulatory agent (interleukin 2) to treat mood disorders. "I aim to further elucidate the role of the immune system and its interaction with the environment in psychiatric disorders," Dr. Poletti states. Her vision includes developing prevention strategies to reduce mental illness odds, particularly for individuals with trauma histories. This preventive focus represents a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive psychiatric care. Mountain peaks and scientific summits The interview reveals how Dr. Poletti's passion for Italian mountain hiking informs her scientific approach. Standing atop Sasso Nero at 2,847 meters, she finds the clarity and renewal that fuel her research endeavors. This connection to nature reflects her holistic view of mental health, recognizing that human wellbeing extends beyond biological mechanisms to encompass environmental and experiential factors. Questions about trauma's transgenerational effects add another dimension to Dr. Poletti's work. Can childhood trauma alter genetic expression in ways that affect offspring? How do social and cultural factors modulate biological responses to adversity? These considerations expand the scope of trauma research from individual to societal levels. Advancing global mental health Dr. Poletti's research contributes to a growing recognition that mental health is inseparable from physical health, particularly immune function. This integrated perspective challenges traditional boundaries between psychiatry and other medical specialties, promoting more comprehensive approaches to patient care. The implications extend beyond individual treatment. If childhood trauma creates lasting biological vulnerabilities, what responsibilities do societies have for preventing adverse childhood experiences? How can healthcare systems better integrate trauma screening and early intervention? Dr. Poletti's work provides scientific grounding for these critical policy discussions. Dr. Sara Poletti's Genomic Press interview is part of a larger series called Innovators & Ideas that highlights the people behind today's most influential scientific breakthroughs. Each interview in the series offers a blend of cutting-edge research and personal reflections, providing readers with a comprehensive view of the scientists shaping the future. By combining a focus on professional achievements with personal insights, this interview style invites a richer narrative that both engages and educates readers. This format provides an ideal starting point for profiles that explore the scientist's impact on the field, while also touching on broader human themes. In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview published today in Brain Medicine, John M. Oldham, MD, MS, one of psychiatry's most influential architects of personality disorder theory, traces his remarkable journey from frontier medicine roots in Oklahoma to revolutionizing how mental health professionals understand and diagnose personality pathology. Transforming diagnostic paradigms Dr. Oldham's contributions have fundamentally reshaped personality disorder classification, moving the field from rigid diagnostic categories toward a more nuanced dimensional system. As former President of both the American Psychiatric Association and the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders, he and a team of colleagues spearheaded the development of the Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD), marking what many consider the most significant epistemological shift in psychiatric diagnosis for these conditions in decades. "The dimensional approach more accurately reflects the gradations and interplay of personality traits we see in clinical practice," Dr. Oldham explains in the interview. His innovative New Personality Self-Portrait online assessment tool (npsp25.com), based on a book continuously in print for 35 years, has provided both clinicians and the public with accessible ways to understand personality styles and potential pathology. From bedside to policy leadership Dr. Oldham's career trajectory exemplifies the integration of clinical expertise with systems-level innovation. After training at Columbia, including psychoanalytic study under Otto Kernberg, he participated in the development of one of the first semi-structured clinical research interviews for DSM-III personality disorders, the Personality Disorders Examination (PDE). This groundbreaking work emerged during his tenure at Cornell, where he served as chief of an inpatient unit specializing in intensive treatment. "My training took place when the Vietnam War was winding down. I was fortunate to enroll in the Berry Plan, which allowed me to complete my specialty training before assuming active duty," Dr. Oldham reflects. His two years of military service as a Major in the US Air Force, including interviews with returning POWs who had endured solitary confinement for up to 7 years, provided early lessons in resilience and crisis response that would prove invaluable throughout his career. His leadership extended beyond academic medicine when he accepted the role of Chief Medical Officer for the New York State Office of Mental Health, a position he held from 1988 to 2002. In this capacity, he served as the senior physician in a large public system that, when he first assumed the role, operated approximately 25,000 inpatient beds. He emphasized bridging the gap between the state hospital centers and academic education, fostering formal teaching partnerships between the hospitals and medical school psychiatry departments. . Following the September 11, 2001 (9/11) attacks, Dr. Oldham helped navigate that unprecedented mental health crisis with what colleagues describe as exceptional clarity and resolve. Advancing scientific understanding through collaboration Throughout his career, Dr. Oldham has demonstrated how collaborative research can advance understanding of complex psychiatric conditions. As co-Principal Investigator of the New York site for the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS), he contributed to generating crucial findings about personality disorder trajectories over more than a decade. This ambitious NIMH-funded project represented one of the most comprehensive investigations into personality pathology ever undertaken. Questions remain about how dimensional approaches to personality disorders will be implemented in routine clinical practice. How will training programs need to adapt to teach these new diagnostic frameworks? What implications does this shift have for treatment planning and insurance coverage? These considerations highlight ongoing challenges as the field transitions from traditional categorical thinking. Editorial excellence and mentorship Currently serving as editor or co-editor for three major journals, Journal of Psychiatric Practice, Journal of Personality Disorders, and Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, Dr. Oldham continues to shape scientific discourse in the field. His editorial work emphasizes pragmatic, evidence-informed approaches to complex psychopathology while fostering the next generation of researchers and clinicians. "My family values have always made me conscientious and a good team player. The best leader is the leader who listens," Dr. Oldham shares, reflecting on the leadership principles that have guided his editorial work. The interview reveals personal insights that illuminate Dr. Oldham's professional philosophy. His early life, in a family culture that emphasized concern and respect for others, profoundly influenced his approach to patient care, particularly his later focus on helping individuals with serious medical illnesses cope with psychological distress. This humanistic perspective permeates his scientific contributions, from developing assessment tools to advocating for improved treatment access. Legacy and future directions Dr. Oldham's work raises intriguing questions about the future of psychiatric diagnosis. As genetic and neurobiological research advances, how will dimensional models of personality integrate with emerging biomarkers? What role will technology play in implementing these more sophisticated diagnostic approaches in clinical settings? His contributions provide a foundation for addressing these challenges while maintaining focus on improving patient outcomes. The evolution from categorical to dimensional understanding of personality disorders represents more than a technical advancement, it reflects a fundamental shift in how psychiatry conceptualizes human psychological variation. This transformation promises more personalized treatment approaches but also demands new frameworks for clinical training and practice guidelines. Dr. John M. Oldham's Genomic Press interview is part of a larger series called Innovators & Ideas that highlights the people behind today's most influential scientific breakthroughs. Each interview in the series offers a blend of cutting-edge research and personal reflections, providing readers with a comprehensive view of the scientists shaping the future. By combining a focus on professional achievements with personal insights, this interview style invites a richer narrative that both engages and educates readers. This format provides an ideal starting point for profiles that explore the scientist's impact on the field, while also touching on broader human themes. Using a newly devised, three-dimensional model to study the regeneration of nerve tissue in the nose, researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) and colleagues have discovered that one type of stem cell thought to be dormant may play a more significant role in preserving the sense of smell than originally believed. Unlike cells in the central nervous system, sensory neurons in the nasal cavity have a remarkable ability to regenerate throughout life despite near constant exposure to the outside environment. Viral infections such as COVID-19, exposure to toxins, or even aging itself can diminish their function or the ability of these cells to replicate, which can lead to a partial or complete loss of smell. The team of researchers devised a new, easy-to-create, three-dimensional olfactory tissue mouse model or organoid to help scientists better study how neurons are continually formed in the nose and why this process might decline in disease and aging. Their research, published recently in Cell Reports Methods, uses this mouse model to show how two types of stem cells in the nose, called horizontal basal cells (HBCs) and globose basal cells (GBCs), communicate and support each other to develop new smell-sensing nerve tissue. Our research suggests that these two stem cells may be interdependent. One type that we thought was largely dormant- HBCs-may actually play a crucial role in supporting the production of new neurons and the repair of damaged tissue." Brian Lin, senior author on the study and research assistant professor in the Department of Developmental, Molecular and Chemical Biology Using this model, the team identified a specific subpopulation of HBCs, marked by their production of the protein KRT5, that actively support the generation of new olfactory neurons. The researchers observed that these particular HBCs play a key role in the formation of the organoids, and they found that when these cells were selectively depleted from the organoid cultures, the generation of new neurons was significantly impaired. These results suggest that these stem cells, once thought to be dormant, are essential players in the regenerative process. "We also looked at cells from mice of different ages and grew them in the model," Lin says. "We found a decline in the ability of the older mice cells to generate new neurons. We think this is due to a decrease in the GBC population as we age, but we need to do more work to test this hypothesis and if so, develop ways to rejuvenate them." An easy-to-use model Lead author of the study, Juliana Gutschow Gameiro, a former Ph.D. student visiting GSBS, came to Tufts from the State University of Londrina, Parana, in Brazil. Lin says she was dedicated to developing a model that was easy to create in labs with limited funds and equipment. "Because loss of smell is associated with COVID-19, as well as with Parkinson's disease and other conditions, a much larger number of researchers from a variety of different fields have begun researching olfactory epithelial cells in the last few years," says Lin. "We wanted to develop an easy-to-use model so that non-stem cell biologists and those working in labs with limited resources could use it to better understand how olfactory neurons regenerate and what happens that causes that process to diminish or fail completely," he says. Next step: A human organoid The ultimate goal is to use this mouse-tissue model of olfactory sensory neurons as a pathway to developing a human organoid that can be used to screen drugs to treat people whose sense of smell is significantly diminished or gone. Organoids make pre-clinical trial research quicker, less expensive, and potentially more effective than using whole animals or existing human cell cultures. Organoids have already been developed for lungs, kidneys, and other organs, but not for human olfactory tissue. "It's challenging to get pure olfactory tissue from humans," Lin says. Individuals are anesthetized and a brush similar to a COVID test wand is pushed deep into the nasal cavity. Unlike in their mouse model, human respiratory stem cells and olfactory stem cells collected in this process are difficult to separate. The research team's next challenge is to develop a simple, inexpensive technique for separating out the human olfactory stem cells and coaxing them to grow in the lab. Research reported in this article was supported by the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R21 DC018681-01 and R01 DC017869-03, the Coordenaao de Aperfeioamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior Brasil, and the German Research Foundation (DFG) under the Walter Benjamin Program, and by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation. Complete information on authors, methodology and conflicts of interest is available in the published paper. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funders. Pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival rate of just 13%, making it the deadliest cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. It typically causes no symptoms until it has already metastasized. Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy can extend survival, but rarely provide a cure. Now, researchers at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic are developing vaccines targeting pancreatic cancer that could eliminate the disease, leaving a patient cancer-free. So far, the vaccines have achieved dramatic results in studies with preclinical models. Biomedical engineer Zheng-Rong (ZR) Lu has been elated by the response in preclinical models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most common form of the disease. Pancreatic cancer is super aggressive. So it came as a surprise that our approach works so well." Zheng-Rong Lu, the M. Frank Rudy and Margaret C. Rudy Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Case School of Engineering More than half were completely cancer-free months later, a result he said he hadn't seen before. Lu teamed with immunologist Li Lily Wang, an associate professor of molecular medicine at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, to develop vaccine nanoparticles containing antigens-markers that identify for the immune system whether something in the body is harmful. The vaccines they've developed produce anti-cancer immunity. "This platform has the potential to transform clinical care for this devastating disease," said Wang, also a staff member in translational hematology and oncology research at Cleveland Clinic. "I am excited to see that our novel nano-vaccine worked so well in eliciting vigorous responses from tumor-reactive T cells-which are typically low in numbers and unable to control tumor growth." For more than two decades, Lu has been working with nanoparticles comprised of fats, called lipids, which are well tolerated and can be used to deliver drugs and vaccines because they are compatible with living tissue. PDAC tumors are often comprised of cells with various mutations. To produce anti-tumor immunity to these different mutations, the researchers engineered antigens to the most commonly mutated oncogenes, which drive the overgrowth of cells in cancer. These antigens stimulate and train the patients' immune system to destroy tumor cells, the researchers explained. Rather than personalizing medicine for individuals, these vaccines would be effective for many PDAC patients, the researchers hope. The anti-cancer nanoparticles would be injected on a three-dose schedule. The researchers plan to combine the vaccine therapy with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, which boosts the body's immune response by keeping tumor cells from turning off the immune cells that would otherwise destroy them. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are approved to treat several types of cancers, often in combination with other treatments, boosting their effectiveness. Lu said the vaccines could potentially be used to prevent PDAC in patients who might be susceptible to developing the disease because they carry certain mutations. "We've shown that our vaccine generated immune memory in preclinical models," Lu said. "If we could do that in patients, we could prevent PDAC before tumors start forming, so the vaccines could be either therapeutic or preventative." The researchers received a $3.27 million, five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute to further explore the therapeutic use of vaccines in preclinical models of PDAC. Lu hopes to collaborate with industry on demonstrations of safety in other models before moving to clinical trials in human patients. Jordan M. Winter, professor of surgery, and Akram Salah Shalaby, assistant professor of pathology, both at the medical school, are co-investigators. All the researchers are members of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. When the amount of cholesterol in the blood is too high, hypercholesterolemia can develop, causing serious damage to the arteries and cardiovascular health. Now, a study led by the University of Barcelona and the University of Oregon presents a new therapeutic tool capable of regulating blood cholesterol levels and thus opening up new perspectives in the fight against atherosclerosis caused by the accumulation of lipid plaques in the artery walls. Specifically, the team has designed a strategy to inhibit the expression of PCSK9, a protein that plays a decisive role in modulating plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The new method, based on the use of molecules known as polypurine hairpins (PPRH), facilitates the uptake of cholesterol by cells and prevents it from accumulating in the arteries without causing the side effects of the most common statin-based medication. The paper, published in the journal Biochemical Pharmacology, was led by experts Carles J. Ciudad and Veronica Noe, professors at the UB's Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences and the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB), in collaboration with Nathalie Pamir, from the University of Oregon in Portland (United States). The study has been supported by projects of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICINN) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the United States. Polypurine hairpins for PCSK9 expression inhibition PCSK9 (protein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) is an enzyme that has emerged over the last decade as a therapeutic target for reducing cardiovascular disease and improving lipid metabolism. This protein binds selectively and competitively to the cellular receptor itself. Thus, PCSK9 reduces the number of available LDL receptors on cells, which increases the level of LDL-bound cholesterol circulating in the blood plasma and ultimately causes hypercholesterolaemia. The new methodology is based on the ability of polypurine hairpins (PPRHs) to specifically stop gene transcription. In this case, PPRHs can inhibit the expression of the PCSK9 gene, thereby increasing LDLR receptor levels and promoting cholesterol uptake inside cells. As a result, circulating cholesterol levels and the risk of atherosclerosis decrease. PPRHs are oligonucleotides, simple single-stranded DNA molecules that have a high affinity for specific DNA and also RNA sequences. The study reveals for the first time how polypurine hairpins HpE9 and HpE12 decrease PCSK9 RNA and protein, and increase LDLR levels. Specifically, one of the arms of each chain of the HpE9 and HpE12 polypurines binds specifically to polypyrimidine sequences of exons 9 and 12 of PCSK9, respectively, via Watson-Crick bonds." Professor Carles J. Ciudad, Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, University of Barcelona This binding inhibits gene transcription and the action of RNA polymerase or the binding of transcription factors. The new therapeutic technique has been validated in vivo in transgenic mice expressing the human PCSK9 gene. "The results show that both HpE9 and HpE12 are highly effective in HepG2 cells. HpE12 decreases PCSK9 RNA levels by 74% and protein levels by 87%. In the case of transgenic mice, a single injection of HpE12 reduces plasma PCSK9 levels by 50% and cholesterol levels by 47% on the third day", says Professor Veronica Noe. Therapeutic oligonucleotides as an alternative to statins Since PCSK9 was defined as a significant target in plasma cholesterol-lowering therapy, several therapeutic approaches have been designed to lower or block its action. For example, gene silencing with siRNAs, antisense oligonucleotides or the CRISPR technique. In particular, Inclisiran, an siRNA agent against PCSK9, and the monoclonal antibodies such as evolocumab and alirocumab stand out. "PPRHs, especially HpE12, are therapeutic oligonucleotides with many advantages, including low cost of synthesis, stability and lack of immunogenicity. In addition, such a PPRH-based approach against PCSK9 would not lead to side effects such as the myopathies associated with statin therapy", the experts conclude. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, delivers a video message at the thematic dialogue to mark the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) UNITED NATIONS, June 10 (Xinhua) -- A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. The events included a thematic dialogue titled "Promoting dialogue among civilizations, strengthening global solidarity and cooperation," which was organized by the permanent missions to the United Nations of China, Egypt, Peru, Spain and Uzbekistan as well as the UN Alliance of Civilizations. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a video message at the thematic dialogue. In his message, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that dialogue among civilizations is a bond of peace, a driver for development, and a bridge of friendship, saying that it is high time to promote dialogue among civilizations. He called for efforts to uphold equality and promote intercultural exchange. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his message that dialogue is essential for building bridges of understanding and trust, noting "This International Day is a call to action -- to listen, to speak, to connect." Calling for recommitment to the ideals and principles of the United Nations Charter, UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang said, "Let us celebrate the unity and diversity of civilizations, and promote tolerance, dialogue and inclusiveness toward a better world for all." UN under-secretary-general and high representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos, along with senior diplomats from Egypt, Peru, Spain, and Uzbekistan, also stressed the importance of dialogue among civilizations. Another event, an art performance, titled "Beyond borders: Weaving cultures through artistic expressions," featured performances of music, dance and martial arts, highlighting humanity's common aspirations for harmonious development. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Guests visit an exhibition themed "Light of the Sun -- Ancient Shu Civilization and the World" at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) Actors perform martial arts during an art performance at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a video message during a thematic dialogue to mark the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) A highlight from the dance drama "The Exploitation of Nature's Works" ("Tian Gong Kai Wu") is staged during an art performance at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang delivers a video message during a thematic dialogue to mark the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) Actors showcase traditional Chinese attires during an art performance at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) A chorus is staged during an art performance at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) UN under-secretary-general and high representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos (C, front) speaks during a thematic dialogue to mark the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) This photo taken on June 9, 2025 shows a scene during a thematic dialogue to mark the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the UN headquarters in New York. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) Editor: Zhang Zhou Indoor allergens such as cockroaches, dust, and mold are known to contribute to a range of health complications, including childhood asthma, which is the leading pediatric chronic disease in the United States and one that disproportionately affects Black and Latino children. But these triggers are often difficult for doctors to pinpoint and treat without detailed knowledge of patients' specific living conditions and environmental exposures. A new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers suggests that it is possible to predict whether children with asthma are exposed to certain allergens simply based on where they live-and whether this exposure may be exacerbating their respiratory issues. Published in the journal Annals of Epidemiology, the study used a novel modeling method to link electronic health records containing data on in-home environmental exposures to housing and neighborhood location data for children with asthma living in low-income households. Children living in homes with greater chances of having cockroaches and rodents had worse lung function. With existing medical record information, doctors could predict if a patient might be exposed to mouse and roach allergens at home. This information can be used to address home risk factors and improve asthma control, in addition to other strategies such as medication. It can also help children without asthma, since these allergens are implicated in the development of asthma as well as exacerbations." Dr. Patricia Fabian, study co-corresponding and senior author, associate professor of environmental health at BUSPH and associate director at BU Institute for Global Sustainability As the majority of the children in the study were Black and lived in historically segregated neighborhoods, these findings highlight the consequences of longstanding racial inequities in housing characteristics and quality, borne by structural racism. Discriminatory policies such as redlining resulted in broad disinvestment in housing for Black families and other racial minorities, decreasing their home quality and stability, as well as neighborhood resources-all of which can lead to environments where roaches and other pests can thrive in greater quantities. Black children are twice as likely to develop asthma than White children, and their mortality rate from asthma is nearly eight times higher than White children. While some studies have suggested that childhood exposure to indoor allergens may help prevent children from developing asthma, other data indicate that this exposure exacerbates this condition in children. Many animal-related allergens, in particular, are known triggers for asthma attacks, Dr. Fabian says. "In the case of roaches, allergens are in their droppings and body parts, and for mice, allergens are in their urine and saliva," she says. "These allergens are small and can become airborne, easily reaching the respiratory system and triggering asthma attacks." The findings build upon a 2022 study in Annals of Epidemiology in which the authors first developed these prediction models for the presence of in-home asthma triggers among children with asthma, using machine learning methods, EHR data, and publicly available geospatial data matched to patients' addresses at Boston Medical Center (BMC), the largest safety-net hospital in the Northeast. For the newest study, the researchers applied these models and linked this information to lung function test data from EHRs for 1,070 children with asthma at BMC. "These studies were a proof of concept that we could analyze child lung function at the level of individual homes without going into homes to measure levels of allergens," says study co-corresponding author Dr. Matthew Bozigar, assistant professor of epidemiology at Oregon State University. "We combined granular data with advanced methods to account for error-such as estimating if a home likely had cockroaches-and linked these exposures with clinical lung function metrics." Rather than documenting asthma disparities, they focused on parcel-level housing factors linked to poor lung function within an already-affected population, he says. "We followed recent scholarship in identifying structural drivers of disparities, avoiding the use of race as a proxy for systemic racism." The authors emphasize that this methodology may also be utilized to provide valuable insight about other disparities, populations, and adverse health outcomes. "Every hospital and clinic collects electronic health records for their patients, which means this approach is scalable to most populations in the world, as long as records are kept consistently," Dr. Fabian says. "New advances in satellite, housing and environmental data collection are expanding our ability to connect health data to geospatial data worldwide, as well. Any health outcome that is connected to risk factors related to housing can be studied using similar methods." Coauthors include Catherine Connolly, postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health at the time of the study; Kimberly Vermeer, founder and president of Urban Habitat Initiatives; Luis Carvalho, associate professor of mathematics and statistics at BU College of Arts & Sciences; Robyn Cohen, pediatric pulmonologist and director of BMC's Pediatric Pulmonary & Allergy Clinic; Julianne Dugas, an analyst at SPH's Biostatistics and Epidemiology Data Analytics Center at the time of the study; and Jonathan Levy, chair and professor of environmental health at SPH. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health. 2 dead, over 500 suffering in diarrhoea outbreak in Odishas Jajpur Last Updated: June 12, 2025, 01:00 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Jajpur/ Bhubaneswar, Jun 11 (PTI) Two persons died and over 500 people are suffering in the diarrhoea outbreak in Odishas Jajpur district, officials said on Wednesday. A 70-year-old man was declared dead on arrival at the Vyasanagar Hospital, while a 34-year-old died at the Danagadi Community Health Centre, District Collector P Anvesha Reddy said. Recommended Stories Among the worst-hit areas are Dharamsala, Jajpur, Danagadi, Korei and Rasulpur blocks, where hospitals are overwhelmed with patients showing gastrointestinal symptoms, officials said. The waterborne disease was initially detected in Dharmasala on Monday night, they said. More than 20 critically ill patients were sent to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Director of Public Health Nilakantha Mishra said. Health Secretary Aswathy S said a multi-sectoral team has been sent to the district to identify the cause behind the outbreak. A team of doctors have also been sent to the district to ensure proper treatment of patients, while the district administration has also mobilised additional manpower to the hospitals, she said. The collector, meanwhile, visited the hospitals where the diarrhoea patients are undergoing treatment, and urged the people to consume only boiled or disinfected water. Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Prakash Chandra Bal said house-to-house surveys were being conducted in the affected villages. Accompanied by ASHA and Anganwadi workers, the state-level team is meeting families of patients and collecting water and stool samples to help determine the outbreaks source," he said. Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) teams are working on disinfection of drinking water sources, officials said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers and multi-purpose health workers have been supplied with halogen tablets, medicines, ORS packets and awareness materials for distribution among the people, they said. People have been advised to take all precautionary measures and adhere to hygienic practices, they added. PTI COR BBM BBM SOM First Published: June 12, 2025, 01:00 IST All ongoing work will come to halt if AAP loses: Kejriwal to Ludhiana voters Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 23:15 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Ludhiana, Jun 11 (PTI) AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday cautioned the people of Ludhiana West Assembly seat against voting for any rival party candidate in the upcoming bypoll, claiming all the ongoing development work will come to a halt. The bypoll will take place on June 19, and the counting will be held on June 23. The Ludhiana West assembly seat fell vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. Recommended Stories Kejriwal, along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAPs Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia, were canvassing for party nominee Sanjeev Arora. Addressing a gathering at Sanet here, Kejriwal said, If you want work done, only an AAP MLA can ensure it. If you vote for candidates from other parties, all your work will come to a halt." Kejriwal highlighted Aroras efforts in addressing long-pending issues. In March, Bhagwant Mann and I visited a village in your constituency, where we learned that registry matters were pending for a long time. I assigned Sanjeev Arora the responsibility, and within two months, over 70 per cent of the registries were done," he said. He assured that the remaining 30 per cent of registries would be completed within a month when Arora is elected. Kejriwal warned against voting for Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu, saying, If you vote for Ashu, all your work will stop. He cannot bring funds. All he does is hurl abuses at Bhagwant Mann day and night." The former Delhi chief minister lauded Aroras humility and accessibility, describing him as a leader who follows the teachings of Guru Sahib and always prioritises the needs of the people. Vote for someone you can visit anytime and who will work for you. What will you gain by electing an arrogant person who is unapproachable?" he asked voters. He said if Arora is elected as an MLA, he would be made a Cabinet minister. When the results come on June 23, make Arora your MLA, and we will make him a Cabinet Minister in Punjab. Ministers have their own funds and powers, and he will use his position and funds for the development of Ludhiana West," Kejriwal added. Highlighting his governments achievements, CM Mann stated, Unlike other governments that start working in their final months, we began delivering from day one." He emphasised the progress made under AAPs leadership, including the recruitment of 54,154 candidates into government jobs, an accomplishment achieved with complete transparency and merit. Before us, jobs were given based on recommendations. Now, they are awarded based on qualifications," Mann added. He also lauded Aroras philanthropic efforts, mentioning his role in raising Rs 16 crore for a child struggling with a rare disease in Delhi, and assured the public that with Aroras election, Ludhiana West would witness unparalleled development. Referring to the opposition candidates, Mann urged voters to think critically about their choices. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Why vote for someone arrogant? Vote for those who care for the future of your children, not for goons and corrupt leaders," he said. He also criticised Congress leaders for their inaction and indifference" to public issues, asserting that they are disconnected" from the ground reality. PTI CHS RHL First Published: June 11, 2025, 23:15 IST DDA demolishes over 300 houses in Govindpuris Bhoomiheen camp Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 21:15 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) Starting early Wednesday morning, the DDA launched a demolition drive in the Bhoomiheen camp in southeast Delhis Govindpuri as a heavy deployment of police stood by to prevent any flare-ups. The Delhi Development Authority, land owning authority in the city, demolished 344 structures claiming most of which were lying vacant. Recommended Stories Around 344 jhuggi structures existed which were mostly vacant. There is no stay against demolition of these jhuggi structures," DDA said in a statement. A notice was issued to these slum dwellers, whose stay petitions were dismissed, to shift to alternative places by June 10, the statement said.. According to the authority, the area has already been approved for an in-situ slum rehabilitation project to house around 4500 jhuggi-jhopri (JJ) dwellers of the adjoining Navjeevan Camp and Jawahar Camp. No work for this could be started since the land remained under encroachment for the last 2.5 years despite giving alternative accommodation to eligible dwellers at Kalkaji Extension," the statement read. The DDA said the demolition was against ineligible dwellers encroaching upon five acres of its land. According to the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Boards rehabilitation policy, the members of a household whose name appears in one of the voter lists of the years 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 and possesses one of the 12 documents like an electricity bill, driving licence, etc., is eligible for alternative accommodation. 1,862 eligible households of Bhoomiheen Camp have been rehabilitated to economically weaker section category flats at Pocket A-14, Kalkaji Extension between November 2022 and May 2023," the statement added. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all According to the city development authority, the dwellers were given an opportunity to appeal and the high court heard all the petitioners and dismissed all the cases last week. A slum dweller is ineligible if the jhuggi is used for commercial purposes, the names of its occupants do not appear on the voters lists of the said years, upper-floor residents do not possess separate ration cards, and they do not have the documents to prove residency. PTI SSM VN VN First Published: June 11, 2025, 21:15 IST India-EU Free Trade Agreement feasible by end of 2025: Jaishankar Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 23:15 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Brussels, Jun 11 (PTI) India places a high priority to its relations with the European Union, the centrepiece of which is the Free Trade Agreement negotiations that are making very good progress, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said here on Wednesday. During a conversation with The Financial Times Brussels Bureau Chief Henry Foy at the German Marshall Fund (GMF) Forum, the external affairs minister expressed confidence that the year-end timeline set for the completion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) seems feasible" following his in-depth talks with EU officials this week. Recommended Stories He also highlighted the strength of the two-way relationship that goes beyond trade to cover aspects of defence and security, mobility, talent flows and education. I would give it (India-EU ties) pretty high priority right now you catch us at a very important moment," said Jaishankar. We had the (EU) College of Commissioners, very soon after they came into office, visit India collectively. We know thats a very unusual and very positive step, and we are really looking at deepening our ties," he said. So, the centrepiece is the FTA, which has been under negotiation for some time now but everything I have heard I think we are making very good progress," he added. Against the backdrop of his talks earlier on Wednesday with Maros Sefcovic, the EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Jaishankar was asked about the prospect of completing the FTA by the end of this year. A lot has been done, and everything that I heard on this trip gives me the confidence that its within sight, that by the end of the year it is feasible to do this," he said. The conversation session at the high-profile forum covered a broad spectrum of issues governing Indias foreign policy perspectives, from its relations with the US and closer in its neighbourhood with China. We are conditioned to deal with situations and challenges, think it through for ourselves and essentially make decisions based on what capabilities we have and what we are able to leverage from the world. And thats because we have never been an alliance partner. So, by the nature of our foreign policy structure, our strategic choices, we sort of have that mindset and approach," Jaishankar said. Contrasting this with Europes history and experiences, the minister noted that India is accustomed to dealing with shifting geopolitical realities and any trans-Atlantic divergences" in outlooks that emerge. We are objective about it. We value our relations with the US, as we do with the EU, we will deal with each one on terms which are best for both of us," he said. On the issue of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar highlighted Indias stance favouring a negotiated settlement of differences. He said: We have felt from the start that even if two countries, two neighbours, have differences, even very deep differences, it cannot be settled by recourse to war. If war has started, you are not going to get a solution out of the battlefield. If youre not going to get a solution out of the battlefield, then the answer is to negotiate. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all And if you are going to negotiate, it makes sense to negotiate directly, rather than through very convoluted signalling. So thats been our position. It wasnt necessarily widely accepted in 2022, but I think a lot of people have come around to that point of view right now the United States today, under President Trump, also is an advocate of the fact that there has to be a negotiated solution." On China, Jaishankar reflected upon the incredibly complicated matrix" with several different dimensions. Asked if the EU remains naive vis-a-vis China, he added: I would point to a certain evolution in Europes position and stance, but I would also make the point that its a very differentiated picture. Not all of Europe is obviously moving at the same speed and on the same wavelength. So, there are some which have different views, some who are more hard-headed. I would make that distinction." Jaishankar has been holding a series of wide-ranging discussions in Brussels this week, including with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas for the first India-EU Strategic Dialogue. PTI AK GSP GSP First Published: June 11, 2025, 23:15 IST Police officials exhibit apathy in kidnapping cases: Allahabad HC Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 09:30 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Prayagraj, Jun 11 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court has observed that while police officials often carve out a larger-than-life image for themselves, they shield themselves from addressing public grievances. While hearing a missing persons case, a bench comprising Justice JJ Munir and Justice Anil Kumar further noted that the police generally exhibit apathy in abduction/kidnapping cases, as no personal responsibility is fixed upon the officers. Recommended Stories The bench made the observation on Tuesday while dealing with a writ petition filed by one Nitesh Kumar regarding the disappearance of his brother, who he claimed was not being traced by the police officials concerned of Varanasi. The court directed the state government to file its reply in the matter and also sought a personal affidavit from the Commissioner of Police, Varanasi, on or before June 12, showing cause why the abductee has not been recovered so far. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all This lack of accountability often results in an abduction tragically turning into a murder due to their inaction, the bench said. The court suggested that if an abductee is not traced promptly and is eventually killed, the responsibility, prima facie, must be fixed on the head of the police under whose jurisdiction the abduction or kidnapping report was made and which later resulted in fatal consequences because the victim was not recovered. PTI COR RAJ DV DV First Published: June 11, 2025, 09:30 IST Russia returns 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen, gets 27 in return Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 21:15 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Moscow, Jun 11 (PTI) Russia on Wednesday returned 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen killed during the fighting on the eastern front and received 27 bodies in exchange. The transfer of fallen soldiers bodies has begun in accordance with the Istanbul agreements," Russian Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky wrote on his Telegram channel. Recommended Stories During the second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2, Russian negotiator Medinsky had offered to hand over 6,000 frozen bodies to Kiev without any preconditions and had expressed Moscows readiness to accept any such bodies of Russian servicemen. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Russia and Ukraine have also exchanged two batches of prisoners of war (PoWs) under the age of 25 as agreed in Istanbul. On June 12, they are preparing a humanitarian exchange of seriously wounded PoWs requiring urgent hospitalisation, Medinsky said, according to the state-controlled Vesti FM radio. PTI VS GSP GSP First Published: June 11, 2025, 21:15 IST Woman constable among three cops injured after hit by speeding car in Patna Last Updated: June 12, 2025, 04:30 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Patna, Jun 12 (PTI) Three security personnel, including a woman constable, were injured in an accident involving a speeding car near Patna, police said on Thursday. A Sub-Inspector, an Assistant Sub-Inspector and a woman constable were injured in the incident, which took place on Atal Path near the Srikrishna Puri locality in Patna in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Recommended Stories Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Awkash Kumar said, Three security personnel posted with Srikrishna Puri police station were checking vehicles on the Atal Path, when the incident happened. While they were checking a car, another speeding car hit it from the rear end, resulting in injuries to the three personnel. The driver of the speeding car managed to flee immediately after the accident." The injured police personnel were taken to the nearest hospital, where their condition is said to be stable, Kumar said. He said the police have arrested two passengers seated in the car responsible for the accident. PTI PKD RUK RUK First Published: June 12, 2025, 04:30 IST Zaras India FY25 sales flat at Rs 2,782.06 cr, profit up 23% to Rs 299.47 cr Last Updated: June 12, 2025, 01:00 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) Global fashion brand Zara has flat growth in its India sales as its revenue from operations was at Rs 2,782.06 crore for FY25, while its profit was up nearly 23 per cent to Rs 299.47 crore, according to the latest annual report of Trent Ltd. Inditex Trent Retail India Private Ltd (ITRIPL), a JV which is engaged in the operation of Zara stores in India, in FY24 had reported a revenue from operations at Rs 2,768.90 crore and a profit of Rs 243.84 crore. Recommended Stories ITRIPL is a JV between Spains Inditex, which owns luxury fashion brand Zara and Tata Groups retail arm Trent Ltd. Its total income, which includes other income, was up 2.26 per cent to Rs 2,839.50 crore for the financial year ended on March 31, 2025. Zara, which competes with the likes of other foreign brands such as H&M and UNIQLO in India, currently operates 22 stores across 13 cities. A year before, the entity for Zara was operating 23 stores across 12 cities. In FY25, Trent offloaded its stake in ITRIPL in the buyback offer made by ITRIPL. Consequent to the acceptance of the offer by ITRIPL, the Company holds 34.94 per cent of the equity shareholding (earlier 49%) in ITRIPL w.e.f. 30th August 2024," it said. The Inditex group of Spain has another similar JV association with Trent, which operates Massimo Dutti stores in India. Massimo Dutti India Pvt Ltd (MDIPL) operates three stores in India. Its revenue was also marginally down 0.7 per cent to Rs 100.37 crore in FY25, as against Rs 101.09 Crore in FY24. Like ITRIPL, Trent had sold 29 per cent of its shareholding in MDIPL in March 2025, reducing the Tata group firms shareholding in MDIPL to 20 per cent. The entities essentially facilitate distribution of Zara and Massimo Dutti products in India through their respective stores," it said. The business of both entities is essentially limited to the distribution of Zara and Massimo Dutti products in India. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Both entities are required to source merchandise only from the Inditex Group. Also, the choice of product and related specifications are at the latters discretion. Further, the entities are dependent on the Inditex group for permissions to use the said brands in India, subject to its terms and specifications. PTI KRH RHL First Published: June 12, 2025, 01:00 IST Watch: Modified Mahindra BE6 Leaves Mother Angry, Here's What Son Did Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 15:40 IST The viral clip has been shared by an influencer named yellowghost_6666 on his Instagram. He has been posting similar videos of modified cars to keep his audience entertained. Mahindra BE6. (File photo) Ever since the Mahindra BE6 and XEV 9E arrived in the Indian market, both electric SUVs have received an overwhelming response from customers. Despite being fully aggressive and bold, some people are still not satisfied with the looks and have modified the car to make it look better. A similar incident came to light, where a son wrapped the newly launched BE6 in pure yellow and received a bitter reaction from his mother. The viral clip has been shared by an influencer named yellowghost_6666 on his Instagram. He has been posting similar videos of modified cars to keep his audience entertained. Scroll down to watch the video. Recommended Stories Heres What His Mom Did View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chachu (@yellowghost_6666) Heres What Clip Says In the clip, it can be seen that the influencer is giving a backstory, educating his fans on how he did the colour and waiting for his moms reaction. As the clip goes further, it shows his mom arriving in the fully modified Toyota Fortuner. Initially, she struggled getting out of the SUV due to aftermarket heavy alloy wheels, enhancing its overall ground clearance. Reaction top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Later, the guy put his hands on his moms eyes to surprise her, expecting her would get happy. As soon as he removed his hands, his mother got angry and started running after him. In a furious mood, she picked up a stick and started beating him over his experiment in modification. Ever since the clip was shared on the internet, it has received a massive viewership and thousands of views. Fans bombarded the comment section with positive messages. Some called the moms gesture a universal move, some asked the influencer to upload the full video so that they can see her reaction more. About the Author Shahrukh Shah Shahrukh Shah, Sub-Editor at News18, loves to write about everything that moves on wheels. With years of experience and the required skill sets, he is contributing to the auto section, where he let people know ... Read More Shahrukh Shah, Sub-Editor at News18, loves to write about everything that moves on wheels. With years of experience and the required skill sets, he is contributing to the auto section, where he let people know ... Read More Get the latest updates on car and bike launches in India including reviews, prices, specs, and performance. Stay informed with breaking auto industry news , EV policies, and more, Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: June 11, 2025, 15:40 IST The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) will continue providing supplemental payments to vulnerable categories of Ukrainians through the end of July, the organization announced on Facebook. "Supplemental payments for pensioners, individuals not eligible for pensions, and persons with disabilities have been extended until the end of July! The WFP, in partnership with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine and the Pension Fund of Ukraine, continues to support pensioners and people with disabilities," the post stated. According to WFP, the program currently benefits over 315,000 Ukrainians each month, with total monthly assistance reaching approximately UAH 216 million. Eligible individuals receive a top-up payment to bridge the gap between their existing social benefit and UAH 3,250. No application or registration is required payments are made automatically via the same method used to deliver pensions or social benefits, whether by bank card or through Ukrposhta. Big Leadership Changes At Tata Sons On The Cards: New Priorities To Push The Group Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 10:32 IST Tata Sons plans a board reshuffle, investing Rs 30,000 crore in emerging businesses. Ralf Speth and Ajay Piramal will depart, and Tata Steel CEO TV Narendran may join the board. Tata Sons will pump Rs 30,000 crore ($3.5 billion) into emerging businesses like Tata Digital, Tata Electronics, Air India, defence, and battery operations. Tata Sons is preparing for a significant reshuffle in its boardroom, signalling a generational shift and a renewed focus on growth priorities for the conglomerate. According to The Economic Times report, the company will be looking to appoint new directors as vacancies open up on the board of the Tata Group holding entity. Focusing on future growth, Tata Sons will pump Rs 30,000 crore ($3.5 billion) into emerging businesses like Tata Digital, Tata Electronics, Air India, defence, and battery operations. The defence sector is singled out as a key strategic focus. This investment adds to the $120 billion already earmarked for new initiatives in recent years, according to the ET report. Recommended Stories Key Departures on the Horizon at Tata Group Ralf Speth, the former Jaguar Land Rover CEO who joined the board in 2016 in the aftermath of Cyrus Mistrys ouster, is expected to step down in the coming months upon reaching the retirement age of 70. Earlier in April, independent director Leo Puri also stepped down from the board. Another exit is anticipated next year, with veteran industrialist Ajay Piramal, 69, expected to retire mid-2025, in line with the companys board-level age cap of 70. T V Narendran Likely to Join Board Tata Steel CEO and MD TV Narendran is seen as a strong internal contender to fill one of the vacant seats, according to the ET report. There are very few senior Tata executives today with the depth of Narendrans experience and leadership," said a senior group executive, as per the report. If appointed, Narendrans elevation would mark a shift toward bringing proven business heads into Tata Sons core decision-making body. Evolution From Ratan Tatas 2016 Setup These upcoming board changes mark a gradual evolution from the structure instituted by former chairman Ratan Tata after Cyrus Mistrys dramatic exit. While several earlier appointees are moving on due to age limits, others like Harish Bhat and Banmali Agrawala continue in advisory or leadership roles within specific group businesses. Notably, the retirement rule does not apply to nominees from Tata Trusts. These include Noel Tata, Vijay Singh (76), and Venu Srinivasan (72), who continue to retain their seats. Independent directors Harish Manwani and Anita M. George remain on the board, with Manwani set to continue till 2027. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Move to Maintain Private Holding In a related development, Tata Sons has voluntarily applied to surrender its NBFC licence with the RBI after repaying over Rs 20,000 crore in debt. The move is aimed at retaining its structure as a privately held, unlisted entity a strategic decision aligned with long-term governance and control considerations. 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 11, 2025, 10:17 IST Rare Earths For Student Visas: Donald Trump Says US Has Finalised Trade Deal With China Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 18:26 IST Trump announces Beijing will supply rare earths and magnets under new US-China deal, agreement includes Chinese students returning to US universities. China's President Xi Jinping (R) greets US President Donald Trump before a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka. (IMAGE: AFP) US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that a new trade agreement with China is finalised, awaiting final approval from Chinese President Xi Jinping. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the agreement includes the complete supply of rare earth materials and magnets from China. The export of rare earths was a central issue in negotiations in London, according to several news outlets. Trump added that the US would, in return, permit Chinese students access to American universities, a provision he said was he was always good with". He also claimed the US is levying a total of 55% tariffs while China receives only 10%, although no official documentation of the deal has been released. Recommended Stories The relationship is excellent," Trump wrote in capitals, characterising the agreement as mutually beneficial. OUR DEAL WITH CHINA IS DONE, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL WITH PRESIDENT XI AND ME. FULL MAGNETS, AND ANY NECESSARY RARE EARTHS, WILL BE SUPPLIED, UP FRONT, BY CHINA. LIKEWISE, WE WILL PROVIDE TO CHINA WHAT WAS AGREED TO, INCLUDING CHINESE STUDENTS USING OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOOD WITH ME!)," he wrote. WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!" Ensuring access to the vital elements had become a top priority for US officials in talks with Chinese counterparts, when the two sides met last week in London. The rare earth issue has clearly overpowered the other parts of the trade negotiations because of stoppages at plants in the United States," said Paul Triolo, a technology expert at the Asia Society Policy Institutes Center for China Analysis, in an online seminar on Monday. Triolo told news agency AFP that the disruption, which forced US car giant Ford to temporarily halt production of its Explorer SUV, really got the attention of the White House". What Are Rare Earths and Where Are They Found? Rare earths are a group of 17 metals used in everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to military equipment and wind turbines. While not actually rare, they are hard to mine and refine. China dominates the global supply, producing most of the worlds rare earths and controlling nearly all of the processing. Other sources include the US, Australia, Myanmar, and India, but most still depend on China for refining. The Middle East has oil. China has rare earths," Deng Xiaoping, the late Chinese leader whose pro-market reforms set the country on its path to becoming an economic powerhouse, said in 1992. Since then, Beijings heavy investment in state-owned mining firms and lax environmental regulations compared to other industry players have turned China into the worlds top supplier. The country now accounts for 92 percent of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency. Why the Global Rush? Rare earths are essential to modern tech and defence systems. As demand grows, countries are racing to secure their own supplies. Chinas dominance has made rare earths a geopolitical tool, pushing the US and others to diversify and reduce dependence. The flow of rare earths from China to manufacturers around the world has slowed after Beijing in early April began requiring domestic exporters to apply for a licence, widely seen as a response to US tariffs. Under the new requirements which industry groups have said are complex and slow-moving seven key elements and related magnets require Beijings approval to be shipped to foreign buyers. The slowdown in licence approvals has raised concerns that more carmakers could be forced to pause production as they wait for shipments. Chinas commerce ministry said over the weekend that it had approved some export requests, describing itself as a responsible major country". It added that it was open to more dialogue with relevant countries". But the export bottleneck has underscored how heavily Washington still depends on Chinese rare earths to build defence equipment, even as tensions rise on both trade and security fronts. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all A recent analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies pointed out that a single F-35 fighter jet uses more than 400 kilograms of rare earth elements. (with additional inputs from AFP) About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev... Read More Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev... Read More Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: June 11, 2025, 17:58 IST Microsoft CEO Nadella Shares One Golden Rule To Help Youngsters Thrive In AI Era Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 07:10 IST During a chat with tech YouTuber Sajjad Khade, Nadella emphasised that success in tech world still relies on computational skill and system design skills. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was sharing useful advice in this podcast In the era of AI, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella advises computer science students and aspiring software engineers to concentrate on mastering the basics. During a chat with tech YouTuber Sajjad Khade, Nadella emphasised that while AI is automating coding and other complex tasks, success in the tech world still relies heavily on strong computational thinking and system design skills. Recommended Stories Focusing on the basics of software engineering is crucial," Nadella stated, stressing the need to break down problems logically and create structured solutionsabilities that AI cannot replicate. He underscored the importance of computational thinking. The Path to Software Architecture Nadella mentioned that AI is accelerating the journey to becoming a software architect. Everyone will need to understand systems at a higher level," he added, indicating the growing significance of system comprehension in the future. Pichai Also Speaks On Same Line In a podcast with Lex Fridman, Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared that AI aids in 30% of the code written at Google, freeing up human talent for more creative tasks. Google plans to hire more software engineers soon, as AI increases the companys engineering velocity by 10%. AI has boosted our engineering speed by 10%, but we still aim to hire more engineers next year," Pichai said, noting that AI allows engineers to focus on more enjoyable aspects of their work like design, architecture, and problem-solving. Vembu On AI top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Sridhar Vembu, Zoho founder, recently posted on X discussing AIs impact on jobs. He speculated on the scenario where all software development is automated, emphasizing that we are far from achieving this. Vembu highlighted that even if software engineers are rendered jobless, humans will still have tasks to perform. He pointed out the economic challenge: how can people afford goods from automated factories without being employed? Vembu proposed two solutions to this problem. Firstly, prices of AI-produced goods could drop significantly, possibly to zero, akin to the cost-free nature of breathing air. Secondly, remaining human-performed tasks, such as childcare, home-cooked meals, nursing, farming, forest restoration, and local live performances, could become highly paid. This would ensure income circulation, enabling people to purchase the cheap goods from automated factories. 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 11, 2025, 07:10 IST Mango Prices Crash Across India! King of Fruits Selling At Rs 4045/kg Amid Record Harvest Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 15:14 IST Mango prices have fallen significantly this year. Increased supply and early harvesting due to monsoon predictions are the main reasons Mango Prices Fall Mango prices have plunged by up to a third year-on-year in Uttar Pradesh, the largest mango-producing state in the country, due to a surge in supply, reported growers and traders, according to Economic Times. Prices for the popular Dasehri variety, for example, have fallen to Rs 4045 per kg from Rs 60 per kg last year. This year, the mango production in Uttar Pradesh is estimated to be around 35 lakh metric tonnes, as compared to 25 lakh metric tonnes last year. There was 100% flowering of the mango trees, which indicates that the production will be good," said S Insram Ali, president of the Mango Growers Association of India, in a statement to ET. Recommended Stories Ali explained to ET that while higher production was a key factor in the price drop, farmers also harvested mangoes early to prevent damage from the early monsoon, as forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department. The department had predicted higher-than-normal monsoon rainfall in the June-September period. It is unlikely that prices will go up in the coming weeks," Ali added, as reported by ET. In southern India, Totapuri mangoes grown in Andhra Pradeshs Tirupati and Chittoor districts have also seen prices fall sharply because mango pulp makers have yet to purchase mangoes from farmers, according to ET. Farmers there also plucked mangoes early in anticipation of the monsoon. Pulp factories havent started procurement as they still have leftover stock from last year," said Sudhir Reddy, a mango trader from Tirupati, speaking to ET. In West Bengal, a leading mango-producing state, prices of high-quality mangoes have also plungedfrom Rs 80 to Rs 4550 per kg. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Production is good this year. Early plucking by the farmers has also resulted in prices falling," said Prasanta Pal, a mango trader from Kolkata, as per ET. In 2024, global mango production reached 25 million metric tonnes (MT), led by India, which accounted for about half of the worlds supply, according to ET. China (3.8 million MT) and Indonesia (3.6 million MT) followed as the second and third largest producers, respectively. Uttar Pradesh contributes about 20% of Indias mango output. About the Author Aparna Deb Aparna Deb is a Subeditor and writes for the business vertical of News18.com. She has a nose for news that matters. She is inquisitive and curious about things. Among other things, financial markets, economy, a... Read More Aparna Deb is a Subeditor and writes for the business vertical of News18.com. She has a nose for news that matters. She is inquisitive and curious about things. Among other things, financial markets, economy, a... Read More First Published: June 11, 2025, 15:14 IST Tata Electronics Sends Hundreds Of Employees To Taiwan For Chipmaking Training Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 17:22 IST Tata Electronics is sending employees to Taiwan for training at PSMC to build a skilled semiconductor workforce for its fab in Dholera and OSAT in Assam. Given the limited training capacity of PSMC at any given time, Tata Electronics is following a phased and structured approach. Tata Electronics is ramping up efforts to build a skilled semiconductor workforce by sending hundreds of employees to Taiwan for specialised training, as its ambitious plans for a semiconductor fabrication (fab) and outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) facilities gain momentum, The Economic Times has reported, citing people aware of the development. According to the report, the Tata Groups electronics arm has already dispatched a couple of hundred" employees to Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) its Taiwanese technology partner to be trained in the critical skills needed to run its upcoming fab in Dholera, Gujarat. Recommended Stories The number of Tata Electronics employees heading to Taiwan for training has certainly gone up as the company prepares for its fab," one person aware of the development told ET, adding, Talent is the biggest gap." Given the limited training capacity of PSMC at any given time, the company is following a phased and structured approach. Around 50 to 75 people are being sent per batch. Its a very methodical, thoughtful process," the person added, as per the report. Rs 91,000-Crore Fab in Dholera, Rs 27,000-Crore OSAT in Assam Tata Electronics Rs 91,000-crore chipmaking facility in Dholera is expected to create over 20,000 direct and indirect jobs, while the Rs 27,000-crore OSAT facility in Assam is projected to generate around 27,000 jobs, according to the report. At the Dholera fabs groundbreaking event in March 2024, Union Electronics & IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the first chip from the Dholera facility is expected by December 2026, and the Assam OSATs first phase will be operational by mid-2025. Functional Hiring and Global Expertise top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all According to the report, Tata Electronics is recruiting in batches of around 75, divided by operational roles such as equipment, yield engineering, process technology, and quality engineering the last of which requires fewer personnel. The company is blending fresh graduates with professionals who have a few years of industry experience and sending them for hands-on training to Taiwan. Tata Electronics has also brought in seasoned talent from global semiconductor leaders like Intel and GlobalFoundries, ET added. 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 11, 2025, 17:21 IST Can I Change Tax Regime While Filing ITR? Check Comparison Of New Regime Vs Old Regime Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 16:11 IST Salaried individuals can switch tax regimes annually when filing ITR; business owners can switch once; the new regime offers lower rates but fewer deductions. Salaried individuals and pensioners can choose either regime at the time of filing their income tax return (ITR) every year. ITR Filing 2025: As the ITR filing 2025 season is going on with a total of 12,33,162 income tax returns already filed, salaried individuals are awaiting their Form 16 from employer to file ITR this year. There is a common question among taxpayers: Can I change my tax regime while filing my ITR? Experts said the answer depends on your source of income and how you plan your taxes for the financial year. Understanding the Old vs New Tax Regime Recommended Stories Introduced in FY 2020-21 under Section 115BAC, the new tax regime offers lower tax rates but removes most deductions and exemptions such as HRA, standard deduction, 80C, etc. Also Read: Can You File Missed ITRs For 4 Years? Heres How The New ITR-U Window Works The old regime, on the other hand, continues to allow taxpayers to claim various deductions and exemptions, but with comparatively higher slab rates. Old vs New Tax Regime: Heres a comparison for FY25 or AY26: New Tax Regime (Default for AY 2025-26) Income Slab (Rs) Tax Rate Up to 3,00,000 Nil 3,00,001 6,00,000 5% 6,00,001 9,00,000 10% 9,00,001 12,00,000 15% 12,00,001 15,00,000 20% Above 15,00,000 30% Standard deduction of Rs 50,000 available for salaried and pensioners Section 87A rebate: No tax up to Rs 7 lakh taxable income Most exemptions and deductions not allowed (except for NPS employer contribution, EPF interest, etc.) Old Tax Regime Income Slab (Rs) Tax Rate Up to 2,50,000 Nil 2,50,001 5,00,000 5% 5,00,001 10,00,000 20% Above 10,00,000 30% Can You Switch Tax Regimes While Filing ITR? Yes, salaried individuals and pensioners can choose either regime at the time of filing their income tax return (ITR) every year. If you didnt inform your employer during the year or now wish to change your tax regime, you can do so at the time of filing your return," said an income tax practitioner. However, for those with business or professional income, the flexibility is limited, he added. Who Can Switch Annually? Salaried individuals and pensioners: They individuals can switch between old and new tax regimes every year. Self-employed or business owners: They can opt in or out only once. After opting out of the new regime once, they cannot choose it again in future years (unless business income ceases). This is governed by Section 115BAC of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Is the Tax Regime Option Locked Once Selected? Salaried individuals: No, its not locked. You can change your choice every assessment year. Business/profession income taxpayers: Yes, once you switch back to the old regime, you cannot opt for the new regime again unless you stop having business income. How to Change Tax Regime While Filing ITR? You can choose your preferred tax regime directly while filing your ITR online. Heres how: Steps to change tax regime on the Income Tax Portal: Login to https://www.incometax.gov.in Go to e-File > Income Tax Return > File Income Tax Return Select the relevant Assessment Year Choose Online Mode of filing On the Personal Information page, youll see the question: Are you opting for the new tax regime under section 115BAC? Choose Yes (for new regime) or No (for old regime) If you select Yes, you may be required to submit Form 10IEA (for AY 2024-25 onwards) Continue filling out the return and submit Note: From AY 2024-25 onwards, the new tax regime is the default. You need to opt out if you want to stick with the old regime. FAQs 1. Can I switch back to the old regime after opting for the new one? Salaried individuals: Yes, every year. Business income: You can switch only once. After opting out of the new regime, you cannot opt in again unless your business/professional income ceases. 2. What happens if I forget to choose the regime while filing ITR? If you dont make a choice: From AY 2024-25, the new regime will be applied by default. You will miss out on deductions allowed in the old regime unless you opt out explicitly. 3. Is Form 10IEA required? Yes, for AY 2024-25 onwards, Form 10IEA is mandatory for opting in or out of the new regime in some cases especially for those with business income. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Salaried individuals usually do not need to file it unless explicitly asked based on portal prompts. So, you can change your tax regime while filing ITR, but only salaried individuals have the freedom to switch every year. Business owners or professionals can make the change only once. Be mindful of the tax-saving opportunities each regime offers and make your choice wisely based on actual calculations. About the Author Mohammad Haris Haris is Deputy News Editor (Business) at news18.com. He writes on various issues related to markets, economy and companies. Having a decade of experience in financial journalism, Haris has been previously asso... Read More Haris is Deputy News Editor (Business) at news18.com. He writes on various issues related to markets, economy and companies. Having a decade of experience in financial journalism, Haris has been previously asso... Read More First Published: June 11, 2025, 12:16 IST Karnataka Woman Laced Familys Food With Sleeping Pills To Hide Affair, Arrested Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 19:26 IST Police say Chaitra plotted the poisoning with her lover to hide her affair. A representative AI-generated image showing a woman secretly adding pills to food. (IMAGE: DALLE 3 ENGINE) A 33-year-old woman has been arrested in Karnatakas Hassan district for allegedly trying to poison her husband and in-laws by lacing their food with sleeping pills, broadcaster NDTV said in a report. The woman, Chaitra, is married to Gajendra, a resident of Belur taluk in Hassan. The couple has been married for 11 years and have two sons. Recommended Stories Police said Chaitra was in an extramarital relationship and wanted to keep it secret. With the help of her lover, Shivu, she began mixing sleeping pills into food served to the family. Gajendra grew suspicious and reported the matter to Belur police, who arrested Chaitra and launched an investigation. Officers said the relationship between Chaitra and her husband had worsened over the past three years, with frequent arguments. During this period, she allegedly began an affair with a man named Puneeth. When Gajendra found out, he informed her family, and they attempted to mediate. However, police said Chaitra later began another affair with Shivu, a resident of Belur, and hatched a plan with him to poison the family. She allegedly feared her husband would find out about the new relationship. The case is likely to draw comparisons to the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, where the newlywed from Indore was allegedly killed by contract killers hired by his wife, Sonam, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Rajas body was found at the base of a gorge near Wei Sawdong Falls after the couple went missing on May 23. Sonam was arrested in Ghazipur on June 9, with police claiming she plotted the murder with her ex-lover Raj Kushwaha. CCTV footage, call records and witness accounts backed the polices claims. Four people have been arrested so far, while one suspect remains missing. Sonams family has denied the allegations and demanded a CBI probe. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev... Read More Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev... Read More First Published: June 11, 2025, 19:26 IST 'Citizens Entitled To Correct Records: Delhi HC Orders CBSE To Fix Student Record Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 13:41 IST The Delhi High Court has underscored the "presumption of correctness" of official birth certificates and told the CBSE to rectify the record of a student. Delhi HC ordered CBSE to correct a students date of birth, stating birth certificates carry legal correctness. (Representative Image) The Delhi High Court underscored that official birth certificates carry a presumption of correctness" and ordered the CBSE to correct a students records. A bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish V Shankar stressed the need for all official documents to match, as this helps maintain clarity in public records and protects a citizens identity. The court said that the date of birth is an important part of a persons identity, as reported by the news agency PTI. Recommended Stories A citizen of this country is entitled to a true and correct narration of all necessary and relevant particulars in the public documents that pertain to them. The CBSE is a record keeper of considerable importance," the court said. The remarks came while the court was hearing an appeal filed by CBSE against an earlier order directing it to correct a students date of birth in certificates issued back in 1999. The court said that documents like a birth certificate issued by a competent authority are legally presumed to be correct. In this case, the judges found no valid reason for CBSE to ignore the birth certificate. Accordingly, the board is expected to take due notice of such statutory public documents and effect consequential corrections in the records of the appellant," the court said. The court also said that every citizen is entitled to have correct information in their public documents. It pointed out that the matriculation certificate is often treated as solid proof of date of birth. In this case, the student had requested CBSE to change the date of birth in its records based on a birth certificate issued by the Greater Chennai Corporation. ALSO READ: TS LAWCET 2025 Answer Key Released At lawcet.tgche.ac.in, Raise Objection By June 13 In its June 4 order, the court noted that there was no dispute over the genuineness of the birth certificate. It said if CBSEs records were different from what was mentioned in the students passport, which had already been corrected, it could lead to confusion when applying for jobs, visas, or other purposes. CBSE had argued that the correction request came too late, long after the deadline set by its examination rules, and that no records were available after such a long period. The single judge had earlier ruled that the wrong date of birth in CBSE records was not due to a simple typing error but was likely a genuine mistake. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The High Court agreed with the single judge and dismissed CBSEs appeal. 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 11, 2025, 13:41 IST CLAT PG 2025 Revised Result Out, Counselling Registration Begins Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 14:31 IST CLAT PG 2025 counselling registration has begun today, June 11 at 1 pm. Candidates must submit preferences before deadline. The Consortium of NLUs announced the Common Law Admission Test Postgraduate (CLAT PG) 2025 results on June 10. CLAT PG 2025 Revised Result: The Consortium of NLUs has announced the CLAT PG 2025 results on June 10. Candidates can now check and download their scorecards by logging into their accounts on the official website at consortiumofnlus.ac.in. The CLAT PG 2025 exam was held earlier on December 1, 2024, across 141 test centres in 25 states and 4 Union Territories. Following a recent Delhi High Court order dated June 6, 2025, the Consortium released an updated final answer key along with the revised results. Two questions were withdrawn, reducing the total marks to 118. Recommended Stories After the results, eligible candidates will be invited for the admission counselling process based on the updated rank list and each NLUs admission matrix. Candidates are advised to log in to their CLAT accounts regularly to check their counselling invitations for every round. CLAT PG 2025 Counselling Registration Begins June 11 The registration process for CLAT PG 2025 counselling will open at 1 PM on June 11 and continue until 5 PM on June 13. During this period, candidates must submit at least 15 preferences for NLUs. They can update their preferences multiple times until the registration window closes. Counselling Fees For the counselling process, candidates in the general category must pay Rs 30,000, while those belonging to ST, SC, OBC, BC, EWS, and PwD categories will need to pay Rs 20,000. ALSO READ: Seat Allotment Options: Freeze, Float, Exit Once a seat is allotted in any counselling round, candidates can choose from three options: Freeze: To confirm the allotted seat, candidates must pay a non-refundable confirmation fee of Rs 20,000 within the specified time in the first, second, or third round. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Float: If the allotted seat is not the candidates first preference, they can opt for the Float option, keeping open the possibility of being allotted a higher preference NLU in the next round. Exit: Candidates who wish to withdraw from the counselling process at any stage can choose the Exit option. 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 11, 2025, 14:31 IST Teacher Negligence Causes 99% Students To Fail Board Exams In Tamil Nadu School Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 09:14 IST In Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu, 242 students failed due to teacher negligence. One teacher was suspended, seven transferred, and new oversight measures were introduced Out of 264 Class 12 students, only 157 passed, while just 71 out of 107 cleared Class 10. (News18) A shocking report has emerged from a government school in Pudukottai district, Tamil Nadu, where widespread teacher negligence led to a staggering 99% student failure rate in recent board exams. The district education departments investigation uncovered teachers prioritising gossip and personal matters over teaching, resulting in dire consequences for hundreds of pupils. Disciplinary action has been taken, and new measures are in place to ensure teachers accountability. Teachers Gossiping Instead Of Teaching Recommended Stories Imagine attending school, ready to study, only to find your teacher gossiping in the staff room or busy with their mobile phone. This was the reality at Aranthangi Government Model Higher Secondary School for Boys in Pudukottai district, Tamil Nadu, where out of 264 Class 12 students, only 157 managed to pass. In the case of Class 10, merely 71 students out of 107 succeeded, while around 99 Class 11 students also failed. Following the alarming results, the district education department conducted an inquiry. The investigation uncovered gross negligence, with many teachers spending their time in the staff room, attending to personal matters or their phones, rather than fulfilling their teaching responsibilities. Misleading Internal Marks Adding to the concern, the school had awarded high marks in internal assessments to paint an inaccurately positive picture of the students performance. Students were awarded disproportionately high marks to mask the lack of proper academic preparation. However, the board exam results revealed that the students were not adequately prepared. Disciplinary Actions Taken Disciplinary action was swiftly taken. One teacher was suspended, and seven others were transferred. The former headmaster, who had retired, was replaced by C Thamarai, the headmaster of Avudaiyarkoil School, who will now oversee the institution. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all To prevent similar incidents in the future, Aranthangi MLA T. Ramachandran convened an emergency meeting. To improve oversight, a WhatsApp group comprising the School Management Committee (SMC), teachers, and local community members has been established to monitor daily school activities. Until new teachers are officially appointed, the SMC will assist with teaching duties to ensure students education continues without interruption. Location : Tamil Nadu, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 09:14 IST Photo: https://www.facebook.com/minenergoUkraine The Energy Efficiency Fund (EEF) is entering a new phase, having received financial support of EUR 18 million from the European Union and the German governments International Climate Initiative (ICI), including investment grants and technical assistance, the EU Delegation to Ukraine has said. It is noted that the funding was confirmed at the 10th Coordination Board meeting, which took place on June 11 at the EU Delegation to Ukraine. "This contribution reinforces the EU and Germanys ongoing support for Ukraines energy independence and green recovery and will allow the EEF to expand its residential energy efficiency programmes to cover a larger number of users," the report says. Homeowners associations remain key partners in the implementation of the Funds activities. Their role in initiating and managing building renovation projects is crucial to achieving results on the ground. "I was involved in the creation of the Energy Efficiency Fund at its inception, working at the European Commission. Since then, it has come a long way - step by step - to today's 1,500 implemented projects, which is an amazing result. Today, when Russia is shelling Ukrainian homes almost every night, the VidnovyDIM Fund program helps families cover the costs of repairing walls, roofs and windows so that they can return home safely and with dignity. In parallel, through the EnergoDIM program, we continue to support the thermal modernization of old buildings, which allows us to reduce energy consumption and monthly costs," EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova said. She emphasized that the Fund currently saves as much energy each year as a city like Chernivtsi consumes. "I am proud to announce a new contribution of EUR18 million to the Fund from the EU and Germany," the ambassador said. Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy, Maximilian Rasch, emphasized that the Energy Efficiency Fund has consistently demonstrated its value as a reliable and forward-looking partner, providing tangible support to homeowners in difficult times and responding to changing realities with flexibility and commitment. Looking ahead, Germany remains firmly committed to working with the Energy Efficiency Fund to achieve sustainability and scale, he emphasized. The Energy Efficiency Fund (EEF), supported by the EU (EUR 104 million) and Germany through a trust fund managed by IFC, is implementing two flagship programs for homeowners associations. VidnovyDIM offers full grants and technical assistance for the renovation of war-damaged residential buildings, covering structural and energy works. EnergoDIM, launched in 2019, provides co-financed grants for comprehensive thermal modernization insulation, new windows, heating systems, and energy management which helps reduce energy consumption, lower bills, and increase comfort. Can Maharaja Suheldev vs Gazi Salar Masud Pitch Swing 2027 UP Battle? BJP Hopes So Written By : News18.com Edited By: Apoorva Misra Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 16:40 IST Suheldev holds symbolic value among the Rajbhar and Pasi communities, both considered crucial in eastern Uttar Pradeshs caste arithmetic Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during the inauguration of a statue of Maharaja Suheldev, in Bahraich district of UP. (PTI) On the face of it, it was a cultural event celebrating a largely folkloric warrior-king from the 11th century. But scratch the surface and political meaning emerges: the BJP, analysts say, is shaping a sharp counter-narrative to the Samajwadi Party-led PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) pitch by resurrecting historical memory loaded with communal, cultural, and caste resonances. Recommended Stories The Suheldev Vijayotsav, marked by the unveiling of a 40-feet tall equestrian statue of Maharaja Suheldev at Chittora Lake, became the stage for the chief minister to launch a blistering ideological assault. Targeting the SP and Congress, Yogi accused them of appeasing foreign invaders" for Muslim votes and glorifying figures like Gazi Salar Masuda medieval figure buried in Bahraich, revered by many but labelled an invader" by the Right-wing. Invader Vs Liberator In his speech, Yogi invoked Suheldevs legendary victory against Salar Masud and thanked those who stopped organising events in Masuds name. Bahraich should celebrate Suheldevs legacy, not that of Salar Masud. He was an invader, and a symbol of slavery," said the CM, adding that the annual fairs in honour of Masud promoted a ghulami ki mansikta" (slavery mindset). He also linked the issue to temple politics, asking rhetorically: Who were those who opposed the Ram temple in Ayodhya? Who stood against the Kashi Vishwanath corridor?" and answered it himself They were the same people who praised invaders like Gazi." Yogi also oversaw the ceremonial ann-prashan of five infants, all named Suheldev, in a symbolic gesture of passing heritage to the next generation. He distributed cheques of Rs5 lakh each to entrepreneurs under the Mukhyamantri Yuva Udyami Yojana and emphasised the BJPs commitment to honouring real national heroes." Response To SPs PDA Pitch? Political analysts see more than just cultural revivalism in this script. According to Shashikant Pandey, head of department of political sciences at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, This event was a clear attempt to polarise non-Yadav OBCs under a unifying Hindutva banner. By pitting Suheldev against Salar Masud, the BJP is aiming to split the PDA bloc especially among Rajbhar, Pasi and other backward castes who claim Suheldev as part of their legacy." Suheldev holds symbolic value among the Rajbhar and Pasi communities, both considered crucial in eastern Uttar Pradeshs caste arithmetic. The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), led by Om Prakash Rajbhar, is back in NDA fold after a brief SP alliance. The Suheldev vs Masud binary, political observers say, could help the BJP strengthen its hold on non-Yadav OBCs by offering a civilisational pride narrative in place of caste-based mobilisation. Rajbhar Vote A Key Target According to Pandey, the event in Bahraich carried a layered political messaging aimed at more than just countering the Samajwadi Partys PDA narrative. Beyond the visible cultural symbolism, this was also a strategic outreach to the Rajbhar community," he said. Suheldev is a revered figure among Rajbhars, and invoking him at such a grand scale is BJPs attempt to emotionally consolidate that vote bank, which has shown volatility in recent years." Pandey pointed out that there are approximately 70-80 lakh Rajbhar voters in Uttar Pradesh, spread predominantly across eastern districts such as Azamgarh, Ghazipur, Mau, Ballia, Deoria, and of course, Bahraich. The Rajbhars can swing the outcome in 25 to 30 assembly seats, and their alignment with SBSP under Om Prakash Rajbhar has earlier given both SP and BJP key electoral advantages," he noted. By placing Suheldev in direct contrast to Salar Masud, the BJP is not only reinforcing Hindu pride but also ensuring that caste pride aligns with religious and nationalist sentiment a classic saffron strategy." Yogi Blames SP-Congress The UP CM also blamed the Samajwadi Party and Congress for turning a blind eye to foreign aggressors" in pursuit of Muslim votes. When we celebrate Sardar Patel, SP sings praises of Jinnah. When we talk about Maharaja Suheldev, they rush to talk about Gazi Miyans marriage," said Yogi, ridiculing past efforts to promote what he termed appeasement politics." He thanked those who stopped events associated with Gazi Salar Masud and called for a complete halt to commemorations in the names of invaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear national heroes must be honoured, not invaders," Yogi asserted. The Statue & The Symbolism The newly inaugurated bronze statue of Maharaja Suheldev touted as Indias tallest of a warrior on a rearing horse stands at Chittora Lake, eight kilometres from Bahraich town. Sculpted by Padma Shri awardee Ram Sutar under the supervision of the UP Lalit Kala Akademi, the statue is part of a larger memorial whose foundation was laid virtually by PM Modi in February 2021. The Historical Fog Suheldevs historicity remains contested. There is little mention of him in 11th-century Persian chronicles. His tale surfaces in the 14th-century Ajaib-ul-Khusurowi by Amir Khusrau and then more prominently in the 17th-century Mirat-e-Masudi, a hagiographic account of Salar Masud. According to these sources, Suheldev was the son of King Moolraj of Shravasti and led a coalition of local rulers to resist Muslim advances in the Terai belt. The defining battle is said to have taken place near Bahraich around 1033 AD, where Suheldev defeated and killed Salar Masud. However, historians like Dr Rajkishore of Bahraich say Suheldev is more a hero of legend than history," with multiple castes Rajbhars, Pasis, Bhar, even Jains claiming him as their own. One account even suggests Suheldev adopted Jainism, possibly because Brahmin priests would not anoint kings from lower castes." In eastern UPs folklore, however, Suheldev is remembered as the defender of the land" against Islamic expansion. A Battle of Memory and Identity top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Tuesdays event, thus, wasnt just about remembering a long-forgotten king, but about scripting a new narrativeone where historical memory, myth, caste identity, and political ideology converge. In the run-up to the 2027 state elections, such symbolic battles over statues, festivals, and forgotten figures are likely to intensify. As one local BJP leader said off the record, In Purvanchal, its not just about who votes. Its about whose story is told louder. And Suheldev is now our story." First Published: June 11, 2025, 16:40 IST DUs Course On Intimate Relationships, Heartbreak & Red Flags: What Will Students Learn? Explained Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 18:59 IST The four-credit paper will help learners identify red flags, navigate emotional complexities, and build healthy interpersonal bonds The course will be open to all undergraduate students, irrespective of discipline. (File) The Delhi University (DU) is set to launch a new elective course Negotiating Intimate Relationships for undergraduate students from the 2025-26 academic session, according to the Times of India. The four-credit paper will help learners identify red flags, navigate emotional complexities, and build healthy interpersonal bonds. It will help students understand the dynamics of friendships and romantic relationships. Recommended Stories The Department of Psychologys course has been listed on the universitys official website since 2023. It will be open to all undergraduate students, irrespective of discipline. Clearing Class 12 examination is compulsory. KEY THEMES AND STRUCTURE Unit 1: Psychology behind friendships and close bonds. Unit 2: Different theories of love and sexuality, including the triangular theory of love by Robert Sternberg and the two-factor theory. Unit 3: Warning signs in relationships such as jealousy, emotional manipulation, and intimate partner violence. Unit 4: Strategies to nurture fulfilling and long-lasting relationships. CLASSES Three lectures and one tutorial every week. Tutorials will include interactive exercises such as movie reviews, debates on dating culture, group discussions, and social media network analysis. Films such as Kabir Singh and Titanic will be reviewed to critically examine portrayals of love and conflict. Students will also use Sternbergs triangular love scale to assess ones love towards a romantic partner. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all BOOSTING STUDENTS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE To understand the foundations of intimate relationships. Recognise emotional triggers and conflicts. Cultivate the ability to form meaningful and respectful bonds. By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to analyse the psychological roots of love and distress, and apply these insights to real-life situations. About the Author Manjiri Joshi At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing special copies ... Read More At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing special copies ... Read More First Published: June 11, 2025, 18:48 IST India Was Once Called Bharatvarsha. Heres What 'Varsha' Actually Means Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 13:12 IST Bharatvarsha, Indias ancient name, reflects deep cultural, mythological and historical roots. Recognised in the Indian Constitution, it signifies more than just geography During the Indian independence movement, national leaders and scholars revived the use of Bharat to reassert the countrys deep-rooted cultural and historical identity. (News18) Whats in a name? When it comes to India, quite a lot. Long before the subcontinent came to be known as India, it was called Bharatvarsha, a name steeped in ancient history, mythology, and cultural identity. Far more than a geographical label, Bharatvarsha reflects the spiritual and civilisational ethos of a land that has endured for millennia. Exploring the evolution of Indias name uncovers the story of a nation deeply rooted in its past yet ever-evolving in the present. Historical Significance Of The Name Bharatvarsha Recommended Stories When Alexander the Great journeyed to the Indian subcontinent, he referred to it as Indica. During their rule, the British named it India, while visitors from Persia and the Mughal Empire used the term Hindustan. In modern usage, the country is commonly known as India, though the name Bharatvarsha continues to be used in more formal, literary, and historical contexts. Have you ever wondered why the term Varsha is used in Bharatvarsha? Following independence, the Constitution of India, enacted in 1950, officially recognised both Bharat and India as the names of the nation. Article 1 of the Constitution clearly states: India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States." As a result, Bharat was formally adopted as a recognised name, while the use of Bharatvarsha became more limited to traditional and scholarly references. Importantly, Bharatvarsha encompasses not only the geographical identity of the nation but also its rich cultural, historical, and religious legacy, reflecting the profound roots of Indian civilisation. What Does Varsha In Bharatvarsha Signify? The word Bharatvarsha is derived from two elements: Bharat and Varsha. The name Bharat has roots in ancient Indian literature and mythology, with two prominent sources of origin. In Hindu mythology, it is associated with Emperor Bharat, the son of King Dushyant of Hastinapur and Queen Shakuntala, a story detailed in Kalidasas classic play Abhijnanasakuntalam and in the Mahabharata. Bharat is described as a great ruler who governed a vast expanse, which came to be known as Bharatvarsha in his honour. He was said to be the ancestor of the Pandavas and Kauravas. In Jain tradition, Bharat refers to the son of the first Tirthankara, Rishabhnath. Jain texts such as the Adipurana narrate how Rishabhnath made his son Bharata the sovereign of this land, which subsequently took his name as Bharatvarsha. Concept Of Jambudweep In Ancient Indian Geography In Sanskrit, the word Varsha denotes a division or region. In ancient Indian cosmology, the Earth was conceived as being divided into several regions, known as Varshas, one of which formed part of Jambudweep, the terrestrial realm described in ancient scriptures. Jambudweep was segmented into nine regions or Varshas, and Bharatvarsha was one among them. Thus, Bharatvarsha refers not only to a geographical territory but also to a space imbued with cultural and spiritual meaning. Sacred texts such as the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana identify Bharatvarsha as the southern portion of Jambudweep, describing it as a region sanctified by spiritual merit and moral duty. Scriptural References To Bharatvarsha Indian scriptures hold Bharatvarsha in high esteem, often portraying it as a sacred land. The Vishnu Purana refers to it as Karmabhoomi, a land where individuals may attain salvation through righteous deeds. It was not only geographically significant but also a centre of learning, philosophy, religion, and civilisation. The Mahabharata describes Bharatvarsha as an expansive and unified land stretching from the Himalayas in the north to the southern seas. The Puranas list Bharatvarsha among the nine divisions of Jambudweep, detailing its sacred rivers such as the Ganga and Yamuna, and revered mountain ranges like the Himalayas and Vindhyas. In the Manusmriti, the region is also called Aryavarta, denoting a civilisation shaped by knowledge, discipline, and spiritual pursuits. Geographical Extent Of Bharatvarsha According to ancient texts, the boundaries of Bharatvarsha spanned from the Himalayan mountains to the southern seas, and from the Bay of Bengal in the east to the Arabian Sea in the west. Over time, the name Bharatvarsha was gradually shortened to Bharat. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Indias long and diverse history is marked by various dynasties, empires, and periods of foreign rule, each influencing the nomenclature of the region. During the reigns of the Mauryas, Guptas, medieval Rajputs, Mughals, and eventually the British, the land was known by various names. The British popularised the name India, which was derived from the Greek and Latin word Indus (used for the river Sindhu). However, during the Indian independence movement, national leaders and scholars revived the use of Bharat to reassert the countrys deep-rooted cultural and historical identity. First Published: June 11, 2025, 13:12 IST New AC Temperature Rules: What It Means For Indian Homes And How It Compares Globally Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 16:33 IST New AC Temperature Rules: Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced new rules that will soon make it mandatory for ACs to operate only within a set temperature range The government has proposed new rules limiting AC temperatures to reduce energy consumption and emissions. A Big Shift In How Indians Will Use Air Conditioners In a major move to promote energy efficiency and reduce electricity consumption, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced new provisions that will soon make it mandatory for air conditioners across India to operate only within a set temperature range between 20C and 28C. This step is aimed at regulating energy use across households and commercial spaces, especially at a time when India is grappling with rising electricity demand and increasingly severe heatwaves. Recommended Stories Manohar Lal Khattar said, A new provision is being implemented soon regarding air conditioning standards. The temperature standardisation for ACs will be set between 20C to 28C, which means we will not be able to cool below 20C or heat above 28C." The minister described the move as a bold step" to address inefficient cooling practices and reduce excessive energy usage caused by setting air conditioners at extremely low temperatures. What Do The New Rules Say? The new directive from the Centre will cap the operational temperature range of all air conditioners, whether in homes or commercial settings. In practical terms, this means users will not be able to set their ACs below 20C or above 28C. Currently, many air conditioners available in the market allow temperatures as low as 16C or 18C, and heating settings going up to 30C. Under the revised standards, manufacturers will need to reprogramme devices or issue software updates to ensure compliance with the new 20C28C range. The government has indicated that implementation will be monitored, though specific enforcement measures, particularly across sectors, are yet to be detailed. Why Has The Government Taken This Step? The rationale behind the move lies in a broader national policy push for sustainable energy usage. With the urban middle class expanding rapidly and air conditioner penetration increasing each year, India is witnessing a sharp surge in electricity consumption during peak summer months. Air conditioners, particularly when operated at very low temperatures, put an enormous load on the power grid. According to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), most Indians set their ACs at around 2021C, far lower than what is necessary for thermal comfort. These practices not only spike electricity bills but also lead to higher emissions from coal-fired power plants that supply the bulk of Indias electricity. By setting a minimum cooling threshold at 20C and a maximum heating cap at 28C, the government aims to improve energy efficiency, reduce strain on the national electricity grid, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and bring about a behavioural shift in how people use cooling systems. The goal is not just compliance through technology, but a mindset change around responsible energy use. How Much Electricity Can You Save? The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has long advocated for responsible air conditioning practices. Its data shows that increasing your AC temperature by just one degree can reduce electricity usage by roughly 6 per cent. To put this in perspective, simply raising the temperature from 20C to 24C could lead to savings of up to 24 per cent. Over an entire summer season, this could translate into significantly lower electricity bills for households and reduced load on the national grid. What many people do not realise is that cooling a room to 16C in a country as warm and humid as India is neither necessary nor healthy. Experts note that the optimal comfort zone for indoor spaces lies between 24C and 26C, especially when taking into account humidity, ventilation, and regular clothing. The new guidelines therefore align closely with actual comfort levels rather than imposing undue discomfort on users. How Does India Compare To Global Standards? Indias new AC temperature norms echo a growing global trend of regulating indoor cooling to conserve energy and reduce emissions. Several countries have already implemented similar rules, some as government mandates, others as strong public guidelines, particularly targeting public and commercial buildings where energy use is concentrated. In Japan, the Ministry of Environment recommends that air conditioners be set at 28C during summer months, especially in offices. The policy is backed by public awareness campaigns and corporate compliance, though it remains advisory in nature. Spain took a stricter route in 2022, passing legislation that mandates public buildings, offices, and commercial establishments maintain cooling temperatures no lower than 27C. The rule is part of the countrys energy-saving plan amid rising electricity costs and climate concerns. In the United States, while not a legal requirement, the Energy Star programme recommends households set air conditioners to 25.5C (78F) when occupied, supported by incentives and utility-driven awareness efforts. China enforces a minimum cooling temperature of 26C in government buildings, especially during peak summer months. The rule is mandatory and includes penalties for non-compliance in public sector buildings. Australia regulates the energy efficiency of air conditioners, rather than how cold they can be set. Through Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), only air conditioners that meet specific efficiency benchmarks are allowed to be sold in the country. However, there is no national mandate on thermostat settings. While individual state agencies and workplace guidelines often recommend comfort temperatures of around 22C to 24C, especially in offices, these are advisory, not enforceable rules. Italy mandates that public buildings, including schools and post offices, must not set cooling below 25C. This measure was introduced to cut energy costs and curb emissions as part of the EUs climate targets. Belgium, like Spain and Italy, has set specific indoor climate rules for public buildings cooling must not go below 27C, while heating is capped at 19C in winter. These are legally enforced and part of a broader effort to promote energy responsibility in public infrastructure. Indias proposed range of 20C to 28C offers more operational flexibility than most of these examples. While countries like Spain and China impose limits only on public institutions, India is expected to apply the rule across residential, commercial, and industrial settings, making it broader in scope. By doing so, India is not just aligning with global best practices but potentially going a step further in creating a uniform, enforceable standard aimed at widespread behavioural change. Is This Mandatory Or Voluntary? Unlike earlier advisories by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (such as the 2018 suggestion to set AC defaults at 24C), the latest announcement by Manohar Lal Khattar indicates that the upcoming rules will be mandatory. While the exact implementation roadmap has not yet been publicly detailed, the minister confirmed that a new provision is being implemented soon", signalling a shift from recommendation to regulation. Further clarity on enforcement, scope, and compliance is expected in the official guidelines. Why A Simple Temperature Rule Could Deliver Big Energy Gains At first glance, capping air conditioner temperatures may seem like a minor administrative change. But it carries far-reaching consequences for energy security, climate goals, and consumer savings. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In a country like India, where scorching summers drive massive demand for artificial cooling, rationalising AC usage is both practical and strategic. By aligning temperature limits with realistic comfort needs and global best practices, this initiative can significantly cut emissions, reduce energy waste, and lower electricity bills for millions. As India continues to urbanise and confront climate extremes, such scalable interventions will be essential in building a future that is both energy-efficient and equitable. 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 11, 2025, 09:35 IST Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom Mission Postponed: How Does Liquid Oxygen Leak Affect Take-Off? Explained Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 16:20 IST Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom Mission Date: SpaceX delays Axiom-4 mission with astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla due to Falcon-9 rocket leak. Engineers need more time for repairs. NASAs Axiom-4 mission will realize the return" to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, with each nations first government-sponsored flight after over 40 years. (X/@NASASpaceOps) Shubhanshu Shuklas Axiom Mission: India may have to wait a little longer to see its astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla in Space as the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, carrying three more astronauts, has been put off for the time being, with engineers seeking more time to repair a leak in the SpaceXs Falcon-9 rocket. In a post on X, SpaceX announced that it was standing down" from the Falcon-9 launch of the Axiom-4 mission to allow repairs of the liquid oxygen leak identified during the post-static booster inspections. Once completeand pending Range availabilitywe will share a new launch date," SpaceX said. Recommended Stories Earlier, addressing a pre-launch press conference, SpaceX Vice-President William Gerstenmaier said engineers had fixed some snags in the Falcon-9 rocket that were discovered during the static fire test and had gone unnoticed during the post-flight refurbishment of boosters. Gerstenmaier said engineers had discovered a lock leak that was previously seen on the booster during its entry on the last mission and was not fully repaired during the refurbishment. WHAT IS LIQUID OXYGEN? Liquid oxygen (LOX) is oxygen that has been cooled to a point where it becomes a pale blue liquid. Its used extensively in rocket propulsion systems and spacecraft life support systems. LOX is essential for providing breathable air for astronauts, as well as being a key component in the fuel systems for launch. During pre-launch preparations, a liquid oxygen leak was detected in the system that supplies the spacecraft with oxygen for both life support and propulsion. The leak itself wasnt catastrophic, but it posed significant safety risks for the crew and the mission. Even a small leak of LOX in spacecraft systems can be dangerous because of the extremely cold temperatures of liquid oxygen (-183C or -297F) and the potential for it to evaporate into gaseous oxygen, creating risks for fire or explosions in the pressurised environment. Also See: Eight-Legged Water Bears To Travel With Shubhanshu Shukla To ISS WHY DID THE LEAK DELAY THE MISSION? Safety Concerns: The primary reason for delaying the mission was the safety of the crew. A leak in the oxygen system, especially if it couldnt be sealed or fully contained, could lead to catastrophic failure during launch or while in orbit. Ensuring that all systems are completely operational and leak-free is critical for crewed missions, and any issue with life support or propulsion systems could jeopardize the mission. Technical Complexities: Spacecraft systems, especially those used for crewed missions, are highly sensitive and complex. Even a seemingly minor issue, like a leak in the oxygen system, can trigger a more thorough investigation, technical fixes, and re-testing. Given the tight tolerance and precision required for these systems, any malfunction necessitates a delay to ensure that the spacecraft is fully operational and safe for launch. Crew Oxygen Supply: The spacecraft needs a stable supply of LOX to create breathable air for astronauts during launch, orbital operations, and re-entry. If theres a leak in the LOX system, it could compromise the crews oxygen supply, especially during the early phases of flight when the spacecraft is still in the lower atmosphere and the crew is exposed to high g-forces and other launch stresses. Air Quality and Safety: In a crewed mission, any disruption to the life support system (like a leaking oxygen tank) is a serious concern. Spacecraft need to maintain precise levels of oxygen and pressure to ensure the crews safety, and a leak could risk causing an unsafe environment. This would prevent the mission from launching until the leak was fixed or isolated. Launch Pad Procedures: In space missions, there are strict procedures for handling any anomaly during pre-launch, including detecting leaks in critical systems. A LOX leak detected prior to take-off would trigger an automatic halt to the launch sequence because safety is the top priority. This means that even if the leak were small, engineers would need to address it to ensure that the spacecraft could handle the extreme conditions of take-off. Fuelling and Pre-Flight Readiness: The fuelling process for LOX can take hours, and a leak could disrupt the timing of fuel loading. If the leak were detected during fuelling, the launch would need to be scrubbed and rescheduled after repairs, further delaying the mission. THE AXIOM MISSION The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission is part of a series of private spaceflights organised by Axiom Space, a private space company, to send private astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The Ax-4 mission is part of Axioms goal to commercialise space travel and provide private citizens and researchers the opportunity to experience life in orbit and conduct research aboard the ISS. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all NASAs Axiom-4 mission will realize the return" to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, with each nations first government-sponsored flight after over 40 years. While Axiom-4 marks these countries second human spaceflight mission in history, it will be the first time all three nations will execute a mission on board the ISS. The four crew members will be led by Axiom Spaces Director of Human Spaceflight, Peggy Whitson while Shukla will serve as the pilot in the mission. This historic mission highlights how Axiom Space is redefining the pathway to low-Earth orbit and elevating national space programs globally. The space crew will carry out around 60 experiments during their 14-day stay in space, ranging from life science to technology demonstrations to diabetes research. About the Author Apoorva Misra Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. M... Read More Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. M... Read More First Published: June 11, 2025, 12:02 IST Supreme Court Says Property Registration Not Enough For Ownership. A Checklist Of Must-Have Documents Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 13:37 IST Merely having a deed registered with the authorities doesnt suffice if other legal requirementssuch as possession or a valid sale agreementare not met The ruling also reiterates that possession, or actual physical control, is a vital element of ownership. (Pixabay) The Supreme Court of India, in a landmark ruling, has emphasised that simply registering a property does not automatically confer ownership, clarifying that true ownership is determined by more than just the registration of a document. The case in question revolved around a dispute where the appellant, despite having a property registration, was not recognised as the rightful owner due to various legal nuances surrounding the land transaction. In its ruling, the Supreme Court noted that a registered document does not automatically establish legal ownership unless the title and possession of the property are in line with the law. Recommended Stories The court stressed that legal possession" of a property is a key factor in determining true ownership. Merely having a deed registered with the authorities doesnt suffice if other legal requirementssuch as possession or a valid sale agreementare not met. This new interpretation is expected to have far-reaching consequences for property disputes across the country. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR PROPERTY BUYERS? For many buyers, the ruling might come as a surprise as it challenges the commonly-held belief that once a property is registered, the buyer automatically holds legitimate ownership rights. The courts decision stresses the importance of due diligence, including verifying the legitimacy of the propertys title and ensuring that all relevant documentation is in place. The ruling also reiterates that possession, or actual physical control, is a vital element of ownership. A property might be registered, but if someone else has physical possession or there are disputes regarding the title, ownership could be contested. This could affect a range of property transactions, from buying and selling land to disputes over inherited properties. WHAT ARE THE DOCUMENTS YOU MUST POSSESS?/strong> 1) The Sale Deed The Sale Deed is a critical legal document that serves as proof of the sale and transfer of property from the seller (builder) to the buyer. Often, years after purchasing a home, the buyer may wish to sell the property, making the Sale Deed essential. It is typically executed after the sale agreement and once all terms and conditions outlined in the sale agreement are met. For any first-time homebuyer, the Sale Deed is a vital document for ensuring proper legal ownership. 2) The Mother Deed When it comes to legal documents in property transactions, the Mother Deed holds significant importance. This document traces the propertys entire ownership history. It is particularly needed by banks when a buyer seeks a loan against the property. If a buyer cannot locate this document, they may need to approach local authorities for assistance in obtaining it. Its role in verifying ownership history makes it indispensable during property transactions. 3) The Sale and Purchase Agreement The Sale and Purchase Agreement is one of the most important documents when buying a flat. It outlines the terms and conditions agreed upon by both the buyer and the seller. Key details, such as the agreed purchase price and any other negotiated terms, are included. This agreement serves as a safeguard for both parties, ensuring that both the buyer and seller are on the same page regarding the sale. 4) The Building Approval Plan Before starting construction, a builder must obtain the necessary sanctions under the Building Bylaws, Master Plan, and Local Body Acts. These sanctions involve two key approvals: A) The Building Plan B) The Layout Approval One common mistake first-time homebuyers make is failing to ensure that the builder adheres to these crucial terms and conditions. Non-compliance could lead to legal complications, particularly if local authorities conduct spot checks, which are common in new buildings. It is essential to verify these approvals before finalizing the property deal to avoid future issues. 5) The Possession Letter The Possession Letter is issued by the builder and indicates the date on which the buyer can take possession of the property. It is prepared after receiving the Completion Certificate. While this letter confirms possession, it does not serve as proof of ownership. For legal ownership, the buyer must obtain the Occupancy Certificate. 6) The Completion Certificate The Completion Certificate (also known as the Occupancy Certificate) is a key document that verifies the building has been constructed as per local regulations and has passed inspection by the municipal or development authority. This certificate is required to avail essential utilities like water, electricity, and drainage services. Without it, the property is considered illegal, and the buyer could face penalties or eviction. If the builder fails to obtain this certificate, the buyer can request it directly from the local municipal authority. 7) The Khata Certificate A Khata Certificate is a revenue document that contains details of the property, including its size, location, and the area on which it is built. It is crucial for paying property taxes and is often required when applying for a home loan. It also serves as a form of identification for the property. Having the Khata Certificate is essential for applying for basic services like electricity and water supply. Even if purchasing land for residential purposes, the Khata Certificate remains one of the most significant documents in the land-buying process. 8) The Allotment Letter The Allotment Letter is vital for buyers purchasing homes that are still under construction. This letter includes details of the payment structure, additional charges for extra amenities, and other financial obligations. It is an essential document for obtaining a loan from a bank as it specifies the amount that the buyer is required to pay. For those looking to buy properties under construction, the Allotment Letter provides clarity on the financial terms and payment milestones. 9) Encumbrance Certificate This is the proof of free title and ownership, which confirms that there is no pending legal or financial liability on the property. It is obtained from the sub-registrars office and covers a specified period, usually up to 30 years. The EC is essential to ensure that the property is free from any mortgages, loans, or legal disputes. 10) No Objection Certificates (NOCs) Various NOCs may be required, depending on the location and nature of the property. Some common NOCs include the Non-Agricultural Land Certificate, Environmental Clearance Certificate, Fire NOC, and Society NOC (in the case of purchasing a property in a cooperative housing society). 11) Identity and Address Proof The buyer needs to make sure that the seller has valid identity proof such as passport, Aadhar card, or PAN card. Additionally, address proof documents like utility bills or bank statements can be provided to establish the residential address. 12) Compliance under RERA (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 Developers should register their project with the RERA authority. A buyer should verify if the property has been RERA-registered or not. RERA for each state also gives the details of any complaint filed against the project. To operate legally, all real estate brokers should also be registered with the state RERA. WHAT NEXT FOR PROPERTY OWNERS? For those who have recently bought or sold property, the ruling highlights the importance of ensuring proper verification and following due process in transactions. Buyers are urged to check not just the registration documents but also the actual possession of the property and any possible encumbrances that might affect ownership. Legal experts recommend that buyers secure a clear title certificate and even seek title insurance to safeguard against future disputes. While the ruling might complicate the process of buying property in the short term, it is ultimately seen as a move towards improving the legal robustness of property ownership in India. By requiring more than just registration, the court aims to reduce the chances of fraudulent transactions and disputes in the real estate sector. WILL IT AFFECT PROPERTY RATES? Since the ruling could lead to more stringent checks and processes to verify ownership, it might make buyers more cautious, particularly in areas with unclear property titles or past disputes. This could make transactions take longer, increasing the time it takes to close a deal, which could affect demand in certain regions and, indirectly, property prices. Market Transparency: If people become more aware of how title disputes can affect their ownership rights and face more pressure to ensure legal clarity before purchase, it could create more transparency in the market. In the long run, this could create a more stable market, potentially stabilising or slowing down rising property rates in areas previously known for high legal risks. Impact on Illegal or Unclear Property: The ruling might discourage buyers from investing in properties that dont have clear titles, thus decreasing demand for such properties. In turn, property prices for such assets could drop due to lower demand. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Possibly Higher Costs for Buyers: As buyers are now required to ensure that they have clear and legal titles, the process of verification might involve more legal work, due diligence, or even title insurance, increasing the overall cost of purchasing property. This could indirectly impact property rates, particularly in markets where legal issues have been common. While the ruling is unlikely to directly change property rates, it could lead to shifts in how properties are bought and sold, especially in terms of legal clarity and ownership verification. Over time, these changes might influence market dynamics in specific areas or types of properties. About the Author Apoorva Misra Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. M... Read More Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. M... Read More First Published: June 11, 2025, 13:12 IST Eight-Legged Water Bears To Travel With Shubhanshu Shukla To ISS: What Are Tardigrades? Explained Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 13:23 IST On the planet from before dinosaurs, tardigrades can survive extreme heat, cold and even mass extinctions. Advanced sunscreens, stronger space medicine to crops, they hold the key Shubhanshu Shukla and a microscope photo of tardigrade provided by Thomas Boothby in March 2019. (File/AP) During his two-week mission at the International Space Station (ISS), astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will, among other things, study tardigrades the eight-legged water bears or moss piglets. What are these microscopic organisms? Why do scientists study them? Recommended Stories TARDIGRADES WERE DISCOVERED IN 1773, HAVE BEEN AROUND BEFORE DINOSAURS Discovered by German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773, tardigrades, around 0.5 mm long when fully grown, have four pairs of legs, with four-six claws on each foot. They also have a specialised mouth which helps them suck nutrients from plant cells, algae, and other small invertebrates. Tardigrades are robust aquatic animals that have been around for roughly 600 million years, 400 million years before dinosaurs walked the planet. Tardigrades can be found in the highest mountains to the deepest oceans. Their most common habitat, however, is the thin film of water found on mosses and lichens, which gives them the name moss piglets. SURVIVED ALL 5 MASS EXTINCTIONS: THEIR RESILIENCE Tardigrades have survived all five major mass extinction events and scientists believe they could be around long after humanity has died out. They can withstand temperatures as low as minus 272.95 degrees Celsius or as high as 150 degrees Celsius. Stand ultraviolet radiation of space. Pressures of 40,000 kilopascals (equivalent to what can be experienced at a depth of 4 km under the oceans surface). Live after being stored in a freezer for 30 years, according to a report by Front Line Genomics. WHAT IS VOYAGER TARDIGRADES MISSION? Scientists take tardigrades to the ISS, reviving them there and examine the effects of space radiation and microgravity on their biological processes and their DNA repair process. The key aim is to identify the genes that make them resilient, which could in turn help create ways to protect astronauts better during human space exploration missions. Their study could help revolutionise: Space medicine Genetics Biomaterials Cryopreservation In short, the study could help in creation of more resilient crops, advanced sunscreens, preserving human tissues and organs for transplantation. THEY TRAVELLED TO SPACE, RETURNED & REPRODUCED top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In 2007: 3,000 moss piglets travelled aboard the European Space Agencys Foton-M3 mission. They were carried in box opened in space, which was rehyrdrated on returning to Earth. The German and Swedish scientists undertaking the experiment found that not only did many water bears survive the harsh space environment, some were also able to reproduce successfully. They became the first animal to survive exposure to space. Before water bears, animals had only survived space in the safety of a spaceship or space suit. About the Author Manjiri Joshi At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing special copies ... Read More At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing special copies ... Read More First Published: June 11, 2025, 13:16 IST Yashasvi Solankee Is The First Woman ADC To President: What Does The Job Involve? Explained Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 15:56 IST Lieutenant Commander Yashasvi Solankee was selected in April and underwent a month-long orientation Yashaswi Solankee has been appointed for 2.5-3 years. (News18 Punjabi) Lieutenant Commander Yashaswi Solankee, 27, on May 9 became the first woman officer to be appointed as an Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the President of India. A President, typically, has five ADCs three from the Army, and one each from the Navy and Air Force. Recommended Stories THE CHANGE The thought started with President Droupadi Murmu herself, as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces," Major General V Parida, Military Secretary to the President, told The Indian Express. She speaks about womens empowerment, gender parity and inclusivity so much. So, this is her thought, which has been implemented," he said. THE SELECTION PROCESS Solankee was selected in April and underwent a month-long orientation. A panel of three Naval officers all women was called for selection. The three officers stayed at the Presidential Estate for 15 days, during which they were assessed, including an interview with the President herself. Besides physical criteria, their basic intelligence and adaptability were also put to the test. CRITERIA Height at 173 cms Physical fitness Women officers without permanent commission, too, can apply. WHAT DOES THE JOB INVOLVE? The Presidents ADC serves as the bridge to the First Citizen liaisoning her appointments and call-ons. ADCs assist the President in his/her ceremonial, diplomatic and operational duties. They are present with the President at all presidential ceremonies and events, facilitating communication with various branches of the government and military. They are assigned a duty room next to the Presidents room and have to be available at all times. NEVER DREAMT OF IT top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Solankee, who has been appointed for a tenure of two-and-a-half to three years, told the Indian Express, We prepare for all the engagements and take up-to-date information about who is coming to meet the President, because we have to brief her before every engagement, and she can ask anything. I had never dreamt of getting selected as the ADC to the President. This was never on my bucket list, because I didnt know this may be possible." Solankee was earlier posted with the Naval Armament (Defence Production), in Hyderabad. I am a technical officer and initially, my knowledge was quite siloed, because that was my portfolio. I did have general knowledge, but that was quite general. But now, I need to be updated at all times. Like, every hour, every minute. You have to be updated every second because, at any time, anyone can ask me any question and I have to be prepared," she was quoted as saying. 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 11, 2025, 15:51 IST 30 Years With An 8.4kg Thigh Tumour: Rajasthan Man Finally Freed In Landmark Surgery Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 15:12 IST Doctors at Jaipurs SMS Hospital removed a record 8.4kg thigh tumour from a man, free of cost, under the state health scheme, showcasing excellence in public healthcare The surgery was carried out free of cost under the Mukhyamantri Ayushman Arogya Yojana, a state-run health scheme that provides free medical treatment to eligible citizens. (News18) Jaipurs Sawai Mansingh (SMS) Hospital, the largest state-run medical facility in Rajasthan, has achieved a significant milestone in the field of surgery. The hospitals surgical team successfully excised an 8.4 kg lump from the thigh of 68-year-old Rambabu, a resident of Rajakheda in Dholpur district. Conducted on June 6, 2025, under the supervision of Dr Narendra Sharma, this is believed to be the largest thigh lump removal in the states medical history. A 30-Year Ordeal Ends Recommended Stories Rambabu had been living with the massive growth in his right thigh for over three decades. The tumour, measuring 35 x 25 x 12 centimetres, caused chronic pain and restricted mobility, greatly diminishing his quality of life. According to Dr Sharma, the surgery was especially challenging due to the tumours proximity to critical blood vessels and nerves. Nevertheless, the procedure was completed successfully using modern surgical methods, with minimal blood loss, an impressive feat in such a high-risk operation. Dr Sharma further noted that the surgery was carried out at no cost to the patient, thanks to the Mukhyamantri Ayushman Arogya Yojana, a state-run health scheme providing free medical treatment to eligible citizens. Excellence In Public Sector Healthcare SMS Hospital, established in 1934 and inaugurated for medical education in 1947, remains a pillar of public healthcare in Rajasthan. The hospital is lauded for its extensive infrastructure and expertise in advanced procedures, including robotic and oncological surgeries. In recent years, SMS Hospital has built a reputation for successfully managing complex medical cases, including neurosurgery and cancer care. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Rambabu expressed heartfelt gratitude, stating: I lived with this condition for 30 years and never thought Id return to a normal life. These doctors have given me hope again." His daughter praised the medical team and was grateful for the healthcare scheme for making the life-changing surgery possible. Hospital Superintendent Dr Rajesh Sharma called the operation a proud moment" for the hospital, crediting the surgical teams meticulous effort and medical excellence. First Published: June 11, 2025, 15:12 IST Bharat Biotech's Nasal Vaccine 'Can Adapt' To New COVID Strains, Regulatory Nod Awaited Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Pragati Ratti Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 11:39 IST Bharat Biotech told News18 that the companys COVID-19 vaccine platforms are enabled for adaptation. However, restarting production needs regulatory agency approvals. Active Covid-19 cases in India are increasing. (AP File) Amid rising concerns over the JN.1 COVID-19 variant, Indian vaccine maker Bharat Biotech has stated its preparedness to address the emerging variant with its adaptable" vaccine platforms. However, production will only restart with regulatory approval. Suchitra Ella, Managing Director of Bharat Biotech, told News18 that the company is actively monitoring the ongoing situation" and remains prepared to respond, emphasising the adaptability of its vaccine platforms to evolving strains. We remain committed to ensuring that our vaccine platforms are adaptable and ready to respond to evolving strains," she said. Recommended Stories As of 11 June, India has recorded 7,121 active COVID-19 cases, according to the Union Health Ministrys official COVID-19 dashboard. Delhi, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, and West Bengal report the majority of these cases. Highlighting the benefits of its nasal vaccine, iNCOVACC, Ella told News18 that its intranasal COVID-19 vaccine offers targeted upper respiratory tract protection, ease of administration without needles, and adaptability to circulating strains. The company affirms its proactive monitoring and preparedness: actively monitoring the situation and well-positioned to respond effectively if the need arises." iNCOVACC, Indias first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, is available as a booster dose for adults. Its needle-free design, with drops instilled into each nostril, eliminates the need for trained healthcare professionals for administration. Ella confirmed the adaptability of both the injectable and intranasal COVID-19 vaccine platforms. However, any decision to restart production is contingent upon regulatory agency approvals. We continue to work in close coordination with regulatory bodies to ensure preparedness always aligns with evolving scientific and safety standards," she explained in an emailed interview with News18. No call on boosters in India yet While several countries recommend booster doses for high-risk and vulnerable groups, experts in India have not yet issued such a recommendation. Booster doses have been recommended in several countries for high-risk and vulnerable populations. Booster doses in our country are subject to approval from national regulatory agencies." Ella clarified that COVID-19 vaccine production would only recommence if directed by the national regulatory body. She also revealed the extent of vaccine wastage due to declining demand: As of early 2022, production of COVAXIN was paused in response to reduced demand and the cancellation of issued purchase orders. Subsequently, we proceeded with the destruction of around 20 crore doses of bulk and almost 5 crore doses of vaccines in vials." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all A senior health ministry source informed News18 that the recent rise in COVID-19 cases is no cause for panic, likening the current trend to seasonal influenza. While no immediate vaccination is necessary, basic precautions are advised, especially for those exhibiting symptoms. Wear a mask if you have a cough or cold, and request those around you to do the same, and people with co-morbidities like diabetes or kidney disease should remain particularly cautious during this period." Although booster shots may not be currently necessary in India, given the mild, influenza-like illness caused by current variants, the preparedness of Indian vaccine companies and their adaptable platforms demonstrate the nations capacity for rapid response should more severe COVID-19 variants or other pathogens emerge. About the Author Himani Chandna Himani Chandna, Associate Editor at CNN News18, specialises in healthcare and pharmaceuticals. With firsthand insights into India's COVID-19 battle, she brings a seasoned perspective. She is particularly pass... Read More Himani Chandna, Associate Editor at CNN News18, specialises in healthcare and pharmaceuticals. With firsthand insights into India's COVID-19 battle, she brings a seasoned perspective. She is particularly pass... Read More First Published: June 11, 2025, 11:39 IST The first building of M10 Lviv Industrial Park in Lviv, which is being implemented by Dragon Capital in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), has received the international EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) certificate, the Dragon Capital press service told Interfax-Ukraine. "Our common goal with the EBRD in the M10 Lviv Industrial Park project is not just to create modern industrial real estate with developed infrastructure, but also to ensure its compliance with leading European standards in the field of environmental and social responsibility. We strive for M10 to become a model for implementing such approaches to large-scale projects in Ukraine," emphasized Dragon Capital Investment Director Mykhailo Sakun. The EDGE certificate received certifies that the warehouse building with an area of 14.4 thousand sq. m, occupied by the Aurora retail chain, achieved significant energy and water savings, as well as a reduction in the carbon footprint during construction. This was made possible by the introduction of energy-efficient heating systems, the installation of "smart" meters, the use of plumbing with low water consumption, as well as the use of materials with low CO emissions. Sakun noted that all subsequent phases of the industrial park will also apply environmental and social responsibility standards at the planning, construction and operation stages. "Currently, we are already designing the second phase with an area of 22 thousand sq m and are negotiating with potential residents," he said. As reported, Dragon Capital's strategy involves the development of sustainable and energy-efficient facilities. In particular, the Eurasia, Prime, GRAND and Horizon Park business centers received BREEAM In-Use International green certificates in 20202021. Industrial Park M10 is a large-scale project of Dragon Capital in partnership with the EBRD, which is being implemented in the industrial zone of the Ryasne-2 microdistrict in Lviv, 60 km from the border with Poland. The total area of the site is 23.5 hectares - it allows the construction of six stages of production, warehouse and office buildings in accordance with international standards of sustainable development. In September 2023, the World Bank's International Investment Guarantee Agency MIGA provided M10 Lviv Industrial Park with military risk insurance for 10 years. The EBRD is a shareholder in the project with a 35% stake, and its total investment may reach $24.5 million. The first stage of the industrial park - a class "A" warehouse complex with an area of 14.4 thousand sq m - was completed and put into operation in February 2024. The facility was fully leased by Aurora, one of the leading national retail chains. Dragon Capital is one of the largest groups of companies in Ukraine, which has been operating in the field of investments and financial services since 2000 and provides a full range of investment banking and brokerage services, direct investments, and asset management. Dragon Capital Property Management is a management team that manages the company's commercial real estate portfolio. It manages 25 facilities (business centers, shopping malls, and logistics complexes) with a total area of 560,000 sq m, which makes the company one of the largest players in the real estate market in Ukraine. Bihar Govt Set To Give Women Employees Houses On Rent Near Offices | Check Details Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 15:17 IST A DM-led committee will ensure the houses are safe and have basic amenities like water and electricity. The rent will be fixed by the concerned Sub-Divisional Officer The rented house facility will be available to women employees working at the district and division levels. (AI Generated/News18 Hindi) The Bihar government has announced a new housing benefit for its women employees ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in 2025. In a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday, it was decided that women working in state government departments will now be eligible to receive rented accommodation near their workplaces. According to political commentators, the move comes as part of a broader push to introduce welfare measures in the run-up to the polls. This new scheme is expected to benefit approximately 4 lakh women. According to S. Siddharth, Additional Chief Secretary of the Cabinet Secretariat Department, this initiative aims to enhance both the safety and convenience of women employees. Recommended Stories Heres a breakdown of how this scheme will work: No HRA Women opting for this scheme will not receive House Rent Allowance (HRA), which is typically provided to employees to cover rental expenses besides their salary. Houses On Lease The government will lease houses from private owners, seeking applications from interested landlords through Expressions of Interest. Committee Selection A committee led by the District Magistrate will be formed to select suitable houses for the scheme. Security and Facilities Check The committee will ensure that the houses are safe and equipped with essential facilities such as electricity and water. The rent will be determined by the respective Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO). Priority Beneficiaries Initially, this facility will be available to women employees working at the district and division levels. Rural Process top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all For women employees in blocks or villages, an application must be submitted to the concerned SDO via their office head to initiate the process. This initiative is part of a broader effort to support women in Bihar. In Bihar, women are given 35% reservation in government jobs. This reservation goes up to 50% in panchayat and urban local body elections. Additionally, women also receive 50% reservation in primary teacher recruitment. The government asserts that this new scheme is another significant step towards providing better and safer living conditions for women. Location : Bihar, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 15:17 IST 'Complex Equilibrium Between Two Rising Powers': What Jaishankar Said On India-China Ties Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 23:02 IST As India tries to strike the right balance between taking advantage and keeping an eye on it, China is looking for opportunities in the current geopolitical dislocation EAM S Jaishankar speaks during German Marshall Fund Brussels Forum 2025 on June 11. (Image: @DrSJaishankar/PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said India and China are both rising powers that are creating a new equilibrium between them and the world. As India tries to strike the right balance between taking advantage as well as keeping an eye on China, the neighbouring country is looking to find opportunities in the current geopolitical dislocation. Recommended Stories The Chinese began their modernisation earlier than us, largely because our governments at the time did not do what they should have done India and China are both rising powers that are creating a new equilibrium" Jaishankar said while speaking at the German Marshall Fund (GMF) Brussels Forum 2025. VIDEO | Belgium: Here's what External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) said while speaking at the German Marshall Fund (GMF) Brussels Forum 2025. The Chinese began their modernisation earlier than us, largely because our governments at the time did not do what pic.twitter.com/h93GIPSdxt Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 11, 2025 Jaishankar was asked how India ensures it is taking advantage but also keeping an eye on China, and how Beijings actions play into New Delhis. China is an immediate neighbour. Its a neighbour with whom weve had unsettled boundaries. So thats a big factor in our relations. We have a situation where China and India stand out because theyre the only two countries with over a billion people but also because they are two civilisational states in a way," he said. Calling Indo-China ties an incredibly complicated matrix", Jaishankar said there is a kind of parallel rise even though the Chinese started their modernisation ahead of India. You have the rise of China, you have the rise of India. Now, each one is creating a certain new equilibrium between them and the world. And then much more complex equilibrium between the two rising powers, who also happen to be neighbours that sometimes have common neighbours as well. So, it is an incredibly complicated matrix and there are different dimensions to it," he said. There is the boundary dimension to it, theres the balances if you would, there are economic issues, trade issues, there are concerns we have different economic social values, political models." The Union minister said the relationship between the two neighbours is far more textured and complicated than it would appear" on the surface. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all On whether the Europeans are realistic about China or naive in certain areas, he pointed toward an evolution in Europes position and stance. But I would also make the point that not all of Europe is obviously moving at the same speed and wavelength, so there are some who have different views, some who are more hard-headed. I would make that distinction vis-a-vis China," he added. About the Author Oindrila Mukherjee Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st... Read More Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st... Read More First Published: June 11, 2025, 22:58 IST DNA Report Alone Enough: Delhi HC Upholds Conviction Of 24-Year-Old For Raping 60-Year-Old Woman Reported By : LawBeat Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 15:11 IST A bench led by Justice Sanjeev Narula rejected the appellant's argument that the DNA evidence was unreliable because the electropherogram was not produced. While the woman was asleep, the convict entered her jhuggi, covered her mouth with his hand, removed her salwar, and despite her resistance, raped her. (Representational Image) While upholding the conviction of a 24-year-old man for raping a 60-year-old woman, the Delhi High Court has held that the DNA report alone is enough for conviction, and the absence of the electropherogram does not reduce the evidentiary value of the report. A bench led by Justice Sanjeev Narula rejected the appellants argument that the DNA evidence was unreliable because the electropherogram was not produced. Recommended Stories The court ruled," No material was placed on record to suggest that the absence of the electropherogram rendered the DNA analysis unreliable or incomplete. In the absence of any substantive cross-examination or expert rebuttal, this Court finds no reason to doubt the integrity of the DNA evidence, which provides compelling scientific corroboration of the Prosecutrixs testimony..". The single-judge bench was hearing an appeal filed by the appellant challenging the judgment of the trial court that had convicted him under Section 376 of the IPC for raping a 60-year-old woman and had also sentenced him to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment. According to the prosecution, the incident occurred at around midnight, the prosecutrix was sleeping alone in her jhuggi, as her son had gone to Jaipur to visit his sister. While she was asleep, the convict entered her jhuggi, covered her mouth with his hand, removed her salwar, and despite her resistance, raped her. The next morning, the woman went to her son-in-laws house and narrated her ordeal, following which the FIR in the present case was registered. It is the prosecutions case that it does not solely rely on the statement of the prosecutrix and that her testimony has been duly corroborated by scientific and medical evidence, including the DNA report. The prosecution further submitted that the trial courts judgment was cogent and consistent. It went on to contend that the absence of the electropherogram, by itself, does not reduce the probative value of the DNA profile. With regard to the absence of independent public witnesses, it was contended that the nature of the crime and the locationa private and secluded areaexplained the lack of eyewitnesses. In such circumstances, it would be misplaced to expect the presence of independent public witnesses. Opposing these contentions, the appellant argued that the prosecutrixs version of events was filled with contradictions. He claimed that she had failed to prove her case beyond reasonable doubt. He alleged that her case was purely based on her own testimony, which, according to him, was marred by serious inconsistencies. While raising questions about the scientific evidence, the appellant pointed out that the DNA report had been admitted without the electropherogram and also highlighted the absence of any independent witnesses. Weighing the arguments presented by both sides, the court at the outset said," Allegations of rape often unfold in the shadows of silence, without account of eyewitnesses or unimpeachable material proof. The law, however, does not falter for lack of spectacle, it demands a careful calibration of credibility, consistency, and the totality of circumstance." Observing certain discrepancies in the statements of the prosecutrix, the court maintained that they were minor and did not, in any way, undermine her case. Such variations, the court pointed out, are common in the recounting of traumatic experiences and by no means weaken the core of the prosecutions case. While rejecting the appellants argument that the DNA report lost its value without the electropherogram, the court asserted the DNA profile derived from the appellant matched with samples taken from the prosecutrix and the scene of the crime. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Furthermore, the court added that the expert provided an allelic data report, a summary interpretation of the electropherogram which is designed to be readable and usable in court. Therefore, the court ruled that the absence of the electropherogram chart did not diminish the evidentiary strength of the DNA findings. Accordingly, the court upheld the conviction and sentence by the Trial Court and dismissed the appeals both on merits and sentence. First Published: June 11, 2025, 15:11 IST Dwarka Fire Tragedy: Child Kept Screaming But People Were Busy Filming, Says Eyewitness Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 15:55 IST One of the eyewitnesses said the fire was massive, ACs were exploding, and despite efforts to save two children, doctors couldn't help The heartbreaking sight of the three victims standing on the balcony, with no way out but to jump, left onlookers helpless. (News18 Hindi) A massive fire on the ninth floor of a building in Delhis Dwarka claimed the lives of three family members, including a young girl and a teenage boy, and trapping 12 family members inside with no escape and no help from the neighbours. The deceased included 40-year-old Yash Yadav who was a flex printing businessman, his 11-year-old daughter Ashima and his nephew. According to a PTI report, they succumbed to multiple fractures resulting from an approximately 80-foot jump, as well as burns sustained in the fire. Recommended Stories The heartbreaking sight of the three victims standing on the balcony, with no way out but to jump, left onlookers helpless. Yashs son Aditya, along with his wife and several family members visiting from Uttar Pradesh, narrowly escaped a fire, according to PTI reports. The survivors, including Aditya, Suraj, Uditya, Mamtas sister Madvi, and a few other relatives, were rescued when locals broke open the front door of their flat and rushed to their aid. Police and fire officials reported receiving the fire call around 10:01 am on Tuesday. However, the emergency response teams allegedly arrived an hour later. By the time help reached the scene, three individuals had already jumped from the ninth-floor apartment in a desperate attempt to save themselves. Eyewitnesses were deeply moved, with one recounting, There was a massive fire and the AC was also exploding. We tried to save two children, but we couldnt. I took them to the hospital myself, but the doctor said sorry. The little girl kept screaming as people made videos." At around 9:40 am, I was nearby buying vegetables when I noticed flames and smoke. Three people were clinging to the balcony, screaming. Despite people urging them not to jump, they had no other choice," an eyewitness recounted to PTI under anonymity. Another local described their helplessness as they watched the tragic event from the street below. We could see everything but couldnt do anything. There were no bedsheets, mattresses, or safety nets to save them," he explained. Jitender Singh, a local shopkeeper, mentioned that numerous calls to emergency services were made, but the fire brigade arrived about an hour later. If they had come on time, lives could have been saved," he remarked. According to a PTI report, Amit Bhandari, a close friend of Yadav, said the family had returned home from a Bhagwat Katha at his sisters house, about three kilometers away, late Sunday night. No one could imagine this would happen," Bhandari expressed. Bhandari also stated that when the fire started, the guards didnt even open the gate. People were screaming, but no one came to assist. Neighbours were busy recording videos instead of helping, he alleged. Police reported that the fire likely began due to a short circuit in the temple area of the house. The exact cause will be determined following a forensic inspection. Despite the familys desperate pleas for help, bystanders were more focused on recording the incident than offering assistance. The fire brigade reportedly took about an hour to arrive, during which the fire spread quickly, filling the flat with dense smoke. The delay in emergency response and the onlookers lack of action have prompted intense scrutiny and raised questions about the buildings safety measures. Yash Yadav, a businessman who started his interior design and kitchen module business during the lockdown in the aftermath of the pandemic, had purchased the flat just two years ago. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all During the COVID-19 pandemic, he started a small business focused on modular kitchens and interior design. Only two years ago, he moved into this flat, and now everything is lost," Bhandari expressed sorrowfully. According to the PTI report, Yadavs family intends to take the bodies to Etah in Uttar Pradesh, Yashs hometown. Yashs eldest son, Aditya, is currently in his first year of BBA. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 15:55 IST How Much Did Vijay Mallya Really Repay? A Deep Dive Into His Viral Podcast Claims Curated By : News18.com Edited By: Karishma Jain Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 16:17 IST Vijay Mallya Loan Repayment: In a viral podcast with Raj Shamani, Vijay Mallya claimed hes being unfairly targeted despite settling his dues. court findings tell a different story Vijay Mallya claimed he repaid more than he borrowed in a viral podcast with Raj Shamani. (Screengrab/rajshamani) Vijay Mallya Loan Repayment: To say that I am humbled and overwhelmed is well short of what I truly feel," Vijay Mallya tweeted on June 10, celebrating over 20 million views on his four-hour-long podcast with influencer Raj Shamani. For a man officially declared a fugitive economic offender in India, the moment was more than a milestone; it was a public relations push to reshape his image. To say that I am humbled and overwhelmed is well short of what I truly feel. A big heartfelt thank you to all those who took the time to watch my 4 hour plus podcast with @rajshamani 20 million views on YouTube alone in 4 days and god knows how many more reposts on Instagram and Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) June 9, 2025 Recommended Stories In the podcast, the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) owner repeated a claim he has made several times before: that he is being unfairly targeted by Indian banks and agencies even though he has already paid back far more than he owed. I took loans worth Rs 6,200 crore and have paid Rs 14,000 crore back," he said. The suggestion? He is the real victim of a broken system. But what do the facts say? Claim 1: I took loans worth Rs 6,200 crore and have paid Rs 14,000 crore back." Fact-Check: Mallyas figure of Rs 6,200 crore refers only to the principal borrowed by Kingfisher Airlines and related entities from a consortium of 17 banks. However, under standard banking procedures, any loan accrues interest until it is fully repaid. In cases of default, banks additionally impose penal interest and other charges. When Kingfisher Airlines defaulted, the matter was taken to the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) in 2013. As per the DRTs decree, by April 10, 2019, the total dues including principal, accumulated interest, and penalties had risen to Rs 17,781 crore. Of this amount, Rs 10,815 crore was recovered not from payments made by Mallya himself, but through court-monitored sales of attached assets, including the Kingfisher Villa in Goa and shares in United Breweries. These assets were seized and liquidated under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), after Mallya was declared a fugitive economic offender. The remaining unpaid amount, as reported by TOI, still stands at Rs 6,997 crore. Mallyas claim of having repaid" Rs 14,000 crore is misleading on two fronts: first, it conflates enforced recoveries with voluntary repayment; and second, it disregards the legitimate accrual of interest and penal charges, which apply to all defaulters corporate or individual. The Rs 14,000 crore figure appears to aggregate court-ordered recoveries and asset sales made without his cooperation. In financial and legal terms, repayment implies voluntary settlement of dues by the borrower. That did not happen in this case. Claim 2: I have committed no fraud. I always intended to repay." Fact-Check: Mallya frames his actions as an unfortunate consequence of business failure, suggesting that his intention to repay should absolve him of wrongdoing. However, Indian law, particularly under the Reserve Bank of Indias guidelines, makes a clear distinction between business failure and wilful default. A wilful defaulter is someone who has the capacity to repay but chooses not to. In Mallyas case, Indian banks officially declared him a wilful defaulter, which means he had both the means and opportunities to repay, but deliberately defaulted. Further, investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have unearthed substantial evidence of fund diversion. Approximately Rs 3,500 crore out of the borrowed sum was not used for operational expenses of Kingfisher Airlines, but instead diverted to entities such as the Force India Formula One team, and to support personal luxury expenditures. One high-profile example is the $40 million (approximately Rs 342 crore) payout Mallya received from Diageo in 2016. Despite a standing personal guarantee agreement with Indian lenders, he transferred this sum to accounts belonging to his family members a direct violation of the agreement, and an act the Supreme Court later found him guilty of in a contempt case. Fraud, under Indian law, does not hinge on a persons stated intent but on the pattern of actions, fund movement, and non-compliance with agreements. Mallyas repeated claims of good intent are contradicted by financial records, court findings, and his own conduct, including his flight from India while legal proceedings were ongoing. Claim 3: I informed Arun Jaitley before leaving India." Fact-Check: Mallyas claim about informing then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has no official documentation. Jaitley, in a 2018 blog post and press interaction, said Mallya made an unsolicited approach in the corridors of Parliament and mentioned a possible settlement. Jaitley stated he told Mallya to speak with the banks. No meeting was scheduled, and no discussion was entertained. Mallya has repeatedly used this claim to suggest he did not abscond secretly. But a passing remark does not qualify as formal disclosure. Claim 4: My case is not of criminal nature. Its only about business failure." Fact-Check: Mallyas legal troubles go far beyond a failed airline. He faces criminal charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, Indian Penal Code, and other financial regulations. In 2022, the Supreme Court sentenced him to four months imprisonment in a contempt case. Separately, a non-bailable warrant was issued in a service tax evasion case where Rs 100 crore collected from customers was not deposited with the government. His extradition has also been approved by a UK court, though delayed by pending asylum-related appeals. This is not a civil default its a layered legal case involving fraud, evasion, and wilful deceit. Claim 5: My companys assets were undervalued." Fact-Check: Mallya claims his assets were sold below their real value during recovery. However, there is no credible evidence showing that the banks undervalued his properties. In fact, when applying for loans, Mallya had submitted inflated estimates, including valuing Kingfisher Airlines at $500 million, far above what the company was realistically worth, given its poor financial performance. When banks tried to recover dues, they auctioned attached assets such as the Kingfisher Villa and UB shares. These were sold under court-monitored public processes that followed due legal procedures, including open bidding. The lower sale prices were likely a result of legal complications, reduced brand value, and distress sale conditions not undervaluation by banks. Theres no independent valuation or legal finding that supports Mallyas assertion of systemic undervaluation. Instead, the inflated figures during borrowing and his failure to repay left banks with limited options for asset realisation. Claim 6: I never misused company funds." Fact-Check: The ED tracked Rs 241 crore transferred from Kingfisher Airlines accounts to the Force India F1 team. In addition, Mallya used Rs 100 crore to operate a personal aircraft costs borne by a debt-ridden airline. He also made foreign property acquisitions amounting to Rs 330 crore while Kingfisher employees were going unpaid. These findings, based on transaction records and corporate audits, clearly show that company funds were redirected to sustain personal and unrelated commercial interests. Claim 7: I never denied salaries or dues to employees." Fact-Check: Kingfisher Airlines stopped paying salaries by mid-2012. Employee PF contributions and deducted taxes, amounting to Rs 371 crore, were not deposited with the authorities. Protests and hunger strikes were staged across the country. Meanwhile, Mallya maintained a high-profile lifestyle, attending IPL matches, hosting parties on his yacht, and retaining ownership of luxury properties abroad even as his employees struggled to survive. This disproves his claim of financial helplessness and contradicts his statement about employee compensation. Claim 8: I was advised by Pranab Mukherjee to not shut Kingfisher during the 2008 crisis." Fact-Check: Mallya cites a verbal exchange with the late Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as the reason he continued operations during a financially turbulent period. However, this anecdote has never been substantiated through any official record, and Mukherjee is no longer alive to confirm or deny the interaction. Even if such advice was given informally, it would not absolve a promoter of the responsibility to conduct sound financial assessments or uphold fiduciary duties. Claim 9: I used my own funds to settle loans." Fact-Check: Mallya suggests he personally repaid the banks, but there is no record of any voluntary payment made by him after he left India in 2016. The Rs 10,815 crore recovered so far came from the sale of assets seized under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act including Kingfisher Villa, United Breweries shares, and other properties. These were auctioned by banks and enforcement agencies under court supervision. These recoveries were not the result of any direct financial contribution by Mallya, but of asset liquidation authorised by Indian courts. By definition, this does not qualify as personal repayment. Mallyas role in these recoveries was not cooperative; it was compelled by law. Claim 10: The media is biased and out to get me." Fact-Check: The accusations against Mallya are backed by extensive investigative findings from Indian agencies (ED, CBI, SFIO), international cooperation (UK court rulings), and Supreme Court orders. The label of fugitive economic offender was formalised under a law passed in 2018 largely due to high-profile cases like his. Media coverage may shape perception, but his legal troubles are rooted in well-documented legal violations. FINAL WORD Mallyas podcast may have drawn millions of views, but public sympathy and social media traction do not erase the financial, legal, and criminal realities surrounding his case. His key claims, from repayment figures to asset undervaluation, employee dues, and misuse of funds, are contradicted by court-monitored recoveries, enforcement findings, and bank records. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He remains a declared fugitive economic offender with an outstanding liability of nearly Rs 7,000 crore. Investigations have established fund diversion, wilful default, and procedural violations. While Mallya uses platforms like podcasts to reframe his story, the facts are already on record, and they tell a very different version. Ultimately, it is not intention or image but legal accountability that defines this case. And in that, the numbers and documents speak louder than words. 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 11, 2025, 12:31 IST India Briefs ASEAN On Operation Sindoor At Key East Asia Summit Meeting In Malaysia Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 19:09 IST Secretary Kumaran also highlighted the role of the East Asia Summit in promoting peace, security, and stability across the Indo-Pacific region Secretary (East) P. Kumaran led the delegation at the East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting held in Penang, Malaysia. (Image via X/@MEAIndia) Periasamy Kumaran, Joint Secretary at Ministry of External Affairs, on Tuesday briefed senior officials from ASEAN countries on Operation Sindoor at the East Asia Summit Senior Officials Meeting held in Penang, Malaysia. Kumaran attended the East Asia Summit Senior Officials Meeting (EAS SOM) on June 10 and the ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials Meeting (ARF SOM) on June 11. The meetings brought together senior officials from participating countries of both forums and were chaired by Dato Sri Amran Mohamed Zin, Secretary General of Malaysias Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Recommended Stories During the EAS SOM, Secretary Kumaran also highlighted the role of the East Asia Summit in promoting peace, security, and stability across the Indo-Pacific region. He emphasised the alignment between Indias Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). He also expressed Indias support for the proposed outcome documents for the 20th East Asia Summit and discussed regional and global issues with other members. Secretary (East) P. Kumaran led the delegation at the East Asia Summit Senior Officials Meeting held in Penang, Malaysia.Secretary (East) underlined the important role of EAS towards promoting free, open, inclusive & rules-based Indo-Pacific as this premier leaders-led pic.twitter.com/BFoRKVhri3 Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) June 11, 2025 Secretary Kumaran invited all participating countries to take part in upcoming activities in India, including the EAS Knowledge Exchange Workshop on Energy Efficiency Policies under the Mission LiFE programme, and a conclave of EAS Heads of Higher Education Institutions at Nalanda University. At the ASEAN Regional Forum SOM, the focus was on reviewing past activities and planning future cooperation on issues such as terrorism, maritime security, and cyber security. Secretary Kumaran expressed Indias concern over state-sponsored terrorism, referring to the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. He explained that Indias response through Operation Sindoor was measured, proportionate, non-escalatory, and responsible. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also noted that Secretary Kumaran took part in bilateral meetings with officials from Australia, Brunei, Malaysia, New Zealand, Korea, and Singapore during his visit. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all This engagement comes at a time when Pakistan is seeking to become a full dialogue partner of ASEAN through Malaysia. (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 First Published: June 11, 2025, 19:07 IST Kharge Calls Bengaluru Stampede Accidental, Asks If Anyone Resigned Over Kumbh, Covid Deaths Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 14:26 IST Responding to calls for resignations, Kharge asked whether similar demands were made during the Kumbh Mela or when lakhs died during the Covid-19 pandemic. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge | File Image/PTI Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called the recent stampede in Bengaluru accidental" and questioned the selective outrage around political accountability. Responding to calls for resignations, Kharge asked whether similar demands were made during the Kumbh Mela or when lakhs died during the Covid-19 pandemic. His remarks come amid criticism over the stampede at a government-organized event, which left several dead and injured. Recommended Stories On the BJPs demand for his resignation over the Bengaluru stampede, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said, Around 4050 people died in a stampede at the Kumbh Mela. Did they demand the chief ministers resignation then? A bridge collapsed on the day of its inauguration, and 140 people died. Did they demand the prime ministers resignation then? The BJP has a habit of misleading people by telling lies and demanding resignations. The BJP does politics in everything" Following the tragedy, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar met the Congress leadership in Delhi on Tuesday to brief them on the June 4 Bengaluru stampede that claimed 11 lives. The meeting was attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Rahul Gandhi, AICC General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala. According to sources, Rahul Gandhi expressed displeasure over the incident, calling it avoidable had adequate precautions been taken. He advised the CM and his deputy to ensure such lapses are not repeated and urged state leaders to fix accountability. The Congress-led Karnataka government has faced intense criticism, with the opposition BJP and JD(S) demanding the resignation of both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar over the mishap. The Bengaluru stampede on June 4 claimed 11 lives, triggering a political uproar. The incident occurred amid a large crowd gathered to be a part of that RCB celebrations, leading to chaos and a deadly rush. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Congress-led Karnataka government has come under sharp criticism, with opposition parties holding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar responsible and demanding their resignation. The Congress leadership has since sought an explanation and urged state authorities to ensure accountability and prevent future lapses. 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 11, 2025, 12:51 IST Mangalsutra, Tour Guide's Statement, Vrat Phone Call: What Gave Sonam Away After Raja's Murder Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 21:46 IST Owing to a trail of subtle clues, the police uncovered a chilling murder plot involving his wife Sonam and four accomplices. A file photo of Sonam Raghuvansh, the prime accused in the murder case of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi (Source: Social Media) The murder of Indore man Raja Raghuvanshi during a honeymoon in Meghalaya initially appeared to be a missing person case. But owing to a trail of subtle clues- a final phone call, a tour guide and a mangalsutra left behind- police uncovered a chilling murder plot involving his wife Sonam and four accomplices. Tour Guides Testimony Recommended Stories Local tour guide Albert Pde told police that on the morning of May 23, he saw Sonam and Raja near Mawlakhiat, accompanied by three unidentified men. This sighting- verified using call data records and location tracking- was the final known moment Raja Raghuvanshi was seen alive making the police move away from the case being about the couples disappearance. Read more: Raja Raghuvanshi Murder: Sonam, Lover Raj Kushwaha Sent To Police Custody Till June 19 Mangalsutra Left Behind During a search of the couples homestay room, investigators found Sonams mangalsutra and a ring. Deputy Inspector General DNR Marak told NDTV, That raised our first doubthow can a married woman leave her mangalsutra behind during a honeymoon?" Raja Raghuvanshis Last Phone Call Sonam called Raja Raghuvanshis mother on May 23 which was Gyaras, a fasting day, in which she said that the couple were on a trek to a waterfall. When urged to eat something, Sonam replied, Ghumne ke chakkar main vrat thodi tod dungi" (Just because Im vacationing, I wont break my fast). She sounded short of breath during the call and ended it abruptly, Raja Raghuvanshis mother said. Read more: Sonam Admits To Involvement In Husband Raja Raghuvanshis Murder: Sources What Followed top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam tied the knot in Indore on May 11. Just days into their honeymoon in Meghalaya, they were reported missing on May 23. Ten days later, Raja Raghuvanshis body was recovered from a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra in the East Khasi Hills district. Sonam, who was initially reported as missing, resurfaced in Uttar Pradeshs Ghazipur on June 2, where she surrendered. Raj Singh Kushwaha believed to be Sonams lover, was caught later. All five accused have now been brought to Shillong by Meghalaya Police and produced in court. 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 : Meghalaya, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 21:46 IST News18 Evening Digest: Accused Sonam Sent To 8-Day Police Custody, Trump Hints Patch-Up With Musk & Other Stories Published By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 19:23 IST News18 Evening Digest: Sonam, 'Lover' Raj Kushwaha Sent To Police Custody Till June 19; Donald Trump Says He 'Could' Reconcile With Elon Musk & Other Top Stories Sonam Raghuvanshi is the prime accused in her husband's murder. (Photo: X) News18 Evening Digest: Here are the top stories of the day. Raja Raghuvanshi Murder: Sonam, Lover Raj Kushwaha Sent To Police Custody Till June 19 Recommended Stories Sonam, who has been accused of killing his husband Raja Raghuvanshi, was sent to police custody till June 19. Sonams lover" Raj Kushwaha and three others were also sent to police remand for the next eight days by a court in Shillong. Donald Trump Says He Could Reconcile With Elon Musk: I Have No Hard Feelings US President Donald Trump said he could" mend ties with Elon Musk, days after a public clash between the two over a key spending bill being pushed by the White House. IndiGos In-Flight Tribute To Operation Sindoor BSF Hero Draws Applause From Passengers | Watch Passengers aboard an IndiGo flight witnessed a moving moment of recognition when the airlines captain honoured a Border Security Force (BSF) officer for his bravery during Operation Sindoor, Indias recent cross-border military action against Pakistan. SA Vs AUS Live Score, WTC Final Day 1: Markram Removes Smith For 66, Australia 156/5 South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and opted to bowl first against Australia today. Kagiso Rabada jolted Australia with a double-wicket over in which he accounted for Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Did Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra Fight With Foreign Tourist In Croatia? Video Goes Viral Shilpa Shetty is currently in Croatia for a birthday trip with her husband Raj Kundra, sister Shamita Shetty and other close family members and friends. Recently, a young Instagram user took to the social media site to share a video claiming that Shilpa and her family were arguing with a young foreigner who complained that their group was being too loud. 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 First Published: June 11, 2025, 19:23 IST 'Not Just Security Threat': BJP MLA Calls For Urgent Legal Reforms On Illegal Bangladeshis Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 22:54 IST Rajeshwar Singh pointed out alarming govt figures showing a steady rise in the number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the country BJP MLA from Lucknow, Rajeshwar Singh. (File photo via X/@RajeshwarS73) BJP MLA Rajeshwar Singh on Wednesday raised serious concerns over illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, calling their presence as not only a security threat" but also a direct attack on employment, population balance and cultural stability" in India. In a detailed post on X on Wednesday, Singh shared alarming figures from the Union Home Ministry showing a steady rise in the number of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the country over the years. Recommended Stories Home Ministry data shows that, by 1997, there were 1 crore illegal Bangladeshis in the country, by 2004, there were 1.2 crore illegal Bangladeshis and by 2016, there were 2 crore illegal Bangladeshis!," Singh wrote in Hindi. , !! , 1997 1 , 2004 1.2 2016 2 ! Rajeshwar Singh (@RajeshwarS73) June 11, 2025 The BJP leader further stressed that deportation efforts have been slowed down due to legal hurdles, including the misuse of Article 21 (right to life), involvement of NGOs, activist lawyers, and prolonged judicial processes. To address these challenges, Singh outlined six key reforms in his post that he believes are essential for effective action. They are: 1. Amendment in the Foreigners Act, 1946 : A time-bound deportation process should be fixed. The District Magistrate should have the power to issue deportation orders. 2. Creation of special immigration tribunals: Fast track process to avoid judicial delays 3. Develop a central identification system: Link NRC/NPR with Aadhaar, mobile data, AI A list of illegal intruders should be made at the national level 4. Strengthening of administrative structure : Detention centres in border states Local police has the right to arrest and investigate 5. National Immigration Control Act should be implemented: All provisions are integrated Stop misuse of Article 21 by illegal immigrants 6. Judicial guidance should be fixed: Repeated petitions and stays The court should intervene only in special humanitarian cases Additionally, Singh pointed out that countries like Pakistan have successfully deported large numbers of illegal immigrants for example, sending back 8 lakh Afghans in a single year and said India must not compromise its sovereignty due to legal inertia." There should be a swift, robust and equitable deportation policy, Who keeps national interest paramount while following the Constitution," he added. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Concluding his post, the BJP MLA stated that he has written to Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, demanding legal and structural reforms based on 6 points so that the rapid and timely return of illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators can be ensured." ALSO READ: Creation Of Bangladesh Justified?: Himanta Hits Out At Indira Gandhi Govt Over Illegal Immigrants 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 : Uttar Pradesh, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 22:52 IST Three individuals and one legal entity have already announced their intention to purchase four blocks of shares of JSC Berdychiv Machine-Building Plant "Progress" (Zhytomyr region) put up for auction by PFTS in the amount of 19.6783%, 8.9829%, 5.9274% and 7.3124% of the charter capital. As reported, these blocks of shares, which have been seized, are wanted to be purchased, in particular, by the computer programming firm "D.I.O.-Trader International" (Kryvy Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region). According to a notification in the disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commissio, Mykola Semenenko, who is the head or owner of several companies in Kyiv and Zaporizhia, announced his intention to purchase these four blocks of shares. Yulia Buhorska also plans to participate in the auction for the sale of these blocks. An individual entrepreneur with the corresponding full name, according to YouControl, is engaged in consulting on commercial activities and management. In addition, Rustami Yakymenko intends to acquire 19.6783% of the charterd capital of the company, who, according to Clarity Project, owns, in particular, Kyiv-based Agency for Innovative Solutions in Ukraine LLC, which is engaged in activities in law, computer programming (net income in 2024 some UAH 26.7 million). According to PFTS information, the starting price of 19.6783% of the shares of the Progress plant put up for auction on July 8 is UAH 848,880, and for the auction on July 10, some 8.9829% of the shares for UAH 386,957, 5.9274% some UAH 255,995; and 7.3124% some UAH 315,813. Berdychiv Machine-Building Plant "Progress" produces filtering, drying, capacity and non-standard equipment for the chemical, petrochemical, oil extraction, mining, construction, food industries, as well as for cleaning industrial and domestic drains. Pakistans Sabotage Attempts Via Drones Continue Even After Operation Sindoor Reported By : CNN-News18 Edited By: Apoorva Misra Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 14:53 IST Union government data reveals that from May 7-13, four drones were sent by Pakistan, carrying payloads of small arms and narcotics in the Punjab sector The Indian govt has debunked a major fake post that has people worried A month since hostilities were put on hold by India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor, the neighbour continues to provoke India by dropping arms and ammunitions through drones. Data reviewed by CNN-News18 shows that 24 drones were brought down by the Border Security Force (BSF) between May 14 and June 8. This was immediately after India put Operation Sindoor on hold and both sides agreed to a cessation of hostilities after air strikes over three days. Recommended Stories India began Operation Sindoor on the intervening night of May 7 and 8, targeting terror hubs in Bahawalpur, Muridke and seven other locations. On May 10, the Pakistan DGMO called his Indian counterpart, and an agreement was reached to hold fire. Union government data reveals that from May 7-13, four drones were sent by Pakistan, carrying payloads of small arms and narcotics in the Punjab sector. On the early morning of May 8, Pakistan had sent a swarm of drones over Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan as a retaliatory response to Indias anti-terror action. However, as per defence officials, most of these drones did not carry any payload and appeared to be for the purpose of surveillance. From January 1, 2025, to April 22, 2025, when the Pahalgam attack was carried out, a total of 35 drones were recovered or downed by BSF. The number fell to 17 between April 23 and June 6 before Operation Sindoor began. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all On June 10, BSF Punjab frontier recovered a DJI Mavic 3 classic drone near Tarn Tarans Mehdipur. A total of 484 grams of heroin wrapped in a yellow polythene with an iron loop and illuminating strip were also recovered. On June 5, a DJI Air 3 drone was also recovered from the same area. Forty-six live 9mm rounds were recovered separately from the India-Pakistan border area. On June 1, four drones carrying narcotics were recovered of which two were damaged. The same pattern of DJI drones carrying narcotics was observed all through the last week of May, BSF officials in Punjab sector said. This year, so far, more than 100 drones have been brought down by BSF in Punjab sector, as per official data. About the Author Arunima Arunima is Editor (Home Affairs) and covers strategic, security and political affairs. From the Ukraine-Russia War to the India-China stand-off in Ladakh to India-Pak clashes, she has reported from ground zero ... Read More Arunima is Editor (Home Affairs) and covers strategic, security and political affairs. From the Ukraine-Russia War to the India-China stand-off in Ladakh to India-Pak clashes, she has reported from ground zero ... Read More Location : Jammu and Kashmir, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 14:53 IST Raja Raghuvanshi Murder: Sonam, 'Lover' Raj Kushwaha Sent To Police Custody Till June 19 Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 18:52 IST Sonam's "lover" Raj Kushwaha and three others were sent to police remand for the next eight days Sonam with Raj Kushwaha (Photo: X) Raja Raghuvanshi Murder: Sonam, who has been accused of killing his husband Raja Raghuvanshi, was sent to police custody till June 19. Sonams lover" Raj Kushwaha and three others were also sent to police remand for the next eight days by a court in Shillong. Recommended Stories Sonam confessed to being involved in her husband Rajas killing, sources told CNN-News18. The admission by Sonam came during questioning by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Officials now plan to record her formal statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC, sources said. Meanwhile, the police were also preparing to videotape her confession, which could play a crucial role in the prosecutions case going forward. Black Magic, A Dark Spell: Raja Raghuvanshis Mother Berates Sonam For Honeymoon Murder Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Raja Raghuvanshi (29) and Sonam got married in Indore on May 11. They went missing during their honeymoon trip to Meghalaya on May 23. Rajas body was found in a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra area (also known as Cherrapunji) of East Khasi Hills district on June 2. Sonam, who was initially reported missing in Meghalaya, surfaced in Uttar Pradeshs Ghazipur on Sunday night where she surrendered after her alleged accomplices Akash Rajput (19), Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), and Anand Kurmi were arrested for their alleged role in conspiring and killing Raghuvanshi. Raj Singh Kushwaha (21), the alleged conspirator, was arrested later. A team of Meghalaya Police brought all accused to Shillong and produced them at the local court. According to police officials, Raj Kushwaha, who allegedly plotted the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi with Sonam during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, and three other men hired to execute the crime have known each other since the past. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Indore Police also claimed Kushwaha, the suspected boyfriend of Sonam, didnt travel to the northeastern state to avoid suspicion and went about his daily routine. Despite being a class 12 pass-out, Kushwaha worked as an accountant at the furniture sheet unit owned by the family of Sonam, a resident of the Govind Nagar Kharcha area in Indore. She used to look after the family business. 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 First Published: June 11, 2025, 18:29 IST Raja Raghuvanshi Murder: The Sonam-Raj Kushwaha Love Story, Deadly Turn & Police Probe In 8 Points Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 12:27 IST Raja Raghuvanshi murder: Sonam and Raj Kushwaha's planning to police probe, clues and suspicion of pregnancy, a detailed timeline of the case so far Sonam Raghuvanshi has been accused of killing her husband Raja Raghuvanshi with the help of her alleged lover Raj. (X Screengrab) The nation is shocked over the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, allegedly planned by his wife Sonam and her suspected lover, Raj Kushwaha, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. New details keep emerging every hour, showing how the murder was planned meticulously. Recommended Stories ALSO READ | Sonam Met Raj Kushwaha 2 Years Ago, Planned Raja Raghuvanshis Murder Within 3 Days Of Marriage top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Heres the entire case in eight points. Marriage, honeymoon, murder planning begins: Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam get married on May 11 in Madhya Pradeshs Indore. Within days, he tells his mother that she is not interested in him, while she hatches a plan with her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha, to murder Raghuvanshi. Sonam got close with Kushwaha while working at her fathers plywood unit where he used to call her Didi to avoid suspicion, say police. She gets Raghuvanshi to agree to a honeymoon in Meghalaya, while Kushwaha hires three men Akash Rajput, Vishal or Vikash Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi, all residents of Indores Nandbagh to execute the killing. He stays behind, while Sonam keeps him posted. Missing couple, and then a body: On May 23, the couple is reported missing, after which the state police launch a manhunt. Various theories start to float, including that Sonam was taken to Bangladesh. Raghuvanshis body is found in a gorge in Cherrapunji on June 2.His jewellery a gold ring and neck chain- are missing, raising suspicions of foul play. The search for Sonam continues. During a search at the crime scene, officers recovered a blood-stained jacket belonging to the alleged killer Akash, a raincoat linked to Sonam, and Rajas damaged mobile screen, police sources said. The breakthrough: Albert Pde, a local tourist guide Mawlakhiat, informs police that the couple was not alone. On the day they vanished, they were seen with three unidentified men, while they were climbing back up from Nongriat to Mawlakhiat. The village head of Sohrarim in East Khasi Hills tells police about an abandoned scooter, which is found to have been rented by the Raghuvanshis. Sonam resurfaces, probe takes a different angle: Sonam is found at Uttar Pradeshs Ghazipur in the early hours of June 9. She approaches a dhaba owner for help and calls her brother. While police claim she surrendered, Sonam says an attempt was made to rob her, after which she fell unconscious and did not remember how she ended up in Ghazipur. Sonam claims she is not an accused, but a victim in the case. However, Meghalaya Police name Sonam as one of the prime accused in the case. The four arrests & Operation Honeymoon: After Sonams surrender, the three alleged attackers are caught. Raj Kushwaha is arrested later. All three families are in disbelief. Meghalaya Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh called it a clear case of love triangle". It is clearly a case that involved a love triangle and the main accused had engaged contract killers in order to carry out a heinous crime," he said. How she reached UP: After Rajas murder on May 25, Sonam is believed to have left Shillong and travelled to Indore via train through Siliguri. There, she met Raj Kushwaha once again and stayed at a rented accommodation. She is said to have been later dropped off by a driver to Uttar Pradesh, reaching Ghazipur via Varanasi even as Shillong Police began making arrests of contract killers from Madhya Pradesh. Meticulous but poor planning: CCTV footage shows Sonam and Raghuvanshi near the homestay. Investigators obtain CCTV footage that places Sonam in contact with the alleged killers at a location at least 10 km from the crime scene in Shillong. Sonam is seen to have posted pictures from Rajas social media account at 2:15 AM after his death. Police say Sonam handed over her raincoat to Akash, which was later discarded at the scene due to blood stains. Another accused, Anand, was arrested while wearing the same clothes from the time of the crime. Vishal is identified as the person who delivered the first blow to Raja. UP police say the planning was poor. Sonam is not pregnant: Sonam tests negative for pregnancy at Ganesh Das hospital in Shillong on Wednesday. About the Author Manjiri Joshi At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing special copies ... Read More At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing special copies ... Read More First Published: June 11, 2025, 12:18 IST Raja Raghuvanshis Family Apologises To Meghalaya Govt, Blames Sonam For Maligning States Image Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 14:17 IST Sachin Raghuvanshi apologized to the Conrad Sangma government for his brother's murder tarnishing Meghalaya's image. He thanked the police for solving the case in 17 days Raghuvanshi and his wife went missing while vacationing in Meghalaya's Sohra area on May 23. His body was found in a gorge on June 2. (Photo: ANI) Sachin Raghuvanshi, brother of Raja Raghuvanshi who was killed in Meghalaya, has apologised to the Conrad Sangma government and blamed Sonam for tarnishing" the states image. Speaking to ANI, Sachin expressed gratitude to the Meghalaya Police for solving the mystery of his brothers murder in less than three weeks. He also thanked the Meghalaya government for standing with his family in difficult times. Recommended Stories I want to apologise to the Meghalaya government that because of one Sonam Raghuvanshi, the image of Meghalaya has been tarnished. The Meghalaya Police solved this case in 17 days. I want to thank the Meghalaya government for standing with us. The Meghalaya government cares for its tourists," he said. Sachin said that all the accused in the case should be questioned, and strict action should be taken against them. Sonam Raghuvanshi has destroyed seven families. Strictest action should be taken against her. All the members of the family should also be interrogated properly," he added. Ashok Raghuvanshi, father of Raja Raghuvanshi, said They (Sonams family) should apologise to the Meghalaya Police. They have insulted the Meghalaya Police. I have faith in the Meghalaya Police. They have done a very good job. I also apologise to the Meghalaya Police for the insult they suffered. Meghalaya Police found my son, although he was dead. A complete inquiry should be done and the culprits must be hanged." Black Magic, A Dark Spell: Raja Raghuvanshis Mother Berates Sonam For Honeymoon Murder Earlier, Meghalaya Minister Alexander Laloo Hek demanded an apology from Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam for tarnishing" the image of Meghalaya and its people. He said if they did not apologise, the state would file a defamation case against them. We are thankful to the Meghalaya Police for their crackdown and complete investigation within seven days. Now we are seeking an apology from the families of Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi for tarnishing the image of Meghalaya and its people. Sonam will be brought to Shillong The people of Meghalaya demand an apology; otherwise, we will file a defamation case against them," the minister told ANI. Sonam and her aides were arrested from Indore in Madhya Pradesh and Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh for their alleged role in conspiring and killing Raja Raghuvanshi last month. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The SIT has secured a six-day remand for the accused persons from Indore and that of three days for one arrested from Ghazipur, he added. Raghuvanshi and his wife went missing while vacationing in Meghalayas Sohra area on May 23. His body was found in a gorge on June 2. 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 : Indore, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 13:59 IST Sonam Admits To Involvement In Husband Raja Raghuvanshi's Murder: Sources Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 17:05 IST Raja Raghuvanshi Murder News: Sonam has allegedly confessed to her role in husband Raja's murder during SIT questioning. The police now plan to record and tape her confession. Sonam Raghuvanshi/Raja Raghuvanshi (Photo: Social Media) Sonam Raghuvanshi on Wednesday confessed to being involved in her husband Raja Raghuvanshis killing, sources told CNN-News18. The admission by Sonam came during questioning by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Recommended Stories Officials now plan to record her formal statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC, sources said. Meanwhile, the police were also preparing to videotape her confession, which could play a crucial role in the prosecutions case going forward. Sonam Raghuvanshi, along with other accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, were on Wednesday interrogated by the Meghalaya Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) at the Sadar Police Station in Shillong. The five accused would later be presented before a court. ALSO READ | Raja Raghuvanshis Mother Accuses Sonam Of Black Magic, Murder: She Cast A Dark Spell Meanwhile, Sonams brother, Govind, said his lawyers would fight against Sonam. He also apologised to Raja Raghuvanshis mother for their loss and said his family would stand with them to get Sonam punished. My lawyer will stand against Raj Kushwaha and Sonam," her brother said. Also See: Sonams Brother Govind Apologises To Raghuvanshi Family, Disowns Her My whole family is nervous, we willl always be apologetic to Raja Raghuvanshis family," he added. Sonam Raghuvanshi was arrested for allegedly orchestrating the shocking murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. She was brought to Shillong under tight security late on Tuesday and is set to be produced in court on Wednesday. Sonam, who surrendered before police in Uttar Pradeshs Ghazipur on June 7, was taken to Patna by road, then flown to Kolkata and onward to Guwahati. ALSO READ: Raja Raghuvanshis Cousin Says Sonam Avoided Talking To Him From Guwahati airport, she was discreetly taken out through the cargo gate and transported to the Sadar police station in Shillong, where she spent the night after a mandatory medical examination at Ganesh Das Hospital. Four other accused Raj Kushwaha, Sonams alleged lover and the mastermind, along with Anand Kurmi, Akash Rajput, and Vishal Singh Chauhan were also brought to the Meghalaya capital earlier in the day. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all They will remain in custody until their court appearance. 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 11, 2025, 14:46 IST 'Black Magic, A Dark Spell': Raja Raghuvanshis Mother Berates Sonam For Honeymoon Murder Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 12, 2025, 10:41 IST Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case Latest News: Raja's mother has alleged Sonam Raghuvanshi may have used black magic and even performed a sacrifice. She suspects occult practices. Raja Raghuvanshi/Sonam Raghuvanshi (Photos: Social Media) Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case Latest News: In a chilling new development in the murder case of Raja Raghuvanshi, his mother on Wednesday levied sensational allegations against her daughter-in-law and the prime accused, Sonam Raghuvanshi. According to Raja Raghuvanshis mother, Sonam may have performed black magic and a possible human sacrifice. She also claimed certain astrological factors may have been at the centre of the murder conspiracy. Recommended Stories Also Read: Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case LIVE Updates Sonam Raghuvanshi, her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha, and three others were arrested on charges of killing Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya. The Indore-based couple had got married on May 11 and had arrived in Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon. BLACK MAGIC, VASHIKARAN: RAJA RAGHUVANSHIS MOTHER MAKES BIG CLAIMS Raja Raghuvanshis mother has alleged that Sonam had performed tantrik kriyas (black magic rituals) on Raja and even on other members of the family. Sonam had done something like a spell, a vashikaran, on all of us," she said. People used to talk about it, but we never believed them. Now were seeing the truth with our own eyes," she added. She further claimed that the couple visited the Kamakhya Devi Temple in Assams Guwahati, and ever since, Sonam asked Raja Raghuvanshi to wear a necklace, allegedly associated with black magic rituals. Also Read: Sonam Raghuvanshi Paid 20 Lakhs To Kill Husband HUMAN SACRIFICE SUSPICION Raja Raghuvanshis mother further stated that Raja was killed on Gyaras the 11th day of the lunar fortnight a date considered significant in certain spiritual traditions, and suspected that Sonam may have planned a human sacrifice. It seems she had the intent of offering a human sacrifice," she alleged. MANGLIK DOSH IGNORED, ALLEGES RAJA RAGHUVANSHIs MOTHER Delving into the couples astrological compatibility, Rajas mother revealed that both Raja and Sonams kundalis (a term used for birth chart in Vedic Astrology) had Manglik dosh, a condition in Hindu astrology believed to bring misfortune if not addressed through specific rituals. Rituals were required, but they were never performed. Now I fear Sonam used it as a cover for her sinister plan," Raja Raghuvanshis mother said. Echoing her, Raja Raghuvanshis father also said Sonam had Mangal dosh, and that she could not have executed the plan alone. If strict questioning is done with Sonam Raghuvanshi, many facts of the case will be out. A lady cannot do this alone. Other people must be involved in this. She had a mangal dosh, and he thought of killing her husband and marrying someone else," Ashok Raghuvanshi, father of Raja Raghuvanshi, said. My son was very innocent," he added. Also Read: Wont Be Responsible For What Happens: Sonam Told Mother About Affair With Raj, Say Reports WIDER CONSPIRACY SUSPECTED Raja Raghuvanshis mother also suspected there may be at least 15 people involved in the murder conspiracy, and believed that Sonam did not act alone. She also alleged that Sonam Raghuvanshis mother may have been aware of the plan. Sonams mother must have known everything," she said. GREED, DECEPTION, AND LOVE TRIANGLE Speaking further, Raja Raghuvanshis mother accused Sonam of plotting to eliminate Raja in order to marry another man, Raj Kushwaha. Their wedding had just taken place a month ago (May 11). We were all so happy," she said, still in shock. But Sonam had already decided to remove Raja from her path," she added. She also pointed out that Sonam conducted much of her planning through her mobile phone, and did not even book a return ticket after taking Raja to Kamakhya, suggesting a premeditated plan. She (Sonam Raghuvanshi) knew what tantric rituals are done there. She took Raja under the pretence of a mannat (wish) and never planned to return with him," Raja Raghuvanshis mother alleged. According to the mother, Raja handled all the financial matters and accounts. These young people killed Raja out of greed. He was the one who managed all the money," she claimed. The murder case of Raja Raghuvanshi sent shockwaves across the country after his body was found in a gorge in Meghalaya, where he, along with his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, had gone for their honeymoon. While Rajas body was identified, Sonam remained missing. She was traced in Uttar Pradeshs Ghazipur during the early hours of June 9, and claimed that she was drugged, abducted, and abandoned. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all As she was arrested, the police refuted her claims and said she had surrendered before them. Alongside Sonam, the police also arrested four others, including Raj Kushwaha, who the police claim is Sonams lover. 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 11, 2025, 13:28 IST Sonam Offered Rs 20 Lakh To Kill Husband Raja Raghuvanshi, Paid Some In Advance: Reports Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 14:36 IST Sonam And Raja Raghuvanshi Case: Sonam allegedly paid Rs 15,000 in cash and promised a total amount of Rs 20 lakh to three men for murdering her husband Raja Raghuvanshi. Indore: Family members of Raja Raghuvanshi, who was allegedly murdered during his honeymoon in Meghalaya, cut out the picture of his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi from a poster of their marriage (Photo: PTI) Raja And Raghuvanshi Case: Sonam, the prime accused in the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, paid lakhs of rupees to killers to execute the plan, multiple media reports claimed. As the investigations into the case progressed, it was learnt that Sonam allegedly initially offered Rs 4 lakh for her husbands murder. However, she later raised the amount to Rs 20 lakh. Recommended Stories Also Read: Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case LIVE Updates It was also reported that Sonam Raghuvanshi had paid Rs 15,000 in cash to the killers on the spot, as they were hired, and promised to pay the remaining amount after the plan was executed. However, the police were yet to verify such claims. Reports suggest the three accused hired by Sonam to kill her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, had first met the couple in Bengaluru, from where they boarded a connecting flight to Meghalaya. Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi, who got married in Indore on May 11, arrived in Meghalaya for their honeymoon on May 20. According to Raja Raghuvanshis family, they last spoke to the couple on May 23, after which they were reported missing. ALSO READ | Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case: Accused Sonam Not Pregnant, Test Confirms A scooter, that the couple had hired on rent, was found abandoned at a spot on May 24, after which the police intensified the search to trace the two. Days later, on June 2, the police found a male body in a gorge, in a decomposed state. As it was established that the body was of Raja Raghuvanshi, it was revealed that a gold chain and a finger ring were missing from his remains. Meanwhile, Rajas wife, Sonam, remained missing. In the early hours of June 9, the police traced Sonam to an eatery in Uttar Pradeshs Ghazipur. Her location was known after she had called up her brother and informed him about her whereabouts, who later informed the police. As the probe continued, a staffer at the eatery confirmed that Sonam had arrived there during the late hours and was crying. She asked the staffer for a mobile phone and told him she wanted to call her family. Also Read: Wont Be Responsible For What Happens: Sonam Told Mother About Affair With Raj, Say Reports Later, the police said Sonam had surrendered in the case. Alongside Sonam, the police also arrested Akash Rajput (19), Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), and one Anand Kurmi. A fourth accused, also alleged to be Sonam Raghuvanshis lover, Raj Kushwaha, was also arrested from Madhya Pradesh. It was learnt that Sonam had planned Raja Raghuvanshis murder with Raj Kushwaha, and the two had asked the other three to execute the plan. Also See: Raja Raghuvanshis Mother Makes Big Claims Against Sonam Raja Raghuvanshis family members also claimed they saw Raj Kushwaha at their Indore home after Rajas body had arrived there. Some reports also claimed that the three accused arrested were friends of Raj Kushwaha, and not contract killers. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Meanwhile, Sonam is in a three-day transit remand with the Meghalaya Police, and Raja Raghuvanshis family has demanded the strictest punishment for the accused. 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 11, 2025, 08:05 IST Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case: Accused Sonam Not Pregnant, Test Confirms Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 07:39 IST Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi's murder, has tested negative for pregnancy, confirmed after a medical examination at a hospital in Shillong, Meghalaya. A file photo of Sonam Raghuvansh, the prime accused in the murder case of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi (Source: Social Media) Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder case of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, has tested negative for pregnancy, her medical tests revealed early on Wednesday. The development was confirmed after she was brought to Ganesh Das hospital for medical examination in Shillong in Meghalaya. Recommended Stories Sonam is in a three-day transit remand with Meghalaya Police. On Tuesday, Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong informed that the four accused involved in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi were being transported to Shillong. Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam had got married on May 10 in Madhya Pradeshs Indore, and had arrived in Meghalaya for their honeymoon on May 20. On May 23, the two were reported missing, leading the state police to launch a manhunt. A male body was found in a gorge in Cherrapunji on June 2. Later, it was established that the body was of Raja Raghuvanshi, and that a gold chain and a gold ring were missing from his body. Search for his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, continued. She was traced in Uttar Pradeshs Ghazipur in the early hours of June 9, after which the police said she had surrendered in the case. ALSO READ | A Lesson: MP CM Mohan Yadavs Message To Society After Raja Raghuvanshis Murder As Sonam was taken in custody, she claimed that she was drugged and abducted, and that she was abandoned in Ghazipur, from where she had called up her brother and informed him about her whereabouts. A staffer at the eatery where Sonam was traced also confirmed to the police that Sonam had arrived there during the late hours and had asked for a mobile phone to call her family. The staffer also said Sonam was crying. Meanwhile, the police also arrested Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand in connection with the case. Sonam Raghuvanshis alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha, who is believed to have orchestrated the murder alongside Sonam, was also arrested. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Later, the police said Raj Kushwaha worked as an accountant at Sonam Raghuvanshis office, and that all four accused are between 20 and 25 years of age. ALSO READ | Sonam Watched Husband Raja Raghuvanshis Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder: Report 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 11, 2025, 07:28 IST Sonam Told Lover Shed Push Husband Off Cliff If Killers Failed, Says Report Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 14:17 IST Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder Latest News: Raja Raghuvanshis brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, had earlier alleged that his brother was assaulted with a weapon by a group of four people. Sonam will be produced in Shillong court today (PTI File Image) Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder Case: Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of murdering her husband during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, was so resolute in her plan that she was prepared to kill him herself if her hired accomplices failed, India Today reported, citing police sources. According to investigators, Sonam allegedly told her suspected lover and co-conspirator Raj Kushwaha that If Vishal, Anand, and Akash were unable to kill Raja, she will herself push him down the hills while taking a photo. Also Read: Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case LIVE Updates Recommended Stories Police sources said the murder was plotted soon after Sonam returned to her maternal home in Indore on May 15, just four days after her wedding. She then booked tickets to Guwahati and coordinated the plan with Raj over a series of phone calls. According to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Poonam Chand Yadav, the accused not only admitted to the crime, but also revealed that Rajas wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, was present at the scene and watched her husband die". Also Read: Wont Be Responsible For What Happens: Sonam Told Mother About Affair With Raj, Say Reports Sonam, Her Aides Attacked Together Raja Raghuvanshis brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, had earlier alleged that his brother was assaulted with a weapon by a group of four people, including Sonam herself. Raja was hit with a weapon. He was attacked by four people, including his wife Sonam," Vipin told CNN-News18. A CCTV footage caught them meeting. On 25th May, Sonam met Raj (her lover) and later stayed with him in Indore before heading to Uttar Pradesh." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Also See: Raja Raghuvanshis Mother Makes Big Claims Against Sonam The case, which has captured national attention for its disturbing twists, initially began as a missing persons report involving newlyweds Sonam and Raja. The two had tied the knot on May 11 in Indore and soon left for their honeymoon in Meghalaya. They were last seen on May 23 after checking out of a homestay in Nongriat village. 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 11, 2025, 10:44 IST Temple Vandalism Sparks Tension In Bengal's Maheshtala; 18 Arrested, Kolkata Cop Injured Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 23:17 IST In the violence that followed, stones were pelted, and one police officer is said to have sustained injuries West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar alleged that a Shiva temple was vandalised right in front of a police station and that local Hindus, including a police officer, were attacked. Fresh communal tension broke out in Maheshtala, South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, on Tuesday after a reported incident of temple vandalism led to clashes between two communities. So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence. The clash reportedly began after a person was stopped from setting up a shop near a local Hindu temple, which allegedly led to the vandalism of the temple and sparked outrage among local residents. In the violence that followed, stones were pelted, and one police officer is said to have sustained injuries. Recommended Stories According to sources, the official vehicle of Kolkata Police DC Port Harikrishnan Pai was vandalized, and he sustained injuries during the unrest. The vehicle of AOC Metiabruz was also attacked, and several bikes were set on fire. BJP Slams Mamata Over Appeasement Union Minister and West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar reacted strongly to the incident, blaming the state government for Muslim appeasement". He is also set to visit the violence-hit area for an inspection on Thursday afternoon. In a detailed post on social media platform X, Majumdar accused the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government of ignoring repeated attacks on Bengali Hindus in Muslim-majority areas of the state. The incident took place under the jurisdiction of Rabindranagar Police Station in Maheshtala, which falls under the infamous @DiamondHrbrPD. To be bluntthis is yet another burning example of the Bhaipos so-called Diamond Model.If you want to understand the reality Bengali pic.twitter.com/SQ9nuLtWSn Dr. Sukanta Majumdar (@DrSukantaBJP) June 11, 2025 He alleged that a Shiva temple was vandalised right in front of a police station and that local Hindus, including a police officer, were attacked. The most outrageous part? Despite knowing exactly who was responsiblea certain peace-loving" communitythe police didnt take action against them," Majumdar wrote. Instead, they charged at the Hindus." The senior BJP leader further accused the state of following a pattern of inaction, referring to similar incidents in Malda and Murshidabad. The same pattern was seen in Malda and Murshidabad. Even there, the police stood in silence while horrific violence was unleashed on Hindus. What happened today in Rabindranagar is simply another side of the same coin." All of this happened in front of the police, yet they did nothing. They were assaulted, but didnt dare to strike back. The reason is plain@MamataOfficials shameless policy of Muslim appeasement, the consequences of which are now deeply embedded even in the states OBC list," Majumdar stated. West Bengals Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari also took to X to slam Mamatas government. In his post, he wrote: Glimpses of Lawlessness, Unruliness, Complete Breakdown of Governance and Administration, Hapless condition of Law and Order Apparatus in Maheshtala Rabindranagar today." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Glimpses of Lawlessness, Unruliness, Complete Breakdown of Governance and Administration, Hapless condition of Law and Order Apparatus in Maheshtala Rabindranagar today.This is what happens when you feed a rabid dog, it bites you back one day. These Jidasists know that they pic.twitter.com/mOiQKsavRG Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) June 11, 2025 This is what happens when you feed a rabid dog, it bites you back one day. These Jidasists know that they have succeeded in putting shackles on the Mamata Banerjee Govt, the Govt cant act against them, as they are the impactful Vote Bank," he added. 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 : West Bengal | Kolkata, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 18:22 IST Industrial and construction group "Kovalska" updated the equipment of its own Innovation and Technology Center Kovalska Lab, investing UAH 6.6 million of its own and international grant funds in the first stage of modernization, its press service said. "The first to be modernized was the laboratory for incoming raw material control: a comprehensive repair was carried out, modern equipment was purchased and the space was redeveloped, dismantling the old foundations. We also purchased the latest laboratory equipment from leading European manufacturers: German Testing, Italian Controls and Matest," Kovalska Lab Director Viktoria Spivak said. It is noted that the new equipment will allow expanding the range of testing capabilities of the laboratory in accordance with European requirements, as well as increasing the productivity of work and the accuracy of the results obtained, since all devices operate in automatic mode. Specialized software minimizes the impact of the human factor on the measurement process. Among the new products received is high-precision equipment for measuring the main quality indicators of cement, active mineral additives and inert aggregates. According to Spivak, every year the company introduces dozens of new products into production. Kovalska Lab has been operating as Kovalska's own R&D unit for over 13 years. It brings together over 40 specialists and covers ten areas of work from the development of innovative concrete to product certification. Recently, the laboratory has opened its services to external customers. The range of capabilities includes laboratory and field tests, the development of new products, individual technical solutions and full technological support for projects. According to Spivak, the company systematically invests in the development of its own R&D direction, updates its material and technical equipment and improves research approaches in order to be able to develop recipes for manufacturing products to meet the needs of customers. Industrial and Construction Group "Kovalska" is the largest manufacturer of building materials in Ukraine and one of the leading developers. The company's products are represented by a number of brands, including "Concrete from Kovalska," Avenue paving slabs and Siltek building mixtures. The enterprises carry out a full cycle of work from raw material extraction, product manufacturing to the construction of structures for various purposes. As of April 2025, the Group's production facilities operate in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Lviv, Chernihiv regions. Kovalska aerated concrete plant is located on the temporarily occupied territory in Nova Kakhovka. Traces Of Blood, Raincoat & A 'Khukri': New Clues Emerge In Meghalaya Murder Case Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 14:56 IST The probe so far has revealed a chilling tale of betrayal and careful planning, with investigators noting that Sonam was resolute in her plan to get rid of her husband Sonam Raghuvanshi is the prime accused in her husband's murder. (Photo: X) A blood-stained shirt, a raincoat, and a Khukri may hold the clues to the murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, whose decomposed body was recovered on June 2 from a gorge in Meghalaya, where he was on his honeymoon. In a sensational twist to the case, Rajas wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi; her alleged boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha; and three others are suspected to be involved in the killing. The probe so far has revealed a chilling tale of betrayal and careful planning, with investigators noting that Sonam was so resolute in her plan to get rid of her husband that she allegedly told her Kushwaha she would push Raghuvanshi off a cliff while taking a photo if the accused failed to kill him. Recommended Stories As per reports, Sonams mother was aware of her daughters affair, and the latter had warned her of consequences" if she was forced to marry Raghuvanshi. Vipin Raghuvanshi, Rajas elder brother, said a close acquaintance of Sonams family told him that her mother had forced her to marry within their caste, regardless of her having an affair with someone else. Vipin alleged that Sonam agreed to compromise and marry Raja, but warned and said, You will see what I do to that person. You all will have to bear the consequences. No one thought she would kill Raja," NDTV quoted a source as saying. The most damning evidence collected by the cops so far is a blood-stained shirt belonging to one of the accused, Akash. Forensic analysis confirmed that the blood belonged to Raja Raghuvanshi. Apart from this, Sonams raincoat with blood traces is now under forensic analysis, apart from the murder weapona khukriwhich is being examined. Police are also analysing the fingerprints of the accused on various surfaces, including the murder weapon and Rajas belongings, and looking into electronic evidence, including mobile phones and digital devices used by the accused, to piece together the crime. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all NDTV reported that other evidence the police are looking into includes CCTV footage to track movements of the couple as well as the accused, hotel bookings, testimony from a shopkeeper who sold the khukri used in the murder, train and flight tickets correlating to the travel timeline of all suspects, and call detail records that prove Sonam was in touch with Kushwaha and the killers. Amid the ongoing probe, while police have made some breakthroughs, there is no clarity yet on the money trail, including the Rs 20 lakh that Sonam had allegedly offered to bump off her husband, as well as the escape routes and hideouts the accused used after fleeing Meghalaya. Investigators have also not yet recovered Sonams mobile phone, which may contain incriminating evidence that could help police narrow down and build a timeline of the case. About the Author Apoorva Misra Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. M... Read More Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. M... Read More Location : Meghalaya, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 14:43 IST Was Consulted: Siddaramaiah Changes Stance On RCB Event Week After Bengaluru Stampede Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 18:58 IST Siddaramaiah said: "Govindraj called up the governor and handed me the phone...I told the governor that since I was attending the Vidhana Soudha event, he should too..." Siddaramaiah spoke on the RCB event on Wednesday. (PTI File) After distancing himself from the June 4 RCB felicitation event for days, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has now changed his stance he said he was consulted for the Vidhan Soudha function. The Karnataka government went ahead with a felicitation ceremony for IPL team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Vidhana Soudha on June 4, despite a clear warning from the police about potential security risks. Later that evening, a massive crowd of fans gathered outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for celebration of RCBs maiden trophy win in 18 years, resulting in a stampede that left 11 people dead. Recommended Stories ALSO READ | We Didnt Organise: Siddaramaiah Distances His Govt From RCB Celebrations Amid Stampede Row Siddaramaiah had earlier said his government the state administration had no role in organising the felicitation event at the stadium and that he was merely invited to the Vidhan Soudha function. On the 4th of this month, the KSCA and RCB representatives held a felicitation programme for the players. At around 11:29 am, I was invited. They requested to hold the programme, and I agreed. The Chief Secretary also called me about this, and I said yes." The governor also attended the felicitation. The media is played it out in such a way, saying that the governor came of his own volition. Thats not correct." My political secretary Govindraj called up the governor and handed me the phone, telling that the governor too was coming. I told the governor that since I was attending, he should attend as well. He attended, and the felicitation ended in 20 minutes due to the rains. He left from there, and I headed back to my residence," said the CM. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In a letter dated June 4, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) MN Karibasvanna had warned of security concerns and flagged these to the DPAR. In a letter addressed to DPAR head G Satyavathi, Vidhana Soudha security division officials flagged serious concerns about inadequate personnel to manage security arrangements for the high-profile event. Location : Bangalore, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 18:41 IST Why Did Osama Bin Laden Feel Safe In Pakistan? Jaishankars Strong Message On Terrorism, Pahalgam Curated By : News18.com Edited By: Manjiri Joshi Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 14:02 IST S Jaishankar: I want the world to understand this isnt merely an India-Pakistan issue. Its about terrorism. That very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India is a more trustworthy partner than China. (PTI File) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in Brussels, made a strong case against terrorism in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor. Speaking to Euractiv, he said terrorism wasnt merely an India-Pakistan issue and the world needs to understand that. Recommended Stories Let me remind you of something there was a man named Osama bin Laden. Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point?" he said. I want the world to understand this isnt merely an India-Pakistan issue. Its about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you." India has the longest-standing grievance our borders were violated just months after independence, when Pakistan sent in invaders to Kashmir. And the countries that were most supportive of that? Western countries." If those same countries who were evasive or reticent then now say lets have a great conversation about international principles, I think Im justified in asking them to reflect on their own past." INDIA MORE TRUSTWORTHY THAN CHINA During his visit, Jaishankar met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EUs foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas. India a nation of 1.4 billion offers skilled labour and a more trustworthy economic partnership than ChinaI just met with several European companies in India that have chosen to set up there specifically to de-risk their supply chains. Many companies are becoming increasingly careful about where they locate their data theyd rather place it somewhere secure and trustworthy than simply go for efficiency. Would you really want that in the hands of actors you dont feel comfortable with?" NOT UNINVOLVED IN UKRAINE-RUSSIA CONFLICT We dont believe that differences can be resolved through war we dont believe a solution will come from the battlefield. Its not for us to prescribe what that solution should be. My point is, were not being prescriptive or judgemental but we are also not uninvolved." Responding to criticism over Indias refusal to join sanctions against Russia, he said, We have a strong relationship with Ukraine as well its not only about Russia. But every country, naturally, considers its own experience, history and interests." DEEPENING INDIAS RELATIONSHIP IN MULTIPOLAR WORLD Multipolarity is already here. Europe now faces the need to make more decisions in its own interest using its own capabilities, and based on the relationships it fosters globally." I hear terms like strategic autonomy being used in Europe these were once part of our vocabulary." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The EU is clearly a major pole in the global order and increasingly an autonomous one. That is precisely why Im here: to deepen our relationship in this multipolar world." Reacting to the EUs climate policies, particularly the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), Jaishankar expressed clear opposition. Lets not pretend were opposed to parts of it. We have very deep reservations about CBAM and weve been quite open about it. The idea that one part of the world will set standards for everybody else is something which we are against." 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 11, 2025, 13:50 IST Ranveer Singh Gets His Own McDonalds Meal, The Ranveer Singh Meal: Heres Whats Inside! Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 08:41 IST Ranveer Singh Joins McDonalds India (North & East) as Brand Ambassador, Launches The Ranveer Singh Meal Ranveer Singh Joins the McDonalds League with His Own Signature Meal McDonalds India (North & East), one of the countrys most loved restaurant brands, has onboarded Bollywood powerhouse Ranveer Singh as its new brand ambassador. As part of this partnership, the brand has also launched The Ranveer Singh Meal, a limited-time offering curated from the actors personal McDonalds favouritesan initiative inspired by the brands global Famous Orders platform. With his favourite McDonalds order now on the menu, Ranveer Singh joins a global league of icons like BTS and Travis Scott, who have had signature meals named after them. His vibrant energy, cultural relevance, and strong connection with young audiences make him a natural fit for a brand that stands for fun, flavour, and fan love across generations. Recommended Stories Commenting on the association, Anant Agarwal, Vice-Chairperson, CPRL (McDonalds India North & East), said, Ranveer embodies what McDonalds stands for- vibrant and joyful. This collaboration is rooted in fan truth and the deep emotional bond people share with McDonalds, reflecting real moments of joy and nostalgia, told through the lens of a genuine McDonalds fan. Were thrilled to welcome him to the McDonalds family and to launch The Ranveer Singh Meal, a true celebration of fandom and flavour that resonates with fans of all ages, from youth and millennials to families." Speaking about the partnership, Ranveer Singh said, Im thrilled to join the McDonalds India (North & East) family as their brand ambassador! McDonalds has always been my favourite, just like it is for so many of us! Im super excited to now have my very own meal with them, which I can share with my audience. Its full of flavour and full of funjust how I like it! Its special to have a McDonalds meal named after myself; I cant wait for my fans to try it." The Ranveer Singh Meal, available from 13 June, is a 3-piece combo featuring two burger optionsMcVeggie (Xplode) for vegetarians and McChicken (Xplode) for non-vegetarianspaired with a Bobaaa drink and Golden Pop Fries. Inspired by Ranveers lively persona, both burgers are enhanced with a new chilli and creamy Xplode sauce and topped with golden crispy onions. This bold twist brings richer flavours and a delightful crunch, transforming familiar favourites into something new and crave-worthy. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Completing the meal are the all-new Golden Crispy Pops, bite-sized potato snacks delivering the perfect crunch-pop combo, ideal for snacking. Rounding it off is the limited-edition Bobaaa Blast, a drink launching for the first time in India, featuring a generous scoop of popping boba pearls for a fun, sippable treat. With this launch, McDonalds brings fans closer to their favourite star through a celebration of taste, nostalgia, and iconic McDonalds moments. This partnership reinforces a universal truth: McDonalds is everybodys favourite. Whether its a celebrity or a customer walking into a restaurant, the emotional bond remains timeless, joyful, and inclusive. About the Author Lifestyle Desk Our life needs a bit of style to get the perfect zing in the daily routine. News18 Lifestyle is one-stop destination for everything you need to know about the world of fashion, food, health, travel, relationshi... Read More Our life needs a bit of style to get the perfect zing in the daily routine. News18 Lifestyle is one-stop destination for everything you need to know about the world of fashion, food, health, travel, relationshi... Read More 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! First Published: June 11, 2025, 08:41 IST Beyond Blockages: Structural Heart Disease and the Rise of Minimally Invasive Solutions Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 14:07 IST A common example of structural heart disease is aortic valve stenosis, especially in patients over 60 years old. New symptoms of structural heart disease can include difficulty breathing, fatigue during everyday activities, chest discomfort, irregular heartbeats, or swelling in the limbs or abdomen Heart disease is often associated with blocked arteries and heart attacks, but theres another lesser-known category of heart conditions that demands attention: structural heart disease. While coronary artery disease is defined by the narrowing or blockage of arteries that nourish the heart muscle, structural heart disease refers to abnormalities or defects in the hearts valves, walls, muscles, or chambers. These can be congenitalpresent from birthor acquired over time due to aging, infections such as rheumatic fever, or degenerative changes. A common example of structural heart disease is aortic valve stenosis, especially in patients over 60 years old. This occurs when calcium deposits restrict and stiffen the aortic valve, making it harder for the heart to pump blood efficiently. Another congenital condition is the bicuspid aortic valve, where the valve has only two cusps instead of the usual three, leading to accelerated wear and valve failure, often in younger adults. Recommended Stories Dr. Yugal Mishra, Chief of Clinical Services, Chairman of the Manipal Institute of Cardiac Sciences, and Chief Cardiovascular Surgeon at Manipal Hospital, Dwarka, New Delhi, shares everything you need to know: New symptoms of structural heart disease can include difficulty breathing, fatigue during everyday activities, chest discomfort, irregular heartbeats, or swelling in the limbs or abdomen. These may signal that the hearts valves or chambers are not functioning properly and require immediate medical attention. Surgical options such as valve repair or replacement remain effective, particularly in younger patients or those with minimal comorbidities. However, less invasive options have revolutionized care for older patients or those with additional kidney or lung complications. One such procedure is TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement), also known as TAVI. In this approach, a prosthetic valve is inserted via catheter through an artery, avoiding the need for open-heart surgery. This minimally invasive method is particularly beneficial for patients with severely compromised health, offering restored heart function, faster recovery, and improved quality of life. Advanced therapies like TAVR offer renewed hope for living a healthier, more fulfilling life. If you or a loved one is experiencing recurring cardiac symptoms, it is advisable to consult a cardiologist. Early detection and timely intervention can make all the difference. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all As highlighted by the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease (CVD)including heart attacks and strokesremains the leading cause of death worldwide. Alarmingly, many of these deaths are premature, especially among individuals under 70. Aortic stenosis (AS) is a prime example of a condition that can progress silently until it becomes critical. To further improve outcomes, the SMART trial evaluated various valve types used in TAVR procedures, enhancing treatment protocols, safety, and long-term success rates. For India to meet the growing burden of heart disease, a multi-faceted healthcare approachcombining early diagnostics and innovative treatments like TAVIis essential to transform cardiac care and improve patient outcomes. About the Author Swati Chaturvedi Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she's a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in News18 Engl... Read More Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she's a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in News18 Engl... Read More 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! First Published: June 11, 2025, 14:07 IST Opinion | Pakistans Political Awakening Demands A New US Approach Written By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 16:00 IST Supporting an unpopular or authoritarian regime risks alienating a nation of 240 million, where the majority are young and increasingly demand change Despite solitary confinement and a campaign of legal and media suppression, Imran Khan remains Pakistans most popular political figure. (AP) For nearly eight decades, the US-Pakistan relationship has been defined by transactional, security-driven alliances, with successive American administrations consistently aligning with Pakistans military rulersfrom Ayub Khan to Pervez Musharraf, and now Field Marshal Asim Munir. This client-master" dynamic has prioritised US strategic interests, from Cold War containment to counter-terrorism, but at the expense of democratic development and public trust within Pakistan. Today, however, a profound shift in Pakistans political consciousnessdriven by a social media revolution, an energised Pakistani-American diaspora, and the enduring popularity of imprisoned leader Imran Khandemands a fundamental rethink of US policy. Recommended Stories A Shifting Trust Landscape Traditionally, Pakistans military has been revered as a symbol of national pride and stability. Yet, the years following Imran Khans ouster in April 2022 saw the militarys reputation battered by allegations of political manipulation, media censorship, and judicial overreach aimed at sidelining Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Despite these efforts, Khans popularity endured, evidenced by his partys strong showing in the 2024 general elections, where PTI-backed independents won a plurality of seats despite widespread allegations of pre-poll manipulation and interference. Following the May 2025 border clashes with India, the militarys image experienced a notable but fleeting resurgence. In any Pakistan-India confrontation, public sentiment instinctively rallies around nationalist fervour, temporarily boosting support for the armed forces and their leadership. This surge in approval is less a reflection of sustained confidence in military governance and more an expression of collective patriotism in the face of external threats. However, this bump is inherently unsustainable: the militarys inability to deliver rule of law, accountability, peace, or economic prosperity ensures that such approval will inevitably erode once the immediate crisis fades. The underlying trust deficit remains, signalling a deeper public demand for democratic accountability and civilian-led governance. The Social Media Revolution The February 2024 elections highlighted the transformative power of social media in Pakistans political landscape. Despite Khans imprisonment and severe restrictions on PTIs campaign, digital platforms enabled pro-democracy voices to bypass censorship and mobilise support among Pakistans 150 million smartphone users, 60 per cent of whom are youth. Women, veterans, and a 10-million-strong diaspora played pivotal roles in this virtual movement, demonstrating the resilience of civil society even in the face of state repression. Attempts by authorities to ban platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and target overseas activists have largely failed to blunt this digital momentum. The Pakistani-American Catalyst The Pakistani-American diaspora, numbering over 6,25,000, has become an influential force in US politics and a vocal advocate for democracy in Pakistan. Their lobbying has contributed to Congressional hearings, the passage of resolutions such as H.Res.901 supporting democracy and human rights in Pakistan, and increased scrutiny of US foreign policy toward Islamabad. The diasporas activism reflects a broader transnational demand for democratic accountability and has pressured US lawmakers to reconsider the wisdom of unconditional support for Pakistans military establishment. Imran Khan: Enduring Symbol of Resistance Despite solitary confinement and a campaign of legal and media suppression, Imran Khan remains Pakistans most popular political figure, with approval ratings surpassing those of his rivals. His message of justice, rule of law, and people power continues to inspire millions, both inside Pakistan and among Western human rights advocates. Khans struggle, recognised by international organisations as involving arbitrary" detention, has become emblematic of the broader fight for democratic governance in Pakistan. A Pivotal Choice for US Policy The convergence of these factorsa military establishment whose popularity surges only in moments of crisis, a vibrant social media-driven civil society, an engaged diaspora, and Khans enduring appealsignals a new phase in Pakistans political evolution. As Field Marshal Munir seeks to deepen ties with the Trump administration, the US faces a strategic choice: continue backing a military-led order that relies on fleeting moments of nationalist unity, or support democratic reforms that align with American values of freedom and justice. Supporting an unpopular or authoritarian regime risks alienating a nation of 240 million, where the majority are young and increasingly demand change. By advocating for free and fair elections, upholding human rights, and encouraging the release of political prisoners, the US can help foster a stable, democratic Pakistan that is a genuine partner in the region. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The upcoming meetings with senior US officials present a critical opportunity. American policymakers must decide: Will the US continue to enable a military-first model, propped up only by transient surges of patriotism, or will it champion the democratic aspirations of Pakistans people? The answer will shape not only US-Pakistan relations, but also the trajectory of democracy in South Asia. Salman Ahmad is a UN Goodwill Ambassador and author of the book Rock and Roll Jihad. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. Location : Islamabad, Pakistan First Published: June 11, 2025, 16:00 IST Opinion | PM Modis Five Pledges Fulfil Deendayals Five Suggestions Written By : News18.com Last Updated: June 12, 2025, 00:03 IST One of Prime Minister Narendra Modis most enduring achievements of the last 11 years is his emergence as Deendayal Upadhyayas true philosophical and political legatee Deendayal Upadhyaya envisioned an economic and social order where every individual, especially the most marginalised, could thrive with dignity. (Pic: PIB/PTI) As early as 1949, Deendayal Upadhyaya articulated the need for economic, social, cultural as well as spiritual freedom". Within each of these dimensions, he envisioned the fulfilment of freedom and selfhood. No dimension could be overlooked in his schema for national rejuvenation through integral growth and progress. Over the past eleven years, under Narendra Modis leadership, each of these dimensions has received significant focus and innovative action. It is pertinent to briefly examine some of these. Financial Inclusion: Financial inclusion has broadened and reinforced economic freedom, achieving unprecedented reach and impact in the last eleven years. This is manifested in the flagship Jan Dhan scheme and is evident in the 250 million people lifted out of multidimensional poverty over the past decade. In its Spring 2025 World Banks Poverty and Equity Brief, a global poverty update, the World Bank noted a significant decline in extreme poverty in India over the past decade. This sharp decline, from 27.1% to 5.3%, has lifted 171 million people out of extreme poverty. These are definitive indicators of enhanced economic freedom. Indias surpassing of Japan to become the worlds fourth-largest economy further signifies Indias resolute progress towards deepening its economic freedom, marking a decisive milestone in realising this vision. Recommended Stories Social Freedom: The transformative Aspirational District Programme (ADP) exemplifies social freedom. It has accelerated development in Indias most backward districts, fostering social inclusion and mainstreaming the most marginalised within these regions. The ADP is unparalleled in its impact and has overturned the outdated approach of neglecting backward districts. PM Modi has effectively argued that backward districts require greater attention to reach parity with developed areas. The ADP embodies Deendayal Upadhyayas philosophy of Antyodaya". The UNDPs observation that the ADPs success stems from its alignment with the Leave No One Behind" philosophy and its direct monitoring by the Prime Minister underscores the driving principles and leadership that transformed this project into a global model for development, all-round growth, and empowerment. The ADP stands as a tribute to Upadhyayas philosophy and his exhortation to leave no one behind in the march of progress. Cultural Freedom: The pursuit of cultural freedom is inspired by PM Modis mantra of Vikaas bhi aur Viraasat bhi" (Development as well as Heritage). The past decade under his leadership has witnessed an unprecedented focus on rejuvenating and preserving Indias cultural symbols and centres. A substantial list of achievements is evident to any cultural enthusiast, scholar, or thinker examining the rejuvenation of Indias cultural landscape. This rejuvenation also restores a collective civilisational confidence. The renovation of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharyas Samadhi in Kedarnath, the reconstruction of the historic Pamban Bridge in Rameswaram, the completion of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, the resumption of Navaratri Puja at the Sharda Temple in Kashmir after 1947, the re-establishment of Nalanda University, the groundwork for resurrecting Vikramshila University, the design of the Buddha circuit, preparations for a Bodhgaya corridor, and the launch of Dhamma Yatras with Lord Buddhas sacred relics are just a few examples of Indias re-establishment and expression of its aspirations for cultural freedom. The recent Dhamma Yatra in Vietnam witnessed a record 14 million people venerating Lord Buddhas sacred relics brought from India. These Dhamma Yatras, initiated following PM Modis emphasis on spreading the essence of Lord Buddhas teachings globally, represent an unprecedented outreach in independent India. Not since Emperor Ashoka has India seen such global engagement. Devoid of force, displays of power, or any hint of dominance or hegemony, the Dhamma Yatras are driven by the hope of disseminating shared values. Under PM Narendra Modi, India has resumed its historical civilisational role. Spiritual Freedom: The desire for spiritual freedom is discernible in PM Modis Panch Pran, which fuels the quest for a Viksit Bharat (Developed India). These five pledges reflect the resolve to achieve cultural and spiritual freedom. Deriving pride from our heritage and legacy and dismantling remnants of the colonial mindset are central to this quest. In the nascent years after independence, during the framing of the Constitution, Deendayal Upadhyaya emphasised five key points. He wrote in late 1948 that the members of the Constituent Assembly had a pious duty to perform" and that their creations would hold them accountable to future generations. Upadhyayas five suggestions to the framers were: 1. The soul of India must not be suppressed; 2. We must not be trapped in intellectual slavery in the process of emulating others; 3. The path of all-round development for the Indian people must be kept open; 4. The endeavour should be to make India powerful in every way; 5. The forces of fragmentation must be destroyed and Indian unity must be furthered." Narendra Modis Panch Pran incorporates Upadhyayas five suggestions. These are integral to his governance philosophy and actions. The resolve for a developed India, the eradication of colonial vestiges, the embrace of our heritage, the recognition of unity as strength, and the fulfilment of civic duties are aspirations that align with Upadhyayas suggestions. Modis pledges actively work towards realising Upadhyayas vision. Modis call for a kartavya" (duty)-driven democracy echoes Upadhyayas concept of lok-tantra" (peoples rule) shaped by lok-kartavya" (peoples duty). In his prefatory remarks to his lectures on Integral Humanism, Upadhyaya argued that Democracy or peoples rule (Lok-tantra) is a means for upholding Lokadhikar (peoples rights) and promoting Lok-kartavya (peoples duty). Democracy had to be established not only in the political field but in the economic and social fields as well." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In his pursuit of a Viksit Bharat" over the last eleven years, Narendra Modi has worked to broaden the base of democracy, embedding it more deeply within the economic and social spheres. One of Modis most significant achievements is his emergence as Deendayal Upadhyayas true philosophical and political heir. He stands as the foremost and most successful implementer of Upadhyayas governance philosophy and his vision for Indias integral resurgence. The author is Chairman, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, and a member of the National Executive Committee, BJP. The views expressed are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. First Published: June 12, 2025, 00:03 IST CNN name, logo and all associated elements and 2024 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. CNN and the CNN logo are registered marks of Cable News Network, LP LLLP, displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of NEWS18.com does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them. Copyright Network18 Media and Investments Ltd 2024. All rights reserved. Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 11:58 IST 1 / 7 The teaser for Akhanda 2, released on Tuesday, has sparked immense excitement among fans. Rather than just creating the usual buzz, it felt like a complete treat for those who had been eagerly awaiting an update. Just a single intense shot was enough to electrify the audience. When Nandamuri Balakrishna teams up with director Boyapati Srinu, expectations naturally soar. (News18 Telugu) 2 / 7 Some of the action sequences shown in the teaser may have drawn criticism had any other actor performed them. But with Balakrishna, fans accept them with admiration. These larger-than-life scenes seem to be made for him as only he can deliver them with such energy and conviction. (News18 Telugu) ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 7 Director Boyapati Srinu has taken a unique approach to editing this teaser. Every frame is visually grand and powerful, from beginning to end. One shot in particular, a close-up of a mysterious and intense eye, has become a talking point on social media. Viewers are now curious to find out who is behind this intriguing look. (News18 Telugu) 4 / 7 Industry rumours suggest that the man in the shot is none other than Aadhi Pinisetty, a well-known actor in both the Tamil and Telugu film industries. His dramatic transformation in the teaser has made him nearly unrecognisable. Aadhi is reportedly playing the role of an Aghori or Naga Sadhu, someone deeply knowledgeable in Tantric practices. The film is said to revolve around a strong face-off between his character and Balakrishnas. (News18 Telugu) ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 7 This speculation has caught fire on social media, but the real story will only be confirmed once the film hits theatres. Aadhi has portrayed powerful antagonists before when he played the villain in Sarrainodu and took on Pawan Kalyan in Agnyaathavaasi. His ability to command the screen in such roles is well established. (News18 Telugu) 6 / 7 One of Aadhis most acclaimed performances came in Rangasthalam, where he played Kumar Babu, the elder brother of Ram Charans character. His portrayal was so natural and convincing that many felt he didnt just act the part, he lived it. Since then, he has consistently taken on key roles, both as a villain and as a supporting actor, showcasing his versatility. (News18 Telugu) ADVERTISEMENT 'When Were We Ever Far Apart': Gehlot Shares Stage With Pilot, Hints At End To Political Feud Curated By : News18.com Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 18:12 IST The political tussle between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot began after the Congress came to power in Rajasthan in December 2018, and a tug of war started for the post of CM Congress leader Sachin Pilot with former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot during a meeting. (Image: @SachinPilot/PTI) Signalling a possible end to a long-running political feud, former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has said love and affection" will remain between him and his ex-deputy Sachin Pilot. The two Congress leaders shared the stage at a memorial event marking the 25th death anniversary of former Union minister Rajesh Pilot. When were we ever far apart?" Gehlot asked on Wednesday at the event in Rajasthans Dausa. His remark hinted at a possible thaw between the two senior Congress leaders after years of political tussle. Recommended Stories A large number of party workers and local people were present at the programme held on the death anniversary of Rajesh Pilot. At the crowded venue, reporters asked Gehlot what was the message behind the two leaders coming close. Ham dur kab the? Ham dur the hi nahi. Prem mohabbat bani rahti hai aur bani rahegi. (When were we ever far apart? We were never distant. Love and affection remain and will continue to remain)," he said. Sachin Pilot recently visited Gehlot at his residence to invite him for this programme. WHAT IS THEIR HISTORY? The tussle between Gehlot and Pilot began after the Congress came to power in Rajasthan in December 2018, and a tug of war started for the post of chief minister. Gehlot being a two-time CM won the race and was at the helm for a third time while Pilot, who was the state Congress chief at that time, was appointed his deputy. But, their palpable discord came out in 2020 when Pilot along with 18 Congress MLAs revolted against Gehlot. This led to a month-long political crisis that ended only after the party high command said it will look into the issues raised by Pilot. Following this, Gehlot used terms such as gaddar (traitor), nakara (incapable) and nikamma (worthless) for Pilot and accused him of being involved with BJP leaders in a conspiracy to topple the Congress government in the state. During this time, Pilot also lost his posts of deputy CM and PCC president. In September 2022, a Congress Legislature Party meeting was convened at the CMs residence to pass a one-line resolution authorising the party high command to take a decision on a change in the state leadership as Gehlot was in the race for the party presidents post. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The meeting could not take place because a parallel meeting was convened at the residence of the then state parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal, where many of the Congress MLAs gave their resignation letters addressed to the Assembly speaker against any move of the party high command to make Pilot the new CM. (With PTI 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 Location : Dausa, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 18:05 IST The European trading division of Naftogaz Ukrainy has received certification for biomethane trade, which is important given the group's interest in developing its market, Head of the company's business development department Denys Kostiuk said. "An important direction for us is the development of the biomethane market, because we have all the necessary infrastructure for this. Recently, our European trading company (Naftogaz Trading Europe AG - ER is engaged in trading in Europe) received certification for biomethane trade. Now we offer its sellers offtake contracts on market terms," Kostiuk said during the Energy Day-2025 of the European Business Association (EBA), which was held in Kyiv on Wednesday. In a comment to journalists on the sidelines of the conference, he noted that Naftogaz offers biomethane producers "absolutely everything, starting from connecting plants to the network to buying out products." "We are trying in every way to stimulate private companies to invest in the biomethane production sector. We are interested in this for the development of our business, the use of our infrastructure. We assure you that there are all opportunities for fast, high-quality connection of plants, in order to store and transport biomethane. We are ready to provide conditions for buying out biomethane on a par with European companies," Kostiuk said. According to him, the company can buy biomethane for its European company and resell it in Europe, since under current Ukrainian legislation only the producer can export it. "This may be interesting for Ukrainian producers, because cooperating with us will be more interesting and easier than with European traders: you do not need to create a separate staff, study the terms of sale," the company's department head said. He said the company is working to attract as many producers as possible. Kostiuk also added that a corresponding service center for potential biomethane producers has been created on the basis of Gas Distribution Networks of Ukraine LLC. As reported with reference to Chairman of the Board of the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine Heorhiy Heletukh, there are already four biomethane plants in Ukraine, one of which produces bio-LNG, and three more, including one for the production of bio-LNG, are planned to start operating in 2025. Since February 2025, Ukrainian biomethane has been exported. 'Not My Decision...': Siddaramiah On Caste Re-Enumeration, Says 'Following High Command's Directive' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 13:20 IST Siddaramaiah's response came after Deputy CM DK Shivakumar stated that the caste census would be redone to allay doubts of various communities over the sanctity of data. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah | PTI Image Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday responded to the decision to re-enumerate the caste survey in the state and stated that the decision was taken by the Congress high command and not by him, the cabinet, or the government. I am following the high commands directive. It is not my or the Cabinets decision. It is not a decision of the government. It is a decision of the high command. The high command has asked for the re-enumeration and a re-survey to be carried out," the Chief Minister said. Recommended Stories Karantaka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar met with the Congress high command in Delhi on Tuesday to discuss key issues, where they discussed two to three crucial issues, including the caste census and the recent stampede in Bengaluru. Siddaramaiahs response came after Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday stated that the caste census would be redone to allay doubts of various communities over the sanctity of data. It has been decided to clear the air over the earlier caste census with respect to its data accuracy and concerns of under-representation of certain communities. Data will be collected once again through door-to-door and online surveys. The entire process would be done in a very transparent manner," Shivakumar said after a meeting with the AICC leaders in Delhi. However, soon after Shivakumars statement, it was speculated that the Karnataka government was using the caste census re-enumeration as a distraction from the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede that left 11 dead and over 50 injured. The timing of the announcement was questioned as the decision to re-enumerate the caste survey came just days after the Karnataka government was receiving public outrage over the mishandling of the IPL celebration event. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The caste census report will now be discussed at the cabinet meeting scheduled for June 12. 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 : Karnataka, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 13:20 IST 'One-Sided Beneficiary Classes': BJP Takes On Mamata Govt Over OBC List In Bengal, TMC Hits Back Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 21:27 IST The TMC hit back at the BJP to "stop misleading the people" and said the party's "only agenda" was "divide and rule" with an eye on the 2026 assembly elections Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari claimed to "fact check" West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's speech on OBC beneficiaries in the state assembly. (Image: PTI/File) A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said backwardness is the only benchmark to decide OBC status, the ruling TMC and opposition BJP exchanged barbs over the inclusion of beneficiaries under the category. The BJP, in a detailed post on social media, accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of appeasement politics". It said for the Bengal government, OBC expanded to One-Sided Beneficiary Classes" and not Other Backward Classes. Recommended Stories The TMC hit back at the BJPs claims about the new list and to stop misleading the people with your lies". It said the saffron partys only agenda" is divide and rule" with an eye on the assembly elections in 2026. On Tuesday (June 10), Mamata Banerjee told the state assembly that there is no connection with religion in deciding the inclusion of any person in the OBC category. She said the only benchmark to decide this in the state is backwardness and a commission set up by the state government is holding a survey on 50 new subsections for inclusion in that category. Banerjee addressed the House after laying the annual report of the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes for the financial year 2024-25. WHAT DID THE BJP SAY? In a post on social media, opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari claimed to fact check" Banerjees speech on the floor of the state assembly. He said this was peak appeasement politics" by the state government. OBC = Other Backward Classes. In West Bengal it means One-Sided Beneficiary Classes," he said in a post on X. Adhikari alleged that the reservation list is prepared with the intention of providing exclusively to Muslims" and deliberately depriving" Hindus and other religious communities. He said the government has increased the reservation for OBCs in state services and posts to 17 per cent, including 10 per cent reservation for more backward and 7 per cent for backward classes categories. Before this, he added, a 7 per cent reservation had been in place since 1997. Now, who are going to reap the benefits of the increased reservation for the OBCs? Muslims, as simple as that," he wrote. OBC = Other Backward Classes In West Bengal it means One-Sided Beneficiary Classes.Mamata Banerjee, said yesterday on the floor of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly that OBC List not prepared on the basis of religion.Let's Fact Check her claim. Just look at the Peak of pic.twitter.com/9EzhBT55ec Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) June 11, 2025 The BJP leader said in December 2024, the Supreme Court had observed reservation must not be based on religion. This was while it was hearing an appeal filed by the West Bengal government against the Calcutta High Court judgment striking down its policy to include several castes, largely Muslim communities, in the states OBC list. WHAT DID THE TMC SAY? Responding to the BJPs claims, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh provided details of the OBC list, as per state government data. LoP @SuvenduWB, we all know that Divide and Rule is the official policy of @BJP4India, and your only agenda for the 2026 elections is to pit Hindus against Muslims," Ghosh said in a post on X. FACT CHECK According to official government notification dated 03.06.2025 available on https://t.co/6XkVmkW7Ux: Total OBCs (Backward+ More Backward): 140* Muslim: 80* Non-Muslim: 60* Percentage of Muslims: 57.14% More Backward OBCs (Category A): 49* Muslim 36* https://t.co/MzA4rZ8Myh Kunal Ghosh (@KunalGhoshAgain) June 11, 2025 He said the Chief Minister had made it crystal clear" in her speech that backwardness, not religion, was the sole criteria for OBC status. The new list was prepared with that principle in mind. So stop misleading the people with your lies," he added. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all During her address in the assembly, Banerjee said there is a disinformation campaign on social media by some quarters. She said a commission set up by the government is holding a survey on 50 new subsections for inclusion in that category. She further said 49 subsections have been included under the OBC-A and 91 under OBC-B categories. While more backward sections of people have been included under OBC-A, the less backward people come under OBC-B, she said. All inclusions have been done after extensive field surveys and on the basis of recommendations by the commission appointed for identification of such people, she added. About the Author Oindrila Mukherjee Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st... Read More Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st... Read More First Published: June 11, 2025, 21:01 IST 'Stop Being Elitist': Sharmistha Mukherjee Slams Congress For Mocking AC Temperature Proposal Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 12, 2025, 00:05 IST Mukherjee responded to the Congress' post, calling it elitist and insensitive, especially when a majority of Indians do not own air conditioners Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting with Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of former president Pranab Mukherjee. (PTI file photo) Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, on Wednesday slammed the Congress party for a satirical social media post targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Centres new AC temperature proposal. The Congress shared a meme on X, showing PM Modi holding a remote controlpossibly for a teleprompterpointed towards a screen. The post was captioned, Ghar mein ghus ke temperature set karoonga!" (I will enter your home and set the temperature). This was a satirical twist on Prime Ministers well-known line, Ghar mein ghus ke marenge." Recommended Stories The Congresss joke was aimed at the central governments recent proposal on air conditioner (AC) temperature, which will encourage citizens to keep their air conditioners set between 24C and 25C to help reduce energy consumption during peak summer months. This recommendation comes as several parts of India face record-breaking heatwaves, with temperatures in Delhi and other regions crossing 45C. Mukherjee, however, did not find the meme appropriate. She responded to the post, calling it elitist and insensitive, especially when a majority of Indians do not own air conditioners. In her reply to the Congress post, she wrote: Not an issue of personal choice but of environment & energy concerns. Other countries ve done it & rightly so! ONE CAN VERY WELL SURVIVE BETWEEN 20-28 degrees. Majority of India dont have ACs." Not an issue of personal choice but of environment & energy concerns. Other countries ve done it & rightly so! ONE CAN VERY WELL SURVIVE BETWEEN 20-28 degrees. Majority of India dont have ACs. Being a national party, stop being so elitist. Dont oppose 4 sake of opposition. https://t.co/1o1xuVB2bB Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) June 11, 2025 top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Mukherjee, who stepped away from active politics in 2019 and was formerly with the Congress, urged her former party not to be so elitist. Being a national party, stop being so elitist. Dont oppose 4 sake of opposition," she added. Mukherjees remarks come at a time when several parts of the country are reeling under an intense heatwave. The national capital has also been sweltering, with temperatures soaring past 45 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of severe heat conditions and has issued red alerts across multiple states. 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 12, 2025, 00:00 IST UP Leader Garlanded And Slapped Hard By Ex-Party Colleague At Event | Watch Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 11:28 IST The video of the garlanding and slapping incident, which took place in Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur, surfaced on social media and went viral. UP leader slapped on camera (Photo: X) National president of the Suheldev Swabhiman Party, Mahendra Rajbhar, was slapped multiple times, moments after being garlanded by his former party leader at an event in Uttar Pradeshs Jaunpur district. The incident took place last week, in which Brijesh Rajbhar allegedly assaulted him in front of people at a Bhoomi Pujan event held during the Maharaja Suheldevs Vijay Diwas. Recommended Stories A video of the incident surfaced on social media and went viral. Brijesh could be seen garlanding the leader and then hitting him multiple times on his face. Mahendra Rajbhar filed a complaint with the police against him and alleged that the assault was carried out at the behest of UP Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar. He later told reporters that Brijesh allegedly assaulted him when it was his turn to speak at the event. I was the chief guest at the Bhoomi Pujan event in the Jalalpur police station area. At the end of the event, just as I was about to speak, Brijesh Rajbhar put a garland around my neck and then attacked me," he alleged. However, Brijesh dismissed the charges and claimed that Mahendra Rajbhar took funding from Akhilesh Yadavs Samajwadi Party and hurled abuses at him during the event. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all We were celebrating Maharaja Suheldevs Vijay Diwas when Mahendra Rajbhar showed up. During our conversation on various topics, he suddenly started abusing me," he alleged. The Suheldev Swabhiman Party chief rejected the allegations. 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 : Uttar Pradesh, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 11:27 IST 'What Have You Done For Middle Class Between 2014 & 2025?': BJP Answers FAQ Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 22:14 IST Government data suggests the emergence of a 'neo-middle class' due to a reduction in extreme poverty Extreme poverty fell from 16.2% in 2011-12 to 2.3% by 2022-23. The BJP attributes this to targeted welfare programmes, economic reforms, and infrastructure investments. (Representational Image: PTI) As the Narendra Modi government celebrates eleven years in power, it has highlighted virtually every aspect of its achievements: from its assertive stance with Pakistan to its focus on governance issues such as mainstreaming backward communities. However, one persistent question arises from one of the BJPs core constituencies, the middle class: what benefits have they received in the last eleven years? Government data suggests the emergence of a neo-middle class" due to a reduction in extreme poverty. Extreme poverty fell from 16.2% in 2011-12 to 2.3% by 2022-23. The BJP attributes this to targeted welfare programmes, economic reforms, and infrastructure investments. Recommended Stories The BJP also points to the rise in the tax-free income" threshold. In 2014, this was Rs 2 lakh, but by 2024, it had jumped to Rs 12.75 lakh. The party claims this as a significant win for the middle class, addressing long-standing complaints of being overlooked. It cites economic reforms and increased tax buoyancy as factors enabling this increase, leading to greater savings for the middle class. In an era dominated by mobile data consumption, the BJP claims credit for drastically reducing data costs. In 2014, one GB of wireless data cost Rs 268.97, plummeting to Rs 8.31 per GB in 2024. The party maintains that infrastructure expansion and regulatory support made this possible, increasing data accessibility for middle-class families. The BJP also highlights the affordability of LED bulbs under the Ujala scheme. In 2014, an LED bulb cost Rs 450-500, falling to Rs 70 in 2024. The party asserts that widespread LED adoption has resulted in annual electricity bill savings of approximately Rs 20,000 crore. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The BJP argues that the broader picture for the middle class encompasses more than just these examples. It cites the rapid rollout of 5G to 99.6% of districts in 22 months and the resolution of over 1 lakh cases by RERA, providing relief to those affected by property disputes. In 2014, metro services were available in only five Indian cities; by 2025, this number had risen to 23. The party emphasises the Rs 37,000 crore Swamih Fund, which revived stalled real estate projects, offering a lifeline to many middle-class families facing financial ruin. In the digital realm, the BJP points to the widespread adoption of DigiLocker, with 52.14 crore users, and UPI transactions, with 46 crore individuals and 4.6 crore merchants, as further evidence of progress for the Indian middle class. 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 11, 2025, 22:14 IST Android 16 Has Officially Released For Pixel Users: How To Install, Devices Supported And More Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 09:54 IST Android 16 update is here for Pixel devices as Google had confirmed about a June 2025 release for the new version ahead of the big Pixel 10 series launch. Android 16 version has officially released and here are all the details. iOS 26 was announced by Apple and now Android 16 has made its release official for Pixel users this week. Google has been betting on an early roll out timeline for Android 16 this year and the company has managed to live up to those claims. The Android 16 beta versions have been available for a few months, and the recent QPR 1 beta update suggested we are close to the full release, which has now become official, as long as you have a Pixel device that is eligible for the new version. The new update is available with some improvements and here are the details. Recommended Stories Android 16 Update Now Available: How To Install And Devices Supported The Android 16 update is rolling out well in advance compared to the usual timeline but also means Google is gearing up for the Pixel 10 series launch somewhere in August once again. The new Android 16 version is currently limited to the eligible Pixel phones, and users can install Android 16 with these steps: Go to Settings on your Pixel phone Scroll down to System and tap on it Click on Software update Check for the new available version Install the new Android 16 update Reboot the Pixel phone to start using Android 16 Android 16 Update: Pixel Phones Supported Pixel 6 Pixel 6 Pro Pixel 6a Pixel 7 Pixel 7 Pro Pixel 7a Pixel 8 Pixel 8 Pro Pixel 8a Pixel 9 Pixel 9 Pro Pixel 9 Pro XL Pixel 9 Pro Fold Pixel 9a Pixel Fold Pixel Tablet People using Pixel 6 or later models are eligible for the Android 16 update which will show up as an over-the-air update in the next few days. Android 16: New Features Coming Your Way Android 16 promises the new Material Expressive UI changes that we have seen with the beta versions but the new update mostly focuses on new features for now. Live Updates This is Googles version of Live activities that you get on the iPhones. You will see the current status of a food delivery or Uber cab at the top of the lockscreen in a pill-shaped bubble next to time on the display. Live updates on the home screen also means you dont need to open the app to check for the status all the time. Android phones having always-on-display enabled could benefit from this addition. Advanced Protection The other important feature coming with Android 16 is advanced protection which is there to help you tackle possible online scams, and possible intrusion by malicious apps. It will warn users when they try to open an unsafe website and more. Adaptive Apps Across Devices Google is saying goodbye to mobile-only apps which means the apps will now adapt to foldables and tablets based on their screen/window size. It is vital that Fold devices get native support for the regular apps and were glad that Google is finally making it happen with the Android 16 version this year. You can also notice the changes in the font style, the curvy nature of the icons, and the settings menu looking refreshed with new colour tones for different sections. The media controls are getting a new design that looks refreshing for a big update. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all For people using the Pixel 8a or later models, Android 16 brings a new Battery Health indicator which gives you iPhone-like condition of the phones battery and how long it will last before needing a replacement. The likes of Samsung have already lined up their Android 16 beta versions and other brands should now start working on their updates. About the Author S Aadeetya S Aadeetya, Special Correspondent at News18 Tech, accidentally got into journalism 10 years ago, and since then, has been part of established media houses covering the latest trends in technology and helping fr... Read More S Aadeetya, Special Correspondent at News18 Tech, accidentally got into journalism 10 years ago, and since then, has been part of established media houses covering the latest trends in technology and helping fr... Read More News18 Tech delivers the latest technology updates, including phone launches, gadget reviews, AI advancements, and more. Stay informed with breaking tech news , expert insights, and trends from India and around the world . Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 09:54 IST Apple iOS 26 Update Will Be Coming To These iPhones This Year: Check Full List Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 15:32 IST Apple iOS 26 update will be releasing later this year but the company has confirmed the list of iPhones supporting the new version. The iOS 26 update will be coming to a whole range of iPhones later this year. Apple iOS 26 update will be available in the next few months, around the time when the iPhone 17 series is announced. But we already know a lot about the new version, its features and which iPhones will be supported by the new iOS update this year. iOS 26 gets the biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 according to Apple, and visually you can see them making a difference with mixed results. Recommended Stories But the new iOS update also means that some of the older iPhone models see their update cycle end and this year is going to be no different. iOS 26 Update Coming Soon: These iPhones Will Support It iPhone 11 iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Max iPhone SE (2nd generation and later) iPhone 12 iPhone 12 mini iPhone 12 Pro iPhone 12 Pro Max iPhone 13 iPhone 13 mini iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 13 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhone 14 Plus iPhone 14 Pro iPhone 14 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 16e iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max As you can see from the list here, Apple will offer the new iOS 26 update for iPhone models starting from 11 going up to the latest available 16 Pro Max variant. The list also confirms that iPhone X, Xs and Xr versions will no longer get iOS updates from the company and these users should now upgrade to any of the models mentioned above. It is intriguing to see the iPhone SE 2nd gen model included in the support list but if you want the latest Apple AI features, you will need to have the iPhone 15 Pro or newer models. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all iOS 26 developer beta is already available for users but do not install on your primary device and wait for the public beta update in July. The company has also made it clear that the Intel-powered Macs are no longer in its focus which is why the macOS 26 Tahoe update will be the last that these Macs will be getting. This means anybody still using a MacBook Air, Pro and iMac with Intel CPU should upgrade before the macOS 27 version comes out next year. About the Author S Aadeetya S Aadeetya, Special Correspondent at News18 Tech, accidentally got into journalism 10 years ago, and since then, has been part of established media houses covering the latest trends in technology and helping fr... Read More S Aadeetya, Special Correspondent at News18 Tech, accidentally got into journalism 10 years ago, and since then, has been part of established media houses covering the latest trends in technology and helping fr... Read More News18 Tech delivers the latest technology updates, including phone launches, gadget reviews, AI advancements, and more. Stay informed with breaking tech news , expert insights, and trends from India and around the world . Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 07:20 IST Chinese Man Ditches Job, Wife Hunt To Live In A Cave: 'Jobs, Marriages Are Meaningless Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 23:51 IST Min Hengcai walked away from urban life, debt and social expectations to live alone in a cave in Chinas Sichuan province. A representative AI-generated image showing a Chinese man living simply near a cave in Sichuan. (IMAGE: DALLE 3) A 35-year-old man from Chinas Sichuan province has abandoned urban life, deeming work and marriage pointless and moved into a cave where he has now lived for four years, according to a report by the South China Morning Post. Min Hengcai, a former ride-hailing driver who earned around 10,000 yuan (roughly $1,400) a month, said the relentless work wore him down. Long hours and accumulating debt led him to question the meaning of it all. I worked over 10 hours a day just to repay loans. It felt meaningless," he told local media. Recommended Stories When he decided to leave his former life, Min was still burdened with $42,000 of debt. He stopped trying to repay it, and his relatives eventually sold his assets to settle what they could. He then exchanged land with a villager to gain access to a nearby cave and used his $6,000 savings to convert the 50-square-metre space into a minimalist home. Min now occupies his time farming, walking, and reading. He wakes at 8 am, works his land, and retires by 10 pm. He cultivates most of his own food and spends very little money otherwise. Describing marriage as a waste of time and money", Min said the pursuit of love or wealth never attracted him. The probability of finding true love is very low. Why would I work hard for something so rare?" he asked. He refers to his cave as a black hole" which to him is a symbol of his own insignificance. Despite rejecting modern life, Min maintains an active social media presence, sharing aspects of his cave life with over 40,000 followers. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Mins situation recalls the case of Daniel Suelo from the United States, who relinquished money entirely in 2000 and lived for over a decade in a cave near Moab, Utah. Suelo rejected debt, consumerism, and conventional employment, subsisting instead on foraged food, roadkill, and discarded items. Like Min, he documented his experiences and attracted both acclaim and criticism for his unconventional lifestyle. Another notable parallel is Mauro Morandi, often dubbed Italys Robinson Crusoe", who lived alone on Budelli Island for over 30 years after forsaking his job and the mainland. Morandi transformed an abandoned Second World War shelter into his home, relying on solar power and cultivating his own food. He, too, sought a tranquil, self-sufficient existence away from the pressures of modern society, much like Min. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev... Read More Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev... 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! Location : Beijing, China First Published: June 11, 2025, 20:48 IST From Rs 15,000 In India To Rs 1.26 Lakh In US: What Sperm Donors Earn Around The World | Watch Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 08:56 IST Sperm donation in India remains taboo, offering low pay. Abroad, it's a respected, lucrative profession, with donors earning substantially more and receiving health perks Recently, a sperm donor took to social media, claiming to be the biological father of thousands of children through his sperm donations and stating that he makes up to Rs 2.5 lakh a month. (News18) The 2012 film Vicky Donor brought sperm donation into the limelight in India, yet the practice still faces significant social stigma and misunderstanding. In stark contrast, sperm donation is a respected and well-compensated profession in many Western countries. Recently, an individual shared his experience online, highlighting the vast differences in earnings and societal acceptance. Earnings For Sperm Donors In India Recommended Stories In India, sperm donation is still largely seen as taboo, and theres a general lack of understanding about the practice. Despite this, a fair few registered sperm banks and fertility clinics do pay donors for their samples. Typically, an Indian sperm donor can expect to receive anywhere from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 per donation, with the exact amount depending on the clinic, the donors profile, and the quality of their sample. If a donor manages to donate twice a week, they could be earning between Rs 4,000 to Rs 8,000 in a month. In bigger cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, where demand is higher, monthly earnings can go up to Rs 8,000 to Rs 15,000. However, the payment also hinges on the donors background. Those with strong academic qualifications (like a medical or engineering degree) or particular physical traits (such as fair skin, blue eyes, or height) can command higher rates. This is largely due to the strong demand for fair complexions and specific features among Indian couples. Nonetheless, these figures are considerably lower than whats on offer abroad. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Caleb Hammer (@calebhammercomposer) Earnings And Additional Perks For Donors Abroad Overseas, sperm donation is generally considered a respectable profession, particularly in places like the USA, Europe, and Australia. For instance, at the Seattle Sperm Bank in the United States, donors receive around $100 (roughly Rs 8,400) per accepted donation, with potential monthly earnings of up to $1,500 (around Rs 1.26 lakh). Donors at the California Sperm Bank can earn about $150 (approximately Rs 12,600) per sample, with average monthly earnings ranging from $700 to $1,200 (around Rs 58,000 to Rs 1 lakh). In Europe, the European Sperm Bank pays donors 40 (roughly Rs 3,600) for each accepted donation, allowing for up to four donations per month. Larger banks, such as Cryos International, offer a $35 bonus per donation and an additional $250 for every 10 accepted donations, potentially bringing monthly earnings to $720 (around Rs 60,000). Long-term donors could even see themselves earn up to $10,000 (about Rs 8.4 lakh) within six months. On top of the pay, donors in these countries often get extra perks like free health check-ups, fertility tests, and sometimes even annual physical examinations. A Sperm Donors Revelation top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Recently, a man took to social media, claiming to be the biological father of thousands of children through his sperm donations. He also disclosed his earnings, stating he makes up to Rs 2.5 lakh a month as an extra income. Having donated for many years, hes fathered countless children globally. He mentioned that children conceived through his donations can get in touch with him once they turn eighteen, though he has no right to access their personal details. 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 11, 2025, 08:56 IST Indian Family Moves To UK With Royal Enfield And Furniture Because Vibe Matters: 'Boss Behaviour' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 18, 2025, 17:17 IST A Punjabi family reportedly spent over 4.5 lakh (around 4,000) to ship their beloved Bullet motorcycle and furniture from India. The clip has already garnered more than 3.9 million views and over 2.4 lakh likes, with users praising the move. (Image Credit: Instagram) When a Punjabi family decided to settle in the UK, they werent leaving behind their Royal Enfield. In a video thats now gone viral, a Punjabi family reportedly spent over 4.5 lakh (around 4,000) to ship their beloved Bullet motorcycle and furniture from India to their new home in Wolverhampton, England. Originally shared on TikTok and later reposted on Instagram by @ub1ub2, the video showed a container truck being unloaded. Out comes a black Royal Enfield Bullet, with a Punjab license plate, followed by an entire house worth of furniture: a full sofa set, dining table, wing chairs and beds. Recommended Stories This is absolute boss behaviourbro brought his home to his home," read the viral Instagram caption. In the comments, the bikes owner, Rajguru, confirmed the cost of the shipment and said everything arrived safely after a 40-day journey. He added that the furniture was specially ordered from Kartarpur, Punjab, because of its quality. His family is now settling permanently in the UK. View this post on Instagram A post shared by UB1UB2: Southall, West London (@ub1ub2) The clip has already garnered more than 3.9 million views and over 2.4 lakh likes, with users praising the move. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all I can imagine how epic it must feel to reunite with your bikeespecially a Bullet from Pind," one person wrote, while another added, Everything is temporary, but BULLET is permanent." Turns out, when it comes to moving overseas, some things are simply non-negotiable- especially if its a Royal Enfield. 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?" 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! Location : United Kingdom (UK) First Published: June 11, 2025, 20:14 IST Photo: https://www.facebook.com/RedCrossUkraine The Ukrainian Red Cross (URCS), the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and the All-Ukrainian Association of United Territorial Communities have signed a memorandum of cooperation. According to the URCS Facebook page, the memorandum confirmed the parties' intention to jointly strengthen the civil protection system, support the development of the volunteer movement, in particular volunteer fire brigades, and promote the development of security infrastructure in communities. The signing of this memorandum with the State Emergency Service and the Association of Territorial Communities is an important step towards improving our joint work, emphasised URCS Director General Maxim Dotsenko. According to him, from now on, the two key areas of activity of the Ukrainian Red Cross civil protection and support for local communities have been combined in one important step. Andriy Danik, Chairman of the State Emergency Service, emphasised that the signing of the memorandum marks another step in the development of volunteer fire brigades in Ukraine. We are delighted that such a powerful partner as the Ukrainian Red Cross is joining our partnership with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. I believe that together we can achieve more, said Alexander Korinny, Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Association of United Territorial Communities. IndiGos In-Flight Tribute To Operation Sindoor BSF Hero Draws Applause From Passengers | Watch Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 17:22 IST The tribute came in the form of an in-flight announcement acknowledging Assistant Sub Inspector General DUT Rajapak B.T. Following the announcement, the cabin erupted in applause as passengers stood to honour the officer. (Image Credit: X) Passengers aboard an IndiGo flight witnessed a moving moment of recognition when the airlines captain honoured a Border Security Force (BSF) officer for his bravery during Operation Sindoor, Indias recent cross-border military action against Pakistan. The tribute came in the form of an in-flight announcement acknowledging Assistant Sub Inspector General DUT Rajapak B.T., who was onboard the flight. The officer had sustained serious injuries during heavy firing while helping fellow soldiers on May 7 and 8, as part of Operation Sindoor. Recommended Stories This message is to honour a very special traveller onboard this flight," the captain announced, adding, During Operation Sindoor on May 7 and May 8, Assistant Sub Inspector General DUT Rajapak B.T. of BSF was seriously injured while helping fellow soldiers during heavy firing. His actions, even while under attack, helped save lives of fellow soldiers and forced the enemy to retreat, showing true courage, quick thinking and dedication to duty." Salute to a soldier of Indias Border Security Force (BSF) traveling on board Indigo flight for a significant role in #OperationSindoor against Pakistan. Indian public acknowledges and celebrates the valour of the Indian soldier. pic.twitter.com/noBA0mjCWz Frontalforce (@FrontalForce) June 11, 2025 Following the announcement, the cabin erupted in applause as passengers stood to honour the officer. Rajapak, visibly moved, waved and thanked the passengers for the warm recognition. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The in-flight tribute has since drawn praise online, with social media users lauding IndiGos gesture. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in direct response to the Pahalgam terror attack, targeting nine terror infrastructure sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). 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?" 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 11, 2025, 17:19 IST Mans Guide To Arranged Marriages In India Resonates With X Users. What Did He Say? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 12:56 IST An X user, in his viral post, urged people to catch the red flags during the courtship period of their arranged marriage. The case of Raja Raghuvanshi's murder allegedly by his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi has kickstarted debate around arranged marriages in India. (News18 Hindi) The murder of Raja Raghuvanshi allegedly by his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi during a honeymoon trip to Meghalaya has made national headlines. Rajas murder was reportedly planned by his wife Sonam and her lover Raj Kushwaha. Sonam later surrendered in Uttar Pradeshs Ghazipur while her aides, three murder accused, have also been nabbed. Raja and Sonam, the newlyweds, embarked upon a trip to Meghalaya for their honeymoon on May 11. The couple suspiciously disappeared on May 23 and after an extensive search of the surrounding area, Rajas body was found with signs of murder in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls on June 2. As the news of love and betrayal spread like wildfire, the online court, the Internet, summoned Sonam and raised the question as to why she could have chosen not to marry in an arranged setting and spared the innocent life of Raja. Since then, hoards of online commenters have shared their two cents regarding the arranged marriage setup in India, which, according to them, has been the silent killer for both genders. Recommended Stories Viral Post An X user, who goes by the handle @theskindoctor13, however, provided a handbook to doing the arranged marriage right with a period of courtship that would help one see the red flags that one would perhaps miss if they rushed into a marriage without knowing the kind of person they might be choosing as their potential partner for life. Also Read: Shrasti Raghuwanshi Instagram: Why Are People Searching For Raja Raghuvanshis Sister Online Emotional coldness: They talk just for the sake of it. Theyll answer questions briefly but wont engage emotionally. No curiosity about you, no excitement about the wedding, and no conversations about the future," the user wrote while listing down 9 points. In one of the points, the X user wrote that if the partner showed little to no enthusiasm during wedding planning choosing clothes, dates, rituals it could be a potential red flag. Emotionally absent in person, active online: In real life, they seem distant, awkward, or disinterested. Yet online, theyre engaging, liking, commenting on one particular persons posts, or posting cryptic quotes that hint at sadness or longing." In a separate point, the user asserted that if the future husband or wife showed no interest in the partner or their family, it should raise alarm bells. They dont ask about your likes, dislikes, goals, or daily life. They forget what youve shared and avoid asking about your parents, siblings, or relatives, or meeting them," the X user wrote. Also Read: See What I Do To Raja: Sonam Warned Mother After She Objected To Affair With Raj Kushwaha Concluding their post, the account wrote: breaking an engagement is far easier emotionally, legally and socially than undoing a marriage." The viral post has been viewed by nearly a million people on the social media website owned by Elon Musk. If you're going for an arranged marriage, the first golden rule is: never marry in a rush. Always insist on a few months of courtship before the wedding, no matter how many excuses the other side makes. Use that period to watch for these red flags:1. Emotional coldness: They THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) June 10, 2025 Arranged Marriage Posts Since the case came to light, netizens have been vocal about their angst about the idea of arranged association. High time that Indian parents stop forcing their children for arranged marriage. Hazel (@DammnGirll) June 9, 2025 Arranged marriages are risky than love marriages. You're literally betting your whole life and happiness on someone you barely know. A pure gamble! Vaani (@depressedsoul_0) June 10, 2025 The Case Sonam had informed her family about her love affair and warned them about the consequences of being forced to marry Raja. This was claimed by Rajas elder brother Vipin Raghuvanshi. Sonam had also allegedly said to her mother that she would not be held responsible for what was to come should she marry Raja. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Sonam had offered the killers Rs 20 lakh to kill her husband Raja in Meghalaya, according to reports. You can catch the live updates of the proceedings here. 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 11, 2025, 12:54 IST Mumbai Auto Drivers US Consulate Locker Service Shut Down After Viral '58 Lakh Earning' Claim Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 22:21 IST The driver gained viral attention after a LinkedIn post by Lenskarts product leader Rahul Rupani. According to Rupani, the auto driver parks outside the consulate daily, offering his "bag storage" service to 2030 customers each day. (Source: LinkedIn/@Rahul Rupani) An autorickshaw driver- who claimed to earn between 5 to 8 lakh a month by running a bag storage service outside the US Consulate in Mumbais Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC)- has been forced to shut down operations following police intervention. The driver gained viral attention after a LinkedIn post by Lenskarts product leader Rahul Rupani described how he safely handed over his bag to the man for 1,000 after being denied entry into the consulate with it. Recommended Stories With no official locker facility available nearby, the driver had turned the logistical problem into a business opportunity- parking outside the consulate and offering to safeguard bags for visa applicants unable to take belongings inside. Read more: This Mumbai Auto Driver Earns Rs 5-8 Lakh A Month Using This Simple Trick Outside US Consulate Rahul Rupani estimated the driver served 2030 customers a day resulted in earnings of 20,000 to 30,000 daily. Police Crack Down On Autorickshaw Drivers Business top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Mumbai Police summoned the auto driver and 12 others running similar operations near the consulate. A senior officer from BKC police station told Hindustan Times that the service violated security protocols, especially as parking is restricted around the high-security diplomatic premises. Police said none of the drivers had permission to offer locker services or store items in shops nearby. Officials warned that storing unverified personal belongings without authorization could pose significant security risks, as per the report. The locker service has now been halted and police have issued warnings against restarting such operations in the area. 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?" 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 11, 2025, 22:21 IST People Are Flying To This US State To Watch A Giant Pencil Get Sharpened | Video Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 16:41 IST This 20-foot-tall No. 2 pencil was once a beloved 180-year-old oak tree. Now its the star of a bizarrely wholesome ritual. Hundreds of people gather to watch the 3rd Annual Sharpening of the Lake of the Isles Pencil in Minneapolis. (IMAGE: AP PHOTO) In the American state of Minnesota, a quiet residential neighbourhood transforms into a festival site once a year, but not for a concert or a parade. Instead, crowds gather to witness the sharpening of a giant pencil. Yes, an actual 20-foot (6-metre) tall sculpture of a No. 2 pencil stands in the front yard of a Minneapolis home, and every June, it undergoes a ceremonial sharpening with a custom-built, oversized sharpener. The tradition has evolved into an annual community celebration, complete with music, costumes and attendees flying in from across the country, and even overseas. Recommended Stories Some man is sharpening a pencil on his lawn and this is what happens? Yeah, Im going to be part of it. How can you not? Life is too short," said Rachel Hyman, while speaking to the Associated Press. She flew in from Chicago dressed in a pencil costume after learning about the event from a friend. From Fallen Tree to Cultural Icon This unusually wholesome event began after a 2017 storm destroyed a beloved 180-year-old oak tree in the yard of John and Amy Higgins. Most would have mourned and moved on, but the couple saw an opportunity. We didnt want to do the typical carved bear or something rustic," Amy Higgins said while speaking to AP. We wanted something people could instantly connect to. Everyone knows a pencil." Why a pencil? Everybody uses a pencil," she added. Everybody knows a pencil. You see it in school, you see it in peoples work, or drawings, everything. So, its just so accessible to everybody, I think, and can easily mean something, and everyone can make what they want of it." They commissioned Minnesota wood sculptor Curtis Ingvoldstad to transform the massive log into a giant version of a classic Trusty brand No. 2 pencil. People interpret this however they want to. They should. They should come to this and find whatever they want out of it," Ingvoldstad told the news agency. Whatever you want to bring, you know, its you at the end of the day. And its a good place. Its good to have pieces that do that for people." Giant Sharpener, Real Crowd To keep the pencil looking sharp (literally), Ingvoldstad also crafted a giant sharpener weighing nearly 100 pounds. It is hoisted with scaffolding, rotated around the pencil a few times, and shaves several inches from the tip, just like a regular sharpener would. Its about four feet large and weighs a hundred pounds," John Higgins said. We hoist that up and turn it around a few times and the pencil gets sharpened." Over the years, the event has attracted increasing attention. What began with a few hundred neighbours now attracts thousands. Last weekends event featured alphorn players from Switzerland and free purple pencils distributed in tribute to Minneapolis music legend Prince, on what would have been his 67th birthday. What Happens When It Becomes a Stub? Naturally, each sharpening reduces the pencils height. Depending on the year, anywhere from 3 to 10 inches (8 to 25 cm) are carved off. But the Higginss are not worried about the pencils longevity. We dont have answers to that, and were fine with that," John Higgins said. But for today, for this moment, were going to take what we have and make the most of it." For him, its more than a gimmick, its a reminder of hope, community, and creativity. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all We tell a story about the dull tip, and were going to get sharp," he said. Theres a renewal. We can write a new love letter, a thank-you note. We can write a maths problem, a to-do list. And that chance for renewal, that promise, people really seem to buy into and understand." Ingvoldstad agrees. Like any ritual, youve got to sacrifice something. So were sacrificing part of the monumentality of the pencil, so that we can give that to the audience that comes, and say, This is our offering to you, and in goodwill to all the things that youve done this year." About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev... Read More Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev... 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! Location : Minneapolis, US First Published: June 11, 2025, 16:34 IST Raj Shamani Whitewash Memes Go Viral After Vijay Mallya Podcast: Why YouTuber Is Facing Heat Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 10:52 IST Raj Shamani's sensational podcast episode with Vijay Mallya is still being discussed nearly a week after it was dropped on YouTube. Raj Shamani is facing criticism for featuring Vijay Mallya on his popular podcast. (Raj Shamani / YouTube screengrab) Fugitive Vijay Mallya, who made brief appearances on the Internet during bank holidays, spent over four hours on popular YouTuber and entrepreneur Raj Shamanis podcast to share his side" of the story. The former owner of RCB, Kingfisher Airlines, and Force India F1 team, left India in March 2016 amidst allegations of financial irregularities and loan defaults. So, it shouldnt come as a surprise to anyone that people wanted to hear from the horses mouth. He has been accused in a bank loan default case involving over Rs 9,000 crore. The 69-year-old liquor barons lengthy chat with Shamani garnered plenty of attention and has since been viewed over 22 million times in under a week. The runtime of the episode was a staggering 4 hours and 18 minutes. From selecting a young Virat Kohli for Royal Challengers Bangalore to giving Oo La La La Le O" jingle for his beer brand Kingfisher to apologising to his defunct airline employees, there was a lot discussed on the viral episode. Recommended Stories Naturally, the episode with Mallya went through the routine Internet cycle. Videos of the most interesting bits from the podcast were clipped and uploaded as YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. There were sad edits, memes, the usual. However, the outcome of interviewing Mallya has put Shamani in the direct line of criticism. Whitewashed His Image? The public drew parallels with Rajkumar Hiranis Sanju (2018) which starred Ranbir Kapoor in the lead role, and portrayed the troubled life of Sanjay Dutt. While Hirani has gone on record and asserted that he made the movie to tell a compelling story, and not because of personal connections or to whitewash Dutts image, critics have disagreed with him for they believe the movie was an oversimplification of the Bollywood actors life and in doing so, the cinema made him appear like a victim. It couldve been darker, more nuanced, and balanced, the critics and moviegoers remarked. Also Read: Fugitive Vijay Mallyas Return Explained Through These Viral Instagram Reels What did not sit well with the viewers of Mallyas podcast was that the outcome made the fugitive appear as a victim living in the bad times. Shamani has, since then, faced criticism for giving Mallya the platform. A scene outside Raj Shamani's podcast studio: pic.twitter.com/Mu7S4X6lke Fakeer Aadmi (@aadmi_fakeer) June 8, 2025 Raj Shamani and Vijay Mallya pic.twitter.com/LXIS9eAkJ2 Shayarcaster (@shayarcaster) June 7, 2025 Raj Shamani Podcast looks like pic.twitter.com/C0grjPFnDL SarcasmHit (@SarcasmHit) June 8, 2025 Lakh buraiya thi Raavan me but wo kabhi Raj Shamani k podcast pe nhi gya pic.twitter.com/boCht6sVTM Succinct (@ChanchalKamini) June 8, 2025 Sympathy Galore A large number of YouTube comments lauded Shamani for doing what no TV channels or anchors could do. A calm, respectful chat with a guest without shouting at the highest decibel was a rare sight and a pleasant one for them. But there were those too who sympathised with Mallya. Top 5 Lessons Learned from this Podcast 1. Dont Judge a Story Without Hearing Both Sides 2. Media Trials Can Destroy Reputations 3. Silence Is Not a Sign of Guilt 4. Business Losses Arent Always Crimes 5. Truth Takes Time, But It Always Comes Out," a comment under the podcast read. Bring him back. India needs such entrepreneurs. He has repaid double. Deserves Respect," another read. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all As a banker with 38 years of experience I can say what he says is true," a third added. Presenting the purported recovery certificate" to Shamani, Mallya, on the viral episode, said: It says the recovery certificate Rs 6203 crores 35 lakhs 3879 and paisa 42 only. That is the evidence of the debt. Where did this Rs 9000 crore figure come from?" 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 11, 2025, 10:47 IST Real-Life Gangs Of Wasseypur: 'Mental', Friends Seen In 'Obscene Acts With Women'. Kill Man For... Curated By : News18.com Edited By: Sumedha Kirti Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 11:24 IST Bareilly Crime: 'Mental' and his accomplices killed the man who objected to their 'obscene behaviour' with two women. 'Mental' aka Akash Sharma along with his accomplices brought two unidentified women to the terrace of an under-construction house in Bareilly. (AI-generated) For those who have been fascinated by names like Definite, Perpendicular, Tangent in Anurag Kashyaps film Gangs of Wasseypur need to be rest assured such names do exist in India. Yes, its quite common in the northern belt consisting of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. And here we have a real-life proof. Two days ago, UP police arrested a person named Mental in Bareilly. His story, in fact, seems to be similar to Gangs of Wasseypurs Sardar Khan, known as a womaniser criminal. Mental aka Akash Sharma along with his accomplices brought two unidentified women to the terrace of an under-construction house and were seen engaging in obscene acts" while intoxicated. A couple living nearby objected when the noise escalated". However, the husband and wife ended up losing their lives. Recommended Stories Bareilly Couple Killed For Objecting To Obscene Acts According to a report in Times of India, 31-year-old Shivshakti Pathak from Bareillys Cantonment area was allegedly murdered by Mental and two of his accomplices after he objected to their obscene behaviour" with two women. The matter came to light following a police complaint by Shivshaktis brother Sudhanshu Pathak after the victim died during treatment on Sunday. Sudhanshu, who lives in Chetna Colony, identified two of the accused Akash Sharma, also known as Mental, and Deepak Yadav. The third suspect is believed to be their associate from Nakatia, a small village in the neighborhood of Pilibhit city. According to the complaint, around 10.30pm on June 3, the three men brought two unidentified women to the terrace of a house under construction, opposite Shivshaktis residence. They allegedly performed obscene acts" while intoxicated. When the noise grew louder, Shivshakti and his wife Pooja objected. In retaliation, the trio reportedly forced their way into the Pathaks home and fatally assaulted Shivshakti. They also attacked Pooja and stole Shivshaktis gold chain, said Sudhanshu. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Cantt police have registered a murder case and initiated a search for the suspects. Akash alias Mental is known to have a criminal history and is feared in the locality. Inspector Rajesh Kumar was quoted as saying that the case appears suspicious, and since the post-mortem report did not confirm the cause of death, a viscera sample has been preserved. Police noted that local residents have not provided any information, and the investigation continues. 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! Location : Bareilly, India, India First Published: June 11, 2025, 11:24 IST Why Aren't IITians Made To Sign Govt Bond Like Doctors? Debate Takes Over Social Media Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 15:58 IST ISRO's former Chairman, Dr S Somnath, revealed that over 60% of IIT students walked out midway during ISRO's campus recruitment presentation, simply after seeing the salary figures The country's elite scientific and defence institutions are increasingly finding it difficult to attract top-tier technical talent. (Image for representational purposes only) A fierce online debate erupted over a deeply rooted inequality in the professional education system; Why are medical graduates bound by long-term service bonds for government jobs, while engineering graduates from prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) walk free, often into lucrative private sector roles or foreign companies? The conversation reignited after a resurfaced statement by ISROs former Chairman, Dr S Somnath, who lamented the lack of interest shown by IIT students in working with the space research agency. Somnath, who steered the historic Chandrayaan-3 mission, had earlier revealed that over 60% of IIT students walked out midway during ISROs campus recruitment presentation, simply after seeing the salary figures. Recommended Stories Once we had gone to IIT to recruit engineers, but the moment the salary structure was shown, 60% of candidates walked out. IITians are not willing to join ISRO. I would be happy to see more IITians join ISRO," Somnath said in a now-viral post. This triggered a strong response from the medical community, particularly from doctors who face mandatory government service bonds lasting up to 10 years after completing degrees like MBBS, MD, or super-specialisations. Dr Deepak Krishnamurthy, Senior Cardiologist at Bengalurus KIMS Hospital, questioned the double standards. I wonder why only doctors should have bonds to work for govt. Enforce them on IITians also to work for ISRO, DRDO etc," he posted on X (formerly Twitter). See the viral post here: I wonder why only doctors should have bonds to work for govt. Enforce them on IITians also to work for ISRO, DRDO etc. https://t.co/DQjR1SgGca Dr Deepak Krishnamurthy (@DrDeepakKrishn1) June 9, 2025 Joining him, Prof Dr G Rajesh of Government Medical College, Kozhikode, said, Let them go to US no issues. But we doctors have bond, upto 10 years in certain states after doing MBBS or MD or superspeciality. Why these guys are exempted? You spend much more money for them!!" He also marked the Prime Ministers Office in his post. Let them go to US no issues. But we doctors have bond, upto 10 years in certain states after doing MBBS or MD or superspeciality. Why these guys are exempted? You spend much more money for them!! @PMOIndia Dr G Rajesh (Gopalan Nair Rajesh). (@DrRajeshG1) June 9, 2025 The Indian Institutes of Technology are publicly funded and offer some of the most heavily subsidised education in the country. Despite this, a significant percentage of IIT graduates opt for careers abroad or in private corporations, often ignoring roles in government-funded research bodies such as ISRO or DRDO, where salaries and perks are far less competitive. The resentment stems from the stark contrast; while MBBS graduates in government colleges may pay as little as Rs 56,000 per year for their studies and are then required to serve in rural or government hospitals, IITians with similar or even greater subsidies face no such obligation. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Dr Somnaths concerns arent isolated. The countrys elite scientific and defence institutions are increasingly finding it difficult to attract top-tier technical talent. Despite ISROs groundbreaking space missions and DRDOs critical role in defence innovation, these bodies are perceived as offering poor financial incentives and outdated work environments. The debate has now grown into a wider call for policy reform. Should IIT graduates, who benefit from elite education at nominal cost, be required to serve in government institutions for a few years before heading abroad? 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 11, 2025, 15:58 IST 5.9 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Taiwans East Coast, No Major Damage Reported Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 17:31 IST Taiwan Earthquake: The quake was centered about 71 kilometers south of Hualien City at a depth of 31.1 kilometers. Taiwan Earthquake: The tremor triggered earthquake alerts across the island. A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Taiwan, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The quake was centered about 71 kilometers south of Hualien City at a depth of 31.1 kilometers. Taiwans Central Weather Administration reported a slightly higher magnitude of 6.4, a common variation due to differences in measurement systems and equipment sensitivity. Recommended Stories The tremor triggered earthquake alerts across the island. Buildings in Taipei, the capital, were reported to have shaken for nearly a minute, though no major damage or injuries have been reported so far. Seismic Activity In Taiwan top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Hualien, located on the less densely populated eastern coast, often experiences seismic activity due to its position along the Pacific Ring of Fire- a highly active seismic zone stretching from the Americas to Asia-Pacific. Taiwan has made significant strides in earthquake preparedness following the devastating 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, which killed over 2,400 people. Since then, improved building codes, early warning systems and regular public drills have helped reduce damage and casualties in subsequent quakes. 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 11, 2025, 17:28 IST A Free 10-Day Luxury Tour Of China, But Youre Eligible Only If You're From This Country Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 15:12 IST China invites social media influencers from the United States for a fully-funded 10-day trip in July to reshape global perceptions and showcase the "real China" Participants of the event will visit five cities in China and engage in cultural activities. In a move that blends diplomacy, digital strategy, and tourism, China is rolling out the red carpet for social media influencers from the United States, offering a fully-funded 10-day trip in July 2025. The initiative, part of the China-Global Youth Influencer Exchange Program, is aimed at reshaping global perceptions and showcasing what Beijing calls the real China". At a time when tensions between the US and China remain high over issues like trade and technology, the program appears to be Chinas soft-power counteroffensive, targeting Gen Z and millennial audiences not through formal press briefings, but through influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers. Recommended Stories Influencers selected for the program will be treated as state guests and given special assistance with the visa process. But the invitation is not open to everyone. According to College Daily, a media outlet catering to Chinese students in North America, the eligibility criteria include being based in the United States, having a clean record, and demonstrating a fondness for Chinese culture. Most crucially, applicants must have at least 3,00,000 followers on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, or X (formerly Twitter), and be active across multiple platforms. Participants will travel to five cities Suzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Handan, and Beijing where theyll explore e-commerce hubs, visit corporate giants like Xiaohongshu and BYD, engage in cultural activities such as Taichi, and even live-stream from the Great Wall of China. Their content will be amplified by Chinese state-affiliated media, ensuring it reaches a wide global audience. Though positioned as a cultural exchange program, the initiative is seen by many analysts as part of a broader campaign to counteract negative global narratives surrounding China, particularly those related to censorship, human rights, and geopolitical assertiveness. In recent years, China has increasingly turned to non-traditional diplomacy, enlisting foreign influencers to present a polished, tightly-curated version of life in China. A 2023 report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute revealed that over 120 foreign influencers had received support from the Chinese government to produce content favourable to its image. One high-profile example came earlier this year, when American streamer IShowSpeed visited China. His videos, which highlighted Chinas tech innovation and modern infrastructure, went viral, generating millions of views and stirring global curiosity. A 5-Year Plan For US Youth Chinas influencer exchange program is slated to run for five years, with annual invitations extended to fresh batches of American content creators. The long-term plan aligns with President Xi Jinpings 2023 pledge to invite 50,000 American students to China, part of a broader goal to deepen educational and cultural ties even amid diplomatic frostiness. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Encouragement has also come from within Chinese student communities abroad, who are being urged to recommend influencers they know for the trip. While critics may see this as propaganda dressed in Instagram filters, supporters argue its a form of people-to-people diplomacy that could help reduce misinformation and foster mutual understanding in an increasingly polarised world. Location : Beijing, China First Published: June 11, 2025, 15:09 IST 'Aim Is To Advance Relationship...': Jaishankar On Whether He Trusts Donald Trump Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 14:18 IST Replying to the query, the External Affairs Minister stated that the relationship with the US is of immense importance to India. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar (PTI Image) External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, while he was in Brussels this week, talked about the importance of Indias relationship with the United States and answered whether he trusts US President Donald Trump or not. Replying to the query, the External Affairs Minister stated that the relationship with the US is of immense importance to India as New Delhi aims to advance relationship that serves the countrys interest in the best possible way and it is not about a person. Recommended Stories I take the world as I find it. Our aim is to advance every relationship that serves our interests, and the US relationship is of immense importance to us. Its not about personality X or president Y," Jaishankar said in an interview with Euractiv. Earlier, Jaishankar dismissed President Donald Trumps claims of the United States mediating between India and Pakistan clash, stressing that both sides directly negotiated" the ceasefire. Speaking to Dutch broadcaster NOS, Jaishankar said, The ceasefire was negotiated directly between India and Pakistan. We told everyone, including the US, that if Pakistan want an understanding, they have to talk to us directly. And thats why it happened." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Meanwhile, EAM on Tuesday stated that India is hopeful of reaching a trade agreement with the United States before the suspension of the reciprocal tariffs end on July 9. Speaking to a French publication, Le Figaro, Jaishankar said that India and United States had started their bilateral trade negotiations in February, even before the threat of Trumps reciprocal tariffs policy that was announced on April 2 and later paused for 90 days. Jaishankar also pointed out that Indias relationship with the US has improved in the past quarter of a century. He stated that under five US Presidents, the relationship of India and United States has steadily improved in various structural areas such as economic, technological, educational, scientific, and even military. About the Author Mahima Joshi Mahima Joshi, Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking team. Covering national stories and bringing breaking news to the table are her forte. She is deeply interested in Indian politics and a... Read More Mahima Joshi, Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking team. Covering national stories and bringing breaking news to the table are her forte. She is deeply interested in Indian politics and a... Read More Location : Brussels, Belgium First Published: June 11, 2025, 14:18 IST Russian troops carry out more than 70 attacks on 32 settlements in Sumy region During the day, Russian troops carried out more than 70 attacks on 32 settlements in 13 territorial communities of the region, the largest number of attacks was recorded in Sumy and Shostka districts, the Telegram channel of Sumy regional military administration reported on Wednesday. "The enemy actively used dropping grenades from UAVs and guided aerial bombs: more than 20 dropping grenades from UAVs; almost 10 strikes with guided aerial bombs," the message says. The enemy also carried out strikes with FPV drones and UAVs on the territory of Sumy region. "Civil infrastructure facilities were damaged and destroyed: a civil infrastructure facility was damaged in the Velykopysarivka community; a non-residential building and four units of agricultural machinery were damaged in the Lebedynka community," the report says. Within 24 hours, local authorities, together with units of the State Emergency Service, the National Police, and public organizations from border communities, evacuated 104 people. Canada-Based Pakistani Man Extradited To US For Plotting Brooklyn Mass Shooting Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 08:00 IST FBI chief Kash Patel confirmed Khans arrival in the US, stating, He has now arrived in the US and will face American justice. The accused, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, is believed to have planned the attack in support of the Islamic State (IS). (Pic: @BreannaMorello) A Pakistani national living in Canada has been extradited to the United States to face terrorism charges for allegedly plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, the FBI said on Tuesday. The accused, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, is believed to have planned the attack in support of the Islamic State (IS), intending to carry it out on the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel. He was taken into custody in Canada in September. Recommended Stories As per the criminal complaint, Khan intended to travel to New York and launch a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, pledging support to the Islamic State (IS). FBI chief Kash Patel confirmed Khans arrival in the US, stating, He has now arrived in the US and will face American justice." According to Patel, the terror plot was uncovered through coordinated efforts between US and Canadian authorities. Khan was arrested in Canada on September 4, 2024. Major news earlier this afternoon, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, was extradited to the United States on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism.In the fall of last year, Khan FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 10, 2025 Thankfully, the great work of FBI teams and our partners exposed those plans and shut them down," Patel added. He emphasized that the case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing global threat of terrorism and the alarming rise in threats against Jewish communities. Your FBI will continue to be on guard and work around the clock to counter them," he said. According to the Justice Department, Khan allegedly disclosed his plan during conversations with individuals he believed were co-conspirators, who were in fact undercover law enforcement officers. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He was arrested by Canadian authorities in Ormstown, located about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the US-Canada border. Khan has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and attempting to carry out acts of terrorism. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. 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 11, 2025, 07:49 IST Donald Trump Says All His Children Have A Future In Politics: 'They Were Born Smart' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 16:42 IST Donald Trump said, I think all of them probably have a future in politics, frankly. US President Donald Trump (Getty) US President Donald Trump =said he believes all of his children may have a future in politics, while outlining his approach to parenting. Asked whether his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., might consider running for president, Donald Trump responded, I think all of them probably have a future in politics, frankly." Donald Trump praised each of his children, noting Donald Jr.s strong political involvement, Eric Trumps role in the Trump Organization and Barron Trumps academic progress. He also acknowledged Ivanka Trumps past government service and Tiffany Trumps academic achievements. Recommended Stories Don is very good. A good guy. Hes an outdoorsman," Donald Trump said, adding, Eric has done a fantastic job. Barron is great. He is very tall and good. Ivanka shes so great. And Tiffany has done really well. She went to a great law school and did very well." Donald Trump Jr. was particularly active during the 2024 campaign, including lobbying for J.D. Vance to be selected as his fathers running mate. He currently hosts a political podcast, Triggered with Don Jr., but has stated he has ZERO interest in running for office in 28 or anytime soon," while not fully ruling out a future political role. Eric Trump serves as executive vice president and trustee of the Trump Organization. His wife, Lara Trump, co-chaired the Republican National Committee and now hosts a show on Fox News. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, both senior advisers during the first Trump administration, have largely stepped back from politics. Tiffany Trump recently had her first child and maintains a low profile. Barron Trump completed his freshman year at New York University this spring. Donald Trump also discussed his son Barrons college life and the passing of Melania Trumps mother, Amalija Knavs, earlier this year. According to Trump, Barron had chosen NYU in part because his grandmother had planned to live nearby. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all She passed away. She was fantastic. Melanias mother was a fantastic woman. And Melania is a fantastic mother, by the way," he said. She loves Barron. Hes very tall and hes a good-looking guy." Sharing what he called his formula for parenting, Donald Trump said, No drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes. I also would say dont get tattoosbut I dont say it too strongly." 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 11, 2025, 16:42 IST Donald Trump Tells Netanyahu To End Gaza War Amid Growing US Frustration: Report Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 20:56 IST Donald Trump specifically asked Benjamin Netanyahu to stop leaking details or making public remarks about Israels readiness to attack Irans nuclear facilities. Israel-Hamas War: US President Donald Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (Reuters File Image) US President Donald Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the ongoing war in Gaza and refrain from discussing a potential military strike on Iran, CNN reported citing a source familiar with the matter. The two leaders spoke over the phone and Trump later described the conversation as very well, very smooth" but behind the scenes the call appears to underscore growing differences between Washington and Tel Aviv, the report claimed. Recommended Stories Donald Trump Pushes For De-Escalation Donald Trumps message came as part of a broader US push to revive a nuclear deal with Iran and secure a ceasefire in Gaza through indirect talks with Hamas. As per CNN, Donald Trump specifically asked Benjamin Netanyahu to stop leaking details or making public remarks about Israels readiness to attack Irans nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, Donald Trumps administration has been working to prevent further regional escalation, including efforts to extend the Abraham Accords and rein in other flashpoints such as Houthi missile attacks from Yemen. Israel-Gaza Ceasefire Talks Following the phone call, Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting of top ministers to assess progress in Gaza ceasefire negotiations and consider next steps. According to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, some headway has been made in recent talks focused on ending hostilities. Israel is serious in its will to secure a hostage deal. There has recently been certain progress," Gideon Saar said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Hamas Responds To US Proposal On Gaza War Hamas signaled a willingness to continue dialogue. Senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya said the group had not rejected the latest ceasefire proposal from US envoy Steve Witkoff but had submitted amendments seeking stronger security guarantees. Hamas continues to demand a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as conditions for any deal. 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 11, 2025, 20:56 IST 'Went Too Far': Elon Musk Regrets His Social Media Posts Against Donald Trump Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 14:13 IST Elon Musk Vs Donald Trump News: Elon Musk admitted he "went too far" with his recent social media posts targeting US President Donald Trump. Posting on X, Musk expressed regret. Elon Musk/Donald Trump (Photos: AP) Elon Musk on Wednesday expressed regret over some of his social media posts against US President Donald Trump last week, and said his posts went too far". I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote on X. Recommended Stories A no-holds-barred and very public blow-up between the worlds richest man and the President of the United States has had social media agog in recent days, with each making serious accusations against the other. Trump and Musk began exchanging insults last week, with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO describing the Presidents sweeping tax and spending bill as a disgusting abomination". Also Read: Donald Trump Vs Elon Musk Fued While tech billionaire Musk appeared to have cooled the spat somewhat, deleting some of his more incendiary social media posts about Donald Trump, the President still appeared to be in no mood to make up, warning Musk of very serious consequences" if he backs Democrats at the mid-term elections in 2026. Musk bankrolled a large part of Trumps 2024 presidential campaign. After endorsing Trump, Musk spent USD 288 million (AUD 444 million) supporting Trumps election and appeared at campaign events around the country. ALSO READ | Love, X And Dhoka: Elon Musk-Donald Trump Bromance Turns Bitter Trump named Musk to head an effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending. Tensions erupted over Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB, which proposes extensive tax cuts which could add roughly USD 3 trillion (AUD 4.62 trillion) to the US national debt. After stepping down from his role as advisor to Trump, Musk criticised the OBBB as a disgusting abomination" that would burden America [sic] citizens with crushing unsustainable debt". Trump returned fire, suggesting Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave [] and he just went CRAZY!". In a dramatic escalation, Musk responded by calling for Trumps impeachment. Musk also tweeted allegations that Trump was implicated in the Epstein files related to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He has since deleted those tweets. In response to Musks statement, Trump shared several posts on Truth Social. In one of the posts, he wrote, I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago," suggesting that Musk knew what was in the bill before it was passed. He also threatened to terminate Elon Musks companys contracts with the government. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In a post shared on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump stated, 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." ALSO READ | Trump Breaks Silence On Allegations Of Elon Musk Drug Using Drugs In White House: I Hope Not 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 11, 2025, 12:39 IST French Doctor Says Greta Thunberg Mocked And Mistreated By 'Abusive' Israeli Authorities Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 21:14 IST Baptiste Andre said that while no physical violence occurred, Israeli border agents engaged in psychological mistreatment during their detention. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg Israeli authorities mocked and deliberately deprived Greta Thunberg and others aboard a humanitarian aid boat of sleep after intercepting the vessel en route to Gaza, a French doctor who was also on board alleged. Baptiste Andre said that while no physical violence occurred, Israeli border agents engaged in psychological mistreatment during their detention. Recommended Stories As soon as someone fell asleep, the agents would turn up the music and dance," he said, adding that detainees struggled to access food and water. He said, I dont have the legal qualifications to specify what happened, but there were acts of mistreatment." Greta Thunbergs Aid Mission Intercepted In International Waters The Madleen- organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition- set sail from Italy on June 1 with 12 passengers, aiming to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. It was intercepted by the Israeli navy about 200 kilometers off the Gaza coast and all those aboard were detained. Greta Thunberg, Baptiste Andre and two other passengers agreed to sign deportation papers and returned home by Tuesday evening. Others, including French MEP Rima Hassan, remain in custody pending a court hearing. Greta Thunberg Calls For Swedish Intervention In a video before her deportation, Greta Thunberg said, We have been intercepted and kidnapped," urging the Swedish government to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all She described the initiative as a peaceful protest against Israels naval blockade of Gaza and the ongoing humanitarian crisis. The Israeli government defended its actions and dismissed the boats mission. Officials described the vessel as a selfie yacht" and accused the flotilla of trying to violate Israels naval blockade under the guise of aid. 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 11, 2025, 21:14 IST Guns Over Growth: Pakistan's Defence Budget Hike A Survival Tactic After Op Sindoor Exposed Failures? Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Pragati Ratti Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 11:14 IST The defence budget hike has prompted concerns that funds will be diverted towards rehabilitating and building terror camps destroyed during Operation Sindoor, sources said. Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif. (Image: PTI/File) Pakistan is prioritising military spending over development, as evidenced by a significant 20 per cent increase in the defence budget, announced weeks after Indias Operation Sindoor destroyed several terror sites in the country. This decision by the Shehbaz Sharif-led government appears to be an attempt to satisfy Field Marshal General Asim Munirs demands. The recent escalation in military expenditures underscores urgent requirements following Indias precision strikes between May 7-10, 2025, which revealed critical weaknesses in Pakistans air defence systems, top intelligence sources have told CNN-News18. Intelligence sources confirm that Chinese and Turkish systems, including HQ-9 SAMs and Bayraktar TB2 drones, were unable to intercept Indian drones and missiles. Major losses occurred at the Nur Khan airbase, necessitating a complete strategy overhaul. These failures highlighted Pakistans technological inferiority, shared by China, in countering Indias SkyStriker kamikaze drones and SCALP cruise missiles. Recommended Stories China, aiming to enter the Tier 1 weapon market, is perpetuating a false narrative of success from Operation Sindoor, sources said. This budget increase, likely influenced by China, grants more control to Rawalpindi at the expense of Pakistans economic stability. Despite a $22 billion debt crisis and fresh IMF loans, Pakistan has diverted funds towards military spending, ignoring warnings of fiscal unsustainability. The budget hike has prompted concerns that funds will be diverted towards rehabilitating and building terror camps destroyed during Operation Sindoor, sources said. Intelligence sources also suggest that Pakistans spending will target vulnerabilities exposed during the conflict, including the acquisition of J-35 stealth fighters, with the first batch of 30 arriving in August 2025 at a 50 per cent discount from China. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Pakistan is also acquiring PL-17 missiles with a 400km range to counter Indian AWACS and refuelers, following the failure of PL-15 missiles. Additionally, Pakistan aims to modernise its navy with Type 039B submarines and Jinnah-class frigates to secure sea lanes amid Indian naval superiority. Another significant focus of the budget increase is on Space and ISR capabilities, intending to enhance interactions with Chinese BeiDou satellites for real-time battlefield surveillance, especially after Indias actions left Pakistans reconnaissance capabilities blinded. Furthermore, the budget hike is seen as a measure to suppress domestic threats, such as those from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, under the guise of addressing external threats from India. According to intelligence sources, Pakistans defence budget increase is a survival tactic following the battlefield failures exposed during Operation Sindoor. About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 First Published: June 11, 2025, 11:14 IST LA Protests: Federal Judge Denies California's Request To Block Trump's Military Deployment Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 07:15 IST In a brief court filing on Tuesday afternoon, the Justice Department labelled Californias request as "legally meritless". California Governor Gavin Newsom (IMAGE: REUTERS) A federal judge in San Francisco has denied Californias request to immediately prevent the Trump administration from deploying Marines and National Guard troops to assist federal officials with immigration enforcement. California had urged the judge to issue the order immediately, without awaiting a response from the Trump administration. However, Judge Breyer has opted to allow both sides to submit additional arguments before making a decision, according to CNN. Recommended Stories In a brief court filing on Tuesday afternoon, the Justice Department labelled Californias request as legally meritless" and warned that granting it would jeopardise the safety of Department of Homeland Security personnel and interfere with the Federal Governments ability to carry out operations". The Trump administration has deployed thousands of National Guard troops to California, describing it as essential to quell protests in Los Angeles sparked by ICE enforcement actions. President Donald Trump stated that the military will remain in Los Angeles until theres peace", amid criticism of his decision to mobilise the California National Guard and 700 Marines to the city. I just want to see peace. If theres peace, we get out. If theres even a chance of no peace, we stay there until theres peace, and a lot of people are being arrested. The rioters or whatever you want to call them. They better know that a lot of people are being arrested. Theyre going to be in jail for a long time," the President remarked. Speaking at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Trump characterised the protests in Los Angeles as a full-blown assault on peace, on public order, and national sovereignty". Within the span of a few decades, Los Angeles has gone from being one of the cleanest, safest and most beautiful cities on earth, to being a trash heap with entire neighbourhoods under the control of transnational gangs and criminal networks. As the entire world can now see, uncontrolled migration leads to chaos, dysfunction, and disorder Very simply, we will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean, and safe again," he added. Trumps speech at Fort Bragg marked the 250th anniversary of the US Army. These guys are professionals. These are not amateurs," he said, adding that he was working with US Senators to pass legislation to imprison people who burn the American flag for one year". According to Al Jazeera, Trump criticised California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, calling them incompetent" and accusing them of paying troublemakers, agitators, and insurrectionists" to participate in the protests. Immigration and Customs Enforcement posted images on X today of officers detaining individuals in Los Angeles while surrounded by National Guard troops, marking the first photos of the Guard involved in ICE operations. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In response to the intense protests, Mayor Karen Bass indicated that a curfew for downtown Los Angeles could be announced within the next hour. She mentioned she is about to meet with the police chief and that an announcement would be made before nightfall, and it would go into effect". (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 Location : California, USA First Published: June 11, 2025, 07:15 IST Immigration Raids Unrest Flares To Chicago, Washington Amid Heavy Crackdown In Los Angeles Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 10:47 IST Violent protests over immigration raids spread from Los Angeles to cities like Chicago, DC, and Seattle, despite deployment of troops and mass arrests. Demonstrators protest ongoing raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Washington (Photo: AP) Five days after immigration raid protests turned violent in Los Angeles, similar violence was witnessed in other parts of the United States, including in Chicago, Washington, DC, Seattle, and Austin. The protests spread even after President Donald Trump mobilised National Guard troops and Marines across the country, and the police arrested nearly 200 people in Los Angeles. Recommended Stories Other than in Los Angeles, there were reports of marchers chanting slogans, carrying signs against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and snarling traffic through downtown avenues and outside federal offices. While protests at many places were reported to be peaceful, some resulted in clashes with law enforcement as officers made arrests and used chemical irritants to disperse crowds. According to the Associated Press, activists are planning more and even larger demonstrations in the coming days, with No Kings" events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trumps planned military parade through Washington. Meanwhile, the Trump administration said it would continue its program of raids and deportations despite the protests. ALSO READ | Masked Looters Vandalise, Raid Apple Store In LA As Protests Escalate | Watch In Los Angeles, a nighttime curfew was in force on Tuesday as local officials sought to get a handle on protests that Donald Trump claimed were an invasion by a foreign enemy." Looting and vandalism have scarred the heart of Americas second biggest city as largely peaceful protests over immigration arrests turned ugly after dark. I have declared a local emergency and issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting," Mayor Karen Bass told reporters. One square mile (2.5 square kilometers) of the citys more-than-500 square mile area will be off-limits until 6am (1300 GMT) for everyone apart from residents, journalists and emergency services, she added. Small-scale and largely peaceful protests marred by eye-catching acts of violence began in Los Angeles on June 6 as anger swelled over ramped-up arrests by immigration authorities. A few thousand people took to the streets, while smaller mobs used the cover of darkness to set fires, daub graffiti, and smash windows. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Overnight Monday, 23 businesses were looted, news agency AFP quoted the police as saying. ALSO READ | Uncontrolled Migration Leads To Chaos, Dysfunction: Trump Says He Will Liberate Los Angeles 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 11, 2025, 10:41 IST Made In China No More? Beijing Goes Wild For Pakistani Donkeys. Here's Why Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 16:32 IST According to the Pakistan Economic Survey, the countrys donkey population has increased from 5.5 million in 201920 to over 6 million in 202324. Dedicated farms and processing facilities have emerged in cities like Okara and Gwadar to support the trade. Pakistans growing livestock export sector has found an unlikely star: the humble donkey. In recent years, the country has quietly become a key supplier of donkeys to China, where demand for their hides- used in traditional medicine- has created a billion-dollar industry. According to the Pakistan Economic Survey, the countrys donkey population has increased from 5.5 million in 201920 to over 6 million in 202324, even as horse and mule numbers remain flat. This unusual growth is largely attributed to Chinese demand for ejiao, a gelatin extracted from donkey hides and used in traditional Chinese medicine for purported benefits such as improved blood circulation and anti-aging. Recommended Stories Why China Wants Donkeys From Pakistan? Chinas domestic supply has sharply declined in recent decades, prompting it to look abroad. With several African nations placing restrictions on donkey exports, Pakistan has become one of the few countries willing to meet this demand. Dedicated farms and processing facilities have emerged in cities like Okara and Gwadar to support the trade. A $7 million donkey processing plant was recently opened in Gwadar, with plans to export up to 200,000 donkeys annually. Special breeds, including imported American mammoths, are also being reared to serve the market. How Exporting Donkeys Is Hurting Pakistan? While officials have described the development as an economic opportunity, concerns are rising domestically. Donkeys are a critical livelihood asset for many low-income communities in Pakistan. Used for transporting goods, water, and waste in both rural and urban areas, these animals are often central to a familys income. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all However, with export-driven demand pushing prices up, many workers are struggling to afford replacements. In cities like Karachi, a donkey that once cost Rs 30,000 can now sell for up to Rs 2 lakh. Adding to the issue, Chinese buyers are reportedly offering high prices for even weak or sick animals- sometimes up to Rs 40,000- just for their hides. This has distorted local markets and left poorer Pakistanis competing with exporters for basic working animals. 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 11, 2025, 16:32 IST Masked Looters Vandalise, Raid Apple Store In LA As Protests Escalate | Watch Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 13:49 IST Masked looters were seen vandalising and raiding an Apple Store as protest over immigration raids turned violent in LA. Masked people were seen looting Apple store amid LA protests. (Courtesy: X) As the protests over immigration raids escalated in Los Angeles, a bunch of masked looters were seen entering the Apple Store and ransacking it. The looters also raided other stores, including Apple. Multiple people were arrested by the police amid violent protests and vandalism of stores. Recommended Stories The city has witnessed days of public protests since a series of immigration raids were launched by the Trump administration on Friday. Also Read: Los Angeles Mayor Declares Curfew To Stop Vandalism, Looting Amid Growing Unrest Masked men were smashing the windows of an Apple Store, entering it and then stealing its products. The men also painted graffiti on the building. In the videos shared on social media, stores of Adidas, pharmacies, marijuana dispensaries, and jewellery shops were also seen getting vandalised. Apple Store in Los Angeles got rapidly ransacked by the usual suspects during Monday nights insane anti-ICE riot.Mayor Karen Bass has absolutely no control of her constituents. Yet another epic failure by LAs worst ever mayor.pic.twitter.com/TkFNUb8tIV Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) June 10, 2025 BREAKING: Rioters Caught on Camera LOOTING stores, some of them so stupid, theyre not even wearing masks.Work Boots and Loaves of Bread marked safe as LA Riots continue in Gavin Newsoms California pic.twitter.com/wdItsIyflN Alec Lace (@AlecLace) June 10, 2025 Los Angeles Police Departments Officer Chris Miller said, One woman was arrested at the scene of the Apple Store burglary." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Issues Curfew Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday imposed a curfew for the citys downtown amid the violent protests. I have declared a local emergency and issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting," she told reporters. According to the Mayor, the curfew will remain in place from 8 pm Tuesday until 6 am Wednesday (LA local time). Let me be clear: ANYONE who vandalised Downtown or looted stores does not care about our immigrant communities," Bass wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). You will be held accountable," she added. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump warned people against protesting while speaking at the weekend military parade in Washington which marked the U.S. Armys 250th anniversary. For those people that want to protest, theyre going to be met with very big force," Trump said. Location : Los Angeles, United States of America (USA) First Published: June 11, 2025, 08:22 IST Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Heorhiy Tykhy reacted to the statement of Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs, calling on them to stop demonizing Ukraine and its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "The communication line of the Hungarian authorities, which demonizes Ukraine and President Zelenskyy, has gone off the rails. Where it is necessary to be principled, the Hungarian authorities are silent. And where it is necessary to look for points of contact, they throw baseless accusations. It is not surprising that in such conditions, a simple appeal by the Ukrainian side to the Hungarian media leads to nervous, escalating and simply unfair reproaches from the Hungarian authorities," Tykhy said. The Foreign Ministry spokesman is convinced that good-neighborly relations between Ukraine and Hungary are critically important for the two countries. "We responsibly approach all issues of the Hungarian side regarding the rights and opportunities of the Hungarian national minority in Ukraine and have repeatedly demonstrated a constructive and good-neighborly approach in this and other issues. However, good-neighborliness must be mutual. The Hungarian authorities' bet on the primitive demonization of Ukraine is a losing and short-sighted one. We expect that the search for imaginary enemies will someday pass, and the good-neighborliness of the two peoples will remain," Tykhy stated. Muhammad Yunus Says Bangladesh Wants Good Relations With India: 'Somehow Things Go Wrong...' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 22:54 IST Muhammad Yunus' interim government continues to face international scrutiny over its treatment of opposition parties and its crackdown on dissent. Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus (Credits: AFP) Bangladeshs interim chief adviser Muhammad Yunus said that his government is committed to maintaining strong bilateral ties with India. We want to build the best relationship with India. Theyre our neighbour. We dont want to have a basic problem with them," Muhammad Yunus said, adding, But somehow things go wrong every time because of all the fake news." Recommended Stories Muhammad Yunus, who assumed charge following Sheikh Hasinas ouster in August 2024, said Bangladesh was growing increasingly jittery and angry" due to repeated online disinformation campaigns. We try to get over this anger. But the whole barrage of things keeps happening in cyberspace. We cant just get away from that. Even if we try to remain peaceful, suddenly they say something, do something- and the anger comes back. So this is now a big task for us," Muhammad Yunus said. Bangladesh-India Relations Relations between Dhaka and New Delhi have remained tense since the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who later took refuge in India. In May 2025, the interim administration banned Sheikh Hasinas Awami League, accusing it of corruption and authoritarianism and accused India of interfering in Bangladeshs internal affairs. Bangladeshs International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) formally indicted Sheikh Hasina and two others for alleged mass murder related to the 2024 crackdown on student-led protests. April 2026 Elections Announced In Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus announced that national elections will be held in April 2026, rejecting the Bangladesh Nationalist Partys (BNP) demand for early polls. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The government has held discussions with all parties to organise the most free, fair, competitive and acceptable elections in history," he said, adding, 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." Muhammad Yunus interim government continues to face international scrutiny over its treatment of opposition parties and its crackdown on dissent. However, Muhammad Yunus has maintained that the roadmap to elections will focus on transparency and 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 11, 2025, 22:54 IST 'Need Ties With Both India & Pakistan': US Central Command Chief Gen Kurilla Curated By : CNN-News18 Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 21:47 IST General Michael Kurilla, who is set to retire this summer, commended Pakistan as an 'outstanding partner' in counterterrorism Kurilla clarified that the US relationship with India and Pakistan is not mutually exclusive. (Photo: X) US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief General Michael Kurilla recently underscored the importance of the United States maintaining relationships with both India and Pakistan. Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Kurilla emphasised Pakistans critical role in counterterrorism efforts against the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP), as reported by Hindustan Times. General Kurilla, who is set to retire this summer, commended Pakistan as an outstanding partner" in counterterrorism. This statement comes at a time when India has been increasing its diplomatic efforts to highlight Pakistans involvement in cross-border terrorism, particularly after the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22. Indian officials, including external affairs minister S Jaishankar, have consistently cautioned against equating victims and perpetrators of terrorism. Recommended Stories Kurilla clarified that the US relationship with India and Pakistan is not mutually exclusive. We need to have relationships with both Pakistan and India. It is not a binary choice where having one relationship excludes the other," he stated, encouraging lawmakers to recognise the benefits of each relationship. The CENTCOM chief detailed Pakistans actions against IS-KP, a group based in Afghanistan that he characterised as highly active in planning global terrorist activities, including those targeting the US. He explained that while the Afghan Taliban has taken action against IS-KP, many fighters have relocated to the tribal areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Through an excellent partnership with Pakistan, they have targeted and eliminated dozens of IS-KP members. With the intelligence we provide, they have captured at least five high-value IS-KP individuals," said Kurilla. He also highlighted Pakistans extradition of Mohammad Sharifullah, alias Jafar, who was involved in the August 2021 Kabul airport attack that killed 13 American soldiers. Kurilla revealed that Pakistans Chief of Army Staff, Asim Munir, personally informed him of Jafars capture and the willingness to extradite him. General Kurilla stressed that Pakistans partnership in countering terrorist threats in Central and South Asia will only become more significant as the Taliban continues to face security challenges within Afghanistan". 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 11, 2025, 18:05 IST No Bikinis, Please: This Country Says Modesty Is The New Dress Code At Beaches Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 19:33 IST The directive cites the requirements of public interest and calls for attire that respects public taste." The directive swimwear choices that respect public sensibilities and cultural norms. (Image Credit: Reuters) Syrias government introduced a new public dress code requiring women to wear burkinis or full-body swimwear at public beaches and pools. The directive, issued by the Tourism Ministry, cites the requirements of public interest" and calls for attire that respects public taste and the sensibilities of various segments of society." Covering Up Now Mandatory On Beaches In Syria Recommended Stories For women, more modest swimwear is now requiredburkinis or swimsuits that cover more of the body," the statement said, adding, When moving between the beach and other places, it is necessary to wear a cover-up or loose-fitting robe over swimsuits." Men must also adhere to new regulations, including a ban on going shirtless in public spaces outside designated swimming areas, hotel lobbies and dining zones. Exceptions For Hotels And Private Beaches Western-style swimwear, including bikinis, will still be permitted at private beaches and swimming pools, as well as in internationally rated 4-star (and higher) hotels. Lifeguards and beach supervisors will be responsible for enforcing the new dress code, though the Tourism Ministry did not clarify what penalties would apply for non-compliance. Islamist Influence Behind The Move? top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The new rules reflect the growing influence of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist-led group now heading Syrias transitional administration. HTS, formerly known as Al-Nusra Front, is considered a terrorist organization by the US and several other Western countries. HTS leader and interim Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa pledged to govern Syria within an Islamic framework" during a five-year transitional period. In March, he signed an interim constitution with national elections projected to take place later in the decade. 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 : Syria First Published: June 11, 2025, 19:33 IST Project Pelican: $50 Million Drug Bust Uncovers ISI-Khalistani Nexus In Canada, 7 South Asians Arrested Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Pragati Ratti Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 13:42 IST Top intelligence sources say the proceeds from these drug cartel activities finance anti-India initiatives, including protests and referendums. Peel Regional Police seized 479 kilograms of cocaine valued at $47.9 million and arrested nine individuals. (Image: X/Peel Police) Seven South Asians, including several Sikhs, supported by ISI and Khalistani networks, have been arrested in Ontario, Canada. This arrest follows Peel Polices largest drug bust, seizing approximately $50 million worth of cocaine under the investigation titled Project Pelican. Project Pelican has unveiled a sophisticated transnational drug network with direct connections to ISI-backed Khalistani operatives in Canada. According to top Indian intelligence sources, this network represents a significant threat to North American security and India-Canada relations due to its involvement in drug trafficking, political lobbying, and terror funding. Recommended Stories Peel Regional Police seized 479 kilograms of cocaine valued at $47.9 million and arrested nine individuals, including several of Punjabi origin. The drugs were smuggled from Mexico through US commercial trucking routes into Ontario, taking advantage of cross-border logistics. Critical interceptions occurred at the Ambassador Bridge (Windsor) and the Blue Water Bridge (Sarnia). Collaboration with US Homeland Security, the DEA, and the RCMP indicated connections to Mexican cartels and US-based distributors, prompting further investigations. A media release from Peel Regional Police stated that, with national and international partners, they had dismantled a transnational organised criminal network trafficking illicit drugs into the Greater Toronto Area. As of June 6, the following individuals have been arrested and charged in connection with the investigation, facing 35 charges related to firearm and drug offences: Manpreet Singh, 44, Brampton Arvinder Powar, 29, Brampton Karamjit Singh, 36, Caledon Gurtej Singh, 36, Caledon Sartaj Singh, 27, Cambridge Shiv Onkar Singh, 31, Georgetown Sajgith Yogendrarajah, 31, Toronto Philip Tep, 39, Hamilton Hao Tommy Huynh, 27, Mississauga Intelligence sources highlight an ISI blueprint within this cartel, with ISI funding Khalistani groups in Canada to traffic Afghan heroin and Mexican cocaine. The proceeds from these activities finance anti-India initiatives, including protests and referendums. Groups such as the International Sikh Federation dominate the drug operations, collaborating with cartels to import heroin via Punjab and export refined drugs like cocaine and ICE to India. Khalistani elements have also infiltrated Canadian political circles, including the Liberal Party. ISI agents like Bilal Cheema are alleged to have financed politicians, while Khalistani leaders exploit immigration schemes to extort students for anti-India propaganda, say sources. This connection has been directly linked to Project Pelican, initiated by law enforcement agencies. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Punjabi gangs with Khalistani ties control cross-border trucking in Canada, a vital channel for Project Pelicans drug seizures, sources suggest. These drugs move through routes connected to Punjabi-dominated logistics hubs in Peel. In a similar case in Toronto in 2021, Punjabi-origin gangsters were found smuggling cocaine via Mexico-US-Canada routes, showcasing patterns akin to Project Pelican. Project Pelicans $47.9 million seizure indicates a potential financing channel for Khalistani activities. Intelligence sources confirm that drug profits are used to fund weapons, propaganda, and ISI-backed operations. About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 First Published: June 11, 2025, 13:42 IST Ukraine Offers Civilians Rs 2 Lakh A Month To Shoot Down Russian Drones Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 23:46 IST Ukraine to pay civilians 2.2 lakh a month for shooting down Russian drones under new program. A member of the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service from an anti-drone mobile air defence unit takes part in a training, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa region, Ukraine. (IMAGE: REUTERS) Ukraine will pay civilians up to 100,000 hryvnias (around 2.2 lakh or $2,400) a month to shoot down Russian drones as part of a new volunteer program approved by the government, Ukrainian news agency Kyiv Post said in a report. The initiative, proposed by the Ministry of Defence, was cleared by the Cabinet of Ministers and announced by government representative Taras Melnychuk on Telegram. Recommended Stories The payments will come from local budgets and the scheme will operate during martial law for a maximum period of two years. Drones have become central to both Russian and Ukrainian strategy, employed for surveillance, kamikaze strikes and air-defence suppression. Russia extensively deploys Iranian-made Shahed kamikazes to target Ukrainian infrastructure and energy grids, launching hundreds in waves that disable power systems and disrupt lives. Ukraine, in turn, fields an expanding drone arsenal. Drones such as Turkish Bayraktar TB2s and homegrown FPV and AI-enabled models like those in Operation Spiderweb" are capable of deep strikes on Russian bases, fuel depots, ammunition stores and airfields. The new Ukrainian drone defense program will enlist trained volunteers and members of paramilitary and territorial defense units with drone operation skills. Under the government-backed scheme, these recruits will help counter Russian aerial threats by spotting, tracking, and shooting down enemy drones using UAVs, firearms, or piloted aircraft. Meanwhile, fresh Russian strikes on Ukraines northeastern city of Kharkiv killed three people and wounded 60 others, including children, on Wednesday, authorities told news agency AFP, as Moscow pushed ahead with attacks after rejecting an unconditional ceasefire. Ukraine said it had received the bodies of more than 1,200 soldiers, handed over by Moscow, part of a repatriation deal the two sides agreed at talks last week. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Russia has fired record numbers of drones and missiles at Ukraine over recent weeks, escalating three years of daily bombardments as it outlines hardline demands rejected by Kyiv as ultimatums" to halt its three-year invasion. The northeastern city of Kharkiv, just 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the Russian border, again bore the brunt of the attack. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev... Read More Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev... Read More Location : Kyiv, Ukraine First Published: June 11, 2025, 23:40 IST 'That's The Thing We...': Greta Thunberg Hits Back At Trump After He Calls Her 'Strange' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 08:25 IST Thunberg, who was deported by Israel while en route to Gaza, responded to Trump's mockery by stating the world needs more "young angry women." This is not the first time when Thunberg and Trump have clashed. (Image: AP) Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who was deported by Israel while on her way to war-torn Gaza, hit back at US President Donald Trump after he mocked her in response to her aid mission. Mocking Thunberg, Trump called her a strange" and young, angry person" with anger issues" after she accused Israeli forces of kidnapping" her during her attempt to deliver aid to Gaza. Recommended Stories The Republican leader further advised that Thunberg attend anger management classes, stating, Anger management I think she has to go to an anger management class. Thats my primary recommendation for her Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg." Unbothered by Trumps remarks, the climate activist, upon arriving in Paris after being deported by Israeli forces, responded, I think the world needs many more young angry women, to be honest," adding, Especially with everything going on right now. Thats the thing we need the most of." The ship was intercepted about 100 nautical miles (185km) off the coast of Gaza, as per reports. The journey was organised by Freedom Flotilla, a pro-Palestine coalition, to deliver aid to Gaza, which is grappling with a hunger crisis amid ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. It was learnt that the Gaza-bound ship was carrying humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula, to Gaza, in an attempt to raise awareness about the dire humanitarian crisis faced by the people. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The missions ship, Madleen," was intercepted by Israeli forces earlier on Monday. Thunberg accused Israel of violating international law by detaining her and other activists in international waters, describing the incident as a kidnapping." This is not the first time when Thunberg and Trump have clashed. Previously In 2019, Trump mocked the activist after she accused world leaders of failing her generation, calling her a very happy young girl." He also suggested that she work on her Anger Management problem" after she was named Time Magazines Person of the Year. 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 Location : Paris, France First Published: June 11, 2025, 08:11 IST TikToker 'Khaby Lame' Leaves US After Being Detained By Immigration Agents In Las Vegas Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 09:11 IST Khaby Lame, the world's most popular TikTok personality with millions of followers, has left the US after being detained by immigration agents in Las Vegas. Khaby Lame left US after he was detained in the US for staying longer than his allowance. (Photo Credits: X) Days after social media influencer Khabane Khaby Lame was detained by the US immigration agents in Las Vegas for allegedly overstaying his visa, the popular TikTok personality has left the US. The Senegalese-Italian influencer, whose legal name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was detained on Friday at Harry Reid International Airport but was allowed to leave the country without a deportation order, a spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed in a statement. Recommended Stories According to the ICE spokesperson, Lame arrived in the US on April 30 and "overstayed the terms of his visa". However, the influence has not publicly commented on his detainment. His detainment and voluntary departure from the US come amid President Donald Trumps escalating crackdown on immigration, including raids in Los Angeles. Massive protests have erupted in Los Angeles against ICE, as the president tests the bounds of his executive authority. Khaby Lame Departs Voluntarily A voluntary departure which was granted to Lame allows those facing removal from the US to avoid a deportation order on their immigration record, which could prevent them from being allowed back into the US for up to a decade. The 25-year-old rose to international fame during the pandemic without ever saying a word in his videos, which would show him reacting to absurdly complicated "life hacks." He has over 162 million followers on TikTok alone. Lame, last month, attended the Met Gala in New York City, days after arriving in the US. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Senegal-born influencer moved to Italy when he was an infant with his working class parents and has Italian citizenship. (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 Location : Las Vegas, Nevada, USA First Published: June 11, 2025, 09:11 IST 'Uncontrolled Migration Leads To Chaos, Dysfunction': Trump Says He Will Liberate Los Angeles Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 07:06 IST His remarks underscore his hardline immigration stance, with a renewed promise to restore law, order, and safety. US President Donald Trump salutes as he arrives to speak at Fort Bragg, a US Army military installation, near Fayetteville, North Carolina (Photo: AFP) US President Donald Trump painted a grim picture of Los Angeles, blaming uncontrolled migration" for what he described as the citys dramatic decline from a model metropolis to a hub of lawlessness and decay. Declaring his intent to liberate Los Angeles," Trump asserted that transnational gangs and criminal networks have taken over entire neighbourhoods, turning the city into a trash heap." Recommended Stories #WATCH | US President Donald Trump says, Within the span of a few decades, Los Angeles has gone from being one of the cleanest, safest and most beautiful cities on earth, to being a trash heap with entire neighbourhoods under the control of transnational gangs and criminal pic.twitter.com/B2iWULDesO ANI (@ANI) June 10, 2025 President Donald Trump spoke at an event on Tuesday at Fort Bragg, which was held in honor of US soldiers, to justify his deployment of troops to Los Angeles amid growing unrest linked to his immigration policy a move that critics have labeled a politically charged overreaction. His remarks underscore his hardline immigration stance, with a renewed promise to restore law, order, and safety. Speaking to the troops at the North Carolina base, Trump said, Generations of Army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness." He went on to describe the situation unfolding in California as a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags," adding that his administration would liberate Los Angeles." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The visit to Fort Bragg, home to roughly 50,000 active-duty personnel, followed Trumps decision to send 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. The deployment, aimed at countering protests against his immigration policies, has drawn swift backlash. Trump maintained that the military presence is necessary to protect federal property and staff. However, Californias Democratic-led administration has filed a lawsuit to block the move, condemning it as an abuse of power and a needless escalation. 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 11, 2025, 07:00 IST US Reaffirms Strong Support To India In Fight Against Terrorism: State Department Published By : PTI Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 12:08 IST The multi-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor met the US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau last week in Washington. Tammy Bruce (PTI File Image) The US reaffirmed its strong support for Indias fight against terrorism and the bilateral strategic partnership during the visit of an Indian all-party parliamentary delegation last week, the State Department said. The multi-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor met the US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau last week in Washington. Recommended Stories State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at a press briefing on Tuesday that Landau reaffirmed the US strong support to India in the fight against terrorism and the strategic partnership between the two countries. The delegation visited the US as part of the governments global outreach efforts after Operation Sindoor. India launched the operation in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. Responding to a question, Bruce said that a Pakistani parliamentary delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met officials of the State Department, including Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, during its visit to Washington last week. Hooker reiterated the US support for the ongoing cessation of on-ground hostilities as you might imagine, thank God between India and Pakistan", Bruce said, adding that they also discussed important issues about the US-Pakistan bilateral relationship, including counterterrorism cooperation. So that meeting occurred." When asked if the US received any assurance from Pakistan that it will take action against terrorists, Bruce said she was not going to discuss the details of those conversations. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In response to a question on President Donald Trump offering to mediate" on the issue of Kashmir, Bruce said, Well, I obviously, I cant speak to whats on the mind or the plans of the President. What I do know is that I think we all recognise that President Trump in each step that he takes, its made to solve generational differences between countries, generational war." Bruce added that it should not surprise" anyone that he would want to manage" something like that. So, while I cant speak to his plans, the world knows his nature, and I cant speak to any details of what he might have in that regardBut it is an exciting time that if we can get to a point in that particular conflict..," Bruce said adding that it is a very interesting time." India has rejected any mediation related to the dispute on Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan and maintains that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are and will always remain an integral" part of the country. 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 : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: June 11, 2025, 12:08 IST Yunus Backed By Terrorists, Rohingya Corridor Ploy To Sell St Martin's Island: Sheikh Hasina Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: June 11, 2025, 22:56 IST Bangladeshs ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that interim advisor Muhammad Yunus is undermining Bangladeshs access to the seas. Sheikh Hasina accuses Nobel laureate of trying to barter away Bangladeshs strategic island in a failed bid to curry favor with foreign powers. (IMAGE: REUTERS) Bangladeshs ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said interim government advisor Muhammad Yunus ascent to his current role was backed by terrorists and under his interim rule there has been a rise in crimes, violence is the norm and there is a ploy to sell the nations sovereignty". Women feel unsafe in our cities. During Eid, foreigners visited Bangladesh and people from urban centres went to villages to celebrate Eid with their families. Now no one goes to rural Bangladesh fearing they will be robbed by terrorists who have overseen the ascent of Yunus," Hasina said. Recommended Stories Hasina also said Yunus move to hold elections in April 2026 is a ploy to crack an April Fools joke on the people of Bangladesh" and mock democratic processes. The leader who is currently living in exile in India said that Yunus is taking steps that threaten the sovereignty of Bangladesh, referring to the Rohingya corridor" proposal. Hasina said Yunus is backing the Rohingya corridor" proposal in a bid to sell St. Martins Island and undermine Bangladeshs access to the seas. The idea originated from a UN suggestion during Secretary-General Antonio Guterress visit and was later discussed by Nobel Peace laureate Yunus. Selling the nation, selling and undermining our access to the sea is what he is doing. This Rohingya corridor is a ploy to sell St Martins Island and undermine our access to the seas," Hasina said in a speech streamed live on Facebook. Months before accusing US of attempting to undermine Bangladeshs sovereignty by seeking control of the St. Martin Island, ousted Bangladesh ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina had warned that a white man came to tempt her with an offer. She also said that her re-election process, in the 2024 general elections that the US and the West raised concerns about, would have been smoother if she allowed a foreign country to build an airbase inside Bangladeshi territory. Hasina told Awami League workers August last year that she could have remained in power if I had left St. Martin and the Bay of Bengal to America, according to a report by The Print. The ousted Prime Minister said Yunus has failed to stem the influx of refugees and the numbers of refugees has only swelled. Hasina, her rival Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and t he Bangladesh Army have warned the corridor could become a foreigncontrolled buffer zone". The Army Chief Wakar-Uz-Zaman labeled it a potential bloody corridor" and demanded decisions be made only by an elected government. Under mounting pressure from the military, opposition parties, and public opinion, Yunuss interim government backpedaled. Officials clarified that no corridor deal had been finalized. Bangladesh hosts 1.3 million Rohingya refugees in temporary settlements like Coxs Bazar. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In her speech, Hasina also said that members of her party, the Awami League, are brutally killed in broad daylight and Yunus has failed to protect the Bangladeshi citizens. She also said that under Yunus the nation has lost its status as a garment exporter and that he has been involved in corruption and has assumed his current role in order to fill his coffers. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev... Read More Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev... Read More First Published: June 11, 2025, 22:37 IST The Tambov Gunpowder Plant in Kotovsk, Tambov Region, Russia, which was attacked not for the first time, has stopped working, said Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine "This is not the first time that the Tambov Gunpowder Plant in Russia has been attacked. It is currently pausing its work. It is one of the key facilities of the Russian military-industrial complex, which is involved in the war against Ukraine," Kovalenko wrote in a telegram on Wednesday. Kovalenko noted that the plant produces gunpowder used for various types of small arms, artillery and rocket systems, as well as colloxylin, which is used in the creation of explosives and other specialized products. "The enterprise is one of the main suppliers of explosives for the Russian army. With the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, production at the plant has increased significantly," Kovalenko added. On the night of June 11, drones attacked the Tambov gunpowder plant. Local residents in Russian Telegram channels report numerous explosions. In the morning, the acting governor of Tambov region of Russia, Yevgeny Pervishov, confirmed the UAV attack on Kotovsk. The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) has issued a stern warning to its officers against engaging in corruption and drug or substance abuse, stating that those found guilty will face severe consequences. The warning was delivered by ZPCS Commissioner General Dr Moses Chihobvu during a graduation ceremony for 615 students at the Ntabazinduna Training School. He emphasised that any officer who violates the organisations principles of moral and professional integrity will be held accountable. Commissioner General Chihobvu described corruption as a cancerous threat that must be eradicated from the institution. Let me take this opportunity to address two critical threats to the integrity of our organisation: substance abuse and corruption. I want to make it abundantly clear that these have no place in the ZPCS, said Commissioner General Chihobvu. He noted that the misuse of drugs and alcohol undermines personal health, compromises operational safety and erodes public trust. Similarly, he said, corruption whether through misappropriation of stores, trafficking of contraband, or abuse of authority strikes at the heart of the organisations mission. Any officer found engaging in such misconduct will face swift and decisive disciplinary and legal consequences, he said. Chronicle Over 200 small and medium entrepreneurs are struggling to come to terms with a fire incident that gutted their goods and machinery at Save The Nation Industrial Site in Bulawayo Monday night. The inferno, which occurred under unclear circumstances, has left entrepreneurs without income and livelihoods, raising urgent calls for intervention and support from both the government and stakeholders. Entrepreneurs who spoke to the ZBC News described the devastation as a major setback that wiped out years of investment. It took us more than 10 years to build up our workspaces and purchase machinery. Now we have lost everything, one visibly distressed entrepreneur said. We are pleading for assistance from the government and all willing partners. This is our only source of income, another affected operator said. Bulawayo Chamber of SMEs Programme Coordinator, Mr Nketha Dlamini confirmed the incident, highlighting that they are still assessing the cost of the damage before they seek assistance from stakeholders. We are very sorry about what happened to our fellow SMEs, what I can say is that we are yet to assess the damage before engaging other stakeholders to see how best they can assist these businesses. The SMEs sector remains a vital pillar of Zimbabwes economy, accounting for over 50 percent of employment and playing a significant role in industrialisation and innovation. ZBC The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) will hit the enemy where he considers himself unreachable, said SBU head Vasyl Maliuk, commenting on the special operation Spider's Web and a new video about the progress of its implementation. "The SBU hits and will hit the enemy even where he considers himself unreachable! We are working to surprise him with new surprises. No less painful than Operation Spider's Web," said SBU head Lieutenant General Vasyl Maliuk, quoted by the press service on the department's Telegram on Wednesday. The SBU has released a new video about the special operation Spider's Web, as a result of which it was possible to hit 41 military aircraft at once at four airfields of the Russian Federation. The footage shows the chronology of events: how exactly one of the largest attacks deep behind enemy lines was prepared and carried out. This special operation was a response to the massive missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, hospitals, and energy infrastructure. This plan was directly led by head of the SBU Maliuk on behalf of President of Ukraine, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the preparation of the special operation took place in conditions of maximum secrecy. As the SBU reports, first FPV drones were transported to Russia, and later modular wooden houses. Already in the territory of the Russian Federation, the drones were hidden under the roofs of houses placed on trucks. At the right moment, the roofs of the houses were opened remotely, and the drones flew to hit the designated targets - Russian bombers. "In accordance with the laws and customs of war, we have worked out absolutely legitimate targets - military airfields and aircraft that bomb our peaceful cities. So, on our part, a real demilitarization of the Russian Federation is taking place," Maliuk emphasized. As reported, on June 1, the SBU conducted a unique special operation to simultaneously destroy four military airfields in the rear of the Russian Federation: Olenya, Ivanovo, Dyagilevo and Belaya. The strategic aviation of the aggressor state, which regularly shells peaceful Ukrainian cities, was based there. A Louisiana father is facing second-degree murder charges after allegedly leaving his toddler in a hot car for more than nine hours, authorities said. The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office reported that Joseph Boatman, 32, picked up his daughter from a relative's home shortly after 2:30am local time on Sunday, after reportedly consuming alcohol, per ABC News . Boatman is accused of placing his daughter, IDed by WDSU as 21-month-old Ansleigh Boatman, in her car seat but not removing her from the vehicle when he entered his home in Madisonville. The incident came to light when a family member discovered the child unresponsive in the car later Sunday. Temperatures in Madisonville had reached 95 degrees that day, with a heat index of 105 degrees. Sheriff Randy Smith described the case as "devastating," highlighting the dangers of leaving a child in a vehicle during extreme heat. "This case involved compromised judgment, and the result was heartbreaking," Smith said in a statement. WDSU notes the case is "complicated" by the fact that Boatman is a registered sex offender with multiple sex offenses logged in Texas, where he used to live before moving to Madisonville to live with his father, according to family members. A person close to Ansleigh's mother says the mom didn't want Boatman to have visitation rights, but she had to agree to that to win child support. The case marks the fifth hot-car child fatality in the United States so far this year, according to KidsAndCars.org. The nonprofit notes that an average of 38 children die in hot cars annually, with nearly 9 in 10 victims being 3 years old or younger. R. Kelly, serving 30 years in federal prison in North Carolina, has made another push for release, claiming officials solicited another inmate to kill him. The R&B singer convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking says his life is in danger and he should be moved to home detention as a result, according to an emergency motion filed Tuesday in the US District Court in Chicago. It includes a sworn declaration from Mikeal Glenn Stine, a terminally ill inmate and leader of the neo-Nazi prison gang the Aryan Brotherhood, who claims Bureau of Prisons officials offered him freedom in exchange for taking out the singer, per Variety . Stine says that he was told Kelly and his attorneys were planning to expose damaging information. He claims officials told him he would be charged with Kelly's murder after the fact but that the mishandling of evidence would result in no conviction. Stine says he ultimately decided not to follow through with the plan and instead informed Kelly. The filing claims the pair then learned officials had directed another member of the Aryan Brotherhood to kill both Kelly and Stine. "The threat to Mr. Kelly's life continues each day that no action is taken," the filing reads, noting more members of the brotherhood are "accumulating at his facility" and "one of them will surely do what Mr. Stine has not, thereby burying the truth about what happened in this case along with Robert Kelly." The motion also claims there's a plot to steal Kelly's correspondence with lawyers and to turn his former girlfriend, Azriel Clary, against him, per the Chicago Tribune. "I will ask President Trump to help us, because we need him," Kelly attorney Beau Brindley tells the outlet, referring to Trump's recent spree of commutations and pardons. The daughter of accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann believes he "most likely" committed the infamous killings in New York even as her mother steadfastly defends her ex-husband's innocence in a new documentary released Tuesday. The admission from Victoria Heuermann isn't made on camera but through a statement from producers near the end of The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, a three-part documentary on NBC's streaming service Peacock, per the AP . "A week before the series release, Victoria Heuermann told the producers that based on publicly available facts that have been presented and explained to her, she now believes her father is most likely the Gilgo Beach killer," reads a statement at the close of the final episode. Bob Macedonio, an attorney for Heuermann's now ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, said in a statement after the documentary's release that "time will only tell" whether his client will ever accept that her husband may have been a serial killer. Rex Heuermann is charged with killing seven women, most of them sex workers, and dumping their bodies on a desolate parkway not far from Gilgo Beach on Long Island. But "my husband, he's a family man. He's my hero," Ellerup says in the series. "What I want to say to him is, 'I love you, no matter what.'" Ellerup divorced Heuermann after his arrest in 2023. But in the documentary, Victoria Heuermann says the separation was for financial reasons to protect the family's assets. The 28-year-old struggles to reconcile her childhood memories with the portrait of the killer described by authorities. She says her father was around the family "90% of the time" and was never violent toward any of them. At the same time, Victoria Heuermann acknowledged there were times when he stayed home while the family went on vacation and that she was around 10 to 13 years old when the killings happened. Prosecutors say Heuerman committed some of the killings in the basement while his family was out of town, and Ellerup acknowledges he suddenly renovated a bathroom during one such trip. "Part of me thinks he didn't do it, but at the same time, I don't know, he could have just totally had a double life," Victoria Heuerman says in the series. Los Angeles isn't the only city with protests about the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. NPR and the Washington Post report notable ones in cities including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Denver, and Philadelphia. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott is calling out the National Guard. Details: By and large, most of the protests have been peaceful, but the AP reports some clashes between demonstrators and police, along with police use of chemical irritants. The outlet has a city-by-city breakdown, including where arrests were made. Of note: San Francisco had more than 150 arrests over the weekend, while four officers were injured in Austin on Monday in clashes. In the latter city, officers used pepper spray and tear gas to stop protesters from defacing the federal building with paint, and demonstrators threw rocks and other objects at police. South Korea has halted its loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts directed at North Korea in an effort to improve relations, the country's military has announced. The decision comes just a week after President Lee Jae-myung's election, which was won partly on promises to ease tensions with the North and revive dialogue. Backstory: The broadcasts, which resumed last June after a six-year break, were initially a response to North Korea's campaign of floating trash-filled balloons into the South, per the BBC. The loudspeakers had broadcast news from both sides of the border and overseas, updates on democracy, and details about living in South Koreacontent considered provocative by Pyongyang, which has threatened to destroy the speakers in the past. The Japan Times reports that the speakers have also blasted out K-pop tunes. President Trump on Wednesday said the US and China have struck a deal to ease the trade war between them, reports CNBC. China will supply critical rare earths and magnets "up front," the president wrote in all-caps post on Truth Social. In return, the US "will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!)." Trump said the dealwhich was born out of two days of negotiations by economic officials from the respective countriesis still subject to his and President Xi's final approval. "We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, (and) China is getting 10%," Trump wrote, adding that the "relationship is excellent" between the two countries. China has sent two aircraft carriers into the Pacific for joint military drills, signaling a bold new chapter in its naval ambitions. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani confirmed the exercises began Saturday and said Monday that the carriers were observed launching and recovering jet fighters to the east of Iwo Jima. It marks the first time China's Liaoning and Shandong carriers, along with support ships, have operated together beyond what's known as the First Island Chainthe chain of islands made up of Japan, Taiwan, parts of the Philippines, and Indonesiaan area Beijing has sought to move beyond as part of its military strategy. To bulk up its naval might, China is expanding its number of carriers: A third is being sea tested, and a fourth is being constructed. The New York Times notes all are smaller than America's 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, and offers this context for the move: "By cruising beyond Japan, the Chinese warships are demonstrating that they could challenge not only Japan but also its biggest ally, the United States, for control of the western Pacific during a crisis. If the United States deployed ships from Hawaii, the West Coast, or even Guam, they would have to pass near those waters to reach Japan or Taiwan." The Japan Times adds that "the vast waters of the western Pacific Ocean have long been seen as one weak point in Japan's defense architecture." As for China's view, the Japan Times reports that the Chinese navy on Tuesday confirmed the operation, saying it was designed "to test the forces' capabilities in far-seas defense and joint operations." The Global Times reports that a Chinese Foreign Ministry rep elaborated: "Let me reiterate that Chinese naval vessels' activities in those waters are fully consistent with international law and international practices. Our national defense policy is defensive in nature. We hope Japan will view those activities objectively and rationally." The Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board resigned en masse Wednesday, accusing the Trump administration of interfering with its authority to hand out scholarships and undermining the program's core mission. All 12 members, who CNBC reports were appointed under President Biden, "voted overwhelmingly to resign," per a statement posted on Substack . The board said the State Department, which manages the program, blocked Fulbright awards "to a substantial number of individuals who were selected for the 2025-2026 academic year. The administration is also currently subjecting an additional 1,200 foreign Fulbright recipients to an unauthorized review process and could reject more." The New York Times elaborates, reporting the program, which "promotes international educational exchanges," typically sends acceptance letters by April to the scholars approved by the board. But the board learned nearly 200 American professors and researchers who had been set to study abroad beginning this summer instead received rejection letters, largely due to their areas of study. The 1,200 foreign scholars referenced by the board were also supposed to get approval letters by April. The board's post notes that Congress established the Fulbright program nearly 80 years ago and at that time made clear the Fulbright Board "has final approval authority of applicants, which occurs after an exhaustive and deliberate, year-long process led by non-partisan career staff at the State Department and Embassies around the world." It adds that the process involves more than 150 countries, many of whom provide funding. "In fact, 35+ foreign governments match or exceed the US government's annual contribution." Three more standout lines: story continues below The administration's moves "not only contradict the statute but are antithetical to the Fulbright mission and the values, including free speech and academic freedom, that Congress specified in the statute." "This proud legacy has depended on one thing above all: the integrity of the program's selection process based on merit, not ideology, and its insulation from political interference. That integrity is now undermined." As such the board chose to resign "rather than endorse unprecedented actions that we believe are impermissible under the law, compromise US national interests and integrity, and undermine the mission and mandates Congress established for the Fulbright program." Read These Next Kerr County considered a flood warning This is the most 'American' car A Texas man's disappearance is fodder What makes a person cool? (Read the post in full here .) | Trump Will Be at Les Mis. Some Cast Members May Not Trump will be at Kennedy Center opening night The action was stronger in the bond market, where Treasury yields eased after a report showed inflation ticked up by less last month than economists expected, the AP reports. That raised expectations for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates later this year. Markets didn't react much to the conclusio n of two days of trade talks between the US and China. On Wall Street, a 1.9% drop for Apple was the heaviest weight on the market. It's been listless this week after unveiling several modest upcoming changes to the software that runs its devices. Chewy dropped 11% after the seller of pet supplies reported a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts had forecast. Tesla swung between gains and losses before finishing with a rise of 0.1% to continue its shaky run. It's been recovering much of its big losses taken last week after Elon Musk's relationship with Trump imploded, which in turn raised fears about a loss of business for the electric-vehicle company. Musk on Wednesday backed away from some of his earlier comments and said they went "too far." Trump said Wednesday that China will supply rare-earth minerals and magnets to the United States, while his government will allow Chinese students into US universities in a deal that still needs an agreement by him and by China's leader. Trump also said that "President XI and I are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade. This would be a great WIN for both countries!!!" Investors are still hoping for a more sweeping trade deal that would ease tensions between the world's two largest economies. Photo: Getty Images The US State Department has called on Russia to "immediately cease" strikes on Ukraine, adding that Washington is closely monitoring the situation with the shelling, and emphasizing that "it was time for an end to the war," Reuters reports. "Russias strikes against Ukraines cities need to stop immediately. We condemn these strikes and extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected," a State Department spokesperson said. Fairbanks, AK (99701) Today Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 71F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Low 57F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. AICHI, Jun 11 (News On Japan) - Two teenagers have been arrested in Tsushima City, Aichi Prefecture, for allegedly firing an airsoft gun at an elementary school boy riding a bicycle. The suspects, a 15-year-old high school student and a 17-year-old part-time worker, both residents of Tsushima, were taken into custody on suspicion of assault. According to police, on May 15th, the two fired multiple pellets from what appeared to be an airsoft gun at an 11-year-old boy who was riding his bicycle on a street in Tsushima, striking him in the right ankle. The boy was not injured. The two had previously been arrested and referred to prosecutors in May for driving without a license. Police determined their involvement in the shooting after confirming that the vehicle they used during the earlier offense matched the one seen at the scene of the recent incident. Both suspects have admitted to the charges during questioning. Source: Nagoya TV News National survey details the state of pet care in Canada BURLINGTON, ON, June 11, 2025 /CNW/ -- Half (50%) of Canadian pet parents have either skipped or declined necessary veterinary care for their pets, according to the new PetSmart Charities of Canada-Gallup State of Pet Care Study: Pet Parents' Assessment of Canadian Veterinary Care. The majority of those who skipped or declined care cite financial reasons as the primary barrier, but distance to veterinary clinics also plays a critical role the farther pet parents must travel, the more likely they are to forgo care. New national PetSmart Charities of Canada-Gallup State of Pet Care Study reveals half of Canadian pet parents have either skipped or declined necessary veterinary care. The research is a first-of-its-kind look at how Canadian pet parents experience the veterinary care system and how the cost of care is impacting pets and people. The study is part of a multi-phase research effort, which will incorporate the perspectives of veterinarians early next year. Key findings from the study include: Financial Factors Are the Greatest Obstacles to Care Among Canadian pet parents who say they have declined care or forgone veterinary visits, 67% say they did so either because it was not affordable, they did not believe the services were worth the cost or a combination of both. Younger pet parents were the most likely group to skip or decline care (59%), and the rate of forgoing care does not differ significantly by income level. In fact, financial considerations affect pet parents across the income spectrum with 27% of those earning more than $90,000 saying they have declined care because they could not afford it. Even when care was deemed necessary, fewer than one in three (28%) pet parents who declined care due to cost were offered a more affordable option. Additionally, only 21% of pet parents say their veterinarian has offered them a payment plan, although 66% say an interest-free plan could double what they are able to spend on life-saving care. "This study serves as the voice of the Canadian pet parent, sounding an alarm," said Aimee Gilbreath, president of PetSmart Charities of Canada. "We were surprised to discover veterinary care is slipping out of reach for people across a broad spectrum of income levels and the consequences of skipping care can be dire. We encourage all pet-serving businesses, nonprofits, veterinary practices and pet parents to join the conversation and advance solutions because no single group can tackle this problem alone." Distance Is a Key Barrier to Care Geography plays a key role in whether pet parents forgo care for their pets. Just under half (46%) of those who travel under 10 kilometres to the veterinarian report skipping or declining care, but that proportion rises to 54% for those who travel more than 10 kilometres. In rural areas, where veterinary shortages are more common, just 32% of pet parents travel less than 10 kilometres to reach a veterinarian compared to 61% of urban pet parents. Pet Parents Are Open to Non-Traditional Care While most pet parents (79%) say they consult a veterinarian when their pet is sick, nearly one in five pet parents (18%) report relying exclusively on non-veterinary sources such as the internet, friends or pet professionals, such as trainers and groomers, when their pet is sick. This reliance increases with travel distance as 28% of those travelling more than 50 kilometres to a veterinarian turn to alternative sources rather than a veterinary provider. While few in Canada say they have used services such as telemedicine or home veterinary visits, about four in 10 say they would if these options were available. This openness suggests a growing opportunity to expand non-traditional models of care, particularly in rural or underserved regions where access is limited, or regulations prevent it altogether. "These data suggest that services like community clinics and telemedicine where permitted and available could help make care more accessible, and many pet parents would use them if they could," said Julie Ray, Gallup's managing editor for world news. "But awareness and regulation of these services still vary across regions, pointing to opportunities for expanded infrastructure and support." For more information on how PetSmart Charities of Canada is working to expand access to veterinary care nationwide or to help support initiatives for pets and their families, visit PetSmartCharities.ca. Methodology Results for the PetSmart Charities of Canada-Gallup State of Pet Care study are based on a combined web- and phone-based survey conducted with 2,033 dog and cat owners from the 10 provinces in Canada. Gallup surveyed 1,804 Canadian adults who indicated they currently owned at least one dog or cat via a web-based survey Nov. 28-Dec. 31, 2024. Gallup also surveyed an additional 229 dog and cat owners via a telephone survey Dec. 5-23, 2024, to reach pet owners who may not have access to the internet. For results based on the total sample of 2,033 Canadian dog and cat owners, the margin of sampling error is 2.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Margins of error for subgroups are larger. About PetSmart Charities of Canada PetSmart Charities of Canada is committed to making the world a better place for pets and all who love them. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart stores across the country, PetSmart Charities of Canada has helped over 400,000 pets find loving homes. PetSmart Charities of Canada also provides grant funding to support organizations that advocate and care for the well-being of all pets and their families. Our grants and efforts connect pets with loving homes through adoption, improve access to affordable veterinary care and support families in times of crisis with access to food, shelter, and emergency relief. Each year, thousands of generous supporters help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities of Canada directly at PetSmartCharities.ca, while shopping at PetSmart.ca, and by using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities of Canada efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in Canada, granting more than $40 million since its inception in 1999. PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered Canadian charity. To learn more, visit www.PetSmartCharities.ca . About Gallup Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 85 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviours of employees, customers, students and citizens than any other organization in the world. Garry Ho: 347-379-3089, Porter Novelli for PetSmart Charities of Canada, [email protected] SOURCE PetSmart Charities of Canada, Inc. The bodies of 1,212 fallen Defenders were returned to Ukraine, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported. "As a result of the repatriation measures, the bodies of 1,212 fallen Defenders were returned to Ukraine. Among the returned Defenders are the fallen from Kursk region; Kharkiv region; Luhansk region; Donetsk region; Zaporizhia region; Kherson region," the Coordination Headquarters said on Telegram on Wednesday. It is noted that the fallen Defenders were returned as a result of the joint work of the employees of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Joint Center under the Security Service of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, and other structures of the security and defense sector of Ukraine. Gratitude is expressed for the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross. "Special thanks to the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who transport the repatriated fallen Heroes to designated state specialized institutions, organize the transfer of the deceased to representatives of law enforcement agencies in the Ministry of Internal Affairs system and forensic medical examination in the Ministry of Health system," the message says. It is noted that investigators of law enforcement agencies, together with expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will establish the identities of the deceased as soon as possible. Almost three-quarters (73%) of Canadians will consider travelling to a destination to visit a unique business or attraction TORONTO, June 11, 2025 /CNW/ - In this season of economic uncertainty, there's one thing Canadian businesses can undoubtedly look forward to: summer is coming and tourism is trending up. A recent survey by TD Bank Group found 89% of Canadians feel it's important to support small businesses this summer, with 64% of Canadians planning to travel within Canada in the coming months. The biggest economic boon to small business? The survey found 63% of Canadians will research shops, restaurants, and attractions ahead of time, with 73% considering travel to a destination to visit a unique business or attraction they researched. TD Economics also projects tourism to outperform other industries in Canada with the boost being fueled by Canadians looking to spend more of their travel dollars at home, and international tourists looking to Canada and other regions for summer vacation. "It's encouraging to hear that Canadians are planning to support local small businesses as part of their vacation plans this summer, as it helps both entrepreneurs and our local economies," says Julia Kelly, Vice President, Small Business Banking at TD. "It's particularly welcome news, as many of our small business customers have been concerned about consumer spending slowing down." The survey also showed that Canadians are keen on cottage country, with 46% of Gen Z and 42% of Millennials planning on visiting cottages during their summer vacation. Of those visiting cottages, 96% say they plan to check out local businesses, including restaurants, shops, and marinas. "We know how important small businesses are to communities across Canada," says Kelly. "At TD, we continue to be inspired by their strength and resilience and we are here to help small business owners with advice and support along their journey." To learn more about Small Business Banking services provided by TD please visit: https://www.td.com/ca/en/business-banking/small-business About the survey The survey was undertaken by The Harris Poll Canada and it ran overnight on May 22nd, 2025, with 1,531 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada online panellists. The results have been weighted by age, gender, region, and education (and in Quebec, language) to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals when compared to the data tables are due to rounding. About TD Bank Group The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Group ("TD" or the "Bank"). TD is the sixth largest bank in North America by assets and serves over 27.9 million customers in four key businesses operating in a number of locations in financial centres around the globe: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Canada Trust and TD Auto Finance Canada; U.S. Retail, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, TD Auto Finance U.S., and TD Wealth (U.S.); Wealth Management and Insurance, including TD Wealth (Canada), TD Direct Investing, and TD Insurance; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities and TD Cowen. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with more than 18 million active online and mobile customers. TD had $2.1 trillion in assets on April 30, 2025. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange. SOURCE TD Bank Group For more information: Jillian Tanouye, [email protected] Photo: https://www.facebook.com/NicusorDan.ro/photos_by Romanian President Nicusor Dan will participate in the fourth Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit, organized by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Wednesday, June 11, in Odesa. As reported on the website of the Romanian President, during the meeting, Nicusor Dan will confirm Bucharest's commitment to continue supporting Ukraine at all levels and to join efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace, as well as reconstruction efforts. President Dan will emphasize the importance of maintaining unity and a coordinated approach throughout the region represented at the Summit for the overall security of the European continent. Dan will also emphasize the need to pay special attention to the Black Sea, including from the point of view of the security of trade routes. On the occasion of his visit to Odesa, Dan will participate in a trilateral meeting between Romania, Moldova and Ukraine, where he will discuss with his colleagues the most important interconnection projects, in particular, energy infrastructure, the EU accession process and security cooperation. "This trilateral format at the highest level is the first of its kind, which demonstrates the determination of the three neighboring countries to intensify cooperation and coordination through a medium- and long-term dialogue mechanism. This mechanism will include Romania's active support for the authorities in Chisinau and Kyiv in implementing the necessary reforms in the process of European integration," the message says. The Cabinet of Ministers has agreed to attract almost GBP 1.7 billion pounds ($2.261 billion) from the United Kingdom for additional weapons purchases, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. "In the first five months of this year, the government spent virtually 60% of all state budget funds on the defense and security of our country. Every hryvnia that taxpayers paid into the central budget, we directed to defense capability. Today we are making a decision to attract almost 1.7 billion pounds from the United Kingdom for additional weapons purchases," Shmyhal said at a government meeting on Wednesday. According to him, these funds are planned to be used to purchase Rapid Ranger air defense systems, as well as Marlet light multi-purpose missiles. "This month, the United Kingdom also announced record assistance for the supply of drones. We are talking about GBP 350 million, which will allow Ukraine to transfer 100,000 drones this year," he added. Representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada Taras Melnychuk on Telegram said the main conditions for the implementation of state external borrowing by attracting a consortium loan from Citibank N.A. (London branch) have been approved. It is envisaged that external state borrowing will be carried out for a total amount not exceeding 1.672 billion pounds sterling, and the loan amount will be used to pay up to 100% of the price of contracts to finance the purchase of defense materials and equipment, equipment, technology transfer or licensing, provision of works, services or other goods, in particular, intangible assets in the defense sector. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has allocated UAH 1.7 billion to ensure heat supply in Mykolaiv and the restoration of the Kharkiv region, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced. "We are allocating UAH 1.1 billion for the Mykolaiv region to ensure normal heat supply in the city of Mykolaiv during the next heating season. The enemy is constantly attacking the Mykolaiv CHP, and therefore the government is allocating funds specifically for the construction of distributed heat generation. We are talking about the purchase of 18 block-modular boiler houses with a total capacity of over 70 MW. We will be able to provide heat to the homes of Mykolaiv," Shmyhal wrote in the Telegram channel following the results of the government meeting on Wednesday. In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers has allocated almost UAH 600 million for the restoration of the Kharkiv region. In particular, according to the Prime Minister, UAH 241 million will be allocated for the repair of the Kharkiv Regional Clinical Hospital, and another UAH 357 million for emergency and restoration work on six apartment buildings in the city of Kharkiv. The Appellate Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has upheld the preventive measure imposed on a former Kyiv City Council deputy, a defendant in the case of illegal land distribution in Kyiv, the HACC has said. . "The HACC Appellate Chamber has considered the appeal of the defense against the ruling of the investigating judge of the HACC dated 09.05.2025 on the application of a preventive measure in the form of detention to one of the defendants in the case of illegal land distribution in the city of Kyiv, who is currently outside Ukraine," HACC said in a statement on its Facebook page on Wednesday. The statement reads: "Following the results of the review, the panel of judges of the HACC dismissed the defense's appeal, and left the ruling of the investigating HACC judge unchanged." The decision entered into force from the moment of its announcement and is not subject to appeal in cassation. The report does not mention the name of the person involved, but judging by the plot of the case, it refers to Denys Komarnytsky. It was previously reported that HACC arrested in absentia former deputy of the Kyiv City Council Denys Komarnytsky. The decision was made on May 9, but the ruling is classified. The defense has already filed an appeal. Boogie Nights at Tropicana Atlantic City over served alcohol to a man hours before a crash that killed an 8-year-old boy, it is alleged in an amended civil lawsuit filed last week. The family of Javier Velez claims in the wrongful death lawsuit that Boogie Nights repeatedly served Edward Johnston, 26, of Egg Harbor City, before the fatal crash on July 23, 2023. The amended complaint names Johnston, Tropicana, and Ducktown Tavern, a bar and restaurant on Atlantic Avenue in Atlantic City. Tropicana declined to comment on the ligation. During his criminal trial, prosecutors said Johnston first visited the tavern before patronizing the night club. An attorney for the tavern did not return a request for comment. Johnston is said to have been served at least four alcoholic beverages at Boogie Nights, according to the civil lawsuit. Philadelphia-based lawyer Michael van der Veen, who represents Javier Velezs family, said the casino turned over only two security videos showing Johnston being served. Van der Veen told 6ABC News that an hour-and-a-half of video footage is missing. The lawsuit was first filed in Atlantic County Superior Court in December 2023, five months after the deadly crash. It asks for a jury trial and seeks both compensatory and punitive damages. The amended complaint also alleges the casino didnt fully disclose all of Johnstons alcohol purchases. The casino provided Johnstons attorney with a fifth receipt from an alcohol purchase but not to van der Veens office, according to the complaint. Staff at Boogie Nights werent certified for serving alcohol responsibly to prevent intoxication, according to the lawsuit. The claim falls under the Dram Shop Act, which allows business to be held liable for intoxication-related injuries or deaths. It is alleged the reckless decisions of the Tropicana and Boogie Nights employees that served him represent a grave failure to protect public safety and a tragic violation of the law, it was stated in a press release issued by van der Veens firm. The suit was revised about three weeks after Johnston was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading plead guilty to aggravated manslaughter. Javier Velezs family has advocated for changes to New Jerseys DUI and DWI laws, laws for drunk driving and the case helped prompt the drafting of a legislative bill that, if signed into law, would require a person charged with being intoxicated and causing a fatal crash to remain jailed until their trial. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Eric Conklin may be reached at econklin@njadvancemedia.com. A graduate shakes hands with dignitaries at the 2025 Lavender Graduation Ceremony, celebrating LGBTQ+ high school graduates, at Columbia High School in Maplewood on Friday, June 6, 2025. Karsten Englander | For NJ Advan Dexter Buchanan, wearing a pastel pink suit, worried out loud that he might have been over dressed for a graduation held in honor of LGBTQ+ students on Friday at Columbia High School in Maplewood. But once on stage and after shaking hands with the many officials who came out to the districts 9th annual Lavender Graduation the compliments made it clear the suit was a hit. After several adults spoke, including school principal Frank Sanchez, it was time for graduates open mic. Buchanan shared what he called a pretty famous quote, something columnist Dan Savage said about life at the height of the AIDS crisis, We buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night. I think this is important to remember because things are scary, Buchanan said. It feels like things are going backwards from all that weve accomplished and we cant forget to dance. Longtime Lavender Graduation organizer Shannon Cuttle says the event is designed to honor and celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, queer, asexual, intersex, and allied students (LGBTQ+), and to acknowledge their achievements and contributions in school and community. Cuttle, founder of New Jersey Safe School Coalition and a former Maplewood school board member, served as host for the event along with Maplewood Committee member and former mayor of Maplewood Dean Dafis, who also happened to be wearing a pink suit. Cuttle organized the states first Lavender Graduation for high school students in 2013. By 2017, the school district along with the Township of Maplewood and the Village of South Orange began to officially sponsor the event, which remains the only LGBTQ+ high school graduation in the state. For that reason, any high school graduate from anywhere is welcome to join, Cuttle said. As speakers praised students accomplishments, they also expressed concern that hard won battles for the LGBTQ+ community would need to be waged once again. We really want to center trans voices in particular, said Dafis. I know that all of you, Im speaking to the choir here, are familiar with whats going on, whats coming from Washington, and a lot of it is awful. Just weeks after his inauguration, President Trumps signed a far reaching executive order instructing agencies to defund gender-related research and discontinue funding hospitals that provide gender affirming care to youth. Another order attempts to ban trans girls from playing in the sport that aligns with their gender identity. In response to Trumps orders, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order protecting trans young peoples right to health care in April. At the Lavender Graduation ceremony, keynote speaker Bernie Wagenblast added some star power to the roster. Wagenblast, who said she knew she was trans from her earliest memories, is one of the voices of the New York City subway. She says, Please stand away from the platform edge, when all numbered trains are approaching the station. Bernie Wagenblast speaking to graduates at the 2025 Lavender Graduation Ceremony, celebrating LGBTQ+ high school graduates, at Columbia High School in Maplewood on Friday, June 6, 2025. Karsten Englander | For NJ Advan Wagenblast, a voice actor and longtime transportation journalist, has received a lot of media attention since she publicly transitioned over two years ago at the age of 66. Its given me this platform, she said. I once was a trans kid, except I was in the closet so deep that nobody knew other than me, she said of her childhood. Wagenblast said she chose to speak at the graduation because she wants young people and their family members to see that it is possible to have a good life, that being part of the rainbow spectrum is not the end of anything, but really just opens up a lot of different possibilities. Rather than diplomas, the eight graduates received rainbow tassels and cords they can wear to their official graduation ceremony, if they choose. For students who change their name to match their gender identity, graduations can be fraught because schools typically use a graduates legal name, said South Orange-Maplewood School District Board President Nubia DuVall Wilson. The nice part about this experience is they can choose, DuVall Wilson said. During her remarks, Nancy Adams, mayor of Maplewood and self-described proud mom of an LGBTQ+ son, said she didnt just want to congratulate the graduates, she wanted to thank them as well. You pursued your education while navigating a world that too often asked you to shrink, she said. Thank you for challenging us and for showing us what it means to live with truth and with pride. The students arent the only ones who showed their pride. When Ezra Kaminsky took the stage, his mother shouted, Thats my baby. Kaminsky, who is co-leader of the schools Spectrum Club for LGBTQ+ youth, will attend City College of New York next year. I will obviously continue advocacy, he said. I think it has unconsciously become something that is so necessary for me in an educational environment to feel complete. A tassel in front of the stage at the 2025 Lavender Graduation Ceremony, celebrating LGBTQ+ high school graduates, at Columbia High School in Maplewood on Friday, June 6, 2025. Karsten Englander | For NJ Advan After she picked up a tassel and cord, graduate Aster Gosselink, co-leader of the schools Spectrum Club for LGBTQ+ students, chatted with two friends shes known for years about maintaining ones sanity in difficult times. I feel so badly for the fear that other trans people are experiencing, she said. I think that despite everything, you really do have to take care of yourself because otherwise you wont be able to fight for anybody else, she said. Gosselink will be attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York next year and plans to major in footwear design. The first lavender graduation was in Michigan 30 years ago, she said. Its just about keeping the train going, enhancing LGBTQ rights, especially at a time like this. Buchanan, flanked by his mother and father after the event, said he will be taking a gap year to attend a program in the Pacific Northwest where young people help build housing for low income community members. We didnt know that we would have a trans son, but were so proud that this exists for him, said Jane Buchanan, Dexters mother. But she realizes the safety trans youth like Dexter feel right now in New Jersey could disappear. As people were mingling after the ceremony, Jane Buchanan spoke with state Assemblywoman Garnet Hall, D- 28th Dist., about a bill shes co-sponsoring that would codify into law Murphys executive order protecting gender affirming care in New Jersey. Were advocating for more co-sponsors to be sure that this bill becomes a law because it would protect health care for trans youth in New Jersey even if there are federal attacks, Buchanan said. Jane Buchanan is hoping Hall can find more co-sponsors for the bill as Murphys final days in office approach. I hope that this is a reflection of how the school and the district are going to stand strong in the face of all the attacks and the threats from the federal government, she said. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Liz Rosenberg may be reached at lrosenberg@njadvancemedia.com. You might think itd be cool to live inside a piece of television history, but the owners of several iconic homes have expressed frustration with visiting fans. Joanne Quintana owns the Albuquerque, New Mexico, house that served as Walter Whites (Bryan Cranston) residence in Breaking Bad. Though its been over a decade since the AMC series came to an end in 2013, Quintana and her family still deal with droves of fans showing up outside their house. In January, Quintana and her family decided theyd had enough and put the house up for sale. The four-bedroom home is currently listed for $3,995,000. This was our family home from 1973, almost 52 years, Quintana told local TV station KOB4 at the time. Were going to walk away with just our memories. Its time to move on. Were done. Theres no reason to fight any more. Back in 2015, before the Breaking Bad house had a fence around it, Quintanas late mother, Fran Padilla, told NPR that fans often tried to recreate a famous scene where Walter White throws a pizza onto the roof. Weve had pizzas on our roof, weve had pizzas on our driveway, pizzas until were sick of looking at pizzas, Padilla said at the time. The house hasnt been sold yet, but Quintana told KOB4 that she hopes the next owner leans into the propertys appeal to tourists. I hope they make it what the fans want, she said. They want a B&B. They want a museum. They want access to it. Go for it! Quintana isnt the only homeowner who finds her residences reputation to be more trouble than its worth. In January, Barbara Lorber, who owns Carrie Bradshaws (Sarah Jessica Parker) Manhattan brownstone from Sex and the City, received permission from the city to install a protective gate. READ MORE: Days of Our Lives cast filmed funeral scene for character while the actor was really dying My home is now a global tourist destination, Lorber wrote in her application to the citys Landmark Preservation Committee. At any hour of the day or night, there are groups of visitors in front of the house taking flash photos, engaging in loud chatter, posting on social media, making TikToc [sic] videos, or just celebrating the moment. The brownstone owner added that her No Trespassing-Private Property sign doesnt do enough to curtail aggressive fans. Many visitors respect the chain. But many do not, Lorber wrote. They climb over the chain, pose, dance or lie down on the steps, climb to the top to stare in the Parlor windows, try to open the main entrance door, or, when drunk late at night, ring the doorbells. READ MORE: The 4 most head-scratching moments from the kooky And Just Like That season 3 premiere Neighbors also pay a price for their proximity to such cultural landmarks. Andrea Scott Finney lives near the San Francisco home known as the Tanner residence on Full House, and she pays a price for it. We love Full House, but its creating quite an issue with fan traffic, and its hard to back out of my driveway now, Finney told ABC7 Eyewitness News in 2017. [Theres] double parking, loitering, littering. Full House creator Jeff Franklin purchased the home in 2016, but he sold it again in 2020. Perhaps even he couldnt handle the tourists. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips/. Metinvest Group has joined the charitable initiative of the public organization Insulate Ukraine to restore housing and infrastructure in war-torn regions of Ukraine, it said in a press release on Wednesday. The first city where work began was Zaporizhia. The company financed the installation of more than 1,500 impact-resistant windows in damaged infrastructure facilities. It is specified that the installation began in Zaporizhia gymnasium No. 65, where the Invincibility Point operates. The educational institution has suffered from enemy shelling more than once - there are almost no intact windows left there. Specialists plan to install windows with an area of about 200 sq m. The work will be completed in two weeks. Impact-resistant windows will become an alternative to OSB-plates, which are often used for temporary repair of damaged buildings. The innovative material has a number of advantages: it is safe - made of special recycled PET plastic without a fragile base, so it does not break from blast waves or impacts and does not form fragments. The windows have high thermal insulation, transparency similar to conventional double-glazed windows, resistance to temperature fluctuations, and are also easy and quick to install. Metinvest decided to support the Insulate Ukraine initiative during a charity auction to raise funds for the installation of 10,000 windows in houses throughout Ukraine, which was held in London in October 2024. The event then brought together representatives of Ukrainian and British business, cultural figures and international philanthropists and major institutional partners, including the EBRD, Deutsche Bank and the University of Cambridge. Insulate Ukraine is carrying out emergency window replacement for the civilian population and infrastructure facilities in front-line cities of Ukraine. The organization has already installed over 46,000, helping more than 10,000 Ukrainians rebuild their homes. Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical enterprises. The group's enterprises are located mainly in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. The holding's main shareholders are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%), which jointly manage it. Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group. Khaby Lame departs US after being detained in Las Vegas last week (Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP File) Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP Khaby Lame, the worlds most popular TikTok personality with over 163 million followers, has left the United States after being detained by immigration agents due to allegedly overstaying his visa, The Associated Press reports. The Italian-Senegalese influencer, 25, whose real name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was detained this past Friday at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Lame had entered the U.S. on April 30. According to a spokesperson from ICE to the Associated Press, the influencer allegedly overstayed the terms of his visa. He was then given the option of voluntarily departing the country after being detained. Lame then left shortly after. Those who accept the option of leaving the country on their own volition avoid receiving a deportation order, which would prevent them from returning to the US for up to a decade. The influencers departure comes amid President Donald Trumps crackdown on immigration and escalation of using raids within hospitals, places of business, and cities such as Los Angeles that have seen numerous protests over the past couple of days. Lame was born in Senegal but moved to Italy as a child, where he is now a citizen. He was named one of Peoples Creators of the Year in 2024 after being a sensation with his brand of life tips. Related coverage: Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Murjani Rawls may be reached at mrawls@njadvancemedia.com A New Jersey congresswoman was indicted Tuesday on charges related to a confrontation at an immigrant detention center in Newark last month, interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said. U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, a Democrat representing New Jerseys 10th Congressional District, is facing felony assault charges in connection with the scuffle at Delaney Hall on May 9. Federal prosecutors allege that McIver assaulted two federal officers during what they describe as an unauthorized protest at the facility. McIver, however, maintains that she and fellow Democratic Reps. Rob Menendez and Bonnie Watson Coleman were conducting an oversight visit when tensions escalated. The indictment, which includes three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials, carries a maximum total of 17 years in prison, said Habba, who was appointed to the role by President Donald Trump earlier this year to fill a vacancy. Ice agents surround U.S. Rep LaMonica McIver (red jacket), U.S. Rep Bonnie Coleman (tan jacket), and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka outside Delaney Hall in Newark on Friday, May 9, 2025. Michael Dempsey | For NJ Advance As I have stated in the past, it is my Constitutional obligation as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer for New Jersey to ensure that our federal partners are protected when executing their duties, Habba wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, McIver entered a restricted area and attempted to intervene as officers arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who prosecutors allege was also on the premises without authorization. Baraka was taken into custody outside Delaney Hall, a privately operated detention facility under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a division of the Department of Homeland Security. A trespassing charge filed against him was later dismissed at the request of prosecutors. Prosecutors claim McIver and other members of Congress formed a human shield around the mayor during the incident. McIver is accused of striking one officer with her forearm and pushing another. McIver, who is in her first term, and her office on Tuesday called the indictment baseless political charges. Shes previously described the case as an overreach, expressing eagerness for her day in court, where she believes the facts are on [her] side. The facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation, McIver said in a statement. This indictment is no more justified than the original charges, and is an effort by Trumps administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do. But it wont work I will not be intimidated. The facts are on our side, I will be entering a plea of not guilty, Im grateful for the support of my community, and I look forward to my day in court. Paul J. Fishman, McIvers attorney, also expressed eagerness confront the charges before a judge. The legal process will expose this prosecution for what it truly is political retaliation against a dedicated public servant who refuses to shy away from her oversight responsibilities, Fishman, a former U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said in a statement. Prosecutors say the encounter was captured on surveillance and body camera footage. In a televised interview on MSNBC on June 8, McIver said Im just the next person on their list. McIver said the visit to Delaney Hall was intended to be peaceful and focused on examining the treatment of ICE detainees. She said the situation escalated only after ICE agents attempted to detain Baraka. The U.S. Attorneys Office formally announced the charges in a May 19 post on X, stating that McIver was being charged with assaulting, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement. U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Adams has imposed strict pretrial conditions that include regular check-ins, a ban on firearm possession, and limits on travel. A request by McIvers legal team for international travel was denied, except when specifically approved by Pretrial Services. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. McCarren. McIvers defense team includes Paul Joseph Fishman and Lee M. Cortes, Jr. of the Newark-based firm Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer. NJ Advance Media staff writers Brent Johnson and Steve Strunsky contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. A New Jersey congresswoman indicted Tuesday on charges related to a confrontation at an immigrant detention center in Newark last month is scheduled to be arraigned next week, according to court documents. U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, a Democrat representing New Jerseys 10th Congressional District, is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, June 16, at 11 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Newark, the documents state. McIver was indicted on three counts of assaulting, resisting impeding and interfering with a federal officer, for her actions during what federal prosecutors have described as an unauthorized protest at the facility. McIver, however, has maintained that she and fellow Democratic Reps. Rob Menendez and Bonnie Watson Coleman were conducting an oversight visit when tensions escalated. The indictment, which includes three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials, carries a maximum total of 17 years in prison, according to U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, who was appointed to the role by President Donald Trump earlier this year to fill a vacancy. McIver said in a statement Tuesday night that she was simply doing (her) job, and that the facts of the case will prove that. This indictment is no more justified than the original charges, and is an effort by Trumps administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do, McIver said. The facts are on our side, I will be entering a plea of not guilty, Im grateful for the support of my community, and I look forward to my day in court. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, McIver entered a restricted area and attempted to intervene as officers arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who prosecutors allege was on the premises without authorization. Baraka was taken into custody outside Delaney Hall, a privately operated detention facility under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a division of the Department of Homeland Security. A trespassing charge filed against him was later dismissed at the request of prosecutors. Prosecutors claim McIver and other members of Congress formed a human shield around the mayor during the incident. McIver is accused of striking one officer with her forearm and pushing another. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Chef Mike's ABG is closing this year after over a decade in business in Seaside Park. Noah K. Murray | for NJ Advance Media This summer season will be the last for a storied Jersey Shore restaurant. Chef Mikes ABG in Seaside Park, one of the top restaurants at the Shore known for its creamy crab bisque and grilled lamb chops, will shutter later this year. Owner and chef Mike Jurusz announced the news in a social media video last week. A statement from Chef Mike. More to come, here's to the best and last summer Posted by Chef Mike's ABG on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 Jurusz told NJ Advance Media this week that the property was recently sold to a developer who will demolish the eatery and attached motor lodge as part of a plan to build 12 houses. The owner said the sale came as a bit of a shock because the property sat on the market for five years before being sold. The place went up for sale five years ago but no one was really biting. So we were like Oh, were going to be here forever, Jurusz said. And sure enough, someone came along and paid the number a home developer who wants to put 12 custom homes there on the property." Although ABGs time is coming to an end on 24th Avenue, Jurusz is committed to keeping the eatery alive at another location. Id love to get off the island because its very seasonal. We starve all winter, all restaurants do on the Jersey Shore, and we look forward to the (summer) season, Jurusz said. But I dont want to go too far because the brand is really big here. Were one of the top restaurants in Ocean County and if the brand fizzles out, itll be harder to build back up again. Jurusz has searched aggressively for a new spot over the past five years. He admitted its been a tough process because of his particularity he wants a space with a liquor license and good location. Chef Mike's ABG is closing this year after over a decade in business in Seaside Park. Noah K. Murray | for NJ Advance Media The restaurant, popular for its seafood and grilled offerings, carries a lease through the end of the year. The chef is hopeful he can find another spot before Dec. 31 and said the new owner would be fine letting ABG out of the lease early if that happens. Jurusz, whos spent more than 40 years in the restaurant business, revealed there are a few promising prospects for the new spot but nothing concrete yet. My staffs been with me for the last 20 years, Jurusz said. I have a built-in staff ready to go and open up a restaurant in a close vicinity. Thats a big help because the hardest part of running a restaurant now is staffing. The restaurant opened as Atlantic Bar & Grill in the late 90s. Chef Mike took over as executive chef from 2000 to 2010 before returning in 2013 after the property owner offered him an opportunity to lease the restaurant. Chef Mikes ABG has gained acclaim as one of the shores best eateries since its inception. It was named Ocean Countys greatest restaurant by NJ.com. It was a really great run. Weve made amazing memories and done so many good things here, Jurusz said. The friends Ive made, the people Ive met, the customers, the staff, it was a really unique place and youll never see that again after this. Chef Mike's ABG is closing this year after over a decade in business in Seaside Park. Noah K. Murray | for NJ Advance Media More food coverage: Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Christopher Burch can be reached at cburch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @SwishBurch. Find NJ.comon Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us atnj.com/tips/. St. Francis Hospital in Trenton, New Jersey, in a 1974 aerial photo. The mayor says he sees the potential for development at site that is now vacant. (Trenton Times file photo) In the short term, its not a good thing to see a satellite emergency room suddenly shut down in a city, like one did in Trenton last week, officials say. Structural issues in a connected building led Capital Health to shut down last Thursday, June 5, the emergency room theyd operated on the Bert Avenue side for a few years, at the former St. Francis hospital. The closure was nothing short of devastating for the local community, the City of Trenton, and the Greater Trenton area as a whole, State Sen. Shirley Turner, Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson and Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, all Democrats from the 15th district, said in a statement. The effects will be felt regionwide as vital medical care is diverted to other facilities, it said. But Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, while not praising the closure, sees good things down the road for the former St. Francis site a sizable, six-acre footprint in the East Ward. While there is a void in Chambersburg [health care], now Trinity has the green light to demolish the campus, Gusciora said. Trinity Health, the recent former owner of St. Francis, was leasing space to Capital Health, which has two hospitals, in Trenton and Hopewell Township. They were calling the emergency room Capital Health East Trenton. Gusciora said the closure opens all sorts of possibilities, if Trinity indeed takes down the former St. Francis buildings. The site could be redeveloped, with Trenton oversight, into mixed uses, including medical arts and/or an urgent care, and senior housing, Gusciora said. The current situation was not going to allow such a significant project, Gusciora said. Trinity Health did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. St. Francis was the first hospital in Trenton. The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia began giving care in 1874 to what grew into an acute care, Catholic hospital that had a specialty in cardiac care. For years, the St Francis site grew to occupy land bound by Hamilton Avenue and Chambers Street, and Bert and St Francis avenues. It also became an anchor of the Chambersburg neighborhood in which it lies, which was long an Italian American neighborhood before its current transition to a home for Latin American immigrants. In 2022, after years of struggling financially, its then owner Trinity Health and Capital Health announced a purchase agreement. Capital Health took over in late December that year and closed the acute care hospital. The city is now served by just one hospital Capital Healths Regional Medical Center on Brunswick Avenue in North Trenton. The former Mercer Medical Center closed in 2011, the same year owner Capital Health opened a new hospital in Hopewell. Capital Health later sold the Mercer hospital site in the citys West Ward, and it sits abandoned along Bellevue Avenue. St. Francis Medical Center in 2019, in a file photo from Trenton Central High School across Chambers Street in Trenton, N.J. Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 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 Four people are charged with running a prostitution operation at a commercial business beside a New Jersey highway in Hunterdon County, authorities said Tuesday. Information from the public led police led to a search of the Aurora 1 Spa, in the first block of Old Highway 28 in Whitehouse Station, the Hunterdon County Prosecutors Office said. The four people arrested are ages 33, 35, 40 and 47, the office said. All four are charged with engaging in prostitution, a disorderly persons offense. Three of the four are also charged with promoting a house of prostitution, a fourth-degree crime. One of the four is also charged with resisting arrest, the office said. The agency did not say if those arrested were business employees or customers. The business was searched on June 6, the prosecutors office said. Both the agency and Readington Township police investigated the prostitution claims for three weeks. Anyone with information is asked to contact the prosecutors office at (908) 788-1129 or township police at (908) 534-4031. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Eric Conklin may be reached at econklin@njadvancemedia.com. K-pop band BTS members RM and V react after being discharged from mandatory military service in Chuncheon, South Korea, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) AP Four members of the Korean boyband BTS have completed their mandatory military service, prompting an anticipated reunion after a two-year hiatus. Band members RM and V whose given names are Kim Nam-joon and Kim Tae-hyung, respectivelywere discharged on Tuesday after both served 18 months in the South Korean military, The Guardian reported. After their release, the pair saluted and addressed roughly 200 international and domestic fans outside an outdoor sporting facility in Chuncheon, South Korea, The Guardian reported. Now, Im ready to hit the ground running again as RM of BTS. Thank you to everyone who waited and looked after us, RM said to fans while wearing his military uniform alongside V. K-pop band BTS members RM and V react after being discharged from mandatory military service in Chuncheon, South Korea, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) AP V said the military tenure was a time for me to reset both physically and mentally. I really want to run to (our fans) as soon as I can, he said. Thank you for waiting for us during our military service. On Wednesday, members Jimin and Jungkook whose given names are Park Ji-min and Jeon Jung-kook were also released after completing their 18-month military service, Yahoo.com reported. The two also saluted and addressed their fans during a brief press conference after leaving the Yeoncheon Army base in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, Yahoo.com reported. It feels so awkward for us to be here in front of everyone, Jungkook told fans. Its been so long since weve stood in front of a camera, and were not even wearing makeup. K-pop band BTS members Jimin, right, and Jung Kook speak to the media after being discharged from mandatory military service in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) AP He also thanked his camp for helping take care of him during his military service, Yahoo.com reported. Jimin also had a message for fans. Its been such a long time, the COVID-19 pandemic and our military duties, but thank you for sticking through all that for us. The four newly released members will join bandmates Jin and J-Hope, who have already completed their military service. Member Suga is scheduled to be released at the end of June, NPR reported. The seven-member K-pop boy band formed in 2010 and is known for its hit songs, including Butter (2021) and Dynamite (2020), according to Apple Music. The band became the most-streamed group on Spotify and the first K-pop band to top the U.S. iTunes chart and several Billboard charts, the BBC reported. K-pop band BTS members Jimin, right, and Jung Kook react after being discharged from mandatory military service in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) AP In South Korea, all able-bodied men must serve in the army, navy or air force for 18 to 21 months under a conscription system established because of threats from rival North Korea, NJ.com reported. Individuals with physical and mental issues can instead carry out their duties at non-military facilities such as welfare centers, community service centers and post offices for 21 months, NJ.com reported. Despite becoming one of the most famous boybands in the world, all BTS members were not exempt from serving. In 2022, the group went on a hiatus after Jin, the bands oldest member, enlisted to complete his military service. The remaining members followed suit, NPR reported. BTS is expected to reunite this year after all members are released from their military service, NPR reported. Mosaic staff writer Vashti Harris can be reached at vharris@njadvancemedia.com. Welcome to Mosaic. Follow us on Instagram at @MosaicNJcom, on Facebook at MosaicNJcom, on Twitter (X) at @MosaicNJcom and on YouTube at @MosaicNJcom. One person suffered a gunshot wound to the head Monday night in the Popeyes parking lot in Mays Landing, police said. Police responded to a report of a victim being treated for a gunshot wound to the head at the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Pomona at roughly 11:50 p.m. on June 9. An investigation revealed that the shooting happened after a fight broke out in the Popeyes parking lot on Black Horse Pike in Mays Landing earlier that evening, Hamilton Township Police said. Christian Ruiz, 18, from Pleasantville, allegedly fired shots from a handgun into a vehicle with six occupants, hitting the driver, according to the affidavit. Ruiz was taken into custody in connection with the incident on Tuesday, police said. He was charged with six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault by pointing a firearm, aggravated assault by discharging a firearm into a vehicle. He is also facing three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, police said. He is being held at the Atlantic County Justice Facility, according to a statement posted by police on social media. Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. A New York City man was charged with drug offenses after law enforcement pulled him over in Trenton last week and found more than two pounds of cocaine worth about $100,000 hidden in his vehicle, authorities said. Paul Shirley, 51, of Brooklyn, was driving near the corner of Brunswick Avenue and Race Street at 2:15 p.m. on June 4 when investigators stopped him, the Mercer County Prosecutors Office said Wednesday. A sergeant saw an open compartment in the center console that he recognized as a trap compartment commonly used to conceal narcotics, prosecutors said. The officers K-9 partner signaled the presence of a drug odor and investigators towed the car and obtained a search warrant. Detectives found more than two pounds of cocaine under the drivers seat. Shirley was charged with one count each of possession and distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. His arrest came during the course of a two-month investigation into drug dealing in the area. A judge ordered him released him following a detention hearing on Monday. Shirley is represented by the office of the public defender, which couldnt immediately be reached. The prosecutors office was assisted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as well as Trenton, Hamilton and Ewing police. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. A New Jersey man orchestrated a months-long scam that stole more than $1 million from a senior citizen in Montana, authorities said. Zabi Ullah Mohammed, 29, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and impersonating a federal agent. He pleaded not guilty during an appearance in court in Missoula on Tuesday, according to court documents. An attorney in Montana for Mohammed couldnt immediately be reached Wednesday morning. The scheme started on April 1 when the woman received a call from an individual posing as an Amazon representative asking if she purchased computer equipment. After informing the caller she did not buy computer equipment and didnt have an Amazon account, she was told she was likely a victim of computer fraud, according to charging documents . The woman was then transferred to the social security department and another person explained that her identity had been used for money laundering. She was then transferred to a man claiming to be a U.S. Marshal named Carlos Silva. Silva told the victim that in order not to be considered a suspect, her money would have to be removed from her bank accounts so it could be legalized, but would later be returned to her. Silva then arranged for the woman to provide $45,000 in cash to a courier who picked up the money the next day. Later in the month she was told to leave packages containing $252,000 in gold on April 16 and then another with $656,000 in gold two days later, federal prosecutors allege. The woman finally contacted law enforcement, who instructed her to keep the ruse going to catch the scammers and listened in on several of her calls with them. She later contacted Silva and told him she had another $57,000 for him, texting him a picture as proof. On May 12, an agent arrived at her home to pick up a box with the money. Instead of containing cash, investigators placed a tracking device inside. Law enforcement followed a man later identified as Mohammed and saw him stop in the parking lot of a nearby restaurant, court papers state. He opened the box, saw the device and then left it behind before speeding away. The Missoula County Sheriffs Office pulled him over on Interstate 90 west. Deputies found $68,987 in the rental car along with airline tickets, the complaint said. He told investigators he was an Indian national living in New Jersey who worked as an Uber driver. Mohammed said he was in Montana for work and that he picked up things for people. Charging documents for Mohammed say he is from New Jersey but do not list a hometown. A LinkedIn page says he lives in Jersey City. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. The National Guard of Ukraine will not purchase means to ensure law and order, the tender has been canceled, the National Guard has said. "The National Guard will not purchase means to provide public order services, which are currently being discussed in many messages," the National Guard said in a message on its Telegram channel on Wednesday. Initially, the message stated: "The procedure for canceling the tender (procurement) is underway." Later, the National Guard provided updated information: "The tender for the relevant purchase has been canceled." Earlier, information appeared in the media that part of the National Guard in the Sumy region wants to spend UAH 30.75 million on riot shields to disperse demonstrators. The relevant information is posted on the ProZorro website. See live updates on local and county election results from the June 10, 2025, primary election. Canva illustration for NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Voters across New Jersey cast their ballots Tuesday in the 2025 primary elections for state, county and local seats. New Jersey residents had three ways to vote either in person during early voting, by sending in a mail-in ballot or putting it in a dropbox, or by stepping into a voting booth on Tuesday. NJ Advance Media is compiling results from the primary races. Check back here for the unofficial local and county results, which will be updated as they become available. Vote totals will be listed for all races. Winning candidates will have an X in front of their names. Ballots that are mailed in and postmarked by June 10 can be accepted until June 16, so results will continue to change after the close of polls on election night. Provisional ballots are not counted until after all mail-in ballots are tallied. Detailed information and results on every race can be found on the countys website. For all of our election coverage, go to nj.com/elections. More coverage: Mikie Sherrill wins heated and crazy Democratic primary for N.J. governor Jack Ciattarelli wins Trump-colored Republican primary for N.J. governor 2025 New Jersey primary election results: Governor, state Assembly, county and local elections N.J. governor primary election results 2025. Live updates. N.J. State Assembly primary election results 2025. Live updates. Atlantic County primary election results Bergen County primary election results Burlington County primary election results Camden County primary election results Cape May County primary election results Cumberland County primary election results Essex County primary election results Gloucester County primary election results Hudson County primary election results Hunterdon County primary election results Mercer County primary election results Middlesex County primary election results Monmouth County primary election results Morris County primary election results Ocean County primary election results Passaic County primary election results Salem County primary election results Somerset County primary election results Sussex County primary election results Union County primary election results Warren County primary election results Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. FILE - President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) AP President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the U.S. has reached a deal with China over the ongoing trade dispute between the two countries. Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, writing that the U.S. will get magnets and rare earth minerals from China. He said that the U.S. will keep 55% tariffs on China, while China will keep 10% tariffs on the U.S. He also noted that Chinese students will be able to attend U.S. universities and colleges, which comes as he has tried to restrict foreign students from attending top U.S. schools. "OUR DEAL WITH CHINA IS DONE, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL WITH PRESIDENT XI AND ME. FULL MAGNETS, AND ANY NECESSARY RARE EARTHS, WILL BE SUPPLIED, UP FRONT, BY CHINA. LIKEWISE, WE WILL PROVIDE TO CHINA WHAT WAS AGREED TO, INCLUDING CHINESE STUDENTS USING OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOOD WITH ME!)," Trump wrote in all-caps on Truth Social. WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT!, Trump added. Trumps announcement demonstrates a significant de-escalation in the trade war between the U.S. and China. At one point, Trump had imposed a 145% tariff on goods from China, prompting the country to retaliate with its own 125% tariff on U.S. goods. In an agreement struck in May, the U.S. agreed to drop the 145% tax to 30% and China agreed to lower its tariff rate on U.S. goods to 10% from 125%. The new agreement that Trump announced Wednesday includes a higher tariff than what was agreed to in Geneva. Trump said in another Truth Social post that he will work with Chinese President Xi Jinping to open up more U.S. trade to China. Adding to the China readout, President XI and I are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade. This would be a great WIN for both countries!!! Trump wrote. This comes after Wall Street analysts labeled Trumps back-and-forth policy on tariffs as TACO trade last month. TACO, coined by a Financial Times columnist, stands for Trump Always Chickens Out. The stock market has been volatile since Trump announced costly tariffs on imports into the U.S. in April and then later backed down on them. The New York Times reported that investors are using the TACO term to describe how markets plummet after Trump makes tariffs threats, only to rebound days later when he backs down. He has done this numerous times since April, claiming that he is just giving countries more time to strike a trade deal with the U.S. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) faced scrutiny on social media after a community note fact checked his own tweet about the Los Angeles protests. Protests broke out in Los Angeles over the weekend after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids occurred throughout the city last Friday. Many protesters were spotted waving Mexican flags as they railed against the mass deportation campaign spearheaded by President Donald Trump. Jordan appeared to criticize those protesters in a post to social media platform X on Monday. We fly the American flag in America, Jordan wrote on X. However, a community note on his post pointed out that Jordan may have contradicted his own statement. Representative Jordan has an Israeli flag outside of his office door, the community note reads. We fly the American flag in America. Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) June 9, 2025 The community note includes a link to a photo that appears to be Jordans office, which has a flag showing support for Israel hanging outside of it. Its not clear when this photo may have been taken, but other lawmakers have shown support for Israel by hanging up flags or posters. Many social media users mocked Jordan over his statement. "Its okay to be a liar and a hypocrite if youre Republican- when youre in power, they let you do it," one commenter wrote. Another user wrote: "Why is there an Israeli flag outside your office?. Jordan also received backlash from California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who has been in an ongoing feud with Trump over the response to the Los Angeles protests. Newsom jabbed Jordan by comparing his post to Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, where many rioters were seen carrying American flags, MAGA flags and Confederate flags. Newsom responded to Jordan with photos of Jan. 6 rioters attacking the U.S. Capitol during the 2021 attack. Like this?, he wrote. More than 1,200 people were convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack, including about 200 who pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the deadly Capitol riot, which left one protester dead and more than one hundred police officers injured, was peaceful. Trump pardoned about 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants, including those convicted of assaulting police officers, on his first day of his second term earlier this year. A number of other critics have also compared the Los Angeles protests to Jan. 6, saying that it was hypocritical of Trump to send the National Guard immediately to Los Angeles but not to the U.S. Capitol. Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, with some guardsmen now standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests. He said it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. The judge chose not to rule immediately, giving the administration several days to continue those activities before a hearing Thursday. The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as Trump has promised as part of his administrations immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement. Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders, though the Marines have not yet been spotted in Los Angeles and Guard troops have had limited engagement with protesters. They were originally deployed to protect federal buildings. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Charlie Angus, a former member of Canadas Parliament, blasted President Donald Trump during a news conference about his expected trip to the upcoming G7 summit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Angus said that Canada can no longer view the United States as an ally, and claimed that Trump doesnt believe in liberal democracy or the rule of law. Canada is an open and inclusive society. Little wonder that Donald Trump has denounced our nation as one of the nastiest countries hes had to deal with, Angus said during his remarks. And wed be fools to pretend that his threat to get rid of the border by using economic force has somehow abated. We cant kid ourselves about the threat thats being posed by Donald Trump, he continued. Angus went on to say that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is not inviting the countrys nearest neighbor, friendly ally or the leader of the free world to the summit, but labeled him with a new name in a brutal critique. He is welcoming Vladimir Putins sock puppet, Angus said. Angus: Canada can no longer view the United States as an ally. We know that Donald Trump doesnt believe in liberal democracyhe doesnt believe in the rule of law. Prime Minister Carney is not welcoming the leader of the free world to Canada. He is welcoming Vladimir Putins pic.twitter.com/x9BU2XXxUW Acyn (@Acyn) June 11, 2025 Angus, who also encouraged Canadians to boycott American products, has been an outspoken critic against Trump after he repeatedly called for Canada to become the 51st state, prompting an ongoing trade war between the two nations. In May, the former member of Canadas New Democratic Party, who served for 21 years, tagged Trump as a sexual predator after Carney had visited the White House earlier in the month and made clear that Canada was not for sale. Every Canadian knew what that meant because this man is a convicted felon and a sexual predator. No means no means nothing to a sexual predator. So heres a guy telling us Never say never about the future of our country, Angus said on The Meidas Touch Network. The Group of Seven summit which is set to take place in Kananaskis, Alberta, from June 15 to June 17 is an annual meeting of the worlds top economies, which includes the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also be in attendance and is working on arranging a meeting with Trump, POLITICO reported. In recent weeks, Trump launched some of his sharpest attacks against the Kremlin since he started his second term, warning Putin that he is playing with fire and that he has gone absolutely CRAZY. 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, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social. In another post, Trump wrote that he has always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. Trump most recently said that he spoke to Putin last Wednesday for more than an hour, and it was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace. The call came after Ukraine launched a massive offensive attack against Russia, and Trump indicated that Russia would be responding. He did not indicate whether progress has been made on a potential ceasefire deal between the two countries, which have been fighting since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. A former GOP strategist mocked President Donald Trump over the military parade being held on his birthday. Trump told reporters that any protesters at his military parade will be met with very big force when asked about potential counter-demonstrations to the event. The military parade is intended to honor the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army on Saturday, which also happens to be Trumps 79th birthday. Former GOP strategist Sarah Longwell jabbed the president over his comments on the parade, suggesting that Trump cannot handle any criticism about the massive event. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE MEAN TO TRUMP DURING HIS OVERCOMPENSATION MILITARY PARADE. Some tough guy, Longwell wrote on social media platform X. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE MEAN TO TRUMP DURING HIS OVERCOMPENSATION MILITARY PARADE. Some tough guy. Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) June 11, 2025 A few commenters on the post also criticized Trump over the parade. Screw him do people forget this is America and not Russia? Who the hell does he and maga morons think he is, one user wrote. Another user wrote: This takes emperors new clothes, to an entirely new level. Dont these GOP minions feel like first class jackasses?. The parade, slated to take place in the nations capital this weekend, will feature M1 Abrams battle tanks rolling through the streets of Washington, D.C. as well as thousands of soldiers and various military vehicles. The event is estimated to cost between $25 to $45 milliona price tag that has shocked even some of Trumps supporters. GOP Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) told reporters on Tuesday that they would not have held a military parade in D.C. like what Trump is doing if they were president. Never been a big fan of goose-stepping soldiers in big tanks and missiles rolling down the street. So if you asked me, I wouldnt have done it, Paul said, according to Fox News Jennifer Griffin. I wouldnt spend the money if it were me. The United States of America is the most powerful country in all of human history. Were a lion, and a lion doesnt have to tell you its a lion. Everybody else in the jungle knows, and were a lion. I would save the money, but if the president wants to have a parade, hes the President, and Im not, Kennedy said, according to Griffin. The military parade has been designated a National Special Security Event similar to a presidential inauguration or state funeral. That status is reserved for events that draw large crowds and potential mass protests. It calls for an enhanced degree of high-level coordination among D.C. officials, the FBI, Capitol Police and Washingtons National Guard contingent with the Secret Service taking the lead. The Army birthday celebration had already been planned for months. But earlier this spring, Trump announced his intention to transform the event which coincides with his 79th birthday into a massive military parade complete with 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks and Paladin self-propelled howitzers rolling through the city streets. Multiple counter-protests of varying sizes are planned for Saturday, with the largest being a mass march to the White House. Officials say they are also on alert for signs that the immigration-related clashes between law enforcement and protesters currently roiling Los Angeles would spread. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Brit Hume, Fox News chief political analyst, mocked Terry Moran after the journalist was fired from ABC News on Tuesday for calling White House official Stephen Miller a world-class hater on social media. Hume took to X to react to the news on Tuesday night. TDS claims another victim, Hume posted, referencing Trump Derangement Syndrome, a term coined by conservatives to label President Donald Trumps critics and opponents. Hume himself has recently grilled Trump over his comments related to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russia-Ukraine war. TDS claims another victim. https://t.co/x0V9JGvuLF Brit Hume (@brithume) June 11, 2025 The veteran correspondent was officially dropped from the network after he launched attacks on Miller, Trumps White House deputy chief of staff for policy, in a post early Sunday, which has since appeared to be deleted. Moran was first suspended by ABC News on the same day. We are at the end of our agreement with Terry Moran and based on his recent post which was a clear violation of ABC News policies we have made the decision to not renew, a network spokesperson said in a statement to multiple outlets. At ABC News, we hold all of our reporters to the highest standards of objectivity, fairness and professionalism, and we remain committed to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism, the spokesperson continued. Multiple outlets found that Morans contract was already set to end on Friday. In his post, Moran wrote that Miller is one of the people who conceptualizes the impulses of the Trumpist movement and translates them into policy, and does not operate with brains, but bile. The post went on to say that Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. Hes a world-class hater. You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate. Moran also wrote that Trump is a world-class hater, but noted that his hatred only a means to an end, and that end his his own glorification. Thats his spiritual nourishment. While Morans post received mixed reactions online, the post drew quick criticism from Trumps allies, including Vice President JD Vance who called the post an absolutely vile smear and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said it is unhinged and unacceptable. Meanwhile, Jim Acosta, who departed from CNN early this year, said that Moran hit the nail on the head. Terry was stating things exactly right, Acosta said. I believe Stephen Miller, based on my experience covering him, has hate in his heart. I think its what drives him. Moran had just interviewed Trump in April as part of an exclusive broadcast marking the presidents first 100 days in office. During the interview, Trump told Moran he had never heard of him and that he was not being very nice as they discussed foreign policy and immigration, and particularly clashed on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man mistakenly deported to El Salvador who has since returned to the United States. Moran, who recently served as an anchor for ABC News Live and a senior national correspondent, joined ABC News in 1997. Trump and other conservatives have often accused major media organizations of spreading fake news and an anti-Republican bias. Last December, ABC News, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company, agreed to pay $16 million to settle a defamation lawsuit against anchor George Stephanopoulos over on-air comments he made about Trump. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2011, file photo former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill., gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Walsh, a former Illinois congressman, says he'll challenge President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in 2020. The tea party favorite argues that Trump is unfit for the White House. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) AP Former Rep. Joe Walsh is reportedly considering a move to South Carolina to challenge U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for his seat. Walsh announced last week that he joined the Democratic Partya shocking move for a self-described freedom-loving conservative. Just days later, the Never-Trumper told Politico that he is considering a run as a Democratic Senate candidate against Graham, a fervent supporter of President Donald Trump. Walsh bashed the current Democratic Party in comments to Politico, saying that Democrats need to f-cking wake up and begin to do different things. He also took a shot at Graham, who has represented South Carolina in the Senate since 2003. I am seriously considering moving to South Carolina and challenging Lindsey Graham next year, because hes a piece of sh-t, Walsh said to Politico. Hes everything that is wrong about our politics, and hes the worst, most pathetic Trump enabler. Graham defeated Democrat Jaime Harrison by about 10 points in the 2020 election, meaning that he is up for reelection next year. Harrison criticized Walsh on Wednesday for suggesting that he could run against Graham in the 2026 election. Harrison instead threw his support behind Democrat Annie Andrews in a post on social media platform X. Appreciate Joes sentiments about Lindsey Graham but South Carolina needs someone who lives here, whos been working here, and who understands what working families need.Weve got that in @AnnieAndrewsMD. She is the Senator we need in SC! And FYI we dont register by party in SC. But we welcome you to the Democratic Party Joe!," Harrison wrote on X. Walsh fired back at Harrisons post, saying that the Democrats need a different approach. Respect right back at ya @harrisonjaime, but South Carolina Dems have to decide if they wanna win or not. Period. And just like a conservative Dem like me couldnt win in a deep blue state, a progressive activist cant win statewide in South Carolina. You know that. Lindsey is licking his chops at his current potential Dem opposition. To win in red states, we Democrats gotta do something different. But either way, happy to be on your team Jaime, Walsh wrote on X. Respect right back at ya @harrisonjaime, but South Carolina Dems have to decide if they wanna win or not. Period. And just like a conservative Dem like me couldnt win in a deep blue state, a progressive activist cant win statewide in South Carolina. You know that. Lindsey is https://t.co/y0HjMzA6bE Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) June 11, 2025 Harrison then responded: "Definitely would like to catch up soon! But I think it would be worth you chatting with @AnnieAndrewsMD she aint a shrinking violet and her activism like most pediatricians is centered around children." Walsh challenged Trump for the GOP presidential nomination in 2020, but failed to gather momentum before announcing his decision to leave the Republican Party that year. He has been an independent voter for the past five years, but said in a blog post that the stakes are simply too high to NOT become a Democrat. The Democratic Party is in need of serious help ahead of next years midterms, according to recent polls that show most Americans are not resonating with Democrats messaging. A recent CNN survey found that just 16% of Americans believe that Democrats have strong leaders in their party while 40% said the GOP has strong leaders. There is no clear Democrat to lead the party in the 2028 presidential election, as speculation swirls around whether former Vice President Kamala Harris will make another bid for the White House. Other potential Democratic contenders include former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Tim Burchett (R-Tenn) should do a double take. Lee took to X on Wednesday to praise President Donald Trump for looking to squash his explosive feud with tech billionaire Elon Musk only to later realize that he boosted a fake social media post from the president. The post has since appeared to be deleted. So much reconciliation happening, Lee wrote, adding Lets go! Lee attached an image of the hoax, masked to look like it was posted from Trumps Truth Social account, which read: Im open to reconciling with Elon after seeing his latest posts. Elon knows I love him. JD knows this too. I give the best and biggest reconciliations. Everyone knows this! Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) falls for a fake Truth Social post in which Trump purportedly brags about giving the "best and biggest reconciliations." pic.twitter.com/J1szvHqhiU bryan metzger (@metzgov) June 11, 2025 Burchett responded to Lee hours later, appearing to believe that the post was real. Love is in the air and its big and beautiful, he wrote, with an accompanying hand-heart emoji. His post has since been flooded with replies from social media users acknowledging that it was fake. Love is in the air and its big and beautiful @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/DnMolaDL1u Tim Burchett (@timburchett) June 11, 2025 Musk, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, appeared to take a step back from his recent back-and-forth barbs with the president. In a post on X, he wrote that he went too far in some of his posts attacking Trump. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week, Musk wrote. The divide between Trump and Musk formed after the president publicly criticized the worlds richest man last week, saying he was surprised and disappointed that Musk, who recently departed from his administration, had come out in opposition against his big, beautiful bill during remarks in the Oval Office. Musk had called the GOPs multitrillion-dollar spending package which has made its way to the Senate after narrowly passing the House a disgusting abomination in a post on X, and proceeded to attack the legislation in following posts. Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore, Musk initially wrote. ...Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it. The two continued to trade jabs in an escalating feud, as Musk specifically attacked Trump over the bill adding millions to the national debt. The billionaire then dropped what he labeled as a big bomb against the president last Thursday, claiming that he was in the Jeffrey Epstein files, a reference to government documents tied to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, but cited no evidence. He also replied Yes to a social media user who suggested that Trump should be impeached. Trump on Friday capped the week by making a flurry of calls to reporters, telling them that he was not particularly interested in talking to a man who has lost his mind. However, in an exclusive interview with the New York Post released Wednesday, Trump did not rule out reconciliation with Musk. Look, I have no hard feelings, Trump told columnist Miranda Devine in an interview. I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill thats phenomenal He just I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually. Trump went on to say that he was disappointed, but it is what it is. Meanwhile, during an interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump said that Musk would face very serious consequences if he funds Democratic candidates running against Republicans who support the budget bill. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill speaks at the Westin Governor Morris in Morristown on Tuesday night after winning the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Jeff Rhode | For NJ Advance Medi U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill decisively won a wild and very crowded primary Tuesday for the Democratic nomination to become New Jerseys next governor, capitalizing on support from a vast array of party leaders and staving off fierce threats from challengers in a new-look election. The Associated Press called the six-candidate Democratic primary for Sherrill at 8:39 p.m., 39 minutes after polls closed much sooner than expected for a race many said was unpredictable. With 93% of the statewide vote counted as of 2 a.m., the 53-year-old Montclair resident and four-term congresswoman was far ahead, with 34% of the vote. Behind her were, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka at 20.4%, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop at 15.9%, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer at 11.8%, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller at 10.7%, and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney at 7.2%. Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor, is now looking to become only the second woman elected governor in state history as Democrats hopes hold on to the office after eight years of term-limited Phil Murphy. She was the only female candidate in either primary. She will face former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli in the Nov. 4 general election to succeed Murphy. Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee for a second straight governors race after nearly unseating Murphy in 2021, cruised to victory in Tuesdays GOP primary. Cheers rang out at Sherrills party in Morristown after the call was made. The crowd chanted our state, our governor! as the Black Eyed Peas I Gotta Feeling played. Heres what came through loud and clear: We love this state, Sherrill told supporters in her victory speech. Tonight, I pledge to you were going to build something worthy of our state and worthy of our kids. She also wasted no time tying Ciattarelli to Trump, a part-time Jersey resident who recently endorsed the Republican and said the state is ready to pop out of that blue horror show. The president comes here nonstop to his golf course, and he calls our state a horror show, Sherrill said. Come November, were sending a shot across the bow. We are sending a message, because its usually the people who have something to prove that work the hardest. The battle is sure to be watched across the nation. New Jersey is one of just two states with gubernatorial elections this year, along with Virginia. And itll be seen as an early barometer on how voters are reacting to Trumps return to the presidency. Sherrill will try to buck longtime Jersey trends after Democrats have held the governors office for eight years. The last time one party won three straight governors races in the state was 1961. A Virginia native, Sherrill came into office by flipping a once-red U.S. House district North Jerseys 11th in the 2018 blue wave of Trumps first midterms. On Tuesday, she won a long, competitive, expensive, and unprecedented Democratic gubernatorial primary. It was the first governors election without the county line, a controversial system in which party-backed candidates received prime placement on primary ballots and often cruised to victory. But a judge tossed the setup last year amid backlash from critics who said it empowered party bosses and machine politics. State leaders installed a new ballot design. Sherrill, though, ran a relatively traditional Jersey race, scoring the endorsements of Democratic leaders and powerful county parties in most of the largest parts of North Jersey which would have made her the clear favorite all along had the line still been in place. But the lines disappearance contributed to an unusually large Democratic primary field, with six candidates known well in political circles, running on a more even playing field. Its also the most expensive state election in Jersey history, with candidates and outside groups on both sides shelling out $122 million combined so far. Sherrill still led in most polls, but her five rivals were never that far behind. The belief was any candidate could have won with a little more than 20% of the vote or a few thousand votes in a crowded primary with low turnout. Heading into Tuesday, most of Jerseys political insiders and pundits were leery of predicting a winner in the Democratic race, saying it looked like anyones game. The race also turned into a tug of war over the direction of the party. Sherrill is a relatively moderate candidate, while two top opponents Fulop and Baraka ran in the progressive lane. Fulop, the first to launch his campaign, more than two years ago, criticized party bosses and vowed to reform state government. In a short speech to supporters at the Zeppelin Hall Beer Garden in Jersey City about 20 minutes after the race was called, Fulop called it a tough, tough, tough night. But life goes on, and well continue to fight, he said. Well make a better Jersey City and well fight for a better state of New Jersey. Baraka promised more equity and social justice and said the party needs to fight Trump head on instead of moving to the middle. He also drew attention for getting arrested by federal officials on trespassing charges at an immigrant detention facility though the case was later dropped. Baraka told supporters Tuesday at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark that Democrats must now unite behind Sherrill. We have to bring this party together, he said. We have to make sure Ciattarelli does not win. Baraka also said he would continue be heard from after his arrest raised his national profile. My voice is going to grow and grow," he said. Gottheimer and Sweeney, meanwhile, ran as centrists vowing to cut taxes and spending. Gottheimer also had party backing in Bergen, the states largest county. And Sweeney had a the support of most of South Jersey, something he hoped would catapult him to victory if the other candidates caved up the north. On Tuesday, Gottheimer gave a rousing eight-minute concession speech to supporters at the IBEW Hall in Paramus. He vowed to continue the fight for a more affordable New Jersey as he returns to Congress and said Democrats need to pay more attention to economic issues that worry all voters. We put on the boxing gloves and fought to the final bell, he said, alluding to his campaign commercial in which AI version of himself squared off against Trump in the ring. Well, in the end we obviously hoped for different results. But Im so proud of the campaign we ran and our entire team. In a social media post, Sweeney said: Ill never stop fighting for New Jersey and Ill do everything I can to make sure Mikie Sherrill is our next Governor. . Spiller vowed to fight to help working-class residents and was notably backed by nearly $40 million in outside spending from the teachers union he leads. In a statement, the former Montclair mayor said: Now is the time for all of us to come together and ensure that an extreme politician like Jack Ciattarelli never sets foot in the governors office. All the candidates shared at least two things in common: They promised to stand up to Trump and make the state more affordable. Both Fulop and Baraka attacked Sherrill in debates and campaign ads including over her ties to the party establishment, campaign cash she took (and later donated) from the political fundraising arm of Elon Musks SpaceX, and money she made off stock trades. Another criticism was Sherrill ran too much on her bio bullet points military and prosecutor background, mother of four but did not get specific enough in her platform or generate the kind of enthusiasm among the base that both Fulop and Baraka did. Fulop also said she was too close to Murphy at a time voters may want to turn the page. In the end, Fulop and Baraka appeared to split the progressive vote Tuesday. And despite the county lines death, Sherrill was boosted by the money and get-out-the-vote operations that come with having big party support. Sherrill supporters also argued she was a strong general-election candidate. Shell get a chance to prove it against Ciattarelli in whats expected to be a heated race this fall a referendum on both Murphy and Trump. U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill addresses the crowd at the Westin Governor Morris in Morristown on Tuesday night. Jeff Rhode | For NJ Advance Medi Ciattarelli, a moderate during his time in the state Assembly, has come to embrace Trump in recent years and scored the presidents endorsement en route to his Republican primary blowout. His victory comes after Trump finished much better in Jersey last year than the past. Republicans have also noted Trump finished much better in the state last year than the past. in the state. But registered Democrats still outnumber registered Republicans here by about 800,000 voters. The question is: Are people ready to move on from Democrats after Murphys two terms? Or will the Trump connection hurt Republicans? In his victory speech Tuesday, Ciattarelli said a vote for Sherrill is a vote for four more years of Phil Murphy. Sherrill dismissed Ciattarelli as a Trump lackey Tuesday. Im ready to shake up the status quo, and Jack is the status quo, she said. Hes not change, hes a re-run. Hes a ghost of elections past. Even Democrats who supported Sherrills rivals agreed. Weve got to keep that gentleman out, Jack Collins, the president of Jersey Citys firefighters union said pointedly at Fulops election-night event Tuesday, gesturing to an image of Ciattarelli onscreen. Ive got 500 men and women worried about their pensions, their healthcare. Mikies got us, I believe that. He doesnt. Five third-party or independent candidates also filed Tuesday to run in Novembers election: Stephen Zielinski of the Green Party, Vic Kaplan of the Libertarian Party (who ran unsuccessfully for Congress last year), Joanne Kuniansky of the Socialist Workers Party (who ran unsuccessfully for governor, U.S. Senate, and state Senate in the past), Monica Brinson, and David Douglas Brown. NJ Advance Media staff writers Richard Cowan, Jelani Gibson, and AJ McDougall contributed to his report. Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. New Jersey voters went to the polls June 10 to decide who will be their party's nominee to run for Governor in November. Pictured is the New Jersey Statehouse in Trenton. Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media Here are the unofficial primary election results in the hotly contested New Jersey governors race held on Tuesday, June 10, which featured six Democrats and five Republicans each fighting for their partys nomination. The winners will face off against each other in the November general election that will determine who succeeds two-term Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. State law limits governors to two consecutive terms. That means Murphy will leave office in January after eight years and his seat is open. Update: Less than 20 minutes after the election polls officially closed Tuesday night, the Associated Press declared former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli as the winner of the Republican primary for governor. Shortly before 8:40 p.m., the Associated Press declared Mikie Sherrill as the winner of the packed Democratic primary for governor. That victory came much sooner than expected for a race many had said was unpredictable. The primary win sets the stage for Sherrill to compete against Ciattarelli in the general election on Nov. 4. Five independent candidates will also be on the ballot in Novembers gubernatorial race. The 11 candidates running for New Jersey governor (linearly from top left): Jon Bramnick, Mikie Sherrill, Steven Fulop, Ras Baraka, Mario Kranjac, Josh Gottheimer, Jack Ciattarelli, Justin Barbera, Steve Sweeney, Bill Spadea, and Sean Spiller. Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com The results above, compiled by the Associated Press, will be updated throughout the night, so please check back later or refresh the page to see the latest tallies. The numbers will be updated overnight and during the upcoming days as mail-in ballots and provisional ballots are counted. Aside from Sherrill, the Democrats competing in the primary election were Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney. Ciattarelli easily defeated his Republican opponents contractor Justin Barbera, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac, and former radio host Bill Spadea. The New Jersey governorship is considered one of the nations most powerful, with the ability to approve state laws and the state budget, while appointing the states attorney general and judges and filling other important posts. The Associated Press contributed to this report by providing the vote totals. Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or on X at @LensReality. Photo: https://www.facebook.com/vadym.filashkin/ It was possible to evacuate 277 people and 72 children from the cities of Donetsk region, which are close to the front line; in total, 20,587 children remain in the region, reported head of the Regional Military Administration Vadym Filashkin. "Almost the entire region is under fire, but most of all, cities such as Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, Pokrovsk, Dobropillia and Lyman ... From cities that are close to the front line, we managed to evacuate 277 people and 72 children ... In total, 20,587 children in 32 settlements remain in the region," he said on the air of the telethon on Wednesday. The head of the Regional Military Administratiaon noted that forced evacuation of families with children continues in the region. According to him, 168 children remain directly in the combat zone, 110 children in Oleksiyivo-Druzhkivka, and 38 children are in Belytske. As Filashkin noted, the humanitarian situation in Pokrovsk remains the most difficult. There are 1,787 civilians left in the city, and about 3,200 people in the territorial community. Almost all houses in the city are damaged, only a few stores are open, and humanitarian aid, including hot food, is being brought into the city. Voters in New Jersey went to the polls on Tuesday, June 10, to decide which candidates will get their partys nomination to run for state Assembly seats in November 2025. Pictured is the Assembly chamber in Trenton. Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Med Here are the unofficial results of New Jerseys legislative primary elections held on Tuesday, June 10, with major-party Assembly nominations being sought in each of the states 40 voting districts. The results below, compiled by the Associated Press, will be updated throughout the night, so please check back later or refresh the page to see the latest tallies. The tallies will be updated overnight and during the upcoming days as mail-in ballots and provisional ballots are counted. Some Assembly races have as many as four or five people from the same political parties running for two nominations. Among the biggest contested primaries are Democratic races in South Jerseys 4th District, Hudson Countys 32nd District, Hudson Countys 33rd District, and Bergen Countys 37th District. There is also a notable contested Republican primary in Bergen Countys 39th District. Note: Results will be compiled only in contested races, those in which a candidate has an opponent. N.J. Assembly primary election results The Associated Press contributed to this report by providing the vote totals. Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com Brent Johnson may be reached atbjohnson@njadvancemedia.com President Donald Trumps heated speech at Fort Bragg is already facing backlash. The Atlantics Tom Nichols, an international affairs expert and former professor at the U.S. Naval War College, ripped Trump over his speech to service members at Fort Bragg on Tuesday. He questioned whether any of the militarys top generals will stand up to Trump, who he argued does not respect the armed forces. Instead of commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, Trump used the speech to attack his political opponents and defend his response to the Los Angeles protests. Nichols described the address as a "ramble, full of grievance and anger, just like his many political-rally performances." The president cares nothing for the military, for its history, or for the men and women who serve the United States. They are, like everything else around him, only raw material: They either feed his narcissism, or they are useless. Those who love him, he claims as his military, Nichols wrote for The Atlantic on Tuesday. But those who have laid down their life for their country are, as he so repugnantly put it, just suckers and losers, anonymous saps lying under cold headstones in places such as Arlington National Cemetery that clearly make Trump uncomfortable. Today, he showed that he has no compunction about turning every American soldier into a hooting partisan," he continued. The president cares nothing for the military, for its history, or for the men and women who serve the United States. Today, he showed that he has no compunction about turning every American soldier into a hooting partisan.https://t.co/j7HsTxozlY Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) June 11, 2025 He argued that Trump "encouraged a violation of regulations" through his address, writing that active-duty military members are not allowed to dress in uniform for political rallies, not allowed to express partisan views while on duty and not allowed to show disrespect for U.S. elected officials. Nichols explained that senior military officers have an obligation to speak up and be leaders, before questioning where the Army chief of staff, the commander of the airborne troops and the base commander are in condemning Trumps actions. And if these men cannot muster the courage to defend American traditionsby speaking out or even resigningwhere are the other senior officers who must uphold the values that have made Americas armed forces among the most effective and politically stable militaries in the world?" Nichols wrote. Where is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine? He was personally selected by Trump to be Americas most senior military officer. Will he tell the man who promoted him that what he did today was obscene?" he added. Nichols concluded his piece, headlined The Silence of the Generals, by questioning whether any military officer will stand up to Trump. Will any of these men say one word? Will any of them defend the Army and the other services from a would-be caudillo, a man who would probably be strutting around in a giant hat and a golden shoulder braid if he could get away with it? The top officers of the U.S. military wear eagles or stars on their shoulders that give them great privilege, as befits people who assume responsibility for the defense of the nation and the welfare of their troops, he wrote. They command the power of life and death itself on the field of battle. But those ranks also carry immense responsibility. If they are truly Washingtons heirs, they should speak upnowand stand with the first commander in chief against the rogue 47th," he concluded. Trump, in his most aggressive language yet regarding the protests, used a speech ostensibly supposed to be used to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army to denounce the protesters while repeating his false statements about the 2020 election being rigged and attacking the previous commander in chief, former President Joe Biden. The Republican president, who sees the military as a critical tool for domestic goals, has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines over the objections of Californias Democratic governor. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend in Los Angeles, but the demonstrations in the city of 4 million people have largely been centered in several blocks of downtown. We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. Thats what they are, Trump said Tuesday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, May 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) AP White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not provide any evidence to President Donald Trumps claim about the Los Angeles protests during her press briefing on Wednesday. Trump suggested Tuesday night that somebody is paying the demonstrators in Los Angeles who are protesting the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids occurring throughout the city. When asked if the White House has any details into who could be paying these protesters, Leavitt dodged the question. The president has a lot of common sense, Leavitt said. If you look at some of the imagery we have received from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE and law enforcement who are on the ground, you will see boxes of very professionalized masks and rioting equipment being dropped off for these protesters. So its a good question the president is raising and one we are looking into about who is funding these insurrectionists and these rioters and these protesters and these illegal criminals, she added. Reporter: The president said yesterday that paid insurrectionists were behind or involved in the protests in los Angeles. Does the white house have any more details about who they believe is paying pic.twitter.com/xZK3tqpxwv Acyn (@Acyn) June 11, 2025 She continued to question who is funding the protesters after noting that hundreds of people have been arrested in connection to the raids or protests. Who is funding these illegal aliens who are coming in with this very professional riot gear? Its a question everyone in this room who cares about truth should be asking and we encourage your help in trying to get to the bottom of that question, she added. Trump told reporters on Tuesday that somebody could be paying the demonstrators. I said somebodys paying them, I think. And if theyre not, theyre just troublemakers, what can I tell you? Trump said, without providing evidence. .@POTUS on the LA rioters: "I said somebody's paying them, I think. And if they're not, they're just troublemakers, what can I tell you?" pic.twitter.com/18YPUE4i2X Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 10, 2025 Trump has called the protesters animals and a foreign enemy and described Los Angeles in dire terms that the governor says is nowhere close to the truth. Newsom called Trumps actions the start of an assault on democracy. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next, he said. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids. Despite the protests, immigration enforcement activity has continued throughout the county, with city leaders and community groups reporting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement present at libraries, car washes and Home Depots. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. U.S. Army personnel watch as tanks and other military vehicles are transported via locomotive at the CSX railroad yard in Jessup, Md., Monday, June 9, 2025, ahead of an upcoming military parade commemorating the U.S. Armys 250th anniversary and coinciding with Donald Trumps 79th birthday. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) AP As President Donald Trump celebrates the Armys 250th anniversary, and his 79th birthday, in a massive parade on Saturday, most congressional Republicans will be elsewhere, according to POLITICO. POLITICO surveyed 50 Republicans on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and only seven plan on attending the festivities. The military parade, held in Washington, D.C., will feature thousands of soldiers and hundreds of aircraft and military vehicles. It has grown in both size and scope, as the Armys long-planned celebration did not include a parade until recently an idea long sought by Trump. The chairs of the House and Senate Armed Service committees known to be the top officials in Congress overseeing the military will be skipping the parade to attend an annual defense industry confab in Paris, France. Meanwhile, others have chosen to instead go home for the weekend. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Majority Whip John Barrasso and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise top Republican officials in Congress said they wont be in attendance. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) told the outlet that it will be his anniversary, and I choose to be married. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) will be celebrating his daughters 18th birthday, while Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) will be back in his home state to campaign for governor. Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) said he will be skipping, but noted that it does not mean that Im against it. Its great celebrating President Trumps birthday, and I think its great celebrating the military, Justice said on Tuesday. We havent done that in a long time. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, said he wont attend, in addition to Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), who is heading home. Its celebrating the birthday of the Army, and I think its a good thing to do, Cole said. I just didnt get to go home last week, and Id like to get to go this week. A handful of military veterans also do not plan to show, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who left the possibility open, and Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.). Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), a veteran and chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was still unsure. Some of Trumps staunchest allies will be in attendance, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who said she is going to be there for the Armys birthday celebration, as well as Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Rich McCormick (R-Ga.). A White House official told POLITICO that at least 15 Cabinet members, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and senior military leaders are expected to attend. Some critics have rallied against the cost of the parade, which could reach $45 million, and argue that it should be distributed in better ways. Others have likened the event as a way for Trump to show off his presidential power. Were a lion, and a lion doesnt have to tell you its a lion, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told reporters on Tuesday. Everybody else in the jungle knows, and were a lion. I would save the money, but if the president wants to have a parade, hes the president, and Im not. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said the parade could be seen as projecting images like those seen in the Soviet Union and North Korea. Never been a big fan of goose-stepping soldiers in big tanks and missiles rolling down the street, Paul said. So if you asked me, I wouldnt have done it. Trump on Tuesday warned that any protesters who show up against the parade will be met with very big force. A demonstration to counter the parade is planned to be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I havent even heard about a protest, but, you know, this is people that hate our country, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. But they will be met with very heavy force. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Theres bad news for President Donald Trump in the latest Quinnipiac University poll. The new poll, released Wednesday, showed that Trump received low approval ratings across a number of major issues, including immigration, the economy and the big beautiful bill. The poll found that just 38% of voters approved of how Trump is handling his job as president, while 54% said they disapproved. Quinnipiac - Trump Approval Approve: 38% (-3) Disapprove: 54% (+1) Net Approval Immigration: -9 Economy: -16 Deportations: -16 Trade: -19 (shift vs 4/3-7) | June 5-9 | 1,283 RV pic.twitter.com/xY5iRbltVF InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) June 11, 2025 Trumps handling of immigration has typically been one of his strongest points, but the latest poll shows that he could be losing support in that area. The poll found that 43% approved of how he is handling immigration while 54% disapproved. When asked about deportations, 40% of voters approved of Trumps handling of the issue while 56% disapproved. The poll also found that Trump still received low approval ratings on the economy, which comes about two months after he announced widespread tariffs on goods imported to the United States. He later backed down on the tariffs after the stock market plummeted as a result. Just 40% of voters approved of his handling of the economy and just 38% approved of his handling of trade, according to the poll. Trump has repeatedly touted his big beautiful bill in Congress that includes massive tax breaks and cuts to Medicaid. However, Trumps bill received little support from voters in the new poll, with the majority of respondents opposing cuts to the entitlement program. Fifty-three percent of voters oppose the bill, with only 67% of Republicans supporting it, according to the poll. The poll also found 47% of voters believe funding for Medicaid should increase, 40% said it should stay the same and 10% said it should decrease. With Medicaids future as a healthcare safety net for millions suddenly uncertain, voters make it clear they want the 60-year-old program for those in need to be handled with care, polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement. The poll also showed poor support for how Trump is handling the Russia-Ukraine war, with just 34% saying they approved. As the Russia-Ukraine war grinds through its third year, Americans make it clear they have little appetite for the way the Trump administration is handling the situation, Malloy said. The poll surveyed 1,265 registered voters from June 5-9 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. California Gov. Gavin Newsom shot back at Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders after she criticized the protests taking place across Los Angeles against President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown. In a post on X, Sanders wrote that Whats happening in California would never happen here in Arkansas because we value order over chaos, and included her appearance on Fox News on Tuesday. We wouldnt have this problem in Arkansas in the first place, because we would never choose rioters and criminal illegals over American law enforcement, she said on Fox News. And if we got to a place where that was happening, I would call the president myself and ask him to bring people in to help us out. But we would never allow what California Governor Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass have allowed to take place in California to ever happen in Arkansas, she continued. Whats happening in California would never happen here in Arkansas because we value order over chaos. President @RealDonaldTrump does too, which is why he is doing what Governor Newsom wont. pic.twitter.com/4nAxS3RCBB Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) June 10, 2025 Newsom hit Sanders with a fact check on Wednesday. Your homicide rate is literally DOUBLE Californias, he responded on X, after previously criticizing Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and the murder rate of his home state. Your homicide rate is literally DOUBLE Californias. https://t.co/wiva57iu6i Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 11, 2025 According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the homicide rate in Arkansas was 11.8 homicides per 100,000 people, while California had a rate of 5.9 homicides per 100,000 people, as of 2022, the most recent year recorded. The rate from that year is exactly a 50% difference. However, the gap between the two rates has slightly decreased in 2023. California reported a decreased rate of 4.8 homicide crimes per 100,000 residents, and Arkansas reported a rate of 9.4 homicides, according to Statisa, which stands below half. Protests entered their fifth day on Tuesday in response to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids sweeping the city. Trump deployed an extra 2,000 California National Guard troops, adding to the 2,000 already activated, and called on around 700 Marines, who have yet to take to the ground. Demonstrations have since spread across the country, including in cities like in New York, Chicago, and Austin and Dallas. Newsom has criticized the president for deploying the states National Guard without his permission, claiming that Trump has exceeded his authority, and requested for the court to put an emergency stop on the militarys involvement in helping federal immigration agents. A judge did not rule immediately, allowing the administration to continue its plan before a hearing set on Thursday. The Justice Department on Wednesday called Newsoms recent legal push as a crass political stunt that is endangering American lives in a court filing on Wednesday. Courts did not interfere when President Eisenhower deployed the military to protect school desegregation. Courts did not interfere when President Nixon deployed the military to deliver the mail in the midst of a postal strike. And courts should not interfere here either, the Justice Department wrote in its brief. California officials implemented an overnight curfew on Tuesday starting at 8 p.m. PST in order to stop vandalism and theft from agitators. Mayor Karen Bass said the curfew, which covers 1-square-mile section of downtown neighborhoods, will remain in effect indefinitely. The Los Angeles Police Department said on Wednesday that it arrested the highest number of people 203 for failing to disperse on Tuesday, as well as 17 others who violated the curfew time. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Three men have been sentenced in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old on New Years Day in 2023. Albenys Soto Fernandez, 26, of Elizabeth, received a 25-year state prison sentence on Friday, the Union County Prosecutors Office said in a statement. His accomplices, Jofrandy Diaz-Ramirez, 26, and Yoel Sanchez, 23, both of Elizabeth, were sentenced to 12 years. All three men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in January of this year. Soto Fernandez additionally pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter. Both are considered first-degree crimes. Police found the victim, Vladimir Martinez, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on 4th Street in Elizabeth on Jan. 1, 2023, authorities said. He was pronounced dead on the scene, officials said. While this sentencing does not bring Mr. Martinez back, we hope it comes as some small solace to his loved ones, Union County Prosecutor William Daniel said. Prosecutors did not say how the three men were identified as suspects. The sentences are all subject to the No Early Release Act, requiring the men to serve 85% of their sentences before they are eligible for parole. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com. 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. The Russian occupation army attacked sappers with a strike drone while demining agricultural land in the liberated territories of Izium district of Kharkiv region. One pyrotechnician was killed and two others were injured, the press service of the main department of the State Emergency Service in Kharkiv region reports. "The enemy aimed a strike drone directly at the working part of the Minewolf MV-370 mine clearing machine when the sappers were servicing it and checking its operation. Unfortunately, one pyrotechnician was killed. Two more of his colleagues were wounded - they are now in the hospital, doctors are fighting for their lives," the message says. Poroshenko sends new batch of aid to the front: drones, equipment, communications devices People's Deputy and leader of the European Solidarity party Petro Poroshenko has sent a new batch of military aid to the front. This time, the shipment contains FPV drones, engineering equipment, communications equipment and equipment to protect Ukrainian positions. The total cost of the convoy is almost 40 million hryvnia, according to the European Solidarity website. At the same time, Poroshenko criticised the authorities' decision to allocate tens of millions of hryvnia not to weapons, but to the purchase of thousands of shields for security forces. This is effectively a separate brigade that could be on the front line, he stressed, calling on officials to focus on the real threat and the country's defence. The politician stressed that the army needs urgent support, as the Russians are advancing deeper into Ukrainian territory fighting is taking place from Donbas to Sumy Oblast, and the threat to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast is growing. Open your eyes and look at the Deepstate map. Your enemy is Putin, Poroshenko wrote on social media, calling on the authorities to change their priorities. Poroshenko said that this time, FPV drones, excavators, electronic warfare equipment, quad bikes and communication systems for units are being sent to the front. The war continues. And we must have one priority supporting the front, Poroshenko concluded. Audiences can literally become part of the show and immerse themselves in an intriguing mix of wild swimming, storytelling and magic coming to Hele Bay in Ilfracombe this July. Swim from the Wild Shore from award-winning theatre-makers Burn the Curtain invites the audience to take to the waves themselves with a daring and dreamlike fusion of wild swimming and storytelling, where myth, magic, and imagination meet the sea. From Tuesday, July 8 to Thursday, July 10 intrepid swimmers will gather on Hele Beach to join the mysterious Shore Sisters in a ritual unlike any other. Their mission? To fetch the Sea Runes and tell a story so enthralling it pacifies the ocean's rage and secures a year of calm waters for all. In association with Beaford Arts, the one-and-a-quarter hour interactive events at Hele will be held twice each day, one later in the afternoon and one early evening, with times varying slightly (the earliest is 4pm) and places limited. They are open to confident swimmers over the age of 14, who are happy in 100 metres of sheltered water. Participants should bring a swimming costume, towel and something warm for afterwards. Imagination is essential. Above: Will you be the one to discover the Sea Runes as you take part in Swim from the Wild Shore? Credit: Theo Moye Joe Hancock, artistic director of Burn the Curtain, gives a little more detail: Theres been a huge rise in wild swimming across the UK, as people seek deeper connections with nature. With Swim from the Wild Shore, were taking that one step further, inviting swimmers not just to enter the sea, but to enter a story. Each year, a flower blooms in the ocean, an invitation from the deep. To keep the sea monster, the storm, and the spirits of the ocean at bay, a story must be fetched from the surf, one so enchanting it holds the forces of nature spellbound. Will you be the one to retrieve the sea runes and share the tale? Burn the Curtain says this theatrical swim is a unique fusion of folklore, adventure and ocean magic. With only a limited number of spaces available, this is a rare opportunity to take part in a powerful ritual of creativity and connection. Above: Swim from the Wild Shore promises magic, myth and wild swimming where the audience gets to become part of the story. Credit: Theo Moye Were delighted to be partnering with Burn the Curtain once again, following many years of successful collaboration, added Claire Ayres, creative producer for Beaford Arts. Their work is always bold, imaginative and deeply engaging. We know theyll deliver an experience to remember, something truly magical for audiences and participants alike. Produced in partnership with Beaford Arts, Swim from the Wild Shore is a prologue to a major immersive theatre production coming to Bucks Mills later this summer and theres more to explore in the lead-up. A series of craft and music workshops have begun to pop-up in the area, helping to weave the wider story and community together. To find our more visit https://beaford.org/events It is necessary to put Russia in a position in which they will be forced to seek peace through non-military means, this can be done through defense support for Ukraine and sanctions against the Russian Federation, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "You all see: Putin does not want to end this war. He believes that as long as he can fight and dominate his neighbors, he remains politically alive. But regardless of what he believes, our task is to force Russia into a situation where it will have to seek peace and political survival by non-military means. This is absolutely possible," Zelenskyy said at the IV Ukraine - South-Eastern Europe Summit in Odesa on Wednesday. The President stressed that defense support for Ukraine is necessary to protect Ukrainian settlements from Russian attacks and for Russia to feel the real cost of war on its territory. "Air defense systems and drones are crucial. Another important tool, of course, is sanctions. Your support for joint EU decisions on sanctions is vital. The EU has announced the 18th package of sanctions. It can be stronger, especially when it comes to Russian oil tankers and the financial sector," Zelenskyy added. Speaking about the oil price cap, he recalled that real peace will come when there is a cap of $30 - "this is the level that will really change the thinking in Moscow." The first three Ukraine - South-Eastern Europe summits took place: in Athens (Greece) on August 21, 2023; in Tirana (Albania) on February 28, 2024 and in Dubrovnik (Croatia) on October 9, 2024. On January 17, 2025, the first ministerial meeting of Ukraine and the countries of South-Eastern Europe took place in Kyiv. Serbia firmly and unwaveringly adheres to the UN Charter and international law, which includes the protection of the territorial integrity of countries recognized by the UN, stressed Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. "What I can say on behalf of my country is that Serbia will remain very firm and unwavering in respecting the UN Charter, international law, which includes the protection of the territorial integrity of countries recognized by the UN as the most important principle. And we have always stood for this, and, as I said, we will remain very firm. I think that in a certain way this can be useful for Ukraine as well," he said at the 4th Ukraine - South-Eastern Europe Summit in Odesa on Wednesday. Vucic added that Ukraine can always count on Serbia's humanitarian aid, political support and support for the country's territorial integrity. "We are ready to listen to you, hear you and see how we can be useful and support you," the president added. Participants of the IV Ukraine - South-East Europe Summit call on the international community to step up support for Ukraine and reaffirmed Ukraine's efforts to find a diplomatic path to lasting peace. We urge the international community to intensify its support for Ukraine in its struggle to defend its freedom, independence, and territorial integrity. At the same time, we call on all nations to refrain from offering any form of material or other assistance to Russias war effort. We underscore the importance of alignment with the European Unions Common Foreign and Security Policy decisions and measures, this is stated in the text of the declaration adopted following the summit. In addition, the summit participants support Ukraine on its path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership, and note that membership in the Alliance remains the best security option for Ukraine. Neither Russia nor any other state that is not a NATO member has the right to veto the Alliances enlargement, the document reads. The summit participants also support international efforts to create a special tribunal to examine the crime of aggression against Ukraine committed by the Russian Federation. The declaration states that during the summit, participants discussed ways to expand support for Ukraine's energy system, in particular by engaging the private sector in providing the necessary equipment and financing. In addition, participants in today's summit call on the international community to maintain and strengthen sanctions against Russia in the banking and energy sectors, especially with regard to oil price caps and Russia's shadow fleet, in order to deprive the aggressor of the resources necessary to continue waging war against Ukraine. The signatories agreed to work together to prevent hybrid threats and to hold the next meeting of the countries participating in this declaration at the level of the relevant departments in Odesa. President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu, President of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic, President of Romania Nicusor Dan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Rossen Jeliazkov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Albania Elisa Spiropali, First Deputy President of the Government and Minister of Environment and Physical Planning of the Republic of North Macedonia Izet Mexhiti, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia Tanja Fajon, gathered in Odesa, Ukraine, on 11 June 2025 for the fourth time in the format of the Ukraine Southeast Europe Summit. NIPSCO's president is making a case that the utility's proposed GenCo spinoff to fund data centers would be in the public interest. President and Chief Operating Officer Vincent Parisi argued in a filing with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission that a proposed settlement with large industrial customers would address some of the common concerns raised by stakeholders. The Merrillville-based utility is seeking the state's permission to create a new, more lightly regulated spinoff that would negotiate rates directly with hyperscale data centers. It's touting GenCo as the solution for the question of how to fund the billions of dollars of data centers that have been proposed in Hammond, Hobart, Merrillville and other Northwest Indiana communities, saying a separate company is needed to protect current customers from the cost and risk. Critics like the Citizens Action Coalition environmental and consumer group and the LaPorte County government have raised a number of concerns, including that large customers would get preferential rates no one else could, that NIPSCO could pick data center winners and losers and that failed projects could increase the financial burden for existing residents. GenCo reached a settlement with the NIPSCO Industrial Group that consists of large consumers of power like Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel. The utility said it would largely serve new data centers through independently developed power generation infrastructure rather than by building new power plants of its own. GenCo would sign purchase power agreements, or deals with independent electricity generators like solar or wind farms, to serve megaload customers that consume more than 50 megawatts. "I would note that various parties raised a number of common concerns which are addressed in the settlement," Parisi said in his testimony. "From the perspective of GenCo and NIPSCO, however, the settlement also accounts for and addresses not only those issues, but also other concerns or issues unique to parties other than the NIPSCO Industrial Group." Under the terms of the settlement, GenCo will procure its capacity to serve new megaload customers and will not enter into purchase agreements unless it already has a contract with a data center, Parisi testified. Substations or other transmission infrastructure built solely for a data center will be that data center's financial responsibility, he said. As outlined in the settlement, GenCo will have to make a filing with the state every time it issues debt, Parisi wrote. The company would not have to go through a docketed proceeding the way NIPSCO does when it seeks to raise rates. However, the IURC would still review generation assets. GenCo likely will at times end up with additional generation capacity beyond when NIPSCO contracted for and will sell off that power to the wholesale market, Parisi wrote. He testified there could be some cases where GenCo's electric capacity could end up serving NIPSCO's current customers if it was cost-effective. "I do not believe the commission or other stakeholders would want to foreclose this opportunity if it is in the best interest of customers," he wrote. "But because of the affiliate relationship between GenCo and NIPSCO, both companies were willing to agree to certain guidelines that must be followed before such action can be taken. For example, GenCo and NIPSCO must follow affiliate guidelines; GenCo cannot intentionally overbuild its generation portfolio for the purpose of serving nonmegaload customers; and commission approval will be required for any such proposal. Additionally, in the event of an asset transfer from NIPSCO to GenCo, NIPSCO is required to properly account for this and ensure current customers receive the benefit." NIPSCO's customers would not bear any financial responsibility for GenCo's power generation assets but potentially could acquire them if GenCo no longer needs them and they still have years of useful life. If NIPSCO needs more power to keep up with growth or adjust to changes in environmental rules, it could propose a purchase to the IURC, Parisi testified. NIPSCO would need state approval if it ever had to raise rates to serve new data center capacity, which is a possibility despite its efforts to separate the two companies, Parisi wrote. NIPSCO, for instance, said it could seek higher rates if it has to provide electricity from its existing production assets on a temporary basis while new capacity is coming online to serve a new data center. "If NIPSCO has a pending electric base rate case, this provision requires that a new rate schedule or tariff solely to serve megaload customers must be offered as part of that base rate case," Parisi wrote. "This is not to say that NIPSCO currently intends to offer a new 'megaload tariff,' but there could come a time in the future where it is appropriate to do so." There have always been class divisions within the African American community, often expressed through a series of binaries: enslaved versus free, house servants versus field workers and so on. But class divisions were also defined by physical features: shades of color, hair texture and facial features. These mixed lineages resulted from a range of causes, from rape to second families born of mistresses. The latter, especially, sometimes meant proximity to wealth and inheritance. It comes as no surprise, then, that the bulk of the popes Black slaveholding ancestors are consistently described as mixed-race. (At the time of the 1830 census, according to the historian Thomas J. Pressly, some 40 percent of Free Colored Persons who enslaved others possessed only one, most likely a family member, and often a spouse purchased from a white slaveholder to protect her from being violated or sold.) Does his family history mean Pope Leo is Black? That depends on definitions, whether legal, historical or conventional. The historian Daniel Sharfstein points out that while the 1865 Tennessee Black Code defined Persons of Color as everyone having any African blood in their veins, most legal definitions in the 20th century of who was Black depended on the measurement of supposed fractions of ancestry, such as one-fourth or one-eighth, which were arbitrary and extremely difficult to gauge (as well as entirely unscientific). By 1910, Louisiana law classified anyone with any appreciable mixture of Negro blood as a colored person. At least 10 other states followed with their own laws of hypodescent the notorious one-drop rule. In 1924, Virginias Racial Integrity Act defined as a white person anyone who had no trace whatsoever of any blood other than Caucasian. Though self-identification has supplanted, I believe, the legality of the one-drop rule, all too often this sort of thinking remains a powerful social convention when categorizing the genetic gumbo that characterizes the astonishing number of us who are descended from multiethnic, highly admixed ancestral lineages and who are increasingly representing what it means to be American. The fantasy of genetic purity is belied by simple commercial DNA tests and a DNA test would be required to determine the percentages of sub-Saharan African (or Spanish or French or Italian) ancestor regions from which Pope Leo might have descended over the last few centuries. This ambiguity, as well as the sheer heterogeneity of the popes ancestry, with its quite colorful, multiple roots and branches, may be what makes it so truly American: a reflection of the complexities of the conquest and settling of the New World, the vast extent of voluntary European immigration and the involuntary, forced migration and enslavement of people of African descent who were brought to the Americas. Perhaps the most salient feature of Robert Francis Prevosts family tree is that it is strikingly ecumenical, an expression of the endlessly fascinating, multifarious geographical and ethnic threads that make up our grand national story, threads that combined to help shape the truly cosmopolitan worldview of the man we might think of as the first pan-American pope. Explore the full family tree. The family tree reflects the best-known research as of the time of publication. Genealogical research by Christopher Child, Sarah J. Dery, Sheilagh Doerfler, Lindsay Fulton, Abe Laxague, Anjelica Oswald and Aidan Walsh at American Ancestors; Marial Iglesias Utset, research scholar at the Afro-Latin American Research Institute; Mirelis Peraza Gonzalez and Lourdes del Pino at the Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami; Antonio Herrera-Vaillant at the Academia Venezolana de Genealogia; and Dr. Kevin Burke, director of research, and Dr. Robert Heinrich, research associate, at the Hutchins Center at Harvard. Images: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images (pope); Photo shared by John Joseph Prevost (pope with mother and brothers); The Daily Gate City (Riggitano Alito); Eric Robert/Getty Images (Madonna photo on homepage promo). For years, Rosalio Culit, a self-described healer from the Philippines, has been treating the sick by allowing them to be bitten by venomous pit vipers. Rosalio Culit, also known as Datu Kamandag among his fellow Manobo tribe members in Surigao del Norte, Mindanao, is a controversial healer who uses viper venom to treat various ailments. He claims that he only discovered the curative properties of snake venom by accident, after being bitten by one of his pet pit vipers many years ago. At the time, he was battling several illnesses, but just days after being bitten by the snake, he felt a lot better, so he deduced that the bite had cured him. He has been preaching the benefits of the North Philippine temple pit viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus) venom ever since, and has made a name for himself as a snake healer. Photo: James Jolokia/inaturalist Culit recently went viral after being featured in an RT video showcasing his unusual healing process, but he has been selling snake bites to people looking for a miraculous cure for over a decade now. In 2014, GMA Network wrote about the Manobo chieftain and his menagerie of pit vipers, many of which roamed freely around his house. Even back then, he had frequent patients who asked to be bitten by his pets to cure various conditions, including heart problems or urinary tract infections. The snake healer reportedly also prescribes patients venom-infused fermented wine that he prepares himself in large jars, but despite his claims, experts say that there is no evidence of Tropidolaemus subannulatus venom having curative properties. In fact, it could prove dangerous, especially for people who are allergic to it. Jovy Tero, Culits daughter, told RT that the North Philippine temple pit viper is a safe snake whose venom isnt deadly and doesnt cause the flesh around the bite to rot. Thats because the snakes venom is primarily neurotoxic, with a much smaller percentage of hemotoxic venom peptides. The snakes bite is not known to be fatal, but calling it safe is a bit of an exaggeration. Tzuyang, a young mukbang streamer and one of South Koreas most popular YouTubers, is somehow able to consume absurd amounts of food in a single sitting and maintain a slender figure. 28-year-old Tzuyangs physique has long been the topic of online debates and conspiracy theories. Mukbang streamers often get accused of fake eating by speeding up their videos or cutting certain parts of them, and of throwing up most of the food they ingest to give the illusion of an impossibly large stomach capacity, but weve never seen any evidence of Tzuyang engaging in such shady practices. Some people speculate that she suffers from an eating disorder, but she has always appeared very healthy, and there has never been any evidence to suggest any problems. She livestreams most of her mukbang sessions from various restaurants and almost never takes bathroom breaks or goes off camera, instead consuming dozens of portions in one sitting, sometimes more than once a day. So, how can she eat over 10,000 calories worth of food per day without gaining any weight? Photo: Tzuyang/YouTube During one of her mukbang streams, Koreas most famous YouTuber ate 20 hamburgers, 20 ramen noodles, 3 kg of meat, 240 pieces of sushi, and 16 m of beef intestines. Another time, she gobbled down 10 m of Korean rice cakes, 100 shrimp, 200 oysters, and 140 skewers of grilled lamb in one sitting. These kinds of feats have earned her millions of loyal fans across several social networks, but also a lot of criticism for promoting food waste and painting the illusion that she can eat as much as she wants without putting in weight. Tzuyang always claimed that she had a healthy appetite and that she was able to keep her weight at a constant 50 kg (110 lbs) without working out. That did very little to appease her critics, who continued to accuse her of deceiving her audience, but the young streamer recently posted a video from a clinic where she underwent both a gastroscopy and a colonoscopy to uncover the secrets of her amazing stomach. Photo: Tzuyang/YouTube Compared to other women of a similar build, your stomach is larger, the doctor told the 28-year-old mukbank queen. As a professional, I can tell your stomach volume is slightly bigger than average. It appears to be 30 to 40 percent larger. This likely means your absorption, digestion, and elimination capabilities are more efficient than most. I was surprised too, the doctor added. Your body mass index is 17.5, which classifies you as underweight, yet your stomach is larger than that of most adult men. Your colon was also clean no polyps, no inflammation. People who need to eat large amounts of food often have elevated blood sugar levels, but your six-month average was only 5.2%. That means youre either exercising enough to manage your blood sugar, or your pancreas is producing enough insulin to regulate it after binge eating. Its really excellent. Photo: Tzuyang/YouTube For years, many of Tzuyangs viewers had been speculating about her small intestine lining preventing her from absorbing most of her food intake and pushing it into her colon very quickly, and most of these theories were confirmed by Dr. Seo Jae Gul, a public health expert in Seoul. After concluding her checkup, Tzuyang declared herself starving and rectified the situation by buying some bread at a bakery and following that up with a massive meal at a Chinese restaurant. Sabrina Singh Sabrina Singh, who most recently served as deputy press secretary at the Department of Defense, joins Seven Letter as a partner in its public affairs practice. Singh previously worked for VP Kamala Harris in a variety of roles, serving as her press secretary during the 2020 presidential campaign, and then holding the same position while Harris was VP-elect and during her first year in the White House. She has also held senior campaign positions in the presidential campaigns of Mike Bloomberg, Cory Booker and Hillary Clinton, as well as a stint as deputy communications director for the Democratic National Committee. Currently a political commentator at CNN, Singh is also a professor at the University of Southern Californla. She will work out of Seven Letters DC offier. Sabrinas deep knowledge of national security and defense-related issues combined with her expertise in crisis communications management and navigation are unparalleled, said Seven Letter founding partner & CEO Erik Smith. Not a Subscriber? Join O'Dwyer's & Get RFP Access Stop wasting time tracking down RFPs. O'Dwyer's connects you with organizations looking for PR firms & services. Get new business with O'Dwyer's! Join O'Dwyer's Met Eireann has issued a series of warnings with Ireland set to be blitzed by thunderstorms in the next 24 hours. Met Eireann has issued three separate warnings for thunderstorms with a fifth issued by the UK Met Office for Northern Ireland. Each warning is alerting people to the risk of spot flooding, difficult driving conditions and possible lightning damage. Met Eireann says there is a risk of heavy showers with localised thunderstorms. A Status Yellow Thunderstorm warning for Cork and Waterford will be the first to come into effect tonight. It will be in place from 10pm tonight until 3am tomorrow morning. A Status Yellow Thunderstorm warning for Leinster, Tipperary and Waterford is valid from midnight until 2pm on Thursday. A Status Yellow Thunderstorm warning for Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo will be in place from 7am on Thursday until 5pm on Thursday. A Yellow Thunderstorm Warning for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry has been issued by UK Met Office Weather. That is valid from 6am on Thursday until 9pm on Thursday. Schneider Electric , the global leader in energy management and automation, has partnered with Start Campus, a pioneer in the development of sustainable, AI-scale data center ecosystems, to deliver and operate its 26 Megawatt (MW) SIN01 facility in Sines. The SIN01 facility, operational since Q424 and the first building of Start Campus 1.2-Gigawatt (GW) campus, leverages a comprehensive suite of solutions from Schneider Electrics EcoStruxure for Data Centers portfolio and Sustainability Services to set new benchmarks for resilient and sustainable workloads for AI, Cloud and GPU-accelerated computing clusters. The groundbreaking facility, built on repurposed industrial land nearby a decommissioned power station, has been designed to deliver advanced energy efficiency. By leveraging intelligent data from Schneider Electrics connected infrastructure solutions, and utilizing the real-time insights enabled via Schneider Electric EcoStruxure software, the company can achieve unparalleled levels of operational efficiency, reliability, and scalability at SIN01. Start Campus vision for creating one of Europes largest AI data center hubs has been unprecedented, and were honoured to have partnered with them, bringing our expertise from across the data center, buildings, energy and industrial sectors to help establish these new foundations at SIN01, said Pablo Ruiz Escribano, Senior Vice President, Secure Power and Data Center Business, Schneider Electric, Europe. This new digital gateway will not only encourage more investment and innovation into the region but ensures hyperscale and cloud providers can leverage world-leading data center capacity to power their AI infrastructure. Secure, scalable, AI-ready infrastructure At the heart of the SIN01 facility, Schneider Electric has provided a complete suite of solutions that are digitally optimized for the data center lifecycle. They include powertrain components such as Schneider Electric Galaxy VX UPS, SF6 free switchgear eliminating the use of harmful greenhouse gases (GHGs) MV and LV electrical distribution systems with thermal monitoring, and additional infrastructure deployed across its high-density white space and grey space. To ensure adherence to the highest standards of uptime, efficiency, and reliability, Schneider Electrics EcoStruxure Buildings Management (BMS), Energy Management, Power Monitoring Expert (PME) and Planon software offer real-time intelligence and automation capabilities, coupled with enhanced cybersecurity measures. This is underpinned by a bespoke Schneider Electric Services agreement that includes remote monitoring, asset management, 24/7 maintenance, and Services Field Engineers stationed on-site. In addition, through Schneider Electrics Sustainability & Consulting Services, Start Campus benefitted from Schneider Electrics support in the development of its Power Purchasing Agreement (PPA) strategy to procure 100% renewable energy to power its operations. By taking a comprehensive approach across the design, construction, installation and commissioning phases, Start Campus has created a secure, scalable and energy efficient infrastructure platform, tailor-made for Cloud and AI data center deployments. At Start Campus, we are committed to building the foundation for the next generation of sustainable, AI-ready digital infrastructure. Power is one of the most critical resources in todays digital infrastructure. But its not just about access its about managing power efficiently, intelligently, and sustainably at scale. Our partnership with Schneider Electric transforms the way we operate, integrating world-class energy technology and real-time visibility across every layer of our infrastructure, said Robert Dunn, CEO of Start Campus. Building a sustainable, digital future for Portugal, Europe and beyond Located on Portugals southwest coast, SIN01 is now the largest data center facility ever commissioned in the country and a pivotal milestone in positioning Portugal at the center of the global data economy strengthening its role as a key hub for digital infrastructure in both the European market and globally. SIN01 is optimised to meet the high-performance demands of AI, hyperscale cloud, and digital acceleration leveraging Portugals unique position as a low-carbon, high-availability power hub. Today, the country offers one of the most competitive energy environments in Europe, supported by a growing supply of renewable capacity. Its strategic location in Sines also provides direct access to high-capacity international networks and subsea connectivity routes - building a major new digital gateway for Europe, with fibre optic cables terminating from North America, Africa and Latin America (LATAM), while delivering competitive latencies to all strategic European and global economic centers. Start Campus, which recently announced an 8.5 billion investment to accelerate its campus build out in response to AI demand, is one of the only operators in Europe to have fully secured over 1GW of grid power. As a Project of National Interest (PIN), Start Campus has also built strong foundations for data center and economic growth in Portugal, working with its local community to create up to 1,200 highly skilled, direct jobs, and a further 9,000 indirect roles throughout the project's duration. For more information about Schneider Electrics data center solutions visit the website. About Schneider Electric Schneiders purpose is to create Impact by empowering all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability. At Schneider, we call this Life Is On. Our mission is to be the trusted partner in Sustainability and Efficiency. We are a global industrial technology leader bringing world-leading expertise in electrification, automation and digitization to smart industries, resilient infrastructure, future-proof data centers, intelligent buildings, and intuitive homes. Anchored by our deep domain expertise, we provide integrated end-to-end lifecycle AI enabled Industrial IoT solutions with connected products, automation, software and services, delivering digital twins to enable profitable growth for our customers. We are a people company with an ecosystem of 150,000 colleagues and more than a million partners operating in over 100 countries to ensure proximity to our customers and stakeholders. We embrace diversity and inclusion in everything we do, guided by our meaningful purpose of a sustainable future for all. www.se.com About Start Campus Start Campus is developing the SINES DC project, a 1.2GW data center campus in Portugal, creating Europes largest and most sustainable data ecosystem with market-leading global connectivity. SINES DC provides maximum optionality for customers with powered shell, turn-key and build-to-suit solutions. The company's advanced customer offerings are AI-ready and address the future needs of the industry by integrating liquid cooling technologies into its flexible and scalable design. With a total combined investment value of 8.5 billion, the project will use 100% renewable energy and targets an industry-leading design PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) of 1.1 and a WUE (Water Usage Effectiveness) of 0 by harnessing the cooling power of the ocean. www.startcampus.pt . Follow us on: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Blog The brothers of Jozef Puska who are charged with withholding information about the murder of schoolteacher Ashling Murphy may have had the reasonable excuse of not wanting to incriminate themselves, a jury has been told. Ms Justice Caroline Biggs told the jury at the Central Criminal Court that attempting to protect a family member is not a reasonable excuse for withholding information from the gardai, but the jury must consider if the fear of self-incrimination operated on the minds of Lubomir Puska Jnr (38) and Marek Puska (36). Jozef Puska murdered 23-year-old Ms Murphy by stabbing and slashing her neck after attacking her while she exercised along the canal towpath outside Tullamore on the afternoon of January 12, 2022. A jury later convicted him of that murder and he is serving a life sentence. His brothers, Lubomir Jnr and Marek Puska are charged with withholding information. Their wives, Viera Gaziova (40) and Jozefina Grundzova (32) are charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Jozef Puska by burning his clothes. All the accused were living with Jozef Puska, his wife Lucia, and 14 children at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly when the offences are alleged to have occurred in January 2022. All accused have pleaded not guilty to all charges. In her charge to the jury Wednesday, June 11, Ms Justice Biggs said that the statements of the accused are the foundation of the prosecution case, with the defence relying on extracts of those interviews. She said that if the jury accepts the defence case as was put to them, they must acquit, but even if they are disinclined to believe the defence case but still think that it might reasonably be true, they must acquit. She said that even if the jury disregards the defence case, they still must look at the prosecution case. Moving on to the elements of the offence against Marek and Lubomir Jnr, Ms Justice Biggs said that the jury must first be satisfied that a serious offence had been committed, in this case murder; that this offence was committed by a person other than the accused; and that the accused had information of material assistance in apprehending Jozef Puska. She said it was for the jury to determine what would have been of material assistance, which was information that might help the gardai to build a case. Ms Justice Biggs reminded the jury that the prosecution allege that Marek did not give information that Jozef had returned home on the night of Ms Murphys murder with visible injuries, that Jozef admitted to killing or seriously injuring a female with a knife, that Marek was aware of an arrangement to burn the clothes worn by Jozef, and that Jozef subsequently travelled to Dublin. She said that the prosecution's case against Lubomir Jnr was similar, except for the fact that there was no allegation that he was aware of an arrangement to burn the clothes. She went on to say that the prosecution alleged that the accused did not provide that information to the gardai as soon as reasonably practicable. Ms Justice Biggs next told the jury that the prosecution must prove that the two brothers had no reasonable excuse for not disclosing this information, adding that an attempt to protect a family member is not a reasonable excuse. She said what is reasonable is the issue of self-incrimination, urging the jury to consider if there was any evidence supporting the submission put forward by the defence that the accused had this reasonable excuse. She told the jury to focus on whether this fear operated in the minds of the accused at the time of their failure to disclose the information. Ms Justice Biggs told the jury that if they feel that the assertion of a risk of self-incrimination is fanciful, they do not have to accept it. Moving on to the case against Viera Gaziova and Jozefina Grundzova, Ms Justice Biggs said that the jury must be satisfied that the two accused knew or believed Jozef to be guilty of the offence of murder or some other arrestable offence. She said that the jury must be satisfied that, with that knowledge, the two women committed an act without reasonable excuse, namely burning the clothes of Jozef Puska or assisting in the burning of the clothes, and they did so with the intention of impeding his apprehension or prosecution. In her closing speech, prosecutor Anne Marie Lawlor SC told the jury that Marek and Lubomir Jnr knew what Jozef had done shortly after 9.30pm on the night of the murder because Jozef told him. Despite this, Ms Lawlor said Marek and Lubomir Jnr failed to disclose vital information when they spoke to gardai. Their wives burned Jozef's clothes to impede his arrest or prosecution, she said. Ms Lawlor told the jury that there is an onus to provide information about serious offences such as murder. When Viera and Jozefina burned Jozef's clothes, "they knew why they were doing it," Ms Lawlor said, and acted without any reasonable excuse. In her statements to gardai, Viera said she burned the clothes after Lubomir told her that Jozef wanted them to be burned. However, Ms Justice Biggs has told the jury that what one accused person says about another is not evidence against that person. Defence counsel Karl Finnegan SC told the jury that Marek Puska was entitled to remain silent to avoid incriminating himself. Mr Finnegan said there was a real risk that the information his client had could implicate him in an offence of assisting his brother after the murder. Mr Finnegan also asked the jury to consider the possibility that Marek did not believe his brother had stabbed Ashling Murphy to death when he spoke to gardai two days after the murder. He said the legislation regarding withholding information was introduced following the Omagh bombing to force people with knowledge of that atrocity to come forward. However, Mr Finnegan said, the legislation does not remove a person's right to remain silent if they believe that they could incriminate themselves. At the time, Mr Finnegan said, there was a real risk that his client would be arrested for assisting Puska after the murder by arranging to get him out of Tullamore or because he knew of the plan to burn Jozef's clothes. Kathleen Leader SC, for Lubomir Jnr, said her client delayed but did not withhold information. She said he had a reasonable excuse for the delay and asked the jury to consider the "natural sense of protection for his younger brother". Paul Murray SC, for Ms Grundzova, told the jury that for his client to be guilty, the jury must be satisfied that she knew what Jozef had done when she helped Ms Gaziova to burn the clothes. When his client burned Puska's clothes, she did not have any of the evidence that would later prove Jozef's guilt, Mr Murray said. Damien Colgan SC, for Ms Gaziova, told the jury that the "crux of the case" is whether his client knew that Jozef Puska had stabbed Ms Murphy. Her view at that time, Mr Colgan said, was that Jozef had been the victim of an assault. The jury of seven men and five women will continue their deliberations on Thursday, June 12. A former staff member of The Residence, Portlaoise, who had to leave her job due to mental stress, said she was in tears watching RTEs investigation into the facility. Health care assistant Justine Hibberd spoke to the Leinster Express/ Laois Live about her experience working at the Laois nursing home where 'abuse and neglect' of residents has been exposed. Ms Hibberd alleges that staff received no support from management, and that the moving of residents was handled incorrectly every day, morning to night. I cried when I watched the documentary. I found it difficult because I knew who the residents and staff were, it was upsetting to see that nothing has changed, Ms Hibberd said. Pictured: Former worker at The Residence Portlaoise, Justine Hibberd She began working at The Residence Portlaoise in September of 2023, and handed in her notice in 2024 due to the mental stress in the position. I handed in my notice in February last year, I couldnt take it any more. What was shown in the documentary didn't even touch the surface of the issues in The Residence Portlaoise. I only worked domestic duties, but the things that I saw there were shocking, she claimed. I saw residents moved by staff incorrectly every day, morning to night. People that were supposed to be moved with hoists were lifted by their waistbands and under their arms, they were shimmied down the corridors. They would move residents in the day room under their arms, she alleged. Every day there was a safety meeting, and safety pauses at 12pm to discuss safety issues and how residents were handled, she said. While working in The Residence Portlaoise, daily tasks undertaken by Ms Hibberd included the cleaning of public areas and residents rooms. I cleaned 28 rooms a day. The things that I saw happen there should never have happened. I raised concerns, and I was told to just do my job, she alleges. Not all of the staff are bad, some of them are working up against the issues, and they work so hard. One of my good friends still works there, and she says that they are all feeling the pressure and backlash from the documentary. But what can they do? They arent all bad, but theres a huge amount of workers that dont care. Ms Hibberd alleges that while working night shifts in The Residence Portlaoise, there was evidence that health care assistants would turn off the residents call bells. Pictured: The Residence Portlaoise I have seen it and been told by some health care assistants themselves, Ms Hibberd claimed. At night, they disconnect the call buttons for some of the residents, for a quiet and easy night. They go and sleep in the empty bedrooms on the third floor. Its disgusting, she said. As a cleaner, Ms Hibberd claims that she regularly saw residents double padded. At night, to make it easier, healthcare assistants would put a towel under the residents sheet, and a bag beneath that they could rip out in the morning. Its not good, she said. There wasnt really a shortage of supplies. In the pad rooms, the supplies were divided into two sides: the HSE side and the private side, she explained. The HSE side was managed better, they always had more supplies. They had more pads, wipes, shower gels and shaving foams- the private side, not so much. There was a definite difference in the levels of care. A lot of HSE patients came from hospitals after a fall or a surgery, they always seemed to be a bit better minded, she said. Ms Hibberd claims that she was reprimanded by management for allowing paramedics access to the building. Watch above: a trailer for RTE Investigates 'Inside Ireland's Nursing Homes' I got in trouble one morning. I was in on a morning shift, and an ambulance turned up to take a resident into hospital, she said. They were standing at the door ringing the doorbell, so I let them in, this was around 8:10am. Half an hour later, alarms went off in the nursing home and people were all running around. I asked what was happening, and my colleagues told me that a resident was missing. I asked which resident, and when they told me, I explained that she had been brought to the hospital, Ms Hibberd claims. I was brought in to the person in charge, who explained that the ambulance crew had waited in the residents room for over 27 minutes, and no member of staff came in. They decided to just take her to the hospital, and the hospital rang The Residence to say that anyone could have come in and taken a resident. I got in trouble for allowing the paramedics into the building in the first place, Ms Hibberd alleges. When asked whether she felt supported by management in her former role, Ms Hibberd said that they had no heart. Pictured above: An RTE Investigates poster advertising their latest expose into Irish nursing homes When I handed my notice in and told them I was leaving, I said it was because it was too tough mentally. There were people falling and left on the floor, she said. The final straw for Ms Hibberd was an incident where a patient was left filthy on Christmas Day. On Christmas day, there was a resident who arranged to go out with his family, the family specified they wanted him up and dressed for dinner, she said. When the family came in to get him, his daughter couldn't find him. They had him down in the dining area and they were already feeding him, and he was filthy. She stood there and cried, Ms Hibberd alleges. She told them that he was filthy, and that because they were feeding him, he wont eat his Christmas dinner. I saw the look on her face and she seemed heartbroken. The person in charge just stood with her hands on her hips. He hadn't even been shaved, she said. The health care assistant also expressed that The Residence itself was clean, with excellent food provided to residents. The food was always lovely, but the health care assistants were told they only had 20 minutes to feed the residents, Ms Hibberd claimed. Many of the residents may have taken 40 or 45 minutes to eat, I know that from my own experience as a carer, she said. Ms Hibberd has said that what she experienced in the nursing home was heartbreaking. For some patients, they didn't really understand what was going on. They didnt understand what abuse is, and abuse isn't. My heart breaks for the families, a lot of the residents are aware, but some didn't understand, she said. The Leinster Express has contacted Emeis Ireland for comment on the incidents alleged by Ms Hibberd. Emeis Ireland has yet to respond to these allegations. In a press release on Friday June 6, Emeis Ireland have said that 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," they stated. "We reiterate our deep regret and disappointment in respect of the matters uncovered by the programme." LOCAL Dail Deputies, Tony McCormack and John Clendennen will open the fourth annual Offaly Job Fair this Saturday. Job seekers in their hundreds are expected to flock to the Tullamore Court Hotel on Saturday next, June 14, for the event. The fair is organised by Tullamore & District Chamber of Commerce along with partners, Offaly Local Development, Offaly Local Enterprise Office, Technological University of the Shannon and Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board. This event will be held in the Tullamore Court Hotel on Saturday, between 10.30 am and 3.00 pm. The Job Fair has the capacity to cater for about 50 businesses who will be able to meet with potential future employees and inform them of their vacancies. READ NEXT: Thirty jobs on the cards as new department store opens in Tullamore The event will be heavily marketed to attract job seekers especially the employee market who are leaving our county each day on long commutes, said Chamber President, Caroline Collins,. She said the previous three fairs proved to be great successes with very positive feedback from both job hunters and businesses. Ms Collins added that a copy of the application form and full details are available on the Chamber Website: www.tullamorechamber.com or by contacting Mairead Guinan in the Chamber Office info@tullamorechamber.com. She added: There is a cost to the event which is based on the size of businesses but weve endeavoured to keep this to the minimum. The event was officially launched at an informal function in the Tullamore DEW Distillery and Visitor Centre in late May. Pride of place at the launch was the beautiful Irish Wolfhund named Brod, the proud symbol of Tullamore DEW. The Chamber President paid tribute to the body's partners, Offaly Local Development, Offaly Local Enterprise Office, Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board, Offaly County Council and the Technical University of the Shannon, who are again co-hosting the fair. READ NEXT: Offaly celebrates the power of community during National Volunteering Week 2025 THE National Construction Training Campus in Mount Lucas, was the proud host of a major Government event on Monday last, with the launch of the Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Action Plan a bold and coordinated step forward in how Ireland addresses its housing challenges. The launch was led by four Government Ministers: Deputy James Lawless TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Deputy James Browne TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Deputy Peter Burke TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Deputy Marian Harkin TD, Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education Offaly TD Tony McCormack, who attended the event, welcomed the cross-government approach and emphasised the importance of collaboration to deliver real, lasting impact. This Action Plan shows what can be achieved when departments, agencies, and local representatives work together. Im proud to be working closely with my ministerial colleagues to ensure Offaly and the Midlands are front and centre in delivering housing and creating skilled jobs, said Deputy McCormack. READ NEXT: Offaly celebrates the power of community during National Volunteering Week 2025 The MMC Action Plan sets out 58 concrete actions aimed at transforming how homes are built in Ireland with a focus on off-site construction, digital tools, and sustainability. Crucially, it includes measures to upskill existing workers, support new entrants to the construction sector, and help enterprises transition to modern methods. Whether it's working with Minister Lawless on skills and education, Minister Browne on housing delivery, or Minister Burke on enterprise supports, Im making sure Offalys voice is heard at every table, McCormack added. The Mount Lucas campus, operated by Laois and Offaly ETB, provided the ideal setting to showcase Irelands readiness for this transformation. Visitors had the chance to see cutting-edge training facilities, hear from leading experts, and view live demonstrations of MMC in action. Mount Lucas is proof that we dont need to look abroad for innovation. The talent, the tools, and the training are already here in Offaly, said McCormack. The event highlighted a unified government commitment to accelerating housing delivery through smarter building methods a move that also supports environmental goals, local economies, and workforce development. My focus is on results: homes for our families, jobs for our people, and a future built on innovation. Ill continue to work side-by-side with my Government colleagues to make that happen. READ NEXT: New Midlands Base Supervisor for Medicall to be located in Tullamore A DUBLIN dental surgeon facing a summons for dangerous driving had his offence reduced to one of careless driving after he made a charitable donation of 10,000 to the Jack and Jill foundation during Tullamore District Court on Wednesday June 4. Before the court was Mohammed Shirin, 28, Stillorgan Grove, Stillorgan, Dublin. On Sunday, August 11, 2024 he was clocked doing a speed of 184kph in a 100kph zone on the M6, Kilbeggan, Westmeath. Barrister David Nugent said his client on the day was travelling to an emergency to perform an operation. The defending solicitor Brian Duffy told the court that Mr Shirin had learned his lesson and I doubt he will ever find himself in this situation again. "Not only is he making a large donation to Jack and Jill, he also underwent a speed awareness course. He is taking this matter very seriously.2 Judge Andrew Cody said he would reduce the offence from dangerous driving to careless driving. He convicted and fined 750. READ NEXT: Offaly man in possession of 100 of drugs asked to pay to Court Poor Box Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton duel to settle their differences. (Image by Wikipedia (commons.wikimedia.org), Author: Illustrator not identified. From a painting by J. Mund.) Details Source DMCA "May you live in interesting times." He keeps saying this, my friend. Over lunch. On the phone. "May you live in interesting times." It doesn't help. Not when the current interpretation of "interesting" vacillates among "chaotic", "disturbing", "infuriating", and "frightening". First of all, a lot of us (including me) have been blaming the Chinese for this bit of wisdom generally regarded as a curse. Not so, Google's artificial intelligence informs me. (Glad it's good for something useful.) Direct quote from Google search: "The phrase 'May you live in interesting times' is often attributed as a Chinese curse, but it's actually an English expression of unclear origin. It's likely the phrase was misattributed as a Chinese saying, possibly by British politician Sir Austen Chamberlain in the 1930s. The phrase itself, 'live in interesting times', can be traced back to the late 19th century in British political circles." So that's that on the quote. The times, alas, are still with us and currently amount to two super-wealthy sociopaths swapping threats and insults with each other via social media in an apparent attempt to control the world. I don't really have a favorite in the cat fight between Donald Trump and Elon Musk. I don't really find it entertaining. I just want them both to lose. That's the only positive outcome I can see, but I can't yet imagine how it comes about. What I can say is that this was inevitable. Two spoiled little rich boys used to getting whatever they want who don't give a damn about anyone else, totally lacking in impulse control and mostly in the dark about proper social behavior. Plus, they're racist and bigoted. And liars. And cheats. And millions of Americans admired them and thought it was a wonderful idea to put them in charge of our country and our lives. Interesting indeed. What is interesting right now is watching to see if any Republican in Congress takes sides in this fight. Who represents the greatest threat to their continued presence in Congress? After all, that's pretty much all they care about these days. I would think Trump does because he's got the MAGAnuts behind him. Musk has the money to threaten their reelection, but Trump still has the cult of personality going for him and the voters behind it. Elon is definitely damaging the golden boy's image, but is anyone really surprised that Trump is in the Epstein files? But is this any way to run a country? Is this any way to make America great again? An old man with declining mental capacities, sitting in the Oval Office and insulting world leaders who come to visit with him. A Nazi-saluting, richest man in the world, who may well have stolen the last presidential election for the man he is currently insinuating raped young girls. Some choice. Once upon a time, "gentlemen" settled differences of opinion without involving the rest of the world. Aaron Burr, at the time the vice president of the United States, finally got fed up with the opinions and statements of Alexander Hamilton, some of which were published in newspapers, and challenged his longtime political rival to a duel. Let's settle this. Pistols at the Weehawken Dueling Grounds. Apparently, kind of like the Meadowlands of the day. On July 11, 1804, Hamilton was mortally wounded and died the next day. Burr was charged with murder, but eventually acquitted. He was later also acquitted of treason charges, but his reputation was shattered and his political career was over. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). The Madleen, a vessel operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, is currently sailing toward Gaza, carrying humanitarian aid and a message of solidarity from activists like Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan. This mission, launched from Sicily on June 1, 2025, seeks to break Israel's naval blockade and deliver critical supplies-- baby formula, medical equipment, food, and more-- to a population facing famine and devastation. Yet, Israel has vowed to intercept the Madleen, citing security concerns and the need to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas. This stance is not only morally indefensible but also legally questionable, and Israel must allow the flotilla to reach Gaza's shores to alleviate the humanitarian crisis and uphold basic principles of justice. Gaza is in the grip of an unprecedented catastrophe. Over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, with entire communities reduced to rubble by Israel's military operations. The United Nations has warned of an "unfolding famine" threatening 2.1 million people, exacerbated by Israel's blockade, which has restricted food, water, fuel, and medical supplies for nearly two decades. Hospitals are on the brink of collapse, with Gaza's Health Ministry reporting that without fuel for generators, they could become "graveyards" within days. The Madleen's cargo, though symbolic in scale, represents a lifeline for a population abandoned by much of the world's political leadership. Blocking this aid is not just a denial of resources-- it's a denial of humanity. Israel's justification for the blockade hinges on security, claiming it prevents arms from reaching Hamas. But the Madleen is an unarmed civilian vessel, crewed by activists trained in nonviolence, carrying supplies like rice, milk, and hygiene products-- hardly the stuff of military contraband. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has a history of peaceful resistance, and its missions are transparent, monitored by live trackers and international observers. Israel's own security officials reportedly considered allowing the ship to dock after determining it posed no threat, only to reverse course to avoid "setting a precedent". This admission reveals the blockade's true purpose: not security, but control. By stifling even symbolic aid missions, Israel perpetuates a collective punishment that violates international humanitarian law, which mandates unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to civilian populations. The blockade itself, in place since 2007, is an act of aggression against Gaza's 2 million residents. It has crippled the economy, destroyed livelihoods, and left families like that of Madleen Kulab-- Gaza's first fisherwoman, after whom the ship is named-- unable to fish or sustain themselves after Israel destroyed their boats. The international community, including over 200 European parliamentarians who signed an open letter calling for the Madleen's safe passage, recognizes this blockade as illegal and inhumane. Even the International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to ensure aid access, an obligation it flouts by threatening to intercept or attack the flotilla. History offers a grim warning of what Israel's "security measures" can mean. In 2010, Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish-led flotilla, killing 10 activists in international waters. Last month, another Freedom Flotilla vessel, the Conscience, was struck by drones off Malta, an attack widely attributed to Israel. These acts of violence against unarmed civilians expose the brutality of Israel's blockade and its willingness to silence dissent through force. Allowing the Madleen to reach Gaza would be a step toward accountability, signaling that Israel cannot act with impunity against those who challenge its policies. Critics of the flotilla, including Israeli officials and commentators, have smeared activists like Thunberg as "Hamas propagandists" or "anti-Semites". These accusations are baseless and deflect from the real issue: Gaza's suffering. Thunberg and her fellow activists are not sailing to wage war but to shine a light on a humanitarian crisis ignored by too many. Their presence on the Madleen draws global attention to a siege that has normalized starvation and despair. By blocking the ship, Israel not only deepens Gaza's isolation but also fuels accusations of genocidal intent, as voiced by growing numbers of critics worldwide. Israel has a choice: it can perpetuate a blockade that starves and suffocates Gaza, or it can allow the Madleen to dock, proving it values human lives over political posturing. The world is watching, and the flotilla's journey is a test of whether justice and compassion can prevail. Let the Madleen sail. Let Gaza breathe. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has signed a decree on the overhaul of the GandobKhachmazYalamaState Border with the Russian Federation (28 km)Old KhachmazKhaspoladobaGanjaliBabaliAzizliAhmadobaMushvigMushkurHajigazmaHajiahmadobaSharifobaGarajalliKhazarly road in the Khachmaz district, Trend reports. Under the decree, an initial 1.5 million manat ($880,000) from subparagraph 1.19.21 of the Distribution of funds intended for state-owned investments in the state budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2025, approved by Presidential Order No. 445 dated January 10, 2025, was allocated to the Azerbaijan State Roads Agency for the overhaul of a highway connecting 13 settlements and serving a population of 12,000. The Ministry of Finance is instructed to ensure financing in the specified amount, while the Ministry of Economy is tasked with including the remaining required funds in the 2026 state budget draft. The Cabinet of Ministers is responsible for addressing the issues arising from the implementation of this decree. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. Recently, reading an article in the Guardian by Ariel Dorfman on the deportation of children from this country, I thought about the three children, actual U.S. citizens, who were recently deported to Honduras with their mothers -- one a four-year-old with Stage 4 cancer but without his or her medications. Dorfman is a novelist -- as an editor at Pantheon Books long, long ago, I once edited and published his work -- who himself had to leave his homeland as a young child. At the moment, he wonders what the children of deportable immigrants might be fearing (along with their families) now that the Trump administration is going after all too many such families all too eagerly. He recalls a story he wrote almost a half century ago about two siblings in Chile and "how those children would cope psychologically with the threat of agents of the state roaming the streets in search of dissidents to arrest and disappear, what sort of permanent scars of dread would be carved into the souls and bodies of those kids forced to become adults before their time." He then adds, "It is tragic and disgraceful that the fate of a boy and a girl in yesteryear's dictatorial Chile can resonate so perversely in today's America." And he points out, all too pertinently, that "there could be an Albert Einstein lurking inside the head of one of the boys being whisked right now to some unknown destination, there could be a Madame Curie inside one of the girls going through that ordeal. A Cervantes, a George Eliot, a Bob Dylan, a Taylor Swift, a Nelson Mandela, an Abraham Lincoln, a Harriet Tubman, a SimA A ? i ? ? i ? ?n Bolivar, a Garibaldi, a Monet, a Sappho, a Meryl Streep -- who knows what miracles are being snuffed out with each stalked child?" And in that context, let TomDispatch regular Aviva Chomsky take you into an all-American world in which the power to control the movements and locations of others has already brought us all too close to a distinct hell on earth. Tom Freedom of Movement and Global Apartheid The United States and Israel By Aviva Chomsky In an aphorism sometimes attributed to Leo Tolstoy, sometimes to John Gardner, all literature relies on one of two plots: a person goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town. Let me offer my own version. We might summarize the entire history of the human race in two words: people move. Everything else is just elaboration on that basic plot. Some of history's worst atrocities can be attributed to certain people trying to control other people's movements, whether by capturing them, herding them into prison camps (concentration camps, strategic hamlets, model villages), enslaving and transporting them, or warehousing them in besieged countries or regions while barricading the borders of anyplace to which they might want to flee, often consigning them to death in treacherous deserts or seas for trying to exercise the basic human right of freedom of movement. European Freedom and Colonial Domination In February, President Trump astonished the world by proclaiming that the United States should "take over" Gaza and rid it entirely of its Palestinian population. Yet in many ways, as startling as that might have seemed, his proposal fit right in with his drive to remove millions of people from the United States. Both reflected a colonial arrogance that the U.S. and Israel share: the idea that some people (Americans/Europeans/Whites/colonizers) have the right to move themselves as they desire while moving others against their will. Consider it, after a fashion, a contemporary (as well as historic) version of apartheid. Forcing people to move or prohibiting their mobility are two sides of the same colonial or neocolonial coin. Colonizers invade and drive people out or enslave, transport, enclose, and imprison them while barricading off the privileged spaces they create for themselves. In a vicious cycle, colonizers or imperial powers justify their borders and walls in the name of "security" while protecting themselves from those desperate to escape their domination. And such ideas, old as they may be, are still distinctly with us. European imperial actors from Christopher Columbus on claimed the right to freedom of movement on this planet. Today, the flyer you get in the mail with your passport proudly insists that, "with your U.S. passport, the world is yours!" Or consider historian and scientist Jared Diamond's nonchalant claim that "no traditional society tolerated the relatively open access enjoyed by modern American or European citizens, most of whom can travel anywhere" merely by presenting a valid passport and visa to a passport control officer." Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). We are pleased to announce that Tomas Williams has joined EC Assets as Head of Corporate Development & Investor Relations - GCC, further expanding our footprint in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. In his new role, Tomas leads capital raising and strategic growth initiatives across private markets in the GCC, representing EC Assets in one of the world's most sophisticated and fast-evolving investment ecosystems. His focus lies in building and maintaining The drive-thru chain ranks No. 2 among Oregon's most valuable businesses, trailing only Nike. Mike Rogoway/The Oregonian Drive-thru chain Dutch Bros is formally moving its headquarters from its hometown in Grants Pass to its rapidly growing office near Phoenix. The move isnt a surprise. Dutch Bros CEO Christine Barone has worked in Arizona since the company hired her in 2023, and the chain began moving many other corporate jobs there early last year. Still, Dutch Bros exit is a symbolic blow in Oregon. Its the first large, homegrown company to emerge in the state for many generations. With a market capitalization of $11.8 billion, Dutch Bros trails only Nike among Oregons most valuable businesses. To support the next phase of Dutch Bros growth, were relocating additional roles to our new Phoenix office and making strategic changes to the structure of several teams, Dutch Bros said in a written statement. Bringing more people together will allow us to better serve our customers and crews across the country, the company said. With these changes, the Phoenix office will become our official HQ. Dutch Bros said Grants Pass remains a vital part of our story, and it will retain its small roasting facility and support functions there. The Portland Business Journal first reported the companys plans. Founded as a single Grants Pass coffee cart in 1992 by Travis Boersma and his late brother Dane, Dutch Bros sells energy drinks, coffee and other beverages in drive-thru stands across the country. It opened its 1,000th drive-thru in March and hopes eventually to have 7,000. Dutch Bros annual sales have grown from $240 million five years ago to $1.3 billion last year. The company forecasts another 22% growth in 2025. Its fastest-growing markets are in Texas and the Southeast. When Dutch Bros began expanding its corporate offices in Arizona last year, the company said it wanted to be closer to those markets, and closer to a major airport so executives could quickly reach other cities. In the past, Dutch Bros has lamented a dearth of child care in Grants Pass, which the company said made it difficult to recruit young executives with families to southern Oregon. Dutch Bros has a robust fanbase of young coffee and energy drink enthusiasts, who slap the companys stickers on their cars, bikes and skateboards and celebrate its colorful drinks online. But despite the companys rapid ascent, it doesnt have a high profile in Salem and hasnt received a lot of attention from Oregons political leaders. State economic development officials didnt respond Wednesday morning to inquiries about Dutch Bros move and whether the state had made any effort to retain the companys headquarters. Gov. Tina Koteks office said she wouldnt have a statement on the topic until Thursday. Legislative Republicans weighed in, though, blaming taxes and regulations issues Dutch Bros hasnt raised for chasing the company away. Dutch Bros has been more than just a coffee company; its been a valued employer, a community partner, and a symbol of local innovation and grit, said Rep. Dwayne Yunker, R-Josephine County, in a written statement. While Yunker left it to Dutch Bros to explain its reasons for moving, he said the states business climate is prompting businesses to close or leave. Their departure should alarm every policymaker in Salem, Yunker said. Dutch Bros has 18,000 employees, most of them working at its drive-thru stands, and another 8,000 at franchised locations. Historically, the corporate office had about 200 employees in Grants Pass, a city of fewer than 40,000 residents about 30 miles west of Medford. Dutch Bros said last year it planned to move 40% of those jobs to Arizona. Dutch Bros declined to say how many people it employs in Grants Pass and if it plans to lay off workers or transfer any to Arizona. Well definitely feel the impact. Weve been fortunate, said Terry Hopkins, CEO of the Grants Pass & Josephine County Chamber of Commerce. But he said he expects Dutch Bros will continue to be an important part of the community. Dutch Bros growth made Boersma, now the companys chairman, one of Oregons wealthiest residents. Forbes estimates his fortune at about $4 billion. The Boersma family has stayed in southern Oregon, according to Hopkins, who said he expects they will remain. One child just graduated from high school, he said, and another is still attending school there. They still maintain a home here in Grants Pass, Hopkins said. President Donald Trump walks down the stairs of Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Tuesday, June 10, 2025. AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez A federal appeals court agreed Tuesday to let the government keep collecting President Donald Trumps sweeping import taxes while challenges to his signature trade policy continue on appeal. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit extends a similar ruling it made after another federal court struck down the tariffs May 28, saying Trump had overstepped his authority. Noting that the challenges to Trumps tariffs raise issues of exceptional importance, the appeals court said it would expedite the case and hear arguments July 31. The case involves 10% tariffs the president imposed on almost every country in April and bigger ones he imposed and then suspended on countries with which the United States runs trade deficits. It also involves tariffs Trump plastered on imports from China, Canada and Mexico to pressure them to do more to stop the illegal flow of immigrants and synthetic opioids across the U.S. border. In declaring the tariffs, Trump had invoked emergency powers under a 1977 law. But a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled he had exceeded his power. The tariffs upended global trade, paralyzed businesses and spooked financial markets. -- The Associated Press In this handout photo provided by the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office deputies participate in the search for Travis Decker, at an undisclosed location in Washington state, Friday, June 6, 2025. (Snohomish County Sheriff's Office photo via AP) AP After a tip, authorities believe they spotted Travis Decker, the ex-soldier wanted in the deaths of his three daughters, in a remote area of the Cascades. After authorities deployed trackers and helicopter searchers, a solo hiker was spotted from the air. The off-trail hiker ran from sight as the helicopter passed, the Chelan County sheriffs office said. Teams later found a trail, and K-9 teams tracked the person to the area of the Ingalls Creek Trailhead, south of Leavenworth. Authorities did not say when they spotted the subject, but late Monday night they issued an alert for residents in the Ingalls Creek and the Valleyhi community to lock homes and vehicles and to be on the lookout for Decker. The bodies of Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia Decker, ages 9, 8, and 5, were found a week ago near an abandoned campsite outside Leavenworth, three days after their father failed to return them to their mothers Wenatchee, Washington, home per a custody agreement. Autopsies were completed Friday and determined the girls died from suffocation, the release says. The girls wrists were bound with zip ties and their heads covered with plastic bags. Their deaths were ruled homicides. Late Tuesday, authorities said they had received a tip from hikers who saw a lone, ill-prepared person near Colchuk Lake, in a popular Cascade Range backpacking area called The Enchantments. Prosecutors charged Decker last week with aggravated murder and kidnapping. Charging papers say investigators found the girls bodies a short distance from his abandoned GMC pickup. Sheriffs detectives recovered a large amount of evidence and many of Deckers personal belongings from the pickup, according to Mondays news release. His dog was also found at the scene and was placed in the care of the humane society. One blood sample was confirmed to have originated in a male while a second came back as nonhuman, though the release doesnt elaborate on the source. Analysis of DNA and fingerprints is ongoing. Command of the search for Decker was turned over to federal authorities around 6 p.m. Sunday. The U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol have all been previously named as federal agencies participating in the search. We had reached a point where we had to rest our local resources, the news release says. Our command staff continues to be engaged with the search command while we give our teams time off to rest and recuperate and be ready to rejoin the search for, and capture of, the suspect. The sheriffs news release does not indicate whether investigators believe Decker is still in Chelan County. His military training included navigation and outdoor survival and Decker is an avid outdoorsman, according to court documents. An affidavit filed last week federally charging Decker with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution says he conducted online searches about relocating to Canada and notes the site where the girls bodies were found is 11 miles from the Pacific Crest Trail, a well-established route that leads directly to Canada. The news release acknowledges residents frustration in not learning more about the girls killings and the search for Decker. During any criminal investigation, including this one, there is law enforcement sensitive information that is not shared with the public in order to protect the integrity of the investigation, the news release says. We appreciate the publics patience, understanding and cooperation during this complex and emotional investigation. --The Associated Press and Seattle Times contributed Children explore color and texture a Gresham child development center funded as part of Oregon's Preschool Promise program. As a result of the Legislature's proposed cuts to early learning, 600 fewer children could have access to free preschool. Sean Meagher/The Oregonian Oregons agency overseeing child care and early childhood education is poised to receive $45 million less from the Legislature than it needs to operate those programs at their current scope over the next two years. Child care advocates worry that the budget cuts will make early childhood education even less accessible in a state where many parents already struggle to find care for children before kindergarten. The zero to five age group is often fighting for budget crumbs, said Sen. Lisa Reynolds, D- Portland, a pediatrician. To seek cuts in these programs feels disheartening and a little shortsighted. The Legislatures proposed $1.4 billion budget for the department is 3% less than state fiscal experts estimate it needs to fund early childhood services at current levels. Its also 0.5% less than the departments current budget. The Joint Ways and Means Committee approved the proposed agency budget Friday, and the bill is expected to come up for a Senate vote this week or next. Legislators who voted for the budget in committee said that the cuts are an unfortunate but necessary consequence of a reduced pool of money for education and child care. The agencys current budget relies on federal pandemic aid that is expiring, meaning its federal funding will drop from $390 million to just under $250 million for 2025-27. I speak not by way of excuse but a bit by way of reality. This is a difficult year, Sen. Kate Lieber, a Democrat who co-helms the Ways and Means Committee, said Friday. We have cuts that had to be made. Opponents of the cuts say they show a lack of support for young children and could have long-term consequences. Dana Hepper, policy director for The Childrens Institute, which advocates for Oregons young children, called the proposed budget a step in the wrong direction. It would kick kids out of preschool, she added. Some of the most substantial cuts would hit Preschool Promise free schooling for 3- and 4-year-olds whose families earn less than 200% of the federal poverty level and Healthy Families, which provides long-term pairings between high-need families and home visitors. Advocates said that more than 600 children could lose access to preschool if the Legislature approves the proposed $20 million reduction in Preschool Promises funding, a 10% cut from its current funding level. The Department of Early Learning and Care confirmed to The Oregonian/OregonLive that 600 children was a preliminary estimate. But spokesperson Kate Gonsalves said the department is exploring ways to mitigate potential impacts and cannot provide accurate external projections until additional analysis has been completed. Beyond access for children and families, Hepper and others said they are concerned this budget could also lead to child care workers losing their jobs. Gonsalves said leaders at the Department of Early Learning and Care are still assessing potential impacts as the bill continues to move forward. Not every early childhood program is on the financial chopping block. But advocates said that even funding some of those at the so-called current service level what state fiscal experts say is the level of funding needed to keep operating programs at their current scope isnt adequate. Under the plan approved by the Ways and Means Committee, funding for Employment Related Day Care, which provides subsidized child care for low-income working families, is proposed to be at the current service level. However, for years, advocates have said the program needs more money, as more than 11,000 families are on the waitlist. This is just an exacerbation of the lack of support Oregon families are already receiving, said Candice Williams, executive director of advocacy organization Family Forward. Last session, the Legislature had to allot an extra $171 million to Employment Related Day Care so it didnt have to kick out children it was already serving. Department of Early Learning and Care officials project that if funding and the day care caseload remain on their current trajectory, the program could see a $73 million shortfall by June 2027, they said in a March budget presentation. The proposed budget awaiting Senate approval would make some narrow additions to the agencys scope of work. The department would receive funding to add child care licensing positions, which would make it easier to certify new programs. No legislator seemed happy about the cuts during last weeks Ways and Means vote. However, those who voted to move the bill to the Senate floor said the state simply doesnt have the money. I still urge our committee to vote yes on this budget because theres still a lot of great things that are going to get funded, Rep. Ricki Ruiz, a Gresham Democrat who co-chairs the education budget subcommittee, said. I do also understand that these cuts are difficult. The states relatively new corporate tax for education, which provides a dedicated source of funding for K-12 schools and for early learning programs, is expected to bring in nearly $200 million less in the next two years than had been projected prior to May. Without that revenue, the tax proceeds cant fully cover needs at the Department of Early Learning and Care, Ruiz said. I think its going to take all of us to have a very serious conversation about how we fund a stable early childhood system, Ruiz said. Advocates said that paying for widespread, high-quality early education would have positive impacts for the future, increasing third grade literacy, graduation and employment rates, while decreasing need for other services like homelessness help, behavioral health care and prison. Investing in children seems like the wrong thing to be backing away from in a time of challenging budgets because this will just increase other costs in the long run, Hepper said. Eddy Binford-Ross covers education and local politics for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach her via email at ebinfordross@oregonian.com A garden center in Sellwood closed due to high heat on July 7, 2024. Regulators in Oregon have approved new rules to protect low-income residential customers from power disconnections during summer heat events. Margaret Haberman/The Oregonian The Oregon Public Utility Commission has approved temporary rules to protect residential customers from power disconnections during high summer heat. The ban starts this month and runs through October and is meant to ensure all Oregonians including those with lower incomes and who rely on medical devices can safely cope with extreme temperatures. The protections stem from a bill passed in 2021, dubbed the Energy Affordability Act, which required the commission to adopt measures to reduce the burden of high electricity costs for Oregonians. Under the new rules, all investor-owned electric utilities Portland General Electric, PacifiCorp and Idaho Power are prohibited from disconnecting service due to non-payment during major heat waves. The rules apply when the National Weather Service or another local jurisdiction issues a heat advisory or extreme heat watch or warning or when a local air quality alert is issued. Customers also are protected in the 48 hours after a qualifying hot spell and 24 hours after an air quality alert has been issued. Customers whose utility services were disconnected up to three days before a heat event can request to be reconnected without delay once the extreme weather begins. Medical certificate holders and low income customers who participate in a bill discount program and were disconnected up to seven days before the heat wave can qualify for the reconnection. Typically, utilities can charge a reconnection fee and require customers to pay at least a portion of their past due bills before reconnecting them. But the new rules waive upfront reconnection fees. (Once the heat wave is over, most customers -- other than the low income ones and the medical certificate customers -- are still responsible for paying their past due bills and reconnection fees). The new rules also require utilities to inform customers about the protections so they can quickly get service reconnected. The commission is poised to adopt permanent rules by December. Customer advocates hailed the rules in the wake of the states first high heat event earlier this week. This past weekend, we saw record-breaking heat that threatened the health and safety of our seniors, neighbors with disabilities, and families. These new protections mean that no one will be left at home in danger without electricity simply because their energy bills are too expensive, said Charlotte Shuff, a spokesperson for the Oregon Citizens Utility Board, a nonprofit organization that advocates for utility customers and supported the measures. Gosia Wozniacka covers environmental justice, climate change, the clean energy transition and other environmental issues. Reach her at gwozniacka@oregonian.com or 971-421-3154. Activist Greta Thunberg answers reporters as she arrives from Israel at Charles de Gaulle airport, north of Paris, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. AP JERUSALEM Israel deported activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday, a day after the Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized by the Israeli military. Speaking upon arrival in Paris en route to her home country of Sweden, Thunberg called for the release of the other activists who were detained aboard the Freedom Flotilla. She described a quite chaotic and uncertain situation during the detention. The conditions they faced are absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now, she said. The trip was meant to protest Israeli restrictions on aid to Gazas population of over 2 million people after 20 months of war, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group behind the journey. Thunberg calls on supporters to mobilize We were well aware of the risks of this mission, Thunberg said. The aim was to get to Gaza and to be able to distribute the aid. She said the activists would continue trying to get aid to Gaza. On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump called Thunberg a young angry person and recommended she take anger management classes. I think the world need a lot more young angry women, Thunberg said Tuesday in response. Thunberg said it appeared she was headed back to Sweden, hadnt had access to a phone in a few days and wanted a shower. The activists were held separately and some had trouble accessing lawyers, she added. Asked why she agreed to deportation, she said, Why would I want to stay in an Israeli prison more than necessary? Thunberg called on supporters to ask their governments to demand not only humanitarian aid being let into Gaza but most importantly an end to the occupation and an end to the systemic oppression and violence that Palestinians are facing on an everyday basis. She said recognizing Palestine is the very, very, very minimum that governments can do to help. Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on the Madleen. Israeli naval forces seized the boat without incident early Monday about 200 kilometers (125 miles) off Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, along with rights groups, said Israels actions in international waters were a violation of international law. Israel rejects that charge, saying such ships intend to breach what it argues is a lawful naval blockade of Gaza. Israel viewed the ship as a publicity stunt, calling it the selfie yacht with a meager amount of aid that amounted to less than a truckload. Other activists face deportation The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said three activists, including Thunberg, had been deported along with a journalist. It said it had encouraged some to do it so they could speak freely about their experiences. Eight other passengers refused deportation and were in detention before their case is heard by Israeli authorities. Adalah, a legal rights group in Israel representing them, said they were expected to be brought before a court later Tuesday. Their detention is unlawful, politically motivated and a direct violation of international law, the coalition said in a statement. It called for remaining passengers to be released without deportation and said their lawyers would demand that they be allowed to complete their journey to Gaza. Sabine Haddad, a spokeswoman for Israels Interior Ministry, said the activists who were being deported Tuesday had waived their right to appear before a judge. Those who did not will face one and be held for 96 hours before being deported, she said. Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was among the passengers. She has previously been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. It was not clear whether she was being immediately deported or detained. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said one of the detained French activists signed an expulsion order and would leave Tuesday. The other five refused. He said all the activists received consular visits. Sergio Toribio, a Spanish activist, slammed Israels actions after he arrived in Barcelona. It is unforgivable, it is a violation of our rights. It is a pirate attack in international waters, he told reporters. A longstanding blockade of Gaza Palestinians in Gaza are now almost completely dependent on international aid. Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of a blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gazas Palestinian population. During the 20-month-long war in Gaza, Israel has restricted and sometimes blocked all aid into the territory, including food, fuel and medicine. Experts say that policy has pushed Gaza toward famine. Israel asserts that Hamas siphons off the aid to bolster its rule. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack that ignited the war and took 251 hostages, most released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas still holds 55 hostages, more than half believed to be dead. Israels military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesnt distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said women and children make up most of the dead. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of the territorys population. By ISAAC SCHARF and AREEJ HAZBOUN, Associated Press Associated Press writers Angela Charlton in Paris, Teresa Medrano in Madrid, Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report. Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys visionary and fragile leader whose genius for melody, arrangements and wide-eyed self-expression inspired Good Vibrations, California Girls and other summertime anthems and made him one of the worlds most influential recording artists, has died at 82. Wilsons family posted news of his death to his website and social media accounts Wednesday. Further details werent immediately available. The eldest and last surviving of three musical brothers Brian played bass, Carl lead guitar and Dennis drums he and his fellow Beach Boys rose in the 1960s from local California band to national hitmakers to international ambassadors of surf and sun. Wilson himself was celebrated for his gifts and pitied for his demons. He was one of rocks great romantics, a tormented man who in his peak years embarked on an ever-steeper path to aural perfection, the one true sound. The Beach Boys rank among the most popular groups of the rock era, with more than 30 singles in the Top 40 and worldwide sales of more than 100 million. The 1966 album Pet Sounds was voted No. 2 in a 2003 Rolling Stone list of the best 500 albums, losing out, as Wilson had done before, to the Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. The Beach Boys, who also featured Wilson cousin Mike Love and childhood friend Al Jardine, were voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Wilson feuded with Love over songwriting credits, but peers otherwise adored him beyond envy, from Elton John and Bruce Springsteen to Smokey Robinson and Carole King. The Whos drummer, Keith Moon, fantasized about joining the Beach Boys. Paul McCartney cited Pet Sounds as a direct inspiration on the Beatles and the ballad God Only Knows as among his favorite songs, often bringing him to tears. Wilson moved and fascinated fans and musicians long after he stopped having hits. In his later years, Wilson and a devoted entourage of younger musicians performed Pet Sounds and his restored opus, Smile, before worshipful crowds in concert halls. Meanwhile, The Go-Gos, Lindsey Buckingham, Animal Collective and Janelle Monae were among a wide range of artists who emulated him, whether as a master of crafting pop music or as a pioneer of pulling it apart. Members of The Beach Boys, from left, Mike Love, Carl Wilson, Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston, pose with their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, during a ceremony in Los Angeles on Dec. 30, 1980. AP Photo/Lennox McLendon, File An endless summer The Beach Boys music was like an ongoing party, with Wilson as host and wallflower. He was a tall, shy man, partially deaf (allegedly because of beatings by his father, Murry Wilson), with a sweet, crooked grin, and he rarely touched a surfboard unless a photographer was around. But out of the lifestyle that he observed and such musical influences as Chuck Berry and the Four Freshmen, he conjured a golden soundscape sweet melodies, shining harmonies, vignettes of beaches, cars and girls that resonated across time and climates. Decades after its first release, a Beach Boys song can still conjure instant summer the wake-up guitar riff that opens Surfin USA; the melting vocals of Dont Worry Baby; the chants of fun, fun, fun or good, good, GOOD, good vibrations; the behind-the-wheel chorus Round, round, get around, I get around. Beach Boys songs have endured from turntables and transistor radios to boom boxes and iPhones, or any device that could lay on a beach towel or be placed upright in the sand. The bands innocent appeal survived the groups increasingly troubled back story, whether Brians many personal trials, the feuds and lawsuits among band members or the alcoholism of Dennis Wilson, who drowned in 1983. Brian Wilsons ambition raised the Beach Boys beyond the pleasures of their early hits and into a world transcendent, eccentric and destructive. They seemed to live out every fantasy, and many nightmares, of the California myth they helped create. FILE - Mike Love, left, and Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, perform at the Miller Time concert on Pier 84 on July 8, 1983 in New York. AP Photo/ David Handschuh, File From the suburbs to the national stage Brian Wilson was born June 20, 1942, two days after McCartney. His musical gifts were soon obvious, and as a boy he was playing piano and teaching his brothers to sing harmony. The Beach Boys started as a neighborhood act, rehearsing in Brians bedroom and in the garage of their house in suburban Hawthorne, California. Surf music, mostly instrumental in its early years, was catching on locally: Dennis Wilson, the groups only real surfer, suggested they cash in. Brian and Love hastily wrote up their first single, Surfin, a minor hit released in 1961. They wanted to call themselves the Pendletones, in honor of Oregons Pendleton Woolen Mills popular flannel shirt they wore in early publicity photos. But when they first saw the pressings for Surfin, they discovered the record label had tagged them The Beach Boys. Other decisions were handled by their father, a musician of some frustration who hired himself as manager and holy terror. By mid-decade, Murry Wilson had been displaced and Brian, who had been running the bands recording sessions almost from the start, was in charge, making the Beach Boys the rare group of the time to work without an outside producer. Their breakthrough came in early 1963 with Surfin USA, so closely modeled on Berrys Sweet Little Sixteen that Berry successfully sued to get a songwriting credit. It was their first Top 10 hit and a boast to the nation: If everybody had an ocean / across the USA / then everybodyd be surfin, / like Cali-for-nye-ay. From 1963-66, they were rarely off the charts, hitting No. 1 with I Get Around and Help Me, Rhonda and narrowly missing with California Girls and Fun, Fun, Fun. For television appearances, they wore candy-striped shirts and grinned as they mimed their latest hit, with a hot rod or surfboard nearby. Their music echoed private differences. Wilson often contrasted his own bright falsetto with Loves nasal, deadpan tenor. The extroverted Love was out front on the fast songs, but when it was time for a slow one, Brian took over. The Warmth of the Sun was a song of despair and consolation that Wilson alleged to some skepticism he wrote the morning after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Dont Worry Baby, a ballad equally intoxicating and heartbreaking, was a leading mans confession of doubt and dependence, an early sign of Brians crippling anxieties. Stress and exhaustion led to a breakdown in 1964 and his retirement from touring, his place soon filled by Bruce Johnston, who remained with the group for decades. Wilson was an admirer of Phil Spectors Wall of Sound productions and emulated him on Beach Boys tracks, adding sleigh bells to Dance, Dance, Dance or arranging a mini-theme park of guitar, horns, percussion and organ as the overture to California Girls. By the mid-1960s, the Beach Boys were being held up as the countrys answer to the Beatles, a friendly game embraced by each group, transporting pop music to the level of art and leaving Wilson a broken man. --By HILLEL ITALIE/The Associated Press Photo: State Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Captive and Missing, Hostage Citizens BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. The number of the members of the Working Group of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Missing and Hostage Citizens in Azerbaijan has been increased, Trend reports. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed the relevant decree. According to the decree, the number of the group members has been increased from eight to 15. Oregon Senate in January 2025. Sens. Janeen Sollman and Jeff Golden voted "no" on SB 916 both times that the bill came to a floor vote. But this time, Sen. Mark Meek and newly-sworn in Sen. Courtney Neron Misslin voted with them to force another conversation about the harmful risks the bill poses to schools and other public employers. Beth Nakamura The quick passage of Senate Bill 916, which allows striking workers to collect unemployment pay, was not a done deal, after all. Despite our fears that the Oregon Senate would once again approve SB 916 senators had already passed an earlier version in March a Tuesday vote to accept changes made by the Oregon House narrowly failed. The union-backed bill, which now goes to a conference committee of legislators from both chambers, is still very much alive. But Oregonians should be grateful that four Senate Democrats broke ranks with their party and voted with Senate Republicans to tap the brakes on this deeply flawed bill. In voting no, Sens. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro; Jeff Golden, D-Ashland; Mark Meek, D-Gladstone and Courtney Neron Misslin, D- Wilsonville, are risking blowback from the labor unions that have long powered Democrats campaigns. (In the House, Rep. John Lively, D-Springfield, was the only Democratic no.) But their vote ensures that the objections repeatedly raised by K-12 schools, cities, counties and others wont so easily be swept under the rug. The bill, which allows both public and private employees to collect up to 26 weeks of unemployment pay after two weeks of striking, breaks new ground nationally. Only three other states extend unemployment to striking workers, and none of those give public employees a legally protected right to strike. While the bill has many, many shortcomings which readers can learn more about from our earlier editorials the risks are particularly high for K-12 school districts. Schools, like other public employers, have to repay the states unemployment fund each dollar that is paid out to their workers. Even with amendments, the bill doesnt adequately address districts many concerns. That potential financial hit weakens school districts position in bargaining with unions. Districts have a mission to serve students and keep schools open. They also depend on the state for funding which almost any school community will say is not nearly adequate. And K-12 districts are hardly the money-grubbing employers that the bills backers say are starving striking workers into accepting bad contracts. Rather, this bill only further tilts the scales against schools and other public employers that have few ways to pay for expenses beyond cutting services to the public. The bill now goes to a conference committee made up of six legislators four Democrats and two Republicans. With only a few weeks left in the legislative session, committee members should consider whether they can make the changes needed to genuinely fix this bill. A proposed change, posted on Tuesday afternoon, would limit unemployment to 12 weeks, rather than 26 hardly a sufficient revision considering the magnitude of the flaws. And theres no shortage of urgent matters for legislators to focus on the just-dropped $1 billion-plus transportation package, the lack of a wildfire response funding plan and other crises that should take center stage. The committee should wrestle with the wisdom of forcing through such a massive change that carries such potential for harm. In the meantime, Oregonians should look up how their own legislators voted on this bill, which they can do so by going to the bills overview page on Oregon Legislatures OLIS site. Those concerned that K-12 schools are underfunded should contact their lawmakers and let them know that they dont want the state to handcuff school districts by undermining them at the bargaining table or committing their dollars to cover unemployment for those who choose to strike. They should remind lawmakers that negotiations are already governed by a robust set of laws to promote good-faith bargaining and that legislators should serve the public, not their donors. The list of bad consequences from SB 916 is long, but credit the legislators who voted no in the Senate for giving the Legislature the chance to change course. -The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board President Donald Trumps deployment of California National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles is deeply concerning, (National Guard troops arrive in Los Angeles on Trumps orders to quell immigration protests, June 8). The root cause of this unrest is the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to round up people in workplaces, in courtrooms and in schools. These are not the violent criminals that the administration said would be the target of its heavy-handed mass deportation campaign. Many are in the country legally. Others were detained trying to attend immigration case hearings. Some are American citizens. These raids have broken up families, in some cases leaving children without parents to care for them. While I deplore violence and vandalism, I cannot blame people for taking to the streets, speaking out and confronting ICE personnel who stretch or break the law to fill their deportation quotas. I applaud Gov. Tina Koteks decision to join with other Democratic governors to condemn Trumps actions, and to defend her power to manage the Oregon National Guard (Trump has no right to deploy Oregon National Guard against protesters in Portland, Kotek insists, June 9). This is a good start, but not enough. I urge readers of The Oregonian/OregonLive to speak out and urge Kotek and Oregons congressional representatives to do everything in their powers to oppose this. Oregons National Guard must not be turned into a police force, and the decision to send in the Marines must be condemned. American citizens are not the enemy, and protesting the administrations overreach is not an insurrection that calls for military intervention. Stefan Jones, Hillsboro To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion. A view of the Olympic Mountains from the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center in Olympic National Park. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian An 18-year-old slipped on rocks and fell to his death over a popular 50-foot waterfall in Washington, officials said. Witnesses saw the man go over the Sol Duc Falls on June 8 in the Olympic National Park, the National Park Service said in a news release. Before that, he was seen walking across slippery rocks at the top of the waterfall when he lost his footing and fell, park rangers said. He was then seen at the bottom of the falls before vanishing in the water, rangers said. Search teams quickly spread out to find him, looking on riverbanks upstream and using thermal imaging to look in the water, officials said. A body was spotted the next day completely submerged and pinned between the first and second falls, rangers said. The tourist attraction has been closed off to the public while rangers recover the body. The hike to Sol Duc Falls is 1.6 miles round trip with an elevation gain of about 200 feet, according to Washington Trails Association. Depending on water volume, Sol Duc Falls splits into as many as four channels as it cascades 48 feet into a narrow, rocky canyon, the association says. 2025 The Peninsula Gateway (Gig Harbor, Wash.). Visit www.thenewstribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Travis Decker has been the target of a large manhunt ever since June 2, when a sheriffs deputy found his truck and the bodies of his three daughters 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker. Wenatchee Police SEATTLE Authorities say they believe they spotted Travis Decker, an ex-soldier wanted in the deaths of his three daughters, near a remote alpine lake in Washington state, after receiving a tip from hikers who said they saw a lone person who appeared to be ill-prepared for the conditions. The Chelan County Sheriffs office said in a Facebook post Tuesday that tracking teams responded immediately, and a helicopter crew spotted a hiker near Colchuk Lake, in a popular Cascade Range backpacking area called The Enchantments. The worlds most powerful politician and its richest businessman stepped back Wednesday from their war of words that stunned Washington and Wall Street alike last week. Early Wednesday, Elon Musk wrote on X, I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. For his part, Trump said in a New York Post podcast interview published Wednesday, Things like that happen. I dont blame him for anything. It was Musks strongest sign of contrition yet over his handling of the dramatic break with Trump, days after a call with two of the presidents top allies. Vice President JD Vance and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles called Musk last Friday to urge him to end his conflict with Trump, said people familiar with the conversation. The call was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Musk served as a close adviser and confidant to Trump until a bitter public falling-out last week, which caused a firestorm for the president and the worlds richest person. The dispute which was triggered by Musks opposition to the tax-cut bill Trump is pushing through Congress posed a threat to Musks wealth when the president raised the prospect of retaliating by cutting off his government contracts. That would have battered SpaceX, his rocket company. I thought it was very nice that he did that, Trump said in a brief interview with the New York Post, without elaborating on whether he would fully let go of the feud. For Trump, the spat was a distraction as he attempts to pass a massive tax bill, negotiate peace in two international conflicts and deal with protests in the second biggest city in the U.S. Last Thursday, investors in Musks electric vehicle company Tesla sent the stock plunging more than 14%, knocking $150 billion off the companys market value. Tesla shares recovered those losses over a few days trading, although the rally stalled Wednesday, Musk was first to stand down from what had been an escalating spat, responding to advice from those online to de-escalate after it rapidly veered out of control. He had riled Trump by claiming credit for his election victory, endorsing his impeachment and even suggesting the president was implicated in the sex crimes of Jeffrey Epstein. It remains unclear how much Musks expressions of regret will do much to repair his relationship with Trump, who is known for carrying grudges and has been using the power of the federal government to lash out at those who have crossed him. That would seem to pose particular peril for Musk, given SpaceX holds a large amount of federal contracts and many of his businesses are subject to federal regulatory oversight. Trump has signaled little willingness to mend fences with Musk but told reporters that he felt they had once had a good relationship and I wish him well. The scale of the blow-up had already cast significant doubt on whether the two will ever resume the close friendship they had during the first several months of Trumps second term, when Musk was a nearly ubiquitous presence in the White House. Musk had led the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which sought to slash spending, shutter agencies and cut the federal workforce. The department aimed to generate $1 trillion of savings for the government but fell far short of that goal, producing just $180 billion by its own unverified accounting. Even that would be erased by Trumps tax bill, which would add $2.4 trillion to the governments budget deficits over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. That caused Musk to lobby against its passage, calling it a disgusting abomination. --Bloomberg and The Associated Press contributed Oregon child welfare advocates have lined up on either side of a contentious bill that would loosen regulations around restraint and seclusion. Lawmakers advanced the bill on Wednesday. The Bay City Times Lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a bill that would loosen Oregons standards for when restraining a child is considered abuse and again allow the Department of Human Services to send foster youth out of state for treatment. House Bill 3835 is among the most complicated and contentious pieces of legislation circulating in Salem this year. It is backed by state leaders and child caring agencies who argue that Oregons current regulations have made it hard to retain staff or secure necessary mental health and medical care for foster children. It is hotly contested by advocates for those children who argue the expansive and technical bill goes too far, walking back regulations that protect vulnerable kids from child abuse. The bill is sponsored by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and also opposed by lawmakers on both sides. The House Rules Committee first heard testimony on the bill last month, after the House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services moved it to that committee for more vetting. On Wednesday, the Rules Committee voted along party lines to adopt an amendment proposed by bill sponsor Rep. Rob Nosse, a Portland Democrat, and to advance the measure to the Legislatures budget committee, despite concerns raised by the Democratic chairs of both the House and Senate human services committees and opposition from House Republicans. In an email Wednesday morning, Democratic Rep. and House Human Services Chair Annessa Hartman of Gladstone told Rules Committee members that a multitude of questions shed raised about the bills impacts have gone unanswered. She called it disrespectful and disappointing to be ignored. The bill doesnt significantly impact the states ability to support children in their communities or improve holistic support, Hartman said: It simply loosens regulations on an outdated residential system that this state has known was inadequate to meet the needs of our kids for over a decade. Rep. Lucetta Elmer, a McMinnville Republican, said Wednesday that shed been leaning toward a yes vote on the bill but was hung up on the vastness of the far-reaching, 100-page amendment and concerned about the number of questions left unanswered. Despite feeling sick to her stomach about the thought of failing to move the needle for Oregons foster youth, Elmer said, she voted against advancing the bill. It needed more conversation, she said, and she fears it might have unintended consequences for children. We need to do something. These kids dont have a voice or one thats not being heard, Elmer said. Our system is broken. Elmer was joined by House Republican Leader Christine Drazan from Canby and Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis from Albany in voting against the bill. Drazan said the bill felt tailored to protect state systems and bureaucracies instead of centering the experiences of kids. Im not willing to make a trade-off that puts kids in harms way for the convenience of anyone, Drazan told The Oregonian/OregonLive in May before shed decided how to vote on the bill. If this bill allows us to move forward and streamline systems without putting kids at risk, then thats something worth doing. And if theres a chance that its not, that its just the agency meeting its own needs, then its not something that we should support. Democrats said they were advancing the bill because something has to change in Oregons care for youth. Theyre frustrated with the states reliance on placing children in hotels when the child welfare agency cant find a better place for them and a lack of services for children even as their behavioral health needs escalate. Rep. Hai Pham, a Hillsboro Democrat, said hes been involved with government efforts to expand behavioral health access for youth for seven years and things have only gotten worse. He sees HB 3835 as an opportunity to move the needle and hopefully reverse the trend. These kids need help. The status quo is not working. We need to do something, Pham said. If we do nothing, kids are going to continue to be harmed. Democratic Reps. Andrea Valderrama of Portland, Jason Kropf of Bend and House Majority Leader Ben Bowman of Tigard joined Pham in support of the bill. Valderrama said Oregon cant afford to lose behavioral health workers or health facilities. She said she was optimistic the bill would help prevent temporary lodging and improve access to treatment for children of color and children with severe behavioral health needs. Kropf, an attorney who is familiar with Oregons delinquency system, said the bill will allow behavioral health providers to expand services and offer more care for kids who need it. I think this is a step forward, Kropf said. Sami Edge covers higher education and politics for The Oregonian. You can reach her at sedge@oregonian.com or (503) 260-3430. Trenton Yellowtail (left) and his brothers Silas (center) and Julian were found Monday and Tuesday by the Oregon Department of Human Services. Courtesy of the Department of Human Services Three brothers who had been missing since late May were found by officials on Monday and Tuesday, according to the Oregon Department of Human Services. Julian, Silas and Trenton Yellowtail, ages 14 to 18, were believed to be in danger at the time of their disappearance. The agency asked for the publics help in locating the brothers Saturday. State officials released no other information about the disappearance or the resolution. Kimberly Cortez covers breaking news, public safety and more for The Oregonian/OregonLive. She can be reached at kcortez@oregonian.com A Minnesota woman claims in a lawsuit that Delta flight attendants overserved a fellow passenger, who then assaulted her during a flight from San Juan to Atlanta in October. (Dreamstime/TNS) TNS A Minneapolis woman is suing Delta Air Lines, claiming the airline is responsible for a drunk passenger assaulting her on an October flight from Puerto Rico to Atlanta. Minnie Holmes, 72, filed a federal lawsuit last week alleging Delta flight attendants served alcoholic drinks to two passengers despite obvious signs of drunkenness. Holmes said one of the passengers, a man seated in the row ahead of her, punched her in the chest following a dispute over a reclined seat. In a statement, a Delta spokesperson said the company does not comment on pending litigation, but the airline has zero tolerance for customers behaving in an inappropriate or unlawful manner. Delta trains flight attendants to identify and discontinue service to intoxicated passengers according to the company. Federal law prohibits serving alcohol to a passenger who appears to be intoxicated. According to the lawsuit, Holmes went on vacation while grieving the recent death of her son. She and her daughter were traveling home when they had the run-in with a man and a woman seated in front of them. The passengers were being disruptive during the flight, according to the lawsuit, yelling and using foul language. At one point, Holmes daughter asked the woman to move her seat up, and she refused. A loud retort from the reclined passenger prompted a Delta flight attendant to address the situation, the lawsuit says. Holmes claims the flight attendant left after telling the passenger she could recline her seat. Flight attendants continued to serve the man and woman alcoholic beverages, the lawsuit alleges, even as they were obviously intoxicated, disruptive and a foreseeable danger to other passengers on the flight. Later, as Holmes daughter was retrieving an item from a bag, the lawsuit says, the man seated ahead of them reached behind his seat and forcibly punched Holmes in the chest. Four Delta employees intervened and moved the two passengers to different seats, according to the lawsuit. Holmes says all four she, her daughter and the two passengers in front of them were escorted from the plane upon landing, and police were waiting at the gate. The lawsuit does not name the other passengers involved. The flight number referenced in the lawsuit, DL1946, runs twice daily between Atlanta and San Juan, Puerto Rico, according to flight tracking website Flightera.net. The lawsuit accuses Delta of a pattern of overserving passengers, citing four other legal cases involving intoxicated passengers who engaged in violence, assault or serious misconduct. The most recent, a lawsuit filed in July 2023, alleged a drunk passenger on a flight from New York to Greece made obscene gestures toward and inappropriately touched a 16-year-old girl seated next to him. The family, which sued Delta anonymously, claimed flight attendants served the man 10 vodkas before he loudly vomited in the bathroom and then served him red wine. Two other cases involved men accused of sexually assaulting female passengers while drinking heavily. In one, a 69-year-old man was convicted of felony assault for touching a 15-year-old girls thigh for two minutes while she sat beside him. In a statement, Holmes and her lawyer said Holmes case demonstrates Delta needs to improve passenger safety. We believe Delta failed to take basic steps to prevent this from happening and created a situation that put others at risk, resulting in an assault, attorney Naomi Martin said. Holmes said in the statement that the trip to Puerto Rico was meant to help her cope with her sons death. Instead, the traumatic event on the Delta flight home made things worse, she said. I decided to come forward because I believe Delta needs to do better to protect passengers like me. 2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, has been honored as an icon of animation at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the annual event in France that, as The Hollywood Reporter notes, has become a must-attend for the biggest names in the industry. In accepting an Honorary Cristal lifetime achievement award, Groening thanked his family, as Deadline reports, and reminded the audience that the main characters iin The Simpsons are famously named after his father and mother, Homer and Marge, his sisters, Lisa and Maggie, and his grandfather, Abe. Portlanders may already be well aware of Groenings roots in the Rose City. As The Oregonian/OregonLive has reported, Groening was raised in the West Hills, attended Ainsworth Elementary School and Lincoln High School. Names of Portland streets (Flanders, Terwilliger, Quimby, for example) have turned up as character names in the show, as well. The Simpsons first appeared in 1987, as short animated films included on The Tracey Ullman Show, and later became a mainstay as a series on the Fox broadcast network. During the event at the festival, The Hollywood Reporter noted that Groening was joined by The Simpsons executive producer and showrunner Matt Selman, and consulting producer-animator David Silverman for a discussion of the show, its development, and its enduring popularity on Fox, where its currently in its 36th season. Selman said, So many of our fans now are young people, like, really young people...between the ages of, like, 8 and 12, watching it on Disney+, and it becomes their favorite show for, like, four years before they move on to harder and crazier stuff. They watch every episode, and it kind of informs their worldview. We get a chance to teach them our worldview, to show them how to look at the world with skepticism and curiosity and also empathy. This story has been updated to reflect that the proposed agreement has been approved. The board of Washington Countys sewer agency approved a six-figure payout for its former chief executive officer, who tendered her resignation last month in the aftermath of an investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive that uncovered lavish spending at the public agency. Diane Taniguchi-Dennis, whose last day at the agency was June 6, will receive a one-time payment of $121,861, according to a separation agreement she signed June 3. That payout represents two months of salary and enough money to cover two years of medical insurance. The sewer board, which is made up solely of the members of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, voted 4-0 to approve the agreement at a meeting Thursday. In return, Taniguchi-Dennis has agreed not to sue the agency, according to the agreement. She retains the right to report any potential claims of discrimination to government agencies like the Bureau of Labor and Industries, but she will be unable to receive any monetary relief from any such claims, the agreement says. The two sides also have agreed not to disparage each other, although the agreement does allow for leaders associated with the agency to make truthful statements in response to any investigations or audits. The sewer agency is in the process of identifying an outside investigator to conduct an audit of its travel and meal spending over the last three years. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported in March that executives from Clean Water Services, the states second-largest sewer agency, stayed in luxury resorts during annual business trips to Hawaii that cost tens of thousands of dollars and that the agency paid $440,000 on local and travel meals over five years four times more than its two metro area counterparts spent on food during that time combined. Taniguchi-Dennis was among several sewer executives who traveled to Hawaii for annual insurance conferences at a cast of five-star resorts. The trips were paid for by an insurance subsidiary that the Clean Water Services board created in 2016 and registered in the state of Hawaii. Trips in 2019, 2022 and 2023 cost $91,000, with premium lodging and first-class airfare for Taniguchi-Dennis hitting $8,400 in 2023 alone. The agency said the trip was booked as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Oregon law even though the hotel Taniguchi-Dennis stayed at advertises accessible rooms at all price points, not just in Gold rooms or suites. Taniguchi-Dennis also regularly dined out locally, spending at least $5,100 in under two years on meals she shared with some of her top executives. To date, Taniguchi-Dennis has not provided an explanation for the spending or agreed to be interviewed by The Oregonian/OregonLive. She said in a statement released nearly three weeks after the newsrooms report that she took the investigation seriously and noted that, as CEO, I should model accountable executive spending to avoid an appearance of impropriety. Acknowledging the need for more oversight, Washington Countys sewer board in April adopted new measures for the agency and required Taniguchi-Dennis to work with it on a plan to restore the trust of the community, local government partners, employees, and the board. When Taniguchi-Dennis presented the agencys progress implementing the oversight plan, the board was not impressed. Officials chided her for failing to provide sufficient details or outline bold action during a presentation where she read from prepared slides that included only vague descriptions and lacked timelines. She submitted her resignation a week later. At a public meeting after her announcement, Taniguchi-Dennis offered a brief statement complaining about the media attention. Ive learned that minor facts can be skewed with sensationalism and conjecture to create a false picture about a public servant, she said, adding that she hoped her decision to resign would create a space for unity to move forward. Taniguchi-Dennis had a base salary of $357,000, according to the agency, but she earned a total salary of nearly $400,000 last year. Separately, Taniguchi-Dennis filed retirement paperwork in 2023, enabling her to earn what is now an annual benefit of $147,119 from the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System. Rick Shanley, the agencys chief engineer and water technology officer, has been named acting chief executive officer/general manager. The sewer board is set to approve a 3% rate increase for customers to take effect July 1, down from the 4% hike initially proposed by the agency. Jamie Goldberg oversees The Oregonian/OregonLives politics, education and homelessness coverage. She can be reached atjgoldberg@oregonian.comor 503-221-8228. You can find her on X at@jamiebgoldbergor Bluesky at @jamiebgoldberg.bsky.social. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. The Indo Defence 2024 exhibition, postponed from last year, officially opened on June 11 in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, Trend reports. Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense Industry stated that a delegation led by Defense Minister Vugar Mustafayev is also attending the event. The biennial exhibition, among the largest of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, also includes parallel showcasesIndo Aerospace, Indo Marine, and Indo Securityfeaturing emerging technologies across land, sea, air, cyber, and unmanned systems. Mustafayev held sideline meetings with senior figures, including the head of the Defence Industry Committee under the Presidency of Turkiye, Haluk Gorgun, Turkiye's Deputy Minister of National Defense, Suay Alpay, as well as executives from Turkish firms HAVELSAN, Turkish Aerospace, and Roketsan, China's CPMIEC and NORINCO, and the United Arab Emirates EDGE Group. Talks focused on strengthening ties between Azerbaijans defense institutions and global partners. The international event, held at the Jakarta International Expo venue, features a wide range of technological innovations in land, naval, and air forces, cyber defense, unmanned systems, and security technologies. The exhibition will conclude on June 14. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Portland will see some clouds Wednesday and Thursday. High temps will be in the mid-to-high 70s. Oregonian file photo. LC- The Oregonian Cooling temperatures and clouds, courtesy of an onshore air flow, show up Wednesday as Portland sees highs dip into the upper 70s. The National Weather Service says upper-level troughing over the northeast Pacific Ocean will help bring cooler air into the region and bring morning cloud cover to Portland over the next few days. Portland will stay dry Wednesday with calm winds. The daytime high should reach about 79 degrees. Temperatures will be cooler along the coast where a persistent marine influence keeps the highs in the upper 50s to low 60s. Theres even a chance of patchy mist and drizzle along the beaches. The metro area has a very slight chance of seeing some light rain or drizzle moving in overnight currently at 5%. Thursday will bring a mix of clouds and sunshine with high temperatures approaching 76 degrees. Winds may ramp up a bit overnight with chance of gusts as high as 20 mph. Portland ends the work week with a mostly sunny Friday. But daytime high temperatures will dip a few degrees below average to 73. The weather service says temps will ramp up a bit over Fathers Day weekend with some shortwave ridging. Portland will see mostly sunny skies Saturday and a high of about 76. Sunday should be sunny and warm with a high near 81. A portion of extended forecast models are showing some chances of beneficial, wetting rains to start next week. The coast and the Cascades currently have a 20%-40% chance, valley locations show only a 10%-25% chance. The restart of PM8 addresses growing market demand for sustainable, lightweight specialty papers used in food packaging and other critical applications. The restart of PM8 addresses growing market demand for sustainable, lightweight specialty papers used in food packaging and other critical applications. The Legacy Paper Group Announces Plans to Restart PM8 at Port Huron Mill June 11, 2025 - The Legacy Paper Group, a subsidiary of BMI Group US, today announced plans to restart Paper Machine #8 (PM8) at its Port Huron facility in Michigan, bringing 30,000 tons of annual production capacity back online after a four-year shutdown. The company did not disclose an approximate timeline for the restart. The restart addresses growing market demand for sustainable, lightweight specialty papers used in food packaging and other critical applications. "The fundamentals driving specialty paper demand have never been stronger," said Mark Bessette, Managing Director of The Legacy Paper Group. "Consumer behavior shifts accelerated by the pandemic, combined with intensifying focus on packaging sustainability, have created a significant supply-demand imbalance that PM8 is uniquely positioned to address." The mill has operated continuously since 1888 under various owners including Port Huron Sulphite and Paper Co., Port Huron Paper, Pentair, EB Eddy Paper, and Domtar Specialty Papers. PM8 itself specializes in producing high-quality, ultra-lightweight papers for quick-serve restaurant packaging, candy wrappers, medical table covers, tissue overwraps, and other sustainable applications. Market Dynamics Drive Restart Decision The COVID-19 pandemic permanently altered consumer dining habits, with food delivery and takeout services experiencing sustained growth through platforms like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub. This shift created enduring demand for functional, compliant packaging materials that meet the standards of leading global food brands. Simultaneously, public scrutiny of packaging sustainability has intensified, particularly through social media channels. Paper-based packaging offers distinct advantages over plastic alternatives, providing renewable, biodegradable, and compostable solutions without the environmental concerns associated with oil-based plastics and microplastic pollution. "Our customers are demanding sustainable packaging solutions that don't compromise on performance," Bessette said. "The specialty grades we'll produce on PM8 deliver both environmental benefits and the functional properties required for demanding food service applications." The company noted that the restart of PM8 represents a strategic investment in the expanding lightweight food-grade paper sector. The facility's geographic location provides cost-effective access to key markets throughout the Midwest and Northeast, while established supply chains and experienced workforce enable rapid production ramp-up. The Legacy Paper Group, a BMI Group US company, specializes in producing high-quality specialty papers for packaging and industrial applications. The Legacy Paper Port Huron Mill focuses on sustainable, lightweight paper solutions for food service, medical, and consumer markets. SOURCE The Legacy Paper Group Mass shooting at Austria high school leaves at least 10 people dead, marking the country's deadliest incident outside of wars in recent history. The fatalities in the nation's second most populous city of Graz include the shooter. Officials reported that the incident took place in the morning at the BORG Dreierschutzengasse secondary school. Austria High School Shooting Police were called to the school at around 10:00 a.m. after some people in the area heard gunshots. The city of Graz is found southwest of Vienna and features historic landmarks, such as the Uhrturm, also known as Clock Tower. It has a population of 300,000, and it has the largest number of people after Vienna. Graz is known for its universities and colleges and is a demographically diverse city. Foreign nationals make up about a quarter of the region's population and the four largest groups are Bosnians, Croatians, Germans, and Romanians, according to Aljazeera. When reporting the news about the incident, officials said that the people who were killed included at least seven students and two adults. On the other hand, police noted that there were at least 30 other people who were injured. The suspect was later identified as a 21-year-old former student who is believed to have been a victim of bullying in the past. The suspect was seen carrying a pistol and a shotgun before opening fire at students in two classrooms, one of which had been his old classroom. After the shooting, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker cleared his schedule to travel to Graz and declared three days to be set aside for national mourning. In a social media post, he described the incident as a national tragedy that shook the entire country, the New York Times reported. A National Tragedy On the other hand, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen said the young people who were killed in the shooting had their whole lives ahead of them. He added that there was nothing that could ease the pain felt by their families and loved ones at this moment. When police responded to the scene of the shooting, they found the alleged shooter inside a school restroom dead from a self-inflicted gun wound. They believe that the suspect acted alone when he conducted the mass shooting. The only information that officials released about the suspect was his age and the fact that he possessed a license for the guns he used in the incident. The situation comes as Austria has one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe, with an estimated 30 firearms for every 100 people, as per NPR. A Detroit high school student was arrested during a traffic stop and is facing potential deportation, sparking widespread calls for the teenager's release. The individual was identified as an 18-year-old Colombian immigrant who was on his way to a high school field trip before being stopped by police for a traffic violation. An attorney representing the teenager said it highlights the rising number of local police quickly calling Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials for assistance. Detroit High School Student Faces Deportation Additionally, the case highlights how the federal agency is conducting more detention of immigrations and holding them for longer periods before handing them over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The teenager, identified as Maykol Bogoya Duarte, is a student at Detroit's International Western High. He was previously denied asylum last year and was in the process of getting a passport so he could go back to Columbia, according to The Detroit News. Attorney Ruby Robinson, with the non-profit Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, said that the 18-year-old has been in the United States since 2022. Duarte was driving a private vehicle on May 20, to attend a school field trip when a Rockwood police officer stopped him for tailgating. The officer was driving an unmarked patrol car during the incident, which revealed that the teenager did not have a driver's license. The officer quickly called CBP because of a "language barrier" with the 18-year-old. After his arrest, Duarte has been kept in an Upper Peninsula immigration detention facility and is facing imminent deportation to Columbia. Robinson said they are asking that the teenager be allowed to finish his studies before being kicked out of the country, MLive reported. Applying for Asylum The teenager is believed to have moved to the country after he and his mother applied for asylum, which was denied by a judge. Federal officials released a statement about the incident, noting the 18-year-old was in the country illegally, ignored a judge's removal order, and lost his appeal. Duarte's school is the largest high school in Southwest Detroit and has a newcomer program. It provides academic and social support to families who have recently arrived in the United States, with more than half of students being English language learners. The arrest of the teenager somehow shows the limits of what school districts are able to do to protect their students from immigration enforcement. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said that the Detroit Public Schools Community District did not notify students or families of the teen's arrest, as per Chalkbeat. A massive child exploitation operation in North Texas successfully rescued 109 children and arrested 244 individuals in what officials call a successful round-up of offenders. The Dallas FBI office and some of the 70 law enforcement agencies that were involved in the operation announced the results of Operation Soteria Shield. Authorities also revealed the faces of the hundreds of suspects arrested in relation to sex trafficking or pornography. Officials Announce Results of Child Exploitation Operation The update comes at the end of a month-long investigation headed by federal and local enforcement of a crime that officials believe is a year-round problem. U.S. Attorney Eastern District of Texas, Jay Combs, said that the number of offenders who were arrested and the children that were rescued are "stunning." Operation Soteria Shield reportedly started in April and officials said that the majority of the children who were recognized or rescued were previously unidentified. Plano Police Department Assistant Chief Dan Curtis said these children were never reported missing and their abuse was not known to authorities, according to CBS News. On top of leading to arrests and rescues, the operation also led officials to be able to seize terabytes of child abuse sex material through a collaborative effort that began a decade ago. It now includes 70 Texas law enforcement agencies. Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis added that the operation started with a small team that had a bold idea and has since grown into "something very powerful." In the majority of the cases that were investigated, sex offenders never met their victims in person and only used technology to coerce them into sending explicit images and videos. Rescuing Vulnerable Children Dallas Police Chief Daniel C. Comeaux said Operation Soteria Shield was a massive team effort and reminded the public of what can be accomplished with proper cooperation. He expressed his pride in the fact that the Dallas Police Department was the lead agency for the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, NBCDFW reported. FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock said they all had a common goal, which was to "shine a light into the darkness of child abuse and rescue children from abuse and exploitation." The agencies that were part of the operation expressed their thanks to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) for continuous support. Analysts with the latter were the ones responsible for providing vital intelligence and case coordination, as per the United States Attorney's Office. An important new entry in an important series of blog posts has just gone up on the website of the Interpreter Foundation: The Heartland Versus Mesoamerica Part 9: Population Density and Social Complexity, by Brant A. Gardner. A lie, Mark Twain (along with a number of others) is incorrectly alleged to have said, can travel all around the world before the truth has got its boots on. I doubt that the handful of merry madcaps over at the Peterson Obsession Board who have dedicated their lives to lying about me and all my evil but ridiculous works have, even remotely, such reach. Still, though, and despite the fact that I do so without any real hope of curing them of their willful delusions, I think it occasionally worthwhile to openly contradict some of their false allegations. I do it again today: Yesterday, in a blog entry entitled Some Good News for the Interpreter Foundation, I indicated that Interpreters 2024 theatrical film Six Days in August had just won three 2025 Telly Awards silver awards in the categories Narrative Film and Historical Film and the bronze Telly in the Peoples Choice category. (A news release about the prizes has now appeared on the website of the Interpreter Foundation: Six Days in August Wins Three Global Media Awards.) I knew, of course, that my mentioning these awards would be met, at the Obsession Board, with mockery and denigration. It was a certain as the rising of the Sun in the morning. Utterly and entirely predictable. Its what they do. Theyve pointed out that the Telly isnt an Academy Award, that Tellys arent presented at the Festival de Cannes I was shocked to learn this and that, after all, we didnt win gold. Theyve also gone on to allege that we simply bought the honors and that, accordingly, theyre not only meaningless but actually, properly understood, quite embarrassing. Personally, I knew nothing of the Telly Awards had never so much as heard of them until Witnesses won a bronze Telly a while back. I learned then that, if we wanted a statuette representing a win in the competition, we would need to buy it. I also knew that the Interpreter Foundation hadnt submitted either Witnesses or Six Days in August for consideration for a Telly, and I knew that we hadnt paid any submission fee. (As president of the Foundation, I have full access to our financial records.) So I wrote to our friends and colleagues at RedBrick Film Works. Had they submitted Six Days in August for consideration? Had they paid a submission fee? It turns out that, yes, the folks at RedBrick Film Works had paid an entry fee for the Telly Awards competition. and that, yes, they had submitted the film for consideration. Its their industry, after all. Theyre professional filmmakers. They have a right to submit a film for a possible award, and an interest in doing so. But it needs to be clearly understood that, at least according to our colleagues at RedBrick, the mere act of submitting a film for consideration and paying the accompanying fee does not, in any way, guarantee winning an award: We (as in the RedBrick contingent) have submitted films in the past to various festivals/awards and gotten nothing in return (including the Tellys). It also needs to be clearly understood that, as one of the RedBrick folks informed me, Paying to enter is the case with 99% of all industry awards and festivals (and not just in the film industry). In fact, the only award I am aware of in the film biz that does not require an entry fee is the Academy Awards. Even the Golden Globes and the Emmys require an entry fee. There is nothing out of the ordinary or untoward about the process. I also looked up what the Telly Awards people had to say about themselves: The Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television across all screens. Founded in 1979 to honor local, regional and cable television commercials, with non-broadcast video and television programming added soon after, the award has evolved with the rise of digital video to include branded content, documentary, social media, immersive and more. The Telly Awards today celebrates the best work in the video medium in an exciting new era of the moving image on and offline. The Telly Awards annually showcases the best work created within television and across video, for all screens. Receiving over 13,000 entries globally from 6 continents and all 50 states, Telly Award winners represent work from some of the most respected advertising agencies, television stations, production companies and publishers from around the world. The Telly Awards recognizes work that has been created on behalf of a client, for a specific brand and/or company (including your own) or self-directed as a creative endeavor. So Im going to push back a bit against efforts to devalue the recognition that has come to our friends at RedBrick Film Works. Its one thing to express consistent contempt for me and all of my rotten, immoral, mean-spirited, and ludicrous deeds. I obviously deserve such scorn. If I may, however, I want to register an objection to the breeziness with which the Usual Suspects over at the Obsession Board casually seek to inflict collateral damage upon others, for the crime of simply being associated with me. Ive heard, by the way, that our friends at Emmaus Road Productions also won a silver Telly for their film The Good Samaritan. I hope thats the case. And, if so, these awards, taken together, mark a good development for Latter-day Saint filmmaking. And also, if so, it wont be the first award that theyve captured. (And thereby hangs a tale, to be told someday.) In the meantime, I encourage my Malevolent Stalker and his Mini-Me and the small band of their disciples there to submit their own feature films for quality awards in the movie industry. If they win anything even something so lowly and contemptible as a mere bronze Telly I promise to report on it here. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Shifting dynamics in global transport, rising geopolitical tensions, and energy security concerns have amplified the strategic importance of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor, political analyst Azer Garayev told Trend. This route is not just a rival to northern and southern corridorsits a transformative force across the geoeconomic map. Its development will undoubtedly spur economic growth in every country along the corridor. Connecting China to Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkiye, and European markets, the Middle Corridor offers an integrated multimodal route that blends maritime, rail, and road networks. The corridor provides a faster and more secure alternative to the traditional Northern and Southern transit routes connecting Western China to Europe. Logistical challenges along the Northern Corridorparticularly in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine conflicthave significantly elevated the strategic relevance of the Middle Corridor. In this shifting landscape, Azerbaijan is emerging as the principal driving force behind the corridors development. Beyond its favorable geographic position, Baku plays a leading role through strong political commitment, robust economic capabilities, and sustained investment in transport infrastructure," he said. Garayev also highlighted Azerbaijans proactive role in regional logistics, referencing major infrastructures. Historically situated at the crossroads of the Silk Road, our country continues to uphold its strategic importance in the modern era. In recent years, infrastructure projects spearheaded by President Ilham Aliyev including the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the Alat International Sea Trade Port, and upgraded rail and highway networks have positioned Azerbaijan as the beating heart of the Middle Corridor," he noted. Addressing the latest regional developments, Garayev highlighted the recent inauguration of the "Poti TransTerminal" in Georgias Poti Port, describing it as a significant milestone in the continued expansion of the Middle Corridors logistics capacity. The inauguration was attended by official representatives from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. The design, construction, and oversight of the terminal were carried out by the Azerbaijani company ZAO INNOPRO. This alone underscores Azerbaijans active role in the development of the corridor and its contribution to the region in both technological and engineering spheres. The new terminal in Georgias Port of Poti is poised to become a critical hub for redirecting cargo flows more efficiently across the Black Sea. He added that Georgias role in this process creates new pathways for Azerbaijans westward connectivity. The successful functioning of the Middle Corridor hinges not only on physical infrastructure but also on strong political and economic coordination. In this context, the regional cooperation framework formed between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan in recent years has become strategically vital. Since 2022, these countries have established coordination councils and introduced initiatives such as tariff harmonization, simplified customs procedures, digitalization, and the implementation of a single window system. Azerbaijan acts as both a key initiator and a principal implementer of these efforts," he said. The political analyst also highlighted that over the past 15 years, the Azerbaijani government has made substantial investments to enhance the Middle Corridors transit capacity. The next strategic phase, he said, is the realization of the Zangezur Corridor, which will not only strengthen the route further but also provide a direct link through Armenia to Nakhchivan and on to Turkiye. "The Zangezur Corridor is not merely a transportation initiative, but also a political and economic integration project. Once operational, it will make the southern branch of the Middle Corridor more functional and consolidate Azerbaijans position as a regional logistics leader. Moreover, the deepening of transport and energy cooperation under the strategic partnership between the European Union (EU) and Azerbaijan has elevated the importance of the Middle Corridor as a key route for delivering both energy resources and commercial cargo to Europe. The European Commission is providing financial and technical support for the corridors digitalization, the deployment of green technologies, and the development of high-speed logistics platforms. This also reflects Azerbaijans expanding role in international cooperation frameworks," he added. Garayev noted that maintaining the Middle Corridors competitiveness in the future depends on three critical areas: digitalization, sustainability, and innovation. "The Middle Corridor is no longer just a transportation routeit has evolved into a political, economic, and geostrategic platform. Azerbaijan serves as both the 'brain' and the 'heart' of this corridor. The ongoing initiatives and international partnerships demonstrate that Azerbaijan is becoming a major transport and logistics hub not only for the region, but for the wider Eurasian landscape," he concluded. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Summary: Drawing from contemporary biblical archaeology, biblical manuscripts, and studies of ancient measurements, I provide a clear, reasoned, and historically grounded answer. Was Goliath really over 9 feet tall? Or is the Bible telling a more realistic story than many imagine? In this fascinating episode of Lux Veritatis, I unpack one of the most queried details in the Bible: the height of Goliath. Youll learn what the Masoretic Text, the Septuagint, and the Dead Sea Scrolls actually sayand how experts like Jeff Chadwick and J. Daniel Hays calculate Goliaths height using the best information available about ancient cubits and spans. Was he a myth? A monster? Or just a very tall man? Watch now to find out. Heres some more biblical trivia from my free book, Inspired!: 198 Supposed Biblical Contradictions Resolved: 47. Did David kill Goliath with a sling and stone (1 Sam. 17:50) or with a sword (1 Sam. 17:51)? The words kill or slew in these two verses are used in different ways. In Hebrew grammar, the Hiphil form denotes primary causation, while the Polel form (here related to kill) had the meaning of finishing off someone who was already mortally wounded. With this understanding, we see that Davids slingshot killed Goliath in the first sense (as the primary cause), while his sword did in the second sense; hence, no logical contradiction exists. One can find parallel verses. 2 Samuel 1:9-10 is about the death of King Saul, who was mortally wounded in battle and then asked a soldier to kill him, to put him out of his misery. The two instances of kill in the passage use the Polel form. Further verses that utilize the Polel form with regard to killing are 1 Samuel 14:13 (And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him;) and Judges 9:54. In the latter instance, a mans skull was crushed with a big millstone (9:53), but someone thrust a sword into him to kill him (see also 1 Sam. 4:13; 17:51; 2 Sam. 1:9-10, 16). Someone asked about this in the combox of the video and I had a ready answer! Nothing like existing research in ones own archives . . . My Related Articles Goliaths Height: Six Feet 9 Inches, 7 Feet 8, or 9 Feet 9? [7-4-21] Other Cited Articles Daniel Hays, Reconsidering the Height of Goliath (Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, December 2005, 701-714). Hannah Brown, Tall tales: Research examines Goliaths true height (The Jerusalem Post, 10 October 2020) My Related Books The Word Set in Stone, Volume Two: More Evidence of Archaeology, Science, and History Backing Up the Bible (2024). The Word Set in Stone: How Archaeology, Science, and History Back Up the Bible (Catholic Answers Press: March 15, 2023, 271 pages). My Related Web Page Jews, Judaism, and the Old Testament * *** Firstly, the good news: If you have Windows 10 installed on your PC, you can upgrade to Windows 11 24H2 (the latest version of Windows 11) free of charge. This makes sense, as support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025. After that date, the operating system will still work, but Microsoft will stop releasing security updates. get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro If the direct update doesnt appear in Windows 10, you can also download the new version directly from Microsoft. There, youll find the installation files for Windows 11, which can be used to create a bootable USB stick. Even if you dont plan to update right away, its a good idea to create such a USB stick so you can upgrade to the latest version whenever youre ready. Its also recommended to retrieve your Windows 10 serial number/product key in advance, so you have it on hand when installing or updating to Windows 11. Whos eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 11? Microsoft will continue to allow eligible devices to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 free of charge. This option remains available as long as the device meets the minimum requirements and the upgrade toolssuch as the Windows 11 Installation Assistant or Windows Updateare used. If you use the tools mentioned in this article, you may lose support for Windows 11. After October 14, 2025, official support for Windows 10 will end. Microsoft will no longer provide free security updates, technical support, or bug fixes for Windows 10. For users who wish to continue using Windows 10, Microsoft offers a paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. This program allows private users to receive critical security updates for an additional year, for a fee of 30 US dollars. Whether users will still be able to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 after October 14, 2025 depends on future decisions by Microsoft. There is currently no official statement on whether the free upgrade offer will continue beyond this date. Users are therefore encouraged to upgrade before the end of support to take advantage of the current conditions. Its important to note that Windows 11 has specific hardware requirements, including TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and compatible processors from the 8th generation of Intel CPUs or equivalent AMD models. Microsoft has made it clear that these requirements will not be relaxed, and older devices will not be officially supported. While there are unofficial methods for installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, these can lead to stability issues and missing updates. For users with devices that do not meet the requirements, it is recommended to purchase a new PC with Windows 11 pre-installed. Microsoft offers various programs and tools to help make the transition easier. Microsoft provides the free PC Integrity Checker app, which you can use to check whether the update is possible on your Windows 10 system. To do this, simply launch the tool and click Check now. If your PC does not (officially) support the update, the PC Integrity Checker app will indicate this and explain the reason. If TPM 2.0 is not activated, you can often enable the security chip required by Windows 11 in the BIOS. If your PC doesnt have this chip, well show you below how you can still proceed. In most cases, Windows 11 runs just as stably and quickly on PCs as Windows 10often even faster and more stable, even without a TPM chip. However, this is not always the case. Running Windows 11 on incompatible hardware is always at your own risk. Updating Windows 10 to Windows 11 24H2 To update Windows 10 to Windows 11 24H2, open the Download Windows 11 website. Then click on Download now under Windows 11 Installation Wizard. If your hardware is compatible with Windows 11, the update will begin without any issues. All apps, settings, and data will be retained. However, its a good idea to back up your computer beforehand. This can be done quickly using the free Microsoft Disk2VHD tool. Be sure to save the backup on an external storage device. The tool creates a virtual hard drive that contains all the data from your existing drive, ensuring that nothing is lost. Once the Windows 11 installation starts, click Next under Install Windows 11. The installation wizard will then check for updates and, in some cases, restart. This process may take a few minutes. After you confirm the license terms, the update check often runs again. This continues until the installation wizard is fully up to date. Naturally, these steps only work if the PC is connected to the Internet. Its important to ensure that Keep personal data and apps is selected in the Ready for installation window. If it isnt, you can change this by clicking on Change the items to keep. Then click Install to begin the update. After upgrading to Windows 11 24H2, you should still install the latest updates through the Windows settings under Windows Update. Thomas Joos Once this is completed, the update is finished, and you can start using Windows 11. If youre not satisfied with Windows 11, you can uninstall it in the settings under System -> Recovery -> Revert. Unfortunately, this doesnt always work reliably, as Microsoft may remove the necessary files from the system. Updating Windows 10 to Windows 11 24H2 without compatible hardware If the Windows 11 Installation Wizard reports that your PC cannot be updated to Windows 11 24H2, its usually still possible. First, download the free Rufus tool and start it. You can also download the portable version, which doesnt require installationjust start the program. Youll also need a USB stick with at least 8 GB of storage (more is preferable). Connect the USB stick to the PC on which you want to install Windows 11. Note that all data on the stick will be deleted during formatting. Start Rufus and make sure to select Yes when prompted about the update. The tool will then connect to the Internet, allowing you to download the Windows 11 installation files directly within Rufus. If you accidentally cancel this option, you can reconnect later in the Rufus settings (at the bottom of the window) by clicking Check now. Next, select the USB stick you want to use under Drive. Then click Selection under Start type, followed by Download. Choose Windows 11 under Version, and then click Next. Under Release, select the option 24H2. Choose Windows 11 as the Edition, then select the language, choose x64 for Architecture, and click Download to save the Windows 11 ISO file to a directory. Alternatively, you can download the Windows 11 ISO file outside of the tool from the Microsoft download page linked above. The download duration will depend on your internet connection. Once Rufus has downloaded the installation filesor youve added the ISO manually via Selectclick Start. In the new window, all options that could prevent the installation of Windows 11 will be enabled by default, along with the option to set up Windows 11 using a local user account. Select the options you need, then click OK. Finally, confirm the prompt to format the USB stick. Attention: All data on the USB stick will be erased during this process You can then use the USB stick to update PCs running Windows 10 to Windows 11 24H2, or to reinstall Windows 11 24H2. In Windows 10, open the USB drive in Explorer and click on Setup.exe. The Windows 11 installation will then begin. Please note that it may take some time for the installation wizard to start. The PC will then be updated as described in the section above. Further reading: Its possible to get a Windows 11 licence cheap (or even free) Yesterday was Patch Tuesday for June, and that means Microsoft provided new security fixes for 66 vulnerabilities. According to Microsoft, one vulnerability in Windows is already being exploited for attacks and several other vulnerabilities in Windows and Office are labelled as critical. Keep reading for more details on the various security vulnerabilities that have been addressed. The next Patch Tuesday will be July 8th, 2025. Windows security vulnerabilities A large number of the vulnerabilitiesthis time 44are spread across the various Windows versions (10 and newer, Server) for which Microsoft still offers security updates. Windows 7 and 8.1 are no longer receiving security updates, so they remain vulnerable. If your system requirements allow it, you should upgrade to Windows 11 24H2 at your soonest convenience to continue receiving security updates. (With Windows 10 reaching end of life in October, we dont recommend that.) Windows under attack According to Microsoft, there are already attacks being made on the CVE-2025-33053 vulnerability in Windows, which affects WebDAV and Internet Explorer. This is still present as a legacy in all Windows versions because the MSHTML platform, for example, is still used by some older applications. A click on a specially prepared link is enough for the user to execute infiltrated code. Microsoft is providing updates for Windows Server 2008 and newer to fix this vulnerability. The EoP (Elevation of Privilege) vulnerability CVE-2025-33073 in the Windows SMB client is already publicly known. Microsoft would like to thank the experts at several IT security companies who privately reported this vulnerability to Microsoft. If a user can be tricked into contacting a malicious serveran SMB server would be an obvious choicethen the server could compromise the users system and gain elevated privileges. Ultimately, code with system rights could be executed. Critical Windows vulnerabilities Microsoft has identified an RCE vulnerability (CVE-2025-33071) in the Kerberos KDC proxy service (KPSSVC) as critical. Domain controllers are generally not affected by this. The RCE vulnerability CVE-2025-29828 in Windows Schannel could be exploited by an attacker sending a flood of fragmented client Hello messages to a server that accepts TLS connections. According to Dustin Childs, Microsoft secretly patched the RCE vulnerability CVE-2025-32710 in Remote Desktop Services back in May and is now just catching up with the documentation. The EoP (Elevation of Privilege) vulnerability CVE-2025-33070 in Windows Netlogon could allow an attacker to obtain the authorizations of a domain administrator by sending crafted logon requests to a domain controller. Microsoft apparently considers it quite likely that this vulnerability will be exploited in the foreseeable future. Microsoft also identified the EoP vulnerability CVE-2025-47966 in cloud-based productivity tool Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) as critical. Fortunately, Microsoft has already taken care of it. Office security vulnerabilities Microsoft has fixed 18 vulnerabilities in its Office product family, including 17 RCE vulnerabilities. Five vulnerabilities are classified as critical, including one that specifically affects SharePoint. Microsoft categorizes the other vulnerabilities as high risk. For the four other critical vulnerabilities, the preview window is considered an attack vector. This means that its possible for a prepared file to facilitate an attack just by being displayed in the preview. The user doesnt have to click on it or open it. Browser security vulnerabilities The latest browser version of Edge is 137.0.3296.68 from June 6th, based on Chromium 137.0.7151.69. However, Google released a new Chrome (and Chromium) update version 137.0.7151.103/104 yesterday on June 10th, which fixes vulnerabilities classified as high risk. Google has released a security update for its Chrome browser. Two vulnerabilities have been fixed in the new Chrome versions 137.0.7151.103/104 for Windows and macOS and 137.0.7151.103 for Linux. According to Google, none of the vulnerabilities are being exploited for attacks in the wild. The manufacturers of other Chromium-based browsers will follow suit in the coming days. In the Chrome Releases blog post, Prudhvikumar Bommana lists the two vulnerabilities that were discovered by external security researchers and reported to Google. Google classifies both vulnerabilities as high risk. CVE-2025-5958 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Media component. If successful, an attacker could inject and execute arbitrary code. The second vulnerability, CVE-2025-5959, was demonstrated at the TyphoonPWN hacker competition at the end of May, which has been taking place since 2018 as part of the TyphoonCon security conference in Seoul. The vulnerability is once again a type mix-up in the V8 JavaScript engine, which can also be used to execute injected code. Google has also released Chrome for Android 137.0.7151.89, which fixes the same vulnerabilities in the Android version of the browser as in the desktop versions. Chrome usually updates itself automatically when a new version is available. But if you arent up to the latest version yet, you can manually initiate an update check using the three-dot menu and navigating to Help > About Google Chrome. Google plans to release Chrome version 138 at the end of June. Other Chromium-based browsers The manufacturers of other Chromium-based browsers should be following suit with their own updates soon. Brave and Microsoft Edge have already switched to Chromium 137 and are currently at the security level prior to this Chrome update. Vivaldi once again relies on the Extended Stable Channel of the previous version and is therefore at the same security level as Brave and Edge. But Operas browser still uses the outdated Chromium 134, for which Google no longer provides security updates. A sign with the company's logo stands outside a Rite Aid store in Salem, N.H., on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File) AP A Rite Aid store in York County is on the companys latest list of closings. The store at 3300 E. Market St. in Springettsbury Township, is closing, the chain said in a bankruptcy filing on Friday. More than 200 stores are on the latest list. 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. The 207 stores are in addition to the 497 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. The store in Springettsbury Township is one of 13 Rite Aid stores in York County, in recent years to close or are closing. Rite Aid has also announced closings in recent years in Fairview Township, Hanover, West York. Newberry Township, Hopewell Township, Dover Township, Penn Township, Carroll Township, Jackson Township, Manchester Township, York Township and York. Taylor Swift has once again found herself dealing with a crazed fan. The global pop star filed a restraining order Monday against a 45-year-old Colorado man, whom she says stalked her for at least the last year. She claims he appeared at her Los Angeles home on five separate occasions, and even claimed they share a child. His claims hint towards a fictional, romantic relationship, she said. And the whole thing is making Swift fear for her safety. I have no relationship with Mr. Wagner and have never met or communicated with him, Swift said in a formal declaration filed with the temporary restraining order request in L.A. There is absolutely no legitimate reason for him to be attempting to contact me or my staff, to approach my home, or to make representations that he lives there. Per the Shake It Off crooners security team, Brian Jason Wagner was in prison and has approached her Los Angeles property three times last July, where he waved a broken glass bottle that could have been used as a weapon. While doing so, in each instance, he kept saying he had a romantic relationship with Swift and needed to see her. But according to megastar his claims are untrue and disconnected from reality. Obtained and reviewed by NBCNews and TheWrap, the restraining order also reveals that Wagner lied lied to the Department of Motor Vehicles about where he currently lives, as he changed his home address on his drivers license to match Swifts Los Angeles home. Per Swift, Wagner has been harassing and stalking her, causing her to suffer emotional distress. I do not share publicly where I reside and have never shared my address or the location of my Los Angeles residence with Mr. Wagner. Therefore, the fact that Mr. Wagner has determined where I reside and visited the property several times, refusing to leave and claiming to need access, makes me fear for my safety and the safety of my family, Swift stated. The fact that both of these recent visits and Mr. Wagners inappropriate and threatening communications to my staff about me have escalated in recent weeks creates a fear of imminent harm. According to Swift, when Wagner would repeatedly visit her Los Angeles residence, her security team informed her that while Wagner was in prison, he would pen lengthy fan letters to the pop star. She said she was told those detailed his infatuation with me, a romantic relationship with me (which does not exist), and other completely fabricated stories about his involvement in my personal life. The restraining order states Wagner must stay at least 100 yards from Swift, her home, her place of work and her car. Itll be an active temporary order up until a hearing set at the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County on June 30. The species was first discovered in Jersey in 2017. (Getty Images) Getty Images/Science Photo Libra An invasive species of tick one thats been spreading rapidly in Pennsylvania and beyond was just found to be the carrier of a bacterium. A rare bacteria that might be deadly. You can listen to this story and others like it that are important to Pennsylvania on the original Today in Pa podcast below: WHYY reports that the Asian longhorned tick was first discovered in New Jersey in 2017 and has since spread to 22 states total. The bloodsucking bug has specifically been spotted in the southeastern part of the Keystone state, its numbers spiking a whopping 150 percent over the past five years. The Asian longhorned tick is actually able to spread so quickly, WHYY explains, because the species in parthenogenetic, meaning that females can produce asexually. So the implications of this mean that a single individual female that lays around 2,000 to 2,500 eggs, all without mating, can create an entire population just by that individual, Keith price of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) told the publication. Theres no other tick in North America that reproduces in this manner. And its this unique reproductive strategy that enables the longhorn tick to very successfully and very rapidly invade new geographic regions across the state and the country. While WHYY mentions that scientists werent sure what kind of diseases if any these ticks may carry, new information has emerged: According to Patch, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station has confirmed the first case of the Asian longhorned tick carrying Ehrlichia chaffeensis. Ehrlichia chaffeensis is an obligately intracellular, tick-transmitted bacterium that is maintained in nature in a cycle involving at least one and perhaps several vertebrate reservoir hosts, explains the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Symptoms of the illness, according to Cleveland Clinic, include fever, chills and headache. Fortunately, most people make a recovery if treated quickly after a formal diagnosis by a medical professional. In order to prevent from getting bitten by a tick, it is recommended you use bug spray to repel the critters, and to cover up as much skin as possible when outdoors walking through the woods or long grass. Matt McCool, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office, speaks during a Public safety briefing on preparations for a festival and parade to commemorate the 250th Birthday of the U.S. Army, Monday, June 9, 2025, at the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Emergency Operations Center, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) AP By Ashraf Khalil, The Associated Press WASHINGTON As the nations capital cleans up from the culmination of World Pride this past weekend, focus now shifts to a very different massive event Saturdays military parade to honor the 250th birthday of the Army and the 79th birthday of President Donald Trump. Were preparing for an enormous turnout, said Matt McCool of the Secret Services Washington Field office, who said more than 18 miles of anti-scale fencing would be erected and multiple drones would be in the air. The entire District of Columbia is normally a no-fly zone for drones. Army officials have estimated around 200,000 attendees for the evening military parade, and McCool said he was prepared for hundreds of thousands of people. We have a ton of magnetometers, he said. If a million people show up, then were going to have some lines. A total of 175 magnetometers would be used at security checkpoints controlling access to the daytime birthday festival and the nighttime parade. Metropolitan Police Department chief Pamela Smith predicted major impacts to traffic and advised attendees to arrive early and consider forgoing cars for the Metro. This is a significant event with a large footprint, she said. Were relying on the public to be an extra set of ears and eyes for us. President Donald Trump speaks during an "Invest in America" roundtable with business leaders at the White House, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) AP The military parade has been designated a National Special Security Event, similar to a presidential inauguration or state funeral. That status is reserved for events that draw large crowds and potential mass protests. It calls for an enhanced degree of high-level coordination among D.C. officials, the FBI, Capitol Police and Washingtons National Guard contingent, with the Secret Service taking the lead. The Army birthday celebration had already been planned for months. But earlier this spring, Trump announced his intention to transform the event, which coincides with his 79th birthday, into a massive military parade complete with 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks and Paladin self-propelled howitzers rolling through the city streets. Multiple counter-protests of varying sizes are planned for Saturday, with the largest being a mass march to the White House. Officials say they are also on alert for signs that the immigration-related clashes between law enforcement and protesters currently roiling Los Angeles would spread. Were paying attention, obviously, to what is happening there. Well be ready, McCool said. We have a robust plan for civil disobedience. Agent Phillip Bates of the FBIs Washington Field office, which is tasked with counterterrorism and crisis management, said there were no credible threats to the event at the moment. Lindsey Appiah, the deputy mayor for public safety, told The Associated Press last week that the city had longstanding plans for the Army birthday celebration. But those plans got a lot bigger on short notice when Trump got involved. Still, Appiah said the city has grown very flexible, very nimble at rolling with these sort of changes. For more details, including road closures and security restrictions, go to the D.C. governments explainer page. From dining with GOP strategists and breaking with Democrats on hot button issues, Sen. John Fetterman, may be vulnerable to primary challenge. AP Tongues are wagging in Washington where Sen. John Fetterman was spotted dining with two top Trump influencers at a restaurant popular with the MAGA crowd. According to Politico, Fetterman was dining with Breitbart Washington bureau chief Matt Boyle at Butterworths and for about 20 minutes the couple was joined by none other than President Trumps political strategist Steve Bannon. The tete-a-tete came as Fetterman lambasted the Los Angeles anti-ICE protests as anarchy and lit into fellow Democrats for not being strong enough in condemning violence. Reposting a viral image of a car ablaze with a person waving a Mexican flag nearby on social media, Fetterman wrote, My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement. Officials in Los Angeles have said the violence is limited and under control and that Trumps decision to send in the National Guard has exacerbated tensions. Meanwhile, as Fettermans political leanings and dining choices shift rightward, some are raising the prospect of the senior senator from Pennsylvania facing a primary challenger in 2028. Ross Barkan, political columnist for New York Magazines Intelligencer, sees an opening for Conor Lamb, the former U.S. Congressman from Pittsburgh who was beaten handily by Fetterman in the 2022 Democratic Senate primary. Barkan suggests a possible reversal in 2028 with Lamb, who has been outspoken in recent weeks about the absence of Fetterman and Republican Sen. Dave McMcormick on the town hall trail, and once seen as a moderate, running to the left of Fetterman, who is actively being courted by the GOP. Barkan feels Lamb would offer consistency for the progressive and more moderate base - and funders: straight Democratic party line voting and firm MAGA opposition. Lamb. 40, has not indicated he will seek the Senate seat, but has been increasingly visible in his home state, even hosting town halls himself to call out Fetterman and McCormick for not doing so. And just showing up, as Barkan put it, could translate to an effective campaign strategy in turbulent times. Lamb could tell voters he would show up for them, in both the halls of the Senate and the towns of Pennsylvania, Barkan wrote, and that might be enough for him to win. By Jake Offenhartz, Jaimie Ding, Lolita C. Baldor and Tara Copp, The Associated Press LOS ANGELES Los Angeles leaders set a downtown curfew Tuesday on the fifth day of protests against President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown as his use of the National Guard escalated and the governor accused him of drawing a military dragnet across the nations second largest city. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, with some guardsmen now standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests. He said it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. The judge chose not to rule immediately, giving the administration several days to continue those activities before a hearing Thursday. The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as Trump has promised as part of the administrations immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement. Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders, though the Marines have not yet been spotted in Los Angeles and Guard troops have had limited engagement with protesters. They were originally deployed to protect federal buildings. As the curfew went into effect, a police helicopter flew over downtown federal buildings that have been the center of protests and ordered people to leave the area. As it approached, several groups had gathered downtown, with some saying they planned to ignore it and others chanting calls for the gathering to remain peaceful. Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators looking to cause trouble. The California National Guard arrives to stand watch outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana, Calif., Tuesday, June 10, 2025, after Monday's protests against President Trump's ICE raids resulted in violence. (Mindy Schauer/The Orange County Register via AP) AP LA mayor puts curfew in place Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and said the curfew will run from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday. We reached a tipping point after 23 businesses were looted, Bass said during a news conference. The curfew will be in place in a 1 square mile (2.59 square kilometer) section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (2,295 square kilometers). The curfew doesnt apply to residents who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, credentialed media or public safety and emergency officials, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell. McDonnell said unlawful and dangerous behavior had been escalating since Saturday. The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city, McDonnell said. Workers remove graffiti from the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana, Calif., Tuesday, June 10, 2025, after Monday's protests against President Trump's ICE raids resulted in violence. (Mindy Schauer/The Orange County Register via AP) AP Trump says hes open to using Insurrection Act Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. Its one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president. If theres an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. Well see, he said from the Oval Office. Later the president called protesters animals and a foreign enemy in a speech at Fort Bragg ostensibly to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of 4 million. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids. On Tuesday, a few dozen protesters gathered peacefully in front of the federal complex, which was quickly declared an unlawful assembly. Police issued a dispersal order and corralled the protesters, telling members of the media to stay out to avoid getting hurt. Officers with zip ties then started making arrests. McDonnell said that police had made 197 arrests on Tuesday, including 67 who were taken into custody for unlawfully occupying part of the 101 freeway. Several businesses were broken into Monday, though authorities didnt say if the looting was tied to the protests. The vast majority of arrests have been for failing to disperse, while a few others were for assault with a deadly weapon, looting, vandalism and attempted murder for tossing a Molotov cocktail. Seven police officers were reportedly injured, and at least two were taken to a hospital and released. Demonstrations have spread to other cities in the state and nationwide, including Dallas and Austin, Texas, Chicago and New York City, where a thousand people rallied and multiple arrests were made. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested Tuesday that the use of troops inside the U.S. will continue to expand. The Pentagon said deploying the National Guard and Marines costs $134 million. Baldor and Copp reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Dorany Pineda and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, and Greg Bull in Seal Beach, California, contributed to this report. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Sahiba Gafarova, had a meeting with Speaker of the Majlis of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Ziya Ozturkler on the margins of the XIV Plenary Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States on 11 June, Trend reports. As the conversation went on, Speaker of the Majlis of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ziya Ozturkler expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan, particularly to President Ilham Aliyev, for the support provided to the TRNC and emphasised that this support is greatly valued. He expressed satisfaction with participating in the XIV Plenary Meeting of TURKPA as part of the Turkic World, adding that the successful activities of TURKPA under the presidency of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan contribute to the further strengthening of the Organisation and the enhancement of its international standing. Speaker Gafarova mentioned the endeavours aimed at uniting the Turkic World and said that energetic co-operation within TURKPA contributes to deepening the ties between our parliaments in this context. Furthermore, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova emphasised that strengthening the Turkic World and expanding relations with Turkic states are among the foreign political priorities of Azerbaijan; she also referenced the relevant statements and actions of President Ilham Aliyev. Further, the importance of the co-operation and interaction between the friendship groups of the parliaments was highlighted at the meeting. Additionally, during the discussion, views were expressed as to the significance of the XIV Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States and the importance of the agenda items for the Organisations future activities; there was also an exchange of opinions on other matters of mutual interest. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel By Chris Megerian and Michelle L. Price, The Associated Press FORT BRAGG, N.C. President Donald Trump called protesters in Los Angeles animals and a foreign enemy in a speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday as he defended deploying the military on demonstrators opposed to his immigration enforcement raids and as he vowed to liberate the West Coast city. Trump, in his most aggressive language yet regarding the protests, used a speech ostensibly supposed to be used to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army to denounce the protesters while repeating his false statements about the 2020 election being rigged and attacking the previous commander in chief, former President Joe Biden. The Republican president, who sees the military as a critical tool for domestic goals, has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines over the objections of Californias Democratic governor. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend in Los Angeles, but the demonstrations in the city of 4 million people have largely been centered in several blocks of downtown. We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. Thats what they are, Trump said Tuesday. Trumps heated rhetoric came as he has left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, one of the most extreme emergency powers available to the president. It authorizes him to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. Trump received plenty of cheers from the crowd, which laughed at the presidents jokes and delighted in his dancing to his campaign anthem of YMCA. However, some members of the audience were uneasy with certain aspects of his remarks. U.S Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks at Fort Bragg, N.C., Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker) AP Robin Boothe, who voted for Trump and works on the base as an audiology assistant, said the speech was classic Trump. However, she also found it to be too partisan, especially his comments on Los Angeles. I thought that was better left for a news conference than what we were celebrating today, the 50-year-old said. The president called Los Angeles a trash heap with entire neighborhoods under control of criminals and said the federal government would use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order. We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean and safe again, Trump said. Trump authorized the deployment of 4,000 National Guard soldiers to the city against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. About 700 Marines were deployed to the Los Angeles area but had not yet been sent to respond to the protests. Newsom asked a federal court Tuesday to block Trump from using the military in his city. California leaders accused Trump of fanning protesters anger and stoking the unrest. In an address Tuesday evening, Newsom warned: California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. Trump also announced his administration was restoring the names of seven military bases that were given the monikers of Confederate leaders until being changed by the Biden administration. Fort Pickett, Fort Robert E. Lee and Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Gordon in Georgia, Fort Rucker in Alabama and Fort Polk in Louisiana will have their names changed back, Trump said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has already brought back the names of Fort Bragg and Fort Benning in Georgia. Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit? Trump said. Well forget all about that. As they did when they changed back Fort Bragg and Fort Benning, Defense officials announced Tuesday that they had identified service members with the same last names in order to make the change and not have the bases officially carry Confederate-related names. President Donald Trump arrives at the America 250 celebration at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C., Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker) AP Before he spoke, Trump watched the U.S. Army demonstrate a missile strike, a helicopter assault and a building raid, a preview of the kind of show of American military might hes expected to display in the nations capital for a massive military parade this weekend. Trump has promoted the Armys anniversary as a reason to hold the parade on Saturday, which is also his 79th birthday. Tanks and other vehicles will roll down city streets in a reminder of how the Republican president is reshaping the armed forces after returning to the White House this year. I think its going to be great, Trump told reporters at the White House earlier Tuesday. Were going to celebrate our country for a change. As a backdrop to the parade, No Kings Day protests are planned across the country on Saturday to push back against what critics see as the administrations draconian policies. Trump said earlier Tuesday that there would be more immigration raids and that any additional protests would be met with even greater force, including those who show up at the parade. If they do, Trump said, they will be met with very big force. I havent even heard about a protest but you know, this is people that hate our country. But they will be met with very heavy force. Newsom weighed in Tuesday on the parade, accusing Trump of forcing the military to put on a vulgar display to celebrate his birthday, just as other failed dictators have done in the past. Fort Bragg, which was briefly Fort Liberty and is near Fayetteville, North Carolina, serves as headquarters for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Highly trained units like the Green Berets and the 82nd Airborne are based there. Army soldiers listen as President Donald Trump speaks at Fort Bragg, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Fort Bragg, N.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) AP The atmosphere resembled a state fair with military flair. Inflatable slides and attractions for children were set up in a field, with artillery, trucks and helicopters parked on another section of the lawn. Right outside the security checkpoint but still on the base two stands were selling Trump political hats, T-shirts and other paraphernalia. Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll were also at Tuesdays event, along with service members, veterans and their families. Driscoll, who spoke to the crowd before Trump arrived, called the president the greatest recruiter in our Armys history. Hegseth told the crowd that the U.S. is restoring the warrior ethos to its armed forces. Were not a college or a university. Were not interested in your woke garbage and political correctness, Hegseth said, drawing cheers. Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Lolita Baldor in Washington contributed to this report. Follow the APs coverage of President Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump. President Donald Trump proposed a new crime in his speech Tuesday at Fort Bragg. The crime? These are animals, but they probably carry the flags of other countries, but they dont carry the American flag, Trump said of the protestors in Los Angeles. They only burn it. Did you see a lot of the flags being burned? They werent being burned by people from our country or by people that love our country. People that burn the American flag should go to jail for one year. Thats what they should be doing, he continued. One year. And well see if we can get that done. We are working with some of your senators. I know Senator Josh Hawley is very much involved. People that burn the American flag should go to jail for one year, he said. Well see if we can get that done. Were working with some of our senators. The president reportedly then appeared on a podcast hosted by New York Post columnist Miranda Devine where he against laid out his plan. I happen to think if you burn an American flag because they were burning a lot of flags in Los Angeles I think you go to jail for one year, he said. Just automatic. The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution says that no one shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, so the automatic part would require a major adjustment to the Constitution. Flag burning is not currently illegal in the United States because the Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that it was protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. So, that part would likely require a big adjustment or a flip by the court as well. Want a say in the news? Email Claudia at todayinpa@pennlive.com to have your thoughts on the stories covered here or on PennLive heard. You can listen to the latest episode of Today in Pa on any of your favorite apps including Alexa, Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube. Episodes are available every weekday on PennLive. Feel free to subscribe, follow or rate Today in Pa. as you see fit! Today in Pa. Daily Podcast | June 11, 2025 The way the state handles teacher misconduct can be a bit murky, according to a recent report. Pennsylvania has a multi-state lawsuit thats looking to bar the sale of 23andMes personal genetic data. Heres the worst city for grass allergies in the state. Plus, a classic rock bands stolen guitar is found. Those are the stories we cover in the latest episode of Today in Pa., a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Claudia Dimuro. Today in Pa. is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories pertaining to Pennsylvania that lets you know, indeed, whats happening today in Pa. Todays episode refers to the following articles: If you enjoy Today in Pa., consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Reviews help others find the show and, besides, wed like to know what you think about the program, too. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Sahiba Gafarova, has had a meeting on 11 June with Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Nurdinjon Ismoilov, on the margins of the XIV Plenary Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States, Trend reports. The Speakers voiced satisfaction with the high standards of the relationship between our friendly states and underscored the fruitful cooperation of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan in many fields. They also highlight the essential roles of both Heads of State in the relations, having reached todays elevated position; it was said that reciprocal visits at the high and summit levels, as well as intensive contacts, had ensured that the connexions between our friendly and brotherly countries had entered a new phase. Also, it was said as the conversation went on that the expanding ties between our legislative bodies provide for the development of the bilateral relations. It was stressed that the ties of the Milli Majlis with both Chambers of the Parliament of Uzbekistan were at a high level. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova fondly recalled her visit to Uzbekistan as well as the arrival of the Heads of Uzbekistans legislative institutions to our country, and mentioned the positive dynamic in that area. Our MPs fruitful collaboration, be it bilateral or in international organisations, was broached as well. Besides, the meeting had an exchange of opinions about other matters of shared interest. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Prices in Azerbaijan's Lachin city are steadily normalizing as growing competition revitalizes the local retail market, Elnur Abdullayev, architect at Baku Abadlig Service LLC, told Trend. Abdullayev noted that shops, catering businesses, and retail outlets supplying everyday goods are actively operating in Lachin and its surrounding settlements. "It can be said that there is virtually no significant price difference compared to other regions. Of course, the situation varies across sectors, but overall, a positive trend is observed," he said. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel "bucurestean" Wins 888poker $100K Mystery Bounty as Summer Sale Kicks Off Matthew Pitt Senior Editor Copy link Romania's "bucurestean" is more than $8,300 richer than a few days ago after they navigated past 962 opponents in the $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event online at 888poker. The Romanian grinder reached the eight-handed final table with the chip lead, although their stack only contained eight big blinds more than second-placed "t0nyshark." Finland's "Kalamaaan" brought up the rear with a 12 big blind stack. Although the champion scooped $8,347 for their victory, Brazil's "maOiiii" walked away with the largest prize of all. Courtesy of banking a $10,000 jackpot bounty, "maOiiii" took home $11,156 despite busting in 15th place. $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event Final Table Chip Counts Rank Player Country Chiups Big Blinds 1 bucurestean Romania 3,212,197 54 2 t0nyshark Ukraine 2,735,036 46 3 EDY14101 Andorra 2,257,977 38 4 ovomaltino Brazil 1,839,470 31 5 LiQuidZeRo Sweden 1,324,808 22 6 FRENTEXXy Brazil 1,241,615 21 7 ZeiKo Lithuania 1,136,896 19 8 Kalamaan Finland 697,001 12 It took only 2.5 hours from the first cards being pitched at the final table to the champion being crowned. "ZeiKo"'s time at the final table was limited. They sat down second last in chips but were the first player out of the door, three-bet shoving for ten big blinds with ace-five of diamonds only to run straight into the dominating ace-ten of hearts of "bucurestean." A steady flow of eliminations followed. "Kalamaan" of Finland was next to hit the rail, "EDY14101" of Andorra joined the list of busted players, befoe "ovomaltino" busted in fifth to leave only four players in the hunt for the title of champion. Those four became three when "LiQuidZeRo" then two with the untimely exit of "t0nyshark," who had been nursing a short stack for some time. "bucurestean" went into the heads-up clash with "FRENTEXXy" trailing but ultimately came out on top t take home $8,347, leaving the runner-up to pad their 888poker bankroll with $6,595. $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event Final Table Results Rank Player Country Bounties Prize Total Prize 1 bucurestean Romania $992 $7,355 $8,347 2 FRENTEXXy Brazil $845 $5,750 $6,595 3 t0nyshark Ukraine $545 $4,275 $4,820 4 LiQuidZeRo Sweden $1,106 $2,940 $4,046 5 ovomaltino Brazil $926 $1,970 $2,896 6 EDY14101 Andorra $3,852 $1,435 $5,287 7 Kalamaan Finland $893 $1,000 $1,893 8 ZeiKo Lithuania $506 $750 $1,256 888poker Summer Sale Results While "bucurestean" was busy becoming a champion, the 888poker Summer Sale burst into life, a week-long promotion that sees buy-ins of several multi-table tournaments slashed in half. "andyboooo9" won the Summer Sale Big Shot 215, turning $109 into $2,393, with "SantosTP" enjoying playing in the Summer Sale PKO Rumble 55 for $27.50 and walking away with the $2,233 top prize. Check out the Summer Sale results in the table below. Event Buy-in Entrants Prize Pool Champion Prize Summer Sale Big Shot 215 $109 101 $10,100 andyboooo9 $2,393 Summer Sale PKO Rumble 55 $27.50 541 $13,525 SantosTP $2,233 Summer Sale Tuesday PKO Rumble 320 $160 97 $14,356 swe_cs $3,769 Summer Sale Mystery Bounty 22 $11 1,073 $10,730 MackTwo2 $950 Remaining 888poker Summer Sale Schedule Don't worry if you missed the first few Summer Sale tournaments because several more run between today and June 15. If you only have the time to play one of these cut-price events, try to make it the Mystery Bounty Main Event at 6:00 p.m. BST on June 15. It costs $55 instead of $109 but keeps its $100,000 guaranteed prize pool. Reach its final table, and you'll feature in PokerNews' recap next week! Date Time (BST) Event Buy-in Guarantee Wed 11 Jun 7:00 p.m. Summer Sale Mystery Bounty 22 $11 $10,000 7:30 p.m. Summer Sale The PKO Rumble 109 $55 $10,000 Thu 12 Jun 6:00 p.m. Summer Sale- Thursday Big Shot 320 $160 $12,000 6:00 p.m. Summer Sale The PKO Rumble 33 $16.50 $5,000 Fri 13 Jun 7:00 p.m. Summer Sale The PKO Rumble 55 $27.50 $13,000 7:00 p.m. Summer Sale Mystery Bounty 22 $11 $10,000 Sat 14 Jun 6:00 p.m. Summer Sale The PKO Rumble 33 $16.50 $5,000 8:00 p.m. Summer Sale Mystery Bounty 22 $11 $10,000 Sun 15 Jun 6:00 p.m. Summer Sale Mystery Bounty Main Event $55 $100,000 6:30 p.m. Summer Sale Sunday Mystery Bounty 55 $27.50 $25,000 7:00 p.m. Summer Sale Sunday Mystery Bounty Big or Small 22 $11 $12,000 7:30 p.m. Summer Sale Big Shot 525 $265 $30,000 Share this article John Racener Claims Third WSOP Bracelet For His Third Son Laura Fryer Live Reporter Copy link John Racener was crowned the winner of Event #34: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Super Turbo Bounty at the 2025 World Series of Poker 2025. He battled through a 2,244-player field and defeated Liran Betito in heads-up play to win the $247,595 top prize and a stack of 16 bounties worth $500 each. Racener took the lion's share of the $1,834,567 total prize pool, which beat last years $1,761,850 prize pool. It wasnt Racener's first time battling heads-up on a WSOP event for a bracelet, as he already had two gold bracelets to his name before entering the Turbo Bounty tournament earlier today. One of Raceners pivotal moments in his career was finishing second in the 2010 WSOP Main Event. He recalled after winning this event, I was actually having thoughts of my main event heads up when I was playing heads up tonight, and the banner was hanging right over my opponents head., referring to Jonathan Duhamels winners banner hanging in the Event Center room at the Horseshoe. Racener looked back at the tournament play and said how things went pretty smoothly all day. I mean, and now we're here. I'm almost up 24 hours straight soon. He had just gotten to Las Vegas after staying at home with his wife after the birth of their third son. His initial reaction was Excitement, just showing my wife that it was worth it for me to be out here. To be away from the family and kids. The only thing that makes it worth it is if I win.. Im coming home with a third bracelet for our third boy. If I dont, the trip was a failure. Final Result Event #34: $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty NLH Place Player Country Prize 1 John Racener United States $247,595.5 2 Liran Betito Israel $164,964 3 Xinwen Zhang China $120,457 4 Justin Tran United States $88,865 5 Jeremie Toledano Israel $66,242 6 Gaetano Logrande United States $49,899 7 Paul Saso United States $37,988 8 Angela Shade United States $29,231 9 Shant Marashlian United States $22,738 Final Table Action There were eliminations thick and fast all day. The rail was strong from the start, and a crowd grew as the players went to three tables. Players went to an unofficial final table at ten players, with Samuel Rosborough being the first to leave after shoving Ace-Queen into Shant Marashlian who flopped trip sevens and held. Shant Marashlian suffered the same fate as his Ace-Queen also ran into a pocket pair, and he was the next to be eliminated. This was the start of Raceners climb as he began to chip away at the remaining players at the table, starting with Jeremie Toledano, who was to his direct left. Soon after, Racener secured a double elimination, knocking out both Angela Shade and Paul Saso with his pocket queens, putting him into the chip lead at that point with six players remaining. Liran Betito Racener took a back seat for a while as his eventual heads up opponent Liran Betito, took out all but one player, Xinwen Zhang, to reach heads-up play; this included JC Tran who also was looking to secure his Third WSOP bracelet but ran into Betitos pocket jacks . After Betito woke up with kings and Eliminated Zhang, the pair went into heads-up play with pretty even stacks. Racener pulled ahead after flopping trips, but they were back down to roughly even stack sizes after a few small pots were passed. The final hand started steadily as Racener chipped away at Betito throughout the streets. Racener put the pressure on the river and shoved, putting Betito all in and at risk after he made the call. Racener took the win with a better two pair, and left Betito to take second place. The action was followed throughout the 15 hours of play until John Racener was crowned the winner of Event #34: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Super Turbo Bounty at the 2025 World Series of Poker 2025. Be sure to stick with PokerNews for all the key action at poker events all around the world. Share this article Rising New Jersey Poker Star Captures First WSOP Bracelet Robert Jones Live Reporter Copy link Day 2 of Event #31: $800 No-Limit Holdem Deepstack at the World Series of Poker hosted within the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas has recently concluded, and we have a winner! Jonathan Stoeber has topped the field of 4,481 entries and claimed his first WSOP bracelet and a healthy $352,610 cash prize out of the $3,136,700 prize pool. Stoeber jumped from the bottom of the chip counts to the top swiftly by winning crucial pots during the final table. He then began asserting dominance over his competitors, especially during heads-up play versus Daniel Cosner, needing less than one level to seal the deal. The total play time for the final table was only three hours, and Stoeber proclaimed, "I dont think I had a tough decision all final table. Event #31: $800 No-Limit Holdem Deepstack Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize 1 Jonathan Stoeber United States $352,610 2 Daniel Cosner United States $234,908 3 Matthew Morin Canada $172,724 4 Shawn Buchanan Canada $128,100 5 Geoffrey Coatar United States $95,834 6 Nicholas Seward United States $72,327 7 Ryan Hohner United States $55,071 8 Peter Fox United States $42,308 9 Mikhail Sniatovskii United States $32,796 Day 2 Action The newly crowned WSOP bracelet winner had a lot of work to do, even though he bagged a very healthy 1,000,000 chips heading into the day. With 250 people starting the day, I had no expectations coming into Day 2. I knew it would be a roller coaster the whole way. Stoeber managed to stay out of trouble and float during the middling stages of Day 2. While people who had roughly triple his chips were knocking out the competition, Stoeber knew that this event would eventually reach the push poker phase. Walking into the final table, Stoeber was very short, but it was irrelevant when his friends were at his back, and the cards on his side. I came in with four and a half bigs. I just kinda sun runned it, to be honest. Queens into 98o, Kings into Queens." It may have been the king on the river to save Stoeber's tournament life, but once some momentum was gained, he was impossible to stop. Stoeber jumped from 6,800,000 to over 110,000,000 over four major hands including the one mentioned above, the elimination of Peter Fox in eighth helping him chip up, and then eliminating Geoffrey Coatar in fifth to put himself in a dominant position to close the event out as the chip leader. Jonathan Stoeber Winners Reaction With close to 20 people rooting him on from the rail, Stoeber wasnt needed in the shouting department. A surreal sense of relief came over him once the event concluded. After coming very close to a bracelet multiple times in WSOP online events and having a plethora of strong finishes in live events throughout his young career, the New Jersey resident felt bliss as he more than doubled his career earnings. When asked about his strategy to close out the event, Stoeber explained, I was just trying to put people in spots. If its six big blinds, but a 50k pay jump, you put people in the blender. He accomplished his goal and found himself pushing the agenda once his fate was set by a river card that may just have changed this young mans life. To use Stoebers own words, unfortunately for the other guys, today he had the cards. Jonathan Stoeber When asked how winning this event would change his summer, Stoeber said, Im coming back. With a flight scheduled for the morning, he explained that he has no current plans. However, it appears that he intends to hunt number two after touching back down in his hometown of Ewing, New Jersey, for some clothes and a well-deserved celebration. "There is still a lot more money to win," a member of the winning rail announced That concludes our coverage of Event #31: $800 No-Limit Holdem Deepstack, but stay tuned to PokerNews as we continue to cover every bracelet winner until the end of the WSOP live from the tournament floor here at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Share this article Poker-Playing Pirate Allegedly Stabbed Man, Solicited and Ran Over Woman Jon Sofen Senior Editor U.S. Copy link Scotter Clark, a poker player who often dressed in full pirate costume at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), was arrested Monday in Oklahoma for allegedly soliciting a woman and stabbing a man who confronted him. Clark was booked in the Tulsa Municipal Jail and charged with two felony counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. The incident isn't the first time he's run into some legal trouble. Accusations Against Poker Player Scotter Clark Clark, who claimed to have been banned from Caesars properties during the 2022 WSOP, allegedly attempted to solicit an unidentified woman for sex in Tulsa. She is said to have declined his proposition, and an unnamed male who accompanied her confronted the poker pro. Police say Clark then stabbed the man in the head and chest before leaving the scene in his blue pickup truck. Clark then, according to investigators, backed his truck into the female victim. Both victims were treated at a local hospital and are expected to survive their injuries. A person who witnessed the incident called 911 and provided police with the suspect's license plate number. Clark, an Iowa native, was taken into custody late Monday night. He claimed he was involved in an altercation after someone broke into his truck. Image courtesy of the Tulsa Police Department Clark has over $500,000 in live tournament cashes, and frequently played in WSOP, World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC), and RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) events. He was well-known on the mid-stakes tournament circuit. But he also has a criminal past, which includes a 2000 conviction for selling cocaine, which resulted in a 180-month federal prison sentence. Share this article Trio of Charity Poker Events Taking Place in Las Vegas this Weekend During 2025 WSOP Chad Holloway PR & Media Manager Copy link Poker players in Las Vegas for the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) may be interested in a trio of charity poker tournaments taking place this weekend. A pair of Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) events will take place on back-to-back days this Thursday and Friday, followed by the 10th annual event benefitting Families for Effective Autism Treatment. Here are details for each of the charity events. CSOP Full House of Food On Thursday, June 12, the CSOP #84: Full Houses of Food, sponsored by Bar Poker Open, will take place at The Stirling Club (not far from the 2025 WSOP) and benefit Three Square Food Bank. The tournament costs $300 to enter, though those interested in simply attending and not playing can do so for just $100. Rebuys and add-ons will be available for $100 apiece. Participants can enjoy a cocktail hour complete with hors doeuvres and a silent auction. There will be a $5,000 cash prize plus over $10,000 in donated prizes. Those at the final table, as well as the chip leader at break and the player with the most rebuys, can all expect some prizes. Likewise, there will be designated bounties, and anyone who knocks them out will be awarded a prize. Doors Open: 5 p.m. Tournament Start: 7 p.m. 10,000 chips per Rebuy 20,000 Chips per Add-On Three Square Food Banks mission is to provide wholesome food to hungry people while passionately pursuing a hunger-free community. In 2023, Three Square Food Bank distributed over 37 million meals, the equivalent of more than 45 million pounds of food and grocery products, through our community partners. Follow live updates from the Bar Poker Open here! CSOP Cops 4 Kids The following day, on Friday, June 13, the CSOP is back at it with their 85th event Cops 4 Kids presented by LexisNexis. The details are the same as above, but this time, everything will benefit the LVPMSA Charitable Foundation! LVPMSA Charitable Foundation supports childrens charities and awards college scholarships to graduating high school seniors in our community. Families for Effective Autism Treatment On Saturday, June 14, Families for Effective Autism Treatment presents The Big Cheese, a charity poker tournament with a Roaring 20s theme. The event will take place at 5 p.m. at the Jackpot Bar & Grill at 4485 South Jones Blvd, 89103. Participants, who will enjoy complimentary food and drink, are encouraged to dress in 20s attire. The final table will win cash prizes. The 10th annual poker tournament features a $60 buy-in with $10 rebuys. For more information, visit featsonv.org. Share this article Over the course of four days of registration, a massive field of 16,301 came out to Event #19: $500 Colossus. This generated a massive prize pool $6,664,102 to be divided up among the cashing 2,326 players. At 1:00 p.m. today, just nine players returned to play for their chance at a bracelet and over half a million dollars. Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Courtenay Williams began the day in eighth place in the counts having already secured his first ever WSOP bracelet cash. After being at risk all in with the worst hand early at the final table, but getting a fold from the eventual runner up Ramaswamy Pyloore, Courtenay propelled up the counts and eventually took home his career best score of $542,540 and his first bracelet. I honestly dont know which means more, the new champion honestly said when asked about the importance of the money versus the bracelet. I think the bracelet is really cool, the money is really cool, at this moment they are both equal. The massive fold at the beginning of the final table was a moment that particularly stuck out in Williams mind. I found out about that hand at the first break. I think I talked him into a fold which played into some other stuff later. When we got heads up, it played to my advantage because I think he thought I was going to be bluffing a lot. Despite this being Williams first WSOP bracelet cash, he is no stranger to tournaments, particularly around the Los Angeles area. Courtenay Williams and his rail I live in LA now. I play a lot of tournaments at Bicycle and Commerce. It used to be Hustler in Commerce Park, but they dont run that anymore so whenever there are series there, I play multi day events. When Im working Ill usually play a couple that rotate around my work. This tournament had barely been on Williams radar and he talked honestly about how he almost skipped the final flight. Im usually off for a few months a year. Ill come here for a week, but I barely fire in the WSOP. I usually fire the smaller stuff around the city. I wasnt even going to play this on Saturday, because I had already busted twice. A couple of my buddies talked me back into playing, and here we are. Having earnings prior of $122,220, Williams reflected on how his own perspective helped him significantly at the final table. I dont really get caught in the Hendon Mob mob stuff. It is what it is. I think not knowing who anyone was also really helped me out, because I can just play and not be intimidated by anyone. Williams plays recreationally and does not consider himself a professional poker player. The 45-year old works in Television, but had made reference to the fact that the industry had been coming under hard times as of late. Its a great start to the summer and to the year. Im not working at the moment and while I do have money, this is going to make it easier to not be so stressed. With that, Williams collected his new piece of jewelry and exited the tournament area. Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize 1 Courtenay Williams United States $542,540 2 Ramaswamy Pyloore United States $361,690 3 Matt Glantz United States $273,260 4 Kaiwen Wei United States $207,740 5 Jason Blodgett United States $158,910 6 Antonio Trocoli Filho Brazil $122,330 7 Ryan Leng United States $94,760 8 Sigrid Dencker Germany $73,880 9 Justin Gutierrez United States $57,970 Final Table Action The first big all in confrontation of the final table came when Courtenay Williams three-bet ace-queen suited against Ramaswamy Pyloores king-ten. Both players saw a flop and Williams moved all in flopping second pair against Pyloores top pair. Fortunately for Williams, Pyloore pitched his hand and his time in the tournament continued. Justin Gutierrez had begun the final table as one of the more active players at the table, but eventually lost a flip to Matt Glantz to leave himself as the shortest at the table. His last chips went over to Pyloore after Williams opened with ace-ten, Pyloore three-bet with pocket kings, and Gutierrez got in his last chips with pocket tens. Pyloores kings held up to maintain the chip lead while Gutierrez finished in ninth place for $57,970. WSOP bracelet winner Ryan Leng finished in seventh After that the next all in confrontation would occur between WSOP bracelet winner Ryan Leng and UFC fighter Antonio Trocoli Filho when Leng would get in his chips holding king-jack against Filhos dominant ace-king. The board favored Leng to propel him into third while Filho fell to the short stack. Sigrid Dencker came into the final table as the lone woman at the final table, and her run would end in eighth place shortly after the prior all in confrontation. She would jam in her final stack with pocket fours over Kaiwen Weis open and Wei would call her holding pocket sevens. No help would be brought to her on the board and she collected $73,880 for her efforts. Matt Glantz ended up finishing in third place Lengs earlier double up would not propel him to his fourth bracelet as he would find himself at the end of Weis blade as well. He would jam with ace-seven and Wei would look him up with pocket tens, with no help materializing on the king-high runout. Wei would continue to ascend up the counts while Leng would finish in seventh place for $94,760. It would be Filho next on the chopping block as he moved in his last few chips with queen-seven suited from the hijack right into Pyloores aces in the big blind. Despite flopping a myriad of straight and flush draw outs, nothing would complete and the UFC fighter collected $122,330 for his sixth place finish. Earlier in the final table Jason Blodgett had made a laddering motion to his rail in reference to his short stack survival. He reached the top of his ladder shortly after getting in his ace-two up against Pyloores pocket tens. His wheel draw would not complete and he collected $158,910 for his fifth place finish. Despite the strong start to the final table, Wei would be the next to go in fourth place. His demise would come at the hands of Glantz as he jammed with ace-four after Glantz opened, and Glantz looked him up with queen-jack to flop a queen. Glantz would ascend up the chip counts while Wei collected $207,740 for his efforts. The three-handed affair began with Pyloore in the lead, Glantz in second, and Williams in third. The leaderboard would even out as Williams would call Pyloores shove holding ace-three to put himself at risk. A three on the flop would keep Williams in the tournament while the stacks all evened out. Glantz seemed all set to double up through Williams when he got his stack in holding pocket nines against Williams ace-queen. With one card to come, Glantz had to fade just six cards in the deck, but the ace of diamonds connected on the river to send out the WSOP regular in third place for $273,260. Courtenay Williams and Ramaswamy Pyloore shaking hands after the match Heads up began as both players would share a decent amount of time each in the chip lead, with several big pots swinging back and forth between the two of them. It would all come crashing down for Pyloore as he called Williams shove holding ace-eight for nines and eights with the best kicker. He was up against the pocket kings of Williams for kings and nines and no improvement on the river would see Williams take over the lead in the tournament as Pyloore was all but forced all in the following hand. Williams held pocket nines on the final hand as he flopped a set against Pyloores queen-four. It was over on the turn and the two competitors shook hands as Pyloore collected $361,690 for his runner up finish. Thank you for reading along with the coverage of Event #19: $500 Colossus. Stay tuned to PokerNews for all of the exciting updates throughout the rest of the 2025 WSOP at Paris and Horseshoe Casino. Day 2 of Event #31: $800 No-Limit Holdem Deepstack at the World Series of Poker hosted within the Horseshoe and Paris, Las Vegas has recently concluded, and we have a winner! Jonathan Stoeber has topped the field of 4,481 entries and claimed his first WSOP bracelet and a healthy $352,610 cash prize out of the $3,136,700 prize pool. Stoeber jumped from the bottom of the chip counts to the top swiftly by winning crucial pots during the final table. He then began asserting dominance over his competitors; especially during heads-up play versus Daniel Cosner, needing less than one level to seal the deal. The total play time for the final table was only three hours, and Stoeber proclaimed, "I dont think I had a tough decision all final table. Event #31: $800 No-Limit Holdem Deepstack Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize 1 Jonathan Stoeber United States $352,610 2 Daniel Cosner United States $234,908 3 Matthew Morin Canada $172,724 4 Shawn Buchanan Canada $128,100 5 Geoffrey Coatar United States $95,834 6 Nicholas Seward United States $72,327 7 Ryan Hohner United States $55,071 8 Peter Fox United States $42,308 9 Mikhail Sniatovskii United States $32,796 Day 2 Action The newly crowned WSOP bracelet winner had a lot of work to do even though he bagged a very healthy 1,000,000 chips heading into the day. With 250 people starting the day, I had no expectations coming into Day 2. I knew it would be a roller coaster the whole way. Stoeber managed to stay out of trouble and float during the middling stages of Day 2. While people who had roughly triple his chips were knocking out the competition, Stoeber knew that this event would eventually reach the push poker phase. Walking into the final table, Stoeber was very short, but it was irrelevant when his friends were at his back, and the cards on his side. I came in with four and a half bigs. I just kinda sun runned it, to be honest. Queens into 98o, Kings into Queens." It may have been the king on the river to save Stoeber's tournament life, but once some momentum was gained, he was impossible to stop. Stoeber jumped from 6,800,000 to over 110,000,000 over four major hands including the one mentioned above, the elimination of Peter Fox in eighth helping him chip up, and then eliminating Geoffrey Coatar in fifth to put himself in a dominant position to close the event out as the chip leader. Jonathan Stoeber Winner's Reaction With close to 20 people rooting him on from the rail, Stoeber wasnt needed in the shouting department. A surreal sense of relief came over him once the event concluded. After coming very close to a bracelet multiple times in WSOP online events, and having a plethora of strong finishes in live events throughout his young career, the New Jersey resident felt bliss as he more than doubled his career earnings. When asked about his strategy to close out the event, Stoeber explained, I was just trying to put people in spots. If its six big blinds, but a 50k pay jump, you put people in the blender. He accomplished his goal and found himself pushing the agenda once his fate was set by a river card that may just have changed this young mans life. To use Stoebers own words, unfortunately for the other guys, today he had the cards. Jonathan Stoeber When asked about how winning this event will change his summer, Stoeber announced, Im coming back. With a flight currently scheduled for the morning, he explained that he has no current plans, but it appears that he intends to hunt number two after touching back down in his hometown of Ewing, New Jersey for some clothes and a well-deserved celebration. "There is still a lot more money to win," a member of the winning rail announced. That concludes our coverage of Event #31: $800 No-Limit Holdem Deepstack, but stay tuned to PokerNews as we continue to cover every bracelet winner until the end of the WSOP live from the tournament floor here at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. In the largest buy-in event of the summer thus far, only ten players will return for the third and final day of Event #32: $50,000 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em. Legendary high-stakes crusher Jason Koon is looking for his second World Series of Poker bracelet and the largest portion of the $8.1 million prize pool. The stacked field will gather under the lights of the feature stage inside the Horseshoe Events Center. Koon will return with a healthy chip lead, coming off the heels of a massive late-night cooler versus Sean Winter. Sitting fourth on the all-time money list with over $64 million in earnings, the American poker pro will jump up one spot with a victory tomorrow. Koon will bring a stack of 14,575,000 to the felt for Day 3, nearly three times the average of the rest of the field. Following in his footsteps is fellow American Andrew Lichtenberger with 6,735,000, who earned a big double up in one of the last hands of the night. They are the only two players remaining with a WSOP title, while the rest of the exceptional talent look to notch their first. Final Ten Chip Counts Rank Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds 1 Jason Koon United States 14,575,000 121 2 Andrew Lichtenberger United States 6,735,000 56 3 Aliaksei Boika Belarus 6,285,000 52 4 Brock Wilson United States 6,240,000 52 5 Viktor Blom Sweden 5,005,000 42 6 Ben Tollerene United States 4,805,000 40 7 Sergey Lebedev United Kingdom 3,295,000 27 8 Dominykas Mikolaitis Lithuania 1,950,000 16 9 Reagan Silber United States 1,275,000 11 10 Chongxian Yang China 1,150,000 10 Day 2 Full of Coolers and Bad Beats There were 52 players who returned for Day 2 of this event, with late registration still open for an additional two levels. The max late registration line was as extravagant as previous events, but still an additional 20 players were redrawn into the field at closing time. These players were only given a stack worth around 12 big blinds, and the eliminations were fast and furious. There were many hands throughout the day that would often gain a roar, or at least murmur, from some fields - but these players almost seemed numb to the pain that was caused. Alex Foxen laid a beating on Klemens Roiter, not once but twice, cracking his pocket kings on multiple occasions within just minutes. Joey Weissman was on the wrong side of a major cooler when he flopped a set of kings only to be outdone by Ben Tollerene's set of aces on the turn. Somehow, all of the chips still didn't get into the middle until the river. Following that, it was Brandon Steven who looked poised for a double up with pocket aces against the ace-king of Dominykas Mikolaitis. However, a king on the flop and another on the turn left Steven's head spinning as he exited just prior to the money bubble. Finally, on the money bubble with over $100,000 guaranteed for a min-cash, Pavel Plesuv saw his stack of around 40 big blinds go up in flames when his pocket kings were outdone by Brock Wilson's turned straight. Plesuv exited with nothing in his pocket while Wilson took over the chip lead at the time. Pavel Plesuv That led to a string of bustouts within minutes as the field dwindled from 26 players to 14 in one level. Some of the short stacks to hit the payout desk included Chino Rheem, Martin Kabrhel, Christoph Vogelsang, and Brian Rast. Coming back from the last break of the night, the first heartbreak fell in the hands of Joao Vieira, who had over half of the deck to hit literally, too many outs. Vieira flopped a Royal Flush draw against a small pair of Viktor Blom. However, two baby bricks hit the turn and river, leaving Vieira on the outside looking in. The final elimination of the night left Winter paralyzed at the table, unable to leave for minutes. Winter was busy checking out the other table when he barely arrived back at his seat in time to receive his hand. Unfortunately for him, he looked down at pocket kings at exactly the wrong time. Koon picked up pocket aces in the same hand with all of the chips going in the middle preflop. Winter looked dazed after the runout halted his run in 11th place. Sean Winter The remaining 10 players will return at 12 p.m. local time for the third and final day of this event, crowning a winner later in the evening. The action will resume on Level 19 with the blinds at 80,000/160,000 and a 160,000 big blind ante. Once they play down to six players, PokerGO will stream the action on delay, with the live updates here delayed in sync with the stream. Each player has locked up $130,082, but the lion's share of the prize pool is still up for grabs with nearly $2 million for first place. Each elimination from this point forward will come with a pay jump that will be significant to all of those remaining. Remaining Payouts Place Prize 1 $1,968,927 2 $1,312,610 3 $914,634 4 $650,074 5 $471,473 6 $349,068 7 $263,944 8 $203,919 9 $161,048 10 $130,082 Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team will be back on the tournament floor to bring you all of the updates en route to crowning a champion and instant millionaire. Reporter Carl Dawson covers education for the Aiken Standard. An Aiken County resident since 1990, his work has appeared in the Charleston News & Courier, the Tampa Tribune, the Atlanta Constitution and the Augusta Chronicle. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of South Carolina. Aiken Standard reporter Dede Biles is a reporter for the Aiken Standard. She covers Aiken County government, business and horse industry. To support local journalism, sign up for a subscription. See our current offers BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Concert by the Moroccan pianist, Mahmoud El Moussaoui, in celebration of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations in Azerbaijan's Baku, Trend reports. From Scarlatti to Benabdeljalil, the Azerbaijani and international public with a passion for classical music had the opportunity to (re)discover emblematic pieces of the classical repertoire of the 17th to 21st century, including Moroccan and Azerbaijani composers. Held at the prestigious Mugham International Centre in Baku to celebrate the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, this recital served as an opportunity to highlight the position of Morocco, which, through royal initiatives and its secular history, embodies the dialogue between civilizations. The Kingdom, cradle of a unique Moroccan identity, has been a point of convergence between the Amazigh, Phoenician, Roman, African, Eastern, Mediterranean, and European civilizations, creating a model of synergy and unique mixing between different cultures. In his address, the Ambassador of Morocco to Azerbaijan, M. Adil Embarch, while underlining the importance of this Day, emphasized the continued commitment of the Kingdom under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty the King, May God assist Him, through initiatives aimed at building bridges between societies of different cultures and religions, notably within the framework of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. The Ambassador also highlighted the richness and specificity of Moroccan music, rich in several genres and styles that are unique, and acknowledged the contribution of Moroccan artists to this art, including those who chose classical music. This concert, which enriches the cultural agenda 2025 of the capital, Baku, contributes to the promotion of Moroccan heritage in all its forms and strengthens cultural exchanges and friendship between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Azerbaijan. This event was attended by Azerbaijani officials, members of parliament, members of the diplomatic corps, and several personalities from the world of culture and media. Born in Kenitra, El Moussaoui is one of the young figures of the Moroccan classical scene. He began his musical training at the conservatory of his hometown before pursuing before continuing his higher education and musical training in France. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Ed Lab reporter Anna B. Mitchell is a Greenville-based investigative reporter for the Post and Courier's Education Lab team. A licensed English and social studies teacher, Anna covers education in the Upstate and collaborates with other reporters for coverage on statewide education trends. She studied history at the University of North Carolina, journalism at the University of Missouri, and holds an MBA from the University of Applied Sciences in Wurzburg. For fun, Anna plays bassoon, visits her family in Germany as often as she can, and takes her doggy, Ashe, for long walks with her daughter and husband. Aiken, SC (29801) Today Sunny skies this morning will give way to occasional showers during the afternoon. Hot. High 97F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 74F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Tony Bartelme, senior projects reporter for The Post and Courier, has earned national honors from the Nieman, Scripps, Loeb and National Press foundations, including Columbia University's John Chancellor Award for cumulative achievements in journalism. He has written five books and is a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Reach Tony at tbartelme@postandcourier.com 843-425-8254 North Augusta reporter Elizabeth Hustad is a reporter with The Post and Courier North Augusta. She covers government, growth and development, and business. Elizabeth is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and previously worked with a Twin Cities weekly. Her work has appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and MinnPost. To support local journalism, sign up for a subscription. See our current offers Charleston, SC (29403) Today A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers this afternoon. Hot. High 91F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low 77F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident with a commercial truck, you understand how devastating these crashes can be. The size and weight of these trucks often result in severe injuries, emotional trauma and significant financial burdens. Read moreYouve Been in an Accident with a Commercial Truck: Now What? 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. John McDermott has been the business editor of The Post and Courier since 2006. He's written about all facets of the South Carolina economy, served in the U.S. Air Force and is a graduate of the University of Hawaii-Manoa journalism program. Business and Tourism Reporter Megan Fernandes is a Business and Tourism Reporter for the Post and Courier. She is an award-winning reporter, who has worked in the newspaper industry from coast-to-coast. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Kestutis Budrys visited Kyiv on Tuesday, where he held high-level bilateral meetings with the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov, and Minister of Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania. The discussions focused on a wide range of strategic issues, including the ongoing peace process, the situation on the front line, Ukraines military operations, and coordinated efforts ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague. Budrys and his Ukrainian counterparts put their heads together, underscoring the need to keep a united front on international sanctions while ramping up military support for Ukraine. As the Lithuanian minister has it, Lithuania's military aid to Ukraine is set to hit the 1 billion mark this year. He also confirmed that Lithuania is going above and beyond its defense support commitment of 0.25 percent of GDP, setting its sights on 0.3 percent by 2025. Another key topic on the agenda was defense industry cooperation. The sides discussed opportunities for joint production of military equipment, with promising areas including explosives, mines, ammunition, long-range FPV drones, and drone munitions. The meetings concluded with a shared commitment to strengthening strategic cooperation in defense and ensuring continued support for Ukraines national security objectives. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel 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. Food & Dining Editor Parker Milner is the Food Editor of The Post and Courier. He is a Boston College graduate and former professional hockey player who joined The Post and Courier after leading the Charleston City Paper's food section. Seth Taylor covers Greenville and the Upstate for The Post and Courier. Born in Iowa, he worked in Wyoming at the Buffalo Bulletin before moving to the Palmetto State. Kingstree, SC (29556) Today Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 94F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 73F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. On June 89, 2025, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev paid an official visit to Kazakhstan a key step in strengthening bilateral ties between two countries separated by thousands of kilometers but united by a shared strategic vision: building a reliable bridge between Europe and Asia. In a world where logistics have become a strategic asset and a pillar of economic influence, every new transport route is more than a line on the map it is a matter of national security, energy access, sustainable development, and geopolitical positioning. One of the central outcomes of President Radevs talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), widely known as the Middle Corridor. This agreement reflects a broader geoeconomic shift toward establishing alternative trade and transit routes between East and West in response to the evolving realities across the Eurasian space. Middle Corridor's strategic relevance for Europe The TITR is a multimodal transport corridor linking China to Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and onward to Black Sea ports. The route has grown in importance following disruptions to northern transit paths caused by geopolitical tensions and sanctions. President Tokayev highlighted that Kazakhstan accounts for 85% of all overland trade between Europe and China. Expanding Middle Corridor infrastructure, he noted, offers new opportunities for more efficient EastWest connectivity. As of 2024, cargo volumes along the TITR had risen by 62% to reach 4.5 million tons. Yet the corridors current capacity is only about half utilized. Plans are in place to increase throughput to 10 million tons by 2028. In Kazakhstan, major infrastructure projects are already underway including the construction of a new container hub at the Port of Aktau, which will boost handling capacity from 140,000 to 240,000 TEUs. Why Bulgaria? The geopolitical logic of partnership Bulgaria, situated on the Black Sea, is a natural partner for Kazakhstan within the framework of the Middle Corridor. The Port of Burgas one of the largest logistics hubs on the Black Sea could become a key transit point for TITR cargo flows. President Radev described Kazakhstan as a strategic partner for Bulgaria in Central Asia, noting that both countries are advantageously located at the crossroads of trade routes. The MoU on the TITR is more than a symbolic gesture it marks Bulgarias entry into one of Eurasias most important emerging transit corridors. This opens up new opportunities for Bulgarian ports and logistics companies to integrate into growing freight flows from Central Asia and China to Europe. Economic momentum: trade and investment The diplomatic revitalization of relations is backed by growing economic activity. In 2024, Kazakh exports to Bulgaria surged 11-fold to $303.6 million. Crude oil was the main driver, with exports increasing 48-fold (by $242.2 million), alongside aluminum, ferroalloys, and electronic components. Imports from Bulgaria also rose by 5.5%, reaching $71.6 million, led by pharmaceuticals. Investment flows are also gaining momentum. In 2024, Bulgarian investment in Kazakhstan grew by 86.5%, totaling $7.8 million. Cumulative gross investment since 2005 has reached $76.3 million, reflecting steady interest from Bulgarian businesses in the Kazakh market. Currently, 107 companies with Bulgarian capital are registered in Kazakhstan, with 61 actively operating a sign that the partnership has moved well beyond formal engagements and is grounded in a growing economic foundation. Kazakhstans strategy for diversifying export routes Following disruptions in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) and the impact of sanctions, Kazakhstan has accelerated efforts to diversify its oil export routes. A strategic breakthrough was the agreement with Azerbaijans SOCAR to transport 1.5 million tons of oil annually via the AktauBakuBTC route, with plans to scale this up to 57 million tons. Beyond oil, the Middle Corridor is now being used for the export of uranium, lithium, and rare earth elements to Europe. A recent Declaration of Intent signed in Samarkand between the EU and Central Asia includes provisions to develop logistics for transporting clean hydrogen and battery technologies. Azerbaijans pivotal role Azerbaijan is a central player in the Middle Corridor transforming its geographic position from a transit route to a strategic asset. The country is now a key link connecting the eastern and western shores of the Caspian Sea with the Caucasus and Black Sea ports. Azerbaijan has invested heavily in modernizing its transport infrastructure: ports have been upgraded, railways reconstructed, and new logistics hubs established. The Port of Alat, one of the largest on the Caspian Sea, can handle up to 15 million tons of cargo annually, including containers. Baku also boasts the largest commercial fleet on the Caspian, with more than 50 vessels tankers, ferries, and cargo ships. Shipbuilding capabilities are also expanding. Once current investment projects are completed, Azerbaijani shipyards will be able to produce 1015 tankers and cargo vessels annually, doubling current output. This will be vital to ensuring stable maritime transport amid growing volumes of oil, uranium, lithium, and industrial goods transiting from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to Europe. Azerbaijan also spearheaded the creation of the joint venture Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd. with Kazakhstan and Georgia. Its mission is to ensure seamless multimodal connectivity, improve transport efficiency and reliability, and establish unified service standards, tariffs, and documentation across the route. Azerbaijans role is further amplified by Europes increasing demand for uranium and critical rare earth elements. Today, a significant share of Kazakhstans uranium increasingly in demand as Europe revisits nuclear energy is transiting through Azerbaijan. A broader Eurasian transformation President Radevs visit to Astana and the signing of the TITR MoU mark more than just a bilateral milestone. They reflect a broader transformation in Eurasian transport and energy geopolitics. As the regional landscape evolves, the Middle Corridor is emerging as a viable alternative to traditional routes, with Kazakhstan as its driving force and primary beneficiary. By joining the initiative, Bulgaria gains access to the expanding flow of goods from Central Asia and China, reinforcing its role as a logistics hub on the Black Sea. The growth in trade, investment, and the creation of joint transport platforms all point to the emergence of a robust strategic and economic partnership between Astana and Sofia. In the coming years, projects like the Middle Corridor will help shape a more diversified, resilient, and competitive Eurasian economic space. Charleston, SC (29532) Today Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 95F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low near 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Kazakhstans oil transit sector is set for significant expansion in the medium to long term, driven by increased production plans, as outlined by Teniz Capital Investment Banking, Trend reports. However, the industry also faces a range of economic and political challenges that could impact its growth trajectory. According to the outlook, Kazakhstan aims to raise its oil output from the current level of around 90 million tonnes to over 100 million tons by 2030, primarily through the expansion of the Tengiz field and the full development of the Kashagan project. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects production could reach approximately 2.07 million barrels per day (around 104 million tons annually) by 2025, generating strong demand for transit capacity. This production increase, as emphasized in the research, is expected to drive higher utilization of existing pipeline routes and potentially require new infrastructure development to handle growing export volumes. The transit sector stands to benefit economically from this growth, as higher throughput translates directly into increased tariff revenues. For example, 2023 saw an 8% rise in shipments through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), fueled by Kashagans output growththis positively affected revenues for both CPC and KazTransOil, the main pipeline operator. A notable strength of Kazakhstans oil transit system, underscored by the Tengiz outlook, is its insulation from global oil price swings. Transport tariffs are fixed per tonne in either tenge or U.S. dollars and are not linked to the fluctuating price of crude. This pricing structure ensures stable cash flow for operators despite market volatility. Nonetheless, the Tengiz outlook also highlights several long-term risks. The global shift toward decarbonization could reduce oil demand, especially in Europethe primary destination for pipelines like CPC and Uzen-Atyrau-Samara (UAS). While demand from Asian markets such as China and India is expected to remain strong, Kazakhstan will face intensified competition for export volumes amid this energy transition. Tariff competitiveness is another challenge. The outlook points out that alternative routes like the Middle Corridor through the Caspian Sea currently cost $5070 more per ton than Russian pipelines due to maritime logistics and transshipment expenses. Should Kazakhstan pursue large-scale diversification via these more expensive routes, it may need to subsidize tariffs, putting pressure on operator margins. Aging infrastructure is also a concern emphasized in the outlook. Much of Kazakhstans pipeline network was constructed during the Soviet era and requires ongoing investments in maintenance and upgrades to prevent failures and regulatory penalties. KazTransOil is actively replacing pipeline sections, but such expenses remain a persistent operational cost. PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 12:00:11 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 332 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Precast concrete manufacturer announces acquisition and expansion into prestressed bridge segmentFLORIDA CITY, FL AND OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Alcrete LLC, a leading provider of high-quality precast concrete products, announced today that it has acquired Florida Concrete Products LLC in Florida City, Florida. This strategic move expands Alcrete into the prestressed bridge segment throughout the state of Florida. Prestressed Concrete BridgeFlorida Concrete Products began operations in the 1960s. The company is a key supplier to the Florida Department of Transportation for bridge projects throughout the state. Thomas L. Bond, director of Florida Concrete Products said, "Alcrete is the right partner to allow Florida Concrete Products to reach its full potential. The company is committed to our employees, customers, and suppliers, and will continue to invest in the business. I believe the company will flourish under Alcrete's ownership." Justin D. Norman, chief executive officer of Alcrete LLC said, "The acquisition of Florida Concrete Products is transformational for Alcrete. This addition allows Alcrete to enter the prestressed bridge market, expands our existing footprint in the state of Florida for storm & sanitary structures, and positions the company to continue to participate in the state's growing construction market. We are excited to welcome the employees of Florida Concrete Products to the Alcrete Team." According to Alcrete, the acquisition includes Florida Concrete Products' production facilities and equipment. Alcrete will retain the skilled workforce which will allow the company to increase its production capabilities and competitiveness within the prestressed concrete bridge market.###About Alcrete:Alcrete is a manufacturer of precast and prestressed concrete products including stormwater, sanitary, bridge, and specialty structures. Alcrete provides construction contractors with precast solutions for vital infrastructure projects.Alcrete operates six manufacturing facilities located in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina with a corporate office in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.For more information on Alcrete, visit Alcrete.com For press inquiries, please contact: info@ alcrete.com Contact InformationNathan SmithPR Contactinfo@ alcrete.com 1 (630) 672-7255SOURCE: Alcrete PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 19:55:07 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1068 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Autoflower seeds are transforming cannabis growing, and demand for premium autoflower weed seeds is skyrocketing across home and commercial markets.FORT ALBANY, ON / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Seed Supreme has been one of the leading names in the cannabis cultivation industry for years, and in 2025, they have officially become the best seller of autoflower seeds, with an award-winning range of autoflowering strain options to suit every kind of cannabis grower.Known for having the most extensive variety of cannabis plants and seed options, this seed bank has now awarded three of its signature autoflower strains as the Best Indica, Best Sativa, and Best Hybrid autoflower varieties.These seeds are guaranteed to grow into hardy plants and will start flowering automatically to produce exceptional yields and multiple harvests in a short amount of time.Now, both outdoor growers and indoor growers can easily access these autoflowering cannabis seeds, which go from seed to harvest in record time and deliver unmatched potency and rich flavors.A Popular Option for Autoflower Weed SeedsSeed Supreme stands as the top-tier destination for anyone interested in growing autoflowering cannabis seeds. This is mainly because of their impressive selection of over 4,000 marijuana strains sourced from over 1,500 breeders.Some of these autoflowering strains produce cannabis plants with THC levels that exceed 30%. Apart from variety, the brand's solid reputation also stems from its focus on quality, reliability, and exceptional customer service.Not only do they offer a 100% germination guarantee, but every purchase made by loyal subscribers comes with generous discounts and free shipping options across the US.Top Awarded Autoflower Seeds1.Granddaddy Purple- Awarded the Best Indica Autoflower SeedsGranddaddy Purple autoflowering cannabis seeds might just be one of the most popular Indica varieties available today. It is a staple crop among growers of autoflower strains thanks to their distinct flavour profile and soothing effects. With its vibrant deep purple buds, sweet, grape-like aroma, and potent effects, it's no wonder this strain has secured the top Indica spot.If you are growing Granddaddy Purple autoflowering plants, you can expect plants with a moderate THC content of 17-23%, which can be increased under optimal growth conditions. At these levels, THC produces relaxing body effects coupled with euphoria, which are especially useful for managing anxiety, muscle tension, insomnia, and chronic pain.It acts as a great companion to help you wind down at the end of a stressful day, and in the evening, it can also be used as an effective sleep aid. The plants grown from GDP auto seeds offer a pure"grapey goodness" reputation, with a refreshing blend of fruity sweetness with subtle notes of earthiness for a layered and sophisticated flavor profile.These autoflowering cannabis seeds are perfect for beginners and easy to cultivate, thanks to their inherent resistance to environmental challenges like root rot and light stress. There are still a few environmental conditions that need to be managed carefully.Make sure the plants receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day for optimal growth, and keep airflow optimal and light exposure consistent to avoid issues like bud rot. For indoor growers to get healthy growth and the best cannabis plant yields, you have to maintain temperature levels between 70-85F and average humidity levels between 40% and 50%.Remember that once the plants begin flowering, they will need slightly cooler temperatures and lower humidity levels to prevent mold growth. Both indoor and outdoor autoflower GDP enters its flowering stage within 8-10 weeks, which is a shorter time than most other Indica autoflowers, and growers can expect XL yields of 450 grams per square meter indoors and up to 600 grams per plant outdoors.>>Get the best offer for Granddaddy Purple Autoflower Seeds2.Durban Poison- Awarded the Best Sativa Autoflower SeedsAs a mostly Sativa strain, Durban Poison is a famous option among experienced growers for its rapid growth and uplifting effects. It is the epitome of everything daytime cannabis should be. Its adaptability is what makes it a great option for newbies to cannabis seed cultivation as well.At this seed bank, you can find autoflower Durban Poison seeds that produce autoflowering plants with high THC levels up to 25%. However, expert growers can take this all the way up to 30% with the right conditions. This flower delivers a strong boost of energy that lasts for hours. It's the go-to option for productivity. You will be known as the real energiser bunny at work because with just one hit of Durban Poison, you'll be ready to take on anything that comes your way.The flavor of Durban Poison is bold and might take some getting used to. You can expect strong notes of sweet licorice, balanced by earthy pine undertones. Durban Poison delights connoisseurs with its sweet licorice notes, balanced by earthy pine undertones. Expert growers appreciate the sophisticated terpene profile for its unique aroma.This is a true beginner-friendly strain, which can withstand a number of adverse environmental factors and even thrives in hours of direct sunlight. The only issue that cultivators have to worry about is having enough vertical space to accommodate their height, which can make growing indoors challenging. They also boast a strong resistance to mold and pests, and they produce dense, high-quality resinous buds.With a flowering time of 8-10 weeks, this strain goes from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage much faster than many other pure Sativas, which also ensures fast harvests.You can expect yields of approximately 450 grams per square meter with indoor setups, while outdoor yields can produce 500-600 grams per plant when given enough light under the right conditions.>>Get the best offer for Durban Poison Autoflower Seeds3.Northern Lights- Awarded the Best Hybrid Autoflower SeedsNorthern Lights Cannabis seeds produce plants that are not only resilient and adaptable but they also offer exceptional genetics, a pleasant aroma, and high THC levels. This combination of unique traits is what makes these autoflowering plants such an iconic choice for anyone growing autoflower weed seeds.If you are planning on growing autoflower Northern Light cannabis seeds, you can expect THC levels of around 20%, which is a moderate potency that is ideal for those new to THC. With this Indica-dominant hybrid strain, you can expect deep relaxation and euphoria. It also provides effective pain relief and relaxation of the mind and body.Northern lights cannabis plants offer a unique blend of earthy and spicy-musky flavors%2 PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 14:01:21 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1024 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Searching for the purest CBD oil in Canada? CBDNorth delivers lab-verified, full-spectrum CBD with no compromises. Experience the new gold standard in wellness.VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / As demand for high-quality CBD grows, CBDNorth has emerged as a clear leader in theCBD Oil CanadaSpace. Their full-spectrum CBD oil is made from organic Canadian hemp, and independent laboratories test every batch to ensure quality.For Canadians seeking genuine results, CBDNorth offers a straightforward choice: lab-verified, expertly crafted oils designed for consistency and optimal effectiveness. In a market crowded with questionable products, they provide a reliable option backed by transparency.CBDNorth offers superior ingredients, advanced science, and high-quality CBD. Try it and see why more Canadians are making the switch.The Big Shift: Why Canadians Are Choosing Natural Wellness?Across Canada, a major shift is happening. Increasingly, people are opting for natural wellness solutions, with CBD at the forefront. In a world where stress, anxiety, and sleep struggles are on the rise, Canadians are searching for something real, something that doesn't come with harsh side effects or empty promises. The demand for trusted, natural remedies has never been stronger.Behind this movement is a simple truth: people want to feel better without feeling worse. They like calm without fog, sleep without grogginess, and relief without dependency. This emotional need is fuelling the rapid growth of CBD products across the country, and Canadians are seeking brands they can truly trust.That's where CBDNorth steps in, the answer Canadians have been waiting for. With high-quality, lab-tested CBD made right here in Canada, CBDNorth offers a natural way to find balance, ease stress, and get the deep, restful sleep you deserve. As the landscape of wellness evolves, CBDNorth is proud to lead with products that prioritize your health and peace of mind.Meet CBDNorth: A Homegrown Canadian Brand For CBD Oil CanadaWhen Canadians seek wellness solutions, they want more than just products; they desire honesty, quality, and care. That's exactly what CBDNorth stands for. Proudly homegrown, CBDNorth was built on a simple belief: everyone deserves access to pure, effective, and affordableCBD oil Canada .Unlike big corporate brands, CBDNorth keeps things real. Every product is made with all-natural ingredients, sourced and crafted right here in Canada. From the beginning, the team's mission has been about more than just selling CBD. It's about helping Canadians feel better, live better, and trust what they're putting into their bodies.At CBDNorth, quality isn't just a promise; it's a guarantee backed by third-party lab testing and full transparency. 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Like all CBDNorth oils, it's third-party lab tested and made to the highest Canadian standards.Other CBD Products Available At CBDNorthAt CBDNorth, wellness comes in more ways than one. Alongside their trusted CBD oils, you'll find a full range of products designed to fit every lifestyle and need, all made with PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 16:00:51 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 286 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is investigating potential claims on behalf of purchasers of Brown-Forman Corporation ("Brown-Forman" or "the Company") (NYSE: BF-A, BF-B). Investors who purchased Brown-Forman securities are encouraged to obtain additional information and assist the investigation by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/BF-A-BF-B Investigation DetailsOn 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." What's Next?If you are aware of any facts relating to this investigation or purchased Brown-Forman securities, you can assist this investigation by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/BF-A-BF-B.You can also contact Peretz Bronstein or his client relations manager, Nathan Miller, of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC:332-239-2660There is No Cost to YouWe represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys' fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & GrossmanBronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide.Follow us for updates onLinkedIn ,X ,Facebook , orInstagram .Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.ContactBronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLCPeretz Bronstein or Nathan Miller332-239-2660|info@ bgandg.com SOURCE: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 14:00:45 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 836 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Achieving a five-month revenue growth equivalent to an annualized rate exceeding 4,000%, as the booming CBD and mushroom supplement markets-projected to reach $30 billion and $15 billion respectively by 2028-fuel strong consumer demand and industry expansion.SCOTTSDALE, AZ / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / CBD Life Sciences Inc. (OTC PINK:CBDL), a rising player in the natural health and wellness space, is proud to report a 1,502.30% increase in revenue from January through May of 2025 - a historic milestone for the company and a clear reflection of its expanding presence across retail, digital, and direct-to-consumer channels.This performance marks the company's strongest run of sustained month-over-month revenue growth to date and comes as CBDL shifts from a single-category CBD company to a diversified wellness brand with products designed for modern performance, recovery, and cognitive support."This isn't just about selling more products - it's about becoming a health brand that consumers actively seek out," said Lisa Nelson, President & CEO of CBD Life Sciences Inc. "We've laid the foundation for scalable, repeatable success by combining innovation, access, and a strong identity in functional wellness." Key Drivers Of GrowthNational Retail Expansion & E-Commerce Ubiquity CBDL's ability to meet consumers where they shop has been a major growth catalyst in 2025. The brand has successfully launched and scaled across high-traffic digital and physical platforms, including:Walmart Marketplace: Multiple SKUs now available online, including CBDL's best-selling 3000MG Pain Relief Cream and skin care formulations.DoorDash & Leafly: Products are accessible via local delivery in select markets, offering speed and convenience for customers.Groupon: Strategic limited-time wellness deals driving strong first-time purchase activity and consumer discovery.Shopify & Reddit: Expanded direct-to-consumer operations through Shopify, complemented by engagement in Reddit's niche wellness communities to boost brand awareness and customer acquisition.Product Innovation: Functional Wellness for the Modern ConsumerCBDL's revenue growth closely aligns with its rapid innovation across plant-powered health categories. Beyond CBD, the company is gaining traction with functional and adaptogenic wellness products, including:Mushroom Smoothies & Brain Support Blends: Featuring natural cognitive enhancers like lion's mane, reishi, and cordyceps, these smoothies support memory, mental clarity, and energy - and are appearing in local coffee shops and health stores.Power+ Sexual Enhancement Supplement: A plant-based formula supporting male vitality, stamina, and circulation, quickly becoming a customer favorite.Adaptogenic Mushroom Supplements: Proprietary blends designed to support immune health, stress reduction, and overall daily balance, harnessing reishi, chaga, lion's mane, and ashwagandha.Strategic Vision & Responsible GrowthCBDL continues to invest in infrastructure, brand visibility, and strategic partnerships to ensure long-term sustainable growth. While focusing on the U.S. market currently, the company is evaluating future expansion opportunities and additional retail collaborations."Our focus remains on delivering real value through trusted products and accessible retail channels," added Nelson. "We are committed to building a wellness brand that serves consumers authentically while creating shareholder value." About CBD Life Sciences Inc. (CBDL)CBD Life Sciences Inc. is an Arizona-based health and wellness company focused on premium CBD, adaptogenic, and mushroom-based wellness products designed to support modern lifestyles. From pain relief to cognitive support and men's health, CBDL is committed to transparency, innovation, and accessibility.Follow our social media for the latest updates! X: https://www.x.com/CBDL_StockOTC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cbd.vault IR Contact: cbdvaultaz@ gmail.com Stay Connected & Be the First to Try Our New Functional Mushroom Products!Mushroom Madness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mushroom.madnessazMushroom Madness Website: https://www.mushroommadness.shop Forward-Looking Statements Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties. See CBD Life Sciences, Inc's, Inc.'s filings with OTC Markets, which may identify specific factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.Safe Harbor Statement This release includes forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and reflects management's current expectations. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. Some of these factors include: general global economic conditions; general industry and market conditions, sector changes and growth rates; uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; increasing competition; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of services; changes in the economy; changes in laws and regulations, including codes and standards, intellectual property rights, and tax matters; or other matters not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.Contact Information Lisa NelsonCEO cbdvaultaz@ gmail.com 4802091720SOURCE: CBD Life Sciences Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 08:00:12 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1028 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Helium One Global (AIM:HE1), the primary helium explorer in Tanzania with a 50% working interest in the Galactica-Pegasus helium development project in Colorado, USA, provides the following update on the current status of the award of the Mining License in Tanzania.HighlightsNegotiation of Regulatory Framework Agreements being finalizedGovernment free carried interest agreed at 17%Joint Venture company to be incorporated as Songwe Helium LtdExecution of all documents and formal award of Mining License ("ML") to be completed shortlyJames Smith, Non-executive Chairman of Helium One, commented:"This is a pivotal period in the Company's increasing maturity and growth. The last 18 months has seen exceptional progress as we have met a series of challenges with vigor and professionalism. Getting to this point would not have been possible without the continued support from the Government of Tanzania and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them as well as the local communities where we operate who have helped us and enabled us to deliver this project.I think it is a testament to the Company, that we are the first to receive a mandate to develop helium in Tanzania, and I look forward to being able to provide further successes as we develop this strategic project." Lorna Blaisse, CEO of Helium One, commented:"We are delighted to have concluded negotiations and reached agreement with the Tanzanian Government Negotiations Team on all documents and associated agreements that are required to complete the formal award of the ML for the southern Rukwa helium project.This is the culmination of several years of intense activity and hard work that has included the drilling of several successful exploration wells, the discovery of helium resources, undertaking an extended well test and the filing of the ML application in September last year. The speed with which the formal application and grant process has occurred is a testament to the relationship we have built with the Tanzanian Government, and I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Mining Commission and also the Ministry of Minerals for all of their invaluable support.My thanks are also extended to the Company staff and contractors who have contributed and worked so diligently on this project and I look forward to further success as we develop this unique project." DetailsBackgroundThe Company received an offer letter from the Mining Commission ("MC") in Tanzania for the grant of a 480 km2 ML for the southern Rukwa Helium Project (as announced 3rd March 2025). This was subsequently accepted, and the Company has since paid the initial annual rent of approximately US$960,000.Following negotiations with the Tanzania Government Negotiations Team ("GNT"), agreement has now been reached on the Government back-in percentage and all of the documentation required in order to conclude the formal ML award process is being completed.Joint Venture CompanyThe establishment of a joint venture company is also currently being concluded. The joint venture company is to be named Songwe Helium Ltd ("Songwe") and 83% of the issued share capital will be owned by the Helium One (through a subsidiary undertaking) and 17% by the Government of Tanzania.The board of Songwe will consist of five members, three of which will be appointed by the Company and two by the Government.Governing DocumentsThe negotiation of all relevant agreements has been concluded and these comprise a Regulatory Framework Agreement, a Shareholders' Agreement, the Memorandum and Articles of Association of Songwe and a jointly agreed economic model.The Company is currently waiting for final approvals and the names of the Government-nominated directors of Songwe and upon notification, the executable versions of all documents will be prepared, and it is expected that a formal signing ceremony will then occur.The Company is in the process of determining the next steps in the development programme and will announce these as well as the date of the signing ceremony as soon as possible.Relinquished Prospecting LicensesOn 1st June 2025 Prospecting Licenses PL 11135/2017 and PL 11136/2017 expired. In light of the remoteness of these licenses and the fact that they both partially offshore, the Company has decided not to seek further renewal.For further information please visit the Company's website: www.helium-one.com ContactHelium One Global LtdLorna Blaisse, CEOGraham Jacobs, Finance and Commercial Director+44 20 7920 3150Panmure Liberum Limited (Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker)Scott MathiesonNikhil Varghese+44 20 3100 2000Zeus Capital Limited (Joint Broker)Simon JohnsonLouisa Waddell+44 20 3829 5000Tavistock (Financial PR)Nick ElwesTara Vivian-Neal+44 20 7920 3150Notes to EditorsHelium One Global, the primary helium explorer in Tanzania with a 50% working interest in the Galactica-Pegasus helium development project in Colorado, USA. The Company holds helium licenses within two distinct helium project areas, across two continents. With an expanding global footprint, the company has the potential to become a strategic player in resolving a supply-constrained helium market.The Company's flagship southern Rukwa Project is located within the southern Rukwa Rift Basin in south-west Tanzania. This project entering a full appraisal and development stage following the success of the 2023/24 exploration drilling campaign, which proved a helium discovery at Itumbula West-1 and, following an extended well test ("EWT"), successfully flowed 5.5% helium continually to surface in Q3 2024.Following the success of the EWT, the Company filed a Mining License ("ML") application with the Tanzania Mining Commission in September 2024. The 480km2 ML has now been offered to the Company and was officially accepted in March 2025.The Company also owns a 50% working interest in the Galactica-Pegasus helium development project in Las Animas County, Colorado, USA. This project is operated by Blue Star Helium Ltd (ASX: BNL) and has successfully completed a six well development drilling campaign in H1 2025. The completion of the development programme is a key component of the broader Galactica-Pegasus development strategy; aimed at progressing the helium and CO2 discoveries to near-term commercial production.This programme has seen a systematic approach to developing the extensive Lyons Formation reservoir. The programme has delivered encouraging results, in line with expectations, consistently encountering good helium (up to 3.3% He) and CO2 concentrations in the target formation and demonstrating promising flow potent PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 18:30:33 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 469 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Shelby Dermatology, PC d/b/a Dermatologists of Birmingham recently disclosed that it suffered a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal and protected health data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal and protected health information entrusted to Dermatologists of Birmingham.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?On or around March 7, 2025, Dermatologists of Birmingham became aware of a security incident on its network environment. Upon detection, Dermatologists of Birmingham launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cyber security experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident.The investigation determined that an unauthorized third party gained access to certain files that may have contained sensitive information. Dermatologists of Birmingham conducted a comprehensive review of the impacted data to determine what information was compromised and identified affected individuals. The potentially impacted files contained personal and protected health information including names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, medical diagnosis and treatment information, health insurance information, and in a limited set of individuals, Social Security numbers.On May 02, 2025, Dermatologists of Birmingham filed a notice with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. On May 15, 2025, Dermatologists of Birmingham identified persons whose sensitive data was included in the impacted data. Compensation may be available for those individuals who receive notice that their personal information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Shelby Dermatology, PC d/b/a Dermatologists of Birmingham, you are likely affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. The firm is a 100% contingency firm - we don't get paid unless you get paid! Please visit us at www.zlk.com for more information. 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: 2025-06-11 18:30:17 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 446 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Kettering Health recently disclosed that it has been victim of a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal and protected health data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal and protected health information entrusted to Kettering.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?On May 20, 2025, Kettering Health became aware of a cybersecurity incident that impacted its IT network. In response, Kettering Health immediately launched an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident, working closely with third-party cybersecurity experts and law enforcement. While the organization was able to restore access to its Electronic Health Records (EHR) system, several other IT systems remain offline as the recovery process continues.As the investigation progressed, Kettering Health confirmed that a ransomware group known as Interlock was behind the attack. Interlock has claimed responsibility and alleges that it stole approximately 941 GB of data, including 732,490 files across 20,418 folders. On May 30, 2025, Kettering Health provided an update to its staff, partners, and community members about breach communications. Possible exposed information may include: name, Payroll information, employee files, scan of identity documents, police security personnel files, medic aid application documents, pharmacy and blood bank documents, financial revenue reports. corporate insurance filed, corporate tax information, budget reports; and patient filesWHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Kettering Health, you are likely affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi & Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. The firm is a 100% contingency firm - we don't get paid unless you get paid! Please visit us at www.zlk.com for more information. 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: 2025-06-11 17:15:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 419 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FREMONT, NE / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Legacy Post and Beam, a family-owned designer and manufacturer of handcrafted post and beam kits, is excited to unveil its newly completed onsite pavilion. Built with the same high-quality materials and expert craftsmanship used in all of the company's kits, the pavilion serves as a showcase for customers looking to see the durability and design of post and beam construction firsthand.For over a decade, Legacy Post & Beam has been providing custom post and beam kits to customers across the country, from event centers in southern Florida to city park pavilions in northwestern Oregon and everywhere in between. As demand for long-lasting outdoor structures continues to grow post-COVID, pavilions have become a popular choice for those seeking covered spaces built to stand the test of time."Our new onsite pavilion is a 16' x 24' structure, which is one of our most popular sizes for park pavilions, backyard spaces next to a pool, or even as an outdoor kitchen," said Les Novak, Production Manager.Customers are invited to visit during business hours for a tour of the new pavilion, as well as see the company's onsite post and beam office and barn spaces. Additionally, they can get an up-close look at the production facility. "Touring the space gives visitors the opportunity to see the materials and construction techniques, as well as meet our team to discuss potential projects. Whether they have a clear vision or are just beginning to explore options, we're happy to provide guidance and insight to help bring their ideas to life" said Brian Wiese, Co-Owner."We take great pride in every kit we produce, and building this pavilion was about more than just adding to our facility - it was about creating a space where customers can experience our craftsmanship up close," said Amanda Wiese, Co-Owner. "Seeing a structure in person is a great way to appreciate the strength and beauty of post and beam, and we welcome visitors to come explore what we have to offer." For more information or to schedule a tour, please contact Legacy Post and Beam at 402-317-5747 or visit https://legacypostandbeam.com/ About Legacy Post and Beam Legacy Post and Beam is a family-owned business specializing in handcrafted post and beam kits designed for homes, barns, event centers, pavilions, and more. With high-quality materials, expert craftsmanship, and a commitment to excellence, our kits provide durable, beautiful solutions for customers nationwide.SOURCE: Legacy Post and Beam PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 18:15:18 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 453 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / LexisNexis Risk Solutions recently disclosed that it suffered a data breach through its third-party software development platform. that compromised the sensitive personal data of individuals. This data breach has led to concerns over the security of sensitive personal and protected health information entrusted to LexisNexis Risk Solutions.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?On December 25, 2024, LexisNexis Risk Solutions became aware of a security incident on its third-party software development platform. The issue did not affect LNRS's own networks or systems. Upon detection, LNRS launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cyber security experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident.The investigation determined that an unauthorized third party gained access to certain LNRS data from the third-party platform. LNRS conducted a comprehensive review of the impacted data to determine what information was compromised and identified affected individuals. The potentially impacted files contained personal information including name, contact information (such as phone number, postal or email address), Social Security number, driver's license number, or date of birth. No financial or credit card information was affected.On May 24, 2025, LNRS began sending notice letters to impacted individuals and on May 27, 2024filed a notice with the Maine Attorney General's Office. Compensation may be available for those individuals who received notice that their personal information was compromised.WHY YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from LexisNexis Risk Solutions, you are likely affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected individuals are entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. The firm is a 100% contingency firm - we don't get paid unless you get paid! Please visit us at www.zlk.com for more information. 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 BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Economic and investment ties between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are expanding steadily, but still fall short of their full potential, said Deputy Governor of Tashkent Rakhmanov Sharof, as he addressed the panel session 'Azerbaijan Uzbekistan: Vector of Economic Partnership' within the IV Tashkent International Investment Forum, Trend reports. "If we talk about specific numbers, I will give examples that we have to mention, of course, that in Tashkent we have a function of about 200 enterprises with Azerbaijani capitals. And at least the same number of our enterprises have been registered in Baku," he said. He emphasized the ambition on both sides to expand trade and cooperation to new levels. "It is visible to us that these numbers can increase and can be much higher than they are on the level of billions USD," he added. Sharof also pointed to strong tourism flows between the two countries. "Every single year Tashkent is being visited by almost 10,000 Azerbaijani tourists. And a lot of our Uzbek tourists are visiting Azerbaijan as well". One of the highlights of his speech was the announcement of two major projects: the construction of national centers in each capital. "Entrepreneurs from Azerbaijan and entrepreneurs from Uzbekistan will have priorities and bring to life two very big projects that will show and depict our countries the buildings of the centers of Uzbekistan in Baku and the center of Azerbaijan in Tashkent," Sharof said. The project is already moving forward. "During our delegated visit [to Baku], we had very fruitful discussions with the administration of Baku, and we have already brought up specific territories where we will be building this center," he said. "Hopefully, in the very close time we will meet our Azerbaijani friends here in Tashkent and discuss the location of the Azeri center here in Tashkent. Right now I can tell you that the location has already been located". PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 18:00:24 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 470 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Meetopolis, a pioneering peer-support mental health app, has joined forces with ARCpoint Labs of Oklahoma City, a trusted name in clinical and diagnostic testing, to launch a strategic partnership focused on enhancing access to integrated mental and physical health resources. Meetopolis Peer Support APPThis collaboration unites Meetopolis' user-friendly digital platform - which offers peer-to-peer support and mental wellness tools - with ARCpoint Labs' comprehensive lab services, including drug screening, wellness panels, and health diagnostics. Together, the two organizations aim to bridge the gap between emotional support and medical insight, offering individuals a more holistic path to wellness.Key Goals of the Partnership:Integrated Wellness Pathways: ARCpoint Labs patients will receive exclusive access to Meetopolis' peer-support features, expanding their support options beyond the clinical setting.Proactive Support and Intervention: By aligning lab-based insights with emotional and mental health tools, the partnership aims to identify and support individuals dealing with conditions that can impact mental well-being - such as hormonal imbalances, cancer, diabetes, substance misuse, etc. - earlier and more effectively.Community Engagement: The two organizations will co-host wellness events and educational campaigns to promote mental health awareness and reduce stigma.Data-Informed Peer Communities: Meetopolis users can create or join support groups based on specific health and life challenges, including:Cancer SupportPTSD SupportVeteran Support GroupsAnxiety & DepressionGrief Support, and more"Mental health and physical health are deeply connected," said Tiffany Nguyen-Ngo, co-owner of ARCpoint Labs of Oklahoma City. "Our partnership with Meetopolis enables us to offer a more informed, compassionate approach - pairing clinical data with real human connection. We're proud to be making support more accessible, more personal, and more powerful." The partnership will debut this summer in Oklahoma City, with plans to expand into additional markets in the future.About MeetopolisMeetopolis is an innovative mental wellness platform that connects users with peer supporters in a secure, stigma-free environment. With around-the-clock access to online support groups, forums, group messaging, and other tools, Meetopolis promotes everyday mental wellness through empathy, accessibility, community and education. The platform also aims to enhance access to mental health resources and support tools for individuals both during and after treatment, supporting better long-term outcomes.About ARCpoint Labs of Oklahoma CityARCpoint Labs is a full-service diagnostic testing facility providing accurate and confidential health testing services for individuals, employers, and healthcare providers. ARCpoint recently was contracted to serve veterans who are in need of physical exams. The Oklahoma City branch is part of a nationally recognized franchise known for its quality and integrity.Media Contacts:Roy PackVice President, Meetopolis newsroom@ Meetopolis.com Tiffany Nguyen-NgoCo-owner, ARCpoint Labs of Oklahoma City TNguyenNgo@ arcpointlabs.com For more information, visit: www.Meetopolis.comwww.arcpointlabs.com/oklahoma-city Contact InformationRoy PackVP of Business Growthnewsroom@ meetopolis.com 818 209 1933SOURCE: Meetopolis PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 22:30:31 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1018 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Distinguished Diplomat Joins Former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta on Public Company BoardBOCA RATON, FL / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 /Newsmax Inc. (NYSE:NMAX) ("Newsmax" or the "Company") today announced the appointment of Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky to the Company's Board of Directors, effective immediately. Dobriansky will serve as a member of the Audit Committee alongside former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta, who was appointed to the Board upon the closing of the Company's initial public offering in March of this year."We are delighted to officially welcome Secretary Acosta and announce the addition of Ambassador Dobriansky to our Board of Directors," said Chris Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax. "Their exceptional backgrounds in public service, regulatory policy and international affairs will provide valuable perspectives as we continue to execute our growth strategy and deliver trusted news to the American people and countries around the world." Ambassador Dobriansky and Secretary Acosta join the five member Newsmax Board of Directors that includes its CEO, Chris Ruddy, Ambassador Nancy Brinker and Christopher Nixon Cox.Ambassador Paula J. DobrianskyAmbassador Paula J. Dobriansky, a foreign policy expert and diplomat specializing in national security affairs, is Vice Chair of the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a Senior Fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She brings over 30 years of government and international experience across senior levels of diplomacy, business and defense.From 2010 to 2012, she was Senior Vice President and Global Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Thomson Reuters, responsible for designing and implementing a corporate approach for engagement in Washington and other key capitals around the globe. During this time, she was also appointed the Distinguished National Security Chair at the U.S. Naval Academy.Dobriansky served as Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs from 2001 to 2009. In February 2007, as the President's Envoy to Northern Ireland, she received the Secretary of State's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal, for her contribution to the historic devolution of power in Belfast.During President Donald J. Trump's Administration, Dobriansky served on the Defense Policy Board, the Secretary of State's Foreign Affairs Policy Board and as Chair of the U.S. Export-Import Bank's Council on China Competition.Ambassador Dobriansky received a BSFS summa cum laude in international politics from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, as well as an MA and PhD in Soviet political and military affairs from Harvard University. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Diplomacy, and she has received high-level international recognition from the governments of Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Colombia and is the recipient of five honorary degrees.Secretary R. Alex AcostaSecretary Alex Acosta served as the 27th United States Secretary of Labor. He is the son of Cuban refugees and a first-generation college graduate, earning his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University.Mr. Acosta's diverse experiences include serving as Chairman of U.S. Century Bank, as Dean of the FIU College of Law, as U.S. Attorney and Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice, as a Member of the National Labor Relations Board, as a Senior Fellow at the Ethics & Public Policy Center and as an analyst at Lehman Brothers. Following law school, Mr. Acosta worked as a law clerk for then U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Samuel A. Alito, and as an associate, primarily in labor law and in appeals, at Kirkland & Ellis.Mr. Acosta has served in four presidentially appointed, Senate confirmed positions. In 2002, Mr. Acosta was confirmed as a Member of the National Labor Relations Board. In 2003, he was confirmed Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Acosta served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.From 2009 through 2016, Mr. Acosta served as the dean of the FIU College of Law, a majority-Hispanic law school. During his tenure, FIU Law flourished: FIU's U.S. News & World Report's ranking increased faster than any law school in the nation.In December 2013, Mr. Acosta was named Chairman of U.S. Century Bank, (USCB). Mr. Acosta served as chairman through May 2017, successfully leading a recapitalization and management renewal that resulted in an exit from TARP, a return to profitability, an extraordinary improvement in asset quality and a lifting of the FDIC consent order.In February 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Mr. Acosta to serve as Secretary of Labor. Secretary Acosta focused on addressing the nation's skills gap, advocating for expansion of apprenticeship programs and for other skills acquisition programs that provide in-demand skills.Mr. Acosta also served as Chairman of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and Board Member of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Secretary Acosta presently serves on the Newsmax Board of Directors and as Audit Committee Chair, and as a speaker and an advisor to private market ventures.For more information on Newsmax's Board of Directors, please visit Investor Relations | Newsmax, Inc.Financial GuidanceAlongside today's announcement, Newsmax is issuing full-year revenue guidance for FY 2025 ending December 31. The Company expects total revenue to be in the range of $180 million to $190 million.This guidance reflects management's current expectations and is subject to risks and uncertainties, as further described herein.About NewsmaxNewsmax Media, Inc. operates Newsmax, the nation's fourth highest-rated cable news network, according to Nielsen. Newsmax is carried on all major cable, satellite systems, and virtual pay TV operators. Newsmax reaches more than 40 million Americans regularly through Newsmax TV, the Newsmax+ App, its popular website Newsmax.com , and publications like Newsmax Magazine. Reuters Institute says Newsmax is one of the top 12 U.S. news brands and Forbes has called us "a news powerhouse." For more information, please visit Investor Relations | Newsmax, Inc.Forward-Looking StatementsThis communication contains forward-looking statements. From time to time, we or our representatives may make forward-looking statements orally or in writing. We base these forward-looking statements on our expectations and projections about future events, which we derive from the information currently available to us. PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 08:30:08 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1043 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 UPPSALA, SE / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Biovica International (STO:BIOVIC-B)(STO: BIOVIC.B)(FRA:9II) - The shareholders of Biovica International AB, reg. no. 556774-6150 (the "Company"), are hereby invited to the extra general meeting to be held on Monday 14 July 2025, at 10:00 CET at Baker McKenzie Advokatbyra on Vasagatan 7, 101 23 Stockholm.Right to attend and notification Shareholders who wish to attend the extra general meeting must:i. on the record date, which is Friday 4 July 2025, be registered in the share register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB; andii. notify the Company of their participation and any assistants (no more than two) in the extra general meeting no later than on Tuesday 8 July 2025. The notification shall be in writing to Baker McKenzie Advokatbyra, Attn: Simon Olofsson, Box 180, 101 23 Stockholm or via e-mail to simon.olofsson@bakermckenzie.com . The notification should state the name, personal/corporate identity number, shareholding, share classes, address and telephone number and, when applicable, information about representatives, counsels and assistants. When applicable, complete authorization documents, such as registration certificates and powers of attorney for representatives and assistants, should be appended the notification.Nominee shares Shareholders, whose shares are registered in the name of a bank or other nominee, must temporarily register their shares in their own name with Euroclear Sweden AB in order to be entitled to participate in the general meeting. Such registration, which normally is processed in a few days, must be completed no later than on Friday 4 July 2025 and should therefore be requested from the nominee well before this date. Voting registration requested by a shareholder in such time that the registration has been made by the relevant nominee no later than on Tuesday 8 July 2025 will be considered in preparations of the share register.Proxy etc. Shareholders represented by proxy shall issue dated and signed power of attorney for the proxy. If the proxy is issued by a legal entity, attested copies of the certificate of registration or equivalent authorization documents, evidencing the authority to issue the proxy, shall be enclosed. The proxy must not be more than one year old, however, the proxy may be older if it is stated that it is valid for a longer term, maximum five years. A copy of the proxy in original and, where applicable, the registration certificate, should in order to facilitate the entrance to the general meeting, be submitted to the Company by mail at the address set forth above and at the Company's disposal no later than on Tuesday 8 July 2025. The proxy in original and, when applicable, the certificate of registration must be presented at the general meeting. Certificate of proxies are also accepted.A proxy form will be available on the Company's website, www.biovica.com , and will also be sent to shareholders who so request and inform the Company of their postal address.Draft agendaOpening of the meeting.Election of chair of the meeting.Preparation and approval of the voting list.Election of one or more persons to certify the minutes.Examination of whether the meeting has been properly convened.Approval of the agenda.Resolution regarding amendments of the articles of association.Resolution regarding approval of the board of directors' resolution on a rights issue of shares.Resolution regarding approval of the board of directors' resolution on a directed issue of warrants.Resolution regarding authorization for the board of directors to resolve on oversubscription issue.Closing of the meeting.Proposed resolutionsItem 2: Election of chair of the meeting The board of directors proposes that Carl Svernlov, attorney at law, at Baker McKenzie Advokatbyra is appointed as chair of the general meeting or, in his absence, the person appointed by him.Item 7: Resolution regarding amendments of the articles of association The board of directors of the Company proposes that the extra general meeting resolves to amend the Company's articles of association as follows:It is proposed that the articles of association's limits for the share capital is amended from a minimum of SEK 3,000,000 and a maximum of SEK 12,000,000 to a minimum of SEK 11,000,000 and a maximum of SEK 44,000,000. The articles of association, 4, will thereby have the following wording:"The share capital shall be no less than SEK 11,000,000 and not more than SEK 44,000,000."It is further proposed that the articles of associations limits for the number of shares is amended from a minimum of 45,000,000 and a maximum of 180,000,000 to a minimum of 170,000,000 and a maximum of 680,000,000. The articles of association, 5, will thereby have the following wording:"The number of shares shall be not less than 170,000,000 and not more than 680,000,000."It is further proposed that the board of directors or a person appointed by the board of directors shall be authorized to make such minor adjustments in the above resolution that may be required in connection with the registration with the Swedish Companies Registration Office.A resolution in accordance with this item is conditional upon that the extra general meeting approves the board of directors' resolution on a rights issue of shares in accordance with item 8, approves the board of directors' resolution on a directed issue of warrants in accordance with item 9, and resolves on authorization for the board of directors to resolve on oversubscription issue in accordance with item 10.Item 8: Resolution regarding approval of the board of directors' resolution on a rights issue of shares The board of directors of the Company proposes that the extra general meeting resolves to approve the board of directors' resolution on 11 June 2025 on a rights issue of a maximum of 127,122,299 shares as follows:The subscription price to be paid for each share shall be SEK 0.63, in total SEK 80,087,048.37 if all shares are subscribed for. The share premium shall be transferred to the non-restricted share premium fund.Through the new share issue, the Company's share capital may be increased by a maximum of SEK 8,474,819.939184.Those who on the record date 16 July 2025 are recorded as a holder of shares in the share register kept by Euroclear Sweden AB shall have a preferential right to subscribe for new class A shares or class B shares at a subscription price of SEK 0.63 per share. Shareholders receive 1 subscription right for each share held as of the record date. 10 subscription rights entitles the holder to subscribe for 13 new shares in the rights issue. PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 22:30:16 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 845 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 /Pegasus Resources Inc. (TSXV:PEGA)(Frankfurt:0QS0)(OTC PINK:SLTFF) (the "Company" or "Pegasus") announces today that it has entered into debt settlement agreements with various creditors to settle an aggregate amount of $140,232.29 in outstanding debt obligations through the issuance of an aggregate of 1,598,682 common shares of Pegasus (the "Common Shares") at a deemed price of $0.087717 per Common Share (the "Shares for Debt Transaction").The Shares for Debt Transaction is intended to preserve the Company's cash resources as it advances its uranium exploration strategy and continues to streamline its balance sheet.Closing of the Shares for Debt Transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). The Common Shares to be issued pursuant to the Shares for Debt Transaction will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance, in accordance with applicable securities laws and TSXV policies.About Pegasus Resources Inc.Pegasus Resources Inc. is a Canadian uranium exploration company focused on advancing high-potential projects in the United States. The Company's flagship asset, the Jupiter Uranium Project in Utah, is a drill-ready property positioned for resource expansion. With a commitment to strengthening domestic uranium supply, Pegasus is strategically developing its portfolio to capitalize on the growing demand for nuclear energy.For additional information, please visit www.pegasusresourcesinc.com On Behalf of the Board of Directors:Christian TimminsPresident, CEO and DirectorPegasus Resources Inc.700 - 838 West Hastings StreetVancouver, BC V6C 0A6PH: 1-403-597-3410X: https://twitter.com/MrChris_Timmins X: https://twitter.com/pegasusresinc E: info@ pegasusresourcesinc.com 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.Disclaimer for Forward-Looking InformationThis news release contains certain information that may be deemed "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking information contained in this press release may include, without limitation, statements regarding creation of value for Company shareholders, results of operations, the timing of completion of the Shares for Debt Transaction and the listing of the Common Shares on the TSXV upon receipt of TSXV approval.Although the Company believes the forward-looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based on information available on the date hereof, by its nature, forward-looking information involves assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.Examples of such assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, assumptions, risks and uncertainties associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; the receipt of required regulatory approvals and the timing of such approvals; that the Company maintains good relationships with the communities in which it operates or proposes to operate, future legislative and regulatory developments in the mining sector; the Company's ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favorable terms; mining industry and markets in Canada and generally; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; competition; the risk that any of the assumptions prove not to be valid or reliable, which could result in delays, or cessation in planned work, risks associated with the interpretation of data, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as other assumptions risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company, including as set forth in the Company's public disclosure documents filed on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Pegasus as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While Pegasus may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.SOURCE: Pegasus Resources Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 18:45:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1037 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / IRLAB Therapeutics (STO:IRLAB-A)(FRA:6IRA) - Today, on Wednesday June 11, 2025, IRLAB Therapeutics AB held its Annual General Meeting.The following main resolutions were made upon at the Annual General Meeting.Adoption of income statement and balance sheet as well as consolidated income statement and consolidated balance sheetThe Annual General Meeting adopted the income statement and the consolidated income statement as well as the balance sheet and the consolidated balance sheet for the financial year 2024.Disposition of the company's resultsThe disposition of the company's results proposed by the board of directors was adopted by the Annual General Meeting. This means that the funds available to the Annual General Meeting, totaling SEK 367,894,221,shall be carried forward in full and that no dividend shall be paid for the past financial year.Resolution on discharge of liabilityThe Annual General Meeting resolved on discharge of liability for the members of the board of directors and the managing director for the financial year 2024.Election of Board members and auditorCarola Lemne, Christer Nordstedt, Gunnar Olsson, Rein Piir and Veronica Wallin were re-elected as board members. Carola Lemne was re-elected as Chair of the board of directors.The Annual General Meeting resolved to re-elect Ohrlings PricewaterhouseCoopers AB (PwC) as auditor for the period until the close of the next Annual General Meeting.Remuneration of the board of directors and the auditorThe Annual General Meeting resolved on the following remuneration to the board of directors for the period until the next Annual General Meeting, with the stipulation that the remuneration, at the initiative of the board, shall be reduced by 50 percent of the remuneration levels specified on an annual basis below until the day the Condition (as defined below) has been fulfilled, after which the remuneration for the remaining period until the Annual General Meeting 2026 shall be paid at 100 percent of the specified remuneration on an annual basis. The "Condition" refers to the Company receiving payments from partners, licensees, or equivalent totaling at least 200,000,000 SEK during the period starting the day after the Annual General Meeting 2025 and ending on the day of the Annual General Meeting 2026.Resolved remuneration (on an annual basis):550,000 SEK to the Chair of the board of directors and 265,000 SEK to each of the other board members, reduced by 50 percent until the Condition has been fulfilled,85,000 SEK to the Chair of the board's audit committee and 55,000 SEK to each of the other members of the audit committee, reduced by 50 percent until the Condition has been fulfilled, and50,000 SEK to the Chair of the board's remuneration committee and 30,000 SEK to each of the other members of the remuneration committee, reduced by 50 percent until the Condition has been fulfilled.It was resolved that fees to the auditor shall be paid in accordance with invoices approved by the company.Remuneration reportThe Annual General Meeting resolved to approve the board of directors' remuneration report for 2024. The remuneration report provides an overview of how the Guidelines have been implemented during 2024. The remuneration report also includes information regarding the remuneration to the company's CEO and a summary of the company's outstanding incentive programs. There have been no deviations from the procedure for the implementation of the Guidelines and no derogations from the application of the Guidelines in 2024.The remuneration report for 2024 is available on the company's website ( www.irlab.se) Resolution regarding authorisation for the board of directors to resolve on new issue of shares and/or warrants and/or convertibles with preferential rightsThe Annual General Meeting authorized the board of directors to, on one or several occasions during the period until the next Annual General Meeting, resolve on new issue of shares of series A and/or warrants with rights to subscribe for shares of series A and/or convertibles entitling to conversion into shares of series A, with preferential rights for the Company's shareholders, for payment in cash and/or with terms regarding issue in kind, payment by set-off, or otherwise with termsThe issues shall be made at a market-based subscription price determined by the board of directors in consultation with the company's potential financial advisors, taking into account any applicable market-based issuance discount.The number of shares that may be issued, the number of shares that may be subscribed for based on warrants, and the number of shares that convertibles may entitle conversion into, under the authorisation, shall collectively not exceed the number within the limits of the articles of association for share capital and number of shares. This would, if the authorisation is fully utilised within the currently allowed number of shares, correspond to a reduced ownership share for non-participating shareholders (dilution) amounting to approximately 48 percent.For the avoidance of doubt, the authorisation may only be used for issuances that occur with preferential rights for the Company's shareholders, i.e., so-called preferential issuance.Resolution regarding authorisation for the board of directors to resolve on directed new issue of shares and/or warrants and/or convertiblesThe Annual General Meeting authorised the board of directors to, on one or several occasions during the period until the next Annual General Meeting, resolve on directed new issue of shares of series A and/or warrants with rights to subscribe for shares of series A and/or convertibles entitling to conversion into shares of series A for payment in cash and/or with terms regarding issue in kind, payment by set-off, or otherwise with terms.The issues shall be made at a market-based subscription price determined by the board of directors in consultation with the company's potential financial advisors, taking into account any applicable market-based issuance discount.The number of shares that may be issued, the number of shares that may be subscribed for based on warrants, and the number of shares that convertibles may entitle conversion into, under the authorisation, shall collectively amount to a maximum of 5,763,156 new shares, corresponding to a reduced ownership share for non-participating shareholders (dilution) amounting to approximately ten (10) percent as of the date. However, the number of shares must not exceed the limits established in the articles of association at the time of utilising the authorisation.For the avoidance of doubt, the authorisation may not be us PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 04:15:21 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 640 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / June 10, 2025 /WHY: 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: 2025-06-11 20:00:22 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 381 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 RuffleButts continues to expand its wholesale business by partnering with over 1,800 retailers worldwide.DALLAS, TX / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / RuffleButts , the beloved children's clothing brand known for its playful designs and high-quality UPF 50+ swimwear and family matching styles, is thrilled to announce the remarkable success of itswholesale retail program.Since January 2024, the company has partnered with 1,815 specialty retail stores globally, reinforcing its strong presence in the boutique space.With 28 of these partnerships established internationally, RuffleButts is steadily growing its global footprint and bringing its signature styles to more families around the world.A key driver of this success has been the company's strategic use ofFaire'spromoted listings, launched in September 2024. Since then, RuffleButts has acquired hundreds of new business accounts through these campaigns alone-marking a 59% increase in new customer acquisition since implementation. In total, 900 new wholesale customers have joined the RuffleButts family since May 2024.Retailers are not only discovering the brand but are coming back for more. Impressively, 25% of new wholesale customers have already returned to restock their shelves, a strong indicator of both brand satisfaction and customer demand.Morgan Heifetz, RuffleButts' Wholesale Manager, is excited about the growth they're seeing: "Our wholesale business is growing faster than ever, and the momentum we've experienced on Faire has been truly exponential. It's incredible to see how quickly things are scaling-thanks to our new monthly product drops, strong daily at-once sales, and the ability to prebook upcoming seasonal collections. I'm so excited to see this rapid growth continue and can't wait to dive into all the amazing opportunities ahead!"You can contact RuffleButts wholesale team directly by visiting theirwebsiteor you can purchase RuffleButts products online viaFaire.com&NuOrder.com About RuffleButts + RuggedButts RuffleButts + RuggedButts is a digitally native premium children's apparel company founded in 2007 with a ruffle bloomer that has now grown to a full assortment of premium children's apparel. Known for lasting quality, playful prints, and family-matching collections for life's special moments, RuffleButts has quickly grown to annual revenue exceeding $40M. Our products can be found online at Rufflebutts.com Ruggedbutts.com , Amazon, select premium retailers such as Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and hundreds of specialty retail locations around the globe. RuffleButts has been a Summit Park holding since 2020.Contact Information Scott AdamsSr. Director of Marketing sadams@ rufflebutts.com (704) 825-8811SOURCE: RuffleButts, Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 20:15:20 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 457 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 ADDISON, TEXAS / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Stronghouse, a national leader in roofing and exterior services, appoints Troy Baker as the company's Chief Revenue and Operating Officer. Baker will be responsible for leading Stronghouse's integrated sales, marketing, and operational strategies across key business lines, including retail, storm response, and national accounts. Troy Baker CRO of StronghouseBaker brings over 35 years of experience in the building and remodeling industry, including 25 years in senior leadership roles. Most recently, he held sales and marketing positions at SRS Distribution Inc., over a 15-year tenure, he forged national partnerships and expanded programs through strategic initiatives most notably under his leadership as Vice President of National Accounts."I'm passionate about building high-performing teams through strong alignment, disciplined execution, and cross-channel growth that spans multiple revenue channels," says Baker. "I'm looking forward to contributing to Stronghouse's continued success and momentum." Baker's leadership will be key in strengthening and scaling Stronghouse's current portfolio, and his unique perspective across both distribution and operations brings a comprehensive understanding of how to unify local execution with national scale."Troy brings deep industry experience and a strong track record of driving results," said Russ Reynolds, CEO of Stronghouse. "As we continue building the premier platform for exterior services, his leadership is instrumental toward our growth goals to diversify and grow the geographies and service lines and ultimately deliver even greater value to our customers." About StronghouseStronghouse is a best-in-class roofing, siding, window, and exterior service platform, with brands providing high-quality craftsmanship and exceptional service for a nationwide customer base. Stronghouse operates across the United States through its portfolio of premier partner brands - Capital Construction, Infinity Roofing & Siding, Irish Roofing & Exteriors, Linear Roofing & General Contractors, Marshall Building & Remodeling, and Options Exteriors. Establishing itself as one of the largest and fastest-growing platforms in the country, Stronghouse is committed to further expansion through a robust pipeline of new acquisitions, continually enhancing its market presence and service offerings. For more information on Stronghouse, please visit www.stronghousebrands.com About O2 Investment PartnersO2 Investment Partners is a Midwestern-based private equity firm that seeks to invest in lower middle-market niche services, technology, and select industrial companies. The firm invests in businesses with earnings growth potential and a clear path to creating shareholder value. O2 invests to partner with management to build and grow the business and take it to its next stage of development. This requires a clear vision and strategic plan to create shareholder value, close partnership, and alignment of interest with management. For additional information, please visit https://o2investment.com/ Shawn Budiac, VP of Retail and Marketing, 630-635-8145Contact InformationShawn BudiacVP of Retail and Marketingcommunications@ stronghousebrands.com 630-635-8145SOURCE: Stronghouse PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-12 00:55:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 550 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NORTH BILLERICA, MA / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 / Tecogen Inc. (NYSE American:TGEN) a leading manufacturer of clean energy products, today announced that Abinand Rangesh, Chief Executive Officer, will participate in the 15th Annual Roth Conference hosted in London, England on June 24th to 26th, 2025. Management will be available for one-on-one meetings during the conference.Attending investors interested in meeting Dr. Rangesh should contact their Roth representative or email investorrelations@ tecogen.com About TecogenTecogen designs, manufactures, sells, installs, and maintains high efficiency, ultra-clean, cogeneration products including engine-driven combined heat and power, air conditioning systems, and high-efficiency water heaters for residential, commercial, recreational and industrial use. The company provides cost effective, environmentally friendly and reliable products for energy production that nearly eliminate criteria pollutants and significantly reduce a customer's carbon footprint. In business for over 35 years, Tecogen has shipped more than 3,200 units, supported by an established network of engineering, sales, and service personnel in key markets in North America. For more information, please visit www.tecogen.com or contact us for a free Site Assessment.Forward Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "project," "target," "potential," "will," "should," "seek," "could," "likely," "may," "pro forma," "anticipate," "continue," or other variations thereof (including their use in the negative), or by discussions of strategies, plans or intentions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this press release regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects and plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.In addition to those factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in our Form 8-K, under "Risk Factors," among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from past and projected future results are the following: fluctuations in demand for our products and services, competing technological developments, issues relating to research and development, the availability of incentives, rebates, and tax benefits relating to our products and services, changes in the regulatory environment relating to our products and services, integration of acquired business operations, and the ability to obtain financing on favorable terms to fund existing operations and anticipated growth.Tecogen Media & Investor Relations Contact Information:Abinand Rangesh, CEOP: 781-466-6487E: Abinand.Rangesh@tecogen.com SOURCE: Tecogen, Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2025-06-11 14:00:49 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 794 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Company's Stem Cell Research Highlighted Amid National Policy Discussion on Alternative TherapiesGOLDEN, CO / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2025 /Vitro Biopharma Inc. today announced that its AlloRx stem cell therapy was prominently featured in a New York Times article discussing the future of experimental therapies in the United States. The article, published June 5, 2025, examines Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent policy statements on expanding patient access to regenerative medicine and explores the evolving regulatory landscape for treatments like stem cell therapies."We welcome Secretary Kennedy's recognition of regenerative medicine's potential and the importance of expanding patient access to innovative treatments," said Chris Furman, CEO of Vitro Biopharma. "As a U.S.-based manufacturer committed to the highest standards of safety and regulatory compliance, we believe responsible innovation can advance patient care while maintaining appropriate safeguards." The Times article discusses Secretary Kennedy's vision for reducing regulatory barriers to alternative therapies while acknowledging the need to balance innovation with patient safety. This national conversation comes as the regenerative medicine field continues to advance, with over 110 stem cell clinical studies currently progressing under regulatory oversight.Vitro Biopharma, which specializes in developing Wharton's jelly-derived cell therapies for autoimmune diseases and inflammatory disorders, maintains strict adherence to current FDA guidelines. The company has received authorization for two Investigational New Drug (IND) applications from the U.S. FDA, covering Phase 1/2a clinical trials for Pitt Hopkins and Long COVID. These trials demonstrate its commitment to advancing innovative therapies under strict regulatory oversight with the goal of gaining FDA approval. The company's AlloRx therapy, manufactured under cGMP standards with ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 certification, leverages over 30 years of research. The company maintains detailed documentation and tracking systems for all products, ensuring full traceability, accountability and compliance in accordance with FDA guidelines."The Health Secretary's focus on this field underscores the growing recognition of regenerative medicine's importance," continued Furman. "We support thoughtful policy discussions that advance patient access while maintaining the rigorous safety standards that protect public health." "We believe that regenerative medicine represents a critical contribution to the future of healthcare," added Furman. "Our goal is to make these innovative therapies accessible to patients who need them most, while maintaining the highest standards of safety and efficacy." The New York Times article's mention of AlloRx comes at a pivotal time as national conversations about healthcare innovation and patient access intensify. Vitro Biopharma welcomes dialogue with healthcare partners, industry leaders and investors interested in advancing regenerative medicine.For more information about Vitro Biopharma's AlloRx therapy and ongoing clinical developments, interested parties are encouraged to visit www.vitrobiopharma.com or email the company at info@ vitrobiopharma.com About Vitro Biopharma Vitro Biopharma is an innovative biotechnology company focused primarily on cellular therapies and regenerative medicine with ancillary focuses in the research services, cosmeceutical and nutraceutical fields. With respect to our regenerative medicine business, we are leveraging our proprietary technologies to develop novel therapeutic candidates intended to address significant unmet medical needs in multiple disease areas with a focus on autoimmune disorders and inflammatory diseases.With FDA authorization for two Investigational New Drug (IND) applications, supporting Phase 1/2a clinical trials for Pitt Hopkins and Long COVID, Vitro demonstrates a strong commitment to advancing therapies under rigorous regulatory standards.Operating a cGMP-compliant manufacturing facility registered with the FDA and certified under ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016, the company ensures consistent quality, scalability, and safety. Its proprietary processes utilize umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs), capable of yielding over 500,000 doses per cord. Having conducted over 1,000 treatments with no severe adverse events reported, Vitro maintains a steadfast focus on patient safety and regulatory compliance as it continues to drive innovation in regenerative medicine. For more information, please visit www.vitrobiopharma.com Cautionary Note About Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" about the Company's plan of business operations, product research and development activities, and other matters. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "intends," "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "hopes," and other similar words indicating possible future expectations, events or actions. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about our business and our industry, and are not guarantees of our future performance. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, acceptability of the Company's products in the marketplace, general economic conditions, receipt of additional working capital, and the overall state of the biotechnology industry. Most of these factors are outside our control. You are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements.CONTACT: Chris Furman4621 Technology DriveGolden, CO 80403Phone: (1) 866-848-7267orJames CarbonaraHayden IR(646)-755-7412james@ haydenir.com SOURCE: Vitro Biopharma Inc. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Next week, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan will hold a meeting of their intergovernmental commission the key institutional mechanism that coordinates bilateral cooperation, announced Elnur Aliyev, First Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, at the panel session "Azerbaijan Uzbekistan: Vector of Economic Partnership", held within the IV Tashkent International Investment Forum, Trend reports. Aliyev underscored the importance of high-level visits between the two countries, noting that they have become a tradition and reflect the growing depth of bilateral relations. Speaking about trade dynamics, Aliyev pointed out impressive growth. "The trade turnover was already mentioned almost a quarter billion USD. But what is more important is that, according to our statistics for the last four months, this number is three times higher compared to the same period last year," he stated. Aliyev emphasized the role of institutional frameworks in supporting these achievements. "The intergovernmental commission is a very important mechanism because it facilitates the cooperation tools among our institutions," he said. "One of these instruments is the joint investment fund, which has a capital of almost $500 million. Within the funds supervisory council, representatives from Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have already identified 12 concrete projects". In a further boost to bilateral ties, Azerbaijan is preparing to open a trade representative office in Uzbekistan. "This will be Azerbaijans sixth trade office worldwide, and we believe it will provide a new impulse for the development of our economic relations," Aliyev said. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said it has commenced the construction of a construction work along the 330kV Jos-Bauchi-Gombe transmission line to connect the new Bauchi 330kV transmission substation to the grid. The TCN General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, in a statement on Wednesday said the work which began on 10 June, is expected to be completed by 14 June 2025. During the construction period, she said Gombe and Biu transmission substations will receive power through the Dadin-Kowa Hydro Power Plant and Maiduguri substation, supported by the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant (MEPP). As a result, she said there will be a temporary reduction in bulk electricity supply to Jos and Yola Electricity Distribution Companies for onward distribution to their customers in Bauchi, Gombe, Ashaka, Savannah, Damaturu/Potiskum, and Biu. She added that only Yola and Jalingo will, however, experience full power outages during the five-day project duration. According to her, a new transmission tower is also being installed to enhance the resilience and flexibility of the network, allowing the Bauchi and Gombe substations to act as mutual backups in the event of maintenance or fault. 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 Additionally, she said Jos will be able to supply Bauchi substation directly through a 132kV transmission line whenever the primary 330kV connection via Gombe is unavailable. This arrangement enhances power reliability, diversifies transmission routes, and improves emergency response efficiency, Ms Mbah said. She said TCN remains committed to strengthening Nigerias electricity infrastructure to facilitate a more stable and effective bulk power supply. The company appeals for the patience of affected consumers during the period and assures that normal electricity delivery will resume immediately after the projects completion, she added. In October last year, the TCN said its 330kV UgwajiApir Double Circuit transmission lines 1 & 2 tripped due to a fault, resulting in a forced power outage affecting the communities in the North-east, North-west and parts of North-central. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print TAJBank, a non-interest bank in Nigeria, on Tuesday, signed a completion agreement for the second tranche of its N100 billion Sukuk bond programme. According to a statement by the bank on Wednesday, it is aiming to raise N20 billion from the new issuance, nearly two years after it launched a N10 billion Sukuk bond in 2023, which was oversubscribed. The new bond, approved by regulators, offers a 20.5 per cent return per year. It is structured as a Mudarabah Sukuk, a type of Islamic finance instrument where investors share in profits rather than earn interest. Sukuk bonds are typically backed by assets or ventures and are designed to comply with Islamic financial principles. In Nigeria, the market for such instruments has grown slowly but steadily, supported by regulators like the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Securities and Exchange Commission. TAJBanks Chairperson Tanko Gwamna said the offer was aimed at attracting ethical investors. The offer of the N20bn Mudarabah Sukuk to the market is to avail members of the public an investment opportunity that aligns with ethical financial principles. As the Board and management of our bank demonstrated in the maiden issuance of the banks Sukuk, the offer of the new N20bn Sukuk bond on the NGX will enable a wider range of investors to participate in our growth and benefit from our profit-sharing model, he assured. 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 bank said the bond will be listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) and is open to both individuals and corporate investors. AVA Capital Ltd is the lead issuing house. Its CEO, Kayode Fadahunsi, said We are very excited to be part of TAJBanks success story in the non-interest banking industry, which is being consolidated upon with the planned issuance of its N20bn Mudarabah Sukuk in the NGX as part of its N100 billion programme. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Introduction Africas cultural and creative industries (CCIs) are experiencing an unprecedented rise, contributing to economic growth, job creation, and global recognition. From Afrobeats music and Nollywood films to African fashion and visual arts, the continents creative sector is proving to be a powerful force on the global stage. However, the industry faces significant challenges, including intellectual property (IP) theft, limited access to funding, and weak infrastructure. This essay explores the opportunities, challenges, and solutions needed to fully harness Africas creative potential for sustainable development. Opportunities: The Global Rise of African Creativity 1. Afrobeats: A Global Music Phenomenon Afrobeats, a genre originating from Nigeria and Ghana, has become a global force in the music industry. Artists like Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tems, and Davido have won international awards, signed global record deals, and sold out stadiums worldwide. The growing demand for Afrobeats has: Increased streaming revenue from platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Led to collaborations with international artists such as Beyonce and Drake. Boosted tourism in Africa, with global fans travelling for concerts and festivals. 2. Nollywood: Africas Film Powerhouse Nigerias film industry, Nollywood, is the second-largest film industry in the world by volume, producing over 2,500 films annually. The rise of Netflix, Showmax and Amazon Prime Video has expanded Nollywoods reach beyond Africa. The industry: Generates over $1 billion annually, providing jobs for thousands. Showcases African culture, storytelling, and history to a global audience. Has led to co-productions with Hollywood and Bollywood, increasing international influence. 3. African Fashion and Design 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 African designers are making waves on the global fashion scene, with brands like Laduma Ngxokolo (South Africa), Lisa Folawiyo (Nigeria), and Thebe Magugu (South Africa) is gaining international recognition. The demand for African textiles, traditional prints, and sustainable fashion are growing. The African fashion industry: Contributes to the $31 billion global fashion market. Supports job creation for local artisans, tailors, and designers. Attracts international collaborations with brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Adidas. 4. Digital Creativity and Content Creation The rise of social media influencers, digital artists, and gaming developers is transforming Africas creative economy. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are helping African content creators monetise their talent, while local gaming startups are gaining traction. Challenges: Obstacles to Creative Growth 1. Intellectual Property (IP) Theft and Piracy Africas creative industries suffer from widespread piracy, copyright infringement, and weak IP protection. Nollywood loses millions annually to illegal streaming and DVD piracy. African musicians often see their songs used without proper royalties or compensation. Fashion designers struggle with knock-offs of their original designs. 2. Limited Access to Funding and Investment Many creative entrepreneurs lack access to capital, grants, and financial support. Banks and investors perceive CCIs as high-risk, leading to low funding opportunities. Young creative talents struggle to afford studio space, equipment, and production costs. Government support is limited, with few structured policies to promote CCIs. 3. Lack of Creative Infrastructure and Education Many African countries lack modern studios, production facilities, andcreative training institutions. Filmmakers struggle with poor-quality equipment and a lack ofpost-production facilities. Musicians often rely on foreign producers and engineers for high-quality-quality sound. There are a few specialised schools for fashion, film, and digital arts. 4. Barriers to International Market Expansion Despite global interest, many African creatives struggle to export their products and services internationally due to: High tariffs and trade barriers on fashion and cultural products. Visa restrictions limit creatives from attending global festivals, fashion weeks, and film premieres. Limited international marketing and promotion support. Solutions: Strategies to Strengthen Africas Creative Economy 1. Stronger Intellectual Property (IP) Laws and Enforcement Governments must update copyright laws and create strict anti-piracy policies. Creative entrepreneurs should register trademarks, patents, and copyrights to protect their work. Legal support and advocacy groups should be formed to help creatives defend their rights. 2. Government Incentives and Financial Support Creative industry funds should be established to provide grants, loans, and tax incentives to filmmakers, musicians, and designers. Governments should create public-private partnerships (PPPs) to fund creative hubs, film villages, and music academies. Financial institutions should offer tailored loans for creative startups, similar to how fintech startups receive venture capital funding. 3. Building World-Class Creative Infrastructure Investment in state-of-the-art film studios, fashion incubators, and recording studios will reduce reliance on foreign facilities. Countries like Nigeria and South Africa should expand film and music academies to train the next generation of creatives. Governments should create creative technology hubs where artists can access equipment, software, and production support. 4. Export Promotion and Global Market Access Governments should work with trade organisations to reduce tariffs on African cultural products. African creatives should receive support for international distribution and branding. Festivals like AFRIMA (All Africa Music Awards) and Lagos Fashion Week should be expanded and globally promoted. Regional Case Studies: Success Stories in Africas Creative Sector 1. Nigeria: Afrobeats and Nollywoods Global Rise Nigeria is the undisputed leader in Africas creative economy. The government has: Partnered with Netflix and Amazon Prime to boost Nollywoods global reach. Introduced the Creative Industry Financing Initiative (CIFI), offering loans to filmmakers and musicians. Supported music streaming services like Boomplay, helping artists monetise their work. 2. South Africa: A Hub for Film and Fashion South Africa has established itself as a major film production destination, with Cape Town is the filming location for international productions. The country has: Tax incentives for foreign film productions attract Hollywood and Bollywood filmmakers. A growing fashion scene, with South African designers gaining recognition at global fashion weeks. Spotify and Apple Music hubs promote South African artists to global audiences. 3. Ghana: The New Creative Powerhouse Ghanas creative industry is rapidly growing, with: Afrochella (now AfroFuture) attracts global tourists, boosting the music and fashion scene. A rising wave of digital artists and content creators monetising through NFTs and online platforms. Government-backed initiatives like Year of Return attracted African diasporans to invest in creative ventures. Recommendations: A Roadmap for Maximising Africas Creative Potential 1. Strengthen Copyright and IP Protection: Governments must enforce strict anti-piracy laws and create intellectual property courts. 2. Increase Access to Funding: Banks and investors should create tailored financial products for creative entrepreneurs. 3. Expand Creative Education and Training: Establish music, film, and fashion academies across Africa. 4. Promote Regional Collaboration: Encourage joint film productions, cross-border music collaborations, and panAfrican fashion showcases. 5. Leverage Digital Platforms: African creatives should expand their presence on streaming services, e-commerce platforms, and social media. Conclusion Africas cultural and creative industries have immense potential to drive economic growth, job creation, and global influence. However, addressing intellectual property issues, funding gaps, and infrastructure challenges is crucial. With stronger policies, government support, and regional collaboration, Africa can fully harness its creative power and solidify its place as a global cultural powerhouse. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Introduction The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is Africas most ambitious economic integration project, bringing together 55 African Union (AU) member states into a single market. Officially launched in 2021, AfCFTA aims to boost intra-African trade, industrialisation, and economic diversification. The agreement presents enormous economic opportunities with a market of 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion. However, challenges such as trade barriers, logistical inefficiencies, and currency differences hinder its fullimplementation. This essay explores the opportunities, challenges, and solutions for maximising AfCFTAs potential with regional case studies and policy recommendations. Opportunities: A Unified African Market 1. Economic Growth and Industrialisation AfCFTA is expected to increase intra-African trade by over 50 per cent by 2035, significantly boosting economic activity. The agreement encourages industrialisation by reducing dependence on raw material exports and promoting value addition. Manufacturing sectors such as automobile assembly, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and agro-processing stand to benefit from lower tariffs and expanded markets. Countries like South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria are already positioning themselves as key industrial hubs within the agreement. 2. Job Creation and Youth Empowerment 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 Africa has the worlds youngest population, over 60 per cent under 25. AfCFTA provides: Increased opportunities for youth entrepreneurs and small businesses to access larger markets. Growth in the agriculture, technology, and manufacturing sectors, which can absorb more workers. The expansion of digital trade, e-commerce, and financial technology (fintech) industries is attracting young talent. 3. Boosting Intra-African Trade and Economic Integration Historically, intra-African trade has remained low (about 16 per cent of total African trade), compared to 60 per cent in Europe and 40 per cent in Asia. AfCFTA aims to: Eliminate tariffs on 90 per cent of goods, making African products more competitive. Improve regional value chains, where countries specialise in different stages of production. Enhance cross-border investments, allowing businesses to scale across the continent. 4. Strengthening Africas Global Trade Position A unified African market increases Africas bargaining power in global trade negotiations. Instead of fragmented economies negotiating separately, Africa can: Attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) into manufacturing and infrastructure. Negotiate better trade deals with the European Union (EU), United States (US), and China. Reduce reliance on commodity exports and develop diverse industries. Challenges: Obstacles to Implementation 1. Trade Barriers and Bureaucracy Despite AfCFTAs vision, many African countries still have: High non-tariff barriers (NTBs) include import quotas, licensing restrictions, and excessive documentation requirements. Lengthy customs procedures are causing delays at borders. Protectionist policies, where countries resist opening markets to competitors. 2. Weak Infrastructure and Logistics Inefficiencies Poor road networks, underdeveloped rail systems, and inefficient ports increase trade costs. The lack of efficient cargo transport systems makes moving goods across borders slow and expensive. The African Development Bank (AfDB) estimates that Africas infrastructure deficit requires $130$170 billion annually to close. 3. Currency Differences and Payment Barriers Africa has over 40 different currencies, making cross-border trade complex. Businesses often struggle with currency fluctuations and high transaction costs. The lack of a standard digital payment system limits seamless trade. Some countries still prefer trading in dollars or euros, increasing dependency on foreign currencies. 4. Political Will and Policy Implementation Gaps Some governments are slow to implement AfCFTA policies, delaying full operationalisation. Political instability in some regions affects investment confidence. Lack of awareness among small businesses and traders limits participation. Solutions: Strategies for Successful Implementation 1. Infrastructure Investment for Efficient Trade To improve trade facilitation, African governments and development partners must: Invest in modern transport networks (highways, railways, ports, and logistics hubs). Develop energy and digital infrastructure, supporting industries and e-commerce. Strengthen regional corridors like the Trans-African Highway Network to connect markets faster. 2. Harmonisation of Trade Regulations To remove trade barriers and promote seamless trade: Governments should simplify and harmonise customs procedures across African borders. Countries must fully implement AfCFTA agreements on rules of origin, ensuring fair trade. African trade bodies should reduce excessive licensing and trade restrictions. 3. Digital Trade Facilitation and E-Commerce Expansion Technology can accelerate AfCFTAs success by: Establishing a unified digital payment system, like the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS). Supporting fintech startups that enable cross-border transactions. Developing a continental e-commerce framework, helping businesses sell across Africa. 4. Strengthening Regional Economic Communities (RECs) Africa has existing trade blocs such as: ECOWAS (West Africa) SADC (Southern Africa) EAC (East Africa) COMESA (Central and Eastern Africa) These blocs should align trade policies with AfCFTA, ensuring smooth regional integration. Regional Case Studies: AfCFTA in Action 1. Ghana: A Leading AfCFTA Advocate Ghana hosts the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra and has proactively implemented trade policies. The government launched an AfCFTA implementation strategy, supporting local businesses to expand regionally. 2. Kenya: Digital Trade and E-Commerce Growth Kenya is leveraging its strong fintech sector to boost trade under AfCFTA. The M-Pesa Mobile Money) shows successful cases of how digital payments can facilitate cross-border trade. 3. South Africa: A Manufacturing and Logistics Hub With its advanced infrastructure and industrial capacity, South Africa is positioning itself as a continental manufacturing hub. The countrys automobile industry (with brands like Toyota and Volkswagen is expanding to serve the broader AfCFTA market. 4. Rwanda: A Model for Business-Friendly Reforms Rwanda has simplified trade regulations, cutting down business registration times. It has invested in smart logistics to speed up cross-border transactions. Recommendations: A Roadmap for AfCFTA Success 1. Speed Up Policy Implementation Governments should fully ratify and enforce AfCFTA trade protocols. 2. Improve Infrastructure Development Prioritise transport, energy, and digital networks to boost trade efficiency. 3. Enhance Access to Finance for SMEs Support small businesses in participating in AfCFTA. 4. Promote Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) Encourage investment in trade hubs and logistics solutions. 5. Create Public Awareness Campaigns Educate businesses on AfCFTA opportunities and trade processes. Conclusion AfCFTA represents a historic opportunity to transform Africas economy, unlocking growth, trade, and industrialisation. However, challenges such as trade barriers, infrastructure deficits, and currency differences must be addressed. By investing in logistics, harmonising trade rules, and embracing digital trade solutions, Africa can fully realise the benefits of a single market. With strong political will and coordinated efforts, AfCFTA can be a game-changer in making Africa an economic powerhouse on the global stage. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has recounted how he survived a plane crash during a Thanksgiving service held in a church in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State. The details of the church Mr Wike gave the testimony at are unknown as of press time. According to the TELL newspaper, the aircraft he was aboard was a Bombardier Global Express 5000/6000 series jet, estimated to be worth N15 billion. In a viral video obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the 57-year-old politician described the incident as a near-death experience. While recounting the ordeal, the former governor of Rivers State said: My wife had gone to Lagos to bring back my daughter, and she landed at the Air Force base. I thought, Let me go to the base, and when they land, Ill just board the plane and head to Lagos. I was joined by two of my friends, making three of us in total. Someone was already waiting for me in Lagos, whom I must see that night. About fifteen minutes after we took off, all we heard was a loud gboom. The cabin crew started running. I asked what the problem was, and one of them said, Sir, theres a problem. I asked again, Whats the problem? She ran off, then came back and said, One engine is gone. The pilot later announced that it would be safer to turn back since we were headed to Lagos, and asked if we could return to Port Harcourt. 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 Satan a looser Additionally, Mr Wike stated, We looked at each other. By the grace of God, we landed safely. I hadnt told my parents or many others that I was travelling. Meanwhile, before his Thanksgiving video went viral, social media buzzed with a clip that allegedly featured him praying while the pilots made frantic efforts to stabilise the jet. The video, which was said to contain Mr Wikes voice, showed the interior of an aircraft with the pilots speaking audibly in the background. Satan, you are a liar! Father, Father! Oh, Jehovah. Blood of Jesus! Father, it is time to prove yourself! Jesus, you are in charge! Ohhhh Jehovah! Save my soul, save my soul, save my soul! Mr Wike made headlines on Tuesday after a video surfaced showing him dancing to entertain President Bola Tinubu and other dignitaries during the commissioning of the refurbished Abuja International Conference Centre. He renamed the centre after Mr Tinubu and dedicated several halls to Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief Justice of Nigeria Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Barely 24 hours after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, entertained President Bola Tinubu with some dance moves during the commissioning of the refurbished Abuja International Conference Centre on Tuesday, he once again launched an attack on critics of the APC-led administration. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the former Rivers State Governor unveiled the renovated centre and announced that it was renamed in honour of Mr Tinubu. Speaking at the commissioning of the Arterial Road N16 (Shehu Shagari Way) stretching from Ring Road 1 (Nnamdi Azikiwe Way) to Arterial Road N20 (Wole Soyinka Way) and other roads in the Katampe District of the capital, the 57-year-old declared that his new role was to give Mr Tinubus detractors high blood pressure. This commissioning marked the second day of a seventeen-day programme to inaugurate landmark projects completed within the first two years of President Tinubus administration. Mr Wike said, Sometimes, I dont know, spiritually I was touched. I was just touched to turn it on, and I was watching, and I didnt realise that people could be in pain, but now I know that such people are in pain. I now must make sure I continue to give them high blood pressure. As they continue to be in pain, itll be sweetening us, and thats now my job. Ill be happy, moving around, and laughing every time, and theyll be there shouting, fighting, and killing themselves. So, Mr President, thank you for being part of this revolution. 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 A must-watch Additionally, he stated that beyond causing Mr Tinubus opponents undue stress, he would ensure they witnessed his accomplishments broadcast on national television. Mr Wike also maintained that no political coalition could remove Mr Tinubu from office in the upcoming 2027 general elections. This newspaper earlier reported ongoing discussions among opposition parties regarding a proposed coalition aimed at unseating Mr Tinubu, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar affirming that there is no turning back on its formation. Your good works have killed the coalition, and I was thinking that theres a coalition truly, but when they continued seeing whats happening every day, I told my people to make sure that every national television must hook in. So, if they turn on TVC, theyre watching Mr President; if they go to Channels Television, its Mr President; NTA, or even the one I dont watch, Arise, its Mr President theyll be seeing. So, theyve no choice but to watch it, and watch it for seventeen days. Earlier, this newspaper reported that Mr Wike recounted surviving a plane crash during a Thanksgiving service held at a church in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State. He explained that while on board with two of his friends, one of the aircrafts engines failed mid-air, forcing the pilot to turn back. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The National Assembly is considering a bill that would mandate future presidents to be sworn in at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, instead of Eagle Square. The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, revealed the proposal during a media briefing on Tuesday in Abuja ahead of the countrys Democracy Day celebration. Mr Bamidele said the planned legislation reflects the lawmakers desire to reshape Nigerias democratic traditions. We are also hoping to change our political setting to the extent that the swearing-in of the next president and commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will, by the grace of God, be in the arcade of the National Assembly of Nigeria, Mr Bamidele said. Since Nigerias return to democracy in 1999, presidential inaugurations have traditionally been held at Eagle Square, a symbolic facility between the Federal Secretariat and the Head of Service building in Abujas Central Business District. The square, constructed in 1999, has served as the primary venue for state events, including Independence Day celebrations, Armed Forces Remembrance Day parades, and presidential inaugurations. 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 Beyond official functions, Eagle Square has hosted political rallies, religious gatherings, concerts, and large public ceremonies. If the parliament successfully relocates the swearing-in ceremony to the National Assembly, the legislative complex would become the central stage for national transitions of power. Institutionalising the state of the nation address In addition to the proposed change in inauguration venue, the senate leader also disclosed that the National Assembly is working on legislation that would legalise the presidents annual state of the nation address, to be delivered every 12 June in a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives. It is our desire to institutionalise the state of the nation address. We will bring a bill to address it to ensure that it is institutionalised. People should look forward to it. President Tinubu is working with the National Assembly in that regard. We are initiating a bill very soon to institutionalise the State of the Nation Address. June 12 will be a better time for the president to address the nation through the National Assembly. There is no better time than June 12 for the president to address the nation because of its historical significance. It is a joint sitting of the National Assembly. Nigerians should look forward to this legislative initiative, Mr Bamidele added. The proposal aims to make the presidents address a constitutional tradition similar to the U.S. State of the Union, ensuring consistent accountability and communication between the executive and the citizens through their elected representatives. READ ALSO: Senate constitutes committee to oversee Rivers sole administrator President Bola Tinubu has been invited to deliver this years State of the Nation address before a joint session of the National Assembly on Thursday, 12 June 2025, to mark Nigerias Democracy Day. The occasion celebrates the legacy of Moshood Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, widely regarded as the most transparent and credible in Nigerias history. The military administration of Ibrahim Babangida annulled the election. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has ordered a halt to the ongoing proceedings at the Federal High Court in a suit filed by the suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, challenging her suspension from the Senate. The appellate courts decision followed a motion filed by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, seeking an extension of time to appeal a previous ruling of the Federal High Court delivered on 10 March by Obiora Egwuatu, the judge. Background of the case Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan had approached the Federal High Court to contest her suspension, which she described as unconstitutional and a breach of legislative procedures. In his 10 March ruling, Mr Egwuatu directed the senate president and three other defendants to respond within 72 hours and show cause why an interlocutory injunction should not be issued restraining them from proceeding with any investigation against Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan. The judge said that the Senates actions must align with the provisions of the Constitution, the Senate Standing Orders 2023, and the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act. However, Mr Akpabio, through his legal team led by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), filed a motion on 20 March seeking additional time to appeal the High Courts decision. 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 team argued that the lower court erred by consolidating all pending applications for hearing on 25 March, thereby preventing it from filing a timely appeal within the required 14-day legal timeframe. Arguments for appeal In an affidavit deposed to by Toyo Jimmy, a senior legislative aide to Mr Akpabio, it was claimed that the Federal High Courts procedural decision had hindered the senate presidents right to fair hearing and timely legal recourse. The team also argued that allowing the High Court to proceed while an appeal is pending would compromise the effectiveness of any eventual ruling from the appellate court. The motion emphasised that the decision to hear all applications concurrently rather than sequentially contradicted established legal practice and placed the Senate president at a disadvantage. Court of Appeals decision According to court documents obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the Court of Appeal granted the Senate presidents request on 21 May, issuing an order to immediately halt proceedings at the Federal High Court until the appeal is resolved. The panel, comprising three judges Hama Barka, Adebukunola Banjoko, and Okon Abang, upheld the argument that continuing the lower court case could render the appellate courts decision ineffective if it later overturns the High Courts ruling. In addition to granting the stay, the appellate court imposed a cost of N100,000 against Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan. It also ordered the appeal with case number CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/395M/2025 be struck out from its register. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Winners of the Quranic recitation competition held in honour of the late Abibatu Mogaji, mother of President Bola Tinubu, were each rewarded with newly built apartments. The competition, which commenced on 2 April, was organised by Basheer Lado, the special adviser to President Tinubu on National Assembly (Senate) Matters. The Quranic recitation competition attracted 4,400 young male and female participants from across the 44 local government areas of Kano State. They competed in five categories of recitation: Juz 2, Juz 10, Juz 20, Juz 40, and Juz 60. After several weeks of local and zonal contests, 150 state-level finalists comprising 75 males and 75 females emerged for the grand finale. The grand finale of the Quran competition took place in Kano on 31 May. Celebrating the winners Four exceptional participants emerged as the overall winners of the competition. They are Maryam Muaz (first position, female), Ahmad Shuaib (first position, male), Zainab Shuaib (second position, female), and Ahmad Baturi (second position, male). 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 winners were each given keys to new homes as part of their prize package. While presenting the houses to the winners, the Deputy Chairperson of the Organising Committee, Ali Muhammad, a professor, said the reward was both a recognition of the winners achievements and an investment in their future. He also said the competition was organised to celebrate and preserve the spiritual and educational legacy of the presidents late mother for her discipline and dedication to religious and humanitarian causes. First-place winners were each awarded a three-bedroom house with a living room, while second-place winners received two-bedroom apartments with one parlour. The houses were described as luxurious, with the first position house having three bedrooms and one parlour, while the second position houses had two bedrooms and one parlour, the professor added while presenting the keys of the apartments to the winners. Mrs Mogaji died on 15 June 2013 at 96. More Pictures: Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Iranian authorities on Wednesday executed another man condemned to death for his involvement in the mass protests that swept the country nearly three years ago, the state-affiliated Mizan news agency reported. The agency named the man as Abbas Kurkuri, from the south-western city of Izeh. He had been convicted of waging war against God in line with Islamic jurisprudence, it said. The judiciary found that he had been an instigator behind the unrest in his city. Mr Kurkuri was found guilty in April 2023. He had been accused of killing several people during the protests. 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 time, the mother of one of his alleged victims, a 10-year-old boy, blamed the security forces. The verdict provoked outrage in Iran and abroad amid growing doubts over Kurkuris guilt. The death of the 10-year-old in mid-November 2022 also caused national outrage. His family challenged the official account in interviews with opposition media. To date, at least 11 people have been executed in connection with the mass protests in the autumn of 2022 under the rubric Woman, Life, Freedom. It erupted following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini after she was detained for not wearing her head covering properly. Her death unleashed the strongest wave of protests in Iran for decades. The protests were repressed with a large loss of life. (dpa/NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Currently, we have considered more than 100 investment projects between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, and more than 15 of them were chosen for detailed analysis, said Nazim Gadzhiev, Director of the Azerbaijan-Uzbek Investment Company, during the panel session "Azerbaijan Uzbekistan: Vector of Economic Partnership" at the IV Tashkent International Investment Forum, Trend reports. Gadzhiev emphasized that their company operates as a private equity firm, not a credit organization, investing primarily in minority stakes across various industrial sectors. "Last year, we established our office in Tashkent, and we are currently setting up our office in Baku, which will allow us to efficiently cover the Azerbaijan market," he explained. The companys investment team consists of 13 specialists with extensive experience in local and international organizations, with three-quarters of the team based in Uzbekistan. "We invest in existing companies when we acquire assets that have clear growth potential," Gadzhiev noted. He highlighted that their cooperation goes beyond financial capital: "We also facilitate the establishment of corporate governance, operational and financial controls, and actively involve our specialists in supervisory councils to make strategic decisions." Of the projects selected for analysis, four are in various industrial fields, one is in financial technologies, and notably, the company is involved in the construction of the largest international school in New Tashkent. "We are developing several projects between Azerbaijani and Uzbek companies and plan to start implementation by the end of this year," Gadzhiev said. The company also actively seeks business partners internationally, engaging with trade chambers and business societies to bring in companies from Germany, Italy, Japan, and Middle Eastern countries. "We plan to co-invest with other financial institutions and investment companies. For example, the international school project is being carried out in partnership with an investment company from Abu Dhabi and the direct investments fund in Uzbekistan." Gadzhiev concluded by emphasizing their focus on high-potential projects: "Our main task is to invest in companies with the highest potential to boost the economic growth of our countries, and our professional team is doing everything possible to make this happen." The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, on Tuesday, dismissed an application filed by Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) seeking to present fresh evidence in the N2.5 billion suit involving 110 disengaged university staff. The appellants in this case are ABU, the Minister of Education, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Minister of Justice. In a suit marked CA/ABJ/ CV/476/2023, the ABU management, through its counsel, Musa Yahaya, asked the appellate court to allow them to adduce fresh evidence. However, in response, the 110 former staff filed a counter-affidavit on 23 January 2025, urging the court to dismiss the motion. Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, the judge, O.O. Oyewumi, held that the appellants had ample opportunity to file a counter-affidavit and challenge the N2.5 billion computations during the lower court trial but failed to do so. According to her, by not filing a counter-affidavit, the appellants left the court to decide the matter based on the available facts. The Court of Appeal, she said, will not reverse an opportunity a party neglected at trial. 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 She added that the appellants also failed to satisfy the conditions under Order 4 Rule 2 of the Court of Appeal Rules, which requires that the party must prove they were denied the opportunity to present the evidence during the initial trial. The court, therefore, refused and dismissed the motion. Background It is now 29 years after the staffs dismissal, and they have still not been paid. Mr Yahaya, counsel for ABU management, in March, asked the court to admit the fresh evidence. Whereas counsel for the 110 disengaged staff, Adegboyega Kolade, asked the court to refuse the appellant/applicant prayers. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the appointment of 110 ABU staff was terminated in 1996. They approached the court in 2012, after the failure of the institution to implement the recommendations of various visitation panels, which recommended that they be reinstated and all their entitlements paid. NAN also reports that the court ruled in favour of the staff in 2015 and ordered the university to reinstate them and pay their entitlements, which amounted to N2.5 billion. Non-compliance with the court judgment necessitated the garnishee order on the institutions bank accounts in 2017. However, when the garnishee proceeding was ongoing, the judgment debtors filed for a stay of the proceedings, as they had filed an appeal at the Appeal Court in November 2018, contesting the 2015 judgment. The Court of Appeal, on its part, on 24 May 2021, dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decision of the lower court. The National Industrial Court on 27 January, through a ruling, made an absolute order in a garnishee proceeding ordering the CBN to pay the disengaged staff members. But the judgment sum remains unpaid. In November 2023, ABU invited the judgment creditors for a settlement meeting. The meeting was convened at the universitys request after the former staff initiated legal moves to execute the judgment. The meeting, however, ended in a deadlock. ABU blamed the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) for failing to provide the complete data needed to process the payment. The former staff said PTAD failed to capture them properly. Both sides were asked to report to the court by 11 December 2023, but no resolution has been reached. March appeal further delayed enforcement ABU in March 2025 returned to court seeking permission to file fresh evidence. That motion, now dismissed, further delayed the execution of the garnishee order. Though the National Industrial Courts order remains valid, the judgment debt is yet to be fulfilled. The court has yet to fix a new date for further proceedings. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted nationwide thunderstorms and rain from Wednesday to Friday. NiMets weather outlook released Tuesday in Abuja envisaged early morning thunderstorms on Wednesday over parts of Taraba, Kaduna and Adamawa in the northern region. It anticipated thunderstorms with rain over parts of Kebbi, Taraba, Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Gombe and Bauchi States later in the day. According to it, early morning thunderstorms are expected over parts of Benue, Kwara, Niger, the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa States in the North-central region. Later in the day, thunderstorms with rains are anticipated over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Niger, Nasarawa, Kwara, Kogi and Plateau States. In the southern region, a cloudy atmosphere is expected with chances of morning rain over parts of Ondo, Ekiti and Edo States. 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 Later in the day, isolated thunderstorms with rain are anticipated over parts of Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, Anambra, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Edo, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers during the afternoon or evening hours, it said NiMet envisaged prospects of morning thunderstorms on Thursday over parts of Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara, Adamawa and Taraba in the northern region. Later in the day, thunderstorms with rain are anticipated over parts of Taraba, Adamawa, Kebbi, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kano, Gombe and Bauchi States. In the North-central region, patches of clouds with sunshine intervals are expected with prospects of early morning thunderstorms to affect parts of Niger, Nasarawa, Benue and the Federal Capital Territory. Later in the day, thunderstorms with rain are anticipated over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Niger, Nasarawa, Kwara, Kogi, Benue and Plateau States, it said. According to NiMet, morning thunderstorms are expected over parts of Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States in the southern region. It envisaged isolated thunderstorms with rain over most parts of Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, Anambra, Imo, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Edo, Lagos, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers States later in the day. On Friday, prospects of morning thunderstorms are expected over parts of Jigawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Adamawa and Taraba in the northern region. Later in the day, thunderstorms with rain are anticipated over parts of Taraba, Adamawa, Kano, Kaduna and Bauchi States. In the North-central region, patches of clouds with sunshine intervals are expected with prospects of thunderstorms with rain over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Kwara and Niger, it said. NiMet forecast thunderstorms over parts of Kwara, Benue and Kogi in the afternoon or evening. According to it, a cloudy atmosphere is expected in the southern region with chances of morning rain over parts of Oyo, Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom and Cross River. It predicted isolated thunderstorms with rain over most parts of the region later in the day. Strong winds may precede the rains in areas where thunderstorms are likely to occur. The public should take adequate precautions and ensure loose objects are fastened to avoid collision. Driving under heavy rain should be avoided. Disconnect electrical appliances from electrical sockets. Stay away from tall trees to avoid impact from falling branches and broken trees. Airline operators are advised to get airport-specific weather reports (flight documentation) from NiMet for effective planning in their operations. Residents are advised to stay informed through weather updates from NiMet. Visit our website www.nimet.gov.ng, it said. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The National Assembly has revealed plans to initiate a bill to ensure that the President-elect is sworn in the arcade of the National Assembly. The leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, made this disclosure while responding to questions on Tuesday about the 12 June anniversary, in Abuja. Mr Bamidele said the legislation was part of efforts to strengthen the countrys democracy. He said the parliament would also initiate another legislation for the President to deliver the State of the Nation Address in the National Assembly on 12 June annually. On the invitation of the National Assembly, President Tinubu will address a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives on Thursday to mark the 2025 National Democracy Day. Mr Bamidele said: It is our desire to institutionalise the State of the Nation Address. We will bring a bill to address it, to ensure that it is institutionalised. People should look forward to it. 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 President Tinubu is working with the National Assembly in that regard. June 12 will be a better time for the President to address the nation through the National Assembly. There is no better day than June 12 for the President to address the nation, because of its historical significance. It is a joint sitting of the National Assembly. Nigerians should look forward to this legislative initiative. READ ALSO: Nigerian lawmakers mull bill for presidents inauguration at National Assembly Complex We are also hoping to change our political setting to the extent that the swearing-in of the next President will, by the grace of God, be in the arcade of the National Assembly of Nigeria. Democracy Day is observed in Nigeria every 12 June , in honour of late MKO Abiola, the winner of the 1993 Presidential election. The 1993 election is adjudged as the freest, fairest and most credible election in Nigerias political history. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A human skull and a staff suspected to be used for ritual purposes have been discovered in the premises of Synagogue Church in Enugu State, South-east Nigeria, an official has said. The Chairperson of Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area of the state, Ferdinand Ukwueze, announced this in a Facebook post on Monday. Mr Ukwueze, a lawyer, said combined security operatives discovered the items when they raided the church premises on Saturday. He uploaded some pictures of the discovered items on his Facebook page. The chairperson said he and a divisional police officer in the council area, alongside other security operatives, took part in the operation. He said apart from the police, the Nigerian Army, the Neighbourhood Watch Group in the area, the Forest Guards, and community members also took part in the operation. 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 Ukwueze said the church is in Abile Hill, Isi-Agu, Ibagwa-Aka, a community in Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area of the state. The chairperson said the church belonged to a controversial prophet and suspected ritualist, Chinedu Ezedike. He said, following a tip-off, the security operatives returned to one of the churchs sites after earlier arresting the prophet for suspected ritual killings in the community. The location, currently being used for the construction of Prophet Chinedu Ezedikes so-called Synagogue, was discovered to be a suspected site for ritual activities. To our greatest dismay, a human skull and a ritual staff were discovered from the site, lending further credence to the disturbing and tragic circumstances surrounding the claims and allegations against Ezedike, he said. The recovered items were duly handed over to the police for further examination as investigations continue. Mr Ukwueze said the security operatives will trace and visit other locations used for ritual activities in the area, vowing that his administration will remain relentless in fighting criminality. The chairperson also said the administration of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State was committed to ensuring that crime was stamped out in the state. We are pursuing an egalitarian society where sons and daughters of Enugu State can aspire and become anything of their choice legitimately without any fear of criminal molestation. Society will keep deteriorating when good people keep mute in the face of crime, he stated. When contacted by PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, the police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, said he was yet to be briefed on the incident. Ritual killings PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how Mr Ezedike, the prophet, allegedly killed four siblings with a pestle for suspected ritual purposes. The Enugu State Government, consequently, demolished several properties belonging to the prophet including his residence, church building, and a hotel facility. Before now, the Enugu State Government has been demolishing properties linked to kidnapping and violent crimes in the state. According to the state government, the demolition of such properties was backed by Section 315 (Second Amendment) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 30, Laws of Enugu State 2017. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Catfish farmers record boom in Nasarawa Some catfish farmers and sellers in Nasarawa State have expressed satisfaction following the high patronage in their business. The farmers stated this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. NAN reports that research shows that catfish farming in Nigeria is experiencing high patronage, indicating a thriving market for the product. The research also shows that this popularity is driven by several factors, including catfishs status as a readily available and affordable protein source for many Nigerians, particularly those in the lower-income households. NAN also reports that national fish demand, estimated at 3.6 million metric tonnes annually, surpasses domestic production, further fueling the catfish farming sector. Uduak Solomon, a popular farmer in Angwan Tiv community in New Nyanya, said he started the business in 2016 as his main occupation after he retired as a security officer. 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 Solomon added that over the years, his business had flourished beyond his expectations in spite of the numerous risks that were involved in fish farming. He said that he made huge profits in the last three months in his business due to the Sallah and Easter celebrations. Mr Solomon said that the reduction in the cost of fish feed was also a major factor that has helped to boost his profit. According to him, in 2024, a bag of Blue Crown fish feed was sold for N29,500, but now it goes for N26,200. The price for a kilo of catfish currently ranges from N2,800 to N3,500 but last year it was sold for N4,800 per kilo. With the reduction in price, patronage had increased tremendously, he said. Mr Solomon advised farmers to sell their catfish according to the current market price as some farmers tend to keep their fish for long with the hope of selling at a higher price. Margret Audu, a fish seller, said she had made tremendous sales in the catfish business this year. She said with the high demand of catfish from various restaurants and eateries, she had witnessed an increased patronage. Ms Audu stated that in spite of the high demand for fresh catfish, there was also a significant demand for dried catfish, as many people preferred as it was easier to preserve. She, however, stated that the major challenge she encountered was the high cost of transportation to different farms in search of catfish. Ms Audu appealed to the federal government and non-governmental organisations to support small-scale business owners with grants and equipment to boost their businesses. Bala Suleiman, another fish farmer, shared his 12-year journey in the fish business with NAN. He recounted the challenges he faced in his first year, including limited funding, high mortality rates, expensive feed, low demand and theft. Mr Suleiman explained that he surmounted his challenges through loans and grants from cooperative societies, coupled with his determination in ensuring that his business succeeded. He advised farmers to engage in regular sorting and changing of water as a means to minimise mortality rate to ensure a good harvest. Elizabeth Aonodongu, a fish seller, described the catfish business as lucrative, adding that it had enabled her to support her familys needs over the years. She attributed the popularity of catfish to its high protein content, saying that many people preferred it to other fish, making it a much sought-after product in her community. Ms Aonodongu said that in the last three months, her farm sold over 6,000,000 catfish, both smoked and fresh, to various bars across different communities, with many being exported abroad. She added that sales at the beginning of the year were underwhelming due to the high cost of hatching materials. Ms Aonodongu also expressed frustration that some customers buy on credit, promising to pay at months end, which negatively impacts her business. In spite of these challenges, she advised young catfish farmers to remain consistent and view the prevailing seemingly formidable obstacles as budding opportunities for growth. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, on Wednesday, admitted as evidence a statement by the first prosecution witness in the suit involving a former governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku, and a former Permanent Secretary of the states Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bello Yero, despite objections from Mr Ishakus counsel. The trial judge, Sylvanus Oriji, admitted the confessional statement written by Ismail Lawal, a personal assistant to the former governor, when he was detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The statement in question allegedly contained the details of the accounts and persons to whom money was transferred by the witness on the instructions of the former governor. The EFCC is prosecuting Messrs Ishaku and Yero on 15 counts relating to criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and conversion of public funds amounting to N27 billion. Mr Ishakus counsel, P. A. Ogbole, had objected to the admissibility of the evidence citing the lack of a video recording, the absence of a legal representative or independent witness during the statement writing and possible coercion of the witness while in detention. These objections were raised as being contrary to Section 15 (4) of the Evidence Act and Section 17 (2) Administration of the Criminal Justice Act (ACJA). 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, EFCCs Counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, argued that the provision of the Acts cited by Mr Ogbole envisaged a confessional statement and the statement was written in the presence of the witness friend, Hazim Omotosho. Mr Jacobs also noted that the witness was not charged with any crime, hence his statement was not made under duress but voluntarily. Meanwhile, Mr Yeros counsel, Adeola Adedipe, did not object to the admissibility of the evidence. Citing Section 29(1) of the Evidence Act the judge Mr Oriji, agreed with the submissions of the prosecution counsel. Section 29(1) of the Evidence Act, 2011 addresses the admissibility of confessions or statements based on their relevance to the case. He said, I agree that the statement is admissible the statement of the PW 1 is received as evidence. The judge then adjourned the matter till 2 July for cross-examination of the witness. Background In January 2025, Mr Lawal narrated how Mr Ishaku gave him $5,000 to relocate to Lagos to evade EFCC arrest. The witness told the court that he worked as a system analyst in 2011 with Excelarc Partners, a company owned by the former governor. The witness said that when Mr Ishaku became governor in 2015, he invited him to work with him as a personal assistant. I was in charge of the former governors emails. I ran errands for him as well as collected money from the accounts section of the government house in Jalingo and followed the governors instructions on what to do with the money, he said. The prosecution counsel tendered as evidence notebooks by the witness marked exhibit 2 and 3 which contained some of the records of the cash transactions. Witness recounts how he receives cash During Wednesdays proceedings, the witness led by the prosecution counsel identified names of individuals involved in the exchange of cash directed by Mr Ishaku. These individuals consisted of one Galiya, a director of Finance during Mr Ishakus administration, the liaison officer, Dauda Moses, Permanent Secretary Chindo Audu, Taiwo Jones, Emmanuel Uwazurike, Emmanuel Ifua and John Olumba. The witness told the court that on numerous occasions he was sent to collect and distribute monies ranging from N20 to N100 million to the aforementioned individuals and a company. READ ALSO: Taraba community cries out over bandits activities Details of charges In a recap of trials faced by former governors charged in 2024, PREMIUM TIMES reported how the EFCC arrested Mr Ishaku alongside Mr Yero in September 2024 and arraigned them in October before the FCT High Court on 15 counts, including criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and conversion of public funds amounting to N27 billion. They were accused of diverting the money from the contingency funds belonging to the states Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and certain local governments of the states into their private uses. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Federal Government of Nigeria is seeking ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement and increased funding for blue economy initiatives. Adegboyega Oyetola, Nigerias minister of marine and blue economy, in a statement signed on Wednesday by his Special Adviser, Bolaji Akinola, said the ratification would ensure the protection and sustainable use of the worlds oceans. Mr Oyetola, representing President Bola Tinubu at the ongoing United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, said that urgent and collective global action was needed to secure the health of the worlds Oceans for future generations. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2025 UN Ocean conference is themed Accelerating Action and Mobilising All Actors to Conserve and Sustainably Use the Ocean. As a coastal state, Nigeria recognises the ocean as a repository of tremendous wealth, natural capital, global food security, employment opportunities, and sustainable livelihoods. Nigeria is committed to achieving the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 14, as well as the African Union Agenda 2063 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. 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 Nigeria has signed the BBNJ agreement and commenced its ratification process, underscoring the full implementation of the agreement, particularly the goal of designating at least 30 per cent of the global ocean as Marine Protected Areas by 2030. This is essential for achieving the goals of SDG 14; however, realising this vision will require collective commitment to robust monitoring and enforcement frameworks capable of guaranteeing positive ecological outcomes, he said. Mr Oyetola stressed that prompt ratification of the BBNJ Agreement and increased funding for blue economy initiatives are crucial steps that must be backed by political will, scientific rigour, and global cooperation. He affirmed that Nigeria remained fully committed to working with all stakeholders to advance shared ocean priorities and urged every state to join in this vital effort. Mr Oyetola highlighted domestic initiatives Nigeria was implementing to strengthen its ocean governance. He said that Nigeria had spearheaded efforts among West African nations validating a regional roadmap for the development of a proposal to designate a highly protected High Seas Marine Protected Area. This, he said, was at the convergence zone of the Canary and Guinea Currents. He also said Nigeria had adopted a National Blue Economy Policy to incentivise sustainable diversification into ocean-based industries. The development of a national roadmap for BBNJ treaty ratification and implementation, the revision of Nigerias National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan to align with global biodiversity targets. The formulation of a National Policy on Marine Plastic Pollution to address land-based sources of marine debris, and the advancement of hydrographic surveys. Also the modern charting schemes to support safer maritime operations across Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea, he said. Mr Oyetola emphasised Nigerias resolve to tackle transboundary ocean challenges such as illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing and marine dumping. He said there was also a need for enhanced ocean monitoring and improved regional capacity for ocean services. He restated Nigerias support for the adoption of the draft Nice Ocean Action Declaration and Plan. He called on the global community, particularly investors and development partners to provide technical expertise and financial resources to support blue economy initiatives in developing nations. He noted that contributions in blue finance and the transfer of marine science were critical to enable better and foster sustainable ocean-based sectors. The minister reaffirmed Nigerias commitment to implementing ocean-related multilateral agreements. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Segun Sowunmi, a former spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, has given reasons for visiting President Bola Tinubu. On Friday, Mr Sowunmi visited President Tinubu in Lagos and spent part of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations with him, a visit that surprised many political analysts and observers. On Sunday, the PDP chieftain wrote on his social media handle that the meeting was engaging and nostalgic. Mr Sowunmis sudden romance with Mr Tinubu has since sparked reactions. He was a fierce critic of the President until very recently. Why I went to Tinubu Speaking on the Channels TV programme Politics Today on Tuesday, Mr Sowunmi explained that he visited President Tinubu for three reasons. According to him, he went to the President because of the faltering democracy, which he (Sowunmi) said was not his Mr Tinubus fault. 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 also said he began to be a little bit uncomfortable with demonising all policies by those who dont understand what it takes to design futuristic ideas that could work. Mr Sowunmi further said he wanted to engage with Mr Tinubu. Tinubu is smarter than his opponents Mr Sowunmi said, despite Mr Tinubus frailty, his brain is very alert, noting that he answered all his questions without looking at any book. Pointing his index finger to his lip, implying that he was speaking the truth, the PDP chieftains demeanour during the interview appeared as someone in love. Mr Sowunmi said the president was psychologically and mentally alert during his visit. Ready to dump PDP, work with Tinubu Even as a PDP member, Mr Sowunmi said he could work with Mr Tinubu. He, however, noted that if he were appointed to any position by Mr Tinubu, he would leave the PDP. Asked if his move had betrayed Atiku, Mr Sowunmi said Atiku was running a coalition he was not part of. Is he (Atiku) running for president now? Hes running a coalition that everybody knows I am not part of. Who would even in your wildest dreams think I dont have my individuality because of what? Do you know how long I have been at the party? he asked. Not alone Lately, there have been high-profile defections to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), the presidents party, a development poised to reshape Nigerias political landscape. Mr Sowunmi is not the only former spokesperson for Atiku, a former vice-president, who is now romancing President Tinubu. In November 2024, Daniel Bwala, a consistent critic of the president and former spokesperson for Atiku in 2023, was appointed his (Tinubu) special adviser after months of making overtures to the Nigerian leader. Another critic, Reno Omokri, a former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan, then of the PDP, has been swerving in support of the president, though he is yet to get an official appointment in the APC-led federal government. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Just a day after PREMIUM TIMES reported that the wife of Kaduna South Senator Sunday Katung is involved in a money laundering mess in the UK, the senator has defended his family against any wrongdoing. A recent UK court proceeding granted a forfeiture order on a property paid for by Mrs Katung. The court ordered the UKs National Crime Agency (NCA) to take possession and recover the property. The property, occupied by Mrs Katung and her children, was owned by a wealthy businessman, Mansoor Hussain, whom investigators had previously accused of being a money launderer for major crime lords in the north of England. Senators claim In response to this newspapers exclusive story, Mr Katung said the sensational headline is not in harmony with the contents of the report itself. The report, published on Tuesday, was titled EXCLUSIVE: Wife of Nigerian senator in money laundering mess in UK and focused on Mr Katungs wife, Abigail Katung, the Lord Mayor of Leeds. 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 senator, in the statement by his spokesperson, Midat Joseph, also said that he and his wife have always conducted their affairs lawfully and transparently and will pursue all necessary legal action to correct this defamatory narrative against them. He also made reference to a part of the story wherein this newspaper reported that the judge said she could not establish that Mrs Katung had any knowledge of Mr Hussains alleged criminal activities, saying, I therefore make it crystal clear that I do not find that she was cognisant of what Mr Hussain was up to. The above no doubt is not in harmony with the sensational headline making reference to money laundering, which did not have the honour of even a mere mention in the entire judgment, Mr Joseph wrote. Avoiding responsibility However, what the senator avoided mentioning in his statement was that while the judge said she could not ascertain that Mrs Katung was aware of Mr Hussains alleged criminal activities, the judge also questioned the shady nature of the payments made by the lawmakers wife. In fact, the judge ruled that Mrs Katung was only conducting a business in foreign exchange transactions to circumvent Nigerian foreign exchange regulations and/or to avoid a punitive exchange rate. In essence, the judge ruled against the senators wife, not just because of Mr Hussains involvement but also because of the shady nature of the transaction that involved circumventing Nigerian foreign exchange regulations and/or to avoid a punitive exchange rate. As reported in our earlier story, Mrs Katung made a deposit of 400,000, of the total 1,000,000, to acquire the property in 2015. The UK High Court investigated the source of 360,000 from Mrs Katungs initial deposit. Court documents in the civil case suggested money laundering activities in Mrs Katungs transaction, which was made between April and May 2015. Mrs Katung told the court that her husband obtained a loan of N120 million from a Nigerian bank and then used a Bureau De Change Operator (BDC) in Nigeria to exchange naira into pounds sterling and remit it to a Barclays bank account in the name of 1st Resource, a company owned by Mrs Katung. She said her husband used agents in the UK to get the money to her via her companys account. Judgement against Mrs Katung The court found that the majority of payments made into the bank account of 1st Resource could not have been from UK agents of BDCs in Nigeria. The judge also held that the use of Mrs Katungs company for the purpose of that transaction was improper. He also instructed Mrs Katung to prepare her defence and provide an adequate, documented explanation of the transaction. But, she has failed to do that, the judge said in her ruling, adding, It was incumbent on her to take proactive steps to ensure that a properly evidenced account was given to the Court. Also, Mrs Katungs witness statements in the proceedings did not address how the payments were made, nor did they seek to explain what she had said at interview. More surprisingly, Mrs Katung has disclosed very little documentation which bears on these transfers, and there is no witness statement from her husband. These are telling omissions from which I draw an adverse inference, the judge said. The judge added that he was satisfied on the balance of probabilities that some of the BDCs mentioned by Mrs Katung were not even licensed to undertake foreign exchange transactions in Nigeria. Therefore, the judge ruled that Mrs Katung was only conducting a business in foreign exchange transactions to circumvent Nigerian foreign exchange regulations and/or to avoid a punitive exchange rate. I reach my conclusion on the basis of: (1) paragraph 72 of Mr Coles eighth witness statement (2) the adverse inferences to be drawn from the Honey Oil material, and (3) the adverse inferences to be drawn from Mrs Katungs failure to file a witness statement from her husband and to disclose relevant documentation, the judge said. In their argument, the NCA contended that the entire property, including the deposit made by Mrs Katung, represented money obtained by criminal conduct. Hence, the property was recoverable property under the UK Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA). The court concluded that the property and its possession should be recovered by the NCA and should be treated as vesting the entirety of the property in the Trustee. The judge added that no credit falls to be given for the value of the deposit payments made by Mrs Katung. In his Wednesday statement, the senators spokesperson said the judgement against Mrs Katung was already a subject matter of an appeal. It is therefore too early in the day to draw conclusions until the appeal process has been exhausted. For the avoidance of doubt, Senator Sunday Marshall Katung and his Wife, Abigail Katung have always conducted their affairs lawfully and transparently, and will pursue all necessary legal action to correct this defamatory narrative. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print At least 18 people have been killed in renewed farmer-herder violence that started on Monday in the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State. Multiple sources told our correspondent that an attack on Fulani herders in Gyenbwas village triggered the violence. Daily Trust reported that three people were killed and 96 houses were razed in the village on Monday. The herders blamed the attack on the Berom people in the Barkin Ladi local government area, where more than 100 people were killed in the infamous 2023 Christmas Eve massacre. However, the Berom people denied involvement in the attack. Dalyop Solomon, the president of Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), told Daily Trust his people were under attack and Fulani are only coming out with excuses to justify their terror attack. Mr Solomon added that three members of his community were attacked on their farm. Violence spread to other communities The Monday violence has spread to other communities in Mangu, a volatile area where the Mwaghavul farmers and their herder neighbours have lived under tension since April 2023, when a clash in Murish village spilled to other villages. 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 2023 violence claimed more than 300 lives, with the farmers suffering the highest casualties, according to an investigation by a local newspaper based in neighbouring Bauchi State. Our reporter understands that the Mangu crisis spiralled into a more deadly clash in Barkin Ladi LGA. Following the Monday attack that was blamed on Berom people, armed men suspected to be Fulani herders struck, killing seven Mwaghavul people in Bwai village and eight in the Chicchim area of Mangu town. Luka Jepson, a resident of Mangu town, told PREMIUM TIMES that the Bwai attack was carried out on Tuesday. They killed seven at Bwai yesterday and eight at Chicchim today [Wednesday], he said. Those killed at Chicchim have been given a mass burial. Another resident, Uba Rilwanu, said there was an attempted attack on Murish village, following the killing of a Fulani man in Kantoma on Tuesday. But the soldiers thwarted the attack, he said, adding that there is tension everywhere. Alfred Alabo, the police spokesperson in Plateau State, could not be reached for comment as his work line was busy, and he did not respond to a text message. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Basic pensions for retirees to be appropriately raised: MOF official Global Times) 08:19, June 11, 2025 The central government will further increase the monthly minimum standard for the basic pension for urban and rural residents by 20 yuan ($2.79) while the basic pension for retirees will also be appropriately raised, an official with the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said at a press conference on Tuesday. The 2025 budget funds for education, as well as social security and employment, will each approach 4.5 trillion yuan, representing year-on-year increases of 6.1 percent and 5.9 percent, respectively, while healthcare spending will also see significant increases, according to Ge Zhihao, an official with the MOF. The central budget will further increase subsidies to ensure benefits are paid in full and on time, the official added. In addition, the government subsidy standard for basic public health services will be raised to 99 yuan per person annually, and the per capita government fiscal subsidy for the urban and rural residents' medical insurance will also be increased by 30 yuan, reaching 700 yuan per person per year, the MOF official said. For employment support, the central government has allocated 66.74 billion yuan for in subsidies this year. The one-time job expansion subsidy policy will be implemented, with its scope extended to social organizations, to support the employment of young people such as college graduates, according to MOF. Central authorities recently unveiled a set of measures targeting the most immediate and tangible issues that affect people's lives. According to an official document, China will expand social security coverage, with particular support for low-income populations, and ensure that all citizens, regardless of region or group, can enjoy equal access to basic public services. Central budget investment in social programs is set to rise by 30 percent this year compared with the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), an official with the National Development and Reform Commission said, according to the Xinhua News Agency. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan roadmap covers over 30 projects, said Yusif Abdullayev, Acting Director of the Agency for Promotion of Exports and Investments of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AZPROMO), Trend reports. He spoke at the panel session "Azerbaijan Uzbekistan: Vector of Economic Partnership" during the IV Tashkent International Investment Forum. Attracting investment remains a top priority for Azerbaijan. Abdullayev expressed gratitude to Uzbekistans Ministry of Investments, Trade, and Infrastructure for their collaborative efforts. He noted several key sectors driving cooperation, including e-commerce and construction. "For Azerbaijan, the reconstruction of territories is very important. One of the most active groups of companies in Uzbekistan is conducting important talks on building apartment complexes to create textile clusters," Abdullayev said. Regarding agriculture, he highlighted progress in cotton cluster projects: "Within this project, we have already planted 2,000 hectares and hope to increase this number to 6,000 hectares. We have a couple of hectares for the current season and are now awaiting the first harvest." The manufacturing sector also remains a focus. "Our traditional cooperation in infrastructure and car manufacturing is ongoing. Currently, there is a functioning manufacturer where we have already produced 9,000 units of the Chevrolet model. This confirms the strength of the Made in Azerbaijan and Made in Uzbekistan brands," he noted. On urban development, Abdullayev referred to recent discussions about construction projects in Baku. "On June 4-5, a delegation visited the White City area in Baku, and we believe this project will be implemented soon," he said. Looking ahead, Abdullayev highlighted growing trade relations. "We discussed the trade group and hope that with the appointment of trade representatives, our cooperation will continue developing," he concluded. The management of Air Peace has criticised the allegedly disruptive behaviour exhibited by Adams Oshiomhole, a Nigerian senator, which hindered flight operations at Terminal 1 of Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Wednesday. A statement issued by the airlines management concerning the incident said Mr Oshiomhole arrived at the terminal 1 axis (Zulu Hall) of the airport about 20 minutes late for the departure of the aircraft and was eventually prevented from boarding. Air Peace strongly condemns the unruly conduct of a prominent Nigerian politician who disrupted airport operations on the morning of Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the statement said. The prominent individual in question arrived at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1 (Zulu Hall) at approximately 06:10 AM for Flight P47120 scheduled to depart Lagos for Abuja at 06:30 AM. In line with our standard on-time departure policy, the boarding process had closed, and the flight departed as scheduled. Upon being informed of the missed flight, Air Peace said Mr Oshiomhole resorted to violence, physically assaulting its staff and forcefully barricading the terminals entrance. He went as far as sealing the entry gate and manning the access point, effectively obstructing other passengers from gaining entry into the terminal, the statement 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 The airline described the former Edo State governors behaviour as unacceptable, saying it caused significant disruption to ongoing operations and affected numerous travellers scheduled for various flights. To minimise further inconvenience, Air Peace explained that it activated an operational contingency plan to board affected passengers through an alternate terminal, ensuring the continuity of their travel plans. We are deeply saddened that such a high-profile figure displayed conduct so unbecoming and disruptive to fellow passengers and our personnel, the statement noted. It noted that Air Peace maintains a zero-tolerance stance on violence or any form of aggression against its staff and passengers. While urging all guests to remain civil and cooperative at all times, the airline noted that aviation operations are bound by strict timelines and safety protocols, and that they remain committed to upholding these standards while delivering safe and timely services to the Nigerian public. Air Peace continues to stand for discipline, integrity, and respect for due process. No individual, no matter how influential, is above these values, the statement noted. PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately reach Mr Oshiomhole for comment on the matter as of press time. The Edo senator was said to be getting ready to address journalists on the issue at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja. The incident involving Mr Oshiomhole and Air Peace has generated a significant response among Nigerians on social media platforms. While numerous individuals have condemned the senators aggressive behaviour at the airport, others have criticised Air Peace for its enforcement of early departure policies, despite its reputation for flight delays and cancellations that often occur without prior notification. While not condoning the behaviour of the said prominent Nigerian politician, I think you guys were too quick to start gloating because of taking off on time for once. Many of us may not be prominent or have tendencies to protest violently, but if the number of times you have disappointed your passengers is taken to account in terms of litigations, you should be out of business by now, an X user, Gbenga Giwa said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A total of 776 people were killed and over N7.6 trillion lost since 2021 in Nigerias South-east during sit-at-home enforced by the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a report has said. 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. The report, titled Four Years of Disruption was released by SBM Intelligence in late May. The report chronicled how the sit-at-home initially intended to demand the release of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, evolved into a prolonged economic and humanitarian crisis characterised by violence, fear, and collapsed livelihoods. The sit-at-home protests, enforced by IPOB since 2021, have transformed from a symbolic act of dissent into a protracted crisis with devastating socioeconomic and security consequences for Southeast Nigeria. The region has suffered staggering losses, including N7.6 trillion in economic damage, 776 fatalities, and systemic disruptions to education, governance, and livelihoods, the report reads in part. 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 Small and medium term business shut The SMB said, apart from large scale businesses, the illegal order forced micro, small, and medium-sized businesses to shut down. It said the sit-at-home has also crippled indigenous manufacturing, fabrication, and agro-allied industries in the region, leading to significant economic repercussions. Micro-businesses have been particularly hard-hit, with annual losses reported at approximately 4.6 trillion due to the recurring sit-at-home days, the report said. It added that the transportation sector has been heavily affected with transporters losing N10 to N13 billion daily during the protests as of 2022. The intelligence firm said the situation has deepened poverty in the South-east with 71 percent of respondents reporting income drops. State by state cases The SMB said, based on state by state cases, Imo and Anambra remain the worst hit by IPOB-linked violence in the South-east with 332 and 202 deaths respectively in four years. Ebonyi, it said, has recorded the lowest number of attacks in the region within the period. This sustained emergency demands urgent, coordinated action to prevent further escalation and immense human cost, it stated. Why IPOB-linked violence increased The SMB said although the sit-at-home was rooted in legitimate grievances over marginalisation and the detention of Mr Kanu, the movement was hijacked by violence, criminality, and internal fragmentation, eroding public support and deepening instability. The intelligence firm said the establishment and increased involvement of the Eastern Security Network, IPOBs militant wing, resulted in the violent and coercive enforcement of the illegal order. It said the fragmentation of IPOB and the establishment of Biafra Liberation Army by a controversial Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, also contributed to the violence in the region. Additionally, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons among nonstate actors in the region exacerbated the security situation. The availability of these weapons facilitated more frequent and deadly attacks on both security personnel and civilians, it said. These developments have exacerbated the security crisis in the region, making it a hotbed of militant activity, violence, and instability. Meanwhile, Mr Ekpa was recently arrested in Finland by Finnish Central Criminal Police and faces terrorism charges in Finnish court. Solutions The SMB said to address the IPOB-linked violence in the South-east, a combination of different measures should be adopted. The approaches, according to the intelligence firm, are security reform, emergency funds for traders and transporters, and introduction of weekend catch-up programmes in educational institutions to mitigate learning gaps. Others are engaging with human rights groups, international communities and Finnish authorities to stop Mr Ekpas inflammatory broadcasts and funding streams even if he is released from prison. The sit-at-home crisis is a symptom of deeper dysfunction, and a lasting solution requires addressing Igbo marginalisation through constitutional reforms, demilitarising the Southeast, and rebuilding trust between communities and the state, it added. Background IPOB, in August 2021, introduced a sit-at-home order every Monday across the South-east to pressure the Nigerian government to release its detained leader, Mr Kanu, who is being tried for terrorism at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The separatist group later suspended the order, in preference for it to be implemented only on days Mr Kanu appears in court. But despite its suspension, residents of the five South-east states Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia and Anambra have been observing the sit-at-home order, mostly out of fear. IPOB had repeatedly disowned the Monday sit-at-home across the region, saying those who still enforce the order were criminals attempting to blackmail the separatist group. But Mr Ekpa has continued to declare the sit-at-home in the region, despite being suspended by the IPOB faction led by Mr Kanu. PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Kanu, the IPOB leader in late July 2023, through Aloy Ejimakor, his special counsel, ordered Mr Ekpa to stop issuing sit-at-home orders in the region. However, Mr Ekpa described the letter as fake, and maintained that the illegal action would go on until Mr Kanu spoke to him directly in Finland, a North European country, where he (Ekpa) resides. Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES has documented how the illegal order was destroying businesses, crippling farming and preventing residents access to healthcare services across the South-east. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print An analysis of drone footage and vehicle mileage data tracked by a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, indicates that the commissioned section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway measures approximately 30 kilometres. This segment, part of Phase 1, Section 1, stretches from Ahmadu Bello Way to Lekki Free Trade Zone, is within the broader 700km coastal highway project spanning nine states. Endless controversy The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project has been marred by controversy since its inception. The project, a signature one by the Bola Tinubu administration, was announced amidst Nigerias worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. Many also questioned if due process was followed and whether it was not better to complete the myriad uncompleted interstate road projects across the country than start a new one. Some Lagos residents also protested, and some took legal action against the government, alleging wrongful demolition of their properties to make way for the project. When the government also announced the commissioning, many Nigerians wondered why the government was commissioning 30km of a 700km road project. 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 latest controversy concerns the length of the completed section of the road, with critics arguing that the actual distance completed falls short of the governments claims. However, Mr Omokri, a former critic turned supporter of President Tinubu, on Tuesday insisted that the recently commissioned segment of the road measures 30 kilometres, despite alternative measurements suggesting otherwise. He said his measurement is accurate, insisting that the figures do not lie. 30km dispute Following President Tinubus official commissioning of the 30-kilometre portion of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway on Saturday, 1 June, a content creator, Objectv Media, said the commissioned segment is not up to 30km as claimed. In a seven-minute, 27-second video, the blogger stated that the actual completed length is approximately 26.27 kilometres, not 30 kilometres as claimed. 20 kilometres, they said, from VI to the Eleko corridor. The remaining 10 kilometres, they said, from Eleko inward. Gentlemen and ladies, I am at chainage 41.230 kilometres, and Eleko junction is at chainage 47.5. If you look in subtraction, apart from my odometer showing 6 kilometres and a little above because I drove in through the community road. This chainage is showing at this point where I am standing, chainage 41.230. If you do the maths, what you have is 6.2 something kilometres. That simply means that the claim that they have completed 10 kilometres from Eleko into this place is not true, he said. A chainage is a length as measured by a surveyors chain or tape. Meanwhile, Dany Abbou, the managing director of Hitech Construction Company Limited, who spoke at the commissioning on Saturday, said nearly 20 kilometres from Victoria Island eastward towards Eleko corridor and nearly 10 kilometres from Eleko heading westward have been completed, a total of 30 kilometres. Obejectv media disputed the claim, saying that rather than the 10 kilometres the federal government is claiming, the actual distance completed from Eleko inward is 6.27 kilometres. It, however, did not dispute the 20 kilometres from Victoria Island to Eleko. The highway mission To prove that the federal government indeed commissioned 30 km and, Mr Omokri invited journalists, interested parties and concerned Nigerians to tour the length of the commissioned road with him. At 8:55 a.m., Mr Omokri, accompanied by journalists from PREMIUM TIMES, Vanguard Newspaper, Silverbird Television, Arise TV, Control TV, and a surveyor, Gbolahan Azeez, who has been tracking the project since its inception, embarked on a tour of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, starting from Ahmadu Bello Way, the roads designated starting point. Addressing journalists before the tour, Mr Omokri explained that he invited the media to ensure transparency and verify his earlier claim that the federal government has completed at least 30 kilometres of Section 1, Phase 1 of the project. I invited you here to verify for yourselves that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is at least 30 kilometres fully paved on the first section and first phase. Everything you are going to see today is probably more than 30 kilometres, but we are just stopping at 30 kilometres, he said. Using his car speedometer, Mr Omokri said he calculated 20km as the length of the road from Ahmadu Bello Way to Okun-Ajah. Meanwhile, Mr Azeez who used a drone that has an inbuilt distance calculator, said the distance of completed road between Okun Ajah and Eleko is 8km. His drone captured highway markings of 41.300 and 48.985 between both points. From Eleko to Orimedo, the distance is 1.5 kilometres, and from Orimedo to the Free Trade Zone is 1 kilometre. This brings the total length to 30.5 kilometres. Speaking with journalists after the tour, Mr Omokri urged government officials to view citizens who raise objections or questions about government projects as patriotic individuals exercising their rights, rather than enemies of the state. People in government should not think that people who raise these objections are enemies of the state or illegals, no! They have the right. A lot of these people are patriotic citizens. When people raise questions like this, it is not possible to over-inform them. You can only under-inform them. So, give them the information, he said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Ikioye Orutugu, has ordered the detention of three police inspectors for allegedly extorting a man. The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday night. Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, did not disclose the identities of the inspectors and the victim. How the extortion happened Mr Ikenga said the inspectors had accosted the man during a security patrol, forcibly searched his phone and extorted him. The spokesperson said Mr Orutugu frowned at the inspectors misconduct while interrogating them. He said the commissioner further ordered immediate commencement of internal disciplinary proceedings of the Nigeria Police Force against the inspectors. 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 police chief, according to the statement, reiterated that the police will never condone any form of abuse of office, corruption and unprofessional conduct from its personnel. Such anomalies, aside from negating the professional calling of the police, are unacceptable as they affect the entire execution of policies and directives, thereby widening the trust gap between the citizens and the Force, he said. Not the first time Cases of police brutality, extortion and other unprofessional activities in Nigeria have continued despite sanctions by police authorities, such as dismissal from service. The latest incident happened barely four months after police authorities in Imo State launched an investigation into alleged extortion and assault of a couple by operatives in the state. The Imo extortion incident occurred less than one week after police authorities began interrogation of officers who were filmed assaulting a man in Abia State. In February, police authorities in Abia State dismissed three officers for allegedly engaging in abduction and extortion. In October, last year, police in Ebonyi began an orderly room trial of officers filmed extorting motorists in the state. Within the same period, the police in Imo State began another orderly room trial of four officers seen in a viral video clip extorting motorists in the state. About three months earlier, police operatives in Bayelsa State extorted N3 million from a Nigerian man at gunpoint. The officers were subsequently arrested after the victim petitioned police authorities. The police operatives later returned the N3 million to the victim, about three weeks later Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Anytime evil reigns in a land, Gods judgment is poured on it. There is no human remedy for a quick-fix of Nigeria other than for the church, which should be the light of the country, to return to sanity and righteousness. Without righteousness, no positive confession will fix Nigeria. Without righteousness, no prayers and fasting will fix the country. Righteousness is not perfection, but a commitment towards doing the right things. According to Milan Hubl, The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory, destroy its books, its culture, and its history. Before long, the nation will begin to forget what it is and what it was. As Nigeria grapples with the perennial conundrum that often precedes the transition of government from one administration to another, one can only imagine how many cycles of transitions are needed to fix Nigeria. The Biblical proverbial statement, can a Leopard change its skin, seems to clearly portray the current vicious cycle of backwardness, as the next administration is always worse than the previous one, no matter how much people loathe the previous administration. It is not about the political parties, but the values that underlie Nigeria as a system and, hence, all the associated components of Nigeria. I am not the only person speaking to this issue. Others have spoken and are still speaking. It, however, appears like the firing of remediation strategies from multiple discourse cylinders is needed to open the eyes of Nigerians from the perennial bewitchment, so to speak, that has veiled their faces, making it difficult for them to shift focus from political parties, religious institutions, and other enabling platforms and systems that have, for the last six decades, plunged them into intellectual unconsciousness. Nations fail when dealers replace leaders. Todays Nigerian leaders are predominantly dealers; sellers of ideologies and traders of opportunities. These dealers have one thing in common they weaponise the peoples problems to profit themselves and their corrupt legacies. Nothing triggers the collapse of a value system like poverty, because a hungry man is an angry man who is capable of doing anything and everything to overcome poverty. Poverty shuts down the ability to discern between truth and nonsense. As Richard Terrell puts it, When you create a critical mass of people who cannot discern between truth and nonsense, you will have a society ready to fall for any leader. History once told us of how the former Soviet government under Joseph Stalin, strategically weaponised famine and hunger in Ukraine to force the Ukrainian people under Stalins control. Several attempts were made by the Ukrainians to de-Stalinise their nation, but to no avail. The weaponisation of problems such as poverty and ignorance has often attracted the interests of totalitarian dealers. Stain used it. Hitler used it. Musolini of Italy used it. The Apartheid dealers in South Africa used it. The list is endless. Sadly, the people rarely see the source of their poverty as their leaders. In fact, Hitler once humorously said, how fortunate are governments that the people they lead dont think. Nothing can be truer. 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 Thus, Nigeria is where it is today because evil and wickedness have eaten deep into the fabrics of the church and the society at large, leaders have become dealers, absolute truth has metamorphosed into relative truth, ideologies have died among politicians if it ever existed, and, above all, righteousness has taken a flight. Conclusively, Nigeria is a captured State, awaiting saviours. You and I are these saviours. There is no short cut to remedying Nigeria. The people hold the ace. Neither America nor the United Nations, the imperialists who are equal and parasitic beneficiaries of the failure of this nation, will help or, at least, want to help. Thus, Nigeria is at a perennial crossroad of darkness, because at all levels, within and outside the church, righteousness has taken a flight out of the country. The church, which should be the light of the world, has shifted position. Rather than being the light of the world, the world is now the light of the church. It is now so bad that many among the church leaders in Nigeria have forsaken their first love totally, and are now wining and dining with mammon, while a lot of pastors, including some of our church leaders, are actually involved in unbelievable shades and dimensions of occultic and demonic practices, rituals and sacrifices, that millions of Nigerian Christians have failed to accept as reality. Thus, Nigeria is where it is today because evil and wickedness have eaten deep into the fabrics of the church and the society at large, leaders have become dealers, absolute truth has metamorphosed into relative truth, ideologies have died among politicians if it ever existed, and, above all, righteousness has taken a flight. Conclusively, Nigeria is a captured State, awaiting saviours. You and I are these saviours. In July 2020, I woke up from a frightening night vision about Nigeria. I saw a stretch of neighbourhood looking desolate. It was a scene reminiscent of the war-ravaged city of Mogadishu. Shops and businesses were emptied; roads were waterlogged, refuse-littered, dirty, smelly, stinking, and messy. Some roads leading to major streets were flooded with human blood. Buildings were patchy, rickety, and ram-shackled, in the full glare of the surviving people, all of whom were standing aloof on streets in panic mood. There was neither food nor drink to buy as I combed building after building, and shop after shop. It was a terrible sight. I woke up with an unprecedented amount of trepidation. Now its 2025, exactly five years after this revelation. Has it come to pass? Maybe partially in some cities, and in some states in Nigeria. However, the literal manifestation of this bad dream, bad as it is, isnt as terrible and lethal as its spiritual manifestation. Spiritually, Nigeria and righteousness have parted ways. The war-torn image that was shown to me in the dream would also speak to the total collapse of moral values among our so-called leaders, epitomised in the smelly, rotten, stinking lifestyles of politicians, religious leaders, youths, adults, business people, and many Nigerians at all levels. Righteousness is for politicians to stop rigging elections. Righteousness is for judges to stop compromising judgements, selling justice to the rich and giving judgements to the poor. Righteousness is for politicians to stop looting and stealing public funds. Righteousness is for the pastors and church leaders who are in various occultic societies to exit those societies and start standing for truth. Anytime evil reigns in a land, Gods judgment is poured on it. There is no human remedy for a quick-fix of Nigeria other than for the church, which should be the light of the country, to return to sanity and righteousness. Without righteousness, no positive confession will fix Nigeria. Without righteousness, no prayers and fasting will fix the country. Righteousness is not perfection, but a commitment towards doing the right things. Righteousness is for politicians to stop rigging elections. Righteousness is for judges to stop compromising judgements, selling justice to the rich and giving judgements to the poor. Righteousness is for politicians to stop looting and stealing public funds. Righteousness is for the pastors and church leaders who are in various occultic societies to exit those societies and start standing for truth. Righteousness is for pastors to stop fraternising with corrupt politicians for pecuniary gains and benefits, and to start standing in their places of honour, dignity, and consecration. Righteousness is for every Nigerians to start embracing and promoting the values of love, justice, equity, fairness, faithfulness, and truth. Finally, righteousness is for well-meaning Nigerians to shun nepotism and lies to unite behind either of these three options: break Nigeria into ethnic lines, into regions, or keep it the way it is, and elect a leader who will serve the people, dump the looters, alongside their Western collaborators. When we are committed and are ready to stand for righteousness, we would be then ready to build a great nation. Righteousness (moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character) exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. (Proverbs 14:34 AMP) Ayo Akerele is the senior pastor of Rhema Assembly and the founder of the Voice of the Watchmen Ministries in Ontario, Canada. He can be reached through [email protected] Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print TradeVision is an online trading system that utilizes advanced technologies to streamline the entire trading process and help traders and investors earn substantial profits in various market conditions. The platform monitors the market 24/7 to collect important data, such as trends and patterns, and provides precise alerts and insights. The creators state that this system will support the needs of both experts and beginners alike. This TradeVision review is an extensive analysis of the trading bot to see if it is worth investing in. Visit TradeVision Platform Since its launch, the TradeVision crypto trading platform has been receiving immense hype from all sides, followed by several mixed reviews and opinions that are sure to lead you astray. To make the right decision, accessing reliable information is a must. This TradeVision review will help you by providing trustworthy data about the platform gathered from legitimate sources. So, get right into the review! TradeVision Overview Platform Name TradeVision Platform Type Web-based Technology Used AI technology Available Assets Crypto, stocks, forex pairs, shares, futures, commodities, bonds, derivatives, and more Minimum Deposit $250 Banking Methods Local wire transfers, e-wallets, and debit/credit cards Withdrawal Time Within 24 hours Demo or Trial Mode Available Mobile Accessibility Accessible Customizable Settings Yes Platform Fees None Customer Support 24-Jul Countries Supported Most countries in the world Official Website Click Here What is TradeVision? TradeVision is an online trading platform designed by a team of crypto professionals to simplify the trading process. The system combines advanced artificial intelligence technology with sophisticated algorithms to carry out detailed market analysis, gather valuable information, like price movements and trends, and offer accurate trade signals and insights. According to the founders, TradeVision partners with trusted brokers in the industry who ensure assistance during emergencies and other phases of trading. This online trading bot offers several unique features and functionalities, such as a user-friendly interface, a demo or practice account, customizable settings, additional tools and resources, different secure banking methods, robust safety measures, round-the-clock customer support, backtesting and evaluation, and more. TradeVision is affordable and easily accessible on all devices, including mobile phones. 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 Click Here To Try TradeVision Free How TradeVisions Algorithmic Strategy Works? The TradeVision trading platform utilizes the power of the latest technologies, like artificial intelligence and sophisticated algorithms, for real-time trading. The systems algorithmic strategy works by examining the vast crypto market around the clock. It keeps track of price movements, compares current and past price data of assets, spots emerging trends and patterns, gains clarity about the latest updates, and more. It then identifies profitable opportunities in the market and offers accurate signals and insights that traders and investors can use to execute orders on time. TradeVision also examines the risks involved in the trading process and follows the required measures to prevent losses and safeguard investments. Is TradeVision Legit or a Scam? The platform uses advanced technologies like AI and algorithms for live market analysis and signal generation. It follows a simple, secure, and cost-free signup process that can be completed in a few minutes. The system partners with regulated brokers in the industry who offer guidance at every stage of the trading process. It offers several extra tools and resources as further support to users. TradeVision follows robust safety measures and protocols to safeguard user data and investments. The system supports several secure banking methods to ensure smooth transactions. It guarantees 24/7 customer support and access on all devices. These factors and the positive responses from traders and investors suggest that TradeVision is safe and reliable. TradeVision Security & Data Protection Measures The TradeVision trading software makes no compromise in the safety and security of user data, investments, and activities. It follows stringent safety and security measures, such as encryption technology, authentication functions, regular audits, etc., to prevent external attacks. Additionally, the platform connects users with CySec-regulated brokers or personal account managers in the industry who offer support during emergencies and other stages of trading. TradeVision Account Setup The TradeVision trading system follows a simple account setup process that involves the following steps: Step 1- Registration Complete the registration process on the TradeVision trading platform by submitting important information, such as your name, email address, phone number, and place of residence. Step 2- Deposit Funds Invest an amount in your trading account using debit/credit cards, e-wallets, or direct bank transfers, whichever is convenient for you. The minimum investment required is $250. Step 3- Start Live Trading Finally, customize the parameters, strategies, and other aspects of the TradeVision system as per your risk tolerance levels, market conditions, and trading goals, and let the system conduct live trading on your behalf. Register On TradeVision Free Deposit, Withdrawal, & Fee Structure The TradeVision trading system supports several secure deposit and withdrawal methods, such as debit/credit cards, e-wallets, and local bank transfers, to ensure smooth and cost-free transactions. Deposits- To deposit an amount, traders and investors can access the deposit section on TradeVision, choose the option they want, and deposit the amount. Withdrawals- For withdrawing profits, users can access the withdrawal section on the platform and request the amount they want to withdraw. The platform will process it within 24 hours. Note that traders have complete control over their funds. So, they can deposit and withdraw profits at any time without any hassle. Coming to the fee structure, TradeVision is affordable with no extra fees or commissions for registration, account maintenance, and other services. The system allows users to begin live trading with a minimum investment of $250. It is said that traders can make significant earnings with this small investment itself. The founders advise starting with a small deposit and gradually making bigger investments to increase profits. Trading Performance: Backtests & Live Results This online trading system examines its performance through backtesting. It backtests strategies and other aspects on historicaldata to gain clarity about its performance in specific market conditions in the past. In live trading, the system works efficiently and shows consistency in results. It is in this way that TradeVision improves its strategies, parameters, etc., to improve the overall performance and thereby the trading experience of users. Supported Assets: Cryptocurrencies, Tokens & Beyond TradeVision allows traders to invest in cryptocurrencies and various other valuable assets, such as traditional stocks, commodities, derivatives, forex pairs, shares, bonds, futures, and more. So, users have the opportunity to expand their portfolios, manage risks effectively, and increase profits. Some major crypto assets available on the system include: TRON (TRX) Uniswap (UNI) Ripple (XRP) Litecoin (LTC) Solana (SOL) Dogecoin (DOGE) Bitcoin (BTC) Ethereum (ETH) Cardano (ADA) BitcoinCash (BCH) ChainLink (LINK) USD Coin (USDC) Try TradeVision Free Platform Usability: Web, Mobile Access TradeVision is a web-based trading platform that can be easily accessed on any device with a stable internet connection and a web browser. So, users can use the platform on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones to manage and monitor trading activities from anywhere at any time. Risk Management Tools & Portfolio Diversification TradeVision provides various risk management tools and resources, such as stop-loss orders, take-profit orders, and position sizing, to help manage risks effectively and protect investments. In one of the previous sections, we have seen that TradeVision ensures multicurrency support. So, users have the chance to explore various markets, invest in different valuable assets, expand their portfolios, manage risks effectively, and prevent losses. This is a risk management strategy that all traders can adopt to safeguard their investments. Regulation, Licensing & Global Availability At the moment, the TradeVision trading platform is accessible in almost all countries in the world where crypto trading and related activities are allowed. Some of these regions are listed here: Japan Switzerland Canada United States Vietnam Slovenia United Kingdom Thailand Netherlands Singapore Poland Sweden Denmark Taiwan Slovakia Hong Kong Norway Chile Spain Australia South Africa Mexico Finland Malaysia Germany Belgium Brazil Customer Support & Educational Resources TradeVision has a responsive customer support team that is available around the clock to solve queries and concerns of its members. The support is provided via live chat, email, etc., and in different languages. The platform also offers many educational resources, like webinars, tutorials, and guides, so that traders can increase their trading knowledge, build effective strategies, and enhance their overall trading experience. User Feedback: Ratings, Testimonials The user feedback of TradeVision has been positive till now, with many traders commenting that it is easy to use, connects with regulated brokers, offers additional tools and guides, guarantees 24/7 customer support, ensures safety and security, provides safe payment options, and more. They have rated the platform a 4.8/5, indicating that TradeVision is safe and efficient. Expert Analysis: Pros, Cons & Warning Signs Experts have tested the performance of the TradeVision online trading system and gained clarity about its strong and weak points. Along with this, they warn traders about certain aspects. These are discussed below: Pros Free crypto trading platform Simple to use Developed for both experts and beginners Use of advanced technologies Real-time market analysis Accurate signals and insights Different safe banking options Quick withdrawals Demo account Mobile compatibility Strict safety measures 24/7 customer support Extra tools and resources Educational materials Personalization options Partnership with regulated brokers Cons Currently not accessible in some countries like Iran, Cyprus, and Israel, where local laws are against crypto-related activities Warning: Though TradeVision seems safe and efficient, experts warn about market volatility and insist on investing carefully for a smooth trading experience. Final Verdict: Is TradeVision Worth It? From all things discussed so far, TradeVision appears to be a safe and reliable crypto trading platform. The system uses the latest AI-based algorithmic technology for in-depth market analysis, data collection, and signal generation. It collaborates with regulated brokers in the industry who offer support during all phases of trading. As per the TradeVision reviews, the system integrates several user-friendly features and functionalities, such as an intuitive interface with a solid dashboard, a demo account with virtual funds, customizable settings, additional tools and resources, different secure banking methods, strict safety measures and protocols, 24/7 customer support, and so on. Right now, TradeVision is affordable with no hidden fees or commissions. It is easily accessible on all devices, including mobile phones with internet access and a web browser. All these aspects suggest that TradeVision is a legitimate trading platform that is worth investing in. Start Trading On TradeVision Free TradeVision FAQs How much does the TradeVision platform cost? TradeVision is an affordable trading platform that does not demand any fees or commissions from users. Does TradeVision follow a strict verification process? Yes. TradeVision follows a strict verification process that requires specific documents like your ID proof for verifying eligibility and ensuring responsible trading. Can novice traders use TradeVision? Novice traders can use TradeVision as it offers several beginner-friendly features, such as an intuitive interface, a demo account, round-the-clock customer support, etc. What about the withdrawal process for TradeVision? TradeVision follows a fast and secure withdrawal process that takes just 24 hours. Is TradeVision safe and reliable? TradeVision seems to be a safe and reliable platform as it partners with trusted brokers, uses the latest technologies, offers unique features, and so on. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Director-General of Jigawa State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Ahmed Umar Labbo, has been honoured with Award for Excellence in Leadership and Professionalism following years of service to pilgrims and hajj activities. The event held in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday was organised by the Mashariq Aldahabiya, a company, approved by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to oversee the affairs of Nigerian pilgrims accommodations, feeding and transportation. Mashariq Aldahabiya, celebrated Mr Labbo for leadership, ethical conduct of Jigawa pilgrims while performing hajj rituals in Mina and Arafat in the just concluded 2025 hajj exercise. The leader of the Mashariq Aldahabiya, Al Shek Fauzi, presented the Certificate of Excellent to Mr Umar Labbo at the Jigawa State Pilgrims Welfare Secretariat in Makka. He extolled his leadership qualities and those of his team urging them to continue to be good ambassadors of their state and hajj operation. The Mashariq Aldahabiya leader said that Mr Labbo was recognised for his years of established track record in advancing the hajj operation in Jigawa, promoting transparency, and upholding ethical standards in the hajj operation. The award also acknowledged his leadership in building one of Nigerias most respected and recognised pilgrims Welfare Boards. 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 Speaking to journalists after the presentation of the award, Mr Labbo, described the award as a fresh call to service and dedication to work. He thanked the leadership of the Mashariq Aldahabiya for finding him and the Jigawa Pilgrims Board worthy of the award. Mr Labbo dedicated the award to Jigawa State Governor, Umar A Namadi, for his continued support and cooperation with the pilgrims board that made their operation seamless. He commended the pilgrims boards officials and clerics that accompanied the states pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the success of the Hajj operation. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print President Bola Tinubu said on Wednesday that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is ready to welcome the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, whenever he decides to join. The president stated this at the commissioning of Arterial Road N16 (Shehu Shagari Way), connecting Ring Road 1 (Nnamdi Azikiwe Way) to Arterial Road N20 (Wole Soyinka Way), along with accompanying interchanges and feeder roads in Maitama District, Abuja. The Wike-led FCT Administration executed the projects. Commending Mr Wike for his dedication and collaborative approach to governance, the president said: He could not achieve this alone without your full cooperation as a team builder and player. You have proved that teamwork is the hallmark of good leadership. President Tinubu acknowledged the support of traditional rulers and local communities, especially in ensuring the smooth relocation of residents affected by the development: I commend the minister for relocating the local communities affected by the development, with peace and good compensation. The government has played its part. I urge you to protect this infrastructure and use it wisely, 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 Amid applause from the crowd, Mr Tinubu addressed Mr Wikes political alignment with humour. Hes not a member of my party, not yet. But the day he changes his mind and registers with the Progressives, we will welcome him because we will enjoy him singing as e dey sweet us. Mr Tinubu described the project as more than a stretch of road. It affirms our commitment to transformation under our Renewed Hope Agenda. What was once a missing link is now a modern, functional, and durable infrastructure, an artery fully realised through the leadership of the FCT Administration under the Honourable Minister, Barrister Wike, the president said. He noted that the corridor had remained underdeveloped for years despite being an integral part of the Abuja Master Plan. This road will ease traffic congestion around Central Abuja and improve connectivity to developing districts such as Katampe, Jahi, and Bwari. It will stimulate housing and business growth while serving as a foundation for future city integration, he added. President Tinubu reiterated that infrastructure development is essential to Nigerias progress, saying, Infrastructure is the bedrock of national competitiveness, growth, social integration, and economic opportunity. There is no way industrialisation will flourish without good roads. We invest in roads, rail, power, healthcare, education, and digital infrastructure. We can only unlock Nigerias full potential through this coordinated and integrated development. I promise you, we will, he said. Reaffirming his administrations resolve to continue delivering results regardless of political distractions, the president said: We will continue to build and serve the people, no matter how much the lesser minds pursue their politics. Mr Wike commended the president for restoring public trust in government and boosting contractor confidence, which has led to the accelerated completion of key infrastructure in the FCT. This road was awarded by the administration. It is not one of those projects we inherited, he said, noting that the Federal Executive Council approved the project in September 2023 and flagged off the following month. He admitted initially being sceptical about the contractor CGC Nigeria Limited until he observed their performance on another project. Companies and contractors are competing among themselves to have jobs awarded to them, and they are ready to mobilise to the site without the government paying them for the initial mobilisation. That is confidence-building, and thats what youve created, Mr Wike told the president. No contract that you have awarded under the city was abandoned. By the time you do your third anniversary next year, you will see that virtually all the contracts you awarded under you as the president will have finished, to the glory of God, he said. The minister emphasised the importance of the newly completed road, saying it connects critical judicial and administrative zones. It leads to the judges quarters, the Court of Appeal, the Federal High Court, and the Federal Capital Territory, and the judges court is almost ready, he said. Mr Wike added that the Tinubu administrations visible impact had neutralised opposition efforts under the coalition movement. Your good works have defeated the coalition. I have instructed my people to ensure that every national television station must hook into the inauguration of projects. They will see what is happening on national television every day on every television channel. They have no choice but to watch Mr President for the next 17 days, he said. Presenting a technical brief, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Richard Dauda, explained that the completed Arterial Road N16 starts from Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway (Ring Road One) near Transcorp Hilton and extends to Arterial Road N20 (Wole Soyinka Way). The corridor integrates Maitama, Katampe, Utako, Jahi, and surrounding districts, providing critical linkages for residents and commercial users. The scope of work includes the construction of an interchange with two bridges, a flyover with interconnecting loops that link Ring Road One, and a flyover over the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway. The arterial N16 is a six-lane dual carriageway with covered parking lanes, effectively making it an eight-lane road, he said. He added that the 3.7-kilometre road was delivered with complete engineering infrastructure, including underground surface water drainage systems, box and pipe culverts of various sizes, foul sewer and water supply networks, telecommunication ducts and modern street lighting systems. The work has been practically completed and is ready to be used. The completion of this project has provided the much-needed circulation and connection within the city, especially linking the 21 districts of Maitama, Utako, Jahi, and others, Mr Dauda said. Bayo Onanuga Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print President Bola Tinubu has hinted on the likelihood of the defection of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Mr Tinubu, at the inauguration of road projects in Katampe District, Abuja on Wednesday, said the ruling APC will welcome Mr Wike into the party when he decides to join. The event was broadcast live on Channels TV. We have somebody in Nyesom Wike. Hes not a member of our party, not yet. But the day he changes his mind and registers with the progressives, we will welcome him. Because we will join him in singing as e dey pain them, e dey sweet us, the president, a member of the APC, said. Mr Wike, in response, burst into laughter. 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 This is the first time Mr Tinubu would publicly speak about Mr Wikes likelihood of joining the APC since the former Rivers governor was appointed minister in 2023. The FCT minister often sang the song, as e dey pain them, e dey sweet us, to ridicule his political enemies especially during his time as governor of Rivers State. Not APC member Mr Wike is officially a member of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) although he serves in the APC administration of President Tinubu. The FCT minister has been accused of deliberately sabotaging the PDP to the benefit of the Tinubu administration, but has always maintained that he is a loyal member and benefactor of the PDP. The former Rivers governor has repeatedly vowed never to leave the PDP, despite serving in the APC administration. Last Monday, he and other members of the PDP loyal to him, reaffirmed Sam Anyanwu as the partys national secretary. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Ondo State Government on Wednesday destroyed adulterants of cocoa beans seized from a cocoa merchant at Lipakala Junction, Ondo West Local Government Area of the state. The Permanent Secretary (PS), Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Segun Odusanya, said that the truckload of adulterants was intercepted by a task force during a routine patrol. According to Mr Odusanya, the unscrupulous individuals were mixing dried cocoa placenta with cocoa beans to increase weight, thereby sabotaging the economy. The PS, who vowed to make the state inhospitable for such operators, emphasised that their actions damaged the cocoa trade and tarnished the states image internationally. He, therefore, called on cocoa merchants to support the governments efforts to curb adulteration. We are appealing to the public to provide information on those cocoa merchants who tamper with cocoa beans for us to take swift action. 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 Meanwhile, the suspect is expected to pay a fine, while the seized adulterants and vehicle have been impounded as a deterrent The action is to reaffirm our commitment to discouraging adulteration in the cocoa produce business, he said. Also, the Assistant Director of Produce and Area Officer for Ondo West, Philip Akintorinwa, explained that the truckload of adulterants included dried cocoa placenta. Mr Akintorinwa, who attributed the adulteration to high demand and price of cocoa in the international market, said the ministry was committed to eradicating such practices in the state through the task force team. If the adulterants mixed with cocoa beans were not detected, the adulterated produce would have gained more weight and would attract a high price due to its weight, he said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, June 11. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with Alexander Novak, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, who arrived in Uzbekistan to participate in the 4th Tashkent Investment Forum, Trend reports, citing the Uzbek president's office. The main focus of the partnership discussed during the meeting was the expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation in the energy sector, including the acceleration of joint oil and gas projects and further development of peaceful nuclear cooperation. At the beginning of the meeting, Alexander Novak conveyed greetings and best wishes from Russian President Vladimir Putin and congratulated Uzbekistan on the successful hosting of the forum. The two sides took a good hard look at the nuts and bolts of the agreements struck during the state visit to Uzbekistan last May, along with other high-level exchanges that have crossed their paths. In the initial quarter of 2025, the bilateral trade dynamics between Uzbekistan and Russia escalated to a substantial $2.6 billion, characterized by an 18.2 percent uptick in Uzbek exports directed towards the Russian market. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel SAN ANTONIO, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Longtime Texas-based moving company 3 Men Movers has announced the opening of its new San Antonio facility, signaling a deeper commitment to serving local families and businesses. The move brings expanded capabilities, more accessible portable storage, and a fully integrated customer service huball under one roof. The upgraded location, now open and operational, features more than 23,000 square feet of fenced and secure warehouse space. It's designed specifically to house MOVITS, the company's signature portable storage containers, while also providing room for sales, management, and customer care teams to work together on-site. The new facility reflects 3 Men Movers' long-term commitment to the San Antonio community at a time when more people are looking for moving and storage options that are simple and stress-free. As local demand grows, this expansion allows 3 Men Movers to keep everything under one roofmaking it easier to offer a full-service experience from the first lift to final delivery. What sets 3 Men Movers portable storage option apart from many others in the industry is its end-to-end service model. Instead of requiring customers to coordinate trucks, crews, and storage separately, the company handles the entire process. When a customer needs the portable storage service, our dispatchers arrange for a MOVITS container to be delivered to the customer's home. From there, a trained crew then loads the items, secures them for transport, and delivers the container to the new storage facility. When the customer is ready for their belongings, the same team returns the container and handles the unloading. "We've designed a more personal, full-service, reliable process," said Teresa Cory, San Antonio Market Manager at 3 Men Movers. "Customers know who they're working with at every stepand their items are handled carefully by our team the whole way through." The team at 3 Men Movers is continually looking for ways to make the process easier for customers who don't want to coordinate with several different companies just to move and store their belongings. With 3 Men Movers, the same team handles it allfrom loading the container to storing it safelyso there's less back-and-forth and fewer chances for something to go wrong. The decision to move into the new space is part of a larger commitment the company has made to San Antonio. Since its opening in 1985, 3 Men Movers has stayed family-owned and rooted in Texas. While the business has grown into new cities over the years, it's continued to build strong local teams and stay involved in the communities it serves. San Antonio has played a big role in that growth, and this new location is another step toward supporting the people who live here. "This isn't just about having more spaceit's about being able to serve people better," added Cory. "With this new facility, our crews are able to respond faster, our containers are more secure, and our office staff is just down the hall from the storage floor. That kind of coordination makes a difference in the overall customer experience." Customers using the San Antonio location will now benefit from the increased availability of MOVITS, quicker turnarounds for deliveries, and access to a team that's deeply familiar with the area. Whether someone is moving across town, downsizing, or storing belongings during a home renovation, the new site offers flexible solutions that meet a range of needs. As always, the company continues to hire locally, train in-house, and prioritize customer care. It's a model that's helped 3 Men Movers maintain its reputation as one of the most trusted names in Texas movingand one that shows no sign of slowing down. About 3 Men Movers Founded in Houston in 1985, 3 Men Movers has grown to become one of Texas' most recognized and trusted moving companies. The company offers residential and commercial moving, packing services, portable storage, and long-distance moves, with a focus on transparency, professionalism, and top-rated customer service. The new San Antonio office is located at 3407 Steen St, San Antonio, TX 78219. Media Contact: Zoe Rice [email protected] SOURCE 3 Men Movers Eight Exclusive Townhomes Feature Private Elevators and Elevated Cocktail Pools, One Block from Atlantic Avenue DELRAY BEACH, Fla., June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Renowned property development groups, 4TRO Development and Kastelo Development, today launch Casa Avenida, an exclusive, four-story townhome community in the heart of Delray Beach. Located at 102 SE 5th Avenue, this boutique collection of just eight private residences, ranging from 2,804 to 3,336 square feet, introduces a new level of refined living in one of South Florida's most dynamic coastal destinations. Blending modern architecture with contemporary design, Casa Avenida boasts top-of-the-line finishes and amenities, from private elevators to secure garages and an elevated cocktail pool. Pricing is anticipated to begin around $3 million, with completion expected in the second quarter of 2027. The upscale townhomes are exclusively sold by TJ Verdiglione and Nicole Melveney of the GVC Real Estate Team at Douglas Elliman. Courtesy: 4TRO Development/Kastelo Development (PRNewsfoto/Douglas Elliman) "We envisioned Casa Avenida as an exclusive Atlantic Avenue retreat where residents emerge from their private sanctuary to enjoy the vibrant lifestyle of Delray Beach just steps from their front door," says Jerad Graham of Kastelo Development. "Delray has discerning buyers and we wanted to provide a unique and exclusive experience for a level of luxury that isn't available in other townhouse-style projects downtown." At Casa Avenida, every four-story townhome is thoughtfully crafted by RWB-Linares Architecture to reflect Delray's timeless coastal charm, incorporating clean lines and elegant details that honor the city's heritage. Interiors are a collaboration between Stef Leonel Interior Design and Ava Gray Interiors, combining Brazilian-inspired warmth with curated elegance. The result is a series of open, light-filled homes with high ceilings, expansive windows, and seamless indoor-outdoor flow. Each residence includes a private elevator, two-car garages and two private terracesone on the second floor and another on the fourth floor. The second-floor terrace boasts an elevated cocktail pool and the fourth-floor terrace has an outdoor kitchen as well as a balcony adjacent to an air-conditioned bonus room perfect for entertaining or a peaceful retreat. "From day one, our architectural and interior design teams collaborated seamlessly, ensuring that every element of Casa Avenida embodies Delray's signature indoor-outdoor lifestylewhere living spaces flow effortlessly into the landscape," says Stef Leonel. "By incorporating abundant natural light, lush greenery on private, elevated outdoor spaces, and premium finishes throughout, we've created a home that feels both perfectly integrated with its surroundings and truly refined for comfortable daily living." Casa Avenida's prime location places residents just a short walk away from all that Delray Beach has to offer. Known as Florida's Village by the Sea, Delray pairs small-town charm with big-city energy. The neighborhood is highly walkable, with Atlantic Avenue's renowned restaurants, art galleries, and shopping just steps away. From morning coffee at a nearby cafe to sunset walks on the beach, this enclave offers the ideal balance of convenience, culture and coastal lifestyle. For more information on Casa Avenida, please visit www.casaavenidadelray.com or contact TJ Verdiglione at 561-730-2508 or [email protected]. About 4TRO 4TRO is a real estate investment and development firm focused on multifamily, residential, industrial and mixed-use opportunities in the United States. 4TRO Development and Capital is an extension of Produgesa, a branch of the family-owned Grupo Geo with over 30 years of experience in industrial, residential, and commercial developments and investments in Central America. Expanding into the U.S. market, 4TRO brings this expertise to Florida, focusing on developments and strategic investments. They leverage their extensive experience to create exceptional properties and make informed investment decisions that drive value for their investors and positively impact the communities they serve. For more information, visit www.4tro.us. About Kastelo Development Kastelo Development is a real estate investment and development firm with experience building over $600 million in residential and mixed-use projects. The firm now focuses on Florida townhomes in high-growth, supply-constrained markets. Kastelo operates with an investor-first mindset, structuring each project around capital alignment, repeatable relationships, and long-term trust. The firm is committed to delivering durable value and protecting investor capital through high quality site selection, design, and transparent execution. For more information, visit www.kastelodevelopment.com. About Douglas Elliman Inc. Douglas Elliman Inc. (NYSE: DOUG, "Douglas Elliman") owns Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC, which is one of the largest residential brokerage companies in the United States with operations in New York, Florida, California, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. In addition, Douglas Elliman sources, uses and invests in early-stage, disruptive property technology ("PropTech") solutions and companies and provides other real estate services, including development marketing, property management and settlement and escrow services in select markets. Additional information concerning Douglas Elliman Realty is available on its website, www.elliman.com. Investors and others should note that we may post information about Douglas Elliman Inc. on our website at investors.elliman.com or, if applicable, on our accounts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube or other social media platforms. It is possible that the postings or releases could include information deemed to be material information. Therefore, we encourage investors, the media and others interested in Douglas Elliman to review the information we post on our website at investors.elliman.com and on our social media accounts. SOURCE Douglas Elliman Empowering researchers at every level to test hypotheses, validate findings, and collaborate to advance science NORTH BETHESDA, Md., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AllSci, a pioneer in AI-driven tools for scientific research, has been awarded a grant from Montgomery County, Maryland's Technology Innovation Fund accelerating its mission of making science more accessible, connected, and collaborative. The grant supports AllSci's continued development of its AI-powered research platform, empowering scientists at every level, from students to senior researchers, to formulate hypotheses, validate findings, and contribute to the scientific record, furthering its commitment to transforming the research process into one that is more open, intuitive, and inclusive. "We're honored to receive this recognition and support from Montgomery County," said Matthew Chervenak, Founder and CEO of AllSci. "This grant will accelerate our efforts to bring high-impact tools to the scientific community." Empowering researchers at every level to test hypotheses, validate findings, and collaborate to advance science Post this The AllSci platform, now available at allsci.com, is powered by AERIS, AllSci's proprietary AI research assistant trained in the scientific method. It empowers users to uncover evidence, generate and refine hypotheses, and navigate complex research landscapes through intuitive real-time visualizations and semantic search. By atomizing of more than 12 million scientific hypotheses into a navigable knowledge graph, AllSci is reimagining how research is explored and published, turning traditional articles into dynamic, modular insights. "This grant gives us the momentum to build faster and deliver smarter solutions for the scientific community," said Tammy Hanna, Ph.D., Director of Product at AllSci. "We're developing modular AI-guided tools that help researchers formulate better hypotheses and collaborate in new ways." The grant will support: Scaling AllSci's AI engine and visualization tools to accelerate scientific discovery to accelerate scientific discovery Developing dedicated research landscape dashboards for tracking trends, methodologies, and evidence across biotech and pharma R&D for tracking trends, methodologies, and evidence across biotech and pharma R&D Expanding AllSci's Montgomery County team and partnerships to fuel innovation locally Join the platform and explore science with clarity and collaboration: allsci.com About AllSci AllSci reframes how scientific knowledge is created, shared, and measured. Through AllSci, researchers and organizations explore and evaluate the scientific literature, publish their ideas and experimental results, and measure their contributions to the scientific dialogue. The company's proprietary AI-driven technology atomizes and connects scientific knowledge, creating new ways to visualize, explore, and track information. AllSci envisions a world in which researchers and organizations maximize their contributions to science and society. Media Contact: Eva Szarek, Ph.D. Director of Marketing [email protected] SOURCE AllSci Lost your phone? Simply reach out to trusted contacts to securely and instantly recover your credentials. HOUSTON, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Losing access to all of your online accounts is a nightmare scenario. Allthenticate , a Houston-based cybersecurity company, is debuting Rescue Missions, a recovery mechanism that lets users backup their credentials on the phones of their friends and family, ensuring that their identities are safe, their login credentials are never lost, and their security is in the hands of the people that they personally trust. Backed by Rescue Missions, Allthenticate turns smartphones into powerful, all-in-one authentication devices that allow users to login to everything securely and without the need to remember anything (except for the phone). Gone are the days of forgotten passwords and credential-theft-related breaches. The only attacks left for criminals are to either physically steal the phone and the user's biometrics or to successfully fool a majority of their closest friends that they are the victim. Thanks to hardware-backed security mechanisms, even malware is rendered ineffective effectively eliminating the #1 attack vector, credential-theft. In 2024 alone, over 1.1 million identity theft cases were reported in the U.S., and 5.5 billion user accounts were exposed globally due to credential leaks. Nearly 86% of breaches involved attackers using stolen credentials not breaking in, but simply logging in. "Your critical security keys should be in your possession at all times, in your phone; not in someone else's vulnerable cloud," said Dr. Chad Spensky, CEO of Allthenticate. "Rescue Missions lets users leverage the human trust network they already have to create the most secure, natural, and resilient backup scheme the world has ever seen." "Most companies are thinking too small and are only concerned about individual attack vectors (e.g., phishing, multi-factor authentication, or IT helpdesk attacks)," Dr. Spensky added. "After decades of research, we were able to design a system that eliminates the credential-theft at its core, not just a single attack vector." Enterprises are slashing millions in IT costs while securing identities. Join them with Allthenticate's Rescue Missions at www.allthenticate.com , follow us on LinkedIn or X to stay updated, or contact [email protected] for more information. About Allthenticate Allthenticate is a cybersecurity company that builds the world's best authentication products. Allthenticate empowers users and enterprises to control their digital identities securely, simply, and on their terms. Media Contact Devin Finch Director of Marketing Allthenticate [email protected] SOURCE Allthenticate BOSTON, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AMS Fulfillment ("AMS" or the "Company"), an industry leading provider of omnichannel fulfillment services to digitally native consumer brands, announced today that it has hired Greg Morello as the Company's Chief Executive Officer. AMS is a portfolio company of Fort Point Capital ("Fort Point"), a Boston-based lower middle market private equity firm focused on investing in and growing business services companies. Greg joins AMS with a wealth of experience in the omnichannel 3PL industry, with 20+ years of leadership expertise building, growing and transforming businesses. Most recently, Greg led the growth of a private-equity backed fulfillment company, Whiplash, and sold the business to a Fortune 500 company in 2021. Previously, Greg was the co-founder of Concentrek, Inc., a non-asset based transportation management company, where he had responsibility for the start-up's growth strategy and sales. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a passion for and commitment to building customer-centric companies and creating opportunities for their employees, positioning him perfectly to lead the next stage of growth at AMS. Commenting on the appointment on behalf of the Board of Directors and Fort Point, Christina Pai noted the strong alignment between Greg's prior experience and the tremendous opportunity set ahead of AMS. Pai stated, "We are thrilled to welcome Greg to AMS. His proven track record of scaling logistics businesses that support dynamic consumer brands will be invaluable for AMS. We are confident that his strategic vision and leadership will continue to accelerate our efforts for organic and acquisition-led growth." "I am excited to lead the next stage of growth at AMS Fulfillment," said Greg. "We have significant opportunities ahead, given our integrated suite of omnichannel capabilities and commitment to all of our stakeholders as a Certified B Corporation. The Company is extremely well positioned to be the go-to partner for premium brands seeking to delight their customers and reach new heights in their own growth journeys." About AMS Fulfillment AMS Fulfillment is a full-service outsourced logistics provider offering order management, warehouse and inventory management, reverse logistics and other value-added, complex fulfillment services to fast growing consumer products companies primarily in the beauty/cosmetics, apparel, and premium accessories sectors. To learn more, please visit amsfulfillment.com. About Fort Point Capital Fort Point Capital ("Fort Point") brings a management-led, growth-oriented approach to private equity investing, targeting fragmented sectors of the business services industry. Founded in Boston in 2011, Fort Point partners with founders and management teams to accelerate growth and performance by providing resources to help expand teams and establish infrastructure, enhance service offerings, access new markets, and support strategic add-on acquisitions. Fort Point fulfills its commitment to management, employees, and shareholders by employing a repeatable process to drive durable value, as evidenced in over 50 acquisitions since its inception. Fort Point Capital is currently investing from FPC Small Cap Fund III. To learn more, please visit fortpointcapital.com. SOURCE Fort Point Capital JAKARTA, Indonesia, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As businesses seek more sustainable packaging solutions, APP Group is proud to collaborate with Continental Cup in launching GC120, a compostable, and recyclable cup line designed to meet growing global sustainability demands. Data from Vivreau stated that consumer attitudes toward single-use plastics are shifting, with 50% of Americans feeling guilty when purchasing plastic water bottles. This sentiment is even stronger among younger consumers, with 61% of those aged 18 to 34 expressing concern over their plastic consumption. The launch of GC120 cups directly addresses this growing demand for eco-friendly alternatives, offering businesses a PFAS-free, food-safe solution that aligns with both regulatory changes and consumer expectations. Manufactured using APP Group's Foopak Bio Natura, GC120 cups provide a PFAS-free, food-safe alternative to conventional plastic-lined cups, addressing both environmental concerns and regulatory requirements. The water-based barrier technology ensures these cups are compostable and recyclable, supporting a circular economy while maintaining high heat resistance and durability for foodservice applications. "As sustainability standards evolve, businesses need packaging solutions that align with both regulatory changes and consumer expectations," said Kin Keung Christopher Wong, SVP & Global Business Unit Head, Industrial White for APP. "With GC120, we're delivering a high-performance, eco-friendly alternative that helps brands reduce their environmental footprint without sacrificing quality." The GC120 line is a key step in APP Group's ongoing commitment to sustainable innovation, ensuring that food and beverage providers can transition away from traditional plastic-coated cups while maintaining product safety and performance. These cups are designed for businesses seeking practical, responsible alternatives that comply with industry regulations and support long-term sustainability goals. GC120 was first introduced at the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show, where industry leaders recognized its potential to reshape foodservice packaging by offering a viable, plastic-free solution at scale. About APP Group APP is a leading pulp, paper, and forestry company based in Indonesia, supplying high-quality tissue, packaging, and paper to over 150 countries. With operations in Indonesia and China, we prioritize sustainability, ethical practices, and the well-being of our employees, society, and the environment. Our Sustainability Roadmap Vision 2030, aligned with ESG principles, guides our efforts in environmental protection, community support, biodiversity preservation, and carbon neutrality. SOURCE APP Group TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, June 11. Within the framework of the Tashkent International Investment Forum, the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, met with the Prime Minister of Tajikistan, Kohir Rasulzoda, to discuss enhancing ties and boosting trade, Trend reports, citing the Uzbek presidents office. The discussions centered on deepening the longstanding friendship, strategic partnership, and alliance between the two countries, while reviewing the progress of high-level agreements. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the significant advancements in multifaceted cooperation, highlighting the growing trade turnover and increased volumes of cargo transportation. Joint projects have been successfully implemented across various sectors, including industry, energy, electrical engineering, textiles, agriculture, and other priority areas. Furthermore, there has been a significant uptick in interregional collaboration, characterized by dynamic cultural and humanitarian exchanges occurring between the two sovereign entities. An essential insight gleaned from the assembly was the imperative to formulate a novel economic framework for the collaboration. Both parties underscored the criticality of deploying robust strategies to optimize trade dynamics, foster innovative partnership frameworks, and fortify transnational synergies. Tajikistan has ascended as a pivotal trading ally for Uzbekistan, positioning itself within the upper echelons of the top 20 regarding bilateral commerce. In the fiscal year 2024, the bilateral trade volume between the two nations achieved a remarkable $702.7 million, reflecting a significant uptick in economic exchange and cross-border commerce dynamics. This launch also signifies a landmark initiative for the Philippines, introducing new frontiers in AI-powered software engineering, customer experience, and digital transformation. This partnership can contribute in elevating Cebu as a next-gen AI and experience hub in the Philippines. This expansion underscores Philtech's commitment and action to strategically integrating modern technologies and GenAI to achieve higher efficiencies into relevant operations. On the other hand, Ascendion's proprietary GCCAI (Global Capability Center to the Power of AI) solution can be utilized by the Cebu-based hub to drive intelligent productivity, accelerate delivery velocity, and real-time transparency across core business functionsincluding customer service, application development, quality engineering, operations, and HR systems. "Our vision is clear: GCCs must evolve into Generative Global Capability CentersAI-native, value-generating hubs that drive real business impact," said Manan Mehta, Senior Vice President, Global Growth Markets at Ascendion. "With GCCAI, we're not just scaling operations, we're reinventing how AI, engineering, and talent intersect to unlock next-level innovation and operational excellence. This center will be a model for the future of global delivery and innovation. Together with Philtech Inc., we've laid the foundation for a next-gen AI-powered hubredefining digital operations from the heart of Cebu." As part of this expansion, Ascendion prepares to operate their proprietary AI tools and technologies in relevant operations for its many partners such as: Ascendion AVA+ An AI-first software engineering platform enhancing productivity, risk management, and time-to-market. An AI-first software engineering platform enhancing productivity, risk management, and time-to-market. METal A talent orchestration platform connecting Filipino professionals to select projects in Philtech Inc. "The launch of the Cebu GCC marks a major milestone in our long-standing partnership with Ascendion," said Trung Nguyen, Philtech General Manager and Vice President, Information Technology in Albertsons Companies, "As one of our largest technology & hiring partners, Ascendion looks forward to help identify and enable relevant AI tech for operational excellence and efficienciesdelivering a seamless blend of automation and human expertise to create unparalleled business value. This is about more than just growth; it's about defining the future of AI-driven retail innovation." Traditional GCCs have long operated as cost-effective delivery hubs. But in today's AI-driven era, that model is evolving. Generative Global Capability Centers represent a new paradigmwhere AI and engineering talent continuously create value, proactively solve problems, and drive enterprise innovation at scale. Ascendion and Philtech Inc. are at the forefront of this transformation, setting a new global standard for the role of GCCs in the AI age. This is a bold leap into this futurespotlighting Cebu and the Philippines as emerging global leaders in AI-driven innovation and enterprise transformation. About Ascendion Ascendion is a leading provider of AI-powered software engineering solutions that help businesses innovate faster, smarter, and with greater impact. We partner with over 400 Global 2000 clients across North America, APAC, and Europe to tackle complex challenges in applied AI, cloud, data, experience design, and workforce transformation. Powered by +11,000 experts and over 2,000 AI agents, a bold culture, and our proprietary Engineering to the Power of AI (EngineeringAI) approach, we deliver outcomes that build trust, unlock value, and accelerate growth. Headquartered in New Jersey, with 40+ global offices, Ascendion combines scale, agility, and ingenuity to engineer what's next. Learn more at ascendion.com. About Philtech Inc Philtech Inc., established on April 1, 2003, is a fully owned Global Capability Center of Albertsons Companies Inc. As a premier technology center based in BGC, Philippines, Philtech delivers exceptional IT services, including application and infrastructure support, as well as software development and extensive retail operations. By managing mission-critical information and providing secure, innovative solutions, Philtech plays a pivotal role in enhancing operational efficiency and customer experiences across over 2,200 Albertsons stores in 33 U.S. states. Committed to excellence, Philtech is recognized as a great workplace with 83% (yearly average) of its employees affirming it as a great place to work. SOURCE Ascendion ATLANTA, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascent Hospitality Management ("Ascent"), franchisor to leading family dining brands Huddle House and Perkins American Food Co., announced today the appointment of Brian Wallunas as Chief Technology Officer. In this role, Wallunas will lead the company's digital strategy, with a focus on implementing customer-centric technology solutions that drive operational efficiency, elevate the guest experience, and fuel brand growth. Wallunas brings more than two decades of experience in hospitality and technology, having successfully led digital transformation efforts across some of the industry's most recognized brands. Most recently, he served as Chief Technology Officer at Smokey Bones, where he spearheaded a comprehensive overhaul of the brand's technology infrastructure and eCommerce platform. Under his leadership, online sales tripled, and the brand's guest engagement capabilities were significantly enhanced. "Brian is a forward-thinking technology leader with a deep understanding of how to leverage digital innovation to advance brand performance and guest loyalty," said James O'Reilly, Chief Executive Officer of Ascent Hospitality Management. "His proven track record and strategic vision will be invaluable as we continue to modernize our operations and accelerate the digital evolution of both Huddle House and Perkins." As Chief Technology Officer, Wallunas will lead the development of brand-specific technology strategies across the Ascent portfolio. He will oversee the implementation of scalable digital solutions tailored to each concept, with a focus on enhancing guest engagement, streamlining operations, and supporting franchisee growth. By aligning technology investments with brand goals, Wallunas will play a critical role in strengthening the digital foundation and long-term success of both restaurant systems. "I'm eager to join Ascent at such a pivotal time and help build a best-in-class digital ecosystem that supports our guests, franchisees, and teams," said Wallunas. "There's incredible potential in the Huddle House and Perkins brands, and I look forward to working with the leadership team to create frictionless, rewarding experiences that keep our guests coming back." To learn more about franchising with Huddle House visit www.ascenthm.com/franchising. About Ascent Hospitality Management Ascent Hospitality Management is the parent company of Huddle House and Perkins American Food Co. was founded to acquire and invigorate storied brands to drive long-term growth. With nearly 600 locations across the U.S. and Canada, the company's mission is "Bringing friends and families together, over delicious food, served from the heart." Huddle House and Perkins each have more than 60 years of serving award-winning, made-to-order breakfast and all-day favorites with a smile to families and friends nationwide. Visit ascenthm.com for additional information on both brands and franchise opportunities. Contact: Andrea Mazzola Fish 919 954-893-9150 amazzola@fish919.com SOURCE Ascent Hospitality Management AALBORG, Denmark, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Asetek is pleased to announce a new customer agreement with Antec, a global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade, and Do-It-Yourself markets. Antec has previously been a customer of Asetek and both parties have now decided to resume the collaboration. This agreement marks the first delivery of mainstream liquid cooling products based on Asetek's new platform. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in Q4 2025. The agreement includes Antec's new Vortex View AIO liquid cooler, which was showcased for the first time at Computex 2025. This innovative product reflects the collaborative development efforts between the two companies and is designed to bring fresh innovation to the mainstream liquid cooling market. To highlight the strong working relationship between Asetek and Antec, the Asetek SimSports sim racing setup was also featured at Antec's booth during Computex. This shared presence reflects a joint commitment to performance, innovation, and immersive experiences for users. "Antec is a former customer of Asetek, and we look forward to starting our collaboration again. Our dialogue began approximately six months ago, and the journey from planning to product launch has been both smooth and constructive. Antec has proven to be a highly professional partner with a clear vision of the end-result, which has made the collaboration especially rewarding. Development projects have already been initiated, and we see strong volume potential beyond the initial launch," said Andre S. Eriksen, CEO of Asetek. This agreement underscores Asetek's continued role as a trusted partner in the liquid cooling market and marks the beginning of a broader partnership focused on delivering cutting-edge cooling solutions through close collaboration and shared vision. For questions or further information, please contact: Per Anders Nyman, Head of Investor Relations +45 2566 6869 [email protected] About Asetek Asetek (ASTK), is a developer and manufacturer of high-quality gaming hardware. Founded in 2000, Asetek established its innovative position as the leading OEM developer and producer of the all-in-one liquid cooler for major PC & Enthusiast gaming brands. In 2021, Asetek introduced its line of products for next level immersive SimSports gaming experiences. Asetek is headquartered in Denmark and has operations in China and Taiwan. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/asetek/r/asetek-signs-new-customer-agreement-for-mainstream-liquid-cooling-products,c4162867 The following files are available for download: SOURCE Asetek Advocates a minimum 10% crypto allocation for all clients, and declares traditional 60/40 model "obsolete" ARLINGTON, Texas, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 7th Annual VISION conference this week, Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals Founder Ric Edelman delivered groundbreaking portfolio allocation recommendations that fundamentally challenge the traditional investment approach used by millions of financial advisors. In his first public presentation of these guidelines, Edelman called for advisors to allocate a minimum of 10% in crypto for conservative portfolios and as much as 40% for aggressive accounts, declaring that the traditional 60/40 stock-bond allocation model is obsolete. "The allocation model you're familiar withstocks and bondsmust now be replaced by one featuring stocks, crypto, and bonds," Edelman told the audience of 150 independent financial advisors. "The correct allocation now is to place 70% to 100% of the client's portfolio into stocks and crypto, with no more than 30% in bonds, and potentially zero in debt securities." He added that moderate portfolios should have a 25% crypto allocation. Edelman's position represents a dramatic shift from his prior advocacy that investors should allocate "low single digits" to crypto, and he cited two fundamental forces as the basis for his shifting viewpoint: unprecedented human longevity and advancements in exponential technologies. He argued that most clients alive today will live to age 100 or beyond, requiring portfolios to last far longer than most investors anticipate, and that the continued growth of blockchain technology will propel its levels 5 or 10 times its current size by 2030. Central to Edelman's longevity thesis is the array of breakthrough medical technologies in recent years, including cracking the human genome, CRISPR gene editing technology, focused ultrasound, and the emerging human cell atlas. Scientists project that individuals alive in 2030 will likely live past age 100, fundamentally altering today's retirement planning assumptions. "We've got to update the 60/40 glide path," Edelman explained. "You need a larger equity exposure, and for far more years, because of extended levels of longevity." This unprecedented demographic shift coincides with an equally unprecedented growth in exponential technologies. Edelman detailed how massive new markets will emerge over the next few years, displacing traditional sectors, and showed projections revealing that blockchain technology alone will grow from $176 billion today to $3 trillion by 2030, with tokenization reaching $16 trillion and bitcoin achieving $19 trillion in market value, a nearly 7x increase from today. Edelman's allocation model comes as institutional crypto adoption reaches unprecedented levels. Recent DACFP surveys show a 70% increase in financial advisors planning to recommend crypto, rising from 21% in December 2023 to 35% in March 2024. But among advisors already recommending crypto allocations, 87% suggest allocations of less than 5%, with the most common recommendation being 2%. Edelman's significantly higher allocation target reflects dramatically improved regulatory clarity and institutional engagement in crypto. The Trump administration and Congress's pro-crypto stances have reversed the restrictions of the Biden administration, with all the Biden-era prohibitions reversed. The result is that banks can now trade, custody, and lend against crypto setting the stage for massive engagement by the banking community. Additionally, more than 1800 public companies have invested in the bitcoin ETFs holdings since their debut in January 2024, and 90 public companies hold bitcoin in their treasury reserves. "If every investor who owns traditional assets allocates just 1% to bitcoin, bitcoin's price would be $500,000," Edelman said. "A 10% allocation would put it at $5 million" a figure predicted by Strategy's Michael Saylor. Financial advisors now have dozens of ways to invest in crypto, Edelman noted, including bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, VC and hedge funds, crypto equities, bitcoin mining stocks and even IRA and 401(k) plans, as well as Separately Managed Accounts available from major custodians. "Bitcoin's 16-year track record shows that portfolios with bitcoin outperform portfolios that lack it, generating higher returns and lower risk," Edelman said. "All the classic Modern Portfolio Theory statistics improve with bitcoin, including the Sharpe and Sortino ratios, standard deviation, max drawdown." Edelman encouraged the advisors to continue learning about digital assets so they can make informed recommendations to their clients. He noted that thousands of financial advisors have already obtained the FINRA-listed professional designation, Certified in Blockchain and Digital Assets (CBDA), and enrollments are at an all-time high. About DACFP Founded by Ric Edelman, the Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals is the leading provider of crypto education. DACFP connects the financial services industry and digital assets communities with leading experts via live and online events, webinars, blogs, and other educational content. Its flagship program, the FINRA-listed Certified in Blockchain and Digital AssetsSM, is the first and largest certification program of its kindan online self-study program featuring a world-class faculty and 18 Continuing Education credits. Thousands of financial professionals from 37 countries have enrolled. SOURCE Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America Corporation announced today that it will redeem on June 19, 2025 all $3,000,000,000 principal amount outstanding of its 1.319% Fixed/Floating Rate Senior Notes, due June 2026 (CUSIP No. 06051GJD2) (the "Notes"), at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date of June 19, 2025. Since June 19, 2025 is not a business day, the redemption price of the Notes, together with accrued and unpaid interest, will be paid on the next succeeding business day, June 20, 2025. Interest on the Notes will cease to accrue on the redemption date. Payment of the redemption price for the Notes will be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. is the trustee and paying agent for the Notes. Bank of America Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 69 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,700 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 59 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BAC). Forward-Looking Statements Certain information contained in this news release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are not guarantees of future results or performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions difficult to predict or beyond our control. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement and should consider the uncertainties and risks discussed under Item 1A. "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and in any of our subsequent Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the date the forward-looking statement was made. Investors May Contact: Lee McEntire, Bank of America Phone: 1.980.388.6780 [email protected] Jonathan G. Blum, Bank of America (Fixed Income) Phone: 1.212.449.3112 [email protected] Reporters May Contact: Jocelyn Seidenfeld, Bank of America Phone: 1.646.743.3356 [email protected] SOURCE Bank of America Corporation Foundation hosted the Maine Celebration of Reading featuring appearances by New York Times bestselling authors Claire Lombardo, Dani Shapiro and Chris Whitaker, part of a three-day series of events honoring Barbara Bush's 100th birthday in Kennebunkport. KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy hosted its Maine Celebration of Reading on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at the Vinegar Hill Music Theatre in Arundel, Maine. This signature event, held to raise support for the Barbara Bush Foundation's nationwide literacy work, featured appearances by New York Times bestselling authors and special guests including Claire Lombardo, Dani Shapiro and Chris Whitaker, as well as a video message from Jenna Bush Hager. The Maine Celebration of Reading was one in a three-day series of events held in the Kennebunkport area to honor the former first lady's life and legacy especially her passion for literacy. Andrew Roberts, President, Barbara Bush Foundation Chris Whitaker, Author Doro Bush Koch, Honorary Chair, Barbara Bush Foundation Dani Shapiro, Author Claire Lombardo, Author "Being a reader helped me to become both a writer and a person," said Claire Lombardo. "Books make us better people, full stop ensuring that everyone has the ability to read is critical for fostering imagination, empowerment and empathy." "Reading was my education, a gateway to my interior world and my salvation. It is no exaggeration to say that reading saved my life," said Dani Shapiro. "Reading is also a portal to the interior of others. No other art form has such direct power to connect cultures, divides and generations, which is why literacy is such an essential part of the human experience." "It's an honor to be a part of this Celebration of Reading," said Chris Whitaker. "Reading and writing have offered solace in some of the most challenging moments of my life, so I know firsthand the power that literacy has to change lives. These are true gifts that everyone should have access to and I'm grateful to the Barbara Bush Foundation for the critical work they do and for the opportunity to support its mission." Whitaker's most recent novel, All the Colors of the Dark, was a New York Times bestseller, as well as a TODAY Read with Jenna book club selection in 2024. Read with Jenna is participating in the Foundation's series of Celebration of Reading events throughout the year. Jenna Bush Hager provided a special message to Maine Celebration of Reading attendees via video. "My grandmother had an enormous influence on my love of reading. She taught me that the written word has incredible power to change hearts and minds," said Jenna Bush Hager. "She believed that a parent is a child's first and best teacher. Now as a mom of three, I know how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to share my love of reading with my own children. Her hope was that every family in America would have that same opportunity to experience the joy of reading and to pass it down to their children." The event was hosted by Doro Bush Koch, daughter of Barbara Bush and President George H.W. Bush, who serves as the Foundation's honorary chair. "It is particularly meaningful to honor my mother here in Maine, where my family has made countless special memories over the years," said Doro Bush Koch. "Mom never really liked to celebrate her birthday, but she took every opportunity to highlight the importance of literacy, so I know that she would be thrilled to see so many people paying tribute to her by supporting the cause that meant so much to her." Throughout 2025, the Foundation is celebrating the Barbara Bush Centennial a yearlong series of special initiatives honoring the 100th anniversary of Barbara Bush's birth. In addition to the Maine Celebration of Reading, the Foundation has hosted events in New York City and Miami, Florida. The initiative will culminate in a National Celebration of Reading, to be held on November 6, 2025, in Washington, D.C., where the Foundation is headquartered. While in Kennebunkport, the Foundation participated in a series of local events paying tribute to Barbara Bush, including a community birthday celebration hosted by the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust. In partnership with the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, the Foundation provided family literacy activities, story times and take-home resources centered around its Literacy Explorer Kits. In honor of Barbara Bush, the Foundation is distributing these free kits, which provide the materials needed to host a family literacy event, to 100 sites nationwide, including libraries, family literacy programs and community organizations. The kits were created with generous support from HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Random House, Anita and Giovanna McBride, and the White House Historical Association. Festivities in Kennebunkport also included a dedication ceremony for the new Barbara Bush Commemorative Forever Stamp, hosted by the United States Postal Service. The Barbara Bush Foundation has a long history of service and impact in Maine. Over the past two decades, the Foundation has invested more than $6 million in support for 300+ family literacy across the state. About the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy: The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy has been the nation's leading advocate for family literacy for more than three decades. Established by former First Lady Barbara Bush in 1989, today the Foundation is a public charity providing high-quality programs, resources, education initiatives, and research to help families and communities nationwide build brighter futures through literacy. Learn more at www.BarbaraBush.org. Media Contact: Tanya Romeyn Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy 917-690-5024 [email protected] SOURCE Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy STUART, Fla., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of Ukraine's unprecedented long-range drone strike deep into Russian territory, executed using weaponized drones launched from concealed containers, Base Molecular Resonance Technologies (BMRT) underscored the urgency of its breakthrough technology, developed to protect the United States by detecting this emerging class of devastating threats before they can be unleashed. Built utilizing its multi-patented Base Molecular Resonance technology, BMRT's systems can remotely detect explosives, narcotics, DNA (for human trafficking), high-value threats, and weaponized drones through steel containers, ship hulls, and sealed cargo bays, with zero false positives or negatives, and no need to open or unload freight, whether up close or at a distance. This revolutionary platform is so advanced that it can detect every element on the periodic table, as well as over 200 types of cancers and other diseases. On June 1, 2025, Ukraine deployed drones from truck-mounted containers to strike multiple Russian airbases, damaging or destroying more than 40 aircraft in a single coordinated assault. Pentagon officials called the strike "one of the most sophisticated" in recent history. Experts warn that similar tactics, using weaponized drone swarms launched from ports or supply hubs, could threaten U.S. infrastructure, military sites, and civilian populations. "We've entered a new era of warfare," said Robert 'Bo' Short, Co-Founder and CEO of BMRT. "The recent Ukrainian drone assault exposed how easily adversaries can weaponize ordinary shipping containers to carry out high-impact attacks from seemingly benign locations. In this new battlespace, traditional defense methods fall short. BMRT's technology exposes these threats before they can strike. This scientific innovation provides the strategic advantage our nation requires to maintain its position as the world's greatest military power." BMRT's Multi-Patented, Independently Validated Technology Delivers What Traditional Systems Cannot. BMRT's breakthrough has been validated in a blind and double-blind study by the Centre for Applied Innovation at York St. John University in England, confirming 100% accuracy detecting gunpowder, narcotics, cancer, and other high-value threats, with no false positives or negatives. It can detect explosive compounds and threat components hidden inside sealed containers, cages, and compartments without manual searches, visual inspection, or physical contact. Detection is instantaneous and non-intrusive, eliminating delay, disruption, and uncertainty. Lee Duke, Co-Founder and President of BMRT, added, "Ports are no longer just economic entry points, they're potential launchpads for foreign attacks. Our technology gives the United States the ability to see what no one else can see, and stop what no one else can stop. This isn't a technological evolution. It is literally a quantum leap forward." With over 11 million containers entering U.S. ports annually, and only a fraction undergoing detailed screening, the stakes are high. BMRT's technology offers real-time threat assessment without interrupting the flow of commerce. Strategic and Commercial Value BMRT's Base Molecular Resonance platform has received an independent intellectual property valuation of $60.3 billion , representing one of the largest pre-revenue technology valuations in history. The company's non-contact, quantum-driven technology is poised to become a cornerstone of next-generation homeland security, defense, and logistics protection. For more information, visit www.BMRT.io Investment Inquiries Robert "Bo "Short Co-Founder & CEO [email protected] Media Contact Bryan Adams Chief Marketing Officer [email protected] 800.522.4718 Ext. 1 About Base Molecular Resonance Technologies (BMRT) BMRT has discovered a new area of quantum physics that utilizes resonant frequencies to detect particle interactions at subatomic levels. This technology, called Base Molecular Resonance (BMR), can detect any compound or biological substance, including every element on the periodic table, and up to 200 cancers and other diseases. With over 20 years of prototyping and testing proving its unmatched detection capabilities, BMR has the potential to save millions of lives by pinpointing weapons, explosives, and other physical threats both up close and at great distances, and detecting cancers and other diseases long before they present clinical symptoms. The non-invasive, harmless, and instant scan has broad implications in cancer diagnostics, public safety, law enforcement, security, and military services. SOURCE Base Molecular Resonance Technologies, LLC The Two Brands are Bringing Blue Moon's Iconic Valencia Orange Garnish Beyond the Glass and Straight to Your Lips CHICAGO, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Summer is officially here, and Blue Moon, the beer that can brighten any moment, and eos, the cult-favorite beauty brand, are teaming up to deliver the ultimate summer refresh(ment): the limited-edition Blue Moon x eos Valencia Orange Lip Balm. Blue Moon and eos Unveil Your Lips New Main Squeeze: Limited-Edition Valencia Orange Lip Balm Whether you're hosting a backyard BBQ, beach lounging, or dancing your way through a summer concert, nothing pairs better with a Blue Moon than its signature Valencia orange garnish. But let's be honest you're not always carrying around a fresh orange. The new Blue Moon x eos Valencia Orange Lip Balm, specially crafted for fans 21 and older, is a juicy, citrus-inspired balm that brings the iconic Valencia Orange garnish flavor to you, anytime, anywhere. All you have to do is swipe, sip, and repeat. Housed in eos's iconic sphereinstantly recognizable and beloved by beauty enthusiaststhis limited-edition balm doesn't just resemble a Valencia orange, it delivers the same refreshing, juicy taste. Each swipe delivers a burst of refreshing citrus that delights the senses. Formulated with sustainably sourced ingredients like shea butter, beeswax, and coconut oil, the balm is 100% natural, nourishing and softens lips while providing all-day moisture. "The Valencia orange is more than a garnish. It's a core part of our identity and what makes a Blue Moon a Blue Moon," said Courtney Benedict, VP of Marketing, Above Premium Beer at Molson Coors Beverage Company. "Through this unexpected partnership with eos, we're giving fans a whole new way to enjoy that iconic citrus taste no Valencia orange required. It's a fun, fresh take on what it means to brighten your summer with Blue Moon." Inspired by Blue Moon's beloved garnish, the two brands joined forces to take that iconic flavor beyond the glass and into a totally new format, combining flavor, function, and a refreshing twist of fun. The result? A first-of-its-kind collab that brings bright, bold flavor wherever summer takes you. "We're constantly pushing the boundaries of flavor and innovation at eos, and this collaboration with Blue Moon is the perfect example of how we surprise and delight our community," said Soyoung Kang, Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer at eos. "This unexpected, juicy collaboration captures everything we stand forinnovation, bold flavor, and turning everyday rituals into something crave-worthy and sensorial." The limited-edition Blue Moon x eos Valencia Orange Lip Balm, intended for 21+ fans, will be available starting June 11 exclusively at evolutionofsmooth.com and shop.bluemoonbrewingcompany.com for $4.99, while supplies last. To learn more, check out both brands on Instagram at @BlueMoonBrewCo and @eosProducts . ABOUT MOLSON COORS BEVERAGE COMPANY For more than two centuries, Molson Coors has brewed beverages that unite people to celebrate all life's moments. From our core power brands Coors Light, Miller Lite, Coors Banquet, Molson Canadian, Carling and Ozujsko to our above premium brands including Madri Excepcional, Staropramen, Blue Moon Belgian White and Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, to our economy and value brands like Miller High Life and Keystone Light, we produce many beloved and iconic beers. While Molson Coors' history is rooted in beer, we offer a modern portfolio that expands beyond the beer aisle as well, including flavored beverages like Vizzy Hard Seltzer, spirits like Five Trail whiskey and non-alcoholic beverages like ZOA Energy. As a business, our ambition is to be the first choice for our people, our consumers and our customers, and our success depends on our ability to make our products available to meet a wide range of consumer segments and occasions. Molson Coors Beverage Company is a publicly traded company that operates through its Americas and EMEA&APAC reporting segments and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange. To learn more about Molson Coors Beverage Company, visit molsoncoors.com. ABOUT EOS In 2009 eos got the ball or should we say sphere rolling. Since then eos' mission has been to evolve everyday routines into awesome sensorial experiences for your lips and skin.From swiping on our balms to enjoying the most ahhh-mazing shave, the eos experience is just different. Not only does eos deliver on all your skin's wants and needs, they also give it the ultimate treat by activating your senses for an out-of-this-world adventure. With eos, you don't have to choose between products that actually work and products you truly love. And when it comes to quality, let's just say they keep it real. That means they ONLY use clean, natural, cruelty-free & sustainable ingredients that keep you, your skin, and your conscience feeling good, at all times. MEDIA CONTACTS ALISON BROD MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS Brooke Scher Mogan [email protected] MOLSON COORS BEVERAGE COMPANY Jenna Reimler [email protected] SHADOW Nikki Abraham [email protected] EOS PRODUCTS Laura Bierbaum [email protected] SOURCE Blue Moon New scheduling feature embedded in Blue Shield's "Find a doctor" tool helps members quickly access in-network care; more than 1 million hours of appointments available for online scheduling OAKLAND, Calif., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Shield of California today announced a new collaboration with Zocdoc , America's leading healthcare booking platform, to allow members to seamlessly schedule in-network, in-person and virtual care appointments directly on the nonprofit health plan's online member portal. Blue Shield of California teams up with Zocdoc to simplify the appointment scheduling experience for members The Zocdoc booking user interface Blue Shield members can now see real-time availability of providers and easily access more than 1 million hours of bookable appointments available over a 90-day window. Available through the plan's Find a doctor tool, this integration is Blue Shield's latest effort to create high-quality, seamless experiences for members. This marks the first time Zocdoc is working with a health plan to power scheduling for its online portal. The feature enables appointment booking from a single sign-on, available 24/7 for members seeking care from Blue Shield's network of primary care, specialist, vision, dental, mental and behavioral health providers who are active in Zocdoc. "As we continue to address healthcare access issues, making it easier and faster for our members to get connected to in-network care is absolutely essential," said Jigar Shah, chief marketing and strategy officer at Blue Shield of California. "To make health care worthy of our family and friends, we must deliver best-in-class member experiences, and Blue Shield is leveraging digital tools to do exactly that. We are proud to work with Zocdoc on an important part of our strategy to improve access to care." Across all types of care, outdated scheduling systems have become a barrier to healthcare access. According to a Zocdoc-commissioned survey conducted earlier this year, more than half of patients who were unable to reach their doctor by phone admitted to delaying care (54%), while one in three admitted to giving up on scheduling a visit entirely (33%). Digital tools can help address these barriers. According to a 2021 Press Ganey report, online scheduling for care appointments is preferred by 72% of Millennial and Gen Z survey respondents and 39% of Baby Boomers. Additionally, a 2023 report from Kyruus Health shows that 61% of consumers say the availability of online appointment scheduling is extremely or very important when choosing a new provider, service, or location for care. "We know that patients rely on their health plans to find quality, in-network care, and we are proud to partner with Blue Shield of California to power a seamless experience that helps their members access the right providers for their needs," said Oliver Kharraz, MD, Zocdoc founder and CEO. "This collaborationa first of its kind for Zocdocis symbolic of our expansion beyond our marketplace; we are leveraging nearly 20 years of scheduling expertise to help patients easily book appointments wherever they are seeking care, to help providers connect with patients across more channels, and to help payors modernize their members' access experience and care coordination." Blue Shield's Find a doctor tool will help connect patients to care when they need it most, including simple access to mental and behavioral health appointments. Today, thousands of mental and behavioral healthcare practitioners are available to book through this collaboration. This is a critical resource for members looking to avoid an inefficient scheduling experience for counseling or other mental health support services. Appointments are now available for members across all Blue Shield of California employer-sponsored plans, Individual and Family Plans, and Medicare plans. Blue Shield and Zocdoc will continue to add more in-network provider schedules for members to book quickly and seamlessly. Blue Shield's in-network providers who are interested in adding appointments to the system can visit this web page for more information. There is no cost to providers to participate and set-up is a simple, one-time activation. Zocdoc has built more than 175 calendar integrations with commonly used healthcare scheduling tools. About Blue Shield of California Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. The health plan is a taxpaying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with 6 million members, over 7,500 employees and more than $27 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $60 million to the Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last three years to have an impact on California communities. For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com . Or follow us on LinkedIn or Facebook . About Zocdoc Zocdoc is the leading healthcare marketplace that aims to help every patient find and book every type of care. Each month, millions of patients visit Zocdoc.com or use the Zocdoc app to find quality, in-network doctors, see their real-time availability, and instantly book appointments for in-person or virtual care. Zocdoc doesn't just make healthcare easier, it also accelerates patients' access to care with the typical appointment happening within 24 to 72 hours of booking. While Zocdoc's mission is to give power to the patient, the company supports healthcare providers, too. Doctors across every state, specialty and segment from solo practitioners to large hospitals and health systems rely on Zocdoc to grow their practice, at every stage. With Zocdoc, they can reach new patients where they're seeking care, save staff time with tools that integrate into their practice software, and delight their patients through great experiences that keep them coming back. Overall, Zocdoc delivers the seamless, modern healthcare experience patients deserve. CONTACT: Ashleigh Norris Blue Shield of California 415-310-1091 [email protected] SOURCE Blue Shield of California Bobcat UTV Donated as Part of its "Work Worth Doing" Initiative Supports LAFD's First, Full-time, Paid Hand Crew LOS ANGELES, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning actor and Hollywood director Josh Duhamel recently partnered with Bobcat Company for a surprise visit to Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Station 88 to deliver a powerful gift: a brand-new Bobcat UV34XL utility vehicle. Josh Duhamel partnered with Bobcat to deliver a new Bobcat utility vehicle to Los Angeles Fire Department Station 88. Post this Award-winning actor and Hollywood director Josh Duhamel made a surprise visit to Los Angeles Fire Department Station 88, rolling in with a powerful gift: a brand-new Bobcat Utility Vehicle (UTV). The donation was part of Bobcats Work Worth Doing campaign - a nationwide initiative honoring everyday heroes. Duhamel, a Bobcat ambassador, personally handed over the keys to the UTV in recognition of the LAFDs first-ever, full-time hand crew, who help mitigate and control wildfires and will use the UTV on the frontlines of future fires. The donation was part of Bobcat's "Work Worth Doing" campaigna nationwide initiative celebrating the work of everyday people who are making a difference. Duhamel, a Bobcat ambassador, personally handed over the keys to the UTV in recognition of the LAFD's first, full-time, paid wildland hand crew, who help mitigate and control wildfires and will use the UTV on the frontlines of future fires. "I think this is some of the most honorable work that you can do. It takes a special kind of person to sign up as a firefighter, especially in a place like Los Angeles where wildfires run rampant," said Duhamel. "We believe, myself and Bobcat, that the firefighters deserve the best tools out there, and that's why we wanted to donate this machine. I think that anytime you can support those who are protecting others is definitely work worth doing." Bobcat is also supporting the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation by donating a portion of proceeds from the sale of its limited-edition hat Duhamel is seen wearing during his recent visit to the LAFD. "We are grateful for Bobcat and Josh's commitment to advancing our efforts with the generous donation of a Bobcat UTV," said Adam VanGerpen, Captain and Public Information Officer, Los Angeles City Fire Department. "This will enhance our hand crew's efficiency in mitigating and fighting wildfires, enabling us to achieve so much more in our mission to keep the community safe." Bobcat kicked off its "Work Worth Doing" initiative in May by teaming up with entrepreneur and Magnolia co-founder Chip Gaines to surprise a deserving neighbor and a United States veteran, Jason Shields, with a Bobcat T595 compact track loader. Shields is the founder of Hoof Haven Sanctuary, a non-profit that rescues endangered or injured horses, rehabilitates them and provides them with a forever home. The "Work Worth Doing" initiative continues throughout 2025 with other Bobcat ambassadors, including country musician Justin Moore and professional BMX rider Ryan Nyquist, visiting and rewarding people making a difference in their communities. Others can get involved on social media by sharing their "work worth doing" by tagging @BobcatCompany and using hashtag #WorkWorthDoing. To learn more about how Bobcat is giving back and building community, please visit bobcat.com or follow along on Instagram at @bobcatcompany. About Bobcat Company Bobcat Company empowers people to accomplish more, a mission it has honored since creating the compact equipment industry in 1958. As a leading global manufacturer, Bobcat has a proud legacy of innovation, delivering smart solutions to customers' toughest challenges. Backed by the support of a global dealership network, Bobcat offers an extensive line of worksite solutions, including loaders, excavators, tractors, utility vehicles, telehandlers, mowers, turf renovation equipment, light compaction, portable power, industrial air, forklifts, attachments, implements, parts and services. With its North American headquarters in West Fargo, North Dakota, Bobcat leads the industry with its innovative offerings designed to transform how the world works, builds cities and supports communities for a more sustainable future. The Bobcat brand is owned by Doosan Bobcat Inc., a company within Doosan Group. SOURCE Bobcat Company ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 11. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico during the latters official visit to Astana, emphasizing the growing partnership between the two countries and their shared interest in expanding cooperation across a range of sectors, Trend reports. During the meeting, Tokayev highlighted the importance Kazakhstan places on its relations with Slovakia, calling the country one of Kazakhstans key partners within the European Union. "Kazakhstan and Slovakia enjoy close relations, and we are implementing major joint projects," Tokayev said. "We believe there are still many opportunities that require further exploration and development. Thats why we attach great significance to your visit, which we see as an important step toward strengthening our bilateral cooperation". The Kazakh leader underscored his commitment to deepening ties with Slovakia across various areas, expressing confidence in the long-term potential of the partnership. Prime Minister Fico, in turn, thanked Tokayev for the warm welcome and reaffirmed Slovakias readiness to build on the existing friendship and economic collaboration. "There are no political disagreements between our countries, which allows us to fully focus on mutually beneficial economic relations and strengthening our friendship. Today, we will discuss several important and promising projects, and Im confident that the results of this visit will be very positive," said Fico. The talks underscored a shared political will to expand cooperation, particularly in trade, investment, and technological development, and reflected a broader strategy to enhance Kazakhstans engagement with EU member states. DENVER, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- BurstIQ, a leading provider of AI-ready data management and privacy-enhancing technologies, announced today that it has joined the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner Network (APN). The APN is a global community of AWS Partners that leverage programs, expertise, and resources to build, market, and sell customer offerings. As an APN member, BurstIQ is also making its LifeGraph platform available in AWS Marketplace, a digital catalog that helps you find, buy, deploy, and manage software, data products, and professional services from thousands of vendors. This makes it easier for AWS customers to use LifeGraph to transform their data into secure, AI-ready ecosystems while accelerating innovation and improving operational efficiency. BurstIQ's LifeGraph platform integrates blockchain, Web3, and knowledge graph technologies into customers' cloud architecture. LifeGraph transforms static, siloed data into dynamic, interoperable ecosystems that empower organizations to unlock the full potential of their data. This includes enabling AI-driven insights, automating compliance with regulations like HIPAA and GDPR, and optimizing operational workflowsall within a scalable, privacy-first framework. Unlocking New Possibilities for AWS Customers Through this collaboration, AWS customers gain access to LifeGraph's unique capabilities, including: Privacy-Enhanced Data Management : LifeGraph embeds privacy, security, and ownership directly into the data itself through cryptographic smart contracts and blockchain technology, ensuring regulatory compliance across global data standards. : LifeGraph embeds privacy, security, and ownership directly into the data itself through cryptographic smart contracts and blockchain technology, ensuring regulatory compliance across global data standards. AI-Ready Ecosystems : By unifying and enriching data, LifeGraph prepares data for AI applications, enabling faster and more accurate decision-making. : By unifying and enriching data, LifeGraph prepares data for AI applications, enabling faster and more accurate decision-making. Autonomous Governance : LifeGraph automates complex data governance and consent management processes, reducing operational overhead while building trust with customers and stakeholders. : LifeGraph automates complex data governance and consent management processes, reducing operational overhead while building trust with customers and stakeholders. Seamless Integration: LifeGraph integrates seamlessly with AWS, making it easy for customers to deploy scalable, intelligent data solutions without disrupting their workflows. "As organizations face increasing pressure to harness the power of AI, they need more modern data management solutions that ensure trust, security, and compliance of internal and external data sources," said Amber Hartley, Chief Strategy Officer at BurstIQ. "By joining the APN, we're making it easier than ever for AWS customers to adopt transformative data strategies with LifeGraph. We're empowering organizations to leverage AI responsibly and securely." Transforming Data into Strategic Advantage LifeGraph can transform data management for a variety of industries. Notable use cases within healthcare, education, and government include: Medicaid Data Ecosystems : LifeGraph powers secure, interoperable solutions for Medicaid modernization, breaking down silos while ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations. : LifeGraph powers secure, interoperable solutions for Medicaid modernization, breaking down silos while ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations. AI-Powered Research : Collaborations with institutions like Texas A&M Health to drive groundbreaking research using secure, AI-ready data ecosystems. : Collaborations with institutions like Texas A&M Health to drive groundbreaking research using secure, AI-ready data ecosystems. Personalized AI: Maryville University uses LifeGraph to create a 360-degree view of student data, enabling tailored, transformative AI companion learning experiences while seamlessly unifying and governing data across systems. uses LifeGraph to create a 360-degree view of student data, enabling tailored, transformative AI companion learning experiences while seamlessly unifying and governing data across systems. Workforce Optimization: Supporting innovative platforms such as Litehouse Health's "Uber for Nurses" to streamline scheduling and credentialing processes securely. AWS customers can now access LifeGraph's cutting-edge capabilities directly within their AWS Marketplace account, enabling streamlined purchasing, deployment, and management of BurstIQ's data ecosystem solutions. About BurstIQ BurstIQ is revolutionizing how organizations manage, secure, and harness data in the age of AI and Web3. With its revolutionary LifeGraph platform, BurstIQ empowers enterprises to transform fragmented, static data into dynamic, privacy-enhanced ecosystems that drive innovation, operational efficiency, and trust. BurstIQ's solutions are trusted by leading organizations to solve their most complex data challenges. For more information on BurstIQ and its LifeGraph platform, please visit www.burstiq.com . Media Contact: Leanne Atencio 3035880517 [email protected] SOURCE BurstIQ The Mann West Nickel Sulphide Project is located just 21 kilometres east of the Company's Crawford Nickel Sulphide Project ("Crawford") and is more than twice the size of Crawford based on the outline of its geophysical target of 3.4 square kilometres. The area of the geophysical target covered by the Mann West resource represents approximately 40% of the total target area. The Mann West project is accessible year-round. Mark Selby, CEO of Canada Nickel said, "Mann West marks a significant milestone with today's announcement, demonstrating a resource that surpasses the size and scale of our initial Crawford resource, and that validates our belief in the potential of the Timmins Nickel District. With a target footprint more than double Crawford's, Mann West is just the third of eight new mineral resources we expect to announce by the end of 2025, including two more this month." 1the potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature; there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource; it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource (also see below). Mann West Mineral Resource Estimate For the initial Mineral Resource Estimate, a total of 16,833 metres of core drilling in 37 drill holes were utilized to calculate the Mann West Resources in two categories as provided in Table 1. Indicated Resources totalled 406 million tonnes grading 0.23% nickel, for a total of 0.95 million tonnes of contained nickel and Inferred Resources totalled 599 million tonnes grading 0.22% nickel, for a total of 1.31 million tonnes of contained nickel. The approximate dimensions of the resource are 1.9 kilometres long, 800 metres wide, extending to 500 metres deep and remaining open to the northwest and at depth. An additional 0.5 1.0 billion tonnes grading between 0.20% and 0.22% nickel remain as an Exploration Target, pending further drilling. This Exploration Target is based on core drilling by the Company, the geophysical survey on the Project, and the understanding and calculation of the current MRE. Within the resource, a PGM Zone containing an Indicated resource of 7.0 million tonnes grading 0.422 g/t palladium + platinum and an Inferred resource of 7.7 million tonnes grading 0.411 g/t palladium + platinum. The Exploration Target was derived by modelling the identified nickel sulphide mineralization within the current estimation envelope but outside of the current Mineral Resource Estimate area. The volume of the modelled Exploration Target area determines the potential tonnage statement in the Exploration Target. The grade range given in the Exploration Target is determined with consideration to the drill core results within the modelled Exploration Target area, consideration of the geological setting in a well understood nickel deposit type where grades are observed and well understood, and based on the experience of the Company and the Qualified Persons. The potential tonnages and grades are conceptual in nature and are based on drill holes and geophysical results that define the approximate length, thickness, depth and grade of the Exploration Target. There has been insufficient exploration to define a current mineral resource and the Company cautions that there is a risk that further exploration will not result in the delineation of a current mineral resource. Drilling at Mann West was completed in 2023 and 2024. The 2024 campaign successfully completed the goal of infilling previous sections to allow for the definition of an initial mineral resource estimate, gain understanding on the geology of the deposit, as well as systematically collecting samples for mineralogical analysis that have started to help define the potential of nickel recovery (see May 13, 2024 news release). The Mann West Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by Caracle Creek International Consulting Inc. in accordance with CIM Estimation of Mineral Resources & Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines (2019) and CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources & Mineral Reserves (2014). A Technical Report in support of the Mineral Resource Estimate will be filed on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) within 45 days of this news release. Table 1. Initial Total Mineral Resource Estimate (in-pit resources) for the Mann West Nickel Sulphide Deposit. Class Tonnage (Mt) Ni (%) Co (%) Fe (%) Cr (%) Pd (g/t) Pt (g/t) Ni (kt) Co (kt) Fe (Mt) Cr (kt) Pd (koz) Pt (koz) Indicated 406.1 0.23 0.012 6.5 0.32 0.018 0.013 949 49.1 26.4 1,283 231 166 Inferred 599.1 0.22 0.012 6.7 0.34 0.018 0.013 1,310 73.2 40.4 2,036 339 254 Table 2. Initial PGE Zone Mineral Resource Estimate (in-pit resources) for the Mann West Nickel Sulphide Deposit. Class Tonnage (Mt) Ni (%) Co (%) Fe (%) Cr (%) Pd (g/t) Pt (g/t) Ni (kt) Co (kt) Fe (Mt) Cr (kt) Pd (koz) Pt (koz) Indicated 7.0 0.04 0.007 5.6 0.40 0.238 0.184 2.7 0.5 0.4 27.9 53.4 41.4 Inferred 7.7 0.04 0.007 5.4 0.39 0.232 0.179 3.1 0.5 0.4 30.2 57.3 44.4 *Totals may not add due to rounding. Notes to Table 1 and Table 2: 1. The independent Qualified Person for the Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE"), as defined by National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101"), is Dr. Scott Jobin-Bevans (P.Geo., PGO #0183), of Caracle Creek International Consulting Inc. The effective date of the Mineral Resource Estimate is May 30, 2025. 2. The quantity and grade of reported Inferred Resources in this MRE are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these Inferred Resources as Indicated or Measured. However, it is reasonably expected that the majority of Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration. 3. A cut-off grade of 0.10% Ni was used to define potentially economic material for inclusion within the MRE. Cut-offs were determined on the based on core assay geostatistics and drill core lithologies for the deposit, and by comparison to analogous nickel deposit types. 4. Geological and block models for the MRE used data from a total of 37 surface drill holes, completed by Canada Nickel in 2023 and 2024. The drill hole database was validated prior to resource estimation and QA/QC checks were made using industry-standard control charts for blanks, core duplicates and commercial certified reference material inserted into assay batches by Canada Nickel and by comparison of umpire assays performed at a second laboratory. 5. Estimates have been rounded to two significant figures. 6. The MRE was prepared following the CIM Estimation of Mineral Resources & Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines (November 29, 2019) and the CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources & Mineral Reserves (May 19, 2014). 7. The geological model as applied to the MRE comprises three mineralized domains hosted by variably serpentinized ultramafic rocks: a relatively higher-grade core (dunite), a lower grade (peridotite), and a PGE-rich pyroxenite "reef". Individual wireframes were created for each domain in Leapfrog Geo 2024.1 software. 8. A 20 m x 20 m x 15 m block model was created, and samples were composited at 7.5 m intervals. Grade estimation from drill hole data was carried out for Ni, Co, Fe, Cr, S, Pd and Pt using the Ordinary Kriging interpolation method in Isatis 2024.04 software. 9. The MRE has been constrained by a conceptual pit envelope that was developed using the following optimization parameters. Metal prices used were US$21,000/t nickel, US$40,000/t cobalt, US$325/t iron, US$3,860/t chromium, US$1,350/oz palladium, and US$1,150/oz platinum. Different pit slopes were used for each layer (in degrees): 9.5 in overburden, and 40.0 in mineralized rock, and 45 in waste rock. Exchange rate utilized was US$/C$ at $0.76. Mining costs utilized different values for overburden (clay, gravel), and rock mining, ranging from C$1.47 to C$3.53/t mined. Processing costs and general and administration costs for a 120 ktpd operation (similar to the ultimate scope of Crawford) were C$8.30/t. Based on the range of grade and ratio of sulphur to nickel, calculated recovery averages 45% for Ni, 7% for Co, 56% for Fe, 29% for Cr 45% for Pd and 28% for Pd. 10. Grade estimation was validated by comparison of input and output statistics (Nearest Neighbour and Inverse Distance Squared methods), swath plot analysis, cross-plots of declustered samples against the nearest OK estimate, and by visual inspection of the assay data, block model, and grade shells in cross-sections. 11. Density estimation was carried out for the mineralized domains using the Ordinary Kriging interpolation method, based on 1,740 specific gravity measurements collected during the core logging process, using the same block model parameters of the grade estimation. As a reference, the average estimated density value within dunite is 2.64 g/cm3 (t/m3), while the peridotite domain yielded an average of 2.74 g/cm3 (t/m3), and the PGE "reef" domain an average of 3.05 g/cm3 (t/m3). Next Steps at Mann West: A technical report with respect to the Mineral Resource Estimate disclosed today will be filed within 45 days. Infill drilling at the property will aim to increase and upgrade inferred resources in the next drilling campaign. Mineralogical and metallurgical analysis will continue to better understand and estimate metal recoveries. Assays, Quality Assurance/Quality Control and Drilling Edwin Escarraga, MSc, P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of NI 43-101, is responsible for the on-going drilling and sampling program, including quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC). The core is collected from the drill in sealed core trays and transported to the secure core logging facility (core shack). The core is marked and sampled at 1.5 metre lengths and cut with a diamond blade saw. One set of samples is transported in secured bags directly from the Canada Nickel core shack to Actlabs Timmins, while a second set of samples is securely shipped to SGS Lakefield for preparation, with analysis performed at SGS Burnaby. All are ISO/IEC 17025 accredited labs and independent of Canada Nickel. Analysis for precious metals (gold, platinum, and palladium) are completed by Fire Assay while analysis for nickel, cobalt, sulphur and other elements are performed using a peroxide fusion and ICP-OES analysis. Certified standards and blanks (QA/QC samples) are inserted at a rate of three QA/QC samples per 20 core samples making a batch of 60 samples that are submitted for analysis. Qualified Person and Data Verification Stephen J. Balch (P.Geo. Ontario), VP Exploration of Canada Nickel and a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of NI 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of Canada Nickel Company Inc. The magnetic images shown in this news release were created from Canada Nickel's interpretation of datasets provided by the Ontario Geological Survey. About Canada Nickel Company Canada Nickel Company Inc. is advancing the next generation of nickel-sulphide projects to deliver nickel required to feed the high growth electric vehicle and stainless-steel markets. Canada Nickel Company has applied in multiple jurisdictions to trademark the terms NetZero Nickel, NetZero Cobalt, NetZero Iron and is pursuing the development of processes to allow the production of net zero carbon nickel, cobalt, and iron products. Canada Nickel provides investors with leverage to nickel in low political risk jurisdictions. Canada Nickel is currently anchored by its 100% owned flagship Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project in the heart of the prolific Timmins-Nickel District. For more information, please visit www.canadanickel.com. For further information, please contact: Mark Selby CEO Phone: 647-256-1954 Email: [email protected] Cautionary Note and Statement Concerning Forward Looking Statements This press release contains certain information that may constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, the potential of the Mann West Nickel Sulphide Project, timing for filing a technical report in support of the Mineral Resource Estimate, the significance of drill results, the ability to continue drilling, the impact of drilling on the definition of any resource, timing and completion (if at all) of additional mineral resource estimates, the potential of the Timmins Nickel District, strategic plans, including future exploration and development plans and results, and corporate and technical objectives. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon several assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals, the future demand for metals, the results of drilling, inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the property, environmental liabilities (known and unknown), general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, results of exploration programs, risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. Canada Nickel disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether because of new information. Neither 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. SOURCE Canada Nickel Company Inc. WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED CHONGQING, China, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from iChongqing: On June 7, the 2025 Chongqing International Auto Exhibition opened, with European media traveling to China to attend the event and visit Chinese automotive giant Changan Automobile. European media saw Changan's latest models and technologies at the Auto Chongqing 2025, visited Intelligent Digital Factory of Changan and its global R&D center. On June 6, the European media visited the final assembly workshop of Changan Automobiles Intelligent Digital Factory. (Photo/Changan) On June 7, at Auto Chongqing 2025, the European media had face-to-face discussions with senior executives of Changan Automobile. (Photo/Changan) In the final assembly workshop, European visitors were impressed by the robotic precision of Changan's production line. Polish influencer Grzegorz Konieczny praised the factory's high level of automation, while during the highly anticipated test drive session, Italian vlogger Michele Ponte found the models comfortable and believed the larger one would appeal to the U.S. market. European media explored Changan's latest models and automotive technologies respectively at the global R&D center and Changan's laboratories. In addition to the factory tour and test drive activities, the European media also had face-to-face discussions with Chairman, ChangAn Automobile, Zhu Huarong, two Executive Vice Presidents Li Mingcai, and Wang Xiaofei and Vice President Klaus Zyciora. During the discussion, Zhu addressed that Changan have always held deep respect for the European market and there are many brands which are all excellent peers that Chinese automakers, including Changan, look up to. To him, Europe is the most important market right now. Changan is accelerating its European roadmap. Zhu outlined the company's three-pronged strategy for 2025: product strategy and expansion targets. Zhu emphasized that Changan will focus on a selective product strategy, prioritizing a few high-volume models: the CHANGAN DEEPAL S07 and S05 in 2025. The company will start in Norway, expand to key European markets, and aims to enter 10 countries with nearly 200 dealers by year-end. Li added that the company is not only focused on BEVs, but is also actively developing PHEVs to meet broader consumer demands across Europe. He confirmed that models will begin entering the European market in Q3 2025. European media showed cautious optimism about Changan's prospects. German journalist Walther Wuttke stressed the importance of dealer networks and persistence, noting Changan's strong design and quality. Greek importer Aggelos Stefanopoulos called Chinese EVs like Changan game-changers, praising their comfort and alignment with European tastes. Michael Georgiadis, General Manager GOCAR.gr and GOCAR Magazine, highlighted Changan's design, tech, and value, adding that European familiarity with Chinese tech builds trust. SOURCE iChongqing FUKUOKA, Japan, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Colive Fukuoka Host Team, comprising Fukuoka City and private-sector organizations including yugyo inc., is set to host "Colive Fukuoka 2025," a month-long international program designed for digital nomads, remote workers, and entrepreneurs seeking to explore new business opportunities and immerse themselves in Japanese culture. The program will run from October 1 to 31, 2025, featuring a variety of activities that blend remote work, culture, and community engagement. Logo: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M108718/202506060131/_prw_PI1fl_bFK9OxV9.png The program kicks off with a 2-day conference from October 2 to 3, followed by a 10-day main program from October 1 to 10, which includes "RAMEN TECH," a startup week attracting over 4,000 participants from Japan and abroad. Even after the main program concludes, a one-month coliving program continues to support long-term stays, offering participants the chance to engage more deeply with the local community and environment. Throughout the month, participants can enjoy cultural activities such as tea ceremonies and martial arts, as well as side programs organized by local hosts. Colive Fukuoka Aims to Address: -To prevent overtourism by promoting longer stays and deeper engagement with local communities. -Regional revitalization by encouraging digital nomads to explore lesser-known areas and consider long-term contributions to local economies. -Bridging digital nomads with its startup ecosystem through collaborative events for founders, investors, and remote workers. The previous edition welcomed over 400 participants from 45 countries, and the program continues to grow as one of Asia's most influential nomad-driven initiatives. Fukuoka's strategic position as a startup hub is highlighted through programs like RAMEN TECH, which fosters connections between global talent and local businesses. The city's commitment to innovation and cultural exchange positions it as an ideal destination for digital nomads seeking meaningful experiences. About Colive Fukuoka 2025 -Dates: October 1-31, 2025 -Main Conference: October 2-3 -Main Program: October 1-10 (including RAMEN TECH) -Coliving Experience: October 1-31 -Location: Various venues across Fukuoka City, Japan -Tickets: Starting at EUR627 for the 10-day program, with early-bird discounts available -Organizer: The Colive Fukuoka Host Team (incl. yugyo inc.) -Website: https://colivefukuoka.com/ Event photos: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202506060131-O1-t56QmDom.pdf Photos for downloading: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xAtpbtDCis4O2YL1qjgBFQ0wRZLgIigG?usp=sharing For more information and registration details, please visit the official website: https://colivefukuoka.com/ SOURCE yugyo inc. JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Conservative podcaster, entrepreneur, and digital media firebrand Mark Kaye officially announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives, launching a bold grassroots campaign to oust incumbent Republican Congressman John Rutherford in Florida's 5th Congressional District. Kaye, known for his popular daily podcasts Mark Kaye Saves the Republic and The 47 Daily, has built a reputation for cutting through political nonsense with humor, truth, and fearless commentary. Mark Kaye for Congress Mark Kaye Mark Kaye Saves the Republic "I've been shouting into microphones and TV cameras about these lazy politicians for years, but nothing's changed," said Kaye. "So I will go to Washington and shout at them from the House floor!" Mark Kaye will be challenging incumbent Republican John Rutherford in the 2026 GOP primary. Rutherford has come under fire from conservative voters for supporting Democrat-backed legislation, including funding for Ukraine, the weaponized IRS, and taxpayer-funded gender surgeries. Kaye warns that Democrats could very easily win the House of Representatives in the midterm elections and sideline President Trump's "America First" agenda. "If that happens," says Kaye, "We're going to need a loud, combative conservative to fight, fight, fight every single day. John Rutherford is not that guy. I am." A fierce advocate for free speech and small business, Kaye has also pledged to stand up for Conservative voices being silenced online and to push back against Big Tech censorship. His campaign will lean heavily on grassroots energy, digital outreach, and the loyal support of thousands of his listeners called "Kayetriots" across Florida and beyond. Kaye's online announcement video is already going viral and donations are pouring in from around the country. About Mark Kaye: Mark Kaye is a popular political podcaster, content creator, and conservative entrepreneur. He's the founder of GAIN (Golden Age Influencer Network), a business mentorship community for freedom-loving entrepreneurs, and author of Go TRUMP Yourself! A Florida resident, loving husband, and proud father of two, Kaye is committed to preserving American values for future generations. Learn more or get involved at: https://markkayeforcongress.com Press Contact: Pamela Kaye Email: [email protected] Phone/Text: 786-566-4694 Website: https://markkayeforcongress.com SOURCE Mark Kaye Partnership to Amplify the Brand's "You Are What You Drink, Be Exceptional" Message LOS ANGELES, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Icelandic Glacial, the naturally alkaline, super-premium spring water from Iceland, is thrilled to announce its first-ever major celebrity partnership with celebrated dancer, actress, and wellness entrepreneur Julianne Hough. This milestone collaboration will elevate the brand's visibility and further amplify its campaign, "You Are What You Drink, Be Exceptional." Dance Icon Julianne Hough Partners with Icelandic Glacial in Brand's First Major Celebrity Partnership Through this partnership, Icelandic Glacial aims to inspire consumers to lead exceptional lifestyles, starting with the water they drink. Hough, known for her dedication to health, movement, and wellness, perfectly embodies the brand's commitment to quality and mindful living. As part of the campaign, she will lead a social media initiative that encourages followers to engage with the "Be Exceptional" message. Hough will share exclusive content about her personal approach to wellness while highlighting the benefits of Icelandic Glacial's naturally sourced water. Renowned for its exceptional purity, Icelandic Glacial water is sourced directly from the legendary Olfus Spring in Iceland, one of the world's most sustainable natural water sources. With a naturally high pH of 8.4 and a refreshingly crisp taste, Icelandic Glacial provides premium hydration with a steadfast commitment to sustainability. "At Icelandic Glacial, we are dedicated to providing not only the highest quality water but also inspiring individuals to live their best, most exceptional lives," said Michelle Grieco, VP of Marketing at Icelandic Glacial. "Julianne Hough perfectly embodies this philosophyher passion for wellness and motivating others aligns seamlessly with our brand's mission." "Harnessing energy and prioritizing movement are two of my life's passions," said Hough. "However, I can't do either without maintaining a healthy and vital lifestyle and that starts with hydration. I look forward to this partnership with Icelandic Glacial, a brand that shares my mission to inspire others to embrace their full potential." In addition to the PET line, the collaboration will also highlight Icelandic Glacial's latest launch: a line of aluminum cans featuring still water, classic sparkling, and globally inspired sparkling flavors, including Sicilian Lemon, Tahitian Lime, and Tarocco Blood Orange. Available in sleek 330 mL cans, these lightly carbonated beverages are zero-calorie, zero-sugar, and offer a refreshing, sustainable option for on-the-go hydration. The partnership will also showcase Icelandic Glacial's super-premium sparkling and still spring waters in uniquely designed glass bottles, available in 330- and 750-mL sizes, providing packaging choices for consumers. For more information on Icelandic Glacial, visit www.icelandicglacial.com . Follow the campaign on Instagram @IcelandicGlacial and join the conversation using #BeExceptional. About Icelandic Glacial Icelandic Glacial is a super-premium natural spring water sourced from the certified sustainable Olfus Spring in Iceland, formed over 5,000 years ago and protected by a barrier of lava rock. This exceptionally pure water boasts a naturally low mineral content and a high alkaline pH of 8.4. Certified free of all contaminantsincluding PFAs, also known as "forever chemicals"Icelandic Glacial delivers unmatched purity. It also holds the distinction of using 100% natural green energy in both product and operation. To discover more about the Purest Tasting Water on Earth, please visit www.icelandicglacial.com , like us on Facebook @IcelandicGlacial, and follow us on Instagram @IcelandicGlacial. SOURCE ICELANDIC GLACIAL CHICAGO, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The global data center rack market size is projected to be valued at USD 4.48 billion in 2024 and reach USD 7.57 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 9.1% according to a new report by The Research Insights. The data center rack market share is now undergoing major expansion due to comprehensive digital transformation initiatives across multiple industries. The BFSI sector must deploy robust IT infrastructure because the rise in online banking and fintech services requires seamless and secure operational systems. The retail industry is currently transitioning toward digital commerce and omnichannel operations which creates a demand for real-time data analytics along with customer personalization engines and supply chain optimization that require scalable high-performance server setups. The report runs an in-depth analysis of market trends, key players, and future opportunities. In general, the data center rack market growth of 9.1% comprises a range of rack, height, width, vertical and geography which are expected to register strength during the coming years. For More Information and To Stay Updated on The Latest Developments in The Data Center Rack Market Size, Download FREE Sample Pages: https://www.theresearchinsights.com/request_sample?id=8147 Market Overview and Growth Trajectory: Data Center Rack Market Growth: According to an exhaustive report by The Research Insights, the Data Center Rack Market is undergoing significant growth, driven by increased adoption of modular and prefabricated data centers that quickly change IT infrastructure deployment methods. Modern businesses must avoid traditional data center construction as the lengthy and expensive process no longer fits today's digital speed requirements. The introduction of prefabricated and containerized solutions provides businesses with a speedy, expandable, and budget-friendly data center option. The fully equipped facilities with power systems and IT infrastructure are constructed off-site and then moved to their final location where they are installed while ensuring minimal operational downtime. Growing Demand for Edge Computing: As edge computing grows quickly it transforms the IT world and the data center rack market adapts simultaneously. The growth of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies together with autonomous vehicles and smart cities requires real-time data processing at the source location instead of depending exclusively on centralized cloud data centers. The requirement for low latency, quick decision-making capabilities, and processing power situated near data sources drives the expansion of edge computing facilities that serve as smaller decentralised data centers for time-sensitive applications. The data center rack market sees increasing demand for racks that are designed to function optimally in edge environments. The transformation of enterprise infrastructure toward the edge for better responsiveness and user experience turns data center racks into strategic elements of distributed digital systems. The emerging data center paradigm demands that rack solutions demonstrate flexibility and scalability while maintaining efficiency. For Detailed Market Insights, Visit: https://www.theresearchinsights.com/reports/data-center-rack-market-8147 Integration of Smart and Connected Racks: The fast-paced evolution of digital infrastructure is driving a smart transformation in the data center rack market. Traditional server racks that were originally considered passive storage frames have evolved into intelligent connected systems which optimize data center operations. The increasing complexity of IT systems alongside escalating energy expenses and downtime costs drives businesses to demand smart racks which include sensors for power monitoring and temperature/humidity management as well as asset tracking and predictive maintenance capabilities. The data center rack market is undergoing a transformation to meet current needs through IoT-enabled solutions that can be managed remotely to deliver both performance improvements and customer reassurance. Modern racks have evolved beyond static infrastructure to become smart assets that enhance the efficiency and resilience of digital systems. Cabinet Racks Lead as the Preferred Choice for Secure, Scalable Data Center Infrastructure: The data center rack market now favors cabinet racks as the leading segment because they deliver enhanced security features, scalability solutions and efficient cable and airflow management systems. Cabinet racks differ from open frame or wall-mount racks because they provide enclosed structures that shield critical equipment from physical damage, dust accumulation and unauthorized access which makes them optimal for enterprise and colocation data centers. The modular design of cabinet racks enables high-density server deployment while supporting efficient power distribution and cooling systems to meet increasing data requirements and space restrictions today. The emergence of edge computing and remote IT infrastructure requires flexible and contained deployment solutions that cabinet racks provide across various environments. The cabinet rack segment maintains its dominance in the data center rack market as organizations focus on achieving data integrity while optimizing operational efficiency and space utilization. Stay Updated on The Latest Data Center Rack Market Trends: https://www.theresearchinsights.com/request_sample?id=8147 Geographical Insights: North America dominates the data center rack market share because of its major hyperscale cloud providers and colocation facilities combined with extensive IT spending from various industries. Data-heavy applications such as AI, IoT, and video streaming require advanced rack systems to support their infrastructure needs which leads to the U.S. having a significant portion of the market share. The Asia Pacific data center rack market experiences the fastest expansion supported by digital transformation initiatives, 5G network growth, and increased local data center investments in China, India, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Data center rack market dynamics in Europe are driven by strict data sovereignty laws alongside sustainability requirements and the fast growth of cloud and colocation providers. Data Center Rack Market Segmentation and Geographical Insights: Based on rack, the data center rack market share is divided into open frame rack, cabinet and others. The cabinet segment held the largest share of the data center rack market in 2024. Based on height, the data center rack market share is divided into below 42 U, 42 U and above 42. The 42 U segment held the largest share of the data center rack market in 2024. Based on width, the data center rack market size is divided into 19 Inch, 23 Inch and others. The 19 Inch segment held the largest share of the data center rack market in 2024. Based on vertical, the data center rack market value is divided into BFSI, government & defense, healthcare, IT & telecom, energy, retail and others. The IT & telecom manufacturing segment accounted for a larger share of the data center rack market in 2024. The data center rack market analysis is segmented into five major regions: North America; Europe ; Asia Pacific ; Latin America ; Middle East & Africa . Purchase Premium Copy of Global Data Center Rack Market Size and Growth Report (2024-2030) at: https://www.theresearchinsights.com/license?id=8147 Key Players and Competitive Landscape: The Data Center Rack Market is characterized by the presence of several major players, including: AMCO Enclosures Belden Inc. Chatsworth Products Cisco Systems, Inc. Dell Inc. Eaton Fujitsu Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP International Business Machines Corporation Legrand nVent Panduit Corp. Rittal GmbH & Co. KG Schneider Electric Vertiv Group Corp. These companies are adopting strategies such as new product launches, joint ventures, and geographical expansion to maintain their competitive edge in the market. Global Data Center Rack Market Recent Developments and Innovations: In February 2025 , Vertiv partnered with Oxigen to build its largest and most energy-efficient data center in Sant Cugat del Valles, Spain . , Vertiv partnered with Oxigen to build its largest and most energy-efficient data center in Sant Cugat del Valles, . In March 2024 , Eaton announced the North American launch of an innovative modular data center solution designed to swiftly address the growing demands for edge computing, machine learning, and AI. The SmartRack modular data centers from Eaton can be deployed within days in various settings, including colocation or enterprise data centers, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities. , Eaton announced the North American launch of an innovative modular data center solution designed to swiftly address the growing demands for edge computing, machine learning, and AI. The SmartRack modular data centers from Eaton can be deployed within days in various settings, including colocation or enterprise data centers, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities. In November 2023 : Eaton announced a new, innovative rack power distribution solution for data centers and edge facilities with the global launch of its Rack PDU G4. For Region-Specific Market Data, Check Out Brief Sample Pages: https://www.theresearchinsights.com/request_sample?id=8147 Key Questions Addressed: What is the key opportunity in the data center rack market? The shift toward containerized and prefabricated data centers creates a strong opportunity for rack vendors offering modular, plug-and-play solutions. What is the expected market size for data center rack market by 2030? The expected market size for data center rack is USD 7.57 Billion in 2030. Which are the major vertical where data center rack is used? Major vertical includes BFSI, government & defense, healthcare, IT & telecom, energy, retail and others. Which width segment for data center rack market has the potential to register the highest market share? 19-inch segment for data center rack market is expected to register highest market share of 72% in 2024. Which region is estimated to witness a high demand for data center rack over the forecast period? Asia Pacific is estimated to witness a high demand for data center rack growing at a CAGR of 9.9% over the forecast period. Who are the key players in data center rack market? The key players in the data center rack market are AMCO Enclosures, Belden Inc., Chatsworth Products, Cisco Systems, Inc., Dell Inc., Eaton, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP, International Business Machines Corporation, Legrand, nVent, Panduit Corp., Rittal GmbH & Co. KG, Schneider Electric and Vertiv Group Corp. Conclusion: The data center rack market is experiencing rapid transformation due to the increasing complexity of digital infrastructure along with fast-paced global digitalization together with emerging technologies like edge computing and AI and IoT. Cabinet racks are now the most popular rack choice for enterprise, colocation, and edge deployments due to their enhanced security characteristics and ability to maintain efficiency through scalable airflow and effective cable management solutions. Smart rack systems that offer real-time power monitoring and thermal control along with asset tracking capabilities are transforming racks from basic storage spaces into active contributors to data center performance enhancement. Edge data centers along with containerized infrastructure systems drive increased development of compact modular plug-and-play rack systems. The data center rack market will experience steady growth driven by organizational needs for efficient IT infrastructure while data volumes expand and innovation, regional spread and intelligent rack systems gain strategic importance in the digital economy. Need A Diverse Region or Sector? Customize Research to Suit Your Requirement: https://www.theresearchinsights.com/Ask_For_Customization?id=8147 The report from The Research Insights, therefore, provides several stakeholdersincluding component suppliers, data center rack manufacturers, OEMs, system integrators, distributors and end users with valuable insights into how to successfully navigate this evolving market landscape and unlock new opportunities. With projected growth to US$ 7.57 billion by 2030, the Data Center Rack Market represents a significant opportunity for component suppliers, data center rack manufacturers, OEMs, system integrators, distributors, end-users, investors, industry stakeholders, and others. By staying abreast of market trends, embracing innovation, and focusing on quality and performance, companies can position themselves for success in this dynamic and evolving market landscape. Check out more related studies published by The Research Insights: Data Center Market - The global data center market size is expected to reach USD 437.33 billion by 2030, according to a new report by The Research Insights. It is projected to register a CAGR of 10.9% during the forecast period, driven by increasing need for technology advancements, cloud computing adoption, digital services, data storage needs, regulatory requirements, expanding user base, and business scalability across regions. The global data center market size is expected to reach by 2030, according to a new report by The Research Insights. It is projected to register a CAGR of 10.9% during the forecast period, driven by increasing need for technology advancements, cloud computing adoption, digital services, data storage needs, regulatory requirements, expanding user base, and business scalability across regions. Server Market - The global server market size is expected to reach USD 175.29 billion by 2030, according to a new report by The Research Insights. It is projected to expand at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2024 to 2030. The global server market is expected to witness substantial growth, driven by the proliferation of smartphones and the rapid expansion of data centers worldwide. The global server market size is expected to reach by 2030, according to a new report by The Research Insights. It is projected to expand at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2024 to 2030. The global server market is expected to witness substantial growth, driven by the proliferation of smartphones and the rapid expansion of data centers worldwide. Microprocessor Market - The global microprocessor market size is anticipated to reach USD 196.50 billion by 2030 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% from 2024 to 2030, according to a new report by The Research Insights. The global microprocessor market is poised for significant growth, driven by its increasing adoption in consumer electronics such as PCs, smartphones, and laptops. The global microprocessor market size is anticipated to reach by 2030 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% from 2024 to 2030, according to a new report by The Research Insights. The global microprocessor market is poised for significant growth, driven by its increasing adoption in consumer electronics such as PCs, smartphones, and laptops. Data Center As A Service Market - The global data center as a service market size is anticipated to reach USD 461.44 billion by 2030, according to a new report by The Research Insights, expanding at a CAGR of 23.3% from 2025 to 2030. The growing necessity of robust disaster recovery and business continuity solutions has significantly contributed to the surge in demand for data center as a service. Browse More related reports on Technology Market https://www.theresearchinsights.com/categories/technology About The Research Insights: The Research Insights provides thoroughly conducted research which is backed up by real-time statistics and data. Our experts are eager to help you with any information required under the sun. The key to our success is keeping abreast with the markets, industries, and ever-changing consumer trends that matter. Our market research professionals have in-depth knowledge and expertise across various domains that includes IT and Telecom, Emerging Technologies, Consumer Offerings, Manufacturing and Others. We are committed to reviewing the scope and procedure of the research studies that you select and provide you with an accurate guidance in order to assist you in taking the correct business decisions. Contact Us: If you have any queries about this report or if you would like further information, please contact us: Contact Person: Kaushik Roy E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +1-312-313-8080 Blog: https://www.theresearchinsights.com/blogs Press Release: https://www.theresearchinsights.com/press-release Latest News: https://www.croplife.com/author/the-research-insights/ | https://www.globalagtechinitiative.com/author/the-research-insights/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2684869/The_Research_Insights_Logo.jpg SOURCE The Research Insights WASHINGTON, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Davie, a leading international builder of icebreakers and other specialized ships, today announced its intention to acquire shipbuilding assets in Galveston and Port Arthur from Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corporation, a Texas-based leader in ship repair, construction, and marine services. The transaction is still subject to financial, legal, and regulatory closing conditions, as well as land lease negotiations with the Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees. Once complete, Davie expects to finalize the acquisition in summer 2025. James Davies, President and CEO of Davie, said: "We share a vision with Gulf Copper to make Texas a world-class hub for American icebreaker and complex ship production. Texas is ready to lead a new Golden Age of American shipbuildingbacked by our commitment to delivering ships on time, on budget, and in service of national security priorities." "A successful deal will open a new chapter for Gulf Copper," said CEO Steve Hale. "For the first time in decades, complex shipbuilding could return to Galveston and Port Arthurthis time backed by one of the world's fastest-growing specialized shipbuilders. Davie brings a bold vision: to make Texas the cornerstone of their U.S. expansion. That means opportunity for our employees, our partners, and our communities." The planned acquisition would fulfill the commitment Davie made in July 2024 to explore a permanent presence in America. It would support national priorities such as the U.S. Maritime Action Plan and the Ships for America Act. It would also align with the U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) program, which aims to rapidly deliver new Arctic-ready icebreakers while supporting the revitalization of U.S. shipbuilding. Davie already has operations in Quebec, Canada, and Helsinki, Finlandthe latter has built around 50% of the world's icebreaker fleet. Adding an American shipyard would make Davie uniquely positioned in the trilateral Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact) to deliver advanced icebreakers at speed, scale, and competitive costcountering adversaries' heavily subsidized programs Russia operates a fleet of nearly 50 Arctic-ready icebreakers. With only three Arctic-ready icebreakers currently in service, the U.S. government has made closing this urgent national security gap a top priority. Davie possesses commercially viable, production-ready icebreaker designs that meet U.S. mission requirements, providing faster delivery and greater cost efficiency for American taxpayers. Once the transaction is complete and contracts are secured, Davie plans to invest $1 billion to upgrade and expand capacity in Galveston and Port Arthur. The project could generate approximately 4,000 American jobsaround 2,000 directly at Gulf Copper and 2,000 more throughout the supply chain. To ensure the rapid closure of the transaction, Davie is working closely with organizations and stakeholders in Galveston and Port Arthur, as well as the State of Texas. The acquisition has also received strong support in Washington, D.C. About Davie Founded in 1825, Davie is part of the Inocea Group, a privately owned international marine industrial group with operations in Canada and Finland. Davie is Canada's largest and most flexible shipbuilder and a key partner in the country's National Shipbuilding Strategy. In Finland, Helsinki Shipyard is the global leader in icebreaker and ice-class vessel construction. Together, these facilities design, build, and sustain mission-critical vesselsincluding icebreakers, warships, and ferriesfor governments and commercial customers. About Gulf Copper Headquartered in Texas, Gulf Copper & Manufacturing has been a trusted partner in the marine and offshore industries for over 75 years. The company delivers high-quality ship repair, offshore services, and marine infrastructure solutions with an uncompromising commitment to safety, integrity, and environmental stewardship. Gulf Copper supports the oil and gas, marine transportation, petrochemical, and government sectors through its strategically located shipyards, dry docks, and fabrication facilities across the Gulf Coast. SOURCE Davie With over $3B funded to small businesses nationwide, Delta Capital Group celebrates its BBB A+ rating as a testament to trust, technology, and team excellence. HOLLYWOOD, Fla., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Capital Group, Inc., a nationwide leader in alternative business financing, is proud to announce its official accreditation and A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) the highest rating awarded by the organization. This recognition caps off a record-setting year for Delta, with over $3 billion in funding delivered to small businesses across the U.S. and a growing team of more than 50 dedicated funding advisors serving thousands of clients coast to coast. View our BBB profile: https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/hollywood/profile/business-loans/delta-capital-group-inc-0633-92047417 "This A+ rating reflects everything we've built and where we're going," said Greg Fox, President of Delta Capital Group. "From day one, we've set out to be more than just another funding company. We're here to power growth, solve problems, and be a true partner in our clients' success stories." A Legacy of Growth A Future of Innovation Since its founding, Delta Capital Group has become one of the most trusted names in small business financing, helping entrepreneurs weather storms, scale fast, and seize opportunity. The company offers a full range of solutions from merchant cash advances and term loans to revolving lines of credit and equipment financing all delivered with unmatched speed and service. Behind the scenes, Delta's in-house development team is pushing the envelope on automation, harnessing AI and smart decision tools to streamline approvals, reduce time to fund, and unlock better offers for clients. "We combine Wall Street intelligence with Main Street service," said Fox. "Our advisors are real people and our tech is built to back them up, not replace them." With a growing national footprint, a reputation for responsiveness, and now the BBB's highest mark of trust, Delta Capital Group is setting the standard for what business lending should be in 2025 and beyond. About Delta Capital Group, Inc. Based in Hollywood, Florida, Delta Capital Group has funded over $3 billion in business capital and counting. Powered by a team of 50+ advisors and advanced proprietary tech, the company delivers fast, flexible financing to businesses in construction, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, professional services, and more. Website: https://www.deltacapitalgroup.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/deltacapitalgroup/ Media Contact: Greg Fox [email protected] 8882280707 PRLog ID: www.prlog.org/13081751 SOURCE Delta Capital Group, LLC SYDNEY and CLAYMONT, Del., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Diraq and QM Technologies Inc. today announced the first-ever tight integration of GPUs and silicon quantum processors with the deployment of a system using the NVIDIA DGX Quantum architecture to achieve real-time communication speeds of 3.3 microseconds between quantum hardware and NVIDIA Grace-Hopper superchips, orchestrated through QM's OPX1000 hybrid controller. Working at Diraq's Sydney laboratories, engineers from Diraq and QM demonstrated how GPU acceleration can solve critical bottlenecks in quantum computing. The team implemented three applications that address fundamental scaling challenges: a real-time readout enhancement that was previously only possible through post-processing, automated calibration using machine learning, and accelerated quantum state initialization. The results were achieved within just one week of DGX Quantum installation at Diraq's facilities, demonstrating the system's ability to have an immediate impact on quantum computing research. The system combines NVIDIA Grace Hopper with QM's OPX1000 control system, enabling quantum processors to leverage AI and other GPU-accelerated computation in real-time. "The importance of integrating classical computing power with future quantum computers can't be understated," said Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq. "This collaboration pushes the limits of real-time quantum control, highlighting the remarkable integration potential of Diraq's silicon qubit arrays. We would not be able to achieve these results so fast if it weren't for our partnerships with QM and NVIDIA." The most significant achievement was implementing correlated readout in real-time, building on methods from Diraq's published research. This complex signal processing task requires computational power beyond what traditional FPGAs can provide, making GPU acceleration essential. Machine learning algorithms running on the GPU also automated calibration processes that traditionally require hours of manual tuning, while Diraq's algorithmic initialization protocols (detailed in their recent Nature publication) used GPU acceleration to achieve faster state preparation, which is critical for ensuring quantum states can be prepared before they degrade. "When we first envisioned DGX Quantum, we knew the real test would be whether quantum computing teams could achieve meaningful results quickly," said Itamar Sivan, CEO and Co-Founder of QM. "Diraq's success in developing three distinct applications within a week proves that quantum-AI integration has moved beyond the hype stage. We're seeing researchers solve real problems by combining quantum and classical processing in ways that weren't possible before." The 3.3-microsecond round-trip time between the quantum processor and GPU is crucial for these achievements. This low latency enables real-time feedback loops, sending commands and receiving responses before quantum information degrades, which is essential for practical quantum computing. "This collaboration exemplifies the future of computing, with GPU and QPU seamlessly integrated to expand what can be achieved with accelerated computing," said Tim Costa, senior director of quantum and CUDA-X at NVIDIA. "DGX Quantum enables the huge advances made in AI algorithms and hardware to be brought to quantum computing workloads, and allows the development of hybrid algorithms that will pioneer new areas of computing." Looking ahead, DGX Quantum will be able to support real-time error-correction protocols on a hybrid quantumclassical architecture. DGX Quantum also enables Diraq's hardware to be directly integrated with NVIDIA's open-source quantum development platform, NVIDIA CUDA-Q, highlighting the viability of GPU-based control for future quantum computers. The results will be highlighted at GTC Paris 2025, where NVIDIA's Director of Quantum Algorithm Engineering, Elica Kyoseva, will discuss the future of hybrid quantum-classical algorithm development. About Diraq Diraq is a global leader in building quantum processors using silicon 'quantum dot' technology, leveraging proprietary technology developed over 20 years of research. Diraq is a private company, founded in 2022 and headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with operations in Palo Alto, California, and Boston, Massachusetts. Our approach relies on the existing silicon manufacturing processes, known as CMOS, used by foundries to produce today's semiconductor components. By capitalizing on existing high-volume chip fabrication technology and semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, Diraq is accelerating the change that can transform computing as we know it. Diraq's platform architecture is purpose-built to drive the significant processing advances required to reduce cost and energy barriers, and to realize quantum computing's full societal and economic potential, forging a faster and cheaper road to market. Diraq's goal is to revolutionize quantum computing by driving qubit numbers on a single chip to the many millions, and ultimately billions needed for useful commercial applications. Diraq Media Contact: Andre Saraiva [email protected] About QM QM Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of quantum control solutions, driving the advancement of quantum computing with its Hybrid Control approach. By harmonizing quantum and classical operations, Hybrid Control eliminates friction and optimizes performance across hardware and software, enabling researchers and builders to iterate at speed, resolve setbacks, and bring visionary ideas to life. Its platform supports any type of quantum processor, empowering the industry to scale systems, accelerate breakthroughs, and push the boundaries of what's possible. QM Media Contact: Yonatan Snir [email protected] SOURCE QM Technologies Inc.; Diraq Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. CINCINNATI, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dolbey has announced Fusion Narrate ACI, an expansion of Fusion Narrate powered by nVoq, which offers ambient documentation for healthcare providers. Fusion Narrate ACI generates a transcript and draft report for each patient encounter. Dolbey's Ambient Clinical Intelligence solution, Fusion Narrate ACI With Fusion Narrate ACI, patient encounters can be recorded securely through the HIPAA-compliant mobile Fusion Narrate Recorder smartphone app or directly through Fusion Narrate on a desktop workstation. After recording, Fusion Narrate ACI generates a draft report from the transcript of the patient encounter which can be shortened or expanded by section and inserted directly into the EHR. "I love Fusion Narrate ACI. It reduces click fatigue and takes me back to a more natural patient encounter," says Dr. Jamie Taweel, early adopter of Fusion Narrate ACI. "It also floats seamlessly between different EMR services, so you can use it at different offices or services. Now that I have Fusion Narrate ACI, I can't imagine going back." "Ambient clinical intelligence is a major milestone for documentation and speech recognition technology that is poised to completely shift how providers complete patient records and interact with their patients. Offering providers the opportunity to meet with their patients one-on-one and have a complete report and transcript prepared at the end of the encounter sounds like a dream, but it's now a reality," states John Dolbey, SVP and General Manager at Dolbey. "Fusion Narrate ACI is a truly cutting-edge and powerful solution that is made even more flexible by the customizability, automation capability, and application compatibility already existing within Fusion Narrate." Fusion Narrate ACI offers healthcare providers a new way to capture the details of a patient encounter with the familiar, intuitive Fusion Narrate interface. Dolbey's Fusion Narrate ACI is now available. Fusion Narrate ACI offers pay as you go pricing with no usage limits. Learn more at dolbeyspeech.com/aci. About Dolbey Dolbey's award-winning healthcare suite of solutions enhances productivity while delivering better documentation, improving patient care. Since 1914, Dolbey has incorporated the latest technologies available to meet the demands of the healthcare community. Today, Dolbey's suite of products includes speech recognition (premise or cloud-based), CAPD, CDI, CAC, transcription, and dictation. To learn more about Dolbey's ambient solution and front-end speech recognition software for EHRs, LISs, RISs, and more, visit www.dolbeyspeech.com Media Contact Brian Gaysunas [email protected] (513) 624-2630 SOURCE Dolbey The Conference Forum announced the first keynotes of the DPHARM: Disruptive Innovations to Modernize Clinical Research conference, including the former heads of Merck and FDA, for the 2025 meeting. NEW YORK, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Forum announced today the first set of keynotes for the 15th annual DPHARM: Disruptive Innovations to Modernize Clinical Research conference, taking place September 16-17, 2025, at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel in Philadelphia, PA. "The 2025 keynotes were highly recommended by R&D executives on innovating for patients during an unprecedented flurry of changes, as clinical trial protocols continue to add to the levels of patient and site burden," said Tracey Kimball, DPHARM Conference Director. "We are at a real moment of inflection and change in our industry. This year's lineup represents an incredible list of keynote speakers that have seen it all over the years and I'm excited to hear their expert thoughts on what happens next and how we can innovate our way through the challenges in front of us," said Sean Lynch, Clinical Innovation Head, Innovative Trial Operations, Novartis and 2025 DPHARM advisor. The 2025 keynotes include: Kenneth C. Frazier, JD, retired Chairman and CEO of Merck & Co, Inc, and Chairman, Health Assurance Initiatives of General Catalyst, speaks on leading with integrity through times of change and fostering a culture that supports innovation. Scott Gottlieb, MD, 23rd Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, speaks on the future of clinical research and the current and potential impact of the geopolitical landscape on R&D. Victoria Gray, Patient Advocate, speaks on her experience as the first CRISPR gene therapy recipient for sickle cell disease and the profound impact a clinical trial had on her life. Kenneth Getz, MBA, Director and Professor, Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, Tufts University School of Medicine, speaks on addressing protocol complexity to lessen the burden of participation for sites and patients. "Our industry has always been shaped by waves of change each one challenging, each one filled with possibility. I'm inspired to hear Ken Frazier share how we can lead with purpose and integrity, transforming the current moments of disruption into a catalyst for innovation and sustainable impact," said Dennis Salotti, Executive Director & Head of Clinical Outsourcing & Innovation, Jazz Pharmaceuticals and 2025 DPHARM advisor. In addition to the keynotes, DPHARM 2025 has over 200 speakers. The DPHARM agenda is carefully curated with the guidance of over 75 advisors representing pharmaceutical senior clinical operation executives, patient advocacy, clinical sites, innovative tech and service companies, academia and regulatory authorities. DPHARM will be preceded by the Partnerships with Sites summit and the 10th annual CRAACO: Clinical Research as a Care Option conference, September 15, 2025. To learn more, visit www.theconferenceforum.org . For the full DPHARM agenda, visit www.DPHARMconference.com . About DPHARM: DPHARM: Disruptive Innovations to Modernize Clinical Research offers an unparalleled opportunity to hear senior clinical operations executives and innovative thought leaders report on innovations that are modernizing clinical trials and reducing patient burden. The concept of DPHARM was founded by Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, who continue to play a key role on the steering committee to deliver a highly relevant and engaging program. DPHARM takes place September 16-17 at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel in Philadelphia, PA where its inaugural meeting took place. About The Conference Forum: The Conference Forum is a life science industry research firm that develops conferences primarily around how to get therapeutics to patients faster. The company also publishes digital editorial across six categories, and produces PharmaTalkRadio, virtual events, and webinars. SOURCE DPHARM Premium pasta sauce brand expands into major markets including Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, and Las Vegas SANTA YNEZ, Calif., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Eat Happy Kitchen, an award-winning woman-owned food company known for its clean, better-for-you pasta sauces, is now appearing on the shelves of 479 Kroger Family stores across the country. This milestone marks a significant step in the company's mission to bring premium, no-sugar-added sauces to everyday shoppers seeking alternatives to conventional options. The addition more than doubles Eat Happy Kitchen's national retail footprint and makes it one of the fastest-scaling emerging food brands in the country. Eat Happy Kitchen Marinara, Puttanesca, Pink Crema, and Spicy Marinara sauces can now be found at Kroger-owned Fred Meyer, Ralphs, King Soopers, QFC, Smith's, and Fry's. The deal is part of a trend among mainstream grocers like Kroger, which are reorganizing their shelves to include options that appeal to the 89% of Gen Z and Millennials who favor healthier, transparent food choices over price. Eat Happy Kitchen's relationship with Kroger began in an unexpected way, when founder and CEO Anna Vocino participated in a 30-second "pitch slam" at Expo West 2024, hosted by StartupCPG. That brief introduction sparked conversations that evolved into the brand's addition to the shelves of Kroger-owned Fred Meyer, Ralphs, King Soopers, QFC, Smith's, and Fry's. "Our pasta sauces offer something very different from the usual suspects on the shelf," said Vocino. "From no seed oils to no added sugars, our clean ingredient list and bold flavors give shoppers a fun, better-for-you choice that can freshen up any pasta night. Kroger's willingness to make room for an emerging, woman-owned brand like ours shows their commitment to bringing innovation and quality to their customers, and it advances our mission to become the premium pantry product company of the future." Shoppers will find four of Eat Happy Kitchen's standout sauces in the conventional pasta sauce aisle: The expansion was made possible through the support of Eat Happy Kitchen's trusted distribution partner, KeHE. "The entire KeHE team, especially Darren Eubanks, has been instrumental in helping us prepare for this expansion into the footprint of the largest supermarket operator in the United States," Vocino added. "Their partnership has been indispensable to our growth and we're grateful for their role in making this happen." With the premium pasta sauce category growing rapidly, Eat Happy Kitchen's clean-label recipes stand out in a space long dominated by mass-produced alternatives. The company's entry onto the shelves of one of the most mainstream supermarket brands reflects a larger shift in consumer demand for healthier, high-quality pantry staples at conventional grocery stores. This also marks a significant moment for representation in the food space, as Eat Happy Kitchen is among the few women-owned pasta sauce brands on the shelves at a growing number of the country's largest retailers. Vocino will conduct in-store product demonstrations at various new locations in the coming months. Follow her on Instagram for news and information about Eat Happy products, special discounts, and live appearances. About Eat Happy Kitchen Eat Happy Kitchen is a natural food manufacturing company founded by Anna Vocino, author of the bestselling Eat Happy series of cookbooks. Founded with the primary mission of making foods with the highest quality ingredients, always gluten free, and with no sugar added, the company's products currently include a line of five SKUs of pasta sauces, four spice blends, and three upcoming cheese bite snacks. More information about Eat Happy Kitchen can be found at www.eathappykitchen.com. Media contact: Scott Merritt (770) 778-4786 [email protected] SOURCE Eat Happy Kitchen Financing was co-led by EQT Life Sciences and Sanofi Ventures, with participation from Roche Venture Fund, as well as all existing investors Proceeds will support the Phase 1/2 clinical development of lead program SB-007 in Stargardt disease, a genetic eye disorder that causes progressive vision loss and blindness Funding will also advance a broader pipeline of genetic medicines targeting indications in ophthalmology, neurology, and other therapeutic areas STOCKHOLM, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- EQT Life Sciences is pleased to announce that the LSP 7 fund has invested in SpliceBio. The Spanish biotech company is developing novel therapies for genetic diseases including ophthalmology, neurology, and other therapeutic areas by leveraging an innovative intein platform. The platform allows large genes to be split into smaller pieces, delivered separately, and then reassembled to create full-length proteins needed to treat diseases. The USD 135 million Series B financing round will help fund the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of SpliceBio's lead gene therapy candidate, SB-007, which is being developed to treat Stargardt disease. The round was co-led by EQT Life Sciences and Sanofi Ventures, with participation from new investor Roche Venture Fund, as well as all existing investors: New Enterprise Associates, UCB Ventures, Ysios Capital, Gilde Healthcare, Novartis Venture Fund, and Asabys Partners. Stargardt disease, which leads to progressive vision loss and blindness, is the most commonly inherited condition causing degeneration in the macula, affecting 1 in 8,000-10,000 people. Currently, there are no approved treatments available for Stargardt disease. The disease is caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene, which result in a dysfunctional ABCA4 protein. SpliceBio's SB-007 uses an innovative Protein Splicing technology, based on a family of proprietary engineered proteins called inteins, originally developed at Princeton University. The approach overcomes the challenge of the ABCA4 gene that is too big for traditional gene therapy delivery methods, thereby enabling the production of a healthy ABCA4 protein directly in the retina. This approach has the potential to benefit the entire addressable patient pool, regardless of which of the more than 1,200 known mutations responsible for causing Stargardt disease patients carry. Crucially, the difficulty of delivering large genes is also a common barrier in treating many other genetic disorders, highlighting the broad potential and versatility of SpliceBio's technology beyond Stargardt disease. "This financing marks a pivotal milestone for SpliceBio as we advance the clinical development of SB-007 for Stargardt disease and continue to expand our pipeline across ophthalmology, neurology, and beyond," said Miquel Vila-Perello, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of SpliceBio. "The support from such high-quality investors underscores the strength of our programs and our unique Protein Splicing platform and its potential to unlock gene therapies for diseases that remain untreatable today. We are building a company positioned to lead the next wave of genetic medicines." Daniela Begolo, Managing Director at EQT Life Sciences who will join the SpliceBio Board of Directors, commented: "We are proud to support SpliceBio, a pioneer among the next generation of genetic medicine companies. Its Protein Splicing platform offers a novel solution to deliver large genes, one of the field's most pressing challenges, and exemplifies our commitment to backing science that transforms patients' lives." Contact EQT Press Office, [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/eqt/r/eqt-life-sciences-co-leads-usd-135-million-series-b-financing-in-splicebio,c4162695 The following files are available for download: Powered by the Equifax Cloud and Patented EFX.AI Capabilities, Optimal Path Gives Organizations a Powerful Tool to Help U.S. Consumers Advance Financial Health and Achieve Personalized Credit Score Goals ATLANTA, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax (NYSE: EFX) is leveraging the power of the Equifax Cloud and patented EFX.AI capabilities to introduce the new Optimal Path interactive score planner. Optimal Path is designed to help financial institutions, employers, benefits providers, and other organizations provide consumers with personalized, actionable credit score plans within their existing consumer financial health initiatives and platforms. The new, white labeled offering is a highly personalized planner that integrates with each consumer's current Equifax credit profile, provides specific tasks that they can execute over time to help reach their target VantageScore 3.0 score, and evolves recommendations monthly as consumers take action. " The Equifax Cloud has enabled us to build a strong foundation for innovation one that maximizes our EFX.AI capabilities for the rapid development of solutions that can help more people live their financial best," said Mark W. Begor, CEO of Equifax. "We understand that each person's financial situation is unique, and their path to achieving their financial goals should be highly personalized. Optimal Path is designed to turn credit data into clear, actionable guidance with recommendations that are informed not just by the current credit file, but by AI-driven insights from similar consumers who achieved comparable score objectives." As individuals seek to build credit, or prepare for a major financial milestone like the purchase of a home or automobile, many turn to their benefits providers for financial tools and resources. Pre-packaged solutions like credit score simulators can be complex to navigate, and less technical solutions like score planners may only provide point-in-time snapshots rather than ongoing content that is personalized to individual needs. Optimal Path follows a consumer on their financial journey, utilizing two unique Equifax patents to suggest the most actionable positive behavior for that particular user that can lead to the desired credit score objective. The solution is designed for ease of access through trusted benefit and consumer platforms. "More and more organizations are providing financial tools to their employees, customers, and stakeholders, but find that engagement with static platforms is very limited. Optimal Path was designed to reach consumers at every step of their financial journey, with deeply personalized plans that encourage more engagement and financial improvement than generic credit-building tools," said Felipe Castillo, Chief Product Officer for U.S. Information Solutions at Equifax. "Consumers can set their credit score goal, identify specific action steps to meet that goal, and visualize how the steps they've taken have helped them get closer to their goal each month." Available through an Application Programming Interface (API), Optimal Path can be easily embedded into a variety of user interfaces, creating a seamless experience for the end user. Once integrated, Optimal Path delivers: Personalized Goal Setting: Consumers can set their desired credit score goal as well as a timeframe of three months to one year to reach that goal. Understanding that plans change, goals and timeframes can be easily adjusted by the user. Consumers can set their desired credit score goal as well as a timeframe of three months to one year to reach that goal. Understanding that plans change, goals and timeframes can be easily adjusted by the user. AI-Powered, Specific Recommendations: Advanced AI analytics are used to analyze each user's credit profile in real-time and recommend specific tasks such as reducing past due amounts or lowering credit utilization the person can perform each month to help them achieve their goals. Advanced AI analytics are used to analyze each user's credit profile in real-time and recommend specific tasks such as reducing past due amounts or lowering credit utilization the person can perform each month to help them achieve their goals. Estimated Score Impact: Each task presented shows the potential positive impact on the consumer's VantageScore 3.0 credit score. Each task presented shows the potential positive impact on the consumer's VantageScore 3.0 credit score. Monthly Updates: Optimal Path reports the consumer's current VantageScore 3.0 credit score and performance metrics each month and creates new tasks on a monthly basis. Updates are provided until the plan reaches the end date set by the consumer. Optimal Path is available now for integration into existing consumer financial health initiatives. Equifax uses AI Systems in a transparent, trustworthy, fair, explainable, and secure manner, to provide benefits to consumers and customers. Learn more about patented EFX.AI capabilities. ABOUT EQUIFAX INC. At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by nearly 15,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com . FOR MORE INFORMATION: Alexandra Packey for Equifax [email protected] SOURCE Equifax Inc. VANCOUVER, BC, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Paynt, a leading European payment technology company, today announced its acquisition of Canadian firm E-xact Transactions, marking a major milestone in the company's strategic expansion across North America. Paynt currently processes payments across the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, with regional offices in the UK, Ireland, the Baltic States, and the United States. The acquisition of E-xact, which processes over CAD 3.5 billion annually across more than 50 million transactions, will add a new operational hub in Vancouver, Canada. To support this North American growth, Paynt has appointed payments industry veteran JohnPaul Golino to its board of directors. Golino will lead the integration of E-xact into Paynt's platform and oversee regional go-to-market efforts. "With a new established presence in Connecticut and Vancouver, we're entering a new chapter in building Paynt's North American footprint and reinforcing our global leadership in payment solutions," said Sam Kohli, founder and Group CEO of Paynt. Founded over 25 years ago, E-xact Transactions delivers lightning-fast, secure payment processing with sub-one-second transaction times and supports leading e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce. "This acquisition not only expands our reach but enhances the solutions we bring to merchants and partners across Canada," said JohnPaul Golino. "We thank MAPP Advisors for their guidance in connecting us with E-xact this is the beginning of a powerful new phase." Paynt is also actively evaluating additional acquisition targets in the United States, with plans to finalize another deal by the end of 2025. About Paynt Founded in 2014, Paynt is a European payment technology company specializing in POS solutions, tipping systems, and integrated financial services. The company serves the hospitality and retail sectors with robust infrastructure and a suite of innovative payment products. About E-xact Transactions E-xact is a trusted platform serving bank partners, ISVs, and merchants. Known for its high-performance payment APIs and robust support for both e-commerce and unattended environments. E-xact is a proven, enterprise-grade gateway operating for over 25 years. SOURCE Paynt The 150,000-square-foot state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, located at 248 Sands Road, Reidsville, represents a $115 million investment and is expected to create 200 new jobs over the next five years, with 75 positions already filled. New roles include machine operators, veterinarians, chemical technicians, shipping clerks, maintenance technicians, managers, and supervisors. To celebrate Farmina's investment in the local and state economies, North Carolina State Senator Phil Berger, Assistant Commissioner for Consumer Protection, NC Department of Agriculture Chrissy Waggett, Chairman of the Rockingham County board of Commissioners Kevin Berger, and Mayor of Reidsville Donald Gorham, attended the official opening of the facility on June 11, 2025. Senator Phil Berger welcomed the expansion, stating "Farmina's decision to establish its U.S. operations in North Carolina is a strong endorsement of our skilled workforce and our growing reputation as a business-friendly hub for modern, innovative manufacturing." He continued, "We're thrilled to welcome this world-class technology to our great state and proudly open our arms to Farmina as they join our business community." The company's strategic investment in North Carolina is expected to contribute millions of dollars to the state's economy. Farmina's decision to manufacture in the U.S. allows the company to localize production, serving the growing North American market faster and more sustainably. Farmina sets a new standard in the American-based pet food industry with respect to quality and technology. This expansion brings unmatched excellence in manufacturing technology, quality of ingredients and European food safety and nutrition standards that adhere to and far exceed U.S. regulations. Through the production output of this new facility, Farmina sets a new standard of pet care for consumers across North America. "As Italians, family is at the heart of everything we do and that includes our pets," said Loris Rinaldi, CEO of Farmina Pet Foods North America. "This belief drives us to create the highest quality nutrition for our four-legged family members. With our new Reidsville facility, we're proud to bring European standards, premium ingredients, and personalized support to pet parents across the U.S." The high-tech facility was years in the making and supported by a coalition including the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Rockingham County, the City of Reidsville, Duke Energy, and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), with assistance from the state's Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG). To learn more about Farmina and its premier nutritional pet food products, visit: Farmina.com . About Farmina Pet Foods Farmina Pet Foods is a family-owned company that combines nature and science to create the most nutritious, all-natural, and scientifically validated pet food. With over 50 years of expertise, Farmina is dedicated to improving the well-being of pets by using carefully selected raw ingredients that meet the nutritional needs of dogs and cats. Guided by the philosophy of "Happy Pet, Happy You," Farmina ensures its products are free from GMOs, preserved using natural methods, and developed in collaboration with leading research institutions, such as Cornell University. Farmina goes beyond nutrition by offering personalized services to pet parents, including expert nutritional consultations and tailored meal plans to support pets at every stage of life. With North American headquarters in Reidsville, NC, Farmina provides pet families with specialized food lines, such as Farmina Vet Life and Natural & Delicious, all designed to promote the health and happiness of pets. Farmina.com SOURCE Farmina Pet Foods PARIS, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NVIDIA GTC Paris at VivaTech 2025 - Firebird, an AI cloud company, and the Armenian governmentwith support from NVIDIAannounced today a vision for building advanced AI infrastructure to accelerate technology innovation and establish the Caucasus region as an AI hub. Firebird plans to launch with thousands of NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs in 2026 and will be designed with the ability to scale to over 100 megawatts of capacity. On photo from right to left: Razmig Hovaghimian CEO Fierbird, Gevorg Mantashyan First Deputy Minister of the HighTech Industry of the Republic of Armenia, Alexandr Yesayan Co-Founder Team Group, Rev Lebaredian Vice President at NVIDIA, Noubar Afeyan CEO of Flagship Pioneering Emerging from stealth, Firebird unveiled a vision for a $500 million public-private partnership with the Armenian government, which will fuel the development and growth of AI technologies in the country. This initiative will help grow the local technology ecosystem by bringing together high-performing infrastructure, talent, and innovation. By working with industry and government, Firebird aims to support economic growth and help businesses, entrepreneurs, and academia stay ahead in the cutting-edge of AI. The new AI factory marks a significant milestone in Armenia's journey toward becoming a leader in next-generation technology, building on NVIDIA's existing presence in the country. "We welcome NVIDIA's partnership and work with Firebird to build AI infrastructure in Armenia. This is a major step toward strengthening our tech sector and global partnerships," said Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. "The government is happy to support this initiative and unlock new opportunities for our people and region." "AI factories are the infrastructure of the 21st century," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. "Our collaboration with Armenia will help build foundational AI capacity and unlock new opportunities for innovation and economic growth across the region." "This is about building a launchpad for innovation from Armenia to the world," said Razmig Hovaghimian, co-founder and CEO of Firebird.ai. "We will invest in novel models, in robotics and the sciences in partnership with leading universities from around the world and build the capacity to incubate the next generation of innovators in Armenia." "We are excited about the potential for U.S. technology exports and AI leadership to drive more innovation in Armenia's dynamic tech sector, benefitting the United States and Armenia," said Kristina Kvien, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia. "U.S. companies like NVIDIA continue to offer world-leading computing and AI solutions, and we are proud that they are the partners of choice for Armenian counterparts." Regional Technology Ecosystem Support Team Group, the parent company of Telecom Armenia and Ireland's Imagine Broadband will support the development of Armenia's AI infrastructure, bringing deep technical expertise and connectivity infrastructure to accelerate deployment of the data center. The Afeyan Foundation for Armenia will join as founding investor in Firebird, and its principal, Noubar Afeyan, who is also CEO of Flagship Pioneering, will act as a strategic advisor and a founding partner of Firebird. "Armenia's next chapter in technology leadership will be built on global collaboration and long-term investment," said Afeyan. "The development of AI infrastructure for Armenia and the broader region is a bold step toward positioning the country as a meaningful contributor in the global AI landscape." This initiative marks a defining moment for Armenia's technology sector, bringing together entrepreneurial vision, world-class infrastructure, and global collaboration to unlock new opportunities for innovation and growth. Firebird and the Armenian government are laying a foundation for technology development in the region, enabling businesses and entrepreneurs to seize new opportunities brought on by AI and supporting economic growth in Armenia and across the Caucasus. At the same time, they are forging deeper ties with Europe's leading tech sectors. About Firebird Firebird.ai is a San Francisco and Yerevan based AI cloud company, launching the Caucasus' first and largest AI supercomputer in 2026, powered by NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs. Future Firebird locations will deliver sustainable, high-performance AI infrastructure to fast-growing emerging markets worldwide, reinvesting a portion of its revenue to build local technology capacity. For further information, contact: [email protected] www.firebird.ai Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2708700/Firebird.jpg SOURCE Firebird HONG KONG, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Fosun International Limited (HKEX stock code: 00656) was recently notified by the renowned British finance magazine, Global Banking and Finance Review, that it has received three awards: "ESG & Sustainability Awards Best Sustainable Development Company Asia 2025", "CSR Awards Best CSR Company Asia 2025", and "Brand of the Year Awards Holding Group Brand of the Year Asia 2025". These accolades underscore the market's recognition of Fosun's exceptional performance in ESG strategy, corporate governance, social responsibility, environmental protection, information disclosure, and stakeholder engagement. Honoring Companies for Excellence in Business Performance and Sustainable Development Global Banking and Finance Review highlighted that, after more than 30 years of development, Fosun has evolved into a global innovation-driven consumer group. As a global large-scale private enterprise, Fosun has pursued a core business-focused strategy, embraced innovation, and advanced its globalization efforts, leading to steady business growth. While enhancing its operations, Fosun has also strengthened its sustainable development management, actively fulfilling corporate social responsibility, improving ESG performance, and leveraging the resources and advantages of its global industrial ecosystem to contribute to a better world. In recognition of these efforts, the magazine honored Fosun International with three prestigious awards in ESG and sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and branding. These accolades not only acknowledge the growth potential of Fosun's core industries but also reaffirm the Company's dedication to advancing ESG-driven sustainable development. Fosun's Sustainable Development Strategy: "Create IMPACT" Looking back on the past, Fosun has always paid attention to the reform and development of the global policies in the field of sustainable development. It has established a comprehensive ESG management system, integrated ESG management requirements into business management over the years, actively responded to national and global strategies in relation to sustainable development, ensured information security, promoted technology innovation, implemented "dual carbon" goals, protected the rights and interests of employees to promote sustainable management and value creation. Last year, Fosun formulated its sustainable development strategy: "Create IMPACT", which outlines its six key long-term directions: I: Innovation-driven, M: Mindful Operation, P: People and Partner Oriented, A: Advanced Governance, C: Climate and Planet Positive and T: Transparency. Advancing Global Sustainable Development with Outstanding ESG Performance Fosun remains committed to its core businesses. By leveraging its increasingly sophisticated global business presence, it has operated responsibly across more than 35 countries and regions, actively contributing to public welfare and creating sustainable value worldwide. Fosun has long been dedicated to philanthropy projects in areas such as rural revitalization, healthcare, educational equity, community construction, culture and art, significantly expanding its impact across global communities and striving to build a more responsible, inclusive and sustainable future. As a responsible global citizen, Fosun officially joined the United Nations Global Compact ("UN Global Compact") in 2014. It fully supports the ten principles of the UN Global Compact on human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption, and has deeply integrated these principles into its "Create IMPACT" sustainable development strategy and code of conduct. Over the past year, despite the global environmental, social and economic uncertainties, Fosun remained committed to sustainable development, diligently upholding its long-term commitments in key areas of sustainable development, and achieving good results. Fosun International maintained an MSCI ESG rating of AA, achieved an HSI ESG rating of AA-, ranked in the top 5% among global peers in latest S&P Global's Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), was included in S&P Global's Sustainability Yearbook 2025, and was selected as the top 1% in S&P Global's Sustainability Yearbook 2025 (China Edition). Fosun for Good: Giving Back to Society In order to better promote the fulfillment and implementation of corporate social responsibility, Fosun Foundation was established in 2012. It has been making unremitting efforts in the fields of global emergency relief, rural revitalization, healthcare, youth entrepreneurship, education, community development and culture & art, etc. to create social value. Among these initiatives, the Rural Doctors Program has supported 25,000 rural doctors and benefited 3 million rural families since its launch in 2017. Moreover, the "Rural Doctors Program Empowering Rural Medical Services" was included in the "20 Cases of Private Sector's Sustainable Development in China for 20 Years" Report of the UN Global Compact. Fosun adheres to the innovation-driven strategy and actively facilitates its businesses to achieve innovative results so as to make greater contributions to society. Thanks to the long-term accumulated technology innovation capabilities, Fosun has continued to realize the "world's first" and "China's first" achievements. Henlius' innovative drug, HANSIZHUANG (serplulimab injection), an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, was approved for marketing in the European Union in early 2025. This milestone makes it the first and only PD-1 innovative drug approved for the first-line treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) in the European Union. As of the end of 2024, Fosun Pharma's independently developed artesunate for injection had saved more than 80 million severe malaria patients worldwide, with more than 400 million doses supplied globally. Regarding youth entrepreneurship and development, under the principle of "Innovation and People-oriented Development", Fosun Foundation, in collaboration with Fidelidade and Portugal's healthcare group Luz Saude, launched the sustainable innovation project "Protechting Open Innovation Program" in early 2016. Since 2018, Protechting has incubated 40 pilot projects and led to 5 commercial collaborations. On 9 April 2025, the 7th Protechting Open Innovation Program took place in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, where the top four finalists were announced. In May 2025, these four teams visited Shanghai, Macau, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong for exchanges and roadshows, while also seeking potential business collaboration opportunities. Over the past seven years, Protechting has expanded from Portugal to Europe and now to China and beyond, becoming an international platform for technology innovation exchange that connects young people from different cultures and continents. Looking ahead, Fosun remains dedicated to advancing its social responsibility through innovation and responsible global operations. Guided by its "Create IMPACT" sustainable development strategy, Fosun will intensify its efforts to build a more responsible, inclusive and sustainable future. SOURCE Fosun EAST HARTFORD, Conn., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodwin University is proud to shine a spotlight on Susan Johnson, an extraordinary member of the class of 2025 whose perseverance, academic excellence, and personal resilience have earned her not only the title of valedictorian but also the school's Award for Academic Excellence in the Bachelor of Science in Human Services program. Susan Johnson (left) received the Award for Academic Excellence with Human Services program director Dr. Liz Lane (right). A single mother of four, Susan spent years working tirelessly as a nanny while receiving SNAP benefits to make ends meet but she knew she was capable of more. When Susan received a flyer in the mail about free associate degree programs offered through Goodwin University's partnership with the state SNAP program, she saw a pathway to a brighter future for her and her young family. Susan officially enrolled in Goodwin's associate degree program in human services in 2018 and everything changed. By the end of her program, Susan earned her associate degree summa cum laude. Soon after, she joined the University staff as a senior administrative assistant, a role that empowered her to pursue her bachelor's degree in Human Services while working full-time and raising her daughters. Her GPA? An astonishing 4.0, and she is presently pursuing a master's degree in Public Health. Susan's story reaches its pinnacle this week as she prepares to represent her fellow 2025 graduates as valedictorian, carrying the Goodwin University flag and ringing the Goodwin Bell during commencement ceremonies. "You have it in you to make the end of your story better than how it began," says Susan. "No matter where you start, you have the power to rewrite the future and I am living proof of that." University leaders agree. "Susan's journey from SNAP recipient to University graduate and employee exemplifies the transformative power of education and determination," said Goodwin's Human Services program director, Liz Lane. "She is an inspiration for those who cross the stage at commencement this week, as well as those who sit in the stands." University President Mark Scheinberg echoes this sentiment. "Susan reminds us what's possible when opportunity meets resilience and the support of an educational community. She embodies the mission of Goodwin University at its best: removing barriers to education, championing learners of all ages and backgrounds, and helping students write new chapters in their lives filled with purpose and potential." Media outlets are invited to cover Susan's story and the award presentation. Interviews with Susan and University representatives are available by request. Commencement Information: Date: Thursday, June 12 Time: 4 p.m. Location: Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut Visuals: Susan addressing the crowd, receiving the Academic Excellence Award, ringing the bell, and carrying the university flag. MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES: One-on-one interviews with Susan Johnson Interviews with Liz Lane and university leaders about Susan's recognition and university leaders about Susan's recognition Footage and photos from commencement About Goodwin University: Goodwin University in East Hartford, Connecticut, is an innovative learning community that empowers hard-working students to become sought-after employees. We tailor our programs to address the needs of employers, and we shape them to fit the lives of students. Classes are conveniently offered year-round days, evenings, weekends, and online. Degrees may be flexibly layered across certificate, associate, bachelor's, and master's programs in a variety of in-demand fields. Better still, we surround our students with the personal support and the professional guidance they need not just to earn degrees, but to change lives for themselves, their families, and their communities. For more information, please visit www.goodwin.edu. To schedule interviews or request media access, contact: Peter Decoteau, [email protected], 860-748-8246 SOURCE Goodwin University TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, June 11. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has already put its money where its mouth is in Uzbekistan, with investments topping 5.5 billion euros, and this year, they're looking to add another 1.1 billion euros to the pot, primarily to give the private sector a leg up, Trend reports, citing the Uzbek presidents office. This announcement came ahead of the third session of the Foreign Investors Council, during discussions between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and a delegation from the EBRD led by the banks President Odile Renaud-Basso. The delegation highlighted the successful implementation of the Partnership Strategy, including ongoing transformative initiatives in the banking sector actively supported by the EBRD. President Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of enhancing the efficiency of cooperation and outlined key priority areas for future collaboration. These priorities include technological modernization of the water supply system, advancement of energy efficiency programs, development of the mortgage market, expansion of infrastructure for free economic zones, growth opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises, and support for womens entrepreneurship. Focused emphasis was placed on advancing synergistic collaborations between public and private sectors in the domains of education and healthcare, alongside fostering innovation ecosystems for startups concentrating on artificial intelligence and digital transformation initiatives. Furthermore, a discourse was conducted concerning the strategic framework for the imminent third convening of the Foreign Investors Council. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel On the same visit, H.E. Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League delivered an historic address on girls' education at Duke University. DURHAM, N.C., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke University and the Geneva Islamic Cultural Foundation, an organisation seeded by the Muslim Word League, have formalized a significant new partnership aimed at mobilizing young religious leaders worldwide to confront climate change and advocate for interfaith cooperation. The historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is designed to support the work of Faith For Our Planet (FFOP)the global interfaith environmental initiative housed under the Geneva Islamic Cultural Foundation (GICF). Duke University and the Geneva Islamic Cultural Foundation signed a significant MOU to confront climate change and advocate for interfaith cooperation H.E. Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, met with the Duke University president, Mr Vincent Edward Price H.E. Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, delivers an historic address on girls' education The agreement, hailed as a profound step forward in faith-based diplomacy, establishes a framework for wide-ranging collaboration on environmental research, student and faculty exchanges, and community outreach rooted in shared values of stewardship and compassion. The agreement comes on the back of the third annual Duke University-FFOP youth climate interfaith fellowship program. Launched in 2022, it stands as the world's first global youth interfaith fellowship dedicated to combating climate change. Engagement with Global Youth Religious Leaders: During the visit, H.E. Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa engaged in a comprehensive dialogue with members of the third cohort of the global youth Fellowship program at Duke Divinity School. The engagement was with approximately 20 young and prominent faith leaders from across the globe including Bolivia, India, Ghana, the UK and Saudi Arabia and from faith traditions as diverse as Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and indigenous. Meeting with Duke University President H.E. Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa also had a personal meeting with Duke University president, Mr Vincent Edward Price, during which areas of alignment between the Muslim world league and Duke University were explored, as well as potential areas of future collaboration between the two entities. Historic Address on Girls' Education Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa delivered a compelling keynote lecture at a major reception event at Duke University, calling for renewed global commitment to girls' education. He highlighted the moral urgency of ensuring access to education for all children, calling it "not only a fundamental human right, but a divine commandment rooted in faith". "When a girl is denied an education, the world loses its balance," Dr. Al-Issa stated. "Think of the doctors never trained, the solutions never discovered, the stories never told. This issue transcends genderit is fundamental to human progress and the sacred duty of all faiths." His words built on efforts that he and the Muslim World League engaged in earlier this year in Islamabad, where an unprecedented coalition of Islamic scholars, policymakers and activists - including Malala Yousafzai - convened to support the universal right of girls to education across the Islamic world. Notable speakers and delegates participating at the Duke University public event included: Alec Gallimore , Provost, Duke University , Provost, Mohamed Noor , Executive Vice Provost, Duke University , Executive Vice Provost, Heela Yoon , Founder, Afghan Youth Ambassadors for Peace Organization (FFOP Fellow, 2025) , Founder, Afghan Youth Ambassadors for Peace Organization (FFOP Fellow, 2025) Natalie S. Murdock , Senator, North Carolina Legislature , Senator, North Carolina Legislature Sophia Chitlik , Senator, North Carolina General Assembly A Transformational Collaboration The MOU between Duke University and the Geneva Islamic Cultural Foundation partnership lays the groundwork for expanded cooperation between the two entities. "This partnership is more than an agreement on paper it is a beacon of hope for our planet and our shared future," said H.E. Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa who witnessed the signing. "By uniting the strengths of a leading American university with the Geneva Islamic Cultural Foundation, we are empowering a new generation of faith leaders to tackle global crises with knowledge, compassion, and moral conviction." NOTES Photos, transcripts, and recordings from the event available upon request. We have included a small selection of photos below: Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2708659/Signing_of_MOU.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2708660/Issa_and_Duke_President.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2708661/Secretary_General_Muslim_World_League.jpg SOURCE Geneva Islamic Cultural Foundation 20242025 San Francisco Civil Grand Jury Report examines technology governance and preparedness for emerging AI applications SAN FRANCISCO, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The rapid proliferation of AI has created once-in-a-generation challenges and opportunities for governments. San Francisco is no exception. Government in the capital of AI innovation is taking some positive steps but is failing to fully embrace technology that can dramatically improve the productivity of civil servants and the relationship between the city and the public, the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury reported today. Just as San Francisco's private sector is the center of AI innovation, its government should be a model for innovation and an exemplar for how AI can make city workers more productive and city services better. The Jury identifies several cultural and structural factors holding back digital transformation. First, City Hall has been too focused on guardrails around AI and not focused enough on encouraging thoughtful education, experimentation, and empowerment among city staff. Second, technology management and purchasing is fragmented and driven at the department level, when it would in many ways benefit from a guiding hand of city technologists directing a comprehensive digital strategy. Lastly, governance mechanisms meant to align policy in the city have not lived up to their promise. An overhaul is needed. The Jury puts forth several recommendations to address these issues, including: Mayoral emphasis on the importance of an AI-curious culture and the centrality of technology to making city services work for all Greater emphasis on partnership with the immense AI talent pool in the Bay Area Centralizing more personnel, procurement and governance with the aim of empowering civic technologists to own the city's success or failure to innovate "Embracing AI isn't about chasing a fad; it's about giving employees the best tools to solve civic problems," noted Cameron Parker, Investigation Committee Chair. "Going slow or doing nothing also has a price tag and may prove to be quite expensive." To read the full report, Techs in the City: Government's Opportunity to Seize the AI Moment, please visit https://www.sf.gov/resource--2025--civil-grand-jury-reports-2024-2025 About the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury The Superior Court selects 19 San Franciscans to serve year-long terms as Civil Grand Jurors. The Jury has the authority to investigate City and County government by reviewing documents and interviewing public officials and private individuals. At the end of its inquiries, the Jury issues reports of its findings and recommendations. Agencies identified in the report must respond to these findings and recommendations within either 60 or 90 days, and the Board of Supervisors conducts a public hearing on each Civil Grand Jury report after those responses are submitted. For more information, visit the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury website: https://civilgrandjury.sfgov.org . SOURCE San Francisco Civil Grand Jury Key Partnership Drives Next-Generation Long-Range, High-Speed, and Low-Power IoT Solutions Across Diverse Industries SYDNEY and IRVINE, Calif., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Morse Micro , the world's leading provider of Wi-Fi HaLow chips, today announces a partnership with Heltec Automation to accelerate the delivery of Wi-Fi HaLow enabled devices. Heltec Automation has integrated Morse Micro's MM6108 WiFi HaLow SoC into a suite of five highly differentiated products enabling new long-range connectivity, high data speeds, and energy-efficient performance for industrial and commercial IoT. "This partnership marks a step in advancing IoT connectivity," said Michael De Nil, co-founder and CEO of Morse Micro. "By embedding our WiFi HaLow technology into Heltec Automation's innovative products, we're enabling developers and end-users to harness robust, secure, and scalable wireless communications for a wide range of applications such as smart grid, industrial automation and smart cities." This partnership combines Morse Micro's industryleading wireless technology with Heltec Automation's expertise in hardware innovation to drive a new era of connectivity solutions. By setting new standards in transmission range, data speed, and power efficiency, Heltec's new Wi-Fi HaLow designs are poised to impact sectors ranging from smart cities and industrial automation to remote surveillance and intelligent manufacturing. Specifically, Heltec Automation has launched a new product line showcasing the versatility and power of WiFi HaLow technology. It includes the following five products: Wi Fi HaLow Module (HT HC01): A compact Wi-Fi HaLow module optimized for easy integration into a variety of PCBs, delivering excellent RF performance in the 902928 MHz band. With longrange transmission, multiple channel bandwidth options, and low power consumption, the HTHC01 module is ideally suited for batteryoperated devices that require extended sleep modes without sacrificing connectivity. A compact Wi-Fi HaLow module optimized for easy integration into a variety of PCBs, delivering excellent RF performance in the 902928 MHz band. With longrange transmission, multiple channel bandwidth options, and low power consumption, the HTHC01 module is ideally suited for batteryoperated devices that require extended sleep modes without sacrificing connectivity. ESP32 Wi Fi HaLow Camera (HT HC32) : Built on the ESP32S3 MCU with the HTHC01 module, this development board offers highspeed (up to 32 Mbps) and longrange (over 1 km) wireless communication. It features a 200pixel wideangle camera with advanced image processing capabilitiesincluding auto exposure and gain controlalongside support for Arduino development, integrated SD card storage, and comprehensive connectivity options. : Built on the ESP32S3 MCU with the HTHC01 module, this development board offers highspeed (up to 32 Mbps) and longrange (over 1 km) wireless communication. It features a 200pixel wideangle camera with advanced image processing capabilitiesincluding auto exposure and gain controlalongside support for Arduino development, integrated SD card storage, and comprehensive connectivity options. HT H7608 Wi Fi HaLow Router / Gateway: Designed for intelligent manufacturing, smart cities, and more, this dualband gateway supports both WiFi HaLow and 2.4 GHz networks. Its flexible networking methods (AP, STA, Mesh) and robust hardware allow for easy configuration, OTA upgrades via web UI, and the simultaneous connection of a significantly higher number of devices than traditional access points. Designed for intelligent manufacturing, smart cities, and more, this dualband gateway supports both WiFi HaLow and 2.4 GHz networks. Its flexible networking methods (AP, STA, Mesh) and robust hardware allow for easy configuration, OTA upgrades via web UI, and the simultaneous connection of a significantly higher number of devices than traditional access points. Raspberry Pi Wi Fi HaLow Camera HAT (Pi CamLow): This purposebuilt Raspberry Pi HAT integrates a 5MP camera and HTHC01 WiFi HaLow module, enabling rapid remote transmission of highresolution images. With support for dynamic and static image capture and advanced imaging features, PiCamLow opens new possibilities for Raspberry Pi development in remote surveillance and other applications. This purposebuilt Raspberry Pi HAT integrates a 5MP camera and HTHC01 WiFi HaLow module, enabling rapid remote transmission of highresolution images. With support for dynamic and static image capture and advanced imaging features, PiCamLow opens new possibilities for Raspberry Pi development in remote surveillance and other applications. WiFi HaLow Dongle 802.11ah Long-Range Wireless Network Bridge: Engineered to replace Ethernet in select scenarios, this dongle leverages the HTHD01 module and supports four bandwidth modes for maximum flexibility. Whether paired with the HTH7608 router for star networking or used in pointtopoint communication, the dongle provides seamless integration with existing networks. "Heltec Automation is proud to join forces with Morse Micro," said Allen Ma, Commercial Director at Heltec Automation. "Integrating WiFi HaLow into our product range not only reinforces our commitment to innovation but also empowers our customers with versatile, highperformance tools that redefine what's possible in IoT deployments." About Morse Micro Morse Micro is the leading Wi-Fi HaLow fabless semiconductor company, revolutionizing IoT connectivity with award-winning technology. Headquartered in Sydney, with global offices in the United States, Taiwan, China, India, Japan and the United Kingdom, Morse Micro is driving the adoption of next-generation long-range, low-power Wi-Fi HaLow solutions. Its cutting-edge MM6108 and newly launched MM8108 silicon deliver the fastest, smallest, lowest-power, and longest-range Wi-Fi HaLow connectivity on the market. Morse Micro's Wi-Fi HaLow technology is gaining unstoppable momentum globally, enabling connected devices to achieve ten times the range, covering 100 times the area of traditional Wi-Fi networks. This advancement is transforming IoT connectivity across various sectors, including smart homes, industrial automation, and smart cities. About Heltec Automation Heltec Automation is a global leader in developing cuttingedge IoT solutions. With a strong emphasis on innovative design and advanced RF performance, Heltec Automation provides versatile hardware products that address the everevolving demands of modern connectivity, ensuring robust performance across a wide array of applications. SOURCE Morse Micro PITTSBURGH, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Highmark Health has been awarded a $1.75 million grant from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation to help older adults in western Pennsylvania confidently use technology to manage their health and improve their overall well-being. The two-year initiative, called "SUPPORT for Seniors", will address the unique challenges seniors face when using health-related technology. While technology offers convenience and bridges gaps between doctor visits, ongoing personal interaction and support are vital to establish familiarity, confidence, and trust in the use of health technology. "Health care is rapidly transforming, with technology playing a central role in enhancing patient care and outcomes," said Anil Singh, MD, MPH, MMM, senior vice president, executive medical director, population and curated health, Highmark Health. "With the investment from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation, the SUPPORT for Seniors project will help us better understand and reconcile the digital gap and empower older adults to actively manage their health through accessible technology." During the two-year program, Highmark Health plans to support 150-200 Highmark members aged 65 and older in western Pennsylvania. The program will focus on individuals receiving in-home health support while managing chronic conditions such as hypertension, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure (CHF), or a behavioral health condition. "Identifying patients at the right time and enabling them to stay engaged in essential health programs is fundamental in shifting more care to the home and outside of institutional settings," said Mona Siddiqui, MD, senior vice president for home and community services at Highmark Health. "Through this funding, Highmark Health will study how to best design a support system to boost seniors' self-assurance, enabling them to manage their health while remaining in the home." Highmark Health will use predictive analytics, through its post-acute network management company, Helion, to develop an algorithm that identifies older adults who would benefit most from using technology to manage their health and match them with tailored solutions. To provide hands-on support, the organization will equip community health workers (CHWs) with specialized training to offer personalized technical assistance, enabling older adults to effectively leverage health technology. This dedicated support will complement the care provided by home health nurses, allowing them to focus on other aspects of care. The program's success will be measured by tracking seniors' adoption and engagement with technology, the effectiveness of CHW support, and the impact on patient health, including reductions in hospitalizations and improvements in chronic condition management. A continuous feedback loop, informed by data-driven evaluation, will ensure the support system remains adaptable, relevant, and cost-effective in improving health engagement and outcomes while reducing health care utilization for participants. Support for the initiative is part of the Henry L. Hillman Foundation's Aging Well strategic priority, which aims to help the region prepare for a smaller and older population and promote healthy aging among its residents. This initiative builds on Highmark Health's pilot program, also funded by a $250,000 grant from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation, which explored technology barriers for Allegheny County seniors with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Highmark Health is uniquely positioned to lead the development of this improved technology support system, leveraging insights from its pilot study. About Highmark Health Highmark Health, a Pittsburgh, PA-based enterprise that employs more than 44,000 people who serve millions of Americans across the country, is the parent company of Highmark Inc., Allegheny Health Network, and enGen. Highmark Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates provide health insurance to more than 7 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and New York, as well as dental insurance, and related health products through a national network of diversified businesses. Allegheny Health Network is an integrated delivery network in western Pennsylvania comprised of 14 hospitals, more than 2,500 affiliated physicians, ambulatory surgery centers, an employed physician organization, home and community-based health services, a research institute, a group purchasing organization, and health and wellness pavilions. enGen is a wholly owned subsidiary of Highmark Health whose dynamic ecosystem of smart automation and technology supports and streamlines complex operations for health plans and their provider partners. To learn more, visit www.highmarkhealth.org. About Henry L. Hillman Foundation Henry L. Hillman Foundation works to ensure that Pittsburgh's considerable strengths, assets, and advantages are fully leveraged to make it one of the world's most innovative and forward-looking cities, building on the late Henry L. Hillman's legacy for solving big problems through civic leadership and collaboration. Henrylhillmanfoundation.org *Please note the full name of Henry L. Hillman Foundation should be used and not shortened to "Hillman Foundation," which is a similarly named but separate entity. PR Contact: Catherine Clements, Highmark Health 724-757-2800 [email protected] SOURCE Highmark Health Non-Binding Indication of Interest Deadline: June 18, 2025 NEW YORK, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Streambank (www.HilcoStreambank.com), a market-leading advisory firm specializing in the monetization of intangible assets, announced today that it is seeking offers to acquire the intellectual property and related intangible assets of Nikola Corporation (" Nikola "), a pioneer in hydrogen fuel cell and battery-electric vehicle technologies. Indications of interest are due June 18, 2025. Founded in 2015, Nikola led the development of proprietary technology for the next generation of zero-emission vehicles and associated hydrogen infrastructure. The company manufactured both battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell Class 8 trucks, with nearly 330 units delivered to date. Nikola's vehicle-to-cloud digital ecosystem and hydrogen refueling systems are supported by a portfolio of differentiated IP assets with broad application across clean mobility and energy markets. Available Assets Include Full-Stack Vehicle-to-Cloud Software Platform Supporting advanced diagnostics, remote configuration, route analytics, and encrypted fleet management Supporting advanced diagnostics, remote configuration, route analytics, and encrypted fleet management Active U.S. & International Patents and Applications Covering fuel cell systems, battery management, thermal systems, EV drivetrain design, hydrogen refueling, and more Covering fuel cell systems, battery management, thermal systems, EV drivetrain design, hydrogen refueling, and more Registered U.S. & International Trademarks & Domain Names Featuring the globally recognized NIKOLA brand Featuring the globally recognized NIKOLA brand 5 Million+ Miles of Real-World EV Truck Analytics Enabling insight-rich optimization for commercial fleet operations "Nikola has developed a robust portfolio of innovative solutions across hydrogen and battery-electric vehicle technologies, with global brand equity and a strategic patent portfolio cited by leading OEMs," said David Peress, Executive Vice President of Hilco Streambank. Peress continued, "This portfolio offers a compelling range of opportunities for a broad spectrum of buyers including vehicle OEMs looking to accelerate hydrogen or battery-electric programs, energy companies pursuing vertical integration, or technology investors seeking a defensible and scalable platform in the software-defined vehicle space, this offering delivers the tools to support rapid innovation, market entry, and strategic differentiation." Interested parties may submit offers for all or a portion of the assets. For further information or to request access to diligence materials, please contact the Hilco Streambank deal team at [email protected]. David Peress EVP Gabe Fried CEO Jordon Parker VP Stella Silverstein Analyst Nikola and various of its affiliates are debtors in Chapter 11 proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 25-10258). The sale of Nikola's intangible assets and Hilco Streambank's retention are subject to bankruptcy court approval. About Hilco Streambank: Hilco Streambank is a market-leading advisory firm specializing in intellectual property valuation, advisory, and monetization. Having completed numerous transactions, including sales in publicly reported transactions, private transactions, and online sales through IPv4.Global , Hilco Streambank has established itself as the premier intermediary in the consumer brand, internet, technology, and telecom communities. Hilco Streambank is part of Northbrook, Illinois-based Hilco Global , the world's leading authority on maximizing the value of business assets by delivering valuation, monetization, and advisory solutions to an international marketplace. Hilco Global operates more than twenty specialized business units offering services that include asset valuation and appraisal, retail and industrial inventory acquisition and disposition, real estate, and strategic capital equity investments. SOURCE Hilco Streambank SHANGHAI, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 11, 2025, at SNEC 2025, Hithium, a leading global energy storage technology company, held a product safety technology sharing event themed "Leading the Future, Forged for Safety", and announced the successful mass production of the world's first kAh battery cellCell 1175Ahat its Chongqing manufacturing base. This marks the beginning of a new phase, where long-duration energy storage enters scaled deployment. Overcoming Core Technical Barriers to Achieve First kAh Battery Cell Mass Production Hithiums Chongqing manufacturing base producing the Cell 1175Ah Hithium accurately foresaw the arrival of the long-duration energy storage era and made investments in the R&D and manufacturing of kAh battery cells as early as 2022. Faced with unprecedented challenges in size, process complexity, and quality control, Hithium has realized five key innovations across the entire manufacturing chain in the Chongqing manufacturing base: Breakthrough in wide-width thick coating precision: Achieved a coating mass density COV of less than 0.2%, with online inspection through high-precision CCD cameras, ensuring consistent and stable product quality. Enhanced efficiency in large-electrode stacking: Reached 0.5mm alignment accuracy and 0.1625 seconds per sheet, increasing stacking throughput by 35% compared to conventional processes. Original cell structure design: Introduced a proprietary "integrated 3D airflow top cover" structure; dedicated automation equipment ensures manufacturing stability and structural strength of large-size componentsbreaking industry bottlenecks. Improved back-end cell manufacturing efficiency: Developed high-efficiency baking, 1.2MPa high-pressure isostatic electrolyte filling, and high-rate formation and grading processes, boosting back-end manufacturing efficiency by 45%. Greater consistency in cell wrapping : Introduced a highly compatible flexible lamination roller system to effectively solve industry-wide issues such as wrinkling and bubbling in ultra-large cell packaging. Establishing a New Industry Standard for Full-Lifecycle Safety As system energy density increases with larger-capacity designs, product safety remains the uncompromising foundation for deployment. During the event, Dr. Xiaoxiao Liu, Hithium's product safety expert, presented that Hithium incorporates a multi-level safety architecture across the cell, module, and system levels to ensure full-lifecycle safety for large-capacity energy storage systems. At the cell level, the cell adopts advanced electrolyte formulation to form high-temperature-resistant SEI and CEI layers, enhancing both safety and cycle life. At the Pack level, a dual-mode thermal protection structure prevents thermal propagation and oxygen ingress. At the BMS level, functional safety and cybersecurity are integrated via multimodal early warning algorithms and redundant control technologies to ensure stable and secure system operation. At the system, multi-layer fire-resistant and heat-insulating materials, a reinforced internal frame, and intelligent fire detection and suppression systems work together to maintain structural integrity and proactively prevent thermal runaway. Backed by Authoritative Certifications, Accelerating Global Expansion At SNEC 2025, Hithium's Cell 1175Ah received UL 1973 and UL 9540A certifications from UL Solutions, a globally recognized safety authority. These certifications confirm that Cell 1175Ah meets global safety standards, laying a solid foundation for its entry into the North American market. Hithium also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with El Mor, the leading EPC company in Israel, to launch Hithium's first long-duration energy storage project in Romania, accelerating the development of the local long-duration energy storage market. The successful mass production of the world's first kAh battery cell is the latest demonstration of Hithium's ability to break through industry bottlenecks in both R&D and manufacturing. As the world accelerates into the era of long-duration energy storage, Cell 1175Ah is poised to become a new market benchmark. Ranked as a top 3 company in global energy storage battery shipment, Hithium continues to lead the industry as an innovation-driven value creator. SOURCE HiTHIUM A bold and unflinching examination of how these powerful factions altered the program and stole the original trust the founders intended to benefit to the American people. ATLANTA, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In an era of increasing land use policies, American home ownership crises, and a collapse of any domestic resource extraction and supply chains, The History of Federal Lands in the United States by Ron Nielsen arrives like a thunderclap, cutting through centuries of myth to expose the raw and often violent struggle over who and more importantly *how * the federal government claims to own 640 million acres in the domestic US and the constant attempt to apply the government's article 1, section 8, clause 17 power to the entire stockpile outside of Washington DC. Who Owns the West? Post this The History of Federal Lands in the United States by Ron Nielsen Released to critical buzz and already igniting spirited conversations among historians, policymakers, and activists, Nielsen's provocative work challenges everything you thought you knew about federal property ownership in the U.S. - from colonial conquest to redlining, treaties, homesteading, and the mandate of the land disposal program. "In practice, the twelve western states should have eventually looked like Illinois, with most land being privately owned and the state and federal governments retaining small amounts for public and administrative purposes." writes Nielsen. **"The federal government certainly should not claim 61% ownership (Idaho as an example) of the lands in any western state with the intent to own and hold said quantities ** ad-infinitum ." With an incisive blend of academic rigor and compelling narrative, Nielsen traces the evolution of the land program from the first acquisition in 1783, to the present. He dives deep into the legal architecture and policy that shaped westward expansion, the settling of the territories, and the rise of corporate control over resource rich rural landscapes. Each chapter reads like a detective story, unraveling how foundational land policies have disproportionately benefited the wealthy and marginalized the poor. A Nation Built on Displacement and Deals Nielsen's book is unflinching in its revelations. From the to the Homestead Act's manipulation by speculators, the dismantling of domestic resource extraction and from economic stimulus policies built into the newly acquired lands to today's controversial land grabs by private equity firms, The History of Federal Lands in the United States shows how the American dream of land ownership has often been anything but equitable. But Nielsen doesn't stop at critique. The book offers a hopeful, action-oriented perspective, exploring grassroots activism, and community-led development efforts that are challenging entrenched systems of power. The overarching goal Nielsen puts forward encompasses a re-examination of the intention of the land program with an emphasis on building a strong and vibrant domestic resource extraction and supply chain that will propel the United States into the next era of global competition. This timely work throws the federal land door wide open just as the country faces a potential economic tsunami, and points to the promise of 'resurgence' of national cohesion and unity. An Urgent Wake-Up Call At a time when federal land projects are rising and environmental justice lays siege to the intention of the land program, Nielsen's work provides a crucial lens through which to understand America's fractured past and imagine a more equitable future. As Americans now struggle with a fiat money system that appears to have been seized by an elite class to work for them and against the common man, hard assets such as Gold and silver are becoming mandatory holdings to avoid the dangers of third-party counter risk. The current momentum of gold points to a "Gold-Buffalo future" for America, and a potential way out of what may turn into a catastrophic economic failure. It's almost as if this potential scenario was seen ahead of time and then accounted for by keeping large reserves of these metals in the western states in the ground for just such a moment. Whether you're a student, activist, policy expert, or simply a citizen concerned about your place in the American landscape, The History of Federal Lands in the United States is a must-read. Now Available on Amazon Don't miss your chance to dive into one of the most important historical works of the decade. Now available on Amazon. Discover the truth behind the land beneath your feet. Buy your copy today. Media Contact: Kaylee York, [email protected], #423-305-8689 Ronald Lynn Nielsen is the President of Nanotech Corporation, a mining-adjacent chemistry and precious metals services and consulting company based out of Elk City, Idaho. SOURCE Nano Tech Corporation HUNTSVILLE, Texas, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Zeto, Inc. is proud to announce the success of a new onsite EEG program at Huntsville Memorial Hospital (HMH) that has helped reduce emergency room patient transfers and improve access to neurological diagnostics for the Huntsville community and surrounding areas. As the only hospital within a 30-mile radius, HMH now offers critical services that previously required transfers to larger facilities in Conroe, The Woodlands, or Houston. Huntsville Memorial Hospital now offers EEG services that previously required transfers to larger facilities Post this Since the EEG program's launch in December 2024, Huntsville Memorial Hospital has been able to admit more than 40 patients who would otherwise have been transferred to a facility over 30 miles away at a minimum. An EEG (electroencephalogram) is a test that measures electrical activity in the brain and is commonly used to diagnose seizures, stroke, and other neurological conditions. Faced with a high volume of neuro-related transfers and limited access to specialty care, HMH leadership assembled a task force to study ER transfer patterns. "We looked at two years of transfer data and saw that many patients were being transferred for neuro-related issues, particularly when an EEG was needed," said Joe Schorre, Director of Cardiopulmonary and Emergency Management, who led the EEG implementation at HMH. "Our goal was to turn those transfers into local admissions." Knowing that the EEG services were needed for Huntsville and Walker County, the hospital explored options for bringing neurological diagnostics in-house as part of a broader inpatient teleneurology and stroke program. The result was the successful implementation of a rapid EEG solution from Zeto that requires no gels or pastes and can be set up by respiratory therapists in under five minutes. "We're not EEG techs, so we needed a solution that was easy to learn, easy to apply, and could integrate with remote neurologists for interpretation," said Schorre. Since the program's launch in December 2024, HMH has been able to admit more than 40 patients who would otherwise have been transferred to a facility over 30 miles away at a minimum. "Having the ability to implement an EEG program here at HMH is huge step forward for us to elevate the level of care for Walker County residents. Receiving high quality services closer to home which means families and loved ones don't have to travel, lose time from work, or worry about being separated from loved ones during treatment," Patrick Shannon, CEO of HMH stated. "For many in our rural community, that makes a huge difference." The program has also supported the development of an outpatient EEG program, allowing local primary care providers to refer patients for pre-neurology diagnostic testing. "We're helping patients get their EEG and MRI here, so by the time they go to the neurologist, they have data in hand," said Schorre. "It shortens the wait time and gets them the care they need faster." Looking ahead, HMH plans to expand services into continuous EEG monitoring and outpatient teleneurology. "This is about doing what's right for our community. We don't have local neurology, but we do have smart, committed staff and the tools to support them," said Schorre. About Huntsville Memorial Hospital Huntsville Memorial Hospital, Huntsville, Texas, is currently a 123-bed, CIHQaccredited, notforprofit acute care community hospital. HMH delivers quality healthcare services to the residents of Walker County and its surrounding communities, a population of more than 82,000. HMH and its dedicated staff offer compassionate care and the latest technologies and treatment solutions. HMH holds the American Heart Association Primary Stroke Center designation. HMH keeps community health and wellness at the forefront of its mission. Please visit us at www.huntsvillememorial.com. SOURCE Zeto, Inc. LOS ANGELES, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The DJS Law Group announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Ibotta, Inc. ("Ibotta" or "the Company") (NYSE: IBTA) for violations of the securities laws. INVESTIGATION DETAILS: The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Ibotta reported its financial reports for the second quarter of 2024 on August 13, 2024. The Company reported a net loss of $34 million caused by a doubling of operating expenses. The Company also provided a third quarter revenue forecast beneath analyst estimates. Based on this news, shares of Ibotta fell sharply on the next day. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, contact us to participate. WHY DJS LAW GROUP? DJS Law Group's primary focus is to enhance investor return through balanced counseling and aggressive advocacy. We specialize in securities class actions, corporate governance litigation, and domestic/international M&A appraisals. Our clients are some of the largest and most sophisticated hedge funds and alternative asset managers in the world. The litigation claims of our clients are extraordinarily valuable assets that demand respect, focus, and results. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. CONTACT: David J. Schwartz DJS Law Group 274 White Plains Road, Suite 1 Eastchester, NY 10709 Phone: 914-206-9742 Email: [email protected] SOURCE DJS Law Group LLP TAIPEI, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With the global Threads craze sweeping across the world, how can brands quickly seize the opportunity in this emerging social media landscape? iKala, a leading AI company, today announced a significant update to its global influencer marketing platform, Kolr! Effective May 27, 2025, Kolr has officially integrated global Threads social media data into its strategic landscape, successfully expanding its database to cover six major social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X (Twitter), and Threads. Kolr continuously optimizes its platform through AI, striving to provide brands with the most immediate and comprehensive influencer data analysis and marketing strategy recommendations. The addition of Threads will undoubtedly inject new momentum into global brands' social media marketing strategies. To celebrate this major upgrade and resonate with Threads' unique social atmosphere, Kolr is simultaneously launching a highly engaging Threads MBTI social personality quiz game available in Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and English (URL: https://lihi.cc/iif5K ). This quiz leverages Kolr's powerful AI smart computing to not only analyze your interaction patterns on Threads but also reveal your unexpected "hidden online persona" behind the keyboard on "Threads"! Curious if you're an "Opinion Leader," a "Silent Observer," or a "Trendsetter"? Take the quiz now and share your exclusive social personality to ignite a new wave of social discussion! "Threads' rapid rise presents unprecedented opportunities and challenges for brands," said Sega, CEO of iKala. "Kolr's integration of Threads data and the launch of this fun AI personality quiz aim to empower brands to gain a deeper understanding of the emerging social ecosystem, build stronger connections with target audiences through innovative interactive methods, and ultimately achieve marketing goals that combine both brand and performance." Kolr's Exclusive AI Engine: Three Core Technologies Igniting New Brand Growth Momentum In the ever-changing torrent of social media, Kolr's core competitiveness stems from its industry-leading exclusive AI technology, providing brands with unprecedented marketing tools: Precise Targeting, Perfect Match: Say goodbye to searching for a needle in a haystack! Kolr's proprietary AI influencer classification and prediction model meticulously categorizes influencers into 278 types. Through continuous AI learning, it can not only track their post performance but also predict content trends and audience preferences, ensuring that every brand collaboration precisely reaches the target audience and creates maximum resonance. Say goodbye to searching for a needle in a haystack! Kolr's proprietary AI influencer classification and prediction model meticulously categorizes influencers into 278 types. Through continuous AI learning, it can not only track their post performance but also predict content trends and audience preferences, ensuring that every brand collaboration precisely reaches the target audience and creates maximum resonance. Insight into Trends, Seizing Opportunities: Influencer styles and themes are constantly evolving. How do you catch the next wave of popularity? Kolr AI dynamically detects the evolution of influencer content and their style transformation trajectories, helping brands anticipate shifts in social media trends. This allows them to accurately identify potential collaborators and emerging topics, enabling them to strategize ahead of competitors and gain market voice. Influencer styles and themes are constantly evolving. How do you catch the next wave of popularity? Kolr AI dynamically detects the evolution of influencer content and their style transformation trajectories, helping brands anticipate shifts in social media trends. This allows them to accurately identify potential collaborators and emerging topics, enabling them to strategize ahead of competitors and gain market voice. Threads Combat Power Expansion, Unlimited Potential: With the strong injection of global Threads influencer data, Kolr's influencer database has surged by 33%! This means brands can delve deeper into Threads data, uncovering unique influencers and social interaction patterns that were previously difficult to access, unlocking unlimited collaboration potential and new marketing touchpoints. Say Goodbye to Marketing Blind Spots! Kolr AI Addresses Three Key Pain Points to Build a Winning Engine for Brands Does traditional influencer marketing often leave you feeling confused and powerless? Kolr understands the challenges faced by brands, and this strategic expansion into the Threads landscape is precisely to address the following core pain points: Pain Point 1: Sifting through potential influencers for a needle in a haystack, and struggling to find ways to increase traffic ? Kolr AI Solution: AI-Powered Precise Discovery x Deep Data Insights. Stop the manual grind! Kolr AI's powerful filters help you quickly cut through the social media surface and precisely locate potential rising stars on various platforms (especially those uniquely promising and underexploited on Threads!). We don't just provide basic influencer information; we offer deep insights including follower demographics, real interaction performance, and estimated content effectiveness, helping you instantly grasp an influencer's true value and potential. Kolr AI Solution: AI-Powered Precise Discovery x Deep Data Insights. Stop the manual grind! Kolr AI's powerful filters help you quickly cut through the social media surface and precisely locate potential rising stars on various platforms (especially those uniquely promising and underexploited on Threads!). We don't just provide basic influencer information; we offer deep insights including follower demographics, real interaction performance, and estimated content effectiveness, helping you instantly grasp an influencer's true value and potential. Pain Point 2: Difficulty discerning the true influence of influencers and evaluating collaboration effectiveness? Kolr AI Solution: Transparent Influence Metrics x AI-Powered Performance Prediction. Move beyond "feel-good" marketing! Kolr provides multi-dimensional, quantifiable influencer influence evaluation metrics (such as engagement rate, view conversion rate, follower quality analysis, etc.), combined with a proprietary AI prediction model. This scientifically assesses an influencer's true sales potential and brand fit, ensuring every marketing dollar is spent effectively to achieve trackable and optimizable collaboration results. Kolr AI Solution: Transparent Influence Metrics x AI-Powered Performance Prediction. Move beyond "feel-good" marketing! Kolr provides multi-dimensional, quantifiable influencer influence evaluation metrics (such as engagement rate, view conversion rate, follower quality analysis, etc.), combined with a proprietary AI prediction model. This scientifically assesses an influencer's true sales potential and brand fit, ensuring every marketing dollar is spent effectively to achieve trackable and optimizable collaboration results. Pain Point 3: Market intelligence and competitor analysis are time-consuming, laborious, and always a step behind? Kolr AI Solution: Automated Intelligence Gathering x One-Click Strategy Report Generation. The market is a battlefield, and intelligence is your weapon! Kolr AI provides real-time monitoring and analysis of competitor marketing activities and influencer collaboration intelligence across the entire web (including Threads). What's even better, you can customize the content you need and export professional-grade visual insight reports with a single click. This will dramatically boost your team's strategy development and responsiveness, helping brands operate strategically and launch quick strikes in fierce market competition! About iKala iKala is a leading AI transformation solutions provider, with a mission to "enable AI competencies" of enterprises by providing AI transformation solutions, to optimize their operational efficiency and increase customer engagement. iKala's solutions and SaaS products are available in 190+ countries, enabling over 1,000 enterprises and 50,000 brands and advertisers, including top-tier Fortune 500 companies, to transform their business. Kolr Official Website: https://www.kolr.ai/en/ iKala Official Website: https://ikala.ai SOURCE iKala Interactive Media Inc. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 11. Kazakhstans Parliament has approved an amnesty initiative to mark the 30th anniversary of the countrys Constitution, Trend reports. The legislation provides for the release of individuals convicted of non-violent offenses that do not pose a serious threat to public safety. This includes minor infractions, as well as crimes of low and medium severity. The amnesty will also extend to socially vulnerable groups. Preliminary estimates suggest that approximately 6,000 inmates currently serving sentences in correctional facilities and around 9,000 individuals under probation supervision may qualify for release under the new law. Moreover, the statutory framework facilitates a decrement in the residual penal term for specified classifications of transgressors, contingent upon their complete restitution for any incurred damages. Notwithstanding, the clemency provisions will be inapplicable to persons adjudicated for egregious offenses or transgressions associated with corruption. The ultimate adjudication regarding the conferment of amnesty will be determined by the judiciary through a meticulous case-by-case analysis. Industry leader increases innovation with 15 significant product releases including Voice AI, Data Analysis, NSPIRE Tools and Affordable Housing Process Simplification. LAS VEGAS, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PropTech leader Inhabit today announced 15 major releases spanning its residential product ecosystem at the National Apartment Association Apartmentalize industry event. These changes will impact the millions of rental units using Inhabit Solutions including ResMan, Anyone Home, ResidentIQ and ePremium. "Inhabit is committed to leading the way in property management solutions that empower both leasing professionals and residents in these communities," said John Kristel, President and Interim CEO of Inhabit. "Our products are built to be reliable, easy to use and innovative. These additions show we are continuing to innovate quickly and deliberately to meet customer needs." Inhabit increases innovation with 15 releases: Voice AI, Data Tools, NSPIRE Tools and Affordable Housing Simplification. Post this Inhabit is launching 15 significant feature rollouts at the 2025 NAA Apartmentalize event, including: ResMan Navigation and User Interface Enhancements that modernize the look and feel of ResMan and create an elevated experience for users while maintaining consistent 3-click navigation and workflows that optimize efficiency and ease of use. Intelligent, Efficient Renewals Workflow that supports customers in maximizing renewals through the use of resident statistics, historical offer data, customized offer letters and a highly efficient offer distribution and resident response/acceptance process. Streamlined Eviction Management through an integration with Nationwide Compliant which takes on the tedious and legally complex aspects of managing evictions on your behalf. New Affordable Housing Certification Workflow Wizard allows users to create Certifications using this step-by-step guide that prompts for information and checks for discrepancies as the information is entered. InCheck Extended Support for NSPIRE Inspections enhances the industry's best NSPIRE pre-inspection tool by allowing property teams to access item-specific HUD Standards from within the inspection workflow so they can make faster, more informed repair decisions. Alerting and Notification Enhancements allow properties to set thresholds and triggers for notifying individuals or roles about item-specific inspection findings to ensure timely action can be taken. Expanded Work Order Flexibility and Searchability introduces more granular triggers based on work order categories and/or update criteria, providing even more opportunity to automate follow up to maintenance activities. New mobile app filtering and viewing options make it easier to find and view specific work orders while in the field. Anyone Home Leasing Assistant Voice AI is the perfect companion to onsite teams - answering phone-based inquiries 24/7/365, gathering guest card information, booking tours, and seamlessly transitioning conversations to live agents when appropriate. The solution continues Anyone Home's focus on Hybrid Intelligence applying AI in a way that enhances the leasing experience for renters while driving efficiencies and increasing conversion for properties. Aptexx New Payment Methods including Pay by Bank, Apple Pay, and Flexible Rent Payment Solutions build on Aptexx's market leading position and tradition of innovation by giving renters more flexibility in how they pay rent and helping properties reduce costs and increase cashflow. Razz Cross-Property Analytics Reporting allows marketers to combine data from each property's Google Analytics Dashboard into one report, providing a quick, easy and cost-effective way to optimize performance and spend across their portfolio. The Fee Management Dashboard simplifies compliance with consumer fee transparency requirements. This centralized dashboard allows property marketers to manage required and optional fees for each property and display them within the Interactive Floor Plan Browser. Western Reporting Digital Income Verification streamlines the income verification process by allowing renters to connect directly to their employer or payroll system rather than needing to retrieve and submit payroll statements, resulting in a faster, more efficient process for renters and a more confident outcome for properties. Enhanced ID Verification works in conjunction with the applicant screening process to validate an applicant's phone number and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in real time using bank grade data sources including telecommunication, banking, credit card and utility data. It requires no extra steps for applicants and delivers results to properties in real time as part of the applicant screening report. ScreeningOne Criminal Monitoring and ReCheck Queue allow you to stay ahead of potential risks and ensure ongoing trust and safety within your communities by automatically monitoring current employees for criminal activity and/or rescreening then on the criteria and timeline that's right for your business. ePremium eDeposit Security Deposit Alternative offers renters a low-cost alternative to a traditional security deposit and allows properties to expand their pool of potential renters while maintaining access to the same or greater level of funds should resident-caused damage be detected at move out. To learn more and see products in person stop by the Inhabit booth #2143 and #2438 at NAA Apartmentalize June 12 & 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada. About Inhabit Inhabit is a global PropTech software company serving the residential and short-term rental property management industries. Our 1,100+ team members drive strategic partnerships, deliver best-in-class software solutions and services, and foster innovation and collaboration across software, payments, and insurance. Learn more at www.inhabit.com. Media Contact Joshua Phillips [email protected] SOURCE Inhabit JCP&L is more than two-thirds of the way towards eclipsing last year's total of 2,795 trees, with 2,174 trees donated and planted to date. The work is part of a larger effort by FirstEnergy, which is on pace to pass its goal of donating 25,000 trees in 2025 across its five-state service territory. So far this year, nearly 23,000 trees have been planted. Doug Mokoid, FirstEnergy's President, New Jersey: "We are fortunate to work and raise our families in one of the most beautiful states in the country and privileged to give back to our communities with a program that provides a greener, cleaner and healthier environment. Our team members often clean up fallen trees after storms, and I'm proud of their commitment to volunteering their time to restore what was lost by planting anew." Tree-planting locations are chosen in partnership with local nonprofit organizations with a focus on ensuring the trees are placed safely away from power lines and other utility infrastructure. Tree varieties include native species like red maple, river birch, white and northern red oak, shagbark and bitternut hickory, pitch pine and dogwoods. Some of this year's tree-planting events include: More than 580 trees planted on Earth Day with the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore at Camp Sacajawea in Farmingdale . . 400 trees planted with Schiff Natural Lands Trust and the Mendham Township Environmental Commission at the Tempe Wick Preserve in Mendham . . Collaborations with Shade Tree Commissions and Parents Teacher Organizations to plant trees at local schools, including 160 trees at Howell Middle School South in Howell , 100 trees at Milford Brook Elementary School in Manalapan and 64 trees at Clara B. Worth Elementary School in Bayville . , 100 trees at Milford Brook Elementary School in Manalapan and 64 trees at Clara B. Worth Elementary School in . Nearly 180 trees planted at the Wattles Stewardship Center in Port Murray with the N.J. Audubon Society and another 250 trees planted with the Musconetong Watershed Association at Hampton Borough Park in Hampton . with the N.J. Audubon Society and another 250 trees planted with the Musconetong Watershed Association at Hampton Borough Park in . More than 300 trees planted at Winding River Park in Toms River , days after a wildfire scorched more than 15,000 acres just 10 miles to the south. In addition to tree plantings, JCP&L employees volunteer at events that include tree donations. In early May, volunteers gave away 150 tree seedlings at the New Jersey Sustainability Summit, hosted by Sustainable Jersey at Bell Works in Holmdel, home to JCP&L's central New Jersey headquarters. The efforts are led by JCP&L's Green Team, a group of employees that volunteer their time and talents to develop and support environmental initiatives. So far this year, more than 40 JCP&L Green Team members have donated a total of 214 hours to tree-planting events. JCP&L launched FirstEnergy's first Green Team in 2018, and the company now has Green Team chapters in each of the states it serves. JCP&L serves 1.1 million customers in the counties of Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. Follow JCP&L on X @JCP_L, on Facebook at facebook.com/JCPandL or online at jcp-l.com. FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy on X @FirstEnergyCorp or online at firstenergycorp.com. Editor's Note: Photos of JCP&L volunteers planting trees at 2025 tree planting events are available for download on Flickr. SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp. Agreements secure Japan's energy supply, affirm the United States as a global LNG leader and deepen U.S.-JERA partnerships WASHINGTON, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- JERA Co., Inc. ("JERA"), Japan's largest power generation company and a global leader in providing cutting-edge solutions to the world's energy issues, today joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Christopher Wrightwho also serve as Chair and Vice Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council, respectivelyand Shigeo Yamada, Ambassador of Japan to the United States of America, to announce that it has finalized 20-year Agreements ("the Agreements") to procure up to 5.5 million tonnes per year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States. The Agreements, which were introduced publicly today at the U.S. Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, D.C., advance JERA's long-term strategy to build a diversified and resilient LNG procurement portfolio in support of stable, secure energy for Japan and Asia. Through long-term offtake commitments, the Agreements are expected to support economic activity that could contribute approximately $200 billion to U.S. GDP and sustain 50,000 jobs annually, according to S&P Global analysis. The total value of these transactions also surpasses JERA's cumulative equity investment in the United States, which currently stands at $6 billion. "These agreements strengthen Japan's energy security ...and reaffirm the U.S.'s leading role in the global LNG market." Post this The Agreements include Sales and Purchase Agreements with NextDecade Corporation and Commonwealth LNG, as well as Heads of Agreement with Sempra Infrastructure and Cheniere Marketing LLC, to secure future LNG supply from the United States. U.S. LNG procured through these partnerships uniquely supports JERA's strategic priorities by offering competitive pricing, flexible contract terms, and strong market fundamentals. All volume will be delivered under FOB (Free on Board) terms with no destination restrictions, allowing JERA to optimize shipping routes and respond flexibly to evolving market conditions and LNG demand across the Asia-Pacific region. The new Agreements build upon and enhance JERA's existing operations in the United States, which include offtake contracts totaling 3.5 million tonnes per year from Freeport LNG and Cameron LNG. JERA also entered into an approximately 1.0 MTPA LNG offtake agreement with Venture Global CP2 in 2023. JERA Global CEO and Chair Mr. Yukio Kani stated, "As Japan's largest power provider, JERA plays a central role in securing the country's energy future. After more than 15 months of strategic evaluation and commercial engagement, we are pleased to finalize the Agreements with U.S. suppliers, which offer unique flexibility and reliability essential elements in our diversification strategy. These agreements strengthen Japan's energy security, reaffirm the U.S.'s leading role in the global LNG market, and support long-term sustainable economic development for both countries." Mr. Kani continued, "The Agreements represent a true winwin and reflect a strong commercial partnership between the two long-standing allies. We are grateful for the constructive and collaborative engagement of our industry partners and stakeholders in both Japan and the United States that made these agreements possible. We look forward to building on this momentum with partners and customers around the world." Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan, commented, "Securing a stable and flexible LNG supply for thermal power generation is vital to Japan's energy security. METI welcomes JERA's long-term agreements with U.S. supplierskey partners to Japanas an important step toward this goal. Such contracts contribute to supply and price stability for consumers and play a crucial role in ensuring a reliable energy supply for our country." The Agreements deliver several, additional strategic goals for JERA and Japan: Mitigating price instability : Long-term LNG contracts play a key role in shielding Japan's domestic consumers from the full impact of energy market volatility. The Agreements are expected to serve as a hedge against future fluctuations, ensuring stable, predictable supply and pricing into the 2040s and beyond. Long-term LNG contracts play a key role in shielding domestic consumers from the full impact of energy market volatility. The Agreements are expected to serve as a hedge against future fluctuations, ensuring stable, predictable supply and pricing into the 2040s and beyond. Responsive to demand fluctuations : The expanded use of renewable energy across the globe has led to seasonal and short-term energy demand fluctuations. The Agreements facilitate JERA's ability to deliver stable, affordable energy to Japan in these uncertain environments while enhancing flexibility and responsiveness across its global trading operations. The expanded use of renewable energy across the globe has led to seasonal and short-term energy demand fluctuations. The Agreements facilitate JERA's ability to deliver stable, affordable energy to in these uncertain environments while enhancing flexibility and responsiveness across its global trading operations. Harness JERA Global Market's trading and optimization expertise: The Agreements broaden JERA group's LNG portfolio and allow JERA Global Marketsthe exclusive LNG optimizer and market access provider to JERA to use its proven capability to better match supply-demand fluctuations, enhance cost competitiveness, and strengthen LNG supply stability across Asia in support of broader energy transition efforts. About JERA JERA is a global energy leader and Japan's largest power generation company focused on providing cutting-edge solutions to the world's energy issues. Established in 2015, the Company produces one-third of Japan's electricity, and is one of the largest LNG buyers in the world. JERA has global reach and strength throughout the energy supply chain, from participation in LNG upstream projects and fuel procurement, through fuel transportation to power generation. In support of a responsible energy transition, JERA has committed to achieving net-zero CO emissions from its domestic and overseas businesses by 2050. Appendix I - Overview of New Agreements Seller NextDecade Corporation Buyer JERA Co., Inc. Project Rio Grande LNG Location Texas Contract Term 20 years from COD Contract Volume Approx. 2.0 MTPA Deliver Terms FOB Seller Commonwealth LNG Buyer JERA Co., Inc. Project Commonwealth LNG Location Louisiana Contract Term 20 Years from COD Contract Volume Approx. 1.0 MTPA Deliver Terms FOB Seller Sempra Infrastructure Buyer JERA Co., Inc. Project Port Arthur LNG Phase 2 Location Texas Contract Term 20 years from COD Contract Volume Approx. 1.5 MTPA Deliver Terms FOB Seller Cheniere Marketing LLC Buyer JERA Co., Inc. Project Corpus Christi LNG and Sabine Pass LNG Location Texas and Louisiana Contract Term More than 20 years Contract Volume Up to 1.0 MTPA Deliver Terms FOB Appendix II Overview of Referenced Agreements Sales and Purchase Agreement with Venture Global Seller Venture Global CP2 LNG, LLC Buyer JERA Co., Inc. Project CP2 LNG Location Louisiana Contract Term 20 years from COD Contract Volume Approx. 1.0 MTPA Deliver Terms FOB SOURCE JERA Americas, Inc Bliss Sessions Spotlight Emerging Artists as KANHA Honors a Decade of Cannabis, Community, and Culture LOS ANGELES, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunderstorm, the innovative force behind KANHA edibles, proudly announces the launch of KANHA Rosin Sours, a bold new gummy that delivers a vegan, solventless, fast-acting experience in vibrant sour flavors just in time to mark the brand's 10-year anniversary. The milestone launch will be celebrated through KANHA Bliss Sessionsan immersive, multi-market music and culture event series that pays tribute to the brand's decade-long journey rooted in cannabis, creativity, and community. KANHAs 10-Year Anniversary logo celebrates a decade of trusted, flavorful cannabis experiences. KANHA Rosin Sours deliver a vegan, solventless, fast-acting gummy experience in vibrant sour flavorscrafted to hit hard and taste fresh. As KANHA celebrates a decade of delivering award-winning cannabis experiences, the brand continues to lead with innovation that meets consumer demand. Rosin edibles are surging in popularity. As of March 2024, Headset data shows rosin's market share nearly doubledfrom $24M to $44Msignaling a strong consumer shift toward cleaner, solventless cannabis concentrates. At the same time, sour flavors are experiencing significant growth, driven by increasing consumer demand for unique and tangy flavors. In fact, according to Snack and Bakery, over 130 new sour candy items launched in 2023. KANHA Rosin Sours deliver on both trends offering a fast-acting, solventless high with bold flavor and vibrant packaging that stands out on shelves and screens alike. "Rosin sours represents everything that we stand for - purity, quality and true to plant effects," said Cameron Clarke, CEO and Co-founder of Sunderstorm. "We've always believed that nature does it best, and this product proves that you don't need chemicals or solvents to create something powerful, delicious, and clean." KANHA Rosin Sours are infused with strain-specific, full-spectrum rosin, extracted using only ice, water, heat, and pressure no solvents, no chemicals, no shortcuts. These vegan sour gummies deliver a clean, powerful high that honors the integrity of the plant. Each gummy delivers: 10mg THC per piece, 10 pieces per pack (100mg THC total) Face-puckering sour flavors designed to excite the palate Fast-Acting Nano emulsion technology that hits in 15 minutes or less 3x faster onset and 5x greater absorption than traditional edibles A clean, flower-like high that preserves the plant's natural cannabinoids and terpenes KANHA Rosin Sours will be available at launch in California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Illinois. To commemorate the launch, KANHA is unveiling Bliss Sessions, a curated music and cultural event series designed to celebrate creativity, self-expression, and the bold essence of sour. These curated experiences will spotlight emerging musical artists while bringing together communities through a shared appreciation for culture, innovation, and cannabis. "Community has always been core to our brand, especially the budtenders and retailers who bring our products to consumers," said Angela Cheng, Chief Marketing Officer. "As we celebrate 10 Years of Bliss, we're honoring the people who've made the journey meaningfulour retail partners, budtenders, and loyal fans who've shared, supported, and savored KANHA every step of the way." For more information, visit kanhatreats.com and follow @kanhabliss across platforms. About Sunderstorm Sunderstorm is a trusted family of brands dedicated to helping consumers do what they love. Its flagship brand, KANHA, produces award-winning cannabis edibles celebrated for their flavor, texture, purity, and precision. As the first global edible cannabis brand, KANHA serves California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Illinois, Thailand, and Japan. KANHA's hemp gummies are also available in over 30 U.S. states via kanhalife.com . SOURCE Sunderstorm CHENGDU, China, June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sichuan Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (the "Company") today announced that its TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) sacituzumab tirumotecan (sac-TMT) () in combination with the PD-L1 monoclonal antibody tagitanlimab () was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China for the first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without actionable genomic alterations. Breakthrough Therapy Designation is granted for treatment options that demonstrate significant clinical advantages over currently available treatments and is aimed at expediting the research, development and marketing of innovative treatment options that address clinically urgent medical needs. This designation is based on the efficacy and safety data from the non-squamous cohort of the Phase II OptiTROP-Lung01 study. This marks the fifth Breakthrough Therapy Designation granted to sac-TMT by the NMPA. Sac-TMT has previously received this designation for: Locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in July 2022 ; ; EGFR-mutant, locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC after progression on EGFR-TKI therapy in January 2023 ; ; Locally advanced or metastatic hormone-receptor positive (HR+) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer (BC) in patients who have previously received at least two lines of systemic chemotherapy in June 2023 First-line treatment of unresectable locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic PD-L1 negative TNBC in March 2024 . Results from a Phase 2 OptiTROP-Lung01 study of sac-TMT in combination with tagitanlimab in first-line advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC patients were presented in a poster session at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting[1]. Dr. Michael Ge, CEO of Kelun-Biotech said, "This designation by the NMPA highlights the importance of developing novel therapeutic options for diverse NSCLC subtypes. Sac-TMT in combination with tagitanlimab demonstrated clinically meaningful outcomes in key endpoints for patients with non-squamous NSCLC without actionable genomic alterations as a first-line treatment. We are excited about the therapeutic potential of TROP2 ADC- immunotherapy combinations, and we look forward to working with regulatory authorities in China to bring this combination therapy to patients in need as soon as possible." [1] Abstract #8529: Lung Cancer Non-Small Cell Metastatic, ASCO Annual Meeting, 2025 About sac-TMT ( ) Sac-TMT, a core product of the Company, is a novel human TROP2 ADC in which the Company has proprietary intellectual property rights, targeting advanced solid tumors such as NSCLC, BC, gastric cancer (GC), gynecological tumors, among others. Sac-TMT is developed with a novel linker to conjugate the payload, a belotecan-derivative topoisomerase I inhibitor with a drug-to-antibody-ratio (DAR) of 7.4. Sac-TMT specifically recognizes TROP2 on the surface of tumor cells by recombinant anti-TROP2 humanized monoclonal antibodies, which is then endocytosed by tumor cells and releases KL610023 intracellularly. KL610023, as a topoisomerase I inhibitor, induces DNA damage to tumor cells, which in turn leads to cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. In addition, it also releases KL610023 in the tumor microenvironment. Given that KL610023 is membrane permeable, it can enable a bystander effect, or in other words kill adjacent tumor cells. In May 2022, the Company licensed the exclusive rights to MSD (the tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA) to develop, use, manufacture and commercialize sac-TMT in all territories outside of Greater China (includes Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan). To date, two indications for sac-TMT have been approved and marketed in China for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic TNBC who have received at least two prior systemic therapies (at least one of them for advanced or metastatic setting) and EGFR mutation-positive locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC following progression on EGFR-TKI therapy and platinum-based chemotherapy. Sac-TMT became the first domestic ADC with global intellectual property rights to be fully approved for marketing. It is also the world's first TROP2 ADC to be approved for marketing in a lung cancer indication. In addition, two new indication applications for sac-TMT for the treatment of adult patients with EGFR-mutant locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC who progressed after treatment with EGFR-TKI therapy and with unresectable locally advanced, metastatic HR+/HER2- BC who have received prior endocrine therapy and other systemic treatments in the advanced or metastatic setting were accepted by the CDE, and were included in the priority review and approval process. As of today, the Company has initiated 8 registrational clinical studies in China. MSD has initiated 14 ongoing Phase 3 global clinical studies of sac-TMT as a monotherapy or with pembrolizumab2 or other agents for several types of cancer. These studies are sponsored and led by MSD. About Tagitanlimab ( ) Tagitanlimab is the first PD-L1 mAb globally to receive authorization for the first-line treatment of NPC. Previously, the NMPA has approved the marketing in China of tagitanlimab used in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine for the first-line treatment of patients with R/M NPC and monotherapy for the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic NPC who have failed after prior 2L+ chemotherapy, respectively. About Kelun-Biotech Kelun-Biotech (6990.HK) is a holding subsidiary of Kelun Pharmaceutical (002422.SZ), which focuses on the R&D, manufacturing, commercialization and global collaboration of innovative biological drugs and small molecule drugs. The company focuses on major disease areas such as solid tumors, autoimmune, inflammatory, and metabolic diseases, and in establishing a globalized drug development and industrialization platform to address the unmet medical needs in China and the rest of world. The Company is committed to becoming a leading global enterprise in the field of innovative drugs. At present, the Company has more than 30 ongoing key innovative drug projects, of which 3 projects have been approved for marketing, 1 project is in the NDA stage, and more than 10 projects are in the clinical stage. The company has established one of the world's leading proprietary ADC platforms, OptiDC, and has 1 ADC project approved for marketing, 1 ADC project in NDA stage, and multiple ADC and novel DC assets in clinical or preclinical research stage. For more information, please visit https://kelun-biotech.com/. Media: [email protected] SOURCE Sichuan Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Through the partnership, Key Carbon has the right to invest over 100 million into InSoil's zero-interest Green Loans, providing vital financing to small and medium-sized farms transitioning to regenerative agricultural practices over the next several years. In a royalty agreement, InSoil has received a 3.7 million investment from Key Carbon to scale its operations across one million hectares of European farmland by 2026, enabling the sequestration of over 35 million tonnes of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This milestone marks InSoil's (formerly HeavyFinance) largest funding to date and is one of Europe's largest financial commitments to climate-resilient farming practices. VILNIUS, Lithuania and VANCOUVER, BC, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - InSoil , a climate finance company, and Key Carbon , a leading financier within the voluntary carbon market, have entered into a 100 million agreement to enable climate-critical transitions to regenerative agriculture across one million hectares of European farmland. The multi-year partnership, InSoil's largest raise to date and one of Europe's largest financial commitments to climate-resilient farming, grants Key Carbon royalty rights to InSoil's Green Loans financing model, which offers zero-interest loans to farmers adopting regenerative agricultural practices in return for a fixed share of carbon credits. In addition, Key Carbon's subsidiary, EU Soil Carbon Corp, will fund the expansion of InSoil's carbon farming business, which provides farmers with further technical and financial support in implementing regenerative practices. "As farmers across Europe face headwinds from climate change and global regulatory dynamics, financial and agronomic support from projects like these are critical to achieving the systemic shifts that achieve real impact in carbon sequestration and a more resilient food system that doesn't leave the stewards of our lands in the dust," said Laimonas Noreika, CEO of InSoil. "Through this agreement with Key Carbon, we will be able to reach more farmers, accelerate climate-positive outcomes, and deliver the kind of high-integrity credits the carbon market increasingly demands. As institutional interest in nature-based solutions continues to grow, our work with Key Carbon will represent a model for blending sustainable finance with climate impact, and turning soil into both a climate solution and a revenue stream for European farmers." Luke Leslie, CEO of Key Carbon, said: "Corporate appetite for carbon credits is increasingly shifting towards high-integrity, removal-based and localised solutions to meet the evolving compliance standards. Our partnership with InSoil will provide increased access to funding for farmers, enabling the transition to regenerative agriculture and growing Key Carbon's supply of high-quality carbon credits. With its deep agronomic expertise and strong local networks, InSoil is uniquely positioned to deliver meaningful environmental outcomes and ensure the integrity of carbon credit generation. The partnership will also provide Key Carbon with access to millions of hectares of European farmland with the potential to deliver additional biodiversity monitoring." With conventional agriculture accounting for more than 20% of global emissions and soil seen as a critical carbon sink, this collaboration aims to unlock funds that help farmers generate high-quality, nature-based carbon credits that are scientifically validated and third-party verified in alignment with the EU Carbon Removals Certification Framework (CRCF). As farmers transition to practices that align with regenerative agriculture principles (those that increase biodiversity, build soil health, and improve water cycles, resulting in more carbon drawdown and greater resilience to extreme weather events), InSoil's Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) framework is deployed to ensure accurate, transparent, and high-integrity carbon credit generation. These approaches include laboratory-grade soil sampling, advanced remote sensing technologies, expert agronomic assessments, and additional data-driven methodologies. While InSoil's private debt arm has already deployed over 80 million in financing to over 3,000 farmers, this funding from Key Carbon will enable European farmers to regenerate their lands; benefit from diversified revenue opportunities through carbon credit generation; and establish productive and profitable agricultural operations into the future. Cobalt and Abatable advised InSoil on the transaction. Philip Lee and Sorainen provided legal advice to Key Carbon. About InSoil: InSoil (formerly HeavyFinance) is a climate finance company accelerating the transition to regenerative agriculture across Europe. With a strong emphasis on soil health and carbon sequestration, InSoil supports farmers through medium-term financing, expert agrotechnical guidance, and advanced soil and emissions monitoring technologies. This integrated approach enables farmers to adopt sustainable practices and generate high-integrity carbon credits, creating new revenue streams while building climate resilience in agriculture. For more information, please visit our website at https://insoil.com/ , subscribe to our Carbon Monthly newsletter , and follow us on LinkedIn . About Key Carbon Founded in 2021, Key Carbon is a permanent capital vehicle building a large, diversified portfolio of high-integrity carbon credit streams and royalties for corporates and other organisations on their journey to Net Zero. To date, the company has financed 25 projects in 15 countries, resulting in the removal or avoidance of over 41 million tonnes of carbon and the planting of 3.75 million trees. Key Carbon has also built the largest pan-African clean cooking developer, Global Cookstoves, and funded the distribution of cookstoves to an estimated 7.5 million people. The company is on a mission to help combat climate change, improve local biodiversity, soil health, and water quality, and benefit some of the world's most vulnerable communities. For further information, please visit our website at www.key-carbon.com . Forward Looking Statements Forward-Looking Statements This release contains certain "forward looking statements" and certain "forward-looking information" as "defined under applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "plans" or similar terminology. The forward-looking information contained herein is provided for the purpose of assisting readers in understanding management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-looking information represents management's best judgment based on the information currently available. Readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. SOURCE Key Carbon Ltd. Key is one of only a small number of companies that have consistently achieved high marks throughout the program's 13-year history CLEVELAND, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- For the twelfth time, KeyBank (NYSE: KEY) has been recognized by Points of Light as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in America in 2025. The recognition is based on The Civic 50 survey that is administered by True Impact and consists of quantitative and qualitative questions. The honorees are selected based on four dimensions of their community engagement and social impact programs: investment of resources, integration across business functions, institutionalization through policies and systems and impact measurement. 2025 Civic 50 Award Key is one of only a small number of companies that have consistently achieved such high marks throughout the program's 13-year history. Additionally, Key has also been recognized as this year's Financials Sector Leader. This is the eighth year KeyBank has received this recognition. "We are grateful to receive the Points of Light recognition which honors our long-held purpose of helping our clients, our colleagues, and our communities thrive," said Eric Fiala, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer for KeyBank and CEO of the KeyBank Foundation. "KeyBank has invested more than $50 billion in our communities since 2017 through affordable housing, small business and home lending, and transformative philanthropy. As we celebrate our bicentennial, we are excited to continue making investments that support the growth, revitalization, and sustainability of all of the communities we so proudly serve." The Civic 50 is an initiative of Points of Light that recognizes the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States. The Civic 50 survey is based on Points of Light's Corporate Civic Engagement Framework that creates a roadmap for companies committed to using their time, talent, and resources to drive social impact in their business and communities. ABOUT KEYCORP In 2025, KeyCorp celebrates its bicentennial, marking 200 years of service to clients and communities from Maine to Alaska. To learn more, visit KeyBank Heritage Center. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $189 billion at March 31, 2025. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC. ABOUT KEYBANK FOUNDATION KeyBank Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation that supports organizations and initiatives aimed at improving financial wellness, education, and community development. Through strategic philanthropy, KeyBank Foundation works to create thriving communities and drive meaningful, lasting change. SOURCE KeyBank CANTON, Ohio, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Liberty HealthShare, the nation's most-comprehensive healthcare sharing ministry, has earned a "Four-Star" rating by Charity Navigator, ranking it among the country's best non-profit organizations. This rating designates Liberty HealthShare, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025, as an official "Give with Confidence" charity, indicating that it is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator's criteria. The Four-Star Rating is the highest rating an organization can achieve. - Charity Navigator CEO Michael Thatcher Post this Liberty HealthShare has earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator, the nation's largest and most influential non-profit evaluator, reviews more than 200,000 organizations on their accountability and finance, impact and results, culture and community, and leadership and adaptability. Liberty HealthShare's 90% score is its highest rating ever and is up from the previous 88% score. "We are delighted to provide Liberty HealthShare with third-party accreditation that validates their operational excellence," said Michael Thatcher, president and chief executive officer of Charity Navigator. "The Four-Star Rating is the highest possible rating an organization can achieve. We are eager to see the good work that Liberty HealthShare can accomplish in the years ahead." "Our Four-Star Charity Navigator rating is further validation that our members can trust our commitment to good governance and financial transparency, and also that we're using our donor's gifts effectively," said Dorsey Morrow, Liberty HealthShare chief executive officer. "We hope it will introduce our ministry to new supporters who can help us advance our vision to build a healthcare sharing community that exemplifies Jesus Christ and empowers like-minded people to manage their healthcare journey," he added. Liberty HealthShare has also earned a "GuideStar Gold Seal" from Candid, ranking it among the country's best non-profits for transparency and accountability. Established in 1995, Liberty HealthShare provides a cost-effective, faith-based alternative to health insurance. Members enjoy the freedom to choose their own providers while participating in a compassionate, Christian community. Transparency and stewardship are central, with programs tailored for families, seniors, and individuals. Liberty HealthShare offers six affordable medical cost sharing programs that are designed to fit the needs and budgets of individuals as well as different types and sizes of families. Suggested monthly share amounts for individuals range from $87-$369. Share amounts for families of four start at $319 per month. Most programs include access to both urgent care and mental wellness telehealth visits along with access to discounts for prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, and even LASIK surgery. Liberty Dental, the ministry's dental sharing program, features suggested monthly share amounts as low as $35 and allows members to see the dentist of their choice without any network restrictions. As Liberty HealthShare is not insurance, enrollment is available year-round with no requirement for special life events to qualify. For more information about its sharing programs visit LibertyHealthShare.org or call (855) 585-4237. Earlier this year, Liberty HealthShare established the Sharing Hearts Fund for Pediatric Wellness, a charitable arm of the ministry that seeks to provide support to Stark County, Ohio families with medical needs related to pediatric wellness. Liberty HealthShare is a non-profit 501(c) (3) charitable Christian medical cost-sharing ministry focused on members helping each other in times of need. The faith-based program, which facilitates healthsharing for its members, is a caring community of health-conscious individuals and families who choose to support one another and agree to the Christian values of stewardship to make healthcare affordable for all. Liberty HealthShare is not an insurance company nor is it offered through an insurance company. Liberty HealthShare's Sharing Programs do not guarantee or promise that a member's medical bills will be paid or assigned to others for payment. Whether anyone chooses to pay a member's medical bills will be totally voluntary. As such, Liberty HealthShare's Sharing Programs should never be considered as a substitute for an insurance policy. Whether a member receives any payments for medical expenses and whether or not Liberty HealthShare continues to operate, the member is always liable for any unpaid bills. SOURCE Liberty HealthShare GREENWICH, Conn., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. ("CHUBU"), a Japanese major power utility company, and Lotus Infrastructure Partners, LP ("Lotus"), a U.S.-based energy infrastructure investment firm, have reached an agreement to form a strategic relationship. Lotus invests in promising energy infrastructure projects and related areas in the United States, across the power and energy molecules sectors. CHUBU is working toward the realization of a decarbonized society by optimally combining its integrated assets and expertise across green and blue colored energy, power transmission and distribution, retailing, and emerging technologies. Both companies will form a strategic relationship and leverage the synergy of their expertise in business development and infrastructure projects, seeking to contribute in the coming years to the growing energy infrastructure market in North America. Hiroki Sato commented: "I am very thrilled to work with Lotus whose professional approach is so well aligned with our strategy. This relationship represents a significant step in our journey of decarbonization." Himanshu Saxena commented: "We are very happy to work with CHUBU whose deep expertise in the power sector and strategic relationships open exciting opportunities for us." About Lotus Infrastructure Lotus Infrastructure specializes in infrastructure investments including renewable power generation, battery storage, renewable and low-carbon fuels, electric transmission, thermal power, and midstream and downstream assets. Lotus Infrastructure has raised in excess of $3 billion of equity capital and has executed transactions totaling more than $8 billion in enterprise value, inclusive of approximately $2.8 billion in enterprise value related to the development and construction of renewable assets. The Lotus Infrastructure team brings extensive multi-functional expertise to its investments including development, construction, operations, acquisition and financing. For more information, please visit www.lotusinfrastructure.com. About Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. Founded in 1951, Chubu Electric is a leading energy provider in Japan's Chubu region, supplying reliable and affordable electricity to over 10 million customers. Committed to a sustainable future, the company focuses on expanding renewable energy, enhancing energy efficiency, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Chubu Electric is dedicated to environmental stewardship and corporate social responsibility, fostering close community ties while advancing a greener future. Media Contacts Mallory Griffin / Conor Robbins H/Advisors Abernathy (212) 371-5999 / (646) 476-0768 [email protected] / [email protected] SOURCE Lotus Infrastructure Partners EAST PALESTINE, Ohio, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Simmons Hanly Conroy, one of the nation's leading mass tort litigation firms dedicated to holding corporations responsible for wrongdoing, today announced alongside Grant & Eisenhofer and Burg Simpson that the United States District Court in the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, has suspended and terminated the appointment of Kroll Settlement Administration, LLC as the settlement administrator for those impacted by the East Palestine Norfolk Southern train derailment. The court order comes following numerous complaints and an investigation that uncovered calculation errors. Epiq has been named as the replacement settlement administrator, and Class Counsel plans to move swiftly to accommodate residents while continuing to audit Kroll. "We are devastated that our hard work to achieve a $600M settlement remains unfulfilled. We will continue to do everything we can for the community to get the Voluntary Exposure funds out to the hands of the citizens in the correct amounts," said Jayne Conroy, Beth Graham and Seth Katz in a joint statement. "In addition to receiving numerous complaints about the timing of payments, we were recently alerted to the fact that there were errors in Kroll's calculations. As a result, we believe we have no choice but to audit these calculations. The Court saw fit to replace Kroll as Administrator." The settlement agreement resolves claims within a 20-mile radius from the derailment and, for those residents who chose to participate, personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius from the derailment. Individuals and businesses will be able to use compensation from the settlement in any manner they see fit to address potential adverse impacts from the derailment. Individual awards vary based on several criteria, including proximity to the event and specific losses, among other things. In addition, individuals within 10 miles of the derailment may, at their discretion, choose to receive additional compensation for any past, current, or future personal injury from the derailment. Since its inception, Simmons Hanly Conroy has successfully helped thousands of clients across the country harmed by corporate wrongdoing. About Simmons Hanly Conroy LLP Simmons Hanly Conroy, with over 175 employees and 100 attorneys practicing nationwide, is one of the country's largest plaintiff law firms dedicated to holding corporations responsible for wrongdoing. Primary areas of litigation include mesothelioma and asbestos, pharmaceutical and medical device injuries, consumer protection class actions, environmental injuries and protection, and complex personal injury. The firm's attorneys have been appointed to leadership in numerous national multidistrict litigations, including the Norfolk Southern East Palestine train derailment, prescription opioids, Vioxx, Yaz, Toyota unintended acceleration, BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, DePuy Pinnacle, Uber Rideshare sexual assault, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, and the Volkswagen emission scandal. For over 25 years, the firm has successfully secured verdicts and settlements for thousands of clients nationwide and is a major supporter of asbestos-related cancer research. Offices are located in Alton, Illinois; Boston; Los Angeles; Miami; New York City; San Francisco; and St. Louis. Read more at www.simmonsfirm.com. Media Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Simmons Hanly Conroy ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 11. Kazakhstan is ready to supply Slovakia with oil, gas, uranium, food products, and other goods, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced during a joint media statement with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Trend reports. Speaking after bilateral talks in Astana, Tokayev emphasized the importance of expanding economic cooperation between the two countries, calling Slovakia a "dynamically developing state with steady economic growth". "In this context, Kazakhstan aims to further deepen bilateral relations," the president said. "We discussed ways to increase the volume of mutual trade. We place significant importance on strengthening investment cooperation". Tokayev also highlighted the role of the Intergovernmental Commission in fostering ties and proposed elevating the level of its co-chairs to ministerial rank, underlining the need for more strategic oversight. "We see promising opportunities for joint projects in energy, engineering, agriculture, digitalization, and tourism," he added. BANGALORE, India, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Medical Second Opinion Market is Segmented by Type (Hospitals, Medical Second Opinion Providing Companies, Health Insurance Companies), by Application (Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiac Disorders, Neurological Disorders, Ocular Disorders). The Global Medical Second Opinion Market revenue was USD 4714 Million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 19030 Million by 2029 with a CAGR of 21.8% during the review period (2023-2029). Claim Your Free Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-7W16107/Global_and_India_Medical_Second_Opinion_Market Major Factors Driving the Growth of Medical Second Opinion Market: The Medical Second Opinion Market is gaining substantial momentum as patients increasingly prioritize diagnostic certainty and value-based healthcare decisions. The market encompasses hospitals, digital health platforms, and dedicated second opinion service providers that facilitate expert evaluations for complex medical cases. Factors such as rising healthcare costs, chronic disease burden, personalized medicine, and growing awareness are accelerating demand. With increased telemedicine access, institutional support, and insurance coverage, second opinion services are becoming mainstream. The market is poised for continued growth, driven by global adoption trends and the rising emphasis on informed patient participation in healthcare pathways. Unlock Insights: View Full Report Now! https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-7W16107/global-and-india-medical-second-opinion TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF THE MEDICAL SECOND OPINION MARKET: Medical second opinion companies are playing a pivotal role in expanding the global market by offering specialized platforms that facilitate expert consultations across borders. These companies provide access to top-tier specialists for critical and complex medical conditions, bridging the gap between patients and accurate diagnoses. They offer structured review processes, advanced documentation handling, and virtual consultations, which eliminate geographical and logistical limitations. Furthermore, the growing awareness and online presence of such companies make it easier for patients to compare treatment plans and confirm diagnoses. This contributes significantly to consumer trust and decision-making confidence, especially in life-altering conditions. The increasing partnerships between healthcare providers and these second opinion companies also fuel the market's institutional adoption, reinforcing long-term growth potential. Hospitals are increasingly integrating second opinion services into their care pathways, propelling market growth through institutional endorsement. Many multi-specialty hospitals have begun offering in-house second opinion consultations, especially in departments dealing with high-risk or chronic conditions. This approach strengthens patient retention while providing reassurance and clarity in complex medical scenarios. Hospitals also use second opinions to enhance diagnostic accuracy, reduce liability risks, and uphold ethical standards of care. With the rise of telemedicine infrastructure within hospital systems, remote second opinion consultations have become more seamless and cost-effective. Additionally, international hospitals attract patients seeking trusted second opinions for treatments not available in their home country, thereby contributing to medical tourism and the overall expansion of the market. Cancer is one of the most prominent drivers of demand for medical second opinions due to the complexity, high stakes, and diversity of treatment options involved. Patients diagnosed with cancer often seek confirmation of diagnosis, clarity on staging, and comparison of treatment plansespecially when facing invasive procedures like chemotherapy or surgery. Oncological second opinions help detect misdiagnoses or propose less aggressive alternatives, which directly impact patient outcomes and quality of life. Given the emotionally charged nature of cancer diagnoses, a second opinion offers psychological reassurance and improves decision-making. Institutions often recommend or mandate second opinions for cancer cases, increasing the market's service penetration. This trend is further reinforced by cancer advocacy groups and digital health platforms prioritizing informed care decisions. The increasing prevalence of chronic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and neurological disorders necessitates long-term, precise medical management. Patients with chronic illnesses frequently seek second opinions for diagnosis confirmation, risk assessment, and customized care strategies. The complexity of chronic disease care makes accuracy critical, and second opinions play a vital role in avoiding over-treatment or mismanagement. As more patients become proactive in healthcare decisions, the demand for reassessment of ongoing treatment plans grows. This shift toward patient empowerment supports the consistent growth of the second opinion market, particularly among aging populations and in urban areas with access to multi-specialty services. Medical errors and malpractice claims are prompting patients and families to seek a second layer of validation before proceeding with treatment. In highly litigious environments, medical institutions also encourage second opinions to mitigate risk and comply with ethical obligations. Legal frameworks in some regions now support the patient's right to a second opinion before high-risk procedures, thereby institutionalizing the practice. Moreover, insurers and government bodies are promoting second opinion policies as a cost-control measure to avoid unnecessary surgeries or prescriptions. This systemic integration of second opinions as a safeguard mechanism significantly expands their adoption across multiple healthcare systems. Many patients seek a second opinion to explore less invasive or more cost-effective treatment alternatives. In cases involving surgery or long-term medication, a second opinion can either validate the necessity or offer a less aggressive path, helping patients make financially sound decisions. With rising healthcare costs worldwide, both patients and insurers are becoming more selective about treatment approaches. Insurance companies in several regions now support or require second opinions for high-cost procedures. This financial scrutiny and cost-conscious behavior significantly propel demand for validated treatment plans, contributing to market expansion. The increasing influence of patient advocacy groups, online forums, and educational campaigns is raising awareness about the benefits of second opinions. Platforms dedicated to patient rights encourage individuals to seek additional input before agreeing to treatments. Testimonials, case studies, and endorsements from medical professionals help normalize the practice. Awareness initiatives also target underserved or skeptical demographics, making second opinions a more accepted component of the healthcare journey. This cultural shift toward patient empowerment and information-seeking behavior directly supports sustained market growth. Patients from developing nations often travel to countries with advanced healthcare infrastructure to seek second opinions. This form of medical travel is driven by the need for accurate diagnosis and assurance before undergoing complex or high-risk procedures. Second opinion services are now a standard part of international patient packages offered by hospitals in countries like India, Germany, and the U.S. These offerings include remote consultations before travel, making the process efficient and appealing. The rise of global medical travel for second opinions is transforming the market into an international service model, adding to its overall expansion. Claim Yours Now! https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Auto-7W16107&lic=single-user MEDICAL SECOND OPINION MARKET SHARE: The major players in global Medical Second Opinion market include HCA Hospitals, AXA PPP Healthcare, Royal London Group, etc. The top 3 players occupy about 20% shares of the global market. North America and Europe are main markets, they occupy about 60% of the global market. The Medical Second Opinion Market shows dynamic growth across regions, with North America leading due to advanced healthcare systems, high consumer awareness, and insurance policies that support second opinion services. Europe follows closely, especially in countries like Germany and the U.K., where structured healthcare policies promote diagnosis validation. Hospitals are the main type, with a share of about 45%. Cancer is the main application, which holds a share of about 25%. Key Companies: HCA Hospitals AXA PPP Healthcare Royal London Group Helsana Group Cleveland Clinic Amradnet Best Doctors Inc Inova Care Toranomon Hospital Keio University Hospital Hospital Johns Hopkins Medicine Penn Medicine Oncology International Pvt. Ltd. GrandOpinion London Pain Clinic Mondial Assistance Medisense Medo Asia Sdn. Bhd. 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DISCOVER MORE INSIGHTS: EXPLORE SIMILAR REPORTS! - The global Medical Second Opinion Services market is projected to grow from USD 4862 Million in 2024 to USD 5976.6 Million by 2030, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 3.5% during the forecast period. - Patient Care Monitoring Systems Market - Virtual Second Opinion Service Market - The global Wireless Electronic Health Records market size is expected to reach USD 83000 Million by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 15.8% from 2023 to 2029. - Telehealth and Patient Monitoring Market - Wireless Stethoscope Market - Virtual Healthcare Market - Medical Diagnostic Displays Market - AI-based Medical Diagnostic Tools Market - Medical Diagnostic Imaging Equipment Market - Portable Medical Diagnostic Imaging Devices Market DISCOVER OUR VISION: VISIT ABOUT US! Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs. Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs. To achieve a consistent view of the market, data is gathered from various primary and secondary sources, at each step, data triangulation methodologies are applied to reduce deviance and find a consistent view of the market. Each sample we share contains a detailed research methodology employed to generate the report. Please also reach our sales team to get the complete list of our data sources. 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/1082232/5365196/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg SOURCE Valuates Reports Survey of 750 SMBs Reveals Who's at Risk, Who's Poised to Win, and How to Prepare CLEVELAND, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With TikTok facing a June 19 deadline to divest or be banned in the United States, Tiger Pistol , the most advanced local advertising platform, and Localogy , the leading local commerce trade association, have teamed up to release a critical new report: Surveying the Landscape of a Post-TikTok World. Download the Report: Surveying the Landscape of a Post-TikTok World A potential TikTok ban threatens to displace millions of SMB advertisers and billions in ad dollars. This new report by Localogy and Tiger Pistol explores which platforms stand to benefit most from the disruption, with Meta and YouTube emerging as key contenders. It also outlines how marketers can protect their local advertising strategies through diversification and performance-driven platforms. This timely resource delivers exclusive SMB survey data and expert analysis exploring how small and midsize businesses would respond to a TikTok ban, where ad dollars may shift, and which platforms are best positioned to benefit from the fallout. An estimated 2.8 million SMBs currently use TikTok for marketing, and 61% of them report that TikTok generates up to 25% of their sales. A ban could leave millions scrambling for alternatives, triggering a seismic shift in the social media advertising landscape. "Though anything can happen in a post-TikTok America, it's a valuable thought exercise to game it out," said Mike Boland, Senior Analyst at Localogy. "And from that exercise, we see a few data-backed possibilities in terms of the impact on SMBs, and the social media competitive landscape." The report also highlights a surge in Meta traffic and Facebook ad rates during TikTok's brief January outage, reinforcing the notion that advertisers follow audience migration quickly and at scale. Tiger Pistol's proprietary data shows that during those 14 hours, Facebook traffic jumped 20%, Instagram 17%, and ad rates climbed by 10%. "With so much volatility in the market, local advertisers need both flexibility and stability," said Sarah Cucchiara, VP of Client Success at Tiger Pistol. "Our clients count on us to deliver consistent performance across multiple channels, so they're never overexposed to risk on a single platform. This report is both a wake-up call and a roadmap for marketers seeking resilience and reach." Key Findings Include: Facebook and Instagram are the top fallback platforms. Diversified ad strategies reduce volatility and preserve ROI. Meta and Google stand to gain the lion's share of orphaned ad dollars. The report is available now as a free download. Marketers, agencies, and tech platforms supporting SMBs are encouraged to read the findings and prepare their clients for potential disruption. Download the playbook by visiting TigerPistol.com. About Tiger Pistol Tiger Pistol is a premier local advertising platform designed to streamline and simplify localized advertising through the power of automation. With a focus on three core pillars - scale, simplicity, and performance - Tiger Pistol helps franchises, multi-location brands, and marketing resellers efficiently manage and optimize digital advertising campaigns. The platform automates complex tasks, allowing users to effortlessly execute large-scale, locally relevant campaigns across top digital channels like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Amazon. This automation not only enhances the ease of use but also drives superior advertising performance, making effective local marketing accessible to all levels of expertise. Learn more by visiting TigerPistol.com , or following on Twitter , Facebook , or LinkedIn . About Localogy Localogy is a not-for-profit trade association comprised of technology, marketing and media service providers and multi-location brands that enable the local marketplace to evolve and thrive. Ranging from Facebook, Microsoft and Google to Yext, Thryv and Yelp, Localogy's members represent today's top organizations serving businesses nationwide with a local presence. Localogy is dedicated to helping its members succeed through research, data and insights, education, events and more. For more information or to become a member, please visit localogy.com or follow Localogy on LinkedIn . CONTACT: Christina Morello Director, Marketing and Communications [email protected] SOURCE Tiger Pistol Nicola Czymek-Lauer , experienced financial expert from the company's own ranks, is taking over as CFO of NTT DATA Business Solutions Jurgen Purzer, the outgoing Chief Financial Officer, is moving to the parent company NTT DATA, Inc. as its CFO, strengthening the leadership team there The change underlines the close bonds within the NTT/NTT DATA Group and furthers the international growth strategy Norbert Rotter , CEO of NTT DATA Business Solutions: "Internal succession ensures continuity and sets a clear signal for stability at board level" BIELEFELD, Germany, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NTT DATA Business Solutions AG, leading SAP partner for the global SME sector, has announced a board-level change: Nicola Czymek-Lauer is the company's new CFO and joins CEO Norbert Rotter on the Executive Board. With this personnel decision, the SAP consulting company is strengthening its global growth course and its close collaboration with the NTT/NTT DATA Group. Jurgen Purzer, new CFO of NTT DATA, Inc., hands over to Nicola Czymek-Lauer, the new CFO of NTT DATA Business Solutions Norbert Rotter, CEO of NTT DATA Business Solutions, looks forward to working closely with Nicola Czymek-Lauer Jurgen Purzer, the previous CFO of NTT DATA Business Solutions, is taking over the role as CFO at the parent company NTT DATA, Inc. headquartered in London, reporting directly to CEO Abhijit Dubey. This change honors his comprehensive financial expertise and the significant contributions he has made to the sustained success of NTT DATA Business Solutions over the last five years. The company recently published record figures for the fiscal year 2024/25, including a double-digit revenue growth of 14.7 percent to 1.85 billion euros. With the appointment of Nicola Czymek-Lauer, NTT DATA Business Solutions has called a woman onto the Executive Board for the first time, setting a clear signal for modern and forward-looking leadership. Nicola Czymek-Lauer started her finance career with a traineeship in Business Administration at Siemens AG ("Stammhauslehre"), subsequently holding higher management positions at Siemens, Unify and Atos. Since her move to NTT DATA Business Solutions in 2020, she has overseen two global key areas as Head of Internal Audit and Head of Treasury. Most recently, she acted as Head of Global Finance and, as an Executive Vice President, formed part of the Global Leadership Team (GLT). She has worked closely with Jurgen Purzer over the past months to prepare for the transition of responsibilities and ensure a smooth handover. Friedrich Fleischmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of NTT DATA Business Solutions: "The Supervisory Board would like to thank Jurgen Purzer for his outstanding work and we are delighted that he will contribute his expertise at Group level in the future. Nicola Czymek-Lauer has impressed us with her broad financial knowledge and her comprehensive experience in key positions at the company. Her promotion is a strong signal for the successful development of leadership figures from the company's own ranks." Norbert Rotter, CEO of NTT DATA Business Solutions: "I congratulate Jurgen Purzer on his career move and wish him continuing success in his new role. Thanks to his foresight, we have achieved record results over the last five years. With Nicola Czymek-Lauer, we gain not only a competent and proven leader, but also a colleague who shares our goals and values. Internal succession ensures continuity and sets a clear signal for stability at board level. I look forward to working closely with her to set new impulses for NTT DATA Business Solutions." Jurgen Purzer, new CFO of NTT DATA, Inc.: "I look back with pride at five successful years at NTT DATA Business Solutions, which have been highly valuable for me both personally and professionally. I would like to thank all my colleagues for their trust and dedicated collaboration. I am looking forward to my new role and I am confident that Nicola Czymek-Lauer will leverage her expertise to develop NTT DATA Business Solutions' financial strategy with clarity and a forward-thinking approach." Nicola Czymek-Lauer, new CFO of NTT DATA Business Solutions: "I would like to thank everyone for the trust in my abilities and look forward to my new role with great motivation. Building on the outstanding work by my predecessor Jurgen Purzer, I intend to continue developing our financial strategy and strengthen our sustained growth. I look forward to working closely with CEO Norbert Rotter and I am confident that we will maintain our successful direction, even in a volatile environment, and make important decisions that will set the course for the future." Further information is available at nttdata-solutions.com. - Picture is available at AP - About NTT DATA Business Solutions NTT DATA Business Solutions is a leading global IT service provider focused on SAP with a powerful ecosystem of partners. With more than 35 years of in-depth experience, we enable companies worldwide to become Intelligent Enterprises. We deliver end-to-end solutions that accelerate sustainable growth and success from strategic consulting and implementation to managed services and beyond. As a global strategic SAP partner, we drive innovation and leverage the latest technologies to support our customers individually and across all industries. Our more than 16,700 dedicated employees in over 30 countries work passionately every day to make it happen. NTT DATA Business Solutions is part of NTT DATA, a $30+ billion trusted global innovator of business and technology services headquartered in Tokyo. As One NTT DATA we serve 75% of the Fortune Global 100 and are committed to helping customers innovate, optimize and transform for long-term success. NTT DATA is part of NTT Group. Press Contact NTT DATA Business Solutions Jasmin Straeter Head of Global Communications NTT DATA Business Solutions AG Konigsbreede 1, 33605 Bielefeld, Germany T: +49 521 9 14 48 108 Email: [email protected] Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2707685/NTT_DATA_Business_Solutions_1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2707686/NTT_DATA_Business_Solutions_2.jpg SOURCE NTT DATA Business Solutions AG New Loudoun Location Set to Launch Summer 2025, Redefining What It Means to be a Real Estate Association FAIRFAX, Va., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The future of real estate is arriving in Loudoun County. The Northern Virginia Association of Realtors (NVAR) is proud to announce the opening of a brand-new Member Experience Center in Summer 2025. More than just an office, this forward-thinking space will serve as a collaborative hub where members and association leaders can connect, innovate, and lead the way in shaping the modern real estate industry. Strategically located at One Loudoun Northern Virginia's most vibrant and fastest-growing mixed-use community the NVAR Loudoun Member Experience Center is designed to meet members where they are and provide a dynamic environment for professional growth. "This is more than a second office," said Ryan McLaughlin, CEO of NVAR. "It's a reimagined way to serve our members and empower them with the tools, space, and support to succeed in an ever-evolving industry." Highlights of the NVAR Loudoun Member Experience Center include: A curated selection of Realtor Shop products. A modern, collaborative space for networking, innovation, and idea-sharing. A cutting-edge Digital Experience Center for video and podcast production. Onsite educational classes and professional development events. "The new center reinforces our dedication to serving members in Western Fairfax and Loudoun County by delivering convenient access to essential services and resources closer to home. Meanwhile, NVAR's Fairfax headquarters will remain a central hub, continuing to provide the full range of programs, support, and networking opportunities members rely on," MacLaughlin said. The NVAR Loudoun Member Experience Center represents the beginning of the future for NVAR's growth and expansion and the evolution of the real estate industry. With ongoing dialogue and exchange of ideas taking place at the Center, NVAR will redefine what it means to be a real estate association. As NVAR prepares to open the doors to this groundbreaking space, the Association reaffirms its role as a leader in delivering exceptional value, driving innovation, and impacting the industry. "This new Center reflects our commitment to being present and proactive in the communities our members serve every day," said NVAR President Casey Menish, Pearson Smith Realty. "By expanding into Loudoun, we're strengthening our local ties and creating new opportunities for Realtors to engage, learn, and grow in a setting designed specifically with their needs in mind." Additional information on the opening will be released in the coming weeks. About NVAR The Northern Virginia Association of Realtors (NVAR) serves as the voice of real estate in the Greater Northern Virginia Region. NVAR is dedicated to enhancing Realtor success by delivering exceptional value, driving innovation, and impacting the industry. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, NVAR supports its 12,000 members with essential resources, including industry education, advocacy, networking, and professional development opportunities. The Association is committed to promoting ethical practices and excellence in real estate. It advocates on behalf of homebuyers, sellers, renters, and commercial tenants who are directly affected by local, state, and federal policy decisions impacting affordability, property rights, and quality of life. NVAR strives to elevate the standards of the real estate industry and to contribute to the overall growth and prosperity of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area and beyond. nvar.com. Follow us on X: @nvar Visit us on Facebook: facebook.com/nvar.realestate Join us on LinkedIn: NVAR Follow us on Instagram: nvarffx SOURCE Northern Virginia Association of Realtors (NVAR) NEW YORK, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) provides a daily pre-market update directly from the NYSE Trading Floor. Access today's NYSE Pre-market update for market insights before trading begins. Kristen Scholer delivers the pre-market update on June 11th NYSE Content Advisory: Pre-Market update + Voyager Technologies, Ategrity to debut at NYSE Stocks are a little lower on Wednesday morning after the S&P 500 finished Tuesday 1.8% from its February high. Markets are moving after U.S.and Chinese officials reached a trade consensus in London following a second day of talks. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said they'll return to Washington to ensure President Donald Trump approves. following a second day of talks. Commerce Secretary and Trade Representative said they'll return to to ensure President approves. Voyager Technologies (NYSE: VOYG) and Ategrity (NYSE: ASIC ) are set to debut on the NYSE after pricing their shares last night. Voyager raised $383 million in an upsized offering. Ategrity priced its shares at $17 apiece yesterday. Opening Bell Voyager Technologies (NYSE: VOYG) celebrates its listing on the New York Stock Exchange Closing Bell Ameren (NYSE: AEE) celebrates economic growth potential in their service territory for new and existing customers Click here to download the NYSE TV App SOURCE New York Stock Exchange TORONTO, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - OpsGuru, an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner, announced today that it is expanding its strategic collaboration agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to extend its capabilities to businesses in the United States, marking a significant milestone in its relationship with AWS. This collaboration will enhance OpsGuru's ability to deliver advanced cloud solutions to a broader customer base, with a dedicated focus on the energy sector and comprehensive AI technologies. To support its expanded collaboration with AWS, OpsGuru has appointed Meredith Kepron as Senior Director of Sales, leading the US business, and Lauren Davenport as Sales Director, spearheading the growth and innovation of our high-impact startup and small to mid-sized business (SMB) practices. These strategic hires bring extensive experience in cloud and AI solutions sales leadership, reinforcing OpsGuru's commitment to driving growth and delivering tailored AWS services to its clients. Energy remains a critical vertical for the company, where OpsGuru leverages deep industry expertise and AWS capabilities to help energy companies accelerate their cloud transformation journeys. OpsGuru's solutions address unique challenges in the energy sector, including operational efficiency, sustainability initiatives, and digital innovation. "Signing this strategic collaboration agreement with AWS represents a pivotal moment for OpsGuru as we deepen our relationship and expand our reach to the United States," said Ryan Smyth, President & CEO of OpsGuru. "With the addition of our new Senior Director of Sales and Sales Director, we are well-positioned to accelerate growth and deliver tailored cloud and AI solutions that meet the evolving needs of the energy sector and beyond. Our commitment to innovation and customer success, powered by AWS and its industry-leading technologies, will allow us to help organizations unlock new efficiencies and drive transformative outcomes in today's rapidly changing digital landscape." In addition to its vertical focus, OpsGuru is advancing capabilities across the full spectrum of artificial intelligence technologies. From machine learning and predictive analytics to Generative AI-powered agentic solutions and data-driven insights, OpsGuru empowers customers to harness the power of AI to transform their businesses and unlock new opportunities. This approach aligns with the leadership AWS demonstrates in AI services and reflects OpsGuru's commitment to delivering cutting-edge, AI-enabled cloud solutions. The expanded strategic collaboration agreement, combined with a strengthened leadership team and targeted industry focus, positions OpsGuru to provide exceptional value and innovation to customers across the energy sector and beyond. To learn more about how OpsGuru leverages AWS to drive digital transformation, visit OpsGuru's website or contact us for more information. About OpsGuru OpsGuru is North America's leading AWS Premier Tier Services Partner, specializing in Managed Cloud Operations, Cloud Native Development, Migration and Modernizations, Data and Generative AI. The company holds the AWS Migration Competency, AWS DevOps Competency, AWS Networking Competency, AWS SaaS Competency, and AWS Generative AI Competency. In recognition of its excellence, OpsGuru has received the 2024 AWS Partner of the Year Award, marking the fourth time the company has been honored with this prestigious accolade. OpsGuru provides customers with guidance on solutions such as networking, Big Data, DevOps, Migration, and IoT in various markets, including Financial Services, Energy, Media, Entertainment and Gaming, Energy and Utilities, Manufacturing and Industrial, Sports, and more. This award underscores OpsGuru's commitment to delivering innovative cloud solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of its clients. SOURCE Opsguru Canada Inc. Receives Strategic Volunteering Award for Second Year in a Row HENDERSON, Nev., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PDS Health, a leading U.S. provider of integrated healthcare support services, has again been recognized as one of America's 50 most community-minded companies by Points of Light, earning a place on The Civic 50 list for the second consecutive year. In addition to this national distinction, PDS Health was one of only a select few companies honored with the Strategic Volunteering Award, highlighting its long-term commitment to meaningful, team member-driven service. PDS Health has built a culture where volunteerism is foundational and where social impact is part of how it operates. Post this Civic50 badge The Civic 50, now in its 13th year, sets the national standard for corporate citizenship and social impact. Honorees are selected based on four dimensions: Resource investment, integration across business functions, institutionalized systems and measurable impact. The Strategic Volunteering Award recognizes companies that go beyond traditional volunteerism by embedding service deeply into their business practices. "Service is a core principle at PDS Health. It not only strengthens the communities we serve, it also transforms those who serve," said Stephen E. Thorne IV, Founder and CEO of PDS Health. "We've built a culture where volunteerism is foundational and where social impact is part of how we operate. Being recognized as one of The Civic 50 and receiving the Strategic Volunteering Award for a second consecutive year affirms the long-term value of that commitment. As we continue to expand access to integrated health care, we remain focused on creating healthier, happier communities through service." PDS Health partners with both national and local organizations to address critical community needs. Its three national nonprofit partners are the PDS Health Foundation, charity: water and Special Olympics International. Together, these organizations support access to comprehensive care, clean water, and inclusive health programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. PDS Health also works closely with groups like KABOOM!, Dental Lifeline Network and Human-I-T to broaden its impact and extend resources to communities across the U.S. and around the world. In 2024 alone, PDS Health team members contributed more than 117,000 volunteer hours across local and national service efforts. During Smile Generation Serve Day, the organization's annual nationwide event focused on donated care and community service, clinicians provided more than $16.5 million in oral health services to underserved patients. PDS Health also raised and contributed over $1.4 million to charity: water, supporting clean water initiatives in Ethiopia, and more than $1.2 million to the PDS Health Foundation. These funds supported programs focused on special needs dentistry, dental assisting scholarships, international care through the Clinica Dental in Guatemala, and advocacy to expand access to care. In partnership with KABOOM!, PDS Health completed its 20th playground build, creating safe, inclusive play spaces for children in under-resourced communities. Together, these efforts reflect PDS Health's long-standing commitment to service, prevention, and expanding access to care through the power of integrated health care. "Companies like PDS Health are leading the way in showing how social impact benefits their employee's well-being, strengthens the communities where they do business, and brings value and meaning to their work," said Jennifer Sirangelo, President and CEO, Points of Light. "Their efforts provide a model for others looking to bring the benefits of volunteering and social impact to their workforce and they're extremely deserving of this recognition." To view the full report and see the full list of The Civic 50 national 2025 honorees, visit pointsoflight.org/the-civic-50. About PDS Health PDS Health continues the journey started by Pacific Dental Services in 1994, with a vision to redefine health care through the integration of dental and medical services. Its approach, centered on the connection between oral health and overall health, aims to create healthier, happier patients and set new benchmarks in the healthcare industry. As a leading provider of integrated healthcare support, the company delivers a broad spectrum of services to dental, dental specialties, and medical providers, enhancing operations and care delivery for clinicians across the U.S. For more information about PDS Health and its vision, visit pdshealth.com. About Points of Light Points of Light is a nonpartisan, global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips, and mobilizes millions of people to take action that creates a positive impact through volunteering and civic engagement. Through partnerships with nonprofits, companies and social impact leaders, the organization galvanizes volunteers to meet critical needs for healthier and more resilient communities. As the world's largest organization dedicated to increasing volunteer service, Points of Light engages more than 3.8 million volunteers across 32 countries. For more information, visit www.pointsoflight.org. SOURCE PDS Health $73 million will fund 387 housing initiatives; 2024-25 bipartisan budget nearly doubles the Commonwealth's commitment to affordable housing by raising the PHARE Fund cap to $100 million per year by 2027 HARRISBURG, Pa., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency today announced recipients of a new round of funding for housing programs made available through the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement fund. PHFA has identified 387 housing and community development initiatives in all 67 counties that will share a portion of the total $73 million in PHARE funding for fiscal year 2024-25. The PHARE fund is managed by PHFA. "PHARE is one of the most effective tools we have to expand access to safe, affordable housing in every corner of the Commonwealth," said Governor Josh Shapiro. "That's why we've nearly doubled our investment in this program because it works. Local communities know what they need, and PHARE gives them the resources to meet those needs, tackle the housing crisis, and help more Pennsylvanians stay in their homes. My budget proposal this year builds on that success by raising the PHARE cap to $110 million by 2028 so we can build more homes, repair more aging properties, and deliver real results for the people of Pennsylvania." Funding for these PHARE awards comes from two main sources. Since 2012, the program has received a portion of the impact fees collected from natural gas companies operating in the state with the goal of addressing the housing shortage caused by the impact of drilling. That is supplemented with funding provided by a portion of the realty transfer tax. The PHARE fund is often referred to as the state's Housing Trust Fund. "I'm impressed each year with how well local organizations target PHARE dollars to address communities' housing needs," said PHFA Executive Director and CEO Robin Wiessmann. "We stress to applicants that their requests must demonstrate how PHARE money will be leveraged with other funding sources to make the largest housing impact possible, and that approach has significantly expanded PHARE's financial investment again this year." PHFA anticipates that today's PHARE funding will assist Pennsylvania households through a variety of affordable housing efforts, including: 270 new, affordable housing units will be created with PHARE funds; 2,050 affordable housing units will be preserved/rehabilitated; 56 new single-family homes will be created; 140 housing units will be created or rehabilitated specifically for households in danger of homelessness; 122 potential new homebuyers will receive down payment and closing cost assistance; More than 11,400 families/households will receive housing counseling and financial education; and More than 13,900 families/households in danger of homelessness will receive housing assistance (rent, utility, transportation) through PHARE-funded programming. PHFA staff report that at least $49 million (67%) of the $73 million allocated today will be used to fund housing projects benefiting households with incomes below 50% of the area median income. A list of the proposals receiving PHARE funding is available at www.phfa.org/legislation/act105.aspx. See the bullet for "Funding Announcements." Expanding PHARE to Deliver Safe, Affordable Housing Governor Shapiro's 202425 bipartisan budget made major strides to address Pennsylvania's housing crisis nearly doubling the Commonwealth's commitment to affordable housing by raising the PHARE Fund cap to $100 million per year by 2027. PHARE remains the state's most flexible and effective tool to build, preserve, and repair affordable housing across all 67 counties. Building on that progress, the Governor's 202526 budget proposal invests an additional $10 million in PHARE and makes the largest overall investment in housing in Commonwealth history. It also advances efforts to keep Pennsylvanians in their homes including $50 million for a new statewide housing repair fund, $10 million to help first-time homebuyers, and targeted eviction sealing reform. These investments, combined with the forthcoming statewide Housing Action Plan, reflect a bold and coordinated strategy to expand access to safe, affordable housing across Pennsylvania. About PHFA The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and people with special housing needs. Through its carefully managed mortgage programs and investments in multifamily housing developments, PHFA also promotes economic development across the state. Since its creation by the legislature in 1972, it has generated more than $19.7 billion of funding for more than 205,147 single-family home mortgage loans, helped fund the construction of 110,284 rental units, distributed approximately $362 million to support local housing initiatives, and saved the homes of more than 51,400 families from foreclosure. PHFA programs and operations are funded primarily by the sale of securities and from fees paid by program users, not by public tax dollars. The agency is governed by a 14-member board. Media contact Scott Elliott 717-649-6522 (cell) [email protected] SOURCE Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ClassACT HR73 will present an on-line forum Press Freedom under Assault: Preserving our Democracy. Sylvester Monroe, Senior Fellow at the University of Southern California Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy will moderate a panel with Geoffrey Cowan, University Professor of Communication at USC and a distinguished First Amendment attorney; Susan Goldberg, the president and CEO of GBH, the largest producer of PBS content and a major provider of NPR programming; and Kevin Merida, the former executive editor of the Los Angeles Times and the former managing editor of the Washington Post. Monroe, who reported and edited for Newsweek, Time and served in senior editorial positions at the Washington Post and LA Times and the panelists will examine the unprecedented nature of current attacks on the media. "A free and independent press is a cornerstone of democracy," says Monroe. "It is imperative that everyone works to defend it." "A free and independent press is a cornerstone of democracy. It is imperative that everyone works to defend it." Post this The panel will trace how the United States arrived at a point where the government attempts to censor the language of respected media and press outlets, and the Department of Justice investigates news organizations for their "diversity, equity and inclusion" policies. The panel will also discuss efforts to cut off federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, as well as the rapid decline of local newspapers throughout the country, whose absence leaves fertile ground for sources of misinformation to take root. The forum will examine whether a fundamental shift in the relationship between journalism and politics is occurring, one that signals a movement toward authoritarianism. Link to register for the free on-line forum: https://classacthr73.org/event-6190244 ClassACT (Achieving Change Together) HR73 is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of founded by members of the Harvard-Radcliffe Class of 1973, with a goal to bring together classmates to address important local, national, and international problems by creating and supporting positive social change. For additional information on Press Freedom under Assault: Preserving our Democracy and panelist bios, click here: https://classacthr73.org/Press-Freedom-under-Assault-Preserving-Our-Democracy. SOURCE ClassACT HR73 Powerful new tool also delivers frictionless website messaging CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a digital world in which whistleblowers face growing threatsand web forms often go unread the Public Interest Tech Lab today unveiled MyPrivacyPolls a new free tool that puts anonymity, accountability, and responsiveness within reach of everyone. Two Challenges. One Breakthrough Solution. New tech for anonymous messaging and to safeguard whistleblowers Post this PROBLEM #1: Whistleblowers Need Protection. As government shifts accelerate, and tech companies tighten their grip on transparency, insiders are more crucialand more vulnerablethan ever. Fear of exposure prevents vital information from reaching the public. Meanwhile, journalists struggle to shield their sources in an increasingly hostile landscape. PROBLEM #2: Website Form Responses Are Ignored. Too often, web and app developers rely on feedback or incident forms that go uncheckedrequiring someone to manually log in and look for submissions. Critical messages get lost, ignored, or delayed. Enter MyPrivacyPolls Private by Design, Powerful by Nature. This patent-pending, privacy-first platform is purpose-built to guarantee anonymity. Unlike traditional survey or contact tools, MyPrivacyPolls Gray cannot track, store, or re-identify respondentsnot even at the system level. With its carefully designed forward-only submission model, user responses are sent directly to a provided email address, bypassing all storage or logging. No accounts. No tracking. No digital trail. Whether a staff member is blowing the whistle, filing an incident report, or just leaving a message on a website, MyPrivacyPolls Gray ensures that the person's voice is heardsecurely and immediately. "In an age where data privacy is too often treated as an afterthought, MyPrivacyPolls puts it front and centerempowering people to speak up without fear," said Latanya Sweeney, founder of the Public Interest Tech Lab and a pioneer in data privacy. "This tool ensures that the public can benefit from the courage of whistleblowers and the accountability their voices bring." Key Use Cases: Anonymous whistleblowing and misconduct reporting Journalist-source communications Secure contact forms for websites Feedback tools for universities, workplaces, and public institutions Privacy-conscious community engagement Available Now at myprivacypolls.com The "Gray level" of myprivacypolls.com is available to the public now. The Gray level provides an entry-level platform that gives people the ability to submit information anonymouslywithout creating an account, revealing their identity, or leaking digital copiesmaking it ideal for whistleblowing, incident reporting, and secure website contact forms. Because MyPrivacyPolls is built to scale with a suite of privacy levels tailored for different needs, more levels are already in development . "Blue level," for example, enables joint statistical analysis while protecting the privacy of individual contributors and is currently in beta testing with industry partners. Backed by Privacy Leadership and Whistleblower Insight MyPrivacyPolls was inspired by data privacy pioneer Latanya Sweeney and is the latest innovation from the Tech Lab that brought over 20,000 leaked Meta documentsshared by whistleblower Frances Haugento the public via fbarchive.org . "Whistleblowers take enormous personal risks to bring truth to light, and the tools they rely on should be built with that reality in mind," said Frances Haugen, Facebook Whistleblower and Tech Accountability Advocate. MyPrivacyPolls also benefits from the guidance of Mark MacGann, the Uber Whistleblower, currently embedded in the Tech Lab as a Knight Fellow. MacGann brings firsthand insight into what insiders need to safely speak out and drive change. "Together, we're reimagining anonymous communication to serve the public interest building a safer, more transparent digital future." said Mark MacGann, Knight fellow, the Public Interest Tech Lab. About the Public Interest Tech Lab The Public Interest Tech Lab addresses society's greatest technology challenges and advances technology that serves democracy and civil society. The Lab also conducts real-time, data-driven research to improve public systems, increase accountability, and strengthen participation in democratic institutions. For more information, visit: techlab.org Media Contact: Max Boland Public Interest Tech Lab [email protected] Tel 617-998-1726 SOURCE Tech Lab, Harvard University ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 11. Kazakhstan is inviting Slovakia to take part in the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced during a joint press statement with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Trend reports. "During our talks, we discussed the possibility of jointly harnessing the potential of one of the strategically important trade routes - the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor. I invited our Slovak partners to participate in this project, which can open up new opportunities for bilateral trade," he said. President Tokayev emphasized that Kazakhstan and Slovakia have wide-ranging prospects for cooperation across multiple sectors. "Strengthening comprehensive ties is in the interest of both nations. Slovakia is a fast-developing country with steady economic growth. In this context, Kazakhstan is committed to further expanding its bilateral relations with Slovakia," he added. The Middle Corridor connects China with Europe through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus, and Turkiye, offering an alternative to traditional trade routes. Its importance has grown amid shifting global supply chains and increased interest in diversified transit options. Start of Just Peace Festival with a call for peace from The Hague THE HAGUE, Netherlands, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Just Peace Festival officially begins today in The Hague, launching more than two weeks of international dialogue and civic engagement in the lead-up to the 2025 NATO Summit. Running until 26 June, the festival opens with a powerful statement for peace and resilience under the title "The Hague Speaks for peace: Rebalancing security." The statement is an initiative of The Hague Humanity Hub and announced by it's managing director Jill Wilkinson during the festival opening ceremony. Endorsed by The Hague's Mayor Jan van Zanen and Leiden University Rector Magnificus Hester Bijl the message calls for a renewed and human-centered approach to peace and security. The public statement is a call for a balanced vision of peace and securityone that places people at its heart. "At a time when the focus is increasingly drawn toward defense capabilities and military preparedness, we urge equal and sustained attention to and investment in the long-term work of building resilient, inclusive, and just societies. This is not an alternative to security. It is the foundation of it." Jill Wilkinson, managing director of The Hague Humanity Hub. The full public statement: https://www.justpeacethehague.org/page/stand-for-just-peace "Now more than ever, it is important to connect and continue working together for Peace and Justice." Mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen. About the Just Peace Festival The Just Peace Festival is a city-wide celebration that brings together residents, artists, experts, policy makers alike to explore peace and justice through exhibitions, dialogues, performances, and events. https://www.justpeacethehague.org/en/ About The Hague Humanity Hub The Hague Humanity Hub is a not-for-profit foundation that supports and strengthens the ecosystem for a more peaceful and just world. It facilitates connections and innovation by offering the necessary ingredients for chance encounters, new alliances, inspirational collaborations, and the exchange of knowledge. About The Hague & Partners The Hague & Partners is the official marketing & acquisition organisation for the promotion of The Hague, focused on residents, visitors, conferences, businesses and institutions. https://thehague.com/en. Read more about the NATO Summit in The Hague on Stories of Purpose from The Hague. SOURCE City of The Hague Rutgers Business School demonstrates that it can continuously adapt to evolving business needs, offering flexible, affordable, and relevant MBA programs. NEWARK, N.J., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Rutgers Business School's Part-Time MBA Program was ranked No. 23 among more than 200 similar MBA programs in the U.S., according to U.S. News and World Report's annual Best Business Schools Report. When you consider the ranking among public business schools only, the Rutgers Part-Time MBA is No. 13 in the U.S. The latest ranking from U.S. News and World Report demonstrates that Rutgers Business School is continuously adapting to evolving business needs by offering flexible, affordable, and relevant MBA programs. Rutgers Business School Dean Lei Lei said the new ranking reflects a growing recognition of the quality of the Rutgers MBA Program. The Part-Time MBA Program was No. 83 when it was first ranked by U.S. News in 2010. The latest ranking represents a jump of 60 places since that first listing. Dean Lei said graduate programs in U.S. business schools are facing many challenges including the ever-increasing demand for flexibility, quality services, program innovation, and meaningful return-on-investment for a master's degree. "The latest ranking from U.S. News and World Report demonstrates that Rutgers Business School is embracing and meeting the challenges of today and tomorrow," Lei said. U.S. News ranked the Rutgers Full-Time MBA No. 53, making it No. 26 among public business schools in the U.S. Rutgers Business School's strength in supply chain management was also recognized: The MBA concentration in supply chain management ranked No. 15 across all U.S. business schools. Among Big Ten business schools, Rutgers ranked No. 5 for its MBA supply chain program. There's still time to apply to begin a Part-Time MBA in the fall. Learn more here. Also starting this fall, Rutgers Business School will begin offering a 45-credit Full-Time MBA Program that students may complete in 12 months. Attend an online information session on Tuesday, June 17 at noon to learn more. Jessica Soltys started the Rutgers Part-Time MBA Program while working as a facility management coordinator in the commercial real estate field. She wanted to supplement her technical skills with the business acumen that an MBA could provide. She focused her studies on strategy and leadership and later added a second concentration in supply chain management. Soltys, who completed the program in May, said one of the biggest return-on-investments for her is the confidence she gained as a result of learning more about business and developing soft skill needed in management positions. "The quality of my decision-making has changed," she said. "Because of my accounting for managers class, I understand balance sheets so I can have better conversations with my finance team. Because of my supply chain classes, I have a deeper understanding of procurement." "The MBA makes it possible for me to make better decisions and to think strategically," she said. Soltys is taking a new job in the commercial real estate field, a manager of data center operations. It's a position she was offered, she said, because of her "elevated education." Weiwei Chen, senior director of the Rutgers MBA Program, echoed Dean Lei's pride in the Part-Time MBA Program's "remarkable growth." "This achievement is a testament to our continuous adaptation to evolving business needs, offering a flexible, affordable, relevant, and innovative curriculum," Chen said. "The strength and quality of our program, students, faculty, and staff, combined with a significant return on investment for many of our graduates underscore the value of our MBA." "Our proximity to New York City and the diversity of our student body create the perfect combination for a life-changing, worthwhile experience," Chen said. Soltys said she benefited from the program's flexibility and the in-person classes where she was able to build relationships with classmates and learn from their experiences. As part of her strategy and leadership studies, she took three classes with Professor Zeki Pagda: management consulting, organizational behavior and executive leadership. "I learned so much about emotional intelligence, influence and leading as a team," she said. "Those classes were game changers." In its evaluation of Part-Time or Flexible MBAs, U.S. News and World Report considered a variety of factors, including a peer assessment from other business school deans and MBA program directors. (The peer assessment represents 50% of the ranking formula.) Some of the other factors included enrollment, characteristics of the student body, including test scores, and the ratio of part-time students in a school's MBA program. The ranking included 239 Part-Time MBA programs. See the full report. SOURCE Rutgers Business School Funding Fuels Retail Growth and Innovation for the Fast-Growing, Gen-Z Founded Company LOS ANGELES, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sauz , the brand known for ushering in 'a new generation of tomato sauce', today announced that the company has successfully closed a $12MM funding round led by CAVU Consumer Partners , a leading growth equity fund widely known for backing and building iconic consumer brands. The round also included investment from existing partners such as Coefficient Capital , Palm Tree Crew and Strand Equity . Sauz aims to use the capital from this raise to catalyze marketing, awareness, innovation and distribution growth. Consumers can expect to see more retail openings, additional new flavor SKUs and a larger online footprint by the end of 2025. "Sauz brings new flavor, new tone, and new experiences to shoppers who are hungry for more from their pasta sauces, and we're thrilled to have CAVU as a partner behind us as they not only believe in our potential, but are known for identifying and accelerating the next generation of iconic consumer brands," said Troy Bonde, Co-Founder & CEO of Sauz. "We have many exciting things planned for the future and, with CAVU's support, we're ready to scale this vision with even greater velocity." Sauz has experienced meteoric growth in a short period of time; in addition to the capital raise, the company experienced a 148 percent increase in overall revenue and a 250 percent increase in online sales. Now available in nearly 7,000 retail doors nationwide with seven sauce varieties, Sauz continues to see best-in-class velocities in retail and is eager to build upon this momentum with CAVU's support. "At CAVU, we love backing brands that reimagine consumer categories and challenge the status quo," said Jared Jacobs, Partner at CAVU Consumer Partners, who has joined Sauz's Board of Directors. "Today's pasta sauce aisle is a sea of sameness products that look and taste similar, but lack excitement, originality, and any sense of discovery. Sauz is bringing modern flavors and bold branding to a pantry staple that's ripe for disruption. We're thrilled to partner with Troy and Winston as they redefine how a new generation engages with the sauce aisle." "We started Sauz because we found ourselves hungry for something that simply didn't exist: tomato sauce that made cooking easy, but that didn't taste like the same blend of tomatoes and garlic we'd been eating for our entire lives," said Winston Alfieri, Co-Founder and CMO at Sauz. "Cooking is an opportunity to discover new foods and new flavors, and that's why we're on a mission to bring unexpected ingredients - like miso, brown butter, hot honey and summer lemon - to a product that's as convenient and widely available as tomato sauce." Sauz was founded by childhood friends Troy Bonde and Winston Alfieri on the idea that jarred tomato sauce - a product that's both inherent to grocery store aisles and largely ignored by most consumers - was ready for a much-needed upgrade. Sauz combines high-quality ingredients with genuinely innovative flavors and bright, colorful packaging to bring a sense of adventure back to the tomato sauce aisle. With flavors including Hot Honey Marinara, Summer Lemon Marinara, Cracked Pepper and Parmesan, Brown Butter Alfredo and Miso Garlic Marinara, the company has rapidly expanded its retail footprint, having launched at Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, Sprouts and more with additional product and retail launches still in the wing for 2025. Consumers can find Sauz at https://getsauz.com/ as well as retailers nationwide including Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, Sprouts and more. ABOUT SAUZ Launched in 2023 by childhood best friends, SAUZ has quickly distinguished itself as a disruptor in the pasta sauce category with its vibrant packaging and unique flavors. Founded on the belief that pasta night should never be boring, SAUZ delivers restaurant-quality sauces with a twistthink Hot Honey Marinara, Brown Butter Alfredo, and Summer Lemon Marinara. Made with premium ingredients and unexpected flavor combos, each jar is designed to inspire creativity in the kitchen and bring people together. In less than two years, the brand has expanded into more than 7,000 retailers nationwide including Target, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Kroger. SOURCE Sauz The Scout Tower is powered by Skylark's adaptive AI technology, which addresses critical security challenges inherent in major public events by providing security teams with real-time situational awareness, crowd behaviour analysis, and early threat detection capabilities. The system's ability to adapt and learn from the unique dynamics of each event ensures that security personnel receive accurate, actionable intelligence, thereby maintaining public safety. The Scout processed visual data from multiple high-resolution cameras, utilizing advanced edge computing to identify crowd anomalies, suspicious behaviors, and potential security threats in real-time. "Securing events of this magnitude requires technology that can adapt to the unique challenges and ever-changing dynamics of large public gatherings," said Dr. Amarjot Singh, CEO of Skylark Labs. "Our Scout AI Tower proved its exceptional capabilities by providing comprehensive surveillance coverage across multiple venues simultaneously. The system's adaptive AI continuously analyse crowd patterns, identifies potential security risks, and provides our security partners with the real-time intelligence needed to ensure the safety of hundreds of thousands of attendees. This successful deployment showcases our technology's scalability and effectiveness in protecting some of America's most cherished public events." The AI engine generated continuous Event Security Scores that reflected real-time risk assessments based on crowd density, movement patterns, and behavioral analysis. These scores enabled security teams to proactively respond to developing situations and deploy resources effectively across the expansive event areas. Event organizers stated: "The Scout Tower system provided us with unprecedented situational awareness throughout the Indianapolis 500 Parade and both the build-up and dispersal of attendees. The real-time intelligence and adaptive learning capabilities enabled our security teams to maintain comprehensive coverage across this massive event and share information in real time with Law Enforcement and First Responders. Skylark Labs' technology proved invaluable in ensuring the safety and security of hundreds of thousands of attendees, and we look forward to future collaborations for major public events." The successful deployment resulted in enhanced security response times, improved crowd management, and comprehensive situational awareness for security personnel and event management throughout the event. About Skylark Labs Skylark Labs is revolutionizing the way AI interacts with the world, providing adaptive solutions that keep pace with change. By pioneering real-time, adaptive AI technology that learns directly on any deviceeven from a single experiencewe empower individuals and organizations to respond immediately to new tasks and environments. Leveraging our brain-inspired general intelligence architecture, we develop AI that learns and adapts continuously, mirroring the flexibility of the human brain and bringing us closer to achieving accurate general intelligence. For more information, please visit SkylarkLabs.ai or contact us at [email protected]. SOURCE Skylark Labs, Inc. LOS ANGELES, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Songtradr, the leading B2B music technology company, has unified its key B2B music businesses7digital, Big Sync Music, Musicube and Resonance Sonic Brandingunder the MassiveMusic brand to provide seamless music solutions at scale to the world's most iconic brands. As a result of this strategic unification, MassiveMusic is now the industry's most comprehensive, innovative provider of brand and business-centric music solutions, combining creative excellence with cutting-edge technology. A Unified Solution for Brands and Agencies By integrating 7digital's global distribution with Big Sync Music's advertising and licensing expertise, as well as Musicube's AI-powered intelligence, Resonance Sonic Branding's strategic services and MassiveMusic's renowned creativity, Songtradr streamlines the brand and business-centric music landscape. This provides brands, agencies and platforms with a seamless, end-to-end partner to maximize the impact of music and sound at scale. Meeting the Needs of a Transforming Industry In a rapidly evolving digital environment, the need for strategic music partners remains critical. MassiveMusic offers: Integrated Music Licensing: Unparalleled expertise in music licensing and music supervision, alongside access to a vast pre-cleared catalog enriched by advanced data and AI for precise music selection Unparalleled expertise in music licensing and music supervision, alongside access to a vast pre-cleared catalog enriched by advanced data and AI for precise music selection Creative Excellence: Award-winning custom music, sonic branding, and strategic audio solutions trusted by large global brands Award-winning custom music, sonic branding, and strategic audio solutions trusted by large global brands Technology Leadership: Proprietary tools like SoundCheck and MusicIQ for data-driven insights and measurable ROI, as well as the industry's best-in-class technology platform for accessing the world's music Proprietary tools like SoundCheck and MusicIQ for data-driven insights and measurable ROI, as well as the industry's best-in-class technology platform for accessing the world's music Global Reach: International presence providing local expertise and world-class service A New Era for B2B Music "This unification under MassiveMusic marks a pivotal step in simplifying the complexities of the music industry for our clients," said Paul Wiltshire, CEO. "Together, we deliver scalable, tech-driven, and creative sonic solutions that deepen emotional connections, elevate brand perception, and drive measurable business results across every touchpoint." About Songtradr Songtradr is the world's largest B2B music technology company, offering end-to-end music licensing, rights management, and direct-to-fan solutions. Through strategic acquisitions like MassiveMusic and Bandcamp, Songtradr empowers music creators and enables brands to connect with audiences through the power of music. Learn more at www.songtradr.com. About MassiveMusic MassiveMusic, part of the Songtradr brand portfolio, is the global music and sound partner for leading brands, agencies, & platforms. By blending creativity, data-driven insights, and market-leading technology, MassiveMusic delivers scalable music strategies, innovative technology services and award-winning creative solutions, driving measurable business value and shaping the future of sound. Learn more at www.massivemusic.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2707645/MassiveMusic_Logo.jpg SOURCE MassiveMusic CHICAGO, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- South Dakota Office of Licensing and Accreditation (OLA) recently launched its new Management Information System (MIS) that modernizes and enhances provider licensing and accreditation processes for state agencies, service providers, and constituents. This solution from RedMane Technology supports and has been rolled out to a wide range of provider types, including child care programs, youth care facilities, and accredited behavioral health providers. By offering a digital approach, the MIS streamlines licensing and accreditation of providers including processes related to background checks, inspections, compliance monitoring, reducing administrative burden while improving service quality and transparency. "With the launch of South Dakota's new MIS solution, we are empowering OLA staff and providers with an integrated, efficient, and user-friendly system," said Tony Lakier, CEO of RedMane, provider of the technology solution. "By leveraging technology, we are ensuring that licensing, compliance, and accreditation processes are more accessible, secure, and effective for all stakeholders." Key features and benefits of the MIS solution include: Constituent Portal: Citizens can easily perform provider searches, accessing program profiles, program certificates, inspections and compliance documentation, along with the ability to submit inquiries and complaints. Citizens can easily perform provider searches, accessing program profiles, program certificates, inspections and compliance documentation, along with the ability to submit inquiries and complaints. Provider Portal: Providers can efficiently manage applications, submit and review background check requests, review inspections and complete various compliance plans. The portal provides the ability to access and submit various forms, along with a message center that facilitates communication between providers and OLA staff. Providers can efficiently manage applications, submit and review background check requests, review inspections and complete various compliance plans. The portal provides the ability to access and submit various forms, along with a message center that facilitates communication between providers and OLA staff. Staff Portal: OLA staff securely accesses a configurable, user-friendly solution that replaces various legacy solutions (e.g., spreadsheets, databases, manual processing). The MIS supports processes around provider lifecycle management of inquiries, applications, renewals, compliance plans, background check submissions, site inspections, floor plans, and certificate management, along with solution components that provide reporting and analytics. The MIS is built upon mCase, RedMane's modern human services platform that is created with flexibility, efficiency, and scalability in mind, enabling a collaborative environment between agencies, providers, and constituents. About South Dakota OLA The South Dakota Office of Licensing and Accreditation's purpose is to guide and assist providers, so individuals and families have access to a safe environment and quality services. The Office of Licensing and Accreditation Constituent Portal provides information about the following providers: Behavioral Health Programs, Child Care Programs and Youth Care Programs. For additional information, visit the DSS website. About RedMane Since 2000, RedMane has created solutions to help health and human services organizations implement, modernize, and optimize systems for child support, child welfare, and critical case management. RedMane has also successfully developed systems for adult protective services, benefits eligibility, veterans' services, student loans, and financial aid sectors. Client partners throughout North America include the U.S. states of Alaska, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, and South Dakota, along with Indigenous Peoples communities, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Canadian provinces, and First Nations communities. For more information, visit RedMane.com. SOURCE RedMane Technology SAVANNAH, Ga., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- South University's School of Pharmacy (SUSOP) has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation, in the "Innovating Patient Care and Pharmacy Practice" category. The college was selected from a competitive pool of applicants for its commitment to expanding the capacity of a community health care program in Savannah that works to provide health screening and medication therapy management for patients with urgent health needs. SUSOP was one of five institutions selected in its category, alongside Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy, Purdue College of Pharmacy, Temple University School of Pharmacy, and Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy. "The NACDS Foundation Scholarship highlights the significant impact of our ongoing community engagement efforts," said Dr. Adegoke A. Adeniji, Associate Professor and Interim Dean of the School of Pharmacy. "It enables us to expand our outreach to underserved and underinsured populations in the region while providing our students with hands-on learning and real-world experiences. This initiative not only enhances student education but also strengthens South University's presence and service in the Savannah community." The grant will support several successful SUSOP initiatives that were instrumental in securing this recognition: A sustainable Community-Academic Partnership with Inspiritus of Savannah , providing dedicated space for faculty to conduct participant recruitment, screening, education, and medication therapy management services , providing dedicated space for faculty to conduct participant recruitment, screening, education, and medication therapy management services The creation of a new JC Lewis Primary Health Care Clinic practice site, enabling team-based ambulatory care alongside other health professionals Transdisciplinary faculty engagement across pharmacy, public health, and clinical disciplines "The NACDS Foundation funding will support expansion of community-based health services and research initiatives by leveraging strong community partnerships and innovative care models to address local health disparities among the underserved population in Savannah," said Dr. David Ombengi, SUSOP Department Chair and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice. The award, announced during a special ceremony at the 2025 NACDS Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, comes as the NACDS Foundation celebrates its 30th anniversary of supporting pharmacy education, having contributed more than $5 million to advancing pharmacy education nationwide. "South University School of Pharmacy is very deserving of this NACDS Innovating Patient Care and Pharmacy Practice scholarship," said Sara E. Roszak, President of the NACDS Foundation. "We look forward to seeing the outcome of this important project that will be an asset to the community it serves." About South University South University, founded in 1899, has grown from a single location in Savannah, Georgia, to serving over 10,000 students across 11 ground campuses and online curricula. The university offers a wide range of programs, from associate to doctoral levels, focusing on fields such as healthcare, business, and technology. Programs, credential levels, technology, and scheduling options vary by school and are subject to change. Not all programs are available to residents of all U.S. states. Administrative office: South University, 709 Mall Boulevard, Savannah, GA 31406-4805 2025 South University. All rights reserved. South University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees. South University also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of South University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC's website (www.sacscoc.org). Media Contact: Juliette Haas [email protected] SOURCE South University ANA Urges Inclusion of Nurses and Healthcare Experts on ACIP to Restore Public Trust in Vaccines and Reinforce Evidence-Based Policy SILVER SPRING, Md., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Nurses Association (ANA) is concerned by the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) recent action to restructure the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP). While the intent may be to restore integrity and public trust in vaccine science, this sweeping action risks achieving the opposite. ANA acknowledges that the previous Administration took unprecedented action that prevented this Administration from selecting ACIP representatives through the normal application and nomination process. While we understand the impetus to establish leadership in the process, we are concerned that the complete removal of all ACIP members could further erode public confidence in both the process and vaccines themselves. Restoring trust in vaccines is critical to safeguard public health, ensuring all children reach adulthood, and enabling all Americans to live healthy, productive lives. Vaccines are foundational to public health. They protect individuals, families, and communities from preventable disease, and they remain a cornerstone of our national and global response to emerging health threats. The public must trust not only the science behind vaccines, but the processes by which decisions are made about their use. That trust is built through transparency, consistency, and representation of frontline perspectives. ANA urges HHS to ensure the nursing perspective is meaningfully represented as new ACIP members are selected. Nurses play a vital role in immunization efforts: they educate patients, advocate for accessible vaccination practices, and uphold immunization recommendations. Nurses are often the first line of defense against vaccine-preventable diseases and bring essential, evidence-based insight to any conversation on public health. As the most trusted profession in the United States, nurses understand their ethical obligation to advance evidence-based approaches and to provide the best available information for patients and the public. Their expertise, clinical experience, and leadership in both community and acute care settings make them indispensable voices in national vaccine policy discussions. ANA stands ready to support HHS in identifying qualified nurses to serve on ACIP and contribute to restoring public trust in immunization practices. ANA remains committed to engaging in this important dialogue and supporting efforts that center public health, science, and evidence-based practice. We look forward to continuing collaboration with HHS to ensure nursesand the patients they serveare represented in critical public health decisions. About the American Nurses Association As the oldest organization representing more than 5 million registered nurses, the American Nurses Association stands at the forefront of advancing nursing excellence. The association harnesses The Power of Nurses to champion the profession and drive transformation in healthcare. Through legislative and political advocacy, comprehensive educational services, and the profession's leading Code of Ethics and Scope and Standards, the association empowers nurses across every specialty and practice setting. The association is committed to ensuring healthy work environments, shaping pioneering policies, and cultivating partnerships that enhance both the nursing profession and the broader healthcare experience. MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE American Nurses Enterprise ARLINGTON, Va., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) and the State of Tennessee joined forces to challenge the constitutionality of the federal government's Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) program. The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, contends that the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary Linda McMahon are administering a grant program that discriminates based on ethnicity in direct violation of the Constitution. The complaint is attached. The HSI program, created under Titles III and V of the Higher Education Act, provides federal funding to colleges and universities whose undergraduate enrollment is at least 25% Hispanic. While all public institutions of higher learning in Tennessee serve Hispanic and low-income students, none of them qualify for these fundssolely because they do not meet the program's arbitrary ethnic threshold. The plaintiffs argue that the HSI program, as currently implemented, engages in unconstitutional racial balancing and exceeds Congress's constitutional authority. The program's defining featurea 25% Hispanic enrollment requirementacts as a strict racial gatekeeper, determining which institutions are eligible to receive tens of millions of dollars in federal support. The complaint underscores that several Tennessee institutionsincluding East Tennessee State University, the University of Memphis, and Middle Tennessee State Universitywould otherwise be eligible for HSI grants based on neutral criteria such as low educational expenditures and high numbers of low-income students. But they are excluded solely because their Hispanic enrollment falls below the 25% threshold. The lawsuit also emphasizes the harm the program causes to both institutions and individuals. SFFA's members include faculty at Tennessee universities who would compete for HSI grants if permitted, as well as students who are deprived of the educational resources these grants fundsuch as upgraded laboratories, enhanced tutoring programs, and postbaccalaureate opportunities. The State of Tennessee alleges that the HSI program puts its universities in an impossible legal bind: they must either engage in illegal racial balancing in admissions to qualify for grants or forego tens of millions of dollars in federal support. Recently enacted Tennessee law explicitly prohibits race-based preferences in public education, putting state institutions at risk of violating either state or federal law no matter which direction they turn. The complaint seeks a declaratory judgment that the HSI program's racial criteria are unconstitutional and a permanent injunction barring the Department of Education from using racial or ethnic thresholds when determining grant eligibility. Edward Blum, president of SFFA, said, "This lawsuit is not about denying opportunity to any racial or ethnic group. It is about ensuring that opportunity is extended to everyone on an equal basis." Blum continued, "This lawsuit challenges a federal policy that conditions the receipt of taxpayer-funded grants on the racial composition of a student body. Discriminating against colleges, universities, faculty, and students based on race violates the fundamental principle of equal protection under the law. No student or institution should be denied opportunity because they fall on the wrong side of an ethnic quota." Blum concluded, "The Supreme Court made clear in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that such practices are patently unconstitutional." Contact: Edward Blum, President 703-505-1922 [email protected] SOURCE Students for Fair Admissions SAN FRANCISCO, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- StudyBits, the most advanced AI-powered study platform on the market, officially launches today with a bold mission: to transform how students learn by eliminating decision fatigue, closing educational gaps, and delivering hyper-personalized lessonspowered by the same machine learning algorithms that drive today's most addictive tech platforms. StudyBits Home Unlike traditional study tools or static learning apps, StudyBits is the first and only platform that combines reinforcement learning with fine-tuned large language models to actively adjust to each learner's behavior in real time. The result? A smarter, more engaging study experience that meets students exactly where they areand takes them further than ever before. Built for Students Who Don't Have Time to Waste Internal research from StudyBits revealed a surprising statistic: students spend nearly half of their study time deciding how to study, not actually learning. That number skyrockets for those with ADHD or learning differences. StudyBits eliminates this bottleneck with a radically streamlined solution: no toggling between modes, no "what should I do next?"just a seamless, adaptive learning path, personalized to the user's strengths, gaps, and preferences. AI That Doesn't Just TeachIt Learns You At the core of StudyBits is a dynamic learning engine powered by reinforcement learning, a technique more often seen in robotics and autonomous systems. Here's how it works: Real-time adaptation: The system adjusts the format, difficulty, and type of content as the learner progresses. The system adjusts the format, difficulty, and type of content as the learner progresses. Continuous optimization: Every interactionright or wrongis used to refine future lessons for that specific student. Every interactionright or wrongis used to refine future lessons for that specific student. Engagement-aware delivery: If a student gets bored, confused, or distracted, StudyBits pivots instantly, serving up the right type of question to re-engage attention. Whether you're stuck on covalent bonds, brushing up on verb tenses, or diving into AP Calculus, StudyBits dynamically reroutes your study path, ensuring mastery without overwhelm. Leveling the Educational Playing Field Beyond personalization, StudyBits is tackling one of education's biggest challenges: equity. Designed to work on low-cost devices, the platform brings world-class tutoring and content generation to any student with a phone or laptopno private tutor, elite school, or expensive subscriptions required. "We're not just building a smarter study app," said Michal Krol, co-founder of StudyBits. "We're building a smarter system for learningone that meets every student where they are and helps them succeed, no matter their starting point." And thanks to its generative AI capabilities, StudyBits can instantly turn a short description, textbook, YouTube video, or PDF into a fully adaptive coursegiving learners the power of a personalized tutor in their pocket. About StudyBits StudyBits is an AI-powered learning platform built by educators, technologists, and scientists to help every learner succeed. Using reinforcement learning and large language models, StudyBits delivers personalized, engaging, and effective study experiences in real time. Download StudyBits today on iOS or visit www.studybits.ai to learn more. Press Contact: Michal Krol 219-809-1596 [email protected] @StudyBits on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram SOURCE StudyBits BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ali Asadov, met with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Abdulla Aripov, in Tashkent on June 11, the Cabinet of Ministers told Trend. The meeting highlighted the progress made since the establishment of diplomatic relations three decades ago and set the stage for further deepening of cooperation. The sides noted that recent presidential visits have paved the way for new areas of collaboration, with both governments committed to implementing directives aimed at expanding economic, cultural, and political partnerships. It was noted that the mutual state visits by the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan helped identify new avenues to further deepen bilateral cooperation. The meeting focused on the importance of further close cooperation at the governmental level to implement the directives of the Heads of State. This year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Over this period, the relationship has steadily deepened, supported by high-level reciprocal visits and agreements signed during those meetings. In the past three years alone, there have been ten high-level mutual visitsfive by each president. As a result of persistent joint efforts by the presidents, a historic Alliance Relations Treaty was signed in 2024. The Uzbek president is expected to visit Azerbaijan again soon. The fruitful cooperation within regional and international organizations was also underscored, with particular praise for effective collaboration under the Organization of Turkic States. The trade and economic partnership between countries has been growing strongly, with mutual trade increasing by 41 percent in 2024 and nearly tripling in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the previous year. It was announced that the 14th meeting of the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Joint Commission will be held in Azerbaijan this June. The successful implementation of the 20242025 roadmap for expanding trade, economic, and investment cooperation was highlighted. Currently, more than 10 promising projects are being reviewed through the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Investment Fund, covering sectors such as education, construction materials production, textile industry, logistics, light and food industry. Effective cooperation in industrial partnership was praised, with discussions held on expanding collaboration further. In the renewable energy sector, mutual benefits were emphasized, including Azerbaijans plans to establish a green energy supply route to Europe in cooperation with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The meeting also covered reconstruction efforts in Azerbaijans liberated territories, with gratitude expressed to Uzbekistan for supporting the construction of a secondary school named after Mirzo Ulugbek in Fuzuli. The opening of a sewing factory in Khankendi, attended by both presidents, was noted as a significant event. Transportation and transit cooperation opportunities were examined, with transit shipments between the two countries increasing by more than 18 percent in 2024. The strategic importance of the Middle Corridor was stressed, and Uzbekistan was encouraged to utilize this route more actively. Shipbuilding cooperation was also discussed. Cultural and humanitarian ties were praised, recalling the Uzbekistan Culture Days held in Baku in 2023 and the Azerbaijan Culture Days organized in Uzbekistan last year. The importance of interregional relations was emphasized, with the signing of twinning agreements between ten cities of the two countries receiving a positive assessment. Finally, prospects for developing ties in sectors including cotton cluster creation, construction of social and commercial facilities, construction materials production, oil and gas, agriculture, finance, transport and transit, shipbuilding, education, and others were explored during the meeting. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work recognize financial leader for creating a workplace where trust, flexibility and innovation thrive for Tri-State employees STAMFORD, Conn., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Synchrony (NYSE: SYF), a leading consumer financing company at the heart of American commerce and opportunity, has been named No. 1 on the 2025 Fortune Best Workplaces in New York List by Great Place To Work. Synchrony's award-winning workplace is driven by a simple yet powerful formula: trust, flexibility, listening, and constant innovation in how the company and its teams work. Synchronys NYC Innovation Hub has a balcony overlooking Bryant Park that offers a collaborative space for employees to focus and innovate. Synchronys Stamford, Conn. headquarters is a hub for hundreds of Tri-State employees. Synchrony is a company that is likely already in the wallets of many Tri-Staters, providing financing for everyday essentials and major purchases to 1 in 4 U.S. adults, even if its name isn't immediately recognized. Whether working with national brands to fuel American commerce or helping small and medium businesses grow and thrive, Synchrony helps millions of people access credit while strengthening businesses and communities. "Being recognized as the Best Workplace in New York reinforces what we've always known - a great employee experience is built on trust, flexibility, and creating an environment where your team is empowered to do great work that matters," said DJ Casto, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Synchrony. "We've built a high-performing culture that lets people work how they work best, so they can deliver results that matter to Americans and businesses that rely on us every day, while managing their own lives too." Synchrony's quick ascent to the top of New York's Best Workplaces list comes just three years after opening its Innovation Hub overlooking New York City's Bryant Park in 2022, reaffirming its belief in the power of creating purposeful, collaborative workspaces and its dedication to attracting top talent in the New York metropolitan area. The Hub is designed as both a space for Synchrony employees to work and a collaboration space to work side-by-side with its business partners on real-world projects. Today, Synchrony has more than 800 Tri-State employees working from its New York City office and the company's headquarters in Stamford, Conn. The company's people-first philosophy is reflected in its comprehensive benefits, support for employee growth and development, and commitment to nurturing a workplace for all. Synchrony's top New York workplace ranking mirrors its national success where it claimed the No. 2 spot on the 2025 list of Best Companies to Work For in the U.S. To learn more about Synchrony, hear from employees and view career opportunities, visit: https://www.synchronycareers.com About Synchrony Synchrony (NYSE: SYF) is a leading consumer financing company at the heart of American commerce and opportunity. From health to home, auto to retail, our Synchrony products have been serving the needs of people and businesses for nearly 100 years. We provide responsible access to credit and banking products to support healthier financial lives for tens of millions of people, enabling them to access the things that matter to them. Additionally, through our innovative products and experiences, we support the growth and operations of some of the country's most respected brands, as well as more than 400,000 small and midsize businesses and health and wellness providers that Americans rely on. Synchrony is proud to be ranked as the country's #2 Best Company to Work For by Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work. For more information, visit www.synchrony.com . About the Fortune Best Workplaces in New York Great Place To Work selected the 2025 Fortune Best Workplaces in New York by surveying 1.3 million employees in the U.S., representing companies that collectively employ more than 8.4 million U.S. workers. Of those responses, nearly 145,000 were received from employees at companies that were eligible for the 2025 Fortune Best Workplaces in New York List, and these rankings are based on their feedback. Companies earn eligibility by being Great Place To Work Certified , having at least 10 U.S. employees, and having headquarters in the New York region. Read the full methodology. Media Contact: Ashley Tufts [email protected] SOURCE Synchrony Financial Legislation is Critical for Enhancing Workplace Safety, Protecting Worker Free Speech PROVIDENCE, R.I., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Rhode Island Teamsters are urging the State House of Representatives to pass the Worker Protection Package a group of three bills that are critical for improving occupational conditions throughout the state. The legislation includes House Bill 5047, which would protect warehouse workers from unsafe and unrealistic production quotas. House Bill 5506 would ban "captive audience meetings," where employers force workers to sit through anti-union propaganda. House Bill 5305 would establish standards to protect workers from extreme heat or cold on the job. All three bills have already passed the Senate and now await a vote in the House. "House lawmakers need to act fast to pass the Worker Protection Package and send this comprehensive trio of bills to the Governor's desk," said Matt Taibi, Teamsters Eastern Region International Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 251. "Our state has a unique opportunity to lead the way in not just protecting workers' rights but saving lives. Let's enact these laws and set a positive example for the rest of the country." The Teamsters are advocating for similar reforms in statehouses across the country. California, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Washington have all passed legislation to protect workers from unsafe production quotas. One in four workers now live in a state that has banned mandatory attendance at captive audience meetings. California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington all have occupational standards for extreme temperature exposure. Teamsters Local 251 represents over 6,300 workers in a wide variety of industries throughout Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. For more information, go to teamsterslocal251.org. Contact: Matt McQuaid, (771) 241-0015 [email protected] SOURCE Teamsters Local 251 HOUSTON, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Southern University (TSU) is pleased to announce the establishment of the William A. Lawson Endowment, a scholarship initiative that honors the enduring legacy of the late Rev. Dr. William A. Lawson, a revered civil rights leader, spiritual icon, and longtime community advocate. The endowment is being established through a generous initial gift of $200,000 from Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, matched by $200,000 from the university's Office of Civil Rights, for a total value of $400,000. Texas Southern University announces $200,000 gift from Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church honoring the legacy of late founding pastor Rev. William A. Lawson. (PRNewsfoto/Texas Southern University) "Rev. Dr. William A. Lawson was a pillar in our community who embodied the values of education and faith," said Texas Southern University president James W. Crawford III. "Through this endowment, we celebrate his legacy while empowering future generations to follow in his footsteps to fearlessly speak truth to power while operating with humility, grace, and commitment to service over self." The William A. Lawson Endowed Scholarship will be awarded to full-time undergraduate students at TSU who meet the following criteria: Be in good academic standing with the University Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 Pursuing a degree in Political Science, Theology, Psychology, Sociology, or Education Scholarship recipients will not only benefit from financial support but will also carry forward the ideals Rev. Lawson championedacademic excellence, community service, and social justice. "This endowment is a testament to the commitment of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church and the Lawson family to academic excellence," said Dr. Marcus D. Cosby, Senior Pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. "Texas Southern University students have been a part of the fabric of our church's life since our inception in 1962. We are delighted to partner with Texas Southern to honor the legacy of our Founding Pastor through this most meaningful initiative. Additionally, we look forward to the impact this endowment will make on the lives of each scholarship recipient and the countless lives they, in turn, will touch." Through Rev. Dr. William A. Lawson, a beloved pastor, civil rights champion, and founder of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, the University and the church are inextricably linked. He moved to Houston in 1955 to serve as the director of Texas Southern's Baptist Student Union and professor of Bible. The Lawsons organized the church in the living room of their home on TSU's campus, which also served as the Baptist Student Union. Rev. Lawson's dedication to equality, faith, and education inspired countless individuals across generations. Through this endowment, his vision for a more just and educated society will continue to thrive within the Texas Southern community. About Texas Southern University Texas Southern University (TSU) honors our designation as a special-purpose institution for urban programming and research. As such, TSU is a comprehensive university providing higher education access to the nation's underserved communities with academic and research programs that address critical urban issues and prepares its diverse student population to become a force for positive change in a global society. A distinguished educational pioneer since 1927, the University has become one of the most diverse and respected institutions in Texas. CONTACT: Tracy Clemons 713-313-7371 832-986-9101 [cell] [email protected] SOURCE Texas Southern University Stay cool with big savings on top mattresses, sleep accessories and more HOUSTON, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mattress Firm, the nation's largest mattress specialty retailer, is kicking off its annual July 4th Sale with can't-miss deals designed to help shoppers upgrade their sleep setup and save big. Now through July 15, customers can enjoy big savings on the industry's most trusted brands, perfect for upgrading how they sleep, recover and recharge all summer long. Whether your summer is packed with travel, fitness goals, family time or moments of relaxation, there's one essential that remains constant: quality sleep. This year's sale offers something for everyone, including mattress upgrades, free adjustable bases and unbeatable prices across top brands like Sealy, Serta, Sleepy's and Beautyrest. Here's what's heating up during the July 4th Sale1: In-Store and Online: Get a king bed for the price of a queen; get a queen bed for the price of a twin and save up to $700 on select mattresses from top brands like Sealy, Serta, Sleepy's and Beautyrest on select mattresses from top brands like Sealy, Serta, Sleepy's and Beautyrest Get a FREE adjustable base 2 up to $499 value with qualifying purchase up to value with qualifying purchase Save up to 60% with queen mattresses starting at $149.99 Bundle & Save 3 up to $150 on two pillows, sheet set and mattress protector up to on two pillows, sheet set and mattress protector Get 3% back with up to 24 months special financing 4 on top brands like Tempur-Pedic, Stearns & Foster, Sealy Posturepedic and more on top brands like Tempur-Pedic, Stearns & Foster, Sealy Posturepedic and more Upgrade to a TEMPUR-ProAdapt for only $49 per month with no interest 72 month financing. (Total queen price $3,466.98 which includes a 2% promo fee)5 Special Offers: Military, teachers, students, nurses, doctors and first responders save an extra 10-20% off select mattresses, bedding and more6 To find the right fit, shoppers can turn to Mattress Firm's Sleep Experts in-store or get personalized recommendations with the MattressMatcher tool at MattressFirm.com. For more information on how to get the best mattress at the best price, visit www.mattressfirm.com/sale. Disclaimers: 1Limitations Offers valid 6/11/25 - 7/15-/25. Savings applied to our everyday low price. Savings vary by mattress and model. Product selection may vary by store. Offers not valid on all brands. Offers not valid on previous purchases, floor models, clearance items or final markdowns. Other exclusions may apply. Visit a store or see mattressfirm.com for complete details. 2Free Adjustable Base Receive a free Sleepy's Basic adjustable base (up to a $499.99 value) with select mattress purchases. Adjustable Base value is based on a comparable item sold by a nationwide online seller. Free adjustable base offer valid on same-size mattress purchased. Split king or split California King base purchases consist of 2 bases. For split king or split California King purchases, each customer will receive one free adjustable base with promotion, with second base at regular price. Free adjustable base offer valid to complete mattress set, has no cash value, and cannot be used as credit. Offer not valid on previous purchases, floor models, Purple National Collections, Serta iComfort, Tempur-Pedic, Stearns & Foster, Sealy Hybrid, Nectar, Tuft & Needle, or Lull. Other exclusions may apply. Adjustable bases not eligible for returns; price of adjustable base (up to $499.99) will be deducted from refund if mattress is returned. Adjustable base may be pictured with furniture; bed frame and headboard not included with offer. Offer valid while supplies last. Visit a store or see mattressfirm.com for complete details. 3Bundle & Save on Accessories Save $50 when you purchase 2 pillows, 1 mattress protector and 1 sheet set from Sleepy's Basics. Save $100 when you purchase 2 pillows, 1 mattress protector and 1 sheet set from Sleepy's Signature. Save $150 when you purchase 2 pillows, 1 mattress protector and 1 sheet set from Sleepy's Deluxe. Size availability varies by collection. Items have no cash value and are not eligible for returns. Offer not valid on previous purchases or clearance items. Cannot be combined with other accessory offers nor any other gift with purchase bedding offers. Offer valid while supplies last. 4Get 3% Back^ with up to 24 Months Special Financing on purchases of $1,199+ at participating Mattress Firm stores, online via chat or by phone from 4/30/25 9/30/25. Paid on a virtual or mailed Visa Prepaid Card. Rebate form required. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF OFFER: ^TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF OFFER: Offer available 4/30/25-9/30/25 at participating Mattress Firm stores, special events, online via chat or by phone. Subject to credit approval. 3% back on net purchases (purchases minus returns and adjustments) will be paid in the form of a Synchrony Visa Prepaid Card by mail or email after the following offer requirements are satisfied: (1) you make a qualifying purchase on a Mattress Firm or Synchrony HOME credit card, (2) the qualifying purchase is delivered, and (3) you submit the requested rebate information and documentation. Rebate form must be submitted online or by mail postmarked by 10/30/25. Qualifying purchase amount must be on one receipt. One rebate per qualifying purchase. Maximum rebate of $500 per customer. The Visa Prepaid Card will be sent to your U.S. mailing address or email address within 8 weeks after all the offer requirements are satisfied. If the Visa Prepaid Card is not received within this timeframe, call 1 (866) 415-6540 or visit mattressfirmpromotions.com to inquire about status. If the Visa Prepaid Card is not received, you must inquire no later than 1/13/26 or all rights hereunder will expire. This offer is void where prohibited. Synchrony Bank is not responsible for lost, damaged, illegible, postage due or delayed mail. The Visa Prepaid card cannot be used to make payments on the Mattress Firm Credit Card. Use your Visa Prepaid Card wherever Visa debit cards are accepted in the U.S. The card may not be used at any merchant, including internet and mail or telephone order merchants, outside of the U.S. Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. This is not a gift card or gift certificate. You have received this card as a gratuity without the payment of any monetary value or consideration. The funds associated to your Prepaid Card expire 6 months from date of issue and is stated on the card front. After the expiration date, you will not be able to use this Card, and any remaining Card funds will revert and be returned to the promotional provider. Card terms and conditions apply. The Mattress Firm credit card is not a Bancorp product or service, nor does Bancorp endorse this offer. No Interest If Paid In Full Within 6, 12 or 24 Months on qualifying purchases with your Mattress Firm or Synchrony HOME credit card. Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the promotional balance is not paid in full within 6, 12 or 24 months. Minimum monthly payments required. Qualifying purchase amount must be on one receipt. No interest will be charged on the promo balance if you pay it off, in full, within the promo period. If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date. The required minimum monthly payments may or may not pay off the promo balance before the end of the promo period, depending on purchase amount, promo length and payment allocation. Regular account terms apply to non-promo purchases and, after promo period ends, to the promo balance. New Accounts as of 7/16/2024: Purchase APR is 34.99%. Penalty APR is 39.99%. Minimum Interest Charge is $2. A promo fee will be charged equal to 2% of the amount financed on an equal payment no interest promotion of 18 months or more. Existing cardholders: See your credit card agreement terms. Subject to credit approval. Offer subject to change. 50% Interest for 72 Months on purchases of $3,299+. Equal monthly payments required for 72 months. Promo fee of 2% of amount financed will be included in monthly payments. Taxes and delivery fees must be paid upfront and cannot be charged to your Mattress Firm credit card; upfront payment of taxes and delivery fees will not reduce monthly payment or amount financed. Qualifying purchase is determined prior to taxes and delivery fees. A promo fee, equal to 2% of the amount financed at time of purchase, will be shown as a separate transaction on your billing statement and included in the balance subject to this promo. Any taxes, delivery or other charges included in the amount financed will increase the related promo fee and the required monthly payments. For example, a $950 purchase with $50 in taxes and shipping costs, will be charged a promo fee equal to $20 and $1,020 will be charged to your account. Qualifying purchase amount must be on one receipt. No interest will be charged on the amount financed (including related promo fee) and equal monthly payments are required on such balance until it is paid in full. The payments equal the amount financed (including related promo fee) divided by the number of months in the promo period, rounded up to the next cent. These payments may be higher than the payments that would be required if this purchase was a non-promo purchase. Any estimated monthly payments may be shown as rounded up to the next whole dollar (for ease of display) or may be shown rounded up to the next cent. See your billing statement for your actual required equal monthly payment, which will be rounded up to the next cent. During the last month(s) of the promo period the required monthly payment may be reduced due to the prior months' rounding. Any estimated required monthly payments shown which may exclude taxes and delivery in connection with this promotional offer should allow you to pay off the amount financed (including related promo fee) within the promo period if (1) you make your payments by the due date each month and (2) this is the only balance on your account during the promo period. If you have other balances on your account, this monthly payment will be added to the minimum payment applicable to those balances. Regular account terms apply to non-promo purchases. New Accounts as of 7/16/2024: Purchase APR is 34.99%. Penalty APR is 39.99%. Minimum Interest Charge is $2. Existing cardholders: See your credit card agreement terms. Subject to credit approval. Offer subject to change. Select promotions may display in online checkout. All promotions are available in store, phone and via chat. 6Verified Discounts (Military, Teacher, Student, First Responders, Doctors, Nurses) With valid ID, get an extra 20% off select purchases or an extra 10% off Purple with offer code. Savings applied to listed sale prices. Offer code may be used only once in connection with a single sales order. Offer not valid on previous purchases, floor models, clearance items, final markdowns, Serta iComfort, Tempur-Pedic, Stearns & Foster, Sealy Hybrid, Beautyrest Black, Nectar, Tuft & Needle, Lull and adjustable bases. Cannot be used in combination with any other coupon offer nor Free Adjustable Base offer. Other exclusions may apply. Visit a store or see mattressfirm.com for complete details. About Mattress Firm Mattress Firm, the nation's largest omni-channel mattress specialty retailer, has been helping solve America's sleep problems for more than 90 years through our family of brands. Every one of our more than 6,000 passionate Sleep Experts are driven by a common purpose: to change people's lives through better sleep. Whether browsing online or in one of our 2,200+ stores, our highly trained team provides personalized service and advice to help customers choose the right mattress and bedding products based on their unique needs. Our expertly curated selection of products includes leading brands such as Beautyrest, Nectar, Sealy, Serta, Simmons, Sleepy's, Stearns & Foster, Tempur-Pedic, Tuft & Needle, tulo and Purple. Mattress Firm supports local and national charities through donations and offers employees volunteering opportunities to serve their communities. As part of this commitment, Mattress Firm has partnered with the National Women's Shelter Network, an organization dedicated to ending homelessness and providing life-changing resources to people in need. Everyone deserves a safe place to sleep at nightand with this partnership, we aim to create brighter mornings and a brighter future. Mattress Firm is a wholly owned business of Somnigroup International Inc. (NYSE: SGI). For more information about Mattress Firm, visit http://www.mattressfirm.com. SOURCE Mattress Firm 290,000 Brand-New Toys Donated by 15 Toy Companies Will Bring Joy to Children in Need Around the World NEW YORK, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Toy Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Toy Association, is joining forces with 15 toy companies to celebrate the second annual International Day of Play on June 11. More than 290,000 brand-new toys and games valued at $3 million will be distributed to children in need across the U.S. and around the world to mark International Day of Play, which aims to drive a global play movement for children everywhere, underscoring the essential role of play in every child's development, well-being, and education. To celebrate this important initiative, The Toy Foundation activated its core giving program, The Toy Chest, which is the only toy industry-wide giving initiative that harnesses the power of toys to comfort children when they need it most. Through the belief that play is a vital component of childhood and that every child should have access to the healing power of play, these donations will benefit children facing hospitalization, in low-income communities, and affected by natural or humanitarian disasters. "Play is essential for all children by fostering learning, creativity, and social connection," said Pamela Mastrota, executive director of The Toy Foundation. "We are proud to once again celebrate International Day of Play by supporting children who may not otherwise be able to experience the joy of play. Special thanks to our many valued corporate partners who have generously provided tens of thousands of toys and games, empowering us to bring play to children in need around the world." From plush, dolls and educational toys, to action figures and building sets, 290,365 toys in total are being donated by Build-A-Bear Workshop, Fashion Angels, Hasbro, Just Play, The LEGO Group, Mattel, Melissa & Doug, The Moscahlaidis Foundation, Re-marks, Safari Ltd., Sky Castle Toys, Snap Creative, Spin Master, SPIRIT, and TeeTurtle. Since the beginning of the year, The Toy Foundation's Toy Chest program has collected $9 million in toys from the toy industry and distributed them to 1.5 million children in need. Since its founding in 2003, The Toy Chest has delivered toys to 35 million children globally. For more information about The Toy Foundation's work and to get involved by donating products and/or by making an individual or company monetary donation, visit www.ToyFoundation.org. About The Toy Foundation toyfoundation.org The Toy Foundation (TTF) is a 501 (c)(3) children's charity and philanthropic arm of The Toy Association. The uniting force for the collective philanthropy of the toy industry for the benefit of all children in need, TTF works with small, medium, and large companies to create a world where every child experiences the comfort, joy, and extraordinary physical, emotional, and educational benefits of play. Thanks to the toy industry's support, TTF has delivered play to 35 million children in need around the world. SOURCE The Toy Foundation Design-Driven, Inclusive, and Ready for Anything - TINKR Debuts Online and at Target Stores Nationwide NEW YORK, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the launch of TINKR, a modern tool brand on a mission to make DIY more intuitive, inspiring and inclusive, available online and at Target stores nationwide. With a curated collection of premium tools and project kits, TINKR aims to meet the needs of a broader, more diverse generation - from first-time homeowners and dorm dwellers to seasoned creators ready to reimagine their space. Founded by tastemaker and creative consultant Lainy Hedaya Hoffstein, TINKR began with a moment of frustration in her own driveway, assembling furniture and realizing how outdated and unwelcoming traditional tools felt. That spark ignited a vision to transform the home tools category with products designed not just for function, but for comfort, accessibility and everyday living. "For too long, tools have been treated like garage gear - intimidating, unappealing and built around a narrow idea of who a builder is," says Lainy Hedaya Hoffstein, Founder and CEO of TINKR. "TINKR is here to change that. We've created tools that feel good in your hand, look great in your home, and come with the kind of guidance and content that makes DIY feel approachable, empowering, and even fun." TINKR also sees DIY as more than just a to-do list - it's a way to spark connection. Whether it's partners tackling home projects together, friends making over a space, or parents teaching kids how to use their first tools, TINKR is designed to turn everyday fixes into moments of creativity, collaboration, and pride. Every TINKR product was thoughtfully crafted to balance form and function, including rounded handles, soft-touch grips and ergonomics that work for a range of users. Each product also includes a Quick Start Guide and QR code access to a growing library of how-to videos, making it easy for anyone to dive into DIY with confidence. Launching in two modern colorways - Sage & Midnight - TINKR's debut collection spans essential tool kits, project-specific kits and everyday must-haves: Tool Kits DIY Essentials Kit ($19.99) Hammer, Ratchet Screwdriver, Level, Tool Holder, Nails & Screws. Hammer, Ratchet Screwdriver, Level, Tool Holder, Nails & Screws. Home Essentials Kit ($29.99) Adds a Wrench, Allen Key , and canvas roll-up tool case for expanded versatility. Adds a Wrench, , and canvas roll-up tool case for expanded versatility. Modern Tool Kit ( $79.99 ) Full set with Hammer, Ratchet Screwdriver, Tape Measure, Wrench, 14-pc Allen Key Set, Level, Pliers, and Knife Project Kits Furniture Assembly Kit ($24.99) Hammer, Ratchet Screwdriver, Allen Tool Screws, Floor Cover , and Knee Pads. Hammer, Ratchet Screwdriver, Allen Tool Screws, , and Knee Pads. Painting Kit ($24.99) Brushes, Rollers, Tape and Trays for a clean, easy paint job. Brushes, Rollers, Tape and Trays for a clean, easy paint job. Wall Patch Kit ($24.99) Putty Knife, Drywall Patches, Spackle, Tape, Sanding Sponges, Rags, and more. Putty Knife, Drywall Patches, Spackle, Tape, Sanding Sponges, Rags, and more. Hanging Kit ($24.99) Hammer, Level, Ratchet Screwdriver, Screws, Nails, Support Holders, and Hooks. Individual Tools 12 oz Hammer ($10.99) Compact and balanced,for daily use. Compact and balanced,for daily use. 18-ft Tape Measure ($7.99) Durable with easy-to-read markings. Durable with easy-to-read markings. Ratchet Screwdriver 6 Bit ($10.99) Versatile essential with interchangeable bits and a comfortable, ergonomic handle. Versatile essential with interchangeable bits and a comfortable, ergonomic handle. Utility Knife ($7.99) Sleek, sharp, and comfortable to hold TINKR is available starting today at ShopTINKR.com and in select Target stores nationwide. About TINKR TINKR is the DIY brand for a new generation, offering design-driven tools, curated project kits, and beginner-friendly guidance to make home improvement feel empowering, not overwhelming. With a mission to make DIY more inclusive and approachable, TINKR is rethinking what it means to fix, create, and improve at home. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE TINKR Seasoned finance executive steps into key leadership role to support next phase of growth BEVERLY, Mass., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tobin Scientific, a leading provider of cGMP storage, biorepository services, and specialized logistics for the life sciences industry, is pleased to announce the promotion of Jillian Bernard, CPA, to the role of Chief Financial Officer. This appointment recognizes Bernard's critical contributions to the company's recent expansion and its latest $65 million funding round and affirms Tobin Scientific's commitment to advancing a world-class financial and operational infrastructure to serve the life sciences industry. Seasoned finance executive steps into key leadership role to support next phase of growth Post this Jillian Bernard, CPA, Chief Financial Officer at Tobin Scientific Since joining Tobin Scientific as Vice President of Finance in 2023, Bernard has played a pivotal role in aligning financial strategy with the company's growth trajectory. Her leadership has driven fiscal discipline across a rapidly scaling organization, supporting strategic investments and acquisitions in cGMP warehousing, biorepository services, and temperature-controlled logistics across New England and the New York area. "Jillian has been a force in strengthening our financial foundation while helping us scale with precision and integrity," said Brian Tobin, CEO of Tobin Scientific. "Her promotion to CFO is a well-earned recognition of the impact she's had and a key signal that Tobin Scientific is primed for continued growth." A certified public accountant, Bernard brings nearly two decades of finance and accounting leadership across sectors including healthcare, life sciences, retail, and consumer technology. She has held senior leadership roles in finance across a range of industries. Bernard began her career at KPMG US, where she developed a strong foundation in external reporting and audit. She holds a Master of Science in Accounting and Taxation and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Bentley University. In her new role as CFO, Bernard will oversee all aspects of Tobin Scientific's financial operations, driving initiatives that support enterprise-wide growth and operational excellence. She will be instrumental in scaling financial systems and governance as Tobin expands its national footprint and deepens its offerings to the life sciences ecosystem. "I'm honored to take on this role during such an exciting time at Tobin Scientific," said Bernard. "As we continue to invest in infrastructure, technology, and services that are critical to scientific advancement, I look forward to helping lead the company into its next chapter of growth." About Tobin Scientific Tobin Scientific is a trusted leader in biopharma cold chain, ambient storage, and transport & logistics services. With a national footprint and decades of experience, Tobin Scientific offers a wide range of services, including laboratory relocation, cold chain transport, and cGMP warehousing. The company is dedicated to ensuring the safe and reliable transport and storage of temperature-sensitive products. Visit TobinScientific.com for more information. SOURCE Tobin Scientific WICHITA, Kan., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- "One-party consent" is a term that gets tossed around online, but what does it actually mean, and what are the legal consequences of recording a phone call without permission? After all, how would anyone know? Because call recording laws vary from state to state, it's essential to familiarize yourself with your state's specific regulations before making an oversight that could result in serious legal trouble. Our team at the McConnell Law Firm, comprised of Wichita's trusted criminal defense lawyers, is breaking down the difference between one-party and all-party consent and is taking a closer look at what Kansas law really says. Read on before you hit "record" on your next call! Can I Legally Record a Phone Call? In short, yes, you can legally record phone calls in the United States. While federal and state laws differ, federal law permits one-party consent call recording, which requires at least one party (likely yourself) to have complete knowledge and agree to have the communication recorded. While many states align with the federal one-party consent standard, others may differ significantly and require all parties to consent. If you're unsure about the specifics in your state, our criminal defense lawyers encourage you to do some additional research before recording any calls or phone conversations. One-Party vs. All-Party Consent One-Party Consent In one-party consent states, it is legal to record a phone conversation as long as you are one of the participants. If you are not directly involved in the call, you must obtain consent from at least one person who is, and that person must be fully aware that the call is being recorded. In addition to the federal one-party consent law, 38 states and the District of Columbia have adopted similar statutes, allowing individuals to legally record conversations under these terms. One-Party Consent States: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, *Vermont (Federal law applies), Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming All-Party Consent While most states follow the federal one-party consent standard, several require all parties involved in a conversation to be informed of and agree to the recording. In these all-party consent states, it is illegal to record a phone call unless every participant is made aware of and consents to the recording before it begins. The legal requirements can become more complex if you're calling from a one-party consent state to someone in an all-party consent state. While federal law generally governs interstate calls, state lawsparticularly the law of the recording partymay also apply. To stay safe, it's best to obtain consent from all parties when crossing state lines. All-Party Consent States: California, *Connecticut (Two-party consent for electronic conversations; one-party consent for in-person conversations), Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, *Oregon (One-party consent for electronic conversations; two-party consent for in-person conversations), Pennsylvania, Washington Understanding Kansas' Call Recording Laws Kansas is among the states that have adopted one-party consent laws. According to state statute, it is considered a criminal offense to record any communications (wire, oral, or electronic) without consent from at least one party involved in the conversation. If you are a contributor to the conversation or have gained prior consent from one of the involved parties, you can legally record the conversation in Kansas. "It's important to remember that these laws don't just apply to audio and call recordings, but also to conference calls, in-person communications, and third-party interceptions," said Jonathan W. McConnell, founding Wichita criminal defense lawyer at the McConnell Law Firm. "You've probably noticed this when calling a business's customer service linethey will often prompt you and let you know you're being recorded. However, exceptions always apply for privacy concerns, mainly regarding physicians, doctors, attorneys, etc." Have You Been Accused? Have you recently been charged? We encourage you to contact the McConnell Law Firm as soon as possible. While every case is different, and no conclusions should be drawn without first consulting an experienced criminal defense lawyer in Wichita about the specifics of your case, it is always in your best interest to have a skilled attorney by your side from the beginning. Request a Free Consultation Do you or a loved one need the assistance of a criminal defense lawyer in Wichita? We encourage you to contact the McConnell Law Firm at (316) 243-5903 for a free consultation. jonathanwmcconnell.com SOURCE McConnell Law Firm BLUE BELL, Pa., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) ("we," "us," "our" or the "Company") today announced that it has commenced a tender offer (the "Tender Offer") to purchase for cash any and all of the Company's outstanding 6.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2027 (the "Notes"). In connection with the Tender Offer, the Company is also soliciting consents (the "Consents") from registered holders (each, a "Holder" and, collectively, the "Holders") of the Notes (the "Consent Solicitation") to proposed amendments (the "Proposed Amendments") to the indenture governing the Notes (the "Indenture") to eliminate substantially all restrictive covenants and certain events of default applicable to the Notes, release the collateral securing the notes, and modify certain other provisions contained in the Indenture. The Company is seeking to concurrently (i) amend its existing amended and restated asset-based revolving credit facility (the "ABL Credit Facility") and (ii) issue up to $700 million aggregate principal amount of its Senior Secured Notes due 2031 subject to market and other conditions ((i) and (ii) together, the "Financing Transaction"). The Company expects to use a portion of the net proceeds from the Financing Transaction, together with cash on hand, to pay the applicable consideration (as described below) for all tendered Notes, plus accrued interest and all related fees and expenses. The Financing Transaction is not conditioned upon the completion of the Tender Offer. The terms and conditions of the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation are described in an Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement, dated June 11, 2025 (the "Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement"). The following table summarizes the material pricing terms of the Tender Offer. Title of Notes CUSIP Nos./ISINs Aggregate Principal Amount Outstanding(1) Tender Offer Consideration (2)(3) Early Tender Premium (2) Total Consideration (2)(3)(4) 6.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2027 144A CUSIP: 909214 BV9 Reg S CUSIP: U90921 AF1 144A ISIN: US909214BV97 Reg S ISIN: USU90921AF11 $485,000,000 $ 976.25 $ 30.00 $ 1,006.25 (1) As of June 11, 2025. (2) Per $1,000 principal amount of Notes that are accepted for purchase. (3) Excludes accrued and unpaid interest from the last date on which interest has been paid to, but excluding, the Early Settlement Date or the Final Settlement Date (each as defined below), as applicable, that will be paid on the Notes accepted for purchase. (4) Includes the Early Tender Premium (as defined below). The Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on July 11, 2025, unless extended by the Company in its sole discretion (such time and date, as the same may be extended, the "Expiration Time"). Subject to the terms and conditions of the Tender Offer, Holders of Notes that are validly tendered at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 25, 2025 (such date and time, as the same may be extended, the "Early Tender Expiration") and not validly withdrawn at any time at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 25, 2025, unless extended (such date and time, as the same may be extended, the "Withdrawal Time") will be eligible to receive the Total Consideration set forth in the table above, which includes the Early Tender Premium set forth in the table above. Holders of Notes that are validly tendered after the Early Tender Expiration, but on or prior to the Expiration Time, will be eligible to receive only the Tender Offer Consideration set forth in the table above, which is the Total Consideration less the Early Tender Premium. No tenders will be valid if submitted after the Expiration Time. The "Early Settlement Date" is expected to be on or about June 27, 2025 (the "Early Settlement Date"), but will be determined at the Company's option, subject to all conditions to the Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation having been satisfied or waived by the Company. The Company reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to extend or forgo the Early Settlement Date, if any. In the event that it forgoes the Early Settlement Date, all Holders whose Notes are accepted for payment by the Company will receive payment on the Final Settlement Date. The Final Settlement Date is expected to be on July 14, 2025, unless extended or earlier terminated by the Company with respect to the Tender Offer in its sole discretion (the "Final Settlement Date"). In addition, Holders will receive accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all of their Notes accepted for purchase from the last interest payment date on their Notes, up to, but not including, the Early Settlement Date or the Final Settlement Date, as applicable. Holders that validly tender their Notes pursuant to the Tender Offer will be deemed to have delivered their Consents to the Proposed Amendments by virtue of such tender. Holders may not tender their Notes pursuant to the Tender Offer without delivering their Consents in the Consent Solicitation, and Holders may not deliver Consents without also tendering their Notes. The consummation of the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation is subject to, and conditioned upon, the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions described in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement, including, but not limited to, the Company having completed the Financing Transaction on terms and conditions satisfactory to it in its sole discretion, the net proceeds of which, together with cash on hand, are sufficient to pay the aggregate Total Consideration for all the tendered Notes, plus accrued interest and all fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation. The Tender Offer is not conditioned on any minimum amount of Notes being tendered or the receipt of Requisite Consents (as defined below). The Company reserves the right, but is under no obligation, to waive any and all of the conditions of the Offer and the Consent Solicitation at any time, in each case without extending the Withdrawal Time for the Offer, subject to applicable law. The Company reserves the right to terminate or extend the Tender Offer or the Consent Solicitation if any condition to the Tender Offer or the Consent Solicitation is not satisfied (or otherwise in its sole discretion), and to amend the Tender Offer or the Consent Solicitation in any respect. In order for the Proposed Amendments (other than the release of collateral securing the Notes (the "Security Amendment")) to be adopted with respect to the Indenture governing the Notes, the Consents must be received in respect of at least a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding and, with respect to the Security Amendment, the Consents must be received in respect of at least two thirds of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding (in each case, excluding any Notes owned by the Company, any guarantor of the Notes or by any person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with the Company or any guarantor) (the "Requisite Consents"). Following the later of (i) the receipt of the Requisite Consents and (ii) the Withdrawal Time, the Company expects to execute and deliver to the trustee for the Notes a supplemental indenture (the "Supplemental Indenture") to the Indenture giving effect to the Proposed Amendments. However, the Proposed Amendments will not become operative until and unless the Company purchases all Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) in the Tender Offer. Any Notes validly tendered and related Consents validly delivered may be withdrawn or revoked from the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation at or prior to the Withdrawal Time. Any Notes validly tendered and related Consents validly delivered at or prior to the Withdrawal Time that are not validly withdrawn or revoked on or prior to the Withdrawal Time may not be withdrawn or revoked thereafter, except in certain limited circumstances where additional withdrawal rights are required by law. In addition, any Notes validly tendered and related Consents validly delivered after the Withdrawal Time may not be withdrawn or revoked, except in certain limited circumstances where additional withdrawal rights are required by law. Any Notes not tendered and purchased pursuant to the Tender Offer will remain outstanding. To the extent less than 100% of the outstanding Notes are tendered and accepted for payment pursuant to the Tender Offer, the Company intends, but is not obligated, to redeem the Notes on or after the par call date of the Notes of November 1, 2025 and satisfy and discharge the Company's obligations pursuant to the terms of the Indenture. Nothing herein or in Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement shall constitute a notice of redemption of the Notes or an obligation to issue a notice of redemption or satisfy or discharge the Indenture. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security. No offer, solicitation, or sale will be made in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful. BofA Securities is the dealer manager and solicitation agent (the "Dealer Manager") in the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation. Global Bondholder Services Corporation has been retained to serve as the tender and information agent (the "Tender and Information Agent") for the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation. Questions regarding the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation should be directed to BofA Securities by telephone at (980) 388-3646 (call collect) or (888) 292-0700 (toll-free). Requests for copies of the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement and other related materials should be directed to Global Bondholder Services Corporation by telephone at (212) 430-3774 (bankers and brokers, call collect) or (855) 654-2014 (all other, toll-free); or by email at [email protected]. None of the Company, its board of directors, the Dealer Manager, the Tender and Information Agent, the trustee under the Indenture, the Depository Trust Company nor any of their respective affiliates, makes any recommendation as to whether any Holder should tender or deliver, or refrain from tendering or delivering, any or all of such Holder's Notes or the Consents, and none of the Company nor any of its affiliates has authorized any person to make any such recommendation. The Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation are made only by the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement. The Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation are not being made to Holders of Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction where the securities, blue sky or other laws require the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Company by the Dealer Manager or one or more registered brokers or dealers that are licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction. About Unisys Unisys is a global technology solutions company that powers breakthroughs for the world's leading organizations. Our solutions cloud, AI, digital workspace, logistics and enterprise computing help our clients challenge the status quo and unlock their full potential. To learn how we have been helping clients push what's possible for more than 150 years, visit unisys.com and follow us on LinkedIn. Forward-Looking Statements Any statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the completion of the Financing Condition, the anticipated principal amount of securities sold in connection with the Company's offering of its Senior Secured Notes due 2031, the final terms of the offering and the Company's anticipated use of proceeds therefrom. These forward-looking statements are based on current assumptions, expectations and beliefs of Unisys and involve substantial risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and the timing of events to materially differ from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, risks related to market and other general economic conditions, the ability of Unisys to meet the closing conditions required for the consummation of the offering and other risks detailed in filings Unisys makes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including under the heading "Risk Factors" in Unisys' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 and its most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025. Unisys assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. RELEASE NO.: 0611/10003 Unisys and other Unisys products and services mentioned herein, as well as their respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Unisys Corporation. Any other brand or product referenced herein is acknowledged to be a trademark or registered trademark of its respective holder. UIS-C SOURCE Unisys Corporation MAVYRET (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir) is the first and only oral eight-week pangenotypic treatment option approved for people with acute or chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)* With this approval, providers can now treat HCV patients immediately at the time of diagnosis HCV is a curable condition, but patients can often go undiagnosed. 1 If left untreated, people with acute HCV could progress to chronic disease, including liver-related complications, such as cirrhosis or liver cancer 1 The approval supports global clinical guidelines to advance testing and treatment for people with HCV regardless of chronicity, and supports public health goals for disease elimination NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a label expansion for MAVYRET (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir), an oral pangenotypic direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapy. It is now approved for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients three years and older with acute or chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis. With this approval, MAVYRET is the first and only DAA therapy approved to treat patients with acute HCV in eight weeks with a 96% cure rate. 2, HCV is a highly infectious blood-borne disease affecting the liver.1 People recently infected, or those with acute HCV, may not have symptoms.1 If left untreated, HCV could lead to liver-related complications, such as cirrhosis or liver cancer.1 The United States is expected to incur ~$120 billion in total medical costs over the next 10 years through 2035 linked to chronic liver disease and other related conditions caused by untreated HCV.3 "The physical, emotional, and economic burden of a curable condition like hepatitis C is far too great in the United States and around the world," said John Ward, M.D., director, Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination. "If treated early with safe and effective therapies, providers can cure virtually all patients with hepatitis C before it escalates to chronic disease and eventually cirrhosis or liver cancer. The public health community now has a good opportunity to cure nearly all persons to support eliminating the toll of this deadly virus. No one should die of hepatitis C." Current global clinical guidance calls for the universal treatment of nearly all people with acute or chronic HCV infection.4 Widespread implementation of these guidelines has the potential to substantially reduce the global spread of the disease.4 Additionally, the public health community has set a goal to eliminate HCV by 2030.5 Nearly 80% of high-income countries, including the U.S., are not on track to achieve this goal until after 2050.5,6 "MAVYRET has treated more than one million patients with HCV, but we recognize that a significant need remains for patients with acute infection," said Roopal Thakkar, M.D., executive vice president, research and development, chief scientific officer, AbbVie. "The label expansion for MAVYRET, coupled with the implementation of test and treat models of care, serve as tools to support the public health community in treating more patients and bringing us closer to achieving the global 2030 elimination goal." The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) for MAVYRET for the treatment of acute HCV. The BTD program is designed to expedite the development and review of medicines that are intended to treat a serious condition, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints.7 The label expansion was supported by data from the Phase 3, multicenter, single-arm prospective study evaluating the safety and efficacy of MAVYRET eight-week treatment in adults with acute HCV infection.2 The study results showed MAVYRET to be a highly efficacious treatment for people with acute HCV.2 The majority of the adverse events reported were mild or moderate in severity.2 The most common adverse events were fatigue, asthenia, headache, and diarrhea.2 About the Phase 3 M20-350 Study8 The multicenter, single-arm prospective Phase 3 M20-350 clinical trial was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MAVYRET (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir) eight-week treatment in adults and pediatric patients with acute HCV infection. The study enrolled 286 treatment-naive adult patients with acute HCV infection across 70 locations globally. Patients received oral tablets of MAVYRET once daily for eight weeks and were followed for 12 weeks after the end of treatment. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with sustained virological response 12 weeks post-treatment (SVR12) in the Intention-to-Treat (ITT) population. Secondary endpoints included the percentage of patients achieving SVR12 in the Modified ITT-Virologic Failure (mITT-VF) population, and the percentage of patients with on-treatment virologic failure and post-treatment relapse in the ITT population. More information on the study can be found on www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04903626). *For treatment-naive non-cirrhotic and compensated cirrhotic patients. Liver or kidney transplant recipients are not eligible for an 8-week regimen. Cure rate = sustained virologic response (SVR12); HCV RNA less than the lower limit of quantification at 12 weeks after the end of treatment. About MAVYRET (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir) USE MAVYRET is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 3 years of age and older with: Acute (recently infected) or chronic (lasting a long time) hepatitis C virus (hep C) genotypes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 infection without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis. Hep C genotype 1 infection who have been previously treated with a regimen that contained a hep C NS5A inhibitor or an NS3/4A protease inhibitor, but not both. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about MAVYRET? Hepatitis B virus (hep B) reactivation: Before starting treatment with MAVYRET, your doctor will do blood tests to check for hep B infection. If you have ever had hep B infection, hep B could become active again during or after treatment for hep C with MAVYRET. Hep B that becomes active again (called reactivation) may cause serious liver problems, including liver failure and death. Your doctor will monitor you if you are at risk for hep B reactivation during treatment and after you stop taking MAVYRET. Do not take MAVYRET if you: Have moderate or severe liver impairment (Child-Pugh B or C) or any history of prior liver decompensation Are taking the medicines atazanavir or rifampin What should I tell my doctor before taking MAVYRET? If you have had hep B infection, have liver problems other than hep C infection, have HIV-1 infection, have had a liver or a kidney transplant, and all other medical conditions. If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, or if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if MAVYRET will harm your unborn baby or pass into your breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you take MAVYRET. About all the medicines you take , including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. MAVYRET and other medicines may affect each other. This can cause you to have too much or not enough MAVYRET or other medicines in your body. This may affect the way MAVYRET or your other medicines work or may cause side effects. , including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. MAVYRET and other medicines may affect each other. This can cause you to have too much or not enough MAVYRET or other medicines in your body. This may affect the way MAVYRET or your other medicines work or may cause side effects. Do not start taking a new medicine without telling your doctor. Your doctor can tell you if it is safe to take MAVYRET with other medicines. What are the possible side effects of MAVYRET? In people who had or have advanced liver problems before starting treatment with MAVYRET, there is a rare risk of worsening liver problems, liver failure, and death. Your doctor will check you for signs and symptoms of worsening liver problems during treatment with MAVYRET. Tell your doctor right away if you have any of the following: nausea; tiredness; yellowing of your skin or white part of your eyes; bleeding or bruising more easily than normal; confusion; dark, black, or bloody stool; loss of appetite; diarrhea; dark or brown (tea-colored) urine; swelling or pain on the upper right side of your stomach area (abdomen); sleepiness; vomiting of blood; or lightheadedness. Your doctor will check you for signs and symptoms of worsening liver problems during treatment with MAVYRET. Tell your doctor right away if you have any of the following: nausea; tiredness; yellowing of your skin or white part of your eyes; bleeding or bruising more easily than normal; confusion; dark, black, or bloody stool; loss of appetite; diarrhea; dark or brown (tea-colored) urine; swelling or pain on the upper right side of your stomach area (abdomen); sleepiness; vomiting of blood; or lightheadedness. The most common side effects of MAVYRET are headache and tiredness. These are not all the possible side effects of MAVYRET. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. This is the most important information to know about MAVYRET. For more information, talk to your doctor or healthcare provider. MAVYRET oral pellets are dispensed in unit-dose packets. Each packet contains 50 mg glecaprevir/20 mg pibrentasvir. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Please see full Prescribing Information, including the Patient Information. If you are having difficulty paying for your medicine, AbbVie may be able to help. Visit AbbVie.com/PatientAccessSupport to learn more. About AbbVie AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology, neuroscience and eye care and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com . Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook , Instagram , X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube. Forward-Looking Statements Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar expressions and uses of future or conditional verbs, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, challenges to intellectual property, competition from other products, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry, the impact of global macroeconomic factors, such as economic downturns or uncertainty, international conflict, trade disputes and tariffs, and other uncertainties and risks associated with global business operations. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in other documents that AbbVie subsequently files with the Securities and Exchange Commission that update, supplement or supersede such information. AbbVie undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines, to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law. Contact(s): U.S. Media: Suzanne Barston [email protected] Investors: Liz Shea [email protected] References 1 Hepatitis C. World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-c. 2 MAVYRET. Prescribing Information. AbbVie, Inc.; 2025. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.rxabbvie.com/pdf/mavyret_pi.pdf. 3 AbbVie. Data on file: H25.DOF.029. 4 Debika Bhattacharya, et al. American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Infectious Diseases Society of America Recommendations for Testing, Managing, and Treating Hepatitis C Virus Infection, Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2023;, ciad319. 5 Gamkrelidze, I Pawlotsky JM, Lazarus JV, Feld JJ, Zeuzem S, Bao Y, Gabriela Pires Dos Santos A, Sanchez Gonzalez Y, Razavi H. Progress towards hepatitis C virus elimination in high-income countries: An updated analysis. Liver Int. 2021 Mar;41(3):456-463. doi: 10.1111/liv.14779. Epub 2021 Jan 19. PMID: 33389788. 6 The CDA Foundation. Hepatitis C [United States]. Lafayette, CO: CDA Foundation, 2025. Available at: https://cdafound.org/polaris/database-query/. 7 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Breakthrough Therapy. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/patients/fast-track-breakthrough-therapy-accelerated-approval-priority-review/breakthrough-therapy#:~:text=Breakthrough%20Therapy%20designation%20is%20a,clinically%20significant%20endpoint(s). 8 A Study to Evaluate Adverse Events and Change in Disease Activity in Adult and Adolescent Participants With Acute Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection on Treatment With Oral Tablets of Glecaprevir (GLE)/Pibrentasvir (PIB). ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04903626. Available at: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04903626?term=NCT04903626&rank=1. US-MAVY-250320 June 2025 SOURCE AbbVie Photo: Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Azerbaijan has extended an olive branch to Uzbekistan, encouraging them to seize the golden opportunities presented by the Middle Corridor transit route, Trend reports. This was highlighted during a meeting in Tashkent between Azerbaijans Prime Minister Ali Asadov and Uzbekistans Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov. The leaders reviewed prospects for cooperation in the transport and transit sector, noting that transit shipments between the two countries increased by more than 18 percent in 2024. Emphasizing the strategic importance of the Middle Corridor, Azerbaijan urged Uzbekistan to engage more actively with the corridors potential. The discussion also touched on the potential for joining forces in the shipbuilding arena. Additionally, the dynamic growth of trade and economic ties was highly appreciated, with mutual trade rising 41 percent last year and trade turnover in the first quarter of this year nearly tripling compared to the same period in 2024. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Veteran Oil and Gas Executive to Lead Financial Strategy and Growth FORT WORTH, Texas, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Valor, a Fort Worth-based tech-enabled professional services company that provides oil and gas asset management and specializes in mineral management and back-office solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Luke Hawkins as the company's Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Hawkins brings over 15 years of extensive experience in the oil and gas industry, with a proven track record of financial leadership, capital raising, and business development. Valor logo Valor announces the appointment of Luke Hawkins as the companys Chief Financial Officer (CFO). "We are very excited to have Luke join the Valor team," said Joseph DeWoody, CEO and co-founder of Valor. "His experience in the oil and gas sector, particularly in financial management, acquisitions, and operations, will be a tremendous asset to Valor. Luke's expertise and insight will play a key role in supporting Valor's mission to provide innovative solutions to our clients." Prior to joining Valor, Hawkins co-founded and served as CFO of Mammoth Exploration, an Edge Natural Resources-backed oil and gas exploration and production company. In this role, he raised $44 million in equity, oversaw the acquisition of $30 million in oil and gas properties, and managed a portfolio of over 250 wells. In addition to his operating experience, Hawkins has extensive experience in oil and gas finance, having worked in private equity at Natural Gas Partners and investment banking at both Lehman Brothers and Barclays. "I'm thrilled to join Valor and work with such an exceptional team," said Hawkins. "Valor has a strong reputation in the industry, and I'm eager to contribute my expertise to support the company's growth. I'm excited to be part of a team that prioritizes innovative strategies and delivers tangible results for clients." Headquartered in Fort Worth, Valor has earned a reputation as one of Texas' leading mineral management companies. Key service lines of the company include oil and gas accounting, mineral management, and oil and gas consulting and outsourcing. The company's innovative mineral management software, mineral.tech, is a map-based and data-rich platform that integrates accounting, land management, data analytics, and reporting. The company is also a leading provider of oil and gas back-office services for operators and investors, partnering with companies to offer owner relations support, oil and gas accounting, regulatory compliance, and other back-office operations. About Valor: Valor, based in Fort Worth, is an oil and gas asset management services provider dedicated to serving mineral rights owners, operators, and investors. We prioritize our clients by offering flexible solutions and leveraging our team of experts to ensure the security, clarity, and optimization of privately owned assets. Valor has been singled out for several prestigious awards, including the Inc. 5000 list (2023 & 2024), Fort Worth Inc.'s Best Companies to Work For (2022, 2023 & 2024), the Inc. Best Workplaces 2024 list, and Most Inspiring Workplaces. Explore the benefits of partnering with Valor to manage mineral rights and outsource accounting and back-office services by visiting www.onevalor.com. Media Contact: Hannah Jones 817-370-0612 [email protected] SOURCE Valor ATLANTA, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Vaycaychella, Inc. (OTC Pink: VAYK) ("VAYK") management announced today the launch of a campaign to acquire time-share properties through non-cash deals. The company has reached an MOU to acquire $90,000 worth of timeshare in a non-cash deal, with the potential to increase the deal size to $9.0 million. Timeshares Resold at Deep Discounts Timeshares are often underperforming assets for most current owners. Many individuals purchase timeshares during vacation trips, mistakenly believing they will frequently return. However, their initial excitement often fades, leading to underutilization of their timeshare rights. Additionally, they lack the time or expertise to resell their annual rights, while still paying maintenance fees that may increase annually. "For these reasons, timeshare rights are resold for cash at deep discounts," said Jason Armstrong, Director of the Board at VAYK. "According to a major resale broker, in 2024, a top Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resort like Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa costs $230 per point when purchased directly from Disney. However, it was resold by this broker at an average price of $151 per point. In other words, it is more than one-third cheaper to resell timeshare." Mutually Beneficial Non-Cash Deals at Fair Value Instead, current owners may sell their timeshares to VAYK at fair value in non-cash deals, paid in restricted stocks or preferred convertible stocks. "This will be mutually beneficial," explained Armstrong. "The current owner will not suffer a financial loss and will have an upside if our share price increases. Meanwhile, those timeshares, while underperforming for current owners, can be well-managed to maximize cash revenue, in the hands of professional managers." Economic scalability is another factor. "An individual with only one timeshare will never reach adequate efficiency to manage it. In contrast, a company like ours, with 20 or 50 timeshares, can manage them collectively and achieve much higher efficiency," said Armstrong. May Exceeding 100% Revenue Growth Goal in 2025 VAYK is a vacation property renovation and operation company, focusing on short-term rentals. It reported $668K in operating revenue for 2024, with approximately $150K profit. The company has projected 100% operating revenue growth for 2025, after reporting $427,000 in revenue for the first quarter of 2025, and is set to reach about $1.5 million in annual revenue. This projection is based on its current line of business. If any new business plans are realized and generate significant revenue in 2025, the company will likely exceed its 100% revenue growth projection. "This is a huge turnaround," emphasized Armstrong. "Three years ago, this company was a sinking ship, in deep debt of over $3 million and at risk of completely losing its overseas investment. Since the new management team took over, we have eliminated $2.55 million in debt, of which about $2.37 million was complete forgiveness or cancellation; we have sold our legacy investment overseas for a $320K profit; we have secured a joint-venture agreement to renovate and operate the famous Rufus Rose House, a downtown Atlanta historic landmark; and we have closed an acquisition of a property renovation company, expecting $1.4 million in operating revenue mostly generated from this line of business." "Most importantly, we have achieved all of this without using any toxic debt financing. We have not issued any free trade shares for more than three years, and our interest costs have dramatically dropped to only about $81K in 2024, compared to $236K in interest payments in 2023," Armstrong highlighted. Disclaimer/Safe Harbor : This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur. VAYK Contact: [email protected] +1 470-804-7144 SOURCE Vaycaychella, Inc. Darby 3.0 automates patient intake workflows from fax to EMR, helping HME providers scale without expanding teams WATERLOO, Iowa, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Darby, a leading provider of AI-powered automation for the home medical equipment (HME) industry, today announced the launch of Version 3.0 of its flagship platform at the 2025 Heartland Conference hosted by VGM. The enhanced suite delivers advanced AI capabilities designed to streamline patient intake operations. Version 3.0 represents a significant leap forward in Darby's mission to transform how home medical equipment companies manage their operations, from initial patient intake through payer qualification and compliance reporting. The new release employs artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to automate complex workflows that have traditionally required extensive manual processing. "Version 3.0 delivers a complete transformation of the HME intake workflow," said Robin Y. Smith, CEO of Darby. "With fully automated fax processing, improved AI accuracy for payer qualification, and headless EMR uploads for qualified orders, we've eliminated many manual touchpoints in these workflows from referral to patient setup." Key capabilities in Version 3.0 include: Fully Automated Fax Intake Process : The platform automatically processes incoming faxes without manual intervention, sorting and labeling patient orders by product type : The platform automatically processes incoming faxes without manual intervention, sorting and labeling patient orders by product type Improved Payer Qualification Processing : Enhanced AI reviews qualification criteria against specific payer rulesets, including Medicare and commercial insurance guidelines, with superior accuracy : Enhanced AI reviews qualification criteria against specific payer rulesets, including Medicare and commercial insurance guidelines, with superior accuracy Headless EMR Upload for Qualified Orders : Fully automatic and native integrations to EMR and Fax systems enable upload of qualified orders directly to EMR systems without requiring staff intervention : Fully automatic and native integrations to EMR and Fax systems enable upload of qualified orders directly to EMR systems without requiring staff intervention Enhanced AI Accuracy: Improved machine learning algorithms deliver more precise document processing and qualification determination The Heartland Conference brings together hundreds of HME professionals, manufacturers, and partners to explore industry innovations. Darby's participation at the conference reinforces the company's commitment to supporting the VGM community and advancing the broader HME ecosystem. About Darby Darby specializes in AI and automation solutions designed specifically for the home medical equipment industry. Darby's software is SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA compliant. Backed by leading healthcare technology investors including Underscore VC, Flare Capital Partners and January Ventures, Darby serves HME customers nationwide and is committed to helping providers modernize their operations and scale efficiently. SOURCE Darby Inc Award presented by Capital Trial Lawyers Association in Austin, Texas AUSTIN, Texas, June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Central Texas trial attorney Vic Feazell has been honored with the Scott Ozmun Texas Trial Lawyer of the Year Award, presented by the Capital Trial Lawyers Association. The award was given in recognition of Feazell's decades of service, courtroom excellence, and dedication to those most in need of justice. Named in memory of the late Judge Scott Ozmun, the award is based on three pillars: Volunteer legal service to those unable to pay to those unable to pay Balance between family, friends, and the profession Devotion to preserving the profession and protecting clients' rights Feazell joins a notable list of past recipients that includes some of the state's most respected trial lawyers, such as Judy Kostura, Jeff Edwards, and L. Todd Kelly. "I've always believed the courtroom is one of the last places where someone without power or money can stand on equal footing," said Feazell. "This award means a great deal because it affirms that beliefand the fight it takes to uphold it." Feazell began his career taking criminal court appointments and working out of the trunk of his car. He is now known throughout Texas for his fierce advocacy on behalf of car crash victims and others harmed by negligence and injustice. He takes the cases that need himthe ones where his tenacity can make a difference. "Vic represents what this award is all about," said a spokesperson for the Capital Trial Lawyers Association. "He gives his time freely, he serves his clients with integrity, and he inspires others to hold justice sacred." The Scott Ozmun Award is one of the highest honors presented by the Capital Trial Lawyers Association, celebrating not just professional achievement but the deeper values of service, balance, and dedication that define the very best in the profession. Media Contact Cecelia Feazell [email protected] (254) 772-7500 SOURCE Law Offices of Vic Feazell, P.C. Believes Urgent Change is Needed to Preserve Company Independence and Enhance Shareholder Value Water Street's Nominees Bring Decades of Relevant Industry, Management, and Legal Experience Believes Hanwha's Plan to Purchase All Shares of REC Silicon Drastically Undervalues REC Silicon's Assets and Intellectual Property By More Than 90% Urges Shareholders to Support Water Street's Director Nominees at Upcoming Annual General Meeting JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Water Street Capital, Inc. ("Water Street"), a long-term, value-oriented private investment firm which, together with its affiliates, collectively owns 8.26% of the outstanding common stock of REC Silicon ASA (OSL: RECSI.OL) ("REC Silicon" or the "Company"), today announced its highly qualified slate of director candidates that it has nominated for election to REC Silicon's Board of Directors at the Company's Annual General Meeting ("AGM") on 25 June 2025. Water Street's director nominations follow the announcement of its intention to vote against a proposal from Hanwha Solutions Corporation ("Hanwha"), REC Silicon's largest shareholder, to purchase all shares of the Company at the historically low price of NOK 2.20 per share, currently undervaluing the company by more than 90%, without giving proper value to the growth potential of silane gas. Water Street has also called for a formal investigation into the circumstances around Hanwha's termination of its 10-year purchase agreement with REC Silicon and other matters. "The incumbent REC Silicon Board, which is comprised of several Hanwha executives, has proven, in our view, that it is not representing the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. The recent share purchase proposal by Hanwha, if executed, significantly undervalues the intellectual property and assets of a company deeply respected across the silane-based materials industry globally and invalidates the efforts of hundreds of REC Silicon employees," said Gilchrist Berg, Founder and Principal at Water Street Capital. "Our director nominees possess decades of relevant industry experience and are committed to working on behalf of all REC Silicon shareholders, large and small." Water Street's nominees include: Dave Keck : Mr. Keck is President of Advanced Material Solutions, a producer of specialty gases for the electronics industry. From 2005-2016, he held numerous positions at GT Advanced Technologies, including as a General Manager of the company's polysilicon equipment business, Executive Vice President of Sales, and ultimately CEO. Mr. Keck successfully renegotiated $1.1 billion in debt and helped the company out of bankruptcy. Earlier in his career, he served as plant manager of Advanced Silicon Materials' (REC Silicon predecessor) Moses Lake facility before becoming the company's Vice President of Business Development. Mr. Keck earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Washington . Mr. Keck is President of Advanced Material Solutions, a producer of specialty gases for the electronics industry. From 2005-2016, he held numerous positions at GT Advanced Technologies, including as a General Manager of the company's polysilicon equipment business, Executive Vice President of Sales, and ultimately CEO. Mr. Keck successfully renegotiated in debt and helped the company out of bankruptcy. Earlier in his career, he served as plant manager of Advanced Silicon Materials' (REC Silicon predecessor) facility before becoming the company's Vice President of Business Development. Mr. Keck earned his Bachelor of Science from the . Chris Greig, PhD: Mr. Greig is the Theodora D. ('78) and William H. Walton III ('74) Senior Research Scientist at Princeton University's Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. As an established academic, he has a PhD in Chemical Engineering and is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE). His 10-year academic career follows a 25-year career in industry, first as founder and Managing Director of an innovative engineering company serving the global sugar and minerals industries. Upon exiting this role in 2000, Mr. Greig transitioned to senior executive roles in the construction and energy sectors, including as CEO of ZeroGen, pioneering large-scale CCS. He has also served as a non-executive director for several infrastructure and engineering firms. Mr. Greig is the Theodora D. ('78) and ('74) Senior Research Scientist at Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. As an established academic, he has a PhD in Chemical Engineering and is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE). His 10-year academic career follows a 25-year career in industry, first as founder and Managing Director of an innovative engineering company serving the global sugar and minerals industries. Upon exiting this role in 2000, Mr. Greig transitioned to senior executive roles in the construction and energy sectors, including as CEO of ZeroGen, pioneering large-scale CCS. He has also served as a non-executive director for several infrastructure and engineering firms. John Adams: Mr. Adams is a Principal at Water Street Capital, where he previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Analyst. He has spent his career in a multitude of financial and operation roles including a role at Prudential Financial Corporation, CFO of Kinnett Dairies, and Partner at Mellon Ventures, a private equity and venture capital arm of Mellon Financial Corporation. Mr. Adams earned his Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School . Mr. Adams is a Principal at Water Street Capital, where he previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Analyst. He has spent his career in a multitude of financial and operation roles including a role at Prudential Financial Corporation, CFO of Kinnett Dairies, and Partner at Mellon Ventures, a private equity and venture capital arm of Mellon Financial Corporation. Mr. Adams earned his Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from the and his Master of Business Administration from . Karina Fossmark : Ms. Fossmark is the Founder of Oldermann Law Firm, a leading business law firm advising corporate clients, investors, and boards in Norway and internationally. She is a member of the Norwegian Bar Association and specializes in structuring complex financings, distressed debt resolutions, and implementing full-scale corporate turnarounds, and has served as lead counsel in various restructuring processes and distressed asset refinancings. Ms. Fossmark regularly advises on syndicated loan structures involving sovereign and multilateral institutions including pension funds, commercial banks, and innovation funds. Since 2020, she has served as General Counsel for Legal and Compliance at Fjord Line AS, Norway's second-largest international ferry operator. Ms. Fossmark has served in board positions across a diverse array of industries and earned her Master of Law from the University of Bergen , Norway. Ms. Fossmark is the Founder of Oldermann Law Firm, a leading business law firm advising corporate clients, investors, and boards in and internationally. She is a member of the Norwegian Bar Association and specializes in structuring complex financings, distressed debt resolutions, and implementing full-scale corporate turnarounds, and has served as lead counsel in various restructuring processes and distressed asset refinancings. Ms. Fossmark regularly advises on syndicated loan structures involving sovereign and multilateral institutions including pension funds, commercial banks, and innovation funds. Since 2020, she has served as General Counsel for Legal and Compliance at Fjord Line AS, second-largest international ferry operator. Ms. Fossmark has served in board positions across a diverse array of industries and earned her Master of Law from the , Norway. Jane Power: Ms. Power is an independent equities trader based in London with a diverse background in commodities trading, banking, and corporate strategy. She has taught strategic planning at the United States Federal Reserve and holds extensive experience in academic and professional growth with a focus on women and career development, a field in which she has published literature, organized and moderated panel discussions, and delivered lectures on at leading universities including Oxford University . Ms. Power has served in numerous board positions, including on the Alumni Boards of both Harvard University and Harvard Business School , as well as the Seven College Conference in the United Kingdom . Ms. Power earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard College and her Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School . Water Street urges all REC Silicon shareholders to vote FOR its highly qualified slate of independent director candidates at the Company's upcoming AGM in order to preserve the Company's independence and enhance shareholder value. REC Silicon Annual General Meeting Registration Details REC Silicon's virtual AGM will be held on 25 June 2025 at 13:00 CET. Shareholders can log in at https://dnb.lumiagm.com/103908571 and must identify themselves using the reference number and pin code from VPS accessible in investor services (Corporate Actions General Meeting ISIN), sent to them by post, or by contacting DNB Bank Verdipapirservice by phone (+47 23 26 80 20) or e-mail ([email protected]). More information can be found at www.recsilicon.com. Media Contact Jonathan Gasthalter/Brandon Lin Gasthalter & Co. (212) 257-4170 SOURCE Water Street Capital, Inc. NEW YORK, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Zinnov, a leading global management and strategy consulting firm, today announced its inclusion in the prestigious IAOP 2025 Global Outsourcing 100 list under the Advisor category. This recognition underscores Zinnov's enduring commitment to delivering exceptional value through innovative, customer-centric advisory solutions for Global Capability Centers (GCCs), digital transformation, and outsourcing strategy. Zinnov has once again secured a place on the 2025 IAOP Global Outsourcing 100 list. Compiled annually by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), the Global Outsourcing 100 list celebrates organizations that have demonstrated excellence in strategic partnerships, innovation, and impact across the outsourcing ecosystem. Zinnov emerged with top-tier scores across key categories, including a perfect 8/8 for Customer References, a stellar 8/8 for Programs for Innovation, and 7.6/8 for Programs for Social Impact, affirming its differentiated capabilities and the trust it has built with global enterprise customers. "Being named to the IAOP Global Outsourcing 100 list is a testament to our unwavering commitment to customer success," said Nitika Goel, Managing Partner and Chief Marketing Officer, Zinnov. "This recognition is not just a celebration of Zinnov's capabilities, but also a reflection of the transformative work we co-create with our customers across AI-led innovation, enterprise digitalization, and operational excellence. At the heart of everything we do is our relentless focus on impact, collaboration, and reimagining the future of global enterprises." The GCC advisory practice at Zinnov has been instrumental in enabling enterprises to design, scale, and transform their global operations. From setting up and optimizing Global Capability Centers in India and beyond, to leveraging them as hubs of innovation, talent, and AI-led transformation, Zinnov has served as a trusted advisor to 250+ Fortune 500 enterprises. Through deep domain expertise and robust market intelligence, Zinnov helps customers unlock competitive advantage and accelerate time-to-value. Zinnov's inclusion in this year's IAOP list comes at a time when global organizations are navigating complexity and seeking strategic partners to lead them through AI adoption, engineering transformation, and resilient operating models. Zinnov's blend of rigorous consulting, proven methodologies, and customer intimacy continues to position it as a go-to advisor for technology-first transformation journeys. This milestone also acknowledges Zinnov's broader contribution to sustainability and social impact from diversity and inclusion initiatives, to digital skilling and upskilling programs, aligning business value with societal good. "Zinnov's continued recognition on the Global Outsourcing 100 for 12 consecutive years is a true testament to their unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and delivering value to clients around the world," said Debi Hamill, CEO of IAOP. "We are proud to honor Zinnov once again among the world's top outsourcing providers." For more information on Zinnov's outsourcing and GCC advisory services, visit: https://www.zinnov.com About Zinnov Founded in 2002, Zinnov is a global management and strategy consulting firm, with presence in New York, Santa Clara, Houston, Seattle, London, Paris, Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, and Pune. Over the past 23 years, Zinnov has successfully consulted with over 250+ Fortune 500 enterprises to develop actionable insights to help them accelerate their technology journeys to create value across dimensions of revenue, transformation, and optimization. With core expertise in Digital Engineering Talent, Digital Transformation, Innovation, and Outsourcing Advisory, Zinnov assists clients by: Enabling global companies to design, build, transform, and scale their global engineering talent footprint through center setups and accelerators in an as-a-service model, as well as optimizing their global portfolios, to achieve higher R&D efficiencies, innovation, and productivity; Providing full suite of M&A advisory offerings including buy-side and sell-side M&A advisory; Advising global PE firms in asset shortlisting and target evaluation, commercial due diligence, and value creation including global footprint accretion; Growing revenue for companies' products and services in newer markets through account intelligence, market entry, and market expansion advisory; Helping global companies outline and drive their open innovation programs, design and operate accelerator programs, and enable collaboration with start-ups across specific use cases and predefined outcomes; Structuring and implementing Digital Transformation levers enabled by technologies like AI/ML, Intelligent Automation, Cloud, IOT, etc. With their team of experienced consultants, subject matter experts, and research professionals, Zinnov serves clients from across multiple industry verticals including Enterprise Software, BFSI, Healthcare, Automotive, Retail, and Telecom in the US, Europe, Japan, and India. For more information, visit http://www.zinnov.com . Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2708425/Zinnov_2025_IOAP_List.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/694742/Zinnov_Logo.jpg SOURCE Zinnov BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Our priority is green transport. We aim to complete rail electrification by 2025 and achieve 75 percent coverage by 2030, said Jasurbek Choriyev, Deputy Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan, during the panel discussion Transportation Infrastructure: Todays Silk Road Pathways within the IV Tashkent International Investment Forum, Trend reports. We are already halfway there. Compared to neighboring and other developing countries, Uzbekistan is ahead. This comprehensive approach focusing on every sector and region is key to sustainable economic growth, he added. Choriyev noted that the development of rail transport remains a cornerstone of long-term national progress. While Uzbekistans overall economy is growing at around 5.5 percent, the transport sector is expanding at 4.4 percent, highlighting the need to accelerate efforts to match broader economic ambitions. The Deputy Minister also highlighted major achievements in the aviation sector. Uzbekistan is currently home to 16 domestic airlines and serves 46 foreign carriers operating through 11 international airports, along with three newly launched domestic airports. These domestic hubs already meet international standards and have the potential to become fully certified international airports. '' Uzbekistan has also signed public-private partnership (PPP) agreements with four airports, including Urgench Airport, the countrys eastern gateway. The airport recently entered into a PPP agreement with Incheon Airport, a globally recognized hub known for its operational excellence and ability to attract tourism and boost traffic volumes. In parallel, the government is advancing the development of a new Tashkent Airport designed as a major regional hub, enhancing connectivity with neighboring countries and expanding both passenger and cargo transport capacity. The aviation sector has seen rapid growth, with Uzbekistan recording a 38 percent increase in air traffic in 2024, the highest in the region,'' he added. Choriyev acknowledged that road infrastructure has historically lagged behind other sectors. However, ongoing partnerships with international financial institutions, including the Asian Development Bank, various European banks, and infrastructure funds, have sparked a wave of modernization projects across the country. These initiatives are expected to fully transform transportation infrastructure in Tashkent and other regions by 2030, generating new jobs and economic opportunities. Digitalization and regional integration are critical components of our long-term strategy. By 2030, Uzbekistan will emerge with a modern, unified transport network that supports sustainable economic growth both nationally and across Central Asia, Choriyev concluded. 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 Dubai, June 10 : On completion of 11 years by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, Indian expatriates in Dubai said on Tuesday that India's stature as a country has risen manifold across the world during the last 11 years since Prime Minister Modi assumed charge of leading the country in 2014. While speaking to IANS, the Indian diaspora living in the Middle Eastern country also praised PM Modi's leadership and his last 11 years of governance. Tarun, a non-resident Indian (NRI) living in Dubai, said, "I am a Canadian passport holder, currently living in Dubai. Prime Minister Modi's 11-year tenure has been excellent. The Prime Minister has increased the respect of Indians in foreign countries a lot. Wherever PM Modi has gone, India's respect has increased a lot there. PM Modi is about to come to Canada again (this time for the upcoming G7 Suummit), many NRIs like me are eagerly waiting for him. I will also be arriving in Canada with my own special programme." Talking about India's robust development under PM Modi's leadership since the last 11 years, he said, "PM Modi's popularity has increased globally too because he has brought the country forward in the whole world. PM Modi has done commendable work in the digital world. He has worked for every section of the society irrespective of their religion, race or community. He has brought a lot of respect to India at the international level." Another diaspora member Gopal said, "PM Modi held a public meeting in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This is the first time in the history of UAE in the last 52 years that I have seen any Prime Minister holding a meeting. Even the local leaders here did not hold any meeting. During PM Modi's public meeting, it felt like a fair. The local people were surprised as to who had come here and why there was such a huge crowd gathering." Another Indian diaspora member Shekhar Bhatia said, "I have been living in Dubai for the last 35 years. Since the last 11 years, India's prestige has increased a lot in the UAE. PM Modi's visit to the UAE was historic. The way India is viewed abroad has improved a lot. The Narendra Modi government has a very commendable role in the growth of our economy." Sacramento, June 11 : A federal judge rejected California Governor Gavin Newsom's emergency request to stop the Trump administration from deploying military forces in Los Angeles immediately, dealing a blow to the state's efforts to challenge federal authority over domestic military operations. US District Judge Charles Breyer declined to issue a temporary restraining the order that would have blocked approximately 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines from patrolling the city immediately. Instead, Breyer granted the Trump administration until 2:00 p.m. Wednesday to file its response to California's emergency motion, Xinhua news agency reported. The ruling came after California's officials argued that President Donald Trump's deployment violated federal law, including the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits active-duty armed forces from conducting civilian law enforcement. Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta claimed in the Tuesday morning's motion that the military presence created "immediate and irreparable harm" to state sovereignty. Federal government lawyers countered by calling Newsom's request "legally meritless" and warned that blocking the deployment would be "extraordinary, unprecedented, and dangerous." They argued such action would "jeopardize the safety of Department of Homeland Security personnel and interfere with the Federal Government's ability to carry out operations." US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the military assignment would continue for 60 days at an estimated cost of 134 million US dollars. The deployment represents one of the largest domestic military operations in recent years. Breyer, who is the brother of retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, scheduled a hearing for 1:30 p.m. Thursday local time to consider California's motion. The Trump administration must file their opposition brief by 11:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, with California allowed to respond by Thursday morning. If Breyer ultimately rules against California, the state could appeal to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which has a narrow majority of Democratic appointees. California's underlying lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the deployment will continue, regardless of the outcome of the temporary restraining order. Sanaa, June 11 : Yemen's Houthi group claimed responsibility for launching two missile attacks toward Israel's Ben Gurion Airport. "We targeted Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, using two ballistic missiles, one of which was a hypersonic," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in the statement, aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV. "One of the missiles directly hit Ben Gurion Airport, and the interceptor systems failed to intercept it," Sarea said, adding, "Our decision to ban air traffic to and from Ben Gurion Airport remains in effect, and we warn the remaining airline companies to immediately halt their flights." Sarea noted that the group's missile attacks against Israel were "in response to the Israeli missile aggression on Yemen's ports of Hodeidah." Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that its air defenses likely intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen over central Israel. The IDF didn't mention the second missile attack claimed by the Houthis, and no casualties were reported. Earlier in the day, the Israeli military conducted strikes against three ports in Yemen's western province of Hodeidah, which are under Houthi control. The strikes destroyed facilities and docks, Xinhua news agency reported quoting Houthi television. The IDF said that the strikes were in response to the Houthi attacks against Israel. The Houthi-controlled ports in Hodeidah have been targeted by the Israeli military several times during the past few months. The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, has also been targeting Israeli targets and ships since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Chennai, June 11 : With the 61-day annual fishing ban in Tamil Nadu, which began on April 15, set to end on June 14, fishermen across the state are raising concerns over falling seafood prices and demanding government intervention to protect their livelihoods. In Rameswaram, fishers have urged the state government to constitute a price-setting committee to ensure fair pricing, especially for shrimp. "Fishermen toil all day at sea, but it's unfortunate that they are unable to fetch a satisfactory price for their catch," said X. Nallathambi, president of the National Traditional Fishermen Federation. Traditionally, high-quality shrimp caught off Rameswaram and Mandapam are sold for up to Rs 700 per kilogram during peak season. However, in the immediate days following the lifting of the fishing ban, exporters are reportedly fixing prices as low as Rs 300 per kilogram, causing heavy financial losses for small-scale fishers. Fishers say that "Mandapam Shrimp", known for its premium quality, has built a strong identity in the export market. Yet, they are left without any pricing power. Nallathambi has called on the government to form a 'Shrimp Price-Setting Committee' consisting of representatives from fishermen's associations, the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), and seafood exporters to ensure fair and stable prices. Echoing similar concerns, N. Devadoss, president of the Rameswaram Fishermen Cooperative Society, highlighted that fishermen shoulder heavy operational costs, including fuel and taxes, which significantly contribute to the state's economy and foreign exchange earnings. "This demand has been pending for years. It's time the government ensures a sustainable income for fishers," he said. Meanwhile, in Kasimedu, Chennai's largest fishing harbour, fishermen are reeling under the dual impact of a sharp decline in tuna catch and plummeting prices. Tuna, which was previously a major export to countries like Tunisia, Yemen, and China, has seen its price fall from Rs 68 to Rs 60 per kilogram in recent weeks. This is a steep drop from last year's rate of Rs 150 per kilogram during the same season, according to trawler operators. Adding to the crisis is the declining tuna yield. Trawlers that earlier netted around 1,000 tonnes per month are now bringing in less than half that amount. The reasons for the reduced catch remain unclear but are believed to be linked to changing sea conditions and market disruptions. Fishermen warn that without prompt action, their economic survival is at risk. --IANS aal/dpb ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 11. Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov met with his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico in Astana on Tuesday as part of Ficos first official visit to Kazakhstan, Trend reports. During their talks, the prime ministers emphasized the importance of enhancing bilateral ties in key sectors such as industry, agriculture, and transport. Slovakia is a reliable partner of Kazakhstan in the European Union, Bektenov said, highlighting common interests in industrial development, skilled labor, and strategic geography. Fico echoed the sentiment, stressing Slovakias interest in not only boosting trade volumes but also launching joint ventures. High-level meetings are essential for mobilizing joint projects, he said. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached $140 million last year, and has already grown by 46% in the first four months of 2025. Both sides agreed on the need to diversify trade and expand the range of goods and services exchanged. Kazakhstan expressed interest in deepening agricultural cooperation, particularly through joint enterprises and experience sharing in organic production. Bektenov also called for expanding transit quotas for Kazakh freight carriers, citing growing domestic demand. The two sides confirmed their commitment to fully implementing agreements reached during the visit and advancing mutually beneficial cooperation across all areas. Seoul, June 11 : Jason Kwon, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of OpenAI, will visit South Korea on Thursday for the second time in just over two weeks to explore partnerships in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, industry sources said on Wednesday. His upcoming visit comes just a week after the inauguration of President Lee Jae-myung, who has pledged to make South Korea one of the world's top three AI powerhouses through a 100 trillion-won (US$73 billion) national investment initiative. During his previous visit on May 26, Kwon said OpenAI has established a Korean subsidiary and plans to open its third Asian office -- following Tokyo and Singapore -- in Seoul in the coming months, reports Yonhap news agency. The move is part of OpenAI's broader global expansion. The developer of ChatGPT has launched 11 new offices in major cities in recent years, including Paris, Brussels, Singapore, London, Dublin and Tokyo. "OpenAI considers South Korea a key partner due to its high level of engagement with our services and sees strong potential for collaboration with Korean companies," an OpenAI official said. South Korea ranks among the top 10 countries globally in terms of ChatGPT users and developers using OpenAI platforms. In particular, it has the second-largest number of paid ChatGPT subscribers, following the United States. Even before formally entering the Korean market, OpenAI has collaborated with several major Korean companies, including internet giant Kakao Corp., game developer Krafton Inc. and mobile carrier SK Telecom Co., on AI technologies and data center development. Kakao is expected to unveil the results of its joint project with OpenAI later this year. OpenAI last month announced it will begin operations in South Korea as part of its ongoing global expansion of AI infrastructure. Kwon said OpenAI has established a Korean unit and plans to open its first Korean office in Seoul. "Our next international office is going to be here in Seoul," Kwon told reporters, adding the Seoul office will be OpenAI's third Asian branch following those in Tokyo and Singapore. a"IANS na/ New Delhi, June 11 : Amid a fresh wave of Covid-19, Israeli researchers have discovered that a protein from the SARS-CoV-2 virus can cause the immune system to attack healthy cells mistakenly. The study, published in the journal Cell Reports, sheds light on how severe Covid complications may occur and suggests new ways to prevent immune-driven damage from the virus, Xinhua news agency reported. Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that the virus's nucleocapsid protein (NP), which normally helps package the virus's genetic material inside infected cells, can spread to nearby uninfected epithelial cells. Once on the surface of these healthy cells, NP would be mistakenly identified by the immune system as a threat. The immune system then deploys anti-NP antibodies, which mark these uninfected cells for destruction. The process triggers the classical complement pathway, a part of the immune response that leads to inflammation and tissue damage, contributing to severe Covid symptoms and possibly long Covid. Using lab-grown cells, advanced imaging, and samples from Covid-19 patients, the researchers found that NP binds to a type of molecule on cell surfaces. The binding causes the protein to cluster on healthy cells, further confusing the immune system. The study also found that the drug enoxaparin -- a common blood thinner and heparin analog -- blocks NP from sticking to healthy cells. In both lab tests and patient samples, enoxaparin helped prevent immune attacks by occupying the binding sites that NP uses. According to the researchers, the discovery may offer new hope for reducing immune-related complications in Covid and potentially other viral infections. Meanwhile, a newly identified Covid variant known as NB.1.8.1 has been recently spreading rapidly across multiple parts of the world, raising fresh concerns. The variant, which belongs to the Omicron family, was first detected in January 2025 and has since reached countries including India, the US, the UK, Australia, China, Maldives, and Egypt. The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially labelled it a "Variant Under Monitoring," meaning it is spreading fast enough to warrant attention, but not enough to be classified as a major threat. New Delhi, June 11 : BJP Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey, citing declassified documents, has alleged that the Congress government, under pressure from the United States, aborted plans to conduct a nuclear test in 1995. He claimed that fear of American backlash influenced the decision, despite initial readiness by then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. "Go back and read the history of how Rahul Gandhi, whom I call 'Rahul Baba,' gets scared of America," Dubey said in a post on X on Wednesday. "In 1995, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao had decided to carry out a nuclear test, but confidential information was leaked -- allegedly by a senior minister or government official -- to the United States." Dubey further claimed that the leak prompted direct intervention from the US President, who reportedly contacted the Indian Prime Minister's Principal Secretary via an urgent nighttime telegram requesting a meeting. "Charge d'Affairs is instructed to arrange a meeting with PMO Principal Secretary Varma for Ambassador Wisner upon his return to New Delhi," the classified document's relevant portion shared by Dubey reads. According to Dubey, this pressure led the Congress government to abandon the test out of apprehension. "In contrast, when the BJP came to power under Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998, we proceeded with the nuclear tests at Pokhran despite facing international sanctions and diplomatic pressure," he said. "Prime Minister Modi has shown similar resolve in recent years. Rahul Gandhi should study history and reflect," Dubey added. Earlier on Monday, Dubey called for an investigation into the alleged historical ties between the Nehru-Gandhi family and China. He based his demand on "revelation" from declassified documents related to the 1961 Belgrade Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). "Rahul Baba, do you know that at China's behest, your family's patriarch Nehru ji created the new gimmick of non-aligned countries? Look at the member countries of the first conference in Belgrade in 1961. After isolating India from both Russia and America, did any country come to India's defence during or after the 1962 war with China?" Dubey had asked. New Delhi, June 11 : Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising serious concerns over the barriers hindering educational opportunities for students from marginalised communities. Gandhi called upon the government to urgently intervene and address two critical issues affecting students from Dalit, Scheduled Tribes (ST), Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and minority groups. In his letter, the Congress MP stated that the conditions in residential hostels for students from these communities are in a "deplorable" state. "I request you to resolve two critical issues which hinder education opportunities for the 90 per cent of students who are from marginalised communities. Firstly, the conditions in residential hostels for students from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC and minority communities are deplorable," he wrote. Gandhi referred to a recent visit he made to the Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar, where students spoke of overcrowded rooms, poor sanitation, and the lack of essential facilities. "Students complained about single rooms, which 6-7 students were forced to share, unhygienic toilets, unsafe drinking water, lack of mess facilities, and no access to libraries or the Internet," the letter mentioned. He further highlighted the inefficiencies and shortcomings in the post-matric scholarship system, particularly its impact on Dalit students in Bihar. "Post-matric scholarships for students from marginalised communities are plagued by delays and failures. For example, in Bihar, the scholarship portal was non-functional for three years, and no student received a scholarship in 2021-22," he said. Gandhi pointed out that even after the portal was restored, the number of Dalit students receiving scholarships dropped drastically -- from 1.36 lakh in the financial year 2022-23 to just 0.69 lakh in 2023-24. "Students further complain that the scholarship amounts are insultingly low," he noted. While his examples primarily drew from Bihar, Gandhi clarified that these failures are prevalent across the country. Suggesting concrete measures to resolve the issues, Gandhi urged the Prime Minister to initiate a comprehensive audit of all hostels meant for students from marginalised groups to ensure they meet minimum standards in infrastructure, sanitation, nutrition, and academic support. He also called for the timely disbursal of scholarships, an increase in scholarship amounts, and better coordination with state governments for effective implementation. Concluding the letter, Gandhi said, "I am sure you agree that India cannot progress unless youth from marginalised communities progress. I look forward to your positive response." Kolkata, June 11 : The Enforcement Directorate have started tracking the sources of the documents based on which Azad Mullick, the Pakistani citizen whom ED arrested in Kolkata in April, secured an EPIC card, with which he voted twice, first in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election and then in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Sources aware of the development said that what has kept the ED investigating officials even more intrigued is how the EPIC card held by Azad did not create doubts in the minds of the review officials during the interim revision of the votersa list between 2021 and 2024. The officials are in touch with the offices of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, to get details of the documents furnished by Azad for getting the EPIC card. According to information available with ED, Azad was enrolled as a voter of Dum Dum-Uttar Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district, which is again one of the seven Assembly constituencies under Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency. He admitted this in the face of interrogation about his voting in 2021 and 2024. The issue of foreign nationals becoming voters in West Bengal has become a politically sensitive issue in the state ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled next year. On Tuesday, ECI ordered the office of the CEO, West Bengal, to probe the case of a man, who was active in the student 'movement' in Bangladesh last year, and features as a registered voter in the Kakdwip Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district. The controversy surfaced after some whistleblowers highlighted the picture of Newton Das, a registered voter with Kakdwip Assembly constituency, featuring in the studentsa movement in Bangladesh last year on social media. The whistleblowers and a cousin of Das also claimed that Das had dual citizenship in India and Bangladesh. According to the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, the new addition to the endless list of corruption under the Trinamool Congress regime is ensuring the enlistment of Bangladeshis in the state's voters list The case of Azad, originally a Pakistani citizen, was even more complicated. When he was arrested at the beginning of April, documents seized by the ED official then showed that he was a Bangladeshi citizen, who was residing in India after arranging Indian identity documents, including an Indian passport, by furnishing fake documents. However, on April 29, the ED counsel informed a special court in Kolkata that in the face of interrogation, Mullick admitted that he was an original resident of Pakistan. He said he first managed to arrange a Bangladeshi citizenship for himself through the use of forged documents and subsequently, in the same manner,r arranged Indian identity documents. Phnom Penh, June 11 : Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has announced the establishment of a high-level documenting committee to build a strong case as the country has decided to take the ongoing border dispute with Thailand to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The high-level documenting committee will be in charge of taking the long-standing case to the ICJ, local media reported on Wednesday. The move comes at a time when Cambodia and Thailand are scheduled to hold a Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting on June 14 in Phnom Penh, centreing on the border issues. The Cambodian government on Tuesday stated that it has created the "Committee to Prepare Documents for Filing a Case with the International Court of Justice Regarding the Areas of Mom Bei, Ta Moan Thom Temple, Ta Moan Tauch Temple, and Ta Krabei Temple." According to a report by Cambodian newspaper Khmer Times, the committee Chaired by the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Prak Sokhonn, "shall have the authority and competence to act on behalf of the Kingdom of Cambodia before the International Court of Justice." However, Thailand wanted the border issue to be resolved through bilateral mechanisms. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra confirmed that she held discussions with her Cambodian counterpart, Hun Manet, and his father, Senate President and former premier Hun Sen, as they agreed on a mutual commitment to resolve the dispute peacefully through dialogue. "Our commitment to a peaceful approach has yielded positive results. Through sincere and transparent negotiation techniques, we were able to de-escalate the situation without the need for violent confrontation," Thailand's leading newspaper, Bangkok Post, quoted Paetongtarn as saying. Thai PM confirmed that the scheduled meeting on June 14 will proceed as planned by both countries. As Cambodia intends to take the matter to the ICJ, Paetongtarn Shinawatra stated that the Thai government upholds its stance of not accepting ICJ jurisdiction. The border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia escalated after soldiers of both countries briefly exchanged gunfire at the border area of Emerald Triangle on May 28, resulting in the death of a Cambodian soldier. New Delhi, June 11 : Taiwan on Wednesday thanked India for rescuing 18 crew members of the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel, WAN HAI 503, which recently caught fire about 70 nautical miles off the Kerala coast. Of the 22 onboard, 18 crew members have been rescued after they jumped into the sea, while the whereabouts of four other crew members attached to the ship's Fire and Safety Department are being ascertained. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India said that the four crew members who remained missing include two Taiwanese, one from Indonesia and one from Myanmar. "The Taiwan Government is grateful for the swift rescue operation provided by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard to Wan Hai 503. We wish the missing crew members return safe and the injured recover soon," Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India posted on X. "On June 9, MV Wan Hai 503 encountered an onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal, Kerala. Of the total 22 crew members on board, 14 are Chinese, including 6 from Taiwan. Our gratitude goes to the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue. We wish further search operations successful and the injured crew members speedy recovery," said the spokesperson in a post on X. Earlier on Tuesday, Yu Jing, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India expressed gratitude towards India for their swift rescue operations stating that of the 22 crew members, 14 are Chinese, including two from Taiwan. Taiwan, on the other hand, slammed the Chinese claim as false and absurd, asserting that only the Taiwanese elected government can represent its people and not the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). "The Chinese Embassy's claim is false and absurd. We reiterate hereby that Taiwan and China are not subordinate to one other and that the CCP regime has never ever governed Taiwan. Only Taiwan's democratically elected government has the right to represent its people," said Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India on Wednesday. The 270-metre-long vessel, with a draught of 12.5 metres, had departed Colombo on June 7 and was en route to Mumbai. On Monday, the Indian Navy, in a closely coordinated Search And Rescue(SAR) operation with the Indian Coast Guard, DG Shipping and other stakeholders, safely rescued 18 out of 22 crew members. According to the spokesperson of the Indian Navy, the vessel had reported an internal container explosion, and resultant major fire onboard. In a statement on Monday, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) also expressed its appreciation to the Indian authorities for their swift response in recovering the 18 crew and for their support for the ongoing SAR operations. Seoul, June 11 : South Korea's former President Yoon Suk Yeol submitted an opinion to the police on Wednesday, explaining his planned nonappearance for questioning over martial law-related charges later this week. In the document submitted by his lawyer, Yun Gap-geun, the former president claimed the summons for questioning on Thursday had no legal basis as the charges against him were not factually accurate. Yoon has been booked on charges of ordering the Presidential Security Service (PSS) to block the execution of a detention warrant against him in early January. He has also been booked on charges of ordering the PSS to delete records from secure phones used by three military commanders shortly after his attempt to impose martial law on December 3 failed, Yonhap news agency reported. "The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials' attempt to execute the detention warrant was an illegal and invalid execution of duty," the opinion said. "There must first be an investigation into possible illegalities in the execution of the detention warrant at the time and into the complaints filed against those involved in the warrant execution." Yoon defied a previous summons to appear for questioning on June 5, according to police. Earlier on June 10, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung promulgated bills mandating special counsel probes into a botched martial law bid by former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and corruption allegations against his wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee. Lee signed off on three bills in his first legislation since taking office last week, which also calls for a special counsel probe into the drowning death of a Marine during a rescue operation for flood victims in 2023. The bills were approved at a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day. Lee expressed hope that the special counsel investigations will transparently uncover the truths behind the related allegations, according to the presidential office. "Lee's enactment of the three special counsel bills, the first since taking office, was intended to meet the public's expectations for addressing insurrection charges and restoring constitutional order, as reflected in the presidential election," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters. The probes would add legal pressure on Yoon, who was removed from office in April and is now on trial for charges of leading insurrection and abuse of power related to martial law. One of the bills targeting Yoon mandates a permanent special counsel to investigate 11 charges, including insurrection and military mutiny, over his failed martial law bid in December. Mumbai, June 11 : Anand Ahuja took to social media to share a heartwarming moment celebrating his love for his wife and actress, Sonam Kapoor. In a touching post, the entrepreneur expressed his deep affection for Sonam, fondly referring to her as his "baby," while also giving a rare glimpse into their family life with an adorable photo featuring their little son, Vayu. On Wednesday, Anand took to Instagram and shared an adorable photo from Sonam's 40th birthday celebration. In the adorable image, Vayu is seen feeding his mom a piece of cake. For the caption, Ahuja wrote, "Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Day by day, and at the end of the day you will get out of life what you deserve." #EverydayPhenomenal to my baby who is always - with every day, more giving, more thoughtful, more caring. You deserve all the blessings. It's impossible to express the volume of my love for you! Love you @sonamkapoor." Sonam Kapoor marked her 40th birthday with a cozy yet glamorous celebration on June 8 in Mumbai. Among those who joined the festivities were Kareena Kapoor KhanSonam's Veere Di Wedding co-staralongside her husband, Saif Ali Khan. The guest list also included Swara Bhasker, Karisma Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Khushi Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar, and filmmaker Karan Johar, all gathered to make the occasion memorable. Arjun Kapoor also wished his cousin with a sweet post on social media. He wrote that if there ever were a Kapoor clan version of the Avengers, Sonam would be the "glam goddess with sass powers." The 'Singham Again' actor shared a rare childhood photo featuring himself and Sonam Kapoor as little kids and captioned it, "If there was a Kapoor clan 'Avengers' she would be the glam goddess with sass powers Happy Birthday @Sonamkapoor! Stay fabulous and I will try keeping up with your fashion game." London, June 11 : Top US and Chinese officials announced on Wednesday that they have agreed to a framework for getting the trade truce between the two countries back on track after two days of intense negotiations. Officials from the two countries said the framework would restore an earlier agreement reached in Switzerland last month to lower tariffs and Beijing resuming exports of critical minerals. The plan will now be placed before US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping for final approval. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the deal should result in restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets, imposed by China, being removed. "Also, there were a number of measures the United States of America put on when those rare earths were not coming," he added. "You should expect those to come off, sort of as President Trump said: 'In a balanced way.'" China has a near-monopoly on exports of rare earth minerals, which are crucial for producing smartphones, electronic goods and electric vehicles. Beijing has been using its dominance as a bargaining chip in the trade war by cutting off supplies to the world market. The US, on its part, has restricted China's access to US goods such as semiconductors and other related technologies linked to Artificial Intelligence (AI). "We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus," Lutnick told reporters. "Once the presidents approve it, we will then seek to implement it," he added. The new round of negotiations followed a phone call between President Donald Trump and China's leader Xi Jinping last week. "We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus and the call between the two presidents," Lutnick said. "The idea is we're going to go back and speak to President Trump and make sure he approves it. They're going to go back and speak to President Xi and if that is approved, we will then implement the framework." "The two sides have, in principle, reached a framework for implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state during the phone call on June 5 and the consensus reached at the Geneva meeting," China's Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. The possibilities of expanding cooperation between Azerbaijan and the World Bank (WB) have been assessed, Trend reports via the Ministry of Finance. Today, First Deputy Minister of Finance of Azerbaijan Anar Karimov received the Country Manager for WB in Azerbaijan Stefanie Stallmeister, and Practice Manager for the Governance Global Practice in Europe and Central Asia at WB Adrian Fozzard. During the meeting, satisfaction was expressed with the existing cooperation between Azerbaijan and the WB, and the Azerbaijani government's interest in expanding this cooperation was noted. It was noted that Azerbaijan has benefited from cooperation with the WB for many years and that the projects financed by the bank in various fields and the technical assistance provided have made a significant contribution to the socio-economic development of our country. The meeting exchanged views on technical assistance in the field of public finance management reforms implemented with the support of the Bank and currently ongoing, and on the possibilities of future cooperation in this framework. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Kochi, June 11 : The Kerala High Court on Wednesday pulled up the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) after it sought more time to respond to the anticipatory bail plea of Sekhar Kumar, Assistant Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kochi. The court had, in an interim order last week, barred Kumar's arrest until June 11 and listed the matter for hearing today. However, when the case came up, VACB sought additional time, prompting the court to question the delay. It directed the bureau to produce the case diary and posted the matter for further hearing next Tuesday. Kumar is the first accused in a high-profile corruption case registered by VACB last month. The case has already seen the arrest of three individuals -- chartered accountant Ranjith Warrier, alleged middleman Wilson, and Mukesh Jain, a Rajasthan native long settled in Kochi. The case originated from a complaint by a Kollam-based businessman engaged in cashew exports to Africa. He reportedly suffered heavy losses during the Covid-19 pandemic after being defrauded by a foreign client. During an ED investigation into the matter, the businessman was issued a summons. Around this time, Wilson allegedly approached the businessman, claiming he had influential contacts in the ED and could help "settle" the case. He demanded Rs 2 crore to be paid in four instalments, in return for halting the ED inquiry. When the businessman received a second ED summons shortly thereafter, as Wilson had predicted, he grew suspicious and alerted VACB. Following a plan to establish evidence, the businessman handed over Rs 2 lakh in cash and made a bank transfer, allowing VACB to trace the money. Wilson was caught red-handed while accepting the cash. His arrest led to the subsequent detention of Jain and Warrier. All three are now out on bail. Kumar, who has moved the High Court for anticipatory bail, has claimed he has no connection to the alleged corruption or the arrested individuals. He stated that he has done no wrong, fears arrest, and is willing to abide by any conditions the court may impose. Seoul, June 11 : South Korea's military on Wednesday suspended its loudspeaker broadcasts along the border against North Korea amid prospects the new government will seek to mend strained ties with Pyongyang. The halt came a year after the military had resumed such propaganda broadcasts in June last year in response to North Korea's repeated launch of trash-carrying balloons across the border. "The decision was made as part of efforts to carry out the promise of restoring inter-Korean trust and peace on the Korean Peninsula," a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) official said. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who took office last week, has vowed to suspend anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns and loudspeaker broadcasts against North Korea as he seeks to improve frayed inter-Korean relations. Earlier on June 9, South Korea's military had said whether to suspend anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts along the border would depend on North Korea's actions. South Korea had resumed loudspeaker broadcasts near the heavily fortified border a year ago, in response to the North's repeated launch of trash-carrying balloons across the border. The North had also blared loudspeaker broadcasts toward the South, causing inconveniences to border residents. "Our military decided on the resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year ... we are conducting it in a flexible manner in conjunction with the strategic and operational situation," Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) told a regular press briefing, when asked about the possibility of halting such an operation. Lee, the JCS official had reaffirmed suspending the loudspeaker broadcasts would depend on North Korea's behaviour, while leaving open the possibility for such a change. "A comprehensive, government-level review is necessary in consideration of the security situation," he said. The JCS official said the North had continued to conduct loudspeaker broadcasts toward the South both day and night in the border areas as well as the Yellow Sea. The unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs also expressed regret over anti-Pyongyang leafleting by a group of abductee families in an apparent shift of stance following Lee's inauguration. New Delhi, June 11 : India and Norway on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen ties on sustainable ocean governance and fisheries at the ongoing UN Ocean Conference in France. The Indian delegation led by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh held a 'bilateral' with Marianne Sivertsen Ness, Norway's Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy. The two Ministers exchanged views on enhancing bilateral cooperation in ocean governance, reflecting on the long-standing partnership between India and Norway in the fisheries sector. The discussion also covered shared priorities such as sustainable use of marine resources, improved data-sharing mechanisms, and joint efforts to tackle challenges like overfishing and marine pollution. "India and Norway reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen collaboration on sustainable ocean governance and fisheries during a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), currently underway in Nice, France," the Ministry of Earth Sciences said in a statement. The Ministers acknowledged the significance of international cooperation in achieving the goals of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). They laid emphasis on knowledge exchange, capacity building, and technology sharing for the shared goal. The Ministers also explored opportunities to build on existing India-Norway collaborations, particularly in areas aligned with the development of a sustainable and inclusive blue economy. The UNOC3, taking place from June 9 to 13, has brought together global leaders, scientists, policymakers, and industry representatives to discuss collective actions toward ocean health, sustainable development, and climate resilience. Earlier at the conference, Singh also pushed for a global ocean pact and unveiled major strides in deep-sea exploration, marine plastic clean-up, and sustainable fisheries. Singh highlighted progress on the Deep Ocean Mission's upcoming manned submersible, a nationwide single-use plastic ban, and over $80 billion worth of the 'Blue Economy' projects. India also backed the swift ratification of the BBNJ Agreement, advocated for a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty, and launched the 'SAHAV' digital ocean data portal, underscoring its growing leadership in global marine governance. New Delhi, June 11 : India's phenol market is expected to clock a healthy 8-9 per cent compound annual growth rate from this fiscal through 2030, outpacing the global market, according to a report on Wednesday. Domestic consumption this fiscal is envisaged at 650 kilo tonnes. The growth is likely to be driven by increasing demand from end-user industries, such as automotive and construction, which use phenolic resins, said the report by Crisil Intelligence. India's phenol demand is met through domestic production and imports. Over the past five years, domestic production has increased consistently, accounting for 60 per cent of annual domestic consumption. "Alongside ramping up production capacity, phenol manufacturers are integrating downstream products with phenol production, which is likely to support consumption. A decline in global demand and, consequently, dumping of phenol in India, is a concern. Nevertheless, prices are expected to remain stable," said Sehul Bhatt, Director-Research, Crisil Intelligence. Imports have decreased substantially, from meeting 60 per cent of domestic demand in fiscal 2019 to 40 per cent in fiscal 2024. Looking ahead, the entry of new players is expected to further reduce reliance on imports to 28-30 per cent of domestic demand by fiscal 2030, the report mentioned. India imports phenol mainly from Thailand, followed by Singapore and Korea. In fiscal 2022, China accounted for 48 per cent of India's total phenol imports due to limited domestic supply and dumping by Chinese exporters. However, China's share of Indian phenol imports declined to 4 per cent in fiscal 2025 as domestic production increased. Moreover, India is diversifying its phenol imports, exploring alternative sources such as Belgium and Brazil to reduce dependence on a single market. As of fiscal 2025, India's phenol exports stand at 17,230 tonnes per annum, which represents 5 per cent of the country's total domestic production. India exports mostly to Asian markets. The United Arab Emirates is a major export destination. Chennai, June 11 : In a major reshuffle in the Tamil Nadu Police, the state government issued transfer and posting orders for 18 officers, including several IPS officers, while promoting three to higher ranks. Among the notable decisions was the reinstatement and posting of DIG-rank officer D. Magesh Kumar, whose suspension over sexual harassment allegations was recently revoked. Magesh Kumar, who had been placed in the Vacancy Reserve (VR) at the police headquarters following his suspension in February, has now been appointed as the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Coastal Security Group, Chennai. He replaces R. Jayanthi, who has been posted as DIG, Technical Services, Chennai. Magesh Kumar was earlier serving as Joint Commissioner of Police (North), Greater Chennai Police, when a woman traffic constable accused him of sexual and physical harassment. Based on the complaint, Tamil Nadu DGP Shankar Jiwal initiated disciplinary action, resulting in his suspension. However, the suspension was lifted in April 2025 after an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) reportedly cleared him of the allegations. In other major changes, M.R. Sibi Chakravarthi, who was DIG/Joint Commissioner of Police, South Zone, Greater Chennai Police, has been posted as DIG and Chief Vigilance Officer of Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited, Chennai. His place in the South Zone will be filled by Pakerla Cephas Kalyan, who previously held charge of the West Zone in the same capacity. Disha Mittal has been transferred from DIG, Villupuram Range, and posted as DIG/Joint Commissioner of Police, West Zone, Greater Chennai Police. E.S. Uma, DIG, has been moved from Salem Range to Villupuram Range. Among Superintendent of Police (SP) rank officers, G. Nagajothi has been posted as SP-I, Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB), Chennai. Amanat Mann, who was in the Vacancy Reserve, has been appointed Assistant Inspector General (AIG), Social Justice and Human Rights, Chennai. S.P. Lavanya has been posted as SP, State Crime Records Bureau, replacing G. Nagajothi. Several Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) have also been reshuffled. B. Geetha has been transferred from Salem City to Greater Chennai Police Headquarters, while V. Geetha moves to Salem City Headquarters from Tirunelveli. A. Velmurugan has been posted as DCP, Central Crime Branch, Tambaram Commissionerate. K. Prabakar, who previously held that post, has been reassigned as SP-III, Cyber Crime Wing, Chennai. Among promoted officers, Kelkar Subhramanya Balachandra has been made DCP, South, Salem City. Kambham Samuel Praveen Gowtham and V. Prasannakumar have been promoted to SP rank and posted as DCPs in Tiruppur and Tirunelveli, respectively. Bhopal, June 11 : A disturbing incident of the gang-rape of a minor girl in government-owned Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa surfaced, following which the Congress party accused the government of shielding the accused. Reports indicate that the crime occurred on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday within the hospital premises. Referring to the incident, the Madhya Pradesh Congress, along with former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, has raised serious concerns about women's safety, demanding accountability from the government. Meanwhile, Rahul Mishra, the hospital superintendent, told the media that information about the incident had been received and reported to the police. He denied the involvement of hospital staff in the alleged crime. Former CM Kamal Nath expressed deep anguish over the incident. Writing on his micro-blogging platform X, he said and alleged that the gang-rape of a minor girl in a government hospital in Rewa once again proves that daughters are not safe in the state. He called the accusations against the hospital staff shocking and urged that the matter must not be suppressed under any circumstances. Kamal Nath demanded an impartial investigation, ensuring the victim's safety and bringing the culprits to justice. The Congress party has also raised multiple questions on social media and demanded a response from State Health Minister Rajendra Shukla, who hails from Rewa and serves as the Deputy Chief Minister. Speaking to IANS, a senior police officer stated that "the matter is under investigation, and further details will be provided once inquiries are complete." Congress has alleged that three outsourced hospital employees were involved in the crime, questioning why efforts appear to be underway to suppress the incident. On its official handle X, the party wrote, "The hospital's superintendent, reportedly Shukla's nephew, has been accused of delaying police intervention and preventing the victim from filing an FIR." The party further questioned "whether political power is being prioritised over the dignity and safety of women, asking how long leaders, relatives, and influential figures would continue shielding criminals." State Congress president Jitendra (Jitu) Patwari voiced his concerns on X, calling the news of the gang-rape deeply disturbing. He alleged that "the incident once again highlights the horrific state of lawlessness in Madhya Pradesh." In his post, he alleged that "three hospital employees were accused of raping the minor girl within the hospital corridors. Patwari underscored the troubling power dynamics surrounding the crime, pointing out that it occurred in the home district of Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla, who also heads the Health Department. "Adding to the controversy, the hospital superintendent, Rahul Mishra, is reportedly Shukla's nephew," he said. Patwari further said that allegations are mounting that efforts are underway to bury the case rather than deliver justice. He claimed that a "leaked audio recording of the victim's father reveals disturbing pressure tactics -- an attempt to summon the girl to a rest house." Instead of ensuring justice for the victim, he argued, "the state's leaders seem more focused on protecting the accused. He condemned the failure of governance, asking who is responsible for this unchecked impunity." Jammu, June 11 : Before returning to Srinagar on the Vande Bharat train on Wednesday, former Chief Minister and ruling National Conference (NC) President, Dr Farooq Abdullah paid obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's (J&K) Reasi district. Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Dr Farooq said, "I had a great 'darshan' and I am hopeful that all our prayers for peace, progress and brotherhood at the shrine will be answered so that we can move forward and our country also marches ahead and we become part of its development trajectory." On Tuesday, the 87-year-old NC President took his maiden ride from Srinagar to Katra town on the Vande Bharat train, which connects Kashmir to the rest of the country. Dr Farooq stayed at the sanctum sanctorum of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine overnight and took part in special prayers there. He was accompanied by his grandsons, Zamir and Zahid. J&K minister, Satish Sharma and CM Omar Abdullah's advisor, Nasir Aslam Wani and several NC legislators, including party chief spokesperson, Tanvir Sadiq accompanied the NC President during his train journey. Asked about his overnight stay at the shrine, Dr Farooq said, "I felt very happy." Satish Sharma, who accompanied Dr Farooq said, "We had darshan thrice after reaching the holy town of Katra, which is a great blessing for us. "Dr Abdullah walked two to three kilometres to reach the shrine and we prayed for J&K to get back its lost glory. J&K is India's crown and we want to reach that height again." Later, Dr Farooq Abdullah returned to Srinagar through the Vande Bharat Express after an overnight stay at the shrine in Katra. Dr Farooq Abdullah described the arrival of the train service to Kashmir Valley as a game changer that will benefit tourism, horticulture and the economy of the Valley. He said people would no longer be "fleeced by the airlines by hiking fares each time the Jammu-Srinagar highway got closed" like it used to happen in the past. Stockholm, June 11 : Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Gyanesh Kumar, delivered the keynote address at the Stockholm International Conference on Electoral Integrity on Tuesday, showcasing India's unparalleled electoral scale, diversity, and commitment to democratic values. Speaking at the global forum hosted by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), Kumar reaffirmed the Election Commission of India's (ECI) dedication to conducting elections with integrity and supporting global capacity-building initiatives for Election Management Bodies (EMBs). The conference was attended by over 100 participants representing EMBs from nearly 50 countries. "Conducting elections with utmost integrity is a testament to our national resolve," he stated, underlining the ECI's global leadership in electoral practices. Highlighting the sheer magnitude of India's democratic exercise, Kumar noted that India's elections are conducted under the scrutiny of political parties, candidates, observers, media, and law enforcement -- ensuring transparency akin to concurrent audits at every stage. During general elections, the ECI mobilizes over 20 million personnel, including polling staff, police, observers, and political agents -- making it the world's largest election management operation, he said. Tracing the evolution of India's electoral process, Kumar emphasised the Commission's ability to adapt to growing complexities while remaining rooted in constitutional values. "From 173 million electors in 1951-52 to 979 million in 2024, and from just 0.2 million polling stations in the early years to over 1.05 million today, India's electoral journey has demonstrated institutional foresight and unmatched scale," he said. He said the 2024 General Elections featured 743 political parties -- comprising six national and 67 state parties -- and over 20,000 candidates, with the process facilitated by 6.2 million Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Gyanesh Kumar described it as a reaffirmation of the ECI's capability to deliver inclusive, efficient, and secure elections. He also highlighted India's rigorous approach to maintaining the electoral roll, which has been shared annually with all recognized political parties since 1960 -- allowing for claims, objections, and appeals. This statutory provision, he noted, stands as one of the most transparent and robust voter list management systems in the world. Kumar further underscored the inclusivity of India's elections -- from first-time voters to senior citizens above 85 years, persons with disabilities, third-gender electors, and those in remote or high-altitude areas like Tashigang in Himachal Pradesh. He stressed that "leaving no voter behind" is a constitutional commitment, not merely a logistical goal. On the sidelines of the conference, the CEC held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from countries including Mexico, Indonesia, Mongolia, South Africa, Switzerland, Moldova, Lithuania, Mauritius, Germany, Croatia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. These discussions focused on themes such as voter participation, electoral technologies, diaspora voting, and institutional collaboration. Kolkata, June 11 : The statement of a cousin is vital in the Election Commission of India (ECI)-ordered probe on man in the Bangladesh students' uprising featuring as a registered voter in West Bengal's Kakdwip Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district. The ECI has directed the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to probe the case of the man, who was active in the uprising in Bangladesh last year, featuring as a registered voter in India. Tapan Das, a cousin of Newton Das, the voter in question, has already told media persons that Newton had voter cards both in India and Bangladesh. He has also told media persons that after completing his studies in West Bengal, Newton shifted to Bangladesh and was there for a long time, till he came back to Kakdwip recently. "As far as we know, he is a voter in Bangladesh. I have no idea how he arranged an Indian EPIC card," claimed Tapan Das, who is also a registered voter in the Kakdwip Assembly constituency. An insider from the office of the West Bengal CEO said that the Booth Level Officer (BLO) concerned will meet Tapan Das on Wednesday and get details about Newton Das. "Details will be sought from Tapan Das on when Newton left for Bangladesh after the completion of his studies and when he returned to Kakdwip. The cousin will be asked whether he had any knowledge of who helped Newton in getting the EPIC card. Based on his statements, further investigation in the matter will be carried on," the CEO office insider said. He also said that when a cousin of Newton is claiming him to be a voter of Bangladesh, reasonable doubts over the matter are bound to surface. The controversy surfaced after some whistle-blowers highlighted the picture of Newton Das, a registered voter with Kakdwip Assembly constituency, featuring in the students' movement in Bangladesh last year on social media. The whistle-blowers also claimed that Das had dual citizenship of India and Bangladesh. Newton, however, has denied the allegations of holding Bangladeshi citizenship, though he did not deny having gone to the country and participating in the students' movement there. According to him, he had been a voter of the Kakdwip Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district since 2014 and had also voted in the Lok Sabha elections that year. He stated that he went to Bangladesh in 2024 in order to address some issues relating to his ancestral property there, and during that period, he got involved with the students' movement there. He also stated that in 2017 he lost the EPIC card, which was issued to him in 2014, and in 2018 he was issued a fresh card. He also admitted that the Trinamool Congress MLA from Kakdwip, Manturam Pakhira, helped him in getting the new EPIC card. Geneva, June 11 : India has achieved a historic milestone in recording a 45 percentage point jump in the social security coverage of its population over the last decade to cover 94 crore people and is now being ranked second in the world on the dashboard of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). According to the latest ILO data, India's social security coverage has increased from 19 per cent in 2015 to 64.3 per cent in 2025, an unprecedented 45 percentage point surge over the past decade. ILO has acknowledged India's achievement and officially published on its dashboard that 64.3 per cent of India's population, i.e. over 94 crore people, are now covered under at least one social protection benefit. Director General ILO praised India's focussed welfare policies for the poor and labour class under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. ILO's Criteria for Scheme Consideration for each country include that the scheme should be legislatively backed, in cash and be active, and verified time series data of last three years has to be provided. While holding a bilateral discussion with the Director General, ILO, Gilbert F. Houngbo on the sidelines of the International Labour Conference (ILC), India's Minister of Labour and Employment, Mansukh Mandaviya highlighted the pro-poor and labour welfare schemes undertaken by the Modi Government over the past 11 years. The Minister also apprised DG ILO about the national-level Social Protection Data Pooling Exercise that has been carried out by the Government in collaboration with the ILO. Mandaviya said, "This remarkable achievement stands as a testament to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the relentless efforts of the Government in building an inclusive and rights-based social protection ecosystem. The increase marks the fastest expansion in social protection coverage worldwide, reflecting the Government's unwavering commitment to 'Antyodaya' i.e., empowering the last mile and fulfilling the promise of leaving no one behind." The present figure reflects only Phase I of the data pooling exercise. This phase focussed on beneficiary data of Central sector schemes and women-centric schemes in selected 8 States. With Phase II and further consolidation underway, it is expected that India's total social protection coverage will soon surpass the 100-crore mark upon verification of additional schemes by the ILO. India is also the first country globally to update its 2025 social protection coverage data in the ILOSTAT database, reinforcing its leadership in digital governance and transparency in welfare systems. Moreover, the increase in Social Protection Coverage will further strengthen India's global engagements, particularly in finalising Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with developed nations. These agreements will ensure the portability of social protection benefits for Indian professionals working overseas, while offering partner countries the transparency required for mutual recognition frameworks. This will further bolster India's position in trade and labour mobility negotiations by showcasing a credible and robust social protection regime. Mandaviya is leading an Indian delegation to Geneva, Switzerland, from 10th to 12th June 2025 to participate in the 113th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) of the ILO. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, June 11. The current portfolio of joint projects between Uzbekistan and Saudi companies has reached $24 billion, with major progress in green energy initiatives, including the launch of green hydrogen production in the Tashkent region, Trend reports, citing the Uzbek president's office. This was highlighted during a meeting between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and a high-level delegation of leading Saudi companies, led by Muhammad Abunayyan, Co-Chairman of the Uzbek-Saudi Business Council and Chairman of ACWA Power. Executives from Vision Invest and Riyadh Cables also took part in the discussions. The discussions centered on enhancing synergistic collaboration and expediting pivotal investment initiatives within the context of Uzbekistan. Focused emphasis was placed on propelling collaborative ventures in power grid enhancement, the evolution of the electrical engineering domain, IT frameworks, transportation infrastructure, utility systems, and other critically significant sectors. The convening underscored the robust and expanding alliance between Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia, propelled by mutual aspirations for sustainable advancement and technological breakthroughs. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel New Delhi, June 11 : Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday began his official visit to Sweden, aimed at reinforcing the existing robust economic relationship and identifying new opportunities for growth which are aligned with India's long-term economic objectives and global partnerships. The Union Ministeras Sweden visit comes after a successful two-day official visit to Switzerland, which focused on advancing Indiaa"Switzerland economic cooperation and operationalising the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) signed earlier this year between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). In the second leg of the official tour, the minister will co-chair the 21st Session of the Indo-Swedish Joint Commission for Economic, Industrial, and Scientific Cooperation (JCEISC) with Benjamin Dousa, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade. Goyal is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Dousa and Hakan Jevrell, State Secretary to the Minister of Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade. These deliberations are aimed at reinforcing the existing robust economic relationship and identifying new opportunities for growth, aligning with India's long-term economic objectives and global partnerships, according to a statement from the Commerce Ministry. During the visit, key engagements will involve an India-Sweden Business Leaders' roundtable and one-on-one meetings with leading Swedish companies. These discussions will cover a wide range of industries where Sweden excels, including advanced manufacturing, innovation, green technologies, and sustainable solutions. Companies like Ericsson, Volvo Group, IKEA, Sandvik, Alfa Laval, and SAAB are among those with a significant presence or interest in enhancing ties with India. Minister Goyal will also engage with the Indian diaspora and address media interactions, further strengthening the people-to-people connections and communicating the vision for the India-Sweden partnership. According to the official statement, the visit reflects the deepening alignment of strategic priorities between India and its European partners, aiming to translate high-level commitments into sustainable economic partnerships that foster innovation, resilience, and shared growth. Earlier, the Minister engaged extensively with Swiss industry leaders across sectors, including biotech and pharma, healthcare, precision engineering, defence, and emerging technologies. As India charts its journey toward becoming a $5 trillion economy, this visit has set the tone for accelerated collaboration with innovation-driven, trusted partners like Switzerland, said the ministry. Kolkata, June 11 : The National Commission for Women (NCW) has sent a fresh communication to West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar, urging immediate confiscation of the mobile phone of Trinamool Congress strongman and former Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal. The demand follows a viral audio clip in which Mondal is allegedly heard threatening a police officer with rape threats directed at the officeras mother and wife. This is the NCWas second formal communication to the DGP regarding the incident. In its first letter, sent last week, the Commission had expressed serious concern over the apparent police inaction despite public outrage and demanded stringent action against Mondal. In its latest communication on Tuesday, the NCW questioned why Mondalas phone had not been seized, even though the police had already confiscated the phone of the officer who received the threats. Sources said the Commission is also seeking clarification on whether Mondalas interrogation -- reportedly conducted for a few hours last week -- was video-recorded. The Commission has repeatedly criticised the Birbhum district police for failing to take meaningful action. Though a case has been registered against Mondal, he has only been questioned once, and no further steps have been taken, raising questions about the seriousness of the investigation. Mondal, a controversial figure in Bengal politics, was arrested in August 2022 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with a multi-crore cattle smuggling case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) later arrested him in the same matter. After spending more than two years in Tihar Jail, he was recently released on bail and returned to his home in Bolpur, Birbhum. Meanwhile, CBI officials have reportedly launched a fresh inquiry to determine whether witnesses in the cattle smuggling case were also subjected to intimidation -- either by Mondal or his associates -- to alter their statements given to the agency. Guwahati, June 11 : Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang extended warm greetings on Wednesday to the people of the state, especially the Buddhist community, on the occasion of Saga Dawa, one of the holiest festivals in the Buddhist calendar. In a message marking the spiritually significant day, which commemorates the enlightenment and Mahaparinirvana (passing) of Lord Buddha, CM Tamang reflected on the enduring relevance of the Buddha's teachings. "Saga Dawa serves as a powerful reminder of Lord Buddha's timeless teachings of non-violence, compassion, brotherhood, and harmony that continue to inspire humanity," he said. Underscoring the contemporary importance of these values, the chief minister urged citizens to embrace peace and empathy in their daily lives. "May the radiance of his wisdom dispel the shadows of hatred and intolerance, ushering in an era of peace, contentment, and spiritual awakening," he added, highlighting the deeper spiritual message of the occasion. Tamang also used the moment to call for greater social unity. He appealed to the people of Sikkim to rise above barriers of caste, creed, gender, and religion, and to recommit themselves to the principles of Dharma, truth, and righteousness. His message emphasised the need to foster unity in diversity, resonating with the core values of the Buddhist philosophy being celebrated during Saga Dawa. Saga Dawa is being observed with deep reverence across the Himalayan belt and other Buddhist regions. Celebrated on the full moon day of the fourth month in the Tibetan lunar calendar typically falling in May or June the festival commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and passing of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni. These three pivotal moments in the Buddha's life are considered the foundation of the Buddhist path. Known as the "month of merits," Saga Dawa inspires practitioners to deepen their spiritual discipline through acts of compassion, generosity, and mindfulness. Monasteries and temples are thronged by devotees offering butter lamps, alms, and incense, while chants of sacred mantras fill the air. Many observe the eight Mahayana precepts for a day, refraining from negative actions and focussing on cultivating inner virtues. The belief is that any good deed performed during this time is multiplied manifold, thus drawing Buddhists to engage in more virtuous conduct throughout the month. The festival is marked by unique traditions across regions. In Tibet, a spectacular ritual includes the ceremonial replacement of a massive prayer flag pole at Mount Kailash, considered one of the holiest sites in Buddhism. Processions with monks carrying sacred texts through the streets, alongside public prayers and offerings, lend a festive yet solemn tone to the occasion. It is a time not just for rituals, but of collective reflection and renewal of one's spiritual commitments. New Delhi: Never before in independent India's history have MPs from BJP, Congress, AIMIM, DMK, BJD, Shiv Sena, and others travelled together with a united message. Opposition leaders such as Shashi Tharoor, Supriya Sule, Asaduddin Owaisi and Ghulam Nabi Azad took centerstage alongside BJP stalwarts like Nishikant Dubey and regional voices including Kanimozhi, Rajya Sabha MPs and diplomats. The coordinated visits which were not only accepted but lauded abroad signalled a clear message of zero tolerance for terrorism. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22 and India's calculated military response a" OperationaSindoor a" the Government of India launched an unprecedented diplomatic initiative. From May 23 onwards, seven all party parliamentary delegations, comprising 59 Members of Parliament drawn from both the ruling party and diverse opposition parties, traversed around 32 countries, strategically engaging with world leaders, policymakers, media, think-tanks, and diaspora communities. These groups were tasked with advancing a clear, unified message: India's zero tolerance stance on terrorism and a warning to terrorist networks and their sponsors. Their mission covered all permanent UNSC members, strategic partners in the Gulf, Europe, North America, and select African nations, collectively presenting a single, cohesive voice on behalf of India. What made this initiative unique was the national unity it projected. In a polarized political climate, leaders from every major party set aside differences to speak in one voice for India. This rare show of solidarity sent a powerful message: the fight against terrorism transcends politics and is a shared national cause. During their global outreach, the all-party delegation met with several noted world leaders and prominent political figures, significantly amplifying India's anti-terror message. In Washington DC, India's delegation held comprehensive discussions with US Vice President J D Vance, focusing on counter-terrorism and strengthening the India-US strategic partnership. In Brussels, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad's group met Peter De Roover, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Belgium, who expressed strong solidarity with India. In Bahrain and Kuwait, the delegation held meaningful exchanges with important political leadership of the country including the Deputy Prime Ministers. In Kuwait, our mission had organised a 'Diwaniyah', or an informal interaction, where the delegation had an opportunity to interact with over 40 top Kuwaitis, including former Deputy Prime Minister, four former ministers, former Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and senior editors from Kuwait's three leading newspapers amongst others. Other delegations met with Senator Nelsinho Trad, President of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee in Brazil. In the UK, the team engaged with Lord Dominic Johnson of Lainston, Co-Chair of the Conservative Party, and other senior parliamentarians. These high-level interactions, along with meetings with leaders in Spain, Malaysia, Liberia, and other nations, showcased the breadth of India's diplomatic engagement and the widespread international support for its firm stance against terrorism. Engagement with foreign officials reinforced India's stance on terrorism and regional stability by clearly communicating New Delhi's zero-tolerance approach and the indivisibility of dialogue and terror. In meetings with Korean dignitaries, including the former Foreign Minister and National Counter-Terrorism Centre officials, the delegation sought support for holding terror perpetrators and their sponsors accountable, linking counterterrorism directly to regional peace and stability. In Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the leader of the delegation Baijayant Panda and team successfully explained how India desired peace but not third-party mediation. Asaduddin Owaisi's intervention about Pakistan following the Takfiri ideology similar to the Al Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIS) and the thriving 240 million Indian Muslims made deep impact along with Gulam Nabi Azad's narrative of Kashmiri people protesting against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism after Pahalgam for the first time since 1947. Group leader Kanimozhi pointed out that the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack were from across India including Jammu and Kashmir and Nishikant Dubey in his remarks referred to India agreeing under international pressure to the disastrous round of talks with Pakistan in Sharm-el-Sheikh in 2009. These engagements generated strong statements of solidarity, with host countries reaffirming their own zero-tolerance approaches and strengthening bilateral cooperation against terrorism. By highlighting India's calibrated military response and commitment to peace, the delegations positioned India as a responsible actor, countering misinformation and building a shared understanding of the threat posed by cross-border terrorism. This diplomatic outreach not only bolstered India's credibility but also advanced multilateral efforts to confront terror, reinforcing regional stability and collective security. Beyond high-level meetings, delegations engaged in press conferences, roundtables, diaspora receptionsa"and even symbolic acts like candle-lighting ceremoniesa"to reinforce emotional connections and diplomatic resonance. These gestures cultivated empathy and delivered our national resolve in human terms. There are five strategic takeaways that this exercise was able to achieve. One, unified national messaging - the presence of cross-party delegates made clear that counter-terrorism transcends electoral politics. The bipartisan representation showed global interlocutors that India's policy stance is credible, stable, and beyond domestic rancour. Two, exposing Pakistan - the delegations successfully highlighted Pakistan's role in orchestrating the Pahalgam attack, urging international actors to take corrective action, including at forums like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Three, diplomatic isolation - the outreach helped further isolate Pakistan diplomatically, reinforcing the message that there can be no distinction between terrorists and their sponsors. Four, community engagement - delegations engaged with the Indian diaspora and local communities abroad, strengthening people-to-people ties and rallying support for India's stand. Five, future diplomacy blueprint - moving forward, India should formalise parliamentary diplomacy, build joint task forces on anti-terror networks, maintain diaspora ties, and pursue strategic multilateral coalitions. India's seven group diplomatic initiative was unprecedented, both in scope and political unity. Drawing together diverse ideological voices behind a single national cause, we conveyed an unambiguous message: India stands firm against terrorism, fortified by unity and conviction. Our collective representation underscored India's readiness to lead, to uphold its sovereignty, and to foster lasting partnerships grounded in shared values. The essence lies not just in meetings held, but in how India sustains engagement, builds coalitions, and institutionalizes unity as our first line of defence. This is no mere reaction to a crisis. It is India reclaiming its diplomatic agency speaking with one voice in a world where unity is our true strength. The delegations achieved more than awareness; they forged coalitions. Next steps include follow-up visits to nations with quieter initial responses, supplemented by targeted outreach; intelligence-and-policy working groups, perhaps including UNSC allies, to fine-tune operational cooperation; institutionalizing parliamentary diplomacy for future crisis, shaping a template of unity under pressure and; engaging media and think tanks to sustain narrative clarity and spotlight policy goals. As the members of the delegation called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and shared their feedback, he expressed his satisfaction with the outcomes and subsequently tweeted, "We are all proud of the manner in which they put forward Indiaas voice". (Harsh Vardhan Shringla is a former Foreign Secretary of India and Ambassador to USA, Bangladesh and Thailand. Views expressed are personal) New Delhi, June 11 : Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai on Wednesday revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi commended him for his efforts in representing India on the global stage and appreciated his contributions in the meeting with members of the all-party delegations of the Operation Sindoor outreach on their return. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi met members of the delegations, including Shashi Tharoor, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and others, at his residence in New Delhi. Rajeev Rai was part of the DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi-led delegation which visited Russia, Slovenia, Greece, Latvia, and Spain. Speaking to IANS, Rajeev Rai, the MP from UP's Ghosi, said: "It was our responsibility, and I appreciate that the Prime Minister found it appropriate to seek feedback from MPs who had gone abroad, even informally. I had prepared a report and brought it with me. I felt that even if I didnat get a chance to speak, I would at least share my thoughts in writing." "When I gave him the letter, PM Modi said, aYou did very well.a I told him I simply followed what Netaji (SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav) taught us, and as (party President) Akhilesh Yadav had reminded me before leaving, aNational interest is paramount for the Samajwadi Party.a That sentiment guided me throughout the mission. The Prime Minister appreciated that we had also participated with full commitment." Rai emphasised how the Indian delegations tried to convey to foreign nations the role of Pakistan in promoting terrorism, especially at a time when Pakistan also sent out its own representatives to counter India's claims and discuss issues like the Indus Waters Treaty. "Whatever we said was based on facts and the wisdom passed down by our leaders. I donat think any Pakistani leader could respond to our arguments," Rai told IANS. "We both got independence in 1947. While India is the world's largest democracy, Pakistan has become the hub of terrorism. It has never had a stable civilian government. Leaders like Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, and Imran Khan all failed to hold power for long. Pakistan is the only country where terrorism functions as an industry." Rai pointed out that Pakistan has been linked to almost every major terrorist attack globally and shelters many designated terrorists. "Even Osama bin Laden was found in Pakistan. How can the world ignore this?" he added. "I included all these points in my letter and raised them wherever I could during our interactions. I believe many people were convinced by our stance." Chikkaballapura : , June 11 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday accused the BJP of politicizing every issue and misleading people with false statements while demanding resignations purely for political reasons. Speaking to the media at Bommasandra village helipad in Gauribidanur on Wednesday, CM Siddaramaiah was responding to the BJP's protest demanding his resignation over the stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium during the victory celebrations of the RCB, that claimed 11 lives in Bengaluru. He questioned, "During the Maha Kumbh Mela, 40 to 50 people died in a stampede. Did anyone demand the resignation of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister? During COVID, when 23 people died due to lack of oxygen, did former CM Basavaraj Bommai resign in Karnataka?" Asked whether the various commissions set up on the stampede incident will reach a logical conclusion, Siddaramaiah said a one-man commission has been formed to investigate and will submit its report in 30 days. "I do not wish to speak more on this matter," he added. He stated that BJP's demand for his resignation is politically-motivated and lacks any basis. Regarding the ED raids on Congress leaders, in the Valmiki Board case, he said, "If any law has been violated, we will not support it. Legal action should be taken as per the law, and we will not obstruct its implementation." On the caste census resurvey issue, the Chief Minister said that some complaints have been received. "The earlier survey is 10 years old and outdated. The Congress leadership has instructed a fresh survey to be carried out within a shorter timeframe. We are not rejecting the report. We have accepted it in principle," he said. Responding to a proposal by Home Minister G. Parameshwara to rename Tumakuru district as North Bengaluru, CM Siddaramaiah said it will be examined when it comes before the Cabinet. When asked whether he was disappointed by the party leadership's decision on the H. Kantharaju Commission's caste census report, he said, "We will act as per the decision taken by the party leadership. This is not our personal decision." Talking about the Karnataka government giving priority to primary and secondary education, he said. "Guest lecturers have been appointed where there are vacancies in state universities. More lecturers will be recruited, their salaries increased, and necessary facilities provided." On centrally-sponsored schemes, CM Siddaramaiah explained, "Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the state government contributes 50 per cent, the Centre 30 per cent, and beneficiaries 20 per cent. Though the National Health Mission involves a larger share from the state, it is branded as Ayushman Bharat. In many central schemes, the Prime Minister's name is used. Under the Kusum-B scheme, the Centre gives 30 per cent. If we don't agree, even that won't come. To benefit farmers and ensure rural development, we are compelled to cooperate." CM Siddaramaiah said the Yettinahole project is likely to be completed in two years and a meeting of ministers, MLAs, and officials from the concerned region has been convened. "The state's financial condition is sound. Funds have been allocated for both guarantee schemes and development programmes," Siddaramaiah said in response to a media query. He noted that last year's capital expenditure was Rs 52,000 crore, which has increased to Rs 83,000 crore this year a rise of Rs 31,000 crore. "How can a government with such spending go bankrupt? Over Rs 50,000 crore has been provided for guarantee schemes," he asserted. "In the past two years, our government has fulfilled 242 out of 593 promises. In contrast, the central government has fulfilled only about 10 per cent of its 600 promises," he concluded. Seoul, June 11 : Hyundai Steel, South Korea's second-largest steel manufacturer, has temporarily shut down its No. 2 plant in the southeastern city of Pohang due to a prolonged industry-wide slump, the company said on Wednesday. The suspension took effect Saturday due to a lack of production volume amid severe industry-wide demand contraction. A company official said future decisions will be made through discussions with the labour union. The latest move marks a reversal from Hyundai Steel's earlier decision. In November last year, the company, a unit of Hyundai Motor Group, announced a plan to close the plant due to low operations but later reversed it following strong opposition from the union. The company decided to scale down operations instead, reports Yonhap news agency. However, continued weakness in global demand, compounded by sluggish domestic market conditions, has led to the latest decision for a full suspension of operations at the facility. The company has been dealing with a tough business environment this year, including steel tariffs imposed by Washington under U.S. President Donald Trump. Earlier this year, Hyundai Steel began offering voluntary retirement packages to workers at its Pohang complex as part of restructuring efforts. Hyundai Steel is also reportedly pushing to sell off its heavy machinery division at Pohang plant No. 1 to streamline underperforming business units. A two-fold increase in U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports is expected to deliver a heavier blow to South Korean steelmakers already grappling with oversupply and falling prices amid an economic slowdown, industry sources said. Trump signed an executive order doubling tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports from 25 per cent to 50 per cent. Local steelmakers, including POSCO Group and Hyundai Steel Co., have been seeking ways to cope with the "U.S. steel barrier," or at least minimize the impact of the steep tariffs on their operations. Kochi, June 11 : Days after a Liberian-flagged cargo ship belonging to the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) capsized off the Kerala coast on May 24, the Fort Kochi coastal police registered a case against the company and others. Confirming the registration of the case, State Ports Minister V.N. Vasavan said the FIR comes on the complaint from local fisherman, Shyamji. The case has been registered against the MSC, the Ship Master and the crew of the cargo vessel with charges of the vessel being sailed in a way that could cause injury to the fishermen, besides causing damage to the coastal environment. The case was filed amid protests by the Congress-led United Democratic Front. The Congress's ire was sparked by a note issued by Chief Secretary A. Jayathilak, following a review meeting with the Chief Minister, which stated that the state government had decided not to file a criminal case against MSC, despite serious environmental concerns arising from the sinking of MSC ELSA-3, which was reportedly carrying hazardous cargo. The note cited the MSC's global reputation and stressed the importance of maintaining Kerala's "goodwill" for the company's continued operations in the region. The case was registered on the day when the Congress was up in arms and had called for a protest in around the 50 coastal assembly constituencies. For the past few days, local TV news channels have seized on the controversy, highlighting the CPI-M's past criticism of the UDF and the UPA governments during the Enrica Lexie incident in 2012, when two Italian marines aboard the merchant ship shot dead two Indian fishermen, triggering national outrage. Archived footage is now being widely broadcast, showing then CPI-M state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and senior leader V.S. Achuthanandan, the then Leader of Opposition, lambasting then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and then Congress President Sonia Gandhi for their "soft" handling of the case and alleged protection of the Italian marines. Patna, June 11 : In a disturbing trend of murders in the city in the last three days, two persons were critically injured in a late-night firing in the Mainpura locality of Patna on Tuesday night, officials confirmed. One of them, Raja Kumar, succumbed to his gunshot wounds during treatment on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred at around 11:45 PM on Tuesday, prompting an immediate response from local residents who alerted the Patliputra police station. Sources have said that two persons executed the crime. SDPO (Law & Order), Patna, Nitish Chandra Dharia, confirmed the details of the incident and the police response. "As soon as we received information about the incident, our team rushed to the spot. The victims were admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), where one of them Raja Kumar succumbed due to multiple gunshot injuries on his chest and back on Wednesday," Dharia said. Police have initiated a thorough investigation into the matter. A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team has been called in to collect evidence from the site. "We are scanning CCTV footage from the nearby area to identify the accused and understand the sequence of events. The investigation is being conducted from all possible angles," added Dharia. "We have sent the body for post-mortem and an FIR has been registered against unknown persons in Patliputra police station," Dharia said. This marks the third such murder incident in Patna in the last three days, raising concerns over law and order and enforcement in the capital. On Monday (June 9), a mother and daughter were gunned down in the Afrabad locality under Alamganj police station while another person was injured. On Tuesday (June 10), bullet-riddled dead bodies of two persons were found in Patna's Vikram block. The police are also expected to intensify patrolling and monitoring in crime-prone zones. The condition of the second injured person remains critical as per initial reports. Authorities are urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward. Stockholm, June 11 : Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said India-Sweden cooperation will continue to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable growth for a brighter future. The Union Minister arrived in Stockholm for a three-day official visit to Sweden, after concluding a highly successful two-day visit to Switzerland. "Eager to engage with Sweden's leadership, business community, and key stakeholders to explore new opportunities and strengthen our longstanding ties," Goyal posted on social media platform X. With over 280 Swedish companies in India and more than 80 Indian companies in Sweden, "the potential for collaboration is immense", he added. The Sweden visit is aimed at reinforcing the existing robust economic relationship and identifying new opportunities for growth, which are aligned with India's long-term economic objectives and global partnerships. The Union Ministeras Sweden visit comes after a successful Switzerland visit, which focused on advancing Indiaa"Switzerland economic cooperation and operationalising the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) signed earlier this year between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). In the second leg of the official tour, the minister will co-chair the 21st Session of the Indo-Swedish Joint Commission for Economic, Industrial, and Scientific Cooperation (JCEISC) with Benjamin Dousa, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade. Goyal is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Dousa and Hakan Jevrell, State Secretary to the Minister of Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade. He will also engage with the Indian diaspora and address media interactions, further strengthening the people-to-people connections and communicating the vision for the India-Sweden partnership. Earlier, the Minister engaged extensively with Swiss industry leaders across sectors, including biotech and pharma, healthcare, precision engineering, defence, and emerging technologies. As India charts its journey toward becoming a $5 trillion economy, this visit has set the tone for accelerated collaboration with innovation-driven, trusted partners like Switzerland. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, June 11. Uzbekistan has received over $10 billion in investment from China in the past year alone, and both countries have outlined ambitious plans for further cooperation, Trend reports, citing the Uzbek presidents office. This was announced during a meeting between President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and executives of leading Chinese corporations, including China State Construction, China General Nuclear Power, CAMCE, Goldwind, and ZTO Express. During his conversation with Zheng Xuexuan, Chairman of the Board of China State Construction, President Mirziyoyev praised the results of cooperation in modernizing Tashkents road infrastructure. The two sides discussed future plans, including the construction of cultural facilities in the capital. Agreements were reached on launching a project to establish an industrial zone in the Tashkent region, as well as the companys participation in road construction projects. In talks with Yang Changli, Chairman of China General Nuclear Power Corporation, the focus was on strengthening partnerships in the mining sector. Interest was expressed in accelerating geological exploration and developing new deposits. The companys plans to build a hybrid solar power plant and introduce advanced customs cargo scanning technologies were also supported. Discussions with CAMCE Chairman Wang Bo centered on the progress of joint efforts in building the Olympic Village in Tashkent. The rapid development of the "Yangi Avlod" industrial technopark in the capital, managed by the company, was positively noted. Special attention was given to expanding the joint project portfolio, particularly accelerating initiatives in the energy sector and infrastructure development of New Tashkent. In a heart-to-heart with Wu Gang, the Chairman of Goldwind, they kicked around ideas about the company's part in paving the way for green energy in Uzbekistan. Local production of wind turbine components has already taken root in partnership with Goldwind. A deal was struck to put down roots in wind turbine production and give a leg up to the ongoing projects in the pipeline. Hu Xiangliang, head of ZTO Express, informed the president about plans to launch an online platform to facilitate customs clearance of goods and to build smart logistics warehouses in Uzbekistan. These discussions mark another step toward deepening strategic economic and technological ties between Uzbekistan and China. In the interim, the bilateral trade volume between Uzbekistan and China surpassed the $13 billion threshold in the preceding fiscal year, with both nations articulating a robust optimism towards achieving the aspirational $20 billion benchmark established by their respective leaderships. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Seoul, June 11 : South Korean President Lee Jae-myung ordered the suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea along the border areas, a move aimed at easing tensions and rebuilding trust, the presidential office said Wednesday. Hours earlier, the military said it halted the anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts. The suspension came a year after the military had resumed such propaganda broadcasts in June last year in response to North Korea's repeated launch of trash-carrying balloons across the heavily fortified border. "The president instructed military authorities to suspend the loudspeaker broadcasts installed in the front-line areas toward North Korea at 2 p.m. today," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters. "This measure reflects the government's commitment to restoring trust in inter-Korean relations and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula," she said. Suspending the loudspeaker broadcasts was one of Lee's campaign pledges regarding inter-Korean affairs before winning the June 3 election. As a presidential candidate, Lee had also vowed to stop sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. As President, Lee has said he will seek to improve ties with the North, despite the strained relations after Pyongyang severed its ties with the South and declared Seoul as its primary enemy. "It is aimed at easing tensions, given the absence of any major provocations by the North recently," Kang said. "It is meant to reduce military confrontation between the two Koreas and open the door to rebuilding mutual trust." Kang also called the decision a "practical step" to alleviate the suffering of residents in the border areas who have been affected by the noise. Under the preceding Yoon Suk Yeol government, the military had resumed blasting the loudspeakers for the first time in six years, as it pushed for its hard-line stance toward the North, Yonhap news agency reported. In a departure from the Yoon government's approach, the unification ministry, in charge of inter-Korean affairs, expressed regret earlier this week over anti-Pyongyang leafleting by a group of abductee families, citing the need to build peace and ensure public safety. Chennai, June 11 : The makers of director A M Jothi Krisna's upcoming period film 'Hari Hara Veera Mallu', featuring actor Pawan Kalyan in the lead, on Wednesday, praised the work of one of the several VFX firms working on the VFX portions of the film, saying they had unleashed "Visual Brilliance" in the film. Taking to his X timeline on Wednesday, producer A M Rathnam wrote, "@AlZahraStudio brings 2+ years of dedication to life with mind-blowing visuals for #HariHaraVeeraMallu. Every frame is a testament to cinematic ambitiona powered by director @amjothikrishna's visionary touch! Get ready to witness VFX like never before!#HHVM #DharmaBattle #VeeraMallu" Al Zahra Studio has already worked on several Indian films including director S S Rajamouli's 'RRR' and Mani Ratnam's 'Thug Life'. It may be recalled that director Jyothi Krisna had told IANS in an earlier interview that over 25 VFX firms from around the globe had worked on the magnum opus. Talking to IANS, Jothi Krisna said, "We had several teams including those in Dubai, Iran, the US, the UK, Singapore and Canada working on the VFX portions in the film. That apart, we also had a considerable number of teams in India working on the film. We had teams in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai among other places. In all 25 firms worked on the VFX portions in the film." Jyothi Krisna disclosed that they had shot the film in 200 days. The period film features Nidhi Aggarwal as the heroine and Bollywood star Bobby Deol as Aurangazeb. "This is a 16th century story. Bobby Deol plays Aurangazeb in the film. It is a story that happened during Mughal rule. It is based on a small incident that happened back then. It is an untold back story. The film will be part fiction, part fact. We have clubbed both and made this film. Pawan Kalyan plays a Robinhood kind of character in this film. He plays a thief," Jyothi Krisna had disclosed. The film's first part, 'Hari Hara Veera Mallu: Part 1 Sword Vs Spirit', which was scheduled to hit screens on June 12 this year after over five and a half years, has now again been postponed indefinitely. The film has cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa and Gnanashekar V.S. and production design by Thota Tharani. Editing for the film is by National Award winning editor K L Praveen. Apart from Pawan Kalyan, Nidhi Aggarwal and Bobby Deol, aHari Hara Veera Mallua will also feature Nassar, Sathyaraj, Thalaivasal Vijay, Raghu Babu, Subbaraju and Sunil among many others. Mumbai, June 11 : The release of the upcoming Punjabi film 'Sardar Ji 3', which stars Diljit Dosanjh, has been opposed as the BJP Chitrapat Kamgar Aghaadi has demanded a ban on the release of the film citing the inclusion of Pakistani artistes in the cast. The film reportedly features Pakistani actors Hania Aamir, Nasir Chinyoti, Daniel Khawar, and Saleem Albela. The BJP Chitrapat Kamgar Aghaadi has voiced serious concerns over this collaboration in light of recent geopolitical tensions and alleged anti-India statements made by some Pakistani personalities on social media platforms, particularly in response to India's recent Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam incident. The organisation has formally demanded that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) deny the film a censor certificate and prevent its theatrical release across India. The Union said in a statement, "We strongly oppose any Pakistani artiste being associated with Indian cinema. It is the demand of the BJP Chitrapat Kamgar Union that Sardar Ji 3 should not be allowed to receive a censor certificate. This is not just a political issueit is about national sentiment and the dignity of our country". The Union further asserted that the involvement of Pakistani actors in Indian films undermines the sacrifices made by the armed forces. "Pakistan has openly declared India its enemy, and yet we continue to open doors for their artistes and entertainers. This is unacceptable. As representatives of the Indian film industry's workers and technicians, we cannot stand by and allow this to happen", the added. The statement concludes with an appeal to the CBFC and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to act in alignment with national sentiment and take immediate action by denying certification to the film and preventing its release in Indian theatres. On April 22, 2025, Pakistan-sponsored terrorists attacked civilians in the Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam, and killed 26 people in cold blood. All the deceased from the attack were identified as tourists, including one Nepali national. India launched a counter-terror strike on Pakistan roughly 2 weeks after the Pahalgam attack, and destroyed majority of the terror infrastructure across Pakistan. Jaipur, June 11 : Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, while attending the 25th death anniversary prayer meet of veteran Congress leader Rajesh Pilot, recalled his long association with the late Union Minister. "We were together for 18 years. His sudden departure still hurts," he said. When asked about his equation with Sachin Pilot, Gehlot responded, "Sachin and I were never apart. There has always been love and affection between us." An emotional moment unfolded during the event when an exhibition on the life and legacy of Rajesh Pilot was organised near the memorial. As leaders, including Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot, moved towards the exhibition, a large crowd formed, separating the two. Noticing that Gehlot had been left behind, Sachin Pilot paused, returned through the crowd, and escorted the former CM to the exhibition, reflecting mutual respect and cordiality between the two. An all-religion prayer meeting was held on Wednesday at the Smriti Smarak in Zerota-Bhandana village, Dausa. Several senior Congress leaders from Rajasthan and Delhi gathered to pay tribute to the late leader. Rajesh Pilot, known for his towering presence in eastern Rajasthan politics, died in a road accident near Bhandaana village on June 11, 2000, while travelling from Dausa to Jaipur. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha from Bharatpur in 1980 and served in several key Union ministries. Today's prayer meet witnessed the presence of numerous senior Congress leaders, including Rajasthan incharge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, State Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra, and Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully, among others. An exhibition was organised here which showcased rare photographs, milestones from Rajesh Pilot's political journey, and tributes highlighting his contribution to Indian politics and the Congress party. Meanwhile, the Gehlot-Pilot proximity at the ceremony continued triggering speculations in political circles on whether the Congress was working on a new strategy to go stronger in coming days. Indore, June 11 : Even though the Meghalaya Police and Indore Police's initial investigation revealed that Raj Kushwaha, the alleged lover of Sonam Raghuvanshi, orchestrated the entire plan for killing Raja Raghuvanshi, his family members were yet to believe that he could not do anything wrong. Raj's family members are trying to present him as "innocent", claiming that he can't do anything wrong as he was the only earning member in the family. The family also denied his relationship with Raja Raghuvanshi's wife Sonam. Raj's younger sister Suhani said that he was talking to Sonam Raghuvanshi as he was an employee at her family business in Indore. She added that Sonam's family trusted Raj because of his honesty and loyalty toward them. "Allegations are being made against my brother, but he has done nothing wrong. I just want to say that he should be proven innocent. He should not be punished for something he hasn't done," Suhani said while talking to IANS on Wednesday. She also claimed that when Sonam used to call on Raj's mobile phone (when Raj used to be in his home), he used to response with the word "Didi". "We only got to know about this through the news yesterday when they mentioned the chats. We had no idea -- he never behaved like that at home. My brother should be released because he is innocent," Suhani said. However, according to Indore police, Raj Kushwaha, who allegedly plotted the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi with Sonam during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, and three other men hired to execute the crime, were known to each other in the past. Indore Police also claimed that Raj didn't travel to Meghalaya to avoid suspicion and went about his daily routine. Despite being a class 12 pass-out, Raj worked as an accountant at the furniture sheet unit owned by the family of Sonam, a resident of the Govind Nagar Kharcha area in Indore. Meanwhile, a team of Meghalaya Police along with the Indore Police visited one of the accused Vishal Singh Chauhan's house in Indore on Wednesday morning and carried a thorough inspection. During search, the police have recovered clothes that Chauhan wore during the crime. "Based on information given by Chauhan, the pants and shirts he was wearing at the time of Raghuvanshi's murder were seized from his house," Indore's Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Poonam Chand Yadav told media persons. Meghalaya Police will send these clothes to the forensic science laboratory to find out whether there are blood stains on them," he added. Indore's Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rajesh Dandotia, said a 12-member team of Meghalaya Police left for Shillong with the four accused -- Raj Kushwaha, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Singh Kurmi -- after obtaining their transit custody from an Indore district court. New Delhi, June 11 : The Supreme Court has granted bail to a man who was booked by the Uttarakhand Police under the anti-conversion law for marrying a woman of another faith. In February this year, the Uttarakhand High Court had refused to enlarge the accused Aman Siddiqui alias Aman Chaudhary on bail, prompting him to file an appeal before the top court. An FIR was lodged with Rudrapur Police Station of Udham Singh Nagar district against the appellant under the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018 and Sections 318(4) and 319 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sahita, 2023. The appellantas counsel contended that a frivolous complaint was lodged since the accused married a woman who follows a different faith. Further, it was submitted that the marriage between the parties was an arranged marriage, and the families of both sides voluntarily decided to arrange the marriage of the appellant with the woman. The FIR was registered soon after certain persons and organisations objected to the inter-faith marriage. Although the police filed a charge sheet against the appellant, he remained in jail for nearly six months. In its judgement, the apex court observed that the respondent state government cannot have any objection to the appellant and his wife residing together inasmuch as they have been married as per the wishes of their respective parents and families. It clarified that the pendency of the criminal proceeding against the appellant would not come in the way of him and his wife residing together on their own volition. "In the circumstances, we find that this is an appropriate case where the relief of bail ought to be granted to the appellant herein," a bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Satish Chand Sharma ordered. Allowing the appeal, the Justice Nagarathna-led Bench ordered the appellant to be produced before the trial court concerned as early as possible, which will release him on bail, subject to such conditions as the trial court may deem appropriate to impose to ensure his presence in the criminal case. It also directed the appellant to extend "complete cooperation" in the ensuing trial and not to misuse his liberty. "Any infraction of the conditions shall entail cancellation of bail granted to the appellant," the top court cautioned. New Delhi, June 11 : More than three out of five or 62 per cent of global enterprises are using or planning to adopt talent platforms within the next two years to address skill gaps, finds a report on Wednesday, indicating that open talent is rapidly reshaping workforce strategy. The joint report by Randstad Digital, Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), and Open Assembly reveals how forward-looking companies are responding to economic uncertainty, geopolitical shifts, skill gaps, and the accelerating pace of digital transformation by reshaping how they approach their workforce strategy. It also explores how talent platforms are transforming hiring through a blend of AI-driven matching and human-led engagement. "The convergence of AI-enabled talent platform efficiency and human ingenuity unlocks candidate and job matching potential that we're just beginning to realise," said Michael Morris, CEO and Co-Founder of Torc, and Head of Randstad Digital US Recruiting. "We're ensuring that every recruiter and organisation worldwide can digitise and transform obsolete hiring and engagement methods to attract skilled talent from every corner of the planet," Morris added. The report offers timely insights into the future of talent acquisition, spotlighting the convergence of traditional staffing models with next-gen digital platforms. The result is curated talent pools based on customer demand by skill, domain, experience level, industry experience, and talent demographics. The report focussed on the shifting role of recruiters; convergence of models; and unbundling of work. "As organisations face mounting pressure to move faster and work smarter, the convergence of platform technology and human insight is enabling scalable, high-impact talent solutions built for the future," said Ursula Williams, President of Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA). "This report confirms that open talent ecosystems -- when built on trust, access, and growth -- can deliver instant skill matching while fostering long-term workforce engagement and strategic value," added John Winsor, Executive Fellow at the Harvard Business School and CEO at Open Assembly. Kolkata, June 11 : Amit Malviya, BJP's IT Cell Chief and the party's central observer for West Bengal, on Wednesday, refuted claims by the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of 'unnecessarily' making controversies over the new list of Other Backward Class (OBC) communities prepared by the state government following a directive from the Supreme Court. While addressing the Monsoon session of the Assembly on Tuesday, the Chief Minister had said that religion has no connection with the fresh survey on determining the people to be included in the OBC category. She also claimed that there were 49 castes in the OBC-A category, while there were 91 castes in the OBC-B category and 50 more castes will soon be included. According to CM Banerjee, the survey was based on economic backwardness and not on the basis of religion. Refuting the Chief Minister's claims, Malviya on Wednesday issued a statement claiming that the state government's data was not based on religion instead of economic backwardness. According to Malviya's statement, before 2010, that is during the previous Left Front regime, of the total 66 OBC classes, only 11 classes were from the Muslim community, while the remaining 55 classes were from the non-Muslim community, with Muslim share being just at 20 per cent. However, the BJP leader said that in the new additions for 2025, of the 51 new additional classes in Part 1, 46 (or 90 per cent) were Muslims, while of 25 new additions in Part-2 a total 21 (or 84 per cent) were Muslims. "If this isn't religion-based appeasement, what is? On June 3, 2025, the West Bengal government increased the OBC reservation in State Services to 17 per cent (from seven per cent) -- clearly to benefit these newly included Muslim groups. But here's the catch: On December 9, 2024, the Supreme Court said -- Reservation can't be based on religion. Earlier, Calcutta High Court had struck down this exact list for doing just that. The new list is nothing but a blatant contempt of court and an insult to the principles of social justice," Malviya said in a post on his official X account. The BJP leader also said that in point number 17 of the OBC list, it has been clearly stated that those who convert to Christianity will automatically be considered an OBC and their children will also enjoy the same benefit. "So now, conversion from Hinduism is being rewarded with OBC status and lifelong reservation benefits!" Malviya claimed. Earlier in May 2024, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court cancelled all the OBC certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010, which ideally meant that all such certificates issued during the current Trinamool Congress government in the state since 2011 stood null. Following this order from the division bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Rajasekhar Mantha, more than 5,00,000 OBC certificates issued during that period stood cancelled and could not be used for enjoying the reservation for jobs. The West Bengal government moved the Supreme Court based on the Calcutta High Court order, and in March this year, the apex court allowed the state government to conduct a fresh survey to identify the OBCs in the state. However, since the beginning of the survey, the BJP has questioned the style and format of conducting the fresh survey by the state government. Leader of the Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari claimed that the state government's fresh survey was being conducted in the same manner, which did not hold ground in the Supreme Court and was scrapped by the Calcutta High Court. New Delhi, June 11 : Meta India's public policy head Shivnath Thukral is stepping down from his role to "pursue new opportunities", US-based tech giant said on Wednesday. New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) Meta India's public policy head Shivnath Thukral is stepping down from his role to "pursue new opportunities", US-based tech giant said on Wednesday. In a statement to IANS, Kevin Martin, VP, Head of Global Policy, Meta, said as a member of the India leadership team, "he (Thukral) played a key role in navigating and shaping policy and regulatory conversations and engagements that were critical for the industry and Meta in India over the last 7.5 years". "We thank him for his leadership and contributions, and wish him well in his future endeavours," Martin added. Thukral joined Meta (then called Facebook) in 2017 and served in multiple policy roles. He was appointed director of public policy for Meta India in November 2022, following the exit of Rajiv Aggarwal. Prior to that, Thukral served as director of public policy at WhatsApp India for about four years. He was elevated as Meta's vice-president for public policy in March 2024. "It is not an easy decision to make but I feel very confident that our policy engagement with stakeholders is at a credible and constructive juncture and we can only build further on that," Thukral said in a LinkedIn post. "There is always more to do and I know the team is well equipped to navigate the waters well. Having helped build some of the systems and processes, I do feel it is a good time to let the engine and the team work on their own," he added. He will step down from Meta as the VP of India Public Policy at the end of this month. "I do feel it is a good time to let the engine and the team work on their own. As my next journey begins, I want to recognise the work of my team which is the best in business and one of the reasons why this is such a difficult decision for me. I love their hunger and eagerness to keep me on my toes," said Thukral. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, June 11. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with an Italian delegation led by Attilio Fontana, Governor of Lombardy, and discussed practical aspects of mutually beneficial cooperation, particularly in trade, economy, and investment, at the Tashkent Investment Forum, Trend reports. Lombardy is one of the most populous and largest regions in Italy, ranking among the most economically developed areas in Europe. The meeting also noted the productive results of the recent talks in Samarkand with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The sides reached an agreement on supporting interregional contacts between the two countries during these talks. Several successful projects have already been implemented in Uzbekistan with Lombardian companies, including tomato and saffron cultivation, nonwoven fabric production, and the manufacturing of food products and knitwear. Ongoing projects include the production of finished textiles, auto electronics, building materials, dairy and fruit-vegetable processing, and public transport development, among others. The importance of expanding the portfolio of joint projects was emphasized, with a focus on attracting advanced Italian technologies and investments across various sectors of Uzbekistan's economy. The sides agreed to hold an exhibition in Milan showcasing Uzbekistans industrial and export potential, as well as to open a trade house and launch an export line under the "Uzbek Organic" brand. In turn, Governor of Lombardy Fontana expressed his sincere gratitude to President Mirziyoyev for the comprehensive support provided to the initiatives and projects of Lombardian businesses. He confirmed his readiness to fully support the expansion of business partnerships between Lombardy and the regions of Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Italy has nearly tripled in recent years, driven by an expanding range of mutual supplies and stronger economic cooperation. New Delhi, June 11 : A team of US scientists has discovered a specific group of brain cells that could explain why people with memory problems often overeat. The team showed that people who also keep forgetting about recent meals can trigger excessive hunger and can lead to disordered eating. Researchers from the University of Southern California showed that the group of brain cells can create memories of meals, encoding not just what food was eaten but when it was eaten. During eating, neurons in the ventral hippocampus region of the brain become active and form what the team of researchers call "meal engrams" -- specialised memory traces that store information about the experience of food consumption. While scientists have long studied engrams for their role in storing memories and other experiences in the brain, the new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, identified engrams dedicated to meal experiences. "Meal engrams function like sophisticated biological databases that store multiple types of information such as where you were eating, as well as the time that you ate," said Scott Kanoski, Professor of biological sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Kanoski added that the findings could eventually inform new clinical approaches for treating obesity and weight management. Current weight management strategies often focus on restricting food intake or increasing exercise, but the new research suggests that enhancing meal memory formation could be equally important. The research team used advanced neuroscience techniques to observe the brain activity of laboratory rats as they ate, providing the first real-time view of how meal memories form. The meal memory neurons are distinct from brain cells involved in other types of memory formation. When researchers selectively destroyed these neurons, lab rats showed impaired memory for food locations but retained normal spatial memory for non-food-related tasks, indicating a specialized system dedicated to meal-related information processing. The study revealed that meal memory neurons communicate with the lateral hypothalamus, a brain region long known to control hunger and eating behaviour. When this hippocampus-hypothalamus connection was blocked, the lab rats overate and could not remember where meals were consumed. New Delhi, June 11 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday declined to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Amanatullah Khan, challenging the proposed demolitions in the national Capital's Batla House. New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday declined to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Amanatullah Khan, challenging the proposed demolitions in the national Capitalas Batla House. A Division Bench of Justices Girish Kathpalia and Tejas Karia observed that only aggrieved residents can make a claim that their properties exist beyond the proposed demolition site. Sensing the disinclination of the Delhi High Court to extend any relief, the senior counsel, appearing on the AAP leaderas behalf, sought permission to withdraw the PIL. In its order allowing withdrawal of the petition, the Justice Kathpalia-led Bench took note of the submission that the legislator from Delhias Okhla constituency would inform the residents of their right to file appropriate legal proceedings within three working days. The petition alleged that generic notices were issued by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to the residents in Batla House area, depriving citizens of their fundamental rights. It may be recalled that the Delhi High Court has stayed the UP Irrigation Departmentas demolition plans for now, offering temporary reprieve to some residents. According to the DDA, the action stems from a Supreme Court directive ordering the clearance of encroachments on public land. However, many residents claimed that due process was not followed, and they were neither given the chance to prove ownership nor offered alternative rehabilitation before receiving eviction notices. The matter reached the apex court, but a Bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma ordered to list residentsa plea before the regular Bench for hearing in July. On May 22 and 26, two separate notices were served, one by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department and another by the DDA, referencing Khasra numbers 277 and 279 in the affected locality. The timing and abruptness of the move sparked panic, with locals scrambling to seek legal relief. New Delhi, June 11 : In a powerful display of maritime strength, the Indian Navy and the United Kingdom's Royal Navy conducted a high-intensity Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the North Arabian Sea. The crucial naval exercise, conducted on June 9 and 10, between the two geopolitical giants witnessed the participation of Indian Navy's stealth frigate INS Tabar, a conventional submarine, and the long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft P-8I. From the UK's side, the exercise witnessed the deployment of UK Carrier Strike Group, comprising HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Richmond. The two-day multi-faceted naval exercise featured a wide range of maritime drills, including coordinated anti-submarine warfare operations, professional exchange of officers, unified control of integral helicopters along with tactical manoeuvres. These complex operations in the North Arabian sea highlighted on the growing synergy between the two navies in maintaining operational readiness and domain awareness. The PASSEX exercise served as a testament to the deepening maritime cooperation between India and the UK ensuring freedom of navigation, maritime security and rules-based international order at sea, reflecting the growing convergence between New Delhi and London on key strategic issues. As global maritime challenges grow more complex with the rise of Chinese Navy in the region, the collaboration between two like-minded democratic nations such as India and the UK becomes increasingly crucial. This crucial collaboration underscores the strong relationship between the two navies and their dedication to maintaining a secure and stable maritime environment. The joint drill came in the backdrop of Pahalgam terror attack in May 2025, which resulted in more than two dozen casualties followed by the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan. During the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan last month, the Indian Navy mobilised its carrier battle group in the Northern Arabian sea in full combat readiness. "In the aftermath of the cowardly attacks on innocent tourists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistani-sponsored terrorists on April 22, the Indian Navy's Carrier battle group, surface forces, submarines and aviation assets were immediately deployed at sea with full combat readiness," said Vice Admiral A.N. Pramod, last month. Mumbai, June 11 : Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday termed the recent diplomatic outreach under 'Operation Sindoor' "unsuccessful" and questioned why India's top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was not more directly involved in the international effort to present India's stance on Pakistan. He also demanded a special session of Parliament to review and discuss the operation in detail. Speaking to IANS, Prithviraj Chavan said, "Sending an all-party delegation abroad was a good initiative and has been done in the past as well. It sends a message of national unity. However, it could have been approached differently. During her tenure, former PM Indira Gandhi sent individual leaders abroad - like Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the US - and even Jayaprakash Narayan visited Germany secretly. The real question is whether the all-party delegation made any tangible impact. Unfortunately, the answer is no." He emphasised that the MPs were not to blame. "They did their job sincerely. The real failure lies with the Ministry of External Affairs. They were unable to arrange meetings with top leadership in most countries. A diplomatic outreach is successful only if it garners international attention and elicits a response from global leadershipand that simply didn't happen this time." "There was barely any media coverage of the visit. Not even BBC, France 24, or major Western outlets reported on it. Only Al Jazeera mentioned it - and even that coverage lacked detail or analysis. The only notable media presence was in Russia. Yes, (US Vice President) J.D. Vance met Shashi Tharoor, but Vance already shares a unique relationship with India. Overall, the mission lacked impact and visibility." He also questioned the choice of delegates. "Why was there such reluctance to send top Indian leadership abroad? Pakistan's Prime Minister is actively meeting foreign leaders - including the President of Turkey - while our Prime Minister is missing from the scene. If we want to make a strong diplomatic statement, it must come from the top, not just MPs." On the need for a Special Session on Operation Sindoor, Chavan was clear. "Yes, it is necessary. My personal opinion is that a three- or four-day special session must be held. We have a precedent for this. In times of national crisis, special sessions or national broadcasts have been heldin 1947, 1962, 1965, 1971, and even in 1999 during the Kargil War. In 1947, there was no Parliament, yet then-PM Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the nation on the radio. In 1962, former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee - then a young MP - set aside political differences to stand united with Nehru. These are the examples we must follow." "In 1999, during the Kargil war, there was no functioning Parliament, but Vajpayee held detailed discussions with the Opposition. Within two days, a Kargil Enquiry Committee was set up. Will PM Modi show the same openness and urgency? Or is the current government more focused on optics than accountability?" Chavan criticised the Prime Minister's absence from direct diplomatic engagements. "Why hasn't PM Modi gone abroad to advocate India's position himself? He didn't participate in the delegation, didn't hold any press conferences, and didn't meet with any global leaders. Is he only focused on the Bihar elections now? Previous Prime Ministersfrom Indira Gandhi to Atal Bihari Vajpayeenever shied away from engaging the world in times of national interest. Why is PM Modi silent now?" Chavan reiterated his demand for a special session of Parliament to openly discuss what was done under Operation Sindoor, what went wrong, and what the path forward should be. Kyiv, June 11 : A total of 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen killed in the conflict with Russia have returned home, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Wednesday. The repatriation of the deceased was made possible with the help of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other agencies, said the statement. The agency also expressed gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross for its support in facilitating the return of the bodies, Xinhua news agency reported. The return is part of a deal made during the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey's Istanbul on June 2. Under the agreement, the first stage of the prisoner swap was carried out on Monday. Earlier on June 10, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia agreed to hand over the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, and had been waiting for the Ukrainian side for several days at the border. Peskov said he hoped that the bodies of fallen Russian soldiers would also be transferred in the near future. "There is no final understanding, contact is being made, numbers are being compared," he said, noting that as soon as there is an understanding, Moscow hopes the exchange of dead bodies will take place. The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed in a statement that "the first group of Russian servicemen under the age of 25 was returned from the territory controlled by Kyiv". A similar number of prisoners of war from the Ukrainian army were also transferred, it added. On Sunday, Russia had delivered the first batch of 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to the border exchange point pursuant to the Istanbul accords, said Lt General Zorin. Zorin, also a representative of the Russian negotiating group, had said that Ukraine has not made contact; therefore, the transfer of the bodies and the exchange of prisoners have not taken place yet. Some foreign media representatives waiting at the agreed-upon place of exchange have checked some of the refrigerated trucks transporting the bodies. Zorin said that trains with more bodies of Ukrainian servicemen will start moving towards the border, adding that Russia is awaiting Kyiv's official confirmation for transferring Ukrainian soldiers' bodies next week. This occurred amid an ongoing spat over a prisoner swap between the two sides. Russia on Saturday accused Ukraine of postponing a scheduled prisoner exchange over the weekend, while Ukraine denied the accusation and urged Russia to stop playing "dirty games". Abu Dhabi, June 11 : India's foreign secretary Vikram Misri paid a visit to BAPS Hindu Mandir - the first Hindu temple in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), inaugurated last year, marking a new era of ties between the two nations. Abu Dhabi, June 11 (IANS) India's foreign secretary Vikram Misri paid a visit to BAPS Hindu Mandir the first Hindu temple in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), inaugurated last year, marking a new era of ties between the two nations. Vikram Misri visited the temple on Tuesday, while on an official tour of the UAE and was accompanied by Aseem Raja Mahajan, Joint Secretary for Gulf Affairs, Ambassador Sanjay Sudhir, and senior members of his delegation. He was left deeply moved with the 'overwhelming' experience and also said, "It's a mandir that every Indian must visit." Vikram Misri, who was warmly received by Pujya Brahmavihari Swami, Head of BAPS Hindu Mandir, was given a traditional welcome at the temple. He was left mesmerised by 'The Fairy Tale', an immersive audio-visual experience at the Mandir, portraying timeless values of harmony, mutual respect, and unity. Reflecting on the narrative, the Foreign Secretary echoed the sentiment of India's External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, remarking that "The tale of the Mandir is indeed a fairy tale." As he explored the serene temple grounds, he observed the symbolic Tolerance Trees an embodiment of the UAE's principle of unity in diversity and admired the architectural, spiritual, and artistic elements of the mandir. He was particularly moved by the Harmony Dome, whose intricate design and profound symbolism were explained by Pujya Brahmavihari Swami as representing harmony between the Divine and Humanity. Inside the sanctum, he offered heartfelt prayers at the seven inner shrines and paid homage to Pramukh Swami Maharaj, whose spiritual vision led to the creation of this iconic mandir. Visibly touched and emotionally overwhelmed, he stated, "I have had a thousand blessings today. This is not just a building; it is an expression of faith, beliefs, and ideas that are transcendental. The Mandir unites not just different streams of faith but the entire humanity. It is miraculous... my mind and heart are overflowing. This is a mandir deserving of the highest accolades and will be spoken about for generations to come. People may think it is for religion, but it is something far greater for the world, for humanity, for our universal existence. It is a mandir every Indian must visit." He praised the mandir's architectural brilliance, engineering excellence, and the universal values it embodies, calling it a "global symbol of interfaith harmony and cultural dialogue." The Foreign Secretary also offered special prayers for the continued prosperity and enduring friendship between the two nations. Kolkata, June 11 : Clashes broke out between two groups at Maheshtala in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Wednesday, and police personnel, who tried to intervene, were also targeted Several vehicles were vandalised and gutted in the clashes at the Rabindra Nagar area. The police contingent that tried to resist the clashes was also attacked by the mob, which started pelting stones and bricks at them. Even some of the houses in the adjacent locality were attacked by the mob. Some of the police personnel were also reportedly injured in their attempts to resist the clashes. Initially, the number of people involved in the clashes outnumbered the police present there, and as a result, the available personnel failed to bring the situation under control. Even the use of tear gas shells by the cops failed to disperse the violent mob. Additional police forces under the command of senior officials of Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police later rushed to the spot and tried to bring the situation under control. The personnel from the Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed there and are trying to bring the situation under control. However, there are contradictory claims on what prompted the clashes to break out. The police administration said that the clashes broke out between two groups following a tussle over setting up a shop in the locality. However, the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, claimed that the clashes were clearly "communal" in nature. He alleged that there was an event of vandalism at the Shiva Temple in Ward No. 7 of Maheshtala, where miscreants illegally encroached upon the temple committee's land and set up shops. "When confronted, they (the encroachers) attacked the sacred Tulsi Manch, nearby Hindu shops, homes, and the temple itself. What was astonishing was that the incident happened at a stone's throw distance from the Rabindra Nagar Police Station, under the watch of IC Mukul Mia and SDPO Kamrujjaman Molla. The police simply could block the vandals... the entire episode happened in the presence of the cops," he alleged. Adhikari also alleged that from Mothabari to Murshidabad to Maheshtala, the attack on Hindus, Hindu establishments, and Hindu religious places has become a common factor in West Bengal these days. Meanwhile, a section of the local people alleged that the situation could have been brought under control much before if the police had summoned additional forces in the beginning and thus prevented the tension from spreading. Mumbai, June 11 : Maharashtra BJP chief and state revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday said that the MahaYuti partners including BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP will contest the upcoming local and civic body elections together. He, however, added that in the event of differences over seats in some places, there will be friendly fights in those constituencies. "We will fight all the elections in the state together as a grand alliance. We have given instructions in this regard to the party leaders and workers. Our local level workers are discussing this with each other. "However, if a dispute arises in any place over a seat, there will be a friendly fight there. However, in other places, elections will be fought in alliance, so there is no need to be confused," said Bawankule. Bawankule's statement comes a day after the state urban development department issued a notification on initiating the drafting of ward boundaries for 29 municipal corporations including the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) especially in the wake of the recent Supreme Court order directing the Maharashtra government to complete the election process in four months. The other key civic bodies include Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Kalyan-Dombivli. The Urban Development department has asked the Municipal Commissioners to start preparing ward boundary drafts, which will be sent to the State Election Commission (SEC) for approval. These civic bodies will also need to invite suggestions and objections from citizens and provide hearings before finalising the boundaries. Currently, these civic bodies are under the administrator's rule. Incidentally, NCP working president Praful Patel echoed Bawankule's view saying that the MahaYuti partners will fight local and civic body elections together. He said, "We will fight the local body elections together, wherever possible, an alliance will be formed. However, wherever the alliance is not possible, we will fight on our own strength, for which the workers should start preparing from now." NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday at a rally to celebrate the party's completion of 26 years, exhorted the workers to gear up for the polls. Chief Minister Fadnavis, who was in Akola, also shared Bawankule's stance. "Our position is firm, we will contest the elections as a grand alliance, but in some places where it is not possible, a friendly contest will take place." Meanwhile, NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said that his party was of the view that the Maha Vikas Aghadi should jointly contest the upcoming local and civic body elections. At the party rally on the occasion of its foundation day yesterday, he asked the NCP(SP) workers to start preparations for the polls and added that the party proposes to give 50 per cent tickets to women. In addition, youth and new faces will be given a priority in the NCP(SP) nominations. Similarly, Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday appointed 12 leaders to gear up preparations for BMC elections, asking them to increase outreach with the voters. Nice : , June 11 (IANS) The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO), on Wednesday, announced to name the first World Restoration Flagships for this year, tackling pollution, unsustainable exploitation, and invasive species in three continents. These initiatives are restoring nearly five million hectares of marine ecosystems -- an area about the size of Costa Rica, which, together with France, is hosting the third UN Ocean Conference, which is underway in this city of France. The three new flagships comprise restoration initiatives in the coral-rich Northern Mozambique Channel Region, more than 60 of Mexico's islands and the Mar Menor in Spain, Europe's first ecosystem with legal personhood. The winning initiatives were announced at an event during the UN Ocean Conference in Nice and are now eligible for UN support. "After decades of taking the ocean for granted, we are witnessing a great shift towards restoration. But the challenge ahead of us is significant and we need everyone to play their part," said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. "These World Restoration Flagships show how biodiversity protection, climate action, and economic development are deeply interconnected. To deliver our restoration goals, our ambition must be as big as the ocean we must protect." The World Restoration Flagship awards are part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration -- led by UNEP and FAO -- which aims to prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean. The awards track notable initiatives that support global commitments to restore one billion hectares -- an area larger than China -- by 2030. World Restoration Flagships are chosen as the best examples of ongoing, large-scale and long-term ecosystem restoration by a group of ecosystem restoration experts from the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration's network. Selection follows a thorough review process with 15 criteria, embodying the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade. In 2022, the inaugural 10 World Restoration Flagships were recognised as part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, followed with the recognition of seven initiatives in 2024. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in) Shillong, June 11 : A Meghalaya court on Wednesday sent all five accused in the Meghalaya honeymoon murder case, including the victim's wife Sonam Raghuvanshi, to eight days' police custody. Amidst the heavy security arrangements, the accused in the sensational murder case were produced before the district and session court in Shillong on Wednesday, 10 days after the body of Sonamas husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, was recovered. A police official said that after completion of various medical and legal formalities, the accused were produced before the court with a prayer for their eight-day custody for further interrogation and investigation of the case. Sonam, 24, the prime accused, was brought in Shillong late on Tuesday night while four other accused -- Raj Singh Kushwaha, 21, her alleged lover and the mastermind, along with Anand Singh Kurmi, 23, Akash Rajput, 19, and Vishal Singh Chauhan, 22, - were brought to the Meghalaya capital on Wednesday. The police official said that all five accused, including Sonam, were taken to hospitals in Shillong for their medical checkup. Deputy Inspector General, Eastern Range, Davis N.R. Marak said: "So far, we have learned that all of them during interrogation have more or less confessed to being involved in the crime." "There has been no proper cross-examination so far. After the court order, we would begin interrogations in police custody," Marak told IANS. "Right now, theyare all blaming each other. Only after thorough questioning would we be able to ascertain who the mastermind is and what exactly transpired." Sonam was arrested for allegedly orchestrating the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, 29, during their honeymoon tour in Meghalayaas Sohra-Cherrapunji areas of the East Khasi Hills district. Days after her husband's body was discovered, Sonam surrendered before police in Uttar Pradeshas Ghazipur on June 7, and was taken to Patna by road, then flown to Kolkata and onward to Guwahati. From Guwahati airport, she was brought to the Sadar police station in Shillong by road late on Tuesday night. East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police, Vivek Syiem, stated that the Meghalaya Police earlier obtained transit remands of the accused arrested in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi had tied the knot on May 11, nine days before they departed for their honeymoon tour in mountainous Meghalaya. On May 23, the newlywed couple had gone missing in the Sohra-Cherrapunji areas, leading to the launch of a hectic search operation by the Meghalaya Police, the National Disaster Response Force, local people and other agencies. The murder came to light after locals found an abandoned two-wheeler, which the couple had hired from Shillong, at Sohrarim village between Shillong and Sohra Road. On June 2, Rajaas body was recovered from a deep gorge below the Wei Sawdong parking lot at Riat Arliang in Sohra, sending shockwaves across the country, and a new twist in the case emerged. The Meghalaya Police formed Special Investigation Teams and launched aOperation Honeymoona, and several teams went to Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, and with the help of the police of the two states, successfully arrested the five accused. All five accused would now face further investigation under the jurisdiction of the Meghalaya Police. According to Meghalaya Police, Sonam, together with three others, after allegedly committing the murder of her husband, left Sohra and boarded a train to Indore from Guwahati, around 100 km from Shillong. Sonam went to Indore and stayed at a rented place and then fled to Uttar Pradesh, the police had said. Police suspect that Sonam and the other accused were trying to flee to Nepal and so reached Ghazipur from where the Nepal border is around 200 km. East Khasi Hills SP Syiem had earlier said that after completion of the necessary legal formalities, all the accused would be taken to the crime spot in a day or two for reconstruction of the crime. Kazakhstan boosts global ties with multi-million-dollar deals at AIF 2025 Kazakhstan signed many high-profile agreements with France and Italy before and during the International Forum in Astana (AIF 2025). These agreements in hydrogen production, green energy, agriculture, and digital innovation enhance Kazakhstan's economy and international partnerships. With investments totaling hundreds of millions of euros and dollars, the country will expand its global trade and development leadership. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register Raipur, June 11 : In a significant development in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, security forces engaged in an intense encounter with Maoist insurgents on Wednesday, resulting in the elimination of two Naxal cadres, including a high-ranking commander. Raipur, June 11 (IANS) In a significant development in Chhattisgarhas Sukma district, security forces engaged in an intense encounter with Maoist insurgents on Wednesday, resulting in the elimination of two Naxal cadres, including a high-ranking commander. The operation took place in the Pusgunna forest area under the jurisdiction of Kukanar Police Station, a region known for frequent Maoist activity. Among the slain insurgents was Baman, the LOSC (Local Organisation Squad Commander) of Pedaras, who had a Rs 5 lakh bounty on his head. The second casualty was a female Maoist, whose identity remains unconfirmed. Security personnel recovered their bodies along with a cache of weapons, including an INSAS rifle, a 12-bore rifle, ammunition, and explosive materials. The encounter unfolded as part of an ongoing anti-Naxal operation led by a joint team of Kukanar Police Station personnel and the Sukma District Reserve Guard. Acting on credible intelligence, the forces launched a search mission early Wednesday morning, targeting Maoist cadres affiliated with the banned CPI Maoist outfit. Around two in the afternoon, the operation escalated into a fierce gun battle, with multiple exchanges of fire between the security forces and insurgents. Following the successful operation, additional reinforcements were deployed to intensify search efforts in the dense forest terrain, aiming to track down any Maoists who may have fled. The rugged landscape often provides insurgents with strategic cover, making pursuit operations difficult. This encounter comes amid heightened security measures in Sukma following recent improvised explosive device blasts orchestrated by Maoists in the region. Just days earlier, Additional Superintendent of Police Akash Rao Giripunje lost his life in a pressure IED explosion near Dondra village on the Konta-Errabora road. The attack, suspected to be part of a broader Maoist retaliation, has prompted security forces to ramp up counterinsurgency efforts. Authorities remain vigilant, with Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan confirming that operations will continue to dismantle Maoist strongholds in the area. The latest encounter underscores the persistent challenge posed by insurgents in Chhattisgarhas Bastar region, where security forces remain engaged in a long battle to restore stability. Brussels, June 11 : India and the European Union (EU) on Wednesday signed an agreement on Trilateral Cooperation that focuses on joint priorities and supports pilot projects in third countries. The agreement driving forward Indiaa"EU engagement in connectivity, India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), green shipping and clean energy was signed in the presence of External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and Jozef Sikela, the European Commissioner for International Partnership. Both sides noted that the signing of the trilateral cooperation agreement will benefit the Global South. "To fully unlock the potential of the EUa"India partnership, today we signed a Cooperation Agreement on Trilateral Cooperation with Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar. This new initiative will support pilot projects in third countries, focused on driving sustainable development with a strong emphasis on climate action and digital inclusion," Sikela posted on X. EAM Jaishankar also held a meeting with Maros Sefcovic, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security in Brussels as both sides acknowledged the advancing discussions on a comprehensive and meaningful Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union. "Delighted to meet Maros Sefcovic, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security in Brussels this morning. Recognised the progress in our discussions for a comprehensive, balanced and meaningful FTA agreement between India and EU. Agreed that it would elevate our strategic partnership, that is rapidly acquiring new dimensions and facets," EAM posted on X. Earlier in the day, EAM also interacted with the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola. They discussed further strengthening of India-EU parliamentary ties, building upon the shared values of democracy and pluralism. EAM Jaishankar appreciated her positive sentiments on advancing India-EU partnership in trade, technology and security. During his interactions with Members of European Parliament - Angelika Niebler, Urmas Paet, Winkler Gyula, Vladimir Prebilic and Pilar del Castillo, EAM welcomed the support of the European leaders for stronger India - EU ties. He also appreciated their understanding of India's right to defend itself against terrorism as both sides exchanged perspectives on global developments and regional issues. On Tuesday, EAM Jishankar called on Prime Minister of Belgium Bart De Wever conveying the warm greetings of PM Narendra Modi. Both the leaders discussed furthering cooperation in trade, security and defence, investment, clean energy, semiconductors and innovation between both countries. The External Affairs Minister is on an official visit to France, EU and Belgium from June 8 to 14 to further deepen India's friendly relations and give renewed momentum to ongoing cooperation in diverse areas. Ludhiana, June 11 : The Shiromani Akali Dal's campaign in Ludhiana (West) constituency received a major boost on Wednesday with Aam Aadmi Party's Mahila Wing's former President Preeti Malhotra joining the party along with her supporters in the presence of party President Sukhbir Badal. Welcoming Preeti Malhotra into the party, Badal said all original workers of AAP were demoralised and were leaving it because outsiders had taken over the party in Punjab. "Punjabis joined AAP to work for the state but now realise that outsiders are ruling the roost and that they don't have any say in the party," he added. Badal said even Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had been completely marginalised and was working as a puppet of Arvind Kejriwal. "Same is the case of ministers who are merely figureheads with outsiders being given the responsibility of clearing files," he stated. Asserting that all this was having a negative impact on the state, Badal said, "Government employees have not received their salaries till now". He said the state's financial situation was set to worsen in the coming months. "The AAP government has already borrowed Rs 1 lakh crore in the last three years, but has nothing to show by way of development or infrastructure building. Its efforts to borrow more money are hitting a roadblock as it has reached permissible limits, besides indulging in financial mismanagement," the SAD chief stated. Badal also spoke on how the law and order situation had gone from bad to worse. "Businessmen are facing extortion threats on a daily basis. Even social harmony is threatened with the state witnessing desecrations of statues of Baba B.R. Ambedkar." Meanwhile, Preeti Malhotra, while speaking on the occasion, said even though she had asked the AAP high command to implement its promise to give Rs 1,000 per month to women, the party flatly refused to do so. "I was told that such false promises were made to win elections, and it was not necessary to implement them," Preeti added. She also castigated the AAP government for giving all chairmanships to outsiders, besides failing to create any employment opportunities for the youth. Kolkata, June 11 : Pandemonium broke out within the West Bengal Assembly on the third day of the Monsoon session of the House on Wednesday, after some legislators from the Treasury bench moved a motion of breach of privilege against the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and BJP leader, Suvendu Adhikari, accusing the later of making "misleading" and "derogatory" statements against the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Trinamool Congress legislators moved the breach of privilege motion, claiming that while speaking to the media persons outside the Assembly on Tuesday, LoP Adhikari accused the Chief Minister of echoing Pakistan's narrative on the issue of "Operation Sindoor", the strike through which the Indian Armed Forces destroyed several terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir last month. During the Question Hour session in the afternoon, Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay raised the issue and told the House that five Trinamool Congress legislators -- Shovandeb Chattopadhyay, Arup Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Nirmal Ghosh and Indranil Sen had moved the breach of privilege motion against LoP Adhikari in the matter. While observing that such comments by the LoP about the Chief Minister Banerjee were against the sanctity of the House, the Assembly Speaker told that the matter is being referred to the privilege committee, which will submit its report on the matter to the House by the end of the Monsoon session which would continue for two more weeks. Although LoP Adhikari was not present in the House at that moment, the BJP legislators led by the party's Chief whip in the Assembly, Shankar Ghosh, vehemently protested against the breach of privilege motion. The BJP legislators flared up further over the decision of the Speaker to expunge Ghosh's statement. The BJP legislators first protested within the House and later staged a walkout. "On one hand the Speaker is not allowing our MLAs to refer within the House to any statement made by any Trinamool Congress legislator outside the House. On the other hand, a breach of privilege motion against the Leader of the Opposition on what he said outside the House is accepted. Is this not self-contradictory," Ghosh claimed. Patna, June 11 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday conducted an on-site inspection of the Patna Metro Rail Project, reviewing progress at key stations including Malahi Pakadi and Bhootnath Metro Station. The Chief Minister issued necessary directions to officials and emphasised the timely completion of the project. During the visit, Urban Development and Housing Department Secretary Abhay Kumar Singh provided a detailed briefing on the ongoing construction works in the priority corridor, which spans from Malahi Pakadi to Pataliputra Bus Terminal. Using a site map, Singh informed the Chief Minister about the facilities planned at Malahi Pakadi Metro Station, including escalators, ticket counters, passenger amenities, public and paid areas, lifts, and access paths to the platform. He added that a total 6.20 km stretcha"covering Malahi Pakadi, Khemnichak, Bhootnath Road, Zero Mile, and Pataliputra Bus Terminala"is being given top priority for early completion. The Bihar government has allocated Rs 115.10 crore for the execution of this section, with a target to operationalise it by August 15, 2025. Addressing officials during the inspection, CM Nitish Kumar said, "We have designed the Patna Metro Rail Project in a modern and efficient format. Regular inspections are being conducted to ensure quality and timely delivery. I have instructed officials that no obstacles should be allowed to delay the construction. Complete the project within the stipulated timeline for the convenience of the people." Urban Development and Housing Minister Jivesh Kumar and Secretary Abhay Kumar Singh welcomed the Chief Minister at the site by presenting him with a bouquet. During the inspection, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Deepak Kumar, Secretary to the Chief Minister Kumar Ravi, Commissioner of Patna Division Dr Chandrashekhar Singh, District Magistrate of Patna Dr Tyag Rajan SM, and Senior Superintendent of Police Avkash Kumar were also present. The Patna Metro Rail Project is envisioned as a transformative infrastructure initiative for the city, aiming to reduce traffic congestion and improve public transport connectivity. New Delhi, June 11 : aaChief Justice of India B.R. Gavai contended that while judicial activism holds significance in India, the courts must be careful not to step into an area where the "judiciary should not enter". "Judicial activism is bound to stay. At the same time, judicial activism should not be turned into judicial terrorism. So, at times, you try to exceed the limits and try to enter into an area where, normally, the judiciary should not enter," the CJI said in response to a question asked at the Oxford Union. CJI Gavai said that the judiciary will still step in if the legislature or the executive fail in their duties to safeguard the fundamental rights of citizens, but the power of judicial review should be used sparingly. "(Judicial review) power has to be exercised in a very limited area in very exception cases, like, say, a statute, is violative of the basic structure of the Constitution, or it is in direct conflict with any of the fundamental rights of the Constitution, or if the statute is so patently arbitrary, discriminatorya.the courts can exercise it, and the courts have done so," he said. Referring to himself, CJI Gavai said that the Constitution of India has ensured that an individual from the SC community, who were historically referred to as auntouchablesa, is now addressing the Oxford Union as the holder of the countryas highest judicial office. He described the Constitution as a "quiet revolution etched in ink", having a transformative force to actively uplift the historically oppressed. "The Constitution of India carries within it the heartbeat of those who were never meant to be heard, and the vision of a country where equality is not just promised, but pursued. It compels the State not only to protect rights, but also to actively uplift, to affirm, to repair," he said. The CJIas speech at Oxford Union was titled 'From Representation to Realisation: Embodying the Constitution's Promise'. Bengaluru, June 11 : The decision to conduct a fresh survey regarding the controversial caste census report has sparked a heated political debate between the BJP and Congress in Karnataka. While BJP leaders have criticised the Congress over the decision, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar have defended the move. Responding to media queries in Delhi on Wednesday, Deputy CM Shivakumar asked, "Why is the BJP, which opposed the caste census, now opposing the state government's decision to resolve the confusion regarding the caste census?" When asked about the BJP's outrage over the decision to conduct a fresh survey regarding the caste census, he said, "Weren't they the ones who opposed the caste census report? Why didn't they accept the caste census report? This report has not been completely rejected. We will allow for the inclusion of information for those whose data might have been missed in this report. We will utilise the report that has already been provided. We are moving forward to provide justice to communities and resolve confusions." When asked if it would be done scientifically this time, he replied, "We will discuss and decide in the Cabinet meeting. Many communities, including Jains, Lambani and Besta, met me and expressed their concerns. Our MLAs also conveyed their opinions. The previous survey was also conducted scientifically. Our officials went door-to-door, conducted the survey, and affixed slips. Wasn't what they did scientific? Last time, many did not take this matter seriously and hesitated to identify their community." "Regarding internal reservation for Scheduled Castes, advertisements have been issued dozens of times. Officials have visited houses many times. They have promoted it on the social media. Opportunities have been provided for online registration. Opportunities have also been provided for those residing outside the state to provide their information. Our party President, acting in the position of a father, has provided some guidance. The Chief Minister will discuss in the Cabinet how to proceed with this matter. This process will involve one lakh people," Shivakumar said. When asked if they succumbed to pressure from dominant castes regarding the caste census, the Deputy CM said, "We have succumbed to everyone's pressure. We even succumb to media pressure." When asked if the Veerashaiva community has welcomed the government's decision, he replied, "Swamijis from Veerashaiva, Vokkaliga, and other communities have called me and welcomed this decision. Swamijis from all communities should enlighten their respective communities and encourage them to participate in this survey. Everyone should provide accurate details about their community in this survey." When asked if Deputy CM Shivakumar had gained the upper hand at the Congress High Command regarding the caste census, he clarified, "There is no question of anyone gaining an upper hand in this matter." When asked if a state government survey is necessary when the Central government is conducting a caste census along with the general census, he said, "This is our party's political agenda. The BJP has copied this. Rahul Gandhi has advocated for a caste census to ensure justice for Backward Classes." When asked by reporters if the party high command's decision on fresh survey of caste census has made them upset, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah replied, "We will take action as decided by the Congress high command. This is not our decision." Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, Leader of the Opposition in the State Legislative Council and BJP leader, speaking to the media on Wednesday at the state BJP office, Jagannath Bhavan, said, "We were expecting the national Congress leadership to demand the resignation of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister in connection with the Bengaluru stampede and 11 deaths that occurred during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) victory celebration. Instead, the Congress is trying to divert public attention by using the caste census as a distraction." He highlighted that the Congress-led state government had obtained permission for the celebration even before RCB won the match, aiming to capitalise on their victory. He noted that the subsequent incident, which led to 11 deaths during the RCB 's victory celebration, became news across the entire country. Narayanaswamy said that the BJP had thoroughly condemned this tragic incident, which left hundreds injured. He added that in light of this tragic incident, the Congress had summoned the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to Delhi. "We thought these two would be held accountable for their offence," he said, warning that the BJP would not stop its protest against them until both of them take responsibility for the incident and resign. State BJP General Secretary and MLA, V. Sunil Kumar, has demanded that the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah apologise to the people of the state and resign for repeatedly presenting 10 years of incorrect data regarding the caste census. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday at the state BJP office, he said, "You are someone who has seen serial failures. As much as Rs 165 crore has been misused. The failures of the MUDA scam, the Valmiki scam, the stampede incident, the excise scam, and now this caste census a" all are serial failures. Therefore, you should resign immediately." He questioned who is responsible for the Rs 165 crore spent on the previous caste survey, which the Congress government is now saying it has abandoned. "Who will you hold accountable for the expenses incurred on the previous survey? Who will be responsible for the cost of the new survey?" he asked. "Are you preparing to waste the state's taxpayer money as you please?" Sunil Kumar said while criticising the Congress government. "The Central government has already announced that it will conduct a caste census along with the general census. When the Centre is already undertaking a caste census, is there a need for the state government to conduct another one?" the BJP leader asked. He urged the state government to cooperate with the Central government's caste-cum-general census. He also demanded that the state government stop using Other Backward Classes for its own convenience and misleading the people. "The 90-day deadline given for the caste census is another lie," he said. "You had promised to complete a survey related to SC (Scheduled Caste) internal reservation within one month, but you postponed that very survey three times. Now, you've set a three-month deadline for a survey of seven crore people a" whom are you trying to deceive?" he asked. "Is this even possible? It seems to me that you've set a 90-day deadline for handing over power," he remarked. N. Ravikumar, Chief Whip of BJP in the State Legislative Council, has criticised the Congress High Command, stating that by summoning the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to Delhi, it has once again insulted Karnataka. This move, he alleged, was made to cover up the tragic stampede incident during the RCB victory celebration in Karnataka, which resulted in the deaths of 11 people. He accused the Congress of introducing the caste census issue to divert attention from the 11 deaths which took place dure to the stampede in Bengaluru. He argued that the Congress High Command has played a significant political game at Karnataka's expense to change the narrative. Ravikumar said that the Congress High Command has dealt another blow to the state government, which caused the deaths of 11 people. He added that the Congress High Command has wronged the Backward Classes. "They are saying they will conduct another caste census, claiming the current one is incorrect, 10 years old, and its data is outdated. This is essentially the Congress High Command slapping Siddaramaiah," he said. He added that several Congress leaders had previously objected to the caste census data, yet Siddaramaiah had insisted on implementing it. "After experiencing this 'slap' and returning from Delhi, Siddaramaiah has now announced that a new caste census will be conducted," Ravikumar concluded. Amaravati, June 11 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday suggested that the Union Civil Aviation Ministry explore the possibility of establishing a Civil Aviation University in Visakhapatnam. He also underscored the need to enhance connectivity from airports in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and across the state to various domestic and international cities. At a review meeting held at the Secretariat, he assessed the progress of the Vijayawada International Airport terminal construction. Union Minister for Civil Aviation K. Ram Mohan Naidu, senior ministry officials, and the Chairman of the Airports Authority of India participated virtually. CM Naidu said that he wanted the terminalas architectural design to be visually striking and unique. He directed airport authorities to ensure that various components like the terminal elevation, departure and arrival blocks, and passenger lounges reflect Andhra Pradeshas rich cultural heritage. He called for elements such as Kuchipudi dance, Kondapalli toys, Amaravati emblems, and Lepakshi art to be incorporated into the design. He also issued clear instructions regarding the construction of the terminal building, including the ramp connection to the national highway. The Chief Minister also reviewed the progress of terminal works at Kadapa and Rajamahendravaram airports. Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu informed the CM that technical feasibility studies are underway for new airports at Dagadarthi, Kuppam, and Palasa (Srikakulam district). Regarding the proposed Amaravati Airport, he said land surveys are in progress and a RITES team will soon submit a report. If land pooling is completed, the project could commence within two years. He pointed out that operations at Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam airports have grown by nearly 40 per cent, and there is increased interest from operators to expand connectivity from Vijayawada, Tirupati, Rajamahendravaram, and Kurnool airports. The Minister also mentioned that TruJet is set to launch services from Visakhapatnam to various locations starting in October, and that international flights between Vijayawadaa"Singapore and Tirupatia"Muscat will commence soon. Seaplane operations are expected to begin after September. He further informed that the Qatar Aviation Fund has expressed investment interest in the Bhogapuram Airport project. Patna, June 11 : In a significant development, a court in Bihar's Motihari sentenced a man to life imprisonment in connection with the murder of a teenage boy on Wednesday. The 10th Additional District and Sessions Judge of Motihari, Brijesh Kumar, awarded the sentence to Idu Ali alias Saif in the murder case of the minor boy, Sameer Alam. Deepak Patel, the Additional Public Prosecutor, said, "Idu Ali was held guilty of murder. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000, with an additional six-month jail term in case of non-payment. The court acquitted another accused, Bhanu Singh, due to lack of evidence." The case stemmed from FIR No. 45/2024 lodged at the Harsiddhi Police Station by Noor Salina Khatoon, mother of the deceased. She had named Idu Ali alias Saif, Nagendra Manjhi, and Bhanu Singh for abducting and later killing her teenage son, Sameer Alam, on the evening of January 28, 2024. According to the FIR, Sameer was called away from his home by the accused and never returned. His body was found the next morning in a bush near Dariyapur village under the Harsiddhi police station. Police arrested Idu Ali two days later, and during interrogation, he confessed to the crime. Old enmity and a love affair were cited as the motive behind the murder. After completing the investigation swiftly, police filed a charge sheet within a month against Idu Ali and Bhanu Singh, while the case against Nagendra Manjhi is still under investigation. During the trial (Sessions Case No. 619/2024), Additional Public Prosecutor Deepak Patel and Assistant Advocate Mohd Shahabuddin presented six witnesses and successfully established the prosecution's case against Idu Ali. In a relatively quick judicial process concluded within 17 months of the incident, the court found Idu Ali guilty under relevant sections 302, 201 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and delivered the verdict. The verdict brings partial closure to the grieving family and reflects the court's emphasis on timely justice in heinous crimes. Chennai, June 11 : Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President and actor-turned-politician Vijay on Wednesday announced a significant expansion of the party's organisational structure, appointing office-bearers for four key wings - social media, information technology, legal consultation, and advocates. Chennai, June 11 (IANS) Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President and actor-turned-politician Vijay on Wednesday announced a significant expansion of the partyas organisational structure, appointing office-bearers for four key wings - social media, information technology, legal consultation, and advocates. The move, aimed at building a robust groundwork ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, marks a strategic step in decentralising the partyas operations and enhancing grassroots-level engagement, as per the party. According to a press release issued by the party headquarters, ten office-bearers have been appointed at the state level for each of the four wings. In addition, to ensure statewide coordination and local outreach, the party has divided Tamil Nadu into ten administrative zones - Chennai, Vellore, Salem, Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Madurai, Cuddalore, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, and Tirunelveli. Each zone will also have ten office-bearers per wing, reflecting the TVKas commitment to micro-level mobilisation. Notably, the appointments are not limited to Tamil Nadu. In a bid to tap into the support base of the Tamil diaspora and expand the partyas digital presence nationally and internationally, Vijay has also appointed social media coordinators in key Indian states - Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Delhi - as well as in countries with significant Tamil populations, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. The announcement comes as part of TVKas ongoing effort to consolidate its presence across Tamil Nadu and build a strong cadre-based organisation. Vijay, one of Tamil cinemaas most influential stars, launched his TVK in February 2024 with a mission to usher in transparent governance, ethical politics, and youth empowerment. The partyas official political debut took place with a massive public rally at Vikaravandi in Villupuram district on October 28, 2024. The rally drew tens of thousands of supporters and marked Vijayas first full-fledged political speech, where he laid out the ideological foundation of the TVK and appealed for a politics rooted in honesty, social justice, and peopleas welfare. The TVKas recent organisational appointments indicate that the party is steadily transitioning from a personality-driven movement to a structured political entity, with preparations underway for its first major electoral outing in 2026. Party insiders believe these efforts are crucial to building a disciplined and well-coordinated workforce, especially in areas like digital outreach, legal strategy, and public engagement. With these structural reforms and a clear emphasis on youth participation and clean politics, the TVK is positioning itself as a serious contender in Tamil Naduas political landscape, they said. --IANS aal/vd ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 11. President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping will pay an official visit to Kazakhstan on June 1617 at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Kazakh presidential office announced, Trend reports. During the visit, the two leaders are expected to hold high-level bilateral talks focused on strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and China. President Xis trip will also coincide with the second ChinaCentral Asia Summit, set to take place on June 17 in Astana, with the participation of heads of state from across the region. Hyderabad, June 11 : The Telangana government on Wednesday announced that it has decided to open pre-primary sections in government schools in the state. As a first step, the state government decided to open pre-primary sections in 210 schools. The government schools in the state currently offer education from Class 1. The pre-primary class will be for children of the age of five years. The initiative is said to be aimed at improving educational standards from pre-primary to high school and easing the financial burden on parents, as many are sending their children to private pre-primary schools. Director of School Education and State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha, Telangana, E. V. Narasimha Reddy, informed the district educational officers that 210 pre-primary sections have been approved in the Annual Work Plan & Budget (AWP&B) 2025-26 of Samagra Shiksha. He requested the district educational officers to issue necessary instructions to the concerned headmasters to ensure the enrolment of students in the pre-primary sections across the identified schools. These identified schools are in Hanumakonda, Jagtial, Mancherial, Nizamabad, Peddapalli, Siddipet, Warangal, Nirmal, and Mulugu districts. The Central government had recently ordered the opening of pre-primary classes in government schools, aiming to expand early childhood education. The initiative aligns with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), which emphasises a "foundational stage" for education, incorporating three years of early childhood education (ages 3-8). Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had announced in April that the government schools in the state will soon offer nursery, lower kindergarten (LKG), and upper kindergarten (UKG) classes before students enter Class 1. He said the decision to introduce preschool in government schools was prompted by ambiguities in the stateas primary education policy. The state government has formed an education commission to address policy gaps in the stateas foundational education system. The commission, comprised of education experts, recommended introducing a formal preschool system in government schools. Stockholm, June 11 : Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said that enhanced business engagement will add further momentum to the growing Indian-Swedish bilateral ties. Addressing the India-Sweden Business Leaders' Roundtable (ISBLRT) here, hosted by Marcus Wallenberg, Chair, Wallenberg Investments AB, the minister said India-Sweden cooperation will continue to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable growth for a brighter future. "Envisioned by the leadership of India and Sweden in 2016, ISBLRT has since emerged as a cornerstone platform for bringing together business leaders from both nations to foster collaboration in trade, innovation, and investment," the minister said in a post on X. "Today's discussions were constructive and forward-looking. Emphasised the need to build partnerships grounded in shared innovation, technological progress, and mutual prosperity," he added. Goyal also had a "highly productive" meeting with Benjamin Dousa, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, and Hakan Jevrell, State Secretary for Foreign Trade, Sweden. "We discussed strengthening collaboration across sectors like clean energy, digital technology, climate, healthcare and life sciences, and skill development, among others," the Commerce Minister said. He invited greater Swedish participation in India's growing infrastructure and manufacturing sectors. "Looking forward to unlocking new chapters of cooperation," said Goyal. The Union Minister arrived in Stockholm for a three-day official visit to Sweden, after concluding a highly successful two-day visit to Switzerland. "Eager to engage with Sweden's leadership, business community, and key stakeholders to explore new opportunities and strengthen our longstanding ties," Goyal posted on social media platform X. With over 280 Swedish companies in India and more than 80 Indian companies in Sweden, "the potential for collaboration is immense", he added. The Sweden visit is aimed at reinforcing the existing robust economic relationship and identifying new opportunities for growth, which are aligned with India's long-term economic objectives and global partnerships. Ahmedabad, June 11 : Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, on Wednesday, chaired a high-level meeting to assess the preparedness of various government departments ahead of the upcoming monsoon season. The meeting focused on proactive disaster management planning and coordination at all administrative levels -- from municipal corporations to district and taluka units. The Chief Minister emphasised enhancing community participation in local disaster management plans and directed departments to conduct mock drills and training sessions. Special attention was given to departments directly linked to public life and safety such as irrigation, health, energy, roads, and food supplies to ensure their monsoon action plans were robust and in place. To mitigate possible damage from heavy rains, CM Patel instructed the Road and Building Department to prepare alternate routes in case highways are disrupted. He was told that 90 per cent of the pre-monsoon inspection of minor bridges and causeways has already been completed. The Energy Department assured that it is equipped with satellite phones and necessary manpower to restore power supply swiftly during monsoon-related outages, the Chief Minister said. In vulnerable regions like Saurashtra and Kutch, the Chief Minister recommended permanent deployment of NDRF teams and directed the Additional Chief Secretary of Revenue, Jayanti Ravi, to coordinate with Central authorities for timely assistance. At present, 15 NDRF and 11 SDRF teams have been deployed across Gujarat. The Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority reported that nearly 9,000 trained disaster volunteers will be mobilised and intensive training will be conducted to boost local response capacity. Urban areas, particularly municipal corporations and district administrations, will also strengthen mock drills and public engagement activities. State Chief Secretary Pankaj Joshi instructed departments to ensure control rooms are operational around the clock in all districts and that necessary resources are made available without delay. Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister, M.K. Das, and senior Secretaries of key departments were also present in the meeting. Officials from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), NDRF, and the Indian Coast Guard also participated in the meeting to provide inputs and support. Shillong, June 11 : Prime accused in the Meghalaya honeymoon murder case, Sonam Raghuvanshi and four other accused were kept in different cells of the Sadar police station in Shillong after a court on Wednesday sent all five accused to eight days' police custody, sources said. Sources said that Raj Singh Kushwaha (21), Sonam's alleged lover and Akash Rajput (19) were kept in a cell of the Sadar police station, while Vishal Singh Chauhan (22) and Anand Singh Kurmi (23) were kept in another cell. "Police have served a meal to Sonam (wife of murdered Madhya Pradesh tourist Raja Raghuvanshi), and she has taken the meal. She was visibly very calm before and after the production of the court," the sources said. According to the sources, several CCTV cameras were installed in the Sadar police stations and all the cells, to closely monitor the behaviour of the accused by the police. Amid the heavy security arrangements, all the five accused in the sensational murder case were produced before the district and session court in Shillong on Wednesday, 10 days after the body of Sonam's husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, was recovered on June 2 from a deep gorge below the Wei Sawdong parking lot at Riat Arliang in Sohra in East Khasi Hills district, sending shockwaves across the country. A police official said that after completion of various medical and legal formalities, the accused were produced before the court with a prayer for their eight-day custody for further interrogation and investigation of the case. The Meghalaya Police, after the recovery of Raja's body, formed Special Investigation Teams and launched 'Operation Honeymoon', and several teams went to Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, and with the help of the police of the two states, successfully arrested the five accused. All five accused would now face further investigation under the jurisdiction of the Meghalaya Police. Sonam was arrested for allegedly orchestrating the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi (29), during their honeymoon tour in Meghalaya's Sohra-Cherrapunji areas of the East Khasi Hills district. Days after her husband's body was discovered, Sonam surrendered before police in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur on June 7, and was taken to Patna by road, then flown to Kolkata and onward to Guwahati. From Guwahati airport, she was brought to the Sadar police station in Shillong by road late on Tuesday night. The other four accused were brought to Shillong on Wednesday. Shillong, June 11 : Hundreds of residents took out a peace rally held in Meghalaya's Sohra to condole the death of Raja Raghuvanshi and extended their solidarity to the bereaved family. The residents of Sohra, a famous tourist location in Meghalaya, stood up against misinformation, sending across the message that Sohra has always been safe and secure. Adding significance to the rally, Gavin Mylliem, MLA of Sohra Constituency, Titosstarwell Chyne, MDC, Sohra, along with Freeman Sing Syiem, Syiem of Hima Sohra, Marremdor Syiem, Deputy Syiem of Hima Sohra and members of Hima Sohra also joined the peace rally with the residents for 5 kilometres. As a mark of respect and appreciation for the efforts put in by the search and rescue team, the dignitaries felicitated the Sohra police force and those involved in the venture of finding the victim. Sohra was shaken by the shocking news of the couple's disappearance, prompting a massive search and rescue operation that involved teams from both the state and across the country. Later, authorities discovered Raja Raghuvanshias body while the search for his wife continued. His wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, was subsequently arrested in Uttar Pradesh. The death of Raja Raghuvanshi led many to assume Sohra is not safe anymore, which was dismissed by locals and tourists who have been visiting the place despite the misleading news. On Wednesday, however, Sohra stood firm and resolute against the false news stories. The peace rally serves as a message encouraging tourists to enjoy the cascading waterfalls of Sohra, explore caves, listen to folktales, sip tea or coffee at a local stall, and enjoy the hospitality of the people that has attracted tourists from all corners of the world. Holding placards with messages such as aCome and enjoy the beauty of Sohraa, aTourists are always a part of our extended familya, and aEvery tourist is welcome to Sohraa, the residents conveyed to both the nation and the world that the area has always been safe and secure. The guides who were part of the search and rescue operation also attended the peace rally. The residents requested the people not to damage the image of the community, urging everyone to verify information before spreading false stories. Condoling the untimely death of Raja Raghuvanshi, the residents also held a candlelight ceremony for the deceased. New Delhi, June 11 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a high-level meeting on Wednesday with Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, her cabinet colleagues, and all elected BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) members of Parliament and MLAs from the national capital. The gathering, held at the Prime Minister's official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, marked the first such interaction since the BJP's sweeping victory in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, which ended nearly three decades of non-BJP rule in the city. The meeting, which lasted over three hours, focused on strategies to enhance the quality of life for Delhi's residents. Discussions revolved around urban infrastructure, pollution control, public transport, sanitation, and the implementation of the 'Clean Delhi, Green Delhi' initiative. Prime Minister Modi emphasised the importance of coordinated governance between the Centre and the Delhi government, calling for a "triple-engine" modelCentre, state, and local bodies working in unison. In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi shared, "Interacted with Delhi BJP MPs, MLAs and other leaders. We had extensive discussions on ways to improve the quality of life for the people of Delhi." He also posted photographs from the meeting, which included BJP national general secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh and Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva. The meeting also served as a review of the first 100 days of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's administration. Sources indicated that PM Modi encouraged legislators to increase grassroots engagement and ensure that government schemes reach every household. He also urged them to focus on sustainable development, traffic decongestion, and water managementkey issues affecting the capital. Deputy Speaker of the Delhi Assembly, Mohan Singh Bisht, described the meeting as both symbolic and strategic, noting that it reflected the BJP's commitment to transforming Delhi into a model capital. BJP MP Yogender Chandoliya highlighted that the Prime Minister's vision had played a pivotal role in the party's recent electoral success, with Delhi voters endorsing the "Modi model" across both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The meeting concluded with a renewed pledge to deliver transparent, efficient, and people-centric governance in the capital. Chennai, June 11 : Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has called upon the Tamil Nadu government to cooperate with the Centre in continuing scientific research at the Keeladi excavation site, emphasising the need for robust and verifiable evidence before drawing historical conclusions. Responding to political criticism surrounding the alleged delay in releasing reports of earlier excavation phases, the Union Minister in a post on social media platform X said, "We have never hesitated to release any report. In fact, if such findings are scientifically substantiated and accepted by the academic community, we would be proud to celebrate them along with the Tamil Nadu government." He noted, however, that the current data emerging from the Keeladi excavations still require more scientifically valid and internationally acceptable evidence. "We must allow the research process to evolve with integrity. Rather than rushing to politicise preliminary archaeological data, we are committed to extending all support to the scientific community so that further exploration can yield stronger evidence," he said. Union Minister Shekhawat also questioned the Tamil Nadu government's reluctance to cooperate with Central authorities on this matter. "It is difficult to understand why the state is hesitant to collaborate. Our appeal is simple a" allow the research to continue unhindered so that authentic historical narratives can emerge." Reaffirming the Union government's stand on cultural integration, Union Minister Shekhawat said, "Tamil Nadu is an integral part of Bharat. Its civilisational glory must be celebrated not through divisive sentiments but through honest and evidence-based understanding of its heritage." The Union Minister's statement comes in the backdrop of ongoing controversy over the Keeladi excavation reports, particularly Phases 2 and 3, which were conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India but are yet to be made public. Tamil Nadu political leaders have accused the Centre of deliberately withholding findings that highlight an advanced ancient Tamil civilisation. The Centre, however, maintains that it is committed to transparency, provided the research meets global academic scrutiny. The debate continues to fuel tensions between the state and Centre over historical narratives and their implications for regional identity and national unity. Kolkata, June 12 : Shweta Khan alias Fultusi, the prime accused behind the West Bengal porn racket case, was finally arrested by the West Bengal Police on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, the policemen first arrested her son Aryan Khan and then her daughter Zoya Khan, a co-accused in the porn racket case. Based on the questioning of Aryan and Zoya, state police sources said the whereabouts of their mother were available and based on that she was also arrested late Wednesday evening from a hideout in the Alipore area in south Kolkata. The main charges against Shweta, Aryan, and Zoya are holding a woman from the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal captive for six months and brutally assaulting her with an iron rod after she refused to participate in pornographic video shoots allegedly orchestrated by the three accused. Since Zoya is a minor, her case will be processed under the Juvenile Justice Act and referred to the Juvenile Justice Board. Meanwhile, Aryan has denied his involvement in the porn rackets and said that he had a relationship with the victim woman who wanted to marry him. Police action has intensified after the National Commission for Women (NCW) took suo motu cognisance of the incident and wrote to the West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar, demanding immediate arrests under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The NCW also instructed the state police to ensure that the victim receives free medical treatment and psychological counselling. Additionally, the Commission has directed the DGP to submit a detailed action-taken report within three days. Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP President and Union Minister, Sukanta Majumdar, has alleged that Shweta Khan has close links with several senior leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress. Trinamool Congress has not yet responded to the allegations. Patna, June 12 : As Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) National President Lalu Prasad Yadav turned 78 on Wednesday, a stream of well-wishers - party workers, supporters, and leaders - flocked to the 10 Circular Road residence of Rabri Devi to wish him on his birthday. Patna, June 12 (IANS) As Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) National President Lalu Prasad Yadav turned 78 on Wednesday, a stream of well-wishers party workers, supporters, and leaders flocked to the 10 Circular Road residence of Rabri Devi to wish him on his birthday. While many greeted the veteran leader in person with gifts and warm messages, others flooded social media with prayers for his health and longevity. However, all eyes were on Lalu's elder son, Tej Pratap Yadav, who remained conspicuously silent throughout the day until late evening, when he finally broke his silence on social media. At around 5 p.m., Tej Pratap posted a heartfelt birthday message on the social media platform X. "Heartiest birthday wishes to the leader of the people, voice of the poor, my guide Lalu Prasad. You are not just my father, but you are a movement that inspires justice, courage, and change. Taking your ideology forward is not only my responsibility but my religion," Tej Pratap posted. The timing and tone of the message were closely watched, especially amid the strained relationship between father and son. Lalu Yadav is reportedly upset with Tej Pratap over the controversial Anushka Yadav episode, which led to the latter's six-year expulsion from the RJD and his exclusion from the family. Since then, the two have not met publicly. Sources close to the family indicate that Lalu Yadav appeared visibly disappointed during the day, possibly due to Tej Pratap's absence a sentiment evident on his face as numerous guests came and went without any sign of his elder son. Just a day before the birthday, Tej Pratap shared a symbolic message on Instagram, posting a picture of himself gazing at a photograph of his father with the caption: "The darker the darkness, the closer the morning." His message on Wednesday, while emotionally resonant, did little to dispel the public perception of a deep rift within the political family. As the RJD gears up for the coming Bihar Assembly elections, the strained personal ties between Lalu Prasad and Tej Pratap could have wider implications both politically and emotionally for the party. Bhopal, June 12 : Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janasta Party Chief V.D. Sharma has said that former Congress MLA Laxman Singh was punished for daring to "speak truth" which was not received well by the "sycophants" of the Lok Sabha's Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. He added that Congress says that it gives freedom to its party workers to express their views, but the reality is quite the opposite, and expelling former MLA Laxman Singh from the party was an example of it. The BJP leader made these remarks responding to Congress' decision to expel former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh's younger brother Laxman Singh for his repeated anti-party activities. "Through expelling Laxman Singh from the party, Congress has sent a message to its party cadre that those who would dare to speak truth will be shown the exit door. Congress wants slaves, and not the leaders, who dare to speak truth," he added. The Congress Disciplinary Committee on Wednesday expelled Laxman Singh from the party for six years, citing repeated instances of anti-party activities. The decision came nearly more than a week after Rahul Gandhi's visit to Bhopal on June 3 in which he said that those creating hurdles should step aside on their own or will be expelled from the Congress. On April 25, Laxman Singh criticised the party leadership following the Pahalgam terror attack. "Rahul Gandhi and Robert Vadra are naive. The country is suffering the consequences of their immaturity," he said during a condolence meeting organised to pay tribute to the victims of the terror attack. In another striking statement that very day, Laxman Singh alleged that Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was colluding with terrorists. Taking note of his remarks, the Congress Disciplinary Action Committee issued him a show cause notice on May 9, demanding an explanation within 10 days. In the notice, member secretary Tariq Anwar said, "This is to bring to your attention that a complaint has been received from Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Jitu Patwari and All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary In-charge of Madhya Pradesh Harish Chaudhary regarding your repeated public statements, which have caused serious damage to the image and dignity of the Congress." "It has further been noted that your recent statement has crossed all acceptable limits, particularly the derogatory and disrespectful remarks directed at senior party leadership, including the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi," the notice said. Defiant in his stance, Laxman Singh challenged the Congress to expel him immediately if it deemed his comments unacceptable. However, his response was found unsatisfactory, prompting the party's disciplinary wing to recommend his removal. Following approval from the Congress high command, Tariq Anwar formally announced Laxman Singh's expulsion on Tuesday. The princely state of Raghogarh has long wielded influence in Madhya Pradesh politics, with Digvijaya Singh serving as the Chief Minister before moving to the Rajya Sabha. His son, Jaivardhan Singh, represents Raghogarh in the State Assembly, while Laxman Singh has served as both a Member of Parliament and a legislator from Chachauda. Despite his political tenure, he has often been perceived as receiving less prominence than Digvijaya Singh's immediate family. He also had a brief stint with the BJP. Tensions simmered in 2018 when Congress returned to power in Madhya Pradesh after 15 years. Laxman Singh had expected a Ministerial position, given his seniority, but was overlooked in favour of Digvijaya Singh's son, Jaivardhan Singh. Though he refrained from public dissent at the time, he continued to express his grievances intermittently. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Kazakhstan has seen a 16 percent decrease in the number of divorces over recent years, Chairman of the Committee on Youth and Family Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan Kairat Kambarov said, Trend reports. He made the remark during the event "Strong familiesstrong societies: family support policies in the OTS countries" within the framework of the Second Meeting of Ministers and Heads of Departments Responsible for Family and Social Policy of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Baku. "Understanding and strengthening the role of the family is of particular importance. These cultural attitudes are clearly confirmed in practice. A recent study showed that for Kazakhstanis, the main family values are mutual care, respect, and support," he also said. He claims that family values are alive and kicking in Kazakhstan, and they're pulling out all the stops to tackle domestic violence head-on. Digital support tools are being introduced. The state provides a legal and methodological framework and also acts through authorized and advisory bodies responsible for the implementation of family policy. Kambarov noted that family support centers operate in every city and district. Their effective activities contribute to the prevention of social problems, the resolution of family conflicts, and the reduction of social tension, helping families cope with difficulties and creating conditions for their well-being. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Bhopal, June 12 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will transfer Rs 150 crore with a single click under the 'Sambal Yojana' in 6,821 cases of ex-gratia assistance during a programme in Jabalpur on Friday. The Sambal Yojana is a welfare scheme for millions of workers in the unorganised sector in Madhya Pradesh. Since its inception, over 1.76 crore workers have been registered under the scheme, and the registration process is ongoing. Under the scheme, the government provides Rs 4 lakh in case of accidental death, and Rs 2 lakh in case of natural death. An ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh is given for permanent disability, and Rs 1 lakh for partial permanent disability. Additionally, it also provides Rs 5,000 for funeral expenses and Rs 16,000 for women as maternity assistance. All Sambal beneficiaries are also enrolled under the Ayushman Bharat - Niramay Yojana, enabling them to avail free annual medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the state government informed that following direction from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, labourers working at railway platforms in the state have also been included under the Sambal Scheme. Sambal beneficiaries also receive a ration eligibility slip, allowing them to access subsidised food grains provided by both the central and state governments, according to the MP government. "The Sambal Yojana stands as a lifeline for unorganised sector workers, offering financial support from birth to death. It is support for labourers, and the credit for implementing this welfare scheme goes to the state government," the MP government said. Moreover, several schemes are being run for registered construction workers through the Construction Workers Welfare Board. These include ex gratia assistance in case of death and support in cases of permanent or partial disability. Ahmedabad, June 12 : As Covid-19 cases continue to rise across India, the number of active infections has now crossed 6,815 nationwide. In Gujarat, the situation remains under close observation as the state recorded 203 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours till Wednesday. This brings the total number of active cases in Gujarat to 1,281. Of these, 23 patients are currently receiving treatment in hospitals, while the remaining 1,258 are being managed through outpatient-based care (OPD). As many as 149 patients recovered and were discharged during the same period. The state Health Department has noted a slight decline in daily new Covid-19 cases over the past three days, which officials consider an encouraging sign amid the broader national increase. The trend in Gujarat over the past 10 days shows fluctuating but gradually declining number of daily Covid-19 cases. On June 10, 223 new cases were reported, a slight decrease from 235 cases on June 9. The daily case count dropped further on June 8 with 185 cases, followed by 183 on June 7 and 170 on June 6. Earlier this month, on June 1, the state had reported only 55 Covid-19 cases. The active Covid caseload rose steadily through the first week of June, from 320 on June 1 to 1,281 as of June 11, indicating the virus is still circulating actively in the community. With the annual Rath Yatra approaching, state health authorities have issued advisories urging vulnerable population -- including senior citizens and people with pre-existing conditions -- to avoid crowded areas and watch the event from home. State Health Minister Rushikesh Patel has appealed to the people to take sensible precautions as a preventive measure. The Gujarat government is actively preparing for the rising Covid-19 cases by closely monitoring trends, ensuring hospital readiness, and coordinating with health departments across districts. With more than 1,200 active Covid-19 cases in the state, officials have emphasised outpatient-based care to manage the majority of infections, as only a small fraction require hospitalisation. Regular updates are being issued, and health advisories have been circulated, especially for the elderly and immunocompromised patients. Additionally, the state Health department has urged citizens to remain cautious and adhere to preventive measures while also ramping up testing and recovery monitoring across urban and rural areas. Jaipur, June 12 : In a shocking incident, Army Havildar Vikram Singh (40) was allegedly beaten to death by two youths in Palota Ka Bas village, under Surajgarh police station limits in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district. Jaipur, June 12 (IANS) In a shocking incident, Army Havildar Vikram Singh (40) was allegedly beaten to death by two youths in Palota Ka Bas village, under Surajgarh police station limits in Rajasthanas Jhunjhunu district. The incident was reported late Tuesday night as the jawan was leaving home to rejoin duty. According to police, Vikram Singh, who was serving in the 18 Raj Rifles and posted in Abohar, Punjab, had come to his native village on leave on June 7. As per the complaint filed by his brother Vinod Kumar, Vikram left for duty on Tuesday night, but was intercepted on the way by two local youths in a Scorpio SUV. The accused allegedly forcibly took Vikram to their house, where they brutally assaulted him. Later, they dumped him outside their home in a critical condition. Upon receiving information, the victimas family rushed to the spot and took Vikram to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Station Officer Hemraj Meena confirmed that a case of murder has been registered based on the family's complaint. Two suspects were detained on Wednesday for questioning, and police are currently analysing their mobile locations, call records, and other electronic evidence to ascertain the motive behind the killing. Sources indicate that Havildar Vikram Singh was nearing retirement, with just one year of service left. The incident has sent shockwaves across the village and armed forces community, as the police continue their probe to ensure justice for the slain soldier. Police station officer Hemraj Meena said that a case of murder has been registered on the complaint of the family, and two youths have been detained and are being questioned. Mobile location, call details, and other electronic evidence of the accused are also being investigated regarding the murder. Barbara Holdridge, an audiobook industry pioneer who cofounded the first commercially successful label for spoken-word recordings, died on June 9 at her home in Baltimore. She was 95. In early 1952, Holdridge and Marianne Mantell, recent graduates of Hunter College, convinced Welsh poet Dylan Thomas to allow them to record him reading some of his poetry after seeing him perform at New York City's 92nd Street Y. The recording would be the first offering from Holdridge and Mantells Caedmon Records. In a March 2002 PW story marking the 50th anniversary of the launch of Caedmon, Holdridge recounted how her and Mantell invested $1,500 to start the label and gradually added recordings by W.B. Yeats, Eudora Welty, T.S. Eliot, and William Faulkner to their list. "We thought there was a need and a market for spoken-word recordings of authors reading their works," Holdridge told PW. "When Dylan Thomas fell into our laps, so to speak, we seized on that as our time to proceed with our idea. We were never interested in just getting the voices. We wanted to recreate the moment of creation for these authors, what they were feeling, what they invested in their writings at the time of inception. We never cared if they had great voices or not." Caedmons early staff included a number of employees who succeeded beyond the audiobook world, including Mike Nichols, who was Caedmons first employee and head of shipping before making his name as a film director. Holdridge and Mantell sold Caedmon to the publisher D.C. Heath in 1970 and 17 years later HarperCollins (then Harper & Row) acquired Caedmon to bolster is audiobook business. Holdridge left Caedmon shortly after the sale to D.C. Heath. She went on to found Stemmer House Publishers in 1975 after she and her husband bought the 18th-century Stemmer House in Owings Mills, Md. In 2003, Holdridge sold Stemmer House to Pathway Book Services. At the time of the sale, Stemmer had approximately 130 active titles, including spoken-word audio titles. Stemmer House was best known for its children's books and the International Design Library line, a series of sourcebooks for artists and others in the creative field. Though Holdridge was no longer deeply involved in audiobooks after the sale of Caedmon, both her and Mantell, who died in 2023, continued to be recognized as true pioneers of the audiobook industry. In 1992, Caedmon received a Peabody Award, which cited the company's contribution to American arts and letters, and in June 2001, Holdridge and Mantell accepted an Audie Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Audio Publishers Association. "That was really Marianne's and my celebration of the 50th anniversary," Holdridge said of the Audie occasion. Holdridge also expressed no regrets about selling the company she helped to launch. "Harper is doing an excellent job of keeping the label alive," she said. When asked by PW if her and Mantell's vision from 50 years ago had been realized, Holdridge replied, "Yes, very much so. More than we ever could have imagined." The ability of racial preferences to stigmatize black achievements first hit home for me in college in the early 1990s. Just before the start of my senior year, I received a job offer from the local newspaper. A short time later, I happened to run into a former editor of the college paper where I had previously worked and told her the news. Congratulations, she said. I heard they were looking for more minorities. We were on friendly terms, so I dont think it was her intention to offend, but the remark still stung. For me, the episode illustrated one of the major downsides of affirmative-action policies. No one with any self-respect wants to be perceived as a token, whether in the workplace or on a college campus, and racial preferences can facilitate those kinds of assumptions even for the most accomplished black professionals. In his memoir, the black scholar Thomas Sowell described the change in how black success was perceived by others over the decades. One of the ironies that I experienced in my own career was that I received more automatic respect when I first began teaching in 1962, as an inexperienced young man with no Ph.D. and few publications, than later on in the 1970s, after accumulating a more substantial record, he wrote. What happened in between was affirmative action hiring of minority faculty. To illustrate the point, Sowell recounted a student approaching him after class at UCLA, where he taught economics in the 1970s. The student was having trouble understanding something in the textbook, and Mr. Sowell explained to him what it meant. Are you sure? the student said. Yes, I'm sure, Sowell replied. I wrote the textbook. The student then noticed the professors name on the cover and was obviously embarrassed, Sowell wrote. It was one of the signs of the times, one of the fruits of affirmative action. A similar personal story about white perceptions and black self-doubt is related by the black economist Walter Williams, who taught at Temple University in Philadelphia in the 1970s: [M]y duties included teaching the PhD microeconomics seminar and serving on the PhD examination committee. Having a black student in my graduate class was rare. During the first few class meetings, some of the whites would ask searching questions that sometimes required that I go through a mathematical proof. Although I never suggested this to students, it was my impression not born of paranoia, I trust that they were testing my credentials, checking to see whether I was competent in my subject. Id simply answer their question and move on. After a few classes that kind of questioning stopped. In the rare cases when the class did include a black student, who might have sensed what was going on, I could almost read a sigh of relief on his face. Maybe he said to himself, with relief, The brother could answer the question! Sowell considered it fortuitous that his academic achievements predated racial preferences. My academic career began two years before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and I received tenure a year before federal goals and timetables were mandated under affirmative action policies, he wrote. [T]hese facts spared me the hang-ups afflicting many other black intellectuals, who were haunted by the idea that they owed their careers to affirmative action. Another way that timing worked to Sowells benefit? I happened to come along right after the worst of the old discrimination was no longer there to impeded me and just before racial quotas made the achievements of blacks look suspect. Future Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who graduated from Yale Law School in 1974, recalled that he was treated dismissively at the time by job recruiters, who asked pointed questions unsubtly suggesting that they doubted I was as smart as my grades indicated. Eventually, he stopped pursuing work in a big-city law firm and accepted a job in the state attorney generals office in Missouri. Now I knew what a law degree from Yale was worth when it bore the taint of racial preference. Thomas has been labeled a hypocrite for opposing racial preferences because he supposedly benefited from them as a college student, yet no one has produced evidence that race played a role in his admission to College of the Holy Cross or Yale Law School. According to press accounts, he was recruited to Holy Cross by a dean, John Brooks, who wanted to increase the number of black students on campus, but Thomas has long denied that story. He started college at Immaculate Conception, a seminary in Missouri, but left after a year and returned home to Savannah, Ga. In his memoir, he said that he applied to Holy Cross at the urging of a nun who had taught him in high school. I ranked near the top of my class at Immaculate Conception, so Holy Cross had quickly accepted my application, he wrote. The only problem was money, but the director of financial aid told me that something could be worked out. Its true that some black students who had been contacted by Brooks were admitted to Holy Cross the same year that Thomas transferred there, but the justice has shot down the suggestion that he was one of Brookss recruits. A nun suggested Holy Cross. Thats how I wound up there, he told a reporter in 2007. Your industry -- the media has suggested that we were all recruited. Thats a lie. Really, its a lie. I don't mean a mistake. Its a lie. The thing that has astounded me over the years is that there has been such an effort to roll that class into peoples notion of affirmative action, he added. You hear this junk. Its just not consistent with what really happened. Nor is there any evidence that Thomas, who turned down offers from Harvard Law School and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, was admitted to Yale Law School under its affirmative-action program rather than through the regular admissions process. He had graduated from Holy Cross ninth in his class (of more than 500 students). According to the New York Times, eight Holy Cross graduates were admitted to Yale Law between 1968 and 1978, the decade that included Thomas's law school career. Why assume that he got in only because of his race? Why question Thomass credentials but not those of Bill Clinton or Hillary Rodham, two of his fellow Yale Law students? The reason is affirmative action, which has helped to delegitimize black academic and professional success. Chief Justice John Roberts's majority opinion in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard stressed that race-conscious admissions violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. But thats not the only problem with them, and Thomas performed a public service in his concurrence by detailing the harm that racial favoritism inflicts not only on those from non-favored groups but also on the intended beneficiaries. When blacks and Hispanics take positions in the highest places of government, industry or academia, Thomas wrote, it is an open question . . . whether their skin color played a part in their advancement. He spoke from experience. Jason L. Riley is a Wall Street Journal columnist and Manhattan Institute senior fellow. This article is adapted from his new book, The Affirmative Action Myth: Why Blacks Dont Need Racial Preferences to Succeed. NEW ORLEANSIn drab, windowless rooms strung along a tight corridor, migrants who have flooded into the United States in recent years trickle before immigration judges each weekday morning. These makeshift courtrooms are a far cry from the scorched border with Mexico and busy ports and airports through which these millions of immigrants have entered the U.S., almost all illegally. But despite the differences in miles, atmosphere, and often language, the people appearing in U.S. immigration court (alien respondents, in legal terms) know what is afoot. In many cases, they are making their first appearance after being in the U.S. for years, and with careful pleadings and use of appeals, many know they can stay here for years to come. While headlines on Trump administration immigration tactics such as arrests and deportations dominate the headlines, the situation in court, where most of the final decisions will be made, is another the administration is trying to change. A surprising number of the aliens know how to work the system in an attempt to run out the clock on the Trump administration, by requesting serial continuances and filing frivolous or otherwise questionable appeals, and by motions to reopen, said Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge now with the Center for Immigration Studies, which opposes wide open immigration. Some will be successful, but as the recent immigration court arrests indicate, the administration is attempting to limit those efforts. Immigration cases in New Orleans are heard inside an office tower Recently, RealClearInvestigations observed days of immigration court proceedings to gain insight into the current state of a system with a backlog of more than 3.6 million people, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which tracks immigration court figures through monthly Freedom of Information Act requests. New Orleans is but one thread in a sprawling web of often obscure courts, stretching from Massachusetts to Washington and from Saipan to Puerto Rico. From a first appearance to an asylum hearing, the New Orleans courts seemed busy. This reflects the fact that historically, most immigrants to the U.S. follow their legal schedule, which begins with a Notice to Appear being issued to them either when they are apprehended at the border or subsequently after they have been paroled into the 48 contiguous states. Its never been the case that people arent showing up en masse, said Kevin A. Gregg, an immigration attorney in California with the firm of Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli and Pratt. The numbers of those who show up has always been very high, especially among people who have been in the U.S. a very long time. Paradoxically, however, the Trump administrations recent vow to push arrests of illegal immigrants to 3,000 a day, along with some changes it has made to how it handles court cases, could serve to make attendance less regular, according to Gregg and others critical of Trumps push. As attorneys and court officials told RCI, never underestimate the community, meaning arrivals know the system from those who have gone through it before them. Now, if conventional wisdom says court appearances could lead to an earlier expulsion from the U.S., those here illegally will shy away. Attorney Kevin A. Gregg said crackdowns may deter people from showing up in court. With immigration court specifically, ICE has been dismissing court proceedings in order to then immediately detain noncitizens and place them in expedited removal proceedings where they have far less rights and no eligibility for bond, said Gregg, who hosts the weekly Immigration Review podcast. Whether correct or not, many noncitizens will likely begin to view this as a trap, and may not show up to immigration court out of fear. I dont condone not showing up, of course, but I believe its a possible foreseeable consequence of what ICE is doing right now. Already, the Trump administrations aggressive approach has sparked litigation and civil disturbances, from a Milwaukee judge allegedly helping alien respondents escape criminal proceedings to the current riots in Los Angeles. Facing the Bar One late May morning, there were four New Orleans immigration courts operating, with a total of nearly 140 people on the docket, most of them first appearances. On this day, no-shows comprised a very small percentage of those on the master calendars, as the morning dockets are known. In Judge Joseph LaRoccas courtroom, for instance, only five of the more than 30 respondents listed on the master calendar did not appear; they were quickly handled in absentia and deemed removable. That same day, in Judge Alberto A. De Puys courtroom, as many as six languages were used. The court has a Spanish translator present at all times, but for other languages, interpreters on the East Coast join by phone. In the hearings RCI witnessed, these involved Arabic, Hindi, Hassaniyya, Turkish, and Konkani, reflecting a large percentage of Middle Eastern or Asian immigrants. Paperwork in the courts small waiting room is available in seven languages, including Creole and Wolof, an African tongue. De Puys master calendar hearing was a Zoom session with migrants at the federal detention center in Jena, La. There, men in dull gray scrubs sat in rows, while De Puy scrambled to find translators. This proceeding was further complicated by a protest outside the Jena facility, which has gained notoriety by holding the Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist, Mahmoud Khalil, and other foreign nationals arrested by federal authorities since President Trump took office. Susan Long, director of an academic group that tracks immigration court, said we don't know how many people show up for their court dates. No one knows exactly how many people appear in U.S. immigration court each day that would be a great statistic, wouldnt it? said Susan Long, director of TRAC but there are more than 700 U.S. immigration judges, whom the attorney general appoints to the administrative posts under the Justice Departments Executive Office for Immigration Review. If somehow the New Orleans morning sessions RCI followed could be extended daily to each judges courtroom, perhaps a dent could be made in the backlog, which includes more than 2 million pending asylum cases, according to TRAC. Thats a fanciful assumption, of course, and at first glance, the looming numbers seem daunting to the Trump administrations goal of sharply reducing or clearing the dockets. Still, some experts see promising signs as the figures for illegal crossings plummet. The situation is improving, Arthur said. Its as if Trump patched a hole in the side of a boat, and now hes bailing out the water the boat took in. For all the hue and cry about due process protections that have captivated activists and the federal bench over the past four months, the migrants appearing in New Orleans displayed a savvy understanding of immigration law that allows the adjudication of the proceedings to stretch for years. The respondents sat quietly in wooden pews, in some cases accompanied by children. Most were neatly dressed and with their hair carefully braided or combed. The children appeared to be something of a prop, as each time they appeared, the judge asked that they attend school instead of court. Even on a first appearance, many of the respondents seemed to have a good idea of what would happen. Most master calendar cases involved a notice to appear (NTA), and few of those were recent. For example, most of the people RCI observed in court the morning of May 22 had received their NTAs a year and a half ago, in 2023, although a handful had received them as recently as last December. Few of the immigrants had lawyers, which court observers called a wise move. If it was a first appearance, the judge asked if they wanted representation, noting that while the Sixth Amendment does not entitle them to an attorney, the court maintains a list of immigration attorneys that may offer their services at affordable rates or pro bono. Invariably, the person requested time to find a lawyer and thus received another court date on these May days, that was set for seven months later in December. For the others not requesting more time to find a lawyer, the judge rapidly read boilerplate language and determined that the person had entered the U.S. illegally and was subject to removal. At that point, the judge asked the respondent if they wanted to designate a country for removal should removal become necessary. Here, the respondent or their attorney invariably declined. This is a well-understood delay tactic that often fails. Despite the lack of response, the judge quickly set a country for removal and moved to do the same for a removal hearing. The judges perused their computer screens, presumably for scheduling purposes, and in some cases then scheduled that hearing for 2029. In other words, almost all the alien respondents were given a lot more time. It was not unusual to see people having six years or more in the U.S. between the day of their arrival and a removal proceeding. A Lot More Detention The legal process is different for those in detention, and attorneys and court officials told RCI that there is a lot more detention now under the Trump administration. Judge De Puys master calendar involved the detained men in Jena on one screen, with the occasional immigration lawyer cutting in from a separate office and a government lawyer from Immigration and Customs Enforcements Office of the Principal Legal Advisor appearing on yet another video screen. De Puy gave those making a first appearance months to try to obtain counsel, but he was less forgiving of those who were making a second appearance and asked for more time after failing to obtain representation. Several men all those appearing were men requested more time, but De Puy did not grant it in the cases RCI observed. Former immigration judge Arthur Andrew said some here illegally request "voluntary departure" so they can melt back into the country. Some men requested voluntary departure. Arthur said this is a ploy that, in the past, allowed immigrants to melt into the interior, thereby delaying their cases, and the government lawyer seemed to have that in mind as he agreed to voluntary departure only with safeguards, which meant the men would remain in detention until their travel arrangements were made. Just how that might happen and when, given the migrant is responsible for them, was unclear. There were other oddities. For example, De Puy twice asked a man from India, who entered the U.S. in December 2023, if he would like to designate a country of removal. After not answering the first time, he then replied, I cant go back to India. The court is going to designate India as the country of removal, De Puy said immediately, at which point the man said he would like to go back to India and requested voluntary departure. Of those migrants held at Jena who appeared that morning, only those seeking voluntary departure seemed destined to leave the U.S. soon. The emphasis on detention is not the only major change the proceedings appeared to have under Trump, compared to when RCI first visited immigration court in 2022. Then, the government attorney would often offer what was dubbed prosecutorial discretion. This amounted to a get out of court free pass. The judge told the person receiving prosecutorial discretion, You are free to go and live your life, and the government has no interest in removing you from the country. Prosecutorial Discretion Its not clear how many illegal immigrants benefited from the Biden-era prosecutorial discretion, as the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions about it in 2022 or now. Those who received it were in addition to the more than 2.8 million the Biden administration simply paroled into the country immediately, a novel twist to immigration law subsequently ruled illegal by federal judges. Under Trump, a similar step is taken with a different tone. In some instances, the DHS lawyer announced the government was dropping charges as the person is no longer an enforcement priority. Doing so does not change the fact that these people have previously been ruled removable, and by dropping the charges, the Department of Homeland Security can arrest and deport the illegal immigrant. That has led to arrests right outside of immigration courts from Boston to New Orleans and elsewhere. While Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents cant be outside every courtroom every day, this emphatic new move is the very one that could lead immigrants to eschew court as word spreads in the community about what is happening. Judge LaRocca seemed concerned about this development, which, like some of the novel twists to immigration law under the Biden administration, has sparked federal litigation. At one point, when the government suddenly moved to drop the charges, LaRocca asked the immigrant if they wanted to accept that arrangement, which would leave them without status and still eligible for removal, or if they wished to continue to a removal proceeding. The overarching message was that the U.S. may move to deport the person. LaRocca warned the government to be up front about what this might mean for the respondent, saying he had heard of cases where he walked out the door and was arrested. Although the administration has endured criticism over the lack of due process for migrants deported on planes to El Salvador, judges in New Orleans unfailingly made clear to those in court the options available to them. In nearly every case, when the judge asked a person if they wanted to request asylum, the answer was yes. Seeking Asylum That requires another future court date, usually years down the road. Asylum proceedings are not open to the public absent approval from the judge and the seeker, but RCI obtained such permission to witness two hearings. In the first, a couple from Honduras who came to the U.S. in April 2022 had requested asylum on the grounds that they were afraid to return. The woman testified that her brother had been murdered, and that when they tried to bring information about the case to Honduran police, in a town hours away from their hometown, a masked man brandished a gun at them. Suspicious cars then began to lurk around their home. The government attorney asked why they could not move somewhere else in Honduras, or if they had tried to go anywhere other than the U.S. They had not, they testified. The husband said his sister is associated with drug gangs, and consequently, the couple did not feel safe anywhere in Honduras. The woman testified she never planned to immigrate, but for their familys welfare, they fled here. LaRocca considered the case privately for some 90 minutes, then denied the asylum application. He told the couple he believed their testimony, but their case did not meet the asylum requirements, which specify credible evidence that the applicant fears discrimination at home because of race, sex, religion, membership in social groups, or fear of torture. Migrants whose asylum claims are denied can have their cases reviewed by the Board of Immigration Appeals. But that does not end the couples immigration court odyssey. LaRocca asked if they wished to appeal his decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals. When they said they did, LaRocca told them they must file that appeal in the next 30 days, which would lead to yet another court appearance. The second hearing RCI witnessed was before Judge Eric Marsteller. That case involved a 2022 application from an El Salvador woman and her two sons, who have each also filed separate asylum claims. For unclear reasons, the womans attorneys withdrew in February, and she told Marsteller that she had been unable to find a replacement since then. Although she has family in the U.S. a sister who has been granted asylum, a brother, and her mother all of the supporting evidence for her claim of horrific abuse from her father came from a letter sent by a former partner in El Salvador. Marsteller accepted the letter but told her it couldnt be entered into the record because it was in Spanish. A man in court, identified as her stepfather, stated that the woman and her sons live with him in Louisiana, and he informed the judge that he would be responsible for them. After more than an hour of the hearing, during which the sons departed the courtroom when the woman described her allegations of abuse, Marsteller asked the government for its position. The government attorney informed the court that the notice the woman had received was for a master calendar appearance, not an asylum hearing. Startled, Marsteller was forced to schedule another hearing. It will be in December 2026. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Kyrgyzstan attaches special importance to joint efforts in the field of social support, Deputy Minister of Labor, Social Security and Migration of Kyrgyzstan Kyyal Zhanuzakova said, Trend reports. She made the remark during the event "Strong familiesstrong societies: family support policies in the OTS countries" within the framework of the Second Meeting of Ministers and Heads of Departments Responsible for Family and Social Policy of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Baku. "Today's meeting is an important platform for exchanging experience, strengthening, and mutual understanding between the fraternal Turkic states. Family, social protection, and support for vulnerable groups of the population are not just spheres of public policy but also the basis for sustainable development, national cohesion, and human capital. Kyrgyzstan attaches special importance to joint efforts in the field of social support, especially in such pressing areas as family support, social integration, and protection of children, the elderly, and people with disabilities," she added. Zhanuzakova noted that interaction within the framework of the OTS will give new impetus to the development and implementation of effective, people-oriented social initiatives. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Father of four, faith leader, small business owner, author and now one of Georgias 2026 gubernatorial candidates, Olu Brown, has worn many hats. In this Q&A, Brown shares how each of these roles have influenced his campaign for governor and vision for Georgia. 'Our new business premium is around Rs 700 crore, which we want to take to Rs 2,000 crore.' Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff Parag Raja, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO), Bharti AXA Life Insurance, outlines the company's five-year road map, after 360 ONE Asset Management acquired a stake 15 per cent stake in the firm, in an interview with Aathira Varier/Business Standard in Mumbai. Following 360 ONE's stake acquisition, what are the strategice changes being implemented? We had to solve for growth capital, which we did with 360 ONE coming onboard with around Rs 450-500 crore. This sets up well for what we are internally calling Bharti AXA 2.0, which is the next five years (upto FY30). The first goal is to achieve 3x revenue. Our new business premium (NBP) is around Rs 700 crore, which we want to take to Rs 2,000 crore. Our aim is to take the gross premium of Rs 3,000 crore to about Rs 7,000 crore in five years. The second big goal is to ensure that our margins and embedded value grow. We are targeting a value of new business (VNB) margin of 25 per cent in the next five years. We also intend to have another investment coming in the next 2-3 years. The last piece is the profits that we will start to generate from here on. Even those, we will plough back. We will need about Rs 1,500-1,600 crore in the next five years. As you aspire to plough back profits, when do you plan to break even? Our break-even is planned for FY27. We saw about Rs 37 crore loss in FY25; it was Rs 146 crore in FY24. We do not intend to be over indexed on either a particular distribution channel or product segment. About 30-40 per cent of our business will come from non-par; 15-20 per cent from unit-linked insurance plans (Ulips); and 15-20 per cent will be par products. Currently, the mix is a little skewed towards non-par. Since you don't want to be indexed on a particular channel, what are your plans for distribution? Our focus is to make sure that a minimum 50 per cent of our sales come from proprietary channels. We want to expand distribution and we are going to enter into new partnerships as well. In FY20, more than 50 per cent of our sales came from corporate agents and brokers. Today, it has come down to 25 per cent. We have also increased our bancassurance partnerships to eight banks. With 360 ONE coming on board, it helps us in two ways -- we have got growth capital and it also gives us access to a very different super high net worth (HNI) clientele. We have also signed up with Nuvama, Spark and Blue Chip -- some of the key marquee partnerships in the last 4-5 months. This is all happening with a view of launching the Bharti AXA 2.0. In FY25, the life insurance industry's performance was muted both in premium and sale of policies... The retail segment of the industry posted 8-9 per cent growth in FY25. The industry growth was 20 per cent in H1FY25, and H2 was almost muted due to surrender-value regulations. The regulations, which are beneficial for the customer, are also good in the long term. But in the short term, the industry had to make some changes. The industry had to relook at distributor compensation and commercial deals with institutions and agents. This led to a readjustment. While the growth in policies has been flat, the ticket size has increased by 20 per cent for almost five years. There has been a change in the customer segment and distribution channel. Owing to this, ticket sizes are growing while growth in policy numbers has been flat. What is your expectation on the industry's performance in the coming years? The industry will grow about 10-12 per cent in FY26. But our Bharti AXA 2.0 journey requires us to grow at over 40 per cent in FY26. We are targeting this growth and eyeing 25 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in five years. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff '...the auto industry to get back to 7% to 8% annual growth.' 'High growth in the SUV segment alone will not achieve this, as it is a small market.' IMAGE: Maruti Suzuki India Senior Executive Officer of Marketing and Sales Partho Bannerjee, left, and actor Kartik Aryan at the launch of a new marketing campaign for the Maruti Brezza at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo Maruti Suzuki Chairman R C Bhargava was among the first to project that the passenger car industry growth would slow in FY25 after a dream run over the past two years, driven by post-pandemic pent-up demand. In an interview with Surajeet Das Gupta/Business Standard in New Delhi, Bhargava talks about the challenges of growth, electric vehicles (EVs), and the need for government incentives to revive the small-car market. The overall car market growth slowed considerably last year, and Siam projects it will be just 1 to 4 per cent this year. Under these circumstances, will Maruti Suzuki be able to achieve its target under the 3.0 plan of doubling production by FY31? While making our plan, we had projected very slow growth in the entry-level and small car segments. We relied on strong export growth to help us meet our targets. We exported 200,000 units in FY24 and 320,000 in FY25. In this financial year, we expect exports to exceed 400,000, and by FY31, we expect to reach around 800,000 cars. That would be a substantial figure, accounting for 20 per cent of total sales, which is not a small achievement. If small cars perform better than we have estimated, we will exceed our projections. However, at this moment, I cannot say whether we will meet the target of doubling production under the 3.0 plan as there are too many variables. IMAGE: Maruti's E-Vitara at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo Does this mean you will reassess your investment and capacity expansion plans? We are in the process of increasing our production capacity from 2.3 to 2.4 million units per annum to 2.7 to 2.8 million. This includes two new lines in Kharkhoda (Haryana), which will bring its capacity to 500,000 units in the next financial year. In Gujarat, we've added a new line, and in Manesar, we are adding capacity for around 100,000 units. But there's no urgency to build the second plant in Gujarat as previously envisaged. That will depend on market sentiment. Our capex for this year is around Rs 9,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 90 billion to Rs 100 billion). What do you think is required for the car industry to return to its earlier annual growth rates? My conviction is that for the industry to get back to a 7 to 8 per cent annual growth trajectory, we need robust growth of 8 to 10 per cent annually in the small car segment, which is currently declining. High growth in the SUV segment alone will not achieve this, as it is a small market. IMAGE: R C Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki. Photograph: B Mathur/Reuters Is government intervention needed to boost sales in the entry-level car segment? The high cost of meeting European standards for emissions and safety has led to the decline of the small car segment and has set the industry back several years. Between FY19 and FY23, the cost impact on small cars from these regulations was as high as 60 per cent. For larger cars, the cost increase was proportionately much lower due to their higher base price. This fact is now appreciated by the government, too. The solution is that a large part of the regulatory costs incurred in small cars for the new European norms has to be offset by lower duties. Only then can this segment recover and grow. Do you see potential for a mini car with limited range and lower cost for intra-city driving in India? In Japan, Kei cars were introduced to replace scooters and now make up one-third of the country's car market. They are primarily used by women in smaller towns and cities, not in major metros. These cars pay lower taxes and regulations are less stringent. It could be a better option for intra-city driving, which accounts for 95 per cent of car use in India. However, the question is whether Indian consumers will accept them. The company is conducting surveys on this. IMAGE: Maruti Suzuki's 4th generation Epic New Swift. Photograph: ANI Photo The EV market hasn't taken off as expected. You had planned to launch 7 to 8 EVs under the 3.0 strategy. Suzuki was also planning a large investment in a lithium-ion cell battery plant. Have you relooked at the plan? Yes, we've reduced the number of EVs we plan to launch to three or four. The Suzuki battery cell plant is on hold. The key problem is 40 per cent of an EV's cost lies in the lithium-ion battery, which is fully imported, mostly from China. That's what I would be scared about. It's similar to the rare earth magnet crisis the auto industry is now facing, since those are also made only in China. For India to achieve high EV penetration, we need local battery production, control over raw materials, and access to cutting-edge technology. Investors will require mitigation of these risks before they commit substantial funds. Do you think free-trade agreements India is negotiating with the EU or the US will benefit Indian carmakers? There are concerns by domestic players that they could adversely affect them? I believe lowering tariffs would help us enter these markets. In any case, we don't export to the US. The government has to make a decision based on the larger national interest. We must be willing to give something and take something in return so the overall outcome is favourable. We, of course, have no hesitation in competing with European carmakers. Under the 3.0 plan, Maruti Suzuki also aimed to restructure the organisation. How is that progressing? It's a work in progress. AI will definitely reduce repetitive tasks and ensure that decisions are more data-driven. There will be no job losses, as we are in a growing market. For instance, we can rationalise existing operations at our current plants and redeploy staff to our new factory in Kharkhoda, where we are expanding capacity. Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff Inflows into equity mutual fund (MF) schemes declined in May, logging their lowest tally in 13 months at Rs 19,013 crore. It came even as the gross systematic investment plan (SIP) inflows surged to a record high of Rs 26,688 crore. The decline in the net inflows was due to a 16 per cent month-on-month increase in redemptions last month. Investors pulled out Rs 37,591 crore in May, the highest since July 2024, according to data released by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi). Higher outflows, experts said, can be attributed to profit booking amid geopolitical and trade uncertainties. "The slowdown can be attributed to a mix of factors: a less buoyant equity market in May compared to April, concerns around global economic headwinds, and a possible consolidation phase or profit booking in the domestic equities following sharp rallies in the previous months and stretched valuations," said Himanshu Srivastava associate director Manager Research, Morningstar Investment Research India. The India-Pakistan tensions and the heightened volatility in equity markets globally could also be a factor, according to experts. "Equity net sales have seen a sharp downtick largely on account of higher redemptions. "This was probably due to the war-like situation in the beginning of the month leading to sentiment being cautious," said Akhil Chaturvedi, executive director & chief business officer, Motilal Oswal AMC. The equity market witnessed recovery for the third month in May with the benchmark Nifty 50 index rising 1.7 per cent. According to experts, investors who had invested close to the market peak may be using the recovery to take their money out. Many investors tend to refrain from redeeming when the value of their investment drops significantly below the peak value they have seen in the past - influenced by 'anchoring bias', said Nilesh D Naik, Head of Investment Products, Share.Market. "As the market started recovering from March, the redemptions have gradually started increasing. "If the market continues to remain strong, we could see this trend for another month or so, but stronger market sentiments could subsequently lead to increased gross inflow, thus normalizing the ratio," he added. While the redemptions went up, fresh investments remained flat, supported by record systematic investment plan (SIP) inflows. Investments through SIPs went up marginally to a new high of Rs 26,688 crore. While the inflows were subdued, the mark-to-market gains due to market recovery led to a significant rise in the total assets managed by the MF industry. "MF industry has crossed Rs 70 trillion in assets under management reaching new highs, driven by resilient retail participation and consistent SIP inflows. "The growth of SIP is particularly encouraging, indicating a shift towards disciplined, long-term investment," said Venkat N Chalasani chief executive Amfi. Among the key equity fund categories, the sharpest decline was recorded in largecap funds as the inflows more than halved to Rs 1,250 crore. Mid and smallcap funds saw inflows decline 15 per cent and 20 per cent to Rs 2,809 crore and Rs 3,214 crore, respectively. 'Can I sell ESOPs to get capital gain exemption?' 'Can I get tax exemption for buying a house from capital gain made from selling stocks?' Do you have income tax-related queries? Please ask your questions HERE and rediffGURU T S Khurana, a fellow member of The Institute of Cost Accountants of India, will answer them. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff Anonymous: I have an underconstruction property which is going on. Can I sell my esops and use that amount for this to get exemption from capital gains? Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) can be adjusted to get exemption u/s 54-F, subject to following conditions: 1. Property being Constructed must be a Residential Property/House/Flat. 2. It is assumed that Constructed on property was started within one year before the LTCG. 3. Its Construction should be completed within 3 years from the date of Sale of Securities. 4. Full Sale consideration of LTCAs should be invested in Construction of Residential property. Anonymous: We got her father's property amount 20Lakhs and we purchased land in that amount for that amount we should pay tax? Your Question needs more details to be replied specifically. However, please note the following points: 1. If you have received an amount of Rs 20L from your wife's parents (may be in cash or through banking channels), it is a Gift to you or to your wife from her parents, hence not Taxable. 2. If the property is first transferred to your wife & she sells the same, it would be subject to Long/Short Term Capital Gain. 3. If it is LTCG, you may claim exemption u/s 54, provided you purchase or construct a house, with in one year before or three years (for constructed & two years for purchased) after the sale of property. 4. You should construct a residential house on the land/plot you have purchased, with in specified time limits to get the exemption. VSPMANI: I have 3 houses (2 Flats and one individual house). The flats are remaining empty 4-5 months in an year due to non-occupation. How do I show my rental income in Tax return? Always receive Rent from Tenants through banking channels, which would be proof of actual rent received by you during the year. Still better is to get LEASE DEED from your tenants for the period of their occupancy of your flats. Claim VACANCY ALLOWANCE (for the period when your Flats remain vacant), under the head "Income from House Property", while filing your ITR. Hope this will serve your purpose. Sampath: I am vacating the house. The house owner is to return my advance. The house owner tries to give a signed UNDATED CHEQUE. HOW TO GO ABOUT IN THIS SITUATION? There should not be any problem in accepting a cheque for return of Advance Paid to your landlord, at the time of vacating the house. Ask him or get an assurance from him about the time within which, you would deposit the cheque for clearing. SYED: If I invest capital gain received through stock by buying a house property can I get tax exemption? You will have to Invest FULL SALE AMOUNT in buying a House Property to get Exemption (u/s 54F). Investment of only Capital Gain will not serve the purpose. Kindly note that if you invest less amount in house property, then you may be entitled to proportionate benefit & not full exemption. This is again subject to the condition that your Capital Gain is Long Term Capital Gain & not Short Term Capital Gain. You can ask rediffGURU T S Khurana your questions HERE. Disclaimer: This article is meant for information purposes only. This article and information do not constitute a distribution, an endorsement, an investment advice, an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities/schemes or any other financial products/investment products mentioned in this QnA or an attempt to influence the opinion or behaviour of the investors/recipients. Any use of the information/any investment and investment related decisions of the investors/recipients are at their sole discretion and risk. Any advice herein is made on a general basis and does not take into account the specific investment objectives of the specific person or group of persons. Opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. Lee Jae-myung's decisive victory in South Korea's snap presidential election marks a major political shift driven by the public backlash against authoritarianism, observes Dr Rajaram Panda. IMAGE: South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung at his inauguration at the national assembly in Seoul, June 4, 2025. Photograph: Jeon Heon-Kyun/Pool via Reuters South Korea has a new President. Lee Jae-myung, the former Democratic Party chief, won the snap presidential election on June 4. The snap poll was held on June 3 following then president Yoon Suk-yeol's ouster in April over his controversial December 3, 2024 martial law declaration. Lee's victory marks a potential shift in South Korea's foreign policy amid rising regional and global geopolitical tensions. With Lee's victory, the country is poised to see a new era in diplomacy as policy priorities could witness visible changes. The poll saw the highest voter turnout in 28 years. Lee received 49.42% of the vote and finished ahead of ruling People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo (41.15% and third-party contender Lee Jun-seol (8.34%). Unlike the razor-thin margin in the 2022 presidential race, this year saw a commanding triumph for Lee, clearly highlighting popular anger against Yoon's ill-conceived martial law declaration and a clear threat to democracy. Echoing public sentiment, Lee in his victory speech vowed to prevent any future military coup, condemning the use of arms entrusted by the people as a tool of intimidation. He pledged to revive the economy, improve livelihoods, and work toward a peaceful Korean peninsula where co-existence is possible. IMAGE: People watch a television screen broadcasting a news report on then president Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration and withdrawal of martial law at a railway station in Seoul. Photograph: Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters What led to the defeat of the conservatives? Following Lee's win, the conservatives are in turmoil with a blame game escalating after the crushing defeat. Rift widened within the PPP between the ex-president's allies and former party leader's camp. The PPP now finds itself at a political crossroads, even as the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) move to consolidate power over both the presidency and the national assembly. The PPP seems to be in total disarray, with some attributing the 2017 impeachment of then president Park Geun-hye as the original cause. Even as the PPP is embroiled in internal issues, the DPK is on fast-track mode in consolidating its position. With 171 seats in the national assembly and control of the presidency, the DPK is expected to pass key bills previously blocked by presidential vetoes, including legislation on special prosecutions and judicial reforms. IMAGE: A rally calling for then president Yoon to resign. Photograph: Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters What does DPK's victory mean for the Region? It is likely that South Korea shall see a potential shift in its foreign policy amid rapidly evolving geopolitical tides. Lee's populist tendencies and left-leaning ideology could lead to a significant realignment in Seoul's defence and diplomatic postures. Some analysts fear that South Korea's alliance relationship with the United States might be undermined and a serious rift could occur as Lee might prioritise ties with Beijing and Pyongyang over the United States. Such a policy approach could go against Washington's preference to intensify efforts to counter China's regional ambitions. President Donald Trump will surely not rejoice at such a policy from one of America's closest allies in Northeast Asia. If Lee chooses such a policy change, it would mean a perceptible departure from the policy pursued by his predecessor Yoon who sought closer ties with the US and elevated the alliance relationship to an unprecedented level. Barring the aberration of Yoon's ill-conceived martial law declaration, he had firmly positioned his country's ties with the US alongside Japan in efforts to contain Beijing's regional ambitions. It is expected that Lee is likely to adopt a measured policy and not confrontational despite his often incendiary rhetoric. Lee is expected to recognise the importance of South Korea's traditional alliances and is unlikely to seek any major change or undermine them. Moon Chung-in, a distinguished professor at Yonsei University and former presidential adviser, feels that Lee is a pragmatist and 'advocates a foreign policy rooted in empathy, one that respects neighbouring countries and seeks to understand their perspectives'. IMAGE: Protests to demand then president Yoon's removal from power. Photograph: Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters The biggest worry is that Lee's anti-Japan rhetoric could disturb regional peace. Throughout his political career, Lee has frequently criticised Japan and even referred Japan as a military adversary of South Korea. There is a possibility that tensions with Tokyo could flare up under Lee's administration as anti-Japanese sentiment seems run deep within him. The long-festering wartime labour issues, comfort women issue and the release of treated water from Fukushima could resurface and strain bilateral relations during Lee's administration. While Lee is unlikely to indulge in any sudden disruptive policy, thereby drastically alter Yoon's diplomatic stance, he could pursue domestic legislation aimed at penalising those who challenge established narratives of colonial-era history. Historians recall that under a previous left-wing administration, a special law was amended to allow criminal prosecution of those who expressed dissenting views about the May 1980 Gwangju uprising. It is feared that a similar law in a new administration could target those who express heterodox views on issues like comfort women or wartime labour, effectively silencing voices more cordial to Japan while avoiding direct confrontation with Seoul's neighbour. Unresolved legal issues could trouble Lee Lee continues to face serious legal challenges that could undermine his political legitimacy. On May 1, 2025 South Korea's supreme court overturned Lee's acquittal in an election law violation case and sent it back to the Seoul high court for retrial. Lee's term as president could be suddenly cut short if the verdict goes against him. The legal community remains sharply divided over whether a criminal case initiated before a presidential term can proceed once the defendant assumes office. There is also debate about whether a conviction would force the sitting president to step down. Aside from this, Lee faces several other criminal trials, including allegations of transferring bulk cash to North Korea through a private company during his tenure as governor of Gyeonggi province. The transfer was reportedly intended to facilitate a meeting with Kim Jong-un. IMAGE: South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung meets with party leaders after his inauguration in Seoul, June 4, 2025. Photograph: Jeon Heon-Kyun/Pool via Reuters Reactions from world leaders on Lee's victory Congratulatory messages poured in from world leaders after Lee's resounding victory, signalling a recalibrated foreign policy announcement in his inaugural address and a renewed focus on strengthening regional partnerships. First to congratulate Lee was Chinese President Xi Jinping who said Beijing places a high priority on its relationship with Seoul. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a message, highlighting the enduring strength of the Korea-US alliance. Rubio committed to modernising the US alliance with South Korea to confront new strategic challenges -- from supply chain resilience to regional deterrence. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba congratulated Lee, calling it 'a reflection of the will of the Korean people' and expressed hope for renewed relations after years of strain between the two countries. Both Washington and Tokyo stressed the importance of trilateral coordination, particularly in light of North Korea's ongoing weapons development and China's rising regional assertiveness. IMAGE: South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung and his wife Kim Hye-kyung, greet people after his inauguration at the national assembly in Seoul, June 4, 2025. Photograph: Lee Jin-man/Pool via Reuters What does Lee as president mean for India? Prime Minister Narendra Modi too extended his congratulations to Lee and expressed the desire to work together to further expand and strengthen the India-South Korea Special Strategic Partnership. 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the India-Korea Special Strategic Partnership. India would look forward to engaging with the South Korean government to impart fresh momentum to further strengthen the existing bilateral ties. Indeed, as resilient democracies and two leading economies, with shared values and interests, there are multiple areas of potential cooperation for the two countries to work together not only bilaterally but also in the regional and global context. There are a wide range of sectors ripe for collaboration, including clean energy, resilient supply chains, defence, digital technologies, infrastructure and human resource mobility. Dr Rajaram Panda is a former Senior Fellow at the Pradhanmantri Memorial Museum and Library, and MP-IDSA, New Delhi. He is also a former ICCR Chair Professor at Reitaku University, Japan. Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff and Anant Salvi/Rediff Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff As the election nears, political positions on prohibition are shifting. Kindly note the image has been published only for representational purposes.. Photograph: Reuters Some call it an "unmitigated disaster". Others want it reviewed and revised. A minority believes it should be scrapped altogether, arguing it simply hasn't worked. But the ruling Janata Dal-United) is unambiguous: Elections or not, the policy of prohibition in Bihar will not be rolled back. Assembly polls in the state are due in October-November this year. "There is no question. We are committed to it. We know how it has transformed the lives of women in Bihar. The effect of this change might not be visible in Patna and Delhi. But violence against women is conspicuously down in Bihar's rural areas," JD-U Working President Sanjay Jha, also a member of the Rajya Sabha, told Business Standard over the phone from Seoul, where he was leading a multi-party delegation after Operation Sindoor. "Yes, we are losing revenue because of this policy. But so what? Doesn't the government exist to make the lives of citizens better?" asked Jha. "Throughout his tenure, Nitishji (Chief Minister Nitish Kumar) has tried to empower women in Bihar. We will never let them down." His alliance partners are less sanguine. Former Union minister and former Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Ara R K Singh veered away from the party line during a public meeting in Bhojpur a few weeks ago, calling on Nitish Kumar to comprehensively review the decision on the liquor ban, widely believed to be the core reason for the loss of 2,000 lives since its imposition. 'Prohibition has failed to serve its purpose in Bihar. It is better to abolish it through proper means,' Singh said. 'The reality is that prohibition is only on paper. Had there been good management, prohibition would have been successful in Bihar. A large section of people is involved in the sale of illicit alcohol.' Singh, a former IAS officer, stopped short of stating outright that Bihar lacks the administrative capacity to enforce prohibition. His party did not contradict him directly, instead targeted Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav and others seeking a review of the policy, pointing to the Yadav family's past investments in the liquor trade. When it was implemented in 2016, prohibition had bipartisan support in Bihar. At the time, the RJD was in alliance with the JD-U, and Yadav supported Kumar, agreeing the policy would increase women's household income and reduce domestic violence stemming from alcohol abuse. Then in Opposition, the BJP had little to counter this -- until the proliferation of illicit liquor began causing hundreds of deaths across the state. The worst incident took place in Chapra in 2022, when 65 people died after consuming liquor that contained 80 per cent methyl alcohol and industrial spirit. "The hospital could not accommodate them; in the compound you could only hear the wailing of family members. Many lost their eyesight. Some didn't make it to the hospital and died in their village," an IAS officer who witnessed the scene told Business Standard. The BJP then demanded strict action against the so-called 'liquor mafia'. More incidents of deaths from spurious liquor have been reported since then. While some stem from illegal stills producing toxic country liquor, methyl alcohol has remained the deadliest ingredient. In October last year, around Diwali, more than 20 people died in Siwan and Saran districts. As the election nears, political positions on prohibition are shifting. Last fortnight, Bihar Tourism Minister Raju Singh proposed policy tweaks aimed at reviving tourism and the state's hotel industry -- though he clarified that any change would have to be made by the cabinet. The RJD's Yadav announced that, if elected, his government would revoke the ban on toddy and formally recognise it as an industry. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas Paswan), led by Chirag Paswan, has thrown its weight behind this. The reason is clear: For Dalit communities such as the Pasi and Musahar castes, brewing country liquor from mahua flowers and tapping toddy are long-standing sources of livelihood. However, illegal stills can be lethal. One fact is undeniable -- prohibition has led to a significant revenue loss for Bihar. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India, in a report published in 2018, stated that the state's revenue dropped by Rs 1,490 crore (Rs 14.90 billion) in 2016-2017, primarily due to the liquor ban. Meanwhile, spending by the state excise department nearly doubled that year, from Rs 49 crore (Rs 490 million) in 2015-2016 to Rs 91 crore (Rs 910 million), owing to the costs of enforcing the policy. Direct investment also took a hit. During his first term as chief minister in 2005, Kumar had promised to liberalise liquor trade to boost revenue. The result was an eightfold increase in excise receipts, from Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) to Rs 4,000 crore (Rs 40 billion). British businessman and Cobra beer owner Karan Bilimoria established a distillery in Bihta and announced plans, in partnership with international beer brand Molson Coors, to set up 10 more units in Bihar, supporting barley production in the state. But after 2016, according to sources close to him quoted in Business Standard, the state government would not even permit him to repurpose the Bihta facility to produce fruit juice. In Konar, 12 km from Sasaram, where prohibition activism first gained traction in 2013, little appears to have changed. NGOs report that alcohol addiction remains a serious concern, particularly for women. Political figures such as Prashant Kishore have therefore vowed that, if elected, their government would scrap prohibition 'within one hour', describing its implementation as a public health hazard. The prohibition law in Bihar is severe. If found in violation, entire families can be jailed. Between April 2016 and August 2024, 843,000 cases were registered and 1.279 million people arrested, according to figures from the Department of Excise. "There will be no U-turn," Sanjay Jha reiterated, amid unconfirmed reports that the policy might be reviewed for certain categories of alcohol. Regardless, prohibition is likely to emerge as a key issue in the upcoming election campaign. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Tajikistan spills beans on its strides in harvesting grain crops Photo: Kazakhstan's JSC Tajikistans grain harvest is coming along like a house on fire, with wheat yields looking as bright as a button, paving the way for a bumper crop ahead. At the same time, the country has put its ducks in a row by securing a hefty stash of livestock feed, bolstering the backbone of its animal husbandry sector. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register A day after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath opposed the glorification of warrior-saint Syed Salar Masud Ghazi, Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Bahraich Anand Gond on Wednesday demanded an Archaeological Survey of India of the premises of Masud's Dargah, claiming the existence of a "Surya Kund" there. IMAGE: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with his ministerial colleagues after the inauguration of a statue of Maharaja Suheldev, Bahraich, June 10, 2025. Photograph: Courtesy, Yogi Adityanath/X Gond also claimed that the Dargah premises was the meditation site of Maharaja Suheldev's guru, Rishi Balark. Addressing a gathering in the presence of Adityanath on Tuesday, Gond had referred to a well in the Dargah complex as "Surya Kund" and said it held historical and spiritual significance. He urged the state and central governments to restore the site and install a statue of Rishi Balark there. Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Gond said, "The people of Bahraich have been making this demand for decades. Maharaja Suheldev, the valiant king who defeated foreign invaders, was guided by his guru Rishi Balark, a devout worshipper of the Sun God. Surya Kund was his place of worship and has religious importance. People believe bathing in its water cures skin diseases." He added that the well is currently in a dilapidated condition and should be renovated. "It should be developed as a grand site in honour of Rishi Balark, and an ASI survey should be conducted to facilitate further development. Honouring Rishi Balark would help preserve his legacy," he said. Maharaja Suheldev, an icon of the Rajbhar community, had defeated and killed Ghaznavid general Masud in a battle on the banks of the Chittora Lake in Bahraich in 1033 AD. The dargah built over Masud's grave has traditionally hosted a large annual fair in the Hindu month of Jyeshtha, but this year the district administration cancelled the event citing law and order concerns. On Tuesday, Adityanath had inaugurated a memorial and statue of Maharaja Suheldev in Chittora, Bahraich. In his address, the chief minister praised both Maharaja Suheldev and his guru Rishi Balark, and strongly criticised Salar Masud, calling him a foreign invader. "Freedom from colonial mentality means putting a complete ban on events held in the name of Salar Masud," Adityanath had said. He asserted, "No programmes will be held in the name of foreign invaders. The main celebrations in Bahraich will revolve around Maharaja Suheldev, Rishi Balark, and the deity Maa Pateshwari, not on the names of invaders." Several right-wing organisations like the VHP have claimed Surya Kund to be the site of Rishi Balark's penance. The United States reaffirmed its strong support for India's fight against terrorism and the bilateral strategic partnership during the visit of an Indian all-party parliamentary delegation last week, the State Department said. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a discussion with delegation members who went to various countries for Operation Sindoor global outreach, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi on June 10, 2025. Photograph: PMO/ANI Photo The United States reaffirmed its strong support for India's fight against terrorism and the bilateral strategic partnership during the visit of an Indian all-party parliamentary delegation last week, the State Department said. The multi-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor met the US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau last week in Washington. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at a press briefing on Tuesday that Landau reaffirmed the US' strong support to India in the fight against terrorism and the strategic partnership between the two countries. The delegation visited the US as part of the government's global outreach efforts after Operation Sindoor. India launched the operation in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. Responding to a question, Bruce said that a Pakistani parliamentary delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met officials of the State Department, including Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, during its visit to Washington last week. Hooker reiterated the US support for the ongoing cessation of on-ground hostilities as you might imagine, thank God between India and Pakistan, Bruce said, adding that they also discussed important issues about the US-Pakistan bilateral relationship, including counterterrorism cooperation. So that meeting occurred. When asked if the US received any assurance from Pakistan that it will take action against terrorists, Bruce said she was not going to discuss the details of those conversations. In response to a question on President Donald Trump offering to mediate on the issue of Kashmir, Bruce said, Well, I obviously, I can't speak to what's on the mind or the plans of the President. What I do know is that I think we all recognise that President Trump in each step that he takes, it's made to solve generational differences between countries, generational war." Bruce added that it should not "surprise" anyone that he would want to "manage" something like that. So, while I can't speak to his plans, the world knows his nature, and I can't speak to any details of what he might have in that regardBut it is an exciting time that if we can get to a point in that particular conflict..," Bruce said adding that it is a "very interesting time. India has rejected any mediation related to the dispute on Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan and maintains that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are and will always remain an "integral" part of the country. Raja Raghuvanshi, the Indore resident killed while honeymooning in Meghalaya, was told by his wife Sonam that she would let him consummate the marriage only after making an offering at the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, investigators said on Wednesday. IMAGE: Sonam Raghuvanshi being taken from Phulwari Police Station by Meghalaya Police on a three-day transit remand, in Patna on Tuesday. Photograph: ANI Photo Accordingly, Raja planned their trip to Guwahati and adjacent Meghalaya for the honeymoon, while his wife and her boyfriend allegedly plotted to kill him in the jungles of the northeastern state, considering its perceived remoteness, they said. "Sonam convinced her husband Raja that they need to make offerings at the Kamakhya Devi Temple before consummating the marriage," a police officer who is a part of the investigation told PTI. Sonam and Raja got married in Indore on May 11 and arrived in Meghalaya via Guwahati in Assam on May 20. Both of them went missing on May 23 in Sohra in East Khasi Hills district, hours after checking out of a homestay at Nongriat village. Raja's body was found in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls on June 2. A search continued for Sonam, who emerged in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, around 1,200 km away, in the early hours of June 9 and surrendered as police arrested his boyfriend Raj Kushwaha and the three contract killers hired by them to murder Raja. "Sonam coerced her husband to take her to the deep jungles of Nongriat with the belief that the hitmen she hired would have a better chance of killing him somewhere on the route, considering it is secluded. But, since there were too many tourists trekking to Nongriat on May 22 and May 23, they couldn't kill him there," the officer said. "They finally killed him near Weisawdong Falls, and dumped his body into the deep gorge," he said. East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem, who is overseeing the investigation, told PTI that the contract killers arrived in Guwahati on May 21, a day after the couple reached the Northeast. The killers procured a machete from outside their hotel in Guwahati, and then travelled by road to Shillong, he said. "We have gathered CCTV evidence, making this investigation a very tight-knit one," he said. Sonam was in touch with her boyfriend Raj throughout the day of the murder, while Raj coordinated with the three contract killers, he said. "Sonam was present when Raja was killed," the officer said, adding that after the crime, she fled. "She took a taxi from Mawkdok to Shillong, and then hired a tourist cab to Guwahati before boarding multiple trains to avoid detection. While she claims to have reached Indore directly, this is still being verified," he said. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Meghalaya Police is working across locations to piece together the entire chain of events, another officer said. "We are also verifying Sonam's claim that she had never been to Meghalaya before. The SIT is committed to filing a watertight chargesheet," he said. Sonam, her boyfriend Raj and the three suspected contract killers -- Vishal Singh Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi -- were produced before a court in Shillong. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance will contest the upcoming local body elections in the state together except for friendly fights where tie-ups do not materialise, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday. IMAGE: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during the foundation stone laying ceremony and inauguration of various development projects, in Akola, Maharashtra, June 11, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo Elections to several municipal corporations and other local bodies, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, have been pending for the last three years. The state BJP president, working president, and the election committee of the party are authorised to take decisions related to the local bodies elections, Fadnavis told reporters in Akola after launching irrigation and power generation projects. "We have decided to contest the polls as an alliance. There will be friendly fights wherever a tie-up does not work out," he added. The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena are the two other members of the alliance. When asked about Prahar Janshakti Party leader Bachhu Kadu's hunger strike, Fadnavis said district guardian minister Chandrashekar Bawankule will speak to him. Kadu is on hunger strike for four days over demands related to farmers' issues. Responding to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi enquiring about Sharad Pawar's health when he met MP and Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule during a meeting with all-party delegations, Fadnavis said, "Humanity, sensitivity exist in politics. We are ideological adversaries, not enemies." It is a marker of a strong democracy, the chief minister said. Sule was part of one of the delegations which visited foreign countries to put forth India's stand on Pakistan-backed terrorism after Operation Sindoor. While politics keeps evolving, the state government is stable and the three Mahayuti allies will stay together, he added. Addressing a rally organised by the BJP in the city later, Fadnavis urged the people to support the ruling alliance in the local body elections just as they did during last year's assembly elections. Fadnavis said 10 lakh hectares of land will be irrigated by the Wainganga River Connect Project which will also cover Buldhana district. He said the state government has signed an agreement with Meta to enable people to file applications and obtain certificates through WhatsApp. Fadnavis laid the foundation stone and dedicated to people development works of Rs 2,588 crore. In Mumbai, Shiv Sena-UBT leader Sanjay Raut said the party has begun preparations for the civic body polls under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray. Discussions are going on within the party whether to contest the civic body polls as part of an alliance or independently. "Shiv Sena party chief (Thackeray) has authorised local leaders and asked them to review where polls can be fought in an alliance. At places where it is not possible, we can contest independently or not. A decision will be taken by the party chief. A decision on (whether to contest the) Mumbai (polls as an alliance or independently) will also be taken," Raut said. The stage is set for the much-awaited elections to civic bodies, with the state government issuing a notification to finalise ward boundaries. The move follows a Supreme Court directive last month asking the SEC to proceed with the elections while hearing petitions related to the OBC quota and ward delimitation. Civic body polls in the state have been pending for two years. A 45-year old man along with his four children committed suicide by jumping in front of a train in Faridabad on Tuesday, police said. Image used for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo All five died on the spot, they said. According to the police, Manoj Mahato (45), a native of Bihar, had some dispute with his wife Priya. This morning, an argument broke out between the couple after which the man left the house saying that he was taking their four children to a park. Before committing suicide, he had given cold drinks and chips to the children. When the train arrived, the children tried to escape, but the man had clutched them in his arms, they said. The police said that the incident took place around 12.55 pm when the Golden Temple Express train was about to reach Ballabgarh station. About a kilometer before the station, the man was seen walking along the railway track carrying two children on his shoulders and holding the hands of two others, they said. The loco pilot kept blowing the horn from a distance but the man did not move from the track. When the train came close to them, he jumped in front of the train with the children -- Pawan (10), Karu (9), Murli (5) and Chotu (3). After getting information about this incident, a police team reached the spot and removed the bodies from the track. A note was found in Mahato's pocket that had his wife's number in it. "Mahato suspected that his wife was unfaithful, which could be the reason behind the extreme step," Inspector Rajpal, SHO of GRP said. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. With a top US general calling Pakistan a "phenomenal partner" in the counterterrorism world, the Congress on Wednesday asked what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to say about this and whether it is not a "diplomatic setback". IMAGE: US army General Michael 'Erik' Kurilla. Photograph: Jehad Shelbak/Reuters The opposition party also cited a media report which claimed that Pakistan's chief of army staff General Syed Asim Munir is scheduled to visit Washington, DC, for the US Army Day celebrations, and said this is "another huge diplomatic setback for India". US Army General Michael Kurilla, Commander of US Central Command, has said the United States has to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India, and noted that it cannot be a "binary switch" where Washington cannot have ties with Islamabad if it has relations with New Delhi. Kurilla made the comments during a testimony before the US House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. Pakistan is "in an active counterterrorism fight right now and they have been a phenomenal partner in the counterterrorism world", the general said. Sharing a media report on Kurilla's remarks, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The US Central Command Chief has just described Pakistan as a 'phenomenal partner in counter-terrorism'." "What do our PM and his cheerleaders have to say about this? Is this not a diplomatic setback?" Ramesh said on X. In another post, Ramesh shared a media report which claimed that Pakistan's chief of army staff General Syed Asim Munir is scheduled to visit Washington DC, for the US Army Day celebrations on June 14. "This is the man who spoke in such incendiary and provocative language just before the Pahalgam terror attacks. What is the US really up to? This is another huge diplomatic setback for India," Ramesh said. In his remarks, Kurilla said, "We have to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India. I do not believe it is a binary switch that we can't have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India." "We should look at the merits of the relationship for the positives that it has," he said. "ISIS Khorasan (ISIS K) is perhaps one of the most active in trying to do external plots globally to include against the homeland. The Taliban is going after ISIS K - they hate each other, and have pushed a lot of them into the tribal areas on the Afghan-Pakistan border," he said at the full Committee Hearing on 'US Military Posture and National Security Challenges AFRICOM + CENTCOM.' "Through a phenomenal partnership with Pakistan, they have gone after ISIS Khorasan, killing dozens of them. Through a relationship we have with them providing intelligence, they have captured at least five ISIS Khorasan high value individuals," the top US general said. Kurilla's comments came days after an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation visited the US to convey India's strong resolve to combat terrorism emanating from Pakistan in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. India has decided to submit a dossier at the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting, calling for Pakistan to be placed back on the grey list of the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. IMAGE: Pakistani soldiers pictured on a tank during the Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad. Photograph: Saiyna Bashir/Reuters Pakistan on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, raised its defence expenditure by 20 per cent to $9 billion in the annual federal Budget for 2025-2026 (FY26) over the preceding year, but slashed overall federal expenditure by a hefty 7 per cent for the July-June financial year. This is likely to invite close scrutiny from New Delhi that has accused Pakistan of diverting financial support from multilateral agencies towards unproductive defence spending targeted at India. New Delhi last week vehemently opposed the Asian Development Bank's financial assistance of $800 million to Pakistan, raising concerns about potential misuse of the funds. Last month, the International Monetary Fund also approved a $1 billion loan to Pakistan despite India's strong objection. Indian officials cautioned the ADB on Pakistan's increasing defence expenditure, its declining tax-to-GDP ratio, and the lack of demonstrable progress on key macroeconomic reforms. At the ADB Board meeting, India highlighted that while Pakistan's tax collection as a share of GDP declined from 13 per cent in FY18 to 9.2 per cent in FY23, there has been a significant increase in defence spending during the same period. 'This points to the possibility of diversion of funds made available to the country by external agencies, including financial institutions, especially those that are made available by fungible debt financing, through instruments such as policy-based loans, for increased defence spending,' India stressed. Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up following the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, in which 26 civilians were killed. It culminated in the launch of Operation Sindoor. India has decided to submit a dossier at the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting, calling for Pakistan to be placed back on the grey list of the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. New Delhi is likely to highlight multiple commissions and omissions by Pakistan, such as restitution of money, failure to pass anti-terror laws, hosting terrorists, and buying military equipment with development funding. The FATF grey list flags countries with 'strategic deficiencies' in countering money laundering and terror financing. Re-entry into the list could have far-reaching consequences for Pakistan, including diminished foreign investment, increased borrowing costs, and tighter scrutiny from global financial institutions. Pakistan was removed from the grey list in 2022 after the FATF acknowledged its progress in strengthening its anti-money laundering and counter-financing terrorism frameworks. According to sources, Pakistan allocates around 18 per cent of its general Budget to 'defence affairs and services', significantly higher than the average 10 to 14 per cent observed even in conflict-affected countries. Moreover, between 1980 and 2023, Pakistan's arms imports reportedly rose by more than 20 per cent during periods it received IMF disbursements compared to the years when it did not. Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff A Pakistani citizen living in Canada has been extradited to the United States to face charges for plotting an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at a Jewish centre in New York City around the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks, US officials said. IMAGE: FBI Director Kash Patel announces the extraction news on X. Photograph: @FBIDirectorKash/X Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, was extradited to the US on Tuesday in connection with an indictment filed in the Southern District of New York, the Department of Justice said in a press release. He was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) terrorist organisation and attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries. Khan is scheduled to make an initial appearance in court on Wednesday. FBI Director Kash Patel said Khan allegedly tried to enter the US to commit an attack on the Jewish community in New York City, planning an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on October 7, 2024, around the first anniversary of the 2023 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. "Major news...earlier this afternoon, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, was extradited to the United States on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism," Patel said in a post on X. US Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York said Khan planned to use automatic weapons to kill as many members of the Jewish community as possible, all in support of ISIS, the press release said. 'The launch of Axiom 04 slated for 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS is postponed.' IMAGE: Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and Commander Peggy Whitson. Photograph: Kind courtesy Space X/X SpaceX on Wednesday announced the postponement of the Falcon 9 launch of the Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), citing the need for additional time to repair a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak. 'Standing down from tomorrow's Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete -- and pending Range availability -- we will share a new launch date,' the company said in a post on X. Following the announcement, the Indian Space Research Organisation also confirmed the delay of the Axiom-4 mission, which was scheduled for launch on June 11, 2025, and was set to carry the first Indian Gaganyatri to the ISS. 'Postponement of Axiom 04 mission slated for launch on 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS. As part of launch vehicle preparation to validate the performance of booster stage of Falcon 9 launch vehicle, seven second of hot test was carried out on the launch pad. It is understood that LOX leakage was detected in the propulsion bay during the test. 'Based on the discussion on this topic by ISRO team with the experts of Axiom and SpaceX it has been decided to correct the leak and carry out necessary validation test before clearing for the launch. Hence the launch of Axiom 04 slated for 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS is postponed. With regards, V. Narayanan, Secretary DOS/Chairman ISRO and Chairman Space Commission.' Despite the delay, the Axiom-4 mission remains significant. The Ax-4 crew includes members from India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first mission to the space station in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years, according to Axiom Space. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be India's second national astronaut to go to space since 1984. Group Captain Shukla is part of Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4), marking a historic moment for India's space collaboration with NASA. Slawosz Uznanski, European Space Agency project astronaut, will be the second Polish astronaut since 1978. Tibor Kapu will be the second national Hungarian astronaut since 1980. Peggy Whitson will command her second commercial human spaceflight mission, adding to her standing record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut. According to Axiom Space, the Ax-4 mission will 'realise the return' to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first government-sponsored flight in more than 40 years. While this is the second human spaceflight mission in history for these countries, it will be the first time all three will execute a mission aboard the International Space Station. Sonam Raghuvanshi, who allegedly plotted the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, paid Rs 20 lakh to hitmen after the gruesome murder, according to media reports. IMAGE: Vishal Chauhan, Raj Kushwaha and Akash Rajput, three of the four accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case. Photograph: Indore Police/ANI Photo According to NDTV, Sonam had offered Rs 4 lakh to contract killers for the murder however she later raised the amount to Rs 20 lakh. Top police sources told NDTV that Sonam helped the other accused in pushing Raghuvanshi's body into a gorge in Meghalaya. Another report in Hindustan Times, citing a Meghalaya Police officer, claimed that Sonam initially handed over Rs 15,000 in cash to the assailants, which she had taken directly from her husband's wallet during the crime. "Raj Kushwaha claims he didn't want to support Sonam and at the last moment, cancelled his plan to go to Meghalaya. He also allegedly asked the three others not to go, but they went to see Meghalaya after Sonam booked the tickets. Even at the last moment, the three refused to kill, but Sonam insisted and said she would give Rs 15 lakh for that. Police are verifying these claims," a senior police officer from Indore told Hindustan Times. Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam were reported missing on May 23 and days later, the body of the newlywed groom was discovered on June 2 in a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra, also known as Cherrapunji, in the East Khasi Hills district. Sonam surrendered to the police in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district, while Raj Kushwaha and three other accused were apprehended in various parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The Special Investigation Team constituted by the Meghalaya Police is probing every detail of this case. According to the SIT, Sonam took a local taxi to reach Guwahati before boarding a train. Her accomplices -- the three arrested accused -- also took a tourist taxi to the station in Guwahati where they boarded a train to Indore. "Sonam actually took a local taxi from Mawkdok and then hopped on a local train from Guwahati. She kept changing trains on her way to Indore," East Khasi Hills district Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem told PTI. However, it is still not clear how did she land in Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, hometown of her alleged boyfriend, police said. Mawkdok is a tourist spot located near Sohrarim where the couple's rented scooter from Shillong was found abandoned. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, June 11. President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with a delegation headed by Nobumitsu Hayashi, Governor of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), within the program of the Tashkent Investment Forum and Foreign Investors Council, Trend reports. The parties considered issues of expanding practical cooperation and promoting joint projects with the participation of this leading Japanese financial institution. JBIC's contribution to the development and modernization of key sectors of Uzbekistan's economy was noted with satisfaction. Nowadays, the portfolio of joint projects has reached almost $4 billion, including in such spheres as petrochemical, textile industry, energy, information technologies, infrastructure, and other areas. The importance of the early preparation and promotion of cooperation projects with the participation of Japanese companies in the field of green energy, IT, transport, and health care within the framework of a new three-year cooperation program was emphasized. Moreover, it was noted the importance of taking practical measures to open the Japanese International University in Uzbekistan. Following the talks, the sides agreed to adopt a comprehensive roadmap. A clash between a group of students, who were protesting outside the office of the Vice Chancellor of the Haryana Agricultural University in Hisar, and security guards left several students injured, sources said on Wednesday. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Courtesy CCSHAU website The students of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, who were protesting against changes in merit scholarship eligibility rules for postgraduate students, claimed that the guards assaulted them when they were sitting on a "peaceful dharna" on Tuesday evening. However, the university administration claimed that some students tried to enter the VC office while raising slogans and also manhandled the guards. At least six students have been injured in the incident and they are currently undergoing treatment at the government hospital Hisar, the sources said. However, some of the protesters claimed that 20 students were injured in the incident. The protesting students demanded immediate action against the chief security officer/security staff of the university. A case has been registered in Hisar on Wednesday against some of the security guards on the complaint of a student, the sources said. The students claimed that the university used to give scholarships to all students achieving a minimum score of 70 per cent, but the recent amendments limit scholarships to the top 25 per cent of students, while the minimum eligibility requirement was raised from 70 percent to 75 percent. The students claimed that they were protesting peacefully when the security personnel pushed them without any reason. After this, the students sat on a dharna outside the Vice Chancellor's residence at night. The students alleged that the security guards of the university cane-charged them due to which a few students also suffered head injuries. A large number of police personnel was deployed at the site to control the situation. The protesting students claimed that the university administration neither took any initiative for dialogue nor found any solution to their demand. On the contrary, when the students tried to make their voices heard, the varsity administration sent security guards and chased the students and beat them, a protesting student alleged. Meanwhile, the university administration claimed in a written statement that some students tried to enter the VC office raising slogans. When the security personnel standing there tried to stop them, the students beat them up and also tore their uniforms, it alleged, adding the security personnel then tried to drive the students away. Earlier, on this issue, after meeting the students, the Vice Chancellor had formed a committee on their demand, but the students did not meet the committee, the statement said. Some protesting students of HAU Wednesday said they have started a sit-in protest in front of Gate No. 4 of the varsity here in protest against the clash that took place last night. Meanwhile, opposition parties in Haryana strongly condemned the cane charge against the university students. Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, in a statement on Wednesday, questioned under which law the security officials of the University were given "the right to attack the students who were peacefully demanding restoration of their scholarship?" Surjewala alleged that the lathicharge on the students "is a criminal act and for this, the VC, Registrar and Security Incharge of the University should be immediately arrested and dismissed from their posts". He attacked the BJP, saying the Congress built these world-class institutions like HAU in 70 years, but "let alone taking them forward, the BJP government is not even able to run them properly". Indian National Lok Dal's student wing national in-charge and party MLA Arjun Chautala also strongly condemned the incident, calling the cane charge on students "very shameful, reprehensible and cruel step". PTI Cor SUN Following the postponement of the Axiom 4 mission, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, said that his family is 'mentally' prepared for the mission. Shambhu Dayal Shukla, father of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, speaks to the media on the postponement of Axiom 04 mission, in Lucknow on Wednesday. Photograph: ANI Photo He said that his family was informed that the mission was postponed at 6 am on Wednesday and another date has not been revealed. Shambhu Dayal Shukla stated that his family is waiting for the announcement of the next date for the Axiom mission. He further said that he spoke to Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on Tuesday and said that he is 'fit' and ready for the mission. "At around 6 am, we were informed that the mission has been postponed. We have not been informed about the next date. We are mentally prepared for the mission to be launched, and waiting for the announcement of the next date. I spoke to my son yesterday, he is fit and ready for the mission", he told ANI. Earlier on Wednesday, SpaceX announced the postponement of the Falcon 9 launch of the Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), citing the need for additional time to repair a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak. 'Standing down from tomorrow's Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete -- and pending Range availability -- we will share a new launch date,' the company said in a post on X. Following the announcement, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also confirmed the delay of the Axiom-4 mission, which was scheduled for launch on June 11, 2025, and was set to carry the first Indian Gaganyatri to the ISS. In a statement, ISRO said: 'Postponement of Axiom 04 mission slated for launch on 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS. As part of launch vehicle preparation to validate the performance of booster stage of Falcon 9 launch vehicle, seven second of hot test was carried out on the launch pad. It is understood that LOX leakage was detected in the propulsion bay during the test. Based on the discussion on this topic by ISRO team with the experts of Axiom and SpaceX it has been decided to correct the leak and carry out necessary validation test before clearing for the launch. Hence the launch of Axiom 04 slated for 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS is postponed. With regards, V. Narayanan, Secretary DOS/ Chairman ISRO and Chairman Space Commission.' Despite the delay, the Axiom-4 mission remains significant. The Ax-4 crew includes members from India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first mission to the space station in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years, according to Axiom Space. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be India's second national astronaut to go to space since 1984. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is part of Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4), marking a historic moment for India's space collaboration with NASA. Slawosz Uznanski, European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut, will be the second Polish astronaut since 1978. Tibor Kapu will be the second national Hungarian astronaut since 1980. Peggy Whitson will command her second commercial human spaceflight mission, adding to her standing record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut. Tech billionaire Elon Musk has expressed regret over his recent remarks about United States President Donald Trump, stating that some of his posts last week "went too far." IMAGE: Elon Musk greets US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, May 30, 2025. Photograph: Nathan Howard/Reuters Taking to his official handle on X (formerly Twitter), Musk posted, "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far." Meanwhile, Trump warned Musk of "serious consequences" if he funds Democratic candidates running against Republicans backing the GOP's budget bill, escalating tensions between the two influential figures. Speaking to NBC News in a phone interview on Saturday, Trump said, "If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that." However, he refused to elaborate on what those consequences might be. He added, "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that." Trump further clarified he had no desire to repair ties with Musk after their public fallout. When asked whether he wished to reconnect with Musk, Trump responded, "No." When asked if his relationship with Musk was over, Trump replied, "I would assume so, yeah." Trump made it clear he had no plans to speak with Musk anytime soon, stating, "I'm too busy doing other things," and added, "I have no intention of speaking to him." He accused Musk of being "disrespectful to the office of the President," saying, "I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the President." Musk had targeted Trump in a series of posts shared on X last Thursday, including a now-deleted post, where he referenced Trump's past association with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. On Saturday, Trump responded by saying, "That's called 'old news,' that's been old news, that has been talked about for years." He added, "Even Epstein's lawyer said I had nothing to do with it. It's old news." Elon Musk had previously served for 130 days as a "special government employee" leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Since his exit, he has been critical of Trump's spending bill. Responding to Musk's criticism, Trump told reporters on Thursday, "I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill. I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot." In the days following this, Musk launched a series of attacks on Trump via X, including a now-deleted post that supported a call for Trump's impeachment. Another post warned that Trump's tariff agenda could trigger a recession later this year. In retaliation, Trump shared several posts on his social media platform, Truth Social. One post read, "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago," implying Musk had been aware of the bill's contents before its passage. Trump also threatened to cancel government contracts with Musk's companies. In a Truth Social post, he 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." On Saturday, Trump clarified that he had not yet acted on the suggestion to cancel federal contracts with Musk's companies, saying, "I'd be allowed to do that," but admitted, "I haven't given it any thought." Musk had been a major financial backer of Trump during last year's elections, reportedly spending over a quarter of a billion dollars to support him in swing states, NBC News reported. In the early months of Trump's presidency, Musk led the Department of Government Efficiency, where he oversaw mass layoffs and closures of several federal agencies. Trump believes the feud with Musk has inadvertently highlighted the benefits of his budget bill. "I think Elon brought out the strengths of the bill because people who weren't as focused started focusing on it, and they see how good it is," he said. "So in that sense, there was a big favour. But I think Elon, I think it's a shame that he's so depressed and so heartbroken." Musk's recent criticisms come at a crucial time for what Trump calls his "big, beautiful bill", which includes extensive tax cuts and increased military spending. The bill was narrowly passed in the House of Representatives last month, with only three Republicans voting against it, amidst unified Democratic opposition. The brother of Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of plotting the murder of her Indore-based husband Raja during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, on Wednesday said he is "100 per cent" sure his sister orchestrated the crime and asserted she should be hanged if found guilty. IMAGE: Govind, brother of Sonam Raghuvanshi, speaks to the media on Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, in Indore on Wednesday. Photograph: ANI Photo A distraught Govind Raghuvanshi, brother of Sonam, declared his family has snapped all ties with his sister and expressed solidarity with Raja's grieving family members and vowed to help them in their fight for justice in a case which has shocked the nation. In a related development, a court in Meghalaya's capital Shillong sent Sonam Raghuvanshi and her four aides arrested for the murder last month to eight-day police custody, an official said. The Meghalaya police brought Sonam to Shillong from Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday midnight and the other accused from Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday on transit remand, a senior officer said. "The police had sought a 10-day remand of all the accused. The court granted 8 days of police custody," East Khasi Hills district SP Vivek Syiem told PTI. The special investigation team probing the sensational case sought police custody of the accused to reconstruct the crime scene in Sohra (also known as Cherrapunji), where the body was recovered on June 2, the officer said. In Indore, Govind Raghuvanshi visited Raja's house to console the latter's family members. Sharing the family's grief, he hugged Raja's mother Uma and broke down. Raja (29) and Sonam (24) got married on May 11 and went "missing" during their honeymoon trip to the north-eastern state on May 23. Sonam surfaced in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur on Sunday night where she surrendered after her accomplices and suspected contract killers, Akash Rajput (19), Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), and Anand Kurmi, were arrested for their alleged role in conspiring and killing Raja, a businessman. Raj Singh Kushwaha (21), an alleged conspirator romantically linked to Sonam, was arrested later. After meeting the family members of Raja Raghuvanshi at the latter's house, Govind addressed the media. Asked if Sonam should be given the capital punishment if charges against her were proved, he replied, "Absolutely, if Sonam is found guilty, she should be hanged straight away. I will appoint a lawyer myself to represent Raja Raghuvanshi's family in the court." "I am with the truth. Raja Raghuvanshi's family has lost a son. I have apologised to his family. Our family has broken ties with Sonam," he said. Govind Raghuvanshi said he now considered himself a member of Raja's family, and announced to fight a legal battle to get his killers punished. "I do not know whether my sister Sonam has confessed her crime in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case or not, but from the evidence that is coming out, I know 100 per cent that she is the one who executed this crime," he emphasised. The Meghalaya police are likely to bring Sonam to her hometown Indore, where the conspiracy of the crime was hatched, police official said. The Meghalaya police have named their investigation in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case as 'Operation Honeymoon'. A Madhya Pradesh police official said Sonam could be brought to Indore in the next few days as part of investigation into the case. "We have received information that Sonam came to Indore from Meghalaya (after Raja's murder) and stayed in a rented flat in the city's Dewas Naka area between May 25 and 27," he said. A police official associated with the investigations said in Shillong that Raja Raghuvanshi was told by his wife Sonam that she would let him consummate the marriage only after making an offering at the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. Accordingly, Raja planned their trip to Guwahati and adjacent Meghalaya for the honeymoon, while his wife and her boyfriend Raj Kushwaha allegedly plotted to kill him in the jungles of the north-eastern state, considering its perceived remoteness, he said. "Sonam coerced her husband to take her to the deep jungles of Nongriat with the belief that the hitmen she hired would have a better chance of killing him somewhere on the route, considering it is secluded. But, since there were too many tourists trekking to Nongriat on May 22 and May 23, they couldn't kill him there," the officer said. "They finally killed him near Weisawdong Falls, and dumped his body into a deep gorge," he said. East Khasi Hills SP Syiem, overseeing the investigation, said the contract killers arrived in Guwahati on May 21, a day after the couple reached the Northeast. The killers procured a machete from outside their hotel in Guwahati, and then travelled by road to Shillong, he said. "We have gathered CCTV evidence, making this investigation a very tight-knit one," the SP said. Sonam was in touch with her boyfriend Raj throughout the day of the murder, while Raj coordinated with the three contract killers, he said. "Sonam was present when Raja was killed," the officer said. The Meghalaya police SIT is working across locations to piece together the entire chain of events, another officer said. "We are also verifying Sonam's claim that she had never been to Meghalaya before. The SIT is committed to filing a watertight chargesheet," he said. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Iran boosts non-oil exports to Turkmenistan in early 2025 Iran's non-oil exports to Turkmenistan increased by 17.3% in value and 3.3% in weight during the first two months of 2025, reaching $82.4 million and 250,000 tons. The main exports included agricultural products, industrial goods, and petrochemicals, contributing to a 13% rise in trade turnover between the two countries compared to the same period last year. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register Hundreds of Russian soldiers wounded in the Ukraine war have been treated in Belarusian hospitals, including some from military units linked to alleged war crimes in Ukraine. The revelations come from a new report by the Belarusian Investigative Center done in conjunction with RFE/RL's Russian Service and Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service. The disclosures are the latest stemming from a massive Russian Defense Ministry database of medical records that was leaked to RFE/RL earlier this year. Those records include hundreds of thousands of military personnel, officers as well as rank-and-file soldiers, most of whom served in Ukraine. They provide an unprecedented window into the scope of Russia's casualties over the 40-plus months since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine -- the largest and bloodiest land war in Europe since World War II. Belarus's military and security agencies have been closely integrated into Russia's security structures for years, a process that accelerated after the February 2022 invasion. Belarus's longtime leader, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has resisted suggestions from the Kremlin to send its own armed forces into Ukraine, but he's allowed Russian forces to use some parts of Belarusian territory for operations. Kateryna Rashevska, a lawyer at the Ukraine-based Regional Center for Human Rights, said treating Russian soldiers wounded in the Ukraine could be considered direct support for the war -- therefore removing any Belarusian claim to neutrality in the conflict. "The treatment of Russian military personnel should be qualified as part of the general support for the war and the loss of neutral status," she said in an interview with the Belarusian Investigative Center, a consortium of exiled Belarusian journalists. According to the leaked database, which roughly covers the first 2 years of the war, at least 898 Russian soldiers passed through Belarus's medical facilities, a figure that includes regular armed forces as well as National Guardsmen. More than half of the Russian troops who were treated in Belarusian facilities, according to the Defense Ministry database, are from the 64th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade from the Far Eastern region of Khabarovsk. The database records 482 personnel from the brigade, including 20 officers. Along with another unit, the 76th Guards Airborne Assault Division, the 64th brigade occupied several regions north of Kyiv, including the town of Bucha, where hundreds of civilians were tortured or killed in early 2022, according to Ukrainian officials. One of the soldiers from the 76th division who served in Bucha was Aleksandr Kvitko, who commanded the division's 6th company. According to Schemes, Kvitko spent time at a house at 144 Yablonskaya Street, in Bucha, a house where Ukrainian investigators say members of the local Ukrainian territorial defense were held and later executed. His name also appeared in a letter that was addressed to him and left behind at a house in Bucha, according to a Reuters report. According to the database, Kvitko was admitted to the Homel City Hospital on March 28, 2022, treated for shrapnel wounds to the neck, arm, and leg. Ukrainian investigators alleged Kvitko may have been involved in the murder of an elderly woman. Kvitko did not answer calls and messages from RFE/RL seeking comment. Battle For Hostomel Other soldiers who ended up in Belarusian facilities were from units including the 16th Brigade of Russia's military intelligence agency, known as the GRU, which was involved in seizing the territory of the Chernobyl nuclear plant, as well as Ukraine's Kubinka-2 special forces center, whose soldiers were involved in the seizure of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014. One of the soldiers whose name appears in the Defense Ministry database is Roman Zyazin, a 21-year-old corporal from the 31st Separate Guards Airborne Assault Brigade who was hospitalized in the Homel City Hospital on March 4, 2022, less than two weeks after the start of the invasion. Records indicate he was treated for an open fracture of his lower jaw. Zyazin did not return to the war after being wounded, becoming a cadet at a military physical education institute. In December 2024, he gave an interview to Zvezda, the official Defense Ministry TV channel, where he mentioned the Russian airborne assault on the Hostomel air field, north of Kyiv. That assault, which occurred in the initial hours of the invasion, was thwarted by Ukrainian forces. Experts said Russian troops might have succeeded in capturing Kyiv if the airfield had been captured. "We moved directly to the suburbs and the city of Hostomel itself, where I was wounded and was evacuated," Zyazin told Zvezda. Russia forces who invaded Ukraine from the north in February 2022 also included nonmilitary troops: riot police from the OMON service. At least 68 OMON officers were also wounded and sent to Belarusian medical facilities for treatment, according to the database. One of those officers was Aleksei Artamonov, who received three shrapnel wounds and a fracture and was taken to the hospital in Khoiniki. Ukrainian troops also discovered his Russian firearms permit and his driver's license, which were left behind after Russian troops withdrew. Artamonov did not respond to messages form RFE/RL sent via social media. Another OMON officer who was treated in a Belarusian facility was Andrei Khitrov, whom Ukrainian researchers have implicated in the mistreatment of civilians during the brief time when Russian troops occupied part of Hostomel. The Belarusian Investigative Center identified approximately 70 soldiers from the 5th Separate Guards Tank Brigade and 37th Motorized Rifle Brigade, who were also treated in Belarusian facilities. One, Zorik Zygbin, a tank commander, was hospitalized in Homel City Hospital on March 9, 2022, with shrapnel wounds. Zygbin returned to the battlefield after being released, then had one of his legs amputated in February 2023. He is now studying to be a primary school teacher in Buryatia, while also participating in arm wrestling competitions. RFE/RL Ukrainian Service reporters Dmytro Dzhulay and Maksym Savchuk contributed to this report. Diplomacy between the United States and Iran over the future of Tehran's nuclear program has hit a new snag -- not over uranium enrichment or sanctions, but over the simple matter of when to meet. As US President Donald Trump insists the next round of talks is set for June 12, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei maintains that negotiations will resume on June 15 in Muscat. Oman, which is mediating the talks, has not weighed in. The scheduling dispute comes as Iran's chief negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, is slated to be in Norway on June 12 for the Oslo Forum, making a session that day with the US unlikely, but not impossible. Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi will also be in Oslo, so if White House envoy and nuclear negotiator Steve Witkoff travels to Norway, a meeting could take place. Despite the calendar confusion, the stakes are clear: The sixth round of talks is shaping up to be a defining moment. Iran has formally rejected Washington's proposal for a deal, calling it "unacceptable" and lacking in key areas, especially the removal of economic sanctions and recognition of Iran's right to enrich uranium on its own soil. Iran's Counterproposal On Enrichment Tehran says it will soon submit a counterproposal via Oman, a plan it describes as "reasonable, logical, and balanced" and which it urges Washington to take seriously. While Iran has kept the details of its counteroffer under wraps, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi says it's not a lengthy document but a "rational" proposal that "can't be dismissed with a simple 'no.'" He describes it as a solid and acceptable basis for further discussion. Iran's counterproposal is expected to insist on the right to continue uranium enrichment -- a non-negotiable point for Tehran -- and demand effective and verifiable sanctions relief before any Iranian concessions. Trump and other US officials, for their part, remain firm that any deal must see Iran halt enrichment, a position Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has flatly rejected as "100 percent contrary" to national interests. Specter Of IAEA Resolution This is all unfolding as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors meets in Vienna for its quarterly session, a gathering dominated by the Iran file. The IAEA's latest comprehensive report, released on May 31, concluded that Iran has failed to provide credible answers about undeclared nuclear material and activities at several sites, and that its cooperation with inspectors has been "less than satisfactory." The United States and its European allies -- Britain, France, Germany, also known as the E3 -- are now pushing a resolution that would formally declare Iran in noncompliance with its safeguards obligations for the first time in two decades. If adopted, the resolution would not immediately escalate the matter to the UN Security Council, but it would give Iran a window to address the outstanding concerns. It would be a major step toward opening the door to the return of UN sanctions if Iran fails to comply. Meanwhile, Iran has threatened to retaliate if the resolution is adopted, teasing that it may expand its nuclear program, including installing thousands of advanced centrifuges. The "snapback" of UN sanctions is a provision under the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal and the E3 wants to use it before it expires in October. Whether the resolution is adopted could shape the tone of the next round of nuclear talks. Adding to the volatility, Iran's Intelligence Ministry claimed over the weekend that Tehran has obtained a "treasure trove" of sensitive Israeli documents, including material on Israel's nuclear program and defense capabilities. With Israel preparing to strike Iranian nuclear sites if the negotiations with the United States fail, the Supreme National Security Council said the alleged intelligence breach will allow Iran to retaliate to a potential attack "immediately" by targeting Israel's "secret nuclear facilities." For now, the world is left waiting -- not just for the substance of a deal, but for the negotiators to even settle on a time and place to argue. As Russian forces besieged the last bastion of Ukrainian resistance in the devastated city of Mariupol, Ihor Titovskiy prepared his family for the worst, giving them instructions for his funeral in an emotional phone call in May 2022. "I said there was no need to panic: Just receive my body and bury it," Titovskiy, a senior lieutenant at the time and now a captain, told RFE/RL. "It was painful for my mom to hear, but there was no getting around it." "Morally, practically all the remaining personnelunderstood that we wouldn't survive," he said in an interview. "It was only a question of time, when it would happen." The funeral can wait, though. Not long after that call, Titovskiy and the other Ukrainians holed up at the Azovstal steelworks -- many of them fellow members of the Azov Brigade -- surrendered on orders from Kyiv and were taken captive, cementing Russia's takeover of a once-thriving city laid to waste three months into Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For Titovskiy, after 86 days at Azovstal, the ordeal had just begun. He and other prisoners endured severe beatings, electric shocks, hunger, and other abuse, he said, before he was freed in a prisoner swap 846 days later. When he was bused to Belarus and brought across the border to Ukraine in September 2024, he weighed just 50 kilograms. Lucky To Survive From Mariupol, Titovskiy and many other members of the Azov Brigade were taken to a prison in Olenivka in a part of the Donetsk region long occupied by Russia. There, he said, he was lucky to survive one of the deadliest single incidents in the war: powerful blasts that killed at least 50 prisoners on the night of July 28-29, 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called the blasts "a deliberate Russian war crime." The United Nations disbanded a fact-finding mission the following January after Russia impeded efforts to investigate, disturbing physical evidence and refusing to give UN monitors access to the site. Titovskiy, 43, said he survived by a quirk of fate. Assigned to a watch shift, he was stepping outside when an explosion ripped through his barracks, blowing him out through the doorway and injuring an arm and a leg. He went back into the burning building several times but saw no sign of the men whose bunks had been near his. "My bunk was the second from the top; my friend slept below me. It was as if they had never existed," he said. "I went in three or four times, pulled out more guys. But I couldn't find my bunk, my brothers, or my things. Nothing at all. Where there had been eight bunks there was just an empty space." Russia claimed the blasts were caused by HIMARS rockets launched by Ukrainian forces, but the UN Human Rights Office concluded that was false, saying, "The pattern of structural damage appeared consistent with a projected ordnance having traveled on an east-to-west trajectory" -- in other words, from deeper in Russian-held territory. "The lack of accountability for the deaths and injuries at the penal colony in Olenivka fits into the broader context of widespread and routine torture of Ukrainian POWs," the UN said in 2024, also describing what it said were "deplorable conditions of detention" for many POWs. "Russian authorities have subjected Ukrainian POWs to systematic and widespread torture, including sexual violence, and poor conditions," the same UN Human Rights Office said in a report published in February, three years into the full-scale invasion. "Torture has been pervasive during interrogation and throughout all stages of captivity." For Titovskiy, the worst of the abuse and mistreatment that many would describe as torture came later. From Olenivka, he and other survivors of the blasts were sent to a jail in Taganrog, a Russian city not far from the border, where they were greeted immediately with brutal violence, he said. "They beat us, if you can call it that," he said, suggesting a level of abuse that the word does not adequately describe. "There were guys who were 20 years old, fit and strong -- but even they lost consciousness, they were beaten so badly." The Russians were particularly violent "if they saw tattoos, and Azov members have very many of those," Titovskiy said. "Any crossed lines were considered a swastika. You could explain to them 300 times that it's an abstraction, but all the same, to them we are Nazis." The Azov Brigade Now part of the Ukrainian National Guard, the Azov Brigade was formed as volunteer battalion out of a right-wing militia in May 2014, shortly after Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and fomented war in the eastern region known as the Donbas. Russian officials have seized on the origins of the Azov Brigade and its zigzag symbol to support the false assertion that Ukraine is controlled or dominated by neo-Nazis -- one of the main narratives the Kremlin uses to attempt to justify the war. Titovskiy, who is from Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya region, joined the military in 2014, eager to defend the country as the Russian onslaught began. He started serving with the Azov Brigade in November 2021. Over the three months he spent at the jail in Taganrog, Titovskiy said, he was subjected to a three-day interrogation "where my legs were beaten." "Really, my entire left side was beaten so badly that it turned black. One leg even started to fester. I couldn't stand on it because the festering reached the ankle joint," he said. He was then sent to Crimea "for amputation," he said, but his leg was not amputated. Instead, he was treated with antibiotics that healed the wound. After that, Titovskiy was sent to a jail deeper in Russia, in the city of Kamyshin, where he said Federal Security Service (FSB) officers subjected him to electric shocks. "It was a new hell, because they loved shockers very much there," he told RFE/RL. "It was the first time I'd encountered this." "The FSB [guards] interrogated me with an electric current for two days" upon arrival, he said. "They put a sack over my head, tied my hands behind my back, and threw me to the ground. Two of them sat on me and they turned on the current." The jailers at Kamyshin used electric shock and other methods, including setting dogs on the prisoners in attempts to get them to confess to killing civilians in Mariupol, Titovskiy said. "They beat [us] with their hands, with their feet, with truncheons, and with plastic water pipes," he said. "When my weight dropped to 50 kilograms, they said, 'Tense your stomach muscles, we're going to punch you now.' And then they asked, 'How was that punch, was it good?'" Titovskiy's normal weight is 70 kilograms. At the jail in Kamyshin, prisoners were given "150 grams of kasha three times a day," he said. "For a grown man, that is very little." Moreover, they were forced to eat quickly, and if someone didn't finish in time, they would all be punished with smaller portions at the next meal, Titovskiy said. Prisoners were not given socks or underwear, and Titovskiy used the same toothbrush for all of his nearly two years at the jail: "They gave us one bar of soap for 16 people. There was practically no toilet paper, toothbrushes, or toothpaste." These dire conditions changed only when an official commission came to the jail or, on one occasion, when there was a visit from representatives of the Red Cross -- and even then, the prisoners were given items for show but in some cases forbidden to use them, he said. In September 2024, Titovskiy was moved again, to Belgorod, where he and his fellow prisoners were surprised by the polite behavior of the guards and "perfectly white sheets and towels" in their cells. "In the morning they brought us out and a [Russian] special forces officer says, Guys, you're going home. Say hi to your families,'" he said. But Titovskiy had heard this before, only to be sent back to jail, so he didn't believe it at first. His hopes were high though when they boarded a civilian bus, which took them to the Ukrainian border. It was Friday, September 13, and "when we got off the bus, we saw a sign and started to laugh: The clock said the time was 13:13," Titovskiy recalled. "Later I said that if anyone tells me 13 is an unlucky number or Friday the 13th is a cursed date, I can confidently spit in their eye," he told RFE/RL. "It was the happiest date and the happiest day of my life. To return to your homeland -- I have no words. It's something else." Adapted from the original Ukrainian by Steve Gutterman US President Donald Trump said his confidence in securing a nuclear deal with Iran has waned, but he vowed Tehran would never acquire nuclear weapons. Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks since April to reach a deal on Irans nuclear program, but uranium enrichment remains a major sticking point. Trump has not ruled out military action against Iranian nuclear sites if diplomacy fails, and US intelligence suggests Israel has been preparing to strike Iran if negotiations collapse. Speaking in a New York Post podcast released on June 11, Trump said he does "not know" whether he could get Tehran to cease its nuclear activities. "I don't know. I did think so, and I'm getting more and more -- less confident about it," the US president said. Trump added that the Iranians "seem to be delaying," which made him "less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago." Something happened to them. But I'm much less confident about a deal being made," he said. In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi acknowledged Trump's demand for no nuclear weapons. "That is actually in line with our own doctrine and could become the main foundation for a deal," Araqchi said, but he reiterated a "mutually beneficial outcome" was dependent on "the continuation of Iran's enrichment program" under UN supervision and the "effective termination" of sanctions. In comments on June 11, before Trump's interview was released, Iran's Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned that military action against the Islamic republic would prompt a response that he vowed would "result in the Americans leaving the region." Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting, Nasirzadeh said, "All of its bases are within our reach; we have access to them, and we will target all of them in the host countries with no hesitation." Araqchi said the next round of talks with the United States will be held on June 15 in Oman, which has been mediating the talks for two months. Iran has been working on a counteroffer after rejecting a US proposal for a deal that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described as "100 percent" against national interests. Meanwhile, the US and its European partners -- Britain, France, and Germany have tabled a resolution at the ongoing quarterly meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors which, if adopted, will find Iran in noncompliance with its safeguards obligations for the first time in 20 years. The resolution would facilitate the referral of Iran's case to the UN security council and the return of sanctions that had been suspended as part of a 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump abrogated in his first in office. Iran has warned of repercussion of the resolution is adopted, suggesting it will accelerate and expand its nuclear program. The IAEA meeting concludes on June 13. Ukraine said it has repatriated more than 1,200 bodies soldiers killed in the war sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion more than three years ago, the latest move in a series of prisoner exchanges negotiated between the two sides. "As a result of the repatriation measures, the bodies of 1,212 fallen Defenders were returned to Ukraine," the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said in a statement on June 11. The agency responsible for exchanging prisoners of war said the bodies were returned with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross. It gave no further details on the exchange and said it is still establishing the identities of the deceased. The swap is part of an ongoing agreement with Russia that has seen busloads of POWs cross the border both ways. Russia's lead negotiator in the June 2 Istanbul peace talks that sealed the exchange agreement said on June 11 that Russia had received 27 bodies from Ukraine. The agreement seeks to repatriate the bodies of some 12,000 dead soldiers killed in the war. While the Istanbul talks reached a deal on exchanging prisoners, it failed to make any progress on ending Europe's longest and deadliest conflict since World War II. Kyiv has expressed agreement with a US call for a 30-day cease-fire. Moscow has resisted and said certain conditions -- unacceptable to Ukraine -- must first be met. Earlier this week the two sides swapped busloads of POWs under the age of 25, sparking emotional scenes in both countries. Among those released, according to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, were members of the Navy, land forces, territorial defense forces, Air Force, Airborne Assault Forces, Border Guard Service, National Guard, and State Special Transport Service. Irans imports from Turkmenistan decline sharply in early 2025 Irans overall non-oil trade turnover with the country increased by 13% in value and 2.44% in weight, reaching $83.4 million and 251,000 tons, while the nations total non-oil imports saw a 7.8% decrease in value but a 1.16% rise in weight. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register MENS HEALTH WEEK EVENT Communities and organisations across County Roscommon are coming together this week, June 9th to June 15th to mark International Mens Health Week 2025. This years theme 'Shoulder-to-Shoulder: Connecting for Health' highlights the importance of community and connection in supporting mens wellbeing. Across County Roscommon, a diverse programme of events will offer men of all ages the chance to engage, learn and to take proactive steps towards better health. Ballaghaderreen Family Resource Centre will host a Mens Health Event today Tuesday, June 10th from 10 a.m.-12 noon with free health checks from Croi, guest speakers from the Marie Keating Foundation, Alone Ireland, Regari Recovery College, etc, a raffle and refreshments. NEW MEASURES FOR CATHEDRAL CARPARK For security and safety reasons, and after consultation with the Pastoral Council, Parish Finance Council and Allianz Insurance, barriers have now been installed at the entrance and exit to both car parks to the Cathedral. The car park barriers will open each morning at 7 a.m. and close at 9.30 p.m.. Please note that if your car is still in the car park after the closing time, you can exit by driving up to the exit barrier and the barrier will raise automatically. MAYO/ROSCOMMON HOSPICE The Ballaghaderreen Mayo/Roscommon Hospice support group wishes to thank everyone who donated to the Hospice Sunflower Days. Your continued support is greatly appreciated. WOMEN'S SHED The womens shed will host its season finale party on July 1st from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.. Join the group for an end-of-season tea party filled with tasty treats, music, fun, laughter, and wonderful company! Members 4, non-members 8. FC 50/50 DRAW The FC 50/50 club draw on Tuesday last was won by Mick Finn, Buckhill, jackpot 265, seller, Imelda Towey. The Joker was not found. Mick will have a chance to win 1,000 at the Community Park, if he can pick the Joker before the 50/50 draw takes place on Tuesday night. Ballagh FC thanks you for your continued support. Tickets are available in outlets throughout the town and online at Clubforce.com. Daithi Finn, Ballaghaderreen FC, is representing Roscommon on the Kennedy Cup team in Limerick this week. BEST OF LUCK DAITHI Best of luck to Daithi Finn from all in Ballaghaderreen. Daithi is representing Roscommon on the Kennedy Cup team in Limerick this week. This is a great achievement for the player and club. SING IN AN OPERA If you have or know local children who would like to sing and perform in an opera, here's the chance! - The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Diver Rudiond is looking for cast members. Please contact Edmondstown House 0851384309 for details. ARTS & CRAFTS Roscommon and Ballaghaderreen Libraries will host arts and crafts fun on the first Saturday of every month at 12 noon. Please note that registration is required, and these sessions are suitable for children aged 4+. Book your place by phoning 090 6632537. TRAINING CENTRE A new 1m training centre for mechanical and electrical trades opened in a previously derelict property in Ballaghaderreen on Monday last. Minister of State with responsibility for Employment, Small Business and Retail, and the Circular Economy, Alan Dillon TD launched the new Mechanical and Electrical Training and Assessment Centre (METAC) at the Mill Business Park on Monday. The project, led by Future Cast, has transformed a derelict property just outside the town into a purpose-built training and assessment hub with state-of-the-art equipment, 16-person classrooms, and dedicated workshop spaces accommodating eight to ten learners. APPEAL FROM THE SHAMBLES Please share your knowledge - pictures, stories and general information about the area known as the Shambles in Ballaghaderreen are being sought. Please contact 0949862565 or on the Shambles Ballaghaderreen Facebook page. GAA 50/50 Ballaghaderreen GAAClubs 50/50 weekly draw was held on Sunday, June 8th in Creatons Bar, New Street. The jackpot of 520 was won by Brian Regan, Glastrasna, Carracastle, an annual ticket. Next draw takes place on Sunday, June 15th in the Fiddlers Elbow, The Square. Ballaghaderreen Mayo/Roscommon Hospice support group wishes to thank everyone who donated to the Hospice Sunflower Days appeal last weekend. FAI SUMMER CAMPS Booking is now open for the annual FAI summer camps. This year, there are two camps - one in July and one in August. Contact Ballaghaderreen FC for additional details on Facebook or contact a club member. SHAMROCKS LGFT The Shamrocks LGFT senior team were back in action on Sunday morning after a two week break, as they faced a trip up the N5 to Castlebar. The break didn't seem to do them any harm as they overcame Mitchels by seven points, on a scoreline of 3-12 to 3-07. This maintained their 100% record in the Memorial League, and they will now face Burrishoole in the cup semi-final. It was a special occasion for Lauren Duffy, who made her senior debut for the club. Well done Lauren. The U-14 girls will play their Division 3 Cup final on Thursday, June 12th against Tourmakeady. The U-8 girls had a fantastic day at Eastern Gaels, who hosted a blitz on Saturday last. They played teams from Charlestown, Parke, Aghamore and Eastern Gaels. WALKING GROUP The walking group meets every Wednesday at 10.30 a.m. at the Family Resource Centre. Phone Philly to confirm participation on 0861360154. Refreshments served afterwards. Get involved, get active and make friends. ACTIVE RETIREMENT GROUP The group meets in The Ozanam Centre from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays. New Members are welcome. KNITTING CLUB The knitting club meets in the Shambles, Ballaghaderreen, every Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.. TRACTORS & TEA FUNDRAISER Tibohine National School is hosting a Tractors & Tea fundraising event in aid of Tibohine NS and Crumlin Childrens Hospital on June 22nd. Tractor/Motor run and family fun day to include a John Deere bouncing castle, Hayfield Alpaca Farm, face-painting and much more. Registration from 8 a.m.. Family fun activities from 11 a.m. and tractor/motor run to take off at 1.30 p.m.. GURTEEN/MONASTERADEN COMMUNITY CARE ANNUAL OUTING Gurteen Community Cares annual summer outing to Castlecourt, Westport will be on July 10th. Dinner served at 1 p.m. followed by music and dancing, 50 per person and booking is essential. Names by June 20th to Veronica 086-8679173; Paddy 087-7870013; Mary 087-60995579 or to the Gurteen Day Centre. BINGO Bingo is held every Friday at 8 p.m. in Gurteen Hall. The committee is most thankful for all the support. A new pilot initiative that will bring volunteer befrienders and other community-based supports to women living in long-term residential care in Counties Roscommon and Leitrim has been launched in Boyle. The Community Linkage Project managed by Age Friendly Ireland and funded by the Womens Health Fund in the Department of Health will benefit 200 nursing home residents over the next 18 months, with plans for it to be rolled out nationwide. The pilot programme was launched at the Plunkett Community Nursing Unit in Boyle by the Minister of State for Older People and Housing, Kieran ODonnell. The supports that will form this initiative include tailored personal plans for nursing home residents, offering activities to enhance physical and mental health, creative and cultural engagement, and better access to information and local supports. It aims to close the gap in community-based services typically unavailable to residents, creating new social, leisure, and educational opportunities for older women in nursing homes. Local volunteers, including members of older peoples councils and schools, will be recruited to visit the nursing home residents to help address loneliness. It is designed to help older people access a broad array of existing supports and activities in their community. Speaking on a recent visit to the Plunkett Community Nursing Unit, Boyle, Minister of State Kieran ODonnell explained that project will help nursing home residents to access a broad array of existing supports and activities in the community. By providing choices to residents that reflect their interests and preferences, as well as bringing volunteers into the nursing home setting, the project will help create a bridge between residential care and community living. This will enrich the lives of residents in nursing homes and give both public services and community groups greater links into nursing home settings." Pictured at the launch of a Community Linkage Project, a new initiative bringing community supports to women in nursing homes are Minister of State for Older People and Housing, Kieran O'Donnell with residents of Plunkett Community Nursing Unit, Boyle; Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council, Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice; Roscommon County Council director of services; senior executive officer and Age Friendly Ireland staff. Pic: Ivan Keany "By introducing community-based services, the initiative aims to improve the quality of life and health and wellbeing outcomes for women living in nursing homes," said the Minister. A US navy veteran who had a distinguished military career was laid to rest recently in Oran where his mother hailed from and where he spent many summers. Christopher Lynch (61) of Bayside, New York, USA and Oran, Donamon, Co. Roscommon passed away on Sunday May 25th, 2025 Jacksonville, Florida after a short illness. He is predeceased by his parents John Christy Lynch of Ballyvourney, Co. Cork, and Maureen (nee Cunningham) of Oran, Donamon, Co Roscommon grandparents, aunts & uncles. On June 7th, he was laid to rest in Oran cemetery following Funeral Mass in St. Patricks Church, Clooneycolgan. Chris is survived by his wife of 31 years, Nancy (Buzalsky); his four children, Kelsey Lynch and her husband Conor Martin, Abigeal Lynch, John Lynch and his fiance Nicole Ferro, and Jude Lynch; his two sisters, Catherine Lynch of Long Beach, NY and Maureen Lynch of Bayside, NY; two brothers, Eugene Lynch of Bayside and Thomas Lynch of Bayside, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Chris was born in New York, NY on March 31st 1964 to the late John Christy and Mary Maureen Lynch as the first of five children. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Manhattan College in 1991 and enlisted in the United States Navy Reserves as a Radioman in 1997. On February 19th 1994, Chris married his wife of 31 years, Nancy Buzalsky and in 1995 they welcomed their first child Kelsey. Not long after in 1997 Abigeal was born, followed by John in 1998, and Jude in 2001. Chris took immense pride in his new and rapidly growing family. Following the attacks of September 11th 2001, he was commissioned as a Civil Engineering Officer in the U.S. Navy, colloquially known as a Seabee. LTJG Chris Lynchs unit, deployed in 2004 for a year to Ramadi and Al Asad, Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom where he served with distinction as the Alpha Company Commander and Detachment Officer-in-Charge across Iraq. In 2008, Chris received orders to active duty and was stationed in Naples, Italy as part of Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), where he and his family enjoyed travelling Europe together. Here he also earned his Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Florida. In 2011, Chris was stationed in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and received his Masters in Military Sciences from the US Army Command and General Staff College before returning to Naples, Italy this time as part of Allied Joint Forces Command Naples. In 2013, LT Chris Lynch made his second combat deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Here he meritoriously served as the Joint Engineering Branch Head and Chief Infrastructure Officer as part of International Security Assistance Forces Headquarters, tasked with improving the infrastructure of US and coalition bases and roads across the country. Following his return from Afghanistan, he resumed his work in Italy working to improve infrastructure across Europe. Returning home from overseas in 2015, the Lynchs moved to Colts Neck, New Jersey as part of NAVFAC Mid Atlantic where Chris worked to provide facility support across the East Coast. Here the LCDR Lynch and his team were awarded the SECNAV Environmental Excellence Award as well as the Environmental Champion Award from the EPA for his work to establish the first protected oyster reefs at Naval Weapons Station Earle, Colts Neck, New Jersey. Enjoying the adventure of living overseas, LCDR Lynch took orders to NAVFAC Europe, Africa, Central Command located in Bahrain. Here Chris worked to improve the critical infrastructure across Africa and the Middle East. In 2020 Chris and Nancy moved to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland once again as part of Naval Facilities Engineering Command. After his meritorious naval service, LCDR Lynch decided to leave the navy to pursue civil engineering in the public service sector, taking a job in Vincenza Italy. LCDR Christopher Lynchs awards and citations include the Defence Meritorious Service Medal, 2-Joint Service Commendation Medals, 4-Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, Joint Service Achievement Medal, 2-Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat V for Valor, 2-Combat Action Ribbons, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal with Combat Operations Device, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device for mobilisation to active duty, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, 7-Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbons, ISAF NATO Medal, Navy Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon, and the Seabee Combat Warfare Officer Insignia. Chris and Nancy resumed traveling across Europe while he worked in Vicenza, Italy. His work also took him to countries like Chad, Gabon, and Ghana. In 2024, Chris returned to the United States to Jacksonville, Florida to work to restore the Everglades with the Army Corps of Engineers. Chriss passion for civil engineering, the environment, and traveling took him to four continents and over 30 countries. Chris remained a devout Catholic, a prominent member of the Knights of Columbus, and participated in multiple pilgrimages across the world including the Camino de Santiago in Spain, the Croagh Patrick Pilgrimage in Ireland, Knock Shrine in Ireland, Lourdes pilgrimage in France, Holy Land pilgrimage in Israel and Medjugorje pilgrimage site in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In his spare time, he enjoyed going to the Opera frequenting Metropolitan Opera House in New York and even travelled to Puccinis hometown in Lucca, Italy and Wagners Opera house, Bayreuth Festspeilhaus, in Bayreuth, Germany. He also enjoyed deep sea fishing, running, doing CrossFit workouts and being as close to the ocean as possible. Chris enjoyed travelling the world but Ireland was always a special place and piece of home for him. He spent many summers there and thoroughly enjoyed memories made with his family in Roscommon. As his death notice stated: Chris held many titles in his life, Lieutenant Commander, husband, brother, cousin, friend but his most honoured title was Dad to his four children, Kelsey, Abby, John, and Jude. Some of Irelands most celebrated musicians in traditional, classical, and early music join forces with award-winning visual artists to present Ceol Arsa Clairsi a concert experience that is both musically and visually immersive at Roscommon Arts Centre on Saturday, June 14th. This unique event showcases Irish harp music by composers such as Turlough Carolan, Thomas Connellan, and Ruairi Dall O Cathain, with historically informed arrangements drawn from original Irish and Scottish sources. Audiences will experience the rich sounds of gut-and wire-strung instruments of the period blended seamlessly with traditional instruments and, of course, the Irish harp. The Roscommon show starts at 8 p.m.. For tickets phone 090 662 5824. Irans non-oil exports to Kazakhstan take nosedive at start of year Irans non-oil exports to Kazakhstan took a nosedive, plummeting to roughly $29 million in value and about 61,000 tons in volume over the span of two months. This represents a drop of over thirty percent compared to the same period last year, as per customs data. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register CBI Files Chargesheet Against 8 in French Embassy Visa Fraud Case (Image Courtesy: First Post) Huge amounts of cash and incriminating documents linked to properties worth croresboth in India and abroadwere recovered... CBI Files Chargesheet Against 8 in French Embassy Visa Fraud Case latest news New Delhi, June 11, 2025: In a significant crackdown on international visa fraud, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet against eight individuals involved in a French Embassy visa scam, including a Local Law Officer posted in the Visa Department of the French Embassy in New Delhi, his family members, and multiple visa agents operating out of Punjab. Advertisement The CBIs International Operations Division launched the investigation based on intelligence inputs about fraudulent visa processing within the French Embassy. The case revealed that between January 2021 and May 2022, the accused Local Law Officer allegedly exploited his position to facilitate Schengen visas for applicants from Punjab in exchange for large sums of money. The scam operated through a well-organised network of visa agents and middlemen who targeted aspirants looking to travel to Europe. Applicants were made to pay between rupees 13 lakh and 45 lakh per visa. Once the visas were issued, the accused destroyed all related documents to erase any trace of fraud. Huge amounts of cash and incriminating documents linked to properties worth croresboth in India and abroadwere recovered from multiple locations in Punjab and Delhi. Investigators also found that money was allegedly funneled through various bank accounts before reaching the officer and his family, including his brother, father, and wife. Advertisement In a historic first, the CBI successfully secured a Silver Notice to trace and recover the proceeds of the crime abroad. This marks Indias first-ever Silver Notice, issued with assistance from Interpols International Police Cooperation Unit and other international agencies. In order to trace the proceeds of crime abroad, International Operations Division of CBI, in coordination with International Police Cooperation Unit of CBI were also successful in getting Indias first Silver notice published in this case. CBI successfully coordinated with multiples agencies including international agencies to secure evidence in the case, CBI statement read. The CBI emphasized its ongoing commitment to tackling cross-border crimes and protecting citizens who have been duped by such criminal networks. Coordination with foreign agencies played a key role in building evidence and tracking the illicit financial flow. (For more news apart from CBI Files Chargesheet Against 8 in French Embassy Visa Fraud Case, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman) Another Honeymooning Couple Goes Missing, After Vehicle Falls into Teesta River in Sikkim (Image:The Week) The two rescued individuals, who were earlier in critical condition, are now stable at STNM Hospital. Another Honeymooning Couple Goes Missing, After Vehicle Falls into Teesta River in Sikkim Couple Goes Missing After Vehicle Falls into Teesta River in Sikkim latest news: Another honeymooning couple has gone missing after their vehicle fell into the Teesta River in Sikkim, Northeast India, amid heavy rainfall in the region. Advertisement The incident occurred on May 29, when the couple identified as Kaushalendra Pratap Singh (29) and his wife Ankita Singh (26) along with other tourists, were returning from Lachen to Lachung, according to The Week report. Their local driver is also missing. The vehicle (SK-03-J-0650) plunged 800 feet into the Teesta River near Munshithang, North Sikkim. There were 11 people on board. A tourist vehicle with 11 occupants plunged into the Teesta River on the ChungthangLachen highway on May 29. 2 rescued, 9 still missing. Search & rescue ops underway with support from police, ITBP, Army, locals & NDRF.#Sikkim #RescueOperation #Teesta @PIB_India @IPR_Sikkim pic.twitter.com/ANa0gfH8aR Advertisement May 30, 2025 Search operations by state and national disaster response forces are still underway. According to The Week report, Kaushalendra is the nephew of BJP leader Ummed Singh. He married Ankita at Dhangadh Sarai Chivlaha village on May 5. Following the marriage, the couple left for Sikkim on their honeymoon and reached Mangan district the next day. The report said that police have recovered their belongings from the hotel, but there it is yet to have conclusive evidence to confirm whether they drowned in the river. Advertisement The list of people on board the vehicle, as shared by Sikkim media on its X handle on May 30, is as follows: Itshiri Jena (46) General Secretary, BJP Mahila Morcha, Odisha Ajit Kumar Nayak (45) Sunita Nayak (42) Debjyotijoy Dev (26) Swapnanil Dev (26) Kaushalendra Pratap Singh (29) Sahil Jena (21) Ankita Singh (26) Sairaj Jena Rescued in critical condition Swayam Supratim Nayak (16) Rescued in critical condition Passang D. Sherpa Driver The Sikkim media post stated that the rescue operation was being conducted by the Sikkim Police, Indian Army, ITBP, NDRF, and local administration under the supervision of the District Collector, SP, and SDM Chungthang. Ys Tourist Vehicle Accident in North Sikkim Rescue Operation Update On the night of May 29, 2025, a tourist vehicle bearing registration no. SK-03-J-0650 (Max) plunged nearly 8001000 feet into the Teesta River near Munshithang, along the ChungthangMunshithang road in North pic.twitter.com/BXZ2osDsis Advertisement May 30, 2025 It added that the operation had to be called off on May 30 due to the rising river levels following heavy rainfall. An ANI post on X dated May 31 stated, The rescue operation for the nine people who went missing after a vehicle fell into the Teesta River on May 29 is being affected by landslides in Mangan. Mangan SP Sonam Detchu Bhutia told the media, The tourists went missing after the incident in which their vehicle fell into the river. Two of them were rescued safely on the night of May 29. Police added that the vehicle could not be pulled out as it was stuck under debris and no bodies were found nearby. For the remaining nine, including the driver from Sikkim, the ITBP, SDRF, and NDRF carried out a rescue operation yesterday. But the car that had fallen into the river could not be pulled out as it was stuck in debris. We did not find any bodies near it. There was heavy rain last night, and a cloudburst occurred in the upper areas. The water level of the Teesta River has risen by 4 meters. Roads have been damaged at multiple places. The DC is at the spot, and the SDM and SDPO have been directed to carry out the search operations non-stop. There are six tourists from Odisha, two from Tripura, and two from Uttar Pradesh. There were 11 people in total, including a driver from Sikkim. #WATCH | Mangan, Sikkim | On a family missing in Sikkim incident, Mangan SP Sonam Detchu Bhutia says, "The tourists went missing after the incident in which their vehicle fell into the river. Two of them were rescued safely on the night of May 29. For the remaining nine, pic.twitter.com/Ei5srjEq3Z ANI (@ANI) May 31, 2025 On June 2, Sikkim media reported, Search operations continue for 9 missing persons from the May 29 accident, led by the District Administration, Police, @BROindia, ITBP, Army, @NDRFHQ and others. It added that the two rescued individuals, who were earlier in critical condition, are now stable at STNM Hospital. (For more news apart from Another Honeymooning Couple Goes Missing, After Vehicle Falls into Teesta River in Sikkim, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman) Social Media Star Khaby Lame Self-Deports from the U.S. He rose to fame during the COVID-19 pandemic through his humorous, silent reaction videos on TikTok Social Media Star Khaby Lame Self-Deports from the U.S. Social Media Star Khaby Lame Self-Deports from the U.S. latest news: Netizens favorite social media star, Khaby Lame, was reportedly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on June 6 in Las Vegas for overstaying his visa. Advertisement He was held at Harry Reid International Airport, but was later released after the 25-year-old was granted voluntary departure on the same day, June 6. According to a report by Free Press Journal, Lame had entered the U.S. on April 30 and overstayed the permitted duration of his visa. The report also cited a senior Department of Homeland Security official, who confirmed to The New York Post, Lame was granted voluntary departure on June 6 and has since self-deported from the U.S. Advertisement Seringe Khabane Lame, known globally as Khaby Lame, was born in Senegal, a country located on the west coast of Africa. He rose to fame during the COVID-19 pandemic through his humorous, silent reaction videos on TikTok, becoming one of the platforms most-followed creators. As of now, he has over 162 million followers on TikTok and 80 million on Instagram, making him one of the biggest social media influencers in the world. (For more news apart from Social Media Star Khaby Lame Self-Deports from the U.S., stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman) Editorial: Modi Era The Amrit Kaal Still a Distant Dream But the benefits of these achievements have largely remained limited to select sections of society. Editorial: Modi Era The Amrit Kaal Still a Distant Dream The narrative of how full or how empty the glass is can be easily appliedaccording to personal preferenceto the 11 years of the Narendra Modi government. The Bharatiya Janata Party and its supporters are describing the Modi era as eleven years of good governance, while the Congress and other opposition parties see it as eleven years of suffering and false propaganda. In such a situation, its natural for every neutral citizen to wonder whom to trust. Advertisement BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda, while praising the achievements of the Modi era, listed ten key points as follows: Indias economy has consistently strengthened; the country has moved from the 10th to the 5th largest economy. According to a new IMF assessment, India will soon become the 4th largest. The economic and social conditions of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, backward classes, and women have continuously improved. Over 25 crore Indians rose above the poverty line during these 11 years; extreme poverty has consistently declined. The government encouraged the politics of merit over nepotism; the culture of sycophancy was gradually discarded. During the COVID-19 pandemic, India set a world record by administering more than 220 crore free vaccine doses to over 110 crore citizens, also assisting neighboring countries. Srinagar was connected to the rest of India by rail. The vision of Developed India was actively pursued through policies, reforms, and transformations. Article 370 was abrogated, integrating Jammu & Kashmir more closely with the rest of India. The principle of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas (Together with all, Development for all, Efforts from all) was strictly followed. By ending the practice of triple talaq and introducing laws like the Waqf Reform Act, the rights of minorities were ensured. These points were also reiterated by the Prime Minister in his speech on Monday. He emphasized his commitment to service, good governance, and the welfare of the poor and vowed to continue working toward changing the lives of every section of society. In contrast to this praise-filled discourse from the ruling party, the opposition focused attention on how empty the glass is. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi described the Prime Minister as a symbol of more noise, less work, and zero accountability. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP of mortgaging the soul of the nation to the RSS. Akhilesh Yadav, leader of the Samajwadi Party, claimed the Modi government has repeatedly wounded the spirit of federalism. Similar criticism has also come from other opposition leaders. Advertisement When one side is beating its chest with pride and the other is using bitter words, finding a neutral ground becomes difficult. One thing is clear: Over the past decade, Indias national economy has consistently grown stronger. There has been progress in healthcare and education, Indias global stature has risen, and infrastructure has significantly improved. But the benefits of these achievements have largely remained limited to select sections of society. When social inequality remains untouched, slogans like Sabka Vikas (development for all) sound hollow. Similarly, the Modi government has failed to reduce unemployment, nor has it succeeded in fostering a climate of social harmony and goodwill. Among minority communities, particularly Muslims, a sense of insecurity has either remained constant or grown. Advertisement Due to the compulsions of vote-bank politics, leaders like Mr. Modi, other BJP figures, and RSS ideologues have cultivated a toxic mindset within party cadres and their supporters. This mindset often emerges in its most venomous form even on sensitive occasions meant to express national unity and solidarity. As long as this venom exists, how can the Modi era be called the Amrit Kaal (Golden Era)? Spanish Marines at the Dacian Spring exercise in Romania An overview of the Dacian Spring 2025 exercise Spanish Marines at the Dacian Spring exercise in Romania Agentia Media a Armatei, 11.06.2025, 14:00 Last month, Romania hosted the Dacian Spring 2025multinational exercise, planned and led by NATOs Multinational Division South-East Command in Bucharest. The exercise brought together approximately 4,000 soldiers from ten allied states and over 900 pieces of equipment. Exercises took place in the training centers of Smardan, Cincu, Bogata, Capu Midia and Frecatei. Forces from Romania, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal and Spain took part. The main objectives of the exercise were to practice a collective defense operation and strengthen the integration of forces into the NATO command and control framework. The exercises contributed to improving the response capacity and interoperability between allies, with the observance of Romanias international commitments. At the Frecatei training range (east), Romanian and Spanish soldiers simulated the repelling of an enemy attack according to a well-defined scenario. The forces involved used helicopters, Piranha armored personnel carriers, boats and armored gunships, in an unprecedented mobilization of forces. More details from Miguel, one of the Spanish soldiers in the NATO Battle Group deployed to Romania: These were exciting days. We crossed the river from multiple directions. We used this bridge and also some inflatable boats to cross faster. We didnt have many opportunities to get to know our Romanian partners, but when we performed the exercise with the boats, they were the ones who took the lead and displayed professionalism. They explained very clearly everything we had to do, what happens if someone falls overboard. They are very well prepared and it was a pleasant experience to work together. Also, when I accompanied them to the mountains, some time ago, they taught us several survival techniques: how to walk through the snow, how to build a shelter to spend the night in the forest. And here they presented us with all the capabilities of a marine operating on a river, because we are used with fighting at sea, and here things work a little differently. Lieutenant David Martin Blazquez from the Spanish Marine Infantry Company deployed in Romania also spoke to us about the mission that the Spanish military is carrying out in our country: We were deployed in Romania last November and we will remain in the area for approximately six to seven months. Our mission here is to deter and defend, according to the orders of NATO forces, in order to maintain peace in Europe. We usually work together with the Romanians and also with the French in different maneuvers. It was a great experience to discover things about Romania that I did not know before. For example, the history of Romania. I was delighted to hear the stories related to Dracula and Vlad Tepes. The Dacian Spring 2025 exercise reflected the solid commitment of the Romanian Army to national defense and regional cooperation, the participation of structures from all categories of the armed forces and the efficient coordination with allies, contributing to maintaining a climate of security in the region. (VP) The Superwriting Awards The Romanians trust in the press has been constantly diminishing, while social networks have become the main sources of information for many. Against this background, the Superwriting Awards, the only annual event awarding the best Romanian journalistic productions, is an opportunity of acknowledging the meritorious people behind various publications Photo: pixabay.com Iulia Hau, 11.06.2025, 14:00 Peoples trust in the press in Romania has been going down for quite some time now. A report published by Reuters last year, which has been considered the latest and most comprehensive survey on journalism at world level, shows the Romanians trust in the media dropped from 39% in 2017 to 27% in 2024. According to the same report, Radio Romania is the second most trusted media trademark among all those included in the survey. According to a Eurobarometer published in 2023, the Romanians are resorting to social networks to get information in larger numbers than the European average, and cases in which journalists are being intimidated arent isolated situations. Against this background, since 2011, the best journalistic materials, editorial offices, civic projects have been awarded during the aforementioned award gala, which has also been offering scholarships and staging workshop and debates. During its 14th edition last month, a series of journalistic materials exposing abuses in universities, violence against women in politics, real estate frauds, the situation of Romanias mental health system, stories of the Asian immigrants in Romania, the way in which artificial intelligence has been used against women, projects of documentary photography depicting natural disasters caused by global warming, online political education projects, a non-fiction book and others were being acknowledged. Alexandra Candor, executive director of the Friends for Friends Foundation (the NGO, which is staging the Superwriting Awards) speaks about the evolution of the Romanian journalism in the past decade: Alexandra Candor: It seems to me it has developed a lot. I remember that at the first edition of our award gala, there were just a couple of publications, five-six, if at all. A couple of independent projects were coming into being at that time, or had been one-two years old back then. The event was also smaller as journalists were also in lower numbers back then. It seems to me that this press section, involving press projects, which are independent or not affiliated to big media trusts, has developed significantly. The number of journalists involved in suchlike projects has significantly increased. I have seen lots and lots of young journalists reaping awards in our award gala. And I am glad of seeing this, I am glad that a young generation of journalists has emerged. Now I know that what we see at the Superwriting Awards gala is not representative for the entire market, which is quite big, you know. And I also know that by and large, its not easy to attract young talents. This years edition had as its main theme, mental health. Alexandra Candor told us the reason behind this choice. Alexandra Candor: It all started from a series of talks we had in the past two years with various journalists related to the project and we understood that it was a need for this kind of talks. We need to talk about mental health. We need to start discussions like these in the press in our country. I dont know even now whether we managed to kick off such a big discussion, but I hope we did so. However, what I know is that many people felt they were facing mental health issues, but either they found it difficult to admit it, or they didnt know what to do in situations like these. I believe this issue continues to exist and, like I said on the stage, what we did with this edition was only the start; namely to open a space of discussions on this issue and find solutions together to do things better. One of the most pressing issues the independent press is currently facing is the fact that few editorial offices manage to become financially sustainable. Here is again Alexandra Candor Alexandra Candor: I know this is a problem at global level. I mean, funding the press is generally a problem and sustainable business models in this area are quite an issue mainly in this context when algorithms and social media have influenced very much the way in which journalistic materials have been promoted in the past years and the way they are being promoted now, not very much, you know, as the social media is no longer interested in promoting high quality content. We asked Alexandra Candor, what would be a healthy ratio between funding coming from a private environment and civil society. Alexandra Candor: Before starting to work for Friends for Friends in 2021, I worked in the business environment not for civil society, so, I guess its easier for me to get both pictures, you knowI believe it can be a serious relationship between the business environment and journalism. I believe this relationship has deteriorated significantly in the past years due to the way in which advertising has been done and sold in our country, when only figures counted and nothing else. The business understood that if it paid the press to write nice articles about them, everything was going to be OK. And I believe the relationship started to suffer from that time on. But I also believe that the business knows and can understand that you have to support the press not only to have an influence on what they write about you, but because this is simply an exercise aimed at keeping a functional democracy and a free market you are operating in. I believe the two sides are in need of a dialogue, and its a shame this kind of dialogue has been absent for quite some time now. In 2025 the Grand Prize in the aforementioned Superwriting Awards gala went to a publication from the Republic of Moldova, entitled the Guard Newspaper for an undercover investigation, which proved the Russian influence over the 2024 presidential election and the referendum over European integration. (bill) European funds for Romania Romania has received a new instalment worth 1.3 billion from the European Commissions Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (Credits: Copyright European Union, 2023 Source: EC - Audiovisual Service / Photographer: Lukasz Kobus) Mihai Pelin, 11.06.2025, 13:50 Romania has received 1.3 billion from the European Commission, as part of the third package of payments linked to the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). However, this is not the full amount, namely 2 billion, because Bucharest did not implement the related reforms. However, the government is considering amending the Plan, so that the fourth instalment would be larger, in order to recover lost payments. Romania is not the only country operating such changes, and the Commission and the Council have similar requests on the table from several Member States. According to Brussels, Romania has six outstanding milestones in the reform chapters of the Plan pertaining to the third disbursement, which are pending since last year. Romanias third payment request included 37 reforms and 17 investments. One of the missed reforms was designed to cut spending on special pensions, and another sought to reform state-owned enterprises or institutions. Romania has until November 28 to implement all the necessary measures in order to fully unlock the third payment, the Ministry of Investments and European Projects says. The partial suspension of funds does not involve the loss of any amounts allocated to Romania. The 869 million remains blocked and will be collected after all the requirements are fulfilled. The Minister of Investments and European Projects, Marcel Bolos, said that Romanian authorities are trying to renegotiate the Plan, in order to be able to replace investments that have a slow implementation pace with others, financed from the state budget or from national programs. In order to receive the other disbursements from the European Commission, Romania must also undertake other reforms, Marcel Bolos said. We are talking about the tax reform, the pollution tax for means of transportation, the energy law, the justice laws, we have the Urban Planning Code, jointly with the electronic platform for implementing these regulations. We also have the Forestry Code, and the decision to restructure Romsilva, and, of course, the hydrogen strategy and the biodiversity strategy. Last week, the Commission warned that Romania and two other European states are reporting the biggest delays in implementing their national plans, about 80%, and recommended simplifying the overgrown Recovery and Resilience Plan, in order to be able to focus on projects that can be completed within the specific deadline. The total amount collected by Romania from the allocated funds reached 10.74 billion. The amount allocated to Romania for the implementation of the Plan is 28.5 billion, of which 13.6 billion in the form of grants and 14.9 billion in the form of loans. Targets and milestones linked to reforms and investments must be implemented by 20 Romanian ministries and public authorities. (VP) Top-level meetings Romanias new president Nicusor Dan has a busy foreign policy agenda. Photo: presidency.ro Bogdan Matei, 11.06.2025, 14:00 Spain and Romania are firmly reiterating their strategic partnership, King Felipe VI of Spain said on Tuesday, when he visited, together with Romanias president Nicusor Dan, the Getica joint training centre in Cincu, and which also includes Spanish military, as part of the NATO battle group. This was the first visit by a foreign head of state to Romania since president Dan took office. Referring to the battle group, the King said the impact is visible with respect to security, training and creation of priceless professional links between the armies of the allied countries [] The connections built here will resist, Im sure, throughout our militarys careers. It is a new way of building Europe. He went on to say that in times of so many changes and uncertainties, the international order is changing, but we, Spain and Romania, are firmly reiterating our strategic partnership, as it was first established in 2013, based on the strongest of links: that between our peoples, located at the geographical extremities of the European Latin world. King Felipe also spoke about the vast community of Romanians in Spain, more than half a million people, who are fully integrated into our society, taking part in everyday activities and contributing to our prosperity and helping to consolidate our cultural and socio-cultural links at the highest level. For his part, president Nicusor Dan expressed his gratitude for the constant support given to this community and the efforts of the Spanish authorities to ensure the due respect and support for the Romanian citizens. He also hailed Spains concrete and constant contribution to consolidating security on NATOs eastern flank. The presence of the Spanish military in Romania as part of the Alliances battle group, is clear proof of Madrids commitment to collective defence and to discouraging any form of threat to regional stability, the Romanian president also said. From Cincu, he travelled to Chisinau to meet Moldovas pro-western administration. In the second round of last months presidential elections in Romania, Nicusor Dan won 88% of the 138,000 votes cast in the neighbouring Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova by Moldovans who also hold Romanian passports. During talks with his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu, Dan called for the consolidation of the relations between the two states in the fields of energy, infrastructure and education. He also reiterated his countrys support for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova. President Maia Sandu again spoke out against the threat posed by Russias hybrid war and its attempts to interfere in the domestic policy of Romania and Moldova. Oklo Inc. (OKLO) soared 26.66 percent to $66.54 on Tuesday after receiving a Notice of Intent to Award from the Defense Logistics Agency Energy. The deal, on behalf of the Department of the Air Force and Department of Defense, positions Oklo to deploy its Aurora microreactor at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska to supply clean, reliable energy. The stock opened at $53.56 and reached an intraday high of $67.66 on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume spiked to 33.7 million shares, well above the average of 16.2 million. Oklo's 52-week range is $5.35 to $67.66. This pilot project is part of a broader effort to strengthen energy resilience for national security infrastructure. Under the anticipated agreement, Oklo will design, build, own, and operate the facility under a long-term power purchase contract. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Bushehr Province, located in southern Iran, has resumed operations since June 10, the NPP's director, Reza Bannazadeh, told reporters, Trend reports. According to him, the NPP was suspended for the purpose of replacing the fuel layers. As a result of the activities of local specialists, all work at the plant has been completed. Technical services, tests, and repairs have been carried out. Bannazadeh said that the plant is capable of cranking out seven million megawatt hours of electricity each year. Bushehr NPPs first unit began operations in 2011 and was officially handed over to Iranian control by a Russian nuclear company in 2013. Since then, the unit has produced electricity at a maximum capacity of 1,000 megawatt-hours and has generated over 65 billion kilowatt-hours over a ten-year span. Construction of the second and third units began in 2017 on a 50-hectare site. Once operational, each unit is expected to generate 1,057 megawatts of electricity. Their combined contribution could save about 10 million barrels of crude oil or 1.6 billion cubic meters of gas annually, while preventing nearly seven million tons of pollutant emissions. The generation of electrical energy at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant from 2013 through March 20, 2025, totaled 72.4 million kilowatt-hours. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Toyotas most celebrated model in India, the Fortuner, has been creating a lot of buzz recently. Thats because Fortuner just got a 48V Mild Hybrid system claiming improved fuel efficiency and driveability. Toyota calls it Neo Drive and is offered with both Fortuner and Fortuner Legender. Now, non Hybrid version of these SUVs have been slapped with a price hike of up to Rs 68,000. Lets take a closer look. Toyota Fortuner Price Hike June 2025 After launching Hybrid variants of Fortuner and Fortuner Legender called Neo Drive, Toyota has shifted the gaze towards non Hybrid variants. The company has updated these variants in the month of June 2025 not with features or more equipment, but with a price hike that goes up to Rs 68,000, depending on variant. Also, there has been a major trimming in Fortuner and Fortuner Legenders variant lineup since the launch of Neo Drive variants. Neo Drive variants are not only priced Rs 2 lakh more than the Diesel 4X4 AT variants that they are based on, but replace them completely. Prospective buyers of Diesel 4X4 AT variants should now pay Rs 2 lakh (Ex-sh) more for Neo Drive variants. Another update is a new Pearl White exterior finish that gets separate prices other than standard variant prices. Speaking of, standard variant prices have been hiked by up to Rs 68,000 (Ex-sh). The sole Petrol variant gets highest price hike of Rs 68,000, taking base price of Fortuner to Rs 36.05 lakh (Ex-sh) from Rs 35.37 lakh (Ex-sh). Rest all non Hybrid Diesel variants of Fortuner and Fortuner Legender get a uniform price hike of Rs 40,000. These variants include Fortuner Diesel 4X2 MT, Fortuner Diesel 4X2 AT, Fortuner Diesel 4X4 MT, Legender 4X2 AT, Legender 4X4 MT and GR-S 4X4 AT. Fortuner Diesel 4X4 AT and Legender Diesel 4X4 AT have been discontinued and replaced with Neo Drive variants. Features removed? There is some news about Toyota removing ventilated seats from Fortuner and Legender. However, thats not the case as both Fortuner and Legender continue to offer ventilated seats function in non Hybrid variants. Ventilated seats are not offered with Neo Drive Mild Hybrid variants, even though they are the priciest in the variant lineup of Fortuner and Legender. Also missing from standard Fortuner variants even in 2025 is a wireless charging pad, which is only part of all Legender variants along with Fortuner Neo Drive variants. Dedicated features with Neo Drive include a stop start function and a 360-degree camera. With this price hike, Fortuner range now starts from Rs 36.05 lakh (Ex-sh) and goes till a whopping 52.34 lakh (Ex-sh). With new Norton models, TVS will target the premium motorcycle segment across both domestic and international markets including Europe TVS had acquired the iconic British brand Norton Motorcycles in 2020. After investing heavily in the brands revival, the Norton project is ready to take off in a big way. The first of the new Norton bikes are expected to be launched in India by the end of this year. Lets check out the details. Norton 1,200cc bike launch confirmed for EICMA In an interview, TVS Motor Managing Director Sudarshan Venu, provided details about the upcoming Norton motorcycles. The first launch will be a 1,200cc, four-cylinder superbike at EICMA. Three more Norton bikes could also be launched at EICMA or soon after. Overall, a total of six Norton models are planned for launch over the next three years. Four of these will be available for sale in select European markets by the summer of 2026. Target markets include the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Norton bikes in India will be targeted at users from the growing middle class and upper middle-class families. It is likely that exclusive retail outlets will be launched for sale of Norton motorcycles in India. A similar strategy is also expected for the upcoming 450cc Apache models. However, specific details about the new showrooms have not been provided. Venu said that they will first target the big cities and later expand to other cities. Venu also confirmed that the entire Norton range will be available in India. All upcoming Norton motorcycles are in advanced stages of development. Initially, there are plans to manufacture around 10,000 Norton motorcycles, catering to both India and global markets. To ensure the Norton project progresses smoothly, the leadership team has been strengthened with two executive directors, Nevijo Mance and Richard Arnold. The Norton team has a good mix of engineers and designers. TVS team in India also provides the required support. 450cc Norton / Apache bikes Similar to the earlier collaboration with BMW, TVS will manufacture new Apache models based on BMWs new 450cc engine platform. New Norton 450cc bikes will also share the same platform. TVS will manufacture for all three brands at its facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. BMW F 450 GS is expected to be launched first by the end of this year. Norton and Apache models based on the 450cc platform will be launched subsequently. For its new platform, BMW has used an entirely new twin-cylinder inline engine. It generates 48 hp and is paired with a 6-speed gearbox. TVS and Norton versions will have their distinctive styling, although several of the core hardware items will be common. While the 450cc bikes will be manufactured in India, the more premium Norton motorcycles could see production in both India and the UK. An advantageous factor is that the free trademark agreement between India and the UK makes things a lot easier to manage. For example, components and kits can be easily shipped to the UK in sub-assembled form. Similarly, fully built vehicles can be shipped to India with minimal import duty. Iran assesses its Kish gas field's potential to play pivotal part in easing gas crunch Iran is gearing up to push the envelope on the Kish gas field development to help bridge the gap in its gas supply, Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad stated. The field is sitting on a gold mine, boasting reserves that stack up to four phases of the South Pars field. The proposals from local private companies are currently on the table for the project's development, as we weigh our options and consider the best path forward. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Electricity output capacity of a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Iran will triple by March 2029, Vice President, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers in Tehran today, Trend reports. According to him, the electricity output capacity of Iran's Bushehr NPP is set to hit the ground running at 3,000 megawatts. Eslami said that currently, the first unit of this plant delivers 1,020 megawatts of electricity to the country's electricity grid. Bushehr NPPs first unit began operations in 2011 and was officially handed over to Iranian control by a Russian nuclear company in 2013. Since then, the unit has produced electricity at a maximum capacity of 1,000 megawatt-hours and has generated over 65 billion kilowatt-hours over a 10-year span. Construction of the second and third units began in 2017 on a 50-hectare site. Once operational, each unit is expected to generate 1,057 megawatts of electricity. Their combined contribution could save about 10 million barrels of crude oil or 1.6 billion cubic meters of gas annually, while preventing seven million tons of pollutant emissions. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Using the NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument aboard the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have captured a new image of the Sombrero galaxy. The Sombrero galaxy is located approximately 28 million light-years away in the constellation of Virgo. Also known as Messier 104, M104 or NGC 4594, this galaxy was discovered by the French astronomer Pierre Mechain on May 11, 1781. It has a diameter of 49,000 light-years about two times smaller than our Milky Way Galaxy. The Sombrero galaxy shows characteristics of both of the dominant types of galaxies in the Universe, the spirals and the ellipticals. It has spiral arms and a very large bright central bulge, which makes it look like a hybrid of the two types. We see the Sombrero galaxy edge-on, at an angle of 6 degrees south of its plane. Its dark dust lane dominates the view. Studying galaxies like the Sombrero at different wavelengths, including the near-infrared and mid-infrared with Webb, as well as the visible with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, helps us understand how this complex system of stars, dust, and gas formed and evolved, along with the interplay of that material, the Webb astronomers said in a statement. When compared to Hubbles visible light image, the dust disk doesnt look as pronounced in the new near-infrared image from NIRCam. Thats because the longer, redder wavelengths of infrared light emitted by stars slip past dust more easily, so less of that stellar light is blocked. In the mid-infrared image, we actually see that dust glow. Studies have indicated that hiding behind the galaxys smooth dust lane and calming glow is a turbulent past, the astronomers said. A few oddities discovered over the years have hinted this galaxy was once part of a violent merger with at least one other galaxy. The Sombrero is home to roughly 2,000 globular clusters, or collections of hundreds of thousands of old stars held together by gravity. Spectroscopic studies have shown the stars within these globular clusters are unexpectedly different from one another. Stars that form around the same time from the same material should have similar chemical fingerprints for example, the same amounts of elements like oxygen or neon. However, this galaxys globular clusters show noticeable variation. A merger of different galaxies over billions of years would explain this difference. Another piece of evidence supporting this merger theory is the warped appearance of the galaxys inner disk. While our view is classified as edge on, were actually seeing this nearly edge on, they added. Our view six degrees off the galaxys equator means we dont see it directly from the side, but a little bit from above. From this view, the inner disk appears tilted inward, like the beginning of a funnel, instead of flat. The powerful resolution of Webbs NIRCam also allows us to resolve individual stars outside of, but not necessarily at the same distance as, the galaxy, some of which appear red. These are called red giants, which are cooler stars, but their large surface area causes them to glow brightly in this image. These red giants also are detected in the mid-infrared, while the smaller, bluer stars in the near-infrared disappear in the longer wavelengths. Also in the NIRCam image, galaxies of diverse shapes and colors are scattered throughout the backdrop of space. The variety of their colors provides astronomers with clues about their characteristics, such as their distance from Earth. SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. (AND NO SPAM!) Just click here. China has returned to trade talks with the United States this week holding, from its perspective, a strong hand: Its economy is bearing up better than many people - including President Donald Trump - expected. It has watched as Trump's unconventional trade policy has suffered some legal setbacks. And it has a geopolitical ace card: It is controlling the export of much-needed rare earths. This shows how the Trump administration underestimated Beijing's ability to withstand the pain of tariffs, according to analysts both inside and outside China. The tariffs reached a minimum of 145 percent before a temporary truce was declared in Geneva last month. "Back in February, the mainstream narrative in the U.S. was, Oh, the Chinese economy is bad, so if the U.S. is going to use tariff stick, China would have no choice but to surrender,'" said Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. Now, Washington appears to be acknowledging that "China was better prepared for the trade war in the first stage," Wu said. Underscoring the sense that Beijing just has to wait out the U.S. president, some state-affiliated media outlets and Chinese commentators have seized upon a new phrase being applied to Trump - "TACO," or "Trump Always Chickens Out," a Wall Street acronym that suggests the president often talks tough on tariffs but ultimately backs down. The U.S. and Chinese delegations, led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, began a second day of talks in London on Tuesday, after a reset phone call last week between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. "China's not easy," Trump said Monday after the first day of talks. But, he added: "I'm only getting good reports." The Trump administration had previously accused Beijing of reneging on the deal reached in Geneva, where both countries agreed to a temporary tariff reprieve and to drop nontariff barriers. At the top of Washington's concerns: China's continuing restrictions on rare earths, which are needed to manufacture products as varied as cars, fighter jets, iPhones and medical machines. "China showed the leverage that they have in the area of rare earths," said Bert Hofman, a professor at the National University of Singapore's East Asian Institute and former World Bank country director for China. The inclusion of export controls, in addition to tariffs, in this year's trade war has been "positive" for China's positioning in negotiations, Hofman said, and is mirrored in the negotiating teams in London this week. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, both of whom oversee export controls, have joined the talks. China accounts for 70 percent of the world's rare-earth mining and more than 90 percent of the processing. It put strict controls on the raw materials in April, after Trump began imposing sky-high tariffs on all Chinese goods. Trump administration officials accused Beijing of "slow-walking" on its side of the deal, saying this was counter to the spirit of the Geneva agreement. But just before this week's talks, China's Commerce Ministry said it had approved some applications for licenses to export rare earths, although it did not specify the identity or number of the applicants. Many analysts expect China to maintain the export controls - which apply not just to the U.S., but also to all nations - and green-light exports selectively to favored trading partners. "The process of approval can be slowed down depending on the state of the [U.S.-China] relationship," said Wu, of Fudan University. For all its bravado, Beijing does not hold all the cards. Economic growth remains weak in China and statistics published this week showed a precipitous 34 percent decline in exports to the U.S. amid the tariff war, although an increase in sales to Europe and Southeast Asia saw overall export numbers rise. China is vulnerable to the Trump administration's controls on high-tech exports, especially when it comes to the most cutting-edge semiconductors, which are needed for advanced artificial intelligence systems and which China has not been able to domestically produce. In recent weeks, Washington has warned companies against using advanced Chinese chips, specifically Huawei's Ascend AI chips, saying they "were likely developed or produced in violation of U.S. export controls." The Trump administration also paused the export of some critical U.S. technologies, including those related to jet engines and semiconductors, according to the New York Times. "China could get hit pretty hard by further export controls in the semiconductor space," said Kyle Chan, an expert on Chinese industrial policy at Princeton University. "There's still a lot further to go and a lot more damage that could be done." In a development that analysts called "remarkable," the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, featured an interview with Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei on the front page. "It just goes to show the significance of Huawei as an entity for the Party-state," wrote Manoj Kewalramani, author of the Tracking People's Daily newsletter. In the prominent interview, Ren said that the U.S. "has exaggerated Huawei's achievements." But he brushed aside any questions about difficulties in the Chinese chip sector, saying that China will "definitely break through all blockades and achieve great rejuvenation." But the difference between China's rare-earth controls and the U.S.'s chip controls is all about timing, Chan said. The immediate impact of rare-earth controls is "exceptional," he said. "Auto executives are complaining today about a looming shortage, and about not being able to complete cars," he said. By comparison, if the Trump administration institutes more controls on what chips can be sold to China, that could degrade China's capabilities and constrain its ability to become a future AI leader. But there are at least some alternatives and stopgap measures China can lean on, Chan said. Many in the Trump administration thought that China's fragile economy would make it vulnerable to the tariffs and force it to give in to Trump's demands. Even before the trade frictions, Beijing was grappling with a property crisis and weak consumption, and Trump has boasted about China "getting absolutely hammered" by the trade war. But Beijing has seemingly been able to manage the economic fallout of the trade frictions up until this point, said Hofman, of the National University of Singapore. This is, in part, because of measures to stimulate the economy, stoke domestic demand and find different markets for Chinese companies' exports. "Looking at the Chinese reaction thus far, whether there actually will be a big [economic] impact or not, I think the Chinese will not be led by that," Hofman said. "They fully well knew that this would have some impact on the domestic economy, and they decided to push back." Still, Beijing and Washington seem eager to de-escalate the tensions during this week's talks. Xinhua, China's state news agency, underscored the mutual benefit of U.S.-China trade in an article published Tuesday, and struck a poetic concluding note. "China-U.S. relations are currently at an important critical juncture. Both sides need to adhere to the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation," the article said. "An early summer breeze brushed through London, and the world is watching with anticipation." (COMMENT, BELOW) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. US President Donald Trumps declaration that Iran should not have nuclear weapons could serve as a main foundation for reaching an agreement on Irans nuclear program, Irans Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in a post on his X page, Trend reports. In his post, Araghchi noted that Trumps statement aligns with Irans own nuclear doctrine. He emphasized that with the return to indirect negotiations on June 15, a solution that ensures Iran's nuclear operations are peaceful is within reach, and it might be struck sooner rather than later. "That mutually beneficial outcome relies on the continuation of Iran's enrichment program, under the full supervision of the IAEA, and the effective termination of sanctions," the post further reads. To note, on April 12, 19, 26, May 11, and May 23, the United States and Iran held five rounds of indirect negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program. These discussions, conducted indirectly with the mediation of the Foreign Minister of the Sultanate of Oman, Sayyid Badr Al-Busaidi, involved Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi leading the Iranian delegation, while the US delegation was led by the US Special Envoy to Middle East Affairs, Steve Witkoff. The first and 3rd rounds took place in Muscat, Oman, while the 2nd round was held in Rome, Italy. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Iran continues crude oil export despite various rumors about a decrease in the export, the country's oil minister, Mohsen Paknejad, told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers in Tehran today, Trend reports. He indicated that unprecedented metrics were documented in the realm of Iran's crude oil exportation across various temporal segments. Paknejad articulated that, consequently, the assertions proliferating regarding the downturn in Iran's crude oil exports are unfounded. The minister refrained from divulging specifics regarding the quantitative metrics and fiscal valuation associated with crude oil exportation. In light of the geopolitical constraints imposed by US sanctions on Iranian hydrocarbon exports, Iran has adopted a policy of opacity regarding its crude oil export data. As many as 74 oil fields and 22 gas fields are currently operating in Iran. There are 37 oil fields in the territory of the National Company of Iran's Southern Oil Zones, 14 in the territory of the Iranian Central Oil Zones Company, five in the territory of the Arvandan Oil and Gas Production Company, and 18 in the territory of the Offshore Oil Company. Additionally, the South Oil Zones National Company of Iran operates five gas fields, the Central Oil Zones Company operates 13, the Pars Oil and Gas Company operates one, and the Offshore Oil Company operates three Iran's total hydrocarbon reserves are 1.2 trillion barrels. Iran can produce 340 billion barrels of this gas with existing technological equipment. Iran can use about 30 percent, while 70 percent remains unused underground. The US imposed new sanctions on Iran in November 2018 over its nuclear program. Over the past period, the sanctions have included Iran's oil exports, more than 700 banks, companies, and individuals. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. During a recent press briefing, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova sharply rebuked Armenian journalist Ayk Khalatyan for repeatedly raising provocative questions about the alleged demolition of monuments in Karabakh. Khalatyan asked once again about the status of these monuments. Zakharova responded with a pointed rebuttal, emphasizing ongoing negotiations with Azerbaijani officials on the issue. We are in talks with our Azerbaijani colleagues regarding this matter, and I can assure you of that, Zakharova stated. She then challenged Khalatyan, asking if he showed similar concern for monuments being taken down in other countries. I have never seen such active efforts from your side to defend the memory of Soviet soldiers, many of whom have Armenian origins, she added. She stressed that Russia is committed to preserving the memory of fallen soldiers by maintaining graves, laying flowers, and protecting monuments from desecration. The spokesperson questioned why Khalatyan did not raise similar issues within Armenia or inquire about joint efforts to preserve historical memory. Maria Zakharova called on the journalist to cease raising the topic in a provocative manner. We understand the reasons and context behind your questions, but at this point, it is becoming almost sacrilegious, she said. Photo: Office of the President of the Republic of Serbia BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Ukraine South-Eastern Europe summit, currently taking place in Odesa, Trend reports. Vucic announced the meeting on social media, sharing a photo with Zelenskyy. According to the Serbian leader, the two discussed the importance of achieving long-term and sustainable peace, upholding international law, and strengthening the role of diplomacy in conflict resolution. He described the conversation as meaningful and frank, noting that key geopolitical challenges facing Europe and the wider world were addressed. Both leaders also underscored the need for closer cooperation between their countries across various fields. In his remarks at the summit, President Vucic emphasized that advancing dialogue and securing peace are fundamental prerequisites for resolving all other outstanding issues. He added that the need for peace is becoming increasingly urgent. This story is part of the Nonprofit Journal Project , an initiative focused on nonprofit leaders and programs across Metro Detroit. This series is made possible with the generous support of our partners, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation , Michigan Nonprofit Association and Co.act Detroit After more than two decades in public education, most recently as superintendent of two Michigan school district, Valerie Orr was ready for a career change.When she came across the opening for executive director at the Community Foundation of Monroe County (CFMC), it felt like a natural continuation of her longtime commitment to servant leadership. I don't have any background in philanthropy, Orr says. But I just started looking at what other options are available for a second career that would fit the goals and the way in which I like to work. Founded in 1978, CFMC has long played a quiet but important role in Monroe County, connecting donors to local needs and supporting nonprofits through grantmaking and partnerships.With Orr stepping into leadership in September 2024, the organization is entering a new chapter focused on visibility, collaboration and expansion of its reach county-wide.She brings not only leadership experience but also strong community ties and a deep familiarity with Monroe Countys needs insights she credits to her years working in the regions public schools.As a community foundation, that's our role: to help bring resources to the people who are doing the most important work around the county, she says.CFMC is currently in the midst of a strategic planning process that will guide its next three to five years. A consultant is working with stakeholders across the county to better understand emerging needs and how the foundation can respond. Orr says the resulting plan will help sharpen CFMCs focus and deepen its impact.At the heart of that vision is collaboration, which Orr believes sets Monroe County apart. While shes worked in other areas, she says the level of connection in Monroe County is unique.There really is something special about Monroe County, she says. Especially the people who are working in some type of service-oriented position... Monroe is extremely collaborative.She points to the many local coalitions and committees that cross organizational and municipal lines. That overlap, she says, creates a built-in synergy that helps reduce redundancy and stretch resources further.Its a spirit that CFMC works to embody. The foundation partners with local nonprofits, other community foundations, and statewide organizations like the Council of Michigan Foundations Orr emphasizes that building relationships isnt just a nice ideaits a core strategy for growth.My goal is to be visible, she says. The larger we grow as a community, opportunities to collaborate will come to light.Orr is especially proud of CFMCs ongoing partnership with the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation . Because Monroe County is part of the foundations geographic focus, the collaboration has helped bring new funding and opportunities into the region.They've been pretty amazing partners with us, she says.In her first months on the job, Orr has been learning the landscape of Monroe Countys nonprofit sector. Shes impressed by the mix of long-standing organizations and emerging onessome of which are navigating serious challenges in a shifting funding environment.Overall, she sees strength in the sectors leadership and innovation. Her main concern is public awareness.Before I took this position, I had no idea about us. I wish more people knew that the Community Foundation is for everyone, Orr says. Its not just for the wealthiest individuals or people thinking about planned giving. Yes, those are very, very important people within our organization, and we rely on them heavily, but I also think it's important for the next generation of givers to really see what the old generation has done.She adds, It's really people understanding that the Community Foundation is for those who care about their community and want to make an impact.Looking ahead, Orr envisions a bigger footprint for the foundation that includes more partnerships, deeper engagement with local municipalities and a stronger presence across Monroe County.I just see our impact across the county growing exponentially, she says. Were always looking to connect with individuals who care about their community and are looking for innovative ways to make an impact. Shares in Zara-owner Inditex came under pressure on Wednesday, after second-quarter numbers from the retail giant disappointed. Sales at the Spanish business grew 1.5% in the three months to 30 April to 8.27bn, or by 4.2% once the impact of currency fluctuations were stripped out. Analysts had been expecting sales closer to 8.36bn. Net income improved 0.8% to 1.3bn. Current trading also disappointed. Currency-adjusted revenues grew 6% in the period to 6 June, below expectations for a 7.3% uplift. It was also notably slower that the 12% growth recorded in the same period a year previously. As at 1130 BST, Inditexs Madrid-listed shares were down 4%. The firm, which owns Pull&Bear, Oysho and Massimo Dutti, among others, did not comment on the slower sales growth, other than to note that the spring/summer ranges had been "well received" by customers. However, the wider retail sector is facing a number of headwinds, including a stronger euro and the White Houses erratic trade and tariff policies, which in turn have dented consumer confidence. Spanish retailers have been further rocked by one of the wettest springs on record. Inditex now expects currency fluctuations to trim sales by 3% in the full the year, although it expects the gross margin to remain stable. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: "Inditex is the Eurozones equivalent of Next - a company that sets the gold standard for its sector. When it disappoints on trading, shockwaves are felt across the retail industry. "If the consumer is worried about the economy, and is watching every penny, retailers are going to struggle to shift goods unless they discount hard. Inditex is guiding for stable gross margins this year, which implies it is not expecting to slash prices to shift stock. "The same applies to unfavourable foreign exchange rates which add to near-term pressures. Currency issues typically come and go, so Inditex will probably sit tight and wait for them to pass." STOCKS TO WATCH Engineering firm Weir has been tapped by copper producer Codelco to supply its tailings transport solution for the Talabre tailings dam expansion project in the Atacama region of Chile. Weir said on Wednesday that the initial 40.0m sustainable tailings solution contracts will be booked in Q225. Healthcare property investment and management firm Assura has agreed to an increased and final 52.1p-a-share offer from KKR and Stonepeak, valuing the company at around 1.7bn. The announcement comes days after Assura said due diligence in relation to a rival 51.7p takeover proposal from Primary Health Properties was still ongoing, with both parties "working closely" together. Globaldata has announced that ICG has walked away from takeover discussions after two months of speculation. ICG and KKR had been circling the data analytics and consulting company since late-April, though KKR talks were terminated two weeks ago after an agreement could not be reached. ICG's 'put up or shut up' deadline was then extended to 1700 BST on Wednesday, but the private equity firm has now confirmed it does not intend to make an offer. NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP Officials from the US and China have agreed on a "framework" to move forward on trade after two days of talks in London stemming from their confrontation over tariffs. The US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, expressed optimism on Tuesday that concerns about critical or "rare earth" minerals and magnets "will be resolved" as the deal is implemented. Guardian Rachel Reeves will raise government spending on affordable housing by nearly double on Wednesday, providing a major boost to the housebuilding sector and bringing the government's housing targets a step closer. The chancellor will announce nearly 40.0bn worth of grants to be spent over 10 years for local authorities, private developers and housing associations a major increase on the previous programme. Guardian BT is plotting a rescue of TalkTalk as an escalating cash crisis threatens disruption in the broadband market. The former state monopoly is in the early stages of exploring a takeover of TalkTalk and its 3.2m customers, according to City sources. BT is considering a bid for Britain's fourth-largest broadband provider amid fears that its own business could be damaged by the tightening squeeze on TalkTalk's finances. Telegraph A notorious online message board linked to mass shootings in the United States is facing an investigation by British officials. 4chan is to be investigated by Ofcom, Britain's tech regulator, under the Online Safety Act over the suspected spread of illegal online posts. The forum, which became known for its users' vociferous support for Donald Trump and has been blamed for radicalising mass shooters in the US, is one of nine websites that are the subject of new investigations by Ofcom. Telegraph AstraZeneca has been accused of "turning a blind eye" to the Chinese government and putting "profits before people" as it invests billions in the country amid the long-running detention of a key executive. Leon Wang, who rose from a foreign language tour guide to become the head of international and China for the FTSE 100 drugmaker, is believed to remain in detention eight months after he was arrested in Shenzhen. The Times US CLOSE US stocks finished higher on Tuesday as optimism rose that Beijing and Washington were making progress in their pivotal trade talks. At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.25% at 42,866.87, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.55% to 6,038.81 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 0.63% firmer at 19,714.99. More than 7m passengers travelled through Heathrow in May, the UK airport said on Wednesday, boosted by a bumper bank holiday and an all-English Europa League final. A record 7.2m people used the west London airport - Europes busiest - last month, a 0.4% uptick and the strongest ever May. Heathrow said it had benefited from a "strong" late bank holiday as well as Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur playing in the Europa League final in Bilbao. It said 22 May, the day after the final, had been a record. A total of 16 flights operated across the two days, double the norm. In the year to May, 84m people used the hub, a 3.1% increase. However, Heathrow also called for an "honest conversation" about increasing capacity. It said: "As these record numbers become the norm, its time to start an honest conversation about the challenges this presents for an already space-constrained yet highly efficient hub. "Heathrow continues to deliver excellent service, but to sustain this performance and meet future demand, expanding capacity will be essential." Earlier this year, chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government would support an expansion of Heathrow, despite long-standing opposition from local and environmental groups. Heathrow has since announced plans for a "phased" expansion, which will start with upgrades to existing sites, including reconfiguring the layout of the airfield and expanding terminals 2 and 5. It is then expected to apply for permission to build a controversial third runway later this summer. While Reeves has made it clear the government is minded to approve a third runway, however, London mayor Sadiq Khan and transport committee chair Ruth Cadbury have already been vocal in their criticism. Thomas Woldbye, chief executive, said on Wednesday: "Over the past year, weve supported 84m journeys and this summer were ready to welcome even more. The fact remains Heathrow is at capacity." Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "Neither trade turmoil nor geopolitical conflict put off international travellers, with [Heathrow] posting yet another record month. "The airport is set to use this continued growth to bolster its argument for a third runway. With Reeves keen to pull all growth levers possible to boost the economy, tapping high interest in globetrotting looks likely to be more of a priority than environmental concerns." Between deep black and summer brightness: BA111ODs Chapter 7 Chronometer Summer Edition revealed Neuchatel, June 11, 2025 Acclaimed at watch fairs, praised by the press for its perfect balance between design, performance, and price, and already widely adopted by the public, the BA111OD Chapter 7 Certified Chronometer has established itself as one of this springs highlights. To celebrate the most beautiful of seasons, it returns in a brand-new capsule collection the Summer Edition 2025 blending watchmaking excellence with the spirit of escape. Conceived as an ode to summer and that delightful carefree feeling that only sunshine can offer, the collection unveils three vibrant limited editions: fuchsia, turquoise, and yellow. With its 40 mm black PVD case a unisex size designed to fit every wrist , 100-meter water resistance, and a Swiss chronometer-certified movement by Genevas Timelab Observatory, this timepiece is a summer essential, remaining true to its primary mission: delivering uncompromising precision from sunrise to sunset. Between deep black and summer brightness: BA111ODs Chapter 7 Chronometer Summer Edition revealed The Chapter 7 Chronometer Summer Edition comes in three bold, radiant colors: flamboyant fuchsia, refreshing turquoise, and vibrant solar yellow. With 100-meter water resistance, each watch features a black PVD case that accentuates the bright tones of its dial. Every model is delivered with two interchangeable rubber straps: one in classic black, and one matching the dial color, offering two versatile looks to suit any mood or occasion. A version fitted with a black PVD stainless steel bracelet is also available for a more urban and sophisticated style. This striking contrast between vivid colors and deep black evokes sunny days, lakeside escapes, and the vibrant energy unique to summer. Born on the shores of Lake Neuchatel, BA111OD draws its energy from this unique setting where nature and clarity intertwine. With the Chapter 7 Summer Edition, we wanted to translate this harmony into a timepiece that is elegant, bold, and unmistakably summery a watch designed to elevate every moment under the sun, shares Thomas Baillod, founder of the watchmaking House. The official launch of the collection takes place during the BA111OD Summer Party, held in partnership with the Neuchatel Ski Nautique Club, of which BA111OD is now an official partner. Chapter 7 Chronometer Summer Edition 2025 BA111OD Certified Swiss precision Beneath its summery and colorful appearance, the Chapter 7 Summer Edition houses an exceptional example of Swiss watchmaking: a Swiss chronometer-certified movement tested and approved by the renowned Geneva Chronometry Observatory Timelab. This certification guarantees outstanding accuracy between -4 and +6 seconds per day, far exceeding the standards of traditional mechanical watches. This certification reflects our pursuit of excellence and our commitment to offering the very best to our clients, emphasizes Thomas Baillod, founder of the Neuchatel-based brand. Each movement is individually tested and adjusted, strengthened to withstand temperature variations, shocks, and magnetic fields ensuring top performance in any condition. Chapter 7 Chronometer Summer Edition 2025 BA111OD Elegant design meets summer spirit The Chapter 7 Summer Edition features a 40 mm black PVD stainless steel case, a unisex size that wears elegantly on any wrist. Its 10-sided faceted bezel, alternating brushed and polished finishes, creates a refined and dynamic structure where each edge catches the light beautifully. The sunray dial reinforces the timepieces luminous personality and strong summer character. Available in Flamboyant Fuchsia, Refreshing Turquoise, and Radiant Solar Yellow, each model comes with two rubber straps one black and one matching the dial color or can be selected with a black PVD stainless steel bracelet for a more refined aesthetic. The date at 3 oclock and the off-center crown at 4 oclock a rare and distinctive signature of BA111OD complete this stylish yet high-performing watch. The Chapter 7 Chronometer Summer Edition 2025 is available now on www.ba111od.com, through the Community App, and at official points of sale, from the price of CHF 840.- For further information, visit www.ba111od.com, follow us on social media, or contact us directly. Victoria Zeller is a trans writer born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y., where she still proudly resides. A former football player and lifelong fan, her initial focus was sports journalism before she made a pivot to writing about queers who can't stay out of trouble. One of the Boys ($19.99, Levine Querido) is her debut novel. Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less: A headstrong trans girl rejoins her old high school football team to make one final push for a state championship. On your nightstand now: The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White. I've been in a bit of a reading slump as of late, and I saved this book for just such an occasion. White's books are violent, off-putting delights, and every time I pick one up, I get mad I'll never write sentences so perfectly disgusting. Favorite book when you were a child: It's tough for me to pick just one, so I'll toss out a few series that meant a lot to me in elementary school: R.L. Stine's Goosebumps, Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House, Dan Gutman's Baseball Card Adventures, and the many works of Matt Christopher. When I was in middle school, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians became my first true obsession. Favorite book to read to a child: I'm not out here reading books to children in my day-to-day, but I'd default to anything by Shel Silverstein. His poetry collections were formative for Young Victoria's sense of humor, and The Giving Tree is a perfect picture book. Your top five authors: Casey Plett: She's my go-to answer for my favorite author and has been for years. I'll talk more about A Safe Girl to Love below but know that I adore all Plett's published works and I'm eagerly awaiting more. Andrew Joseph White: As I said above, White creates worlds I can only call Brilliantly Vile. Compound Fracture makes me feel like I'm covered in bugs (complimentary). Casey McQuiston: I'm not typically a romance reader, but I'm always captivated by McQuiston's worlds. Their supporting characters feel alive in a way that few other authors' do, and even my romance-skeptic self is not immune to the smoldering chemistry in Red, White & Royal Blue or One Last Stop. Jon Bois: He's not a "capital-a" Author, but his mid-2010s sports blogging alone would be enough to put him on my personal writer Mount Rushmore. Add in [the serialized multimedia narrative] 17776 and there's no way I'm keeping Bois off this list. I'm having a really hard time coming up with just one more spot in my top five, so I'm gonna do a lightning round of authors that I haven't shoehorned into this piece in other places: James Baldwin, James Acker, Flannery O'Connor, Rory Power, Emily Bronte, Angie Thomas. I could go on all day, but I'm stopping myself there. Book you've faked reading: Oh, man. I didn't have good habits as a student, so there are many, many options to pick from (sorry, teachers!). The first big one that I can remember was Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, assigned in my 10th grade English class. I did not have the tools in the bag for that one when I was 15. Book you're an evangelist for: Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei! An absolutely stunning young adult novel, one of the very best I've ever read. Great sports, great romance, and some of the best depictions of mental illness I've ever read in any book, not just one for teens. If you take one thing away from this column, it should be that this book is must-read. Book you've bought for the cover: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. My relationship to this book is definitely atypical, as I never had to read it for an English class and only picked it up because I found a paperback at a used bookstore and the cover captured me. Turns out, it's also one of the best American novels I've ever read. Sometimes the classics are classic for a reason (sorry to the Holden haters). Book that changed your life: I'll return once again to Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan, which I first devoured in sixth grade. I had more "profound" experiences with books later in my life, sure, but above all else, Percy Jackson made me want to write. Riordan's prose in these books is conversational, dynamic, and above all, fun. Some of my very first written works (if you can call them that) were horrifically poor imitations of Riordan. Favorite line from a book: "No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream." --Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House Five books you'll never part with: Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei--See above! A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.: An eternal favorite of mine, and one I own several copies of (it has so many beautiful covers, and I wanted to have as many of them on my shelf as possible). CivilWarLand in Bad Decline by George Saunders: This was assigned reading in my first college English class, and it permanently altered both my brain chemistry and prose forever. I was, like many creative writing students before me, trying to do an off-brand Saunders when I wrote my first short stories. A Safe Girl to Love by Casey Plett: I discovered this book the summer after I came out as trans and it hit me like a shotgun blast to the chest. I'd never felt seen by a book the way that A Safe Girl to Love saw my dirtbag 20-year-old self. A wonderful, wonderful collection of stories. Nevada by Imogen Binnie: All these years after its initial release, I still think Nevada holds its ground as the best trans novel ever written, which is saying something! I could've easily put Nevada down for the evangelist prompt, too, because I tell everyone to read it. It's quick and devastating and beautiful, the literary equivalent of taking a punch to the solar plexus (again, complimentary). Book you most want to read again for the first time: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski! I've never quite had an encounter with a book like I did with this one. I read it slowly over the course of a few weeks and really let it linger on the palate, something I almost never do with novels, and the experience was truly singular. Even if horror or experimental fiction aren't your usual cup of tea, I'd recommend giving House of Leaves a try, just to say you've done it. Dream11 CEO Harsh Jain criticized Tesla for refunding his 2017 Model 3 reservation without offering priority or compensation. Jain highlighted that the $1,000 reservation could have grown to ~$20,000 if invested in Tesla stock instead. Tesla cited changes in its product lineup and ongoing delays in its India launch as reasons for canceling early pre-orders. Dream11 CEO Harsh Jain has taken to social media to express his disappointment with Tesla after the company refunded a reservation fee he paid nearly eight years ago for a Model 3. Jain, who reserved the electric vehicle in 2017 by paying $1,000, criticized Tesla for its handling of early Indian pre-orders, following a recent message informing him that the reservation could no longer be fulfilled due to changes in the companys product lineup. Jain aired his frustration on X (formerly Twitter), directly tagging Elon Musk. Wow Elon Musk, do you know Tesla is turning ALL its fans and early believers in India into haters? he wrote. Jains main contention was the lack of recognition or priority status for early supporters, despite the long wait and Teslas ongoing delays in entering the Indian market. Tesla, in its communication to Jain, explained that it is still finalizing its product offerings for India and has discontinued the original Model 3 variant that Jain had booked. The company stated it would return the reservation amount, but offered no further benefits to early backers. Adding to his disappointment, Jain compared the refund with a hypothetical investment. Even if I had just invested this $1k in Tesla in March 2017, it would be worth ~$20k now. Way to show fans that Tesla doesnt care, he posted. The EV giant has been in extended negotiations with Indian authorities about launching operations, including potential plans for a local factory and supply chain development. However, the official launch has faced multiple setbacks, pushing the anticipated debut to 2025. India offers a dedicated zone for Swiss businesses to foster a comfortable base in India. Swiss businesses are invited to partner in India's journey to become a $30-35 trillion economy by 2047. India emphasizes its democratic values, young population, and infrastructure development as key advantages for Swiss investment. In a move aimed at strengthening economic ties and fostering collaboration, India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal proposed the creation of a 'Swiss Enclave' within India, designed to provide a familiar and supportive environment for Swiss enterprises seeking to establish a presence in the country. The proposal was made during Goyal's address to Swiss industry leaders and innovators at the Swissmem Industry Day in Switzerland. Goyal extended a warm invitation to the Swiss business community, urging them to become active partners in India's ambitious journey towards becoming a $30-35 trillion economy by 2047. He emphasized India's transformative growth story and the vast opportunities for collaboration across various sectors. "I come to meet you with the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians who dream as high as your towering Alps and who desire a better future", Goyal stated. "I come with an arm of friendship to the talented engineers, innovators, and entrepreneurs of Switzerland". Highlighting India's remarkable economic progress, Goyal noted the country's evolution from a $270 billion economy 30 years ago to a $4 trillion economy today. He expressed confidence in India's ability to achieve its ambitious goal of reaching $30-35 trillion as the nation approaches its 100th year of independence. Goyal emphasized India's youthful demographic, with an average age of 28.4 years, and assured that the nation would remain young and vibrant for decades to come. He underscored the advantages of India as a trusted, rule-of-law-based, and democratic country where Swiss businesses can operate without fear of discrimination. "Democracy, demographic dividend, decisive leadership, and diversity make India a dependable partner", he said. Referring to the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), Goyal termed it a 'Trust and Efficiency Partnership', highlighting the mutual confidence and complementarity between the two regions. He expressed optimism that this partnership would mark the beginning of a new era of cooperation between India and the four EFTA nations, opening new avenues for trade, investment, and innovation. "I particularly invite Switzerland's SME sector to witness India's remarkable evolution over the last decade", Goyal stated. "This will give you the confidence we aspire for". Goyal highlighted India's significant infrastructure development over the past decade, including the addition of 80 new airports, doubling of port capacity, and the construction of national highways and expressways comparable to those in Germany. He also noted the addition of 104 new inland waterways and the doubling of power generation capacity, with solar energy capacity growing 50 times. "The government's annual expenditure of over $125 billion on infrastructure creates a powerful multiplier effect for India's growth story", Goyal said. Goyal also pointed out that India produces the highest number of STEM graduates globally, 43 per cent of whom are women. "This talent pool, combined with scale and speed, makes India an ideal investment destination", he remarked. India's growth model as a blend of welfare and consumption-led growth, backed by investments in manufacturing and technology. Citing World Bank data, Goyal noted that extreme poverty in India has fallen to just 5 per cent, down by 270 million people in the last 11 years, and is expected to be eliminated in the near future. He describedas a blend of welfare and consumption-led growth, backed by investments in manufacturing and technology. "India today stands ready and willing to welcome global partners. We are a country on the move, full of opportunities", he added. In a city where premium office inventory is scarce and demand from institutional buyers remains strong, the sale of Vishwas a Commercial Tower for a reported ?371 crore has emerged as the largest outright transactions in commercial real estate in 2025. Strategically located off the Western Express Highway and in close proximity to Bandra Kurla Complex , the asset has been acquired by AU Small Finance Bank from developer Samir Bhojwani. AU Bank will establish its new Corporate Headquarters at this location. The commercial tower has a complete glass facade, spacious layouts and good visibility from the highway. Builder Samir Bhojwani is well known for delivering high-quality residential assets in prime locations in Mumbai. Spread over 11 floors with two basement levels and 98 car parkings,, the standalone commercial tower 'Vishwas' offers over 74,000 sq ft of GradeA commercial space. Designed by acclaimed architect Hafeez Contractor, the building features a grand double-height entrance lobby and expansive layouts suited for modern workspaces. Its proximity to BKC, Mumbais financial nucleus, makes it an ideal choice for an institution looking to strengthen their urban footprint. Excellent last-mile connectivityjust a few minutes from Vidyanagari Metro Stationand close access to The Grand Hyatt, Asian Heart Hospital, and prominent international schools further enhance its appeal. The building was previously leased to United Phosphorus Ltd (UPL) and has now been purchased by AU Small Finance Bank in an outright transaction with Builder Samir Bhojwani.. This property deal reflects the growing value of standalone and ready-to-move commercial assets near BKC. For AU Small Finance Bank, this acquisition represents more than a real estate moveit signals a long-term commitment to Mumbai as a business hub. In an increasingly competitive market, the sale of Vishwasconfirms the growing demand for commercial real estate, and further reaffirms BKC and Bandras position as the heart of corporate Mumbai. A PAN (Permanent Account Number) card has become an essential requirement for all businesses operating in India. This unique 10-digit alphanumeric number serves as a key identifier for your company across all financial transactions. Whether you run a large corporation, a mid-sized organisation or even a small partnership firm, having a valid PAN card carries multiple advantages. Read on to understand why every single business must acquire a PAN number. What is a Company PAN Card? A PAN card for businesses is very similar in function to the PAN for individuals. Just like individuals need a PAN for filing taxes, financial transactions, investments and so on, corporate entities need one for essentially the same purposes. It serves as a unique identifier that links all your companys financial activities to a single reference point. The Income Tax Department uses your business PAN to track transactions, ensure tax compliance and regulate financial dealings. Why Every Company Needs a PAN Card Here are the key reasons why every organisation need a PAN card: 1. Mandatory for tax compliance: First and foremost, having a PAN card for corporates is mandatory for any company that files taxes in India, irrespective of revenue or sector. You have to quote your valid PAN on all tax returns. Non-compliance can attract penalties under Section 272B of the Income Tax Act. 2. Essential for large financial transactions: Your business PAN card facilitates big transactions like business payments, invoices, bills and so on. Certain transactions above 2-5 lakhs require PAN disclosure. 3. Access loans easily: Financial institutions ask for your companys PAN details before processing any loan application. So, having this document makes the loan application journey easier. 4. Streamlines operations: From client onboarding to claiming invoice tax credit, GST, vendor payments for goods, machinery, and more, your company's PAN enables seamless financial operations. It is indispensable for daily business functioning. 5. Builds credibility: When you have a PAN card, your business demonstrates credibility, financial discipline and compliance with regulations. This fosters trust amongst stakeholders like investors, partners and vendors. How to Get a Company PAN Card To apply for a business PAN card online, follow these steps: Visit https://www.protean-tinpan.com/ and select Physical Mode under Online PAN Services. Choose 'New PAN Indian Citizen (Form 49A)' and select the entity category (e.g., Partnership Firm, Association of Persons). Enter the entitys full name in the last name field and the date of incorporation. Select Yes/No for physical copy; skip Aadhaar details. Provide the companys name, income details, and office address. Find and enter the AO code using the Protean websites AO code search. Attach required documents (e.g., certificate of registration, partnership deed). Provide the authorised persons details and city for the declaration. Pay the a107 fee. Review and submit the form; complete Aadhaar authentication to generate Form 49A. Receive acknowledgement and form via email. Download, sign, and send the form with documents to Proteans address. Protean processes the application, and the PAN card is dispatched upon receipt from the ITD. Conclusion A PAN card is mandatory for every business entity or organisation in India. Although it is a simple 10-digit code, it is immensely significant in smoothing financial operations, ensuring funding access and building stakeholder trust. Treating it as a priority for your company is crucial, irrespective of your scale or vintage. FAQs 1. Why do companies need a PAN card? A PAN card is mandatory for companies to file taxes, open bank accounts, and conduct financial transactions in India. It helps the government track transactions and ensure tax compliance. 2. What is the difference between a PAN card for individuals and a business PAN card? A personal PAN card includes an individuals photo, name, date of birth, and residential address. In contrast, a business PAN card lists the companys name, registration date, and company/office address without a photo or signature. Both have a unique 10-digit alphanumeric number but are issued for different entities. 3. Is it safe to give the PAN card number to a company? Sharing your PAN number with a legitimate company for tax or employment purposes is generally safe, but verify the companys credibility first. Avoid sharing with unverified sources to prevent misuse or fraud. 4. Is PAN required for small businesses? Yes, as per the Income Tax Department of India, all businesses, regardless of their size, turnover, or income, are required to obtain a Permanent Account Number (PAN). 5. How do companies verify a PAN card? Companies verify PAN cards through online portals like Protean eGov Technologies Limited (formerly NSDL) by entering the PAN number or scanning the QR code on the card. This confirms the cards authenticity and details. A little less than a year after taking office, but especially two months after the excitement of the Watches and Wonders (WW) fair, the CEO of Baume & Mercier delves into his strategy for the brand in depth, up until the bicentennial anniversary, coming in 2030 What trends have you noticed at WW? Despite a complex environment, there was remarkable enthusiasm from our clients, the press, and visitors. In fact, for the first time, Baume & Mercier sold directly to its end customers during the show. This was a first and we noticed major excitement for this initiative. Beyond that, we've observed the importance of authenticity. Customers are sensitive to it. They recognize the authenticity of brands with several centuries of experience that still today know how to articulate their heritage with modern creations. We also noticed strong enthusiasm for vintage. To address this, we unveiled a limited edition of 73 pieces of our Riviera flyback chronograph, with a very retro look. We also noticed a reduction in diameters. What was 43 mm goes to 41 mm. The 40 mm goes down to 39 mm. Finally, colored dials have won significant approval. It's something Baume & Mercier has always practiced and continues to do, as demonstrated by our latest Riviera 33 mm quartz watches in summer colors. The summer and sport-chic variations of the Riviera Quartz 33 mm - Baume & Mercier The Baumatic movement was launched almost 10 years ago, in 2017. How do you view it and what developments do you see for it? It's an essential element of our collections today. It powers 100% of our Cliftons. It proves our horological authenticity, our legitimacy. It has a five-day power reserve, which is extraordinary for a widespread and very accessible movement of this type. We want to reinforce its importance by particularly stressing education among the general public about its many benefits. The collaboration with Soulages has been unanimously praised. Are you considering renewing this type of approach? Regarding Soulages, the partnership is still active. We will therefore soon have new releases inspired by his universe. However, we are not looking for "collab for the sake of collab." Everything we do must be in respect of our heritage, our roots, and must be executed with as much audacity as simplicity, which perfectly matched the spirit of the first pieces we created with Soulages. We will continue in this direction. What about the offer intended for the "younger" audience? The Clifton Club collection intended for them has been discontinued... Only those who attempt nothing risk nothing! In reality, we are focused on two very specific directions. The first indeed concerns young customers. It preserves the Baume & Mercier watch as one for celebratory moments. We've always been the watch given for a diploma, a first job, a union. It's something that matters as much to us as it does to our clients, who are very attached to it. Riviera Flyback Chronograph Limited Edition - Baume & Mercier The second direction is refocusing on our historic collections and thus on our horological legitimacy, that of a house soon to have two centuries of uninterrupted history. It is with this perspective that we ended the Baume collection in March. It was an independent development that we did not want to pursue to refocus on our core horological business. The heritage of Baume & Mercier is of an unknown richness, notably in terms of design, but also its early movements. How could it be better showcased? It's indeed a heritage of incredible richness. When I arrived at the brands management, less than a year ago, the first thing I did was visit our museum collections. We have 1200 pieces. It's a colossal heritage. We are currently developing a dynamic plan which should lead, from 2026 to 2027, to a traveling collection of our most iconic pieces. Michael Guenoun, CEO of Baume & Mercier Baume & Mercier Baume & Mercier will be 200 years old in less than 5 years. How do you envision the event? I can't tell you more about it today. We are indeed starting to work on this historic event. The direction will not be that of high watchmaking as such, but there will be a lot of creativity, surprises. We're not ruling anything out! George Plaitis, the charismatic owner of Andrew's Diner, has been serving up more than just delicious food at 4160 Hyan Blvd. for the past 25 years. The Great Kills establishment, which opened in 1999, has become a beloved community fixture. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. George Plaitis, founder of Andrews Diner, has also been its engaging storyteller, resident magician, and charismatic host since 1999. A native of Crete, Plaitis has built a restaurant career spanning about five decades in the United States, where Staten Islanders have become like brethren. The spinach pie (front) comes with stuffed grape leaves. Zucchini omelette is filled with Swiss, thin-sliced zucchini and tomatoes plus crunchy hash browns. The Rocky Balboa is iron-packed with freshly sliced roast beef and melted cheese. I love my customers. I think of them as my family, said Plaitis. On a recent weekday at lunchtime, a survey of guests in the packed house turned up loyalists from all points of the Island, including one native visiting from Delaware. I did the American dream, reflected Plaitis, who immigrated to the United States from Crete in 1967. His journey began dramatically when he jumped ship in Manhattan and spent four hungry days before finding his way into the food service life. By 1971, he had opened his first restaurant on 96th and Madison Avenue in Manhattan. Savoring the Big Apple Over the decades, Plaitis has owned nine restaurants across Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn before settling on the South Shore of Staten Island. He ultimately found his home in the Borough of Parks at 4160 Hylan Boulevard. Desserts are house-made with some meant specifically for the younger guests. For this entrepreneur, the diner represents not just a business but a lifes journey. He met his wife at a Greek dance during the Bicentennial celebrations at Rockefeller Center, and his family is deeply involved in the business. Konstantine, aka Gus, manages the operation. The diner is named after his son, Andrew. The menu even includes a dish called Chicken Cindy, named after his daughter who questioned why the diner wasnt named after more family members. That sauteed chicken dish is topped with broccoli, fresh mozzarella and a bit of marinara sauce. Andrews is famous for its pastrami sandwich, which Plaitis said rivals those at iconic New York establishments like Katzs Deli. He learned the recipe in 1979 working at a Brooklyn restaurant. Since then, hes kept the whole curing and cooking process to himself. Im not gonna tell anyone because if I tell them what I do, they will probably open a restaurant next door, he said with a smile. Other signature dishes include moussaka, spinach pie, and matzo ball soup made with house-made chicken stock a recipe Plaitis learned from Jewish chefs years ago. Andrews Diner is one of the few borough eateries with the classic item on its menu. Matzo ball soup is served in house-made chicken stock. The restaurant also is known for its Balboa sandwich, named after Rocky Balboa, featuring roast beef and garlic on a hero with mozzarella cheese. On St. Patricks Day, the diner sells well over 100 corned beef sandwiches, often selling out by early evening. As a featured menu item, its a great draw for regulars. Long-time Staten Islanders and Dongan Hills hairdressers Regina and Steve Zagaria agree. Steve attests, The first time I had that corned beef sandwich at Andrews I was hooked. When I want corned beef, thats the place. Corned beef is lean and cooked in pickling spices. Other than that, Plaitis is mum on its recipe. Magic at the table A review from the Staten Island Advance archives, written by former business reporter Bart Horowitz in 2002, praised the establishment for its proprietors genuineness, consistency of the dishes, reasonable prices, and casual hometown appeal. The words have been as proven as Plaitis gift with keeping children entertained. Known to children as the magician, the proprietors schticks include making toothpicks jump and other sleights-of-hand illusions. He gives cookies to every child who visits. Cupcakes with googly eyes are baked in-house throughout the week, specifically for the little ones. The other house-made desserts are for the more mature palates rice pudding, Napoleons, carrot and chocolate cakes, plus a knockout New York cheesecake. Belgian waffles are an all-day menu item as are fluffy pancakes. Plaitis challenges anyone to find a better slice in the Greater New York area. As Andrew Diner celebrates its 25th anniversary this June, Plaitis remains grateful to the community that has supported him through good times and health challenges. Some of the servers at Andrew's Diner. God bless you all, he says, emphasizing the importance of health and the power of prayer from the community. The prayers and support helped him through his battles with cancer 13 times. Its the people around him who push him forward, he emphasized. The Zagarias voiced a sentiment other Andrews fans have expressed recently. They said, Happy Anniversary, Andrews Diner, and we wish you a hundred years more. Andrews Diner is located at 4160 Hylan Blvd., Great Kills and can be reached at 718-983-8544. The website is andrewsdiner.com and the business is open every day year round from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Pamela Silvestri is Advance/Silive.comFood Editor. She can be reached atsilvestri@siadvance.com. A student from Markham Intermedate School holds up a check for $2,600 presented to Ken Mitchell, rear center, to be donated to the Staten Island Zoo for the care of animals. (Courtesy/Staten Island Zoo) Staten Island Advance STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Two Staten Island otters got some good news from the students of Markham Intermediate School. Students at the Graniteville school raised $2,600 for the care of Lewis and Rotini, the Staten Island Zoos two North American River Otters, by hosting two bake sales and posting artwork featuring the otters around the school. Faculty, parents and friends also contributed to help raise funds. This is the 10th year that students have contributed to the cause. The Science Club hosts the fundraiser annually and members follow up by asking the Zoo if theres an animal in need of funding. Some of the animals in the past have been foxes, ring-tailed lemur, binturong, porcupine, an Amur leopard and this year, otters. The money will support the care, food, veterinary and enrichment program for the otters, which are on exhibit at the Zoo year round. Students and teachers from Markham Intermediate School smile along with Ken Mitchell, executive director of the Staten Island Zoo, after students donated a check for $2,600 to be used for the care of animals. (Courtesy/Staten Island Zoo) Staten Island Advance We are extremely grateful to these young conservationists at I.S. 51 for their incredible generosity to our animals, and their ongoing support for the past 10 years, said Ken Mitchell, the Staten Island Zoos executive director. Their care and compassion truly make a difference for our animals. It is very clear that these students love our animals and our Zoo. These funds will be used to support the daily care of Lewis and Rotini. The students visited the Zoo on May 13 to present a check to Mitchell. After the ceremony, students witnessed a training session with otters, Lewis and Rotini, as well as a ride on the Conservation Carousel. I promptly showed the check to our otters and they were very happy, Mitchell quipped. Two African wildcats were discovered at a home in Lawrence Township during a drug raid on June 5. Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Police in Clearfield County recovered more than just drugs during the search of a home earlier this month. According to a press release from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, two African wildcats were discovered at a home in Lawrence Township during a drug raid. Jennifer Dixon, 27, and Nicholas Rumsey, 33, have been charged with possession with intent to distribute, endangering the welfare of a child, and other related drug charges. On June 5, according to the release, law enforcement officials served a search warrant at home. They found: three pounds of methamphetamine, valued at $19,200; 159 grams of fentanyl, valued at $63,000; nine grams of heroin, valued at $3,600; close to $7,390 in cash; and the two wildcats The wildcats were living in cages in the basement of the home. The Pennsylvania State Game Commission came and confiscated them. Permits are required to own these animals. The recovery and rescue of these wildcats provides the animals with opportunities to live safer, healthier lives not caged in the basement of this home. I am grateful to Pennsylvania State Police and all the agencies involved in this operation for this remarkable seizure, Attorney General Dave Sunday said in the press release. A large drug bust like this is the result of hard work and diligent investigative efforts by law enforcement, Clearfield County District Attorney Ryan Sayers said in the release. Thanks to the efforts of the Pennsylvania State Police and agents with the Attorney Generals Office, approximately 7,950 doses of fentanyl will not make it to the streets of Clearfield County. Additionally, the rescue of these African wildcats serves the dual benefit of protecting these exotic creatures and protecting the people in that neighborhood. The Clearfield County District Attorneys Office is prosecuting the case. Good morning Staten Island, and welcome to the daily SILive.com morning report. Listen by clicking the play button above. Note that the stories in the report are editorially curated and then summarized and read aloud by artificial intelligence. Some variations in pronunciation, tone or diction may result. We want to know what you think! All feedback is valuable. After youve listened, take our 3-question survey here to let us share your thoughts. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. New York City officials announced a new campaign Tuesday to encourage parents to get their kids vaccinated against the human pappiloma virus (HPV). The ad campaign will appear on television, the radio, online, and public billboards around the five boroughs over the next month, according to an advisory from the city Health Department. The HPV vaccine saves lives by preventing 90% of HPV-related cancers, including cervical, throat, and penile cancer, Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse said. The NYC Health Department encourages parents and caregivers to speak with their childrens health care provider about the benefits of the HPV vaccine and to start the series beginning at age 9. The virus is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can lead to cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 42 million Americans are infected with the virus. New York City Health Department ads like these will appear around the five boroughs as part of a campaign against HPV. (Courtesy: NYC Health Department) Health officials tout the vaccine as it prevents up to 90% of HPV-related cancers and has proven to be safe and effective for the last 20 years. According to the city health department, nearly half of infections occur in teens and young adults ages 15 to 24. Some HPV infections eventually lead to cancer. HPV-related cancers include: Oropharyngeal (back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils) Cervical Penile Vaginal Anal Vulvar Doctors recommend kids get the vaccine between the ages of 9 and 12 to prevent against infection Two doses of the vaccine are needed if the series is started before kids 15th birthday. Anyone who starts the series at age 15 or older needs three shots given over six months. The Health Department urges families and pediatricians to discuss the benefits of vaccination starting at age 9. Firehook is recalling one lot of its organic classic sea salt crackers for an undeclared allergen. (Courtesy of U.S. Food and Drug Administration) A popular organic snack is under recall after it was sold in retail stores in 11 states, including New York. Firehook of Virginia is recalling one lot of its Firehook brand Classic Sea Salt Organic Crackers for an undeclared allergen, according to a notice posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to sesame run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products, stated the recall. The 8-ounce crackers come in a clear package with an expiration date of Sept. 29, 2025, and a UPC code 8 99055 00063 5. The items were sold at retail stores in 11 states, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and New Hampshire. The recall was initiated on May 30 after it was discovered that the sesame-containing product was distributed in packaging that didnt reveal the presence of sesame. An investigation found that the problem was caused by a temporary breakdown in the companys production and packaging processes causing the wrong labels to be applied to products. The FDA notice stated that no illnesses have been reported to date in connection to this issue. Consumers who purchased the recalled crackers are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Those with questions can call the company at 1-888-580-0745. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has fired back after President Donald Trump slammed her. Trump called Thunberg a strange and angry person after the climate activist attempted to deliver aid to Gaza, Politico reported. Thunberg was part of a mission organized by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The group departed Italy on June 1 to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza but the boat they were on was intercepted by Israeli forces before it could reach the war-torn land. Trump slammed Thunberg over the mission, calling her a strange and angry person and saying that the activist should take anger management classes. Thunberg, who flew out of Tel Aviv on Tuesday, was quick to clap back at the president. I think the world needs more angry young women, to be honest, Thunberg said after arriving in Paris. Especially with everything going on right now. Thats the thing we need the most of. Thunberg accused Israel of committing an illegal act by kidnapping us in international waters. She also slammed EU governments for their silence over the mission and accused them of taking part in the killing of Palestinians by sending military aid to Israel. Thunberg added that she was very worried about the other members of the ship that had been detained by Israeli authorities. We heard different messages pointing out that they would not make it easy for them, she said. Israeli authorities called Thunbergs boat the selfie yacht and attempted to deport all the passengers and crew after intercepting the vessel. Trump hit out at Thunberg in 2019, sarcastically calling the activist a very happy young girl after Thunberg delivered a speech at the United Nations that accused world leaders of failing her generation on climate. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Comptroller Brad Lander has been a fixture in New York City politics for over a decade, and has run a mayoral campaign framing himself as a competent manager. A recent New York Times profile of his candidacy saw Lander portray himself as the decent alternative to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whos led polling throughout the campaign. In a sermon on a major Christian holiday, Pope Leo XIV appeared to take a shot at travel bans recently put in place by President Donald Trump. GB News in Great Britain reported that the newly elected pontiff used his first Pentecost Sunday Mass to slam the rise of nationalist political movements and to condemn an exclusionary mindset. Leo did not mention any specific countries during his sermon. There is no room for prejudice, for security zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms, Pope Leo said during a Mass celebrating of one of the most holy days of the Christian calendar. The former Cardinal Robert Prevost is the first American-born pope in history. In speaking to an estimated crowd of 80,000 people in St. Peters Square, the pontiff asked God to open borders, break down walls and dispel hatred. He urged the faithful to move beyond our fear of those who are different. Trump last week banned citizens from 19 countries from entering the United States. The countries include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela face partial restrictions. The story on Pope Leos comments was picked up in the United States by MSN News. Before becoming pope, Leo on social media had been critical of Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Pentecost, which is celebrated 50 days after Easter, marks the Holy Spirits descent on the apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ. It is considered the birthday of the Christian church. Crime laboratory officers arrive to the house where a suspect was taken into custody on New York's Long Island in connection with a long-unsolved string of killings, on Friday, July 14, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez) AP On June 10, Peacock will exclusively release The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, a docuseries about the man, Rex Heuermann, accused of committing a series of killings in Long Island. The accused serial killer was charged with murders that span two decades. But it wasnt until July 13, 2023, that Heuermann was identified and arrested in connection with a series of Long Island murders. If you love true crime and have always been a fan of reality TV, then dont click or scroll past this three-episode docuseries the next time youre browsing Peacock. HERES A LITTLE SNEAK PEEK HOW TO WATCH AND STREAM THE GILGO BEACH KILLER: HOUSE OF SECRETS The new docuseries is exclusively available on Peacock. The series is only available to watch on Peacock, where there are monthly subscriptions beginning at $7.99 per month. MORE ON THE SHOW According to the Peacock website, the series creates a chilling portrait of a man accused of living a double life. The remains of the first victims that Heuermann is accused of killing were found in 2010 along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach, just across the bay from Massapequa, New York where Heuermann had been living for decades. The authorities advanced their investigation of the mysterious case in 2023. In the following years, police discovered even more remains along Ocean Parkway in Suffolk County in 2011. Who was involved in the infamous Gilgo Beach Murders was a mystery for decades, and the alleged serial killer disguised himself in an ordinary life. On the outside, Heuremann did not strike the public as someone who would be charged with murder. The man had a job, commuting to his Manhattan office where he worked as an architect. He had a family. If unsolved murder cases give you the chills, then this series is for you. During the opening of his masterclass at the Taormina Film Festival in Italy, Michael Douglas said Tuesday that he is embarrassed by the United States and apologized for the global chaos created under Donald Trumps presidency. I realize that my country bears a lot of the responsibility for the chaos that exists in the world. I apologize... Im embarrassed for my friends, be it my neighbors in Canada, and Mexico, for all the countries in the EU and NATO. Im embarrassed and I apologize, the 80-year-old actor declared in front of film students and industry professionals. Douglas, winner of two Oscars and four Golden Globes, received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Taormina at the citys ancient Roman theater. Throughout his career, he has combined his artistic side with social commitment: since 1998 he has served as a United Nations Messenger of Peace and collaborated with the Nuclear Threat Initiative, promoting international campaigns for the abolition of nuclear weapons. In his masterclass, the actor criticized the constant increase in military budgets, especially in the United States, and expressed his astonishment at the persistence of armed conflicts in the age of artificial intelligence: I have a hard time understanding why, with all the AI and how intelligent we are as human beings, how we possibly can be having this many wars and conflicts as we are. Its ridiculous, Douglas said to applause. At 80 years old he was born at the end of World War II Douglas asserted that he had never witnessed such a turbulent period as the current one. He urged replacing military investments with initiatives for dialogue and international cooperation, and appealed to diplomacy as the only way to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. 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! Since Donald Trumps rise to power, the criminalization of irregular immigration has become a constant. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has dedicated itself to pursuing, arresting, and deporting the undocumented Latino community, many of them innocent, without due process. What if there were an alternate reality? One in which a Baja California police unit is dedicated to arresting and deporting white men with a proven criminal record back north of the border. Their job is exclusively to hunt down American criminals, or bad hombres as the Republican would have said who flee to Mexico in search of impunity. This unit exists and is officially called the International Liaison Unit, or, more colloquially, the gringo hunters. Netflix is using this name for its new production, inspired by true events, which premieres on July 9. This new series takes the action genre, combined with drama, suspense, and police procedural, to adapt The Washington Post report by Kevin Sieff. Rafael Ley, one of the producers, admits that it was a story that created a lot of noise and, in an industry always looking for something new to tell, it didnt pass unnoticed. One of the things that caught our attention most is this cliche or idea that Mexico can be a lawless land, where you can escape if youve committed a crime. Its interesting that theres this team that proves otherwise and is dedicated to capturing them and returning them to face the consequences of their crimes, says Stacy Perskie, another producer on the series, via video call. Jose Maria Yazpik in a scene from Los Gringo Hunters. Netflix The synopsis for Netflixs new television series places viewers in a time when the Nueva Tijuana project is being pushed by a group of local businesspeople and politicians to make the city a more attractive destination for everyone. Amid this, the gringo hunters try to solve a key case that compromises the security of their operation, while continuing their work of returning criminals who try to evade justice by hiding in Mexico to the United States. The cast that plays the police unit, composed of Harold Torres, Mayra Hermosillo, Manuel Masalva, Andrew Leland Rogers, Hector Kotsifakis, Regina Nava and Dagoberto Gama, was able to meet the real gringo hunters in a process that, between writing the script, producing and filming, took around two years to complete. Kevin Sieff was very involved in the development of the series throughout. He helped us with the initial contact, and we subsequently hired a specialized research team to help us find narrative lines for the series, Ley explains. Since there arent many examples of procedural dramas in Latin America a genre of programs or stories that focus on the investigation of a specific crime or problem the producers found inspiration for the series tone in the crime film saga Lethal Weapon, which starred Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. We wanted to do something much more cinematic. We felt Lethal Weapon had this fun approach to breaking up dangerous situations while also telling a story involving great adventures for the characters, Perskie explains. In Sieffs report, the narrative follows descriptions of individual cases that the gringo hunters have faced, while also elaborating on an ongoing police situation they are currently dealing with. Ley and Perskie say that these stories, broken down in the journalistic text, were indeed a source of inspiration due to the sense of realism they tried to instill in the production, but that they didnt adhere to anything strictly. Above all, we were very interested in focusing on the dynamics of our main characters. Thats why we have these actors who are super-charismatic, and we wanted the audience to empathize with them. This isnt about exposing a real case or anything like that, but rather about how they [the police unit] work, Ley clarifies. Here begins the homeland According to Sieffs article, published in 2022, the unit captures an average of 13 Americans per month. Since its creation in 2002, it has apprehended more than 1,600. Many of these suspects were inspired by one of Americas oldest cliches: the troubled outlaw who ventures into sepia-toned Mexico hoping to disappear forever, the American journalist says of the profile of criminals captured by the gringo hunters. Tijuana also plays an important role, almost like an inherent character in the plot. It was incredibly important how we captured the essence of Tijuana and placed it on screen, Ley explains. The producers sought to emphasize the city through the phrase Here begins the homeland, which has significant symbolic significance for Mexico. Its a motto, Perskie explains, that reflects local pride and the importance of this city as the gateway to Mexico: We feel that Tijuana hasnt been represented enough in film and television in recent years. It has an impressive wealth, and what happens there is also very interesting because of the border situation and the cultural exchange that occurs with only a wall in between. One of the challenges the series set for itself was to set a standard, within the action genre, for what it means to work for an elite police force and for this to be conveyed to an audience as if they were watching something that actually resembles real life. There are some pretty high-level action sequences. The action genre hasnt been widely explored, and were really excited to have the opportunity to do that. We feel theres an appetite for this type of genre, for these types of stories. Recently, the film Counterattack, which also came out on Netflix, had a great response. So, were excited to explore this genre, Perskie concludes. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition 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 In the mid-2010s, moviegoers embraced the so-called elevated horror boom, with films such as The Babadook, Get Out, Midsommar and The Witch at the vanguard low-budget, high-concept genre fare that used classic horror tropes to probe contemporary societal ills like toxic relationships, racism and mental illness. (The elevated label was a bit of clever rebranding, like slapping an organic sticker on a hamburger; these movies function the same way great horror always has you just feel a little less dirty about enjoying them.) Now it seems its literatures turn. In 2023, there was a record number of new horror books both published and sold, and two years on, the trend shows little sign of slowing. Literary agents are reporting submission piles filling up with more tales of the weird and eerie, from eco-horror to folk horror to the aptly named femgore hyper-violent, female-centric body horror. In the last year alone and this is but a tiny sliver of whats on offer weve had Gretchen Felker-Martins Cuckoo, which made the very real horrors of gay conversion camps manifest in a grotesque body-snatching teen epic. Rachel Harrisons So Thirsty took a big, bloody bite out of 21st-century female friendship with its ultra-gory vampire antics. The Lamb, Lucy Roses fairytale debut, told the touching story a young girl caring for her mother by bringing her stray hikers to satiate her cannibalistic urge for human flesh (pair it with Monika Kims The Eyes are the Best Part for a stomach-churning family-sized feast). And 50 years after the publication of his first novel, Carrie, horror stalwart Stephen King released his latest short story anthology You Like It Darker (just months after a brand-new novel, Holly also featuring cannibals). The late horror director George A. Romero, whose horror novel has been fittingly published posthumously. Credit: AP King isnt the only elder statesman jostling for shelf space alongside the BookTok generation. George A. Romero, the man responsible for our modern conception of zombies, with films like The Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, released his final novel earlier this year, somewhat fittingly from beyond the grave. Advertisement Co-written by Daniel Kraus, who discovered the incomplete manuscript in an archive box at the University of Pittsburgh Library in 2019, Pay the Piper is a sweaty, cosmic eco-horror set in the muggy depths of the Louisiana bayou, where a nine-year-old girl named Pontiac and a rag-tag group of townsfolk from her home of Alligator Point come up against an ancient, vengeful evil thats been lurking in the swamp and preying on children. While Romero will forever be remembered primarily as an orchestrator of gnarly kills and ground-breaking special effects, his zombie movies always had more than merely brains on the brain. His seminal Night of the Living Dead is often read as a critique of racial tensions in 1960s America; it features a Black protagonist (played by Duane Jones) who survives an undead horde only to be shot by a white sheriff. The 1978 follow-up, Dawn of the Dead, set entirely in a shopping mall, can only be seen as a satirical indictment of rampant consumerism. Pay the Piper continues this tradition of smuggling hefty themes into seemingly straightforward horror schtick. Young Pontiacs home is under threat from a nefarious character known only as The Oil Man a phantom-like stand-in for the entire fossil fuel industry as well as The Piper itself, an aquatic Lovecraftian creature seeking restitution for the thousands of slaves slaughtered and dumped in its waters by the infamous Pirates Lafitte in the 1800s. Romero and Kraus book mutates from gooey Southern Gothic to a full-throated treatise on human cruelty and environmental calamity; its spooky, stirring Cajun cli-fi with a healthy dose of tentacles. YA author Margot McGovern has long been a fan of slasher and horror films. Closer to home, this March saw the release of Margot McGoverns riveting supernatural YA slasher This Stays Between Us. McGoverns second book boasts a little bit of everything: early 2000s nostalgia, late-night seances, teenage crushes, buried secrets and a predatory entity known only as Smiling Jack that hunts its four young female protagonists as they try to survive year 11 camp in a remote, abandoned mining town. McGoverns first book, Neverland, released in 2018, hewed much closer to magical realism but a life-long love of horror helped inspire her sophomore stab. Ive always been a huge horror fan, says McGovern. I read and watched a lot growing up, but there wasnt a lot of Australian horror at that time. Most of the movies came from the US. And with horror books, in the 90s it felt like you had R.L. Stine and then there was this huge gap before you jumped to Stephen King and Clive Barker. Advertisement Teen horror films filled that gap for McGovern. I always knew I wanted to write a book that was set here in Australia and evoked the Australian landscape and personality, but embodied all the fun of a late-90s slasher, she says. Kevin Williamsons screenplays were a huge influence on me. I love Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer and Teaching Mrs. Tingle even movies like The Craft. A scene from classic 90s slasher film I Know What You Did Last Summer. Credit: Amazon Prime Of course, the defining feature of all these movies and many of the books already mentioned is teenagers. In horror, teens are often the heroes, the hapless victims and the target audience all at once. Horror occupies this really interesting liminal space for teenagers, McGovern says of her passion for writing YA. It gives you that last little bit of make-believe. It offers a step up into the adult world, where things can be genuinely terrifying and violent. When youre 13 or 14, you feel like things are out of your control youre going through this huge transition, youre figuring out who you are, your bodys changing, all the rules are changing! and horror not only explores that, but gives you a way to take back some power and agency. Perhaps that explains our present-day horror boom, then. Were all of us teenagers in a world that feels increasingly out of control but instead of regressing into childhood and escaping into all-out fantasy, were ready to confront our fears; to look the monster under the bed, or the creature in the swamp, or the thing in the mirror dead in the eye. Horror has always responded to whats happening in the culture, McGovern says. I think thats part of the reason why its making such a comeback now. In times of uncertainty and upheaval, horror offers a set of familiar tropes that lets you approach your darkest fears in an almost comforting way. 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 I was 12 years old when I first laid eyes on bad boy Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie), lighting up outside the Cohens Newport Beach mansion on The OC. Who are you? asked his new neighbour and eventual love interest Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) in the shows pilot. Whoever you want me to be, he famously replied, his eyes locked as tight on her as his ratty leather choker was wrapped around his neck. It was many years until I learnt that the actor who played this 16-year-old heartthrob was actually almost a decade older than the troubled teen he portrayed. And, aged 25 at the shows premiere, McKenzie was significantly older than Barton, who was just 17. Benjamin McKenzie and Mischa Barton in The OC. Credit: Warner Bros It puts a weird spin on the Ryan and Marissa clippings from Dolly magazine that patchworked my bedroom walls and an even more uncomfortable lens on the show after Bartons subsequent claims the actors dated during filming. But, in the history of film and television, theres nothing strange about an adult man whacking on a leather jacket and calling himself a highschooler. James Dean was a similar age (24) when he portrayed 17-year-old Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause a film that is popularly credited with defining the very concept of a teenager and is a direct reference point for that opening episode of The OC. (Much like Barton, Deans co-star Natalie Wood was also much younger 16 at the time of filming.) Olivia Newton-John, then 29, and co-star John Travolta, then 23, in Grease. Stockard Channing, who played Rizzo, was 33. Credit: AP Its exceedingly rare a teenager is cast for these roles at all. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were 29 and 23, respectively, when they starred as high-school sweethearts in Grease. Rachel McAdams was 25 when she portrayed queen bee Regina George in Mean Girls. Andrew Garfield was 27 when he played 17-year-old Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man. Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney were all in their early 20s at the start of high-school drama Euphoria (meaning the long-anticipated third season will feature an unavoidable time jump) as were most of the cast of other recent teen shows such as Sex Education and Riverdale. Advertisement Ive been thinking a lot about this, ever since watching Overcompensating. The debut sitcom from Benito Skinner, based on his college experiences from the early 2010s, has recently faced some pushback over its casting. The 31-year-old plays a fictionalised version of himself as a college freshman (who are generally 18 or 19 years old). And hes joined by other actors predominantly aged from their late 20s to mid-30s (including season two The White Lotus alumnus Adam DiMarco, who is 35). Benito Skinner (left) in his autobiographical comedy-drama Overcompensating. Loading After several years of development, Overcompensating arrives at a time when Skinner can no longer plausibly pass for the teenage version of himself, one critic wrote in Slate. He looks more out of place than Ben Platt did playing a teen in 2021s Dear Evan Hansen. (Another one for the list! Platt was 27 when he played the 17-year-old outcast.) So why does this keep happening? There are some big logistical factors at play: the first is that its simply much harder to film with underage actors. Local legislation will often dictate talent under a certain age must be accompanied by a parent, can only work reduced hours and will need on-set tutors. Nicholas Hoult in cult teen TV series Skins. Older actors also usually have more experience and, often, some name recognition that bolsters the project. Zendaya and Cole Sprouse, for instance, became stars through the Disney Channel well before appearing as teens on Euphoria and Riverdale. Having actors who are above the age of consent also helps make certain plot lines feel slightly less perverted to watch (see: basically everything that happens on Gossip Girl). Advertisement However, there are some real downsides to this. The first is that actual teenagers grow up thinking they should look like Blake Lively. The teenage girls we watch on film and TV generally have clear skin, full chests and roughly 500 times the self-confidence of the average 16-year-old. And, with broad chests and big arms, the boys arent much better. Plus, theres always going to be a how do you do, fellow kids inauthenticity to seeing a 27-year-old try to capture what it means to be 17 today. Loading This is what drove then-uni student Jamie Brittain to create Skins back in 2006. Explaining the origins of his famously unfiltered teen drama, he told DigitalSpy it was a direct response to deeply patronising series such as Dawsons Creek and The OC. Everyone looked so perfect, he said. It drove me crazy. They were aggressively promoting the notion of [Seth Cohen (played by Adam Brody)] as this virgin nerd but he was one of the sexiest men on television! And he was a man, as well he was not a teenager! Instead, Brittain and his team scouted for no-name teens to join his cast (except for 17-year-old Nicholas Hoult, who had been a child actor in About a Boy). That led to the discovery of Daniel Kaluuya, then 18 and also writing on the show, and Dev Patel, who was 16 when he landed the role of gangly and fun-loving Anwar. When the cast aged out of the roles, they created a whole new generation of teens to focus on. This was revolutionary for me at the time, a 15-year-old watching people my age having the same heartbreaks, house parties and hugely emotional reactions to Crystal Castles. Advertisement But it turns out there are whole separate issues worth considering when you have actual 17-year-olds doing sex scenes, years before on-set intimacy co-ordinators are common practice. Speaking on her podcast, now in her 30s, original Skins cast member April Pearson (Michelle) admitted: I do feel like I was too young Theres a difference between being officially old enough and mentally old enough. Anna Konkle (left) and Maya Erskine are utterly believable as their teenage alter egos in Pen15. Mischa Barton has said the same of her time on The OC. She has recently spoken about coming into the show as a virgin, a kid, and feeling pressured to grow up quickly and meet the expectations of her character. After being thrust into the spotlight and frequently sexualised at a young age, she was also hounded by paparazzi, leading to breakdowns and PTSD. Loading So maybe Skinner is on to something by leaning in to the absurdity of older actors on Overcompensating. It worked for Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, who were 32 when they started playing 13-year-old versions of themselves in Pen15. Set in 2000, with the cargo pants and MSN Messenger plot lines to prove it, that show was also a satire of a very specific era in their lives. Skinners on-screen sister Mary Beth Barone (age 33) recently made the point on their podcast saying,I wouldnt want younger actors to play these parts. They wouldnt be able to nail the millennial cringe of that time period. Skinner added: I get what [people] are saying. But at the same time all of us having space from that time in our lives allows us to be more comfortable. Advertisement Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Remove items from your saved list to add more. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. 1 / 4 Plenty of lunch options to grab and go at Foti and Friends. Supplied 2 / 4 Pastries and sweet biscuits are also available. Supplied 3 / 4 Inside the Albert Park cafe. Supplied 4 / 4 Grab spanakopita, salads and more. Supplied Previous Slide Next Slide Greek$$$$ Suzie Posnakidis noticed she was feeding her son, Foti, and his friends anyway, so she sold her protein bar business to turn her natural hospitality into a cafe and deli. Foti & Friends is a sweet new spot, open since March 2025, and offering Greek dishes to eat in and take away. A weekly menu announces the roster: chicken with lemon potatoes on Tuesday, say, and stuffed peppers for Friday. The oven is always on, turning out spanakopita and sweet biscuits. Want to visit this venue? Save it in the Good Food app. Got cold feet in this bone-chilling winter weather? The answer is something many of us have snubbed our noses at for decades: ugg boots. I spent the last European winter swanning about Copenhagen streets in my Australian sheep-skin boots, and it was like wearing a hug on each foot. It made me feel joyous and invincible in the Arctic wind and darkness. Durable and water-resistant with non-slip plastic soles, they were perfect in the snow, rain and sleet. Ugg boots, perfect for every occasion. Credit: iStock Danes didnt bat an eyelid whether youre talking about the trademarked UGGS or other sheep-skin shoes, they fit perfectly into their concept of hygge (cosiness). They have a saying: There is no such thing as bad weather, just poor clothing choices. And according to British Vogue, my choice of winter footwear was very on trend. There are frequent ugg sightings in the fashion bibles London HQ because every staffer following a strict Prada diet ... has wavered when faced with the plush inner of an ugg. The style boffins even elevated the surfer girl go-to shoe to formal-wear, with the headline: Ugg boots are the ultimate alternative party shoe. 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 This story is part of the June 14 edition of Good Weekend. See all 14 stories . No one knew where Sarah was headed when she left home in the darkness before dawn on a Tuesday in late March. With her two-year-old daughter sleeping at her best friends house, she hopped in an Uber and set off through the streets of the south-east US city of Atlanta for the half-hour drive to the airport. A few hours later, the 22-year-old landed at New Yorks LaGuardia Airport, caught another Uber to the neighbourhood of Queens, and checked into a womens health clinic. After having an ultrasound and blood tests, she met with a social worker, then changed into a gown and had her vital signs taken. She was then wheeled into an operating room where a doctor performed an abortion. The procedure took about 20 minutes. Sarah says she knew she wanted to have an abortion as soon as a home pregnancy test came up positive. It was a mistake, and as my daughters dad passed away last year, I personally did not want to put myself in a position of being a single mother of two kids, knowing that the person [with whom she had fallen pregnant] wouldnt be a good father, she says. I knew immediately, No, I couldnt do this. What Sarah didnt know until this pregnancy was that in her home state of Georgia, abortion is banned after six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant. Sarah only learnt about the six-week ban when a nurse performed an ultrasound at a clinic in Atlanta. She said I was six weeks and six days. She said she wouldnt be able to do anything, says Sarah, who agreed to speak with Good Weekend on the condition her real name not be used to protect her privacy. Shocked and feeling increasingly anxious, she called the National Abortion Federation Hotline, which gives advice on providers. One of the clinics they referred her to was Choices Womens Medical Centre, more than 1200 kilometres away in New York City. By the time Sarah could arrange an appointment to coincide with her day off work, book flights and organise childcare for her daughter, she was 11 weeks pregnant. I knew I had to get there and get the appointment, she says. After the procedure at the New York clinic, she woke up in the recovery room feeling hungry after fasting from the night before. Later that afternoon, she headed back to the airport. While she waited another five hours to board a flight, she says she suffered cramping, as staff had warned would happen. By the time she touched down in Atlanta, picked up her sleeping daughter from her friends house and walked back into her apartment, about 22 hours had passed since shed left the previous morning. Sarah says she went to bed exhausted but relieved. I was just worried that I would get too far along and every state would say no, she says. This is what getting an abortion can look like in 2025 for women like Sarah, who live in one of the 19 US states where abortion is banned or severely restricted. The number of women travelling vast distances across the country to access abortion care has soared in the last four years. About 155,100 people travelled to another state for an abortion in 2024, close to double the number recorded in 2020, according to a US-based reproductive rights advocacy group, the Guttmacher Institute. New York, which has some of the most liberal laws in the country, was the destination for about 7640 of those patients in 2024, an increase of more than 40 per cent on the previous year. In New York, anyone can get an abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. After that, women can still get an abortion if their health or pregnancy is at risk. Unlike some other states, minors do not need parental consent. When the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022, it opened the door for states to ban abortion. But the state of New York has veered determinedly in the opposite direction, creating new laws to protect abortion rights and the doctors who provide care, and actively reaching out to women living under the most restrictive bans. Advertisement Inside Choices Womens Medical Centre in New York City. Credit: Ben Sklar In 2023, New York Citys Health Department put up 36 billboards in cities across Texas, Georgia and Florida, advertising its Abortion Access Hub, a website and hotline providing information on abortion providers in the city, financial assistance, transportation and accommodation. About a quarter of the calls to the hotline come from other states. But New York is not immune from the crackdown on abortion rights playing out in conservative states. In a stark illustration of just how disunited the US has become on this issue, Louisiana is seeking to extradite a New York doctor who was charged after allegedly prescribing abortion medication online to a pregnant minor. In other states, there are proposals to make it a crime for women to have an abortion even in a state where its legal, and to prosecute those who help women travel to have the procedure. But many New Yorkers, from the governor and medical professionals to the volunteers who escort women to appointments and host them in their own homes, are adamant that their state will continue to be a safe haven for those who come from afar. Ill never back down from this fight, New York governor Kathy Hochul said in February. At a time when fundamental rights are under attack across the country, we are doubling down on our commitment to safeguard access to reproductive healthcare and defend those on the front lines of this battle. Groundhog Day In a street just off a busy thoroughfare dissecting the New York City neighbourhood of Queens, three protesters are stationed by the front door of Choices Womens Medical Centre. They hand out postcards that read Todays Prayer to any woman who approaches. A security guard quickly ushers patients inside, where they check in at reception before being buzzed through another glass door that leads to a waiting room. A cartoon mural depicts Wonder Woman breaking through prison bars and in various other action poses, with speech bubbles that read, I need to be free! and Its my body and my choice!. Advertisement The clinic has been on the front line of one of the most polarising fights in the US for more than half a century. Set up in 1971, it was one of the countrys first abortion clinics. New York legalised abortion in 1970, but it would be another two years before the procedure was legalised nationally. For Merle Hoffman, who was a 25-year-old psychology graduate when she and a doctor opened the clinic, the rise in patients now coming to New York from other states is a case of deja vu. Her first patient in 1971 came from New Jersey, where abortion was still banned. She was married, Catholic and her name was Helen. She told me that she struggled with the decision, but she had three children and absolutely could not afford another one, Hoffman recalls. She sat beside Helen while the doctor performed the procedure. I held her hand and talked to her, breathed in and out with her, says Hoffman, a diminutive figure dressed head to toe in black, her nails painted purple. It marked the start of a career that would see her become one of the countrys most vocal activists in the ongoing battle for reproductive rights. Its like reliving my youth Groundhog Day because its as if Ive been thrown back into the first days of my experience here, says Hoffman when we meet in her office the day before her 79th birthday. A giant coathanger, which she takes along to protests, leans against the wall. Hoffman started the clinics Out of Town program in 2015, after realising more patients were coming from Texas, which had already begun restricting abortion. In 2024, Choices treated 314 out-of-state patients, a 46 per cent rise compared to the previous year. Patients travelled from 25 states last year, the majority coming from Florida, followed by Texas and Georgia. On a recent Wednesday morning, Rebecca Glassman, the programs co-ordinator, makes about half a dozen phone calls to patients in several states, including Alabama, Florida and Ohio, who have appointments scheduled in the next few days, to check if they need help with travel arrangements or have any questions. The clinic advises all patients to stay overnight in the city, and it is mandatory for anyone who needs a two-day procedure. Rebecca Glassman provides counselling for pregnant women coming to New York. Credit: Ben Sklar Glassman, a social worker who meets with women before their procedures, says patients from interstate often have to take time off work, organise childcare, pay travel and accommodation costs or work with organisations that help provide funding. It adds another layer of stress. It just compounds any other emotions that theyre experiencing, she says. Theres no element of this [forcing women to travel for an abortion] that makes any sense, other than controlling women. Advertisement Some patients who come from states where abortion is banned express fear that they could be prosecuted. We have to talk about how the abortion you get in New York is legal, Glassman says, during an interview in her office. A poster on the wall lists abortion myths including, If you have an abortion youre going to hell. For some women, its their first trip to New York City. It can be a bit intense for someone whos not used to it, Glassman says, adding that the staff want the clinic to be an oasis from both the chaos of the city and the storm swirling around abortion in the US. The goal is that they come here and they can breathe and settle. The clinic refers patients who need financial support to local and national non-profit organisations like the Brigid Alliance, a New-York based group that helps women travel for abortion care across the country. We book, co-ordinate and pay for travel expenses, says executive director Serra Sippel. We provide meal stipends, lodging, childcare reimbursements, anything the person needs to get to their appointment and back home. The organisation focuses on helping women who are 15 weeks pregnant and beyond, when care is more expensive and often harder to find. In 2024, the Brigid Alliance supported 1390 clients, including 139 women who came to New York. The organisation has added more staff to cope with increased demand in recent years. For some clients, Sippel says, its the first time theyve crossed state lines or boarded a plane. Our co-ordinators will help do tutorials of what to expect when you arrive at an airport and how you prepare, she says. You can imagine someone whos not only a first-time traveller but in such a crisis situation, it just compounds the stress and anxiety that theyre feeling when theyre embarking on this journey. There is widespread support for abortion rights in New York. Last November, the majority of New Yorkers voted to further protect abortion rights and access to reproductive healthcare at the state level. And some residents are building on a long tradition of opening their doors to women coming from places where the procedure is banned. Loading Karen Duda estimates shes hosted about 50 women in her own home since she joined the Haven Coalition about 20 years ago. She says the volunteer group was formed in 2001, when a woman who worked at an abortion clinic realised some patients were sleeping on benches at train stations or in their cars because they couldnt afford a hotel in New York City. Advertisement Duda, now the groups coordinator, estimates that the number of women reaching out for help has doubled since Roe v Wade was overturned in 2022. The organisation has about 40 volunteers who help escort women to clinics and have them stay overnight in their homes. Volunteers provide meals and sometimes help with transport costs. To help protect patient confidentiality, volunteers are only told patients first names. Potential volunteers must first complete a questionnaire and provide references. A long-time member of the group then conducts an interview and a home visit, and speaks with their referees. On the day I speak with Duda, shes arranged for two women who are flying in from interstate to stay with volunteers. One woman is from Florida, but Duda doesnt know where the other woman is from she only got a call the previous afternoon asking if she could help. Luckily, I was able to find a volunteer who can help her, she says. I think most people in this group say, This is extremely important to us that women can access basic healthcare and its something were committed to helping them do. For women living in states where abortion is banned or highly restricted, the consequences of being unable to access timely care can be deadly. At least five women including three in Texas and two in Georgia have died in recent years after being unable to access abortions and timely medical care, according to investigations by ProPublica. Its frightening to see sepsis rates go up, to see maternal mortality go up. Joseph Ottolenghi, head doctor at Choices in New York In another case, reports emerged in May that a 30-year-old pregnant woman who had been declared brain-dead three months earlier was being kept on life support due to Georgias strict abortion ban. Doctors planned to keep Adriana Smith on life support until they believed her baby could survive outside the womb, probably at 32 weeks, her mother April Newkirk told local media. Shes been breathing through machines for more than 90 days, Newkirk was quoted as saying in May. Its torture for me. I see my daughter breathing, but shes not there. There are fears that abortion bans are making doctors afraid to treat women even when they are miscarrying and require emergency care. In Texas, which has one of the strictest abortion laws in the country, a doctor who violates the near-total ban can face up to 99 years in prison. Were seeing women die because of these laws, says Joseph Ottolenghi, the head doctor at Choices in New York, who has treated women from as far away as Texas. And its frightening to see that in numbers, to see sepsis rates go up, to see maternal mortality go up, to read about cases of women literally bleeding to death in parking lots of emergency rooms and hospitals. Advertisement Police are investigating whether the deaths of two people found with lacerations inside a granny flat on a property at Forestville on Sydneys northern beaches were the result of a murder-suicide. Officers were called to the Cannons Parade home about 9.30pm on Wednesday for a welfare check after it was reported the residents of the granny flat hadnt been seen since Saturday, leading police and Fire and Rescue to break down the door to gain entry to the home. On arrival, officers discovered two bodies that of a man aged in his late 40s and a woman in her early 50s, police said. The pair were in a domestic relationship, police have confirmed. Do you feel safer in public places with CCTV? I rarely connect surveillance to feeling safe. Say Im walking at night. Theres some comfort in knowing my movements are traceable, should a reason to trace them ever exist, but Im paying closer attention to the environment: lighting, activity, people, and a sense of familiarity. In my view, surveillance is a mechanism to solve or prosecute crime rather than prevent it. Proponents of monitoring systems, such as Brisbane City Council, argue it also deters crime and improves public safety. Brisbane City Council operates more than 4300 permanent, temporary and mobile cameras. Credit: Courtney Kruk Council operates more than 4300 permanent and temporary cameras across Brisbane, including 26 mobile cameras that feed into a 24/7 security centre to help councillors target concerns in their communities. Brisbane police can access councils safety camera network to help in event operations and daily monitoring of hotspots. The state opposition has joined 11th-hour calls for the Queensland government to swoop in and save one of Brisbanes few mental health hospitals from closure. The financially stricken Toowong Private Hospital, which treated 3000 patients annually, was set to close its doors on Wednesday after administrators brought in last month found no viable option to keep it open, and found no potential buyers. The hospitals chief executive, Christine Gee, denied rumours it was at risk of closing in September last year, despite a funding crisis involving health insurers that threatened the viability of private hospitals nationwide. Toowong Private Hospital has been operating on Milton Road for more than 40 years. Credit: Facebook Patients and their treating psychiatrists were given just two weeks notice that the hospital would close, leaving doctors scrambling to find available beds at the few other facilities in Brisbane. Victorian schools are making it too easy for parents to keep their children away from class, a major Melbourne education conference has been told. Education authorities are grappling with the growing problem of school non-attendance using poor data and outdated methods, University of Melbourne associate professor Lisa McKay-Brown told this years Age Schools Summit on Wednesday. Education Minister Ben Carroll speaks at The Age Schools Summit. Credit: Paul Rovere McKay-Brown challenged the state to adopt a fresh approach to school attendance, based on the academics study of successful anti-truancy programs around the world. For those who are chronically absent ... schools become a prison, she said. Opinion articles written in the style of their author." These texts are to be based on verified facts and must be respectful towards people, even though their actions may be criticized. shall feature, along with the author's name (regardless of their greater or lesser renown), a footer stating their office, academic title, political affiliation (if any) and main occupation, or the occupation related to the topic being assessed Around two weeks ago, as thousands of students celebrated commencement at Harvard under a spring sun, Alan Garber, the university president, received a standing ovation when he spoke seemingly innocuous words: Welcome, Members of the Class of 2025 from down the street, across the country... and around the world. The pause before around the world was deliberate. The emphasis, unequivocal. From around the world, just as it should be, he concluded to thunderous applause. At any other commencement ceremony, these words would have gone unnoticed. But at Harvard during Trumps second presidency, every gesture defending internationality has become an act of resistance. And I, a Spanish visiting scholar in the heart of Cambridge, Massachusetts, could well be part of the last generation of international scholars if the president manages to win his legal battle against the oldest university in the United States. For months, Ive been studying at Harvard how liberal democracies die not from frontal attacks, but from the perverse exploitation of worthy causes. My research at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies focuses precisely on how anti-democratic movements hijack liberal bannersfeminism, LGBTQ+ rights, environmentalismto undermine democratic institutions from within. I never imagined that my own status as an international researcher would become a real-time case study. Trump and his administration have perfected this art of instrumentalization. Under the guise of combating antisemitism on college campusesa genuine and necessary causethey have launched an unprecedented attack on Harvard. The equation is diabolically simple: accuse the university of tolerating antisemitism, demand draconian changes to its academic governance, and when Harvard refuses to cede its autonomy, punish it by cutting off $3 billion in federal funding and revoking its ability to enroll international students. Its the same pattern Ive documented in my research on homonationalism: using advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights to justify xenophobic policies against homophobic Muslims. Or invoking feminism to ban the headscarf. Noble causes turned into Trojan horses of authoritarianism. Whats at stake goes far beyond my J-1 visa or the 6,800 international students who represent 27% of Harvards student body. The United States is committing a spectacular act of academic self-sabotage. While China climbs the ranks in the Nature Index with nine of the top 10 scientific research institutions, Trump has declared war on the only American university still at the top of that list: Harvard. The numbers are devastating. International students contribute more than $40 billion annually to the U.S. economy and support 380,000 jobs. Of the 10 largest tech companies in the country, half are run by immigrants. Elon Musk himself wouldnt have built Tesla in the United States if Trumps anti-foreign student policies had been in place when he arrived from South Africa. Sergei Brin wouldnt have developed Google. Jensen Huang wouldnt have created Nvidia. But the damage goes beyond economic metrics. The fight against Harvard isnt just a fight against a university; its against an idea. The idea that talent has no passport, that knowledge knows no boundaries, that the best minds in the world can gather in one place to push the boundaries of human knowledge. Let me be personal. This year at Harvard has transformed my way of thinking and researching. Ive had theoretical debates on democracy, electoral systems and polarization with the greatest experts on political behavior, but also with top-level historians and economists. Ive refined my experimental methodology in seminars where excellence is not an aspiration but the starting point. Ive become convinced that true research cuts across academic disciplines and the nationalities of those who practice it. The paradox is cruel. As I investigate how political and social identities can be manipulated to erode liberal democracy, I watch how my own status as an international scholar becomes ammunition in Trumps culture war. For now, the courts have temporarily blocked Trumps most draconian actions. Judge Allison Burroughs has prevented the immediate cancellation of visas while the case is litigated in the courts. But the damage has already been done. Searches for U.S. PhD programs have fallen by 25% to 40%, while those for Australian and Swiss universities have soared. Dozens of brilliant scholars who would have chosen the United States are looking elsewhere. What were witnessing isnt just an attack on Harvard or international students. Its an assault on the very idea of knowledge as a universal enterprise, and we Europeans should recognize the pattern. Trump isnt innovating; hes importing. His attack on universities closely follows the playbook of Viktor Orban in Hungary, who expelled the Central European University in Budapest, or that of Vladimir Putin, who has shut down or brought under his control dozens of independent academic institutions in Russia. The lesson for Spain and Europe is clear: authoritarian tactics can travel. What works in Budapest or Moscow is tested in Washington, and what succeeds in Washington can be tried out in Madrid or Amsterdam. Universities are not casual targets in this global culture war. They are, along with independent media and the judiciary, the last counterweights to critical thinking and democratic resistance. My research on the instrumentalization of noble causes to destroy liberal democracy has never been more urgent or more personal. Because now Im not studying the phenomenon from an academic distance; I am experiencing it firsthand. And as I write these lines from my office in Cambridge, on a J-1 visa that may be one of the last that Harvard can sponsor, I understand that my generation of European scholars bears a historic responsibility. We must document, analyze, and, above all, design protocols for democratic resistance. Because when the pursuit of truththe veritas motto that adorns Harvards shieldbecomes an enemy of the state, its not just a university thats in danger. Its one of the last remaining pillars of the edifice of liberal democracy. Alberto Lopez Ortega is an Associate Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, a Ramon Areces Fellow and Visiting Scholar 2024-2025 at Harvard University. Matt Burton has been NSW 18th man twice as many times as hes taken the field for his state, but theres no questioning his commitment to the unwanted role. Not when the Bulldogs star was around for boots, mouthguard and a private plane owned by a good mate worth a lazy $800 million just in case the Blues needed him for emergency duties once again. Burtons bye week leading into Origin I was interrupted by clubmate Stephen Crichtons game one injury scare, when the Canterbury skipper was in doubt right up until game day. Burton, who has taken the field twice for NSW since 2022 and been 18th man five times, was in his home town of Dubbo when the call came from Blues management. The Big Short and Moneyball author Michael Lewis has chronicled some of the biggest social and economic sea changes of our time. Credit: Getty Images/Aresna Villanueva I mean, so the mental model that Elon Musk and his crowd had when they came into the government was, I think that, Its all kind of wasteful, and well figure out which parts arent by just firing everybody and hiring them back if we need to. And they can make cuts to things they didnt understand. And they were doing it as if it was like a tech company, like Twitter its true that like, if Twitter goes down for a few hours because you fire the wrong engineers, who cares? But if, like, tornado forecasting goes down for a day, or the [Federal Aviation Administration] at the Newark Airport is non-functional, the computers go down, its potentially catastrophic... itd be interesting to actually play this out as a game. You try to name a risk that I dont think is all of a sudden made worse by what theyve done. Loading Selinger-Morris: Everything youve just mentioned coupled with, of course, what were seeing on the streets of Los Angeles and [Trump] bringing in the National Guard over top of the California governor and so forth... are we seeing the end of the American empire? Is this the beginning of the end? Lewis: Not, if I can help it I love my country, and I think my country... its like a complicated person. Its capable of lots of bad stuff and lots of great stuff. And I think look if Donald Trump proceeds unchecked and he, like realises whatever his vision is, yes. The answer your question is yes. I dont think thats whats going to happen. Im more hopeful... Selinger-Morris: Why? Why dont you think thats going to happen? Because Ive got to say one of the things Lewis: People arent with him. The people arent with him... hes not a popular president. Selinger-Morris: The people might not be with him, but if you look at the people under him... just in March, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, so his response, as I understand it, to Donald Trumps plan to invoke the biggest mass deportation of illegal immigrants ever is to loosen child labor laws. So hes like, OK, all these illegal immigrants who pick the fruit and vegetables upon which our economy base is based, theyll be gone. Thats fine. Were going to let children 14 and over do it. I mean, is that not the beginning of the end of an empire? Lewis: I mean, its not a good sign. Im not celebrating this. I just dont think, I think its pretty grand claim, end of the empire. And I also think, I think there is this huge disconnect between whats coming out of the mouths of our elected leaders and the standards of behaviour and the values of the of individual Americans. Loading I think even now, if you put Obama in a room with Donald Trump and they each got to talk to every single American, and then you had an election. I think Obama will win 85 per cent of the vote... Weve lost our mind at the top of the country right now. Its gonna snap back. But... the problem is you need elections to do that, and in the very short term, Donald Trump terrifies anybody whos running for office as a Republican, or holds office as a Republican. So theyre marching in lockstep with him. But that could break these things move fast. This could change and move in another direction, very fast. Selinger-Morris: And what do you think it might take? And the reason Im asking you this is youve got hopes for the midterm elections that the Democrats will take control of the House of [Representatives]. Lewis: Look... I think even fewer people a year from now are going to think the country is being well run than they think now. I think that [Trump has] created conditions for things to get even worse for lots of people, not just the economy. Theres going to be an ill, ill feeling in the air. And assuming we have a free and fair election, and I assume we will... I think hes going to get shellacked. I think they might lose both houses... And once theyre on the run, once the bully gets punched, its amazing what happens in the school yard. So I just think someone needs to punch the bully. Michael Lewis new book is Who is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service is out now. New York: A Manhattan jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty on a sex crimes charge on Wednesday, though the jury has not yet reached a verdict on all counts the former movie mogul faces in deliberations that have been marred by infighting and threats. Weinstein, once one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood, is facing a retrial after a state appeals court last year overturned his 2020 conviction. He was accused by prosecutors in the case of raping an aspiring actress and assaulting two other women. Weinstein, 73, pleaded not guilty and has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex. Harvey Weinstein in court in Manhattan on Wednesday. Credit: AP The jury found Weinstein guilty on one of the three counts he faced, which stemmed from his assault of former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006. The jury found Weinstein not guilty of a charge stemming from his alleged assault of Kaja Sokola in 2002 when she was a 16-year-old aspiring actress. The jury has not yet reached a verdict on a third count, which charges him with raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. They will resume deliberations on that count on Thursday. PHILIPSBURG:--- On Tuesday evening, Minister of Finance Marinka Gumbs addressed Parliament, shedding light on the governments strategy to modernize the tax system, increase compliance, and strengthen the tax administration. With the 2025 budget under scrutiny, Gumbs detailed a phased approach to tax reform and underscored her Ministrys commitment to sustainable revenue generation for Sint Maarten. Modernization Key to Enhancing Compliance Highlighting the pressing need for reform, Minister Gumbs stressed the importance of modernizing the tax administration to streamline processes, enhance transparency, and build public trust. "Our outdated systems rely too heavily on manual operations, leading to inefficiencies that hinder both compliance and collection," she remarked. To address these challenges, the Ministry is working to create a centralized, digitalized archive and implement state-of-the-art tax systems. These initiatives are expected to enhance data accuracy and facilitate more effective oversight. Additionally, partnerships with organizations like the Audit Team Sint Maarten (ATS) will empower the tax office to conduct more targeted audits, ensuring fairness and accountability across all taxpayer categories. "Tax reform is not just about legislation; it is about fixing the infrastructure. A solid foundation will allow us to monitor compliance and enforce tax obligations more effectively," Gumbs explained. Phased Approach to Tax Reform Outlining the government's approach to tax reform, Gumbs emphasized the importance of practicality and timeliness. Instead of introducing a comprehensive overhaul all at once, the government will adopt a phased approach. Tax reform is a broad and complex undertaking that cannot be rushed. By addressing it in stages, we allow for focused analysis, stakeholder consultations, and smoother implementation of each element, she said. Key initiatives currently in progress include: The Introduction of a Tourist Tax Following the receipt of advice from the Socio-Economic Council (SER), the Ministry is making slight adjustments to draft legislation to ensure fairness and alignment with broader economic goals. This tax, once implemented, is projected to create a sustainable revenue stream by capitalizing on Sint Maartens thriving tourism sector. Dividend Tax Legislation With a 10% tax on dividends set to be enforced in 2026, the Ministry anticipates generating an additional 10 million guilders annually. Gumbs noted that preparations are already underway to ensure the smooth implementation of this new measure. Repealing Obsolete Taxes Legislative efforts are in progress to eliminate outdated tax ordinances, such as the Land Tax and the National Ordinance regulating surcharges on land tax assessments. This move aligns with the governments broader objective of simplifying the tax code. Data-Driven Reforms The Ministry has prioritized obtaining relevant data to inform adjustments to tax thresholds and rates. This ensures financial transparency and accountability, a point Gumbs was adamant about. "We cannot move forward with any reforms unless they are built on solid financial analysis. Every percentage point must be justified," she emphasized. Recruitment and Capacity Building Tax reform is also contingent on having qualified personnel to administer it. However, Sint Maarten faces challenges in attracting and retaining talent, especially given the outdated function book and uncompetitive salary scales. To tackle this, the Ministry is undertaking initiatives that include salary revisions, updating job descriptions, and hiring an interim Head of Tax to fill immediate gaps. Addressing capacity issues caused by imminent retirements, Gumbs noted that critical tasks are being temporarily reassigned while new staff are recruited. She also confirmed that 12 applicants are being reviewed for roles in the tax administration, many of whom participated in the recent career fair in the Netherlands. "The backbone of any effective tax system is its people," the Minister said. "We are taking deliberate and meaningful steps to ensure that our tax offices are staffed with skilled professionals who feel valued and empowered." Additionally, the Ministry is collaborating with SOAB to improve recruitment strategies and provide ongoing training for existing employees. Increasing Taxpayer Compliance Taxpayer compliance remains a challenge across Sint Maarten, and Gumbs outlined various strategies to improve revenue collection. These include targeted campaigns to educate taxpayers and partnerships with the Netherlands SBAB organization to provide technical expertise in identifying revenue gaps. She is particularly focused on addressing businesses that operate on a cash-only basis, emphasizing the need for equitable tax contributions across all sectors. "Every business must play its part. We cannot allow loopholes or evasion to undermine the system," she stated. A Clear Vision for Fiscal Stability Minister Gumbs ended on a note of determination, reaffirming her Ministry's mission to create an efficient, equitable, and modern tax system. Her plans extend beyond mere adjustments to include a fundamental transformation of the fiscal framework. "Tax reform is not just about balancing the books. It is about building trust in our institutions, ensuring fairness, and preparing Sint Maarten for a sustainable future," she concluded. The Ministers remarks were met with a mixture of optimism from Parliamentarians and cautious questions about execution. However, Gumbs comprehensive response, coupled with her transparent approach, left little doubt about her commitment to steering Sint Maarten toward fiscal responsibility and growth. PHILIPSBURG:--- On Tuesday evening, Minister of Finance Marinka Gumbs addressed Parliament, delivering a detailed account of the governments approach to managing costs, reallocating savings, and making strategic investments to secure Sint Maartens financial future. Her remarks provided clarity on key measures aimed at balancing fiscal responsibility with meaningful public investments, ensuring that both essential services and revenue-generating initiatives receive adequate funding. Savings Reallocation Towards Critical Needs Minister Gumbs highlighted significant progress in reducing the operational costs of various government services, offering specific examples of areas where savings had been achieved. A notable success is the reduction in expenses related to license plate production. Over the past three years, costs dropped from XCG 377,168 in 2023 to XCG 137,684 in 2025, resulting in total savings of approximately XCG 183,000. These savings have not been earmarked for specific expenditures, the Minister explained. Instead, theyve been absorbed into the general budget, allowing for more flexibility to address pressing needs in other areas. Reallocating unspent funds has enabled the government to prioritize projects in healthcare, education, and infrastructure maintenance. Gumbs emphasized that sustainability is a cornerstone of this strategy, with her Ministry striving to ensure that every saved guilder is effectively repurposed for maximum long-term impact. Strategic Borrowing to Support Essential Investments Facing inevitable infrastructure needs, such as the development of schools, hospitals, and roads, the government has adopted a cautious approach to borrowing. Minister Gumbs assured Parliament that all loans are thoroughly assessed for sustainability prior to approval. We only borrow when it is clear that we have the financial capacity to repay, she noted. While not all investments are directly revenue-generating, Gumbs clarified that projects like infrastructure upgrades are essential for creating the environment needed for sustained economic growth. An improved road network may not generate direct revenue, but it facilitates commerce and enhances tourism, which are critical pillars of our economy, she said. The Minister added that strategic investments in foundational systems, such as the prison project and public education facilities, are vital for fostering an inclusive and stable society. Balancing Public Services and Revenue-Generating Initiatives Maintaining a delicate balance between essential public services and revenue-generating projects is at the forefront of the governments strategy. Minister Gumbs acknowledged that public services often come at a cost but are foundational to Sint Maartens quality of life. To sustain these services, the Ministry continues to diversify income sources, such as through the introduction of a tourist tax and the enforcement of a 10% dividend tax. These measures are expected to deliver significant revenue boosts in the coming years, strengthening the capacity to fund public welfare programs while minimizing the financial burden on future generations. Key reforms like improved tax compliance and modern audit processes will further bolster revenue collection efforts. Every guilder we invest today in revenue-generating initiatives adds to the financial resources required to maintain a strong foundation of public services, Gumbs remarked, reminding Parliamentarians that tough choices often must be made to balance short-term needs with long-term goals. Revenue and Expenditure Trends in 2025 During her presentation, Minister Gumbs provided an update on revenue collection and expenditure patterns for the first quarter of 2025. She noted that the government had exceeded projections by 15 million guilders in revenue while reducing expenses by 19 million guilders during the same period. However, she urged caution and forecasted potential dips in revenue in Q2 and Q3. Our careful monitoring of these trends will ensure that we have reserves in place to address any shortfalls while still prioritizing critical projects, said the Minister, emphasizing that a proactive financial approach is key to maintaining liquidity for daily operations. Reassessing Cost-Cutting and Revenue Strategies Gumbs disclosed plans to continue exploring cost-cutting measures across ministries through detailed evaluations of operational efficiencies. Her Ministry is working hand-in-hand with other departments to identify outdated practices, leverage technology, and improve workforce productivity without compromising service delivery. Further, Gumbs responded to inquiries about potential reductions in parliamentary or ministerial salaries as an additional measure to cut costs. While leaving this decision to Parliament, she encouraged an open dialogue among lawmakers to boost transparency on fiscal matters. Ministers Commitment to Accountability Concluding her address, Gumbs reaffirmed her Ministry's commitment to fostering transparency and accountability in handling public funds. Our responsibility is not just to maintain the books but to ensure that every investment reflects the needs and priorities of our people, she stated. The planned adoption of an integrated budgeting system will play a critical role in improving financial reporting processes and enhancing oversight. Minister Gumbs address left Parliament with a clear message that the government remains committed to tackling the current fiscal challenges head-on while simultaneously positioning Sint Maarten for a prosperous future. Through cost-saving efforts, strategic investments, and revenue-enhancing reforms, her Ministry continues to prioritize sustainable growth and accountability. PHILIPSBURG:--- From 14 to 20 June, the Netherlands forces in the Caribbean will conduct a hurricane emergency response exercise on the Windward Islands. Central to this exercise is the cooperation with various local safety and emergency response partners on Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius. The purpose of the training is to ensure that military personnel can be deployed quickly and effectively in the event of a real hurricane threat. Following their deployment to the islands, small-scale activities will take place across the three locations. Units will also use their time on the islands to familiarize themselves with the local terrain and to engage with relevant stakeholders, including government organizations, non-governmental organizations, and companies that play a key role in disaster response. The majority of the military personnel involved are already stationed in the Caribbean region. Participating units include personnel from the Marine Detachment Sint Maarten, the Marine Squadron Carib (based in Aruba), the naval support ship HNLMS Pelikaan, FRISC vessels, and several supporting units from both the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Netherlands Marine Corps. By conducting this training on the Windward Islands, the armed forces aim to be ready to provide emergency aid and conduct rescue operations immediately following the passage of a hurricane. Providing military assistance during natural disasters such as hurricanes is one of the core tasks of the Dutch Armed Forces in the Caribbean. During such missions, military units support the civil authorities and contribute to maintaining public order and safety. Argentina is entering an unknown political dimension. Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner must decide before next Wednesday where she will serve six years of house arrest, a benefit she is entitled to for being over 70 years old. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected all of her defenses claims and upheld the corruption convictions handed down by two lower courts. Her imprisonment is as relevant as the second part of the ruling: Kirchner was barred for life from running for public office, meaning she will no longer be able to participate in elections. But she is by no means out of politics. The Supreme Courts ruling has jolted a Peronist movement that had not yet recovered from its defeat against Javier Milei in 2023. It is now in active resistance mode, an epic feat that suits it better than any other. Kirchner likes to look at herself in the mirror of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, imprisoned for 580 days in 2018 and 2019 in a corruption case that was annulled by the Supreme Federal Court in 2021. But also in that of Juan Domingo Peron, exiled and banned for 18 years after his overthrow in 1955. Peron managed Argentine politics in absentia from his retirement in Madrid. Politicians, unionists, social leaders, intellectuals, and anyone who wished to be anointed by the general visited him in Puerta de Hierro in the Spanish capital and returned to Argentina with the good news. It is only to be expected that Kirchner will now have her own Puerta de Hierro, but in the province of Buenos Aires, where her electoral stronghold is located and where the fate of her party in the October legislative elections is at stake. Kirchners imprisonment strengthens her role as the top leader in the internal dispute she maintains with Axel Kicillof, the governor of the province of Buenos Aires, for control of the Peronist party. She is, without the possibility of appeal, a victim of the judicial party, as she reiterated once again to the thousands of supporters who surrounded her first at the party headquarters, and then at night outside her home in the Constitucion neighborhood, where her daughter lives. The sentence, she said, is the result of political persecution orchestrated by the economic powers that want to control Argentina. She took aim more at the United States than at that puppet who governs us, referring to Milei. What they are preparing is how to dismantle the popular and political organization that will occur, because history shows that beyond proscription, the people end up organizing in self-defense. The people always return, she warned Monday, when she already assumed the Supreme Court ruling against her was a given. Supporters of Cristina Kirchner gathered outside her home in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, after the Supreme Court upheld a corruption conviction against the former president. Tomas Cuesta (REUTERS) The conviction in the so-called Vialidad Case dates back to her years as president of Argentina, between 2007 and 2015. The court found her guilty of harming the Argentine state by irregularly awarding 50 public works projects to a businessman friend, Lazaro Baez, in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, the birthplace of Kirchnerism. According to the courts, Baez reciprocated the unduly obtained benefits through spurious business dealings with the former presidents family businesses. With legal avenues closed in Argentina, Kirchners only option is to take her case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. If the courts fail, theres always politics. The conviction had an immediate impact on a party that was divided and, above all, demobilized. Peronist governors who detest Kirchner rallied behind her and repudiated the Supreme Courts ruling. Kicillof, once her political heir and now her main internal rival, suspended his entire agenda in the province of Buenos Aires to support her. The effects of this are so profound that one would expect it to have repercussions at every level, he said, implying that if Peronism intends to stop Mileis far-right La Libertad Avanza party in October, they have no choice but to unite. Without Kirchner in the candidate draw, Kicillof will try to leverage the weight of his administration in the countrys largest and richest province by assembling the lists of national deputies and senators. Peronists were excited Tuesday by the unrest the ruling sparked in the streets. Thousands of people, mostly very young, gathered in front of Kirchners house in the capital. Argentinos, the JP is back, they chanted, using the initials of the Peronist Youth, which many believed had almost disappeared. Occasionally, Kirchner appeared on the balcony and waved. There were also spontaneous demonstrations in the countrys main cities, such as Cordoba, Rosario, and La Plata. It is expected that the occupation of the Faculties of Philosophy and Letters and Social Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires will be replicated at other university campuses. Kirchner has as many followers as detractors. She is either idolized or deeply hated, but no one doubts that she has been the most influential political figure of the last 20 years. She was a congresswoman, a senator, twice president, and once vice president. Together with her husband, former president Nestor Kirchner, who died in 2010, she began a long period of hegemony in Argentina for left-wing Peronism, the opposite of the ultra-liberal Peronism that Carlos Menem had represented in the 1990s. After Mauricio Macris interregnum in 2015, Kirchnerism returned to power in 2019, under Alberto Fernandez. The president was quick to break with Kirchner, his vice president, and it all ended in disaster. The doors were open for Mileis far-right, which arrived at the Casa Rosada proclaiming the death of the caste first, and then of the Kukas (Kirchnerists). A Cristina Kirchner supporter bangs a drum with the former president's image on it. Tomas Cuesta (REUTERS) Justice. The end, Milei, on tour in Israel, celebrated on social media minutes after the court ruling was announced. And then he got lost in the topic that has recently obsessed him more than anything else: the press. The Republic is functioning, and all the corrupt journalists, accomplices of lying politicians, have been exposed in their operettas about the supposed pact of impunity, he wrote. There was little else to say from the Casa Rosada. Chief of Ministers Guillermo Francos, the least vociferous voice in the Cabinet, said it was a sad moment to see a two-time president, former vice president, and senator sentenced to prison. Without Kirchner among the competitors, Milei loses the organizing principle of his electoral strategy. The us or them argument loses steam and could cost him dearly in October. Although it is still too early to measure its impact, if Peronism feels challenged, it is possible that it will mobilize at the polls and reverse the collapse in turnout recorded in the provincial elections held in recent months. Milei will insist on nationalizing the legislative campaign. He will claim that not only representatives and senators are being elected, but also two models of the country: one impoverishing statist and another guided by the forces of heaven that will annihilate the state and turn Argentina into a superpower. He will face a Peronism that, perhaps, will find reasons to fight back. Nvidia trumpets European AI infrastructure push Paris, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 US chip giant Nvidia on Wednesday announced a broad infrastructure push into Europe, partnering with local companies to help build the continent's "own ecosystem" for AI, chief executive Jensen Huang said in Paris. "In just two years we will increase the amount of AI computing capacity in Europe by a factor of 10," Huang told attendees at the French capital's annual Vivatech trade fair, striding around the stage wearing his trademark leather jacket. California-based Nvidia is by far the largest producer of chips for AI -- notably the Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) originally developed for high-end gaming. Nvidia's chips have proved uniquely suited for generative AI, whether powering robots, software or self-driving cars. Singling out a local firm, Huang said Nvidia would partner with French AI startup Mistral to build a cloud platform powered by 18,000 of Nvidia's latest high-end Blackwell chips. Basing the billions of euros (dollars) worth of hardware in Europe would offer firms the "strategic autonomy they need", Mistral chief Arthur Mensch told AFP, adding that the project would "strengthen European technological leadership". Huang said that Nvidia would build up existing partnerships, such as with French electrical goods maker Schneider Electric, including on developing gigantic data centres dedicated to AI -- which Nvidia calls "AI factories". It will also strengthen work with Germany's Siemens on so-called "digital twins" simluating real-world environments, and on automating industrial processes. Nvidia plans to feed its chips into data centres across Europe, including in Spain, Italy, Britain, Finland, Germany and Sweden. The world's government chiefs "all want to have AI factories, they all want AI to be part of their infrastructure," Huang said. He added that Nvidia was partnering with major companies to develop their own AI models more easily, such as French banking giant BNP or cosmetics heavyweight L'Oreal. "I'm so happy that Europe is going all-in on AI," he said. Europe is well behind competitors like the United States and China in building up the computing power needed to power generative artificial intelligence. The continent hosts "less than five percent of global computing power, whereas we consume 20 percent," French President Emmanuel Macron's office said in a press briefing ahead of the leader's visit to Vivatech. With its ability to sell into China still crimped by American export restrictions, Nvidia is on the hunt for growth opportunities elsewhere around the world. dax/tgb/rl NVIDIA Schneider Electric Siemens BNP Paribas Nvidia marks Paris tech fair with Europe AI push Paris, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 Drawing high-powered tech CEOs and a presidential visit, the Vivatech trade fair opened in Paris on Wednesday with a bang as Nvidia boss Jensen Huang announced a major push into Europe. "In just two years we will increase the amount of AI computing capacity in Europe by a factor of 10," Huang told a packed hall in a southern Paris convention centre, striding around the stage wearing his trademark leather jacket. He also announced a multi-billion-dollar partnership with French AI champion Mistral AI. President Emmanuel Macron arrived late on Wednesday afternoon for a tour of the show and meetings with European startups about technological sovereignty, a subject dear to his heart. "We want AI... that's secure, sustainable, humanist," Macron said. "We have to equip ourselves with the capacity to be at the heart of this struggle," he added, ahead of a panel discussion with Huang and Arthur Mensch, chief executive of French AI champion Mistral. People from around the globe thronged the halls of Vivatech, crammed with stands in blaring colours showing off the latest innovations from startups, tech giants and more traditional firms and patrolled here and there by gesticulating robots. Around 14,000 startups and more than 3,000 investors were expected in Paris, while organisers forecast total visitor numbers to at least equal last year's 165,000 people. - Nvidia headlining - Nvidia's Huang took top billing with an opening presentation of almost two hours that drew bouts of rapturous applause from attendees. The US firm's tie-up with Mistral will see the companies build a cloud computing platform powered by 18,000 of Nvidia's "Blackwell" high-end chips worth billions. Basing hardware in Europe would offer firms the "strategic autonomy they need", Mistral chief Mensch told AFP, adding that the project would "strengthen European technological leadership". Nvidia will also intensify work with existing partners like Germany's Siemens and France's Schneider Electric, Huang said. And it will help build multiple data centres in seven European countries. Europe is well behind competitors like the United States and China in building up the computing power needed to power generative artificial intelligence. The continent hosts "less than five percent of global computing power, whereas we consume 20 percent," Macron's office said in a press briefing ahead of the leader's visit to Vivatech. - Trade war - Nvidia has seen export restrictions slapped on its top-performing chips by Washington, with American politicians leery of ceding their country's lead in generative AI. Remaining high-tech controls on China are at issue in high-stakes trade talks with Beijing. Huang has warned that the US' superpower rival is nevertheless making swift strides to catch up. There was little sign of impact from export restrictions on Nvidia's chip sales in its May earnings release. But the company has warned the braking effect may be larger in the current quarter. US politics also preoccupies many European tech leaders and policymakers. Concerns range from Trump's mercurial tariff policy to the continent's ability to stand on its own without US tech giants -- and the massive gap in funding for AI development between the two sides of the Atlantic. "Sovereignty, which wasn't as important in the conversation just a year or two years ago, has become an absolutely strategic priority," Vivatech managing director Francois Bitouzet told AFP. Macron is expected to again emphasise "European technological sovereignty" on Wednesday, the Elysee said. Such remarks from the president would build on his hyping of French and European openness to AI at a Paris global summit in February. Macron, Mensch and Huang will dine together behind closed doors at the president's Elysee Palace residence on Wednesday evening. mng/tgb/rl Nvidia marks Paris tech fair with Europe AI push Paris, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 Drawing high-powered tech CEOs and a presidential visit, the Vivatech trade fair opened in Paris on Wednesday with a bang as Nvidia boss Jensen Huang announced a major push into Europe. "In just two years we will increase the amount of AI computing capacity in Europe by a factor of 10," Huang told a packed hall in a southern Paris convention centre, striding around the stage wearing his trademark leather jacket. He also announced a multi-billion-dollar partnership with French AI champion Mistral AI. President Emmanuel Macron hailed the Nvidia-Mistral tie-up as a "historic" opportunity for France and Europe, urging other local firms to climb aboard. He had arrived late on Wednesday afternoon for a tour of the show and meetings with European startups about technological sovereignty, a subject dear to his heart. "We want AI... that's secure, sustainable, humanist," Macron said. People from around the globe thronged the halls of Vivatech, crammed with stands in blaring colours showing off the latest innovations from startups, tech giants and more traditional firms and patrolled here and there by gesticulating robots. Around 14,000 startups and more than 3,000 investors were expected in Paris, while organisers forecast total visitor numbers to at least equal last year's 165,000 people. - Nvidia headlining - Nvidia's Huang took top billing with an opening presentation of almost two hours that drew bouts of rapturous applause from attendees. The US firm's tie-up with Mistral will see the companies build a cloud computing platform powered by 18,000 of Nvidia's "Blackwell" high-end chips worth billions. Speaking in a panel discussion with Huang and Macron, Mistral chief Arthur Mensch said the offering would be "completely independent" in a nod to the president's sovereignty drive. "You're no longer relying for your AI workload on certain of the US providers," he promised the audience. Macron dubbed the Mistral-Nvidia collaboration a "game-changer, because it will increase our sovereignty and it will allow us to do much more" with AI. Europe "has put its ability to produce things in danger" and "become more and more dependent on the rest of the world," he warned. Aside from Mistral, Nvidia will also intensify work with existing partners like Germany's Siemens and France's Schneider Electric, Huang said. And it will help build multiple data centres in seven European countries. Europe is well behind competitors like the United States and China in building up the computing power needed to power generative artificial intelligence. The continent hosts "less than five percent of global computing power, whereas we consume 20 percent," Macron's office said in a press briefing ahead of the leader's visit to Vivatech. - Trade war - Nvidia has seen export restrictions slapped on its top-performing chips by Washington, with American politicians leery of ceding their country's lead in generative AI. Remaining high-tech controls on China are at issue in high-stakes trade talks with Beijing. Huang has warned that the US' superpower rival is nevertheless making swift strides to catch up. There was little sign of impact from export restrictions on Nvidia's chip sales in its May earnings release. But the company has warned the braking effect may be larger in the current quarter. US politics also preoccupies many European tech leaders and policymakers. Concerns range from Trump's mercurial tariff policy to the continent's ability to stand on its own without US tech giants -- and the massive gap in funding for AI development between the two sides of the Atlantic. "Sovereignty, which wasn't as important in the conversation just a year or two years ago, has become an absolutely strategic priority," Vivatech managing director Francois Bitouzet told AFP. Macron's hammering on tech sovereignty followed on from his hyping of French and European openness to AI at a Paris global summit in February. Macron, Mensch and Huang were set to dine together behind closed doors at the president's Elysee Palace residence on Wednesday evening. mng/tgb/rl Opinion articles written in the style of their author." These texts are to be based on verified facts and must be respectful towards people, even though their actions may be criticized. shall feature, along with the author's name (regardless of their greater or lesser renown), a footer stating their office, academic title, political affiliation (if any) and main occupation, or the occupation related to the topic being assessed In Guatemala, it can be easy to let the trees hide the forest. They include convoluted legal procedures, ever-fracturing and multiplying political parties, baseless criminal accusations, and the labyrinthine connections between politicians. The big picture, however, is this: the same actors who tried to prevent President Bernardo Arevalo from taking office in 2023 are ramping up efforts to oust him. The risk to democracy and human rights in Guatemala needs to be taken seriously. Attorney General Consuelo Porras has already asked the Supreme Court more than 10 times to lift Arevalos presidential immunity, so that he can be investigated in Congress for a range of alleged crimes. Such steps would be taken as signs of a healthy democratic system if they were based on good-faith concerns that the president had engaged in corruption or abuse of power. Unfortunately, Porras investigations are based on spurious, politically motivated allegations. The attorney general has also gone after officials in Arevalos government, as well as people who have been pushing for democratic reforms. In April, prosecutors secured the arrest of two Indigenous leaders, Hector Chaclan and Luis Pacheco, who was also Arevalos deputy minister of sustainable development. They are accused of terrorism and sedition in connection with their participation in the peaceful 2023 protests that helped stop Porras attempt to overturn the elections. The timing is critical. Next year, Guatemalan authorities are scheduled to elect a new attorney general and new members of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and Constitutional Court. The president and Congress play an important role in these processes and the appointments are critical to hopes of progress in bolstering the rule of law. The European Union has expressed its deep concern about the misuse of legal and procedural measures targeting elected officials in Guatemala. Latin American governments, which played an important role in protecting democracy in 2023, should also speak up and make sure that the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) follows the situation in Guatemala closely. When he visited Guatemala in February, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised President Arevalos commitment to maintain and defend democracy and the stability of institutions. He also warned that businesses are not going to invest in a country where there is a coup. Yet the State Department and the Trump administration have since said nothing. This silence risks being interpreted as disinterest or even tacit acceptance of the very threats Rubio was alluding to. If a commitment to democracy in Guatemala isnt enough to persuade the U.S. government to oppose efforts to undermine it, its own interests certainly should. Ousting Arevalo would most likely bring about instability in Guatemala that could trigger new waves of migration despite the current difficulty of even crossing the U.S. border. Arevalo has been a close U.S. ally. Officials trying to oust him may well be offering similar support to Washington, on issues ranging from migration to China. But theres something they cannot credibly deliver: dismantling organized crime. Fighting organized crime requires cracking down on corrupt practices that allow cartels and gangs to bribe their way through the country, operating brazenly and with impunity. This is an important part of Arevalos agendaand precisely why many want him out. His administration has achieved some notable arrests, including of the leader of Los Huistas, whose extradition the U.S. embassy in Guatemala has been described as the most important in decades. In addition to expressing concern, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union, which have imposed targeted sanctions against Attorney General Porras and other officials, should maintain and consider expanding these sanctions to other officials responsible for violating human rights and undermining the rule of law. President Arevalo should also act. Guatemalan law doesnt allow him to unilaterally dismiss the attorney general. But theres more he can do to protect fundamental rights and democratic institutions. He should push to investigate allegations of corruption behind court rulings and consider invoking a constitutional provision that allows officials to dismiss orders, such as arrest warrants, that are manifestly illegal or that imply the commission of a crime. His government also needs to prepare a strategy for the appointment of a new attorney general next year. Under Porras, politically motivated prosecutions have thrived while fewer than nine percent of criminal investigations have led to an indictment. Appointing a truly independent attorney general could help address long-standing impunity, bolster the fight against organized crime, and help rebuild the rule of law. Critically, President Arevalo should also act to show Guatemalans that the democracy many of them defended in 2023 can deliver. His government should speed up the implementation of its health, education and infrastructure projects that could help provide much needed development in rural areas in Guatemala where mostly Indigenous people are deprived of their economic rights. Introducing a water law that helps guarantee the human rights to water and sanitation would be a critical first step. Guatemala still has an opportunity to lay the groundwork for the change the reconstruction of rule of law, the dismantling of organized crime, and the creation of a more inclusive economy that Guatemalans urgently need. We cannot afford to let it slip away. Juan Pappier is deputy Americas director at Human Rights Watch. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Trump uses US army birthday to lash out over LA protests Fort Bragg, United States, June 10 (AFP) Jun 10, 2025 President Donald Trump turned a trip marking the US army's 250th birthday into a political-style rally Tuesday, wrapping himself in martial symbolism as he defended his decision to send soliders to protest-hit Los Angeles. The US commander-in-chief goaded troops to boo political opponents and the media and called protesters "animals" in what was meant to be a non-partisan event at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the country's biggest military installation. The Republican president meanwhile reinforced his strongman image as he watched spectacular rocket fire, special forces training and parachute displays, standing behind sandbags while surrounded by military officers in camouflage. The event came days before tanks are set to rumble through Washington in a huge and highly unusual military parade on Saturday, which coincides with Trump's own 79th birthday. Trump has long shown a fascination for the military -- and envy for the military parades that his foreign counterparts preside over. But on Tuesday he spent much of his speech talking about anything but the army, preferring instead to go on a diatribe on the Los Angeles protests. "They're incompetent," Trump said of California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass, as some troops in the audience booed. Newsom has attacked Trump as "dictatorial" after the president deployed thousands of troops including 700 active duty US Marines to Los Angeles following clashes sparked by US government immigration raids. - 'Theater of leadership' - Pointing at the "fake news," Trump said "look what I have to put up with" as troops booed again. Democratic former president Joe Biden also earned a few boos when Trump mentioned him. Trump then ramped up the military language as he promised to "liberate" Los Angeles, saying he would "not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy." The Republican also announced that he would be restoring the names of other US Army bases that, like Fort Bragg, honored military figures of the pro-slavery Confederacy from the US Civil War. He was accompanied by Pentagon chief and former Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth, who hailed the end of what he called "woke" in the US military. In scenes that resembled one of his election rallies last year, Trump finally left the stage to cheers as he did his trademark dance to the Village People song "Y.M.C.A." The event comes in a week loaded with military symbolism for Trump. He made it clear earlier that he would not tolerate anyone spoiling the parade on Saturday -- which marks the 250th anniversary of the army but falls on his birthday too. "If there's any protest that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force," Trump said earlier at the White House. For Trump, "what matters is the spectacle. And the military is a heck of a spectacle," said Peter Loge, director of George Washington University's School of Media. "The military parade, the military in Los Angeles is theater of leadership, theater of governing, without paying attention to the real-world consequences," Loge told AFP. - 'Speaking German' - Trump was sent to a military academy as a child by his property tycoon father, and seems to have loved military pomp ever since -- even if repeated educational and medical deferments meant he could avoid the draft to fight in Vietnam. He first had the idea for a grand military parade after attending France's annual Bastille Day parade in Paris at the invitation of his friend, President Emmanuel Macron, but is only getting around to it in his second term. World War II meanwhile appears to have been increasingly on Trump's mind since returning to office. He recently designated May 8 "Victory Day," noting that unlike much of Europe, the United States had no day to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany -- and he has repeatedly downplayed the role of US allies in the war. "Without us, you'd all be speaking German right now, maybe a little Japanese thrown in," Trump said at Fort Bragg. Critics say that Trump's military fascination underscores an authoritarian streak. "The imagery is very much strongman: I am Donald Trump, America is a nation of force and power, because look at all the images of force and power," Loge said. Israel deports Greta Thunberg after intercepting Gaza-bound aid boat Tel Aviv, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 Campaigner Greta Thunberg arrived home in Sweden late Tuesday, after Israel detained her and other activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat and deported some. Of the 12 activists on board the Madleen, which was carrying food and supplies for Gaza, four including Thunberg agreed to be deported immediately, while all of them have been banned from Israel for 100 years, the rights group that legally represents some of them said in a statement. The remaining eight were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily, and brought before a detention review tribunal on Tuesday, rights group Adalah said. "The state asked the tribunal to keep the activists in custody until their deportation," Adalah said, adding that under Israeli law, individuals under deportation orders can be held for 72 hours before forcible removal. Israeli forces intercepted the boat, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, in international waters on Monday and towed it to the port of Ashdod. They then transferred them to Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, the foreign ministry said, from where Thunberg flew first to France then Sweden. Thunberg, 22, accused Israel of "kidnapping us in international waters and taking us against our will to Israel". "This is yet another intentional violation of rights that is added to the list of countless other violations that Israel is committing," she said at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. Asked on arrival in Stockholm if she was scared when Israeli security forces boarded the sailboat, Thunberg replied: "What I'm afraid of is that people are silent during an ongoing genocide". Four French activists who were also aboard the Madleen were set to face an Israeli judge, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said. He had earlier posted on X that five would face court action and only one would depart voluntarily. Barrot told reporters that French diplomats had met with the six French nationals in Israel, and that French-Palestinian European MP Rima Hassan was among those who refused to leave voluntarily. The activists, from France, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands, aimed to deliver humanitarian aid and break the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory. In what organisers called a "symbolic act", hundreds of participants in a land convoy crossed the border into Libya from Tunisia with the aim of reaching Gaza, whose entire population the UN has warned is at risk of famine. - Dire humanitarian conditions - Israel's interception of the Madleen, about 185 kilometres (115 miles) west of Gaza, was condemned by Turkey as a "heinous attack", while Iran denounced it as "a form of piracy" in international waters. In May, another Freedom Flotilla ship, the Conscience, was damaged in international waters off Malta as it headed to Gaza, with the activists blaming an Israeli drone attack. A 2010 Israeli commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of a similar attempt to breach the naval blockade of Gaza, left 10 civilians dead. On Sunday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the blockade, in place since well before the Israel-Hamas war, was needed to prevent Palestinian militants from importing weapons. Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more aid into Gaza to alleviate widespread shortages of food and basic supplies. Israel recently allowed some deliveries to resume after barring them for more than two months and began working with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. But humanitarian agencies have criticised the GHF and the United Nations refuses to work with it, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality. Dozens of people have been killed near GHF distribution points since late May, according to Gaza's civil defence agency. The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on Tuesday that in Gaza's north, "Israeli military operations have intensified in recent days, with mass casualties reported". An independent United Nations commission said on Tuesday that Israeli attacks on schools, religious and cultural sites in Gaza amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of seeking to exterminate Palestinians. "In killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites, Israeli security forces committed the crime against humanity of extermination," the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said in a report. AFP has contacted Israeli authorities for comment on the report but has yet to receive a response. The Israeli military said it intercepted a projectile on Tuesday that had entered Israeli airspace from Gaza. It later called for residents to evacuate several neighbourhoods in the north of the Palestinian territory. The October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 54,981 people, the majority civilians, have been killed in the territory since the start of the war. The UN considers these figures reliable. Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. US intel chief denounces 'warmongers' after Hiroshima visit Washington, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard warned Tuesday after a trip to Hiroshima that "warmongers" were pushing the world to the brink of nuclear war, in an extraordinary, if veiled, pitch for diplomacy. Gabbard did not specify her concerns, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly brandished the specter of nuclear war as he cautions Europe and the United States against support for Ukraine. Gabbard, a former congresswoman who has faced criticism in the past for her views on Russia, posted a video of grisly footage from the world's first nuclear attack and of her staring reflectively at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. On August 6, 1945, the United States obliterated Hiroshima, killing 140,000 in the explosion and by the end of the year from the uranium bomb's effects. Three days later, a US plane dropped a plutonium bomb on Nagasaki, leaving around 74,000 people dead by the end of the year. Japan surrendered on August 15. "This one bomb that caused so much destruction in Hiroshima was tiny compared to today's nuclear bombs," Gabbard said. "A single nuclear weapon today could kill millions in just minutes." "As we stand here today closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before, political elites and warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers," she said. "Perhaps it's because they are confident that they will have access to nuclear shelters for themselves and for their families that regular people won't have access to." Taking a tone more customary for a politician or activist than the director of national intelligence, Gabbard said: "So it's up to us, the people, to speak up and demand an end to this madness." Japanese media reports said the comments were "extremely rare" for an incumbent US government official, and at odds with Washington's past justification of the bombings. Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan's top government spokesman, declined to comment directly on Gabbard's video. But he said an "accurate understanding" of the destruction and suffering caused by atomic bombs would "serve as the basis for various efforts toward nuclear disarmament". "It's important for Japan to continue its realistic, pragmatic efforts with the United States to realise a nuclear-free world, based on the belief that the carnage in Hiroshima and Nagasaki must not be repeated," Hayashi said. Gabbard's remarks come as aides to President Donald Trump voice growing frustration with Putin, who has refused US-led, Ukraine-backed calls for a temporary ceasefire. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom Gabbard criticized before the two entered Trump's cabinet, has warned that the United States could walk away from diplomacy over the Ukraine conflict if there are no positive signs. Gabbard, a former Democrat, faced a heated confirmation hearing but ultimately prevailed after Democrats and some Republicans questioned her past statements, including some supportive of Russian positions. She has said that the European Union and Washington should have listened to Russian security concerns about Ukraine joining NATO. Gabbard's visit to Hiroshima comes ahead of the 80th anniversary of the world's only atomic bombings. The United States has never apologized for the attacks. Trump orders names restored to military bases honoring Confederates Washington, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has ordered the restoration of the names of several US military bases that honored officers who fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. While the redesignations will return the facilities to their original names, they come with a twist, as the bases will ostensibly honor other military personnel who have the same names, and not those who fought to maintain slavery in the South. The Republican president made the announcement in a speech at the country's largest military base, which he had renamed to Fort Bragg in February after predecessor Joe Biden changed it to Fort Liberty in 2023. "We are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee," Trump told soldiers. "We won a lot of battles out of those forts. It's no time to change." The move reverses a renaming process begun in the wake of the death of George Floyd, whose murder by police in 2020 focused a spotlight on systemic racism. A naming commission ultimately recommended hundreds of locations be redesignated, among them nine US Army bases named after Confederate officers who had fought for the South in defense of slavery during the country's 1861-1865 Civil War. The Pentagon said Tuesday that the new base names, while consistent with the last names of the Confederate officers, actually honor different military veterans. For example, while the original Fort Bragg honors Confederate general Braxton Bragg, the new name commemorates Roland L. Bragg, a little-known World War II hero, officials said. Fort Robert E Lee in Virginia, which was redesignated Fort Gregg-Adams in honor of two African-American servicemembers, was changed back to Fort Lee. But the new name honors Medal of Honor recipient Private Fitz Lee who fought in the Spanish-American War, said the Pentagon, and not the Robert E Lee who was overall commander of the Confederate army. Russia downplays damage from Ukraine's airbase drone attack Moscow, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 Russia on Wednesday said that Ukraine's brazen drone attack on nuclear-capable bombers earlier this month was "purposefully exaggerated", downplaying the extent of the damage in Moscow's most detailed remarks on the strikes. In a series of daring attacks deep into Russian territory, Ukraine on June 1 targeted military airbases with drones, saying it had damaged dozens of strategic bombers worth $7 billion. Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow's nuclear deterrence had "not suffered significant damage as a result of these actions". "The consequences of this attack by Kyiv is being consciously, deliberately, and purposefully exaggerated," state media reported him as saying. The damaged equipment "can and will be restored", he added. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Moscow said that some aircraft had "caught fire", and later vowed revenge. It has called several recent missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, "retaliation". Ukraine said earlier that it had damaged 41 Russian aircraft -- around a third of Moscow's strategic aviation fleet. The attacks exposed Russia's air base vulnerabilities, in a massive morale boost for Kyiv after months on the back foot in the conflict. Ukrainian cities have been targeted by Russian air strikes on a near daily basis since Moscow launched its full-scale military offensive in February 2022, forcing millions to flee their homes and decimating much of eastern and southern Ukraine. Finland summons Russian diplomat after suspected airspace violation Helsinki, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 Finland on Wednesday summoned Russia's charge d'affaires for talks, a day after a Russian military aircraft was suspected of violating Finnish airspace, the foreign ministry told AFP. Finland's defence ministry said on Tuesday that it believed a Russian military aircraft had violated Finnish airspace off the coast of Porvoo, east of the capital Helsinki. The foreign ministry said it would provide more details after the talks. The incident came only weeks after a similar incident, which was also followed by a summoning of Russia's diplomatic representative. Finland, which joined NATO in 2023 after Moscow's fully-fledged invasion of Ukraine a year earlier, shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia. "An investigation into the alleged violation of airspace was launched immediately," Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said of Tuesday's incident, adding that the coast guard would head the inquiry. Moscow has repeatedly warned Finland of possible repercussions over its decision to join NATO, amid heightened tensions. Hakkanen told AFP in mid-May that Finland was "closely monitoring and assessing Russia's activities and intentions". He was commenting after the New York Times published satellite images appearing to show an expansion of Russian military infrastructure near the border. ank/po/bc Russia launches deadly strike on Kharkiv amid stalled peace talks Kharkiv, Ukraine, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 Fresh Russian strikes on Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv killed three people and wounded 60 including children early on Wednesday, authorities said, as Moscow pushed ahead with its relentless attacks after rejecting an unconditional ceasefire. Ukraine said it had received the bodies of more than 1,200 killed soldiers, handed over by Moscow after days of arguments between the two countries over a repatriation deal. Russia has fired record numbers of drones and missiles at Ukraine over recent weeks, escalating three years of daily bombardments as it outlines hardline demands -- rejected by Kyiv as "ultimatums" -- to halt its invasion. The northeastern city of Kharkiv, just 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the Russian border, again bore the brunt of the attack. "Seventeen strikes by enemy UAVs (drones) were carried out in two districts of the city tonight," Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said on Telegram. Kharkiv regional Governor Oleg Synegubov said three people had been killed. AFP journalists in the city saw damaged apartment blocks, burnt out cars and streets strewn with debris after the attacks. Olena Khoruzheva had run into a hallway -- away from the windows -- with her two children when she heard the incoming drones. "The younger one lay on the floor, hands on his head. I was on top of him," the 41-year-old pharmacist told AFP. "We heard it approaching, silence, and then we were thrown against the wall ... there were more explosions, then we heard people shouting 'Help! Help!" Her 65-year-old neighbour was one of those killed in the attack. Early on Wednesday morning, an AFP reporter saw first responders removing the body of one killed resident from a block of apartments in a black body bag. - Stalled peace talks - Ukraine's air force said that Russia had fired 85 drones overnight -- fewer than in recent days. On the front line, Moscow's troops have been advancing steadily. The Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday that more units had crossed into the Dnipropetrovsk region, where it is mounting an offensive for the first time in its 40-month-long invasion. US President Donald Trump has been urging the two sides to strike a peace deal, but has seen little progress. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has in turn called on the West to increase the pressure on Russia with hard-hitting economic sanctions that he says would limit its capacity to wage war. He is expected to press that message with Trump and European leaders at a G7 summit in Canada, which kicks off on Sunday. Two rounds of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have failed to yield a breakthrough in ending the war. Russia has rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire and demanded that Ukraine give up large swathes of territory and its bid to join NATO. But the two sides agreed to swap more than 1,000 prisoners of war and hand over the bodies of dead soldiers. Ukraine said on Wednesday that Russia had handed over the corpses of 1,212 killed soldiers and was working to identify them. Russia spent days accusing Kyiv of not wanting to collect the bodies, after it said that they had been delivered to the border in refrigerated trucks on Saturday. They swapped groups of captured soldiers on Monday and Tuesday, though neither said how many were freed. Kyiv has hit back after Russia's attacks with retaliatory drone strikes. Moscow's defence ministry said that 32 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight. Both sides have downplayed any chance of progress at talks in Istanbul. While not rejecting diplomacy, Zelensky called it "pointless" to hold further talks with the current Russian delegation -- whom he previously dismissed as "empty heads" -- since they could not agree to a ceasefire. Russian President Vladimir Putin last week called Kyiv a "terrorist" regime and questioned why he should negotiate with them. Trump says 'less confident' about nuclear deal with Iran Washington, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 US President Donald Trump said he was less confident than a few months ago about prospects for reaching a deal with Iran over its nuclear program, speaking in a podcast aired Wednesday. The two countries appear to be locked in a standoff over uranium enrichment nearly two months into the high-stakes negotiations. Speaking Monday in a New York Post podcast, Trump vowed again to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. When asked if he thought he could get Iran to agree to ends its nuclear program, Trump said: "I don't know." "I don't know. I did think so, and I'm getting more and more -- less confident about it," the US leader told the interviewer. He added: "They seem to be delaying and I think that's a shame. I'm less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them. But I'm much less confident about a deal being made." Trump insisted that with or without an agreement, he would never let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon. "Well, if they don't make a deal, they're not going to have a nuclear weapon," he said, according to the newspaper. "If they do make a deal, they're not going to have a nuclear weapon, too, you know?" Iran said Tuesday a sixth round of talks with the United States is planned for Sunday. The longtime foes have held five rounds of negotiations since April, the highest level contact since Trump withdrew Washington from a 2015 nuclear accord during his first term. Iran, in comments made days after Trump gave the interview, threatened on Wednesday to target US bases across the Middle East if conflict breaks out. "All its bases are within our reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation we will target all of them in the host countries," Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said in response to US threats of military action if the talks fail. Turkey to export 48 fighter jets to Indonesia: Erdogan Ankara, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 Ankara has agreed a deal to export 48 Turkish-made fighter jets to Indonesia, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday. Turkey's defence sector, including the famous Bayraktar drones, accounts for a significant share of the country's export revenues. "As part of the agreement signed with our friendly and brotherly country, Indonesia, 48 Kaan (fighter jets) will be produced in Turkey and exported to Indonesia," Erdogan wrote on X. The contract, valued at 10 billion dollars, includes the production and delivery of the Kaan fighter jets to Indonesia over a ten-year period, according to Turkish media. The deal also includes a technology transfer to Indonesia, Turkish broadcaster TRT Haber reported. "Indonesia's local capabilities will also be utilised in the production of Kaan" jets, the Turkish head of state said on X, without providing further details. The fifth-generation fighter jet Kaan, produced by state-run Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), made its first flight in February 2024. It was then equipped with the same type of engines as those of the F-16 fighter jets but Turkey ultimately plans to equip Kaan jets with a locally produced engine. In 2024, Turkey's defence industry export revenues reached $7.1 billion, an increase of $1.6 billion compared with 2023. A delegation of relatives and friends of Venezuelans deported from the United States and imprisoned in Nayib Bukeles mega-prison arrived in El Salvador on Monday to demand proof of life and to enquire about the detainees health status. Members of the delegation include Lisbeth Johana Sanguino, aunt of Widmer Sanguino, who arrived in the U.S. as a refugee, and Reina Cardenas, a friend of Andry Hernandez Romero, a renowned stylist who was processing his asylum application at the time of his deportation. The delegation arrived with a legal document representing four families of deportees from Tachira, a Venezuelan state bordering Colombia. However, they stated that they speak for all the families of the 238 Venezuelan nationals imprisoned in the Central American country since March 15. All of them have been accused of belonging to the Tren de Aragua criminal organization, although U.S. authorities, human rights groups and journalism investigations have confirmed that many are simply undocumented migrants. According to an investigation conducted by the Salvadoran NGO Cristosal, of the total number of Venezuelans held at the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) in El Salvador, only 13% had a criminal record. Walter Marquez, a former Venezuelan congressman (1999-2004) and now a human rights defender, led the delegation that showed up on Tuesday afternoon at the General Directorate of Penitentiary Centers in San Salvador to present a letter containing their demands. In the letter, which EL PAIS has had access to, the group requests proof that their relatives are alive, seeks to verify their health status, requests information about their legal status, and demands their immediate release. Members noted that they had to raise funds on their own to travel. We are here to demand that President Bukele grant us the right to visit. Officially, its not clear whether they are in there or not, because the government has declared that information secret, Marquez said in a phone call with EL PAIS. We have asked the International Red Cross to help us verify their health status. As of Tuesday night, no Salvadoran authority had made any public statements regarding the presence of the Venezuelans, who appeared to have arrived on their own. The delegation confirmed that they are being advised by a group of Salvadoran lawyers, but preferred to keep the latters names anonymous due to the persecution in this country, according to Marquez. In recent weeks, the Bukele administration has cracked down on human rights organizations and arrested several of their leaders. The Venezuelan activist stated that they will be in the country all week seeking help from all possible agencies. We have already gone to the Human Rights Ombudsmans Office in El Salvador, and we are going to the Apostolic Nunciature in San Salvador to request the Popes assistance in this case. For her part, Johana Sanguino said she is very concerned about his emotional state, his health, referring to her nephew. He suffers from asthma and was already undergoing psychological distress. She also considered the situation of the incarcerated families to be very critical. Days and nights merge with each other. We live in a state of uncertainty, not knowing how they are doing, she said. Cecot, a black hole Since its creation in January 2023, the Terrorism Confinement Center has become the most popular prison in Latin America, not only for the Hollywood-style audiovisual productions released by the Bukele government, but also for the tours that authorities have provided to YouTubers and content creators. However, information about it is, in reality, almost nonexistent. To date, it is unclear exactly how many prisoners are held in the mega-prison, which has a capacity for 40,000 inmates. Nor is it known what percentage of those incarcerated are serving a sentence. Interviews conducted by some journalists selected by the government have taken place under the watchful eye of guards or the presidential communications team. There is no access for independent human rights organizations, much less visits from lawyers or family members. What happens inside Cecot, stays inside Cecot. During the three years of El Salvadors state of emergency, human rights organizations have documented hundreds of cases of torture, ranging from prolonged exposure to the sun, beatings, asphyxiation, and electric shocks. More than 400 deaths in state custody have also been documented, many with signs of torture. However, all of these cases have come from medium-security prisons. To date, not a single case has been documented that describes what happens inside Cecot. Since the 238 deported Venezuelans arrived at Cecot, nothing more has been heard about them, either officially or unofficially, except that they are being held in separate cells from the Barrio 18 and MS-13 gang members, the two Salvadoran gangs for whom the prison was originally built. Two U.S. congressmen have attempted to gain entry on different occasions, but have been unsuccessful. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Child survivor of Gaza family strike heads to Italy Rome, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 An 11-year-old Palestinian boy who survived an Israeli air strike in Gaza last month, which killed his father and nine siblings, was due to arrive in Italy Wednesday for treatment. Adam and his mother, paediatrician Alaa al-Najjar, were due to fly to Milan in northern Italy on Wednesday evening alongside his aunt and four cousins, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said. "Adam will arrive in Milan and will be admitted to the Niguarda (hospital), because he has multiple fractures and he will be treated there," Tajani told Rtl radio. A plane carrying Palestinians in need of medical care is scheduled to land at 7:30 pm (1730 GMT) at Milan's Linate airport, according to the foreign ministry. Adam had a hand amputated and suffered severe burns across his body following the strike on the family house in the city of Khan Yunis on May 23. His mother was at work when the bomb hit the house, killing nine of her children and injuring Adam and his father, doctor Hamdi al-Najjar, who died last week. Al-Najjar, who ran to the house to find her children charred beyond recognition, told Italy's La Repubblica daily: "I remember everything. Every detail, every minute, every scream." "But when I remember it's too painful, so I try to keep my mind focused entirely on Adam," she said in an interview published Wednesday ahead of their arrival. Asked by his mother during the interview to describe his hopes, Adam said he wanted to "live in a beautiful place". "A beautiful place is a place where there are no bombs. In a beautiful place the houses are not broken and I go to school," he said, according to La Repubblica. "Schools have desks, the kids study their lessons but then they go play in the courtyard and nobody dies. "A beautiful place is where they operate on my arm and my arm works again. In a beautiful place my mother is not sad. They told me that Italy is a beautiful place," he said. Al-Najjar said she has packed the Koran, their documents and Adam's clothes. "I am heartbroken. I am leaving behind everything that was important to me. My husband, my children, the hospital where I worked, my job, my patients," she said. "People are dying of hunger. If not of hunger, of bombs. We would just like to live in peace," she told the daily. Adam is one of 17 children being brought to Italy on Wednesday from Gaza along with relatives, Tajani said. The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 54,981 people, the majority civilians, have been killed in the territory since the start of the war. The UN considers these figures reliable. ide/djt Israel to expel French nationals on Gaza aid boat by end of week Jerusalem, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 Israel is to expel by the end of the week four French nationals held after security forces intercepted their Gaza-bound aid boat, France's foreign minister said Wednesday, as an Israeli NGO said one of the French campaigners was briefly put in solitary confinement. The announcement came as France's prime minister accused activists aboard the boat -- who hoped to raise awareness about the humanitarian situation in war-torn Gaza -- of capitalising on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for political attention. The four, who include Rima Hassan, a member of European Parliament from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party who is of Palestinian descent, will be deported on Thursday and Friday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X. They were among 12 people on board the Madleen sailboat which was carrying food and supplies for Gaza before it was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off the besieged Palestinian territory on Monday. Four, including two French citizens and Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, agreed to be deported immediately. The remaining eight were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily, according to Adalah, an Israeli rights NGO representing most of the activists. All 12 of them have been banned from Israel for 100 years. Adalah said on Wednesday that Israeli authorities had placed French MEP Hassan and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila in solitary confinement, with Hassan later removed. - 'Abandoning French prisoners' - "Israeli authorities transferred two of the volunteers -- the Brazilian volunteer Thiago Avila and the French-Palestinian European Parliament member Rima Hassan -- to separate prison facilities, away from the others, and placed them in solitary confinement," Adalah said in a statement. The NGO later said that Hassan had been moved back to Givon prison in Ramla, near Tel Aviv, while Avila remained in isolation. When asked for comment, Israel's prison authority referred AFP to the foreign ministry, which said it was checking the reports. Adalah said Hassan was put in isolation after writing "Free Palestine" on a prison wall. The NGO said Brazilian activist Avila was placed in isolation "due to his ongoing hunger and thirst strike, which he began two days ago." "He has also been treated aggressively by prison authorities, although this has not escalated to physical assault," it added. The leader of Hassan's LFI party in parliament, Mathilde Panot, said France's prime minister Francois Bayrou had failed to condemn Israel's actions. The party's boss, Jean-Luc Melenchon, accused Bayrou of "abandoning the French prisoners", and called on President Emmanuel Macron to step in. "These activists obtained the effect they wanted, but it's a form of instrumentalisation to which we should not lend ourselves," Bayrou responded in the National Assembly. It's "through diplomatic action, and efforts to bring together several states to pressure the Israeli government, that we can obtain the only possible solution" to the conflict, he added. Foreign Minister Barrot also rejected Panot's criticism, saying "the admirable mobilisation" of French officials had made a rapid resolution of the situation possible "despite the harassment and defamation that they have been subjected to". - Mounting pressure - France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting a UN meeting later this month in New York on steps towards recognising a Palestinian state and reaching a so-called two-state solution to the conflict. Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, whose entire population the United Nations has warned is at risk of famine. Israel's defence minister Israel Katz on Wednesday called on Egypt to block a hundreds-strong pro-Palestinian activist convoy from reaching Gaza, as the group arrived in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023 attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the retaliatory Israeli military offensive has killed at least 55,104 people, the majority civilians. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable. Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. burs-jh-acc/gv Satellite image captured by Maxar on June 4 shows the destruction of two Tu95MS aircraft on the Russian Belaya air base. In an image dated April 24 and composed of satellite photographs from the European company Airbus and the American company Maxar, the Russian Belaya air base in the Siberian region of Irkutsk had more than 100 military aircraft, including bombers, fighters, strategic aircraft, and transport aircraft. A couple of weeks later, the specialized Ukrainian website Defense Express reported, also using satellite data, on the growth of the military complex, particularly with the presence of more Tu95MS and Tu22M3 bombers, feared in Ukraine for their cruise missiles. Last Sunday, a swarm of Ukrainian truck-launched drone bombs penetrated Belaya, blowing up seven of the aircraft (three Tu95s and four Tu22s). It was the masterstroke of Operation Spiders Web, launched by the Security Services of Ukraine (SSU). The offensive also hit the airfields of Olenya, Ivanovo, and Dyagilevo. Satellite image of Russia's Belaya airbase, April 24. Maxar/Airbus Satellite photography companies Maxar and Planet Labs have provided EL PAIS with several images that demonstrate the damage caused by this bold and creative offensive by the Ukrainian army. Kyiv reported that 41 aircraft had been hit in the operation. Photographs indicate that at least a dozen were completely destroyed. Other aircraft may have suffered minor damage that was difficult to confirm from satellite view. Satellite image taken on June 4 by Maxar Technologies showing the destruction of three Tu95MS aircraft at the Russian Belaya air base. Maxar Technologies The Russian state-owned Tupolev Model 95MS is an improved version of the four-engine turboprop bomber with roots in the Soviet Union. It is also a regular feature of the daily bombing raids ordered by Moscow against the front lines and civilian targets in Ukraine. In a satellite photograph captured on May 22 by Maxar, several of these Tu95MS planes can be seen next to the runway. In images taken last Wednesday, three days after Operation Spiders Web, four of these aircraft are practically reduced to ashes. Satellite image taken by Maxar Technologies on June 4 shows the wreckage of a Russian Tu22M3 aircraft destroyed at the Russian Belaya base by a Ukrainian attack. Maxar Technologies In the southern part of the airfield, located some 4,500 kilometers (almost 2,800 miles) from the Ukrainian border, the photograph captured by Maxar satellites last Wednesday confirms the destruction of up to four Tu22M3 supersonic bombers. According to information from Defense Express, Belaya has hosted up to 42 of these aircraft, the latest version of the old Tu22, which is well-known to Ukrainians, both uniformed and civilians. Satellite image captured by Maxar Technologies on June 4 showing two Russian Tu22M3 military aircraft destroyed at the Russian base at Belaya. Maxar Technologies The Olenya air base is located more than 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) north of the Ukrainian border, to the east of the Finnish border. This airfield is also the origin of many of the aircraft that take off each night to attack targets in Ukraine. On June 1, it was the second-most punished target of Operation Spiders Web. Satellite image from Maxar Technologies taken on June 4 showing the wreckages of three Russian Tu95MS bombers at the Russian base in Olenya. Maxar Technologies According to satellite photographs taken by Planet Labs last Thursday and by Maxar the day before, Ukrainian drones managed to penetrate Olenya and hit at least four Tu95MS bombers. In one of the images, the wreckage of one aircraft can even be seen practically swept away, although the traces of destruction are clear. A Ukrainian website specializing in verification and analysis of information on civil and military aviation, Avivector, adds another aircraft to the toll from Operation Spiders Web in Olenya: an Antonov 12 transport aircraft. This model does not appear in the Google Earth history at the location indicated by Avivector, but satellite images do show the remains of a possible explosion at this location. Satellite image from Maxar Technologies captured on June 4 showing the wreckage of a Tu95MS aircraft destroyed at the Olenya air base. Maxar Technologies The Avivector project, using satellite photos from Planet Labs, has also reported the discovery of some traces near the Dyagilevo airfield, some 560 kilometers (350 miles) from the Ukrainian border, due to the possible impact of bomb drones and subsequent fires, although no apparent damage was recorded to the aircraft stationed there. There is no evidence so far of the impact of the operation on the Ivanovo airfield, some 800 kilometers (500 miles) from Ukraine, through satellite photographs. However, the Ukrainian SSU, responsible for the mission, released videos recorded by the drones themselves as they approached two enormous A50 AWACS reconnaissance aircraft. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition She had consistently shown over many years that she no longer held the same beliefs, that she was able to manage her emotional wellbeing effectively and she would no longer be likely to be influenced by other people with strong negative views, having developed the ability to critically evaluate information and to seek help from professionals if she needs it. The origin of the fire is currently unknown, however, a store area at the back of a mixed-use building is said to be on fire. Road closures are also in effect, and the London Fire Brigade is asking people to stay away from the area and cover their windows. Police have said the incident this afternoon is not linked to a separate collision which took place in nearby Abingdon Street earlier. He said: It has perhaps been singled out because of the high profiles of those said to be associated with PPE Medpro, and/or because it is perceived to be a supplier with financial resources behind it. "A decade of under-investment has left police forces selling buildings, borrowing money and raising local taxes to maintain what we already have, with forces facing a projected shortfall of 1.2 billion over the next two years, which is now expected to rise. Alistair Hughes, head of DRDT, said: Recycling of ships at the end of their hull life is routine business for the Royal Navy and our aim is to achieve maximum value for money for defence in an environmentally compliant manner HMS Bristol is a fitting example of this after her many dedicated years of service. The Argentine Supreme Courts ruling against former president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner prevents the Peronist leader from running for deputy in the Buenos Aires provincial elections on September 7 and leaves her one step away from jail. On Tuesday, the three judges who make up Argentinas highest court unanimously dismissed all appeals and upheld the six-year prison sentence and perpetual ban from holding public office handed down by lower courts for finding her guilty of fraudulent administration to the detriment of the state in the awarding of public works concessions in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, in the so-called Vialidad Case. These are the next steps in a historic judicial process that has sent shockwaves through Argentine politics. When will Kirchner be arrested? For the execution of the sentence upheld by the Supreme Court, the case returns to the court of origin, in this case the Second Federal Oral Court (TOF2) of the city of Buenos Aires. Its president, Jorge Gorini, was responsible for notifying Kirchner and the other eight convicted defendants that they have five business days, expiring next Wednesday, to appear before the court. At that time, they will be detained and begin serving their sentences. What happens if you dont appear in court? If Kirchner fails to appear before the court within the prescribed period, the court may order her arrest by law enforcement. It may also order this if it deems her a flight risk. Where will she serve her sentence? The president of the TOF2 has requested that the Ministry of Security assign a federal forces facility that meets the appropriate conditions for housing the former president and the other convicts. Judge Gorini clarifies that the specific individual characteristics of each convict must be addressed and given consideration. Can she request house arrest? Yes, although its not automatic. Argentine law allows the courts to grant the benefit of house arrest to those aged over 70. Kirchners defense team can request it, invoking this requirement, as she turned 72 on February 19. The courts must decide whether to grant it, but its assumed they will. If so, the opposition leader is expected to opt for her home in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Constitucion instead of the one she has in El Calafate, almost 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles) south of Buenos Aires. Whats happening with her candidacy for deputy? The Peronist leader had announced that she would run for deputy in the legislative elections scheduled for September 7 in the province of Buenos Aires, the largest and most populous in Argentina. However, the perpetual ban from holding public office prevents the Peronist party from registering her on the electoral lists, which must be submitted before July 19. Judge Gorini ordered that the National Electoral Chamber be notified of the ban that now applies to Kirchner. Can she appeal to international courts? The Supreme Court is Argentinas highest court, and Kirchners conviction is final, meaning she cannot appeal to any other court in the country. However, the former president claims to be a victim of judicial persecution and wants to take the case to international courts. She has six months to file a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Her lawyer, Gregorio Dalbon, has also announced that they will file complaints with the International Criminal Court and the UN Human Rights Council. In a message on X, Mr Picardo said: "An agreement for the future relationship between the EU and the UK in relation to Gibraltar is now a reality. It is a historic agreement." In a post on X, Mr Rubio said that the United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet. These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war. The investment in Welsh rail announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her spending review on Wednesday will be spent on new stations and upgraded railway lines, and delivered through both direct funding and additional money for the Welsh Government. Accusing successive UK governments of having dragged their heels on the project, Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said: The glaring omission in todays announcement was any detail on the scale of funding and the timescales for delivery, which stands in stark contrast to the 22 billion commitment the Labour Government has already given to carbon capture projects in England. The key message here today is around that violence, and that the violence needs to stop, thats what the community wants to put across, and thats why Im here to send that very clear and united message from right throughout the community and local residents for that to stop, she said. Ready to get your teeth into something meatier? This kit from The Real Cure comes with four bacon cures (including hickory smoked and sweet molasses) that are pre-mixed to help you get the best results. Each cure will work on up to 1.5kg of bacon, and accessories include all the essentials plus a butcher hook. Don't be daunted; Amazon reviewers are encouraging, saying: "Try it, its a lot easier than you think." Thousands of people took to the streets of New York City this Tuesday in solidarity with the demonstrations against the Trump administrations immigration raids, which began in Los Angeles last week. Chanting ICE, out! or Fuck immigration, and waving Mexican, Puerto Rican, Peruvian, Colombian, Cuban, and Palestinian flags, New Yorkers joined a protest movement that, after erupting in California over the weekend, has now spread to the rest of the United States. Rallies have been held in almost every major city throughout the week. The protest in the Big Apple on Tuesday began at Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, where the offices of several federal immigration agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the citys main immigration court are located, and where other demonstrations have taken place in recent days. The shouts and cheers of thousands of protesters echoed off the facades of the buildings where dozens of immigrants have been detained in recent weeks while attending court dates, as the Trump administration intensifies its detention and deportation campaign. Protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in New York, USA. SARAH YENESEL (EFE) The protesters were met with a heavy police presence and barricades. While the majority marched north through the streets of Manhattan after 6:00 p.m., a small group remained in the Federal Plaza area, where some scuffles later broke out between protesters and authorities. Several arrests were made at least 20, according to protest organizers. Hundreds of people have been arrested at demonstrations across the country, while federal agents have used tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets against protesters. In Los Angeles, nearly 5,000 soldiers have joined the police crackdown on protests that entered their fifth day on Tuesday, having begun last Friday in response to immigration raids carried out in several parts of the city. In New York, protests began on Saturday, hours after they erupted in the Californian metropolis. That day, around 100 people also gathered in Federal Plaza. Protesters eventually clashed with authorities after blocking a white van leaving a building in the area, which, according to those present, belonged to immigration enforcement. Videos shared on social media show protesters forming a human chain to stop the vehicle. Other images show the ensuing clash, in which authorities arrested 22 people and used pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Several protesters were injured in the altercation and had to be taken to nearby hospitals. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat and Trump ally, has already warned that he will not tolerate the type of clashes that have erupted in Los Angeles, calling them unacceptable. I understand that some New Yorkers may be angry, afraid, and ready to express that. New York City will always be a place to peacefully protest, but we will not allow violence and lawlessness, he said Monday night. Hours earlier, a group of protesters staged a peaceful sit-in inside the lobby of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The action resulted in 24 arrests, according to local police. In addition, others gathered again near Federal Plaza, where at least eight people were detained. Beyond New York and California, there have been rallies in states such as Illinois, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Florida, Massachusetts, Georgia, Minnesota, Kentucky, and Washington. In total, demonstrations have been reported in more than two dozen cities, and it is possible that these will overlap with the thousands of anti-Trump protests already planned nationwide for next Saturday, the presidents birthday. Most have been peaceful and controlled, outside local ICE offices or in front of city halls. The size of the actions has varied: some have gathered a few dozen participants, while others have drawn thousands of people. In addition to demanding an end to the ICE raids, protesters have also taken to the streets to show support for David Huerta, a prominent union and civil rights leader who was arrested last Friday in Los Angeles while protesting an immigration raid. Huerta was released on bail Monday but faces a felony charge of conspiracy to obstruct a federal agent. His arrest, captured in videos and images shared on social media, has made him a symbol of the protests. Demonstration in solidarity with the Los Angeles protests against federal immigration raids, in Austin, Texas. Joel Angel Juarez (REUTERS) Texas has also been the scene of confrontations between protesters and law enforcement. In Austin, the state capital, tense clashes with authorities erupted Monday night. The march began at the Capitol and continued to the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, which ICE uses as a detention center. There, some threw paint and rocks at officers and scratched at the buildings windows. Images on social media and in the local press show a large number of people running to escape the pepper spray deployed by guards. Local police chief Lisa Davis said law enforcement used gas, although she declined to call it tear gas. At least two arrests were reported during the day. For his part, the states governor, Greg Abbott, a Republican and staunch ally of President Trump, especially on immigration issues, wrote on his X account on Monday: Peaceful protesting is legal. But once you cross the line, you will be arrested. FAFO, using the abbreviation for fuck around and find out. In Dallas, about 400 people gathered on Monday at the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge near downtown. According to local media, the demonstration began with signs, flags, and slogans supporting immigrant rights. However, around 10 p.m., police threatened the protesters with arrest if they did not leave. Around 11 p.m., officers surrounded a group and arrested at least one person. The pastor of a local church reported being pepper-sprayed by an officer, while, with his hands raised, he told the officer, I am not a threat. It was confirmed that officers used the spray against other protesters. Police officers and members of the California National Guard stand in front of the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building during a protest against federal immigration raids in Los Angeles, California, June 10, 2025. David Swanson (REUTERS) As ICE agents, police, and the National Guard flood the streets of Los Angeles to brutalize those exercising their right to protest, we remember that all change has been won only through struggle. To win, we must continue to fight, the Houston branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, one of the organizers of the protests in that city over the weekend, said in a statement. Peaceful protests were also held in the Texas city of San Antonio, where hundreds of people marched over the weekend under the slogan Money for jobs and education, not racist deportations. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition At least 24 U.S. cities on Wednesday joined the protests against Donald Trumps immigration policy, in a wave of pushback that began last Friday in Los Angeles. New protests have been called throughout California, and from coast to coast, from Las Vegas and Seattle to New York and Austin. Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets this week to challenge the U.S. governments campaign of mass detentions and deportations, a prelude to the protests planned for this Saturday. On that day, President Trump will celebrate his birthday with a military parade in the capital, which will be met with hundreds of demonstrations across the country. Protests in solidarity with L.A. have been spreading to other locations since the weekend, but on Tuesday they intensified and grew in size. In New York City, thousands of people gathered in Lower Manhattan, home to several federal immigration agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the main focus of protesters anger. The protest continued with a peaceful march through the area, but clashes broke out between authorities and a group that remained near the ICE offices. Police arrested dozens of people, pushing and knocking some protesters to the ground, and using pepper spray. Clashes also broke out in Atlanta, Georgia, where hundreds of people had gathered to protest Tuesday night. According to authorities, six people were arrested after the protest ran past the scheduled time. Officers used chemicals and physical force to disperse the crowd, and some protesters hurled fireworks and rocks. And in Chicago, Illinois, after thousands of people marched through the city streets, some protesters threw water bottles at the police. Chicago police contain a protest against immigration policies in Illinois. Octavio Jones (REUTERS) Hundreds of people have been arrested across the country since the protests erupted. Most of the arrests have taken place in California, particularly in Los Angeles, where protests entered their sixth day Wednesday amid a heavy military presence and a curfew declared by local authorities. More than 330 people have been arrested in the countrys second-most populated city. Another 240 have been arrested in San Francisco, where protesters forced the closure of two immigration courts on Tuesday. Some organizers fear that Trump could deploy National Guard troops or Marines to other cities, as he has already done in Los Angeles. The president has said that the military deployment in California could be the first of many in different states. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican and staunch ally of President Trump, especially on immigration issues, has announced that he will deploy the National Guard to his territory to ensure peace and order, after several protesters clashed with authorities in a few cities in the southern state, leading to dozens of arrests. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat but also an ally of Trump on his immigration agenda, has said he does not anticipate a military deployment and has assured that the New York Police Department, due to its size and experience, are prepared to deal with the protests. He has warned, however, that he will not tolerate a repeat of the violence seen in Los Angeles on the streets of the Big Apple. New York, like the California metropolis, is one of the so-called sanctuary cities, which do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Most of the actions planned for this Saturday had been called before the protests erupted in Los Angeles to coincide with the presidents birthday and his military parade. But now the pro-immigrant demonstrations are expected to overlap with those on June 14, giving rise to a massive protest movement, perhaps the largest since Trump took office five months ago. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition BEIJING - North Korea has refused to accept U.S. President Donald Trump's letter to leader Kim Jong Un, a report said Wednesday, citing an informed high-level source. NK News, a website that provides news and analysis on North Korea, quoted the source as saying that Trump drafted the letter to Kim with the aim of resuming bilateral talks, which have been suspended for more than five years. The United States attempted to deliver the letter multiple times through North Korean diplomats stationed at the U.N. headquarters in New York, but they "bluntly" refused, the source was also quoted as saying. The timing remains unclear. The United States and North Korea remain technically in a state of war, as the 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. They have no official diplomatic relations. At their first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit in June 2018 in Singapore, Trump and Kim agreed that Washington would provide security guarantees to Pyongyang in exchange for the "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Later, they fell short of bridging the gap between demands by the United States and North Korea's calls for sanctions relief at their second summit in Hanoi in February 2019. After Trump and Kim surprisingly met in June that year at the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas, the United States and North Korea held a working-level meeting in Stockholm in October 2019, but that ended without progress. Related coverage: Trump says U.S. communicating with North Korea North Korea raps U.S., Japan, South Korea for inflaming regional tensions The acting General Mayor of the Capital, Stelian Bujduveanu, announced that the Velo Master Plan has been completed and will soon be submitted to the General Council for debate. The plan foresees, by the year 2035, 150 km of primary routes, 415 km of secondary routes, bike racks, parking facilities, as well as 'clear' regulations and 'safe and well-structured' routes, Bujduveanu wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. "I believe that Bucharest must become a city for people, not for cars. A city where you can move easily, safely and freely, including by bicycle. That's why, for me, the completion of the Velo Master Plan is an important moment. After months of work, consultations and debates, the document is ready, and I will soon submit it to the General Council of the Municipality of Bucharest for approval. The Velo Master Plan proposes a coherent network of bike lanes that will connect homes to workplaces, schools, institutions and commercial areas. It's infrastructure designed as an integrated part of urban development,' he said. The creation of the network will be done through a collaboration between the City Hall and the six sector town halls. Once the Master Plan is approved by the General Council, feasibility studies will begin. Discussions on fiscal-budgetary measures will continue on Wednesday starting at 3:00 PM, focusing further on reducing expenditures by analysing public investments, announced Radu Burnete, who, starting July 1, will be presidential advisor on economic and social issues. "Today, the four parties continued discussions on fiscal-budgetary measures and have made progress. The discussions I participated in focused exclusively on reducing expenditures, with several important directions and objectives agreed upon, which will be detailed in the coming days within specialist working groups. The discussions will continue tomorrow, starting at 3:00 PM, again focusing on cutting expenses through the analysis of public investments, followed by addressing measures to increase budget revenues," Burnete wrote on his Facebook page. President Nicusor Dan said in Chisinau on Tuesday, that the technical discussions regarding the measures to reduce the budget deficit are not at an impasse. "Representatives of the parties held technical discussions in which they identified around 60 to 80 possible measures to reduce the deficit, which they listed, and for some, the budgetary impact was calculated. Yesterday, there was a political discussion on this set of measures and on others that are somehow easier to agree upon within the areas corresponding to other ministries. Following yesterday's discussion, it was considered appropriate for the talks to continue in a format that includes both a political representative - meaning a party leader - and technical and economic representatives so that the political side can better understand. It is not a blockage; it is a technical discussion with obvious effects, which continues today and tomorrow," clarified Nicusor Dan. TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to call on his Group of Seven counterparts to work together to tackle North Korea's cryptocurrency thefts at their summit in Canada later this month, government sources said Wednesday. Ishiba's decision comes amid allegations that North Korea is using illicitly obtained virtual assets to fund its development of weapons of mass destruction, prompting demands for stronger international cooperation to cut off its financial lifelines. With Pyongyang bolstering its relations with Moscow in the military field, Japan is also eager to deepen collaboration with European nations supporting Ukraine, which has been under invasion by Russia since February 2022, the sources said. The G7 countries, meanwhile, plan to establish a task force to review tax exemptions on cross-border e-commerce involving small parcels, the sources said, as retailers flood the markets of member nations with cheap goods. The three-day summit is scheduled to kick off from Sunday. Canada, this year's rotating president, has sounded out Japan about participating in the task force, the sources added. The move reflects growing concern among G7 members about the strain that the volume of parcels containing low-value goods puts on customs processing. The countries also seek to provide some level of protection to domestic businesses subject to sales and consumption taxes, from which products sold by overseas retailers, notably those in China, are exempt. Under the "de minimis" rule, Japan currently waives trade and consumption taxes on imported items priced 10,000 yen ($69) or less, except for rice, sugar and some other items. In 2024, approximately 170 million boxes valued under the threshold were imported, accounting for about 90 percent of the total number approved by customs, according to Japan's Finance Ministry. Chinese e-commerce giants like Shein and Temu have taken advantage of the tax exemption to grow their presence in Japan and other large markets. The G7 members believe that the surge in these shipments is straining customs operations and weakening border controls against counterfeit products and illicit drugs. In May, the United States revoked its tax exemption for small parcels from China, citing concerns about the inflow of illegal drugs, particularly fentanyl. Japan is also considering a review of the tax exemption system for such shipments, the sources added. Related coverage: North Korean hacker group identified in theft of DMM Bitcoin assets Japan's DMM Bitcoin to end business after losing 48 bil. yen in leak Cases of bribery of foreign officials require, from an institutional perspective, specific investigative capacities, the chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), Marius Voineag, told a specialized conference intended for the professional training of prosecutors and police officers within this prosecutor's office, which took place on Wednesday. "From an institutional perspective, cases of bribery of foreign officials require specific investigative capacities, including the ability to track financial flows between jurisdictions, to obtain evidence through mutual legal assistance and to evaluate corporate compliance mechanisms. Strengthening this capacity within national institutions is essential for credible and consistent law enforcement," Voineag emphasised, at the conference "Investigating the crime of bribery of foreign public officials in international commercial transactions," organized at the DNA headquarters, in the context of Romania's accession process to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The conference will address issues related to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and Romania's implementation of its standards. It will also explore detection, relevant case law in the field of DNA's jurisdiction, and international cooperation mechanisms, including through the lens of addressing multi-jurisdictional cases, according to a press release sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday. The chief prosecutor recalled that, early this year, DNA filed charges against a company controlled by a foreign citizen operating in Romania. "The company in question is accused of attempting to bribe a foreign public official in connection with a fuel supply contract at the Mihail Kogalniceanu military base, a critical strategic asset. This investigation was conducted in close coordination with the United States authorities. The case reflects both the cross-border nature of foreign bribery and the practical importance of international cooperation in investigating such acts," Voineag explained. He stated that Romania has benefited from structured recommendations and comparative perspectives from the OECD Anti-Bribery Working Group. "These evaluations have highlighted areas that require improvement, including the need to clarify the legal definition of foreign public official, strengthen sanctions and expand the framework of criminal liability of legal persons. We remain firmly committed to implementing these recommendations," Voineag said. Romanian President Nicusor Dan will participate on Wednesday in the fourth Ukraine - South-Eastern Europe Summit, which is taking place in Odessa. According to the Presidential Administration, during the meeting, the head of state will strengthen Romania's commitment to continue to support Ukraine at all levels, as well as to get involved in efforts to reach a just and lasting peace, as well as in those related to this country's reconstruction. "The president of Romania will also emphasise the importance of maintaining unity and a coherent approach in the entire region represented at the Summit, for the overall security of the European continent. President Dan will also emphasise the need to pay special attention to the Black Sea, including from the perspective of the security of trade routes," the Presidential Administration specifies. At the same time, Nicusor Dan will also participate in a trilateral meeting Romania - Republic of Moldova - Ukraine, during which he will discuss with his counterparts the most important interconnection projects, especially of the energy infrastructure, the process of accession to the European Union and cooperation in ensuring security. This trilateral format is having a meeting at the highest level for the first time, showing the determination of the three neighbouring states to strengthen cooperation and coordination, through a medium and long-term dialogue mechanism. The mechanism will also aim at Romania's active support for the authorities in Chisinau and Kyiv in order to implement the necessary reforms in the European integration process. The Ukraine - South-Eastern Europe format was launched in 2023, in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, as a regional platform to support Ukraine, but also to jointly combat the complex effects of the war in proximity and the consequences on the extended region, which has common security interests. AGERPRES Since 2007, Romania has received over 900 million euros through the EEA & Norway Grants, non-reimbursable external funds provided by the Kingdom of Norway, Iceland, and the Principality of Liechtenstein, aimed at reducing economic disparities and strengthening bilateral relations, the Ministry of Investments and European Projects (MIPE) announced on Wednesday. 'Romania has benefited so far from over 900 million euros in funding through the EEA and Norway Grants. These funds have supported projects that built bridges between people, institutions, and communities, turning ideas into meaningful outcomes. The interventions have spanned areas such as education, research, renewable energy and environmental protection, support for vulnerable groups, and projects that strengthened the rule of law, trained public administrations, and supported civic organisations. We've reviewed these results as we are currently discussing future cooperation between Romania and the donor states. We all want the future partnership to focus on effective implementation of allocated grants, achieving concrete results, and ensuring complementarity with Cohesion Policy and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR),' Minister of Investments and European Projects Marcel Bolos is quoted in the press release as saying. Recently, MIPE officials held a working meeting with representatives of the donor states to discuss the upcoming programming period. Bilateral cooperation remains a key part of the partnership, and Romania reaffirms its commitment to continue effectively implementing the grants to address shared challenges and promote innovation, the press release reads. Previously, the MIPE team, along with donor state representatives and institutions involved in programme or project implementation, reviewed the outcomes of the previous funding period, during which Romania was allocated over 500 million euros. The Romanian Smart City Association (ARSC) has signed a strategic partnership with Fira Barcelona, the organizer of the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) and Tomorrow Mobility World Congress (TMWC), the most important international platforms dedicated to urban transformation, sustainable mobility and innovation for smart cities, according to a press release sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday. Following this agreement, ARSC becomes a Strategic Organization Partner for the period 2025-2027, with the mission of promoting Romania's participation in the Barcelona event and supporting the dissemination of content and good practices. The association will also contribute to expanding the global network of smart communities. "This partnership represents more than an institutional recognition - it is the international validation of a strategic construction that we have been developing for almost a decade. ARSC becomes, through this agreement, Romania's institutional interface in the largest global platform dedicated to smart cities. It is an essential step to project our vision on urban transformation, to connect local administration with international networks of know-how and to show that Romania has not only potential, but also the real capacity for leadership in the region," stated Eduard Dumitrascu, head of ARSC. The Barcelona event annually brings together over 25,000 participants from more than 800 cities and 140 countries, being the largest connection platform for administrations, companies, international organizations, startups and opinion leaders in the field of smart urbanism, specifies the same source. According to the said source, the 2025 edition will take place from November 4 to 6, at Fira Gran Via Barcelona, and will address key topics such as emerging technologies, mobility, circular economy, digital governance and energy transition. As part of the partnership, ARSC will contribute to the organization of an official Romanian delegation to participate in the event in Barcelona and will participate in the active promotion of SCEWC and TMWC in Romania through dedicated campaigns, newsletters and media presence. At the same time, ARSC will provide institutional support for the construction of a Romanian National Pavilion at SCEWC and will contribute to the involvement of public leaders, companies and the Romanian ecosystem in the international agenda. It will also ensure constant communication with the organizers and contribute to positioning Romania as a strategic actor in the region. The Romanian Association for Smart Cities (ARSC) is the main organization representing, supporting and promoting the digital and sustainable transformation of communities in Romania. For almost a decade, ARSC has been acting as a national institutional hub, connecting local and central public administration with the private sector, academia and European initiatives. With an active network of over 300 partner UATs, projects carried out in all development regions of the country and proven expertise in areas such as urban mobility, digital governance, smart infrastructure, European funds and public participation, ARSC is today the reference platform for smart cities in Romania. The organization annually coordinates strategic initiatives, public education campaigns and national and international events, including the Smart City Industry Awards (SCIA), the Congress of Mayors, the Meeting of Public Transport Operators, Producers and Authorities and the European Funds Caravan. Through its activity, ARSC supports the development of resilient, connected and efficient communities, adapted to the challenges and opportunities of the future. Interim chairperson of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Sorin Grindeanu said Wednesday in Curtea de Arges, that if the progressive tax would be implemented, there would be no need to increase VAT. "There are some recommendations from the international financial institutions, even from the [European, editor's note] Commission, please take a look at what the IMF said two or three days ago, the IMF recommendation to have progressive tax in Romania. It is a recommendation made by the World Bank, the IMF and the European Commission. (...) There are 27 countries in the EU, only four have remained with this type of taxation tht we have, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Estonia. The rest, all have this progressive tax. That is, from a certain rate upwards, for high incomes, that is why we don't want to touch low incomes, to have extra-taxation. This is progressive taxation. Not for people with low and medium incomes," Grindeanu said. He added that if this measure were implemented there would be no need to increase VAT. "We could apply from January 1, let's say, from an income above 12,000 RON, the impact on a 20% tax on what exceeds 12,000, brings us an extra income of about 12 billion. We need a buffer of several months to be able to apply this progressive tax. Until January 1 we can discuss the solidarity tax, which, in fact, is also a progressive tax, for those with high and very high incomes," said Sorin Grindeanu. In relation to these measures, he added that "these are things that sooner or later we will apply". The PSD leader emphasized that he does not agree with income cuts for low and middle income earners. "We, as a party, will not agree to cut incomes for people with low and medium incomes. PSD cannot and will not do this! I have seen all kinds of projections, let me not comment on them. When we come to an agreement we will communicate it. I emphasize, we will not be able to agree, for example, to levy CASS [tax on health insurance, editor's note] on small or medium pensions, to tax more those who have low or medium incomes, to cut various things that do not bring a big plus to the budget," Grindeanu said. He added that PSD does not support taxing banking transactions. "I don't know who came up with the proposal," told the press the social democrat Sorin Grindeanu, who, in his capacity of Transport minister visited the construction site of section 5 of the Sibiu-Pitesti motorway on Wednesday. Two Romanian citizens were injured in the armed attack in Graz, Austria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) reports on Wednesday. According to the MAE, the families have already been informed about their condition, and the Romanian Embassy in Vienna is ready to provide consular assistance, if the families request it. The MAE recalls that consular assistance can be requested at the phone numbers of the Romanian Embassy in Vienna: 0043-1-503.24.65, 0043-1-505.23.81, 0043-1-230.95.10 and 0043-1-505.16.27, calls being redirected to the Contact and Support Centre for Romanian Citizens Abroad (CCSCRS) and taken over by the Call Centre operators on a 24-hour basis. Romanian citizens who are faced with a difficult, special, emergency situation can call the embassy's emergency hotline: 0043-699.117.26027. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that, at this time, specific steps are being taken in such cases, with the Austrian authorities prioritising the provision of medical assistance to the victims and the conduct of the investigations that are required in such a context. The MAE, through the Romanian Embassy in Vienna, stays in touch with the local authorities, and will provide any updates based on new elements regarding this situation. The ministry also recalls that public information regarding such cases is subject to regulations regarding personal data and takes into account the consent of the persons involved or their relatives. Ten people died, including the suspect, and several others were injured in the armed attack committed at a school in Graz. Citing local police sources, Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported that several people were seriously injured, including students and teachers. According to ORF, the alleged perpetrator, believed to be a student, may have committed suicide The United States of America has not notified the Romanian side about its intentions to relocate some Romanian citizens from American territory to other institutions, informs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE). "Romania and the U.S. have an active partnership of cooperation in security matters developed over several years. This includes border security and combating illegal immigration", the MAE informs. The Romanian ministry states that some of the Romanian citizens imprisoned in the U.S. can return to the country. "Since the beginning of this year, we have been in contact with the American side, in particular with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and, according to existing data, the number of Romanian citizens in U.S. centers is lower than the figure presented, and for a considerable part of them, the formalities necessary for returning to the country have been finalized", the MAE also indicates. The Romanian Embassy to the United States announced on Wednesday that 47 Romanian citizens whose deportation formalities have been finalized are in custody at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement centers and that their transfer to the Guantanamo naval base is not being considered. In fact, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, published on the X platform a photo with a text claiming that the Trump Administration will transfer citizens from allied states to Guantanamo. "This story is fake news. This is not happening," she commented Romania cooperates closely with all American agencies to ensure border security and migration control in the United States. Up to this date, there has been no situation that would determine the placement of Romanian citizens in facilities outside the United States. As a rule, Romanian citizens identified as having an illegal status on American territory are returned to Romania based on established procedures in the line of Romanian-American cooperation, the Romanian Embassy stated in a statement sent to AGERPRES. The embassy is in constant contact with the American authorities to clarify the situation of Romanian citizens who are in a situation of being sent to Romania. The embassy's clarifications come after the daily Politico reported on Tuesday, citing documents to which it had access, that 100 Romanians in an illegal situation are being considered for transfer to Guantanamo. Romania's Embassy to the United States took note of the information reported in the article in the daily Politico and immediately requested the American authorities to confirm the accuracy of the information. According to the article, the Trump administration plans to ramp up the transfer of undocumented migrants to Guantanamo Bay starting this week, with at least 9,000 people being screened for transfer. Transfers to Guantanamo could begin as early as Wednesday, the documents show. The detainees are expected to be held there temporarily before being deported to their home countries. The official reason for the transfers is to free up space for beds in detention centers on U.S. soil, but using the notorious facility, which has long held terror suspects, would also send another signal aimed at discouraging illegal immigration to the United States. The plans were finalized only in recent days and could be subject to change, the documents show. But the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may not notify the countries of the affected individuals in advance, according to the documents. Spokespeople for DHS and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. About 800 Europeans - including one Austrian, 100 Romanians and 170 Russians - are being considered for the transfers, according to a document. Joe Holleman | Post-Dispatch Political correspondent/columnist Follow Joe Holleman | 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 With recent mayhem in Los Angeles serving as a spark, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley has turned his eye and the subcommittee he chairs toward groups believed to be instigating some of the violence that has unfolded. On Wednesday, Hawley informed the Coalition of Humane Immigration Rights that it must stop what Hawley calls the bankrolling of civil unrest. The letter sent to the organizations executive director, Angelica Salas, asks her to turn over numerous records, including donor lists, relating to the groups opposition to the Immigration and Customs Enforcements action aimed at illegal immigrants. You want to demonstrate, go for it. This is America. Ill defend the right of anybody to protest peacefully ... on any subject, whether I agree with them or not, Hawley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, said in an interview Wednesday. But when you go and start blowing up cars and hurting people, stopping traffic and assaulting cops, and vandalizing stores thats not First Amendment protest; thats thuggery. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Salas said her group is doing nothing illegal, claiming that some conservative legislators have an agenda against social justice organizations. Thats why theyve not just gone after the immigrant community, but also after organizations, by defunding us, by trying to discredit us, she told the newspaper. Hawley said he also plans to seek information from other groups that now are proudly claiming theyre financing the protests. Said Hawley, My message to them is: This has to end. Hawleys letter comes on the heels of an announcement earlier this week that a House panel plans to investigate 200 non-governmental organizations, the Los Angeles Times reported. The House panel said it would examine groups, including Salas organization, for providing services or support to inadmissible aliens during the Biden administration. Hawley also found criticism of President Donald Trumps deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles to be unwarranted. Trump totally has the authority, under the statutes and under the Constitution, to activate the National Guard and Marines to protect federal facilities, he said. Having been told similar protests are planned for the St. Louis area, Hawley said he encourages those protests remain peaceful. I would just urge them to rethink that, he said. If you go into St. Louis, start disrupting traffic, hurting people ... youre going to go to prison. Who is funding the LA riots? This violence isnt spontaneous. As chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime & Terrorism, Im launching an investigation to find out - pic.twitter.com/B4qaN8qbZP Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) June 11, 2025 Tony Messenger | Post-Dispatch Metro columnist Follow Tony Messenger | 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 ST. LOUIS Kayla Pendleton was excited about her first real apartment. Pendleton, 25, grew up in the West End and graduated from Soldan High School. She was one of the early winners of the Fontbonne Promise scholarship, which paid full university tuition for qualifying low-income students in St. Louis. The promise didnt quite come to fruition. Pendleton lived in a student apartment on campus and tried to make ends meet. Then Fontbonne announced its plans to close. She left, got a job working as a paraprofessional for the Special School District and went out on her own. Now that shes working with special needs children, shes thinking about going back to school to get a teaching degree. She enjoys the work. But first, theres the matter of that apartment. Last year, Pendleton signed a lease with the 275 on the Park apartment complex on Union Boulevard, just north of Forest Park. From the beginning, she had issues. Her apartment wasnt painted when she moved in. It was missing a couple of appliances. There was a ceiling leak, which she reported. A month later, the roof collapsed. She was moved to another unit. Still, she planned on living in the apartment for a long time. The complex is near public transportation, which is important to her. She doesnt have a car. It was supposed to be a home for me to settle in, Pendleton said. I wanted to put down roots. But she started noticing discrepancies when she paid rent on the app that the complex wanted residents to use. The fees on the app didnt match her records. So she started to pay with a money order and deliver it directly to the management office. In March, when her lease was up, Pendleton was converted to a month-to-month lease. But additional costs popped up that she didnt expect, and she says she never received notice about them. One was a $250 hike in her monthly rent. Another was a one-time $400 legal charge. She had occasionally been behind on some costs, like utilities, but this was too much. So she looked for help. Pendleton called the St. Vincent de Paul Society, a Catholic charity, and ended up on the phone with Mike Godar, a volunteer with the nonprofits St. Roch Catholic Church conference. Members of the group looked at Pendletons situation and records. But before they could step in, the apartment complex, owned by Oro Capital Advisors, a real estate company based in Nevada, sued her in St. Louis County Circuit Court. The suit sought to evict her and collect $1,200. The numbers didnt make sense to Godar, particularly because Pendleton told him she had paid $580 in a money order in April the amount she was told she was behind. But it never showed up in the apartments records. She had taken it to the office and the door was locked. A maintenance man from the complex said he would deliver it for her. That money order never appeared on the payment ledger, Godar says. He went with Pendleton to discuss the matter with Jennifer Wade, the assistant property manager. Godar had worked with her before, when other residents came to the society for help with utility bills or past-due rent. Godar told Wade the society was willing to pay to settle Pendletons account, minus some of the questionable charges. She invited us to leave the office, Godar said. This whole eviction process has been a nightmare, Godar said. They wont resolve the situation. Pendleton knew she was going to have to move by the end of May. She started looking for new apartments but ran into a roadblock: The lawsuit showed up on her background checks. Every potential new landlord turned her down because of the ongoing rental collection. Pendleton was running out of options. I was facing homelessness, she said. Thats in part because of the May 16 tornado, which destroyed her grandmothers house about the only place she could have gone. The tornado also damaged the apartment complex, which is now rebranding itself as The Era Collective. Discover Luxury Apartments in the Central West End, the companys website reads. The rebranding helps explain Pendletons situation, Godar believes. I think whats happening is theyve evicting the people who have been there at a lower rent who cant pay on a higher rent, he said. Neither Wade or Oro Capital returned calls or emails about this column. On Monday, Pendleton found out the eviction case had been dropped, in part because she already vacated the apartment. You will contact 275 on the Park for payment assistance, wrote the legal assistant to the attorneys who sued her. Thats what Pendleton did, asking how they could take next steps to resolve the dispute. Please contact the attorney regarding this matter, wrote Jennifer Bischof, the property manager. Our office will not be responding to you. The amount Pendleton owes keeps rising. According to Godars most recent communication, its now up to $2,694.67, including legal fees that Godar doesnt believe Pendleton should have to pay. Shes in limbo. She found a room to rent in somebodys house, but its far from ideal. She doesnt know if her background checks will be cleared up with the dropping of the eviction case. Her guardian angels with St. Vincent de Paul Society are willing to help pay off her debt, but theyre not going to pay for gratuitous charges. Having resolved similar situations in the past, Godar is frustrated. It just seems like shes getting railroaded here. JERSEYVILLE A former Jersey County treasurer has pleaded guilty to felony theft and will serve 45 days of home confinement followed by 30 months of probation. Katie Abbey, 37, of Jerseyville, will also pay more than $58,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to felony theft by deception, according to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. Abbey acknowledged taking money from county bank accounts while she was treasurer and using it for personal gain, authorities said. The Illinois State Police's Special Investigations Unit said Abbey falsified cash slips and checks drawn from Jersey County bank accounts maintained by her office. She would lower the amount of revenue received and take the difference, according to Raoul. Abbey, who was elected in 2022, took a leave of absence in mid-October and resigned earlier this year, citing personal reasons. Sangamon County Circuit Court Chief Judge Daniel Wright said she will have to pay $58,453.76 in restitution. "Public servants are entrusted with resources that allow them to fulfill their responsibilities on behalf of the taxpayers they serve, which is why they must be held to a higher standard," Raoul said in a statement. "It is an egregious violation of the public's trust when any elected official takes advantage of this responsibility for their own personal gain." NAGOYA - Residents in Japan with foreign roots have started speaking out about being subjected to racial profiling by police, with some taking the issue to court, but supporters of their efforts warn that progress may be slow given apparent public indifference. Although a survey suggests racial profiling, or questioning by the authorities on the assumption that one is involved in a crime based on race or appearance, has been carried out for years, only recently has the issue been publicly exposed in Japan. "I am not saying Japanese police should not question citizens, including those with foreign appearance, whatsoever but I want to know the logic behind it," said Zain Syed, a 27-year-old naturalized Japanese citizen. Born to Pakistani parents, Syed has been stopped by police on the street at least 15 times. Syed said that whenever he had challenged officers on their reasons for stopping him, they insisted he was being treated no differently to anyone else. But convinced that he had been targeted solely based on his ethnicity, Syed decided to join a lawsuit. The idea behind resorting to legal action is to pressure the government to prevent discriminatory interrogations. Syed, who is self-employed and lives in the suburbs of Nagoya in central Japan, is one of three male plaintiffs in a civil suit filed in January 2024 against the Aichi prefectural police, Tokyo metropolitan police and the state, seeking 3.3 million yen ($22,850) in damages per person. The response to his Twitter post in 2019 describing police treatment, such as being asked persistently to present a foreign resident's card or passport despite identifying himself as a Japanese, also emboldened him to sue and help others in a similar or worse situation than him. "I am trying to make Japanese society better by stopping questioning based on prejudice. There are many people like myself with foreign roots who are willing to make contributions to Japan," said Syed, who came to Japan at age 8 from Pakistan along with his parents and received Japanese nationality at the age of 13. But his acquisition of citizenship is a rare step in Japan, a country whose naturalized citizens accounted for less than 0.01 percent of the total population in 2024. A recent survey carried out by lawyers in the suit backs the plaintiffs' view that the stopping and questioning of those with foreign appearances often lacks the existence of "sufficient probable cause" to suspect the person has committed or is about to commit a crime -- the requirements set out under the Police Duties Execution Act. The survey, released in February 2025, found that over 71 percent of foreign nationals in Japan had been questioned by police on the streets in the past five years, a rate around 5.6-fold higher than for Japanese. The questionnaire, the first of its kind comparing police questioning of foreign nationals and Japanese, drew answers from 521 Japanese and 422 foreigners who have lived in Japan for five years or more, excluding those from the Northeast Asian region apparently due to their similar appearances to Japanese. The difference in the frequency of being targeted for street questioning came despite the crime rate between Japanese and foreigners being roughly the same, the lawyers said, citing an analysis using official government data. According to Justice Ministry statistics, out of 182,582 people in Japan investigated by the police in 2020 for suspected Penal Code offenses, 9,529 were foreigners. With the total population in the country, including foreigners, in that year standing at 123.35 million and non-Japanese at 6.34 million, the ratio of people subjected to criminal probes was 0.15 percent for both Japanese and foreigners in Japan, the analysis showed. In January 2021, advocacy group Japan for Black Lives posted on social media a video which showed a police officer saying "in our experience many people with dreadlocks carry drugs" when questioning a mixed-race man at a station in Tokyo. The post became viral. The group's founder, Naomi Kawahara, said she could not just stand by to watch her friend being subjected to groundless questioning just because of his appearance. She added the recorded incident is only one among many experienced by her friend and other foreign-born acquaintances. On Dec. 6 of the same year, the U.S. Embassy in Japan tweeted a warning to U.S. citizens about foreigners being stopped and searched by Japanese police in suspected racial profiling incidents. The National Police Agency issued an advisory the same month to all prefectural police forces to avoid questioning people in a way that could be perceived as racially motivated. The written advisory read that when choosing who to stop and question, police officers "should not base their decisions solely on how they look, such as appearance and clothing." In November 2022, the agency's first-ever internal survey on the issue of racial profiling confirmed six inappropriate cases across four prefectural police forces in 2021, involving officers who stopped people giving reasons such as "It is rare for a foreigner to drive a car" or "People with dreadlocks have possessed drugs." In a move to enhance transparency of police questionings, police officers have started wearing body cameras on a trial basis to record interrogations in public spaces. Maurice Shelton, an African American man from Georgia who wears his hair in dreads and is another plaintiff in the suit, recounted how he had been interrogated by police at least 17 times since first coming to Japan in 2010. "Just because you look a certain way, does that mean you can be stopped randomly by the police?" the 42-year-old CEO of a personal training gym in Kanagawa Prefecture said. "Is that something that I should have to deal with because I'm a foreigner, or because I'm a black person, or because I have darker skin, or because I have this hair?" He cited as one of his motivations to join the suit the similar treatment he said he experienced in Georgia and which made him leave his country. "I've been harassed by the police in America. I've had guns pulled on me by the police," he said. "I don't want Japan to be such a place." Motoki Taniguchi, one of the lawyers representing the three plaintiffs, said in one court hearing, "Racial profiling is intentional racial discrimination exercised by public authorities and constitutes the most pernicious form of discrimination." "It is the responsibility of the court to confirm the illegality of such a practice and to put an end to it," Taniguchi said. Prospects for change, however, were muddied recently by comments by the justice minister when explaining a step to introduce pre-arrival screening for visa-free travelers from fiscal 2028 and other measures to strengthen the immigration system. "The government is being strongly urged to take action as public anxiety is growing against foreigners not following rules," Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said last month, in comments that were viewed as potentially encouraging discriminatory attitudes. According to Japan for Black Lives' Kawahara, the recent surge in inbound travelers and the growing discussion of "overtourism" issues, such as problematic behavior by a small minority of visitors, is likely stirring a public she says is largely ignorant of prejudice issues to accept tight surveillance over people with foreign appearances. "Some people say casually that the victims claiming they have been discriminated against are just being paranoid or that they don't see a problem in the police stopping foreigners on the street," she said. "They say, 'Why not let police stop you if you don't have anything to hide'," Kawahara said. "I believe that only by empathizing with people with foreign roots and having dialogue can people really end discrimination," she added. Related coverage: FEATURE: Silent witnesses: A-bomb trees carrying on aging survivors' legacy FEATURE: Subterranean defenses prepare Tokyo for worst-case flood extremes FEATURE: Japan's unstaffed train stations getting rural revival on track DELLWOOD A 19-year-old man was shot dead Tuesday afternoon near Chambers Road and West Florissant Avenue. The victim's name was not released. He was found shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection. Two vehicles had crashed there. One had multiple bullet holes. Officers with the North County Police Cooperative arrested a 23-year-old man who was at the scene, said Sgt. Benjamin Santoyo of the North County Police Cooperative. Santoyo said police recovered weapons. Officers put out an "aid call" for more officers to come to the crash site because of growing crowds, he said. ST. LOUIS COUNTY A man was charged Tuesday in the shooting death of a Hancock Place High School student. Martin Russell Tullis III, 18, was held Wednesday on $1 million cash bond on charges of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and first-degree attempted robbery. Authorities said Tullis helped kill Logan Snyder, a 16-year-old boy who died Nov. 14 in Lemay. According to charging documents, Tullis and another teenage boy pushed Logan to the ground and shot him. They rifled through his pockets before walking off, St. Louis County police Detective Dustin Shoemaker said in court papers. Shoemaker also cited the brazen nature of this sophisticated daytime attempted robbery and homicide committed in a populated residential area. Logan died in an alley near the intersection of Regina and Horn avenues. He lived in the 400 block of West Ripa Avenue. Logan was a junior at Hancock Place High School. A message posted by the Michel Funeral Home described Logan as a kind soul who loved his family so intensely. He could light up an entire room with his beautiful smile. Authorities said Tullis and the second teen traveled to meet Logan that day, but they didnt say why. The second teen, also 17 at the time of the killing, is being held at the St. Louis County Family Court, police said. He has not been certified to stand trial as an adult. Tullis and the second teen were arrested a week after the killing on suspicion of second-degree murder. Tullis lives in the 1000 block of Park Avenue in St. Louis. Logans mother, Tracy Tucker, said Logan liked to listen to music and snuggle with his dog. He had planned on having a career in real estate one day, she said. She said Tullis and her son were acquaintances. She said she doesnt know why they were meeting that day. This should never have happened, Tucker said Wednesday. JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Supreme Court has rejected a transgender students claim that he faced sex discrimination when the Blue Springs School District denied him access to single-sex locker rooms and bathrooms. The case did not seek a ruling on the constitutionality of school districts barring transgender students from sex-designated spaces. Instead, it centered around whether evidence presented in Jackson County Circuit Court was sufficient to rule on the students claims of sex discrimination. In 2021, a Jackson County jury sided with the student, identified by his initials R.M.A. in court proceedings, and awarded him over $4 million in damages. But Circuit Judge Cory Atkins threw out the verdict in a move that is reserved for a complete absence of probative fact to support the jurys conclusion. The Supreme Courts 5-2 ruling on Tuesday, written by Judge Kelly Broniec, affirmed Atkins decision. R.M.A. had not proven that he was discriminated against on the basis of male sex but instead shown discrimination based on female genitalia, Broniec wrote. Although R.M.A. argues the school districts consideration of genitalia is inherently sex-related, the only evidence adduced at trial was that the school districts decisions were based on the fact that R.M.A. had female genitalia, she wrote in the courts decision. R.M.A. amended his birth certificate during his time as a student, and his physician testified in circuit court that he is a male. The only evidence of female genitalia in the case is the original birth certificate the district received when R.M.A. enrolled. Dissenting opinions from Judges Paul Wilson and Brent Powell say there was too much evidence to allow a judge to overturn a jurys verdict. There was more than enough other evidence from which the jury could find R.M.A.s male sex was a contributing factor in the districts discriminatory conduct, Wilson wrote. Powell opined that the jury had the role of deciding what evidence to believe. Another piece discussed during the cases oral arguments in February was whether discrimination based on genitalia constitutes sex stereotyping. Its very clear that the plaintiffs sex was the reason for this discrimination, R.M.A.s attorney Alexander Edelman said in February. In that he was a male who was assigned female at birth and so he differed from other males. The majority opinion rejected the argument, arguing that genitalia is intrinsic to biological sex. A persons biological sex ... is not a stereotype, it says. Wilson rebuts that biological sex is more complicated. What the dictionary does not say, what no witness testified to or treatise in evidence states, and what no statute or judicial decision provides, is that a persons sex is always and only determined by that persons genitalia, he wrote. R.M.A.s case is not the only Missouri lawsuit addressing transgender students use of school bathrooms. In 2023, a Platte County School District student filed a lawsuit, alleging the districts policy is discriminatory, and the case is ongoing. ST. PETERS Summer classes and camps at Francis Howell North have moved to another campus as a noxious odor at the school continues to stump contractors. Programs have moved to Francis Howell Central so construction workers and maintenance crews can have uninterrupted access to identify the source of the smell emanating inside of Francis Howell North, said Jennifer Jolls, a district spokesperson. A strong but intermittent odor has plagued the newly rebuilt Francis Howell North since it opened at the beginning of last school year. Students and teachers said theyve been hit with strong wafts of rotten egg or sewage smells in various parts of the building, mostly on the western side. The odor has been the source of both literal and figurative headaches. Francine Hill, president of the districts teachers union, said last month that some teachers have gotten sick. One parent said they had to do remote learning with their child at home because the smell complicated their childs medical issues and caused headaches. And finding and eliminating the odors source has also been a monthslong pain for the district. The schools grease interceptor was cleared out. Sewer mains were inspected with cameras. Contractors filled the schools plumbing system with smoke to find any leaks or blockages. Air quality monitoring devices placed in five locations detected no harmful gases or compounds, district officials said. The decision to move summer programming came after an April consultants report concluded air intakes on the schools roof may suck up foul smells from sewer vents when the wind blows in a certain direction. In late April, nearly all of the schools 25 rooftop vents were extended 5 feet higher to prevent sewer odors from entering the HVAC system. The move seemed to work, district officials said last month, with the odor observed far less frequently. But it hasnt gone away completely. We hope the toxic gas issue at Francis Howell North will be resolved before the start of next year, Hill, the teachers union president, told the districts school board at a meeting June 6. President Donald Trump approved Federal Emergency Management Agency aid on Monday evening to help St. Louis and its residents after a tornado struck the area on May 16, killing five and leaving over a billion dollars in damages, according to city officials. Now that the disaster declaration is approved, affected residents can apply for help on FEMA's website or over the phone. The deadline to apply for most programs is 60 days following the president's declaration, so around Aug. 9. Individuals can receive up to $770 for immediate needs, plus up to $43,600 for housing assistance. They also can receive up to $43,600 more for other needs like medical bills, replacement of damaged vehicles and funeral expenses. Before applying FEMA encourages residents to take photos of your damaged home and belongings for your records. You can also make a list of damaged or lost items; the website says that a list would be helpful when discussing loss with your insurance or, possibly, a FEMA inspector. If you have insurance, FEMA says to file a claim as soon as possible. You don't have to have a claim to apply for assistance, but FEMA can't provide assistance for needs that are already being covered by another source. You'll be required to provide your insurance settlement or denial before being considered for for certain types of assistance. What you'll need while applying Social Security number Annual household income Contact information (like your phone number, damaged house address, mailing address and email address) Bank account information Insurance information Proof of ownership or occupancy. FEMA usually uses an automated public records search for this, but may ask for additional documentation if they can't confirm your occupancy or ownership. How to apply Go to fema.gov Hit "Apply for assistance" You'll enter your location; the form asks for a zip code or you can just use a drop-down menu to select the state of Missouri and the city of St. Louis. After that, you'll be taken to a screen that asks what disaster affected you. You'll choose the May 16 tornado. Then, you'll again confirm that you live in the city. The next screen details what the rest of the application will entail: You'll be asked about your losses and what you need, you'll need to create an account and then go back to the site to finish your application. Residents can also call 1-800-621-3362 or use the FEMA app, available on the Google Play store and Apple App Store. What's covered under FEMA assistance? Rental assistance, reimbursement for emergency lodging (like if you stayed at a hotel or motel after being displaced by the tornado), home repairs and more are all covered. There is also "serious need assistance," which covers displacement, childcare, funerals, personal property and more. The Small Business Association provides long-term low interest loans to homeowners for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence. Renters and homeowners can borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair other belongings, such as cars, furniture and clothing. What comes next After applying, FEMA may do a home inspection either remotely or on-site. Inspectors don't decide whether or not you'll receive assistance. If additional information is needed, FEMA will reach out to you by phone or by letter. Once a decision is made, FEMA will send you a letter with what types of assistance you've been approved for, and what types you haven't been approved to receive. If approved, you'll receive a check from the U.S. Department of Treasury or a direct deposit, whatever method you chose when you applied. Residents can appeal FEMA's decision by following the instructions you've received in your decision letter. You must send your appeal within 60 days of receiving the decision letter. LOS ANGELES Mayor Karen Bass issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting. She said in a news conference that she had declared a local emergency and that the curfew will run from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday. We reached a tipping point after 23 businesses were looted, Bass said. The curfew will be in place in a 1 square mile section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles. The curfew doesnt apply to residents who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, credentialed media or public safety and emergency officials, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell. McDonnell said unlawful and dangerous behavior had been escalating since Saturday. The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city, McDonnell said. Earlier Tuesday, National Guard troops began protecting immigration agents as they made arrests in Los Angeles on Tuesday, an expansion of their duties that had been limited to protecting federal property. Photos posted Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement show National Guard troops standing guard around officers as they made arrests. ICE said in a statement that the troops were providing security at federal facilities and protecting federal officers "who are out on daily enforcement operations. The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as President Donald Trump has promised as part of the administrations immigration crackdown. The agency said Guard members are also providing support with transportation. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement. California Gov. Gavin Newsom had asked a federal court to block the Trump administration from using the National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles, saying it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. Newsom filed the emergency request after Trump ordered the deployment to LA of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines following protests of the presidents stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. The federal government said Newsom was seeking an unprecedented and dangerous order that would interfere with its ability to carry out enforcement operations. A judge set a hearing for Thursday. The Marines and another 2,000 National Guard troops were sent to LA on Monday, adding to a military presence that local officials and Newsom do not want and that the police chief says makes it harder to handle the protests safely. Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith said Tuesday that the Marines had not yet been called to respond to the protests and were there only to protect federal officials and property. The Marines were trained for crowd control but have no arrest authority, Smith told a budget hearing on Capitol Hill. Marines were not seen on the streets yet, while National guard troops so far have had limited engagement with protesters. Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. It's one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president. If theres an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. Well see, he said from the Oval Office. Later the president called protesters animals and a foreign enemy in a speech at Fort Bragg ostensibly to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of 4 million and have been far less raucous since the weekend. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids. Several businesses were broken into Monday, though authorities didn't say if the looting was tied to the protests. Nejdeh Avedian, general manager at St. Vincent Jewelry Center in the Los Angeles Jewelry District said the protesters had already left, and these guys were just opportunists," though St. Vincent's had armed guards and was left alone. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Tuesday that protesters have hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at law enforcement, set vehicles on fire, defaced buildings and public property and set fire to American flags. On Tuesday, a few dozen protesters gathered peacefully in front of the federal complex, which was quickly declared an unlawful assembly. Police issued a dispersal order and corralled the protesters, telling members of the media to stay out to avoid getting hurt. Officers with zip ties then started making arrests. McDonnell said that police had made 197 arrests on Tuesday, including 67 who were taken into custody for unlawfully occupying part of the 101 freeway. Seven police officers were reportedly injured, and at least two were taken to a hospital and released. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested Tuesday that the use of troops inside the U.S. will continue to expand. I think were entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland, he said on Capitol Hill. "Here we go." "I knew it would come." "This won't end well." Those were my initial reactions to President Donald Trump's announcement that he had activated the California National Guard and to sources on Monday saying Marines would serve as backup. I'm not claiming much prescience. Like his breakup with Elon Musk, his deploying the military against protesters could not have been more foreseeable. The only uncertainty was about timing and pretext. If you follow the timeline about what happened in Paramount, a community in Greater Los Angeles, I don't think calling in the National Guard (or the Marines) -- over the wishes of the governor, Gavin Newsom -- was warranted. The last time a president activated the Guard without a request from a governor was 1965, when Alabama Gov. George Wallace refused to protect civil rights marchers in his state. Newsom's objection that the Guard's presence would unnecessarily inflame the situation seems eminently plausible. Newsom is suing the Trump administration for illegally deploying the Guard. I'm skeptical. Trump's order does not seem unlawful on its face -- yet. He has not invoked the Insurrection Act but rather Section 12406 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which authorizes the president to deploy the Guard to protect federal agents in the course of performing their duties. But it does violate one of the more serious "democratic norms" both parties seem to revere only when the other party is in power. And it's a norm worth honoring. One of the reasons it's worth honoring is that norm violations beget more norm violations. Indeed, that was partly Newsom's point. The mere announcement of activating the Guard appeared to arouse even more mayhem, and that in turn makes Trump's decision more politically advantageous. And that brings me to why this won't end well. Every time a protester burns a car, hurls a rock or smashes a window, the protester ceases to be a lawful demonstrator and becomes a rioter. And contrary to a lot of left-wing romantic nonsense, rioting is not only wrong and illegal, it's politically unpopular. Then-Massachusetts Gov. Calvin Coolidge became a national star by calling in the Massachusetts Guard in response to the 1919 Boston police strike, which had ignited riots and looting. In the 1968 election, Richard Nixon used the riots after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination to win the presidency on a promise of restoring law and order. The fringe left has a long love affair with the "propaganda of the deed," a stupid concept holding that direct or revolutionary action persuades the masses to align with their cause. In America, it almost never works. But for some reason, too many mainstream progressives get tongue-tied when it comes to condemning their fringe unequivocally. The political utility of domestic unrest is far more acute and consequential under Trump because he subscribes to his own theory of the propaganda of the deed. Trump has long been enamored of using the military to quash domestic unrest. In a 1990 Playboy interview, he expressed admiration for the Chinese Communist Party's willingness to display "the power of strength" in crushing the Tiananmen protests. In his first term, he reportedly wanted troops to fire on protesters after the murder of George Floyd. Since the beginning of his second term, his administration has been pushing political, legal and rhetorical claims that he should be granted wartime powers, most notably on trade and immigration. Those claims are largely sinister nonsense as a matter of law, facts and those pesky democratic norms. And politically, when the headlines are full of stories about families being separated or legal immigrants being arrested for writing college newspaper editorials, the administration is on defense. But when rioters are setting Waymo cabs on fire, the debate is where he wants it. Democrats and many media figures get caught splitting hairs, mouthing pieties about the right to protest, while social media and cable news are flooded with images of violence and destruction. I see no reason to doubt enough people will be willing to give Trump what he wants. And portentously, unlike during his first term, the enablers aren't just in the streets, they're in the White House. Various Cabinet secretaries, White House officials and the vice president are all trying to one-up each other with talk of invasion, insurrection and "liberate Los Angeles." I sincerely hope I am wrong. But given the cowardice of Congress and the limitations of the courts, this is leading, perhaps inexorably, to a contest of competing theories of the propaganda of the deed. That may or may not end well for Trump, but it will end poorly for the United States. Whats worse: bigotry or ignorance? Constituents of MAGA Congresswoman Mary Miller of Illinois dont have to choose. As she reminded the nation last week (not for the first time), she embodies both. Rep. Miller, an east-central Illinois Republican whose wildly gerrymandered district stretches into the Metro East, is perhaps best known for a 2021 speech about reaching out to youth that riffed on the premise, Hitler was right on one thing ... She apparently hasnt evolved much since then. Miller posted Friday on X that it was deeply troubling that a Muslim was allowed to lead prayer in the House because America was founded as a Christian nation. Problem No. 1: America was founded with a First Amendment that gives all Americans the right to practice any religion they want or none at all. Problem No. 2: Suggesting that any member of a non-Christian religion shouldnt be allowed to lead the morning House prayer is the dictionary definition of religious bigotry. Problem No. 3: The person who gave the prayer, Giani Singh, isnt Muslim hes Sikh. But hey, as Hitler himself might have agreed, all those foreign religions from darker-hued countries are pretty much the same anyway, right? Sheesh. I am shocked and horrified by the recent Supreme Court decision stating that it is perfectly fine for DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) to access my Social Security records. Or yours, for that matter. (Associated Press: "Supreme Court allows DOGE team to access Social Security systems with data on millions of Americans," June 6.) I think it is just pitiful that the Supreme Court is rolling over for the Trump administration by allowing this violation. After all, what do we really know about DOGE? Who are they? Who is vetting them, or giving them security clearance? They were neither elected nor appointed. They were just hired, many from Elon Musk's companies SpaceX and Twitter. For what purpose should these hirelings be allowed to see my social security records? How can I know they aren't stealing all my data and selling it to the Dark Web? Who is protecting me, and all other American citizens, from this gross invasion of our privacy? The Fourth Amendment gives us the right to be "secure" in our "persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." The green light given to DOGE by the Supreme Court has violated that right, for all of us. Maria Bailey Joplin Abrego Garcia was indeed living in Maryland and was indeed a father, but this wasn't the most distinctive thing about him. There are hundreds of thousands of fathers living in the state who aren't illegal immigrants and don't have ties to criminal gangs. Abrego Garcia, of course, is the man who was mistakenly deported to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador despite a judge's order that he couldn't be deported there. Instead of quickly asking for Abrego Garcia to be sent back to the United States, the Trump administration dug in its heels and suffered repeated legal setbacks, including at the Supreme Court. Sensing political opportunity and appalled at the notion of someone living in the US being sent, based on no criminal charges, to perhaps the most inhumane prison in the Western Hemisphere, Democrats made Abrego Garcia a cause. They inevitably downplayed the drip-drip evidence that he was an unsympathetic character. It emerged that he had been picked up by local police in 2019 at a Home Depot and the cops suspected that he and his associates were gang members. It emerged that his wife accused him of abusing her. It emerged that he'd been stopped in Tennessee under suspicious circumstances in 2022 with multiple men in the vehicle. Whether Abrego Garcia was a good guy or a reprobate, a member of MS-13 or of his church choir, had no bearing on whether he should have been imprisoned in El Salvador with our active support. The answer to that was "no" regardless, but now that the Trump administration has brought him back to the United States and filed charges against him, the "Maryland father" description has been exposed as ludicrously inapt. According to a Department of Justice indictment, Abrego Garcia routinely engaged in human smuggling, transporting illegal aliens within the United States on more than 100 occasions. The facts set out in the indictment regarding the Tennessee traffic stop are particularly damning. Abrego Garcia's story was that the men in his Suburban had been working construction in St. Louis for two weeks and he was bringing them back to Maryland. The men, all lacking identification, had no luggage or construction tools. The vehicle was outfitted with a makeshift third row for passengers in the back. All of which was suspicious enough. What's more, the indictment says, license plate tracking data showed that the car hadn't been anywhere close to St. Louis in the past year. It had, however, been in the Houston, Texas, area, where the prosecutors say the illegal-alien passengers had been picked up. The administration will have to prove its charges in court, and if they have been exaggerated in the cause of nailing Abrego Garcia, that will presumably be exposed. The facts matter, and Abrego Garcia never should have been made into a mere symbol. The administration seemed to think keeping him in El Salvador somehow furthered the cause of immigration enforcement, but whether Abrego Garcia stayed there or came back to the United States wasn't going to materially affect deportation efforts one way or the other. For their part, President Trump's critics yet again assumed because someone was targeted by the chief executive, he or she must be a figure of righteousness. The fact of the matter is that Abrego Garcia never should have been in the United States in the first place. He came here illegally in 2012. Only after he was picked up by police in the aforementioned 2019 stop and put in deportation proceedings did he make a meritless asylum claim. An immigration judge nevertheless granted him a withholding of removal and Abrego Garcia was permitted to go about his business, which, according to the Justice Department, was smuggling other illegal immigrants. We'll learn more as the case proceeds, but we know enough already to conclude that this isn't a typical or commendable Marylander. (COMMENT, BELOW) TOKYO - A Chinese military aircraft had a near miss with a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol plane over the high seas in the Pacific, flying just 45 meters away after taking off from a moving aircraft carrier, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Wednesday. China's J-15 warplane from the aircraft carrier Shandong made other dangerous maneuvers on Saturday and Sunday, such as passing in front of an MSDF P-3C aircraft at the same altitude and with a distance of about 900 meters between the planes, the ministry said, adding that the government lodged a protest with China and demanded an end to such flights. Although there was no damage to the Japanese plane or injuries among its crew, Japan "expressed serious concerns" to China since "these abnormal approaches by a Chinese military plane may cause an accidental collision," the ministry said. The announcement came after the ministry said Monday it has confirmed for the first time two Chinese aircraft carriers, the Shandong and the Liaoning, operating at the same time in the Pacific last weekend, making Tokyo more vigilant against Beijing's maritime assertiveness. The Shandong was sailing through waters 550 kilometers southeast of Miyako Island in the southern prefecture of Okinawa on Saturday, and two days later conducted takeoff and landing drills involving its fighter jets and helicopters north of Japan's southernmost Okinotori Island within Japan's exclusive economic zone. Meanwhile, the Liaoning was seen in waters about 300 km southwest of the easternmost island of Minamitori on Saturday in Japan's EEZ, before moving southwest outside the EEZ and conducting similar takeoff and landing exercises on Sunday. The Liaoning was observed beyond what is known as the "second island chain" stretching from Japan's Izu Islands to Guam, a Japanese government official said. China considers the chain its defense line. Related coverage: Japan sees 1st simultaneous operations by China carriers in Pacific Chinese carrier sails near Japan's easternmost island for 1st time President Donald Trump delivers a speech on June 10, 2025, at Fort Bragg, N.C. (Cory Reese/U.S. Army) President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail to bring back the name Fort Bragg to the Army base in North Carolina. In March, the base named Fort Liberty less than two years earlier was again Fort Bragg. On Tuesday, Trump announced seven other southern Army installations would return to their old names that were changed in 2023 because they honored Confederate generals. We are going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee, Trump told a crowd at Fort Bragg. We won a lot of battles out of these forts. Its no time to change. Trump has made no attempt to hide his disdain for the name changes to nine southern Army installations in 2023, which grew out of a years-long, multimillion-dollar effort that began in his first administration. Some of Trumps supporters long cheered his calls for Confederate names to remain on or return to Army posts, and some veterans who served at these installations have vowed to never recognize the official name changes that were conducted in ceremonies between March and October 2023, when Fort Pickett, Va., became Fort Barfoot; Fort Lee, Va., became Fort Gregg-Adams; Fort A.P. Hill, Va., became Fort Walker; Fort Hood, Texas, became Fort Cavazos; Fort Rucker, Ala., became Fort Novosel; Fort Polk, La., became Fort Johnson; Fort Bragg became Fort Liberty; Fort Benning, Ga., became Fort Moore, and Fort Gordon, Ga., became Fort Eisenhower. Base names were changed after Congress mandated the Pentagon rid its installations of names and items honoring those who served the Confederacy. Congress created the Naming Commission in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act the annual must-pass bill that sets Congress policy and spending priorities for the Pentagon charging the panel with identifying all items in the Defense Department inventory associated with the Confederacy. Earlier in Trumps second administration, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the return of Fort Bragg and Fort Benning, which was restored in April. But Bragg no longer refers to Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, for whom the base was named in 1918, but for Pfc. Roland L. Bragg. Benning now honors World War I veteran Cpl. Fred G. Benning. Cynthia Smith, an Army spokeswoman, said in a statement that Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll will take immediate action to implement these redesignations. The Army will take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu, Smith said. Five of them received the Medal of Honor, three received the Distinguished Service Cross and one received the Silver Star. The Army continued the effort of finding new names without ties to the Confederacy. Fort Pickett, formerly Fort Barfoot, will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett for his actions during World War II. While pinned down by enemy machine gun fire, Pickett crawled forward and destroyed two enemy positions with grenades. After being captured, he escaped from a transport train with fellow POWs and rejoined his unit before being killed in action. Fort Hood, formerly Fort Cavazos, will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Col. Robert B. Hood for his actions during World War I. Amid intense shelling near Thiaucourt, France, then-Capt. Hood directed artillery fire under enfilading machine-gun fire. After his gun crew was lost to enemy fire, he rapidly reorganized and returned fire within minutes, restoring combat capability. Fort Gordon, formerly Fort Eisenhower, will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon for his valor during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia. Gordon volunteered to be inserted to defend wounded crew members at a helicopter crash site and held off an advancing enemy force, protecting the pilot after exhausting all his ammunition. Fort Lee, formerly Fort Gregg-Adams, will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Pvt. Fitz Lee for his heroism during the Spanish-American War. During a coastal assault in Cuba, Lee voluntarily disembarked under direct enemy fire to rescue wounded comrades from the battlefield. Fort Polk, formerly Fort Johnson, will be named in honor of Silver Star recipient Gen. James H. Polk for his gallantry in action as commanding officer of the 3rd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) during operations across Europe in World War II. Then-Col. Polk led reconnaissance and combat missions under fire, spearheading Third Army advances as part of Task Force Polk. He later served as commander in chief of U.S. Army Europe. Fort Rucker, formerly Fort Novosel, will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Capt. Edward W. Rucker for extraordinary heroism in World War I. Flying deep behind enemy lines, then-1st Lt. Rucker and his fellow aviators engaged a numerically superior enemy force in a daring aerial battle over France, disrupting enemy movements and completing their mission against overwhelming odds. Fort A.P. Hill, formerly Fort Walker, will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipients Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn and Pvt. Bruce Anderson for extraordinary heroism during the Civil War. Then-Capt. Hill, Pinn and Anderson executed significant actions separately at Cold Harbor, Va., Chapins Farm, Va., and Fort Fisher, N.C., in support of the U.S. Army. At Fort Bragg on Tuesday, Trump also watched soldiers demonstrate a missile strike, a helicopter assault and a building raid as part of celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Army. Before Trump made his expected remarks at the base, he sat under a canopy to watch the demonstrations, a preview of the military display scheduled for Saturday in the nations capital for the Army parade. Trump brought up the tug-of-war involving Fort Bragg with the crowd. Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit, the president asked the crowd at the base. Some soldiers behind the stage responded with boos and gave the thumbs down. Hegseth, after appearing in a congressional hearing Tuesday morning, and Driscoll attended the event alongside service members, veterans and their families. Driscoll, who spoke to the crowd earlier in the afternoon, called Trump the greatest recruiter in our Armys history. The Army has scheduled many festivities this week to celebrate 250 years, with the biggest event being the parade. The president has promoted the Armys anniversary as a reason to hold a military parade in Washington on Saturday, which also happens to be Trumps 79th birthday. Trump long talked of a parade with soldiers and vehicles rolling down the streets of Washington similar to celebrations held in Moscow, Paris and other world capitals. He backed off the idea in 2018 amid pushback from Army and District of Columbia officials over exorbitant costs and damage tanks might inflict on roads. Trump settled for a display of tanks and other armored vehicles during a July 4th celebration in 2019 in Washington. The service on Saturday is bringing about 6,700 troops from every Army division, 150 vehicles and more than 50 aircraft for the event. The cost for the parade and other events has been estimated to be as much as $45 million. As part of the Armys celebration on Saturday, 28 M1A1 Abrams tanks will roll down Constitution Avenue. The tanks will be trucked to a staging area closer to the parade route. Saturday will begin with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in the morning, followed by a fitness competition and an Army birthday festival on the National Mall. The day will culminate with a parade through the city and a jump by the Armys Golden Knights parachute team, which will present Trump with an American flag. The president will also preside over an enlistment ceremony for 250 service members. The Army last month estimated 200,000 will attend Saturdays celebration. Were going to celebrate on Saturday, and were going to celebrate from now on, Trump said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. U.S. soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division hold up American flags during a speech by Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll at Fort Bragg, N.C., June 10, 2025. Driscoll was speaking for the bases Army 250 birthday celebration, which was also attended by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (Austin Robertson/U.S. Army) The U.S. Army, the largest and oldest branch of the U.S. armed forces, celebrates its 250th birthday on Saturday. The service dates its origin to a June 14, 1775, resolution by the Continental Congress that called for the establishment of a united fighting force between the 13 colonies, making it older than the nation itself. George Washington was appointed its commander-in-chief the day after. The Armys main birthday event will be a celebration in the nations capital on Saturday. The Washington event consists of a parade on the National Mall, as well as a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and a fitness competition, among other things. It was preceded by a large celebration at Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Tuesday, attended by President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. But smaller celebrations and related activities were held across the country in the weeks leading up to the official day, and some festivities will even take place after. Marches and runs Ruck marches extending over 250 miles were held at numerous Army installations, as were runs. Some were early: civilians and soldiers at Camp Roberts, Calif., did a ruck march in early May. Others came closer to the official birthday, such as the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kan., which held a division-wide run on June 9. At Schofield Barracks in Oahu, Hawaii, over 6,000 soldiers from installations across the state joined together for a motivational run on Monday. The event was simulcast with soldiers deployed in the Philippines, in a first. The soldiers in the Philippines held their own run. U.S. Army troops and a civilian march during the 250-mile ruck march at Camp Roberts, Calif., May 7, 2025. Participants completed different sections of a route that stretched from Camp Roberts to Camp Parks in Dublin, Calif., all while carrying the U.S. flag, U.S. Army colors, and a binder with over 500,000 names of fallen service members. (William Franco Espinosa/U.S. Army National Guard) Soldiers participate in a 250-mile ruck march at Camp Roberts, Calif., May 7, 2025. Participants completed different sections of a route that stretched from Camp Roberts to Camp Parks in Dublin, Calif., all while carrying the U.S. flag, U.S. Army colors, and a binder with over 500,000 names of fallen service members. (William Franco Espinosa/U.S. Army National Guard) U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii Soldiers finishing a commemorative run on June 9, 2025, at Schofield Barracks. (Eric Tagayuna/U.S. Army) U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 25th Infantry Division express esprit de corps with a run in celebration of the U.S. Armys 250th birthday on Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, June 10, 2025. Members of the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii also participated in a run that was simulcast to their colleagues in the Philippines. (Brandon Roland/U.S. Army) Exhibits Soldiers with the 781st Military Intelligence Battalion (Cyber), Vanguard, at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland contributed personal belongings to create a commemorative exhibit. The contributions were voluntary and include family belongings, some of which reflect a lineage of military service dating to the Civil War and Revolutionary War. The National Museum of the United States Army unveiled a temporary exhibit on the Revolutionary War on June 7. The exhibit, which features nearly 300 artifacts from the era, will be up for two years. On the day of the birthday, the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center at Carlisle Barracks, Pa., will open an exhibit commemorating the birthday. Though it wont unveil a new exhibit, the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Ga., is hosting a birthday party on June 14. The Call to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War, exhibit offically opens to the public at the National Museum of the United States Army, Fort Belvoir, Va., June 7, 2025. The two-year exhibit commemorates the Armys 250th anniversary and Americas declaration of independence in 2026. (Kaylyn Barnhart/Stars and Stripes) A visitor looks at artifacts behind a display case during the National Museum of the United States Armys two-year exhibit, Call to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War, at Fort Belvoir, Va., June 7, 2025. (Kaylyn Barnhart/Stars and Stripes) An exhibit of personal memorabilia contributed by members of the 781st Military Intelligence Battalion (Cyber), Vanguard at Fort George G. Meade, Md. The exhibit honors the Armys 250th birthday and has items dating back to the Revolutionary War. (Steven Stover/U.S. Army) Performances and games A month before the celebration, the 100th Army Band, joined by members of the 338th Army Band and 208th Army Band, performed at the historic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn. The performance honored the Armys 250th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the Grand Olde Opry. Soldiers at Fort Bliss and their families played a softball game in honor of the birthday in El Paso, Texas, on June 7. U.S. Army Pacific hosted a polo match with players from the Honolulu Polo Club a day later at Fort Shafter, Hawaii. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hosting a Twilight Tattoo performance at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., on June 18. The event is free and open to the public, and showcases the services history through historical uniforms, drills and music. Members ofthe Honolulu Polo Club play polo on June 8, 2025, at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, in a game hosted by U.S. Army Pacific in celebration of the Armys 250th birthday. (Tristan Moore/U.S. Army) Members ofthe Honolulu Polo Club play polo on June 8, 2025, at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, in a game hosted by U.S. Army Pacific in celebration of the Army's 250th birthday. (Tristan Moore/U.S. Army) Members of the 100th Army Band, 338th Army Band and 208th Army Band perform the Army Song during the Salute the Troops show at the historic Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, Tennessee, May 20, 2025. (Rodney Roldan/U.S. Army Reserve) Related birthdays Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Ky., are celebrating their divisions birthday with their long-running Week of the Eagles. The 101st was activated in August of 1942, but this years Week of the Eagles runs from June 9 to June 15, overlapping with the service-wide milestone. Festivities culminate with a concert, air assault demonstration and an Army birthday cake-cutting on Saturday. The Army Chaplain Corps is also celebrating its 250th birthday though the corps dates its founding to July 29, 1775, rather than June 14. It is the second oldest military chaplaincy organization in the world, according to a service press release. Various celebrations may take place throughout the summer. The Indiana National Guard will hold a celebration for the Chaplain Corps on July 11. A U.S. Army soldier assigned to 1st Cavalry Division, ground guides an M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle off a rail car during rail operations at CSX Jessup, Md., June 9, 2025, in preparation for the 250th Army Birthday Parade on June 14, 2025. (Elisabeth Tasker/U.S. Army) Soldiers, vehicles and equipment are arriving to the nations capital this week to prepare for the Armys 250th Birthday Parade in Washington on Saturday. Most troops arrived on Wednesday for rehearsals and preparations, and will depart on Sunday. About 6,700 troops from every Army division, 150 vehicles and more than 50 aircraft will be a part of the celebration. Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Strykers, M109 Paladins and a series of historic vehicles, including Sherman tanks and a B-25 bomber from Fort Cavazos, Texas, are being unloaded and staged along the parade route throughout the week. The parade is expected to take place along Constitution Avenue June 14, 2025. It will be along the north side of the National Mall in Washington, from 23rd Street NW to 15th Street NW. (TNS) On the Armys birthday, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in the morning, followed by a fitness competition. The Army will then present an interactive display on the National Mall, transitioning to a parade showcasing the history of the Army, flyovers and a Golden Knights parachute demonstration at the White House ellipse. WATCH: Over 600 soldiers have traveled from Fort Cavazos, Texas, to Washington, D.C., for the Army's 250th parade. Of the unit, 200 soldiers will be marching in the parade; 200 soldiers will be manning and driving different vehicles; another 200+ soldiers will be used in support pic.twitter.com/iNieab7rg7 Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) June 11, 2025 President Donald Trump, who will be celebrating his 79th birthday, will also be presented with an American flag during the parachute demonstration and preside over an enlistment ceremony for 250 service members. The festival will also include equipment displays and demonstrations of military skills. The day will end with a Noah Hicks and Scotty Hasting concert and fireworks display. The U.S. Army Drill Team, 4th Battalion, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, rehearses drill movements in preparation for the Army 250th Birthday Parade at Fort McNair in Washington, June 10, 2025. (Jude Vogel/U.S. Army) U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division unchain a track vehicle during rail operations at CSX Jessup, Md., June 9, 2025, in preparation of the 250th Army Birthday Parade. (Elisabeth Tasker/U.S. Army) The U.S. Army Drill Team, 4th Battalion, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, rehearses drill movements in preparation for the Army 250th Birthday Parade at Fort McNair in Washington, June 10, 2025. (Jude Vogel/U.S. Army) A U.S. Army M88A2 Hercules recovery vehicle moves toward the staging area in preparation for the 250th Army Birthday Parade at West Potomac Park in Washington, June 9, 2025. (Rebeca Soria/U.S. Army) The U.S. Army Drill Team, 4th Battalion, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, rehearses drill movements in preparation for the Army 250th Birthday Parade at Fort McNair, Washington, June 10, 2025. (Jude Vogel/U.S. Army) Spc. Jordan Hope, a soldier assigned to 3rd Cavalry Regiment, guides a Stryker armored vehicle off of a rail car during at Benning Rail Yard in Washington, June 8, 2025. (Rakeem Carter/U.S. Army) Capt. Ryan Hanks, commander of the U.S. Army Drill Team, 4th Battalion, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment inspects a rifle during a rehearsal for the Army 250th Birthday Parade at Fort McNair in Washington, June 10, 2025. (Jude Vogel/U.S. Army) The 82nd Airborne Division makes up the pilots and aircraft taking part in a flyover for the Armys 250th birthday ceremony. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes) A row of Chinook helicopters. All of them will be part of a flyover on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes) The 82nd Airborne Division will fly Apache, Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters as part of a flyover for the Armys 250th birthday parade. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes) SGT Nathan Hartin (left) and CW2 Andrew Sugg of the 82nd Airborne Division Combat Aviation Brigade stand outside a CH-47 helicopter. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes) The view from the interior of a CH-47 helicopter that will take place in the Armys 250th birthday parade. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes) A group of soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division prepare a UH-60 helicopter for the Armys 250th birthday. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes) An emblem of a viper on a UH-60. The aircraft will be part of a flyover for the Armys 250th birthday day. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes) A UH-6 helicopter that will take place in the Armys 250th birthday parade. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes) Sgt. Victoria Robinson (left) and CW2 Caleb Lindsay prepare with the 82nd Airborne Division Combat Aviation Brigade for their flyover in the skies above the nations capital on June 14, 2025. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes) A line of AH-64E helicopter, also known as Apaches. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes) CW2 Caleb Lindsay (left), Sgt. Victoria Robinson (middle), and another soldier prepare for their flyover days before the Armys 250th birthday parade in Washington, D.C. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes) Members of Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill inspect a drilling rig at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Honolulu, Hawaii, Oct. 31, 2024. (Glenn Slaughter/U.S. Navy) HONOLULU, Hawaii The Legislature has established a position for a Red Hill cleanup czar who will coordinate state policy regarding contamination left by the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility over its 80-year lifespan near Pearl Harbor. In the years ahead, that individual will coordinate the states role in environmental remediation across local, state and federal agencies. The legislation also created a special fund to address contaminated soil and groundwater. The legislation garnered broad support. It is important that we look at establishing government structures that can help to oversee remediation in the long term as this effort can extend well into the future, Ernie Lau, chief engineer for the Oahu Board of Water Supply, said in written testimony submitted to the legislature in February. This bill also establishes a special fund to be administered by the [coordinator] and be able to receive federal funds, appropriations by the Legislature, or gifts, donations, grants from public agencies and private persons, he wrote. The Red Hill facility, built in secrecy during World War II, was ordered permanently closed by then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in March 2022 in the wake of a jet fuel spill in late 2021 that contaminated the Navys water distribution system used at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and surrounding military housing communities. Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill is in the process of cleaning the facilitys 20 steel-lined tanks, each of which could hold about 12.5 million gallons of fuel. The task force is also charged with cleaning up pollutants in the environment. The extent of contamination lying beneath the facility, how long it will take to deal with it and what it will cost remain unknown. Congress has appropriated just over $2.1 billion to decommission the facility and begin the lengthy cleanup. The Defense Department, however, has not adequately informed Congress of what it will cost to fully clean the soil and groundwater around the tanks, according to a 2024 report by the Government Accountability Office. DOD had not, as of the end of fiscal year 2023, communicated information to Congress about total fiscal exposures for anticipated Red Hill remediation activities for fiscal years 2025 and beyond, the report said. The Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative, a working group of state, county and city of Honolulu officials, estimated in a November 2023 report that as much as 2 million gallons of fuel may have leaked and spilled into the ground beneath the facility during the past eight decades. The newly established position of policy coordinator housed within the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources will manage initiatives outlined in the water alliances report. That report prioritized the remediation strategy in two parts: a systematic review of new technologies and methods applicable for Red Hill and bringing to scale methods for accelerating the natural process of biodegradation of petroleum in the ground or water table. In biodegradation, micro-organisms break down organic materials into simpler and benign substances such as water or carbon dioxide. A portion of the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea is pictured on May 24, 2017. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes) South Korea has stopped using its propaganda loudspeakers along the northern border in an effort to reduce tensions between the two countries, the military said Wednesday. The decision is part of a broader push to rebuild trust and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, the Souths Ministry of National Defense said in a text message to reporters. The loudspeakers, which broadcast anti-regime messages and news from the South across the heavily fortified border, have long been a source of irritation for Pyongyang. South Korean army Col. Lee Sung-jun said during a news conference Monday that the military would conduct a comprehensive review of the loudspeaker operations. Lee also noted that North Korea continues to use its own loudspeakers near the border day and night. The move follows the June 3 inauguration of President Lee Jae-myung, who has signaled a more conciliatory approach toward North Korea. During his campaign, Lee said he would consider various measures to improve inter-Korean relations, including silencing the speakers. The broadcasts have been intermittently suspended and resumed over the years, often depending on the state of relations between the two Koreas, which technically remain at war following the 1950-53 Korean War armistice. South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts in June 2024 after a six-year pause, in response to the North launching thousands of trash-filled balloons into the South. The balloons disrupted emergency service and caused public concern, according to the South Korean military. Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, Lees predecessor and a member of the conservative People Power Party, took a hardline approach toward North Korea during his administration. Yoon suspended a comprehensive military deconfliction agreement with the North in June, citing the balloon launches and ongoing missile tests. He was impeached on Dec. 14 after declaring martial law earlier that month. The Ministry of Unification on Monday criticized local activist groups that sent balloons carrying propaganda leaflets into the North in recent weeks. Democratic Party lawmakers such as Lee have blamed the tactic for escalating tensions. We strongly request to stop flying leaflet balloons that can create tension on the Korean Peninsula and threaten the lives and safety of people living near the border, ministry spokesman Koo Byongsam said during a news conference in Seoul on Monday. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un tours a uranium enrichment facility in this photo issued by the state-run Korean Central News Agency in September 2024. (KCNA) North Korea appears to be constructing a new building at its Yongbyon nuclear complex and continues to produce nuclear material in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, the head of the U.N.s atomic watchdog said this week. The structure shares similar dimensions and features with facilities at the Norths other major nuclear site in Kangson, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mariano Grossi told the agencys board of governors in a statement Monday. Grossi provided no further details about the new building but said the IAEA has collected consistent evidence that North Korea has reprocessed spent nuclear fuel at Yongbyon since at least late January. The undeclared enrichment facilities at both Kangson and Yongbyon are of serious concern, he wrote, adding that the Punggye-ri test site in the northeast mountains remains capable of supporting another nuclear test the countrys seventh. The last confirmed nuclear test was conducted at the site on Sept. 3, 2017, triggering a 6.3-magnitude earthquake. North Korea has been barred by multiple Security Council resolutions from conducting nuclear activity since 2006 but continues to develop its weapons program. The country is believed to have produced enough fissile material for up to 90 nuclear weapons and has assembled around 50 warheads, according to a U.S. Congressional Research Service report released in May. Leader Kim Jong Un has repeatedly declared nuclear weapons essential to North Koreas survival. In 2023, he amended the constitution to enshrine his nuclear vision. The following year, state-run media published photos of Kim inspecting centrifuges at an unidentified enrichment site. IAEA inspectors have not been granted access to North Koreas nuclear facilities since 2009. In the 1990s, North Korea agreed to freeze its nuclear program in exchange for international assistance, but the agreement unraveled after Pyongyang admitted in 2002 that it had resumed uranium enrichment. Stars and Stripes reporter Yoojin Lee contributed to this report. Japanese soldiers remove a U.S.-made, 5-inch shell from an explosion-proof container after defusing it in Yaese, Okinawa, June 11, 2025. (Brian McElhiney/Stars and Stripes) YAESE, Okinawa Japanese troops demonstrated a new, explosion-proof container Wednesday that improves safety during the removal of unexploded U.S.-made ordnance left over from World War II. The demo took place in Yaese, a town in southern Okinawa where a five-inch shell was discovered at a farm on May 7. Six members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces 101st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit used the cylindrical container roughly the size of a washing machine to safely defuse the shell. As reporters watched from about 80 feet away, troops placed a wooden box holding the shell into the container, sealed it, and covered it with a protective tent. About five quiet minutes later, they removed the tent and retrieved the defused shell. The process takes about 20 minutes longer than traditional methods but can be carried out quickly once a shell is found, a spokeswoman with the Ground Self-Defense Forces 15th Brigade told Stars and Stripes near the operation site. The traditional method typically involves digging a 20-foot hole and lining it with metal plates. The new container eliminates the need for excavation and significantly reduces the evacuation radius by minimizing noise and vibration, according to the Okinawa General Bureaus website. Using the container helps a lot because it is safer, the brigade spokeswoman said. Its customary in Japan that some government officials speak to the media on condition of anonymity. The container was specially designed to defuse five-inch shells, and has been used 25 times since it was introduced in January 2024. The device used to disable the shell known as a dearmer was not described in detail due to security concerns. The high-strength steel cylinder has a dual-layer structure designed to contain explosions and fragments from five-inch shells, a bureau spokesman said by email May 7. Nineteen of the 23 bombs defused on Okinawa between April 2024 and March were five-inch shells, according to the brigade spokeswoman. The bureau has no plans to create containers for other bomb sizes, the bureau spokesman said. Wednesdays operation was not affected by an explosion two days earlier that injured four Japanese troops at a munitions storage site on Kadena Air Base, the brigade spokeswoman said. A U.S.-made, 75-mm anti-tank shell is believed to have exploded, a brigade spokesman said by phone Tuesday. An investigation is ongoing, and similar work at storage areas has been suspended across Japan, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said at a news conference Tuesday. Unexploded ordnance from the 1945 Battle of Okinawa is still regularly found across the island, particularly at former battlefield and construction sites. On June 3, another U.S.-made, five-inch shell was defused in the Furugen district of Nanjo city, a city spokesman said by phone Tuesday. A South Korean air force F-16D Fighting Falcon takes part in a training exercise on Oct. 8, 2019. (Matthew Seefeldt/U.S. Air Force) Two South Korean pilots suffered minor burns and lacerations while ejecting from a fighter jet that crashed during a takeoff attempt in Alaska, according to the countrys air force. The incident, which involved an F-16D Fighting Falcon, occurred around 4 p.m. Tuesday at Eielson Air Force Base, the 354th Fighter Wing at Eielson said in a statement that afternoon. The crashed aircraft, partially destroyed by fire, is located on the grass next to the runway, a South Korean air force statement said. Emergency responders arrived shortly after the incident, according to the U.S. statement. The crew members were taken to Bassett Army Community Hospital at nearby Fort Wainwright. The pilots both captains are currently resting, the South Korean statement said. South Korea planned to send accident investigators and an emergency repair team to Eielson on Wednesday, the statement added. The air force will closely discuss with the U.S. and find the exact cause of the accident, it said. The South Korean pilots have been training alongside U.S. forces in Alaska as part of ongoing joint Red Flag military exercises. An American military armored vehicle displaying a cross and the word Kafir, Arabic for infidel, patrols near Hasakah, Syria, May 31, 2025. An investigation was launched into whether the writing on the vehicle violates Defense Department policy. (Laurent Perpigna Iban/Middle East Eye/used with permission) A Defense Department investigation is underway into the appearance of an armored U.S. military vehicle in Syria that was inscribed with a cross and an Arabic word that can be considered offensive to Muslims. The inquiry was launched after the digital news outlet Middle East Eye published the image last week showing the vehicle on patrol near the city of Hasakah, in the northeast part of the country. On the upper portion of the vehicle, the word Kafir, meaning infidel, is written in Arabic script next to a cross. Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S. military coalition leading efforts in Syria and Iraq, is aware of reports of unapproved symbols or languages, a task force spokesperson told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday. Officials have initiated a formal inquiry and taken proactive measures to ensure that U.S. military equipment bears no markings that violate U.S. Department of Defense policy, the spokesperson said. The photo was taken in late May, according to Middle East Eye. It sparked criticism on social media from users who interpreted it as a show of defiance against Muslims. Charles Lister, the director of the Middle East Institutes Syria program, shared the photo on X and called it idiotic. The word Kafir was originally applied to the populace of the Hindu Kush in northeastern Afghanistan before the region, formerly known as Kafiristan, was forcibly converted to Islam, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. The dictionary calls the word dated and adds that it is often considered offensive. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has previously received backlash for having the word tattooed on his arm. The U.S. has maintained a constant military presence in Syria for more than a decade as part of its effort to defeat the Islamic State group. Last fall, the U.S. troop presence there reached a peak of more than 2,000. The Defense Department is now pulling out troops from the country following the fall of Bashar Assads regime in December. Pentagon officials plan to withdraw hundreds of service members and consolidate the U.S. bases in Syria in the coming months, eventually reducing the total force to fewer than 1,000 troops and one base. WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday posted a video message speaking about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II and called for a world without nuclear weapons. It is very unusual for an incumbent U.S. Cabinet member to publicly voice opposition to nuclear weapons. "It's up to us, the people, to speak up and demand an end to this madness. We must reject this path to nuclear war and work toward a world where no one has to live in fear of a nuclear holocaust," Gabbard said. The three-and-a-half-minute video on the X social media platform, featuring images of the ruins of the Japanese cities and the suffering of victims, begins with Gabbard saying she recently traveled to Hiroshima and the visit was an experience that will stay with her permanently. Gabbard warned that the power of today's nuclear weapons far exceeds that of the bombs used in the U.S. attacks about 80 years ago. "A single nuclear weapon today could kill millions in just minutes. Just one of these nuclear bombs would vaporize everything at its core. People, buildings, life itself," she said. "This isn't some made-up science fiction story. This is the reality of what's at stake, what we are facing now." Gabbard, a former U.S. House of Representatives member from Hawaii who was confirmed as director of national intelligence in February, did not specify when she went to Hiroshima. U.S. Defense Department photos show that Gabbard visited Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni last Wednesday with U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass, and it is likely that she went to nearby Hiroshima before or after her trip to the base. When she visited Japan in March as part of her first trip to the Indo-Pacific region since assuming the post, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said she did not have the opportunity to travel to Hiroshima or Nagasaki. At the time, the office also said she was hoping to realize such a visit on her next trip to the region, so as "to honor the lives lost, highlight the immeasurable cost of nuclear war, and President (Donald) Trump's commitment to counterproliferation and preventing nuclear war." According to the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, when Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui visited Hawaii in 2019, he spoke with Gabbard, then a Democratic congresswoman and presidential hopeful, and asked her to visit the Japanese city one day. In the video, she went on to say, "As we stand here today, closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before, political elite and warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers." The former congresswoman, who joined the Republican Party four years after her unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, did not address any of the Trump administration's policies or the status of the United States as a nuclear superpower. Prior to assuming her current post, Gabbard also spoke out in connection with Japan to warn about Tokyo's strengthening of defense capabilities. In December 2023, she said in a social media post to mark the 82nd anniversary of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, "As we remember Japan's aggression in the Pacific, we need to ask ourselves this question: is the remilitarization of Japan, which is presently underway, truly a good idea?" "We need to be careful that shortsighted, self-serving leaders do not end up bringing us again face-to-face with a remilitarized Japan," she said. Her comments, seen as casting doubt on U.S. efforts to boost its security alliance with Japan amid China's rise, came under the spotlight during the confirmation process for her current role. Related coverage: Japan imperial couple, Princess Aiko honor war dead in Okinawa Nagasaki considering Taiwan's request to attend A-bomb ceremony FEATURE: Silent witnesses: A-bomb trees carrying on aging survivors' legacy Seaman Angelina Petra Resendiz, 21, was last seen May 29, 2025, at the Miller Hall barracks at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service said Tuesday, June 10, that they have found the body of Resendiz about 9 miles from the base. (Photo courtesy of Kimberly Wimbish) A sailor was detained by Navy investigators in connection with the death of a fellow sailor following the discovery of her body nearly two weeks after she disappeared. Charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice are pending against an unidentified sailor that Navy investigators believe is connected to the disappearance of Seaman Angelina Petra Resendiz, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service said Tuesday. Resendiz, a 21-year-old culinary specialist, was last seen at about 10 a.m. on May 29 at the Miller Hall barracks at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Navy investigators and local police recovered Resendizs body on Monday in the Broad Creek area of Norfolk, an off-base wooded area about nine miles from the installation. NCIS confirmed the identity of the body late Tuesday through DNA testing, the investigative service said. The Norfolk Medical Examiners Office is conducting an autopsy, NCIS said. NCIS remains committed to uncovering the facts surrounding the tragic death of Seaman Resendiz to ensure accountability and justice, the investigative service said. After the DNA results were confirmed Tuesday, the family of Resendiz issued a statement criticizing the Navy for failing to notify them of Resendizs disappearance through proper channels. The family learned Resendiz was missing various ways, including fellow sailors and news reports, according to a statement issued Tuesday by Kimberly Wimbish, a local publicist working on behalf of the family of Resendiz. Resendizs disappearance prompted a state-wide critically missing adult alert on June 3 five days after she was last seen or in contact with family and friends. NCIS shared on social media a missing person flyer for Resendiz on June 6. Naval Station Norfolk shared the NCIS flyer the next day, June 7 more than a week after she disappeared from the base. The family demands accountability for oversight that put her life at risk and for mishandling that delayed justice, emphasizing the urgent need to address how official channels failed to notify them promptly, according to the familys statement. The Navys failure to provide timely and official notification was unacceptable, the family said. On a GoFundMe page, Esmeralda Castle, Resendizs mother, said she aims to have a protest calling for the military to reform its treatments of missing women. [Our] determination is relentless for Angelina, for all women, and for every family suffering in silence. Justice must be served, the family said. A Texas native, Resendiz reported to the USS James E. Williams, a Norfolk-based destroyer, in February 2024. She enlisted in the Navy in August 2023. Angelina was a loving daughter who always cared for others. Her disappearance has left a void in their hearts, and [we] refuse to let her suffering be in vain, the family said. A photo posted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows a service member protecting a federal agent as he arrests a man. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) The nearly 5,000 troops National Guard soldiers and Marines deployed to Los Angeles to help contain immigration protests have expanded their mission to protect federal agents as they conduct raids and arrests throughout the city, military officials confirmed Tuesday. Service members are protecting federal assets and personnel while they perform their federal functions. Military service members will not directly participate in law enforcement activities, according to U.S. Northern Command, the joint military headquarters overseeing the mission. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday posted images to social media that showed service members providing protection as federal agents arrested people just hours after California called on the federal courts to file an emergency injunction to prohibit it. The judge scheduled a hearing for Thursday. Since arriving Sunday in L.A., troops have remained outside of the downtown Edward R. Roybal Federal building in a relatively stationary posture, occasionally moving with law enforcement to hold the line against protesters. Soldiers can be seen in news footage with crowd control shields, gas masks, M-4 rifles and wooden batons surrounding the federal building that has become a focus of immigration protests because people arrested in immigration raids Friday were brought there for detention. About 1,700 of the 4,000 Guard troops deployed to the city were there Tuesday afternoon, according to Army North, which is executing the mission for NORTHCOM. The 700 Marines from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines have made it to the greater Los Angeles area from about 140 east in Twentynine Palms. However, a NORTHCOM official declined to comment on their specific location and disposition. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the first 2,000 Guard troops Saturday night after protests that began peacefully escalated into violence and damaged property. He ordered the Marines into the city Monday afternoon and another 2,000 Guard troops hours later. All Marines receive crowd control training and those sent to Los Angeles are carrying shields and batons, Gen. Eric Smith, the Marine Corps commandant, said Tuesday during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. I am not concerned. I have great faith in my Marines and their junior leaders and their more senior leaders to execute the lawful task that theyre given, he said. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he, too, has great faith in Marines when they are assigned to do their central mission. I am deeply worried about the effect of the use of Marines or National Guard in a way that could inflame and incite rather than calm tensions, Blumenthal said. Marines are trained to be a lethal force, as you have said, and that is known by the people who are going to be in those streets. Local law enforcement has made arrests each day of the protests and has described the situation, now in its fifth day, as mostly peaceful with pockets of violence. The possible arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles absent clear coordination presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city, said Jim McDonnell, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. The Los Angeles Police Department, alongside our mutual aid partners, have decades of experience managing large-scale public demonstrations, and we remain confident in our ability to do so professionally and effectively. In federal court documents filed Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Trumps deployment of the military has inflamed the protesters instead of calming them. He has also argued Trump overstepped his powers in ordering the deployment. California officials learned Monday that troops were shifting their mission to holding a secure perimeter in communities around areas where immigration enforcement activities would take place and securing routes over public streets where immigration enforcement officers would travel, according to court documents. The Pentagon has also faced criticism that the deployment of the National Guard was so rushed, it did not establish appropriate accommodations. Photos of soldiers sleeping on the floor were published Monday in the San Francisco Chronicle with anonymously sourced accusations that troops were sent to Los Angeles without funds for fuel, food, water or lodging. The soldiers you saw in the photo were resting as they were not currently on mission and due to the fluid security situation, it was deemed too dangerous for them to travel to better accommodations, NORTHCOM said Tuesday. The soldiers have ready access to food and water as needed. The soldiers do have accommodations with cots at another location, according to a military official speaking on condition of anonymity. They are also being served meals, ready to eat, while the logistics for hot food is sorted out. William Brassfield, a retired Army master sergeant, was recalled to active duty to face a court-martial at Fort Novosel, Ala., shown here. He pleaded guilty May 30, 2025, to raping three children between 1989 and 2008 and was sentenced by a military judge to eight years in prison. (Kelly Morris/U.S. Army) This story has been corrected A former Army master sergeant who had spent the past 17 years in retirement will instead be spending time behind bars for raping three children over a span of nearly two decades. William Brassfield, 63, was recalled to active duty to face a general court-martial at Fort Novosel, Ala., and pleaded guilty May 30 to three counts of rape, the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel said Wednesday. A military judge sentenced him to eight years in prison. In addition, he was reduced in rank to private, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the special trial counsel. Brassfield was a chief instructor at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas, when he retired in 2008, according to the statement. The period of Brassfields crimes stretched from 1989 to 2008, the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel said. His first victim was an 11-year-old girl in Alabama, whom he raped over several months in 1989, prosecutors said. He committed the same crime against a 14-year-old girl in Tennessee between 1989 and 1990, then raped a 6-year-old girl in Texas from 2007 to 2008, according to the statement. All three victims, who are now adults, testified during Brassfields trial. This conviction is the result of strength and courage of the women who survived the accuseds abuse and were willing to come forward and share the worst moments of their lives, prosecutor Maj. Morghan Beaudoin said in the statement. The youngest victim reported the abuse during a call to a suicide hotline. That prompted the Armys Criminal Investigation Division to open a case, which brought the additional crimes to light, the statement said. Prosecutors were limited in the charges they could bring against Brassfield because of the statute of limitations, jurisdictional issues and other factors, according to the statement. Retired members of the armed forces remain subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. If a serious crime occurred while a person was on active duty, the military may retain jurisdiction, even years later. To try them in a court-martial, the military often needs to recall them to active duty. Brassfield was administratively assigned to the 1st Aviation Brigade at Fort Novosel for his trial. Upon release, Brassfield will be required to register as a sex offender. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth answered questions on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at a Senate Committee on Appropriations hearing about National Guard troops deployed in Los Angeles to help quell immigration protests. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes) WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said the National Guard could be deployed to immigration protests beyond Los Angeles and suggested the role of troops in immigration enforcement could expand despite concerns from lawmakers about legality. Hegseth maintained the call-up of 4,000 National Guard members and 700 active-duty Marines was lawful and constitutional and said the same legal authorities that the Pentagon used to mobilize the National Guard in California over the objections of its governor could be employed in other cities. If there are other riots in places where law enforcement officers are threatened, we would have the capability to surge National Guard there if necessary, he said in testimony to the Senate Appropriation Committees defense subpanel. Hegseth did not answer when asked whether he would approve a request from the Department of Homeland Security this week to provide military drone surveillance to the agency and authorize military forces to detain or arrest American citizens protesting immigration raids. We very much support President Donald Trumps focus on defending the homeland, on our southern border, as well as supporting law enforcement officials doing their jobs, he said. So, the answer is yes, said Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a member of the subpanel who is also the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Hegseths testimony before the subpanel was his second appearance on Capitol Hill this week and came as protests that started in Los Angeles against the Trump administrations immigration crackdown spread across the country. U.S. Northern Command confirmed Tuesday that service members have started accompanying federal agents as they conduct immigration raids and arrests in Los Angeles, a move that California has called unlawful. Service members are protecting federal assets and personnel while they perform their federal functions, the command said in a statement. Military service members will not directly participate in law enforcement activities. A federal judge in California has set a hearing for Thursday to hear Californias request to limit Marines and National Guard troops to guarding federal buildings. Reed pointed out to Hegseth on Wednesday that maintaining law and order is a civil function under the Constitution. Hegseth countered there is plenty of precedent for U.S. military support. In an exchange with Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Hegseth also refused to answer whether it was appropriate for the Pentagon to deploy the National Guard to Washington, D.C., in response to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Hegseth only said it was the right decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles and criticized former President Joe Bidens administration for revoking his assignment to protect Bidens inauguration when Hegseth was a member of the District of Columbia National Guard. Murphy said Hegseths responses appeared to confirm concerns from many Americans that the Trump administration is not willing to defend against attacks made on our democracy by supporters of the president but is willing to deploy the National Guard against protesters criticizing the president. Thats not how our taxpayer dollars are supposed to work, he said. Theyre supposed to be used to defend the United States, no matter the nature of the political affiliation of the protesters. Texas National Guard troops participate in state operations in March 2024. (Photo provided by Texas Military Department) This story has been corrected AUSTIN, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the Texas National Guard to prepare to manage any lawlessness that could arise Saturday during protests planned in cities throughout the state. Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace & order, Abbott said Tuesday evening. Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. His office declined to confirm how many troops were called up for the weekend or where they will go, but a national movement known as No Kings has dozens of cities listed as hosting protests across the state. Texas National Guard soldiers are on standby in areas where mass demonstrations are planned in case they are needed, said Andrew Mahaleris, spokesman for the governor. Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles. Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be swiftly held accountable to the full extent of the law. President Donald Trump ordered 2,000 California National Guard troops to L.A. late Saturday against the wishes of state and city officials. Trump then ordered 2,000 more Guard members Monday as well as 700 active-duty Marines. Those troops are now protecting federal agents as they conduct immigration-related arrests. About 500 of the Guard troops deployed to the L.A. protests have been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations. Others are protecting federal buildings and personnel located near protests. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has said there has been little cooperation between the military troops and the city throughout the situation. Two Texas cities Austin and San Antonio have confirmed troops are expected to be there and described a similar lack of coordination. The San Antonio Police Department said the police chief had to call the Texas National Guard to confirm troops would be there. We dont have additional details about their deployment, the department said in a statement. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said the troops will assist state police, if deemed necessary. The City of Austin will continue to protect the right of people to peacefully assemble. We will continue to recognize the humanity and value of our immigrant community, he said in a statement. However, destructive actions or efforts to hurt police is wrong. You are damaging your city. Austin has already experienced immigration protests this week, where four officers with the local police department were injured three from being hit with rocks. Eight people were arrested, according to police. I think the most serious part for me was that it made me out to be racist. One person said that when we were up in the A&E that I said: Youre not Irish, youre black. A tribunal has upheld the sacking of a hospital catering supervisor who denied telling a subordinate youre not Irish, youre black and claimed the worker made it up. Annette Ryan was dismissed from her part-time job as shift supervisor on an evening catering team at Waterford Hospital in September 2023 following bullying, harassment and racial abuse complaints from four of her subordinates. She wholly denied all of the allegations made against her, including complaints that she decided to change one workers name to Tom because she didnt speak his lingo, and that she insulted another worker with references to their fat ass. In a decision published today, a Workplace Relations Commission adjudicator concluded Ms Ryans ex-employer, Campbell Catering Ltd, trading as Aramark, came to credible and reasonable conclusions in a disciplinary process, and found that her sacking was fair in the circumstances. At an online WRC hearing in March this year, Brian Joyce of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC), appearing for Aramark, said Ms Ryans manager, Marcin Skrzypczak was approached by a worker in July 2023 who complained of bullying and discrimination. Three more workers also came forward with complaints, and Ms Ryan was suspended pending an investigation, the tribunal was told. Workplace Relations Commission. News in 90 Seconds - June 11th Questioning Ms Ryan at an online hearing in March this year, WRC adjudicator Gaye Cunningham said: There were a number of serious allegations made against you. Is it your case that you just said this didnt happen? Did you think they all made it up, or what? I think the most serious part for me was that it made me out to be racist. One person said that when we were up in the A&E that I said: Youre not Irish, youre black, or something like that. That wasnt the case at all, Im not a bit like that, thats what I said to them, Ms Ryan said. You think he made that up, is it? Ms Cunningham asked. The person who said it, made it up? Of course he did, Ms Ryan said. These were addressed with the complainant at an investigation meeting in August 2023, the WRC decision recorded. Ms Ryan was dismissed the following month. "How can I be racist? Ive worked with these people for 13 years," she told the WRC earlier this year. Her evidence was that she had worked with people from Nigeria, China, everywhere at Waterford Hospital and was not a bit like that. Her manager, Mr Skrzypczak, told the tribunal: I didnt feed anyone [anything] to go forward. People started coming to me, and as a site manager, I am responsible to act, he added. Company disciplinary officer, Vladislava Tsapova, told the hearing she considered the workers complaints against Ms Ryan genuine. They were people who were genuinely afraid of a person who was in a supervisory position, she said, adding that Ms Ryan offered neither any explanation for her behaviour nor any mitigating factors. Brian Joyce of IBEC, who appeared for Aramark, submitted: The complainant was afforded a fair and impartial determination of the issues. Any allegation the process was flawed is denied. Ms Cunningham noted Ms Ryans denial of the allegations at all stages and her stated belief that she was set up -- but concluded the employer had come to credible and reasonable conclusions in the disciplinary process. Had [Ms Ryan] accepted or shown some acknowledgement or remorse the penalty may have been less harsh, she wrote. The dismissal of the complainant indicates that racial abuse and bullying in the workplace will not be tolerated by any reasonable employer, she added. The adjudicator dismissed Ms Ryans complaint and ruled her sacking fair in the circumstances. In evidence to the WRC in March, Aramark regional manager, Stephen Power, said he decided Ms Ryan had a case to answer when he met her on August 17 for an investigation meeting, he said. Ms Ryan offered no explanations when he presented her with the statements and responded with denials, he added. Ms Tsapova said she chaired the disciplinary meeting with Ms Ryan on August 30, 2023. She said Ms Ryan offered neither any mitigating factors nor any explanations when the investigation findings were put to her. She decided on the balance of probabilities that Ms Ryan had committed gross misconduct, with immediate dismissal given as a sanction on September 15, 2023, the WRC heard. The tribunal was told the sanction was upheld on appeal by a senior manager. TOKYO - A former Mongolian president known for abolishing his country's death penalty urged Japanese lawmakers in a recent interview to take the same step despite the public's continued support for executions. "If you are a good politician, (and) if there are some bad practices, you have to go ahead and change public opinion," said Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, who led the move to terminate capital punishment in Mongolia in 2017 after taking the post in 2009. In Japan, 83.1 percent of people support the death penalty, saying the existence of the system is "unavoidable," according to a government survey conducted last year. Elbegdorj suggested that to gain public understanding, the Japanese government should disclose more information about the death penalty to facilitate an "open debate" about it. The country has often been criticized for withholding details, including the criteria for its application and how it is decided when death row inmates will be executed. The former leader said he had been "surprised" at the secrecy still surrounding the death penalty in Japan, which he compared to the situation he had found in Mongolia. When he became president, he decided he needed to stop "this madness," he said. He described the death penalty as going against the spirit of democracy which respects human rights and the sanctity of life. He also noted that there is always the danger of taking the lives of people wrongly convicted. "I think the death penalty is one issue where you have to exercise leadership," he told Kyodo News on May 20. "When people get more knowledge, more understanding, they usually appreciate (arguments for its abolition) after that." While some argue capital punishment has a deterrent effect, it was not the case in Mongolia, Elbegdorj said, noting a decrease in violent crimes after the punishment was abolished. He noted that perpetrators might have sought to kill witnesses to avoid facing the death penalty. Japan has not executed anyone since July 2022, possibly affected by the retrial and acquittal of Iwao Hakamata, an aging former inmate accused of a 1966 quadruple murder. It is a pause of rare length in recent years. As of the end of 2024, 145 countries had abolished the death penalty in law or practice, according to human rights organization Amnesty International. Regarding capital punishment, Japan is in "the same group" as North Korea, China and Iran, Elbegdorj said, adding that Japan will have a "better" relationship with Mongolia if it abandons the death penalty. Calling his achievement of ending the practice his "legacy," Elbegdorji said, "Today, Japanese members of parliament, the prime minister, the justice minister can have that legacy." Related coverage: FEATURE: Steady-handed prison guard remembers faces of condemned Over 80% support death penalty in Japan: gov't survey FOCUS: Japan makes major step toward revising controversial retrial system The youth cannot be named because he is a minor A judge has ordered the arrest of a 17-year-old boy who failed to answer bail over a machete, hammer and ammonia attack on a man who had two fingers "amputated" in Dublin last month. The youth, who cannot be named because he is a minor, is accused of assault causing harm to a man, aged 29, and burglary in Clondalkin, Dublin, on May 9. He was granted bail with strict conditions on May 12 the Dublin Children's Court but following four-week adjournment he did not return for his next scheduled hearing. The case had been listed directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions to be outlined. Noting the youth had not turned up, Judge Brendan Toale issued a bench warrant for his arrest. At his bail hearing last month, Garda Charles McPartland submitted that this case was on the more serious end of the scale for these offences and undoubtedly would proceed on indictment to the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers. He alleged that on May 9, the injured party was pursued by multiple armed males through the Bawnogue area of Clondalkin. He attempted to flee from them on foot until he ran into an independent third-party member of the public's home at Kilcronan View. The court heard that while running into the house, the injured man told the owner to ring gardai and an ambulance, before he was followed into the property by three or four males. A 999 call from a witness alerted gardai, who also received a second call believed to have been from the victim who seemed to be hyperventilating, the court heard. Garda McPartland said the house owner reported hearing the man inside shouting "leave me alone, leave me alone". Objecting to bail, the investigating officer cited the seriousness of the case and the strength of evidence, which was said to have included CCTV footage from the area where the teen and others were looking for the man. Members of the group were alleged to have been carrying a machete or a claw hammer. The contested bail hearing was told that when the man fled into the house, he went into a child's upstairs bedroom where he was "violently assaulted, sustaining life-altering injuries". Judge Toale heard the injured party sustained two fingers, with his thumb and index finger on his left being cut off; his left middle finger was cut to the bone and "hanging on by skin only". It was alleged he suffered a severe laceration to the back of his head, three more to his left leg and another three cuts to his left arm. The garda revealed that the injured party also had an acidic liquid, suspected to be ammonia, thrown over him during the assault. He was taken to hospital for immediate medical intervention, including surgery to attempt to re-attach his amputated fingers, which was unsuccessful. An examination of the scene showed blood in the child's room where the man had fled. The door handle on the inside had "snapped", and the outside handle was "bent out of shape", which Garda McPartland asserted was due to the force used to open the door. Stock photo: Getty News in 90 Seconds - June 11th An off-duty nurse who tried to assist the injured man afterwards also needed to go to hospital due to inhalation of airborne ammonia, the court was told. Questioned by defence barrister, Doireann McDonagh, instructed by solicitor Simon Fleming, Garda McPartland said three people had weapons, but the machete caused the injuries described. It was not alleged that the teenager had the machete. Judge Toale noted from the barrister's submission that the youth could face a lengthy period in custody and away from his family, awaiting trial. At the bail hearing his father told the judge he wanted his son to get back into education to complete the Leaving Certificate. Counsel submitted that the teen would obey conditions and that there was no evidence he would be involved in witness intimidation. The judge set bail and ordered him to have no contact with witnesses, to obey an 11 pm 6 am curfew at his home, stay out of the housing estate where the incident occurred, and attend a youth service or education. The youth was warned that breaking the terms would result in custody. Two men have also been charged and face separate proceedings on connected charges. At a previous hearing of the inquest, the coroner confirmed that the results of a postmortem showed that Dylan Coady-Coleman had died as a result of catastrophic head injuries. The family of a young Clare schoolboy who was fatally injured in a road traffic collision near his home last year has sought a review of a decision by the DPP that no prosecution should arise out of the circumstances of his death. Dylan Coady-Coleman (10) of Corrib Drive, Shannon, Co Clare was rushed by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick after being struck by a van near his home at Purcell Park, Shannon shortly after 2pm on February 25, 2024. The 4th class pupil from St Tolas National School in Shannon was subsequently transferred to Childrens Health Ireland at Temple Street in Dublin where he died three days later. A sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court on Wednesday heard that the young boys family has sought a review of a decision by the DPP that no criminal prosecution was warranted in relation to the fatal incident. Dylan Coady Coleman (10) News in 90 Seconds - June 11th Detective Inspector Ken Hoare applied for a three-month adjournment of the inquest into Dylans death. Det Insp Hoare explained that gardai were awaiting the outcome of a review of the DPPs decision on the Garda file on the case which had been requested by the deceaseds family. A male in his 20s was arrested as part of the Garda investigation into the death of the schoolboy but he was later released without charge. The coroner, Aisling Gannon, granted the application and adjourned the hearing for further mention to September 10 next for an update on the outcome of the review. Dylan Coady Coleman The brief hearing was attended remotely by Dylans parents, Garry Coleman and Laura Coady, as well as their solicitor, Caitriona Carmody. Ms Gannon observed that it would not be appropriate to proceed with the inquest pending the outcome of the review of the DPPs direction in the case. At a previous hearing of the inquest last December, the coroner confirmed that the results of a postmortem showed that Dylan had died as a result of catastrophic head injuries arising from a road traffic collision. Dylans father also revealed that he and his partner had made the decision to donate their sons organs for transplant after being informed by hospital staff that there was nothing more that could be done to save his life. The death of the schoolboy was considered particularly tragic as Ms Coady gave birth to a baby boy in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin on the day before her other son died. The infant who was brought to Dylans bedside before he passed away, was christened Shane Dylan, in honour of his late brother. The couple have one other child a daughter, Zoe. Property jointly registered in killer and victims names Locals in Youghal, Co Cork fear no 3 Grattan Street, the house where Richard Satchwell kept his wifes body buried beneath the stairs for six and a half years, will become a macabre tourist destination for true crime fans. Property records obtained by the Sunday World show Richard Satchwell and murdered Tina were jointly registered as full owners of the property on July 21st, 2016. There have been no changes of ownership recorded on the deeds since. This means despite his status as a convicted killer Satchwell will retain his 50 percent interest in the property. Richard Satchwell with his wife Tina However, under Irish law a person is not entitled to benefit financially from a crime, meaning the remaining 50 per cent will go to Tinas estate. In recent weeks, a make-shift memorial with a plaque saying Not a Day goes by that you are not missed could be seen on the front window of the property. One local man told the Sunday World: People in the town would be happy if someone would come in and tear it down. But the way the Irish courts work, it will probably end up derelict there for years before it can be sold. And you can imagine the weirdos that will be down here gawking at it and trying to get inside it. Im not saying we dont want tourists but theres some kind youre better off without. New photos of the house where Tina Satchwell's body was found A neighbour who spoke with the Sunday World as the jury were still out in Satchwells trial, said although the case was shocking, he had never encountered Richard Satchwells darker side. He didnt say much and seemed a bit withdrawn, he said. We only moved in after his wife disappeared and youd see him walking past the house on the street. Tina Satchwell's home where her remains were found He always had his head down like a man who knew everyone in the town thought hed killed his wife. But until they found the body, nobody knew that for sure. A man working in a yard at the rear of Grattan Street said his daughters father-in-law worked in the same company as Satchwell. After the wife disappeared, he put up a front. Richard Satchwell murdered his wife Hed try and sit with other drivers for a coffee as if nothing was wrong. But no-one trusted him. The man also said he regarded Satchwells decision to conceal his wife under the stairs as an act of pure stupidity. He had a truck he drives all over the country and he had the sea on his doorstep, he said. Hed six-and-half years to put the poor woman somewhere and if he had he would never have been caught. He could be living it up in South America now instead of being in a prison cell. What kind of a man lives in a house for that length of time with a dead body? No 3 Grattan Street News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday June 10 Mr OMara was today appearing in court via video-link from a booth at Limerick prison A former Ryanair pilot who is charged in connection with the possession of more than 10m worth of drugs has an application for bail pending before the High Court, a court has heard. At Ennis District Court today, Brendan OMara (62) of An Tulach, Summerhill, Meelick, Co Clare, was making his fourth court appearance concerning the Garda seizure of an estimated 10m in cannabis at Mr Maras south east Clare home on May 7th. Mr OMara was today appearing in court via video-link from a booth at Limerick prison after a judge refused Mr OMara bail at a special sitting of Ennis District Court on May 10th following Garda objections. From his prison booth today, Mr OMara said I can, yes when asked if he could see and hear the court and confirmed his name as Brendan OMara. Judge Gabbett asked if there was any news on DPP directions and Sgt Frank OGrady said that DPP directions are still outstanding. Solicitor for Mr OMara, Ted McCarthy said: There is a bail application pending before the High Court and I am hoping that will be resolved shortly. Mr McCarthy asked that the case be adjourned for two weeks and Judge Gabbett said that if Mr OMara does secure High Court bail in the meantime he must turn up to court in person on June 25th. At the end of the brief hearing, Mr OMara said: Thank you, bye, bye. Mr OMara faces two charges - possessing cannabis for sale or supply, and possessing cannabis, on May 7th. At the contested bail hearing on May 10th, Gardai told the court Mr OMara made no reply to the charges after caution, and that further, and more serious charges may be brought against him in respect of the case where Gardai seized an estimated 502 kg in cannabis. Sergeant Rob Sheehy of the Limerick Divisional Drugs Unit, said he was objecting to bail because of the strength and nature of the evidence as well as the high value of the drugs. Brendan OMara. Photo: Eamon Ward News in 90 Seconds - June 11th He told the court that the Garda investigation was in its infancy, but he said gardai believed that it stretches to a number of countries and there are a number of persons that need to be established. He claimed Mr OMara was also a flight risk, due to his aeronautical knowledge, that he has a number of pilots licenses, and has links to the USA. Applying for bail on May 10th, solicitor Tara Godfrey, said the accused has three pilots licences including a helicopter licence, a UK pilot licence and a EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) licence, and he would hand over his licences to the State and not leave the country. His Ryanair crew card is being returned to his former employers, Ms Godfrey said. Ms Godfrey said a sister of Mr OMara was in the court and had pledged to act as an independent bail surety for the accused for up to 177,000. Appealing for the court not to hold the accused in custody Ms Godfrey said Mr OMara has offered up all the means he could to leave this country and has significant ties here. She said: He enjoys the presumption of innocence. Judge Gabbett remanded Mr O'Mara in custody to re-appear at Ennis District Court on June 25th. Judge Garbett added that the 16-year-old needs to go to school and get straightened out and the best place for him at the moment is a detention centre". A judge has ordered the detention of a 16-year-old innocent looking Co Clare boy after stating that a teenage co-accused is lucky to be alive after rolling a car at a speed of 180km/h on the motorway - allegedly. At the Childrens Court in Ennis today, Judge Alec Gabbett remanded the teenage boy to the Oberstown Children Detention Campus at Lusk in Co Dublin after commenting I am very frightened for his life such is the concern I have for him. Judge Gabbett said that the 16-year old is accused of "significant offending" before the court and that he has remanded him on bail on a daily basis since last Friday. He added that the boy obtained bail after agreeing to very serious bail conditions. Stock image. Photo: Rui Vieira/PA News in 90 Seconds - June 11th The judge said that the boy has wholeheartedly breached the bail conditions where there have been nine breaches of curfew since April 23rd and 18 days of no sign at his Garda Station. He said that of more concern is that the boy had contact on three occasions with his 18-year-old co-accused in the case which was another breach of bail. Judge Gabbett said that the co-accused is now in custody and is lucky to be alive today as he rolled a car at 180kmph on the motorway - allegedly. He added that the 16-year-old needs to go to school and get straightened out and the best place for him at the moment is a detention centre". Judge Gabbett said: This case is on roller skates now and it is moving. Solicitor, Tara Godfrey, for the teenager - accompanied to court by his mother - asked Judge Gabbett not to revoke bail. She said that her client is to contest the charges and she said that it is her belief that the State cannot succeed in the case. The teenager is charged with on December 25th 2024 of trespassing on Jamies Butcher, Main Street, Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare to attempt to commit theft contrary to the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001. In the second burglary charge, the boy is also charged on the same day of trespassing at Blush Beauty Salon, Main Street, Sixmilebridge and attempting to commit theft. In a previous appearance at the Childrens Court in Ennis, the 16-year-old accused told Judge Gabbett: I was brought into the Garda Station and questioned for hours and hours and hours. They dont have one bit of proof against anything at all - they are just trying to pin these on me when it is not me. Judge Gabbett remanded the teenager in detention to Oberstown to appear before Ennis District Court on June 18th. Mother of tragic 14-weeks-old tot starts petition to keep serious risk UVF ex-partner in jail Ryan Leslie is set for release after 14 years despite being told when he was sentenced that he must serve 17 years for the murder of his 14-week-old son Cameron The mum of a baby murdered by his UVF thug father has teamed up with the family of another murder victim as both families campaign to keep the killers in jail. Sheree Black is campaigning to keep Ryan Leslie behind bars after she was contacted by the authorities telling her he could be set free on a pre-release scheme at any moment. Leslie, from Newtownabbey, was found guilty in 2011 of killing and causing grievous bodily harm to their son Cameron. Little Cameron who should have turned 17 last Friday was just 14 weeks old when he died in hospital. He had suffered severe injuries to several parts of his body after being left in his fathers care. Tragic Cameron Up until his arrest in September 2008, the evil child killer who murdered and brutalised his toddler son, breaking 14 of his ribs, was a vicious UVF commander who dished out horrific punishment beatings. Leslie, whos 40 years old now, was handed a life sentence and told he must serve a minimum of 17 years without parole but despite serving just 14 years so far, he is already being released under a pre-release scheme aimed at preparing life sentence inmates for the outside world. Now Sheree says she has been contacted by the family of Nichola Dickson who was murdered by sadistic killer David McCord, who has been recalled from a pre-release programme several times but who is also now too due to be released yet again. Sheree Black Last month we revealed how Nicholas brother Gareth Smyth had concerns about an upcoming parole commissioners hearing and how his family, as victims, believed they were being treated less fairly than the killer. Sheree told the Sunday World: Gareth Smyth contacted me to offer his support after reading about my story. His family has been having similar issues with the Parole Commissioners and Probation Board and he reached out to see if it might be possible to get the message out there that there are others in the same boat as them, said Sheree, who moved to live in Ibiza to escape the awful memories and what she perceived as the stigma of being that mum whos baby was murdered. At Leslies trial at Belfast Crown Court in 2011, Judge Mr Justice Ben Stephens jailed him for 17 years without parole, branding him a dishonest and deeply manipulative individual. The judge said he had told preposterous and farcical lies to avoid being caught for his crime, which he continued to deny. You delayed seeking medical assistance, knowing that once you did so your brutality to Cameron could well be discovered, the judge said. Not only did you inflict horrific and fatal injuries on your son, but you failed to obtain the medical treatment that you knew he so desperately needed. Even when your son looked dead at 5am you were unmoved. Sentencing Leslie, the judge was categoric in his comments that the minimum term of imprisonment that you will be required to serve before the release provisions will apply to your case is one of 17 years. Sheree has been a vocal campaigner on social media as she campaigns to keep Leslie behind bars. You see what the judge said so why are they coming to me and telling me he could be released any month now after just 14 years? says Sheree. David McCord killed Nichola Dickson in 2003 when she told him she was returning to her husband I told the Probation Board about his past they said they didnt have that intelligence I told them they have it now, that the newspapers wrote about him being a senior paramilitary figure back at the time. This is a man who was given bail while awaiting trial for killing his own son and while he was out on bail and living in Liverpool he broke into a Post Office and robbed it! Sheree has also revealed to the Sunday World that she has demanded a written apology from the Probation Board after they not only withheld for eight years that Leslie had confessed to the murder in jail, but when they did finally tell her they did so in a WhatsApp call out of the blue. When I heard he could be released earlier this year I made a video on social media and did an interview with the BBC saying he shouldnt be released because he showed no remorse and never admitted to his guilt, she says. Then I get a call on WhatsApp from the Probation Board telling me Ryan did confess to the murder to them in jail in 2017 but he didnt want me to know and they had no rights to tell me! They only told me recently because he obviously saw the BBC news piece and he contacted them and told them they could tell me about the confession. On that WhatsApp call which is no way something like that should be delivered the caller told me they believed he was genuine. I said then Ryan should put that in writing but he has refused to do that. He has only verbally acknowledged what he has done but wont tell them how he did it or why he did it. Hes very manipulative and hes using this as a way to get released and to control me. If hes genuinely admitting to what he has done he should be shouting it from the rooftops. Probation told me he wont put it in writing as hes worried Ill put it up on social media which if hes genuine he should want the forgiveness and be prepared to put it out there. They seem to be obsessed with my social media and how it could affect Ryan Leslie. Its a joke. When I submitted my victim impact report recently he is allowed to read that but I dont have the rights to know how he responded. Its the same as the family of Nichola Dickson us victims seem to have far less rights than the killers do. They get better looked after than us. David McCord The Probation Board told the Sunday World they cant discuss the details of ongoing complaints. Gareth Smyth has been in a similar position with the authorities and how they have treated his family as they await once again news that David McCord is going to be set free. The 55-year-old murderer has been released at least half a dozen times before but has been returned to jail every time for breaching his licence for a serious rule breaks including assaulting other women, starting relationships with women, taking drugs and even having sex with the daughter of a prison officer. The family of Nichola Dickson, who was just 26 when McCord killed her in jealous rage in 2003 because she told him she was going back to her husband, have been let down repeatedly by the justice system ever since he was sentenced to a minimum of just 11 years of a life sentence. Last August the family had to deal with the stress of knowing McCord had once again been released despite them being told he posed a serious risk to the public just six weeks before prison chiefs set him loose. That stress was compounded by the fact the creepy killer who has shown no remorse at all went on the run and sparked a national manhunt. Ryan Leslie is set for release after 14 years despite being told when he was sentenced that he must serve 17 years for the murder of his 14-week-old son Cameron News in 90 Seconds - June 11th My mum follows Sheree on TikTok but we didnt know her, says Gareth. A mutual friend sent me her story and I sent her a message just to let her know she wasnt alone and we were in the same boat. I thought maybe there could be strength in numbers and we would like to hear from anyone whos going through the same kind of issues we are. We asked the Parole Commissioners to comment on Ryan Leslies case specifically why he was being set for release having served just 14 years but they declined. They said: The Parole Commissioners Rules (Northern Ireland) 2009 clearly state that information about parole proceedings shall not be made public and for that reason we are unable to comment on individual cases. Sheree has been running a petition to get Leslie kept in jail and has already got over 15,000 signatures. You can sign the petition by following this link https://chng.it/LxQNwNqRJj At one point during the journey, the injured party felt something wet on the back of her leg but didn't have enough room to check what it actually was "My life has changed completely since that day. I feel disgusted and utterly violated," were the words of a woman traumatised after a man stood behind her on a crowded Luas tram and soiled her dress with his semen. Security guard Abdiweli Ali, 24, was jailed for eight months for the broad daylight sexual assault on June 10 last year. Dublin District Court heard it happened as the woman and her friend travelled in broad daylight to the Three Arena for a Smashing Pumpkins concert. Describing it as an "appalling offence", Judge Grainne Malone stated she had to ensure women could travel safely on public transport without being violated in this way, and there had to be a deterrent. Ali, from Somalia, came to Ireland in 2020, claiming he fled from terrorist groups. He denied the allegation for a year and changed his plea shortly before his trial was due to start. Garda Colm Maguire played CCTV footage and described how Ali and the victim, in her late twenties, boarded the tram at the Bus Aras Luas stop at 7.20 pm. It was jam-packed, and Ali stood behind her for the eight-minute trip. Abdiweli Ali. News in 90 Seconds - June 11th "At one point during the journey, the injured party felt something wet on the back of her leg but didn't have enough room to check what it actually was while on the Luas." "On arrival at The Point Luas stop with her friend, she check her skirt and found what she suspected to be semen on her skirt." Ali also got off and ran to a taxi to take him to work. She reported it to gardai on beat in the area, and her skirt was later sent for forensic examination, confirming her suspicion. A large amount of CCTV was gathered during the investigation, and the accused was the only male identified as a suspect. Garda Maguire spotted Ali on June 27 at O'Connell Street and recognised him from the video footage, wearing the same clothes. He was arrested and questioned but made no admissions, insisting it was not him on the CCTV of the Luas. However, a DNA sample from Ali matched the sample from the skirt. Garda Maguire said it was "a thousand million times more likely that it came from the accused than any other person". The Luas in Dublin. Photo: Getty Pictures of the stained skirt were handed into court. The garda agreed with defence counsel Rory Mulvaney that it was an isolated incident. The court heard Ali had no prior convictions but had been given a strike-out for obstruction of a garda after donating money to charity last year. Prosecutor Derek Mangan outlined how the State had been ready to bring 10 witnesses to testify after Ali maintained his denials for a year. He also said the victim wished to address the court. In a powerful impact statement, she said, "My life has changed completely since that day. I feel disgusted and utterly violated." She recalled how he was heading to the concert with her friend. "We were not talking to men or wearing anything provocative. I was just going on the Luas with my friend, as I have on many different occasions. "I thought I had no reason to doubt my safety as I was in a public space on a busy Luas in broad daylight. Now, I can't make any plans without having to consider the safety of every part of the plan." "Any sense of safety I had has been taken away," she said, adding that she has been attending counselling costing 80 per session. She opened up about how preparing for the trial and the possibility of giving evidence left her "re-traumatised again and again over the last year, replaying the assault and preparing to be questioned." "As a woman, I have always been wary of drunk men, rowdy men and creepy men. Now I am wary of every man and even every person. Any sense of safety I had has been taken away. Every part of my life is different now." All her decisions are now influenced by her encounter on the Luas, which led her to change her habits. "I can't stand at a traffic light with someone waiting behind me without having to move because it makes me feel so anxious." "When I'm in a crowded room, I need to have my back to the wall if I'm standing, and if I'm sitting down, I feel the need to have my chair facing the room so that no one can pass behind me." It also significantly affected her professional and personal life. The court heard she had taken numerous weeks off work due to anxiety and stress. She avoids public transport, does not walk to work anymore, relies on taxis or lifts, and often questions her clothing choices, terrified she might attract "unwanted attention." "I have been forever changed by this assault," she stated but concluded her statement by expressing hope that someday she could go about her daily life without overwhelming anxiety. Mr Mulvany told the judge that his client, who did not address the court and could not explain his actions, was ashamed and recognised the distress caused. Ali offered an "unreserved apology" through the barrister. The court heard Ali claimed he came to Ireland five years ago to avoid "various terrorist gangs trying to recruit young people into their organisations." He was allowed to stay, trained and obtained a security guard's license. Ali worked in that role for two years and was posted at an IPAS centre until this allegation came to light. Sentencing, Judge Malone said jurisdiction had been accepted earlier by another judge for the case to remain in the District Court, which could impose a maximum of one year's imprisonment. Taking into account the guilty plea, she suspended the final two months on condition Ali did not reoffend for two years. She praised the victim for coming forward, which will protect others from Ali, and she commended the Garda investigation. Residents raised the alarm after seeing Petru Pauleti (34) crouching down and looking in windows early in the morning A trespasser caught peering in windows at a south Dublin apartment complex left two women terrified and shattered their sense of safety in their home, a court has heard. Residents of a gated community in an affluent neighbourhood raised the alarm after seeing Petru Pauleti (34) crouching down and looking in kitchen and bedroom windows early in the morning. He had denied trespassing, his defence maintaining he was there to meet someone and that there was no proof he did not have permission. Judge John Hughes found him guilty, gave him a nine-month suspended sentence and ordered him to pay a combined 4,000 to four prosecution witnesses. Petru Pauleti, charged with trespassing. Photo: Paddy Cummins News in 90 Seconds - June 11th Pauleti, a construction worker of Clonliffe Road, Dublin 1, had pleaded not guilty to trespassing in a manner likely to cause fear. Dublin District Court heard the complaint was made by two women sharing a ground-floor apartment in Ballsbridge Wood, Shelbourne Road, Dublin 4, on May 15, 2018. The day before, one, a teacher, was in the kitchen at around 6am when she looked out the window and saw a man bending down and peering into a neighbours apartment. As he walked past, he stopped and was peering into our kitchen window, she said. She called her flatmate, who saw the man looking into other windows. The flatmates boyfriend was there and saw the trespasser walking off around the block. The women were in a state of panic and the boyfriend set up a makeshift CCTV camera in the kitchen the next morning. The trespasser returned at around the same time and was recorded crouching down and looking in the bedroom window of another apartment. A neighbour followed the man out, was concerned at his behaviour and noted his car registration. The boyfriend later saw the man in a hospital and when questioned by gardai, Pauleti said he had been at the apartment complex to meet a woman but could not provide her contact details. The accuseds lawyer argued Pauleti made no attempt to hide and gardai did not do due diligence to verify the reason he gave for being there. The victims said they were terrified after the incident and did not feel safe. Judge Hughes said the incident had caused significant fear to the victims. Follow our blog for the latest updates Riot police have been deployed to the area (Photo: Kevin Scott) Crowds took two the streets of Ballymena on Monday and Tuesday evenings Police deal with a second night of disorder in Ballymena on June 10th 2025 (Photo by Kevin Scott) A burnt out car in front of houses which were attacked din the Larne Street area of the town. Photo by Jonathan Porter/Press Ey Police deal with a second night of disorder in Ballymena on June 10th 2025 (Photo by Kevin Scott) Police respond to a second night of violence in Ballymena. Niall Carson/PA Wire Masked youths have attacked Larne Leisure Centre by smashing windows and setting fires in a third day of disorder. Social media posts have suggested that those moved out of Ballymena homes were being housed there earlier today. It is understood there is currently nobody inside the Leisure Centre. It comes as protestors have gathered in towns across Northern Ireland with some being peaceful, while others have turned violent. Today's News in 90 Seconds - June 12th The initial rioting ignited in Ballymena with the PSNI saying it is not clear if paramilitaries are coordinating violence in the Co Antrim town. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, speaking during a press conference today, said: "At this point it's not clear to us or through intelligence or what we're hearing if there's paramilitary coordination to it." Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn is planning to visit Ballymena, it has been announced. Lady Anderson, speaking in the House of Lords today, said the Cabinet minister was having "active conversations" with both the Stormont administration and the PSNI. The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also condemned mindless attacks during the outbreak of violence in Ballymena and other parts of Northern Ireland. Seven people have been arrested and 33 PSNI officers were injured over two nights of what the PSNI Chief Constable has described as mindless violence. Follow our live blog for the latest updates: According to sources, Irvine also planned to attend a gathering of UVF volunteers who met in secret at a Shankill Road social club to discuss his future. The Shankill road Belfast, where the UVF held a meeting this week to expel former commander Winston 'Winkie 'Irvine Jailed UVF boss Winston Winkie Irvine spent just 14 days behind bars before asking to get back out again, the Sunday World has learned. The 49-year-old loyalist jailed for 15 months for having a weapons haul in the boot of his car applied to be released on Wednesday. Irvine begged the authorities at HMP Maghaberry to free him on compassionate grounds, so he could join relatives at the funeral of Shankill Road man Jim Braiden, who was cremated at Roselawn last Friday. His request was turned down, with Irvine angrily protesting he would to take the matter to court for judicial review. According to sources, Irvine also planned to attend a gathering of UVF volunteers who met in secret at a Shankill Road social club to discuss his future. Winston 'Winkie' Irvine outside court during his trial News in 90 Seconds - June 11th Last Saturday, a top loyalist source told the Sunday World: If this had happened, it would have been like Winkie attending his own wake. There was only ever going to be one outcome from this meeting and that was Winkie Irvine being expelled from the UVF. And the source added: We all know Winkie has a brass neck. But, realistically, these were the actions of a desperate man clutching at straws. It is understood that amongst a litany of charges laid against Irvine at last Wednesdays meeting, was an allegation that during a search of his large detached home on the Ballysillan Road in north Belfast, police discovered sophisticated covert recording equipment. Representatives from the UVFs A, B, C and D Coys attended the meeting, which lasted around two hours. Veteran UVF boss John Bunter Graham was present, according to sources, but significantly his deputy Harry Stockman the man once tipped to take over the leadership reins did not attend. Police sources say Winkie Irvines UVF unit was suspected of being behind a hoax UVF bomb incident at the Houben Centre in Ardoyne on March 25, 2022. Winston Irvine Former Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney was addressing a meeting at the time, when police interrupted him and escorted him to safety. A funeral, which was going on in nearby Holy Cross Catholic Church, was also disrupted and houses in the vicinity were evacuated as army bomb disposal teams rushed to the scene. Irvine wasnt charged in connection with the incident. However, it is believed that after his arrest for possession of arms and ammunition, the Irish government used diplomatic channels to state it expected to see the leading loyalist before the courts. During Wednesday nights meeting a litany of allegations were laid against Irvine: Winkie was accused of having a malign influence on loyalism; He was blamed for sparking the inter-loyalist feud with the UDA in August 2000, which resulted in the destabilising of the Shankill Road community. Witnesses claimed they saw him attacking a UDA marcher outside the Rex Bar; It was also claimed that minutes later, while Irvine retreated to the safety of his Woodvale heartland, the top UFF gunman Sam Skelly McCrory shot up the bar as customers barricaded themselves inside; Some speakers claimed that within two years, Irvine had drug-dealing links with the LVF. It was claimed a rat run supply line for drugs close to a Shankill Road social club was established; Another speaker said the UVF leadership was made aware of Irvines activities, but refused to take action; It was also stated that he used his influence as a Commander in the UVFs B Coy to infiltrate community groups in the Woodvale and Twaddell areas; And he was further said to have been behind the misappropriation of UVF Brigade funds. And when challenged about it, he persuaded another man to take the blame; Irvine was also accused of running a security company which was in another mans name and of holding several company director positions; Several speakers blamed Irvine for the continuing demise of the Progressive Unionist Party; He was also accused of protecting friends involved in Shankill Road drugs activities; and, lastly Irvine stood accused of establishing close links with representatives of the Irish government, when it was perceived as being the ultimate enemy of loyalism. The meeting concluded in agreement, there was no road back into the UVF for Irvine. And it is understood similar meetings will take place in other UVF Brigade areas in the near future. Last weekend, Belfast-born historian Dr Aaron Edwards, who wrote a definitive book on the UVF, said the organisation was going through a period of turmoil. Dr Edwards, who works at Royal Military Academt Sandhurst, told the Sunday World: Apparently the biggest criticism of Winston Irvine came from the UVFs A Coy, who had maintained the leadership for 60 years. Apparently, there was a lot of nervousness about the possibility of Irvine appearing back on the Shankill, when he gets out on licence next year. The internal pressure coming from the UVF rank and file is enormous. There were even accusation that the leadership were complicit in some of Irvines activities. A crucial point though, is that a senior member of the UVF Brigade staff was not in attendance at [last] Wednesday nights meeting. Some even suggested he got Winkie to do his bidding. Winkie was accused of being a control freak and the collapse in the PUP vote was blamed on him. But the areas he controlled has run away from him since he has been inside, he said. How has the surging price of rice affected you personally? Three Kyodo News reporters -- Toma Mochizuki, Eduardo Martinez and Peter Masheter -- talk about how the Japanese government's stockpiled rice was recently released in supermarkets and other retail stores. Listen as they discuss why the price of the staple crop has been surging, and the political backstory behind the government's move. Article mentioned in the podcast: Japan's cheaper stockpiled rice starts hitting store shelves Kyodo News presents a bilingual podcast for English learners about the ins and outs of news writing and how to translate tricky Japanese phrases into English. Have fun listening to journalists discuss recent articles as they occasionally go off on unrelated tangents. More podcast episodes: Podcast [English World] Episode 100: Atomic bomb trees Podcast [English World] Episode 99: Overtourism in Japan Podcast Episode 98: Japan mulls covering childbirth costs from 2026 Anthony and Georgina Hogg died following the crash last December A man and woman have been arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run which left a couple dead last Christmas. Anthony Hogg (40) and his wife Georgina Hogg Moore (39) died after they were hit by a car in Blanchardstown on St. Stephens day. This morning, Gardai confirmed that two people, a man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s- were arrested. Both are being detained at Garda stations in Dublin. Anthony Hogg (40) and his wife Georgina (39) News in 90 Seconds - June 11th Gardai continue to investigate the fatal hit-and-run road traffic collision involving a car and pedestrians that occurred at Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, on Thursday evening, 26th December 2024, a spokesperson for An Garda Siochana said. Gardai have arrested two persons this morning in relation to this fatal road traffic collision. A man, aged 40 years was arrested in connection with this investigation and he is currently detained under Section 30 Offences Against the State Act, 1939 at a Garda station in the Dublin. A female, aged in her 30s was arrested and is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a Garda station in Dublin. John Halpin of Whitestown Avenue in Blanchardstown, Dublin, was previously charged in connection with the deaths. The court heard Halpin was a neighbour of the Hoggs. John Halpin is charged with dangerous driving causing the deaths of a husband and wife in Blanchardstown The 45-year-old was charged with two offences of dangerous driving, causing the deaths of Anthony Hogg and Georgina Hogg Moore, and two counts of hit and run and failing to offer assistance at the scene. He was released on bail of 200 in his bond and an independent surety of 2,000. No driving restrictions were attached to the conditions of his bail, however, he was required to sign on at his local garda station, and ordered to have no contact with witnesses directly or indirectly, or any contact with the deceased couples family. While he had already surrendered his passport, he was ordered not to apply for a new one, or any other identity or travel documents. Read more Obsessed man accused of blackmailing and threatening ex partner refused bail A woman in her 30s was arrested last December, but released without charge as Gardai prepared a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The deceased couple were struck by an Audi A7 while crossing the road with their daughter. Georgina was pronounced dead at the scene. Anthony was rushed to hospital but tragically later died. Ireland has the highest prevalence of haemochromatosis sometimes called the Celtic Curse in the world, with 1 in 83 people at risk and 1 in 5 carrying the gene. 'Once you know you have it, its fine because it is so treatable.' Everyone knows that giving blood saves lives, but what Jim Jackman could never have realised was that this selfless act of generosity would also save his own. The 68-year-old former RTE broadcast technician and father of three was diagnosed with haemochromatosis eight years ago a genetic disorder where the body absorbs and stores too much iron. Over time, that iron builds up in vital organs like the liver, heart, and pancreas, leading to irreversible damage or even premature death. Its a slow, silent killer, often misdiagnosed as fatigue, arthritis, or depression. Spotlighting his life with the disease in light of World Haemochromatosis Awareness Week (17 June 2025), the Dubliner wants people to realise just how common this life-threatening affliction is and how important it is to know the symptoms. It could just save your life. I was diagnosed with haemochromatosis eight years ago and Im alive for two reasons. Number one, I had a good GP who picked up on it, and the other reason Im alive is I was a blood donor all my life. Jim says its important to know about the condition Ireland has the highest prevalence of haemochromatosis sometimes called the Celtic Curse in the world, with 1 in 83 people at risk and 1 in 5 carrying the gene. Yet despite being Irelands most common genetic condition, it remains alarmingly undiagnosed. Jims family history tells a tragic story of the dangers of the condition when it goes undetected. My dad died when he was 58. He was a member of An Garda Siochana, and he just always had terrible stomach problems. It wasnt known about then, so he died at the age of 58. His father died aged 57. I do count myself as lucky. I feel sorry for my father that he died so young. I feel so privileged to still be alive so I can spend time with my family and watch my beautiful grandchildren grow up Ill forever be grateful for that. Damage from iron overload can be serious and irreversible. After diagnosis, patients often undergo scans to assess organ health. The first thing that happens is they send you for liver scans and scans of your body to see what damage is done. It goes into all your organs. It will eventually kill you. So once you know you have it, its fine because it is so treatable. I will never forget how worried my wife was. At sixty years of age, we thought there had to be damage done, but everything came back clear. 'Once you know you have it, its fine because it is so treatable.' News in 90 Seconds - June 11th Although haemochromatosis is treatable, many go undiagnosed for decades. Its estimated that over 20,000 people in Ireland could be living with it unknowingly a fact Jim finds shocking, especially given how easily it can be picked up. When my GP checked my ferritin levels, they came back as 1,400, whereas the normal level in men ranges from 30300. Thats when my blood was sent off for a genetic test to confirm it. Jim had been donating blood since he was 18. Ironically, that may have saved his life but its a fact that frustrates him too. I was giving blood from the age of 18 for about 42 years The cure for haemochromatosis is to give blood because basically your body is full of this poison And the way you get rid of too much iron in your body is to give a pint of blood. "I was doing that for many years and it was obviously helping me. If I hadnt done that, I think by 60, the damage would be irreversible. But it surely should have been picked up on during all that time. One in 83 Irish people is at risk of haemochromatosis Urging family and friends to get tested, it was discovered that the condition was also prevalent in his own family. I told my sister and she got checked, and her levels were crazy high crazy high. My children were also tested: my daughter has haemochromatosis, and my son is a carrier of the gene. Haemochromatosis can mimic many common conditions, like arthritis or chronic fatigue. For Jim, the symptoms were masked by another illness. Im a bit complicated from the perspective that I have rheumatoid arthritis. So one of the symptoms of haemochromatosis is stiffness and feeling tired, lack of sexual, no interest in sex. Once diagnosed, treatment is simple: regular removal of blood just like donating. For me, its two times a year. For my sister Maura, its about four times. Jim believes more awareness is critical and wants haemochromatosis included in Irelands newborn heel-prick test something already being considered in the UK. The heel prick test is done to pick up on certain life-threatening conditions Theyre starting to do it in England now they test for haemochromatosis. Jims story isnt just about his own health its about legacy. He urges families to talk, test, and take action early. The main thing about haemochromatosis is its the best condition you could have because once you know you have it, you can deal with it Theres nothing to be afraid of. What there is to be afraid of is finding out later in life and what damage its already done. Professor John Ryan, Consultant Hepatologist, explains the need to be vigilant about symptoms that could potentially save your life: Because early symptoms of haemochromatosis such as chronic fatigue, joint pain, abdominal pain, and low mood can be non-specific and attributed to many other causes, haemochromatosis can be initially difficult to diagnose. Most people dont have any symptoms, as the iron builds up very gradually over years. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or you have a history of haemochromatosis in your family, go to your GP and ask for an iron profile blood test. If your ferritin and transferrin saturation levels are elevated, a genetic test is recommended to confirm a diagnosis of haemochromatosis. Calm restored to Ballymena around after 1am after second night of violence Six people have been arrested following a second night of violence in Northern Ireland. Police and senior political figures led condemnation of the trouble. Calm was restored to the Ballymena area after 1am this morning. The violence had broken out shortly before 8pm and continued for several hours with masonry and petrol bombs thrown at PSNI officers and police vehicles. Homes and businesses were also attacked. During the disorder, a water cannon was deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds, with officers also discharging baton rounds. Around 300 protestors had gathered in the area, close to where an alleged serious sexual assault on a teenage girl took place at the weekend. Police also dealt with sporadic disorder in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus while a car was set alight in north Belfast. Police said 17 officers were injured in the latest trouble, bringing the total number of injured officers over the two nights of violence to 33. Police under sustained attack in Ballymena Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in police custody this morning. A male was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour on the ONeill Road in Newtownabbey. Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said she was dismayed" by the unfolding events. Violence is always wrong. I have been in constant contact throughout last night with PSNI and in contact with local elected representatives, she said. "This disorder and violence must stop and justice be allowed to prevail. Speaking on BBC Radio Ulsters Good Morning Ulster Programme Liam Kelly, chair of the Police Federation, condemned the trouble that broke out over the last two nights. "I want to condemn again what has happened the last couple of nights not only in Ballymena but, as weve seen, extended into other areas as well, he said. "Its completely deplorable that this is happening. We need these attacks to stop, and stop very quickly. A second night of protests take place in Ballymena (Photo by Kevin Scott) Also speaking on the show, North Antrim MLA Paul Frew voiced fears that the violence would continue. I fear that if this continues, someone is going to get killed, he said. Speaking earlier, Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland described the trouble as unacceptable. Its deeply shocking and very disappointing and I have to say its entirely unacceptable. This violence doesnt speak for Ballymena, she said. Ms Mulholland said that the unrest distracted from the really serious issue of violence against women and girls. She added: Thats what we should be talking about, we should be talking about how to make our society safer for women, not how to manage the fallout of violence and intimidation. "It was just really disturbing, and deeply, deeply worrying. Fires are ablaze across the area (Photo credit: Kevin Scott) Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable. "These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice, and protection." "As with any serious offenders in Northern Ireland, we will pursue those responsible and bring them to justice. "We will now begin our investigation of reviewing all evidence gathered, including video footage, and Images of the individuals involved will be released to identify offenders. He added: Do not throw away your future and do not continue to endanger or intimidate the lives of others. Police dogs were deployed in Ballymena (Photo by Kevin Scott) Yesterday, Translink suspended bus services in several areas of Belfast due to protests. Services on the Shore Road in north Belfast were at a standstill due to protestors blocking roadways along bus routes. Bus services along the Ravenhill Road between the east and south of the city were also diverted towards the Ormeau Embankment due to demonstrations, while there was disruption to services in the Shankill Road area. Protestors had also blocked roads at Carlisle Circus. Its understood a crowd of around 50 gathered at the area holding placards saying: Protect Our Children. Police will release a further update later this morning. Police have called the incident a "serious disorder" (Photo credit: Kevin Scott) In Ballymena, some residents marked doors to display their nationality while two water cannons were also at the scene of the ongoing serious disorder. At least four armoured vehicles were deployed in the Clonavon area as masked youths attacked officers. Some Filipino workers in the area began putting stickers on their doors that declared their nationality, in an apparent bid to avoid attack. Some people also displayed Union flags, or hung them in windows. Some homes being marked by nationality just yards from rioting (Photo credit: Kevin Scott) Petrol bombs, bricks and bottles were among the missiles thrown at police. A PSNI spokesperson last night said the incident escalated to serious disorder. Police are currently dealing with serious disorder in the Clonavon Terrace area of Ballymena this evening, they said. "Members of the public should avoid the area. A peaceful vigil on Monday to support the girl and her family was followed by serious trouble. Two boys, both 14, were arrested and later charged with the attempted oral rape of the girl on June 7. The charges were read to the teenagers by a Romanian interpreter. Monday evenings violence resulted in 15 police officers suffering injuries with four homes in the area being set alight. A 29-year-old man has been charged with riotous behaviour after being arrested during the disorder in Ballymena on Monday night Christopher McGregor once told the Sunday World he was the victim of a sectarian hate campaign when he lived in Kells, Co. Antrim. This is the thug jailed last week for attacking a man he blamed for getting his dog taken away by the dog warden. Christopher McGregor, who has a shocking criminal record already despite being just 23 years old, punched the man repeatedly in the head in a shocking attack which he claims was over losing his dog. But after that attack the Antrim thug launched another even more serious attack on the same man after inviting him to his house where he headbutted him and punched him several times again. And we can reveal McGregor once told the Sunday World he was the victim of a sectarian hate campaign when he lived in Kells. In 2022 he claimed he and his then partner where repeatedly targeted by a loyalist hate mob who called him sectarian slurs and torched their home forcing them to flee the Co Antrim village. However the Sunday World can reveal McGregor had fallen foul of a crime family. Last August McGregors flat was burned out by members of that crime family in a direct warning to him. Christopher McGregor. Photo: Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker And earlier this year he was jailed for five months after cops caught driving while off his face on drugs after nearly hitting several vehicles in fact when they stopped him his lips had a substance on them. Now hes back behind bars for two attacks on the man he reckons shopped him to the dog warden and got his pooch lifted. A source told the Sunday World this week: Chris McGregor is a total scumbag and Antrim is glad to see the back of him for a few months but hell be back terrorising people again as soon as he gets out. He terrorised the Springfarm estate but he had a major falling out with the (name removed). His flat was burnt out last year but he didnt move far away. Hes always off his head on drugs and drives around off his head until he lost his licence finally. Last Tuesday McGregor was facing a number of assault charges and had been facing a more serious charge of possessing a boiled kettle as an offensive weapon with intent to commit grievous bodily harm. He admitted the assault charges but the kettle charge along with a number of other charges were withdrawn. Court News NI reported how McGregor, from Barra Street, appeared at Antrim Magistrates Court sitting in Ballymena where he pleaded guilty to assaulting the man on April 8 and then assaulting him again the next day. Christopher McGregor. Photo: Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker News in 90 Seconds - June 11th Appearing at court via video link from prison, he listened as a prosecutor explained how around 4pm on April 8 the thug sent a text to the other male attempting to arrange a fight because, according to the barrister, the defendant had blamed the male for his dog being confiscated by the dog warden. The defendant met the male in the Townparks area of Antrim and forced him to the ground, punching him multiple times to the head leaving him bruising to the eye. The fight was broken up by McGregors mum. McGregor contacted the male again, inviting him up to his house, and again assaulted him, punching him multiple times and headbutted him leaving him with a bloodied nose and bumps and bruises to the head. He had also been accused, on April 9, of possessing a boiled kettle as an offensive weapon with intent to commit grievous bodily harm; assaulting a woman; threatening or abusive behaviour; making a threat to damage property and attempted criminal damage to a car dashboard but those charges were withdrawn by prosecutors. Regarding assaulting the male, a defence barrister said McGregor, who has a significant record, accepts he had acted over and above what he should have done. District Judge Nigel Broderick said they had been nasty assaults. He said one assault was bad enough but the aggravating feature was that he assaulted the male the next day and jailed McGregor for four months. In October 2022 McGregor told the Sunday World he was an innocent victim of a sectarian hate mob. He said he was run out of town by sinister elements connected to loyalist paramilitaries all because he was Catholic. At one stage a wheelie bin was placed at the front door of the house where they lived and set on fire. If it wasnt for the alarms we would have burned to death, Christopher told us back in 2022. There was only one door in or out and we were at the top floor. McGregor described how he and his partner, who hes no longer with, suffered a hate-filled sectarian campaign. I was called a Fenian bastard on the street. I was told f**k off you Fenian bastard, McGregor said. The irony is my Da was in the British Army but people like that dont understand. He said their home was repeatedly and relentlessly targeted to the point they were forced to leave and ended up having to stay in an old caravan with neither a cooker nor a toilet. Christopher McGregor's flat was burned out. Every single day there was an attempted burglary, he said. They put a brick through the window and, in the end we had to barricade the windows. I went to a cash machine in the town and was told f** k off you Fenian bastard. There was graffiti on the door that read dirty stinking Fenians. We never slept. And he said there were the phone calls where the caller would warn they were coming to get them. When they returned to their flat they found it ransacked what belongings they left behind were strewn across the floor, furniture and plates smashed. In 2023 he pleaded guilty to charges of setting fire to a property occupied by Polish people. He also admitted burglary, theft and causing property damage and was jailed for eight months. Hed gone to the property and stole the fridge, cooker and washing machine all of which were discovered in McGregors house. They also found spray cans which had been used by him to spray racist graffiti on the walls of the house before he set the property on fire. His defence barrister claimed he was struggling with alcohol and drug problems, which caused him to behave irrationally. The judge threw out the speeding case after former Florida senator Joe Gerston claimed sign displayed wrong info This is the former Florida Senator who settled in Millisle after fleeing America 35 years ago amidst a sex scandal who this week defended himself in a speeding ticket case and won! Joe Gerston, an accomplished barrister, appeared at Ards Magistrates Court where he bamboozled the PPS, their star witness who clocked him allegedly speeding, and a judge who on hearing his detailed defence chuckedthe case This is the former Florida Senator who settled in Millisle after leaving America 35 years ago amidst a scandal who this week defended himself in a speeding ticket case and won! Joe Gerston, an accomplished barrister, appeared at Ards Magistrates Court where he bamboozled the PPS, their star witness who clocked him allegedly speeding, and a judge who on hearing his detailed defence chucked his case out. Mr Gerston is originally from Miami but claims he is now an Australian national, says he fell in love with Northern Ireland 20 years ago and bought a house a stones throw from the beach in the Co Down seaside town in 2018. The former Democratic Party member, who says he still practices law all over the world and specialises in EU law, told the Sunday World he decided to fight his summons for speeding on a point of principle. The 77-year-old, who left the US when he was 46-years-old, was summoned to court after a mobile speeding van clocked him doing 44mph in a 30mph zone in Donaghadee. Former Florida Senator Joe Gerston. News in 90 Seconds - June 11th This coming December will be my 50th year as a court room lawyer and over 50 years you look at things legally and I said to myself this is not right. Theres only one place this guy (the speed camera operator) could have taken the shotand I said you cant get away with this, this is bu**sh**, this is ridiculous. In my business, preparation is everything and I over-prepare my win rate is quite high. Mr Gersten told us he spent more money defending himself than had he just pleaded guilty and paid the fine. And he took us to the spot where he was supposedly caught speeding as he travelled towards Bangor. Effectively, he convinced the judge that there were no signs telling him the speed limit was 30mph and as he travelled out of the town centre the only sign he saw was at the far end of the town limits which, in the direction he was travelling, showed the limit was 40mph. According to the court report, Mr Gersten revealed that through calling evidence and cross examination, he intended to make the case that when his car was captured doing 40 in a 30, it was an honest mistake which is a reasonable defence in a strict liability case. Joe Gerston. Commenting that pretty much all of the speeding cases in Northern Ireland come through his court, Judge Hamill told Mr Gersten: Im something of an expert on the subject. The former US politician explained to us afterwards how he beat the speeding charge and had his case chucked out. He used photographs he had taken and showed the judge a photo of a sign saying Welcome to Donaghadee which he assumed meant thats the start of the town. He told the Sunday World: I showed the judge how all the signs going towards Bangor said 40mph and emphasised it was 40 on one side, and 30 on the other side of the road if Id been coming in the other direction. Colin Tumelty, the driver of a mobile safety camera vehicle, testified that on February 22 last year he parked his vehicle at the entrance to the Breckenridge development in Donaghadee, his camera facing towards the 30 zone. He told the lawyer for the PPS that coming from the Newtownards side, theres 30mph signs at the rugby club on either side of the road and when pressed by the judge whether there was any room for confusion as to whether its a 30 or a 40 zone, he was adamant no, its very clear. During Mr Gerstens cross examination, the witness said that as far as he remembered the defendant was driving towards Bangor. So, is it fair to say that the sign I saw said 40, the former senator suggested and Mr Tumelty agreed, yes, thats correct given the direction you were travelling. Hold up, Judge Hamill interjected, repeat that. During the ensuing exchange between the defendant, the judge and Mr Tumelty, there were several discussions about signs, what was on the back of signs, what speed zone was where and photographs swapped back and forth. Eventually, it was established that Mr Gersten would have seen a 40 sign so would have been leaving a 30 zone, entering a 40 zone. Interjecting, Judge Hamill declared that he was totally confused and told the PPS you cannot prove this case beyond reasonable doubt case dismissed. On Friday, Joe Gersten confirmed this was the first time hed practised law in a court room in Northern Ireland but says he still practises in England and in other countries. But while telling us he had been a Florida Senator and House of Representatives member back in the US during the 70s and 80s, he did not go into detail about why he left. However, according to multiple reports in a number of news organisations Mr Gerston was caught up in a scandal which saw him serve 26 days behind bars before fleeing to Australia where he sought and was granted asylum. After he served 26 days in jail for contempt of court for repeatedly refusing to answer a State Attorneys questions over the circumstances of how his Mercedes was stolen on April 29, 1992, Gersten left America in September 1993 and landed in New South Wales in Australia a month later. A member of the Democrats, Mr Gersten served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1974 to 1981 before he was voted on to the Florida Senate from 1982 to 1986. In 1986, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the office of Attorney-General but between 88 and 93, he served as the Commissioner of Dade County, which includes Miami. Having announced that he was going to stand for election as mayor in 1992, his campaign came off the rails over an infamous incident on April 29, 1992 and the circumstances as to how his Mercedes came to be stolen. According to Mr Gersten, he was asleep in his home in Florida when the car was stolen and on discovering the theft when he awoke the next day, he reported the theft to the police. Officers in Dade County recovered the car and arrested two people in it a drug dealer and a prostitute. Donaghadee Allegations were made against Mr Gersten but he has always strenuously denied the claims and claimed he had been set-up by the late US Attorney-General Janet Reno, while a congressional report also found he had been the victim of a set-up. The Dade County State Attorneys Office investigated the matter and Mr Gersten was repeatedly subpoenaed to answer questions but claiming that he suspected he was being set up for a perjury trap, he refused. A judge held that Mr Gersten was in contempt of court and ordered him jailed until he agreed to answer questions. Ultimately, he served 26 days in prison before he was set free on appeal and he fled America, landing in Australia where he was eventually granted asylum, meaning that he could not be deported back to the USA where, given that he has not purged the contempt by answering the DAs questions, he could still potentially be held in contempt. When asked about the alleged scandal which saw him incarcerated for 26 days and claims he had fled the US Mr Gersten told the Sunday World: I never fled anywhere. There was never any restrictions on my travel. That was a weekly rag newspaper that I never gave interviews to. It had gay ownership that also owned a gay club that killed hundreds of customers during the AIDS epidemic and hated me for closing there (sic) very profitable club. Also note that Australia granted me political asylum. Please refer to the 20 articles about me in The Sydney Morning Herald And especially the 26-page US Congressional Report published online that states that I was the victim of a conspiracy by the US Attorney General who abused her prosecutorial power. Also note that the New South Wales Supreme Court (Appellate Division) issued a very strong judicial decision in my favour (including expressly condemning US courts) on this very matter. Times have been tough for many New Zealanders in recent months. But the effect of the downturn hasn't been felt evenly - and some areas are tracking better than others. Wellington still holds up in terms of income, and is now near the top of housing affordability statistics, too. The top of the South Island has the best credit scores. Unemployment is lowest in the South Island. Here is how the regions stack up. Northland According to MBIE data, Northland had an average household income last year of $123,900. House prices vary according to where in the region you are. As a whole, Northland house prices are still 12.2 percent below their peak. In the Far North, it takes about 48 percent of a median household income to service an 80 percent mortgage on a median-value house. In Whangarei, it's just over 50 percent. Rents moved up 1.7 percent in May compared to April, according to Trade Me data, and Cotality says it takes about a third of median household income to cover the median rent. One of Northland's bigger problems is unemployment. Data shows just under 11 percent of the population is on JobSeeker support. Northland's GDP per capita is $54,796, according to MBIE. According to Otago University's deprivation index, which measures deprivation based on factors like access to internet, income, employment, qualifications, living space and living conditions, the Far North District of Northland had 57 percent of its population in the two most deprived deciles. ASB recently noted that construction activity was particularly weak in Northland. Simplicity chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub said Northland was isolated, which created problems, but if the road to Auckland was improved it could lift incomes and opportunities. Kaeo's main street, which is also State Highway 10, with Pohue Pa in the distance. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf Auckland A little further south, incomes are much stronger. Auckland's average household income according to MBIE is $155,100 a year and GDP per capita was $88,355. Stats NZ weekly data showed that Auckland had the second-highest median household income, at $2615. Auckland's unemployment rate is 5.4 percent, according to Infometrics. While people are earning more in Auckland, housing is a bigger drain. Auckland had a median house price of $1 million in April, and first-home buyers were paying a median of just over $900,000 in the latest Cotality data. In Auckland, just under 48 percent of median household income would go on servicing a mortgage on a median-priced house. Auckland house prices remain 21.6 percent below their peak. Trade Me data, which measures asking rents, showed they had dropped 1.5 percent in May compared to April to $670. That was joint second-highest in the country but Cotality's data showed that, compared to incomes, they were more affordable than most main centres, requiring a median 25 percent of income. About a quarter of Auckland's total population is recorded as having a bachelor's degree or higher qualification. Auckland's unemployment rate on an annual average basis was 5.4 percent in the year to March, according to Infometrics. Recent Worldline data showed Auckland and Northland had one of the smaller increases in spending in May in core retail merchants, year-on-year, up 1.1 percent. Waikato MBIE says Waikato's average household income is $129,100 a year and GDP per capita is $68,598. Waikato also has a relatively higher number of people out of work - 7.3 percent are on JobSeeker Support. The Otago University deprivation index shows 54 percent of South Waikato's population is in the two most deprived deciles. Waikato house prices are 12.1 percent below their peak but Cotality has noted that the smaller price fall has meant affordability hasn't improved in the same way that it has in some other centres. Rents are flat, according to Trade Me, with an average weekly asking price of $580. Cotality says renting requires a median 27.5 percent of income. Farming incomes are relatively strong which may help areas such as Waikato. Cotality noted this as a driver in a recent property market update. BNZ's chief economist Mike Jones noted farm sales and fertiliser imports are trending up. In South Waikato, earlier RNZ analysis showed 23 percent of the population was employed by a relatively small number of manufacturing businesses. Eaqub said variation in prosperity around the country was driven by economic opportunities. "Different places have different reasons for being. Because of geography, the makeup of industries, economic opportunities, different levels of income, different amount of job opportunity, that really underpins a lot of the other stuff. "What is the reason for people living there? Farming, manufacturing, retirement living - how many jobs will there be, what kind of income, what kind of wealth can be generated there versus how much is brought in from other places?" Tirau, in South Waikato District. Photo: RNZ/ Louise Ternouth Bay of Plenty Bay of Plenty had an average income of $134,100 last year and average asking rent of $660. Trade Me said that rents dropped 2.9 percent in April compared to March. GDP per capita was $67,650 In Bay of Plenty, 8 percent of the population is on Jobseeker support. But the picture is mixed within the region: while areas such as Tauranga and Mount Maunganui are better off, Kawerau has 78 percent of its population in the most deprived deciles. Kawerau has 42 percent of its people employed by a small number of manufacturing businesses. Bay of Plenty house prices are 13.5 percent below their peak. Tauranga is a standout in the housing market, the least affordable main centre with a value-to-income ratio of 8.6 according to Cotality. This is down from 12.1 at the peak. Paying a median mortgage takes 51.6 percent of a median household income in Tauranga and 61.4 percent in the Western Bay of Plenty. Cotality noted this could be affected by people moving into the area with invsetment income or other assets. Eaqub said Tauranga, alongside Queenstown, was a standout region with different reason for being. "They are kind of 'sunshine coast' where people go to retire so they have different drivers of society and economy." Taranaki ASB recently singled Taranaki out as a poor performer on a regional basis, recording a "tough year" in 2024. Construction activity was weak, employment dropped 2.5 percent in the year because of lower gas production, the bank said, and consumer confidence fell. Taranaki's spending in core retail was up 3.7 percent in May, year-on-year. MBIE said the region had an average household income of $132,400, and GDP per capita of $85,362. Trade Me says the average asking rent is $610 a week, up 1.7 percent year-on-year. Renting requires a median 31.4 percent of income, according to Cotality. This is another area with variation in house prices, from a median of $495,000 and $500,000 in South Taranaki and Stratford, respectively, and $685,000 in New Plymouth according to the Real Estate Institute. Mount Taranaki. Photo: Christina Persico/RNZ Gisborne Gisborne's average household income was $133,200 last year, and had GDP per capita of $55,326. But it had the highest weekly asking rent of anywhere in the country in Trade Me's last update, at $680 a week. This could be influenced by a relatively smaller number of properties for rent. Cotality said renting would take 31.5 percent of a median income. Gisborne and Hawke's Bay house prices are still 16.6 percent below their peak. Servicing a mortgage requires 34.3 percent of a median income. Gisborne has the lowest Centrix credit score, on average, in the country. Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan said Gisborne's physical distance from most of New Zealand was a hurdle. Gisborne had the highest weekly asking rent of anywhere in the country in Trade Me's last update. Photo: RNZ/Tom Kitchin Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay has an average household income last year of $149,600 according to MBIE. GDP per capita was $64,935. The average asking rent, according to Trade Me, of $670 is on par with Auckland and up 6.3 percent between April and May. There are pockets that are more prosperous, and many not so - Wairoa has 75 percent of its population in the most deprived deciles according to Otago's data. Kiernan said, the prosperity or otherwise of some regions could be traced back to the economic reforms of the 1980s. "When there were massive transitional costs from the removal of protection or subsidies for some industries, which resulted in high and persistent unemployment in some areas, dragging down average socioeconomic outcomes for those areas." Hawke's Bay wine country. Photo: Supplied / Carl Gundersen Manawatu-Whanganui MBIE said this region had average household income of $119,200 and GDP per capita of $59,834. Whanganui had the biggest annual spending change in the country in May, up 6.9 percent. Palmerston North is relatively affordable for renters, requiring 26.4 percent of income, according to Cotality, and towards the cheaper end for buying, too, at 34 percent. Compared to income, housing in Whanganui is more expensive. Wellington Wellington has been going through tough times with the government cutting back on spending but the data still shows it has the highest incomes in the country. According to Stats NZ, it had the highest median weekly income of $2870 last year. MBIE said the average household income was $162,400. Almost 30 percent of Wellington's population reported having a degree level qualification or higher. Infometrics said the annual average unemployment rate to March was 4.8 percent. Historically, the capital had much lower unemployment than the rest of the country but that is no longer the case. MBIE said the Wellington region's GDP per capita was $92,776. Wellington house prices are 25.1 percent below their peak. The big fall in house prices has helped affordability a lot. Cotality said prices were at pre-2017 affordability levels, with a value-to-income ratio of 6.5. It is the cheapest main centre to rent in, with median rents 23.5 percent of median household income. Spending in May was down 1.3 percent year-on-year, the only centre to record a fall. Historically, the capital had much lower unemployment than the rest of the country but that is no longer the case. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER Marlborough Marlborough has an average household income of $119,100 and GDP per capita of $84,296. It has the second-highest average credit score in the country according to Centrix, behind nearby Tasman region. Kiernan said the unemployment rate tended to be lower on average in the South Island. He said historically, people who did not have a job there would leave to find one, and that could mean shifting to cities in the North Island. "That tends to keep a cap on joblessness down there." Marlborough's unemployment rate is 3.1 percent. Picton, Marlborough. Tasman As well as having the highest credit scores in the country, the Tasman region has some of the least affordable housing, according to Cotality. It was fourth-least affordable in terms of mortgage repayments compared to household income, at 56.6 percent. That is behind areas such as Thames-Coromandel, Queenstown, Western Bay of Plenty and Central Otago, which Cotality notes can be particularly affected by outside investors buying properties. Tasman's unemployment rate is 3.5 percent. Canterbury Canterbury has an average household income of $132,300, and GDP per capita of $74,772. ASB recently ranked Canterbury second in terms of regional economic performance. Cantabrians were the second most optimistic in the country after Aucklanders, the bank said. Construction activity was relatively strong. The area's housing market hasn't had such big swings as other parts of the country. Christchurch has an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent and Selwyn 3 percent. Ashburton sits at 3.6 percent. The Selwyn district has 62 percent of its population in the least deprived deciles, according to Otago University. Houses in Christchurch. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon West Coast The West Coast has average household income of $117,900 and GDP per capita of $75,057. The region is relatively isolated but has some of the cheapest housing in the country. Infometrics puts the average rent at $393 a week compared to $575 for the country as a whole. Cotality's data shows an 80 percent mortgage takes less than 25 percent of the median household income in Grey, the most affordable in the country. Kiernan said sometimes areas with cheaper housing would attract people who could not afford to live elsewhere. "It may be negative in terms of the overall average skill base, education and income potentially earned." Waiho River. Photo: Supplied / West Coast Regional Council Otago Otago has been a stronger performer recently, boosted by a recovery in tourism. Spending in Otago was up 4.6 percent year on year in May, after a strong month in April, too. The region's unemployment rate in March was just 2.9 percent. In Queenstown Lakes, almost 60 percent of the population is in the least deprived deciles. Queenstown has some of the most unaffordable housing in the country. An 80 percent mortgage on a median value house requires almost 84 percent of the median local household income. Cotality said that reflected investment from outside the region and people bringing equity in to the market. According to Infometrics, Otago has the lowest unemployment rate in the country, at 2.9 percent. Central Otago hills, near Omakau. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton Southland Southland has average household income of $110,900 and GDP per capita of $83,620. Recent property data showed that house prices had returned to their previous peaks - but that is only a median $485,000. In Invercargill, it takes just 29.2 percent of the median household income to service a mortgage on a median property. The average asking rent according to Trade Me was $480 a week in April. Eaqub said areas that could not maintain their reason for being, and were negatively affected by shifts in technology and urbanisation, could end up worse off while other places could see their fortunes improve. Lunsden, Southland. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Winter in the BoP will be warmer and more vibrant after 11 new creative projects received funding in a partnership between TECT and Creative Bay of Plenty. The Western Bay Mini Arts Grants are small grants of up to $2000 for creative or cultural projects that engage the community. They are open to anyone, with an easy application process and fast decision making. Two quick-fire rounds were delivered in April and May, resulting in a range of new initiatives that will take place between now and September. Annie Hill from Creative Bay of Plenty says, This year we have funded several murals in our communities, including one at Huria Rugby Club, three in Ohauiti, and an artwork for Te Puke Primary School. Were also proud to support the return of the much-loved Cult Cinema Club, hosting the first of four events its first series since the Covid lockdowns. In addition, were excited to back the launch of a new art space at the Mount, Matter Gallery, which will centre on the exploration of materials in contemporary art. Photo / Anna Menendez Other initiatives that will engage the community include flax weaving workshops for beginners, a Matariki-themed exhibition for hapu artists at Matapihi, the enhancement of visual displays for Tauranga Waldorf Schools Lantern Festival, and an exhibition of the work of members of Tauranga Creative Fibre, including workshops on many international textile artforms. We love seeing the range of exciting new projects that come to fruition with small grants under this initiative, said Paula Hudson of TECT. For a modest investment, we are able to make the arts more accessible and support a diverse range of artforms in our community. The Western Bay Mini Arts Grants provide vital support for local creativity, fostering cultural expression and community pride. They also enhance social cohesion, revitalise public spaces and empower communities to tell their own stories. The Whakatane District Grey Power Association has started a petition on the Parliament website for the Government to prioritise funding for a second bridge in Whakatane. The Whakatane Grey Power petition, titled Additional Bridge for Whakatane, supports a proposal by Mayor Victor Luca advocating for a second bridge. Grey Power committee member Vern Scheffer said the process of creating the petition on the Parliament website had been time-consuming. However, you have to do it that way for it to be considered by the select committee. Scheffer said he felt anyone who regularly had to sit in the traffic jams that form either side of the bridge at peak traffic times would likely be keen to sign the petition. The petition states the current Landing Road Bridge is at capacity and vulnerable to seismic and flooding risks. The current alternative crossing of the river (Pekatahi Bridge) is located about 15km south of the Whakatane township and is outdated and single-laned. We think a single new bridge can solve both problems, enhance regional resilience, make allowance for growth, alleviate congestion and secure the Eastern Bay economy. The petition opened for signatures on Monday and people have until July 25 to sign it. Luca has been advocating for a second bridge for Whakatane since he won a seat on Whakatane District Council in 2019. He said he would be interested to know if the people of Whakatane thought the need for a new bridge was important enough for them to spend a few seconds signing it. The petition can be viewed at petitions.parliament.nz and searching for the title of the petition. Copies of the petition are also available to sign at the Beacons Pyne Street office. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. TOKYO - A court ruling that ordered the Tokyo government and the state to compensate a company president and others for an unlawful investigation over a suspected unauthorized export of sensitive equipment was finalized Wednesday, with the parties giving up on appealing. Tokyo police and prosecutors announced they accepted the Tokyo High Court's May 28 ruling that awarded Masaaki Okawara, 76, president of machinery maker Ohkawara Kakohki Co., and two other men about 166 million yen ($1.15 million) in damages and recognized their arrests and indictments as illegal. The Metropolitan Police Department will review its investigation of the case, which involved the export of spray-drying apparatus that investigators suspected could be used in the process of making biological weapons. Okawara and others had submitted to the police and prosecutors a petition with over 40,000 signatures gathered online, demanding they abandon efforts to appeal the ruling. They also called for an investigation by a third-party committee, as well as penalties for those involved in the investigation. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry had told the police there was a problem with their legal interpretation of export control rules banning shipments of equipment capable of producing biological agents, but the police did not revisit their decision to arrest the plaintiffs, according to the ruling. A Tokyo police investigator testified at the lower court that the case was "fabricated," and a former investigator told the high court that people with discretion built the case out of ambition. The three men were arrested and indicted between March and June 2020 on suspicion of exporting spray dryers capable of producing biological agents without authorization. But prosecutors withdrew the indictment in July 2021. The plaintiffs include the family of Shizuo Aishima, a former adviser to the company who died in February 2021 at age 72 after falling ill during detainment. Related coverage: High court orders Tokyo gov't, state to compensate for illicit probe The shooting was reported around 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. Jon Moss | jmoss@syracuse.com Manlius, N.Y. A Syracuse man was sentenced Tuesday to 14 months in prison after opening fire at a town of Manlius gas station, federal prosecutors said. Richard Bradley, 36, admitted he possessed a loaded assault rifle in his vehicle before he fired the rifle several times at the business, according the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of New York said in a news release Wednesday. As a result of a prior felony conviction for criminal mischief, Bradley could not lawfully possess a firearm, prosecutors said. Bradley opened fire around 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Sunoco gas station at 7525 Kirkville Road, Sgt Kenneth Hatter, a spokesperson for the Manlius Police Department has said. Bradley fired four shots from inside a BMW X1, police said. The bullets struck the back seat area and trunk of the SUV. Three rounds exited the back of the BMW at a downward angle and struck the ground. The fourth round was found in the floor of the SUV. No one was injured and no property was damaged, police said. Bradleys AR-15 malfunctioned, preventing him from firing off more rounds, police said. He was impaired on drugs at the time, police said. Robert Sherlock subdued Bradley until officers arrived on scene. Sherlock kicked the firearm away from Bradley and wrestled him to the ground. They stayed on the ground until police arrived a few minutes later and put Bradley in handcuffs. On Jan. 28, Bradley pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. In addition to his imprisonment, Bradley was ordered to forfeit the rifle he possessed. Staff writer Darian Stevenson covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at dstevenson@syracuse.com Silento attends Chief Keef x Zaytoven GloToven Listening Party hosted by ASAP Bari on March 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images) Silento, the Atlanta rapper known for his hit song Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), pleaded guilty but mentally ill Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter and other charges in the 2021 shooting death of his 34-year-old cousin. The 27-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said in a statement. Hawk also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, possessing a gun while committing a crime and concealing the death of another. A murder charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. DeKalb County police found Frederick Rooks III shot in the leg and face in the early morning hours of Jan. 21, 2021 outside a home in a suburban area near Decatur. Police said the found 10 bullet casings near Rooks body, and security video from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding away shortly after the gunshots. A family member of Rooks told police that Silento had picked up Rooks in a white BMW SUV, and GPS data and other cameras put the vehicle at the site of the shooting. Silento confessed about 10 days later after he was arrested, police said. Ballistics testing matched the bullet casings to a gun that Silento had when he was arrested, authorities said. Rooks brothers and sisters told DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L. Johnson before sentencing that Silento should have gotten a longer sentence, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The rapper was a high school junior in suburban Atlanta in 2015 when he released Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) and watched it skyrocket into a dance craze. Silento made multiple other albums, but said in an interview with the medical talk show The Doctors in 2019 that he struggled with depression and had grown up in a family where he witnessed mental illness and violence. Ive been fighting demons my whole life, my whole life, he said in 2019. Depression doesnt leave you when you become famous, it just adds more pressure, Silento said then, urging others to get help. And while everybodys looking at you, theyre also judging you." I dont know if I can truly be happy, I dont know if these demons will ever go away. Silento had been struggling in the months before the arrest. His publicist, Chanel Hudson, has said he had tried to kill himself in 2020. In August 2020, Silento was arrested in Santa Ana, California, on a domestic violence charge. The next day, the Los Angeles Police Department charged him with assault with a deadly weapon after witnesses said he entered a home where he didnt know anyone looking for his girlfriend and swung a hatchet at two people before he was disarmed. In October 2020, Silento was arrested after police said they clocked him driving 143 miles per hour (230 kilometers per hour) on Interstate 85 in DeKalb County. Hudson said at the time of Silentos arrest in the killing of Rooks that he had been suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses. Jon Davison of the band Yes performs in concert at Pier Six Pavilion on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015, in Baltimore. Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP Legendary progressive rock band Yes announced a U.S. tour this fall, celebrating their iconic 1971 album Fragile with a series of performances dubbed The Fragile Tour 2025, The Album Series. Kicking off October 1 in Wallingford, Connecticut, this extensive tour will run through mid-November, taking the band to more than 30 cities, including two stops in New York: Port Chester (October 5) and Huntington (October 7). Tickets for most shows go on sale Friday, June 13, with a pre-sale starting Thursday, June 12 at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. Tickets are also available through verified secondary platforms, including Vivid Seats, SeatGeek and StubHub, which offer availability for sold-out shows and better deals, depending on demand. Discount: First-time Vivid Seats customers can use code SYRACUSE20 for $20 off a $200+ ticket order. Fragile, released in 1971, features hits like Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround and Heart of the Sunrise. Now, as part of their ongoing Album Series, Yes will perform Fragile in its entirety during each concert, accompanied by a selection of other classics from their expansive catalog. All the bands albums had a unique feel and approach, says Steve Howe in the bands tour announcement. After The Yes Album, so many things came together, with [co-producer] Eddie Offord steering the proceedings. While the band focused on only four main songs with full arrangements, each of us wrote and designed a solo piece, which was Bill [Bruford]s great idea. Its fairly odd-ball, but we were at the height of our creativity, determined for success. Howe adds: It gave us confidence, further than our own in-stock belief, wed crafted this unusual but noticeable musical twist to rock and what later became prog. This U.S. tour follows the bands recent release of Mirror to the Sky in 2023, their first new studio album in several years. The band consists of guitarist Howe, keyboardist Geoff Downes, vocalist Jon Davison, bassist Billy Sherwood and drummer Jay Schellen. Although none of the original members are part of the current lineup, Howe has been with the band since 1970, and Sherwood, who joined in the 90s, has stepped into the role once held by the late Chris Squire. The Hemlock, of Catskill, New York, has been named one of the best bars in America in 2025 by Esquire. Photo: Shannon Sturgis, @shannonshootscocktails on Instagram Photo: Shannon Sturgis, @shannonshootscocktails on Instagram You dont have to venture to a big city to find the best bars in the United States. Instead, train your cocktail-loving sights on a tiny, charming mountainside community in Upstate New York home to a hidden gem of a bar that was just crowned one of the nations top pubs. Hemlock, a cocktail bar in Catskill, has been named one of the 15 best bars in America by Esquire. The bar was included in the 2025 edition of Esquires coveted yearly roundup. The ranking includes watering holes in New York City, New Orleans, Oregon and beyond. Instead of focusing on hip places specializing in mixology wizardry, Esquire came up with this years list by asking writers and editors one question: Where do you go for a drink when the worlds giving you the blues? The Hemlock, a place where customers can catch up while enjoying a stellar cocktail, could easily become your new favorite bar. The cocktail bar opened in June 2023 on Main Street, Catskill a village along the Hudson River in the stunning Catskills that less than 4,000 people call home. The Hemlock features soft lighting, cushy booths and a bar lined with stools. Its a quiet, cozy place where you can grab a memorable drink, like a Black Manhattan or an apple brandy Carpetbagger, and enjoy a small bite to eat, like a basket of fries or a vegan chopped cheese. Peter Barrett, the writer who picked Hemlock for Esquires list of best bars, liked the bar as soon as he walked in. For the first time in my quest, I forgot why I was there and was just there: deep in conversation, sipping excellent drinks," he wrote in his review of the bar. Id found a solid place to hang out, and thats no small thing in a persons life. The Hemlock has a small online footprint, with its Instagram page appearing to serve as its only website. But its Instagram posts are filled with positive comments. And on Yelp, the bar retains a perfect five-star ranking. Wonderful intimate cocktail lounge, a Yelp reviewer from Michigan wrote in late May. A must go whenever in Catskill. The Hemlock is at 394 Main St. in Catskill. The bar is open daily from 5 p.m. to midnight and serves food until 10 p.m. Fort Bragg, N.C. President Donald Trump called protesters in Los Angeles animals and a foreign enemy in a speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday as he defended deploying the military on demonstrators opposed to his immigration enforcement raids and as he vowed to liberate the West Coast city. Trump, in his most aggressive language yet regarding the protests, used a speech ostensibly supposed to be used to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army to denounce the protesters while repeating his false statements about the 2020 election being rigged and attacking the previous commander in chief, former President Joe Biden. The Republican president, who sees the military as a critical tool for domestic goals, has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines over the objections of Californias Democratic governor. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend in Los Angeles, but the demonstrations in the city of 4 million people have largely been centered in several blocks of downtown. We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. Thats what they are, Trump said Tuesday. Trumps heated rhetoric came as he has left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, one of the most extreme emergency powers available to the president. It authorizes him to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. Trump received plenty of cheers from the crowd, which laughed at the presidents jokes and delighted in his dancing to his campaign anthem of YMCA. However, some members of the audience were uneasy with certain aspects of his remarks. Robin Boothe, who voted for Trump and works on the base as an audiology assistant, said the speech was classic Trump. However, she also found it to be too partisan, especially his comments on Los Angeles. I thought that was better left for a news conference than what we were celebrating today, the 50-year-old said. The president called Los Angeles a trash heap with entire neighborhoods under control of criminals and said the federal government would use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order. We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean and safe again, Trump said. Trump authorized the deployment of 4,000 National Guard soldiers to the city against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. About 700 Marines were deployed to the Los Angeles area but had not yet been sent to respond to the protests. Newsom asked a federal court Tuesday to block Trump from using the military in his city. California leaders accused Trump of fanning protesters anger and stoking the unrest. Trump also announced his administration was restoring the names of seven military bases that were given the monikers of Confederate leaders until being changed by the Biden administration. Fort Pickett, Fort Robert E. Lee and Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Gordon in Georgia, Fort Rucker in Alabama and Fort Polk in Louisiana will have their names changed back, Trump said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has already brought back the names of Fort Bragg and Fort Benning in Georgia. Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit? Trump said. Well forget all about that. As they did when they changed back Fort Bragg and Fort Benning, Defense officials announced Tuesday that they had identified service members with the same last names in order to make the change and not have the bases officially carry Confederate-related names. Before he spoke, Trump watched the U.S. Army demonstrate a missile strike, a helicopter assault and a building raid, a preview of the kind of show of American military might hes expected to display in the nations capital for a massive military parade this weekend. Trump has promoted the Armys anniversary as a reason to hold the parade on Saturday, which is also his 79th birthday. Tanks and other vehicles will roll down city streets in a reminder of how the Republican president is reshaping the armed forces after returning to the White House this year. I think its going to be great, Trump told reporters at the White House earlier Tuesday. Were going to celebrate our country for a change. As a backdrop to the parade, No Kings Day protests are planned across the country on Saturday to push back against what critics see as the administrations draconian policies. Trump said earlier Tuesday that there would be more immigration raids and that any additional protests would be met with even greater force, including those who show up at the parade. If they do, Trump said, they will be met with very big force. I havent even heard about a protest but you know, this is people that hate our country. But they will be met with very heavy force. Fort Bragg, which was briefly Fort Liberty and is near Fayetteville, North Carolina, serves as headquarters for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Highly trained units like the Green Berets and the 82nd Airborne are based there. The atmosphere resembled a state fair with military flair. Inflatable slides and attractions for children were set up in a field, with artillery, trucks and helicopters parked on another section of the lawn. Right outside the security checkpoint but still on the base two stands were selling Trump political hats, T-shirts and other paraphernalia. Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll were also at Tuesdays event, along with service members, veterans and their families. Driscoll, who spoke to the crowd before Trump arrived, called the president the greatest recruiter in our Armys history. Hegseth told the crowd that the U.S. is restoring the warrior ethos to its armed forces. Were not a college or a university. Were not interested in your woke garbage and political correctness, Hegseth said, drawing cheers. As part of our Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard graduation coverage, we are introducing readers to two top students from each Central New York high school. We sent questions to two students from each high school and asked them to tell us about themselves. We think their answers shine light on their plans for the future and unique personalities. We hope you enjoy their answers as much as we did. All of the top 25 earners last year made an annual salary of at least $167,000. Stock photo. (LAW Ho Ming | Getty Images) LAW Ho Ming | Getty Images Syracuse, N.Y. Seven of the top 25 highest-paid school employees in Onondaga County suburbs earned more than $200,000 during the 2023-2024 school year. All seven of them were superintendents. Sixteen of the top 25 highest-paid school workers in the suburbs overall last year were superintendents. All of the top 25 earners made an annual salary of least $167,000. The highest-paid school worker in the county last year was East Syracuse Minoa Superintendent Donna DeSiato, with an annual salary of more than $263,000. No. 2 in the suburbs was Fayetteville-Manlius Superintendent Craig Tice at over $237,000. You can see details of the highest-paid school employees in Onondaga County suburbs in the table below. If you cant see the table, click here to open it in a new window. Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard obtained the school payroll records through Freedom of Information Law requests to the New York State Teachers Retirement System and the New York State Comptrollers Office. The numbers reflect earnings reported to those entities. Data on the highest-paid workers in the Syracuse City School District is also available. The city districts highest-paid employee last year was Superintendent Anthony Davis, who earned $255,000. Davis salary made him the second-highest paid school employee in Onondaga County last year, behind DeSiato. You can search pay records for over 11,000 suburban school workers using the tool below. To see a complete list of all pay records, leave the boxes blank and hit search. If you cant see the search tool, click here to open it in a new window. Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. IndrojitSircar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Kolkata/Delhi Posts: 2,330 Thanked: 1,118 Times 1961 Fiat 1100 Familiare It was decided that we will go down and see the car in the allys of south Calcutta and called me after seeing the car and saying that it's a Familiare and X was the price. He said the car needs a lot of work and it's better he gives me the car. We finalized the deal and the advance was sent across and we needed a couple of days to close the transaction. In the next 3 days the car arrived at my workshop in Kolkata and was parked. One summer morning in April 2024 i received a call from Bhpian Souryadeep (babyhindustan), telling me that he has news on a rare Fiat station wagon that might be up for sale. So I asked him what his plans were for the car?It was decided that we will go down and see the car in the allys of south Calcutta and called me after seeing the car and saying that it's a Familiare and X was the price. He said the car needs a lot of work and it's better he gives me the car. We finalized the deal and the advance was sent across and we needed a couple of days to close the transaction.In the next 3 days the car arrived at my workshop in Kolkata and was parked. Last edited by aah78 : 12th June 2025 at 17:26 . Reason: Pictures inserted in-line. Recap: In recent years, digital shelf labels have stirred debate across the United States. Although some shoppers and lawmakers worry the technology could enable unpredictable, demand-driven price hikes, a new academic study suggests those fears may be overblown. Research recently published by teams from the University of Texas at Austin, the University of California, San Diego, and Northwestern University analyzed five years of pricing data from a major grocery chain that adopted digital shelf labels in 2022. The study found no evidence that the store engaged in surge pricing after installing the digital labels. Temporary price hikes remained rare, affecting just 0.005 percent of products per day before the switch and increasing by only 0.0006 percentage points afterward. Researchers also observed a slight increase in product discounts following the rollout. Despite the data, skepticism persists. Posts warning that supermarkets could exploit digital labels to instantly raise prices like charging more for ice cream during a heatwave or umbrellas when it rains continue to spread across social media. In response, lawmakers in several states have proposed legislation to restrict or ban the technology, citing concerns about potential abuse and its impact on local jobs. In Arizona, a bill to prohibit digital shelf labels has yet to receive a hearing, but its sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Cesar Aguilar, continues to push for greater oversight. Some critics also raise concerns about personal privacy. Last fall, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bob Casey sent a letter to Kroger questioning whether the grocery giant might pair electronic labels with cameras and data analytics to enable dynamic pricing. Kroger denied any link between the labels and facial recognition, insisting its pricing strategy focuses on keeping prices low to attract more customers. Digital shelf labels are not a new invention. European supermarkets and some US retailers, such as Kohl's, have deployed them for over a decade. However, adoption in American grocery stores has lagged behind Europe, where roughly 80 percent of supermarkets use them compared to just five to ten percent in the US. VP of Industry Strategy for Relex Solutions Amanda Oren told the Associated Press that the high upfront cost ranging from five to twenty dollars per label has slowed adoption. Equipping a single store with tens of thousands of products can require a significant investment. Nevertheless, momentum is building. Walmart, the country's largest grocer, plans to install digital shelf labels in 2,300 stores by 2026. Kroger and Whole Foods are also expanding their use of the technology. Retailers tout the efficiency gains: Walmart estimates that switching from paper to digital tags reduces the time needed to update prices on 120,000 items from two days to just a few minutes. Some digital labels offer added features, such as QR codes for recipes or nutrition facts, and even help Instacart shoppers locate items more quickly. In Europe, digital labels have enabled innovations aimed at reducing food waste. For example, Albert Heijn supermarkets in the Netherlands and Belgium use artificial intelligence to automatically lower prices on items nearing expiration, a practice that has reportedly cut food waste by more than 250 tons annually. While the debate continues, the study's authors emphasize that grocery retailers have little incentive to alienate customers with unpredictable price changes. "Selling groceries is not like selling a couch. It's not a one-time transaction you want customers coming back every week," concluded study co-author Ioannis Stamatopoulos. Big Brother is watching: As robotaxis struggle to break free of their isolated testing pockets, one thing is becoming clear: if you see an autonomous vehicle, it sees you too. Police departments in cities where these services operate are increasingly seizing footage from the cars when they believe it could help an investigation but what does that mean for your privacy? In April, the Los Angeles Police Department released video footage captured by a Waymo robotaxi as part of a hit-and-run investigation (below). The brief and grainy clip shows the moments before a speeding, human-operated vehicle struck a pedestrian. Notably, the LAPD later released the footage labeled "Waymo Confidential Commercial Information" to solicit tips to identify the suspect. The results of the investigation are unclear. The incident is not the first time police have used Waymo footage in a criminal investigation. Bloomberg notes that departments in San Francisco, California, and Maricopa County, Arizona, have issued legal requests typically warrants or subpoenas to obtain video from the cameras of Waymo vehicles (and other autonomous fleets) as evidence since 2023. According to an ABC report from 2022, law enforcement in Arizona's East Valley, which includes cities like Mesa and Chandler, have used Waymo footage since it launched in Phoenix in 2016. Autonomous vehicles equipped with 360-degree cameras continuously record their surroundings effectively creating a vast, mobile surveillance network. As Bloomberg put it, these cars are "essentially surveillance cameras on wheels," raising urgent questions about the scope and oversight of this data collection. Autonomous vehicle companies remain cautiously compliant with legal requests. A Waymo spokesperson told Gizmodo that it hands over footage only when presented with a valid warrant, subpoena, or court order and carefully reviews each request to ensure it targets only what's necessary. However, releasing even a redacted clip highlights the fine line between corporate transparency, legal cooperation, and privacy concerns. The rising use of autonomous vehicle footage reflects broader surveillance trends: doorbell camera-sharing networks like Ring, automated license plate readers, and citywide systems such as New York's Domain Awareness System all extend public monitoring. Privacy advocates argue these systems normalize mass observation, often without public oversight or meaningful consent. As autonomous vehicles become common in public spaces from Waymo's 2024 Los Angeles roll-out to upcoming robotaxi programs from Tesla and Uber they introduce new dimensions of surveillance. Protesters in Los Angeles recently vandalized several Waymo cars, even setting some on fire. Their motive goes beyond technological backlash. It reflects deep mistrust of the emerging "police-vehicle-data pipeline," where every mile driven could become part of a criminal investigation. These incidents spotlight an uncomfortable paradox: while autonomous vehicles can capture crucial evidence that helps solve crimes, they also extend law enforcement's reach beyond its Constitutional boundaries. Constant recording blurs the line between public safety and pervasive surveillance, raising concerns about how easily routine movements can become part of a criminal investigation. In brief: Google is once again reducing its headcount while cracking down on remote workers. The company has offered buyouts to employees across a number of divisions. It has also rolled out a new RTO mandate across more teams, giving employees the option of returning to the office or taking a voluntary exit package. Google's latest round of buyouts will be offered to employees in its knowledge and information (K&I) and central engineering units as well as marketing, research and communications teams, according to CNBC. K&I is home to Google's core search, ads and commerce divisions. Around 20,000 staff work in this area, which saw a reorganization in October that resulted in Google executive Nick Fox taking over the reins. Google never said how many employees would be affected by its latest round of buyouts, but we do know that the voluntary exit plan will mostly apply to US workers. Google did confirm that more teams will be expected to adhere to its RTO policy. It mandates that fully remote workers who live within 50 miles of an office must adopt a hybrid work schedule and start coming into the office at least three days per week. Those who refuse will be given a severance package. Google first introduced its return-or-leave policy in April. Employees in Google Technical Services and People Operations divisions were told to either come in at least three days per week or take a voluntary exit package. Remote employees in the units were offered a one-time relocation allowance to relocate to within 50 miles of an office Google had been one of the companies to stick with work-from-home plans following the end of the lockdowns. It introduced hybrid work models in April 2022, though managers were able to approve fully remote exceptions. However, Google has been pushing workers to prioritize in-office attendance since 2023. It started tracking hybrid employees' office badges to find out if they come in on the days they're supposed to. There were also reviews of long-term remote arrangements. Last year, Google decided to approve remote requests only in "exceptional" cases. This isn't the first time Google has offered voluntary exit plans, either. Full-time US employees working in the Platforms and Devices division were given the same option in January. Those in People Operations and Google's legal and finance teams have also been offered buyouts. Few companies have reduced their headcount as aggressively as Google. It laid off around 12,000 people in January 2023 and has offered voluntary buyouts to around 25,000 employees this year so far. Not all executives are demanding workers return to the office. Dropbox CEO Drew Houston recently criticized firms taking this approach, comparing RTO mandates to trying to force people back into malls and movie theaters. Image credit: Adarsh Chauhan Something to look forward to: Robotaxi services are widely seen as the next major breakthrough in transportation, with Alphabet-owned Waymo already expanding its self-driving taxi operations across several US cities. Now, Elon Musk has announced that Tesla is finally ready to launch its long-awaited autonomous cab service in Austin, Texas, later this month. Replying to an X user asking about when public rides would begin, Musk said the launch date is "tentatively" set for June 22, but the actual timing could change because Tesla is "being super paranoid about safety." He also added that the first fully driverless Tesla trip from the factory floor to a customer's home is scheduled for June 28. Tentatively, June 22. We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift. First Tesla that drives itself from factory end of line all the way to a customer house is June 28. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025 The announcement came just hours after Musk shared a short video showing Tesla's driverless cars operating on public roads in Austin. The black Model Y SUVs featured in the clip had "Robotaxi" painted in white on their sides and appeared to have no human driver behind the wheel. Musk had previously stated that Tesla would launch a robotaxi pilot in Austin this June but did not specify an exact date. He also said the initial rollout would be limited to 10 to 20 Model Y SUVs until the futuristic CyberCab enters production next year. If the initial launch goes smoothly, Tesla plans to rapidly expand its self-driving fleet and roll out services in Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco, and several other cities. In an interview with CNBC last month, Musk revealed that Tesla will use geofencing to ensure the robotaxis stay within areas deemed safest for autonomous navigation. This technology will also enable the company to remotely monitor the fleet, helping to safeguard passengers and other road users. Austin has become a hotspot for robotaxi testing in the US, with several companies operating driverless cabs in the city. While Alphabet's Waymo already offers commercial rides to paying customers, Amazon's Zoox began testing its autonomous vehicles there last year. However, unlike Waymo, Zoox still employs human drivers behind the wheel and does not provide commercial services. Tesla's upcoming launch of its self-driving cab service comes after weeks of drama, including a very public fallout between Musk and President Donald Trump. The company also experienced nearly a 50 percent drop in sales in Europe last April amid backlash over Musk's actions as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). NEW YORK - A child victim of forced sterilization under Japan's now-defunct eugenics protection law said the surgery ruined his life, as he described his experiences at a U.N. event on disability rights Tuesday in New York. "Because of the surgery, my life was thrown completely off course," the 82-year-old man, who uses the pseudonym Saburo Kita, said at the event linked to a United Nations conference on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Kita is a member of a group that won compensation from the government in a Supreme Court ruling in July last year. He was forced to undergo sterilization at the age of 14 after he was placed in a child welfare facility for alleged delinquents. He chose to never reveal the surgery to the woman who later became his wife until just before her death, calling the incident a "painful secret." The eugenics law, which was in effect between 1948 and 1996, permitted authorities to sterilize people with intellectual disabilities, mental illnesses or hereditary disorders without their consent to prevent the birth of "inferior" offspring. According to government estimates, about 25,000 people in Japan were sterilized, 16,500 of them without consent, under the law often labeled the worst human rights violation in the country's postwar history. In its ruling, the top court said the law was unconstitutional as it violated both the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and the right to equality. While the lawsuit brought hope to all victims, "It does not mean we can start our lives over. Surgery motivated by eugenics is a tragedy that cannot be undone," Kita said in his speech at the headquarters of the United Nations. "I want to reduce the number of people who suffered the way I did -- even if it's just by one," Kita said. After being unsure about what to do with his compensation payout, Kita's supporters urged him to use the money to deliver the speech at the United Nations. After the event, Kita told reporters that he wanted to continue speaking about his ordeal to bring a deeper understanding of the suffering he and others experienced. Related coverage: Japan gov't starts process to compensate forced sterilization victims Japan comedian, eugenics law plaintiff on BBC 100 Women list for 2024 Japan's 1st forced sterilization plaintiff gets 15 mil. yen settlement In brief: After we had some good news about the UK tech jobs market last week, a new report on the US equivalent doesn't paint such as a rosy picture. The unemployment rate among IT professionals rose to 5.5% in May, marking the fifth month in a row that it has exceeded the national US average. The report, from IT management consulting company Janco, states that the unemployment rate for IT pros in the United States jumped 0.9% from 4.6% in April to 5.5% in May. As highlighted in another report from Janco in January and mirrored in the recent data on the UK's job market most open IT positions in the US right now involve work on large language models. Janco also pointed to roles related to blockchain technology and omnichannel commerce being in high demand. "IT opportunities for IT pros will be poor except for AI implementations, which focus on improved productivity and staff reductions," Janco wrote. As for the roles that are suffering most, the report notes that many job losses were concentrated in the communications sector, as well as those related to reporting, monitoring, and support. IT professionals who will be feeling the pressure most are those with "legacy" skills located in smaller markets such as Nashville and Tulsa. Professionals in bigger locations like New York and Dallas are less likely to be affected. Unsurprisingly, Janco writes that AI has been responsible for the eradication of many entry-level IT positions, especially those in telecoms. It's also eliminated IT jobs in compliance reporting and management. "Companies do not have the desire to hire new staff to meet mandated compliance requirements," wrote Janco CEO Victor Janulaitis. "Ergo, they are focusing on AI to automate as many of those tasks as possible, especially for reporting and monitoring." Generative AI has been automating jobs for several years now, despite repeated claims from execs that the technology is there to augment, not replace, workers. With more companies embracing AI agents designed to replace humans in many roles by autonomously handling workflow decisions the situation is expected to worsen. Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO of buy now, pay later giant Klarna, is so concerned about AI replacing white collar jobs that he believes it will cause a recession. Dario Amodei, CEO of AI firm Anthropic, has a similar view. He said last month that AI could wipe out about half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in the next five years, leading to unemployment spikes up to 20%. SEOUL - South Korea said Wednesday its military has halted propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along the border with North Korea, as part of efforts by President Lee Jae Myung's new administration to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The broadcasts had been resumed in June last year after a six-year hiatus under Lee's predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, who adopted a hardline stance against North Korea, in response to the North's launch of waste-carrying balloons into the South. The South Korean military said the halt is aimed at helping "restore trust in inter-Korean relations and achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula." Presidential Office spokeswoman Kang Yu Jung told reporters later Wednesday that Lee ordered the military to suspend the loudspeaker broadcasts given "the absence of any major provocations from North Korea" recently. "It is intended to reduce military confrontation between the two Koreas and open the door for rebuilding mutual trust," she said. Pyongyang floated thousands of trash-carrying balloons across the border between May and November last year in tit-for-tat retaliation for South Korean activists sending anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets across the border. Earlier this week, South Korea's Unification Ministry urged the activists to halt the leaflet distribution, saying it heightens tensions on the Korean Peninsula and endangers the lives and safety of residents in border areas. The ministry had previously permitted the activity. Related coverage: New South Korean President Lee emphasizes pragmatism after sworn in Kim says North Korea to "unconditionally support" Russia in Ukraine war May 2025 second warmest on record: EU climate monitor Paris, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 Global heating continued as the new norm, with last month the second warmest May on record on land and in the oceans, according to the European Union's climate monitoring service. The planet's average surface temperature dipped below the threshold of 1.5 degree Celsius above preindustrial levels, just shy of the record for May set last year, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. The same held for the world's oceans. With a surface temperature of 20.79C, last month was second only to May 2024, with some unprecedented warmth regionally. "Large areas in the northeast North Atlantic, which experienced a marine heatwave, had record surface temperatures for the month," Copernicus reported. "Most of the Mediterranean Sea was much warmer than average." The increasingly dire state of the oceans is front-and-centre at the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC), which kicked off Monday in Nice, France. Ocean heatwaves are driving marine species to migrate, damaging ecosystems, and reducing the ability of ocean layers to mix, thus hindering the distribution of nutrients. Covering 70 percent of the globe's surface, oceans redistribute heat and play a crucial role in regulating Earth's climate. Surface water warmed by climate change drive increasingly powerful storms, causing new levels of destruction and flooding in their wake. Some parts of Europe, meanwhile, "experienced their lowest levels of precipitation and soil moisture since at least 1979," Copernicus noted. Britain has been in the grips of its most intense drought in decades, with Denmark and the Netherlands also suffering from a lack of rain. - 'Brief respite' - Earth's surface last month was 1.4C above the preindustrial benchmark, defined as the average temperature from 1850 to 1900, before the massive use of fossil fuels caused the climate to dramatically warm. "May 2025 interrupts an unprecedentedly long sequence of months above 1.5C," noted Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service. All but one of the previous 22 months crossed this critical threshold, which marks the 2015 Paris Agreement's most ambitious target for capping global warming. "This may offer a brief respite for the planet, but we expect the 1.5C threshold to be exceeded again in the near future due to the continued warming of the climate system," he added. Over the 12-month period June 2024 to May 2025, warming averaged 1.57C compared to the 1850-1900 benchmark. The Paris treaty target, however, is pegged to a 20-year average, in order to account for the influence of natural variability. The UN's climate science advisory panel, the IPCC, has said there's a 50-percent change of breaching the 1.5C barrier in line with these criteria between 2030 and 2035. Using this method of calculation, the world today has warmed by at least 1.3C. The UN's World Meterological Organization (WMO), meanwhile, has said there's a 70 percent chance the five-year period 2025-2029, on average, will exceed the 1.5C limit. Scientists stress the importance of limiting global warming as soon and as much as possible because every fraction of a degree increases the risks of more deadly and destructive impacts, on land and in the sea. Limiting warming to 1.5C rather than 2C would significantly reduce the most catastrophic consequences, the IPCC concluded in a major report in 2018. Fires force Indigenous Canadians to tourist town of Niagara Falls Niagara Falls, Canada, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 Niagara Falls, Canada is often packed with visitors, but hotel rooms in the tourist city are currently occupied by hundreds of people who did not come for sight-seeing. Indigenous Canadians from remote communities thousands of kilometers away have been forced to flee their homes because of raging wildfires and are staying at Niagara Falls hotels. Among them is Travis Bighetty, 38, who told AFP he evacuated Mathias Colomb Cree Nation in northern Manitoba province days ago as it was "practically engulfed by fire." Dressed in a grey suit and a cowboy hat he collected from a clothing drive, Bighetty said he volunteered to be relocated far from home, taking an opportunity for him and his seven-year-old daughter to see one of Canada's most famous sites. But after a week, he is ready to leave. "I'd like to go back to God's country. I'd like to go back to my reserve," he said of the community also known as Pukatawagan. It has been a devastating start to Canada's fire season, with more than three million hectares of forest already scorched and tens of thousands of people displaced. Manitoba, in central Canada, has been among the hardest hit areas and shelter capacity in the provincial capital Winnipeg reached its limit. Bighetty said he first arrived in Niagara Falls after a harrowing escape from Pukatawagan. "We knew the fire was coming towards us," he said. "We didn't know how fast." First he was told to leave his home for a community center. He wanted to go back home and grab a few cherished things before evacuating, but that proved impossible. For his daughter, that meant leaving without her favorite doll, a gift from her father. "She was pretty attached to her doll," Bighetty said. "She wasn't able to bring that out." His daughter took an earlier helicopter and by the time he boarded, Bighetty said he saw nothing but smoke. "There (were) actually ashes falling." Bighetty said he is passing the days in Niagara Falls by walking from his hotel to the striking waterway and strolling the streets. For now, he has no idea when he'll leave. "They said it'd be a while," he told AFP. - Culture shock - Dozens of Indigenous Canadians sat on restaurant and cafe patios on a main Niagara Falls street Tuesday, gathering in areas dramatically different from their usual social spots. The city is aware that many may be uncomfortable in an urban environment, said the local fire chief and emergency response coordinator, Jo Zambito. "They're coming from a culture that isn't the same as ours," he told AFP, adding that support workers have been deployed to all the hotels housing evacuees to aid those feeling distressed. Niagara Falls has previously welcomed people displaced by flood and other disasters in part because of its numerous hotel rooms, many of which are vacant in non-tourist seasons. But Zambito said the city is also well-equipped to offer support because as a tourist hub, locals are good at welcoming visitors. The number of evacuees in the city has fluctuated, but Zambito said there were roughly 2,400 Indigenous people from Manitoba currently in Niagara Falls. Locals have generously stepped up with donations, he added, but there is concern about overburdening the health care system. The main challenge is the uncertainty. "We just don't know how long they'll be here," Zambito said, voicing concern for the evacuees who have little information about the status of their homes. - 'I miss my bed' - Florette Richard turned her head away as her eyes began to fill with tears, while she recounted her flight from Cross Lake, in northern Manitoba. The mother of four said two of her children declined to come east to Niagara Falls, splitting the family and forcing her away from her only grandchild, one-year-old Ezra. Richard and her husband Norval are surrounded in Niagara Falls by others from Cross Lake, roughly 520 kilometers north of Winnipeg. But feelings of isolation were starting to take their toll, she said. "It's lonely now. I miss my home. I miss my bed." Mapping Ireland's peatlands to help cut carbon emissions Birr, Ireland, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 Mapping more accurately than ever Ireland's peatlands, which are vital as carbon sinks but whose boundaries can be hard to determine, could help fight global warming, researchers say. Ireland is pockmarked with patches of dark brown peat soil that make up at least 20 percent of the land cover, according to Eve Daly, a geophysicist at the University of Galway, who co-led a groundbreaking project on finding peat. "Peatland soils contain comparable amounts of carbon to the likes of rainforests so a more accurate map can lead to better land management decisions and mitigate against greenhouse gas emissions," Daly told AFP. Her research team developed a new mapping approach using gamma radiation measurements to identify for the first time "transition zones" -- typically hidden under forests and grasslands -- where the soil changes from being peat to mineral-based. Daly says the area of soil in Ireland considered "peaty" has increased thanks to a new colour-coded "peat/non-peat" map produced by the researchers. "Improved mapping at higher resolution and locating where hidden organic peat soils are and their extent are key inputs into working out carbon emission factors," she said. Her project co-leader Dave O'Leary told AFP about 80 percent of Ireland had now been mapped out in patches of "peat" brown or "non-peat" green. "Few countries have invested in such an incredible data set, which puts Ireland at the forefront of peatland mapping research," he said. - 'New lens' - Land use, including farming and peatland draining, is a major source of Ireland's carbon emissions which could see the country failing to meet an EU-agreed climate target to cut emissions by over 50 percent by 2030. A recent report said Ireland risks an EU fine of almost 30 billion euros if it fails to reach the target and recommended the restoring -- and rewetting -- of thousands of hectares of peatlands to help deliver "massive" cuts in emissions. "We need to use more modern technologies or use old technologies with new lenses to try and find these hidden peat soils," Daly said. Ireland's boggy areas are typically located in the middle of the bowl-shaped country which is ringed with hills and low mountains around the coastal areas. Triven Koganti, an agroecology expert at Denmark's Aarhus University, told AFP that five percent of global greenhouse gas emissions came from cultivated peatlands. "Historical agricultural draining of peatlands... or to use them as a fuel source has led to significant greenhouse gas emissions," he said. So "an accurate accounting" of peatland boundaries is needed to achieve "current global initiatives to restore peatlands", he said, adding the Irish research "plays an important role in establishing this". - 'Bird's eye' technique - The mapping technique -- described as "bird's eye" by Daly -- is based on gamma-ray data measured by a sensor onboard a plane that has been flown low over Ireland for a decade in a state-funded geophysical survey. "All rocks and different amounts of soils give off a certain amount of natural radiation but peat doesn't as it's full of organic material," Daly said. Soils are usually a mixture of broken bits of rock, water and air, but peat soils are distinct from mineral soils as they are formed from decaying plant material, water and air, and contain a very high amount of carbon. When waterlogged, this carbon is stored in the soil but when water is removed, for example via drainage, peat soils then emit carbon dioxide as the decay process restarts, Daly said. The state-funded "Tellus" survey began in 2011 and is expected to be completed later this year. S.Africa flooding toll rises to nine, children missing Johannesburg, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 The death toll from flooding in eastern parts of South Africa has risen to nine as rescuers search for children missing after a minibus was swept away, the local government said on Wednesday. Heavy snowfall and storms have affected areas of the Eastern Cape province, with the entire country experiencing extreme winter weather conditions since last week. Torrential rains in the OR Tambo district have now claimed nine lives, a statement from the local government said, raising an earlier toll of seven. The search for missing children aboard a school bus that was swept away by a flood was ongoing early on Wednesday, it added. Khuselwa Rantjie, spokeswoman for the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, told AFP she could not confirm how many children or adults were on the bus. Local media have reported that at least 10 children are missing. Separately, three children were rescued after spending hours in trees to escape rising waters near the city of Mthatha, one of the areas hardest hit. Several hundred people have been displaced since Monday, according to the government, mainly from OR Tambo and Amathole districts, with some relocated in schools and town halls. The local authority said it was providing hot meals and essentials to those housed in temporary shelters with support from several government agencies. The "relentless downpours" also caused landslides and "significant damage to property and infrastructure", the government added. South Africa's national weather service has warned that severe and extreme winter weather conditions would persist until at least the middle of this week. 'We have to try everything': Vanuatu envoy taking climate fight to ICJ Nice, France, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 Tired of pleading for countries to act on climate change, Vanuatu upped the ante -- it asked the world's highest court if governments were legally obligated to do something about it. The landmark case has given Ralph Regenvanu a front row seat to history. As Vanuatu's environment minister, he has taken the decades-long climate fight by Pacific nations to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, hoping to safeguard their islands' survival. Regenvanu has called the case among the most consequential "in the history of humanity". A ruling could come as early as next month. This interview, conducted by AFP on the sidelines of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, has been edited for length and clarity: Q: Why did Vanuatu go to the ICJ? A: "We thought it was necessary to take a legal approach to the issue of climate change because we feel that the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) process, which has been going for 30 years, has not done anywhere near enough. "We agreed to ramp down greenhouse gas emissions. We've seen the highest levels ever just recently. We've talked about climate finance. We haven't seen that. These pledges that were made in Paris? We've not seen them having any effect. "And so we wanted to see if we could get international law to actually start to impose some requirements." Q: Has it worked? "This request for an advisory opinion from the ICJ has been historic. It was the first request from the United Nations General Assembly for an advisory opinion that was unanimous. No country opposed requesting this. "It has also mobilised youth. There's this global climate justice movement of youth now, and we have many of them here (in Nice). It's really raised the consciousness and political savvy of youth to engage with these kinds of processes. "A lot of countries would talk about what they're doing on climate change. But when we got to the court, it became very clear that they weren't prepared to do what they were talking about. So it exposed the hypocrisy of a number of countries as well." Q: Do you think others will take the legal route? A: "We're going to have to do a far greater range of things outside these UN processes -- in courts, in each and every fora we can find, to push for real climate action. "We went to the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea -- we got an advisory opinion. We're waiting for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the same question: the obligations of states to prevent greenhouse gas emissions, and what are they consequences if they don't. "Along with Fiji and Samoa, we've submitted a resolution to the Rome Statute -- the International Criminal Court -- for a new crime of ecocide to be created. That's in process. "We will continue to call for the strongest action in all fora including this one, the United Nations Ocean Conference. "Anything and everything we can -- because what we're doing is not enough." Q: Why keep going if you're constantly disappointed? A: "Going to the climate COPs is a very depressing exercise. Last year, for example, Papua New Guinea said we aren't going anymore. I could perfectly understand that. "The problem is, when we're not at the table, we're on the menu. And so we have to be there, so people see us and realise -- and hopefully have a little bit of conscience -- that there are these people in the world who are going to perish as a result of your actions." Q: Why is this ocean summit important? "The ocean has been feeding us. It's been our spiritual home. It's been our highway. It has been the basis of our cultural heritage, our identity. We've been surviving off the ocean for as long as we've existed, which is thousands of years. "And we see the change, and the change is impacting us. We know that if we don't address climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, and if we don't take serious steps to reverse global warming, but also keep the biodiversity that has always been sustaining us, it threatens our very existence." Iran hangs man over 2022 protest deaths, activists say conviction wrongful Paris, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 Iran on Wednesday hanged a man convicted of killing seven people, including a 10-year-old boy, during nationwide protests in 2022 but human rights groups said he was the victim of a wrongful conviction. Abbas Kurkuri, also known as Mojahed Kurkur, was hanged at dawn in Sheiban prison in the western city of Ahvaz, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Hengaw groups said. His execution was reported by the Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website which said he had been convicted by a Revolutionary Court of the capital offences of "corruption on earth" and "waging war against God". He had been arrested more than two years previously over the deaths in November 2022 at the height of the nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd detained for an alleged breach of Iran's strict dress code for women. He was accused of opening fire with a military weapon in the town of Izeh northeast of Ahvaz in an attack that left seven people dead, including 10-year-old Kian Pirfalak, whose death sparked outrage at the time. At his trial, Kurkuri confessed to the charges and said he had been "under the influence of social media", Mizan said. But human rights groups said his confession, which was broadcast by Iranian state media and re-published by Mizan on Wednesday, had been obtained under duress and accused the authorities of framing him to take the blame away from the security forces. - 'Tsunami' of executions - "During his detention, Korkor endured severe torture and was denied access to legal counsel," said Hengaw, adding that Pirfalak's mother had said at her son's funeral that it was security personnel who fired at their vehicle. It noted that the execution had taken place on what would have been the boy's birthday. IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam described the execution as "an extrajudicial killing". "The Islamic republic authorities attempted to blame him for the murder of 10-year old Kian Pirfalak by forcing confessions under torture," he said. He said the hanging of Kurkuri, a member of Iran's Bahktiari minority, was the latest in a "tsunami" of executions in Iran, with convicts currently being put to death at a rate of four a day. According to IHR, at least 569 people have been hanged in Iran so far this year. Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi, currently on leave from her own prison sentence, said Kurkuri had been "brutally tortured in solitary confinement (and) falsely accused of Kian's murder based on fabricated claims by interrogators and the regime's judiciary". Amnesty International said he was convicted after a "grossly unfair sham trial marred by torture-tainted 'confessions' obtained while he was subjected to enforced disappearance". The London-based group said its investigations had showed "plainclothes security officials used unlawful lethal force during protests in Izeh and fatally fired live ammunition at the child". "Authorities immediately blamed 'terrorists', but the boy's family repeatedly refuted these claims publicly and attributed the responsibility to the authorities." Over 550 people were killed in the authorities' crackdown on the protests, according to the IHR's figures. The authorities emphasise that members of the security forces also lost their lives. Kurkuri's execution comes a day after Iran hanged nine men convicted of plotting to carry out attacks in 2018 on behalf of the Islamic State group. Iran is the world's second most prolific executioner after China, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International. Children missing after South Africa flooding Johannesburg, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 The death toll from flooding in eastern parts of South Africa has risen to nine as rescuers search for children missing after a school bus was swept away, the local government said Wednesday. Heavy rainfall, snow and cold winds have affected areas of the Eastern Cape province, with most of the country experiencing brutal winter weather conditions since last week. Floods caused by torrential rains in the OR Tambo district claimed nine lives, a statement from the local government said, raising an earlier toll of seven. The search for missing children aboard a minibus taking them to school that was swept away by a flood near the city of Mthatha was ongoing Wednesday, it added. Khuselwa Rantjie, spokeswoman for the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, told AFP she could not confirm how many children or adults were on the bus. South African TV station Newzroom Afrika with a reporter near the scene said that that 10 bodies were discovered on Wednesday afternoon. Several outlets reported that the bus could carry up to 22 people. Separately, three children were rescued after spending hours in trees to escape rising waters. - Lack of resources - Several hundred people have been displaced since Monday, according to the government, mainly from OR Tambo and Amathole districts, with some relocated in schools and town halls. The local authority said it was providing hot meals and essentials to those housed in temporary shelters with support from several government agencies. Eastern Cape top official Oscar Mabuyane told public broadcaster SABC News that only one helicopter was available in the province. "We need more resources," he said. "We have never experienced disasters like this but now it's inevitable with climate change and global warming." The "relentless downpours" also caused landslides and "significant damage to property and infrastructure", the local government added. President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement that harsh winter conditions "remain life-threatening" adding that emergency services, including support from the National Disaster Management Centre, were "giving the requisite attention to crises as they unfold". He called on South Africans "to display caution, care and cooperation as the worst impacts of winter weather take effect". South Africa's national weather service has warned that severe and extreme winter weather conditions would persist until at least the middle of this week. Snow and heavy rainfall are common during winter in South Africa but the country is also highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate variability and change, which increases the frequency and severity of drought, floods and wildfires, according to the Green Climate Fund. 49 killed in South African flooding, children missing Johannesburg, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 The death toll from flooding in eastern parts of South Africa has risen to 49, including four children on a school bus that was swept away, a provincial governor said Wednesday. Heavy rainfall, snow and cold winds have particularly affected areas of the Eastern Cape province, with most of the country experiencing brutal winter weather conditions since last week. "As of now, the stats have escalated to 49" deaths, Eastern Cape premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane told reporters, citing police figures. The dead included four children on a school minibus bus carrying 13 people that was swept away by a flood near the city of Mthatha, Mabuyane said. "Sadly, four of those learners have been confirmed to be deceased, together with the driver and the conductor of the minibus taxi," he said. "Four learners are still missing and are still being looked for." Three others had been found alive, he said. Mabuyane did not give details of the other victims of the severe winter storm and said the situation was evolving. "Search and recovery operations are continuing across all affected areas," he said. The torrential rains over recent days, which also caused landslides, had forced hundreds of families to leave their homes and "significant damage on critical infrastructures", he said. On Tuesday, three children were rescued after spending hours in trees to escape rising waters, authorities said. - Lack of resources - Several hundred people had been displaced since Monday, mainly from OR Tambo and Amathole districts, with some moved to schools and town halls. Mabuyane told public broadcaster SABC News earlier that only one helicopter was available in the province. "We need more resources," he said. "We have never experienced disasters like this but now it's inevitable with climate change and global warming." President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement that harsh winter conditions "remain life-threatening" adding that emergency services, including support from the National Disaster Management Centre, were "giving the requisite attention to crises as they unfold". He called on South Africans "to display caution, care and cooperation as the worst impacts of winter weather take effect". South Africa's national weather service has warned that severe and extreme winter weather conditions would persist until at least the middle of this week. Snow and heavy rainfall are common during winter in South Africa but the country is also highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate variability and change, which increases the frequency and severity of drought, floods and wildfires, according to the Green Climate Fund. An exhibition highlighting China's ancient Shu civilization opened on Monday at the UN headquarters in New York, as a featured event of the newly established International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, observed annually on June 10. Themed "Light of the Sun -- Ancient Shu Civilization and the World," the exhibition draws on artifacts and motifs from the renowned Sanxingdui and Jinsha archaeological sites in southwest China, which date back approximately 3,600 to 2,800 years. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Latest GM investments in US in line with slowing EV demand: exec New York, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 General Motors' latest $4 billion investment into US factories in light of tariffs fits with the auto giant's shift towards slower growth of electric vehicles, a top GM executive said Wednesday. GM late Tuesday announced plans to invest $4 billion over two years to expand production of plants in Michigan, Kansas and Tennessee, making use of unused capacity in its home market as President Donald Trump's tariffs penalize imports of finished vehicles. At a financial conference Wednesday, Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson emphasized that the investments also come as GM sees robust US demand for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and slowing growth in EVs compared with the outlook a few years ago. "This is a great example of how we can pivot, how we can adjust, how we can be resilient in the face of an environment that's changing around us," Jacobson said. Jacobson said GM had revised its plan for the Orion Assembly plant in Michigan, which had been envisioned as a home to new EV investments but would instead build ICE sport-utility vehicles and pickups. On Orion, "we had planned for that to be a big EV plant, as we were thinking about rapid expansion of electric vehicles, and clearly we haven't seen that happen," Jacobson said. The other two plants will be capable of producing both ICE and EV vehicles, depending on how demand evolves. GM's announcement added capacity for the Chevrolet Equinox in Kansas and the Chevrolet Blazer in Tennessee. Both of those vehicles are currently imported to the United States from Mexico, exposing them to a 25 percent tariff following Trump's policies. The announcements mean GM will build about 300,000 more vehicles in the United States, Jacobson said. GM's announcement was applauded by the United Auto Workers, which has backed some of Trump's trade policies while urging automakers to shift production to the United States, where many plants are underutilized. "GM's decision to invest billions in American plants and prioritize US workers is exactly why we spoke up in favor of these auto tariffs," said UAW President Shawn Fain. "The writing is on the wall: the race to the bottom is over," Fain said. "We have excess manufacturing capacity at our existing plants, and auto companies can easily bring good union jobs back to the US." Shares of GM were up 2.6 percent in late-morning trading. Trump admin announces plan to loosen power plant regulations Washington, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2025 President Donald Trump's administration proposed Wednesday to roll back measures enacted by former Democratic presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama aimed at reducing polluting emissions from gas and coal-fired power plants. The move "would deliver savings to American families on electricity bills, and it will ensure that they have the electricity that they need today," Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Lee Zeldin told a press conference, adding that his office would balance protecting the economy and the climate. Regulations set to be repealed include limitations on carbon dioxide emissions by power plants and a rule curbing release of hazardous air pollutants such as mercury. The measures were meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the United States, the world's top polluter, and to protect people living near power plants and exposed to elevated levels of air pollutants that can damage the nervous system and harm breathing. The Trump administration argues the regulations are costly and rein in energy output at a time when the development of artificial intelligence is driving booming demand for electricity. - A powerful polluter - "No power plant will be allowed to emit more than they do today," Zeldin said Wednesday. The US power sector is already one of the world's top polluters, according to a recent report by the Institute for Policy Integrity, a nonpartisan think tank at New York University. Were it considered a country, it would have ranked as the world's sixth-biggest emitter in 2022 and contributed five percent of total worldwide emissions from 1990-2022, the institute said in a May briefing on the topic. "The best available evidence shows that each year of greenhouse gas emissions from US coal-fired and gas-fired power plants will contribute to climate damages responsible for thousands of US deaths and hundreds of billions in economics harms," the institute said in its report. Regulations facing the axe include requirements for coal-fired power plants to capture CO2 emissions instead of releasing them into the atmosphere, using expensive capture and storage techniques that are still not widely in use. - A change in course - Since Trump -- a proponent of fossil fuels and climate change skeptic -- returned to power in late January, federal authorities have reversed course on climate policy. In March, the EPA said it would undo dozens of environmental measures enacted during Biden's term in office, including those cutting vehicle emissions and drastically reducing the amount of carbon dioxide that coal-fired power plants can emit. The proposed federal rules announced Wednesday will be subject to a period of public comment before being finalized. If they become law, they would most likely be challenged in court. Tate Britain offers us two exhibitions for the price of one in paired surveys of enigmatic and highly idiosyncratic British artists. The duo are near exact contemporaries, both at their most active in the inter-war period, both queer and both closely related to Surrealism. The similarities end there. Where one (Edward Burra) has his inimitable signature style in place almost from his first painting, the other (Ithell Colquhoun) conceals her artistic identity, and indeed her personality, beneath a carapace of self-conscious mysticism. Edward Burra Burra (19051976) is one of the great mavericks of 20th-century art. A chronic invalid, martyred to rheumatoid arthritis and anaemia, who presented his life via his paintings as a non-stop bender through the flesh-pots of Europe and North America Barcelona, Harlem, Marseille to name but a few yet spent most of his time living quietly in his family home in Rye on the Sussex coast. Pimps, gangsters, striptease artists and sailors strut their stuff through Burras crowded bars, cabarets and ballrooms in an atmosphere of tumultuous, slightly sinister hedonism that remains consistent wherever the artist roved in the world though social and cultural details were always meticulously observed. open image in gallery Edward Burra: Minuit Chanson (1931) ( Private Collection ) French Scene (1925-6), completed when he was only 21, shortly after graduating from Londons Royal College of Art, gives a good idea of the Burra approach, with its teeming scene of a flower market in the south of France. Every square centimetre is crowded with figures on buses, riding horses, in a heated, exotic atmosphere that feels positively Latin American; though Burra, hailing from an impeccably respectable upper-middle-class family, has inserted his fashionably dressed mother and childhood nanny into the foreground of the painting. The self-consciously blank expressions recall those mordant chroniclers of Weimar German decadence George Grosz and Otto Dix, alongside touches of the cubistic machine-figuration of the great French modernist Fernand Leger. Thats a heady combination of elements in a work that couldnt even at this stage be mistaken for any other artist. Burra, who hadnt yet visited southern France, based his impressions on French literature and film. The further stylised The Two Sisters (1929), showing two distraught-looking identical women in blue hats, is based on promotional material for the Hungarian-American film entertainers the Dolly Sisters. The Tea Shop (1929), with its near-naked waitresses spilling tea on goggle-eyed elderly customers, is clearly fantasy. Such works would have attracted the epithet surreal even if Surrealism had never existed. Yet while Burras paintings were shown in several Surrealist exhibitions, he showed little interest in being part of any movement. And the fact that many of his paintings were completed from memories and drawings back in the tranquillity of Rye doesnt mean that Burra didnt put in plenty of time in edgy environments that vibrated for him with the possibility of forbidden sexual encounters and the opportunity to identify with fellow outsiders. This is especially evident in his images of Harlem nightspots such as Savoy Ballroom, Harlem (1934). To see a white English artist capturing his sense of wonder at this exuberant all-Black scene (Ive never seen such wonderful dancing, he wrote to a friend) without a trace of exoticising distance, in 1934, is remarkable in itself. But its the jewel-like colours, the energy of the lines and the fierce richness of the textures that are electrifying in these paintings. And with a few exceptions, Burra achieved these effects with modest watercolour and gouache hardly the most sumptuous of mediums as oil paint fumes aggravated his respiratory difficulties. open image in gallery Edward Burra: Soldiers at Rye (1941) ( Edward Burra/Tate ) When Burras trans-European partying hit the brick wall of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, the ambition of his painting moved up a gear. Terrified by the constant strikes, churches on fire, and pent-up hatred everywhere, but refusing typically for this least judgemental of artists to take a side, Burra increased the scale of his images from intimate to monumental. In the extraordinary and very large Bal des Pendus (1937) over 5ft high, gigantic for a watercolour huge and majestically muscled figures look down on the construction of a gallows in a town square, as a hooded man is lynched from a tree immediately below us. The cubist spatial disorientation in this stunning work and the frankly erotic overtones of the faceless, impassive figures were clearly even more disturbing to Burra than they are to us. This large-scale and emotionally charged moral ambiguity continues compellingly through his works of the Second World War. In Soldiers at Rye (1941), a scene of conscripts relaxing in Burras hometown seems to turn into a homoerotic bacchanal. So its almost disappointing to emerge into peacetime and enter rooms devoted to his theatre and ballet designs, and landscape-dominated later works. Burra being Burra, however, not even a view of barren hills escapes a faint sense of the sinister and the mysterious. Ithell Colquhoun open image in gallery Ithell Colquhoun: Scylla (1938) ( Tate/Joe Humphrys ) Theres a lot more than a mere sense of mystery in the work of Colquhoun (19061988), one of a number of neglected British women Surrealists others include Leonora Carrington and Eileen Agar who are being brought back into the limelight to considerable acclaim. If Colquhoun is described in her exhibitions introductory text as a visionary artist, an innovative writer and a practising occultist, visitors may end up feeling this list of distinctions came in a reverse order of priority in her own mind. Born in Shillong, India, the daughter of an imperial civil servant, Colquhoun moved back to England, where she attended Cheltenham Ladies College and the towns art school. This move from intense sensual experience to English mundanity was responsible, the exhibition implies, for her lifelong leaning towards the esoteric. She adopted Surrealist practices such as automatism (freely improvising without conscious intention) and decalcomania (smearing paint between sheets of paper and letting chance determine the result) after meeting the Surrealist leader Andre Breton in the early 1930s. Yet where Surrealist artists employed these radical methods to undermine what they saw as the complacent bourgeois order, for Colquhoun they were a means of accessing hidden realms of reality defined by occult groups such as the Ordo Templi Orientis and the Hermetic Temple of the Golden Dawn with which she was fascinated from an early age. Yet perhaps because of these extra-mural interests, Colquhoun never quite developed a distinctive visual language of her own. open image in gallery Ithell Colquhoun: Attributes of the Moon (1947) ( Tate/Matt Greenwood ) Gouffres Amers (1939), showing a flayed male figure rotting on a headland, with a flower projecting from a flaccid pipe in the genital area signifying impotence, is nowhere close to as disturbing as it might sound. The works companion piece, Scylla (1938), is more successful because its based on observed reality rather than an abstruse text. Two vaguely phallic rocks protruding from a still sea are revealed as the knees of a woman whose submerged form is visible beneath the water what I could see of myself in the bath, Colquhoun recalled. In Attributes of the Moon (1947), a fantastical figure standing in a flesh-like cave, clearly suggesting vaginal walls, manages to invoke pagan goddesses, the lunar cycle, alchemy and the Virgin Mary, but still ends up looking like a piece of clunky sci-fi illustration. Yet if Colquhoun never quite comes into focus as an artist or a human being, its hard not to respect her sheer commitment. A set of abstract tarot cards created with randomly smeared enamel paint, from as late as 1977, feel like a classic modernist project, and are rather beautiful, though their gnomic titles The Lord of Material Success and The Lord of Success Unfulfilled are fair examples may leave the non-initiate feeling as if theyre not quite getting the point. But fair dos. If Burras appropriation of popular imagery prefigured Pop Art, Colquhoun was living out some of the wackier aspects of the hippie dream a good half-century before the event. Edward Burra Ithell Colquhoun is at Tate Britain from 13 June19 October 2025 BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- When his cat passed away recently, Beijing resident Gao Jian chose more than a burial. He arranged a formal farewell ceremony with a pet funeral service provider, part of a quiet revolution sweeping China's cities as millions seek dignified goodbyes for their animal companions. With over 120 million pets nationwide and around 3 million dying annually, China's pet funeral sector has expanded rapidly. Data from company information inquiry services provider Qichacha showed that over 7,900 businesses now offer pet funeral services across China, most established within the past three years. As memorial candles flicker in facilities across Chinese cities, the ritual, typically including farewell ceremonies, cremation, and commemorative products, speaks to something deeper: a society honoring the creatures that shared its journey. In southwest China's Chongqing, over 40 providers operate in the city's urban area. At a pet memorial center named Sun Forest in downtown Chongqing, grieving owners pen final messages to their companions in a 300-square-meter space divided into functional zones. Since opening last July, the facility has served 500 pets, with monthly volumes reaching 80, said founder Tan Jingyuan. "Basic packages start at several hundred yuan," said Tan. "And personalized options, including floral arrangements, custom urns, or fur memorials, can cost thousands." The industry's growth accelerated after China's 2021 revised animal epidemic prevention law mandated proper disposal of dead animals. Major cities, such as Shanghai and Shenzhen, subsequently banned the random burial of pets, requiring designated facilities for harmless treatment. This March, south China's Guangdong Province launched its first licensed pet disposal center featuring closed-loop transportation, personalized services, and professional processing. Analysts project that the market will grow from 1.8 billion yuan (approximately 250.6 million U.S. dollars) in 2023 to 5 billion yuan by 2025. The trend reflects profound shifts in how Chinese view their pets. "They're family members deserving dignified departures," said Liu Xiaoxia, with the pet industry branch at the China Animal Agriculture Association. This isn't just about sanitation; it's about respect, Liu said. Urban residents like Chen Si exemplify this mindset. When Chen's cat died in April, she drove 80 kilometers to a licensed facility rather than bury it casually. "It deserved proper care," Chen said. While challenges remain, industry leaders are implementing self-regulation. The pet commerce association in the city of Anshan, northeast China's Liaoning Province, has proposed price guidance systems and "blacklists" for fraudulent operators. "Standardization is progressing," Tan noted at his Chongqing memorial hall. "We're seeing widespread public support for ethical services." 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 Harris Yulin, the acclaimed character actor who starred in films including Scarface and Ghostbusters II, has died. He was 88. Over the course of his career, the California-born actor played more than 100 roles on stage and screen, including working extensively on Broadway. As Deadline reports, Yulins family and his manager, Sue Leibman, announced that he died June 10 in New York City of cardiac arrest. Harris Yulin was born on November 5, 1937, in Los Angeles, but made his acting debut on stage in New York, performing in Next Time I'll Sing to You in 1963. He made his film debut in 1971s Doc, playing Wyatt Earp opposite Stacy Keachs Doc Holliday, and his Broadway debut in 1980s Watch on the Rhine. He later returned to Broadway for productions including The Diary of Anne Frank, The Price and Hedda Gabler. open image in gallery Harris Yulin attends the Bay Street Theater Honors Mercedes Ruehl & Harris Yulin on July 16, 2022 in East Hampton, New York ( Getty ) Yulin landed one of the most memorable roles of his career in Brian De Palmas Scarface in 1983, playing corrupt police officer Mel Bernstein alongside Al Pacinos titular drug lord. In a 2023 retrospective of the film for The Independent, Geoffrey McNab praised their work together, writing: In certain moments here, for example, when [Pacino] confronts his sleazy, double-crossing mentor Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia) and the crooked cop (Harris Yulin), he behaves as if he is on the Old Vic stage in some blood-soaked tragedy. Hes hammy but magnificent. In 1989, Yulin had another celebrated role as Judge Stephen Wexler in Ghostbusters II. In the following decade, he showed his knack for both thrillers and comedies, playing a corrupt national security advisor in the Harrison Ford movie Clear and Present Danger in 1994 and then acting opposite Rowan Atkinson in 1997s slapstick farce Bean. He also had roles as a lawyer of boxer Rubin Carter in 1999s The Hurricane, a secret service agent in 2001s Rush Hour 2 and Detective Doug Roselli in the same years Training Day. Yulin made a string of memorable television appearances, performing in shows including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, 24, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Frasier and Entourage. More recently, from 2017 to 2018, he played the key role of Buddy Dieker in the Netflix crime drama Ozark. In the early 1970s, Yulin had a high-profile relationship with Faye Dunaway. He was married to fellow actor Gwen Welles from 1975 until her death in 1993. He is survived by his second wife, Kristen Lowman, whom he married in 2005. 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 Jason Isaacs is fully onboard with Johnny Flynn taking over his iconic role of Lucius Malfoy in HBOs new Harry Potter TV adaptation. It was announced Monday that Flynn, 42, had been cast as the ruthless aristocratic wizard. The British actor and musician will play the father of Draco Malfoy, the nemesis of the series protagonist, Harry Potter. Isaacs, 62, who portrayed the Malfoy family patriarch throughout the original Harry Potter movies, shared his excitement about the news on X, writing: A fantastic actor, a lovely man and, irritatingly, a rather brilliant musician too. Couldnt have handed the snake-topped baton on to anyone better. Just please dont make him sing he quipped. Flynn, best known for starring in Channel 4s three-season sitcom Lovesick, joins a long list of previously announced actors whove been cast to take on the legendary characters made famous in the 2001-2011 film saga. Johnny Flynn (right) will succeed Jason Isaac as Lucius Malfoy in new Harry Potter series ( Warner Bros. and Getty ) Newcomers Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout will play the leading trio of Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, respectively. Meanwhile, child actor Lox Pratt will star as Flynns onscreen towhead blond son, Draco the character originated by Tom Felton in the films. Felton, 37, recently revealed he would be reprising his role of Draco in Broadways production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Being a part of the Harry Potter films has been one of the greatest honors of my life, the actor said in a statement. 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. Feltons decision to return to the wizarding world has proven divisive after he recently attempted to deflect a question about whether the Twitter controversy surrounding J.K. Rowlings transgender views impacted his work in the Harry Potter films. No, I cant say it does, he told Variety. Im not really that attuned to it. The only thing I always remind myself is that Ive been lucky enough to travel the world here I am in New York and I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter, he added. And shes responsible for that, so Im incredibly grateful. Despite the social media pile-on Felton received for his remarks, Isaacs has thrown his support behind the actors return to the world of Harry Potter. Saw you presenting on the Tonys tonight son you looked good, sounded good and did great, the White Lotus alum said on X. Isaacs added that he had already purchased tickets to see Feltons Broadway performance in November. 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 Jason Isaacs has thrown his support onto Tom Feltons divisive decision to return to the world of Harry Potter. White Lotus star Isaacss blessing arrived shortly after the actor received a social media pile-on for his JK Rowling remarks. Iasaacs played Draco Malfoy actor Feltons onscreen father Lucius in the film adaptations of Rowlings book series. On Sunday (8 June), Felton presented an award at the Tonys, a ceremony honouring the best in theatre, and his presence came days after he was announced to be reprising the role of Draco in Broadway play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. His appearance at the New York event was overshadowed by his comments when asked about Rowlings views on the trans community, which have seen her face widespread criticism and backlash. Rowling has repeatedly come under fire for various comments about gender ideology, with many, including stars of the Harry Potter adaptations, accusing her of transphobia. Felton was asked whether Rowlings views impact you at all or impact your work in the world of Harry Potter at all by Variety, and the actor, 37, replied: No, I cant say it does. Im not really that attuned to it. The only thing I always remind myself is that Ive been lucky enough to travel the world here I am in New York and I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter. And shes responsible for that, so Im incredibly grateful. While regular Rowling supporters praised Felton for his response, Harry Potter fans are unconvinced, with many accusing him of privilege and of actively ignoring the lives of queer people that are being endangered by Rowlings views. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Shortly after Feltons answer went viral, one Harry Potter fan shared a clip of the actor praising Isaacss fantastic performance in The White Lotus. The actor wrote on X/Twitter: Saw you presenting on the Tonys tonight son you looked good, sounded good and did great. open image in gallery Jason Isaacs and Tom Faelton as Lucius and Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter ( Warner Bros ) He also revealed he had booked tickets to see Felton in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in November. Rowling has become ostracised from the trio of child actors who played Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) due to the trans controversy and she has said she would not forgive them for criticising her opinions, telling them to save their apologies. Felton has previously brushed off the Rowling controversy, telling The Times in 2022: I couldnt speak for what others have said or what she said, to be completely honest, but Im often reminded, attending Comic Cons in particular, that no one has single-handedly done more for bringing joy to so many different generations and walks of life. Im constantly reminded of her positive work in that field and as a person. Ive only had a handful of meetings with her but she has always been lovely. So Im very grateful for that. He added: Im pro. Im pro choice. Im pro life. Im pro discussion. Im pro love. I dont tend to pick sides. I wont talk specifics but I enjoy reminding myself and others that a lot of my good friends have ways of life or personal decisions that I dont necessarily agree with. We should enjoy celebrating each others differences. open image in gallery Tom Felton at the Tonys ( Getty ) He also told ET Canada that he doesnt have a reaction to the controversy, stating: I didnt even know that was a thing. He will join the cast at the Lyric Theatre in New York City from 11 November, becoming the first cast member from the original franchise to reprise their role in the stage production. The actors involvement in the production, which is set 19 years after Rowlings final novel, follows casting announcements for a forthcoming Harry Potter TV series, which will air on HBO in 2027. John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu and Nick Frost are among the first wave of stars to be confirmed for the series, with Dumbledore star Lithgow calling the backlash to the news odd. 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 Justin Baldonis lawyer has issued a new statement after a federal judge tossed the actor-directors $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively. Baldoni was suing Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, their publicist, and The New York Times for defamation. In the lawsuit, Baldoni alleged they tried to destroy his career using false allegations of sexual harassment. Ms. Lively and her teams predictable declaration of victory is false, so let us be clear about the latest ruling. While the court dismissed the defamation-related claims, the court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms. Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations, Baldonis lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told TheWrap in a statement on Tuesday. This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Livelys own team conveniently describes as untraceable because they cannot prove what never happened, he continued. Most importantly, Ms. Livelys own claims are no truer today than they were yesterday, and with the facts on our side, we march forward with the same confidence that we had when Ms. Lively and her cohorts initiated this battle and look forward to her forthcoming deposition, which I will be taking. We are grateful for the organic show of support from the public and for the dedication of the Internet sleuth community who continue to cover the case with discernment and integrity. Justin Baldonis lawyer said Blake Livelys claims are no truer today than they were yesterday ( Getty Images ) New York federal Judge Lewis J. Liman decided to dismiss the lawsuit which also included allegations of extortion finding that Livelys accusations of sexual harassment were legally protected. The judge allowed Baldoni to amend and refile some of the actors allegations regarding interference with contracts, imposing a deadline of June 23. Lively and her legal team both spoke out shortly after the judges ruling. "Like so many others, I've felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us," the It Ends With Us actor wrote June 9 on her Instagram Stories. "While the suit against me was defeated, so many don't have the resources to fight back." Lively added she is now "more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman's right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story. "With love and gratitude for the many who stood by me, many of you I know. Many of you I don't. But I will never stop appreciating or advocating for you," she wrote. Hours after the judges ruling, Lively was seen at the Chanel Tribeca Festival Artists Dinner. She walked the red carpet in a white crochet dress, Christian Louboutin heels, and a Chanel bag, ring, and earrings. Lively draped a denim jacket over her shoulders and sported a big smile. In a statement to The Independent, Livelys lawyers said, Todays opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Times. As we have said from day one, this $400 million lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation. The legal battle between Baldoni and Lively stems from It Ends With Us, their 2024 film based on the TikTok sensation novel by Colleen Hoover. Lively played Lily Bloom in the film. Baldoni, who also directed the film, stars as Ryle Kincaid, her abusive partner. Rumors of an on-set feud had been percolating online as the pair appeared to avoid each other during the films promotional tour. Author Hoover also appeared to distance herself from Baldoni at the time. Lively then filed a lawsuit in December 2024 alleging Baldoni sexually harassed her and exhibited behavior that caused her severe emotional distress. Lively nearly stopped working on the film, she claimed. However, she agreed to continue to work give a series of requirements that according to the lawsuit cited by TMZ included no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldonis alleged previous pornography addiction, no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crews genitalia, no more inquiries about Blakes weight and no further mention of Blakes dead father. She also alleged that Baldoni was behind an alleged smear campaign designed to bury her, which included fan backlash as part of a carefully orchestrated effort by Baldonis PR team. Baldonis countersuit, filed in early 2025 just days after Livelys, was the one dismissed by the judge Monday. The trial is scheduled for March 2026. 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 Celebrities from across Los Angeles have spoken out against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids currently being conducted in the city, and have lent their support to those protesting against them. They have also criticized Donald Trumps handling of the situation after the President sent in the military to crack down on protests. In an unprecedented move, Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles without California Governor Gavin Newsoms permission. In a video posted to TikTok, actor and producer Eva Longoria described mass deportations as inhumane and hard to watch. She added: The comments, and peoples reactions to it, are surprising to me because it is un-American. We can all agree, nobody wants criminals in our country. Nobody wants rapists, nobody wants drug dealers, nobody wants bad actors in our country. Thats not whats happening. These round-ups are happening in birthday parties, in elementary graduations, at Home Depot. Those are not criminals. I hope everyone can have more compassion to this issue, and realize that we have industries dependent on immigrant labor. People who feed us, and take care of us, take care of our families and our children, and our communities. We cant deny them as humans. open image in gallery Eva Longoria, Pedro Pascal and Kim Kardashian have spoken out against ICE immigration raids and President Trump's military response to resulting protests ( Getty ) Kim Kardashian also spoke out about the raids, writing on Instagram: When we're told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals-great. But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do what's right. Growing up in LA, I've seen how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city. They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers, and family. No matter where you fall politically, it's clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants. We can't turn a blind eye when fear and injustice keep people from living their lives freely and safely. There HAS to be a BETTER way. On his own Instagram page, actor Pedro Pascal shared a video showing celebrating the diversity of immigrant communities in Los Angeles, which he captioned: Los Angeles. Built by the best of U.S. #Protect our #Protectors #RESIST. Some celebrities say they were directly involved in the protests themselves. Musician and producer Finneas, brother of Billie Eilish, wrote on his Instagram Story: Tear-gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown. Theyre inciting this. At the BET Awards, held in downtown Los Angeles, rapper Doechii said in her acceptance speech: There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order. Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want yall to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that? open image in gallery Doechii slammed Trump's ICE raids in LA while accepting the Best Female Hip-Hop Artist award at the 2025 BET Awards ( Getty ) Marvels Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo also weighed in on Instagram, posting a message that referred to Trumps administration as an oligarchy and adding the president is a grifter. You are pointing your guns in the wrong direction, he wrote of the military response. Cant you see that maybe we are being tricked to tear each other apart while they rake it in? Chrissy Teigen urged her Instagram followers to join upcoming protests against Trump across the U.S. on June 14, writing: Donald Trump is NOT our king - and on June 14th, its up to us to prove it. She added: Trump is acting like a king by defying the courts, issuing arbitrary decrees, disregarding checks and balances. Demi Lovato wrote in an Instagram story: Whats happening in Los Angeles and across the country is heartbreaking. Immigrants are a vital part of our community and the fabric of our country. While I feel powerless, I stand with those living in fear and hope these resources can help in some way. Lets please continue to show up for one another and support our neighbours. She then shared a series of links to organizations supporting immigrant communities. Tyler, the Creator posted an Instagram Story saying simply: F*** ICE. Get the inside track from Roisin O'Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice As the 1980s began, Pete Shelley found himself at a low ebb. Since their very first gigs in 1976, his band Buzzcocks had easily distinguished themselves among the punk-rock moshpit. Disdaining the scenes rote bad boy pantomiming, Shelleys soft Bolton tones sounded a rare note of reason amid a frothing 1977 BBC Television debate on whether punk was a threat to British society, while the following year he told Melody Maker that Buzzcocks were just four nice lads, the kind of people you could take home to your parents. And hed fused punks velocity to timeless songwriting across hits like What Do I Get?, Love You More and, of course, Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldntve), displaying a feel for melody and a lyrical sophistication far beyond his peers. Three albums in, however, Buzzcocks were now running on empty. A burned-out Shelley had called time on touring and entered an introspective phase, leaning heavily on psychedelics for guidance and inspiration. While making 1980 single Are Everything, Shelley told Trouser Press he took acid for every part of it recording, mixing. It was my acid song. Still, he struggled to get the ideas I had across to his Buzzcocks bandmates. I wasnt doing myself any good, I was just wringing out my soul to get songs done. Things got so bad Shelley even dipped a toe in Scientology (though he later admitted he couldnt make head nor tail of L Ron Hubbards textbook Dianetics). But in early 1981, as he began demoing a mooted fourth Buzzcocks LP at Genetic, the studio of producer Martin Rushent, an unexpected breakthrough arrived. Having left the rest of Buzzcocks at home, Shelley approached Rushents Roland MC-8 Microcomposer a primitive sequencer that cost the producer the 1977 equivalent of 25,000 and worked on a song hed begun in 1974. Eight hours later, Rushent heard the results and declared: This is not a demo any more this is a record! That record was Homosapien, and not only would it signal the end of Buzzcocks, it marked Shelleys pioneering turn towards synth-pop one that would see this most radio-friendly punk banned from the airwaves by a curmudgeonly BBC. Little in Buzzcocks discography suggested this new direction. The group had formed in February 1976 at Bolton Institute of Technology (BIT), after electronics student Pete McNeish saw fellow student Howard Traffords advertisement for musicians to perform the Velvet Undergrounds experimental-rock epic Sister Ray. Seduced by punk rock via an NME review of Sex Pistols first gig at the 100 Club in London later that month, the pair travelled to the capital to seek out Malcolm McLaren, saw the Pistols twice and changed their names to Pete Shelley (after the Romantic poet) and Howard Devoto. They booked the Pistols to play their legendary first Manchester gig in June 1976; by January 1977, their own self-released debut EP, Spiral Scratch, sold out its initial thousand-copy run in four days. Devoto exited several months later (to form Magazine), and Buzzcocks now led by Shelley went on to release a volley of brilliant singles that married punk dynamics to classic pop structures, and lyrics that rewrote old romantic cliches as new, and stingingly personal. Yet before Shelley connected with Devoto, his musical interests had been altogether more esoteric. In early 1974, Shelley had built an oscillator a primitive synthesiser and started an electronic music society at BIT, where he played records by avant-garde German groups such as Can and Neu!, and tormented people by playing his own experimental tracks. He pushed further with his homemade oscillator, putting myself in the circuit by touching its wiring with his flesh and becoming another resistance. This gave Shelley a touch-sensitive way of coming up with really weird things, adding echo and other effects, too. Shelley would belatedly release an album of these electronic experiments, Sky Yen, in 1980, his interest in electronic and experimental music continuing on into Buzzcocks. Pete would always play records by Neu!, Can, Kraftwerk and Cabaret Voltaire, remembers friend Joey Headen, who first met Shelley in 1977. We passed each other in the toilets of [Manchester punk venue] Electric Circus and he said, in his Bolton accent, Ooh, you look just like Joey Ramone. And yeah, I did leather jacket, dark glasses, long brown hair. Thats where my name came from. open image in gallery London, 1977: Buzzcocks (from left) Steve Diggle, John Maher, Garth Smith, Pete Shelley ( Andre Csillag/Shutterstock ) Already a Buzzcocks devotee the harmonies, the buzzsaw guitars, Petes singing there was nothing not to like Headen became a regular at Shelleys home. There was always a gang of us in and out of his house all the time, listening to music, reading books. We were there when Pete came up with Everybodys Happy Nowadays. Hed written it upstairs, then he came down, sat on the edge of the couch and played it to all of us. Pete and Steve [Diggle, Buzzcocks lead guitarist] were churning out songs on a weekly basis. Theyd kick off a gig with a new instrumental, and a few weeks later itd be out as a single. Headen became a close friend of Shelleys and part of Buzzcocks inner circle. But even he didnt believe the news in 1981 that they were splitting up. It was something you couldnt even contemplate. Theyre not gonna split up theyre the Buzzcocks! Theyve always been the Buzzcocks. But once Pete got started on that Homosapien stuff with Martin, it was clear he was going to continue with that, no matter what. Even though hed produced all three Buzzcocks albums plus three by The Stranglers Martin Rushent was no punk purist. Martin was a huge Motown fan, and he loved commercial pop music, remembers Jim Russell, who first met Rushent in the early Seventies when he drummed on an album by prog rock band Curved Air, which Rushent produced. Later, Rushent set up his Genetic studio in a barn at his Berkshire home, with an eye to specialising in electronic music. He spent heavily on then-primitive and incredibly expensive and rare synthesiser and recording gear for Genetic. open image in gallery Shelley and Buzzcocks in London in 1977 ( Robert Legon/Shutterstock ) He had Fairlight synthesisers and Synclaviers, says Headen. The Synclavier was the price of a three-bedroom house at the time. There were only two in the country Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush shared the other one. Martin would get calls from Paul McCartney and Mike Oldfield, asking to borrow it. But we could play around and doodle on them every night. This was where Shelley recorded the Homosapien album, playing his beloved 12-string guitar, but also working with futuristic equipment like the Linn Drum and the Jupiter 6 synthesiser. By day, Elvis Costello was recording what became his Punch the Clock album. By night, Shelley ran electronic riot. It was early days for synthesiser pop and, Gary Numan aside, there was little precedent for the change in direction Shelley was about to take. But while Headen remembers the new music was a shock, it wasnt that much of a shock. Because that was Petes voice there, even if there were no revving guitars. The title track was the lead single, its edgy, compelling mix of Cro-Magnon drum machines, 12-string guitar and throbbing synth the bed for the boldest lyrics of Shelleys career. Im the shy boy, youre the coy boy, he sang. Im the cruiser, youre the loser Homosuperior, in my interior. Shelleys Buzzcocks songs had swapped punk-rocks standard politics, cynicism and nihilism for the battleground of the heart, telling Melody Maker in 1978: People say Punk songs arent meant to be about love. But why should I abide by that? Shelley who was bisexual wrote love songs without gender. Bob Mould, of pioneering US band Husker Du, and also a queer punk songwriter, was deeply influenced by Shelleys fast, short, catchy songs about sexual confusion, and told me that hearing Buzzcocks was an epiphany for me, for showing me the power of non-gender-specific love songs. Getting banned by the BBC wasnt the worst thing Drummer Jim Russell Homosapien, however, read like an assertion of Shelleys queerness. He wasnt ever shy about his bisexuality, remembers Headen. Shelley himself remembered that no one on the punk scene seemed to bat an eyelid that he was bisexual. Auntie Beeb, however, took exception to the songs gay-coded lyrics, and banned it from the airwaves. The 12in was being played in clubs, remembers Headen, but they told us it wasnt going to get played on radio, and that screwed the single. Typical BBC, grins Russell, who was drumming on Shelleys Homosapien tour when the ban hit. But to be honest, if you wanted a hit, getting banned by the BBC wasnt the worst thing. They banned Frankie Goes to Hollywood, too, and look at them. While Homosapien never enjoyed chart success like Frankies similarly outlawed Relax two years later, Russell performed the new material across Europe and the US, alongside Shelley, Buzzcocks bassist Steve Garvey and 8-track tapes that contained the synths and the harmonies. It sounded great. Until the band played the opening night of the new location of New Yorks legendary Peppermint Lounge to an audience of mobsters and their wives. They were still painting the venue as we walked onstage, remembers Russell. Then the tape machine failed and the backing vocals went slo-mo and out-of-key. It was horrendous. The mobsters were not pleased. Russell accompanied Shelley back to Genetic to help create his next solo LP, 1983s similarly synthesised XL-1. Sessions were hard, as Rushents state-of-the-art synthesisers struggled to communicate with each other, but Russell remembers Shelley being at home among the tech. He was a highly intelligent guy, and he saw this synthesiser stuff was the new cutting edge. open image in gallery Shelley in 1990 ( Phil Rees/Shutterstock ) XL-1 came accompanied by what was then ground-breaking computer software. Headen, whod studied computers at university, at Shelleys urging, stepped up to write a programme for Sir Clive Sinclairs affordable new home computer, the ZX Spectrum, that screened the lyrics to each song, synchronised, with animations in the background. A feat of primitive software engineering, it was the product of hours and hours of programming by Headen. It was rocket science then, but itd be very simple now, he remembers. Pete was very involved; he and his boyfriend Francis suggested the graphics. Shelley took great pride in XL-1s ground-breaking bonus software. He always said, We invented karaoke!, nods Headen. And, you know, there are lyrics on the screen, graphics, its all in sync with the music. It is karaoke! Rushents work on Homosapien saw him tapped to produce The Human Leagues landmark 1981 album Dare, cementing his mastery of synth-pop. But Shelley released only one more solo album, 1986s Heaven and Sea, before reforming Buzzcocks just in time for a new generation to discover his songbook. Their dressing room after gigs was all famous people telling Pete, Im a huge fan, remembers Headen. Whenever they played LA, Johnny Depp would have them play at [notorious Depp-owned LA club] the Viper Room. When they played in 1993, Kurt Cobain was there, and asked Pete to support them on their European tour for In Utero. That was one of the few tour laminates Pete kept. Kurt would ask Pete how he dealt with fame Nirvana were the biggest band on the planet at that time. But after Kurt died, Pete just couldnt talk about him. Buzzcocks continued to tour and record, until Shelley died of a suspected heart attack at his home in Estonia in December 2018. I was in complete denial. I thought he mustve faked it, says Headen. I didnt believe it until Petes road manager came back from Estonia and said hed seen Pete in the coffin. Shelley was only 63. But hed lived long enough to see Homosapien reappraised and celebrated as an influence by artists like Detroit techno visionary Kevin Saunderson and LCD Soundsystems James Murphy, and to have Buzzcocks universally revered for his classic feel for melody and powerful songwriting. Pete was perfectly happy with his legacy, says Headen. Hed say, If I die tomorrow, Im fine. Ive done brilliant and everybody I want to recognise it recognises it. He loved what he did he felt in complete control and he affected a lot of people. Reissues of Homosapien and XL-1 are available now from Domino Get the inside track from Roisin O'Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Silento, the rapper behind the 2015 viral hit Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the fatal 2021 shooting of his cousin. On Wednesday, the 27-year-old Atlanta-based artist, real name Ricky Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possessing a gun while committing a crime and concealing the death of another. As part of his plea deal, another murder charge was dropped. Silento was 23 when he was arrested by DeKalb County police and charged with the murder of his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Roots III, in January 2021. At the time, police responded to a report of a person shot outside a home in a suburban area near Decatur, Georgia. When they arrived, they found Roots bleeding heavily from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. open image in gallery Rapper Silento pleaded guilty but mentall ill to voluntary manslaughter and other charges ( DeKalb County Sheriff's Office ) Police said they found 10 bullet casings near Rookss body, and security video from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding away shortly after the gunshots. A family member of Rooks told police that Silento had picked up Rooks in a white BMW SUV, and GPS data and other cameras put the vehicle at the site of the shooting. Silento confessed about 10 days later, after he was arrested, police said. Ballistics testing matched the bullet casings to a gun that Silento had when he was arrested, authorities said. Rooks brothers and sisters told DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L. Johnson before sentencing that Silento should have gotten a longer sentence, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Silento was a high school junior in suburban Atlanta in 2015 when he released Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) and watched it skyrocket into a dance craze. Silento made multiple other albums, but said in an interview with the medical talk show The Doctors in 2019 that he struggled with depression and had grown up in a family where he witnessed mental illness and violence. Ive been fighting demons my whole life, my whole life, he said in 2019. Depression doesnt leave you when you become famous, it just adds more pressure, Silento said then, urging others to get help. And while everybodys looking at you, they're also judging you. He added: I dont know if I can truly be happy, I dont know if these demons will ever go away. Silento had been struggling with his mental health in the months before the arrest. His publicist, Chanel Hudson, has said he had tried to kill himself in 2020. The rapper was arrested twice in 2020 once following an incident involving a hatchet and another time on reckless driving charges. Additional reporting by The Associated Press 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 Its the popping that sends shivers down your spine in Netflixs new documentary about the doomed Titan submarine. Pop pop, pop. This is the sound of the vessels hull disintegrating, individual strands of carbon fibre snapping apart as the unbearable weight of the Atlantic Ocean heaves in on all sides. As Titan: The OceanGate Disaster shows, these audible omens of catastrophe were repeatedly and unforgivably ignored, until finally the submersible imploded on 18 June 2023, killing all five passengers on board. When news first broke that the tourist expedition to view the wreck of the Titanic had gone missing off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, the story quickly spiralled into a round-the-clock media frenzy. One channel (NewsNation) even had a ticking countdown to the moment the vessel would run out of oxygen. Over the four days the submersible was missing, the tragedy transformed into a spectacle, with endless memes, conspiracy theories, and glib commentary overshadowing the real human cost. For documentary filmmaker Mark Monroe, the viral nature of the coverage was as unsettling as the tragedy itself. I was, just as a casual observer of news, kind of horrified at the whole idea, he tells me. I dont subscribe to any aspect of social media. I think its a bad thing. So it became this kind of focal point for some of my anger over social media, in the way that the story became so swept up in everyones reaction to it. open image in gallery OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush wanted to be a Jeff Bezos or an Elon Musk, according to Netflixs documentary ( Netflix ) Monroe, the writer behind Oscar winners The Cove (2009) and Icarus (2018), and nicknamed Hollywoods documentary whisperer, joined the Netflix project when he heard the producers had secured a key figure: David Lochridge. Lochridge is an ex-Royal Navy diver and became OceanGates chief pilot and director of marine operations until he was sacked in 2018. Hes the reason Im here, says Monroe. He was front and centre in terms of the building of this company. Over the course of the documentary, Lochridge paints a picture of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who went down with his ship on Titan's final voyage. He wanted fame, first and foremost, to fuel his ego, says Lochridge. One of the most alarming moments in the film comes when we learn how Rush informed Lochridge, moments before a dive to the Andrea Doria shipwreck off the Massachusetts coast, that he would be piloting the trip on another of OceanGates submersibles himself. During the chaotic and near-deadly trip, Rush ventured far too close to the wreck, and the craft became surrounded by debris. He eventually and reluctantly ceded the controls to Lochridge, who steered them to safety; however, their relationship was irreparably damaged. The dynamic changed, Lochridge says in the film, before describing how he was dropped from communications with other OceanGate executives. The final nail in the coffin came when Lochridge was allowed to carry out his own inspection of Titan, which was supposed to be ready for its maiden voyage. He uncovered a host of safety issues and was promptly called into a meeting where Rush informed him that his services were no longer required. open image in gallery David Lochridge (third from left) said his relationship with Rush soured after a chaotic dive to the Andrea Doria shipwreck off the Massachusetts coast ( Netflix ) To me, he was a very unique individual, a person of privilege, a person with a long history within his own family of movers and shakers, of people who had a dynamic impact on the culture, Monroe tells me of Rush. The CEO was born into a wealthy family in San Francisco and studied engineering at the prestigious Princeton University in New Jersey. As shown in the documentary, his lineage could be traced back to two signatories of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Stockton and Benjamin Rush. When youre of that upbringing where it feels like you need to do something in life, and then you say you're going to take an experimental submersible using material never before used to the Titanic, and year after year, you have yet to accomplish that They talk about the pressure of the ocean as you go down, the atmospheres. I think there's an intense pressure when you're a person like that who says you're going to do something. Titan was distinctive because it was made of carbon fibre, which is lighter and more cost-effective than traditional alloyed steel used for submarines. If Rush could prove the material would work, why not build a whole fleet of Titans, ferrying high-net-worth tourists paying $250,000 a pop to the bottom of the ocean, like the Jeff Bezos of the sea? The problem was: he couldnt. The OceanGate Disaster shows how Rush repeatedly flouted regulations, either bending them to his will or ignoring them outright. Relatively early on in the process, he decided that Titan did not need to be classed, meaning certified to industry standards by an independent body. Classification experts, the CEO insisted, did not understand his technology. open image in gallery The Titans unique selling point was its carbon fibre hull. However, tests showed it was dangerously unreliable ( Netflix ) On Titans first deep ocean test, Rush was supposed to take the submersible down to a depth of 4,200 metres 400 metres below the depth of the Titanic wreck. Extraordinary footage from inside the vessel shows Rush growing concerned at the intensifying popping sounds as he reaches 3,939 metres. Close enough, he mutters to himself before abandoning the test and returning to the surface, where he triumphantly declares the mission a success. I couldve easily gone to four [thousand metres], but for what? he tells his crew. For Monroe, showing moments like this were vital to illustrating the consequences of the decision-making over a period of about a decade, he says. That was where I thought the drama of the film is: the step-by-step decisions that were made that add up to this situation. Of all those decisions, the fatal tipping point appears to have been on Titans 80th dive, when a loud bang was heard on board the vessel. To avoid costly shipping, the submersible was kept in sub-zero temperatures in Newfoundland, rather than being sent back to OceanGate headquarters in Washington to check for cracks in the hull. I told Stockton, Dont do that, says Tony Nissen, OceanGates former director of engineering, in the documentary. Once we build this, it cannot go freezing. If water gets in there and you sit it out in freezing conditions and that water expands, it breaks [carbon] fibres. open image in gallery Titan was missing off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, for four days before it emerged that the sub had imploded, killing all five passengers on board ( Netflix ) Of course, what happened on Titans next dive needs little explanation. Indeed, just 10 minutes at the end of the film are dedicated to the final moments of the submersibles existence. Instead, the focus shifts to those who lost their lives and the families who were left behind. British aviation billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman, and renowned Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet. There's a cold inevitability about the story. We all know where it's going. We all know the ending, Monroe admits. But that ending affects the people who are still here, and that's why we're telling the story; those are the people that I wanted to talk to. Monroes film is less about deep-sea exploration and more of a critique of those who believe the rules dont apply to them. He compares Rush to a tech CEO, invoking Mark Zuckerbergs Facebook motto (abandoned in 2014), Move fast and break things. There is an ambition in our culture led by a lot of Silicon Valley types that you can do things differently, says the director. You can change the way the world works. The rules don't apply to you. But as I like to say, there are rules of physics, there are rules of engineering, there are rules of nature, and those do apply to us. And so I don't know how safe it is to move fast and break things when other peoples lives are at stake. The Facebook founders infamous slogan is eerily similar to Rushs braggadocious comments during Lochridges exit meeting: Were doing weird s*** here and I am definitely out of the mould. Theres no question. Im doing things that are completely non-standard. As The OceanGate Disaster shows, standards exist for a reason. Titan: The OceanGate Disaster is out now on Netflix 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 Chris Robinson, the General Hospital star who coined a television catchphrase when he delivered the line Im not a doctor, but I play one on TV... in an advert, has died. He was 86. The Florida-born actor was also known for his appearances on the long-running soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. In total, he appeared in more than 100 roles in television and film between 1957 and 2022. His death was announced in a Facebook post by the indie director MJ Allen, who directed Robinson in his final screen appearance in 2022s Just For A Week. Allen wrote: Jacquie (Chris' wife) just called me a bit ago and informed me that my good friend and collaborator Hollywood legend Chris Robinson has passed away. We knew this was coming, but it always sucks. We just had lunch a few weeks ago, but he was in bad shape. According to a press release provided by Allen, Robinson peacefully passed in his sleep at his ranch near Sedona, Arizona at 12:30am on June 9, 2025. He had been in heart failure for some time, and is his official cause of death. Allen was born in West Palm Beach on November 5, 1938. He began his career as an actor and stuntman in the 1950s in films such as Diary of a High School Bride and Beast from Haunted Cave. He came to mainstream attention when he was cast as Dr Rick Webber on ABCs popular and long-running drama General Hospital. He initially played the role from 1978 to 1986, and was best known as the adoptive father of Genie Franciss character, Laura. Lauras marriage to her boyfriend Luke produced one of the most highly-rated daytime episodes of the era. Robinsons fame as a television doctor led him to be hired as the spokesperson in a Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup commercial in the mid-1980s. His delivery of the line, Im not a doctor, but I do play one on TV, became famous and the catchphrase turned into a popular punchline. He appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful as Jack Hamilton, beginning in the early 1990s. He left after three years but regularly reappeared as a guest in subsequent episodes. Robinson returned to General Hospital in 2002 for a controversial stint that ended with the character being bludgeoned to death. In 2013, Robinson was the subject of the short documentary Bankrupt By Beanies, directed by his son, also named Chris. Robinson spent $100,000 buying up Beanie Babies as an investment, but lost the money when the value of the toys plummeted. 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 The fallout from the ongoing cuts at ITV has continued, with a luxury segment on This Morning now being dropped for being in bad taste after it frustrated production staff. Hundreds of redundancies have been announced at ITV across recent weeks, affecting daytime programmes such as Loose Women and Its now been revealed that the broadcaster has stopped sending This Morning presenters Andi Peters and Jeff Brazier to far-flung locations to promote their competitions. Peters and Brazier had one of the morning chat shows more glamorous roles, being sent to exotic locations including the Maldives, Thailand, Australia, Sri Lanka, Florida, Cape Town and Malta to plug This Mornings small competition segment. ITV have scaled back on sending top talent overseas to present their competition segments, a source told MailOnline. The competitions themselves, which give viewers the chance to win six figure sums and idyllic holidays, bring in a great deal of revenue, but constantly flying the likes of Andi and Jeff to the Maldives and South Africa was starting to frustrate staff and viewers alike. They explained that the segments would dial down for a few weeks after the budget cuts were announced, and that no one has been flown abroad to present the contests since. As well as there being a backlash online from disgruntled viewers, it was felt continuing to send talent abroad to luxurious holiday destinations as others are losing their jobs would be in bad taste, they continued. Brazier and Peters have had their work trips halted ( Instagram/JeffBrazier/ITV ) It comes after Loose Women saw their live studio audience cut to save on security costs. Nadia Sawalha expressed fear for her job last month as she shared her concerns on social media. Sawalha, who has been a panellist since 1999, addressed the news of cuts on her YouTube channel. What people dont realise at Loose Women is that were self-employed. I am self-employed, she explained. Every contract is a new contract. I could be let go tomorrow. I could be let go in five years. You dont know because were not employees. Getting emotional, the former EastEnders actor, 60, continued: Whats been brutal, absolutely brutal, over the last week, honestly I feel tearful about it, is that hundreds of people are going to be made redundant out of the blue. These are all the people behind the scenes that support us in every way. The Independent has contacted ITV for comment. SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. (AND NO SPAM!) Just click here. House lawmakers voted Tuesday to repeal a pair of D.C. laws that have been friction points for years between the deep-blue city and Republicans in Congress: a law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections and another that prohibits the D.C. police union from bargaining on officer discipline. The two efforts would still have to pass in the Senate. Dozens of Democrats joined Republicans in voting to revoke the laws in a striking show of bipartisan interest in intervening in local policy. The dual action underscored the city's vulnerability at a time when it is repeatedly playing defense on Capitol Hill and in the shadow of a president who has casually floated taking it over. The votes are among three scheduled this week, with another Wednesday seeking to repeal D.C.'s "sanctuary city" law limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. "The right to vote is a defining privilege of American citizenship," Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said on the House floor. "Diluting that right by extending it to noncitizens - whether here legally or illegally - undermines the voice of D.C. residents." The vote to repeal the city's noncitizen voting law marked the third time the House has sought to block the law in as many years, showing the GOP's relentless mission to stop the policy ever since it passed the D.C. Council in 2022. The repeal effort has repeatedly garnered broad bipartisan support, with 56 Democrats joining Republicans in the 266-148-1 vote this time, a slight uptick from previous years. Republicans have also long eyed repealing provisions in a large police reform package that had rankled the D.C. police union, namely excluding the union from negotiations over officer discipline and giving more power to the police chief in those decisions. "When we undermine law enforcement, we embolden the criminals," said Rep. Andrew R. Garbarino (R-New York), who sponsored the repeal and described it as an effort to reverse the department's challenges retaining officers. "If Washington, D.C., won't fix this problem, it's our job to." Thirty Democrats joined Republicans to vote for the repeal, which passed by a vote of 235-178-1. Other House Democrats were quick to point out that, for three months, House GOP leadership did not make time to schedule a vote on a bill to restore D.C.'s 2025 budget - after Congress slashed it by $1 billion as part of a stopgap funding bill in March - yet is making time to vote on three bills overturning D.C. policies. "I could think of a million things Congress should be focused on right now, but instead we're micromanaging D.C.'s affairs without providing D.C. the funding to which it is entitled," said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pennsylvania), who put forth an amendment in the Rules Committee seeking to put the D.C. Local Funds Act, restoring D.C.'s funding, up for a stand-alone vote as well. Scanlon's amendment failed on a party-line vote. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) stressed that the noncitizens voting law only impacts local, not federal, elections, but said "most troublesome to me is the interference with the police accountability bill." "There's no question in my mind the police discipline bill is playing to the [police union]," Mendelson said. "It's not about a genuine interest in helping public safety." The law passed by the D.C. Council removed the police union's ability to negotiate police discipline because for years those negotiations resulted in rules that often forced the department to rehire officers accused of serious misconduct. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) wrote a letter to top lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee last month urging them not to repeal the police discipline law. Rather than protecting hardworking officers, she wrote, Garbarino's bill would "reverse common-sense disciplinary reforms adopted by the District to the sole benefit of [police] officers who engage in egregious, sometimes criminal misconduct and seek to evade accountability." Bowser did not join a letter with the D.C. Council or D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb (D) urging Congress not to repeal the noncitizens voting law, which mirrors her silence on that bill in previous years. She did not sign the bill when the D.C. Council passed it in 2022, which Republicans were quick to point out in urging Democrats to join them in the repeal. A spokeswoman for the mayor said in a text message that "Mayor Bowser continues to oppose all congressional interference in the lives of Washingtonians. DC will continue to fight to protect our home rule and self-determination. If Congress wants to be helpful, they should pass the District of Columbia Local Funds Act to fix their damage to DC's FY25 budget." D.C. has spent more than two years in the hot seat in Congress - especially on issues of policing and immigration, two policy areas where Democrats, particularly those in vulnerable swing states, have shown more of a willingness to join Republicans in rebuking liberal D.C. policies. Congress oversees D.C. under a provision in the Constitution. Notably, several newly elected Democrats in the D.C. region joined Republicans in voting to repeal one or both of the laws. They included Rep. Eugene Vindman (Virginia), who backed both, and Reps. Suhas Subramanyam (Virginia) and April McClain Delaney (Maryland), who voted to repeal the noncitizens voting law. Both previous efforts to block or repeal D.C.'s noncitizens voting law died in the then-Democratic-controlled Senate. But with the support of Democrats, the Senate voted in 2023 to block D.C.'s larger police reform legislation that was passed after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. That included the provisions regarding officer discipline. President Joe Biden vetoed the effort to block it. Ankit Jain (D), D.C.'s shadow senator, said the fact that the Senate is now under Republican control may increase the likelihood of the bills' succeeding in the Senate, which does not always prioritize D.C. legislation, and said he is actively working to persuade enough Democrats to oppose the repeal efforts. The legislation would be subject to the filibuster, requiring support from seven Democrats. Jain said he was particularly worried about the impacts of the repeal of the noncitizens voting law. It could unseat three local neighborhood commissioners who are noncitizens and would cease to be registered voters, he said, and it would also have an unclear impact on D.C.'s July 15 special council election in Ward 8, in which ballots are already being mailed to voters. "You talk about election interference - this is directly interfering in our election," Jain said. Sarah Graham, a spokeswoman for the D.C. Board of Elections, confirmed that any noncitizens would be ineligible to hold office if the repeal succeeded and any noncitizens would not be able to vote in the special election. Fewer than 1,000 noncitizens are registered to vote citywide, and only 24 are registered in Ward 8, according to the D.C. Board of Elections. On the House floor Tuesday, Republicans especially objected to undocumented immigrants or foreign nationals being allowed to vote in local elections. "Washington, D.C., should be at the forefront of ensuring safe and secure elections, not encouraging illegal aliens and others to vote for polices that we don't want," said Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), who sponsored the repeal bill. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), D.C.'s nonvoting House delegate, defended the law, saying on the floor that "D.C. allows noncitizens to vote in local elections because it believes that all adult residents deserve a say in their local government." And of the D.C. police discipline law repeal, Norton said that while Republicans regularly seek to repeal local legislation, "what is different about this bill is it also overrides the long-standing wishes of the D.C. police department." For years before the reforms, police chiefs said they lacked enough power to permanently fire officers accused of crimes or violating department rules. A 2017 Washington Post investigation and 2022 D.C. Auditor's office report both found that the department was routinely forced to rehire officers it sought to terminate, in some cases for alleged misconduct as serious as physical and sexual violence. In many cases, officers were rehired after police chiefs were forced to defer to decisions of third-party arbitrators who sided with the officers, a system the D.C. Council's police reform bill scrapped. In other cases, the department was forced to rehire officers because it missed a key 90-day deadline for bringing disciplinary action; the council's bill relaxed that deadline to make it easier for the department to meet. In addition to allowing the union to again bargain with the department over discipline, the House also voted to restore tighter deadlines for the police disciplinary process and repeal a requirement that police notify the public before disciplinary proceedings. D.C. police union chairman Greggory Pemberton did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Speaking on a panel of police union representatives at the White House last week, Pemberton criticized the D.C. Council for passing "layers and layers of legislation" that curtailed officers' ability to police and denied them the right to fight false allegations of misconduct. The union has fought the discipline reforms since the council first passed them on an emergency basis in 2020, suing the District in federal court over the changes and arguing they strip officers of their rights as D.C. government employees. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, and judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld that decision. The union also separately sued the D.C. Auditor over the 2022 report. (COMMENT, BELOW) Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange and delivers a keynote speech, in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) CHENGDU, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Wednesday attended and delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China has been working with all parties to continuously implement the science and technology innovation cooperation plan under the Belt and Road Initiative, injecting strong impetus into the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. He called for enhanced solidarity and cooperation, deeply implementing the International Science and Technology Cooperation Initiative, and promoting scientific and technological innovation to better benefit humanity. Ding called for efforts to further strengthen the open cooperation in scientific and technological innovation and jointly explore a new model of global scientific and technological cooperation that is mutually beneficial and leads to win-win outcomes. Moreover, he emphasized the importance of supporting relevant research institutions, universities, enterprises and think tanks of various countries to establish cooperation networks, and to work together to solve major scientific and technological problems. All parties should further promote the inclusive sharing of scientific and technological achievements, enhance the accessibility of science and technology, and make the achievements of scientific and technological innovation to better benefit all countries, especially those in the Global South, he said. All parties should further expand exchanges in science, technology and culture, strengthen innovation partnerships, and widely carry out various forms of exchanges such as mutual visits, student exchanges, technical training and academic conferences, he said. He urged further improvement of the global governance system for science and technology to properly address potential rule conflicts, social risks and ethical challenges brought by the development of science and technology. He also highlighted the need to oppose politicizing scientific and technological cooperation and overstretch the concept of security. Iran's Vice-President of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy Hossein Afshin, Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ramatov Achilbay Jumaniyazovich, and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia Marina Ragus also attended and addressed the opening ceremony. About 1,500 people, including Chinese and international scientific and technological professionals, business leaders, government officials and representatives of international organizations, attended the opening ceremony. 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 Jonathan Jackson has revealed that his surprise decision to leave long-running soap opera General Hospital just nine months after returning came down to the difficulty of splitting his life between Nashville and Los Angeles. The 43-year-old actor and musician first played Lucky Spencer on the show in 1993, when he was 11 years old. He told TV Insider that it was never the plan to end his latest stint so soon. It was more of a real, sincere attempt from myself and from General Hospital to make it work for a longer period of time, said Jackson. The hope was to be able to stay on longer. However, he went on to explain that the logistics of traveling between his home in Tennessee and the shows tapings in California had taken a toll on his family life. There was always that possibility because it was a bit of an experiment on my part to see if I could make it work with the family dynamic, said the father-of-three. There were moments where I thought, I think I can find this balance with the family and time back and forth, and then you just have to pray about it and try to do what you feel is right. We gave it our best shot, but we werent able to keep it going. Jonathan Jackson (right) with Dominic Zamprogna in a scene from a 2010 episode of 'General Hospital' ( Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for DATG ) Jackson added that after leaving the show, he plans to focus on music and poetry. Theres some touring coming up, he revealed. Ill be releasing a solo album later this year. I have at least one book thats coming out later this year as well, a book of poetry and an anthology of poems that Ive been working on for at least 15 years now. Its called Anthology of Longing. The day after news broke about Jacksons departure, ABC announced that Kelly Thiebaud will return to General Hospital in July. It is good to be home, the Daytime Emmy-winning actor told Deadline. I am thrilled to have Kelly back on our show, added GH executive producer Frank Valentini. We have some great twists and turns planned for her character. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Thiebaud, 42, was first introduced as Dr. Britt Westbourne in 2012. Her surprise return comes two years after she exited the show in 2023 following the death of her conniving character, at the hands of the Hook serial killer. Its currently unclear whether Thiebaud will be returning as Westbourne or as an entirely new character. 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 Two Ohio men were taken into custody accused of stealing a flamingo statue that was purchased for the town of Parma in honor of a little girl with autism. Colin Donald Deka, 20, and Jack Christopher Klamert, 21, both of Valley View, face felony theft charges, according to Parma police. Parma City Councilman Kevin Kussmaul posted about Saturdays incident on Facebook, writing that it was in honor of a little girl with autism. Kussmaul said he and Congressman Max Miller would replace it. open image in gallery The flamingo statue was purchased for the town of Parma in honor of a little girl with autism ( City of Parma ) open image in gallery One of the flamingos feet was still attached to the concrete pad it was once attached to ( Kevin Kussmaul, Parma City Councilman Ward 6/Facebook ) The beloved statue was also stolen in May 2024 and replaced in April of this year. At the time, three other men who police dubbed the flamingo felons were sentenced to 10 days in jail for the crime. Two months after the statue was replaced, it has now been stolen again from the southeast corner of Broadview Road and Snow Road. One of the flamingos feet was still attached to the concrete pad it was once attached to, 19News reported. open image in gallery Colin Donald Deka, 20, was arrested after police say they tracked down the suspects through surveillance video ( Parma Police Department ) Surveillance video captured a white Ford Escape passing through the intersection early Saturday and two men were seen getting out and loading the flamingo in the car, police said. Police were able to track down the owner of the car whose son was identified as one of the suspects. open image in gallery Jack Christopher Klamert, 21, was also charged with felony theft in the case ( Parma Police Department ) Both Valley View men were arrested and the flamingo was safely recovered. The suspects have been charged with fifth-degree felony theft and are scheduled to be arraigned on June 24, according to 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 Fatal drug overdoses among young Americans have declined significantly for the first time in a decade, according to newly released federal data a rare moment in the ongoing fentanyl crisis. The number of drug-related deaths among people under 35 dropped from more than 31,000 in 2021 to approximately 16,690 in 2024 a decrease of nearly 47 percent, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported. What we're seeing is a massive reduction in [fatal] overdose risk, among Gen Z in particular, Nabarun Dasgupta, an addiction researcher at the University of North Carolina, told NPR. Ages 20 to 29 lowered the risk by 47 percent, cut it right in half. Its a turning point after years of rising fatalities driven by fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that began flooding U.S. markets around 2014 when Mexican drug cartels began smuggling large quantities. The fentanyl was often disguised as prescription opioids such as OxyContin and Percocet. open image in gallery Fentanyl is often disguised as prescription opioids such as OxyContin and Percocet ( AFP/Getty ) Since then, more than 230,000 people under the age of 35 have died from drug overdoses in the U.S., it was reported. But now theres been a shift that is saving lives. Its a glimmer of hope for many who have been affected by the epidemic, including Jon Epstein, who lost his son Cal to a fentanyl overdose in 2020. What has happened with the 20 to 29-year-olds? They beat fentanyl, Epstein told NPR. Epsteins son was 18 when he took a fatal dose of what he believed to be a opioid pill he bought on social media. It turned out to be counterfeit and laced with fentanyl. Epstein now works with the advocacy group Song for Charlie. In Philadelphias Kensington neighborhood, Justin Carlyle, 23, has survived three overdoses. Carlyle told NPR that he began using cocaine at a young age. I use fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, yeah, all of it. I was real young. I was 13 or 14 when I tried cocaine, crack cocaine, for the first time. I've had three overdoses, and two of the times I was definitely Narcaned, he said, adding that he has tried to quit. open image in gallery Naloxone (Narcan) is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose ( AFP via Getty Images ) Experts attribute the drop to a combination of possible factors, including a wider availability of Narcan, increased awareness campaigns, behavioral shifts in drug use, and less potent fentanyl in the illicit drug supply. This trend in the reduction of substance use among teenagers is unprecedented, said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. She cited University of Michigan data that shows teenage abstinence from drugs and alcohol reached record highs in 2024. But experts warn the crisis is far from over. They say sustaining this decline will require continued investment, outreach, and education. Theres also a question of future funding as the Trump administration has proposed major cuts to science and health agencies, including programs supporting mental health, substance use treatment, and harm reduction efforts. 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 former Wisconsin gym teacher who was fired after being charged with a child sex crime has been accused of sexually assaulting a second student in the middle of class a decade ago. Registered sex offender Michael Pipp, 57, has been charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child and child enticement in the most recently reported case, Fox 6 reported. Pipp taught at St. Thomas School in Waterford, about 30 miles southwest of Milwaukee, until he was fired in 2016 after he was charged with repeated sexual assault of a child. A letter that went home to parents at the time caused the second victim severe mental turmoil. Though she didnt disclose any abuse at the time, she began having mental health problems and would wake up from nightmares about Pipp, her mother told police. The most recent investigation began in August 2022 when the victims mother went to police to say she had recently disclosed a sexual assault to a therapist. open image in gallery Michael Pipp, a registered sex offender, was charged with sexually assaulting a student during class about a decade ago. ( Racine County Sheriff's Office ) Prosecutors said the newly disclosed crimes unfolded between August 2014 and May 2015 when the victim was in the first grade at St. Thomas, where Pipp worked as a gym teacher. The victim told authorities that Pipp had asked her to be a special helper during gym class and took her to a storage room. While there, he sexually assaulted her, the victim said. Pipp was charged with repeated sexual assault of a child for the 2016 incident and first-degree sexual assault of a child and child enticement for the most recently reported case. Following his conviction on the previous charges, Pipp registered as a sex offender and was released on community supervision. Pipp appeared in Racine County Circuit Court on Monday for a status conference. He is due back in August. His bond was set at $25,000 in April. 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 woman was arrested after she allegedly caused a crash that sent a vehicle careening into three young girls running a lemonade stand in North Carolina. Officials say that the accident happened when Haley Erin McCorkle, 24, was allegedly trying to run left out of a driveway in Morganton and allegedly hit a Nissan Altima. The impact sent the Altima off the road and into the front yard of a nearby home where three girls ages 7, 8, and 9 had built a lemonade stand and were selling drinks. The vehicle crashed into their stand and left the girls critically injured. The children were rushed to nearby hospitals in critical condition, two by airlift and one by ambulance, according to WHO13. Neither of the drivers was hurt in the crash. The Conley Road intersection near Highway 64 in Morganton, North Carolina. North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers said a car crash in the area sent a vehicle off the road an into a lemonade stand where three girls ages 7, 8, and 9 were working. The girls were rushed to local hospitals in critical condition ( Google Maps ) McCorkle has been charged with failure to yield the right of way causing serious bodily injury. North Carolina state troopers said there is no indication that speed or impairment contributed to the crash. One of the girls' sisters, Elizabeth, told WHO13 that the accident happened in a flash. I was right there, and it just happened so fast, she told the broadcaster. I just ran and got my mom. The father of one of the girls told the broadcaster that the scene was traumatizing to witness. One of the girls' mothers told WBTV that she thought her daughter and the other girls had been killed. I thought my daughter was dead, the mother said. I thought all three of these girls were dead. The road near the home was closed for two hours while authorities investigated the crash. 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 After more than 30 years, an arrest has been made in the 1994 murder of 29-year-old Megan Johns who was found stabbed to death in her Irving, Texas home. Darryl Patrick Goggans, 61, who was Johns next-door neighbor at the time of her killing, was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with capital murder. Irving police say it was DNA that finally led to an arrest after all these years. The case has been cold since the morning of October 5, 1994 when Megan Johns failed to show up for work. Concerned co-workers got in touch with the manager of Apple Apartments, who discovered her body inside her home. open image in gallery Megan Johns was found fatally stabbed inside her home on October 5, 1994, after she failed to show up for work ( Irving Police Department ) Johns was found face down in the living room and had been stabbed multiple times, police said. There were no signs of forced entry, leading investigators to believe she may have known her killer. At the time, investigators processed the crime scene and collected physical evidence, including a palm print. But despite interviewing several people and comparing prints, no matches were found, and the case went cold. Megan had struggled with addiction in the past but had turned her life around and was helping others get sober, said Detective Eric Curtis in a 2023 departmental video. In doing so, she was around people with troubled pasts, and that made her vulnerable. "Megan had issues with drugs and alcohol. She had gotten sober, and she was now helping people to become sober as well. In doing that, she was around people who had drug and alcohol histories. So she did hang around people that may have looked to victimize her, Detective Eric Curtis said in 2023. The case went cold, but police never gave up. A break in the case came during a recent evidence review, when DNA testing was conducted on a preserved sample. open image in gallery Darryl Patrick Goggans, 61, who was Megan Johns next-door neighbor at the time of her killing, was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with capital murder ( Irving Police Department ) "Sometimes when you use those samples, depending on the size of the sample, you use it all up, Curtis explained in the 2023 video. And if you used it all up, testing it with a method that wasn't going to yield the results we were looking for, and we didn't want to do it at that time. The resulting profile was entered into the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), leading to a match with Goggans. Goggans had been interviewed early in the investigation along with hundreds of others, but he never emerged as a suspect, police said. Retired Sgt. Tom Rowan, who worked the case from its inception until his retirement in 2016, said the lack of DNA technology at the time made it difficult to identify a viable suspect. We didnt have the tools then that we do now, Rowan said. But we preserved the evidence, and we never gave up. Police did not release further details about the DNA match or the investigation that led to Goggans arrest. Thanks to the collective effort from family, friends, media, and law enforcement, Megan Johns case was never forgotten, and justice will finally be served, police said. Goggans remains in custody at the Irving City Jail. No bond has been set. 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 U.S. has extradited a Pakistani national it accuses of plotting an ISIS-inspired terror attack against Jewish people in New York City. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, has been extradited from Canada and is expected to make his first appearance in a U.S. court on Wednesday in New York, the Justice Department announced. He planned to use automatic weapons to kill as many members of our Jewish community as possible, all in support of ISIS, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement on Tuesday. Khans deadly, antisemitic plan was thwarted by the diligent work of our law enforcement partners and the career prosecutors in this office who are committed to rooting out antisemitism and stopping terror. Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, is charged with attempting to provide material support or resources to a foreign terror group, and attempting to commit an international act of terror. He could face up to life in prison if convicted. The 20-year-old was arrested in September last year near Ormstown, Canada, approximately 12 miles from the border with the U.S., as he sought to put his plot in motion, authorities said. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan was arrested in Canada last fall, after allegedly telling undercover officers about his desire to use assault weapons and knives in October 2024 terror attack against Jewish center in New York City ( Quebec Superior Court ) Beginning in November 2023, Khan allegedly began posting on social media and using an encrypted messaging app to express his support for ISIS. Around this time, he began communicating with undercover law enforcement officers about his interest in committing a terror attack in the U.S. in solidarity with the group, prosecutors said. He and a U.S.-based associate allegedly wanted to use AR-style assault rifles to attack Israeli Jewish Chabad religious centers in an unnamed city, before deciding around August 2024 to target a well-known religious center in New York City for its large Jewish population. Even if we dont attack a[n] Event[,] we could rack up easily a lot of jews, Khan allegedly told undercover officers about the plot, which was set to take place around the one-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. If we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11, the 20-year-old allegedly told the undercover officers. Tuesdays announcement comes little over a week after Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, was charged with a federal hate crime and 16 counts of attempted murder for an alleged attempt to kill Jewish activists at an event in Boulder, Colorado, focused on freeing Israeli hostages of Hamas. Antisemitic violence and harassment has spiked in the U.S. following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, according to officials and advocates. 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 21-year-old Virginia Navy sailor who vanished last month has been found dead in a wooded area, military officials say. Navy Seaman Angelina Petra Resendiz, known to her friends and family as "Angie," was last seen on the morning of May 29 at her barracks at the Miller Hall Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia. The Norfolk Medical Examiner confirmed late Tuesday that her body had been found in a wooded area in Norfolk, Virginia. One unidentified Navy sailor is being held in pretrial confinement in connection with her death, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service said. The suspects charges are pending under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Resendiz, a Texas native, was a culinary specialist assigned to the U.S.S. James E Williams. Her mother, Esmeralda Castle, told ABC News during the search for her daughter that Resendiz does not miss work. Sick, snow, feeling down, she shows up. Castle said her daughters decision to enlist in the military was something that called her, adding that her daughter held culinary dreams, hoping that one day she might be able to cook for the president and other world leaders. The sailor was based at the Miller Hall Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia, at the time of her disappearance ( GoFundMe ) There are no answers for me. I just want my kid, she told ABC News the week before her daughter was found. A GoFundMe page paid tribute to the young U.S. Navy sailor and said her mother was determined to protest for the reform of how the U.S military responds to cases of missing women. Since her disappearance, the United States Navy has been quiet and ambiguous about searching for Angie, the page said. With all of the technology at the Navy's disposal, there is no reason for a sailor to go missing or stay missing. The Naval base is in a wooded area, and NCIS has refused to tell Angie's mother anything about the search. Over $9,000 was raised to support the search efforts. The NCIS said they had worked tirelessly in tandem with multiple law enforcement agencies to pursue all leads since learning of Seaman Resendizs disappearance. NCIS remains committed to uncovering the facts surrounding the tragic death of Seaman Resendiz to ensure accountability and justice. No further information was available. ANKARA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Turkiye has apprehended 273 migrant smuggling organizers and 1,022 irregular immigrants over the past two weeks in a large-scale operation targeting human trafficking and illegal border crossings, a cabinet minister said Wednesday. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the results on social media platform X, stating that 98 of the detained organizers have been formally arrested, while legal proceedings for the remaining suspects are ongoing after the operation was carried out across 51 provinces. Deportation procedures have been initiated for the irregular immigrants caught during the operations, the minister added. Turkiye offers "an exemplary model" in migration management by "respecting human rights and freedoms, adhering to the values of law and civilization, and never compromising public order and security," Yerlikaya said. Turkiye currently hosts over 4 million migrants, with the majority being Syrians, according to data from the Presidential Directorate of Communications. With less than 24 hours left in the legislative session, Louisiana lawmakers are locked in a fierce battle over a proposal that would change the way pharmacies are allowed to operate in the state. BOGOTA, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Eight people were killed and 28 others injured Tuesday in a wave of terrorist attacks in southwest Colombia, local authorities confirmed. The latest terrorist attack occurred in a rural area in Jamundi, a town in western Valle del Cauca department, which claimed three lives. Jamundi mayor Paola Castillo condemned the attack and said that officers found a cylinder on the Guachinte Bridge that exploded. The head of the Colombian police force, Carlos Fernando Triana confirmed on the social platform X that three police officers died as a result of the wave of attacks in the city of Cali, capital of Valle del Cauca department. Two civilians were also killed and another 10 injured. The Third Division of the Colombian National Army condemned the attacks in various towns in the southwestern departments in Colombia. "We express our absolute support for the Colombian police, which have been a direct target of these cowardly attacks, and we reiterate our unwavering commitment to the defense and security of citizens," it said in a statement. The army announced that security forces have been deployed as reinforcements in the affected areas. Guest column: 'Debanking' is a real problem, but a fix must come from Washington, not Louisiana Advertisement Eating outWine Granite Belts beloved Ballandean winery on the market for $8 million For over 90 years, four generations of the Puglisi family have run Ballandean Estate Wines, creating a cornerstone of Australian vino. Catherine Strohfeldt June 11, 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 For over 90 years, four generations of the Puglisi family have run Ballandean Estate Wines in Queenslands Granite Belt wine region near Stanthorpe, creating a cornerstone of Australian vino. Now the states oldest family-owned winery, historically known for its shiraz but also producing a number of more alternative varieties, such as fiano, malbec and a wild-ferment viognier, has been listed for sale with an asking price of $8 million. The Ballandean Estate Wines fourth-generation and current owners are sisters Robyn Puglisi-Henderson and Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi. Ballandean Estate Wines The winerys business services manager, Robyn Puglisi-Henderson daughter of founder Angelo Puglisi said the decision to sell came down to lifestyle. She said the present owners, herself included, and their children were looking to explore other interests outside the family business. Advertisement We think its kind of an exciting time ... its an exciting time for the region as well. Robyn Puglisi-Henderson Puglisi-Henderson said the 77-hectare winery had been stable in the region and she was confident a buyer would come forward. Were certainly not in a hurry were not closing the doors tomorrow if we dont find somebody. The family was open to staying actively involved in the business for a seamless transition, she said, and its cellar doors would remain open throughout the process. Ballandean is historically known for its shiraz but also produces more alternative varieties. Ballandean Estate Wines You dont want to sell at a low, you want to sell when the industry is at a high. Advertisement The Australian wine industry [has] crises happening there isnt as much wine going to China, people arent drinking as much wine but the smaller wineries [that] concentrate on tourism and experiences and not massive volumes arent really as affected by that. Related Article Australias 20 top wineries and six best wines of 2025 We think its kind of an exciting time, but its an exciting time for the region as well the Granite Belt is a prime position, weve got Brisbane, weve got the growth of Toowoomba, weve got lots of people finding out about us, and I just think its a really good time in our industry [here]. The winery, on the edge of the New England Tableland, exports to China and sells its product in domestic bottle shops. Ballandean Estate Wines While the winery, on the edge of the New England Tableland, exports to China and sells its product in domestic bottle shops, Puglisi-Henderson said most of the estates revenue came from its 50-year tourism business. She said the business expected an influx of tourists in early July, as the region held its biennial Snowflakes in Stanthorpe winter festival. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Advertisement Analysis Eating outBurgers People spent hours queueing, but In-N-Outs Aussie pop-up is more about business than burgers Wednesdays takeover of a Sydney pub might have given you hope the cult US franchise is opening a store Down Under. Its more likely to be a clever legal tactic than a sign of global expansion. Bronte Gossling June 11, 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 Its not often youll see people queue up to enter a pub before 9am on a weekday, but on Wednesday, Sydneys Coogee Bay Hotel was no ordinary pub. It was, for those who had at least $8 and time to spare, perhaps their only chance to taste American chain In-N-Out Burger for themselves. Should the fast food franchise decide to bolster its fleet of 418 United States stores with a permanent outpost on Australian shores, its clear that decision would be warmly received by foodies. But the suits behind the cult brand have been sitting on that knowledge, without acting on it, for more than a decade. Sydneys Coogee Bay Hotel temporarily became In-N-Out Burgers latest Australian location for six hours on Wednesday, with the cult American fast food brand yet to open a permanent location outside the United States. Coogee Bay Hotel/In-N-Out Burger Last year, hundreds of Canberrans waited more than two hours in the blazing February sun for a chance to taste the signature Animal Style burger. A week later, the same thing happened in Brisbane; the year before, all menu items sold out in Melbourne within half an hour, and in 2016, Sydneysiders were turned away 30 minutes before a Surry Hills pop-up even opened because it had already sold out. In-N-Out Burger which has held various trademarks in Australia since 1993 has known demand is present Down Under since its first Australian pop-up in 2012. Unlike compatriots Five Guys, Wahlburgers, Hungry Jacks (FKA Burger King) and Wendys, however, a bricks-and-mortar store lasting more than six hours has yet to materialise on our boundless plains. Advertisement So, are the pop-ups, which have, in the past, had as little as 250 burgers available for purchase, merely an exercise in ensuring market research decks are up to date with primary data? Or is the brand sending out smoke signals to the masses that one day it will expand in Australia in earnest? Both options are possible, but neither is likely. Related Article Opinion The genius strategy behind In-N-Out Burger's pop-ups Theyve got to try to demonstrate theyre using their registered trademark on a fairly regular basis, says Professor Natalie Stoianoff, who is the director of the Faculty of Laws intellectual property program at University of Technology, Sydney. Similar to New Zealand which has also hosted various In-N-Out Burger pop-ups since 2013 but is yet to see a permanent restaurant break ground and most countries in the world, in Australia, Stoianoff highlights, under Section 92(4)(b) of the Trade Marks Act 1995, a three-year period of non-use can make a trademark vulnerable to a competitors request for it to be removed from IP Australias trademark register. So that is a way, I suppose, by constantly having regular pop-ups for certain periods of time, to actually counteract a claim of non-use, Stoianoff says. Advertisement There is a clause that precedes Section 92(4)(b) in the Act, however, and it can cloud the straightforward nature of a trademark lying dormant for three years. Burgers started at $8 on the June 11 pop-ups menu. Coogee Bay Hotel/In-N-Out Burger As Stoianoff notes, Section 92(4)(a) allows the possibility of a trademark to be stripped from its owner even if its used within three years (with the period ending one month before the date of filing) prior to an application for its removal. They need to be actually able to show that, whatever use has been made the registered owner has not used their trademark in good faith, Stoianoff says of those who wish to file an application for trademark removal. So I suppose the question becomes one of, well, is this constant popping up every so often a legitimate use or a good faith use, or is it simply a mechanism to try and make sure that Section 92(4)(b) doesnt operate? Advertisement The difficulty with these applications for removal, Stoianoff says, then comes with establishing the trademark holders state of mind, with the burden consequently put on the trademark holder to prove they had a real and definite intention to use the trademark. Related Article US burger giant Wendys is coming. Australians are taking the fight to them When put to In-N-Out Burger, representatives for the brand declined to comment on if they intend to open a permanent store in Sydney, or the reasoning behind the frequent pop-ups. After the brands 2016 Sydney pop-up sold out in record time, a spokesperson told 9news.com.au: We do these pop-ups in various countries to get our name out there and familiarise people with the brand so they know about us when they visit the US This pop-up is no indication that we are going to open a store in Australia. We are a family owned business and we only operate in six (US) states right now, and all the produce we use needs to be delivered fresh from our distributors. In 2020, a Sydney burger chain formerly known as Down N Out lost an appeal to flip a court decision that forced it to stop using its name and hand over its signs and promotional materials after being sued by In-N-Out Burger for trademark infringement in 2017. In-N-Out Burger also successfully sued Queensland food delivery ghost kitchens that formerly styled themselves as In & Out Aussie Burgers in 2021. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up The missions involve sending Australian doctors via Jordan, as part of the World Health Organisations Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) initiative. The doctors gain access to the Gaza Strip via a United Nations convoy. Once in Gaza, they are put to work at one of the few remaining hospitals in the enclave. Loading Alattar keeps his voice steady as he attempts to describe some of the situations he faced, navigating multiple mass casualty events a day. He describes a young mother losing her children, working out where to send the recently orphaned, designating who was and wasnt worth saving, and how he did what he could with what little equipment he had. We didnt have notes or forms. I wrote information on peoples bodies, like their names and conditions. We saved lives, but I watched so many people die from easily remedied situations. I watched people, kids, die because we didnt have operating equipment or antibiotics, he says. I sent people away to die on painkillers because we couldnt help them. Kids with brain matter hanging out of their heads, with organs outside their bodies. He pauses for a moment, shaking his head, before describing the waves of horror that would come with mass casualty incidents, attempting crowd control in parts of the hospital not designed to be an emergency department. It was chaos at all times, almost always very emotionally charged. And it didnt have doors we could close, or ways to control who comes in and out, he says. People would bring their loved ones on their shoulders. They would be brought in piled up in trucks. Sometimes people were brought in on the backs of donkeys. And you try and talk to them and process them, but, at times, these are the minutes before their loved one dies in their hands. So you just do what you can. PANZMA was founded by a group of Australian-Palestinian medical professionals in Melbourne in 2020. Loading At first, it focused on education and sending medical supplies into Gaza. But after Israel invaded Gaza as a result of the October 7 Hamas attack, it shifted focus to finding a way to send doctors from Australia to support local emergency departments. After working through mountains of bureaucracy to gain the credentials to join the WHOs emergency medical team missions, PANZMA was finally registered with the EMT program in April 2024, and sent its first doctors to Gaza the following month. It is the only Australian organisation registered under the program, and has organised 14 missions, including 10 this year. Associate professor Mohammad Irhimeh, PANZMAs recently elected president who has acted as a director of its medical missions, says the only way his organisation has been consistently allowed into the Strip is their persistence and narrow focus. We dont engage in politics, we dont do relief work, we only do medical support, and that is how we have consistently been able to get seats in the WHOs program, he says. Associate Professor Mohammad Irhimeh, president of PANZMA an NGO that sends doctors and medical supplies to Gaza. Credit: Arsineh Houspian He manages every stage of a mission preparation, management and returns personally, involving himself in as many details as possible. In preparing doctors, Irhimeh organises planning sessions, pyschological support and security checks. He personally vets applicants, combing through their social media profiles and even their bags as they pack, to ensure they will not be rejected by Israels stringent vetting process. I force the doctors to film themselves packing in Australia, and then again in Jordan, when they leave for Gaza. Because they are deployed into an active war zone, every movement must be registered with the Israeli Defence Force, which means Irhimeh is in constant contact with both the doctors and military officials. He has to apply for every movement, including morning and evening commutes. Food, water, supplies, housing, electricity and even finances are all organised by Irhimeh, with the doctors only allowed 1000 shekels at entry, roughly equivalent to $438. That means PANZMA has had to hire logistics officers based in Gaza, who scrounge for supplies and food, and drive its doctors to and from the hospitals. While Irhimeh is thankful that so far every mission has been a success, with no incidents or injuries, it has left the doctor with frayed nerves. I am exhausted, he says. I have been doing this for a year and a half, every micro issue managed. And to go from no missions to a mission a month has been excruciating. Loading Its a meaningful kind of exhaustion, and though Im tired, I cant stopthis is my duty. PANZMAs success in getting doctors into Gaza has meant it is now fielding international applicants. Until recently, its groundbreaking work was unacknowledged by the federal government, which Irhimeh expressed some frustration with. A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she had recently met with the group and appreciated their first-hand insights into the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. They discussed the severe restrictions facing all humanitarian organisations seeking to deliver aid into Gaza. The government continues to engage with PANZMA on their proposals. Israel has begun allowing some basic aid back into Gaza, after an 11-week blockade intended to pressure Hamas, which still holds 53 hostages, a large number thought to be dead, after taking 251 and killing 1200 people in October 2023, according to Israeli tallies. In response, Israels military has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced about 90 per cent of the territorys population, leaving people there almost completely dependent on international aid. Loading Despite the horrors Alattar has witnessed, despite the challenges, the hungry days, sleepless nights and the heartbreak, he is somehow keen to return. I feel guilty, I feel like I should be back there, helping them. I want to go back. I have a life to return to, children and a family. But I have left them there, in their catastrophe. I need to return to them, to help them again. They call it break-bone fever. The day after Redfern student and paralegal Kaya Lehmann returned from a Bali holiday, she fell sick with pain in her lower back, hips, elbows and knees. Her eyes felt swollen and she could barely move or eat. I thought I had late-onset Bali belly, she said. But the joint pain was horrific. I had quite high fevers, around the 39 to 40 degree mark. I was in and out of sleep all day. In hindsight, I probably shouldve gone to hospital. Kaya Lehmann caught dengue fever in February in Bali and has been sick for months. Credit: Wolter Peeters It took four doctor visits and a blood test for Lehmann to be diagnosed with dengue fever. Shes still recovering from the virus four months later and her hair is falling out a long-term symptom. Cases of the mosquito-borne illness have spiked across the Asia-Pacific and, since April, outbreaks have struck Samoa, Tonga, French Polynesia and the Cook Islands. Fiji reported at least 8000 cases and three deaths, and cases are climbing across Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. BELGRADE, June 10 (Xinhua) -- A forum on China-Serbia cooperation and exchange was held here Tuesday, spotlighting the enduring partnership between the two countries and underscoring the importance of cultural exchange, mutual respect, and global cooperation. In his opening remarks, Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming described the forum's theme of "dialogue" as both timely and significant. It not only reflects the essence of China-Serbia relations, marked by communication, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation, but also highlights how peoples and nations can bridge differences, enhance mutual trust, seek common ground, and coexist harmoniously in an increasingly complex global environment. Speaking highly of the achievements of China-Serbia cooperation across various sectors, he also highlighted the dialogue between the two nations as "a civilizational dialogue spanning thousands of years, a cooperation dialogue for common prosperity, and a friendship dialogue that brings the hearts of the two peoples together." Joining the event remotely from Chengdu, where she is attending the second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange, Marina Ragus, deputy speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia, said China and Serbia are entering a new phase of multifaceted cooperation. "China is starting to mean life to us," Ragus said, highlighting China's holistic approach to integrating its development with global progress. "For this development to be possible, the basic prerequisite is global security, or peace, and for the world to live in peace, mutual respect and appreciation of cultural and civilizational differences is necessary," she said. "Serbia has started to write this successful story together with our Chinese friends." Ivana Vucicevic, director of Belgrade's Studio B television station, detailed how the network has broadcast hundreds of hours of Chinese content, including documentaries, dramas, and animation, under the Belt and Road framework. "Media cooperation between China and Serbia has become increasingly dynamic," she said, adding that such exchanges help to tell the authentic stories of both nations. The forum coincided with the first UN International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. A video message by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered for this global event was played at the event and drew enthusiastic responses from attendees, including officials, scholars, and media professionals from both countries. Filip Filipovic, a Serbian PhD candidate at China's Fudan University, praised the remarks of Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, particularly the announcement of planned initiatives for 2028 and concrete steps for cultural exchange. In these uncertain times, China's commitment sends a reassuring message to the world, he said. "As a small nation navigating complex geopolitical realities throughout history, the Serbian people deeply cherish the vision of a more equal, inclusive, and peaceful international order, precisely the values emphasized by Minister Wang," he added. Its not every day, we might safely assume, that a murder trial begins with the jury being shown a page from a cookbook that begins with the words Gordon Ramsay, eat your heart out. But there it was. Day 30 of the trial of accused killer mushroom cook Erin Patterson had barely got under way when there appeared on the courtrooms big video screen a beef Wellington recipe from a RecipeTin Eats cookbook by Nagi Maehashi. The beef Wellington recipe from the RecipeTin Eats cookbook Dinner, by Nagi Maehashi. Beneath the cheeky tilt at the salty-tongued British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, whose beef Wellington is a signature dish at his famed Savoy Grill in London, was the following printed warning by Maehashi to would-be cooks. Even professional chefs tell me that beef Wellington gives them nightmares and theyve always struggled with it. A plan to transport seriously sick kids from one major hospital in Melbournes eastern suburbs to another has been overruled by Victorias health minister, who said she would oppose the axing of paediatric services. After The Age revealed the cost-saving strategy, the government stepped in on Wednesday, ruling out Eastern Healths plans to relocate paediatric staff from Maroondah Hospital to a sister hospital in Box Hill. Maroondah Hospital staff were recently told that specialist paediatric services would shift to Box Hill. Credit: Eddie Jim The planned axing of paediatric services at Maroondah Hospital is part of a broader, controversial plan to shake up the delivery of services at Eastern Health to achieve improved financial sustainability and slash wait lists, according to documents leaked to this masthead. On Wednesday morning, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the government would oppose the proposed changes around paediatric care at Maroondah Hospital. Clearly at some point in time, management is responsible because they are approving budgets and systems and everything else. Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said she was open to reforms that would better safeguard patients, as wider concerns over the regulation of Australias fertility industry will be discussed by Australias health ministers in Melbourne on Friday. We have recently reformed the way in which we regulate fertility services, including Monash IVF, and an investigation has commenced into what went wrong here in Melbourne, Thomas said. Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the Health Regulator had been notified about a Monash IVF embryo bungle on Tuesday morning. Credit: Simon Schluter When were thinking about fertility care, its such an emotional roller coaster for so many families and people seeking to either start or grow a family, and I want to ensure that weve got regulation thats fit for purpose, and that people can have confidence in these private fertility services in which they invest so much money. The Victorian Health Regulator has launched an investigation into the embryo mix-up at Monash IVFs Clayton clinic. Loading But Swinburne University senior lecturer in corporate law Helen Bird said the sharemarket might deliver a far quicker verdict. The signs arent good that they [Monash IVF] took this seriously at the start, she said. They all point to poor risk management, but they also point to poor oversight by the board. The board may have its justifications, but after youve done it three times, with three major issues across two states at least, then youve got more than just the odd mistake going on here. Youve got a systemic issue to deal with. Monash IVF Groups board refused to provide a statement of confidence in the companys management when asked to do so by The Age on Wednesday, saying it would not comment beyond information already released to the ASX. Australian Shareholder Association chief executive Rachel Waterhouse said Monash patients would have concerns, while investors will be asking questions about the companys oversight. Its a concern because youve got to trust in management, youve got to trust in the board, and mistakes in other organisations could have quite different outcomes, but this has a huge effect on trust, Waterhouse said. While Monash IVF Groups share price increased slightly to 62 on Wednesday, it is still a long way from its $1.42 value in August 2024, as well as the $1.09 at which it was trading before news broke of the Brisbane embryo error on April 11. The price has dropped because the market lacks confidence in the current management and governance of the company. The market reacts very quickly; its much more powerful than the law in this regard, Bird said. Loading So what the major investors are doing, I imagine, is knocking on the door and saying, please explain, please give us some confidence that you can get on top of these issues going forward. Head of medical negligence at Maurice Blackburn, Tom Ballantyne, said the string of issues at Monash IVF demanded stronger action by regulators. Its three incidents in a couple of years and all of them raise concerns about the fundamental processes in the organisation, he said. Fertility treatments are provided commercially, but its a health service and a public good and needs to live up to that, and the government and Safer Care Victoria need to ensure it does live up to that. Compensation is typically only awarded in medical negligence cases when permanent harm can be proved, which is not the case where a person is denied the chance to have a child, or potentially when they give birth to an unintended child. Rather than result in compensation, Ballantyne said most cases are resolved by offering patients replacement or free IVF cycles, with little public accountability. The provider can avoid the scrutiny of an actual court case that occurs in other areas, Ballantyne said. Its all done behind closed doors. And, you know, the deterrence or accountability the compensation otherwise provides, is lost. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is preparing to order a radical investigation into the future of the Liberal Party, going beyond a standard post-election review, as she seeks to rebuild it after its historic electoral loss. The party is also expected to set up a shorter and narrower review to assess the error-ridden 2025 campaign that resulted in the Coalition holding just 43 seats in the lower house. One of Sussan Leys first tasks was confronting a short-lived split with the Nationals. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Four senior party sources said Leys view was that a more radical examination of the party was needed, including a look at its ailing state divisions, campaign tools, brand and messaging. The sources, who asked to remain anonymous in order to speak publicly about internal party talks, said final decisions on the two reviews had not yet been formalised. But the partys federal executive will discuss the reviews at a meeting next week ahead of an address Ley will make to the National Press Club on June 25. Queensland Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber has responded to sustained Labor pressure during question time on Wednesday by accusing former ministers of throwing staplers at staff and locking them in cupboards. The heated outburst came as Gerber dodged Labors questions about staff turnover in her office. Opposition Leader Steven Miles had the first question for Gerber how many prisoners had escaped on her watch? Her answer: Half what it was under Labor this time last year. Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber came under sustained attack during question time on Wednesday. Credit: Jamila Filippone This marked the first in a series of questions aimed at the Gold Coast-based minister. From here, pop across to Lexington Avenue and grab a pastrami sandwich from Pastrami Queen, one of adding late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdains favourites. Head back towards Central Park and turn north to arrive at the Guggenheim museum (guggenheim.org). Again you could spend a lot of time here, but an hour or so should give you enough time to make your way to the top of the spiralling interior of this Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building and back down, enjoying the exceptional art collection on the way. Times Square is best seen at night, when the neon glow of the billboards and giant screens light up the space. The area heaves with crowds at all hours of the day, but the reality is theres not a lot to do here, other than simply walk through and experience what is probably the most famous city square on Earth. Now that youve seen it, you can head back to your hotel and go to bed. Day 2 Magic in the air No visit to New York is complete without seeing a show on Broadway. Credit: Shutterstock Take a short walk north of Times Square to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (https://www.moma.org). Its another huge space you could spend all day in, but limit yourself to the highlights you can see in a few hours. The most famous work here is Van Goghs The Starry Night, but youll likely recognise plenty of the other art from the likes of Picasso, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, Jackson Pollock and more. Your next must-do is a visit to one of the major observation decks in the city. While the Empire State Building (esbnyc.com) is probably the citys most iconic building and offers terrific views of city, it has one disadvantage: when youre standing at the top of the Empire State Building, you cant see the Empire State Building. For this reason, the Top of the Rock (topoftherocknyc.com), the observation deck at the top of the Rockefeller Center, is my recommendation, since it offers a classic view of the New York skyline along with Central Park views to the north. No visit to New York is complete without seeing a Broadway show. Unless you have your heart set on seeing a major new hit youll often find decent discounts on tickets to some of the long-running shows. Discounted tickets can be purchased on the TodayTix app. Get there early or youll find yourself having to queue for quite a long time. If you want to see something in particular, its best to book ahead online. Broadway Week (which actually goes for more than one week and happens twice a year in winter and summer), sees two-for-one deals on many of the best shows in town. Broadway shows tend to start at about 8pm, which doesnt leave a lot of time for a sit-down meal. Instead, grab a quick bite from one of the citys many street food vendors. Those famous hot dogs arent exactly fine dining, but you cant visit the city without trying one. Alternatively, north of Times Square, pop into Rays (736 7th Avenue) for another famous New York food giant, thin-crust slices of pizza. Head to your Broadway show, bearing in mind that many of the Broadway theatres arent actually on Broadway, but on cross streets. Some of the longest running shows in town include Wicked, The Lion King and The Book of Mormon. If youre not too tired, head back to the Empire State Building. Enjoy views of the Big Apple lit up at night from the observation deck. Day 3 Lines and lines The High Line. Credit: NYC&Co/Will Steacy Spend your next two nights closer to Downtown. Soho or Greenwich Village will let you see a part of Manhattan where people actually live, as opposed to the tourist-ridden Times Square area. Head to the High Line (thehighline.org), the old elevated train line that has been turned into a green and gorgeous walkway, taking you between high-rise buildings with views out to the Hudson River. Follow the High Line to the river and youll come out at the ferry terminal, where you can board a Circle Line ferry tour that will take you around the southern end of the island, past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, then up the eastside and under the Brooklyn Bridge. When you return to the ferry terminal, youll see a large aircraft carrier right next door. This is the decommissioned USS Intrepid (intrepidmuseum.org), now a museum featuring a great collection of aircraft, including a Concorde and a Lockheed Blackbird spy plane, but the highlight is an actual space shuttle. The Enterprise (yes, named after the Star Trek spaceship) never actually flew into space but was used for atmospheric test flights. Nevertheless, its an incredible impressive piece of space exploration history. Try the City Climb if you feel adventurous. South of the Intrepid youll find Hudson Yards, a $US25 billion ($37 billion) development featuring shopping and public spaces. The highlights are the mind-boggling sculpture The Vessel, a 46-metre-tall, honeycomb shaped building. If youre feeling adventurous and havent had enough of those views, try outdoor observation deck The Edge (edgenyc.com) at 30 Hudson Yards or go even further and do the City Climb, which takes you to the peak of the building where you can dangle over the side (safely harnessed). For dinner, catch the subway back downtown to Soho. There are plenty of places to eat around here, but a fun and lively place is La Esquina. The Mexican restaurant has three locations in Manhattan, but its original venue is on Kenmare Street (See esquinanyc.com). While it looks like an old-school diner at first glance, a doorway opens on a staircase that leads you into a dimly lit, modern underground restaurant space. From Soho, take the subway to Washington Square Station and walk to the Comedy Cellar. The legendary basement comedy venue is small, so consider booking your tickets in advance online (comedycellar.com). This venue is famous for launching the careers of some of the biggest names in American stand-up and, although the website lists who is performing each night, you never know who might show up and perform a set (the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock have been known to make unannounced appearances). Day 4 Money never sleeps The New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street. Credit: AP Wall Street is a surprisingly small and narrow street, but its worth strolling down and seeing the New York Stock Exchange, before checking out the famous bull sculpture. From here, head to the September 11 memorial two vast sunken fountains on the spaces where the twin towers of the World Trade Centre stood, surrounded by the names of all that days victims. The nearby 9/11 Memorial & Museum tells the story of that tragic day through multimedia displays, documents and interviews, along with exhibits of artefacts recovered from the site. See 911memorial.org Grab a bike from one of the stations of New Yorks bike share scheme (citibikenyc.com) and ride down to Battery Park. This part of the city has a bike lane running along the edge of the river so you dont have to fight with the Manhattan traffic. You can follow this bike lane all the way around to the Brooklyn Bridge and, if you have time, you can even go for a ride over it. Back on the Manhattan side of the bridge, one of the citys main heliports can be found. Several companies run scenic flights around the island from here, such as HeliNY Sightseeing (heliny.com). Its a terrific way to get a new perspective on the city and see how big Manhattan actually is. Flights will typically take you out over the bay, offering a birds eye view of the Statue of Liberty and as far as Coney Island looking out to the Atlantic Ocean. For dinner, head back over to the west side of the city to Tribeca, where youll find an abundance of fine eateries. Venues like Locanda Verde Tribeca on Greenwich Street are popular with celebrities so keep your eyes open for a visiting Hollywood star. TIP A New York CityPASS will get you entry to many of the citys top attractions including many of those mentioned above. Passes cost $US154 an adult and can result in big savings if you manage to see a lot of the attractions the pass covers. See citypass.com/new-york A Channel Nine cameraman is the fourth Australian media worker harmed by law enforcement in Los Angeles, among dozens of journalists who have been injured at immigration protests, drawing widespread condemnation from press freedom groups. The unnamed cameraman was struck in the leg with a ricocheting rubber bullet while covering the protests on Tuesday, Los Angeles time, leaving bruises. A police officer fires a soft round near the immigration detention centre in downtown Los Angeles. Credit: AP The cameraman was not filming at the time and had been following instructions to find shelter from law enforcement, a Nine spokesman said. The spokesman said Nine, the owner of this masthead, is assessing the situation and is taking into account the growing number of similar incidents involving journalists in Los Angeles. BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- As part of its broader strategy to ensure high-quality and sufficient employment, China is combining fiscal support, targeted incentives and the rise of emerging industries to drive employment growth. Recent official data indicate that China's job market remains broadly stable. The surveyed urban unemployment rate edged down to 5.1 percent in April from 5.2 percent in March, maintaining an average of 5.2 percent in the first four months of 2025. Fu Linghui, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics, credited this steady trend to the country's improving industrial performance and expanding new growth drivers, along with strengthened assistance for key labor groups. Recognizing employment as a strategic priority, China's leadership reaffirmed job stability as a top policy goal at a tone-setting meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee held in April 2025. As part of these coordinated efforts, multiple government authorities on the same day jointly unveiled measures in a circular aimed at bolstering employment among 2025 college graduates and young jobseekers. "College graduates and other youths are valuable human resources," the circular stated, urging maximum efforts to support their employment. Organizations that employ 2025 graduates, graduates unemployed within the first two years after leaving school or registered unemployed youth aged 16-24, are eligible for a one-off job expansion subsidy, according to the circular. This policy will be in effect until Dec. 31, 2025. Complementing these youth-focused measures, authorities have extended broader financial support to companies aiming to preserve existing jobs. Key unemployment insurance relief policies, which help companies retain employees and support workers in upgrading their skills, have been extended through the end of 2025. These supportive policies coincide with robust demand growth in China's high-tech industries. Notably, industry data highlight significant increases in recruitment activity in fields like industrial automation and digital technologies in the first quarter of 2025. Data from Zhaopin.com show that vacancies for mechanical and automation engineers in the industrial automation sector had jumped by 40 percent and 10 percent in this period, respectively, while those requiring algorithm engineers and machine learning specialists rose by 44 percent and 18 percent, respectively, reflecting the increasing role of technology-driven growth. This momentum is echoed by major Chinese enterprises, including tech giants and manufacturing firms, which have recently unveiled ambitious recruitment plans. Tencent, for instance, announced its largest-ever employment initiative, creating 28,000 internships over three years, many with the prospect of full-time conversion. As of early March this year, the company had employed over 55,000 people -- with technology roles accounting for 73 percent of total staff. Similarly, Alibaba opened over 3,000 roles in its 2026 spring campus recruitment round, nearly half of which are in AI-related fields. Midea Group, a leading home appliance manufacturer, plans to provide more than 2,000 positions through campus recruitment in 2025. China's employment strategy goes beyond merely recruitment, but also emphasizes retaining and upgrading talent. Many enterprises have significantly invested in employee training programs, implementing structured pathways to facilitate skills enhancement and career growth. Fuyao Group, a leading global automotive glass supplier, for example, has developed a comprehensive training system, digitally connecting nearly 30,000 employees through its internal platform, complemented by technical skills programs. Vocational training across the country is likewise scaling up to match emerging employment demands. Local governments have initiated subsidized training programs targeting crucial sectors -- such as advanced manufacturing, eldercare, childcare and modern services. In Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, a robotics innovation center has trained over 12,000 professionals in advanced robotics alone. Its future plans involve expanded collaboration with universities and industry leaders in fields including artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing. Such integrated industry-education ecosystems are becoming increasingly common nationwide, and are designed to continuously replenish talent pools in rapidly evolving sectors. Looking ahead, Chen Yun, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Labor and Social Security, suggested maintaining employment-oriented vocational training. Chen also called for further targeted fiscal, tax, financial, technological and industrial policies tailored specifically to different business conditions -- with intensified support for enterprises facing greater difficulties. SEOUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's exports rose in single digits in the first 10 days of this month due to higher demand for locally-made semiconductors and cars, customs office data showed Wednesday. Exports stood at 15.47 billion U.S. dollars in the June 1-10 period, up 5.4 percent compared to the same period of 2024, according to Korea Customs Service. The daily average export jumped 15.0 percent to 2.81 billion dollars in the 10-day period. Semiconductor exports soared 22.0 percent to 3.63 billion dollars, and automotive shipments swelled 8.4 percent to 1.30 billion dollars. Exports of oil products, mobile devices and home appliances dipped in double digits, but those for ships, computers and auto parts advanced in double figures. Imports spiked 11.5 percent from a year earlier to 17.18 billion dollars in the first 10 days of June, sending the trade deficit to 1.71 billion dollars. Imports for semiconductors, machinery, natural gas, cars and mobile devices advanced in double figures, but those for crude oil and oil products shrank in single digits. J&K, Maoist-hit areas, N-E saw dramatic dip in violent incidents since NDA came to power NEW DELHI : ALL three prominent internal security threats -- Jammu and Kashmir, Maoist-affected regions and the northeast -- have seen a dramatic dip in violence after the BJP-led NDA came to power at the Centre in 2014, with such incidents dropping by 53 to 70 per cent in the following decade as compared to the period from 2004 to 2014, sources said. Data shows that the Maoist-affected regions reported 16,463 cases of violence from 2004 to 2014, which came down to 7,744 between 2014 and 2024, showing a drop of 53 per cent. The number of security personnel killed in the region also declined by 73 per cent during the period -- from 1,851 to 509. Maoist violence claimed the lives of 4,766 civilians from 2004 to 2014. This number also dropped by 70 per cent -- to 1,495 -- between 2014 and 2024, the sources said. A major crackdown of security forces on Maoist ultras in 2025 has so far resulted in the killings of 226 cadres, including two central committee members, arrest of 418 and surrender of 896. Last year, 290 Naxals were neutralised, 1,090 arrested and 881 had surrendered. The security forces have managed to neutralise the top 18 Naxal leaders so far. Centre approves additional Rs 25 cr as compensation for damaged houses Terrorism should be treated as global issue, not bilateral problem BRUSSELS : TERRORISM should be addressed as a global issue rather than a bilateral problem, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said, as he highlighted the historical connection of many of the terror-related incidents globally to Pakistan. Addressing the Indian community members in Belgium, Jaishankar apprised them of Indias counter-terrorism efforts. Talking about Operation Sindoor, which was launched after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, Jaishankar said during his talks with Belgian counterpart Maxime Prevot, he mentioned the 2016 Brussels attack to drive home the point that look, terrorism is not, you know, a particular countrys problem. Dont look at this, because often, you know, the media, which is not always free of bias, tends to present it saying, you know, there is an India, Pakistan issue, or, you know, this is about Kashmir, he said. What distinguishes this challenge is often in different countries, you know, a group does it...It is very rare to have a country which openly uses it as a State policy, Jaishankar said. This is something people in Europe have to understand because that is not their experience, he said. Terrorism happens here, but no European country, or no neighbour of a European country, does terrorism as a...Declared policy of their country, and I spent some time trying to make them understand, he said. The messaging that on an issue like terrorism,...Dont treat it as an issue between two countries. I dont think this is just Indias problem. I mean, if you look, in fact, at the history of terrorism over the last 20-30 years, so many of these incidents eventually end up in Pakistan. The fingerprints, the trails, somebody from there comes down, you know, all this, Jaishankar said. We are, of course, unbroken, but we are more than unbroken. We are very determined, and this time we wanted to send that message saying, Enough is enough, Jaishankar said. Jaishankar, during the address, also said that there was much sharper interest in Europe to build stronger ties with India. They realise that many of the problems of Europe have to be addressed by Europe itself, that they have to stand more on their own feet, and therefore they also need more friends. They need stronger relationships with other countries, he said. A grandmom runs uniqueBook Hotel with 5000 books! By Tina Freese : CLINKING utensils, the gentle brewing of tea, and the lively chatterofpeople eagerly awaiting their food create a vibrant ambience within the eatery. Normally, the entire space is imbued with the tantalising aroma of delicious meals being preparedin thekitchen.However, this delightful scentoften goesun noticed by customers whose noses are typically buried in the books they are reading. With the most cheerful and wrinkly smile, 74-year-old Bhimabai Jondhale observes the entire commotion. I feel a sense of pride when I watch all my customers reading keenly, almost forgetting what they were here for food, she shares. Fondly known as Aaji,Bhima bai has been running her book restaurant, Ajjichya Pustakancha Hotel (Grandmothers Hotel with Books), since 2010, serving not only delicious meals but also offering free books to read. The place boasts a depository of over 5,000 books in three different languages - Marathi, Hindi, and English. However, the origin story of this book hotel will surely melt your heart! For the undying love for reading Ifitis your birthday or anniversary, you are sure not to leave without a free book from Aaji Hotel. Located in Ozar, Nashik district, Bhimabais son helps her in the operations. While the hotel might be flourishing with colours and ample seating spaces today, it was only a makeshift spot for tea more than a decade ago. It was the only way for my mother to fill our stomachs. While she is a positive woman today, she has had her fair share of struggles back in the day,saysPravinJondhale,Bhimabais son.Recallingher earlylife,Bhimabai shares that she was merely in class 6 when she was married off and sent to a small village near Nashik. As achild,Iwasa very keenobserver. I used to love reading, and books were my best friend. However, when I got married, everything changed, she says. Away from home and everything sheloved,Bhimabai found herself alone, tending to a family. Myhusbandwas an alcoholicwho spent most of his time wandering around. Not only did I have to take care of the home, but also the farms, she says, adding, When my daughter became a little older, she would go to the farms with me. With her children growing up, she wanted to send them to school. We were always financially weak, but my husbands addiction made things worse. He, in a state of intoxication, either sold off his land or gambled it away, she says. Left without a means to feed her family,Bhimabaiwouldwork forhours indifferentpeoples fields tobring food to the table. I was fed up with the life we had. My son was going to school and had picked up a newspaper distribution job to help me, she shares. Pravin elaborates on his mothers struggle from his perspective,All the relatives were always trying to have their way with her. My father was a father only in name. He never took any responsibilities. Like my mother,Ihad a zeal to get an education. I got a job at a newspaper distributor and fundedmy educationmyself,he says.There wasonlyone escape from the challenging life move to the city. It was like a beacon of hope for us. I would probably find some work there, andmymother would be away from her relatives. So, we decided to sell off whatever was left of our land and moved to the city, he says. In2008, the familymoved to the city. Pravin had already started a publishing company and days were looking better. Due tosomepersonalreasons,Ihad to shut down the publishing company, andwehadastock of Marathi language bookswithus.Mymother and sister did not know much beyond farming, so they started a makeshift tea stall to meet our expenses, he says. No phones, only books! In 2010, Bhimabai, along with her daughter,laid the foundation ofwhat is today Ajjichya Pustakancha Hotel. While the familymoved, the taunts and harsh words never stopped following her. They would talk about how the women of the house should not wander around selling tea; she should take care of the house. But I did not care about those taunts anymore, she says. My children and I slowly started to use savings to expand the tea stall and make it an eatery.WhatI noticed was that while a person would wait for their food, they would always be buried in their phone, she says. Theywouldnotconversewitheach other but would keep scrolling on their phone.Ifound the habit very absurd and wanted to do something about it, she says. As a woman who was fond ofreading but never got the chance to, shedecided toreintroduce the habit of reading to people. Books are our best friends. They are your companions in every situation.We started off with just 25 books in a stand in the eatery and it kept growing.Westarted encouragingpeo ple to pick up a book and read while we cook their meal, she says. By the time the food would arrive at their table, they would have already reachedchapter two of the book, she adds. People started to appreciate her initiative and word spread.The book collectionwhichstartedwithonly 25bookshasnowgrown to5,000 books. In addition to books in the eatery,wealso give free books on special occasions such as Womens Day and Republic Day to initiate a habit of reading among people. We also have started giving books as gifts to hospitals, he says. For people waiting at the hospital for a loved one or for their own treatment, we hope our books will help. My mother believes that medicines treat your body but books heal your soul, he adds. The eatery has also since kept on growing and people have donated books to Aajis collection. Staff Reporter : In a major crackdown on cyber crime, the Bhopal Cyber Crime Branch has taken legal action against two members of a gang operating from Alwar, Rajasthan, who created a fake Facebook profile using the name and photograph of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), Bhopal. The operation was conducted under the directives of Police Commissioner Harinarayanachari Mishra, Additional Police Commissioner Pankaj Srivastava, and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Shraddha Tiwari. The case came to light when a complaint was lodged, alleging that unknown individuals had created a fraudulent Facebook profile impersonating the Additional DCP to deceive and defraud people. Following the complaint, the Cyber Crime Branch registered a case under Section 66(C) of the IT Act and initiated an investigation. The modus operandi revealed a sophisticated organised crime network. The accused created fake Facebook profiles of senior police officials to mislead and scam unsuspecting victims. Through technical analysis, the Cyber Crime Branch traced the fake profile to Alwar, Rajasthan. A raid in the Malakheda police station area led to the apprehension of a juvenile and an adult, Birbal Prajapat, a 40-year-old resident of Laxmangarh, Alwar, who runs a mobile repair shop and operates as a Point of Sale (POS) agent. During interrogation, the juvenile admitted to being lured by Prajapat into activating a SIM card for Rs 1,500, which was later sold to another cyber criminal for Rs 3,000. This SIM card was used to operate the fake Facebook profile. Based on the evidence, additional charges under sections 61(2) and 204 of the BNS were added to the case. Both the juvenile and Prajapat were issued legal notices to appear in the court. City BJP to celebrate completion of 11 years of Modi Govt from 12th Dayashankar Tiwari addressing the press conference. Ajay Sancheti, Sandip Gavai, Dr Milind Mane, Sudhakar Kohale, Sudhakar Deshmukh, Ashwini Jichkar and others also are seen. Staff Reporter : Dayashankar Tiwari, team to increase peoples connect with the party Bharatiya Janata Partys city unit has planned several activities to let people know the achievement of Modi Government after its completion of 11 years at Centre. BJP has planned programmes of service, good governance and welfare of poor, said BJP City President Dayashankar Tiwari while interacting with mediapersons on Tuesday at Hotel Centre Point. Recently, BJPs State Working President Ravindra Chavan had convened a workshop of all Mandal office-bearers of Vidarbha, at Nagpur, regarding the activities to be conducted on completion of Modi Governments 11 years. The campaign is focussed on 11 remarkable years of the Modi government. It is focused on service, good governance, and inclusive welfare. BJP has launched a nationwide campaign titled Sankalp Se Siddhi Tak and city BJP will participate in it, Tiwari made it clear. We have to take the achievements of the Central Government to the people. The benefits of the schemes of the Central Government have to be taken to the maximum people. India has never seen such an all-round development before. Modi Government has brought growth to every sector from agriculture, science, education, technology, defence, health, power, housing, industry etc. This Government has focussed on the issues of women, children, senior citizens. All these things will be highlighted, Tiwari pointed out. Tiwari said, BJPs 20 Mandals are working in Nagpurs six Assembly constituencies and in every Mandal, 10 Jansamvad meetings will be held. Through these 200 meetings, we will reach house to house and let people know the achievements of the Modi Government. We will hold 20 meetings in 20 mandals where the party will present its work at central level, state level and local level. Justice delivery system is very important aspect. During Modi Governments regime, that has improved a lot. We will also put in front of the people the facilities created by Central as well as State Goverments. The chartered accountants, company secretaries, finance consultants will be brought together. They will elaborate the financial factors improved in this regime. Central Government has introduced New Education Policy (NEP). To spread its awareness, a teachers convention will be held. BJP wants more and more youngsters to become self-reliant so it will organise meetings where such future entrepreneurs will be explained various initiatives taken by Modi Government, Tiwari said. The meetings will be organised at at various places in the city. An exhibition where paintings depicting Governments achievements will be put on display has been planned in all six Assembly constituencies. This campaign will be run till June 21. Chaupal programmes will be organised at every Shakti Kendra from June 15 to June 17 at village/ward/Shakti Kendra/Booth level. Mohalla Chaupal will be organised in cities and Gram Chaupal in Panchayat centers. In these programmes, the achievements of 11 years will be discussed in detail. Central Minister, Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers will stay in the State capitals and big cities. At the district-level, state office-bearers, ministers and MPs will remain present. District office-bearers, MLA, Mayor, elected public representatives, and all officials and public representatives above the Mandal level will visit the Shakti Kendra. Apart from seminars and honouring of democracy fighters at the district level, programmes will be organised targeting students/colleges/educational institutions and exhibitions will be organised, added Tiwari. Former Rajya Sabha Member Ajay Sancheti, ex- MLA Sudhakar Kohale, Sudhakar Deshmukh, Dr Milind Mane, ex-MLC Prof Anil Sole, Girish Vyas, ex-corporator and General Secretary Sandip Gavai, Ashwini Jichkar, Vishnu Changde, Balya Borkar, Rambhau Ambulkar, Girdhar Mantri, Pragati Patil and others were present. Gadkari to launch programme on 12th Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will launch first programme under Sankalp Se Siddhi on Thursday June 12, at 12 pm, informed BJP City President Dayashankar Tiwari. The programmes will conclude on June 21. BJP to fete Emergency warriors on Black Day on June 25 City BJP President Dayashankar Tiwari elaborated the partys plan of June 25, when it would observe Black Day as the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had imposed Emergency on nation. BJP called it as Constitution Murder Day, commemorating the severe hardships endured during the Emergency. Lakhs of people were jailed without any reason during Emergency. The party will felicitate these people. They will be given certificates signed by Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis. The senior citizens, if unable to come to the venue, will be provided transportation. BJP will hold demonstrations, protests on June 25 across State, explained Tiwari. Honeymoon murder: Raj Kushwaha and 3 other accused knew each other well INDORE/SHILLONG : RAJ Kushwaha, who allegedly plotted the murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi with the latters wife Sonam during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, and three other men hired for executing the crime knew each other since the past, police officials said. Indore Police also claimed Kushwaha, the suspected boyfriend of Sonam, didnt travel to the north-eastern State to avoid suspicion and went about his daily routine. Kushwaha and three other accused are currently in the transit custody of Meghalaya Police. According to police, Sonam Raghuvanshi allegedly orchestrated the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in the scenic town of Sohra in Meghalaya. A tourist guide from Sohra in Meghalaya, who alerted police about the presence of three men accompanying Raja and Sonam on the day they went missing, on Tuesday claimed that he identified one of the suspects after seeing some photographs. Albert Pde, the guide at Mawlakhiat told PTI, I could identify one of the suspects from the photos provided by police. I am happy that the criminals are finally behind bars. We stand vindicated. Those who tried to tarnish the image of Sohra and its people as violent have now been exposed, Pde added. The autopsy report of Raja Raghuvanshi indicated that he was hit twice with a sharp object on his head, officials at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) said. The autopsy report indicated there were two sharp cuts on the head of the deceased one from behind and one from the front, East Khasi Hills SP Vivek Syiem said. Meghalaya Polices Special Investigation Team (SIT) has availed a transit remand for Sonam and they are bringing her to Shillong where she will be produced in court. Earlier in the day, the Meghalaya police produced Anand Kurmi before the court which sent him on seven-day transit remand, Indores Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Dandotia said. Raj Kushwahas mother, Chunni Devi, claimed that her son was innocent and was implicated in the case. She said Raj had cried inconsolably after attending Raja Raghuvanshis funeral in Indore. My son is innocent. He has been framed. How can a 20-year-old boy commit such a big crime? He is the only breadwinner after my husband passed away, Chunni Devi told PTI. She said her son had been working at the business establishment owned by Sonams family for the last two years. Rajs sister Suhani rejected reports that her brother was romantically involved with Sonam, stressing that they used to address each other as brother and sister. My brother and Sonam only shared the employee-employer relationship. He addressed Sonam as didi, while she calls him bhaiya, Suhani added. A viral video showed Raj comforting Sonams father, Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, who reached the house of Raja before the funeral. Politicians and common people from Meghalaya have expressed unhappiness over the portrayal of the north-eastern State by media in the wake of the murder. Rajas father demands death sentence for all culprits INDORE, THE father of honeymooner Raja Raghuvanshi on Tuesday demanded the death penalty for all culprits. My son died in agony. All the culprits should be hanged to set an example, so that no family loses its son to such crime in future, Raghuvanshis father Ashok Raghuvanshi told PTI. Overwhelmed by the tragedy and sordid details emerging during the investigation, the Raghuvanshi senior expressed disbelief over his newly-wed son returning the familys Indore home in a coffin. My sons body was mutilated. My family members didnt allow me to have the last glimpse as they were concerned over my heart ailment, he said, struggling to maintain his composure. Raghuvanshi also claimed that Sonam got her husband murdered to remove the Mangal Dosh in her horoscope so that she could later marry her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, who worked in the furniture sheet business of Sonams family in Indore. Dismissing this claim, local astrologer Dheeraj Dixit said mangal dosh cannot be removed by the death of ones spouse. Modernisation, self-reliance focus in defence production: PM NEW DELHI : PRIME Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that significant changes have unfolded in the defence sector in the 11 years of his Government, with a clear focus on both modernisation and self-reliance in defence production. He said on X, The last 11 years have marked significant changes in our defence sector, with a clear focus on both modernisation and becoming self reliant when it comes to defence production. It is gladdening to see how the people of India have come together with the resolve of making India stronger. Modi shared a thread from a Governments citizen engagement platform, which highlighted the changes in different areas as the Prime Minister completed 11 years in office on Tuesday. In just 11 years under Modis visionary leadership, India has revolutionised its defence capabilities, deepened strategic global partnerships, and achieved historic milestones in space exploration, it said. Guided by his resolve for Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the nation has embraced self-reliant innovation and expanded its influence in trade and technology, it added. Indias Rise in 11 Years: Power, Partnerships, and Progress, it said, putting out the Governments initiatives and subsequent changes in different fields. Indias defence exports have soared to Rs 23,622 crore in 2024-25 from Rs 1,940 crore in 2014-15, the post said, noting the country also unveiled its first indigenous aircraft carrier in INS Vikrant. It said, This is the story of Indias rise as a confident, decisive, and respected global leader driven by PM Modis bold vision and unwavering commitment to a stronger Bharat. Indias missile power had its precision and reach elevated, it said, mentioning Brahmos extended range version, which was successfully test-fired from Su-30 MKI, among others. BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso sent congratulatory letters separately to the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, on Wednesday. Noting that the current international situation is marked by changes and turmoil, Xi said China is committed to providing new opportunities for the world with the new achievements of Chinese modernization and offering new impetus to the Global South partners, including Africa, with its huge market. China is ready to negotiate and sign the agreement of China-Africa Economic Partnership for Shared Development to implement the zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines for 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China, Xi said, adding that China will provide more convenience for the least developed countries in Africa to export to China. He said China is ready to work with Africa to deepen the implementation of the 10 partnership actions for modernization, strengthen cooperation in such key areas as green industry, e-commerce and e-payment, science and technology, and artificial intelligence, and enhance cooperation in security, finance and the rule of law, to promote high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation. New life for Nathmalpur Bhagad: Bihars first 100 pc Centrally funded wetland project By Pramod Kumar : PATNA THE Bihar Government has initiated a major conservation project for Nathmalpur Bhagad wetland in Bhojpur district the first such initiative in the State to be developed with 100 per cent funding from the Central Government. The Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (DEFCC) of the state Government on June 2 received administrative approval and expenditure sanction for conserving and sustainably managing Nathmalpur Bhagad (wetland) under the Namami Gange Mission (NGM)-II from the Centre. According to the official approval letter, the DEFCC will serve as the implementing agency for the project and coordination and implementation will be handled by the Chief Conservator of Forest-cum-State Nodal Officer/Member Secretary of the Bihar State Wetland Authority. Technical support may be sought from an expert organisation or agency. The project, approved at an estimated cost of Rs 3.51 crore under the National Ganga Plan (NGM-II budget head), will span four years from 202526 to 202829 across two phases: Phase I (202526) and Phase II (202629), an official statement said. Reacting to the development, Harjot Kaur Bamhrah, Additional Chief Secretary of DEFCC, told PTI, Its a great development. Nathmalpur Bhagad in Bhojpur is the first wetland conservation project in Bihar to be developed through 100 per cent central Government funding. She added that the initiative focuses on integrating biodiversity and ecosystem service values into river basin conservation and development planning. The project proposes a dual-level intervention both at the sub-basin level (Ghaghara, Gomti, and Sone confluence with the Ganga) and at the site level (Nathmalpur Bhagad), she said. Echoing a similar view, Chief Conservator of Forests and Nodal Officer for Environment and Wetlands (Bihar) S. Chandrashekhar told PTI that this is the first wetland in Bihar which will be conserved through 100 per cent central funding. The planned intervention in the project include activities such as wetland delineation and demarcation, enhancing hydrological regime, species and habitat conservation, habitat protection and maintenance, communication and outreach, resource development and livelihoods and research studies. A monitoring mechanism will be evolved to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of the wetland ecosystem, he added. Compliance with local, national and international policies and regulatory frameworks will also be ensured while conserving and sustainably managing Nathmalpur Bhagad, he added. According to the Bihar Economic Survey 202425, tabled in the Assembly in February, As per the National Wetland Atlas (NWA)-2010, Bihar is home to 4,416 wetlands, each covering at least 2.25 hectares. Additionally, about 17,582 smaller wetlands (less than 2.25 hectares) also exist in the state. The survey also noted that the Bihar State Wetland Authority is actively engaged in identifying wetlands of international importance (such as Ramsar sites) and partnering with local, national, and international organisations for conservation and sustainable management efforts. NMC to go to polls with four prabhag system Staff Reporter : State Govt announces ward formation for municipal polls Nagpur Municipal Corporation will go to polls with four prabhag system. The notification issued by Government on Tuesday categorised the muncipal corporations in A, B, and C as per their population except Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The State Government has issued a new notification for the formation of wards for municipal polls in the State. According to the notification, the Municipal Corporation election will be held on the 4-prabhag division system. The number of prabhags are likely to increase in Nagpur. At present, there are 38 prabhags. It can increase to 42. The last prabhag of the city can be of 3-members or 5-members. If the number of prabhags increase, then the number of members will also increase. With the increase in the number of prabhags, the population-area is also expected to increase. The current division population is around 60 thousand. It can increase to 70 to 75 thousand. On June 10, the Urban Development Department of the State Government issued this notification. According to the notification, the Municipal Corporations will have to start the process afresh for the formation of wards. This notification has been issued for A class Municipal Corporation Nagpur, Pune; B class Municipal Corporation Thane, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad and C class Municipal Corporation Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Kalyan Dombivali. The State Legislature had in its previous session passed the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the very day it was introduced. The system, introduced in 2017 by then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, was changed and one member per ward was brought in 2019. It was replaced by three members in 2021, and then in 2022. The members in the Opposition had questioned the frequent change amending the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act. By issuing the notification, the Municipal Commissioner has been asked to prepare the draft division structure and submit it to the State Election Commission for approval. After the Municipal Commissioner presents the draft of the prabhag structure, the State Election Commissioner has to approve it. After which the Municipal Commissioner will publish the draft of the prabhag structure. After it is published, objections and suggestions will be sought on it, which will be heard. After the hearing by the authorised officer, the proposal for the final prabhag structure will be sent to the State Election Commission for approval. After the final prabhag structure is approved, it will be made public. As per the instructions of the Supreme Court, this process has to be completed as soon as possible. Issuing new guidelines, the government has ordered the Municipal Commissioner to start preparations for the prabhag structure. The prabhags will be created afresh. For this, the help of Google Map will be taken. Prabhags will be decided as per the assembly voter list. For this, 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D' and 'E' will be used for increasing the number of members. The population of the division can be 10 percent less or more. The division will be created from the north direction. Starting from the north, the division will be calculated in the north-east, east, west, south direction. While determining the boundary of the prabhag, one will have to take care of the natural boundaries like big roads, streets, rivers, drains, etc. While deciding this, it will also have to be kept in mind that there will be no part of building, chawl, house exist. Especially the instructions not to divide the Scheduled Caste-Tribe settlements have been given in the notification. Municipal elections were last held in 2017. The term ended on March 5, 2022. Elections were not held since then. In 2017, elections were held according to 4-prabhag system. Then the number of divisions was 38, of which 37 prabhags had 4-4 members and the last 38th prabhag had 3 members. Out of 151 members, 30 seats were reserved for SC, 12 for ST and 33 for OBC category. 76 seats were for the general category. Changes in this system are possible in the new prabhag structure. Protests over arrest of Arambai Tenggol leader, 2 policemen injured Meitei group relaxes bandh IMPHAL : MANIPUR continued to witness protests as demonstrators defied prohibitory orders and clashed with security forces across several districts of Imphal valley demanding the unconditional release of the arrested Arambai Tenggol leader Kanan Singh and four others, police said on Tuesday. Clashes erupted in Khurai Lamlong area of Imphal East district on Monday night, prompting security personnel to fire several rounds of tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. At least one four-wheeler was reportedly torched by the protesters, police said. Protests, such as roadblocks and burning of tyres, were also held in Thoubal and Kakching districts. Tensions also flared in Tera area of Imphal West district on Monday evening when unidentified miscreants fired at security forces. At least seven rounds from small firearms were fired in Tera area when CRPF personnel were clearing roadblocks put up by protesters. Paramilitary forces along with state police rushed to carry out search operations to nab the culprits, but protesters foiled further in-depth search operations, an official said. In Bishnupur districts Nambol, at least two police personnel sustained minor injuries during a confrontation with demonstrators. An FIR has been registered following an incident in Nambol after two Manipur Police personnel were injured during a confrontation with protesters, officials said. According to authorities, the injuries occurred while a team led by Bishnupur SP attempted to clear roadblocks along Nambol road, which led to a clash between protesters and security forces. Meitei group Arambai Tenggol relaxes bandh call in Manipur: MEITEI organisation Arambai Tenggol on Tuesday announced that it would relax its 10-day Manipur bandh call given three days ago to protest the arrest of a senior leader of the group as well as against lodging of cases against by security agencies. Manipur has been witnessing protests for the past few days as demonstrators defied prohibitory orders and clashed with security forces across several districts of Imphal valley demanding unconditional release of the arrested Arambai Tenggol leader Asem Kanan Singh and four others. Proud of manner in which delegations put Indias voice forward: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting with members of multi-party delegations which returned after a visit to various nations, at his residence in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI) NEW DELHI : PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he was proud of the manner in which the multi-party delegations presented Indias views in various countries on the need to eradicate the menace of terrorism following the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. Modi hosted the members of the multi-party delegations, comprising parliamentarians and former diplomats, who travelled to 33 world capitals over the past few weeks. Met members of the various delegations who represented India in different countries and elaborated on Indias commitment to peace and the need to eradicate the menace of terrorism. We are all proud of the manner in which they put forward Indias voice, Modi said in a post on X. Members shared their experience with the Prime Minister, with the central government having already praised the work of the seven delegations comprising over 50 persons, mostly current MPs. We are all grateful for the opportunity to be of service to the nation, Pradhan Mantriji @narendramodi! Jai Hind, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who led the delegation to the Americas, said. Former parliamentarians and ex-diplomats were also part of these delegations that visited 33 foreign capitals and the European Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has already met the delegations and lauded their efforts in conveying Indias strong stand against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. We apprised the Prime Minister of the overwhelming support extended by these friendly nations for Indias resolute fight against terrorism and our unwavering commitment to global peace, Shiv Senas Shrikant Shinde said in a post on X. Shinde had led the delegation to the United Arab Emirates, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. The Prime Minister lauded our efforts and shared his inspiring vision for enhancing Indias stature on the world stage. His words have further motivated us to work tirelessly for the nation, Shinde said. The PM heard everybody out. He also congratulated everybody because we have been able to fulfil the goal of being able to take the message against terrorism across the world, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rajya Sabha member from Shiv Sena-UBT, told PTI Videos. Four delegations were led by MPs of the ruling alliance, including two from the BJP, one from JD(U) and one from Shiv Sena, while three were led by opposition MPs, one each of the Congress, DMK and NCP(SP). BJPs Ravi Shankar Prasad and Baijyant Panda, Congress Shashi Tharoor, JD(U)s Sanjay Jha, Shiv Senas Shrikant Shinde, DMKs Kanimozhi, and NCP (SP)s Supriya Sule led their delegations to different parts of the world. Some world leaders were astonished to see opposition and ruling party leaders being part of the delegations, BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya, said. Thank you Honble Prime Minister @narendramodi ji for entrusting us with this important responsibility to articulate Indias firm stance against terrorism and our unwavering commitment to the unity and integrity of the nation, Sule said. The Government had sent the multi-party delegations to portray a message of national unity in the fight against terrorism, with the likes of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi joining the ruling alliance members in championing the Indian cause abroad. Prominent former parliamentarians in the delegations included ex-Union ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad and Salman Khurshid. RRVUNL, Adani Foundation boost rural livelihoods with seed and vision distribution drive Community uplift in focus with farmers and villagers gather as RRVUNL and Adani Foundation teams distribute maize seeds and spectacles in Udaipur block. (R) A villager receiving power spectacles during RRVUNLs eye-care camp under CSR outreach. The Hitavada State Bureau SARGUJA/RAIPUR IN a dual effort to strengthen livelihood and rural health, Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL), under its CSR initiatives, in collaboration with Adani Foundation, organised a maize seed distribution programme and rural eye-check camp in Parasa village of Udaipur block, Sarguja district. As part of its flagship Annapurna Project, over 170 kilograms of high-quality maize seed were distributed free of cost to 57 farmers from villages including Parasa, Tara, Janardanpur, Fattepur, and Basan. This support will enable cultivation across 21.25 acres, aiming to boost income generation and agricultural self-reliance among marginal farmers. Concurrently, an eye screening camp was conducted wherein 65 villagers received customised power spectacles to improve vision health. These efforts reflect a strategic approach toward holistic rural development, balancing agrarian empowerment with basic health access. The event was presided over by Mukesh Kumar, Chief of Cluster, Adani Enterprises, along with Ram Dwivedi, Cluster HR Head. Also present were Sarpanch Sampatiya Singh (Tara), Sarpanch Vijay Kumar Porte (Janardanpur), Manohar Neti (Parasa), and Shripal (Basan), along with community members and CSR volunteers. Addressing the gathering, Mukesh Kumar remarked, Adani Group is committed to ensuring all-round growth in this region through interventions in education, healthcare, livelihood, and infrastructure. Todays initiative bridges sustainable agriculture with preventive healthcare, reflecting our long-term development vision. Village heads appreciated the effort, stating that such inclusive programmes would bring meaningful improvement to rural lives. The drive was supported by the Adani Foundation Sarguja Cluster, led by Ashok Kumar Panda and his team. These initiatives are part of a broader CSR framework that includes school renovations, Bala painting, road and sanitation improvements, and mass-scale plantation on over 1,200 acres of reclaimed mining land. State unveils Rs 21,630 cr rural road revolution Staff Reporter : Womens hostels and district development blueprint In a significant push for rural connectivity and socio-economic development, the State Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, approved several key initiatives during a meeting held at the state secretariat on Tuesday. The decisions aim to enhance infrastructure, support working women, boost the agro-industry, and streamline district-level development planning. Under the ambitious Mukhyamantri Majra-Tola Sadak Yojana, the Cabinet granted in-principle approval for a Rs 21,630 crore project to connect 20,600 remote settlements, including hamlets and tribal clusters, to main roads. The plan involves constructing 30,900 kilometres of all-weather roads across the state in two phases: The first from 2025-26 to 2029-30, and the second from 2030-31 to 2034-35. The project will be funded through state resources and implemented by the Madhya Pradesh Rural Road Development Authority. Settlements with at least 20 households, a population exceeding 100, and an area over 6,000 square meters, located more than 50 meters from existing all-weather roads, will qualify for inclusion. A priority list will be prepared for each assembly constituency based on population size, with provisions for modifications by district collectors to address local needs such as security, health, and education, in consultation with MPs, MLAs, and zila panchayat members. The final list will be published at the state-level. To bolster the tur dal industry, the Cabinet exempted tur imported from outside Madhya Pradesh from mandi fees. This move is expected to ensure adequate availability of tur dal, enhance transportation, and create employment opportunities in the State. The Cabinet approved the construction of four working womens hostels in Jhabua, Singrauli, Dewas, and Narmadapuram under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) 2024-25 scheme. With a combined capacity of 350 seats, these hostels will be developed in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode at an estimated cost of Rs 40.59 crore. The initiative aims to provide safe and convenient accommodation for working women, improving their quality of life. To streamline long-term development planning, the Cabinet approved the formation of District Development Advisory Committees in all districts, chaired by Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav. The committees, with district in-charge ministers as vice-chairpersons, will include MPs, MLAs, mayors or municipal chairpersons, zila panchayat presidents, janpad panchayat chairpersons, and 20 representatives from fields such as industry, trade, progressive farming, social service, medicine, and law. District collectors will serve as member-secretaries. The committees will formulate district-specific development roadmaps, incorporating suggestions from citizens, elected representatives, and stakeholders. They will promote traditional skills under the Prime Ministers Vocal for Local initiative, develop strategies for employment generation, and propose plans for sectors like industry, trade, water conservation, exports, agriculture, and minerals. Additionally, the committees will identify local innovations and integrate them into actionable schemes while ensuring effective implementation of government programs tailored to local needs. These decisions reflect the state governments commitment to inclusive growth, rural empowerment, and sustainable development, paving the way for a more connected and prosperous Madhya Pradesh. Wheelchairs donated to Govt Ayurvedic College Hospital Staff Reporter : Raipur, In a joint initiative of Cloud, Gracious Group of Institutes, and Jalsa Group Bhilai aimed at public welfare and improving patient facilities, five wheelchairs were donated to the Government Ayurvedic College Hospital in Raipur. This was done on the initiative of social worker Dipendra Diwan, with support from Dr. Ashutosh Shukla and Jalsa Group, Vaishali Nagar, Bhilai. The wheelchairs were officially handed over in the presence of esteemed hospital dignitaries, including Superintendent and Principal Praveen Joshi, Medical Officer Vivek Dwivedi, Steward Surendra Kumar Ramtek, Store Keeper Abdul Zahid, and Vice-Principal of Leelas Nursing College, Neelu Verma. The new wheelchairs are expected to greatly benefit patients seeking treatment at the hospital. HOUSTON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The current U.S. administration will cut its military budget for Ukraine next year, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a hearing in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. "It is a reduction in this (upcoming defense) budget," Hegseth told lawmakers, "This administration takes a very different view of that conflict." "We believe that a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nation's interests, especially with all the competing interests around the globe," he said. The United States has provided Ukraine more than 66 billion U.S. dollars in aid since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out in February 2022, according to U.S. media reports. This photo taken on June 11, 2025 shows the first mass-produced AG600 aircraft at AVIC General Huanan Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd. in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province. China's domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft has officially entered mass production after receiving the production certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Deng Hua) BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- China's domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft has officially entered mass production after receiving production certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday. The production certificate confirms the applicant's quality system meets airworthiness regulations and ensures consistent production that adheres to design standards, said an expert from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the aircraft developer and the country's leading aircraft manufacturer. Slightly larger than mainstream single-aisle airliners, the AG600 measures 38.9 meters in length, 11.7 meters in height and 38.8 meters in wingspan, according to AVIC data. The aircraft's maximum takeoff weight is 60 tonnes, with a maximum practical range of 4,500 kilometers. Notably, it can carry up to 12 tonnes of water for fire-fighting missions. "The AG600 is a plane that can swim and a ship that can fly," Huang Lingcai, chief designer of the AG600 series, told Xinhua in a previous interview. The aircraft features a unique configuration consisting of an integrated aircraft-shaped upper body and a ship-bottom-shaped lower body. On each side of its huge wing, there is a float over 4 meters long to prevent the aircraft from overturning when it taxis on the water surface to ensure safety. The AG600's development involved hundreds of supporting units and tens of thousands of components, showcasing China's comprehensive capabilities in collaborative design and manufacturing, supply chain management and process consistency control for large special-purpose aircraft. This progress has laid down replicable management experience and technical standards for future domestic large special-purpose aircraft projects. An AVIC expert highlighted that the AG600's successful development has forged China's core technology system for large amphibious aircraft, pioneering a "small core, large collaboration" development model. It has also established a complete framework covering design, production, system integration, flight testing and support services. This milestone equips China with the technological and industrial capacity to independently develop large amphibious aircraft, marking a historic breakthrough in the country's civil aviation sector for large special-purpose aircraft. AVIC experts stated that future efforts will prioritize China's emergency rescue and natural disaster prevention needs, advancing the AG600's serialized development, enhancing the aviation emergency rescue service network, and building a comprehensive rescue equipment system with the AG600 at its core. Since its development was initiated in 2009, the AG600's development process has seen it successfully complete its maiden flight in 2017, the first take-off from a reservoir in 2018, and a maiden flight over the sea in 2020. In 2023, AG600 was capable of carrying out fire-fighting tasks. This photo taken on June 11, 2025 shows the first mass-produced AG600 aircraft at AVIC General Huanan Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd. in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province. China's domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft has officially entered mass production after receiving the production certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Deng Hua) This photo taken on June 11, 2025 shows the final assembly line for AG600 aircraft at AVIC General Huanan Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd. in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province. China's domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft has officially entered mass production after receiving the production certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Deng Hua) This photo taken on June 11, 2025 shows the first mass-produced AG600 aircraft at AVIC General Huanan Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd. in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province. China's domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft has officially entered mass production after receiving the production certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Deng Hua) This photo taken on June 11, 2025 shows the final assembly line for AG600 aircraft at AVIC General Huanan Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd. in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province. China's domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft has officially entered mass production after receiving the production certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Deng Hua) This photo taken on June 11, 2025 shows the first mass-produced AG600 aircraft at AVIC General Huanan Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd. in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province. China's domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft has officially entered mass production after receiving the production certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Deng Hua) This photo taken on June 11, 2025 shows the final assembly line for AG600 aircraft at AVIC General Huanan Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd. in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province. China's domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft has officially entered mass production after receiving the production certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Deng Hua) The production license for AG600 aircraft is issued at AVIC General Huanan Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd. in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, June 11, 2025. China's domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft has officially entered mass production after receiving the production certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Deng Hua) This photo taken on June 11, 2025 shows the first mass-produced AG600 aircraft at AVIC General Huanan Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd. in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province. China's domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft has officially entered mass production after receiving the production certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Deng Hua) This photo taken on June 11, 2025 shows the final assembly line for AG600 aircraft at AVIC General Huanan Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd. in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province. China's domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft has officially entered mass production after receiving the production certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Deng Hua) Avanza Fonder AB reduced its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX Free Report) by 14.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 128,981 shares of the natural resource companys stock after selling 22,647 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder ABs holdings in Freeport-McMoRan were worth $4,927,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FCX. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 13.5% in the 1st quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 13,193 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,567 shares during the period. Simplicity Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Freeport-McMoRan during the 1st quarter worth approximately $448,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 22,805 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $863,000 after buying an additional 1,219 shares during the last quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 31.0% during the 1st quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC now owns 12,744 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $482,000 after buying an additional 3,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 184,433 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $6,983,000 after buying an additional 1,194 shares during the last quarter. 80.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Freeport-McMoRan alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Freeport-McMoRan In other news, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 8,584 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.02, for a total transaction of $343,531.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 48,333 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,934,286.66. This trade represents a 15.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Freeport-McMoRan Price Performance FCX opened at $42.19 on Wednesday. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $36.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 2.42. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a 1 year low of $27.66 and a 1 year high of $52.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.63 billion, a PE ratio of 32.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.64. Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The natural resource company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.01. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 7.42% and a return on equity of 7.50%. The company had revenue of $5.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.32 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.68 EPS for the current year. Freeport-McMoRan Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. Freeport-McMoRans dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.79%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades FCX has been the subject of several research reports. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $39.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a buy rating and issued a $50.00 price target (up previously from $48.00) on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $47.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $47.82. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on FCX About Freeport-McMoRan (Free Report) Freeport-McMoRan Inc engages in the mining of mineral properties in North America, South America, and Indonesia. It primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals. The company's assets include the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita, and Miami in Arizona; Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico; and Henderson and Climax in Colorado, North America, as well as Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FCX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Freeport-McMoRan Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Freeport-McMoRan and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bard Financial Services Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Free Report) by 1.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 508,511 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 9,836 shares during the quarter. Pfizer makes up 1.6% of Bard Financial Services Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Bard Financial Services Inc.s holdings in Pfizer were worth $12,886,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mcdonald Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Pfizer by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 110,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $2,926,000 after buying an additional 9,963 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at about $264,000. Harvey Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at about $544,000. ING Groep NV lifted its holdings in Pfizer by 48.6% during the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,013,230 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $26,881,000 after buying an additional 331,403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,281,000. Institutional investors own 68.36% of the companys stock. Get Pfizer alerts: Pfizer Stock Up 1.4% Shares of Pfizer stock opened at $24.30 on Wednesday. The firms 50 day moving average price is $22.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.92 and a 52-week high of $31.54. The company has a market cap of $138.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.23, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.57. Pfizer Announces Dividend Pfizer ( NYSE:PFE Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.25. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The firm had revenue of $13.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.82 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Pfizers payout ratio is currently 124.64%. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on PFE shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a neutral rating and set a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Citigroup reissued a neutral rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Pfizer to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a buy rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $29.17. Get Our Latest Report on PFE Pfizer Company Profile (Free Report) Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, Zavzpret, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Abrysvo, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PFE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Pfizer Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pfizer and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ Get Free Report) (TSE:CNQ) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, May 9th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of 0.4227 per share by the oil and gas producer on Thursday, July 3rd. This represents a $1.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This is a 2.7% increase from Canadian Natural Resourcess previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Canadian Natural Resources has a payout ratio of 71.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Canadian Natural Resources to earn $2.48 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.71 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 69.0%. Get Canadian Natural Resources alerts: Canadian Natural Resources Trading Up 1.8% CNQ opened at $32.19 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Canadian Natural Resources has a 52 week low of $24.65 and a 52 week high of $37.91. The stock has a market cap of $67.43 billion, a PE ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 1.03. The business has a 50 day moving average of $29.51 and a 200-day moving average of $30.34. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Canadian Natural Resources ( NYSE:CNQ Get Free Report ) (TSE:CNQ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.08. Canadian Natural Resources had a return on equity of 20.07% and a net margin of 18.45%. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.37 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Canadian Natural Resources will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. A number of research analysts recently issued reports on CNQ shares. Raymond James raised shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Scotiabank raised shares of Canadian Natural Resources from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and issued a $63.00 price target on shares of Canadian Natural Resources in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Canadian Natural Resources from an in-line rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Canadian Natural Resources presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $63.00. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Canadian Natural Resources Institutional Trading of Canadian Natural Resources A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Canadian Natural Resources by 47.3% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,644 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 528 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Canadian Natural Resources by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 79,374 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $2,445,000 after acquiring an additional 3,266 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in Canadian Natural Resources by 92.7% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 29,096 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $896,000 after purchasing an additional 13,996 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Canadian Natural Resources by 85.5% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 18,090 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $557,000 after purchasing an additional 8,336 shares during the last quarter. 74.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About Canadian Natural Resources (Get Free Report) Canadian Natural Resources Limited acquires, explores for, develops, produces, markets, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The company offers light and medium crude oil, primary heavy crude oil, Pelican Lake heavy crude oil, bitumen (thermal oil), and synthetic crude oil (SCO). See Also Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Natural Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Natural Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sarasin & Partners LLP lessened its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report) by 10.7% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 228,058 shares of the companys stock after selling 27,437 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company comprises 2.0% of Sarasin & Partners LLPs portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Sarasin & Partners LLPs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $188,355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 103,831.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,866,380 shares of the companys stock worth $12,278,292,000 after acquiring an additional 14,852,076 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $8,407,908,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 100,387.1% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,202,215 shares of the companys stock worth $4,016,110,000 after purchasing an additional 5,197,038 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased 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 purchasing an additional 2,012,129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,730,758 shares of the companys stock worth $6,740,272,000 after purchasing an additional 1,645,222 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the companys stock. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company In other news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,778,521.60. The trade was a 14.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.14% of the companys stock. Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $807.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The company has a market cap of $765.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.41. The stocks 50-day moving average is $770.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $800.86. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $677.09 and a 1-year high of $972.53. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) last released its 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). The firm had revenue of $12.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.77 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 85.24% and a net margin of 23.51%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 45.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.58 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year. Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.82%. Analyst Ratings Changes LLY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday. UBS Group decreased 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Guggenheim reissued a buy rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an overweight rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. One equities 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 companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $1,011.37. View Our Latest Analysis on Eli Lilly and Company 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. See Also 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. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV Free Report) by 90.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,897 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 17,080 shares during the quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $3,360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of USMV. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Howe & Rusling Inc. increased its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 94.2% in the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 301 shares of the companys stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Chapman Financial Group LLC bought a new position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Get iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF alerts: iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Stock Up 5.2% USMV stock opened at $93.23 on Wednesday. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a 12 month low of $82.32 and a 12 month high of $95.12. The firm has a market cap of $23.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.27 and a beta of 0.72. The companys 50-day moving average price is $91.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.79. About iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF The iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of US-listed firms selected and weighted to create a low-volatility portfolio subject to various constraints. USMV was launched on Oct 18, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding USMV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 80.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,545 shares of the payment services companys stock after acquiring an additional 4,244 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLCs holdings in American Express were worth $2,582,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Capital & Planning LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $213,000. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in American Express by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,481 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares in the last quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $210,000. Savant Capital LLC increased its position in American Express by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 41,319 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $12,263,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,000. 84.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get American Express alerts: American Express Stock Performance Shares of AXP opened at $299.58 on Wednesday. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $275.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $289.15. American Express has a 12-month low of $220.43 and a 12-month high of $326.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $209.88 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.57. Analyst Ratings Changes American Express ( NYSE:AXP Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The payment services company reported $3.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.17. American Express had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 15.36%. The firm had revenue of $16.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $17.04 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.33 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that American Express will post 15.33 EPS for the current year. AXP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of American Express from a sell rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $270.00 to $255.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. William Blair reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $244.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of American Express from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of American Express from $367.00 to $330.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have given 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 $296.05. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on American Express Insider Buying and Selling In related news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 9,450 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.50, for a total transaction of $2,603,475.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,402 shares in the company, valued at $2,590,251. This trade represents a 50.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Glenda G. Mcneal sold 3,019 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.66, for a total value of $799,008.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 10,919 shares in the company, valued at $2,889,822.54. The trade was a 21.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. American Express Company Profile (Free Report) American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as integrated payments company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, and Internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Consumer Services, Commercial Services, International Card Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AXP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for American Express (NYSE:AXP Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for American Express Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Express and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF (NYSEARCA:XONE Free Report) by 187.5% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 59,031 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 38,502 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLCs holdings in BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF were worth $2,926,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Straightline Group LLC bought a new position in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,079,000. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new stake in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF during the 4th quarter worth about $37,474,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF by 312.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 658,123 shares of the companys stock worth $32,603,000 after buying an additional 498,528 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN bought a new stake in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF during the 4th quarter worth about $14,511,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF by 1,778.7% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 203,506 shares of the companys stock worth $10,082,000 after buying an additional 192,674 shares during the period. Get BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF alerts: BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF Stock Down 0.0% Shares of XONE stock opened at $49.43 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.59. BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF has a 52 week low of $49.30 and a 52 week high of $49.98. BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF Profile The Bondbloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF (XONE) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund is passively managed to invest in a portfolio of US Treasury securities with a target duration of one year. XONE was launched on Sep 13, 2022 and is managed by BondBloxx. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding XONE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF (NYSEARCA:XONE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BondBloxx Bloomberg One Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:VWO Free Report) by 3.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,663 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF accounts for approximately 1.5% of Fiduciary Advisors Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Fiduciary Advisors Inc.s holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF were worth $1,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of VWO. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 64.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 41,809,891 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,841,308,000 after acquiring an additional 16,414,518 shares during the period. Brooklyn FI LLC grew its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 6,596.9% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn FI LLC now owns 15,718,253 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $730,113,000 after acquiring an additional 15,483,542 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 107,088,490 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $4,716,177,000 after acquiring an additional 6,672,276 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF during the 4th quarter worth about $268,180,000. Finally, Freestone Capital Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 186.7% during the 4th quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 3,295,732 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $145,144,000 after acquiring an additional 2,146,078 shares during the period. Get Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF alerts: Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Trading Up 0.7% Shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF stock opened at $48.95 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $45.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.30. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has a 1-year low of $39.53 and a 1-year high of $49.57. The company has a market cap of $126.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.80 and a beta of 0.58. About Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF The Fund seeks to track the performance of the FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index, that measures the return of stocks issued by companies located in emerging market countries. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC decreased its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report) by 6.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,173 shares of the companys stock after selling 421 shares during the quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLCs holdings in Altria Group were worth $348,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 152.2% during the 1st quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 58,268 shares of the companys stock worth $3,497,000 after purchasing an additional 35,168 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 17.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 36,028 shares of the companys stock worth $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 5,440 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Oklahoma purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth about $210,000. Requisite Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth about $216,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 15.0% during the 1st quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 30,194 shares of the companys stock worth $1,812,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the companys stock. Get Altria Group alerts: Altria Group Stock Down 0.8% Altria Group stock opened at $58.58 on Wednesday. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $58.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.05. The stock has a market cap of $98.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.60. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $43.83 and a 12-month high of $61.26. Altria Group Dividend Announcement Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 258.72% and a net margin of 46.90%. The firm had revenue of $4.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.15 earnings per share. The companys revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.96%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.34%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MO. Needham & Company LLC raised Altria Group to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Altria Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their price objective on Altria Group from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $60.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $56.00. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Altria Group About Altria Group (Free Report) Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Altria Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Altria Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Flexible Solutions International, Inc. (NYSE:FSI Get Free Report)s share price dropped 0.2% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $4.30 and last traded at $4.31. Approximately 15,780 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 120,823 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.32. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, Wall Street Zen began coverage on shares of Flexible Solutions International in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Get Flexible Solutions International alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on Flexible Solutions International Flexible Solutions International Trading Down 0.2% Flexible Solutions International Increases Dividend The stock has a market cap of $54.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.06 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $4.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.66. The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This is a boost from Flexible Solutions Internationals previous special dividend of $0.05. Flexible Solutions Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.33%. Institutional Trading of Flexible Solutions International A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FSI. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Flexible Solutions International by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 389,445 shares of the companys stock worth $1,406,000 after buying an additional 20,000 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Flexible Solutions International by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 52,499 shares of the companys stock worth $190,000 after buying an additional 11,017 shares during the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Flexible Solutions International by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 23,213 shares of the companys stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 2,590 shares during the last quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Flexible Solutions International during the 1st quarter worth about $134,000. Finally, Evernest Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Flexible Solutions International during the 1st quarter worth about $310,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.31% of the companys stock. Flexible Solutions International Company Profile (Get Free Report) Flexible Solutions International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets specialty chemicals that slow the evaporation of water in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Energy and Water Conservation Products, and Biodegradable Polymers. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Flexible Solutions International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Flexible Solutions International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SINGAPORE, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (CCI), launched in 2015, exemplifies the strength of the Singapore-China partnership and their shared commitment to regional integration and innovation, Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How said Wednesday. Tan made the remarks at the CCI-New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor Trade and Financial Conference, one of a series of events commemorating the 10th anniversary of the CCI. The conference brought together government officials, industry leaders, and experts from Singapore, China, and other Southeast Asian countries. Tan said trade between ASEAN and China is expected to continue expanding, offering growing opportunities for trade and cross-border financing along the corridor. Vice Mayor of Chongqing Xu Jian said that over the past decade, the corridor has become a crucial link connecting western China with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and beyond. As the global economic landscape undergoes profound transformation, regional cooperation is gaining fresh momentum, Xu said, noting that the corridor is poised to play an increasingly important role in advancing regional economic integration, facilitating trade, and enhancing financial cooperation. Leong Sing Chiong, deputy managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, said trade volumes in both directions have seen sustained growth since the launch of the CCI, with finance playing a key enabling role. "As CCI enters the next decade, we look to how western China and ASEAN can deepen cooperation, harness key structural trends, and identify new opportunities in future-oriented areas such as green finance and digital connections," he said. Gray Television, Inc. (NYSE:GTN Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, May 9th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of 0.08 per share on Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Gray Television has a dividend payout ratio of 12.1% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Gray Television to earn ($0.28) per share next year, which means the company may not be able to cover its $0.32 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of -114.3%. Get Gray Television alerts: Gray Television Stock Performance NYSE GTN opened at $4.05 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76. Gray Television has a fifty-two week low of $2.91 and a fifty-two week high of $6.61. The business has a fifty day moving average of $3.74 and a 200-day moving average of $3.82. The stock has a market cap of $410.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.16. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Gray Television ( NYSE:GTN Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $782.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $772.71 million. Gray Television had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 5.69%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Gray Television will post 3.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. A number of brokerages recently issued reports on GTN. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Gray Television from $4.00 to $4.50 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Gray Television from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Benchmark cut their price target on shares of Gray Television from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price target on shares of Gray Television from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $6.17. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on GTN Insider Activity In other Gray Television news, CFO Jeffrey R. Gignac bought 12,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $3.68 per share, with a total value of $46,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 644,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,372,124.32. The trade was a 1.98% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 15.22% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Gray Television A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Gray Television stock. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Gray Television, Inc. (NYSE:GTN Free Report) by 7.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 464,859 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 32,173 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned 0.46% of Gray Television worth $2,008,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. 78.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Gray Television Company Profile (Get Free Report) Gray Television, Inc, a television broadcasting company, owns and/or operates television stations and digital assets in the United States. It also broadcasts secondary digital channels affiliated to ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX, as well as various other networks and program services, including CW Plus Network, MY Network, the MeTV Network, Circle, Telemundo, THE365, and Outlaw; and local news/weather channels in various markets. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Gray Television Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gray Television and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC grew its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report) by 152.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 78,346 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 47,277 shares during the period. Integrated Advisors Network LLCs holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,702,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BFI Infinity Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $208,000. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 39,869 shares of the companys stock worth $2,393,000 after purchasing an additional 3,464 shares during the period. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 19,367 shares of the companys stock worth $1,162,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares during the period. Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 152.2% in the 1st quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 58,268 shares of the companys stock worth $3,497,000 after purchasing an additional 35,168 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 17.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 36,028 shares of the companys stock worth $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 5,440 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Altria Group alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Needham & Company LLC raised shares of Altria Group to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a sell rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $56.00. Altria Group Stock Down 0.8% NYSE:MO opened at $58.58 on Wednesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $43.83 and a 52 week high of $61.26. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $58.50 and a 200 day moving average of $56.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.94, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.60. Altria Group (NYSE:MO Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. Altria Group had a net margin of 46.90% and a negative return on equity of 258.72%. The company had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.15 earnings per share. Altria Groups revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year. Altria Group Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.96%. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 68.34%. Altria Group Profile (Free Report) Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Altria Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Altria Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:IVV Free Report) by 11,329.6% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,500,000 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 2,478,127 shares during the period. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF accounts for about 4.6% of SG Americas Securities LLCs holdings, making the stock its 5th largest holding. SG Americas Securities LLCs holdings in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF were worth $1,404,750,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Windsor Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $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 in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Investment Counsel Co. of Nevada purchased a new position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Get iShares Core S&P 500 ETF alerts: iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Trading Up 0.6% NYSEARCA:IVV opened at $606.03 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $595.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.71 and a beta of 1.01. The companys 50-day moving average is $563.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $583.06. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has a 12-month low of $484.00 and a 12-month high of $616.22. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Profile 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. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Free Report) by 13.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 49,161 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 7,624 shares during the quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings in Pfizer were worth $1,246,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its holdings in Pfizer by 1.3% during the first quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 47,522 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,204,000 after buying an additional 607 shares during the period. Donaldson Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Pfizer by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 38,772 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $982,000 after acquiring an additional 3,078 shares in the last quarter. Martin Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Martin Capital Partners LLC now owns 55,229 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,400,000 after acquiring an additional 551 shares during the period. Curbstone Financial Management Corp raised its position in shares of Pfizer by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Curbstone Financial Management Corp now owns 58,543 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,483,000 after acquiring an additional 1,992 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Pfizer by 307.5% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 10,046,340 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $254,574,000 after acquiring an additional 7,581,030 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Pfizer alerts: Pfizer Trading Up 1.4% NYSE PFE opened at $24.30 on Wednesday. Pfizer Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.92 and a 12-month high of $31.54. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market cap of $138.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.57. Pfizer Dividend Announcement Pfizer ( NYSE:PFE Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $13.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.43 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 12.62%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.82 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.08%. Pfizers dividend payout ratio is currently 124.64%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PFE. Citigroup reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a neutral rating and issued a $25.00 price target (down from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Pfizer to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a neutral rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $29.17. Get Our Latest Research Report on PFE About Pfizer (Free Report) Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, Zavzpret, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Abrysvo, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PFE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Pfizer Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pfizer and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Leonard Rickey Investment Advisors P.L.L.C. decreased its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM Free Report) by 5.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,673 shares of the companys stock after selling 265 shares during the period. Leonard Rickey Investment Advisors P.L.L.C.s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $736,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CX Institutional grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. CX Institutional now owns 8,893 shares of the companys stock worth $1,412,000 after buying an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 1,501.7% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,566,677 shares of the companys stock valued at $248,679,000 after buying an additional 1,468,861 shares in the last quarter. Rockingstone Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Rockingstone Advisors LLC now owns 25,182 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,997,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International by 6.7% in the first quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 10,652 shares of the companys stock worth $1,691,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moseley Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the first quarter worth approximately $215,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the companys stock. Get Philip Morris International alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of brokerages have issued reports on PM. Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating and set a $182.00 price objective (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $182.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Philip Morris International from a sell rating to a neutral rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $175.30. Philip Morris International Price Performance Shares of PM opened at $178.90 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $278.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.67, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.52. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $98.93 and a 1-year high of $183.94. The company has a 50-day moving average of $168.63 and a 200 day moving average of $148.26. Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Philip Morris International 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. See Also 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. MV Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA Free Report) by 3.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,950 shares of the credit services providers stock after buying an additional 216 shares during the quarter. MV Capital Management Inc.s holdings in Mastercard were worth $3,809,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MA. Whalerock Point Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,194 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 550 shares during the period. Baldwin Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,022,224,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.28% of the companys stock. Get Mastercard alerts: Insider Transactions at Mastercard In related news, insider Sandra A. Arkell sold 150 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $569.45, for a total transaction of $85,417.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,555 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,024,394.75. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total value of $8,220,537.55. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,196,757.55. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 37,258 shares of company stock valued at $20,885,067. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Mastercard from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Mastercard from $630.00 to $635.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. They set a buy rating and a $640.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a buy rating on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Friday. Finally, Macquarie cut their price objective on Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $610.00. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on MA Mastercard Price Performance MA opened at $589.64 on Wednesday. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $428.86 and a 12-month high of $591.16. 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 businesss fifty day simple moving average is $549.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $542.89. The company has a market capitalization of $537.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.45, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. Mastercard (NYSE:MA Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a return on equity of 188.47% and a net margin of 45.71%. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.31 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate 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. Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal Credit Income Fund (NYSE:NVG Get Free Report) declared a monthly dividend on Tuesday, June 3rd, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of 0.079 per share on Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.95 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal Credit Income Fund Trading Up 0.4% Shares of NVG opened at $11.85 on Wednesday. Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal Credit Income Fund has a 52-week low of $11.00 and a 52-week high of $13.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $11.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.31. Get Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal Credit Income Fund alerts: Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal Credit Income Fund Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal Credit Income Fund by 2.1% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 422,575 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,231,000 after purchasing an additional 8,780 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal Credit Income Fund by 202.1% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 71,286 shares of the companys stock worth $883,000 after acquiring an additional 47,690 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. purchased a new position in Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal Credit Income Fund during the first quarter valued at approximately $594,000. Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal Credit Income Fund Company Profile Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal Credit Income Fund is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. The fund invests in undervalued municipal securities and other related investments exempt from regular federal income taxes that are rated Baa/BBB or better by S&P, Moodys, or Fitch, and that have an average maturity of 17.02 years. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal Credit Income Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal Credit Income Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio (NYSE:NXC Get Free Report) announced a dividend on Tuesday, June 10th, investing.com reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of 0.0455 per share on Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a dividend yield of 4.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio has increased its dividend by an average of 1.2% per year over the last three years. Get Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio alerts: Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio Stock Performance NYSE:NXC traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $12.85. The stock had a trading volume of 1,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,101. Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio has a 1-year low of $12.41 and a 1-year high of $14.18. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $12.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.02. About Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments Inc The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of California. The fund invests in the securities of companies that operate across diversified sectors. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nuveen California Select Tax-Free Income Portfolio and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Pinnacle West Capital Co. (NYSE:PNW Free Report) by 0.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,494 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 335 shares during the period. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLCs holdings in Pinnacle West Capital were worth $4,619,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pinnacle West Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $417,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 54.2% during the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 24,212 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,052,000 after buying an additional 8,507 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 47.2% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 11,716 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $995,000 after buying an additional 3,758 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 4,284 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 545 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in Pinnacle West Capital by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 16,412 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,391,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.51% of the companys stock. Get Pinnacle West Capital alerts: Pinnacle West Capital Stock Performance Shares of PNW stock opened at $89.60 on Wednesday. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $91.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $90.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. Pinnacle West Capital Co. has a 52 week low of $74.45 and a 52 week high of $96.50. The company has a market cap of $10.70 billion, a PE ratio of 16.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.43. Pinnacle West Capital Dividend Announcement Pinnacle West Capital ( NYSE:PNW Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $988.95 million. Pinnacle West Capital had a return on equity of 9.60% and a net margin of 12.26%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Pinnacle West Capital Co. will post 5.13 EPS for the current year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 5th were paid a $0.895 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 5th. This represents a $3.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.00%. Pinnacle West Capitals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.17%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several analysts have recently weighed in on PNW shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Pinnacle West Capital from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Pinnacle West Capital to a hold rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Pinnacle West Capital from $88.00 to $87.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Guggenheim reiterated a buy rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Pinnacle West Capital in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Pinnacle West Capital from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pinnacle West Capital has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $97.00. View Our Latest Analysis on PNW Pinnacle West Capital Company Profile (Free Report) Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, through its subsidiary, provides retail and wholesale electric services primarily in the state of Arizona. The company engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity using coal, nuclear, gas, oil, and solar generating facilities. Its transmission facilities include overhead lines and underground lines; and distribution facilities consist of overhead lines and underground primary cables. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Pinnacle West Capital Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pinnacle West Capital and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Strategic Equity Management cut its holdings in iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:IJR Free Report) by 87.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,079 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 21,232 shares during the quarter. Strategic Equity Managements holdings in iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF were worth $322,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of IJR. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,637,301,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF by 10,973.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,954,280 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $204,359,000 after purchasing an additional 1,936,632 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in shares of iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF by 11.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,639,870 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF by 3.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,052,941 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in shares of iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF by 6.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,028,818 shares during the period. Get iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF alerts: iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF Stock Up 0.6% NYSEARCA:IJR opened at $109.48 on Wednesday. iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has a twelve month low of $89.22 and a twelve month high of $128.61. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $101.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $110.53. The company has a market cap of $79.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.94 and a beta of 1.08. 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. Featured Stories 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. The News in Brief Thursday, June 12, 2025 Temur Katamadze, a Turkish citizen of Georgian descent known for his support of Georgia's pro-European protests, was expelled from the country on June 11, according to a statement by the Interior Ministry. His removal came just after the expiration of a voluntary departure notice, raising criticism from human rights groups and Georgia's president.Katamadze, 56, had lived in Georgia since 2012 and had applied for citizenship. He gained public attention for consistently appearing at anti-government protests in Batumi, often holding the national flag, earning him the nickname "Batumi's flag bearer." He was arrested twice in January 2024, first for allegedly disobeying police orders and later for residing illegally in the country. During his detention, he went on a hunger strike lasting 48 days.Authorities said the expulsion was executed in line with legal procedures and based on a court ruling. In April, the Tbilisi Court of Appeals denied his request for refugee or humanitarian protection. The Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that force was used to carry out the expulsion.His legal team, led by the Social Justice Center, criticized the timing of the decision. They said it occurred while a response was still pending from the UN Human Rights Committee, which could have delayed the expulsion. The European Court of Human Rights had declined to impose interim measures in the case.Georgia's 5th President, Salome Zourabichvili, also condemned the move, accusing the government of bypassing proper legal channels and showing disregard for constitutional principles.Georgia's Interior Ministry announced on June 11 that it has opened a criminal investigation against activist Nino Datashvili for allegedly assaulting a court bailiff. The incident took place on June 9 at Tbilisi City Court, where Datashvili attempted to attend a hearing for detained protesters and was forcibly removed from the premises.According to the ministry, Datashvili did not comply with instructions from court officers and physically assaulted one of them after being told she could not enter the courtroom. Officials said the hearing had already begun, and there was no space available. If found guilty, she faces a fine or a prison sentence of up to three years.Video from the scene shows several bailiffs surrounding Datashvili as she sits on a bench before forcibly dragging her out of the courthouse. In the footage, she can be heard shouting at the officers to avoid putting pressure on her arm, which she said had recently undergone surgery.On June 10, a social media post including a screenshot from the video was released, alleging that Datashvili slapped a bailiff. In the clip, she is seen raising her arms in distress while being restrained, though it remains unclear whether any physical contact resembling a slap took place. Dancers perform during a celebration to mark eight years of seamless operation of the Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya, June 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen) NAIROBI, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A celebration to mark eight years of seamless operation of the Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya was held here on Tuesday. Addressing the ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan praised the SGR as a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and a vital step in Kenya's journey towards economic transformation. China stands ready to work with Kenya to implement the important consensus of the two heads of state and strengthen cooperation in infrastructure, said Guo. "It is now eight years and we are still going strong with notable improvement over the years in response to customers' expectations," said Abdi Bare, chairman of Kenya Railways Corporation. Bare added that both the SGR passenger and freight service have revolutionized mobility in the country, promoting connectivity, trade and industrial progress. By the end of May 2025, the SGR has transported over 15.3 million passengers and over 40.3 million tons of cargo. Students of the University of Nairobi perform during a celebration to mark eight years of seamless operation of the Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya, June 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen) A celebration to mark eight years of seamless operation of the Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya is held in Nairobi, Kenya, June 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) A woman takes a photo with a board marking eight years of seamless operation of the Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya, June 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen) A celebration to mark eight years of seamless operation of the Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya is held in Nairobi, Kenya, June 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) Railway workers attend a celebration to mark eight years of seamless operation of the Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya, June 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) Transform Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (NYSEARCA:VGK Free Report) in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 79,562 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $5,586,000. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VGK. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. acquired a new position in Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF by 195.7% in the 1st quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 476 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Topsail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Get Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF alerts: Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF Stock Performance Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF stock opened at $77.79 on Wednesday. Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF has a 52 week low of $62.02 and a 52 week high of $78.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.18 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $72.85 and a 200-day moving average of $69.55. About Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF Vanguard European Stock Index Fund is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of stocks issued by Companies located in the markets of Europe. The Fund on focuses indexing investment approach by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the common stocks included in the FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VGK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (NYSEARCA:VGK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ellenbecker Investment Group reduced its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP Free Report) by 4.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,534 shares of the railroad operators stock after selling 66 shares during the quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Groups holdings in Union Pacific were worth $362,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. EnRich Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. PrairieView Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operators stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Union Pacific alerts: Union Pacific Stock Up 1.1% Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $226.51 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $220.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $232.01. The company has a market cap of $135.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $258.07. Union Pacific Dividend Announcement Union Pacific ( NYSE:UNP Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.73 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. The firms revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacifics dividend payout ratio is currently 48.29%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth UNP has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a neutral rating and issued a $263.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $257.74. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Union Pacific Union Pacific Company Profile (Free Report) Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. The company offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, ethanol producers, renewable biofuel producers, and other agricultural users; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, petroleum, liquid petroleum gases, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Union Pacific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Union Pacific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cohen Klingenstein LLC cut its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS Free Report) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,769 shares of the transportation companys stock after selling 280 shares during the quarter. Cohen Klingenstein LLCs holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,164,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the first quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,040 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $774,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 11,787 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $1,296,000 after purchasing an additional 703 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 9.9% in the first quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 21,549 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $2,370,000 after buying an additional 1,950 shares during the last quarter. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 6.0% during the first quarter. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. now owns 21,985 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $2,418,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248 shares during the period. Finally, Donaldson Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 282,715 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $31,096,000 after buying an additional 9,848 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the companys stock. Get United Parcel Service alerts: United Parcel Service Trading Up 3.1% UPS opened at $102.43 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $86.73 billion, a PE ratio of 15.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.22. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $90.55 and a twelve month high of $148.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firms fifty day moving average is $97.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.42. United Parcel Service Announces Dividend United Parcel Service ( NYSE:UPS Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.25 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. The businesss revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Services dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 95.63%. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts have issued reports on UPS shares. Raymond James lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a strong-buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a hold rating and a $119.00 price target for the company. Galvan Research cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $133.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an equal weight rating and set a $98.00 target price (down from $120.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $120.26. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on United Parcel Service About United Parcel Service (Free Report) United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of express letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UPS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for United Parcel Service Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for United Parcel Service and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. USA Financial Formulas boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Free Report) by 191.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 11,251 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after buying an additional 7,396 shares during the quarter. Abbott Laboratories comprises approximately 0.2% of USA Financial Formulas holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. USA Financial Formulas holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $1,492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ABT. Cim LLC boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Cim LLC now owns 16,967 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $1,919,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,236 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Capital Square LLC boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital Square LLC now owns 2,941 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $368,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC now owns 954 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $107,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors LLC boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors LLC now owns 2,827 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Abbott Laboratories alerts: Insider Transactions at Abbott Laboratories In other news, Director Sally E. Blount sold 2,600 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $337,116.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages have commented on ABT. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $138.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Abbott Laboratories from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given 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 a consensus price target of $142.59. Get Our Latest Stock Report on Abbott Laboratories Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance Shares of NYSE ABT opened at $134.04 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The businesss 50 day moving average is $130.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $126.06. The company has a market cap of $233.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.73. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $99.71 and a 12 month high of $141.23. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $10.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.38 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 20.74% and a net margin of 31.95%. On average, equities analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current year. 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. Featured 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. Wealthcare Capital Management LLC increased its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM Free Report) by 22.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,353 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the quarter. Wealthcare Capital Management LLCs holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $332,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Curat Global LLC acquired a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Investment Counsel Co. of Nevada acquired a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.55% of the companys stock. Get JPMorgan Chase & Co. alerts: Insider Activity In other news, insider Robin Leopold sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.92, for a total value of $308,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 49,127 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $12,130,438.84. This represents a 2.48% 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, CFO Jeremy Barnum sold 40,014 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.77, for a total value of $10,034,310.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,017 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,518,123.09. The trade was a 68.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 101,722 shares of company stock valued at $25,599,477. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Trading Up 0.7% NYSE JPM opened at $268.63 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $746.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.61, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.08. The firms 50-day moving average is $248.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $250.21. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 12 month low of $190.88 and a 12 month high of $280.25. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 11th. The financial services provider reported $5.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.63 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $45.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.62 billion. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a net margin of 20.96% and a return on equity of 16.99%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.44 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 18.1 earnings per share for the current year. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd will be issued a $1.40 dividend. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s payout ratio is currently 27.49%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth JPM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Baird R W raised shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $273.00 to $265.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $269.65. Get Our Latest Analysis on JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Profile (Free Report) JPMorgan Chase & Co is a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of financial and investment banking services. It focuses on investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. It operates through the following segments: Consumer and Community Banking (CCB), Commercial and Investment Bank (CIB), Asset and Wealth Management (AWM), and Corporate. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for JPMorgan Chase & Co. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for JPMorgan Chase & Co. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rethinking the Bahamian Dollar? Prime Minister Philip Davis has floated the idea of pegging The Bahamas currency to a basket of currencies, rather than solely to the US dollar, to enhance global trade flexibility. Speaking at the Afreximbank meetings in Nigeria, Davis also suggested a CARICOM-Africa digital currency to make regional trade smoother and more efficient. The Bahamas has already tested a new settlement system (CPASS) with Africa, aiming to reduce dependency on foreign exchange bottlenecks. You voted: A worker checks equipment at the Barkol converter station, the sending end of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 21, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) Maintenance workers monitor equipment operation via a smart partol system at the Yubei converter station of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) An aerial drone photo shows a view of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 23, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) An aerial drone photo shows auxiliary lines of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 21, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) Staff members work at the main control room at the Barkol converter station, the sending end of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) An aerial drone photo shows a thermal power plant as part of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 22, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) An aerial drone photo shows the Yubei converter station of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) An aerial drone photo shows the Yubei converter station of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) Staff members conduct an infrared detection at the Barkol converter station, the sending end of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) An aerial drone photo shows a photovoltaic and wind farm as part of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 23, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) An aerial drone photo shows a view of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) A maintenance worker performs infrared temperature measurement on operational lines at the Yubei converter station of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) A staff member operates a drone to check cables of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 3, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Photo by Zhang Guipeng/Xinhua) Staff members check a power distribution room at the Barkol converter station of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) An aerial drone photo shows staff checking cables of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 8, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Photo by Zhang Lingjun/Xinhua) An aerial drone photo shows the Barkol converter station, the sending end of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) This photo shows the Yubei converter station of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) This photo shows the Yubei converter station of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) Staff members check equipment at the Barkol converter station, the sending end of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) An aerial drone photo shows a view of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project in Wuwei City, northwest China's Gansu Province, May 29, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) A maintenance worker performs infrared temperature measurement on operational lines at the Yubei converter station of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) Workers assemble a tower at the site of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 12, 2024. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Photo by Ma Yuan/Xinhua) This photo shows the Yubei converter station of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) An aerial drone photo shows auxiliary lines of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) An aerial drone photo shows a worker operating atop the cables of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 9, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Photo by Ma Yuan/Xinhua) A maintenance worker performs infrared temperature measurement on operational lines at the Yubei converter station of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Huang Wei) An aerial drone photo shows a view of the Xinjiang section of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Oct. 30, 2024. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Photo by Wu Shiping/Xinhua) An aerial drone photo shows staff checking cables of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project, in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 13, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Photo by Ma Yuan/Xinhua) Staff members partol at the Barkol converter station of the Hami-Chongqing 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 10, 2025. The State Grid Corporation of China on Tuesday announced the operation of the 800 kV ultra-high voltage direct current transmission project linking eastern Xinjiang's Hami with southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. This marks China's third major project to transmit electricity from energy-rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to other parts of the country. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) BRUSSELS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- EU, Spainish and UK officials, along with Gibraltar representatives, reached an agreement in Brussels on Wednesday on the core aspects of a future EU-UK treaty concerning Gibraltar, aimed at removing border barriers and promoting regional prosperity. "ICE out of New York", protesters chanted as thousands of them marched through the streets of New York on Tuesday to protest immigration raids. YAOUNDE, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) party has expressed concern about growing threats of violence and uprising ahead of the presidential election in the Central African country. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Jean Nkuete, secretary-general of the Central Committee of the CPDM, said there are increasing calls from some political leaders "for the preparation of a sacrificial and murderous insurrection" as the country prepares to hold the election in October. "The CPDM remains attentive and vigilant ... and denounces with the utmost energy these behaviors and speeches of intimidation and incitement to hatred and violence," Nkuete said. He called for restraint, urging party members and peace-loving Cameroonians to shun violence and remain patriotic. According to the country's electoral calendar, presidential candidates will begin to deposit their files for scrutiny next month. This photo taken on June 11, 2025 shows houses destroyed by floodwaters and strong winds in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. (South Africa's Eastern Cape provincial government/Handout via Xinhua) CAPE TOWN, June 11 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people have died due to heavy floods in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, local authorities said Wednesday morning. According to a statement issued by the Eastern Cape provincial government, two more bodies have been recovered, bringing the death toll following the torrential rain and severe weather conditions from seven to nine. Provincial government spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie told Xinhua that three school children have so far been found alive after a minibus was swept away on Tuesday. "A combined multi-disciplinary Emergency Services team has been established and continues to search for the school bus," the statement said, adding that the search was suspended on Tuesday night due to poor conditions but resumed early on Wednesday. Meanwhile, according to the statement, hundreds of people have been displaced and relocated in the region. Power outages have also been reported in some areas due to the torrential rains, which resulted in "significant damage to property and infrastructure." Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane said that he has mobilized provincial resources to assist with rescue and recovery efforts, with emergency services actively working on the ground to assess the situation, provide aid to those in need, and ensure the safety of residents in the hardest-hit areas. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also expressed his sorrow over the loss of lives in the incidents in Eastern Cape, urging caution, care and cooperation during severe winter conditions. "The devastation that comes with nature's forces demands that we work together as best we can to bring relief to families and communities who need this the most," he said. This photo taken on June 10, 2025 shows an area submerged by floodwaters in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. (South Africa's Eastern Cape provincial government/Handout via Xinhua) There is one more death in the state related to Covid-19 on Tuesday, shooting the death toll to three this year since January in West Bengal. The health department is yet to release official figures of the Covid-19 affected patients and deaths caused by the deadly viral disease so far in the state. Advertisement Today, a 74-year-old resident of Andul in Howrah died of Covid at Woodlands Hospital in the Alipore area. Advertisement He was rushed to the private hospital on Monday evening with severe pneumonia in both lungs. He had other comorbidities like hypertension and Parkinsons disease, according to the hospital sources. He tested Covid positive today and later died at the hospital. Two other male Covid patients an octogenarian from Ballygunge area in the city and a sexagenarian from Maheshtala in South 24-Parganas are also undergoing treatment at the hospital. Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation chairman Sabyasachi Dutta was made Trinamul Congress Barasat organisational district chairperson on Monday. The Ward 31 councillor, who is also the partys West Bengal secretary, has to travel across districts for party work. It probably explains the leaders presence at Digha during the Jagannath temple inauguration, where he shared space with party chairperson Mamata Banerjee, at Murshidabad after the disturbances there or as one of the leaders, who received the body of the Indian Army martyr on behalf of the state government. Advertisement Chief minister Mamata Banerjee will give which responsibility to whom and when is her prerogative. She is our leader and we are workers of the party. I perform whatever duty is entrusted to me with all sincerity, said the leader, who recently faced a lot of criticism from different quarters during the dismissed teachers agitation in front of Bikash Bhawan in Salt Lake. Advertisement The leader, a two-time MLA from New Town Rajarhat area, is presently staying in New Town. If I move anywhere in the state for party work, I have to take permission from two people, Mamata Banerjee and Subrata Bakshi, TMC state president. With the Assembly elections approaching, what role does he see for himself? The party will decide. We are all like the members of the Russian volleyball team; we will play in whichever position we are asked to. If Im asked to fight an election from wherever the state, I will, and if the party decides my services to be utilised for organisational purposes, I will follow the instructions, said the councillor. Mr Dutta was recently included as the only political representative of the HIDCO-NKDA advisory board , which held its first meeting recently. Im always ready to help. I meet people from my area twice a week in the evening to mitigate their issues. Im also available at TMC Bhavan on Saturdays in the morning, says the leader. He is now busy with the work of scrutiny of voters lists. Mamata Banerjee named him in the committee for scrutiny of voters list during her meet with party leaders at Netaji Indoor Stadium. He is responsible for Nadia, West Burdwan and Purulia districts, which includes 16 Vidhan Sabha areas. At Barasat, whenever I am called for any work by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, I go, adds Mr Dutta, who calls himself old wine in a new bottle after his comeback to TMC from BJP. UNITED NATIONS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Dialogue must replace confrontation as the defining mode of international interaction, a senior United Nations (UN) official has said. "It is time to put an end to war and conflict. And for that, the only way to solve a conflict or controversy or difference is through dialogue," UN under-secretary-general and high representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Miguel Angel Moratinos said in response Monday to questions from reporters following a thematic dialogue to mark the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Such a dialogue "has to be constructive, sincere, committed, and respectful," he said, noting that it should seek to understand others without imposing on them. "I think the UN, China and the Alliance of Civilizations share the same values -- and the same methodology -- to create a better world," he said. Moratinos also dismissed notions of cultural or civilizational hegemony as obsolete, describing resistance to diversity as not only misguided but also irrational. Moratinos recalled that over a year ago, after visiting China and engaging with officials on China's Global Civilization Initiative, he proposed bringing the idea to the UN stage. The UN General Assembly's decision in 2024 to establish the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations marks a key step, Moratinos said. "This initiative comes at the right moment. And we have to really push forward," he noted. "It's only the beginning." Held at the UN Headquarters in New York, the event was co-hosted by the permanent missions to the UN of China, Egypt, Peru, Spain and Uzbekistan, together with the UNAOC. The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), one of Indias leading institutions for engineering research and innovation, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NMexus, a New Mexico-based non-profit Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), to enhance bilateral collaboration in the areas of clean and sustainable energy, aerospace, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, quantum computing, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. This expanded partnership aims to strengthen cooperation between academic institutions, research laboratories, and industry stakeholders across India and the United States. Through this MoU, IIT Kanpur and NMexus will jointly pursue research, innovation, and technology commercialisation efforts that address global challenges and promote sustainable development. On the occasion, Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur here said on Wednesday, This partnership with NMexus reflects IIT Kanpurs continued commitment to expanding international collaborations that support high-impact research and innovation. By working closely with academic institutions, research labs, and industry in New Mexico, we aim to co-develop technologies that address key global challenges across clean energy, AI, aerospace, cybersecurity, medtech and advanced manufacturing. We see this as a practical step toward building scalable and sustainable solutions. As part of the partnership, NMexus will support technology-led initiatives through its Centre located in the Mesa del Sol innovation district. The Centre is designed to support up to 40 companies annually, with an estimated potential to generate around 1,500 jobs and contribute over USD 400 million to the New Mexico economy over the next five years. The initiative was formally launched by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham at the SelectUSA Investment Summit held in May 2025. Highlighting the significance of the partnership, Amar Vakil, Executive Director of the NMexus Centre, said, This partnership between NMexus and IIT-Kanpur lays the foundation for global collaboration in science, technology, and economic development. By linking New Mexicos growing innovation ecosystem with world-class talent and research from India, we are catalysing opportunities that will benefit communities on both sides of the globe. This MoU not only strengthens the ongoing collaboration between IIT Kanpur and NMexus, but also reinforces the shared vision of leveraging innovation to address global challenges. By bringing together leading researchers, institutions, and industries from India and New Mexico, the partnership is poised to serve as a model for international cooperation in science, technology, and sustainable development. Advertisement The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) has successfully raised 2,005.90 crore through a Qualified Institutions Placement (QIP), reinforcing its financial strength and commitment to clean energy financing in India, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said in a statement on Wednesday. The QIP, launched on June 5 and closed on June 10, saw the allotment of 12.15 crore equity shares at 165.14 per shareincluding a premium of 155.14 over the 10 face valuerepresenting a 5% discount to the floor price of 173.83, the ministry said. Advertisement The issue was oversubscribed, receiving bids worth 2,005.90 crore against the base size of 1,500 crore, achieving a subscription rate of 1.34 times. Advertisement The funds raised will augment IREDAs Tier-I capital and Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR), enabling enhanced support for Indias growing renewable energy sector. Speaking on the development, CMD Pradip Kumar Das stated, The success of this QIP, soon after our IPO in November 2023, reflects strong investor confidence and support from the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. This infusion empowers us to expand our financing capabilities for renewable energy projects, driving Indias green energy transition. The CMD further expressed gratitude to Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Honble Minister of State Shripad Naik, Secretary MNRE Santosh Kumar Sarangi, DIPAM, the Board of Directors, and institutional investors for their steadfast support. IREDA extended its gratitude to all institutional investors and stakeholders for their continued support, reaffirming its commitment to leading the countrys clean energy financing initiatives. Jio BlackRock Investment Advisers Private Limited (JBIAPL) has made a regulatory filing to the stock exchange on Tuesday that the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has granted registration to JBIAPL to operate as an investment adviser. Please note SEBI, vide letter dated June 10, 2025, has granted certificate of registration to Jio BlackRock Investment Advisers Private Limited (JBIAPL) to act as an Investment Adviser, the company stated. Advertisement It may be recalled that on May 27, Jio BlackRock Asset Management received final approval from SEBI to launch its mutual fund business. This approval brought the total number of mutual fund participants in Indias Rs 70-trillion industry to 48 entities. Advertisement JBIAPL happens to be a 50:50 joint venture between Jio Financial Services Limited and global asset management firm BlackRock. The joint venture, which was first announced on July 26, 2023, aims to offer a full suite of financial products in the investment advisory and mutual fund space. SEBI had granted in-principle approval for the mutual fund business on October 4, 2024. Earlier, Reliance Industries had demerged its financial services arm into a separate listed entity named Jio Financial Services back in 2023. The company already has a presence across insurance broking, payment banks, payment solutions loans and leasing. Recently, Jio BlackRock Asset Management unveiled its website and launched an early access initiative, whereby individuals could preview the platform before public launch, access simple, engaging educational content on investing and be among the first to explore Jio BlackRocks digital-first investment solutions. The first meeting of the Task Force on textile exports was held at Vanijya Bhawan in New Delhi, chaired by Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal. During the meeting, the key topics discussed included ESG infrastructure upgrades in garment units, adoption of renewable energy, compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), enhancing e-commerce exports, regulatory simplification, cost competitiveness, skilling, branding, and interest subvention schemes. The meeting aimed to chart out a collaborative strategy to boost Indias share in global textile exports. The Task Force has been constituted to serve as a unified platform for addressing critical challenges in the textile sector, engaging all key stakeholders including central ministries, industry representatives, and Export Promotion Councils. Advertisement The forum also deliberated on providing support for certification and testing, improving access to export credit for MSMEs, rationalisation of export incentives such as RoDTEP, RoSCTL, and Duty Drawback, development of PM MITRA Parks, and boosting productivity in natural fibres like jute. Advertisement Additional discussions were held on new Jute Diversified Products (JDPs), assigning separate HS codes for GI-tagged products, and the proposed Export Promotion Mission of the Department of Commerce. Industry stakeholders presented their concerns and suggestions, following which it was decided that specific sub-task forces will be established to address thematic issues. These will be led by the relevant ministries in coordination with Export Promotion Councils and industry members, with the aim of drafting actionable recommendations. In a significant breakthrough, the Delhi Police detained as many as 134 Bangladeshi immigrants, including 38 women and 43 children, illegally staying in South Delhi, it said on Wednesday. Notably, this detention of Bangladeshi immigrants came after 92 immigrants were detained from various parts of the city on Tuesday. Advertisement The crackdown on illegal immigrants is in line with the response to growing concerns over the unauthorized stay of foreign nationals, particularly Bangladeshi migrants. Advertisement The action was prompted by local intelligence and continuous monitoring by the local police. As per the police data, between December 27, 2024 and now, a total of 134 Bangladeshi nationals, including 38 women and 43 children, were apprehended, stated Ankit Chauhan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South). Chauhan said, The detained will be produced before the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office), Delhis R K Puram, for their deportation process. Background checks are also being conducted to rule out any criminal links. Delhi remained on alert on Wednesday as the national capital grappled with an intense heatwave, with maximum temperatures soaring to 45 degrees Celsius in several areas, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Moreover, the weather office has issued a red alert for Thursday and a yellow alert for Friday with no immediate respite forecasted from the scratching heat. Advertisement A red alert implies a take action warning, urging residents to avoid heat exposure, remain hydrated and limit outdoor activity. It warns of a very high likelihood of developing heat illness and heat stroke in all ages and advises extreme care for vulnerable people. Advertisement According to the IMDs daily weather bulletin, Heatwave conditions are likely to prevail at many places across Delhi-NCR, with temperatures ranging between 44 degrees Celsius and 46 degrees Celsius. The weather department mentioned that the citys primary station, Safdarjung recorded a maximum temperature of 43.3 degrees Celsius, 3.4 points above the normal while the highest was recorded at 45 degrees Celsius in Aya Nagar station. Other stations in the city also noted readings nearing the above mentioned with Palam 44.5, Ridge 43.6, and Lodi Road 43.4 degrees Celsius, the IMD added. According to IMD guidelines, a heatwave in the plains is declared when the maximum temperature reaches or exceeds 45C. Alternatively, if the maximum is at least 40C and 4.5C above the normal, it is also classified as a heatwave. These conditions must be sustained for two consecutive days across at least two stations within a meteorological subdivision. The city also reported poor air quality, with an AQI of 245 at 4 pm. The IMD has forecast partly cloudy skies for June 12 and 13 with dust-raising winds gusting up to 60 kmph during thunderstorms. Authorities have urged citizens to take precautionary measures, particularly vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions. The Anti-Narcotics Task Force team of Delhi Polices Shahdara district has busted a heroin trafficking operation by arresting two people, and seized 323.25 grams of heroin, it said on Wednesday. The cops mentioned that the accused, Athar and Babu Khan, both 28-years-old and residents of Uttar Pradeshs Rampur, were apprehended on Monday while traveling. Advertisement Prashant Gautam, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara District), said, We received a tip-off on Monday at around 5 PM regarding a drug peddler, Ather, who is expected to come with his accomplice to deliver smack near SDN Hospital between 6:30 and 7 PM. Advertisement The officer further said that, With this lead, a team was immediately dispatched to the tipped-off location, and the cops got their hands on both the individuals. Upon checking their belongings, 296.56 grams of heroin was confiscated from Athers possession, which he was carrying in polythene. Meanwhile, 26.66 grams of smack was seized from the other accused, Babu Khan, the DCP asserted. Furthermore, the vehicle was also taken into police possession along with the seized narcotic substance. A case was registered under the relevant sections of the BNS at GTB Enclave police station on the basis of the evidence collected, Gautam said. During interrogation, they disclosed the names of the suppliers from whom they used to procure the contraband and the receiver. The police are now conducting raids at the hideouts of the alleged suppliers and receivers, making sincere efforts to unearth the chain of sources of the contraband. An unidentified naked male body with injury marks on the head and neck was found in Nangli, a locality in southwest Delhi, the Delhi Police said on Wednesday. A PCR call was received at Swaroop Nagar Police Station regarding an unidentified naked male body lying near Balaji Property, 10 Killa, 35-Foot Road, in front of Gayatri Gaushala in Nangli. A police team was immediately dispatched to the spot, an official said. Advertisement Upon reaching the scene, the police team found a male body with injuries on the head, hand, neck, and back, the official added. Advertisement A senior officer stated that the identity of the deceased, as well as the suspects involved, is yet to be established. Efforts are underway to identify both the victim and the perpetrators, the officer said. He further added, CCTV footage from nearby areas is being examined, and the crime scene is being thoroughly analyzed to gather clues about the incident. As part of the investigation, a crime team along with forensic experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) was called to inspect the scene. Preliminary observations suggest that the body was dumped by unidentified individuals, as none of the local residents were able to identify the deceased. The body was sent to BJRM Hospital for medical examination and post-mortem procedures. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and investigations to identify and apprehend the culprits are ongoing, a senior officer confirmed. Diljit Dosanjh is stepping into a whole new avatara sharp-witted detectivein his upcoming film Detective Sherdil. The trailer, which dropped on Tuesday, promises a thrilling murder mystery packed with unexpected twists, quirky characters, and high-stakes secrets. Advertisement In this intriguing story, Dosanjh takes on the role of Detective Sherdil, an unconventional investigator known for his sharp mind and a bit of playful swagger. The story kicks off in Budapest, where a wealthy and flamboyant billionaire, played by the ever-versatile Boman Irani, is found brutally murdered. Advertisement What follows is a tangled investigation that leads detective Sherdil deep into the troubled world of the tycoons family and business empire. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ZEE5 (@zee5) Joining Sherdil on this rollercoaster investigation is Natasha, played by Diana Penty, a brilliant and composed investigator who perfectly balances Sherdils quirky energy. Together, they navigate through a complex maze of family rivalries, billion-dollar stakes, and carefully guarded secrets. The deeper they dig, the murkier the case getswith each family member hiding something that could change everything. The film also features a powerhouse ensemble, including Ratna Pathak Shah, Chunky Panday, Sumeet Vyas, Banita Sandhu, Kashmira Irani, and more. The director, Ravi Chhabriya, shared his excitement about casting Diljit in the lead role. From the beginning, I knew the detective needed to have charm, wit, and that extra bit of flair. Diljit brought all of that and so much more. He made the character come alive and added an energy that just clicked with our vision, he said. Diljit also spoke about his experience playing the role, calling it a fun departure from his usual characters. Detective Sherdils quirks and attitude gave me the chance to try something different. I really enjoyed stepping into his world. And, I hope audiences will enjoy this journey as much as I did, he said. The films trailer, shared by Zee5 on their Instagram page, teases an exciting ride with the caption: A murder with many suspects. And a sher with the chaabi to everyones dil. Are you ready? Detective Sherdil is set to premiere exclusively on Zee5 on June 20, 2025. Calling Sekhar Kammula, the director of his upcoming film Kuberaa, a great person, actor Dhanush on Tuesday said that he chose to do film because of his director. Participating in an event organised to release the single Pippi Pippi Dum Dum Dum from his film Kuberaa in Mumbai, Dhanush shared his experience of working on the film. Advertisement I heard I had to stand in the sun. I had to do a lot of researchAll those are liesI just had to follow my director. Sekhar sir was brilliant. He taught me the nuances. He made life very easy for me. It is a very different character from what I have played before and I enjoyed the challenge, the actor admitted candidly. Advertisement The actor, who spoke highly of his director Sekhar Kammula, reiterated what he had said of him earlier. Sekhar sir is a fantastic human being. you will not meet a person like him. He is so clean, so pure and with such a good heart. You make a lot of films, you meet a lot of people. When you meet someone like Sekhar Kammula, you feel the travel is worth it. It is because of this man that I did this film. He narrated for just 20 minutes. I loved his energy, positivity and approach. I love his honesty towards making his films or as a human being. Sekhar is a great person, he said. Stating that Kubera was a very, very special film for him, the actore disclosed that this film was very close to his heart. It was a fantastic experience shooting for this film. We shot in dumpyards and garbage trucks.Every experience teaches you somehting, he said. Apart from Nagarjuna and Dhanush, the film also features Jim Sarbh and Rashmika Mandanna in pivotal roles. The film is keenly awaited as this is the first time that National-award winning actor Dhanush is joining hands with ace filmmaker Sekhar Kammula. On the technical front, the film has music by Devi Sri Prasad, who is riding high on the success of his recent releases. Kuberaa has cinematography by Niketh Bommi. Ramakrishna Sabbani and Monika Nigotre are the production designers of the film, which has been co-written by Chaithanya Pingali. Costumes for the film have been designed by Kavya Sriram and Poorvaa Jain. Kubera is being bankrolled by Suniel Naran and Puskur Ram Mohan Rao under the banner of Sree Venkateswara Cinemas. TEHRAN, June 11 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed, and two others injured in an explosion followed by a fire aboard a methanol barge moored off a wharf in Iran's southern Bushehr province, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday. The incident occurred at 11:05 a.m. local time (0735 GMT) in Deyr County, Fars quoted Ehsan Izadpanah, managing director of the provincial Red Crescent Society, as saying. Deyr County's Governor Alireza Sajjadi said the explosion occurred during welding operations on the barge, which led to the eruption of the fire. Rescue, firefighting and emergency medical teams were dispatched to the scene immediately, he added. Hassan Mousavi, head of the province's emergency medical services, confirmed that the methanol tank involved in the explosion belonged to the Kaveh petrochemical complex, located in the port city of Bandar-e Dayyer. He noted that given the scale of the incident, the death toll and number of the injured could increase. The BJP on Wednesday organised a media milan (interaction with media) programme to highlight the work of the Narendra Modi government in the past 11 years. Union Ministers Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Ashwini Vaishnaw, JP Nadda, and Nitin Gadkari, along with other party leaders, attended the function organised at Bharat Mandapam here. Advertisement Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw presented a detailed report of the works done by the BJP-led NDA government since May 2014, when Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister. Advertisement He spoke about almost all the schemes and policies introduced or implemented by the central government in the past 11 years. The government has been working tirelessly to take its development agenda forward and improve the lives of every citizen, he said after an hour-long presentation attended by journalists from various organisations. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and others engaged with media persons, shared lunch, and discussed issues off the record. The government completed 11 years in office on Monday since assuming power at the Centre in 2014. PM Modi took oath for his third term on June 9, 2024. The work done by the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi in the past 11 years was extraordinary and should be written in golden letters, Nadda said at a press conference earlier this week. Eleven years ago, our political culture was marked by appeasement and dividing society into fragments to save ones chair. However, after Modiji came to power, a new culture emergedone based on the politics of performance, responsive and responsible governance, accountability, and a report card-based approach. A new normal and a new order have been established. It is an effective government, one that takes strong decisions It has proven to be both transparent and futuristic, he said. The Catholic Congress, a lay organisation of Syro-Malabar Catholics, has strongly criticised the Congress over its electoral alliance with the Welfare Party, the political arm of the Jamaat-e-Islami, in the Nilambur Assembly by-election, calling the move an open challenge to Keralas secular democratic traditions. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Catholic Congress alleged that the Congress has compromised on core secular values by aligning with a party which is ideologically linked to religious fundamentalism. Advertisement The statement, signed by Catholic Congress Director Fr Mathew Thoommoolil, President Dr Chacko Kalampparambil, and General Secretary Shaji Kandathil, warned that such alliances risk legitimising extremism in mainstream politics. Advertisement In the statement, the Catholic Congress says by teaming up with the Welfare Party, which is having global links to theocratic ideologies, the Congress is undermining public trust and sacrificing its principles for vote-bank politics. Terming the development a betrayal of the grand old partys own legacy as a secular force, the Catholic Congress slammed the Congress leaders attempts to justify the alliance by pointing to the LDFs ties with the PDP. The statement reminded the Congress that one wrong cannot be justified by another. The Catholic Congress urged both the Congress-led UDF and the CPI-M-led ruling LDF to refrain from political partnerships that encourage communal polarisation. The Catholic Congress asked the voters in Nilambur and elsewhere to see through the duplicity of parties that publicly denounce communalism but privately engage with radical elements. In this connection, CPI-M state secretary MV Govindan on Tuesday said in Malappuram that the Jamaat-e-Islamis political arm, Welfare Partys unconditional support for the Congress-led UDF, highlighted the Oppositions desperation to seek the help of fundamentalist outfits on either side of the religious spectrum to bolster its faltering and infighting-riven campaign. He said the UDF has lost the moral right to speak against communalism. The UDF has become an alliance of communal forces, and so it has no right to utter any word against communalism now, MV Govindan said. Responding to MV Govindans criticism of the UDF for accepting the support of the Welfare party, senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan said that when Jamaat-e-Islami supports the CPI-M, its considered a secular organisation, but when it supports the UDF, it is suddenly labelled a communal party. Satheesan pointed out that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Jamaat-e-Islami had held open discussions in the past. Those who once labelled Madani a communalist now have no problem in accepting PDPs support. The CPI-M practises double standards, constantly shifting its position like a chameleon, Satheesan said. BJPs former Kerala president K Surendran has said that the ruling CPI-Mled LDF and Congress-led Opposition UDF are campaigning in Nilambur by playing the communal card. Speaking to media persons in Nilambur, Surendran said both the LDF and UDF are trying to win the Nilambur bypoll with the support of communal and religious terrorist forces. The UDF has accepted the support of the Welfare Party, the political arm of the Jamaat-e-Islami. Pointing out the PDPs support to LDF candidate M Swaraj, Surendran said the Left is in alliance with the Kerala edition of the largest terrorist organisation, the Islamic State. Alleging that both the Fronts are nursing and pampering rioters and terrorists, Surendran warned that this stance will have far-reaching consequences in Kerala. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Wednesday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modis 11 years at the helm of the central government, calling it a period of historic transformation that has reshaped the development landscape of both India and Chhattisgarh. Addressing a press conference in Raipur, the Chief Minister highlighted the Centres support in curbing Maoist extremism, empowering farmers and women, and boosting infrastructure and tribal welfare. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the country has moved firmly towards inclusive growth and prosperity. Chhattisgarh, under the doubleengine government, has accelerated development in every sector, Sai said. Advertisement Reflecting on the Centres backing of antiNaxal operations, the Chief Minister noted that 425 Maoists were neutralised, 1,388 surrendered, and 1,443 were arrested over the past 18 months. The elimination of top Maoist leaders like Basavaraju and Sudhakar reflects our firm resolve under the ModiShah doctrine of zero tolerance, he stated. Advertisement Sai emphasised significant strides in rural housing, with over 15.38 lakh homes completed under the PM Awas Yojana. He also cited the states procurement of a record 149 lakh metric tonnes of paddy and the disbursement of 1 lakh crore into farmers accounts. This is Modis guarantee being fulfilled, he remarked. Welfare schemes such as the Mahtari Vandan Yojanaproviding 1,000 per month to nearly 70 lakh womenand the annual 10,000 grant to 5.6 lakh landless farmers were highlighted as examples of direct economic empowerment. Sai added that Ujjwala Yojana had benefited 36.76 lakh women in the state, while over 2.38 crore residents are covered under Ayushman Bharat. Infrastructure development remains a key focus, with 48,000 crore allocated for expanding railway networks and 32 stations under development through the Amrit Bharat scheme. The first semiconductor plant in the region is under construction at a cost of 1,100 crore in Nava Raipur. On the environmental front, Sai announced the planting of 2.5 crore trees under the One Tree in Mothers Name campaign and reaffirmed the states commitment to achieving netzero carbon emissions by 2070. Chhattisgarh is aligned with the vision of a developed India by 2047. With Prime Minister Modis guidance, we are not just witnessing transformation, we are actively participating in shaping it, the Chief Minister concluded. The Congress party on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold a full debate in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament on the countrys post-Pahalgam security and foreign policy challenges. Now that the PM has himself met with the members of the seven Parliamentary delegations that had been sent to 32 countries, will he at least now agree to have a full debate in the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament on our countrys post-Pahalgam security and foreign policy challenges, since the request of the INDIA parties for a special session has been most unfortunately rejected ? Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on X. Advertisement Jairam Rameshs request comes after PM Modi on Tuesday hosted members of seven parliamentary delegations that were sent to 32 countries to convey Indias stance on eradicating terrorism following the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. Advertisement The Congress leader also asked if the Prime Minister will now chair a meeting or a set of meetings of LEADERS of all political parties and take them into confidence on Indias future strategy vis-a-vis both China and Pakistan and the strategic implications of the CDSs revelations in Singapore? Jairam Ramesh also urged the Prime Minister to redouble efforts to bring the Pahalgam terrorists who had reportedly been involved in three earlier terror attacks in Poonch (Dec 2023) and Gagangir and Gulmarg (2024) to justice. He further requested the Prime Minister to set up a group of experts on the lines of the Kargil Review Committee of July 1999, that had been chaired by the EAMs father to analyse Operation Sindoor in detail and give its recommendations on the future of warfare including emerging military platforms and technologies, building national capacities for strategic communications in crisis, etc. The government has announced that the monsoon session of Parliament will be held from July 21 to August 12. The Congress has criticised this announcement, accusing the government of trying to run away from convening a special session of Parliament and thus avoiding scrutiny on national security and foreign policy issues. With the ruling DMK sounding the poll bugle, its allies have started flexing their muscle to demand their pound of flesh so that they are not given a raw deal in seat share for the 2026 assembly elections. After Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) of Thol Thirumavalavan, MP, the Marxist party has signalled that it would seek a larger share of seats from the DMK, which is heading the secular alliance. CPI(M) Tamil Nadu state secretary P Shanmugham had made it clear in an interview the other day to the partys official daily Theekathir. Even while emphasising the need for alliance solidarity and cohesiveness, he was for equitable seat-sharing arrangement to face the upcoming assembly polls. Advertisement Since the late 1990s, the 2021 assembly elections were the lowest seats that the CPI(M) had contested. Though we demanded more seats, we were allotted 6 and we have accepted it since the foremost consideration then was to defeat the AIADMK-BJP. It is not that we have accepted without reservations. Such an approach should not continue any further as it is not conducive for the alliance and for the CPI cadre as well. Hence, it is beneficial for the DMK to be accommodative, he said in response to a question in the interview, adding that enhancing the partys strength in the assembly was a decision taken at the Party Congress in Madurai. Advertisement Since there are 10 more months to go for the elections, he urged the DMK government to fulfil the promises made to the farmers, workers, and the middle class so as to secure a massive mandate by defeating the AIADMK-BJP combine. Earlier, the VCK too had made similar demands but maintained that it wouldnt leave the alliance. VCK president Thirumavalavan had said that the party would press Kazhagam for more seats to contest the election, considering its increase in its support base. Affirming his secular credentials, he had rejected overtures from the AIADMK and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam of actor Vijay for an alliance. The Congress too had been keen on getting more seats this time around. With Stalin setting a target of winning 200 seats, seat-sharing among the allies might prove to be a tough one, say analysts. In a chilling murder case that has shocked the entire country, Sonam Raghuvanshi the prime accused in the killing of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi along with five others, has been remanded to eight days of police custody. The decomposed body of Raja, a groom from Indore, was discovered last month in a forested area near Sohra (Cherrapunji), days after he went missing. Advertisement All the accused Sonam Raghuvanshi, Raj Kushwaha, Vishal Chouhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi were produced before the district and sessions court in Shillong on Wednesday, where Meghalaya Police sought a 10-day remand. The court, however, granted custody for eight days. Advertisement Earlier, speaking to reporters, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said Sonams formal interrogation would commence only after her court appearance, and dismissed reports suggesting she had confessed to the crime. The reports of a confession are speculative, Syiem stated. She will be interrogated after the court proceedings. Our focus is to establish the chain of events through proper evidence. According to police, the murder appears to have been premeditated, and they suspect the involvement of more individuals. Investigators are now examining call records and digital evidence. Once initial questioning in Shillong is complete, the accused will be taken to Sohra for crime scene reconstruction. We believe Sonam played a key role, said Syiem, but we are committed to substantiating our findings with hard evidence before drawing any conclusions. Raja Raghuvanshi had traveled to Meghalaya with Sonam under the guise of a trip, but went missing shortly after. His body was later discovered dumped in a remote forested area, triggering widespread outrage and media interest due to the disturbing nature of the case. Sonam was arrested from Indore and brought to Shillong on a transit remand, while the other suspects are currently under investigation. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to resolve the two critical issues of deplorable hostel conditions and delays in post-matric scholarships which hinder education opportunities for students from marginalized communities, including Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC and minorities. In the letter, shared by the Congress party on X, Gandhi wrote, I request you to resolve two critical issues which hinder education opportunities for 90% of students from marginalized communities. Firstly, the conditions in residential hostels for students from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC, and minority communities are deplorable. Secondly, post-matric scholarships for students from marginalised communities are plagued by delays and failures. Advertisement The Congress leader stated that during his recent visit to Ambedkar Hostel in poll-bound Bihars Darbhanga, students complained about single rooms which 6-7 students were forced to share, unhygienic toilets, unsafe drinking water, lack of mess facilities, and no access to libraries or the internet. Advertisement He further highlighted that the scholarship portal in Bihar was non-functional for three years, claiming that no student received a scholarship in 2021-22. Even thereafter, the number of Dalit students receiving scholarships fell by nearly half, from 1.36 lakh in FY23 to 0.69 lakh in FY24. Students further complain that the scholarship amounts are insultingly low, the LoP wrote. The Congress leader claimed that while he cited the example of Bihar, these alleged failures were widespread across the country. He urged the government to take immediate action to remedy these failures and called for the audit of every hostel for students from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC, and minority communities, and demanded the timely disbursement of the post-matric scholarships as well as an increase in scholarship amounts. Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday held a bilateral meeting with Ms. Marianne Sivertsen Ness, Norways Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy. The discussion centred around a range of issues concerning sustainable fisheries, marine resource management, sustainable fisheries, and the broader framework for the blue economy. Later, during the delegation-level talks led by the two Ministers, India and Norway reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration on sustainable ocean governance and fisheries. The bilateral meeting was held on the sidelines of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), currently underway in Nice, France. Advertisement The two Ministers exchanged views on enhancing bilateral cooperation in ocean governance and reflected on the long-standing partnership between India and Norway in the fisheries sector. The discussion also covered shared priorities such as sustainable use of marine resources, improved data sharing mechanisms, and joint efforts to tackle challenges like overfishing and marine pollution. Advertisement Both sides acknowledged the significance of international cooperation in achieving the goals of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (20212030), with an emphasis on knowledge exchange, capacity building, and technology sharing. The Ministers also explored opportunities to build on existing India-Norway collaborations, particularly in areas aligned with the development of a sustainable and inclusive blue economy. The UNOC3, taking place from June 9 to 13, has brought together global leaders, scientists, policymakers, and industry representatives to discuss collective action towards ocean health, sustainable development, and climate resilience. Indias participation, led by Jitendra Singh, reflects the countrys commitment to playing an active role in shaping the global ocean agenda, while also safeguarding the interests of coastal communities and promoting sustainable ocean-based livelihoods. The discussions in Nice come at a time when countries worldwide are scaling up efforts to balance economic growth with marine conservation. The India-Norway dialogue is seen as a step forward in reinforcing multilateral cooperation to ensure the long-term sustainability of ocean resources. An Indian Army contingent reached Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on Wednesday for the multinational military exercise Khaan Quest, which seeks to bring together military forces from around the world to collaborate and enhance their peacekeeping capabilities. The exercise is scheduled to be conducted from 14th to 28th June, an official release issued here said. Advertisement Last edition of the exercise was conducted in Mongolia from 27th July to 9th August 2024. Advertisement The exercise first started as a bilateral event between the US and Mongolian Armed Forces in the year 2003. Subsequently, from the year 2006 onwards the exercise graduated to a Multinational Peacekeeping Exercise with the current year being the 22nd iteration, it said. The Indian Army contingent comprising 40 personnel is being represented mainly by troops from a battalion of the Kumaon Regiment along with personnel from other Arms and Services. One woman officer and two women soldiers will also form part of the contingent. Aim of the exercise is to prepare Indian Armed Forces for peacekeeping missions while operating in a multinational environment, thereby increasing interoperability and military readiness in peace support operations under Chapter VII of United Nations Charter. The exercise will focus on a high degree of physical fitness, joint planning and joint tactical drills, it said. Tactical drills to be practiced during the exercise will include establishment of Static and Mobile Check Points, Cordon and Search Operations, Patrolling, Evacuation of Civilians from Hostile Area, Counter Improvised Explosive Device drills, Combat First Aid and Casualty Evacuation, among others. The exercise will also enable the participating countries to share their best practices in Tactics, Techniques and Procedures to conduct joint operations. The exercise will facilitate developing interoperability, bonhomie and camaraderie between soldiers of the participating countries, it added. Five members of a wedding party, including the bride, were killed and eight others injured when their bus collided with a speeding container truck on the Dausa-Manoharpur Highway near Raisar village in Jaipur district. The accident happened on Wednesday morning. The ill-fated bus was returning to Madhya Pradesh after solemnising the wedding rituals in Rajasthans Jhunjhunu district. The accident occurred as the speeding container in its attempt to overtake a truck rammed into the bus coming from the opposite side. Advertisement The collision left bride Bharti Meena (18) and four others dead and eight persons injured. The injured were rushed to hospital. Advertisement The accident also caused traffic jams on the busy highway, with long queues of vehicles quickly forming on both sides. ISLAMABAD, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan will inaugurate its first freight train service to Russia from Lahore, the capital of Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, on June 22, marking a significant step in regional connectivity and international trade expansion, Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi said. Addressing a press conference in the city of Multan, Punjab, on Tuesday, Abbasi said the new freight service is part of a broader initiative to modernize Pakistan Railways and boost revenue through expanded logistics operations. He said the project reflects Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's vision to connect Pakistan's rail network with Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, as part of broader regional integration efforts. "We are building not just a railway, but an economic corridor," he added. The route will utilize the Eastern Branch of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which offers the fastest transit option -- between 14 and 19 days -- connecting Pakistan with Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and eventually into southern Russia. According to a senior Pakistan Railways official, the freight train will depart from Lahore and cover a 2,001-kilometer route within Pakistan to reach the Taftan border crossing with Iran. From there, cargo will be transferred to another train at Zahedan in southeastern Iran due to a change in rail gauge. The journey will then continue through Sarakhs at the Iran-Turkmenistan border, enter Kazakhstan via the Bolashak-Aktau corridor, and proceed through Atyrau in western Kazakhstan before reaching its final destination in Astrakhan, a key logistics hub in southern Russia. The entire route spans approximately 8,000 kilometers, with an expected transit time of 20-25 days, including buffer periods. "This route was selected for its operational efficiency and established transhipment infrastructure," the official explained, adding that the railway gauges are compatible across Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia, facilitating seamless movement. The first phase will carry 15-16 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), with exporters confirming about 500 tons of cargo. Plans are underway to expand to a full load of 31 TEUs, pending the finalization of freight rates. Pakistan's major exports to Russia include leather apparel, electro-medical devices, and textiles, while key imports include wheat, fertilizers, dried vegetables, and petroleum products. Bilateral trade is expected to benefit significantly from reduced transit time and direct rail connectivity. Bringing laurels to Jharkhand Central University (CUJ) and the state, Rahul Pandit, a second-year B A student in Far East Languages (Chinese), has secured second place in the India-level round of the prestigious international Chinese Bridge competition for college and university students. The event, aimed at promoting Chinese language proficiency and cultural exchange, saw participation from over 15 major Indian institutions, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, Banaras Hindu University, Visva-Bharati, Central University of Gujarat, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Sikkim University, and Amity University. Amidst tough competition from these leading universities, Rahul Pandit impressed the national jury with his command over Mandarin, cultural depth, and confident presentation. Advertisement As a reward, Rahul will embark on a 15-day educational and cultural tour of China, visiting Beijing, Shanghai, and Shijiazhuang. During this trip, he will represent both India and CUJ on an international platform. Advertisement His achievement has been hailed by the university community. Vice-Chancellor Kshiti Bhushan Das congratulated Rahul and the Department of Far East Languages (Chinese) for the accomplishment, stating, This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of our students and faculty. I hope our students continue to make the university and the state proud on national and international platforms. Head of the Department, Rabindranath Sarma, credited the departments team-oriented approach for the success. This result is a testament to the committed mentorship by our faculty membersDr Arpana Raj, Dr. Sandeep Biswas, and Sushant Kumarwhose guidance has played a pivotal role in Rahuls journey. Dr Arpana Raj, the departments placement officer, expressed optimism that this achievement will inspire many more students to pursue language studies and represent CUJ globally. The department is thrilled with Rahuls success. We look forward to seeing more students from our university shine on global academic stages in the future. The Chinese Bridge contest is held annually to promote Chinese language learning and foster cultural connections between China and other countries. With Rahul Pandits success, CUJ has not only strengthened its academic credentials in foreign languages but has also elevated Jharkhands presence in international academic diplomacy. As Rahul prepares to travel across China, his achievement stands as a symbol of Indias growing linguistic engagement with the East and the expanding global footprint of students from emerging educational hubs like Ranchi. Sonam Raghuvanshi, who allegedly killed her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during her honeymoon in Meghalaya just days after their wedding on May 11, had reportedly devised two plans to execute the cold-blooded murder. According to Meghalaya deputy CM Prestone Tynsone, the accused have confessed to killing Raja Raghuvanshi and that his wife Sonam was fully involved. Advertisement As per multiple media reports, Sonam had arrived in Shillong on May 22, the day they originally planned to kill Raja. The three hired killers were also supposed to reach the location Sonam shared with them the same day. Advertisement Plan A, according to the reports, was that Sonam would take Raja to a mountain during a trek and then push him off while taking a selfie to make it look like an accidental death. However, due to rain, they could not go for the trek and Sonam switched to plan B. On May 23, Sonam and Raja went with their planned trek, and the three hired killers met them midway. This was also confirmed by a local guide, who told the police that he saw the three men accompanying the couple and speaking in Hindi. Sonam feigned being tired of the journey and started walking behind. It is being suspected that Sonams mother-in-law also called them around the same time and that is why Sonam made up stories that it was Raja who forced her to go to the mountain and disconnected the call without letting the mother suspect anything wrong. As per some reports, when they reached the top of the mountain, Sonam, who was walking behind, shouted, Kill him. Subsequently, one of the hired killers, Vishal Chouhan, attacked Raja with a sharp weapon, first from behind and then from the front. The three men and Sonam then pushed him into a deep gorge. After the murder, Sonam and the hired killers reportedly regrouped at another location some 11 km away from the crime scene to plan their escape. After the murder, Sonam travelled back to Indore by train via Siliguri and stayed there at a rented room, said a report. She then went to Varanasi in a cab, reportedly arranged by her suspected lover Raj Kushwaha. From there, she went to Ghazipur, which is also the hometown of her boyfriend Raj, and was subsequently arrested by the police. The police have arrested all five accused Sonam Raghuvanshi, her lover Raj Kushwaha, and the three hitmen, Vishal Chouhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi. They have all been remanded to transit custody of the Meghalaya police. Amid rising concerns, India on Wednesday tightened COVID-19 protocols as even Union ministers had to undergo Ran T-PCR test before attending the Cabinet meeting. The COVID-19 RT-PCR test is now mandatory before meeting the Prime Minister, a well-placed source said. Advertisement In response to the rising COVID-19 cases and growing concerns in the country, the government has intensified its precautionary measures. Advertisement All Cabinet ministers who attended the Union Cabinet meeting on Wednesday had to undergo RT-PCR tests beforehand, the source said. Amid rising cases, Indias active coronavirus count has climbed to 7,121. Any minister scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi must undergo an RT-PCR test, sources said. The decision assumes added significance as all BJP functionaries from Delhi, including the Chief Minister, are scheduled to meet the Prime Minister at his residence on Wednesday evening. All ministers will need to undergo a COVID-19 test, the sources said. Additionally, in cases where PM Modi holds a rally, all officials present on the stage will be required to show their RT-PCR test results, according to some media reports. As per the current COVID-19 situation in India, the total number of active cases stands at 7,121, with 306 new cases and six deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The governments decision to reintroduce COVID-19 testing for ministers and those meeting the Prime Minister reflects its commitment to containing the spread of the virus. This measure, first implemented during the 2020-2021 pandemic wave, has now been reinstated to ensure safety, the source said. Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a crucial meeting to discuss the COVID-19 situation. During a press conference after the meeting, she emphasised that the government is vigilant and prepared to tackle the virus. She advised citizens not to panic but to take necessary precautions, especially those with underlying health conditions. A minor girl was allegedly gang raped inside the Government Gandhi Memorial Hospital affiliated to the Shyam Shah Government Medical College at Rewa in Madhya Pradesh. The police have detained three people in connection with the incident, while the hospital administration has dismissed two outsourced ward boys after the incident came to light. According to Hospital Superintendent Dr Rahul Mishra, the incident was reported on Tuesday, and the Hospital administration informed the police. The doctor said that the minor girl was accompanying her mother, who was admitted to the hospitals ENT ward for treatment. There, two ward boys reportedly befriended the minor and took her to the corner of a corridor late in the night. They sexually assaulted her, but when the girl started bleeding, the two men brought her on a stretcher and left her outside the hospitals gynaecology ward and fled. Dr Mishra said that the girl also left the hospital. Rewa SP Vivek Singh said the police received information about the incident and detained three people, including two ward boys and a security guard of the hospital, for questioning. The SP said the police are trying to locate the minor victim so that a formal case can be registered and further investigations taken up. Rewa is the hometown of Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Rajendra Shukla. He is also one of the two Deputy Chief Ministers of the state. Advertisement Haryana Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Shruti Choudhry, asserted that there will be no compromise on the quality of construction materials used in departmental projects. The current state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, is operating with a zero-tolerance policy toward irregularities, she said. Acting on his directives, 48 samples of construction materials from various ongoing Irrigation Department projects were collected for quality testing. Of these, 18 samples failed the tests. Consequently, 80 officialsranging from Junior Engineers (JE) to Chief Engineershave been charge-sheeted under Sections 7 and 8 of the Haryana Civil Services Rules, Choudhry informed during a press conference held in Chandigarh on Wednesday. Advertisement She emphasized that the government will not tolerate corruption at any level. Some of the projects in question were close to completion, a stage at which official accountability increases significantly. After receiving repeated complaints, the departments vigilance wing conducted raids and collected material samples, the minister said. Advertisement In response to a query, Choudhry acknowledged that a significant portion of payments had already been made to contractors. She added that the possibility of recovering these funds from the concerned contractors will be actively explored. Addressing a question regarding the Kishau Dam Project, Choudhry stated that it is a national-level initiative of critical importance to Haryana. Chief Minister Saini had reviewed the project just two days prior. Once operational, the Kishau Dam will provide Haryana with water for both irrigation and drinking purposes. The state is set to receive 709 cusecs of water from the Yamuna River through this project, she shared. Chhattisgarh will resume its state-wide tiger census after a four-year hiatus, as forest officials anticipate a possible rise in the number of tigers. The 2022 census recorded 17 tigers in the state. The upcoming survey, to be conducted under Wildlife Institute of India (WII) guidelines using advanced methods, aims to produce a clearer and more accurate estimate. Advertisement For the first time in Bastar, specifically in Indravati Tiger Reserve and Kanger Valley National Park, trap cameras will be strategically installed. Previous efforts in Maoist-affected zones were hindered by security concerns. However, forest officials have noted significant improvements in the security environment, allowing the initiative to proceed safely. Advertisement Preparations are in full swing, in line with WII protocols. Once the census is complete, we will have reliable data on tiger presence in the region, said Prem Kumar, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Chhattisgarh. Preliminary field observations suggest an increase in tiger sightings in southern Chhattisgarh. The census, conducted every four years across India, will include habitat mapping, scat and pugmark analysis, and motion-activated camera traps. In a complementary effort, the Forest Department is strengthening the wider ecosystem through prey base enhancement. Around 100 chitals are slated for translocation from Raipur Jungle Safari to Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve. Similar prey augmentation may follow at Guru Ghasidas National Park, a newly designated tiger reserve, with chitals sourced from Maitri Bagh Zoo in Bhilai. To support these initiatives, trap cameras are already being deployed in key wildlife zones. These cameras are expected to yield valuable data on predator and prey dynamics and guide habitat management strategies for core and buffer zones. Conservationists hope that the improved security situation, coupled with habitat augmentation and systematic monitoring, will foster a steady uptick in the tiger population over the coming years. In Udaipurs City Palace Museum is the grand oil painting on canvas titled Depicting the Battle of Haldighati fought on 18th June 1576 CE between Maharana Pratap and the Mughal Forces of Akbar led by Kanwar Man Singh of Amber. The artists, Chaturbhuj and sons of Udaipur in 1935, spared no effort to capture dramatic sequences of the battle considered not just a historic landmark of pre-modern India, but as an endless source of inspiration for military commanders and strategists, litterateurs and playwrights, classical and folk poets, and, of course, historians-chroniclers of Rajasthan and India over the last five centuries. The paintings description says it all: On 18th June 1576 CE Kanwar Man Singh of Amber mounted on his mighty war elephant led the Mughal armies of Akbar against Maharana Pratap I (period of reign. 1572 ~ 1597 CE) who on his incomparable white stallion Chetak carried the crimson banner of Mewar into the thrust of the battle. Neither lance nor sword, nor the arrows that rained like hail around him could stem the course of that intrepid charge. For the first time in fifty years the Mughals suffered their first setback and Haldighati shattered the myth of their invincibility ~ symbolic of the war that was fought for the protection and preservation of self-respect, self-reliance and independence. The battle of Haldighati unlike any other battle in the military history of warfare has aroused the greatest and most multifaceted interest. This single occasion has raised issues of social context, the composition of opposing forces, the efficiency of execution of the adop ted strategy and tactics and finally most touchingly the acts of unparalleled bravery, unmatched sacrifices and unimaginable fighting skills of a few individuals who participated in this battle. All these issues have assumed tremendous significance, as time goes by. Maharana Pratap is a national hero on account of his commitment to preserve the independence of Mewar, at any cost, despite heavy odds stacked against him. At a symposium on Battle of Haldighati, organized by the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation on 8-9 November 2023 in Udaipur, Dr Abhimanyu Singh Arha introduced the battle strategy: Pratap divided his army into two divisions, one commanded by himself and the other by Hakim Khan Sur. The battle occurred in the early hours of 18 June 1576. The first attack was launched by Hakim Khan Sur who fell on the advance guards of the Mughals and completely devastated the Mughal Harawal. This attack was so sudden and effective that it broke the back of the advance body of the Mughal offensive delivering a complete defeat upon them. Simultaneously, Pratap charged down the pass with his men, said the associate professor of history from JNU, and launched a full throttle attack on the enemies. Qazi Khan and his men were waiting at the entrance of the pass for Prataps charge. This second attack was so powerful and fierce that the Rajput force was successful in breaking through the centre of the Mughal army. While the Mughals were struggling to hold their ground and to reorganize themselves, the elephant army of Mewar was let loose which created havoc among the enemy ranks. The carnage carried out by the elephants created utter despair and confusion on the battlefield. Pratap and his men took advantage of this mayhem by quickly leaving the battlefield in order to enter the narrow defiles of the Haldighati pass to position themselves there The second phase of the battle was planned in such a manner that the well-arranged Rajput army and Bhil archers were positioned along the narrow Haldighati pass waiting for an ambush of the remnants of the Mughal army which would enter the hillsThe Rajputs won the initial bout. Such was the dread of the Rajputs that day that Man Singh and the Mughal forces completely abandoned any efforts to pursue. By midday the battle came to an end. Haldighati is often compared to Kurukshetra, the epic battleground of Mahabharata, even though thousands of years separate these two battles. Said Dr JK Singh Sanjay at the 2023 symposium, just as the imagery of Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield is vivid and full of meanings, the name of Haldi ghati brings to mind Rana Pratap riding the white steed, Che tak. Dr Sanjay reminded that from early 17th century CE there were major literary and historical works hailing Rana Prataps achievements. In 1618 Maha kavi Dayaldas Rao wrote Rana raso; in 1652 Pandit Lakshminath Bhatts Jagannath Prashasti; in 1676 Pandit Sadashiv Nagar penned Rajratnakar while in 1700-1710 Mahakavi Ranchod Bhatt immortalised the Rana in Rajprashasti and the Amarkavya. In the late 19th century CE, it was Kaviraj Shyamaldas whose Veer Vinod volumes became the official history of Mewar, followed by his illustrious assistant and historian Gaurishankar Ojhas Udaipur Rajya ka Itihas. These works ~ in Rajasthani, Hindi or Sanskrit ~ are awaiting reinterpretation today; the 20th century works of literary greats like Moolshankar Maniklal Yagiks Pratapvijayam and Pratapvijay of Mahakavi Ish Dutt Shastri Ish are equally significant. Adding another dimension to Rana Prataps era, Dr Shri Krishna Jugnu an accomplished Sanskrit scholar-teacherwriter from Udaipur stated, Even when Mewar was engulfed in innumerable crises preparing for imminent battles, Rana Pratap was framing policies that can today be termed as those for nation-building. They included afforestation programmes, building and maintaining water-bodies, the non-killing of animals, resettlement of communities affected by battles or natural calamities. There are in numerable works, inscriptions and sources which reaffirm these policies of Pratap, Dr Jugnu said, who like many historians in Rajasthan refer to Pratap, dropping the title Maharana. They feel a strong bonding with this son of the soil who is one of them and so alive till date. For Prof Jugnu, Prataps biggest contribution, and the most visionary and long-lasting, are the three major works of Chakrapani Misra. The first is Vishwa Vallabh, which is dedicated to agriculture and agri-sciences. Just think of it, in the 16th century CE, the work commissioned by Rana Pratap was titled as Vishwa. His vision was global; he was thinking of a world far beyond the limited confines of Mewar! Chakrapani Misra presents, in chaste and poetic Sanskrit, the importance of preserving the entire ecological system. His works include Muhurth a mala and Rajyabhishekha paddhati and are the documentation of living heritage of those times. Rana Pratap demonstrated his ability to focus on these knowledge-intensive subjects, far removed from the world of battles, armaments and military training. A new chapter unfolds when Dr Paul T Craddock, a Bri tish archaeo-metallurgist of global repute, focusses on the mines of Zawar, Dariba and Agucha in Mewar region. He said, The remains of early mining and metallurgy we have studied in India are at least as sophisticated as anything further west, and there are no parallels or analogies anywhere for the zinc smelting processes that we have uncovered in the Zawar mines near Udaipur, Mewar. This was the sharp edge of technical innovation, taking place on a major scale well away from Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. We can safely say it was the start of the industrial revolution in the Kingdom of Mewar, 500 years before it begins in the West. The production of lead, silver and zinc in ancient India (with IC Freestone, LK Gurjar, A Middleton, L Willies and Prof. K.T.M. Hegde of the MS Baroda University) is one of Dr Craddocks pioneering reports. It is instrumental in transforming our understanding of pre-modern societies through the perspective of large-scale economic activities underway. Mining ac ti vities in Mewar, for example, were global in nature, bringing in huge revenues for the State treasury. It would suffice to say that in India by the 12th century CE, the production of zinc at Zawar was beginning on an industrial scale. No wonder the armies of the Delhi Sultanate and later, the Mughals, were making frequent inroads into this region, laying siege to fortcities like Chittaurgarh and Kumbhalgarh. The battles were fought, diplomatic alliances formed and broken to not just territorially extend the empires but to control lucrative land-to-coast trade routes and capture natural resources. Rana Pratap is to be seen not just as a protector of Mewar but a custodian of its natural wealth, said Dr Shri Krishna Jugnu. Ecology, environmental protection and afforestation are major objectives for us, said Dr Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, chairman and managing trustee of Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation and head of Maharana Pratap Smarak Samiti in Udaipur. We remain committed to legacies bestowed by our forefather Maharana Pratap ~ his ideals, values and beliefs, self respect and independence are sacrosanct for us and the entire world, he said, referring to the verses of Pandit Narendra Mishra, one of Mewars greatest poets: Yeh dharti vaani putron ke amar gaan ki hai / Shabd sadhakon ke digvijayi laksh daan ki hai / Yahan lekhni ne zameer ko becha nahin kabhi / Yeh dharti Rana Pratap ke swabhimaan ki hai Words loaded with powerful emotions that bring the greatness of the past to transform ordinary lives into extraordinary ones. (The writer is a researcher-author on history and heritage issues, and a former deputy curator of Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya.) Advertisement Terrorists may plant bombs and sow fear, but India lays tracks, builds bridges, and strengthens unity. Over 28 years in the making, the rail link featuring the worlds highest railway arch symbolises not only connectivity but continuity. Kashmirs inseparable place in the Indian journey and the importance accorded to its development are in sharp contrast, may we add, to the story in that part of the region which Pakistan has occupied. This is not about symbolism alone. The new rail route, along with newly opened roads, medical infrastructure, and civic projects, is designed to restore confidence in a region that has seen too much blood and uncertainty. The Valley, known for its unmatched beauty and dignified people, deserves more than security concerns. It deserves opportunity, investment, and peace on its own terms. Advertisement Advertisement In this zero-sum game, neither truth nor justice wins only the cycle of suspicion and violence continues unbroken. Pakistans denials ring hollow. Decades of cross-border infiltration and proxy warfare are not erased by official statements. India has shown restraint and strength in equal measure. The message is clear: if Pakistan fans the flames of extremism, India will answer not just with defence, but with development. Yet Kashmirs story is not Pakistans to write. It is Indias to honour, protect, and empower and for the Kashmiri people to live with dignity, safety, and purpose. They are not a bargaining chip. They are an inseparable part of Indias soul. Development will continue. Terror will be defeated. Kashmir will prevail because India will not rest until it does True development in Kashmir must uphold the ideals of a united India where every citizen, from Srinagar to Kanyakumari, shares equally in the nations pride, protection, and promise of progress. By targeting tourism Kashmirs economic backbone the April attack tried to do more than kill. It sought to cripple the local economy, crush morale, and isolate the region once more. It failed. Tourism may have temporarily dropped, but the governments response swift, visible, and strategic has laid the groundwork for revival. The continuing tug-of-war between India and Pakistan over Kashmir reduces every tragedy to a political point. What should have been a moment of collective mourning becomes another line in a diplomatic script. The recent decline in US imports a stunning 20 per cent plunge in a single month has handed the Trump administration an apparent victory. The trade deficit in goods, a figure long criticized by then former and now returned President Trump, shrank by nearly half. To some, this sharp decline seems to validate the aggressive tariff strategy Mr Trump unleashed earlier this year. But behind the numbers lies a troubling truth: this is less an economic triumph than a distortion, masking deeper risks for both the US and global economies. At first glance, the administrations move seems to be working. By slapping sweeping import taxes including a blanket 10 per cent levy on most goods the White House has forced down the volume of foreign goods flowing into American ports. Steel, aluminum, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, toys, clothing and even everyday consumer electronics like mobile phones have been caught in this dragnet. Key trading partners such as China, Canada, and Mexico have seen their exports to the US nosedive to levels not seen in years. For American consumers, this could mean higher prices on goods from electronics to apparel as retailers pass on increased costs stemming from disrupted supply chains and import taxes. But this trade squeeze is neither organic nor sustainable. Much of the April decline is the result of panic-driven stockpiling by American firms earlier in the year. Advertisement Expecting tariffs, they rushed to fill inventories ahead of time creating a false sense of market activity that inflated import numbers before the drop. The subsequent fall, then, reflects not a new industrial resurgence in the US, but a temporary vacuum after the buying frenzy. There is no evidence yet that US factories are scaling up production to fill this gap. Domestic manufacturing, still hollowed out by decades of offshoring, cannot pivot overnight to replace the sheer variety and volume of goods that Americans import. Without structural investment in industrial capacity and skills, the country risks shortages, price spikes, and supply chain disruptions. Early warnings are already emerging steel exports from Mexico have halved, while Canadas trade deficit ballooned, both signs of deeper economic friction that could backfire on the US economy itself. Even the sharp reduction in the deficit comes with strings attached. Advertisement By forcing abrupt changes in global trade flows, Washington risks driving suppliers to pivot permanently toward other markets, bypassing the US in the long term. Vietnam and Taiwan, for example, briefly stepped in to fill some of the supply gap, but such adjustments are tactical, not strategic. Prolonged instability could encourage producers worldwide to diversify away from the US market altogether. Shortterm optics may favour the administrations political message of winning on trade, but this is no assured victory. Economic strength cannot be measured by import suppression alone. True success demands a revitalised domestic industry not merely fewer foreign goods. Until that foundation is rebuilt, the gains will remain fragile, and the risks both at home and abroad will only grow. Allah Nazar Baloch, the leader of the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), has accused the Pakistani military establishment of creating and promoting the narrative of ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-F) as a tool to delegitimize nationalist movements by using the name of the religion, according to a report by The Balochistan Post (TBP). Nazar suggested that ISIS-Ks doctrinal foundation is a scripted narrative coordinated by Pakistans Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military media branch. According to him, the goal is to manipulate public opinion against national liberation movements by falsely accusing them of being proxy for foreign powers, TBP stated. Advertisement Nazar stated that the Baloch national struggle for independence is a grassroots movement supported exclusively by the Baloch people and not dependent on foreign powers. He referred to the movement as a genuine manifestation of national sovereignty. According to a TBP report, he accused Pakistan of systematically aiming to degrade Baloch society to remove its national identity and transform Balochistan into a permanent colonial outpost. Advertisement Nazar also criticised the security structure in Balochistan, claiming that it is directly controlled by the military rather than the civilian government. He accused the army of fostering relations with terrorist groups to perpetuate regional political instability. These statements are consistent with long-standing charges by Baloch leaders and activists that Pakistans security establishment employs radicalism to oppose nationalist movements, according to the TBP report. The Baloch people have faced systematic oppression and torture through the misuse of several laws, particularly in regions like Pakistans Balochistan. Laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Act and special security ordinances have been used to justify arbitrary arrests, prolonged detention without trial, and denial of basic legal rights. Under these laws, security forces often operate with broad powers and legal immunity, leading to widespread reports of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture, including physical and psychological abuse. Military courts and special tribunals frequently try Baloch activists without fair trial standards, further denying them justice. Additionally, media censorship laws suppress Baloch voices and conceal these abuses from the public, perpetuating a cycle of violence and impunity against the Baloch people. MANILA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines is actively pursuing deeper agricultural trade ties with Egypt to explore broader market access for high-value Philippine produce, particularly mangoes and bananas, the Philippines' Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday. Philippine Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel discussed the issue with Egyptian Ambassador to the Philippines Nader Nabil Zaki recently to expand overseas markets for its agricultural products. The discussions form part of a larger effort by the department to diversify export destinations and unlock new trade opportunities in strategically located and fast-growing markets such as North Africa. Egypt, an important economy in Africa, recently opened its doors to Philippine durian, a move that Tiu Laurel hopes will pave the way for similar access to more local fruits. "They already granted us access to durian. We are hopeful they will do the same for our mangoes and bananas," Laurel said. As part of the trade discussions, the Philippines is finalizing the pest risk assessment and food safety analysis for Egyptian grapes and ware potatoes. The bilateral dialogue comes with a growing momentum for Philippine agri-exports. Late in May, the Philippines completed its first commercial shipment of fresh mangoes to Italy, expanding its footprint in the European market. Meanwhile, negotiations are ongoing to bring Philippine durian to New Zealand. Covid-19 infections in South Korea are forecast to steadily rise later this month ahead of the summer vacation season, health authorities said Tuesday, urging older adults and vulnerable groups to receive vaccinations. South Korea had seen a steady increase in Covid-19 cases in summer, and this year is expected to be similar to previous years, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Advertisement Last year, the number of hospitalised Covid-19 patients swelled to 1,444 in the third week of August, from 1,362 in the second week and 864 in the first week. Advertisement The number of Covid-19 patients had remained steady at around 100 for the past four weeks, but other nations, such as Thailand and Taiwan, have been suffering a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases, which have been exacerbated by variants. The country is offering free Covid-19 vaccination to those aged 65 or older, vulnerable to Covid-19 infections and high-risk groups by the end of this month. As of Monday, around 47.5 per cent of those aged 65 or more had received vaccination against Covid-19, according to the KDCA, Yonhap news agency reported. India is also experiencing an uptick in COVID-19 cases. According to the official website of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 783 patients have been cured, discharged, or migrated from various parts of the country as of Tuesday morning. As of 8 am on Tuesday, the total number of active Covid-19 cases in India has reached 6,815, reflecting an increase of 324 cases. In the past 24 hours, three new COVID-19-related fatalities were reported, with one each occurring in Delhi, Kerala, and Jharkhand. The current rise in Covid-19 cases in India is attributed to new Omicron sub-variants, including JN.1, NB.1.8.1, LF.7, and XFC. These variants are known for their increased transmissibility but generally cause mild symptoms. The World Health Organisation currently categorises these as Variants Under Monitoring, indicating they are not yet a cause for concern but warrant vigilance. Meanwhile, SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19, has not vanished; rather, it has transitioned into a recurring cycle of illnesses, akin to seasonal flu, and no longer poses an unpredictable emergency. With five years left to meet the worlds 30 by 30 conservation goal and an urgent need to improve the management of marine ecosystems, the underway 2025 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) presents an opportunity for governments to make progress on global agreements that can ensure the protection and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources for generations. Scientists warn that since the 2015 Paris Agreement was signed, the world has added the energy equivalent of nearly two billion atom bombs such as Little Boy to the ocean. Advertisement The result, the ocean heat content in 2025 to a depth of 2000 metres was about 104 zettajoules more than in 2015, equivalent to about 1.7 billion atom bombs, about five bombs per second. Advertisement Global daily sea ice hit a record low in February 2025. The maximum sea ice extent and volume in both 2023 and 2024 was also dramatically below the extent of previous years. Antarctic sea ice may have entered an entirely new, smaller state, as the 2023 and 2024 winter maximum sea ice extents were so far below previous years. 2025 Antarctic sea ice is also well below historical averages for both extent and volume. The Antarctic sea ice summer minimum extents from 2022-2025 were the lowest in history, around half of the average, and the Antarctic sea ice low in 2023 was calculated to be possible only once in 2,650 years without climate change. Arctic sea ice reached its lowest volume ever in March 2025, after decades of decline. Sea levels reached a record high in 2024 and the rate of sea level rise has increased since 2015. Sea level rise would take 100s to 1,000s of years to reverse, even if we started now. At the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in the southern French city of Nice, two major marine conservation coalitions in the Mediterranean Med Sea Alliance and Together for the Med representing more than 70 local and regional organisations, have joined forces to call on world leaders to accelerate actions for marine conservation and restoration in the Mediterranean. This isnt just about saving nature: its about restoring balance between people and the planet, said Karlijn Steinbusch, Director of the Med Sea Alliance. We already have regional commitments. We know marine protection pays off. What we need now is political action stronger, better-funded, and more meaningful marine protection. The sea doesnt recognise borders, said Margaux Janin, Coordinator of Together for the Med. We need to include all voices, with collaboration that moves beyond geographical boundaries. Scientists, fishers, and NGOs are all demanding the same healthy future for our shared sea. The Mediterranean Sea is a vital pillar of the regions environmental integrity, regional food security and socio-economic resilience. Its waters support immense biodiversity more than 17,000 marine species, representing 18 per cent of the known species worldwide and the livelihoods of millions, particularly in coastal communities. More than 700,000 jobs and more than 20 billion in revenue are generated annually by fisheries and marine aquaculture in the Mediterranean and Black Sea region, underlining the seas immense value not just ecologically, but also economically. Sadly, the Mediterranean is warming three times faster than the global ocean average, threatening not only biodiversity but also the livelihoods of millions who depend on its waters. In this context, UNOC3 provides a pivotal platform to unite diverse stakeholders from national governments and marine scientists, to small-scale fishing communities and NGOs around evidence-based solutions, proving that regional cooperation can deliver both ecological recovery and effective community management. At the UNOC, the G20 Coral Research and Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP) and The Earthshot Prize on Tuesday announced the launch of a joint global Coral Innovation Search to fast-track solutions for coral reef protection and restoration. The new strategic partnership was unveiled aboard OceanXplorer, a research and media vessel operated by OceanX, during a high-level side event at the UNOC. The event brought together global voices from venture capital, corporate, investment and philanthropic organisations including musician and ocean advocate James Blunt and environmentalist Philippe Cousteau Jr. to discuss the urgent need to mobilise resources and innovation to safeguard a future for corals. On Monday, the UNOCs opening day, High Seas Alliance congratulated progress on the historic number of ratifications for the High Seas Treaty that have just been deposited, bringing the treaty much closer to the critical threshold of 60 ratifications needed for its entry into force. At a special High Seas Treaty event organised especially for the conference, 18 countries deposited their instruments of ratification. Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Cote dIvoire, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Malta, Vietnam, Jamaica, Albania, Bahamas, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Fiji, Mauritania, Vanuatu, Greece and Jordan now joined the 31 countries plus the European Union that have already deposited their ratification prior to the conference. This brings the total number of country ratifications to 49. An additional 17 countries also signed the treaty, marking their intention to ratify it in the future, taking the total number of signatories to 134. The treaty, formally titled the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), officially opened for signing and ratification in September 2023. France, co-hosting the UN Ocean Conference with Costa Rica, has made accelerating treaty ratification a key deliverable, and has played a key diplomatic role in driving progress ahead of the conference. 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 NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 61F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. CCTV: The Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation opened in Changsha, Hunan today. Can you share more details with us? What is the significance of this meeting for China-Africa cooperation? Lin Jian: The Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held in Changsha, Hunan today. President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the meeting. He announced that China will implement the policy of granting 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines, provide more facilitation to Africas least developed countries for their export to China, and work with Africa to further implement the 10 partnership actions, providing important guidance for China and Africa jointly advancing modernization and building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the opening ceremony of the meeting and put forward five proposals on promoting high-quality China-Africa cooperation. He noted that China and Africa need to support each other and uphold the solidarity of the Global South; China and Africa need to open up to the world and champion international free trade; China and Africa need to pursue mutual benefit and engage in cooperation on global development; China and Africa need to uphold justice and defend an equitable international order; China and Africa need to carry out exchange and mutual learning and promote diversity of civilizations in the world. The two sides issued the China-Africa Changsha Declaration on Upholding Solidarity and Cooperation of the Global South, the List of Outcomes of the Implementation of the Follow-up Action of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and the Concept Paper of 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, demonstrating the joint effort of China and Africa to implement the cooperation outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, and providing new driving forces for deepening political mutual trust, advancing mutually beneficial cooperation and building closer bond between the people. Starting from tomorrow, the Fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo will also be held in Changsha. Over recent years, spearheaded by FOCAC, China-Africa relations have achieved great leaps forward. China and all African countries having diplomatic ties with China have established strategic partnerships, and China has been the largest trading partner for Africa for 16 years in a row. Since the FOCAC Beijing Summit last year, China has made an additional investment of over RMB 13.3 billion, and provided funding of over RMB 150 billion to Africa. In the first five months of this year, Chinas imports and exports with Africa reached RMB 963 billion, up by 12.4 percent year-on-year, hitting a record high for the same period of the year in history. China always views enhancing solidarity and cooperation with African countries as an important cornerstone of our foreign policy. We stand ready to work with Africa to make solid progress in implementing the outcomes of FOCAC Beijing Summit, take effort to design the development of the forum in the future, use the golden key of China-Africa solidarity and cooperation to unlock the door to a future of common development, support Africas development and revitalization through Chinese modernization, and make joint contribution to realizing the solidarity and strength of the Global South and building a community with a shared future for mankind. The Associated Press: Global Rights Compliance, a group in Europe, released a report today on Xinjiang, saying that companies of critical minerals from Xinjiang risk buying products that have been produced with forced labor. Would you have any comment or response to that? Lin Jian: No one has ever been forcibly transferred out of Chinas Xinjiang region under work programs. The so-called allegation of forced labor in Chinas Xinjiang region is nothing but a lie propagated by certain anti-China forces. We urge certain organization to stop interfering in Chinas internal affairs and undermining the stability and prosperity in Chinas Xinjiang region under the pretext of human rights. NHK: From June 9 to 10, the Chinese and the U.S. delegations held the first meeting of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism in London. Can you brief us on the details of what has been discussed and what has been achieved? Any specific arrangement for future consultations between China and the U.S.? Lin Jian: I believe you also noted that the Chinese representative in London has made a response on the consultation. I have nothing more to share at the moment. China Daily: Its reported that with regard to the purchase of CK Hutchison assets, the head of the Panama Canal Authority said on June 10 that there is a potential risk of capacity concentration if the deal comes the way it is structured as we understand right now. It will be at the expense of Panamas competitiveness in the market and inconsistent with neutrality. He also said a U.S. request to allow its government ships to pass through the canal for free was not possible. Whats Chinas comment? Lin Jian: We noted relevant reports. On CK Hutchisons sales of its assets overseas, the State Administration for Market Regulation and competent authorities made responses to that more than once, which you may refer to. Let me stress more broadly that China all along firmly opposes economic coercion and domineering and bullying practices. On the navigation of relevant countrys vessels, China will, as always, respect Panamas sovereignty over the Canal and recognize the Canal as a permanently neutral international waterway. We support Panamas effort to uphold independence and firmly defend its lawful rights and interests as an independent sovereign country. AFP: Kazakhstan announced today that Chinese leader will visit the country next week for a summit alongside other regional partners. Can the Foreign Ministry provide more details about the trip, including what China aims to achieve at the summit? Lin Jian: Regarding the specific visit you mentioned, we will release information in due course. People are arrested by policemen as they do not leave the Los Angeles downtown area in time when the curfew is effective in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on June 10, 2025. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday evening that the second largest city in the United States has imposed a curfew in the downtown area from local time 8:00 p.m. (0300 GMT Wednesday) to 6:00 a.m. (1300 GMT) Wednesday. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua) LOS ANGELES, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday evening that the second largest city in the United States has imposed a curfew in the downtown area from local time 8:00 p.m. (0300 GMT Wednesday) to 6:00 a.m. (1300 GMT) Wednesday. The curfew would cover about 1 square mile, Bass said. She said that the local authorities imposed the limited curfew in response to looting and vandalism that occurred downtown Monday night, following largely peaceful daytime protests. The curfew exempts residents of the designated area, homeless individuals, credentialed media and public safety or emergency officials, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Bass announced the curfew as protests against raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stretched into the fifth day, with local media reporting demonstrators surged onto the 101 Freeway, blocking traffic in both directions, shortly before the order was issued. Mounted police try to disperse people on the street when the curfew is effective in Los Angeles downtown area, California, the United States, on June 10, 2025. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday evening that the second largest city in the United States has imposed a curfew in the downtown area from local time 8:00 p.m. (0300 GMT Wednesday) to 6:00 a.m. (1300 GMT) Wednesday. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua) People are arrested by policemen as they do not leave the Los Angeles downtown area in time when the curfew is effective in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on June 10, 2025. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday evening that the second largest city in the United States has imposed a curfew in the downtown area from local time 8:00 p.m. (0300 GMT Wednesday) to 6:00 a.m. (1300 GMT) Wednesday. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua) Policemen try to disperse people on the street when the curfew is effective in Los Angeles downtown area, California, the United States, on June 10, 2025. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday evening that the second largest city in the United States has imposed a curfew in the downtown area from local time 8:00 p.m. (0300 GMT Wednesday) to 6:00 a.m. (1300 GMT) Wednesday. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua) Amid heavy investment in AI development, Google is offering buyouts to U.S. employees across multiple divisions, including its central engineering teams. Members of the tech giant's search and advertising units have also been provided with voluntary buyout offers, reportedly as part of continuing cost-cutting efforts as AI spending takes center stage. For the unversed, after several rounds of layoffs in 2024, Googles latest effort to reduce headcount follows a significant downsizing at the beginning of 2023, when the company cut approximately 12,000 jobsabout 6% of its workforce. Earlier this year, some teams at Google introduced what is being called a "voluntary exit program" with severance for U.S.-based employees. According to company spokesperson Courtenay Mencini, several more teams are now offering the program to support upcoming prioritiespresumably artificial intelligenceInvestopedia said in a report. The report also quoted the spokesperson as saying that employees are being asked to switch to a hybrid work model as the company aims to bring its workforce "together in person." Most recently, Googles Knowledge and Information division announced the "voluntary exit program." Reports said that employees working in Googles search, advertising, and commerce teams fall under this division. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that OpenAI plans to add Alphabet's Google Cloud service to meet its growing computing capacity needs. The deal, which had been under discussion for a few months, was finalized in May, one of the sources added. It underscores how the massive computing demands required to train and deploy AI models are reshaping the competitive dynamics in the AI industry and marks OpenAI's latest move to diversify its computing sources beyond its major supporter Microsoft, including the high-profile Stargate data center project. Bogdan Geler, chairman of the Transilvania Art Link Association, performs during the concert titled Dialogue and Resonance celebrating the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the China Cultural Center in Bucharest, Romania, June 10, 2025. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) BUCHAREST, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A concert titled Dialogue and Resonance was held Tuesday evening at the China Cultural Center in Bucharest to mark the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Co-organized by the center and the Transilvania Art Link Association, the event brought together nearly 100 guests from China and Romania in a celebration of cross-cultural dialogue through music and art. Three Romanian musicians performed a program blending Chinese and Western classics. Highlights included Homesickness, evoking the vast grasslands through violin and piano, and Fisherman's Song, a flute and piano duet reflecting East-West musical interplay. Romanian composer Mihail Jora's Little Suite added a touch of Eastern European rhythm. Xu Ningbo, director of the China Cultural Center, expressed hope that the audience sensed the spirit of "high mountains and flowing water" in the music, making the evening a lasting memory of China-Romania friendship. Bogdan Geler, chairman of the Transilvania Art Link Association and one of the performers, noted similarities between Chinese and Romanian musical traditions, suggesting such common ground fosters closer ties. Violinist Marta Banyasz described performing Homesickness as a personal experience, likening it to recalling fragments of a distant childhood memory. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution last year designating June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. The initiative was proposed by China and co-sponsored by more than 80 countries. Violinist Marta Banyasz performs during the concert titled Dialogue and Resonance celebrating the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the China Cultural Center in Bucharest, Romania, June 10, 2025. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) Romanian musicians perform during the concert titled Dialogue and Resonance celebrating the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the China Cultural Center in Bucharest, Romania, June 10, 2025. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) An Indian Army contingent is in Mongolia for the multinational military exercise Khaan Quest, which seeks to bring together military forces from around the world to collaborate and enhance their peacekeeping capabilities. The exercise, which aims at preparing the armed forces for greater interoperability and military readiness for peacekeeping missions while operating in a multinational environment, will be held from June 14 to 28. The exercise will focus on high degree of physical fitness, joint planning and joint tactical drills. Tactical drills to be practiced during the exercise will include the establishment of static and mobile check-points, cordon and search operations, patrolling, evacuation of civilians from hostile area, counter-improvised explosive device drills, combat first aid and casualty evacuation, among others, the defence ministry said in a release. ALSO READ: Drones, data and doctrine: NSGs new playbook for hybrid warfare Exercise Khaan Quest will enable the participating countries to share their best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures for the conduct of joint operations. The exercise will facilitate developing inter-operability, bonhomie and camaraderie between soldiers of the participating countries, the defence ministry said in a release. The Indian Army contingent comprising 40 personnel is being represented mainly by troops from a battalion of the Kumaon Regiment along with personnel from other Arms and Services. One woman officer and two women soldiers are also part of the contingent. The exercise began as a bilateral event between the USA and Mongolian armed forces in 2003. Subsequently, it evolved into a multinational peacekeeping exercise. The last edition of Exercise Khaan Quest was conducted in Mongolia from July 27 to August 9. In what comes as the biggest annual hike in 10 years, the Pakistan government has proposed a 20 per cent increase in the country's defence budget. The increase in defence spending comes amid heightened tensions with India in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and the four-day intense military stand-off that followed. The 2.55 trillion Pakistani rupee allocation14.51 per cent of the total federal outlay of 17.57 trillion rupeefor the armed forces is in contrast with the decline in national spending in areas like education and health in terms of GDP. The defence allocation accounts for nearly 2 per cent of the country's GDP. "The security situation in the country is precarious and the armed forces have rendered commendable service in protecting the borders," Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said while presenting the budget for the fiscal year 2025-26. ALSO READ: Is 'Brigade 313' Al-Qaeda in Pakistan? Senator Sherry Rehman claims the militant group is a Western narrative The increase in defence spending comes even as there has been a cutback on overall spending. According to media reports, under the defence budget, there has been an increase in operational, infrastructure, and employee-related expenses. Some posit that the Pakistani government has decided to increase the defence spending in an attempt to meet the demands of Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal General Asim Munir. The defence minister, while presenting the budget, had said, The spirit with which we protected our national sovereignty, we need to ensure our financial security the same way. He also said there would be a special relief allowance for officers and junior-commissioned officers in light of the contribution of the armed forces to defending our borders. It is to be noted that India had made a provision of Rs 6,81,210.27 crore for the Financial Year (FY) 2025-26 for the defence ministrya 9.53 per cent increase from the previous year. Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Defence Ltd announced a strategic cooperation agreement with German arms manufacturer Diehl Defence for the production of next-generation terminal-guided munitions (TGMs). The 155mm TGMs, which are equipped with built-in ECCM (Electronic Counter-Countermeasures) capabilities that make them less susceptible to enemy electronic jamming attempts, can home into targets within 10 seconds of reaching the anticipated impact zone. According to Reliance Defence, the company has the market opportunity to potentially generate Rs 10,000 crore in revenue through the development and supply of advanced ammunition systems. "The partnership will drive local production of state-of-the-art, Vulcano 155 mm Precision Guided Munition system, catering to the Indian Armed Forces" Reliance Defence said in a statement. ALSO READ: Drones, data and doctrine: NSGs new playbook for hybrid warfare "This milestone partnership represents a significant step forward for India's private sector in defence manufacturing, and aligns strongly with the nation's vision of achieving self-reliance in defence technology," the statement said. "The advanced munition system will incorporate state-of-the-art, laser and GPS-guided targeting technology, enhancing precision striking capability, while ensuring high-impact accuracy for designated targets." Besides, a separate joint statement by the two groups said Reliance group founder Anil Ambani and Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch discussed strengthening strategic partnership on guided munition/terminally guided munition that they had entered into in 2019. "For Diehl Defence, the collaboration with Reliance Defence is part of the company's commitment to the Indian market and to the 'Make in India' initiative of the Indian Government," it statement said. The main purpose of the current strategic cooperation agreement is to focus on the urgent supply of the 'System Vulcano 155mm Precision Guided Munition' for the Indian armed forces. In parallel, the initiative 'System Vulcano 155mm under Make in India-II' is in progress with Reliance Defence as the prime contractor for the Indian customer and Diehl Defence as the strategic partner. Reliance Defence said it aims to rank among India's top three private defence exporters. "As the prime contractor to the Indian Armed Forces, it will lead the execution of this high-impact programme, with Diehl Defence providing critical technology and system-level expertise. The manufacturing initiative includes over 50 per cent indigenous value addition, and is aligned with the government of India's Make in India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives," it said. In a major step towards AI-powered aerial warfare, Swedish aerospace and defence major Saab, in collaboration with German defence technology company Helsing, pitted an Artificial Intelligence-controlled Gripen E fighter jet against a real Gripen D aircraft in a series of dynamic BVR (beyond-visual-range) scenarios. Helsings AI agent Centaur was integrated into a Gripen E multirole fighter jet, marking a major advance in bringing AI capabilities to military aircraft. During the flights, the control of the aircraft was given to the AI agent, which successfully autonomously executed complex manoeuvres in BVR combat scenarios and cued the pilot to fire. The first flight under this joint initiativeProject Beyondwas carried out on May 28. ALSO READ: India's BrahMos stunned Pakistan. Will global demand for the combat-proven missiles now soar? The third flight on June 3 focused specifically on Centaurs performance, pitting it against a real Gripen D aircraft in a series of dynamic BVR scenarios with real-time data integration utilising sensor data to track the target aircraft, Saab said. The adaptability of the AI agent was tested during the trials by varying starting distances, speeds, aspects, and even disabling C2 data. According to a Reuters report, this is the first publicly known instance of AI being tested in a fighter jet beyond visual range. Calling this an important achievement from Saab, the company's head of Advanced Programmes Peter Nilsson said, "The swift integration and successful flight testing of Helsings AI in a Gripen E exemplifies the accelerated capability gain you can get from our fighter. We are excited to continue developing and refining how this and other AI agents can be used, while once again showing how our fighters will outperform faster than the opponent can evolve. Saab and Helsing will now analyze flight data and continue to train the AI agent. More test flights are planned for later this year, focusing on further enhancing its BVR and real-time combat performance. Very few visits of chiefs of the Pakistani military to the United States would have garnered as much interest and attention as that of the anticipated trip of Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir when he is expected to land there on Thursday (June 12). Munir, already fortified and decorated with a new rank, has reportedly been invited to attend the 250th US Army Day celebrations on June 14also the day Trump will step into his 80th year. Whether Munir gets the opportunity to wish Trump a happy birthday or not, his visit to the US is a definite sign that the US is cognizant of where the real power in Pakistan liesand definitely signaling a new warmth after a brief hiatus. This hiatus was the period when Pakistan swerved towards China. Munirs visit comes in the aftermath of a four-day intense fight between India and Pakistan that saw fighter aircraft, drones and missiles being liberally used by both sides even though the exact extent and scale of devastation lies hidden in the fog of war with the two mounting on intense campaigns to further their narratives. During the conflict, President Donald Trump made certain pronouncements that were indicative of hyphenating India and Pakistan that stood out in stark contrast to the Indian position that perpetrators of terror should not and cannot be equated with the victim. The unpredictable Trump also offered to mediate on the Kashmir issue, again going against the Indian stand that no third party can intervene in the Kashmir issue as New Delhi describes it as a bilateral issue. Interestingly, on Tuesday, US US Central Command chief General Michael E Kurilla, during a hearing by the House Armed Services Committee, said the US needs to have a relationship with both India and Pakistan, and the latter because of its role to counter the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP). Thats why we needto have a relationship with Pakistan and with India. I do not believe it is a binary switch that we cant have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India, Kurilla had said. This signals a rebuff to Indian efforts to isolate Pakistan for its active collaboration and aid to terrorist groups that have mounted attacks in India including the Pahalgam incident of April 22. Against this backdrop, Munirs expected visit is replete with implications. One, the US is keen that Pakistan should not sway any more towards the Chinese. Beijing and Islamabad have a very close military relationship with about 81 per cent of Pakistans military imports coming from China. It is via Pakistan that China reaches out to the Arabian Sea with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor where Beijing has already invested about $60 billion. A good relationship with Pakistan would mean a good market for US weapons besides the strategic implications of restricting China. Two, Pakistan has considerable deposits of rare earth minerals including lithium, gold and copper especially in Baluchistansomething that the US has been consistently looking out for. Already several moves are afoot to facilitate US exploration and exploitation of Pakistans rich mineral resources. Three, it is only with Pakistans active help that the US can hope to counter the growing ground of the Islamic State and its affiliates who have declared the US as their enemy number one. Fourth, the US knows that Pakistan is under a lot of financial pressure even as China seeks repayment of the loans that Pakistan has taken from Beijing. It can be a good opportunity to exploit Pakistans vulnerability. Fifth, signs of proximity with Pakistan may be a tactic to apply pressure on India to choose the Americans as a preferred side over the Russians with whom India has traditionally close military and strategic ties. The decade-old contentious 'caste survey', which was due to be tabled in the June 12 state cabinet, was scrapped by the Congress high command on Tuesday, leaving the Siddaramaiah government to start the process of enumeration all over again. Once again, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had the upper hand over Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as the party backed the DCM by ordering a fresh caste survey in the state. The socio-economic and educational survey carried out by the state Backward Classes Commission (H. Kantharaju Commission) at the cost of Rs 175 crore in 2014 had hit several roadblocks due to apprehensions over its accuracy, and several communities, including the politically and numerically significant Vokkaligas and Lingayats, strongly opposed even the revised report submitted by the Commission (K. Jayaprakash Hegde Commission) in February 2024. Amid the huge embarrassment caused to the ruling Congress in the state following the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede that claimed 11 lives on June 4, AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge and LOP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had summoned the chief minister and his deputy to Delhi. However, the outcome of the meeting was that the party leadership had reportedly accepted the action taken by the government (suspension of top cops, intelligence chief, CM's political secretary and initiating two probes magisterial inquiry and one-man commission inquiry) and also called for a fresh caste survey. "A fresh enumeration for the caste survey will be carried out within the next 90 days. However, the 2015 survey will be tabled and discussed in the state cabinet meeting to be held on June 12 at Nandi Hills," said Siddaramaiah, who had hoped to approve the old caste survey despite stiff resistance from the opposition BJP, JDS, and his own party and cabinet colleagues, including Shivakumar. The caste survey had divided the Congress into two, as Siddaramaiah, an 'Ahinda' leader, was in a hurry to accept the report as demanded by his core supporters (SC, ST, certain OBCs and minorities), while the dominant communities like Vokkaligas and Lingayats and smaller caste groups alleged their numbers had been deflated and called for fresh and scientific data. Even as Siddaramaiah claimed the caste census would be accepted "in principle" by the cabinet, Shivakumar was direct and, mincing no words, stated that the caste census had to be redone to dispel doubts over the sanctity of its data. A fresh survey (enumeration) will be carried out now to clear the air over the earlier caste census with respect to its data accuracy and concerns raised over under-representation of certain communities. Data will be collected once again through door-to-door and online surveys. "The entire process would be done in a very transparent manner, said Shivakumar after the meeting with the AICC leaders in Delhi. As the new caste census would take time, we will discuss the modalities of the census in the next Cabinet meeting. There is no need to worry, as we will take everyone into confidence in this process," he added. BJP mocked the chief minister, alleging that the state government was only trying to divert attention from the stampede case with the caste census issue. BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra said, "Whenever the Congress government in the state is in a crisis due to its administrative failure, it proposes a caste census, not out of social concern, but to divert the attention of the people of the country." BJP MLA Sunil Kumar said the Congress high command had scrapped the caste census prepared by the state government at a cost of Rs 150 crore and wasted the taxpayers' money. "It is also a great disservice to the backward and marginalised communities. The BJP had repeatedly pointed out the discrepancies in the data. But Siddaramaiah went ahead with it. Now, the party leadership has rejected the report, citing inaccuracies. For more than a decade, Siddaramaiah has been fooling the people, dividing the communities. So, the BJP demands that the Congress party and Siddaramaiah apologise to the people," added Kumar. Sonam Raghuvanshi, an accused in the murder of her husband and Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya, had visited their home town and stayed in a rented flat for three days before surrendering before the Uttar Pradesh Police in Ghazipur on June 9, reports said quoting officials. "We have received the information that Sonam came to Indore and stayed in a rented flat in Dewas Naka area between May 25 and 27," a police official told PTI. He said the Meghalaya Police would be given detailed information regarding this. Rajas body was recovered from a deep gorge in the Sohra area (also known as Cherrapunji) of East Khasi Hills district on June 2, days after the couple, who were on a honeymoon trip in the northeast state, went missing on May 23. According to police, Sonam planned the picnic and allegedly hired the hitmen to finish off her husband as she wanted to live with her lover. Some reports suggested that Sonam even offered Rs 20 lakh to the contract killers when they initially refused to execute the crime. Besides Sonam, police have arrested four more accusedRaj Kushwaha, Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmiin the case. All of them have been taken to Shillong after the cops obtained their transit custody from an Indore court. Kushwaha, the suspected boyfriend of Sonam, allegedly plotted the murder of Raja, though he didn't travel to the northeastern state to avoid suspicion. Sonam and Raja got married on May 11 in Indore and left for Meghalaya on a honeymoon on May 20. A special investigation team (SIT) of the Meghalaya Police, which is probing the murder of an Indore-based businessman, Raja Raghuvanshi, is likely to reconstruct the crime scene at Sohra in East Khasi Hills district with his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi and other accused. Sonam is accused of plotting Rajas murder with her alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha and three hired hitmen. The Meghalaya Police, under its special investigation codenamed 'Operation Honeymoon', unravelled the crime mystery after collecting a trail of digital footprints, blood-stained clothes and CCTV visuals. READ | Sonam Raghuvanshi brought to Shillong, to be produced in court The SIT has collected several pieces of physical evidence which included a blood-stained shirt belonging to two of the accusedAkash Rajput and Anand Kurmiand Sonams raincoat which also bore traces of blood. Police have also recovered the murder weapona curved bladeand sent it for forensic examination. They are also examining the fingerprints of the accused collected from various surfaces. The digital devices, including mobile phones, seized from the suspects have also been sent for detailed examination. The investigators have examined CCTV footage from at least 42 locations to track the movements of Sonam and other accused individuals. Other pieces of evidence collected by the SIT included the statements of hotel owners confirming the bookings by the accused, and a shopkeeper who allegedly sold the weapon used in the crime. The investigators also examined the flight tickets and other documents of the accused to assess their travel timeline. According to police, the three suspected hired killers have verbally confessed to the crime during the preliminary interrogation. READ | Sonam Raghuvanshi came back to Indore and stayed in flat for three days before surrendering Rajas body was recovered from a deep gorge near Sohra on June 2, days after the couple, who were on a honeymoon in the northeast state, went missing on May 23. Sonam later surrendered before the Uttar Pradesh Police in Ghazipur on June 9 after the arrest of her lover Raj Kushwaha and other accusedVishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi. All five suspects have been brought to Shillong and will be produced before a local court on Wednesday. "The SIT team that brought Sonam arrived shortly before midnight. She was taken to a hospital here to ascertain whether she was pregnant or not. She will be produced before a court here," a senior police officer told news agency PTI. The SIT has secured a six-day remand for the accused persons from Indore and that of three days for one arrested from Ghazipur. Jammu and Kashmir has received its biggest-ever road development package under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) scheme, making the Union Territory the first in the country to get approval under Batch-I of PMGSY-IV. Under the package, the Centre has cleared 316 road projects worth 4,224 crore. PMGSY is a Union government scheme that provides all-weather road connectivity to villages in rural and remote areas. The roads will help people travel more easily to schools, hospitals, markets, and other essential services in the region. Under this new package, 390 villages across Jammu and Kashmir will be connected, mainly those with over 250 people. A total of 1,781 kilometres of roads will be built or upgraded. This is expected to improve the lives of people living in far-off and hilly areas. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the approval. This project is part of a larger development push launched by the Modi government after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, which ended Jammu and Kashmirs special status. Since then, the government has focused on improving infrastructure, healthcare, education, housing, water supply, and digital connectivity in the region. Key schemes like Ayushman Bharat (for free health insurance), Jal Jeevan Mission (for tap water in every home), PM Awas Yojana (for affordable housing), and Digital India have seen faster implementation in J&K. New highways, tunnels, power projects, and industrial estates have also been built or are underway. The aim, according to the Centre, is to bring peace, development, and jobs to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and ensure they benefit from the same rights and progress as the rest of India. An official inquiry turned into a show of strength for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) as its chief and former Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) appeared before a one-man commission in Hyderabad. The Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose commission will look into the alleged irregularities in the construction and financial aspects of the Kaleshwaram project, touted as the largest lift-irrigation project built at a cost of Rs 1 lakh crore. The commission was formed after damage to piers was noticed in one of the barrages of the project in 2023, which turned into an election issue between the Congress and the BRS, with the former raising questions regarding its quality. A flurry of activity was witnessed in the BRS camp right from morning. On Wednesday, his daughter and MLC, K. Kavitha and senior leaders of the party met KCR at his farmhouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad. After that, KCR started in a massive convoy to BRK Bhavan, which is located in the heart of the city. Outside the premises, a large number of BRS supporters gathered with banners and flags, turning the event into a political spectacle. Hundreds of policemen were stationed outside the government building to prevent any untoward incidents. The party leaders spoke to the media and gave statements implying that forcing KCR to appear before the commission meant harassing him and defaming the party. KCR was accompanied by party leaders S. Madhusudhana Chary, leader of the opposition in the council and MLAs Harish Rao, Prashanth Reddy, ex-IPS officer R.S. Praveen Kumar and MP Ravichandra. KCR faced the one-man commission and faced questions for about an hour. The Justice PC Ghose Commission has already examined dozens of officials involved in the project, including engineers and bureaucrats. A few days back, the commission also examined KCRs nephew and former irrigation minister, Harish Rao, and former finance minister and now BJP MP, Etala Rajender. The term of the commission has extended multiple times in the last one year. The commission which has gone through all the documents related to the project in detail is expected to submit the report to the government in the coming few weeks. ISLAMABAD, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 1 million people visited tourist destinations in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province during the four-day Eid al-Adha holidays, the provincial government said in a statement on Wednesday. The Swat district experienced a significant influx, welcoming around 300,000 tourists, the statement said. Other popular destinations such as Mansehra, Chitral, Abbottabad, Dir districts, and the Galiyat region collectively received approximately 700,000 visitors. Tourists expressed satisfaction with the security situation and the facilities provided by the government, it added. Speaking to Xinhua, Adnan Malik, a local tour operator, said that the extreme heat in other parts of the country prompted many to opt for cooler, mountainous areas of the province for their holidays. He noted that improved infrastructure, particularly the Havelian-Thakot road built under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, has made travel to the region safer and more convenient. "The growing trend of local residents offering rooms in their homes, due to high hotel rates and limited availability, is providing tourists with affordable alternatives and contributing to the overall rise in domestic tourism," Malik added. According to the Pakistan Tourism Development Committee, the country's travel and tourism industry is expanding rapidly and is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 6.75 percent from 2025 to 2029. Sonam Raghuvanshi, an accused in the killing of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, in Meghalaya last month, has confessed to her crime, reports said on Wednesday. Sonam (24) made the confession during her questioning by the special investigation team (SIT). Officials are now planning to record her formal statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC, reported CNN News18, quoting sources. The investigators are also preparing to videotape her confession. The body of Raja, an Indore-based businessman, was found in a deep gorge in Meghalayas East Khasi Hills district on June 2. The couple, who were on a honeymoon in the northeast state, had gone missing on May 23 after checking out of a homestay in the area. #WATCH | Meghalaya | On Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, SP East Khasi Hills, Vivek Syiem says, "Investigation is going on, we have to confirm a lot of things. There is evidence against (Sonam Raghuvanshi), of her involvement in the murder. But, things will be clearer after the pic.twitter.com/SpEOf9fFMT ANI (@ANI) June 11, 2025 Sonam, who surrendered before the Uttar Pradesh Police on June 9, has been brought to Shillong along with four other arrested accused. She was taken to a hospital here for a medical examination and will be produced before a court during the day, as the SIT will seek her police custody. Sonam is on a three-day transit remand with Meghalaya Police. "The SIT that brought Sonam arrived here shortly before midnight. She was taken to a hospital here around 2 am to ascertain whether she was pregnant or not. She had undergone three tests. Sonam will be produced before a court here," a police officer told PTI. READ | Sonam Raghuvanshis blood-stained raincoat and other damning pieces of evidence found by police Meanwhile, the SIT which has codenamed its investigation Operation Honeymoon, is likely to recreate the crime scene in Sohra with Sonam and other four arrested accusedRaj Kushwaha, Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi. According to a preliminary investigation, Sonam conspired with Kushwaha, her alleged boyfriend, to finish off her husband and hired three hitmen to execute the crime. Besides Sonam, the other four accused will also be produced before a Shillong court on Wednesday. The United Democratic Front (UDF) faces strong criticism from various fronts for Chairman and Opposition Leader V.D. Satheeshans comment that the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind had moved away from advocating a theocratic state. Satheeshan made these remarks in the context of the Nilambur by-election, which will take place later this month, defending the UDF's acceptance of support from the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and its political affiliate, the Welfare Party of India. It is estimated that the Welfare Party affiliates and sympathisers of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind have a strength of less than 1,500. Samastha Kanthapuram faction leader Rahmatullah Saqafi Elamaram said that V.D. Satheesan's remark on the Jamaat-e-Islami abandoning its old ideologies had been made without properly studying the Jamaat-e-Islami, claiming that the organisation had not deviated from its core ideology. ALSO READ | Nilambur bypoll: UDF targets anti-Malappuram bias, LDF hits back over pension bribe charge The K.N.M. party has also expressed reservations about Satheeshans remarks. Interpreting religion for political purposes was the fundamental error committed by Jamaat-e-Islami," said the party state president T.P. Abdullah Koya Madani. Meanwhile, the Catholic Congress and the Thamarassery Diocese also criticised the UDF for accepting support from the Welfare Party, stating that an alliance between the Congress and the Welfare Party posed a threat to secular democracy and reflected opportunistic politics. Compared to the past, the Muslim League now has a more lenient stance towards the Jamaat-e-Islami. In January, Muslim League state president Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said in an interview that the League has maintained a long-standing relationship with Jamaat-e-Islami, and that it is welcoming the latter's votes to the UDF. Meanwhile, LDF leaders are also fuelling the narrative that the UDF is playing opportunistic politics by accepting the offer for support from the LDF. CPM state secretary M.V. Govindan's criticism came with the narrative that UDF, by accepting the support of the Welfare Party, has turned into a communal platform. Meanwhile, UDFs counter-attack pointed to the past positions of Jamaat-e-Islami and the Welfare Party, as well as the CPMs approach toward them. They highlighted that even Deshabhimaniin its editorial during the 1996 Assembly electionshad described Jamaat-e-Islamis support for the LDF as encouraging. ALSO READ | Analysis: Nilambur byelection and PV Anvar's uncertain future with UDF The UDF also pointed out comments made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, when he was the party secretary. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and the 2011 Assembly elections, Jamaat-e-Islami had extended its support to the Left front. It was during this period that Pinarayi Vijayan described the Jamaat-e-Islami as a Muslim organisation with a clear political perspective. Govindan has also asserted that the CPM had never entered into a political alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami at any point. The PDP, founded by the controversial leader Abdul Nasser Madani, has extended its support to the LDF. The UDF is citing this support to accuse the CPM of double standards. Meanwhile, the LDF maintains that the PDP and Jamaat-e-Islami are not comparable, arguing that the PDP represents one of Keralas most oppressed communities. Notably, there are many independent observers who believe that the two groups cannot be equated: they claim that while the PDP has a limited organisational base, the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (despite its smaller cadre strength) wields considerable influence through its narrative-building machinery. Though the opposition leaders remark was made in the context of the Nilambur bypolls, it could have long-term implications, particularly for the UDFs equations with various communities. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder of her husband and Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya last month, has been brought to Shillong. She will be produced in a local court later on Wednesday. Sonam and four other accused in the case are in a three-day transit remand with Meghalaya police. The 24-year-old woman was placed under arrest after she surrendered before the Uttar Pradesh Police in Ghazipur on June 9. She was taken to Bihars Patna on Tuesday evening and then flown to Kolkata before being put on a flight to Guwahati at 9.20 pm. On early Wednesday morning, Sonam was brought to the Ganesh Das Hospital in Shillong for a medical examination. #WATCH | Raja Raghuvanshi murder case | Shillong | Sonam Raghuvanshi brought to Ganesh Das Hospital for medical examination. (Visuals of her being taken out of the hospital) pic.twitter.com/oAdAp6y2fz ANI (@ANI) June 10, 2025 The other four accusedRaj Kushwaha, Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmihave also been brought to Shillong separately. They will also be produced before the court later in the day. The Meghalaya Police, which is probing the case under the code name Operation Honeymoon, have collected evidence from the residences and other places frequented by the accused in Indore and Ghazipur. The Special Investigation Team has secured a six-day remand for the accused persons from Indore and a three-day remand for Sonam. READ: Sonam Raghuvanshi came back to Indore and stayed in flat for three days before surrendering Sonam was surrendered before the UP police on Monday, days after her husbands body was recovered from a deep gorge in Meghalayaa East Khasi Hills district on June 2. The couple, who were on a honeymoon in the northeast state, had gone missing on May 23 after checking out a homestay in the area. According to police, Sonam allegedly plotted her husbands murder with her lover and hired three men to execute the crime. She travelled back to Indore after Rajas murder and stayed in the city for three days in a rented flat. "Sonam actually took a local taxi from Mawkdok and then hopped on a local train from Guwahati. She kept changing trains on her way to Indore," East Khasi Hills district Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem told news agency PTI. However, it is not immediately clear how she reached UPs Ghazipur, the home town of her alleged boyfriend. The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday launched simultaneous raids at the residences and offices of Congress MP from Ballari E. Tukaram and three Congress MLAs from the district in connection with the money laundering case linked to the multi-crore Valmiki corporation scam. The ED sleuths carried out raids across eight locations in Bengaluru and Ballari under the PMLA and searched the residences of Tukaram and the MLAs - Nara Bharath Reddy (Ballari city), JN Ganesh (Kampli) and Dr NT Srinivas (Kudligi) to gather evidence of the alleged diversion of funds (Rs 187 crore) from the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation to the Bellary parliament constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, "ED has hatred towards us. These raids are aimed at breaking the Congress party, but they will succeed in doing it. The raids based on allegations of misuse of funds are not new and mostly based on personal grudges and not on solid evidence." Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who, during a heated debate in the state Assembly last July, had admitted that Rs 89.6 crore had been siphoned off from the Corporation and not Rs 187 crore as alleged by the BJP, chose to play it safe this time. Let the ED do anything that is in accordance with the law. We dont support any violation of law, he said. Incidentally, the ED, on Tuesday, attached 92 properties worth Rs 100 crore in connection with the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam case linked to the chief minister under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002. The Valmiki corporation scam came to light in May 2025, after the accounts superintendent of the Corporation - Chandrasekharan P, died by suicide, leaving behind a note detailing corruption and involvement of several officials. The state government assigned the probe to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in May last year. On June 6, 2024, the ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report, leading to then ST welfare minister B. Nagendras arrest (on July 12). The ED submitted a 127-page chargesheet to the court in September 2024. The ED, in its chargesheet named B. Nagendra as the primary accused and mastermind behind the scam, allegedly orchestrating it with the help of 24 others, including key associates like Satyanarayana Varma, Etakari Satyanarayana, J.G. Padmanabha. ED initiated an investigation based on FIRs registered by the Karnataka Police and CBI, which uncovered that around Rs. 89.62 Crore were diverted from the accounts of the corporations accounts into fake accounts across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and later laundered through shell entities. This scam came to light after the suicide of Chandrashekhar, an employee of the Corporation, in May 2024. Investigations revealed that under the influence of B. Nagendra, the account of the corporation was moved to the MG Road Branch without any proper authorisation, where Rs 187 crore, including Rs 43.33 Crore from the state treasury under the Ganga Kalyana Scheme, were deposited without following proper procedures and in violation of government guidelines. These funds were subsequently siphoned off through multiple shell accounts and converted into cash and bullion. ED investigation also revealed that an amount of Rs 20.19 crore (Rs 200 per voter) of the diverted funds were used to bribe the voters in Ballari in the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Bellary constituency, as well as for the personal expenses of B Nagendra. Evidence of these expenditures was discovered during search and seizure operations and corroborated by financial analysis and statements. Details of these election expenses were retrieved from the mobile phone of Vijay Kumar Gowda, who handled the cash on Nagendra's instructions. B Nagendra, who resigned after the scam came to light, is also accused of obstructing the investigation by destroying mobile phones and instructing others to remain silent. ED arrested Nagendra (now out on bail) and five other key accused during the investigation. Meanwhile, the SIT arrested two officials of the Corporation former managing director J.B. Padmanabha and accountant Parushurama G. for allegedly misappropriating funds, besides arresting one Satyanarayana Ittigeri for allegedly receiving Rs 92 crore in 18 different bank accounts and encashing it. SIT also seized 16 kg of gold and Rs 2.5 crore from two accused persons, including Satyanarayana Varma. Israel has revealed a spy operation by Iran which involved a 13-year-old Israeli boy, whose assignment included photographing the Iron Dome defence system and the residence of foreign minister Gideon Saar, according to reports. The teen, who has not been identified, has been arrested but won't be facing charges. A statement by Israel Police said the teen was contacted by Iranian officials via the Telegram app and was offered money in exchange. However, his initial chores included spray-painted graffiti in the Tel Aviv area, which he did. The teen, a resident of Tel Aviv, vandalised several bus stops as asked by the foreign agent. After the initial seemingly easy tasks, the agent then pushed him to carry out more serious activities, which included gathering on the country's nuclear and defence facilities. He was then asked to photograph the home of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, according to Israeli news websites. "In addition, the minor was asked to photograph the Iron Dome system, but ultimately did not carry out this task," the police added. The boy did send the pictures of the minister's home, which he sourced from social media. The Iranians paid him hundreds of shekels in cryptocurrency for the task. However, the boy grew suspicious as the agents continued to press him, and he subsequently blocked the person on the app. Police said the boy had no clue the person who contacted him was a foreign agent and had no intention of harming the country. "When concerns arose, he immediately severed the connection and even blocked the contact," the public defence attorney who represents the boy told reporters. The 13-year-old was released to house arrest and his parents have been updated. The parents reportedly had no clue about the incident until the police showed up with an arrest warrant for their son. Recently, Israeli authorities arrested a 16-year-old who was suspected of hiding money, photographing sensitive locations and printing inciting flyers. Israel arrested another of its citizens last month for spying for Iran, including on former prime minister Naftali Bennett during a hospital stay. The 18-year-old was contacted by Iranian intelligence agents via the Telegram app and was offered money in exchange for carrying out espionage missions inside Israel. An analyst and decision-making expert has stated how India can become a "true partner" to Israel in the wake of the latter's deteriorating relations with European nations. Dr Kfir Tshuva, a lecturer in economics and a specialist in decision-making and strategy, believes the time has come for Israel to expand its circle of partnerships and avoid dependence on Europe. "This is not just a diplomatic need, but a strategic imperative. In this context, India is not just a substitute, but a true partner a stable, dynamic, and powerful future anchor," Dr Tshuva told Ma'ariv, a Hebrew-language newspaper. He added that though Israel is a key collaborator in the Horizon Europe programme - the worlds largest research and innovation programme - the partnership is no longer guaranteed due to volatile European foreign policy and the strengthening of political sectors hostile to Israel. Dr Tshuva said India with its impressive growth rate and population can benefit from ties with Israel. "It still suffers from a lack of advanced infrastructure, untapped human capital, and a significant technological gap. This is precisely where Israels value liesa small country with scientific, technological, and entrepreneurial power. Combining Israeli innovation with the vast Indian market creates a natural synergy for both sides," he added. He added that Israel can lead India in professional training, academic collaborations, and technological innovation incubators, which will strengthen the Indian economy. "Israel can also get a strategic presence at the heart of one of the world's developing economies," he said. The expert said Israel is well aware of the challenges faced by India, including, Islamic extremism. "Israel was the first to condemn the attack and support India not just as a diplomatic gesture, but out of a deep understanding: both are fighting for sovereignty and security against radical Islam," he says. He then added though India has cooperation with Iran and countries in the Middle East, India is also a partner of the US, which has limited its activities with Iran to technological cooperation and oil trade. "Another positive point is that China and India are in tense relations with border disputes and a dispute over water resources, so there is an advantage in strengthening India for both the US and Israel as a counterweight to China," he added. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called on Hamas to disarm, release all hostages and relinquish its hold over Gaza in a significant diplomatic move ahead of a key United Nations conference on Palestinian statehood. In a letter addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Abbas outlined a series of commitments that the French presidency described as "concrete and unprecedented", raising hopes of renewed momentum towards a two-state solution. The letter comes ahead of a high-level UN conference in New York, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, aimed at exploring the framework for recognising a Palestinian state. President Macron has tied potential French recognition to several conditions, including Hamass disarmament, internal Palestinian reform and a commitment to peace. Frances support is viewed as critical, given its role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and its influence in the European Union. Abbass message marks a notable hardening of his position on Hamas. He condemned the group's October 2023 attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, as "unacceptable and reprehensible". Although initially cautious in his response, Abbas has recently intensified his criticism of Hamas and distanced the Palestinian Authority from the groups actions. "Hamas must immediately release all hostages and captives," Abbas wrote in the letter, repeating a call he has made in recent months. He also urged the group to hand over its weapons and to cease its de facto rule over Gaza, which it has controlled since a violent split from the Palestinian Authority in 2007. The division between Hamas in Gaza and the PA in the West Bank has long undermined efforts to achieve Palestinian unity, a fact often cited by Israel to discredit peace talks. Apart from his demands of Hamas, Abbas proposed a package of reforms intended to meet the expectations of Arab and Western backers. He pledged to abolish the PAs long-criticised practice of financially supporting the families of Palestinians imprisoned or killed in attacks on Israelis. He also vowed to hold long-overdue presidential and legislative elections within a year, under international observation. No presidential election has taken place since 2005, and Abbas has remained in office despite his term officially ending in 2009. Responding to another of Macrons conditions, Abbas signalled openness to the deployment of Arab and international forces in Palestinian territories. He said such a force, operating under a UN Security Council mandate, could help stabilise the region and provide protection as part of a transition to full Palestinian self-rule. He stressed that the future Palestinian state would not be militarised but would instead be committed to maintaining internal order and regional peace. "We are ready to conclude within a clear and binding timeline, and with international support, supervision and guarantees, a peace agreement that ends the Israeli occupation and resolves all outstanding and final status issues," Abbas wrote. The Israeli government has strongly opposed the upcoming UN conference and any recognition of Palestinian statehood, particularly under Abbass leadership. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus administration has rejected the idea of the PA governing postwar Gaza and has blocked Arab foreign ministers from travelling to the West Bank, accusing them of advancing what it sees as a dangerous political agenda. Nevertheless, several Arab governments have made their support for Gazas postwar reconstruction contingent on a credible pathway to a two-state solution, with the Palestinian Authority regaining control of both territories. France has also signalled its desire to distinguish its diplomatic approach from previous American-led efforts, which have faltered in recent years. Though scepticism remains over Abbass ability or willingness to deliver on these pledges, the tone of the letter and its timing have drawn international attention. Frances position is particularly significant in the wake of recent recognitions of Palestinian statehood by Spain, Ireland and Norway. The revival of peace discussions has coincided with growing international outrage over the devastation in Gaza and the deepening Israeli presence in the occupied West Bank. "The Palestinian state should be the sole provider of security on its territory," wrote Abbas. "But it has no intention to be a militarised state." A search mission is on to trace an Israeli tourist who vanished while hiking near Indrahar Pass, in the mountains above Dharamsala. Samuel Vengrinovich, an Israeli-American, went missing on Friday during a trek to the Triund Ridge, a popular hiking destination in Himachal Pradesh, according to Israeli media reports. Upon the request of the Israel Embassy, the authorities have launched a search mission for Vengrionovitch, who left his bag, including his cell phone at the overnight campsite. He is said to have hiked with a Dutch friend and several Indian tourists, who returned without him later that day. "After several weeks of trekking in the Himalayas of Nepal, Sam made a stop in Dharamsala, where I last heard from him. He told me he was planning to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to attend a public teaching by the Dalai Lama," Vengrionovitch's friend Eliyahu Freedman wrote in The Times of Israel. "He was on a missionto heal. After the October 7 attacks and the war in Gaza, we spoke often about how deeply Israelis were suffering, how trauma was travelling with them across continents," he added. Fellow hikers claim the Israeli moved toward a nearby snow line, which was one of the most dangerous sections of the trail. The terrain is much higher and the weather was bad too. Another Israeli hiker who met Vengrionovitch on the trail confirms the weather conditions were worse and believes he could be stranded and in need of help, according to The Times of Israel. "Hes done tough hikes before, said Hagai, an Israeli traveller who encountered him on the trail. "But this one is extremely difficult. I believe hes in trouble and waiting for rescue." Samuel Vengrinovich went missing last Friday while hiking in northern India's Mount Triund trail in the Himalayas his cousin, Lev Kogan, joined @nicole_zedeck to detail search and rescue efforts amid remote, difficult terrain and low visibility due to the weather pic.twitter.com/bEk1duT6bF i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 11, 2025 Alarmed fellow hikers alerted local authorities and the Foreign Ministry after Vengrinovich failed to return to the campsite or make contact with friends. The Israeli Embassy in India immediately alerted the authorities and a search was launched by the police and rescue officials in the region. Chabad of Dharamshala and Magnus International Search and Rescue, a private Israeli firm specialising in emergency response, also took part in the search with a number of Israeli backpackers. The dream of sending India's first astronaut to the International Space Station has encountered an unexpected technical hurdle that highlights the unforgiving nature of space exploration. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's historic journey aboard the Axiom-4 mission has been postponed following the discovery of a liquid oxygen leak in SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, revealing the complex safety protocols that govern human spaceflight. This setback comes at a time when India's space ambitions are reaching new heights. The Axiom-4 mission represents more than just a technological achievement; it symbolises India's emergence as a serious player in international space cooperation. The postponement stems from what space engineers call a static fire anomaly, a problem discovered during routine pre-launch testing that has exposed the razor-thin margins for error in rocket science. During a standard engine test conducted while the Falcon 9 remained anchored to its launch pad, monitoring systems detected liquid oxygen escaping from the rocket's propulsion compartment. This seven-second engine firing, designed to verify all systems before launch, instead revealed a potentially catastrophic flaw that could have endangered the entire crew, explained space analyst Girish Linganna. Understanding the severity of this issue requires grasping the fundamental physics of rocket propulsion. Liquid oxygen, maintained at temperatures approaching minus 200 degrees Celsius, serves as the chemical catalyst that allows rocket fuel to combust in the airless environment of space. The Falcon 9's first stage relies on this super cooled oxidizer to power its nine Merlin engines, which together generate over 1.7 million pounds of thrust during liftoff. When this vital component begins leaking, it creates a cascade of potential failures that could range from reduced engine performance to catastrophic explosion, pointed out Linganna. The location of the leak compounds the danger significantly. The propulsion bay houses the intricate network of pumps, valves, and feed lines that deliver precise amounts of fuel and oxidizer to each engine. This compartment operates under extreme conditions, with components experiencing rapid temperature changes, intense vibrations, and enormous pressures during flight. A breach in this system doesn't merely affect engine performance; it threatens the structural integrity of the entire lower section of the rocket. What makes liquid oxygen particularly treacherous is its ability to transform seemingly benign materials into explosive hazards. In the presence of concentrated oxygen, materials that would normally resist combustion become highly flammable. Rubber seals, metal components, and even structural elements can ignite violently if exposed to an oxygen-enriched environment combined with heat or electrical sparks. The extremely low temperature of liquid oxygen also poses risks, potentially freezing and cracking nearby components or disrupting the delicate balance of the rocket's thermal management systems. The technical challenge posed by the liquid oxygen (LOX) leak in the Falcon 9s propulsion bay highlights the intricate nature of rocket operations. Liquid oxygen, a cryogenic oxidizer, must be maintained at extremely low temperatures and handled within a highly pressurized and sensitive system. Leaks in this system pose significant risks of combustion, explosion, or structural failure. Addressing this issue involves a complex diagnostic and repair process, followed by thorough system revalidation to ensure the integrity of the Falcon 9 vehicle ahead of any human flight, said Srimathy Kesan, founder and CEO of Chennai-based Space Kidz India. The decision to postpone the launch reflects the evolution of safety culture in the space industry, shaped by decades of both triumphs and tragedies. Modern space agencies operate under the principle that no known risk, regardless of how small it might appear, should be accepted when human lives are at stake. This philosophy emerged from hard-learned lessons, including the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger, where engineers' concerns about O-ring performance in cold weather were overruled by schedule pressures. Experts say that the technical challenge facing SpaceX engineers involves more than simply plugging a leak. The repair process requires identifying the exact failure point within a complex system where thousands of components work in precise coordination. Each potential solution must be evaluated not only for its immediate effectiveness but also for its impact on other systems. A seemingly simple fix might require extensive retesting of related components, as changes to one part of the propulsion system can affect performance throughout the entire vehicle. The rigorous validation process that follows any repair reflects the unforgiving nature of space environments. Unlike terrestrial vehicles that can pull over for emergency repairs, spacecraft must function flawlessly from the moment of ignition through mission completion. Engineers must demonstrate through exhaustive testing that their repairs will perform reliably under the extreme conditions of launch, orbital insertion, and eventual return to Earth. This incident also illuminates the broader challenges facing commercial space companies as they transition from cargo delivery to human transportation. While SpaceX has established an impressive safety record with its Falcon 9 rocket across hundreds of flights, carrying crew members introduces an entirely different level of responsibility and scrutiny. Every system must meet higher reliability standards, and every potential failure mode must be thoroughly analyzed and mitigated, remarked Linganna. For Group Captain Shukla and his fellow crew members, the delay represents both challenge and opportunity, allowing additional preparation time while requiring careful balance to maintain peak readiness during an indefinite postponement. When the mission eventually launches, it will carry added significance as a testament to prioritizing safety over schedules in human spaceflight. The eventual success of the Axiom 4 mission will not only validate the commercial spaceflight model but also demonstrate the feasibility of internationally crewed, privately operated missions to low Earth orbit. It will set the stage for more robust public-private partnerships, future commercial space station operations, and a broadened international footprint in human space exploration, said Kesan. Entrepreneur Elon Musk may have apologised to US President Donald Trump for his scathing posts on X, a culmination of their explosive spat, but the President is in no mood to forgive him yet. Musk walked back on his missives, stating he "regrets some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. "They went too far, Musk wrote on X Thursday morning. But, Trump, though he isn't angry with Musk at the moment, may not be ready for a patch-up. The President, while speaking with New York Post podcast 'Pod Force One', said he doesn't blame Musk for the feud but is disappointed. "Look, I have no hard feelings," the 78-year-old President said. "I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill thats phenomenal. He just I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually," he added. Drama coming to end Trump doesnt rule out reconciliation with Elon Musk 'Look, I have no hard feelings' Trump on his spat with Musk 'I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually' Musk previously claimed in a now-deleted tweet that Trump was in the Epstein files https://t.co/J5T1W0lhAa pic.twitter.com/9iEUUMDBsJ RT (@RT_com) June 11, 2025 Trump, however, seemed to acknowledge podcaster Miranda Devine's suggestion that Musk seemed to treat him "a bit like a father". "I was disappointed in him, but, you know, it is what it is," Trump said. That happens. Things like that happen. I dont blame him for anything. I was a little disappointed." Devine later told an interview that though Trump was open to reconciling with Musk at some point in the future, he is not just "too busy at the moment trying to end two world wars, dealing with riots in L.A., and bringing the economy back." Though he gave no hints of patching up with Musk, Trump seemed to have mellowed down from his earlier stance wherein he said Musk "lost his mind" and has gone crazy. "The poor guys got a problem," Trump told CNN. He had also added that he "was not even thinking about Elon and wouldnt be speaking to Musk "for a while." Trump also reportedly asked his aides and advisers about Musk's alleged drug use and whether they believed the entrepreneur's erratic behaviour was the result of it. ISTANBUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Air, a national flag carrier, has resumed flights to Turkiye after 12 years of suspension, the Istanbul Airport press office said Wednesday. Welcomed with a ceremony, the first flight from the Damascus International Airport touched down at the Istanbul Airport on Tuesday evening. The aviation service between Damascus and Istanbul will operate five days a week, the office told Xinhua. Speaking at the ceremony, Firat Ocak, commercial director of the Istanbul Airport, said: "Today's flight is not only the beginning of a new route but also a symbol of re-established ties, growing partnerships and shared opportunities." He said the addition of Syrian Air as the sixth new airline partner with the Istanbul Airport this year will boost regional connectivity. The company has suspended operations between Damascus and Istanbul for approximately 12 years due to the civil war in Syria. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday made controversial claims in his speech at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina, calling the protesters "animals" and "a foreign enemy" and vowed to "liberate Los Angeles". An aggressive Trump used the occasion held to recognize the 250th anniversary of the US Army as a platform to defend deploying the military on demonstrators opposed to his immigration enforcement raids. He also used the speech to peddle his theories about the Los Angeles protests and downgrade the city as a "trash heap" with "entire neighbourhoods under the control" of criminals. However, he also mouthed controversial statements, many of which were total falsehoods and misleading. Trump referenced the viral conspiracy theory that pallets of bricks were left out for protesters to hurl at police officers in LA. "They came in with bricks," Trump said, adding that protesters were breaking up the roadside curbs to throw red bricks a police. The US President made the claim in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter protests when he boosted the viral conspiracy theory by releasing a compilation of video clips posted on social media by those who falsely believed that piles of bricks were brought by "Antifa and professional anarchists" to inspire violence at protests. However, it was quickly debunked when reporters revealed footage of bricks being taken from nearby construction sites. Conservatives on social media also posted a video claiming the protests were organised by nonprofit organisations supported by left-wing supporter George Soros. However, it was later proved to be to be from the website of a building materials wholesaler in Malaysia. "These days, it feels like every time theres a protest, the old clickbaity pallets of bricks hoax shows up right on cue," the Social Media Lab, a research center at the Toronto Metropolitan University, wrote on Bluesky. "You know the one, photos or videos of bricks supposedly left out to encourage rioting. Its catnip for right-wing agitators and grifters." Another claim of his was that the anti-immigration raid protests were led by "paid rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion". "These are animals, but they proudly carry the flags of other countries. They don't carry the American flag. They only burn it. Did you see a lot of the flags being burned?" Trump asked the crowd, adding that they weren't being burned by people from the US. Deportation protesters waving Mexico flags are testing the LAPD in full riot gear downtown Los Angeles Theyre about to FAFO pic.twitter.com/u6xMBPNLt0 It's Tiff (@TiffMoodNukes) February 3, 2025 These theories were also echoed by top Trump adviser Stephen Miller and Donald Trumps homeland security secretary Kristi Noem. Both claimed on social media that "foreign nationals, waving foreign flags" were "rioting". However, Trump claim is most likely baseless as though some protesters were seen waving flags of Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, they are used in combination with the US flag as a show of "ethnic pride and solidarity with immigrants". Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda, associate professor of Chicana, Chicano and Central American Studies at UCLA, accused Trump of using the well-documented move" to demonise protesters, "knowing that every single demonstration of this type brings out the Mexican flag." Jorge Castaneda, former Mexican foreign minister, told CNN that the use of the Mexican flag goes back to the 1990s when many people protested against Proposition 187 at the time." He added that "practically all of the demonstrators, all of the protesters, are American citizens", adding that one had to "quite reckless and foolish to be a Mexican citizen without papers, or even as a legal permanent resident, to go out and demonstrate today." The worlds most-followed TikTok star Khaby Lame has left the U.S. after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for allegedly overstaying his visa. The popular TikTok personality, whose legal name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was detained on Friday, 6 June 2025, at the Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada. According to an ICE spokesperson, the social media sensation left the country without a deportation order. This situation arises as part of U.S. President Trumps increasing crackdown on immigration, which led to the Los Angeles protests. A voluntary departure was granted to Lame, allowing him to avoid a deportation order on their immigration recordan action that could have barred his reentry into the U.S. for up to a decade. Such departures are discretionary, according to ICEs guidelines, and do not entail a removal order and related immigration consequences. Every single illegal alien needs to be DEPORTED. When I found out the biggest TikTok star, Khaby Lame, is an illegal alien evading taxes, I worked with Trump's ICE to have him removed. He's since been detained by ICE and removed. The Trump team works at LIGHTING SPEED! pic.twitter.com/STKk2ICjS8 Bo Loudon (@BoLoudon) June 10, 2025 The Senegalese-Italian influencer had arrived in the US on April 30 and overstayed the terms of his visa, said the ICE spokesperson. Khaby Lame has not publicly commented on his detainment. The 25-year-old TikToker had gone viral on TikTok during the Covid- 19 pandemic. He is known for his videos in which he silently mocks overly complicated life hack videos through his signature gesture. Born in Senegal, he moved with his family to Italy when he was one year old. Khaby Lame has over 162 million followers on TikTok alone. With his evolving internet fame, he signed a multi-year partnership with designer Hugo Boss in 2022. He had attended the Met Gala in New York City in May 2025, days after arriving in the US. Bo Loudon, a conservative Gen Z influencer, took credit for Khaby Lames removal in a post on X. Loudon claims to be best friends with former President Trumps son, Barron, and his Instagram page is filled with photos giving a thumbs-up alongside the president and his son. I discovered that he was an illegal, Loudon wrote on X. No one is above the law! he added. A Pakistani man residing in Canada, who plotted a mass shooting on the Jewish community in New York, was extradited to the United States where he will face terrorism charges. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was arrested on September 4, 2024, by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the FBI at Ormstown, Canada, while attempting to cross the US-Canada border with the help of a smuggler. Khan, an ISIS sympathiser, had planned to carry out an October 7-like attack on the Jewish community in New York on October 7, 2024, the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, according to authorities. He planned to commit the mass shooting with the help of an associate, named Associate-1 in an unnamed city. The 20-year-old Pakistani landed in Toronto on June 23, 2020, on a study permit. He was in the process of claiming refugee status. But, within five months of staying there, Khan attracted the attention of an FBI informant after they found he exchanged encrypted messages on social media sharing his support for ISIS and distributed their propaganda. Khan was then approached by two undercover law enforcement officers posing as accomplices. He shared his plans with them, even asking them to obtain automatic rifles and other ammunition and to carry out the massacre if he was detained. He claimed he chose to commit the attack in New York due to its high Jewish population and the presence of Jewish religious locations. He had allegedly said that if he succeeded, it would be "the largest attack on U.S. soil since 9/11." Major news earlier this afternoon, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, was extradited to the United States on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism. In the fall of last year, Khan FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 10, 2025 Khan is now awaiting trial in the US. Attorney General Pamela Bondi has said that Khan would be prosecuted to the "fullest extent of the law." FBI director Kash Patel took to X to update how Khan's case was a "reminder of the constant threat of terrorism facing every corner of the world as well as the disturbing rise in threats against our Jewish communities." "Thankfully, the great work of FBI teams and our partners exposed those plans and shut them down and Khan was arrested by Canadian authorities on September 4, 2024. He has now arrived in the U.S. and will face American justice," he added. Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that the United States will receive magnets and rare earth minerals from China under a new trade deal agreed upon by the two countries. In return, tariffs on Chinese goods will rise to 55%, and students from the Asian nation will continue to attend U.S. higher education institutions. The worlds two largest economies stated that they have agreed on a framework to get their trade negotiations back on track after a series of disputes that had threatened to derail them. According to Trump, the relationship between the two countries is now excellent after more than two months of a bitterly fought tit-for-tat tariff war. The two sides concluded two days of talks in London on Tuesday, which appeared to focus on resolving disputes over mineral and technology exportsissues that had shaken the fragile trade truce reached in Geneva last month. Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me. Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. Relationship is excellent! Thank you for your attention to this matter! Trump wrote on Truth Social. The deal reportedly outlines a 10 per cent baseline "reciprocal" tariff, along with a 20 per cent tariff targeting fentanyl trafficking, and a 25 per cent tariff accounting for pre-existing duties. In response, China would impose a 10 per cent tariff on imports from the U.S. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters that the framework deal adds meat on the bones of an agreement reached last month in Geneva, aimed at easing bilateral retaliatory tariffs that had soared into triple digits. According to news reports, the deal follows talks held in London, where rare earth exports emerged as a key discussion point. However, Trump has stated that the agreement still requires final approval from both him and President Xi Jinping. Earlier reports had indicated that after Beijing imposed new limitations on the export of key minerals, the Geneva Accord had stalled. This prompted the Trump administration to respond with its own export controls, including restrictions on the export of semiconductor design software, aircraft, and other sensitive goods to China. President Donald Trump gathered his top foreign policy and national security officials at Camp David on June 8 for a high-stakes retreat focused on two interconnected crises: Irans advancing nuclear programme and the ongoing war in Gaza. As diplomacy teeters and pressure mounts from both allies and rivals, Trump faces a delicate balancing act between avoiding another Middle East war and holding firm on his red lines with Tehran. A senior US official said Trump views the two crises as part of a broader regional puzzle. "The president believes these issues are tied together," the official told Axios. "Were trying to shape a new reality in the region." Among those present at the Camp David talks were Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, special envoy Steve Witkoff and other senior officials. The gathering, described by aides as a "retreat", allowed Trumps national security team to spend uninterrupted hours debating the competing paths ahead. "It was the right time to gather everyone," one official said. "Well do it more often." Iran might formally reject the latest US proposal for a nuclear deal soon, though American officials believe Tehran remains open to continued negotiations. "We sent a very tough proposal," a senior White House official said. "We expect a harsh reply, but also a signal that talks arent over." Speaking on June 9, Trump said Irans negotiators were "good, sometimes too good," adding, "Were trying to make a deal so that theres no destruction and death. I hope thats how it works out, but it might not. Well soon find out." His self-imposed deadline for a breakthrough expires on June 12, though both sides are inclined to keep talking. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has privately pushed for a military solution, though he has promised Trump that no unilateral strike will occur while negotiations continue. At the heart of the US policy debate is a fundamental question: should America secure a diplomatic deal with Iran to restrict its nuclear ambitions, or prepare for military intervention to ensure Tehran is denied nuclear weapons capability altogether? Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. However, his national security team is deeply divided over how to achieve that aim, Politico has reported. One faction, led unofficially by Vice President Vance, believes diplomacy is both achievable and preferable. Vance, known for his opposition to foreign military entanglements, has taken an unusually active role in the Iran portfolio, backed by Defense Secretary Hegseth and special envoy Witkoff. This group argues that a military strike could endanger US troops in the region and trigger a wider war. They are also concerned about the impact of soaring oil prices on the US economy if hostilities erupt. Outside the administration, pro-diplomacy voices such as conservative influencer Tucker Carlson and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk are also urging restraint. Carlson recently criticised the hawkish rhetoric on Iran, tweeting, "There is zero credible intelligence suggesting Iran is near building a bomb. So why push for war?" On the opposing side are Iran hawks including Secretary of State Rubio and Senators Lindsey Graham and Tom Cotton. They are convinced that Irans regime is at its weakest in years and that the US should demand full dismantlement of Irans nuclear programme. Should Iran refuse, they argue, America must be willing to back an Israeli strike or lead one itself. Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, has lobbied intensively for this approach. "The president once called the 2015 Obama deal fatally flawed," Dubowitz said. "The question is whether he still believes that." Many hawks consider the current proposal from Witkoff to be a rebranded version of that accord. Behind the scenes, a growing effort is underway among GOP conservatives and Israeli officials to sway Trump towards authorising military action. Last week, conservative talk show host Mark Levin told Trump during a private White House lunch that Iran was days away from building a nuclear weapon, a claim contradicted by US intelligence assessments. Trump has reportedly dismissed the idea of an imminent Iranian bomb, but the pressure campaign is unrelenting. Levin and other conservative commentators have also taken aim at Witkoff, accusing him of being too soft on Iran and too cosy with Gulf states like Qatar. Rupert Murdochs New York Post has run articles criticising Witkoffs diplomatic efforts, causing rifts within Trumps camp. "Theyre trying to push the president into a decision thats not what he wants," said a senior official. "Theres a very active lobby for war inside and outside Washington." In response, Trumps allies are working to counter the hawks and keep the president focused on diplomacy. Vance publicly backed Witkoffs approach in a podcast, calling it "a very creative proposal that allows both sides to claim a win." That proposal, shared with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, would allow Iran to continue low-level uranium enrichment under international supervision and eventually join a regional enrichment consortium. But Tehran has been firm in refusing to abandon domestic enrichment capabilities a key sticking point for Trump, who has labelled enrichment a red line. Despite their differences, both factions in the White House understand the stakes. Without a deal, military confrontation becomes far more likely. But even if a strike occurs, experts caution it would likely only delay, not destroy, Irans nuclear ambitions. A recent International Atomic Energy Agency assessment concluded that Iran now possesses enough near-weapons-grade uranium to fuel around 10 bombs. US intelligence estimates Irans breakout time at just one to two weeks, though there is no evidence Tehran has decided to build a nuclear weapon. Still, that potential has added urgency to internal debates and intensified Israeli lobbying. Netanyahu and his advisers have privately warned the Trump administration that Israel may soon act if it believes the window to degrade Irans programme is closing. When Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer visited Washington recently, Trump reportedly urged him to delay any action until after his Middle East visit. Trumps pro-Israel record, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognising the Golan Heights and brokering the Abraham Accords, has shielded him from criticism by Israeli leaders in the past. But his reluctance to support military strikes on Iran is testing that relationship. The Trump-Netanyahu partnership, once rock-solid, now shows signs of strain. "The president is not going to support war," a Trump confidant told Politico. "But these guys wont take no for an answer. Thats where the breach is with Bibi. Israel isnt reading the room. The MAGA movement doesnt support foreign wars." The unpredictability of Trumps own decision-making adds further uncertainty. Some insiders worry that his stance could shift depending on who last briefed him. Trump has already sacked one national security adviser, Mike Waltz, partly over his coordination with Israel on military options. For now, the president remains committed to diplomacy. "He has always been willing to listen to a wide range of voices," said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. But ultimately, he is the final decision maker. The next round of talks between Witkoff and Araghchi may offer another chance to bridge the divide. But with both sides holding firm and external pressure rising, the path forward remains precarious. Whether Trump sticks to his instincts or bends under pressure may well determine whether the region moves toward peace or war. NEW DELHI, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As Europe gears up for its summer holidays, digital travel platform Agoda reveals that Thailand remains the most searched Asian market by European travelers for the second consecutive year. Following closely are Indonesia, Japan, and Malaysia, with Vietnam making its debut in the top five. Interestingly, India has also captured growing interest from European travelers, with the United Kingdom and the Netherlands ranking among the top source markets searching for accommodation in the country. AgodaEUintoAisa.jpg (400267) The findings from Agoda's 'Europe to Asia Summer Travel Trends' are based on accommodation searches for travel during July and August, the peak summer months for European travelers. Among the top destinations, Malaysia saw the largest rise in interest, with a 20% increase in searches compared to last year. China, benefiting from visa waivers that have been introduced for several European markets, recorded a 14% rise, while Sri Lanka experienced a 13% uptick. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands continue to lead as the European markets generating the most searches for travel to Asia. Meanwhile, Greece (+23%), Turkey (+21%), and Poland (+17%) emerged as trending origin markets, reflecting growing interest in Asian destinations from these regions. Additionally, according to the data, Mumbai, New Delhi NCR, and Goa emerged as the most searched Indian cities by European travelers planning their summer trips. The United Kingdom stands out as the top origin market searching for stays in India, followed by the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Italy reaffirming the country's appeal among European travelers. Top Searched Destinations in Asia Top Inbound Travelers to Asia Thailand United Kingdom Indonesia France Japan Germany Malaysia Spain Vietnam Netherlands Gaurav Malik, Country Director - India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, at Agoda shared, "Asia continues to be a top choice for European travelers seeking summer getaways, with perennial favorites like Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan continuing to attract visitors year after year. What's even more exciting is that there's a rising interest for countries such as Malaysia, India, and China, reflecting an eagerness among European tourists to discover Asia's rich cultures, scenic beauty, and hidden gems. As the Asia Expert, Agoda is proud to offer attractive deals to help travelers explore Europe's favorite Asian destinations and more." As travelers plan their next summer getaways, Agoda remains committed to helping them see the world for less. With over five million holiday properties, 130,000 flight routes, and 300,000 activities available, Agoda offers seamless travel planning and unbeatable deals. For the best offers, visit Agoda.com or download the Agoda mobile app. NOTE TO EDITORS: ABOUT THE DATA The referenced data originates from accommodation searches conducted on Agoda in April 2025, compared against searches conducted in April 2024, specifically for check-in dates between July and August. ABOUT AGODA Agoda, a digital travel platform, helps anyone see the world for less with its great value deals on a global network of 5+ million hotels and holiday properties worldwide, plus flights, activities, and more. Agoda.com and the Agoda mobile app are available in 39 languages and supported by 24/7 customer support. Headquartered in Singapore, Agoda is part of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) and employs more than 7,000 staff in 27 markets, dedicated to leveraging best-in-class technology to make travel even easier. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2708348/AgodaEUintoAisa.jpg (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR PWR Colombo, Jun 11 (PTI) Sri Lankan authorities on Wednesday approved a 15 per cent increase in electricity tariffs, effective from Thursday, aiming to address the financial challenges faced by the state-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). The move came ahead of the upcoming visit of IMF's First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath, scheduled for next week, to Sri Lanka. The 15 per cent tariff hike approved by the Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL) is still short of the 18 per cent increase called for by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). We think its a fair increase. We had a public consultation, and got everyones views, senior PUCSL official K P L Chandralal told reporters here. He said the revised tariffs remain below the rates set in 2024. The tariff adjustment comes in response to concerns raised by the IMF over the CEB's reported losses of LKR 18 billion in the first quarter of 2025, attributed to a tariff reduction implemented in January. The cost-reflective electricity pricing was a key reform condition set by the global lender under its USD 2.9 billion, four-year Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreement with Sri Lanka, initiated in 2023 during the country's economic crisis. Gopinath will visit Sri Lanka from June 15 to 16. She is expected to hold bilateral discussions with the Sri Lankan authorities and several key stakeholders on the IMFs engagement with the island nation. With the New York City Democratic mayoral primary just two weeks away on June 24, 2025, the race is in full swing, and the Jewish communityparticularly the frum (Orthodox) segmentis emerging as a key player. Early voting begins June 14, and with Jews, including liberal Jews, comprising approximately 16% of eligible voters in this Democrat-only primary, according to a recent poll, community organizations are making their voices heard on who should lead the city next. The Candidates in Focus Heres a look at the key contenders and the concerns surrounding them: NOTE: Many people do not realize that this is just the PRIMARY. Mayor Eric Adams is not running in this election, as he is running as an Independent in the general election. Andrew Cuomo: The former New York governor (20112021) resigned amid harassment allegations and has a controversial record. Critics point to his inaction during attacks on yeshiva education, a crisis that began under his watch and persists today, though he now pledges to fight for it. His handling of COVID-19 is also under scrutiny, with over 12,000 nursing home deaths attributed to his policies, followed by an alleged cover-up. Additionally, Cuomo has faced accusations of antisemitic remarks and targeting the Orthodox Jewish community during the pandemic, fanning the flames of antisemitism. Zohran Mamdani: A 33-year-old state assemblymember from Queens, Mamdani was relatively unknown before entering the race. A self-proclaimed anti-Zionist, he has protested alongside anti-Israel activists who have supported terrorist groups. On October 8, 2023, hours after the Hamas massacre in southern Israel, Mamdani criticized Israel instead of condemning the attack. His Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) party backed a widely condemned Times Square rally celebrating the violence. He has vowed to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu if he visits New York, despite the international courts arrest warrant lacking U.S. jurisdiction. Brad Lander: The current NYC Comptroller, Lander, a self-identified liberal Jew, has aligned with vocal critics of Israel, including Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Rashida Tlaib, pro-Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour, and former councilmember Shahana Hanif, all of whom support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. He is also seen as anti-police, pro-LGBTQ, and opposed to yeshiva education. Adrienne Adams: As the current Speaker of the New York City Council, Adams stance on Israel raises questions. In May 2024, she ordered the removal of all political signs from legislators desks, including pro-Israel posters and flyers about Hamas-held hostages, claiming it would reduce tensions over the Israel-Hamas war. Critics called this an attack on free speech. Other Democrats running (who are polling very low) include Scott Stringer, Jessica Ramos, Zellnor Myrie, Michael Blake, Whitney Tilson. Endorsements from the Frum Community Jewish organizations, especially in Orthodox strongholds, are weighing in: Crown Jewish United and the Crown Heights PAC: Cuomo. Cuomo. Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance: Cuomo. Cuomo. Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition: Cuomo. Cuomo. Boro Park Mosdos: #1 Adrienne Adams and #2 NYS Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie, notably diverging from the Cuomo trend. #1 Adrienne Adams and #2 NYS Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie, notably diverging from the Cuomo trend. Satmar Zalonim: #1- Cuomo. #2- Adrienne Adams #3- Zellnor Myrie. #1- Cuomo. #2- Adrienne Adams #3- Zellnor Myrie. Satmar Aronim: Cuomo, though Mamdani claims Rabbi Moshe Indig met with him and may add him to their slate. Indig reportedly called Mamdani a very nice guy, very humble not an antisemite and said hed work with the entire city. However, Indig publicly told Mayor Eric Adams this week, In November, youll see with Gods help, we will come out and show our great support for our great mayor and brother, Eric Adams. YWN notes the Aronim endorsed Andrew Yang in 2021 but switched last-minute, so shifts are possible. Cuomo, though Mamdani claims Rabbi Moshe Indig met with him and may add him to their slate. Indig reportedly called Mamdani a very nice guy, very humble not an antisemite and said hed work with the entire city. However, Indig publicly told Mayor Eric Adams this week, In November, youll see with Gods help, we will come out and show our great support for our great mayor and brother, Eric Adams. YWN notes the Aronim endorsed Andrew Yang in 2021 but switched last-minute, so shifts are possible. Bobov: Cuomo sent out a press release claiming an endorsement. BUT Zellnor Myrie claims he got an endorsement from Rabbi Joel Rosenfeld and other key leaders of Bobov. So who really endorsed who? YWN has no clue. Cuomo sent out a press release claiming an endorsement. BUT Zellnor Myrie claims he got an endorsement from Rabbi Joel Rosenfeld and other key leaders of Bobov. So who really endorsed who? YWN has no clue. Sephardic Community Federation: Cuomo. Cuomo. Williamsburg Mosdos: A colorful flyer below endorses three candidates and is signed (printed names) by well-known Askanim in Williamsburg. But no names of any Mosdos are attached. Some groups remain uncommitted, while others are steering clear of endorsements altogether. WATCH: NYC Mayor Eric Adams responds to a question about disgraced former Governor Cuomo claiming he got endorsements from Hasidic communities. Your browser does not support the video tag. Community Dynamics and the Bigger Picture While many in the frum community lean toward Cuomo, viewing him as the least problematic option, others are looking ahead to the general election in November. A potential matchup of Mamdani (Democrat), Curtis Sliwa (Republican), and Eric Adams (Independent) could favor Adams, who might draw support from Black, Hispanic, Jewish, and police union voters, according to many political analysts. The endorsement of Adrienne Adams by 25 major Chasidic Mosdos in Boro Park is an interesting choice, with various opinions why this may help Eric Adams down the road in the general election. With the primary approaching, the frum communitys influence is undeniable, but its divided stance reflects the complex choices ahead. Flinders University's Associate Professor Vera Weisbecker holds real and 3D-printed bones of species represented in Ozboneviz, a new online 3D database, at Flinders University, Australia, April 16, 2025. (Flinders University/Handout via Xinhua) CANBERRA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Australia's unique wildlife, both living and extinct, is now accessible to the world in stunning detail, thanks to a new online 3D database "Ozboneviz." Developed by Australia's Flinders University and partners, the nation's largest open-access library of 3D biodiversity data features over 1,600 digitized skeletons, including kangaroos, platypuses, emu, extinct thylacines, pig-footed bandicoot, and more, according to a release from the Adelaide-based university on Wednesday. The project, used advanced scanning and CT imaging to capture the anatomy of 189 iconic species. The models are hosted on the MorphoSource platform, which maintains museum-style cataloguing, and are open for anyone to download for non-commercial use, the release said. Most bones were digitized using structured light scanners, while rare or fragile specimens, such as the presumed-extinct desert rat-kangaroo, were imaged with high-resolution computed tomography to capture internal structures, according to the research project, detailed in BioScience, an official journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. A companion Sketchfab site highlights over 500 of the most informative bones, complete with educational annotations. The database aims to support research, education, and public interest in Australia's remarkable and often endangered fauna, said project leader, Flinders University's Associate Professor Vera Weisbecker. "We are all fascinated by bones and this new database is a way to go behind the glass cases at the museum, see specimens up close and understand their special features," Weisbecker said, adding that Ozboneviz is expected to set a new standard for digital natural history collections globally. This picture shows a selection of bones from Australian species captured by Ozboneviz, a new online 3D database developed by Australia's Flinders University and partners. (Flinders University/Handout via Xinhua) Polls closed at 8:00 p.m. across New Jersey in todays highly anticipated primary elections, and within minutes, major races were called setting the stage for a high-stakes gubernatorial showdown this November. Republican Jack Ciattarelli clinched the GOP nomination for governor by 8:20 p.m., decisively defeating a crowded field that included radio host Bill Spadea. Both candidates aggressively courted President Donald Trumps endorsement, but it was Ciattarelli who ultimately secured the nod a move that helped power him to victory. On the Democratic side, Rep. Mikie Sherrill cruised to a commanding win in her partys primary, making her the official Democratic nominee to face Ciattarelli in November. While Sherrills victory was widely expected, it landed as a disappointment in Lakewoods Orthodox Jewish community, which turned out heavily in support of Rep. Josh Gottheimer a longtime ally of Orthodox voters who was the communitys overall preferred candidate on the Democratic side. Despite the setback, Lakewoods massive turnout did not go unnoticed. The numbers coming out of Lakewood tonight sent a loud message across New Jersey, said one political analyst. The kehilla has emerged as a serious voting bloc with real influence. Any statewide candidate moving forward will have to take them into account. Message from R Lazer Scheiner following Tuesdays primaries Your browser does not support the video tag. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk issued a rare public mea culpa Wednesday, admitting that his social media attacks on President Donald Trump last week had crossed the line. I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far, Musk wrote on his platform X, just days after igniting a firestorm by suggesting that Trump was named in the sealed Jeffrey Epstein files and had suppressed their release. Musk also endorsed calls for Trumps impeachment, urging his removal in favor of Vice President J.D. Vance a post that has since been deleted. The clash between the worlds richest man and the most powerful political figure in America spiraled last week into a full-blown war of words, with Trump slamming Musks behavior and Musk deriding Trumps tax and spending bill as a disgusting abomination. Trump, when asked on Sunday if his once-warm relationship with Musk was salvageable, responded bluntly: I would assume so, yeah. In an interview with a New York Post podcast published early Wednesday, Trump said: Look, I have no hard feelings. I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill thats phenomenal. He just I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually. Musks tone has noticeably shifted since his attacks on the president. In a conciliatory olive branch, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO voiced staunch support for Trumps controversial deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles in response to ongoing riots a move that earned him praise from right-wing commentators and may signal an attempt to restore his standing with the White House. But the damage may already be done. With Trump allies enraged and Musks posts drawing international headlines, the tech mogul finds himself in uncharted political territory navigating the fallout of a feud that could have implications for his business empire and political ambitions alike. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Argentine President Javier Milei, an ohev yisroel and staunch supporter of the State of Israel, presented Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu with a deeply meaningful gift: a painting of the Prime Minister together with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The gift, delivered during the leaders meeting in Jerusalem, resonated personally with Netanyahu. The Prime Minister recalled a powerful moment from his time as Israels ambassador to the United Nations when he received guidance from the Rebbe. You will be serving in a house of lies, the Rebbe told me, Netanyahu shared. And you will have to battle against 119. We have 120 members in the Knesset he didnt even leave me one, Netanyahu added with a smile. Your browser does not support the video tag. President Mileis connection to the Jewish people and Israel has become a hallmark of his presidency. Upon his arrival in Israel on Monday night, Milei headed directly to the Kosel, continuing the practice he began during his previous visit to Israel, when the Kosel was also the first stop on his itinerary. The president was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included his sister and Presidential Secretary Karina Milei, Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein, and Argentinas Ambassador to Israel, Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish and his wife. At the Kosel, President Milei was warmly welcomed by the Rav of the Kosel and Holy Sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, and the Director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, Mordechai (Suli) Eliav. During the visit, the visibly emotional Milei joined Rabbi Rabinowitz in reciting Tehillim and offered a heartfelt prayer for the safe return of the Israeli hostages still held captive. Later, during a meeting with Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog, the Rebbes teachings again took center stage. The great Rebbe of Lubavitch said that the small actions we do daily turn you and me into us, Herzog said. President Milei is expected to conclude his official visit with a return to the Kosel on Thursday evening, accompanied once again by Prime Minister Netanyahu. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) President Donald Trump held a tense 40-minute phone conversation with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday night, telling him that the war in Gaza has run its course and demanding that Israel refrain from attacking Iran, Channel 12 News reported. The report, based on unnamed sources, said that Trump demanded that Netanyahu make efforts to end the war in Gaza, emphasizing that the end of the war would help the US in its negotiations with Iran and in promoting normalization with Saudi Arabia. Regarding the US talks with Iran, Netanyahu told Trump that Iran is deceiving you and that the negotiations should be halted as they are futile. But Trump was not impressed, demanding that Israel rule out a military strike on Iran and end its threats toward the Islamic Republic, as it doesnt help the negotiations. I want to exhaust the negotiations even if they are tough. I know how to talk to them, Trump claimed. It was agreed in the conversation that Mossad chief Dedi Barnea and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer would meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff before the sixth round of talks with Iran to receive a briefing. Earlier on Monday, Trump said that Iran is becoming much more aggressive in talks with the US. Iran is behaving very differently in negotiations than it was a few days ago, Trump told Fox News. It is much more aggressive. It surprises me, it disappoints me, but we are supposed to meet again tomorrow. (YWN Israel DeskJerusalem) Dramatic conversations are taking place in the halls of the Knesset and lhavdil in the homes of Gedolei Yisrael on Wednesday, after the opposition parties announced earlier in the day that they are advancing the bill to dissolve the Knesset, with the hope that the Chareidi parties will help them bring down the government. As YWN has reported, HaRav Landau and HaRav Hirsch have instructed the UTJ members to vote for the dissolution of the government due to the lack of a bill to regulate the status of lomdei Torah. The bill being advanced by Yuli Edelstein, the head of the Knessets Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee, calls for draconian financial sanctions against bnei yeshivos and was not approved by the Chareidi MKs. Meanwhile, the heads of the coalition are carrying out frantic efforts to thwart the dissolution of the Knesset. A crucial meeting is now taking place between the Chareidi MKs and the Knessets legal advisor, Adv. Sagit Afik. Senior UTJ and Shas officials told Kikar HaShabbat this morning that if there is no breakthrough, we will vote in favor of dissolving the Knesset, but it must be remembered that the goal is not elections but the regulation of the status of bnei yeshivos. We will do everything to regulate their status. HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau outlined two conditions on which he is not willing to compromise, and he will possibly instruct Knesset members not to support the law to dissolve the Knesset only if these two conditions are met. The first condition is reaching an agreement on the wording of the law that will be acceptable to the legal counsels of the Knesset and the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and second, an agreement on a structured timetable for the legislation process. A Degal HaTorah source said that without the fulfillment of these two conditions, the UTJ members will vote this evening in favor of the bills to dissolve the Knesset. He further stated that the Degel HaTorah party is completely synchronized with the Shas party. You wont see a split in the voting of the two parties this evening. (YWN Israel DeskJerusalem) El Al is facing a bombshell class action lawsuit accusing the national carrier of exploiting a time of national tragedy for massive financial gain, The Jerusalem Post reports. Filed Wednesday in the Central District Court in Lod, the lawsuit alleges that El Al engaged in widespread price gouging in the immediate aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, when most foreign airlines suspended operations and El Al became the dominant and often only option for air travel in and out of Israel. The suit, led by attorney Ilan Verednikov and backed by legal heavyweights Dr. Tal Rotman and Adi Zitron of the Perl Cohen law firm, accuses El Al of leveraging its monopoly status to hike ticket prices well beyond what was justified by operational costs. The legal filing describes El Als conduct as immoral, illegal, and deeply cynical, taking advantage of a national emergency to line its own pockets. According to the lawsuit, by the end of Q1 2024, El Als pricing practices had caused an estimated 600 million shekels in damages to Israeli consumers a figure that continued to grow as the war progressed. The lawsuit is bolstered by expert economic analysis from Professor David Gilo, a former Commissioner for Competition, who examined 24 key flight routes and found El Al held a dominant share in 20 of them. Gilos report asserts that the airlines price increases were not due to rising costs which actually declined during the period but were purely profit-driven. In a wartime economy where thousands of Israelis were desperate to travel or reunite with loved ones, ticket prices on major routes surged by over 14%, the suit claims. El Al, in turn, posted record-breaking financials: a staggering $554 million in net profit in 2024, compared to $113 million the previous year. While Israeli families bore the financial burden, El Als top brass thrived. CEO Dina Ben Tal Ganancia received a 10.2% salary increase, and other executives also saw substantial raises. Employees were awarded a historic $103 million in bonuses, all while consumers paid inflated fares. Verednikov argues the airlines actions not only inflicted financial harm, but also dealt a serious blow to the social fabric of the nation. At a time when solidarity was most needed, El Al chose profit over people, he stated. Were asking the court to ensure that no company is allowed to exploit a national emergency for personal gain and that those who were harmed are compensated. The lawsuit has ignited widespread public anger and drawn the attention of both the Competition Authority and the Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority, which have launched investigations into the airlines practices. However, these agencies are limited in their ability to secure compensation which is why, Verednikov says, court intervention is crucial. If successful, the case could see hundreds of millions of shekels in excess wartime profits returned to Israeli consumers. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) A convoy carrying hundreds of pro-Hamas activists has arrived in Libya after driving from Algeria and crossing through Tunisia on its way to the Gaza Strip to violate Israels military blockade on the terror-ruled Gaza Strip. The convoy is made up of at least 1,500 people, including pro-Hamas activists and supporters from Algeria and Tunisia, with more expected to join from Libya. AFP quoted organizers as saying that the convoy is not carrying aid to Gaza but plans to violate the blockade as a symbolic act. The group arrived in Zawiya city in Libya Tuesday and plans to reach Gaza via Egypts Rafah Crossing, traveling by cars and buses. It drove through the Libyan cities of Tripoli, Misrata, Sirte, and Benghazi to reach the Saloum Crossing which borders Egypt. It is expected to soon reach Cairo before heading to the Rafah Crossing. Jamila Sharitah, an Algerian participant, said Tuesday that authorities in Tunisia and Libya have been cooperative with the convoy, helping facilitate their smooth journey. Zayed al-Hamami, another participant, said the convoy aims to push for reopening crossings and allowing aid into the Gaza Strip. There are land, sea and air convoys that will arrive in Gaza despite the restrictions, said convoy organizer Terkiya Shayibi. The convoy is not expected to reach Gaza as there is little chance Egypt will allow it to approach the Rafah crossing, which is considered a closed military zone. (YWN Israel DeskJerusalem & AP) A meeting of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER) that was scheduled to be held next week at a hotel in Sarajevo was cancelled after a Bosnian minister called to ban it, saying its presence in the city of openness would morally humiliate our capital and country. Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER), wrote, The CERs biannual Standing Committee meeting was due to be held at the Swisshotel in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, next week. Chief Rabbanim from all over Europe, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, were due to convene to discuss the most pressing issues facing European Jewish life today and matters of freedom of religion or belief. Shockingly, the hotel has suddenly cancelled on us. Federal Minister of Labor and Social Policy Adnan Delic wrote an open letter stating, Sarajevo is a city of openness and hospitality and so should ban the European-Jewish event from its city. He implored the organizers to immediately cancel the conference in Sarajevo, and all relevant institutions to prevent its realization, and citizens and civil society organizations not to remain silent in the face of this attempt to morally humiliate our capital and our country. He also excoriated Israel in the letter, calling it a genocidal entity that is committing shameful crimes against humanity. Chief Rabbi Goldschmidt continued, No other Bosnian government official has contacted the Conference of European Rabbis. We have been made unwelcome, and this last-minute, ministerial boycott of Jewish European citizens, dedicated purely to promoting Jewish life in Europe and furthering dialogue and democracy across the continent, is disgraceful. CER events foster dialogue, boost interfaith activity, and promote public engagement. It is Sarajevos loss. We are delighted that the Bavarian Government will support our events relocation to Munich, and we, as an organization, will continue unfazed to be engaged in supporting the Jewish communities of Europe. However, a wider question looms. This decision to block a European-Jewish conference on European soil is not only alarming but also revealing. It is a clear violation of EU commitments and values (The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Articles 10 and 22; The European Council Declaration on Antisemitism, 2020). Bosnia and Herzegovina should certainly be cancelled and barred from accession to the European Union following this disgraceful castigation of a European faith group. Sarajevo has proclaimed itself a city of openness and tolerance for anyone but Jews. (YWN Israel DeskJerusalem) In a joint IDF and Shin Bet operation, the bodies of Yair Yaakov, zl, and another hostage, whose identity has not yet been released, were recovered today from the Khan Younis area in the Gaza Strip. Yair Yaakov, zl, a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was abducted and brutally murdered by terrorists from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on October 7. The body of an additional hostage, whose family has been notified, was also recovered, with their identity to be released later. Yair Yaakov, 59, was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, alongside his partner, Meirav Tal, during the brutal Hamas terrorist assault on the community. That same day, Yaakovs sons, Or and Yagil, were also taken captive from their mothers nearby home in Nir Oz. Meirav Tal and the Yaakov brothers were freed in a November 2023 hostage exchange with Hamas. Tragically, Yair Yaakov was murdered during the initial October 7 attack, with his death confirmed by the IDF in February 2024. Yagil Yaakov expressed gratitude to Israels security forces for recovering his fathers body, while voicing his hope that the remaining hostages will be returned through a deal that doesnt endanger soldiers. Few people in recent history have had as profound an impact on the entirety of Klal Yisrael as has Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz zl. Through ArtScroll, he has touched unaffiliated Jews starting to learn about Yiddishkeit and great Rabbanim. The works he initiated can be found throughout five continents, on school desks and the tables of gedolei Yisrael, in five continents and numerous languages. Indeed, many Gedolim have referred to him as the Greatest Marbitz Torah in Klal Yisrael. Anyone who reads the acknowledgements of an ArtScroll sefer will quickly see that the gadol who Reb Meir was closest to, and who truly guided and encouraged ArtScroll was Hagaon Rav Dovid Feinstein, ztl, with whom R Meir spoke virtually every day. In fact, at a critical juncture, Rav Dovid loaned ArtScroll his life savings so they could continue their work. When Reb Meir was tragically niftar, Rav Dovid felt that the most meaningful tribute to him was for every member of Klal Yisrael to express his or her gratitude to his work by taking a letter in a Sefer Torah, lzecher nishmaso. Rav Dovid spearheaded the projects, having meetings, delegating responsibilities, and participating in an event where letters were sold. But then came Covid. The world and the project came to a standstill. But even when Rav Dovid fell ill, he charged his talmidim with bringing the project to fruition. And, now, after several fits and starts, they are finally bringing the project to the finish line. The Hachnosas Sefer Torah is only days away, and the final drive to have every Jew take a letter is underway. You and your family dont want to miss being part of this historic project! Just visit GetALetter.org or call (718) 550-7599 (Campaign ID: 60467) today! JOIN IN THE CELEBRATION THIS SUNDAY! 11:30 Ksivas Osios | 1:00 Dancing | 2:00 Mincha At Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem (MTJ), 145 East Broadway, New York, NY A project of Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem (MTJ). All proceeds going to a special fund in MTJ overseen by the Roshei HaYeshiva shita BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland will never tolerate any individuals profiting from the mainland while supporting "Taiwan independence," a spokesperson said on Wednesday. Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, was responding to recent remarks from Taiwan's die-hard separatist Shen Pao-yang about punitive measures taken by the mainland against companies linked to him. Noting the mainland's firm stance on the matter, Zhu said there can be no tolerance or leniency for die-hard secessionists or companies associated with them. "Punishment is imperative," she said. Secessionist acts, she warned, ultimately backfire, harming not only others but also those who commit these acts. "There is no escaping the law." Media reports have said that aside from Shen, other politicians from the Democratic Progressive Party have also profited from the mainland through their family members. They have been widely criticized for their duplicity. "The public is clear-eyed," the spokesperson said. "People can tell right from wrong." Wall Street Zen cut shares of Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Sunday morning. A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on PRU. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $120.00 to $117.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays cut their target price on Prudential Financial from $134.00 to $106.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Prudential Financial from $110.00 to $109.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Prudential Financial from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Prudential Financial from $122.00 to $110.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $120.15. Get Prudential Financial alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on PRU Prudential Financial Stock Up 0.2% PRU stock opened at $106.08 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $102.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Prudential Financial has a 52 week low of $90.38 and a 52 week high of $130.55. Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $13.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.76 billion. Prudential Financial had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 15.86%. Prudential Financials quarterly revenue was down 38.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.12 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Prudential Financial will post 14.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Prudential Financial Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.09%. Prudential Financials dividend payout ratio is currently 85.58%. Insider Transactions at Prudential Financial In other news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential bought 52,595 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $28.52 per share, for a total transaction of $1,500,009.40. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 139,987 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,992,429.24. The trade was a 60.18% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.25% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Prudential Financial A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PRU. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Prudential Financial by 90.2% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 234 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in Prudential Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. North Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Prudential Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in Prudential Financial by 12,250.0% during the 1st quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 247 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Prudential Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 56.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Prudential Financial Company Profile (Get Free Report) Prudential Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through PGIM, Retirement Strategies, Group Insurance, Individual Life, and International Businesses segments. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Prudential Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Prudential Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF Free Report) by 5.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,076 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 63 shares during the quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLCs holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF were worth $388,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp raised its position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 329.4% in the 1st quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 73 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Peterson Wealth Services purchased a new position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF in the 4th quarter worth $46,000. Finally, one8zero8 LLC purchased a new position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF in the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Get iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF alerts: iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Stock Up 0.6% Shares of NYSEARCA:IWF opened at $410.50 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $108.19 billion, a PE ratio of 32.66 and a beta of 1.15. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has a 52 week low of $308.67 and a 52 week high of $419.53. The companys fifty day moving average is $373.80 and its 200 day moving average is $389.46. About iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment returns that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of equity securities of Russell 1000 index issuers with relatively higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IWF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. China Construction Bank Co. (OTCMKTS:CICHY Get Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $19.12 and last traded at $19.02, with a volume of 27018 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $18.90. China Construction Bank Stock Up 0.6% The businesss 50 day moving average is $17.30 and its 200-day moving average is $16.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $237.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 0.14. Get China Construction Bank alerts: China Construction Bank (OTCMKTS:CICHY Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $25.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $194.14 billion. China Construction Bank had a net margin of 24.10% and a return on equity of 10.44%. China Construction Bank Increases Dividend China Construction Bank Company Profile The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.4379 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 10.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This is a boost from China Construction Banks previous dividend of $0.42. China Construction Banks payout ratio is presently 24.30%. (Get Free Report) China Construction Bank Corporation provides various banking and related financial services to individuals and corporate customers in the People's Republic of China and internationally. It operates through Corporate Finance Business, Personal Finance Business, Treasury and Asset Management Business, and Others segments. Read More Receive News & Ratings for China Construction Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for China Construction Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. boosted its position in STAG Industrial, Inc. (NYSE:STAG Free Report) by 4.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 87,688 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after acquiring an additional 3,713 shares during the period. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc.s holdings in STAG Industrial were worth $3,167,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in STAG Industrial by 204.9% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 753 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of STAG Industrial during the 4th quarter valued at $62,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of STAG Industrial by 175.3% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,907 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $105,000 after buying an additional 1,851 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of STAG Industrial by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,977 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 510 shares during the period. Finally, Aew Capital Management L P grew its stake in shares of STAG Industrial by 52.4% during the 4th quarter. Aew Capital Management L P now owns 3,200 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the period. 88.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get STAG Industrial alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several brokerages have recently issued reports on STAG. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of STAG Industrial from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of STAG Industrial from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a sector perform rating and set a $38.00 price objective on shares of STAG Industrial in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Four research 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 price target of $39.71. Insider Buying and Selling at STAG Industrial In other STAG Industrial news, Director Benjamin S. Butcher sold 28,843 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.90, for a total value of $1,064,306.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,115 shares of the companys stock, valued at $262,543.50. This represents a 80.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. STAG Industrial Stock Up 0.0% Shares of STAG Industrial stock opened at $37.01 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $33.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. STAG Industrial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $28.61 and a twelve month high of $41.63. The stock has a market cap of $6.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.59 and a beta of 0.94. STAG Industrial (NYSE:STAG Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $205.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $202.04 million. STAG Industrial had a net margin of 24.64% and a return on equity of 5.51%. The firms revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that STAG Industrial, Inc. will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. STAG Industrial Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.1242 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a yield of 4.37%. STAG Industrials payout ratio is currently 112.03%. About STAG Industrial (Free Report) STAG Industrial, Inc is a real estate investment company, which engages in acquiring, owning, and managing single-tenant, industrial real estate assets. It offers industrial real estate operating platform to real estate ownership. The company was founded by Benjamin S. Butcher on July 21, 2010 and is headquartered in Boston, MA. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding STAG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for STAG Industrial, Inc. (NYSE:STAG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for STAG Industrial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for STAG Industrial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. J.Jill (NYSE:JILL Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The specialty retailer reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts consensus estimates of $0.88, RTT News reports. The firm had revenue of $153.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.90 million. J.Jill had a return on equity of 71.30% and a net margin of 6.80%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. J.Jill Stock Performance NYSE JILL opened at $16.87 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. J.Jill has a 12-month low of $13.69 and a 12-month high of $40.61. The firm has a market cap of $257.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.96 and a beta of 0.52. Get J.Jill alerts: J.Jill Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 25th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 25th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. J.Jills payout ratio is 12.12%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts recently issued reports on JILL shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on J.Jill from $33.00 to $26.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a market perform rating and issued a $21.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on J.Jill Institutional Trading of J.Jill An institutional investor recently raised its position in J.Jill stock. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL Free Report) by 11.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,908 shares of the specialty retailers stock after purchasing an additional 829 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned approximately 0.05% of J.Jill worth $154,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the companys stock. J.Jill Company Profile (Get Free Report) J.Jill, Inc operates as an omnichannel retailer for women's apparel under the J.Jill brand in the United States. It offers apparel, footwear, and accessories, including scarves and jewelry. The company markets its products through retail stores, website, and catalogs. J.Jill, Inc was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for J.Jill Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for J.Jill and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc. (NYSE:GAB Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 15th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of 0.15 per share by the financial services provider on Monday, June 23rd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. The Gabelli Equity Trust Stock Performance NYSE GAB opened at $5.86 on Wednesday. The Gabelli Equity Trust has a 12 month low of $4.50 and a 12 month high of $5.88. The companys 50-day moving average price is $5.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.53. Get The Gabelli Equity Trust alerts: Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Gabelli Equity Trust A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in The Gabelli Equity Trust stock. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new position in shares of The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc. (NYSE:GAB Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 21,905 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $121,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.24% of the companys stock. The Gabelli Equity Trust Company Profile The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched by GAMCO Investors, Inc The fund is managed by Gabelli Funds, LLC. It invests in public equity markets of the United States. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. It invests in preferred stock, convertible or exchangeable securities, and warrants and rights. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for The Gabelli Equity Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Gabelli Equity Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. USA Financial Formulas lifted its stake in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR Free Report) by 4.3% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 17,080 shares of the utilities providers stock after acquiring an additional 705 shares during the period. Entergy makes up 0.2% of USA Financial Formulas portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. USA Financial Formulas holdings in Entergy were worth $1,460,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC purchased a new stake in Entergy in the 4th quarter worth $217,000. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Entergy by 275.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,176 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $696,000 after buying an additional 6,733 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC increased its stake in Entergy by 123.6% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 8,504 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $644,000 after buying an additional 4,700 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Entergy by 183.3% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,162 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 3,987 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in Entergy by 104.4% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,720 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 1,389 shares in the last quarter. 88.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Entergy alerts: Entergy Stock Down 0.9% Shares of NYSE:ETR opened at $82.09 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. Entergy Corporation has a 12 month low of $52.07 and a 12 month high of $88.38. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $82.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.11. The company has a market cap of $35.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.71, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.59. Entergy Dividend Announcement Entergy ( NYSE:ETR Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.22. Entergy had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 10.68%. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.54 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. Entergys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.92%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ETR shares. KeyCorp upgraded Entergy from a sector weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $85.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. UBS Group increased their price target on Entergy from $86.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley reissued an overweight rating on shares of Entergy in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Entergy from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Entergy from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $86.04. Get Our Latest Stock Report on ETR About Entergy (Free Report) Entergy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production and retail distribution of electricity in the United States. It generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, including the City of New Orleans; and distributes natural gas. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ETR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Entergy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Entergy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Founders Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS Free Report) by 10.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,998 shares of the companys stock after selling 666 shares during the quarter. Founders Capital Management LLCs holdings in General Mills were worth $359,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of General Mills by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,630,598 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,376,573,000 after buying an additional 1,868,508 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in General Mills by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,488,451 shares of the companys stock worth $923,907,000 after purchasing an additional 136,895 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in General Mills by 34.5% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 9,123,387 shares of the companys stock worth $581,903,000 after purchasing an additional 2,341,137 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in General Mills by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,061,793 shares of the companys stock worth $514,101,000 after purchasing an additional 1,253,483 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in General Mills in the 4th quarter worth $496,484,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.71% of the companys stock. Get General Mills alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research firms have issued reports on GIS. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of General Mills from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of General Mills from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of General Mills in a research note on Monday, March 24th. They set an underweight rating and a $53.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of General Mills from $62.00 to $60.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of General Mills from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $63.44. General Mills Price Performance NYSE:GIS opened at $54.47 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $30.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.02. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $55.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $59.50. General Mills, Inc. has a 1-year low of $52.39 and a 1-year high of $75.90. General Mills (NYSE:GIS Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.99 billion. General Mills had a net margin of 13.08% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firms revenue was down 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.36 EPS for the current year. General Mills Company Profile (Free Report) General Mills, Inc manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates through four segments: North America Retail; International; Pet; and North America Foodservice. It offers grain, ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and savory snacks, ice cream and frozen desserts, unbaked and fully baked frozen dough products, frozen hot snacks, ethnic meals, side dish mixes, frozen breakfast and entrees, nutrition bars, and frozen and shelf-stable vegetables. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GIS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for General Mills Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for General Mills and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rowlandmiller & PARTNERS.ADV reduced its stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL Free Report) by 1.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,960 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 337 shares during the period. Rowlandmiller & PARTNERS.ADVs holdings in Aflac were worth $3,220,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. CX Institutional lifted its stake in Aflac by 11.7% in the 1st quarter. CX Institutional now owns 4,416 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $491,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Aflac by 16.1% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 646,309 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $71,863,000 after buying an additional 89,733 shares during the last quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 3.6% during the first quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 11,110 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,235,000 after acquiring an additional 389 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 11.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 13,527 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,504,000 after acquiring an additional 1,411 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 8.6% during the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 11,772 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,309,000 after buying an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Aflac alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms have recently weighed in on AFL. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Aflac from $109.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Aflac from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Aflac from $102.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $104.93. Aflac Price Performance Aflac stock opened at $102.23 on Wednesday. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $86.46 and a one year high of $115.50. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $105.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $105.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.10 and a quick ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.65, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.82. Aflac (NYSE:AFL Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.67 by ($0.01). Aflac had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 28.76%. The company had revenue of $3.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 37.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year. Aflac Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 21st were issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 21st. Aflacs dividend payout ratio is currently 36.25%. Insider Transactions at Aflac In related news, Director Masatoshi Koide sold 37,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.59, for a total value of $3,906,830.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 70,992 shares in the company, valued at $7,496,045.28. The trade was a 34.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.79, for a total value of $106,790.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 26,096 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,786,791.84. This trade represents a 3.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,750 shares of company stock valued at $4,304,295. Insiders own 0.90% of the companys stock. About Aflac (Free Report) Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. The company operates through Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. segments. The Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care, work leave, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AFL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Aflac Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aflac and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Martin Capital Partners LLC decreased its position in Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR Free Report) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,225 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 591 shares during the period. Entergy makes up 3.3% of Martin Capital Partners LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Martin Capital Partners LLCs holdings in Entergy were worth $2,755,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ETR. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC acquired a new position in Entergy in the 4th quarter worth $217,000. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Entergy by 275.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,176 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 6,733 shares during the period. Choreo LLC boosted its stake in Entergy by 123.6% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 8,504 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 4,700 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Entergy by 183.3% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,162 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 3,987 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in Entergy by 104.4% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,720 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.07% of the companys stock. Get Entergy alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets ETR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Entergy from $86.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Entergy from a sector weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $85.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Entergy from $88.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating on shares of Entergy in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Entergy from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $86.04. Entergy Stock Down 0.9% Shares of ETR stock opened at $82.09 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.72. The firms 50-day moving average is $82.40 and its 200-day moving average is $81.11. The stock has a market cap of $35.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.71, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.59. Entergy Corporation has a 52-week low of $52.07 and a 52-week high of $88.38. Entergy (NYSE:ETR Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.13 billion. Entergy had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 10.68%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.54 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Entergy Corporation will post 3.88 EPS for the current year. Entergy Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. Entergys dividend payout ratio is currently 77.92%. Entergy Profile (Free Report) Entergy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production and retail distribution of electricity in the United States. It generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, including the City of New Orleans; and distributes natural gas. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Entergy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Entergy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. KHARTOUM, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) announced on Wednesday that it had evacuated the triangle area located at the border between Sudan, Egypt, and Libya, as part of its "defensive measures to repel aggression," according to a statement by the army's General Command. Meanwhile, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said in a statement that its fighters had "liberated the strategic triangle area," noting that army forces had retreated southward "after suffering heavy losses". On Tuesday, the Sudanese army accused forces loyal to Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar of direct involvement in an attack launched by the RSF on one of its positions in the area. "The operation constitutes a blatant violation of international law and a clear infringement on Sudanese sovereignty," the SAF said in a statement. For its part, the Libyan army firmly rejected in a statement any involvement in the ongoing conflict in Sudan between the SAF and the RSF, emphasizing that it was committed to securing and stabilizing the borders. It also noted that its patrols had been repeatedly attacked by Sudanese forces while carrying out missions to safeguard the Libyan side of the border. The triangle area holds strategic importance because of its geographic position and its function as a crucial corridor for military operations and arms smuggling. In recent months, it has emerged as a hotspot for clashes and RSF activity, drawing increased military attention amid rising accusations of foreign interference in the Sudanese conflict. Since mid-April 2023, the SAF and the RSF have been engaged in a devastating war that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, both internally and across borders. Bard Financial Services Inc. decreased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT Free Report) by 0.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 54,735 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after selling 400 shares during the period. Bard Financial Services Inc.s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $7,261,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth $2,373,461,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 383.1% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,358,698 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $945,453,000 after purchasing an additional 6,628,310 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth $635,056,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 15,420.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,102,648 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $676,866,000 after purchasing an additional 5,069,771 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 67,972,953 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $7,688,160,000 after purchasing an additional 2,229,026 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the companys stock. Get Abbott Laboratories alerts: Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:ABT opened at $134.04 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $233.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.52, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.73. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $99.71 and a 12 month high of $141.23. The firms 50-day moving average is $130.82 and its 200 day moving average is $126.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Abbott Laboratories ( NYSE:ABT Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $10.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.38 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 31.95% and a return on equity of 20.74%. Research analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current year. ABT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $138.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $117.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Four equities 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $142.59. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Abbott Laboratories Insider Activity at Abbott Laboratories In other Abbott Laboratories news, Director Sally E. Blount sold 2,600 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $337,116.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,058 shares in the company, valued at $4,415,960.28. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. 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. Further Reading 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. Transform Wealth LLC lessened its stake in Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN Free Report) by 0.1% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 51,367 shares of the information technology services providers stock after selling 42 shares during the quarter. Accenture accounts for 1.0% of Transform Wealth LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Transform Wealth LLCs holdings in Accenture were worth $16,029,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. grew its stake in Accenture by 62.2% in the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 73 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC grew its stake in Accenture by 64.2% in the 4th quarter. POM Investment Strategies LLC now owns 87 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Accenture alerts: Accenture Trading Up 1.3% NYSE ACN opened at $320.79 on Wednesday. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $303.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $336.54. Accenture plc has a 52 week low of $275.01 and a 52 week high of $398.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $200.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.91, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.33. Accenture Dividend Announcement Accenture ( NYSE:ACN Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $16.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.64 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 11.41% and a return on equity of 26.91%. The businesss revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.77 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Accenture plc will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a $1.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Accentures dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.89%. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, insider Angela Beatty sold 169 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.90, for a total value of $47,641.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 5,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,512,111.60. The trade was a 3.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 2,284 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.63, for a total transaction of $643,242.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 9,965 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,806,442.95. This trade represents a 18.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,516 shares of company stock worth $2,507,366. Insiders own 0.02% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research firms have issued reports on ACN. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Accenture from $399.00 to $392.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Accenture from $390.00 to $380.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $415.00 to $390.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Accenture from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a buy rating and set a $395.00 price objective (up from $390.00) on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $382.14. Get Our Latest Stock Report on ACN Accenture Company Profile (Free Report) Accenture plc, a professional services company, provides strategy and consulting, industry X, song, and technology and operation services worldwide. The company offers application services, including agile transformation, DevOps, application modernization, enterprise architecture, software and quality engineering, data management; intelligent automation comprising robotic process automation, natural language processing, and virtual agents; and application management services, as well as software engineering services; strategy and consulting services; data and analytics strategy, data discovery and augmentation, data management and beyond, data democratization, and industrialized solutions comprising turnkey analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions; metaverse; and sustainability services. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ACN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Accenture Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Accenture and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Strathcona Resources Ltd. (TSE:SCR Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, June 13th, TickerTech Dividends reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 23rd will be paid a dividend of 0.30 per share on Monday, June 23rd. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This is a 15.4% increase from Strathcona Resourcess previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Strathcona Resources Price Performance Shares of Strathcona Resources stock traded up C$0.11 during trading on Wednesday, hitting C$30.16. 28,595 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 47,321. The company has a market cap of C$6.45 billion and a PE ratio of 17.39. The firms fifty day moving average price is C$26.96 and its 200 day moving average price is C$28.12. Strathcona Resources has a twelve month low of C$22.75 and a twelve month high of C$33.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 56.06, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 11.09. Get Strathcona Resources alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research analysts have commented on SCR shares. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Strathcona Resources to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Strathcona Resources from C$34.00 to C$36.00 in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. TD Securities decreased their price target on Strathcona Resources from C$32.00 to C$29.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, CIBC lowered their price target on Strathcona Resources from C$37.00 to C$33.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of C$35.29. Strathcona Resources Company Profile (Get Free Report) Strathcona Resources Ltd. acquires, explores, develops, and produces petroleum and natural gas reserves in Canada. It operates through three segments: Cold Lake Thermal, Lloydminster Heavy Oil, and Montney. The Cold Lake Thermal segment includes three producing assets in the Cold Lake region of Northern Alberta; and Lindbergh, Orion, and Tucker. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Strathcona Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Strathcona Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. My Legacy Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM Free Report) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,820 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLCs holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $930,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Beacon Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 8,582 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $923,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,130 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,090,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 918 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. WPWealth LLP grew its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. WPWealth LLP now owns 9,201 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $990,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Management Network Inc. grew its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Financial Management Network Inc. now owns 8,441 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $910,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Exxon Mobil alerts: Exxon Mobil Price Performance Shares of XOM opened at $107.21 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $105.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $108.89. Exxon Mobil Co. has a fifty-two week low of $97.80 and a fifty-two week high of $126.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $462.04 billion, a PE ratio of 13.67, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.31. Exxon Mobil Dividend Announcement Exxon Mobil ( NYSE:XOM Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The oil and gas company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.03. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 12.92%. The firm had revenue of $83.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $86.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.06 EPS. The companys revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.69%. Exxon Mobils payout ratio is presently 52.52%. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $140.00 to $115.00 and set a sector outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $141.00 to $138.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a sector perform rating on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Exxon Mobil from $129.00 to $124.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Exxon Mobil from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $125.50. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on XOM 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. See Also 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. Rockingstone Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report) by 20.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,723 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 635 shares during the quarter. Rockingstone Advisors LLCs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $3,075,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 358.3% in the 4th quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 55 shares of the companys stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the companys stock. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 4.4% Shares of NYSE LLY opened at $807.75 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $770.33 and a 200-day moving average of $800.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $765.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.98, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.41. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $677.09 and a 12 month high of $972.53. 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 Dividend Announcement Eli Lilly and Company ( NYSE:LLY Get Free Report ) last released its 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). The firm had revenue of $12.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 45.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio is presently 48.82%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an overweight rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group lowered their target price on 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. 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 target price on the stock. Erste Group Bank cut Eli Lilly and Company from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a buy rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Friday, May 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $1,011.37. Get Our Latest Research Report on LLY Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $818.24, for a total transaction of $818,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at $4,778,521.60. This represents a 14.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. About Eli Lilly and Company (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 Stories 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. Palestinians carry the body of a victim killed by Israeli army near an aid distribution center in the central Gaza Strip, at a hospital in Gaza City, on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) GAZA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- At least 28 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday by the Israeli army near an aid distribution center in the central Gaza Strip, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported. The attack also injured dozens of others, WAFA said. Seperately, two people were killed on Wednesday in an Israeli drone strike on the New Camp area north of Nuseirat, the central Gaza Strip, according to sources in Al Awda Hospital. In the south, four people were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit a tent sheltering displaced persons in northwest of Khan Younis, medical teams in the southern city's Nasser Hospital said. The Israeli side has not commented on these incidents. Meanwhile, the Israeli military operation in the West Bank has persisted. According to WAFA, A Palestinian man was killed late Tuesday night by the Israeli forces in the town of Tammun, south of Tubas, the northern West Bank. Israeli special units infiltrated the town, shot Raiq Abdul Rahman Bisharat, 47, and detained his body, WAFA said. Besides, the Israeli forces raided houses in the town and arrested two young men, it added. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Wednesday that overnight, Israeli forces conducted "counterterrorism activity" to apprehend wanted militants in Tammun. At least 4,701 Palestinians had been killed and 14,879 others injured since Israel renewed its intensive strikes in Gaza on March 18, bringing the total death toll since October 2023 to 54,981, and injuries to 126,920, Gaza-based health authorities said on Tuesday. A Palestinian man injured by Israeli army near an aid distribution center in the central Gaza Strip is seen at a hospital in Gaza City, on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) A Palestinian man injured by Israeli army near an aid distribution center in the central Gaza Strip is seen at a hospital in Gaza City, on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Palestinians mourn victims killed by Israeli army near an aid distribution center in the central Gaza Strip, at a hospital in Gaza City, on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) A Palestinian man injured by Israeli army near an aid distribution center in the central Gaza Strip is seen at a hospital in Gaza City, on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) Palestinians carry the body of a victim killed by Israeli army near an aid distribution center in the central Gaza Strip, at a hospital in Gaza City, on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) The Central Bank of Ireland does not consider the Genocide Convention when approving prospectuses for Israel bonds, the banks governor has said. However, Gabriel Makhlouf said the intensity of the conflict in Gaza does put a question mark over whether the financial viability of Israel remains secure. The Central Bank is the designated authority in relation to the sale of Israel Bonds in the EU, and has determined the securities meet the standards of the blocs prospectus regulations. Israel Bonds have been advertised as supporting the countrys economy, and more recently, websites promoting the securities emphasise their role in supporting Israels military operations in Gaza. Protesters and opposition parties have called for legislation that would give Ireland the power to refuse the sale of Israeli war bonds over human rights concerns. They say the bonds are intended to fund the war in Gaza, while Ireland has an obligation under the Genocide Convention to use all means likely to have a deterrent effect on those suspected of preparing genocide. An opposition motion calling on the Government to stop the approval of the securities was defeated on Wednesday night after Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said the Government cannot introduce legislation that cuts across the independence of the Central Bank adding that it would not be legal and that it would not work. Earlier on Wednesday, demonstrators and opposition TDs rallied outside Leinster House as the head of the bank appeared before the Finance Committee. Mr Makhlouf said the Central Bank must carry out the statutory tasks and functions it has been assigned. He said it was incorrect to say the bank could refuse to approve the Israeli bond prospectus on the basis of international law rulings and opinions. The Central Bank cannot impose sanctions on Israel, for example by refusing to approve the Israeli bond prospectus, in circumstances where the EU has not imposed any such sanctions itself. Asked by Sinn Fein finance spokesman Pearse Doherty if the Central Bank subscribes to the Genocide Convention, the governor said the authority has to operate within the legal framework allocated to it, but added that the Genocide Convention does not feature in the EU prospectus regulation. Pressed on whether it applied to the bank overall, Mr Makhlouf said it applies to the state and added that, with regard to approving prospectuses: In that sense no, it doesnt. Under similar questioning from Social Democrats deputy leader Cian OCallaghan, deputy governor Mary-Elizabeth McMunn said: Ireland is the contracting party under the Genocide Convention. It does not explicitly say the Central Bank is a contracting party under the Genocide Convention. Asked if he believed what was happening in Gaza was genocide, Mr Makhlouf said that was a legal concept determined by the ICJ and no one at the Central Bank could comment authoritatively as experts on that matter. He added: But whats clear is that what is happening in Gaza is appalling, horrific. The governor said everyone at the Central Bank wants to see an immediate end to hostilities by all parties. The Israel Bond prospectus is up for renewal in September. Asked by Labour finance spokesman Ged Nash what factors the bank would be looking for in engagements with Israel at that point, Mr Makhlouf replied: I think the intensity of the conflict in in Gaza probably does put a question mark over whether the financial viability of the state still remains secure. The fact that the European Union has indicated that its going to look at its co-operation agreement of Israel, I think thats a factor. The fact that the [Israeli] finance minister has just been sanctioned by a number of countries, that may be a factor. He said it would be up to Israel to assess whether these factors affect its financial standing when putting together the prospectus, but added that the bank would be required to approve the next prospectus if all matters are completely disclosed. Meanwhile, Mr Makhlouf said national restrictive measures could be imposed by the Oireachtas to stop the approval of the prospectuses, if they were consistent with EU law. However, he said he would find it difficult to say that it is possible to do that in this case, because one member state acting on its own would undermine the whole prospectus regulation. He said he had not taken legal advice on this and added that he was not ruling out the possibility. Prospectus regulation doesnt just apply to states, it applies to corporates, it applies to anybody who wants to issue a regulation in certain circumstances. So what Im not ruling out is the possibility that some domestic legislation could prevent an individual corporate being able to issue security in certain circumstances, but this is real hypothetical stuff. Mr Doherty asked if the Central Bank would deem the ICJ findings a risk for an investor who wishes to purchase Israel Bonds. Mr Makhlouf said the case taken by South Africa against Israel was included in the September prospectus that was approved by the bank. Gerry Cross, the banks director of capital markets and funds, added that it was the authoritys belief that it was articulated and disclosed to the level that is required. Mr Cross later told the committee that the Bank had made approximately 13,300 euro in fees through its work relating to the bonds since October 2023. A row erupted between TD Paul Gogarty, two councillors and protesters demonstrating outside the Dail over Government plans to buy Citywest Hotel. The State is to buy the Citywest Hotel to be used as part of the countrys immigration system, according to the Business Post. Around two dozen protesters gathered outside Leinster House on Wednesday holding signs that read Public consultation, not secret conversation and Save Citywest Hotel from being purchased by our Government. Locals who protested raised concerns about losing a significant amenity in the area. Dublin city councillors Malachy Steenson and Gavin Pepper, who do not represent the electoral area Citywest is located in, were also seen at the protest. As Independent TD for Dublin Mid-West Paul Gogarty addressed the crowd by megaphone, a row broke out between protesters, Mr Gogarty, Mr Steenson and Mr Pepper. Asked whether there was some confusion over how his comments had been taken, Mr Gogarty said maybe one or two people jumped the gun there. But I felt it was important to say what I stand for first of all, which is respect towards everyone whether or not they are economic migrants abusing the asylum system, genuine people fleeing persecution or IT professionals coming to this country. Bernie Cronin, from Clondalkin, said 200 people attended a meeting two weeks ago where concerns were raised about the Government plans to buy Citywest Hotel. Mr Cronin, who is a former member of Fine Gael and a current member of Independent Ireland, said it has been the areas greatest amenity for 40 years. If the Government buys it, it will never come back to the people of Saggart and the surrounding districts as the superb and magnificent luxury hotel that it has been for 40 years, he said. He said locals have no concern about its current use as an IPAS centre for housing asylum seekers. Mr Cronin said there have been concerns by the group that others could hijack what we are trying to do. Asked about outside elements at the protest, Mr Cronin said: They dont help us. They dont help us and I know thats a concern. Its not a question about race, its about space, Saggart resident Susan Murphy said. We dont have the space, we have two shops, one chemist, one post office, no Garda station. We cannot accommodate groups and groups of people. If the Government buys Citywest Hotel, they have free rein to do whatever they want with all the land there, which isnt fair on the residents here. Another local, Karen Tracey, said the village was already overwhelmed and it was difficult to get a GP appointment or school place. Within a five-minute walk within the hotel, theres about 8,000 new homes, not all of them have been occupied just yet and when they are occupied you can imagine how overwhelmed well be without this. BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The largest bank in Brunei, Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD), has urged its customers and the public to remain vigilant in the wake of a new scam tactic involving suspicious calls targeting BIBD customers, the bank said on Wednesday. The bank said in these calls, fraudsters pose as BIBD representatives, urging customers to provide personal or banking information. These callers claim that there are suspicious transactions using the customers' accounts or credit cards, the BIBD said in a press release. These tactics are a common way to trick people into giving away sensitive information. The bank said the advisory is part of an ongoing commitment to safeguard customers against financial fraud and uphold the highest standards of trust and security in the Brunei financial sector. Like it or not . . . A Kansas City solidarity march against Prez Trump and the immigration crackdown underway in Los Angeles might have been the most significant political even of this week. Accordingly . . . We wanted to highlight an important postscript on this week's march along with a note from the activist regarding his perspective on the protest discourse . . . Check-it: "In 2020, when we made the Mayor sign onto the demands of the Kansas City Black Lives Matter movement, I took this photo: What do you see? Our Mexican neighbors standing with us." "For those saying This aint our fight, especially Black folksThe fight against ICE is the fight against the same systems that oppress us. And I dont leave any of my people behindYou show up for me, Ill always show up for you. Solidarity forever. " Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Justice Horn On X: ICE aint welcome in Kansas City or anywhere in our regionand the community came out to make that very clear! Today's note from the longtime local transit activist offers insight on his continued legal battle against city hall . . . Here's the press release he recently sent to local media . . . Clay Chastain: The Misbehavior of Mayor Quinton Lucas rumbles on.... First, Lucas ordered Chastain restrained, silenced & falsely imprisoned for trying to speak out at a City Hall Public Forum on Lucas refusal to debate. Then Lucas tried to criminalize Chastain (he failed). Then Yesterday, Lucas lied (again) to the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals when he filed (yet) another phony request for another lengthy extension of time to file his "Respondent's Brief". This deceitful power play by Lucas & the City's Legal Department (to manipulate the legal system & stall justice by telling the Court they need *FOUR MONTHS* to answer Chastain's charges) only further exemplifies and further compounds the corruption @ City Hall The City has scores (perhaps 60) Attorneys. Pro se Chastain has no Attorney. Yet Lucas says (because of a "medical procedure" involving one Attorney) he needs 4 - months (not the customary 30- days) to answer Chastain's charges. The City's Legal Department tells Chastain the City & Lucas aren't interested in apologizing because they feel "confident in their legal case". Yet Lucas says he needs 4 - months to answer Chastain's charges. For decades, KC has been ruled by Mayors like Lucas who have used the Marauding Power of Government to Undercut Citizen Power & Abuse a Citizen (who is just trying to improve Kansas City) by... blocking & distorting (numerous) valid Petitions, overturning a Petition election, refusing to debate, falsely jailing rival, manipulating litigation against rival, etc... in order to fortify their own power & advance their own political ambitions. We can't turn on Kansas City until we turn off Kansas City Corruption (Case No. WD87587). ################# Developing . . . More than a few crime links to consider tonight as, once again, we share some of our reading by way of ALLEGED misdeeds, court cases and, of course, community outreach. Check TKC news gathering . . . Social media helps detectives tie KCK man to March fatal shooting in KCMO Social media helped Kansas City, Missouri, detectives connect a Kansas City, Kansas, man to a fatal shooting in March. Kansas City woman accused of smuggling fentanyl into Kansas prison A wanted convict was arrested in Missouri after she was accused of smuggling fentanyl into a Kansas prison in 2023. 19-year-old charged after man gunned down outside Kansas City convenience store in March The victim told a friend that he did not feel safe in Kansas City before the shooting. Woman accused of killing bicyclist in Northland charged with DWI-related offense The woman who hit and killed a bicyclist early Monday morning is in jail with a DWI-related charge, court documents show. Man who fired gun in Waldo bar out of jail; put on probation A Kansas City man is out of jail and on probation just months after firing a gun inside a Waldo bar-a shot that narrowly missed a staff member by only mere inches. Arrest made after car with toddler inside stolen from Kansas City gas station A Kansas City man is behind bars after investigators tracked down a stolen vehicle with a toddler inside and found him at a nearby bus stop. 67-year-old man dies from injuries after June 1 crash in Kansas City A passenger died after a June 1 crash that happened at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. Two men charged for meth trafficking, third charged for illegal re-entry All three were charged in a criminal complaint on June 5. Center School District records show no disciplinary history for former security officer charged with murder A former Center High School security officer remains in jail after being charged with second-degree murder. Indictment delayed for suspect in killings of Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C. A federal judge has extended the deadline for prosecutors to file an indictment against Elias Rodriguez, the man accused of fatally shooting two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. Alleyway stabbing could lead to life in prison for homeless man in Kansas City An argument between homeless individuals in a Crossroads alleyway ended with one man behind bars and another in the hospital with multiple stab wounds. Current, former employees file discrimination lawsuits against Cass County Sheriff's Office The Cass County Sheriff's Office is litigating two separate discrimination lawsuits, according to court documents obtained by KSHB 41. From TAC Officer To Sergeant: A Calling To Serve As a member of KCPDs renowned Tactical Response Team (TRT), Sergeant T.J. Phillips, an Army veteran, contributed to high-level trainings and operations for eight gratifying years. Developing . . . Tonight we take a peek at follow-up confirmation in a report that's mostly advocacy . . . We talked about it to start the day thanks to KICK-ASS INSIDERS and then the story turned into news fact . . . Here's the roundup of today's Kansas City protest that started on the Westside, marched through the Crossroads and then finished near Union Station This cowtown's front porch . . . Check-it: "Protesters gathered in Kansas City's West Side, one of the city's historically Latino neighborhoods, to protest President Donald Trump's immigration policies and stand in solidarity with protesters in Los Angeles." Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Hundreds in Kansas City protest ICE raids in Los Angeles: 'We are not the enemy' Protesters gathered in Kansas City's West Side, one of the city's historically Latino neighborhoods, to protest President Donald Trump's immigration policies and stand in solidarity with protesters in Los Angeles. Residents take to downtown Kansas City, Missouri, display signs of 'solidarity' People gathered in parts of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, Tuesday night holding signs of "solidarity." Groups march through Kansas City streets protesting ICE Anger over immigration raids have spread from city to city and Tuesday night it reached Kansas City. Developing . . . Again . . . We welcome so many transit activists to consider the impact of "transit-orientated development" on access to local services . . . OR . . . Here's something to ponder whilst waiting for the bus . . . Planning for a $52.5 million, 192-unit affordable apartment community near 69th Street and State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, took an important step forward Monday. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is partnering with Marian Development Group to build whats being billed as the first transit-oriented community development project in Wyandotte County. On Monday, the KCATAs Economic Development and Real Estate Committee gave its approval for the project. The KCATAs full Board of Commissioners is set to review the project in June and July. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . CAIRO, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said Wednesday that a joint decision by five Western countries to sanction two Israeli ministers is "welcomed." Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have been put on a travel ban by Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and Britain for repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, said a joint statement by the five countries' foreign ministers on Tuesday. According to an AL statement released Wednesday, Aboul-Gheit described the ban as "significant" to holding officials in the government of the occupying country accountable for engaging in "an obvious incitement of violence" and condoning Israeli settlers who attack Palestinians in the West Bank with impunity. He said the sanction uncovers the criminal acts of far-right government officials committing war crimes and widespread violations of international humanitarian law in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The action is an important step toward rebalancing the international stance on war crimes against Palestinians and taking practical measures to hold the perpetrators accountable, said the statement. New triple-observatory network completes first winter of work Photo by Kylee Branning The container observatory at Abisko, Sweden. Three new Arctic mini-observatories located across the globe from Alaska have completed their first winter studying the upper atmospheres wind under guidance of a University of Alaska Fairbanks physics professor. The first-of-its-kind system, which began operating in late 2024, allows scientists to know in greater detail how space weather such as the aurora impacts Earths atmosphere. Understanding the processes is important for radio communication, satellite navigation and spacecraft operations. Space physics professor Mark Conde of the UAF Geophysical Institute is leading the $3 million program funded by the National Science Foundation. This will fuel science and collaboration for a couple of decades, said Conde, who is also a physics professor in the UAF College of Natural Science and Mathematics. Our approach of imaging the whole sky and producing maps across the whole sky is unique. The Tristatic Network of Ground-based Aeronomic Observatories is a winter-only, optical-based system of coordinated instrument clusters that can analyze wind behavior in large patches of the thermosphere in a single observation. Each mini-observatory contains the same five instruments. The thermosphere is a dynamic layer beginning at about 60 miles altitude and topping out at about 300 to 500 miles, depending on solar activity. The layer expands as auroral energy heats the region. Conde is excited by the first results. The picture that emerges when the observations from those three sites are blended together is really quite spectacular, Conde said. And we're doing it right around solar maximum, so we're seeing much more dynamic fluctuations in the winds than you would see during less-active times. UAF/GI map by Molly Putman This map shows the locations of the three container observatories, which became operational in late 2024. We need to do some more in-depth analysis to really understand exactly whats going on, but the degree of disruptions that we see from space weather events is quite significant. Fairbanks-based Summit Logistics turned three ordinary shipping containers into insulated, lighted and heated observatories where humans can work for days at a time. Two are in Finland and one is in Sweden, all in remote regions. To learn about the winds behavior, Condes three 20-foot-long mini-observatories look for a faint red glow from excited atomic oxygen at about 150 miles up. That allows scientists to determine, in real time, the direction and speed of the neutral, or non-ionized, gas emitting the light. From that they can determine the velocity the speed and direction of the wind moving the gas. Each observatory can view a 600-mile diameter circle of the thermosphere at 150 miles altitude. Conde uses the International Space Station to explain why knowing more about wind behavior is important. Assume the aurora has been active for a couple of days, he said. The energy from the aurora changes the mass density and temperature of the atmosphere and therefore changes the aerodynamic drag at orbital heights. How much does that affect where the International Space Station is going to be in a week's time? Perhaps hundreds of kilometers, he said. UAF/GI photo by Bryan Whitten Kylee Branning and Mark Conde watch a part being 3D-printed in the UAF Geophysical Institute machine shop. Condes project complements a European project, also in northern Europe. The European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association is building a radar for three-dimensional imaging of Earths atmosphere, ionosphere and near-Earth space for research. The EISCAT_3D system, the most advanced of its kind, will obtain density, temperature and velocity data about the upper atmospheres ionized component. The ionized portion forms when solar energy strips electrons from neutral atmospheric gases, creating a layer of charged particles. We are excited about the upcoming EISCAT_3D facility, said EISCAT Council member professor Anita Aikio of Finlands University of Oulu. However, we have always had one problem: We dont know what the background atmosphere with neutral molecules and atoms are doing. Condes observatories, which cover the same region as EISCAT_3D, will reveal winds and temperature in the upper atmosphere, she said. That information is crucial for understanding how the energy from the sun and solar wind is driving the atmosphere and how the ionosphere and the upper atmosphere are coupled, she said. ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Mark Conde, 907- 474-7741, mgconde@alaska.edu NOTE: A longer and interactive story, with videos and additional photos, is available here. A related and interactive story about the involvement of UAF doctoral student and research staffer Kylee Branning is available here. 294-25 Maryland Youth Use Photography to Advance Sexual Violence Prevention Initiatives Twenty-three Baltimore youth showcased their photography exploring boundaries, consent, and social connection at "#nofilter: A Youth-led Photovoice Journey," on Tuesday, June 3, at Westminster Hall in Baltimore. Neveah Boone discusses photos about boundaries with a visitor at the #nofilter exhibit at Westminster Hall. The exhibition was the culmination of a community-engaged research study conducted by the University of Maryland School of Social Work and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law's Erin Levitas Initiative for Sexual Violence Prevention, in partnership with the Erin Levitas Foundation and HeartSmiles, a Baltimore youth leadership organization. "#nofilter: A Youth-led Photovoice Journey" debuted the work of 23 participants, ages 13-17, who over the past several months captured powerful images exploring boundaries, consent, and social connection through an innovative research methodology called Photovoice. The photo exhibition featured youth presenters explaining their photographs and the insights they reveal about preventing sexual violence and fostering healthy relationships. While describing a photo about boundaries, 16-year-old Tyjae Belford explained the importance of mutual respect in relationships. "If you're in a relationship and your boyfriend crosses a boundary that he didn't know before, and you tell him, 'Hey, you crossed my boundary,' he shouldn't cross it again," she explained. "And if he does, you need to think hard about your relationship. The study, led by University of Maryland School of Social Work faculty Laurie Graham, PhD, MSW, and Theda Rose, PhD, MSW, aims to infuse youth voices into sexual violence prevention initiatives. "By understanding how young people perceive key concepts like boundaries and consent, we can develop more effective prevention programs," said Graham. "Their work represents authentic youth voices on issues affecting their generation," added Rose. For participants like Belford, the project has been transformative beyond the research itself. "This project gave me more confidence and made me get out of my shell," she said. "The people I worked with encouraged me to speak up if you got something to say. It really gave me confidence to be myself." "This project gives young people a platform to inform and reshape adolescent sexual violence prevention programs, including our E.R.I.N. Talk ("Empathy. Respect. Integrity. Nurturing Connections") curriculum," said Quince Hopkins, JD, LLM, JSD, director of the Erin Levitas Initiative at Maryland Carey Law. Launched in 2018, the Erin Levitas Initiative for Sexual Violence Prevention takes a public health approach to sexual violence prevention, and works to address sexually harmful societal norms early in adolescence using restorative justice principles. E.R.I.N. Talk trains and deploys skilled facilitators to lead sexual assault primary prevention restorative circles in Baltimore City middle schools. The program developed by Maryland Carey Law's Levitas Initiative and the Erin Levitas Foundation, uses a restorative justice framework to engage middle school students in activities that help them identify and reject the ideas that contribute to sexual violence. "We are incredibly excited that the voices and perspectives of Maryland youth are being woven into the E.R.I.N. Talk curriculum," said Marissa Jachman, executive director of the Erin Levitas Foundation. "This moment feels like a powerful milestone in a program we've nurtured for years. Seeing young people share what they've learned through their own lens is what this work is all about. We're grateful for everyone who has supported this project and program." The Photovoice project, which began in 2024, was made possible by a $500,000 state grant from the Maryland General Assembly. Military Training in Maharashtra Schools It is rather troubling to note that the Maharashtra governments move to introduce military training since Class 1 has not received the attention it deserves. Wednesday June 11, 2025 3:25 PM , Subhash Gatade I Close on the heels of the decision of the Assam Government to distribute arms to "vulnerable citizens" has come another worrying news from Maharashtra - the Western state in India, which talks about not arms distribution but military training to school children. This came even as the decision of the Assam hovernment received widespread criticism at various levels underlining failure of the state to ensure law and order and outsourcing it to citizens themselves, and in a way facilitating militarisation of the society and furthering schisms among people themselves. While making public the decision, the Maharashtra Education Minister Dada Bhuse said the idea to provide military training to children from Class I is to promote "patriotism, discipline, and physical fitness among young learners from an early age". The richest state in the Indian Union namely Maharashtra has embarked on this new initiative in the field of school education to provide basic military training in schools. Around 2.5 lakh ex-servicemen would be involved to deliver this training which will be introduced in a phased manner, the government said. Undoubtedly -in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor this proposal will be able to gather enough eyeballs in the rest of the country and it would not be surprising that few other BJP ruled states would implement similar schemes in schools. This proposal is worrying at many levels One, as noted by experts and educationists a state where the complex crisis in education is reflected in poor infrastructure, shortage of teachers and mounting challenges in policy implementation which leads to falling scores, shrinking classrooms, and the lack of access to basic amenities, this move can further aggravate the crisis as a portion of already scarce resources and time meant for studies would be devoted to this scheme. Two, amidst growing concerns among educational activists and concerned citizens about closing of thousands of schools during the last decade because of resource constraints as well as other policy changes which has clearly led to violation of Right to Education (RTE), depriving children of education, where Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), has already presented a grim picture for Maharashtra, this proposal seems to be an attempt to gloss over the basic malaise which afflicts the school education. Three, it further vindicates absence of a long term vision about education among the ruling circles in the state ruled by the BJP with its allies which is already under the scanner for its abrupt surrendering of its own school curriculum and textbooks, and adoption of the curriculum developed by the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) without any widespread consultation. It is being estimated that this move will immediately affect more than 2.1 crore students and 6.8 lakh teachers in more than 1.11 lakh schools under the state board. Four, perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this scheme is that the idea to introduce military training starting from kids as young as 3-4 years would slowly defeat the very purpose of education which intends to break shackles of various kinds on the Childrens minds imposed by the society, family and state etc. Whereas experts talk of purpose of education as replacing an empty mind with an open one, the very idea of disciplining the kids at a younger age will not only crush their creativity but would slowly get reduced to what Rabindranath Tagore cautioned us about "voluntary submission of the whole people to the trimming of their minds and clipping of their freedom by their government". Five, another problematic aspect of military training starting from kids is that it would create unnecessary fears in the minds of the children about the "unknown enemy" further stifling its impressionable minds and can also culminate in various psychological problems. II I have seen in Japan the voluntary submission of the whole people to the trimming of their minds and clipping of their freedom by their government, which through various educational agencies regulates their thoughts, manufactures their feelings, becomes suspiciously watchful when they show signs of inclining toward the spiritual, leading them through a narrow path not toward what is true but what is necessary for the complete welding of them into one uniform mass according to its own recipe. The people accept this all-pervading mental slavery with cheerfulness and pride because of their nervous desire to turn themselves into a machine of power, called the Nation, and emulate other machines in their collective worldliness. - Rabindranath Tagore, Nationalism Looking at a qualitative leap of sorts, this scheme intends to usher in the field of school education, it was expected that the government would facilitate widespread conversation about it in the society and would look at the pros and cons of any such move, seek advice and opinion from educationists about the need and viability of this scheme and then take a considered decision. There is no news in the public domain about any such dialogue or discussion at a broader level. The absence of any broad based conversation coupled with the speed with which the BJP-led government in the state plans to move in this direction makes it evident that it is determined to go ahead with this scheme and does not want any questions asked. Close watchers of the field of education tell us that the move to introduce military training since Class I seems to be basically an extension and implementation of the vision proposed by the Prime Ministers Office ( PMO) few years back to incorporate aspects of the Sainik School model into other schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), to promote "holistic development of students". It suggested integrating rigorous physical training, discipline, and patriotic values, common in Sainik Schools, into these other schools. As an aside it might be noted that since independence we have established various educational commissions right from the first of its kind Radhakrishnan Commission to Kothari commission etc mainly involving educationists to propose changes in the school as well as College level education. But, here under the Modi dispensation such practices are being discontinued and bureaucrats / experts in the PMO are being authorised to advise and suggest necessary changes. What we have observed that benefitting from this debatable proposal in a controversial and much reviled decision, the union government under Prime Minister, Narendra Modi seems to have moved a step further. It has "decided" to handover 67 per cent of Sainik Schools to the Sangh Parivar (and its allied organisations who are self-acclaimed majoritarian and unconstitutional), BJP Politicians and allies. This investigation was undertaken by meticulous examination by the Reporters Collective. III The most necessary task of civilization is to teach people how to think. It should be the primary purpose of our public schools The trouble with our way of educating is that it does not give elasticity to the mind. It casts the brain into a mold. It insists that the child must accept. It does not encourage original thought or reasoning, and it lays more stress on memory than observation. - Thomas A. Edison [ American Inventor, 1847-1931] There is no denying the fact that this very idea of a militarized model of "discipline" and "patriotism" among the students of schools, colleges and universities has become quite popular during the last decade, with the ascent of a Hindutva Supremacist regime at the Centre. It was just a reflection of this thinking that the then Vice Chancellor of JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) Jagdish Kumar had at a political event at JNU, commemorating the "Kargil Divas", requested the two NDA Ministers present to procure a decommissioned Army tank for the University campus. His claim was that such a tank was needed to "inculcate love for the Army" among the students. On the same occasion, two of the speakers (former Army officers) congratulated the regime of the day for the "capture" of JNU and spoke of capturing other Universities next. This controversial proposal of installing a tank in the University had received widespread condemnation from students, educationists as well as broad masses of concerned citizens: It was seen as the Vice Chancellor revealing his real agenda which intends to snub and silence the dissenting student community. It was underlined that the aim of universities and other educational institutions is not to "produce soldiers or obedient subjects marching and saluting on parades", they are meant and tasked with "producing informed, enquiring, and dissenting citizens." A chain of military schools and defence academies already exists and interested students can be admitted to such institutions for such training from early young age. Respect for soldiers does not require silence on part of the ordinary citizen about their government, about the necessity of wars, or even about the conduct of the countrys armed forces and police towards unarmed people. It was emphasised that the worldover, ordinary citizens have shown their respect and concern for soldiers by speaking out against wars waged by Governments. It is rather troubling to note that the Maharashtra governments move to introduce military training since Class 1 has not received the attention it deserves. Neither is there much scrutiny about the manner in which the government intends to gloss over its wider failures in the field of education with introduction of this populist move, nor there an attempt to see it as a first decisive step in the direction of militarisation of Indian society. It also gels with the overall understanding of the Saffrons about militarising the society supposedly to fight what its leaders term as internal enemies. Perhaps it needs repeating that like every exclusivist ideology/organisation/formation which claims to be centred around a particular religion may it be Islamism, Zionism, fanatic Buddhism Hindutva has always entertained a dream of preparing/arming its followers to fight the others and slowly albeit not so silently moving closer to usher into its dreamland of Hindu Rashtra. Its ideologues/leaders have been candid enough to point out to the faithfuls the internal enemies and ways to deal with them or exterminate them. [The writer, Subhash Gatade, is a left activist associated with New Socialist Initiative] Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. SC grants bail to Muslim man arrested for interfaith marriage in Uttarakhand The Supreme Court of India has granted bail to a Muslim man who was arrested by the Uttarakhand Police in December 2024 under the states anti-conversion law after he married a Hindu woman. Wednesday June 11, 2025 11:24 PM , ummid.com with inputs from Agencies New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has granted bail to a Muslim man who was arrested by the Uttarakhand Police in December 2024 under the states anti-conversion law after he married a Hindu woman. Granting bail to Aman Siddiqui, the Supreme Court held that the state cannot have any objection to the mans interfaith marriage as the couple married as per the wishes to their respective parents. State cannot have any objection to the appellant and his wife residing together inasmuch as they have been married as per the wishes to their respective parents and families, a SC bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma said in a judgment on May 19, 2025. The SC relief to Aman Siddiqui booked under the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act came after he spent six months in jail for marrying a Hindu woman in a ceremony arranged by the family members of both the sides. The families arranged the marriage of the appellant with the lady without any force. However, soon after the marriage, certain persons and organizations started raising objection to the marriage, Siddiquis counsel submitted in the Supreme Court. Siddiqui had moved the Supreme Court after his petition challenging the case against him was rejected by the Uttarakhand High Court. Why the SC Judgment is important? The SC Judgment is significant as several BJP ruled states have passed anti-conversion law namely Freedom of Religion Act using which the Police is taking legal action against Muslims marrying Hindu girls. Such couples are also harassed and intimidated, sometimes assaulted, by right wing extremist groups. In total contrast to this, the Hindu men found marrying Muslim girls are hailed and praised, and projected as role model for others. The Supreme Court, however, made it clear that states do not have any role to play in interfaith marriages between two adults. The apex court also allowed Siddiqui to live with his Hindu wife. "We observe that the respondent State cannot have any objection to the appellant and his wife residing together in as much as they have been married as per the wishes to their respective parents and families, the apex court said. Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. Over 45,000 Individuals in the Most Unchurched Region in America to Hear About Jesus at the PDX Crusade Hosted by Athey Creek Church, PDX Crusade is the first evangelistic crusade held in Portland in more than 25 years and is focused on bringing the Light of Jesus to the city. Aug. 2 & 3 Weekend Crusade Feature Nationally Known Christian Music Artists & Athey Creek Church Pastor Brett Meador NEWS PROVIDED BY Athey Creek Church June 11, 2025 PORTLAND, Ore., June 11, 2025 /Standard Newswire/ More than 45,000 Portland residents will attend PDX Crusade, which includes three events on Aug. 2 and 3. Hosted by Athey Creek Church, PDX Crusade is the first evangelistic crusade held in Portland in more than 25 years and is focused on bringing the Light of Jesus to the city. Portland is one of the least churched cities in the nation. The Portland-Vancouver region is the only place in America where non-religious individuals outnumber Christians, according to the Pew Research Centers 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study. While our city has a history of turning away from the Light, we believe now is the time to bring the Gospel back to the heart of Portland, said Athey Creek Church, Senior Pastor Brett Meador. PDX Crusade is about sharing the freedom, hope and love found in Jesus alone. We have already seen God moving in our city and pray that one day Portland will be known not by our lack of faith but rather as people who serve the Lord. Meador moved to the city in 1996 with the hope of spreading the Gospel to local residents. He began teaching through the Bible verse-by-verse with just a handful of believers and quickly found that people were hungry for the Word of God. The Lord drew more and more people through Meadors teaching of Gods Word and Athey Creek Church was born. Today the church has three campuses across the Portland area, five live weekend worship services, a weekly Wednesday night Bible study, watch parties in local communities around the world and a national radio program titled Todays Word Radio. PDX Crusade comes out of Athey Creek Churchs mission of reaching people with Gods Word and His love and provide its community an opportunity to invite friends to hear about Jesus. The initial response has been more than expected. Registration filled up within 10 minutes of releasing tickets for two originally planned events on the evenings of Aug. 2 and 3. In response, Athey Creek Church added an additional afternoon crusade on Aug. 2. The three events throughout the first weekend in August will be at the Moda Center, Portlands largest indoor arena. The crusade features worship by Chris Tomlin, Zach Williams, CAIN, TAYA, Anne Wilson, Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes and a Gospel message delivered by Meador. "God has a heart for this city, and its an honor to be part of a night that lifts up the name of Jesus right here in Portland, shared Tomlin. Something powerful happens when Gods people come together in worshipmy prayer for this night is that God will meet each and every person exactly where they are and make a deep and eternal impact on their lives." For more information about PDX Crusade, visit pdxcrusade.com. About Athey Creek Church Athey Creek is a church with a simple focus: to point to Jesus in all it does. The Church aims to keep the main thing the main thing: worship and the Word of God. For more information visit atheycreek.com. SOURCE Athey Creek Church CONTACT: Kristin U. Cole, 615-289-6701, kristin@kccommunications.co BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland will never tolerate any individuals profiting from the mainland while supporting "Taiwan independence," a spokesperson said on Wednesday. Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, was responding to recent remarks from Taiwan's die-hard separatist Shen Pao-yang about punitive measures taken by the mainland against companies linked to him. Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Umrah Visa After Hajj 2025 Opens, Apply Now The Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah has started issuing Visa for the after Hajj 2025 Umrah season from Tuesday June 10, 2025 through the dedicated portal Wednesday June 11, 2025 12:46 PM , ummid.com News Network Makkah al Mukarramah: The Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah has started issuing Visa for the after Hajj 2025 Umrah season from Tuesday June 10, 2025 through the dedicated portal. Visa for post-Hajj Umrah normally starts on Muharram 01 which coincides with the start of the New Islamic Year. The Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah, however, started the visa issuance for post Hajj 2025 Umrah 1447 AH season from June 10, 2025. The is barely three days after the Hajj rituals of the current year ended and when pilgrims are still in the Holy Cities. According to the schedule released by Haj Committee of India, the first return Hajj flight is on June 12, 2025. Nusuk App The ministry confirmed that the Umrah permits for the foreign pilgrims will be issued through the "Nusuk" app. The app is the unified digital platform for providing government services. It enables users to book and obtain permits easily, in addition to offering a range of digital services that enhance the experience of Umrah pilgrims. The Ministry further said that the arrival of Umrah pilgrims will start from June 11, 2025. The official account of the Emirate of Makkah Al-Mukarramah had earlier foxed the deadline for Umrah companies and foreign agents as May 27, 2025. Umrah 1447 AH Schedule Deadline to finalise contracts between Umrah companies and foreign agents: May 27, 2025 (29 Dhul Qadah 1446 AH) Issuance of Umrah visa startd: June 10, 2025 (14 Dhul Hijjah 1446 AH) Pilgrims start arriving in Saudi Arabia: June 11, 2025 (15 Dhul Hijjah 1446 AH) Final date to accept applications from qualifying international agents and approve contracts with Umrah companies: January 20, 2026 (1 Shaban 1447 AH) Last date to issue Umrah visas: March 20, 2026 (1 Shawwal 1447 AH) Last date for pilgrims to enter the Kingdom before Hajj 2026: April 3, 2026 (15 Shawwal 1447 AH) Final date for pilgrims to depart Saudi Arabia: April 18, 2026 (1 Dhul Qadah 1447 AH) While announcing the Umrah season calendar for the year 1447 AH, the Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah said the announcement is a part of its preparations to serve pilgrims and visitors to the Prophet's Mosque coming from outside the Kingdom with Umrah visas. During the Second Umrah and Ziyarah Forum (UZF 2025) held in Madinah in April, Minister of Haj and Umrah Dr Tawfiq Al-Rabiah revealed that over 6.5 million international pilgrims performed Umrah in the first quarter of 2025 marking an 11% year-on-year increase. Umrah is a voluntary pilgrimage to Makkah which can be performed any time of the year. This is unlike Hajj which is performed once in a year and during the month of Dhul Hujjah. Also, Hajj one of the five pillars of Islam, is mandatory and compulsory for Muslims, men and women both, who can afford travel cost. The Hajj rituals this year started on June 04, 2025 with standing on Mount Arafat on June 05, 2025. The Hajj officially ended on June 09, 2025. Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. DAR ES SALAAM, June 11 (Xinhua) -- More than 500 delegates from across the globe are expected to attend the World Travel Awards ceremony for the Africa and Indian Ocean region, slated for June 28 in Tanzania's port city of Dar es Salaam, an official said on Wednesday. Ephraim Mafuru, director general of the Tanzania Tourist Board, said the awards will feature a total of 50 Tanzanian institutions and organizations, comprising 38 from the private sector and 12 from government institutions, competing with other countries in the tourism sector across Africa. Mafuru said Tanzania was chosen as the sole African host for this year's event based on evidence of its growing success and reputation in the tourism industry. According to Mafuru, Tanzania was selected alongside major global tourism destinations, such as Mexico, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates, which will also host the awards in their respective regions. A Glasgow physics teacher had her license formally revoked this week, more than two years after images from her OnlyFans page were discovered by students. Kirsty Buchan, 34, resigned from her position at Bannerman High School in December 2022, when news of her x-rated side gig spread among students and faculty. Under the pseudonym Jessica Jackrabbit, the mother of one posted explicit images available to paid subscribers, advertising her page as "Good teacher gone bad...really bad ." The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) chose to remove her from the teaching registry, arguing that she "used her profession as a selling tool," and made Bannerman High School "synonymous with having an OnlyFans teacher." In November of 2022, Buchan took a leave of absence to care for her sick child, who was awaiting an operation, she told the Daily Record in an interview. "I was crying my eyes out at my situation and I didn't know which way to turn," she said. "I was staying up to 1 a.m. doing extra unpaid work and the stress was unbelievable," Buchan described. "I was insane to stick at that job for six years under the strain that I was facing every day." So you're saying teachers don't get paid enough pic.twitter.com/tSwF66v1SO Read Starting Somewhere (@JPHilllllll) December 2, 2022 During the hearing, head teacher Seonaidh Black recalled that during Buchan's absence, a colleague alerted her to Buchan's OnlyFans page, warning students were aware of it. It became "obvious everyone knew what was going on," she said, with male students saying "look out for Jessica Jackrabbit" in the halls. Soon a parent emailed explicit photos from the OnlyFans page to Black from a student's account. Black attempted to contact Buchan, but didn't receive a response. In December 2022, Buchan submitted her resignation. "My images were illegally downloaded and shared with pupils," Buchan told BBC. "So I had no choice but to leave." "I didn't want to leave my job, but I also had to make more money," she said. "I even had other jobs before going down the OnlyFans road I worked in Tesco, I worked as an elf at a Braehead Christmas event. I was always a hard worker." Buchan declined to attend the hearing. "[It will be] a long time before the situation involving Kirsty is no longer talked about," the head teacher concluded. Originally published on Latin Times WASHINGTON Nine Republican lawmakers on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce announced Tuesday an investigation into Harvard University's faculty hiring practices, alleging potential violations of federal employment discrimination laws due to considerations of race and gender. The probe, led by the committee's Republican members, claims that Harvard's hiring processes may contravene Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The lawmakers sent a letter to Harvard President Alan M. Garber '76, demanding documents related to faculty recruitment, hiring criteria, and diversity initiatives since 2018. The investigation follows a separate inquiry by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), launched in late April, which also examines Harvard's hiring practices for potential Title VII violations. Documents leaked to the Washington Free Beacon suggest the EEOC is investigating claims that Harvard engaged in discriminatory practices by prioritizing race and gender in faculty appointments. "No matter how entitled your behavior, no institution is entitled to violate the law," wrote Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) in a related letter addressing Harvard's response to other federal demands. While that statement pertained to a separate investigation into campus antisemitism, it underscores the committee's broader scrutiny of Harvard's policies. Harvard spokesperson Jason A. Newton responded, stating the university is reviewing the committee's inquiry, which "appears to be a direct response to the University's commitment to uphold its independence and constitutional rights." Newton emphasized Harvard's intent to cooperate while defending its autonomy. The House Committee's investigation marks the latest in a series of federal probes targeting Harvard. In April, the House Oversight Committee launched an inquiry into alleged civil rights violations related to campus antisemitism, requesting communications tied to demands from the Trump administration. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services expanded its investigation into Harvard Medical School's response to pro-Palestine student activism, citing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The committee's focus on hiring practices comes amid broader tensions between Harvard and federal authorities. In March, Harvard imposed a university-wide hiring freeze, citing uncertainties under the Trump administration's policies. The freeze disrupted faculty searches, leaving departments scrambling to address vacancies. Critics of the investigation argue it reflects a politicized effort to challenge diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in higher education. A Harvard alumni brief, signed by over 12,000 graduates, described recent federal actions as an "existential threat" to the university's research mission and academic freedom. The House Committee has not specified a timeline for its investigation but requested Harvard provide documents by July 1, 2025. The outcome could impact federal funding, with over $686 million in annual research grants at stake for Harvard. As the investigation unfolds, Harvard faces mounting pressure to balance compliance with federal demands and its commitment to institutional autonomy. The university's response will likely shape the broader debate over diversity policies in academia. University of Wyoming history assistant professor, author and Fulbright scholar Melissa Morris has been appointed the next director of the Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research (WIHR) at UW. WIHR promotes, supports and showcases humanities scholarship at UW and throughout the state and world. The institute supports individual and collaborative research projects of UW faculty, students and staff as an engine that fosters interdisciplinary research in the humanities. Morriss appointment was the culmination of an extensive review and planning process that began in late 2024. At that time, UWs College of Arts and Sciences organized a highly successful humanities summit; WIHR then conducted a five-year review of its activities and accomplishments. A review committee made up of internal and external distinguished researchers in humanities summarized the review in a report. UWs Research and Economic Development Division (REDD) then sought input from humanities faculty across campus. Their input resulted in a plan for WIHR -- and now Morris as its director -- to elevate UWs profile as a globally preeminent institution for humanities research. WIHR serves a critical function to support humanities research for the benefit of Wyoming and the rest of the world, says Parag Chitnis, UW vice president for research and economic development. Dr. Morris is exceptionally qualified to take the institute to new levels of effectiveness and support for production of interdisciplinary research in humanities for UW and its stakeholders -- students, faculty and the public at large. This is an exciting new chapter for WIHR, and Im thrilled she has taken on this important role. Morris teaches several courses within the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences, and is a historian who specializes in 16th- and 17th-century American and Caribbean histories -- specifically, cross-cultural interactions between Indigenous residents and European cultures. She received her Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2017 and has been with UW since 2018. Im looking forward to directing the institute, which has been an important part of my career here at UW, Morris says. We have incredibly talented scholars at UW who perform cutting-edge research in the humanities. My role is to amplify and support that research with the aim of achieving greater recognition and support for our faculty. I am excited to reenergize the institutes efforts while continuing its tradition of strong support for the humanities at UW and throughout Wyoming. Morris received a Fulbright U.S. Scholarship to Leiden University in the Netherlands in 2023, a fellowship from the British Library and a UW College of Arts and Sciences Extraordinary Merit in Research Award. Morriss work at UW has been supported by REDD, the School of Computing, the College of Arts and Sciences and WIHR. Her first book, Cultivating Colonies: Tobacco and the Origins of Empires, 1590-1740, is being published by the University of Pennsylvania Press for release in 2026. Teaching and research in the humanities have been central to education since antiquity and at the core of UW since its founding. The humanities include any research that explores and contextualizes the human experience in an effort to better understand the world, past and present. SEOUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's military stopped broadcasting propaganda through loudspeakers in the border area with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), multiple media outlets said Wednesday. Vietnam Briefing has developed into a premium source for insight on doing business in Vietnam. It publishes business news concerning foreign direct investment into Vietnam, including the most important tax, legal and accounting issues. The Vietnam Briefing Magazine was first published in 2009, and is contributed to by investment professionals based in Vietnam. Erma H. Ahrens, Osakis, MN, passed away on July 3rd, at the age of 92. AMMAN, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Wednesday strongly condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. In a statement, the ministry described the act as a "blatant" violation of international law, calling it "an unacceptable escalation and provocation" that Israel must immediately cease. Ministry spokesperson Sufian Qudah reaffirmed Jordan's firm rejection of the incursions by Ben-Gvir and the facilitation of repeated raids on the compound by Israeli police. "These actions represent a clear breach of the historical and legal status quo of the holy site, and an attempt to divide the mosque spatially and temporally, desecrating its sanctity," Qudah said. The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a frequent flashpoint for violence, is revered by Muslims as a noble sanctuary and by Jews as the site of two ancient temples. Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the site but are prohibited from praying there. However, Ben-Gvir has repeatedly defied this long-standing status quo by visiting the site and promoting Jewish religious presence there. Tuscany region approved right-to-die law earlier this year. A 64-year-old Italian man has become the first person to die by medically assisted suicide in Tuscany under a controversial new regional law regulating euthanasia. The news, announced by the Luca Coscioni right-to-die association on Wednesday, concerned Daniele Pieroni who had Parkinson's disease since 2008 and suffered from severe dysphagia, a difficulty in swallowing. Pieroni, a writer, died in his home in Chieti on Saturday, almost two years after deciding "with clarity and serenity to end his life", according to the Luca Coscioni association. The case comes after Tuscany approved a law in February granting access to medically assisted suicide, becoming the first region in Italy to regulate euthanasia. The right-wing government of premier Giorgia Meloni is currently challenging the law which the Tuscan regional council passed in the absence of national legislation regulating assisted suicide. Euthanasia was effectively legalised in Italy in 2019 by the constitutional court which ruled that it is not always a crime to help someone in intolerable suffering to die, under certain conditions, including if the patient is being kept alive by life-sustaining treatment, suffering from an irreversible illness, and enduring suffering that the patient deems intolerable. The constitutional court has repeatedly called on parliament to regulate assisted suicide at a national level however politicians have avoided the deeply divisive issue. In 2022 the constitutional court rejected a petition calling for a referendum to decriminalise euthanasia, after right-to-die activists secured more than 1.2 million signatures in a petition. Rome unveils new plans for Celio Park. Rome is to continue its redevelopment of the Celio Park in a semi-forgotten corner of the Caelian hill, hidden in plain sight between the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus. The project was presented on Tuesday by the city's mayor Roberto Gualtieri at the Casina del Salvi, a newly-opened coffee house and study hall in the archaeological park on the Caelian Hill. The scheme is a key part of the "CArMe" redevelopment programme of Rome's central archaeological area, an ambitious project financed with 282 million in funds from the Jubilee, the PNRR and the city's budget. The Parco del Celio has already seen the opening of the Forma Urbis museum in the Caelian Hill archaeological park early last year along with the recent redevelopment of the Casina del Salvi and the start of works to reclaim the city's former Antiquarium which has been in a state of abandonment for almost a century. Visitors to Rome's new Forma Urbis Museum on the Caelian Hill can walk across a glass floor with fragments of a massive marble map of the city engraved in the early third century by order of Emperor Septimius Severus. pic.twitter.com/3h89t8JeaW Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) January 11, 2024 Under the 2.4 million project on the Caelian Hill, financed with Jubilee funds, the city plans to create a new green space by "depaving" and planting a 4,000-sqm area, the bulk of which is along the tram tracks. The urban regeneration project will also provide new panoramic views: a "belvedere" or viewing point overlooking the Colosseum and a new walkway along the hill on the side of Via di San Gregorio. Gualtieri said the grassed-over tramway, "a practice widespread in other European cities", will be the first of its kind in Rome, with plans to carry out similar greening projects elsewhere in the city. Rome has reopened the 19th-century Casina del Salvi as a coffee house, serving its original function, in an archaeological park near the Colosseum. The renovated venue has an outdoor terrace and a study room open to the public for free every day from 09.00 to 19.00. pic.twitter.com/MonWebeTEa Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) May 12, 2025 In addition, a direct walkway between the Colosseum and the Celio will be restored, as well as a path linking Via Claudia to the Casina del Salvi. The city recently completed a new pedestrian path and cycle lane on Via di San Gregorio, the street between the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus, as part of the GRAB project. Photo Wanted in Rome A Palestinian refugee living in direct provision is facing eviction from his community in Tramore and being sent to communal tented accommodation in Co. Clare. An eviction notice was recently given to Adham Yosef, a Palestinian refugee who has lived in Ocean View Direct Provision Centre for the past three years. He was granted asylum status just under one year ago. According to Community Action Tenants Union (CATU) Waterford, of which Adham is a member, he has applied for HAP (Housing Assitance Payment) and has made various attempts to find accommodation. Adham has also made efforts to integrate into the community, having worked in Treacys Hotel. Speaking on facing the threat of eviction, Adham said, As a refugee from Palestine, Ive been doing my best to rebuild my life here in Ireland. Ive been living in Tramore for some time now, and its where I found a sense of peace and connection. My girlfriend and I have been together for one year and eight months and she lives in Waterford City, so being close to her has been a source of emotional support during a very difficult period. Unfortunately, the house I was expecting to move into on the 13th is no longer available, and with the severe housing crisis, its been nearly impossible to find another place. Being relocated to tented accommodation in another county feels like a major setback and is causing a lot of distress, especially when I am so close to finding stability. Adhams girlfriend, Luayslla Correia, said that the situation is "heartbreaking". The thought of him being sent to a tented site, far from me and the small support network weve built, is deeply upsetting. Weve been working so hard toward a stable life together, and this sudden move would only set him back to square one." Adham was due to be evicted on Monday, June 9. In an update provided to the Waterford News & Star from CATU, it is now understood that locks at Ocean View have been changed, rendering Adham homeless. A CATU spokesperson said: Were trying our best to get alternative accommodation for him, but are outraged that IPAS evicted a Palestinian refugee in such a sneaky manner, while we at CATU Waterford were still waiting to hear back from them and still haven't received any response. TEHRAN, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that an agreement with the United States to ensure the "continued peaceful nature" of Tehran's nuclear program is "within reach." He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X as the sixth round of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States is scheduled to take place on Sunday in the Omani capital Muscat. "(U.S.) President (Donald) Trump entered office saying that Iran should not have nuclear weapons. That is actually in line with our own doctrine and could become the main foundation for a deal," he said. Araghchi added that as the two sides would resume talks on Sunday, "it is clear that an agreement that can ensure the continued peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program is within reach -- and could be achieved rapidly." The Iranian minister, however, stressed that the "mutually-beneficial outcome" depended on two conditions: "the continuation of Iran's enrichment program, under the full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the effective termination of (U.S.) sanctions." Since April, Iran and the United States have held five rounds of Omani-mediated indirect talks, three in Muscat and two in Rome, over Tehran's nuclear program and the possible lifting of U.S. sanctions. Recently, the United States has repeatedly demanded that Iran completely cease uranium enrichment, a request firmly rejected by Tehran. The organisers of a recent Service of Remembrance and Hope in Waterford expressed delight with the success of the event. The South East Family Support Network for those in addiction or bereaved and St. Pauls Parish expressed gratitude to everyone who turned up in support of the event. The Service of Remembrance and Hope was for those who lost their lives too soon due to addiction or mental health issues. A coordinator with SEFS, Riona, welcomed and introduced the speakers on the night. She also outlined the services available at the Family Support Network in the Millennium Building. Local priest, Fr. Pat Fitzgerald gave an empathic and compassionate talk to everyone in attendance. Other speakers included Ray Power who shared his own experiences and recovery. He now works with prisoners, ex-prisoners and mediates around arising issues. One of the people involved with the Waterford Community Based Drug Initiative outlined the supports available for people in addiction and for their parents or siblings. A moving talk was also given about parents' experience of addiction and a very appropriate poem was also read to those present at the event. The Service of Remembrance and Hope was a poignant and dignified event. Pic: South East Region Family Support Network (Facebook) One of those in attendance also sang an original song and one of those involved commented: "As always John sang with insight and meaning. Our stars of the show of course were the Waterford Homeless Choir who gave us food for thought with their lovely selection." Fr Fitzgerald was acknowledged on the night for his support of the SEFS service and a special word of thanks was conveyed to all of the people who turned up on the night to remember loved ones who had passed away. Six months is a long time in politics. For first time TD for Waterford, Deputy Conor McGuinness, his first six months had its fair share of highs and lows. Watch a video clip below of Deputy McGuinness talking about his first six months and what's ahead for the people of Waterford and what he will be fighting for. To read the full interview with Deputy McGuinness click here. A Waterford secondary school student was one of 110 students who graduated recently from a programme aimed at Transition Year students in the area of mental health awareness. For 14 years, St Patricks Mental Health Services has run a Transition Year programme, engaging over 100 students annually. Daniel Power, of Abbey Community College, in Ferrybank, Waterford, was among 110 students who graduated as mental health ambassadors during a recent, special online ceremony celebrating the 2024/2025 class. St Patricks Mental Health Services hybrid Transition Year programme offers students insight into mental healthcare through onsite and virtual sessions. Participants in the programme engaged with professionals, heard personal recovery stories and tackled mental health stigma. Over 1,300 students have graduated to-date, gaining tools for wellbeing and acting as ambassadors in their communities. Portlaw Heritage Centre started the first of a series of walks exploring the rich social and industrial history of Portlaw village on Sunday, June 8. The end of April marked the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the business enterprise known as the Cotton Mill, which would eventually see the growth of the village of Portlaw as we know it and become Irelands first 'Model Industrial Town'. The walk began at the Square, taking about one hour to complete. Ger Crotty of the Portlaw Heritage Centre conducted the walking tour and gave a very in-depth talk on the Malcomsons industrial impact on the town and surrounding areas. Ger spoke about the Cotton Mill, which lasted fifty years, closeing in 1876, and the following decade, the Portlaw Tannery, which closed in 1985 after fifty years. 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 In his early 20s, Warren Ellis stopped reading books. I was reading Bukowski, and I was like, I dont want to read about a drunk, I want to be one, he says. If Im gonna take drugs, Im not gonna live it through Lou Reeds eyes, Im gonna inject drugs. Im not going to f---ing quote somebody, you know? This reckless design for life has made and broken the Ballarat school teacher turned international rock star. No amount of reading could have informed his distinction as a musician, from the untethered attack of his violin in Dirty Three to his crucial role as Nick Caves wild right hand and beyond. But drink and drugs brought trouble. So has the dont read it, just do it thing. Justin [Kurzel] had sent me a synopsis of what he wanted to do, which I didnt read, he says of the blueprint for Ellis Park, the documentary about his life and work that he had no intention or desire to make. The pitch hed agreed to over a five-minute beer in Cannes involved documenting his first visit to Ellis Park in Sumatra, the haven for wild animals rescued from trafficking hed just helped to establish. Apart from a need for ongoing funding, Ellis was driven to highlight the inspiration of its remarkable team, led by Dutch activist Femke den Haas. Ellis with the Dirty Three at Meredith Festival. But 18 months later, the day after he landed in Melbourne on Caves Carnage tour in November 2022, the director of Snowtown and True History of the Kelly Gang turned up to collect him from his hotel. Hes got the car there and I was like, Where are we going? Were going to Ballarat. And Im like, What? Nobody f---ing told me. He says, It was in the [synopsis]. Well, you cant expect me to read it, you know? Like his volatile presence on stage, Ellis intense, unfiltered style is plenty compelling up close. Seated in the foyer of a boutique South Yarra hotel in a shiny suit, shinier burgundy ankle boots and copious jewellery sparkling through his grizzled beard, he remains in constant, restless motion. Advertisement I tried to pull the film the year after it was shot, he says. I just suddenly wondered what Id done. I had a camera on me at the most vulnerable time my life I was going through a separation [he has two kids with French artist Delphine Ciampi], Id been hooked on benzodiazepines for 10 years and I jumped off those. Ellis says he had a breakdown after filming at the sanctuary. Credit: Arsineh Houspian I had a breakdown after filming at the sanctuary and spent four months crawling around on my hands and knees eating peanut butter in an apartment, suicidal. I had to see a psychiatrist The fact that the filming involved me being so personal was not part of my original thinking. The trip to Ballarat to film his elderly parents and revisit scenes of his troubled early life had stirred some deeply buried trauma. In Kurzel and editor Nick Fentons unwieldy final cut, those raw threads sit in jarring juxtaposition with the graphic horrors of animal trafficking in Indonesia. Ellis with his violin at Ellis Park in Sumatra. With its nod to Werner Herzogs Fitzcarraldo, the idea of Ellis marching through the jungle with an enormous replica of Nina Simones discarded chewing gum as a kind of totem of devotion his book of 2021, Nina Simones Gum, explains that obsession looks decidedly unhinged. In the world of documentary filmmaking, he came to realise, such ideas are just a couple of pontoons you get to land on. And what happens swimming in between is anybodys guess. Advertisement Music is like that, I find, in the studio. Ive done enough of it to realise now a similarity. You can have an idea and when you get it done, its really unfulfilling. Meanwhile, the stuff that youre not focusing on tends to develop of its own accord. These ideas Justin had, some were good. Theres [unused] footage of me playing with Indonesian musicians and dancers and walking through the streets of Sovereign Hill and playing in paddocks full of cow shit and getting attacked by monkeys ... but the narrative, I think, only found itself in the editing. TAKE 7: THE ANSWERS ACCORDING TO WARREN ELLIS Worst habit? Sugar. Greatest fear? Being alone. The line that has stayed with you? There is good and bad in everyone Paul McCartney (from the 1982 duet with Stevie Wonder, Ebony and Ivory) Biggest regret? Lying. Favourite book? [Very long pause] I cant answer that. The artwork/song you wish was yours? At one stage maybe I woulda thought, Geez, that thing by Ozzy Osborne or Bon Scott or something. But the wonderful thing about ownership is creating it, you know? If you could time travel, where would you choose to go? The Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus kind of makes more sense as I get older. Never mind the God stuff. What a dissident! What a rabble rouser! And, ultimately, in the mind of the beholder. Ellis says he could only bear to watch the finished film once. In his reading, its about this beautiful place thats being created in this community and about the good that people can do. Animals are like babies. Theyre born with their life, thats all theyve got, he says, dark eyes glistening. Most humans, we get a chance. We get some shot to make our destiny. Animals just have their life, and we need to stand up for them. Ellis with Dutch activist Femke den Haas, from the film Ellis Park. His life has been changed significantly, he says, by his dogs: a white German Shepherd and a Swiss Shepherd. Larry and Piglet. Piglet does therapy with me. They opened me up to something that feels like the closest thing to some sort of God drawing the better qualities out of yourself, finding whats within you. Advertisement As awesome and humbling as it is, the Ellis Park sanctuary feels like an incredibly tenuous act of resistance against the overwhelming scale of the illegal wildlife trade: poaching, smuggling, habitat destruction, cruelty, corruption But like hope itself, its existence is not negotiable. Hope is really fundamental, Ellis says. At this point in my life, it feels like hanging onto hope is hanging onto life, and life is the greatest gift of all. Loading Its a new way of thinking, he confesses, partly due to the unlikely intervention of a famous friend, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. Hes an amazing human being. Hes founded schools in Watts and Silver Lake, Ellis says. When I was deciding this, it was not insubstantial expenditure for me and I called him, and hes like, Man, I encourage you to do this with all your heart. Itll open you up to something you never knew was possible. The manager of a band I know, hes like, How much are the running costs? Im like, Dude, I dont fing know. Now, probably a sensible person would have. But all my life its been about not trying to understand too much. Just jumping. I mean, I was teaching and I gave it up to play in a band. I never really thought about the consequences. For the sake of Ellis Park, its reluctant namesake has made his peace with the film that goes on general cinema release this week. What I love about the people there theyre being accountable for somebody elses actions, you know? That just feels to me fundamentally important. Loading Ive never wanted to tell my story, to sell my story. I dont feel like the world needs another boring musicians story, he says, although these days, he admits, I do like reading some of them. I think theres just so many lives that are blown up to be something they arent, and I didnt want to be adding to that. Advertisement The once-unfashionable toupee is making a comeback among men as a nonsurgical solution for hair loss. Toupees, otherwise known as hair replacement systems, are small wigs designed to cover bald spots. While often associated with men, they are also growing in popularity for women who wish to add volume to thinning hair. Hairdressers Sean Fullerton (left) and Wade-William Ambler both experienced hair loss in their 20s and now wear hair replacement systems. Credit: Dean Sewell In the 20th century, toupees were fairly common Sean Connery sported a hairpiece throughout the James Bond films, while stars of the silver screen such as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire were known to wear them. But their popularity began declining by the 21st century, as toupees became the frequent butt of jokes (see: Donald Trump) and other balding solutions such as hair transplantation became more prevalent. Now the toupee is making a return, in large part thanks to social media, as men seek alternative hair loss solutions to surgery or medication. This story is part of the June 8 edition of Sunday Life. Each week, we quiz a prominent person about their style and the inspiration behind it. Ahead, artist Otis Hope Carey. Artist Otis Hope Careys biggest fashion moment was collaborating with Christian Louboutin. How would you describe your style? Its somewhere between indie surf and arty. My personal style is influenced by my easy-going attitude towards life. Some days Ill dress up, and others Im barefoot in board shorts. Whats the oldest thing in your wardrobe? A pair of black Prada dress shoes that are probably nine years old. I still wear them. And the most recent addition? A black cashmere jacket from Acne. Not too long ago, I found myself in Switzerland. I had just celebrated a milestone birthday and decided that a suitable way to mark reaching a mildly terrifying age was to view some very impressive mountains up close. And when I say up close, I mean from the safety and comfort of an air-conditioned train carriage. Most of the two-hour journey was frankly breathtaking: perfectly hydrated green valleys, sugar-dusted mountains and small herds of cows that looked as though they had been grazing on Valium-infused grass. I hadnt intended to pull out my phone and start filming videos like a basic tourist, but that is what I did. And then, in an even more basic tourist move, I uploaded those videos to my Instagram stories. Julia Pound shared images from her holiday in the Alps and her followers assumed they were AI-generated. Credit: Julia Pound My partner, a truly empathic and thoughtful person, has a policy of not posting photographic evidence of holidays on social media because he doesnt want to make other people feel bad about not being on holiday. (Yes, I know he is too pure for this world.) I, on the other hand, am a few rungs down on the evolutionary ladder, and have been known to post a small selection of holiday highlights on Instagram. I do set myself some guidelines, though: I dont post every day (I dont want to be unfollowed, or worse, hate-followed), and I try not to clog peoples feeds with generic, postcard-style photos. But something about the way the sun hit those Alps on that day, coupled with access to a miniature bottle of Schnapps, made me hurl my self-imposed rulebook over a metaphorical rainbow. Thus began my posting spree. I wasnt expecting much of a reaction to my videos, maybe a few little red hearts fizzing upwards in that cute way of theirs, or some vague exclamations of delight from people who still tolerated me even though I was rudely posting my holiday on Instagram. Instead, I received a handful of friendly but incredulous direct messages, wanting to know if the videos were real. To be fair, the scenery did look as though it had been subjected to digital interference. Had I not sat on that train recording mountains with one hand while thrusting chocolate into my face with the other, I, too, would have assumed that the videos were AI-generated. I reassured everyone that not only were the images very real, they didnt even require a filter. I ended my message to each of my benign inquisitors with my customary sign-off: #blessed. (Just kidding only a Millennial would do that.) A Channel Nine cameraman is the fourth Australian media worker harmed by law enforcement in Los Angeles, among dozens of journalists who have been injured at immigration protests, drawing widespread condemnation from press freedom groups. The unnamed cameraman was struck in the leg with a ricocheting rubber bullet while covering the protests on Tuesday, Los Angeles time, leaving bruises. A police officer fires a soft round near the immigration detention centre in downtown Los Angeles. Credit: AP The cameraman was not filming at the time and had been following instructions to find shelter from law enforcement, a Nine spokesman said. The spokesman said Nine, the owner of this masthead, is assessing the situation and is taking into account the growing number of similar incidents involving journalists in Los Angeles. On Tuesday (AEST) the ABCs North American correspondent, Lauren Day, described being hit with tear gas as police dispersed a crowd of protesters. You can see why they call it tear gas: it really burns your eyes, it burns your throat, Day said during a report for ABC News. Read the full story here. by Yang Shilong, Li Xirui, Liu Yanan ANKENY, IOWA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Corn and soybean sprouts stood about two inches tall as the Griffieons' farm dog, a black Labrador mix named Case, darted across the fields like a black shark slicing through a green sea. At the Griffieon Family Farm, an over 100-year-old ranch near Ankeny, planting began in mid-April with an even split of corn and soybeans. Each day, Case patrolled the fields, sprinting between rows of young plants before settling down for a nap near the house. LaVon Griffieon, a veteran farmer and the owner of the farm, said this year's planting and harvest had to factor in tariffs and soaring input costs. After the United States and China agreed in May to a 90-day pause, Griffieon said she felt a little relief. But with harvest in October falling outside the "tariff relief window," the prospect remains unclear. "It got way out of hand," she said of the Trump administration's tariff policies. "He called it on, off, on, off. And then we dragged in Mexico and Canada -- our supposed allies. Nobody can do business in that climate." With roughly 1,100 acres of row crops and a direct-to-consumer meat business, the Griffieons represent a vanishing breed of diversified, family-run operations. Even with that flexibility, she said the past few years have left her and many others on edge. "We're right at break-even because we've been in a downturn for three years, as far as markets go," she said. Farmers, she explained, are facing rising input costs -- fertilizer, fuel, equipment and seed -- while lacking assurance that markets will support their harvest. "If we don't have China as a customer, I doubt our soybean prices are going to rise," she said. "And once you lose those import fields, someone else takes them." Under tariff uncertainties, the Griffieons found farming is no longer enough to support the family. "Equipment is expensive, fertilizer is expensive, seed is expensive," Griffieon's daughter Julia Balbiani said. "And once tariffs hit, they drive the price of everything up. Cost is always a major concern." She noted how tariffs have already disrupted equipment supply chains. "There are parts -- wiring, tires, chassis -- guaranteed to come from China. When tariffs hit, manufacturers raise prices, and dealerships pass those costs on to us." Griffieon said tariffs should be more thoroughly debated in Congress and hoped the upcoming midterms might prompt a policy shift. "Somebody's going to have to feel a pinch before he (Trump)'ll change his mind," she said. Australias housing crisis is too often portrayed as a sudden shock met with swift government response but while the pressure has intensified recently, the cracks in the system have been widening for far longer. This crisis has been years in the making and its consequences are being felt by hundreds of thousands of renters, first-home buyers and, increasingly, even middle-income earners on good salaries. Its the rental market where the supply shortfall bites hardest. Credit: Ross Swanborough While interest rates, tax incentives and migration settings all play a role in the debate, the core issue is brutally simple were not building enough homes. The latest Housing Affordability Report from the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre lays the facts bare and shows that, across the country, housing demand is surging ahead of supply. A boy arrested over a stabbing incident at Karrinyup Shopping Centre last year has been sentenced in Perth Childrens Court to 15 months in prison. The teenagers were arrested by police and charged after the incident. Credit: Nine News Perth The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, was 16 years old when he and a friend stole knives from Big W and took them through the mall to a pre-arranged meeting with their drug dealers. They then got into a fight, with one of the dealers ending up with a stab wound to the stomach and the other slashed on the arm. This morning, despite arguments from his lawyer that he had turned his life around, the boy was given a 15-month sentence for his part. Youve grown up a lot since being in custody, Childrens Court President Hylton Quail said. Youre flourishing in alternative education. Youre looking for work. Youre boxing five days a week and have gained maturity through that. Youre not the same boy who committed these two horrendous offences. But he added that the offending was so serious, only an immediate term of imprisonment was appropriate. After time already served, the teen will be eligible for parole in six months time. His co-accused was sentenced to two years behind bars. The scale and severity of Western Australias housing crisis for both renters and home owners with a mortgage has been laid bare as new data reveals more than 210,000 households now consider the situation to be unaffordable. The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centres Housing Affordability in Western Australia 2025 Report, released late on Wednesday night, showed that number was up by 91 per cent since 2022. Only 39 per cent of WA renters and 48 per cent of mortgage holders now believe housing is affordable. The report draws on new insights from the 2024 Australian Housing Conditions Data Infrastructure Survey, which captures national lived housing experiences, as well as WA suburb-level rental analysis to present a comprehensive picture of the states housing pressures. After almost 20 hours of marathon trade talks across two days, US and Chinese negotiators arrived back at the starting point they had brokered one month ago. Given the fragility of US-China relations and the worldwide consequences of when they sour, any progress along the path of de-escalation is welcome. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping will have to sign off on new framework for reviving a trade truce brokered last month. Credit: AP But the key takeaway from Tuesdays incremental outcome is about as prosaic as the new agreement was underwhelming. Trade wars are easy to start, easy to escalate and extremely difficult to unpick, let alone win. After being holed up for two days in Londons opulent Lancaster House, officials from both camps emerged late in the evening with what appears, at best, to be a Groundhog Day agreement to wind back the clock to the May 12 tariff ceasefire brokered in Geneva. In real time, we are watching the United States of America slide further into authoritarianism. As the administrations response to protests in Los Angeles escalates, President Donald Trumps handling of the issue must be understood in the context of his broader assault on democracy and the rule of law. If deploying the National Guard and the marines to control citizens exercising their democratic right to protest was not a clear enough message, on Monday, Trump said that it would be a great thing if Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California, was arrested over his opposition to the federal governments intervention. President Donald Trump said he would support the governor of California being arrested. Credit: AP Another alarming example of encroachment on citizens rights is the recent news that the Trump administration is engaging the US-based tech company Palantir to merge government data to create one enormous mega-centre of personal information on citizens. Here, it joins China and Russia in the use of mass surveillance to monitor and control its people. The notoriously secretive tech company already has deep connections to the US government, particularly to the Central Intelligence Agency and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement the agency that provoked the protests in California as it carried out raids and mass arrests of illegal immigrants across Los Angeles late last week. Los Angeles: California Governor Gavin Newsom has accused US President Donald Trump of assaulting democracy in a blistering televised address delivered hours before a curfew took effect in downtown Los Angeles amid days of unrest over federal immigration raids. Trump has ordered the deployment of 4000 National Guard troops and 700 US Marines to Los Angeles since protests broke out on Friday over the raids, which Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says have left many residents living in fear. Protests have since spread to other US cities, including New York, Chicago and Atlanta. In his address on Tuesday evening (Wednesday AEST), Newsom said there were no longer any checks and balances on the presidents power and that Trump was pulling a military dragnet across Los Angeles, warning that other states would be hit next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived, Newsom said. Its time for all of us to stand up. He called on those exercising their right to free speech and assembly to do so peacefully. On Tuesday, a group of diplomats and representatives from 13 countries visited the coastal cities of Dalian and Yingkou in northeast China's Liaoning Province. Here, the guests got a firsthand look at China's advancements in the petrochemical industry. #GLOBALink RAMALLAH, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Monetary Authority (PMA) on Wednesday warned of potential economic repercussions if Israeli authorities proceed with threats to sever banking relations with Palestinian financial institutions. In a press statement, the PMA said that any disruption in banking ties could result in the suspension of essential goods supply to the local market, including food, fuel, electricity, and water. The statement expressed concern over Israeli threats to cancel the correspondent banking relationship between the two sides, warning that such a move would hinder trade transactions and payment mechanisms for critical goods and services. The PMA affirmed it was working in coordination with Palestinian political leadership and international stakeholders to ensure the continuity of banking relations and the uninterrupted flow of goods and services to Palestinian markets. The authority stressed that depositors' funds in Palestinian banks remain secure, and that the banking sector maintains strong financial solvency in line with international standards. It also noted that the Palestinian banking system remains integrated with the global financial network through an extensive network of international banks, allowing the continued provision of financial services both domestically and abroad. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's office said on Tuesday that he had directed the Finance Ministry's accountant-general to waive the indemnity that Israeli banks have been given to correspond with Palestinian banks, the Times of Israel reported. "The Palestinian economy relies heavily on the banks' relationships with their Israeli counterparts to process transactions made in shekels, as the PA (the Palestinian Authority) does not have its own currency," noted the Times of Israel. KABUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Four Afghans drowned while bathing in a river in eastern Afghanistan's Kapisa province, the state-owned Bakhtar news agency reported on Wednesday. The tragic drowning took place at a tourist area located in Sayad region of the province. Security personnel and residents recovered the bodies from the water, Bakhtar cited a local police official as saying. The victims were identified as residents of Kapisa, Kabul and Paktia provinces who had traveled to the area as tourists, the report said. Drowning incidents are common in Afghanistan, especially among domestic tourists during warmer months. HONG KONG, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Wednesday mobilized some of its army, naval and air forces to conduct a joint patrol, focusing on training the troops' combat capability of emergency response, joint operations, and special situation handling. The joint patrol involved high-mobility infantry, ships, helicopters and other units of the armed forces, which was carried out under real combat conditions. It emphasized rapid deployment and command planning, naval and air patrols, inspections and captures, joint maritime zone control, as well as emergency rescue and repair operations. This high-intensity confrontation drill has strengthened and enhanced the troop's ability to respond to emergencies and execute diverse military tasks. During the joint patrol, the participating troops strictly complied with the laws and regulations of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and notified in advance the relevant departments of the HKSAR government. Leesville, LA (71446) Today Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 92F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Leesville, LA (71446) Today Some clouds and possibly an isolated thunderstorm this afternoon. High 92F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. 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 UN marks 1st intl day for dialogue 08:27, June 11, 2025 By Minlu Zhang ( China Daily Fu Cong (center), China's permanent representative to the United Nations, and Miguel Angel Moratinos (right), high representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations, look at an artifact from China's ancient Shu civilization on Tuesday at a themed exhibition to mark the first International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States. (Liao Pan/China News Service) The United Nations celebrated on Monday the first International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, with a high-level event co-hosted by China's Permanent Mission to the UN and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. The celebration brought together diplomats, cultural leaders and civil society representatives from across the globe. Speaking via video, Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized the urgency of intercultural dialogue amid current geopolitical instability. Dialogue among civilizations is a bond of peace, a driver of development, and a bridge of friendship, he said. Wang called for upholding equality among civilizations, promoting exchanges among civilizations, and advancing the progress of civilizations. He also highlighted the Global Civilization Initiative, proposed in 2023 by President Xi Jinping, as part of the country's efforts to build a community with a shared future for humanity. The UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution last year, co-sponsored by over 80 countries, that declared June 10 as International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, also spoke at the event, warning about an increase in global discrimination and cultural intolerance. "Discrimination and prejudice against different cultures, races, skin colors, and social systems are on the rise," Fu said. "Theories of superiority and civilizational conflict are making waves. It is therefore high time to champion the diversity of civilizations and strengthen civilizational exchanges and dialogue." He emphasized the need for inclusive engagement in promoting dialogue, calling for active participation from governments, political parties, women, youths, and other sectors of society. Fu also called for expanded cultural and people-to-people exchanges, stressing the importance of engagement by governments, political parties, women, youths, and others. "Cultural exchanges and effective communication have always been an important bridge for people of all countries to deepen understanding and trust," he said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a video message that on the first International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, people celebrated "the rich diversity of civilizations as a force to promote mutual understanding and global solidarity". "Today, that mission is more urgent than ever," he said, adding, "In our fractured world, dialogue is not optional it is essential for building bridges of understanding and trust." The thematic event, moderated by Fu, also included remarks from high-level officials, including UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang and UN Alliance of Civilizations High Representative Miguel Angel Moratinos. Diplomats from Egypt, Peru, Spain, and Uzbekistan, co-organizers of the event, spoke as well. Moratinos said: "Dialogue is a timely priority, but even more so today. We are living in an era marked by deep uncertainty, increasing political tension, violent conflict, social fragmentation, climate change, and the dangerous spread of hate speech, racism, and extreme politicization. "The adverse impact of all these crises is deeply felt across our societies. They fracture them and sow division, mistrust, and fear. In such a context, dialogue is not an abstract gesture of goodwill it is a strategic imperative. It is our most effective means to defuse tension, build trust, and reaffirm our common humanity," he said. The event "was very timely and very welcome", Enrique Armando Roman Morey, permanent representative of Peru to the UN, told China Daily. "We attend many events where we feel the tensions of the world. But today was an event where we felt the capacity to build bridges among civilizations." Moratinos told reporters: "We are in the 21st century. We are not in the time of Neanderthals or prehistory, where people only knew how to solve problems by killing each other.... It is time to put an end to war and conflict. And for that, the only way to solve a conflict, controversy, or difference is through dialogue." Furthermore, Moratinos said, "I think China, the Alliance of Civilizations and the UN share the same values, and the same methodology to create a better world." Harmony Liu contributed to this story. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) By Nazrin Abdul Economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan is expanding across various sectors, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development. Azernews reports that this was stated by Orkhan Mammadov, Chairman of the Board of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of Azerbaijan (SMBDA/KOBIA), during the panel session titled "Azerbaijan - Uzbekistan: Vector of Economic Partnership" at the 4th Tashkent International Investment Forum. Mammadov highlighted that since the last forum, SMBDA has been actively working to deepen business ties between the two countries: Our cooperation is developing along two key directions business support and institutional partnership. This year, with SMBDA's support and in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, we helped organize a business mission for an Azerbaijani delegation to Tashkent and other cities. The delegation included around 40 representatives from various sectors of Azerbaijans economy. He noted the mission was particularly significant because many of the entrepreneurs already had prior collaboration experience with their Uzbek counterparts. Some of them are already implementing joint projects on the ground. For example, one Azerbaijani company has opened a store in Tashkent specializing in aesthetic medical equipment and dental technology. Mammadov emphasized that these developments demonstrate how dialogue between the two countries is translating into practical outcomes: Business missions like these provide entrepreneurs not only with an understanding of market dynamics but also the opportunity to establish lasting partnerships. Sectors involved include construction, tourism, logistics, food production, textiles, ICT, advertising, accounting services, and more. These visits contribute to stronger B2B potential and a deeper understanding of the business environment. He also noted ongoing efforts to support Uzbek businesses in Azerbaijan: Since December 2023, with SMBDAs support, the Uzbekistan Trade House has been operating in Baku. Its mission is to increase the presence of Uzbek products in Azerbaijan and help establish reliable business partnerships. We see this initiative as a gateway for Uzbek products to access regional and European markets through Azerbaijan. The Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is held in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 11, 2025. At the opening ceremony of the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, read out the congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Congo Jean-Claude Gakosso read out the congratulatory letter from President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso. The Republic of the Congo is the African co-chair of the FOCAC. Representatives of China, 53 African countries and the African Union Commission attended the meeting. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan) CHANGSHA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Representatives of China, 53 African countries and the African Union Commission gathered in Changsha on Wednesday to advance the full implementation of the outcomes achieved at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). At the opening ceremony of the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the FOCAC, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his counterpart of the Republic of the Congo Jean-Claude Gakosso read out the congratulatory letters from their heads of state. The Republic of the Congo is the African co-chair of the FOCAC. Chinese President Xi Jinping expounded in the letter the significance of China-Africa solidarity and cooperation and announced important measures for further opening up and cooperation with Africa, which Wang said provide important guidance for both sides as they seek to jointly promote modernization and build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. The FOCAC has grown rapidly in the 25 years since its establishment, leading China-Africa relations to achieve leapfrog development and enter the best period in history. Both sides have made solid progress in the implementation of the 10 partnership actions for modernization announced at the FOCAC Beijing Summit held last September, according to Wang. China and Africa, as the largest developing country and the continent with the highest concentration of developing countries, are emerging as pivotal forces of the Global South, Wang said. "Faced with an international situation marked by changes and turmoil, China and Africa should uphold solidarity and self-reliance more than ever," he said, calling on both sides to respond to uncertainties in the world with a stable and resilient China-Africa relationship. Both sides should preserve solidarity of the Global South, champion international free trade, support global development cooperation, defend a just international order and promote civilizational diversity, he said. Wang said the 21st century is as much Asia's century as it is Africa's, adding that as long as the more than 2.8 billion people of China and Africa work together, they will surely achieve brilliant progress in the path to modernization. On behalf of the African countries, Gakosso said African countries thank China for supporting their development, welcome the 10 partnership actions for modernization, and support the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035. He added that the African countries are willing to implement the outcomes of the Beijing Summit to help the African people realize their aspiration for a better life. The African side opposes the act of abusing tariffs and unilateral sanctions and will stand with China to jointly deal with challenges, Gakosso said. The meeting issued China-Africa Changsha Declaration On Upholding Solidarity and Cooperation of the Global South. The Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is held in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 11, 2025. At the opening ceremony of the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, read out the congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Congo Jean-Claude Gakosso read out the congratulatory letter from President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso. The Republic of the Congo is the African co-chair of the FOCAC. Representatives of China, 53 African countries and the African Union Commission attended the meeting. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) The Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is held in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 11, 2025. At the opening ceremony of the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, read out the congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Congo Jean-Claude Gakosso read out the congratulatory letter from President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso. The Republic of the Congo is the African co-chair of the FOCAC. Representatives of China, 53 African countries and the African Union Commission attended the meeting. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) The Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is held in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) by Zheng Yin One day in April, I passed by Harley Street in central London, a famous place crowded with various private clinics. What drew my attention suddenly was several Chinese words printed on some black triangle plastic stuff on the front doorsteps of a clinic, meaning "going out and coming back safely." I stopped and took a careful look at the stuff, then realized with surprise that with an exquisite design, the stuff well fills the space between steps and makes the zigzag stairs into a gentle slope. This is a typical example of Chinese smartness which usually plays a big function with low cost. And this is also an epitome of benefits brought to people living in Britain by the bilateral trade cooperation with China. Recently, some media in Britain continuously talked down the Chinese economy despite its actual strong performance, even though Britain itself has almost slipped into recession after the pandemic. In the past four decades, the Chinese people and their government have created numerous economic miracles through hard work and unremitting efforts, which have turned China into the second-largest economy and the largest trading nation in the world. This is the source of confidence for China and its people: the Chinese economy is like a giant ship that can withstand the test of wind and waves. To my friends in Britain who are keen to get a full picture of China's development, my suggestion to them is to understand China through two aspects. The first one is China's consumption prosperity and its huge potential. No one can deny the potential of China's enormous consumption market. With a population of over 1.4 billion, rising disposable incomes, as well as the growing demand for premium goods and services, China is set to become the world's largest consumer market. In the past months, despite global uncertainties, China's consumption remained resilient and continued to show signs of warming up, playing a vital role in stabilizing economic growth. Furthermore, the Chinese government has introduced practical measures to boost consumption, including subsidies for home appliances and automobiles, the promotion of green and smart products, and the development of rural e-commerce. In the first quarter of 2025, passenger vehicle sales in China rose by 6 percent to 5.127 million units. In the five-day May Day holiday, nearly 1.5 billion cross-regional trips were made across China, representing a tourism boom in China after the pandemic. Also during this holiday, sales at key retail and catering enterprises nationwide rose by 6.3 percent year-on-year. The other aspect is China's high-quality opening-up. China is advancing high-quality opening-up, fostering deeper integration with the global economy through proactive measures. Early this year, the government adopted a national regulation to further relax foreign investment access, reduce the negative list for foreign investment, and allow greater participation in sectors like manufacturing, finance and healthcare. Additionally, China has consistently worked to improve its business environment to enhance convenience for foreign enterprises. Streamlined administrative procedures, stronger intellectual property protection and preferential tax policies have been implemented to create a fairer, more transparent and more efficient market. Foreign companies are increasingly expanding their investments and operations in China. Latest data shows that from January to March this year, 12,603 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide, a year-on-year increase of 4.3 percent; the actual amount of foreign capital used was 269.23 billion yuan (around 37 billion U.S. dollars). Actual investment in China from the EU grew by 11.7 percent, while actual investment from Britain grew by 60.5 percent. The vigorous Chinese economy is one of the major drivers of the world's growth. China has contributed at least 30 percent to the world's economic growth in the past decade and this contribution is here to stay. Reliable partnership is always better than estrangement and containment. Editor's note: The author is an international affairs observer. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Xinhua News Agency. ANKARA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that his country has signed a defense agreement with Indonesia to export 48 units of its domestically developed fighter jet, KAAN. "I hope that this agreement, which reveals the development and point reached by our domestic and national defense industry, will be beneficial for Turkiye and Indonesia," Erdogan said on social media platform X where he also shared a video of the aircraft. Indonesia's local capabilities will also be utilized in the production of KAAN, he said. Erdogan praised the agreement as a symbol of the deepening ties between Turkiye and Indonesia, referring to Indonesia as a "friend and brother." The Turkish Aerospace Industries, a major defense and aviation company in Turkiye, designed, developed, and produced KAAN, the country's first national combat aircraft. Liu Jianchao (at the podium), head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, speaks at the 13th UK-China Leadership Forum in London, Britain, on June 9, 2025. A delegation led by Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, concluded a three-day visit to the United Kingdom (UK) on Tuesday after attending the 13th UK-China Leadership Forum in London. (Xinhua/Wu Lu) LONDON, June 10 (Xinhua) -- A delegation led by Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, concluded a three-day visit to the United Kingdom (UK) on Tuesday after attending the 13th UK-China Leadership Forum in London. During the visit, Liu met and held discussions with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, former leader of the Labour Party and former Prime Minister Tony Blair, and others. The two sides agreed that under the circumstances of increasing global challenges, a healthy and stable relationship between China and Britain, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and major economies in the world, is in line with the interests of the two countries and the world as a whole. They also agreed to make full use of such dialogue mechanisms as the UK-China Leadership Forum to strengthen communication and dialogue, enhance mutual understanding and trust, expand practical cooperation in various fields, and promote closer people-to-people and cultural exchanges. They also reaffirmed their commitment to safeguarding the international order with the United Nations at its core and to promoting global peace and development. KIEV, June 11 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and 60 others injured in Russian drone strikes on Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv early Wednesday, Kharkiv regional governor Oleg Synegubov said. Nine children, aged between 2 and 15 years old, were among those injured, Synegubov said on Telegram. He further said the attacks sparked fires in the Slobidskyi and Osnovianskyi districts and damaged residential high-rise buildings, private homes and public transportation infrastructure. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that 17 Shahed-type combat drones targeted the city in less than 10 minutes overnight. Search and rescue operations at the strike sites were ongoing as of Wednesday morning. Alumni spotlight: Siphosenkosi Mbonani Fulbright scholar says success is about having purpose and leaving a legacy. Alien invasive species in Africa cause considerable environmental problems and are listed as the second largest threat to South African biodiversity. This challenge fuels Siphosenkosi Mbonani (BSc Hons 2017, MSc 2019), a recent PhD candidate from the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Science at Wits. Mbonani was a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Foreign Exchange Program in 2023/24 (funded through the National Research Foundation) to conduct research on the population genetics of invasive species in South Africa at the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida in the United States. He recently handed in his doctorate on the species Opuntia engelmannii, which has invaded pastureland in the Northern Cape. There are currently no control measures in place and O. engelmannii could potentially decrease the population size of at least one native species and can reduce the productivity of commercial and subsistence grazing. The outcome of his research is of national and global interest. He kindly chatted with Alumni Relations: Could you share a bit about your career journey? What drew you to the field? I was born and raised in Soweto, where I completed my primary and secondary education and graduated with several academic distinctions. Growing up in a community with limited educational resources but rich cultural strength, I developed a deep curiosity about the natural world. I was especially fascinated by how plants grow, adapt, and interact within ecosystems. This early interest sparked my passion for biology. At the same time, I discovered a strong desire to teach and share knowledge. I often found myself explaining science concepts to friends and classmates, which helped me realise how powerful education can be. My journey was strongly influenced by the support and encouragement of my grandparents, David and Connie Mbonani. Their belief in the importance of education gave me the foundation I needed to pursue my goals. I was also fortunate to have teachers who recognised my potential and motivated me to keep striving, even when faced with the challenges common to many township schools. My career allows me to protect ecosystems and contribute to biodiversity science while mentoring and teaching students. This combination of research and education has enabled me to give back by empowering future scientists and changemakers. Where are you currently based and what does your role entail? I am currently a sessional lecturer at Wits and I was recently appointed as a lecturer at the Southern African Wildlife College in Hoedspruit, Limpopo. In this new role, I will be teaching a broad range of subjects in conservation science, including biodiversity management, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable land use. My role is both dynamic and deeply meaningful. I teach students from scientific and medical disciplines, using real-world environmental issues to help them connect academic theory with practical, community-focused outcomes. I am also mentoring undergraduate and postgraduate students, supporting them as they develop research ideas, grow in confidence, and prepare for impactful careers. My research takes me into the field, where I collect data on invasive species and investigate strategies for restoring ecosystems. This is complemented by laboratory and data analysis work that informs practical and policy-driven conservation solutions. At the heart of it all is a core belief that science and education are powerful tools for solving real-world problems and empowering people to lead meaningful change in their communities and beyond. How have you used your skills or values learned at Wits? My time at Wits was truly transformative. It was there that I learned to think critically, question deeply, and approach problems with creativity and resilience. The values I embraced at Wits, such as integrity, hard work, and a strong commitment to social impact, continue to guide me in everything I do. The skills I developed in research, teaching, and science communication have enabled me to supervise student projects, engage with communities, and contribute meaningfully to environmental policy. Wits taught me that education is not just about acquiring knowledge but about using that knowledge to uplift others and create lasting, positive changes in society. My Fulbright scholarship opened doors to valuable collaborations and increased my global relevance. None of this would have been possible without the foundation I gained at Wits. Do you have a definition of success? To me, success means making a meaningful and lasting difference in the lives of others. It goes beyond personal achievements. It involves creating opportunities, sharing knowledge, and inspiring others to dream bigger and reach further. I feel successful when I see my students grow into confident researchers or passionate advocates for the environment. I feel fulfilled when my work contributes to better management of natural resources. Success is about having purpose. It is about leaving a legacy that is greater than oneself. What inspires you? I am deeply inspired by young South Africans who demonstrate a strong eagerness to learn and a genuine commitment to making a positive impact in their communities and the country. Their enthusiasm and passion remind me that despite the challenges we face, there is always hope for a better future. I also draw inspiration from my mentors and community members who have demonstrated the importance of perseverance, humility, and selfless service. I am inspired by the transformative power of education. I firmly believe that education can change lives, break cycles of poverty, and open doors to new opportunities. Every moment spent teaching or mentoring is a chance to ignite potential and empower individuals to become changemakers in their own communities and beyond. Whats the best part of your day? The best part of my day is the time I spend with students. Whether I am delivering a lecture, mentoring someone on their research project, or working alongside them in the field, these moments of learning and connection are incredibly rewarding. Watching a students face light up with understanding or excitement reminds me why I chose this career. It is in these small but powerful interactions when curiosity sparks questions, confidence strengthens, and new ideas begin to take shape that I see the future of science and conservation being nurtured. These experiences not only give me energy and purpose but also reaffirm the impact education can have on individuals and communities. Any advice for those who have dreams of being a scientist? Believe in your potential and never stop being curious. Science is about asking questions, facing challenges, and being open to new ways of thinking. Find mentors who believe in you and build a support system of people who inspire and encourage you. Explore opportunities that allow you to grow, such as internships, community projects, volunteering, and research experiences. Most importantly, be distinctive. Do not settle for just getting a degree. Go the extra mile. Let your work, your passion, and your character set you apart. The world needs scientists who are not only skilled but also compassionate, bold, and committed to making a difference. Remember that your journey matters. You have something unique to offer, and with persistence, humility, and vision, you can help shape a better world through science. LOS ANGELES, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday evening that the second largest city in the United States would impose curfew in downtown from local time 8:00 p.m. (0300 GMT Wednesday) to Wednesday 6:00 a.m.(1300 GMT). Claude Russell appeared in Circuit Court on June 10, where the discovery process of his case is ongoing. Elon Musk listens as reporters ask U.S. President Donald Trump and South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa questions during a press availability in the Oval Office at the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday condemned the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities, led by Lai Ching-te, for recklessly selling out and harming Taiwan's interests to seek "Taiwan independence" for their own political gain. Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks at a press conference in response to media reports which said that the United States plans to sharply increase arms sales to Taiwan, and that Lai proposed that Taiwan's defense budget should reach at least three percent of its GDP. Recent polls in Taiwan show that over 60 percent of respondents believe that the United States is seeking to increase military sales to Taiwan for financial gain, and that nearly 70 percent of respondents believe that the United States may double-cross Taiwan in favor of its own interests. Zhu said the findings of these polls underscore a growing awareness among people in Taiwan of the United States' ulterior motives in treating the island as both an ATM and a powder keg, adding that the polls also reflect widespread skepticism among Taiwan compatriots regarding the United States playing the "Taiwan card" and their concerns about their own future and destiny. "We firmly oppose U.S. arms sales to China's Taiwan region, and urged the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques," Zhu said. She also urged the United States to handle Taiwan-related issues prudently, stop selling weapons to Taiwan and refrain from arming Taiwan. She expressed the hope that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait will work together to promote the peaceful and integrated development of cross-Strait relations. Main entrance to Marienkrankenhaus hospital in Hamburg-Hohenfelde [Photo by Marienkrankenhaus HH / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 On Sunday night, June 1, a devastating fire broke out in the geriatric ward of the Marienkrankenhaus hospital in Hamburg. A 72-year-old woman and three male patients, aged 84, 85 and 87, died; 55 other patients were injured, some seriously. The fire broke out on the first floor of the hospital, in the geriatric ward, reportedly because a confused 72-year-old had set fire to his pillow. The fire spread quickly to the neurology department, which is located above the geriatric ward on the second floor. The entire plastic-framed window in the geriatric ward was quickly engulfed in flames, the glass panes burst and the fire spread to the upper floor. Ultimately all four floors of the building were filled with smoke. When the fire department arrived, they saw a terrible scene. There were a number patients at the windows calling for help, a fire department spokesperson told Norddeutscher Rundfunk radio. The rescue was difficult because the rooms and corridors were already full of smoke and fumes. The patients had to be evacuated with escape hoods through the completely smoke-filled corridors or, if they were reasonably mobile, via fire escapes. Even the geriatric ward on the ground floor was difficult to access because of a light shaft in front of the basement windows below. Firefighters had to ascend 2.5 meters from there to reach the ground floor. The first fire department to arrive immediately called for reinforcements and eventually four fire engines with 160 firefighters and a further 60 rescue workers were on the scene. The fire was extinguished after 20 minutes and the geriatric ward was completely evacuated. At the same time, the rest of the hospital continued to operate. Most of the injured, who mainly suffered from smoke inhalation, were treated immediately in the emergency room of the same hospital. With around 600 beds, the Catholic Marienkrankenhaus is one of the largest hospitals in Hamburg. Around 2,000 employees care for up to 100,000 patients a year in 14 wards and numerous outpatient facilities. The blame was immediately laid upon the culprit who is said to have set fire to his pillow. He was admitted to a psychiatric hospital on Sunday evening by court order. However, the devastating fire raises completely different questions. First of all, the question arises: Why was there no sprinkler system in place? Such an automatic extinguishing system could have prevented a major disaster and possibly saved the victims from suffocating since those asleep often do not smell a fire or only smell it when it is too late. Another key question is: How many nursing staff were on site? It is well known that the situation in many hospitals in Germany is currently so wrought that departments are often understaffed. Understaffed and underpaid, as the nursing staff repeatedly emphasize. Especially at night, it can happen that a single registered nurse is responsible for dozens of patients. This has been accepted for years while the pressure on nursing staff is continuously increasing. Another question arises due to the rapid spread of the fire and the large amount of smoke on several floors: Were there flammable and hazardous substances with toxic effects that were stored incorrectly? The plastic window facades were apparently also flammable and highly dangerous. This raises the question of regular and preventive checks and inspections by fire safety experts. But while the German police and armed forces are being massively upgraded under the false slogan of security, cuts and austerity measures continue to be made in the prevention of civilian dangers, as in the entire public sector. The responsible authorities and the hospital management itself hardly pose these questionsquite the contrary. By quickly blaming a mentally disturbed senior citizen, the central questions are not even being asked. This shows once again how necessary it is for employees to organize themselves, set up independent committees and network across companies in order to put peoples lives and safetyand not profitfirst. No censorship of anti-war events! Defend freedom of expression at Humboldt University! [Photo: Ajepbah / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0 DE // Graphic: WSWS/WSWS] While the German government is massively rearming, reintroducing conscription and supporting genocide in Gaza, the Humboldt University administration is prohibiting students from protesting against it. It has banned the IYSSE, which is represented by five members in the student parliament, from holding anti-war events on campus. Until now, university groups and student initiatives have been able to organise political events at the university without any problems. The IYSSE has held dozens of events against militarism and the threat of war over the past 10 years, often with hundreds of participants and always involving controversial discussions. Now, the university administration claims that students have no right to discuss general political issues at the university. Instead, they must limit themselves to study and university policy issues. In doing so, it is replacing Humboldts educational ideal with Wilhelmine authoritarianism: Humboldt professors constantly spread right-wing and militaristic views on all channels, the university administration has backed the war preparations against Russia and the genocide in Gaza, but students are supposed to keep their mouths shut and consume whatever is served up to them. Events may only be held during cafeteria mealtimes or library opening hours! We cannot accept this! We call on all students and everyone who defends democratic rights to send protest emails to University President Julia von Blumenthal (praesidentin@hu-berlin.de, with a copy to iysse@gleichheit.de). Come to our regular meetings, every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in room 1.608 in Doro 24, to discuss the issues and prepare further protests. The question is whether our university is a place of critical debate or whether it is degenerating into a militaristic training ground for future leaders. In the USA, the right-wing Trump administration is trying to force Harvard and other universities into lineand some university administrations have at least protested against this. The administration of Humboldt University, on the other hand, is following its historical tradition of self-imposed conformity and, in a rush to obey, is suppressing student criticism of the Merz governments pro-war policy. Humboldt University has long since become a central player in the preparation for war and the militarisation of society. With the right-wing extremist Professor Jorg Baberowski and the emeritus but still omnipresent Professor Herfried Munkler, two protagonists of ideological war preparations are spreading their militaristic propaganda here. Munkler has long called for an ideological offensive to overcome the rejection of pro-war policies among the population. At the last Leipzig Book Fair, he bitterly lamented that too few people in Germany were willing to die as supposed heroes in a war. His colleague Baberowski trivialises the crimes of the Nazis. He has claimed that Adolf Hitler was not vicious and justified the Nazis war of extermination as a defensive reaction against the Soviet Union, which had made mass violence second nature. Potsdam professor Sonke Neitzel recently argued in the taz that Germany needed a democratic warrior trained to fight, kill and die. He cited the soldier cultures of Hitlers Wehrmacht (Army), which he said gave soldiers identity, cohesion and motivation as a model. The Humboldt University administration has repeatedly defended these professors against student criticism and has even refused to condemn, let alone punish, Baberowskis physical attack on one of our Student Parliament representatives. The university presidium itself is fully involved in war propaganda. In September 2023, for example, Blumenthal opened an exhibition on the war in Ukraine in the middle of the main foyer, which consisted exclusively of atrocity propaganda and was intended to prevent gradually declining support for Ukraine from spreading among the German public, as Blumenthal herself put it. Her hope was that the university could help to create a different awareness. Blumenthal had previously invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the university to drum up support for a full-scale war against Russia. Humboldt University has taken an equally clear position on the genocide in Gaza. Student protests have been brutally suppressed with the help of the police, and the campus temporarily turned into a police fortress. All those who even mention the genocide of the Palestinians by name are not allowed to hold events or organise protests. The IYSSE has denounced and fought this process of the universitys militarisation for over 10 yearswith leaflets, posters and events. As a result, we have been elected to the Student Parliament every year, most recently with almost 8 percent of the vote and five seats. Now the university administration wants to ban this political work from campus so that it has free rein for its militaristic indoctrination and war propaganda. It has banned two events that the IYSSE had planned as part of the Student Parliament elections: A Socialist Perspective Against the War Machine and How the Left Party Supports the War Policy of the Merz Government. We are only being allowed to hold the third event, 80 Years Since the End of the War: The Return of German Militarism and the Trivialisation of Nazi Crimes at Humboldt University, which will take place July 1 at 6:30 p.m. in Lecture Hall 2094, Main Building. In other words, the events that are being banned are precisely those that critically examine the war policies of the Merz government and its support by the other parties in the Bundestag (parliament). The fact that the university administration is resorting to cowardly censorship shows how weak its position is. The insane policies of the federal government, a grand coalition of the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and Social Democrats (SPD), are hated by broad sections of the population in view of the historical experience of fascism, world war and the Holocaust. The Merz government is determined to increase military spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product, as will be decided at the NATO summit on June 24. That is 225 billion, almost half of the current federal budget. We will have to bear the costs through cuts in health, education and social services. The governments declared goal is to be in a position to win a war against the nuclear power Russia within five years. That is why it wants to reintroduce conscription and turn us into cannon fodder in such madness. This militarisation of society is incompatible with democratic rights and a critical university. That is why opponents of war face increasingly harsh repression, why the university administration is censoring critical eventsand why it is necessary to oppose censorship and defend critical debate at our university. In the fight against war and militarism and for the defence of democratic rights, we students cannot rely on any of the parties in the Bundestag, all of which support the policies of the federal government. Instead, we must turn to the social force that alone is capable of overcoming war and its root cause, capitalism: the international working class, which creates all social wealth and bears the burden of war and crisis. Only by breaking the power of the banks and corporations and placing them under democratic control can we prevent another catastrophe. We therefore call on all students: Defend the IYSSE against the censorship measures of the university administration! Send protest emails to University President Julia von Blumenthal (praesidentin@hu-berlin.de, with a copy to iysse@gleichheit.de) and come to our next meeting on Wednesday, June 18, at 7 p.m. in room 1.608 in Doro 24 to discuss this perspective with us. Top-level trade talks between the US and China being held in London ended late yesterday with the announcement that a framework deal had been reached to restore a truce in the trade war. The agreement was reached after two days of intensive talks. No details were given. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent [AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File] The US team, which was led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and included Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, is returning to Washington to present the deal to US president Trump. Chinas Vice Minister of Commerce Li Chenggang described the talks as rational, in-depth and candid and that the two sides had agreed to implement the consensus reached in Geneva last month. But the fact they went deep into the second day indicated there were major sticking points. The London talks were organised after a one-and-a-half-hour phone conversation between US President Trump and Chinas President Xi Jinping last week. The phone call, initiated by Washington, was held as it became clear that the truce agreed to in Geneva last month was about to break down with both sides denouncing the other for not carrying out the agreement. The US accused China of a slow rollout of rare earths while Beijing pointed to the imposition of additional high-tech controls and threats to exclude Chinese students. Before getting underway the head of the White Houses National Economic Council Kevin Hassett indicated the talks would centre on the issue of US high-tech bans on China and the supply of rare earth minerals to the US. He told the US business channel CNBC at the weekend that after the handshake export controls from the US will be eased and the rare earths will be released in volume. But Hassett made clear that the very, very high-end Nvidia stuff is not what Im talking about. Nvidia is the worlds leading manufacturer of the most advanced chips used in the development of artificial intelligence. Hassett indicated that there could be a loosening of controls on less advanced semi-conductors which were very important for China. During the talks there was virtually no news on their content apart from limited comments by Lutnick and Bessent. Lutnick said at the start of the yesterdays second round that they were going well. At the end of the day, Bessent returned to Washington to testify before Congress. Weve had two days of productive talks, they are ongoing he told reporters. The discussions would continue between Lutnick and Greer and their Chinese counterparts as needed. It appears they centred on what bans on semiconductors from the US would be lifted in return for an increased supply of rare earths. Any concession on this score, when the framework is announced, provided Trump agrees with it, would represent a blow to the US. Its key objective is to crush Chinas technological development which is regarded in all sections of the American political and military establishment as being central to the maintenance of US global dominance. A US decision to roll back some portion of the technology controls would very much be viewed as a win by China, Dexter Roberts of the Atlantic Councils Global China Hub told Bloomberg. The possibility of unwinding any controls had seemed pretty much unthinkable until recently. The measures instigated by the US have certainly impacted China, but as is widely acknowledged they have not stopped its high-tech development. As a recent article in the New York Times noted: The US has tried almost everything to win the tech race against Chinaacross areas as varied as AI, energy, autonomous vehicles, drones and EVs. So far, none of it has worked. No doubt with an eye on the profits to be made in China, Jensen Huang, the head of Nvidia which is at the centre of the bans, called into question their efficacy during an earnings call last month. Shielding Chinese chip makers from US competition only strengthens them abroad and weakens Americas position. Export restrictions have spurred Chinas innovation and scale. If China has forced some concessions, it will be due to the stranglehold it has on critical minerals. There have been concerns expressed that unless their supply is increased, sections of US industry, especially auto production, could start coming to a halt. China has a near monopoly on the processing and manufacture of rare earths needed in the production of magnets which can function at high temperatures. Auto producers have warned they could run out of supplies in a matter of days or weeks. The magnets are used in the electric motors that run brakes, steering and fuel injectors. According to a recent article by New York Times Beijing correspondent Keith Bradsher, who has made a study of rare earths for more than a decade: The motors in a luxury car ... use as many as 13 magnets. Factory robots depend on rare earth magnets too. The problem with the supply of rare earths, which are also vital in semi-conductor production, is not so much finding them but in extracting and processing them. They are bound together chemically in the raw minerals and can require a sequence of possibly more than 100 processes using strong acids. China refines more than 99 percent of heavy rare earths, the least common. Processing rare earths is technically demanding, Bradsher wrote, but China has developed new processes. Rare earth chemistry programs are offered in 39 universities across the country, while the United States has no similar programs. In an article published this week, he drew attention to another rare earth, samarium, which is used almost entirely in military applications to make magnets that can stand temperatures high enough to melt lead without losing their magnetic force. Other rare earths can withstand the heat of a petrol engine but not the greater heat in a military application. The main American user of samarium is Lockheed Martin, Bradsher wrote, an aerospace and military contractor that puts about 50 pounds of samarium magnets in each F-35 fighter jet. While China eased some of the controls on rare earths, there had been no sign of the loosening of restrictions on the supply of samarium. The rare-earth Mountain Pass mine in California, which has a history of opening and closing, attempted to produce samarium when it reopened in 2014. But it closed again a year later when it could not compete with Chinaa problem for many sections of US industry. If the US has been forced to make concessions to China in the London talks, it will not mean any lessening of its economic war against Beijing. Whatever tactical shifts it may be forced to make, the guiding strategy of suppressing China remains and the increasing failure of economic measures to achieve this goal, means military measures will be intensified. The economic war is thus intimately connected to the ongoing coup by the Trump administration to establish a fascistic presidential dictatorshipwar against the geo-political and geo-economic rivals of US imperialism requires the abolition of democratic rights at home. Mondays perspective on the WSWS was headlined Seven Days in June: Trumps unfolding coup detat. It explained that the dispatch of the US military onto the streets of Los Angeles marked a significant escalation in the administrations plan to establish military-police dictatorship. The headline, as the editorial itself explained, referred to the well-known 1964 film Seven Days in May, which imagined a conspiracy by a military-political cabal to take over the government of the United States. The perspective went on, Changing what needs to be changed, a similar process is now under way. In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy the military in American cities, which the WSWS characterized as a repudiation of the Constitution and an attempt to establish a presidential dictatorship, supported by the military, police and far-right fascistic militia acting under his command. At the time, we posted this analysis of Seven Days in May and its contemporary meaning. * * * * * On Monday, June 1, 2020, in an address to the American people delivered outside the White House, Donald Trump declaimed, I am your President of law and order. He proceeded to characterize the large-scale, generally peaceful protests in response to the murder of George Floyd and against police violence as acts of domestic terror. If the marches and demonstrations did not cease, Trump promised to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and deploy the US military on the streets of Americas cities, including Washington, D.C. Referring to the nations capital, the president went on, As we speak, I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults and the wanton destruction of property. Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas in Seven Days in May (1964) The following day, in a statement posted on the World Socialist Web Site, the Socialist Equality Party (US) explained that by this historically unprecedented threat to suppress political opposition through the use of the military, Trump had repudiated the Constitution and was attempting to establish a presidential dictatorship, supported by the military, police and far-right fascistic militia acting under his command. Several thousand National Guard troops from 11 states were eventually brought to the area, to reinforce the 1,200 D.C. troops already called up. Moreover, Pentagon officials warned the Guard, according to the New York Times, that if they could not control the situation, Mr. Trump would likely call in the 82nd Airborne. At this moment, political life in the US teetered on a knifes edge. In the face of Trumps dictatorial moves, the Democratic Party said and did nothing. The media largely remained silent. It was only on June 4 that Trump permitted regular troops to be sent home. Seven Days in May (1964) In fact, nothing has been resolved. As the SEP subsequently commented, The conspirators in the White House have not ceased their plotting. The military is biding its time and considering its options. The police remain armed to the teeth. These several days in June brought to many minds the 1964 American film Seven Days in May, directed by John Frankenheimer and featuring Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Fredric March and Ava Gardner, which envisions an attempted military coup detat in the US. Based on the 1962 best-selling novel of the same title by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II, the movie was scripted by Rod Serling of Twilight Zone fame. Received warmly by both critics and audiences, Seven Days in May angered the Pentagon, the FBI and the extreme right. Both the continuities and discontinuities between that period and the present day stand out. Frankenheimers movie, set in 1974, centers on a plot by the chairman of the US militarys Joint Chiefs of Staff, James Mattoon Scott (Lancaster), an egomaniacal, authoritarian Air Force general, to overthrow the elected president, Jordan Lyman (March), convinced he must save the nation from a leader who is soft on Communism. Scott believes he has chosen an opportune moment: polls indicate only 29 percent of the population approves of President Lymans performance and the general mood in the country is sour. Fredric March and Burt Lancaster in Seven Days in May (1964) The administration has recently signed a controversial disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. In the films opening sequence, pro- and anti-treaty demonstrators brawl outside the White House gates. Violently opposed to the agreement with the Soviet government, Scott sets in motion his attempted overthrow, with the aid and assistance of other members of the Joint Chiefs. An aide, Marine Col. Jiggs Casey (Douglas), gets wind of the plot and eventually convinces a skeptical president of its seriousness. Under Scotts plan, a secret US Army unit known as ECOMCON will seize control of the country's telephone, radio and television networks, while Congress is prevented from implementing the disarmament treaty. Scott has launched his plan with the complicity of Frederick Prentice (Whit Bissell), the powerful Democratic Senator from California, and right-wing television commentator and demagogue Harold McPherson (Hugh Marlowe). Although personally opposed to Lyman's policies, Col. Casey is appalled by the plot. Alerted to the grave danger, Lyman gathers a circle of trusted advisors to investigate and respond, including the Secret Services Art Corwin (Bart Burns), Treasury Secretary Christopher Todd (George Macready), longtime friend and advisor Paul Girard (Martin Balsam) and Sen. Raymond Clark of Georgia (Edmond OBrien). Ava Gardner in Seven Days in May (1964) Girard is dispatched to Gibraltar to extract a written acknowledgement of the conspiracy from the evasive Admiral Farley Barnswell (John Houseman), while Clark flies out to West Texas to locate the mysterious Site Y, the secret base at which the coups shock troops are training for the takeover and awaiting final instructions. At the presidents request, with some reluctance, Casey pays a visit to Eleanor Holbrook (Ava Gardner), Scotts former mistress, in hope of obtaining incriminating evidence against the general. In fact, he gets hold of some damaging love letters, but Lyman ultimately decides against using a sex scandal to rid himself of the Joint Chiefs chairman. When Lyman asks Casey, a Marine and an admirer of Scott, what he thinks of the treaty with the Soviet Union, the latter replies that he does not agree with it, adding, however, I think its really your business. Yours and the Senate. You did it, and they agreed so, well, I dont see how we in the military can question it. I mean we can question it, but we cant fight it. We shouldnt, anyway. The president interprets this in his own way: So you stand by the Constitution, Jiggs? In fact, the US Constitution, appropriately enough, comes up for discussion or reference numerous times in the Knebel-Bailey novel, as well as the film. John Frankenheimer The book, for example, describes Casey, in a modest split-level house in Arlington [Virginia], rubbing his eyes, turning off the lamp and laying down a battered copy of the World Almanac. It was the only book he had been able to find in the house that contained the text of the Constitution of the United States. Later, Sen. Clark, seated in the White House, separated from the President by only a wall, has his feet propped up on a sofa and reads, carefully, an annotated copy of the Constitution of the United Statessomething he had not done since law school. The opening credits of Seven Days in May roll over an image of the original 1787 draft. Once having established the reality of the imminent coup attempt and with documentary evidence in hand, the president calls Scott to the White House for a confrontation. Outlining the facts that have come to light, Lyman bluntly and angrily accuses the Air Force general of planning the military overthrow of the United States government. He goes on, Im prepared to brand you for what you are, General. A strutting egoist with a Napoleonic power complex and an out-an-out traitor. Poster for Seven Days in May (1964) At a press conference announcing Scotts resignation, which the latter grudgingly submits, Lyman explains: Americans, traditionally and historically, have given vent to their views. On the day that the government does anything arbitrarily to stifle those views, it will have to change forms. It will cease to be a democracy. This relatively understated comment is one of the strongest passages in the film and speaks directly to the current situation. One of Serling and Frankenheimers major themes is the need for the military to be subordinated to elected civilian rule, a principle that has been almost fully abandoned by the Trump administration, which has seen the elevation of numerous Pentagon figures to cabinet and other prominent posts. On the whole, Seven Days in May stands up, 56 years later. First and foremost, the issue of the threat represented by the American military to the democratic rights of the people has hardly receded into the background. On the contrary, it is ten times more pressing than it was in 1964. Decades of political and economic decay have eaten away at American democracy, leaving it little more than a shell. Superficial and shortsighted observers may draw the conclusion from recent events that the US military is the torchbearer of democracy. Hardly! The Pentagon, which remains a hotbed of ultra-right and fascistic elements, merely chose not to be drawn in prematurely to openly repressive and murderous operations in America. The fact that, after nearly 60 years, Frankenheimers film still conveys urgency and outrage is a tribute to its strengths. The viewer remains riveted for the most part by the generally high level of the performances, the tautness of the action and the element of suspense and intrigue. John F. Kennedy and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, July 1962 (Interestingly, there was another adaptation of the Knebel-Bailey political thriller. In 1983, Soviet television broadcast a four-part adaptation of Seven Days in May, entitled The Last Argument of Kings, directed by Viktor Kisin and with a screenplay by journalist Vladimir Dunaev.) Douglas, Lancaster and March clearly threw themselves into the production. They are thoroughly believable as these human beings. Only four years earlier, Douglas, a prominent film star of the 1950s and 1960s, had assisted in ending the McCarthyite reign of terror in Hollywood by hiring and crediting blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo on Spartacus (1960). In Seven Days in May, the actor puts aside some of the histrionics in which he occasionally indulges and delivers a subdued characterization. Lancaster was even more of a left figure. He began shooting the Frankenheimer film fresh from working with left-wing Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti on The Leopard, in which he gave one of his most memorable performances. Lancaster later appeared in Executive Action (1973), co-written by Trumbo and Mark Lane, a drama that recounts how the Kennedy assassination might have been planned and carried through by ultra-right elements, businessmen and intelligence operatives. The actor also narrated The Unknown War (1978), a 20-part series documenting the bloody conflict between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Lancaster spent three weeks in eight cities in the USSR for location filming on that project. In Seven Days in May, Lancaster is appropriately terrifying, during his relatively brief time on screen, as the embodiment of a particular American military type, ruthless, relentless and cruel in his technocratic efficiency. Here is a man who would exterminate ten thousand men, women and children with a bombing raid before lunch and arrive punctually for a three oclock appointment. Gen. Curtis LeMay A member of an older generation, March was an extremely versatile and compelling Hollywood figure of the 1930s and 40s in particular, working with such directors as Howard Hawks, Ernst Lubitsch, John Ford and George Cukor. He featured prominently in one of the finest works of postwar social criticism, William Wylers The Best Years of Their Lives (1946). March, always a remarkable, thoughtful performer, brings genuine depth and intelligence to his role. His President Lyman is considerably stronger than the character in the novel. The three central protagonists are more than ably supported by a host of character actors, the American film industrys tremendous resource of the time, including Balsam, OBrien, Macready, Marlowe, Bissell, Richard Anderson, Andrew Duggan and Helen Kleeb. Gardner is memorable in her role as would-be Fuhrer Scotts spurned lover. She tells Casey she now realizes the general never really felt anything. Each move was calculated I dont believe he ever took a chance in his life or ever really felt anything, any real emotion. The military and FBI took very definite note of Seven Days in May, revealing their intense sensitivity to such criticism. A memo uncovered in Ronald Reagans FBI file reveals that the bureau was concerned the film would be used as Communist propaganda and was therefore harmful to our Armed Forces and Nation. A March 20, 1964 memo details communications between retired Admiral Arleigh Burke and Assistant Director William Sullivan of the FBI in regard to the film and its potential damage. The memo includes this proposed smear: One correspondent, according to Admiral Burke, made the following charges concerning the principal members of the movies cast: (1) Fredric March, together with his wife, Florence Eldridge, have been members of some 20 communist front organizations; (2) Burt Lancaster is a zealous Moscow stalwart and was affiliated with several communist fronts; and (3) Kirk Douglas and Ava Gardner have been cited by a California Committee on Un-American Activities. Tokyo burns under B-29 firebomb assault on May 26, 1945 Hollywood films at the time, despite their sometimes clumsy approach (and despite the debilitating ideological consequences of the anti-communist purges), still endeavored to address large political and social problems. To a certain and important extent, the encounter between Lyman and Scott does concretize and concentrate artistically a pivotal social collision, an obligation of enduring drama. In his work devoted to Frankenheimers films, critic Gerald Pratley notes that Marchs respectable, liberal lines have come in for criticism from certain radical commentators. There are undoubtedly points to be made about Lymans attitude and positions, but Pratley, in our view, is quite correct to note that the aforementioned words of dialogue are delivered by March with complete naturalism at times where they are logically called for, and with great honesty and conviction. They re-state familiar principles perhaps, but they need to be said again, even if we have heard them before. Lyman speaks forcefully, but it is notable how close the Scott coup attempt comes to succeeding, only blocked by an improvised, rather ramshackle and amateurish countereffort on the part of the president and a handful of colleagues. And its near success does not feel far-fetched! Along those lines, Seven Days in May does undoubtedly drive home to the viewer the very dark character of the period in question. The picture that the John F. Kennedy administration (and family) offered to the world was one of youthfulness, progressive social thought and a commitment to democracy. Beneath the relatively glamorous surface of this neo-Camelot, however, lay an uglier, grimmer, far more contradictory reality. Although this was the heyday of the postwar boom in the US, a great deal that was sinister and conspiratorial was occurring behind the scenes. In fact, there was layer upon layer of political reaction in play. Even before Kennedy came to power in January 1961, outgoing President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in his Farewell Address, famously cautioned the councils of government to guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. Knebel and Bailey place this warning from Eisenhower on the novels dedication page. Once in power, Kennedy authorized the Bay of Pigs attack on Cuba in April 1961, aimed at overthrowing the Fidel Castro government, and only held back from a full-scale invasion out of fear of the Soviet response. He and his brother Robert proceeded to experiment with various plots to kill Castro, bringing in the Mafia in the process. Under the Kennedy administration, US intervention in Vietnam was stepped up, whatever the presidents trepidations may have been. In general, Washingtons counterrevolutionary global interventions continued unabated. Gen. Edwin Walker In addition, as Frankenheimers film centrally argues, there were violent conflicts within the American state. Kennedy had recurring clashes with US military chiefs and was deeply worried about the danger of a coup. Sixty years later! Several references are made in the book and film to the ultra-right views of various military figures, especially a certain Col. John Broderick (John Larkin). Early in the film, one of Caseys military colleagues refers to Broderick as a good officer. Casey replies, For certain armies. The kind that goose step. Later, Sen. Clark contemptuously suggests that Brodericks views border on out-and-out fascism! Explaining his interest in Seven Days in May, a project that was brought to him by Douglass business partner at the time, producer Edward Lewis, Frankenheimer observed that he had felt that the voice of the military was much too strong Wed just finished eight years with President Eisenhower, which were in my opinion a very discouraging eight years for the country. All kinds of factions were trying to take power. The film was the opportunity to illustrate what a tremendous force the military-industrial complex is. The director also later explained that he saw the film as an opportunity to put a nail in the coffin of [Senator Joseph] McCarthy. These are worthy ambitions and concerns, and the film largely lives up to them. But one shouldnt close ones eyes to the damaging constraints within which liberal filmmakers worked, and which they accepted for the most part. The scripts assumptions include the reactionary anti-communism that was the state-sponsored quasi-religion of the time in the US. The film takes for granted, despite the troubling events it depicts, that America, if it repels Scott and his accomplices, can still be a beacon of democracy and freedom and that the Soviet Union represents tyranny, lies and duplicity (this is actually more pronounced in the Knebel-Bailey novel). American liberalism, both politically and intellectually, as a WSWS comment on the 40th anniversary of Kennedys murder maintained, was founded upon a lie. It had survived the social tumult of the 1930s and 1940s by striking a Faustian bargain with political reaction. Anti-communism became the prevailing ideology of the US establishment, embraced by Democratic and Republican politicians alikeand also many American filmmakers, novelists and artists generally. Another problematic aspect of Frankenheimers film is the fact, as we noted in an obituary of the director in 2002, that the president and his advisors never consider warning or appealing to the American people. Indeed, General Scott and the other conspirators, in the end, are merely forced to resign, without their activities having been made public. The president explicitly declares that the population, which has barely avoided coming under the heel of a military dictatorship, must not be told about the conspiracy, because it would create disorder! It is absurd and socially illogical to dramatize an attempted coup supported by virtually the entire military high command and then suggest the country as a whole can be in a healthy political and social state. Indeed, it wasnt the Hollywood filmmaking community that formed the backbone of opposition to the danger posed by the extreme right. The weight of the mass social movement that erupted in the 1930s was still present. The trade unions continued to represent a significant force in American life and the mass campaign for African American civil rights wielded tremendous political and moral power. The shortcomings of Seven Days in May are no doubt concretely bound up with its origins and development. Kennedy, embroiled in disputes with US military chiefs, read and endorsed the Knebel-Bailey novel, although he criticized its potboiler aspects, and actively encouraged its being made into a movie. Frankenheimer later commented that he was certain Pentagon officials werent happy when they heard we were going to make it but at the same time they didnt try to censor us. The director remarked that he had heard indirectly that President Kennedy said he very much wanted the film made. Pierre Salinger, who was then his Press Secretary, was very helpful for us and when we shot the White House scenes he arranged for the President to go to Hyannisport [in Massachusetts]. Now if the White House had not wanted the film made I can assure you that we could not have obtained permission to shoot a small riot in front of it. American capitalism in the early 1960s stood at the pinnacle of its economic and political power. The foundations of that power, however, as the WSWS explained in 2003, were about to be blown apart by immense tensions and contradictions that could not be contained by Kennedys policies. Seven Days in May was filmed in the summer of 1963, with its theatrical release scheduled for December. That release was held up by the murder of Kennedy in Dallas on November 22. (The appearance of Stanley Kubricks Dr. Strangelove in theaters was delayed for the same reason.) The painful irony is that the real-life models for the fanatical right-wing elements in the military and intelligence apparatus fictionalizedand simply allowed to resign and fade awayin Frankenheimers film were no doubt linked to the cabal that carried out the assassination. Scott is generally taken to be a fictional version or composite of several leading military or former military figures of the day, including, in particular, Curtis LeMay, appointed by Kennedy to be Air Force Chief of Staff, and Edwin Walker, a fascistic US Army general. Gen. LeMay is a notorious figure, with a lengthy record of horrendous crimes to his name. The Air Force sent him in 1945 to direct the air war against Japan. A profile in the New Yorker magazine explained that LeMay, realizing that the Japanese had almost no air defense left, sent three hundred and twenty-five planes loaded with jellied-gasoline firebomb clusters over Tokyo in the early hours of March 10, 1945. The mission succeeded: the United States Strategic Bombing Survey estimated that probably more persons lost their lives by fire at Tokyo in a 6-hour period than at any time in the history of man. In that initial raid, nearly seventeen square miles of the Japanese capital [were] burned to the ground, with at least a hundred thousand people killed and hundreds of thousands injured. LeMay organized fire-bombings night after night until the end of the war, by which time sixty-three Japanese cities had been totally or partially burned out and more than a million Japanese civilians killed. Hiroshima and Nagasaki survived to be atomic-bombed only because Washington had removed them from Curtis LeMays target list. Years later, he told a cadet, I suppose if I had lost the war, I would have been tried as a war criminal. Fortunately, we were on the winning side. Later, as commander of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), LeMay, in his first war plan drawn up in 1949, proposed dropping the entire stockpile of 133 atomic bombs in one massive attack on 70 Soviet cities within 30 days. At the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, LeMay urged the bombing of Soviet nuclear missile sites in Cuba and campaigned for military invasion. He eventually left the Air Force over disagreements on Vietnam War policy (he threatened to bomb North Vietnam back to the Stone Age) and ran as the running mate of arch-segregationist Alabama governor George Wallace in 1968 on the American Independent Party ticket. In Kubricks Dr. Strangelove, both Gen. Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) and Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) are considered satirical versions of LeMay. Gen. Walker, mentioned by name in Seven Days in May, was an extreme right-wing figure, who was forced to resign from the US Army in 1961the only US general who resigned in the 20th centurybecause of his attempts to indoctrinate troops under his command in Germany with materials supplied by the far-right John Birch Society and Billy James Hargis fanatically anti-communist Christian Crusade. Walker went on to participate in political events organized by Hargis and other ultra-right elements. In September 1962, Walker urged an uprising in protest against the attempt by James Meredith, an African American veteran, to integrate the University of Mississippi. Walker called on 10,000 patriots from every state to rally in Oxford, Mississippi. Thousands of Klansmen and assorted racists and fascists did show up and a violent melee broke out in which two people were killed execution-style and hundreds were injured. Walker was arrested, but charges were eventually dropped. He too is said to have partially inspired the Ripper character in Dr. Strangelove. In representing these psychopaths in their film, one might say that Frankenheimer and Lancaster exercised considerable, almost excessive restraint. Seven Days in May remains a forthright denunciation of military interference into domestic politics, with many of its implications, and a defense of democracy and the US Constitution. Where do we stand in relation to these issues some 60 years down the road? The Kennedy assassination marked a historical turning point. One of its aims, in which it ultimately succeeded, was to shift US government policies to the right and intimidate political opposition. It was not the final conspiracy, but rather ushered in an era of conspiracy, identified with such subsequent episodes as Watergate, Iran-Contra, the Clinton impeachment crisis, the hijacking of the 2000 election and the unexplained events of September 11, 2001. Unending war, ceaseless attacks on democratic rights, the growth of unimaginable social inequalitythese have characterized much of the intervening period. And now we have reached a point where the president of the United States is the leading figure in a conspiracy to overthrow constitutional rule. In this context, Seven Days in May is hardly the final word on these matters. But it compellingly and concretely dramatizes how dictatorship can come to America and by whom this might be done. Many people were shocked on Monday to hear that the countrys highest official honour, Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), had been awarded to Scott Morrison, the Liberal-National Coalitions widely reviled ex-prime minister. Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison [AP Photo/Kiyoshi Ota] Statements of protest appeared on social media. Some 13,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that the Albanese Labor government rescind the award as an insult. In reality, Morrisons award could not be possible without the support of the Labor government and the political-military establishment as a whole. The AC is the highest-ranking award in the annual Kings Birthday honours list. The essential function of the list is to reward top politicians, along with big business leaders and military commanders, for their services to Australian imperialism, while expressing the establishments gratitude for the work of selected others, predominantly scientists, academics, and arts and charity figures. Formally, the Kings honours decisions are made by the Council for the Order of Australia, whose members notably include the armed forces chief, a senior official in the prime ministers department and a cabinet member, in this case Finance Minister Katy Gallagher. Morrison was prime minister for three and a half years from 2018 to 2022, before his increasingly discredited government was thrown out of office at the May 2022 election. Above all, Morrison has been honoured for deepening the integration of successive Australian governments into the war plans of US imperialism, while assaulting the conditions of workers and welfare recipients, and laying the foundations for the current Labor government to intensify the agenda of the ruling class. The citation for Morrisons award reads: For eminent service to the people and Parliament of Australia, particularly as Prime Minister, to notable contributions to global engagement, to leadership of the national COVID-19 response, to economic initiatives, and to national security enhancements, especially through leadership of Australias contribution to AUKUS. The emphasis on the AUKUS military pact with the US and United Kingdom is most significant. By signing the AUKUS pact in 2021, Morrison took to a new level the commitment of Australian governments, Labor and Coalition alike, to Washingtons preparations for war against China, which successive US administrations have designated as the primary threat to American global hegemony. This global engagement further deepened Canberras alignment behind the war plans, particularly since the Gillard Labor government signed up to the Obama administrations military and strategic pivot to Asia in 2011, including the rotational basing of US Marines near the northern strategic city of Darwin. The Albanese Labor government has intensified this commitment, turning Australia into a platform for a US war against China. As part of AUKUS, it has allocated at least $368 billion to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, hypersonic missiles and other weaponry to attack China, agreed to greater US access to strategic military bases across Australia, and bullied Pacific Island states to line up behind the US. In February 2022, Morrison was also one of the first government leaders internationally to pledge support and arms shipments to Ukraine in the US/NATO provoked war against Russia. This is another front in Washingtons drive to reassert its dominance by subordinating both Russia and China. That move too has been expanded by the Albanese government, making Australia one of the largest non-NATO contributors, accompanied by Labors support for the third major war frontthe US-backed Israeli Gaza genocide and wider conflict in the Middle East. The citations reference to leadership of the national COVID-19 response is just as revealing. When COVID hit in 2020, Morrison and the state and territory leaders, mostly Labor, were initially forced by working-class concern to adopt basic public health measures, such as lockdowns, quarantining, tracking and tracing, and mask and vaccine mandates. Over the next 18 months, Morrison worked intensively, especially with Victorian Labor Premier Daniel Andrews, to increasingly wind back these measures as soon as politically possible, overriding working-class opposition to push people back to work for the sake of corporate profit. That dismantling of essential precautions was also completed by the Albanese government when it took office in May 2022. Whereas 2,239 people died from COVID in 2020 and 2021, that figure was exceeded sixfold in the first year of the Labor government. One of Morrisons main economic initiatives was to bail out the corporate and financial elite when the pandemic struck the Australian and global economy. In the guise of keeping workers employed, JobKeeper and other big business stimulus packages, together with Reserve Bank money-printing, resulted in the transfer of more than $400 billion to corporationsabout ten times the handouts they received during the 200809 global financial crisis. Another initiative was the Robodebt scheme, launched by Morrison when he was social services minister. From 2015 to 2019, that automated regime sent welfare recipients an estimated 526,000 incorrect and threatening debt notices, unlawfully demanding repayments totalling nearly $2 billion, causing trauma, financial suffering and, inevitably, suicides. Despite widespread public outrage finally ending the cruelty, a modified Robodebt-style offensive against welfare recipients continues under Labor. Among Morrisons national security enhancements was to secretly swear himself into five additional ministries to the prime ministershealth, home affairs, resources, finance and treasurygiving himself vast potential police-state powers. That was in addition to ruling the country through an unconstitutional national cabinet with the state and territory government leaders, an institution that Labor has retained. The Albanese government organised a whitewash inquiry into the secret ministries that held no one responsible, including Morrison. Since its re-election this May, Labor has re-constituted the home affairs super-ministry, which includes the militarised border force, the federal police and the ASIO domestic intelligence apparatus. As for Morrisons eminent service to the people, Morrison remains notorious for ignoring the 201920 Black Summer bushfires in much of the Australian south east and flood disasters in early 2022. In 2020, fire fighters and victims refused to shake his hand once he belatedly visited one of the burnt-out areas. This experience became an exposure of the indifference of all capitalist governments to the growing climate change-related catastrophes confronting ordinary people. Under Albaneses government, there have been similar experiences in devastating floods. Morrisons AC appointment has provided him with a platform to not only defend all his actions but to further call for greater military spending to confront China. In one of his many media interviews, Morrison nominated the AUKUS agreement as one of his proudest achievements in office and praised the Labor government for continuing it. He told the Australian he appreciated how Labor had backed AUKUS. Morrison said that this demonstrated to both sides of official politics in the US and Britain that this is genuinely a national initiative. He added that there is no real difference politically [between Labor and the Coalition] in our understanding of what the threat is. At the same time, Morrison called for a new culture of urgency. He said the country must shift from what is effectively a peacetime operation to a warlike preparation. Morrison endorsed US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths demand for the Albanese government to lift military spending to 3.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) as soon as possible. Hegseth insisted that all governments in the Indo-Pacific region, like those in Europe, had to rapidly boost military spending to prepare for an imminent war with China. In Australia, as elsewhere, that means further cutting public health, education, disability and other social programs, as well as workers jobs and conditions, and this will fuel political discontent and working-class struggles. Morrison remains well-connected. After finally quitting parliament in February 2024, he continued his service to US and Australian imperialism, including by taking up several appointments and consultancies, such as with American Global Strategies, a Trump-aligned corporate advisory firm, and AUKUS-linked DYNE Maritime. Since the establishment of the Order of Australia in 1975, every ex-prime minister has, sooner or later, been appointed a Companion with bipartisan Labor-Coalition consent, except Paul Keating, who declined. That the Labor government simply agreed pro forma to honour Morrison underscores its complete commitment to deepening the program of war and austerity. Labor won this years election on the back of the further implosion of the Liberal vote. Morrisons successor as party leader, Peter Dutton, was widely associated with the Trump administrations fascistic Make America Great Again agenda, as was Morrison during Trumps first term in office. Labor won the election with a substantial majority of parliamentary seats, due to the compulsory preferential system of voting, but it was a hollow victory. Its primary vote was barely a third of the total vote. The vote for the Liberal-National Coalition was even lower. A record number of people voted for third parties or independents, pointing to the widespread popular hostility to the reactionary agenda that has been imposed by both longstanding parties of capitalist rule. The Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE) union called off a strike of 350 nurses at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, New Jersey on Sunday, June 8. Fewer than 24 hours before the strike was scheduled to begin, union officials announced a tentative agreement that allegedly includes enforceable nurse-to-patient safe staffing ratios, wages and other benefits. They provided no details about the agreement, however. A ratification vote will be held on June 11, which means that the nurses will not have enough time to read and consider the agreement carefully. All these signs indicate that HPAE is trying to push its members into ratifying a contract that will not meet their core demands. The workers must reject this tentative agreement on principle. The only way that the Southern Ocean nurses can wage a genuine struggle against the hospital administration is by forming a rank-and-file committee that is independent of the union, which is collaborating with management against them. Southern Ocean Medical Center is in southern New Jersey on a highway that leads to the resort communities of Long Beach Island. Last year, the hospital began a $31.4 million construction project that will include new operating rooms. Southern Ocean Medical Center is part of the Hackensack Meridian Health healthcare network, which is the largest provider in New Jersey. The network includes 18 hospitals and employs 7,000 physicians and more than 36,000 other workers. The nurses main demand, which is being raised by healthcare workers around the world, is improved staffing levels. Data consistently indicate that adequate hospital staffing is associated with better patient outcomes and reduced risks of medical errors, overwork and burnout. The nurses are also demanding improved wages and benefits. In April, the nurses at Southern Ocean voted by 98 percent to authorize a strike. This near-unanimity reflects not only the unacceptable conditions that the nurses face, but also their determination to fight to change them. But after the contract expired on April 30, HPAE defied the nurses will and kept them on the job while union officials continued negotiating with management behind closed doors. Moreover, HPAE kept the Southern Ocean nurses separate tryfrom 500 nurses and other healthcare workers at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus. The contract for the latter workers, who are also HPAE members, expired on May 31. The Bergen New Bridge workers voted to strike, but the union announced a last-minute tentative agreement, thus blocking them from joining the Southern Ocean nurses in what would have been a more powerful joint struggle. This sabotage is typical of HPAE, which has a history of dividing its members, preventing strikes and rushing ratification votes. In September 2024, contracts expired for about 900 nurses and 500 social workers, laboratory workers, IT workers and clinical staff at University Hospital in Newark. These workers all belong to HPAE, although they are in different locals. HPAE did not bother to hold a strike vote, instead keeping all its members on the job. Moreover, the union blocked a united struggle of its University Hospital members, thus weakening their leverage; HPAE announced a tentative agreement for the nurses while continuing to negotiate one for the other workers. Only two days after announcing this agreement, HPAE forced the nurses to vote on it. The unions hold such snap votes when they intend to impose concessions on workers before they realize what is happening. HPAEs actions at Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen were even more egregious. On June 1, 2024, the contract for about 800 nurses and other workers at this hospital expired, along with contracts for 1,500 nurses at Cooper University Health Care in Camden and 800 nurses at Englewood Hospital in Englewood. All these workers are members of HPAE, and the strike votes at all three facilities were nearly unanimous. Hours before the contracts expired, HPAE announced tentative agreements with Cooper University Health Care and Englewood Hospital, leaving the workers at Palisades Medical Center isolated. HPAE did not submit the required 10 days strike notice to Palisades management, showing that it had no intention of respecting its members will. Having kept the workers on the job without a contract for more than a week, the union announced a tentative agreement that it did not allow its members to see until the day of the vote. This was a flagrantly antidemocratic act on the part of HPAE, aimed at coercing workers into ratifying a contract that they otherwise would reject. The conspiracy against the Southern Ocean nurses is taking place amid a frontal assault on science and public health by the administration of President Donald Trump. The Department of Health and Human Services has lost one-third of its budget under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a notorious conspiracy theorist and opponent of vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health have had their budgets slashed by at least 40 percent. The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration have lost 20 percent of their employees. These budget cuts and mass layoffs are an attempt by the ruling class to eliminate decades, if not a century, of gains in public health. The money thus saved will fund tax cuts for the wealthy and increased military spending in preparation for war with China. Although the Republicans are leading these attacks, the Democrats are equally committed to them. The latter have confined themselves to voicing occasional objections and avoided mounting any serious opposition to Trumps wrecking operation. The differences between the parties are limited to tactical questions. The Democrats and Republicans alike represent the interests of Wall Street, the intelligence agencies and the military. They are united on a program of genocide and imperialist war, for which they intend to make the working class pay through austerity and mass layoffs. HPAE, along with the other trade unions, seeks to block workers from breaking with these capitalist parties. President Debbie White continually encourages workers to appeal to legislators to enact laws that will guarantee safe staffing, but the bipartisan onslaught against health reveals these encouragements to be a conscious deception. White and her counterparts in the other trade unions have relationships not only with the corporations, but also with the Democratic Party. They seek to maintain these relationships and the material advantages that go with them by preventing an independent struggle of the working class. The nurses at Southern Ocean must initiate such a struggle if they are to win the safe staffing and improved wages and benefits that they need. The first step must be the rejection of the tentative agreement that HPAE is attempting to force them into ratifying. Next, the nurses must form a rank-and-file committee that is independent of HPAE and of both capitalist parties. This committee will be the forum in which nurses can develop a fighting strategy. It will enable them to end the isolation that HPAE has imposed on them by reaching out to other healthcare workers for assistance. At bottom, the fight at Southern Ocean is inseparable from the struggle against for-profit healthcare and for a socialist system that guarantees healthcare as a human right. GAZA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has surpassed 55,000, health authorities in Gaza said in a statement on Wednesday. During the past 24 hours, the Israeli military killed 120 people and wounded 474 others, bringing the total death toll to 55,104 and injuries to 127,394 since the Hamas-Israel conflict broke out in early October 2023, the health authorities added. Also on Wednesday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on social media platform X that "the Israeli-American aid distribution model in Gaza is putting lives at risk. It is also a distraction from the ongoing atrocities and a waste of resources." "The humanitarian community in Gaza, including UNRWA, is ready and has the experience and expertise to reach people in need. The State of Israel must lift the siege and allow us safe and unhindered access to bring in aid at scale and distribute it safely," UNRWA added. These remarks came after at least 28 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday by the Israeli army near an aid distribution center in the central Gaza Strip, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Wednesday that overnight, IDF troops fired warning shots toward suspects who were advancing while posing a threat to the troops, in the area of the Netzarim Corridor, central Gaza Strip. "The IDF is aware of reports regarding individuals injured, the details are under review," it added. In a separate statement on Wednesday, the IDF said its troops continued their operations in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli air forces struck dozens of military targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day. Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States in January 2025. However, it collapsed two months later when Israel resumed its military operations in the Gaza Strip after the first phase of the agreement ended, without reaching an agreement on its second phase or its extension. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., speaks after being sworn in as health and human services secretary in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. [AP Photo/Alex Brandon] On Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. launched an unprecedented assault on US public health institutions and evidence-based science with his purge of 17 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) members. Kennedy justified this attack on science in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, falsely alleging persistent conflicts of interest and claiming ACIP had become a rubber stamp for any vaccine that never recommended against a vaccineeven those later withdrawn for safety reasons. These charges constitute political libel against public health professionals, contradicted by overwhelming evidence. Kennedy cited a 2009 Office of Inspector General report asserting that 97% of the people on ACIP had conflicts, but NPR investigations and former committee members have exposed this as a lie. Tom Frieden, former CDC director, called Kennedys claims absolutely false, explaining the report identified clerical errorsnot substantive conflicts of interest. The 2009 audit reviewed ethics paperwork for 17 CDC advisory committees, finding that while 97 percent of disclosure forms contained errors or omissions, these were primarily administrative misfilings rather than ethical breaches. Only seven of 246 advisory committee members across all committees were found to have improperly voted on restricted matters. The report did not single out ACIP, nor did it find pervasive wrongdoing. Former ACIP members describe rigorous ethics processes requiring disclosure of financial ties and often relinquishing of professional affiliations. Carol Baker, former ACIP chair, exemplified this commitment by stepping down from developing a vaccine she helped invent, stating that serving the public mattered more. Kennedys insistence that pharmaceutical involvement invalidates vaccine safety represents a calculated effort to erode public trust. His demand for randomized controlled trials for every vaccinedespite ethical constraints against withholding proven interventionsmanufactures doubt under the guise of scientific rigor. Vaccine development and approval depend on a robust mix of evidence, including RCTs, observational studies and post-marketing surveillance. The evidence supporting vaccination has always been and remains overwhelming. In the US alone, childhood vaccinations for those born between 1994 and 2023 prevented 1.1 million deaths, 32 million hospitalizations and over 500 million illnesses, saving nearly $3.7 trillion in societal costs. COVID-19 vaccines saved 20 million lives globally in 2021 and averted trillions in economic losses. Kennedys pledge to reconstitute the ACIP is widely seen as a bid to install ideologically aligned appointees like David Geieran indicted fraudster whom Kennedy has already selected to review autism-vaccine links. Kennedys recommendations to Trump to appoint Jay Bhattacharya as NIH director and Marty Makary as FDA commissioner underscore his intent to reshape public health leadership around ideological loyalty rather than scientific merit. Last week, both appeared alongside Kennedy announcing a COVID-19 vaccine recommendation overhaul, symbolizing their alignment with his anti-vaccine agenda. Bhattacharya, a Stanford economist who never completed clinical residency, promotes false equivalence between scientific consensus and misinformation. As co-author of the discredited Great Barrington Declaration, he advocated dangerous herd immunity strategies starting in 2020a position widely condemned by the scientific community. NIH staff describe him as out of his depth and note his promotion of the thoroughly debunked Wuhan Lab Lie conspiracy theory. Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon appointed to course-correct the FDA, has attacked CDC data as riddled with false positives and derided the ACIP as a kangaroo court. His insistence that only randomized controlled trials validate vaccine safety ignores the necessity of observational studies and real-world data for populations typically excluded from initial trials. Their joint push to rescind COVID-19 vaccine guidance for healthy children and pregnant womendespite strong evidence of continued benefit and ongoing viral risksreflects a wholesale abandonment of principled public health frameworks. Together, they co-founded the Journal of the Academy of Public Health, criticized for lacking peer review and publishing every submission regardless of qualitya propaganda vehicle masquerading as legitimate science. These developments reflect a coordinated campaign by conservative think tanks and wealthy donors to reshape academia and public health policy. Journalist Walker Bragmans report The Invisible Hand reveals how wealthy backers use figures like Bhattacharya to launder fringe ideologies through respected institutions, ultimately undermining science and promoting corporate agendas. Bhattacharyas ties to the Brownstone Institute and COVID denial networks exemplify this strategy. The damage to scientific research has been immediate and severe. Since Bhattacharyas appointment, NIH terminated 2,100 research grants totaling $9.5 billion and canceled $2.6 billion in contracts, halting crucial work on cancer, mental health and maternal care. Under Kennedys watch, more than 20,000 HHS employees have been fired or pushed into early retirement, creating a massive brain drain in these vital institutions. Kennedys dehumanizing rhetoric around autism further reveals his agendas ideological nature. His references to autistic individuals as a burden or example of preventable disease echo disturbing eugenics-era concepts. Plans for a national autism registry and redirected research funds intensify these concerns. Resistance has begun to emerge within the scientific community. At Bhattacharyas first NIH town hall last month, dozens of employees walked out after he promoted the Wuhan Lab Lie and previewed deep funding cuts. More significantly, over 300 NIH staff and alumni have signed the Bethesda Declaration released Sundaya direct rebuttal to the policies imposed by Bhattacharya and Kennedy, titled in a deliberate reference to the Great Barrington Declaration. The signatories accuse leadership of endangering participants, abandoning scientific commitments and silencing dissent. Many went public despite retaliation risks, defending scientific integrity against authoritarian assault. Kennedys fraudulent appeal to when the world sought guidance from Americas health regulators masks a regressive agenda aimed at dismantling the modern vaccine schedule, eviscerating decades of scientific progress. This rollback would prove catastrophic, as the US is already witnessing massive spikes in measles and whooping cough. Modeling studies warn that plummeting vaccination rates could return diseases like polio and measles to epidemic levels, causing millions of preventable deaths. Kennedys unilateral removal of COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant womenwithout consulting the ACIPrepresents an authoritarian bypass of expert oversight that public health officials describe as eroding trust and democratic accountability. Defending science-based public health policy is inseparable from defending democracy. These developments are part of a larger war on science, public health and democratic governance itself, and take place against the backdrop of Trumps unfolding coup detat. The fight against fascist dictatorship in all its manifestations, including Kennedys ruthless war on science and public health, requires the building of a revolutionary socialist movement in the working class. To preserve public health, science and a democratic society, the scientific community must align itself with the working class in a broader political struggle against the capitalist system that subordinates human health to corporate profit. In a filthy political manoeuvre, Keir Starmers UK Labour government, along with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, has sanctioned two members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus criminal government, Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. This was for inciting extremist violence against the Palestinians in the West Bank, illegally occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, by far-right settlers and the Israeli military as part of their longstanding campaign to drive out the Palestinians and establish new settlements in the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, speaks with Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich during the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 7, 2024. [AP Photo/Ronen Zvulun] Israeli far-right lawmaker and head of the Jewish Power party, Itamar Ben-Gvir, gestures after the first exit poll results for the Israeli Parliamentary election at his partys headquarters in Jerusalem. November 2, 2022. [AP Photo/Oren Ziv] While the two ministers will face travel bans and a freeze on any assets they hold in the five countries, their ministries and the government that fully supports them will not be sanctioned. In practical terms, the move will not make one iota of difference to the actions of the Israeli government, since the major decisions of the war are being taken by the United States and the European powers, who view Israels actions in Gaza and throughout the region as a necessary component of the accelerating conflict with Russia, Iran and China. The UK and its allies are simply trying to divert attention from their refusal to change their unwavering support for Israel. London is not even prepared to stop supplying weapons to the Israeli army. Its persecution of workers, students and young people protesting against the genocide of the Palestinians will continue. On Tuesday, David Lammy, Britains Foreign Secretary, declared in a statement issued in conjunction with the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway that the decision was the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long term stability in the region. He said, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights, citing the 1,900 attacks on Palestinian civilians so far this year, adding, These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action nowto hold those responsible to account. Only then did Lammy refer perfunctorily to Gaza, where Israel is slaughtering and starving the Palestinians, saying, We will strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of the remaining hostages by Hamas which can have no future role in the governance of Gaza, a surge in aid and a path to a two-state solution. Lammy kept his mouth shut about Israels openly declared policy of using the starvation of the 2.3 million Palestinian population of Gaza as part of its plan to occupy an ethnically cleansed Gaza Strip and was silent about Israels genocidal slaughter. When asked in a BBC interview whether he would pressure Netanyahu to sack the ministers, Lammy said it was up to the Israeli government to make their own determination I have called for them [the Israeli government] to condemn and disavow these statements and be very clear that they stand against the violence that weve seen in the West Bank, and those that would seek to thwart any possibility of a two-state solution. The UK government has rejected all calls for further sanctions on Israel for its genocidal war on Gaza, an end to arms supplies, and the provision of intelligence via near daily flights over Gaza from its military base in Cyprus, in line with the rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel has ignored all the rulings against its occupation of Palestinian territories and its homicidal rampage, violating international human rights law with impunity in Gaza and the West Bank. Nevertheless, all the imperialist powers and Middle East regimes have ignored their obligation to uphold the rulings of the UN courts. The British government has also refused to call Israels war on Gaza a genocide, despite the well-publicised statements by Netanyahu and his ministers demonstrating genocidal intent. It has ignored the numerous mass protests over the last 20 months opposing the war and Britains support for it. In this, the government is assured the support of the mainstream media, with the most recent demonstration on May 17, attended by half a million people, not reported, even by the BBC and the Guardian. To condemn Smotrich and Ben-Gvir for inciting violence only in the West Bank underscores the grotesque cynicism involved. Smotrich, for example, recently declared that he would not allow even a grain of wheat to enter Gaza. He declaring last month that it would be entirely destroyed and its citizens forced to leave in great numbers to third countries. Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism Party, and Ben-Gvir, leader of Jewish Power, are in any case only the most nakedly fascistic members of Netanyahus cabinet, the most right-wing in Israels 77-year history. The decision to impose sanctions on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir provoked a furious response from Israel, with Netanyahu accusing the five countries of wanting to help Hamas and being on the wrong side of history. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar denounced the sanctions as outrageous and saying a special government meeting would decide how to respond next week. Opposition leader from National Unity, Benny Gantz, leapt to the ministers defence. Writing on X, he called on the five countries to reconsider, saying, I vehemently disagree with ministers Smotrich & Ben Gvir on a wide range of issues, but the imposition of British sanctions on ministers in the one and only democracy in the Middle East, the State of Israel, is a profound moral mistake and sends a dangerous message to terrorists around the world. Ben-Gvir expressed his gratitude, saying, Thanks so much, Benny! Smotrich, speaking at the inauguration in Hebron of a yet another new illegal settlement, spoke of his contempt for the UKs move. Britain has already tried once to prevent us from settling the cradle of our homeland We are determined, God willing, to continue building, he said referring to Britains rule over Palestine before Israels establishment in 1948. Smotrich ordered the finance ministry to collapse the Palestinian Authority in retaliation for the sanctions, even though Ramallah was not involved in the decision of the five countries. His ministry is to waive the indemnity that Israeli banks have been given to correspond with Palestinian banks, against the backdrop of the delegitimization campaign that the Palestinian Authority is leading against the State of Israel worldwide. Almost all exchanges in the West Bank and Gaza are in shekels, Israels national currency. The decision to sanction Smotrich and Ben-Gvir prompted a furious response from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In condemning the move he said, These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war. He continued, We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. He called on the five countries to lift the sanctions and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel, adding, We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. An explosion is seen after a Russian air strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday, June 6, 2025. [AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka] Russia has launched a series of large-scale air attacks over the last several days, in response to Kievs recent attempt to blow up the bridge connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland and assaults on airfields thousands of miles away from the Russian-Ukrainian border and deep in Moscows territory. Since Sunday night, more than 800 drones and missiles have been launched against Ukraine. While Kiev claims most were shot down, there were strikes across the country, including in the capital city and the Dubno airbase in the west, where American-made F-16 fighters are stationed. Poland reported scrambling jets in western Ukraine on Sunday night in response to the air assault. On the ground, Russian troops have now retaken Sumy in Ukraines northeast, reversing gains Kiev made three years ago. Moscow also reports that it has pushed into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in central Ukraine. Kiev denies this, claiming Moscow is spreading false information. If true, this will create new problems for Kyivs much-stretched forces, noted CNN in an article on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Zelensky government is continuing its onslaught. This past weekend, drones damaged a Russian airfield in Nizhniy Novgorod and a factory in Cheboksary that makes war materiel, resulting in the suspension of production at the plant. Both are located far to the east of Moscow. On Tuesday, a chemical facility in Tula Oblast caught fire after being hit for the second time. Flights at airports serving Russias first and second largest cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg, were briefly halted that day due to drone attacks. Bombings in Belgorod, a Russian oblast bordering Ukraine, occur daily. In April, President Zelensky reported that his soldiers are operating on the ground in Belgorod, a fact acknowledged at the time by unofficial Russian sources. This is Ukraines second incursion into Russian territory, after Kievs now-failed attempt to seize the region of Kursk in 2024. The escalation of the fighting, sought by NATO, risks instigating nuclear war. The European powers are vehemently opposed to any America-led peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, which threatens to shatter the Euro-Atlantic alliance and is likely to be made at their expense. At the same time, the Trump administration is in no way encumbered by the presidents promises to end the war within 24 hours of taking office. It has its own calculations as to what is profitable for US imperialism and what concessions, if any, it is willing to make on the Russian front in order that it may concentrate on the Chinese one. Despite overtures to Moscow, the White House may retreat from efforts to settle the conflict. On June 5, after a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump declared that Ukraine and Russia were akin to two young children fighting like crazy. Youre better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart, he said. Delivered in his usual crude style, the White House leader made clear that he sees a strategic advantage in allowing Russia and Ukraine to exhaust themselves through war. Trump simultaneously threatened to punish both Kiev and Moscow with sanctions. Well be very, very, very tough, and it could be on both countries to be honest, he said. Shortly before Trump issued these statements, Russia and Ukraine met in Turkey for a second round of US-brokered peace talks. The discussion lasted an hour and resulted in an agreement to exchange prisoners and war dead but nothing else. After delays over the weekend, the process began on Monday. While some news sources say that the number of people, alive or not, changing hands is unknown, the British Guardian reported that 1,200 members of each sides armed forces are returning home, namely those wounded and under the age of 25. Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky told the press on Monday that his country is prepared to return 6,000 soldiers bodies to Ukraine, but that the Zelensky government is refusing to accept them because it does not want to acknowledge the scale of its losses. With his military facing a catastrophic situation and his far-right government fearing the prospect of a peace deal worked out at their expense, Zelensky vacillates between obsequiousness before Washington and pressing it for more guns. On June 8, he gave an interview to ABC News in which he went back and forth between implying that the White House was undermining the war effort, demanding an expansion of the conflict with American backing and declaring that Ukraine was ready to lay down its arms. In his exchange with ABCs Martha Raddatz, Zelensky lamented that the US has reneged on its promise to send Kiev 20,000 missiles capable of taking out Russian drones. The White House sent them to the Middle East instead, he said. Zelensky insisted that this was a mistake. We can only counter Russia with force, he declared. We can stop [Russia] in their tracks, and probably then they will be ready for some kind of diplomacy and talks. We have to prepare such plans, and we are not stopping. I am convinced that the president of the United States has all the powers and enough leverage to step up, he said, insisting that Trump must exert hard pressure. Zelensky further claimed that Kiev was prepared to lay down all its arms, if Moscow did as well. Last weeks bombing run on Russian airfields makes clear, however, that Ukraine and, above all, NATO and the US are prepared to risk nuclear war should they not get what they want. The same day that Zelensky gave his interview, several representatives of the Russian government outlined their countrys position. Speaking of Moscows recent territorial gains in central Ukraine, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that his countrys armed forces initiated their latest offensive after Ukraine refused to recognize Russian territorial control during the recent peace talks. Anyone who does not want to acknowledge the realities of war in negotiations will receive new realities on the ground, Medvedev threatened on the social media outlet Telegram. At the same time, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the press that peace depended on practical steps aimed at eliminating the root causes of the fundamental contradictions between us in the area of security, by which he meant halting the expansion of NATO. Without this, he said, it is simply impossible to resolve the current conflict in the Euro-Atlantic region. According to Reuters, Moscow is demanding a written commitment that NATO will not extend itself further east. Identifying the United States and NATO as instigators of the war, Ryabkov said the ceasefire talks test the seriousness of Washingtons intentions to straighten out our relations. He further told TASS news agency that the war would not stop until NATO troops are pulled out of the Baltic. In a demonstration, however, of its position, in late May, Germany deployed 4,800 soldiers to the Baltic country of Lithuania on a permanent mission, the first of its kind since the World War II. The implications of what would happen should a peace deal fail to take into account Moscows central demand were made clear the very same day by Vladimir Medinsky, Russias lead negotiator in the talks with Ukraine. If you stop the conflict along the front line and dont agree on a real peace, just make some kind of truce, then it will beyou know, such a disputed region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Karabakhthen this region will turn into a huge Karabakh. After some time, Ukraine together with NATO, with allies will join NATO, will try to reclaim it, and it will be the end of the planet, it will be a nuclear war, Medinsky said. In a Kremlin briefing likewise delivered on June 9, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia reserves the right to deploy short- and medium-range missiles if NATOs aggression on its borders does not halt. Work at Cummins? Fill out the form at the end to share what youre fighting for and what issues you face at work. Your identity will be kept confidential. Striking Cummins workers in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in May 2025 [Photo: UAW Region 4] Workers are continuing a three-month strike at the Cummins plant in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, after they rejected a second contract proposal brought back by the United Auto Workers by a vote of 46-34 on June 2. The defiant stand follows the overwhelming defeat of a pro-company agreement by their fellow workers at the much larger Cummins plant in Columbus, Indiana on May 23. Cummins workers in Columbusmembers of the Diesel Workers Union (DWU)voted by a massive 97 percent (834-28) to reject their proposed contract. The DWU was forced to hold a strike authorization ballot on June 5-6, which workers voted to approve. Worldwide, Cummins employs over 75,000 workers. It manufactures diesel engines that power vehicles, boats, and generators across a wide range of industries, including the military, as well as producing related components such as drivetrains and braking systems. The Oshkosh plant makes drivetrains for military and construction vehicles, with contracts in recent years to supply the nearby Oshkosh Defense factory with axles for armored trucks. The Columbus plant, for its part, supplies diesel engines for the Dodge Ram Heavy-Duty pick-up trucks, which Stellantis produces at its Saltillo, Mexico, factory. Around 90 workers at the Oshkosh Cummins plant have been on strike since March over wages, the companys attempts to introduce temporary workers and a dramatic increase in mandatory Saturday hours. They also have been fighting for affordable healthcare, job security and against the introduction of a tier system. Workers have been without a contract since the previous one expired in late January. Striker Doug Golla, a 30-year worker at the Oshkosh plant, told the local student newspaper Advance Titan: They want to fill the place with temp workers. They want accumulated vacations, things like that. Workers anger has been fueled by the immense wealth they produce being hoarded by the companys executives and shareholders. The company reported record revenue of $34.1 billion in 2024, with Cummins CEO J.W. Rumsey taking in a pay package of $21.86 million. Cummins like other big corporations never thinks how they got where they are today the workers has made them what they are today!, one worker posted to Facebook. Strike!!! Official talks between UAW Local 291 and the company will not resume until the end of June. In the days before the most recently rejected contract, union officials had described closed-door discussions with management as a little bit more productive, an indication of their complete indifference to workers needs. Cummins has been operating the Oshkosh plant with scabs since workers walked out on strike. It also eliminated striking workers ability to access their health insurance. As a result, Golla noted, Theyre not having good times in there. Theyre dropping axles, theyre not building good things. The factory has historically produced components used in military vehicles assembled by Oshkosh Defense, also located in Oshkosh. The workers at that plant are members of UAW Local 578, with over 2,000 members. Thus, the UAW workers at Oshkosh Defense are almost certainly handling scab-made parts, with no objections registered by UAW leadership, let alone efforts to call out their members throughout the city and the region more broadly. The Oshkosh and Columbus workers at Cummins face similar issues, and yet the UAW and DWU apparatuses have not coordinated strike action at the two factories, thus isolating the struggles. Neither the UAW nor the DWU has even alluded to the others struggles in official statements or interviews. Workers must draw the necessary conclusion following the defeat of the most recent agreements: In order to win their demands, a new strategy is necessary, one which breaks the isolation of the strike imposed by the union bureaucracy. Cummins workers in Oshkosh and Columbus should elect rank-and-file committees, led by the most trusted and militant workers, to link up with workers at Oshkosh Defense, Stellantis, Allison Transmission and elsewhere and coordinate common action. Such committees can provide a means for workers to put forward demands based on what they actually need and a plan of action to fight for them. Among the most pressing tasks is for workers to fight an immediate ban on handling any scab-made parts, as an elementary requirement of real working class solidarity. After announcing the strike authorization vote, DWU officials were quick to try to tamp down workers expectations. In a letter to members, it stated: An authorization to strike does not mean we will strike immediately. This only means our membership has given their consent to the DWU Bargaining Committee to authorize a strike. The UAW, as well as other unions, have carried out ineffective solidarity events, with workers from UAW Local 1102 in Green Bay volunteering their time to join UAW Local 291 on the picket line for a day. The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO has asked its workers merely to sign a solidarity petition. Cummins and Oshkosh Defense are major defense contractors that are essential to the ruling class expanding war plans targeting the Middle East, Russia and China. Cummins has a $400 million-plus agreement to supply diesel engines to the US Army through 2028, while Oshkosh Defense has at least $2 billion in ongoing contracts with the US military. The rejection of multiple contracts at Cummins is part of a growing wave of struggles by workers in the defense industries, as the corporate oligarchy and war profiteers ramp up military production and squeeze as much as possible out of workers. At Lockheed Martin, roughly 900 workers in Orlando, Florida, and Denver, Colorado, walked out for a month over poverty-level starting wages and a slow pay progression system. The strike was shut down by the UAW apparatus with a deal that keeps workers underpaid in a company reaping enormous profits from imperialist war. The contract runs until 2030, effectively locking workers into long-term concessions. At Pratt & Whitney, nearly 3,000 workers who make commercial and military jet engines struck last month after voting down a concessionary agreement brought back by the International Association of Machinists (IAM). The IAM bureaucracy eventually forced through the companys demands after isolating the strike for three weeks, with over half of workers walking out of the ratification meeting in disgust. The administration of UAW President Shawn Fain is playing a leading role in attempting to chain workers to the US war machine. Ever since becoming UAW president in 2023, Fain has touted factories in the US as the so-called arsenal of democracy, a militaristic propaganda slogan from World War II, when the UAW agreed to strike bans and worked to suppress opposition. First pledging to send workers to war for Biden, Fain has since thrown his full backing behind Trumps reactionary tariffs and trade war measures, peddling the lie that Trumpthe would-be American Fuhrerwill defend American jobs at the expense of those in Mexico and other countries. But the working class is in fact objectively united in a global network of production, with every vehicle and product of a complex international supply chains, as the interdependence between workers in Columbus, Indiana, and Saltillo, Mexico, demonstrates. From the NATO war on Russia in Ukraine to the preparations for war with China, the escalation of military conflicts across the globe depends on increasing production output from the factories in Oshkosh and Columbus at the expense of workers, as the ruling class is simultaneously engaged in increasingly desperate attempts to prop up the entire capitalist system. The Trump White House, meanwhile, is the center of an active and unfolding conspiracy to overturn the Constitution. These issues are inter-related as the US seeks to maintain its position in the world through military might, and dictatorship at home in response to its accelerating economic decline. Workers struggles against a unified and increasingly militaristic and desperate ruling class cannot be won through isolated strikes at individual factories, especially when the factory is a key link in the military-industrial complex. Neither the Democrats nor the union bureaucracies, which depend on and thus are committed to growing preparations for war, are any help or ally. Instead, workers must take the struggle into their own hands and form rank-and-file committees at every factory. These committees must then interlink with others across the globe in the International Workers Alliance of Rank and File Committees (IWA-RFC), laying the basis for workers to coordinate their struggles and secure their needs. In this September 27, 2012 file photo, students walk through the University of Texas at Austin campus near the school's iconic tower. [AP Photo/Eric Gay] On Wednesday June 4, the Republican-led state government of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, in coordination with the federal government, ended the state policy of allowing undocumented immigrant college students to pay in-state residency tuition rates. The policy, based on legislation called the Texas Dream Act, had been in place since 2001. The striking down of the law, which provided undocumented immigrant students residing in the state the right to pay the same tuition as their US citizen counterparts, is completely anti-democratic. Up to 250,000 students, including 57,000 current undocumented college students and some 197,000 high school students, will face increased tuition due to the laws repeal. The cost of higher education is already out of reach for millions of students, regardless of documentation. In Texas, the statewide average for in-state tuition is about $11,000 a year, while out-of-state is more than double, at roughly $25,000 per year. Major universities such as the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M charge upwards of $40,000 per year for out-of-state tuition. The program was passed in a bipartisan fashion by the state legislature and signed into law by then-Governor Rick Perry in 2001. The Texas Legislature did not repeal the law. Instead, in a thoroughly undemocratic maneuver, it was nullified by a federal court last week following the intervention of the US Department of Justice, which was supported by Texas Republicans. The scrapping of the law came after the Department of Justice announced it was filing a lawsuit against Texas demanding that the state end the practice. Trump Attorney General Pam Bondi declared in a statement on Wednesday: Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to US citizens. 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. Bondis attempt to divide the working class and frame the Texas Dream Act as providing benefits to immigrants that are unavailable to US citizens is a lie. The legislation demanded far stricter standards for undocumented persons to access in-state tuition than for citizens. In order to be eligible, immigrant students had to provide substantial documentation to establish residency. This included proof that they had graduated from a high school in Texas and had lived in the state for three years. US citizens who receive Texas in-state tuition are required to provide proof of only one year of residency in the state. Additionally, immigrants applying for the program were forced to sign an affidavit stating their intent to pursue citizenship at the first opportunity. Following the termination of the program, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released a statement on Wednesday evening declaring that ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas. It is clear that Paxton, in collusion with the Trump administration, used the courts to conduct an end-run around the legislative process. After Bondi challenged the Texas Dream Act, Paxton quickly filed a petition requesting that the US district court affirm Bondis lawsuit and declare the 24-year-old law unconstitutional. The federal court then ruled in agreement. Underlining the collaborative effort between the Trump administration and the Texas state government, Bondi, following the courts ruling, expressed her gratitude to Paxton, thanking him for swiftly working with us. On June 2, only two days before Paxton petitioned the district court, Republicans in the state legislature tried and failed to strike down the law. According to the Texas Tribune, after the attempt stalled in the House, Republican Lt. Governor Dan Patrick admitted that he did not have the votes in the upper chamber to repeal the law. Had the legislation proposed by Republicans (SB 1798) passed into law, it would have required undocumented immigrant students to pay the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition rates. It also would have directed universities to withhold diplomas of students who did not pay within 30 days of notification. In the aftermath of the US district courts ruling, Cesar Espinoza, executive director of the immigrant advocacy group Immigrant Families and Students in the Fight, estimated that the ruling will affect 1.5 percent of Texas student population, or approximately 57,000 students, the majority of whom cannot afford to pay the exorbitant out-of-state tuition rates. The abrogation of in-state tuition for undocumented immigrant students by the government of Trump-aligned Governor Greg Abbott must be seen as part of the anti-democratic attack on immigrants nationwide directed by the fascists in the White House. Last weeks ruling effectively bypassed any legislative debate and nullified a state law by judicial fiat. The Texas law did not conflict with federal immigration law and had been upheld for over two decades under both Democratic and Republican administrations. The Democratic Party has remained passive in the face of the Trump administrations anti-democratic attack on immigrants, offering tepid condemnation or outright collaboration. In California, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass have deployed thousands of police officers to assault and detain overwhelmingly peaceful protesters objecting to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) thugs kidnapping workers and their family members without due process. Indeed, the Democrats have played a major role in attacking the rights of immigrants. Bill Clinton pioneered the militarization of the border and, under the guise of immigration reform, oversaw the criminalization of immigrants. Barack Obama deported more people than any other US president in history, and then-Vice President Kamala Harris infamously told migrants in 2021, Do not come. Rene Lichtman in July 2024 On Sunday, June 8, a memorial was held for Holocaust survivor and pro-Palestine activist Rene Lichtman in Detroit, Michigan. Lichtman, 87, died from heart failure at a Detroit-area hospice care center on January 28. The event at St. Matthews & St. Peters Episcopal Church brought together a cross-section of Renes comrades, friends and family, young and old, including those from Jewish and Arab backgrounds. Addressing different aspects of Lichtmans history and political activity, the speakers highlighted how his childhood experiences in Nazi-occupied France produced a life-long hatred of fascism and imperialist war. In his last years, these principles drove Lichtman to actively oppose the US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza, earning him the hatred of Zionists in the Detroit area, throughout the US and internationally. In an interview with the World Socialist Web Site in January 2024, Rene denounced Israel as a fascist state and opposed the support given to it by US imperialism, without which the genocide would be impossible. A program distributed at the memorial gave a brief overview of Renes life. Rene was born in Paris in 1937 to Jewish immigrants from Poland, Helen and Jacob Zajdman. When he was two years old, his father died on the frontlines fighting against the Nazis with the French Foreign Legion. His mother hid him with a non-Jewish left-wing couple in the countryside. They supported his early love for art, which became a lifelong passion. After the war, Rene was reunited with his mother. They emigrated to New York when Rene was 12 years old. There he attended the High School of Music & Art. He enrolled in the Army after he graduated. He later attended Cooper Union through the GI bill, continuing his pursuit of painting. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study painting in Brussels. An obituary published on the World Socialist Web Site provided a sketch of Renes political development: He became politically conscious during the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. In a 1996 oral history interview for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, he explained: As Jews, as survivors, we should be fighting not just for ourselves but wherever we recognize any kind of oppression. We should be more sensitive than anyone else because we know what it feels like. That is why I opposed the Vietnam War. I knew my people got screwed over and that no one else should. I always considered that a Jewish value. During the first Trump administration, Rene opposed the Gestapo-style actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. A picture of Rene holding a sign displaying the word ICE together with a swastika, with an equal sign between the two, was taped to the podium at the memorial. Notably, the event took place as Trump was deploying the military against protesters opposing the abduction of immigrants by ICE in Los Angeles. Jamie Thrower (left) and Risa Lichtman Risa Lichtman, one of Renes four children, and her partner Jamie Thrower, who both played a prominent role in organizing the memorial, spoke on the profound impact he had on the lives of everyone he knew, both personally and politically. The remarks of the subsequent speakers drew out this theme. All speakers testified to his warmth and energy. A film about Renes life, featuring interviews with him, produced by journalist and podcaster Katie Halper was played at the event. Halper, who was present and spoke at the memorial, explained that she first came in contact with Rene in researching for a film she is producing on Jews protesting the genocide in Gaza. Kalper, who comes from a Jewish background herself, called attention to the long-standing participation of Jewish intellectuals and workers in the labor and socialist movements. In her film, Rene identifies himself as a socialist and Marxist. Photographer and ceramic artist Barbara Barefield recalled protesting with Rene across the street from the Zekelman Holocaust Center. Rene had been a regular lecturer at the museum for more than a decade until he was fired for organizing a December 2023 protest outside the museum with members of Jewish Voice for Peace to oppose the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians. Barbara Barefield Rene was a man who was not afraid to lie down in the street to protest the barbarism in Gaza, side by side with his friend Nabil. ... They threw him out and rejected him. I know that was a very painful thing for him, because he had been teaching people for years and years his personal stories and the importance of knowing that the Holocaust lesson Never again means Never again for anyone, anywhere, ever again. In mid-2024, Rene and his supporters in the Coalition Against Genocide began holding regular vigils at the Zekelman Holocaust Center, demanding that all such museums call for a ceasefire and incorporate into their exhibits the work of prominent historians with Jewish backgrounds, including Ilan Pappe, Avi Schlaim and Norman Finkelstein, on the 1948 expulsion of the Palestinians. Barefield described a July 14 demonstration at the museum when Lichtman and supporters defied the shouts and threats of Zionist counter-protesters. He wasnt afraid to protest across the street from the Holocaust Museum faced by hundreds of Zionists with a sound system that drowned out our sound system. ... So he stood with us across the street from all these people screaming at us, telling us were baby killers. ... They called his name and said he wasnt really a Holocaust survivor, and he was a liar. But he stood firm and strong. Referring to the same protest, Heather Burnham, a pre-school teacher whose grandfather was a Holocaust survivor, said, When there were hundreds of Zionists across the street, I remember feeling nervous. But Rene said, Heather, its a good turnout today. Look what theyre doing. Make sure its recorded. ... If theyre angry with us, were doing something right. ... I just thought hes the bravest man Ive ever met, and I want to carry that bravery forward. Heather Burnham Ismail Noor, an Arab activist who met Rene during the anti-genocide protests, pointed to a quote by Lichtman in which he explained that the genocide is not a religious conflict but a geopolitical one. From the first time I met Rene, he made a very positive and strong impression on me. He was an extraordinary human being. He was a kind of historian. He read history, and he analyzed history. Long before I met him in person, I was demonstrating against the Vietnam War in the 1960s back in Palestine, and he was doing the same here in the United States. That is an indication of how we met on principles and shared lots of values. We became friends, although the short time that I have known him, we became more than friends. We became comrades also. ... The last time I saw him alive in his hospital bed, he [said] Palestine will be free. He was smiling, and we chanted, Free Palestine together three times. Ismail Noor Also speaking at the event was Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib from Michigan, the only representative in Congress with a Palestinian background. She noted that Rene defended her when the US House of Representatives, with the support of a significant section of Democrats, censured her for criticizing Israel on the floor of Congress. She did not, however, attempt to explain how opposition to the genocide in Gaza can be reconciled with support for the Democratic Party, which has fully backed the arming of Israel and the violent suppression of student protests against the genocide. Jerry White, a member of the Socialist Equality Party and writer for the World Socialist Web Site, spoke during the open mic portion of the event. He said, Renes life was so profoundly shaped by historyand until his last breath, he was committed to transforming it. White said Rene was was deeply familiar with the role of the Big Lie in history: Hitler committed the most horrendous crimes in the name of fighting a so-called Jewish-Bolshevik conspiracy. The McCarthyite crusade against communism was used to justify US invasions and CIA coups. The imperialist plunder of Iraq was carried out under the lie of defending the world from weapons of mass destruction. But there was no lie he hated more than the claim that opposing the Israeli states ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians is antisemitic, White said to applause from the audience. He then quoted from a recent statement by David North, chairman of the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site and author of The Logic of Zionism: From Nationalist Myth to the Gaza Genocide: The biggest lie of all is the claim that opposition to Israels genocidal war against the population of Gaza is antisemitic. This lie is the filthiest libel against the Jewish people since the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It asserts, for all intents and purposes, that the defining characteristic of a Jew is support for the killing of Palestinians. The identity of Jews is defined by the policies of the Israeli state and its fascistic Zionist ideologues. Antisemites are all those, including and especially Jews, who oppose genocide. This is a case of semantic inversioni.e., attributing to a word the opposite of its actual meaningwhich is on a scale far greater than anything imagined by George Orwell in 1984s depiction of Newspeak. Rene Lichtman stood firmly against that inversion. He knew what antisemitism was. He had lived through it. And he would not allow the truth to be turned on its head to serve the interests of war and imperialism. The Trumpers, Steve BannonsThey are the real Jew-haters, Rene told us. He was right. Just last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appointed Kingsley Wilson, a notorious supporter of the white nationalist Great Replacement theory, as the Pentagons chief press secretary. Wilson has long supported the lynching of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory superintendent in Georgia who was falsely accused of rape and murder in 1915, dragged from jail by an antisemitic mob and hanged from a tree. Rene was not swayed by media campaigns or political pressures. He saw how this lie was being used to criminalize dissent, especially among students and youth. He saw how the Biden administration had deployed this falsehood to silence protests, revoke visas and send in police to shut down university demonstrations. Rene also understood from history that moral appeals to imperialist backers would not stop genocide. Biden, Harris and the Democrats have just as much blood on their hands as Trump and the Republicans, White said to loud applause. White concluded: He invited the World Socialist Web Site to speak at his rallies because he wanted a socialist perspective presented to young people. He understood that only the independent, international struggle of the working class to abolish capitalism can stop war and fascism. Let us remember Rene Lichtman not only as a survivor but as a fighter. A man who stood with Palestinian children facing bombs, just as others once stood with him. A man who believed that history brings not just knowledgebut responsibility. And he lived up to it. To honor Rene is not only to remember him but to continue his work. He urged young people to look to the left-wing fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising as their role models. To tell the truth in the face of lies. To build solidarity across borders. And to fightuncompromisinglyfor a world without genocide, fascism or war. Elevenlabs AudioNative Player President Donald Trump arrives to speak, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. [AP Photo/Alex Brandon] Donald Trumps speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday was a massive escalation in his unfolding conspiracy to establish a military dictatorship under his personal control. Delivered at one of the countrys largest military bases, Trumps hour-long fascistic and lying rant was nothing less than a declaration of war against the American people. Those foolish enough to challenge Americas Army have been met with unyielding strength, unbreakable spirit and unstoppable, overwhelming force, Trump boasted. Time and again, our enemies have learned that if you dare to threaten the American people, an American soldier will chase you down, crush you and cast you into oblivion. The real threat to the people comes from the White House and its cabal of conspirators. So great is the crisis of capitalism that the billionaire oligarchs, in whose interests Trump rules, require the destruction of all rights guaranteed in the Constitution and the establishment of a dictatorship. The instrument of violent repression used by American imperialism all over the world will now be used at home, Trump declared: Generations of army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness here at home, like is happening in California. Describing protests in Los Angeles as a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and national sovereignty, he declared that they were being carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country. He concluded, We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. Thats what they are. Trump called Los Angeles a trash heap of chaos and disorder, and described its citizens as animals. Trump is using the genocidal language of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who used the same word to justify the mass killing of Palestinians. It amounts to a threat to do to Los Angeles what the Israeli military has done to Gaza. As there is no precedent in American political history for lies and violent threats of this magnitude by a president, Trumps diatribe may have an I cant believe my ears effect. But Trump means every word. And he is backing up his words with actions. The machinery of repression is in full motion across the country. In the latest outrage, nearly 100 immigrant workers at Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, Nebraska were frog-marched out of their workplace at gunpoint by ICE agents on Tuesday, loaded onto buses with blacked-out windows, and separated from their families. Immigrant youth are being seized at court hearings, and there are reports that ICE is preparing major operations in Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, Northern Virginia and New York. The focal point of the coup operation is in the capital. Military vehicles are pouring into Washington, D.C., accompanied by thousands of troops and combat aircraft, under the pretext of a parade to celebrate Trumps 79th birthday. The show of force is intended as a death knell of constitutional democracy and the establishment of a de facto presidential dictatorship. Speaking from the White House on Monday, Trump threatened: For those people that want to protest, theyre going to be met with very big force. He added, with absolute contempt for the First Amendment, that the people that want to protest are people that hate our country. The actions of Trump have acquired such a blatant character that it has become virtually impossible to deny. California Governor Gavin Newsom has referred to Trump as acting like a dictator. A lawsuit filed by Californias state government lays out a clear legal case that Trumps orders violate the Posse Comitatus Act, and that he has issued what amounts to illegal orders to the National Guard and the Marines. But Newsom and the Democrats propose nothing to stop Trumps actions, beyond appeals to the courts, which the administration has vowed to defy. Newsom merely complains that California didnt have a problem until Trump got involved and that the use of the military is inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where theyre actually needed. He has deployed hundreds more police to assault protesters, thereby accepting the entire lying premise of Trumps military mobilization. The Democratic Party leadership is above all terrified that popular opposition to Trumps coup will destabilize the whole capitalist order, which they are just as anxious to defend as the Republicans. Trump is pouring fuel on the fire of popular anger and outrage. Mass opposition has already begun to take shape throughout the country, expressed in the demonstrations the same day as Trumps speech. Tens of thousands are taking to the streets of Chicago, and there are mass demonstrations in New York, Boston and other cities, along with the ongoing protests in Los Angeles. What is required, however, is a direction and strategy. The working class must use its immense industrial and economic power. The protests must be directed toward preparing a general strike of the entire working class to bring Trumps coup to a halt. Workers must demand the immediate stand down of all military forces, the withdrawal of troops from American cities, the end of all immigration raids, and the disbanding of the ICE Gestapo. The appropriate political conclusions must be drawn: those responsible for the planning and execution of the coup detatincluding the conspirator-in-chiefmust be held legally accountable for their criminal actions. Fifty-one years ago, Richard Nixon was compelled to resign for violations of the Constitution that pale in comparison to Trumps violent and unprecedented assault on the people. The offensive against Trumps coup must unite all sections of the working class, across nationality, race, gender and all other divisions. No distinction must be made between immigrant and native-born. The United States is a nation of immigrants, and immigrant workers make up a huge and essential part of the American workforce. Their defense must become the cause of the entire working class. This fight must be international. The events in the United States are part of a broader global assault on the rights of workers. Solidarity actions must be organized around the world in response to Trumps signal for a global assault on the working class. The initiative must come from below. The AFL-CIO trade union apparatus, thoroughly connected to the state and both parties of the ruling class, remains paralyzed and complicit. It is doing nothing to mobilize workers. But workers must act. They must demand that the resources of their unions be made available to organize the defense of their co-workers and launch a powerful counter-offensive. The Socialist Equality Party and the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) call on workers in every sector of industry, factory and workplace, whether in unions or not, to organize rank-and-file committees, independent of the trade union apparatus. Every plant, office and neighborhood must become a center of organized opposition to this massive assault on democratic rights. MEXICO CITY, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday said "we must always keep a cool head" when dealing with the United States and "always value everything in its proper context," after a senior U.S. official said she "encouraged" migrant protests in Los Angeles, California. During her daily morning press conference at the National Palace, the Mexican president denied that she or the ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena) are encouraging the violent protests, an accusation leveled by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and the political opposition in Mexico. Sheinbaum said statements she made three weeks ago about peacefully opposing a U.S. bid to tax remittances were taken out of context. "We have never called for a violent demonstration, never in our entire life," said Sheinbaum. At a White House event on Tuesday, Noem said "Claudia Sheinbaum came out and encouraged more protests in L.A. and I condemn her for that." U.S. immigration raids at schools and businesses, and mass deportations of undocumented migrants sparked sometimes violent protests in Los Angeles that appeared to escalate after the White House decided to deploy troops to quell the unrest. Many people have been arrested. "Yesterday, when the Secretary of Homeland Security made this statement, we immediately said: absolutely false, totally false. We have never called for the (violent) actions in Los Angeles," Sheinbaum said. The president also chided political opposition figures in Mexico who took to social media to repeat the accusations against her and the Morena party. It "is their right" to disagree, said Sheinbaum, but "the problem is that they are trying to create, fraudulently, a problem between the United States and Mexico, and that is unpatriotic." Some 61 Mexicans have been arrested in connection with the protests in Los Angeles, she said, adding the government's position is to always defend the rights of Mexicans at home or abroad. "First, we will always defend Mexicans. Second, we must always act responsibly, with a cool head in our relationship with the United States. And third, the role that all Mexicans should be playing is defending our fellow citizens who are experiencing a difficult relationship" in the United States, Sheinbaum said. Finally, the president said she would make the case at a meeting later in the day with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau that Mexicans residing in the United States are hardworking people who deserve recognition that the U.S. economy needs their labor. An employee prepares coffee for customers at a coffee shop in Ankara, Turkiye, on June 10, 2025. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua) by Burak Akinci ANKARA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Once renowned as a hub for traditional Turkish coffee, Ankara, the capital of Turkiye, is now awakening to a different kind of brew -- a surge of Western-style cafes, third-wave roasters, and a cohort of young enthusiasts are infusing the city's caffeinated narrative with an espresso-fueled vitality. Across Ankara, especially in central neighborhoods like Kizilay, modern cafes are multiplying, offering new tastes and experiences for local residents. From early morning commuters to night owls savoring cappuccinos past midnight, the evolution of the coffee tradition is reshaping the city's leisure life. Where once tea and Turkish coffee dominated, today's streets are filled with coffee shops serving flat whites and cold brews to beat the summer heat. These contemporary cafes are increasingly becoming a regular part of the daily routine for young professionals, students, and even retirees alike, offering more than just a caffeine boost. "With bigger and comfortable spaces, coffee-lovers have found places with a wider range of products and prices. The result is a stunning rise in the coffee culture," Ahmet Erdogan, a local coffee-lover, told Xinhua. While enjoying a cold brew in the lively Kizilay, Erdogan noted that although his country has a long tradition of Turkish coffee, "the introduction of new flavors is very welcome." The development of the coffee culture highlights a change in people's lifestyles. Today, cafes serve multiple purposes such as study areas, remote workspaces, and social gathering places. "There is a growing interest to the coffee culture from both young people and older generations," said Erenay Saglam, 26, a female barista at another cafe in Kizilay. "In Turkiye, there is a historic attachment to coffee dating to the Ottoman times and this has been the origin of today's interest to the coffee culture," she explained. This new trend on the coffee culture is also creating job opportunities for young people, especially as the country is facing challenging economic times. "Making coffee is fun, presenting the coffee to a satisfied customer is even more fun," Saglam said with a smile on her face. For many, working in a cafe is not just a profession but a means to build connections with others. Increasingly, young people are choosing coffee-making as a career, frequently opting for practical experience and barista training over conventional educational paths. "I choose to be a barista because of my personal decision, I didn't want to go to university and took courses and certificates to become a barista," said Ahmet Burhan Durmus, a 21-year-old barista working in Kizilay. "In Ankara, the coffee culture is evolving. Just like in Istanbul, you can now find many open coffee shops late into the night," the young man observed. People buy coffee at a coffee shop in Ankara, Turkiye, on June 10, 2025. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua) An employee prepares coffee for customers at a coffee shop in Ankara, Turkiye, on June 10, 2025. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua) A customer buys coffee at a coffee shop in Ankara, Turkiye, on June 10, 2025. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua) By Qabil Ashirov Next week, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan will convene a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, the principal institutional mechanism for coordinating bilateral cooperation between the two nations, Azernews reports, citing Elnur Aliyev, First Deputy Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, during the panel session titled AzerbaijanUzbekistan: Vector of Economic Partnership at the 4th Tashkent International Investment Forum. Aliyev emphasized that high-level visits between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have become a tradition, reflecting the deepening of bilateral relations. Highlighting the positive trade momentum, he noted a significant increase in trade turnover. The volume of trade has already reached nearly a quarter of a billion dollars. More importantly, our data show that over the past four months, this figure has tripled compared to the same period last year, Aliyev stated. He underscored the importance of institutional mechanisms in supporting this growth. The Intergovernmental Commission is a vital instrument that contributes to developing cooperation between our institutions, he said. Aliyev also pointed to the joint investment fundcapitalized at nearly $500 millionas another key mechanism of economic collaboration. Under the supervision of the funds oversight board, Azerbaijani and Uzbek representatives have already identified 12 concrete investment projects. To further bolster bilateral ties, Aliyev announced that Azerbaijan plans to open a trade representative office in Uzbekistan. This will be Azerbaijans sixth trade mission abroad, and we are confident it will give fresh impetus to the development of our economic relations, he concluded. ASTANA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Kazakhstan is ready to expand cooperation with Slovakia in energy, engineering and trade, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Wednesday following talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Astana, the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency has reported. Kazakhstan is prepared to export oil, gas, uranium, food and other goods to Slovakia, Tokayev said, adding that both sides see potential in joint projects across multiple sectors, including digitalization and tourism. He also invited Slovakia to participate in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), a vital artery for transporting goods from Southeast Asia and China to Europe. Tokayev proposed raising the level of the intergovernmental commission to enhance bilateral cooperation. Fico, accompanied by Slovak business representatives, said Slovakia is open to energy cooperation, particularly in the oil and nuclear sectors. He noted experts would assess the possibility of importing Kazakh crude via the Druzhba pipeline. The leaders expressed hope that a Kazakhstan-Slovakia business forum held alongside the visit would help boost trade and investment ties. The TITR starts from China's port of Lianyungang, running through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkiye and European countries. On the evening of June 9, 2024, Haliey Welch and her BFF Chelsea Bradford headed to downtown Nashville to party it up at CMA Fest. The night started with some free outdoor concerts, then Megan Moroney on the Riverfront stage, while enjoying a few blue vodka slushies. Little did she know that night would change her life forever. On Lower Broadway that hot summer night, Welch cemented in stone a nickname she might never shake. After a YouTuber posted a few of the videos he shot that night, Welch became known as the "Hawk Tuah Girl" for a comment she made that went viral, racking up millions of views online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They started asking us normal questions like 'What makes you wife material?' Of course Chelsea pushed me forward and said 'She's got a better answer for you than I do,' and I just answered being goofy," Welch told The Tennessean of that night. Haliey Welch, also known as "Hawk Tuah" girl for a viral video from CMA Fest in 2024, sat down with The Tennessean to talk about the whirlwind that was the last year of her life. On June 11, 2024, Welch woke up internet famous whether she liked it or not. What would follow would be mind bending to the 21-year old from Belfast, Tennessee. What's she's doing next with her internet fame might surprise you. We caught up with Welch near her home in rural Middle Tennessee to talk about the whirlwind she's experienced over the last year. There have been highs (getting to meet Shaquille O'Neal and buying her "Granny" a convertible for Christmas) and there have been lows (being the face of a failed crypto currency.) 'This is horrifying.' 'Nerve wracking' and 'It's freaking me out' Welch thought she and her friend just had an innocent night of "boozing it up pretty good," on Broadway until a few days later when her friends' text thread alerted her that a video from that night had posted online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement " It had a good bit of likes, but it wasn't nothing bad," she remembers. "It was like 70,000, so I was like, 'Nobody's gonna see that.' But then it grew. It just kept growing and growing and growing and growing. And by the time I left work that day, it was already like millions of views. So I was like, 'Okay, that's a little nerve wracking.'" Hailey Welch, far left, joined Zach Bryan on stage as he performed at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, June 29, 2024. The YouTuber posted more videos from that night. The likes kept coming. "I was like, 'This is horrifying.' Then I seen how big the views had gotten, so it started freaking me out. It's a lot to take in, so I locked myself in my bedroom for a little while as we all would have." Haliey Welch's viral moment now helps provide for her family After the shock and horror of the virality of her comment, Welch aligned herself with a manager and an attorney who would guide her life across the next year and help her navigate everything that would come her way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement " I would be the one person that got caught on camera saying something that everybody just found funny," Welch says. Haliey Welch, also known as "Hawk Tuah" girl for a viral video from CMA Fest in 2024, sat down with The Tennessean to talk about the whirlwind that was the last year of her life. Was it a bad thing? At first yes. Now, not so much. "I don't think it's a bad thing anymore. I think it's something that happened for a reason and I was put there at that place for a good reason. God had intentions behind it, so I can't be mad about it. I feel like he's had bigger plans for me than what I was doing. I was just working in a factory and minding my own business and going home after work and now I can do all sorts of cool stuff." In addition to meeting O'Neal, Wiz Khalifa and others, Welch got on an airplane for the first time in her life. She left the country for the first time. She got to take her friends to Hawaii. She started a podcast called "Talk Tuah." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I've gotten to do a lot of things. I get to provide for my family now. I get to do so many different things that I was not able to this time last year. It's just great." $HAWK meme coin: 'Was it horrible yes. Was she at fault no,' lawyer says In late 2024, Welch's name was associated with a meme coin called $HAWK. In December, the opportunity turned into a scandal that had Welch's name all over it. There were allegations that the meme coin was created as a "rug pull" scam, which is when creators hype a crypto currency to inflate its value before it plummets and creators pocket the money. Upon its launch, $HAWK initially rose in value peaking at $490 million, according to Forbes before plummeting, costing investors lots of money. Legal action was taken against the developers of the $HAWK meme coin. Investors filed a lawsuit alleging violations of federal securities laws, leading to the FBI and the SEC asking to see Welch's cell phone to assist in the investigation, which was later returned with no evidence that Welch was involved in the scandal outside of her name being used to brand it. Welch's attorney, Nashville-based Christian Barker told The Tennessean Welch has and continues to take this matter very seriously. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Shes cooperated in every way requested by the FBI, SEC, and CFTC, none of which have indicated in any way that shes done anything wrong," Barker said. "At the end of the day, if an influencer endorsed a certain brand of cosmetics, and those cosmetics infected a lot of consumers eyes, you wouldnt blame the celebrity that was in the makeup commercial you would blame the makeup company. This is no different as she was just a sponsor/endorser, not the creator. Was it horrible yes. Was she at fault no." Backstory: Haliey Welch aka the 'Hawk Tuah' girl learns firsthand what it means to go viral Welch said she's learned from this experience not to get involved in things she doesn't fully understand. The worst part of it all, she says, is knowing people who trusted her lost money. "That's the part that really upset me," she said. "I don't care about my reputation getting damaged, but you've got to think about all these people. That are in spots that you used to be in. And then they go to work every week and they do good having $300 left out of their check and they put that in on a coin because they trust you. And then they lost every bit of that money. It's, it's something I don't wish on anybody. I was in that place last year, so I know what it's like to lose $300. It's not easy. I will say that's almost my whole car payment, so I get it." 'Hawk Tuah Girl' wants to be known as Haliey Welch Welch was given a nickname she didn't expect to be branded with. She did something silly one drunken night, but she never envisioned it would become her new identity. While she's OK with the nickname, she wants people to know there's more to her than a gimmick. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I want to be known as Haliey. 'Hawk Tuah' is what defined me and that's how I got here, but that's not who I am. And I thought about getting away from it when we first started doing this. I don't want to be known for that. I mean, that's part of me, but I don't want that to be my whole schtick. There's more to me than just 'Hawk Tuah.'" Paws Across America is Haliey Welch's way to give back Haliey Welch plays with the reporter's dog, Ranger, during her interview with The Tennessean June 5, 2025. During 2024, Welch founded her charity, Paws Across America to help provide funding for animal shelters. To date, Paws has contributed upwards of $100,000 to animal causes across the country. " I have pure intentions and I'm caring," Welch said when asked what someone might not know about her. "I try to care about people and I'm trying to help more animals. That's something I'm really interested in. Paws Across America is my charity that we started and I donate out of it to animal shelters when I go and visit to them, like if they have like a list of supplies they're running low on, if they need dog food or anything like that, or even just help with their shelter in general, we just donate money to them." Welch is also working on a partnership with the Nashville-area mental health organization, Onsite, she's rebranding her podcast and a documentary about her life is in the works. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of all the opportunities Welch has had in the last year including getting on stage with Zach Bryan, throwing out a first pitch at a New York Mets game and taking her friends to Hawaii for the first time, her favorite moment is a simple one. "I got my granny a Volkswagen for Christmas a convertible and then I've been waiting for when it's going to get warm out for her to let the top down. She pulled up my house the other day with her top down and her hair blowing in the wind. I was like, you know what? You make it all worth it." Melonee Hurt covers music and music business at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK Tennessee. Reach Melonee at mhurt@tennessean.com or on Instagram at @MelHurtWrites. This story was updated to add a gallery. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Haliey Welch's lessons after 'Hawk Tuah Girl': What she's doing now EXCLUSIVE: Producer John Dunton-Downer and his filmmaker friend Alberto Sciamma had spent many years aspiring to make a movie together, but it was only when the pair began to wonder what it would be like to shoot a feature film in Bolivia a part of the world they had rarely seen on the big screen that the beginnings of their new feature Cielo began to shape. The film, which recently had its UK premiere at SXSW London to two packed screenings, follows Santa, an eight-year-old girl from the desolate Bolivian Altiplano, who embarks on a rollercoaster journey to take her mother from a life of misery into paradise. The two of them made a pact: When her mother passes, the girl would follow the stars and carry her body across the desert toward heaven, a place they believe is as physically real as any other. More from Deadline Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through the journey, she encounters a group of cholita wrestlers that help her on her way. Also, on that path, is initially her nemesis: A gruff policeman who arrests Santa but comes to suspect that she has magical powers. He soon sees that to achieve his own salvation, he must join Santa on her quest into the next world. Sciamma writes and directs the visceral and cinematic film, which stars Fernanda Gutierrez Aranda, Fernando Arze Echalar, Sasha Salaverry, Carla Arana, Luis Bredow, Cristian Mercado and Juan Carlos Aduviri. Dunton-Downer, Alexa Waugh, Bettina Kadoorie and Paola Gosalvez produce with Film Seekers handling international sales for the UK project, which was shot across 30 days in Bolivia last year. Deadline sat down with producers Dunton-Downer, Waugh and Kadoorie to talk about the project, their experience of shooting in a location with some of the most treacherous roads known to man and why they hope Cielo will inspire other foreign productions to take advantage of Bolivias natural beauty. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. DEADLINE: How did you all get involved with this project? What were the beginnings of how this project came to light? ALEXA WAUGH: I worked with Alberto on a film called I Love My Mum and he approached me about three years ago because he and John were working on something they wanted to shoot in Bolivia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement JOHN DUNTON-DOWNER: Alberto and I have been friends for 20 years and we had talked about various projects over the years, and we initially wanted to make a Western there, because we thought it would be the perfect place for a horse drama as it has such a huge, wild frontier. I married a Bolivian and spent time there and Im aware of the culture. Alberto and I started talking about how we could make Bolivia a great place to set a great film. He had this image of a girl with a bar across her shoulders, with a barrel on each side, as well as an image of a girls swallowing a fish. He has just a wild, open imagination and the whole thing started from there. BETTINA KADOORIE: I was brought aboard later and when I read the script, I had never read anything like that in my life. At no point while I was reading it could I imagine what was going to happen next. And I found it so refreshing, because this was sort of just coming off the pandemic, and we had been oversaturated with all this content, and here I was reading something that was just so original, and I loved that I had no idea where it was going, and it was full of surprises and had this emotional pull on me. I read the script about six months after my mother passed away, and I was so moved by Albertos vision, and I was so moved by this little girl dragging this barrel across these vast locations. And it was already so inherently cinematic when I read the script, and then when you looked at photographs that they were sending me from Bolivia, it was incredible. DEADLINE: Shooting in Bolivia is a big anchor for this film and this is a UK film shot on location there. Im not aware of many international projects typically being shot there. What were the challenges or surprises of setting up a production in that country? WAUGH: We worked with a local company that was incredible, and the crew were incredible. We only had a handful of HoDs that traveled across to Bolivia. John, Alberto and I did a recce the year before to cast some of the leads, which we ended up having recast the following year as some of them had changed so much. But I would say the main challenge was the language barrier but also the fact that its not a full-time filming world there. A lot of the crew had other jobs that werent in film full time. But they were all amazing. I was staggered by how brilliant they were. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DUNTON-DOWNER: There were almost 100 people on this film and we all really bonded. Bolivia is not a country that people typically think about going to shoot in but thats how the conversation about the entire project first began and we wanted to go there and find out why. There are no tax breaks. I even talked to culture ministers who were unclear on how the whole tax break system works. There have been some high-quality shorts and commercials shot there but there wasnt the infrastructure. That said, because the countrys economic system is on a lower quantum, even without the tax breaks, its economically and financially a good location to shoot. KADOORIE: I think one of the biggest challenges was the altitude. La Paz has the highest altitude of any city in the world, so we really felt it the first couple of days. But its also, such an extraordinary landscape, and its so diverse. Equally, we traveled across The Yungas Road [aka The Death Road} and while we had a great safety team in place, mentally driving to and from locations on this road was very challenging. I have filmed in South America before and places like Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Costa Rica tend to have a much bigger pool for shooting films, but I do think Bolivians have been a bit short-changed there. As soon as we got there, we not only found talented crew and amazing actors but also an incredible diversity of landscapes. There are the salt flats, Altiplano and so much more. Alberto really tried to maximize all the locations we could get for the film and introduce this world that feels real and magical at the same time and Bolivia is the perfect place for that. DEADLINE: John, when you spoke to the culture minister there, was there any indication at all that the country would consider introducing an incentive for foreign productions? DUNTON-DOWNER: We talked about it, but we are hoping that this film could be a trigger to give them some more visibility. But its a process and involves explaining more about how the international industry works. At the moment, because there hasnt been the infrastructure there, they just havent had experience of how the whole mechanism works. Were hoping that by giving them some hand holding through the process of how it all works, that they might consider it because it does seem to those of us with all of these compliments youre hearing about Bolivia that this could be a huge opportunity for them. But what Cielo is doing, in my opinion, is just showing the natural beauty of the country and the characters that live there. The conversation was there I hope it will continue. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. EXCLUSIVE: Gkids has acquired multiple territories for Japanese animated action sci-fi drama All You Need Is Kill, including for North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The movie is based on the eponymous best-selling novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka which also inspired Doug Limans 2014 live-action adaptation Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. More from Deadline Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The directorial debut of Kenichiro Akimoto, with a script written by Yuichiro Kido, the new animated adaptation world premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival earlier this week in the Midnight Specials section. All You Need Is Kill is produced by Warner Bros. Japan with animation production by celebrated Japanese animation house Studio 4C (Tekkonkinkreet, Mind Game). Studio 4C, which is also at Annecy this year with Yasuhiro Aokis drama ChaO in the main competition, will be hosting a studio presentation at the festival on Friday, in the presence of the directors and producers for both titles. Set in the near future, All You Need Is Kill follows the story of Rita, a resourceful but isolated young woman volunteering to help rebuild Japan after the mysterious appearance of a massive alien flower known as Darol. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Darol unexpectedly erupts in a deadly event, unleashing monstrous creatures that decimate the population, Rita is caught in the destructionand killed. But then she wakes up again. And again. Caught in an endless time loop, Rita must navigate the trauma and repetition of death until she crosses paths with Keiji, a shy young man trapped in the same cycle. Together, they fight to break free from the loop and find meaning in the chaos around them. With All You Need Is Kill, I wanted to convey that even in the endless loop of life, we can still make discoveries and grow, depending on how we perceive the situation, said Akimoto. All You Need Is Kill is a standout work that explores time, identity, and survival with breathtaking animation and a powerful emotional core, said Gkids President Dave Jesteadt. The story has remained so meaningful for years because it captures something essential about the human condition, and the need to keep moving forward. Director Akimoto has created a brilliant new take that we are sure fans will love. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gkids and Studio 4C have previously collaborated on releases for Mind Game, Children of the Sea, while Gkids also recently acquired ChaO, and several other celebrated titles. Further details on the release will be announced at a later date. The deal was negotiated between GKIDS Director of Acquisitions and Development Rodney Uhler, and Warner Bros. Japan. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. ASTANA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Kazakhstan has reported a sharp decline in livestock illnesses, with cases falling by 68.1 percent in the first five months of 2025, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency reported on Wednesday. The decline was attributed to fewer cases of brucellosis, rabies, anthrax and emphysematous carbuncle. Over the past three years, animal illnesses have dropped by 49.1 percent, according to the ministry. As part of a national disease prevention program, Kazakhstan plans to procure vaccines for 22 infectious livestock diseases this year. Domestic production now covers 74.4 percent of vaccine demand, with efforts underway to localize more diagnostic tools. In addition, veterinary infrastructure is being upgraded, with 113 new facilities completed in 2024 and plans to build 353 more clinics, 82 animal burial sites, and 28 slaughterhouses by year-end. The government is also investing in laboratory capacity, allocating 3.8 billion tenge (about 7.46 million U.S. dollars) for new testing equipment, with another 7.2 billion tenge (about 14.14 million U.S. dollars) to follow. A Mile of Music documentary is coming to TV screens around the state. The one-hour film, comprised of footage recorded by PBS Wisconsin at last year's festival, Mile 11, premieres 8 p.m. June 23 on television and online but Fox Valley fans are invited to attend the movie's premiere a week early. Titled "Mile of Music," the documentary will play on a big screen on June 16 at the Fox Cities Exhibition Center, 355 W. Lawrence St. in Appleton. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the film will start at 7 p.m., followed by a 30-minute Q&A with the film's production crew and members of the Mile of Music team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attendance to the premiere is free. Moviegoers are encouraged to register through EventBrite. Christopher Gold performs at the Hilton Appleton Paper Valley Empire Ballroom during the first day of the11th annual Mile Of Music festival Thursday, August 1, 2024, in Appleton, Wis. Due to the high volume of content the documentary team filmed at the 2024 festival, a "streaming archive of performances" from more than 30 artists will be available online at at pbswisconsin.org/mileofmusic, according to a news release from PBS Wisconsin. We are honored that PBS Wisconsin is able to share the magic of Mile of Music through the upcoming Mile of Music broadcast program, Mile of Music founder Dave Willems said in a statement. We look forward to sharing our festival with a statewide audience, and beyond, through both the broadcast and online content." Willems said the Mile of Music team first welcomed PBS Wisconsin to the music festival in 2019 for early stages of documentary planning. After the pandemic hit, the production paused, then the PBS crew returned to scout locations at the 2023 festival and filmed in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED: 200 artists, 700 sets: Here's how Appleton's Mile of Music came to be, and what keeps it in tune Mile of Music, held annually at the beginning of August, has become a staple event in northeastern Wisconsin since its inception in 2013. The four-day festival is entirely free and made up of musicians performing 100% original music. It annually brings around 80,000 to 100,000 attendees to downtown Appleton, along a one-mile stretch of College Avenue. According to PBS Wisconsin, the documentary explores the festival "through the eyes of performers including Christopher Gold, Illiterate Light, Abby Posner, Ben Mulwana, Tommy Prine and more." This year, the 12th-annual Mile of Music will take place July 31 to Aug. 3. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contact Kelli Arseneau at 920-213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli. This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Mile of Music PBS documentary will premiere on big screen June 16 When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Netflix Netflix has added Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft, a true crime documentary about a case that gripped the French press and people. On March 20, 2013, four French nationals were arrested on a private jet at the Punta Cana airport, Dominican Republic. Two were ex-air force pilots, and two were passengers on board the plane destined for Saint-Tropez. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, and heres where it gets fascinating, on board was found 700kg of cocaine stored in 26 suitcases! The drugs had an estimated European street value of 20 million Euros. Netflix teases: "None of them has the profile of an international drug smuggler and no one knows who the luggage belongs to. Who isn't telling the whole truth? Who's involved in the case? And what is hiding behind the mountain of drugs?" In the trailer for the four-parter, one of the interviewees ponders who brings 26 suitcases for two days in the Dominican Republic? What happened in the end? The two pilots were arrested in the Dominican Republic, but while on bail, they fled in mysterious circumstances to the French Antilles. The two pilots were sentenced in absentia in the Dominican Republic to 20 years in jail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were then re-arrested, and they went on trial in France. They were sentenced to six years in prison by a French court. In a further twist, the two airmen were then acquitted on appeal in 2021. Incredibly, the judiciary at one point examined former French President Nicolas Sarkozys phone records. Sarkozy is interviewed in the Netflix documentary. Back in 2015 it was reported his lawyers hit out about his phone records being examined when the only link was that he had flown with the airline at the centre of the probe. Is Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft. worth a watch? Yes, if youre into your true crime documentaries, it sounds like a great one. It appears that all the key people have been interviewed, and it promises to be an engrossing watch. Whether it can get to the truth is another matter. Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft. is on Netflix now. Check out our best shows on Netflix guide for more series to enjoy. From golden plains to stunning caves and cliffs, the central portion of the United States offers landmarks and natural landscapes that deserve to be on anyone's summer travel list. This is part of a new USA TODAY network project showcasing breathtaking and perhaps, underappreciated views throughout the United States. These are some of the most beautiful landmarks, scenic vistas and hidden gems you can truly treasure throughout the nation. . Here are a few of our favorites across Middle America: Starved Rock State Park, Illinois Known for its magnificent St. Peter sandstone rock formations, Starved Rock State Park near Oglesby in LaSalle County offers many scenic hiking and horseback riding trails, plus opportunities for fishing and boating along the Illinois River. Dating to 1911, Starved Rock State Park is known for its steep sandstone canyons formed by glacial meltwater. Several, including the St. Louis, French and Wildcat canyons, have waterfalls. Rockford Register Star Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE DETAILS Presented by Rockford Register Star Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana With sand between your toes, Lake Michigan gently lapping at its southern shore, and a striking diversity of birds and plants, Indiana Dunes National Park is one of only two national parks in the Hoosier State. Dedicated as a national park in 2019, this 15-mile stretch of sandy beaches, rising dunes and wildlife-filled marshes is unlike anything else in Indiana. The 2,182-acre park highlights sand dunes formed over thousands of years, rising 200 feet above the lake. Cory Havens, South Bend Tribune Plan some daytrips: Six summer road trips: Most Treasured Views in Illinois and how to see them Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE DETAILS Presented by Indy Star Buy reprints: Purchase select prints of the Indiana Dunes and other Most Treasured Views Bridges of Madison County, Iowa Ever since Charles City native Robert James Waller released The Bridges of Madison County, the nation became enthralled with the romantic bridges outside Winterset, Iowa, that formed the backdrop for the book. A tenderly romantic movie with Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood came out in 1995, and the bridges became almost a character in the story, forming the places Eastwoods character, National Geographic photojournalist Robert Kincaid, shot. But the bridges, six in total, came about long before the romantic tale. The bridges are free to visit. Find more information at exploremadisoncounty.com. Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE DETAILS Presented by Des Moines Register Buy reprints: Purchase select prints of the Bridges of Madison County and other Most Treasured Views Flint Hills, Kansas Kansas Flint Hills Imagine more than 14,500 square miles of tallgrass prairie that almost dissects Kansas from north to south. Flint Hills' windblown grasses range from vibrant green to burnt gold depending on the time of year. Much of the land still resembles how it looked when settlers first crossed more than 200 years ago. Each year, the burning season lights up the evening and night sky with brilliant orange as fires snake across the land, burning the old and dead grasses, renewing them in the spring. Tim Hrenchir, Topeka Capital-Journal Arch Rock, Michigan Arch Rock is the most famous rock formation on Mackinac Island. The limestone rock forms an arch that is more than 50 feet wide. According to the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, it's believed to be about 4,000 years old and hollowed out by splashing waves when water levels were much higher. While the formation is stable, don't wait a lifetime to see it. It's predicted that erosion from wind and water will probably cause it to fall down one day. Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE DETAILS Presented by Detroit Free Press Buy reprints: Purchase select prints of the Arch Rock and other Most Treasured Views Split Rock Lighthouse, Minnesota Split Rock Lighthouse in the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. Split Rock Lighthouse, on the far northeast corner of Minnesota, provides a breathtaking view of Lake Superior. Having helped boats transport crews and materials safely across the lake's rough waters for more than 50 years, the lighthouse became an icon and serves as a beacon to all and a witness to innovation. The idea for a lighthouse was imagined because of almost 30 shipwrecks near its coast in 1905. Alice Mannette, St. Cloud Times Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Missouri Ha Ha Tonka State Park offers a mix of history and interesting geologic features, including sinkholes, steep cliffs, karst topography, caves, a natural bridge, and a spring. The ruins of a stone castle built in the early 1900s remain a popular draw. It is positioned at a spot with views of the spring and the Lake of the Ozarks. The park is on the Niangua arm of the Lake of the Ozarks near Camdenton. The park is free to enter. There are miles of hiking trails with different intensity levels, caves, birds and other wildlife to experience. Boating, fishing and swimming are also possible. The place is popular with amateur photographers. Claudette Riley, Springfield News-Leader Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE DETAILS Presented by Springfield News-Leader Buy reprints: Purchase select prints of Ha Ha Tonka State Park and other Most Treasured Views Chimney Rock, Nebraska Chimney Rock National Historic Site is a landmark located in western Nebraska. Chimney Rock towers over its surroundings, standing more than 300 feet above the flatlands of western Nebraska. Visible for miles, it served as a significant landmark for emigrants during the westward expansion of the U.S., and it is mentioned in more emigrant diaries than any other landmark on the Oregon Trail. It was designated a national historic site on Aug. 9, 1956. Today, there is a visitor center nearby, along with miles of walking trails. Chris Mueller, Des Moines Register Painted Canyon, North Dakota Scenery of Painted Canyon in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota. For many visitors, viewing Painted Canyon from a nearby visitor center's overlook is their first glimpse of North Dakota's badlands. It's also the site of one of the most popular hiking trails in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This mile-long path winds through juniper and wildflowers, then takes travelers down into the canyon itself, which is named for its vivid layers. Be warned, though: Every step down into the canyon is a step back up on the way out. Chris Mueller, USA TODAY network Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio Hocking Hills spans over 10,000 acres and includes cliffs, waterfalls and gorges in its vast space in southeastern Ohio. By exploring the hiking trails that lead you to caves and unique rock formations, every visitor can experience nature the way it was meant to be seen. With multiple trails to choose from, visitors can spend an entire day, weekend or vacation seeing every inch of the state park. Columbus Dispatch Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE DETAILS Presented by Columbus Dispatch Badlands National Park, South Dakota With both the haunting vastness of fictional planet Arrakis in the Dune films and the fiery, jagged landscape of real planet Mars, Badlands National Park is indeed transcendental. Visitors are intimidated by the chaotic, 244,000 acres of crater-like vistas, but the national park is very family-friendly and a grandiose memory for all. The must-do Badlands Loop State Scenic Highway is a nice and slow two-hour tour of an earth that seems to have frozen mid-eruption millions of years ago. The rust-orange layers of ancient rock and soil look just as hot to the touch. Visit www.travelsouthdakota.com for details. Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus-Leader MORE DETAILS Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Presented by Sioux Falls Argus-Leader Apostle Islands, Wisconsin The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore boasts a 12-mile Lake Superior shoreline and nearly two dozen islands. It's also home to the largest collection of lighthouses in the National Parks system. In short, it's every outdoor lover's dream. The Islands also have deep connections to Ojibwe culture. The Apostle Islands are located on the northern portion of the Bayfield Peninsula. Cailey Gleeson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel MORE DETAILS Presented by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why these Midwest scenic spots belong on your travel bucket list Turkmenistan's "Gateway to Hell" is a fiery pit that has burned continuously since 1971. After over half a century, the inferno may finally be subsiding. Officially called the Darvaza crater, it sits in the middle of the Karakum Desert. How the 69m wide, and 30m deep hole formed is a bit of a mystery. Some believe the pit was created by Soviet geologists in 1971. While drilling for oil, they hit a vast underground gas pocket. The ground surrounding it collapsed, forming three huge sinkholes. To prevent the hazardous methane gas from escaping, the team set the crater on fire. Apparently, they assumed the fire burn out in a few weeks, but the flames have persisted for over five decades. Photo: Shutterstock An alternative beginning Though this is the most common explanation, geologists from Turkmenistan have said the crater actually formed in the 1960s and was ignited in the 1980s. As its creation happened when Turkmenistan was part of the Soviet Union, any records to clarify the crater's origin are hard to come by. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless of its beginnings, the Darvaza crater has been a significant source of methane emissions. The greenhouse gas has gushed into the atmosphere for over 50 years. Turkmenistan has faced scrutiny for its methane output and inability to curb methane gas leaks. This not only produces harmful emissions but wastes natural gas. For decades, scientists and environmentalists have been calling for the fire to be extinguished. Photo: Shutterstock In recent years, the Turkmenistan government has intensified efforts to lessen the crater's environmental impact. By drilling several wells around the site to siphon off methane, engineers have reduces the fuel feeding the fire. Now, as a result, the flames have finally started to diminish. Irina Luryeva, a director at the state-owned energy company Turkmengaz, noted that the blaze, once visible from several kilometers away, now emits only a faint glow. Officials report that the fires are now three times smaller than they were. Yet this so-called Gateway to Hell has become the secretive country's top tourist attraction, drawing visitors intrigued by its otherworldly appearance. Tour operators have expressed concern over the potential decline in tourism as the flames wane. OLIVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) All but one candidate to be the next Ottawa County administrator have withdrawn their names for consideration. The remaining candidate, Michael Tremblay, is scheduled to participate in a public interview with county commissioners at 9 a.m. Thursday. It will stream live on the countys YouTube page. According to the county, Tremblay is a retiring U.S. Army colonel who has served as a brigade commander and commander at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in South Korea. The county says that work gave him experience in municipal operations, crisis response, strategic planning and workforce development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mark Eisenbarth, currently the Muskegon County administrator, withdrew his name from consideration. Glen Salyer, currently a deputy county administrator in Florida, withdrew Monday. The three candidates had been expected to participate a public meet-and-greet Wednesday afternoon, but with only Tremblay still in consideration, it was canceled. Ottawa County has been without a permanent administrator since February 2024, when then- Board of Commissioners Chair Joe Moss and his conservative political action committee Ottawa Impact fired John Gibbs, whom they had put in the role during their first meeting in January 2023. Jon Anderson, a candidate for sheriff last year, filled the role on an interim basis before ultimately stepping down in October 2024. Deputy Administrator Benjamin Wetmore temporarily stepped in before he reached a severance agreement with the board in December. Gary Rosema, a former Ottawa County sheriff, has been serving in the role on an interim basis since January. He said all along he would not take the job long-term and hoped to be done in about six months. The next county administrator will make between $200,000 and $260,000, according to a job description shared with commissioners in April. The county previously said the plan was to pick a candidate this month and negotiate a contract, with the goal of the new administrator starting in late July or early August. News 8s Byron Tollefson 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 WOODTV.com. HIGH POINT A 19-year-old High Point man was killed and a 23-year-old Greensboro man was injured in a shooting in the eastern part of the city early Tuesday, which police said was the first criminal homicide in the city in 2025. Gunshots were reported in the 1000 block of Terrell Drive, which is south of E. Lexington Avenue and east of University Parkway, about 12:30 a.m., and officers found Shawn D. Zimmerman Jr. dead and the Greensboro man injured, both shot multiple times inside a vehicle parked in a driveway, the High Point Police Department said. The injured man, whose name was not released, was taken to an area hospital for treatment. No information about the Greensboro mans injuries was released, but police he was in critical condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No arrests had been made, and police said they didnt have a description of whoever fired the shots. In a recording of the only 911 call from the shooting, a woman tells an emergency dispatcher, I just heard a lot of gunshots outside my house. The woman describes the gunshots as a series of pop, pop, pop sounds. The woman, whose voice is fraught with emotion, tells the dispatcher that shes afraid to go outside, and the dispatcher tells the woman to stay inside with the doors locked. The woman says that she and her daughter, the only people in the house, are unharmed. The woman asks the dispatcher to stay on the call during the more than four-minute conversation. The call ends when police officers arrive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police ask that anyone with information call High Point Crimestoppers at 336-889-4000. Tipsters also can download the P3 tips app and submit tips electronically while remaining anonymous. Anyone providing a tip can stay anonymous but still collect any reward offered. Though the Terrell Drive shooting was the citys first criminal homicide of 2025, a fatal shooting did occur in an east High Point neighborhood six months ago, but it was found to be self-defense. In that shooting, Brandon C. Harris Jr., 20, of High Point was killed and two women were injured Jan. 11 at a house in the 3300 block of Colony Drive. The Guilford County District Attorneys Office declined to file charges after being presented with findings from a police investigation. In a 911 call, the man who shot Harris said that he fired his weapon because Harris shot the two women. Someone in Massachusetts claimed a $1 million prize from a $10 game on Tuesday. The $1 million prize was from $4,000,000 Gold 50X," a game that costs $10 per ticket to play that was released on Jan. 7. Theres still three $1 million prizes and two $4 million prizes remaining to be claimed as of June 11. The winning ticket was sold in Erving at a shop called Weatherheads Convenience. Additionally, someone won $100,000 during Tuesday nights Mass Cash drawing. The winning numbers for the drawing were 15, 25, 26, 32 and 35. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The winning ticket was sold at a shop called Scuttlebutts Liquors in Fairhaven. Overall, at least 526 prizes worth $600 or more were won or claimed in Massachusetts on Tuesday, including seven in Springfield, 20 in Worcester and 46 in Boston. The Massachusetts State Lottery releases a full list of winning tickets every day. The list only includes winning tickets worth more than $600. The two largest lottery prizes won so far in 2025 were each worth $15 million. One of the prizes was from a winning Diamond Deluxe scratch ticket sold in Holyoke, and the other was from a 300X scratch ticket sold on Cape Cod. Massachusetts State Lottery Read the original article on MassLive. A month-long statewide law enforcement operation in Texas targeting online child exploitation resulted in the rescue of 109 children and the arrest of 244 suspects, authorities announced. Named Operation Soteria Shield, the effort was conducted in April 2025 and involved more than 70 Texas law enforcement agencies, led by the FBI Dallas Division, the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Texas. The operation, supported by the National ICAC Task Force, focused on identifying and apprehending individuals involved in the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material. Participating agencies, including the Dallas, Plano, Wylie, and Garland police departments, seized terabytes of illicit digital content stored on electronic devices, which are now undergoing forensic analysis. Authorities said additional arrests and victim identifications are possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The numbers of offenders arrested and children rescued in this operation are significant, said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay Combs. We remain committed to investigating and prosecuting these crimes to protect children from online sexual exploitation. The effort has already led to multiple grand jury indictments in the Eastern District of Texas for charges related to child pornography distribution and sexual exploitation of minors. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children provided critical intelligence and case coordination, contributing to the operations success. Operation Soteria Shield brought together over 70 agencies from across the state of Texas, including police departments, federal agencies, state and federal prosecutors, childrens advocacy centers, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. We had a common goal, which was to rescue children from abuse and exploitation, said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. This was not an easy operation, but a necessary one. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to protect the children in our communities, and we will hold child predators accountable for their crimes, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detective Rich, a key investigator from the Plano Police Department and member of the FBI Dallas Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, played a central role. Known nationally and internationally for his work on computer-facilitated crimes against children, Rich helped coordinate the efforts of skilled investigators working around the clock. Operation Soteria Shield was a massive team effort and a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when we unite around one clear mission: protecting our kids and holding offenders accountable, said Dallas Police Chief Daniel C. Comeaux. I am proud that the Dallas Police Department is the lead agency for the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and am grateful for the many, many agencies who contributed to this successful operation. Plano Police Chief Ed Drain emphasized the operations broader impact. Online exploitation of children is one of the most insidious crimes we face as a society. It reaches into every community, crosses every boundary, and leaves lasting harm on its youngest victims, Drain said. Through this operation, we not only rescued children from unimaginable abuse, but we also sent a clear message: those who seek to harm our children online will be found and brought to justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wylie Police Chief Anthony Henderson highlighted the operations resolve. The coordinated efforts of all agencies involved in Operation Soteria Shield serve as a powerful demonstration of unwavering dedication in the battle against online child exploitation, Henderson said. By exposing the darkest corners of the Internet, this operation has targeted predators who seek to harm vulnerable children. Garland Police Chief Jeff Bryan underscored the missions significance. Operation Soteria Shield was more than an enforcement effort; it was a mission to rescue, protect, and restore hope, Bryan said. The scale of this operation sends a strong message: predators will be pursued, and survivors will never stand alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Operation Soteria Shield stands as one of the largest efforts of its kind in Texas in recent years, showcasing the power of interagency collaboration. Participating agencies included the Abilene, Allen, Arlington, Fort Worth, Frisco, McKinney, and San Antonio police departments, among others, as well as the Collin, Denton, and Tarrant county sheriffs offices, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and federal agencies like Homeland Security Investigations. Authorities expressed gratitude to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for its vital support. The operations success reflects a shared commitment to protecting children and ensuring justice for survivors of online exploitation. 11 Investigates has learned that the city has approved phase one of B. Marshalls permit application for his Juneteenth celebration at Mellon Park in East Liberty. This comes just a day after a judge imposed a 24-hour deadline on the city of Pittsburgh to respond with updated information on the status of Marshalls permit. RELATED COVERAGE >>> 11 Investigates: Judge sets 24-hour deadline in Juneteenth permit controversy Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marshall still needs phase two approval from the city. He completed that part of the application on Tuesday after he received phase one approval. Even before the noon deadline, the city approved the first part of B. Marshalls application. While Marshalls attorney, Phil DiLucente, called that a step in the right direction, he told Chief Investigator Rick Earle that the clock is ticking. The festival is nine days away. Earle: Are you satisfied with the citys movement on this permit application? Phil DiLucente: I really am. I think Ms. Dilanni from the solicitors office has been helpful. Marshalls attorney, who just last week filed a petition to force the city to act, had been critical of the repeated delays. Marshall filed the initial application back in February. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED COVERAGE >>>11 Investigates: Attorney for Juneteenth organizer blasts city permit process, files legal action Ive been very hard on the city for lots of reasons, but I want to say today, theyve been very helpful and were hopeful that this can come to a fast resolution, DiLucente said. Marshall believes the city hasnt issued the permit because he was highly critical of Mayor Ed Gaineys decision to pull his funding last year. Marshall, who is now awaiting final approval from the city, is set to meet with city officials at Mellon Park on Wednesday for a site walk-through. Were very hopeful. Were still concerned until we get the final approval, but things are moving in the right direction, DiLucente said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 11 Investigates has also learned that it appears the judge may not be totally satisfied with the citys response, as hes ordered all parties back to court on Wednesday for a status conference, including the city employees who approve or deny permits. Earle will be in court on Wednesday to monitor the latest development in this case. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW NEED TO KNOW A Condor airlines flight from Zurich, Switzerland, to Crete, Greece, was rerouted due to "extreme weather conditions" and ended up making five landings during its 32-hour travel time The flight, which was carrying 137 passengers, ended up back at Zurich for its final landing Condor told PEOPLE that the strong winds in Crete made it impossible for the flight to land despite multiple attempts and it was diverted "several times" and also made an overnight stop Airline travel can be a headache, but its not every day that a less than three-hour flight turns into a 32-hour saga that ended in passengers being returned to their original airport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On May 24, Condor flight DE1234 departed from Zurich, Switzerland, heading for Heraklion, Crete, in Greece with 137 passengers and six crew members. The flight, which is supposed to take just under three hours, experienced extreme weather conditions, a Condor airlines representative told PEOPLE. With strong winds, take-offs and landings at Heraklion Airport on Crete were only possible to a limited extent, Condor said in a statement. Despite several attempts to land in Heraklion, the flight was unfortunately unable to operate as planned and had to be diverted several times including a night stop in Thessaloniki before finally returning to Zurich. According to Business Insider, citing data from Flightradar24, the flight circled off the coast of Crete half a dozen times before U-turning to land in Athens. The outlet reported that the plane made four stops and endured an overnight stay in Thessaloniki during the 32-travel time. The plane also stopped in Athens a second time and in Kos before returning to Zurich. assalve/Getty Zurich Airport where the Condor airlines flight departed from and eventually returned to Zurich Airport where the Condor airlines flight departed from and eventually returned to Condor said that the flight made "several stops," including a night stop in Thessaloniki. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The airline also said in its statement that, Refreshments and drinks were served for all guests by the crew in the galley, however, according to Metro, some passengers complained that they weren't given many refreshments and some reportedly vomited during one of the attempted approaches to Heraklion. Constantine Johnny/Getty A stock photo of a passenger plane aisle A stock photo of a passenger plane aisle The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! When asked about the claims, the Condor spokesperson told PEOPLE, Drinks were served for all guests by the crew in the galley, the hotel accommodation was organized by Condor, noting that guests can contact customer service for refund and rebooking options. 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. Passengers also claimed they had to pay for their own hotels, per the outlet, and upon landing in Athens for the second time, were given the opportunity to disembark ahead of the final return to Zurich, but without their checked luggage. Read the original article on People WARSAW, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government won a vote of confidence in the Sejm on Wednesday, securing 243 votes in favor and 210 against, with no abstentions. The move came amid ongoing political debates and was intended to reaffirm the government's legitimacy and unify its parliamentary majority. According to Polish constitutional practice, a simple majority of votes in the presence of at least half of all deputies is required to pass the motion. Failure to secure such support would have obligated the prime minister to submit his resignation to the president. This time, the announcement of submitting a vote of confidence appeared after the runoff of the presidential elections, when Karol Nawrocki, supported by PiS, won Poland's presidential election. The majority of House Democrats voted in favor of allowing non-citizens to participate in Washington, D.C. elections on Tuesday. The House of Representatives passed a bill led by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, to prohibit non-U.S. citizens from voting in elections in the nations capital. It passed 266 to 148, with 56 Democrats joining Republicans in passing the measure. One Democrat voted "present," while 148 voted against the bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I believe strongly in not having federal overreach, but we have jurisdiction, Congress has jurisdiction over Washington, District of Columbiaand we dont like to utilize our jurisdiction and our authority, but in this case, theyve gone too far," Pfluger told Fox News Digital in an interview before the vote. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted against the bill D.C.s progressive city council passed the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act in 2022, granting non-U.S. citizens the ability to vote in local elections if theyve lived in the district for at least 30 days. Scoop: House Gop Memo Highlights Republican Wins In Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noncitizens can also hold local elected office in the D.C. government. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla. The local measure has been a frequent target of GOP attacks, with Republican national security hawks raising alarms about the possibility of hostile foreign agents participating in D.C. elections. But progressive Democrats like Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., who spoke out against the bill on Tuesday afternoon, have dismissed that as an implausible scenario. "Republicans claim that Congress has a constitutional duty to legislate on local D.C. matters, but this is historically and legally incorrect. Republicans legislate on local D.C. matters only when they think they can score political points, such as by demonizing immigrants," Frost said during debate on the House floor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They only bring it up to the floor when they think they can score political points, taking away the democratic rights of people here in D.C. and home rule." Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas. Frost also argued that it was "highly unlikely" foreign officials would vote in those elections, claiming they would have to "renounce their right to vote in their home country" and because "D.C. has no authority in federal matters." But Pfluger, who spoke with Fox News Digital before the vote, was optimistic that it would get at least some Democratic support. He noted that 52 Democrats voted for the bill when it passed the House in the previous Congress. It was never taken up in the formerly Democrat-controlled Senate, however. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Its hard to go back to your district as a Democrat and say, yeah, I want foreign agents to be able to vote in our elections Oh yeah, its not federal elections, some may say. But it has an impact on the way the city is run," Pfluger said. Meet The Trump-picked Lawmakers Giving Speaker Johnson A Full House Gop Conference "This could be Russian embassy personnel, they could be Chinese embassy personnel a number of folks. It's just wrong. It goes against the fabric of our society," he added. Another bill receiving a vote on Tuesday is legislation that would grant D.C. police the ability to negotiate punishments via collective bargaining, and would help shield the capitals police force from at least some liability by installing a statute of limitations against the Metropolitan Police Department. That legislation was introduced by New York Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino. Original article source: 148 Democrats back noncitizen voting in DC as GOP raises alarm about foreign agents NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) The City of Norfolk issued a $16.5 million Storm Water Revenue Bond through the Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund on May 29, which is designed to fund storm water infrastructure improvements across Norfolk. The various projects include enhancements to St. Pauls Blue-Greenway and restoration of shorelines and wetlands across the city. The total cost of the project is expected to reach nearly $18.5 million, but the city is receiving nearly $2 million in principal forgiveness. This means the remaining balance will come at no extra cost to Norfolk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information on the project visit 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. ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A 16-year-old has been charged after allegedly stealing multiple vehicles and injuring a deputys patrol vehicle during a chase, according to the Rowan County Sheriffs Office. Around 12:15 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10, deputies were looking for a stolen Kia near East Ritchie Road after the cars owner said there was a tracking device on it and it showed to be in that area. Deputies were able to find the stolen Kia in a wooded area off the dead end of East Ritchie Road, along with two other Kias that were reportedly stolen. While processing the scene of those vehicles, deputies got a call about a blue Kia that ran a woman off the road in the direction of East Ritchie Rd. Earlier, deputies learned from officers in Salisbury that there was a stolen blue Kia that had yet to be found, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies saw the blue Kia pull up to the area with two juveniles inside. When the suspects saw the deputies, the driver quickly turned, crossing over a ditch, and almost hit the tow truck on the scene. Driver arrested after crash injures 3 children at lemonade stand in Burke County A pursuit began, and the suspects led officers on Old Concord Road towards Cabarrus County at speeds of 70-100 mph. Deputies tried multiple times to end the pursuit by executing a PIT maneuver (aka the Precision Immobilization Technique), but failed because the driver served and hit the deputys patrol vehicle. A PIT maneuver was finally successful, ending the pursuit in Cabarrus County at the intersection of Old Concord Road and Irish Potato Road. The deputys vehicle was damaged during the pursuit after a tire came off the suspects vehicle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two juveniles were the only ones in the vehicle and were taken into custody. Neither was injured; however, the passenger agreed to be taken to a hospital to get checked out. Deputies were denied a secure custody order when they asked the Department of Juvenile Justice about one for felony fleeing to elude arrest, and assault with a deadly weapon on law enforcement. According to the sheriffs office, due to the fact that the secure custody order was denied, and in the State of North Carolina, certain chapter 20, motor vehicle laws are not subject to Raise the Age and are handled in adult court. The 16-year-old driver was charged with felony flee to elude arrest and booked in a juvenile detention facility under a $50,000.00 bond. Authorities said the case is still under investigation and more charges are likely to be filed with juvenile court authorities. Queen City News is tracking CRIME in your area >> Latest stories 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 Queen City News. PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) A West Bluff teen was indicted by a Peoria County grand jury after allegedly shooting and killing a man late last year. Robert E. Mister, 16, was indicted on a charge of first-degree murder on Tuesday in connection with the Dec. 22, 2024, fatal shooting of James Miller. If convicted of being the trigger man, it could send him to prison for at least 20 years and possibly up to life, but since hes a minor, parole is an option after 20 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He will next appear in court on June 12 to be arraigned on the allegations. 16-year-old Peoria boy held in custody in connection with 2024 homicide On Dec. 22, officers went to the 300 block of East Arcadia Avenue at about 7:50 p.m. after someone reported a shooting. There, they found Miller, 39, with a gunshot wound and brought him to a local hospital, where he was declared dead shortly after he arrived. He was found near the homes front door. He had been shot three times in the back and once in the head, Assistant States Attorney Terry Muench told Judge Mark Gilles during his detention hearing last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Muench said in open court that Mister was at the Arcadia address when a dispute broke out about missing ear pods. He tried to leave the house and on his way downstairs, found a gun. Miller refused to let the boy leave as it was believed that Mister had taken some cell phones. Mister, when talking to police, denied taking cell phone and denied at first even being there, according to court records. But he was wearing an ankle bracelet of a person who was on probation, likely a juvenile case. That was noticed by a witness, who told police that after she heard gunshots, she saw Mister allegedly standing over Miller and shooting down at him. She noticed he had a bracelet, prosecutors have said. Days later, police arrested him and recovered his cell phone. There they allegedly found a text message where he told someone that he done something bad bad a couple of days ago, according to court records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was the citys 22nd homicide of 2024. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) A variety of local groups in northwestern Vermont hoping to make a dent in the substance abuse crisis will be getting a little extra help. United Way of Northwest Vermont (UWNVT), a local affiliate of the nonprofit organization United Way, announced Wednesday that 17 organizations, ranging from youth centers to homeless shelters, will receive grants to help with substance abuse prevention. The awards total $647,000 and are part of Vermonts new model for getting funds to local organizations by going through regional partners first. It is incredibly heartening to see so many local people doing vital substance misuse prevention work in our region, particularly for vulnerable and marginalized populations, said United Way manager Mahat Abdullahi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opioid overdose deaths in Vermont dropped significantly last year UWNVT said that they chose these 17 organizations, in Chittenden, Grand Isle, Franklin, and Washington Counties, out of 41 total who applied for grants, and called the choice no easy task. They include Good Samaritan Haven in Barre, the King Street Center for youth in Burlington, and the Georgia Public Library. The grants will cover funding for July 2025 through June 2026. Priority was given to services and activities that address needs of priority populations, including veterans, people with limited English proficiency, and people with disabilities. You can learn more about Vermonts model for helping prevent drug and alcohol abuse at the Department of Health website. 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. Two bills are hitting the North Carolina Governors desk that would help ICE expand its deportation efforts in the state. They divided the legislature directly by party lines, and its a perfect example of the issue thats currently dividing much of the country. As protestors in Los Angeles continue their demonstrations, legislators in North Carolina are cracking down on undocumented immigrants. House Bill 318 would expand the law that passed in November and would require sheriffs to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement within two hours after an undocumented immigrant is scheduled to be released, and require they be held for 48 hours before doing so. It also expands the types of crimes that trigger the requirement to now include any felony, Class A1 misdemeanors against a child in the womb or involving sexual assault, and DWI offenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Bill 153 requires more state agencies to work with ICE, and it would train them to check whether people are here illegally. That would include the departments of public safety, corrections, highway patrol, and the State Bureau of Investigation. It also directs agencies to stop providing state benefits to noncitizens, including unemployment compensation. It also allows victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants to sue cities and counties if they create sanctuary policies, and it forbids the UNC school system from keeping information from federal immigration officials. Gilberto Pagan is the director of Hispanos del Sur, a conservative Hispanic organization, and hes in favor of the bills. I think generally speaking, its about safety, its about everybodys safety across the whole state, and that includes immigrant communities and everybody who lives here, Pagan said. Earlier this week, pro-immigrant rights groups spoke out against recent immigration raids. Both bills passed the legislature on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Josh Stein wouldnt answer whether or not he will sign them into law. His office told Channel 9, He has made clear that if someone commits a crime and they are here illegally, they should be deported. Stein has 10 days to veto the bills or theyll become law. In the meantime, organizers plan to protest in First Ward Park this Saturday at 11 a.m. Its the same day that President Donald Trump has called for a parade in Washington D.C. to celebrate the Armys 250th birthday. June 14 is also Trumps birthday. (VIDEO: Supporters in Charlotte call for release of SEIU leader after ICE protests) Two people are federally charged with possession of machine guns after gun violence at high school graduations in the Twin Cities, the U.S. Attorneys Office of Minnesota announced Wednesday. Hamza Abdirashid Said, 20, of Coon Rapids, was already charged in Hennepin County in a May 30 shooting at the University of Minnesota after the Wayzata High School graduation that injured two people. Separately, police arrested Amiir Mawlid Ali,18, of Circle Pines, after shots were fired after the Burnsville High School graduation on Friday. He is not charged in the shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On June 3, Minneapolis police pulled over a vehicle and found a firearm under Alis seat, according to the charge. The gun had a machine gun conversion device, also known as a switch, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. High school graduation ceremonies are a rite of passage, Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Joseph Thompson said in a statement. A time for friends and family to come together to celebrate one of lifes major milestones. To bring machineguns and violence to such a ceremony is immoral and shameful. U of M shooting At about 8 p.m. May 30, police responded to a shooting outside 3M Arena at Mariucci at the University of Minnesota. Two people whod attended the Wayzata High School graduation ceremony had been shot. Surveillance video showed several males in a verbal altercation, according to a law enforcement affidavit in the federal case against Said. One of them withdrew a handgun and appeared to fire, causing bystanders to duck and run from the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 49-year-old man heard gunshots, and was shot as he and his family attempted to escape the shooting, the affidavit said. The man was shot in the head, and sustained a fractured skull and brain bleed. Hes been released from the hospital. Officers found a 19-year-old in a nearby vehicle who had a gunshot wound to his leg. He was uncooperative when asked for information about the shooting, the affidavit said. Police took Said into custody in the area. He had several fresh cuts and injuries to his elbows and wrists. He did not provide a statement to law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Said was seen on surveillance video and appeared to toss an item into a bush, the affidavit said. Police found a 9mm semiautomatic pistol with a high-capacity extended magazine and equipped with a switch. The switch allows the firearm to be fired as a fully automatic weapon by a single function of the trigger, the affidavit continued. Burnsville HS shots fired On June 3 about 3:45 p.m., Minneapolis officers pulled over a vehicle. Ali was the front seat passenger. An officer knew from prior investigations that Ali was associated with multiple recent gang-related shootings, said the affidavit in his case. Officers asked if there were firearms or weapons in the vehicle. The occupants all hesitated before replying, No,' the affidavit said. Officers observed Ali repeatedly looking down at the passenger floorboard area and moving objects at his feet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The people in the vehicle said they were heading to the Edina High School graduation at the University of Minnesota. Officers were aware of a shooting that occurred at the Wayzata High School graduation ceremony at the same location just four days earlier, the affidavit said. Police removed the people from the vehicle for officer safety, and an officer easily observed a firearm under the seat where Ali had been sitting. The 10 mm semiautomatic pistol was equipped with a switch and a loaded, 33-round extended magazine with a round in the chamber. Related Articles Ali did not give a statement to law enforcement. He was released from the Hennepin County jail last Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next day, he was among four people arrested after gunshots were fired after the Burnsville High School graduation ceremony. No one was injured in that case. Two people were charged in Dakota County. A case against Ali, who was arrested on a warrant, was not presented to the Dakota County Attorneys Office for charging consideration. Both Said and Ali are charged with unlawful possession of a machinegun. They made their initial court appearances in federal court Tuesday and remained detained. Alis attorney declined comment Thursday. An attorney for Said could not be reached for comment. GRAVES COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) Two individuals have pleaded guilty to sexually abusing children and having sex with animals in Graves County. The Graves County Sheriffs Office announced the convictions of Neela Wilford, 47, of Mayfield, and Christopher Carruthers, 32, of Pennsylvania, in a release Tuesday afternoon. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, the sheriffs office said it received a tip about the two selling sexually explicit videos and photos online of them sexually abusing kids. The informant also claimed that Wilford and Carruthers were having sex with animals. Following an in-depth investigation that involved a series of searches over several months and numerous electronic devices being seized, multiple images and videos of children under 12 performing sexual acts were seized, GCSO announced. After the investigation, Wilford and Carruthers were arrested in 2024, court records show. On April 15, 2025, Carruthers, who deputies said pleaded guilty to six counts of sex crimes against animals and two counts of possession of matter portraying a minor under the age of 12 in a sexual performance, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more of the latest Kentucky news Sheriffs confirmed that, on Monday, June 9, Wilford pleaded guilty to numerous charges after being accused of: First-degree unlawful transaction with a minor under the age of 16illegal sexual act Sexual crimes against animals15 counts Distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor under the age of 12eight counts Drug paraphernaliabuying or possessingtwo counts First-degree possession of methamphetaminetwo counts Tampering with physical evidence Records show that Wilford is due to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. on June 23. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Federal prosecutors have announced charges against four men in connection with a series of violent demonstrations targeting immigration enforcement efforts across Southern California. Two suspects from the L.A. area are accused of using Molotov cocktails against law enforcement officers during separate protests in Paramount and downtown Los Angeles. Authorities say 23-year-old Emiliano Garduno Galvez of Paramount lit and hurled a Molotov cocktail over a fence at deputies during a protest near a federal staging area on Saturday. Deputies with the L.A. County Sheriffs Department quickly pursued and arrested him. Galvez, who officials say is in the country illegally, is charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device, a federal felony carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a separate case, 27-year-old Wrackkie Quiogue (also referred to as Ricky Keoki in earlier reports) of Long Beach is accused of carrying a Molotov cocktail and lighter during demonstrations in downtown L.A. Police say he attempted to flee when spotted, but allegedly threw the device as officers closed in. Investigators later recovered remnants of the explosive, including the bottle and parts of a wick, with assistance from a K-9 unit. The FBI released photos of 2 men accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at officers during L.A. area protests. June 11, 2025. The U.S. Attorneys Office says a total of nine people were charged with federal crimes related to last weekends protests alone, with that number expected to grow. Authorities say they are actively investigating hundreds of other individuals linked to the unrest. The last few days, we have seen vicious attacks on our agents and our properties here in the federal government. The escalation of violence by these rioters poses a serious threat to our agents and the safety of the public, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a news conference. Throwing rocks, explosives, assaulting agents, and committing other acts of violence are extremely dangerous and will not be tolerated. You have the right to peacefully protest, Essayli said. But as soon as you cross that line into violence thats unacceptable. This is federal court. Youre going to federal prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department collaborated on the two cases. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Two more asylum seekers were arrested at the Portland Immigration Courthouse on Tuesday morning, making it a total of four people detained by ICE in June. In response, the Innovation Law Lab attorneys filed a habeas corpus petition to challenge the arrest. A federal judge also ordered that the pair not be moved out of the state of Oregon for at least two days. The attorneys said the two people have since been released from ICE custody. Meanwhile, a steady presence of protestors has gathered outside the ICE facility on South Macadam Avenue in Portland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arrest warrant issued for Hwy 26 hit-run suspect who removed ankle monitor The arrests on Tuesday come roughly a week after two other arrests. A transgender woman was detained by ICE agents while seeking asylum at a Portland immigration courthouse on Monday, June 2. A few days later, a man was detained by ICE following his asylum hearing. Both asylum seekers who were arrested last week remain detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Wash. Jordan Cunnings, an attorney at Innovation Law Lab, said shes grateful to have the federal courts eye on this and the federal courts intervention on this first step, but hopes more permanent measures can be done to cease the ICE detainments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And obviously, having them home tonight with their families is, is a huge win at this juncture. But the case will continue because their rights still have been violated. And we also want ICE to stop, stop this practice, Cunnings said. While the pair have been released, their cases to become legal citizens have been terminated so that process will have to start all over again, she said. It is alarming that ICE and the administration are disregarding the longstanding protections in place for asylum seekers in an effort to conduct mass deportations, said Isa Pena, director of strategy at Innovation Law Lab. Even when we have attorneys at the courthouse, ready to intervene, ICE is literally racing to grab people and disappear them from their families and communities. Oregon is classified as a sanctuary state and Portland as a sanctuary city, meaning their state and city law enforcement will not work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In response, President Donald Trump has openly criticized sanctuary states and cities, claiming their policies of not enforcing immigration law put the safety of American citizens in jeopardy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This announcement comes as protests grow in the city of Portland and around the country against ICE raids as well as the federal governments immigration policies. In Los Angeles, where protests have reached a fever pitch, Trump has deployed the U.S. National Guard and Marines. Meanwhile, a group has gathered at the Portland Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters, camping overnight and calling for others on social media to join them in a round-the-clock protest. KOIN 6 News has reached out to Multnomah County and ICE for comment. This story will be updated when we receive a response. Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops. 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. TUNIS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Defense Minister Khaled Sehili on Wednesday called for enhanced cooperation with Italy in areas including military training, joint exercises, medical services, hydrography, and development initiatives. During a meeting with visiting Chief of Staff of the Italian Army Carmine Masiello in Tunis, Sehili emphasized the deep-rooted and growing friendship between Tunisia and Italy, highlighting their shared vision for regional peace and a mutual commitment to addressing common challenges, the Tunisian National Radio reported. During the meeting, the two officials discussed ways to strengthen and diversify cooperation between the Tunisian and Italian armed forces. While commending Italy for its support for development projects in Tunisia's desert regions, Sehili underlined the importance of implementing bilateral cooperation programs. Masiello praised the high-level military cooperation between the two countries and affirmed Italy's commitment to further advancing cooperation. He emphasized that continued cooperation would enhance the operational effectiveness of both countries' armed forces and serve the mutual interests of the Tunisian and Italian peoples. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) Two 16-year-old boys are facing charges in connection to nine armed carjackings and a robbery in D.C., authorities said Tuesday. Details are limited; however, the Metropolitan Police Department said the pair was involved in several armed carjackings in Northeast and Northwest from May 2-31, with most of the carjackings taking place just hours apart. The teens are also accused of committing a robbery on Georgia Avenue, according to MPD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nearly 18-hour standstill: Police on scene after person climbs broadcast tower at American University Through an investigation, police charged the boys, both of Northeast, with the following offenses: Friday, May 2 Armed carjacking (gun): At approximately 11:05 a.m., near the intersection of 12th Street and Newton St., NE. Thursday, May 22 Armed carjacking (gun): At approximately 12:40 a.m., in the 1700 block of 17th St., NW. Thursday, May 22 Armed carjacking (gun): At approximately 2:40 a.m., in the 1700 block of Kalorama Road, NW. Thursday, May 22 Armed carjacking (gun): At approximately 10:20 p.m., in the 1000 block of Taussig Place, NE. Friday, May 23 Armed carjacking (gun): At approximately 12:38 a.m., in the 2000 block of Rhode Island Ave., NE. Friday, May 23 Robbery (gun): At approximately 2:10 p.m., in the 5700 block of Georgia Ave., NW. Friday, May 30 Armed carjacking (gun): At approximately 10:00 p.m., near the intersection of Rhode Island Avenue and South Dakota Ave., NE. Saturday, May 31 Armed carjacking (gun): At approximately 9:24 p.m., in the 3500 block of 12th Street, NE. Saturday, May 31 Armed carjacking (gun): At approximately 10:02 p.m., in the 600 block of Edgewood St., NE. Saturday, May 31 Armed carjacking (gun): At approximately 12:20 p.m., in the 200 block of Rhode Island Ave., NE. Police noted that there are suspects who have yet to be caught. Investigators urge anyone with information to call (202) 727-9099 or text a tip to 50411. MPD currently offers a reward of up to $10,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest and conviction of those responsible for a violent crime committed in D.C. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Brief A Dallas teenager has pleaded guilty to the April 2024 shooting that injured a student at Wilmer Hutchins High School. Ja'Kerian Rhodes-Ewing, 17 at the time of the shooting, was sentenced to five years in prison as part of a plea deal. The shooting happened after the student triggered the school's metal detectors, but he wasn't stopped and his bag wasn't checked. DALLAS - A Dallas teenager who was charged in the 2024 shooting at Wilmer Hutchins High School in Dallas has pleaded guilty. Wilmer Hutchins High School Shooting 2024 The backstory Ja'Kerian Rhodes-Ewing was 17-years-old when he went into the school on April 12, 2024, and shot and injured another student. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rhodes-Ewing showed up to school late. He was carrying a bag with a weapon, and it triggered the metal detector, but no one stopped him or checked his bag, officials said. Dallas ISD officials say protocols were not followed, allowing Rhodes-Ewing to get past the metal detector. The Latest He was facing up to 20 years in prison. The plea agreement for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon cut that time to five years in prison. Wilmer Hutchins High School Shooting 2025 The backstory Almost exactly a year later, there was another shooting at Wilmer Hutchins High School. On April 15, 2025 Dallas ISD police say a Wilmer-Hutchins High School student let in 17-year-old Tracy Haynes Jr. through a locked side door, thus avoiding metal detectors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say Haynes opened fire indiscriminately in the hallway, injuring four students. A bullet also grazed a teacher. Three different school security cameras captured video of the shooting. Haynes remains jailed on a $3.1 million bond. The Source Information in this article is from Dallas County and previous FOX 4 News coverage. LIVERPOOL. N.Y. (WSYR-TV) Following the EF-2 tornado that touched down in Rome summer of 2024, the Upper New York Conference (UNY) of The United Methodist Church donated $20,000 to Connected Community Schools to support continued recovery efforts in Rome, NY. The Rome Recovery Fund was created as a response to the storms aftermath. There was a significant number of donations to the conference, including donations from 79 local churches and 71 individuals, contributing more than $45,000 for UNY Disaster Response. Thanks to the compassionate giving of our congregations and individuals across Upper New York, were able to continue walking alongside communities still recovering from last summers disasters, said Bishop Hector A. Burgos Nunez. This donation to Connected Community Schools is a tangible expression of our shared commitment to long-term recovery and resilience. UNY in action: In the summer of 2024, UNY Disaster Response helped out eight communities affected by severe weather across the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Assistance included funding for local partners, coordination of volunteer work teams, and the delivery of disaster relief materials. Information on contributing to ongoing relief efforts can be found 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 WSYR. (NewsNation) DNA testing company 23andMe obtained the consent from our customers to transfer their genetic data, interim CEO Joseph Selsavage told lawmakers Wednesday. When the customer signed up to the service, they have agreed to consent to our privacy and terms of service, which specifically says that we, in the event of a bankruptcy sale, that we can actually transfer their data, Selsavage said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Judge determined OPM broke law with DOGE access to data Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Selsavages assertion comes amid a multistate lawsuit about the potential sale of its customers genetic data and warnings from security experts. Concern stems from the potential transfer or sale of 23andMes extensive database, which houses the genetic information of more than 10 million customers. We are requiring that anyone bidding for 23andMe must agree to comply with our privacy policies, Selsavage said during his opening statement. We recognize the vital importance of protecting every individuals right to access and control their own genetic information. 23andMe doing everything we can for data privacy: CEO Ranking committee member Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asked, Two or three buyers removed, your best intentions dont mean much, do they? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My understanding is that 23andMe is doing everything we can to ensure the next buyer adopts the policies and consents of 23andMe, Selsavage said. When asked whether the company would consider upping policy privacy protections for its users, Selsavage said he would take that suggestion back to our team. Hundreds of pharmacies are set to close: How it could impact you Harvard Law School deputy dean I. Glenn Cohen contended that, even if maintaining the current privacy policy is a condition of the sale, there is nothing in place to prevent the buyer or 23andMe from altering it at any point in time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The main privacy protection for those customers is just a promise the company has made in its privacy statement, Cohen said. Woman alleges Costco cabinet display fell on her in $14M lawsuit Adam Klein, director of the University of Texas Strauss Center, said hes concerned the average Americans genetic data could prove valuable to foreign actors, including China. Klein warned that genetic data collected by 23andMe if sold to or hacked by bad actors could be used to track and identify people or train advanced artificial intelligence systems. 27 states, DC sue to block 23andMe genetic data sale Regeneron, a biotechnology company, announced on May 19 that it would acquire substantially all of the assets of 23andMe through a $256 million deal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the purchase announcement, Regeneron said it plans to process the companys data in accordance with the consents, privacy policies and statements, terms of service, and notices currently in effect. On Monday, dozens of states and the District of Columbia sued to block the data transfer, citing consumer consent. Torrid to close up to 180 stores this year, retailer announces Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield called the DNA information personal, permanent, and deeply private. People did not submit their personal data to 23andMe thinking their genetic blueprint would later be sold off to the highest bidder. Were standing up in court to make sure Oregonians and millions of others keep the right to control their own genetic information, Rayfield said in a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The purchase came two months after 23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy following a data breach in 2023 and the exit of its CEO, Anne Wojcicki. Can you still delete your 23andMe data? Following the bankruptcy announcement, California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned users to purge their data and make use of robust privacy laws. That advice is still applicable. Users can delete their data from 23andMes website by: Logging into their account Clicking on Settings under their profile Finding the 23andMe Data section Clicking View, then 23andMe Data Choosing the Permanently Delete Data selection According to Bonta, 23andMe will then send a follow-up email allowing users to confirm their decision to delete their data Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Users can delete their account altogether by: Scrolling to the Account Information section Selecting Delete Your Account Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Three people in San Bernardino County, including two uninvolved victims, were killed in a crash involving a motorcyclist reportedly fleeing sheriffs deputies, authorities confirmed to KTLA. The tragic incident unfolded at around 10:30 a.m. when deputies with the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the motorcyclist for reckless driving in Redlands. The driver of the motorcycle did not yield and fled from the deputies, SBSD Public Information Officer Mara Rodriguez said in a statement to KTLA. The motorcycle driver collided [with] a vehicle on Redlands Boulevard near Tennessee Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All three individuals involved in the crash were declared deceased. In footage of the crash aftermath, what appears to be a black Toyota Prius is seen overturned in the street with a large number of deputies and medical personnel from the fire department at the scene. A motorcyclist evading deputies reportedly caused a crash killing him and two innocent motorists on June 10, 2025. (OnScene.TV) A motorcyclist evading deputies reportedly caused a crash killing him and two innocent motorists on June 10, 2025. (OnScene.TV) A motorcyclist evading deputies reportedly caused a crash killing him and two innocent motorists on June 10, 2025. (OnScene.TV) A motorcyclist evading deputies reportedly caused a crash killing him and two innocent motorists on June 10, 2025. (OnScene.TV) A motorcyclist evading deputies reportedly caused a crash killing him and two innocent motorists on June 10, 2025. (OnScene.TV) Debris from the crash littered the street and it appeared that items from inside the Toyota Prius had spilled out of the vehicle, either as a result of the impact or when crews extracted the victims. While the intersection was cordoned off as investigators worked at the scene, its unclear where the motorcycle came to a stop after the high-speed crash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SBSD officials did not say whether deputies initiated a pursuit of the motorcycle driver, only that they attempted a traffic stop. Additionally, no information was provided on the ages or genders of those killed in the violent collision. PIO Rodriguez said that investigators with the California Highway Patrol are conducting an investigation into 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 KTLA. NEED TO KNOW New Castle County police in Delaware have canceled an AMBER Alert for 3-year-old Nola Dinkins The case is now being investigated as a homicide by Maryland State Police Police claim the girl's mother falsely reported her daughter missing Authorities have canceled an Amber Alert for a missing 3-year-old girl after police in Delaware say the case is now being investigated as a homicide. Nola Dinkins was reported missing on Tuesday, June 10, by her mother, who police now allege gave false information to investigators when they initially responded to a Newark, Del., home around 7:15 p.m. that evening, according to a statement from the New Castle County Police Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nolas mother advised that she had pulled over after Nola became upset and was attempting to comfort her when an unknown White male armed with a handgun approached the vehicle and took Nola, the statement reads. The mother further claimed that the suspect fled in a dark-colored SUV driven by a White female, according to police. An Amber Alert was then issued for Nola, and police, along with the FBI, investigated throughout the night. As a result of that investigation, detectives determined the initial account of the incident given by the mother was false, police said. The Amber Alert is now canceled, and there is no danger to the public." National Center For Missing and Endangered Nola Dinkins Nola Dinkins 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. Police said the case is now being treated as a homicide investigation by the Maryland State Police. No suspects have been identified and further details surrounding the girl's location have not been released by police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There has not been any confirmation of a homicide as investigators are still actively searching for leads and in areas of Cecil County where police believe the child resides, Elena Russo, the spokesperson for the Maryland State Police tells PEOPLE in a statement. "Additional information will be released as it becomes available." Anyone with information relevant to the investigation is urged to contact the Maryland State Police North East Barrack at 410-996-7800. Read the original article on People Immigration agents have arrested 330 immigrants in Los Angeles and surrounding regions of Southern California since Friday, the White House confirmed Wednesday. The numbers came from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who also slammed Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, saying they President Trump "fanned the flames" of violence in Los Angeles. Overall, Leavitt said that 113, or about a third, of those detained had prior criminal convictions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The "area of responsibility" for the Los Angeles field office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area and the Central Coast, as well as Orange County to the south, Riverside County to the east and up the coast to San Luis Obispo County. During a press briefing, Leavitt said 157 people have also been arrested on assault and obstruction-related charges. That includes a man charged Wednesday with the attempted murder of a police officer for throwing a Molotov cocktail. The White House and the Department of Homeland Security have touted the arrests of specific individuals in recent days, including people from Vietnam, Mexico and the Philippines who had previously been convicted of crimes, such as second-degree murder, rape and child molestation. Leavitt condemned the protests in Los Angeles against raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These attacks were aimed not just at law enforcement, but at American culture and society itself," she said. "Rioters burned American flags, chanted death to ICE and spray-painted anti-American slogans on buildings." Echoing sentiments Trump has relayed, Leavitt criticized Newsom and Bass, branding them as radical Democrats. Bass, she said, "embarked on one of the most outrageous campaigns of lies this country has ever seen from an elected official, blaming President Trump and brave law enforcement officers for the violence." "The mob violence is being stomped out," she said. "Criminals responsible will be swiftly brought to justice, and the Trump administration's operations to arrest illegal aliens are continuing unabated." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Trump's top border policy advisor, Tom Homan, told NBC on Tuesday that the protests in Los Angeles are making immigration enforcement "difficult" and more "dangerous." Leavitt issued a stark warning to protesters in other cities. "Let this be an unequivocal message to left-wing radicals in other parts of the country who are thinking about copycatting the violence in an effort to stop this administration's mass deportation efforts: You will not succeed," she 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. A former CIA analyst who leaked top secret US intelligence documents about Israeli military plans for a retaliatory strike on Iran was sentenced to 37 months in prison on Wednesday, the Justice Department said. Asif Rahman, 34, who worked for the Central Intelligence Agency since 2016 and held a top secret security clearance, was arrested by the FBI in Cambodia in November. In January, Rahman pleaded guilty at a federal courthouse in Virginia to two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He faced a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Iran unleashed a wave of close to 200 ballistic missiles on Israel on October 1 in retaliation for the killings of senior figures in the Tehran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah militant groups. Israel responded with a wave of strikes on military targets in Iran in late October. According to a court filing, on October 17 Rahman printed out two top secret documents "regarding a United States foreign ally and its planned kinetic actions against a foreign adversary." He photographed the documents and used a computer program to edit the images in "an attempt to conceal their source and delete his activity," it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rahman then transmitted the documents to "multiple individuals he knew were not entitled to receive them" before shredding them at work. The documents, circulated on the Telegram app by an account called Middle East Spectator, described Israeli preparations for a possible strike on Iran but did not identify any actual targets. According to The Washington Post, the documents, generated by the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, described aviation exercises and movements of munitions at an Israeli airfield. The leak led Israeli officials to delay their retaliatory strike. cl/jgc URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) A joint investigation by the Urbana Police Department and a Kentucky Police Department resulted in the arrest of a 38-year-old man on three child sex crimes Wednesday morning. On June 11, officers with the Urbana Police Department arrested Carson Zajdel at his residence in the 1900 block of N Lincoln Ave., officials said in a release. He was taken into custody without incident on the following preliminary charges: Indecent solicitation of a child Sexual exploitation of a child Possession of child pornography Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 4-year-old hurt in Danville hit-and-run; driver charged The arrest of Zajdel comes after a joint investigation between the Urbana Police Department and the Hopkinsville Police Department, based in Hopkinsville, KY. This investigation remains active and ongoing, and additional charges may be considered as evidence continues to be reviewed. According to Urbana Police, because of the sensitive and ongoing nature of the investigation, no additional information is being released at this time. Additionally, the department is asking anyone with more details on this situation to call them at 217-384-2320. Arrangements can be made for information to be shared privately with Urbana Police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To remain completely anonymous, anyone can submit information to Crime Stoppers at 217-373-8477, online at 373tips.com or on the P3 Tips app. Crime Stoppers will pay cash rewards of $5,000 for tips that lead to arrests in a homicide case, $2,500 for information leading to an arrest in a felony crime involving a firearm and up to $1,000 for tips leading to arrests for any other crime. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. HAMLIN, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) A man has been arrested after more than $4,000 in merchandise was stolen from Hamlin Liquor. Courtesy of the Jones County Jail On June 9, a burglary occurred at the store, located at 455 South Central Avenue. Police reported that they executed a search warrant the next day, leading to the arrest of 17-year-old Alexander Huerta. The Hamlin Police Department extends its sincere thanks to the citizens who came forward with information. Your support was instrumental in making the arrest and ensuring the stolen property was returned to its rightful owner, Hamlin PD shared online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All stolen items were recovered and returned to the owner. The Hamlin Police Department was assisted by the Jones County Sheriffs Office, Anson Police Department, and the Stamford 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 KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. BAGHDAD, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Wednesday voiced strong concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning of "grave consequences" of Israel's prevention of aid entry into Gaza. Al-Sudani made the remarks during a meeting with ambassadors of the European Union countries to Iraq and ambassadors of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, according to a statement issued by his media office. "We must all recognize the grave consequences of the continued suffering of the Palestinian people," he said. As for the indirect nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran, he expressed his hope that the negotiations would lead to a balanced and just agreement, noting that "escalation will not resolve this issue." Al-Sudani also reaffirmed Iraq's continued support for the "brotherly" people of Syria, calling on the Syrian leadership to "pursue an inclusive political process based on the principle of citizenship." Iraq is fulfilling its regional role through legal, diplomatic, and humanitarian channels while remaining keen to avoid involvement in any conflict, he added. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) South Johnson City is slated for a couple of highly visible stormwater projects in the coming year that City Engineer Jason Miles says will combine infrastructure improvements with park-like settings. Johnson City budget avoids tax increase despite $28M payout One is at the upstream portion of Brush Creek, just before the creek enters a large culvert and passes under West State of Franklin Road. Its part of a much larger project involving a private developer who plans to put 800 or more apartments on the former Burlington Mill site currently home to an old building that covers the creek. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The idea is to open up Brush Creek, which currently runs underneath the existing building, make it more of like an amenity, Miles told News Channel 11 on Tuesday. With the current buildings slated for staged demolition, the developer plans a several-year project constructing five-story apartment buildings and retail on land they currently own and vacant land just downstream that the city has just deeded to the Industrial Development Board. McKinley Road here will eventually be realigned to run through the development and tie into Antioch (Road) at West Walnut, Miles said as he stood near the creek. The city has committed to a $4.5 million bond to fund its portion of the road improvements and the stormwater work. The developer will also contribute to some of the roadwork, which will include a new light at Walnut and Antioch and additional lanes on Walnut from State of Franklin to Textile Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement $2 million of the total borrowed will be paid back out of the citys stormwater fund, Miles said. Along with King Creek, Brush Creek has contributed to historic flooding problems in Johnson Citys downtown. We want to ensure that we create enough creek and stormwater capacity to help alleviate problems downstream and at the same time not create problems here on the site, so theres a lot of calculations that go into this and consideration for how much capacity do we need, he said. But, as the city has with previous stormwater projects, which are funded by a monthly fee on residents water/sewer bills, the project will aim to create the kind of environment that makes people want to stroll or sit by the water. Founders and King Commons parks downtown are examples of that approach. The idea is to create that type of amenity for the public to enjoy and certainly for the residents here, Miles said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said design work is underway for the infrastructure improvements, and the developer has pulled a demolition permit for the current building, which will take place incrementally in hopes of avoiding displacement of current tenants but should start by early fall. Design work for the road improvements should be done by spring 2026, and Miles gave 18 months as a ballpark estimate for construction. Meanwhile, another project will put a cherry on top of the massive West Walnut Corridor redevelopment and is budgeted for the year that begins July 1. This one, funded by a $3.3 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), will put a souped-up stormwater detention pond in the space between State of Franklin and Walnut just east of Cherokee Street the former Harman Ice property. The city submitted final plans in late May, and TDEC requires full completion of the project by the end of September 2026. Miles said once the city gets construction approval, the space will begin taking on an entirely different look. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its going to give people a nice walking space to be off of the main road, he said. Nice natural area. Therell be a fountain as part of that project as well. So I think itll be a nice place of respite, you know, for people to kind of walk through there and appreciate a little bit of nature around them without the sort of the concrete jungle here, which is typical of downtown areas. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Up to 400 jobs are at risk after a bus manufacturer announced plans to move operations to England. Alexander Dennis, which has factories in Falkirk and Larbert, said it was considering moving manufacturing to a site in Scarborough. The plans would see work at the Falkirk site discontinued, while the Larbert site would be closed after current contracts are completed. The company said it was facing strong competition from Chinese electric bus manufacturers whose share of the market had risen from 10% to 35%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alexander Dennis, which manufactures single and double decker buses, said the new proposed structure would lower costs and increase efficiency. The firm's president and managing director Paul Davies said: "We must take significant action to drive efficiency to allow our operating model to be competitive. "It is extremely regrettable that as part of this, we must place jobs at potential risk of redundancy and propose to cease manufacturing operations at some of our facilities." He said the firm, which is now owned by Canadian parent company NFI Group, was extremely proud of its history in the UK which dates back to 1895. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But he said that change was needed to encourage customers to invest in UK-based manufacturing. He continued: "The stark reality is that current UK policy does not allow for the incentivisation or reward of local content, job retention and creation, nor does it encourage any domestic economic benefit." The consultation puts up to 400 roles at Alexander Dennis at potential risk of redundancy, around 22% of the company's whole workforce. The company employs 1,850 people in the UK, with its biggest plant in Larbert. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said the government had "engaged extensively" with the company in recent weeks in an attempt to mitigate the need for redundancies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said: "This will be a hugely worrying time for the workforce at Alexander Dennis, their families and the wider community. "The Scottish government will continue to explore any and all options throughout the consultation period to allow the firm to retain their hard-working employees and manufacturing and production facilities at Falkirk and Larbert." One of the biggest recent orders was for Greater Manchester's Bee Network [PA Media] Scottish Labour accused the Scottish government of "selling out" workers saying out of 252 potential orders from the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund buses, only 44 were awarded to Alexander Dennis. A much bigger order, for 254 electric buses, came for the Bee Network in Greater Manchester. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scottish Labour MP for Falkirk, Euan Stainbank, said: "The reality is the company has not had a consistent pipeline of work because the SNP has been selling out Scottish workers by buying too many buses from abroad. "Greater Manchester bought more than five times as many buses from Alexander Dennis in Falkirk than the entire Scottish government scheme to date. "That is an astonishing industrial failure from the SNP." Scottish Secretary Ian Murray called on the Scottish government to provide a furlough scheme to fund wages in Falkirk while discussions took place with the firm alternatives to closure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Scottish Conservatives urged both UK and Scottish ministers to outline how they would support the area and its workforce. Central Scotland MSP Graham Simpson said: "Our bus market is being taken over by low-cost Chinese imports and we need to see action to end this scandal immediately." The company's connection with Falkirk dates back to 1901 when Walter Alexander opened a cycle shop in Camelon, before he started operating local bus services and excursions. The company started manufacturing vans and fire engines in the early 1900's but soon switched its attention to building buses and it now specialises in electric and hybrid buses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2019, the firm was sold to the NFI group for 320m. At the the time Stagecoach founders Sir Brian Souter and Dame Ann Gloag owned more than half the Falkirk-based company. In 2020, the company cut 650 jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Another 160 jobs were put at risk in September 2024 after the company said contracts were "disproportionately benefitting" foreign competitors with lower labour costs. Forty-two men were flown to Alaska on Monday for detainment after they were arrested outside of the state by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Alaska Department of Corrections is now holding 40 men after two were transferred, agency spokesperson Betsy Holley told News from the States. These men were taken in under an existing contract for federal detainees, and the department will receive $223.70 per man per day, Alaska Deputy DOC Commissioner April Wilkerson told Alaska Public Media. Wilkerson expects theyll be kept there for a month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not clear where the men were arrested and held before this weekend. The Independent has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for more information. Anchorage immigration attorney Nicolas Olano said at least some of the inmates are being held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, which he described as having very poor conditions. He said the men would be better off at the next-closest immigration facility in Tacoma, Washington. The Anchorage Correctional Complex, where some of the 42 men flown to Alaska after being arrested by ICE are being held (Alaska Department of Corrections) The food is terrible, and the medical attention is subpar, Olano told Alaska Public Media. This is different, and I'm not saying that it's a great camp, but my understanding of what the clients have told me, the treatment, the food, the space in the facilities, are much better in Tacoma. Olano added that Alaska has a shortage of interpreters. He said this move was unusual and unlike anything he has seen in his ten years as an attorney in Alaska. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alaska Department of Corrections spokesperson Betsy Holley told The Independent the 40 men are receiving the same standard of care, attention, and services as any other individuals in our custody. Cynthia Gachupin, a victims' rights advocate with the organization Victims for Justice, says shes concerned about how families will get information about where these men are being held. A lot of these families dont know where their family members are, Gachupin told News from the States. And now, if theyre moving and moving and moving them, like how are they going to get in contact with them? Its just really wrong, I think morally as human to human, I dont think under any reason we should be treating people that way, she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This comes amid President Donald Trumps crackdown on immigration. In a recent escalation, his administration is reportedly preparing to send thousands of undocumented migrants to Guantanamo Bay as soon as this week. The Trump administration is expected to send thousands of undocumented migrants to Guantanamo Bay (pictured) (U.S. Navy/AFN Guantanamo Bay Public Affairs) Los Angeles protestors launched a major demonstration against Trumps immigration policies over the weekend. Trump aide Stephen Miller called the protesters insurrectionists, while the president deployed thousands of military personnel to clamp down on the demonstration. Trump also said he would support arresting Newsom on Monday. California leaders responded Tuesday by suing the administration for deploying the National Guard. The protest was reportedly sparked by White House aide Stephen Millers call to ICE officials demanding they ramp up arrests after falling short of Trumps goal to carry out record-breaking deportations. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Another state prison offender has died. History of the Falls Park Farmers Market Nicholas Skorka, age 42, passed away at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls on Wednesday, a news release from the Department of Corrections said. At the time of his death, Skorka was serving sentences for second-degree escape, receiving/transferring a stolen vehicle, and grand theft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Skorka is the tenth inmate to die in DOC custody this year. The Attorney Generals office will investigate Skorkas death. An autopsy has been orderd for Thursday, a news release from the AGs office said. DCI will do a thorough investigation, and we will determine what additional action is needed pending the results of that investigation, said Attorney General Jackley in a news release. DCI is investigating the deaths of four prison inmates that have occurred since February. More details will be made available when the investigations are completed, according to the AGs news 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 KELOLAND.com. TOPEKA (KSNT) Topeka leaders are revisiting possible changes to citys diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies to hold onto around $45 million in federal funding. The City of Topeka Policy and Finance Committee met on June 10 and approved amended recommendations that would strike down the citys affirmative action programs. Topeka is currently at risk of losing $45 million in federal dollars if it doesnt comply with the guidelines set by the administration of President Donald Trump. If the government doesnt feel like affirmative action should be in any of our contracts, and they wont give us any of that funding because of it, we adjust and go from there, said Topeka City Councilman for District 6 Marcus Miller. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Topeka motel could disappear with $15 million project The City of Topekas legal team went back and adjusted the language of the original proposal to address councilmember concerns. City Attorney Amanda Stanley briefed members of the Policy and Finance Committee on the proposed changes at Tuesdays meeting. The committee voted unanimously to approve the changes and send the issue back to the full governing body for consideration. Some affirmative action language may be adjusted a little bit but we are, as a city, as a counsel, continue to support everyone who is in our community regardless of their race, sex, religion, doesnt matter at all, Miller said. City leaders began discussing this issue earlier this year. The city relies on the federal funding for services related to affordable housing, homelessness, domestic violence and infrastructure. The Topeka City Council voted unanimously on May 6 to defer the issue, sending it to the Policy and Finance Committee for review. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The full governing body is set to vote on the issue at its June 17 meeting. Topeka strip club owner indicted for machine gun possession 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. 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. The US Army announced on Tuesday that it plans to restore the names of seven bases that previously honored Confederate leaders. The names being brought back are: Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee. Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the secretary of the Navy to rename the oiler ship USNS Harvey Milk, which had honored the gay rights activist and Navy veteran who was assassinated in 1978. Its not yet known if other ships will also be targeted for renaming, although such a move would be in line with Hegseths aim of eliminating any diversity, equity and inclusion content in the DoD. Heres what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. 1. LA protests Police made dozens of arrests overnight in a 1 square mile area of downtown Los Angeles where an emergency curfew was enacted. LA Mayor Karen Bass announced the 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on Tuesday after 23 businesses were looted during earlier protests against the Trump administrations immigration crackdown. According to the LAPD, nearly 200 people were arrested even before the curfew began. Demonstrations also took place in cities across the US, including Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York City, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Seattle. Ahead of more planned protests this weekend, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has announced the deployment of the Texas National Guard to various locations in the state. The Republican governor said on X that the Guard will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order. 2. FEMA President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he plans to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency after this years hurricane season. He added that the federal government will distribute less aid for disaster recovery and that the funding will come directly from his office. We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level, Trump told reporters during a briefing in the Oval Office, later saying, A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they cant handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldnt be governor. Due to hiring freezes, workforce reductions and funding cuts, FEMA has entered the hurricane season understaffed and underprepared. According to federal and state emergency managers, most states do not have the budget or personnel to handle catastrophic disasters on their own. 3. Tariffs A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that President Trumps heftiest tariffs may remain in place while legal challenges play out and placed the cases on a fast track for resolution this summer. The decision came after the Trump administration appealed the Court of International Trades ruling finding the president exceeded his authority to impose country-wide tariffs, claiming a national emergency. In other tariff news, the US and China have agreed to a framework to implement a trade truce, officials said. While neither side disclosed details of the deal, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that the countries had agreed to roll back export controls on certain goods and technologies, according to Reuters. Officials will now take the proposal back to their leaders for approval. 4. Gun laws When the Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that the Second Amendment applies to local governments, some states tightened restrictions on guns and others weakened them. A new study shows that over the next 13 years, thousands more children died from firearm violence than earlier trends would have predicted and all of the increase happened in states that had more permissive gun laws. In half of the states with strict firearm laws California, Maryland, New York and Rhode Island researchers noted a decrease in pediatric firearm mortality. Today, firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens in the US. 5. Pesticides The Dirty Dozen list is back, and there are some new additions to note before your next trip to the grocery store or farmers market. The annual report, created by the Environmental Working Group, is compiled from the latest government testing data on nonorganic produce. Of the 47 items included in the analysis, these 12 fruits and vegetables were the most contaminated with pesticides: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 1. Spinach 2. Strawberries 3. Kale, collard and mustard greens 4. Grapes 5. Peaches 6. Cherries 7. Nectarines 8. Pears 9. Apples 10. Blackberries 11. Blueberries 12. Potatoes The EWG also compiled its annual Clean Fifteen list of produce that contains the least amount of pesticide residue. The goal of the lists is not to discourage consumers from eating healthy fruits and vegetables, but to help them make informed decisions on whether to buy organic and reduce pesticide exposure. BREAKFAST BROWSE To be or not to 23andMe Dozens of states have sued the genetic testing company to challenge its sale of more than 15 million DNA profiles. Summer McIntoshs super summer The Canadian swimming phenom made history for the second time in three days by smashing a decade-old record in the 200m individual medley. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement BTS is coming back! Now that members of the K-pop supergroup are nearly finished with their mandatory military and social service duties, there are plans underway to reunite. Dress like a princess Over 100 pieces from the late Princess Dianas wardrobe will go up for auction this month. Hack your bodys sleep system Always feeling tired? Here are four things you can do to make the most of your circadian rhythm. TODAYS NUMBER 68.2 Thats about how many miles ultrarunner Will Goodge ran every day while completing his 2,387-mile run across Australia in 35 days. TODAYS QUOTE I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. Elon Musk, in a post on X early this morning, after he and Trump publicly feuded on their social media platforms last week. TODAYS WEATHER Check your local forecast here>>> AND FINALLY See the sun in a different way New tech is revealing some of the clearest images to date of the suns corona. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com DAVIESS COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) The Daviess County Sheriffs Office is investigating a pair of animal cruelty cases after roughly 50 cats were found covered in feces and urine on Monday. According to a press release, on June 9, authorities were called to a home on the 10,000 block of Kentucky Highway 56 as well as a home in the 500 block of Sycamore Street to investigate reports of animal cruelty and neglect. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the home on KY 56, animal control officers found approximately 50 cats living there with inadequate food and water. ACOs described the home as unsanitary and riddled with animal feces and urine. Cat hoarding and neglect (It Takes A Village) Cat hoarding and neglect (It Takes A Village) Cat hoarding and neglect (It Takes A Village) Cat hoarding and neglect (It Takes A Village) Cat hoarding and neglect (It Takes A Village) Cat hoarding and neglect (It Takes A Village) Cat hoarding and neglect (It Takes A Village) Cat hoarding and neglect (It Takes A Village) Cat hoarding and neglect (It Takes A Village) Cat hoarding and neglect (It Takes A Village) In the release, officials said the cats were showing signs of neglect, and some were near death. The cats were taken to It Takes A Village animal rescue in Owensboro for treatment. The animal rescue took to Facebook to ask for donations, foster homes, and possible cat adoption. DCSO said the homeowners were charged with second-degree cruelty to animals. According to the release, 22 dogs lived in unsanitary conditions at the Sycamore Street home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more of the latest Kentucky news Investigators claimed that the dogs were showing signs of neglect, and the area wasnt large enough for that many dogs. In the press release, the sheriffs office claimed the homeowner was issued a criminal summons concerning a previous animal cruelty investigation. Authorities said that the investigation is ongoing and charges are pending. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Indiana Historical Bureau, housed within the Indiana State Library in downtown Indianapolis, saw five of its six staff members laid off this week amid statewide budget cuts. The bureau oversees the State Historical Marker Program and other public history initiatives. (Photo courtesy the Indiana State Library) Indiana agencies have laid off dozens of state employees in response to recently enacted budget cuts marking the first such reductions since Gov. Mike Braun signed the states new, slimmed down spending plan last month. The governors office confirmed that agencies under both the education and commerce verticals announced staff reductions on Tuesday. The Indiana State Museum also let go of several employees last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State officials attributed the layoffs to the new state budget, which slashed operations funding for most agencies. Courtney Bearsch, a spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Education, confirmed on Wednesday that 39 employees across four education-related agencies have so far been notified of a Reduction in Force (RIF). Those layoffs included: 16 employees at the Indiana State Library 14 at the Indiana School for the Deaf 6 at the Department of Education 3 at the Commission for Higher Education In the final days of the legislative session, our states leaders had to adjust the final budget to account for an over $2 billion budget shortfall. Like most agencies across state government, agencies within the education vertical saw budget reductions, Bearsch told the Indiana Capital Chronicle. In response, we have had to make difficult decisions regarding our agencies operations to adjust to the realities of a much tighter budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But cuts to agency funding predates the late-session budget shortfall. Brauns draft spending plan released in January cut appropriations for the state library by nearly 30%, from roughly $3.7 million a year in the last biennial budget to around $2.6 million. Original drafts of the budget similarly pitched nearly $1 million in cuts for the Indiana School for the Deaf. Both proposed cuts were retained in the final version of the two-year spending plan. Deep cuts within education vertical Some of the deepest cuts so far appear to be at the Indiana Historical Bureau, a division of the Indiana State Library. Five of the bureaus six staffers were let go Tuesday afternoon without advance notice, affected employees told the Capital Chronicle. That leaves just one person to run the office, which manages 750 community-funded markers across Indiana as part of the State Historical Marker Program, in addition to various other public history initiatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An additional 43 positions across the education vertical will remain unfilled, for a combined estimated savings of $6.9 million in salary and benefits, Bearsch said. This is not something that was taken lightly, and we are grateful for the work of each of these colleagues to serve our agencies and Hoosiers, she continued. Each agencys unique budget and respective reductions determined the staffing adjustments needed. When possible, agencies prioritized not filling vacant positions, as well as leveraging other funding streams, rather than reducing current staffing levels. In the commerce vertical, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) eliminated eight positions this week as part of a 12-person reduction in workforce across the vertical, said IEDC spokesperson Erin Sweitzer. Three additional layoffs were recorded at the Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC), and one from the Governors Workforce Cabinet. Those layoffs followed earlier reductions driven by natural employee attrition totaling 49 positions since January. Sweitzer said 89 employees remain at the IEDC and eight at the IDDC. Altogether, the changes are expected to save $7.4 million annually $1.5 million of which comes from this weeks cuts and align the agency more closely with Brauns strategic priorities, including workforce development and regional economic growth. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The staffing shakeups follow sharp reductions to some agency budgets. The states next two-year spending plan was approved by Indiana lawmakers in April then signed by Braun in May and will take effect July 1. The IEDCs operational and programmatic budget was cut by about 25%, from nearly $100 million in the last state budget to about $74 million per year. The state librarys annual appropriation dropped from roughly $3.7 million to $2.6 million, and the state museums from $11.2 million to $10.6 million. Layoffs affect employees statewide The total number of state employees affected by layoffs remains unclear. But state data shows that the overall state workforce has already been shrinking in recent months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Indiana Transparency Portal, the number of state employees fell from 32,212 in December 2024 to 31,513 as of June 10 a drop of almost 700 workers. Ivy Tech Community College recently announced it will lay off 202 employees statewide as it responds to significant cuts in state funding and frozen tuition rates. And Brauns administration last week directed agencies to withhold additional funds on top of 5% budget cuts already built into the $44 billion biennial budget passed by the Republican-led General Assembly in April. The governor and other state officials have described the reductions as fiscally responsible and necessary for long-term stability. Democrats and other critics have warned, though, that the cuts are likely to interrupt or end numerous public services and state programs. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX An 18th Century painting described as "the finest portrait by one of Britain's greatest artists" has gone on display in Bradford. Valued at 50m, Portrait of Mai by Sir Joshua Reynolds is on show at the city's Cartwright Hall, in Manningham. The painting, which depicts the first Polynesian to visit Britain, is touring the country for the first time since it was saved for the nation in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Portrait Gallery said the artwork was the "most significant acquisition ever made" and would be shared between galleries in the UK and the US. Mai was a native of Raiatea, an island now part of French Polynesia. He travelled to England as part of Captain James Cook's second voyage and was received by royalty and the intellectual elite between 1774 and 1776. After embarking on a grand tour of Britain, Mai became something of a celebrity and had his portrait painted in London. Mai returned to his homeland in 1777, where he died two years later. Portrait of Mai will be shared between UK and US galleries [Getty Images] During its time in Bradford, Portrait of Mai will be accompanied by a new engagement programme, created with youth panel members from Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and young people from Common/Wealth theatre company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A summit, led and arranged by young people, will take place on 9 August and a late museum event is being organised for 14 August, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Miranda Stacey, Head of National Partnerships at the National Portrait Gallery, said: "We are delighted to be launching Journeys with Mai in Bradford during its important UK City of Culture year." She thanked supporters for making their portraits accessible to people across the UK. It will be on show at Cartwright Hall until 17 August before going on display in Cambridge and Plymouth before it travels to the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles in 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Related Internet links More on this story Sign up for CNNs Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Scientists studying ancient human remains uncovered in Colombia have found that the people they were researching have no known ancestors or modern descendants. In a study published May 30 in the journal Science Advances, a team of researchers reported on the genetic data of 21 individuals whose skeletal remains were found in the Bogota Altiplano in central Colombia, some of whom lived as long as 6,000 years ago, that belonged to a previously unknown population. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Previous studies have proven the existence of two lineages, northern Native American and southern Native American, which developed after people first arrived on the continent across an ice bridge from Siberia and started to move south. The latter split into at least three sub-lineages whose movements have been traced in South America, but scientists have not yet ascertained when the first people would have moved from Central America to South America. The study helps to map the movements of the first settlers, who would have been nomadic hunter-gatherers, study author Andrea Casas Vargas, a researcher at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, told CNN on Wednesday, but it also found that they have unique DNA. Casas Vargas said the team were very surprised to find that the remains did not share DNA with other people in the genetic record. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We did not expect to find a lineage that had not been reported in other populations, she said. Casas Vargas underlined that Colombias position as the entry point to South America makes it significant to our understanding of the population of the Americas. This study is very important because it is the first to sequence complete genomes in ancient samples from Colombia, she said, The results raise questions as to where they came from and why they disappeared, said Casas Vargas. We are not certain what happened at that time that caused their disappearance, whether it was due to environmental changes, or if they were replaced by other population groups, she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Further research will hopefully provide some answers, said Casas Vargas. Our next investigations will look for other archaeological remains from other regions of the country and analyze them at the genetic level and complement this first discovery, she said. Christina Warinner, a professor of scientific archaeology at Harvard University, told CNN that Colombia is a key region for understanding the peopling of South America but until now it has been a blank spot in ancient DNA studies of the Americas. This study highlights the deep history of population migration and mixing in the formation todays populations, and points to Central America as a key region that influenced the development of complex societies in both North and South America, she added. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com HELSINKI, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Zhang Qingwei, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China, led a delegation to Iceland from Sunday to Wednesday at the invitation of the Icelandic parliament, aiming to deepen ties and enhance exchanges between the two countries. During the visit, Zhang met with Icelandic President Halla Tomasdottir and held talks with Thorunn Sveinbjarnardottir, speaker of the Icelandic parliament. Zhang emphasized that China-Iceland relations are progressing well, with fruitful cooperation across various sectors. He said China is ready to work with Iceland to implement the important consensus reached by the two countries' leaders and to further advance pragmatic cooperation. China's parliament, the NPC, is ready to enhance friendly exchanges and share governance experience with its Icelandic counterpart, thereby contributing to the economic and social development of both countries and promoting stronger bilateral ties, Zhang noted. He also briefed the Icelandic side on China's development of whole-process people's democracy. The Icelandic side spoke highly of the Iceland-China relations and China's development achievements, expressing willingness to enhance high-level and parliamentary exchanges with China, and to deepen cooperation in economy and trade, geothermal energy, and culture. They also affirmed their readiness to jointly address global climate change and safeguard world peace. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) Brace yourself for more of those orange traffic cones on the freeway more temporary inconveniences in the name of greater, permanent convenience. The California Transportation Commission will meet June 26 27 to finalize a committee recommendation that Kern County receives almost $40 million from an $810 million state fund. KGET reported last week about the commissions recommendation to apportion $39.9 million to the local project. The anticipated funding, which would supplement $25 million in already-committed dollars, would allow Caltrans to add a new leg to the Centennial Corridor southbound 99 to westbound 58. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats according to the Kern Council of Governments, the local transportation planning organization. If it receives final approval, the $65 million project would not begin until mid-2027 and would take about two years to complete. In turn, navigating the states ninth-largest city would get a whole lot easier. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) An iced beverage company is looking to expand its presence in the Miami Valley with a location in southern Montgomery County. According to Miamisburg Planning Commission Meeting agenda for June 18, 7-Brew is looking to open a location at 310 N. Springboro Pike in Miamisburg. 7-Brew is best-known for menu items like iced coffee, tea, lemonade and energy drinks, and operates in a drive-thru style. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AutoZone eyes new location in Sugarcreek Township City zoning documents show the property is classified as GB-1, general business. The property was previously used as a medical office, and has sat vacant for a number of years. In recent months, 7-Brew has opened area locations in Beavercreek, Springboro and Springfield. Another location is expected to be constructed on Old Troy Pike in Huber Heights. The companys application is expected to be discussed during the meeting. To attend, visit the city council chambers at 10 N. First St. in Miamisburg. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NEED TO KNOW Several bombings and firearm attacks took place in south-western Colombia, resulting in the deaths of five civilians and two police officers on June 10, the Colombian Police Department announced in a release At least 28 people were also injured in the attacks The attacks were reportedly carried out by illegal armed groups using four vehicles filled with explosives At least seven people have died and 28 people have been injured in a series of bombings and firearm attacks near police stations in Colombia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, June 10, numerous bomb attacks took place in Cauca and Valle del Cauca, killing five civilians and two police officers and injuring 28 others, the Colombian Police Department announced in a news release posted on X. Today, 24 terrorist attacks have occurred, concentrated in the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca, resulting in five civilian deaths and two police officers killed: Police Patrolman Jair Gonzalo Gurrete Bolanos in Caloto and Patrolman Duvan Andres Ramirez Cardenas in Villa Rica, Cauca, police said in the release, translated from Spanish. The police confirmed that 28 people were injured in the attacks, including 19 civilians, seven police officers, and two military personnel. Captain Juan Carlos Amaya Mendez was also confirmed to have been killed in similar attacks in Sonson, Antioquia. According to the police, the attacks were carried out by illegal armed groups using four vehicles equipped with explosives, including three motorcycle bombs, ten explosive device launches, and four firearm attacks. AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga A bus that exploded next to a police station sits on a road in Villa Rica, Cauca, Colombia, on June 10 A bus that exploded next to a police station sits on a road in Villa Rica, Cauca, Colombia, on June 10 Local media have linked some of the attacks to a faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a once-powerful guerrilla group, per BBC and NBC News. FARC-EMC is a group led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia who broke away from the group after it signed a peace deal with the government in 2016. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Valle del Cauca, 13 incidents occurred in the municipalities of Jamundi, Palmira, Buenaventura, and Cali. In Cauca, 10 terrorist acts were reported in the municipalities of Patia, Suarez, Toribio, Villa Rica, Timbiqui, Morales, Corinto, Caloto, and Buenos Aires, according to police. JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Southwest Colombia was rocked by a string of explosions that left at least seven people dead on June 10 Southwest Colombia was rocked by a string of explosions that left at least seven people dead on June 10 Photos obtained by NBC News show a police station completely burnt to the ground following a bomb attack and a burned-out bus as armed military personnel roam the area. The National Police and National Army are deploying joint operations to counter illegal activities in the area, especially against the Jaime Martinez organization operating in this region of the country, police noted. JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty A destroyed building after a car exploded in front of the City Hall in Corinto, Cauca department, Colombia, on June 10 A destroyed building after a car exploded in front of the City Hall in Corinto, Cauca department, Colombia, on June 10 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 Ministry of Defense of Colombia said in a statement translated from Spanish posted on Instagram Stories, In light of the violent events reported today in Cauca and Valle del Cauca, the National Government is strengthening coordination with local authorities to prevent further terrorist acts and locate those responsible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Government, committed to the safety and peace of all Colombians, is coordinating with the authorities of Cauca and Valle del Cauca to prevent terrorist acts and capture those responsible for the events that occurred today in these departments. The Ministry of Defense of Colombia is offering a reward of up to 300 million pesos for information that could help capture those responsible for the attacks, according to police. The attacks come just three days after an assassination attempt on Presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay. The senator was shot multiple times during an event with supporters at a public park on June 7 with the politician's wife confirming that her husband was "fighting" for his life on X. A 15-year-old, who was carrying a Glock-style pistol, has since been arrested, according to CNN and the BBC, both of which cited the local attorney general's office. The government in Colombia has struggled to contain violence as rebel groups try to take over territory abandoned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia following its peace deal with the government. Peace talks between the FARC-EMC faction and the government broke down last year after a series of attacks on indigenous communities, per NBC. The Ministry of Defense of Colombia and the Colombian Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for an update. Read the original article on People WAUSEON, Ohio An Ohio-based creamery has announced a voluntary recall due to undeclared allergens in eight of their ice cream flavors. According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Turkeyfoot Creek Creamery of Wauseon, Ohio, is recalling the following flavors of ice cream; Avalanche, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Strawberry, Chocolate Brownie Bites, Cookies and Cream, Cookie Dough, Cacao and Mocha. Massive egg recall hits Ohio Walmart stores Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The affected products are all packaged in pint containers and were distributed to six stores, located in Canton, Cleveland, West Unity, and Arlington, Ohio. As well, as two stores located out of state, with one in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the other in Hudson, Michigan, read a press release from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Young mother killed in shooting at Cleveland Metroparks Mill Creek Falls There have been no reports of illness involving products addressed in this recall, however, individuals exhibiting signs or symptoms of an allergic reaction after consuming Turkeyfoot Creek Creamery Ice Cream involved in this recall should contact a physician immediately, stated the release. All affected products have been removed from store shelves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Consumers can return recalled products to the place of purchase for a refund. Consumers with questions can call 419-583-7124. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Federal immigration authorities have deported a 9-year-old Torrance Elementary School student and his father to Honduras after the pair showed up for a routine immigration hearing last month. Martir Garcia-Banegas, 50, and his son, Martir Garcia Lara, are in the capital of Honduras, reeling from their removal of their lives in the United States. "I was scared to be here and I wanted to be with my sister," Garcia Lara told a Univision reporter in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His father arrived in the United States on July 10, 2021. He and his son were undocumented. An immigration judge ordered both the father and son to be deported to Honduras on Sept. 1, 2022, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The father appealed the decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals on Aug. 11, 2023, but the appeal was dismissed. The two did not leave the country as ordered by the immigration judge. Before his last court hearing in the United States, Garcia-Banegas said he got the impression that something was going to happen that day. "I have a feeling they're going to deport me. I can't leave my son," he told Univision. "I'm going to take him with me. I got up early that morning, took a shower and everything to get ready." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: ICE expands immigration raids into California's agricultural heartland On May 29, the boy and his father were detained at a federal courthouse in Los Angeles. The two were then transferred the following day to a federal immigration facility in Dilley, Texas, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson. "They are being cruel to people," Garcia-Banegas said about the treatment of undocumented people by the U.S. government. "Right now, people are behaving. If you look, you see things that are not [humane] things." Before it was clear what exactly happened to the boy and his father, the Torrance community scrambled to find answers. Members of the Torrance Elementary School PTA asked local officials for support to return the boy home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garcia Lara has attended the school since he was in the first grade. "I want to see my friends again, who are everything to me," the boy told Univision. For days, parents and community members only had partial information about the boy's whereabouts. Were all searching for answers, Torrance Elementary PTA volunteer Ria Villanueva told The Times before it was revealed that Garcia-Banegas and his son would be deported. When something like this happens, it shakes all of us in the community. Theres not a child at our school that we dont treat as our own. Garcia-Banegas has an older son, who is about to graduate from high school in Los Angeles. His son Kevin arrived in California from Honduras about nine months after his father and younger brother. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garcia-Banegas and his younger son will remain in Honduras, but Kevin remains in the United States with his aunt, according to reporting from Univision. He recently applied for a juvenile visa with the help from an immigration attorney. "It hurts that Kevin stayed there and he's already grown up, but it hurts all of me," the father 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. Editors Note: The above video is from a June 10, 2025, news conference regarding the Austin anti-ICE protest. AUSTIN (KXAN) On Tuesday night, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he would deploy the Texas National Guard to locations across the state. Mayor: TX National Guard on standby to assist DPS during protests in Austin In a social media post Tuesday, Abbott said the deployment was to ensure peace & order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peaceful protest is legal, Abbott said. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. Thursday, Abbott specified that more than 5,000 Texas National Guard soldiers have been strategically positioned to bolster state and local law enforcement response to any criminal activity. He added more than 2,000 Department of Public Safety troopers, including special agents and Texas Rangers, will join the thousands of troopers already stationed throughout the state to respond if needed. On Wednesday morning, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson confirmed: The City of Austin has been notified that the National Guard will be prepared to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety on Saturday, if deemed necessary. RELATED | National Guard deployment not Abbotts first for protests Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The San Antonio Police Department also confirmed Abbott sent members of the National Guard to San Antonio; however, it did not provide any additional details about the deployment. KXAN reached out to Abbotts office before the announcement. Andrew Mahaleris, Press Secretary at the Office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, provided the following statement. The State of Texas stands ready to deploy all necessary personnel and resources to uphold law and order across our state. Texas National Guard soldiers are on standby in areas where mass demonstrations are planned in case they are needed, Mahaleris said. Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles. Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be swiftly held accountable to the full extent of the law. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Longtime ABC News correspondent Terry Moran is out of job after he made a social media post critical of President Donald Trump and White House Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. The network announced Tuesday that Morans contract would not be renewed. We are at the end of our agreement with Terry Moran and based on his recent post which was a clear violation of ABC News policies we have made the decision to not renew, the network said in a statement. At ABC News, we hold all of our reporters to the highest standards of objectivity, fairness and professionalism, and we remain committed to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morans ouster is another victory for a White House that has aggressively pushed back against critics of Trump and his administration, which welcomed the removal of the ABC News correspondent. The network suspended Moran on Sunday after he wrote and later deleted the social media post, which was critical of both Trump and Miller, whom he called a world-class hater. Trump allies seized on Morans post, accusing him and the network of bias against the Trump administration. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called for Moran to be held accountable. Reacting to reports of ABC not renewing Morans contract on Tuesday, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung welcomed the news. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Talk shit, get hit, he wrote on X. The incident adds another win for a White House that has aggressively attacked mainstream media outlets for their coverage of the president. A federal appeals court partially upheld a Trump administration attempt to ban the Associated Press from covering events at the White House. Trump is currently suing CBS for $20 billion over the networks 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, Trumps opponent in the 2024 election. CBS is reportedly considering settling the lawsuit. In December, ABC News and its anchor George Stephanopoulos settled a lawsuit with Trump in which they were forced to pay the president $15 million after he accused Stephanopoulos of libel. Moran joined ABC News in 1997. He co-anchored Nightline from 2005 to 2013 before working as the networks chief foreign correspondent for five years. He interviewed Trump in April as part of a special marking the first 100 days of the new administration. ABC News says it will not renew the contract of veteran journalist Terry Moran after he authored a social media post sharply criticizing President Trump and top White House aide Stephen Miller. We are at the end of our agreement with Terry Moran and based on his recent post which was a clear violation of ABC News policies we have made the decision to not renew, a spokesperson for the network told The Hill on Tuesday. At ABC News, we hold all of our reporters to the highest standards of objectivity, fairness and professionalism, and we remain committed to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism, the spokesperson added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moran was suspended by the network over the weekend for his post on the social platform X in which he called Miller a world-class hater and said you can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate. In the since-deleted post, Moran also criticized the president, saying he too is a world-class hater and adding that his hatred only a means to an end, and that end [is] his own glorification. Thats his spiritual nourishment. Morans post enraged the West Wing, which called on the Disney-owned network to punish the journalist. Almost immediately once Morans ouster was made public, White House director of communications Steven Cheung celebrated the news, writing in an X post: Talk s. Get hit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morans ouster comes as Trump and his allies in government are ratcheting up pressure on broadcast news networks over their coverage of him and threatening to use executive power to crack down on coverage they say is unfair to his administration. Trump has called out ABC News specifically several times in recent weeks, suggesting the Federal Communications Commission scrutinize its broadcast license. The network late last year agreed to pay Trump $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit out of court stemming from an incorrect statement made by anchor George Stephanopoulos during a broadcast claiming Trump had been convicted of sexual assault. Moran has worked for ABC News for more than two decades and is based in Washington, D.C., having served in a variety of roles for the network. 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. ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) An Abilene man accused of a child sex crime has been arrested. Thomas Mendoza was booked into the Taylor county Jail last week for Indecency with a Child in connection to the allegations. Court documents reveal the investigation began in March when a child victim made an outcry against Mendoza, saying he physically and sexually abused her. During a subsequent interview about the allegations, the documents state this child described an incident where Mendoza touched her inappropriately several years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mendoza was released from jail after posting a $40,000 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 KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. U.S. servicemembers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina appeared to express solidarity with Donald Trump during his speech at the military base on Tuesday, booing as the president attacked leading Democrats and the media. The boos erupted as Trump, without evidence, accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of having paid troublemakers, agitators and insurrectionists to protest his administrations ongoing immigration raids. Trump has deployed thousands of National Guard troops in response to the protests, a reaction thats been dubbed as massively overblown by critics. Trump goads the troops into booing California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass and attacks them as "incompetent" pic.twitter.com/mUCOS3aG4L Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 10, 2025 Boos also rang out when Trump lashed out at what he called the fake news and media outlets that report on him critically. Trump goads the troops at Fort Bragg into booing "the fake news" covering the event pic.twitter.com/lVKuefn9Hb Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 10, 2025 The reaction from the troops sparked anger on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics slammed the divisive, partisan rhetoric as unbecoming during an address to the military: The troops booing sent a chill down my spine. Were in a really scary place now. https://t.co/hnRwXcXxkM Sam Youngman (@samyoungman) June 10, 2025 Absolutely despicable actions by these soldiers. Shameful. https://t.co/5Q1yGrwlev Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) June 10, 2025 We should never let ourselves get desensitized to this. It cant be overstated how outrageously unpresidential and un-American it is for Donald Trump to speak to the US military like theyre his partisan personal army. https://t.co/eO0GJityzG Ahmed Baba (@AhmedBaba_) June 10, 2025 It's genuinely fucking appalling that he goads members of the military into booing their former Commander in Chief. Staggering lack of professionalism from the troops and flagrant disrespect of our country and the oaths they swore https://t.co/UcoSJCuL6D The okayest poster there is (@ok_post_guy) June 10, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dear God. Soldiers at Fort Bragg booing the media, President Biden, Governor Newsom anyone Trump targets. This kind of partisan behavior in uniform used to be grounds for discipline. Now? Itll probably be rewarded. This isnt just sick. Its dangerous. Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) June 10, 2025 I will turn 50 in a couple of weeks. Never in my entire life have I watched a president encourage soldiers to boo a former commander-in-chief and make defense of our republic a partisan issue. Until today. Its disgusting. Sarah Moore (@shmoore75) June 10, 2025 Today, the president of the United States threatened to use force against peaceful protestors and turned American soldiers into a partisan political audience booing and jeering his enemies. This country is in a very dark place. Michael Freeman (@michaelpfreeman) June 10, 2025 POTUS pointing to the free and plural press with the military as a backdrop while encouraging boos through a derogatory, discrediting term for the press is antithetical to democracy and what our nation stands for. So disappointed in all involved. It has consequences abroad, too. https://t.co/Fvlemjrc0n Jason Kint (@jason_kint) June 10, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I warned about this years ago. Trump targets journalists and signals this to young troops. It's the opposite of how respected 4-star leaders have respected and worked with the free press. 4-star generals have apologized to me directly for careless speech that does the same. https://t.co/WPuQdhtpfT Kevin Baron (@DefenseBaron) June 10, 2025 Once again, deeply worried about the politicization of our Armed Forces, and concerned that this causes deeper damage to the U.S. military down the line than is immediately obvious. This is not how any president should talk to the troops. Our troops serve regardless of party. https://t.co/Ciox6yScpT Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) June 10, 2025 This is the most unacceptable and egregious politicization of our troops weve ever seen. And its not a one off. Its a strategy. And one well see in full and dangerous display this weekend at his military birthday parade for himself. Trump wants the world to think our https://t.co/QB2V8QFkGU Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) June 10, 2025 Trump, at Fort Bragg, just had the soldiers behind him boo the news media, Biden, Newsom, Bass, and men playing in womens sports while renaming Army bases back to great loyal Americans like Robert E. Lee. So now the nations soldiers are just props for an authoritarian Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) June 10, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont easily come back from this. The guardrails of decency, always too thin as it was, are gone. And many of our neighbors will not stand up for you or me or others. Troops booing the media at the goading of the president. We dont come back easily from this. https://t.co/v7rBOoOlkS Patrick Skinner (@SkinnerPm) June 10, 2025 Nothing like teeing up a little authoritarianism like having the army behind you booing the press. Even booing Biden, their previous Commander in Chief. Disgraceful behavior. Kimberly (@KimberlySuth) June 10, 2025 Related... Guo Degang (L), founder of the Chinese crosstalk troupe De Yun She and one of China's most well-known crosstalk performers, and Yu Qian, Guo's long-time stage partner, perform in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on June 10, 2025. Chinese crosstalk troupe De Yun She held a special performance in Tanzania's Dar es Salaam on Tuesday night, drawing a crowd of over 1,200 spectators. (Xinhua/Emmanuel Herman) DAR ES SALAAM, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese crosstalk troupe De Yun She held a special performance in Tanzania's Dar es Salaam on Tuesday night, drawing a crowd of over 1,200 spectators. "This is my first time in Africa, and the first time De Yun She has set foot on the continent," said Guo Degang, founder of the troupe and one of China's most well-known crosstalk performers. De Yun She is credited with promoting the art of xiangsheng, or crosstalk comedy, a traditional Chinese comedic form that combines witty dialogue, wordplay, storytelling and satire. Typically performed by two people, xiangsheng relies heavily on linguistic nuance and cultural references, making overseas performances both challenging and meaningful. "Crosstalk is deeply rooted in the Chinese language," Guo said. "But its charm and stage presence resonate globally. Art knows no borders. The joy of the Chinese people deserves to be seen and heard around the world." Guo's long-time stage partner, Yu Qian, said the essence of crosstalk lies in both tradition and innovation. "We blend traditional techniques with contemporary content, delivering it to audiences across cultures. This performance in Africa is not just a cultural exchange, but an emotional connection." The Dar es Salaam show was the second stop on the troupe's first-ever tour of Africa. According to Guo, De Yun She began its overseas tours in 2010 and has since performed in countries across Asia, North America and Europe. The African tour began in Johannesburg, South Africa, before arriving in Tanzania. The performance in Dar es Salaam received an enthusiastic response. Lang Yifu, a young Chinese working in Tanzania, said the event was a cultural feast delivered to his doorstep. "It is not just a show. It is a bridge of cultural connection, helping us feel the warmth of home even when we are far away," he added. Performers from Chinese crosstalk troupe De Yun She perform in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on June 10, 2025. Chinese crosstalk troupe De Yun She held a special performance in Tanzania's Dar es Salaam on Tuesday night, drawing a crowd of over 1,200 spectators. (Xinhua/Emmanuel Herman) Audiences enjoy the crosstalk performance by Chinese crosstalk troupe De Yun She in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on June 10, 2025. Chinese crosstalk troupe De Yun She held a special performance in Tanzania's Dar es Salaam on Tuesday night, drawing a crowd of over 1,200 spectators. (Xinhua/Emmanuel Herman) Audiences enjoy the crosstalk performance by Chinese crosstalk troupe De Yun She in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on June 10, 2025. Chinese crosstalk troupe De Yun She held a special performance in Tanzania's Dar es Salaam on Tuesday night, drawing a crowd of over 1,200 spectators. (Xinhua/Emmanuel Herman) Audiences enjoy the crosstalk performance by Chinese crosstalk troupe De Yun She in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on June 10, 2025. Chinese crosstalk troupe De Yun She held a special performance in Tanzania's Dar es Salaam on Tuesday night, drawing a crowd of over 1,200 spectators. (Xinhua/Emmanuel Herman) WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) Activists are planning to protest this weekends Washington, D.C., Army parade in cities across the country, despite President Trump warning that any protesters will be met with very big force. With three days to go until the parade, tanks and troops are in D.C. preparing for the event. U.S. Army First Lt. Kaessey Thompson and Sgt. Jesse Sattler are going to be some of the soldiers driving tanks in the parade. Its definitely a huge honor to be out here. I volunteered to go, asked my gunner if he wanted to come along with me. And its really exciting that well be in our own tank, Thompson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its definitely something that is once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to come out here and show the public who we are, Sattler said. But not everyone in D.C. will be cheering along. Andy Zee is an activist with the organization Refuse Fascism. The group is planning a protest in Washington at 1pm on Saturday, which will start at Logan Circle and end at the White House. This parade is outrageous, Zee said. He says the protest isnt about opposing the military, but about opposing President Trump and his actions. In an orderly, safe, nonviolent march. To say no, we will march, we will protect the rights of the people here and around the world. We will stand up to this fascist bully. And were saying very clearly on this day Trump must go,' Zee said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This all comes as the Trump administration is deploying the military to respond to protests in Los Angeles. On Tuesday President Trump had a stark warning for those planning to protest this weekends parade. If theres any protesters that want to come out, they will be met with very big force, Trump said. Zee says they arent intimidated by that message. To Donald Trump I want to say: We are marching. We are not backing down. You want to meet us with force, thats on you, Zee said. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed off the idea that President Trump would oppose peaceful protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of course, the president supports peaceful protests, what a stupid question, Trump said. Other activists are also organizing separate protests in cities across the country this Saturday under the label No Kings, but that group is purposely avoiding D.C. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Over 100 activists from diverse backgrounds filled the streets of Highlandtown, banging drums, carrying signs, and chanting ICE out of Baltimore in protest of deportation efforts targeting residents performing everyday activities like shopping for groceries or buying gasoline. The Wednesday rally, sponsored by the immigrant advocacy organization CASA, featured local families affected by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE, alongside Baltimore City council members Odette Ramos, Mark Parker and Jermaine Jones and state Del. Robbyn Lewis, who each became emotional when talking about the impact of ICE on Baltimore neighborhoods. Several of the residents wore shirts that read Jews United for Justice and others carried placards saying Immigrants Are Essential and Families Belong Together, Not in Cages. The mass of activists marched down blocks of Fayette Street, sometimes tying up traffic but also receiving honks of approval from the waiting motorists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As you can imagine, I am angry. All of you should be angry, said Ramos, who grew teary at times. Our neighbors are being treated so inhumanely only because they are not from here. And if they are coming for them, they are coming for us. Ramos blamed the Trump administrations mass deportation policy. It is unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable, she said. CASA reported 16 undocumented individuals have been taken by ICE in retail areas for the past three weeks in Baltimore. One of these instances was part of the viral video clip posted by the White House showing the arrest of five individuals at Home Depot on Eastern Avenue on May 20. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The nonprofit organization also reported ICE agents taking an unknown amount of people at the Hazlo grocery store in Highlandtown Village on three different days. Baltimore communities have reported an escalation in ICE detentions in the past few weeks. No human being is illegal here, and I think what ICE is doing currently, especially our current administration, is very inhumane, said Erika Rios, a protester from Prince Georges County. Refuge is a human right. A lot of people come here for a better life that their economy or political status from their country isnt providing for them. ICE officials could not be reached for comment. Lewis, who represents the sixth legislative district, grew teary-eyed as she spoke about how the individuals being targeted by ICE are similar to African Americans who escaped enslavement in this country through the Underground Railroad. The former slaves were helped to freedom by good neighbors, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tactics that are being used today to terrorize our neighborhood residents, Marylanders, have been used and perfected in this country against African Americans, Lewis said. And those abolitionists went out of their way because their strong morality helped us. So it was my destiny to live in this moment so I can use my energy to help others. This is the way of thanking the abolitionists who helped my ancestors. Protests initially erupted in Los Angeles over immigration enforcement raids. In response, President Donald Trump called in the National Guard troops and Marines to restore order. Demonstrations have now spread to other cities, such as Baltimore, Washington, Seattle and Austin. Many protests have been peaceful but there have been clashes with police that have resulted in arrests. Bishop Angel Nunez of the Bilingual Christian Fellowship pointed out that the activists in Baltimore were peaceful and not resorting to violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One resident who identified himself as Dedrick worried the protests and marches would provoke those in power. This is going to make them angry, he said on the street as the activists marched past him. I understand, youre angry and this is the only way you know how to do it. March. My people did it and see where it got us: Martin Luther King got killed. Others noted the protests were needed to stop the aggressive enforcement. We are losing families that were doing the work that some of us refuse to do: clean your house, cut your grass, clean fish for you, your restaurants, the good foods, said Garry Bien-Aime, executive director of the Committee Haiti, a nonprofit in Baltimore advocating for the Haitian community. Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich or Stella Canino-Quinones at scanino-quinones@baltsun.com. Steve Erickson, an advocate for downwinders, speaks to reporters about a possible RECA expansion in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Kyle Dunphey/Utah News Dispatch) Its been one year since Congress allowed the program offering payments to downwinders to expire. Now, advocates are hoping the Senate will revive the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, as part of the big, beautiful bill. That includes Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who told reporters on Tuesday hes hoping something can get done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RECA had been in place since 1990, offering payments to uranium workers and downwinders, people who contracted cancer from above-ground nuclear tests. For years it was criticized for being too narrow despite studies suggesting the entire West was blanketed by dangerous levels of radiation during nuclear tests, downwinders in just 10 counties in Utah, as well as a handful of counties in Nevada and Arizona, were covered. And since the program expired last June, Congress has been unable to bring RECA back, stymied by spending concerns. Although the Senate passed a bill sponsored by Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley that would greatly expand the program, it hasnt been considered in the House. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX During a press conference in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, advocates called on Utah Republican Sens. John Curtis and Mike Lee to get behind an amendment to Congress budget bill similar to what Hawley has proposed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres a real possibility that a RECA reauthorization and expansion could be included in H.R.1, said Steve Erickson, a longtime advocate for downwinders. But this will need the support of Utahs congressional delegation, especially the full-throated support from Senator Lee and Senator Curtis. Without their support, the prospects for RECA are much diminished. Neither Curtis or Lees offices responded to a request for comment. When asked about RECA during his monthly PBS news conference on Tuesday, Cox said hes hopeful Congress will find a way to bring the program back during budget reconciliation. Cox, along with a coalition of 41 Utah lawmakers, have previously supported efforts to expand the program, specifically Hawleys bill. Hawleys bill would expand the program to cover all of Utah and a handful of other Western states that werent previously included in RECA, while extending coverage to communities around St. Louis and territories in the Pacific that were impacted by nuclear weapons testing development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well continue to express support for that, Cox said on Tuesday. The repercussions of that above-ground nuclear testing in Utah are very long lasting and many of us had family members that have been impacted. So I think its still important. Utah is not alone but Utah was significantly impacted. However, the governor noted there havent been any new developments in his talks with the congressional delegation. People who submitted their claims before the deadline last summer can still receive payments but theres no option for downwinders who were just recently diagnosed with cancer, or didnt know about the program. (We) continue to receive emails and phone calls from affected community members here in Utah who have received cancer diagnosis, asking where to apply and what to do, said Carmen Valdez, a senior policy associate for the Health Environment Alliance of Utah. Its really discouraging to say that the program is expired and they can no longer apply, but they can contact their delegation about it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RECA has always had bipartisan support. Originally sponsored by late Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, both Democrats and Republicans have since advocated for its expansion. That includes Sens. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M. and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, who have lobbied with Hawley to expand the program. This is not a partisan play by any means, said Erickson. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Jun. 10One year ago, Congress let a federal program end that compensated people who grew sick from mining uranium for nuclear weapons or from living downwind of nuclear weapons tests. In those 12 months, Tina Cordova's cousin died after years of living with a rare brain cancer. Under a proposed expansion of the program, 61-year-old Danny Cordova likely would have qualified for the $100,000 compensation offered to people with specific cancers who lived in specific areas downwind of aboveground nuclear weapons' tests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Instead, he and his mom lived literally paycheck to paycheck trying to pay for all of the medications he needed," Cordova said. Since the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) program was created in 1990, New Mexican downwinders have been left out, as have uranium mine workers from after 1971. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., has led an effort in the Upper Chamber alongside Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., to expand the program so it includes later uranium mine workers, and people harmed by aboveground nuclear tests in more states including New Mexico. In January, they reintroduced a bill to extend and expand RECA. "Letting RECA expire is a disgrace to these families and victims," Lujan said. "It's an insult to the victims and their families who still struggle to this very day to get help, get the medicine they need, get the treatments for the conditions caused by the negligence of the federal government. For the victims, this story is long from being over. Generational trauma and poor health conditions continue to plague entire families." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Hawley and Lujan's bill passed the Senate twice in the last session of Congress, and was supported by the entire New Mexico delegation, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., never allowed a vote on the companion House bill, sponsored by Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M. The expansion would have included an increased pricetag of $50 billion to $60 billion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office a cost estimate Lujan has disagreed with. Since its inception, RECA has paid out approximately $2.6 billion. There is no accurate estimate of how many New Mexicans would be included if RECA is expanded, according to Lujan's office. "We know we have the votes to get this passed now," said Leger Fernandez, who plans to reintroduce the bill in the House. "They keep raising issues with regards to the cost... These are people's lives, and so we need to keep bringing it back to that issue. And in many ways, I think that we are doing this in a bicameral manner, and that the pressure that is being brought from the Senate will help us in the House." 'No apology' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cordova's cousin was diagnosed in his 20s, and had five brain surgeries to address his cancer. "He was left with horrendous and devastating consequences of that (first) surgery," Cordova said. "He lost the eyesight in one eye, he lost the part of his brain that controlled all of his hormonal functions, and he lost the part of his brain that also controlled his ability to adapt his body temperature." Five generations of Cordova's family tree include many cases of cancer. She herself survived thyroid cancer, and as a co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, she's long advocated for expanding RECA. Cordova's kitchen counter is covered in the stories of family trees that mirror her own. For 18 years, she's been collecting health surveys from people who grew up in areas downwind of aboveground nuclear weapon tests, documenting a history of cancer and death for families from Tularosa, Alamogordo and beyond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Loretta Anderson, a patient advocate and co-founder of the Southwest Uranium Miners Coalition Post-71, works with over 1,000 former uranium miners and their families throughout the Laguna and Acoma pueblos. She knows 10 post-1971 uranium miners, those who would be compensated under a RECA expansion, who have died in the past 12 months. "They died with no compensation, no apology from the government," Anderson said. Despite the difficulty in getting RECA extended and expanded, Cordova has faith it will eventually pass through Congress. "This is not a partisan issue," Cordova said. "Exposure to radiation has affected the young, the old, the male, the female, the Black, the white, the Republican and Democrat alike." (FOX40.COM) Experts and advocates like immigration attorney Andrew Newcomb and First 5 Californias Executive Director, Jackie Wong are telling Fox 40 how they are re-doubling efforts to support California immigrant families. Wong says that First 5 California started supporting migrant families fairly recently. A few years ago, when there was an Afghan refugee and asylee issue the California Children and Families Commission (First 5) decided to actually get involved in immigration because it was such a prevalent part of our lives, says Wong We want to promote inclusion and really create the safe, stable, nurturing environment that is necessary for Californians to thrive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Within the last five years theyve been building up their resources and network to better support immigrant communities. One of the partners theyve been working with to better equip immigrant families is immigration attorney Andrew Newcomb. Newcomb has a decade of experience in immigration law. He currently offers pro bono services to migrant families in the San Jose Mexican consulate while also hosting community workshops with First 5. We sat down with Newcomb for a Q&A for him to answer some of the most pressing questions when it comes to immigration. Here is some of his legal advice. Q: What does someone do if they are detained by ICE agents? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A: Its best, of course, to not divulge information. You can just save those arguments for a judge that youre hearing, invoke your right to remain silent, and to speak with counsel, said Newcomb. Q: What can someone working to obtain citizenship do if their family is of mixed status and their child is about to turn 21? A: Theres a difference between people that came in typically with a visa or people that can benefit from a family petition prior to April 30, 2001. They can usually apply for residency here in the United States, whereas other folks may have to do a longer line which ultimately leads them to a consular office in their country of origin, said Newcomb. Newcomb also clarified that there are defenses to deportation that are available for people who can prove theyve lived in the U.S. for at least ten years and have immediate relatives who have lawful status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Q: Is someones asylum hearing or application for citizenship different if they entered the country within the last two years? A: Yes. So this is basically an issue where theyve expanded the definition of what constitutes an arriving alien for the purposes of a process called expedited removal. When someones in an expedited removal proceeding, they dont necessarily have the right to have their hearing heard before an immigration judge. Newcomb also adding, What were seeing here is that the government attorneys are attempting to have cases dismissed and then right after the cases are dismissed, provided the person cant prove that theyve been in the United States for longer than two years, ICE officers are waiting to detain them and place them in expedited removal proceedings. However, even people whose cases have not been dismissed are also being scooped up by ICE agents, which of course creates an issue of overlapping jurisdiction, which still has to be resolved by the courts. Q: What if someone is trying to obtain status legally, but fears arrest at one of their court hearings? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A: Its very important for people that have been here for fewer than two years to take advantage of filing a motion to appear via video or filing a motion to continue your hearing until youre on the outside of those two years. Immigration judges here in Sacramento, just like in the Bay Area, are very receptive to those kinds of motions because at the end of the day, they want to do their jobs as arbiters of fact, and they dont want to have their cases just whisked away from them. Newcomb says a video court hearing can increase safety while attending asylum proceedings. More resources and services, like the instructional guide to appear in court by video can be found on Newcombs website, newcombimmigrationpc.com. First 5s resources for immigrant and refugee families are available on their website, first5california.com/en-us/articles/immigration-family-services/. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other organizations within the Sacramento region include the Sacramento Rapid Response Network. Their 24-hour hotline is (916) 382-0256. Another resource available to migrant families is wehaverights.us. They feature a collection of videos to educate and empower immigrant communities. An additional resource to help immigrants know their rights is the Know Your Rights red cards. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Attorney Generals Office has released the names of three Pelham police officers who fired weapons during a non-fatal shooting of a 33-year-old man last month. Sgt. Steven Russo and Officer Joseph Sanchez each discharged their firearms, and Cpl. Michael Kasiske fired a less-lethal beanbag shotgun during this incident, according to a news release. The shooting incident took place on the evening of May 16, but the exact circumstances remain under investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shooting happened after Pelham Police responded to a 911 call about an armed man in mental distress at a residence on Nashua Road. Police say they found a man, later identified as Sheldon Brockelbank, 33, at the location. During the encounter Brockelbank fired a handgun multiple times at officers, according to the report. Brockelbank was taken to a local hospital. The Pelham Police Department charged Brockelbank with reckless conduct and he will be arraigned at a date to be determined in Salem District Court. It is anticipated that a report regarding the incident and whether the officers use of force was justified will be released once the investigation is completed and a separate criminal case against Mr. Brockelbank has been resolved, the news release said. California newborn kidnapped 45 years ago could still be alive, officials say SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) Nearly 45 years after a newborn was abducted from the family of a Camp Pendleton Marine, authorities are hoping a new computer-generated image will finally lead to answers. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) on Tuesday released an age-progressed photo of what Kevin Verville Jr. may look like today. He was only 17 days old when he was taken from his familys Oceanside military housing complex on July 1, 1980. Cold case solved: High school teachers killer identified as 16-year-old boy Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators believe that if Kevin is still alive, he likely has no idea he was abducted. Age progression photo of Kevin Verville, Jr. (Credit: NCMEC) The pain of the kidnapping of my son has changed our life changed the way we think, the way we talk, the way we do everything, his father, Kevin Verville Sr., said. According to investigators, a woman posing as a social worker approached the Verville family and convinced them she was part of a welfare assistance program called HELP. She claimed her name was Sheila and said she was helping new mothers. Angeline Hartmann with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said the woman persuaded Kevins mother, Angelina, to get into her car under the pretense of picking up another mother who was also joining the program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arrest made in San Diego cold case homicide nearly 50 years later They drive for about eight miles until the woman stops at a home, Hartmann said. The woman asks the mom to get out of the car and knock on the door. Kevin Verville Jr.s mother steps out of the car to knock on the door and the woman takes off. Kevin Verville Jr. was never seen again. FBI officials believe the woman, who said she was pregnant at the time, may have been targeting newborns in the military community particularly those of Filipino descent. They theorize she may have suffered a miscarriage and was looking to raise a child as her own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was noticed having a small tattoo on the left hand, between her left thumb and forefinger possibly a circle with a cross, said Houtan Moshrefi, acting special agent in charge of the FBIs San Diego office. Cold case: Pacific Beach murder victim identified 42 years later The suspect was described as a small woman, about 52. 1980 Composite sketch of the female suspect (Credit: FBI) Kevins sister, Angelica Ramsey, has never met her older brother but hopes DNA testing and public awareness may still lead to his discovery. Shes had two strokes she cant walk, she cant talk, Ramsey said of their mother, Angelina. Seeing my parents suffer makes me sad. I think it would be devastating if either of them passed before we found him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Kevins 45th birthday approaches on Saturday, investigators and family members are pleading with the public: If anyone recognizes the man in the new photo or knows information about the abduction, contact the FBI. The FBI is still offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the location of Kevin Verville, Jr., as well as the arrest and conviction of those responsible for his abduction. Anyone with information on Kevin Jr., his abduction or the unknown female suspect, is asked to call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or the FBI at 1-800-225-5324, or visit tips.fbi.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 FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. In March of 2024, two men, disillusioned by traditional methods of combating homelessness, developed and released Nomadik: a ground-breaking app that uses AI to detect and track homeless encampments across the city of Austin, Texas. Nomadiks developers touted the app as a way to "[harness] the power of collective intelligence," by involving everyday people in the process of documenting homelessness in the city. But critics pointed out that "even well-intentioned efforts can lead to unintended consequences and further stigmatization." Now, just over a year since its release, the question is: Is Nomadik helping the homeless, or does it open the door for more sinister AI use down the road? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trevor Sorrells, co-founder and CEO of Nomadik, believes that the app is a crucial element in understanding and solving the homelessness problem. "Our tool isnt for surveillance," he stressed. "Its purpose is to take traditionally underfunded and understaffed organizations and give them the tools they need to apply their resources where they will have the biggest impact on both the clients and the community as a whole." When a user downloads the app, the first screen that appears is a camera, which can be used to photograph homeless encampments. The user can also toggle to a map with encampments outlined in red, and "info drop" what is happening in the area. The user can report things like hazardous waste, drug paraphernalia, and the scale of debris in the area. Another section on the app asks questions about whether the user is experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, etc., to determine what resources the user may need. Sorrells explained to RCP that the app is meant to expand access to care by creating a "pattern of life" so that service providers know where and whom to focus on. He added that since resources are limited, the app helps providers distribute care "based on the expected impact they will have." The Argument Against Nomadik The expanding use of AI tools like Nomadik in cities like Dallas, Waco, San Jose, and San Diego reflect the growing optimism of Sorrells and others that AI could be the key to ending homelessness. Yet Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, is concerned that people have not fully thought through where such technology could lead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This type of AI use is, in his words, a "civil rights nightmare." Cahn pointed out that treating homelessness like crime rather than a humanitarian issue is already a popular practice in many cities. Just because AI technology is used for benign reasons today does not mean that it couldnt be used to "arrest people tomorrow, or even deport them," he stressed. Cahn told RCP that the idea of using AI to track homeless encampments is born out of a false understanding of what drives homelessness. AI tracking of homeless camps does not solve the problem of homelessness, he pointed out. It simply documents it. One of Sorrells primary arguments for Nomadik is that its documentation of homelessness allows service providers to better understand a communitys needs and tailor their efforts accordingly. But Cahn dismissed the idea that better data is what is most needed and argues that we should be more focused on prevention. "[AI] tracking can help police put unhoused folks behind bars, but how can it put a roof over their head?" Cahn asked. If we are to use AI at all, Cahn said, we should be using it to prevent homelessness through tracking "predatory landlord practices," for example. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Sorrells agrees with Cahn that there are many root causes of homelessness, including the opioid epidemic, mental health struggles, and other systemic challenges, he maintains that AI is part of the solution. Sorrells is not afraid that the technology could be misused and is instead enthusiastic about the ways in which it can streamline outreach and resource distribution. The broader question still lingers, with no satisfactory answer: Is Nomadik a help or a danger to one of the U.S. most vulnerable populations? Homelessness still remains high in Austin, and continues to rise throughout the U.S. It is unclear how much the app has helped, if at all, but it is clear that Nomadik and other AI advancements will remain a point of controversy as state and federal legislators try to keep pace with AIs constantly evolving technology. Madelynn McLaughlin is an intern at RealClearPolitics. She graduated from Liberty University in 2025 with a degree in Government: Politics and Policy. AIKEN, S.C. (WJBF) A sanitation worker who lost his legs in an accident in Aiken County two years ago now faces a new battle after a housefire destroyed his home. I start hearing pops. I kid you not, sound like gunshots pop bang pop, Matthew Lex recalled. The fire at Matthews home on Friday, June 6 spread fast. Windows shattered. What sounded like explosions followed. InsideMatthew, an amputee, fighting to get out. I threw my legs off, he said. I took because my leg was half off. I threw this leg up and I bolted for the back door. The time I got out there, the battery exploded. It sounded like a train locomotive exploded. He was here going down the hill, neighbor Charlie Stokes Jr. said. And we just basically told him he didnt need to go any further, that we would get him, you know, where he needs to be as far as to safety and everything. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smoke, flames, and water wrecked everything. Matthews safe space gone. His wheelchairs and medical gear destroyed. You can see the damage, and this is a picture of our family in Myrtle Beach when my husband and I melted, his mother Cheryl Welsh showed Shawn. And you can see its melted. So, a lot of memories, a lot of pain in this room because we came here and we watched a lot of movies and spent quality time together. So, this is a very surreal situation. Its painful. Matthew says the 911 dispatcher was confusedand it took nearly 40 minutes to get help. His family wants to know why the closest fire station did not respond. I always have had a concern because even when Matthew was injured in his accident, Im concerned about Aiken and their timeliness to some of these, Cheryl added. Theyre staying with relatives for now but say Matthews wheelchair makes it tough. They need a more accessible home and answers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It doesnt matter about a district at that time. It matters about life and the sanctity of life and whatever it takes to save lives, she said. Weve been through a lot pinned between a Dodge Caravan, the garbage truck, escaping a burning house. You gotta be brave, Matthew added. A Go-fund-me has been set up to help the family. You can donate, 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 WJBF. As summer arrives, people are turning on air conditioners in most of the U.S. But if youre like me, you always feel a little guilty about that. Past generations managed without air conditioning do I really need it? And how bad is it to use all this electricity for cooling in a warming world? If I leave my air conditioner off, I get too hot. But if everyone turns on their air conditioner at the same time, electricity demand spikes, which can force power grid operators to activate some of the most expensive, and dirtiest, power plants. Sometimes those spikes can ask too much of the grid and lead to brownouts or blackouts. Research I recently published with a team of scholars makes me feel a little better, though. We have found that it is possible to coordinate the operation of large numbers of home air-conditioning units, balancing supply and demand on the power grid and without making people endure high temperatures inside their homes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Studies along these lines, using remote control of air conditioners to support the grid, have for many years explored theoretical possibilities like this. However, few approaches have been demonstrated in practice and never for such a high-value application and at this scale. The system we developed not only demonstrated the ability to balance the grid on timescales of seconds, but also proved it was possible to do so without affecting residents comfort. The benefits include increasing the reliability of the power grid, which makes it easier for the grid to accept more renewable energy. Our goal is to turn air conditioners from a challenge for the power grid into an asset, supporting a shift away from fossil fuels toward cleaner energy. Adjustable equipment My research focuses on batteries, solar panels and electric equipment such as electric vehicles, water heaters, air conditioners and heat pumps that can adjust itself to consume different amounts of energy at different times. Originally, the U.S. electric grid was built to transport electricity from large power plants to customers homes and businesses. And originally, power plants were large, centralized operations that burned coal or natural gas, or harvested energy from nuclear reactions. These plants were typically always available and could adjust how much power they generated in response to customer demand, so the grid would be balanced between power coming in from producers and being used by consumers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the grid has changed. There are more renewable energy sources, from which power isnt always available like solar panels at night or wind turbines on calm days. And there are the devices and equipment I study. These newer options, called distributed energy resources, generate or store energy near where consumers need it or adjust how much energy theyre using in real time. One aspect of the grid hasnt changed, though: Theres not much storage built into the system. So every time you turn on a light, for a moment theres not enough electricity to supply everything that wants it right then: The grid needs a power producer to generate a little more power. And when you turn off a light, theres a little too much: A power producer needs to ramp down. The way power plants know what real-time power adjustments are needed is by closely monitoring the grid frequency. The goal is to provide electricity at a constant frequency 60 hertz at all times. If more power is needed than is being produced, the frequency drops and a power plant boosts output. If theres too much power being produced, the frequency rises and a power plant slows production a little. These actions, a process called frequency regulation, happen in a matter of seconds to keep the grid balanced. This output flexibility, primarily from power plants, is key to keeping the lights on for everyone. Power plants, like this one in Utah, adjust their output to match demand from electricity customers. Jason Finn/iStock / Getty Images Plus Finding new options Im interested in how distributed energy resources can improve flexibility in the grid. They can release more energy, or consume less, to respond to the changing supply or demand, and help balance the grid, ensuring the frequency remains near 60 hertz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some people fear that doing so might be invasive, giving someone outside your home the ability to control your battery or air conditioner. Therefore, we wanted to see if we could help balance the grid with frequency regulation using home air-conditioning units rather than power plants without affecting how residents use their appliances or how comfortable they are in their homes. From 2019 to 2023, my group at the University of Michigan tried this approach, in collaboration with researchers at Pecan Street Inc., Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. We recruited 100 homeowners in Austin, Texas, to do a real-world test of our system. All the homes had whole-house forced-air cooling systems, which we connected to custom control boards and sensors the owners allowed us to install in their homes. This equipment let us send instructions to the air-conditioning units based on the frequency of the grid. Before I explain how the system worked, I first need to explain how thermostats work. When people set thermostats, they pick a temperature, and the thermostat switches the air-conditioning compressor on and off to maintain the air temperature within a small range around that set point. If the temperature is set at 68 degrees, the thermostat turns the AC on when the temperature is, say, 70, and turns it off when its cooled down to, say, 66. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every few seconds, our system slightly changed the timing of air-conditioning compressor switching for some of the 100 air conditioners, causing the units aggregate power consumption to change. In this way, our small group of home air conditioners reacted to grid changes the way a power plant would using more or less energy to balance the grid and keep the frequency near 60 hertz. Moreover, our system was designed to keep home temperatures within the same small temperature range around the set point. Smart thermostats could have frequency regulation capabilities available to interested consumers, to help balance the electricity grid. Danielle Mead/iStock/Getty Images Plus Testing the approach We ran our system in four tests, each lasting one hour. We found two encouraging results. First, the air conditioners were able to provide frequency regulation at least as accurately as a traditional power plant. Therefore, we showed that air conditioners could play a significant role in increasing grid flexibility. But perhaps more importantly at least in terms of encouraging people to participate in these types of systems we found that we were able to do so without affecting peoples comfort in their homes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We found that home temperatures did not deviate more than 1.6 Fahrenheit from their set point. Homeowners were allowed to override the controls if they got uncomfortable, but most didnt. For most tests, we received zero override requests. In the worst case, we received override requests from two of the 100 homes in our test. In practice, this sort of technology could be added to commercially available internet-connected thermostats. In exchange for credits on their energy bills, users could choose to join a service run by the thermostat company, their utility provider or some other third party. Then people could turn on the air conditioning in the summer heat without that pang of guilt, knowing they were helping to make the grid more reliable and more capable of accommodating renewable energy sources without sacrificing their own comfort in the process. 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: Johanna Mathieu, University of Michigan Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Johanna Mathieu works for the University of Michigan. She has received funding from the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, ARPA-E, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. She is affiliated with the IEEE. UNITED NATIONS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has voiced concern over U.S. sanctions against four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said his spokesman on Wednesday. "The secretary-general expresses serious concern about the designation of four judges of the International Criminal Court to be sanctioned under the executive order by the United States," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres. While the United Nations and the ICC are separate institutions with separate and distinct mandates, the United Nations considers the ICC a key pillar of international criminal justice, and the secretary-general respects its work, Haq told a daily press briefing. Guterres also emphasizes the importance of the basic principle of judicial independence, said the spokesman. Washington last week imposed sanctions on four ICC judges, who were targeted for their engagement in ICC actions against the United States or Israel, according to a statement from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Passengers on a Florida-based airline will either need to cancel their trips or find an alternative airline to fly with, as one company abruptly ceased operations on Wednesday. Silver Airways released a statement on social media explaining that all flights scheduled for June 11 were canceled, and that the airline would no longer serve customers. "We regret to inform you that we are ceasing operations as of today," the statement reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In an effort to restructure in bankruptcy, Silver entered into a transaction to sell its assets to another airline holding company, who unfortunately has determined to not continue Silver's flight operations in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean." The airline then told passengers "please do not go to the airport," and ensured that full credit card refunds would be offered through the passenger's bank or travel agency. FlightAware says 52 total flights from Silver were canceled on Wednesday. The airline launched in 2011 and was based out of the Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale areas of Florida. It also had hubs in Tampa and Orlando, but filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy late last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time, Silver said that it believed filing for bankruptcy would allow the company to raise funding and remain competitive with other businesses. Silver served more than a dozen destinations and also operated a subsidiary airline called Seaborne that sent seaplanes to islands like St. Croix and St. Thomas. The cancellations and abrupt end for the company are just another example of poor fortune for a beleaguered airline industry. Several airlines have dealt with delays and cancellations amid air traffic control shortage, while others are navigating a drop in customer sentiment. United Airlines apologized to passengers after severe issues related to meals last month, citing "significant disruptions to its in-flight food and beverage service" after switching to a new catering company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tragic accidents out of major American cities like Washington and Philadelphia have also eroded trust in the safety of air travel this year. We'll see if and when Silver is able to bounce back from Wednesday's termination of service, and whether or not their former passengers will be able to reach their destinations. Airline Cancels Flights, Tells Passengers Not To Go to Airport first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 11, 2025 Airline Shuts Down With No Warning, Leaving Travelers Stranded originally appeared on Parade. South Florida airline Silver Airways stunned travelers on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, by announcing that they were canceling all flights and shutting down immediately. "We regret to inform you that we are ceasing operations as of today, June 11, 2025," the Fort Lauderdale based airline shared on their Instagram page. "In an attempt to restructure in bankruptcy, Silver entered into a transaction to sell its assets to another airline holding company, who unfortunately has determined to not continue Silvers flight operations." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company, which offered small flights between Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean, urged customers to seek refunds through their credit card company or travel agency. Travelers were frustrated with the last-minute nature of the announcement, and took to social media to voice their dismay. "Oh!! you mean the flight I have booked to get to my wedding?? great!" wrote one concerned customer, who added that their whole family had booked travel through Silver and other airline alternatives are now "3x the price." Others were bothered by the airline's approach to reimbursing people. "Imagine taking money from people to provide a service and then just deciding not to provide that service anymore, but keep the money," one wrote. "When people complain, you just tell them to talk to their credit card companies. Some people would call that 'theft'." Some were sad to see the affordable airline close down. "Silver Airlines is now out of business! Uggh! It was the best way to get to the Keys!" one fan wrote on X. "Where else can you fly in a pink plane?" Meanwhile, others didn't seem to have the same positive experience. "Not surprised. Worst airline Ive ever flown," said one X user. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tampa International Airport tried to ease travelers' minds, assuring them that they would have other options to get from TPA to areas around Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, Key West, and Pensacola. Airline Shuts Down With No Warning, Leaving Travelers Stranded first appeared on Parade on Jun 11, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared. Gregory Hunt was convicted of the 1988 murder of Karen Lane in Walker County and sentenced to death. He was executed Tuesday by nitrogen gas. (Alabama Department of Corrections) The state of Alabama Tuesday executed Gregory Hunt by nitrogen gas for his role in the 1988 murder of Karen Lane. It was the third time the state had put someone to death for the year. Hunt did not have any final words before the start of the execution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Kay Ivey issued a news release shortly after the Alabama Department of Corrections carried out the execution and announced the time of death at 6:26 p.m. Tonight, the state carried out the lawfully imposed punishment for Gregory Hunt who is undeniably guilty, Ivey said in the news release. And after his last-minute attempts to evade justice, he has faced the consequences of his evil crimes against Karen Lane, actions he has admitted to, even in a letter to the victims heartbroken father. According to media witnesses, Hunt gasped and raised his head off the gurney. He moaned just before 6 p.m. and raised his feet, before he gasped to breathe again with long pauses in between. A statement from Lanes family thanked Walker County District Attorneys Office, the Alabama Attorney Generals Office and Victims of Crime and Leniency, a nonprofit organization that helps and advocates for victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement also said that the night was not about Hunt and not about closure, but about Lanes death and what she endured. Karen was shown no mercy, she was not given a second chance, the family said in the statement. Karen was shown no grace. It ended with the words that Betty Sanders, Lanes mother, inscribed on headstone. Crime will not decrease until being a criminal becomes more dangerous than being a victim, the headstone says. Hunt was charged with three counts of capital murder after he killed Lane in an incident that included other aggravating circumstances: burglary and sexual abuse. A jury convicted him of the charges in 1990 and recommended he be put to death by a vote of 11-1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunt filed a lawsuit last month in Walker County Circuit Court claiming he did not sexually assault Lane and argued the medical examiner in the case presented false and misleading testimony that led to his conviction and getting sentenced to death. The Alabama Attorney Generals Office said the rules prohibit Hunt from filing the lawsuit because he has already gone through the appeals process and the law bars him from making a successive appeal. Hunt is the third person that Alabama executed for the year, and the second by nitrogen gas, after Alabama put James Osgood to death in April by lethal injection. Demetrius Terrence Frazier was put to death in February by nitrogen gas. Alabama executed six people in 2024, the most of any state for that year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opponents of the death penalty urged Ivey to reconsider her position for Hunts execution in a petition delivered to the governors office Monday. Greg Hunt has spent his life in prison introducing his fellow prisoners to the teachings of Jesus, Hood said in a statement. Based on the ravenous need for vengeance and continued executions, its pretty clear to me that Greg and his fellow prisoners know much more about the teachings of Jesus than the State of Alabama does. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) Hemp companies in Alabama said they are working hard to abide by new state regulations. Those regulations will take effect in the form of a new law July 1. Hemp companies said it will kill small businesses, while the sponsor said its long overdue. Theyre kind of pulling the rug out from under us and going backwards in the industry, said Blake Gamberi, owner of Dry Creek Wellness in Glencoe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im sorry to those folks who its going to be negatively affecting for sure, said Carmelo Parasiliti, owner of Green Acres Organic Pharms in Florence. The crackdown caps THC levels to 10 milligrams per serving in a product and bans it for people under 21. The original bill sponsor, state Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, said gas stations have become pharmacies for some people. Anytime that you have to reach between the motor oil and the beef jerky to get a product that youre going to smoke and/or take to medicate or get high, that is not good for the state of Alabama, Whitt said. Gamberi said the new law is confusing, but they are working to get their products in compliance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We got high hopes that theyll get everything in line and make it where we dont have to close our doors , Gamberi said. Its a very short time period to adjust something that youve done over four or five years, even longer than that. Parasiliti said they are keeping their doors open but moving some of their business to other states. Its a lot of work ahead of us, but were going to keep going and keep trying, Parasiliti said. Alabama Department of Public Health determines there are no active measles cases in the state David Beck, owner of The Humble Hemp Shack in Gadsden, said it will probably have to close down altogether. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a very scary feeling, and a scary feeling for our customers as well, Beck said. Whitt said those customers will now be able to get a product that is safely tested by a third party. He said the law does not legalize marijuana but does not ban hemp products. It was time to get these products under control for the safety of our citizens and the safety of our kids and get a handle on it, Whitt said. It lets there be an authority that can actually oversee this product. Whitt said that authority, the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, will soon release guidelines for businesses on how it will enforce the law. Products outlined in the law will be banned July 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whitt said businesses will be able to start the licensing process to sell hemp products with the ABC Board in January. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Over 90 Albertsons truckers represented by Teamsters Local 745 in Dallas have ratified a new four-year contract with the grocery retailer. According to a Teamsters news release published on Wednesday, the collective bargaining agreement secured higher wages, a benefit pension plan, health care and job protections against the use of autonomous trucks. The ratification comes weeks after union drivers threatened a strike at the company during labor negotiations, as reported on by CBS News. In May, local union workers authorized a strike that Albertsons Teamsters across the country pledged to support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our members sent a clear message to Albertsons that they were ready to walk if we didnt get a fair deal, said Michael Perez, business agent at Local 745, in the Teamsters news release. This group was ready to strike to win a fair contract. They stood strong to win real protections and put the company on notice. Teamsters wont allow our jobs to be handed over to dangerous machines. Clyde Jackson, an Albertsons driver and Local 745 shop steward, said in the release that the agreement gave workers job security and protection from automation. Were proud to be working under a strong Teamsters contract, he said. The release stated that Albertsons had pushed for contract language that would have opened the door to the use of fully autonomous trucks during negotiations. The new contract ensures autonomous trucks operated by the company must have a trained Teamsters operator on board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a major victory not just for our members in Texas, but for Teamsters across the country, said Tom Erickson, director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division, in the release. We made it clear to management that we will do whatever it takes to protect good union jobs and secure the contract our members deserve. An Albertsons Companies spokesperson told FreightWaves in an emailed statement that the company is pleased to have reached a fair and equitable agreement with Teamsters Local 745. We appreciate the unions partnership in reaching a beneficial contract for our employees, they said. The post Albertsons truckers ratify new Teamsters contract appeared first on FreightWaves. Jun. 10The Albuquerque Police Department is investigating three deaths including a "possible murder-suicide" involving an elderly couple that happened within hours of each other. At about 10 a.m. Tuesday, a woman told police she found two relatives in their late 80s dead at a home in the 3000 block of Toreador, near Candelaria and Tramway NE. When officers arrived, they found the woman dead in the house and her husband in the garage, APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It appears that the male killed his wife inside the home," he said. Gallegos did not say what weapon was used in the incident, but said "I don't think a firearm was involved in their deaths." He added that police found a note, but he did not disclose what it said. Detectives are interviewing family members, Gallegos said. Several hours earlier, at about 3 a.m., police responded to a call of a shooting in an alley behind a building in the 9200 block of Central, near Wyoming. When they arrived, they found a woman in her mid-30s who had been shot. The woman was taken to a local hospital where she died, Gallegos said. There are no suspects and homicide detectives are investigating both cases, he said. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) Across from the Rail Runner station in downtown Albuquerque, theres a 24-foot-tall sculpture made entirely of car doors. The piece, called Auto Hawk, is meant to represent the West and its freedom. Christopher Fennell is a sculptor who moved from Georgia to Albuquerque after graduating from college. He says Auto Hawk was partly inspired by the ravens he saw while hiking the Sandia specifically, the rough-looking ones missing feathers. He says he decided to use car doors for the sculpture, given that its located outside of a parking deck. And so I thought, okay, parking deck materials, cars, said Fennell. And then I started thinking about how car doors open and how theyre kind of like a wing and how if you did a bunch of them, they would look like feathers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Auto Hawk came to be when the city put out a call for artists. Fennell submitted his portfolio, and from there, he was invited to walk the site with city officials and talk with nearby community members. Then, it was time to brainstorm. For Auto Hawk, Fennell drafted up drawings to present to the city council. After his concept was selected, he signed the contract and started building. The piece is meant to encompass the idea of Western freedom, particularly the free-spirited people of Albuquerque, and how we all got to stick together. Albuquerque Reliques is a web series taking a look at landmarks, art, and oddities in the area. Fennels experience with sculptures began decades ago. In 2000, I was getting a masters in sculpture at the University of Georgia, and I saw a barn falling down that looked like a wave to me, said Fennell. And so I took the barn down and built a wave in front of the art department, and people liked it. And then I took 120 bicycles and made a tornado of bicycles. And that sort of set me on my path of building big things out of recycled material. He added that he enjoys working around 24-feet because its big enough that you feel the presence of God, but small enough that its intimate. One way Fennell garners inspiration is through nature, specifically caving. He jokes that my pieces of artwork are just me going out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for how these massive sculptures stay together, Fennell has a background in mechanical engineering. He says thats partly how hes learned to build big things that stand up and stay up. One struggle Fennell has run into is finding scrap yards that are willing to work with artists. Its weird. Salvage yards dont like artists because theyre just weirdos that are going to, you know, go look for one little thing thats interesting, and theres no money to be made, said Fennell. So most places, like most junk dealers, will not deal with artists. Fennell is now living in Birmingham, Alabama, where he has an art studio in the ruins of Republic Steel an abandoned steel mill that has become a haven for artists. Although hes a few states away, hes still doing work in New Mexico. Currently, hes working on a fire station in Las Cruces. It is two pillars, 17 feet tall, with fire hydrants on top. And then between the two pillars is a 14-foot-tall ball of fire made of decommissioned fire ladders, said Fennell. I did one like this in Allen, Texas, north of Dallas. But this one I made spiky, because everything in the desert is kind of spiky. You can view Fennells work on his 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. Aldi, the German discount grocer known for creating its own brands of popular processed foods, will open its first Delafield store, and only its third in Lake Country, on June 19. The company recently completed the remodeling of the former OfficeMax store at 2840 Heritage Drive, just east of state Highway 83 along the south side of the Interstate 94 corridor. It's only the second new store planned for Wisconsin in 2025, but one in more than 800 in the works in the U.S. through 2028 including a record-setting 225 stores expected to open this year alone. All rely on shoppers looking to save a few dollars, even in upscale suburban places, according to Aldi officials. Shane Williams, Aldi's regional vice president, cited an Aldi Price Leadership Report that claims Aldi shoppers save 36% on their shopping lists, averaging $4,000 annually. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As shoppers look for better ways to stretch their dollar, Aldi is providing Delafield with easier access to quality groceries at affordable prices," Williams said in a news release announcing the June 19 opening date. Company officials noted that Aldi's exclusive brands make up about 90% of the items in its stores. In addition to processed foods, such as Millville cereals that include Fruit Rounds (akin to Kellogg's Froot Loops), stores also sell organic meats, fresh produce and sustainable seafood. Their cheese and wine selections include a house wine called Winking Owl. Shoppers will find limited-time offers on seasonal foods, home goods and other items. The company also promotes its "sustainability" in product lines, which it says are important to its core shoppers, and offers gluten-free options. In addition to standard offers, the Delafield store, which will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., will include a June 19 promotion for the first 100 customers. Each will receive a gift bag containing exclusive product samples, a gift card and promotion materials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aldi also has two stores in Waukesha and one store each in Brookfield, Mukwonago, Muskego, Oconomowoc and Pewaukee, along with others in the Milwaukee area. Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com. This story was updated to add a video. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Aldi to open Delafield store June 19 as part of national expansion ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) An Altoona couple is facing charges after Child and Youth Services (CYS) had to call police over the conditions of the home where their two young children were living. Suzane Rodgers, 22, and Damien Charles Weatherwalk, 20, were both charged with two counts of child endangerment after police said they had a nearly 2-year-old and an infant not even 2 months old living in a home filled with trash and experiencing a cockroach problem. According to the criminal complaint, Altoona police were dispatched to a home on the 300 block of Bell Avenue at 3:06 p.m. Monday, June 9, after a CYS worker called with concerns about their living conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police arrived at the home and immediately noticed there was almost no place to walk without stepping on trash. According to the complaint, there was a walkway through the trash in one part of the residence that the older toddler was using to roam around. Police noted that part of the ceiling looked like it was about to collapse, and it was almost directly above the infants crib. Blair County inmate who hid in van to escape identified According to charging documents, there were cigarette butts on the floor and in an open soup can. When looking in the fridge, police noted they were hit in the face with gnats and found little food, which was rotten. Police alleged the freezer was in the same condition; however, there was a dead cockroach in there. Rodgers allegedly claimed theyve been having a cockroach issue, saying they are coming from the basement. It was also confirmed that the sink, full of old water, had no running water at that point. Police wrote in the affidavit of probable cause that the bathroom was dirty with trash, bloody hygiene products, and various other hygiene and cleaning products well within the childrens reach. Stay up to date with the latest news in the palm of your hand. Click here to download the WTAJ app for Apple and Android devices. Both Rodgers and Weatherwalk were arrested, charged and arraigned. Weatherwalk was released on $35,000 unsecured bail while Rodgers was placed in Blair County Prison with bail set at $30,000 straight. 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 WTAJ - www.wtaj.com. LUBBOCK State officials broke ground Tuesday at the site of the future psychiatric hospital in Amarillo, bringing the Panhandle one step closer to inpatient mental health care. The hospital is the long-awaited result after the Texas Legislature in 2023 approved $159 million to build an inpatient psychiatric hospital in Amarillo. Mental health advocates in the area say it is desperately needed to bring mental health resources closer to the largely rural region thats home to nearly 436,000 people. Now, as construction begins, local mental health officials are relieved there will finally be a safe haven in reach for the Panhandle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a big deal to get this hospital here, said Potter County Judge Nancy Tanner. Hopefully, this will benefit our whole community as soon as it opens. The hospital in Amarillo is one of seven new state psychiatric hospital projects by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Lawmakers approved spending $1.5 billion in 2023 for the projects, including a psychiatric hospital being built in Lubbock, about 120 miles south of Amarillo. Until these hospitals open, the nearest psychiatric hospital for most people in the region is Wichita Falls, more than 200 miles away from either Amarillo or Lubbock. Once the projects are complete, the two most populated cities in the High Plains the region that stretches from Lubbock to the tip of the Panhandle will each have a hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a news release, Gov. Greg Abbott said the hospital the first of its kind in the region will provide Texans greater access to mental health professionals and quality care. Texas is delivering on its promise to expand healthcare to rural communities across our great state, Abbott said. The hospital will have 75 beds for patients. Fifty beds will be saved for people in the criminal justice system who have mental health disorders, including those who may be deemed unfit to stand trial. The new hospital will be in Amarillos medical district. It will be located at the former Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. The city, Texas A&M University System, and the state health agency worked together to find the location. The state is leasing the land for $1 a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The land lease is an example of how state agencies can and should work together for the good of citizens, said West Texas A&M President Walter Wendler during a news conference last year. There are local outpatient resources available in Amarillo, a city of more than 200,000 people. However, inpatient care is essentially nonexistent. Dan Thompson with the Texas Panhandle Centers, the local mental health authority for the 21 upper counties, said it will be helpful for residents, law enforcement, and mental health organizations to have a facility nearby. A lot of folks in the Panhandle see that there is a need for people to get treatment and the help they need, Thompson said. To have something like this in our community is going to be very beneficial. The hospital, which will include common areas and outdoor courtyards for patients, will be operated by the state. The Health and Human Services agency owns and operates nine state hospitals around Texas and one residential youth treatment center. Cecile Erwin Young, executive commissioner for Health and Human Services, said Texans are better served when they can get treatment close to home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When completed, this hospital will offer hope and healing to some of the most vulnerable people in the Panhandle, Young said. Construction for the hospital is expected to finish in 2027. Disclosure: Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University System 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. UNITED NATIONS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians on Wednesday voiced concern over the alarming rise in internal displacement as a result of violence in Haiti. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said nearly 1.3 million people are now displaced across the country, citing figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). It represents an increase of 24 percent since December 2024. It also marks the highest figure ever recorded due to violence in Haiti. While the capital city of Port-au-Prince remains the epicenter of violence among armed groups, its expansion into other regions, particularly the Centre and Artibonite departments, has triggered large-scale displacement, said OCHA. In the Centre Department, the number of displaced people has more than doubled in just months, increasing from 68,000 in December 2024 to over 145,000 in June this year. In Artibonite, more than 90,000 people have fled their homes since December, and the Department of the North has seen an increase of nearly 80 percent in displacement. Displaced families are often forced to settle in informal sites or overcrowded host households with limited access to basic services, said the office. Since December, the number of spontaneous displacement sites has risen sharply -- from 142 to 246 -- with the most significant increase observed in the Centre Department, which previously had none. Today, it hosts 85 active sites. Meanwhile, 83 percent of displaced people are hosted by families, creating additional pressure on already fragile rural communities, it said. The IOM has scaled up its operations in the metropolitan zone of Port-au-Prince, reaching over 20,000 people with essential household items, delivering 3 million liters of clean water, and providing basic health care to 6,000 people. Mental health and psychosocial support have also been extended to more than 8,500 people, said OCHA. It noted that this sharp rise in displacement comes at a time when humanitarian access is increasingly restricted, and funding remains critically low. Without urgent support to meet growing needs and address the structural drivers of displacement, the crisis will deepen further, placing even more pressure on already overstretched systems and communities. LYON COUNTY (KSNT) Some people around Lyon County may not be getting their packages this week after an Amazon delivery van was broken into after being trapped in mud for days. The Lyon County Sheriffs Office posted on social media that it is investigating a recent case of theft involving an Amazon Prime Van. Deputies were called on Monday, June 9 to the 1700 block of Road N to help remove this van after it took a wrong turn and became stuck in some mud. Deputies responding to this situation found the van had been stuck for several days. Upon further investigation, law enforcement noticed someone had broken into it and taken several packages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Lyon County Sheriffs Office is asking locals to help it with the investigation into the break-in. People with any information to share can contact Crime Stoppers at 620-342-2273 or make a report online by clicking here. What are the ICE partnerships being formed with Kansas sheriffs? 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. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf 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 KSNT 27 News. Republican senators lashed into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday over the Trump administrations effort to end the Ukraine war by drawing in Russia, thrusting a glaring ideological divide within the party into public view. Sen. Mitch McConnell one of three Republicans to oppose Hegseths confirmation led the criticism at a Senate budget hearing. "America's reputation is on the line, the Kentucky Republican said. Will we defend democratic allies against authoritarian aggressors?" The former Senate majority leader who now chairs the panel that controls defense funding leveled some of his strongest warnings yet at the Pentagon chief during the hearing, which took a more adversarial tone than Tuesdays House counterpart. Hegseth, who came out largely unscathed the day before, endured interrogations from both parties on President Donald Trumps strategy to end the conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The exchange between McConnell and Hegseth offered a rare high-profile window into the Republican partys widening foreign policy gap. McConnell voiced a Reagan-era international view of American leadership, while Hegseth articulated a more restraint-oriented, America First approach favored by many of Trumps allies. We dont want a headline at the end of this conflict that says Russia wins and America loses, McConnell told Hegseth. Thats extremely important if were going to continue to play the role in the world that the vast majority of members of Congress think we should still play. McConnell posed several questions to the Pentagon chief about the three-year-old conflict. When he asked who was the aggressor, Hegseth replied, Russia is the aggressor. But when questioned over which side he wants to win, Hegseth sidestepped and said only that Trump is committed to peace. He placed the blame instead on the Biden and Obama administrations for mishandling Russia and slow walking aid, noting that Putin seized Crimea and launched a full invasion of Ukraine during those presidencies. Vladimir Putin knows that President Trump is strong, Hegseth said. He knows his word means something, and as a result, a negotiated peace in Ukraine makes America look strong, makes us look like we understand the state of the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a top Trump ally, pressed Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would stop his expansion efforts with Ukraine, if he proved successful. The pair split over the possibility. "I don't believe he is, going to stop, Caine said. Hegseth said it remains to be seen. Graham shot back: "Well, he says he's not. This is the 30s all over. It doesn't remain to be seen." The panels top Democrat, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, warned Hegseth against pursuing a peace deal at any cost. He also cautioned against abandoning aid to Ukraine and criticized its omission in the administrations budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It seems to me concerning that the 2026 request eliminates aid to Ukraine entirely, he said. We cannot abandon Ukraine. That would put us significantly at a strategic disadvantage. Hegseth defended the administrations approach, framing a U.S.-negotiated peace as a strength and acknowledging that any settlement will leave plenty of people on both sides unhappy. "The alternative of endless war that is largely funded by the United States and fought by Ukrainians, for which the Russians have unlimited resources to continue to pour in, does not make sense strategically for the United States, he said. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) In North Nashville, an historic college celebrates a major milestone with its 100th anniversary. A quarter of American Baptist Colleges legacy had Dr. Forrest Harris, Sr. at the helm. Hes now readying for retirement in June after 25 years as president. For any institution to exist 100 years, it has built a significant legacy, he said. Producing, in our case, students who lead in areas of social justice. And Im very proud of that legacy. The school sits on whats known as the Holy Hill a small campus towering over North Nashville just above the Cumberland River. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond those black steel gates is nothing but a big family from the students who stay on campus and share resources to the faculty and staff who will check in on you, said ABC alumnus Mondale Smiley. Its a really vibrant campus but its one of those hidden gems. News 2 On Tour | Explore the communities that shape Middle Tennessee (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) He discovered that hidden gem by what can only be seen as divine intervention from an American Baptist College graduate, and his pastor, all the way in Detroit, Michigan. Id heard nothing about American Baptist, he recalled. But as I continued to progress, I just felt like God was really wanting me to give it a try. I tried to submit my security deposit for the other institution several times and it never worked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He graduated last year and now stands on the shoulders of the schools legendary students. The Reverend C. T. Vivian, public intellectual, the Dr. Bernard Lafayette, who was the former president that I took over from, said. Dr. Harris. One of American Baptist Colleges most notable alums was Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and late Congressman, John Lewis. From Freedom Rides throughout the South and integrating segregated lunch counters in Nashville, his non-violent fight against social inequality began between classes at ABC. They tell a story that he didnt even make it to his own graduation from American Baptist College because he was actively in jail, said Smiley. They have videos of him right behind us on the Cumberland bank telling stories about how he doesnt understand why his family would push up against the grain of him being here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well before Lewis fight during the Civil Rights Movement, American Baptist College opened in 1924 as American Baptist Theological Seminary. It was founded through an unprecedented collaboration between the all-Black National Baptist Convention USA and the all-white Southern Baptist Convention to educate rural Black clergy for leadership in their communities. This schools mission is to prepare, educate and train, equip young leaders for Christian service and social justice in the world, said Dr. Harris, adding that they also do much more than the schools name might indicate. We provide the kind of educational experience curriculum that gives them a lens to see whatever vocation they choose, to see the way in which justice factors into their decisions as a professional. Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More As he passes the torch to the schools next leader, Dr. Harris hopes they can continue their mission in the digital age while helping communities understand the critical roles of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nashville would not be the Nashville it is today without American Baptist College, without the contributions that our students have made and all the other HBCUs in Nashville, said Dr. Harris. If HBCUs cease to exist, the nation will lose a valuable asset for education and development of citizenship, both locally and globally, to advance this country in its vision for democracy. A Legacy of Leadership Gala event on June 28 will launch a leadership and legacy fund to help sustain of the future of American Baptist College. Its at the Cal Turner Family Center at Meharry Medical College. Email roadto100@abcnash.edu 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 WKRN News 2. As the protests in Los Angeles against ICE continue, the Trump administration announced it would be sending in 2,000 additional National Guard soldiers as well as 700 active duty Marines. According to Reuters, they will "protect federal personnel and property" as the administration carries out "even more operations to round up suspected immigration violators." Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images Governor Gavin Newsom has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming that the president did not have the legal authority to call in the National Guard, as well as requested a temporary restraining order to stop the use of the National Guard and active Marines "for law enforcement purposes." This is the first time that active duty military members have been called up to assist with law enforcement since 1992, and unsurprisingly, many of them (as well as veterans) have thoughts on the topic. NotSlayerOfDemons asked, "Those in the American Armed Forces, how do you feel about troops being used to quell unrest in-country?" and service members, both active and former, did not hold back in these 28 responses: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 1."Former Army. Unrest is when the citizens are trying to send a message to the government. Using troops against your citizens is the government's way of not listening." RINGO CHIU / AFP via Getty Images cobra7 2."Marine here. (Once a Marine, always.) Iraq vet. I definitely do not agree with using the Marines. Hopefully, they used MPs with riot training, but using infantry to do police work is not smart. It's like trying to use a trained attack dog to herd sheep. What do you think those teenagers are going to do when someone starts throwing rocks at them?" Nevada_Lawyer 3."USAF veteran. We swear an oath to the Constitution. Not to any regime, party, or person." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement chiksahlube 4."Trump is creating his Reichstag fire. Take the time to look this up if you arent familiar with it." Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images RuralMNGuy (The Reichstag fire was a fire that burned down the Reichstag building, which housed the German parliament, in 1933. The origins of the fire remain unclear, but it became propaganda for Hitler's Nazi government, and he used it to issue the Reichstag Fire Decree, restricting free speech, freedom of the press, and allowing him to begin arresting members of the opposition parties.) 5."As a Marine vet, this fucking sucks. These kids are 1822 years old and don't know shit about what the Constitution allows or what the Posse Comitatus Act is. They are taught enough not to harm an unarmed civilian, but decades of training for combating guerrilla warfare makes people jumpy. If protesters start throwing Molotov cocktails, or god forbid shooting, then shit gets real for these kids quick. I am afraid that if anything happens, it's going to put a black eye on the Corps that will never be forgotten by the American public." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maikudono 6."As a vet, I will say it comes across as totalitarian. There is no reason to use active duty military against your own citizens. There's a great quote from Battlestar Galactica: 'The police and the military have always been separate for a reason. One serves and protects the people, the other fights enemies of the state. When the military does both, the enemies of the state tend to become the people.'" Ok-Student7803 7."Army veteran and a SoCal native of 30 years here. Glad to see the president not allowing California to burn to the ground. Everyone knows the governor wasn't going to intervene." Justin Sullivan / Getty Images ChinMuscle Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 8."Man, that makes me think of the saying 'When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.' That's the really scary part of having the military do the policing, isn't it?" kkeiper1103 Related: The Internet Is Having A Field Day Over Marjorie Taylor Greene's Tweet About Homeschooling With An Altered Map 9."Telling soldiers to stand on the street with weapons drawn doesn't quell unrest. It provokes unrest." timf3d 10."Honorably discharged Army veteran here (Gulf War era). I can say that I and my fellow vet friends think that these troop deployments are fucking terrible. Horrifying, actually." Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images PSadair Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 11."This is what the National Guard is for. Putting active duty military personnel on the streets of America to play policeman is a mistake." RC10B5M 12."I served in the Marines, and Im glad I dont have to sit there and think, 'Question the legality of this and get an NJP [Non-Judicial Punishment], or go and potentially be put in a situation where theyll have me on trial in The Hague in a few years'" "Sooner or later, for everyone, the uniform comes off, and those guys are going to have a hell of a time integrating back into civilian society, even if they end up doing nothing while there." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bureaucratic_Dick 13."I'm not active, but former military. I think it's wrong. It's an overreach on presidential power. Plus, it's hard enough getting the everyday American to support our troops these days without deploying them to attack our own civilians." Anadolu / Anadolu via Getty Images crash218579 Related: A NSFW Float Depicting Donald Trump's "MAGA" Penis Was Just Paraded Around Germany, And It's...Something 14."Retired Marine here. There are units in the military trained for this. Active duty infantry units are not those units. They can say all they want that they are trained in de-escalation, but in reality, its maybe one to two days of training a year and maybe some rapid last-minute refreshers as soon as they found out they were getting sent to LA. The bulk of their training and instincts are to destroy the enemy. This will not go well." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RonWill79 15."Former Army here it's complete bullshit. Let law enforcement enforce the law, let the military do military operations. To be honest, they were waiting for any reason to do this because they want to 'send a message,' but the message that's sent isn't what they think it is. I feel sorry for those soldiers sleeping on the hard floor with no plan of provisions for water/food, not abroad in a war zone, but in downtown fucking LA." mcstevied 16."Former Marine, from Los Angeles, from immigrant parents. Fuck this administration. I hope those troops remember their oath to the US Constitution and to the people of the nation. Im so disappointed with this whole situation." Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Tacos_and_Yut Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 17."I think following the orders of a 34-count felon who is responsible for attacking the Capitol of the USA is reprehensible. I sincerely regret my service to the USA and wish I could take it back. It will not happen again." TheDwellingHeart 18."I don't support violent protests. I also don't support Marines being used to quell said protests. Marines are a tool you use to destroy an area or group of people, not to peacefully resolve it. The guard makes more sense here, but the best answer is just keeping it at the police level." Well__shit 19."GWOT [Global War on Terrorism] veteran here. This shit is absolutely wack. The United States has used the National Guard MANY times throughout its history, albeit for civil unrest or not. The National Guard does an impeccable job at this, and to hear the National Guard is being utilized isnt too concerning." David McNew / Getty Images "The VERY large, stomach-churning moment is the president giving the green light to utilize 2/7 out of Twentynine Palms. These are not 'peacekeepers.' Their motto is fucking literally 'First to Fight.' They have a long history of intense combat operations from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and GWOT. This is a highly decorated combat unit within the US militarys arsenal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pitting young, war-fighting men against the people they thought they were protecting is going to be a disastrous clusterfuck." NSTalley 20."I support the National Guard being used to protect federal buildings and to quell riots and obstruction to the enforcement of federal law." Bravelakes 21."Served in the Navy from '09'13. The bulk of these guys have never deployed, which is a badge of honor. Young, untested 1822 year olds with guns seems like a really bad idea to me." anthonyajh 22."As a veteran I am pissed that I spent four years defending this country only to have some idiots vote for and support a Christo-fascist government and despite all evidence still believe this is going to be a 'good' thing." DAVID PASHAEE / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images MediocreDecking 23."Retired Navy here and also a former Marine. Sending an infantry battalion (2/7) to assist the LAPD and the National Guard is the wrong move. There are whole-ass battalions of military police who are specifically trained for this scenario. Why werent they sent? Every active duty/veteran I know is against this." Baker_Kat68 24."It's a complicated issue. Most service members take their oath to defend the Constitution seriously, which includes the rights of Americans to protest. Using the military for domestic unrest should be an absolute last resort, not the go-to option. We're trained to engage enemies, not fellow citizens." "Many of us feel deep discomfort at the idea of turning our training inward. Peace, order, and public safety are crucial, but so is trust between the people and their government! And nothing erodes that faster than boots on home soil in situations that call for dialogue, not force." Emotional_Ticket_357 25."Marine here, many of the brothers and sisters I served with came from immigrant families and communities in LA or ones just like them. Im sure theres a few Marines who are on board with this crap, but many are really struggling with this, I can guarantee you." Spencer Platt / Getty Images skamatiks671 26."Nobody likes the idea that this administration is attempting to politicize the military. It's awkward for us. The way the Secretary of Defense talks is vile, unprofessional, and embarrassing. Recruiting and retention will plummet." 220solitusma 27."It's an accident waiting to happen." Mario Tama / Getty Images kozmo30 28.And finally, "Real take, most of them don't particularly care and just want to do their job and go home, regardless of the situation. Marines are people and lean slightly right so you do have people who are giddy about 'enforcing order' but nobody wants to be dressed up in full kit in LA summer heat." HerrArado What do you think? Let us know in the comments. Comments have been edited for length and clarity. Also in In the News: JD Vance Shared The Most Bizarre Tweet Of Him Serving "Food" As Donald Trump's Housewife Also in In the News: This Senator's Clap Back Fully Gagged An MSNBC Anchor, And The Clip Is Going Viral Also in In the News: AOC's Viral Response About A Potential Presidential Run Has Everyone Watching, And I'm Honestly Living For It AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) Amherst-Pelham Regional School District is among eight districts in the state receiving funding to replace diesel-powered school buses with electric ones. The Healey-Driscoll administration is awarding over $9 million to electrify public school buses through an initiative led by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). These western Massachusetts cities awarded funding to boost protection against cyberattacks Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is the third round of awards distributed through this program, going to several school districts and private transportation providers across the Commonwealth. This includes Highland Electric, which supports the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District. Transitioning to electric school buses is a meaningful investment in the well-being of our students and the future of our communities, said Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler. This program showcases whats possible when we prioritize sustainability and equity in our investments, and Im grateful to our partners at MassCEC and MassDEP for leading this important work. As part of the School Bus Deployment Program, MassCEC and MassDEP say this will help improve public health across the state. Highland Electric received $500,000 in funding through the program, with other districts receiving up to nearly $2 million. MassCEC is now accepting applicants for the fourth round of the program. For those looking to submit proposals or to find more information, visit masscec.com. 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. Ukraines National Police have posted footage of patrol officers helping victims of Russias drone attack on Kharkiv on 11 June. Source: Ukrainian National Police in Kharkiv Oblast Details: In the National Police video, a man can be heard singing the Ukrainian national anthem beneath the rubble of a destroyed house. Quote from the police: "That night, Russian forces attacked Kharkivs residential areas with strike drones. They struck deviously, as the city slept, when families were in their homes." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patrol officers were among the first to respond at the site of one of the affected buildings. Quote: "They [the patrol officers ed.] pulled people from under the rubble and extinguished the flames that were burning in public spaces. And they saved lives. And in this darkness, amid the dust, smoke and pain, a man under the rubble was singing the Ukrainian national anthem." Background: Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack on Kharkivs Slobidskyi and Osnovyanskyi districts on the night of 10-11 June, killing 2 people and injuring 60, including 9 children. The attack damaged residential buildings, trolleybuses, playgrounds and businesses. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The Dona Ana County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution on Tuesday, June 10 to place a general obligation (GO) bond question on the Nov. 4 election ballot. This bond, if approved by voters, would authorize the County to issue up to $140 million in general obligation bonds, payable from general (ad valorem) taxes, to fund the planning, design, development, construction, renovation and enhancement of fairgrounds, recreational facilities and County buildings throughout Dona Ana County, the County said in a news release. The proposed bond will allow the County to borrow the funds needed to complete these large-scale projects, the County said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bond issue is subject to voter approval. The County would repay the bond through an increase in property taxes. A resident with a property valued at $285,000 would see an increase of approximately $15 per month, the County said. This bond represents a critical step forward in the Countys ongoing commitment to improving its facilities and community spaces, the County said. This bond will allow the County to build upon years of progress to transform existing facilities into thriving hubs for residents. By funding these much-needed improvements, the County can ensure that its spaces are renovated, offer beneficial programming and are accessible to all residents, regardless of their location, the County added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement County Commission Chair Christopher Schaljo-Hernandez said: Dona Ana County is a vibrant and growing community, and it is crucial that we provide safe, welcoming spaces where our families can grow stronger, healthier and more connected. Improving the quality of our facilities will not only enhance the lives of our residents, but also drive economic development. This will attract new visitors, businesses and services to our county. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ANDERSON, S.C. (WSPA) State officials hosted a town hall in Anderson, on Tuesday, gathering input on the $150 million Hurricane Helene recovery plan. The plan aims to help South Carolina communities recover from the effects. From 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Westside Community Center in Anderson, the South Carolina office of Resilience (SCOR) presented their plan that outlines how the state intends to use $150.3 million in federal disaster relief funds, awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The funds from HUD come from the community development block grant. It provides flexible grants for long-term recovery in communities affected by presidentially declared disasters, like Hurricane Helene. SCOR told 7News more than 400,000 people applied for FEMA assistance. Disaster recovery director for SCOR, Scott Sharpe said many people across the state, especially here in the Upstate continue to struggle. Any unmet need that the people have, even if FEMA has given them money for repairs or whatever, thats where we can come in and help assist them repair their homes, explained Sharpe. According to the draft plan, funds can be used to fix or rebuild single-family homes and/or affordable rental housing, to buy property from willing owners and support projects that reduce damage from future disasters. Funds from SCOR are not provided directly to citizens or given as reimbursements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuesday night, residents from any county in South Carolina, were able to speak with SCORs Disaster Case Management team members (DCM) who are able to assist with ongoing financial, physical, or emotional needs that stem from Hurricane Helene. Sharpe explained, We get some of our best ideas from folks and one of the biggest things that we get from feedback from the folks is where are the focus areas at that have the unmet need. All spoken and written input from the meeting will be summarized and added to the final action plan. Those unable to attend the meeting can contact the team directly via the statewide hotline at 803-898-2511. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Members of the public may review the draft action plan and submit comments in advance at scor.sc.gov/helene. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) is backing Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) in the Democratic primary to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), making Kim the latest Democratic senator to back the congresswoman. In a time when Democracy is under attack and working families are being squeezed from all sides, we need bold, principled leaders who wont back down from a fight, Kim said in a statement shared through Craigs campaign, which was first shared with The Hill. Im proud to endorse Angie Craig, he continued. Angies commitment to fighting for the middle class by lowering costs and standing up to the status quo to fix a broken Washington is exactly what the Senate needs right now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Craig in her own statement said she was grateful to have his backing. Senator Kim is a good friend and understands the kind of hard work it takes to stand up to Washingtons corruption, she said. Craig and Kim both started in the House in 2019, though Kim now serves in the Senate after winning former Sen. Bob Menendezs (I) seat in November. Kim is the latest senator to back Craig; Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who also won his Senate seat last year, is endorsing the Minnesota Democrat, too. Several other Democrats are running for the Democratic nod for Smiths seat: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, whos received endorsements from state Attorney General Keith Ellison and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Democratic candidate Billy Nord. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A handful of Republicans are also running for the seat, including Senate candidates Royce White and Mike Ruoho in addition to retired Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze. The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates Smiths seat lean Democrat. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) The Daviess County Sheriffs Office announced that 50 cats and 22 dogs have been seized from two homes following an investigation into severe cases of animal cruelty and neglect. According to a release from the sheriffs office, animal control officers were dispatched to a home in the 10000 block of Highway 56 as part of an investigation. Officers say they found 50 cats living in the home with inadequate food and water, with some of the animals reported to be near death. The release also said the house was riddled with animal feces and urine. The homeowners, Marguerite Mattheny, 61, and Melissa Phillips, 44, were charged with cruelty to animals and received court citations. The cats were taken to It Takes a Village for treatment and care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a separate investigation, animal control officers say they located 22 dogs living in unsanitary conditions at a home in the 500 block of Sycamore Street in Owensboro. The release says there was not adequate space for the dogs, and some of the animals showed signs of neglect. Authorities say a criminal summons was issued to the homeowner from a previous animal cruelty investigation. Charges are pending for 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 Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong led a delegation to Penang, Malaysia, to attend senior officials' meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), as well as the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum from Tuesday to Wednesday. Sun told the media after the meetings that this year's East Asia cooperation centered around the theme of "inclusivity and sustainability," reflecting the shared aspiration of regional countries to unite in cooperation, uphold openness and inclusiveness, jointly address challenges, and pursue common development. Participants exchanged views on international and regional issues as well as cooperation in emerging fields. The Chinese side elaborated on its principled position on relevant issues, sternly refuted and firmly countered the U.S. attacks, smears and unwarranted accusations against China, Sun said. Sun stated that the series of East Asia senior officials' meetings held in this round featured in-depth exchanges on deepening practical cooperation across various fields, advancing regional economic integration, and promoting the development of East Asia cooperation mechanisms. He went on to say that at the meetings, China emphasized that all parties should pursue openness rather than isolation, cooperation rather than confrontation, fairness rather than hegemony, and win-win outcomes rather than zero-sum games. This is the shared choice of regional countries, Sun said. China is willing to work with all parties to uphold the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, safeguard the fundamental norms of international relations and international fairness and justice, adhere to genuine multilateralism and open regionalism, uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and support the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation architecture. China advocates the Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness, and inclusiveness, and calls on all parties to unite in facing challenges and jointly build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful, and amicable home, the Chinese diplomat said. He emphasized that the Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests. There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is a widely recognized consensus within the international community. The historical trend toward China's complete reunification is unstoppable and inevitable, Sun noted. On the South China Sea issue, Sun said that China and ASEAN countries remain committed to properly handling and resolving maritime disputes through dialogue and consultation among directly concerned parties, and jointly safeguarding peace and stability in the South China Sea. China and ASEAN countries have completed the third reading of the draft text of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) and are working toward concluding the COC at an early date. This fully demonstrates that China and ASEAN countries have the wisdom and capability to properly manage the South China Sea issue. Sun said that certain extraterritorial countries, driven by unilateral hegemony and self-interest, have been stoking and intensifying maritime disputes, provoking bloc confrontations in the region, forming exclusive "small cliques," and continuously increasing military deployments. These actions are the biggest sources of disruption to regional peace and stability. China firmly opposes the introduction of Cold War mentality, geopolitical conflicts, and bloc confrontations into the region. China emphasized the need for all parties to return to the original intention of constructive dialogue and cooperation, uphold the Asian security approach of shared security, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and resolving issues through dialogue and consultation. This will help advance East Asia cooperation in a deeper and more substantive manner, injecting greater stability, certainty, and positive energy into the world, he said. Annapolis mayoral candidate Rhonda Pindell Charles, left, responds to a question during a debate Tuesday with her Democratic primary opponent, Jared Littmann, right. Baltimore Banner columnist Rick Hutzell, the moderator, center, listens. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) Rhonda Pindell Charles and Jared Littmann cordially debated, and mostly agreed, Tuesday on how they would improve Annapolis if they were elected the next mayor of the capital city. Both would form partnerships with community and nonprofit organizations. Both would work to eliminate environmental hazards in some of the citys underserved communities. And both Democrats bestowed high praise on current Mayor Gavin Buckley (D), who is term-limited from serving a third, four-year term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think hes one of the best mayors weve had and Ive been here my entire life, said Pindell Charles, who has served as an alderwoman on the city council since 2009. Littman, a former alderman who served five years on the council before his term ended in 2017, noted that he and Buckley have a number of similarities, including both having two children, but added that my demeanors a bit different than the outgoing Buckleys personality. Buckley was one of dozens on hand for Tuesdays nearly 90-minute debate hosted by the Caucus of African American Leaders at the Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center. Some sported blue Littmann T-shirts and others wore red or white shirts supporting Pindell Charles. There was at least one difference between the two besides their supporters T-shirts: Pindell Charles and Littman outlined different approaches to hiring city personnel. Dozens of people turned out for the mayoral debate between Democratic candidates Rhonda Pindell Charles and Jared Littmann. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) I have committed to keeping all staff. I have never heard any other mayor say that, Pindell Charles said. Ive worked with these folks on a regular basis. I see how they operate [and] how they get things done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Littman commended city staff, he said he would interview each of the citys directors and chiefs to assess their priorities, any expectations and how they would measure themselves against those expectations. Anyone who may scores themselves a 10 out of 10 of everything always makes me skeptical, he said. I look for people who identify where theres room for improvement. I do not promise anybody a job. Everybodys got to work for their job, he said. Littman has been working for the mayors job for 18 months already, declaring his candidacy in January 2024. Pindell Charles announced her candidacy in September. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Tuesday, they were the only two candidates seeking to be mayor, although others have until July 28 to file. The Sept. 16 primary looms large in the city, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a ratio of 2.5-to-1. The Anne Arundel County Board of Elections said that as of Tuesday, about 13,881 Democrats were registered in Annapolis, compared to 5,518 Republicans and 6,006. unaffiliated voters. If no other candidates emerge, the primary winner could have a free pass to the mayors office. Pindell Charles received a bachelors degree in business administration from Morgan State University, before earning a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The retired prosecutor, a native of the city she hopes to lead, seeks to make history as the citys first elected Black mayor. Alderman John Thomas Chambers Jr. (R), who was Black, served on an interim basis for two months in 1981 after the suicide of Mayor Gustav Akerland (R). Her time on council included a brief stint as acting mayor, when Buckley appointed her in 2o20 to serve while he traveled home to his native Australia to care for his ailing mother. Carl Snowden, convener of the Caucus of African American Leaders, which hosted the mayoral debate, gives opening remarks. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) Littman received a bachelors degree in environmental engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and a law degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He has worked as an associate county attorney in Montgomery County and is currently a small business owner with his wife, running K&B Ace Hardware in the city. During Littmans time on council, he sponsored several pieces of legislation that included a forest conservation law thats a model for local and state leaders throughout Maryland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, the candidates were asked about a dozen questions, including their plans to redevelop the City Dock, how they would account for financial gaps created by federal government cuts and ideas on how to improve public transportation in the next four years. Philip Ateto, who lives in the citys Ward 3, said after the debate he didnt hear the candidates provide specifics on housing. In addition, he said they didnt answer a question on how would they respond to a crisis like the current protests in Los Angeles. I was disappointed neither one of them really answered the question about whats going on in L.A. and if it happened here, Ateto said. The community needs to know what we can expect from our law enforcement. Carl Snowden, convener of the Caucus of African American Leaders that hosted the debate, had a message for voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Any citizen who has a candidate knocking on their door should ask one question: If I elect you as a member of city council or mayor, how will the quality of life change for me and my family? Snowden said. And if that person is not able to speak in specificity, then you be minded. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE INDIANOLA, Iowa An Indianola man already facing grooming charges has been arrested again on the same charge in a separate case. Jeremy McCormick, 37, was arrested last week and charged with grooming, a Class D felony, following an investigation by the Indianola Police Department. He posted bond and is expected to be in court again on June 18th. The complaint filed in the case said police were contacted in April by the alleged victim, who claimed McCormick had offered them drinks while they were underage and offered to take them to Victorias Secret to get something sexy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DMPD seek help to find suspect in violent assault with a shoe The incidents happened during June and August of 2024, while the alleged victim was working for McCormick. The complaint said McCormick made the victim so uncomfortable that they stopped working for him. In January, he was charged with two counts of grooming after the Warren County Sheriffs Office investigated incidents allegedly involving two teen girls, ages 15 and 16. Criminal complaints claim he took them on a shopping trip to eastern Iowa, bought them underwear at Victorias Secret, and asked for pictures of the teens wearing the items. Due to the charges, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services suspended his EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) certification. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McCormicks trial on the first two grooming charges is scheduled for October 9th, 2025. Iowa 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 who13.com. People hold signs at a protest on May 23, 2025, at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) The state is investigating another death in Department of Corrections custody. Nicholas Skorka, 42, died at the South Dakota State Penitentiary on Tuesday, according to a press release. The release did not list a cause of death for Skorka. He is the 10th person to die in the departments custody this year and the fourth that will be subject to scrutiny by the state Division of Criminal Investigation, the investigative arm of the Attorney Generals Office. The death certificate for one of the investigated cases, that of 20-year-old Anthony Richards, lists the cause of his February death as an overdose of synthetic cannabinoid 5F-ADB, a drug sometimes referred to as K2. Two other inmates, 39-year-old Jason Garreau and 24-year-old Joshua Arrow, died days apart late last month. Arrows official death certificate has yet to be filed; Garreaus was filed last week and lists methamphetamine toxicity as his cause of death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wednesdays release did not say if Skorkas death is being investigated as drug-related. An autopsy for Skorka, whose body was found in his cell, will take place Thursday. DCI will do a thorough investigation, and we will determine what additional action is needed pending the results of that investigation, Attorney General Marty Jackley said in the release. On May 29, Department of Corrections spokesman Michael Winder sent a notice saying the department had busted a drug ring at the penitentiary. Its staff seized shipments of drugs intended for delivery to Sioux Falls inmates via the mail and parcels delivered by visitors to inmates. If the results of the investigation warrant prosecution, that days news release said, criminal charges will be sought. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jackleys spokesman Tony Mangan told South Dakota Searchlight on Wednesday that no charges have been filed for actions tied to the drug ring or in-custody deaths. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX ANSON, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) If you remember science class in grade school, you probably remember the exciting experiments, from exploding volcanoes to creating slime. As much fun as they were, they were also educational, and at Anson High School, that is the center of their science curriculum but it comes with a price. Elizabeth Meyer, a science teacher at Anson High School, hosts one lab experiment per week, which she says can be a large amount of effort. Some people think me doing a lab every week is kind of crazy, and its a lot of work, but I know the kids enjoy it. They get a lot out of it. They usually retain the material better. They do better on their test, and they get more interested in their class, Meyer said. A colossal mistake: Abilene ISD superintendent criticizes Texas new education voucher law Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shaking up fresh ice cream to exploding gummy bears, Meyer said the hands-on learning experience not only makes the classroom fun for students but also connects them to the material they are learning in class. I dont like just sitting there. Even in college, I doodled or messed with something, and so having hands-on experience really helps my kids get involved. Theyre engaged; theyre doing what theyre supposed to do. When somebody comes in, they like building roller coasters and catapults, Meyer said. With approximately 60 students and 36 weeks in a school year, 36 labs, the cost of materials can be pretty expensive, with Meyer having to come out of pocket most of the time. Theres one lab that would be amazing to do, but it would cost so much to do. It. We just dont. So I try to find other things that the kids can do that show them the same thing. Thats just a little simpler model, Meyer said. I paid $100 at the grocery store just to do [an ice cream experiment with 10 students], so imagine doing one every week. And there are 36 weeks in a school year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dan Patrick on THC ban, school choice + more in Abilene Anson High School Principal, Gina Overby, said teachers buying their supplies is not uncommon for educators, especially those going above and beyond for their students. It makes me so happy to see that our teachers are willing to put our kids first, and not that we want them to go broke doing it, but at the same time, the fact that theyre willing to shows to me how much our kids mean to our teachers, Overby said. Even with the cost burden, Meyer said she will not stop the labs, seeing the positive impact on her students. I had one student, and she literally did not want to come to school. She didnt like coming to school at all. One day, on the last day of school, she goes, Youre probably the only reason I came to school. That made me feel pretty good because you dont usually hear those comments from the kids, Meyer explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dont forget to hug your momma: Big Countrys Class of 2025 walks into the future The school is accepting donations for science labs. They can be dropped off at Anson High School. Here is a list of some of the previous materials the class has used: Marbles Pennies Eggs Popsicle Sticks Mirrors 60 mL syringes Light diodes Bleach Tent Stakes Nylon Rope Ammonia Copper wire tape 3V Coin Batteries Glass bottles Soda cans Rubberbands Plastic Bags String Tape Cups Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. The Brief Tensions rose Tuesday at the Seattle Federal Office Building, with protesters holding anti-ICE signs and blocking exits. Seattle police used pepper spray and less-lethal weapons on demonstrators after a vehicle exited the building in the evening. Protesters used scooters and bikes in an attempt to block of exits to the building. SEATTLE - Protesters opposing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) gathered at the Seattle Federal Building on Tuesday, with a crowd briefly clashing with police in the evening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protest, which remained peaceful throughout most of the day, escalated after a vehicle exited through one of the building garages. Protesters used objects like bikes and scooters to block several exits, with many gathered at one of the building's lower garages. The protest happened outside the Seattle Federal Office Building in Pioneer Square near 1st and Madison. At one point, Department of Homeland Security officers exited the building and attempted to remove a barricade in front of a garage. However, they returned inside after being confronted by protesters. Some protesters wore masks and carried umbrellas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around 4 p.m., one of the garage doors were opened, and some of the blocking bikes and scooters were pulled inside. At around 8 p.m., a large presence of Seattle police officers blocked off Madison Street near 2nd Avenue to allow a van to exit the building. Some of the scooters and bikes were also taken back outside. Tensions rose as the van pulled away, with some protesters spilling into the street, yelling and attempting to block police vehicles. Officers were seen using pepper spray and other less-lethal weapons to clear the demonstrators. Protesters could be seen burning an American flag outside the building later in the night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seattle police previously stated it would "work to provide security for all involved parties" in an earlier social media post on Tuesday. SPD also announced it had reduced the number of officers on scene and reopened roads, but cautioned the public that "protesters are in the area and may be in the lanes of traffic." Seattle police have reduced the amount of officers on scene and reopened roads. Be aware that protesters are in the area and may be in the lanes of traffic. Seattle Police Department (@SeattlePD) June 10, 2025 The Source Information in this story came from various sources, including the Seattle Police Department and FOX 13 Seattle original reporting. MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE Travis Decker manhunt: Focus shifts near WA's Blewett Pass Home of Seattle rapper Macklemore invaded, nanny maced: police Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Woman sues Costco for $14M after display falls on her head WAs Chehalis Tribe acquires long-criticized Uncle Sam sign Lane Lambert ecstatic to take reins as new head coach of Seattle Kraken To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news. Hundreds of protesters waving American and Mexican flags and carrying signs that ranged from heartfelt to profane marched through downtown Milwaukee streets June 10 to protest federal immigration operations and decry the crackdown on demonstrations in Los Angeles by President Donald Trump's administration. The crowd made their way to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices. Those in the crowd said it was important to speak out and express their opposition to large-scale ICE arrests. Anti-ICE protesters gather around at Cathedral Square Park in Milwaukee on June 10. Alan Chavoya, a protester with the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said earlier in the day he fielded phone calls June 10 from several people hearing about ICE arrests in the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's devastating," he said. "It's important to be out here and support, and it's also important to be bold about this." In the crowd were two 22-year-old women who met at the protest, Natalia Murillo, who draped a Mexican flag around her shoulders, and Alejandra Martinez. Murillo held a sign that read, "You can't love the culture and not support the people." "It's been stressful. You don't know when they're going to come into your cities and neighborhoods," Martinez said. Murillo said she was concerned about people being arrested by ICE who have legal status. "It's scary to see what's going on. We come here for a better life, and this is how we're getting treated?" she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An arrest of an immigrant June 10 by federal agents on Milwaukee's south side added to a sense of anxiety in the city's Latino community over immigration enforcement operations. A spokesperson for ICE said the agency could not share information about whether agents were operating in Milwaukee. That arrest came as massive protests against recent ICE raids erupted in Los Angeles over the weekend and have since spread to other cities. Trump ordered National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area. Marchers in Milwaukee express deep anger at Trump, ICE The march in Milwaukee spanned roughly two city blocks and included dozens of young Latino adults as well as people from a range of ages and backgrounds. Some marchers held handmade signs that read, "We speak for those who can't" and, "Immigrants are welcome here." Other popular slogans urged authorities to keep families together, to keep ICE out of Milwaukee and to abolish the agency altogether. "No justice, no peace, we want ICE off our streets," marchers chanted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Signs and chants alike reflected the depth of anger at Trump's immigration crackdown and at ICE. Some posters referred to Trump as a parasite, or a pig. Others said "Dump Trump," and many chose similar phrases with expletives, in both English and Spanish. A sign held by a protester urges to Keep Families Together Not Apart!! during the anti-ICE protest at Cathedral Square Park in Milwaukee on June 10. Rose Walters, a retiree from South Milwaukee, said she was "just livid" at several Trump policies. She was concerned about her Social Security benefits as well as immigration arrests that, in her view, lacked due process. She began attending protests for the first time in February. "I simply am fed up," she said. "It's ridiculous." Protesters push back on negative perception of immigrants Daniel Rivera, 27, of Michigan, was visiting Milwaukee and was walking past Cathedral Square Park when he noticed people were gathering for a protest about immigration. He jumped in because he he said feels strongly about the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Immigrants are the backbones of this nation," he said, adding that more "dialogue across the aisle" was needed. There was a sense from several marchers that the Latino community's contributions and culture were being cast aside, and that politicians and pundits were conflating the entire community with the criminal actions of a few. A 40-year-old Milwaukee mother named Angelica, who asked for her last name not to be used, brought her two daughters and her niece to the protest. She wanted to stand up for Mexican Americans like her family, she said. And speaking about recent ICE efforts to expand arrests, she said, "It's heartbreaking. It causes me to question, what am I proud of as an American?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nayleth Sedano, 30, of Milwaukee, arrived in the U.S. at age 4, and her family got legal status. She understands how "scary" moments like this can be for immigrant families. She has been especially concerned about the effect of that fear on children, who may be worried about ICE showing up at their graduation ceremonies. "If you have a heart, that's traumatizing for anybody," she said. Two women with Mexican flags draped over their shoulders were among the crowd at an anti-ICE protest June 10 at Cathedral Square Park in Milwaukee. Another anti-Trump protest scheduled for Cathedral Square The organizing groups included the Party for Socialism and Liberation's Milwaukee chapter; Comite Sin Fronteras, or "Committee Without Borders" the young adult arm of local immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera Codepink Milwaukee, and 50501 Milwaukee, part of a national anti-Trump protest movement called 50501. The 50501 group, short for "50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement," is the organizer of the so-called "No Kings" rallies taking place across the country. One is scheduled for noon June 14 in Cathedral Square Park as part of a nationwide day of protest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several additional "No Kings" protests are scheduled for the same day across southern Wisconsin, including in Brookfield, Cedarburg, Racine, Kenosha, Watertown and Madison, according to the organizer's website. They were planned to coincide with Trumps military parade in Washington, D.C., which is being held to honor the Army's 250th birthday and coincides with Trump's 79th birthday. Brian Dunleavy, a protester from Milwaukee, said he hopes both protests show that Milwaukeeans are standing in solidarity with others protesting around the country. I hope people see this and see (that) weve got your back," Dunleavy said. "We do not think whats going on in Washington and other parts of the country is OK, and were going to be here for you." Sophie Carson is a general assignment reporter who reports on religion and faith, immigrants and refugees and more. Contact her at scarson@gannett.com or 920-323-5758. This story was updated to add a photo gallery. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Anti-ICE protesters in Milwaukee decry Trump immigration crackdown Three Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) field offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City have temporarily closed their doors in the face of violence stemming from anti-ICE riots and protests, HUD confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday. The temporary closures due to the violence come just weeks after Democrats such as California Rep. Maxine Waters and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib claimed HUD field offices would permanently close due to Department of Government Efficiency efforts, with Waters saying such closures would affect "families and communities across the country who rely on HUD for housing assistance, community and economic development projects." HUD Secretary Scott Turner exclusively told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that liberals' claims in recent weeks that HUD would shutter field offices were "fake news" while lambasting Democrats for "encouraging riots" that have caused the three offices to temporarily shutter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The left and legacy media spread fake news over false reports that HUD is closing field offices," Turner told Fox News Digital Tuesday. "Now theyre encouraging riots that have actually forced at least three field offices to temporarily close." 'Delusional' Hillary Clinton Savagely Mocked For La Riots Response: 'Only Leftists Disable Comments' "Democrat-run blue states like California are suffering from failed leadership, resulting in record homelessness, unchecked illegal alien crime and, as were seeing now on full display, pandemonium, chaos and destruction," he added. "The American people deserve better. HUD will continue to serve communities in the face of this reckless violence while prioritizing safety and security." Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen Kennedy Tells Democrats To 'Pop A Zoloft' Over Trump's Handling Of Los Angeles Anti-ice Riots Now, three field offices are temporarily closed as riots and protests spiral in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City. Los Angeles has seen widespread riots since Friday, when federal law enforcement officials converged on the city to conduct immigration raids as part of President Donald Trump's campaign vow to deport the millions of illegal immigrants who crossed the border under the Biden administration. Other anti-ICE protests have broken out in New York City and San Francisco since the L.A. riots began, which have led to dozens of arrests. HUD Secretary Scott Turner Fox News Digital obtained more than a dozen images showing graffiti strewn across a federal building in downtown L.A., which is home to a HUD field office. HUD's satellite office is located just blocks from City Hall, where some of the violent riots have unfolded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Media outlets earlier in 2025 ran headlines that the Trump administration had plans to shutter dozens of HUD field offices across the country, which was reported as a potential violation of federal law as HUD must be represented in each state. Turner said on X on Tuesday that his department "hasnt closed a single field office." Waters led a group of Democrat lawmakers and anti-DOGE protesters in March in an attempt to enter HUD headquarters and hand-deliver a protest letter to Turner that demanded "answers on efforts to decimate federal housing programs." Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., recently said HUD would close its field offices. National Guard To Be Deployed In Los Angeles County As Anti-ice Protests Rage: Border Czar Tom Homan Waters, and a handful of other House Democrats, were permitted to enter HUD headquarters, while the California Democrat warned they would "stay all night" until they met with Turner, Breitbart News exclusively reported in March. HUD staffers informed the group they would deliver the letter to Turner, while Waters protested for a meeting with the HUD secretary. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., helped hand-deliver a protest letter to HUD. Tlaib also attempted to take part in the gaggle of lawmakers demanding to meet with Turner, but was seen stopped at HUD's entrance in video footage. Tlaib was heard shouting,"You dont give a sh--!" at HUD employees as the group of lawmakers and DOGE protesters ultimately left the building without meeting with Turner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A month after the HUD trip, Waters sent a letter in April to the Government Accountability Office's comptroller and HUD's acting inspector general calling for an investigation into allegations "the Administration plans to shut down local field offices and terminate housing agency staff." "I am concerned about what effects this will have on families and communities across the country who rely on HUD for housing assistance, community and economic development projects, as well as enforcement of federal fair housing and civil rights laws," Waters wrote in the letter. Sen Cory Booker Calls Los Angeles Riots 'Peaceful,' Slams Trump For Deploying National Guard "Employees across approximately 54 field offices have localized expertise and work in communities to carry out face-to-face technical assistance, provide timely guidance to local grantees and officials to help speed up project timelines, and manage oversight and enforcement of federal statutes in each region," she continued. "The Trump Administrations proposal to close 34 field offices would severely disrupt federal housing programs, stall local development projects, and threaten the jobs of approximately 360 full-time employees." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fox News Digital reached out to Waters' and Tlaib's respective offices inquiring whether they are still concerned about HUD office closures due to violence in the left-wing cities, but did not immediately receive responses. Riots broke out in L.A. on Friday evening after federal law enforcement officials converged on the city to carry out immigration raids. Local leaders such as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom quickly denounced the raids in public statements while offering words of support for illegal immigrants in the state. Protests over the raids soon devolved into violence as rioters targeted federal law enforcement officials, including launching rocks at officials, with videos showing people looting local stores, setting cars on fire and taking over a freeway. A woman waves a Mexican flag during a protest in Paramount, Calif., on June 7, 2025. Trump announced on Saturday that he was deploying 2,000 National Guard members to help quell the violence, and the administration deployed hundreds of Marines to respond to anti-immigration chaos on Monday evening as the violence continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If I didnt SEND IN THE TROOPS to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now," Trump posted to Truth Social on Tuesday morning. Original article source: Anti-ICE riots force HUD offices to close weeks after 'Squad' Dem, Maxine Waters said Trump would close them (This story has been updated to correct an inaccuracy.) Millions of people across the country, including in Wisconsin, are expected to take to the streets June 14 in what organizers say will be the largest protest yet against President Donald Trump's second-term agenda. More than 100 pro-democracy advocacy groups are working together to organize "No Kings" protests, with actions planned in more than 1,500 cities nationwide, including Milwaukee, according to its website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protest will be on the same day as Trump's military parade expected to cost upward of $30 million to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army and his own birthday. "On June 14 Flag Day President Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday," No Kings organizers wrote. "A spectacle meant to look like strength. But real power isnt staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else." Here's what to know about the No Kings movement, including where and when Milwaukee-area protests are happening. People protest outside of the Milwaukee Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse as part of the Hands Off! South-East Wisconsin Fights Back rally on Saturday April 5, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wis. Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel What is the No Kings movement protesting? The No Kings protests are "rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy," organizers wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mobilization is also a "direct response" to Trump's birthday military parade, which organizers said is "an event funded by taxpayers while millions are told there's no money for Social Security, SNAP, Medicaid, or public schools." The protests will remain nonviolent and prioritize community safety, organizers added. In early June, protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids have intensified, as the Trump administration dispatched National Guard troops to the state, against the wishes of local officials. Where are No Kings protests in the Milwaukee area? More than 50 anti-Trump protests are planned for Wisconsin on June 14. Find all the locations here at nokings.org. In the Milwaukee area, No Kings protests will be held in the following places: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Milwaukee: Noon to 2 p.m. in Cathedral Square Park, 520 E. Wells St. This will likely be the largest protest in the greater Milwaukee area. Shorewood: 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Oak Leaf Trail Bridge & Capitol Drive. The location of this protest was formerly listed as a senior living center but later changed on the No Kings website. Greenfield: 10 to 11 a.m., South 76th Street & West Layton Avenue. Brookfield: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Address is private and only available to those who RSVP. Waukesha: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 321 Wisconsin Ave. Why isn't there a No Kings protest in Washington, D.C.? Though Trump's military parade will be held in Washington, D.C., No Kings will not hold a direct counterprotest in the area because organizers are aiming to draw attention away from the parade. "Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day," organizers wrote. There will also be a flagship march and rally in Philadelphia, a few hours from D.C. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 'No King,' anti-Trump protests planned in Milwaukee for June 14 Americans should be on alert for a stinging insect that's spreading across the United States this June. So far, at least 20 states have detected Asian needle ants. They've been found mostly in the northeastern and southeastern regions of the United States. However, some were spotted in Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. Asian needle ants were first discovered in the United States in 1932. The U.S. Forest Service said it takes "an experienced eye" to positively identify them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dan Suiter, a professor for the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, spoke to ABC News about this invasive species. He has received calls from three separate people who suffered anaphylaxis after getting stung by an Asian needle ant. "In 25 years, I've had one phone call from an individual who was stung by a fire ant and suffered anaphylaxis, another one by something called a twig ant," Suiter told ABC News. "When I start getting calls annually about people who have been stung by an Asian needle ant, it says to me that there's a trend there." If you're stung by an Asian needle ant you could also develop symptoms such as hives and itching, low blood pressure, swollen tongue or throat, nausea, dizziness, weak or rapid pulse, and difficulty breathing. Asian needle ants usually nest themselves in dark, hidden hardwood habitats. Their population typically grows during the warmer weather months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Suiter is recommending that people remove nesting sites of hardwood. That's if they're going to be working outside this summer. Ants With Potentially Fatal Sting Spotted in 20 U.S. States first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2025 The Austin Police Department is defending an officers use of pepper spray during Mondays anti-deportation protest downtown. A viral video posted to Reddit a day after the demonstration shows an Austin police officer pushing back a crowd while his colleagues forcibly arrested a protester. The officer then deployed pepper spray into the scrum, prompting protesters to scatter. The video sparked a furor online with many commenters condemning the officer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The use-of-force incident was reported to the Police Departments Force Review Unit as is standard protocol," Police Department spokeswoman Anna Sabana said in a statement late Wednesday. But Sabana said that early indication shows that it does fall within policy. According to APDs use of force policy, pepper spray can be used to disperse violent crowds or riots with (prior) supervisor approval. The policy explicitly says pepper spray should not be deployed on non-violent crowds. As officers arrested the subjects that engaged in graffiti, the crowd closed in on them and pepper spray was used to disperse those that refused to move back after being ordered to back up, Sabana said in the statement. During this time, several officers were hit by rocks that were thrown from the crowd of protestors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement did not say when the department would make a final determination. Local and state law enforcement arrested over a dozen people during the protest and made use of pepper spray, pepper balls and tear gas. Austin Police Chief Davis initially said on Tuesday morning that Texas Department of Public Safety troopers had deployed tear gas, not APD. She later clarified that while APD did not use tear gas, it did use pepper spray. The anti-deportation demonstration was organized by the Austin chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation to show solidarity with protesters in Los Angeles where the Trump administration has dispatched military to respond to the largely peaceful demonstrations prompted by recent federal immigration raids. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin police defends use of pepper spray during anti-ICE protest Bravado is not the best way to demonstrate your strength. More often it is a cover for weaknesses and an attempt to play ahead in verbal battles. If you're lucky, your opponent will get scared and bite his tongue. Bravado is especially good where no one will demand proof of your strength and power. All this concerns not only human complexes, but also powers. Really strong countries speak out the way, for example, Beijing speaks out, always trying to smooth out sharp corners, despite its capabilities. Our neighbors Russia and Iran are the opposite of him, and the United States cannot without bravado. Speaking of Iran. Our southern neighbor has always wanted everyone to think that he is the one who determines the geopolitics of the South Caucasus. He decides what should happen here and how, and has the right to forbid or allow something to someone. Today, the bravura statements from Tehran are mainly related to the topic of the Zangezur corridor. "Iran has thwarted an attempt to create the Zangezur Corridor. When some countries tried, under the pretext of creating the Zangezur Corridor, to connect Nakhchivan with Azerbaijan through the territory of Armenia, a project that would essentially mean splitting up and blocking the Iranian corridor to Europe, the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly opposed this plan and disrupted its implementation." This was proudly stated by Ali Akbar Velayati, Adviser to the Supreme Leader of Iran on international Affairs. According to Tasnim, according to him, "Iran has never been as powerful, independent and influential as it is today. One of the clearest signs of this power was Iran's rapid and decisive response to the crisis in the South Caucasus region." Moreover, Vilayati said that Biden was ready to launch the corridor, but failed to deal with Iran. According to Khamenei's adviser, this shows that Iran has managed to prevent the penetration of NATO into the region even without Russia's help. Moreover, Iran, it turns out, "saved" not only the South Caucasus, but also Russia, which they wanted to surround... If we do not recall the recent successful and effective visit of Iranian President Masoud Peseshkian to Azerbaijan, one would think that the same problems remain in relations between our two countries that led to the crisis a couple of years ago. But we remember this visit, so there will be no doubt about the sincerity of the Iranian leader and his honest intentions towards Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani people. To say that Vilayati's statements pleased the Armenian side is an understatement. Our neighbors saw in his words the promise of future support in all matters. The fact that Iran has deprived Armenia of the only chance to become needed by someone is met with fireworks and dancing. Our neighbors hardly understand what they are happy about. Probably because there is a strong advocate nearby who can prevent the implementation of Azerbaijan's plans, which Armenia itself would never have been capable of. Just think, America itself lobbied for a road through Zangezur, and Tehran vetoed it, and there is no road. But it's all nonsense. There are bravura statements, fairy tales about influencing the affairs of the South Caucasus, and preventing the presence of NATO. Vilayati on the eve of negotiations with Washington, I would like to present Iran as a strong side at least in this way. This is understandable, but these statements will not affect the outcome of negotiations with the United States in any way, but they may create an unpleasant background in relations with Baku. Khamenei's adviser should not forget about the recent history when relations between the two countries became seriously complicated. Yes, he stated at that time that Iran would never attack Azerbaijan. However, unreasonable threats against Azerbaijan, provocations, including military ones, an unprecedented attack on the Armenian Embassy in Tehran, and delaying the issue of punishing the perpetrator have all undermined relations. We are not talking about the decades of Iran's open cooperation with the Armenian occupiers. In previous years, Mr. Vilayati openly tried to tell Baku what to do and how to do it. Once, criticizing the Azerbaijani authorities' fight against radicalism, he accused official Baku of "anti-Islamic behavior" and pointed out that this "contradicts the opinion of the majority of the Muslim population of this republic, and such behavior is imposed on Azerbaijanis." In response to this blatant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign country and attempts at mentoring, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry noted that no one gave Vilayati the right to speak on behalf of the Muslims of Azerbaijan. Taking advantage of the Armenian occupation, the global support of Armenia and Baku's weak position in the international arena at that time, the then leadership of Iran hoped to strengthen its influence through the religious factor and assume the role of advocate for the Muslims of Azerbaijan. These approaches have also made themselves felt during the recent escalation between the two countries. So, in one of his articles, the adviser to the supreme leader of Iran made an ambiguous statement: "Today it should be loudly stated that every Azeri is an Iranian, and vice versa, even if they have different passports... This is true, even if the opponents of Iran and Azerbaijan, dear to our hearts, do not want it." By the way, Wilayati did not always consider Iran to be so powerful. An interesting fact can be found in the media: in 1995, as Foreign Minister, at a Cabinet meeting in Tabriz, he stated: "Why should we invest in Azerbaijan (South Azerbaijan)? Azerbaijan will secede from Iran sooner or later, so I do not consider it advisable to invest in these areas." I wonder if Khamenei's adviser remembers this today? In any case, the journalists have not forgotten this. As for the Zangezur corridor, the motives and interests of the Iranian side in this matter are completely transparent. And they have nothing to do with the "encirclement of Russia", "NATO penetration" and other arguments. Iran is not interested in the Zangezur corridor for only one reason - it does not want to share transit with Armenia. He himself wants to become part of the Middle Corridor, and this can only be done by dragging over the transit "blanket" offered by Azerbaijan to the Armenian side. And, admittedly, he succeeded. Currently, Iran is actively and rapidly completing the construction of the Araz corridor. They are in a hurry, fearing that Armenia may come to its senses. The Zangezur corridor is 20 kilometers shorter than the Araz corridor, and the terrain in Zangezur is more favorable. And by and large, the main thing for Baku is to have a connection with Nakhchivan, and through Iran or Armenia is not important. Therefore, our Armenian neighbors should not celebrate the victory by listening to the statements of Ali Akbar Vilayati. They did not win, but lost, being left without international transit, which only Azerbaijan could give them. From the very beginning, no one talked about the alienation of Armenia's sovereign territories, cutting off Iran's routes to the West, and other nonsense voiced by the adviser to the supreme leader of Iran. Iran needed the corridor to run through its territory. And this is natural, because any normal, future-minded state would jump at such an idea. And Armenia allowed such a profitable project to be snatched from its hands, which could radically change the face of this country. A very small number of people in Armenia understand this. Most people today are thanking Tehran for depriving Armenians of their last opportunities. And, of course, we need to upset Mr. Vilayati about the NATO presence in the region. The Zangezur corridor could have prevented this coming, as it would have removed the influence of Armenia's Western allies. China's influence would increase here, not the United States, and, with all due respect, the former Iranian foreign minister is clearly fantasizing, attributing a vested interest in this project to the former White House administration. And if we talk about the presence of NATO, then by preventing the construction of a road through Zangezur, Iran has just helped the Western allies to strengthen their presence in Armenia. It is very strange that Mr. Vilayati shares fantasies and does not see the presence on the territory of Armenia of the mission of NATO member countries, military representatives of the bloc, the Armenian-American exercises and trainings of the North Atlantic bloc held in this country. These are the realities of our region, which Mr. Vilayati cannot influence in any way. Former Prime Minister of Mozambique Aires Ali receives an interview with Xinhua News Agency in Maputo, Mozambique, June 9, 2025. (Photo by Sitoe Constancio/Xinhua) MAPUTO, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Mozambique and China have forged an enduring friendship over the past 50 years, with cooperation in development, education and infrastructure serving as a model partnership among developing nations, former Prime Minister of Mozambique Aires Ali has said. "Our ties go back to the 1960s, during Mozambique's liberation struggle," Ali said in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua. At that time, China was one of the first countries to offer concrete support to Mozambique's fight for independence. After Mozambique gained independence in 1975, China was among the first to establish diplomatic relations, and cooperation expanded across political, economic, educational, and other fields, he said. "China helped us lay a solid foundation for development, not out of ideology, but out of strategic friendship," Ali said, noting that in the early years of independence, China played a key role in training professionals to fill the gap left by the colonial administration. Over the past five decades, Ali noted, the two countries have made significant progress in agriculture, infrastructure and education. China provided technical assistance that supported Mozambique's agricultural growth, while infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges improved national connectivity. When he served as education minister, Ali strengthened cooperation with China in language and cultural exchange. "We introduced Chinese language instruction and explored the idea of establishing a Confucius Institute, which eventually became a reality," he said. The institute has since become a platform for deeper people-to-people exchange. Ali also recalled his 2010 visit to China as prime minister during a time when many Western nations were reducing aid to Mozambique. "We believed China would support us in that difficult moment, and they did," he said. Just two weeks after his visit, China sent a delegation of more than 50 entrepreneurs to Mozambique, helping advance key projects. "It was a defining moment that showed China's serious and timely commitment," he stressed. In 2024, bilateral trade between China and Mozambique reached 5.21 billion U.S. dollars, according to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since Dec. 1, 2024, Mozambique has enjoyed zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of taxable products exported to China. Looking ahead, Ali called for deeper cooperation in science, education, and youth employment. He encouraged younger generations in Mozambique to understand and carry forward this valuable friendship. "We must plan for the next 50 years, exploring new technologies, new paths, and global trends together. No matter how the world changes, we must always stand side by side like brothers, working for the good of our peoples," Ali said. A state appellate court has again rejected a request from a South End land owner to overturn its decision in an eminent domain proceeding seeking 10 to 12 acres of land for the proposed Centennial Park project. The request, by Niagara Falls Redevelopment (NFR) and an affiliated company, Blue Apple Properties Inc., came in response to efforts by city officials to reclaim ownership of approximately 5 of the roughly 12 acres of property subject to the eminent domain ruling because NFR never properly gained title to what was previously the 10th Street Park. NFR filed a motion in the Appellate Division Fourth Department of New York State Supreme Court in March asking the justices there to review and reverse their July 28, 2023, unanimous ruling that the city was justified in seeking to use eminent domain to take up to 12 acres of undeveloped land for the park and events center project. Lawyers for NFR had argued that the claim by the city that it already owns some of the proposed park property, based on newly discovered evidence, probably would have produced a different result if the appeals court justices had been aware of it in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because this new evidence is manifestly inconsistent with the facts on which (the July 2023 ruling) is based, (NFR) respectfully asks this Court to vacate (the ruling), NFRs lead lawyer, John Horn, wrote in a filing with the Fourth Department. Horn also asked the appeals court to reject and annul findings by the Niagara Falls Common Council that the proposed park project would be a public benefit or serve a public purpose. In a blunt, but unsigned, three-sentence decision released on Friday, the court wrote, Now upon reading and filing the papers with respect to the motion, and due deliberation having been had thereon, it is hereby ordered that the motion is denied. Mayor Robert Restaino did not comment on the appeals court ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesman for NFR could not immediately be reached for comment. In their original ruling, the Appellate Division justices wrote that the citys determination to exercise its eminent domain power is rationally related to a conceivable public purpose. The justices said they came to that conclusion because the Centennial Park proposal would develop parkland and other recreational space as well as revitalizing and redeveloping a longstanding vacant lot, which was a blight on the city. The Niagara Falls City Council has directed the citys corporation counsel to take all necessary steps to commence any and all legal action ... in order to declare the transfer of (10th Street Playground, 907 Falls St.) null and void. The citys special counsel for the Centennial Park project, the Buffalo-based law firm of Hodgson Russ, has filed what is known as a quiet title action to reclaim the former parkland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A quiet title action is a legal proceeding where a lawsuit is filed to establish clear ownership of a property. The city claims the transfer of the playground property in 2004 was not properly completed. NFR has insisted the property was lawfully transferred, and is fighting the quiet title action. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has in effect stopped the beginning of evidence presentation to a jury in the capital murder trial of a man whom authorities accuse of beating a woman to death. Police found the victims body in the dirt of a crawl space underneath the defendants house in west Fort Worth. The appellate court in Austin last week granted an emergency stay of trial court proceedings in the Valerian OSteen case in Tarrant County. A jury was set on Tuesday morning to begin to consider prosecutors case in chief in the 371st District Court. The Tarrant County District Attorneys Office is seeking the death penalty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The stay is in effect until the Court of Criminal Appeals rules on OSteens petition for a directive known as a writ of mandamus. It is not clear when a ruling, in which the court could order the state to perform DNA testing on six pieces of physical evidence or order that the testing is not required, will come. The ruling may be issued on Wednesday. Defense attorneys Bob Gill, Miles Brissette and Colin McLaughlin were appointed to represent OSteen. The attorneys filed an emergency motion for a stay connected to their argument for DNA analysis of items that were found at OSteens house. Prosecutors noted that the items tested presumptively negative for blood. OSteen is accused of killing Marissa Grimes, who was 26 and the mother of two young children. Her body was found wrapped in blankets and a gray tarp underneath the single-story house. Marissa Grimes is pictured in a family photo with her two children. Grimes relatives had reported her missing. Police found her U-Haul abandoned on Lake Como Drive, about a mile from OSteens house on Locke Avenue, according to the account of a homicide detective that is included in an affidavit supporting OSteens arrest warrant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Feb. 22, 2022, police executed a search warrant at OSteens house and found a crawl space entry in a bedroom closet. A SWAT officer looked down into the space and saw a mound of dirt and smelled an odor of decomposition. The next day, police found Grimes body in the crawl space. A Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office pathologist determined that her death was a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head. Arguments over DNA testing Judge Ryan Hill on May 19 denied a defense motion that sought an order directing the state to complete DNA testing that Gill, Brissette and McLaughlin argued is compulsory under the Texas criminal procedure code. After closely reviewing the evidence, applicable crime scene reports and ... laboratory reports, the defense realized that six items of biological evidence that were agreed to be tested were not subjected to DNA testing, Gill wrote in a petition for a writ of mandamus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The items to be tested from among all of the collected physical evidence were agreed upon by the state and defense and tested by the state, Deputy Criminal Division Chief Allenna Bangs wrote in response to the defense motion that was denied in the district court. The defense was aware of what was tested, what was pushed forward for further testing, and what requests were made of each item tested, Bangs wrote. The items on the defense list were tested for blood evidence to be processed for DNA and did not yield any positive results, Bangs wrote. In urging the Court of Criminal Appeals to deny OSteens petition for an order directing the DNA testing, the state questioned the timing of the defense motion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OSteens attorneys waited until the jury was nearly selected to request additional DNA testing. Recognizing the possible dilatory tactics in not requesting testing earlier the trial court properly denied [OSteens] request for additional testing on the eve of trial, Assistant Criminal District Attorney Victoria Ford Oblon, who handles appellate matters, wrote in the states response to the defense petition. Jury selection is, in cases in which the state is seeking the death penalty, conducted with one prospective juror at a time. It began in the OSteen case on March 27. Defendant could face life sentence or death Prosecutors allege that OSteen was in the course of committing or attempting to commit obstruction or retaliation when he beat Grimes to death. OSteen, who is 27, is the second capital murder defendant for whom the state is seeking the death penalty to go to trial in Tarrant County this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A jury in May found Lamont Cousins guilty of capital murder in the December 2020 killings of three people and assessed his punishment as life in prison without eligibility for parole. Juries in Tarrant County last year sent three defendants to death row. Six days before Grimes body was found, OSteen pointed a gun at another woman and threatened to harm her if she left his house, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. The woman later described to detectives seeing blood in the hall near the kitchen entryway. OSteen told her it belonged to a man whom he assaulted, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. The detectives believe that Grimes was already dead, and the blood belonged to her. More top stories from our newsroom: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Widow of Arlington firefighter who died in Cancun seeks $35M at trial Christmas-themed restaurant Campo Verde reopens Teen arrested in stabbing death of his father [Get our breaking news alerts.] If the jury finds OSteen guilty of capital murder, it will hear evidence in a second trial phase and consider two options: life in prison without eligibility for parole or the death penalty. In the punishment phase, jurors would weigh whether the state proved beyond a reasonable doubt that it is probable that OSteen would commit future criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing threat to society. The panel also would weigh whether there was mitigating evidence that a juror might regard as reducing OSteens moral blameworthiness that would warrant a sentence of life in prison without parole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge Hill presided at a brief hearing on Monday morning at which he noted the stay and asked the state and defense about resulting scheduling matters. Prosecutor Bangs suggested during the hearing that the disputed six items had recently been submitted to the Fort Worth Police Department Crime Laboratory, which expects to have DNA test results within 30 days. A bottle of bleach and stained wash cloth are among the items. Bangs represents the state in the case with Assistant Criminal District Attorney Peter Gieseking. Gill appeared to expect to argue unresolved defense motions at the Monday hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cant have any pre-trial hearings on a stay, Bob, Judge Hill said. When Gill continued, appearing to argue that the stay did not preclude discussion of defense motions, the judge said the court would communicate updated scheduling information that night. Thatll be all, Hill said. The judge rose from his chair and walked away from the bench and out of the courtroom. Gill, a former state district judge, stood at the defense table and watched Hill exit. Wed ask the court to ... Gill said before abandoning his sentence. The defense attorney was facing the bench and an empty judges swivel chair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The month before Grimes died, OSteen refused for several days to allow her to leave his house, repeatedly pointed a gun at her and threatened to kill her, according to law enforcement authorities. At some point, Grimes sent a text message to her father asking for help, and police located her. OSteen was arrested at that time on domestic violence crimes. He was released from a Tarrant County jail within a few days after he posted a $5,000 bond. June 10 (UPI) -- Former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner must serve her six-year prison sentence for a corruption conviction, the nation's Supreme Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday. The three-judge court unanimously upheld Kirchner's 2022 corruption conviction and ruled she is banned from holding public office. The conviction arises from how awards for 51 public works projects were issued in what became the "Vialidad" trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kirchner, 72, received due process, and the "rulings issued by the lower courts were based on extensive evidence assessed in accordance with the rules of sound judgment and the penal code enacted by Congress," the judges wrote in Tuesday's verdict. She had argued that the trial arose from political persecution because she is an influential leader of the opposition to current Argentine President Javier Milei and his government. Kirchner was Argentina's president from 2007 to 2015. She also was Argentina's vice president from 2019 to 2023. She is a popular leftist politician and recently announced she intended to run for a seat during the Sept. 7 Buenos Aires Province legislative elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If she were to run and win, the victory would have given Kirchner immunity against imprisonment over the four-year term as a provincial lawmaker. The Supreme Court's decision against her makes it impossible for Kirchner to seek any public office. "The republic works," Milei said in a translated statement made during his visit to Israel. "All the corrupt journalists, accomplices of politicians, have been exposed in their operetta about the alleged pact of impunity," Milei said. The Federal Oral Court 2 in December 2022 found Kirchner guilty of corruption, sentenced her to prison and imposed a lifetime disqualification from holding public office due to "fraudulent administration to the detriment of the state." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was allowed to stay out of prison while the Supreme Court deliberated the case. Kirchner similarly was charged with fraud in 2016 and was convicted in February 2021, which made her Argentina's first vice president to be convicted of a crime while still in office. She was accused of and convicted of directing 51 public works contracts to a company owned by Kirchner's friend and business associate, Lazaro Baez. The scheme also directed $1 billion to Baez, who is serving a 12-year sentence for a money-laundering conviction in 2021 and was sentenced to another six years in prison for charges arising from the case that resulted inKirchner's conviction. Argentina will relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2026, President Javier Milei announced during a speech to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on Wednesday. "We want to honour the historic friendship that unites our peoples and strengthens the commercial and diplomatic ties between us," Milei was quoted as saying by Israeli media. The Argentine president has been on a state visit to Israel since Monday evening and is seen as a close ally of the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The relocation of embassies to Jerusalem remains internationally controversial, as it is widely viewed as a potential endorsement of Israel's claim over the entire city, including East Jerusalem. Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and claims the whole city as its capital. The Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. Only a few countries have aligned with Israel's position. The United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 under President Donald Trump, and the decision was upheld by his successor Joe Biden. Since then, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, and Papua New Guinea have followed suit. Kosovo, which established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2021, also opened its embassy in Jerusalem that year. Argentina's Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the fraud conviction of former president Cristina Kirchner, for which she received a six-year prison sentence and was banned for life from holding public office. "The sentences handed down by the previous courts were based on the abundance of evidence produced," the Supreme Court wrote in its ruling, adding that Kirchner's leave to further appeal her conviction "is dismissed." The ruling makes 72-year-old Kirchner's conviction and sentence definitive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decision brings the curtain down on the career of one of Argentina's most polarizing leaders, who has loomed large over the South American country's political landscape for two decades, inspiring admiration on the left but revulsion on the right. Due to her age, she can potentially avoid jail by requesting to serve her sentence under house arrest. Kirchner has five days to turn herself over to the authorities. Her arch-foe, libertarian President Javier Milei, welcomed the ruling. "Justice. End," he wrote on X. Kirchner was convicted in 2022 of fraudulent administration relating to the granting of public works tenders during her 2007-2015 presidency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case, she claims, is part of a political plot to scupper her career and unravel her legacy of protectionist economics and social programs. She is the second ex-leader since Argentina's transition from dictatorship to democracy in 1983 to be sentenced to prison after Carlos Saul Menem, who was given a seven-year sentence in 2013 for weapons trafficking. Menem never served jail time because he had immunity from prosecution as a senator. Addressing hundreds of supporters outside the headquarters of her center-left Justicialist party, Kirchner called the three Supreme Court judges "puppets acting on orders from above" -- an apparent allusion to Milei's government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her supporters took to the streets of several Argentine cities, burning tires and cutting off some roads leading to Buenos Aires. "The sentence was already written" before her appeal, Kirchner claimed, calling her conviction "a badge of political, personal and historical dignity." Some in the crowd wept while others hugged each other. Daniel Dragoni, a councillor from Kirchner's party, told AFP he was "destroyed" by the ruling but vowed the former president's left-wing Peronist movement "will return, as always." - Power couple - Kirchner rose to prominence as part of a political power couple with her late husband Nestor Kirchner, who preceded her as president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After two terms at the helm herself between 2007 and 2015, she served as vice president from 2019 to 2023 in the last center-left administration before Milei took power. Milei's election was seen as a widespread rejection of the Kirchners' nationalist Peronist movement, which was accused of widespread corruption and economic mismanagement. Over the past two years, Kirchner has been one of the fiercest critics of Milei's deep cuts to public spending and deregulation. Before Tuesday's ruling, she had been planning to run for a seat in the Buenos Aires provincial legislature in September elections. Had she won, she would have gained immunity from prosecution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the left the threat of her arrest led to a rare display of unity. But historian Sergio Berensztein said he believed the mobilization for her release would be short-lived. "Cristina today has limited leadership; she is not the Cristina of 2019," he told AFP. Lara Goyburu, a political scientist at the University of Buenos Aires, saw the ruling as a win for Milei, who promised on his election to root out "kirchnerismo" as Argentines refer to Kirchner's brand of protectionist, sometimes populist politics. - 'In prison or dead' - Kirchner was accused of arranging, as president, for a business associate of her and her late husband to win dozens of contracts for public works in her southern stronghold of Patagonia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her sentence had already been upheld by a lower court of appeal in 2024. The initial call by prosecutors for her to be jailed sparked demonstrations in several cities in 2022, some of which ended in clashes with police. The following month, she survived a botched assassination attempt when a man shoved a revolver in her face and pulled the trigger -- but the gun did not fire. The gunman said he acted out of frustration with corruption. In March, the United States banned her and one of her former ministers from entering the country, accusing them of corruption. "They (her political opponents) want me in prison or dead," Kirchner herself has repeatedly claimed. bur-cb/jgc/mlm An Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper was shot by a man in the border city of Nogales. The shooting occurred at 11 a.m. on June 8 near Western and Grand avenues. The trooper received a non-life-threatening flesh wound and was taken to a local hospital for treatment and later released, the department confirmed to The Arizona Republic. Daniel Ulises Covarrubias was identified as the shooter and was in custody, according to DPS. The departments major incident division was investigating the incident. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What to know about the shooting involving a DPS trooper in Nogales Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have allowed students and their parents to sue K-12 and university teachers and potentially make them pay damages for teaching or promoting antisemitism. Hobbs announced the veto of House Bill 2867 in a letter June 10. In it, she said the bill was "not about antisemitism" but rather, "it's about attacking our teachers. It puts an unacceptable level of personal liability in place for our public school, community college, and university educators and staff, opening them up to threats of personally costly lawsuits." She rebuked the Legislature, writing, "It is disappointing to yet again see this Legislature single out and attack our public education system." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor said despite the veto, she continues to stand with the Jewish community against hate and remains "committed to fighting antisemitism in all its forms." Students who experience antisemitism in the classroom already can report unprofessional conduct to the State Board of Education, Hobbs said. She said she was "confident that by using those tools, we can fulfill our moral and legal responsibility to eradicate hate and discrimination in our public school system." Hobbs also pointed to several Jewish groups that opposed the bill, including the National Council of Jewish Women Arizona, the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center and the Rabbi Joseph H. Gumbiner Community Action Project. The Anti Defamation League also supported Hobbs' veto. Sarah Kader, deputy regional director of the organization, said they supported the "spirit and intent of HB 2867, but remain concerned that the current language will not produce the intended result." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Veto letter: Read Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs' veto letter The bill's sponsor, Rep. Michael Way, said Hobbs' veto was the governor's "most disgraceful yet." "I am deeply disappointed by her decision paying lip service to opposing antisemitism while backing away from a law with real teeth," Way wrote on social media. Way, a Queen Creek Republican, previously told The Arizona Republic the bill was needed because existing anti-discrimination laws "either werent clear enough or didnt contain the necessary enforcement mechanism to address this problem." After Hobbs' veto, Way said he would "continue to stand with the Jewish community in Arizona and in my district to ensure taxpayer dollars are never used to fund violent political indoctrination." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HB 2867 would have prohibited teachers, administrators, contractors and volunteers at K-12 public schools and public or private universities from: teaching or promoting antisemitism; requiring students to advocate for anti-Semitic points of view; and receiving professional development "in any antisemitism" that creates a "discriminatory" or "hostile" environment. The bill passed the Arizona Senate on May 28 along party lines, with Republicans in support. The House of Representatives passed it June 4, with Democrats Alma and Consuelo Hernandez of Tucson, Lydia Hernandez of Phoenix and Seth Blattman of Mesa joining the Republicans. The proposal provoked concern from public-school advocates about exacerbating the teacher shortage and had raised red flags about First Amendment violations due to what the proposed law considered "antisemitism." The Arizona Education Association, the main teachers' union in the state, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona had urged Hobbs, a Democrat, to veto the bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The teacher's union said the bill "weaponizes legitimate concerns about antisemitism to attack public education" by stripping teachers of professional liability protections. The ACLU said it would "chill the First Amendment rights of students, teachers, speakers and administrators" and target those who criticized Israel. The bill included specific examples of speech the state would have prohibited, which a Federal District Court in Texas said amounted to "viewpoint discrimination that chills speech in violation of the First Amendment" when used to punish university students. Arizona's bill mostly applied to teachers, but one provision targeted university student groups a fact First Amendment expert Eugene Volokh said was "pretty clearly unconstitutional." Rep. Alma Hernandez, a co-sponsor of the bill, did not immediately responded to a request for comment regarding Hobbs' veto. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Could teachers be sued? Under a bill on Hobbs' desk, Ariz. teachers could be sued for what they say in classroom 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. News alerts in your inbox: Don't miss the important news of the day. Sign up for azcentral newsletter alerts to be in the know. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Gov. Hobbs says antisemitism bill an 'attack' on schools June 2025 marks a decade since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. The landmark 5-4 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges resolved a long-standing national debate and brought together a conflicting patchwork of state laws. Eight months before the SCOTUS decision, the Republican-dominated state of Arizona legalized same sex marriages, though the road to get there was rocky. In 2006, Arizona voters turned down a measure that would prohibit same-sex marriage and civil unions. However, just two years later, a revised version of the proposal was brought before voters. The new bill defined that marriage in Arizona is only between a man and a woman. Advertisement Advertisement Voters approved this measure with 56% in support, and it was enshrined in the state's constitution. Sue Wieger, 53, and Sheila Kloefkorn, 45, both of Tempe, are the first female couple (second couple) to line up at the Clerk of the Superior Court in Phoenix, Friday, October 17, 2014, in order to get marriage licenses. But this was not the end of the road for this issue. In 2013, a church in Tempe, a couple who had moved from California, and a pro bono lawyer helped spark the legal fight that led Arizona to legalize same-sex marriage, months before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled nationwide. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Mary Jo Pitzl is joined by Republic editor Shaun McKinnon and LGBTQ+ rights advocate Sheila Kloefkorn to look back at the events that led to Arizona in 2014 joining the states that legally recognize gay marriage, and cast forward on what challenges remain. As a reporter, Shaun covered the stories surrounding the fight for marriage equality before it was legal. He gives historical context to the case and reminds listeners what Arizona's political climate was like regarding same-sex marriage in 2013. Advertisement Advertisement Sheila talks about advocacy work she did in the community, how it felt to be one of the first gay couples legally married in the state and how she's feeling about the safety of marriage equality in the U.S. Listen to the episode The best way to listen is to subscribe to The Gaggle on your favorite podcast app. Note: The Gaggle is intended to be heard. But we also offer an AI transcript of the episode script. There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio. Follow The Gaggle and all azcentral podcasts on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram. Listen to The Gaggle : Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher Have a question or comment about Arizona politics? You can share your thoughts with us at 602-444-0804. Advertisement Advertisement Reach producer Amanda Luberto at aluberto@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @amandaluberto and on Bluesky @amandaluberto. Abby Bessinger assisted on production and you can reach her at abby.bessinger@gannett.com. Catch up on previous Gaggle episodes here: This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Same-sex marriage in Arizona: 10 years later, is it at risk? SAN JUAN COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) An Arizona man was found dead after being swept away down the San Juan River on the Utah side of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. On Sunday, June 8, around 3 p.m., the 50-year-old man from Kayenta, Arizona, was overtaken by river currents, according to a press release from the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The man was downstream of the Paiute Farms Wash in the San Juan River in Utah. He was recovered from the river and pronounced deceased. Authorities presume that he drowned. The Navajo Nation Police Department was the lead agency in the search and recovery of the man, and Glen Canyon rangers also assisted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Electric scooters pose dangerous threat to St. George children, police say Our sympathies go to the family, friends, and our local communities impacted by this loss, Jake Ohlson, acting superintendent, is quoted in the release. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area extended its thanks to the Navajo Nation Police Department, San Juan County Sheriffs Office, Bureau of Land Management Canyon Country District Monticello Field Office, Intermountain Health, and Utah Department of Public Safety. Rangers at Glen Canyon are also reminding visitors that water currents can be deceptively strong and recommend finding out more about water safety on their website. 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. USDA Sec. Brooke Rollins (left) stands next to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders as she announces Arkansas' request to exclude soda and candy from SNAP benefits on April 15, 2025. (Ainsley Platt/Arkansas Advocate) Candy and sodas are coming off the menu for SNAP recipients in Arkansas, and rotisserie chickens are taking their place. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins officially approved a waiver to allow Arkansas to ban its SNAP recipients from using their benefits to purchase certain types of food on Tuesday. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the waiver request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, when Rollins visited Little Rock in April. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The waiver will take effect July 1, 2026. Sanders specifically asked the federal government to allow Arkansas to restrict SNAP participants from purchasing certain types of food and drink deemed unhealthy with their benefits, such as soda, juices with less than 50% natural juice and other unhealthy drinks, along with confectionary products with flour and artificially sweetened candy. In their place, Sanders requested that Arkansas SNAP recipients be allowed to purchase rotisserie chickens with their food benefits. In an emailed press release Tuesday, Sanders said the approval sends a clear message that Arkansas stands with the Trump administration to tackle the chronic disease epidemic in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arkansas leads the nation in getting unhealthy, ultra-processed foods off food stamps and helping our most vulnerable citizens lead healthier lives, Sanders said. The exclusion of soda and candy would not decrease overall SNAP benefits received by beneficiaries, Sanders said during Rollins April visit, but would rather free up more of their benefits for healthier foods. Arkansas was one of the first states to request the junk food waiver. Nebraska was the first to receive approval on May 20. In a Monday night press release, the USDA said Rollins would host U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and Sanders for a discussion about President [Donald] Trumps government wide effort to Make America Healthy Again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Americas governors have proudly answered the call to innovate by improving nutrition programs, ensuring better choices while respecting the generosity of the American taxpayer, the Sanders release quoted Rollins as saying. Since aligning himself with President Donald Trump last year after a failed presidential campaign, Kennedy has continued his criticisms of companies and foods he says contribute to Americans poor health. It spawned the broader MAHA movement among conservatives, with GOP governors such as Sanders repeating Kennedys warnings of a chronic disease epidemic caused by food dyes and ultraprocessed foods. Sanders waiver request was made as Arkansas legislators considered and ultimately approved legislation that requires the Arkansas Department of Human Services, which oversees SNAP in the state, to apply for a junk food waiver over the objections of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, who said the requirement was a slippery slope in terms of debating what foods are healthy or not. A better way to address poor health outcomes would be to address root causes such as poverty and access to medical care, Christin Harper, AACFs policy director told legislators in April. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The food industry pushed back on Sanders assertions that their products were driving a health crisis in April, with the National Confectioners Association calling the waiver misguided. The NCA argued then that the candy purchasing patterns of those who received SNAP benefits and those who didnt were basically equivalent. The American Beverage Association also pushed back on the arguments Sanders made in April, saying at the time that granting the waiver wont make one ounce of difference on health. The waiver decision comes after the USDA backed down on a demand to states that they provide a variety of personally-identifiable information on SNAP beneficiaries while lawsuits played out. HARARE, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe on Wednesday reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing the country's business environment to attract more Chinese investment. A roundtable discussion on strengthening Zimbabwe-China business cooperation in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare gathered representatives from various government agencies, including the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the Department of Immigration Zimbabwe, and the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA). Felisters Chikandiwa, chief facilitator at ZIDA, highlighted China's strategic importance to Zimbabwe's economy, noting that China has been one of Zimbabwe's leading investment source markets over the past few years. "From our investment figures, we have seen that there has been quite a high level of investment activities from the Chinese business community in Zimbabwe. We value the investment that the Chinese community is bringing into Zimbabwe," Chikandiwa said. She further pointed out that Chinese investors have shown a strong interest in Zimbabwe's mining, manufacturing, construction, energy, and transport sectors, among others. Abigail Moyo, chief staff officer responsible for crime in the ZRP, said, "We value cooperation between the Zimbabwean police and Chinese investors. We encourage continued communication and cooperation to ensure the safety and security of Chinese investors and their assets." Munetsi Madakufamba, executive director of the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC), a think tank based in Harare and one of the event organizers, highlighted the need to strengthen partnerships and promote mutual understanding between Zimbabwean authorities and Chinese enterprises. "We aim to create a conducive business environment that supports sustainable development and mutual benefit," he said, adding that Zimbabwe has immense potential for growth and development, and Chinese businesses can play a pivotal role in supporting Zimbabwe's growth. Noting that Chinese investment in Zimbabwe has been impactful and transformative, Madakufamba said China has indeed become a major player in Zimbabwe's economic landscape. "What sets Chinese investments apart, if compared with those from other source countries, is the speed of implementation, size, impact, and transformative nature," he noted. According to Madakufamba, Zimbabwe and China should work together to create a more favorable investment climate that attracts more Chinese investment and promotes sustainable development in Zimbabwe. From left, Arkansas Division of Correction Director Dexter Payne, Board of Corrections Chairman Benny Magness and Corrections Secretary Lindsay Wallace listen Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, to questions about the state's purchase of land for a new 3,000-bed prison near Charleston, Arkansas. (Photo by Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) Arkansas prison oversight board on Tuesday unanimously approved a contract with two architectural engineering firms to design a planned state prison. The state Board of Corrections gave preliminary approval in May to the $57 million contract with Omaha, Neb.-based HDR and Little Rock-based Cromwell Architects Engineers, but held off formal approval until Tuesdays special-call meeting because some members had questions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Arkansas Legislative Council, which is scheduled to meet June 20, must give final approval. The contract does not specify where the prison will be built, and board Chairman Benny Magness emphasized the lack of specificity. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her legislative leaders have said the state intends to build a 3,000-bed prison on 815 acres in Franklin County. That decision rankled some lawmakers and local officials who said they hadnt been consulted on the site choice, and lawmakers opposed to the location helped kill a bill this spring that would have appropriated $750 million toward the proposed prison. Board member Lee Watson, who had asked for the delay in approval of the design contract, said his concerns had been addressed. Hed wanted to know whether the architects would have the ability to scale as needed depending on what the Legislature budgets for us, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May, he asked whether the contract would allow for the possibility of another location and whether it would allow for construction of the facility in stages. Luann Salado, project manager for the boards construction manager, Vanir Construction Management, said in May that the aim is to prepare a design that would at least let you understand what it would cost to do what 3,000 beds would look like, and then allow the state to choose how much [its] actually going to build based on how much is actually appropriated to use to build. But we have to start somewhere. You absolutely will have to do this in stages. That is the approach, she said. The prison board hired Vanir last October, before Sanders announced the states purchase of the Franklin County prison site. The board chose the two design firms in April and chose the partnership of Nabholz Construction of Conway and J.E. Dunn Construction of Kansas City, Missouri, as the general contractor for the prison in May. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watson asked Corrections Department Chief Financial Officer Chad Brown at the May meeting if it would be kosher within our budgeting process to pay for the full design. Brown said the contract will be a pay as we go arrangement as long as the total payment remains under an authority dollar amount. The contract allows the state to withdraw from it with seven days notice. Some of the local frustration over the 815 acres of Franklin County land for the prison comes from the Indigenous Chickamauga Nation, which has said the project could have a negative impact on its burial sites in the area. The HDR/Cromwell contract has a clause that states the Board of Corrections will appropriately adjust if anything in the project will materially change, Corrections Secretary Lindsay Wallace said. This story uses information previously reported by the Advocates Tess Vrbin. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. An announcement from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday afternoon marked a change in leadership at the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS). The governor announced that Deputy Secretary Janet Mann will serve as the next DHS Secretary. Current DHS Secretary Kristi Putnam is returning to Kentucky and will depart her role on July 25, having served for two and a half years. Arkansas expands Child Care Assistance Program, adds two additional groups Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanders said Putnam had overhauled programs during her time as DHS head, including foster care, Medicaid, maternal health and food stamps, and that the state was fortunate to have Mann stepping into that role. My administration was extraordinarily lucky to have someone with her [Putnams] skillset and leadership in charge of one of the most critical agencies in state government, the governor said. I am grateful that we have someone as qualified as Janet to take over for Kristi and seamlessly continue to make positive changes at DHS. Federal, state program helps Arkansans who had their SNAP benefits lost due to scam Sanders complimented Mann for her encyclopedic knowledge of DHS and her leadership skills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am honored by Gov. Sanders decision to select me for this role and am excited to continue the great work Kristi and I have been able to accomplish in this administration, Mann said. We have made enormous progress in providing support to Arkansans who need it and also in working with other agencies for all Arkansans who want a path to economic independence. Arkansas DHS changing Medicaid dental from managed care to fee-for-service Mann currently serves as the Deputy Secretary of Programs and State Medicaid Director for the DHS. The Program includes Medicaid, aging, substance abuse & mental health, developmental disabilities, provider services & quality assurance, eligibility, child welfare and youth services. Janet Mann appointed to head Arkansas Department of Human Services, June 11, 2025 (courtesy Arkansas Department of Human Services) The programs serve approximately one in three Arkansans annually, with a total budget of an estimated $11 billion. 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. A 3D render of a closeup of the biblical Ten Commandments etched in a stone tablet, highlighting the ninth commandment. (Allan Swart/Getty Images) Seven Arkansas families with children in public schools filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday to block the implementation of a new state law requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms. Northwest Arkansas parents and their minor children who identify as Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, Humanist, agnostic, atheist and nonreligious filed the complaint Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas against the Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville and Siloam Springs school districts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plaintiffs are asking a judge to declare the law unconstitutional and are seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions to prevent the school districts from complying with the law, according to the complaint. Act 573 of 2025 requires that a durable poster or framed copy of a historical representation of the Ten Commandments be prominently displayed in public school classrooms and libraries, public institutions of higher education, and public buildings and facilities maintained by taxpayer funds. According to the law, posters shall be donated or purchased with funds through voluntary contributions to a local school board, building governing entity or the Building Authority Division. Posters that dont meet specifications required by the law may be replaced with public funds or private donations. In a statement, plaintiff Samantha Stinson said that as American Jews, she and her husband deeply value the ability to raise our children in our faith, without interference from the government. Fellow plaintiff Carol Vella agreed, noting that her children are among a small number of Jewish students at their school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The classroom displays required by Act 573 will make them feel like they dont belong simply because they dont follow the governments favored religion, she said. The displays will also violate core Jewish tenets, which emphasize tolerance and inclusion and prohibit evangelizing others. The plaintiffs are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett serving as pro bono counsel, according to a press release. Let us know what you think... The complaint alleges Act 573 violates the First Amendments Establishment Clause, which guarantees that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, and its Free Exercise Clause, which guarantees that Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise [of religion]. As a result of the Ten Commandments displays mandated by Act 573, Arkansas studentsincluding the minor-child Plaintiffswill be unconstitutionally coerced into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the states favored religious scripture, and they will be pressured to suppress their personal religious beliefs and practices, especially in school, to avoid the potential disfavor, reproach, and/or disapproval of school officials and/or their peers, the complaint states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By mandating a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments be displayed, Act 573 adopts an official position on religious matters, violating the Establishment Clauses prohibition against taking sides in questions over theological doctrine, according to the complaint. In a statement, Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser said the Constitutions guarantee of the separation of church and state means families, not politicians, decide if and how public school children engage with religion. This law is part of the nationwide Christian Nationalist scheme to win favor for one set of religious views over all others and nonreligion in a country that promises religious freedom. Not on our watch, Laser said. Sen. Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville, and Rep. Alyssa Brown, R-Heber Springs, sponsored Act 573, but the merits of the legislation were largely presented in committee hearings by WallBuilders, a group emphasizing the moral, Christian, and constitutional foundation on which our nation was built, according to its website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Supporters of the measure emphasized the Ten Commandments as a historical document, an argument rejected in Wednesdays complaint. This nations core founding documents the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights were not based on the Ten Commandments, and there is no longstanding history or tradition of prominently and permanently displaying the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms, the complaint states. The complaint cites longstanding court precedent, including Stone v. Graham, a 1980 case in which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Kentucky law mandating classroom displays of the Ten Commandments as unconstitutional. A federal district court ruled last year that a Louisiana law similar to Act 573 violates the First Amendment. Plaintiffs in that case, which is on appeal, are represented by the same counsel as the Arkansas lawsuit, according to the press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Plaintiffs in the Arkansas case plan to file a motion for preliminary injunction, which will ask the court to issue an order temporarily preventing implementation of the law, set to take effect Aug. 5, while the lawsuit is pending, according to the release. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX MOUNT IDA, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) Arkansas State Police have identified the man arrested in connection with human remains found near his property. ASP said Billy Walden, 53, of Mount Ida, was arrested on June 7 and charged with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, kidnapping, tampering with physical evidence, refusal to submit to arrest and fleeing. On the same day as Waldens arrest, the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office requested assistance from ASPs Criminal Investigation Division regarding a missing persons case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once special agents arrived at Waldens Mount Ida property, they discovered evidence of foul play. ASP: Human remains found in western Arkansas, suspect arrested Walden was identified as the suspect and taken into custody. Court records show Waldens criminal history includes a 2019 second-degree battery conviction for which he was sentenced to two years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections. He is being held in the Montgomery County Detention Center on a $1 million bond. MCSO said Walden will be arraigned in Montgomery County Circuit Court at a later date. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 uniformed U.S. Army veteran has provoked anger among MAGA conservatives by joining a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Dallas, Texas, on Monday. In a viral video recorded at the event, the soldier does not hold back in her criticism of President Donald Trump for activating 4,000 members of the National Guard and 700 Marines to help police the anti-ICE demonstrations that have raged in Los Angeles for five days and have since spread to other major American cities. We are not pawns for Donald Trumps agenda, the woman, wearing a camouflage uniform bearing the name tag Colado, says in the video shared by left-leaning X account BreakThrough News. BREAKING: After Trump deployed Marines to LA, this military member joined an anti-ICE protest in Dallas, declaring, 'We wont be pawns in stripping away constitutional rights. pic.twitter.com/JYvb6ucR8K BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) June 11, 2025 Why now? she continues. Its because the military was called upon against the protesters. In our oath to serve, we serve the people of the United States, the Constitution. These constitutional rights are being stripped and just denied. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the military will not be pawns to that. Thats why Im calling on the conscience of military members who served previously and now. We have a conscience, we have a mind and we have a duty, a moral obligation to say no and resist. The Independent has contacted the Pentagon for its response to her comments. Online, conservatives wasted no time in calling for the woman, subsequently identified as Carmen Colado, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst, to be dishonorably discharged or court-martialled for publicly criticizing the commander-in-chiefs orders. Some argued that her actions constituted a violation of the U.S. militarys Uniform Code of Military Justice and called for Article 15 to be invoked against her, which empowers a commanding officer to order nonjudicial punishments less severe than a court-martial. A U.S. Army veteran speaks out against President Donald Trump's deployment of active-duty Marines to help police anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles at a sympathy demonstration in Dallas, Texas, on Monday June 9 2025 (BreakThrough News/X) These might include restrictions on duty, extra duty, forfeiture of pay, and, in some cases, confinement; however, since Colado appears to have left the service, it is unlikely to apply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She describes herself on Instagram as the proud daughter of an illegal immigrant hero who saved my life and posts photos of friends and family, poetry, pencil drawings, and even a short film she has directed. Her posts also include an inspirational quote from Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green, who was censured for interrupting President Trumps address to a joint session of Congress earlier this year, on the occasion of a Dallas protest march calling for immigration reform. To protect liberty and justice for all to protect government of the people, by the people, for the people to protect what this country has in its great and noble ideals, we have to do what is necessary, Greens quote reads. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) An arrest has been made in a fatal northeast Columbus shooting exactly one month ago. Columbus police said Devon McCallister, 32, was arrested Tuesday, charged with murder in the death of Matthew Selman, 43, on May 10. Man charged with stealing data from Hilliard rehab facility According to police, officers responded to the 1400 block of Briarwood Avenue at approximately 10:40 p.m. on May 10 for a report of a shooting. At the scene, they found Selman suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:50 p.m. Watch previous coverage of the shooting in the video player above. Police have not released a motive for the shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McCallister was arrested by Columbus Police SWAT officers and booked into Franklin County Jail. Online court records do not list his next court appearance. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. On the campaign trail, Donald Trump was crystal clear: "On day one, I will launch the largest deportation programme of criminals in the history of America." That promise, opinion polls suggested, proved broadly popular with the American people, including with legal immigrants, who felt that too many people were coming into the country the "wrong way". Since taking office, the president has widened the scope of his mission, targeting not just criminals, but migrant workers, some student activists and even tourists with visa issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For almost five months, these moves met little resistance. But now parts of Los Angeles have erupted in protests after immigrations officers intensified their raids at workplaces. So who are the migrants caught up in these raids? And who else has the administration targeted? Here's a look at some of the people who have already been detained. Criminals and 'collateral' arrests Since assuming office, the president has touted plummeting numbers of border crossings and record arrests under his administration. About 51,000 undocumented migrants were in Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention as of early June - the highest on record since September 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While accurate and up-to-date figures for the total number of immigration detentions since 20 January are not publicly available, White House officials have said they hope ICE can scale up to 3,000 arrests a day, from 660-or-so during the first 100 days of Trump's presidency. Initially, US officials insisted that the operations were "targeted" at criminals and potential public safety threats. But a significant number of undocumented migrants detained by the Trump administration have otherwise clean records, according to one data tracker. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse - a project from Syracuse University that compiles immigration figures - estimates that of the 51,302 people in ICE detention facilities as of 1 June, about 44% had no criminal record aside from entering the US without permission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The unrest in Los Angeles was sparked by a series of immigration arrests that netted a total of 118 people, which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said included five gang members. ICE has characterised those arrested in LA as "the worst of the worst". The agency identified a handful of people with criminal histories, including drug trafficking, assault, cruelty to children, domestic violence, robbery and alien smuggling. How many have criminal histories, however, is unclear. The parents of a 23-year-old undocumented migrant, a member of Mexico's indigenous Zapotec community, told the Washington Post their son, who they said had no criminal history, was detained outside a clothing store. The BBC cannot independently confirm the details of this case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Border tsar Tom Homan has justified these arrests as "collateral" damage, arguing that agents cannot legally justify encountering undocumented immigrants and not detaining them. Visitors and residents There have been several instances of tourists being arrested and held in detention centres, including British, European and Canadian citizens. In April, for example, a 28-year-old Welsh tourist was held for 19 days in an ICE processing centre in Washington state after being denied entry to Canada over what she later termed a "visa mix-up". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In another more recent incident in June, 25-year-old Italian citizen Khaby Lame - the world's most popular TikTok star with 162m followers - was detained at Las Vegas airport for "immigration violations". ICE alleged that Mr Lame overstayed the terms of his visa after having entered the country on 30 April. Authorities later said he was granted "voluntary departure" and left the country. Additionally, in March, Canadian actress Jasmine Mooney was held for nearly two weeks after being detained at the San Ysidro border crossing, where she was attempting to renew her visa to enter the US. She later described the conditions of her detention as inhumane, and described being kept in a concrete cell with no blanket and limited access to a bathroom. She was later released without being charged with any crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her case caught the attention of British Columbia Premier David Eby, who said the incident further inflamed Canadian anxieties about travelling to the US. "The nature of our relationship is so fraught right now that this case makes us all wonder, what about our relatives who are working in the States?" he said in a statement to CBC. Others, like 34-year-old German national Fabian Schmidt, were held at airports. Schmidt, who had lived in the US since 2007, was detained on his way into the US from Luxembourg. In an interview with WGBH, a New Hampshire news outlet, Mr Schmidt said he was asked about a drug misdemeanour charge that was later dismissed and a later DUI that resulted in fines and probation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DHS has largely avoided commenting on specific cases, but has repeatedly insisted it is operating lawfully. 'Alien enemies' Some of the most striking images of the Trump administration's immigration overhaul have come from thousands of miles away, in the Central American nation of El Salvador. There, over 250 people who the government claims are members of the gang Tren de Aragua have been transferred to a mega-prison. Family members of some of those men, however, have disputed any gang ties, with some arguing that they were swept up as a result of innocent tattoos. Dubbed "alien enemies", they were removed under a 1798 act that gives authorities sweeping powers to order the detention and deportation of natives or citizens of an "enemy" nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It is really disheartening," Adalys Ferro, the executive director of the Venezuelan-American Caucus, an advocacy group, told the BBC. "All of these decisions are inhumane, cruel and also illegal." The most high-profile case is that of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old from El Salvador and Maryland resident who was deported from the US in March. Various judges - including those on the US Supreme Court - have ruled that Mr Abrego Garcia was deported in error and that the government should "facilitate" his return to the US and his family. On 6 June, he was returned to the US to face federal criminal charges after being charged in an indictment alleging he illegally transported undocumented migrants while still in the US. Student protesters Foreign nationals who participate in political protests have also found themselves in the administration's crosshairs, despite some having permanent residency or valid student visas in the US. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anthony Enriquez, who leads advocacy efforts at Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, a non-profit organisation, told the BBC that there have been "more and more" green card holders detained since Trump returned to office. "Immigration authorities feel empowered to conduct arrests that they're legally not allowed to do," he said. Although the reasons for the decisions vary, over 1,600 international students have had their visas revoked, according to Nafsa, an organisation that focuses on international education. Many of the arrests follow the White House's crackdown on what it has classified as antisemitism on US campuses, including the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent figure during Gaza war protests at Columbia University last year. The 30-year-old green card holder has been fighting to stop his deportation in court. Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk also spent six weeks in custody before being released. The university later said that it had been told that Ms Ozturk - a doctorate candidate who participated in pro-Palestinian protests - had had her student visa revoked. She continues to fight her deportation in court. While these cases have been subject to fierce criticism, ICE has justified some of the arrests by saying that the students participated in activities "aligned" to Hamas. "A visa is a privilege not a right," US Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on X. Art Spaces will dedicate its newest sculpture in its collection celebrating and honoring the Lost Creek Settlement, A View from the Porch by artist Reinaldo Correa Diaz, in Deming Park on Thursday. The program begins at 5:15 p.m. with remarks from Art Spaces, state and local officials, the Indiana Arts Commission, the artist and descendants of Lost Creek. It will take place at the sculpture located just past the stone bridge before the large pond. The event is free and open to the public. This sculpture will be the 22nd sculpture in the Art Spaces collection and the fourth sculpture on the Cultural Trail, which was formed in 2008 when Art Spaces and other arts and cultural organizations collaborated to honor individuals, groups and icons that have had a noteworthy impact on the community and beyond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Lost Creek Settlement was formed beginning in the early 1800s, when a small group of free African Americans traveled from Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina to settle in what is now Vigo County to escape the racial violence and systemic oppression of the pre-Civil War South. They established a thriving farming community with churches, cemeteries, general stores, blacksmiths and schools, employing their own teachers and supplies when it was forbidden to educate African American students in Indiana public schools. This sculpture has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the CreatINg Places Program created by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, The Larry Paul Foundation, Terre Haute Rotary Club, 100+ Women Who Care Vigo County, the Wabash Valley Community Foundation and generous donors. For more information, call 812-235-2801 or email info@wabashvalleyartspaces.com. The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that over four dozen people were arrested over the weekend due to participation in the violent riots that broke out throughout the city. LAPD officials have confirmed in a news release that a total of 50 people were arrested over the weekend due to these riots, with officers deploying more than 600 non-lethal rounds in an attempt to control the violent crowd. A total of 29 people were arrested on Saturday for failing to follow orders to disperse, and an additional 21 people were arrested on Sunday for various crimes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The alleged crimes of those arrested on Sunday include Attempt Murder with a Molotov Cocktail, Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a Police Officer, Looting, and Failure to Disperse. While discussing the 600 non-lethal rounds used during the riots, LAPD said in the news release that multiple deployments of less-lethal munitions were necessary to manage the crowd and prevent further harm to people or property. The injuries and lack of management during the riots prompted President Donald Trump to deploy the National Guard to assist LAPD officers, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement that the use of National Guard troops presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Los Angeles Police Department, alongside our mutual aid partners, have decades of experience managing large-scale public demonstrations, and we remain confident in our ability to do so professionally and effectively, he added, per USA Today. Despite the violence and need for National Guard troops to help manage the city, California Governor Gavin Newsom has refused to admit that there is a problem within the state. As reported by DX, California officials announced a lawsuit on Monday against Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging an unlawful use of National Guard troops. California Attorney General Rob Bonta wrote in a press release about the lawsuit that There is no invasion and There is no rebellion. Yet, social media images and video footage reveal a much different reality: As protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions continued for a fifth night in Los Angeles, citizens took to the streets in dozens of cities across the country, including Atlanta. Marching along Buford Highway on Tuesday night, hundreds of protestors carried Mexican flags and homemade signs to protest President Donald Trumps immigration enforcement in the metro area and to support the rallies in Los Angeles. In response to the sizable protests over immigration that began last week in Los Angeles, Trump has deployed 700 U.S. Marines and an estimated 4,000 National Guard members, against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Atlanta, Buford Highway is known as the citys international corridor, due to the large number of immigrants that live, work, and own businesses in the area. Protestors were met by police in riot gear from several departments across metro Atlanta. In a haze of fireworks from protestors and tear gas from police, a man was pushed to the ground by a group of officers, hitting his head on the concrete, The New York Times reported. Theres been no update on the mans identity or condition. According to WSB-TV, six people were arrested last night. More protests are reportedly planned in several cities across the country on Wednesday, including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, San Antonio, and Seattle. Read More: Trumps Travel Ban Targets Black Migrants as Protests and Deportations Spread GEORGIA LAWMAKERS RESPOND In response to last nights protests, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced that he intends to bring domestic terrorism charges against protestors involved in violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All Americans have the right to peacefully protest. No American has the right to destroy property, loot businesses, or attack law enforcement officers, Carr wrote in a press release to the media Wednesday morning. Its very simple. Protesters use words. Rioters use violence. There is no gray area, Carr, a 2026 Governors race hopeful, has previously touted the use of domestic terrorism charges to prosecute members of the Stop Cop City movement. We are not California or New York. We are Georgia. We dont make excuses for criminals here. We prosecute them, he wrote. Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock has not yet commented on the protests in Atlanta but described President Donald Trump as a dictator and an autocrat for his decision to deploy the National Guard and Marines to southern California against the wishes of their governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [He wants] to convince us that we are at war with one another. Thats really his project. Hes trying to divide us because people who have no vision traffic in division. Hes trying to divide us in order to rule over us, Warnock said on MSNBC Tuesday night. On Wednesday afternoon, Governor Brian Kemp also weighed in on the Tuesday night protests. My office remains in close contact with state and local law enforcement and stands ready to take whatever appropriate action is needed to safeguard our communities from crime and violence while also respecting the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, Kemp said in a statement posted on Facebook. My support for public safety officers and the rule of law is unwavering, and any violence against those who protect and serve will be met with quick and heavy accountability. Former Atlanta mayor and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms also weighed in on Trumps actions in Los Angeles, according to the AJC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Donald Trumps decision to defy local leaders in deploying the National Guard and Marines is putting people at risk, wasting resources and distracting local law enforcement, all to grab more power for himself, said Bottoms. I have always said that it is wrong for anyone to turn to violence and vandalism, and those who do should be held accountable. Follow Capital B Atlanta for more updates as we follow this developing story. The post Atlanta Immigration Protest Draws Hundreds Amid Tear Gas and Fireworks appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta. CAIRO, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A concert was held on Tuesday evening in the Egyptian capital of Cairo to mark the first UN International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, which is observed on June 10 annually. Titled "Conversation and Connection: Music Connects the World," the event brought together more than 200 guests from Egypt and China and featured traditional folk music and other performances from both countries. In a speech delivered at the event, Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang said that China and Egypt, both ancient civilizations with rich histories, jointly advocate respecting the diversity of civilizations and promoting the common values of humanity. He added that the event will help the two civilizations continue to thrive by fostering cultural exchange and integration. Al-Tayeb Abbas, CEO of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, where the event was held, said the concert symbolized the coming together of two ancient civilizations. Nashwa Abdel Hamid, undersecretary of Egypt's State Information Service, praised the historic legacies of both countries and the strong relationship and partnership between Egypt and China. Wang Niejing, a musician from Pu'er City in southwest China's Yunnan Province, used handmade Lahu bamboo flutes to tell the legend of the forest and the land. He said the performance served as a cultural bridge between China and Egypt, two ancient civilizations, through in-depth exchange. "Music has no borders, and we can feel each other's friendship through its sound," he added. The event was sponsored by the China International Culture Association, the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, and co-hosted by the China Cultural Center in Cairo and China Music House, a Chinese musical group. The Brief A mural in Atlanta honors Mariam Abdulrab, who was kidnapped and killed in 2021, serving as a tribute to her life and a memorial for women victims of sexual assault. The artist, who had previously painted murals for Abdulrab, emphasized the personal significance of the project and her positive impact on the community. The mural supports Mariams Law, passed in Georgia in 2023, which strengthens protections against violent offenders, inspired by Abdulrab's legacy and community efforts. ATLANTA - A new mural in Atlanta is paying tribute to Mariam Abdulrab, who was kidnapped and killed in 2021 after leaving her job at a bar formerly located at the same site. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The club, named Sunset, now stands where the bar Revery once operated. Abdulrab had worked at Revery up until her death. To honor her memory, a mural has been painted on the exterior of Sunset, serving both as a tribute to her life and a broader memorial to women who have been victims of sexual assault. What they're saying "Mariam was an important person in the Atlanta community and just an amazing woman," said the artist commissioned to create the mural. "Pretty much everyone that met her loved her. I thought it was awesome that the owners wanted to honor her memory." The artist, who had previously painted murals for Abdulrab at Atlantas Krog Street Tunnel, said the project is deeply personal. "People thank me, but I always say thats the kind of person she was. If I was gone and she was a graffiti artist, she would be doing this for me." Demarcus Brinkley (Fulton County Sheriff' Office) The mural also stands in symbolic support of Mariams Law, passed in Georgia in 2023 to strengthen protections against violent offenders. Demarcus Brinkley, the man convicted of killing Abdulrab, was sentenced to life in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I think she would be proud of the work her family and friends did to change the laws and make Atlanta a safer place," the artist said. "The law is a step in the right directionnot only for keeping a closer eye on repeat offenders, but also potentially helping with rehabilitation." A mural being painted to honor Mariam Abdulrab outside Sunset, formerl Revry, in Atlanta on June 10, 2025. (FOX 5) Friends and family continue to mourn Abdulrab, remembering her as a loving, welcoming presence in Atlantas nightlife community. "She made you feel like you were her best friend, even if you didnt know her well," the artist added. "She was quick to lift you up with a joke or a smile. Doing things like this mural honors that memory of her." SEE ALSO: The Source FOX 5 was there as the mural was being painted and spoke with the artist. Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr., who is under criminal indictment, has fended off a primary challenge to win the Democratic nomination for a second term, Decision Desk HQ projects. Small defeated Bob McDevitt, a former longtime head of a casino workers union. He will face Republican Nadeem Ahmed Khan, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary, in the general election. Small first became mayor in 2019 after his predecessor, Frank Gillam (D), resigned from office after pleading guilty to charges of wire fraud. He won a full term in 2021 but is facing his own criminal charges as he faces the voters for reelection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Small and his wife, Atlantic City School District Superintendent LaQuetta Small, were charged in April 2024 on allegations that they physically and emotionally abused their teenage daughter. Prosecutors allege that on one occasion Small hit his daughter on the head with a broom multiple times and caused her to lose consciousness, among other incidents. He was also later charged on a count of witness tampering after prosecutors said he told his daughter to change her story to law enforcement about the alleged abuse. Small and his wife have denied the charges and pleaded not guilty. Ahead of the primary, Small had said he didnt believe the charges would be an issue for voters, telling Philadelphia-based NBC10 that the voters know who I am. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Issues of public safety and the citys cleanliness took center stage in the race, with Small pointing to the citys reduction in crime. McDevitt argued that people still feel fear of being victims of crime. Atlantic City has mostly elected Democrats as mayors for decades. The one recent exception was Republican Don Guardians victory in 2013. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Attacker grabs female runner on Rochester trail in disturbing assault originally appeared on Bring Me The News. A male allegedly grabbed a female runner and "simulated sexual acts" as she was running along a bike path in Rochester last weekend. On Wednesday, Rochester Police Department issued an appeal to the public regarding the assault. The department says the female was running on the path near the 800 block of 16th Street Southwest around 10 a.m. Sunday, June 8, when the suspect approached her from behind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspect grabbed her and simulated sexual acts before she broke away and fled. "The suspect is described as a thin Black male in his 20s, approximately 6 feet tall. He was last seen wearing a Minnesota Twins beanie and red pants," police said. "This incident bears similarities to a report from April 2025, in which a male suspect matching a similar description inappropriately touched a female runner near the Soldiers Field area." Police are urging anyone with information about the suspect to call Detective Craig Jacobsen at 507-328-6800. "People are encouraged to remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings when using bike paths and trails are urged to call 911 if suspicious behavior is observed," police said. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared. (NewsNation) Asa Ellerup, the ex-wife of accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann, has defended his innocence in a new documentary released on streaming platform Peacock. In The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, a three-part documentary, Ellerup is a central figure along with her and Heuermanns daughter, Victoria. Ellerup referred to Heuermann as her hero despite the pair divorcing shortly after his arrest two years ago, and that she had fallen in love with him all over again. Victoria Heuermann, on the other hand, has said she believes her father is most likely the Gilgo Beach serial killer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities believe they spotted ex-soldier Travis Decker, who is wanted in deaths of 3 daughters John Ray, the attorney for the family of victim Shannan Gilbert, said Ellerups statements are all about posturing herself to show she had no involvement in the killings. This is all for show, and shes being paid a lot of money to put on a show, Ray said. She and her daughter are doing very well at that. This is all fake and her statements are informed by that fakery. Heuermann is accused of killing a total of seven women, whose bodies were among several found on Long Island, New York. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heuermann is due back in court June 17 as a judge continues to weigh whether to allow key DNA evidence into the 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 NewsNation. Attorney General Pam Bondi went on the offensive Wednesday, accusing California Gov. Gavin Newsom of taking a soft approach to protecting the streets and businesses of Los Angeles, promising that anti-ICE rioters and looters will face federal charges. In a public address on Tuesday, Newsom accused President Donald Trump of "inflaming" the situation by activating 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to help restore order. "This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers, and even our national guard at risk," he said. "California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bondi told "Fox & Friends" co-host Lawrence Jones that she believes the California Democrat must be oblivious to the extent of the violence. Rodney King Riots Officer Says La Mayor Acted Too Late As Anti-ice Violence Engulfs City Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday while vowing to go after those rioting and looting in Los Angeles. "Evidently Gavin Newsom has not been out to the scene. He has not turned on the television set to see the incredible amount of violence that is happening in Los Angeles," she said. Read On The Fox News App "President Trump is going to make America safe again. We're going to protect Americans, and that includes Californians. If Gavin Newsom isn't going to protect them, we are." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bondi also criticized Newsom for failing to declare an economic disaster for small business affected by the L.A. riots. Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler called on the California governor to request a disaster declaration for such businesses this week. The measure would provide low-interest, long-term loans of $2 million to help victims of looting and property destruction rebuild following the unrest. Newsom Says Los Angeles Rioters Will Be Prosecuted, Slams Trump For 'Traumatizing Our Communities' A rioter waves a Mexican national flag next to a car on fire during a protest following federal immigration operations, in the Compton neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on June 7, 2025 Bondi offered a blunt message to would-be robbers and looters in the deep blue city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If you loot a business in California during this, we're charging you with robbery under the Hobbs Act. No longer are the days of non-prosecution for looting. It's a criminal act," she said. The administration is also determined to crack down on those who inflict harm on law enforcement. "We've all made over 190 arrests, [and] more [are] coming. If you hit a police officer, you assault a police officer, state or federal, we are coming after you." Looters break into a gas station's marketplace as demonstrators and law enforcement clash with demonstrators during a protest following federal immigration operations, in the Compton neighborhood of Los Angeles, California early on June 8, 2025. (Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP) (Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images) Newsom has maintained that the Trump administration has acted illegally and "commandeered" the states National Guard members "for no reason" without consulting with Californias law enforcement leaders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Democratic governor claimed that California "didnt have a problem until Trump got involved." A federal judge on Tuesday night declined Newsoms request for an immediate temporary restraining order to restrict Trumps deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines. Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report. Original article source: Attorney General Bondi calls out Gavin Newsom for not protecting city, vows to prosecute looters and rioters The Brief Activist Erin Brockovich is heading to two town halls in Chatsworth and Calhoun this week to discuss the possible dangers of "forever chemicals." Studies of lab animals have found potential links between PFAS chemicals and some cancers, including kidney and testicular, plus issues such as high blood pressure and low birth weight. Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency said that it plans to weaken limits on some "forever chemicals" in drinking water put in place during the Biden administration. CALHOUN, Ga. - The activist whose fight against a power company played out on the big screen is lending her star power in a battle over possible chemical contamination in Georgia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Erin Brockovich is heading to two town halls in Chatsworth and Calhoun this week to discuss the possible dangers of "forever chemicals." The backstory The synthetic compounds known collectively as polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS, have contaminated drinking water to varying extents in many large cities and small towns as well as private wells and public systems. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that more than 1 million Georgians may have been exposed to the chemicals. The compounds are widespread, dont degrade in the environment and have been around for decades. Theyve been used in nonstick pans, food packaging and firefighting foam. Their use is now mostly phased out in the U.S., but some remain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Studies of lab animals have found potential links between PFAS chemicals and some cancers, including kidney and testicular, plus issues such as high blood pressure and low birth weight. In 2024, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a lawsuit in federal district court against the city of Calhoun and another defendant on behalf of the Coosa River Basin Initiative (CRBI) over reported PFAS pollution. That lawsuit has since been settled, with the city agreeing to overhaul its wastewater "pretreatment program" to make sure it regulates PFAS and to investigate its residential drinking water wells. By the numbers According to a map from USA Today using data from the EPA and SimpleLab, a water testing company, Georgia's highest numbers were found in the Augusta area at 1175% over the EPA's minimum reporting levels, Calhoun at around 625%, and Morrow at 112.5%. Big picture view Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency said that it plans to weaken limits on some "forever chemicals" in drinking water put in place during the Biden administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Limits on three types of PFAS, including what are known as GenX substances found in North Carolina, will be scrapped and reconsidered by the agency, as will a limit on a mixture of several types of PFAS. The Biden administrations rule also set standards for the two common types of PFAS, referred to as PFOA and PFOS, at 4 parts per trillion, effectively the lowest level at which they can be reliably detected. The EPA will keep those standards, but give utilities two extra years until 2031 to comply. What they're saying The PFAS Georgia team, Brockovitch and water expert Bob Bowcock say they will announce new findings from water, soil, and dust tests in Chatsworth and Calhoun. Georgia on Thursday and Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a press release announcing the town halls, the group described the results of their testing as "alarming." They will also announce updates on pending lawsuits connected to PFAS contamination. The meetings will be Thursday at 6 p.m. at The Cloer Bar on 3rd Avenue in Chatsworth and Friday at 6 p.m. at The Spot 365, on South Industrial Boulevard in Calhoun. The Source Information for this report came from a release by PFAS Georgia, previous FOX 5 reporting, a map from USA Today and SimpleLab, and the Associated Press. HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) A Holyoke man was arrested on Sunday after crashing his ATV into a police cruiser. Holyoke Community College to offer free course in AI essentials The Holyoke Police Department states that on Sunday at approximately 6:15 p.m., an officer was sent to Vernon Street for reports of the illegal and dangerous operation of off-highway vehicles (OHVs). The reports stated that individuals were riding without helmets, and juveniles were involved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additional officers encountered a moped and three ATVs. An officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on one of the ATV riders, 39-year-old Carlos Alvarez of Holyoke. After initially stopping, Alvarez took off at a high rate of speed. Another officer observed Alvarez on Main Street before he began to head back to the Vernon Street area. The officer parked his cruiser with his emergency lights on near the intersection of Main Street and Vernon Street. Alvarez crashed into the parked cruiser and was thrown from his ATV. He received minor injuries. Alvarez was arrested and the ATV was seized. Alvarez was charged with: Snow/Recreational Vehicle Helmet Violation Snow/Recreational Vehicle Public Way Violation Failure to Stop for Police Snow/Recreational Vehicle Negligent/Reckless Operation Operating a Motor Vehicle with a Suspended License Speeding in Violation Special Regulations 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. The Big Knife Fire outside of Arlee, Montana, on the afternoon of Sunday, July 30, 2023. (Photo by Nicole Girten, Daily Montanan) Landowners in Montana are not paying their fair share of wildfire costs to the tune of at least $30 million, according to a new report from the Legislative Audit Division. An audit of the states Wildfire Assessment Program found problems with the funding structure for fighting wildfires and made suggestions to the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the Legislature to overhaul the system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Wildfire Assessment Program is overseen by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Fees are assessed to some property owners in high-risk fire areas, but the report noted the state gives an estimated annual subsidy of over $30 million to private landowners. It said the payment split in Montana is more than six decades old, and not at all even, with landowners paying just 10% of fire costs. Best practices, which the report based on extensive interviews and document review, would have them paying more than 90%. Montana spent more than a half billion dollars on fire suppression from 2002 to 2023. Suppression is one of three wildfire activities in which the state partakes mitigation and readiness are also ways it spends money on fires. In 2023, for example, the state spent $41 million on fires $4.5 million on attempts to mitigate risk and damage from fires, $13.5 million on capacity and ability to dispatch firefighters and then $23.1 million on actual suppression efforts. Landowners do not pay the state for suppression efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report suggested some fixes, including shifting the burden of wildland fire protection to those who live in the most dangerous areas. This graphic shows the Montana wildfire budget, with how much landowners are contributing superimposed. (Graphic from Legislative Audit Division report) Statewide, landowners paid just $4.3 million on wildfire protection fees in 2023. Their cost is also calculated out of the readiness portion of money spent on fires, not mitigation or suppression. This categorization leads to issues, the report noted. Applying the proportions to the readiness budget instead of total wildfire protection decreases the amount landowners are responsible for paying and increases economic inefficiency, the report stated. The DNRC said it has historically excluded response and suppression efforts from its definition of wildland fire protection, whereas the reports findings look to combine preventative measures with active firefighting where funding is concerned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DNRC director Amanda Kaster said in a letter in response to the audit that it proposes a significant philosophical shift in the state fire programs funding structure. The report also suggested the agency isnt always following statute, while the DNRC said it interprets the laws differently. The Montana Legislature and stakeholders have confirmed and reinforced this distinction since the creation of the fire suppression fund in 2007, which is designated primarily for wildland fire suppression activities, Kaster wrote in response to the audit. In contrast, the program base budget for wildland fire protection work has been widely understood to be intended for conducting work related to preparedness. The audit report fails to recognize this distinction and risks misrepresenting the DNRCs efforts to comply with statute. This matters for landowners, because the report makes a case they should be paying for more than preemptive mitigation. The report said best practice would be for private landowners to pay 92% of wildfire suppression, readiness and mitigation costs. That number is currently about 10% and does not include suppression. According to the report, applying state law as written would ask landowners to completely cover mitigation efforts, which would increase landowner contribution to 33% of wildfire cost. This map shows who has responsibility for fires in Montana. (Graphic from Legislative Audit Division report) Kaster asked for clarification from the legislature on several terms, including annual operation assessment plan, fire protection costs, and states portion of the cost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also said it was the Legislatures job to make decisions about what people are paying, not the DNRC. The DNRC does not believe it is our responsibility, nor do we have the appropriate standing, to make recommendations on how or why the cost burden of the program is shared amongst Montanans, Kaster wrote. Ultimately, it is the legislature that chooses how to fund this work, and it is our obligation to respond to wildfires on behalf of the State of Montana. Kaster also noted an upcoming wildland firefighting study, passed as House Bill 70 this session, will lead to further clarification and funding expectations. Fees collected from property owners come mainly from fire protection districts, where residents who contribute get a more direct response. Some property owners within these districts are required to pay according to the report, its a $50 per-owner, per-district charge, and then a $0.30 per-acre charge for each acre owned in a district more than 20 acres. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Gov. Greg Gianforte recently signed HB 421. That legislation increased fire protection fees for land classified as forest from $50 to $58.70 for each landowner; for those with more than 20 acres of land, theres an additional fee per acre that increased from $0.30 to $0.49. The process for deciding who has to pay is complex and is maintained by one full-time staffer with assistance from two other DNRC employees and a seasonal intern, the audit report noted. This map shows who is required to pay a fire fee in Montana. (Graphic from Legislative Audit Division report) It went on to say the Fire Assessment Programs manual is also outdated, employees dont understand technical aspects of the fee program software code, and if the department lost employees who work in the program, they would be difficult to replace. Department staff spend significant time manually reviewing and updating information as part of the fee assignment process, the audit noted. Department staff stated they cannot determine if a fee should be assigned to over 2,000 properties each year due to a lack of time to review the properties and a lack of updated property data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The current split for fire protection costs is based on a 1958 national study by the Battelle Memorial Institute. Beyond being six decades old, it did not account for individual states, meaning what Montana is using to calculate the share isnt even based on data unique to the state. Recommendations include recalculating the public and private funding share, clarifying statute, and establishing a fee structure informed by cost and wildfire risk data, and improving data practices to help determine efficient funding and areas of elevated wildfire response, the audit report stated. According to an Oct. 2024 presentation from the Legislative Fiscal Division, about 63% of all homes in Montana are in the wildland urban interface, a term used to describe high fire danger areas where natural land and housing meet. About 1.5% of Montana falls within the area considered the wildland urban interface. The presentation noted this was not the best way to assess fire risk in Montana, but did not specify why. The DNRC has the direct responsibility of protecting about 5 million acres of land in Montana. Additionally, the state also shares responsibility primarily with local governments for an additional 55 million acres, while the federal government is the primary responder for 33 million acres. Montana is slightly more than 94 million acres in total. FINAL-23P-06-Fire-Protection The Aurora City Council on Tuesday approved the sale of up to $95 million in bonds for a number of previously-approved construction projects. The bond sale is expected to have a roughly $9.25 monthly impact on the property tax bill of a $300,000 house, according to Aurora Chief Financial Officer Chris Minick. However, the city does have the option to use other funds to help repay the bonds, if other funds are available, which will be decided each year through the budget process, he said at Tuesdays City Council meeting. The tax-exempt general obligation bonds would go to pay for the construction of a relocated Fire Station 9, a new Fire Station 13, the new fire department headquarters building, the RiverEdge Park renovation and the recently-constructed new Public Works facility as well as the roadway improvement project around Farnsworth Avenue and Bilter Road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of the projects to be funded through the newly-approved bond sale have begun, and several are already out of the ground, according to Minick. These projects were approved under former Mayor Richard Irvin, and current Mayor John Laesch voted against some of them. At Tuesdays meeting, the $95 million bond issue passed with a 10-2 vote. Voting against the bond issue were Ald. Shweta Baid, 10th Ward, and Ald. Edward Bugg, 9th Ward. Bugg, who attended the meeting remotely due to illness, said he would be voting against the bond issue because it includes the full cost of the Aurora Fire Departments new headquarters building. Instead, there should be a review to see if the cost of that building could be paid at least in part from other sources like grants so the bond amount could potentially be lower, he said. When his neighbors ask him why their property tax bills are going up, Bugg said, he wants to be able to say that he turned every stone to find savings before I voted for that and that he didnt push something through quickly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other aldermen had similar concerns to Bugg, including Ald. Ted Mesiacos, 3rd Ward. Bugg, Mesiacos and Laesch voted against the construction of the fire department headquarters building when it came before the Aurora City Council last month in a meeting just hours before Laesch, who was at that time an alderman at-large, was sworn in as the next mayor. In addition to his concerns about the cost and design of the fire department headquarters, Mesiacos also pointed out at Tuesdays meeting that the Aurora City Council late last year raised the citys tax levy by 4.87% in part to pay for construction projects. However, officials said at the time that, even with the levy increase, the tax rate was expected to fall to the lowest it has been since 2009. Ald. Patty Smith, 8th Ward, said she was leaning towards voting against this bond issue but changed her mind because she realized, after various discussions, that it would stop the construction of fire stations, which would impact public safety, and stop the renovation of RiverEdge Park, which is a revenue-generator for the city. Despite aldermen voting on the bond issue at Tuesdays meeting, they were not deciding on the tax rate that will be done in December, Smith pointed out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres nobody up here who wants a property tax increase, she said, referring to her fellow aldermen. We have to pay the same property tax increase everybody else does. Ald. Daniel Barreiro, 1st Ward, said the projects funded by the bond issue are needed because they are related to public safety, traffic improvements and economic development. Plus, since many of those projects have already started construction, theres no turning back. The Aurora City Council needs to consider how it will use the increased tax dollars expected from the new Hollywood Casino resort being constructed within the city, Barreiro said, because in the past those funds have been used in the place of property taxes to pay down bonds. Now that the bond issue has been approved, the sale is expected to take place in late June and close in early to mid-July, according to Minick. He said that, although the city is now allowed to issue up to $95 million in bonds, the number will likely be closer to $90 million, which is the amount the city is actually looking to put into its project fund. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A presentation from Minick last month showed that, from the money the city would receive from the bond sale, roughly $7 million would go towards the construction of Fire Station 9, $4 million would go towards the construction of Fire Station 13, $35 million would go towards the construction of the new fire department headquarters, $18 million would go towards the roadway improvement project near Farnsworth Avenue and Bilter Road, $18 million would go towards the RiverEdge Park renovation and $6 million would go towards the construction of the Public Works building. However, Minick told The Beacon-News that there may have been some minor changes in those numbers since that presentation. The relocation of Fire Station 9 and the construction of the new Fire Station 13, plus the new fire department headquarters that is set to hold a relocated Fire Station 4, are being built at the recommendation of a 2021 plan that looked to lower emergency response times. The new Aurora Fire Department headquarters building, in addition to housing fire administration and the relocated fire station, will also hold administrative space for the citys Emergency Management Agency as well as the citys Emergency Operations Center. It is set to be located on the same site as the current Aurora Police Department headquarters, making the site into the Aurora Public Safety Campus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The currently under-construction RiverEdge Park renovation project will include a new backstage, a new entry on the southern edge of the park, a new beverage pavilion, a new VIP section and new restrooms, according to past reporting. The renovations are expected to increase the parks capacity, which is currently about 7,300 for events and 6,500 for concerts, by about 2,500 people. Much of the roadway construction along Farnsworth Avenue, Bilter Road and Church Road is connected to the new Hollywood Casino-Aurora resort, however, the city had already been planning to do roadwork in that area, according to past reporting. Many of those projects, basically all but the new fire station headquarters building, were also partially funded through a separate two-part bond issue approved by the Aurora City Council late last year. City Council allowed staff to issue up to $40 million in bonds at that time, but the actual figure came out to around $35.6 million, Minick told The Beacon-News. According to past reporting, the city always planned to issue additional bonds to help pay for these projects so that interest costs could be kept down by borrowing only the money the city needed at that time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the bonds, Laesch said at Tuesdays meeting that the city was looking for ways to cut back on the budget, including by not moving forward on projects like the proposed City of Lights Center, by pausing or cutting back on some public works projects in the pipeline and by not rehiring for some vacant staff positions. rsmith@chicagotribune.com DENVER (KDVR) Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman announced Tuesday that the citys council meetings will be held virtually to prevent disruptions while a lawsuit filed on behalf of a man shot and killed by police works its way through the court system. The message was echoed on the councils webpage. The webpage includes instructions for how members of the public can view the meetings or provide public comment on agenda items. However, all public comment listening sessions have been canceled until further notice. Family of man killed by Aurora police last May files suit against city, officer who fired deadly shot Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The measure was voted on during the June 9 council meeting, with seven in favor, three against, and two members in debate. In May, the council addressed a resolution that would change how it accepts public comment. As of right now, criminally, Michael Dieck did not murder Kilyn Lewis, said councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky. Its in the courts hands now, and I would like to suspend this to be virtual until we have an official ruling from the court as to whether or not the city is liable in any way, shape or form for the death of Kilyn Lewis. Because if we are not in fact liable in any way, shape or form for the death of Kilyn Lewis, there is nothing left to discuss, and theres no reason for you to come back. Jurinsky added that if the ruling takes years to reach, then shes on board with having virtual meetings until the ruling. Family and friends of Kilyn Lewis have held protests during several Aurora City Council meetings. The group has been seeking justice after the 37-year-old was shot and killed by an Aurora police officer in May 2024. In October, the district attorney ruled that an officer who shot Lewis would not face charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In late May, Lewis family filed a lawsuit seeking accountability from the Aurora Police Department in their loved ones death. It discusses excessive force, wrongful death and violations of the familys constitutional rights. This lawsuit is not just about a dollar amount. Its about truth. Its about making sure that the life of a Black man like Kilyn Lewis is not so easily discarded, said MiDian Shofner, CEO of the Epitome of Black Excellence and Partnership and lead advocate for the family, in the May 28 announcement of the case filing. No amount of money can bring him back, but since America has made money the metric for justice, the family is rightfully pursuing every legal remedy available. Coffman wrote on Facebook that he believes the group is simply looking for a check, and then they will go away. Deadly shooting of Kilyn Lewis leads to new Aurora police SWAT policies: Report Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Until then, they will continue to disrupt our meetings. They have no choice but to continue disrupting our meetings because their lawsuit is meritless. This is why we have no choice but to stop all in-person council meetings, and go virtual, until their lawsuit has been concluded, Coffman wrote. He noted that an Arapahoe County Grand Jury was also asked to review the case and declined to pursue charges against the officer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ULAN BATOR, June 11 (Xinhua) -- By the end of May, a total of 18.9 million or 78.3 percent fertile livestock gave birth across Mongolia, out of the 24.2 million heads of breeder livestock which was counted at the beginning of 2025, local media reported on Wednesday, citing the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry. During the period, the number of newborn livestock across Mongolia increased by 18.6 million heads compared to the same period of the previous year, the country's Ministry said in a statement. The sector of animal husbandry is one of the main pillars of the Mongolian economy, and almost 40 percent of the country's nomadic population depends on it. However, due to the harsh and long winter, most of Mongolia's nomadic herders lose livestock every year, which leads to a reduction in their livelihoods. According to the National Statistics Office, Mongolia had 57.6 million head of livestock at the end of 2024. LAWRENCE COUNTY, Mo. An Aurora woman has been sentenced for the death of her husband on Jan. 23, 2025. According to online court dockets, Taylor Santiago, born 1993, has been sentenced to life without parole for first-degree murder, 30 years for first-degree robbery, four years for unlawful use of a weapon and seven years for first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. The charges will be served consecutively. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Aurora woman pleads guilty to first of three shootings The probable cause statement says that Santiago was arrested in January after murdering her estranged husband in Missouri and her former partners girlfriend in Arkansas. Her former partner was shot in the incident but survived. Santiago shot her ex-husband, Troy Huffman, in Aurora with her child inside the home. Santiago later went to Carroll County in Arkansas and shot the biological father of one of her children and his girlfriend. Santiago later returned to Aurora and turned herself in to the police. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. AUSTIN (KXAN) Just days from now, Tesla reportedly plans to deploy its first commercial robotaxi service on Austins public streets. Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled plans to launch them in June as part of its new autonomous vehicle ride-hailing service. On Tuesday, social media posts circulated online of one of those vehicles driving on South Congress Avenue. Tesla robotaxi service reportedly launching next week in Austin Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Austin-based RV rental agency, The Outdoorsy Group, said it plans to incorporate this new technology in the future. We see outdoorsy as a platform for all forms of mobility, said Co-Founder and CEO Jeff Cavins. Motorcycles, trucks, cars, camper vans, airstreams. Of course, the autonomous vehicle is important to us because it enables a whole level of autonomy. Cavins said he jumped at the idea when it was first announced. We called the fleet team, whom we knew really well at Tesla, and we placed an order for 100 Teslas. Jeff Cavins, Outdoorsy Group Co-Founder & CEO Cavins said along with Outdoorsy, they built their own insurance company called Roamly Insurance Group. I think the insurance component is very important, Cavins said. You want to make sure, if youre a city or a municipality or city council or a mayors office, that the insurance company thats backing these fleets of robotaxis is an insurance company you can rely on. US agency asks questions about robotaxi plan Still, some questions remain unanswered. In a letter sent to Tesla in May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked the company to explain how it plans to operate safely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Questions focused on things like: Crash reporting Complying with traffic safey laws Automated responses to emergencies NHTSA asked how the robotaxis will safely operate in low-visibility, like sun glare, fog, rain or snow. Those conditions are tied to previous accidents involving the companys driver-assistance software. KXAN reached out to see if NHTSA heard back. The agency told us on Friday that its investigation remains open and that Teslas response must be submitted by June 19. NHTSA said any updates will be posted in the investigation file online. Limited regulation in Texas Attorney Donald Slavik represents people across the country who were injured or killed by Tesla autopilot and full self-driving. He shared multiple stories with KXAN about some of the cases hes taken. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A family in Texas where a gentleman, father and husband was putting trash cans out on the street in the neighborhood, Slavik said. Vehicle coming by with the driver using autopilot so that he could talk on his phone or work on his phone. Hit the man and very, very seriously injured [him]. He survived for a year and a half and died. Slavik said, unlike states with established autonomous vehicle oversight, cities in Texas cannot regulate AVs. The Texas Legislature passed a bill in 2017 that prohibited that. Theres nothing that prevents someone from putting these vehicles out in Texas. Theres no regulation that says you have to have a human person behind the wheel with responsibility for operating the vehicle. Attorney Donald Slavik, Slavik Law Firm Slavik worries about how a robotaxi would respond in severe weather conditions as well. Is it going to pull over safely and stop, or is it going to try to drive through it? Slavik wondered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KXAN has repeatedly reached out to Tesla about its robotaxi plans. Well update this story if we get a response. Safety of autonomous vehicles in Austin Dr. Kara Kockelman, a professor at the University of Texas Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, joined KXAN News on Wednesday to talk about the safety of autonomous vehicles as they become a more widespread option for ridesharing in Austin. Kockelman said one difference between Waymo, which already runs driverless cars in Austin, and the Tesla robotaxi is that Tesla can produce a lot more vehicles than Waymo. Waymo is relying on other vendors like Jaguar and now Zeekr, which is out of China, all electric, she explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So I see the Gigafactory producing, you know, thousands of vehicles a day, all with FSD [Full Self-Driving], and whichever share of that they want to pull off for robotax utilization, they can, so they could spread a lot faster, Kockelman continued. She pointed out that one benchmark Tesla needs to meet is staying about 50% below the background human crash rate to gain riders trust. That rate is related to human crashes in the U.S. We do crash a lot. In fact, our crash costs every year are about $3,000 for every human in this country, and we crash about twice as much as our peers do, even in Canada, right across the border, Kockelman said. She added Waymo has already passed that bar in other cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix with a crash rate about 80% less than the background human crash rate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since Austin is new to Waymo, Kockelman said the citys data could be added soon to that number. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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) June is National Homeownership Month, which focuses on efforts to make owning a home more attainable. Austin Habitat for Humanity has helped hundreds become homeowners and pushed for more affordable homes. KXAN Midday Anchors Will DuPree and Avery Travis sat down with CEO Michele Anderson to learn about the organizations recent efforts. Austin Habitat will build in a new community in eastern Travis County called Whisper Valley, which will include families with multiple income levels. Anderson said its the largest geothermal housing project in the nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Energy bills will be less than 10% of what you normally would expect, so its a cost-savings for our homeowners, Anderson explained. Geothermal expansion in Texas a potential game changer Applications are open for those looking to buy a home in Whisper Valley. Whisper Valley is part of the Carter Work Project, which was started by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. Up to 4,000 people will work together Oct. 26-31 to build 25 homes in one week. You enter the site, and you get removed from the world for eight to 10 hours, and just to have a good time, and help lift houses, Anderson said. Homeowners will be at the event to talk about their journey to buying a home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anderson also spoke about Austin Habitats support for two housing bills that the Texas governor could sign into law. She explained one bill would allow them to build homes closer to shopping centers, while the other would allow people to have more freedom with their land. The more housing we have will bring the cost down, especially on the affordable side, Anderson 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 KXAN Austin. AUSTIN (KXAN) Austin Independent School District parents rallied outside the Texas Education Agency on Tuesday, demanding more time to improve outcomes at schools with repeated failing accountability ratings. Three of the districts middle schools, Dobie, Burnet and Webb, are set to receive their third consecutive failing accountability score when the 2024 state ratings are released, according to Austin ISD officials. A lawsuit filed by several school districts is currently preventing the TEA from releasing any state ratings from that year to the public. District leaders warned in April that the Texas Education Commissioner could take serious actions against the district if it allowed a school to fail for five consecutive years, including replacing the elected school board with a state-appointed Board of Managers to oversee the entire district. Parents hold signs outside the Texas Education Agency in Austin. (KXAN Photo/Chris Nelson) The district has been working to create turnaround plans for its campuses to prevent state intervention. But in a letter hand-delivered to TEA leaders on Tuesday, parents with ATX United for Public Schools criticized the districts current plans to improve campuses as disruptive. The group requested more time to develop restructuring plans for those schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plans must be submitted to the TEA for approval by June 30. According to the district, the school board will hold a public hearing and vote on the turnaround plans on June 26. Were aware of the letter delivered to the Texas Education Agency by Austin ISD parents. While this process has been quick, we have taken the time to hear from affected families and staff to ensure their voices are reflected in the turnaround plans within the TEA guidelines, Austin ISD officials said in a statement to KXAN. TEA has not responded to KXANs request for comment. We will update this if a statement is received. Turnaround plans Over the last several weeks, Austin ISD leaders and parents have met repeatedly to discuss options for avoiding increased state intervention, including, at one point, the possibility of school closures. Key Dates: June 12: Austin ISD will present draft turnaround plans for Dobie, Webb, and Burnet middle Schools to the school board during an information session June 26: The Austin ISD Board of Trustees will host a public hearing before voting on the turnaround plans for Dobie, Burnet and Webb middle schools June 30: Austin ISD must submit its draft turnaround plans to the Texas Education Agency Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The district is now proposing a district-managed restart plan for the schools next year. The plan has drawn criticism from employees and parents, as some staff members have been informed that they may not qualify, under the new plans, to keep their current jobs at those schools. Austin ISD has created a plan that includes restarting schools from scratch, firing administrators and teachers, and closing schools, thereby denying our children quality education, and we disagree with that plan, the letter stated. District officials said a school restart would require the district to evaluate current employees to determine if these schools are the best place for them. The district stated that not all staff at Dobie, Webb and Burnet would be able to remain at their current campuses. Given the urgency of this situation, we must make difficult decisions to ensure these schools have enough highly experienced and effective educators to support rapid student growth, the district stated on its website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement District officials said that, in that case, they would support the educators in finding other positions within the district. Consolidation As the district considers how to address the failing state accountability scores of some of its campuses, it is also exploring a larger plan to consolidate some of its schools to reduce its $100 million deficit a shortfall that voters attempted to alleviate by approving a tax rate increase during the November 2024 election. District officials said top leaders cut $63 million from the central office operations over the last year, including positions and service contracts. Were running out of options that dont significantly impact our students and schools, district officials said in a statement posted to its website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement District officials reported that the number of students enrolled in the district has declined, resulting in approximately 25,000 empty seats across its 116 campuses. The process of consolidations would include school closures, boundary changes, evaluating transfer policies, and repurposing facilities, according to the district. The district has not yet released a list of schools that may be facing closure, but it plans to release a specific proposal in fall 2025. The district noted that the changes would not be implemented until the 2026-27 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 KXAN Austin. Jun. 10AUSTIN, Minn. An Austin man is facing criminal charges after telling two individuals that he would use a pipe bomb to "hypothetically" blow up Rochester and St. Paul buildings. Jonathan Julio Nique, 22, is charged with eight counts of possession of firearms without serial numbers after showing two people an alleged homemade pipe bomb, his 30 firearms and a "stockpile of ammunition" in his garage. The individuals reported what they saw to the Austin Police Department on May 25, claiming that Nique had previously talked about blowing up the Gonda Building and the city-county Government Center, both in Rochester. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nique was placed on $50,000 conditional bail or $250,000 unconditional bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 17. According to the criminal complaint, the Austin Police Department received a report on May 25 that Nique had been "experimenting with explosives, making threatening comments and acting in a concerning extremist-type behavior." The witness told police they were recently inside Nique's garage, at his residence in Austin, when they observed a device that resembled a pipe bomb. Nique also made a comment to the witness about how easily he could "blow up a building" with his pipe bomb, the complaint said. Two witnesses told law enforcement that Nique had approximately 30 firearms in his residence, which included manufactured firearms, homemade firearms and 3D-printed firearms. According to the complaint, he also had a "stockpile of ammunition." Nique told the witnesses that no one is allowed in his garage and that he monitors people if they are in his garage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The witnesses told police Nique is known to use cocaine and sometimes says "unhinged things," the complaint said. One incident they referenced was when they were all talking about an attack at an IVF clinic. In response, Nique said it is easy to build a pipe bomb. According to the complaint, Nique was then asked what building he would blow up, to which he responded with a list of buildings, including the Gonda Building, the city-county Government Center, the Minnesota State Capitol Building and a synagogue. The witnesses said Nique had "white nationalist viewpoints" and had previously made racist comments. Nique told the witnesses he is "anti-law enforcement" and talks about the Ruby Ridge standoff, an 11-day standoff in 1992 between federal agents and a man who failed to appear in court on firearm charges. Two weeks prior, the witnesses said, Nique had gone to the hospital for a hand injury after shaking a medicine bottle with a metal cylinder and match shavings inside. One witness believed Nique was making "Armstrong's Mixture," a type of explosive, according to the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After executing a search warrant on May 28, law enforcement found eight firearms without serial numbers, the complaint said. Several of the guns appeared to have been manufactured using a 3D printer. The guns were all capable of firing, the complaint said. Police found the suspected pipe bomb, but it did not have explosives inside it. The bomb squad, which assisted with the search, located containers with smaller metal objects and suspected matchstick powder inside. Nique was arrested the same day for possession of two .22-caliber rounds inside a courthouse. According to the criminal complaint, he dropped the rounds on his way through Mower County Courthouse security. He agreed to speak with law enforcement and denied making a pipe bomb or practicing with explosives. He said he was "joking" when he made comments about blowing up government and religious buildings. By Kirsty Needham, Renju Jose and David Brunnstrom SYDNEY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday he was confident the AUKUS submarine pact with the U.S. and Britain would proceed, and his government would work closely with the U.S. while the Trump administration conducted a formal review. Australia in 2023 committed to spend A$368 billion ($239 billion) over three decades on AUKUS, the country's biggest ever defence project with the United States and Britain, to acquire and build nuclear-powered submarines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Pentagon official said the administration was reviewing AUKUS to ensure it was "aligned with the President's America First agenda", on the eve of expected talks between President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. In an Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio interview, Marles said AUKUS was in the strategic interests of all three countries and the new review of the deal signed in 2021 when Joe Biden was the U.S. president was not a surprise. "I am very confident this is going to happen," he said of AUKUS, which would give Australia nuclear-powered submarines. "This is a multi-decade plan. There will be governments that come and go and I think whenever we see a new government, a review of this kind is going to be something which will be undertaken," Marles told the ABC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Albanese is expected to meet Trump for the first time next week on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Canada, where the security allies will discuss a request from Washington for Australia to increase defence spending from 2% to 3.5% of gross domestic product. Albanese has said defence spending would rise to 2.3% and has declined to commit to the U.S. target. The opposition Liberal party on Thursday pressed Albanese to increase defence spending. Under AUKUS, Australia was scheduled to make a $2 billion payment in 2025 to the U.S. to help boost its submarine shipyards and speed up lagging production rates of Virginia-class submarines to allow the sale of up to three U.S. submarines to Australia from 2032. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first $500 million payment was made when Marles met with his U.S. counterpart Pete Hegseth in February. US NOT MEETING PRODUCTION TARGETS The Pentagon's top policy adviser Elbridge Colby, who has previously expressed concern the U.S. would lose submarines to Australia at a critical time for military deterrence against China, will be a key figure in the review, examining the production rate of Virginia-class submarines, Marles said. "It is important that those production and sustainment rates are improved," he added. AUKUS would grow the U.S. and Australian defence industries and generate thousands of manufacturing jobs, Marles said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John Lee, an Australian Indo-Pacific expert at Washingtons conservative Hudson Institute think tank, said the Pentagon review was "primarily an audit of American capability" and whether it can afford to sell up to five nuclear powered submarines when it was not meeting its own production targets. "Relatedly, the low Australian defence spending and ambiguity as to how it might contribute to a Taiwan contingency is also a factor," Lee said. John Hamre, the president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and a former senior Pentagon official, told a Lowy Institute seminar in Sydney on Thursday there is a perception in Washington "the Albanese government has been supportive of AUKUS but not really leaning in on AUKUS", and defence spending is part of this. Under the multi-stage pact, four U.S. commanded Virginia submarines will be hosted at a Western Australian navy base on the Indian Ocean from 2027, which a senior U.S. Navy commander told Congress in April gives the U.S. a "straight shot to the South China Sea". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Albanese wants to buy three Virginia submarines from 2032 to bring its submarine force under Australian command. Britain and Australia will jointly build a new AUKUS-class submarine expected to come into service from 2040. Following a recent defence review, Britain said it would boost spending on its attack submarine fleet under AUKUS. Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who struck the AUKUS deal with Biden, said on Thursday Australia should "make the case again" for the treaty. AUKUS would build more submarines across the three partners and was "fundamentally about strengthening collective deterrence, particularly in the Indo-Pacific against potential adversaries", he wrote on LinkedIn. ($1 = 1.5380 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Kirsty Needham and Renju Jose in Sydney and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese, Jamie Freed and Sonali Paul) An Australian woman accused of murdering three people with death cap mushrooms denied Wednesday that she turned the fungi into dry powder for the fatal meal. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with murdering her estranged husband's parents and aunt in July 2023 by spiking a beef Wellington lunch with the mushrooms. She is also accused of attempting to murder a fourth lunch guest -- her husband's uncle -- who survived the dish after a long stay in hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patterson denies all charges in the trial, which has made headlines worldwide. She says the beef-and-pastry dish, which she cooked in individually sized portions, was poisoned by accident. Three months before the lunch, phone records placed Patterson in the Victoria state township of Loch, where a sighting of death cap mushrooms had been posted online, the court heard. Prosecutor Nanette Rogers alleged that within two hours of finding death cap mushrooms in Loch, Patterson bought a dehydrator to use on the fungi. Patterson admitted to buying the dehydrator. But she denied purchasing it to dry the death cap mushrooms or that she went to Loch to find the dangerous fungi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A month later, phone records placed Patterson in a second town in the area, Outtrim, just days after a sighting of death cap mushrooms had been posted online, the court heard. Patterson denied she went to the area to find the fungi, but said she may have driven by the area. Rogers suggested Patterson "blitzed" the death cap mushrooms into a powder in order to hide them in the meal. "Disagree," Patterson said. - Leftovers a 'lie' - The court heard Patterson had told people that she served the beef Wellington leftovers to her children a day after the lunch, as her sickened guests lay in hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The accused said she scraped off the mushroom and pastry from the dish because her children were fussy eaters. The prosecutor asked Patterson why she would feed leftovers to her children, while knowing or suspecting that the same meal had put her guests in hospital. "I didn't know or suspect that," Patterson replied. The prosecutor accused her of telling a "lie about feeding the leftovers" because it gave her "some distance from a deliberate poisoning". Patterson replied: "I don't see how it could, but I disagree." The home cook had also invited her estranged husband Simon to join the family lunch at her secluded home in the Victoria state farm village of Leongatha. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Simon turned down the invitation saying he felt uncomfortable going, the court heard previously. The pair were long estranged but still legally married. Simon's parents Don and Gail, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson, attended the lunch. All three were dead within days. Heather's husband Ian fell gravely ill but recovered. The trial in Morwell, southeast of Melbourne, is expected to last another two weeks. lec/djw/mtp An Australian woman accused of murdering three people with death cap mushrooms denied Wednesday that she turned the fungi into dry powder for the fatal meal. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with murdering her estranged husband's parents and aunt in July 2023 by spiking a beef Wellington lunch with the mushrooms. She is also accused of attempting to murder a fourth lunch guest -- her husband's uncle -- who survived the dish after a long stay in hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patterson denies all charges in the trial, which has made headlines worldwide. She says the beef-and-pastry dish, which she cooked in individually sized portions, was poisoned by accident. Three months before the lunch, phone records placed Patterson in the Victoria state township of Loch, where a sighting of death cap mushrooms had been posted online, the court heard. Prosecutor Nanette Rogers alleged that within two hours of finding death cap mushrooms in Loch, Patterson bought a dehydrator to use on the fungi. Patterson admitted buying the dehydrator. But she denied purchasing it to dry death cap mushrooms or that she went to Loch to find the dangerous fungi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A month later, phone records placed Patterson in a second town in the area, Outtrim, days after a sighting of death cap mushrooms had been posted online, the jury heard. Patterson denied she went to the area to find the fungi, but said she may have driven by the area. Rogers suggested Patterson "blitzed" the death cap mushrooms into a powder in order to hide them in the meal. "Disagree," Patterson said. The court heard Patterson had told people that she served the beef Wellington leftovers to her children a day after the lunch, as her sickened guests lay in hospital. The accused said she scraped off the mushroom and pastry from the dish because her children were fussy eaters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - Leftovers a 'lie' - The prosecutor asked Patterson why she would feed leftovers to her children, while knowing or suspecting that the same meal had put her guests in hospital. "I didn't know or suspect that," Patterson replied. The prosecutor accused her of telling a "lie about feeding the leftovers" because it gave her "some distance from a deliberate poisoning". Patterson replied: "I don't see how it could, but I disagree." The lunch host had also invited her estranged husband Simon to join the family meal at her secluded home in the Victoria state farm village of Leongatha. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Simon turned down the invitation saying he felt uncomfortable going, the court heard earlier. The pair were long estranged but still legally married. Simon's parents Don and Gail, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson, attended the lunch. All three were dead within days. Heather's husband Ian fell gravely ill but recovered. Patterson has previously said she struggled with her weight and an eating disorder, and that she booked a gastric bypass assessment for herself at a facility in September 2023. But the accused said she was embarrassed about the operation. Instead, Patterson says, she misled her in-laws, telling them she had cancer and would likely need treatment in the hope that they would help care for her children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under questioning from the prosecutor on Wednesday, Patterson accepted that the facility never offered services related to gastric bypasses, and that it in fact specialised in procedures relating to skin, hair and nails. Her medical records did not mention anything about weight loss surgery or treatments, nor did she obtain a referral to a specialist for the gastric bypass, the court heard. The trial in Morwell, southeast of Melbourne, is expected to last another two weeks. lec/djw/mtp A suspected school gunman sent his mother a suicide video before he murdered at least 10 people and killed himself in the Austrian city of Graz. The mother alerted the police to the video, which warned of the attack, 24 minutes after receiving it, by which point the Tuesday morning killing spree had already started, according to local media reports. The 21-year-old suspect, a former student at the school identified in local media as Arthur A, opened fire inside two classrooms at the BORG Dreierschutzengasse school at around 10am, before killing himself in a toilet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Wednesday, residents of Kalsdorf, the suburb of Graz where the suspect lived, described him as a standoffish young man who dressed in dark clothing and ignored their greetings. Austrian police disclosed on Wednesday that the suspect had also been plotting a pipe bomb attack on the school, but apparently abandoned the plan as the device did not work. The gunman, who wounded a further 12 people, was a dropout he sought revenge for being bullied at the school, according to Austrian media reports, but police said the motivation for the attack is not clear. According to Heute, an Austrian newspaper, he declared his plans to attack the school in the farewell video, but his mother opened it too late. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Krone Zeitung, another Austrian news outlet, said the suspects suicide letter included an apology to his family for the act he was about to commit said he was carrying out the attack of his own free will. Neighbours told The Telegraph the suspect lived with his mother in a ground-floor apartment with a small garden, in a housing complex in Kalsdorf. They said the suspect seemed normal when they encountered him walking a dog, but wasnt particularly friendly. Thomas Gasser, a 38-year-old neighbour, said: He would often be in dark clothing and wore a cap. I would greet him but he would not greet me back. They lived together, the man and his mother. It is stressful, this is a family neighborhood, with lots of children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Natalia Chalakova, another resident, was struggling to fathom the idea that the suspect had been living so close to her own home. She said: It is such a shock. This is normally a very quiet neighbourhood. For us, this is a story you would see in America, not here. Esmeralda Cehajic, 32, said: My father used to see him while walking his dog, but said there was nothing unusual about him. The suspect himself was seen walking his a black labrador. Kalsdorf is a housing estate of carefully tended gardens full of flower arrangements and trimmed hedges. Several play areas for children and a swimming pool are close to the apartment where the suspected killer lived. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The back garden of the suspects apartment was visible from a public path that runs alongside the building. A Buddha statue and several wooden bird decorations in a well-tended garden could be seen from the path. Shutters had been drawn over the departments windows. Austrian authorities on Wednesday released further details about the victims of the attack, as they confirmed that nine students and one teacher were killed. The ages of the students killed in the shooting range from 14-17 while the teacher was identified as a 59-year-old female. One of the victims is a Polish citizen and the rest are Austrian, police said. Paul Nitsche, a religious studies teacher who survived the attack, told reporters he saw the suspect trying to shoot through a lock on one of the doors. He also said he initially didnt believe a shooting was taking place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was working on my own in a room, I thought at first it was fireworks. Then I thought maybe its an attack and decided to run. I saw the attacker very briefly, trying to shoot through the lock on a door of a classroom, he said. I was scared. I kept running. I saw the bodies of a female pupil lying on the floor and a female teacher, and I knew it was true, he added. All of those wounded in the attack are now in a stable condition, the authorities confirmed. The ages of the wounded range from 15-26 and they are mostly Austrian citizens, while two of them are from Romania and Iran. Credit: AUF1 Franz Ruf, the director of public security, told ORF public television: A farewell letter in analogue and digital form was found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He says goodbye to his parents. But no motive can be inferred from the farewell letter. Mr Ruf said only 17 minutes elapsed between the first emergency calls received by police about shots being fired and the school being declared safe. The suicide video was reported within this time frame, Heute reported. Police said the guns used were in the suspects possession legally. Mr Ruf said that while Austrian gun laws are strict, the case was being looked into. If there are any loopholes, they need to be closed, he said. A vigil was held for the victims of the shooting in Graz - Heinz-Peter Bader/AP The city was on alert for potential copycat attacks after police revealed they had received a threat against another school in Graz late on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Christian Stocker, the Austrian chancellor, called the mass shooting a dark day in the history of the country on Tuesday as he declared three days of national mourning. Hundreds came together in Grazs main square on Tuesday evening to remember the victims. Others left flowers and lit candles outside the school, while dozens queued to donate blood for the survivors. By Wednesday morning, health authorities in Graz said that all patients were in stable condition. Nine were still in intensive care units, with one needing a further operation on a facial wound and a second on a knee injury, while another two had been moved to regular wards. 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. Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen has called for a review of the country's relatively relaxed gun laws in the wake of a school shooting in Graz that left nine students and a teacher dead. "Does the legal situation really meet modern requirements? That will have to be examined," Van der Bellen said on Wednesday during a visit to the city, according to the APA news agency. On Tuesday, a 21-year-old man opened fire in his former high school, killing 10 people and taking his own life. The attacker was armed with a shotgun and a handgun, both of which he legally owned, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Van der Bellen, who once led the Green Party, said politicians must now address "how it can be that a 21-year-old has a handgun and a long gun and has the opportunity to buy the appropriate ammunition and cause this disaster." Calls for tighter gun laws have intensified in the wake of the attack. The communist mayor of Graz, Elke Kahr, has urged a ban on private firearm ownership. Under current Austrian law, purchasing handguns requires official authorization, but rifles and shotguns can be bought without a permit. JAKARTA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government has invited investors to participate in the country's giant sea wall project along the northern coast of Java Island, a minister said on Wednesday. The wall will stretch from Banten Province in western Java to East Java Province in the eastern part of the island, according to Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo. The minister emphasized that the project presents an opportunity to attract long-term investment aimed at enhancing climate change resilience. Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said the project is part of the government's efforts to protect coastal areas in northern Java from the risks of climate change and tidal flooding. He added that President Prabowo Subianto held a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss preparations for the giant sea wall project. "The construction of this wall is expected to prevent tidal flooding, reduce land subsidence in coastal areas, and serve as a clean water reservoir," Wijaya said in a statement issued by the Cabinet Secretariat Office on Wednesday. More than 40 years after a 17-day-old was ripped from his family in Southern California, authorities hope a new age-progression image could be the key to finding the now-adult man who likely has no idea about his real parentage. The FBI and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children have released a new rendering of what Kevin Art Verville Jr., now 44, might look like if hes still alive like they believe. Kevin was abducted from his mother in San Diego County on July 1, 1980, by a woman posing as a social worker who claimed to be offering parental assistance to low-income military families near Camp Pendleton. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The unknown woman showed up at the doorstep of Angelina and Kevin Verville in Oceanside, and identified herself only as Sheila. She said she came from an organization called HELP, offering financial assistance and newborn supplies to local military families. For the young parents, the offer seemed like a dream come true. But it quickly turned into their worst nightmare. Sheila agreed to come back later and take Angelina and Kevin Jr. to her organizations headquarters to enroll the newborn in the program. The mother and the infant rode with the stranger to a location in a remote, rural area in northern San Diego County. Sheila pulled over and asked Angelina to knock on the door of a nearby house where she said another mother enrolling in the program lived. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But when Angelina got out, Sheila sped away with baby Kevin, a profile on the NCMEC website reads. Angelina was left alone in the middle of nowhere. It was the last time she saw her son. Local authorities searched for Sheila and Kevin Jr., but were unable to find any sign of them. The FBI later got involved in the search. Investigators later learned that the woman had been lurking in the off-base apartment complex for days leading up to the abduction, specifically looking for a child that met her criteria: under 6 months old and part Filipino. The suspect known only as Sheila, who abducted 17-day-old Kevin Verville Jr., on July 1, 1980. (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children) She spoke with dozens of people in the apartment complex before finally identifying the Vervilles as her target. She was seen by so many different witnesses in the preceding days that authorities were able to create a detailed description and a composite image of what she looked like. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From the Vervilles accounts, along with other residents, investigators say theyre looking for a [white] woman who was in her twenties back in 1980, with red or blonde frizzy hair, NCMEC said. She had a tattoo on her left hand in the webbing between her thumb and index finger. It was described as a circle with an X inside. [She] also appeared pregnant. The search continued with sparse leads that became dead ends. Days turned into weeks, and years turned into decades, with no arrest made or suspect ever identified. Now, 44 years later, the search for Kevin Jr. has been renewed. Unlike many missing child cases from decades ago, investigators believe Kevin Jr. is likely still alive, taken by his abductor to be raised as her own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to 60 years worth of data, NCMEC says the profile of a typical infant abductor is usually a woman of childbearing age, who appears pregnant, and may be trying to replace a baby lost through miscarriage. If alive like investigators believe and his surviving family members hope its possible that the now-44-year-old has no idea about his real identity, the parents he lost or the sibling he never met. Its likely Kevin Jr. doesnt know what happened to him, or that his biological parents are still searching for him. Today, he could be anywhere, so were asking everyone to be part of this search, said Angeline Hartmann, NCMECs director of communications. We need your help to bring him home. On Tuesday, the FBI and NCMEC released a joint news release announcing the renewed efforts to locate Kevin Jr., which included a new age-progressed image that shows what he may look like as an adult man in 2025. A photo of Kevin Verville Jr. as an infant alongside an age-progression rendering from the FBI. The FBI is continuing to offer a $10,000 reward for information in the case. Officials for the Bureau say they are just as committed to finding him today as they were four decades ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among those most desperate to find him is Angelica Ramsey, the biological sister he never met, who has continued to reach out to investigators for updates on her brothers case. Anyone with information about the abduction of Kevin Verville Jr. is urged to contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or the FBI at 1-800-225-5324. Tips to the FBI can also be submitted online. Although baby Kevin was abducted 45 years ago, FBI San Diegos work to reunite him with his family has not ceased, said Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi. For more information on Kevins story, 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. Authorities believe they have tracked Travis Decker, who is accused of killing his three young daughters, to a hiking area in Chelan County, Washington. Tracking teams believe they are on Deckers trail, community support and tips are still needed! the Chelan County Sheriffs Office said in a news release on Tuesday night. Authorities believe he may be in the Blewett Pass area. We are asking for the public, especially those who live or have cabins in the area, to remain highly vigilant and report any suspicious activity, the sheriffs office said. Paityn, Olivia and Evelyn Decker. (Whitney Decker via AP) The children, Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead on June 2 near a campground east of Seattle after their father failed to bring them home from a visitation. According to an affidavit, the girls had bags over their heads and had been zip-tied. An autopsy attributed their deaths to suffocation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deckers white pickup was found near the girls, according to authorities, who said it had two bloody handprints on it. A large amount of evidence was collected from the scene, along with Deckers dog, which was turned over to a local animal rescue, authorities said. An arrest warrant accuses him of first-degree murder and kidnapping. The manhunt has covered hundreds of square miles by air, land and water, the sheriffs office previously said. Decker, a military veteran and an active member of the Washington National Guard, was described by authorities as an outdoorsman known to go off-grid for months. Authorities tracked him to the Blewett Pass area after receiving a tip from a hiking party who said they saw a lone hiker in the Enchantments area and that the person appeared to be ill-prepared for the trail and weather. The hiking party also said the person appeared to be avoiding others, the sheriffs office said. Travis Caleb Decker. (U.S. Marshals Service) Tracking teams in a helicopter immediately responded and saw a lone, off-trail hiker. The person ran from sight as the helicopter passed, the sheriffs office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additional assets were called to the area while they developed a plan to track the individual. Teams later picked up a trail and deployed K9s to the area, tracking the subject to the area of Ingalls Creek Trailhead on HWY 97, the release states. Authorities are continuing to search the area. Last year, a court ordered Decker to seek mental health treatment and domestic violence anger management counseling, according to the affidavit. It says Decker did not seek treatment and refused to sign a parenting plan imposed by the court. His ex-wife, Whitney Decker, described her relationship with her ex-husband as cordial and said he had never previously failed to return their children, according to the affidavit. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Authorities are searching for more victims after a man drove into crowds during anti-ICE protests in downtown Los Angeles. On June 8, the male driver in a silver Honda Odyssey minivan was seen driving erratically near Alameda Street and Bauchet Street around 9:20 p.m. The area was filled with people who were protesting the immigration raids taking place across the Southland. A man behind the wheel of a minivan went on a high-speed rampage amid chaotic unrest in downtown L.A. on June 8, 2025. (KTLA) Authorities are searching for more victims who were struck by the suspects 2010 silver Honda Odyssey minivan with California license plate 8XSZ585. (Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department) Authorities are searching for more victims who were struck by the suspects 2010 silver Honda Odyssey minivan with California license plate 8XSZ585. (Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department) A man behind the wheel of a minivan went on a high-speed rampage amid chaotic unrest in downtown L.A. on June 8, 2025. (KTLA) A man behind the wheel of a minivan went on a high-speed rampage amid chaotic unrest in downtown L.A. on June 8, 2025. (KTLA) Authorities are searching for more victims who were struck by the suspects 2010 silver Honda Odyssey minivan with California license plate 8XSZ585. (Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department) Sky5 footage captured the man striking several pedestrians while driving menacingly towards the crowds. He was seen driving the wrong way at times, while side-swiping nearby vehicles and ignoring street lights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He drove at high speeds throughout downtown as angry pedestrians ran after him and threw items at his van, including an object that smashed the rear windshield. He eventually parked in a commercial area near South Savannah and East 1st streets before getting out of his vehicle. Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies quickly arrived and took him into custody. He was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a loaded firearm. His identity was not released. Detectives are searching for more victims who were injured during the rampage. The suspects vehicle is a 2010 silver Honda Odyssey minivan with California license plate 8XSZ585. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone with information can call the East Los Angeles Station watch commander at 323-264-4151. Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.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 KTLA. Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed into law two of her signature priority bills Tuesday, a parental rights law to give them access to information about their children in schools and one allowing parents of any income level to receive a taxpayer-paid Education Freedom Account (EFA). Surrounded by legislators, education choice advocates and school children, Ayotte said the two bills put the state on the right course for education reform that emphasizes choice and promotes families. Giving parents the freedom to choose the education setting that best fits their childs needs will help every student in our state reach their full potential, Ayotte said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im proud to sign this into law today along with the Parental Bill of Rights, which ensures parents are the central voice in their childrens education. I thank the House and Senate for working to get these across the finish line. But critics maintain that both bills harm the public school system. They contend the parental rights measures (HB 10 and SB 72) could make it harder for educators to report cases of suspected child abuse to authorities. They opposed the EFA legislation (SB 295) since this expansion is estimated to add another $17 million a year to a program that was already costing taxpayers $30 million annually. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All students deserve a high-quality education and the support they need to thrive. Unfortunately, expanding the unaccountable voucher scheme will exacerbate the already inequitable public education funding system in New Hampshire, said Megan Tuttle, president of the National Education Association of New Hampshire. Limitless vouchers will take millions of dollars out of public schools to subsidize private school education for a few at the expense of nearly 90% of students who attend community public schools. Outgoing Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut had been one of the leading advocates for EFAs, which were created in a 2021 state budget trailer bill that then-Gov. Chris Sununu signed into law. "New Hampshires Education Freedom Account program has already transformed lives by giving families access to the educational pathways that best fit their childrens needs, Edelblut said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Expanding this opportunity through universal eligibility is a bold and forward-thinking move that reimagines what education can be, providing every student with the opportunity to reach their full potential and experience a bright future. We are proud to support this expansion and eager to see the lasting impact it will have on student success across our state. Limiting EFA expansion was proposed The EFA law went far beyond what Ayotte had asked for from legislators four months ago. Currently, EFAs are limited to families making up to 350% of the federal poverty level or just over $100,000 a year for a family of four. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill would eliminate that income eligibility limit while initially setting a cap on 10,000 EFAs given statewide. Currently, there are about 5,600 families that receive EFAs, averging about $5,100 a year. Ayotte had only wanted the expansion of EFAs to apply to families that have their children in public schools. According to surveys, more than 75% of those who have received EFAs already had their children enrolled in private schools. New Hampshire parents are grateful and relieved that more doors are finally open, said Kate Baker Demers, executive director of the Childrens Scholarship Fund, the nonprofit group that administers the EFA program for the state. Theyve known what their children needed and now, thanks to this law, more families can access the freedom to choose what works best. This isnt about politics. Its about possibility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several leaders of education choice groups praised Ayottes move on the EFA. "Gov. Ayotte knows that every young Granite Stater has unique needs to fulfil their education. Today, she ensured that every family is empowered with resources to find what works best for them, said Nick Murray, public affairs manager for yes. every kid. We look forward to working with her administration to ensure New Hampshires EFA program continues to serve families needs in the best ways possible. EdChoice President Robert Enlow said New Hampshire becomes the 19th state to offer these vouchers to all students. What New Hampshire has done isnt just expand eligibility its set a new benchmark for what educational freedom should look like, Enlow continued. Were proud to support the Granite State in realizing the vision Milton Friedman outlined nearly 70 years ago one in which every family has the freedom to choose, and every child has the opportunity to thrive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Sen. Victoria Sullivan, R-Manchester, sponsored the EFA bill that became law. House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson said a byproduct of the parental rights bill will be to target transgender students who will no longer be able to confide in one trusted adult at school about their views about gender identity that their parents dont know about. "Today, Gov. Kelly Ayotte and State House Republicans turned our classrooms into political battlegrounds. Theyve passed a bill that forces teachers to out LGBTQ+ teens to potentially abusive parents and makes it harder for educators and DCYF to protect vulnerable kids who need help the most. Theyve made teachers jobs a nightmare and put children at risk, all in the name of a hateful culture war. Nobody asked for this. House Speaker Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, was the prime author of the parental rights bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By advancing education freedom and the Parental Bill of Rights, weve reaffirmed a simple truth: parents, not bureaucracies, should make decisions about their childrens lives. This legislation gives families real choices and ensures their values are respected, Packard added. klandrigan@unionleader.com BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) A Baker man pleaded guilty to five counts of human trafficking, the East Baton Rouge District Attorneys office confirmed Wednesday. Sentencing for Kevontae Reed, 29, is scheduled for Sept. 25. Troopers arrested Reed on human trafficking and indecent behavior with a juvenile charges after a March 14, 2024, undercover operation with Homeland Security at a Baton Rouge hotel. According to the Louisiana State Police, a human trafficking victim was rescued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LSP identified Reed as a repeat offender with a history of human trafficking offenses. Secret recording leads to Fla. child trafficking victims rescue after sister calls 911: sheriff How to report human trafficking in Louisiana The Louisiana State Police has an online reporting system that residents can use to send anonymous reports of human trafficking. People can visit the Louisiana State Analytical & Fusion Exchange website and click on the Suspicious Activity link to make a report. Another way to make a report is by calling the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888. 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. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) The Bakersfield Fire Department is now warning residents about a fine that will come with using fireworks illegally and what days and hours residents can use fireworks. Residents are advised to use fireworks on July 2 and July 3 from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. Fireworks are also to be used on July 4 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. The minimum fine for using illegal fireworks is $1,000. 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. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) The Bakersfield Police Department asked the community to assist in locating a 15-year-old girl last seen on Tuesday. Mia Marina Torres, 15, was last seen at around 2:30 p.m. June 10 in the 6600 block of Glacier Bay Street. Torres is considered at-risk due to having no history of running away, according to officials. Mia Marina Torres, 15 / Photo courtesy of Bakersfield Police Department Police described Torres as being 5 feet, 5 inches tall and 170 pounds, with short brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a gray V-neck T-shirt and blue rhinestone jeans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone with information about Torres whereabouts is encouraged to contact BPD at 661-327-7111. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Composer Benjamin Britten, The Darkness and Banksy are being cited as positive influences for young people in an English seaside town. Six students from three different high schools in Lowestoft have used the inspirations to help them write the 2025 Suffolk Day proclamation. Their words, focusing on a "brighter future" for Britain's most easterly town, have been read at the Houses of Parliament ahead of a ceremony in Lowestoft on Suffolk Day - which is taking place on Saturday 21 June. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Suffolk Day, inspired by Yorkshire Day, was started in 2017 and is celebrated on the summer solstice, as Ness Point is the first to see the sunrise. Students read their proclamation on the steps of Westminster Hall at the Houses of Parliament to six of the county's eight MPs [Andrew Sinclair/BBC] Lily-Rose and Tilly from Benjamin Britten Academy, Beth and Ella from Ormiston Denes Academy, and Willow and Naomi from East Point Academy each wrote parts of the proclamation. It starts with: "We want to tell you about the bright future that awaits Lowestoft. A place where creativity and community thrive." Beth, 15, included references to Suffolk councils declaring a climate crisis in 2019, and pledging action. She said: "It does provide our area with hope, because we can see the impact it has had on our local area." Beth, 15, and Ella, 14, focused on the environmental work happening in Lowestoft and the growing offshore renewables industry [Jon Wright/BBC] The proclamation continues: "Art and culture are the bright future of Lowestoft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are the birthplace of Benjamin Britten and his inspirational music that transcended the globe. "We are the canvas for Banksy's spraycation. We are home to three flourishing theatres. "Moreover, Lowestoft was the maiden voyage for the award-winning band The Darkness." Lily-Rose said: "There's a lot of art around the town. They've done lots to incorporate arts and culture where we live." Tilly, 14, and Lily-Rose, 14, focused on the arts scene in Lowestoft and the influence of Benjamin Britten, who their school is named after [Jon Wright/BBC] The proclamation continues: "As we look ahead, Lowestoft stands tall as a beacon of progress and pride - a town where the spirit of innovation meets the warmth of tradition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "From our historic roots to our forward-thinking future, we are a community united by purpose and place." The Suffolk Day ceremony includes presenting medals to celebrate community achievements, and moves to a different host town each year. This year events in Lowestoft coincide with the annual First Light Festival, which takes place on the beach on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June. Willow, 14, and Naomi, 15, wrote about the mix of history and civic pride they have in their hometown [Jon Wright/BBC] Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story Elsewhere on the internet The Brief On November 9, 2023, former U of M student Kayla Gaebel took her life on the Washington Avenue Bridge. Her mother, MJ Blair, started an effort to get suicide prevention barriers built on the pedestrian bridge on the University of Minnesota campus. State lawmakers approved $8 million for the barriers as part of a transportation bill on Monday. MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Suicide-prevention advocates say the Washington Avenue Bridge has been a place of heartbreak, trauma and tragedy for too many people. 'A hole in the heart' What we know Its been 19 months since MJ Blair's daughter Kayla Gaebel died by suicide on the Washington Avenue Bridge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But now Blair is optimistic other families won't have to go through the pain that her family has endured. "Overwhelmingly excited that we have gotten it this far and that the bill did pass. The entire goal was to save lives," said Blair. 'Sense of relief' The backstory On Monday, state lawmakers passed a transportation bill that includes $8 million dollars to build suicide-prevention barriers on the bridge. Suicide prevention advocates say the bridge has been a problem spot for 50 years, with three to five people taking their lives there every year. "It's a known location that this issue should have been addressed decades ago," said Erich Mische, CEO of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last fall, the University of Minnesota installed temporary fencing to address the issue, but now it is in the process of designing higher railings to be permanent barriers, as well as adding lighting upgrades and other safety improvements. "We know that the most significant factor in reducing suicide on a tall public structure is a physical barrier," said Mische. Quite the journey What they're saying Blair created a foundation named Kayla's Hope with her daughter's favorite flower, the sunflower, as its symbol. She hopes putting more suicide-prevention barriers on tall public structures will be a bridge to a brighter future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am more than happy that we've got these barriers going up, but I think of all the people, my daughter included, that it won't bring them back. It's bittersweet," said Blair. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. The Lifeline provides free and confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or mental health-related distress 24 hours a day, seven days a week, across the U.S. BARTLETT, Tenn. A property tax increase is coming to the city of Bartlett after the city approved a tax increase of 34 cents per 100 hundred dollars of assessed value Tuesday night. The 26% increase, which is expected to bring in an additional $36.9 million to the citys budget, is the talk of the town right now. I hope the media prints the following headline: Bartlett Board adopts largest property tax increase in Shelby County, Christine Richards said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Debra Taylor, a retiree who lives on Social Security and has lived in Bartlett for 26 years, says she loves her community and driving just down the street to see her grandkids. But after her home went up in value nearly 26% in this years Shelby County reappraisal, her property taxes will be going up dramatically as well, and shes not sure she can afford the change. City council wrap-up: 3% raises for employees, MATA mayhem I think you have raised the prices too much, you know, for the area, Taylor said. It causes a lot of people to want to leave, you know, sell their home and leave, especially ones who have been here as long as I have. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city of Bartlett says the property tax increase will go to benefits for city employees, raise salaries for police and firefighters, water and sewer system upgrades, road work and park restorations. Most importantly, the money will go to public safety. Nearly 56% of the money they plan to bring in will go to keep the citys residents safe, something city officials see as a priority being right next to Memphis. Ladies and gentlemen, our city is surrounded on three sides by the highest crime-rated city in America. Despite this, we have consistently ranked amongst the top 10 safest cities in Tennessee, said Lt. Matthew Grilliot with the Bartlett Police Department. One-on-one with Memphis new public safety director Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mayor David Parsons has lived in Bartlett his whole life and believes the increase in property taxes will go to making the city he knows, loves and serves, the very best. The services you receive fire, police, public works, parks are only as good as our employees, and if Ive got people providing services for me I want the very best, Parson said. An increase in property taxes is not uncommon. Memphis, Germantown, and Collierville have increased theirs over the past 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 WREG.com. YANGON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The award ceremony for the 2025 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition was held on Tuesday in Yangon. The competition was divided into three groups: college, middle school, and primary school. A total of 30 finalists were selected from all groups combined, with about 10 finalists chosen from each group, Than Htut Aung, director of Fuxing Confucius Classroom, told Xinhua. The award ceremony was held in both Yangon and Mandalay, with top winners earning the opportunity to represent Myanmar at the international "Chinese Bridge" competition in China, Than Htut Aung said. "Such competitions help people in Myanmar improve their Chinese language skills," he said. "Through language, we can better understand and connect with the people of China." Among the winners was Moe Pwint Phyu, 23, who secured first prize in the college group. "This is my second time competing. I won second prize last year, but this time, I worked even harder while managing my schoolwork," she said. This year's competition was more challenging, as it included a Q&A session, unlike last year's format which focused only on presentations and performances, she added. She also pointed out the benefits of competing in this contest, saying it opens doors to studying in China and increases the chance of receiving scholarships. "Two top winners from Yangon and Mandalay will go to China to compete in the Chinese Bridge competition alongside participants from many other countries. I'm so happy, and I'm excited to represent Myanmar in China," she said. In the middle school group, 12-year-old Aung Phone Pyae won second prize. "It's my first time competing, and I'm very happy. I gained a lot of experience through the competition and I'm looking forward to joining again next year," he said. Eight-year-old Aung Shein Lin, who won first prize in the primary school group, proudly shared, "I'm very happy. I gave a presentation about the friendship between Myanmar and China." The event featured speeches from special guests and talent shows such as singing, poetry recitation and dancing, highlighting the students' Chinese language skills and celebrating cultural exchange. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Its Second Chance Tuesday, and a capital area prisoner reentry program serves as Baton Rouges place to provide former prisoners a second chance in society. We did it because we wanted to create a singular group and network of service providers that provided services for people reentering after prison or after jail, after incarceration, said Program Director Christopher Sonka. Sonka said he loves it when people come back and explain how much second chance Tuesday has done for them, especially when they were once hopeless. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve had several people come to us after coming to the second chance Tuesday afterwards and tell us how helping them get an expungement done or helping them connected to resources that have helped them get housing or help them get to it cards, how thats helped their life so much, said Sonka. Second Chance Tuesday also helps people connect with local employers who will look past their criminal history to give them a steady stream of income. Many employers, we like to call them second chance employers, employers who are willing to look past a felony conviction and give a person a chance to come in and interview and actually see if theyre a right fit for the job, he 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 Louisiana First News. Part of the seabed off the Jurassic Coast is "still recovering" from the effects of bottom trawling 17 years after it was banned there, marine researchers have said. A consultation is being held on government proposals to extend the ban on the practice of dragging large nets along the seafloor. Some fishing organisations have criticised the plans and questioned the environmental impact of bottom trawling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr Emma Sheehan, associate professor of marine ecology at Plymouth University said, ending bottom trawling when Lyme Bay, off the Dorset and Devon coast, became a Marine Protected Area in 2008 has made a "positive change". The government proposal would expand the ban on bottom trawling from 18,000km2 to 48,000km2 (about 18,500 sq miles) of the UK's offshore areas that are already designated as protected. A UN Ocean Conference is taking place in France amid warnings from Sir David Attenborough that bottom trawling is destroying areas of the seabed and marine life. Researchers have studied the impact of ending bottom trawling in Lyme Bay since the introduction of the MPA. Scallops and conger eels Dr Sheehan said large areas of the bay had already been "heavily degraded" by 2008. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "[MPAs] tried to prevent the most destructive fishing methods so the seabed habitats that are so important for conservation and fisheries can be protected," she continued. Dr Sheehan said species including scallops, conga eel and black sea bream and appeared to have benefited from the ban. "We keep seeing positive change, year on year. "We still haven't go a plateau in the recovery. We're nowhere near there - it's still recovering, year on year." The government's plan would see similar protections extended to 41 of England's 181 MPAs. "It needs to happen - I'm in full support of this and it will have huge positive benefits for our marine environment," Dr Sheehan said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The UK's National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations has opposed the move to ban bottom trawling. Chief executive Mike Cohen previously said: "Trawling does not damage most of the seabed. "Trawls penetrate the sediment very little, if at all, in most areas and trawling has been carried out for well over 100 years," he said. A 12-week consultation will run until 1 September and will seek the views of the marine and fishing industry. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Related Links Boston police are investigating after a gun was recovered at Charlestown High School graduation hosted at BC High. According to police, the incident happened around 7:30 on Tuesday night at BC High. According to Boston Public Schools, the individual who had the gun was not a graduation student, but another individual attending the ceremony. Police have not said if any arrests were made in connection with the recovery of the gun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident is under investigation. 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 BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WSAV) UPDATE: According to a post from BCSO, deputies located and arrested Austin Jared Radel around 8 p.m. on Tuesday night. The Beaufort County Sheriffs Office (BCSO) is searching for a wanted man in the areas of Squire Pope, Wild Horse and Gumtree Road. Austin Jared Radel of Hilton Head Island is wanted for assault and battery by mob. Radel is described as 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white shirt, gray pants and a black hat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone who sees Radel is asked to call 911, the BCSD 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 WSAV-TV. It always hurts when a popular local restaurant shuts its doors for good, but it's really a tear-jerker when that spot has been in the community for decades. After a while, if a restaurant has been around for long enough, it starts to feel like home. The workers start to become friends, and everyone becomes a "regular." Now, a longstanding Italian restaurant is closing its doors after 45 years in operation, and while it's a sad thing, it's also to beautiful to think about the legacy that this place left behind. Italian restaurants are popular in the U.S. According to IBISWorld, there were 59,754 Italian restaurants in the U.S. in 2023, which is a 3.8 percent increase from 2022. They also note that number of Italian restaurants in the U.S. has been increasing, averaging a 3.8 percent annual growth between 2018 and 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, today, there's one fewer. Moro's Dining, a classic Italian restaurant in Detroit, was a local favorite for 45 years. The spot was famous for its fine Italian food, white tablecloths and waiters dressed to the nines. But, the restaurant has closed. On June 8, those calling the restaurant were greeted with the message, "Hello, you have reached Moro's Dining. We are closed but would like to thank you for all your prayers and well wishes. Chef Thomas Moro is doing fine. Thank you for listening. Goodbye." Yelp has also listed the eatery as permanently closed. While this change happened quickly, it's a few years in the making. Back in 2022, the Detroit Free Press reported that the spot was for sale, with owner Thomas Moro telling the outlet, "I am over 70 years old. It's about time to throw the towel in." According to the restaurant's history included on their website, Moro was the owner and primary chef at the restaurant and began his culinary career at Mario's in Detroit's Midtown in the late-1960s. While Moro's Dining is gone, it's not forgotten. Related: America's Oldest Brewery Announces Major Expansion Beloved Italian Restaurant Suddenly Closes After 45 Years first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2025 In recent years, hundreds of school districts across the United States have responded to labor issues and straitened budgets by switching to a four-day weekly schedule. But new research from Missouri suggests that cutting out a day of instruction doesnt yield the benefits proponents hope to achieve. Circulated as a working paper on Monday, the study offers a statistical analysis of the effects of shifting to a shorter week alongside extensive reflections from educators themselves. Most of those teachers, principals, and superintendents spoke favorably about the change, saying they believed it had helped their schools attract and retain teachers in the midst of a tight job market. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter The numbers tell a different story, however: On average, the 178 Missouri districts that adopted a four-day week since 2010 did not improve at either recruiting new teachers or retaining their veterans. Andrew Camp, a scholar at Brown Universitys Annenberg Institute and one of the papers authors, said district leaders enthusiasm for four-day weeks was likely grounded in the sincere belief that they could be the answer to persistent staffing challenges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These things spread through word of mouth, they grab hold of peoples imaginations, and we end up with this rapid adoption of four-day school weeks, Camp said. But the fact that it was such a small effect for a lot of these districts, its one teacher being retained every three years was really striking. Related More School Districts in Missouri are Switching to a Four-Day Week The almost negligible results, and officials apparent misapprehension about their true magnitude, are particularly salient given both the scale of the four-day phenomenon and the speed with which it has been embraced. Mirroring national trends, the number of districts throughout Missouri operating on a shortened schedule has skyrocketed over the last decade and a half, accounting for one-third of the statewide total last year. Twelve percent of all students, and 13 percent of all teachers, now experience a four-day week (smaller figures proportionally, because they live almost exclusively in rural areas with smaller headcounts). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The initial wave of transitions, beginning in the early 2010s, is usually attributed to states need to contain education costs in the aftermath of the Great Recession. But in the studys 36 interviews with leaders of Missouri schools and districts, along with several teachers, respondents generally agreed the main effect of the scheduling change was to slow turnover and make schools more attractive places to work. This is something that's a potentially risky gamble, and there don't seem to be any benefits as far as teacher retention or recruitment. Andrew Camp, Brown University At least one superintendent credited the four-day week which requires teachers to work longer days when school is in session, effectively holding instructional hours constant with a surge in job applications and a sizable drop in workforce churn. Several others claimed that a longer weekend was a vital feature in drawing teachers to far-flung communities that cannot afford to offer top salaries. But after examining state administrative data between the 200809 and 202324 school years, including figures on teachers school and district assignments, education levels, and experience, Camp and his co-authors found that four-day districts won only meager advantages. Switching to a truncated schedule resulted in just 0.6 job exits per 100 teachers, an effect that falls below the bar for statistical significance. Camp said the findings were broadly in line with those of prior work on the four-day schedule. While the transition might prove appealing, especially to new teachers, it likely would not address most employees complaints about salary and working conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont rule out the possibility that there is a short-term, very small bump in teacher retention and recruitment, he said. But what our results from Missouri show is that, over this lengthy period, theres no lasting effect. Echoes past findings It remains to be seen what effect, if any, the new paper will have on the ongoing debate around the often controversial policy. On one hand, it can only be said to be representative of one states approach. Around the country, different legislatures and districts have permitted distinct versions of the four-day week. Unlike in Missouri, some states do not specify that overall instructional hours stay the same even in a shortened schedule, resulting in less instruction being delivered to students over the course of the school year. In Oregon, where more than 150 districts adopted a four-day week in the years leading up to the pandemic, one long-running study found that students missed out on 34 hours of teaching each week, even with the remaining days of instruction lengthened. Math and English scores fell in those classrooms (particularly among middle schoolers, whose sleep schedules could be disrupted by the earlier start times on days when classes were in session). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related Study: Four-Day School Week Harms Learning A study published last summer echoed those results, revealing significant declines in standardized test scores in six states where large numbers of districts adopted a four-day week. Another paper, focusing on Oklahoma, found no detectable impact on student achievement though it observed that school expenditures did fall slightly in four-day districts. It doesn't save a lot of money, it doesn't seem to do good things for students, and we don't have evidence showing that it improves student attendance. Emily Morton, NWEA Notably, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released state data indicating that implementation of four-day weeks was associated with only minor drops in test performance during the 201920 school year, though they disappeared in later years. Negative findings do not appear to have dimmed the publics enthusiasm for the idea. In 2023, a poll from the education advocacy group EdChoice showed that 60 percent of parents supported the possibility of their childrens school moving to a four-day schedule; just 27 percent of respondents were opposed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emily Morton, a researcher at the assessment group NWEA who has conducted several studies of the effects of the four-day week, said the Missouri paper was yet more evidence that the policy, whatever its attractiveness to parents and schools, did not offer much measurable upside. Whether or not the four-day week is a good thing, it doesnt seem to meet this particular need, Morton said. It doesnt save a lot of money, it doesnt seem to do good things for students, and we dont have evidence showing that it improves student attendance. My sense, after studying this for a few years, is that communities just really like it. This should make everyone very cautious Still, with the continuing spread of shortened weeks, more and more states and districts will have to at least give careful thought to their possible impact. Jon Turner is a former district superintendent in Missouri and a professor at Missouri State University. While not an avowed advocate of the four-day schedule, he has traveled to multiple states to advise school districts considering making a switch. Lately his peregrinations have brought him to Indiana and Pennsylvania, where as in most states east of the Mississippi River the practice is still comparatively rare. No school district makes this decision lightly, and no one sees the four-day week as a solution. Jon Turner, Missouri State University Turner said that local K12 leaders he had met with took the question seriously, often weighing the evidence of achievement losses against their falling student enrollments and challenges in hiring new staff. Many feel the lifestyle flexibility offered by the change is one of the few perks they can offer to teachers who can easily move across district or state lines for better pay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Particularly in regions where neighboring communities have already shifted from five- to four-day weeks, he added, holdout districts may find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. No school district makes this decision lightly, and no one sees the four-day week as a solution, Turner said. Its a symptom of challenges that schools are facing. Related Four-Day School Week Faces Scrutiny from Missouri Legislature & Education Board The rapid spread of the trend has nevertheless met some resistance including in Missouri, where the state legislature recently passed a law requiring larger communities to gain the consent of voters before implementing a shorter school week. In neighboring Arkansas, lawmakers are considering legislation that would establish a minimum school year of 178 days of in-person instruction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Camp said the results of his study offer forewarning to the education community. In light of the existing evidence around diminished instruction, he concluded, state and local authorities shouldnt make cavalier decisions with their instructional time. This is something thats a potentially risky gamble, and there dont seem to be any benefits as far as teacher retention or recruitment. So I do think this should make everyone very cautious about adopting the four-day school week. BERNICE, Okla. Bernice voters overwhelmingly defeated a proposal to choose whether town trustees can appoint a person to fill the clerk-treasurer position. In recent years, few candidates have filed for the position, which Dodi Duffield, town attorney, says needs to be filled so the community can operate properly. The proposal lost, with 25 voters casting a no vote and 11 voters casting a yes vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said Bernice registered voters had to approve the towns change in business practices allowing the town trustees to approve a clerk-treasurer. The candidate pool isnt very large and the position requires a specific skill set, Duffield 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 KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. KANSAS CITY, Mo. An investigation is underway after a bicyclist was killed in a crash Wednesday morning in Lees Summit. According to the Lees Summit Police Department, at about 10 a.m., officers were called to the intersection of Southwest Jefferson Street and Southwest Scherer Road on reports of a crash involving a bicyclist. One dead after fiery motorcycle crash in Independence Initial investigations revealed that the bicyclist had been driving southbound on the sidewalk of Southwest Jefferson Street, when they drove into the westbound lanes of Southwest Scherer Road and crashed into a car. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After emergency responders arrived on the scene, the bicyclist was taken to a hospital where they were pronounced dead by hospital staff. According to Lees Summit police, the driver of the car declined medical care. At this time, the investigation is ongoing. Police have not released the name of the bicyclist. Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android This is a developing story. Stay tuned with FOX4 News for the latest updates and 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 FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. NEW YORK (AP) A bid for bail by former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez while he appeals his bribery conviction was rejected Wednesday by a federal appeals court, a week before the veteran New Jersey politician is scheduled to report to prison. Menendez, 71, was convicted last July of selling his clout for bribes. FBI agents who searched his home three years ago found $480,000, some of it stuffed inside boots and jacket pockets, gold bars worth an estimated $150,000 and a luxury convertible in the garage. Prosecutors said that in exchange, Menendez performed corrupt favors for the New Jersey business owners. They said he tried to protect the men and associates from criminal investigations, helped two in business deals with foreign powers and met with Egyptian intelligence officials before helping that country access $300 million in U.S. military aid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Menendez, a Democrat, has insisted that he is innocent and is seeking to overturn his conviction. He is scheduled to surrender to federal prison authorities on Tuesday. A three-judge panel on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied his bail motion in a brief order issued Wednesday. The decision did not include a rationale, but it said one of the three judges would have granted the motion. An email seeking comment was sent to his attorneys. Menendez, who once served as chair of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, resigned his seat a month after his conviction. He had been in the Senate since 2006. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two business owners also were convicted last year along with Menendez. His wife, Nadine Menendez, was convicted in April of teaming up with her husband to accept bribes from the business owners. Her trial was delayed after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and required surgery. Her sentencing has been set for Sept. 11. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a public safety bill into law Tuesday that aims to modernize the states fireworks regulations. The newly-signed bill, Senate Bill 81, brings Missouris fireworks standards in line with 2022 standards from the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory. The bill expands the Missouri State Fire Marshals oversight, granting the authority to inspect fireworks sales sites, storage facility and any locations where fireworks are discharged. The Fire Marshal may also now suspend or revoke licenses if a permit holder denies an inspection or if alcohol or drug use occurs at retail sites. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Additionally, the bill tightens sales restrictions: Only individuals with a state-issued manufacturer or distributor permit may sell fireworks classified as display fireworks and articles pyrotechnic. These products may only be sold to others who hold appropriate state permits or certifications. Federal licenses or permits must also be presented to complete such sales. Furthermore, the bill requires permits for all public fireworks displays including those held by municipalities, fairs and amusement parks to be submitted to the State Fire Marshal at least 10 days in advance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No ICE demonstration comes to STL Any new permanent structures used for fireworks sales or storage in areas without a local building code must now submit construction plans to the State Fire Marshal for review. Also, the bill modifies several definitions related to fireworks standards and allows the state to redirect fees collected through fireworks enforcement to two state funds: The Fire Education Fund and the Cigarette Fire Safety Standard and Firefighter Protection Act Fund. Some provisions of Senate Bill 81 may take effect immediately, while others may not fully take effect until August 28, 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 FOX 2. TASHKENT, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan aims to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2026, said Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev Tuesday. Mirziyoyev reiterated the goal in a speech he delivered at the fourth Tashkent International Investment Forum. In the speech, the president said that it is essential to ensure a level playing field for each state within global production chains. "Undoubtedly, the World Trade Organization plays a key role in this regard. Therefore, we have set the goal to become a member of this organization next year and we are actively working with our partners. To this end we have harmonized dozens of laws and hundreds of standards to international requirements, and this year we will complete this process in full," Mirziyoyev said. The president further said that in the current challenging environment, Uzbekistan's primary focus is on maintaining domestic economic stability. "Our gross domestic product has doubled over the past eight years. We have set a goal to increase it to 200 billion (U.S.) dollars by 2030. Last year, the volume of investments in the national economy reached 35 billion dollars, and exports amounted to 27 billion dollars. This is also a practical result of the Tashkent International Investment Forum, now being held for the fourth consecutive year," he said. Uzbekistan is taking all necessary measures to turn the principle of "New Uzbekistan -- a country of vast opportunities for investments" into practical accomplishments. The fourth Tashkent International Investment Forum is taking place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital, from June 9-12. It was billed as a once-in-a-lifetime adventure: a deep-sea dive to the Titanic shipwreck 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) below sea level aboard a sleek, experimental sub made out of carbon fibera material never used prior for submersibles. CBS's David Pogue, who went on a dive with OceanGate in July 2022, said he was told that the company boasted to have a robust safety culture with a rule of three, in that if even three little things went wrong, missions would be scrapped. But what unfolded was a slow-moving disaster years in the making. As OceanGates former engineering director Tony Nissen says in Netflixs new documentary Titan: The OceanGate Disaster, it wasnt that we didnt follow a set of regulations that led to the imposition, but that it was the company culture. That might sound like a startling admission, but its only one of many revelations being shared by former OceanGate employees in this documentary among others amid the ongoing investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard and other governing bodies. Heres an overview of some of the most important things viewers learned in the Netflix documentary about the Titan, OceanGate, and its founder, the late Stockton Rush. The Titan was never classed. For a ship to be classed means it has been reviewed and certified by an independent maritime classification society to meet established structural and safety standards. This process ensures the vessels design, construction, and maintenance adhere to international guidelines for seaworthiness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the first hull on Titan was completed, Rob McCallum, founding partner and operator of EYOS Expeditions, says in the documentary that Rush told the crew in 2018 while at lunch near the companys headquarters that he saw no need for classification or third-party oversight. (McCallum was consulting given his experience on deep sea tours.) McCallum says he stood up and resigned on the spot. I said, Im sorry I cant be a part of this conversation, nor can I be associated with OceanGate or this vehicle in any way, and I left, McCallum says. He had every contact in the submersible industry telling him not to do this. The Titan once got stuck under the Andrea Doria shipwreck. In 2016, an OceanGate submersible piloted by Rush became stuck beneath the wreck of the Andrea Doria off the coast of Massachusetts. Despite warnings from OceanGates then-director of marine operations, David Lochridge, about the dangers of approaching the deteriorating site, Rush moved too close and wedged the Cyclops 1, another one of the companys submersibles, into the bow. Accounts vary on what happened next . Some reports claim Rush panicked and threw the controller at Lochridge to take over. The documentary includes the most footage ever shown of the incident: Rush, indeed, looks flustered. Lochridge very clearly and calmly is able to regain control of the sub and steer it back to the surface. That said, it still cannot be confirmed if the controller was thrown or not, as camera angles inside the sub are limited due to its size. Rush tried to replace his lead pilot with an accountant. After the classed incident, Rush assigned Lochridge to write a safety report on the Titan. Lochridge raised concerns about the carbon fiber hull and the lack of non-destructive testing. He was then summoned to a meeting the following day with Stockton, finance and administration director Bonnie Carl, quality assurance director Scott Griffith, and Nissen. Curiously, the meeting was recorded, and the audio playback was shared in the documentary. Lochridge was fired, and bizarrely, Rush tried to replace him with Carl, positioning her as the companys first female pilot, even though Carl herself points out she was an accountant. She says in the documentary she knew at that moment, she couldnt work at the company anymore and decided to leave. Lochridge filed a whistleblower complaint with OSHA, alleging retaliation under the Seamans Protection Act. OceanGate responded with a lawsuit, accusing him of breaching a non-disclosure agreement and misusing proprietary information. Lochridge countersued, claiming wrongful termination for raising safety concerns. He later said the legal battle became too draining for him and his wife to continue. At a U.S. Coast Guard hearing, he removed his glasses to wipe his eyes while describing the ordeal. The Titan was left outside on the dock all winter. At the end of the 2022 diving season, OceanGate left the Titan on an exposed dock in St. Johns, Newfoundland for the winterwithout shelter, garage, or even a tarp beyond a small blue one for the porthole. Nissen said he warned Rush the sub could not withstand sub-zero temperatures or the carbon fiber would begin to fracture. In the documentary interviews as well as testimony in front of the U.S. Coast Guard investigative panel, former employees said the company didnt have the budget to ship the sub back to Washington. No explanation was offered for why even a rental garage or temporary cover couldnt be provided. The first major dive attempt after winter was the fatal one. The Netflix documentary highlights that several missions were attempted beforehand in June 2023, including one featuring YouTuber Scuba Jake. On that second-to-last dive, the sub briefly submerged before losing communications and aborting the mission after just a few feet under water. Jake has since shared his experience both in the documentary and to his social media accounts, but he noted on his Instagram page that he took several months away for his mental health after the implosion. You Might Also Like KANSAS (KSNT) Keep an eye out for cyclists as the Biking Across Kansas 2025 event moves through the northeast part of the state this week. The annual ride is non-competitive and is for capable riders of all ages. It is held each year along different routes across the state since 1975, except in 2020. Hundreds of bikers are traveling across north Kansas from Colorado to the Missouri state line. The route started on U.S. Highway 36 at the Colorado state line and utilizes some county roads, portions of K-9 Highway, and U.S. Highway 24 before returning to U.S. Highway 36 for the rest of the route. Riders will be traveling 475 miles over eight days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Woman behind first-ever Topeka lavender festival hopes to start annual event Riders will be crossing through the following areas: Wednesday, June 11: Riders will travel 62 miles from Mankato to Washington. Thursday, June 12: Riders will travel 72 miles from Washington to Sabetha. Friday, June 13: Riders will travel 55 miles from Sabetha to Troy. Saturday, June 14: Riders will travel 16 miles from Troy to Elwood. For more information about Biking Across Kansas, visit BAK.org. 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. 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 KSNT 27 News. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) A bill that would put an end to a decades-long conversation and allow the utility lines to be buried between Bold Point Park in East Providence and India Point Park in Providence now heads to Gov. Dan McKees desk for his signature. The R.I. House approved the bill sponsored by Rep. Matthew Dawson in a 52-17 vote on Tuesday, after the R.I. Senate approved the bill in a 30-5 vote last week. The main source of funding for the project would come from a 2004 settlement when the power company, then the Narragansett Electric Company, offered to rebate money to customers in Providence and East Providence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both cities ultimately did not accept the money on behalf of their ratepayers and decided to save it to eventually bury the power lines. Lawmakers said that caused about two-thirds of the project to already be covered. The remainder of the funding would need to come from a utility rate hike for East Providence ratepayers at a cost of an additional $32, and an additional $77 from Providence ratepayers over a three-year period. Some Providence lawmakers took issue with that. Why is it that the working people in the city of Providence that are going to bear a much higher fee than those of East Providence, just given the geography, why is it that this is the only option being presented to us? Rep. David Morales asked. ALSO READ: When will East Providences outdoor concert venue get built? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Joseph Solomon argued that if the project had been done decades earlier, it would have been significantly less expensive, but said it was up to lawmakers to make a decision on Tuesday. Yes, its costing more, but whats going to happen in another 23 years when the cost is going to prohibitively expensive? Solomon asked. Morales said while he believed the project had merit, he also believed there are other projects more deserving of the settlement funds. Specifically, I am thinking about the Port of Providence. I am thinking about the Washington Park neighborhood where theres a dire need for investments toward green infrastructure, where theres a dire need to ensure that all of our neighbors have access to clean air, Morales said. But instead of focusing on that, were shifting towards a more aesthetic-oriented project on the utility lines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dawson argued that while the project would lead to a better looking waterfront, there were much more serious safety concerns that spurred the project. If a serious storm comes and knocks over those wires, were going to be paying 100 times what this is, Dawson said. This is a very, very reasonable project, most of which is paid for. Rep. Stephen Casey asked lawmakers to think about the implications of that. You think you have a bridge problem right now? If something happens over there, youre going to have an electric problem. East Providence and Providence will be dark, Casey said. You think we have a bridge problem; this is all about infrastructure, this is all about upgrade, this is all about economic development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 12 News reached out to McKees spokespeople to see if the governor planned to sign the bill, but did not immediately hear back on Tuesday night. NEXT: Washington Bridge rebuild will cost $427 million and take until 2028, McKee says 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 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Wisconsin lawmakers are seeking to pass legislation that would provide grants for technical colleges to provide mapping data to law enforcement in crisis scenarios. Here's everything you need to know about Assembly Bill 298: What is critical incident mapping? Critical incident mapping acts as a digital blueprint that allows police officers entering a building to know exactly where rooms, doors and windows are located. The maps also include real-time police trackers that reduce the likelihood of "blue-on-blue" conflicts during crises, where police run into one another thinking they're facing a threat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critical Response Group is the company that creates the digital maps. Trish Kilpin, executive director of the Office of School Safety, said quick and accurate access to information is imperative in an emergency. She added that schools and emergency responders benefit from maps that use modern technology. "Real time access to maps and specific, real time data improves navigation and communication in an emergency, when seconds count," Kilpin said in an email. "When we enable responders to intervene efficiently, we improve crisis related outcomes, and mitigate the impact of prolonged distress." What would the proposed bill do? According to a May 22 memo sent out by Rep. Ron Tusler, R-Harrison, and Sen. Jesse James, R-Thorp, the proposal would build on 2021 Wisconsin Act 109, a unanimously supported effort to execute critical incident mapping in all K-12 schools in the state. Under the bill, the mapping tool would be expanded to all Wisconsin technical college campus facilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The grant program would require a joint application from technical college presidents and local law enforcement to ensure communication and enhance safety, according to the memo. Katy Pettersen, director of strategic advancement for the Wisconsin Technical College System, said the system has not yet reviewed the full details of the bill. "The Wisconsin Technical College System supports initiatives to enhance campus safety and security, while supporting the ability of emergency responders to respond swiftly and accurately during emergencies," Pettersen said in an email. According to Tusler and James' memo, potential benefits of critical incident mapping at technical colleges include enhanced situational awareness for first responders, quicker response times, improved training and added value to broader data systems. How would grant funding for technical colleges work? The bill would make $1.5 million available for statewide technical colleges for the next two years, said Nick Schultz, spokesperson for Tusler. He added that the money should be enough to cover all technical colleges that want to apply for a critical incident mapping grant. Why provide grants for technical colleges and not universities? In a June 3 public hearing held by the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Tusler said Wisconsin universities were "just not ready to do that yet." He added that he would entertain an amendment if the universities become interested in the grant program, and that he hopes to implement critical incident mapping at all Wisconsin higher education institutions in the future. Where is critical incident mapping currently in use? Critical incident mapping is already being used in public and private Wisconsin K-12 schools. In 2022-23, the DOJ reported that 185 schools and districts were awarded grants to submit mapping data to law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Act 109, which launched in July 2022, allocated $2 million in grant funding to support interactive mapping of K-12 buildings and facilities. Demand exceeded available funds, and the Wisconsin Legislature allocated an additional $2.5 million in June 2023. The maps in the K-12 schools have been used during recent Wisconsin shootings to assist law enforcement in responding quickly, according to Tusler and James' memo. Schultz said the bill is a response to crises like the December mass shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison. Tusler said timely law enforcement intervention at Abundant Life made a difference in the number of lives saved, compared to crises like the Uvalde school shooting in Texas, where 19 students and two teachers died. At the Abundant Life shooting, one student and one teacher died, in addition to the shooter. "At Uvalde, it took 77 minutes before law enforcement was inside and addressing the shooter. At Abundant Life here in Madison, it took the Dane County Sheriff's Department just three minutes from the call to get in the building," Tusler said during the public hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tusler said a key part of the quick response at Abundant Life was how organized and prepared the police were thanks to critical incident mapping. Who supports the proposed bill? The proposal is supported by the Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association and the Fraternal Order of Police. Ryan Windorff, president of the Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police, called critical incident mapping a "common-sense step" to improve law enforcement response times. "Historically, blueprint access varied by jurisdiction, making standardized mapping vital," Windorff said in an email. "Before Act 109, K-12 schools used physical blueprints, often inaccessible or outdated. Police access to blueprints varied by jurisdiction." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no known organized opposition to the bill. What are the next steps in the process? The goal is to pass the bill as quickly as possible to show that there is broad support for critical incident mapping in technical colleges, Schultz said. The Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety was scheduled to hold an executive session June 11. Schultz said he does not foresee members of either political party disagreeing with the bill, but that the team wants to hear from any representatives who do. "This shouldn't be a controversial thing. This should be something everyone should support," Schultz said. Contact Mia Thurow at mthurow@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin bill would expand critical incident mapping to tech schools Former three-term New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is taking sides in New York City's Democratic mayoral race. Bloomberg, the billionaire entrepreneur and media magnate who launched a brief and unsuccessful run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday. The move came two weeks before the June 24 primary in the nation's most populous city and four days ahead of the start of early voting June 14. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I care deeply about the future of our city, and since leaving office, it has been difficult to watch its struggles, especially since the pandemic. In sizing up the field in the race for mayor, there is one candidate whose management experience and government know-how stand above the others: Andrew Cuomo," Bloomberg said in a statement. Aoc Backs Rising Progressive Candidate In Nyc Dem Primary In Push To Defeat Frontrunner Cuomo Bloomberg, in his statement, acknowledged past political "differences" with Cuomo during their overlapping tenures as New York City mayor and New York State governor. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But he highlighted that "I also know his strengths as a leader and manager. Of all the candidates, Andrew has the skills our city needs to lead us forward." Andrew Cuomo The Biggest Target As New York City Mayoral Primary Heats Up Fox News confirmed that Cuomo and Bloomberg met Monday to discuss the mayoral race after the former governor stopped by Bloomberg Media's offices in New York City to record a radio segment. Cuomo, in a statement, called Bloomberg New York City's "preeminent statesman" and highlighted that "after 9/11, when New York City was in crisis, torn apart and broken, under Mike Bloombergs leadership our city was rebuilt both our buildings and our soul." Former three-term New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg (left) endorsed former New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the 2025 Democratic Party mayoral primary in New York City. The former three-term governor, who resigned from office in 2021 amid multiple scandals, is aiming for political redemption as he works to pull off a campaign comeback. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cuomo has spent the past four years fighting to clear his name after 11 sexual harassment accusations, which he has repeatedly denied, forced his resignation. He was also under investigation at the time for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic amid allegations his administration vastly understated COVID-related deaths at state nursing homes. Last month, the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Cuomo after Republicans accused him of lying to Congress about the decisions he made as governor during the coronavirus pandemic. But thanks in part to his near-universal name recognition among New Yorkers, Cuomo was topping the mayoral polls even before he announced his candidacy March 1. Bloomberg, a lifelong Democrat, ran for mayor in 2001 and re-election in 2005 as a Republican. He had become an independent by the time he won a second re-election in 2009. Bloomberg later switched his voter registration back to the Democratic Party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Similar to Cuomo, Bloomberg is no fan of the Democratic Party's left flank and is also a strong supporter of Israel. That may have been a motivating factor in Bloomberg's endorsement of Cuomo, which comes as Zohran Mamdani has been rising in the most recent public opinion polls in the mayoral primary race and is now a clear second to Cuomo. Democratic mayoral candidates Andrew Cuomo, far left, and Zohran Mamdani, second from right, present arguments as Whitney Tilson, second from left, and Michael Blake look on during a Democratic mayoral primary debate June 4, 2025, in New York City. Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assembly member from Queens, is a person of color and a democratic socialist who is originally from Uganda. His primary bid was boosted last week after landing an endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive champion and New York City's most prominent leader on the left. With multiple progressive candidates in the primary race, the endorsement of Mamdani by Ocasio-Cortez was seen as a move to unite fractured progressive voters toward a single candidate in an attempt to block the more moderate Cuomo from returning to power. Original article source: Billionaire ex-Mayor Bloomberg endorses Cuomo in NYC Democratic primary showdown BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) Tad Snider, Executive Director of the BJCC, says the effort to find a sustaining funding formula for Birminghams popular City Walk is ongoing. City Walks too important for Birmingham for it not to be successful. Eventually well find the answer, said Snider. The property is owned by the Alabama Department of Transportation. The BJCC says its footing the bill for City Walks operating deficit something they say they never agreed to when they signed on to manage it. City Walk boasts a skate park, dog park, pickleball courts, and a playground popular with families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its just insane from not having a skate park at all to having one of the best in the country. 22-year-old Birmingham resident Sasha Worley has been skateboarding since the age of nine. Alabama hemp businesses bracing for impact with crackdown weeks away But its not cheap to operate, according to the BJCC, its a bout $2 million a year. Snider says they only take in about 400 to $450,000 a year in revenue. He says their agreement with ALDOT explicitly says that they are not responsible for the operating deficit, which he says theyve been covering for the last year and a half. In the first two years or so, ALDOT was reimbursing us for that amount but then they stopped, he explained. They said ALDOTs position is weve reached what we felt like was our funding commitment when we constructed it, but the Civic Center Authority never agreed to pick up that shortfall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now Snider says theyre at the table with ALDOT and other partners, trying to come up with a sustainable funding formula. Its going to take a formula of revenue from different sources and money from different sources to sustain it. Theres not a park in the country that makes money they all have to be maintained and cared for some way. Snider adds that complicated solutions dont get solved quickly, hes confident this one will. CBS 42 has reached out to ALDOT and are waiting to hear back from them. The BJCC provided us with a portion of the contract which reads: Management Agreement between the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Authority (Operator) and Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT): Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Section 5.4 of the Management Agreement between the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Authority (Operator) and Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) makes clear the following provision. Nothing set forth herein shall be interpreted as requiring the Operator to fund any Operating Deficit. The BJCC Authority is defined as Operator in the agreement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) The Birmingham Police Department announced Wednesday it is searching for a missing person who suffers from a mental condition that could impair his judgment. Eli Al-Dlaigon, 25, was last seen in the 500 block of 20th Avenue South around 8 p.m. Tuesday. He was wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt. He stands at between 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10, weighs around 150 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair. Eli Al-Dlaigon (Graphic courtesy of the Birmingham Police Department) The BPD stated Al-Dlaigon likes to visit Midtown, Southside and The Pizitz Food Hall. Those with information on his whereabouts are asked to call the BPD at 205-328-9311. 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. When federal immigration agents swept through Los Angeles Fashion District, Boyle Heights, and Pico-Union neighborhoods last week, arresting dozens of migrants in coordinated raids, Bryant Odega was transported back into his childhood memories. In elementary school, Odegas first airport visit was to watch his father, an immigrant from Nigeria, get deported back to his birth country. Its triggering, the 27-year-old LA public school teacher said about the past week, to see the videos of people being basically kidnapped. It brings me back. The mass immigration raids across LA County triggered a lot more people in the region, home to the second-most undocumented migrants in the country. Still, the protests that erupted over the weekend told a story as much about who showed up as who stayed home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thousands of demonstrators filled the streets outside the federal building downtown. Local police doused protesters with tear gas and fired flash-bang grenades. Protesters hurled fireworks back at the police lines. And by Sunday night, President Donald Trump took an aggressive approach, deploying over 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city. The question hanging over the protests for Black Angelenos quickly moved beyond just immigration policy to who belongs in neighborhoods and in the city where belonging itself has been contested for decades. Across social media and in homes across the countrys largest county, Black residents sparked heated debate about solidarity, displacement, and the complex racial dynamics that have reshaped one of Americas most powerful cities over decades. The protests have marked the first military deployment against American citizens since 1992 when riots erupted in LA after the white police officers who beat Rodney King were acquitted, and the first time in 60 years that a president had federalized a states National Guard without the governors consent. But, the crowds of protesters, some people said, were lacking the Black activists who had led similar resistance movements just years before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The viral criticism was swift, and some Black folks responded with the argument that immigration enforcement wasnt a Black issue. On social media, one user wrote, Black people be warned. Go home. This is not your battle to fight. The comment, which focused on the threat of violence against protestors, was shared thousands of times across social media to the tune of millions of views and, crystallized a painful truth about Los Angeles: The same neighborhoods now under siege by immigration enforcement were once the beating heart of Black LA, before decades of demographic change transformed South Central from Black strongholds into Latino communities. And as a result, violence could seep into Black communities. Other Black residents expressed feeling the targeted attack on migrant communities was not their battle to fight because of their own experiences with displacement. There is a notion of disengaging that took root amongst Black folks and that this attack was seen as a Latino issue, said Odega, who grew up in South LA and now teaches Black and ethnic studies. But it speaks to this culture of violence where we accept harm and choose not to speak up against what we know is wrong because we feel like weve been wronged, too. Read More: Trumps Travel Ban Targets Black Migrants as Protests and Deportations Spread The Los Angeles area is the only American region to see most of its once majority-Black neighborhoods transform into majority-Latino neighborhoods, leading to racial animosity amongst the groups. Since 1980, LA Countys Black population has grown by just 1%, while the countys Latino population has grown by 130%. Since then, 92% of the regions Black neighborhoods that experienced gentrification are no longer majority-Black, the highest rate in the nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Growing up in South LA, the first anti-Black insults that I ever heard were from Latinos, Odega said, so I understand how these conditions have divided people. What the debate missed, however, was how deeply immigration raids cut into the issue of displacement that still aches through Black Los Angeles and how the federal agents now hunting migrant families are wielding the same tools of surveillance and removal that have long targeted Black communities. As Marne Campbell, the author of Making Black Los Angeles, told Capital B in 2023 after audio tapes leaked of Latino City Council members in LA disparaging Black communities and voters, the animosity amongst Black and Latino people in LA is rooted in decades of competition for the same struggling schools, the same scarce affordable housing, and the same low-wage jobs that have defined life in LAs working-class communities of color. Surveys, including one done by the University of Southern California, have shown that in Los Angeles, newly arrived Latinos typically enter the city with perspectives on Black people that are heavily influenced by anti-Black stereotypes, leading to a maintained distance from their African-American neighbors. Latino residents tend to hold negative beliefs about Black Angelenos because of the citys disparate rates of incarceration, crime, and excessive policing concentrated in Black communities. But in the same vein, Black residents respond negatively to new Latino residents because of these prejudices. Kat Calvin, an LA resident and author of American Identity in Crisis: Notes from an Accidental Activist, said she believes Trumps plans are underscored by a desire to disrupt communities of color. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have to remember what were fighting for. It is very easy for our communities to be pitted against each other, but this is pretty clearly Trumps war on California, said Calvin. We can all agree [Trumps] not doing all of this, bringing in this chaos and the military presence, just to deport a few hundred undocumented immigrants. This is a fight for Black migrants, too The debate around how Black residents should show up or not show up in these protests reflects another complex reality about immigration enforcement that few acknowledge: Black migrants face deportation at dramatically higher rates than other immigrant populations, making ICE raids as much a Black issue as a Latino one. Adrienne Spires, an LA County resident and mental health professional, said that because of this reality, she believes there is a misconception around the ways Black people are showing up. I think people are so used to seeing, historically, how Black people have shown up and were always leading the struggle but just because were not the loudest in the room today doesnt mean were not supporting or caring about the issue, she said. There are a lot of complex reasons behind stepping back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are over 4 million Black immigrants living in the U.S., which is 20% of the nations Black population, and California has the sixth-most Black immigrants in the country, with 60,000 Black immigrants living in LA alone. Adding another wrinkle, studies show that when U.S.-born Black people are pushed out of neighborhoods, like they have been in LA for decades, the Black immigrant population actually increases in these neighborhoods. This potentially contributes to negative feelings between U.S.-born Black people and Black migrants. Still, data shows that Black people are disproportionately targeted by law enforcement regardless of their citizenship status. Nationally, there are an estimated 582,300 Black undocumented immigrants, accounting for 5.6% of the total undocumented population. But Black migrants account for more than 1 in 5 noncitizens facing removal based on criminal convictions, meaning that in immigration courtrooms across America, Black people are disappearing at a rate that is four times more often than their numbers would suggest. Bryant Odega, a 27-year-old LA public school teacher, saw his father, an immigrant from Nigeria, get deported back to his birth country. I know what it feels like to have my family be separated by [immigration agents], but it sucks even if you havent, he said. (Courtesy of Bryant Odega) The odds are so steep that a traffic stop or minor arrest becomes a near-certain path to exile for Black migrants in ways that dont apply to other immigrant communities. Inside Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers, the targeting becomes even more brutal: Black migrants are almost twice as likely to be abused by guards and staff, according to reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The citys Black residents, who constitute roughly 40% of the countys homeless population while representing only 7% of the countys total population, understand intimately how federal enforcement targets communities of color. So the decision to participate in the protests is less about solidarity and more about survival in a city where theyve already been displaced once, explained Odega, whose father was deported when he was in elementary school. I know what it feels like to have my family be separated by [immigration agents], but it sucks even if you havent. Living in LA, the folks that are being targeted are the people who weve grown up with and go to school with. He added: If this government feels like it can do this to Latinos, we know that they can do that to Black folks, too. A dangerous escalation The protests that began Friday evening have now led to hundreds of arrests. The charges paint a picture of urban warfare, including assault with a deadly weapon on police officers, attempted murder with a Molotov cocktail, arson, and looting, as protesters blocked the 101 Freeway and tagged federal buildings with anti-ICE graffiti. What started as crowds trying to physically block federal vehicles from transporting detainees has evolved into a broader resistance movement demanding an end to Trumps deportation strategy, which aims to arrest at least 3,000 migrants daily nationwide. The protesters central demands are focused on ending what organizers call federal overreach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This unnecessary and dangerous escalation occurs in conjunction with the Trump Administrations sweeping effort to criminalize migrants, especially migrants of color, and weaponize federal resources against protesters exercising their rights to express support for those targeted by this Administrations anti-civil and human rights policies, said NAACP Legal Defense Fund President Janai S. Nelson in a statement. Through the deployment of military resources, President Trump seeks to usurp control of California from its Governor to promote an anti-immigrant agenda. Trump has threatened that this military action, which has targeted protesters and journalists alike, could be the first of many such deployments if anti-ICE protests spread to other cities. He has justified the military presence by claiming protesters are paid insurrectionists engaged in what he calls an insurrection, warning that demonstrators will be met with equal or greater force and stating that troops will remain in Los Angeles until there is peace. He has even suggested he might invoke the Insurrection Act to give military forces broader law enforcement powers. Read More: Atlanta Immigration Protest Draws Hundreds Amid Tear Gas and Fireworks A coalition of 26 Republican-led states have backed his approach. In California, were seeing the results of leadership that excuses lawlessness and undermines law enforcement. When local and state officials wont act, the federal government must, a statement by the state leaders read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass mounted a coordinated political and legal offensive against the deployment of federal troops, with Newsom filing an emergency motion in federal court Tuesday to block Trumps use of the National Guard and Marines, arguing the president had violated the Constitution and state sovereignty by federalizing troops without gubernatorial consent. Newsom accused Trump of manufacturing a crisis to distract from his legislative struggles and trade war challenges, calling the president deranged and claiming he had created the conditions you see on your TV tonight by conducting provocative immigration raids designed to incite community backlash. However, by Tuesday evening, Bass relented and declared a local emergency, imposing a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. covering 1 square mile of downtown. Their legal challenge also suffered a significant setback when U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer declined Newsoms request for an emergency restraining order to immediately block the military deployment, instead scheduling a hearing for Thursday and giving the Trump administration until Wednesday afternoon to file its response, effectively allowing federal troops to remain on Los Angeles streets for at least several more days. We have seen federal agents destabilize our city and Black LA, just look at the riots of 65 and 92, Odega said. They know that we are powerful, and as Black people, we cannot deny the power that we have by choosing not to engage. The post For Some Black Angelenos, ICE Raids Reopen the Wound of Displacement appeared first on Capital B News. (EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) June 11 marks 12 years since the deadly Black Forest Fire burned more than 14,000 acres and destroyed 489 homes. On Tuesday, June 11, 2013, the fire broke out and burned for days until it was declared fully contained on Thursday evening, June 20. The El Paso County Sheriffs Office (EPSO) has stated in the past that the Black Forest Fire was a cold case due to the passage of time, with no new information. While the origin of the fire is known, the cause has not been determined. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX21 News reached out to EPSO on the eve of the fire anniversary for an update on the status of the case. This case remains active, and no further details can be released at this time, said a spokesperson with EPSO. Overall, the fire burned 14,280 acres, causing over $420 million in damage to the region. The total cost of fighting the fire was $9.23 million. The fire also claimed the lives of two people, Marck and Robin Hecklotz, who were both longtime members of Space Command and were killed when trying to leave their home in Black Forest. Smoke plume from Black Forest Fire COLORADO SPRINGS, CO JUNE 12: Smoke rises into the air from the Black Forest Fire June 12, 2013 near Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Photo by Chris Schneider/Getty Images) A fire-fighting slurry plane makes a pass in preparation drops its load on a wildfire in the Black Forest area north of Colorado Springs, Colo., on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley) The Black Forest Fire burned in El Paso County in 2013 At that time, the wildfire became the most destructive in Colorados history, surpassing the Waldo Canyon Fire just a year earlier. Since then, the 2021 Marshall Fire in Boulder County became the most destructive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement D20 students to reforest a portion of Black Forest scar Reforestation efforts continue in the Black Forest burn scar. Most recently, students from the Academy School District 20 (D20) partnered with the Colorado State Forest Service to plant 100 tree seedlings in the area. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. OKLAHOMA (KFDX/KJTL) Our Blood Institute is asking the community to be an All-American donor this summer. OBIs All-American Blood Drive will be happening across Oklahoma from Friday, June 13, to Monday, July 21. There are plenty of opportunities to give back and help save lives. These special drives come with fun summer swag and a chance to make a real difference during a critical time of year. All successful donors will receive: A limited-edition All-American T-shirt A free camp chair One FREE theme park ticket to Frontier City or Hurricane Harbor. Select All-American Drive Dates & Locations: Oklahoma City Metro: June 13 & 14 | Bass Pro Shops, Cabelas, OKC Outlets June 21 | Quail Springs Mall & Bass Pro Shops July 3 | Penn Square Mall Tulsa Area: July 3 | 2:00 pm 8:00 pm | Tulsa Drillers July 7 | 2:30 pm 5:00 pm | River Spirit Casino Resort Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For a complete list of statewide locations and dates, visit Our Blood Institute/All American or call 877-340-8777 to make an appointment. Anyone 16 years of age or older in good health can donate blood. Donation typically takes only about an hour, and one donation saves up to three lives. Appointments to donate can be made online at obi.org or by calling 877-340-8777. Walk-ins are also welcome. Summer brings more accidents, more emergenciesand a greater need for blood, said Dr. John Armitage, president and CEO of Our Blood Institute. Donors who give during these critical months are true lifesavers. Were deeply grateful to every person who rolls up a sleeve to help patients 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 Texomashomepage.com. CANBERRA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has offered aid to a television news reporter who was shot with a rubber bullet while covering protests in Los Angeles (LA). Penny Wong, Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday that the government has reached out to reporter Lauren Tomasi through the Consulate General in LA and is ready to provide "any assistance" she needs. Tomasi, the U.S. correspondent for Australia's Nine Network News, was covering the ongoing protests sparked by immigration raids in LA on Sunday local time when she was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet fired by a police officer. Wong told Nine Network television on Wednesday that footage of the incident captured a "really awful" moment. "Australia believes in a free media and journalists should be able to do their job safely," Wong said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday said that he had spoken to Tomasi, who he said was OK, and that the government has raised the "horrific" incident with the U.S. administration. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the citys mayoral race, declaring his support for the former New York governor he worked alongside while in office. Bloomberg, who served three terms as mayor from 2002 to 2013, announced his support for Cuomo on Tuesday in a statement, saying Cuomo has the experience and government know-how to address the problems facing the city. He overlapped as mayor with Cuomos time as governor, which ran from 2011 to 2021. History holds endless examples of friction between mayors and governors. During my 12 years in City Hall, I served with four New York governors and had differences with all of them, including Cuomo. But I also know his strengths as a leader and manager, Bloomberg said. Of all the candidates, Andrew has the skills our city needs to lead us forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bloombergs support for Cuomo makes sense as a moderate Democrat backing another moderate Democrat. But its still a notable get for Cuomo to officially receive the endorsement from the longtime former mayor. Bloomberg was initially elected as a Republican in 2001 before becoming an independent during his second term. He became a Democrat in 2018, returning to the party he had been in before his mayoral run. Bloomberg said Cuomo governed as a pragmatist and credited him for the redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport, opening of the 2nd Avenue Subway and creation of Moynihan Station. He said Cuomos more focused on solving problems than ideological warfare. The question before New Yorkers is not: Who is the perfect choice? No mayor is perfect, he said. The question is: Who is the best choice? To me, that choice is clear: Andrew Cuomo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The endorsement comes just two weeks ahead of the primary, in which Cuomo has been the front-runner for months, but state Assembly member Zohran Mamdani has been closing the gap and is trying to surpass him. Cuomo said hes deeply honored to have Bloombergs support, saying his leadership after 9/11 helped see the city rebuilt. Under his steady hand and with his strong management, New York City was the best run city in the country, and his leadership has been sorely missed every day since, he said. Today, in this critical moment as New York City faces another crisis, I appreciate Mayor Bloombergs support and faith in my vision for a stronger, safer, more affordable New York City for all. Mamdanis campaign responded to the news by saying that billionaires are consolidating around Cuomo because they know he will keep the status quo, but New Yorkers are supporting Mamdani because they want a new generation of leadership that puts working people first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He just received his own major endorsement when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) announced her support for his campaign. Bloombergs endorsement also comes after Cuomo received an endorsement from what may have been an unexpected source fellow mayoral candidate and state Sen. Jessica Ramos. Ramos has been trailing well behind in the polls, often receiving only a few percentage points in polling. She had been a critic of Cuomo and ideologically is on a different part of the spectrum than him, having a reputation as a progressive. But she said at an event last week announcing her endorsement that only Cuomo had the experience, knowledge and toughness to be mayor. She has said she will stay on the ballot but is supporting the former governor. 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. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) The Anderson Dance Pavilion will host the River-Cade Roots Bluegrass Music Festival on June 14. The River-Cade Roots Bluegrass Music Festival is seven hours of live bluegrass music. The free event runs from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This year, attendees can expect performances by Matchsellers, Ditchwater Bullfrogs, Ted & Alice, Mr. Jelly, and Midnight Wanderers. The social media post suggests to bring your lawn chairs, your friends, and a well-stocked cooler, then kick back and soak in the soulful sounds along the riverfront. KCAU 9 is a proud sponsor of the River-Cade Roots Bluegrass Music 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 SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. The entire board of the Fulbright program, which fosters international education through an exchange program, quit on Wednesday after accusing the Trump administration of illegal interference, according to a memo obtained by The New York Times. The program, which is administered by the U.S. State Department, awards scholarships to American researchers, professors and educators to go abroad. In the memo, the 12 board members stated that the Trump administration had illegally canceled scholarships for nearly 200 professors and researchers who were set to travel to international institutions this summer after completing a lengthy selection process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These scholars were supposed to receive acceptance letters in April, but the board discovered that they had received letters of rejection. The rejections were largely due to their area of research, including biology, architecture and agriculture, the board said. [T]he current administration has usurped the authority of the Board and denied Fulbright awards to a substantial number of individuals who were selected for the 2025-2026 academic year, board members wrote in the memo. They also wrote that they were concerned the Trump administration would wrongfully reject international scholars who are slated to come to the U.S. through the program. We believe these actions not only contradict the statute but are antithetical to the Fulbright mission and the values, including free speech and academic freedom, that Congress specified in the statute, the memo said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mass resignation of the Fulbright board is the latest development in the Trump administrations ongoing attacks on higher education. As part of the broader effort to stifle dissent from public institutions, the federal government has threatened to withdraw funding from colleges and universities unless they allow the federal government to regulate what is taught and who is admitted. As part of the attacks on colleges, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has hastily canceled international student visas and detained foreign college students with pro-Palestinian views. Rubio also announced last month that the government was pausing new interviews for foreign student visas so that it could vet social media accounts of applicants. One of the administrations main targets is Harvard University. The feud with the university began when the prestigious institution declined to acquiesce to Trumps lengthy list of demands, which included a complete upheaval of the Ivy League schools hiring and admissions practices. Last week, Trump signed an executive order banning Harvards international students from entering the U.S., jeopardizing the funds that the school receives from international students who usually pay full tuition and contribute millions of dollars to the local economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One day later, a federal judge halted Trumps attempt to block international students from going to Harvard. Related... While accepting a leadership award, famed sportscaster Bob Costas slammed the mainstream media for bowing to President Trump during his second term. Costas, attending the Mirror Awards in New York City on Monday night, singled out ABC News and CBS News for rolling over after Trump sued both networks. In a long-winded speech that covered his career in broadcasting and the state of the media business, Costas criticized ABC parent Disney for paying $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit against the network over star anchor George Stephanopoulos saying Trump was found guilty of raping E. Jean Carroll. Bob Costas slammed the mainstream media over its handling of President Trumps second term. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP A New York court had found Trump guilty of sexual assault not rape, a key legal difference in the civil case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has denied wrongdoing in that case. All they shouldve said was, George misspoke. The president, that paragon of virtue, was only found guilty of sexual assault, not rape. So we stand corrected, Costas said of the decision to settle. They didnt have to pay a $15 million ransom. The Post had previously reported that Stephanopoulos had been told repeatedly by producers to not use the word rape but he ignored the warnings. Costas then turned to CBS parent Paramount Global, which is controlled by Shari Redstone, over its attempts to settle another Trump suit over the allegedly biased editing of a 60 Minutes sit-down with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Costas said outlets like ABC News, CNN, and CBS News have pandered to President Trump and his worldview instead of challenging it. REUTERS Paramount is looking to close an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media in a move that would require the green light from Trumps Federal Communications Commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The network has denied it deceptively edited the 60 Minutes interview to make Harris sound more cogent. Under pressure from Trumps lawsuit and higher-ups at Paramount, longtime 60 Minutes boss Bill Owens exited the company, citing waning editorial independence. The veteran sportscaster ripped ABC after it paid Trump $16 million to settle his defamation lawsuit over George Stephanopoulos use of the word rape. ABC via Getty Images And did Shari Redstone, because she wants to affect a merger that Trumps FCC can stand in the way of, did she have to besmirch and undercut the gold standard in our lifetime of broadcast journalism, 60 Minutes? Costas said. Paying $20 million in ransom to Trump is just the cost of doing business when theres billions of dollars at stake. These are ongoing assaults on the basic idea of a free press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Costas also took a jab at CNN, which he claimed has valorized Trump in the name of being balanced, dubbing such work MAGA media. CNN brass have pushed for anchors to try to remain objective when covering the Trump administration. Costas also called out Shari Redstone, who has pushed for Paramount to settle Trumps lawsuit over a 60 Minutes' sit-down with Kamala Harris. FilmMagic But if the answer to that is MAGA media, if the answer to that is Donald Trumps view of the world, which is only through a prism of what benefits him, there are no higher ideals. There are no principles at work other than what benefits him, he said. Ill stay with where we are without correction if the correction is what Donald Trump represents. If someone says and the idea that you have to find somebody who will not just defend Donald Trump, but valorize it, even on CNN or wherever else, just in the name of being balanced look, if someone is contending that the Earth is flat, in order to appear objective, you are not required to say, Well, maybe it might be oblong. No, its not, Costas said. Certainly things are just true. He concluded: And regrettably, something thats true in America right now is that the president of the United States has absolutely no regard, and in fact has contempt, for basic American principles and basic common decency. Mediaite first reported on Costas comments. (PUEBLO, Colo.) The Pueblo County Coroner has identified the body found in a burning car at the end of May as 47-year-old Shawn John Solano of Pueblo. On Monday, May 26, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said a passerby called 911 about a car fully engulfed in flames on the west side of the frontage road parallel to I-25 between South Gate and Stem Beach. PRIOR REPORTING: CBI investigating after body found in burning car Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Pueblo Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire. Upon further inspection, the body of Solano was found inside the vehicle. CBI was called to take over the investigation, and the Pueblo County Coroner was called to determine the cause and manner of death. The Pueblo County Coroner said 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 FOX21 News Colorado. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Tens of thousands of music fans are expected to descend on Manchester, Tennessee, this week. Bonnaroo begins on Thursday, June 12, and runs through Sunday. Many of the thousands attending the festival will be sleeping outside in tents, and this is why the National Weather Service in Nashville is watching the forecast closely. According to Ryan Husted, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Nashville, they are working with local emergency management offices and giving them forecast briefings with the latest weather information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local agencies prepared for Bonnaroo traffic ahead of festival Husted said it seems like every year the festival is impacted by the weather. He said in 2024, it was the heat, humidity, and a couple of thunderstorms. With so many people essentially living outside, it doesnt take a powerful storm to cause a lot of problems. It wouldnt take wind speeds that high to start causing some sort of damage and potentially striking people. So, the impacts could be high, and it doesnt necessarily have to be a severe thunderstorm or tornado, Husted told News 2. Husted said he doesnt expect any extreme heat this year, but there could be some thunderstorms, especially on Saturday and Sunday. He said if a thunderstorm is going to impact Manchester, the safest place to go is your car. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My advice is going to be to get in your vehicle. When there are damaging winds in the area and even lightning, without many substantial shelters around and so many people in the area, my advice is going to be to get in your vehicle, Said Husted. Bonnaroo co-founder dies days before festival Even though it isnt expected to be that hot, Husted said its important to stay hydrated and to take breaks in the shade. He said sunburn can be a big problem, and to remember to wear sunscreen and where light colored clothing. The News 2 Weather Authority team is forecasting low rain chances on Thursday and Friday and medium rain chances for the weekend. Temperatures are forecast to be in the mid and upper 80s with elevated humidity. Right now, it doesnt look like there will be any severe weather, but like Husted said, it doesnt take much wind to pick up and blow around tents, chairs, and umbrellas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dont forget to take the power and reliability of the WKRN Weather Authority with you at all times by downloading the News 2 Storm Tracker 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 WKRN News 2. NEED TO KNOW Brazilian book influencer Tais Bruna de Castro was murdered at age 36 after she was stabbed to death at her place of work, per a report by CNN Brasil According to the outlet, the incident took place on June 2, while the content creator was having lunch Her family announced the news of her death on her Instagram page dedicating to reading. The post described the nature of the tragedy as "very sad and even unbelievable" Brazilian book influencer Tais Bruna de Castro was murdered at age 36 in a brutal stabbing incident at a shopping complex in Jundiai, Sao Paulo on Monday, June 2. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The avid reader's death was announced on her Instagram page Leitora Fashion, which translates to "Reader Fashion" in English. Her family posted a smiling photo of Castro to share the heartbreaking news in the caption. "This week, our dear Tais Bruna, the owner of this profile, left us in a very sad and even unbelievable way," the post read. "Fashion Reader was one of her joys. Talking about literature, suggesting new works and chatting with you guys here made her day happier." Her Instagram account had over 8,000 followers at the time of her death. She also ran a fashion blog by the same title. The family continued to honor the late influencer's memory: "Her smile, her sweetness and all the joy she always spread will stay in our hearts forever," they wrote. "Today heaven gained one of the most special people to ever walk this earth." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Per a report by CNN Brasil, Castro worked at the Beco Fino shopping complex where the stabbing took place. Castro was having lunch in the food court when she was attacked. The outlet reports that the suspect, Claudio Elizeu, who also worked at the complex, turned himself in and was arrested. The outlet states that according to military police, Elizeu claimed he committed the crime because Castro did not respond to his attempts to get closer to her. The stabbing was reportedly caught on surveillance footage, and the suspect later turned himself into the authorities. CNN Brasil's coverage notes that there were over 20 stab wounds reported on Castro's body and cites that, according to police reports, the suspect also broke into an office space and damaged furniture, doors and windows. Read the original article on People What began as a fireworks show is now one of Beaver Countys biggest events. Boom on the Bridge is moving into the heart of Bridgewaters business district this year, promising even more excitement and visitors. Set for June 28, the festival is expected to draw 15,000 people to the borough, which has a population of just 745. Its a little hidden gem here, said Joe Gradwell of The Grumpy Beaver Pub. If youre from the city or a little further away, like Cranberry, it gives you a chance to see this community and all it has to offer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bridge Street will transform into the center of the action, hosting two national music acts and more than 80 vendors stretching across the bridge into Rochester. The event will close with a fireworks display over the river, a highlight that encourages surrounding river towns to hold their own celebrations throughout the weekend. We were pretty excited, actually, said Dennis Vaughan, owner of The Grumpy Beaver Pub. Anytime you can get 10 to 15,000 people at your front door, whats not to like about that? Vaughan said the pub is all hands on deck for the event, with employees, relatives and friends helping out to meet the demand. Beaver County Commissioner Daniel Camp said shuttles will be available to manage limited parking in the borough. Visitors can park at Bradys Run Ice Rink, the Beaver County Courthouse garage and the New Brighton treatment facility. Those shuttles begin at 3 p.m. and continue after the fireworks show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were just looking to bring the most people in, Camp said. Road closures in Bridgewater and across the bridge into Rochester begin at noon on Friday and continue through Sunday. Additional security will be on site from multiple agencies to manage the large crowd. The event continues to grow in regional popularity as it moves to this new location. Last year we had people from the Monroeville area, Ohio, and even international visitors who were in town for the holidays, Camp said. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW One of the biggest western wear apparel stores in the U.S. is opening its sixth store in Michigan. Boot Barn is a nationwide chain with fashion lines that serve everyone from American cowboys and oil and gas industry workers to fashion enthusiasts drawn to women's mainstream and western-inspired pieces, according to its website. Construction workers update the inside of 23195 Outer Drive West in Allen Park on Wednesday, June 6. The location used to be a Party City and is expected to be a Boot Barn. The store that sells boots, hats, chaps and everything in between is expected to come to Independence Marketplace, outside of Fairlane Green, in Allen Park. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Father's Day is just around the corner. Gift ideas that will put a smile on dad's face More: 3 Detroit Lions are in top 20 in 2024 NFL merch sales, most in league Construction teams are currently working on an interior remodel, and the store's expected opening date is Aug. 5, construction project manager Kent Keller said. The location, 23195 W. Outer Drive next to DSW, Subway and Miracle Ear, was formerly a Party City. Signs outside the store with the Boot Barn logo say, "coming soon" and "now hiring." Boot Barns career page lists job openings for Retail Inventory Control Specialists, Key Holders and Assistant Store Manager positions posted last week. Construction workers update the inside of 23195 Outer Drive West in Allen Park on Wednesday, June 6. The location used to be a Party City and is expected to be a Boot Barn. The store joins Michigan Boot Barns in Grandville, Lake Orion, Lansing, Novi, and Saginaw, according to the locations listed on its website. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Western and workwear franchise coming to Allen Park BOSTON (SHNS) The largest building in New England will officially be renamed next month in honor of the late Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, eight months after the Legislature ordered the change. The Mass. Convention Center Authority announced Tuesday that it will hold an event on Saturday, July 12 to formally relabel the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in the Seaport as the Thomas Michael Menino Convention and Exhibition Center. The new name is meant to honor Menino, the citys mayor from 1993 until 2014 who oversaw the start of the Seaport building boom. Mayor Menino loved Boston deeply, and he made our city into the global hub for business, commerce and tourism that we know it to be today, Gov. Maura Healey said. I was honored to sign this law renaming the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center after Mayor Menino because it is a wonderful way to pay tribute to his amazing legacy and send a strong message that Boston is a place to be for people and businesses from around the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The name change was included in an economic development law that Healey signed in November. Sen. Nick Collins, the South Boston Democrat who represents the Seaport, said the relatively new neighborhood of Boston would not be what it is today without the late Mayor Tom Menino. Collins pointed to Meninos collaboration with state and federal lawmakers to develop the Seaport and open the BCEC in 2004. Menino served on the Boston City Council before he served as mayor. Thats why so many of our colleagues in the Legislature joined in supporting the renaming with a near unanimous vote on the economic development bill last session, Collins said. The late mayors widow said the entire Menino family is grateful for this incredible honor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tommy believed in the potential of every neighborhood in our city, and in the power of development to improve peoples lives. We thank our legislative leadership for acknowledging his legacy and his vision for how this convention center would lead to the transformation of Bostons Seaport, Angela Menino 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 WWLP. Tourists visit the Frost Magical Ice of Siam in Chonburi Province, Thailand, June 10, 2025. The Frost Magical Ice of Siam, covering an area of 30,000 square meters, is kept at a temperature of minus 10 degrees Celsius. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak) A tourist takes photos at the Frost Magical Ice of Siam in Chonburi Province, Thailand, June 10, 2025. The Frost Magical Ice of Siam, covering an area of 30,000 square meters, is kept at a temperature of minus 10 degrees Celsius. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak) A tourist poses for photos at the Frost Magical Ice of Siam in Chonburi Province, Thailand, June 10, 2025. The Frost Magical Ice of Siam, covering an area of 30,000 square meters, is kept at a temperature of minus 10 degrees Celsius. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak) Two Boston city councilors are calling for an independent investigation into the terminations of two city employees after their arrests in a domestic dispute last month. One claimed she was fired in retaliation for rejecting advances from a senior official. This is not a political statement it is a call for basic standards of workplace safety and professional oversight, at-large City Councilor Erin Murphy said. ... City Hall must meet this moment with integrity and urgency. Allegations of retaliation, ethical misconduct, and abuse of power especially involving senior leadership demand more than internal reviews and closed-door decisions, Murphy said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murphy filed the emergency resolution along with City Councilor Ed Flynn on Wednesday to call for an independent investigation into the terminations of Marwa Khudaynazar and Chulan Huang, who were fired at the end of May after an internal review. Khudaynazar and Huang, who dated for about a year, were arrested on domestic violence charges stemming from an incident at Huangs apartment on May 15. Khudaynazar was chief of staff for Bostons Office of Police Accountability, while Huang was neighborhood business manager for the citys Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion. During the incident, which became physical between the two at times, Huang told police that Khudaynazar had gone on a date with his boss and booked a hotel to spite him, according to police reports. Khudaynazar also pushed a responding officer and after they were handcuffed, Huang said, We both work for the city, this is unnecessary, according to police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That is not acceptable for any city employee to ever say ... that because of their status as city employees, they should be shielded from accountability, Wu told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. During the weekend after the terminations, Flynn called for the immediate resignation or termination of Segun Idowu, the Chief of Bostons Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, where Huang worked. Khudaynazar has since claimed she was fired in retaliation due to her rejection of inappropriate advances by a senior administration official who invited her to meet him at a hotel, according to the emergency resolution, which also calls for an investigation into those allegations. She further alleges that her internal attempts to raise these concerns were ignored, and that she was ultimately terminated to shield him from accountability, the filing reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wu said Tuesday she was aware of whats been reported, and said at the time of the internal review, there had not been a report of this type filed previously or made aware to the city of Boston prior to the news report coming out. But any time the city of Boston receives any kind of allegation or report or suggestion that there has been improper behavior by a city employee, we conduct a review, Wu said. Murphys emergency filing claims that because the mayors office internal review found no wrongdoing by Idowu, and that Huang and Khudaynazar were fired solely due to the incident itself, the narratives are conflicting and raise serious concerns about potential retaliation, ethical lapses and political protection within City Hall. Murphy and Flynn are demanding the third-party investigation examines the timeline and justification for the termination, the potential retaliation, the mayors internal review and broader gaps in oversight, ethics and employee protections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The filing further states this emergency resolution should be adopted by the city council without referral to committee, to ensure that an independent investigation proceeds without delay. City workers deserve to know that misconduct will not be covered up, and that speaking up will not cost them their jobs, the statement from Murphy read. When conflicting narratives emerge at the highest levels of government, it is our responsibility as a Council to ensure transparency, fairness, and accountability not just for one case, but for the culture we allow to exist across City departments." More News Read the original article on MassLive. A Roxbury man killed in a shooting in a residential neighborhood on Monday night has been identified, the Boston Police Department said. At around 8:51 p.m. on June 9, a man was found with a gunshot wound in front of a home at 4 Levant St. in Dorchester, police said in a statement. The neighborhood is around the corner from the bus stop on Bowdoin Street at Geneva Avenue. The man was identified as Anildo Cardoso, 41. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cardoso was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. So far, police have not identified a possible suspect. The Boston Police Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and urges anyone with information to contact the Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470. Other similar stories Read the original article on MassLive. A provision that would have issued perpetual mineral leases near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has been struck from the House budget bill. Its the latest victory in a monumental effort by lawmakers and public-lands advocates to strike bad conservation policy from the sweeping legislative package. Tina Smith, a Democratic Senator from Minnesota, announced the news late Tuesday evening on social media. Buried deep in President Trump and Republicans [sic] Big Beautiful Bill was a provision that gave a foreign mining company full permission to build a copper-nickel sulfide mine right on the doorstep of the Boundary Waters, Smith said in the statement. I vowed to do everything in my power to protect this precious place. Today, I am relieved to announce that we were successful in forcing Republicans to drop this language attacking the Boundary Waters from the bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smith didnt provide details on how she accomplished this, but Politico reported that the Senate sent a so-called fatalities list to the House on Tuesday afternoon. Lawmakers in the House must strike the requested items in its version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act so it can enjoy special party-line treatment in the Senate. That list was relatively short just four pages but it specified Representatives must strike section 80131, which would have reinstated mineral leases on previously protected federal lands in Cook, Lake, and Saint Louis counties. This news comes several weeks after six Republicans crossed the aisle to prevent the sale of roughly 500,000 acres of public land in Nevada and Utah in the House version of the budget bill. In her announcement Smith cautioned against the sale and leasing of public lands, and urged the permanent protections for the Boundary Waters. She hopes to do so by passing her Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act, which she introduced in April with support from groups like Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and Trout Unlimited. The bill wouldnt ban or curtail any existing or potential mining projects in Minnesota outside those parcels in the Rainy River Watershed. The battle over these mineral leases in the Superior National Forest has been ongoing for years. In 2023 then-secretary of the interior Deb Haaland issued a 20-year administrative mineral withdrawal for 225,000 acres in the watershed. More recently the Trump Administration has attempted to reverse course with executive and secretarial orders to prioritize natural resource development on federal lands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read Next: House Passes Bill That Would Deregulate Suppressors The BWCAs recreation economy generates $77 million for the local economy each year, according to one economic study, and employs a fifth of the residents in those three counties. This action was eventually taken to comply with Senate rules, all but ensuring the effort to include the Boundary Waters in the Senate version will fall short, wrote Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters in a Facebook post Tuesday. But make no mistake, this win is thanks to a collective effort by conservation organizations, elected officials, outdoor businesses, stakeholders, and Boundary Waters advocates like YOU. [Watch in the player above: What is Goddards Law?] STOW, Ohio (WJW) Stow police are looking for a boy accused of killing a baby goose in a disturbing fashion at a local park late last week. A tipster reportedly captured video showing the boy harassing and harming a goose and babies, and shared it with police, according to a Facebook post by Stow police. Lawlessness: Hundreds of juveniles cause chaos in Mayfield Heights after church festival Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It happened at about 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, at Silver Springs Park along Young Road, according to a police report. The juvenile then ran to his bike and took off, reads the report. Officers who responded to the park searched but did not find him. The boy is believed to be middle school-aged, between 10 and 14 years old and was described as having black hair and wearing a light blue shirt and black shorts, according to police. He was seen riding a black bicycle with green highlights or trim, as seen in the photos below: (Stow Police Department) (Stow Police Department) 2 arrested in latest Parma flamingo theft Police are now asking for the publics help in identifying him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the sake of the juvenile it is important that we speak to him and his parents, reads the Facebook post. Anyone with information is asked to call officer Antonio Johnson at 330-689-5700. Several species of geese including Canada geese, which can be found in Ohio are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Ohio law, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The waterfowl commonly nest near ponds and are considered a nuisance species, destroying lawns and vegetation and fouling pond water with feces. Ohioans are urged not to feed geese, as they can become accustomed to humans, leading to attacks on humans and pets. 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. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) The Bakersfield Police Department asked the public to assist in locating a woman who went missing on Truxtun Avenue Monday evening. Glory Hardeman-Varela was last seen at about 7:43 p.m. in the 600 block of Truxtun Avenue. Hardeman-Varela is considered at-risk due to mental health conditions and this being her first time going missing, according to officials. Police described Hardeman-Varela as being 5 feet, 5 inches and 245 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She has the words Mama for life tattooed on her right arm and it is unknown what she was wearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone with information about Hardeman-Varelas whereabouts is asked to contact BPD at 661-327-7111. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. It was supposed to be a routine appearance, a visit from the commander in chief to rally the troops, boost morale and celebrate the Army's 250th-birthday week, which culminates with a Washington, D.C., parade slated for Saturday. Instead, what unfolded Tuesday at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, bore little resemblance to the customary visit from a president and defense secretary. There, President Donald Trump unleashed a speech laced with partisan invective, goading jeers from a crowd of soldiers positioned behind his podium -- blurring the long-standing and sacrosanct line between the military and partisan politics. As Trump viciously attacked his perceived political foes, he whipped up boos from the gathered troops directed at California leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom -- amid the president's controversial move to deploy the National Guard and Marines against protesters in Los Angeles -- as well as former President Joe Biden and the press. The soldiers roared with laughter and applauded Trump's diatribe in a shocking and rare public display of troops taking part in naked political partisanship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read Next: Army Birthday Celebration Falls in Shadow of LA Military Deployment, Immigration Policy Protests For this story, Military.com reached out to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office as well as the Army and the 82nd Airborne Division directly with a series of questions that ranged from the optics of the event to social media posts showing the sale of Trump campaign merchandise on the base, to the apparent violation of Pentagon policies on political activity in uniform. Internal 82nd Airborne Division communications reviewed by Military.com reveal a tightly orchestrated effort to curate the optics of Trump's recent visit, including handpicking soldiers for the audience based on political leanings and physical appearance. The troops ultimately selected to be behind Trump and visible to the cameras were almost exclusively male. One unit-level message bluntly said "no fat soldiers." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If soldiers have political views that are in opposition to the current administration and they don't want to be in the audience then they need to speak with their leadership and get swapped out," another note to troops said. Service officials declined to comment when asked about the extent to which troops were screened, whether soldiers displaying partisan cheers on television -- a violation of long-standing Pentagon rules -- would be disciplined or if soldiers who objected to participating in the event, citing disagreements with the administration, would be disciplined or admonished in any way. "This has been a bad week for the Army for anyone who cares about us being a neutral institution," one commander at Fort Bragg told Military.com on the condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation. "This was shameful. I don't expect anything to come out of it, but I hope maybe we can learn from it long term." Experts were quick to come out and say that the public silence from military leadership is a missed opportunity to reinforce the military's nonpartisan nature. Meanwhile, the political leadership at the head of the Defense Department was far from apologetic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Believe me, no one needs to be encouraged to boo the media," Sean Parnell, a top Pentagon spokesperson, said in a statement to Military.com. "Look no further than this query, which is nothing more than a disgraceful attempt to ruin the lives of young soldiers." Adding to the spectacle, a pop-up shop operated by 365 Campaign, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based retailer that sells pro-Trump and other conservative-coded memorabilia, was set up on-site with campaign-style merchandise on Army property. Soldiers were seen purchasing clothing and tchotchkes, including "Make America Great Again" chain necklaces to faux credit cards labeled "White Privilege Card: Trumps Everything." Permitting the sale of overtly partisan merchandise on an Army base likely runs afoul of numerous Defense Department regulations aimed at preserving the military's long-standing commitment to political neutrality. The Army has historically gone to great lengths to avoid even the appearance of partisanship. Parnell did not respond to follow-up questions about the sale of MAGA campaign gear directly to troops but Col. Mary Ricks, a spokesperson for Fort Bragg, said that the vendors presence is under review to determine how it was permitted and to prevent similar occurrences in the future in a statement provided after this story was first published. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump used much of his speech to slam California Democrats and tout his ongoing and unprecedented surge of nearly 5,000 federalized Guard soldiers and Marines to quell immigration protests. "We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean and safe again," he proclaimed to soldiers, adding that Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass are "incompetent" and falsely said they're aiding "insurrectionists" while goading troops into booing them. "I bet none of those soldiers booing even know the mayor's name or could identify them in a lineup; they're nonexistent in the chain of command," an 82nd Airborne noncommissioned officer told Military.com. "So, any opinion they could possibly have can only be attributed to expressing a political view while in uniform." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump is far from the first president to use the troops as a backdrop for a speech that had political notes. But experts say this speech crossed a line and showed the military's ethics can be vulnerable. "What I think is so remarkable about Bragg is that it's really a breakdown on the military side," Risa Brooks, an expert of civil-military relations at Marquette University, told Military.com. "It shows it's possible -- that the military's professional ethics could fail," she said. In 2022, Biden received criticism for delivering a speech outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia that aimed to warn the public about the authoritarian impulses of then-former President Trump and his supporters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was flanked by two Marines in dress uniform. Republicans and reporters immediately jumped on Biden, slamming him for politicizing the military. "The only thing worse than Biden's speech trashing his fellow citizens is wrapping himself in our flag and Marines to do it," Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., wrote on social media at the time. Another Trump administration official, James Hutton, said Biden "used U.S. Marines as props" and slammed the move as "despicable conduct in attacking more than half of Americans." Ari Fleischer, a conservative commentator at the time, said the speech was not only "inappropriate" but that the Marine Corps had "some explaining to do" for allowing the speech to occur. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neither Fleischer, Hutton nor Issa appears to have made any posts criticizing Trump's speech as of publication. Going back decades, presidents have all used troops as background and set dressing for addresses and appearances that at times skirted the line between the nonpartisan nature of the military and the politics of the presidency. Biden's White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, noted to reporters after Biden's speech in 2022 that "it is actually normal for presidents from either side of the aisle to give speeches in front of members of the military, including President ... Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush." "It is not an unusual sight or is not an unusual event to have happened," she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brooks also agreed and noted that many of the instances of troops being used as props "are mostly instigated by the civilian side." However, many of those examples were presidents choosing the setting to speak to the troops about military policy and issues that affected them personally, and with the exceptions of polite applause and laughs at presidential jokes, troops have not been especially vocal or reactive to the rhetoric being offered. "Trump has gone farther than any other politician in the tenor and content of his comments, overtly treating events with troops in the audience as campaign rallies, and overtly and directly criticizing his opponents," Brooks said. Long before the unprecedented speech at Fort Bragg this week, Trump has been blurring the lines between politics and military events. In the early days of his first term, he spoke to troops at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida and told the assembled troops "we had a wonderful election, didn't we?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "And I saw those numbers, and you liked me and I liked you. That's the way it worked," he added. Trump also went on to use the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes to sign a ban on travel from Muslim-majority countries during his first term. Marines appeared in a 2020 Republican National Committee video that he shot at the White House. That same year, then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley appeared alongside Trump in Lafayette Square outside the White House after federal officials forcibly cleared a street of peaceful protesters for a photo opportunity in front of a local church. Milley later apologized for his presence. Despite the silence from military brass this week, other experts, military observers and a handful of former leaders, have condemned the speech or the ensuing silence. Retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, best known for serving as the task force commander that coordinated military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, called the speech "inappropriate." "I never witnessed that s..t like this in 37 years in uniform," Honore wrote on social media Tuesday. "Once you see one instance of this happening, it potentially normalizes it," Brooks warned. "It opens the door to more instances and more overt violations of the nonpartisan ethic." Editors note: This story has been updated with a statement from Fort Bragg provided to Military.com after the story was published. Related: Trump Deploys Hundreds of Marines to LA in Growing Military Response to Immigration Raid Protests I can still recall the first tentative day that I stepped outside my home not wearing my usual hijab but with my own pixie-cut hair on display and a breeze on my ears a completely new feeling to me. This was six years ago when I was 31 and studying for a masters degree in philosophy at the Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. At the time I was married with a three-year-old son. I had worn the hijab since the age of nine, and had always felt it was part of the package of being a Muslim, but in recent years I had begun to have doubts. Islam has a set of rules which cover various aspects of Muslim life, from religious practices to personal matters. I had always been curious about these laws, and had previously completed a masters degree in Islamic studies. Why I stopped wearing the hijab But the more I learnt the more I felt that the methodology of Islamic jurisprudence (the theory and philosophy of its rules) was problematic for women. I couldnt help seeing the laws, including wearing mandatory hijab, as essentially misogynistic. Wearing a hijab was also not common in Vancouver, which made me stand out considerably. For the first time I experienced what it truly meant to be a visible minority and it took a heavy toll on my mental health. One day, my son kept refusing to take my hand as we boarded the bus. The tired driver, concerned about safety, snapped at me that I needed parenting advice. I was deeply upset, but then found myself wondering if such a minor incident would have affected me so deeply if I hadnt been wearing a hijab? I questioned myself. As much as I love Islamic spirituality, did I really want to carry its flag when I no longer believed that flag represented something good? It was a few days later that I wrote a post on social media, relaying this incident to my friends and colleagues and explaining that while I was still explicitly Muslim, I would no longer wear the hijab. The next day, when I walked into the university, I had mixed emotions of uncertainty, excitement and freedom. There were a few awkward encounters with colleagues who didnt recognise me. But most people were understanding, and I have not worn the hijab since. Banning the burka The decision was a key moment for my Muslim identity. For it seems being a Muslim woman today is tiresomely linked to wearing a hijab or burka. There is always a great debate. Should you cover your hair? Your face? Are these items symbols of oppression or merely an expression of faith? Oh, and we know how these topics fire up the public imagination. Sparks flew just recently in the House of Commons when Sarah Pochin, the Reform UK MP for Runcorn and Helsby, called on Sir Keir Starmer to ban the burka. Will he, she asked from the back benches. In the interest of public safety, follow the lead of France, Belgium, Denmark and others and ban the burka? Thankfully, the question got rebuffed by both the Prime Minister and Pochins Reform UK colleagues, who said it was not their policy. But it still left me now a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Manchester feeling sad and threatened. I worried I might have been wrong in my perception of Britain as a liberal and tolerant place for different religions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mainly what I struggle with, however whenever the issue flares up in Parliament is how on earth politicians think they can prescribe to women how to deal with such a complex and personal issue. For in my case alone, my perception of being a Muslim has changed considerably over time and I am only 37. I grew up in Irans capital, Tehran, a super-crowded city that was beautiful to me in many ways. I was surrounded by a loving, happy family, who were religious, but me especially so. As a child, I donned the hijab (the burka isnt big in Iran), and began fasting and praying. I came to love the three elements of Islam: the spirituality, the practising, and the community. And because I was an anxious child, I found an incomparable comfort from reading passages from the Koran and common prayers, while the rituals and rules calmed my busy mind and gave me a sense of satisfaction. I also benefited from the Muslim community that was shaped around anti-imperialist political ideas in Iran. Misogynistic essence of Islamic laws I studied a chemical engineering degree at Sharif University in Tehran, but then like so many of my educated friends got married at 22 and moved to London (we had an almost semi-arranged marriage and are now divorced), and it was here that I first encountered the diversity of religious life. Unlike in Iran, I began to see that being religious could go with all types of lifestyles, and it gave me a new perception of how I could live. When we moved to Vancouver in 2017 (I wanted to study in America but Trump had banned Iranians from entering the US), I still wore my hijab. But my dislike for the misogynistic essence of Islamic laws which shaped the culture of my community began to grow. Politically I was also changing. I came to see the scale of crime and deception from the Islamic Republic in Iran, and I came to detest its version of anti-imperialism and its suppression of women. I did not want to give up on my spirituality but I began to refine my version of being Muslim, starting with removing the hijab. Two young women walk the streets of Iran without burkas - Vahid Salemi When I moved back to London in 2020, to begin a PhD in philosophy at the London School of Economics, my own beliefs were strengthened by those I met. In the prayer room at the university, for instance, I was very pleased to find Muslims like me with no hair covering befriending women in the full burka, and bonding over their common interest in Islams spirituality. I understand why some find it offensive Now six years on since I first removed my hair covering I feel psychologically better. I have begun to think that although I had a happy childhood, I was perhaps brainwashed in some respects and probably missed out on exploring my feminine side and having a diverse social life. Now, I have chosen a version of being Muslim that is true to me, and to some extent I think I have inspired my own friends to do the same. As for the draining debate about the burka, I believe Muslim women wear it for all sorts of reasons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They may think it is part of a package of rules which is meant to strengthen their willpower and bring about a special type of spirituality. While I may think the rule is misogynistic, it does not imply that those who observe it are misogynists. But I also understand why some find it very offensive or dangerous. It is natural, perhaps evolutionary, to want to see someones face in order to connect. And obviously, wearing a burka highlights that the person is an immigrant, and we know many in the UK do not like immigration. Still, the decision to wear a burka or not must be decided by the women themselves. It is very paternalistic for a government to decide how a person might practise their religion. Also, should it be banned, the Muslim community would be enraged. This is what happened in Iran in 1936 (before the Islamic Republic took over in 1978). The Shah Reza Khan Pahlavi banned head coverings in a bid to modernise the country. But that violation has remained in peoples memories for generations. Despite the current hatred towards the Islamic Republic and mandatory hijab, people still rage for having their choice taken away. You have to remember, a ban does not just affect the one person wearing the burka. A large circle around that person will feel violated, regardless of whether they are Muslim or not. Also, even discussing such a ban can, I fear, cause a rise in Islamophobia. If you have a hidden tendency towards Islamophobia, and something public like this happens, it may only embolden you. Hopefully, however, nothing like this will happen. I have always felt there is something special about Britain in how it treats Muslims and religions in general, and in how diverse and liberal it is in this regard. I really hope it stays that way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As told to Gwyneth Rees 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. BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said on Wednesday the country needs to push ahead with measures under consideration in Congress to ensure the current growth cycle in Latin America's largest economy is sustainable. Haddad made his remarks during a hearing in the lower house of Congress after Speaker Hugo Motta said earlier on Wednesday the government's proposal to roll back a controversial tax hike on some financial transactions faces resistance from lawmakers. On Sunday, Haddad proposed offsetting the revenue loss from the scaled-back financial transactions tax with higher taxes on online betting, private credit instruments and financial institutions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We need to understand that presenting solutions focused on increasing revenue, without cutting spending, does not work," Motta added in a post on the X social media site. During his opening remarks at the hearing, Haddad noted that leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government is delivering average annual economic growth of 3%, but said it is necessary to "keep advancing with the economic measures being addressed to this House" to ensure the growth cycle continues. "There is no reason we can't continue to grow, but we must have the courage to face certain taboos," Haddad added. He also said the government has been expressing to Congress its concerns over certain spending trends, many of which are being honored by the Lula administration despite not having been initiated by it, such as rising expenditures related to the Fundeb education fund. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Haddad argued it is better to correct distortions in the current tax system than to simply raise tax rates. He also defended an income tax reform bill sent to Congress that proposes higher exemptions for the middle class and a boost in taxation of wealthier people. (Reporting by Marcela Ayres; Editing by Paul Simao) Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys visionary and fragile leader whose genius for melody, arrangements and wide-eyed self-expression inspired Good Vibrations, California Girls and other summertime anthems and made him one of the worlds most influential recording artists, has died at 82. OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA CIRCA 1987: Brian Wilson, along with the Beach Boys perform at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California on January 1, 1987 . (Photo by Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND AUGUST 25: Brian Wilson performs at Victorious Festival on Southsea Seafront on August 25, 2018 in Portsmouth, England. (Photo by Harry Herd/Redferns) INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA JUNE 09: Musician Brian Wilson, founding member of The Beach Boys, performs onstage at The Kia Forum on June 09, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA MAY 21: (L-R) Brian Wilson and Al Jardine attend the world premiere of Disney+ documentary The Beach Boys at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) Wilsons family posted news of his death to his website and social media accounts Wednesday. Further details werent immediately available. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The eldest and last surviving of three musical brothers Brian played bass, Carl lead guitar and Dennis drums he and his fellow Beach Boys rose in the 1960s from local California band to national hitmakers to international ambassadors of surf and sun. Wilson himself was celebrated for his gifts and pitied for his demons. He was one of rocks great romantics, a tormented man who in his peak years embarked on an ever-steeper path to aural perfection, the one true sound. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. As protests over mass deportations flared in Los Angeles in June 2025, conservative social media users circulated two photos of brick piles they claimed were strategically placed nearby to inflame violence. But the images do not show stacks set for the California protesters to hurl at police. One was lifted from an online marketplace, where a Malaysian hardware dealer uploaded it years ago, while the other was snapped near a construction site in New Jersey. "Soros funded organizations have ordered countless pallets of bricks to be placed near ICE facilities to be used by Democrat militants against ICE," says a June 7, 2025 Facebook post from David Harris Jr, a commentator supportive of US President Donald Trump whom AFP has previously fact-checked for spreading misinformation. Screenshot from Facebook taken June 11, 2025 The post references George Soros, a billionaire Democratic megadonor commonly targeted by right-wing and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. In another post shared June 8 on X, American actor James Woods, who has also repeatedly peddled misinformation, shared a photo of a different stack of masonry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Its not like these 'protests' are organized though," he wrote. Screenshot from X taken June 9, 2025 Similar claims citing either of the two images of bricks rocketed across social media platforms amid protests in Los Angeles that broke out June 6, triggered by immigration raids and arrests of what federal authorities say are undocumented migrants and gang members. Los Angeles officials have said the demonstrations were in large part peaceful but punctuated by scattered violence, including moments during which participants torched cars and law enforcement fired tear gas. The unrest continued to escalate over several days, with Trump clashing with California leaders as he bypassed the governor to deploy the state's National Guard to the city -- and active-duty US Marines. Other protests have also spread elsewhere in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local news outlets have reported that some of the protesters in Los Angeles have thrown objects at officers and police cruisers, including rocks and fireworks. But the two widely shared photos showing stacks of bricks are unrelated. Malaysian hardware dealer Reverse image searches traced the first image to a Malaysian hardware and construction dealer's page on Building Materials Online, a Malaysian online marketplace (archived here and here). Screenshot from buildingmaterials.com.my taken June 11, 2025 The distributor, Ng Lian Seng Hardware Trading, is based in the town of Jinjang, northwest of Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Reached by AFP, a worker at the dealer said the store took the picture and uploaded it to Build Materials Online more than eight years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Google Street View imagery appears to show matching pallets of bricks piled up at the location (archived here). Screenshot from Google Street View taken June 11, 2025, with elements outlined by AFP New Jersey construction The second photo can be geolocated using Google Street View to West New York, New Jersey (archived here). Screenshot from X taken June 9, 2025, with elements outlined by AFP Screenshot from Google Street View taken June 11, 2025, with elements outlined by AFP A journalist with the fact-checking website Lead Stories visited the location June 9 and photographed additional construction equipment they found stationed beside the same heap of bricks (archived here). They also observed scaffolding set up along a nearby building, where contractors appeared to be working on the exterior. A well-worn narrative Fearmongering narratives about piles of bricks have become a common trope among accounts that traffic in misinformation since the nationwide protests that followed the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, when images from construction sites were misrepresented in posts claiming authorities or left-wing groups were stashing bricks near planned demonstrations to foment violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Similar claims have resurfaced around prominent court trials, trucker convoys and the 2024 Democratic National Convention, where protesters demonstrated against Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza. "These days, it feels like every time there's a protest, the old clickbaity 'pallets of bricks' hoax shows up right on cue," said the Social Media Lab, a research center at Toronto Metropolitan University, in a June 9 post on Bluesky (archived here and here). "You know the one, photos or videos of bricks supposedly left out to encourage rioting. It's catnip for right-wing agitators and grifters," it added. AFP has debunked other misinformation about the Los Angeles protests here, here and here. Raevathi Supramaniam contributed to this report. SYDNEY, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Australian airline Qantas announced on Wednesday that it will close its intra-Asian subsidiary Jetstar Asia, citing rising costs and increased competition in the region. The Qantas Group said in a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) that the Singapore-based budget carrier will close by the end of July, eliminating around 500 jobs in the region. It said that due to rising supplier costs, high airport fees and intensified competition in the region, Jetstar Asia is expected to report an underlying loss of 35 million Australian dollars (22.7 million U.S. dollars) for the 2024-25 financial year. Vanessa Hudson, chief executive officer of the Qantas Group, said that Jetstar Asia has been a "pioneering force" in Asian aviation for over 20 years, making air travel accessible to millions of customers. "Despite their best efforts, we have seen some of Jetstar Asia's supplier costs increase by up to 200 percent, which has materially changed its cost base," she said. The closure will only affect the airline's intra-Asian routes from Singapore. Jetstar Airways will continue flying from Australia to Asian destinations. Hudson said Jetstar Asia's 13 mid-life A320 aircraft will be progressively redeployed to Australia and New Zealand, creating 100 local jobs and supporting the group's ongoing major fleet renewal. Jetstar Asia will continue to run flights on a progressively reduced schedule for the next seven weeks before its final grounding on July 31. The Qantas Group said that customers with bookings on cancelled flights will be offered full refunds and that the company will seek to find alternative flights. Credit: Metropolitan Police Footage has revealed the moment a Bridgerton actress fought off a prolific Algerian criminal who tried to steal her phone. Genevieve Chenneour turned to see Zacariah Boulares grab her device from the table behind her as she waited for her order at a Joe & The Juice coffee shop in Kensington, west London. The 27-year-old immediately put her hands up to block his exit with the help of another customer. As the other customer held Boulares down, Ms Chenneour grabbed her dropped phone from the floor and used it to hit him in the back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was left with concussion after Boulares retaliated, hitting and kicking the other customer who helped during the incident in February. Chenneour, who played Clara Livingston in the third season of the Netflix period drama, has thanked her fans for their support since the attack. Posting on Instagram, she wrote: Im okay and incredibly grateful he wont be able to harm anyone else. I am, however, finding it difficult to feel safe going out especially after being repeatedly threatened with being stabbed in the face. Genevieve Chenneour played Clara Livingston in Bridgerton - Instagram Boulares, who has 12 previous convictions relating to 28 offences, admitted stealing her phone and assaulting another customer when he appeared at Westminster magistrates court last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 18-year-old, who is an Algerian national, previously threatened to cut off Aled Joness arm with a machete unless he handed over his 17,000 Rolex watch. He then threatened to behead the BBC Songs of Praise presenter if he continued to follow him after the robbery in July 2023. Boulares had also previously stolen a Rolex worth 20,000 from a 78-year-old man at Paddington station in west London. He was put in youth detention as a result, but released after 14 months of his 24-month sentence. In addition to the phone theft and assault, Boulares pleaded guilty to another theft after he stole a black leather bag from a customer at a pizza restaurant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on June 17. 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. BRISTOL, Conn. (WTNH) A man allegedly tried to hide crack cocaine in the passenger compartment of a police cruiser during a narcotics arrest, according to police. Jorge Freytas, 40, of Bristol, was charged with possession of narcotics with intent to sell. Former Connecticut police officer charged with DUI in Florida Police said they initially stopped Freytas on June 2 while conducting surveillance for narcotics activity. They said he had a large quantity of crack cocaine and cash. Four days later, authorities said they saw a man, later identified as Freytas, on a moped engaging in narcotics transactions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police placed Freytas in a cruiser and said he removed a large quantity of crack cocaine from his pants and tried to hide it in the passenger compartment. Authorities said they seized around 30 grams of crack cocaine and nearly $6,300 in cash, believed to be from selling drugs. He is scheduled to appear in New Britain Court. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) The Bristol, Virginia City Council voted on a first reading Tuesday to approve an ordinance for a one-time 1.5% bonus for all city employees and officers. City Manager and Attorney Randall Eads said during Tuesday nights council meeting that the bonus is intended to make up for city workers who didnt qualify for a 3% raise recently approved by the Commonwealth. Eads said only employees who are included in payroll plans by the Virginia Compensation Board qualify for the pay raise. He said that he thinks around five city employees salaries are not grouped in funding plans by the Virginia Compensation Board. Rather, theyre paid outright by the city and wouldnt qualify for the 3% raise all other city employees are receiving. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The one-and-a-half percent bonus would be based on each employees salary as of June 30, for comp board employees and not. Eads said the staffwide bonus would go to around 340 employees, costing the city $220,000. He added money will come from the current FY-25 positive variance money from the local lodging tax. The ordinances first reading was approved 3-1, with Councilman Michael Pollard voting no. The ordinances second reading takes place on June 24. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. This week, as the Chancellor announces the Governments latest spending review, we are bracing for cuts across the board. In tough times, difficult choices must be made. At such a moment it is important to remember that the numbers in the spreadsheets are not simply economic abstractions, and that some cuts can cost more than they save. World Environment Day is an excellent moment to remember that green spaces are a case in point. They are one of the most powerful and under-appreciated tools for improving public health and fostering social cohesion while sustaining wildlife. The truth is that local parks are delivering huge value and can contribute so much more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Green spaces, parks and playing fields are frontline services for the wellbeing of our communities. They are where we exercise, connect with others, improve our mental health and, crucially, where connect with Nature. At a time of rising isolation and disconnection with the natural world, these places matter more than ever. But they are vanishing. In the last ten years, more than 800 parks and playgrounds have closed across the UK. In many communities, especially those already suffering the effects of inequality, access to safe, high-quality outdoor spaces has become a postcode lottery. Seventy per cent of children in low-income areas dont meet the recommended daily exercise levels. One in five young people now face an actual or probable mental health disorder. Were seeing the consequences in our health service. Lack of physical activity and limited access to nature are directly linked to long-term conditions, ranging from obesity and Type 2 diabetes to anxiety and depression. We are spending a fortune in fixing problems which could in part be prevented at much lower cost. Regular use of parks and green spaces generates over 34 billion in health and wellbeing benefits each year. At a time when the Health Service is under extraordinary pressure, investing in green spaces is not a nice to have. It is a preventive public health policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the benefits of green space are not just physical or economic; they are emotional and deeply formative. As someone who has spent my life seeking ways to sustain Nature, I know how critical early experiences are in shaping our relationship with the natural world. My own love of Nature wasnt sparked in some distant wilderness, but in the green areas close to home: wonderful patches of wild brownfield scrub, local fields, and neighbourhood parks. These everyday encounters with Nature werent spectacular, but they were profound. You cant foster a love of the natural world through screens or textbooks alone. It must be felt, seen, heard. That spark happens outdoors. Every child deserves that spark. Yet today, far too many children grow up without ever hearing birdsong or walking beneath a canopy of trees. Girls, ethnic minorities, and families in deprived communities face the greatest barriers to experiencing the simple, profound benefits of nature. That is not just a social failing. It is a moral one. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Green spaces are where future conservationists are born. When children climb trees, build dens, or simply lie on the grass and look up at the sky, theyre doing more than playing. Theyre forming bonds with Nature that can last a lifetime. That sense of care and wonder is what leads people to protect and preserve the wild as they grow up. Our future depends on it. This year marks the centenary of Fields in Trust, a charity that has spent 100 years quietly protecting more than 3,000 green spaces across the UK. It is a remarkable achievement, but there is still so much more to do. Fields in Trust believes that everyone should live close to a protected park. As we face the overlapping challenges of poor public health, rapid urbanisation, and the climate and Nature emergencies, that vision has never been more important. Yet green spaces continue to be at risk, and once lost they are rarely replaced. Parks are places of healing. Places where children run, families connect, and communities thrive. They are one of the few remaining spaces where people of all ages and backgrounds naturally mix. We must reframe access to quality green spaces, including wilder ones, as a right, not a privilege. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We stand at a crossroads. If we want to create a future where our worlds living systems are restored and thriving, we must begin by protecting Nature on our doorsteps. The next generation of conservationists and environmental stewards wont appear by magic. They will emerge from the children and families who had the chance to explore, love and connect with nature today. Tony Juniper CBE, Environmentalist and Ambassador for Fields In Trust 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. LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a phone call with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, agreed that a deal on the status of Gibraltar unlocked the opportunity for both countries to advance bilateral relationship, Starmer's office said on Wednesday. "Prime Minister Sanchez congratulated the Prime Minister on his leadership," a Downing Street spokesperson said. "Both leaders also agreed that this development unlocks huge opportunity to advance the bilateral relationship between the UK and Spain, on behalf of the British and Spanish people." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Starmer also spoke to Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo, the spokesperson said, adding that they both agreed the agreement would allow them to "plan for the long-term while protecting British sovereignty." (Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Leslie Adler) Around 25% of West Virginians live without access to high-speed internet. (Trumzz | Getty Images) In the heart of West Virginias rural landscape, the promise of new job opportunities through online training is overshadowed by a glaring problem: a lack of reliable broadband access. For residents like Dee and Bobby, this digital divide isnt just an inconvenience; its a barrier to building better lives and a more prosperous future. Dee, in Wyoming County, is trying to restart her life after battling addiction and losing custody of her children. Last month, she enrolled in an online training program that promised to prepare her for a remote customer service job. Such jobs could be a lifeline in rural counties like hers, where traditional employment is scarce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Dee immediately hit a roadblock. Her home internet failed to meet the minimum speed requirements for a remote interview, let alone sustained remote work. Her hopes faded because of infrastructure deficiencies outside her control. Despite her resolve, her ability to secure a sustainable livelihood and rebuild her family remains on hold. Bobby, a resident of a remote holler in Putnam County, has a similar story. He enrolled in an Adult Collegiate Education program to become an HVAC technician, aiming to increase his earning potential. But when winter weather made it unsafe to drive out of the holler, he lacked the internet access needed to keep up with coursework. Like many in rural communities without broadband, Bobby isnt being held back by a lack of ambition or ability, but by the absence of a basic prerequisite most Americans take for granted. These stories arent isolated. They represent the daily struggles of the 25% of West Virginians who live without access to high-speed internet. Nationwide, the digital divide still affects more than 14 million people, mostly in rural and low-income areas. But the gap is particularly stubborn in West Virginia, where rugged terrain and sparse populations make traditional broadband expansion more expensive, and where broadband buildouts have too often stalled due to bureaucratic delays. The situation is worsening. Communities can no longer count on promised funding from federal initiatives like the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program to materialize on time or to support the most effective technologies. Meanwhile, deployment delays continue as providers and utilities argue over who will pay to replace aging poles. These fights have little to do with the lives at stake. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But this doesnt have to be the end of the story. In McKee, Kentucky, a town tucked into the Appalachian Mountains like many in West Virginia, a nonprofit called the Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative (PRTC) has shown whats possible. With support from federal funds, local investment, and a clear community mandate, PRTC has built and maintained a fiber broadband network that now offers above-average speeds. The project connected residents not just to the internet, but to jobs. More than 600 work-from-home positions have been created in partnership with job-training nonprofits, and the region has seen its unemployment rate drop by an astonishing five percentage points. This model works because it is rooted in local ownership and accountability. It treats broadband not as a speculative venture for private profit but as public infrastructure, no less vital than roads or electricity. It also aligns broadband access with workforce development from the start, ensuring people are trained for the very jobs that connectivity unlocks. West Virginia can replicate this success. Local organizations must be empowered and funded to close broadband gaps, while aligning closely with job-training providers to meet community needs. Strategic investment in community-based broadband cooperatives, especially those leveraging fiber, can create jobs in installation, maintenance, and the digital economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Broadband access is not a luxury. It is the foundation for economic mobility in the 21st century. Without it, education, career advancement, health care and entrepreneurship are out of reach. And without those, rural residents remain locked in cycles of poverty and dependence, no matter how hard they work. If were serious about creating real economic opportunity in West Virginia, we must stop waiting for ideal conditions and start investing in real solutions. That means prioritizing broadband expansion as a matter of economic justice. Until people like Dee and Bobby have a fair shot at success, none of us should be satisfied. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX NEW YORK (PIX11) Mandatory broker fees are banned in New York City as of Wednesday. The Fare Act, approved by the City Council last year, has taken effect. The bill automatically became law after Mayor Eric Adams declined to sign it within 30 days of it passing the City Council. More Local News Supporters said it would provide serious financial relief for renters. Under the previous law, tenants were often forced to pay broker fees even when the broker was hired by the landlord. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The expenses totaled as much as 15% of their rent for the year. The new law also requires all fees to be disclosed in a rentals public listing. 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. Governor Ron DeSantis visited Jacksonville Tuesday, where he signed off on five new state laws, including one with deep ties to Jacksonville. The governor finalized Brookes Law (HB 1161), which lays out a process so that victims of unauthorized AI-generated pornography can force social media companies to remove the content. Those that dont comply may be subject to lawsuits. These are people that are manipulating this stuff, but they can do it so well that a lot of people think this is authentic, said the governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] The law was inspired by the struggles of Former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Currys daughter, Brooke, who was the victim of a deep fake crime. When Brooke was just 16 years old, she learned a total stranger had created fake nude images using her face and posted them to Snapchat. This led to years of heartache and pain. It was a lot of emotions at once, said Brooke. I was scared, I was mad. I was confused. Brooke quickly learned that there was no sure way to get the images taken down. Thats when she began speaking out and calling for change. With this new law, Brooke hopes to give a voice to others who may have been victimized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I hope that it encourages people to come and speak out because Ive had so many people in the past few months saying they didnt know what to do, so they didnt do anything. They didnt reach out, they didnt speak out about what they went through. Social media platforms will have until the end of this year to establish a process for victims to petition for the removal of deep fake content. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, Brooklyn (PIX11) A New York native and Brooklyn-based teacher was honored on the national stage this week. Gary Edwin Robinson, head of the Theatre Arts Program at Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, was presented with the Excellence in Theatre Education Award at the Tony Awards ceremony on Sunday. More Local News Robinson made history as the first New York teacher to be awarded the honor at the 78th annual event, presented jointly with Carnegie Mellon University. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im getting an award for going to work and enjoying what I do. I love it, Robinson said backstage at the Tony Awards on Sunday. The Queens native got his start tap dancing at 8 years old with his dance teacher Gloria Jackson, who he attributes to igniting his love of theatre. Robinson went on to study music at Intermediate School 59 and Andrew Jackson High School in Queens before going on to join the Dance Theatre of Harlem chorus. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State While studying under his teacher Arthur Mitchell in Harlem, Robinson chose to pursue vocalist/theatre performance and later went on to study theatre education at Howard University. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am charged with the fact that Im teaching theatre and I love theatre. Thats what gets me ticking, tocking, thats the love, Robinson told Carnegie Mellon University. Robinsons honor at the 2025 Tony Awards comes after he previously received an honorable mention in the education category in 2023. The Excellence in Theatre Education Award honors one educator in the United States every year who demonstrates exceptional commitment, innovation, and impact on students lives through theatre education. Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found 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. The brother of a disabled Canadian man is pleading with his hospital which pushed euthanasia and cut off food and water nearly one month ago to stop him from dying in front of you. Instead of helping, The Dallas Express has learned, hospital officials told his brother to stop contacting them. Your patient is dying in front of you and you are silent you have all the power, my brother does not, wrote Robert Foley, the brother of disabled patient Roger Foley, in an email to staff at the London Health Sciences Centre obtained by The Dallas Express. Youre a doctor, you are supposed to save lives not stand by to watch death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roger Foley has spinocerebellar ataxia a disability that makes movement extremely difficult so he requires a medical lift for daily tasks like eating, drinking, and medication. He has been in the hospital at LHSC for close to nine years, fighting to obtain self-directed funding for in-home care. The hospital repeatedly pushed euthanasia on Foley and recently began bringing up suicide almost constantly, as The Dallas Express reported at the time. In early May, officials also cut off his access to food and water since he would not agree to bright lights, which he says aggravate his neurological symptoms. Since then, he has been surviving on an IV. Begging For Care Now, Rogers brother Robert is pleading with the hospital to save his life. Robert wrote hospital officials in a June 4 email, obtained by The Dallas Express, warning that he is going to die. An official responded the next day, calling his concerns inappropriate and inflammatory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My brother is going to die and I need you to stop that from happening, youre a doctor that is what you are supposed to do, Robert wrote June 4. It has been almost a month that he has not eaten, his health is weak, he needs you to save his life, I need you to save his life, please, please, dont let my brother die because of hospital admissions that care more about margins then [sic] peoples lives. Robert asked staff to restore Rogers previous dimmer lightingwhich had been in place for multiple yearsso he could eat, drink, and take medication. Please why cant you tell the hospital to bring back the lighting like it was before for years until they can update the lights, instead of doing what they are doing now that is killing my brother, Robert wrote in the email. A hospital official replied to Roberts email on June 5 and said, We appreciate your concern for your brothers well-being, but told him to stop contacting the hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Your repeated emails to the hospital, its employees, and physicians, are inappropriate and inflammatory. They will not receive a response, the official wrote. The hospital and care team remain dedicated to addressing patient medical needs and will communicate through appropriate channels in that regard. The official said, Those involved in [Rogers] care will communicate with him directly as necessary, and told Robert he could only contact the hospitals patient relations division. Otherwise, you should not be communicating with LHSC personnel via email. Hospital staff offered to give Foley care with bright lights, which he says he cannot tolerate. When he objected to the lights but asked for care, they insisted he was refusing care and withheld treatment, according to recordings previously obtained by The Dallas Express. Foleys brother Robert told The Dallas Express he thinks the hospital is pushing bright lights to make his situation untenable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They always walk into the room and theyre just like, Hey Roger, do you want to do your routine? Hes like, Well, are you going to meet the lighting conditions as per my care plan? Its silence, according to Robert. They just keep on saying, Well, is that a no? Because they want him to say that hes saying no. He doesnt have the power, they do. Roger provided a video to The Dallas Express from his hospital room showing an alternate, dimmer lighting setup he says would be tolerable. However, the hospital refuses to consider it. The Dallas Express reached out to LHSC for comment but did not hear back in time for publication. Roger also told The Dallas Express his IV recently went interstitial, which is when an IV leaks beyond a vein and seeps into the surrounding tissue. He sent a picture of his arm, which appears red and swollen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robert expressed concern about this in the email to hospital staff, and said he worries they will let Roger die. Roger Foley previously told The Dallas Express he fears for his life. Efficiency Over Compassion Hospital staff pressured Foley to accept euthanasia multiple times from 2016 to 2018, and against his wishes, they recently began bringing up suicide. Robert said his brothers situation resembles that of other patients pressured to accept euthanasia also termed Medical Assistance in Dying, or MAID. Youll hear similar lines like that every time, Robert said. They create a situation that makes these people feel like theres no hope, that they cant get the care. But then theyre told that theyre the problem, and then they make them feel like theyre the problem. So then they take MAID. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Canadian hospitals use MAID as a cost-saving measure, which leads them to treat patients like paperwork. A recent article in the Canadian outlet The London Free Press labeled Roger a bed blocker. Everybodys like, This will free the bed, Robert said. Hes not blocking the bed, theyre blocking his care. Robert said his brother Roger has been stuck for years in the countrys stretched-thin medical system. Universal health care can be a very great thing for a population, but the problem is when governments are not responsible with finances, and then the system gets stretched, the employees get stretched, Robert said. A lot of the empathy and humanity that used to be in our health system, that I remember when I was a kid, has been buried by legalities and cost-saving measures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Canadian politicians often advocate measures to add or clear hospital beds, but Robert said this simply marginalizes vulnerable patients. Its not to give them a better quality of life its to push them in a corner and kill them with silence, Robert said. Its not, Lets do our moral duty and actually give them the quality of life they deserve. Its always to silence them, and its incredibly frustrating. Alex Schadenburg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, told The Dallas Express he thinks it is the greatest injustice to deny Foley lighting alternatives. He also said the recent suicide discussions were almost abusive. They are not providing him the services he needs though he has his room, and hes getting basic, basic, basic care, Schadenburg said, citing Foleys IV. He gets some very basic, minor nutrition because its a sugar mixture they give you through that feeding tube, but its not going to keep him alive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the hospital could force Foley out, but it would be difficult because he requires such a high level of care. He said Foley is trapped in bureaucratic craziness. Youre talking about a hospital system that literally has billions of dollars, Schadenburg said. Fighting For Funding Roger Foley is representing himself in litigation against the hospital, seeking funding for self-directed home care. Michael Alexander, an attorney who provides advice to Foley, told The Dallas Express the hospital could place him in the ICU. He said Foley fears this could potentially end in his demise. In light of their overall conduct of the past two months, Alexander said, Im concerned that this is part of the plan, to get him to the ICU and move him toward that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Foley currently has several options going forward: He could remain in the hospital, transfer to a long-term care facility, obtain self-directed care, or return to a home care agency like where he was before. Alexander said a long-term care facility would have a lower standard of care, and Foley doesnt want to return to a home care agency due to poor treatment in the past, which made him suicidal. So Foley has been fighting to obtain self-directed funding for in-home care, which would allow him to hire and direct his own caretakers. He was previously denied the self-directed funding program, but Alexander said he can fully direct his own employees. Whats amazing about this is, in spite of his condition, his mental acuity is a very, very high level, Alexander said. He wants to succeed in his lawsuit so that he has the funds to get the care that he deserves at home. Schadenburg said while the country has universal healthcare, there are multi-prongs to that healthcare. Part of this is stupid or crazy, Schadenburg said. The cost of keeping him in the hospital is so much greater than the cost of sending him home and giving him self-directed care, where he gets, then, a budget of money that he spends on his employees, and they provide his care. Thats just so much cheaper. Robert and Alexander echoed similar points. Despite Canadas universal healthcare, hospitals in Ontario are allowed to charge patients in certain situations. As The Federalist previously reported, LHSC wrongfully charged Foley more than $1.55 million for inpatient care, which it dismissed in October 2023. This left Foley with a bill of more than $461,200. Schadenburg said the costs of long-term patients go beyond dollars they make doctors cancel surgeries due to a lack of space. This is another cost, and they really should just simply agree to send them home with self-directed care, he said. Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canadas Conservative Party, mentioned Foleys situation in the House of Commons in 2020. Dear @PierrePoilievre, On December 10, 2020, you spoke about me in the House of Commons with apparent concern. Years later, Im still suffering, now forcibly starved and abused by the hospital for my eye disabilities. Do you still care? [Video clip attached] pic.twitter.com/GqqSaaCqvh Roger Foley (@rogerfoley) May 30, 2025 Robert Foley said Poilievre simply used his brother as a talking point. Well, my brothers still there My brother is a human life. Robert also said he is disappointed and frustrated and angry with the hospitals lack of willingness to work with him and Roger. As a family member, you ask them, Why cant you just help my brother, and treat him with respect? It is difficult to comment seriously on what is happening in Armenia right now. Nikol Pashinyan has literally posted recruitment vacancies for a Crusader squad on the internet. In all seriousness, Vovaevich is collecting resumes from those who want to help him remove Catholicos Garegin II. It is unclear exactly how many candidates there are so far, but its clear that the more, the better for Pashinyan. He wont be able to displace the Catholicos with just a group of five people. Meanwhile, Garegin himself returned to Yerevan from the UAE in the middle of the night, where he had been flagrantly violating his vow of celibacy while worrying about the fate of his homeland. It is expected that he will start gathering supporters soon. It looks like Armenia may become the first country in the world to experience a religious civil war. TASHKENT, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation, the press service of the Uzbek president said Wednesday. The parties discussed further strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance between Uzbekistan and Russia, as well as expanding multifaceted cooperation in the context of implementing the agreements reached during high-level meetings. The press service said that special attention was given to the adoption of coordinated measures aimed at maintaining the momentum of mutual trade and supporting industrial cooperation projects. The importance of continuing active exchanges and practical cooperation at the regional level between the two countries was emphasized, it said. Both sides also expressed deep satisfaction with the rich cultural programs regularly held in Uzbekistan and Russia. The brother of retired liberal Justice Stephen Breyer was assigned Tuesday to preside over the lawsuit that Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom brought against the Trump administration in California this week. Judge Charles Breyer, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, is set to oversee the case, which alleges President Donald Trump deprived California of its sovereignty by federalizing thousands of National Guard soldiers in response to anti-immigration enforcement protests and riots in Los Angeles County. Breyer is the younger brother of Stephen Breyer, who was appointed by Clinton to the high court and served on the bench for nearly three decades beginning in 1994. Stephen Breyer's retirement led to former President Joe Biden replacing him with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Charles Breyer, who serves on the federal bench in the Northern District of California, will oversee a lawsuit that pits Newsom, one of the country's most prominent Democrats and a possible 2028 presidential contender, against Trump. California To Sue Trump, Hegseth Over National Guard Deployment Amid Anti-ice Riots California Governor Gavin Newsom (R) speaks as California Attorney General Rob Bonta looks on during a news conference at Gemperle Orchard on Apr. 16, 2025, in Ceres, California. Newsom alleged in the lawsuit that Trump made an "unprecedented power grab" by mobilizing the National Guard in his state, a highly unusual move for a president to do without the consent of the governor. Read On The Fox News App Trump has said the move was necessary to protect ICE personnel and federal buildings as some protesters engaged in unlawful assembly and pelted law enforcement with concrete bottles and other hard objects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the National Guard proclamation, more unrest broke out in parts of the county involving rioters setting fire to several self-driving cars and looting some stores. Newsom alleged Trump's decision to send in the military spurred more chaos. National Guard Deploys To Los Angeles As Violent Anti-ice Riots Rock The City A protester waves the Mexican flag in front of a burning Waymo vehicle during an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on Jun. 8, 2025. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer holds up a copy of the United States Constitution as he announces his retirement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) Federal court cases in the Northern District of California are assigned by the Clerk of the Court "blindly and at random" through an automated system, according to the court's website. Fox News Digital reached out to Charles Breyer's chambers for comment on his assignment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The news of Charles Breyer presiding over the case comes as some Republicans have floated the theory that Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., secretly took on Trump cases to sabotage them in favor of plaintiffs. Boasberg directly addressed the claims during a court hearing, saying his assignments, like most others in the court, were randomly assigned by a computer. Original article source: Brother of liberal Supreme Court justice to decide Newsom's National Guard lawsuit against Trump Jun. 11AUGUSTA David Costello announced Wednesday that he will seek the Democratic nomination to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins next year. Costello, who ran unsuccessfully last year as a Democrat against independent Gov. Angus King, said he's running to "end the Trump Administration's and Republican Congress's reckless assault on our democracy, environment, and economy." "Senator Collins, aside from expressing concern, has done little to prevent the Trump Administration and her Republican colleagues from undermining our economy, our critical government programs, and our nation's long-standing defense of democracy against authoritarianism and aggression," Costello said in a written statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Collins chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and has used her influence to push back and in some cases reverse unilateral funding and program cuts by the Trump administration, which she has described as "illegal," since it's being done without congressional approval. Collins also has a split record on Trump's most controversial Cabinet members. She voted against Pete Hegseth as defense secretary and Kash Patel as FBI director, but supported Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence and vaccine-opponent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Democrats believe Collins is vulnerable this year. She's the only Republican running in a state won by Vice President Kamala Harris won in November. But recent polling has shown her approval rating on the rise, and Collins has defied the odds before. The 65-year-old Brunswick resident is the third Democrat to formally declare against Collins, who is seeking a sixth, six-year term in the Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jordan Wood, a 35-year-old Bristol resident, declared his candidacy in April and has been holding town hall events across the state. Wood is a former chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., and founder of democracyFIRST, a Democratic Super PAC. Natasha Alcala has also declared a run. She also filed paperwork to challenge King last year, but never qualified for the ballot. Gov. Janet Mills, meanwhile, has been facing pressure from national party leaders to take on Collins, especially after her high-profile clash with President Trump at the White House over transgender student athletes, which has been used to raise money. Mills says she's neither planning to run, nor has she ruled it out. And House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, is also considering a run, though he is currently trying to wrap up the legislative session, which is scheduled to end next Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other candidates who have filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission include independent Phillip Rench and Republicans Carmen Calabrese and Daniel Smeriglio. Costello has decades of experience in government, but his candidacy against King, who routinely tops the polls as Maine's most popular politician, never caught traction with Democrats. Costello placed third with about 11% of the vote, behind King, who received 52%, and Republican Demi Kouzounas, who received 36%. "In 2024, I campaigned to strengthen our democracy and bolster the federal government's ability to address such pressing challenges as climate change, lack of affordable housing and health care, economic inequality, and insufficient retirement security," he said. "These are challenges the Trump administration and Sen. Collins and her Republican colleagues are either ignoring, or worse yet, exacerbating." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a news release, Costello said his work experience includes having held a high-level position at US AID, where he managed foreign aid in Cambodia, Haiti, Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo. He has also worked as a senior aide to the Maine secretary of state, the mayor of Baltimore and the governor of Maryland, as well as deputy and acting secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment. Copy the Story Link YEONCHEON, South Korea (Reuters) - K-pop group BTS' members Jimin and Jungkook were discharged from the South Korean military on Wednesday, the fifth and sixth to complete the country's mandatory service amid expectations of the band's comeback from a hiatus. The seven-member group put their global music career on hold in 2022 to begin their service starting with Jin in December that year, each serving duties of varying lengths as long as 18 months. Members RM and V were discharged on Tuesday and the last to wrap up his service will be Suga on June 21. Fans from around the world have flown to South Korea to welcome the return of the stars this week. (Reporting by Daewoung Kim, Jack Kim; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) (KRON) The widow of a gunman who was killed in a police shootout in South San Francisco had her home burglarized and her car stolen in the days following the incident, according to the San Mateo County District Attorneys Office. After the death of Brian Montana, who was killed in a standoff with the South San Francisco Police Department on April 28, his wife traveled out of town, the DAs office said. Upon her return on May 2, it was discovered that her home had been burglarized and her car was missing. Investigators learned that neighbors had seen a man on the morning of May 2 moving items between the house and the car, but did not report it because they thought it was a family friend due to his casual demeanor, according to the DAs office. The stranger, prosecutors allege, was Richard Vaka, 36, of Newark. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Victim dies after Bayfront Park attack, DA seeks additional charges The total approximate value of property stolen from the home was $15,000. A credit card that was stolen from the residence was used at Lucky Chances Casino in Colma and a gas station later on May 2, the DAs office said. Surveillance video from the casino showed a second suspect using the card, identified as Norman DeOcampo Desumala, 43, of Fremont, according to prosecutors. The card had allegedly been embossed with Desumalas name. The stolen vehicle was spotted on May 6 by Alameda County Sheriffs Office deputies and stopped. Both suspects were inside the car, the DAs office said, which also still contained some of Montanas stolen property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A search of Vakas phone allegedly uncovered photographs of an item stolen from Montanas residence and Google searches of the victims address and a news story about the fatal police shooting. Vaka pleaded not guilty Tuesday to first-degree residential burglary, grand theft of personal property and driving or taking a vehicle without consent. The court released Vaka on supervised own recognizance after the DAs motion to set bail at $50,000 was denied. His next court date is July 28. Desumala is wanted on a $75,000 arrest warrant. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Burglars who broke into rapper Macklemores Seattle residence while his three children were home maced his nanny during the home invasion, according to authorities. Its unclear whether the wife of the 41-year-old Thrift Shop rapper, real name Benjamin Haggerty, was present when a Seattle Police Department blotter says thousands of dollars of items were stolen from the $2.1 million home around 1 a.m. local time Saturday. TMZ reports Macklemore was performing in Ireland at the time. A police report says Macklemores kids were unharmed and put in the care of relatives, per a police report viewed by The Seattle Times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The nanny, whose name has not been released, was the one to call in the robbery from a neighbors house after she escaped, according to the report. TMZ published home security footage of her banging on a neighbors door and crying for help. Though the robbers were wearing vests that appeared tactical in nature, firearms were not mentioned in the report, nor did the nanny see any. The report states that the nanny had just put the children to bed when she saw two men entering the home from the patio. One of the intruders used bear mace spray on her before trying to clean it from her eyes for some explainable reason. Police say the other robber demanded she show them to the jewels, so the nanny took the men to the valuables, after which they grabbed her phone and shoved her to the ground. A Seattle man was charged last week with burglarizing the homes of Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez and former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman as well as two other area athletes. Its unclear whether theres any connection to the incident at Macklemores home. PARSONS, Kan. Police in southeast Kansas say they arrested a man who burglarized a residence earlier in the week, and say that same man tried to kidnap an infant from a local hospital earlier this year. Parsons Police arrested Eric Francis Matthews, 32, on Tuesday in connection to an aggravated burglary reported the day before in the 2700 block of Grand. The homeowner said Matthews broke into his home, confronted a 13-year-old boy, and stole $80 before fleeing the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parsons police say Matthews briefly resisted arrest but was taken into custody without injury. According to a news release, police say when they searched Matthews residence they uncovered methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, pills, marijuana plants, and drug paraphernalia. All evidence will be tested by the KBI crime lab as the investigation continues. In February, PPD says Matthews was caught by Labette Health security guards, attempting to leave the hospital with a one-day-old baby. They say Matthews did not have permission to take the baby. Matthews remains in custody pending formal charges by the Labette County Attorneys Office. He was never charged in the kidnapping 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 KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson joins dozens of other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against 23andMe as it plans to sell off its assets. Chief Business Correspondent Taylor Young explains how the fallout could impact the broader DNA testing 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 Queen City News. CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) The United Nations is calling for urgent action after new data links the falling birthrate to the rising cost of living. Chief Business Correspondent Taylor Young details a new report showing how financial constraints are playing a major role. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) Businesses in Abilene are preparing for the Childrens Art and Literacy Festival (CALF). CALF adjusts plans amid Cypress Street construction Every year, CALF, as it is often referred to, strives to bring interactive and educational experiences to children all over the Big Country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For three days, the festival is held downtown in Abilenes Cultural District, where thousands of children and parents fill the streets to take part in dozens of events, readings, and activities. Even though weather can impact some events, The Grace Museums Director of Education, Kathryn Mitchell, says they make plans to adapt to any weather. We are preparing a lot for if we have any kind of rain this year, so we have all kinds of tents prepared for the rain. Dont let that hold you back. If you want to come on Friday, come on that day, even if it looks like rain. Were also preparing with the street closures. So weve got ways that you can get around The Grace thats still very mobile. Arlene Kasselman, the owner of the bookstore Seven and One Books, discussed her preparation plans for CALF with KTAB/KRBC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are super prepared for CALF and have restocked our kids books. We are standing by nonfiction now and science comics. All those fun things, weve got picture books, in fact, weve got some of Matt Phelans. We try not to stock too many because we want to support the NCCIL with their work, shared Kasselman. The Childrens Art and Literacy Festival is this Thursday, June 12, through Saturday, June 14. With a fourth day held on Sunday CALF at the Zoo! Featuring story readings and animal encounters. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. PROVIDENCE Hundreds of Butler Hospital workers are entering their fourth week on strike, as negotiations between the union and the psychiatric hospitals management appear stuck at an impasse. Members said the unions core demand for higher wages trickles into solving other issues, which include staffing shortages that fuel workplace violence incidents. Leaders in the union representing more than 800 frontline staff at the hospital, Service Employees International Union 1199NE, have said they will not concede until the hospital agrees to a fair contract. In addition to a daily crowd picketing outside the hospital from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., the striking workers have initiated rallies at the Rhode Island State House and a 2-mile march to the headquarters of the hospitals parent company, Care New England. On June 9, the union hosted a candlelit vigil supported by several local faith organizations and invited members of the public to reflect on how Butler Hospital workers had touched their lives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think the strike isnt just about what were fighting for here, said Dawn Williams, a nurse in one of the intensive care units. Its a movement about bringing everybody up in Rhode Island. I think other Rhode Island hospitals and employees are looking at this to set the tone and the expectation that enough is enough. Workers need to be treated fairly, and this is a hospital, not a business. Supporters of the striking Butler Hospital workers hold a candlelit vigil on June 9. How did the Butler strike start? The previous union contract expired on March 31, and following more than two months of unsuccessful contract negotiations, the union voted to strike. For the last several months, the hospital has remained committed to reaching a fair agreement that supports our dedicated caregivers by offering meaningful improvements in staffing, safety, wages, benefits, and retirement security, Butler Hospitals president, Mary Marran, said in a statement. We have repeatedly sought creative pathways to resolve these critical issues in ways that do not compromise the Hospitals financial sustainability. Unfortunately, the union seems more focused on ways to prolong the strike than on collaborating at the table to reach a resolution. Faith leaders attend vigil supporting the strikers At the vigil, hundreds of people gathered on Blackstone Boulevard at sunset to hear from community leaders, former employees and people who had either been admitted to Butler Hospital as patients or had family members who were. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You, the workers, dont deserve to be divided and extorted. You deserve to be honored and paid a fair wage, said Barry Dolinger, president of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island. You care for the most needy in society, but who cares for you? We do. Dolinger has been visiting the picket line to offer spiritual support to workers. Faith leaders from St. Martins Episcopal Church and Temple Beth-El also voiced their solidarity. Mary-Catherine Duffy, a social service clinician at Butler Hospital, spoke about her lifelong relationship with the institution where her mother first began receiving mental health treatment when Duffy was 3 years old. Butler has been a lifeline for us when things have gotten really tough and I wasnt able to keep my mother safe, she said. Its been a lifeline for so many people, so I think the community has been really rallying behind us. What are both sides asking for? Butler Hospital leaders met with a roughly 40-person union bargaining committee the last week of May and again the first week of June, utilizing federal mediators. The sessions stretched up to 11 hours in length and, according to Williams, much of that time was spent discussing amendments among themselves for each party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are the key disagreements from the latest session on June 5: The hospitals June 5 proposal featured lower raises and Health Savings Account contribution rates than the hospital's previous offer from May 7 what it described as its last, best and final offer. Williams contended that a few hundred union members at the lowest income level dont even come close to earning a living wage, and if the hospital only offers higher pay in conjunction with reduced health care benefits, it nullifies any progress. Butler Hospitals starting hourly rates are $18.27 for mental health workers, $18.64 for certified nursing assistants and $15.53 for service and maintenance staff. We have modified our proposals time and time again. We have tried very hard to meet them where theyre at, and they havent done any movement towards where were at, she said. They have the money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Providence Business News, Care New England earned $3.4 million in profit in the first quarter of 2025. Butler is moving to permanently replace striking workers Ahead of the strike, hospital management arranged to hire temporary workers, but on June 3, they announced plans to hire permanent replacements for the striking workers. As of mid-May, the hospital had spent more than $3 million on temporary workers. Following the announcement, Butler Hospital posted over 400 job openings online. Some experts anticipate that the hospital will have trouble filling those roles, given the states health care worker shortage and the higher salary opportunities available in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Striking employees who have been permanently replaced will not return to work once the strike ends," Marran said in a statement. Instead, those employees will be placed on a preferential hire list and will be able to return once a position becomes available. As we have said throughout this entire process, we welcome employees back to work at any time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marran also stated that some striking workers have already returned to work, without disclosing the number. The hospital did not respond to The Providence Journals request for that figure. The union filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the hospital in May, alleging that management refused to bargain in good faith. If the National Labor Relations Board rules in the unions favor, the hospital will be required to reinstate all members on strike; however, it could be months before a decision is made. On May 31, the hospital terminated striking workers health care benefits, and since then many have enrolled in programs through HealthSource RI. Union members have said that because of their current lack of income, theyve been able to receive free health insurance, but even while they were working, many of them were eligible for low-cost plans through Rhode Islands health insurance marketplace because of how little money they were making. The next bargaining session is scheduled for June 17. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Butler Hospital strike continues: Where negotiations stand MOSCOW/KIEV, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Russia has transferred 1,212 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers to Ukraine, Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky said Wednesday. Medinsky said on Telegram that 27 bodies of Russian soldiers were returned, adding that the work will continue over the next few days. Both sides will also begin exchanging seriously wounded prisoners from Thursday, he said. The repatriation of the deceased was made possible with the help of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other agencies, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Wednesday in a statement. The agency also expressed gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross for its support in facilitating the return of the bodies. The return is part of a deal made during the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkiye's Istanbul on June 2. During their last round of talks, Russia and Ukraine agreed on an "all-for-all" exchange involving seriously ill and wounded prisoners, as well as soldiers under the age of 25, according to Medinsky. Under the agreement, the first stage of the prisoner swap was carried out on Monday. Creative Artist Agencys annual CAA Amplify Summit urged its attendees to become allies while protesting injustices as the United States enters a new chapter of resistance thats come with President Donald Trumps second term. This year, the struggle has a different level of complexity The system is now dragging people from the streets Womens bodies are on the line, wars rage on, children everywhere pay the price, CAAs managing director Maha Dahkil said in her opening remarks for the summit, which took place on Tuesday at the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach, California. She emphasized the impact chaotically unleashed voices of injustice have had in the nearly 200 days that Trump has been back in the White House, noting that protesting the DEIA crisis was the initial step in the fight for justice last year. In 2025, the road to justice, freedom and dignity somehow got harder, Dahkil said. Nothing is worth the price of your humanity, and yet we see institutions, leaders, individuals who marched alongside us not so long ago fade away. The slippage of allies, the loss of pledges, the weaponization of words and three letters we dont say anymore This is urgent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the course of 15 live panels, spotlight interviews and speeches, the CAA Amplify Summit outlined how attendees can continue the fight for justice and equality as Hollywood, and the entire nation, pulls back on equity and inclusion initiatives. In the first portion of the summit, American Civil Liberties director Anthony Romero and NAACP president and director-counsel of the NAACPs Legal Defense Fund (LDF) Janai Nelson discussed the countrys current political state, calling the Trump administrations actions in recent months an American agenda. Romero said that he organizes whats happening in the country into three buckets: the targeting of institutions and individuals as political enemies, the targeting of the of politically weak groups (The anti-DEI effort is just a way to score cheap political shots) and the targeting of institutions that undergird our democracy. Thats whats happening in our city right here. The idea of the military, the Marines, the National Guard, not being invited in by the governor, Romero said. When it comes to what form of protest Americans should consider or perform, Nelson said every possible form, whether its peacefully protesting in the streets or refraining from spending money at stores or companies that have made controversial business decisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is important to be visible, Nelson said. There are ways to push back against the erosion of programs and commitments that were made five years ago or even before. Bryon Allen and Brandon Lawrence speak at the CAA Amplify Summit. (Credit: Randy Shropshire) Continuing the conversation around equity and inclusion, CAAs Brandon Lawrence spoke to Allen Media Group founder and CEO Byron Allen in a fireside chat, during which the business mogul shared his thoughts on the importance of ownership and how historically the Black community despite being the second-largest consumer group in the country has systemically never been afforded the opportunity for economic inclusion. As Black people, we own nothing, and we must own, Allen said. That gives us a seat at the table in controlling the narrative, control how were produced, control how were depicted, how were seen [and] we tell our stories. We dont let other people tell our stories. We control; thats whats important. Woven throughout the program were spoken words and brief presentations, including a piece by Abbott Elementary Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph that highlighted the need for joy in the country in the midst of what some may feel are bleak times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This joy that I have, the world didnt give it to me. The world did not give it to me, Ralph said as she burst into song. And the world will not take it away! In addition, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, Alberto M. Carvalho, shared his heartwarming journey of how his immigrant background shaped his career trajectory. He condemned schools being the target of ICE raids. I stand proudly in the face of abuse and oppression, intimidation and fear, for schools are places of education and inspiration and not fear and intimidation, Carvalho said. That is why I have boldly declared to the nation that our schools, our places of inspiration, our temples of knowledge, are no place for immigration enforcement. Another topic that was discussed at the summit was transphobia and rollback on protections and targeting of the LGBTQIA+ community. During a panel discussion, actress Laverne Cox and executive director of Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Melanie Willingham-Jaggers called for the re-humanization of the trans community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are not an injured version of our previous selves. Were a new and different thing. And I want to tell you that, too, Willingham-Jaggers said. We are not trying to go back to make America great again. Were not trying to go back to some previous, perfect time. We are a new thing. Kevin Lin, Laverne Cox and Melanie Willingham-Jaggers speak at the 2025 CAA Amplify Summit. (Credit: Randy Shropshire) As the event came to a close, Janelle James (Abbott Elementary), Sherry Cola (Joy Ride) and Asif Ali (Deli Boys) took the stage and discussed the power or authentic representation on screen. Representation is seriously everything, Cola said. I definitely feel that impact, too. Asian girls, or queer girls hit me up and they feel like theyve never seen a character like Alice on Good Trouble before in their lives I love being a role model in that way because thats what we were dying to see when we were growing up. As the curtain came down for the evening, CAAs Natalie Tran bid farewell to guests, reiterating the events desire for attendants to keep on moving in their fight for justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justice is not guaranteed; it must be fought for and it must be insisted upon, Tran said. We know that lives will change because of what we decide to do next, so lets commit to each other. Lets commit to each other and the work that lies ahead. Let this be our legacy, that in your moment of noise and erasure, we chose clarity, we chose each other, and we chose to redesign a collective future worthy of our stories. The post CAA Amplify Summit Tackles ICE Raids, DEI Rollback, Allyship and Our New Chapter of Resistance appeared first on TheWrap. California Governor Gavin Newsom went on the political offensive Tuesday with a dire warning that Donald Trump's crackdown on California "will not end here," attacking the president's policies across the country. Newsom, who observers say is weighing a presidential run in 2028, has been full-throated in his insistence that Trump overstepped his authority by deploying troops to Los Angeles to quell days of unruly protests against immigration raids. But on Tuesday he went well beyond accusing the president of stoking tensions in the country's second-biggest city to attack Trump's ongoing, polarizing effort to "Make America Great Again." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "California may be first, but it clearly will not end here," Newsom warned in the live-streamed address. Trump, he said, is a "president who wants to be bound by no law or constitution, perpetuating a unified assault on American tradition." The actions of immigration agents -- who Newsom said had used unmarked cars to detain a heavily pregnant US citizen and a four-year-old girl -- are worrying precepts of the administration. "If some of us can be snatched off the streets without a warrant, based only on suspicion or skin color, then none of us are safe," he said. "Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves. But they do not stop there." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom ran through a stark list of the Republican leader's actions since he returned to the White House in January, from firing government watchdogs to threatening universities' funding and targeting law firms. "He's declared a war, a war on culture, on history, on science, on knowledge itself," the 57-year-old Democrat said. This weekend, Trump will spend his 79th birthday watching tanks rumble through Washington at a parade to mark the 250th anniversary of the US army. Newsom accused him of "forcing" the military "to put on a vulgar display to celebrate his birthday, just as other failed dictators have done in the past." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He charged Trump with "taking a wrecking ball" to American democracy, and said there were "no longer any checks and balances" on the president. "Congress is nowhere to be found," Newsom said. He called on Americans to "stand up and be held to account," but urged any protesters to do so peacefully. "I know many of you are feeling deep anxiety, stress and fear," he said. "What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence, to be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him." A presumed frontrunner for Democratic leadership, Newsom has made no secret of his political ambitions and has not shied away from a public showdown with Trump. In the five days since the Los Angeles protests began, he has brawled with officials on social media and dared the Trump administration to make good on its threats to arrest him. bur-st/hg/jgc California will launch a $105 million disaster relief program on Thursday to assist homeowners whose properties were damaged or rendered uninhabitable by recent wildfires and other declared disasters. The CalAssist Mortgage Fund, administered by the California Housing Finance Agency, will provide grants of up to $20,000 equal to approximately three months of mortgage payments to eligible homeowners struggling to recover from major disasters. Homeowners whose home was destroyed in a recent fire, flood, or other disaster deserve support in their recovery. We know that recovery takes time, and the state is here to support, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fund will support those affected by disasters declared a state of emergency by the governor or receiving a federal major disaster declaration between January 2023 and January 2025. Incidents include the Eaton Fire, Palisades Fire, Park Fire and Tropical Storm Hilary. A full list of qualified incidents can be found here. CalHFA will also offer $25 million in housing counseling support through its National Mortgage Settlement Housing Counseling Program. None of the new relief funding affects the states proposed budget for 2025-2026, according to the governors office. Applications for the grant will open June 12 at CalAssistMortgageFund.org. The grants do not need to be repaid and are free to apply for. Approved funds will be sent directly to mortgage servicers on behalf of the homeowner. 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. Cambria County planners want the publics ideas to help map out priorities for electric vehicle infrastructure in the region. The Cambria County Planning Commission has created a survey asking residents, businesses and community organizations for feedback on wants and needs when it comes to interest in electric vehicles and EV charging stations. A June 19 public meeting is also being planned to gather comments, Cambria County Planning Commission Executive Director Mark Lazzari said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We want everyone to share their voice in this process, planning commission officials wrote in a press release. As part of this effort, we are seeking input from officials, residents, businesses, community organizations and service providers to better understand local perspectives, needs and expectations related to EV charging in Cambria County. To participate in the survey, visit arcg.is/1LWjuH. The survey link is also available on the Cambria County Planning Commission website, www.cambriaplanning.org. Lazzari said the surveys aim is twofold. It was created to assist PennDOT in gathering information it needs on EV charging, he said. State transportation officials are continuing to add charging stations to enable travelers and freight traffic to move through Pennsylvania. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in the longer term, the Cambria County Planning Commission is looking ahead locally, given that demand for plug-in vehicles is projected to continue to rise in the area, Lazzari said. Our role locally is to gather public input, and thats what were doing, he said, but the thought was that if were already gathering all of this information, in what ways can we use it, too? The data will illustrate the level of awareness of the charging systems that already exist in the area and where more might be beneficial. The planning commission, unlike the state, has no intention of adding or overseeing charging stations but it makes sense to know where local EV users would use them most, Lazzari said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That applies to electric bikes, called e-bikes, too, he said. Perhaps certain area trailheads would be prime locations for stations that could charge cars and bicycles, he added, or perhaps charging sites in areas with nearby restaurants or lodging establishments are a priority. The planning commission is responsible for much of the regions transportation infrastructure planning, including Cambria Countys overall 22-year transportation plan, and on- and off-road hiking and biking trails. The public meeting will be held from noon to 1 p.m. June 19 at Young Peoples Community Center, 300 Prave St., Ebensburg, enabling community members to discuss the survey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opportunities for group and one-on-one discussions will be provided, Lazzari said. Community input is necessary and important for this project. Your feedback will help guide future planning, funding opportunities, and potential charging station locations across the county, the commission officials wrote. ALBANY, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) A Camden trooper has become the first woman to command a certain zone of Troop D, according to a release by the New York State Police. Captain Casey Cook will become the first Zone Commander of Troop Ds Zone 3, according to a release on Wednesday, June 11. Zone 3 covers the northern part of the troops jurisdiction, including Watertown, Lowville and Alexandria Bay. The zone also covers 14 facilities across the region. Trooper Cook is from Camden and joined the New York State Police in 2002, and is a graduate of SUNY Oswego. She held a variety of investigative and supervisory positions across multiple stations and was promoted to the rank of Investigator in 2013. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She has spent the majority of her career in Troop D and in the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. She was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 2021 and became a BCI Lieutenant in Troop D in March of 2022. Cook will succeed Captain Darren Forgia, who has been reassigned to Zone 2 of Troop D. She will be the first female trooper to command Zone 2 in its history. Cooks appointment is retroactive to June 5. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WUTR/WFXV - CNYhomepage.com. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) The Prism Center has been welcoming people from all walks of life since 2023. The Transformation Project started to primarily support transgender individuals across the state. But we realized that there was also a gap for everyone in the LGBTQ community. And we all needed a space to come in the community and be together. So we thought it would be a good idea to open a space like this, said Morgan Peterson, an administrative assistant with the Transformation Project. State plans to decrease its payments to the needy Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This month the group launched the Prism Center Founders Campaign to keep the center open. The money will also support programs, including Martys Closet. Martys Closet is an organization that helps trans people find a weeks worth of clothing for free. They can come in every six months. And receive access to, free clothing. And also, access to, like, binders and shoes, said AJ Hamer the Closet Manage for Martys Closet. The goal is to raise $50,000 by the end of the month, by recruiting 100 founders to raise $500 within their communities. Studies have shown that even just one supportive adult in a youths life whos LGBTQ, it can save their lives and it can prevent suicide. And when you come to the center, you have dozens of people who have your back, said Peterson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If we dont meet our goal, its going to be very difficult for us to sustain this place long term, Peterson said. So far, the campaign has received over $16,000 of its $50,000 goal. Here is a link to donate. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Canadian investigators recently arrested nine men for using trucks to smuggle cocaine from the U.S. into Canada; while police in Arizona recovered a truckload carrying $1.6 million worth of stolen cargo; and freight theft cases in Illinois and Kentucky surged in April. Investigators bust network using cross-border trucks to carry cocaine into Toronto Canadian authorities said Tuesday they have arrested nine men following the seizure of $47.9 million worth of bricked cocaine, the largest drug bust in Peel Regional Police history. The arrests follow a year-long international investigation into a transnational organized crime network smuggling drugs using tractor-trailers from the U.S. into the Toronto area, according to a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks to the leadership of Peel Regional Police, and the support of national and international law enforcement agencies a transnational criminal network is no longer operating or flooding our communities with illicit drugs from the United States, Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said in a statement. Organized crime continues to exploit borders and pose serious threats to public safety. Peel, located about 24 miles from Toronto, is considered the heart of the trucking industry in the area. It is in Ontario, a province in east-central Canada that borders the U.S. Peel investigators began looking into a cocaine smuggling operation in June 2024 that was using commercial vehicles to carry the drugs from the U.S. into Canada. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the course of a six month investigation, Peel authorities linked multiple individuals, trucking companies, and storage sites to the transnational smuggling operation. The nine men arrested in connection to the case are from the Ontario area. They face 35 criminal charges related to drug trafficking and firearms offences. Two loaded semi-automatic handguns were also recovered, police said. Police said the accused men were held for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, Canada. Truck carrying $1.6 million worth of electronics recovered in Arizona Supply chain risk management firm Overhaul recently worked with law enforcement to recover a full truckload of stolen electronics after the tractor-trailer carrying the load was taken from the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The theft occurred when the shipment was fraudulently uplifted from the airport, Overhaul said in a news release. Instead of being delivered to its intended destination in Childress, Texas, the cargo was transported through New Mexico and eventually into Arizona. The tractor-trailer was located in Flagstaff, Arizona, where state troopers successfully initiated a traffic stop. During the stop, authorities discovered three individuals in the tractor, two of whom were identified as drivers. All three subjects were arrested at the scene. Further investigation revealed that two of the subjects were in the country illegally, Overhaul said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The trailer and its cargo, valued at $1.6 million, were recovered intact and returned to its owner. Cargo theft surged in April in Illinois, Kentucky New data from GearTracks Cargo Security Index and Verisks CargoNet shows California, Texas, and Illinois accounted for 68% of cargo theft incidents in April, according to a news release. Cargo theft cases in Illinois during April were up 81% month-over-month, while cases in Kentucky skyrocketed 200% month-over-month. Cargo theft cases in Florida declined by 44% in April compared to March. Electronics, vehicles, and apparel were the top targets of cargo thieves including a stolen shipment of bitcoin mining computers valued at $2.7 million discovered at the Los Angeles International Airport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recent tariffs on imported vehicles and auto components may also be contributing to a rise in vehicle related thefts, according to the Cargo Security Index. The post Canada police bust trucks carrying $47M in cocaine; $1.6M in stolen electronics recovered in US appeared first on FreightWaves. The number of Canadians returning from road trips to the United States fell sharply in May compared to the same period in 2024. Canadian-resident return trips by car totaled 1.3 million, a 38.1 percent drop from May 2024 marking the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year declines. Canadian-resident return trips from the U.S. by air also fell by 24.2 percent compared to May 2024. The decline in Canadian-resident air travel from the U.S. accounts for the overall dip in return air travel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Canadians return travel by air declined by 3.7 percent overall, return air travel increased by 9.8 percent among Canadians returning from overseas countries compared to last May. U.S. residents, meanwhile, traveled to Canada at a lower rate than they did last year but saw a more modest decline than their Canadian counterparts. U.S.-resident arrivals to Canada by car fell by 8.4 percent and, by air, fell by 0.3 percent, compared to last May. The decline in Canadian road trips to the U.S. continued a trend seen in prior months. In April 2025, Canadian-resident return trips by car from the U.S. totaled 1.2 million a 35.2 percent decline from April 2024. Canadian-resident return trips by air fell by 19.9 percent, compared to the prior month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The overall tourism decline threatens to wipe out $12.5 billion from the American economy this year, NewsNation reported. The decline in tourism comes as tensions between the U.S. and Canada have cooled under the Trump administration, as President Trump continues to muse publicly about making Canada a 51st state of America, which Prime Minister Mark Carney has repeatedly rejected as a nonstarter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) Sentencing will be Sept. 10 for a Canfield man who pleaded guilty Wednesday to child sex abuse material charges. Matthias Lewis, 27, entered guilty pleas before Judge Anthony DApolito in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to five counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor, a fourth-degree felony. Agents with the Human Trafficking Task Force and the Mahoning County Sheriffs Office raided his home in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators say he was downloading, viewing and trading images online. A grand jury indicted him in February. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) The Canton Bicentennial begins June 20 with the Canton Cruise In Car Show, and winds up with the Bicentennial Birthday Bash on June 29. The In between is packed with ice cream, concerts, historic bus tours, a time capsule reveal, a parade, and of course, plenty of birthday cake. Mike Walters, the chairman of the Canton Bicentennial 2025 Committee, and Carla Bobell, the executive director of the Canton Area Chamber of Commerce, stopped by WMBD This Morning to talk more about it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There has been such a huge interest in so many of the events that one of them is sold out in advance, the tribute to The Doors, who played at Canton High School in 1967. Not to worry, there is plenty of music on tap from at least four local bands, including the Canton High School band on June 24. Theres so many different events, if youre a historian, and would love to learn all the history, or if you are just looking for some family friendly events to attend, this is the event to come out to, Bobell said. One of those many historical events will be the reveal of a time capsule planted in 1925. Walters is pleased with its condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We know its dry, its never been rained on, never had anything done to it, so were very proud of this time capsule, he said. Find out its 100-year-old secrets June 23 at 6:30 p.m. They will also prepare another capsule for 100 years from now. That opening is on my calendar. Another highlight of the 10-day event is the Parade of History, June 28, at 10 a.m. The fest also includes 5K run and walk June 28, to work off all the birthday cake. Theyve only been preparing for this celebration for 200 years, and it will be worth the wait. Find a comprehensive list of events and times at CantonIllinois.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 CIProud.com. KIEV, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen killed in the conflict with Russia have returned home, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Wednesday. The repatriation of the deceased was made possible with the help of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other agencies, said the statement. The agency also expressed gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross for its support in facilitating the return of the bodies. The return is part of a deal made during the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkiye's Istanbul on June 2. Under the agreement, the first stage of the prisoner swap was carried out on Monday. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) Police and state troopers found a little more than they bargained for Monday night after a chase led them to other suspicious vehicles. Just before 11 p.m. Monday, the Youngstown Police Department and Ohio State Highway Patrol had officers out on patrol in the area of Boston and South Avenue when reports state a black BMW sped past them. Authorities attempted a traffic stop, but the BMW sped off at around 80 mph on South Avenue before turning onto Midlothian Avenue. Officers called off the road pursuit due to the unsafe conditions, but the OSHP continued to follow the BMW with its aviation unit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reports state aviation tracked the car speeding around 112 mph on Shirley Road to Wilson Avenue, to Federal Street, before it turned onto Andrews Avenue and pulled into a business garage in the 1100 block of Andrews. Reports state the BMW nearly hit another vehicle in the area of South and Hilton Avenue, ran red lights and passed other cars during its attempt to flee. Officers surrounded the business and called for all occupants to come out, where they detained two men. Aviation units relayed to officers that one of the men, Derrian Thomas, was the driver of the BMW, and the other man was the passenger. Police arrested Thomas on a charge of failure to comply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When speaking to the other man, reports state he told police that he was the owner of the business at 1104 Andrews Avenue. OSHP troopers on the scene were then informed of a chop shop located near Andrews Avenue in connection with other investigations, according to reports. Police say the owner gave them permission to enter his business to retrieve the BMW involved in the chase. When they went into the building, reports state officers smelled an overwhelming odor of marijuana and observed a large quantity of marijuana inside the truck of a Dodge Charger. Police also observed marijuana in a Chevrolet Sonic, which reports state was registered to the man. Also inside the garage was a Jeep riddled with bullet holes, in which police found two firearms, reports state. When questioned about the large amount of marijuana inside his shop, the owner reportedly told police that someone had dropped off both the Jeep and Dodge for body work, but claimed he could not provide their name and had essentially no idea who they were, according to reports. He also claimed to know nothing about the firearms or who they belonged to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Due to the marijuana and firearms, police had the Jeep and Dodge towed, as well as the BMW involved in the chase. Reports state the Jeep and Dodge were both registered to one person; however, court records do not reflect any charges against that individual at this time. Thomas is set to appear in Youngstown Municipal Court on the fleeing charge Wednesday afternoon. Court records do not show any charges against the owner of the business at 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 WKBN.com. The amount of public money available to make Welsh coal tips safe "only scratches the surface", according to evidence heard by a parliamentary committee. The Welsh Affairs Select Committee was told there was a "disparity between the scale of the challenge and available funds" to remediate high risk coal tips. Representatives from four local authorities explained some of the challenges they face in dealing with the legacy of Wales' industrial past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chancellor Rachel Reeves, announced 118m in her spending review on Wednesday to "keep coal tips safe in Wales". Earlier this year, the Welsh government said it had invested more than 100m in coal tip safety during the current Senedd term as a result of its own spending and money from the UK government. A new mining remediation authority has also been established to inspect coal tips identified as posing the highest risk to communities. Nicola Pearce from Neath Port Talbot council said the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill will "not be effective until there is sufficient public money in place to enable continuous monitoring or regular monitoring as well as being able to access those funds to undertake remediation work where it's necessary". Aerial pictures showed the extent of damage caused by the Cwmtillery coal tip slide in November 2024 [Reuters] However, Ms Pearce said the council had received 14.4m from the Welsh government since 2020 to carry out "significant work" on one large coal tip within its ownership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She added about 12m will have been spent on making one coal tip safe and there were 617 tips across the Neath Port Talbot area. A shortage of the appropriate skills to manage coal tip safety and remediation was also highlighted as a concern. Mark Williams of Caerphilly council said: "My authority has received just shy of 3m for the year 2025-26 - and it only scratches the surface. "The money will be spent on a range of maintenance tasks. We have 205 tips in Caerphilly borough - 89 of which are in local authority ownership." He said the cost of inspecting these tips is about 15,000 a year and that more money from UK government was needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Money that's being passported is really helpful but it's really only useful for monitoring and routine maintenance, it won't really address any remediation costs." He also reiterated concerns around a shortage of engineers with the necessary skills for the work needed to make coal tips safe, although said he believed the Welsh government had recognised this and was trying to address these challenges. The Welsh government said: "We want to ensure our communities are safe both now and in the future, which is why we have introduced modern, first of its kind in the UK, legislation to prevent disused tips from being a threat to human life. "We are pleased the UK government has continued to match our investment in coal tip safety, providing an additional 118m over three years to support people living in the shadow of tips. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Taken together with the over 100m we have provided this Senedd term, our joint UK and Welsh government investment in coal tip safety now stands at over 220m." HARRISBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) Many cat owners turn to declawing to stop their pets from scratching up furniture and carpets but the inhumane act could soon be outlawed in Pennsylvania. Pa. Senators Carolyn T. Commita (D-Chester) and Tracy Pennycuick (R-Berks/Montgomery) introduced Senate Bill 846, which will make it illegal to declaw cats unless it is medically necessary and performed by a licensed veterinarian. Declawing (onychectomy) is an elective procedure that amputates most or all of the last bone of each of the cats toes, the Senators said in a joint memo. The procedure is commonly performed to prevent unwanted scratching. Animal advocates, veterinarians, and others acknowledge that this procedure is inhumane, unnecessary, and traumatic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taxes on tips and overtime pay could be abolished in Pennsylvania According to Commita and Pennycuick, numerous agencies wont support declawing cats as an elective procedure, including the Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association. In 2020, the nations largest veterinary chains, VCA, Banfield, and Blue Pearl, with their 10,000-plus veterinarians nationwide, banned declawing. Necessary cat declawing noted in the joint memo includes tumors, persistent infections, injuries, and congenital abnormalities. Stay up to date with the latest news in the palm of your hand. Click here to download the WTAJ app for Apple and Android devices. This bill is co-sponsored by nine Senators from both sides of the aisle, including Doug Mastriano and Wayne Fontana. Committa added that the bill was co-sponsored in the last Senate session by Fontana, Cappelletti, Robinson, Costa, Mastriano, and Muth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill was introduced and is currently with the Judiciary Committee, which Republican Lisa Baker leads as Chair, while Democrat Amanda M. Cappelletti leads as Minority Chair. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) Some changes may be in store for the State College area as the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) announced it will be hosting a public hearing on Monday, June 23, discussing proposed changes for the Fall 2025-2026 service year. Among the proposed changes that will be discussed is a higher Red Link bus frequency, the discontinuation of the Bellefonte/Benner B-Line route, and the expansion of all CATAGO! on-demand microtransit zones as well as fare increases. CATA will allow public comment on the proposed topics through the CATA website, email, or by contacting their customer service center. Public comments will also be submitted in person during the June 23 public hearing. Residents have until June 25 at noon to submit their comments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hearing will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Downsbrough Community Room at Schlow Centre Region Library on S. Allen St in State College. There will be a virtual option for any residents who cannot attend in person. Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters. For additional information, participants are asked to contact CATAs customer service center at (814) 238-CATA. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Quentin Burdick federal courthouse in Fargo, North Dakota. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) A North Dakota federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission cannot force a group of Catholic employers to administer or pay for gender-affirming medical care. The case concerns two rules published by the federal agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services rule bars businesses that provide federally funded health programs from withholding medical care to someone just because they are transgender. Doing so would violate an anti-discrimination provision of the Affordable Care Act and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the rule states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit also challenged a similar rule published by the EEOC implementing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlaws workplace discrimination for employers with more than 15 employees. The rule holds that such employers cannot refuse to cover medical services to a transgender staff member that they would otherwise cover for other employees. The Catholic Benefits Association which represents Catholic employers filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in North Dakota alleging the rules will force its members to violate their religious beliefs. The association said the rules could require Catholic hospitals to perform gender-affirming surgeries or a Catholic ministry to cover an employees hormone replacement therapy, for example. The Catholic church teaches that providing gender-affirming care to transgender people is immoral, the association states in its complaint. The Department of Health and Human Services and EEOC defended the rules as necessary to protect Americans from gender-based discrimination, and further argued that the policies wont harm religious exercise because employers can ask for religious exemptions from the rules on a case-by-case basis. U.S. District Court Judge Peter Welte found these options insufficient because they do not guarantee exemptions to religious organizations, leaving them unable to predict their legal exposure. Welte in an order last week sided largely with the Catholic Benefits Association. Welte found that the rules violate broad protections for religious exercise established in the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. That act states that the government can only limit religious exercise in service of a compelling government interest, and must make every effort to be as minimally restrictive as possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Welte said that the Department of Health and Human Services and EEOC rules dont meet these standards. The policies force Catholic organizations to decide between going against their beliefs and being subject to discrimination investigations and lawsuits, he wrote in the order. He ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services cannot interpret the Affordable Care Act in a way that requires the Catholic Benefits Association to administer or provide insurance coverage for gender-affirming procedures. He similarly found that the EEOC cannot interpret Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the association to provide insurance coverage for gender-transition procedures. The lawsuit also challenged other protections in the rules related to abortion and fertility treatments, though Welte dismissed those claims. The Catholic Benefits Association filed the lawsuit as a successor to a previous case it joined with other Catholic groups against the Department of Health and Human Services and the EEOC. Welte also sided with the plaintiffs in that case, though an appellate court in 2022 found the Catholic Benefits Association didnt have standing to be part of the suit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In another case involving the Catholic Benefits Association, North Dakota U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor in April ruled that the association is exempt from provisions in two separate EEOC policies one meant to shield workers from LGBTQ-based workplace harassment, and another that sought to protect workers access to abortion and fertility treatments. Other federal judges have since issued rulings vacating parts of both rules nationwide. A federal judge in Texas in May vacated portions of the workplace harassment rule that pertain to sexual harassment and gender identity. Later that month, a federal judge in Louisiana struck down the abortion access protections. The decisions come as President Donald Trumps administration is rolling back services and legal protections, including by restricting access to gender-affirming care for minors and implementing a blanket ban on transgender people serving in the military. Trump signed an executive order in January establishing a two-gender policy for the federal government. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The cause of death for Paityn Decker, 9, Evelyn Decker, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, who were found dead at a Washington campground has been determined. According to a press release from Chelan County Sheriffs Office, all three children died by suffocation, with the manner of death being ruled as homicide. The girls were found in their fathers pickup truck on June 2. The sisters father, Travis Decker, is currently missing and has been charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping. The girls were first reported missing by their mother on May 30, according to E! News. Currently, an investigation into the murders and the whereabouts of Travis Decker is still ongoing. Our investigators have begun to receive more analysis information back from evidence found at the crime scene, the statement from CCSO states. While this does assist in the investigation and later prosecution, it also creates more questions and information for investigators to continue to pursue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the crime scene, Travis Deckers dog was recovered. The suspects dog was recovered and turned over to the humane society for safe care, the statement continues. Blood samples taken from the scene have come back positive for belonging to a male, and another was not human blood. Further DNA and fingerprint analyses are still being conducted. Shortly before the crime occurred, Travis Decker conducted computer searches for moving to Canada. Law enforcement also told the media that given Deckers previous military service, he is adept at wilderness survival and capable of spending days or even weeks in the wilderness on his own and with very little equipment. Law enforcement has also cautioned the public not to approach Decker if they see him, but to keep an eye out for him, but to keep their doors and windows locked. 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, CCSO said in a statement. As law enforcement conducts their searches, we are asking for those owners to lock all of their doors, to include any sheds and outbuildings, and leave their window blinds open and we recommend leaving outside lights on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you see, or believe you have seen, Mr. Decker please call 911 immediately and do not attempt or contact or approach him, the statement cautions. Cause of Death Determined for 3 Sisters Found Deceased at Washington Campground first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2025 DENVER (KDVR) Chevron has identified the factors that caused a days-long oil and gas release in Weld County in April. The uncontrolled release happened at a Chevron oil and gas facility northeast of Greeley and lasted for several days. Residents in the area were impacted and some have yet to return to their homes following evacuations. Previous coverage: Oil and gas well sealed in Weld County after days-long release Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a release on the Colorado Chevron website, an investigation by the company identified the following two root causes for the leak: Improper assembly of the installation equipment for the production tree by the on-site wellhead technician contractor Inadequate setting of the barrier(tubing hanger assembly) designed to prevent the flow of liquids Chevron also listed the actions taken to address the issues, including: Advance assembly of installation equipment Enhanced barriers, including the use, testing and verification of downhole packers as a secondary barrier Reviewing and updating wellhead procedures and equipment Evaluating technological options to verify the proper setting Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the wake of the incident, several homes had to be evacuated. Chevron provided an update on the situation of those families, as well as ongoing efforts in the cleanup process. According to Chevron, 10 of the 14 families that were temporarily relocated are back in their homes. The company said it is actively working with the remaining residents on the next steps, stating that each property requires a separate plan, and that living expenses and housing are being provided to the families. I want to thank our local communities for your continued patience and support. We recognize the disruption and concern the Bishop Well incident has caused. Our top priority has always been and continues to be your safety and protection of the environment, Chevron Rockies Business Unit vice president Kim McHugh said in a press release. Soil sampling and agricultural assessments are being conducted on the land of agricultural property owners within a 1.5-mile radius of the area where the incident occurred. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Avian species rarely seen in Colorado spotted by birders near Boulder Air monitoring is also being conducted in the area. Five monitoring stations are deployed, with analytical air samples at each of the locations. Chevron said that all measurements received from the labs have been below levels of concern. More information can be found on the Colorado Chevron 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 FOX31 Denver. Last year, amid a tense budget season for the city of Cayce, the city council axed a proposed pay bump for staff and instead adopted a one-time retention bonus. Last years decision became a point of contention during this years budget season, with the citys mayor and its staff disagreeing on where the money came from. At the citys last council meeting in June, Mayor Elise Partin called out Councilman Hunter Sox for comments he made at a May meeting about last years budget process and how he found money in the budget for staff retention bonuses. Sox also posited there had been enough money for the cost-of-living adjustments, which were ultimately cut from the budget in favor of the one-time bonuses. I also understand [that money] was recurring and we couldve used that for a cost-of-living adjustment then, Sox said at the May meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the next meeting, in June, Partin encouraged Sox to set up a meeting with the finance director to make sure he understood the numbers. What [the finance director] told me about that money was vastly different from what you shared in the last meeting. It actually included using some money that was a gift from the Boyd Foundation and another grant so I know you want to get that right, Partin said, during the June 3 council meeting. But the money for staff bonuses didnt come from the Boyd Foundation, a Columbia-based nonprofit that funds a number of projects throughout the Midlands, or from other grants, a city staff member clarified after the meeting. The bonuses were directly funded by excess operating revenues at the end of the year, city spokesperson Ashley Hunter confirmed in a statement to The State. The public accusation that our Cayce financial staff utilized charitable donations from the Boyd Foundation or another grant to fund staff retention bonuses is something we take very seriously, Hunter said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the allegation were true, this would be a misappropriation of funds, a breach of the publics trust and could have caused a revocation of our Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting ... our city staff and leaders worked tirelessly to make sure this was a fiscally responsible budget. The $2.1 million grant from the Boyd Foundation was allocated to be used for a visitors center building at the citys 12,000 Year History Park. Sox said he believed Partin targeted the comment at him during the council meeting in an attempt to discredit his work on the previous years budget and that it was disrespectful to the citys finance staff. She knows itll be a campaign talking point for me and wants to find a way to not get me re-elected and not let me have any sort of win, said Sox, who will be up for re-election alongside Mayor Pro-Tem Tim James in the fall. I dont need to win. The win is for the taxpayer and for staff, not for me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Partin said she wasnt immediately available to answer questions, but said in a statement that she had a meeting with the finance director and took notes and understood that there was not money left over during the last budget process. At the time, I was sharing information that I had gotten directly from the citys finance director, and I was not aware that it was incorrect. If it is I still need information that would explain my notes and what was said, Partin told The State over text. The spat is another in a long line of disagreements and tense conversations thatve happened within the walls of Cayces city hall in the last few years, as Partin and other council members have sparred over everything from seats on various government boards to disagreements over whether to take something into executive session. Its simply the mayor trying to continue to be divisive and build up ill will in the community. Its sad, but that seems to be the climate right now, Councilman Phil Carter told The State. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the May meeting, things were tense between Partin and Mayor Pro-Tem Tim James as the council voted to go into executive session to discuss the search for a new city manager. Partin advocated for discussing the matter in open session. Council members pushed back. After consulting the towns attorney, who explained the matter was something that can be discussed during executive session, James and Carter argued for taking the matter into executive session, which council ultimately did. If council doesnt want to take a vote on it, doesnt want to be transparent, thats fine, Partin said. Were very transparent, James responded. The friction comes as a number of top administrators in the city have either left or announced plans to leave. Within the last year, Cayce has cycled through two police chiefs and two city managers. At a May council meeting, outgoing City Manager Jim Crosland announced that the citys finance director was also set to leave. Supporters of the CDC participate in a rally outside the center in Atlanta Tuesday. Amber Roldan/Georgia Recorder This story was updated at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Every Tuesday afternoon since mid-February, the busy intersection outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention becomes loud and crowded as allies show their support for the center and its remaining employees. The rallies emerged after the first round of mass layoffs under the Trump administration and its campaign to shrink the size of the federal government, which has led to a large number of fired employees, funding cuts and the elimination of CDC programs. Supporters of the CDC participate in a rally outside the center in Atlanta Tuesday. Amber Roldan/Georgia Recorder Every week, retired CDC employees and people who have lost their jobs take to the streets to express their disappointment and share their collective fear for the future of the CDC. This week, about 20 current CDC workers used their paid time-off to join them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By walking out of their offices, the group was able to share a moment of solidarity with the crowd. A few of these employees stepped up to the megaphone, saying they were scared to speak out. Most of these employees remained masked. Tony Fiore, one of the many CDC alums in attendance this week, has been at almost every Tuesday rally. Fiore is part of a group of former CDC staffers who help organize the weekly rallies to show their support of their friends still working at the center. We thought wed come out here every Tuesday and show some support, show some love to them, because theyre just getting hammered from all sides, Fiore said. Theyre getting letters every week telling them theyre worthless government employees. Tuesdays rally came only a day after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed each existing member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. This committee advises the CDC on who should receive vaccinations and when. His executive removal came with a pledge to replace the committee with new members of his choosing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Numerous signs, including one from Fiore, expressed dismay over this decision. Supporters gathered around three corners of the busy intersection outside the center holding signs high as cars, including some with CDC employees on board, passed. The signs elicited honks, smiles and thumbs up from many drivers. Recently fired former CDC employee Rosemarie Kobau attended Tuesdays rally with a sign pleading for the restoration of the CDCs epilepsy program. After 25 years as a part of the program and 13 years as its team lead, Kobau did not expect to be spending her Tuesdays unemployed and begging for the continuation of epilepsy programming. Recently fired former CDC employee, Rosemarie Kobau, attended Tuesdays rally with a sign pleading for the restoration of the CDCs epilepsy program. Amber Roldan/Georgia Recorder Kobaus team previously worked to promote epilepsy prevention through prenatal care, disorder management and innovative intervention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We were supporting many programs and communities across the country and in partnership with large national organizations like the Epilepsy Foundation and the American Epilepsy Society, Kobau said. Now all of that work has been stopped. As the rally cranked up Tuesday, CDC supporters gathered in a tight clump outside of a nearby CVS where event organizers set up a stepstool and megaphone. Former and current CDC staffers recited their oath of office and then extended an open invitation for anyone to speak. This invitation attracted both planned and impromptu speakers. Kathleen Collomb, a retired CDC employee from the Office on Smoking and Health, said she did not plan on speaking. However, after listening to the testimonies of other speakers she felt moved to voice her concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From behind the megaphone Collomb told the crowd that when asked at a Senate hearing Kennedy did not know that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in America. The Office on Smoking and Health was one of the many eliminated CDC programs. What did this man and DOGE do? They RIFed them and they vaporized the Office on Smoking and Health, Collomb said, referring to a reduction in force. The crowd responded with a cacophony of boos. Before leaving the megaphone, Collomb asked a final question: How in heavens name does that Make America Healthy Again? State Rep. Saira Draper, an Atlanta Democrat, joined a long list of passionate voices at Tuesdays rally. Her message was delivered through rain as a storm moved in. Attendees opened umbrellas and put on ponchos as Draper spoke about her gratitude and support for CDC employees. She also criticized Gov. Brian Kemp for staying silent as hundreds of jobs continue to be lost in Atlanta. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If there is something I have learned from my time at the Georgia Capitol it is that there is no change without demand, Draper said to the crowd. I know sometimes it can seem like you are yelling into the void. I know that, but let me assure you you are not. We are listening and we stand with you. Correction: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized an exchange between Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a senator during a recent hearing. Kennedy was told at that hearing that the leading cause of preventable death in America is smoking. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE (FOX40.COM) California is celebrating its 4th annual State Parks Week, June 11-15, with over 170 different events around the state. The public is invited to attend various programs, both virtual and in-person, where they can learn about the environment, the states history and their local communities. Video Above: Folsom Lake reaches guest capacity amid Memorial Day As California commemorates its 175th anniversary, California State Parks Week offers an opportunity to celebrate the incredible natural and cultural wealth that our 280 state parks offer, said Armando Quintero, director of California State Parks. Whether youre hiking, volunteering or simply soaking in the views, this week is a beautiful reminder to embrace the unmatched nature of California and the positive impact it has on our well-being and the health of the environment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are the events being offered in the Sacramento area and the surrounding counties. June 11 Birding by Boat at Folsom Lake State Recreational Area Experience Folsom Lake SRA from a New Perspective on Horseback! Photo and Art Contest Display at Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park Guided Tour at Sutters Fort SHP Guided Tours of the State Indian Museum Capitol Park Tour California State Capitol Museum Exclusive Oxbow Pond Kayak Event at Dos Rios Introduction to Nature Journaling at Calaveras Big Trees State Park Through the Lens of History at Calaveras Big Trees SP June 12 Biking Through History at Folsom Lake SRA Come Try Paddling on Lake Natoma at Folsom Lake SRA! Explore Off Trail at Railtown 1897 SHP Wild Things and Climate Resilience at Auburn SRA Sierra Railways Connection to Harvesting Renewable Resources at Railtown 1897 SHP Outdoor Yoga at Lake Natoma with Folsom Lake SRA Bruces Bird Walk at Calaveras Big Trees SP Lava Bluffs Guided Hike at Calaveras Big Trees SP Lake Tahoes Underwater Wonders: Exploring Tsunami-Built Boulder Ridges at Tahoe SRA (Virtual) June 13 Summer Hiking Along the South Fork at Folsom Lake SRA Karen Bakerville Smith Memorial Nature Trail Hike at Columbia SHP Living History at the California State Capitol Museum Take a Trek on the Walk of Fame at Railtown 1897 SHP Fire and the Forest Community Guided Hike at Calaveras Big Trees SP Echolocation Exploration: Evening Interpretive Bat Walk at Donner Memorial SP June 14 Celebrating Latino Heritage and Culture at Dos Rios Junior Ranger Recreation Roundup at Auburn SRA Sketches by the Lakeside at Folsom Lake SRA Celebrate Your Well-Being at Lake Oroville SRA North Forebay Parks With Activity Carts Old Sacramento SHP Poster Creation Station at Indian Grinding Rock SHP Viaje al pasado en el Parque Historico Estatal Railtown 1897: Travel to the Past at Railtown 1897 SHP Guided Tour of Leland Stanford Mansion SHP Junior Rangers and Little Rangers at Railtown 1897 SHP Light Up the Night Campfire Program at Folsom Lake SRA Floodplain Fun, Walk or Run at Dos Rios Childrens Career Fair at Calaveras Big Trees SP Echolocation Exploration: A Fireside Bat Talk at Donner Memorial SP June 15 Floodplain Fun, Walk or Run at Dos Rios A Walk in the Park at Sutters Fort SHP Parks, the Planet, and Climate Resilience at Folsom Lake SRA Junior Rangers and Little Rangers Program at Calaveras Big Trees SP South Grove Guided Hike at Calaveras Big Trees SP Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of the events have a limited number of seats nd require registration in advance. While the programs themselves are free, attendees may still need to pay state park entrance fees or day use fees. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. VILNIUS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Lithuanian government has approved a resolution allowing the Defense Materiel Agency to procure loitering munitions and anti-tank mines without public tenders, the Baltic News Service (BNS) reported. The exemption, aimed at protecting national security and strengthening defense capabilities, enables direct procurement from domestic manufacturers. Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene said talks are already underway with Lithuanian companies capable of producing the weapons. Deliveries to the armed forces are expected to begin soon. The move supports the goal of achieving operational drone capacity by 2027 and building resilient supply chains. A similar exemption was granted last week for the procurement of UAVs, counter-drone systems, optical surveillance equipment, and laser target designators. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Celebrate the U.S. Armys 250th birthday in Baton Rouge at a block party on Thursday. The largest branch of the military was founded on June 14, 1775. The theme is This Well Defend, on the rich history and legacy of service, sacrifice, and dedication. The Army is only one year older than our nation, so its a big deal for us, said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Darlin Acevedo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Army Recruiting Company New Orleans is hosting a block party in Perkins Rowe to celebrate. Its a chance for local communities to show their steadfast support of local veterans, soldiers, and families. In Baton Rouge, were trying to get the men and women to be a part of the legacy and to further expand for the next 250 years, said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daeshawn Duffie. The family-friendly party is from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at Perkins Rowe Town Square. This one-day event features music by the School of Rock, a future soldier swear-in, a mayors proclamation and a cake-cutting ceremony. Attendees can also learn about other veteran organizations and hands-on robotic training. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials preview DC security for Armys 250th anniversary parade 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. Frame it as a call to action or a presidential campaign announcement, Gov. Gavin Newsom's address to America on Tuesday has tapped into our zeitgeist (German words feel oddly appropriate at the moment) in a way few others have. Democracy is under assault right before our eyes, Newsom said during a live broadcast with a California flag and the U.S. flag in the background. The moment weve feared has arrived. What moment exactly is he referring to? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Trump has put Marines and National Guardsmen on the streets of Los Angeles, and granted himself the power to put them anywhere. Wednesday, a top military leader said those forces could "detain" protesters, but not outright arrest them, though despite what you see on right-wing media most protesters have been peaceful. But every would-be authoritarian ultimately faces a decisive moment, when the fear they have generated must be enforced with action to solidify power. The danger of that moment for the would-be king is that it is also the time when rebellion is most likely, and most likely to be effective. People wake up. In using force against his own citizens, the leader risks alienating supporters and activating resistance. Read more: Mayor Karen Bass decries continuing raids, wonders if L.A. is a national experiment Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What happens next in Los Angeles between the military and protesters which group is perceived as the aggressors may likely determine what happens next in our democracy. If the military is the aggressor and protesters remain largely peaceful, Trump risks losing support. If the protesters are violent, public perception could further empower Trump. The presidents immigration advisor Tom Homan said on CNN that what happens next, It all depends on the activities of these protesters I mean, they make the decisions. Welcome to that fraught moment, America. Who would have thought Newsom would lead on it so effectively? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Everybody who's not a Trumpist in this society has been taken by surprise, and is still groggy from the authoritarian offensive of the last five months," said Steven Levitsky, a professor of government at the embattled Harvard University, and author of "How Democracies Die." Levitsky told me that it helps shake off that shock to have national leaders, people who others can look to and rally behind. Especially as fear nudges some into silence. "You never know who that leader sometimes is going to be, and it may be Newsom," Levitsky said. "Maybe his political ambitions end up converging with the small d, democratic opposition." Maybe. Since his address, and a coinciding and A-game funny online offensive, Newsom's reach has skyrocketed. Millions of people watched his address, and hundreds of thousands have followed him on TikTok and other social media platforms. Searches about him on Google were up 9,700%, according to CNN. Love his message or find it laughable, it had reach partly because it was unapologetically clear and also unexpected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Trump and his loyalists thrive on division because it allows them to take more power and exert even more control," Newsom said. I was on the ground with the protesters this week, and I can say from firsthand experience that there are a small number of agitators and a large number of peaceful protesters. But Trump has done an excellent job of creating crisis and fear by portraying events as out of the control of local and state authorities, and therefore in need of his intervention. Republicans "need that violence to corroborate their talking points," Mia Bloom told me. She's an expert on extremism and a professor at Georgia State University. Violence "like in the aftermath of George Floyd, when there was the rioting, that actually was helpful for Republicans," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: After images of unrest comes the political spin, distorting the reality on the ground in L.A. Levitsky said authoritarians look for crises. "You need an emergency, both rhetorically and legally, to engage in authoritarian behavior," he said. So Trump has laid a trap with his immigration sweeps in a city of immigrants to create opportunity, and Newsom has called it out. And calling it out pointing out the danger of protesters turning violent and yet still calling for peaceful protest Newsom has put Trump in a precarious position that the president may not have been expecting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Repressing protest is a very risky venture," Levitsky said. "It often, not always, but often, does trigger pushback." Levitsky points out that already, there is some evidence that Trump may have overreached, and is losing support. A new poll by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 76% of Americans oppose the military birthday parade Trump plans on throwing for himself in Washington, D.C., this weekend. That includes disapproval from more than half of Trump supporters. A separate poll by Quinnipiac University found that 54% of those polled disapprove of how he's handling immigration issues, and 56% disapprove of his deportations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bloom warns that there's a danger in raising too many alarms about authoritarianism right now, because we still have some functioning guardrails. She said that stoking too much fear could backfire, for Newsom and for democracy. "We're at a moment in which the country is very polarized and ... these things are being told through two very different types of narratives, and the moment we give the other side, which was a very apocalyptic, nihilistic narrative, we give them fodder, we justify the worst policies," she said. She pointed to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, when some protesters placed flowers in the barrels of soldiers' guns, an act of peaceful protest she said changed public perception. That, she said, is what's needed now. Newsom was clear in his call for peaceful protest. But also clear that it was a call to action at a historic inflection point. We can't know in the moment who or what history will remember, Levitsky said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's really important that the most privileged among us stand up and fight," he said. "If they don't, citizens are going to look around and say, 'Well, why should I?'" Having leaders willing to be the target, when so many feel the danger of speaking out, has value, he said. Because fear may spread like a virus, but courage is contagious, too. 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. On a Tuesday morning on downtown Los Angeles' 1st Street, the immigrants are out in force. I mean, they are everywhere: Sweeping, scrubbing graffiti off walls, opening their shops, grabbing lattes on the way to work. Send in the Marines! Here in the heart of Little Tokyo, where immigration protesters swept through Monday night, it's the white faces that stand out the way it has been for decades all over downtown. With its gritty streets and sometimes gritty history, these urban blocks with their cheaper rents and welcoming enclaves have long been where people migrate when they cross borders into the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Which though I certainly don't want to speculate on the inner workings of Stephen Miller's brain probably means blocks like this one were on President Trump immigration czar's mind when he posted this on social media: "[H]uge swaths of the city where I was born now resemble failed third world nations. A ruptured, balkanized society of strangers." "Eddie" lives in Little Tokyo and helped clean up after immigration protests in Little Tokyo on Tuesday. He holds Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status and said he is afraid to go to the protests for fear he could be deported for doing so. Cleaning up, he said, is his way of participating. (Anita Chabria / Los Angeles Times) That, "Eddie" told me, is bunk. Eddie is a "Dreamer," with semi-legal status through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, who emigrated from Mexico as a kid and didn't want to share his last name because he fears the current immigration sweeps. For the past two years, he's lived in an upstairs apartment that overlooks this block of hotels, boutiques and restaurants. I met him on the sidewalk in front of his place, his palms stained black with soot from picking up burned lights and banners from the night before. Eddie, who dreams about someday running for public office, said people such as himself are in "a very vulnerable" situation right now, so though he's always been involved in civic issues, he doesn't feel safe going to protests that have turned downtown Los Angeles into a national spectacle, and have offered President Trump an excuse to flout law and history by calling in the military. Instead, Eddie is cleaning up because he doesn't want people to drive by and think this neighborhood is a mess. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's not representative, you know," he says of the charred heap in front of him. "So I'm out here." Read more: These street vendors used their aguas frescas to fight tear gas at anti-ICE protests Eddie said he loves it here, because "it's one of the few communities where, like, it's close knit. I see people that I'm for sure were here in 1945 and I love them, and I know that they know of my existence, and I'm thankful for theirs." Before we can talk much more, we're interrupted by Alex Gerwer, a Long Beach resident who has come out for the day to help scrub away the graffiti that some rogue protesters left behind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Folks, not going to lie, "F ICE" is everywhere. I mean, everywhere there's got to be a spray paint shortage at this point." Gerwer, the son of two concentration camp survivors, is here with the political group 5051, which has been staging anti-Trump rallies across the country. Gerwer said he and his group decided they wanted to do something more proactive than just protest, so here they are. "We want to clean that off and show Trump, the National Guard, you know the folks from the Marines, that this is clearly political theater," Gerwer said. "And I feel sorry for all these law enforcement people, because many of them, they're in a position where they're being put between the Constitution and a tyrannical president." Misael Santos, a manager at a ramen restaurant in Little Tokyo, said that most of the restaurants in the neighborhood hire immigrant workers because "they know immigrants work hard." (Anita Chabria / Los Angeles Times) Down the block, I met Misael Santos in front of the ramen restaurant where he works as a manager. He was asking the folks at the Japanese American National Museum on the corner whether they had any surveillance footage, because lights and a tent had been stolen off the restaurant's patio the night before. They didn't. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Santos, a Mexican immigrant, told me he didn't like the stealing and vandalism. "I understand the protests, but that is no excuse to destroy public property," he said. Read more: Photos: A fierce pushback on ICE raids in L.A. from protesters, officials Earlier, Mayor Karen Bass had tweeted, "Let me be clear: ANYONE who vandalized Downtown or looted stores does not care about our immigrant communities," and Santos agreed with that. "Immigrants work hard," he told me. Which is why, he said, many of the Asian-owned business around here hire Latinos. He said that this neighborhood, with its mix of ethnicities, is "comfortable and safe," but lately, his employees are also fearful. They don't want to come to work because they fear raids, but "we have to work," he said with a resigned shrug. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But let me get back to Stephen Miller, since he's driving a lot of this chaos. Replying to Bass' tweet about vandals, Miller said on social media, "By 'immigrant communities,' Mayor Bass actually means 'illegal alien communities.' She is demonstrating again her sole objective here is to shield illegals from deportation, at any cost." William T Fujioka, chair of the Board of Trustees of the Japanese American National Museum, worked with volunteers to remove graffiti after some protesters defaced the building in Little Tokyo. (Anita Chabria/Los Angeles Times) That kind of rhetoric hearkens to the dark days of this neighborhood, William T Fujioka, chair of the Board of Trustees of the Japanese American National Museum, told me, when I finally made it down to his patch of this neighborhood. Fujioka and I talked in the plaza where buses pulled up after the bombing of Pearl Harbor to transport Japanese Americans to prison camps. His own grandfather, he said, was imprisoned in such a camp. Protesters had defaced the museum, a nearby Buddhist temple and a public art sculpture called the OOMA cube, meant to symbolize human oneness. Fujioka called the vandalism "heartbreaking," but also said it was not representative of most protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're strong supporters of peaceful protests and also immigration rights because of what happened to our community," he told me. "Our community is a community of immigrants." Fujioka told me how one of his grandfathers immigrated legally in 1905, but the other wasn't so lucky. They wouldn't let him land in L.A., he said, so he "was dropped off in Mexico and crossed the Rio Grande. He walked from Mexico with 300 other men up to Texas, across the Rio Grande and New Mexico, Arizona and California." Read more: How the federal immigration raids could disrupt California's economy Fujioka grew up not far from this plaza in Boyle Heights, were so many people with journeys similar to that of his grandfather wind up, then and now. Boyle Heights, he said, "is the ultimate melting pot. In Boyle Heights before the war, you had Japanese, Latinos, African Americans, you had Jews, you had Italians, and you had Russians who fled communist Russia. And we all grew up together, and we didn't care who anyone was. All we cared about is, if you're from the neighborhood." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just behind Fujioka, I saw that Gerwer had found his group and was busy scrubbing the museum's windows. One of those with him, S.A. Griffin, had been at the protests downtown this week. He said they were mostly peaceful, except for the "idiots" who covered their faces and incited violence as the sun went down. "It's the vampires that come out at night," Griffin said. And that's really the all of it. There will always be agitators, especially at night. But daylight brings clarity. Indigo Rosen-Lopez, left, Maruko Bridgewater and Colin McQuade walk through Little Tokyo on Tuesday, the morning after immigration protests. Rosen-Lopez and McQuade are half brothers and Bridgewater is their grandmother's best friend. (Anita Chabria / Los Angeles Times) Across the street, I met 88-year-old Maruko Bridgewater, walking with half brothers Colin McQuade and Indigo Rosen-Lopez. The men consider Bridgewater their grandmother, though she's really their maternal grandmother's best friend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were walking Bridgewater back to her nearby apartment and said they were worried about her during the protests and even in the aftermath she had just stepped over broken glass from a nearby shop. "It's really scary to see her walk around by herself," McQuade told me. These "grandkids" may worry, but let me tell you, may the Lord above make me half as sharp and stylish as Bridgewater at that age. She came to the United States through New York in 1976. I asked her whether she liked Trump's crackdown on immigrants and she told me, "Not really, but not Biden either." But this trio, walking on a clear June morning when the gloom has burned away, are everything that is good and right with immigrant communities. Between the three, they represent Hungarian, Bulgarian, Native American, Irish, Scottish and Japanese. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McQuade told me that his grandparents met during World War II. "Literally, like, in the middle of the biggest war between America and Japan, my grandparents found each other, and they fell in love, and they ... created a life for us from literally nothing," he said. That is downtown Los Angeles, where immigrants come to build a life. If that looks like the third world nightmare to some, it's because they are blind to what they are seeing. 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. Jun. 11---- About 650 pounds of methamphetamine found hidden in boxes of flowers was intercepted by law enforcement officers who allege that they observed the unloading of the drug shipment from a semitractor-trailer in Willmar. Two people from the Twin Cities were arrested later that same night outside of Atwater after officers followed them from Willmar. Levelle Lee Anderson, 27, of and Marysol Rodriguez Lagarda, 39, of Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement are both charged with felony first-degree drug sale and first-degree drug possession. Both were arraigned Friday in According to the criminal complaints filed against them, agents with the CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force were monitoring a vehicle registered to Rodriguez Lagarda. The contacted the task force on June 3, stating that Rodriguez Lagarda was traveling from to in a vehicle registered to her. An agent later located the vehicle at an intersection in downtown Willmar and positively identified that Rodriguez Lagarda was the sole occupant inside the vehicle. The agent then observed the vehicle performing "hot laps," a law enforcement term to describe a tactic used to detect or evade law enforcement, according to the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around 4 p.m., agents saw Rodriguez Lagarda park at a business on Highway 12 in Willmar. A second vehicle then parked next to her "on and off" as it drove through the parking lot of the business. A blue semitractor entered the parking lot approximately 90 minutes after Rodriguez Lagarda had parked her vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle was seen speaking to the driver of the semi, according to the complaint. There is no further mention in the court documents of the second vehicle. The semitractor was unloaded by a skid-steer and left the parking lot around 6:43 p.m. on June 3. There is nothing further mentioned about the semi. After a while, a U-Haul-branded rental truck and a pickup truck entered the parking lot. Agents believed the vehicles appeared to be traveling together, according to the complaints. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An agent observed a male, later identified as Anderson, walking up the ramp and into the back of the rental truck, carrying what appeared to be cardboard boxes. The three vehicles the rental truck, the pickup truck and Rodriguez Lagarda's vehicle then left the parking lot around 9:45 p.m. and began traveling eastbound on U.S. Highway 12. Agents noted that all three vehicles involved appeared to be traveling anywhere from 40 to 50 mph, despite the fact that the speed limit was 60 mph. According to the complaint, law enforcement observed all three vehicles commit traffic violations, and stops were conducted around 10 p.m. on U.S. Highway 12 outside Atwater. Anderson was identified as the driver and sole occupant of the U-Haul truck, which had an Arizona plate. When asked, Anderson said he did not have the rental agreement for the vehicle and did not know the name of the person who rented the vehicle. Anderson said he was just a driver. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He stated he went into a building in Willmar and picked up eight pallets of flowers. When asked if there was anything illegal in the U-Haul, Anderson said "not that he knows of," according to the criminal complaint. A K-9 officer was deployed and gave a positive indication that drugs were in the vehicle. A subsequent search of the rental truck yielded 182 packages containing a crystalline substance, which field-tested positive for methamphetamine. All recovered packages were similar in size. According to the complaint, the contents of one package, without the packaging material, weighed about 3 pounds and 4 ounces. Agents estimated that more than 550 pounds of methamphetamine was recovered from the U-Haul truck. Another deputy stopped Rodriguez Lagarda, who was the sole occupant in her vehicle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the complaint, her vehicle was full of flowers and flower boxes. Rodriguez Lagarda said the flowers were for a quinceanera and that she had gotten the flowers from her aunt's house. Another K-9 was deployed and gave a positive alert that drugs were in the vehicle. A search of the vehicle yielded 37 bags of a crystal substance that were all hidden under "false bottoms" in each of the boxes. According to the complaint, all bags field-tested positive for methamphetamine and were similar in size. The contents of one bag weighed approximately 3 pounds and 7 ounces without packaging. Agents estimate that more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine were recovered from Rodriguez Lagarda's vehicle. The narrative in the two criminal complaints included no details on the pickup truck or driver reportedly traveling with both defendants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anderson and Rodriguez Lagarda were both listed in custody at the Kandiyohi County Jail as of Wednesday afternoon. Both are being held on $2 million bail with no conditions, or $1 million bail for conditional release, including no contact with co-defendants and GPS monitoring. The next hearing in both cases is scheduled for June 18. Anderson has no previous drug convictions within his public criminal history record in Minnesota. A name search for Rodriguez Lagarda yielded no results on Minnesota's for public criminal history. EVANSTON, Ill. (WGN) A 28-year-old man faces charges in connection with the shooting of a security guard inside Evanston Hospitals emergency room. Christian Haywood faces a felony count of attempted murder, battery against a public safety officer, and a weapons violation. Evanston police said just before 7:30 p.m., on Thursday, June 5, the Crisis Alternative Response Team came into contact with a 28-year-old Evanston man, later identified as Christian Haywood, near the Taco Bell in the 1700 block of Sherman Avenue in downtown Evanston. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to police, Haywood appeared to have been suffering from unknown mental health conditions and agreed to be evaluated by paramedics and taken to Evanston Hospital. When he arrived at the hospital, however, authorities said he became agitated. Police said when security guards entered the ER, Haywood allegedly pulled a gun from his bag and shot one of the officers in her left arm and leg. Her injuries were considered non-life-threatening. Read More: Evanston news and headlines Haywood also allegedly bit another guard during the struggle, police added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Chargeurs PCC has dropped an updated ESG strategy. The French interlining firm shared plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 46 percent by 2030, as the nucleus of the plan centers around reducing the companys carbon footprint. More from Sourcing Journal Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a global company operating across five continents, we feel the responsibility to lead the transition to a more sustainable future, said Gianluca Tanzi, chairman and CEO of Chargeurs PCC. Our mission is to act as pioneers and game changers, playing a leading role in the transformation of the textile industry. The holistic effort includes designing with circularity, protecting biodiversity and enhancing social corporate governance through stringent supply chain oversight. Chargeurs said this strategy is based on measurable data and integrated actions throughout the value chain. We want to continue innovating, providing our customers with solutions that merge excellence and awareness, Tanzi said. This is why we are pursuing a series of real and concrete commitments that will impact not only within our company but also throughout our supply chainaddressing environmental concerns, product innovation and social responsibility. Those concrete steps include operations already underway at the historic Lainiere de Picardie plant in Peronne. Hot water replaced steam systems, and other advanced machinery has been installed, leading to an 11 percent emissions reduction in 2024 alone. In parallel, Chargeurs said, the company has engaged its suppliers to map emissions since December 2024. In pursuit of strengthening its supply chain transparency, 80 percent of its suppliers will have undergone SMETA audits by 2024, with plans in place to extend assessments across the remaining chain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond modernizing infrastructure, Chargeurs is advancing sustainable product innovation, too, in pursuit of reduced energy consumption. Launched in 2023, Chargeurs Zero-Water Dyeing is a range of interlinings characterized by low water consumption in the dyeing process. Available in 19 colors and made in France, the range can save up to 2,600 liters of water per 1,000 linear meters, according to the companys annual report. This range is part of Chargeurs Sustainable 360 flagship collection, which uses lower-impact materials. Developed in 2019 and primarily designed using recycled yarn, the range expanded its material composition to cover a broader range of environmentally conscious inputs. Outside of the Zero-Water Dyeing range, this spans recycled, GRS-certified polyester, BCI and GOTS cotton, hemp, Ecovero responsibly-sourced viscose and bio-sourced polyamides, primarily from SMETA audited suppliers. The idea is to reduce microplastic dispersion, reduce water use and mitigate chemical treatments. Since 2021, the companys research and development efforts have focused on reducing chemical substances in formulations, seeing Chargeurs adopt stricter than-industry-average standards, even eliminating certain components when warranted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, the business line entered close partnerships with leading brands on the joint development of products aligned with their CSR requirements. Chargeurs R&D laboratory in France has played a central role in providing solutions, developing an internal blacklist of unsustainable components; this voluntary measure clocked 60 percent of products and 90 percent of substances as compliant. Aware of the growing expectations of stakeholders and the groups dependence on raw materials like cotton and wood, biodiversity preservation is another pillar of Chargeurs green path. To that end, Chargeurs Lainiere de Picardie factory maintains 75 percent of its grounds as a protected natural habitat. Last year, the group launched a reforestation initiative in Brazil, partnering with WeForest to plant 1,500 trees. The company also took part in COP16 Biodiversity in Cali, Colombia, and has entered other international ecosystem restoration collaborations as well. A cornerstone of Chargeurs sustainability strategy is its staunch commitment to the Local for Local model: an approach reflecting the companys long-term vision of responsible, regionally rooted growth. CHARLESTON, Ill. (WCIA) A Charleston man was arrested at the end of last month after police said he performed a sex act in public and battered other people. Its the latest instance in what officers described as an extensive criminal history. Officials with the Charleston Police Department said the arrest happened on May 30, and the person arrested was 27-year-old Luke Moritz. Charleston officers were dispatched to the 700 block of West Lincoln Avenue in reference to a male masturbating on public transportation, officials wrote in a news release on Facebook. Officials added that Moritz hit someone before getting off the public transportation; court records show that person was a transit employee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Danville man arrested, charged with sexual assault, child pornography Officers later found Moritz in the 1500 block of Douglas Street. During officers confrontation with him, Moritz allegedly exposed himself and started throwing objects at them. He also hit an officer as they tried to place him under arrest, officials said. Moritz was later charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery to a peace officer and to a transit employee and a misdemeanor of public indecency. Court records show two other cases in Moritzs name, but both were for misdemeanor offenses. This is his first felony 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 WCIA.com. CHARLESTON, Ill. (WCIA) The Charleston Police Department is looking for information on a masked individual and is turning to the public for help in identifying them. Two airlifted after crash involving concrete truck in Coles Co. In a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon, the department posted five security camera photos of a subject wearing a black mask, green hoodie, black backpack, black gloves and blue jeans among other things. However, the department did not provide a specific reason as to why they are seeking information on this person. Courtesy: Charleston Police Department Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Charleston Police is asking anyone who can help identify this person to reach out to detectives at 217-345-8403. Additionally, those wishing to stay anonymous can use the P3 Tips website to submit the information they have on the individual. Tipsters could even receive a cash reward for the information they provide. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A planned No Kings mass protest is headed to Uptown this Saturday. The event is part of a growing nationwide movement pushing back against what organizers call authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of democracy. The protest is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at First Ward Park, located at 301 E. Seventh St., with speeches from community leaders, followed by a 1.4-mile march through Uptown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video: Tensions rise, NC protests grow against ICE activity The event is set to end around 2 p.m. Organizers said they expect a large crowd on Saturday and are encouraging attendees to take public transit to avoid parking headaches. Organizers are stressing that Saturday will be a non-violent event, with marshals in neon vests ready to assist, along with water stations, snacks, and first aid on site. Immigration officers intensify arrests in courthouse hallways on a fast track to deportation We are committed to nonviolent action, and we expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with us. Signs and chants must not incite violence, and signs may not portray swastikas in any form. While there is always an inherent risk to protesting, we are encouraging a family-friendly event No Kings Charlotte: Naked Emperor Rally and March Similar events are also scheduled for communities throughout the region, including Davidson, Concord, Rock Hill, Monroe, Mooresville, Salisbury, Newton, Statesville, Shelby, Morganton, and Lenoir. Protesters are reminded to keep signage and chants free from violent or hateful imagery. MORE FROM QCNEWS.COM Charlotte Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Georgia Congressman Buddy Carter, a Pooler Republican, said he helped broker the contract between Charlton County and the federal government. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder (file) Georgias Charlton County is set to become home to the largest immigrant detention facility in the United States following an agreement between county officials and the federal Department of Homeland Security. Under a $47 million contract reached Friday by county and federal government officials, the D. Ray James Correctional Facility in Folkston, 45 miles southwest of Brunswick, will be merged with an immigrant processing center in the city that is operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coastal Georgia Congressman Earl Buddy Carter, who said he helped broker the contract, praised the deal. The expansion will add roughly 400 jobs and economic growth to the First Congressional District, Carter said in a press release. Continued Carter, who last month announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Jon Ossoff: 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. Folkston, a city of about 4,500 people, will also receive approximately $600,000 a year in revenue from water and sewer services to the facility, the congressman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Folkston processing center currently holds just over 1,100 beds. Its merger with the correctional facility will bring the centers total capacity to nearly 3,000 beds. In a June 5 press release from the countys Board of Commissioners, County Administrator Glenn Hull said the county does not manage the correctional facility and would not do so following the merger. This expansion would increase capacity and enhance federal operations already in place, Hull wrote in the press release. Charlton Countys role remains strictly administrative and supportive. Both facilities are owned and managed by The Geo Group, a private prison corporation. The Geo Group contributed $7,500 to Carters campaign in 2024 through PACs, $5,000 of which was donated directly to Buddy PAC Carters Leadership PAC. This story is available through a partnership with The Current. Photo taken on June 5, 2025 shows books about Hungarian-born architect Ladislav Hudec displayed in the Window of Shanghai room at the State Scientific Library in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. (Photo by Peter Lahky/Xinhua) BRATISLAVA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A century ago, Hungarian-born architect Ladislav Hudec fled the turmoil of World War I and found refuge in China. Settling in Shanghai in 1918, he helped shape the skyline of what would become China's largest metropolis. Hudec designed nearly 70 buildings in Shanghai -- 27 of which are now recognized as outstanding historical landmarks. Among his iconic works are the Park Hotel, once the tallest building in Asia, the Grand Theater, the Moore Memorial Church and the wedge-shaped Wukang Building, formerly known as the Normandie Apartments. Architectural master I.M. Pei once said that the buildings designed by Laszlo Hudec were the past, the present, and will always be a highlight of Shanghai's cityscape. Today, in Hudec's birthplace and final resting place -- Banska Bystrica, a city nestled in central Slovakia -- his legacy lives on in an unexpected setting: a quiet room inside the State Scientific Library, just steps from where he was born. This room is home to the "Window of Shanghai," a cultural exchange project initiated 15 years ago by the Shanghai Library in collaboration with the Slovak library. The program, which began with a simple gesture of book donations, has since evolved into a vibrant corner of Chinese culture in the heart of Europe. "We were approached because of the Hudec connection," explained Olga Doktorova, director of the State Scientific Library in Banska Bystrica. "He may have left Slovakia as a young man, but his contribution to Shanghai is deeply respected -- and that bridge is what we aim to preserve." The Window of Shanghai now houses 2,081 books covering diverse subjects, from history and literature to science and social issues. The collection continues to grow each year, and includes works not only in Chinese, but also in English and other languages, making the materials accessible to a broader readership. "Some of the books are reference-only, but many are available for home borrowing," said Doktorova. "Alongside the books, we also display photographs, Chinese handicrafts, and gifts received from our Chinese partners." The initiative's influence extends beyond library walls. Banska Bystrica is home to one of Central Europe's few bilingual secondary schools with a Chinese-language track, and the Window of Shanghai serves as a key resource hub for its students. In addition to hosting the Shanghai collection, the State Scientific Library has collaborated with Chinese institutions on multiple fronts. It co-published a monograph on Hudec and exchanged professional materials with Chinese partners. Last October, Doktorova represented the library at the Shanghai International Library Forum, where she witnessed first-hand the city's impressive progress. "I have visited Shanghai twice, and both times I was amazed," she said. "Even though the visits were years apart, the pace of change is extraordinary -- especially in the library sector, where technological advancements are truly inspiring." Locally, the Slovak library has forged a long-standing partnership with the Confucius Institute at Matej Bel University, co-hosting a range of cultural programs. Despite Hudec's international acclaim, many local residents remain unaware of his remarkable contributions to Shanghai's architectural heritage. Determined to change that, Doktorova's library has been working with local schools to ensure his story is passed on. During student excursions, staff members introduce young visitors to Hudec's life and work, emphasizing his unique role as a cultural bridge between East and West. "We must never forget that Ladislav Hudec is a connection between Shanghai and Banska Bystrica," Doktorova said, adding that it is a legacy the city takes pride in preserving and sharing. Photo taken on June 5, 2025 shows the front view of the State Scientific Library in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. (Photo by Peter Lahky/Xinhua) Photo taken on June 5, 2025 shows the Window of Shanghai plate outside the library room at the State Scientific Library in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. (Photo by Peter Lahky/Xinhua) Olga Doktorova, director of the State Scientific Library in Banska Bystrica, is interviewed in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, on June 5, 2025. (Photo by Peter Lahky/Xinhua) Photo taken on June 5, 2025 shows the house where Hungarian-born architect Ladislav Hudec was born in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. (Photo by Peter Lahky/Xinhua) Photo taken on June 5, 2025 shows the inside view of the Window of Shanghai room at the State Scientific Library in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. (Photo by Peter Lahky/Xinhua) Photo taken on June 5, 2025 shows the tomb of Hungarian-born architect Ladislav Hudec's family where Ladislav Hudec was buried in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. (Photo by Peter Lahky/Xinhua) MCARTHUR, Ohio (WCMH) A chemical leak from an explosives manufacturing plant prompted evacuations Wednesday in and around Zaleski in Vinton County, according to the sheriffs office. Creek Road, Morgan Road, Infirmary Road, State Route 677 and the Village of Zaleski were evacuated until 4:30 p.m. when the order was lifted. More than 400,000 Ohioans see drivers license suspensions lifted under new law Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The chemical leak originated from the Austin Powder plant in McArthur after an unexpected release of nitrogen oxide, according to a statement from the plant. The Red Diamond facilitys website says it manufactures materials that go into blast powder and dynamite. At around 4:30 p.m., a spokesperson with Austin Powder confirmed the emissions had ceased with the Vinton County Health Department announcing the evacuation was lifted. A preliminary investigation revealed that the gas was vented due to decomposition of nitric acid in the storage tank, wrote a the Austin Powder spokesperson. A spokesperson with the Jackson County Emergency Management Agency told NBC4 that 3,000 gallons of chemicals was released out of a 5,000 gallon storage tank. When the chemicals were released, it reacted to create nitric oxide in the air. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials said after the leak is contained, the air quality will be monitored. The Health Department also confirmed that there are no injuries and water from private wells is safe for drinking and agricultural use. Courtesy: Kennedi Kovaleski Courtesy: Kennedi Kovaleski Courtesy: Kennedi Kovaleski Emergency response protocols have been initiated at the Red Diamond Plant with Austin Powder saying no injuries or adverse health impacts have been identified at this time. Emergency management officials also said theyve not received reports of injuries. Symptoms from exposure to nitrogen oxide include skin, eye and throat irritation. Some drowsiness is possible, according to officials. Those who think they may have been exposed should clean themselves with cold water, and if there are any lingering effects, seek medical attention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials said those with asthma or other respiratory problems will be more likely to be impacted by symptoms. The Federal Aviation Administration has placed a temporary flight restriction with a radius of 30 nautical miles up to 23,000 feet in the area of the leak. The TFR is currently in effect until 10:25 a.m. Thursday. Austin Powder says that the facility is the countys largest employer with about 250 employees. The plant was cited for a serious OSHA violation in June 2024. On or about June 5, 2024, periodic inspections of the energy control procedures for equipment, such as but not limited to the bucket elevator at the mixing plant, was not performed at least annually to ensure the procedures and requirements of the standard were being followed when employees were required to perform service and maintenance activities, according to OSHA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Back in 2009, the plant was the site of an explosion that left one person dead and at least two others injured, according to OSHA. Three employees at the plant had to be flown to a hospital. One employee had burns over 90% of her body and had to have her left leg amputated. Records show the plant was cited for five serious violations, resulting in a $22,750 fine. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NORTHERN CAMBRIA, Pa. An Indiana County man faces charges for a shooting that wounded a teenager at a party Saturday in Northern Cambria, according to state police. State police said Joshua James McKendrick, 21, of Cherry Tree, was brandishing a .40-caliber pistol several times during the party on Crawford Avenue. State police said that witnesses at the scene described the incident as an accidental shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McKendrick allegedly was angry about another person at the party who had abruptly left the residence, and at one point threatened to shoot her right here, right now, according to a criminal complaint. A verbal argument ensued with the (17-year-old male) and McKendrick over the gun being waved around and pointing it at several individuals, state police wrote. The teen attempted to grab the gun from McKendricks pocket, but McKendrick prevented (him) from grabbing it, resulting in the gun discharging, striking the victim in the leg, police added. McKendrick fled the scene with the firearm, state police said in a release to media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McKendrick was later taken into custody in Indiana County, state police wrote. He is facing one felony count of firearm not to be carried without a license and misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and tampering with evidence. McKendrick was interviewed by troopers and lodged in Cambria County Prison, state police said. His bail was set at 10% of $50,000, online court records show. The injured teenager was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Heath Kelsey of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science speaks at the release of the 2025 Chesapeake Bay report card, which gave the estuary a "C" grade. (Photo by Christine Condon/Maryland Matters) Last years weather didnt treat the Chesapeake Bay too kindly, if you ask Bill Dennison. It was too wet, and then it was too dry and always too hot, said Dennison, the vice president for science application at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those conditions are part of the reason the bay got a C on this years UMCES report card, down from last years all-time high grade of C+. The crops didnt have enough water, so they were not soaking up nutrients, Dennison said at Tuesdays release of the report card. So when it did rain, there were excess nutrients washing into the bay. A number of factors contribute to the score, including measurements of aquatic grass growth, water clarity, and harmful nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, which run off from fertilizers and sewage treatment plants, among other sources. Excess nutrents spur the growth of algae, which suck oxygen from the water as they die, creating dead zones that kill off underwater life. Though this years score dropped, Dennison and others were quick to point out that the overall trajectory of the bay is more positive. Of 15 bay regions identified in the report only one has seen a declining trend dating back to the 1980s: the Upper Eastern Shore, which includes the Chester River. Six regions are improving, including Baltimores Back and Patapsco rivers, and the rest are holding steady, said Heath Kelsey, director of the Integration and Application Network at UMCES. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kelsey said the bay has faced lots of development, lots of population moving in, lots more traffic and impervious surface and climate change is adding to that, too. But nevertheless, over time, whatever were doing is making a difference. The view from the Annapolis Maritime Museum, which hosted Tuesdays unveiling of the latest Chesapeake Bay report card. (Photo by Christine Condon/ Maryland Matters) Yet bay states have fallen short of their 2014 pledges for nutrient reduction: By 2024, according to computer models, nitrogen reduction hit 59% of the goal and phosphorous reduction achieved 92% in the six states, plus Washington, D.C., in the bay watershed. They did meet other goals by that year, including reduced sediment runoff. Early gains came, in part, from outfitting wastewater treatment plants with enhanced technology so they discharge fewer nutrients. But slowing pollution from what are known as non-point sources, such as stormwater runoff from cities and farm fields alike, has been more difficult. The bay has also responded to the estimated reductions more slowly than expected. From 1985 to 1987, 26.5% of the bays tidal waters met water quality standards, according to ChesapeakeProgress, an online resource from the Chesapeake Bay Program. In the most recent assessment, between 2020 and 2022, 29.8% of the bay met those same standards. The numbers have declined steadily since a high point of 42.2% from 2015 to 2017. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 2023 report from the Bay Programs Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee laid out some reasons for the slow improvement. Computer modeling could be overestimating nutrient reductions, the report said. It also called for increased adoption of non-point pollution reduction measures, and urged governments to consider programs that reward farmers and other landowners based on the success of conservation practices, rather than awarding funds to implement a practice, regardless of the pollution-reduction outcome. Officials have been drafting a revised bay agreement, with new goals for the states, that could be released for public comment next month, pending a vote from a Chesapeake Bay Program committee. Chaos on the hour Meanwhile, cuts some proposed and others realized to federal agencies by the Trump administration are adding fresh uncertainty to bay restoration efforts. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), who appeared via video for Tuesdays event, said Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin publicly assured him that cuts would not be proposed for the Chesapeake Bay Program, the EPA-led office that leads the bay cleanup effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a change from Trumps first administration, when the president repeatedly proposed cutting the Bay Programs funding, or zeroing it out altogether, though he was denied by Congress. Thats good news, but we know that thats not the only program important to the health of the bay, which is why well push back against the administrations efforts to cut other key environmental programs, Van Hollen said. Bill Dennison, of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, speaks at the release of the 2025 Chesapeake Bay report card. The bay got a C this year. (Photo by Christine Condon/Maryland Matters) President Donald Trumps proposed budget would slash billions from the EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Department of Agriculture, potentially hampering funding for improvements at sewage treatment plants, scientists that study bay wildlife and programs that assist farmers with conservation practices, according to a May news release from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Its chaos on the hour, Bay Foundation President and CEO Hilary Harp Falk said Tuesday. We have seen some slightly positive news in the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program getting full funding in the presidents proposed budget, but what were also seeing is major cuts to NOAA and major cuts to USGS, including bedrock scientific programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You cant just pull half of those federal agencies out and expect to have results, she said. To Dennison, some of the biggest changes so far have been departures of senior USGS scientists, who focused on monitoring conditions in the bay watershed. Some of them opted for the early retirement plan offered by the administration in order to thin the federal bureaucracy, Dennison said. At UMCES, officials are also concerned about Trump administration attempts to limit the amount of grant funding that universities can use for overhead, Dennison said. Were doing a lot of the doomsday list-making, he said, but added that the institution is also trying to keep a level head. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its important not to freak out, Dennison said. Lets keep our head down, doing good work. And then, when were really confronted with the challenge, well deal with it. But for right now, what we hear is being proposed doesnt often end up being the reality. Despite tough state budget conditions, Maryland officials are trying to plug holes left by the federal government, said Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz. In remarks on Tuesday, Kurtz cited the recently passed Chesapeake Legacy Act, which will, in part, let DNR incorporate water quality data collected by community groups such as riverkeepers potentially filling in gaps caused by federal cuts. That bill may have been aided by its small price tag: It allocates about $500,000 for a new certification program for conservation-minded farmers. Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz at the release of the 2025 Chesapeake Bay report card from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. (Photo by Christine Condon/Maryland Matters) Kurtz also cited a 2024 law, the Whole Watershed Act, which funds targeted water quality assistance for five communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Where there are things that were going to lose, I think we are well-positioned as a state because of the strength of the partnership, to be able to keep that scientific understanding going, Kurtz said. A bay restoration enigma Dennison said scientists at UMCES have been zeroing in on the Upper Shore, the only region with a declining water quality trend in the centers report card. He said the problem is a bit of an enigma in an area where a solid number of farmers are using cover crops to prevent erosion between growing seasons, and a significant amount of nutrient-laden poultry litter from area chicken houses is trucked to the Western Shore instead of being spread as fertilizer to Eastern Shore farm fields. Scientists have a few hypotheses, including that the Upper Shores flat elevatio could cause the slow groundwater circulation in the area, which could be delaying observations of progress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve put into practice some of these things that were seeing positive responses to elsewhere, but theyre slower on the Eastern Shore because its such a flat [area with] poorly drained soils. Its just taken a while for that to happen, Dennison said. He said the center will host a series of workshops on the Shore later this month, in collaboration with the Delmarva Land and Litter Collaborative, focused on environmental practices in chicken houses, bringing in farmers and poultry companies. We dont really understand why its uniquely degraded, whereas everywhere else in the bay is holding steady or improving, so were trying to get at that, but were doing it in partnership with the farming community, Dennison said. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Authorities on the Cheyenne River Reservation are looking into the deaths of two people in Eagle Butte. Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement says officers were called to a home after 4 p.m. Tuesday. State plans to decrease its payments to the needy A 23-year-old man and 20-year-old woman were pronounced dead at the scene. Tribal law enforcement says they are working with the FBI office in Pierre to investigate the deaths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you have any information, you are asked to call tribal authorities. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Chicago-based American Medical Association plans to ask a U.S. Senate committee to investigate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s decision to overhaul a key vaccine advisory group, the medical association said in an emergency resolution passed Tuesday. The House of Delegates of the AMA, which is the nations premier doctors group, adopted the emergency resolution at its annual meeting in Chicago. The adoption came just one day after Kennedy, who is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, announced that he had removed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices. That advisory committee is tasked with making recommendations on the use of vaccines to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which then sets U.S. adult and childhood immunization schedules. Kennedy said he planned to replace the 17 members with new members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda, Kennedy said in a news release Monday. The public must know that unbiased science evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest guides the recommendations of our health agencies. Its a move, however, that has met with sharp criticism, including from the American Medical Association. Kennedy has long been a vaccine skeptic, putting him at odds with doctors and scientists who tout vaccines as lifesaving. The AMAs emergency resolution also says that it will send an open letter to Kennedy asking him to reverse his recent changes to the committee. And the association will identify and evaluate alternative evidence-based vaccine advisory structures, according to the resolution. On Monday, outgoing American Medical Association President Dr. Bruce Scott said in a statement that the advisory committee has long been a trusted source of science and data-driven guidance on vaccines. Todays action to remove the 17 sitting members of ACIP undermines that trust and upends a transparent process that has saved countless lives, Scott said. With an ongoing measles outbreak and routine child vaccination rates declining, this move will further fuel the spread of vaccine-preventable illnesses. *Editors note: A link supporting Chicago firefighter Jose Perez in his recovery can be found at the bottom of this article. (WGN) Paralyzed ten days ago in the middle of a San Francisco triathlon, injured Chicago firefighter Jose Perez is beginning the battle back after multiple surgeries. Perez was on the West Coast for the June 1 Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon when he launched himself off a boat, and a freak collision left him face down in the waters near the Golden Gate Bridge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I just felt a big boom, Perez said. [I] just hit the back of my head. Perez described the moment over Zoom from his San Francisco hospital bed. Another triathlon swimmer landed on top of him, leaving him paralyzed. I couldnt move. I couldnt do anything and I was telling myself, come on man! Start swimming! Perez said. But I couldnt do anything. More from Julian: Emotional plea from Michael Madigans wife seeks leniency before his sentencing The 35-year-old firefighter said the swim portion of the Triathlon felt chaotic and disorganized, with transport boats delivering numerous triathletes to a jump-off point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Swimmers jumped off the transport boats in droves. Perez said he was fully aware of what was happening, even after the collision. I actually remember everything very vividly. I never lost consciousness, Perez said. There was another swimmer that just happened to be in the water, saw what happened, [and] came on by. He turned my head over, turned me on my back and just started yelling for help. San Francisco Fire Department marine units on Jet Skis took Perez to shore before rushing him to Zuckerberg General Hospital, where specialists in spinal cord injuries performed emergency surgery. Several days later, Perez went under the knife again, this time for spinal decompression surgery. The end result helped Perez regain movement to portions of his arms, hands and feet, but doctors warn its a long road to recovery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perez said he faces at least a year of treatment and rehab with uncertain long-term results expected from his efforts. His family and friends have started a GoFundMe page to help with growing medical expenses. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Brief Seventeen people were arrested during a chaotic protest against ICE in downtown Chicago on Tuesday, including three charged with striking police officers. Authorities said four people face felony charges, 10 were charged with misdemeanors, and others face pending charges or citations. A 66-year-old woman suffered a broken arm after a car drove through the crowd and fled the scene. CHICAGO - Seventeen people were arrested, including three people who allegedly struck Chicago police officers, during a chaotic ICE protest downtown on Tuesday evening, officials said. What we know Chicago police said four people were charged with felonies and 10 were charged with misdemeanors. One person was issued a citation for possession of a paint/marker with intent to deface. Charges are also pending against two other people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nathan Sol, 20, was charged with two counts of aggravated battery of a peace officer while Yony Salgado 33, and Jonathan Ellison, 37, were each charged with one count. Asnat Berestizhevsky, 27, was charged with one count of criminal damage to government property under $500. The charges stem from a chaotic scene that broke out downtown, involving several hundred people who gathered to protest ICE raids. While the protests were mostly non-violent earlier in the afternoon, there were some brief clashes between protesters and officers. Police squad cars were vandalized and one instance in which a car drove through the crowd amid rolling street closures. What they're saying U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly issued a statement Wednesday afternoon following Tuesday's protests in Chicago: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Yesterday, thousands of people exercised their constitutional right to peacefully assemble in Chicago to defend their immigrant neighbors. Unlawful detentions and arrests by ICE in the city have caused fear, chaos and untold grief in immigrant communities. The separation of families and random deportation quotas are cruel. I will continue to defend the human dignity of those who choose to call Illinois their home and the civil rights of protestors. "As protests in Chicago continue to remain peaceful, I warn against any similar actions taken by President Trump in Los Angeles. He deployed the Marines and National Guard in Los Angeles, calling protestors violent, insurrectionist mobs. Where was the National Guard when MAGA extremists stormed the Capitol? I still remember crawling on my hands and knees in the House gallery with my colleagues as we escaped on January 6 that was a violent insurrection. President Trump needs to stop escalating the situation in Los Angeles and pull out the Marines and National Guard. These abuses of power against our democracy would not be welcomed in Chicago," Kelly said. Car drives through crowd Dig deeper A 66-year-old womans arm was broken after she was hit by a car that sped through the crowd in the first block of East Monroe Street, according to the Chicago Police Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The car hit the 66-year-old while she was standing in the roadway, and sped away, fleeing the scene. The woman had a left arm fracture and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where she was treated and released. The Source The information in this report came from the Chicago Police Department and previous FOX 32 reporting. The Brief A 26-year-old man was shot and killed early Wednesday during a meeting to sell a vehicle in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood. Police said the suspected buyer pulled out a gun and shot the victim in the head before fleeing into a nearby home. SWAT responded to the scene. CHICAGO - A 26-year-old man was fatally shot early Wednesday morning during a meeting to sell a vehicle in the city's Gresham neighborhood, police said. The backstory Officers responded around 12:37 a.m. to the 7800 block of South Paulina Street, where the victim had arranged to meet an unidentified man. According to police, the suspect pulled out a gun and started shooting, striking the victim in the head. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His identity has not yet been released. A witness told police the shooter fled the scene and entered a nearby residence. SWAT officers were called to the area. Around 8:20 a.m., police said the SWAT incident ended and no one is in custody. Area Two detectives are leading the investigation. No arrests have been reported. The Source The information in this report came from the Chicago Police Department. A Chickasha native serving in the U.S. Navy has completed his command of Submarine Squadron 4, according to a press release. Captain Jason Grizzle turned over commend of Submarine Squadron 4 to Captain Thomas Flaherty in a traditional change of command ceremony June 6. The ceremony was held on board submarine USS Iowa while in Groton, Connecticut. Grizzle took command in April 2023, according to the press release, and led 14 submarine captains and over 2,000 personal in the execution go 5 deployments, 15 maintenance periods and the delivery and commissioning of two warships. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To the skippers, COBs, and work center professionals, you all make my job look easy every day, Grizzle said. Its the hard work and dedication to your people, warship and mission that makes this job easier... The tireless efforts you all have shown during this tour is remarkable. Captain Flaherty, I trust you are in good hands as you lead the Squadron Four team through the next chapter. Submarine Squadron 4s mission is to provide attack submarines that are prepared for the challenges of undersea combat. Fast-attack submarines are multi-mission platforms with fie of the six Navy maritime strategy core capabilities: sea control, power projection, forward pretense, maritime security and deterrence. The submarines excel in anti-submarine warfare, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, irregular warfare and more. Grizzle will continue his service as the division director of Submarine and Nuclear Officer Distribution. His previous submarine tours include SS Maryland (SSBN 738), USS Asheville (SSN 758), USS Georgia (SSGN 729) and as commanding officer of USS Providence (SSN 719), the release stated. As a leader, Captain Grizzle is second to none, said Adm. William Houston, director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. He is the kind of leader who breaks down barriers to success. I have always been able to count on him, and Squadron Four, to deliver operational, proficient and combat effective submarines whenever and wherever they were needed. CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) It was a prideful day for the local Portuguese community in the City of Chicopee. Many residents and local officials came together to celebrate Portuguese Heritage Month with a flag-raising ceremony. Mass. officials support local farms during National Dairy Month The weather brought the event indoors, but it did not stop the festivities. The event showcased the cultural heritage of the Portuguese community with music, dance, and guest speakers sharing their insights into the culture and its historical significance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It means a lot to us that we dont get to get together daily, President of the Portuguese Club Brian Mendes said. Events like this bring a lot of friends and family together. The celebrations continued at the Portuguese Club in Chicopee, where people sat down and enjoyed a nice lunch. Mendes said the Portuguese Club will be hosting events all month long. 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. RIGA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Latvian Minister of Smart Administration and Regional Affairs Inga Berzina resigned on Wednesday, taking responsibility for the confusion caused by technical issues during the vote-counting process in the municipal elections held over the weekend. Prime Minister Evika Silina announced Berzina's resignation following a meeting with President Edgars Rinkevics. Silina said that the government's top priority is now to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and to implement measures to prevent similar disruptions during the parliamentary elections scheduled for the fall of 2026. During a meeting of the Saeima's State Administration and Local Government Committee on Wednesday, Kristine Saulite, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, initially declared her intention to resign. However, she reversed her decision after the meeting, stating that she had not yet made a final decision. The complications arose due to the failure of the technical system intended to count votes electronically. As a result, election officials were forced to count ballots manually, leading to significant delays in announcing the final results. President Rinkevics, who on Sunday criticized the organization of the local elections as a failure, reaffirmed on Wednesday that there was no reason to doubt the legality or legitimacy of the election results. MADISON, Wis. (WTVO) A 69-year-old Beloit man, Craig Daskam, has been sentenced to 4 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. Daskam was reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2023. An investigation by federal agents found numerous images and videos of child pornography on multiple electronic devices at Daskams residence. At the sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge James Peterson expressed concern that Daskams conduct was driven by a dangerous impulse that Daskam doesnt understand and cant control, the Department of Justice said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to his prison sentence, Daskam must serve 10 years of parole and pay $22,000 to funds that support victims of child exploitation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A police officer accused of carrying out an unjustified strip-search on a 15-year-old black girl at an east London school has said she accepts she failed in her duties and the search should never have happened. The girl, known as Child Q, was wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis and forced to expose her intimate parts at her school in Hackney in December 2020. No drugs were found and a further search of her hair was also carried out by officers which led to the same outcome. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trainee Det Con Kristina Linge, one of the female officers who carried out the strip-search, told a gross misconduct hearing she had "absolutely" acted in good faith but accepted causing upset, for which she apologised. 'Avoid embarrassment' When asked if she would have done anything differently had Child Q been white, 46-year-old Det Con Linge answered "no". Two other officers, PC Victoria Wray and PC Rafal Szmydynski, are also accused of breaching professional police standards after allegedly being involved in an "unjustified", "disproportionate" and "demeaning" strip-search. All three officers deny gross misconduct. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite admitting a number failures that day, Det Con Linge told the panel she had tried to make Child Q "as comfortable as possible". "I understood that she is a juvenile, I took all the precautions to avoid embarrassment." Det Con Linge joined the Met Police in 2018 and was still in her probationary period when the search took place. She told the panel in south-east London that Child Q "did want her mum to be called or informed about the search" and that the school's deputy safeguarding manager acted as the appropriate adult, standing outside in the corridor while the search took place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Det Con Linge also said she thought police training on all levels of searches was not adequate. When asked about conversations with staff at the school, after they failed to find drugs on the teenager, Det Con Linge said the head teacher "was adamant that the school girl had drugs and [was] compliant with the girl to be searched". The hearing continues. More on this story Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk ST. PAUL, Minn., June 11 (UPI) -- A suspected link between childhood trauma and the risk of developing endometriosis in later life was strengthened Wednesday with the publication of study that showed a greater chance of the condition among women with histories of difficult childhoods. The study of hundreds of thousands of women in Sweden found those who as children experienced substance abuse, had a teenage or mentally ill parent, financial problems or a death in the family were linked to a 20% increased risk of an endometriosis diagnosis compared to women who had not been exposed. However, the risk was much greater for girls exposed more than one of those factors, rising to 60%, while those who witnessed or were subjected to violence saw more than twice the risk of developing endometriosis later in life compared to women who had not been exposed, the Swedish authors reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The study published in the British medical journal Human Reproduction builds on earlier findings that women who experienced physical and sexual abuse as children had a 79% higher risk of developing the painful condition, which affects one in 10 reproductive-age women in the United States. Lead author Dr. Marika Rostvall, a physician and doctoral student in the Department of Global Public Health at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, told UPI the findings provide more evidence of the strong connection between mental and physical health. Dr. Marika Rostvall, a physician and doctoral student at the Department of Global Public Health at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, found that trauma suffered as a child can significantly increase the risk of endometriosis for women in later years. Photo by Anna-Lena Kempe The findings "support previous studies in other areas of medicine suggesting that the mind and body are intimately connected and that psychologically taxing events can have biological consequences," she said in emailed comments. Endometriosis usually affects women in their 20s and 30s, and while there are a handful known risk factors such as starting menstruation early and having a lean body type, the cause remains unknown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The problems stem from the behavior of tissues known as endometrium, which under normal circumstances are found only in the inner lining of a woman's uterus. Those tissues grow to a thick, blood vessel-rich layer during the menstrual cycle to prepare for possible implantation of an embryo, and then shed the blood at the end of the cycle if there is no embryo present. But in some cases, endometrium behave abnormally and start growing outside of the uterus. When they do so, they can attach themselves to the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bowel, bladder or other parts of the body, triggering frequently severe pelvic pain as they carry out their monthly thickening function. As a result, endometriosis can cause excessive bleeding and even infertility -- which is the case for up to half of women with the condition -- as well as cysts, scar tissue and adhesions. Those in turn can trigger chronic pain, including during with sexual intercourse as well as during urination or bowel movements. The Swedish researchers began by looking at the health records of more 1.3 million women born in in the country between 1974 and 2001, eventually narrowing it down to 24,000 who were diagnosed with endometriosis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They then tapped several national registers to track their childhood experiences, looking for evidence of trauma or difficulties, including crimes such as violence and sexual abuse. The results, they said, demonstrate the importance of considering "the whole person" not just the symptoms of endometriosis. The negative physical consequences of psychological trauma can perhaps be traced to a compromised ability of the immune system to protect against the condition, or even in how the body perceives pain, Rostvall said. "I think the immune system is an interesting part of the puzzle when it comes to trying to understand why some women develop endometriosis," she said. "Chronic inflammation is a big part of the disease, and it has also been shown that women with endometriosis have a higher incidence of autoimmune disorders compared to healthy women. "There is a lot of interesting research being done in the area, and a deeper understanding of exactly how the immune system functions in relation to endometriosis could potentially help bring forward new kinds of treatment." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like some other women's health issues, the pain of endometriosis is often dismissed and sufferers have reported negative experiences with healthcare professionals, often in the form of providers "trivializing" symptoms, which can cause feelings of loneliness and alienation. This, in turn, can make obtaining a diagnosis difficult and prompt some to choose to avoid engaging with doctors altogether. A British psychological-based study from last year showed some women who suffered symptoms felt they had experienced a form of "medical gaslighting" in which they were made to doubt their own perceptions of pain. Rostvall said these kinds of experiences are especially relevant when the patients are women who come from socially and psychologically traumatic backgrounds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A lot of women presenting with pain, especially socioeconomically disadvantaged women and women with psychiatric comorbidities, who are more likely to have experienced childhood adversity, have their pain dismissed. They then have to wait for a long time to receive a diagnosis and treatment, potentially allowing the condition to worsen," she said. "I think physicians should be aware of the complex linkage between the mind and body in general and be more open to listening to their patients' stories, take their pain seriously, and offer a thorough physical examination." COPIAPO, Chile (Reuters) -As the northern Chilean city of Copiapo was preparing last week to hold earthquake drills, it was hit by a real-life one: a 6.4-magnitude quake that cut power to thousands and caused structural damage to buildings. The drills - temporarily suspended - and last week's tremor in the Andean nation that sits on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, underscores rising concern a big quake could hit soon after the last severe one fifteen years ago. "The probability of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake or larger is around 64% this year, and those odds go up as time goes on," said Sergio Barrientos, director of Chile's National Seismology Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chile, a long sliver of a country along the Pacific Ocean, sits at the convergence of three tectonic plates and is the site of the strongest earthquake recorded - a magnitude 9.5 in 1960. The Pacific Ring of Fire has regular volcanic activity and earthquakes, with Chileans wearily used to smaller quakes. "A piece of the roof fell off. In another room the door frames burst, windows broke," Alessandro Girardelli, a citizen of Copiapo, told Reuters about last week's quake - a mild one by Chile's standards. "The walls in three of our four rooms cracked." The planned drills involve students, workers, disaster agencies and the armed forces. They have been organized by Chile's Senapred disaster agency to prepare communities for large-scale natural disasters around the country, including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and forest fires. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is mainly to test our plans and actively participate with communities and evaluate the behavior in different areas of the country," said Roberto Munoz, Senapred's director for the Atacama region, adding that the suspended Copiapo drill was being rescheduled for September. The frequency of powerful quakes has led the country to develop strong and internationally renowned building standards that have helped decrease death tolls during major earthquakes. Most of the 525 deaths from the magnitude 8.8 earthquake in 2010 were due to an ensuing tsunami. Carlos Zuniga, director of the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of Chile's navy, said the goal after an earthquake is to evaluate the threat levels to the country and give Senapred an evaluation of a tsunami alert within five minutes. Barrientos from the seismology center said that each quake was a chance to improve the country's emergency response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "With every earthquake we learn and we prepare in the best way possible," he said. "But nature can always surprise us with something, so I never think we're ever completely prepared." (Reporting by Rodrigo Gutierrez; Writing by Alexander Villegas; Editing by Sandra Maler and Adam Jourdan) (Amends paragraphs 7,9 to change to the bishop's surname) By Joshua McElwee VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -A new assistant Catholic bishop was installed on Wednesday for Fuzhou, the capital of China's southeastern Fujian province, signalling that the Vatican's accord with Beijing over Catholic bishop appointments will continue under Pope Leo. Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan, 73, was appointed by Leo within the framework of a diplomatic deal originally struck in 2018 that gives Chinese officials some input into papal appointments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michel Chambon, an academic who has written extensively on the Chinese Church, said Wednesday's installation indicates that both parties want to continue with the accord. "It is a willingness to support reconciliation instead of antagonism," said Chambon, a research fellow at the Asia Research Institute in Singapore. Some conservative Catholics have criticized the Vatican-China deal, which was negotiated under the late Pope Francis. The critics say it gives too much influence to China's ruling communists, who have kept a tight rein on religious practice since taking power in 1949. The Vatican stresses that the pope retains final decision-making power and says the accord resolves a decades-long split between an underground church swearing loyalty to the Vatican and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Association. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lin had previously been ordained a bishop in the underground church in 2017. The Vatican said in a brief statement that it had "learned with satisfaction" that his role had been officially recognised by the government. "This event constitutes another fruit of the dialogue between the Holy See and Chinese authorities and is a significant step," it said. As part of Wednesday's ceremony, Lin swore to abide by Chinese laws and to safeguard social harmony, according to a report on social media provided by the Catholic Patriotic Association. Across China there are about 5 million Catholics in a total population of 1.4 billion, the Vatican estimates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Vatican and China last renewed their accord in October 2024, for a further period of four years. The text of the deal has never been published, but only described by diplomatic officials. (Reporting by Joshua McElwee, editing by Alvise Armellini and Sharon Singleton) China and the United States have agreed in principle on a "framework" to implement recent trade understandings, senior officials from both countries said late on Tuesday following talks in London. China's Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang told reporters that the two sides had, in principle, reached a framework for implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state during a phone call on June 5 as well as understandings reached during last month's Geneva talks, according to China's state news agency Xinhua. Li said the two sides had held "professional, rational, in-depth and candid exchanges" during the two-day meeting in London, Xinhua reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed that a framework had been agreed on to implement the Geneva consensus, US media reported. Both delegations intended to present the results to their respective presidents for approval, according to the reports. Further details of the agreement were not disclosed. The discussions in London took place during a pause in the ongoing trade dispute, agreed in Geneva in mid-May. Under the agreement, US tariffs on Chinese imports dropped from 145% to 30%, while Chinese tariffs on US goods were lowered from 125% to 10%. These reductions are scheduled to remain in place for 90 days, allowing space for negotiations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While tariffs dominated the Geneva talks, discussions in London shifted focus to export controls. In April, China imposed restrictions on exports of key rare earth elements and introduced a stricter licensing process. Meanwhile, the US limited the sale of advanced chip design software and certain aircraft components to Chinese firms. It was not immediately clear when or where the next round of talks will be held. The United States and China have agreed to a handshake deal that will enable the two superpowers to resume the terms of their provisional trade agreement. Following two days of talks between senior state officials in London, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters on Tuesday that the parties had reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus and the call between the two presidents, referring to a discussion between the leaders that took place last week. China Commerce Ministry international trade representative Li Chenggang echoed that a consensus had been reached in principle. More from Sourcing Journal Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer traveled overseas to meet with the Chinese delegation, following up on the call between President Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday. Trump wrote on Truth Social last week that he had spoken to Xi for more than an hour on a very good phone call where they discussed some of the intricacies of the recent deal. The heads of state sought to mend fences following an escalation in trade tensions over the course of recent weeks, wherein both China and the U.S. accused the other of violating the terms of a provisional trade deal brokered in Geneva in mid-May. During the Switzerland talks, the U.S. and China delegations hashed out an agreement to suspend for 90 days the implementation of reciprocal duties which were drastically rolled back to much lower rates. Heading back to Washington following this weeks meetings, Lutnick said he and Greer will convene with the president to ensure that he approves of upholding the terms of the Geneva truce. If Xi also approves the conclusions arrived at during the talks, We will implement the framework, the Commerce Secretary said. The original three-month agreement came crashing down on May 30 when Trump Truthed that China totally violated its terms. At the time, Greer elucidated that China was slowrolling compliance with the deal and accused Beijing of placing U.S. companies on blacklists and restricting the export of rare earth minerals used in American industries like automotives and robotics. TAIPEI (Reuters) -The two Chinese aircraft carriers spotted conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time send a political message about the country's "expansionist" aims, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Wednesday. Japan's defence minister said the previous day that the appearance of the Chinese aircraft carriers signified Beijing's intention to further widen its capabilities beyond its borders. Koo said the armed forces had a "full grasp" of the carriers' movements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Crossing from the first island chain into the second island chain sends a definite political message and their expansionist nature can be seen," he told reporters in Taipei. The first island chain refers to an area that runs from Japan down to Taiwan, the Philippines and Borneo, while the second island chain spreads further out into the Pacific to include places like the U.S. territory of Guam. China's navy, which has been honing its abilities to operate farther and farther from the country's coast, said on Tuesday the carrier operations were a "routine training" exercise that did not target specific countries or regions. China operates two carriers, with a third undergoing sea trials. Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, keeps a close watch on Chinese military movements given the regular drills and war games Beijing stages around the island, and has been modernising its weapons to better face the People's Liberation Army. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taiwan Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Ching-jan, speaking to lawmakers later on Wednesday, said a dozen or so of 66 Lockheed Martin F-16V fighter jets ordered from the United States should arrive this year, with the rest in 2026. "The U.S. side was optimistic about next year's scheduled delivery at last month's meeting on the project, and was very optimistic about the delivery of more than 10 aircraft this year," he said. Taiwan has complained about delivery delays for the jets, which have advanced avionics, weapons and radar systems to better face down the Chinese air force, including its J-20 stealth fighter. Since May, China has been flexing its muscles by sending an unusually large number of naval and coast guard vessels through a swathe of East Asian waters, according to security documents and officials, in moves that have unnerved regional capitals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Japan's defence ministry confirmed the two carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, were operating in separate areas of the Pacific on Saturday, both near remote southern islands belonging to Japan. Earlier, Japan said the Liaoning sailed within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Minamitorishima, a remote island east of Iwo Jima. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Roger Tung; Editing by Stephen Coates and Kate Mayberry) Authorities have released a mugshot of the Chinese national accused of smuggling undeclared biological material into the United States. Chengxuan Han was initially scheduled to appear in federal court Wednesday to face charges of smuggling goods into the U.S. and making false statements, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. However, her detention hearing was cut short after her court-appointed attorney requested more time due to "some additional matters pertinent to the issue of bond." Han is a citizen of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Ph.D. student at Wuhans College of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Han is the third Chinese national arrested this month for allegedly smuggling items into the U.S. University of Michigan post-doctoral research fellow Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, were arrested after allegedly bringing an "agroterrorism agent" into the U.S. to study at a University of Michigan laboratory. Chinese Phd Student From Wuhan Arrested Smuggling Biological Materials After Deleting Electronic Evidence: Doj From September 2024 to March 2025, authorities allege Han mailed four packages containing undeclared biological material to individuals working in the University of Michigans laboratory, according to the criminal complaint. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Sunday, Han traveled to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Shanghai on a J1 visa and was subjected to an inspection by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. During the search, Han allegedly told officers she did not mail packages to the laboratory, before eventually admitting she had sent them when pressed by authorities. Han initially told CBP officers the packages contained plastic cups not petri dishes and a book, according to court documents. Chinese Official Claims No Knowledge Of Fungus Situation, Says China Requires Citizens Abide By Local Laws "Biological samples, such as plasmids, are often placed within a book and manifested only as a book for shipment, as a means of concealment from U.S. Customs," the complaint said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Han's attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Upon being confronted by officials, Han allegedly confessed to sending packages containing roundworm-related biomaterials. CBP officers also discovered the content on Hans electronic devices had been deleted three days before she arrived in the U.S. Following the inspection, the FBI and Homeland Security officials spoke with Han. During the conversation, Han allegedly admitted to previously making false statements to CBP officers and acknowledged she sent the packages. Foreign Nationals Charged Amid Trump Visa Crackdown For Scheme To Smuggle Us Military Equipment Into China Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The FBI has zero tolerance for those who violate federal law and remains unwavering in our mission to protect the American people," Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said in a statement. "The alleged smuggling of biological materials by Chengxuan Han is a direct threat to public safety and national security, and it severely compromises the integrity of our nations research institutions." The FBI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digitals request for comment. "The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, Chinato be used at a University of Michigan laboratory is part of an alarming pattern that threatens our security," U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement. "The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions." Han is scheduled to appear in court for a detention hearing on June 13. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Us Army Intelligence Analyst Sentenced For Selling Sensitive Documents To Chinese National Hans arrest came one day before 42-year-old Shenghua Wen pleaded guilty to federal charges after authorities revealed he spent years exporting ammunition, firearms and other military items to North Korea, in coordination with North Korean government officials. Wen, a Chinese citizen, came to the U.S. in 2012 and remained in the country illegally despite his student visa expiring the following year. Prior to moving to the U.S., Wen met with officials from North Koreas government at the countrys embassy in China, where he was directed to obtain the items on behalf of North Korea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nearly 10 years later, North Korean government officials directed Wen via an online messaging app to procure firearms and sensitive technology to be smuggled to North Korea through China. 'Coming For Us': Expert Sounds Alarm On Ccp's Mission To 'Kill Americans' After Fbi Makes Shocking Arrests Devices seized from Wen's home. In 2023, Wen shipped at least three containers of firearms from a California port to China, with North Korea as the ultimate destination, by filing false export information to conceal the contents of the containers. Wen used money from a North Korean contact to purchase many of the firearms in Texas before driving them back to California to be shipped, according to the DOJ. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By December 2023, one of the shipments departed the Port of Long Beach and arrived in Hong Kong one month later, with it eventually arriving in North Korea. Wen also obtained sensitive technology to send to North Korea, according to prosecutors. The technology consisted of a handheld broadband receiver that detects known, unknown, illegal, disruptive or interfering transmissions and a chemical threat identification device. He also looked to acquire a civilian airplane engine and thermal imaging system to be mounted on a drone or aircraft for target identification. The entire scheme cost North Korean officials approximately $2 million in wire transfers to Wen, with the funds being used to procure firearms and other goods for the government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wen faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for both charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 18. Fox News' Patrick McGovern, Greg Wehner and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report. Original article source: Chinese student arrested for allegedly smuggling undeclared biological materials seen in new mugshot An Alabama chiropractor accused of attempting to kill his wife by lacing her pills with lead is insisting that he was also a victim of being poisoned. Brian Mann, 36, is facing attempted murder charges after authorities say he used lead from a construction project to lace his wifes pills, according to court documents obtained by the Hartselle Enquirer. Mann allegedly began giving his wife Hannah Pettey, 25, pills in the summer of 2021 under the guise of strengthening her immune system as the couple was going through a contentious divorce, according to her attorney. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pettey was reportedly hospitalized for two months in what authorities believed was a plot by Mann to "intentionally cause her to unwittingly ingest particles of lead." Alabama Chiropractor Charged After Allegedly Attempting To Poison Wife With Lead-laced Pills However, Manns attorneys insist their client was also subjected to lead poisoning within the couples home. Read On The Fox News App Authorities were reportedly sent to investigate possible sources of lead throughout the house, with Mann initially cooperating with investigators by handing over medications and vitamins Pettey was taking at the time of her hospitalization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After conducting two separate searches, officials reportedly did not find evidence of a source of lead, with Mann telling police he was "still trying" to find a place for the couples children to be tested. Shortly before Manns arrest, a nurse at Decatur General Hospital reportedly called the police after Mann told her "he did an X-ray on himself and observed a substance in his gut, which he believed to be lead," according to an affidavit obtained by the Hartselle Enquirer. Dentist Charged With Killing Wife By Poisoning Her Shakes Is Now Accused Of Trying To Have Detective Killed When the nurse reportedly told him another X-ray was needed to determine the severity of the ingestion, Mann "became visibly nervous, and she thought he may leave." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the second scan, the nurse practitioner told police that she did find a "substance in [Manns] colon," but it "didnt appear to have been there for very long." The affidavit, signed by Hartselle Police Capt. Alan McDearmond, reveals authorities subpoenaed Manns medical records and "believes the medical records indicate [he] intentionally ingested lead to provide the impression he was also being poisoned." Gene Hackman Death Investigation: Experts Say Pills, Phones, Trash Could Provide Important Clues Shortly after Manns visit to the hospital, a tipster called local authorities to inform them he had been involved in a construction project installing lead in the walls of an X-ray room at Manns chiropractor office. The caller reportedly revealed he had left the extra lead with Mann. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anesthesiologist Accused Of Wife's Cliffside Murder Attempt Enters Plea: 'Two Sides To Every Story' Mann was subsequently arrested in September 2022. Manns defense team has looked to block evidence from being presented in court, reportedly claiming the collection was done so in an improper manner, with the "procedure to extract the alleged lead from [Manns wifes] urine was done in the back parking lot of the Hartselle Police Department using a five-gallon bucket and a strainer," according to the Hartselle Enquirer. Both the prosecuting attorney and Manns defense team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digitals request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mann was released on $500,000 bond and faces trial after pleading not guilty to attempted murder. Original article source: Chiropractor accused of poisoning wife with lead during divorce now claims he was a victim too: report LONDON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The United States should resolve trade disputes with China through equal dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng has said. China reiterates that the United States should work with China to honor their words with actions, and demonstrate sincerity in keeping commitments and concrete efforts to implement consensus, so as to jointly safeguard the hard-won outcomes of dialogue, He said. He made the remarks during the first meeting of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism held in London from Monday to Tuesday with U.S. lead person Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. During the talks, the two sides held candid and in-depth talks, and thoroughly exchanged views on economic and trade issues of mutual concern. The two sides reached principled agreement on implementing the important consensus reached by the two heads of state during their phone call on June 5 and the framework of measures to consolidate the outcomes of the economic and trade talks in Geneva, and made new progress in addressing each other's economic and trade concerns. Calling the meeting an important consultation held under the guidance of the strategic consensus reached by the two heads of state on June 5, He said that China's position on China-U.S. economic and trade issues is clear and consistent. Noting that the essence of China-U.S. economic and trade relations lies in mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, the vice premier said cooperation between China and the United States in the economic and trade field benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both. There are no winners in trade wars, He said, adding that China does not seek conflict but will not be intimidated by one. He urged the United States to resolve trade disputes with China through equal dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation, adding that while China is sincere in pursuing economic and trade consultations, it also has its principles. Next, the two sides should, in accordance with the important consensus and requirements reached by the two heads of state during their phone call, make better use of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism, and work to enhance consensus, reduce misunderstanding and strengthen cooperation, He said. The two sides should maintain communication and consultation, and promote the steady and sustained growth of China-U.S. economic and trade relations, so as to inject more certainty and stability into the world economy, He added. The U.S. side said that the meeting had achieved positive outcomes and further stabilized bilateral economic and trade relations, adding that the U.S. side would walk in the same direction as China in accordance with the requirements of the phone call between the two heads of state to jointly implement the consensus reached at this meeting. London City Council conducted a first reading of its proposed $24.6 million budget for fiscal year 202526 during a special-called meeting Monday evening. The proposed appropriations include: General Fund: $16,181,500 Garbage Fund: $7,043,000 Municipal Aid Program: $177,000 Alcohol Fund: $1,225,000 LGEA Funds: None. At the start of Mondays meeting, Council Member Judd Weaver announced that fellow councilperson Anthony Ortega was absent due to his fathers passing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stacy Benge made a motion to approve the first reading of the discussed budget Ordinance 2025-08 which was seconded by Council Member Justin Young and unanimously approved. The second reading and final adoption of the budget is scheduled for a special-called meeting at 4:30 p.m. Monday, June 16. The budget ordinance is the only item planned for that meetings agenda. Benge requested that the proposed ordinance be posted to the citys website in advance so the public can view it, to which Mayor Randall Weddle agreed. During the discussion, Benge said he had previously asked about a new $60,000 line in the clerks department labeled payroll. He confirmed with Mayor Weddle that the line reflects a new payroll processing system (BambooHR) and is not tied to additional staffing as he originally thought. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Benge also questioned the city fire departments salary increase from $875,000 last year to $1.18 million. Weddle said the fire department had been understaffed and underpaid, and that two part-time firefighters were added this year, along with raises and budget flexibility to cover growing manpower needs for community events. Fire Chief Donnie Hale confirmed the department remains below staffing standards at this time. According to NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards, were supposed to have seven people per shift. We only have five, Hale said. When I came in, there were three. Chief Hale added that while the department has about 25 volunteers on the roster, only a few regularly respond. He said incentives are not currently offered due to budget limitations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Young went on to ask how the city handles unplanned costs for events, to which Mayor Weddle said such expenses are addressed through contingency funds. Weddle also confirmed that the city has enough funding to operate through the end of the current fiscal year. The budget includes adjustments for current staffing and anticipated operational needs. The council went on to discuss a proposed loan to cover approximately $350,000 in tornado-related payroll expenses. Weddle said that while the city technically has the funds to cover the cost, the loan would help ensure that critical infrastructure projects, such as road paving and bridge repairs, could proceed without being affected. Its a $100,000 to $130,000 project every time we touch one of these bridges, Weddle said. Council members expressed concerns about interest costs and public opposition. Particularly, Jim Baker questioned borrowing when funds are available, and Weaver said residents had raised concerns to him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Benge moved to table the loan discussion until the councils regular meeting in August. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The councils upcoming meeting will take place next Monday. To watch the livestream, visit The City of London Facebook page. A request for a hearing about an external investigation regarding the firing of two city employees and allegations against a city hall staffer was denied during a meeting Wednesday. But the city says theyre looking into the new allegations with external counsel. Boston city councilors Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy spearheaded the request for a full, independent investigation. The push by the two came after allegations were made against the citys Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, Segun Idowu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Boston Globe reports that former city employee Marwa Khudaynazar claims Idowu made sexual advances on her during an encounter. The report claims the encounter led to a domestic dispute between Khudaynazar and her boyfriend, Chulan Huang, also an employee of the city. Huang and Khudaynazar both face charges in connection with the dispute. The city determined that the two invoked their city hall status to police on the scene to avoid punishment. The two were fired after an internal review. The Boston Globe reports that Khudaynazar claims Idowu was not punished or fired to protect Mayor Michelle Wu from any backlash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The request for a hearing regarding an independent review was submitted by Flynn and Murphy Tuesday night. The city council has an obligation to understand every aspect of city government, said councilor Flynn before Wednesdays meeting. When youre in a high position of leadership, youre entrusted. Idowus legal counsel adamantly denied the allegations against him. On Wednesday, the proposed agenda item was rejected and removed from the docket. In a letter to the council, the citys Chief of People, Alex Lawrence, said human resources found nothing against Idowu in an internal review. They said in part Wednesday: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After receiving new allegations in this matter, per well-established city practice, the human resources department is undertaking further review of the matter, with the engagement of external employment counsel. Councilor Murphy told Boston 25 after the meeting that she was discouraged but not surprised. She said she was happy the city was looking into the new allegations, but is still calling for an independent, external review. She added, We have to ask hard questions and take hard votes. But, if time after time, colleagues dont want to do that, I think its the public that loses out in the end. Idowus legal team said any allegations of sexual harassment against their client are false. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 FAIRMONT The City of Fairmont will ask the Marion County Commission if it can annex a small 9.6 acre neighborhood just outside city limits on Carriage Drive. The annexation was requested by a majority of property owners, according to the resolution. Nine residences are located in the area and the only road in and out of the neighborhood is connected to Fairmont. If you take a drive up Carriage Drive, youll see one of the big reasons is the condition of their road, City Manager Travis Blosser said. Because technically, its not a state road. The states not going to go up there and pay [to fix it.] It would be up to the residents to finance that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blosser added residents of that neighborhood would also benefit from having fire department services come from the City of Fairmont. Currently, the Monongah Volunteer Fire Department handles the neighborhood but they have to cross city property to reach Carriage Drive. For a lot of those residents, it just made sense to them, Blosser said. They already feel like theyre part of the city. District 7 Councilmember Julie Sole asked how the city would decide into which Council District would those residences would fall. The residents would have to be moved into a city precinct, because currently theyre voting area is outside the city limits, City Clerk Janet Keller said. So the County Clerks Office will put those residents in a city precinct, so itll have a lot to do with that, really. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blosser said this is what the minor boundary adjustment process created by state law is for. It doesnt increase costs on the citys end and provides residents with better access to services. The city is also looking at updating its sanitary sewer treatment facility. Blosser said it was built in the 1980s, and now needs significant upgrades. The facility currently has components for which there are no replacements. For now, the crews repair the components in-house, but that wont be feasible for the long term, Blosser said. The city, working with Civil and Environmental Consultants, an engineering firm, estimate the cost to make changes to the facility will be around $191 million. Another reason for the upgrades is stormwater overflow, which is also managed by the sewage system. The facility can currently treat upwards of 9 million gallons of water. However, thanks to new flow meters installed inside the system, the city has 55 million gallons of water pass through the system because of the heavy rains. Blosser said more data needs to be collected before the city will know how expansion capacity is needed. Blosser said the city will seek outside sources of funding to help pay for the project, including federal and state funds, and low interest loans and grants. Blosser said without outside funding, the project will cause rates for the citys sewer customers to rise. However, he hopes to close the gap between what the project costs and how much outside funding the city can obtain in order to reduce the burden on customers. One option is to merge the two utility boards the city has for water and sewer into one board, that will allow the city to finance projects for both systems jointly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blosser said theres still a lot of work to be done on the sewer system, especially on the collection side $1 billion worth. Blosser said theres not enough money available to catch up on all the utility projects that need to be done, but that doesnt mean the city cant try to tackle the problem a bite at a time. Were not unique to any other large city in West Virginia or across the eastern part of the country because they all have combined sewer/overflow systems, Blosser said. But we can start making bites at this apple and really make improvements that improve peoples quality of life. CHEYENNE Over the past few weeks, the Cheyenne City Council has been discussing the annexation of 44.56 acres of various tracts of land that contain 95 parcels generally located north of Dell Range Boulevard and south of Storey Boulevard, along either side of Ridge Road. Several residents in the areas to be annexed have spoken against the move, citing property rights as their primary concern. However, members of the citys governing body decided Monday to advance the item to a third and final reading in two weeks, citing public safety, fairness and history as the top reasons to expand the city. All of the land proposed to be annexed lies in county pockets, which are unincorporated areas completely surrounded by a citys municipal boundaries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the governing body began discussing the issue Monday evening, Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins opened by providing some context as to why the city is pursuing annexation, as well as why annexation of county pockets has been a top priority of the City Council over the past several years. Collins cited an incident a few weeks ago when a fire occurred at a property at 5908 Ridge Road, which is within city limits. However, the call to emergency services reporting the fire came from a residence within one of the nearby county pockets. He said that when the communication center saw the call was coming from a county residence, it dispatched services from Laramie County Fire Authority, a county fire agency. When LCFA arrived, it realized the property was within city limits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Collins said this is not the first time this situation has occurred, creating jurisdictional challenges that inspired the push for county pocket annexation with safety in mind. One of the most vocal opponents of this annexation has been state Rep. Daniel Singh, R-Cheyenne. He said he grew up in one of the properties proposed to be annexed, and his parents still live there. When the City Councils Public Services Committee discussed the item last week, he suggested the Legislature could take more action to reduce property taxes across the board when asked by council member Kathy Emmons if it is fair for city residents on one side of Ridge Road to pay taxes for services to use the portions of the road maintained by the city when residents across the street in the county pocket do not pay for those services if they may be utilizing city services every day. That feels a little bit like a blackmail right there, Emmons replied to Singhs comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Singh apologized for his comments, saying that he ventured into the realm of the distasteful when speaking about an issue personal to him and his family. Emmons accepted his apology. Nonetheless, he still expressed concerns with the citys proposed annexation of these properties, maintaining that it is an issue of democratic process. If we were to wait until the changes are made in the Legislature to allow for a more democratic process in this, I think that would be much more fair, Singh said Monday. But I also totally recognize the necessity with fire emergencies, with crime, that may cross between city and the county. Those are real problems, and the city is not wrong for trying to address that. Collins addressed his concern of fairness by providing some historic context to the situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the 1990s, he said, some septic systems in the area were polluting wells, and those could no longer function under federal and state law. Instead of being forced to abandon their properties, those who had unsafe septic systems were given the opportunity to join the citys water systems on an outside-user agreement, with the condition that they consent to annexation at some point. Collins said a majority of the lots in the area utilize city water and sewer and sanitation services. Theyre already using all of our services, but yet theyre not in the city, and at this time, were asking them to come into the city, he said. The mayor added that this move is not a money grab, saying the city would probably receive around $150 in taxes per year from each property. Though he did confirm the price difference for each individual property, he said it could likely be cheaper for most properties utilizing the citys water and sewer services, as their bill would be reduced from 150% of service costs to 100% of service costs, if annexed into the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Council member Mark Rinne said the city saved many of the properties by offering the outside-user agreement in the 1990s. If we hadnt come to the rescue 30, 35 years ago, those homes would have been unlivable. They would have had to abandon them, and that area will probably be pasture today, he said. Rinne added that the residents there are often using city amenities daily, like roads or parks, that they are not contributing to financially. He said this is unfair to city residents. Council member Michelle Aldrich acknowledged that the annexation would be in the best interest of the city, but said she will vote against the annexation to honor the current residents personal property rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each time we have had county pockets that we were wanting to annex, if there were no residents in that county pocket that we werent able to mollify and be able to address their concerns, and they were still opposed to their annexation, I have been a no vote for annexation, she said. Council member Mark Moody echoed this sentiment. However, council member Tom Segrave said this goes against the oath members of the governing body took to serve the best interests of the city. Its amazing to me tonight that I hear a colleague say that its probably in the best interest of the city to do this, but theyre still going to vote no, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ordinance passed on second reading, with only council members Aldrich and Moody voting in opposition. It will come before the City Council for a third and final reading at the next meeting of the governing body on June 23. City budget A majority of council members also voted to approve the final budget for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1. The new budget of more than $74 million includes pay raises for some city employees, which some council members said they saw as unfair to those not receiving pay increases. As a member of the Cheyenne City Council, I do have a duty to approve a budget that reflects fairness and equity and sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars, Aldrich said. And after reviewing the proposed 2026 budget, I will be voting no this evening. While I support fair compensation and competitive wages for our city employees, I cannot support a budget that grants substantial pay raises to a few individuals while the majority of employees receive little or nothing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once again, Moody echoed this sentiment and added that he would like to see the matrix for how it was decided who would be receiving a raise. This time, the pair voting in opposition was joined by council member Pete Laybourn, who expressed similar concerns. The FY 2026 budget was approved Monday evening with Aldrich, Laybourn and Moody voting no. UPDATE: The City of Rock Island has released a statement regarding the lawsuit. The City of Rock Island and the Rock Island Police Department became aware this morning, June 11, 2025, of a civil lawsuit filed by the family of Jakarta Jackson. Due to pending litigation, the City and Police Department will not be commenting at this time. EARLIER: A civil lawsuit has been filed in the shooting incident between a member of the Rock Island Police Department and Jakarta Jackson in January of this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois Rock Island District on Thursday, June 11. The plaintiffs in the case are Yanessa Martin as administrator for the estate of Jakarta Jackson, Yanessa Martin as guardian and next friend of Y.J., Lucia Jackson as guardian and next friend of J.J. and Ezekiel Jackson, Jakarta Jacksons brother. The defendants are listed as the City of Rock Island, the citys police chief Timothy McCloud and Brett Taylor, the officer involved in the incident. Rock Island Police Chief Tim McCloud (Bryan Bobb, Our Quad Cities News) Officer Brett Taylor (Rock Island Police Department) The filing has several allegations, starting in the first paragraph. While recapping the events of the night of January 5, 2025, the suit says Taylor pulled up to a car parked behind a home. Jackson was walking away from the car and Taylor commanded him to stop and come here. Jackson kept walking and Taylor allegedly said, stop or I will (expletive) shoot you, (expletive). Taylor allegedly did this after learning Jackson had an outstanding warrant for a missed court date, as well as window tint that was darker than allowed by ordinance. Later, the petition says the cars registration would have Jacksons address, but upon information and belief, no RIPD officer had come to the address in an effort to arrest Jakarta on the warrant. The suit says Jackson ran around the house and got back into his car, with Taylor close behind. Taylor used a police-issued baton to smash the drivers side window of Jacksons car. Two young children, Jacksons daughter and nephew, were in the back seat at the time and were screaming. Taylor opened the door and began to pull Jakarta out while the car began slowly rolling forward, yelling at Jakarta to put it in (expletive) park or I will (expletive) shoot you, the petition said. Taylor then jumped on the cars sideboard and continued to grab at Jakarta as the car rolled down a small embankment, hit a traffic sign, spun on the street and came to a stop. At this point, Taylor could see Jakarta, who was directly in front of him. Jakartas hands were not on the wheel and the car was not moving. Nevertheless Taylor, who was able to remove himself from the car immediately, pulled out his pistol and shot into the car with two screaming children at least five times, hitting Jakarta in multiple parts of his body. An incident report from the Rock Island Police Department stated nothing of note being located when they searched Jacksons vehicle. The Rock Island County States Attorneys Office said in their report that were no weapons discovered on Jackson or inside the (vehicle). Jakarta Jackson (Linda Cook, OurQuadCities.com) The filing says Rock Island Police officers routinely escalate encounters with civilians, generating situation in which they use extraordinary violence in encounters that should be resolved without force. It also says, in the wake of Jakartas killing, Rock Islands police chief, defendant McCloud, admitted that for years the Rock Island Police Department had failed to rein in young officers like Taylor. It also accuses Taylor of not providing first aid to Jackson immediately after the incident. It mentions several lawsuits the city settled with people who accused the police department of using excessive force, as well as two other allegations in 2025, in addition to the Jackson incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The counts in the lawsuit include: Excessive force 2 counts of willful and wanton conduct, wrongful death 3 counts of intentional infliction of emotional distress The lawsuit demands a jury trial on the counts. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The City of Dayton has filed an appeal after an arbitrator ruled that a fired police sergeant must be reinstated. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] As News Center 7 previously reported, the Dayton Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 44 filed a grievance on behalf of fired Dayton Police Department Sergeant Joseph Setty. The grievance claims the department didnt follow contract guidelines when firing him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The grievance went to an independent arbitrator, who sided with the union and ordered Setty to be reinstated. TRENDING STORIES: The city of Dayton filed an appeal, asking a judge to vacate the arbitrators decision. The city argues the arbitrator did not have the authority to modify Settys contract and only had the authority to determine whether it was appropriate for the city to place Setty on unpaid leave and whether there was cause for termination, according to court documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Setty was placed on paid leave in March 2023 after more than one woman accused him of sexual assault. The Ohio BCI conducted a criminal investigation, and the Dayton Police Department did an internal investigation. Setty pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unlawful restraint and two misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct in May 2024. The Arbitrator simply ignored the plainly obvious dangers in allowing an individual who pled and was found guilty of restraining another of the persons liberty, without privilege to do so, to remain in a position where he is tasked with restraining people routinely, the city claims in court documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Dayton spokesperson said they are unable to provide further comment as it involves personnel matters. We expected the appeal. I dont like a lot of the narrative around it that is basically stemming from opinions and emotions and not facts and findings at this point, Dayton FOP President Sgt. Kyle Thomas said. We will continue to follow this case. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Cierra Carlson, left, and Kaitlyn Hoofnagle, right, case managers with the Metropolitan Public Defender in Portland, Ore., are shown discussing cases during a weekly meeting. Placed at the office through the national nonprofit Partners for Justice, they are part of a growing movement to bring a more collaborative, holistic approach to public defense. Their jobs are at risk due to proposed budget cuts in Multnomah County. (Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Public Defender) In September 2023, Ashley, a 29-year-old mother of two who grew up in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, was facing child abuse and neglect charges in a criminal case related to substance use. Her arrest led to her being separated from her youngest daughter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But instead of receiving jail time, Ashley was connected with a specialized advocate who took the time to understand her and her case. She completed two inpatient substance-use treatment programs. In April 2024, she started a one-year outpatient treatment program. By that June, she had reunited with her daughter, who is now 2 years old. And in April 2025 a year after entering outpatient treatment Ashleys criminal case was fully dismissed after she had met every requirement of her court-ordered plan. (Stateline agreed to withhold Ashleys full name to prevent potential retaliation in the ongoing custody case of her older child.) When she first entered the courtroom, Ashley recalled, she felt like a lost puppy. But through a collaborative defense model spearheaded by the national nonprofit Partners for Justice, she found not just support but strength. Jaya Duckworth, who has been a client advocate in Los Angeles County for two years, helped Ashley obtain an ID, fill out and sign important documents, and connect to counseling and outpatient treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A high school graduate with some college experience, Ashley now plans to return to school and continue raising her 2-year-old. Shes also working closely with her defense team to regain custody of her 9-year-old daughter. Without her help, I dont think I would have been reunited with my daughter, Ashley said in an interview with Stateline. I have my little one here now, and I know that Im confident to step into that courthouse and keep trying. Her experience reflects a growing shift in public defense one that recognizes that attorney advocacy alone often isnt enough. But this shift is unfolding at a time when national momentum is swinging in the opposite direction, with many political leaders renewing calls to crack down on crime through tougher sentencing and increased policing. Theres just so much data out there that shows that this approach doesnt work, said Alaina Bloodworth, the executive director of the Black Public Defenders Association. Bloodworth previously served as a public defender in Louisiana for six years. Tough on crime is fueled by emotions. Its not fueled or based in any type of data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It has not worked for us, and it definitely doesnt work for communities of color. A 2019 study by the Rand Corporation and the University of Pennsylvania Law School found that holistic defense which integrates legal, social and community support may not only reduce jail and prison time but may also improve long-term outcomes for clients. The study, which compared holistic and traditional public defense models in New York City over a 10-year period, found that holistic representation reduced the likelihood of a custodial sentence by 16% and reduced the expected sentence length by 24%. It also saved taxpayers an estimated $160 million on inmate housing costs. This model has quietly taken root in pockets of the country often showing results that are difficult to ignore. As local governments weigh various budget priorities and public safety, some public defenders and advocates are making the case that holistic support isnt an add-on, but a necessary part of effective legal representation. Having holistic defense gives the client the agency and autonomy that they need to decide for themselves, said Michael Halkias, the chief public defender for Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. And once people feel empowered to make decisions when theyre in a system that tells them they have no power, I think ultimately it helps them in the long run. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The countys office has had client advocates for nearly a year. The holistic defense model Holistic defense, which emerged in the 1990s, pairs legal representation with social support and resources. The goal is not to excuse or overlook criminal behavior, but to address the underlying factors, such as poverty, substance use and trauma, that sometimes drive people into the justice system in the first place. When you meet those basic needs, it ensures that they dont come back to the system, Bloodworth said. What I am not trained on is how to truly meet social needs in the way that social workers are trained or client advocates, so having a team of professionals representing someone is truly important to ensure that person actually gets the best representation. One of the organizations leading this shift is Partners for Justice, a national nonprofit that began operations in 2018. The group created a collaborative defense model by embedding trained client advocates directly within public defender offices, where they work alongside attorneys as part of an integrated and client-led defense team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the client advocates are recent college graduates with aspirations to go into law or public policy who commit to two-year fellowships, while others bring firsthand experience from the criminal legal system. The teams goal is to confront the underlying causes and prevent many of the most dire consequences of criminal legal involvement. Today, Partners for Justice has placed advocates in 25 public defense agencies across 17 states. Earlier this year, the organization expanded its reach through new partnerships with the Colorado State Public Defender and the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender. Many client advocates build their own networks of local service providers to connect clients directly with the help they need. Sometimes, its walking a client through a release from incarceration plan. Other times, its simply holding their hand in court or showing up with something to eat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the most important parts of my job is to contribute in a small part to restoring the dignity and humanity that the system denies them, said Duckworth, the client advocate who worked with Ashley, the 29-year-old California mother. She is one of more than 20 advocates working within the Los Angeles County Public Defenders Office. The model eases the burden on overworked public defenders by allowing them to focus on legal strategy, rather than juggling the complex needs of dozens of clients at once. Our caseloads are high, said New Jersey Public Defender Jennifer Sellitti. But at the same time, were also creatures of, Im just going to do it all myself. One of the biggest challenges, she said, was shifting that mindset. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The biggest hurdle was trying to say to lawyers, We want you just to lawyer, Sellitti told Stateline. But that very, very quickly has turned into an incredible partnership in all three of our pilot offices. Since offering the Partners for Justice client advocate program in three offices across Atlantic, Hudson and Monmouth counties in March, Sellitti said, the offices have helped clients access treatment programs more quickly than they would through traditional routes like probation or recovery court. The collaborative defense model also helps build trust between clients and their defense team. Some client advocates say theres a common perception among defendants that public defenders dont care about their clients. But many public defenders are stretched so thin that its nearly impossible to give each case the attention it deserves. We have been helpful in bridging that communication gap between the lawyers and their clients, said Paul Boyd, a client advocate with the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender in Atlantic County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boyd, who spent time in prison, said his background helps him build trust with clients who relate to his experience and therefore better understand the heavy caseloads their attorneys face. That connection, he said, often makes clients more willing to cooperate with their defense team. A fragile lifeline in Portland Budget cuts in some states, though, could threaten the advocacy work. A program that has helped dozens of defendants in the Multnomah County area of Oregon is now at risk of being cut from two of the countys major law firms that offer public defense services. The county faces a $15.5 million budget shortfall driven by a pandemic-era drop in property tax revenues. Among those the program has supported in Portland is a 33-year-old resident and Alaska Native who has lived there for nearly a decade. The resident, who asked that their name not be used out of concerns for safety, was arrested last fall and charged under Measure 11, Oregons mandatory-minimum sentencing law. A prison sentence loomed over them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After spending nearly a month in county jail, they worked with client advocate Cierra Carlson on a release plan outlining their goals for substance use recovery, going over the resources they wanted to be connected to and naming other steps to keep out of the criminal legal system. I was worried that I was going to fall through the cracks, that I was just going to be treated like a number, they said in an interview with Stateline. But upon release, they entered a culturally specific substance use treatment center that serves people of color. They secured more stable housing, and with Carlsons help reactivated their food stamps and health insurance. I feel way more seen than I have in the past, they said. But Carlsons position could soon be eliminated. Under Multnomah Countys proposed budget, $621,261 in funding for client advocate or case manager positions at the Metropolitan Public Defender, a nonprofit law firm that contracts with the state to offer public defense services, and Multnomah Defenders Inc. would be eliminated cutting all six positions across the county. Its one of many potential cuts that county leaders are looking at to save money. I was worried that I was going to fall through the cracks, that I was just going to be treated like a number. Portland, Ore., resident who worked with a client advocate Two amendments have been proposed to keep the program, though. One would fully reinstate the $621,261 in funding, while the other would allocate about $415,000, likely resulting in the loss of one or two positions. The county board of commissioners is expected to vote to approve the proposed $4 billion budget on June 12. Carlson said shes worried about what might happen to her clients if the program were cut. I have seen the difference that it can make. The proposed cuts come as Oregons public defense system is in crisis. More than 3,700 people charged with crimes across the state currently have no legal representation, according to the latest state data. More than 1,700 others have missed their court dates after never being assigned an attorney and now face active arrest warrants. Even if this program goes away temporarily, its not something that we are going to back away from because it is so critical to our work and to the success and safety of our community, too, said Grant Hartley, the director of the Metropolitan Public Defender. Stateline reporter Amanda Hernandez can be reached at ahernandez@stateline.org. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX As protests continue in Los Angeles following sweeping ICE raids, electronic producer Cloonee has postponed a pair of shows meant to happen in the city this weekend. For the past four years now, I have called this city my home, the British artist wrote Tuesday (June 10) in a statement posted to social media. Like the city, my fans are diverse and it breaks my heart to see what the Latino community is going through right now. More from Billboard Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have therefore decided that the right, responsible and only decision is to postpone this weekends events, he continues. Our time together is meant to be one of celebration, and now is not the time for celebrating. Read the complete statement below. These shows were scheduled to happen June 13-14 at City Market in downtown Los Angeles, an area of town thats seen myriad raids by ICE amid federal immigration efforts. Cloonees shows are now scheduled to happen July 11-12, with all tickets valid for the corresponding new dates, with refunds also available for the next seven days. According to the L.A. Times, an immigrants-rights leader in the city reported that about 300 people have been detained by federal authorities in California since sweeps began last week. The situation has been inflamed after the Trump administration deployed the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles amid protests over ICE raids. Cloonee is one of many artists whos spoken out on the ICE raids and their aftermath, with Doechii using her speech at the BET Awards in Los Angeles on Monday (June 9) to say that I do wanna address whats happening right now outside of the building. There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order. Trump is using military force to stop a protest. And I want yall to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read Cloonees complete statement: For the past four years now, I have called this city my home. Like the city, my fans are diverse and it breaks my heart to see what the Latino community is going through right now. I have therefore decided that the right, responsible and only decision is to postpone this weekends events. Our time together is meant to be one of celebration, and now is not the time for celebrating. We are moving this weekends shows to the new dates of Friday, July 11th and Saturday, July 12th. All tickets will remain valid for the new corresponding date. If you are unable to join us at that time, you may cancel your tickets for a full refund in the next 7 days. All ticket buyers will receive an email to the address used to purchase the tickets with a refund link, or reach out to our team at insom.co/help. I understand this may upset a large number of ticket holders who, like myself, have waited months for these shows, and I do not take this decision lightly. I see you, I hear you and I simply will not throw a party whilst the Latino people who have supported me in this city are hurting so deeply. Please take care of yourselves, prioritize your safety and your community above all else. I will make this up to you in a months time. Dave. Best of Billboard Sign up for Billboard's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) The Ohio Democratic Party has named its next chairperson. Kathleen Clyde | Provided Photo On June 10, the Ohio Democratic Party announced Kathleen Clyde was elected as the next chair. Clyde will take her position in 2026, as current chairwoman Elizabeth Walters is stepping down. Walters was elected state party chair in 2021. According to Clydes biography, she has held a number or public service positions, including a representative for constituents in the Ohio House of Representatives and election official for the Franklin County Board of Elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incoming chairwoman said she is ready to get to work to get our state back on the right track. After years of failed governance from illegal Republican supermajorities, Ohioans are seeing their bills climb and their quality of life drop while billionaires line their own pockets. With every statewide office and a U.S. Senate race on the ballot, Ohio has key opportunities to elect Democrats who actually work for Ohioans and get our state back on the right track. Already, Ohioans are fed up with Republicans as they push a budget that prioritizes special interests and their billionaire backers while working families fall behind. Im grateful to Ohio Democrats for putting their trust in me during this critical election cycle, and Im looking forward to getting to work. Kathleen Clyde Allison Russo, house minority leader of the Ohio House, believes Clydes leadership within the state party will help show change for the state. She has been a tireless advocate for working families and the future of our state, said Russo. Im confident her leadership will energize our party and help deliver results for Ohioans. WDTN.com reached out to the Ohio Republican Party Wednesday morning for comment. We have not yet 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 WDTN.com. A CNN reporter is going viral for an offhand comment he made Tuesday about cannabis while covering protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Trump administrations harsh immigration policies in Los Angeles. During a segment at a protest site, reporter Nick Watt described the scene for viewers, claiming at one point that he saw some people who I would suggest might be interested in causing some trouble a little later on, who were in masks and swimming goggles for the tear gas. The Scottish-born Watt also noted graffiti reading F Trump on a building being guarded by National Guardsmen and noted that the mood in the crowd is getting more agitated as the clock moved closer to the 8 p.m. curfew declared by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But it was his next comment that lit a fire on social media The smell of weed is in the air, he said. People are not looking at all, Abby, like they are gonna abide by this curfew and get out of here, he said. CNN Reporter in LA: Theres graffiti that says F Trump. The smell of weed is in the air. pic.twitter.com/aPflSSvbn4 Acyn (@Acyn) June 11, 2025 Watts weed comments were mocked on social media because marijuana has been legal in California since 2016 and like it or not its common to smell it even in places where there arent massive protests. Also, while Watts comments may have sounded as if he were hinting that tensions between protesters and the Guardsmen might lead to violence, many people pointed out that cannabis just tends to make people really mellow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HuffPost reached out to Watt for comment, but he did not immediately respond. However, his cannabis comments lit a fire on social media. The mood in the crowd is getting more agitated. The smell of weed is in the air. Uh, pretty sure Nick Watt doesnt know how weed works. https://t.co/qvvQdq1YgY Jim Stewartson, Antifascist (@jimstewartson) June 11, 2025 CNN reporter really said, "the smell of weed is in the air!" Like it's an ominous foreshadowing of the end times. pic.twitter.com/IECthqw7Qf shannonmarie (@_thethirdwife) June 11, 2025 What a wanker. It California, of course the smell of weed is in the air. It's completely legal. Be grateful. When you're high, you're rarely violent. pic.twitter.com/UYx7P7fG7G , (@diana_continimd) June 11, 2025 The smell of weed in the air is not an indicator that things are going to get while. In fact its the opposite. A little weed might be just what this crowd needs. #LARiots#LAProtests Jackie Jacob (@MammaJ1983) June 11, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I would challenge that reporter to try to find a single square-foot in this city that does not constantly smell like weed or isn't covered in graffiti but okay, I guess that merits the Marine Corps Colin (@CharlesRctp99) June 11, 2025 Saying the smell of weed is in the air is unnecessary its 2025 not 1911 like come on California is ok with weed!! Dj Omega Mvp (@DjOmegaMVP) June 11, 2025 Has this guy never been to California? The smell of weed is always in the air. Marcia Bishop (@CardsLady) June 11, 2025 If the smell of weed is in the air, the crowd is not going to become agitated. Believe me. JulieMaeW (@JulieMaeW) June 11, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The absolute horror of it! pic.twitter.com/p8iXNzvx6d Diane H (@doggiemomx3) June 11, 2025 Weed is legal there... I don't think that matters one bit, who cares if they smoke Shane Connor (@ShaneConnor) June 11, 2025 Is weed illegal in California? What is the purpose of that reportage? General Han Xin is asleep. (@General_Oluchi) June 11, 2025 A group smoking weed doesn't seem like a violent insurrection requiring 5,000 military occupiers. A Taco Bell run and a nap sounds more appropriate. Rebel Party (@Sjacobs2020) June 11, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anything to Sensationalize: Weeds Legal in Cali: Smell of Weed is in the Air,' Reports CNN From LA Protests https://t.co/VMZ2vQJRxq Space Invader (@Area51Field) June 11, 2025 Related... The Coast Guard suspended the search Tuesday for the wreckage of a small plane that crashed into the ocean shortly after taking off from San Diego, killing all six people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board said it will continue working to determine why the Cessna 414 crashed Sunday, but it doesn't expect to have any updates on the crash until it publishes its preliminary report about a month from now. With the wreckage still resting under a couple hundred feet of water, the NTSB's investigator isn't even immediately travelling to where the plane crashed about 3 miles (about 5 kilometers) off the coast of Point Loma, a San Diego neighborhood that juts into the Pacific. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities have not identified the people who died in the crash. The plane was scheduled to return to Arizona on Sunday one day after it flew out to San Diego. A natural supplements company called Optimal Health Systems based in Pima, Arizona, said it sold the plane in 2023 to a group of individuals who are part of their small community. Air traffic controllers quickly became concerned about the plane after it failed to climb over 1,000 feet or turn back east after taking off. The pilot reported having trouble climbing and maintaining his heading before repeatedly calling out Mayday before the plane disappeared from radar. This crash came just weeks after a small Cessna crashed into a San Diego neighborhood in foggy weather and killed six people. Those two are just the latest in a string of deadly crashes, mishaps and near misses in aviation this year ever since an airliner collided with an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., in January, killing 67 people. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The Coast Guard on Tuesday suspended its search for six people who were reportedly aboard a small plane that crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the San Diego coast Sunday afternoon. The Coast Guard suspended its search at 10 a.m. Tuesday, after rescue crews searched for over 35 hours through more than 300 square miles of ocean. All six people on board downed Cessna presumed dead: FAA Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All six people who were on board the Cessna 414 aircraft that went down around three miles off the coast of Point Loma in San Diego just before 12:45 p.m. on Sunday are presumed dead, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The decision to suspend a search is never an easy one, said Lt. Cmdr Justin Brooks, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector San Diego. We appreciate the work of our partners throughout the search efforts, and our hearts are with the loved ones of those involved in the crash. U.S. Coast Guard responds to plane in the water off the coast of Point Loma According to the flight tracker, FlightAware, the Cessna appeared to have been bound for Phoenix, Arizona, departing from San Diego International Airport just 15 minutes before it went down in the Pacific Ocean. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Cessna was registered to Optimal Health Systems LLC out of Arizona. The Coast Guard says several rescue crews were involved in the search: Coast Guard Air Station Ventura MH-60 Jayhawk air crew Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento C-27 Spartan air crew Coast Guard Cutter Sea Otter crew Coast Guard Station San Diego 45-foot RB-M crew Coast Guard Maritime Safety & Security Team 29-foot RB-S crew Customs & Border Protection Air & Marine Operations crews San Diego Harbor Police boat crews San Diego Lifeguards The plane crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. 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 5 San Diego & KUSI News. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) A Providence woman who has been in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for nearly four months was transferred to a facility more than 2,000 miles away, just days before a scheduled immigration hearing. Vivian Gisselle Soriano-Neto, 18, was reportedly arrested by Providence police in February on charges of trafficking a minor and two counts of indecent solicitation of a child. In a press release, ICE Boston said its agents, along with agents from DEA New England and ATF Boston, detained Soriano on March 11, saying she apparently trafficked a child for nefarious reasons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Sorianos criminal defense attorney, John MacDonald, emphasized that Soriano absolutely denies the charges and said she is not a human trafficker. She had been held in Maine until last week, when she was abruptly moved to the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado. Vivian Gisselle Soriano-Neto (Photo courtesy: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) According to MacDonald, the transfer happened just 72 hours before a June 4 court hearing where a judge was set to hear the merits of her asylum case, including whether she feared persecution if returned to her home country. It is no coincidence to me that when the Boston Globe story hit on May 30, ICE shipped her completely out of New England, where she was going to have her hearing shipped her to Denver, MacDonald said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MacDonald claims Sorianos transfer to Colorado was retaliation for a story in The Boston Globe, which included details stemming from her February arrest. In that article, he told the reporter that when ICE detains individuals out of state, it becomes nearly impossible to contest evidence in criminal cases. Now that Soriano is in Colorado, MacDonald said, the charges and warrants will linger, making it virtually impossible for her to legally reenter the United States. Providence police arrest According to a police incident report obtained by 12 News, on Jan. 14, the parents of a minor told Providence police that four men had sexually assaulted their daughter, who they had reported as missing from Jan. 8 to Jan. 11. The victim told police that on Jan. 8, one of her friends, whom she identified as Soriano, invited her to meet somewhere in Providence for a party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report stated that the victim left Mount Pleasant High School and met Soriano on Atwells Avenue. From there, they drove to Concannon Street. At the time, Soriano was a senior at Mount Pleasant High School. The district told 12 News on Tuesday she is no longer enrolled. The police report said Soriano and the victim walked into a house, where the victim was approached by three men. Soriano allegedly told her to make sure she gives them food and make sure she gets money from them. The victim told police she received $100 and later gave it to Soriano, according to the report. Soriano then reportedly left, leaving the victim alone. While the report does not detail what occurred next, it states that around 2 p.m., four different Hispanic men came into the house and began to [redacted]. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said the victim was able to defend herself and run away. As she fled, someone she knew noticed and helped her. That person reportedly brought her to a friends house, where she stayed for three days until they brought her home on Jan. 11. The report notes that [the victim]s statement was vague and inconsistent. According to MacDonald, Soriano told Providence police exactly what happened in a voluntary interview following her Feb. 20 arrest. So the police do have her side of the story. They have the other witnesses, MacDonald said. But unfortunately, what has happened in the interim is that ICE got involved and has begun removal proceedings against her. ICE detention After entering ICE custody, Soriano hired immigration attorney Cindy Salazar Tohme, who has been working to prepare her asylum case. Now, Salazar is scrambling to represent Soriano in Colorado, according to MacDonald. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ability now to bring witnesses forward its one thing to bring them to Chelmsford, Massachusetts, where the immigration hearing would have taken place, MacDonald explained. Its quite another to bring witnesses to Denver. Initial entry into the United States In a May 27 press release, ICE described Soriano as an illegally present Honduran alien who entered the country at the Calexico, California, border. ICE said she was previously arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Oct. 25, 2017, and transferred into ICE custody. She was issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge and subsequently released Nov. 17, 2017, on parole. MacDonald confirmed to 12 News that Soriano arrived in the U.S. as a minor in 2017 and currently has a pending asylum claim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She actually was approved for a special immigrant juvenile visa based upon the fact that she was abandoned by her father, MacDonald said. That visa has a priority date of 2023. So she was literally two years away from getting legal status in the United States when these events took place. (The special immigrant juvenile visa falls under category EB-4, which in June became available for those with a priority date earlier than Feb. 1, 2021.) Although he is not involved in Sorianos immigration case, MacDonald said he was extremely disappointed that she now has to start over. It is incredibly coincidental or cruel that she was shipped days before her asylum hearing was scheduled to take place here, he said. At this point, MacDonald said, ICE has the positionality to screen any potential criminal defendant to investigate their lawful status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If she were a permanent resident, we wouldnt be having this conversation, he said. Permanent residents are cloaked with certain presumptions, but she is here unlawfully, even though she entered as a minor. She has gone through legal means to get lawful status, but unfortunately, she is still subject to detention and removal, he added. In the meantime, MacDonald said his message to Soriano is to hang in there and continue working with Salazar. Under the circumstances, she is doing okay. She is a bright, courageous young woman, he said, adding that Soriano is hopeful she can return to Rhode Island and defend herself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 12 News reached out to ICE for comment on the case, but has not yet received a response. NEXT: Providence joins nationwide protests over LA immigration raids 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 Breaking 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 WPRI.com. To mark the 375th anniversary of the regiment's formation, the Coldstream Guards boarded a train in London and travelled back to its birthplace in Berwick-upon-Tweed, where crowds lined the streets to welcome the guardsmen home. In full ceremonial dress, the oldest continuously serving regiment in the British Army paraded through the border town with the Band of the Coldstream Guards. The guardsmen boarded the train in ceremonial uniform at Kings Cross [PA Media] Music was played as the guardsmen lined up to board [PA Media] It takes under four hours to get from London to Berwick by train [PA Media] The regiment was formed in Berwick in 1650, but in 1660 marched down to London to help restore the monarchy, dissolve Parliament and bring Charles II back to the throne. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Back then, the journey took five weeks. Tuesday's trip, by contrast, took just a few hours - with the guards back in London by evening. The trip was a far cry from the five-week-long journey to London in 1660 [PA Media] The mood was high before the train departed Kings Cross to Berwick-upon-Tweed [PA Media] Following the parade, the guardsmen attended a Service of Thanksgiving at Berwick Parish Church. The soldiers were joined by the Colonel of the Regiment, Lieutenant General Sir James Bucknall, and the Mayor of Berwick at the Guildhall for an inspection and civic reception. Formed in 1650 during the English Civil War, the regiment has served in every major conflict since and earned 113 battle honours and 13 Victoria Crosses. After returning to London, the regiment will be presented with new Colours at Windsor Castle before taking centre stage at Trooping the Colour on 14 June, where they will troop the new flags for the King's official birthday. The Coldstream Guards paraded through Berwick on their arrival [PA Media] The soldiers were accompanied by the Band of Coldstream Guards [PA Media] Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crowds lined the streets to welcome the guardsmen home [PA Media] The parade was followed by a church service at Berwick Parish Church [PA Media] Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. More stories from the BBC Related internet links TAYLOR COUNTY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) A Coleman man has been arrested in Taylor County following allegations of aggravated sexual abuse involving a 9-year-old child. The Taylor County Sheriffs Office reported that on June 10, they apprehended Zachary Burks for Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, which is a first-degree felony. This arrest follows a report made earlier in the month, in which a 9-year-old claimed ongoing sexual abuse by Burks. Documents indicate that police discovered several sexual images of the child on his phone. The 9-year-old also reported inappropriate touching by Burks on multiple occasions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Burks is currently being held in the Taylor County Jail with a bond set at $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 KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. The State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia approved a $3.1 million fund to create a new college and career academy in Turner County. The project, called the TITAN College & Career Academy, will be a combined effort between several institutions, including Turner County Schools, Irwin County Schools, Wilcox County Schools, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Southern Regional Technical College and Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. The TITAN College & Career Academy represents the best of what can happen when education and industry work together to build a stronger future, TCSG Commissioner Greg Dozier said in a statement. By expanding access to high-demand skills training, this Academy will help students unlock opportunities while strengthening the workforce pipeline in the region. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the state, the new academy will give students more opportunities to get workforce training, a high-quality education and the knowledge and skills theyll need for todays rapidly evolving job market. The academy will have programs for innovation and hands-on learning opportunities, which officials said would help bridge the gap between classroom instruction and in-demand careers. The TITAN College & Career Academy is a game-changer for our students and our community, Superintendent of Turner County Schools Christy Wray said. This partnership will open doors for our students by providing access to real-world learning experiences and career-focused education that prepares them for success after graduation. Were excited to see the impact this Academy will have for years to come. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] On Monday, the Collin County Commissioners Court approved a move to hand-marked paper ballots for the November 2025 election, pending an implementation plan due later this month. The 40 vote marked a sharp policy shift in one of Texas fastest-growing counties, where electronic voting machines have long been the standard. Commissioner Duncan Webb was not present for the vote. While the new ballots will be marked by hand, officials emphasized that tabulation will remain electronic. The court directed county staff to return with a plan by June 23 detailing how the change will be implemented. Id like to take the opportunity to make a motion to adopt hand-marked paper ballots for the upcoming November 2025 election and to direct staff to present to the court a plan for implementation by June 23, County Judge Chris Hill said during the meeting. Commissioner Cheryl Williams seconded the motion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Collin Countys recently appointed Elections Administrator, Kaleb Breaux, told the court that the transition is logistically possible, though not without some caveats. To remain compliant with federal law under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the county must maintain approximately 300 express vote electronic unitsabout one per polling locationwith additional backup machines. Breaux said the county could potentially eliminate express touch curbside units, offering additional cost flexibility. The administrator estimated that this might cost $2.4 million, noting that his projections fall well below the $34 million figure cited by his predecessor in 2024. Breaux also indicated that the county may qualify for some HAVA sub-grants to offset costs. Mondays vote comes nearly a year after the court declined to adopt a similar proposal. In August 2024, the Commissioners Court directed staff to explore the feasibility of a hand-marked ballot system following a failed motion to implement it that year. At that time, several commissioners raised concerns over cost, timing, and logistical readiness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Public advocacy for election system reform intensified across Texas last year, particularly following a series of incidents in which loopholes in election laws had allowed certain primary ballotsincluding those of prominent political figuresto be identified and publicized through legal records requests. Shannon Barnett, founder of the nonpartisan group My Vote Counts in Texas, has been a vocal advocate for hand-marked ballots and praised Mondays decision. Big thanks to the Collin County Commissionersfinally, a vote that puts the community first, Barnett told The Dallas Express in an exclusive statement. Your unanimous decision to bring back hand-marked paper ballot elections for the November 2025 election shows a strong commitment to boosting public trust. Barnetts organization has advocated for a return to in-precinct voting and the elimination of countywide polling places, arguing that current practices compromise ballot secrecy. She has also cited frequent power outages and machine malfunctions in Texas as further justification for hand-marked, hand-counted systems, still legal under state law and already used in nearly 100 Texas counties for absentee ballots. Dallass ability to conduct the spring 2024 election was disrupted when power outages at polling stations made it impossible for citizens to vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics of electronic voting systems often point to transparency and security concerns. As reported in The Dallas Express, the 2005 bipartisan election reform commission led by former President Jimmy Carter warned that Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) systems often lack transparency and auditability. Though these systems may include paper records today, advocates like Barnett argue that the most straightforward solution is to return entirely to hand-marked paper ballots. The cost has remained a key sticking point. In 2024, Commissioner Susan Fletcher reportedly cited estimates of $3.3 to $4.2 million for the switch and questioned whether the county could shoulder the burden in time for an election. On Monday, however, the court expressed optimism that Breauxs new estimates would make the plan more feasible. This story is a collaboration with our news partner, El Planeta. You can read the Spanish version here. Carlos Alberto Rendon had lived with a dark secret in Somerville and then Belmont for nearly 30 years when his past caught up with him. Born in Colombia, he crossed the border with Mexico in 1995 and traveled to the Boston area. He got married in 1998, and the couple had a son. He then established legal permanent residency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was when he applied to become a U.S. citizen in 2020 that his violent past and his real name, William Hernando Usma Acosta, were revealed. He was convicted in absentia in Colombia for the 1994 shooting that killed his ex-wife and injured his daughter. The revelation led to his arrest by U.S. immigration officials in 2022. Last month, Acosta was finally deported to Colombia, just nine days before the statute of limitations for his prison sentence was set to expire. He had been held in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Massachusetts since his arrest more than three years ago. His capture and deportation closed a long chapter of evading justice, thanks to coordinated efforts between U.S. and Colombian agencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Usma Acosta initially fled Colombia after he was accused of the fatal shooting, which shocked his hometown of La Estrella, a small municipality near Medellin. On the night of June 19, 1994, during a dispute with his ex-wife, Laura Rosa Agudelo, he shot and killed her and severely injured one of their daughters after a party, according to official reports from Colombian investigators. Usma left the party but warned he would return, according to court documents in Colombia. Agudelo, meanwhile, continued drinking and was seen crying, saying she couldnt take it anymore. Around 2:30 a.m., she left the party with her daughter and niece, according to the documents. As they walked home, an auto stopped abruptly in front of them. Usma was at the wheel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Agudelo recognized him and reportedly asked, What do you want? He responded with insults and then opened fire, the documents state. Agudelo died at the scene; one of the girls was seriously wounded. After illegally crossing the southern U.S. border in 1995, Usma reinvented himself as Rendon, using fraudulent documents. He settled in Belmont and lived quietly under this alias for years, working various jobs, including snow shoveling during harsh New England winters. In Colombia, On Nov. 14, 1996, the Seventh Circuit Penal Court of Medellin sentenced Usma Acosta to 45 years in prison on the charges of aggravated murder, aggravated attempted murder, and illegal possession of a firearm, according to an ICE press statement on April 13, 2022. He was also sentenced to 10 years for the accessory charge of Restricted Citizens Rights. His sentence was later reduced to 28 years and six months based on new sentencing guidelines. And the 10-year sentence was not reduced, according to ICE. An international arrest warrant for Usma Acosta was issued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2020, he applied for U.S. citizenship using a fraudulent Colombian birth certificate. During the fingerprinting process, federal authorities matched his prints with those in Colombian police records, confirming that Rendon and Usma were the same person. He was arrested on April 13, 2022, in Belmont by agents from ICE and the FBIs Boston Violent Crimes Task Force, acting on a Red Notice issued by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). Usma was deported to Colombia in May. Upon arrival at Bogotas El Dorado International Airport, he was taken into custody by Colombian authorities, including Interpol and the national polices criminal investigation unit. Ive never seen a case quite like this, Colonel Gonzalo Andres Cordoba, head of Colombias Interpol bureau, told El Planeta. Were talking about someone who remained a fugitive for nearly three decades and came very close to seeing his crimes go unpunished. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cordoba credited the successful arrest and deportation to sustained collaboration between Colombian police and U.S. agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and the FBI. Constant communication allowed us to verify the full identity of this individual, he said. Now 64, Usma Acosta is serving a 28.5-year sentence at La Picota Prison in Bogota for aggravated homicide, attempted aggravated homicide, and illegal possession of a firearm, nearly the same length of time he spent evading justice abroad. Anne Brennan from MassLive contributed to this report. More stories involving ICE Read the original article on MassLive. BOGOTA (Reuters) -Colombia's leftist President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday signed a decree to hold a referendum on labor reforms, an attempt to force the Senate to vote on a proposal on the matter before their session wraps up later this month. The referendum proposal seeks to limit the working day, increase the surcharge for Sunday and holiday work from 75% to 100% and require social security payments for delivery app drivers. The Senate is currently debating a modified labor reform, after in May rejecting a 12-question version of the referendum in a tight 49 to 47 vote, which Petro later alleged was fraudulent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The legislature's current session ends on June 20. Petro and his interior minister, Armando Benedetti, said that if the reform passed, the referendum would be called off. If the referendum were to be held, each measure would need to be approved by the majority of at least 13.5 million voters, a third of Colombia's electoral roll, to be valid. Opposition parties have said Petro's decree is tantamount to a coup, violates the country's constitution and destroys the separation of powers of Colombia's three branches of government. Analysts have warned, meanwhile, that the decree could face legal challenges, including in the Constitutional Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A majority of the social and economic reforms promised by Petro - who was elected in 2022 on pledges to right centuries of inequality in the Andean country - have been rejected by lawmakers. Colombia will hold legislative and presidential elections in the first half of 2026. (Reporting by Carlos Vargas and Nelson Bocanegra; Writing by Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Gabriel Araujo, Kylie Madry and Diane Craft) Anti-ICE demonstrators marched through the streets of Denver after a rally at the Colorado Capitol on June 10, 2025. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline) After President Donald Trump federalized National Guard troops against anti-ICE demonstrators in Los Angeles, Colorado Democratic leaders say the move is an overreach and would oppose similar actions in the state. Trump has ordered a detachment of 700 U.S. Marines and thousands of National Guard troops to deploy to L.A. over the objections of state and local leaders, the first such move by a U.S. president since 1965. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sued to block the deployments, which he said crossed a red line. Trump on Monday suggested Newsom, whom he did not accuse of any crime, should be arrested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shelby Wieman, spokesperson for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, said Polis has been clear he would not support federal overreach to activate the National Guard outside of regular order, as the Colorado National Guard plays an important role in helping the state and others with natural disasters and emergencies as needed. There is absolutely no need to take away National Guard units from the states, and any engagement with National Guard on this topic must include Governors, who serve as commanders in chief in most instances for their Guard, Wieman said in a statement. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A spokesperson for the Colorado National Guard said Tuesday it has not received an official request for support from the federal government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The memorandum Trump issued authorizing the military escalation is not specific to Los Angeles or California, leaving open the potential for similar responses in other states. Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Brennan Centers Liberty and National Security Program, told NPR that the conditions that would ordinarily warrant military action are not present in this situation. Colorado protests have grown since the escalations in L.A., with more than 1,000 people gathering outside the Colorado Capitol Tuesday night. Attendees began marching down two of the main roads around the Capitol and were met by a line of law enforcement officers after blocking traffic. Police arrested 17 people in relation to the demonstration. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston told Newsline that in his lifetime, Marines or National Guard troops have never been deployed into an American city without an emphatic plea for help from the city. America is built on the belief that we can ensure public safety and free speech. We dont have to choose just one, Johnston said in a statement. This is not support. This is turning American soldiers on American citizens in service of Trumps own political theatre. That decision disrespects the Marines and National Guard, disrespects American citizens, and disrespects the rule of law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a post on X, U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, a Centennial Democrat and Army veteran, said federalizing the National Guard should always be a last resort when local law enforcement cannot alone handle a situation. He urged Trump to reverse course given that both the mayor of L.A. and Newsom made clear they did not need military support. The reason for this is simple: introducing military personnel into domestic law enforcement situations is an escalation and can put both the military personnel and civilians on the ground at additional risk, Crow said in the post. Crow detailed in a separate thread on X that Trumps deployment of the military in American communities is concerning because military personnel receive very little training in law enforcement and domestic disturbance as they are trained for high-intensity combat operations. He said Trump is trying to intimidate Americans and suppress opposing views. Trumps executive order authorizing the use of ANY personnel, in ANY location, for ANY length of time is a dangerous slippery slope that should concern Americans everywhere, Crow said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sending military personnel with combat equipment and heavy weapons into tense domestic situations rarely deescalates. We have often seen deadly consequences and the erosion of public trust, Crow said. The servicemembers being mobilized signed up to protect Americans and their rights, not to be deployed against their fellow citizens. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Windsor Republican and staunch Trump ally, has shown support for the military escalation in California online and criticized Democrats for trash talking military and law enforcement personnel. If the feckless progressives in California wont restore order, our U.S. Marines are more than up to the task, she posted on X. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE MEXICO CITY, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Mexico is awaiting a response from the United States on its request to be exempted from a newly imposed 50 percent tariff on steel and aluminum, Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Tuesday. The request was filed Friday in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's June 3 executive order that doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from all nations except Britain. Ebrard said that during his visit to Washington last week, Mexico's negotiating team presented key arguments to U.S. officials. The team argued that the United States currently runs a trade surplus with Mexico in steel, making the tariff "highly questionable." They also requested treatment equal to that of Britain, warning of potential economic fallout on both sides of the border due to the high level of industrial integration. "We're waiting for their response," Ebrard said. DENVER (KDVR) Its not unusual for Colorado firefighters to hit the road and assist with wildfire mitigation in other places around the United States, but for a crew ready to help outside of a national boundary, their passports will be needed. Causes of Weld County oil and gas well release identified: Chevron The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control put together a mix-and-match team that will head to Canada to help with the wildfires in Saskatchewan. The members of the crew come from modules, including: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tava Steel City James Peak Lone Pine The team departed on Monday and is expecting to be assigned to the Pisew Fire near La Ronge when they arrive. A separate team is going to help with either the Wolf Fire or the Pelican Narrows Fire, after they dispatch on Friday. The team is classified as a Type 3 Incident Management Team. The two teams were deployed as part of the Great Plains Interstate Fire Compact, which includes: Saskatchewan Arizona Kansas Nebraska New Mexico North Dakota South Dakota Wyoming Colorado According to CDFPC, the compacts are authorized by federal and state legislation to enable states and provinces to collaborate and exchange resources for wildfire preparedness, response, fuels treatment and training, independent from federal systems and approvals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a social media post, CDFPC said that compact partners have assisted Colorado before, and its crew is pleased to reciprocate during Saskatchewans time of need, as fire danger is low in Colorado at the moment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. When your newborn is in the NICU, the rest of the world fades. Monitors beep. Nurses whisper. You count the minutes between updates. What most parents dont have, though, is the one thing they need most: time. Now, thats starting to change. Colorado just made history as the first state in the U.S. to offer paid NICU leave. As Axios reports, Governor Jared Polis has signed a bill expanding the states paid family and medical leave program to include an additional 12 weeks of leave for parents whose infants are hospitalized in neonatal intensive care. The new NICU-specific leave goes into effect on January 1, 2026. The law builds on the states broader paid leave benefit, which voters approved in 2020 and launched in January 2024. offering up to 12 weeks of paid time off for medical or caregiving needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colorados program is part of a growing movement among states to provide paid leave through publicly funded insurance systemsseparate from the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which protects some workers jobs but doesnt guarantee income. Related: When the baby is in the NICU, whos caring for the mom? A new model is changing that A step toward what NICU parents have long needed The bill acknowledges what science has long confirmed: babies thrive when their parents can be present in the NICU. A study published in JAMA Network Open assessed the outcomes following close collaboration with parents in NICUs. The study found that family-centered carewhere parents are directly, daily involved with the hands-on care of their NICU newbornsled to better outcomes for both infants and parents. Babies gained more weight, and parents reported lower stress levels and greater satisfaction with care. But presence comes at a cost. Without paid leave, many parents are forced to make an impossible choice: stay by their critically ill newborns sideor hold onto their job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the bills sponsors, Colorado State Rep. Yara Zokaie, knows that struggle firsthand, She described her own experience working remotely from the hospital while her baby was in intensive care. As she told Axios, Having a child in the NICU is one of the most terrifying moments as a parent, and the last thing they should be worried about is having to choose between spending time with their child in the hospital and keeping their jobs. This is a big winbut its also a glimpse of how far behind we are To be clear, Colorados new provision makes it the only state to specifically extend paid leave for NICU hospitalization. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia have broader paid family leave laws, but they vary widely in duration, eligibility, and funding. And federally? The U.S. still offers zero weeks of guaranteed paid family leave. That means NICU outcomeslike so much in parentingare increasingly shaped by your zip code. In contrast, Colorados law recognizes that care is not a private inconvenienceits a public good. And it builds on evidence that paid leave improves both health and economic outcomes for families. As reported by Axios, advocates see this move as proof that Colorados family leave program is working well enough to expand. For moms, this is about timeand justice Paid NICU leave isnt just smart public health. Its long-overdue recognition that the burden of care workespecially during medical criseshas too often fallen silently on mothers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In most households, caregiving during a medical emergency still defaults to the mother. As weve previously covered, moms are often expected to make it workbalancing crisis caregiving with professional obligations, all without the systemic support their roles demand Colorados new law doesnt fix all of that. But it sets a precedent. One that says parents in crisis deserve more than platitudes. They deserve policies that meet them where they are: beside a hospital bed, holding the tiniest hand theyve ever seen. Related: Moms dont need a baby bonusthey need paid leave, childcare, and real support Sources: DENVER (KDVR) The Colorado State Patrol announced it will be conducting a pair of sobriety checkpoints during June. The checkpoint locations were chosen based on the history of DUI crashes and arrests, CSP said. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox CSP sobriety checkpoint times and locations include: Alamosa County Checkpoint 1315 17th Street, Alamosa June 14 from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Douglas County Checkpoint E470 Toll Plaza A June 20-21 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CSP troopers will be looking for signs that a driver is under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, including certain prescription medications or over-the-counter drugs that the agency said could interfere with driving. Through high-visibility, responsible driving enforcement events, troopers will also address those who make the poor decision to drive intoxicated, CSP said in a news release. CSP asks anyone who sees an impaired driver to contact them by phone at *277. Drivers caught driving impaired and placed under arrest can expect possible jail time, fines, DUI classes, fees and other expenses that can exceed $13,000, according to the CSP. 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. More protests are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on the sixth day of protests against ICE operations in the city and President Trumps immigration policies. New York Times reporter Jeremy Peters, Washington Post columnist Philip Bump, and The Dispatch senior writer David Drucker join Alex Witt to discuss the approval numbers around Trumps deportation agenda and more. Twice in a recent two-week period, two men were arrested for terrorist attacks while invoking Free Palestine. For them, the phrase served as a rallying cry sanctioning violence. Their targets were, in the deadly Washington, D.C., attack outside the Jewish Museum, a young couple, and in Boulder, Colorado, people attending a vigil for the 58 hostages held by Hamas. For the two suspects neither of whom is Palestinian the phrase Free Palestine was a license to kill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are not the only ones who understand it that way. It was just two months ago when the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was set ablaze after a Passover Seder event. The perpetrator, who has confessed, cited the governors views on Palestine. Another Free Palestine chanter struck and killed an elderly California Jewish man with a bullhorn in November 2023. Not all Free Palestine chanters understand it as a call to violence. Yet the phrases intentional lack of specificity is a big part of its utility: What the user means is left to the audiences interpretation. There are several prevalent understandings, ranging from noble to murderous. Free Palestine can mean the justified yearning for Palestinians to enjoy the full freedoms, prosperity and security to which all people are entitled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It can be a desperate plea for new, elected leaders. Hamas has governed Gaza with an iron fist and no elections since 2007, and the West Bank hasnt voted since 2006. This indifference to basic democracy does not portend well for what freedom would look like in a free Palestine. For others invoking it, the phrases imprecision is precisely the point. Free Palestine can be exploited for misleading purposes. The lack of specificity avoids answering the most revealing question: Would a free Palestine be alongside Israel or instead of Israel? Of course, Hamas and many of its global advocates shamelessly reject the alongside option. In Gaza and elsewhere, they threaten anyone willing to accept such a peaceful compromise. Other Free Palestine supporters are unwilling to pay the negative public relations cost of acknowledging that instead of is their nonnegotiable option. Why? Because their instead of option can only be realized with the annihilation of a sovereign United Nations member country populated by 10 million Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Druze and others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The instead of option glorifies killing Jews, be it on Oct. 7, 2023, in Israel; in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; in Washington; in Boulder; and God knows where next. While we dont know where the next Free Palestine-inspired attack will happen, we do know, tragically, it isnt a matter of whether it will happen. It is simply a matter of when. In most instances, Free Palestine is protected free speech in the United States. But after this most recent series of Free Palestine-motivated attacks and with an accompanying deafening silence of condemnation from most pro-Palestinian groups, is it so unreasonable to ask that those promulgating it own up to what it does and doesnt mean to them? And for us Jews. The murderers do not indulge the lie of most pro-Palestinian advocates that there is a distinction between Jews and Zionists. Neither the California, Washington, Harrisburg or Boulder offenders bothered to inquire about their victims identities or ideologies before attacking. Whether the victims were even Jewish or Zionist, or how they understood Free Palestine, was irrelevant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Politicalized catchphrases are proliferating. While many may seem innocuous, they can be dog whistles that are understood differently by different audiences. Our business, civic, educational, faith, media and political leaders have learned how to navigate these linguistic minefields. They now need to tune their antennas to the violent impact that Free Palestine and the demonization of Zionists are having on American Jews. Those of us yearning for both Israeli-Palestinian peace and Jewish safety worldwide understandably want to know what Free Palestine means to those in our midst. The Boulder attacker planned his violence for a year, authorities say. There are undoubtedly others right now planning their own attacks to Free Palestine. Such would-be assailants should know whether their attacks are endorsed or opposed by the Free Palestine campaign they have adopted. We already know how two people over the last three weeks understood the phrases imprecision. And we have seen and heard all too many applauding this resistance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attempting to define the meaning of another groups self-understanding is likely to evoke accusations of mansplaining. But in the absence of a widely embraced peaceful definition of Free Palestine, being accused of insensitivity is easy to bear. We Jews are just trying to freely celebrate a Seder, visit a museum and rally for hostages. That yearning involves no duplicity or threats to others. _____ Jay Tcath is executive vice president of the Jewish United Fund. _____ PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (WPRI) The Portsmouth community continues to reel from the sudden and tragic death of 15-year-old Kelly Nevitt. The teen was killed when a concrete landing outside the Portuguese American Citizens Club collapsed during a graduation party on Saturday. Four other people were also injured, including a 17-year-old who was left in critical condition. Nevitt was a bright and beloved freshman at Portsmouth High School, according to friends of her family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kelly was a loving daughter, a loyal friend, and a kind soul who brought light and laughter wherever she went. Her smile and contagious laughter could brighten anyones day, and her spirit was full of hope, warmth, and compassion. Whether Kelly was expressing her passion for the arts in Colorguard or shining on stage, she touched the lives of everyone who knew her, and her absence has left an unimaginable void in our hearts, they wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the family. RELATED: Portsmouth community mourns teen killed in Portuguese club collapse As of Wednesday evening, the page had already raised more than $60,000. As her family faces this heartbreaking loss, we are asking for support to help cover funeral and memorial expenses, and to give Kelly the peaceful and memorable farewell she deserves, the page said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No family should have to endure the pain of losing a child, let alone bear the sizable financial burden during such a painful time, the message continued. We created this page to ensure that Kellys family can take the time to grieve their unimaginable loss without the added financial worries. According to her obituary, Nevitt had a passion for musical theater, a gift for performing, and a quick wit, big heart, and boundless compassion. Whether she was singing, dancing, or laughing with friends, Kellys presence was magnetic, the obituary read. She was the funniest, kindest, most loyal friend the kind of person who made everyone feel welcome and important, it continued. She had a special way of lifting others up, always reminding people how much they meant to her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A celebration of Nevitts life will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, June 16, at Green Valley Country Club in Portsmouth. Donations in her honor can be made to the Newport Childrens Theater. Read the full obituary Police said about 75 people were inside the building when the landing collapsed. The cause is currently under investigation. The Portsmouth School Department has made counseling available to anyone who needs it. 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. EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) Over 100 people gather to discuss the First Amendment, with the goal of leaving with a better understanding of their rights. I wanted to find out whats going on, says Susan Hansen. As protests continue across the country, Evansville residents are seeking clarity on their fundamental rights. Susan Hansen is one of many who have questions. Hansen says, It seems like the current president is trying to revert back to the old, old school way of things and deny us our rights and our abilities, and even to constrict us and overrule and run everything and theres supposed to be a division of power, and he is violating that division of powers, thats what I feel like. The First Amendment at its basic definition protects the freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, the right to peacefully assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. History Professor Dr. James MacLeod, with the University of Evansville says, the First Amendment is the most important. McLeod says, Our students are certainty seeing whats been happening around the country to other students protesting over various issues and they are concerned about what would happen, what could happen on our campus. McLeod adds, Im sure that our students are concerned, deeply concerned by their friends and colleagues who are international students. Attorney Charles Berger also served as a panelist, a man whos studied the Bill of Rights since he was in high school. Berger emphasized how now is the time to have the in-depth discussions. Berger says, They need to let their government know theyre not happy with whats happening. They should peacefully assemble at the risk of being harmed. I mean, in order to preserve freedom, you have to take risk and if youre not willing to take risk, then you will lose your freedom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The panel was hosted by BRIDGE, an organization that focuses on building respect and integrity in diverse greater Evansville. The League of Women Voters of Southwestern Indiana also help partner to make this event happen. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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). Concert of Colors is headed back to some familiar turf. The 2025 edition of the annual multicultural music festival will include a night at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre on Detroit's riverfront, where CoC was founded in 1993 when the venue was known as Chene Park. The July 18 evening at the Aretha will include performances by soul-gospel great Mavis Staples and Moroccan music group Bab L Bluz. Like all Concert of Colors events, the show is free, with fans admitted on a first-come basis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Concert of Colors, happening July 16-20, will retain its major presence in Midtown Detroit, including the Detroit Institute of Arts. Performances include Nigerian mainstay Femi Kuti, indie rock band Yo La Tengo, rock-R&B-Latin group War and the latest installment of the Don Was Detroit All-Star Revue, this year spotlighting blues music with an array of hometown artists. Mavis Staples performs during the Austin Blues Festival in the Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park on Sunday, April 27, 2025 in Austin. More: Big Sean to join Detroit Symphony for an evening of orchestral hip-hop More: Lil Wayne headed to Detroits Little Caesars Arena in August with Tha Carter celebration The festival will kick off with a July 16 concert at the DIAs Detroit Film Theatre from Canadian-Iranian duo Niyaz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a Tuesday media release announcing this years festivities, CoC director Ismael Ahmed also touted an expanded lineup of childrens programming and vendors offering global crafts and merchandise. Along with the DIA, outdoor and indoor performance spaces will be presented at venues including the Scarab Club, Michigan Science Center, Third Man Records, Spot Lite Detroit, Detroit Historical Museum and the Sosnick Courtyard at Orchestra Hall. Boaters gather on the Detroit River during a concert night at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre. Concert of Colors spent its first 13 years at then-Chene Park before moving to Midtown and becoming a multi-day fixture there. The return to the riverside venue, aided by an injection of funding from the state of Michigan, comes as the Aretha celebrates a 40th anniversary summer. The full five-day music lineup and other events can be found at the Concert of Colors website. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Concert of Colors unveils lineup and return to Aretha amphitheater Congress cant seem to agree on anything these days with Republicans and Democrats seemingly at loggerheads over every piece of legislation. But Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, and Rev. Raphael Warnack, a Democrat from Georgia, have put aside party politics to partner on a resolution marking Thursday, June 12, National Seersucker Day. This is the 12th year that Cassidy has championed the cause, which celebrates the summer fabric, since he revived the tradition in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014. More from WWD Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seersucker Day honors the New Orleans invention thats made America fashionable and the summer heat bearable since 1909, Cassidy said. For one day a year, the Capitol looks a little more like the French Quarter. We might not always agree on policy, but we can all agree: wool in June is a mistake. Im excited to return as the co-chair for the annual Seersucker Day in our nations capital and continue celebrating this iconic Senate tradition, said Warnock. Seersucker is more than just a fabric, it is a material deeply woven into Southern culture. National Seersucker Day is a proud bipartisan tradition, and I look forward to working alongside Senator Cassidy to carry it on. The use of seersucker was popularized in 1909 by New Orleans businessman Joseph Haspel Sr., who brought the puckered cloth popular in India to his home town and created suits that would stand up to the citys scorching summer heat and humidity. Haspels great granddaughter Laurie Haspel Aronson still runs the company today. In 1996, former Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott brought Seersucker Thursday to Congress, where it was observed for several years. After falling by the wayside in 2012 and 2013, Cassidy revived it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The senator has invited other members of Congress to don their seersucker outfits for an official photograph at the Ohio Clock in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. ET, and he also encouraged all Americans to wear the fabric as well. Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The Trump White House has formally asked Congress to pull back more than $1 billion in already approved funding for public broadcasting. The cuts proposed by President Donald Trump endanger Americas largest public broadcasters and hundreds of associated local and regional radio and television channels. In Oklahoma, that includes public radio stations KOSU and KGOU, as well as the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority, or OETA. Trump already had issued an executive order May 1 directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to "cease Federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System." He claimed neither entity presents a fair, accurate or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With more than 650,000 Oklahomans statewide tuning into OETA on a weekly basis, it's billed as America's most watched PBS network. OETA provides access to PBS programs like "Antiques Roadshow," "Nature" and "Sesame Street," emergency alerts and local shows like "Outdoor Oklahoma," "OETA Movie Club," "The Lawrence Welk Show," and "Oklahoma News Report." Trump's proposal is known as a "rescission request" and requires approval from both the House and Senate to become law. A House vote is expected and Republican leaders have said they believe the bill will pass. Oklahoma has five Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives: District 1, Kevin Hern; District 2, Josh Brecheen; District 3, Frank Lucas; District 4, Tom Cole; and District 5, Stephanie Bice. Let your voice be heard. How would you request your representatives in the House to vote? This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Tell your members of Congress how to vote on PBS support | Survey Description For Grades 6 & up. Do you love manga? Graphic novels? Once a month we'll meet at the Bridgehampton Starbucks to discuss a specific book! Each title will be raffled away to one participant. Each participant will receive a $5 Starbucks gift card to purchase a drink or snack of their choice, redeemable the day of the program. Selected book titles will be available for checkout -- teens will need an active library card. Space is limited, registration is required. You can sign up here. NEED TO KNOW South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn stepped in to hold the 4-month-old son of his congressional colleague during a press conference on June 10. Clyburn and Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen were advocating for longer background checks for firearms purchases. Pettersen, 43, has frequently brought her children to work with her, and has recently advocated for Congress to allow members to vote remotely during maternity leave. South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn has been a member of Congress since 1993. But hes been a father even longer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clyburn and his late wife, Emily, shared three daughters, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. So it made sense that the 84-year-old congressman called on his paternal instincts on Tuesday, June 10, when he stepped in to hold the 4-month old son of his colleague, Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen. The pair were speaking to reporters as part of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, introducing the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and Enhanced Background Checks Act to establish universal background checks for firearms purchases. As Pettersen, 43, stepped up to answer questions with her son, Sam, in her arms, Clyburn quickly volunteered to help. I love that, Pettersen said of the gesture after carefully handing her son over. I cant wait to tell him one day that Representative Clyburn was holding him. South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn offered to hold Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersens infant son, freeing her hands to speak at a press conference focused on combatting gun violence. pic.twitter.com/uljw5MvorW CBS News (@CBSNews) June 11, 2025 Pettersen and her husband, Ian Silverii, welcomed Sam on Jan. 25. They also share a 5-year-old son, Davis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The congresswoman has frequently brought her children with her as she carries out her House duties. She and Davis sat in on a House Financial Services hearing in June 2023, and in April 2025, she brought Sam on the House floor as she advocated for Congress to allow members to vote remotely during maternity leave. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen holds her 1-month-old son, Sam, outside the Capitol after casting votes on March 11 Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen holds her 1-month-old son, Sam, outside the Capitol after casting votes on March 11 The issue was a central part of the birth announcement Pettersen shared on her congressional website when Sam was born. Congress makes no accommodations for new parents, so while Im recovering and taking care of my newborn at this critical time, it's incredibly unfair that my constituents will not have a voice in Congress until I am physically able to return to Washington, she wrote. No Member should have to choose between caring for their newborn and representing their constituents," she continued. "Im disappointed Speaker Johnson has still refused to move forward with my bipartisan proposal to allow Members to vote remotely while they take care of their newborns, but I wont stop fighting to bring this to the floor for a vote, even while recovering from childbirth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pettersen added: My two boys remind me of whats at stake, and Im more committed than ever to making sure my constituents voices are heard in Washington. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Colorado Rep. Brittany Petterson in a House hearing with her then-3-year-old son, Davis, on June 13, 2023 Colorado Rep. Brittany Petterson in a House hearing with her then-3-year-old son, Davis, on June 13, 2023 Clyburn, meanwhile, won reelection for his 17th term in the House of Representatives in November. He is a major power broker in Washington, a pivotal member of the Congressional Black Caucus and has previously served as the Democratic Party's House majority whip. 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. Clyburn and Pettersen, as well as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, advocated for longer background checks for gun purchases ahead of the 10th anniversary of the mass shooting at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. The attack by then-21-year-old Dylann Roof on June 17, 2015, left nine dead all of whom were constituents of Clyburns district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He picked this church because of its history, Clyburn told reporters. With the kind of background check we are talking about today, we would have prevented that because he would have never gotten a gun. Read the original article on People Rep. Mikie Sherrill speaks to supporters after winning the Democratic gubernatorial primary at the Westin Governor Morris in Morristown on June 10, 2025. (Amanda Brown for New Jersey Monitor) Rep. Mikie Sherrill won the Democratic primary Tuesday in her bid to become New Jerseys next governor, the Associated Press projected, riding a wave of establishment and popular support that coalesced around her perceived electability in this falls general election. Sherrill, a former federal prosecutor and Navy helicopter pilot, had long been the partys favorite, leading in polls and picking up more county organization endorsements than any of her five rivals. But her victory was far from assured, with New Jersey in unknown waters since the courts toppled the powerful county line, which had historically given party-endorsed candidates prime placement on ballots and usually guaranteed a win. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherrill used her victory speech to target her GOP opponent in November, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, and President Donald Trump. She said the United States is too beautiful to be beholden to the cruelty and self interest that Jack and Trump are trying to foist on her. The president comes here nonstop to his golf course, and he calls our state a horror show. Come November, were sending a shot across the bow. We are sending a message, because its usually the people who have something to prove that work the hardest. Hey, New Jersey, Ive got something to prove! she said. Sherrill, 53, of Montclair, won her congressional seat in 2018 in her first-ever run for public office, flipping a seat that had long been held by a Republican after 12-term incumbent Rodney Frelinghuysen retired. Voters in the 11th Congressional District, which covers parts of Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties, have reelected her three times since then. Ciattarelli and Sherrill will face off in their bids to succeed Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who is barred from seeking a third term this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bishop Jethro James is senior pastor of the Paradise Baptist Church and president of the Newark, North Jersey Committee of Black Churches. He joined throngs of jubilant supporters who packed into the Westin Governor Morris in Morristown to cheer her win. The reality is, the best man for a job is a woman, James said. I believe that her integrity speaks for itself. She understands real conditions of people and purpose. The other candidates are strictly politics. Thats not Mikie Sherrill. She understands a national budget, but she understands a kitchen budget. Rep. Mikie Sherrill supporters cheer after she won the Democratic gubernatorial primary at the Westin Governor Morris in Morristown on June 10, 2025. (Amanda Brown for New Jersey Monitor) Anjali Mehrotra, a national board member of the National Organization for Women, said shes an original Team Mikie. Ive been waiting for her to run for governor for two years now, Mehrotra said. I would like to see more women elected in office, and not just because I feel like we need representation, but actual research shows that women govern differently because theyre more empathetic, theyre more collaborative, and frankly, theyre more about the issues that I care about. Do I see a man fighting for universal child care? Probably not. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherrills rivals had tried to disrupt her momentum by disparaging her as the establishment candidate during a time when many Democrats are disillusioned by their party and looking for seismic change. But the machine politician insult failed to stick, likely because she has been in politics for less time than any of her campaign rivals aside from Sean Spiller. Still, she and rival Steve Fulop, Jersey Citys mayor, led the race in spending, with both shelling out almost $9 million in what has become New Jerseys most expensive primary in state history. Sherrill also got a nearly $4 million boost in spending by independent expenditure groups. Whoever replaces Murphy will be tested in unprecedented ways, as the Trump administration increasingly attacks states sovereignty by cracking down on state and local officials who dont embrace or at least allow its immigration enforcement, cost cuts, and other policies that have led to nationwide upheaval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most Democrats in the race, consequently, focused on resistance to Trump as a go-to campaign promise. Sherrill said shes the candidate best positioned to fight back against Trump. And her supporters believe she can do it too. Shes done it in Congress. She did it when he was in his first term, and shes continuing to message in a way that makes me very confident that shell keep our state very safe and following the Constitution, which she has sworn an oath to, over and over again, said Tricia Maguire of Middletown, who brought her 22-year-old daughter Fiona to Sherrills victory party. Though Ciattarelli is seeking to tie Sherrill to Murphy in hopes that New Jersey voters are tired of Democratic policies dominating in Trenton, Sherrill on Tuesday said she, not Ciattarelli, is the change agent in the race. I am ready to shake up the status quo. Hes not a change, hes a rerun. Hes the ghost of elections past, she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -An influential consumer organization on Wednesday urged Republican lawmakers to drop a plan to impose a proposed $250 annual fee on electric cars to pay for road repairs. Consumer Reports, which also tests and rates new vehicles, noted that Republican Senator Bernie Moreno has called for boosting the proposed yearly fee to $500 for EVs and $250 for plug-in hybrids versus the tax and budget bill over the fee in the bill approved by the U.S. House in May. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WHY IT'S IMPORTANT The fees would mean consumers would pay anywhere from three to seven times as much as owners of similar conventional gasoline vehicles in federal gas taxes, Consumer Reports said. The new fees could hit Tesla, GM other EV owners. KEY QUOTES Chris Harto, senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports said the EV fees were "punitive taxes designed to confiscate fuel savings from consumers who just want to save money for their families." CONTEXT Lawmakers in April dropped a $20 federal yearly registration fee on all vehicles starting in 2031 to fund road repairs. The U.S. House bill would end a $7,500 tax credit for new EVs for most automakers by Dec. 31, end a $4,000 used car EV tax credit, repeal vehicle emissions rules and kill an Energy Department loan program that supports the manufacture of green advanced technology vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It would also phase out EV battery production tax credits in 2028. Ford said the bill's provision to eliminate EV battery production using Chinese technology threatens the automaker's projected $3 billion investment in a Marshall, Michigan, plant that is 60% complete and slated to employ 1,700 workers. On Thursday, President Donald Trump will sign three resolutions approved by lawmakers barring California's electric vehicle sales mandates and diesel engine rules, auto industry and House aides told Reuters. (Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Edward Tobin) ROCHESTER, N.Y. A registered sex offender was sentenced to three decades in prison Wednesday, according to the United States Attorneys Office. Prosecutors said 34-year-old Ryan Newman of Corning who was convicted of the production of child pornography was sentenced to 35 years in prison, plus 15 years of supervised release. Newman had been convicted of the child porn crimes by the state back in 2012, when he was sentenced to serve a local jail term and 10 years probation. He was also requited to register as a Level 3 sex offender which prosecutors said is someone considered to be at high risk of re-offending and a threat to public safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a report from Snapchat that a user had uploaded a video of child pornography. That tip was then to New York State Police which executed a search warrant on Newmans person and his home in 2022. Troopers found Newman had uploaded the child porn videos to Snapchat, and had similar videos on more of his devices. Newman was out of custody after the search warrant until April 2024, when the FBI stationed in Corning received a tip that child pornography made in the Corning area was being sent to an undercover agent in Illinois. Prosecutors said an investigation found Newman had sexually abused the child and produced the child pornography. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newman was then taken into custody by the FBI and Corning Police. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Michael Soto has once again petitioned the court in hopes of reducing his 25-year sentence even more after being convicted as an accomplice to a 2007 murder. He made the request to Judge Daniel Will in a 19-page handwritten petition in April. A hearing on the matter was held Tuesday morning. Soto claims he earned 90 days off his sentence for completing his GED in 2013, while a prosecutor argued the educational program was already considered in a resentencing hearing in 2019 and again last year with a request for the remainder of the sentence to be suspended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a ruling earlier this year, Will agreed to reduce Sotos sentence by two years. Soto argued that he worked to address the many flaws, while originally sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. He was found guilty of giving a handgun to a friend who shot and killed Aaron Kar in Manchester. Soto, who was 17 years old at the time of the murder, was one of four New Hampshire teenagers eligible to be resentenced after a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles unconstitutional. Sentencing is not about one decision made at a single time and place, but about a process that involves a number of interrelated decisions that may span several years in a given case and involve a number of different decisionmakers, Soto wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sotos lawyer, Charles Bookman, said Soto has completed all the programs offered while incarcerated at the New Hampshire State Prison for Men in Concord. He is still trying to do as much as he can when he gets a chance, Bookman said. After 2019, he has done 42 educational programs on the tablet they give him. One goal is to have Soto moved to a minimum-security unit where he expects to spend at least three years. More programs are available in that unit, Bookman said. Prosecutor Benjamin Agati objected to the earned time reduction for the GED Soto earned in 2013, which was brought up during resentencing and again last year during a pleading to suspend the remaining seven years of his sentence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Has the defendant not already been recognized? Has he not already been rewarded for the same thing that was already presented in his 2019 resentencing and presented before your honor last year? he asked. He used the term blank check in his opposition filing. He added during the hearing, It is not double dipping, it is triple dipping. Agati suggested earned time credit should be considered for any programs completed after July 2024. Allowing this would be inconsistent with the goals of rehabilitation, and similarly undermine the deterrence, punitive and societal goals of sentencing, the filing reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge Will took the matter under advisement. He offered encouragement to Soto before the hearing ended. It is unusual to say in the least about what you have accomplished during your time incarcerated, Will said. jphelps@unionleader.com CORNING, N.Y. (WETM) A Corning man was sentenced to more than three decades in federal prison after he was found guilty of making child sex abuse material, according to a release from the United States Attorneys Office for the Western District of New York. Ryan M. Newman, 34, of Corning, was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for his conviction of production of child sex abuse material, the release said. Newmans sentencing stems from an incident back in 2021 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children got a tip from Snapchat that a user had uploaded a video of child sex abuse material. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Corning sex offender pleads guilty to making child sexual abuse materials The tip was turned over to the New York State Police and a search warrant was done in 2022. The search revealed that Newman uploaded the child sex abuse material to Snapchat and had more on his other devices, the release said. Newman wasnt arrested until April 2024 when the FBI in Corning received a tip that child sex abuse material from a child in the Corning area was sent to an undercover agent in Illinois. Further investigation revealed that Newman sexually abused the child and created the child sex abuse material. This is Newmans second sentencing for child sex abuse material as he was sentenced in 2012 to serve local jail time and then 10 years of probation. Newman was also required to register as a level three sex offender, meaning he was considered someone at high risk of re-offending and a threat to public safety. 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 WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto asked for details about a federal plan to sell 2 million acres of public lands, but U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum didnt have answers on Wednesday. At a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, Cortez Masto wanted to know more about Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lees reported plan to revive attempts to sell off public lands. Lee is the chairman of the committee. Burgum confirmed it was under consideration, but had no other information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A similar plan that Nevada Republican Rep. Mark Amodei attached to the one big, beautiful bill in a late-night U.S. House committee vote eventually failed because it wasnt supported by Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, who served as Interior secretary during Trumps first term. Now the battle has moved to the U.S. Senate. Despite follow-up questions from Cortez Masto, Burgum couldnt provide details or identify anyone in Nevada who the administration is working with to ensure land sales actually meet the needs of the local communities. Burgum said he was not actively engaged in negotiations, according to a news release from Cortez Mastos office. Im asking you because we have not seen anything, Cortez Masto said. The chairman has (the proposal), it is behind closed doors. I would assume you would be talking because youre going to be taking the lead as the lead agency. So if you dont know, Im really concerned and we should all be concerned across the West. Last week, speculation grew around what Lee would propose in the Senate. Public lands in Nevada and Utah appear to be likely targets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cortez Masto pressed Burgum on how these public lands might figure into helping to solve Nevadas affordable housing crisis, but Democrats have widely described the land sale as an attempt to fund renewal of President Donald Trumps 2017 tax breaks that are about to expire. She also criticized Burgum over his statements regarding the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA). Burgum talked about the importance of a comprehensive process like SNPLMA as a model for federal land sales earlier in the hearing, Cortez Mastos office said. BLM auction brings $16 million for 8 parcels across Las Vegas valley You talk about the benefits (of this model), but in action youre not doing it, she said. In fact, on the House side and Im assuming they worked with the administration their reconciliation package included federal land sales that werent even near areas where you could actually do affordable housing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said Amodeis amendment would have sold land in the middle of the desert. Theres no infrastructure. I dont know any builder who is going to build housing in the middle of the desert, it makes no sense, Cortez Masto said. SNPLMA has provided funds for parks, recreation and water infrastructure in Nevada, but the federal government has been criticized as too slow to free up lands needed to build more housing. A compromise struck by the Bureau of Land Management under Joe Biden allowed the sale of land for $100 an acre, which would have paved the way for affordable housing construction. But that price also drastically reduced the amount of money flowing to parks through BLM land auctions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later Wednesday, U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he would cancel the July 4 recess week to complete work on the one big, beautiful bill. Its unclear if Republicans have the support to pass the reconciliation spending package. And even if it passes with public land sales included, the changes would be subject to approval in the House, where Zinke has said he will be a firm no. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) The rain and floods of June 2024 were historic for South Dakota. One year later, as KELOLAND heads into a week of consistent rain showers and thunderstorms, meteorologist Brian Karstens clears the air about flood concerns. Karstens said the June 2024 rainfall was blockbuster rain. Back then, Karstens said the KELOLAND area saw flooding in the third week of June, bringing damage and clean-up efforts to many communities. According to a KELOLAND 2024 weather recap, many of these flooded communities, like Rock Valley and McCook Lake, saw 12-18 inches of rainfall just from June 20-22. TenHaken wants drivers to feel the urge to zipper merge Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But one year later, were not looking at that much rain, Karstens said. But he cautions the possibility of local flash flooding, due to the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. Basically, you look at the parameters and how the water stacked in the air, and its going up, Karstens said. It definitely goes up normally this time of year. We expect into mid-June that youre going to just start to see that rich humidity making its presence known, so always be aware of that. Karstens said to always take flash flood warnings seriously. If we do get some downpours tonight, even tomorrow, even next week, I think thats just a general thing to think about as we get into the forecast, Karstens said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The KELOLAND meteorologists update the KELOLAND Weather website daily, including a weather alert section for all weather-related watches and warnings. Follow KELOLAND News for coverage each day and use our KELOLAND News app. Stay informed about the weather with our KELOLAND Storm Tracker 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 KELOLAND.com. In August 2023, a man driving a minivan struck a school bus filled with students, ejecting and killing 11-year-old Aiden Clark in Springfield. The driver was later sentenced to at least nine years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide. But state lawmakers want to do more to prevent future injuries and deaths. The Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 3, 88-0, on June 11. The proposed law would increase penalties for drivers passing stopped school buses, allow schools to install cameras on buses to catch offenders and set aside $10 million in state lottery profits to pay for school bus safety upgrades. Lawmakers in the Ohio House of Representatives approved changes to make school buses more safe. Every day, thousands of students in Ohio ride school buses, and too many are put at risk by drivers who illegally pass stopped buses, said Rep. Cecil Thomas, D-North Avondale. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ohio lawmakers won't require safety belts on school buses an issue hotly debated following the August 2023 crash. Some of the changes came from recommendations of the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group, which Gov. Mike DeWine assembled to look into school bus safety. But they will increase penalties for drivers who illegally pass school buses a major issue identified when studying what would make school buses safer. Thats been the overriding goal from the beginning: Make it more safe, said Rep. Bernard Willis, R-Springfield. He represents Northwestern Local Schools, whose students were injured in the August 2023 crash. What's the current penalty for violating Ohio school bus laws? Current law requires drivers to stop at least 10 feet back from school buses with red flashing lights, loading or unloading students. The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported 933 criminal violations of illegally passing a school bus although, bus drivers say the actual number is much higher. However, fines are currently optional for drivers who illegally pass these buses. What would fines be for passing a school bus under Ohio bill? Under the proposed changes, drivers would face a mandatory fine of between $250 and $1,000 for a first offense. Repeat offenders within five years would pay between $350 and $2,000 and have their driver's license suspended. Fines could be reduced if drivers took an educational course. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill would also allow school buses to install cameras to catch drivers who fly past school buses. The school bus driver's eyewitness testimony would be required for a citation, not just the video footage alone. If the bill becomes law, Ohio schools could apply for a $10 million grant program to buy cameras, safety belts, illuminated signs, lane departure warning systems and other safety features recommended by DeWine's task force. Lawmakers initially proposed $50 million over two years, but that sum was reduced. The proposed law also honors the Northwestern Local Schools students by designating August as School Bus Safety Month. The bill now heads to the Ohio Senate for consideration. If both chambers approve of the changes, the proposed law would head to DeWine for his signature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dispatch reporter Bethany Bruner contributed to this article. State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@gannett.com or @jbalmert on X. Do you think this plan does enough to make school buses safe in Ohio? This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio wants to crack down on drivers after fatal school bus accident The Daviess County Council approved a hefty increase in funding for pauper attorneys in the Daviess Circuit Court. Just six months into the year Daviess Circuit Court Judge Greg Smith went before the council looking for an increase of $150,000 to cover pauper attorney fees for defendants in his court. Council President Marilyn McCullough says there are several reasons for the increase. They have had more cases than expected this year, she said. They have been through about 240 cases so far this year and they still have a large number to go through. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the issues in circuit court is the change of judge in Daviess Superior Court to former prosecutor Dan Murrie. That has resulted in a slate of cases being kicked to other judges and courts. Part of that is that we had a backlog of cases and we are getting caught up on those. Some of those had to be transferred over to Judge Smith because Judge Murrie had been the prosecutor when the cases were filed, said McCullough. Some of those he cannot preside over. We might wind up saving money out of superior court pauper fees. Courts around the country and in Daviess County fell behind on many of their cases during the COVID outbreak. While there has been a concerted effort to catch those up, that time is still impacting the courts. The judges and prosecutor have done a great job, said McCullough. They are trying to streamline processes and try new things to try and clear the backlog created by COVID. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McCullough says she feels the county is approaching the end of the backed up cases. We expect this additional appropriation to cover the rest of this year, she said. The courts are clearing out these cases and the end appears to be in sight. In other business, the council approved a change in the language for the Daviess County Visitors Bureau form to include questions on number of rooms available and the average daily rate on those rooms. The council tabled taking any action on the CF-1 reports from businesses that are currently holding tax abatements from the county. Council members were wanting more information to see if the companies are complying with the promises they made to receive those tax breaks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The council received an update on a plan to use a kiosk to help probationers during the regular check-ins. They also denied a request for $2,800 in additional funding for inmate needs at the county jail. Daviess County Sheriff Gary Allison said he was hesitant to spend money out of the commissary fund, but will do it that way. The council also accepted a $28,000 grant from the state of Indiana. Central Dispatch Director Julie Riker said the grant would cover 100% of the cost to upgrade the emergency services mapping system. Its not going to cost us any money, so that is great, said McCullough. We do need the update. Description Join us every Wednesday at Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas in Westbury for 50% off select bottles of wine all day long! Whether you're winding down the week or catching up with friends, Wine Wednesday is the perfect excuse to sip and save! The U.S. diverted counter-drone capabilities away from Ukraine and to American forces in the Middle East, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed today during testimony on Capitol Hill. Exactly what systems were included is not clear, but laser-guided 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rocket systems are at least part, if not the main focus of this diversion in materiel. APKWS, which transforms unguided 70mm rockets into highly precise guided munitions, has been a comparatively inexpensive weapon that Ukraine has used to defend its skies against drones and low-flying cruise missiles. However, as we were the first to report, they have also been adapted to the air-to-air role, with U.S. Air Force F-16s taking down Houthi drones using the guided rockets, which drastically expands how many drone targets a single jet can engage without rearming. APKWS II rocket pods are now cleared for the heavy-hitting F-15E, as well, and they are already forward deployed with them to Jordan. The contention over the distribution of these weapons comes as the possibility of an Israeli and/or U.S. attack on Iran mounts. Questions also linger about the supply of these air defense capabilities and the Pentagons ability to restock what has already been expended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senator, as you know, the Middle East is and remains a very dynamic theater, Hegseth explained during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday morning. In the interest of putting America and Americans first, were going to surge counter UAS systems to our troops and our bases and our places first, if we think theres a potential for a threat, and considering the environment there right now that has been and will continue to be a priority for us. In his testimony, Hegseth did not specifically address what type of weapons or the exact nature of the threat. However, he was answering a question about media reporting that the Pentagon is or has diverted anti-drone technology intended for Ukraine to the US Air Force in the Middle East The exchange begins at the 1 hour and 14 minute mark in the following video. Hegseths testimony came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told ABC News that the U.S. would divert 20,000 missiles anti-Shahed missiles earmarked for Ukraine in an agreement with the Biden administration to the Middle East. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without the help of the United States, we will have more losses, Zelensky told the networks Martha Raddatz in Kyiv last week. There are no traditional missiles available anywhere near that number, but APKWS is designed to be produced in large numbers and is specifically capable of countering Russian Shahed-136 long-range suicide drones. "We counted on these 20,000 missiles" Says President Zelenskyy, after learning that weapons previously approved by the Biden administration for Ukraine were instead diverted to the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/iACwQG5pTO Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) June 9, 2025 Zelenskys comments followed a Wall Street Journal exclusive that the Trump administration is redirecting a key anti-drone technology earmarked for Ukraine to American forces, a move that reflects the Pentagons waning commitment to Kyivs defense. The Pentagon quietly notified Congress last week that special fuzes for rockets that Ukraine uses to shoot down Russian drones are now being allocated to U.S. Air Force units in the Middle East, the publication added, noting that the fuzes were designed for the APKWS rockets. What this is referring to are the specially-designed proximity fuzes that optimize the APKWS concept for counter-drone applications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an internal memo last month, Hegseth authorized the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell, a Pentagon office that ensures commanders weapons needs are met, to provide the fuzes to the U.S. Air Force, even though they were initially bought for Ukraine, WSJ explained. The Pentagon told the Senate Armed Services Committee in the previously undisclosed message that the U.S. militarys need for the fuzes was a Secretary of Defense Identified Urgent Issue.' Hegseths testimony on Wednesday sheds additional light on that story, which the Pentagon declined to comment on. Hegseths explanation on Wednesday about the air defense munitions comes as reports are emerging on social media of evacuations and alerts being issued at U.S. facilities in the Middle East. The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East, a U.S. defense official told The War Zone Wednesday afternoon. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the CENTCOM AOR. CENTCOM is working in close coordination with our Department of State counterparts, as well as our Allies and partners in the region to maintain a constant state of readiness to support any number of missions around the world at any time. The U.S. embassy in Iraq is preparing for an ordered departure due to heightened security risks in the region, officials say. Idrees Ali (@idreesali114) June 11, 2025 Alerts are starting to go out in the Middle East due to the security situation: Dependents in Bahrain are authorized to leave. US Embassy in Baghdad is preparing to evacuate. Tonight is when I would look for the Pentagon Pizza Index to be fired up. https://t.co/tvvCt1hSGd TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) June 11, 2025 BREAKING: The U.S. Navy has reportedly placed its base in Bahrain on HIGH ALERT. Dependents are being authorized for evacuation. Is something big brewing in the Gulf? https://t.co/AUOTlOAD0O John Konrad V (@johnkonrad) June 11, 2025 As we reported yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump has been presented with a broad array of potential military options against Iran should ongoing nuclear negotiations with that country fail. Israel is already reportedly moving ever closer to at least being in a position to launch its own strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The direct and indirect blowback from any such operations against Iran could be immense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fears that U.S.-Iranian nuclear talks are on the verge of collapse have been steadily growing in the past week or so amid statements from both sides outlining potentially intractable positions. Irans ability to continue domestic enrichment of nuclear material that could be used to produce nuclear weapons has emerged as a key stumbling block to reaching a deal. Top U.S. military commander in the Middle East General Kurilla confirms that he has presented military options on Iran to President Trump & SecDef Hegseth in House Armed Services Committee this morning. pic.twitter.com/TzQG0HUdQu Brian Katulis (@Katulis) June 10, 2025 As was proven in the U.S. battle against the Houthi rebels of Yemen and Ukraines fight against Russia, the APKWS rockets would be a hugely valuable asset protecting against any Iranian or proxy drones and subsonic cruise missiles should the situation there devolve into open conflict. Each APKWS II rocket consists of a laser guidance package inserted between a standard 70mm rocket motor and one of a variety of warhead options. Originally designed as an air-to-ground munition, APKWS II is cleared for use on Air Force F-16C/D Vipers and A-10 Warthogs, as well as U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers and F/A-18C/D Hornets on the fixed-wing side. The F-15E has recently been added to that list. The precision-guided rockets are also part of the arsenals available for Marine AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom helicopters, as well as U.S. Navy MH-60R/S Seahawks and U.S. Army AH-64D/E Apaches. As an air-to-air weapon, however, it is limited to engaging non-reactionary, low-performance targets that fly along relatively steady courses. Still, the magazine depth they offer, combined with the lower unit cost of an APKWS II rocket compared to traditional air-to-air missiles, presents clear benefits. The latest variants of the AIM-120 cost around $1 million apiece, while current-generation AIM-9Xs each have a price tag around $450,000. The most expensive part of an APKWS II rocket is the guidance section, which costs between $15,000 and $20,000, with the rocket motor and warhead adding a few thousand dollars more to the total price point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As noted previously in this story, we broke the news that U.S. Air Force F-16s used the rockets to down Houthi drones during operations in and around the Red Sea in the past year. Last month, we reported that a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle down-range in the Middle East was seen with an air-to-air loadout that includes six seven-shot 70mm rocket pods, as well as four AIM-9X and four AIM-120 missiles. This came a week after TWZ was the first to report on testing of the rockets as a new armament option for the F-15E. As we noted at that time, the exact loadout were now seeing on a deployed Strike Eagle turns the jet into a counter-drone and cruise missile weapons truck with a whopping 50 engagement opportunities, not counting the internal gun. U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. pic.twitter.com/xxg6F6LlqB U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 30, 2025 APKWS rockets first appeared in Ukraine in May 2023, however, they were designed as a ground attack system. A video circulating online at the time showed at least one American-supplied up-armored M1152A1 Humvee with an Arnold Defense LAND-LGR4 four-shot launcher firing what are said to be Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II rockets. You can see that system in the following video, but its worth noting this was not for counter drone applications. APU for the first time showed the work of the APKWS system The footage of missiles hitting targets was recorded by a drone. pic.twitter.com/CORuYJ0hwR Lew Anno Support#Israel #Ukraine 24/2-22 (@anno1540) May 8, 2023 More importantly, the U.S. has also supplied the VAMPIRE counter-drone system to Ukraine, which uses the laser-guided 70mm rockets with counter-drone fuzes as effectors fired from launchers mounted on Humvees. They began appearing in country in December 2023. This system has been used widely and has had great success, especially against the aforementioned Shahed-136 long-range kamikaze drones that have ravaged Ukraine for years now. The VAMPIRE system fitted to the back of a pick-up truck. (L3Harris) VAMPIRE and its APKWS rockets are also seen as more critical than ever to Ukraine, as far more expensive and treasured surface-to-air missiles are increasingly scarce. APKWS gives Ukraine another proven way to defend key target areas against lower-end, but still the most prolific long-range aerial threats they face the Shaheds without blowing through prized SAMs. The moment of the downing of Russian Shahed-136/Geran-2 loitering munition by the units of the Ukrainian Navy over Odesa Oblast of Ukraine last night. The loitering munition was taken down with the VAMPIRE system, which employs the APKWS rockets. pic.twitter.com/p4E3FL0ZuZ Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (BlueSky too) (@Archer83Able) March 11, 2024 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont know if new VAMPIRE systems or other counter drone capabilities, including electronic warfare systems, were also diverted to the U.S. military in the Middle East, not just the rocket kits. It is not publicly known how many counter-drone-capable APKWS rockets were used by the U.S. Air Force against the Houthis or how many were provided to Ukraine. Citing operational security concerns, the U.S. Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT) declined to tell us how many were expended against the Houthis. Because these are made up of rockets and a separate specialized guidance system, it is difficult to determine how many remain in U.S. stocks. The Pentagon did not immediately answer our question about the number provided to Ukraine or how many the U.S. still has. However, during his testimony on Wednesday, Hegseth hinted that the supply is a concern. Asked if the U.S. has the capability of resupplying or reinserting that technology into other places, including Ukraine, the defense secretary said that remains unknown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We would have to review the capacity, but its one of the challenges of all the munitions that weve given to Ukraine over these last three years, is weve created some challenges in other places, he said. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com Jun. 10In a final tweak to its proposed two-year state operating budget, the Ohio Senate changed course on a provision that would have made all county coroners in Ohio appointed by county commissioners instead of elected by the public. The Tuesday amendment comes less than a week after the Senate indicated it would go along with the House's plan to do away with elected county coroners. Senate Finance Chair Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, said the change was a result of robust debate within the Senate's supermajority GOP caucus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I think it came to a point of like, look: There wasn't a compelling enough reason represented to change the way it's currently done," Cirino told reporters Tuesday. The late change adds another item to a list of hundreds of differences between the House and Senate's version of the state's two year spending plan. Those changes will be sorted out in a so-called conference committee in coming weeks. The Ohio House argued that making coroners an appointed position was necessary to counteract a growing scarcity of qualified Ohioans who were interested in running for office. If the state removed the campaigning requirement, the logic goes, then more Ohioans might be interested in becoming coroner. But the House plan met staunch opposition from the Ohio Coroners Association, whose executive director David Corey told this outlet that the change was unnecessary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Commissioners already have the authority to appoint a physician to be coroner if no one runs," Corey said. "So they already have this authority so why subject this as a blanket on everyone?" Corey said the plan could create a dynamic where coroners are more beholden to the county commission than the voters of the county. The appointment plan, if implemented, could have repercussions for coroners in positions similar to longtime Montgomery County Coroner Kent Harshbarger, a Republican serving alongside a majority Democratic county commission. ------ For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening. Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below. Loading... SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) Law enforcement leaders in San Diego County issued a statement on Tuesday as civil unrest continues in Los Angeles and other cities, stemming from immigration-related raids conducted by federal agents. Protesters have clashed with federal agents and law enforcement for the fifth straight day in L.A., influencing a movement in other major cities such as Chicago, Dallas and New York. Raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have happened locally as well, including on May 30 at Buona Forchetta and its sister restaurant in South Park. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (Above: Immigration enforcement operation at Buona Forchetta in San Diegos South Park neighborhood on May 30, 2025) Chula Vista Police Chief Roxana Kennedy, in her position as president of the San Diego County Chiefs and Sheriffs Association, issued a statement about the raids and protests on behalf of the organization, which is comprised of other city police chiefs and law enforcement personnel across the county. The statement said the association is aware of the immigration-related enforcement operations happening across the region and the nation, and it continued to say the departments are committed to uphold(ing) justice, preserv(ing) peace and protect(ing) the rights of the community. Dozens of people have been arrested in L.A. during the protests. Meanwhile, hundreds of Marines and thousands of National Guard members were deployed under the direction of President Donald Trump, including troops based in San Diego. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement National Guard troops directed to LA ICE protests from San Diego: Bonta We understand that recent federal immigration actions have prompted strong emotions and public concern, Chief Kennedy said in her statement. While we support the publics right to free speech and lawful protest, we urge that these expressions remain peaceful, she added. Local agencies in California, including those represented under the association, do not enforce federal immigration law or question people about their immigration status in accordance with Senate Bill 54, the statement said. Kennedys statement also went on to say assaults on law enforcement or acts such as looting, vandalism or arson will not be tolerated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Should federal authorities request our assistance due to safety concerns, local law enforcement will respond as necessary to ensure the protection of all involvedofficers, agents, and members of the public alike, the statement read. This support is strictly for safety and security purposes and does not reflect participation in immigration enforcement. Other agencies that are part of the San Diego County Chiefs and Sheriffs Association include California Highway Patrol, city police departments, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and others. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A federal court issued an order on Wednesday to fast-track Oregons lawsuit challenging tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ordered to expedite the lawsuit, which was filed in late April in the Court of International Trade in New York. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield welcomed the decision stating, Were glad the court recognizes how important this case is by moving it forward quickly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators believe they spotted Travis Decker hiking in Washington. Heres what to know These tariffs are illegaland theyre hurting people. Theyve driven up costs on everyday goods, making it harder for families and small businesses to make ends meet. One analysis found the added cost is more than $3,800 a month. Thats just not sustainable, Rayfield said. The attorney general noted the order to expedite the lawsuit is only procedural noting, This order doesnt address whether the tariffs are legal. So far, every federal judge whos looked at the legality of these tariffs has ruled against themand we believe the law is on our side. The lawsuit argues that the president does not have the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs, rather, Congress has the power to enact tariffs under Article I of the Constitution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Esquire names Portland bar among the best in the U.S. in 2025 While President Trumps executive orders state the president has the authority to impose tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Attorney General Rayfield argues that law only applies in an emergency with an unusual and extraordinary threat from abroad and does not give the president the power to impose tariffs. The lawsuit is co-led by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. Other states joining the suit include Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont. The order to expedite the lawsuit comes after Rayfield celebrated a brief legal victory on May 29 when a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of International Trade temporarily blocked tariffs Trump imposed against all U.S. trading partners as well as levies he imposed before that on China, Mexico and Canada. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KOIN Morning Digest In a briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the ruling judicial overreach and stressed the need for the Supreme Court to intervene. There is a troubling and dangerous trend of unelected judges inserting themselves into the presidential decision-making process, she said. America cannot function if President Trump, or any other president for that matter, has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges. Soon after, however, the Trump administration was granted an appeal to that decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals upending the lower courts ruling to halt tariffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KOIN 6 News has reached out to the United States Attorney Generals Office. This story will be updated if we receive a response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) Death row inmate John Hansons execution is set to proceed after the Court of Criminal Appeals of the State of Oklahoma denied his petition to stop it. This comes after a judge granted a temporary stay of execution on June 9, days before Hanson was set to be put to death. LOCAL NEWS: Update: Temporary stay granted to Oklahoma death row inmate John Hanson Officials say Hanson and an accomplice carjacked and kidnapped 77-year-old Mary Bowles in Tulsa in 1999. Before she was shot to death, Hanson and his accomplice shot Jerald Thurman, an innocent bystander. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, Hanson was transferred from a Louisiana federal prison in March at his request. Some in the community are fighting against Hansons execution. We heard that John Hanson is a changed man, a responsible and trustworthy member of his prison community and that he expresses remorse for the senseless murder of Mary Bowles. By refusing mercy, the State will now carry out the senseless killing of John Hanson. responded Rev. Don Heath, Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Chair. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. GREENBELT, Md. (DC News Now) The Trump administration filed a motion in Marylands District Court on Tuesday, re-emphasizing its call for the dismissal of Kilmar Abrego Garcias case against them. This comes less than a week after Abrego Garcia was returned to the U.S., having spent months of imprisonment in a Salvadorian facility. The Maryland husband and father now faces criminal charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. Lawyers have been petitioning for his return since his erroneous deportation to El Salvador back in March, with administration officials fighting state and Supreme Court orders directing the government to facilitate his return. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED COVERAGE: Kilmar Abrego Garcia accused of years-long conspiracy transporting undocumented aliens to the US In the latest move filed by the defendants in Greenbelt, Md., the government is calling for a stay of all case deadlines and the eventual dismissal of the case against them. Lawyers defending the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initially filed a motion last week, arguing in a one-page notice that since Abrego Garcia has been returned to the U.S., the preliminary injunction should be dissolved. Abrego Garcias team opposed this request for a stay, writing in court documents filed over the weekend that the goverment arranged for Abrego Garcias return not to Maryland in compliance with the Supreme Courts directive but rather to Tennesee so that he could be charged with a crime in a case that the Government only developed while it was under threat of sanctions, court documents read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead of facilitating Abrego Garcias return, for the past two months Defendants have engaged in an elaborate, all-of-government effort to defy court orders, deny due process, and disparage Abrego Garcia, his lawyers stated. His lawyers called the governments efforts chilling. Two things are now crystal clear, court documents state. First, the Government has always had the ability to return Abrego Garcia, but it has simply refused to do so. Second, the Government has conducted a determined stalling campaign to stave off contempt sanctions long enough to concoct a politically face-saving exit from its own predicament, they continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Abrego Garcia to return to US to face charges His team claimed the Trump administration has hidden behind questionable assertions of government privileges and deliberately dragged their feet on discovery, stonewalling Abrego Garcia and the Courts efforts to get at the truth. Even if his return to the U.S. resolved every claim made, the Maryland court still retains jurisdiction to find contempt and impose sanctions against the government, they argued. 093114932274Download In a reply filed on Tuesday, DHS lawyers re-emphasized their request for a stay of all case deadlines. Since being ordered on April 4 to facilitate the return of Plaintiff Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the United States, the administration said it has made diligent efforts to pull down domestic barriers preventing Abrego Garcia from entering our country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This included appropriate diplomatic discussions with Salvadorian officials to facilitate his release and return to the U.S., the governments attorneys argued in court documents. They called Abrego Garcias teams response to his return to the U.S. and their fight to keep the Maryland case open desperate and disappointing. INITIAL COVERAGE: Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador due to administrative error, court filings say In the face of Abrego Garcias return to the United States, they baselessly accuse Defendants of foot-dragging and intentionally disregard[ing] this Courts and the Supreme Courts orders, when just the opposite is true, court documents read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration accused the plaintiffs of trying to stoke this [Maryland] Courts anger against them, claiming there was no legal basis for their accusations and arguments. [T]he proof is in the puddingDefendants have returned Abrego Garcia to the United States just as they were ordered to do. None of Plaintiffs hyperbolic arguments change that or justify further proceedings in this matter, the attorneys for the defendants wrote. The lawyers said they intend to file their motion for dismissal on mootness grounds by June 16. 093114938071-1Download In a statement shared with DC News Now after the governments filing on Tuesday, Abrego Garcias attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg wrote: Two months ago, the Supreme Court ordered not just that Kilmar Abrego Garcia be released from custody in El Salvador and brought back to the United States, but furthermore that his case be handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador. That hasnt happened yet, and so theres still work to be done in this case. Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Gov. Spencer Cox answers questions from the media during his monthly PBS news conference in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Pool photo by Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune) When thinking about Utahs nuclear future, Gov. Spencer Cox said he wants people to think less of the giant nuclear plant where Homer Simpson works, and visualize more a picture of dozens of small modular reactors, stacking in the state over time. While many Utahns are still trying to wrap their heads around the idea Cox is envisioning, he has already signed a couple of memorandums of understanding with companies to help it materialize and, he said, he wants to go big. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On May 23, Cox joined the founder of Valar Atomics, a California nuclear developer, in announcing their partnership to meet President Donald Trumps goal to have an operational advanced reactor on American soil by July 4, 2026, at the San Rafael Energy Research Center in Emery County. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX On Monday, he signed another agreement with another company for the nuclear efforts, Cox said during his monthly news conference broadcast by PBS Utah. Were going to be working with all of these companies. We want to find the best technology. Were not betting on any one technology or any one company. That doesnt make sense, Cox said on Tuesday. Were betting on the idea that there is going to be a nuclear renaissance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While research shows that nuclear developments usually go for a hefty price tag, Cox said that currently the initial plans wont cost anything to the state, since the state already acquired the San Rafael Energy Lab during the 2024 legislative session and that will be one of the states main contributions in the agreement. Were just providing space for these companies to come in and run their new technology there to see if it actually works, Cox said. And so thats not going to cost us anything. The hope is it will save us down the road. Lawmakers did agree to fund $10 million for Coxs Operation Gigawatt nuclear initiative; the governor said that money is for siting. Utah has also sought to ease the regulations to make nuclear energy production a reality. First by suing the federal government in January then still under the Biden administration over its strict rules to permit the resource. Then, by passing big legislation to set the foundation for the states nuclear energy future. The U.S. is lagging behind countries like China in the development of nuclear plants, Cox said. Now, with a new White House administration prioritizing a quicker licensing process for nuclear reactors and ordering a plan to add 300 gigawatts of nuclear energy capacity in the country by 2050, Cox believes Utah can lead the way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The market will decide how big that is, Cox said, government is not going to decide that, but were going to present opportunities. Other agreements happening across the state have centered around the construction of power-hungry data and AI centers. While Cox says he remains fairly agnostic on them, he believes theyll be built in many areas of the country either way, drawing a substantial amount of energy from states shared grid. Even if we didnt have a single data center here, we would still need to significantly increase our power production, Cox said. If were going to significantly increase our power production, we might as well put them here. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE CHICAGO (WGN) Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez returned to his high school alma mater for an 8th grade graduation ceremony on Tuesday, the same place where four years earlier Mayor Lori Lightfoot named him to the post. The Mexico-born immigrant will soon depart the district after a nearly four-year battle with current Mayor Brandon Johnson. Towards the end of Martinezs tenure, he and Johnson were at odds over money, with the mayor pushing for massive borrowing to shore up school finances. Martinez refused, prompting the mayor to call for his resignation. The experience of a lifetime: Ousted CPS CEO bids farewell in final Board of Education meeting Weeks after Martinez declined to step aside, the entire Chicago Board of Education resigned, giving Johnson an opportunity to appoint a new board before Chicagoans began choosing elected members at the ballot box. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But before elected members took their seats, the Johnson-appointed board voted to fire Martinez. Martinez sued. The last time I even remember an affiliate agency where someone didnt leave easily was in 1986, when Harold Washington, after three years in office, was able to get rid of Ed Kelly as head of the park district, political analyst Dick Simpson told WGN. Its probably been 40 or 50 years since weve had a similar situation. In a goodbye letter to the CPS community, Martinez referenced taking over the district in 2021 when COVID 19 fears still lingered, saying hes proud of efforts to keep people healthy and the investments made thanks to federal relief dollars. Also in that letter, Martinez boasted that hes proud of the decisions his administration made to change the way schools are funded, writing, Im proud that the resources a CPS school receives no longer depends on its number of students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Martinez leaves having presented a budget for next school year that assumed $600 million in money that may or may not come to fruition. The Chicago Principals & Administrators Association called the budget magical. But the structural issues are no longer Martinezs problem. A new job awaits him. Martinez is set to become Education Commissioner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The school board will soon name an interim CEO. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Elon Musk has issued a groveling retraction over the attacks he launched against Donald Trump during their explosive public spat last week. I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far, Musk wrote on X Wednesday. The walk-back is the clearest sign yet that Musk may be trying to smooth things over and revive their fractured alliance. Musk offered an olive branch by resharing Trumps Truth Social posts in a bid to show solidarity with the president amid the ongoing riots in Los Angeles. Elon Musk was arguably the most influential person in Donald Trump's inner ciricle for months before their major fallout. / Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo via Reuters During a furious posting spree, which followed a period of growing tensions between the pair, Musk said the presidents tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year. Musk also agreed with a post from on X that Trump should be impeached and replaced with Vice President JD Vance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk, who pumped over $250 million into the presidents 2024 campaign, also claimed during his rampage: Without me, Trump would have lost the election. He also dropped what he called the really big bomb that truly ignited the feud. Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public, Musk posted. It was long suggested that the relationship between Elon Musk and Donald Trump would one day implode. / Nathan Howard/File Photo/Reuters Trump responded to Musks attacks by claiming that his former First Buddy had gone crazy. / Tom Brenner/Getty Images Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced billionaire sex offender, died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting federal sex trafficking charges. The Justice Department has vowed to release files related to Epstein, but has so far only made public documents that the Justice Department described as previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and Epstein were at the very least acquaintances, with the president calling the financier a terrific guy he had known for 15 years in a 2002 interview with New York Magazine. Epstein also described himself as being Trumps closest friend for 10 years in bombshell tapes first published by the Daily Beast last year. There is no evidence the president is connected to Epsteins offending, and the pair fell out around 2004 over a real estate deal. Trump also shrugged off Musks claims about his links to Epstein, calling the allegations old news and saying that: Epsteins lawyer said I had nothing to do with it. Musk hasnt specified which of his attacks he regrets, but he has since deleted several of the more scathing posts, including the one alleging Trumps name appears in Epstein files. Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump posing together at Mar-a-Lago in 1997. / Davidoff Studios/Getty Images The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump, for his part, seems uninterested in patching things up with the worlds richest man. Im not even thinking about Elon. Hes got a problem, the president told CNN on Friday. The poor guys got a problem. Musks scorched-earth tirade against Trump came just days after he exited his role as a special government employee overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) federal cost-cutting task force. Musk lost roughly 25 percent of his net wortharound $113 billionin the first 100 days of Trumps second term amid backlash to his White House role, Bloomberg reported in April. While sharing the headline on X on Wednesday, a defiant Musk wrote: Worth it. The USS Oscar Austin played a pivotal role as Houthi rebels fired hundreds of rockets and drones towards U.S. ships in the Red Sea this spring. Now, members of its crew from that fight will wear Combat Action Ribbons on their uniforms, the Navy announced Tuesday. The crew of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer were awarded a Unit Combat Action Ribbon Tuesday upon the ships arrival at Naval Station Rota, Spain. As a result, all members of the crew who were aboard will be authorized to wear the Combat Action Ribbon on their uniforms. Commonly called a CAR, the ribbon can be a major source of pride among servicemembers, especially in an era where deploying to active combat is less likely than in previous decades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oscar Austin, one of the Navys newest ships, departed Norfolk, Virginia, Sept. 30, 2024, where it had been homeported since the ship was commissioned in 2000. In October, it pulled into its new home, Naval Station Rota, Spain, where it is now assigned to the U.S. Navys Sixth Fleet, headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. As part of the USS Harry S. Truman strike group, the ship sailed into the Red Sea in April. There, the Austin provided air defense against rockets and missile attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen. On April 27, U.S. Central Command announced it had been conducting an intense and sustained campaign targeting the Houthis since mid-March called Operation Rough Rider. Officials said they were intentionally limiting details of the ongoing or future attacks but said they targeted command-and-control facilities, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing facilities and weapons storage facilities with drones, ballistic and cruise missiles. While operating in the Red Sea, sailors were exposed to various airborne threats and acted swiftly and professionally, according to a Navy news release. The crew provided air and missile defense against Houthi attacks on commercial ships transiting international waters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May, the ship returned to the Eastern Mediterranean. Executing multiple missions across two theaters, Oscar Austin displayed the immense versatility of the Arleigh Burke class destroyer: from conducting ballistic missile defense in the eastern Mediterranean Sea to seamlessly integrating with the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group in the Red Sea, Cmdr. David Nicolas, who took Command in May said in a release. But overall, it was the crews grit and resiliency that fueled the ships success throughout the patrol. Along with earning the ships combat award, six officers earned Surface Warfare Officer pins, 78 enlisted sailors got Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist pins. The latest on Task & Purpose By Ateev Bhandari and Arasu Kannagi Basil (Reuters) -Glean said on Tuesday it was valued at $7.2 billion in its latest funding round - the third capital raise for the U.S. enterprise AI search startup in less than two years. The round marks a nearly 57% jump in valuation for Glean, underscoring strong investor appetite for startups leveraging AI use cases. In the previous funding in September, the company's valuation had more than doubled in just over six months. Businesses and governments worldwide are rushing to adopt artificial intelligence, with applications ranging from enterprise productivity and drug discovery to infrastructure and beyond. Palo Alto, California-based Glean raised $150 million in the funding round led by asset manager Wellington Management. Startups are choosing to stay private for longer, raising larger funds in late-stage rounds, as public market recovery remains slow. "Founders avoid the volatility of public markets and employees receive secondary-market liquidity via structured rounds," said Michael Ashley Schulman, partner at Running Point Capital Advisors. Glean, which surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue in its last fiscal year, was founded in 2019 by a team of former Google search engineers. It uses AI assistants and large language models to generate personalized answers to queries. According to Schulman, Glean's 72x valuation multiple on revenue is "punchy", but investors are getting "early access to a franchise" since the company is cash-flow positive. Earlier this year, the company rolled out its Glean Agents offering, which allows businesses to use AI to automate operations. It is on track to support 1 billion agent actions by the end of 2025, the company said. Industry leaders have hailed AI-based agents as a transformative-use case of the technology. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has also suggested that the agents will disrupt how we use software-as-a-service, a business model that has long been the staple of software startups. (Reporting by Ateev Bhandari and Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli) Raleigh residents can expect to see more of a police presence in certain parts of the city this summer. Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce unveiled his plan Tuesday to confront crime and increase enforcement throughout the summer months focused on nightlife areas, major city corridors and other areas. Our key objectives are obviously eliminating violent crime, removing dangerous illegal firearms and holding repeat offenders accountable for any actions, any criminal actions that they commit here in our capital city, he told the Raleigh City Council on his 101st day in the role. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plan came after Boyce spoke with other police chiefs about how to address crime throughout the summer months. A plan is needed, he said, because the city usually sees more visitors during the summer months and theres an increase in juvenile crime with schools out. Boyce also highlighted crime statistics so far this year, compared to the same time period last year. There have been 15 homicides in the first six months of the year, a statistic that has remained stagnant, he said. Robberies have increased while aggravated assaults with a firearm have decreased. How police will address summer crime Police officers will target particular areas through the end of August based on crime data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is not a gotcha moment that were trying to surprise anybody, Boyce said. These are going to be our focus areas during the summer. He said areas were selected based on past data and because more people tend to go to night clubs during the summer. Focus areas include: Nightclub and event spaces Transportation hubs Public parks and greenways Hospitality and nightlife corridors. Emphasis will be placed on hospitality districts, including Glenwood South and Fayetteville Street, the transit hub downtown and Moore Square because its where we are seeing a lot of gun recoveries here in the city, Boyce said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There will also be increased traffic enforcement on Capital Boulevard, Saunders Street, Glenwood Avenue and New Bern Avenue. I want that to be very clear that we use intelligent-led policing to place our resources throughout the city, Boyce said. I dont want anybody to say that were overpolicing anywhere. We are going where were seeing the crime occurring and trying to deter crime from continuing to occur. School resource officers will be reassigned in the summer months to patrol parks and greenways. The police department is also continuing its cops on the block campaign of bringing officers to meet with residents in neighborhoods, and adding to its summer camp offerings to provide opportunities for youth to help keep them out of trouble, Boyce said. Raleigh crime statistics The Raleigh Police Department began releasing crime statistics on a quarterly basis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The most recent report is for crime from Jan. 1 to June 9. Homicides have remained stagnant. Fourteen out of 15 homicides have been cleared and the parties knew each other. The homicides were not random violence, Boyce said. Robberies increased 19% from the same time last year. Aggravated assaults are down 7%. Aggravated assaults with a firearm are down 14%. Child abuse cases have decreased 31%. Motor vehicle thefts have seen a decrease of 16%. There were 793 vehicles stole this year compared to 946 over the same time period in 2024. Officers have recovered 676 stolen vehicles this year. The next report will be released in July. Children who make up nearly half of Haitis population are being exploited, raped and recruited by armed gangs, who have also taken over many of their schools. Some 2.85 million of them, from toddlers to teens, face famine while also being forced to flee their homes due to worsening violence. But four months after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres presented a plan to the Security Council on how to help Haiti address its alarming gang violence, the countrys protracted crisis has only deepened, with no solution in sight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is still no consensus among the councils five permanent members on the next steps to take and the U.S. is backing away, asking Congress to rescind millions of dollars in U.N. contributions. The lack of a response and budget crisis come amid a wave of fresh attacks that in April alone, displaced more than 67,000 new people after gangs moved into the countrys central region. On Sunday, gangs continued their terror campaign, setting fire to a municipal market in the city of Mirebalais, in Haitis Central Plateau and also to homes in Furcy, a rural community in the hills above Port-au-Prince where some of the countrys wealthy boast vacation homes and cottages. When we say things are stuck, theyre not just stuck in New York or Washington. Its also dealing with the need for Port-au-Prince, the government itself, the Transitional Presidential Council, to have a keener sense of urgency about what needs to be done, said Robert Rae, Canadas ambassador to the United Nations. A meeting to refocus attention On Wednesday, Rae, who serves as president of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC, will host a special meeting on Haiti alongside the U.N. Peacebuilding Commission. The goal: to keep Haitis protracted, multifaceted crisis in the international spotlight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were not going to rest until theres a comprehensive plan for Haiti that is led by the Haitian authorities and has the full support of all the other countries in the world and the international community. Thats our goal, thats our objective, he said. But that plan, Rae said cant just focus on the security crisis. It has to also involve addressing the root causes of Haitis perennial instability and worsening violence, which include poverty, exclusion and inequality. We all know it as well that the security situation feeds on the inequality and feeds on the unemployment; it feeds on the vulnerability of people, the fact that kids cant get any work, theres no work for them anywhere else, and the human trafficking that goes on. Its terrible, said Rae, who also chairs the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti at the U.N. and has visited the country on several occasions. The level of violence is out of sight, and the level of safety not only in Port-au-Prince, but in the country generally, is a level that nobody can see as acceptable. Weve got to have a coherent, effective on the ground strategy to deal with it. Thats where theres a whole lot more that could happen if we could get a political will from the communities around Haiti, and also, more broadly, to support what needs to be done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent months, a Haitian government task force operating out of the prime ministers office has turned to using weaponized drones to go after gang leaders after signing contracts with two private security firms. However, there has been no transparency on the value of the contracts or the rules of engagement. The government also hasnt said how its planning on tackling the crisis, including how to stop the recruitment of children by armed groups. According to the UNICEF, the U.N.s child welfare agency, an estimated 30% to 50% of gang members in Haiti are children, some as young as 8 years-old, and their recruitment has been soaring. When people say to me, Well, development is not so important. The real issue is security. I say to them, you cant separate out the two, those two things go together, Rae said. And you cant separate out development and security from human rights and from creating a sense of opportunity for people. Ahead of the meeting, which will be broadcast on UN web TV, Rae and the special representative for the U.N. secretary general in Haiti, Maria Isabel Salvador, will host a press conference. Then they will move into discussions in addition to a representative of civil society, invitations have also been extended to senior U.N. officials, Haitian government officials and the Inter-American Development Bank. IDB President Ilan Goldfajn visited Haitis second largest city, Cap-Haitien, last month. International visits Goldfajns visit is part of efforts by Haitian authorities to get the international community to pay closer attention to areas outside of the gang-ridden capital that are also in need of attention. In a communique on Tuesday, Spains Embassy in Port-au-Prince said that its ambassador, Marco Antonio Penin Toledano, recently visited several project sponsored by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, known as ACEID, in the cities of Miragoane in the Nippes region and Les Cayes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ambassador participated in an inauguration ceremony for the rehabilitation and expansion of the drinking water supply system in the city of Miragoane, as well as visited a similar project in Les Cayes. He also learned about other initiatives supported by Haitian civil society and Spain. During his three day tour of the region the ambassador also met with the nongovernmental organization, Biwo dwa moun, which is currently implementing a project Defending the Human Rights of Women, Children and Vulnerable Groups in Port-au-Prince, Cayes, Coteax, and Aquin with funding from ACEID. The joint meeting of ECOSOC, which is responsible for coordinating the U.N.s international work on economic and social issues, and the Peacebuilding Commission will focus on measures to address community-level peacebuilding and violence reduction, including the role of women and youth. Among the questions that will be tackled, what can the international community do to help accelerate efforts in Haiti and how can civil society help. Rae is prioritizing discussions around the recruitment of children, who now make up 30% to 50% of gangs, and prevention efforts as well as their safe exits. The issue of arms trafficking, most of which are coming from the U.S. via ports in South Florida, will also be raised. Also likely to come up is the ongoing effects of aid cuts. Last week, the World Food Program said that its warehouses in Haiti are bare and there was just enough food stock until July. An effort by the U.N. to raise $908.2 million for its Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Haiti has so far only garnered 9% of funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, both the country and U.N. agencies are continuing to reel from recent U.S. government foreign aid cuts and the gutting of the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID. USAID has been a funder of foreign aid to Haiti, where in addition to the more than 1 million people internally displaced by gangs, the country is among one of the worlds worst hot spots for hunger with 5.7 million Haitians, nearly half of the population, facing hunger. No question, the USAID decisions in Haiti have been devastating. They have had a massively negative impact on whats going on. But we also need to recognize that there needs to be other ways. We cant just throw up our hands and say, This is awful. Weve got to figure out, what more can we do? Rae said. Thats what Canada is doing, and thats what we all are continuing to do, to see Okay, these decisions are being made. We dont agree with the decisions, but weve got to move forward and see what else we can do. Thats the spirit with which were addressing this thing. In addition to providing foreign assistance to Haiti, Canada is the leading financial contributor to a U.N. Trust Fund to support the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti. As of Monday, the fund had $111.9 million in pledges with the country of Denmark being the latest to offer $1.5 million last month. Another serious e-bike crash in Nocatee is increasing pressure on local officials to make changes in St. Johns County. A 15-year-old boy was critically injured Monday after police say he failed to stop his e-dirt bike for an oncoming vehicle, later revealed to be an Amazon delivery truck. St. Johns County Sheriff's Office said a teenager riding an electric dirt bike failed to stop for a vehicle and was hit at Nocatee Village and Park Lake drives. Parents in the neighborhood are calling for action, with some even pushing for a complete ban on e-bikes in their community. We had a lot of incidents in the neighborhood. I wish it would be something that the neighborhood would ban, said parent Michael Dbnick. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The concern centers on very young riders using bikes that many feel are too powerful. According to the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office, the boy had to be airlifted to the hospital after the crash. This is the type of e-bike many young people are riding here in the community. But with a rise in accidents, some parents said safety training should be required for kids, while others think these bikes should be banned altogether. Dbnick believes that responsibility starts at home. It definitely starts with the parents. Then the community has to follow up with everything as well, he said. But not everyone agrees with banning the bikes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think thats very hard on them. Its setting the wrong message. I want them out and having a good time and playing, said parent Michael Hancin. His son, Ryan Hancin, added, I dont think you should ban the bikes because these kids, they love having those bikes. In April, Hancins other son, 13-year-old Aydan, was seriously injured after hitting a tire spike while riding his e-bike. His father believes education is key. Just like a car. You need a license, some kind of course or safety training, said Hancin. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick addressed the most recent crash during a school board meeting. He says deputies are focused on educating families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is some little bit of teeth in there for us as law enforcement on these e-bikes. But I think the key to success is holding our parents accountable and educating and educating and educating, said Hardwick. I dont think the right answer is our deputies, our police officers pulling over your 12-year-old, a kid on an e-bike that their parents bought for them, and giving them a citation. The St. Johns County Commission discussed a draft ordinance this month that would have put stricter laws in place for e-bikes. That proposal suggested a ban on riders under 14 years of age. During the June 3rd meeting, however, commissioners seemed to be more in favor of passing a resolution or heavily revised version instead, due to some overlap with state law. There was no vote. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Donald Trumps threat to use very heavy force on anyone who dares to protest his administration during the U.S. Armys 250th anniversary celebrations in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, which coincides with the presidents 79th birthday, drew fierce blowback on social media. If theres any protester wants to come out, they will be met with very big force, Trump told reporters on Tuesday. For those people, that want to protest, theyre going to be met with very big force, he reiterated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump claimed he hadnt even heard about a protest being planned on the day. But he deployed his usual rhetoric against his critics, claiming they are just people who hate our country. And he added again, They will be met with very heavy force. Trump says anybody who protests the military parade on Sunday will be met with very heavy force pic.twitter.com/iDm4qVzKg3 Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 10, 2025 Critics reminded Trump of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states that: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci, who is now a vocal critic of his onetime boss, slammed Trump for threatening state sponsored violence on citizens exercising their first amendment right and called Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to grow a backbone and speak out to reject fascism. Others agreed: Threatening state sponsored violence on citizens exercising their first amendment right. But @LeaderJohnThune is silent. Grow a backbone John and reject fascism. https://t.co/PDfaj0pVZP Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) June 11, 2025 So much for the First Amendment https://t.co/vm02IpPyLg Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) June 10, 2025 The First Amendment specifically prohibits the government from using heavy force on citizens who protest the government. https://t.co/5NztIZGuQZ Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) June 10, 2025 But, hear me out here, what if the protesters attack the Capitol? Would we be cool with that? https://t.co/YVn8HKQeHt Stephen Shewmaker (@sbshew) June 10, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ah yes, such a great confident leader he cant even handle peaceful protest studio_dad (@studio_daddy) June 10, 2025 Ive already said this but the people will stand up for whats right and they will be protesting there Saturday. It will be peaceful until they decide to use heavy force - what a psycho. The president of the United States constantly threatening the American people. Ive never Jenna (@jennaxkc) June 10, 2025 Related... DENVER (KDVR) Hundreds of people marched through downtown Denver Tuesday evening, calling for an end to immigration enforcement raids and announcing solidarity with demonstrators in Los Angeles. The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition was asking people to mobilize, to stand with protesters in Los Angeles. Marchers gathered on the west steps of the Colorado Capitol before winding their way to pause outside the federal courthouse. ICE protestors march to Aurora ICE detention facility in solidarity with LA deportations Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marchers chanted, carried signs, and temporarily blocked traffic as they made their way through the citys core. The Colorado State Patrol issued an advisory at about 9 p.m., warning motorists and pedestrians that there are large crowds and possibly unlawful road closures. Its not just happening in Los Angeles, said Alfonso, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation Denver. Its happening across the country, its happening here, so people are coming out and showing they are willing to defend their rights. On Tuesday afternoon, the Denver Police Department told FOX31 it was aware of the protest and that safety is the top priority. At about 8 p.m., FOX31 saw smoke throughout the area, with some protestors reporting they had experienced crowd control gas. Early Tuesday evening, there was a crowd of people lining the sidewalks outside the Capitol holding anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement posters. Vehicles were honking horns as they drove by. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If they choose to keep attacking peoples rights, theres going to be a response, Alfonso added. ICE should be mindful of the fact that they cant get away with their behavior. Amy Beck with Together Denver echoed that message. We would like ICE to leave our immigrant community alone, Beck said. Get out of Denver, that would be the main message. We dont need them herethey are messing with our economy, they are terrorizing our community, and we dont want them here. This is the second anti-ICE protest in Colorado in two days. In a press release, the group said, People are not backing down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement National Guard troops are now protecting ICE agents as they make arrests in Los Angeles The group said it wanted to show support for the people in California protesting against immigrant raids there. Organizers said the protest is just the beginning, with more actions planned in the coming weeks. Their goal is to push Colorado lawmakers to cut ties with ICE and to pass policies they say would better protect immigrant families. The Department of Homeland Security has said in social media posts that the protests in L.A. were not a peaceful protest. DHS also said that what was happening in LA is a violent riot and that order will be restored. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NEED TO KNOW A large glass panel shattered aboard Royal Caribbeans Symphony of the Seas on June 8 The falling shards narrowly missed passengers thanks to a warning from one of the ship's waiters Employee Nitin Kumar reportedly noticed the glass cracking and sprinted to alert guests seated on pool loungers below Royal Caribbean and passengers praised Kumar for his actions What could have been a devastating situation was avoided by a quick-thinking cruise waiter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Sunday, June 8, a cracked glass panel installed above the pool deck of Royal Caribbeans Symphony of the Seas gave way, raining down shards on the lounge chairs of the deck below. Luckily, the seats were empty thanks to one of the ship's crew members who saw what was about to unfold. The ship had departed Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey, en route to its first stop in Florida, docking in Port Canaveral, when the incident occurred. Travel content creator Tytti Tuliainen captured the shocking scene in a video that showcases the large chunks of glass crashing down. Tytti Tuliainen via Storyful Traveller Captures Moment Glass Shatters on Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship in Port Canaveral, Florida Traveller Captures Moment Glass Shatters on Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship in Port Canaveral, Florida On social media, guests praised one of the ships waiters, Nitin Kumar, for jumping into action, warning passengers just in time for them to get out of the way On a Royal Caribbean subreddit, Kumars heroic story prevailed. One commenter, who was allegedly aboard the ship at the time of the crash, wrote, Nitin saw it cracking and sprinted down to the pool deck and told the people in deck chairs to move. Fifteen seconds later this happened. Dude saved some lives for sure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Royal Caribbean also took to their social media account to recognize Kumar for his assistance. Thanks to the fast thinking of one of the best Nitin, these seats were vacant when the safety glass gave way, the caption read. You are truly an asset to Royal Caribbean and a hero to the many people you removed from harms way. great job!" No reason for the accident has been confirmed, but one social media user noted it occurred while the ship was "turning 180 [degrees] to dock" causing significant "vibrations." Royal Caribbean has not immediately responded to PEOPLEs request for comment. Read the original article on People A man was arrested twice inside of a week when police allegedly found him with crack cocaine on two different occasions in Bristol where authorities believe he was involved in narcotics trafficking. The first arrest came on June 2 as the Bristol Police Departments Narcotics Enforcement Unit and Crime Suppression Unit were conducting surveillance in an unspecified area of the city, according to Lt. Eric Hanson. During the operation, Hanson said, investigators spotted 40-year-old Jorge Freytas of Bristol allegedly involved in drug transactions. Police conducted a motor vehicle stop and allegedly found Freytas with a large quantity of crack cocaine and cash, according to Hanson. He was arrested and later released on a $10,000 non-surety bond, according to Judicial Branch records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On June 6, police were again conducting surveillance when they saw a man on a moped wearing a helmet allegedly engaged in drug activity. The man was detained and identified as Freytas, according to Hanson. Freytas was put in the back of a cruiser where he allegedly took a large quantity of crack cocaine out of his pants and tried to hide it in the passenger compartment, Hanson said. Freytas was charged with possession of narcotics with intent to sell during both arrests, according to Hanson. In total, police allegedly seized 30 grams of crack cocaine and nearly $6,300 in suspected drug proceeds during the arrests. Freytas is scheduled to be arraigned in New Britain Court on Monday, according to court records. He is free from custody, state records show. A Hartford man has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge after reportedly selling fentanyl to undercover investigators as well as the reported discovery of fentanyl and cocaine during a search of his residence. Jordan Flythe, also known as T, 32, took a plea deal in federal court on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Connecticut. He pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine. According to authorities, Flythe was implicated in narcotics trafficking last August during an investigation conducted by the DEAs Hartford Task Force and the Middletown Police Department. Federal officials said authorities found that he was distributing fentanyl and other narcotics in Middletown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Between August and November 2024, investigators reportedly made multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl from Flythe, officials said. On Dec. 18, authorities carried out a search warrant at his residence on Adelaide Street in Hartford and reportedly found about 240 grams of fentanyl mixed with xylazine and other additives and about 160 grams of cocaine, according to authorities. Flythe remains in custody while he awaits sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years behind bars. According to federal officials, in March 2021, Flythe was sentenced in Hartford federal court to three years in prison in connection with a previous investigation into the distribution of fentanyl and crack cocaine. He was released from federal prison in September 2022. NEW YORK New York City Mayor Eric Adams suggested Tuesday that Orthodox Jewish support flocking to mayoral front-runner Andrew Cuomo is lighter than it seems. He may have a point. Cuomo has been racking up endorsements from influential leaders in a community long considered a potent electoral force as he leads the Democratic mayoral primary field. On Tuesday, he scored the top ranking from a major Hasidic sect in Brooklyn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But one of the former governors most prominent backers suggested days earlier his brethren would be supporting Adams in the general election and would do so with a similar fervor to 2024, when they came out en masse for President Donald Trump. In November youll see the same thing with Gods help, Rabbi Moishe Indig, a top leader in Brooklyns Satmar community, said during an event focused on combating antisemitism. We will come out to show our great support for our great mayor and brother, Eric Adams. Indig was speaking at an event headlined by Adams and conservative television personality Dr. Phil on Sunday, the day before he publicly endorsed Cuomo. In addition to pledging fealty to the incumbent in the November general election, the Brooklyn religious and political fixture estimated 75,000 people in his community voted in the presidential race, mostly breaking for Trump. That number explains the nascent battle between Cuomo and Adams, who are both preparing for a potential general election showdown after Adams dropped out of the primary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are talking about relationships of over 30 years 30 years, Adams, a Brooklyn borough president and state senator before becoming mayor, said of his ties to the boroughs Orthodox communities during an unrelated press conference. As he spoke, he again excoriated Cuomo and accused him of overstating his support in Jewish and Black communities, both central to Adams winning 2021 coalition. So let the primary run its course, he said. We are going to see whats going to happen in the general. Adams, a registered Democrat, opted out of the Democratic primary in April, recognizing he was too damaged by a federal indictment, and his related choice to cozy up to President Donald Trump, who pushed for a judge to drop the charges. As The New York Times reported Tuesday, Adams team has been working behind the scenes to dissuade rabbis from endorsing Cuomo as the mayor publicly pursues policies sought by the community. A mayoral aide, for instance, was successful in persuading 25 Hasidic groups and institutions to endorse City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams over Cuomo in the primary, according to the Times. And another prominent Jewish leader in Brooklyn who endorsed Cuomo later clarified in a social media post that his backing was only for the primary and that he has a close relationship with the mayor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But despite animus between many religious communities and Cuomo over his Covid-era prohibitions on large gatherings, the front-runner has already landed crucial backing from some of the most important Jewish leaders in Brooklyn and Queens. And even Indig walked back his stated support for Eric Adams when asked by POLITICO, noting he hasnt made a general election endorsement yet. I dont know whats going to happen in November, he added. With that in mind, Cuomos team dismissed the mayors assertions. Governor Cuomos relationship with the Jewish community is deep, strong and stretches back decades and were proud to have assembled one of the largest Orthodox coalitions in history in support of our campaign to get New York City back on the right track, Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in a statement. Were not surprised the mayor is trying to play games behind the scenes. Jeff Coltin contributed to this report. Authorities on Wednesday identified a woman charged in connection with an alleged hit-and-run crash on a Massachusetts highway that left a state trooper seriously injured. Naisha Rodriguez, 32, of Springfield, was arraigned Wednesday morning in Chicopee District Court and was charged with operating under the influence causing serious bodily injury, misleading a police investigation, and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash causing personal injury, according to the Hampden District Attorneys Office. Emergency crews responding to the westbound side of Interstate 90 near Exit 51 in Chicopee around 2:20 a.m. on Tuesday found a trooper who had been struck by a passing vehicle while conducting a traffic stop. State police said the vehicle involved had fled the area by the time other troopers arrived at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The trooper was rushed to Baystate Medical Center, where they were said to be in stable condition as of Wednesday morning. Although serious, were very thankful his injuries dont appear to be life-threatening at this time, State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said. Detectives later identified Rodriguez as the suspected driver and arrested her at her Springfield home hours after the crash. In a statement after the crash, the State Police Association of Massachusetts said, This incident highlights the importance of moving over or, if unable, slowing down when approaching emergency personnel on the highway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rodriguez is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing on July 10. An investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Tech and retail conglomerate Amazon plans to invest at least $20 billion in Pennsylvania, initially focused on two data centers in Bucks and Luzerne counties, according to a June 9 news release from the company. The two data center campuses will be located in Falls Township in Bucks County, and Salem Township in Luzerne County, according to a June 9 news release from Gov. Josh Shapiro. Multiple other Pennsylvania communities are being considered for future campuses, per Shapiros release. Since 2010, Amazon has invested more than $26 billion in the state, according to the company. Alongside the data centers, the investment will support thousands of construction jobs and other positions in the data center supply chain. Dive Insight: The new data centers will join Amazons growing operations footprint in Pennsylvania, which includes 23 fulfillment and sortation centers and 20 last-mile delivery stations, according to the governors office. This initial investment from Amazon will create thousands of good-paying, stable jobs as Pennsylvania workers build, maintain, and operate the first two data center campuses in Luzerne County and Bucks County, Gov. Shapiro said in his offices news release. Amazon also plans to establish a pipeline of training programs that will help Pennsylvania workers build future data centers, according to the company. These include: GREENE TOWNSHIP, PIKE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) The Pike County District Attorney says a man has been charged with the possession of child sexual abuse materials located on his social media accounts. According to the Pike County District Attorneys Office, 26-year-old Johnny Hernandez admitted to viewing child porn on his social media accounts, Instagram and Kik. Man shot in forehead during road rage incident, DA says Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detectives at the district attorneys office received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that child sexual abuse material had been sent via direct message to Hernandez. Hernandezs bail was set at $75,000 and is scheduled to appear in Pike County Central Court 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 28/22 News. Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It's Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Start your day with everything you need to know about today's weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast. The threat of flooding continues to grow for portions of Texas in the southern Plains, while the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area in the Upper Midwest is also at risk of seeing torrential rain this week. Noaas Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has upgraded Wednesday's flash flood risk to a Level 3 out of 4 in Central Texas, including Austin, Waco and College Station. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The threat of flash flooding is also increasing for parts of the Upper Midwest, with a Level 2 out of 4 risk issued for Thursday and into Friday morning, including the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Widespread forecast rain totals of 1-3 inches are expected with locally higher amounts, the FOX Forecast Center said. This graphic shows the flash flood threat on Thursday, June 12, 2025. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season is running a month ahead of schedule in terms of named tropical cyclones, and odds continue to increase that a fourth named storm could form in the basin by the end of the week. Barbara became a post-tropical area of low pressure Tuesday night as it tracked over cooler waters, while Cosme is forecast to follow Barbara and become a remnant area of low pressure later Wednesday morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring a broad area of low pressure several hundred miles south of southern Mexico that has a high chance of developing into a tropical depression or Tropical Storm Dalila later this week or over the weekend. A second area to watch has also been identified for possible development offshore of southern Mexico and Central America over the next week. Colorado State University (CSU) is scheduled to release its second updated outlook for the Atlantic hurricane season at 11 a.m. ET Wednesday. This is the second of four annual forecasts issued by the university; the first was released in April. In its initial April outlook, CSU had forecast an active season with 17 named storms and nine hurricanes. Its latest update may reveal potential changes to those numbers. The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season outlook was issued by Colorado State University on April 3, 2025. CSU's forecasts consider several key factors, including sea-surface temperatures in crucial regions such as the Main Development Region (MDR), which encompasses both its western and eastern portions. It also analyzes temperatures in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CSU's initial forecast last year was its most aggressive preseason forecast ever, calling for 23 named storms. The 2024 season ultimately proved to be extremely active. A dolphin made waves late Saturday night when she gave birth to the first dolphin calf born at Brookfield Zoo Chicago in more than a decade. Footage of the joyous moment shows a pregnant Allie, a 38-year-old bottlenose dolphin, and her friend Tapeko swimming around a tank as Allie pushes to deliver her calf. After the calf emerges, Tapeko, an experienced mother, quickly escorts the baby as it swims to the surface to take in its first breath of fresh air. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are a few more stories you might find interesting. Need more weather? Check your local forecast plus 3D radar in the FOX Weather app . You can also watch FOX Weather wherever you go using the FOX Weather app, at foxweather.com/live or on your favorite streaming service . Its easy to share your weather photos and videos with us. Email them to weather@fox.com or add the hashtag #FOXWeather to your post on your favorite social media platform. Original article source: Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather: Flash flood threat grows in Texas, expands to Upper Midwest The Brief Damien Madison, a 10-time felon arrested after a multi-state manhunt, is now in Thurston County Jail facing multiple charges. Madison allegedly shot at Thurston County deputies with an AR-15, disabling a patrol car during a pursuit. Madison's mother and three others are accused of aiding his escape. THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. - Damien Madison, the man arrested in a multi-state manhunt for allegedly shooting at Washington deputies, was booked into Thurston County Jail. The backstory The search for Madison spanned just under a week, when he was arrested near the California/Nevada border on May 13. The 10-time convicted felon has since been extradited back to Washington, now jailed on two counts of first-degree assault, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, first-degree malicious mischief, and drive-by shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Madison is expected in court Wednesday afternoon. The Thurston County Sheriff says Madison fired an AR-15 towards a deputy during a pursuit in Tenino, hitting the patrol car's windshield and disabling the vehicle. FBI agents apprehended Madison after using a "grappler" on his vehicle near Jean, Nevada. Madison's mother was also with him and taken into custody. She and three others are accused of helping Madison escape. The Source Information in this story came from the Thurston County Sheriff's Office, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and FOX 13 Seattle reporting. MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE LIVE: Travis Decker manhunt: Focus shifts near WA's Blewett Pass Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Army squadmate shares insight into Travis Decker's military past Home of Seattle rapper Macklemore invaded, nanny maced: police 2 dead after tragic bus accident at Seattle retirement home Community mourns Bellevue High School student found dead in Shoreline Parkland, WA neighbors fed up, scared with continuing car crashes To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news. FOR NEARLY A DECADE, the conservative legal movement has endured a marriage of convenience with Donald J. Trump. The president has now unequivocally asked for a divorce. The signs of trouble in this relationship were there from the beginning. The conservative legal movement owes its remarkable success to three things: principle, persuasion, and persistence. These are qualities Trump does not appreciate. His wins flow from other characteristics. Over the years, they tried to make it work. Trump held up the core of his bargainthe nomination of traditional constitutionalist judges. He appointed men and women of generally high caliber, in the model of judges we might have expected from a President Rubio, Cruz, or Jeb Bush. That transformed judiciary led to many victories, including strengthened First and Second Amendments, a fatal blow to racial preferences, a historic turn against the administrative state, and the reversal of the conservative legal movements great white whalethe jurisprudentially appalling Roe v. Wade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, over time, Trumps dalliances with illegality and his failure to live up to his oath of fidelity to the Constitution grew harder to ignore. His actions following the 2020 election, culminating in the events of January 6th, nearly ruptured the relationship. Yet somehow, with some work and wishful thinking, the parties moved past that unpleasantness and looked to 2025 with hope. At the jubilant post-election Federalist Society dinner in November 2024, one leader boasted from the podium that he had just gotten off the phone with the once and future president and had told him he was about to dine with thousands of his favorite lawyers. Share Yet soon, the trouble, which anyone outside the dysfunctional relationship could see coming, materialized. Again in power, Trump engaged in brazen corruption, enabled and promoted unfit characters to positions of public trust, broke faith with the rule of law, and recklessly flirted with constitutional crisis. Mocking the very notion of law, Trump infamously tweeted: He who saves his Country does not violate any Law. Much of the conservative legal movement closed its eyes and thought of the judges. But if anybody in the conservative legal movement thought the toxic relationship could still survive all this bad behavior, the president has moved to end things. He has turned his back on the movement that enabled his rise and made possible his most lasting (constructive) legacy: the transformation of the federal judiciary. Conservatives hoping for more judges like those of his first term should prepare for disappointment. Hes seeing other people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The break came in two steps in late May. First, Trump nominated Emil Bove to the Third Circuit Court of Appealsa figure known not for commitment to conservative jurisprudence but for loyalty to Trump, including his role in the politicization of the Justice Department. Then, on social media, Trump expressed regret for ever having listened to the Federalist Society and called Leonard Leo, one of its longtime leaders, a sleazebag and a bad person who probably hates America. The origins and triumphs of the conservative legal movement IN THE MID-TWENTIETH CENTURY, progressives controlled the judiciary, the bar, and the legal academy. Conservatives struggled to push back. Eisenhower regretted appointing Brennan and Warren to the Supreme Court. Nixon campaigned against the Supreme Court and had an opportunity to change it with four vacancies in his time in office. Yet he struggled to find qualified candidates, saw multiple nominations fail spectacularly, and his successful nominations included Justice Blackmun, who would shortly author Roe v. Wade. Republicans had neither the arguments, nor the bench of talent, nor the political support network to reliably confirm justices cut from a different cloth. In the 1970s, the conservative legal movement began to take shape. Over the half century that followed, it transformed legal culture and became a central player in the staffing of Republican administrations and a pipeline for judicial talent. By the time Donald Trump became president in 2017, it could plausibly claim to have played the decisive role in his victory, after which it partnered with him to help advance one of its primary goals: the transformation of the federal judiciary. What explains this success? Principle, persuasion, and persistence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early conservative slogans favored in the Nixon eralike strict construction or law and orderlacked coherence. Over time, the movement developed intellectually robust doctrinestextualism and originalism. These insisted that judges interpret the law as written, based on its meaning at the time of enactment. The fundamental principles have guided the conservative legal movementindeed, adherence to them defines what constitutes that movement. Contrary to popular perception, the movement is not monolithic. It includes a multitude of institutions, both academic and litigation centers. The Federalist Society, founded in 1982, is among the most prominent institutions of the movement, but it includes many members with diverse perspectives. Its a well-worn observation that the Federalist Society is a they, not an it. Members of the conservative legal movement have differed in politics and law. They might describe themselves as conservative or libertarian, Burkean or Hayekian. They continue to have debates about how to apply originalism, whether courts should exhibit restraint or engagement, about whether and to what degree the courts should defer to legislatures, about the legitimacy of the administrative state, and more. The center of gravity in the community on some of these questions has shifted over time. Members of the conservative legal movement remained united, though, in the belief that law matters, that the law is knowable, and that the law serves as an important constraint on judges as well as on the other branches. These are the principles to which it held and the constancy with which it held them throughout changing circumstances gave them force and gave the movement coherence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more deep, clear-eyed, historically informed essays from sometimes unexpected points of view, sign up for a free or paid Bulwark subscription. To be sure, some individuals were drawn to the cause with partisan or policy motivations. And it cannot be denied that the correlation of conservative theory with some conservative policy ends (for example, restricting abortion, protecting gun rights, or banning affirmative action) supercharged the movement. But the claim of the critics on the left that the legal principles merely cloaked a pursuit of a particular agenda never held, either among the legal theorists who debated the fine points of originalism or even among the ranks of the lawyers who staffed Republican administrations and congressional offices. Ideas, as every young conservative will tell you, have consequences. But not without persuasion. Conservative lawyers, in particular, understood that persuasion is not merely a political tacticit is a civic duty. Ours is a system built on consent, not coercion; on the give-and-take of argument, not the imposition of will. A commitment to persuasion lay at the heart of the conservative legal movement for decades. It could be seen at Federalist Society events featuring panels showcasing diverse views and in signature debates between legal luminaries, right and left. But, in a genuine republic, the law cannot be left merely to the lawyers, and the conservative legal movement worked hard to convince a popular audience. Edwin Meese, President Reagans attorney general, championed the cause of originalism. Justice Antonin Scalia famously traveled widely giving speeches and debating before general audiences and giving interviews to popular media. The core ideas of originalism became broadly accepted by Republican-leaning voters and, soon, even Supreme Court nominees of Democratic presidents seemed to embrace them in their confirmation hearings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lasting change in America requires one further element: persistence. Our Framers gave us a constitutional system where even a decisive electoral triumph does not yield transformation. A political intellectual movement must stay true to its course over successive administrations, through successes and setbacks. And the conservative legal movement saw its share of setbacks as it saw close defeats on cases ranging from abortion, affirmative action, property rights, same-sex marriage, and more. But despite these defeats, the conservative legal movement stayed the course. It did not succumb to the temptations of jurisdiction-stripping, court packing, or judicial impeachments. It stuck to principle. It kept up the work of persuasion, and with persistence, it prevailed, at least as far as its project to transform the judiciary goes. Leonard Leo, in response to Trumps attacks, statedcorrectly, from a conservative and originalist perspectivethat the Federal Judiciary is better than its ever been in modern history. That doesnt mean the judiciary has been wholly remade; even todays conservative Supreme Court can deliver opinions no originalist could love. But by any measure, the conservative legal movement has had remarkable success. Now Trump threatens to burn it all down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Join now Politics, Pragmatism, and Principle EVEN TRUMP CRITICS ON THE RIGHT must acknowledge that we arrived at this point, in part, through the willingness of the conservative legal movement to work closely with a president who has never had much fondness for conservatism or the law. Yet politics demands a measure of practicality and prudence. The Democratic party had long ago rejected originalism and limited-government constitutionalism. For the conservative legal movement, the GOP remained the only viable path for its political project. Not long before Donald Trump emerged as the presumptive Republican nominee in 2016, Justice Scalia had passed away; a vacancy remained on the Court, and the remaining justices were evenly divided on key questions. The Court hung in the balance like never before. The conservative legal movement made a deal with the GOP nominee. He pledged to nominate originalist jurists, including by taking the unprecedented step of publishing a list of prospective options for the Supreme Court. In exchange, much of the conservative legal movement supported his candidacy. Following his surprise election, many seasoned veterans of the conservative legal movement staffed his administration and soon worked productively with others on the outside to deliver on Trumps pledge. The success of the judicial project, however, came at a deep civic cost. The conservative legal movements fixation on the judiciary led many of its members to ignore (or worse, excuse) the degradation of the other two branches of government and damage to constitutional norms and values. While there were many notable exceptions, much of the movement, particularly in circles closest to power, held their tongues. A community built on principles became increasingly transactional, and Trump learned that he could get away with quite a lot of constitutional arson without losing the support of self-described constitutional conservatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement America is a two-party system. Many interest groups will find that one party seems implacably opposed to their cause and, naturally, fall into an alliance with the other. But the alliance must serve known ends, and the interest group must retain some leverage. Legal conservatives must remain the constitutional conscience of the GOP, not merely captives. Trump found that he could count on many of them to be the latter, so long as he kept delivering judges. Reasonable conservatives can disagree whether the bargain was ever worth it. (I have grave doubts.) But now that Trump has threatened to walk away from his prior commitment to nominating conservative judges, what remains for the conservative legal movement in the alliance? Its time for conservatives, even those who support the president, to rebel. Its time for them to do what they have done best: stand on principle, persuade, and persist. Zip this to a friend or zap it onto social media: Share Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When George W. Bush went around the conservative legal movement and nominated his White House counsel to the Supreme Court, it divided the right. But the nomination of Harriet Miers ultimately failed because a growing chorus of conservative legal thinkers and their allies in the Senate asked hard questions and spoke important truths. They especially recoiled at the argument from the White House that they should support Miers because she had the presidents confidence and she would vote the correct way. As much as they may have admired President Bush, conservative lawyers were not about to throw away their leverage or their values to support whomever the president wished to see on the bench. They insisted that Republican presidents appoint principled legal conservatives, not presidential lackeys or outcome-driven jurists. They must continue to insist that now. Join now The Stakes WHATEVER ONE THINKS ABOUT the relationship between Trump and the conservative legal movement to date, the breach portends ill not only for conservatives, but for all Americans. Even MAGA voters will likely soon have reasons to regret it. The first Trump administration relied on stalwarts of the conservative legal movement in the White House, the Justice Department, and at many key agencies. Their counsel helped restrain the presidents worst impulses and enabled his more lasting accomplishments. Trump 2.0, instead, drips with contempt for the law. The president has removed internal safeguards and watchdogs, replaced seasoned lawyers with loyalists, and put MAGA movement hacks in essential positions. Ed Martin, briefly an interim U.S. attorney and now the pardon attorney in the Department of Justice, is but one example of a disturbingly common type. An administration acting without the guidance of serious lawyers will prove more chaotic, more likely to abuse the rights of citizens, and less likely to accomplish meaningful positive reforms. We have already seen some of this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the bigger, lasting damage could come to the judiciary. As every middle schooler learns, our system rests on checks and balances upon which our liberties depend. Each branch checks the others. We do not have the option of stopping an overreaching president with a vote of no confidence or a recall election. We count on Congress and the judiciary to perform their constitutional roles. With a supine Congress, the duty to hold the president accountable to the law increasingly falls to the courts. Checked by judges, including his appointees, who uphold the law rather than follow presidential whim, the president and his allies have grown irate. Theyve deployed incendiary rhetoric, pushed for impeachment, and mused about suspending the writ of habeas corpus. All this amounts to a sustained campaign against the authority and legitimacy of the courts. The judges, to date, have responded with courage and firmness. In breaking with the conservative legal movement, the president must hope to find nominees made of more pliable stuff, more loyal to him personally. Or, instead of weak judges, the president might find fightersfighters committed to advancing his agenda from the bench. For years, a small but growing band of right-wing academics and agitators has called for a different type of judicial nominee. No longer should the right be satisfied, they have argued, with a commitment to the law and neutral principles in judging. Instead, they have hoped for a future where Republican presidents would install on the bench loyalists and fighters for their view of the good. This is not merely a more aggressive posture than that taken by the traditional conservative legal movement; it is a complete inversion of all that it held dear. Constitutionalists should take little comfort from knowing that legislating from the bench points in a rightward direction. Share The Bulwark Other dangers lurk in abandoning the conservative legal movements talent pipeline. For one, it has produced remarkably high-quality judges, as it did empirically in Trumps first term, despite the characterization of critics. A Trump appointment process that cuts out the conservative legal movement likely will name less-qualified candidates, from which all litigants will suffer. Trumps recent decision to fully end the American Bar Associations (deeply flawed) review of judicial nominees will further enable lower-quality nominations. Conservatives should also worry about a return to nominations based on patronage, political relationships, personal loyalty, or objective qualifications absent clear jurisprudential commitments. These approaches to judicial nominations yielded jurists like Warren, Blackmun, and Souter. Who knows what surprises a lawyer who happens to enjoy the favor of Trump at the moment might bring to the bench? In cutting out the conservative legal movement from the process of judicial selection, the Trump administration would also shift the gravity of the nomination and confirmation process toward the White House and away from the Senate. Several process changes in the Senate have weakened the hand of senators in influencing nominations, but historically, a collaborative process between the branches often yielded higher-quality nominees possessing an appropriate judicial temperament. On the Republican side, the conservative legal movement fostered a dialogue between presidents and senators based on shared principles. Given Trumps well-known gift for self-inflicted wounds, it shouldnt surprise that his decision to sideline the conservative legal movement in judicial nominations also undermines his goals. Judges tend to retire when they have the confidence that the president will replace them with nominees of whom they would approve. Conservative judges will no longer have that confidence and may defer retiring or taking senior status as a result, giving him far less of a chance to shape the judiciary this term than he otherwise would. Furthermore, even if one agreed that a turn toward a more outcome-oriented right-wing judiciary was desirable, it would be a generational project, as the traditional conservative legal movement has seen. And without the principle, persuasion, and persistence modeled by the conservative legal movement, its odds of success are long. Furthermore, the type of sharp-elbowed fighter MAGA wants on the bench would only complicate that project by repelling rather than persuading judges whose votes they need to prevail on multi-judge panels. Populist commentators imagine that Federalist Society judges make nice with the left, get invited to the right conferences, and write elegant dissents. In reality, traditional conservatives persuade their colleagues and increasingly write majority opinions. Our new MAGA-warriors in robes will be the ones writing dissents, but with more anger than eloquence. Some commentators have suggested that Trumps rejection of the conservative legal movement will have little impact on nominations because he will have nowhere else to look for judicial candidates than Federalist Society circles. This is wishful thinking for two reasons. First, if the presidents chief concern in judicial selection is a loyal MAGA fighter, there are plenty of them to be found. There are over a million lawyers in America, many are Republicans. The president can turn to the ranks of the Republican National Lawyers Association and look for lawyers who have worked on campaigns or run for office with MAGA bona fides. The conservative legal movement performed an important function in recommending individuals with established jurisprudential commitments. Finding such people takes work and judgment, but if you want hacks, you can swing a gavel and hit them. The second reason this is cold comfort is that todays Federalist Society membership is not what it was twenty years ago. Belonging in the Federalist Society once clearly signified a deep interest in and commitment to a certain jurisprudential approach; if anything, membership might hurt ones career in some circles. As the society has grown and become associated with power, it has become attractive to ambitious lawyers more generally. Long-established leaders of the conservative legal movement know very well who among the ranks has a serious commitment to sound jurisprudence. But if the president has hostility to the core of the conservative legal movement, and to its most prominent leaders, he can certainly find pliant tools who can claim Federalist Society membership. Join now An existential test THE NOMINATION OF EMIL BOVE to the Third Circuit presents the first test case of a Trump presidency divorced from the conservative legal movement. A self-respecting Senate would reject this nomination on basic character and competence grounds. Boves involvement in the deeply corrupt Eric Adams affair alone disqualifies him. But this nomination is not just about Bove. It is about how the second Trump term will approach judicial nominations, including to the Supreme Court. If the Senate confirms Bove, it will send a clear signal that the president has the freedom to depart from the model of judges long favored by the conservative legal movement. We can count on him to take that freedom and run with it for other vacancies, including for the Supreme Court. The president himself announced Bove in partisan terms, promising his followers on Truth Social that Bove will end the Weaponization of Justice, restore the Rule of Law, and do anything else that is necessary to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. Emil Bove will never let you down! Outside commentators who have long rejected principled legal conservatism applauded and suggested Bove would be the new model for Trump judicial nominees, those who are committed warriors who understand the fight for our country is existential. The Bove nomination is an existential fightfor the conservative legal movement. If the conservative legal movement and its allies in the Senate rally to defeat this nomination as they did the Miers nomination twenty years ago, they will prove their commitment to principle and ensure their relevance going forward. They may get invited to fewer parties at the White House, but if legal conservatives stand firm now, they will remain a force to be reckoned with, for this administration and those to come. If, instead, the conservative legal movement accepts this nomination, it will surrender any leverage and influence it has. At the very least, it will lose its purpose in the political arena. Perhaps it will fade into obscurity, or return to its roots as primarily a debating society for constitutional nerds and academics. Theres another, darker possibility. In surrendering to and accepting the Bove nomination, the conservative legal movement could send the message that the rising band of illiberal right-wingers and polemical pugilists have a place in its tent, alongside the Burkeans and Hayekians. In such an eventuality, the movement devoted to law and truth would legitimize those who reject it. In blessing the heretics of the post-constitutional right, the movement will have lost its purpose. And its soul. Share this essay with your favorite Burkean or Hayekian conservative. Share Gregg Nunziata is the executive director of the Society for the Rule of Law. He is a veteran of the conservative legal movement and a former chief nominations counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Moms and their kids line up for a picture on the Michigan State Capitol Building steps after the annual "Mama's March" on April 30, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Good decisions start with good data. These are the opening words of the 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book released this month to give us a broad overview of how children are doing across the country. And right now, the data is telling us that we need to do more to meet the needs of kids in Michigan. Each year, the Data Book ranks states along four domains economic security, education, health, and family and community using 16 indicators of child well-being from trusted state and federal data sources. This years data shows that progress is happening in Michigan. More children have access to health insurance, fewer children live in high-poverty areas and fewer children are being born to teens. But other areas highlight the need for urgent policy action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By far the area of greatest concern in Michigan is in education. Michigan is ranked 44th nationally in the bottom ten states and the lowest in the Midwest. Academic performance has worsened nationally, but Michigans outcomes are particularly concerning, as the vast majority of students are not proficient in basic skills. The poor ranking is driven primarily by the worsening trend in fourth-grade reading proficiency, where we outperform only three states. Just 1 in 4 students in Michigan is proficient in fourth-grade reading. This trend highlights the unprecedented learning loss during and after the pandemic and the extreme toll chronic absenteeism is taking on academic performance. Some of this is a reflection of how we invest in students and schools. In a recent report, EdTrust-Midwest demonstrated how Michigans education revenue growth has not kept up with other states, leading to persistent underfunding for at-risk students for many years. Although Michigans new Opportunity Index provides a roadmap to addressing these inequities, legislators in Michigan have failed to provide adequate funding. The challenges facing schools, teachers and students will only grow in the coming months as Michigan House leadership has willfully refused to lay out a budget proposal, threatening the ability of districts to plan for the upcoming school year. Meanwhile, both the Senate and governor have proposed a budget that fails to provide increased funding for weights for students at the highest risk: students who are economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities and English-language learners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Addressing the needs of students also extends beyond the classroom, including ensuring children have access to a warm bed at night, healthy food to eat and a safe way to get to school. All children deserve to have their needs met, and policymakers have a responsibility to meet those needs by making smart policy choices guided by data and evidence. In 2023, 18% of children in Michigan more than 365,000 young people were living in poverty. One in 4 children (more than half a million in total) lived in a household where the family spent more than 30% of their income on housing, a financial burden that makes it difficult for families to afford other essentials. Unfortunately, right now many of the most successful programs to meet the needs of children and young adults are being threatened in Congress. Access to health care, food assistance, and the Child Tax Credit are all under attack from lawmakers who care more about providing tax breaks for wealthy individuals and corporations than the well-being of the children living here in our state. If we want to give our kids the best chance to thrive in adulthood and in the workforce, we need to position them for success now by supporting family economic security and access to programs and services that are essential for childrens healthy development. As our state and federal lawmakers work on passing their respective budgets this summer, we call on leaders to act boldly where needed and rely on what we know works. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX (WTVO) New data analyzed by CNN shows that foreign-born U.S. citizens are favoring the Republican Party on immigration policy over Democrats. According to CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten, legal immigrant voters have moved 40 points in favor of Republicans on immigration. Foreign-born voters have gone tremendously to the Right on this issue in 2024 and 2025 versus where they were in 2020, said Enten. You go back to 2020, Democrats, get this, held a 32-point lead on this issue. Immigrant voters were in the Democratic camp. Jump forward to 2024, 2025. Look at that shift. A 40-point shift to the Right among immigrant voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Enten, President Donald Trump has gained 11 points among immigrant citizens. Look at this, 2016, he got 36 percent of the vote. You go to 2020, 39 percent of the vote. Look at this, in 2024, all the way up to 47 percent of the vote, he said. Some polls I looked at had him barely losing that vote. Some polls I looked at had him barely winning that vote. Again, there is no bloc of voters that shifted more to the Right from 2020 to 2024 than immigrant voters. Attitudes toward illegal immigrants have also changed among legal immigrants. In 2020, foreign-born voters held a 23 point positive perception of noncitizen migrants. By 2024, that number had become a 6-point negative perception. According to a CBS News/YouGov poll, 54% of Americans approve of the Trump administrations efforts to deport illegal immigrants in the United States, with 42% of respondents saying it makes the country more safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 53% of respondents said they believed the administration is prioritizing the deportation of dangerous criminals. However, 63% said that noncitizens should get a court hearing prior to being deported. When asked if they approve of Trumps immigration goals vs his approach, 55% agreed with Trumps goals, while 56% disagreed with the administrations approach. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A tornado outbreak in the Plains and Midwest turned tragic in Iowa 17 years ago when an EF3 twister ripped through a Boy Scout camp. The deadly tornado struck Little Sioux Scout Ranch in western Iowa near the Nebraska border on June 11, 2008. Upon entering the park, the tornado first destroyed a ranger's house around 6:30 p.m. CDT. From there, the tornado knocked down trees and hit a bunk house where scouts were taking refuge. Sadly, four Boy Scouts lost their lives in the tornado and nearly 50 others were injured. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This tornado was one of dozens others that caused damage from Kansas to southern Minnesota. The most powerful tornado in the outbreak was an EF4 that hit Manhattan, Kansas. A total of 45 homes were destroyed in the city and the campus of Kansas State University also suffered significant damage, but nobody was killed. Another hard-hit community was Chapman, Kansas, where an EF3 twister destroyed 70 homes and killed one person. Chris Dolce has been a senior digital meteorologist with weather.com for nearly 15 years after beginning his career with The Weather Channel in the early 2000s. On this date in history: In 1776, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman -- the so-called Committee of Five -- were appointed by the Continental Congress to write a declaration of independence for the American colonies from England. In 1919, Sir Barton became the first horse to win thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown. In 1927, U.S. President Calvin Coolidge welcomed Charles Lindbergh home after the pilot made history's first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, New York to Paris. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1955, French auto racer Pierre Levegh's Mercedes crashed into a crowd of spectators at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, killing 84 people, including the driver. It was the deadliest auto racing crash in history. Anti-Ku Klux Klan demonstrators, protesting a scheduled march by the KKK on July 17, 1988, burn an American flag. On June 11, 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an anti-flag-burning law passed by Congress the year before. UPI File Photo In 1963, for a brief moment, Gov. George Wallace blocked the enrollment of two Black students to the University of Alabama. His acts of defiance would be short-lived as President John F. Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard, instructing them to end Wallace's blockade of the school. In 1967, protests and violence erupted in Tampa, Fla., after a police officer fatally shot 19-year-old Martin Chambers on suspicion of burglary. The race riots lasted three days, during which multiple businesses burned to the ground and a sheriff's deputy -- Sgt. Don Williams -- died of a heart attack. A flash mob of giant Jurassic Park dinosaurs grab the attention of everyone in the area at the 115th American International Toy Fair at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City on February 17. On June 11, 1993, "Jurassic Park" opened and broke the record for the biggest three-day opening weekend with an estimated $48 million. That record has since been surpassed hundreds of times. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI In 1967, the Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors ended with a U.N.-brokered cease-fire. The Israeli forces achieved a swift and decisive victory. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI Aviator Charles Lindbergh appears in the open cockpit of airplane at Lambert Field, in St. Louis, Miss., ca. 1920s. On June 11, 1927, U.S. President Calvin Coolidge welcomed Lindbergh home after the pilot made history's first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, New York to Paris. File Photo by Library of Congress Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1985, Karen Ann Quinlan died at age 31 in a New Jersey nursing home, nearly 10 years after she lapsed into an irreversible coma. Her condition had sparked a nationwide controversy over her "right to die." In 1987, Margaret Thatcher became the first British prime minister in 160 years to win three consecutive terms. Joined by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, President Ronald Reagan does his best to hang onto his dog Lucky in the White House Rose Garden on February 20, 1985. Photo by Jim Hubbard/UPI In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an anti-flag-burning law passed by Congress the year before. In 1993, Jurassic Park opened and broke the record for the biggest three-day opening weekend with an estimated $48 million. That record has since been surpassed hundreds of times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1994, after 49 years, the Russian military occupation of what had been East Germany ended with the departure of the Red Army from Berlin. In, 2001, Timothy McVeigh was executed in Terre Haute, Ind., for the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people and injured hundreds. In 2004, Ronald Reagan reached his final resting place at his library in Southern California, closing a week of ceremony and tribute to the late president. UPI File Photo In 2011, the leader of al-Qaida in East Africa, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, was killed in a shootout with Somali soldiers at a checkpoint in Mogadishu. In 2018, the Federal Communications Commission allowed net neutrality rules enacted under the Obama administration to expire. The rules had required Internet service providers to enable access of all content and applications regardless of the source and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, a jury found Hunter Biden, the son of then-President Joe Biden, guilty on charges related to purchasing a firearm while using and being addicted to illegal drugs. Before leaving office, the president pardoned his son. Jun. 10A Dayton man has pleaded guilty as charged after he was accused of hurting his 5-month-old child. Brandon Landsiedel, 24, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court to one felony count of endangering children, according to a plea agreement filed Tuesday. The charge could result in fines up to $10,000 and prison terms of nine months to three years. One condition of the agreement is that Landsiedel have no contact with the child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was charged after an incident Nov. 1, 2024, when police were called to Dayton Children's Hospital for a 5-month-old child with "significant injuries," according to the Montgomery County prosecutor's Office. The prosecutor's office said that Landsiedel was the infant's father and primary caregiver, and was present when the injuries occurred. "The child's injuries are inconsistent with the defendant's explanation," the prosecutor's office said. Landsiedel is scheduled to be sentenced June 26. Previous coverage on the NEON. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) The annual Dayton Metro Librarys Summer Family Film Series is set to provide educational resources for young families. This free program is held through a triple partnership between DML, The NEON cinema and the local PBS affiliate station. Attendees will enjoy a read-along video, a PBS Kids program and a craft/activity on The NEONs cozy outside patio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dayton Metro Library offers free lunches, and more for kids this summer Doors open at 10:30 a.m. every Saturday. Showtime is 11 a.m. Tickets are free, but are first-come, first-served basis. The full schedule is as follows. June 14: Be My Neighbor A Daniel Tiger Friendship Celebration and a hands-on activity. (Ages 2-4) June 21: Carl the Collector and creating collection jars. (Ages 4-8) June 28: Puppy Love: Tales of Tails and visiting puppies from Adopt-A-Pit. (Families) July 5: Dinosaur Adventures and digging for fossils/making dinosaur footprints. (Ages 3-5) July 12: Work it Out Wombats: Solving Problems Together and making a whirligig. (Ages 3-6) July 19: The Wild Kratts: Wild Cats & Planet Heroes and a visit from Five Rivers MetroParks with some of their special friends. (Ages 6-8) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dayton Library to host senior pizza parties with college help The Neon is in the heart of downtown Dayton, in the Oregon District, at 130 E. Fifth St. There is free street-level parking across the road. To learn more, click here or call the Librarys Ask Me Line at (937) 463-2665. The library asks anyone who needs a sign language interpreter, assistive device, language translation, or accessibility services to call the Ask Me Line at (937) 463-2665 or click here. This is so they can get the service ready ahead 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 WDTN.com. This story was originally published on Retail Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Retail Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Bark is considering modest price increases to offset tariff headwinds and maintain its gross margins, Chief Financial Officer Zahir Ibrahim said on a call with analysts last week. Some toys in the first half of the year will experience tariffs of up to 80%, but that will decrease significantly in the back half of the year following productivity improvement efforts and source diversification. Total revenue decreased 5% to $115.4 million, while net loss came in at $6 million in Q4, a 23.7% increase compared to the year-ago quarter. For the year, revenue was $484 million, down 1.2%, and net losses narrowed 11% to $32.9 million. The company delivered its first ever adjusted EBITDA positive year at $5.4 million, a $16 million improvement. Gross margin improved by 70 basis points to 62.4% for the fiscal year. Dive Insight: Fiscal 2025 was a meaningful one to Bark. Just three years ago, we lost $58 million and burned nearly $200 million in cash, co-founder and CEO Matt Meeker said. At the time, many questioned our long-term viability. Now, three years later, were not only standing, were in a positive adjusted EBIDTA territory. Meanwhile, toys, which represent around two-thirds of the companys revenue, are currently sourced from China and subject to new tariffs. The company will shift a portion of its production to other countries in response, which will begin in the coming weeks. Bark expects to start shipping products from new areas in time for the holiday quarter, and is aiming for a more diverse footprint for its toy production by the end of 2026. The pet retailer is also pulling back slightly on its subscription box business, which still accounted for around 85% of its revenue last year. While that number is coming down from previous years, its not moving fast enough, Meeker said. Therefore, the company is accelerating its efforts to diversify its product lines, channels and revenue growth. One way the company is shuffling its efforts can be found in its Bark Air service, which launched last spring. Bark partnered with a jet charter company to create the worlds first air travel experience designed specifically for dogs first, and their human companions second. Nearly $6 million came in over the last fiscal year, and the company said it was encouraged by early demand and will be growing its service offering. Jun. 10The Dayton Police Department proposes to use controversial gunshot-detection technology, drones and license plate readers to try to reduce crime in several hotspot neighborhoods in west and northwest Dayton. "Every department is trying to utilize technology to the best of their ability, one for service delivery ... and also as, and we use the term a lot, as a force multiplier," said Dayton police Major Jason Hall. "We believe it provides for a much higher level of service for our citizens and a lot higher level of safety." But when the police department has worked to try to launch new surveillance tools there has been pushback from some community members who believe the technology can be misused or has serious disadvantages or risks to privacy and civil rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Dayton Police Department recently was awarded $400,000 in grant funding from the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program. The police department received the second largest award in the state in the latest funding round. An executive summary of the city's application for funding says the grant money will be used to combat crime in the Miami Chapel, North Riverdale and Residence Park neighborhoods, which all saw a significant increase in violent crime last year. Miami Chapel is south of U.S. 35 in West Dayton and includes the DeSoto Bass Courts housing complex. Residence Park is west of Gettysburg Avenue and north of West Third Street. North Riverdale is east of North Main Street and north of Ridge Avenue. A Dayton Daily News investigation that was published in April found that Miami Chapel, North Riverdale and Residence Park were among the city neighborhoods with the most gun crimes in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The police department's application for grant funding says these three neighborhoods had 89 gun-related crimes last year, including 30 aggravated robberies and 10 killings and cases of "nonnegligent manslaughter." A project description that was part of the grant funding application says the police department plans to purchase three Flock gunshot detection systems, 27 license plate reader systems and one Flock safety drone to serve as a first responder. Fixed-site automated license plate readers were deployed across Dayton in early 2023, and there were 72 devices in operation last year. The fixed-site devices are usually on utility and traffic signal posts. Police vehicles also are equipped with the technology, which scans license plates and issues alerts, like when vehicles are reported stolen. "They have been used to recover stolen vehicles, document investigations related to stolen vehicles and to apprehend violent offenders," said Major Hall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The police department previously used a controversial ShotSpotter gunshot-detection system, but the city decided not renew the contract when it expired at the end of 2022. The project description says gunshot detection technology will help police with rapid response, evidence collection and data analysis to develop targeted interventions. The department told this newspaper that gunshot detection sensors will be deployed across a three-square-mile area that has a high concentration of violent gun crimes. However, critics of the technology say it is unreliable and has not been proven to reduce shootings, violence and other crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics also say the technology issues alerts that send officers to locations of alleged gunshots without any other information, which potentially can lead to unnecessary and unjustified pat downs, investigatory stops, arrests and other encounters between citizens and police that have the potential to escalate. Police say drones as first responders provide aerial surveillance, rapid response and real-time intelligence. The police department currently has 16 drones, also called unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Police said the drones as a first responders program will provide citywide drone coverage, which can help police quickly respond to crimes in progress and and assist with other emergencies, like when someone falls into the river and emergency crews need to locate them. Drones help can officers with situational awareness and de-escalating potentially dangerous events, Hall said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The police department said it is proposing to implement a two-year pilot program to assess the effectiveness of these tech tools, develop deployment strategies and allow for community engagement. "Before moving forward with the drones as a first responder program, the department will develop a draft policy, engage with the community, and present the information to the city commission during a public hearing," the police department said. "If approved, these technologies will be deployed later in 2025." Commissioners Darryl Fairchild and Shenise Turneer-Sloss this week said they would like to see data and data analysis that indicates whether these tech tools are truly helping reduce crime. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) Aging out of foster care can be a remarkably difficult and stressful situation to navigate. Dayton Realtors is doing something to help these young adults here in the Miami Valley. According to the National Foster Youth Institute, approximately 20,000 people between the ages of 18 and 21 age out of the foster care system annually. On Wednesday, June 11, Dayton Realtors held a Furnishing Futures donation drive focusing on aiding young men who have aged out of foster care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Toiletries, new tools, cleaning supplies, household goods and more were collected to benefit Disciples of Destiny, which provides housing and support for men aged 18 through 26 who have been emancipated from foster care and are facing homelessness. Dayton Realtors said it hopes to make a difference in the lives of these young men. Save a life by donating blood this June These guys are often left with no support system once they age out; many face homelessness and food insecurity. Navigating young adulthood without any external support. 2 NEWS spoke with Nieberding about this critical work at the collection drive. He cited a desire to do more in retirement and his strong religious beliefs to help his community. He said the data on those aging out of foster care shocked him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I saw the statistic where 40% of youth who come out of foster care at age 18, are automatically homeless and often are lured into the sex trades in order to get food and lodging what we take for granted, said Nieberding. Then, within a short two years, 60% of them end up in state prisons. I said, This is a tremendous amount of loss, and potential. (The specific study he saw is unclear; however, he is likely referencing the 1995 National Alliance to End Homelessness survey. Now, in 2025, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, that number is approximately 25 percent. Which shows the critical work that has been done and continues to need to be done to lower it further.) Summer Arts Festival offers free events in June, July He shared theyre collecting just about anything you would need for your life for these young men. Things the average person might not even realize they use daily, like cooking and cleaning utensils. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also, gift cards or various things for the guys to buy stuff, said Nieberding. We can use them as rewards for when guys do good behavior or turn in all their paperwork for their self-discovery work on helping them to get their lives back. Its been huge for me: Local man earns prestigious honor for art He spoke on the success of the program. On how overwhelmingly joyful it is to see a young life changed for the better because someone took the time to care. Disciples of Destiny is here to help. To anybody who needs that age, 18 to 26, we primarily care for guys, but we also care for women. We can help them, not with the living situation, but we can do a referral. We also often them [young women] groups to be a part of it, said Nieberding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For state-wide resources for former foster youths, 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. Name Correction: Her name is Melissa Jane Hutchins, not Jones. We apologize for this mistake. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) A local woman has been sentenced to over 15 years in prison after being convicted on counts in connection with a fatal crash. Prosecuting Attorney Mat Heck, Jr. announced Melissa J. Hutchins was sentenced to a total of 15 to 20-and-a-half years in prison on Wednesday, June 11. Hutchins was found guilty of: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One count of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide. (Driving under suspension.) Two counts of Failure to Comply. One count of Possession of Cocaine. A Butler Township officer tried to conduct a traffic stop with Hutchins on the afternoon of Monday, May 20, around Miller Lane and Benchwood Road. Hutchins didnt stop; she fled down I-75 southbound and drove recklessly, causing Butler Township to stop their pursuit. The officer broadcast this information to all local law enforcement and found Hutchins had a history of running from the police. About 3 hours passed, then a Sheriffs Deputy saw Jones around Free Pike and State Route 49. They deployed stop sticks while she was at a red light. Other deputies tried to stop her, and again she fled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies followed her, zipping down St. Rt. 49, approaching 90mph speeds, to keep up. This chase lasted approximately 3 minutes until Hutchins crashed into a vehicle in the area of St. Rt. 49 at W. Third St. This crash killed the driver of the vehicle, 35-year-old Colby Ross from Dayton. Ross was ejected from his vehicle. Family provides update on wrongful death lawsuit filed against local sheriffs office Hutchins was taken by medics to a nearby hospital for her injuries. Her vehicle was searched. Officials found a substance, which was confirmed to be cocaine. Her drivers license was suspended at the time of the crash, and she was under 14 suspensions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is simply no excuse for fleeing from a simple traffic stop and endangering the lives of others. This defendant made the senseless decision to flee from police and ended up killing an innocent man, said Prosecutor Mat 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. The Brief D.C leaders have announced a new plan to increase public access, specifically for non-motorized boating activities along the Potomac River. Officials say Georgetown will donate a parcel of land on the Potomac River to the National Park Service to be added to the boundary of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. This will allow for a continuous path from the Capital Crescent Trail to the Georgetown Waterfront Park. WASHINGTON - Changes are coming to the Georgetown Waterfront. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement D.C. leaders unveiled a plan Tuesday morning to increase public access, specifically for non-motorized boating activities along the Potomac River, after a decade in the making. The District, Georgetown University and the National Park Service will take part in land swap. What we know D.C. officials say Georgetown will donate a parcel of land on the Potomac River to the National Park Service to be added to the boundary of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. This will allow for a continuous path from the Capital Crescent Trail to the Georgetown Waterfront Park. The National Park will then transfer jurisdiction of two parcels at the base of the Key Bridge to the district, which will then transfer the site to the west of the bridge to Georgetown to create a university boathouse, serving as a hub for the men's and women's rowing teams. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Mayor Bowser has made this a big point. D.C. is a waterfront city and we've got wonderful access to the water and recreational opportunities, and this final push to complete the land swap is going to unlock this access to the river at this particular point which is right under the Key Bridge," said Nina Albert, D.C. Deputy Mayor for planning and economic development. Dig deeper Georgetown will provide year-round public access to the boathouse docks, giving the community access to kayak, paddle board and canoe along the Potomac River. This increased access will benefit rowers, like D.C. resident Ivin Boddy, who frequents the Potomac River. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I think it would increase more of our foreign visitors and our domestic visitors coming to town. So, I think it would definitely do some great justice for them," Boddy said. Others like D.C. resident Zaidun Jawdat, who frequents the area often, are curious to see what eventually happens. "We enjoy it completely. We're happy with it," said Jawdat. "I'm not sure just how much is going to change. I guess if they invest in structures and docking wharfs - maybe that changes the character." The land transaction is currently being finalized - and residents should expect to see changes within the next few years. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested someone accused of robbing a tire shop at gunpoint in April. MPD said that on April 29, 2025, around 3:20 a.m., suspects entered a 24-hour tire shop in the 400 block of Florida Ave. NE. They were armed with guns and approached an employee. They demanded that the employee take them to the cash register, after which they forced it open and took money before escaping. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Man killed in mid-afternoon stabbing at Fairfax County bus stop On Tuesday, June 10, police arrested 37-year-old Angelo Maurice Harris of Southeast, D.C. and charged him with armed robbery (gun). Police are still investigating this case. Anyone with any information should contact MPD by calling 202-727-9099 or texting 50411. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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) Police are looking for suspects in a shooting that happened in the middle of the afternoon on Tuesday, leaving a man hospitalized. Just after 1:45 p.m., the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded to the 4400 block of Quarles Street NE, where they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Man arrested in two possible hate crimes against LGBTQ+ community in DC, police say Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MPD issued a lookout for a black Mercedes GL400 with Maryland license plate 9DN5097. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact MPD by calling (202) 727-9099 or texting the departments tip line at 50411. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 investigating a shooting that left one man hurt in Southeast early Wednesday. Just before 2:30 a.m., officers were sent to the 2600 block of Birney Place for a shooting. There, they found a man who had been shot, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Officers noted that the man was conscious and breathing when they found him. Man not breathing after shooting near Lincoln Park Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Medics responded to the scene and took the man to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. As of Wednesday morning, no arrests have been made as police continue to investigate the shooting. MPD urges anyone with information to call the department at 202-727-9099 or text 50411. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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) Starting in the fall, DC Public Schools (DCPS) will implement a new bell-to-bell ban on the use of cell phones on school property during school hours. It comes as the D.C. Council considers a measure requiring all D.C. public and charter schools to establish a cell phone policy. Man arrested in two possible hate crimes against LGBTQ+ community in DC, police say We believe this creates positive conditions for students to learn and thrive, but also make connections with peers, staff, and their schools, said Dr. Lewis Ferebee, Chancellor of DCPS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Currently, all middle schools are phone-free, as well as some high schools. That includes McKinley Tech High School, which implemented a policy five years ago. Where we have implemented these strategies, we have seen positive results. Even students have testified they have more positive relationships with their peers, theyre less distracted in learning, said Ferebee. At McKinley, students utilize a locker system designed to store phones. Phones are placed in a locker at the beginning of the day, before passing through the schools metal detectors, and retrieved at the end of the day. Each student is given a lock at the beginning of the year for their assigned locker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over time, it got easier, and it was definitely the new norm for our school, said Zori Cooper, a junior at the high school. Cooper said locking up her phone has forced her to be more social with her classmates. I know other students at other schools will be on their phones, and we just kind of have to talk to each other, she explained. So, I think it does help someone like me who doesnt go out and talk to people a lot, it forces me to, because I dont have a choice. I dont think any teacher is going to see this as super negative unless they dont havegood technology in their classrooms, said Rachel Sigfried, who teaches band at McKinley Tech. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sigfried has been working at the school since 2015 and said shes noticed a difference in her students since the policy was adopted. Students are willing to be more vulnerable when they know theyre not going to be recorded by their classmates, she said. Maybe they played a wrong note or did something embarrassing. Each school will be tasked with creating its policy on how to store cell phones. Options include pouches, lockers, bins, backpacks, and more. Its unclear what the cost could be for each school. Regarding concerns over emergencies, Ferebee assures parents that there will be exceptions, including emergencies, students with medical needs or IEPs, class trips, and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are plenty of phones in school, so if students need to use them, they can use them, he said. But we think its also important for families to know that if there is any need for us to communicate to families about critical incidents in schools, we will, as wevedone in the past, do so in a very timely manner, explained Sigfried. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Legislators are meeting in Tallahassee to hammer out the fiscal year 2025-26 budget and avoid a government shutdown before July 1 Florida legislators are using budget negotiations to revisit substantive legislation related to education and health care that didnt pass during the 2025 regular session. One House bill would have revised how low-performing schools are classified and how Schools of Hope can be started. HB 1267 passed the House on party lines; however; the Senate never took it up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The issue resurfaced in the budget conference on Tuesday when the House proposed to allow charter schools to open inside low-performing public schools. The budget document shared with the public outlining the Houses offer didnt contain any additional details. The School of Hope program started in 2017 and allows charter schools to open near persistently low-performing schools. In 2023-2024, there were 51 persistently low-performing schools. The bill wouldve classified more schools as persistently low-performing by changing the definition. The House has been pretty consistent that we want students to have access to the best educational opportunities, House budget chief Rep. Lawrence McClure told reporters Tuesday. The two chambers have already agreed to $6 million in nonrecurring funding for Schools of Hope for the state fiscal year 2025-26 budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The House agreed to adopt a number of Senate-coveted issues related to nursing homes that were contained in SB 170, including requiring long-term care facilities to conduct patient safety and culture surveys at least once every two years. The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) would be required to include the results in its nursing home guide. Additionally, the House agreed with the Senates proposal to require nursing home medical directors to obtain designation from the American Medical Director Association or to hold a comparable credential or be in the process of seeking those credentials by Jan. 1, 2026. The House agreed to the Senates proposal to fine nursing homes or headquarters of nursing homes that dont submit their financial data to AHCAs financial reporting system. The Senate wants to amend the Medicaid law to include a $10,000 fine per violation. SB 170 was sponsored by Sen. Colleen Burton and was a priority for Senate President Ben Albritton. who fast-tracked it through the chamber, with the Senate passing the bill unanimously on April 9. But the House never considered the proposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the House has agreed to those nursing home-related issues in its conforming bill offer, technically they still arent finalized because the Senate hasnt agreed with the Houses offer. Conforming bills are budget-related bills that change substantive law to reflect spending decisions. Unlike the budget, which remains in effect for the state fiscal year, conforming bills change substantive law and remain in effect until the laws are changed. The House also included in its Tuesday healthcare offer a proposal to expand the duties dental hygienists are allowed to perform. The House wants to amend the dental hygienist licensure laws to allow hygienists who practice under general supervision to use a dental diode laser to reduce or eliminate plaque in spaces between a tooth and the gums. Only hygienists who complete a 12-hour in-person course recognized by the Board of Dentistry or the American Dental Association would qualify. House Speaker Daniel Perez has championed giving dental hygienists a larger role in the health care system since he was a freshman. After seemingly rejecting the idea during the 2025 session, the House appears to have changed direction and is proposing to open up to other hospitals $127.5 million that has been, until now, dedicated solely to four National Cancer Institute-designated facilities: Moffitt Cancer Center; University of Florida Health Cancer Center; Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; and Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Houses proposal amends the statutory definition of cancer center to include community cancer centers accredited by the American College of Surgeons as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Program or Integrated Network Cancer Program, to qualify for the funds. Its not clear which hospitals would benefit from the change. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Seven people died and a bus carrying schoolchildren was swept away in South Africa after a severe cold front brought floods and snowfall across the country. Rescue efforts for the bus were suspended overnight, although three children have already been found alive; it remains unclear how many children were on board. Utility company Eskom said power was out in several provinces, with the cold front expected to persist through the week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Outages caused by the hostile weather could further kneecap Africas biggest economy: Manufacturing output declined more than 6% in April compared to the same month in 2024, a steep drop that followed a 1.2% fall in March, Reuters reported. Belgium's brewing sector saw beer volumes drop again last year, both at home and globally, new figures from a local trade body show. Total export volumes dropped 3.4% in 2024 to 14.5m hectolitres according to the industry association Belgian Brewers' annual report. Within the EU, exports declined by 2.6% to 12.4m hectolitres, while exports outside the EU saw an 8% decrease to roughly 2m hectolites. Despite the challenges, the trade body said that Belgian beer continues to be a popular export product, with 70% of production sold internationally. The dip is a slight improvement on 2023 figures, when the sector booked a 7.5% drop in export volumes at 15m hectolitres. Domestic consumption meanwhile dropped 2.1% to 6.39m hectolitres. Beer sales in Belgium's hospitality sector fell by 2.9%, while supermarket sales saw a 1.5% decrease. Despite the dip, it was also improvement on the 6% drop in domestic consumption recorded in 2023. Trade body director Krishan Maudgal said: "The figures are down, but less sharply than in 2023. However, we cannot yet speak of a real turnaround in the trend. Stability and a predictable business climate are essential to ensure a sustainable future for our sector. Belgium's brewing sector however is witnessing a "structural decline" in its domestic market, Belgian Brewers said, with overall consumption in the country having nearly 20% "over a ten-year period". "The persistent pressure on purchasing power, rising costs, and the uncertain geopolitical context are clearly reflected in the annual figures," the trade body said. In 2024, six breweries shuttered their doors, reducing the total number of breweries to 411 by the year's end. The brewing sector continues to be an important driver to the Belgian economy, Belgian Brewers said, contributing 4bn or approximately 1% of the country's GDP, according to the country's Federal Planning Bureau. Alongside the release of its 2024 annual report, Belgian Brewers called on policymakers "to strengthen the stability and predictability of the business environment", in order "to ensure continued investment in innovation, sustainability, and quality". "Belgian beer exports decline again in 2024" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. HOT SPRINGS, Ark. A deadly crash Sunday left a Garland County Sheriffs Office deputy hospitalized and another man dead. Conditions were foggy before sunrise around 4:40 a.m. According to an Arkansas State Police crash report, 22-year-old Lane Murphy of Plumerville was heading north when he crossed the center line and struck 22-year-old Deputy Gavan Masons patrol vehicle. Garland County deputy injured in fatal Sunday morning crash Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Masons vehicle overturned after a collision, but Murphy went off the road and died at the scene. GCSO Public Information Officer Captain Joel Ware said Mason was rushed to CHI St. Vincent Hospital with internal injuries and a broken arm, which required surgery. Those affected by it, our hearts go out to him, Ware said. For the damage to be as severe as it was pretty scary. Very fortunate that Deputy Mason is still here with us. It is estimated that it will take 12 weeks before Deputy Mason can return to work. He was already on track to be moved out of the patrol car and into an investigator position. GCSO Chief Deputy Steven Elrod said Mason has that X factor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is a team player. He has great camaraderie. He is versatile in so many different areas. Wherever you need him, hes able to respond, Elrod stated. Arkansas State Police trooper injured in Easter Sunday crash in Garland County Although Mason cant respond right now, the community and coworkers have to help the 22-year-old deputy with his medical and financial needs. Elrod said in the last year, the new stretch of Highway 5 where the crash happened has had 17 accidents. Garland County is collecting data to ask the Arkansas Department of Transportation what can be done to make the area safer. Deputy Mason certainly wasnt the first person to be injured out in that stretch. We want him to be the last if we can, Elrod said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arkansas Capitol police officer injured in hit-and-run crash Those willing to assist with Deputy Masons recovery can make donations to any First Security Bank in his name. There are also methods to do so online. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A deadly shooting in front of the Bellagio fountains has incited questions of safety on the Las Vegas Strip; however, new crime statistics and police experts are answering security concerns. On Sunday, police responded within seconds to a deadly shooting in the heart of the tourist corridor. The alleged gunman, who is accused of killing two people livestreaming on YouTube, appeared in court and is claiming self-defense. The deadly shooting became a topic of concern for online commenters, asking about the safety of the Strip. A new Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department statistical activity report for the Convention Center Area Command, which patrols the Strip, shows most criminal activity is down compared to this time last year. LVMPD statistical activity report, compared year-to-date* Reports of trespass of real property: -38.2% Reports of disorderly conduct: -51.2% Reports of assault offenses: 12.9% Reports of destruction/damage/vandalism of property: -26.7% Reports of stolen property offenses: -43.3% *LVMPD report from June 8, 2025 The decrease in reports of criminal acts on the Strip are promising according to police experts like Ted Snodgrass, a retired LVMPD lieutenant, but he said it might be indicative of another factorvisitation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 15% decrease is a significant decrease, depending on your numbers, Snodgrass said. But if youre also having a decrease in visitor volume, then that may be part of the reason for it, too. Las Vegas has experienced a decrease in overall visitor volume, according to some reports, but Snodgrass said he also looks at the lack of a Super Bowl this year. There was a rebound from COVID, people starting to come and know about Vegas again, he said. The decrease can be attributed to police work, increase in technology, and law enforcement omnipresence, according to Snodgrass. You have all that together with it, just a whole number of video cameras, foot patrol, security assistance, he said. Its pretty daunting when you think about it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for the deadly shooting on Sunday, Snodgrass said, based on some speculation and facts from the case, the incident appears to have been isolated and could have happened anywhere. Seeing homicides are rare occurrence down here, he said. Thats why were out here talking about it, because that before this for the year, they were zero. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Brief Jonathan Caravello is accused in the death of a man on Milwaukee's south side. Caravello pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, June 10, to a charge of second-degree reckless homicide in the case. Caravello is due back in court in mid-July. MILWAUKEE - Jonathan Caravello pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, June 10, to a charge of second-degree reckless homicide in connection with the death of a man on Milwaukee's south side on May 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before Caravello entered his plea Tuesday, a Milwaukee police detective testified in Caravello's preliminary hearing. The defense motioned to dismiss the case, which was denied by the court. The judge then found probable cause to hold Caravello over for trial. Case details What we know According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police responded on Monday, May 5 to the area near 37th and Orchard for a battery complaint. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a man lying on the pavement in an alley; he was unconscious and not breathing. Firefighters arrived on the scene and provided medical assistance, but the man was declared deceased. Investigators learned the victim had been in an altercation with a person living across the alley from him. That person was later identified as the defendant, Jonathan Caravello. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android Detectives spoke with a woman who indicated Caravello invited her over to his house and were in the backyard when the victim came over. Caravello told the woman "that the person who came over tries to sell things to Caravello's father so that the person can buy drugs," the complaint says. When the victim returned, the woman told detectives he and Caravello began fighting in the alley. During this time, the complaint says Caravello "got the person in a choke hold." He also "got a wooden bat and threw it at the person" and got him back in a choke hold one more time. The woman said "she and Caravello returned to his backyard and she went back into the alley and saw that the person was still on the ground," the complaint says. Police recovered video that recorded the interactions between Caravello and the victim. The video records "Caravello on top of (the victim) and (the victim) can be heard saying, it appears, 'You won.' During the fight, Caravello repeated yells that he is going to kill (the victim). Caravello eventually gets off of (the victim) and (the victim) is not seen moving again," the complaint says. Caravello questioned What they're saying When police questioned Caravello, he said that he got into a tussle with the victim -- and that the victim "had a small folding knife that cut him," the complaint says. During that tussle, Caravello said he began to choke the victim and he "stopped the choke hold when he got tired." The complaint says Caravello "admitted telling (the victim) that he was going to kill him, but he said this only after (the victim) said he was going to shoot him. He never saw a gun." What's next Caravello is due back in court for a scheduling conference on July 16. The Source The information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access as well as the criminal complaint associated with this case. A death investigation is underway after a man was run over by a tractor-trailer behind a grocery store in New Hampshire early Wednesday morning, authorities said. Officers responding to the area behind the Hannaford at 7 Kilton Road in Bedford shortly before 6 a.m. found a man who appeared to have been run over by a tractor-trailer, according to the Bedford Police Department. The victim, a 62-year-old unhoused man, was pronounced dead at the scene. His name hasnt been released. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said that a preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was sleeping under the tractor-trailer, which had been parked at the stores loading dock before the incident. The tractor-trailer driver has since been tracked down and is cooperating with investigators. New Hampshire State Police are assisting Bedford police with their 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 SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) What will happen next for the convicted killer who has sat on Utahs death row for 37 years? Its the question on many minds while his attorneys and the state go back and forth, leaving some to feel that the process is being drawn out. Ralph Leroy Menzies lawyers filed an appeal to the Utah Supreme Court yesterday, asking that his competency be reviewed again after he was ruled competent for execution on Friday, June 6. The state is trying to move forward and schedule a hearing to obtain an execution warrant. Robin Maher, Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) in Washington, D.C., spoke with ABC4.com about this process. The DPIC does not take a stance on the death penalty itself, but tracks the use of the death penalty and laws historical and modern that enforce it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PREVIOUS COVERAGE: State moves to hold execution warrant application hearing for Menzies Determining competency is such a very complicated issue. It involves questions of both fact and law, and I think its important for us to make sure that we understand whats happening with this individual before we move forward with an execution, Maher said. Maher said that Menzies attorneys are doing the right thing by filing an appeal. According to Maher, the U.S. Supreme Court has reviewed three cases that raised the question of whether someone with significant mental impairment should be executed, and the Supreme Court ruled that they should not be executed in all three cases. They look to history. You know, there are some significant historical precedents dating back hundreds of years that really prohibit the execution of people who are insane people who dont understand the reasons theyre being executed, Maher explained. Historical figures from many, many years ago recognized theres really futility in executing someone who has no understanding of the reason the state is punishing him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maher said that many of the tests that are done to determine competency can have different expert opinions and conclusions. She emphasized the importance of Menzies team filing appeals and ensuring that theyve done everything they can do before the execution moves forward. PREVIOUSLY: Court rules that convicted killer with dementia is competent to be executed The courts will observe many sources, including observations by prison guards, medical evaluations, hospital visits, and treatment plans, Maher explained. She encouraged a thoughtful and careful review of this evidence is necessary before an execution. Ill say that we probably should not move forward with any execution until these questions are put to rest, she stated. This is hundreds of years of legal precedent, common law, and legal statutes and findings by our own Supreme Court that say this is not an appropriate thing to do. It is unconstitutional to execute someone who doesnt understand the reasons for his punishment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maher also pointed out that the conditions on death row isolation, deprivation, inadequate food and exercise can also accelerate the aging process and bring on mental illness. Overall, she emphasized that the court should do everything in its power to determine whether or not he is truly competent before an execution. This is a question I think well be grappling with in the future, Maher concluded. Who is Ralph Menzies? Ralph Menzies was sentenced to death in 1988 for killing Maurine Hunsaker, a mother of three. She was kidnapped from her job at a convenience store in Kearns in 1986 and later found in Cottonwood Canyon, tied to a tree and with her throat slit. Over the nearly 40 years he has been on death row, his attorneys have been appealing his sentencing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matthew Hunsaker, Maurine Hunsakers son, sat down with ABC4 for an interview last week. He shared the devastation he felt after his mothers murder, but also his fight to get justice. How many convicts have been executed in Utah? On Aug. 8, 2024, Taberon Honie was executed by lethal injection. He was the eighth person in the state of Utah to be executed since 1972. Death penalty in Utah: A brief history as state plans next execution According to the Utah Department of Corrections, three people are currently on Utahs death row besides Ralph Menzies. They are Troy Kell, Michael Archuleta, and Von Taylor. Menzies and Kell both selected their method of execution to be a firing squad before the Utah State Legislature eliminated it as an available method in 2004. The law will allow them to keep their selection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MJ Jewkes contributed to this report. 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 number of people killed in the Russian attack on Kharkiv on the night of 10-11 June has risen to four. Source: Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "A 59-year-old woman who had been taken to hospital in a serious condition has died. Her husband also died in hospital this morning." Details: Syniehubov added that rescue workers had discovered the body of another woman under the rubble on the premises of a civilian company in the Kyivskyi district of Kharkiv. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Efforts are ongoing to retrieve her body from under the rubble. Background: On the night of 10-11 June, Russian troops attacked Kharkiv with 17 Shahed-type loitering munitions. Two people were killed and 60 others, including 9 children, sustained injuries as a result of the large-scale attack on the Slobidskyi and Osnovianskyi districts of Kharkiv. The strikes also damaged residential buildings, trolleybuses, playgrounds and production facilities. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton recently announced the launch of a nation-leading $100 million freshwater fish hatchery modernization plan. The funding supports the first of three phases of modernization projects for 12 hatcheries operated by DEC across the state. The hatcheries are integral to effective fisheries management and conservation, and contribute up to $5 billion in economic benefits provided by New Yorks recreational freshwater fishing industry. DECs fish hatchery system serves as the backbone for the management and restoration of our freshwater fisheries, Lefton said. Todays launch of the hatchery modernization plan will further strengthen New York States commitment to the angling community and the continued stewardship of our fisheries resources far into the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First established in 1864, New Yorks fish hatchery system is the oldest in North America. The DEC operates 12 hatcheries that annually produce up to 850,000 pounds of fish that are stocked into more than 1,200 waterbodies for recreational and restoration purposes. The average age of DECs hatcheries is 93 years and the integrity of many buildings, water supply assets, and fish-rearing structures are at risk. In recent years some of the most crucial needs have been addressed with a steady flow of DEC capital funding, but more extensive work is needed to sustain and improve operations to truly modernize the hatchery system for the future. The historic $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 dedicated up to $75 million for hatchery improvements as part of the $650 million specified for improving access to and protecting nature. This funding, combined with funding from New York Works and other capital funds, provides a solid foundation for creating a modern hatchery system that is technologically advanced, more efficient, adaptable, and environmentally responsible. The DEC will use Bond Act monies and capital funds to leverage other state and federal funding to modernize the hatchery system in multiple phases over the next 10 years. Improvements center on employing contemporary culture technologies to maximize fish production and ensuring greater sustainability by using the best technology available to reduce energy use and minimize the facilities carbon footprint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DEC will implement its modernization plan in three phases, with Phase 1 beginning immediately. Highlights of Phase 1 include: Covering the rearing ponds to exclude predators, reduce sunlight, and provide a surface for a photovoltaic system at the Caledonia Hatchery Refurbishing ponds at the South Otselic Hatchery for increased walleye production Overhauling the water supply system at the Salmon River Hatchery Building a new hatch house at Chateaugay Hatchery Replacing the existing hatchery at Randolph with a brand-new facility This plan not only ensures the continued health and sustainability of our states freshwater fisheries but also preserves critical recreational and economic opportunities for future generations. New Yorks fish hatchery system is a vital part of our states natural heritage and supports recreational fishing that benefits local communities, small businesses, and tourism across the state, New York State Conservation Council President Dr. Keith Tidball said. The hatcheries are not just facilities they are centers of fisheries conservation, education, and economic vitality. Visit the DEC website for more information about the fish hatchery system. Stocking information, along with fishing regulations, maps, and access information is also available in The Tackle Box feature of the DEC HuntFishNY smartphone app. Other features include driving directions to state boat launch sites and an offline feature that allows a user to access information when cell coverage isnt available. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) A total of nine people, products and companies have been named to this years Illinois Manufacturing Hall of Fame class, and one inductee has ties to Macon County. On Tuesday, the Illinois Manufacturers Association (IMA) announced the 2025 class of inductees, which recognizes individuals, products and companies that have had a lasting impact on the manufacturing industry across Illinois. One of the people being inducted is J. Gerald Demirjian, a Decatur engineer and entrepreneur. Juneteenth to be celebrated across Central Illinois Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Demirjian acquired the York Division compressor line in 1987 and started TCCI Manufacturing, a global innovator in compressor and thermal management technologies. From Central Illinois to customers across the world, TCCI has created jobs, driven innovation and strengthened communities. His legacy continues to live on through a family-led company that is powering future generations of commercial transportation. Established in 2024, the Illinois Manufacturing Hall of Fame celebrates over two centuries of manufacturing in Illinois. Additionally, manufacturing is the largest contributor of any industry to the states Gross Domestic Product (GDP), supporting almost one-third of all jobs statewide and contributing over $580 billion to the states economy each year. For more than 200 years, Illinois manufacturers have created iconic products to improve our daily lives, built companies that have transformed communities, fostered visionary leaders dedicated to building a brighter tomorrow, and are reimagining the future and creating it with cutting edge technology, Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers Association, said. This years Hall of Fame inductees reflect our states proud manufacturing legacy and demonstrate that the future of manufacturing in Illinois remains strong. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Explosive detonation training in progress in Decatur Outside of Demirjian, the other eight 2025 inductees include: People Barry L. MacLean : An engineer by training, MacLean grew MacLean-Fogg into a global manufacturing leader with three dozen locations around the globe. Suad Muthana : Muthana represents the American dream, immigrating to the United States without a formal education before co-founding M&M Quality Grinding in Hodgkins. Products Kraft Mac & Cheese : For over 85 years (introduced by James Lewis Kraft in 1937), Kraft Mac & Cheese has been serving up comfort and smiles one bowl at a time. Red SOLO Cup : Created by Leo Hulseman, the iconic and best-selling red SOLO Cup is the original sign of good times. Tootsie Roll : Manufactured in Chicago since 1968, Tootsie Rolls are a chocolate taffy candy and the first penny candy to be individually wrapped in America. Companies & Organizations C. Cretors & Company : Founded in 1885, C. Cretors and Company is a 5th-generation, family-owned global leader in food processing and concession equipment. Ford Motor Company : Founded by Henry Ford in 1903, Ford Motor Company is a global manufacturer of automobiles, with their oldest continuously operating factory in Chicago. Horween Leather Company : Founded in 1905, Horween Leather Company produces premium leathers for a wide variety of top-quality products. Illinois has a storied reputation as a global hub for innovation and manufacturing, and the ongoing success of industry leaders and companies small and large is a testament to our unmatched legacy, Governor JB Pritzker, said. I am proud to congratulate this years Illinois Manufacturing Hall of Fame Inductees, who have made significant contributions not just in manufacturing but to the cultural and commercial fabric of America as well as communities across Illinois. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Hall of Fame inductees will be honored during a ceremony at 11 a.m. on June 26 at the Westin Chicago Lombard. At the event, the IMA will also partner with the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center to unveil the 2025 Manufacturing Excellence Awards winners: recognizing companies, organizations and individuals in eight key categories. For more information on the IMA, visit ima-net.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 WCIA.com. DECATUR, Ala (WHNT) Just eight days after being sworn in as Decaturs new police chief, Torry Mack is speaking about taking on this new role. News 19 is the first station in North Alabama to speak with Mack since his swearing-in. News 19s Tamika Alexander had the chance to catch up with the chief about whats ahead for his officers and the community they serve. After years of darkness the Hudson Memorial Bridge has new lights Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mack is a Birmingham native, a military veteran, and recently retired from the Birmingham Police Department. But that didnt last long. Shortly after his retirement, the father of four accepted the position of police chief in Decatur. A position he admits comes with challenges. I want to bridge the gap between the police department and the citizens of Decatur, Mack said. I have met with many citizens I have met with some officers my command staff and they are willing to one day we are going to sit down and all of us some citizens and the command staff to have fruitful dialogue not to talk about the past but where we are today and how we can move forward it. Part of Decaturs past includes the shooting death of Steven Perkins. He was killed in the front yard of his home by former Decatur police officer Mac Marquette in September of 2023 during a botched repossession attempt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wife, insurance agent testify as state begins presenting case in Decatur chiropractors attempted murder trial There are no true winners, He said. You have a woman that will never have her husband. Children wont have their father, brothers and sisters wont have their brother. On the other side, I am pro law enforcement, you have to think about the former officer as well. Since the death of Perkins, citizens have taken to the streets in protest. And with Marquettes trial looming. Mack said he has requested that some of his staff get additional training. We have to get boots on the ground, said Chief Mack. We have to train for it because it could possibly happen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That additional training to handle crowds is one of several issues detailed in an independent review of the police department released earlier this year. Mack said he agrees with some of the recommendations However, his plans to heal the divide in Decatur center around one thing. Keeping citizens informed, giving them a sense of ownership. It boils down to we are there to serve, it is their police department, I am their police chief. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. South Dakota Supreme Court Justice Janine Kern speaks during oral arguments March 22, 2023, in Brookings. Also pictured are Justice Scott Myren, left, and Chief Justice Steven Jensen. (Dave Bordewyk/South Dakota Newspaper Association) The longest-serving current justice of South Dakotas Supreme Court will step down in December, creating a vacancy to be filled by Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden. Justice Janine Kern represents the high courts first district, which includes Custer, Lawrence, Meade and Pennington counties. Prior to her appointment by former Gov. Dennis Daugaard in 2014, Kern spent 18 years as a circuit court judge for that West River area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her father Paul Kern, a former circuit court judge, administered three oaths of office for her first as an attorney, then a circuit court judge, and finally as a Supreme Court justice. It is with a heart brimming with gratitude for the trust and confidence placed in me, which gave me the opportunity to serve the people of this great state, that I notify you of my retirement on December 8, 2025, nearly 29 years to the day of my investiture as a circuit court judge, the 64-year-old Kern said in her retirement announcement. It has been a deep honor and privilege to serve. In a press release on her announcement, Chief Justice Steven Jensen praised Kern for her unwavering commitment to justice, the integrity of the courts, and a deep compassion for the people we serve. In addition to her service as a judicial officer, Kern served on the Council of Juvenile Services from 2004 to 2013 and on the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice from 2004 and 2008, as well as on numerous other boards and commissions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I work with several young attorneys who look up to her as a role model, so her steady hand on the court will be missed, Rhoden said in a press release. As I review potential appointments to replace her on the bench, I will be hopeful that we can find a future Supreme Court judge of her caliber. Kern is one of two women the other being Justice Patricia DeVaney currently serving on the five-member high court. Kern was previously part of the states only female-majority state Supreme Court, serving alongside Justices Lori Wilbur and Judith Meierhenry, who was the first woman appointed to the states high court. That female majority court heard a single case on a single day, April 25, 2017, when then-Justice Steven Zinter disqualified himself and retired Justice Meierhenry stepped in. Wilbur retired later that year. Kern is one of three current justices appointed by Daugaard, the others being Mark Salter and Jensen, who was elected chief justice by his colleagues in 2021. Former Gov. Kristi Noem appointed Justices DeVaney and Scott Myren. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rhoden will choose Kerns replacement based on recommendations from the state Judicial Qualifications Commission. To be considered, potential justices must be licensed to practice law in South Dakota and voting residents of the district from which they are appointed at the time they take office. Justices face retention elections on the November general election ballot three years after their initial appointment, and every eight years after that. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Bitcoin leaped to $108,000 on Monday, after hovering near $105,000 for most of the weekend, as top U.S and Chinese officials get ready to meet in London this week in the hopes of salvaging a fraying trade deal. Bitcoin gained 2% on Monday, according to Binance, briefly touching $108,900 before falling slightly. The bump comes as investors express optimism about the potential for a resolution of trade disputes between the U.S. and one of its largest trading partners. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinas vice premier for economic policy He Lifeng will lead their respective delegations in negotiations that are expected to begin Monday and continue into Tuesday, according to the New York Times. This weeks talks are part of President Donald Trumps ongoing campaign to force U.S. trading partners to concede to various demands by threatening to impose hefty tariffs on foreign imports. After Trump announced a sweeping tariff policy in April that would affect nearly all U.S. trading partners, the president authorized a 90-day pause to allow time for negotiations. However, the pause did not include tariffs on China, which were raised to 145%. The policy triggered retaliatory levies from China and led many investors to flee American markets, fearing the consequences of a potential trade war. Bitcoin fell to a yearly low of $75,000 as tensions between the nations escalated. After a summit in Geneva last month, Trump reversed course and announced on May 12 that the U.S. and China had reached an agreement in which the two nations would temporarily lower their tariffs and hold additional talks to reduce tensions. Bitcoin surged to an all-time high of $111,000 on May 22, following news of the deal. But the truce did not last long. Trump accused China of reneging on the deal over a dispute about Chinese exports of rare earth magnets. Trump wrote on Truth Social on May 30: China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY! In an effort to salvage the fraying trade deal, Trump and Xi talked over the phone for the first time in months last week. Following the 90-minute call, Trump announced that top officials from both countries would meet in London this week to resume negotiations. Other factors that may be contributing to Bitcoins price surge are an increase in crypto-related IPOs. Last week, stablecoin giant Circle went public on the New York Stock Exchange and saw its shares pop over 168%, jumping from $31 to $69 within the first day of trading. Gemini, a crypto exchange founded by the Winklevoss twins, also filed for an IPO on Friday, in another example of the crypto industry becoming more intertwined with traditional finance. Relatives of the late Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams-Earley anticipated it, but when President Donald Trump announced their parents' names would be stripped from the Virginia base, they were still surprised. Trump, in front of a crowd of Army soldiers Tuesday at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, said "for a little breaking news" that his administration would be removing the name Fort Gregg-Adams, which was bestowed on the base in 2023, and returning it to Fort Lee, originally named in honor of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, who commanded troops of the slave-holding South during the Civil War. In a follow-up statement from the Army, it became clear that the base would not be explicitly named for the leader of the Confederate troops but instead for Pvt. Fitz Lee, a Buffalo soldier awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery in combat during the Spanish-American War. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read Next: Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump's Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance In all, the Trump administration is restoring the names of nine Army bases that shed Confederate namesakes in 2023 following an independent commission review directed by Congress. In each case, the administration found service members to use as namesakes who shared the names of the Confederate Civil War-era figures that were removed. The latest renaming was designed to sidestep the law passed by Congress ordering the removal of names honoring Confederates who fought to secede from the U.S. However, in Trump's speech at Fort Bragg, he specifically mentioned "Robert E. Lee." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was seen as a slight to the descendants of Gregg and Adams-Earley. Stanley Earley, the son of the soldier who served as the highest-ranking Black female officer in World War II, told Military.com that while he wasn't shocked at the change, he was "surprised" as well as "disappointed and upset" by the sudden announcement. "The naming of Fort Gregg-Adams sent a powerful positive message to the future," Earley told Military.com in an interview Wednesday. "Undoing it sends an even stronger, deeply negative message." Just two years ago, Fort Lee was renamed for Gregg -- the first Black brigadier general in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps and the first Black lieutenant general in the Army -- as well as Adams-Earley, who was the first Black officer in what would later become the Women's Army Corps prior to her death in 2002. It was a particularly powerful moment for Alicia Collier, Gregg's daughter. He was one of the first service members in recent history to have a base named after him while he was still alive. He died in August at the age of 96. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's very disheartening," Collier told Military.com on Wednesday. "My father worked his entire life trying to move the Army and, as a result, the nation forward, and now we're watching it slip backwards." Collier and Earley both first spoke to Military.com in February, expressing worries that their parents' names could be removed from the Virginia base under Trump's Department of Defense. Both previously praised the intensive review process of the Naming Commission, which was created by Congress to make recommendations on base names and ultimately landed on their parents' histories to honor. Notably, neither said anything negative regarding Pvt. Lee, whose name will now adorn the Virginia base. The Spanish-American War hero was born just 25 miles away from the base in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's database. "During a coastal assault in Cuba, Lee voluntarily disembarked under direct enemy fire to rescue wounded comrades from the battlefield," the Army's statement said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, it's the legal technicalities that are concerning to the relatives of Gregg and Adams, as well as Trump's own admission during the speech that it was to honor "Robert E. Lee." "I think that the intent is that we're still honoring the original Robert E. Lee," Collier said. "It's a very interesting way to work around." Neither Collier nor Earley said they had been contacted by government or military officials prior to Tuesday's announcement by Trump. Earley said he was caught off guard, in part, because in late April, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson honored the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the Six Triple Eight commanded by Adams, with a Congressional Gold Medal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson praised "the incomparable Lt. Col. Charity Adams-Earley who guided her unit" and commended her "unshakable grace and resolve," according to a copy of his remarks. In a few weeks, Earley was surprised that sentiment seemed to change. "They just had the Congressional Gold Medal session for the Six Triple Eight, and there were so many positive statements about the unit and my mother and what they did," Earley said. "It's a little bit surprising." The renaming of the bases is just the latest in a wide range of Trump administration actions removing historical ties. Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to rename a ship that honored Harvey Milk, a gay rights icon, and other ship names are reportedly under review. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Given the cultural shift by the administration, both of the descendants said it's not clear what the next steps forward would be. "There isn't really any recourse that's likely to be successful, so I guess we'll just have to move forward and hope that maybe, at the very least the original decision to rename, and that Charity Adams and Arthur Gregg's names, will still be a part of our history and that we won't erase it," Collier said. Related: Their Relatives Were Black Heroes. They Fear the Military Won't Celebrate Their Stories Anymore. June 10 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparred with Democrats on Capitol Hill on Tuesday over the decision to send 5,000 Marines and National Guard troops into Los Angeles as some protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids turned violent. Hegseth, a former National Guardsman, testified before the House Appropriations subcommittee, where he defended the decision to deploy troops and the role of ICE. "We ought to be able to enforce immigration law in this country," Hegseth testified. "I think we're entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In Los Angeles, we believed ICE had the right to safely conduct operations," Hegseth added. "We deployed National Guard and the Marines to protect them." Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., asked Hegseth why he was sending "war fighters to cities to interact with civilians?" Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies Tuesday at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., where he sparred with Democrats over his decision to deploy 5,000 Marines and National Guard members into Los Angeles after some protests against ICE raids turned violent. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI "ICE agents need to be able to do their job," Hegseth responded. "They are being attacked for doing their job, which is deporting illegal criminals. The governor of California has failed to protect his people, along with the mayor of Los Angeles. And so President Trump has said he will protect our agents and our Guard and Marines." Aguilar fired back against Hegseth's answer and said, "The law also says Mr. Secretary that the orders for these purposes shall be issued through governors of the states." Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives to testify at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota also sparred with Hegseth about the cost of deploying the National Guard and Marines, and whether their absence would impact trainings in other parts of the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two talked over each other repeatedly as Hegseth referenced the George Floyd murder protests and accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of "abandoning a police precinct" in 2020. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives to testify at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., on Tuesday. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI "We're both from Minnesota. I was in the Twin Cities during the riots that followed the murder of George Floyd. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets for days," said McCollum. "At no point did we need Marines to be deployed. This is a deeply unfair position to put our Marines in. Their service should be honored. It should not be exploited." "You are right," Hegseth testified. "We are both originally from Minnesota. Which is why I recall 2020 quite well, when Gov. Walz abandoned a police precinct and allowed it to be burned to the ground -- and also allowed five days of chaos to occur inside the streets of Minneapolis." Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies Tuesday at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill, where he justified the deployment of troops to Los Angeles and claimed "the governor of California failed to protect his people." Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI "We believe that ICE has the right to safely conduct operations in any state and any jurisdiction in the country," Hegseth continued. "Especially after 21 million illegals have crossed our border under the previous administration. ICE should be able to do their job." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Chairman, I have limited time," McCollum declared. "I asked a budget question." After repeated questioning about the budget by several committee members, Hegseth finally gave an answer. "We have a 13% increase in our defense budget and we will have the capability to cover contingencies, which is something the National Guard and the Marines plan for. So we have the funding to cover contingencies, especially ones as important as maintaining law and order in a major American city," Hegseth testified. During the hearing, Hegseth was also questioned about spending cuts to foreign aid programs, including USAID, and staffing cuts at the Defense Department, to which he argued the administration is reducing any program considered "wasteful and duplicitous." White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller insists that by urging the withdrawal of military forces in Los Angeles, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass are stoking violent insurrection. In response to Bass calling for a halt on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, Miller said that the California politicians were attempting "to control Americas entire immigration policy by fiat." In an overheated rant posted to X, the Trump adviser said that Bass and Newsom sought the "nullification... of federal law, of national sovereignty, and of the bedrock constitutional command of one national government." "The Mayor of LA is effectively saying the mob violence is caused by the mere presence of ICE in the city, and the violence against ICE will not stop unless federal law enforcement is withdrawn from the city. This is the definition of insurrection," he wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miller went on to call protestors insurrectionists and accused Newsom of encouraging violence. The governor's office responded with a statement that said, "Stephen Miller has no peer when it comes to creating bulls**t, straw men arguments." Millers posts might provide insight into the White House's thinking. While President Donald Trump hasn't invoked the Insurrection Act, which grants the president wide leeway in using military forces within U.S. borders, he has deployed several battalions of troops to Los Angeles. On Tuesday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he was open to the idea. If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see, he said. Q: "Will you invoke the Insurrection Act to deal with the situation in California?" President Trump: "If there's an insurrection I would certainly invoke it. We'll see...if we didn't get involved right now Los Angeles would be burning." pic.twitter.com/q4wPI9SWZE CSPAN (@cspan) June 10, 2025 Its been 60 years since a president invoked the Insurrection Act without a states request, when President Lyndon B. Johnson deployed Alabama's National Guard in 1965 to protect civil rights demonstrators marching from Selma to Montgomery. Invoking the Insurrection Act would allow Trump to authorize military personnel to perform the duties of domestic law enforcement. The administration mobilized hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles on Monday to join up with the National Guard personnel it deployed on Saturday. Newsom has repeatedly condemned the action and unsuccessfully sought a temporary restraining order limiting the scope of military actions in the city. A child under 12 years old receives a dose of Pfizer vaccine as part of the COVID-19 immunization campaign on Jan. 18, 2022 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. (Pedro Vilela | Getty Images) West Virginia school officials will instruct public schools to follow the states existing vaccine laws, going against an existing executive order from Gov. Patrick Morrisey that students be exempted from the requirements based on their religious beliefs about the shots. At its regular meeting Wednesday, the state Board of Education signed off on directing Superintendent Michele Blatt to issue the vaccine mandate guidance to county school boards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement West Virginia state law allows only medical exemptions to school-required vaccines, making the policy one of the strongest in the country. Morrisey issued an executive order earlier this year requiring the state to allow religious exemptions. Speaking at the school board meeting, Sean Whelan, Morriseys general counsel, told the school board theres been a misunderstanding about the basis of Morriseys executive order. The governor isnt second guessing science or defying a law passed by the Legislature, he said. Instead, he is reading that vaccine law together with another law, the Equal Protection for Religion Act of 2023, which prohibits government action that substantially burdens a persons exercise of religion unless it serves a compelling government interest and is the least restrictive means of achieving that interest, he said. That language mirrors the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which federal courts across the country have described as a super statute, displacing the normal operation of otherwise applicable federal laws. The executive order applies only to the state health officials under Morriseys purview, and the governor is not ordering the Board of Education or county school boards to do anything, Whelan said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But he is asking for your partnership and support in applying the Equal Protection for Religion. Act that has been on the books since 2023 and until he came into office, wasnt applied, Whelan said. That law should be applied as written, and when it is, it requires the religious exemptions to compulsory vaccination that the health department provides. State lawmakers this year did not pass Senate Bill 460, which would have made the religious exemptions part of state law. Despite the bill not passing, Morriseys executive order stands. The state Department of Health had approved approximately 300 religious exemptions as of late last month. The difference between the governors order and state law has led to a fractured response from schools. Blatt issued a memo May 2 to county superintendents recommending that students not be allowed to attend schools next year without the required vaccinations but rescinded the guidance before the end of the day at the governors request. Some private and religious schools opted not to follow the governors order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia and legal advocacy organization Mountain State Justice filed a lawsuit asking the Kanawha County Circuit to compel the states Department of Health and Bureau for Public Health to stop complying with the executive order. In a statement Wednesday, Morrisey spokesman Alex Lanfranconi said the school board is trampling on the religious liberties of children, ignoring the states religious freedom law, and trying to make the state an extreme outlier on vaccine policy when there isnt a valid public policy reason to do so. This decision isnt about public health its about making West Virginia more like liberal states such as California and New York, he said. The Department of Health will continue to grant religious exemptions, he said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Thousands of rail manufacturing jobs will be put at risk if the Government fails to sign off on a backlog of orders for new trains, bosses have warned. Executives from manufacturers Alstom and Siemens told MPs that long gaps between contracts for new trains on Britains rail network would jeopardise production and threaten jobs. Only three tenders for new trains are in the offing, with both companies warning that they face a cliff edge in the rate they can build trains if they fail to win at least one of them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The businesses support thousands of jobs across the country, with Alstoms Derby factory dating back 140 years and Siemens having opened its first British plant in Goole, East Yorkshire, in October. Sambit Banerjee, Siemens Mobilitys UK chief executive, urged the Government to establish a five-year, fully-funded pipeline of orders to safeguard jobs. We see an immediate necessity to push ahead with procurement. A lot of stock is very, very old and to upgrade it is much more expensive than bringing new trains in, he told the Commons transport select committee. What the industry wants is certainty of the pipeline and certainty of the projects coming on time. We want to win competitively, but we are not getting that opportunity. Alstoms Derby factory dates back 140 years - Asadour Guzelian Since taking power last year, the Labour Government has pledged to establish an industrial strategy for rolling-stock and end what it called the boom-and-bust cycle of train orders by ensuring a strong pipeline of work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Mr Banerjee warned that Britain risks missing out on future spending if there are no orders to chase following investment such as the 340m that Siemens devoted to the Goole plant. He said: When I go to Munich Im fighting with emerging economies and with the US, who are also asking for research and development money. If our shareholders give us 340m there has to then be projects coming to fruition. Mr Banerjee added that while refurbishment work can help bridge the gap between new orders, this often represents poor value for money, pointing to upgrades to the 52-year-old Bakerloo Line trains for Transport for London (TfL). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Siemens will also complete a contract for 94 Piccadilly Line trains in two years, Mr Banerjee said, after which the Goole site, which employs 700 people, faces a stiff drop in production unless it wins work on trains for the Southeastern, TransPennine or Northern networks. A four-year funding settlement for TfL announced on Wednesday by Rachel Reeves in the Chancellors spending review should also fund a shorter term order for new Bakerloo Line trains. Bidding for tenders has not been helped by changes to specifications and the number of trains needed, making it extraordinarily difficult for us as manufacturers to plan, he said. Alstom, whose Derby Litchurch Lane site is Britains biggest train factory with 1,500 workers, is also concerned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peter Broadley, the companys commercial director, told the committee: There has been barely any rolling-stock procurement since the pandemic. If we were to win none of the three coming up it would be a tough environment. Alstom was last year awarded a top-up order for 90 Elizabeth Line carriages that saved the Derby site from potential closure ahead of fitting out work on trains for High Speed 2. The companies face competition for contracts from Hitachi, which employs 700 people in Newton Aycliffe, Co Durham, and CAF of Spain, which operates a smaller plant in Newport, Wales. Hitachi was itself handed a lifeline in December with a 500m, 14-train deal from FirstGroups Lumo brand, which will compete with the nationalised Great British Railways. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Labour said last year that the rolling-stock sector would not be taken under state control, given costs estimated to be 10bn. The Department for Transport was contacted 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. SCHENECTADY Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado is pitching himself as a transformative leader who will make fundamental changes to how New York operates and will prioritize issues, blaming current leaders his boss Gov. Kathy Hochul for failing to effectively respond to the core issues of our time. On Saturday, in a humid half-court YMCA gymnasium to a crowd of about 150 people in his hometown, Delgado spoke of family, of loyalty, of his commitment to representing the people of New York above all, and batted away criticism that hes proven a disloyal No. 2 to Hochul. Some folks will talk about this idea of loyalty, since I announced my run for governor, loyalty, he said. But I have to ask, loyal to who? Loyal to what? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Loyalty to a broken system is why were in this mess to begin with, he continued. Dont talk to me about loyalty unless its loyalty to the people. Delgado didnt name Hochul outright in his speech, but derided many of the policies the Hochul administration has overseen as fundamentally out of touch with good governance. All New Yorkers, every single New Yorker, deserves better leadership, he said. He criticized programs that funnel public, taxpayer money into private enterprises, both to achieve economic growth and to deliver public benefits like healthcare and public housing. He questioned the financial viability of such programs, which he said have not done much to improve quality of life or boost economic performance. He said New York is the nations third-largest economy, and would be eighth in the world if identified as its own nation and with a $254 billion public state budget for the coming year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Where is the money going? he asked his supporters on Saturday. Delgado laid out a number of broad policy proposals just a first look, he said. He called for efforts to address poverty, taking back public housing programs and increasing the income cap to qualify for New Yorks Essential Plan publicly-subsidized health insurance plan. He called for universal pre-school across the state and an increase in the statewide minimum wage for everyone. He said the state should stand up its own rental assistance programs, and make efforts to reach the estimated seven out of 10 eligible people who dont take advantage of that and other public benefit programs. He also called for universal childcare beyond universal pre-school as well, and said the state should establish a taxpayer-funded account to pay extra money to childcare workers as well. But when asked if he supported the extra spending that would come with those programs, Delgado said he wasnt backing the bills that currently exist in the state legislature that would enact many of these programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What Im laying out is a vision, he said to gathered reporters after the campaign event. Then you work with the legislative body to effectuate the vision and figure out what the best way forward is to get there. Delgados message is one of change, of a departure from the way Hochul and recent governors before her have done things and he said he has not been a significant part of that governance despite being the No. 2 most senior elected official in the state since 2022, when Hochul appointed him to replace then-Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin. Ive tried very hard to communicate all these things within the administration, Ive tried to push to make sure that we take bolder steps, he said. Now listen, to do that you have to be part of the decision-making process, right. To do that, you have to be included. He said he was not included in that process, despite promises from Hochul before he was appointed that she would take a different approach to governing and would include the lieutenant in more decisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats not historically how the job works for years, the lieutenant governor position has been varying degrees of thankless and responsibility-free. The lieutenant is no longer even regularly handed control of state government when the governor leaves the state, thanks to modern communications technology and the governors private planes and helicopters. Delgado broke with Hochul nearly a year ago first by calling for President Joseph R. Biden to step aside from his reelection campaign after his poor debate performance in June of 2024, then on further and further issues. After telling reporters in a rare Capitol news conference that he was working toward a better relationship with the governor, Delgado announced he would step aside and not run for reelection with Hochul. She responded by stripping him of everything but the most basic essentials for his office taking back his downstate and Capitol second floor office space, a significant amount of his staff, digital devices, executive email and vehicles. Delgado has been left with a skeleton crew for official staff and a rarely-used office off of the state Senate chambers mostly used for ceremonial purposes in typical times. She also took all the duties and initiatives shes assigned to him and his team a program to boost civic engagement and any assignments to represent the Governors office at events across the state. All that remains is his constitutional duty to preside over the Senate another rarely used ceremonial role almost always delegated to the Senate Majority Leader by assigning them as President Pro Tempore. Delgado hasnt done that since the first day of session in January. Delgado has maintained for months, since he started to break with the governor, that his real job is to get out there and connect with people, a phrase hes repeated often including on Saturday. He, in his capacity as Lieutenant, has held quasi-campaign rallies across the state framed as town hall events, meeting with those in the community who care to show up. Many of those events were filmed and cut together for his campaign announcement video. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As lieutenant governor, I cant control when somebody decides to take a look at my staff, I cant control someone taking my phone, I cant control that, he said. What I can control is my connection to New Yorkers, and Im going to continue to lean in on my connection to New Yorkers. New Yorkers, who, by the way, who independently elected me to serve in this capacity. Delgado went on to say that he didnt see that same approach from Hochul and thats what made him decide to run against her. I wasnt seeing the plan, on top of that you dont have visibility to where were going, you dont know exactly what the plan is, what the vision is, this feels more reactive, thats the piece I want to make sure that I change, he said. Delgados path to victory is far from simple Hochul has the incumbency advantage, years of fundraising, the support of the state Democratic party and polls better than Delgado in statewide rankings. Shortly after Delgado dropped his announcement video on June 2, a coordinated effort by the state party to shore up local Democratic support resulted with over 40 out of 64 local county Democratic chairs endorsing Hochul. On Friday, three leading Schenectady County Democrats announced theyre backing Hochul. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hochuls campaign declined to comment on the lieutenant governors criticism, or his candidacy in general, but pointed to a handful of news reports detailing those county and local endorsements of her, plus a New York Post article from Saturday with the headline No Show Delgado: NYs lieutenant governor does little to earn $220k paycheck, records show. But Delgado isnt without his support a handful of Democratic chairs, including from Greene and Otsego counties were at his event on Saturday. They appeared in their personal capacities many county committees dont endorse before a primary, and others havent had meetings to decide if they want to endorse, and who to endorse, yet. Greene County Chair Lori Torgerson said her county committee hasnt met yet, but said that for her personally, Delgado represents a good leader with a clear vision. Antonio has integrity, everything he said today I believe he delivers on, and in my experience he has never been a leader who says one thing and does another, she said. Otsego County chair Caitlin Ogden said her committee generally doesnt endorse a candidate if theres a primary, but said that since Delgados time in Congress hes demonstrated an ability to flip Republican and Trump-loyal voters and could be the best pick to stop the shift to the right the electorate has demonstrated in recent elections I feel that hes the one whose got a proven track record doing that, and he has a really good shot, she said. Mikie Sherrill, a four-term Democratic congresswoman, and former Republican state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli have won their parties nominations for New Jersey governor. Tuesdays results set the stage for one of this years two potentially competitive gubernatorial races, along with Virginia, that will serve as a key barometer of President Donald Trumps job performance and a gauge of the energy in both parties ahead of next years midterm elections. Already, the president has been a central figure in both candidates campaigns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, bested five other candidates who all ran as fighters who would push back on the chaos of Washington. Ciattarelli, who narrowly lost a 2021 bid for governor, won the nomination again with the help of Trumps endorsement. Turnout in both races broke records for New Jerseys gubernatorial primaries. Historic trends could favor Democrats in November. New Jersey voters have consistently picked the gubernatorial candidate from the party out of power in Washington in recent decades with one exception incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy was re-elected in 2021, one year after Joe Biden won the presidency. Murphy is term-limited from seeking another term. At the same time, New Jersey is among the states that shifted to the right during the 2024 general election. Vice President Kamala Harris won the state by just six percentage points in 2024, four years after Biden won the state by nearly 16 points. Sherrill bests a crowded Democratic field New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill speaks during the New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial primary debate at NJ PBS Studios on May 12 in Newark, New Jersey. - Steve Hockstein/NJ Advance Media/Pool/AP Running against Trumps policies is familiar territory for Sherrill, who has been seen as a rising star in the party ever since she won a longtime GOP seat during the presidents first term in office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before launching her first congressional campaign in 2017, Sherrill spent nearly a decade in the Navy and briefly worked as a federal prosecutor. The political novice was among dozens of Democrats, many of them women, who ran on their records of public service and national security experience to harness anti-Trump sentiment. Sherrill defeated her opponent, Republican state Assemblyman Jay Webber, by nearly 15 points. Though she was part of the same freshman class as Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other liberal members of The Squad, Sherrill aligned herself with a moderate group of newly elected Democrats who had also ousted Republican lawmakers. She joined the centrist New Democrat and conservative Blue Dog coalitions in the Democratic caucus, and was part of block of Democrats with national security and military experience who helped generate broad support for Trumps first impeachment. Sherrills platform centered on lowering costs for New Jersey voters and portraying herself as a fighter who would take on Trump. A state like this is not going to be led by a Trump lackey like Jack Ciattarelli, Sherrill said. I am ready to shake up the status quo and Jack is the status quo. Hes not changed. Hes a re-run. Hes a ghost of elections past. And I have fought for new opportunities my entire life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherrill was seen as a front-runner in the weeks leading up to Tuesdays six-candidate Democratic primary. The other Democratic candidates were Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, former state Senate president Steve Sweeney, New Jersey Education Association president Sean Spiller and Rep. Josh Gottheimer. Her opponents highlighted donations she received from the Elon Musk-owned SpaceXs political action committee during her congressional runs and her endorsements from county Democratic committees. Ciattarelli will count on Trumps support Jack Ciattarelli speaks at the New Jersey Republican gubernatorial primary debate at NJ PBS Studios on May 7 in Newark, New Jersey. - Steve Hockstein/NJ Advance Media/Pool/AP Whether Ciattarelli can be successful in November will likely depend on his ability to turn out voters loyal to Trump while also expanding support with people who have not embraced the president and his agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Along the way, we also made a strong statement of what our New Jersey Republican Party stands for, a party open to anyone and everyone whos willing to work hard and play by the rules, a party of Jersey values and common sense policies, a party that believes our best days are ahead of us, if we have the courage to think big and act boldly, Ciattarelli told his supporters Tuesday night. Ciattarelli backers waved signs declaring Its Time! and Mikie Made Millions, a reference to criticism Sherrill has received over her stock trading while in Congress. The GOP nominee thanked supporters and the states most well-known part-time resident, Trump. Support for Trump was a point of contention in advertisements and during feisty debates. Ciattarelli and conservative radio host Bill Spadea repeatedly sparred over their allegiance to the president, seizing on past criticisms they had each leveled at Trump at various points in their long record of public commentary. Bill Spadea attacks Donald Trump, intoned one ad from Ciattarelli, seizing on soundbites of Spadea suggesting Trump shouldnt run in 2024. Loyalty matters to President Trump, Spadea said in one of his ads, replaying comments from Ciattarelli criticizing Trump amid his rise during the 2016 campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jon Bramnick, a more moderate candidate, didnt compete for Trumps endorsement the same way. He remarked at a February debate: Do you think the people of New Jersey want the debate to be who loves Donald Trump the most, or who loves New Jersey the most? Trump endorsed Ciattarelli in a social media post with about a month left in the race. Jack, who after getting to know and understand MAGA, has gone ALL IN, and is now 100% (PLUS!), Trump wrote. As your next Governor, Jack Ciattarelli will work closely with me and the Trump Administration to advance our America First Agenda. Ciattarelli on Tuesday said that his new Democratic opponent would be hyper-focused on attacking the president. Trust me, if this campaign were a drinking game and you took a shot every time Mikie Sherrill says Trump, youre gonna be drunk off your ass every day, he said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, announced plans to run for the U.S. Senator seat in the 2026 election. (Photo contributed by Wahls for Iowa) State Sen. Zach Wahls, a Coralville Democrat, announced Wednesday his campaign in the 2026 election for the seat held by Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst. Wahls said he is running to support hardworking families and to fix the problems he and other Iowans are facing, like the high cost of groceries, child care and medications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Government isnt listening to Iowans, Wahls said in an interview. Its not working for us. Iowans who are working hard are just falling further and further behind. Wahls is a sixth-generation Iowan who was elected in 2019 as senator for District 43. Prior to that, he was known for his LGBTQ+ activism. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Wahls joins Rep. J.D. Scholten, D-Sioux City, and Democrat Nathan Sage of Indianola, who have announced candidacy runs against Ernst, following comments she made during a recent town hall event. Ernst, while talking at a town hall meeting about federal cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, said we all are going to die in response to an attendee who yelled that the cuts would cause people to die. Following the town hall, Ernst posted a sarcastic apology video and said, during an appearance on WHO Radio, she does not regret how she spoke. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ernst has not officially launched a campaign for reelection, but has hired a campaign manager. Her comments have drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle and led several to announce their plans to run for the seat. Wahls said he and his wife were already considering how they could fight for (their) fellow Iowans in the upcoming election cycle, but Ernsts comments show how she has lost touch with Iowans. Her tone deaf, double down the next day was bizarre, and I think underscored for me how important it is that a new generation of leaders step up and try to actually get things done in Washington, Wahls said. Across the aisle, former state legislator Jim Carlin from Sioux City also launched a run for the seat following Ernsts comments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nick Puglia, regional press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Iowa Democrats have a messy line up of candidates. Now Wahls and the other radicals will fight to see who supports males in womens sports and opposes the deportation of violent illegal immigrants the most, Puglia said in a statement. Wahls was the Senate Democratic leader in 2021, but was removed from the role in 2023 following a disagreement over the termination of two staff members. Wahls said the history shows he is willing to stand up to the establishment. Ive never been afraid of a tough fight, and I think thats going to serve me well, Wahls said. This article has been updated to include comment from NRSC. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE In the lead-up to the June 24 primary election, the Niagara Gazette and Niagara Falls NAACP are hosting a forum for the Democratic candidates in the Niagara Falls City Council race. The forum is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17 at Bloneva Bond Primary School, 2513 Niagara St. The six Democratic candidates for council have been invited and include: John Kinney Jr. Michia Lee Noah Munoz Bridgette Myles Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Donta Myles Sylvana Rahman. Munoz, Kinney and Bridgette Myles have received backing from both the city and county Democrats. There are three open seats on the city council this election cycle. Candidates in attendance at June 17s forum will be questioned by representatives from the debate partners. There are currently no plans to take questions from the audience during the forum. City residents are urged to send in their questions prior to the event to Gazette managing editor Matt Winterhalter at matt.winterhalter@niagara-gazette.com. The forum is expected to last from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop conceding defeat in the race for the Democration gubernatorial nomination at Zeppelin Hall in Jersey City on June 10, 2025. (Reena Rose Sibayan for New Jersey Monitor) The Democrats who lost their partys nomination for governor to Rep. Mikie Sherrill on Tuesday said they will fight to unite the party and keep the governorship in Democrats hands in November. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka told supporters at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark that Democrats have to make sure Sherrills November opponent, Republican former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, does not win. Initial results show Baraka coming in second place, about 100,000 votes behind Sherrill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What were facing is dangerous and ugly and terrible. And terrible. So we have to bring the party together statewide, said Baraka. We have to keep fighting and pushing and fighting and pushing and fighting and pushing for working-class families. And I keep saying that because Im from Newark. Barakas campaign was jolted in the last month by his arrest by federal agents for trespassing at an ICE jail in Newark, a charge authorities quickly dropped. He described his campaigns progress as proof that working-class people can defy expectations and build a powerful, grassroots movement, adding, People didnt think we would make it this far. This is the beginning. Its not the end of anything. We want to build a broad-based coalition across this state of community activists, of union, of labor, of progressives across the state of New Jersey, across zip code and nationality, across religion and how you identify, Baraka said. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop called Tuesday a tough, tough, tough night while addressing supporters at Zeppelin Hall in Jersey City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state is at a crossroads, and although tonight wasnt what we wanted, its important that we work hard to make sure a Democrat gets elected in November. Thats important, he said. Fulop, who will end his third term as Jersey City mayor this year, said he and his wife would be taking a vacation now that the campaign is over. Fulop first announced his gubernatorial run more than two years ago. Life goes on, and well continue to fight, make a better Jersey City, and well fight for a better state of New Jersey when were back here, he said. Sherrill won a resounding victory, nabbing the win in all but six of the states 21 counties, according to preliminary vote totals. Late Tuesday, she was leading with 34% of the vote, with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka in second place with 20%, and Fulop in third with 16%. Rep. Josh Gottheimer won 12%, teachers union president Sean Spiller captured 11%, and former state Sen. Steve Sweeney was in last place with 7%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gottheimer conceded his loss while speaking on a stage at a union hall in Paramus alongside his family. Gottheimer, who campaigned on a dramatic pledge to reduce property taxes by 15%, said hell continue to fight for the Fifth Congressional District which he has represented since 2017 and will never, ever stop fighting to protect Jersey. Former state Sen. Steve Sweeney said he called Sherrill to congratulate her on her win. While the outcome is not what we hoped for, I couldnt be more grateful to every supporter, volunteer, and voter who believed in my campaign and my vision for New Jersey, he said on social media. In a statement, teachers union president Sean Spiller congratulated Sherrill while also painting his defeat as one at the hands of wealthy special interests and insiders. Spillers campaign was fueled by the support of an outside group that spent around $40 million boosting his campaign, with funding entirely from a separate super PAC linked to Spillers union. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im incredibly proud of the work we did to drive forward issues of fairness and affordability and proud of the thousands of grassroots supporters who came together to support our campaign, Spiller said. Baraka, meanwhile, left the door open to a change in the results. Look, the votes still coming in, yall. They didnt count Newark, Paterson, or Passaic or any of these places yet. Those votes are still coming in. The night is still early. Listen, were going to go to sleep and wake up in the morning and see what happens. God bless yall, he said. Clerks in Essex and Passaic counties reported Tuesday night that most of the voting precincts in Newark and Passaic had completely reported their results, while many of Patersons precincts had not yet been reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Juliana DeFrancesco, 18, was one of Barakas roughly 160,000 suporters. DeFrancesco, who voted Tuesday at a Ewing community center for only the second time ever, said cast her ballot for Baraka because he has a lot of really important social opinions. I think hes a really good, qualified candidate. I like how he speaks, and I like that he stands up for all people, and I think thats really important, DeFrancesco said. Thats kind of like what this country was founded on, making sure everybodys equal, everybody has opportunities to get what they want, so I think thats really important. Dana DiFilippo and Morgan Leason contributed. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Blackstone plans to invest at least $500 billion in Europe over the next decade. CEO Steve Schwarzman sees potential in Europe's economic reforms and lower company valuations. The optimism contrasts with January's pessimism at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Europe is back in favor with the world's biggest private equity firm. Blackstone is planning to go big in Europe, CEO and co-founder Stephen Schwarzman told the Financial Times on Tuesday. Schwarzman said that Blackstone is planning to invest at least $500 billion in Europe over the next 10 years, citing "signs of change" in the continent, where the firm's current investments stand at around $350 billion. "European leaders are generally becoming more sensitive to the fact that their growth rates over the past decade have been quite low and it's not sustainable for them," he told the FT. "So they are looking at putting pressure on the European Union regarding deregulation. We think Europe has the prospect of doing better than they had in the past," he said. The finance titan said Blackstone is increasingly bullish on Europe, not just because of lower company valuations compared to US peers or lower financing costs, but also due to growing confidence in the region's economic reforms. "We see it as a major opportunity for us," Schwarzman told Bloomberg Television on Tuesday. Blackstone's positivity on Europe comes as winds of change are blowing in the continent's favor. European governments are planning to boost spending, particularly in defense. Germany, the largest economy in Europe, has also announced spending plans on infrastructure after years of conservative fiscal management. The prospect of growth has sent the Stoxx Europe 600 index up 9% this year to date. Germany's DAX index is up 20% over the same period. The upbeat view toward Europe contrasts with pessimism at the World Economic Forum early this year. At the Davos, Switzerland event, delegates bemoaned the continent's risk aversion, crippling regulations, and isolated markets. "I don't see Europe moving forward enough; I see Europe still focusing on backward looking too much," said BlackRock's CEO, Larry Fink, at the conference. In contrast, WEF participants hailed the US economy in anticipation of President Donald Trump's second term, which they had expected to usher in a pro-business climate. However, Trump's trade war has injected uncertainties into the US's economic outlook and markets. The US stock market cratered in the days following "Liberation Day," but has since recovered all of those losses. A trio of states with Democratic governors viewed as potential 2028 presidential candidates have taken steps in recent weeks to freeze or cut government-funded health care coverage for undocumented immigrants. Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois and Tim Walz of Minnesota have largely attributed the proposals to budget shortfalls stemming from original plans to expand health care to immigrants without legal status. But the moves also occur against the backdrop of broader debate within the Democratic Party over how to handle immigration, an issue that dragged it down in the last election and that President Donald Trump and the GOP have continued to try to capitalize on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plans, which would scale back health care coverage for undocumented immigrants in the three Democratic-led states just years after it was expanded, have angered progressives and immigrant advocacy groups, who warn the party risks alienating its base particularly as protests against Trump's deportation plans break out around the country. The latest development came in Minnesota on Tuesday, after both chambers of the Legislature passed a bill to end state-funded health care for undocumented adults. The bipartisan effort advanced through the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate as part of attempts to balance the state budget. It now goes to Walz, who has said hell sign it. The bill would end undocumented adults eligibility for MinnesotaCare the state-funded health insurance program for low-income residents effectively reversing one of the signature policy wins Walz secured during a landmark legislative session in 2023, when Democrats were in full control of state government. Undocumented children would remain eligible to enroll in the program under the legislation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In California, Newsom unveiled a budget plan last month that would cut back on health care benefits for undocumented immigrants a stark reversal from his promises of universal health care for all the state's residents, regardless of their immigration status. Newsoms plan in his 2025-26 budget has called for freezing enrollment for undocumented adults to receive the full scope of the states Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal. Newsoms office has said the changes would apply only to new applicants over age 19, that existing enrollees wouldnt be kicked off their plans and that the freeze, which would begin next year, wouldnt apply to people enrolled in limited plans. Newsoms proposed changes also included a new $100 monthly premium for adults 19 and older with unsatisfactory immigration status beginning in 2027. His expansion of Medi-Cal has cost far more than his administration anticipated. Newsom has said the changes will help to balance the states budget, which has run a multibillion-dollar shortfall that he has blamed on Trumps tariffs, as well as growing costs from higher enrollment in Medi-Cal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Illinois remains on track by the end of the month to end a program called Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults that provides state-funded health care coverage for more than 30,000 low-income adults who are living in the state without documentation. Similarly, the program in Illinois was more expensive than expected when it was created in 2021. Pritzkers latest budget, which the Democratic-led Legislature passed last month, proposed eliminating it by July 1. At least four other states offer some type of health care coverage to adults, regardless of their immigration status. Several more offer health care coverage for children, regardless of their immigration status, as California, Illinois and Minnesota will continue to do if the new plans go into effect. While the moves would help California, Illinois and Minnesota states recalibrate their budgets, a sweeping Trump-backed domestic policy bill moving through Congress proposes slashing Medicaid funding for states that provide health care coverage to undocumented immigrants. Trump also signed an executive order this year targeting undocumented immigrants' access to government assistance programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response to questions from NBC News, Newsom spokesperson Elana Ross reiterated his statement in his initial announcement of the changes last month that instead of rolling back the program meaning cutting people off for basic care were capping it. Pritzkers office said in an email that this year, passing a balanced budget required the difficult decision that reflects the reality of Trump and Republicans tanking our national economy and attempting to strip away healthcare. A Walz spokesperson didnt respond to questions about Minnesota's plan, which was the result of a compromise after Republican lawmakers had pushed to end the entire MinnesotaCare program. No one got everything they wanted, Walz said last month after he reached a tentative deal with Republicans on the budget, which was finalized in a special session this week. There were very difficult conversations about issues that were very dear to each of these caucuses. But at the end of the day, we were able to come to this agreement. Blowback from the left Immigrant advocacy groups have panned the moves, saying they risk further imperiling the broader health care system, and blasted Democrats for succumbing to Trump's attacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We urge state leaders to build on their progress, rather than placing the health of their residents at risk, said Tanya Broder, the senior counsel for health and economic justice policy at the National Immigration Law Center. Particularly as extremist politicians scapegoat and target immigrants, we are counting on state officials to do the right thing and hold the line. As states increasingly have recognized, a communitys health and well-being depend on ensuring that everyone has access to health care. Immigrants pay billions of dollars in federal, state and local taxes, yet many are excluded from critical health care programs, she added. Terminating state coverage for immigrants will compromise our collective health, as well as the health care infrastructure that serves all of us. Some progressives questioned whether the moves were part of a broader strategy by the three governors to move to the right on the broader issue of immigration, which polling has shown still remains one of Trumps strongest issues. They said they could face a backlash from their base by departing from positions on supporting immigrant communities and expanding health care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It really feeds into the conservative narrative that undocumented immigrants are a drain on our communities, said Jennifer Driver, a senior director at the State Innovation Exchange, a progressive legislative policy group. This assumption that by moving more to the middle or to the right that youre going to recruit some people back I think its a miscalculation. The frustration that youre seeing in the Democratic base is due to this kind of this waffling, this kind of idea that OK, yes, we are progressive but only in some moments, Driver added. Other strategists suggested it remained too early to gauge whether a broader shift was in play as governors and other lawmakers positioned themselves for potential 2028 White House bids, and they emphasized that the threats blue states face from Trump are serious. The Trump administration is squeezing the hell out of states, said Jeff Blodgett, a Minnesota-based Democratic strategist who was a campaign manager for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone and the state director for both of Barack Obamas presidential campaigns. Theres just a lot of concern about current and future budgets given what the federal government is doing to states. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Democratic senators on Tuesday were walking a line between criticizing the White House for sending troops to put down protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles and the violence the administration says caused it to act. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania called out some in his party for not condemning the violence. I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigrationbut this is not that. This is anarchy and true chaos, Fetterman said in a post on X on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: ICE protests live updates My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement, Fetterman continued. PHOTO: This photo released, June 10, 2025, shows US Marines, who were placed in an alert status over the weekend to support US Northern Command's mission, rehearsing nonlethal tactics in the greater Los Angeles area. (US MARINE CORPS/AFP via Getty Images) But some of his colleagues on Capitol Hill say they can support the sentiment behind the protests without condoning violence. We can do two things at one time. We can condemn protests that get out of control, and we can acknowledge that Donald Trump has no interest in standing up to violent protesters, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday when asked about Fettermans comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He pardoned every single violent protester that tried to attack our Capitol and destroy our democracy," he said. "The fact of the matter is, Donald Trump is not looking to create peace. He's not looking to calm the situation. He's looking for a fight, Murphy continued. Murphy and other Democrats repeated that local and state government officials in the city of Los Angeles and the state of California have said they dont need federal help with holding protesters that have engaged in violence or property destruction accountable. [They] all say, We've got this under control. It is unfortunate -- not necessary to mobilize U.S. Marines who are trained for the Pacific, not for the streets of Los Angeles, Democratic Sen. Chris Coons said. MORE: Trump warns that LA military deployment could be first 'of many' in response to ICE protests Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is, of course, important that anyone who attacks police officers or sets fire to vehicles or carries out vandalism, being interrupted and arrested. I support peaceful protest, Coons said. Coons and Murphy said Trumps moves are a distraction from other -- perhaps more important -- matters in Washington, like the big, beautiful bill Trump wants to get passed to fund his agenda, which Democrats are lobbying against. Last week, every one of you was asking me about the fight between Elon Musk and Trump, and how Musk was denouncing the big, beautiful bill as debt and deficit and how a few nervous Republicans were recognizing that taking health care away from 16 million Americans was a really bad idea, Coons told reporters. No one's asking me about that this week. You're only asking me about Los Angeles. It is a critical issue I'm not diminishing the significance of the issue, but it's a reminder that here in the Senate -- what is right in front of us is the so-called big, beautiful bill, which will have consequences for millions of Americans in terms of increasing hunger and decreasing access to health, Coons added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murphy said Trump is trying to create headlines in other places. Republican senators stood behind the presidents decision to send in the troops. Sen. Rand Paul said Democrats reaction to the protests is appalling and a reason why voters dont agree with them. PHOTO: Sen. John Fetterman speaks to press after voting on the nomination of Michael Duffey to be Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, June 2, 2025 in Washington. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images) I think it's another reason why you're seeing the demise of the Democrat brand around the country. You got a city on fire. You got people marching with foreign flags, people marching with a Mexican flag in L.A., resisting federal law, interfering with federal law. You have the governor and the mayor, both Democrats, saying they will interfere and will not uphold federal law, Paul said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: Speaker Johnson, backing Trump's LA actions, says Newsom should be 'tarred and feathered' Republican Sen. Rick Scott blamed Democrats position on immigration for the unrest. If you look at what's going on in LA, it shows exactly what Biden Democrats did by opening their borders the way they did, and allowing people, millions and millions and millions of people, to come in here. They've caused all this, Scott said. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, who stirred controversy in Trumps first term in 2020 for urging him to deploy the National Guard to stop the George Floyd riots, published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday calling for an overwhelming show of force to end the riots" and blaming Democrats for letting them happen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Is anyone surprised? Democrats also stood idly by or even celebrated as the Black Lives Matter riots ransacked our cities five years ago, he wrote. If anything, these riots are worse. At least the [Black Lives Matter] rioters didnt wave foreign flags." Some Democrats condemn violence in LA protests and Trump's response to it originally appeared on abcnews.go.com President Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles and the surrounding area this weekend to shield U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from scores of roving rioters and leftist protestors. Boots hit the ground after it was revealed that violent, leftist mobs were confronting, doxxing, and assaulting ICE agents who were attempting to carry out deportation orders on illegal aliens occupying Los Angeles County. The weekend conflict sparked after over 1,000 Antifa-like organized rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building in Los Angeles, defaced property, slashed tires, and assaulted ICE officers. According to the Department of Homeland Security, it took the Los Angeles Police Department 2 hours to respond to the chaos. Social media platforms are now inundated with seemingly never-ending coverage of rioting, vandalism, assault, theft, and arson in the Los Angeles area, while federal agents are attacked in the streets. How have Californian politicians reacted to this blatant insurrection attempt against our government? A Threat to Our Democracy? Not if Its Democrats Despite legally carrying out deportation raids under the federal authority of DHS, ICE agents have been inundated with threats, both online and in person, from leftist protestors who violently defy federal law and shield illegal aliens from deportation. With a record 413% nationwide increase in assaults against ICE agents, Democrats remain nowhere to be found when it comes to ending the violent insurrection in Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In fact, theyve been fanning the flames and stoking hatred against ICE, Trump, and Republicans in general - in other words, business as usual. LAs Democratic Mayor Karen Bass has come out against the ICE missions, openly defying federal law in order to shield illegal aliens from rightful deportation. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called a looming threat of deploying Marines, "on American soil against its own citizens deranged behavior." Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts called the deployment to curb the violent riots "an abuse of power and a dangerous escalation." Meanwhile on the ground, Democrats are inciting the violent riots, calling for more force against ICE efforts. LA City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez took to the streets, calling for people to openly resist federal authority: "[C]ommunity defense works, and our resistance has slowed them down before and if theyre escalating their tactics, then so are we. When they show up, we gotta show up even stronger." Sen. Adam Schiff of California asserted: "Violence must stop, and we need to keep the focus on protecting fundamental rights. There is nothing President Trump would like more than a violent confrontation with protestors to justify the unjustifiable - invocation of the Insurrection Act or some form of martial law." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats protecting fundamental rights and states sovereignty? Where were the Democrats when Ashli Babbitt was murdered for peacefully protesting? When Jan. 6 protestors were intentionally robbed of their Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial? When Bidens DOJ willfully ignored Antifa terrorists firebombing pro-life pregnancy centers? Or when Laken Riley was brutally murdered by an illegal alien? Democrats only cry wolf when it benefits their politics. In this case, they will go to war against the federal government to protect illegal migrants over the safety of American citizens. Democrats Are Breaking the Law by Prioritizing Foreigners Over Americans Democrats like Gavin Newsom, Adam Schiff, and Karen Bass seem to have skipped out on high school civics; they willfully violated federal law by resisting ICE activity. Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to make all necessary and proper laws to execute its constitutional obligations - including immigration law. Article IV, Section 4 requires immigration and border laws to be enforced for the sake of national security: "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence." This includes violent riots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California Democrats arent only resisting clear federal law, but also violating their own laws. California Penal Code Section 32 explicitly states that any person who harbors, conceals, or aids an individual who they know committed, or was charged with, a felonyis a willful accessory to that felony, and may be arrested themselves. Translation: Physically attacking ICE personnel and preventing federal border agents from doing their job is considered state and federal felony activity. Democrats should lawyer up or stand down. So, who are the "immigrants" Democrats are willing to firebomb federal facilities and get arrested for? DHS posted a sample of the migrant arrests conducted this past weekend; the arrestees included illegal migrants previously convicted for narcotics possession, robbery, domestic violence, possession of a prohibited weapon, DUI, second degree murder, and rape. This past week alone, ICE has arrested 2,000 aliens, a number of whom were wanted for drug trafficking, gang activity, child abuse, robbery, and - most important of all - entering the United States illegally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats continue to resist federal authority when it suits them best; in this case, its for rioters who proudly wave foreign flags on American soil, curse the country that has given them so much, and destroy American communities in senseless acts of weekend violence. One thing is certain however: You cant have your cake and eat it too. Democrats cant cry over Jan. 6 until the end of time, while actively encouraging violent protests against the federal government merely for carrying out its constitutional duties. If this weekends LA riots have taught us anything, it is that Democrats are prouder of noncitizens waiving foreign flags and trashing our streets than they are of American citizens exercising their civic rights. In the words of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller: "Enough is enough." Connor Vasile is a political commentator and analyst. He is the author of "The State Knows Best" and "I'm Joe Biden: In His Own Words." You can find him on X @connor_vasile. Leading Democrats are downplaying concerns over potential political fallout to forcefully challenge President Trumps intervention in Los Angeles protests over his administrations immigration raids. Californias powerful Democratic delegation hammered the president Tuesday, portraying him as an autocrat hell-bent on undermining Americas foundational role as a country of immigrants. Leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), who staged an emergency strategy call Sunday night, are demanding an investigation into the administrations forceful intervention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And top Democratic leaders in both chambers are accusing Trump of waging a war on nonwhite immigrants trampling on democratic conventions and human rights in the process. This isnt about law and order or protecting public safety. Donald Trump wants conflict and violence, Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), chair of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters in the Capitol. House Democrats stand on the side of peaceful protests and condemn the violence that Donald Trump is rooting for. The assertive strategy has plenty of risks. While standing up to Trump is sure to inspire Democratic base voters furious with the president and unhappy with their own partys resistance so far, some of the clashes in Los Angeles have been violent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Incendiary images coming out of LA including burning cars are likely to alienate more moderate voters in purple battleground regions where Democrats in both chambers need gains next year to win back power in Congress. Those images, some Democrats warn, are playing right into the hands of Trump. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who frequently clashes with fellow Democrats, said LA has descended into anarchy and chided his party for not pushing back against the violent incidents more forcefully. I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration but this is not that. This is anarchy and true chaos, he posted Tuesday on the social platform X. My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fact the current conflict is happening in deep blue California a perennial target of conservatives is only exacerbating such concerns. While most in the party have given Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) high marks for his handling of the crisis and his battle with Trump, there is also a lingering queasiness. This is a fight Republicans want right now. Republicans are trying to lean into this blue-states-versus-Trump dynamic, one top Democratic strategist said. And Democrats want a fight, we want a fight we can win. But this is a difficult fight to win because theres so much we cant control. There are so many variables here and a lot of it is completely out of our hands. Other Democrats are sounding similar warnings, and say they expect Trump to play up the most explosive images stemming from the protests, even if they represent a small fraction of the demonstrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is about provocation, Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) said. It was Donald Trump who sent in the military to a peaceful protest. Donald Trump sent in the military to basically stir things up and give him the image and give him the fight and give him the pictures that he wants. The clash began Friday, when a series of federal immigration raids sparked a small protest near downtown Los Angeles. The next day, more protesters appeared in Paramount, Calif., in response to concerns that federal agents were planning to target day laborers outside a Home Depot there. Some of the protestors clashed with the law enforcement. Trump responded Saturday evening by activating 2,000 National Guard troops without the consent of Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D), who warned that the arrival of military forces would only escalate tensions. Trump escalated the response further Monday, dispatching hundreds of Marines to the city. The episode has posed a dilemma for Democratic leaders, highlighting the careful balancing act theyre attempting by supporting the First Amendment rights of those protesting Trumps controversial immigration policies, while taking pains to distance themselves from any violent actors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peacefully protesting is an American right; its part of the rich tradition of our country, said Rep. Ted Lieu (Calif.), vice chair of the Democratic caucus. Burning cars, looting and destroying property are crimes, and anyone who takes advantage of this situation and engages in those crimes should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Yet many Democrats are voicing concerns that that simple distinction will get lost in the debate, particularly with Trump and conservative media outlets focusing almost exclusively on violent confrontations. We strongly condemn the agitators who are committing acts of violence, Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) said. Their behavior is completely unacceptable, and theyre giving people like Stephen Miller exactly the images that they want. And that makes it even easier to then pick a fight over political retribution. The protests have challenged the central message coming from Democrats, who are fighting to focus the national debate on the more controversial elements of Trumps domestic agenda, including cuts to federal health care programs, and a volatile economy made more uncertain by Trumps on-and-off tariffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), who once led the partys campaign arm, urged Democrats not to lose sight of that strategy amid the LA crisis. Trump has two playbooks. One is to use immigration to frighten, enrage and motivate voters, Israel said. The other is ripped out of the history books on authoritarian leaders: Provoke, exaggerate and escalate disorder in order to limit freedoms, in Trumps case to distract voters from his poor economic performance. Israel said Democrats can respond with a playbook of their own. Dont let him define them as weak on immigration. Use his actions in LA as proof of his extremist impulses, and keep talking about how the economy continues to hurt real Americans. 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. ENDICOTT, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) The demolition of the IBM Old Building Group in Endicott is nearly complete. Gorick Construction was tearing down the remaining building along McKinley Avenue on Tuesday. Once all of the structures have been leveled, the rubble will be removed, and there will be some preparation of the site for potential future development. Mayor Nick Burlingame says the area will remain fenced off. However, a more attractive-looking fence will be erected set back a bit from the sidewalk with a grass border to improve the appearance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The old IBM buildings have been condemned for 20 years. The demolition is supported by $6 million from New York State and $2 million of Broome Countys ARPA funds. Burlingame says hes hopeful that the closed section of McKinley can reopen by the end of this 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 WIVT - News 34. SWATARA TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM) A long-time Hosss restaurant in Dauphin County that closed last year is currently being demolished to make room for a new Wawa. Back in February 2024, a long-time Hosss Steak and Sea House, located at 9009 Bridge Road in Swatara Township, closed its doors after operating for about 20 years. The property was then listed for sale for $1.15 million. Close Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Local Business Beat Later that same year, the Swatara Township Board of Commissioners unanimously approved plans to construct a new Wawa convenience store at that same location. Now, nearly a year later, that former Hosss restaurant is in the process of being demolished in order to make way for the new Wawa store. According to the previously released land development plans, the new Wawa location will be 5,585 square feet in size and is going to have about 57 available parking spaces. The new location would also boast 12 fueling stations for customers to utilize. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is still unknown when this new Wawa is slated to open its doors. Wawa vs. Sheetz? This time, in Dauphin and Cumberland counties, they both lost The upcoming construction of this new Wawa comes just one week after commissioners in Hampden Township, Cumberland County, rejected a plan by Wawa to construct a new store at the intersections of Mount Zion Drive and Technology Parkway. According to Wawas website, the company currently operates nine locations across the Midstate and dozens in Pennsylvania as a whole. abc27 news will keep you updated 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 ABC27. Demonstrators rally at the Colorado Capitol against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies, on June 10, 2025. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline) For the second day in a row, Coloradans protested against the mass deportation campaign being carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents across the country and an escalating military crackdown by President Donald Trumps administration on anti-ICE demonstrators in Los Angeles. A crowd of more than 1,000 people Tuesday evening gathered on the lawn of the Colorado Capitol and along Lincoln Street near Civic Center Park in Denver for an emergency ICE Out rally organized by the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is more than a protest. Its a call to defend our future, Raquel Lane-Arellano, communications manager for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, said in a press release. The Trump administration is trying to turn our government into a weaponunleashing the military on immigrants, workers, and anyone who wont bow to their agenda. A breakaway crowd of hundreds, mostly younger people, then marched south from the Capitol, shutting down traffic on Broadway and Lincoln Street. The marchers were met by a line of law enforcement officers including Denver police and Colorado State Patrol near the interchange between Broadway and Interstate 25. The crowd gradually thinned out as police warned demonstrators they would be denied access to the highway. Officers in riot gear deployed smoke and pepper balls to disperse the crowd after a standoff lasting about 30 minutes. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Other protesters remained at the Capitol throughout Tuesday evenings demonstration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are here right now because our neighbors are being attacked left and right, Nayda Benitez, an advocate with CIRC, told the crowd. Im a proud immigrant. I could not be here without my mom, without my family. The Denver Police Department made 17 arrests related to the demonstration, according to a statement the department emailed Wednesday morning. August Kiefer, an 18-year-old Denver resident, raises an American flag while standing with other demonstrators during an anti-ICE protest at the Colorado Capitol on Tuesday. (Quentin Young/Colorado Newsline) Anti-ICE protests continued for the fifth consecutive day in Los Angeles, where Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday night announced the imposition of an 8 p.m. curfew. Trump has ordered a detachment of 700 U.S. Marines and thousands of federalized National Guard troops to deploy to L.A. over the objections of state and local leaders, the first such move by a U.S. president since 1965. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sued to block the deployments, which he said crossed a red line. Trump on Monday suggested Newsom, whom he did not accuse of any crime, should be arrested. The Denver demonstrations followed a march on Monday to the gates of the ICE detention center in Aurora, where a daily average of more than 1,100 people are detained as they await deportation or other immigration proceedings. Splintering demonstrations Shortly after 6 p.m., as the size of the crowd at the Capitol swelled, a breakaway group chanting and bearing signs with anti-ICE slogans blocked an intersection at Lincoln and 14th streets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Much of the crowd then marched south from the Capitol along Lincoln Street before crossing to Broadway. As the crowd marched, Denver police continued to shut down multiple intersections nearby but did not engage protesters or order them to disperse. Anti-ICE demonstrators marched through the streets of Denver after a rally at the Colorado Capitol on June 10, 2025. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline) No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state, the crowd chanted. Despite causing traffic to back up in several locations, they were met largely with supportive honks and cheers from drivers. Come back for music afterward, people, a proprietor at a bar and lounge on Broadway shouted to the crowd as it passed. Javier Calzada, a demonstrator wielding a flagpole that flew both the Mexican and American flags, told Newsline he had immigrated from Mexico 27 years ago, and was on the scene Tuesday to keep the peace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont support the attacks on our community, Calzada said. Were here to protect ourselves. Many marchers began to turned back as the demonstration crossed Alameda Avenue. A smaller crowd continued south on Broadway until participants were stopped by law enforcement officers in tactical gear north of the I-25 interchange, where police broadcast a public-address announcement warning protesters to turn back from the highway and threatening the use of chemical munitions. Police deployed chemical munitions against demonstrators taking part in an anti-ICE protest in Denver on Tuesday. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline) About 30 minutes later, a Denver police officer, citing the protests blocking of a roadway, ordered the crowd to disperse. Shortly afterwards, police deployed several canisters of chemical munitions into the crowd, and eventually fired several volleys of chemical rounds from pepper ball guns. The last remnants of the crowd departed as police advanced north on Broadway just before 8:30 p.m. In an advisory issued just after 9 p.m., the Colorado State Patrol warned drivers to avoid downtown Denver because of large crowds and possible unlawful road closures. An expanding deportation program Tensions have risen in Denver, L.A. and other cities around the country in recent weeks following a series of moves by the Trump administration to expand its mass deportation efforts. In his second term, Trump has vowed to deport all of the estimated 12.2 million people living in the country without permanent legal status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE agents have begun arresting individuals and families outside federal immigration courts, reversing a longstanding policy that avoided such arrests so as not to deter immigrants from going through lawful court proceedings. A series of high-profile raids at restaurants and other workplaces have followed in the wake of Trump adviser Stephen Miller reportedly pressuring the agency to broaden the scope of its enforcement operations. Why arent you at Home Depot? Why arent you at 7-Eleven? Miller asked ICE leaders on May 20, according to the Washington Examiner. Javier Calzada, a Denver resident who immigrated from Mexico 27 years ago, said he was helping to keep the peace at anti-ICE protests in Denver on Tuesday. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline) The Trump administration on Saturday spuriously described recent ICE operations in L.A. as targeting the worst of the worst, a claim belied by the agencys raids of a downtown clothing wholesaler and a Home Depot in an L.A. suburb, both of which drew protests and led to the initial clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement this weekend. Federal agents in tactical gear shot tear gas and flash-bang grenades and arrested dozens of protesters they accused of obstructing the operations, including union leader David Huerta, who was charged by federal prosecutors Monday with a felony count of conspiracy to impede an officer. The share of people in ICE detention with no criminal record had risen to nearly 25% as of June 1, a sharp uptick from 6% in January, according to the American Immigration Council. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Editors note: This story was updated at 10:12 p.m., June 10, 2025, to include additional details of Tuesdays demonstrations. It was also updated at 7:42 a.m., June 11, 2025, to include information from a police statement. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Several Democratic senators, including one who remains the preacher at Martin Luther King Jr.s church, joined several clergy members for a vigil in opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on the Capitol steps Tuesday. "Clergy and leaders in robes, collars and religious vestments will offer prayers, sing songs, read scripture and testify to the Gospel, providing a moral reckoning at this critical moment in history," read an advisory announcing the vigil obtained by Fox News Digital. Rev. Jim Wallis, who advised the Obama administration on faith and neighborhood partnerships, told the crowd they "come today in spiritual procession singing, reading Scripture and coming for a vigil on the Senate steps." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Some say that we should keep faith out of politics we're saying while the Bible doesn't give us detailed legislation, it tells us who to care for," Wallis went on. "We don't want to let Jesus Christ be left outside the Senate chamber for this vote." Warnock Dodges Question From Nbc Host On Whether Biden Should Have Dropped Out Earlier Wallis called Republicans budget a "big bad bill" that will purportedly "take 60 million [people] off of health care." Read On The Fox News App Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., cited Luke 10, recalling the passage where a lawyer "and its always a lawyer causing trouble," he quipped asks Jesus who qualifies as a neighbor and who one ought to care for. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coons claimed the GOP bill "literally takes the food from the mouths of hungry children to pass an enormous tax cut for the very wealthiest [and] is the definition of an immoral bill before this Congress." Mike Johnson, Donald Trump Get Big Beautiful Win As Budget Passes House Later, Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga. reverend of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta said the vigil felt like "deja vu." Warnock recounted protesting via prayer and singing in the Capitol rotunda in 2017 alongside former North Carolina NAACP president William Barber II and said he "drew the short straw" when he, but not Barber, was arrested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As I stood there, I said then what I want to say today: That a budget is not just a fiscal document, it's a moral document." "Show me your budget and I'll show you who you think matters and who does not who you think is dispensable. Right. And we stood there in 2017 making the same point," he said, crediting the Capitol Police for arresting them in a professional manner. Warnock recounted that when he was warned of being arrested, he said he had "already been arrested." Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks at Senate vigil against the Big, Beautiful Bill. "My mind and my imagination and my heart had been arrested by the heartbeat of children who should not lose their food and who should not lose healthcare in order to give wealthy people a tax cut," he said, suggesting the same was true with Republicans latest budget bill. "Here I am eight years later, having transformed my agitation into legislation." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm here today because I still know how to agitate I still know how to protest. I'm not a senator who used to be a pastor. I'm a pastor in the Senate." Original article source: Dems join clergy to pray for 'moral reckoning' to fix Big, Beautiful Bill: I still know how to agitate' (FOX40.COM) Nearly 7,000 illegal marijuana plants were recently seized during a Northern California drug bust. Video Above: What do the different schedules of drugs mean? The Yuba County Sheriffs Office said it partnered with the regional SWAT team and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to execute multiple search warrants in the Brownsville and Dobbins areas last week. The Yuba County Sheriffs Office seized nearly 7,000 marijuana plants during a warranted drug bust./YCSO How does ICE know who to deport? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the primary focus was finding illegal marijuana cultivation, investigators quickly uncovered additional criminal activity, including the possession of an illegal firearm, illegal fumigant pesticides, and multiple water code violations, YCSO said. At the end of the warrant operations, 6,961 plants were eradicated, according to YCSO. Investigators arrested a 34-year-old man near Pine Ridge Drive in Brownsville, and a 61-year-old man near Sun Forest Court in Dobbins. Both men face charges of felony cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, and resisting 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 FOX40 News. Jun. 11At least six Maine school districts rejected school budget proposals during Tuesday's mostly low-turnout election, while several others survived narrow votes. In some districts, individual towns said no to the budgets even as they passed in overall vote totals, and in others, budgets that were closely watched passed easily. Steven Bailey, executive director of the Maine School Management Association, said he expected this to be a challenging budget year, so he was pleasantly surprised by how many budgets did ultimately pass. He said districts were still figuring out how to adjust after the end of federal pandemic funds, and had to contend with unavoidable increases like paid family medical leave premiums and raises to teacher salaries required by collective bargaining agreements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "People were very aware of any impact on taxes that increased budgets might have, so they were being quite cautious," he said. The districts where budgets failed were: RSU 21 in York County, Gray-New Gloucester, Lisbon, RSU 4 in Androscoggin County, MSAD 58 in Franklin County and RSU 87 in southern Penobscot County. This year's trend mostly mirrored last June, when at least five districts rejected budget proposals. Bailey said across the state, active anti-budget campaigns this year focused on issues like school closures, discontentment from individual towns within a larger districts, and voters unhappy with school districts that have not banned transgender athletes from participating in high school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In communities where budgets were rejected, the spending plan will go back to the school board to be reworked, and voters will get to weigh in again at an upcoming second referendum vote. Many communities across the state also elected new school board members, and a long-fought Cape Elizabeth school construction bond was approved after being twice-rejected in past votes. The $86.5 million project received support by a 300-vote margin. REJECTIONS In RSU 21 in York County, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel all rejected the proposed $62.6 million budget, which represented a 5.5% increase over the current year's spending plan. About 55% of voters across all three communities voted "no." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the district pointed to a June 2 statement from Board Chair Matt Stratford, who said the increase was tied to essential, non-negotiable costs. He encouraged voters to support the budget but also acknowledged community hesitations. "I recognize the conversation being had by those in the community who oppose budget is not new, and that conversation is rooted with frustrations of the growth of our system administration costs over the past few years," Stratford said. He also responded specifically to concerns that the budget included funds for the 8 1/2 -month severance package for outgoing Superintendent Terri Cooper, who resigned in March. He said that package is being covered with contingency funds from the current budget, and the board did not want to raise any new taxes for that expense. In the combined Gray-New Gloucester School District, voters rejected the proposed $35.4 million budget by just 19 votes. The two communities were split on support: Gray rejected the budget, with 644 voting in favor and 805 against, while 567 residents in New Gloucester supported the budget and 425 voted against it. Voters in Lisbon overwhelmingly rejected the town's proposed $21.2 million budget, a reaction to an 8% increase in property taxes that voters said was too much of a strain on homeowners. Almost 70% of voters said no to the spending plan, which comes as the town struggles to deal with a financial hole caused by an accounting error in the municipal budget last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Why in the hell should I be paying school tax when I don't have students in school?" voter Deb Duhamel said in an interview at the polls. "I don't agree with this at all. They need to do something about this. People are losing their homes." RSU 4, which includes Wales, Sabattus and Litchfield, also rejected its budget, but by just 16 votes. That comes just two years after taking four referendums and a $750,000 reduction in cost to get its school budget passed. MSAD 58, the district that includes Avon, Kingfield, Phillips and Strong, rejected its school budget 198-169. And in rural RSU 87, made up of the towns of Levant and Carmel, 162 people, or 62% of those who turned out, voted "no" on the budget. MOST BUDGETS PASS Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Gorham, the $57.5 million school district budget passed by about 200 votes despite a coordinated opposition campaign. Gorham resident Ben Tuttle, founder of the group Gorham Watchdogs, created a social media blitz and posted signs around town urging a "no" vote with messages like "raise test scores, not taxes." Two years ago Gorham took three separate votes to approve a budget, and last year the referendum was approved by just four votes, which led to a recount where it ultimately prevailed by just two. Turnout in Gorham this year was much higher than most communities in the region at 28.3%. Superintendent Heather Perry thanked every resident who got out to the polls this week. "The annual school budget validation referendum is always such a great example to our students of how a democracy is supposed to function," Perry said. "We look forward to another great year of providing high-quality education to our community." In a few multitown districts, school budgets passed without support from some individual communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The combined Windham-Raymond school district budget passed by a 100-vote margin, but voters in the much larger town of Windham actually rejected the budget by 26 votes, while Raymond voters approved it. MSAD 6, the Bonny Eagle school district that includes five small towns in York and Cumberland counties, passed its budget despite rejections in three of the communities: Buxton, Limington and Frye Island. And in MSAD 51, North Yarmouth said no to the $53.82 million budget proposal by 37 votes, but the larger town of Cumberland supported the budget and it passed in a combined total of 1,284-1,167. Other communities, including South Portland, Portland, Scarborough, and Westbrook all passed their budgets by wide margins. Copy the Story Link By Arasu Kannagi Basil (Reuters) -Insurance broker Brown & Brown will buy rival Accession Risk Management in a $9.83 billion cash-and-stock deal, the companies said on Tuesday, adding to a string of mega-mergers in recent years as industry players look to consolidate. While small buyouts are typical in the highly fragmented industry, the deal highlights that companies are willing to pay top dollar for acquisitions that significantly enhance their market presence or strengthen their competitive edge. Last year, Aon acquired NFP for $13 billion, while Marsh McLennan bought McGriff Insurance Services for $7.75 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher's $13.45 billion deal for AssuredPartners is expected to close later this year. Despite economic uncertainties dampening overall dealmaking activity, some firms are cautiously moving forward with their acquisition plans, driven by long-term priorities. Boston, Massachusetts-based Accession is the parent of Risk Strategies, which was founded in 1997 by insurance industry veteran Mike Christian. It also houses insurance wholesaler One80 Intermediaries. Both companies connect insurers with customers and have a diverse client base, including commercial firms and nonprofit organizations. Brown & Brown expects to fund the acquisition through a $4 billion equity raise and issuance of $4 billion of bonds across multiple tenors. Its stock dipped 0.6% in early trading. MIDDLE-MARKET PUSH The deal is expected to add heft to Brown & Brown's property and casualty, and employee benefit insurance businesses, while bolstering its footing in the middle-market segment. This segment caters to companies smaller than multinational corporations but larger than typical small businesses. Accession, which has more than 5,000 insurance professionals throughout the U.S. and Canada, operates mainly in the middle-market segment and has completed over 190 acquisitions. The group reported pro forma adjusted revenue of $1.7 billion and placed $15.7 billion in premiums in 2024. Brown & Brown CEO Powell Brown told analysts that the acquisition would be a "major" step in its journey to the next intermediate goal of $8 billion and beyond in revenue. Over the years, acquisitions have helped the Florida-based company grow from about $300 million in revenue in 2000 to nearly $5 billion last year, he said. The two companies, according to Brown, do not have a "significant" amount of concentration or overlap in any single area. About $1.3 billion of Brown & Brown stock will be issued to selling shareholders, with about $250 million going to private equity firm Kelso, which acquired a majority stake in Risk Strategies from buyout firm Kohlberg in 2015. More details have emerged about the problems the U.S. Navy is facing with its ill-starred podded Infrared Search And Track system, or IRST, an important capability planned for its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters. The latest issues to be highlighted come after TWZ previously reported on delays caused by production quality problems with the system and a Pentagon assessment of significant reliability problems during operational testing, which emerged earlier this year. The latest status update on the ASG-34A(V)1 IRST pod is provided in the Weapon Systems Annual Assessment that was published today by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The centerline-mounted IRST pod is intended to provide the F/A-18E/F with a long-wave infrared sensor the Lockheed Martin-developed IRST21 that can search, detect, and track airborne targets. Very importantly, it is an ideal tool for detecting stealthy targets, which are proliferating. The IRST sensor assembly is installed in the front portion of a redesigned FPU-13/A centerline fuel tank. According to the GAO, each pod costs $16.6 million. For the full background on the pod, you can read our interview with the Super Hornet program manager responsible for it, back in 2020, here. A Lockheed Martin infographic showing different applications for its IRST21 sensor, including the podded version for the Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Lockheed Martin The GAO report notes that, although the IRST pod achieved initial capability on schedule in November 2024, including delivery of the first lot of low-rate initial production pods, a full-rate production decision has been delayed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At one point, a determination on full-rate production was planned for January 2025, but this was missed due to delays incurred during flight testing. As a result, the program has now breached its baseline schedule for the second time in three years. IRST officials told us that operational tests were delayed by two months due to software defects that caused IRST pods to falsely report overheating, the GAO notes. Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) officials told the GAO that the problem was relatively easy to fix and would likely have been addressed during developmental testing had the program allocated more time for that testing. A conceptual diagram of how the IRST sensor is mounted in the fuel tank for the Super Hornet. Lockheed Martin Thanks to those operational testing delays, the publication of the DOT&E report that informs the full-rate decision production slipped until March 2025. A corresponding decision is now expected sometime this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Until then, the program is somewhat in limbo, although it has achieved some good results, notably demonstrating capability at tactically significant ranges during operational testing. This has been tempered, however, by how often the pods failed during that same testing. DOT&E officials told the GAO that the pods were extremely unreliable. While we previously knew of issues with reliability, todays report confirms just how bad these are. Although the program improved pod reliability as it made software updates, [it] only managed to achieve 14 hours mean time between operational mission failures short of the 40 hours required. The Lockheed Martin IRST21 sensor, as used in the Navy Super Hornet IRST pod. Lockheed Martin Not surprisingly, the DOT&E determined that deploying the IRST pods without improving their reliability would transfer risk to the Navys fleet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of course, this is bad news for the Navy, and for the F/A-18E/F community specifically, with IRST sensors which can detect and track objects from a distance and in environments where radar may be ineffective increasingly seen as a vital air combat tool. Seemingly ever since it was first flown on a Super Hornet in late 2019, the IRST pod has faced issues. An IRST21 built into the centerline tank on a Super Hornet during early tests. U.S. Navy A previous GAO report, in 2023, noted that between 20 and 30 percent of the manufactured components [in the IRST pod] failed to meet performance specifications due to microelectronics issues. These problems persisted more than four years after limited manufacturing had begun and served to delay the launch of developmental and operational testing. The same 2023 report also described how staffing challenges at a critical software development contractor were leading to holdups in the program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then came a DOT&E report, which looked at the results of tests involving Infrared Optimized Configuration (IROC) pods, described as operationally equivalent but designated for flight test. IROC pods were used for operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) between April and September 2024. This report noted that operational test events were adversely affected by IRST Block II system reliability failures and concluded that the pod demonstrated significant reliability problems. Throughout the test period, IRST Block II suffered from hardware and software deficiencies, which required the aircrew to restart the pod multiple times, the DOT&E report said. Troubleshooting and repair often exceeded the abilities of Navy maintenance crews and required assistance from Lockheed Martin. In the meantime, however, earlier iterations of the pod have already been deployed on operations, carried by Super Hornets in the Middle East, with photos emerging of this appearing in late 2020. An IRST-equipped U.S. Navy F/A-18F over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility during a mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James Merriman As the Navy awaits the decision on whether or not to pursue full-rate production, theres no doubt about the utility of an IRST pod provided that it works. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The specific advantages of the IRST pod are something we have discussed before, including with the Super Hornet program manager: Very importantly, the IRST pod provides an entirely passive capability, relying exclusively on the infrared spectrum to detect and track airborne targets, including those at far beyond visual range. With no radio-frequency emissions, the target wont be alerted to the fact that theyve been detected and are being tracked. At the same time, the IRST does not give away the location and presence of the host platform. This kind of sensor also provides a vital companion to the Super Hornets AN/APG-79 radar, functions of which may well be compromised in a heavy electronic attack or radar-denied environment. Meanwhile, similar kinds of sensors have been found on fighters operated by potential adversaries for decades. China and Russia operate tactical fighters such as the Su-35 and Su-30 Flanker series that incorporate IRST sensors as standard. In Western Europe, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen E, for example, also offer them. A Russian Su-35S with its IRST sensor on the right side of its nose in front of the windscreen. Russian Ministry of Defense Closer to home, the U.S. Air Force has already put equivalent sensors on its F-15Cs and F-16Cs, making the delays to the Navys program all the more puzzling. On the other hand, we dont know exactly how reliable the Air Forces IRST pods are, and we do know that there are substantial differences between the Air Force and Navy versions, although they both use IRST21 as a base sensor. The Legion IRST pod on a U.S. Air Force F-16: Still, the fact that a functioning IRST capability can be integrated on even older platforms without too much difficulty is also evidenced in the contractor-operated adversary community, which is increasingly flying fast jets with IRST sensors to better replicate potential threat aircraft. On the other hand, it should be recalled that not all IRST sensors offer the same level of capabilities, with significant differences also in terms of depth of integration and fusion between different types and aircraft, especially over time. This applies especially to the higher-end IRST pod for the Super Hornet and some of the cheaper off-the-shelf options that are now available. A zoomed-in shot of an F-5AT flight testing the TacIRST. The forward-staring device can be seen directly in front of the cockpit windscreen. TacAir Threat aircraft with IRST capabilities continue to proliferate, but so do the kinds of threat platforms for which a sensor of this kind would be most useful to counter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement China, especially, is making rapid developments in stealth technology and advanced electronic warfare, two areas that make the introduction of an IRST sensor all the more compelling. These kinds of infrared sensors are immune to radar-evading stealth technology and are not affected by electromagnetic jamming and other electronic attacks. For Navy Super Hornets, a fully functional IRST pod would help to detect and target advanced Chinese platforms in a future conflict in the Pacific theater. A recently emerged image of the advanced Chinese combat aircraft, tentatively known as the J-36. Chinese internet via X At the same time, these pods can significantly boost the flight crews situational air-to-air picture in conjunction with more traditional sensors. As noted previously, there has been some good news with the latest iteration of the IRST pod, specifically the fact that it has, in a test environment, demonstrated that it can detect targets at long ranges. Furthermore, it can translate this data into stable system tracks that would be suitable for weapons employment. With its clear potential, its certainly alarming for the Navy that it is still being kept waiting for the vital capabilities promised by the IRST pod. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com A Detroit high school student facing deportation after being arrested by Border Patrol in May while on a field trip is now pleading with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release him so he can graduate. He has gained the support of some advocates and Detroit's two U.S. House Representatives, who said the student should be released and allowed to get his diploma. Maykol Bogoya Duarte, 18, of Detroit, was stopped by a Rockwood police officer on May 20 while on his way to a Downriver park, accused of tailgating the officer. The police officer, who was driving in an unmarked car, then called Border Patrol because of a "language barrier," according to a Rockwood police report obtained Monday, June 9, by the Free Press. Duarte, an immigrant from Colombia, was later transported five hours north to an ICE detention center at the Chippewa County Correctional Facility in Sault Ste. Marie and is now in a Louisiana detention center. He has no criminal record, his attorney said, but had lost his appeal to stay in the U.S. Maykol Bogoya Duarte, 18, a student at Western International High School, was arrested by Border Patrol on May 20, 2025 in Rockwood, Michigan, while on a school field trip. He is currently jailed, in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Duarte was notified Sunday, June 8, "that he was going to be moved and his deportation was imminent," his attorney, Ruby Robinson, told the Free Press on June 9. On June 10, Duarte was being held at Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center in Louisiana, the ICE locator website for detainees showed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Louisiana is usually the staging area for removals outside the U.S.," Robinson said, fearing he could be removed soon along with other Colombian nationals. Duarte has only a few more credits to graduate and could voluntarily leave the U.S. after he gets his high school diploma, Robinson and advocates said. Robinson said he filed on June 9 an application with the Detroit ICE office "to stay his removal so that he can graduate from high school. He has three and a half credits left, and we think he'll be able to finish that before the end of the year." A spokesman for ICE did not return a message June 10. Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, of which Border Patrol is a part, previously told the Free Press that Duarte, who has lived in the U.S. for about a year and a half, had a previous order to leave the country, describing him as an "illegal alien with a final deportation order." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Border Patrol arrested a Detroit student on a field trip. He now faces deportation. Duarte had arrived in the U.S. from Colombia along with his mother, crossing the border and applying for asylum. They lost their appeal to stay in the U.S. One challenge is that Duarte does not have a Colombian passport, which he would need to be sent back to Colombia, Robinson said. In a similar case in Massachusetts, ICE released last week a high school student in a suburb of Boston who was arrested May 31 on his way to volleyball practice. The arrest of the immigrant, Marcelo Gomes da Silva, 18, drew protests and condemnation from Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who said she was "disturbed and outraged." A petition calling for Duarte's release and Michigan elected officials to speak out against his detention has garnered more than 1,300 signatures as of June 10. The petition was started by 482 Forward, a Detroit nonprofit advocating for students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Governor (Gretchen) Whitmer, Senator (Elissa) Slotkin, Senator (Gary) Peters, Representative (Shri) Thanedar, Representative (Rashida) Tlaib, and Detroit Public Schools We are asking you to publicly condemn the detention of one of your students, to support his request to be released in order to finish his high school education, and to put preventative policies in place to better support immigrant students and families," the petition reads. Whitmer and Michigan's two senators have not released any statement about Duarte. In contrast to Democratic governors in other states such as Colorado, Illinois and Massachusetts, Whitmer has not spoken about immigration issues this year or released statements criticizing President Donald Trump on immigration enforcement. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has previously said the city will continue to cooperate with ICE. Thanedar, whose district includes southwest Detroit, where Duarte's school is located, said in a post on X on June 9: "ICE should not be detaining high schoolers! Maykol Bogoya-Duarte just needs 3 credits to graduate, but was put in detention by ICE. He should be released immediately and allowed to get his diploma." Tlaib said on Facebook that Duarte "does not deserve to be separated from his family or community," urging people to contact ICE to let him stay in the U.S., and she also reiterated her call to abolish ICE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chrystal Wilson, a spokesperson for Detroit Public Schools Community District, did not return messages seeking comment on Duarte and what the district's policies are in protecting immigrant students. The school that Duarte attended in southwest Detroit has a sizable Latino immigrant population. At a schools board meeting June 10, a number of people spoke up in support of Duarte. Afterward, the board released a statement emailed at about 10:30 p.m. by Wilson that called for the release of Duarte. "The Detroit Public Schools Community District Board of Education (DPSCD) stands firmly with our community in demanding the immediate stay of deportation for our student, Maykol Bogoya Duarte," the board's statement read. "Maykol is part of our DPSCD family, and we are heartbroken by the fear and disruption this situation has caused his loved ones, classmates, and school community. We call for the immediate release of Maykol and request a formal stay of his deportation. We want him to complete his coursework and graduate with his high school diploma just as he has worked hard to do. We will also continue to keep in touch with the family and keep the school community updated." Also on June 10, a group of state Senate Democrats Sens. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit; Mary Cavanagh, D-Redford Township; Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit, and Rosemary Bayer, D-West Bloomfield released a statement calling for his release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We join over a thousand teachers, students and parents calling on ICE to release Maykol from detention so that he can return to his family, even temporarily, and finish his schooling," the statement from the senators read. "Amidst the chaos and fear of the Trump administrations mass deportation effort, we must remember that behind every number, there are real human beings impacted not just the individuals detained or deported, but also their families and their community members." Police report sheds light on arrest The Rockwood police report confirms some details of Duarte's arrest previously described by two school officials. The Free Press was the first media outlet to report on Duarte's arrest in a May 28 report. The officer said at 11:20 a.m. on May 20 that he was traveling in an unmarked car on Huron River Drive in Rockwood when "I noticed a vehicle directly behind me traveling so closely to my vehicle." Duarte was on his way to Lake Erie Metropark, where a group of high school students had gathered for a field trip. Three or four other students were in the car with Duarte, who was driving a 2008 Chevy SUV. A photo taken on May 20, 2025, shows a truck with U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Huron River Drive in Rockwood, Michigan, around the time of the agency's arrest of a Detroit high school student. CBP officials said Border Patrol agents assigned to the Gibraltar Station arrested an 18-year-old Detroit man who is a Detroit public schools student and immigrant from Colombia while on his way to a school field trip at nearby Lake Erie Metropark. The teen driver was initially stopped by Rockwood police, with other students in his vehicle. "The vehicle then opened up the distance with me, and again closed to an unsafe distance," the Rockwood officer alleged in this report. "I pulled to the shoulder near Truman Road and allowed the vehicle to pass. I took up a position behind the vehicle ... and activated the emergency lights on my vehicle." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officer said, "The driver ... told me, in broken English that he did not have a driver's license. He was able to relay to me that none of the other four occupants had a license. "Due to the language barrier, I request the United States Border Patrol to assist in determining proper identity of the driver and other occupants," the officer wrote. "Once agents from USBP arrived, the investigation was turned over to them." Robinson said the case illustrates why local police should use interpreters to interact with people who may not know English well instead of calling Border Patrol or ICE. He worries this will hurt attempts to fight crime because victims and witnesses may be reluctant to come forward to police. "This sheds a light on the importance of language access and the consequences of ... relying on federal immigration authorities to do that work," Robinson said. "We're concerned that for anybody who contacts the police or are interacting with police whether somebody suspected of committing a crime or whether it's a victim coming forward if local law enforcement is going to rely on federal officials to do interpreting, that's going to have a chilling effect on people trusting law enforcement." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robinson said Duarte would leave the U.S. once graduating, describing him as a young child who recently turned 18 and just made an error. "He made an unfortunate mistake, and it turns out to be the worst mistake he ever made in his life," Robinson said. "And so he acknowledges that." The group of Democratic state senators calling for his release said Robinson "was working as a doorman at a hotel and had planned to work this summer so that he could buy a car. He told his teacher often how much he loves his mom." Duarte is "a good-natured kid" who was learning English, Robinson said. "He was improving his studies in school. He seems to be very well-liked by his teachers and his fellow classmates and other students." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reuters contributed to this report. Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, X @nwarikoo or Facebook @nwarikoo This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit high school student detained by ICE pleads to stop deportation ATTICA, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) The man who killed a Utica teenager in 2019 has been denied his appeal, according to a release by the New York State Appellate Division on Friday. First reported by the Daily Sentinel, 27-year-old Brandon Clark was attempting to overturn his guilty plea to second-degree murder. Clark pled guilty in 2020 to killing 17-year-old Bianca Devins of Utica in 2019 and uploading pictures of her body on social media. He had attempted to subsequently kill himself in a murder-suicide, but was saved by police and first responders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clark attempted to withdraw his plea later that year, citing that he had made the plea involuntarily, due to certain advice made by his defense counsel. However, on Friday, the Appellate Division denied Clarks claim, saying that then-Oneida County Court Judge Michael Dwyer did not abuse his discretion in denying the withdrawal. The Division also said that the sentence was not unduly harsh or severe, according to its decision. Clark is currently serving his sentence of 25 years to life at the Attica Correctional Facility. According to state records, he is not eligible for parole until 2044. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WUTR/WFXV - CNYhomepage.com. Jun. 11COLUMBUS Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson recently announced more than a dozen recommendations from the Ohio Missing Persons Working Group to improve the efficiency of missing persons investigations in Ohio. DeWine created the working group in January to examine the complexities of missing persons cases, the roadblocks encountered by law enforcement, and the struggles faced by families with missing loved ones. "Thousands of children and adults are reported missing each year, and although most are located quickly, some simply vanish, leaving anguished families behind and adding to law enforcement's growing caseload," said DeWine. "The goal of this working group was to identify what more we could do as a state to help law enforcement bring more missing people home and support family members during a time of great despair." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Members of the working group, including law enforcement, advocates, family members, and educators, recommended 18 areas of improvement around the issues of information sharing between law enforcement agencies, communication between family members and investigators, continued professional training, public education, and advocacy. Working group members suggested several changes to Ohio law, including the strengthening of penalties for those who interfere with custody, the addition of Endangered Missing Child Alerts to the Ohio Revised Code, and the ability for law enforcement to more easily access information such as phone and social media records in circumstances where a missing person is believed to be at risk. Other recommendations aim to ease the burden on family members by breaking down communication barriers with law enforcement, providing easier access to resources, and engaging advocates to support families of children who repeatedly disappear. "The testimony from family members of missing persons was particularly impactful, and the working group acknowledges the grief, loss, and trauma they've experienced," said Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson, who chaired the working group. "The pain and frustration expressed to the working group were real and readily apparent. The efforts of this working group aim to bring some level of relief, justice, or closure to those across the state who have experienced the loss associated with a missing family member. " Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DeWine has ordered several cabinet agencies to carry out multiple recommendations, including: The Ohio State Highway Patrol within the Ohio Department of Public Safety will automate the process of notifying specific law enforcement agencies of Endangered Missing Child Alerts. The Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board within the Department of Public Safety's Office of Criminal Justice Services will create a law enforcement best practices guide on interacting with family members of missing persons. The Office of Criminal Justice Services will expand the Ohio Prisoner Extradition Reimbursement Program to include interference with custody cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Ohio Department of Health will develop continued professional training to further educate the healthcare industry on law enforcement exemptions to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The Ohio Department of Children and Youth, Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, and others will work with local law enforcement to develop a pilot program that utilizes advocates to support at-risk youth who regularly leave their homes or group home settings. DeWine also announced that, in response to a recommendation from the working group, he is contacting the U.S. Attorney General's Office to alert them to deficiencies in data sharing between local, state, and federal databases. Further recommendations were made to the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). BCI's Missing Persons Unit is the state authority on missing persons investigations and can assist local law enforcement agencies on request. Suggestions for BCI include the creation of a central repository of resources for families and investigators, the launch of an annual missing persons conference, and the establishment of a confidential forum for law enforcement to discuss investigative techniques and perform case reviews. You Might Like News Man indicted on sexual battery charges News IPD Allison promoted to sergeant News Withrow chosen for council seat News DeWine, mental health leaders unveil 988 license plate The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) condemned the violent riots that erupted in Los Angeles over the weekend, where mobs torched vehicles, hurled projectiles at federal officers, and attacked ICE agents. While DHS released shocking footage and denounced media and political efforts to whitewash the violence as peaceful, members of Congress are asking a deeper question: Why are the NGOs that helped fuel the border crisis and now the riots many funded with taxpayer dollars not being held accountable for the lawlessness? In a statement released Tuesday, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said: The violent targeting of law enforcement in Los Angeles by lawless rioters is despicable and Democrat politicians must call for it to end. She added: Sanctuary politicians and the media have falsely claimed these are peaceful riots. The American people can see with their own eyes the truth. The unrest came in response to recent ICE enforcement operations targeting criminal illegal immigrants in California. Rioters descended on federal buildings, vandalized property, and violently clashed with law enforcement. DHS highlighted footage showing masked agitators throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails, setting police vehicles on fire, and launching projectiles at Customs and Border Protection officers. Congress: Follow the Money Now, lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee are ramping up an investigation into the role of nonprofit organizations many of which receive federal funding that may be complicit in enabling or encouraging this kind of unrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a letter sent by Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Clay Higgins (R-LA), the committee wrote: The Committee remains deeply concerned that NGOs that receive U.S. taxpayer dollars benefitted from the border crisis created by the Biden Administration, and stand ready to do so under future Democrat administrations. They cited a near-total lack of accountability for how these taxpayer funds are being spent. The committee is also probing whether these nonprofits may have incentivized or supported illegal activity. The Committee is concerned that these NGOs used U.S. taxpayer money to enable the Biden border crisis by incentivizing and facilitating illegal immigration, placing our homeland security at risk and encouraging unprecedented levels of human trafficking and smuggling, the lawmakers wrote. Finally, the Committee is concerned that certain NGOs are now actively advising illegal aliens on how to avoid and impede law enforcement officials, which can only be seen as an attempt to undermine the work [of the] federal government. CHIRLA Denies Involvement But Questions Linger One group, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), publicly denied involvement in the riots. In a statement to the New York Post, a CHIRLA spokesman said: We have not participated, coordinated, or been part of the riots being registered in Los Angeles other than the press conference and rally cited above. That denial comes as critics point to the coordinated nature of the violence including the presence of legal observers, bail fund organizers, and professional signage all hallmarks of NGO-backed protest infrastructure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The New York Post also reported that several groups involved in immigrant advocacy have received millions in federal funding in recent years prompting lawmakers to question whether taxpayer money is inadvertently fueling illegal activity and civil unrest. DHS Words vs. Federal Inaction Though DHS has been forceful in its rhetoric, critics argue that public statements are not enough. So far, no legal or enforcement action has been taken against the nonprofit groups suspected of helping coordinate or support the riots. The New York Post confirmed that the House Homeland Security Committee has launched an investigation into several of these NGOs particularly those that received federal funding while allegedly facilitating illegal immigration and obstructing law enforcement. Lawmakers say the situation raises serious questions about how taxpayer dollars are being used and whether any groups crossed legal lines. But for many, oversight alone isnt enough. Critics argue the federal government must move beyond investigations and toward real accountability including freezing funds, issuing subpoenas, and pursuing criminal charges if warranted. Until that happens, they warn, the groups fueling chaos at the border and on the streets of American cities will continue to operate unchecked. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A disbarred Nevada attorney will serve several years in prison as part of a plea agreement involving allegations he misrepresented homeowners going through foreclosure, the 8 News Now Investigators have learned. Last November, a Clark County grand jury indicted J. Scott MacDonald on 24 felony charges, including theft and perjury, records said. MacDonald settled his case before trial, agreeing to plead guilty to one count of theft and serve 3-8 years in prison. A Metro detective told the grand jury that MacDonald misrepresented clients and kept money in cases involving real estate and foreclosures, documents said. The incidents occurred from 2018 to December 2022, records said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several victims told the grand jury they never met or hired MacDonald, records said. In 2023, MacDonald voluntarily gave up his law license. Documents filed with the Nevada Supreme Court indicate he acknowledged the facts surrounding the state bars investigation into the allegations were true and that he could not successfully defend against those charges, documents said. A judge will formally sentence MacDonald 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 KLAS. Mickey Mouse at Disneyland in California. Credit - Getty Images On Wednesday, the long-simmering dispute between Hollywood and the AI industry escalated dramatically when Disney and Universal sued Midjourney, one of the most prominent AI image generators, for copyright infringement. The two Hollywood heavyweight studios argue that Midjourney allows its users to blatantly incorporate and copy Disneys and Universals famous characters, such as Shrek and Spider-Man. Piracy is piracy, and the fact that its done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing, Horacio Gutierrez, Disneys chief legal officer, said in a general statement. The lawsuit challenges one of the AI industrys fundamental assumptions: that it should be allowed to train upon copyrighted materials under the principle of fair use. How the case gets resolved could have major implications for both AI and Hollywood going forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I really think the only thing that can stop AI companies doing what theyre doing is the law, says Ed Newton-Rex, the CEO of nonprofit organization Fairly Trained, which provides certifications for AI models trained on licensed data. If these lawsuits are successful, that is what will hopefully stop AI companies from exploiting peoples lifes work. A growing backlash against AI training norms AI companies train their models upon vast amounts of data scoured from across the web. While most of these companies have resisted admitting that they scrape copyrighted material, there are already dozens of AI copyright-related lawsuits in the U.S. alone alleging otherwise. Midjourney, which allows its millions of registered users to generate images from prompts, faces a class-action suit led by artists including Kelly McKernan, who found that users were inputting the artists name as a keyword in Midjourney to spit out eerily similar artworks. These companies are profiting wildly off our unpaid labor, they told TIME in 2023. For the last few years, Hollywood has refrained from entering the fray, while sending mixed messages about AI. During contract negotiations in 2023, AI was a major source of contention between unions like SAG-AFTRA and producers, who advanced a groundbreaking AI proposal involving the use of digital replicas to fill out the backgrounds of film scenes. Read More: Even AI Filmmakers Think Hollywoods AI Proposal Is Dangerous Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But while some in Hollywood hope AI will make filmmaking more efficient and less expensive, many more have grown concerned about the AI industrys usage of copyrighted material. This concern has come to a head with the Disney-Universal lawsuit, which is the first major lawsuit brought by Hollywood studios against an AI company. The lawsuit seeks damages and an injunction that would immediately stop Midjourneys operationsand casts generative AI theft as a problem that threatens to upend the bedrock incentives of U.S. copyright law. Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. We are bringing this action today to protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the significant investment we make in our content, said Kim Harris, executive vice president and general counsel of NBCU. Newton-Rex believes that this lawsuit is particularly significant because of the size, influence and resources of Disney and Universal. The more that these mainstays of the American economy weigh into this fight, the harder it is to ignore the simple truth here, he says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In February, a Delaware judge dealt a blow to the AI industrys fair use argument, ruling that a legal research firm was not allowed to copy the content of Thomson Reuters to build a competing AI-based legal platform. If the Disney-Universal lawsuit is similarly successful, that would have major implications for both AI and Hollywood, says Naeem Talukdar, the CEO of the AI video startup Moonvalley. Many AI companies might have to retrain their visual models from the ground up with licensed content. And Hollywood, if given legal clarity, might actually accelerate its usage of AI models built upon licensed content, like ones built by Moonvalley and Natasha Lyonnes and Bryn Moosers Asteria Film Co. Nobody wants to touch these models with a 10-foot pole, because theres a sense that youll just get sued on the outputs later, Talukdar says. I would expect that if this judgment falls a certain way, youll see a lull, and then youll have a new class of models emerge that pays the creators. And then youll see this avalanche of studios that can now actually start using these models much more freely. A governmental loophole? Unsurprisingly, AI companies are fighting back in court. Theyre also working on another path forward to retain their ability to train their models as they see fit: through governmental policy. In January, OpenAI sent a memo to the White House arguing their ability to train on copyrighted material should be preserved. They then relaxed several rules around copyright in the name of creative freedom, which triggered a flood of Studio Ghibli-style images on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the U.K., the government announced plans to give AI companies access to any copyrighted work that rights holders hadnt explicitly opted out of, which drew a huge backlash from stars like Paul McCartney and Dua Lipa. Last week, the House of Lords rejected the legislation for a fourth time. Newton-Rex says that this dispute over AI and copyright will not be resolved any time soon. Billion-dollar AI companies have staked their entire businesses on the idea that they are allowed to take peoples lifes work and build on it to compete with them. I dont think theyre easily going to give that up because of one lawsuit, he says. Nevertheless, he says that the announcement of this lawsuit is really good for creators everywhere. Contact us at letters@time.com. Disney and NBCUniversal are the first Hollywood players to take a shot across the bow of a generative AI company that they claim has stolen their copyrighted characters. Disney and NBCU filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Midjourney, a generative AI start-up, alleging copyright infringement. The companies alleged that Midjourneys own website displays hundreds, if not thousands, of images generated by its Image Service at the request of its subscribers that infringe Plaintiffs Copyrighted Works. More from Variety Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A copy of the lawsuit is at this link. The companies filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. According to Disney and NBCU, before they sued Midjourney, they asked the company to stop its theft of their intellectual property but that instead Midjourney has continued to release new versions of its Image Service, which, according to Midjourneys founder and CEO, have even higher-quality infringing images. Reps for Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Disney and NBCU said in the lawsuit: By helping itself to Plaintiffs copyrighted works, and then distributing images (and soon videos) that blatantly incorporate and copy Disneys and Universals famous characters without investing a penny in their creation Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism. Piracy is piracy, and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology does not make it any less infringing. Midjourneys conduct misappropriates Disneys and Universals intellectual property and threatens to upend the bedrock incentives of U.S. copyright law that drive American leadership in movies, television, and other creative arts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The complaint continued, Midjourneys bootlegging business model and defiance of U.S copyright law are not only an attack on Disney, Universal, and the hard-working creative community that brings the magic of movies to life, but are also a broader threat to the American motion picture industry which has created millions of jobs and contributed more than $260 billion to the nations economy. This case is not a close call under well-settled copyright law. San Francisco-based Midjourney says on its website, We are a small self-funded team focused on design, human infrastructure, and AI. We have 11 full-time staff and an incredible set of advisors. Midjourneys founder and CEO is David Holz, who previously co-founder and CTO of well-funded VR/AR start-up Leap Motion. Holz is a former researcher at NASA and conducted neuroscience research at the Max Planck Institute. In an interview with tech site the Register published in August 2022, Holz said that Midjourney was already profitable. Disney and NBCU are seeking unspecified monetary damages, as well as preliminary and/or permanent injunctive relief enjoining and restraining Midjourney from infringing on or distributing their copyrighted works. Horacio Gutierrez, senior executive VP, chief legal and compliance officer of the Walt Disney Co., said in a statement provided to Variety: Our world-class IP is built on decades of financial investment, creativity and innovation investments only made possible by the incentives embodied in copyright law that give creators the exclusive right to profit from their works. We are bullish on the promise of AI technology and optimistic about how it can be used responsibly as a tool to further human creativity. But piracy is piracy, and the fact that its done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kim Harris, executive vice president and general of counsel of NBCU, said in a statement: We are bringing this action today to protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the significant investment we make in our content. Theft is theft regardless of the technology used, and this action involves blatant infringement of our copyrights. The Disney and NBCU lawsuit include images showing how Midjourney allegedly infringed their intellectual property, including an image of Marvels Deadpool and Wolverine (pictured above) and Universals Minions from the Despicable Me film franchise. Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Disney and NBCUniversal joined forces in the first lawsuit of its kind against the artificial intelligence image company Midjourney on Wednesday, accusing it of copyright infringement. We are bringing this action today to protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the significant investment we make in our content, Kimberly Harris, NBCUniversals executive vice president, told CNBC. The companies lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that Midjourney sought to reap the rewards of Disney and Universal-copyrighted characters by selling an AI image-generating service that functions as a virtual vending machine, generating endless unauthorized copies of their copyrighted works. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism, the lawsuit reads. Piracy is piracy, and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology does not make it any less infringing. Midjourney's artificial intelligence service rendered images of Thanos from Disney's "Avengers" series. DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC and UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS PRODUCTIONS LLLP /US District Court in central California Midjourney did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment. The AI company made $300 million last year from its image service, which allowed subscribers to simply enter a text prompt to request any of the Disney or Universal characters to perform an action, according to the lawsuit. The AI then generates and displays a high-quality image of the character. The lawsuit lists several Disney or Universal-owned characters Midjourney generated, including Shrek, Darth Vader, Thanos from the Avengers series, and the Minions characters from Despicable Me. Midjourney's artificial intelligence image service defied copyright laws, according to a lawsuit. DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC and UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS PRODUCTIONS LLLP /US District Court in central California Horacio Gutierrez, chief legal and compliance officer for The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement to HuffPost that Disneys world-class IP is built on decades of financial investment, creativity and innovationinvestments only made possible by the incentives embodied in copyright law that give creators the exclusive right to profit from their works. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added, We are bullish on the promise of AI technology and optimistic about how it can be used responsibly as a tool to further human creativity. The lawsuit contends that Midjourney could easily stop its theft and exploitation of intellectual property since the AI service controls what copyrighted content it selects. However, Midjourney chose not to use copyright protection measures, even when Disney and Universal sent cease-and-desist letters, according to the suit. The lawsuit accuses Midjourney of promoting its AI tools using Disney and Universal characters, and says the AI company has already begun using such characters to train its video service. The companies are now asking for a jury trial to determine damages, which could include some of Midjourneys profits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Midjourneys bootlegging business model and defiance of U.S copyright law are not only an attack on Disney, Universal, and the hard-working creative community that brings the magic of movies to life, but are also a broader threat to the American motion picture industry which has created millions of jobs and contributed more than $260 billion to the nations economy, the lawsuit reads. Related... By Ben Makori LARNE, Northern Ireland (Reuters) -Masked youths in Northern Ireland on Wednesday set fire to a leisure centre that had been sheltering migrant families, but a third night of anti-immigrant violence was smaller in scale in the primary flashpoint of Ballymena. Violence first flared on Monday after two 14-year-old boys were arrested and appeared in court, accused of a serious sexual assault on a teenage girl in the town. The charges were read via a Romanian interpreter to the boys, whose lawyer told the court that they denied the charge, the BBC reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the most intense violence on Tuesday, hundreds of masked rioters attacked police and set homes and cars on fire in Ballymena, in what police condemned as "racist thuggery." On Wednesday, a smaller crowd in the town threw rocks, fireworks and petrol bombs at police, who responded with water cannon. Nine officers were injured, none seriously, bringing to 41 the number hurt since the violence began, police said in a statement. They added that a hatchet was thrown at police lines during the disorder. But 30 kilometers east in Larne, masked youths smashed windows and started fires in the lobby of a leisure centre where families whose homes were attacked in Ballymena had been briefly moved, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Women and children were taking part in swimming and exercise classes when the attack began and had to be evacuated through the fire exit, said a woman who was in the centre at the time. The crowd was acting "like rabid animals," said the woman, who declined to give her name. She said she felt "frightened and intimidated." Justice Minister Naomi Long said the attack was "completely unjustified and unjustifiable". Finance Minister John O'Dowd described the attackers as "racist thugs." The immigrant families had been moved by the time of the attack but rumours were spreading in the town that the leisure centre was to be used to permanently house people, Northern Ireland's Communities Minister Gordon Lyons told the BBC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lyons was widely criticised for posting on Facebook that a number of people had been temporarily moved to the leisure centre. Lyons condemned the attacks on the centre as "despicable" and said he was trying to quell the rumours. Police are investigating the damaging of properties on Monday and Tuesday in Ballymena, a town of 30,000 that has a relatively large migrant population, as racially-motivated hate crimes. Three teenagers have been charged with riot over Tuesday's violence and six more people were arrested, police said. Two Filipino families told Reuters they fled their home in Ballymena after fearing for their safety when their car was set on fire outside the house. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This kind of behavior is ... deeply damaging. It's very frightening, and it needs to stop," Britain's minister for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn told the BBC. Petrol bombs were thrown at officers in Coleraine, where police said they also received reports that a bus had been attacked, bins set alight on train tracks and were investigating a fire to nearby business premises. Police said youths also set fires at a roundabout in the town of Newtownabbey, a flashpoint for sectarian violence that sporadically flares up in the British-run region 27 years after a peace deal largely ended three decades of bloodshed. Debris was also set alight at a barricade in Coleraine, the Belfast Telegraph reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The British and Irish governments as well as local politicians have condemned the violence. (Reporting by Amanda Ferguson; Additional reporting by Conor Humphries in BALLYMENA; Writing by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Toby Chopra) This story was originally published on Waste Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Waste Dive newsletter. Bioenergy Devco, now known as BTS Bioenergy, made few announcements in the months leading up to its May 27 rebrand. CEO Nick Thomas, who has spent much of the past year retooling the companys strategy, said he hopes that will change moving forward. "When you lose your way, and youre not delivering, things do go quiet," Thomas, who joined the company in May 2024, said in an interview. "Weve managed to have some success here, but everything were doing right now is orienting towards execution." BTS Bioenergys European division has a long history. Founded in 1996, it has built more than 250 plants and secured dozens of patents. The company came to North America in 2019 and leveraged its expertise to build the Maryland Bioenergy Center, which opened in 2021. But years later, that facility remains BTS only completed American digester project. Surviving a tough industry Anaerobic digestion has grown more slowly than developers hoped in the U.S. over the last several years, particularly among facilities that process food waste. Other digestion companies have set bold expansion goals in recent years and struggled to meet them, prompting multiple leadership changes. Bioenergy Devco itself received a more than $100 million commitment from Irradiant Partners in 2021 to build out a network of facilities, but little has come of that partnership. In 2021, amid broad industry questions about the financial viability of anaerobic digestion technology, Bioenergy Devco founder Shawn Kreloff told Waste Dive that "the strongest [companies] have survived." Last year, he stepped away as CEO to take a role on the companys board. His replacement, Thomas, said BTS has room for improvement, and hes brought in fresh leadership to assist with that growth. He joined the company from Meritage Midstream Services II, a Wyoming natural gas provider. In the following months, Thomas brought in other executives from Meritage and new CFO Jason Meek, who joined BTS from anaerobic digestion company PurposeEnergy. The side of a large cylindrical building with a catwalk snaking up the exterior. Over the past year, Thomas said hes been learning about the anaerobic digestion industry and process, which produces methane and meshes with his experience in the natural gas sector. Thomas is also reorienting BTS toward prospects that make the most economical sense for the company. That includes adding anaerobic digestion capacity to a composting facility in Delaware, which processes waste from the chicken industry. The company is hoping to break ground on that expansion next year. BTS is also in the advanced planning stages for a facility in Gainesville, Georgia, which the company anticipates breaking ground on later this year. CHEYENNE The Wyoming Supreme Court has ruled that the Laramie County District Court abused its discretion by declining to reduce the sentence of a man convicted of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. In 2023, an unidentified district court judge sentenced David Herrera Jr. to five to eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, according to a Supreme Court opinion published June 2. Along with his sentence, Herrera was referred to the Youthful Offender Transition Program (YOTP) with the understanding that if he completed the program, he would receive a reduction in his sentence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The offense Herrera robbed a convenience store in Cheyenne in October 2020. In the course of the robbery, Herrera held the store clerk at knifepoint. Following DNA evidence and tips from the community, Herrera was arrested in February of 2023 at the Big Horn Motel. Under a plea agreement, Herrera pleaded guilty to a single count of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, according to court documents. In turn, the state agreed to dismiss additional charges and argue for a term of no more than five to eight years imprisonment. The recommended sentence was deemed appropriate because, Among other things, Mr. Herreras crime was violent, the store clerk was traumatized by the robbery and Mr. Herrera committed additional criminal offenses after the robbery, according to the Supreme Court opinion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The court then recommended YOTP in addition to the prison time, committing to reduce Herreras sentence both verbally at the sentencing and in the written judgment and sentencing document. An opportunity Its an opportunity, the unidentified judge told Herrera at his sentencing. Not just to say youre sorry or to say, I have a substance abuse problem, but to work hard inside the Department of Corrections to address the problem, succeed in the youthful offender, and you will get a sentence reduction so that youre back on the street the minimum amount of time. Shortly after the sentencing, the judge involved retired, according to court documents. Regardless, Herrera followed through with YOTP and succeeded in the program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following his successful completion of the program, Herrera appealed, requesting the court modify his sentence, suspending the remainder of the previously imposed term and putting him on three years of probation. In support of his request, Mr. Herrera explained he had been actively participating in the YOTP and how it changed his life for the better, and that he was nearing completion of the program, Justice Robert Jarosh wrote in the opinion. Mr. Herrera also included a letter from the Wyoming Department of Corrections Unit Manager and his caseworker. The letter discussed Mr. Herreras various accomplishments during his enrollment in the YOTP. Despite this, the district court denied the motion, citing the courts discretion in the matter. The court cited a variety of factors supporting Herreras incarceration. Specifically, in the states view, the sentence remained appropriate and in line with the sentencing factors of punishment and deterrence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr. Herreras crime had long-lasting and profound impacts on the store clerk he held at knifepoint, and Mr. Herreras criminal history made him a high risk to commit further criminal offenses, Justice Jarosh wrote in the opinion, summarizing the courts decision to deny a sentence reduction for Herrera. The district court did not hold a hearing on Herreras motion, according to the opinion. On Oct. 2, 2024, the district court entered its Order Denying Motion for Sentence Reduction, which Herrera appealed. Abused discretion The state Supreme Court determined that the district court had abused its discretion by not reducing Herreras sentence, consistent with both written and verbal agreements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Given that the district court told Mr. Herrera that he would receive a sentence reduction if he completed the YOTP, it was not reasonable for the district court to deny the motion for sentence reduction without justification, the courts opinion reads. Justices added, While the change in district court judges may help explain why the prior commitment was not honored, this is one of those rare circumstances where a district court abused its discretion in denying a motion for sentence reduction. As a result, the state Supreme Court reversed the district courts decision and determined that further sentencing proceedings were required in Herreras case, consistent with the courts opinion. The Peabody School Committee addressed bullying concerns from both students and parents nearly a month after a student took his own life after allegedly being bullied at school. An emotional meeting was held on Tuesday when the family of 14-year-old Jason Bernard shared their story to district leaders and the community. Justice for Jason!: Hundreds call for answers, honor Peabody middle schooler who took his own life Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jason was a student at the Higgins Middle School and his family tells Boston25 News he was the victim of bullying before taking his own life. The cost of inaction is far too high, and irreversible, Jasons sister, Cely Rosario, said. Jason is no longer with us...he has taken his own life as a result of relentless bullying both in person and online. Since Jasons death, the Bernard family has been calling for changes in the district. Dozens of parents have come forward, voicing similar concerns. Bullying is a gigantic problem in our district, its been swept under the rug for far too long, Liz mover said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the first time since Jasons death, Peabody Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala addressed the issue of bullying. Theres much work to be done to heal as a community and the need to come together as a community and really make some relevant change, he said. Dr. Vadala presented the districts bullying policy and prevention plan, laying out several programs already in place, including annual staff training. He also showed parents how to officially file a report. But Dr. Vadala says after hearing from families over the last few weeks, he admits works need to be done to better implement the anti-bullying policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The laws are around preventing bullying and addressing bullies, but I dont think were doing enough for the targets of bullying and I think we need to do more for targets, Dr. Vadala said. I think theres a missed opportunity in the law. Families like Jasons say theyre ready to participate in any discussions on how to make real change to better protect students. It starts with your teachers and the guidance counselors and the parents if they dont understand the language or this program or the curriculum happening, then the work is not going to get done," Rosario said. If its starting at school and the schools not doing anything about it, then were going to lose another life. The superintendent says theyre adding more professional development and a community forum on the subject will be held soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 Editors note: The video above aired in a previous newscast. NEW YORK (PIX11) New York City Council members are urging the Department of Investigations (DOI) to investigate whether the NYPD is sharing information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Speaker Adrienne Adams, Council Member Gale Brewer, and Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber have requested the DOI investigate the NYPDs alleged collaboration with federal authorities. They are concerned that civil immigration enforcement may violate local laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More Local News In recent days, weve witnessed masked agents of the Trump administration detain people following the law targeting our neighbors, Speaker Adams said in a video posted to her X account. This is not about public safety; it makes us less safe. Reports that NYPD collaboration and information shared with federal agencies are being used in civil immigration proceedings are disturbing. Adams also pointed out that sharing information with ICE for immigration enforcement violates New York City law since New York is a sanctuary city: a sanctuary city limits or declines to cooperate with the federal governments immigration law enforcement. In a press conference on Monday, NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the force does not engage in civil immigration enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an email to PIX11 News, a spokesperson for the NYPD issued the following statement: The NYPD does not engage in civil immigration enforcement, period. As it has for many years, the NYPD works with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies on criminal investigations, including work on federal criminal task forces. That work is critical to getting dangerous individuals out of our communities, protecting our city from terrorism, and keeping our families safe. Since January, the department has been under fire for working with ICE agents to go after criminals. In May, the NYPD gave federal immigration authorities an internal record about a Palestinian woman arrested at a protest, now used by the Trump administration as evidence to deport her, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see 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 PIX11. DES MOINES, Iowa Police in Des Moines are asking for the publics help to find a suspect in a violent assault last month in the Highland Park neighborhood. Alice Dacken Alice Dacken, 56, is being sought on active warrants for willful injury causing bodily injury, according to Sgt. Paul Parizek, spokesperson for the Des Moines Police Department. ICE Out protest brings in hundreds in Des Moines Sgt. Parizek said she assaulted a victim at their home on May 5th, using a high-heeled shoe as a weapon. The 62-year-old victim suffered multiple injuries in the assault. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dacken is 53 tall and weighs about 145 pounds. DMPD is asking anyone with information on her location to call 911 or submit a tip online at https://www.crimestoppersofcentraliowa.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 who13.com. With a cryptic video that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard posted on X on Tuesday morning, the Democratic-congresswoman-turned-America-First-advocate reignited simmering concerns about the unorthodox intelligence chief among both her longtime detractors and some Republicans who voted to confirm her earlier this year. She obviously needs to change her meds, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) told Jewish Insider of Gabbard. Kennedy, like all Republicans except Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), voted to confirm Gabbard in February. I only saw a post that she did, which I thought was a very strange one since many people believe that, unfortunate though it was, the nuclear bomb that was dropped in World War II at Hiroshima actually saved a lot of lives, a lot of American lives, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told JI of Gabbards video. In the social media video, Gabbard describes a recent visit to Hiroshima, Japan, where she learned about the toll of the atomic bomb dropped on the city by American troops in 1945, which spurred a Japanese surrender and the end of World War II. She warned that the world faces another nuclear holocaust unless people reject this path to nuclear war. This is the reality of whats at stake, what we are facing now, because as we stand here today, closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before, political elite warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers, said Gabbard, not specifying who she was referring to by political elite warmongers or which countries she may have been calling out. Gabbards video decrying warmongers prompted concern from Republicans seeking a more traditionally conservative foreign policy worldview. She seems to be doing her best audition to be head of the Quincy Institute, a senior employee at a pro-Israel advocacy group said of Gabbard. One Senate Republican, speaking on condition of anonymity, questioned Gabbards logic in raising the human toll of Hiroshima and her warmongers comment. Im not sure I understand why the DNI would even need to make that point, the senator said of the Hiroshima focus, later adding: I dont seek nuclear war. I dont know anyone who wants nuclear war. Theres plenty of ideological diversity here, but pretty much universal opposition to that. Since taking office, Gabbard, who in 2020 was a surrogate for progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) presidential campaign, has generally been aligned with the isolationist wing of the Republican Party, which is increasingly ascendant in the Trump administration. William Ruger, the official she tapped for the high-level position that prepares the presidents daily intelligence briefing, came from Koch-affiliated institutions and has called for American restraint on the world stage. During her nomination battle, Gabbard faced criticism, including from some Republicans focused in particular on a congressional trip to Syria in 2017 when she met with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, her parroting of Russian propaganda about the countrys war with Ukraine and her defense of Edward Snowden, the former intelligence official who leaked classified information before fleeing the country. It defies belief that someone would be criticizing [President Harry] Trumans act of winning a war. We really need to get back to winning wars when we fight, Eric Levine, a prominent Republican fundraiser in New York who urged senators to oppose Gabbards confirmation, told JI on Tuesday. Levine raised concerns about Gabbards ability to influence President Donald Trumps approach to Iran, as nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are set to continue this weekend. He said that if Trump does the right thing meaning he ends the Iran negotiations and supports a strike on Irans nuclear infrastructure then the U.S. will save a lot of lives, just like Harry Truman did, and will not require the dropping of a nuclear bomb. Im very concerned about the isolationist wing of the Republican Party, Levine continued. I dont know whos winning out, because we dont know what the end result is in Iran yet. Several Republican senators questioned why Gabbard would make the video in the first place. I thought it was not appropriate, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told JI. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) described the impact of the bomb as horrible but said it was necessary to end the war, in which his father had fought. Dropping those bombs probably saved a million servicemens lives. If you dont want to get nuked, dont start barbaric wars, Graham told JI. I think its a horrible thing to happen to people, but it was brought on by Japan, and if I were Harry Truman, I would have done the same thing because the casualty estimates were a million dead Americans invading mainland Japan. Alexa Henning, Gabbards deputy chief of staff, declined to say whether Gabbard was referring in the video to a specific nation or to specific people. Acknowledging the past is critical to inform the future. President Trump has repeatedly stated in the past that he recognizes the immeasurable suffering, and annihilation can be caused by nuclear war, which is why he has been unequivocal that we all need to do everything possible to work towards peace, Henning said in a statement. DNI Gabbard supports President Trumps clearly stated objectives of bringing about lasting peace and stability and preventing war. Despite the criticism coming even from some allies, Gabbards views do not appear to have gone outside the realm of what Trump hopes to see from her. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), a personal friend of Gabbards from their shared time in the House, defended Gabbards post and her service as DNI. I think shes doing a great job Shes doing exactly what the president wanted her to do, Mullin told JI. People have been critical of her, and this is D.C., right? Youre going to get criticized for walking down the stairs wrong, so criticism is part of the job. Ethiopia has been burdened with substantial foreign debt and recently reached an agreement with international creditors to restructure a portion of its borrowings. A video post circulating on Facebook claims to show Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed calling on the public to contribute to the repayment of the debt. However, this is false: Abiys speech, which he gave at the inauguration of a forensics centre in November 2024, was replaced by an artificially-generated audio recording. The text accompanying the video post in Amharic reads: Dear Ethiopians, please be ready to contribute cash for foreign debt repayment. Screenshot of the altered post, taken on June 5, 2025 Guys make ready 71,000 each, adds the text overlay on the video. The post was published on May 29, 2025, and has been shared more than 370 times. It contains a clip more than a minute long in which Abiy is seen speaking at a gathering. Dear Ethiopians living in our country and Ethiopian citizens living in different foreign countries, Abiy appears to say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have reached a consensus that every Ethiopian should contribute to the repayment of Ethiopia's foreign debt. He continues: Therefore, every Ethiopian and everyone who holds Ethiopian citizenship must contribute 71,000 Ethiopian Birr or 571 dollars. All Ethiopians need to support us to achieve our goals actively. Footage of a protest follows and then the video switches back to what appears to be Abiys speech. Concern for Ethiopia cannot be expressed through talks alone. Neither can media campaigns. Love for Ethiopia is best expressed through action. Abiy purportedly adds: If you love Ethiopia and you care about Ethiopia, its foreign debt should be repaid immediately. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some users left angry comments. Didnt you give Sudan 60 million dollars as a loan last time? It would have been better if you had paid part of the debt, wrote one. Better sell the new extravagant palace and pay back the debt, said another. In November 2024, Ethiopia granted South Sudan a loan of more than $738 million (archived here). Abiy has also initiated a multi-billion-dollar project for building a new palace in Addis Ababa (archived here). The posts were also shared here and here on Facebook. Ethiopias debt In July 2024, Ethiopia launched an economic reform programme by moving to market-determined exchange rates and introducing a new interest-based monetary policy (archived here). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved $3.4 billion in aid. The country is suffering from high foreign debt, with about $30 billion on the books this year. It has been negotiating with its creditors since 2021 to have part of the debt repayments cancelled (archived here). In March 2025, the country reached an agreement in principle with its creditors to restructure part of its debt totalling $8.4 billion. However, Abyis speech, in which he allegedly calls on his fellow citizens to contribute cash to repay the foreign debt, was created by artificial intelligence (AI). Forensics centre launching AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The results revealed that a longer video was published on the official YouTube channel of Gazette Plus, part of the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), on November 16, 2024 (archived here). This footage, more than 16 minutes long, shows a news report on the launch of a new Ethiopian federal police forensics centre of excellence. The Federal Police has been equipped with modern technologies as part of the ongoing reform, reads the video's caption in Amharic. The video begins with a news anchor discussing the reform of the federal police's security and intelligence, followed by a marching band performing in front of Abiy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At 120, Abiy begins speaking in Amharic and says: The Federal Police Forensic Centre of Excellence that we are opening today is the result of the reforms we have carried out in the last five years. He adds: We have worked tirelessly to modernise our countrys law enforcement agencies, organise them in terms of knowledge, human resources and technological advancement and realise the sustainability of our great country. Abiy says that the forensic centre is equipped with facilities that enable it to conduct DNA examinations and other investigations. At no point does Abiy call on Ethiopians to contribute money to repay foreign debts. He does not address Ethiopias debt at all. Artificially-generated speech The false Facebook post used two segments from Abiys original speech at 503-528 and 1140-1151 and replaced them with artificially created audio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the words are spoken in Amharic, the accent is irregular, as are the pronunciations of some words. For example, Ethiopia and Ethiopian are pronounced as Utubia and Utubian. There are also clear discrepancies between the words and Abiys lip movements. For example, Abiys mouth barely moves when he says ..every Ethiopian and everyone who holds Ethiopian citizenship... Screenshots of the original video (left) and the altered version. Taken on June 5, 2025 AFP Fact Check also ran the audio through an audio deepfake detector called DeepfakeTotal. Screenshot of the results generated by DeepfakeTotal. Taken on June 9, 2025 The results showed a more than 85 percent probability that the audio was artificially created. AFP Fact Check has previously debunked AI-generated videos on a range of topics in Ethiopia, such as here, here and here. The Justice Department says President Donald Trump has the right to abolish national monuments established by former President Joe Biden at the request of Native American tribes. In the final days of his presidency, Biden established the Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sattitla Highlands National Monument to protect hundreds of thousands of acres of land in California. According to Reuters, the Chuckwalla National Monument protects over 624,000 acres, while the Sattitla Highlands National Monument protects 224,000 acres. Trump Doj Investigating Biden-era Pardons Amid Concerns Over State Of Mind Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The monuments could lose their status after a Trump DOJ legal opinion reversed a 1938 determination that presidents did not have the power to abolish monuments designated by previous presidents under the Antiquities Act of 1906. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Lanora Pettit argued in the opinion that "for the Antiquities Act, the power to declare carries with it the power to revoke." In his first term, Trump reduced the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments in Utah, according to the Associated Press. The outlet noted that Trump claimed the monuments were a "massive land grab." However, Biden later restored them during his term in office. Read On The Fox News App Then-President Joe Biden wears a ceremonial sash as he attends an event held to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sattitla Highlands National Monument in California, at the White House in Washington, D.C., Jan. 14, 2025. Biden Says He's Been Carrying Out Most Aggressive Climate Agenda In History As He Designates Ca Monuments Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DOJs opinion, which was released on Tuesday, has already drawn backlash as Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., slammed the Trump administration. "At Donald Trumps order, his Justice Department is attempting to clear a path to erase national monuments," said Heinrich, who serves as the ranking member of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. "Heres what they dont understand: Our national monuments are about who we are. They tell the story of our ancestors, support jobs and our rural economies, and connect Americans to our history and the land itself. No president can erase that." Heinrich also vowed to oppose Republican efforts "to rip away our national monuments." Then-President Joe Biden signs a proclamation establishing Chuckwalla National Monument, at the White House in Washington, D.C., Jan. 14, 2025. In the legal opinion, Pettit wrote that Bidens designation of the new monuments was part of a larger effort to create an environmental legacy for himself. She also appeared to discredit Bidens reasons for designating the sites as national monuments, including the creation of more places for outdoor recreational activities, like biking, hiking, hunting and camping. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Such activities are entirely expected in a park, but they are wholly unrelated to (if not outright incompatible with) the protection of scientific or historical monuments," Pettit wrote. There is no clear indication if or when Trump would revoke the status of the two sites established by Bidenor the status of any other monuments. However, according to Reuters, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields spoke about the need to "liberate our federal lands and waters to oil, gas, coal, geothermal, and mineral leasing" when asked about the opinion. Original article source: DOJ argues Trump may cancel Biden-era national monuments Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has confirmed the deployment of the National Guard across the state to help manage the ongoing riots over immigration. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, violent riots due to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids erupted in Los Angeles over the weekend and have spread across the country. The spread of left-wing agitators has reached Dallas and Austin, and more riots are expected to occur across the country over the coming days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, a representative from the San Antonio Police Department has written that Chief William McManus was able to confirm that Gov. Greg Abbott deployed National Guard troops to San Antonio, according to a statement sent to The San Antonio Express. Abbotts press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, also confirmed that soldiers are on standby in areas where mass demonstrations are planned in case they are needed, though he did not mention what areas this included. Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles, he added in a statement sent to The San Antonio Express. Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be swiftly held accountable to the full extent of the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abbott also personally confirmed on social media that National Guard troops have been deployed throughout the state, writing that the troops will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order. Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace & order. Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. Abbott could be addressing the dozens of protests planned for this weekend by the 50501 Movement, which describes itself as a national movement made up of everyday Americans who stand for democracy, and who stand against the authoritarian actions of the Trump Administration. The violent riots in Los Angeles resulted in a total of 50 arrests and the deployment of over 600 non-lethal rounds, with two officers being transported to the hospital with injuries sustained while attempting to manage the crowd, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Donald Trump has said he is increasingly doubtful that Iran will agree to halt uranium enrichment as part of a nuclear deal with the US. In an interview on the Pod Force One podcast, released Wednesday, the U.S. president admitted his confidence was waning when asked if he believed he could convince Iran to shut down its nuclear programme. "I dont know," he said, "I did think so, and Im getting more and more less confident about it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has been pushing for a revised nuclear agreement to restrict Iran's nuclear operations, and has warned Tehran of potential military action if no accord is reached. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, he mentioned discussing Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing negotiations with the Iranians as "tough." During the podcast, Trump suggested that the Iranians were employing delaying strategies in the talks. Trump has been seeking a new nuclear deal to place limits on Iran's nuclear activities and has threatened Tehran with bombing if no agreement is reached (AP) Im less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump repeated that the US would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, whether or not a deal is reached. But it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, its so much nicer to do it. But I dont think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal," he said. Iran says it has no plans to build a nuclear weapon and is only interested in power generation and other peaceful projects. During his first White House term, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed limits on Tehran's disputed nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. June 11 (UPI) -- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk Wednesday won a confidence vote to remain at the helm of the country and avoid early elections. Members of Parliament in the lower house voted 243-210 in favor of keeping Tusk on as prime minister and keeping Tusk's pro-EU alliance in place. The confidence vote was prompted by the narrow election victory of right-wing Law and Justice, or PiS, President Karol Nawrocki June 1, who defeated Tusk-aligned Rafal Trzaskowski. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TNawrocki has veto power over legislation while Tusk's governing coalition lacks enough votes to override vetoes. "The challenges ahead are greater than expected," Tusk said. "We're facing two and a half years of extremely hard work in political conditions that will not improve, with a president who, at best, will be unsympathetic to change -- just like the outgoing one." Nawrocki will be sworn in as President on Aug. 6. Tusk's coalition won the 2023 election after PiS had governed for eight years. Poland's next general election is set for 2027. PiS members of Parliament boycotted Tusk's address to Parliament ahead of the confidence vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "June 1 marked the end of the project called Donald Tusk, just like communism ended 36 years ago. This is the end of the prime minister of illegal migrants, the prime minister of public finance disaster, the prime minister of lies and contempt for Poles," PiS MP Janusz Kowalski said. Tusk told Parliament 11.5 million Poles voted for his coalition and its agenda and said economic growth is stronger under his coalition that it was under PiS rule. California has witnessed a surge in fuel imports, which have reached a four-year high as the state grapples with refinery outages, reported Reuters. According to shipping data and traders, the increase is a response to supply shortages in the US' second-largest oil-consuming state. Last month, California's petroleum product imports soared to 279,000 barrels per day (bpd), the highest mark since June 2021. South Korea and other Asian exporters, which have long been primary trading partners for California, contributed nearly 70% of these imports, with approximately 187,000bpd arriving from the region. The state's reliance on imports is expected to grow as Phillips 66 and Valero plan to close two major refineries by next year in the wake of regulation, costs and declining gasoline demand. Recent disruptions at Chevron, PBF Energy and Valero refineries in California have exacerbated the supply constraints, necessitating increased imports to meet demand along the West Coast. Notably, imports from the Bahamas reached an unprecedented 38,000bpd in May, surpassing the previous record of 29,000bpd in March. The Bahamas, while not an oil refiner, exports fuel and blending components from the US Gulf Coast refining hub, circumventing the century-old Jones Act. This US shipping law restricts the transport of goods between US ports to domestically built and crewed ships. With only 55 compliant petroleum tankers as of early 2024, the scarcity and cost of these vessels make them challenging to secure. Despite the high costs, the recent refinery outages have made it financially viable to ship fuel from Texas to California via the Bahamas, opening up the West Coast to broader trading opportunities, as noted by a US gasoline trading source. "California fuel imports hit four-year peak due to refinery outages" was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. WESTON, W.Va. (WBOY) Former West Virginia Delegate Doug Skaff was killed in a vehicle accident Tuesday, the West Virginia State Police confirmed. Accident on I-79 at mile marker 101 that killed former Delegate Doug Skaff on June 10 (Courtesy: Amber Grensavitch) At approximately 4 p.m. on June 10, Skaff, 48 of South Charleston, was driving southbound on Interstate 79 when he collided with the rear of a tractor trailer, according to a press release from the West Virginia State Police. Both vehicles had significant damage, and Skaff was pronounced dead at the scene, the release said. The tractor trailer driver was not injured, troopers said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flags lowered to honor Doug Skaff The accident happened near mile marker 101, which is between Jane Lew and Weston. A State Police Crash Reconstructionist will conduct an analysis of the crash, according to the release, and the accident is still under investigation. Skaff served in the West Virginia House of Delegates for nearly 12 years before stepping down as minority leader in August 2023 and then resigning in September 2023. He then ran for West Virginia Secretary of State in 2024 and had also filed his candidacy for the state senate 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 WBOY.com. The Senate Appropriations Committee questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, criticizing the deployment of National Guard troops and active-duty Marines amidst ongoing protests in Los Angeles. Hegseth has backed President Donald Trump's decision to send thousands of active military members to the nation's second-largest city. Hegseth told senators that every action taken in Los Angeles was "constitutional" and lawful but wasnt able to provide the specific statute that authorized the administration to deploy active-duty Marines. "Our Office of General Counsel, alongside our leadership, has reviewed and ensured, in the order that we set out, that its completely constitutional for the president to use federal troops to defend federal law enforcement, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patty Murray, D-Wash., had strong words for the defense secretary during Wednesday's hearing. Those sorts of actions and that sort of rhetoric from a President of the United States should stop every one of us cold, Murray said. Threatening to use our own troops on our own citizens at such scale is unprecedented, it is unconstitutional, and it is downright un-American. Trump threatening "heavy force" against peaceful protestors who oppose his Beijing-style military parade? Deploying the Marines & National Guard to police the American people? I made clear to @SecDef and my colleagues: all of this is unconstitutional & downright un-American. pic.twitter.com/BU9x80LmbO Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) June 11, 2025 Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine testified alongside Hegseth. He danced around questions about whether he had seen a "rebellion" in Los Angeles, one of the reasons why a president might invoke the Insurrection Act. The law grants the president the right to engage the military in law enforcement actions, as Trump and Hegseth appear to be doing. There are definitely some frustrated folks out there, Caine offered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Caine shot down the Trump administration's repeated assertion that there has been an invasion of migrants into the country. "I dont see any foreign, state-sponsored folks invading, but Ill be mindful of the fact that there have been some border issues," he said. The Trump administrations military deployment to Los Angeles has been widely criticized. California Gov. Gavin Newsom unsuccessfully requested a temporary restraining order blocking the move, though a hearing of Newsom's case against the admin is scheduled for tomorrow. Following four days of escalating protests that defaced landmarks and damaged property in downtown L.A., Mayor Karen Bass imposed a regional curfew on Tuesday in an effort to restore order. When and where does the curfew take place? The curfew is in place from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. across most of downtown Los Angeles. The curfew footprint is from the 5 Freeway to the 110 Freeway and from the 10 Freeway to where the 110 and 5 freeways merge. The remainder of the city is not subject to the curfew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are limited exceptions to the curfew for those living and working in downtown L.A., credentialed members of the media, law enforcement and emergency personnel. Bass said that she expects the curfew to remain in place for several days and will consult with law enforcement and elected leaders before lifting it. She said it was necessary to curb the actions of "bad actors who do not support the immigrant community." What are the consequences of violating curfew? Mayor Bass and L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell have both said that the curfew will be strictly enforce and those in violation will be arrested. "I am exercising my mayoral powers to implement a curfew within downtown Los Angeles," said Bass. "If you do not live or work in downtown L.A., avoid the area. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: A curfew and faith leaders' calls quiet the night The majority of protesters cleared the downtown area after curfew began Tuesday night. A small crowd, however, remained, and the Los Angeles Police Department arrested 17 people on suspicion of violating curfew, according to a Wednesday morning news release. A spokesperson for the department had given The Times an arrest total of 25 on Tuesday night. What events led up to the curfew? The curfew comes as arrests have continuously increased since protests began on Friday in response to the Trump administrations immigration crackdown in Southern California. Although no demonstrators were arrested by local law enforcement Friday, tensions escalated over the course of the weekend, leading to larger gatherings punctuated by episodes of violence, theft, graffiti and property destruction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement L.A. police made 27 arrests on Saturday, 40 on Sunday and more than 100 on Monday, police said. A further 205 protesters were arrested Tuesday before Bass declared the curfew at 5:30 p.m. Read more: Photos: A fierce pushback on ICE raids in L.A. from protesters, officials People were arrested for an array of alleged crimes including failure to disperse, throwing a Molotov cocktail at an officer, driving a motorcycle into a line of officers, destruction of property and looting. "Many businesses have now been affected by vandalism," said Bass on Tuesday. "Last night there were 23 businesses that were looted. If you drive through downtown, the graffiti is everywhere and has caused significant damages to businesses and a number of properties." Has L.A. been under curfew before? A citywide curfew from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. was implemented by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti during protests in May and June 2020 following George Floyd's murder. Then-L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva followed suit, announcing a countywide curfew beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 6 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The curfews came after several days of largely peaceful demonstrations that were broken up by burglaries, fires and clashes with police. The move marked the first time since the 1992 Rodney King uprising that such a sweeping curfew had been enacted in Los Angeles. 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. Jun. 11After more than a decade in Portland, Renys Department Store will close its Congress Street location sometime in the next year. "Our lease is up next April, and we won't be renewing in the Portland location," Holly Margaritis, the company's human resources coordinator, said on a Wednesday morning phone call. "We just spoke with the staff at the store yesterday." Renys has not settled on a precise closing date, she said. One of 19 locations in Maine, the Portland store opened in 2011, according to the company's website. Sixteen employees currently work there, Margaritis said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Regrettably, after 15 years, we will be closing at the end of this year," the company said in a written statement Wednesday afternoon. "Store sales have not rebounded since the pandemic. We will be offering transfers to our employees as well as bonuses for those who stay with us through closing." Renys does not have immediate plans to open a new location in the city, Margaritis said. The shop's closure was first reported by The Burn, which said a spokesperson had cited "safety concerns" and that management told employees "violent incidents at the store" had factored into the decision. Asked about whether violence or other incidents played a role in the closure, Margaritis emphasized that depressed sales were the "major factor in leaving." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Business owners along Congress Street have voiced concerns in recent weeks about what they call an uptick in drug use, loitering and other disturbances. Like much of Maine, the city has seen a growing population of homeless people in recent years. The city has also been struggling to fill vacant storefronts in that area and is looking at ways to incentivize rentals. Following community complaints, police have dedicated more attention to the area over the last two months, said city spokesperson Jessica Grondin. She added that the department aims to set up a temporary community policing space near Monument Square next month. In May, the latest month for which data was provided, the Portland Police Department responded to 12 calls at Renys four times as many as the year before. That followed 18 calls in April, 3 in March and 13 in February, according to data provided by spokesperson Brad Nadeau. The 46 calls logged between February and May included 12 for "person(s) bothering"; 18 for shoplifting and theft; plus a handful of trespassing, refusing to leave and suspicious activity, Nadeau said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Margaritis said the closure is not reflective of the company's overall performance. She added that the site's landlord has "been great." "Renys is fine," she said. "At this point in time, we don't really want to make a statement in regards to that. It's fairly new to all our staff, so we want to respect their feelings and the situation that they're in." The company opened a Waterville location in April. The Portland building at 540 Congress St. previously housed an L.L.Bean outlet store. Copy the Story Link Four dozen protesters were arrested Tuesday evening as up to 2,000 outraged anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protestors descended on Foley Square in lower Manhattan the second day of an ICE out of NYC gathering to push back on mass deportations of ICE detainees. The crowd gathered around 5 p.m. just steps away from an ICE facility at 26 Federal Plaza, and shouted fk you, fk ICE and No ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA to vent their frustrations with the Trump administration and its hasty and massive deportations. Demonstrators also clashed with those who tried to disrupt the protest, fueling rising tensions with one anti-protest advocate escorted away by cops near Broadway and Duane St. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im a Zionist, and Im an American, the man shouted to the howling crowd of anti-ICE protestors before he was pulled away by cops. Im a Zionist, so fk you. Another man dressed in a bright green shirt and holding a sign urging Get the illegals out now while shouting I love my country! also clashed with the anti-ICE demonstrators. According to police sources, 48 protesters were arrested in the Tuesday evening protest. Cops started to clash with protesters around 8 p.m., taking down and zip-tying some two dozen protesters who were then put into a white police van. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were hitting their hands with their batons, they were waiting for it, charged Andrea Arcia, a 22-year-old law student from Brooklyn. They wanted to start something. They were bashed into the pavements. This is my first time seeing it. As some protesters were rounded up, the crowd of supporters burst into chants of Let them go, let them go, we will be victorious and Get a real job, aimed at the officers. CEDAR COUNTY, Iowa Dozens of more dogs were rescued from what authorities described as a neglect situation at an unlicensed breeders properties on Friday, nearly two years after a similar rescue. On Tuesday, the Animal Rescue League of Iowa announced that they had responded to a call from the Cedar County Sheriffs Office requesting help with an animal neglect situation at two properties owned by the same unlicensed breeder. In total, the breeder surrendered 32 dogs to the ARL. Photo of dog rescued from eastern Iowa breeder, courtesy of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. One of the 32 dogs rescued from an eastern Iowa breeder. Photo courtesy of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. Dog rescued in Cedar County. Photo courtesy of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. Animal Rescue League of Iowa care team with dog rescued from Cedar County breeder. Photo courtesy of the ARL. Photo of multiple dogs rescued from Cedar County breeder, courtesy of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. Dog rescued from eastern Iowa breeder receiving treatment. Photo courtesy of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. According to the sheriffs office, the dogs were found living in neglectful conditions and didnt have access to proper food, water, or shelter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vehicle crashes into southside Des Moines home The ARL said that some of the dogs they rescued needed medical treatments ranging from surgeries to behavioral care. In August 2023, the ARL said it responded to an animal rescue at properties owned by the same unlicensed breeder in Cedar County. During that rescue, 30 dogs were rescued and some of those dogs also need surgeries and behavioral care. The name of the unlicensed breeder has not been released by authorities. An investigation into the dog rescue is being conducted by the Cedar County Sheriffs Office. With the rescue of the 32 dogs on Friday, the ARL said its dog kennels are now overflowing. Those interested in donating to the ARL to help care for the animals can learn more on the ARLs website. 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. Shocking video and photos taken amid the ongoing immigration protests in Los Angeles show journalists and news crews being shot, detained and forced off public property by law enforcement, raising concerns of excessive force and First Amendment rights violations. There have been more than 30 incidents of police violence against journalists as of Tuesday, including 20 injuries, at least five of which required emergency room or urgent care visits, said Adam Rose, the press rights chair with the Los Angeles Press Club, which released a statement Monday urging an end to the targeting of journalists whose work is constitutionally protected. The list of injuries includes a freelance photojournalist requiring emergency surgery Sunday night after being shot in the leg with a three-inch piece of plastic that he believes was designed to be shot and explode above a crowd. This is the plastic projectile that news photographer Nick Stern said a surgeon removed from his leg on Sunday. Nick Stern Graphic photos shared with HuffPost show a gaping wound in Nick Sterns right thigh that he said has left him unable to walk or move without assistance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why this device was shot at human, kind of, waist high level, I do not know. The people around me at that time was doing nothing more than waving Mexican flags, he told HuffPost. Stern, who said he has three decades of experience photographing public protests, including in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the George Floyd protests in 2020, expressed concern that people may die from the excessive use of force that he witnessed and experienced firsthand. I never thought for one moment that Id actually have to be fearful of law enforcement during a public protest but that seems to be where the danger to journalists comes from, he said. Photographer Nick Stern said he's unable to walk or move without assistance after getting shot in his right thigh while covering the protests on Sunday. Nick Stern Also Sunday, photographer Toby Canham said he was shot in the forehead with a rubber bullet while snapping pictures of law enforcement gathered along a highway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The British Army veteran, who was on assignment for the New York Post, photographed the projectile flying at him split seconds before it hit him in the head. He was treated for whiplash and neck pain at a local hospital Monday, the Post reported. Its a real shame. I completely understand being in the position where you could get injured, but at the same time, there was no justification for even aiming the rifle at me and pulling the trigger, so Im a bit pissed off about that, to be honest, he told the paper, while sharing photos of his bloodied head. Australian broadcast journalist Lauren Tomasi had just finished reporting live from Los Angeles downtown area on Sunday when her news outlet, 9 News, reported that an officer turned his gun toward her and fired a rubber bullet from close range. Video shows Tomasi jumping and yelling in pain. U.S. Correspondent Lauren Tomasi has been caught in the crossfire as the LAPD fired rubber bullets at protesters in the heart of Los Angeles. #9News LATEST: https://t.co/l5w7JxixxBpic.twitter.com/nvQ7m9TGLj 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) June 9, 2025 Australias Department of Foreign Affairs immediately joined in on condemning the shooting, stating that all journalists should be able to do their work safely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CNNs Jason Carroll was also reporting live from the scene on Monday when cameras captured him being detained by officers with his hands bound behind his back. Another video posted by reporter Sergio Olmos shows Carroll and a videographer being violently shoved by police while theyre standing along a sidewalk. Similar videos posted on social media show journalists being shoved, shot and pushed out of public areas despite audibly identifying themselves as members of the press. Homeland Security agents shot me and other journalists with pepper ball bullets yesterday in Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/2JX28M69QO @ryannemena.bsky.social (@ryannemena) June 7, 2025 The LA Press Club joined several press freedom organizations Monday expressing concern to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that federal officers are violating journalists First Amendment rights while they cover the protests. In some cases, federal officers appear to have deliberately targeted journalists who were doing nothing more than their job covering the news, a letter addressed to Noem by the organizations states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the First Amendment, journalists who are merely reporting on events and not interfering with federal operations cannot be subject to general dispersal orders and cannot be punished for the violent acts of others, and the proper response to any unlawful conduct is to arrest those who actually engage in such conduct, rather than to suppress legitimate First Amendment conduct as a prophylactic measure, the letter continues. Rose told HuffPost they have not received a response from Homeland Security as of Tuesday. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, responding to HuffPosts request for comment on the letter, urged the news media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots. We have seen rioters throwing rocks, Molotov cocktails, setting fires, and other violent acts. President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to restoring law and order in Los Angeles, she said in an email Wednesday. Related... Dozens of Palestinians have been killed as they tried to access aid in Gaza, hospitals say. Two hospitals in Gaza City said 25 people were killed overnight, near a convoy transporting flour and a food distribution site run by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the area of the Netzarim corridor, an Israeli military zone. The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire. There are also reports of people being crushed by lorries and being shot by Palestinians. Israel's military said troops fired warning shots as suspects approached them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another 14 people were killed by Israeli fire near a GHF site in Rafah, in the south, a hospital in Khan Younis said. The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports from Rafah. The GHF said more than 43,000 food parcels were handed out at its three distribution centres in Rafah and central Gaza "without incident" on Wednesday. However, there have been deadly incidents near the GHF's sites almost every day since its controversial aid system began operating on 26 May. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said 223 people had been killed while trying to reach areas designated for aid distribution over the past two weeks, including 57 on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Wednesday afternoon, Israeli anti-war activist Alon Lee-Green shared a video showing scenes of total chaos as hundreds of young Palestinian men rush from all directions into a GHF distribution centre to get boxes of food. Many are seen climbing over earth mounds and metal fencing, and there appears to be no organisation or control. BBC Verify geolocated the video to the GHF's Tal al-Sultan site, which is inside an Israeli military zone in western Rafah. It is said to have been filmed on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a post on X, Green described the scene as "apocalyptic", adding: "This is what starving people look like, rushing for food while risking their lives." It came after officials at al-Shifa and al-Quds hospitals in Gaza City said at least 25 people were killed by gunfire from Israeli troops as people gathered early on Wednesday near the GHF's Wadi Gaza site in the Netzarim corridor. The director of al-Shifa's emergency department, Moataz Harara, said the hospital received around 200 injured people at the same time, many of them with gunshot or shrapnel wounds to the abdomen and pelvis. Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told news agency AFP that the deaths and injuries were the result of "Israeli tank and drone fire on thousands of civilians". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement: "Overnight, IDF troops fired warning shots toward suspects who were advancing while posing a threat to the troops, in the area of the Netzarim Corridor. This is despite warnings that the area is an active combat zone. "The IDF is aware of reports regarding individuals injured, the details are under review." Later on Wednesday, officials at Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis said another 14 people were killed by Israeli gunfire near GHF sites in Rafah. For the past few days, people have been saying that Palestinian gunmen have also fired at them. It is not clear whether they were members of militias linked to the Israeli military, or criminal gangs intent on looting supplies from aid convoys. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eyewitnesses have expressed their sense of utter despair. "They shoot and throw missiles at us, the gangs attack us - everyone attacks us for a bag of flour. They kill their own people for a bag of flour," one man said. Another said their child had not eaten in two or three days. "Our children are being pushed from one community kitchen to another, and the situation is dire. We call on the whole world to stand with the people and demand a ceasefire. We have no part in this war." The UN said last week that about 259,000 daily meals were being prepared by community kitchens like this one in Nuseirat, central Gaza [AFP] Much of the focus in the past two and a half weeks has been on the deadly incidents connected to the new aid mechanism run by the GHF. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But what is becoming clearer by the day is that the entire aid distribution system in Gaza - such as it is - appears to be close to complete breakdown. UN agencies and other aid groups are refusing to co-operate with the GHF, saying its system contravenes the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence. They also warn that Gaza's 2.1 million population faces catastrophic levels of hunger after an almost three-month total Israeli blockade that was partially eased on 19 May. The US and Israel say the GHF's system will prevent aid being stolen by Hamas. The UN says this is not a widespread issue, while Hamas denies doing it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters in New York on Wednesday: "We reiterate in the strongest terms possible that no-one should be forced to risk their lives to receive aid." He also said the UN's World Food Programme had only been able to deliver small amounts of food and other aid since Israel started allowing limited supplies into Gaza three weeks ago, and that this was largely due to delays or denials of permission for convoys due to expanded Israeli military operations. The WFP said it dispatched 59 aid lorries carrying 930 tonnes of flour to northern Gaza on Monday night, but that the convoy was "stopped along the way and offloaded by hungry civilians in critical need of food to feed their families". A GHF spokesman told news agency Reuters: "Ultimately, the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less urgency among the population. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There is not yet enough food to feed everyone in need in Gaza. Our current focus is to feed as many people as is safely possible within the constraints of a highly volatile environment." The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 55,104 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry. MIDTOWN, Manhattan (PIX11) Dozens of protesters were detained during a pro-Palestinian protest at Maersks office in Midtown Manhattan, according to organizers. The protest was organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement and Jewish Voice for Peace. More Local News Organizers said around 100 people were detained. Police confirmed several people were taken into custody during a demonstration on 45th Street just before 12 p.m. The NYPD would not confirm the number of people detained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around 200 people took over the lobby of Maersk, which ships military-related cargo from U.S. government agencies to Israel, according to Reuters. The company has denied shipping arms or ammunition to any active conflict zone, Reuters reported. Protesters are calling on the company to stop any shipments to the Israeli military. Maersk is not just a carrier of goods it is a central player sustaining Israels military operations. Gaza is in dire need of shipments of aid, not shipments used to slaughter, said Jay Saper with Jewish Voice for Peace. Maersk did not immediately respond to PIX11s request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a developing story. Please refresh the page for updates. 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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BOSTON (SHNS) The state public health chief called the firing of all 17 members of a federal vaccine advisory panel troubling on Wednesday, while acknowledging that Massachusetts officials have been bracing for such a scenario. On Monday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. dismissed all members of the CDCs Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, or ACIP. President Joe Bidens administration had appointed all 17 members, including 13 in 2024, and these appointments would have prevented the current administration from choosing a majority of the committee until 2028, Kennedys office said. In dismissing the members, the secretary stated his intention to repopulate the committee and to hold the scheduled ACIP meeting June 25 to June 27, Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said. This news is troubling. It amends a science-based process that has informed vaccine recommendations and promoted vaccine access for decades. The future of federal vaccine policy is unclear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement Monday, Kennedy said the move was necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science. New members were not announced but Kennedys office said they will ensure that government scientific activities are informed by the most credible, reliable, and impartial scientific evidence available. At a virtual state Public Health Council meeting Wednesday, Goldstein said its unclear if new ACIP members will continue to use evidence and science to guide our vaccine recommendations and vaccine policy. Weve been been preparing for a number of scenarios, including this one, and we are well positioned to respond and maintain access to vaccines across the state, Goldstein said. Starting in November, weve been analyzing the legal and regulatory landscape, identifying resources that could be used to guide vaccine recommendations, strengthening our data systems to understand vaccine effectiveness, and building a coalition of like-minded, evidence-based public health organizations in this state and others. The Massachusetts Vaccine Purchasing Advisory Council, which helps distributes vaccines recommended by the ACIP, is slated to meet Thursday in Waltham. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a public hearing on Friday, Massachusetts parents and medical providers urged state lawmakers to scrap religious exemptions for school immunization requirements. The plea came amidst measles outbreaks in the U.S. Meanwhile, vaccine opponents lamented potential state infringements on their faith and personal beliefs. Students from preschool to college are required to receive a bevy of vaccines, including for polio, Hepatitis B, and measles, mumps and rubella, according to the state Department of Public Health. State law allows students to seek medical and religious exemptions, and refiled bills from Rep. Andy Vargas and Sen. Edward Kennedy (H 2544 / S 1557) would eliminate the religious carveout for immunizations required in public, private and charter K-12 schools. Under the proposals, schools must submit data annually to DPH about how many students are vaccinated and how many received a medical exemption with that information then made publicly available. Three of our Northeast neighbors Connecticut, Maine and New York have eliminated their non-medical vaccine exemptions in recent years, Katie Blair, executive director of Massachusetts Families for Vaccines, told the Joint Committee on Public Health. They have seen subsequent improvements in immunization rates, increasing the herd immunity protection that their most medically vulnerable residents depend upon. Its time for Massachusetts to do the same. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The committee reported the legislation out favorably at the end of last session on Dec. 16. Democrats in the Health Care Financing Committee did not advance the proposal. The majority of vaccine exemptions are for religious reasons in Massachusetts, according to DPH. Some western and southeastern parts of the state, especially on the Cape and Islands, have higher rates of vaccine exemptions, and those areas may be more susceptible to disease outbreaks because these students are not fully protected, DPH says. Kyle Abrahamson, a biomedical engineer, said he opposed the bills because they encroach on his free exercise of religion and constitute tyrannical overreach from state government. Abrahamson argued that removing the religious exemption would force him to choose between his faith and his childs education. He also spoke against Sen. Becca Rauschs so-called Community Immunity Act (S 1618) that would preserve religious vaccine exemptions but strengthen the exemption process and improve data reporting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parents not the state, nor any medical professional or anybody else but parents are the paramount advocates for their own children, Abrahamson said. If H 2554, S 1557 and S 1618 move forward, the state is taking away parents faith and forcing parents to put their faith in them. Julie Booras, co-founder of Health Rights Massachusetts, said she strongly opposes all school-related vaccine bills before the committee. She testified in support of a Rep. John Gaskey bill (H 2431) that would block the state from requiring COVID-19 shots, mRNA vaccines or gene-altering procedures to enroll in K-12 schools, colleges or universities, as well as to enter private businesses or seek employment. This bill is critical to ensure the injustices of the COVID era can never happen again, Booras said. Despite all of the information now available about the physical, emotional and financial harms caused by the COVID countermeasures, nothing has changed. No meaningful action has been taken to rein in the sweeping powers granted to the governor and public health agencies by the Massachusetts Legislature. Vaccine supporters had emphasized new urgency over removing religious exemptions as they invoked the worsening measles outbreak in Texas and other hotspots. Texas has logged 744 measles cases since January, causing 96 people to be hospitalized and two deaths among school-aged children, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were 1,168 confirmed measles cases and three confirmed deaths across the U.S. as of June 5, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Massachusetts has not recorded any cases. Measles is an awful disease with dangerous complications and side effects, Dr. Richard Moriarty, a retired pediatric infectious disease specialist, said. With cuts in health care funding, how are we going to pay if there are outbreaks? Outbreaks are very expensive. Moriarty did not specify the funding cuts, but the Trump administration has moved to slash billions of dollars in public health grants and congressional Republicans are advancing proposals to drastically cut Medicaid dollars to states. Measles is so infectious, we need 95% of a population immunized to prevent an outbreak, Moriarty continued. We thought our schools were good in Massachusetts, but if you take a deep dive into them, 119 kindergartens have MMR rates less than 90%, 31 schools are below 80% in Massachusetts, 19% of our schools didnt even bother to report their immunization rates this year, and 24% report their rates only on rolling three-year averages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Supporters emphasized that vaccine skepticism and misinformation is more common across the country, and the landscape is also marked by shifting federal vaccine recommendations and immunization schedules. My colleagues are spending so much time just re-educating parents who have trusted the medical system for years and now have been instilled with this fear, which is completely based on misinformation, said Dr. Christina Hermos, division chief of infectious disease at UMass Memorial Childrens Medical Center. The frontline pediatricians are burning out having these conversations. Were already having a crisis of people going into primary care across this nation. Kennedy last month announced the CDC is no longer recommending COVID vaccines for healthy children and pregnant individuals. Goldstein on Wednesday said that COVID vaccines remain available. He stressed that vaccinating pregnant women can protect newborn babies who cannot get immunized yet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I want to be clear: We know that COVID vaccination prevents severe illness, hospitalization and death in those at risk, which includes children and pregnant people, Goldstein said. DPH will continue to lift up the data and the evidence that are available to inform our recommendations. And well work with insurers, health care providers and others across the state to maintain access to evidence-based safe vaccines. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. China's electric vehicle (EV) sector is witnessing an intensifying price war, with BYD at the centre of a dispute involving emissions compliance and competitive pricing, as rivals Great Wall and Geely voice their concerns. The dispute, which began in 2023 over allegations that BYD's top hybrid models did not meet emissions standards, has escalated as Geely publicly supported Great Wall's claims. The price war has further strained relationships within the industry, with BYD's aggressive pricing strategy leading to a broader impact on auto stocks. Great Wall's chairman, Wei Jianjun, has been vocal about the industry's health and the ongoing regulatory investigation into BYD's emissions compliance. Despite BYD's dismissal of these concerns as "alarmist", the company has not directly addressed the emissions issue. "Wei Jianjun is a genuine, honest person and is our industry's whistleblower," Yang said in videos of his speech posted online by The Paper and other local media outlets. At a recent auto conference, Geely's vice president Victor Yang, backed Great Wall's allegations, claiming that their independent tests concurred with the emissions concerns. This public stance by Geely has added fuel to the fire in the ongoing dispute between the leading EV makers. In response to the criticism, BYD's general manager of branding and public relations, Li Yunfei, took to Weibo to defend the company's use of non-pressurised fuel tanks in its Qin Plus and Song Plus plug-in hybrids. Li stated that these tanks complied with regulations at the time but acknowledged that BYD had updated them following customer complaints. However, Li's post was later removed, and the company has not provided further comments. The feud between these automotive giants comes as China's EV market is already facing intense competition. BYD's recent price cuts, which saw the starting price of its cheapest model drop to 55,800 yuan ($7,771.05), have led to a sell-off in auto stocks. In response to the escalating price war, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) summoned automakers to a meeting, urging the sector to refrain from further price reductions and to address inventory issues raised by dealers. "China EV price war heats up among top manufacturers" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. Mykhailo Drapatyi said on June 11 that he had concluded his six-month tenure as commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces, summarizing his accomplishments and stating that he is leaving with "a clear conscience." Drapatyi submitted his resignation on June 1, following a deadly Russian missile strike that killed at least 12 Ukrainian soldiers at a training camp in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, saying the victims were young recruits who "should have learned, lived, and fought not died." President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed him as commander of the Joint Forces on June 3, two days after the incident. The Ground Forces said the same day that an investigation was underway and pledged accountability if negligence or misconduct is found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his statement, Drapatyi described the state of the Ground Forces at the time of his appointment on Nov. 29, 2024 as mired in "managerial stagnation," defined by fear, lack of initiative, and detachment from frontline units. "Systemic abuse, personnel decisions based on connections, low internal organization," he wrote. "The command is gradually shifting from a culture of fear to a culture of responsibility." Drapatyi said he had replaced over half of the Ground Forces' leadership in key functions and had begun reforms aimed at decentralization, accountability, and professionalism. Under his leadership, the military launched a revamp of recruitment centers, aiming to eliminate corruption and increase transparency in mobilization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Drapatyi also oversaw a partial overhaul of the army's training and staffing systems. New leadership was introduced in the drone, cyber, and electronic warfare units amid a wave of broader reforms. "Decisions are made not on the basis of status or loyalty, but on the basis of analysis, results, and respect for subordinates," Drapatyi said. "Grassroots initiatives ceased to be a threat and began to become a resource." Zelensky said on June 3 that Drapatyi's new role would focus "exclusively on combat issues." Read also: Ukraines SBU releases fresh video of Operation Spiderweb, teases new surprises Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A 28-year-old man has died following a single vehicle collision that closed the A14 in both directions. Cambridgeshire Police said it happened on the eastbound section of the dual carriageway, near Spaldwick, at about 02:00 BST. The driver of the car, from Northstowe near Cambridge, was pronounced dead at the scene and was the only person in the vehicle. Police appealed for witness and dashcam footage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement National Highways said on X that the carriageway had been closed between junction 13 at Thrapston and junction 22 at the A1/Brampton at about 02:21, but police said it had since reopened. Sgt Mark Atkins said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man who sadly lost his life. His family are being supported by our specially trained family liaison officers. "Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances, and we are appealing to anyone who saw the collision to contact us." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Related internet links GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A Wyoming man is charged with a misdemeanor in a crash that killed a bicyclist near downtown Grand Rapids early this year. Steve Dowhan, 53, was hit and killed instantly the evening of January 11, 2025, as he rode his bicycle west on Pearl Street near the Ford Museum. A stagehand for venues in downtown Grand Rapids, Dowhan had just finished a job at DeVos Place. A photo of Steve Dowhan from a Nov. 2016 interview with News 8. On May 29, Kent County prosecutors charged the driver of the vehicle that struck Dowhan, Kaleb Stressman-Pilot, with moving violation causing death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police: Bicyclist hit by car, killed in Grand Rapids The alcohol was not over the legal limit, it was under it, said Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker. So, we didnt have any drunk driving charges we could file. We didnt have any reckless driving charge we could file. After we took a look at everything, the moving violation causing death was the only charge we had. Becker noted fatal accidents usually take a few months to investigate as police await the results of toxicology testing and conduct accident reconstructions to determine charges. According to the probable cause affidavit, Stressman-Pilot had a solid green traffic signal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But an accident reconstructionist said Stressman-Pilot had been speeding when the crash happened, driving 48 to 61 miles per hour in a 30-mph zone. Bicyclist killed in downtown GR was stagehand, driver had prior arrest Officers also determined that Stressman-Pilot should not have been driving that night; he had a restricted license and a conviction for operating while intoxicated from an August 2023 traffic stop. But in the January fatal crash, toxicology results measured Stressman-Pilots blood alcohol content as .05, under the legal driving limit of .08. Still, the affidavit noted evidence of impairment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers advised they could smell an odor of intoxicants coming from Stressman-Pilot and displayed (sic) other clues that indicated impairment, wrote an officer in the court record. Stressman-Pilot was eventually arrested for OWI and a chemical blood test was conducted. The results of the chemical blood test show Stressman-Pilot had a BAC of 0.057. The officer went on to document Stressman-Pilots comments the night of the crash. Officers on scene questioned Stressman-Pilot who advised them he was going Wherever I want to go, wrote the author of the affidavit. (Stressman-Pilot) also added that he was headed to the strip club. Officers spoke to the (female) passenger in the vehicle, who stated they were cruising downtown and looking for something to do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If convicted of the high misdemeanor, Stressman-Pilot could get up to one year in jail and a mandatory one-year license suspension. Steve Dowhans friends and fellow union members are still trying to determine a permanent location for a ghost bike that was dedicated in his honor. A photo of the bike from the dedication that was held in February for Steve Dowhan. Photo courtesy of Glenn Gould. It cant be displayed at the crash site because Grand Rapids does not allow tributes in public rights-of-way. For now, its in the front window of a Bridge Street building that houses the union to which Dowhan belonged, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 26. The union said it will continue to fight for more parking for downtown workers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats what were seeking as a way to honor (Steves) legacy, said Tom Burke, president of IATSE Local 26. Thats why Steve was on his bicycle in the middle of winter. Burke said the lack of affordable parking forces downtown workers to park on the outskirts and ride their bicycles to their jobs. Burke described Dowhan as a lover of music and culture and a stickler for safety on the job. He was also quite persnickety, Burke said with a chuckle, and he could be difficult in a debate or an argument. But that was also a strength when it came to demanding safety for workers, which was his thing. If he saw an unsafe situation, he would help us stop the work until we made it safe. 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. A man is dead after the pickup truck he was driving veered off the road and slammed into a tree in Chelmsford late Tuesday night, authorities said. Officers responding to a report of a crash in the area of 160 Westford Street around 11 p.m. found a white pickup truck that had struck a tree, according to the Chelmsford Police Department. The driver, who police identified as a 61-year-old Ronald Wetmore, of Chelmsford, was taken to Lowell General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were no additional details immediately available. State police detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorneys Office are assisting Chelmsford police with an investigation into the deadly wreck. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) A defendant charged with causing an accident while driving over 100 miles per hour, who told police they like to drive fast, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct Wednesday in municipal court. Willow Eisenman, 24, also known as Jason Tray, was fined by Judge Carla Baldwin in municipal court after entering the plea. Court records show Eisenman was fined, but they do not specify the amount of the fine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reports said an officer on patrol about 8 a.m. Nov. 19, going north on South Avenue, saw a car driven by Eisenman traveling in the same direction, going at least 100 miles per hour. The car drove through several red lights as the officer lost sight of it before coming upon an accident on the bridge. The car collided with a dump truck that was towing a trailer, causing the truck to hit the side of the bridge and its hood to snap open. There was also debris scattered on the bridge. No one was injured. Eisenman told police when questioned that they liked to drive real fast, the report 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 WKBN.com. Peter Krykant, a former heroin addict, set up a safe consumption bus [BBC] Tributes have been paid following the sudden death of Peter Krykant, who led a campaign for safe drug consumption facilities to be established. The former heroin addict became a public figure after he set up an unofficial facility in a van which he took around Glasgow. Krykant often talked about his own battles with addiction, admitting he started taking drugs when he was just 11 and speaking out about a relapse in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police confirmed the 48-year-old's death was being treated as unexplained and a post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course. A Police Scotland Sotland spokesperson said: "Around 5.15pm on Monday, 9 June 2025, police attended an address in Graham Avenue, Larbert following a report of a concern for person. "The body of a 48-year-old man was found within. His next of kin has been informed." Mr Krykant started taking drugs when he was 11 and began to inject heroin at the age of 17, but stopped using drugs for 11 years. He went on to open a mobile unit in a converted van with the aim of preventing overdoses and the spread of blood-borne viruses among users in Scotland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was arrested in 2020 after launching his "safe space" where users could take their own drugs under medical supervision. Charges against him were later dropped. Earlier this year The Thistle, the UK's first and only drug consumption room opened in the East End of Glasgow in an effort to reduce drug deaths. Krykant ran for election as an independent candidate in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, campaigning on drug policy issues. He later said the "cut-throat" world of politics along with the pressure of running the consumption bus caused him to relapse into drug use. A 'powerful voice' On social media, the First Minister John Swinney said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" to hear of Mr Krykant's death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said: "His powerful voice on drugs policy reform, in particular his tireless work to deliver safe consumption rooms, leaves an important legacy which will be remembered." Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie MSP said: "Peter was a tireless campaigner for a fairer, more compassionate approach to handling drug misuse and addiction, and his campaigning has left such an important legacy in the UK's first safe consumption room in Glasgow. "His advocacy for drug reform, and of course, his yellow van have no doubt saved countless lives in Scotland." Flags adopted as official banners of Salt Lake City, circumventing the state's ban on most flags being displayed at government buildings and schools, hang outside the Salt Lake City and County building on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. The official city flags include the Salt Lake City flag, pride flag, Juneteenth flag and transgender flag. (McKenzie Romero/Utah News Dispatch) Dumb. That was the word Utah Gov. Spencer Cox used Tuesday to express his annoyance with a new law that bans certain flags in schools and government buildings while also criticizing Salt Lake City leaders move to circumvent the ban by adopting pride and other flags symbolizing diversity and inclusion as official city banners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre dumb flags and it was a dumb bill, Cox said curtly when asked during his monthly PBS Utah news conference about Salt Lake Citys response to the flag ban. Last month, hours before the new flag ban law took effect in Utah, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall unveiled a proposal to adopt three new city flags: a rainbow one symbolizing support for LGBTQ+ communities, a pink and white one for transgender people, and a red and blue one emulating the Juneteenth flag all with Salt Lake Citys official white sego lily symbol. That evening, the City Council voted unanimously to adopt the flags. Cox allowed HB77, the bill Utah lawmakers passed aimed at banning many flags including pride or LGBTQ+ flags from schools and all government buildings to become law without his signature. The bill made Utah the first state in the nation to enact such a sweeping flag ban. Though he let it become law, Cox wasnt a fan of HB77. He described it in a letter as one of the most divisive bills of the session and lamented that it didnt result in a compromise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Supporters of the flag ban, sponsored by Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, have argued it was meant to promote political neutrality in government spaces. But critics argued the broad ban would invite free speech litigation while also leaving some Utahns, especially the LGBTQ+ community, feeling unwelcome and erased. Cox could have vetoed the bill, but he indicated in his letter that it would likely have been overridden by the Republican-supermajority Utah Legislature. Instead, he urged lawmakers to consider commonsense solutions that address the bills numerous flaws. While Cox said he agreed with the underlying intent to bring political neutrality to the classroom, he also wrote unfortunately, this bill does not do that. As tired as Utahns are of politically divisive symbols, I think they are also tired of culture war bills that dont solve the problems they intend to fix, Cox wrote in his letter. On Tuesday, Cox called the ongoing debate over the flag ban and Salt Lake City leaders response ridiculous. You know, I feel bad for Japanese Americans. I feel bad for Polynesian Americans. I mean, who are we leaving out, here? Cox said of Salt Lake Citys new banners. Im sure they feel great that they got around this dumb law, and they did it with dumb flags. The whole things dumb. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pressed on what he thinks should be done instead, Cox said, We should raise the American flag, and lets unify around that. Its a great flag. It represents everyone. And the Legislature doesnt need to be in everybodys business all the time. Cox let out an exasperated laugh before adding: were living in the dumbest timeline right now. Thats all I can say. In response to a request for comment on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Mayors Office said weve had an overwhelmingly positive response from Salt Lake City residents for the newly adopted city banners. Lee, in a post on X responding to Coxs comments on Tuesday, wrote: So the bill to stop the divide and get everyone to raise one flag was dumb? SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE NEED TO KNOW Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands will remain hospitalized for monitoring after undergoing surgery after falling off her horse, the Dutch royal palace said in an update The future queen broke her arm in the accident The hospitalization resulted in a few changes in the Dutch royal family's schedule Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands is continuing her hospital stay after a horseback riding accident and undergoing surgery for a broken arm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Dutch palace issued an update about the future queen on Wednesday, June 11, stating that the 21-year-old daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima underwent surgery the previous day for a "fracture in her upper arm." "The surgery went well," the palace said in the statement. "She will remain in the UMC Utrecht for monitoring until tomorrow." The Princess of Orange's injury also caused a few changes in the royal schedule, according to the new update. A summer photo session that was set for June 12 at the Paleis Huis ten Bosch was postponed until June 30 due to Princess Catharina-Amalia's hospitalization. In addition, Queen Maxima will miss her scheduled appearance at the CGAP congress in Amsterdam on June 11. King Willem-Alexander will carry on his outing at the opening of the Holland Festival, but he will appear without his wife. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On June 10, the palace revealed that the heir to the Dutch throne had fallen from her horse, resulting in a broken arm that required surgery. Princess Amalia's equestrian hobby is a longtime passion, with the palace's official website featuring photos of her riding her horse, Mojito. SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty From left: Queen Maxima, Princess Catharina-Amalia and King Willem-Alexander on January 27, 2025 From left: Queen Maxima, Princess Catharina-Amalia and King Willem-Alexander on January 27, 2025 The U.K.'s Princess Anne was also involved in a horse-related injury just last year. In June 2024, King Charles' sister, 74, was hospitalized with a concussion believed to be caused by an impact with a horse at her home on the Gatcombe Park estate. One month later, Princess Anne who competed in equestrian events at the Olympics in 1976 said she could not remember "a single thing" about the incident. 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! Cameron Smith/Getty Princess Anne visits Riding for the Disabled Association National Championships on July 12, 2024 Princess Anne visits Riding for the Disabled Association National Championships on July 12, 2024 Recalling the incident during a visit to South Africa in January, the Princess Royal said that the experience taught her that "every day is a bonus," according to the BBC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It just reminds you, shows you you never quite know, something [happens] and you might not recover, she said. Youre jolly lucky...if you can continue to be more or less compos mentis [of sound mind], and last summer I was very close to not being. Take each day as it comes, they say." Princess Anne is expected to join her family at Trooping the Colour on Saturday, June 14, and is expected to ride on horseback alongside Prince William and Prince Edward. Read the original article on People MEMPHIS, Tenn. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced on Tuesday that a Dyer County deputy was arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman back in October. At the request of 29th Judicial District Attorney General Danny Goodman on April 2nd, special agents began investigating allegations of official misconduct involving 36-year-old Dyer County deputy Jared Willcutt. Dyer County deputy charged with official misconduct following Jackson Hoppers arrest Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The TBI said that the investigation revealed that Willcutt, while working as an officer at the Newbern Police Department, had allegedly sexually assaulted a female victim during a traffic stop in October of 2024. On June 9, a grand jury indicted Willcutt on sexual battery, official misconduct and official oppression charges. The next day, Willcutt turned himself into the Dyer County Jail and was given a $25,000 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 WREG.com. A seismic shift has occurred in the Trump administrations new defense spending plan that is just emerging when it comes to the USAFs airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) predicament. The services E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft are dwindling in number and rapidly aging into unsupportability. The proven and in-production E-7 Wedgetail, based on the Boeing 737 and serving with multiple allies, was supposed to bridge the gap between the E-3s retirement and pushing the sending part of the mission to space-based distributed satellite constellations. You can read all about this here. Now, if the administration gets its wish, that wont happen. The E-7 will be cancelled and the E-2D Hawkeye, currently flown by the U.S. Navy, will step in to fill the gap. This major turn of events came to light today as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Air Force Gen. John Caine, and Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee. MacDonnell is Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense and is currently performing the duties of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and the Pentagons Chief Financial Officer. In 2023, the USAF announced its intention to purchase E-7s, potentially as many as 26 of them, as replacements for a portion of the E-3 fleet. A rendering of E-7 Wedgetail as it would look in USAF service. USAF At the hearing today, the question of the current future of the USAF AEW&C force came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski late in the hearing. Murkowski is a Republican from Alaska, where fighters, tankers, and E-3 Sentry jets launch regularly to intercept foreign planes, primarily Russian fighters, bombers, and surveillance aircraft, over the vast arctic wilderness. Chinese H-6 missile carrier aircraft also appeared off Alaska last year for the first time, as part of a joint mission with Russia. Chinese air and naval presence in the region is only expected to grow in the future. China and Russia conduct joint air strategic patrol over Bering Sea on July 25. This marks the eighth air strategic patrol organized by the two militaries since 2019. Photos from China PLA Air Force Weibo accounthttps://t.co/g9w27FRnnM pic.twitter.com/oeZA4cUQR9 Ryan Chan (@ryankakiuchan) July 25, 2024 With this in mind, just how big of an issue the age of the E-3 fleet has become was central to Murkowskis question. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have been concerned. We have E-3 capability up north, of course, but we were all counting on the E-7 Wedgetail coming our way. Were kind of limping along up north right now, which is unfortunate. And the budget proposes terminating the program. Again, the E-3 fleet [is] barely operational now, and I understand the intent to shift towards the space-based you call it the air moving target indicators but my concern is that youve got a situation where youre not going to be able to use more duct tape to hold things together until you put this system in place. And, so, how we maintain that level of operational readiness and coverage, Im not sure how you make it. A US Air Force E-3 Sentry. USMC You know, the E-3 and the E-3 community have been really important to us for a long, long time, and Ill defer to the Comptroller, but I you know the Department has a bridging strategy through investing in some additional airborne platforms in order to gap fill while the space-based capabilities come online, Kane replied in response to the senators question. This is where the E-2D comes in. MacDonnell then added, Maam, we do have in the budget $150 million in FY26 [Fiscal Year 2026] for a joint expeditionary E-2D unit with five dedicated E-2Ds, and the budget also funds for additional E-2Ds to fill the near-term gap at $1.4 billion. Currently, the only branch of the U.S. military that operates the E-2D is the U.S. Navy. A pair of US Navy E-2D Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft. Lockheed Martin The Alaskan senator then inquired, Can you tell me, will that have implications for what were seeing up north in Alaska? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The answer is yes. I would. I would file this entire discussion under difficult choices that we have to make. But you know, the E-7, in particular, is sort of late, more expensive and gold plated, and so filling the gap, and then shifting to space-based ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] is a portion of how we think we can do it best, considering all the challenges, Hegseth responded. At a separate hearing before the House Appropriations Committee yesterday, Hegsteth had also described the Wedgetail as an example of a capability that is not survivable in the modern battlefield and mentioned broad plans to fund existing platforms that are there more robustly and make sure theyre modernized. An annual assessment of high-profile U.S. military procurement programs from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a Congressional watchdog, which was released today, offers additional insight into issues with the USAFs effort to acquire E-7s. The original plan was to acquire a pair of production representative prototype (or RP) aircraft ahead of production of examples in a finalized configuration, starting this year. The service had then expected to reach initial operational capability with the Wedgetail in 2027. A Royal Australian Air Force E-7 Wedgetail. RAAF Air Force officials said that they now plan to begin production by the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 before completing the E-7A RP MTA [Middle Tier Acquisition] rapid prototyping effort by initiating a separate, concurrent program on the major capability acquisition pathway, according to GAO. They said that it was necessary to begin production concurrently with the E-7A RP rapid prototyping effort to offset the lead time associated with the build and subsequent modification of the aircraft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The program definitized its contract with Boeing since our last assessment. After the contract was definitized, Boeing delayed the first flight test by 9 months to May 2027, the report adds. According to Air Force officials, the delay was due to a late-breaking, required critical security architecture change that affected the procurement of parts, qualification testing, and modification of the airframe. The program stated that the Air Force definitized the MTA rapid prototyping effort contract in August 2024 to deliver two operationally capable E-7A prototype aircraft in fiscal year 2028, GAOs new assessment further notes. The program added that the total acquisition cost increase of 33 percent resulted from updated methodologies to include additional scope related to non-recurring engineering, with the primary drivers being software and air vehicle subsystems. Last year, the Air Force had been very open about the difficulties it was having finalizing a contract with Boeing for the RP jets. The two parties ended up agreeing on a deal valued at nearly $2.6 billion. A contracting notice the service put out earlier this year also pointed to significant expected differences between the RP aircraft and the full production examples, including the possibility of a new radar. Existing versions of the E-7 in service elsewhere globally today are equipped with Northrop Grummans Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar. The USAFs move to drop the E-7 and leverage the E-2D, which is already in the Pentagons stable, prompts many questions. For instance, just how many of these aircraft will the USAF end up with? As of 2024, the USAFs E-3 fleet stood at 16 aircraft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Above all else, there are major capability trades here. The Hawkeye is a much smaller aircraft than both the Sentry and the Wedgetail. It is extremely capable, but it is also optimized to exist within the confines of carrier operations. The crew size is just five individuals. This limits the amount of shear manpower to perform highly complex operations and other tasks beyond traditional AEW&C. A trio of E-2Ds with their wings folded, underscoring their optimization for carrier-based operations. USN The E-2 also has less range and is far slower than both the E-3 and E-7. This means longer transit times, and the aircraft doesnt fit in as seamlessly with the jet-centric operations for the counter-air mission the service currently enjoys. The E-2Ds AN/APY-9 radar from Lockheed Martin is hugely capable, but many of its other advanced data fusion and relay systems are unique to the Navy. These systems would either be stripped or just left unused for USAF-focused operations. Its also possible that other systems will replace them, but this will cost money and take time to integrate and field. Hawkeyes, being turboprop aircraft, also operate at lower altitudes, giving their radar, radio systems, and electronic surveillance suites reduced line-of-sight, limiting their range and fidelity at distance for some targets and surveillance application, in some cases. Then there is the aerial refueling issue. The E-2D has gained this ability relatively recently, which expands its endurance. Typical missions can now last over seven hours. However, the aircraft uses the Navy-preferred probe-and-drogue refueling method, not the boom and receptacle one favored by the USAF. The USAFs KC-46 tankers do have a hose and drogue system and some of the services KC-135Rs have podded hose and drogue systems. Otherwise, they require a basket attachment to their boom, often called the Iron Maiden or Wrecking Ball, due to its rigid metal frame and potential to smack into and damage airframes. This system makes the KC-135R useless for refueling receptacle-equipped aircraft when it is fitted. The E-2D also refuels lower-and-slower than jet aircraft. All these issues are not show-stoppers, but they are ones that will impact operational planning and flexibility. An E-2D moves to link up with a KC-46 tanker during a test. USN Erik Hildebrandt The E-2D, being already a highly upgraded and a much smaller airframe, also lacks the same capacity for future expansion compared to the E-7. This could include adding more personnel for various non-traditional functions, including using its advanced radar to scan the surface more extensively or for unique battle management needs, such as controlling future drone swarms, or even for more extensive passive intelligence collection and exploitation and data fusion operations. High-bandwidth datalinks can possibly make up for some of the manpower differentials, allowing folks on the ground to execute critical functions in near real time as part of a distributed crew arrangement, but there are downfalls to this concept, as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the other hand, having commonality with the Navys AEW&C aircraft should help reduce costs for both services and accelerate the types entry into USAF service. It could also benefit the future evolution of the E-2D as more money will be flowing into the program. Its also a very capable and well-proven platform, lowering risk. Above all else, joint service E-2Ds could be absolutely critical to the USAFs Agile Combat Employment (ACE) combat doctrine that will see its forces distributed to remote forward locales and constantly in motion. The E-2Ds turboprop performance, robust landing gear, and arrested landing capabilities mean it can be pushed far forward to very austere operating locations with limited runway length. And it can do this without sacrificing the quality of the data it collects or the efficacy of its use as a battle manager. This is something a 707 or 737 platform simply cannot match and could prove decisive in a major peer-state contingency. TWZ highlighted these exact benefits after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released a video last year showing a Navy Hawkeye refueling from a USAF HC-130J Combat King II combat search and rescue aircraft, which can act as a probe-and-drogue tanker, primarily for helicopters and Osprey tiltrotors. A @USNavy E-2D refuels inflight from an @usairforce HC-130 over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. pic.twitter.com/pRkmM4IRIP U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 6, 2024 While the USAFs move away from the E-7 is certainly surprising, and it will result in shortfalls in some areas, it also unlocks new capabilities, some of which are arguably more applicable to tomorrows wars. It also buys down additional risk, which is looming very large as it isnt clear at this time, at least publicly, how far along the Pentagons persistent space-based aircraft sensing constellation development actually is. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of this still has to make it through congressional approval, which could be a challenge considering the special interests involved. But as it sits now, the flying service is pivoting big once again when it comes to its increasingly dire AEW&C needs. Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) has announced an investment of C$108.3m ($79m) to support the construction of the 102.2MW Mesgi'g Ugju's'n 2 wind farm (MU2), located in Gespe'gewa'gi, Canada - the first-ever Indigenous equity loan provided by CIB. Gespe'gewa'gi, also known as the GaspesieIles-de-la-Madeleine region, extends across the Gaspe Peninsula and New Brunswick. The MU2 project is a collaboration between the Mi'gmawei Mawiomi Business Corporation (MMBC), representing three local Mi'gmaq communities, and Innergex Renewable Energy. It is scheduled to commence operations in late 2026. The project was the sole initiative among two provincial tenders for 780MW renewable energy blocks to incorporate an Indigenous community partner as a sponsor. CIB has allocated C$15.8m as an equity loan to enhance MMBC's economic participation and C$92.5m for construction costs. Additional financial backing includes a C$163.9m green loan and other financial support provided by CIBC, Desjardins and the National Bank of Canada. Canada Infrastructure Bank CEO Ehren Cory stated: With our first investment in a Quebec wind energy project, the CIB is helping another province expand its clean electricity production and expand the capacity of its grid. This aligns with our mandate to support meaningful Indigenous economic and social development while investing in clean power opportunities. Positioned on traditional Mi'gmaq territory near Riviere-Nouvelle, MU2 will complement its predecessor, the 150MW Mesgi'g Ugju's'n wind farm (MU1), expanding on a 50-50 partnership between MMBC and Innergex. MU2 will be equipped with Nordex turbines and will supply electricity to around 20,000 homes. It will reduce emissions by approximately 153,053 tonnes annually through its long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) agreement with Hydro-Quebec. The project will create 150 direct jobs during its construction phase and will prioritise local employment by committing to hiring at least 30% of workers from nearby Mi'gmaq communities. The profits generated will be channelled back into local initiatives. MMBC CEO Frederic Vicaire stated: MU2 reflects the maturity and determination of our communities to lead impactful energy development on our own terms. This partnership with Innergex and the support from the CIB demonstrate that Indigenous-led projects can be scalable, bankable and rooted in long-term vision. In March 2025, CIB announced an investment of $81.9m (C$117.4m) in the construction of the 94.4MW Weavers Mountain wind energy project in the Antigonish and Pictou counties of Nova Scotia. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) An East Baton Rouge Parish Prison employee was fired after being accused of abusing her dating partner. Alezsha Evans (East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office) Alezsha Evans, 31, was placed on administrative leave on June 8 after an investigation into alleged abuse. During the investigation, detectives learned Evans accused her dating partner of hitting her, which resulted in their arrest. According to an affidavit, Evans allegedly choked and struck the victim with a whip, leaving whelps on their arm and a scratch on their chest after an argument outside of their home on June 1. The victim told detectives that Evans took their glasses off their face and broke them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators said the neighbors doorbell camera captured the incident, which supported the victims story and identified Evans. The victim showed detectives photos of their injuries that were dated June 1. Evans was arrested and booked into prison on charges of domestic abuse battery and simple criminal damage to property. The sheriffs office said she was hired to work in corrections on May 28. She was fired after a review of the evidence. Louisiana man faces charges of stalking, video voyeurism 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. Jun. 11Last weekend, a student from Lawrence County took part in a major event and getting to do so was an honor in itself. Joseph Keffer, who will be entering the sixth grade at Chesapeake Middle School his fall, traveled to the Washington, D.C. area, where he took part in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Getting to the bee first required Keffer to win his individual school bee, then to qualify, through a test for the regional bee, held in Athens, and then win that competition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Along the way, he also won the county's spelling bee in December. In the national bee, Keffer made it to the third round, tying for 100th place, putting him in the top half of the bee's 243 competitors. It was an impressive showing for him and, with three more years of eligibility for the bee left, he has a good chance to do it again. And this is the third time in the last 15 years that our county has had a student make it to the national event, with Felicity Jenkins and Meredith Dunlap preceding Keffer. It is a testament, not just to their abilities, but of the education they received from our local schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We congratulate Keffer for his achievement this year and look forward to what else he accomplishes. You Might Like Opinion Mike Dyer: Why Protect OHIO deserves our support News Up for adoption (WITH GALLERY) Opinion Mark Shaffer: Ro-Na progress has come a long way News No riots, no damage, just slogans Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is on pace to set a record that no one should admire and that any Floridian of conscience should regret. He will finish his second term having carried out 48 executions, the most in Florida since records have been kept, if he continues at his current accelerated rate. Five executions have occurred since February, with two in May and two set this month for a total of 14 as governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the previous year and a half there were only two, which gives rise to wonder: Why the sudden rush? Is it another sign that hes planning another run for president in 2028? Would he campaign as the governor who tried to empty his states death row? Shrouded in mystery His press office hasnt answered questions about whether he intends to keep it up or how he selects which prisoners to execute. About 125 of the 271 inmates on death row are considered vulnerable, having exhausted their first rounds of appeals. But some of the longest-serving inmates still have lingering doubts about the integrity of their convictions. DeSantis predecessor, Rick Scott, put 28 inmates to death, the most by any governor since 1979 when Florida resumed executions after a nationwide hiatus imposed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The most ever 35 occurred under Gov. Spessard Holland during World War II, but he also commuted some death sentences to life in prison, as did every other governor of his time. Bob Graham was the last to do so, in 1983. During nearly half a century before 1972, Florida governors chose mercy 55 times while carrying out 195 executions, a clemency rate of 22%. In 1992, Gov. Lawton Chiles considered a commutation for Danny Doyle, a mentally handicapped murderer from Broward, but he couldnt get enough elected Cabinet members to consent. They agreed only to postpone the issue for 25 years. Doyle remained on death row that long and longer before the state attorney and a Broward judge quietly agreed in 2023 to resentence him to life with no prospect of parole. Judges are not infallible Recent governors act as if they either consider the courts infallible or dont care about it. They no longer bother to explain why they reject clemency pleas. They dont hold public hearings, as their predecessors did. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, applications are heard at the inmates prison by a panel consisting of a governors representative and two members of the Florida Commission on Offender Review. Their meetings and reports are secret. Humans should not be treated that way no matter what they may have done. There should be nothing secret about it. Since the Supreme Court allowed executions to resume, Florida has executed 111 death row inmates with only six commutations, all by Graham. He said two of the men he spared might be innocent, that one sentence was inappropriate for the crime and that three were sentenced more harshly than co-defendants who were at least as blameworthy. Graham exercised clemency to compensate for how courts sometimes get it wrong and refuse to correct its mistakes. A much wiser Florida Supreme Court once acknowledged the systems fallibility. In upholding the states new death penalty law in 1973, the majority promised to review every death sentence so that only the most aggravated and unmitigated crimes would result in executions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That recognized a moral responsibility to try to balance the scales, but the court no longer tries. A setback for justice A conservative court filled with DeSantis appointees renounced proportionality and culpability reviews that were benchmarks for fairness. The majority sees no problem in executing someone whose co-defendant might have been more culpable but was smart enough to cop a deal to elude the death penalty. The court backtracked on requiring all 12 jurors to agree to a death sentence. That cleared the way for DeSantis and the Legislature to set the death sentence vote to as few as eight out of 12. Thats worse even than Alabama, the only other non-unanimous state, where the threshold is 10 votes. Alabama, however, has a governor, Kay Ivey, who hasnt forgotten clemency. In February, she commuted a mans death sentence to life in prison because of enough questions about guilt that I cannot move forward with executing him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops responds to each DeSantis death warrant with a plea for commutation to life in prison without parole. His office acknowledges receiving the letters but does not reply. Every murder is heinous, but only some draw the death penalty. No one who understands the process pretends that its a deterrent anymore. It is irreparably capricious, arbitrary and error-prone, and thats a particular concern in Florida, where 30 former death row inmates have been exonerated more than in any other state. We hope Floridas next governor will know better than to assume the courts unfailingly get it right, because they dont, and an unflinching rush to execution assures that, eventually, an innocent person will die. _____ After President Donald Trump illegally federalized and deployed 2,000 California National Guard troops to ostensibly a nonexistent rebellion in Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom has sued the White House and Pentagon. Good; in this country, these are battles that should be fought in the courts, not the streets, and an independent federal judge with life tenure should take little time to find that Trump has overplayed his hand. The lawsuit does not appear to rest on any particularly complex legal arguments because it doesnt have to. It is plain as day that Trump is overstepping his authority by cutting Newsom out of the deployment. That will be doubly true now that he and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are sending in 700 Marines, who have no business engaging in any law enforcement on U.S. soil. Active duty troops can only be used if the Insurrection Act is invoked, which must not happen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What Trump and immigration czar Tom Homan are attempting to do is to instigate a problem. This started not with arrests of violent criminal illegal aliens, but protest demonstrations against ICE outside a Home Depot. There were chants of ICE go home and No justice, no peace. At one point in the standoff the feds fired flash-bang grenades and some in the crowd wrongly threw rocks. Elsewhere a crowd torched a car. The lawlessness must be stopped and the vandals apprehended. But its not a matter of calling in the Guard, against the wishes of the governor. Trump used similar tactics during the 2020 George Floyd protests as he seized on isolated and sporadic acts of violence and looting to claim that the entire movement was a riot that needed to be pacified, sending in unidentified federal agents to detain people. Trump is now escalating to using the military in violation both of the law and of a slew of our democratic national principles. The reason he and his lackeys would prefer to just use force to put down public demonstration is because they know theyre losing the argument and slipping and popular opinion, as the public realizes it was sold a false bill of goods on the economy and that the administration wants indiscriminate arrests, not of criminals, but long-time community members neighbors, friends, coworkers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So the public is distracted, not by advancing a governing vision or changing course, but sending soldiers into the streets. Homan has already declared he could have Newsom arrested, just as the administration has done with other lower-profile dissidents. Here in New York, Mayor Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessie Tisch say that the NYPD is fully capable of maintaining security and safeguarding the right of all to peacefully protest. Trump used the excuse of anarchy and lawlessness on the street to inject the National Guard and the Marines into L.A., despite not being legally allowed to do so. That wont happen here if the NYPD keeps control and prevents any outbreaks of violence. As we said, the confrontation over Trumps L.A. power grab should be playing out in the courts, where passions are cool and the only tools are words, not armed force. Like with so many of the presidents forays, the judiciary will apply the law and tell him to retreat, sending the troops back to the barracks. _____ Finally obeying the Supreme Courts ruling 9-0 to return to the U.S. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man with legal protections who was illegally sent to the CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador, the Trump administration has followed the law and brought him back. That is good. But this being the Trump administration, Abrego Garcia is now suddenly facing multiple federal criminal charges surrounding the allegation that he once ferried people in the country illegally to different states. Whether the indictment is solid or not, Abrego Garcia will now have competent legal defense and will be before independent judges. He is entitled to all protections that are due under the Constitution, which the disappearance of him to El Salvador abrogated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are no new facts in this case, only what was substantially already known to investigators and prosecutors. There could be myriad reasons why federal law enforcement did not take any action beforehand, ranging from lack of evidence to simple resource allocation. But what is certain is that only reason why theyre pursuing it now: to send the signal that the Trump government wont tolerate questioning its enforcement efforts, and that if you become enough of a public thorn in their side even if it is the result of popular outrage you dont have any hand in theyll go after you. As predictable as a ploy, as this is, its at least a good thing that he will not remain in the Salvadoran prison system; at this point, hes the only publicly-known person to ever leave CECOT alive. In the United States, hell have access to the still-active protections of our legal system and can actually fight acknowledged charges with his attorneys. To state the obvious, this is a pretty clear indication that the administration always could get the Salvadorans to return custody. The insistence of Attorney General Pam Bondi and others that they had no ability to correct their acknowledged error was always a lie, and there should be consequences for that lie. Maryland Federal Judge Paula Xinis, who issued the original order for his return, has already set the groundwork to hold federal officials in contempt, and she should continue to explore that avenue even though hes now been brought back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fact of Abrego Garcias return does not mean that everything is above board with regards to the administrations use of CECOT or Trumps invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, under which most of the other detainees were sent. This was merely the case where the administration had most individually and egregiously violated the law, but, as D.C. Federal Judge James Boasberg recently ruled, every single removal under that policy which to remind readers is based on the absurd conceit that the United States is in something akin to war against Venezuela was unlawful. This isnt over until the government returns every person removed under the AEA and stops contracting with a foreign government to indefinitely imprison people on no charge, a policy for which it has never laid out any legal basis. The public outrage that was struck by Abrego Garcias detention and removal should extend to all others who remain held there without charge, and to all of the people the administration continues to detain every day just for trying to follow the law. _____ The Education Department struck agreements to send billions of dollars to the Labor Department to administer a suite of education grants and detail several agency employees to the Treasury Department to help manage collections on federal student loans. Those agency plans, revealed in court documents viewed by POLITICO , are now on hold because of a federal judges ruling that temporarily blocked the Trump administrations efforts to slash the Education Departments workforce. But the quiet and largely unreported work laid out in the documents shows how the administration is making significant moves to outsource portions of the Education Departments operations to other Cabinet agencies as President Donald Trump tries to shutter the agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The department had also been negotiating a memorandum of understanding with the Treasury Department regarding student loan management, agency chief of staff Rachel Oglesby said in a court declaration filed late Tuesday, but paused that work after a court halted the agencys effort to conduct a massive reduction-in-force in March. The agreement with Treasury was finalized in April, according to documents that identified nine Education Department employees including a person originally assigned to work as part of billionaire Elon Musks DOGE effort who are detailed to the Treasury Department as advisers. The detailees will support Federal Student Aid functions performed in partnership with Treasury, according to the agreement. An Education Department spokesperson confirmed the agency signed an agreement with the Labor Department to administer some of the education agencys career, technical and adult education grants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Workforce Development Partnership will allow ED and DOL to better coordinate and deliver on workforce development programs and strengthen federal support for our nations workforce, a top priority of the Trump Administration, department spokesperson Madi Biedermann said in a statement on Wednesday. As part of the agreement with Treasury, workers from the Education Department's collections unit for defaulted loans moved to Treasury's fiscal service bureau to discuss government plans to collect on student debts by intercepting payments such as tax refunds, Biedermann said. The administration decided to move student loan collections to the Treasury Department after an agreement fell apart with the contractor who handled student loan collections, a former Federal Student Aid official told POLITICO. The Education Department was too understaffed after its sweeping reduction in force to handle collections itself, the person said. It was already weak, but then they fired everyone, said the former official, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive agency dynamics. So nobody was there to make collections work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Education Department said it paused that work after a federal judge blocked the administration from firing agency workers. The judge in the case ruled that the announced terminations were a thinly veiled effort to functionally dismantle the department without congressional approval . The Trump administration has appealed that injunction to the Supreme Court. But the pause caused by the courts injunction is preventing the Department (and other agencies) from pursuing operational efficiencies and cost-savings, Oglesby said. As an example, Oglesby cited an agreement signed May 21 between the Education Department and the Labor Department that would transfer up to nearly $2.7 billion of congressionally appropriated funds out of Education Secretary Linda McMahons agency to DOLs Employment and Training Administration. The shift would then put several funding streams under ETAs purview, including formula grants allocated to states through Title I of the Perkins Act and Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, adult literacy programs and other career and technical education programs currently overseen by the Education Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though DOL would be responsible for overseeing these tasks, the funding would still technically be held by the Education Department under the terms of the agreement, which would then periodically reimburse DOL. The document says that consolidating the programs under DOLs banner is designed to provide a seamless workforce development system and reduce the administrative burden on states by streamlining reporting requirements. The agreement was signed by acting ETA administrator Lori Bearden and Nick Moore of the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education. A Labor Department spokesperson declined a request for additional details about the arrangement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is one of many existing agreements ED has with other agencies to collaborate on services for the American people, Biedermann, the education spokesperson, said. As acknowledged in the status report, ED has paused implementing this [agreement] while we seek relief from the district judges preliminary injunction. McMahon has said repeatedly that she would not close the agency without congressional approval, however, the Trump administration has taken several steps to slash the agencys operations and workforce. The administration laid off half the staff and then the president announced the department would offload its largest program the $1.6-trillion student loan portfolio onto another agency. Attempts to transfer the massive portfolio have had a turbulent start. It has been a longtime conservative goal to move student loans to Treasury, but the president surprised members of his own party in March when he announced that it would instead go to the Small Business Administration. Education Department officials skeptical of the plan met shortly after the president's announcement to discuss Treasury as an option . "It was one of the suggestions, as we first started to talk about dismantling the department, [and] what functions would go, perhaps, to which agencies, McMahon said Tuesday during an event hosted by Bloomberg News. But all of that is still part of discussion. It's not an assignment in any way, except that Treasury has taken back over the collection of student loans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McMahon has publicly stated that Treasury is a natural place for student loans . Whether or not the Education Department can move certain programs to other agencies without Congress say-so is something where the agency has been unclear. At a Cato Institute event in May , McMahon suggested that moving programs to other agencies seemed to be an option. As we look to take parts of the Department of Education and flow them into agencies where they might fit, that is the side we can attack right away, she said. Ultimately, this department was set up by statute. Congress will have to vote to close it. But the secretary told Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Tuesday that the Education Department cannot unilaterally shift its functions to any other agency I asked her what authority she would have to transfer any functions of the department somewhere else, for example, to the SBA, and she said I cant do that, that is the job of Congress, she said. EFFINGHAM, Ill. (WCIA) Some people in Effingham are voicing their opinions by putting pen to paper. After a referendum for a new sales tax failed in November, the Effingham School District passed a resolution this spring funding a $55 million total investment into district projects, including a new K-2nd grade building and more. I had my doubts about going: Dieterich veteran receives special surprise during Honor Flight Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, it raises property taxes by 8-13%. An Illinois House Bill signed in September last year removed the referendum requirement in certain scenarios. We feel like this should really go to the voters and not just the school board deciding to raise taxes, said resident Lisa Tegeler. Basically, it allows school boards to approve resolutions for new school buildings targeting pre-K and kindergarten spaces. But now, some concerned community members are trying to get it on the ballot and possibly remove it. And I just think thats wrong that just because they can, it doesnt mean they should, Tegeler said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A petition currently has more than 1,300 signatures so far, including from Kristin Arnold and Dennis Haarman who both signed Tuesday afternoon. I think that this balance should go to the people of Effingham, Arnold said. I dont think that the school board should be making a decision like this one, especially when it affects our properties tax. Four people displaced after Bismarck house fire Haarman shares a similar sentiment on the issue. We the people need to vote, not the school board. You know that. Thats not right. Its bogus, he said. Tegeler is a volunteer collecting signatures. In 2024, we wouldnt even have this conversation, because thats when it changed with Pritzker signing something into the law, the back door referendum. So before this, they would have had to put it on the ballot for the voters to vote on, Tegeler said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the petition gets more than 10% of the voter roll or 1,500 total signatures, the resolution will have to wait until the primary election in March next year. I dont know what will happen to us if we dont do it, said Effingham Superintendent Andrew Johnson. It is appalling: Parents file lawsuit against PBL teacher, district, admin The resolution would pay for a new K-2nd grade building, a new high school parking lot, a grade school library renovation and expanded daycare in the district. At some point, those types of things are going to have to happen and you know, somebodys going to have to pay for it, Johnson added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson said the reason why it wasnt re-submitted as a referendum to begin with is because of how it would impact the projects timeline. If the petitions are successful, then were going to be back at the drawing board and it does put everything on hold, he said. Our board has put almost every expense that were putting into the planning of what these new facilities look like and what we would be able to do on hold until we would know that we do have the opportunity to be able to execute what weve been planning. But for Tegeler and hundreds of others, they want people to get a chance to decide. Come out to sign the petition, whether youre for it or against it, Tegeler said. You should really go to the voters to decide whether weve jacked up the prices that much. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson said the deadline for this petition is June 23rd. Organizers in support of the petition said there will be daily sign-ups by the Shelby Realty building in town. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Egyptian authorities on Wednesday called on activists to obtain official permits on their journey from Tunisia to the border with Gaza in solidarity with Palestinian civilians. Around 1,700 activists have set off from Tunis in buses and cars, according to the state news agency TAP, including around 200 from Algeria. They hope to travel through Libya and Egypt to reach the Rafah crossing with Gaza to protest Israel's conduct in the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in Cairo that the activists must submit applications through Egyptian embassies abroad, through foreign missions in Cairo or directly through organizations. "Visits to the border region must comply with strict regulations and prior coordination through official channels. Requests should be submitted in advance," the ministry said in a statement. It added that Egypt emphasizes that any delegation that bypasses these protocols will not be allowed entry. Since the beginning of the war, established procedures for access to the border region with Gaza have been in place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The convoy has travelled through several cities in Tunisia and from there into neighbouring Libya. It will continue along the Mediterranean coast to Egypt and finally to Rafah. Ahmed Ghniyah, western coordinator of the "Convoy of Steadfastness," reported receiving around 400 requests from Libyan volunteers eager to join the aid convoy as it passes through the country. The activists say they want to use the convoy to draw attention to the humanitarian emergency in the Gaza Strip and protest against Israel's attacks. The plan was for them to walk about 50 kilometers from the coastal town of Al-Arish to the Rafah border crossing on Friday. They plan to demonstrate there for several days starting on Sunday. Egyptian authorities on Wednesday called on activists to obtain official permits on their journey from Tunisia to the border with Gaza in solidarity with Palestinian civilians. Around 1,700 activists have set off from Tunis in buses and cars, according to the state news agency TAP, including around 200 from Algeria. They hope to travel through Libya and Egypt to reach the Rafah crossing with Gaza to protest Israel's conduct in the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in Cairo that the activists must submit applications through Egyptian embassies abroad, through foreign missions in Cairo or directly through organizations. "Visits to the border region must comply with strict regulations and prior coordination through official channels. Requests should be submitted in advance," the ministry said in a statement. It added that Egypt emphasizes that any delegation that bypasses these protocols will not be allowed entry. An Egyptian secuirty source said that more than 100 activists were arrested by authorities upon their arrival to the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among them were 52 French, 67 Algerian, 13 Moroccan and 8 Libyan nationals. Since the beginning of the war, established procedures for access to the border region with Gaza have been in place. The convoy has travelled through several cities in Tunisia and from there into neighbouring Libya. It will continue along the Mediterranean coast to Egypt and finally to Rafah. Ahmed Ghniyah, western coordinator of the "Convoy of Steadfastness," reported receiving around 400 requests from Libyan volunteers eager to join the aid convoy as it passes through the country. The activists say they want to use the convoy to draw attention to the humanitarian emergency in the Gaza Strip and protest against Israel's attacks. The plan was for them to walk about 50 kilometers from the coastal town of Al-Arish to the Rafah border crossing on Friday. They plan to demonstrate there for several days starting on Sunday. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The El Paso City Council voted on Tuesday, June 10, to formally support a grant application that could help fund part of the proposed Interstate 10 deck plaza. The multimillion-dollar plan is a major infrastructure project that would create a public space above the Downtown stretch of the freeway. The application is for the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), a federally funded, state-administered grant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If approved, it would help pay for some features of the deck plaza, such as trails, sidewalks, and green spaces. This is just one little puzzle piece, City Rep. Chris Canales said. But Ive said from the beginning, Id support this project as long as the money comes from state, federal, or philanthropic sources. The application is due this month, and a decision is expected in October. If awarded, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) would take the lead on construction, and the City of El Paso would assist with project management. If we are awarded, there are a lot of other steps that need to happen for the council to enter into an agreement to use that funding source, and thats something that would happen in the future, Joaquin Rodriguez, director of grant-funded programs for the city, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This isnt the only funding the City is pursuing for the deck plaza. In May, the council also submitted a separate request for $4 million through the Community Project Funding program, which goes through the office of U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas. That funding would help cover structural elements like retaining walls and utility infrastructure. City officials add that both funding requests are part of a larger effort to move the multimillion-dollar project forward with the goal of using outside money to make it happen. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. This story was originally published on Banking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Banking Dive newsletter. Citi is allowing its hybrid employees to work remotely for two weeks of their choice in August, according to a memo seen Monday by Banking Dive. We've selected August because it is traditionally a quieter time for some of our businesses and clients, when many are already out of the office due to vacations, Sara Wechter, the banks chief human resources officer, wrote in the memo, first reported by Business Insider. Citi was an early COVID-era pioneer in its devotion to hybrid scheduling a commitment the bank reaffirmed Monday, calling it an effective tool to attract and retain talent. While Citi has offered a similar two-week remote period to hybrid employees every December, it hasnt given a blanket out-of-office green light in August since 2022. Citis lean into remote work runs counter to a prevailing industry trend that has seen JPMorgan Chase, BNY and Royal Bank of Canada, so far this year, increase the number of days employees are required to work from the office. JPMorgan in January told employees companywide to return to the office five days a week starting in March. We know that some of you prefer a hybrid schedule and respectfully understand that not everyone will agree with this decision, JPMorgans operating committee wrote at the time in a memo. We think it is the best way to run the company. BNY called its employees back to the office four days a week starting in September but with a caveat that the bank did not intend to push the mandate further. We have no plans to return to 5 days in office unless circumstances were to demand otherwise, BNY said in its April memo. RBC, meanwhile, said last month that it wants its employees at least those not already in the office full time or remote full time to work from the office four days a week starting in September. That marks only a slight change, though, from the stance the Toronto-based lender took in March 2023, when it gave its hybrid workers the option to work from the office three or four days a week. RBC is not the only Canadian lender to tighten its reins on in-office work. Scotiabank last week said it would require teams that work in locations with real estate capacity to begin coming into the office 4+ days per week in September, according to an internal memo to Toronto area employees. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The El Paso Police Department and the El Paso County Sheriffs Office will conduct a joint training exercise Tuesday night, June 10 at Cielo Vista Mall, police said. This scheduled training event is scheduled to begin at about 9 p.m. Tuesday. The exercise will include a significant law-enforcement presence in the area, police said. We would like to assure the public that there is no actual incident occurring at Cielo Vista Mall, El Paso Police 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 KTSM 9 News. The polls have closed on three legislative races to fill vacant seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, including one in Oklahoma City that will now be held by a former district judge. House lawmakers finished this year's session with empty seats after three members resigned to take other jobs. The seats were filled in special elections held in Oklahoma County and the Tulsa area. The state Senate filled its own vacancy in May with the election of Republican Bryan Logan, who is the new state senator for a district in eastern Oklahoma. The political balance of the Oklahoma House of Representatives won't change much, if at all. Each of the winners during the Tuesday, June 10 election are the same party as their predecessor, meaning neither party lost a seat. The special election leaves the House with 81 Republicans and 20 Democrats. Former district judge elected representative in Oklahoma City Former judge Aletia Timmons speaks as a current Democratic candidate for HD 97 during the first XFest OKC event on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Former District Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons was victorious in the special election to fill a seat vacated in April by recently elected Oklahoma County Commissioner Jason Lowe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Timmons defeated JeKia Harrison in the Democratic primary with 59% of the vote, according to results posted by the Oklahoma State Election Board. More: Remember the words of political candidates they reveal their true feelings | Opinion This primary was a winner-take-all election. No Republicans or independents filed for the open House of Representatives seat. District 97 includes portions of far northeast Oklahoma City, plus the metro-area communities of Spencer, Lake Aluma and Forest Park. The district also includes voters in parts of Jones and Midwest City. Timmons, 64, was an elected Oklahoma County district judge for about a decade before she retired from the position in March. Before joining the bench in 2014, she was an attorney working on civil rights and employment law, and also worked for a time in the Oklahoma County District Attorneys Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Timmons is a graduate of OKC's John Marshall High School and earned a bachelor's degree in political science at Oklahoma State University. She obtained her law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. JeKia Harrison is one of two candidates in the special election. Harrison, 35, has worked at the Oklahoma State Capitol as a legislative assistant for Tulsa state Rep. Meloyde Blancett. Harrison previously worked as child welfare specialist for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and also owns a political campaign consulting business called Pen 2 Paper Consulting. Urban Tulsa seat decided during June 10 special election House District 71 is a sliver of land along the Arkansas River in south Tulsa. The seat became vacant after the resignation of Democratic state Rep. Amanda Swope, who left state government to work for the city of Tulsa. In the district's special election, Democrat Amanda Clinton won by a wide margin over Republican attorney Beverly Atteberry. Clinton secured 85% of the votes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clinton, 46, runs a public relations firm and is an adjunct professor at Oklahoma State University. She also sits on boards for Planned Parenthood and the OSU Foundation Board of Governors. Clinton previously said shes an advocate for reproductive health freedom, access to medical care, clean water and minimizing "state Superintendent Ryan Walters impact on public schools." She is also active in tribal policy. "District 71 deserves leadership that shows up, speaks truth, and fights like hell for working people, and that's exactly what I plan to do," Clinton said in a news release celebrating her victory. Although once a Republican stronghold, District 71 has been held by a Democrat since 2018. More: One election may have reshaped Oklahoma Senate GOP's politics. Could it shift even further right? Longtime Republican seat in Owasso up for grabs Owasso pastor and Republican nominee Kevin Wayne Norwood was victorious in House District 74. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Norwood defeated Democrat Amy Hossain with about 65% of the vote. The district straddles Tulsa and Rogers counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Voters have elected a Republican in that district for 25 years. The seat became vacant in December when Mark Vancuren took a job in Tulsa County government. Norwood, 58, is a pastor and works with community initiatives like Keep Owasso Beautiful and Owasso Cares. Norwood has said he wants to build a vibrant economy, safer communities and strong infrastructure and to give Oklahomans tax relief. His priorities also include revitalizing community main streets, and he criticized the "green energy grift" on his website. Hossain, 50, is the chief human resources officer Tulsa's Domestic Violence Intervention Services. She is also the president of the nonprofit Khan Ohana, which works to "break the cycle of poverty among college students." This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma election results for House Districts 97, 74, 71 In a massive 96-page ruling, the Georgia Supreme Court struck down four controversial rules on Tuesday that the State Election Board tried to implement right before last years presidential election The justices said the SEB went way beyond its authority when it required each precinct to hand count ballots and allowed local election board members to refuse to certify results. Chief Justice Nels Peterson wrote, The SEB can pass rules to implement and enforce the election code, but it cannot go beyond, change, or contradict the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scot Turner heads a group of former GOP lawmakers who challenged the rules in court. I think its a tremendous victory for conservatism, Turner told Channel 2s Richard Elliot. RELATED STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other groups joined in later, including the ACLU and the NAACP. Turner said the SEB basically tried to create laws, something blatantly unconstitutional. Nobody elected the State Election Board members, and they took it upon themselves to create new laws. Thats a separation of powers issue. It becomes a major problem when you allow that to go unchecked, Turner said. Election board member Janelle King said she respects the ruling but still believes in the rules they tried to pass. I absolutely respect our judicial system, King said. King told Elliot that theyll now focus their attention on convincing lawmakers to either give the SEB the legal authority to make these rule changes or change the rules themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I still wholeheartedly believe that these rules are beneficial, useful, and the intent is still there. However, now the ball is in the court of our legislators, King said. Just hours after the Supreme Court announced its decision, the Georgia House announced its blue-ribbon study committee on election procedures will meet for the first time on July 17. EDEN, Weber County As the new city materializing in the Ogden Valley takes shape, theres no lack of interest in leading the locale. The filing period to run for mayor or one of five city council seats that will serve the new city ended last Friday, and a total of 37 people have stepped forward to run for the six leadership posts. Four mayoral candidates have emerged: Janet Wampler, Kyle Reeder, Andrew Newton and Shanna Francis. Its an indication that this community is eager to get on with being its own municipality, said Nick Dahlkamp, who helped with initial organizing efforts that led to last Novembers vote to create the city. This just again exemplifies how important people feel that they want to take control of their destiny and are eager to get on with it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Apart from the four mayoral hopefuls, the District 1 and 5 City Council races have drawn five candidates each, the District 2 contest has seven candidates and the District 3 and 4 races have eight hopefuls each. Dahlkamp said the numbers exceeded his expectations. The Ogden Valley city, to be officially named by the slate of leaders who win, covers an expansive area around Pineview Reservoir on the eastern side of the Wasatch Mountains, east of Weber Countys population cluster around Ogden. Its a picturesque zone, home to three ski resorts, and boosters of incorporation touted becoming a city as a means of maintaining local control as growth pressures mount. An estimated 7,600 people live within the planned citys boundaries. The long list of candidates will be whittled to two in each contest in primary voting, which culminates on Aug. 12. The winners will be selected in general election balloting, which ends on Nov. 4. Those victors will be sworn in on Jan. 5 next year, when the city formally comes into being, according to Ogden Valley Inc., the organization that promoted incorporation. While campaigning has yet to begin in earnest, the filing paperwork offers some information about the candidates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the mayoral race, Wamplers filing says she serves as chairwoman of the Ogden Valley Planning Commission, which serves as an advisory body to Weber County commissioners on planning issues in the Ogden Valley. The Weber County Commission is the ruling body that now governs the unincorporated area, pending installation of the newly elected leaders next January. She also serves the Community Foundation of Ogden Valley, a nonprofit group that raises funds for other nonprofits serving the area. Reeder is an attorney specializing in business transactions and commercial litigation, reads his filing. Newton is owner of two small businesses, Composet Products and Proformance Services, and served in a volunteer post with the Pineview West Water Co., a provider of secondary water, according to the Utah Division of Water Rights. Francis is the owner and operator of the Ogden Valley News, a newspaper serving the Ogden Valley. She was also one of the six original sponsors who pursued incorporation of the Ogden Valley. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Separately, incorporation proponents have been working with the public to plan for the transition to incorporation. Some 180 people have stepped forward to assist with things like budget preparation, creating an organizational structure for the city and crafting of zoning ordinances and other codes, according to Kay Hoogland, whos helping with transitional efforts and also running for a city council seat. She called the volunteers the advance team for the eventual winners in elections and said the many candidates will be invited to take part in the efforts. While the Ogden Valley locale will be the newest Utah city, a new town is taking shape in Utah County, Spring Lake, which sits between Payson and Santaquin and is home to around 600 people. Residents there last year also voted to become a new locale and will pick leaders in this years election cycle. Wade Menlove is the sole mayoral candidate, according to Utah County election officials. Seven hopefuls are running for two four-year town council posts, and seven are running for two two-year town council seats. ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) With summer right around the corner, police say St. George kids are already back on their electric scooters in full force. It doesnt take very much. Sergeant Jeremy Needles with the St. George Police Department told ABC4. Police say kids as young as 8 years old have been spotted on electric scooters, which can pose a real danger for young kids, especially when riding near cars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When you come up to an intersection, you need to make sure that you, as the scooter rider, stop and make eye contact with the drivers, Needles said. 9-year-old dead after golf cart crash in St. George CollisionCam, a local company that films accidents at Utahs most dangerous intersections, caught one such accident on camera. The incident, which took place on June 3 at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Mall Drive in St. George, shows a rider approaching the crosswalk; however, a driver continues through the intersection, colliding with a young persons scooter. As a driver, look both ways, even if youre making rent or double check that sidewalk, double check the right side because there could be a runner, a bicyclist, or a scooter operator that could have snuck into your area before you can make that turn, Needles told ABC4. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say scooters are not allowed to go faster than 15 miles per hour and are not allowed on roads with speed limits about 25 miles per hour. According to St. George Police, children under nine should never be operating electric scooters, and teens between nine and 15 years old should be closely monitored. Anyone involved in an accident at select locations can request free footage by visiting collisioncam.com or calling 435-327-0615. 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. ELKINS, W.Va. (WBOY) Before his death, veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Hershel Woody Williams believed that no one should have to drive more than an hour to reach a Gold Star monument, and one of his last wishes was to expand the network of Gold Star monuments across West Virginia. With the help of a few patriots, Woody Williams wish is being fulfilled in Elkins, as the city welcomed its Gold Star monument with a parade and warm embrace on Tuesday. 12 News spoke with Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco on why the city chose to honor military families in this way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We respect our veterans completely and we want to showcase that at any chance we can, and this is for those families out there who have lost family members that have paid the ultimate sacrifice, that have an empty place setting at the table, we want them to know that we havent forgotten them and the sacrifices their families have made, Marco said. Marco said that he hopes to create a veterans park at the intersection of Harrison and Railroad Avenues. A groundbreaking ceremony will also be held next Monday for a life-size Rosie the Riveter statue in the same location. West Virginia Rhododendron Girls State returns to Davis & Elkins College But as for the Gold Star monument, its establishment was a joint effort between the Elkins Rotary Club, the city of Elkins, local veterans, patriots, and Dan McCarthy, who was the governor of the rotary district when Woody Williams passed away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 12 News also spoke to McCarthy on the importance of this monument. This is all about honoring those families that have lost someone in service to our country, and being a veteran, Im probably as sensitive as anyone to the importance of recognizing those families. And we often talk about the veterans, but the families sacrifice as much as the veterans do in a different way. And sometimes, unless youve been a veteran, you dont realize how much the families sacrifice, McCarthy said. The city of Elkins will host an unveiling for the Gold Star monument at 11 a.m. on July 5, after hosting its first-ever 4th of July parade the day before, both of which are open to the public. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. CHEMUNG COUNTY, N.Y. (WETM) An Elmira man, currently being held at the Chemung County Jail, was arrested back in June after deputies said he failed to update his address on the sex offender registry. Alonzo K. Roberson, 42, was arrested on Tuesday, June 10, on the charge of failure to notify the Division of Criminal Justice Services of a change of information within a required timeframe, a class D felony. NYSP: Man facing grand larceny charge after stealing over $90K from parents Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Back on May 8, the Chemung County Sheriffs Office was given information by the New York State Division of Parole stating Roberson, who is a level 3 registered sex offender, failed to update his address with the NYS Sex Offender Registry. The failure to update his address violated his parole, resulting in his release. Roberson was arrested on the charges and remains in the Chemung 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 WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. Elon Musk does not keep his feelings to himself. Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images Last week, Musk had a social media meltdown as he posted through his breakup on X with his once-close ally President Donald Trump, insulting Trumps disgusting policy bill, his ingratitude, and his fitness for office in real-time by sharing, reposting or replying about three posts per minute for three hours on Thursday afternoon. It was an extraordinary public escalation from someone who once called himself Trumps first buddy, but going through daily chaotic bursts of posting is normal for Musk. Musk is the worlds richest man who is also the CEO of four companies, but he finds time to regularly fire off dozens of posts on X, the platform he owns. Related: The Internet Is Having A Field Day Over Marjorie Taylor Greene's Tweet About Homeschooling With An Altered Map When Musk lashes out online, his words can tank financial markets, a unique kind of power. Teslas stock plunged 14% on Thursday, its biggest decline in almost three months, following Musks public fight against Trump. But the behavior of airing grievances online in real-time for all to see is not unique to just Musk. Lots of people post through it beyond public figures, said Ysabel Gerrard, a senior lecturer in digital media at the University of Sheffield. Whats so deeply fascinating about Elons behaviors and what makes them quite unique is that they have serious political ramifications but also resonate with us, as we all follow people who are extremely online. We dont know exactly why Musk posted so much real-time criticism against Trump last week, but there are common reasons as for what compels people to post constantly. For Frequent Posters, Social Validation Is One Common Reason Related: A NSFW Float Depicting Donald Trump's "MAGA" Penis Was Just Paraded Around Germany, And It's...Something Photo by Alex Wroblewski and Allison ROBBERT / AFP) (Photo by ALEX WROBLEWSKI,ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP via Getty Images) Advertisement Advertisement Stanford University psychiatrist Dr. Anna Lembke said she doesnt know what is going through Musks head, but frequent posters in general typically do so out of a desire for social validation, which can be even more potent to receive from people you dont know. Lembke said social validation from millions of strangers online can be much more potent and therefore more reinforcing than the social validation we might get from people in our real life, because of the emotional complexity of real-life relationships where theres much more give and take, and we have listen.And thats not necessarily true on social media, where we can just delete or block somebody or go somewhere else to get the reinforcement were looking for, she continued. Experts say one other reason for posting so much could be to control narratives against you. A New York Times report alleges that tensions between Trump and Musk had been simmering for months, but the breakup got accelerated after Musk felt humiliated when Trump got rid of Musks preferred pick for head of NASA. [Musk] wants to be validated. This was not the way it was supposed to go. He was supposed to save the country from all kinds of things. And he was the only guy who could do it, suggested Tracy Ross, a couples therapist, about what Musk might be seeking with his frequent posts. Think of the specialness of that, and then to lose that, hes got to feel gutted.Ross said in her practice it can be typical for couples to engage in a blame game after a breakup. Instead of reflecting on How am I responsible for this blow up? people can discharge those feelings by seeking constant validation online so they dont have to feel those things and [they] dont have to look at [their] own contribution in the breakup, Ross said.And one way to control a narrative about your reputation is to share nonstop posts about it. Whoever can post the most and get the most reposts, the most followers and likes, then they at least have the feeling that theyre shaping and dominating the historical narrative around what happened, Lembke said about why people might post so much. To be clear though, posting a lot is not a wholly negative behavior and can sometimes be out of a desire for social connection and the possibilities of career enhancement, Gerrard said. Its also a behavior that social media platforms encourage, Gerrard said. X has historically cultivated a following of frequent posters, which isnt an accident as its precisely what the platform was intended for, Gerrard said. Whereas those posting through it on other platforms may face more criticism. Instagram, for example, is largely viewed as a space for highly curated, aestheticized, and potentially inauthentic content, hence the phrase highlight reel.But even big-time posters can reach a limit with how much they should share online. Musk appears to have deleted his most inflammatory insults against Trump, including his claims that Trump appears in unreleased files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his support for the presidents impeachment. Ross said that deleting certain insults could potentially be an admission that maybe he thinks he went too far, and that ... could backfire because Trump is known to be pretty vengeful. The Washington Post / The Washington Post via Getty Images On Saturday, Trump threatened very serious consequences against Musk, the Republican Partys most important megadonor, if Musk were to fund Democrats. Although Musk is currently posting in favor of the Trump administrations immigration policies, he has not backed down from all of his criticisms. The one word neither men have publicly said in their ongoing spat is sorry. Despite appearing to delete some of his posts against Trump, Musk has left up posts about his influence on Trumps reelection, suggesting the feud is far from over. Typically, the fallout after a breakup can mean losing friends or clothes. But in this case, it could potentially be the difference between winning or losing an election or a government contract.Having the richest man in the world post through his breakup with the President of the United States may not make for stable governance or financial markets, but it does make for a rapt online audience as we all wait for what either man will post next. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in In the News: JD Vance Shared The Most Bizarre Tweet Of Him Serving "Food" As Donald Trump's Housewife Advertisement Advertisement Also in In the News: This Senator's Clap Back Fully Gagged An MSNBC Anchor, And The Clip Is Going Viral Also in In the News: AOC's Viral Response About A Potential Presidential Run Has Everyone Watching, And I'm Honestly Living For It Elon Musk has publicly acknowledged that some of his recent social media posts concerning President Donald Trump "went too far." Musk and Trump's relationship seemingly soured after the tech mogul slammed the president's "One Big Beautiful Bill" as a "disgusting abomination," and went further to hurl several allegations against him. Since the feud became public, Donald Trump has maintained a calm demeanor, while telling reporters that he wishes Elon Musk "very well." Elon Musk Makes U-Turn On Posts Bashing Donald Trump ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA Musk took to his X social media on Wednesday to admit that he regrets some of the posts he wrote about President Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week," the Tesla boss wrote. "They went too far." The former buddies have been at loggerheads over what seemed to be differences in their approach to government spending after Trump launched the One Big Beautiful Bill. Musk, who was previously head of the Department of Government Efficiency, a department saddled with the responsibility of making government more efficient by cutting spending and downsizing the federal workforce, slammed the bill as a "disgusting abomination." "Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it," he wrote, 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." The Tech Billionaire Dropped The 'Bomb' On Donald Trump ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA Although Musk didn't mention the specific post he regrets making about Trump, some of his recent posts have been quite unsettling, including one where he dropped the "bomb" by alleging that the billionaire politician was on convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's list, and that was "the real reason they have not been made public." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In another explosive tweet, Musk claimed that Trump couldn't have won the 2024 elections without him, a tweet that seemingly irritated 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 said. He added: "Such ingratitude." He even suggested at one point that Trump should be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance. The SpaceX boss previously shared how some of Trump's officials undermined his role at DOGE and never took seriously his efforts to reduce government spending. Jeffrey Epstein's Lawyer Distanced The President From Elon Musk's Allegations ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA Meanwhile, a lawyer for Epstein, David Schoen, has since distanced Trump from Musk's allegations, saying the disgraced financier never had any dirt on the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to TMZ, Schoen said Epstein admitted that he didn't have anything on Trump and that if he had dirt on the president, he would have used it. "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 lawyer said. Photos And Videos Of Trump And Epstein Together Flooded The Internet After The Telsa Boss's Claims In 1992 Trump partied with Jeffrey Epstein. Just gonna leave this here: pic.twitter.com/eUFm7cGVab Natalie F Danelishen (@Chesschick01) June 5, 2025 Epstein, who notably had ties with 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. Following Musk's accusation, photos of him and Trump partying together surfaced on the internet; however, Schoen maintained that the president had done nothing wrong. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taking to his X account, the lawyer 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!" 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." Donald Trump Is 'Disappointed' In Elon Musk Aaron Schwartz / CNP / MEGA According to the New York Post, Trump said he was "disappointed" in Musk but that they "could" still patch things up; however, that isn't a priority on his to-do list at the moment. Speaking with columnist Miranda Devine on the debut episode of "Pod Force One," Trump said he doesn't "blame" Musk for the breakdown of their alliance, but is "a little disappointed." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Look, I have no hard feelings," Trump said. "I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill that's phenomenal. He just I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually." "I was disappointed in him, but, you know, it is what it is," Trump admitted after Devine said that Musk seemed to treat the president "a bit like a father." "That happens. Things like that happen. I don't blame him for anything. I was a little disappointed," he added. Elon Musk has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to express regret over his war of words with President Donald Trump, backing down after less than a week and conceding that some of his posts attacking the commander-in-chief had been excessive. I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far, the worlds richest man wrote on the social media platform he owns in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The apology comes six days after Trump said he was very disappointed in his former special adviser and campaign donor for criticizing the Big, Beautiful Bill he is attempting to push through the Senate, prompting Musk to lash out with a series of highly personal attacks against the president, who responded in kind on his own platform Truth Social. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the same day that Musk appeared to extend an olive branch, Trump said in a pre-recorded podcast interview that reconciliation between the pair was possible. Look, I have no hard feelings, Trump said in the interview recorded on Monday. I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill thats phenomenal ... He just I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually. Elon Musk and Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30 2025 (AP) Musks 130-day tenure leading the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as a government employee came to an end on May 30. Still, just days later, the billionaire began trashing Trumps signature tax and spending package, warning it would greatly increase the national debt and calling it a disgusting abomination. Im sorry, but I just cant stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination, he wrote on X. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk followed that up a day later with a fresh appeal to KILL the BILL, imploring his millions of followers to contact their representatives and senators to remind them that bankrupting America is NOT ok! Behind the scenes the president was reported to be quickly losing patience with Musks intervention and confused by his animosity, and he eventually said as much while hosting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on Thursday. Im very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, better than you people, Trump said in the Oval Office. He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden, he had a problem. In addition to expressing his disappointment in the Tesla and SpaceX boss, Trump also claimed that he could have won the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania in last years presidential election without Musks help. 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 shot back on X. Such ingratitude, he added in a separate post. Musk and Trump posing with a Tesla at the White House on March 11 2025 (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) From there, a vicious exchange of barbs commenced on the billionaires competing social media platforms, with Trump saying Musks company had been wearing thin and accusing him on Truth Social of going CRAZY while also threatening to take away his lucrative government contracts. Musk responded on X by threatening to decommission SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft, which is used to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station, and, most shockingly, alleging that Trump was mentioned in top secret files held by the government on the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein which Musk said was the true reason for their being withheld from the public. Musk also posted a picture of Trump and Epstein together, as well as a video from 1992 of the two New Yorkers chatting at a house party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The following day, West Wing aides indicated that Trump and Musk were planning a phone call to clear the air, only for Trump 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 a remark that left their once-close relationship in limbo. The fallout from the spat saw former Trump aide Steve Bannon call for Musk to be deported and investigated over his alleged drug use, while the late-night satirists had a field day and the internet exploded with speculation and opinion. But the situation has since been eclipsed by the eruption of protests in Los Angeles against the presidents crackdown on illegal immigration, which have seen activists clash with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and the president controversially send in the National Guard to aid local law enforcement officers in maintaining order. Key Points Electricity demand is growing thanks to the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence. NuScale Power and Oklo are trying to develop nuclear reactors to meet these needs. The companies are far from generating any revenue, which makes the stocks risky. 10 stocks we like better than NuScale Power Artificial intelligence (AI) is affecting sectors across the business world. Perhaps none more so than electric utilities, due to the high power needs of data centers that run AI. Stocks such as Constellation Energy have soared on this narrative shift, with shares of the utility up 634% since the start of 2022, crushing the broad market averages. Electricity for AI-fueled data centers is projected to grow by a multiple of four by 2030. In light of these projections, investors are looking at ways to play this boom in power demand, including pure-play nuclear energy stocks such as NuScale Power (NYSE: SMR) and Oklo (NYSE: OKLO). Both stocks are up more than 300% in the past 12 months due to the optimism around the growth in electricity demand worldwide. Are either of these stocks a buy to play the AI trend? Let's take a look. NuScale Power: small modular reactors NuScale Power is one of the leading start-ups trying to sell small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). The company is betting that its smaller reactors will be more affordable to utilities, and it is the only start-up to have an SMR design approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The company's SMR is water-cooled and built in a factory, which makes it modular and scalable, at least in theory. Proponents for the technology claim it will easily scale up because you can connect the reactors together to keep adding capacity. The problem with NuScale is its struggle to find customers willing to use its technology. A project in Utah was recently cancelled due to huge cost overruns, which is not a good indicator for SMR viability. The company is in the process of project planning but does not have a reactor set to debut until after 2030, and that is before considering the usual time delays that come with these infrastructure builds. No projects coming on line until after 2030 means that NuScale will not generate any significant revenue until then. That is around five years (optimistically) as a pre-revenue start-up. The company is burning around $100 million annually in free cash flow. With around $500 million in cash on its balance sheet, it is threading the needle with its burn rate as it tries to build an unproven technology, meaning it could hit liquidity concerns at some point this decade. Following a series of threats from Donald Trump and other MAGA movement figures stemming from his puerile dustup with Elon Musk, the tech billionaire appears to be trying to work back into the presidents good graces. Many skeptics myself included were never quite sold on the legitimacy, or significance, of the apparent breakup. More than anything, it felt like a petty feud over House Republicans spending bill and particularly, the extent to which Americans must suffer austerity to pay for GOP-backed tax cuts for the wealthy. But regardless, Musk is making what Id argue is a rather humiliating attempt to paper over his recent comments, one of which referenced Trumps past friendship with the late alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. (Musk later deleted the post.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Apparently, Trumps biggest megadonor feels he was a little too harsh with his comments, though he didnt specify which ones. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025 Musk had been lavishing praise on Trump like a pro-authoritarian cheerleader in recent days, so this mea culpa seemed sure to follow. Nonetheless, amid Musks backtracking and knee-bending, even his father has added insult to injury. During a trip to hobnob with pro-Putin elites in Russia, Errol Musk suggested in a video interview that his son was just acting out because hes been a little cranky due to lack of sleep. Theyre very tired and stressed, and so you can expect something like this, Errol Musk said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The elder Musk went on to say, Trump will prevail hes the president. ... Elon made a mistake, I think. But hes tired, hes stressed. As Elon Musk tries to sidle up to Trump yet again, the richest man in the world apparently cant avoid some public upbraiding by his own father, who basically portrayed him as a mercurial fool for going against the MAGA movement. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Elon Musk said he regrets some of his harsh comments about President Trump in an X post early on Wednesday morning, in his latest move to de-escalate his sudden feud with the commander-in-chief. I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week, Musk said about his incendiary posts. They went too far. The Tesla and SpaceX boss did not specify which of his posts he regretted making. Musk was livid with the Big Beautiful Bill the president has championed, saying it was pork-filled and a disgusting abomination early last week; he then went off on President Trump last Thursday in several now-infamous X posts, which included saying he supported impeaching the president and claiming Trump had not released the Epstein Files because he was named in them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The billionaire later deleted his post about Trump being named in the Epstein Files over the past weekend. Trump, by about 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, had not publicly responded to Musks regret update. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025 However, the president, in a podcast with the New York Posts Miranda Devine released on Wednesday, echoed some of his recent comments and said he was a little disappointed in his former head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump added that he could see the pair repairing their relationship, though, and said he has no hard feelings towards Musk. The podcast Trumps first since reentering the White House in January was recorded on Monday. The post Elon Musk Has Regret Over Some of His Trump Insults: They Went Too Far appeared first on TheWrap. Billionaire Elon Musk has said he regrets some of the posts he made about US President Donald Trump during their war of words on social media. "They went too far," he wrote on his social media platform X. The two were embroiled in a public fallout after the Tesla owner stepped back from his White House role and called Trump's tax bill a "disgusting abomination". His post comes after Trump said he was open to the possibility of reconciliation in an interview with the New York Post on Wednesday. The president said he was a "little disappointed" about the fallout, but there were "no hard feelings". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I think he feels very badly that he said that," Trump said of Musk's blistering social media barrage. The budget, which includes huge tax breaks and more defence spending, was passed by the House of Representatives last month and is now being considered by senators. Musk urged Americans to call their representatives in Washington to "kill the bill" as he believed it would "cause a recession in the second half of the year". The tech entrepreneur claimed, without evidence, that Trump appears in unreleased government files linked to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The White House rubbished those claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response, Trump said Musk had "lost his mind" and threatened to cancel his government contracts, which have an estimated value of $38bn (28bn). A significant chunk of that goes to Musk's space technology company SpaceX. "I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the president," Trump said in an interview with NBC on Saturday. Musk appeared to have deleted many of his posts over the weekend, including one calling for Trump's impeachment. Musk was the largest donor for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and had been considered the president's right-hand man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Trump aide Steve Bannon called for Musk, who was born in South Africa, to be deported. US Vice-President JD Vance told reporters on Wednesday that while Trump was frustrated with Musk, the president does not want a long-term feud with the Tesla CEO. Vance also said he had spoken to both Trump and Musk about the billionaire donor remaining supportive of the administration. Most Republicans have called for the two men to reconcile, while Democrats have watched on as the feud unfolded. Their fallout came shortly after Musk left the task force he headed called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), which he had promised would make trillions of dollars of federal spending cuts, 129 days into the job. So far, those cuts appear to have been smaller. After his departure, many of the Doge staff he hired have stayed on at a variety of federal agencies. Editor's note: This story was updated to correct the type of case dismissal at issue in the complaint. The Oakland County Prosecutors Office began to pull its cases from under the thumb of embattled District Judge Kirsten Nielsen Hartig on the morning of June 10 amid fallout from a formal complaint issued by the states judicial oversight body earlier this month. During Hartigs June 10 docket at the 52-4 District Court in Troy, the prosecutors office which is named in some accusations in the complaint motioned for Hartig to recuse herself from its first two cases of the day. Hartig declined to do so but was later overruled by her chief judge. So began a dance of repeating the motion on other cases tied to the prosecutors office and Hartig adjourning them to give the chief judge time to rule, as defendants went back to jail cells or workdays. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was no immediate indication that morning that Chief Judge Travis Reeds would rule differently on the adjourned cases, though Hartig noted from the bench that he had not reviewed a transcript of the hearing with her reasoning for not recusing herself. Bill Mullan, public information officer for Oakland County, confirmed the chief judges decisions, which attorneys had relayed to Hartig during her docket. Mullan said that the cases would be reassigned at random to other district court judges. 52-4 District Court Judge Kirsten Nielsen Hartig More: Complaint: Oakland County Judge Kirsten Nielsen Hartig created 'climate of fear' Reeds previously said Hartig should be temporarily removed from her docket amid the oversight case, and the county reported he made a request to do so. Hartig has been under fire in recent years, both by Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald and a former court administrator who got a $100,000 settlement in a whistleblower and unlawful termination lawsuit tied to Hartig. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then on June 4, the oversight body, the Judicial Tenure Commission, issued a rare public complaint against the judge. The complaint effectively launches a court-like process that, at its most severe, could result in the Michigan Supreme Court suspending or removing the judge. Key in the complaint: The commission attempted to redact, but left visible in some formats, that a psychological evaluation of the judge in 2024 deemed her at the time to be unsafe to practice due to disruptive behavior and personality dysfunction. What was deemed at risk was not immediately clear. The commission openly accused Hartig of misdeeds, including creating a climate of fear among workers at the courthouse, improperly dismissing multiple cases with prejudice due to a grudge with the prosecutors tied to scheduling, and mistreating that former court administrator. More: Authority got psych report saying Oakland Judge Hartig was unsafe to practice months ago Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the judge, Daniel Cherrin of Royal Oak-based public affairs and communications firm North Coast Strategies, declined to comment on the mental health aspect but issued a statement at the time calling the commission process flawed." He said Hartig has patiently waited for the chance to address the allegations against her. In court on June 10, Hartig spoke out against the recusal motions to start. Her docket was underway shortly after 9 a.m., with the judge making mostly default judgments in landlord-tenant issues until a case involving the Oakland County Prosecutors Office came up. Assistant Prosecutor Bob Zivian came to the podium and when given the chance said for the first time a statement hed be repeating for numerous cases: that as everyone in the courtroom knew, the Judicial Tenure Commission issued a complaint, that her former and current chief judges were among complainants who could testify against her, and that it was clear the office could not get a fair hearing in the courtroom. Respectfully, he asked her to recuse herself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hartig, who had nodded at times during the soliloquy, responded using respectfully herself. She said that the prosecutors office was aware of the oversight investigation before the formal complaint was issued, and argued there had been no problems or concerns raised. She said, in the back-and-forth across two cases, that those in the prosecutors office issued grievances against her and that she had made attorney grievances against them specifically McDonald and Assistant Prosecutor Jeffrey Hall within the last several years. She was unaware of where her attorney grievances landed but said the only thing that changed was the public nature of the complaint against her. Zivian, however, said there were aspects of the complaint that his office was not aware of before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taylor judge called chief judge names, flipped off security cameras, complaint says No teeth: Cases of 2 embattled Michigan judges highlight concerns with accountability Zivian stepped into a private room several times, including with one individuals defense attorney and Chief Public Defender Paulette Loftin. He ultimately relayed to Hartig that he had appealed to Chief Judge Reeds by Zoom and the chief judge ruled in his favor. Between the back-and-forth of the attorneys and the judge, and the judge checking her computer for responses from Reeds, it was said that the chief judge believed Zivian would need to make his motion on every single case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And so, he did. Hartig continued to deny the request, sometimes elaborating for defendants who hadnt been in the courtroom. Defense attorneys were given the chance to weigh in, and then Hartig adjourned their cases so Zivian didnt have to repeatedly jump on a Zoom call after each one to get a ruling from the chief judge. He could do that during the one or two-week adjournment, she said. Zivian was still repeating his refrain for various cases as the clock ticked toward noon. Following one such hearing, Sterling Heights-based attorney Janet Szpond bemoaned that her clients case might have been dismissed if it werent for the recusal matter. She didnt know the ins and outs discussed in court regarding Hartigs complaint but said her client was accused of failing to return a rental car and was due in court for his preliminary examination. She believed a witness hadnt shown up, so she thought the matter may have been dismissed on June 10. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, her client confirmed with her that he could go back to work and jogged off. Its just extremely inconvenient, Szpond said. Oakland County Chief Assistant Prosecutor David Williams said in a call along with his offices public information officer, Jeff Wattrick, that while matters were still evolving, it was not believed there would be great delays in the court system due to the maneuver. He also said Hartigs complaint involved more than just the dismissals involving his office, and his office was unaware of that previously. But the complaint also affirmed the offices stance regarding the judges bias against them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wattrick, in a statement, said that people are entitled to cases decided based on the law rather than personal animosity. Our only goal in this matter is to ensure justice that victims' stories are heard and that The People always receive a fair hearing before the court, he said. Cherrin, Hartigs spokesperson, said that the prosecutors office had appeared in front of the judge hundreds of times before and that she continues to sit on the bench. He pointed to her comments on the motion made in court. Hartig was given 14 days to issue a formal response to the June 4 complaint. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Embattled Oakland County judge asked to recuse self in multiple cases On Tuesday, Embden residents shot down a measure to formally explore leaving the towns school district, Regional School Unit 74. The 148-107 vote comes after months of tension in the small town. School costs were at the center of the debate: critics of withdrawal believed such a move would undercut the districts budget and be detrimental to local education, while advocates saw it as a way to explore potential tax savings for the town amid rising education costs. Residents collected over 60 signatures to get the issue on the ballot. Tuesdays nay vote means that the town will stop at step two of the 22-step withdrawal process and Embden will remain in its school district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Had residents voted in favor of moving forward, Embden would have formed a withdrawal committee under the states guidance and begun negotiating an exit from RSU 74 before holding a second vote to decide whether or not to withdraw. Im relieved that they have chosen not to proceed with the withdrawal process, said RSU 74 Superintendent Mark Campbell. And I do understand that there were some messages sent by that. As the leadership team, we need to take a hard look at what we can do to further lessen the tax burden on all of our families in RSU 74. RSU 74 serves four towns Anson, Embden, New Portland and Solon and has four schools. If Embden had gone through the withdrawal process and voted to leave, the schools could have faced drastic cuts, Campbell recently told The Maine Monitor. Regardless of their stance on the issue of withdrawal, many residents pointed to issues in the states school funding model. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paul Fortin, who spearheaded Embdens withdrawal exploratory committee earlier this year, previously told The Maine Monitor that debate between neighbors was misguided, and that the issue lay with the state. The states funding formula known as Essential Programs and Services (EPS) can place more financial responsibility of education on towns if property valuations are high or student enrollment is low. School districts also tend to raise beyond what the EPS model requires to cover other costs not covered by the state formula. Valuation in Embden has more than doubled since 2015. On Tuesday, residents in RSU 74 also voted on whether to approve a $12.9 million school budget, about a $350,000 increase from last year. Embden will be responsible for about $2.2 million of these funds. Residents across the district passed the school budget in a 238-181 vote, an outcome that heads to the school board for final approval Wednesday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School enrollment across the district has been declining, according to state data. However, the district reported that Embdens student count has risen slightly since the 2020-21 school year. This is not the first time Embden has explored withdrawal. The town went through the formal process in 2015 but the measure ultimately failed. The nearby towns of Strong and Phillips recently voted in favor of beginning the withdrawal process from MSAD 58, which saw its $12.6 million school budget fail at the polls on Tuesday. The move follows a decades-long trend of rural communities exploring withdrawal to tackle budget woes and take control of local education. Embden resident Kayla Starr, who has been a strong critic of withdrawal and won a bid for a selectman position on Tuesday, said that she felt proud that residents chose to stand behind education, community and the next generation. Still, she pointed to a looming need to address the underlying issue: how schools are funded in Maine. What were seeing across the state hopefully serves as a wake-up call to state officials its time to reexamine the funding formula for public education and find real solutions, Starr said. Towns shouldnt be left to figure it out on their own, especially when doing so could unintentionally cause more harm than good. EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (WKBN) For those wondering about the sirens heard around East Palestine Wednesday afternoon, it was due to high levels of carbon monoxide reported at the middle school. Around noon on Wednesday, emergency crews were called to East Palestine Middle School due to reports of high carbon monoxide levels. According to a release from the Village, contractors operating in the school were using gas-powered equipment in an enclosed space without adequate ventilation, which led to the elevated levels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All in the building were evacuated. The release states two contractors were sent to the hospital for evaluation, but the rest were safe. The last day of the school year was June 3. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- The Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett has asked for a 14-day extension on the Emergency Declaration, after storms brought damage to the Pleasant Farms community. City officials and volunteers have been working hard helping clean up the small community of Pleasant Farms. The extreme weather storms hit Pleasant Farms on June 3rd. The National Weather Services says this damage was caused by high winds. Now the County leaders are looking for more time and resources to help clean up this small community. The reason we did that is because we have had 51 landowners who have come to us, Judge Fawcett said. Who has asked public works and the environment and everybody else to help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement County officials and the Red Cross have been on the ground in Pleasant Farms helping with the clean-up. A total of 51 people were affected. We have accomplished 27 of those in total 51. We anticipate seven more will be done today, Judge Fawcett said. So that will leave us at about 34 completed out of the 51. The remaining 17 will have the two-week additional time frame to accomplish all of those. Judge Fawcett said, theres still a lot of work left to do. Theres a lot of property damage and we show up in peoples darkest hours and provides some level of relief, Judge Fawcett said. We arent here to solve all of their problems. We cant do that. But to solve some of their problems that we have the ability to do so, I think it is a proud thing for our community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you are a Resident living in Pleasant Farms still needing assistance. You can go to the South Ector Volunteer Fire Department to ask for help located at 4454 W Apple Street, Odessa, Texas, 79766. You can also call Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) for assistance. If you need to speak to Public Works call (432)381-0098 and push 0. If you are looking to help residents who were impacted, you can also donate to Red Cross and drop items off at the South Ector Volunteer Fire Department 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 Yourbasin. SEEKONK, Mass. (WPRI) Once a month, police departments from all across Southeastern Massachusetts come together to train on different scenarios in unfamiliar areas. The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) gathered in Seekonk on Tuesday for a missing persons search training exercise. Officials told 12 News that exercises like this can help them work out any possible issues before being asked to respond to a real-world emergency. (Phil Silva/WPRI-TV) You can change scenarios, and theres always a different little wrinkle in something, Seekonk Police Deputy Chief Gerard LaFleur said. If theres a flaw or somethings not working, its always better to find that out in training than when youre going into a real call. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Search and rescue is just one piece of the SEMLEC puzzle. Depending on the situation, the council deploys units that will best help resolve problems. A lot of times we work with SEMLEC K-9 units, SEMLEC drone units, sometimes the SEMLEC bike units can come out, LaFleur added. Those are all different units that we put together depending on what we need. We have a couple of dispatchers that are up in the front and kind of monitoring the search teams that are out there. Then the crew in the back here, the command side, theyre really focusing on the maps, looking at where teams, where they search, Carver Police Lead Dispatcher Michael Shaw explained. SEMLEC often uses an operational support unit when responding to emergencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The truck itself is kept in Carver and can reach any nearby agencies when needed. SEMLECs operational support unit. (Phil Silva/WPRI-TV) The vehicle serves not only as a command post, but also as a way to protect officers. If we use this truck here, that extends our range, Shaw said. We may have a search grid thats five to six miles in the woods. This truck gives us the ability to communicate all the way into the woods and keep our officers safe out there. 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 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Jun. 11ROCHESTER An emergency veterinary clinic Allied Veterinary Emergency and Referral plans to build a 24-hour animal clinic in Southwest Rochester following a $935,000 land purchase. Allied Veterinary has been partnering with Dr. Garren Kelly's Stewartville Veterinary Clinic to provide emergency care after-hours, on weekends and during holidays for the past year with a local team of 20 led by Dr. Maddie Novack. Allied has four other clinics in Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, Eden Prairie and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Allied's founder and medical director Dr. Kara Nelsen said she came to this area because local animal clinics called her and pointed out the need for emergency veterinary service in southeastern Minnesota. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The vet med community is pretty small. The day practices can only stretch so far. We fill a gap so your daytime vet can have time off. The vets here were saying they couldn't work 24 hours a day," said Nelsen. After building local relationships with the Stewartville location, Nelsen is now moving forward with her vision to build a 6,800-square-foot clinic at 4612 Commercial Drive SW, off of 48th Street. The purchase of 2.46 acres of open land sandwiched between McDonald's and Discount Tire from Merchants Bank on May 14 cleared the way for the project, which should start construction soon. Nelsen hopes to have the clinic with five exam rooms, two surgical suites, a CT scanner and an animal ICU completed by the end of 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plan is to quickly grow her staff to a team of 30 to 35 people to be able to offer 24-hour, seven days a week care at the new Rochester clinic. "I would say what makes us different at Allied is that we are very invested in the communities that we live in and provide care. There's definitely a community need for someone to be able to provide really high-end emergency medical care for their pets. People don't want to drive to the Cities for that," said Nelsen. Anti-Line 5 graffiti at Enbridges pumping station in Mackinaw City, Mich. (Laina G. Stebbins | Michigan Advance) Canadian energy company Enbridges Line 5 traverses an extremely sensitive ecological area across northern Wisconsin, 400 rivers and streams as well as a myriad of wetlands, in addition to a path under the Mackinac Straights between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, all the while skirting the southern shore of Lake Superior. Such close proximity to the Great Lakes, lakes that hold over 20% of the worlds fresh surface water, lakes that supply drinking water to nearly 40 million people, yes, that does indeed make Line 5 a ticking time bomb. Northern Wisconsin is also a very culturally sensitive area, home to the Bad River Reservation. The Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa were guaranteed rights to their lands by an 1854 treaty with the U.S. government. The easements for Line 5 across the reservation, granted to Enbridge by the Chippewa, expired in 2013 and the Bad River Band chose not to renew them. Enbridge continues to operate the line, illegally and in direct violation of the Bad River Bands right to sovereignty over their land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Bad River Band has a guaranteed legal right to their land. They also have a right to Food Sovereignty, the internationally recognized right of food providers to have control over their land, seeds and water while rejecting the privatization of natural resources. Line 5 clearly impinges on the Bands right to hunt, fish, harvest wild rice, to farm and have access to safe drinking water. A federal court ruled that Enbridge has been trespassing on lands of the Bad River Band since 2013 and ordered the company to cease operations of Line 5 by June of 2026 (seems that immediate cessation would make more sense), but rather than shut down the aging line, Enbridge plans to build a diversion around the Bad River Reservation. They plan to move the pipeline out of the Bad River Bands front yard into their back yard, leaving 100% of the threats to people and the environment in place. Liquid petroleum (crude oil, natural gas and petroleum product) pipelines are big business in the U.S. With 2.6 million miles of oil and gas pipelines, the U.S. network is the largest in the world. If we continue our heavy and growing dependence on liquid fossil fuels, we must realize that we will continue to negatively impact the climate and the lives of everyone on the planet. Instead of moving to a just transition away from fossil fuels, liquid or otherwise, the government continues to subsidize the industry through direct payments and tax breaks, refusing to acknowledge the cost of pollution-related health problems and environmental damage, a cost which is of course, incalculable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are nearly 20,000 miles of pipelines planned or currently under construction in the U.S., thus it would appear that government and private industry are in no hurry to break that addiction, much less make a just transition. While no previous administration was in any hurry to break with the fossil fuel industry, they at least gave the illusion of championing a transition to cleaner energy. The current administration is abundantly clear. Their strategy is having no strategy. They dont like wind and solar and they plan to end any support for renewable energy. They dont care if they upend global markets, banking, energy companies or certainly any efforts to help developing countries transition away from fossil fuels. Pipelines are everywhere across the U.S., a spiderweb connecting wells, refineries, transportation and distribution centers. The vast majority of pipelines are buried and many, if not all, at some point cross streams, rivers, lakes and run over aquifers. Pipeline ruptures and other assorted failures will continue and spillage will find its way into the bodies of water they skirt around or pass under. Its not a question if they will leak, but when. Enbridge controls the largest network of petroleum pipelines in the Great Lakes states, and they are hardly immune to spills. Between 1999 and 2013 it was reported that Enbridge had over 1,000 spills dumping a reported 7.4 million gallons of oil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2010 Enbridges Line 6B ruptured and contaminated the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history. Over 1.2 million gallons of oil were recovered from the river between 2010 and 2014. How much went downstream or was buried in sediment, well never know. In 2024 a fault in Enbridge Line 6 caused a spill of 70 thousand gallons near Cambridge Wisconsin. And Enbridges most infamous pipeline, the 71-year-old Line 5 from Superior Wisconsin to Sarnia Ontario, has had 29 spills in the last 50 years, loosing over 1 million gallons of oil. Some consider Line 5 to be a public good because, as Enbridge argues, shutting the line down will shut down the U.S. economy and people will not be able to afford to heat their homes claims they have never supported with any evidence. A public good is one that everyone can use, that everyone can benefit from. A public good is not, as Enbridge apparently believes, a mechanism for corporate profit. Line 5 is a privately owned property, existing only to generate profits for Enbridge. If it were a public good, Enbridge would certainly be giving more attention to the rights of the Bad River Band, the well-being of all the people who depend on the clean waters of the Great Lakes and to protecting the sensitive environment of northern Wisconsin and Michigan. They are not. Their trespassing, their disregard for the environment, their continuing legal efforts to protect their bottom line above all else, only points to their self-serving avarice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Bad River Band wants Enbridge out, and in their eyes it is not a case of not in my back yard they do not want Line 5 in anyones back yard. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX On April 28, Duolingo cofounder and CEO Luis von Ahn posted an email on LinkedIn that he had just sent to all employees at his company. In it, he outlined his vision for the language-learning app to become an AI-first organization, including phasing out contractors if AI could do their work, and giving a team the ability to hire a new person only if they were not able to automate their work through AI. The response was swift and scathing. This is a disaster. I will cancel my subscription, wrote one commenter. AI first means people last, wrote another. And a third summed up the general feeling of critics when they wrote: I cant support a company that replaces humans with AI. A week later, von Ahn walked back his initial statements, clarifying that he does not see AI replacing what our employees do but instead views it as a tool to accelerate what we do, at the same or better level of quality. In a new interview, von Ahn says that he was shocked by the backlash he received. I did not expect the amount of blowback, he recently told the Financial Times. While he says he should have been more clear about his AI goals, he also feels that the negativity stems from a general fear that AI will replace workers. Every tech company is doing similar things, [but] we were open about it, he said. Von Ahn, however, isnt alone. Other CEOs have also been forthright about how their AI aspirations will affect their human workforce. The CEO of Klarna, for example, said in August of last year that the company had cut hundreds of jobs thanks to AI. Last month, he added that the new tech had helped the company shrink its workforce by 40%. Anxiety for workers around the potential that they will be replaced by AI, however, is high. Around 40% of workers familiar with ChatGPT in 2023 were worried that the technology would replace them, according to a Harris poll done on behalf of Fortune. And a Pew study from earlier this year found that around 32% of workers fear AI will lead to fewer opportunities for them. Another 52% were worried about how AI could potentially impact the workplace in the future. The leaders of AI companies themselves arent necessarily offering words of comfort to these worried workers. The Anthropic CEO, Dario Amodei, told Axios last month that AI could eliminate approximately half of all entry-level jobs within the next five years. He argued that theres no turning back now. It sounds crazy, and people just dont believe it, he said. We, as the producers of this technology, have a duty and an obligation to be honest about what is coming. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com ENFIELD, Conn. (WWLP) The Enfield Police Department is seeking the publics help locating a woman who has 10 active arrest warrants. Springfield man charged with DUI, wrong-way driving in Enfield The Enfield Police Department states that Shaylene Paradise currently 10 active arrest warrants totaling $90,000 in bonds. The department posted the information on social media calling it #wantedwednesday which features individuals wanted by police. Enfield Police Department If anyone has information on Shaylenes whereabouts, contact the Enfield Police Departments routine line at 860-763-6400 or inbox them. 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. Stock photo of guns. (Photo by Aristide Economopoulos for New Jersey Monitor/States Newsroom.) Ohio House Democrats say they are trying to enact common sense gun laws, but face an uphill battle in the Republican supermajority-controlled Ohio Statehouse. Democratic lawmakers have introduced a series of gun-related bills so far this General Assembly that have seen little, if any movement. The one bill that has had a hearing so far is a bipartisan bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Republicans are focused on passing laws that they hope will distract you from their failures, while at the same time trying to divide us on common sense issues like gun reform, Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, said Tuesday during a press conference. Ohio Democrats will not stand idly by while Republicans in power refuse to do something about gun violence. Ohio had 571 gun-related deaths and over 1,700 incidents of gun violence in 2024, said state Rep. Darnell T. Brewer, D-Cleveland. Ohio ranks 21st in the nation for gun violence and gun deaths rose 42% in Ohio from 2013 to 2022, said state Rep. Cecil Thomas, D-Cincinnati. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 1,000 Ohioans aged 19 and younger died as a result of gun violence in the last decade, according to the Childrens Defense Fund. When will enough be enough? Thomas asked. How many children have to die before you act? How many women have to be shot by their partners? How many funerals will it take before this legislation does its job? How many other officers have to be shot before we do something? Gun-related bills introduced so far by Democratic lawmakers include House Bill 45 Prohibit certain firearm transfers without a background check was introduced by Thomas and state Rep. Rachel Baker, D-Cincinnati, in February, but has had no committee hearings in the House Public Safety Committee. House Bill 46 Enact the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act was introduced by Thomas and state Rep. Michele Grim, D-Toledo, in February, but it has had no hearings so far in the House Public Safety Committee. House Bill 120 Exempt from sales and use tax sales of firearm safety devices was introduced by Brewer and state Rep. Jennifer Gross, R-West Chester, in February and has had sponsor testimony in the Ohio House Ways and Means Committee. House Bill 235, Authorize tax credit for handgun training and firearms storage was introduced by Brewer and state Rep. Meredith R. Lawson-Rowe, D-Reynoldsburg, in April, but it has had no hearings so far in the House Ways and Means Committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brewer said he is introducing the community safety solution agenda which includes: A resolution to encourage responsible gun ownership by promoting safe storage practices to prevent children from accessing guns. A resolution on safe firearm storage education. The safe play act that would create a grant program through the states unclaimed funds to help communities build safe playgrounds. Close the boyfriend loophole act which prevents individuals convicted of dating violence or under protection order from possessing firearms. An act that would create comprehensive grants for cities that declare gun violence a public health crisis. We do not seek to outlaw guns, rather, we want to offer common sense regulations and publicize safe responsible ownership of guns, Lawson-Rowe said. This summer will mark six years since a mass shooting in Dayton killed nine people and more pro-gun laws have since taken effect in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law in 2022 that got rid of all training, background check and permitting requirements to carry a concealed weapon. A 2021 law no longer requires people to retreat before they can justifiably hurt or kill someone with a gun in self-defense. What we need now is the political will, something that unfortunately continues to be absent from the Republican-controlled legislature, said state Rep. Michele Grim, D-Toledo. Russo said she wouldnt be surprised if Ohioans try to pass a ballot initiative addressing gun violence and common sense reforms. Im not aware of current efforts to do that, but you know, given how out of line this legislature is the public on this issue, and the lack of action on this issue, it wouldnt be surprising to see that perhaps in the next couple of years, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ohioans did that in 2023 by voting to enshrine abortion and reproductive rights in the states constitution. Gun violence has no place in our state and in our communities, Russo said. People deserve better. Our children deserve better. State Rep. Karen Brownlee, D-Symmes Twp., shared stories of gun violence she heard from children when she worked as a mental health therapist. A sibling group aged six to 13 running home from the bus stop to avoid a shooting in the middle of their residential neighborhood, she said. A six-year-old accidentally shooting his three-year-old brother to death with a gun left on the coffee table. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These kids would ask her how to stay safe around guns. Sadly, the conversations ended with me explaining that Ohio laws protect guns more than they protect people, Brownlee said. We are fighting against a powerful gun lobby which is more interested in sales than citizens. A new study from George Washington University showed more than 7,000 children died from firearm related injuries since the 2010 Supreme Court ruling that allowed states to set their own gun laws. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE CANTON, Miss. (WJTV) The Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) new Region 4 administrator visited Mississippi to strengthen ties with the states farmers. Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson (R-Miss.) hosted Regional Administrator Kevin McOmber at Sumrall Farms in Canton. This was McOmbers first trip to Mississippi since taking office in January. New Mississippi laws go into effect on July 1 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McOmber and agricultural leaders agreed that building a relationship between the EPA and farmers is important. We want to visit all of the various states that were responsible for. Its a total of eight states and six tribal nations to make sure we have an understanding of what their issues are and that were working with them. And its about developing relationships. And, helping them where we can, McOmber said. I think it gets a chance to, for us, to showcase farmers doing the right thing. It also gets a chance for us to show the farmers, have, a voice with the Environmental Protection Agency that they can have ongoing positive conversations with them about the things that were doing in a positive way, said Mike McCormick, president of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation. McOmber plans to meet with JXN Water to discuss progress on the capital citys water system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. A candidate of Turkey's ruling AKP has taken over as mayor of Istanbul's Gaziosmanpasa district after the previous incumbent from the opposition CHP was arrested, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday. The candidate from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP was voted in with the support of the ultra-nationalist MHP. The previous Gaziosmanpasa district mayor was arrested a week ago, along with four other CHP district mayors in Istanbul and the city of Adana in the south. The mayors have been accused of corruption and dismissed from office. The CHP has termed the arrests a coup. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gaziosmanpasa is the fourth district that the CHP, Turkey's largest opposition party, has lost since the 2023 local elections, in which Erdogan's AKP came second for the first time in its history. While observers see political manoeuvring behind the arrests and dismissals, the AKP insists that the Turkish judiciary is politically independent. To date, 12 CHP mayors have been dismissed from office. Appointments in some of their districts have yet to be made, while administrators seen as close to the government have been appointed in three. In six districts, deputies from the same party have been elected, as in the case of Istanbul's dismissed mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, who was arrested in March. Imamoglu is seen as Erdogan's strongest rival. (WJET/WFXP) Emergency crews in Chautauqua County have been searching since Tuesday night for a reported missing kayaker near a Lake Erie beach. According to the Chautauqua County Sheriffs Office, calls came in for a missing kayaker near Barcelona Harbor in Westfield, New York, Tuesday evening around 6:50 p.m. Erie Blue Coats share safety message as summer vacation begins Crews from across Chautauqua and Erie County searched the area through the night and into Wednesday morning, coordinated by the U.S. Coast Guard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Road patrols searched around the area while others searched along Lake Erie with members of Fuller Hose Company helping and Lake City Fire Company using their drone to search a nearby stream commonly used by kayakers. Tornado leaves behind heavy damage in Canadohta Lake All search efforts have been unsuccessful and the sheriffs office said they may release more information at a later 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 WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com. WILLIMANTIC The English for Speakers of Other Languages Summer Bridge Program kicked off its third year at CT State Community College Quinebaug Valley in Willimantic. The Scripps Family Fund for Education and the Arts funded the program through the Northeast Connecticut Education Foundation. The $40,000 grant covers tuition and educational expenses for students with classes, field trips, tutoring and activities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 10-week program aims to help improve language skills and prepare students for the fall semester as some transition from ESOL to degree paths at Quinbaug Valley. The past two iterations of the program have data that shows incredible gains, which include a 100% completion rate for those who registered for the 2024 fall semester. Summer is a long time to go without hearing and speaking English for many English Language Learner students, said Elkin Espitia-Loaiza, Quinebaug Valley professor of ESOL and Spanish, Arts and Humanities, and ESOL program coordinator. This program has proven to be an effective way to bridge that gap; over the past two years, we have seen students gain the knowledge and confidence they need to excel at their studies. Without the Summer Bridge, many students would not be able to make the leap from ESOL to credit courses. CT State Quinebaug Valley ESOL student German Mendez Gonzalez, who has been in the program, shared their experience and the opportunities it has provided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My time in the Summer Bridge program has given me a chance to progress with my education and have more opportunities as I plan my future, Gonzalez said. I am grateful for the funds that make this experience possible and for what I have been able to accomplish. CT State Quinebaug Valley Director of Institutional Advancement Monique Wolanin extended her appreciation to the SFFEA. Sincere thanks are due to the Scripps and Linda Marshall for their continued investments and confidence in our students, faculty, and the Northeast Connecticut Education Foundation. Your gift is truly transformative, Wolanin said. The foundations mission is to provide scholarships and other financial support to Northeast Connecticut residents who want to pursue higher education. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) The R.I. Ethics Commission decided Tuesday it is not a conflict for Rhode Islands newly elected Senate president to hold that role while she is simultaneously serving as president of one of the states biggest teachers unions. Senate President Valarie Lawson, an East Providence Democrat, also serves as the president of the National Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI), which represents about 12,000 members in 75 collective bargaining units across the state. The 58-year-old was elected to her new position in the Senate in April after her predecessor, Dominick Ruggerio, died at the age of 76. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawson sought an advisory opinion from the Ethics Commission asking whether she was allowed to hold her current elected position and her union job. In a 7-1 vote on Tuesday, the panel determined she could. Commission member Hugo Ricci Jr. was the only no vote. What is before us is the undeniable power that the president of the Senate or the speaker of the House has, Ricci said. This is unique. Ricci wanted to continue the matter to investigate what other states have done in similar situations, but the motion failed. Commission Chairman Lauren Jones said the panel can only apply Rhode Island statutes and regulations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What other states do in this context is really irrelevant to our situation, Jones said. Youve got to call balls and strikes as you see them, according to what vests you with the authority to call the balls and strikes, member Frank Cenerini added. I think, with all due respect, were drifting away from the central issues in this matter. In a statement, Lawson said she was pleased that the commission affirmed the standard she had been using when she served in less senior Senate positions. It helps to distinguish between a vague notion of a perceived, general conflict and an actual, specific conflict requiring recusal under the Code of Ethics, Lawson said. Further, it ensures that one does not have to be retired or independently wealthy to serve in this role. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This decision supports the operation of our legislative body as the framers intended: a part-time, citizen legislature comprised of a diverse membership from all walks of life, who can draw from their varied experiences to best serve the public, she added. Common Cause Rhode Island Executive Director John Marion told 12 News he was glad to see that Lawson sought the advisory opinion, which he called an unusual request because its more typical that legislators would ask whether they can participate in specific legislation. The Ethics Commissions opinion that Lawson is not prohibited from holding both roles is not surprising and is consistent with past precedents, Marion said. Common Cause Rhode Island believes the commissions advisory opinion is somewhat naive because it didnt explore the full range of powers exercised by the senate president. It did not examine the full scope of agenda-setting and appointment powers. Marion said Common Cause expects that it is likely that Lawson will likely need to come before the commission again on specific legislation in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Ted Nesi contributed to this report. 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. New EU regulations could water down British holidaymakers rights to compensation in the event of a flight delay, while forcing us to take smaller bags into the cabin. On Thursday June 5, EU Transport Ministers met to discuss changes to air passenger laws. They proposed to extend the minimum delay after which flyers may be entitled to compensation from three hours to four, while reducing the maximum amount that passengers can receive. Ministers also suggested a new standardised bag allowance for free underseat luggage which is smaller than those currently imposed by easyJet and Wizz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite Brexit, these rule changes could have implications for British holidaymakers travelling to the Continent. Lets take a look at the new regulations on the table, and the chances that they will affect your holidays. Itll be harder to receive compensation Whats happening? As it stands, holidaymakers delayed by more than three hours are eligible for compensation, on top of their refund, so long as the airline is at fault for the delay. This is thanks to a regulation called EU261, passed in 2004, which the UK decided to adopt into law after leaving the European Union. Compensation rates start from 250/220, rising to 600/520 depending on the length of the flight. However, this threshold could soon be raised to four hours. Under the latest proposals, the lower end of the compensation bracket will go up to 300 and the higher end will come down to 500. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ministers are also expected to update the list of extraordinary circumstances, which allow airlines to avoid paying compensation, as part of revisions to 31 different air passenger rights. Will this affect you? British passengers travelling with any airline from an EU country back to the UK will be affected by the proposed rule change. So if you are flying with British Airways from Paris to Heathrow, you will need to wait four hours, not three, to be eligible for compensation. If the proposed change passes through EU Parliament, passengers flying from Britain to the Continent would still qualify for compensation when their flight delay hits the three-hour mark. EU ministers are seeking to increase the compensation threshold for delayed flights to four hours - alamy However, it is ultimately on the UK Government to decide whether or not to adopt the amendments for outbound flights, or to stick with the original rules. Consumer groups are lobbying the Government to take no action, thereby retaining the more generous compensation rules, but British airlines will likely argue that stepping out of line with the EU will put them at a disadvantage against international rivals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ryanair has previously estimated that EU261 costs each passenger 7 per flight, and some airlines groups have lobbied for an even longer compensation threshold of five hours, to dissuade cancellations and allow airlines a chance to reroute flights to fulfil scheduled routes. Free hand luggage limits are changing Whats happening? In early June, EU transport ministers proposed standardising the size of free underseat baggage across all EU airlines. This could become EU law if accepted by the European Parliament. The ministers proposed that this new size would be 40 x 30 x 15cm, including wheels and handles. Airlines currently have varying size allowances for the free underseat bag, which are: easyJet: 45 x 36 x 20cm Ryanair: 40 x 20 x 25cm Wizz: 40 x 30 x 20cm British Airways: 56 x 45 x 25cm plus handbag/laptop bag Jet2: 56 x 45 x 25cm plus handbag/laptop bag Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Notably, the suggested 15cm dimension would represent a reduction in depth by 20 to 25 per cent on what are already fairly stringent allowances. There have been no suggestions of standardising the size of overhead locker bag allowance. However, over the last year a number of Spanish courts have ordered low-cost airlines to reimburse passengers for hand luggage charges. EU transport ministers have proposed standardising the size of free underseat baggage across all EU airlines - Angel Garcia Lawyers from Blake Morgan told The Telegraph: This will have consequences for all airlines flying to and from Spain and possibly other EU destinations as well. Will this affect you? The new bag size rules would apply to all airlines with bases in the EU (including Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz) and would cover all routes including to non-EU countries like the UK. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some consumer groups have voiced their support for the move. Jane Hawkes, a consumer travel expert, says that hand luggage sizes should be universal. I dont really see why it cant be, and why they cant come to a voluntary agreement as to what those requirements should be for your baggage, she told the BBC. There have to be restrictions, obviously, but a one-size-fits-all kind of approach would make it a lot simpler for passengers. 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 European Union's second-highest court on Wednesday has dismissed actions against the determination of certain deep-sea fishing grounds as protected areas. This means these areas will remain restricted to help preserve marine life. EU member country Spain and several fishing operators filed complaints against a decision by the European Commission to ban fishing with bottom gears in these areas in the north-east Atlantic due to the vulnerability of the marine ecosystem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The court in Luxembourg sided with the commission in its ruling and rejected the motions. The EU is in charge of ensuring the conservation and sustainable exploitation of the oceans and in this context the commission has the right to take measures to protect marine habitats, the judges rules. As the decision was evidence based, the EU's executive arm was "not obliged to assess the fragility of the ecosystems in the light of each type of gear used ... or to evaluate the consequences of the conservation measures on fishing activities and on economic and social life," a press release said. The court also stressed that the decision to protect these areas was in line with EU law. The plaintiffs have the right to appeal to the EU's top court, the European Court of Justice. Ukraines Energy Efficiency Fund (EEF) has entered a new phase, having received 18 million in financial support from the European Union and Germanys International Climate Initiative (IKI), comprising investment grants and technical assistance. Source: EU Delegation to Ukraine, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine Details: The funding was confirmed at the 10th meeting of the Coordination Council, held on 11 June at the EU Delegation to Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote from the Delegation to Ukraine: "This contribution strengthens the EUs and Germanys ongoing support for Ukraines energy independence and green reconstruction. The funding will enable the EEF to expand its residential energy efficiency programmes and reach a greater number of beneficiaries." Homeowner associations remain key partners in implementing the Funds initiatives. Their role in initiating and managing building renovation projects is vital for achieving tangible results. Quote from EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova: "I worked on setting up the Energy Efficiency Fund from its inception, still during my time at the European Commission. It has come a long way step by step to the huge results today of 1,500 projects. Today, with Russia shelling Ukrainian homes almost every night, the Funds VidnovyDIM programme helps families cover the cost of repairs walls, roofs, windows so they can return home safely and with dignity. At the same time, through EnergoDIM, we continue supporting thermal modernisation of older buildings cutting energy use and monthly bills." The ambassador highlighted that the Fund now saves as much energy annually as a city the size of Chernivtsi consumes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Proud to announce today a new 18 million contribution to the Fund from the EU and Germany," she added. Maximilian Rasch, Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy, noted that the Energy Efficiency Fund consistently proves its value as a reliable and forward-thinking partner, offering tangible support to homeowners in challenging times with flexibility and dedication. Background: The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved amendments to the resolution on this years export quotas to the European Union for sugar and poultry meat. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Exclusive: Binance CEO responds to IPO plans originally appeared on TheStreet. In an interview with TheStreet Roundtable, when asked about a potential Binance IPO, Richard Teng replied, Im too old to say never say never, right? He added that any decision of this scale are very important corporate decisions that we have to discuss at the board of directors level and discuss with the shareholders whats the intention. Richard Teng was appointed CEO of Binance in November 2023 taking over from founder Changpeng CZ Zhao after his U.S. settlement. He had previously led Binance Singapore since August 2021 and served as CEO of the Abu Dhabi Global Market and in senior roles at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, bringing over three decades of financial services and regulatory experience to the exchange. Teng underscored that any listing would need to reflect the strong user demand that underpins Binances growth. What we aim to do as a platform is to continue to be the best platform for our users, he said. He noted that we exist only because our users continue to have strong confidence and trust in us. Crypto IPO wave Stablecoin issuer Circle debuted on the New York Stock Exchange on June 5, pricing its IPO at $31 per share and opening at $69. The stock closed its first day at $83.23 with a 168% gain after upsizing the deal to raise $1.05 billion, valuing the company at roughly $18 billion on a fully diluted basis. Gemini, the Winklevoss-founded crypto exchange, confidentially filed for a U.S. initial public offering on June 6, signaling its intent to list. Details on share count and pricing remain under wraps, but the filing underscores growing investor appetite for crypto natives in public markets. Teng also pointed out that we have seen a sharp growth in terms of user numbers throughout the world, both institution and new retail users coming to us. He said the board would factor that momentum into its deliberations on timing and structure. Teng emphasized that an IPO must align with Binances mission to serve its users. He said the company will only proceed when the board and shareholders agree on the path forward leaving timing open and dependent on collective oversight. Binances first institutional backing Teng disclosed that Binance secured its first institutional investment from MGX, a sovereign-backed investor in Abu Dhabis AI data center sector. He said MGX made a minority investment of $2 billion in stablecoin marking the largest crypto-area deal paid in stablecoin and Binances first institutional backing. The EU and Germany have topped up Ukraines Energy Efficiency Fund (EEF) with an additional 18 million euros ($20.7 million) to expand their support for Ukraines energy independence and green recovery, the EU Delegation to Ukraine said on June 11. The move was announced at the 10th meeting of the delegation's Coordination Council in Kyiv. The EU provided 13 million euros ($15 million) of the new funding, while Germany's International Climate Initiative (IKI) provided 5 million euros ($5.7 million). The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank, will continue to manage the EEFs trust fund. The fund, established in 2019, is split into two programs: VidnovyDIM, which helps repair war-damaged homes, and EnergoDIM, which co-finances grants to cut energy consumption and costs by installing new insulation, windows, and heating systems. Today, when Russia is shelling Ukrainian homes almost every night, the VidnovyDIM Fund program helps families cover the costs of repairing walls, roofs, and windows so that they can return home safely and with dignity, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Maternova said. In parallel, through the EnergoDIM program, we continue to support the thermal modernization of old buildings, which allows us to reduce energy consumption and monthly costs. Since 2021, the fund has grown from 90 projects to 1,500 projects, in cooperation with homeowners associations, and helped Ukraine save 300 kilowatts per hour in energy consumption as much as the city of Chernivtsi consumes. The EEF has helped over 217,000 families modernize and repair their homes, of which half were covered by the VidnovyDIM program. The new financing will improve the efficiency of grants, raise the grant size to meet demand, and help more people under Ukraines environmentally sustainable Build Back Better principle. The grant limit should increase to more than 200,000 euros, said Ukraines Development of Communities and Territories First Deputy Minister Alena Shkrum. The EFF will now be able to resume requests, which were paused due to the high number of applications. Around 10% of Ukraines housing stock has been damaged or destroyed, while much of the countrys heating system is from the Soviet era and inefficient, with apartments unable to control the heating in the winter. Ukraines energy grid has been targeted relentlessly by Russian attacks, causing widespread energy instability across the country. At the same time, bills have increased for electricity and heating, frustrating citizens who have already taken a financial hit due to the war. The fund has modernized homes and schools to become more energy efficient, which not only cuts costs but also retains warmth during blackouts, said the Shkrum. More Ukrainians are beginning to understand the importance of energy efficiency due to Russian attacks, which is why the fund should continue functioning, reforming, and developing further, she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: DTEK to build one of Europes largest energy storage facilities, company announces Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union and the U.K. announced Wednesday that they have reached an agreement to ease cross-border trade and travel in Gibraltar after years of post-Brexit wrangling over the contested territory at the tip of the Iberian peninsula. In a post on social media, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic raised the deal as a truly historic milestone: an EU-UK political agreement on the future relationship concerning Gibraltar. This benefits everyone and reinforces a new chapter in the relationship. Britain left the European Union in 2020 with the relationship between Gibraltar and the bloc unresolved. Talks on a deal to ensure people and goods can keep flowing over the Gibraltar-Spain border previously had made only halting progress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713, but Spain has maintained its sovereignty claim ever since. Relations concerning the Rock, as it is popularly referred to in English, have had their ups and downs over the centuries. In Britains 2016 Brexit referendum, 96% of voters in Gibraltar supported remaining in the EU. The tiny territory on Spains southern tip depends greatly on access to the EU market for its 34,000 inhabitants. The British government said the agreement resolves the last major unresolved issue from Brexit, while Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Albares said the deal was historic and marked a new beginning in the relationship between the U.K. and Spain. He said that Spain will guarantee free movement of people and goods, adding that Gibraltar would now be linked to Europes free travel zone known as the Schengen Area with Spanish authorities controling entry and exit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The deal, which must be ratified by parliaments in Spain and the U.K., will remove all physical barriers, checks and controls on people and goods moving between Spain and Gibraltar, the EU said in a statement. In order to preserve The EU's free travel zone and borderless single market for goods, entry and exit checks will instead be conducted at Gibraltar's airport and port by both U.K. and Spanish border officials. The arrangement is similar to that in place at Eurostar train stations in London and Paris, where both British and French officials check passports. The U.K. and Gibraltar had previously resisted Spains insistence that Spanish border officials be based at the airport, which is also home to a Royal Air Force base. An agreement was also reached Wednesday for visas and travel permits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.K. said that half Gibraltars population crosses the border each day and that without an agreement, new EU entry-exit rules mean every one would have to have their passports checked. The British government hailed the deal as a win in Prime Minister Keir Starmers attempt to reset relations with the EU, five years after the U.K.s acrimonious departure from the bloc. The U.K. said the agreement does not impact sovereignty and ensures full operational autonomy of the U.K.s military facilities in Gibraltar. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez noted that Spain maintains its claim of sovereignty over Gibraltar. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After three centuries of no progress, the EU, the United Kingdom, and Spain have reached a comprehensive agreement that benefits citizens and our bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom. All this without renouncing Spanish claims to the isthmus and the return of Gibraltar, he said on the social network X. Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo also hailed the agreement and said it will bring legal certainty to the people of Gibraltar, its businesses and to those across the region who rely on stability at the frontier. - Lawless reported from London, Naishadham from Madrid. The European Commission will discuss with Slovakia its concerns about potential challenges associated with the cessation of Russian energy supplies to the EU to ensure a unanimous vote by all EU member states for the 18th package of sanctions against Russia. Source: Paula Pinho, chief spokesperson for the European Commission, at a briefing in Brussels on 11 June, in response to a question from a European Pravda correspondent. Details: The European Commission spokesperson commented on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Ficos statement about how he would block the 18th package of sanctions against Russia until the EU proposes a solution to the "crisis situation" that Slovakia will face after the complete cessation of Russian energy imports to the EU. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote from Paula Pinho: "All the preceding 17 packages were adopted with unanimity of the 27 member states. That remains our objective also for the 18th, and therefore obviously we do our homework in terms of reaching out to all the member states in discussing with them how this can be in the interest of all, and also how we can address possible concerns." This time, Paula Pinho said, the European Commission is "working with all member states, obviously also including Slovakia; listening to concerns, see how they can be addressed". "Over the past years and since the war started, we've been working very closely with all member states precisely to gradually phase out the imports of fossil fuels from Russia with success so far," Paula Pinho. The spokesperson for the European Commission said that the Commission will soon propose a new legislative initiative to completely phase out Russian energy resources in the EU. Background: On 10 June, the European Commission presented the 18th sanctions package. Slovak PM Robert Fico said he would not support the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia "unless the European Commission proposes a real solution to the crisis situation Slovakia will face after the complete halt of gas, oil and nuclear fuel supplies from Russia". Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The Eastern European nation of Kosovo has agreed to host up to 50 migrants deported from the U.S. over a one-year period, reports confirmed on Wednesday. The decision comes as the U.S. has increasingly pushed third-party nations to host deportees amid President Donald Trump's mass deportation promises. "The government has expressed its readiness to participate, with the opportunity to select individuals from a proposed pool, provided they meet specific criteria related to the rule of law and public order," the Kosovo government said in a statement on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's Ice Launches Bold Courthouse Migrant Arrest Strategy To Fast-track Deportations Biden Avoided White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt released this image on Friday, writing on X that "deportation flights have begun." Reports surfaced last week that the U.S. was pushing Balkan nations like Serbia to accept migrants, though it remains unclear if these deportees could include migrants from nations like Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua after the Supreme Court lifted the Temporary Protected Status of 500,000 migrants last month. Kosovo is among one of the poorest nations in Europe, superseded only by Ukraine and Georgia, and has reportedly looked to similar schemes that could provide a source of income. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the White House or the Department of Homeland Security for questions about whether the U.S. will pay third-party nations to host U.S. deportees. A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that it is "grateful to our partner Kosovo for receiving third country nationals removed from the United States and facilitating those aliens safe return to their home countries." "We welcome cooperation on this key Trump Administration priority," the spokesman added, though they did not answer Fox News Digital's questions on paying Kosovo for the scheme. European Nations Demand Power To Deport Immigrants Who Commit Crimes Seventeen members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang and members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., arrive in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 31. Housing deportees has been a controversial topic in Kosovo long before the U.S. pushed the Balkan nation to accept its deported migrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, the UK said it was looking to Kosovo, along with eight other nations largely from the Balkans, to open "return hubs" to host asylum seekers denied sanctuary. The scheme is part of a broader attempt to staunch illegal migration to Britain. Three hundred Danish convicts will be transferred to a prison in Pasjan, southeastern Kosovo, to serve the remainder of their sentences. In exchange, Denmark will pay Kosovo around 200 million euros, with the first transfers of prisoners from Denmark set to begin in April 2027. Another 2022 agreement between Denmark and Kosovo saw the transfer of 300 foreign prisoners to Kosovos Correctional Institution in Gjilan who are expected to be deported following their sentences. The agreement is set to bring Kosovo $217 million. Original article source: European nation agrees to 'temporarily' host deported immigrants from US amid Trump push The Conference of European Rabbis (CER) has cancelled its upcoming meeting in Sarajevo after a minister called for a boycott of the event, the organization's president said on Wednesday. Calls by Adnan Delic, the labour minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), led the hotel hosting the event to cancel the booking, CER President and Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt said. The FBiH is one of the two political entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, alongside the Republika Srpska. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a post on Facebook, Delic denounced Israel's role in the war in the Gaza Strip and demanded that Sarajevo not become a "venue for supporting genocide." "We have been made unwelcome, and this last-minute, ministerial boycott of Jewish European citizens, dedicated to purely to promoting Jewish life in Europe and furthering dialogue and democracy across the continent, is disgraceful," Goldschmidt wrote in a statement. He thanked the German city of Munich for agreeing at the last minute to host the meeting, planned for June 16-18. During the Bosnian war from 1992-95, 11,000 citizens lost their lives in Sarajevo, when the city was besieged by Serbian troops. The war killed almost 100,000 people and displaced 2 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, Bosnia and Herzegovina is home to large populations of Muslim Bosniaks, Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats. Delic wrote that the CER had misused Sarajevo as a place "to send a message legitimizing the occupation and systematic destruction of the Palestinian people." Goldschmidt rejected this, emphasizing that CER events promote dialogue and calling the cancellation "Sarajevo's loss." The CER has around 1,000 members and 800 active rabbis in its ranks. According to its own statements, it advocates for the religious rights of Jews in Europe and is committed to religious freedom and interfaith dialogue with other faiths. This story has been updated to correct the type of gas produced. Residents of Vinton County evacuated due to a nitrogen oxide gas release June 11 from an explosives manufacturing plant in Vinton County have returned to their homes, but now they and public officials want to know why it happened and are keeping an eye out for any health impacts. The evacuation order was lifted at about 4:40 p.m., according to the Vinton County Sheriff's office dispatch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No injuries have been reported in the release, which the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency reported at about 3 p.m. had been stopped. The agency said it has a team on site working with the company and local first responders in Vinton County, the state's least populated county among its 88 counties with a total 12,800 residents, according to the 2020 Census. The release happened at about 7:15 a.m. June 11 at the Austin Powder Red Diamond plant at 32000 Powder Plant Road (State Route 677), said Brad Kostka, president of Roopco, a strategic communications agency hired by Austin Powder. The plant is northwest of McArthur, the county seat of Vinton County, and southwest of Zaleski, the only large population area that was evacuated. Jackson County Emergency Management Director Robert Czechlewski, whose agency is assisting neighboring Vinton County, said at a press briefing that the leak came from a 5,000-gallon anyhdrous nitric acid storage tank that released an estimated 3,000 gallons, which when it came into contact with oxygen in the air became a giant yellow-brown plume of nitrogen oxide gas and prompted an evacuation in an area around the plant. However, Kostka told The Dispatch by telephone on the night of June 11 that company officials told him the leak involved only about 100 gallons and occurred after a reaction in the tank forced some kind of pressure release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Vinton County Sheriff's Office said initially a 3-mile radius around the plant was evacuated, including State Route 677 and Creek, Morgan and Infirmary roads near the leak. Zaleski, a small village with 750 residents, was evacuated later. People in the village were instructed to evacuate to State Route 278 east of Zaleski and then to U.S. 50 to avoid roadblocks, the sheriff's office said. A shelter was set up at Vinton County High School, 307 W. High St., in McArthur, for anyone displaced by the evacuation order who had nowhere else to go. Brad Price, director of the Vinton County Health Department, said the gas could irritate eyes, cause drowsiness and lead to unconsciousness. People exposed to the substance should flush their eyes with water. If symptoms persist, they should contact their primary healthcare physician or visit an urgent care facility, he said. Czechlewski said the National Weather Service in Charleston, West Virginia, was monitoring the nitrogen oxide plume and wind patterns in the area. Czechlewski and Price said their agencies had not had any reports of hospitalizations. Ohio EPA is responding to a gas release at Austin Powder in Vinton Co. A tank reaction released nitrogen oxide gas into the air, but the release has since stopped. No injuries reported. Our team is on site working with local first responders. @Ohio_EMA pic.twitter.com/GFQOxs0ofD Ohio EPA (@OhioEPA) June 11, 2025 Czechlewski said no explosion was reported, and it wasnt immediately clear how employees discovered the leak. A plume can be seen on the morning of June 11 in Vinton County after a leak was reported at the Ohio explosives manufacturer Austin Powder. FAA issues temporary flight restriction for area around explosion The Federal Aviation Administration imposed a temporary flight restriction for a 30 nautical mile radius surrounding the plant until June 12. Only relief flights were initially allowed to fly through the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flight restriction did not impact John Glenn Columbus International Airport, but it did impact flights out of Rickenbacker International Airport, according to a Columbus Regional Airport Authority spokesperson. Flight disruptions caused by the plume were resolved by 11 a.m. on June 11, they said. What is Austin Powder? Austin Powder is "the oldest manufacturing enterprise in Cleveland," according to Case Western Reserve University's Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. The company was founded in 1833 to produce explosives for blasting rock and building canals. The companys LinkedIn profile says it continues to manufacture industrial explosives and provides technical and blasting services around the world. The company moved its manufacturing operation to McArthur in 1972. Austin Powder has a history of explosions, violations Though the company was safety-conscious, its history was marked by many explosions, according to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2009, at least 10 employees suffered injuries in a blast at the McArthur Red Diamond plant in a building where workers assemble cord fuses, The Dispatch previously reported. One woman died from her severe burn injuries months after the blast; two others were flown by medical helicopter with critical injuries. The state fire marshals office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives later determined that a line of detonating cord that broke during manufacturing caused the blast. The company has been fined millions of dollars in connection with numerous violations over the years following federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspections and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for violating the federal Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Evacuation order lifted in Vinton County, Ohio, near Hocking Hills Jun. 11With inches of extra rain so far this year, farmers are seeing their crops suffer, and one is afraid that now they will go from one extreme to the other and experience a drought. "Every year has its challenges, but this one is just different than most," said west Limestone County row crop farmer Brady Peek. "Normally, the challenges revolve around lack of water. This year the challenge has been I hate to say too much water, but I would say an excess of water." Peek, whose farm is in west Limestone County, said it has been a challenging spring. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We've had very small windows to get in the field to plant our crops. It's just not been dry enough all spring for us to get planted," he said. "Some of what we did plant just doesn't look good because it's so inundated with water." Chelly Amin, National Weather Service in Huntsville meteorologist, said Athens in Limestone County has received several more inches of rainfall so far this year than normal. Through the end of May, Athens had received 31.8 inches of rain, compared to the normal 25.4 inches 6.4 inches more than normal. "They're ahead of schedule," Amin said. "It's been a very, very wet pattern in June, and it looks like it's going to continue that for the next week or two. ... It's just been a really, really wet spring into the early start of summer." Peek has planted corn and soybeans this year. He said they started planting corn the last week of March and got most of it planted by the first week of May. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "But there was still some that we didn't get planted," Peek said. "Then even last week it dried up enough where we were trying to go in and spot-in places, replant places that had drowned out. We didn't get through with that before it rained again. It feels like we've been planting corn for two months now." There were only one or two days in May that they could plant, Peek said, and even then, it was marginal conditions. "When you're looking at the calendar and you're running out of optimal time, you've got to go sometime," he said. "Hard to grow a crop if you can't get it planted. It gets to a point where you think it's do or die. When conditions are not right, you've still got to go." Peek has another concern besides the excess water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The concern is always that it's been so wet that it's going to turn all dry. That's just a double whammy," he said. "The crops we've got planted have not put down a good root system. Really too much rain can be equivalent to not enough rain. Too much of anything can be bad." Where he is located in Alabama, Peek said, they are two weeks away from a drought at any time. "We've been fighting the water, and if it turns off right now like it did last year, within two weeks it could be headed the other way for a complete, total opposite reason," he said. Amin said there is no drought in the forecast yet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There's not a really great pattern change just yet where it's going to be completely dry for weeks at a time," she said. "There will come a time later this summer when that is the case when everyone's tired of the dry and where's the rain?" Rainy springs like this one don't always happen, Amin said. "We just came out of a drought earlier this year, so I kind of feel like we're making up for lost time in the worst way," she said. "Then later on in the year, typically September and October are climatologically the driest of the year." According to the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, the state saw excessive rain across the entire state in May. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "May across Alabama was characterized by numerous severe weather events and very heavy rainfall. Widespread 8-15 inches of total rainfall occurred across the state with only three days where measurable rain was not recorded," the agency said. Decatur in Morgan County received 26.46 inches of rain this year through the end of May when normally it receives 23.26 inches, an extra 3.2 inches. Jason Fields, a row crop farmer in Morgan County near Danville, said due to the rain he was unable to plant any cotton, so he swapped to all soybeans. "We're just now planting. We're rained out right now," he said. "Ideally, middle of June is when you want to be done. I think we're about to get into a normal summer pattern where you may get rain early in the week, and then you're able to work the rest of the time. Soybeans are pretty forgiving if you can get them in the ground with just enough moisture. They'll compensate for being a little bit later." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fields said he also planted hay in the fall. "We were able to get caught up on harvesting hay last week. That should have been done a month ago. ... There's a lot of folks not done with their hay," he said. "When you put it on the ground it's got to dry so we can bale it." Fields said right now they are just hoping the rain holds off long enough to get his crop planted. "Play the hand you're dealt," he said. "Do the best you can." Larry LouAllen, owner and operator of LouAllen Farms in Moulton, said the rain has devastated his strawberry crop. He estimates that he lost around 90% of his strawberries this year, around a $90,000 loss. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We'll never recover from this year," he said. "Two years ago, we got hit with a tornado and had a $170,000 uninsured loss. Now with a $90,000 loss on strawberry sales this year, it's going to be hard to overcome. I think our focus now is how we're going to stay in business." LouAllen said his farm normally spends six to eight weeks picking strawberries but that had to be cut down to just three after heavy rains. Cade Grace, a regional agent for the Alabama Co-Op Extension, said he's seen many Tennessee Valley farmers struggling to plant their crops. " The rain increases the disease instances, especially fungal pathogens. So that's something to look out for in all crops," Grace said. "The biggest thing I've seen this year is not even the fungus, it's to where the seed will just rot in the ground because it's so saturated you don't have oxygen." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Combined with last year's summer drought, Grace and LouAllen said the problems are starting to add up for local farmers. "We've got low commodity prices and high input prices. The weather's been terribly wet," Grace said. "We had a drought in '24. We had a drought in '23. We had a drought in '22, and now we have too much rain in '25. So the past four years have all had some type of climate problem." Both LouAllen and Grace said they have seen instances where local farmers have stopped working the land and sold it for fear of not being able to support themselves. " So we're seeing more consolidation in the farming business where you've got guys getting bigger now instead of smaller farmers. The bigger they are, the harder they fall," Grace said. "With the past few years and now Trump's tariffs, it's just not a good time to be a crop farmer." erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460. Staff writer Zane Turner contributed to this report. Companies across industries are encouraging their employees to use AI tools at work. Their workers, meanwhile, are often all too eager to make the most of generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT. So far, everyone is on the same page, right? Theres just one hitch: How do companies protect sensitive company data from being hoovered up by the same tools that are supposed to boost productivity and ROI? After all, its all too tempting to upload financial information, client data, proprietary code, or internal documents into your favorite chatbot or AI coding tool, in order to get the quick results you want (or that your boss or colleague might be demanding). In fact, a new study from data security company Varonis found that shadow AIunsanctioned generative AI applicationsposes a significant threat to data security, with tools that can bypass corporate governance and IT oversight, leading to potential data leaks. The study found that nearly all companies have employees using unsanctioned apps, and nearly half have employees using AI applications considered high-risk. For information security leaders, one of the key challenges is educating workers about what the risks are and what the company requires. They must ensure that employees understand the types of data the organization handlesranging from corporate data like internal documents, strategic plans, and financial records, to customer data such as names, email addresses, payment details, and usage patterns. Its also critical to communicate how each type of data is classifiedfor example, whether it is public, internal-only, confidential, or highly restricted. Once this foundation is in place, clear policies and access boundaries must be established to protect that data accordingly. Striking a balance between encouraging AI use and building guardrails What we have is not a technology problem, but a user challenge, said James Robinson, chief information security officer at data security company Netskope. The goal, he explained, is to ensure that employees use generative AI tools safelywithout discouraging them from adopting approved technologies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need to understand what the business is trying to achieve, he added. Rather than simply telling employees theyre doing something wrong, security teams should work to understand how people are using the tools, to make sure the policies are the right fitor whether they need to be adjusted to allow employees to share information appropriately. Jacob DePriest, chief information security officer at password protection provider 1Password, agreed, saying that his company is trying to strike a balance with its policiesto both encourage AI usage and also educate so that the right guardrails are in place. Sometimes that means making adjustments. For example, the company released a policy on the acceptable use of AI last year, part of the companys annual security training. Generally, its this theme of Please use AI responsibly; please focus on approved tools; and here are some unacceptable areas of usage. But the way it was written caused many employees to be overly cautious, he said. Its a good problem to have, but CISOs cant just focus exclusively on security, he said. We have to understand business goals and then help the company achieve both business goals and security outcomes as well. I think AI technology in the last decade has highlighted the need for that balance. And so weve really tried to approach this hand in hand between security and enabling productivity. Banning AI tools to avoid misuse does not work But companies who think banning certain tools is a solution, should think again. Brooke Johnson, SVP of HR and security at Ivanti, said her company found that among people who use generative AI at work, nearly a third keep their AI use completely hidden from management. Theyre sharing company data with systems nobody vetted, running requests through platforms with unclear data policies, and potentially exposing sensitive information, she said in a message. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The instinct to ban certain tools is understandable but misguided, she said. You dont want employees to get better at hiding AI use; you want them to be transparent so it can be monitored and regulated, she explained. That means accepting the reality that AI use is happening regardless of policy, and conducting a proper assessment of which AI platforms meet your security standards. Educate teams about specific risks without vague warnings, she said. Help them understand why certain guardrails exist, she suggested, while emphasizing that it is not punitive. Its about ensuring they can do their jobs efficiently, effectively, and safely. Agentic AI will create new challenges for data security Think securing data in the age of AI is complicated now? AI agents will up the ante, said DePriest. To operate effectively, these agents need access to credentials, tokens, and identities, and they can act on behalf of an individualmaybe they have their own identity, he said. For instance, we dont want to facilitate a situation where an employee might cede decision-making authority over to an AI agent, where it could impact a human. Organizations want tools to help facilitate faster learning and synthesize data more quickly, but ultimately, humans need to be able to make the critical decisions, he explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether it is the AI agents of the future or the generative AI tools of today, striking the right balance between enabling productivity gains and doing so in a secure, responsible way may be tricky. But experts say every company is facing the same challengeand meeting it is going to be the best way to ride the AI wave. The risks are real, but with the right mix of education, transparency, and oversight, companies can harness AIs powerwithout handing over the keys to their kingdom. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com For Venezuelan travelers the past few days have been filled with uncertainty, fear and confusion not to mention the financial toll. Since the Trump administration issued a travel ban barring nationals from 12 countries including Venezuela, Venezuelans both in and outside the U.S. have scrambled to reschedule flights some moved them earlier, others delaying plans. Some wanted to arrive before the ban kicked in on Monday. Others wanted to waitto travel out of fear that Customs and Border Protection would be revoking visas. And for families that were hoping for reunification pending an upcoming appointment to get a visa, plans have been canceled. Among those who changed plans to beat the travel ban was Jose Malave and his family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement READ MORE: What you need to know about Trumps travel ban on Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela Malave had booked a flight with his wife, Estefania Ramirez, their 10-month-old baby, and his mother-in-law from Mexico City, where they currently reside, to New York City. The trip was meant to reunite his wife with her brothers, whom she hadnt seen in over a decade. The family had scheduled the trip six months in advance for June 12 just three days after the travel ban was set to take effect. But on June 4, when the White House proclamation was made public, their plans were thrown into chaos. We moved our flight to June 8, a day before the travel ban took effect, terrified that once it started we wouldnt be allowed into the U.S., Malave said. We were scared and distressed, but luckily, we were able to enter without any issues at customs, though the financial impact has been huge. The family had to spend an extra $800 to change the flights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Malave, 33, and Ramirez, 32, both computer programmers, are naturalized Mexican citizens. However, they travel using their U.S. tourist visas, which are stamped in their Venezuelan passports. Their 10-month-old son is a born Mexican citizen with a U.S. visa in his Mexican passport, while Ramirezs mother holds only Venezuelan citizenship. Malave expressed deep frustration with the abruptness of the travel ban and he takes great offense to the implications it makes about Venezuelans. Trumps proclamation states that the measure is a way to protect the United States from terrorism and crime, and that the designated countries lack screening and vetting information for travelers. This proclamation affects everyone, no matter their background. It shouldve taken effect with more notice, he said. People are interpreting it differently, and Venezuelans are caught in the middle. He feels heartbroken, unsure of how to plan for the future. Everything is uncertain now. We had planned to spend Christmas in New York, maybe take our son to Disney but those dreams are shattered. We dont even know if well be able to travel again on our Venezuelan passports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont know when, or if, well see our family again. This is the reality Venezuelans face, even outside of Venezuela. While Malaves family was able to reschedule their flights and reunite with their relatives, many others may never get the chance to reunite with their loved ones in the U.S. Karla Flores is a Venezuelan who has has lived in Woodbridge, Va., for the past three years. She planned to take her mother, Mercedes, from Venezuela to Spain in order to apply for a U.S. tourist visa, where the application process is faster than in Colombia. Since the Nicolas Maduro regime severed diplomatic relations with the United States in 2019 after President Trump, during his first term, recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas interim president, the U.S. consular office for Venezuelan visa applications now operates out of Bogota, Colombia. But it has a year-long backlog. Flores said her mother is living alone and struggling with health issues. Flores left Venezuela eight years agothat was the last time she saw her mother, who is 75. Now the hope for a reunion seems lost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have uncertainty and profound sadness, Flores said. We dont understand why we have to go through this. Fear of having visas revoked The U.S. State Department clarified on Sunday that the travel ban does not apply to individuals holding valid visas issued before June 9. However, for many Venezuelans with current tourist, business, or student visas, and flights scheduled just days away, the clarification came too late to ease their fears. Confusion and anxiety had already set in, with travelers uncertain about whether they would be denied entry at the border or worse, have their visas revoked. Venezuelans living in Maracaibo, in the western state of Zuliaabout 700 kilometers from Caracasoften travel overland for more than three hours to reach Colombian border cities before flying from Bogota to U.S. destinations like Miami. There have been no direct flights between Venezuela and the United States since 2019, when the Trump administration suspended air service. As a result, what was once a three-hour flight from Caracas to Miami has become a costly and time-consuming journey, often taking longer than a flight to Europe. On Monday, Venezuelan passengers at Bogotas airport reported unusually slow and thorough security screenings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aleika Anez, co-owner of Kunana Travel, a Venezuelan travel agency with 34 years of experience said her clients reported that there were delays leaving Colombian airports. A customer who traveled on Monday said the check-in process was more rigorous at the airline counter because they held Venezuelan passports, she said but despite the uncertainty, many Venezuelans flying from Colombia to Miami have been able to enter the U.S. without incident. Many are waiting to see how Venezuelans are treated at immigration checkpoints this week, she said. Several Venezuelan travelers told her they were rescheduling trips for later in the summer to see how the travel ban is implemented. Ultimately, entry to the U.S. ultimately depends on the discretion of customs officers. A former senior adviser to President Joe Biden has agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door interview as part of its investigation into claims of Bidens cognitive decline while in office. Neera Tanden, who served as a senior adviser, White House Staff Secretary, and Director of the Domestic Policy Council during the Biden administration, is set to testify before the committee on June 24, according to an Oversight Committee aide. Her closed-door testimony will be recorded and reviewed as part of Republican committee members investigation into Bidens mental acuity and the alleged cover-up by his staff and allies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican Representative James Comer, the chairman of the committee, has accused Democrats, the media, and the Biden administration of propping up a man who was unfit to lead. Comer believes the so-called cover up allowed for the utilization of autopens to issue blanket pardons for members of the Biden family. President Donald Trump has made similar claims that the use of the autopen meant someone other than Biden was in charge of the White House during his term. Tanden has acknowledged that the autopen is used in a lot of administrations but has not provided any public comment on Bidens use of it or his cognitive function. Neera Tanden, a former Biden administration aide, is set to testify to the House Oversight Committee this month about the presidents mental fitness (AFP/Getty) Comer had requested Tanden and other former staffers hes accused of engaging in a cover-up, testify to the committee and threatened to subpoena those who do not voluntarily comply. Tanden, 54, is a prominent Democratic political consultant who has worked in the Clinton, Obama and Biden administrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Biden took office in 2020, he nominated Tanden to serve as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. However, the nomination was considered controversial due to Tandens history of name-calling in tweets. The White House eventually withdrew Tandens nomination and appointed her senior adviser and staff secretary. Bidens mental fitness has long been a target of Republicans who questioned if he was fit to serve. Bidens performance at the debate in 2024 against Donald Trump came before he withdrew from the race. (AFP/Getty) The testimony will come after a renewed focus on Bidens mental fitness, which was the subject of Jake Tapper and Alex Thompsons book Original Sin. Comer has also requested testimony from Michael Donilon and Anita Dunn, former senior advisers; Bruce Reed, former deputy chief of staff; and Steve Ricchetti, the former counselor to the president. Others subpoenaed include Anthony Bernal, a former senior adviser to First Lady Jill Biden; Ashley Williams, the former deputy director of Oval Office operations; and Annie Tomasini, the former deputy chief of staff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Comer has also subpoenaed Bidens physician, Kevin OConnor. Biden has maintained that he drove the decision-making during his presidency. There has been no evidence that aides acted on his behalf or that anyone other than Biden used the autopen. Gusto, an HR tech startup valued at more than $9 billion, is conducting an over $200 million tender offer via a new deal led by the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan. The tender offer, which begins Monday and runs through July 8, will allow employees in the company to cash out some of their shares while giving the Canadian fund its first stake in the company. Given the momentum, weve had investors interested in owning Gusto stock for a long time, Gusto cofounder and CEO Josh Reeves told Fortune via email. The offer will be open to both current and former employees with a minimum of two years of tenure. Gusto declined to disclose price per share and whether there is a maximum number of shares that employees can sell. The deal was done at Gustos last valuation, $9.3 billion, and is led by Teachers Venture Growth, which is part of Ontario Teachers Pension Plan. (OTPP, the largest single-profession pension plan in Canada serving over 340,000 current and retired teachers, is also an investor in Canva, Databricks, and SpaceX.) OTPP is the anchor for the deal, and is joined by new and existing Gusto investors. Its a full-circle moment of sortsReeves parents are both teachers. The tender offer, the third that Gusto has arranged for employees since its founding in 2012, comes as the market for initial public offerings remains limited. Several tech companies, including Circle and Omada Health, have had IPOs in recent weeks, but the overall number of public listings remains well below historical norms. Reeves declined to comment on Gustos IPO plans, telling Fortune: Gusto has been a long-term focused, multi-decade company from day one When we have more details to share on an IPO, well share it. The companys last employee tender offer was in 2021, done in addition to the startups $175 million Series E funding round. Gustofounded in 2011 by Reeves, Tomer London, and Edward Kimhas been free cash flow positive since early 2023. As Fortune reported in May 2024, Gusto generated north of $500 million in revenue in its 2023 fiscal year. The company also said that its been growing over the past year, driven by the expansion of existing products like health benefits and 401(k) management. In 2024, Gustos 401(k) business grew its ARR, or annual recurring revenue, about 50% year over year, while the unicorns Gusto Money spending account product grew ARR over 140% year over year. HR tech has recently made headlines for the sprawling legal brawl between HR unicorns Rippling and Deel, but Reeves says that the space itself remains active and bright. In 2025, Reeves added, the company is set to add 150,000 new small businesses to its platform, and is actively hiring, with a particular focus on R&D. LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. Former Lincoln County Sheriffs Captain Mike Merkel was taken into custody Tuesday after a hearing where he pleaded not guilty and had his bond set at $50,000 cash only. Merkel walked the same path the now exonerated Russ Faria walked more than a decade ago, when he was wrongfully convicted. Long-since freed, Faria was there to witness it. He attacked me directly, Faria said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Faria spent three and a half years in prison for the murder of his former wife, Betsy Faria, before a judge exonerated him. The infamous Pam Hupp has since been charged with Betsys murder. I think its important that justice be served and dirty cops and the people who are supposed to be serving us be brought to light, so this doesnt happen to others, Faria said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Lincoln County Prosecutor Mike Wood charged former Sheriffs Captain Mike Merkel with perjury, for allegedly lying about crime scene photos Merkel claimed did not exist. Those photos, which were discovered later, helped clear Russ Faria. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defense attorney Joel Schwartz discovered the hidden photos and showed up to defendant Merkels bond hearing. One, I want to support Russ; and two, its a big step in the administration of justice and I just need to see that justice is done in this case, Schwartz said. The hearing was tense, especially when the defense attorney called it a victimless crime. The assistant prosecutor jumped out of his shoes and pointed to Russ Faria in court, saying, Do you want to ask Faria if this is a victimless crime? No ICE demonstration comes to STL Im here to tell you I spent three and a half years [in prison]. Three years, five months, and 11 days. The anniversary is coming up on June 15, Faria said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Merkels defense attorney, Joel Eisenstein, called the perjury case laughable. Well go to trial and see what happens, he said. Lincoln County Prosecutor Mike Wood said its only the beginning of his corruption investigation. Things are continuing to move forward on that front still a fluid situation. Theres a lot of leads were continuing to follow, he said. Merkel did not spend much time in custody as his attorney said he brought with him a $50,000 cashiers check to bond out. The former captain will now have to wear an ankle monitor until his next court date 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 2. Former Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill announced on Tuesday night that he plans to run for Congress. Hill, who was released from federal prison last year, said he will challenge Georgia Rep. Nikema Williams in the 2026 Democratic primary. Williams, who succeeded the late Rep. John Lewis in Georgias 5th Congressional District, was re-elected in Nov. 2024. Hill said he was encouraged to consider a congressional run by his fellow inmates at Forrest City Federal Correctional Institution in Arkansas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They also became my political advisors.. it was their idea, said Hill in the announcement on his podcast. They are the ones who told me that hey, a convicted felon can run for Congress. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Hill served as Clayton County Sheriff for nearly 15 years before he was found guilty of using unreasonable force and violating inmates constitutional rights in 2022. Jurors found that Hill caused physical pain and bodily injury to six men by strapping them down and leaving them in restraint chairs inside the Clayton County Jail, sometimes for hours. After his guilty verdict, the state revoked Hills law enforcement certification. Under Georgia law and POST rules, an officer is not allowed to continue in that capacity with a felony conviction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hill served 18 months in federal prison before he was released in 2024. A felon convicted in federal court can run for Congress. RELATED STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) A former state employee who falsified health inspection records will not serve prison time for her crimes under conditions set by the court. Renee Strong, 55, was accused of forging and falsifying food service inspection reports while performing inspections for the Department of Health through a contract with the Department of Public Safety. Cheyenne River Reservation authorities investigating 2 deaths Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Strong was sentenced Tuesday to two years each on two Class 6 felony counts of offering false or forged instruments or recording in a public office, and two Class 5 felony counts of forgery. The sentence was suspended and Strong was placed on five years of probation. She was also ordered by the court, was ordered to pay $2,000 in fines, $500 fines on each count, and $116.50 in court costs on each count. She was also sentenced to 40 hours of community service. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced the charges against Strong in December 2024. At that time, Strong was the fourth case of public corruption that has resulted in state investigations and the involvement of the Attorney General. This defendant jeopardized public health when she forged health inspection records, Jackley said about Strong in a news release Wednesday. Her actions also harmed the reputation of those state employees who work hard and take pride in public service. 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. WASHINGTON Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler has been a fixture on Newsmax since her confirmation in mid-February, when she became President Donald Trumps Small Business Administration administrator. But Loeffler and Newsmax werent telling viewers the whole story about her relationship with the conservative cable TV news network. Loeffler, who served as a U.S. senator from Georgia between 2020 to 2021, owns 136,555 shares worth of stock in the parent company of Newsmax, according to federal financial disclosures reviewed by Fortune. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shes one of several top Trump appointeesincluding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, and U.S. Agency for Global Media senior advisor Kari Lakewhom Fortune identified as having potential financial conflicts of interest between their personal finances and their public service. Loeffler appeared on Newsmax at least five times in a two-month span, between March and May of this yearbut at no time in these interviews did she or Newsmax discuss or disclose a matter effectively unknown to the public: Loeffler has a large personal investment in the network. Loeffler affirmed in an April 1 filing with the Office of Government Ethics that she and her husband owned a preferred stock convertible note in Newsmax, which they exchanged on March 29 for restricted class B common stock. Loeffler did not name her Newsmax investment among planned divestitures as listed in a signed government ethics agreement from January 24. Nor did she divest it, as she did other investments, per a March 24 certificate of divestiture. Since then, she has not disclosed selling off any other personal investments, including her Newsmax stock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsmax stock has generally traded between $22 and $26 per share during May, before sliding below $20 throughout June. On March 3, Loeffler appeared on Newsmaxs Rob Schmitt Tonight show to trash Biden-era business policies. On March 12, Loeffler told Newsmaxs America Agenda show that people love seeing Made in America back on all of our critical, essential goods, and Im just thrilled to continue to push this across the country for President Trumps America First agenda. On March 25, Loeffler again joined Rob Schmitt Tonight to promote the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency. Thank God for Elon Musk and his DOGE effort. I mean, this is a patriot who is working hard for the American taxpayer, Loeffler declared on the show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On April 30, Loeffler told Newsmax host Greta Van Susteren theres no bigger fan of small business than Donald Trump. On May 6, Loeffler appeared on Newsmaxs Carl Higbie Frontline show to tout the Trump administrations commitment to domestic manufacturing. In a statement to Fortune, Small Business Administration spokesperson Caitlin ODea said: Administrator Loeffler maintains full compliance with the ethics agreement executed prior to her confirmation and fully complies with every request from the SBA Office of Ethics and the U.S. Office of Government Ethicswho reviewed all of her financial holdings, including Newsmax, prior to finalizing the ethics agreement. She will proudly continue to exercise her First Amendment right as the Cabinet-level voice for Americas 34 million small businesses, while upholding all ethics rules and requirements. Newsmax did not respond to inquiries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics advises news organizations to avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived and disclose unavoidable conflicts. You have a responsibility to both be ethical and to appear to be ethical, said Peter Loge, director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Newsmax, Loefflerthey should just disclose it. There should be a note somewhere during the interviews. As a senator, Loeffler was investigated and subsequently cleared of wrongdoing by the Senate Ethics Committee after she sold large amounts of stock in 2020 following her attendance at a closed-doors Senate briefing on the then-emerging COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, a Loeffler spokesperson said the then senator, who would go on to lose her office in early 2021, did absolutely nothing wrong and has been completely exonerated. Pete Hegseth kisses his wife Jennifer before his swearing in ceremony as the new U.S. Secretary of Defense at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2025. Trump officials investing in defense contractors, Trump Media Loeffler is not alone among notable Trump administration officials in maintaining financial investments that could pose conflicts of interest with their official duties, according to a Fortune review of government documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Secretary Pete Hegseths wife Jennifer has cut an outsize profile during her husbands turbulent Pentagon tenurereportedly participating in a high-level government Signal chat, accompanying Hegseth to meetings with senators, and directing agency social media decisions despite holding no official role. But following her husbands January 24 nomination, Jennifer Hegseth maintained personal stock investments in more than a dozen companies with current or recent federal contracts with the Department of Defense. While she may have only held onto the stocks for a period of two weeks to two months after her husbands confirmation, the contracts held by companies in which Jennifer Hegseth invested are collectively worth billions of dollars, a Fortune review of government documents indicates. In an ethics agreement he signed in January, Pete Hegseth did not list Jennifer Hegseths defense-contractor stocks among personal assets the couple agreed to divest in order to avoid conflicts of interest. But on Monday, the federal Office of Government Ethics released a document revealing that Jennifer Hegseth had divested from all of her defense-contractor holdings between early February and late March, just before Trump declared a spate of Liberation Day tariffs that ultimately tanked the stock market. The sales were first reported by NOTUS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Hegseths first disclosed the existence of the defense-contractor investments to the White House in January and December. The Office of Government Ethics did not officially certify the sales were in compliance with applicable laws and regulations until June 6. Fortune first inquired about the status of the Hegseths personal finances in March and made repeated inquiries in recent weeks. Had Jennifer Hegseth continued holding her defense-contractor investments, they would have posed a significant conflict of interest for Pete Hegseth, particularly given her apparent hands-on involvement with Pentagon matters, ethics watchdogs told Fortune. Jennifer Hegseths now-jettisoned stock holdings included shares of core military weapon and defense systems companies, including Northrop Grumman Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Honeywell International, according to a federal disclosure filed with the Office of Government Ethics. They also include shares of several computing, technology and telecommunications companies, such as Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon Web Services, IBM, T-Mobile, Google parent Alphabet, and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taken together, Jennifer Hegseths defense-contractor stock investments were worth between $71,015 and $365,000 as of January, documents filed with the federal Office of Government Ethics indicate. (Appointees are required by law to disclose their family assets only in broad ranges.) The sales come at a time when Trump himself has personally set a laissez-faire standard for financial conflicts, with neither himself nor his appointees in acute fear of scrutiny from federal authorities or ethics regulators. Several other high-profile Trump appointees actively hold personal investments that could pose conflicts of interest with their public service. The disclosure of Jennifer Hegseths defense-contractor stocks also represents a reversal of what the Hegseths had previously indicated about their investments. A three-page ethics agreement signed in January by Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News television host nominated by Trump to lead the DoD, stated he will not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter in which I know that I have a financial interest unless he first obtains a written waiver or exemption. This expressly includes financial interests imputed to him, including any spouse or minor child of mine, according to the agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is my responsibility to understand and comply with commitments outlined in this agreement, Pete Hegseth stated. But Hegseths ethics agreement did not indicate his wife, Jennifer, would sell or otherwise alter the status of her defense-contractor stocks. Following Pete Hegseths narrow confirmation on January 24, the newly minted defense secretary offered further indication that Jennifer Hegseth would retain her defense contractor stocks, checking N/A for not applicable on an ethics agreement compliance certification document asking whether he had completed all of the divestitures indicated in my ethics agreement within the time period specified. Its unclear whether Jennifer Hegseths defense-contractor stock holdings put Pete Hegseth in conflict with existing federal-ethics law, which provides a de minimis exemption for disqualifying spousal stock holdings that together do not exceed $50,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 2023 advisory from the Department of Defenses Standards of Conduct Office acknowledges this exemption while advising all agency personnel must continuously monitor for and prevent conflicts of interest between their official duties and their personal financial interests. Jennifer Hegseth could not be reached for comment. Prior to confirmation Monday of Jennifer Hegseths stock sales, two Pentagon spokespeople declined to answer a series of specific questions posed by Fortune about Pete Hegseths ethics agreement, Jennifer Hegseths stock investments, and the couples future financial plans. They likewise declined to answer questions about Jennifer Hegseths role advising her husband in his work as defense secretary. Secretary Hegseths wife is an incredibly accomplished woman and leader. She is an asset to her husband and an advocate for military families, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told Fortune in a written statement. The secretary fully complies with all financial disclosure requirements and ethics regulations, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also said in a statement. In response to questions Monday about Jennifer Hegseths stock sales, the Pentagons press office wrote: Beyond the previous statements provided, we have nothing additional to share. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and wife Jennifer at Trumps inaugural ball on January 20, 2025. Legal or not, the Hegseths ownership of defense-contractor stocks would have been ethically problematic, said Scott Amey, general counsel for the nonpartisan watchdog organization Project on Government Oversight. Public service is public trust, and its important that anyone going into government service is representing the interest of the public and not their own personal and financial interests or the interests of former or future employers or clients, Amey said. The public deserves to have trust in their government leaders that theyre there for the right purposes and not there to line their own pockets. He added: Theres a simple way to handle this: Sell these interests and remove any questioning of the government service youre providing. The Hegseths personal finances were briefly raised at Pete Hegseths January confirmation hearing, an animated proceeding dominated by accusationsand rebuttalsof Hegseths alleged marital infidelity, domestic violence, excessive drinking, and nonprofit-business mismanagement. Hegseth has denied wrongdoing. But none of these concerns, mostly articulated by Democrats, were enough to derail Hegseths nomination, which was approved when Vice President JD Vance cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of Hegseth. And Hegseths financial interestshe earned a salary of $4,602,340 from Fox News prior to his appointment, according to a financial disclosurehave received little scrutiny since. I have failed in things in my life, and thankfully, Im redeemed by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Hegseth said at his hearing. For Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who grilled Hegseth at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, there was only one financial choice for him to make. Its an egregious and unethical conflict of interest for Defense Secretary Hegseths wife to own defense industry stocks while participating in Pentagon meetings and Signal war chats. The Hegseth family must divest, Warren said in an email to Fortune immediately prior to confirmation of Jennifer Hegseths stock sale. No one should have to wonder whether military decisions are made based on the national interest or boosting their own stock portfolio. Comparing defense secretaries The Hegseths personal finances illustrate differences in how Trump and President Joe Biden grappled with ethical standards affecting their key administration appointees. On Bidens first day in office on Jan. 20, 2021, he signed an executive order that in part required appointees to commit to decision-making on the merits and exclusively in the public interest, without regard to private gain or personal benefit. Bidens ethics pledge went beyond existing federal law in order to restore and maintain public trust in government. Among the Biden officials affected was Lloyd Austin, who served as defense secretary for the duration of Bidens four-year term. Austin acknowledged owning six to seven figures worth of stock in defense contractor [hotlink]Raytheon Technologies[/hotlink], now known as RTX. Austin served on Raytheons corporate board until January 2021, resigning upon being nominated by Biden. In his January 2021 ethics agreement with the federal government, Austinunlike Hegsethagreed to divest from Raytheon stock to avoid any actual or apparent conflict of interest. By early March 2021, Austin had sold his Raytheon stock shares, valued at between $501,002 and $1,015,000, according to a transaction document filed with the Office of Government Ethics. A later filing indicated Austin received a cash payout of $739,726 related to the sale of his Raytheon stock. Subsequent ethics disclosures indicate Austin and his wife invested only in broad-based mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), not individual stocks. But Bidens administration wasnt trouble-free. For one thing, the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General found that Biden-era EPA Assistant Administrator Joseph Goffman failed to meet his ethical obligations under the federal financial conflicts-of-interest prohibitionan allegation he denied. Trumplike Biden, or any U.S. presidentis not subject to the same ethics and conflicts-of-interest laws that apply to presidential administration appointees, or many ethics laws at all. Even President Jimmy Carter, who put his peanut farm in a blind trust to avoid the specter of financial conflict, did so voluntarily, not because of a legal mandate. And while presidents, including Trump, are required by law to file an annual disclosure detailing aspects of their personal finances, such as assets and liabilities, Trump is unlike any previous president for obliterating lines between his presidential public service and personal business interests. This is illustrated by his recent dealings with Middle Eastern nations and pursuit of cryptocurrency riches at a time when his administration is advancing pro-industry crypto policies and creating a strategic cryptocurrency reserve. Trump has promised to make the United States the crypto capital of the world and global leader in cryptocurrency. Trump has issued no Biden-esque ethics pledge executive order during his second term. Kari Lake speaks at CPAC on February 21, 2025. Kari Lake, U.S. Agency for Global Media senior advisor Trump empowered Lakea former journalist and failed U.S. Senate and Arizona gubernatorial candidateto gut the governments international broadcasting agency, which includes the flagship Voice of America. In March, Lake disclosed a stock investment of up to $15,000 in Trump Media & Technology Group, the company behind Trumps Truth Social media platform. Trump used Truth Social to announce his appointment of Lake. She also disclosed investments in about two dozen different cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Etherium, Stellar, Hedera, and Dogecoin. Lake has not signed an ethics agreement with the government, nor otherwise indicated she has sold or plans to sell these financial interests. Occasionally, the White House will grant limited-scope ethics waivers to government officials for financial reasons. It gave Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. one for four family investment funds among his many assets. It also gave one to Energy Secretary Chris Wright for energy-related investments he hadnt yet sold before speaking in March at global energy conference CERAWeek. There is no evidence of Lake receiving such a waiver. We can confirm that no additional documents exist at this time, the U.S. Agency for Global Medias Ethics Office wrote in an email to Fortune on May 30. Representatives for Lake did not respond to questions. In a May 28 post to X, Lake wrote: My top priority as the Trump Administrations Senior Advisor to the agency that oversees VOA and its Grantees is to effectuate President Trumps Executive Order to reduce the federal bureaucracy and push forward his America First Agenda that will protect the American taxpayer. Lakes crypto and Trump Media holdings underscore an inconsistent approach among Trump officials to avoid real or perceived financial conflicts. For example, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard committed in an ethics agreement from January 15 to sell several of her four- or five-figure cryptocurrency holdings, including Bitcoin, Cronos, Solana, and Ethereum, as well as an investment in the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Trust. She likewise agreed to sell her shares of stock in Tesla and conservative media platform Rumble Inc., each of which she valued at between $100,001 and $250,000. But like Lake, Hegseth, the defense secretary, made no such ethics pledge to sell his own investment in Bitcoin, which he valued in January at between $15,001 and $50,000. And unlike Lake, one top Trump official sold off a Trump-related investment in the name of avoiding conflicts. I will divest my interests in Trump Media & Technology Group, as soon as practicable but not later than 90 days after my confirmation, nowAttorney General Pam Bondi affirmed in an ethics agreement dated January 14. In early May, Bondi made good on her pledge, divesting between $1 million and $5 million worth of Trump Media & Technology Group stock on April 2, according to a transaction filing. But Secretary of Education Linda McMahons investment in Trump Media & Technology Groupshe is a former member of the companys board of directorsis less straightforward. McMahon states in a February 5 ethics agreement that she is entitled unvested restricted stock units that will vest in nine substantially equal installments beginning March 25, 2025, through March 25, 2027. McMahon also states she will divest the resulting stock from my vested RSUs as soon as practicable but not later than 90 days after my confirmation. The Department of Education did not respond to Fortunes questions about this arrangement, including whether McMahon will receive vested stock in Trump Media & Technology Group at various times through 2027 and then proceed to sell it as she receives it. Dave Levinthal is a Washington, D.C.based investigative journalist. Dave previously worked as editor-in-chief of Raw Story, deputy editor at Business Insider, and as an editor or reporter at the Center for Public Integrity, Politico, OpenSecrets, and the Dallas Morning News. He has also written for The Atlantic, TIME, Rolling Stone, the Daily Beast, NOTUS, and The Ankler. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com By John Irish and Humeyra Pamuk PARIS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is discouraging governments around the world from attending a U.N. conference next week on a possible two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, according to a U.S. cable seen by Reuters. The diplomatic demarche, sent on Tuesday, says countries that take "anti-Israel actions" following the conference will be viewed as acting in opposition to U.S. foreign policy interests and could face diplomatic consequences from Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The demarche, which was not previously reported, runs squarely against the diplomacy of two close allies France and Saudi Arabia, who are co-hosting the gathering next week in New York that aims to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security. "We are urging governments not to participate in the conference, which we view as counterproductive to ongoing, life-saving efforts to end the war in Gaza and free hostages," read the cable. President Emmanuel Macron has suggested France could recognise a Palestinian state in Israeli-occupied territories at the conference. French officials say they have been working to avoid a clash with the U.S., Israel's staunchest major ally. "The United States opposes any steps that would unilaterally recognise a conjectural Palestinian state, which adds significant legal and political obstacles to the eventual resolution of the conflict and could coerce Israel during a war, thereby supporting its enemies," the cable read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States for decades backed a two-state solution between the Israelis and the Palestinians that would create a state for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza alongside Israel. Trump, in his first term, was relatively tepid in his approach to a two-state solution, a longtime pillar of U.S. Middle East policy. The Republican president has given little sign of where he stands on the issue in his second term. But on Tuesday, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, a long-time vocal supporter of Israel, said he did not think an independent Palestinian state remained a U.S. foreign policy goal. GAZA WAR Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state would effectively render Oct. 7 Palestinian Independence Day," the cable read, referring to when Palestinian Hamas militants carried out a cross-border attack from Gaza on Israel in 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. Hamas' attack triggered Israel's air and ground war in Gaza in which almost 55,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of the 2.3 million population displaced and the enclave widely reduced to rubble. If Macron went ahead, France, home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities, would become the first Western heavyweight to recognise a Palestinian state. This could lend greater momentum to a movement hitherto dominated by smaller nations generally more critical of Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Macron's stance has shifted amid Israel's intensified Gaza offensive and escalating violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, and there is a growing sense of urgency in Paris to act now before the idea of a two-state solution vanishes forever. The U.S. cable said Washington had worked tirelessly with Egypt and Qatar to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, free the hostages and end the conflict. "This conference undermines these delicate negotiations and emboldens Hamas at a time when the terrorist group has rejected proposals by the negotiators that Israel has accepted." This week Britain and Canada, also G7 allies of the United States, were joined by other countries in placing sanctions on two Israeli far-right government ministers to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the Gaza war to an end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The United States opposes the implied support of the conference for potential actions including boycotts and sanctions on Israel as well as other punitive measures," the cable read. Israel has repeatedly criticised the conference, saying it rewards Hamas for the attack on Israel, and it has lobbied France against recognising a Palestinian state. "Nothing surprises me anymore, but I don't see how many countries could step back on their participation," said a European diplomat, who asked for anonymity due to the subject's sensitivity. "This is bullying, and of a stupid type." The U.S. State Department and the French Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by John Irish and Humeyra Pamuk; editing by Sharon Singleton and Mark Heinrich) What to expect as Walz testifies at GOP-led hearing on immigration, sanctuary policies originally appeared on Bring Me The News. Minnesota's Tim Walz is one of three United States governors who will be questioned Thursday at a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The event, dubbed "A Hearing with Sanctuary State Governors," will feature Walz, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. The chairman of the committee, James Comer (R-Kentucky), has accused the Democratic governors of running states with sanctuary policies that "shield criminal illegal aliens from immigration enforcement." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hearing comes at a time of civil unrest in the country, namely in Los Angeles, following a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that have led to President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard and Marines to California. Governor Tim WalzOffice of Governor Tim Walz via Flickr Locally, a Mexican restaurant in south Minneapolis was the subject of an ICE raid earlier this month that drew a crowd of protestors, some of whom became unruly. Local and federal officials have since confirmed ICE was not conducting a deportation raid but rather carrying out search warrants related to a large-scale drug and money laundering investigation. The series of raids included the seizure of 900 pounds of methamphetamine valued between $22 and $25 million at a storage unit in Burnsville. However, the action in south Minneapolis was criticized by Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, who said federal officials failed to notify MPD of the raid until it was already underway. The Minneapolis Police Department has since sent a memo to its officers as a reminder that they are not allowed to respond or assist in any "immigration enforcement-related activity," nor can they "assist with crowd control at an immigration enforcement related activity." An orchestrated attack on Walz? The aforementioned MPD policy appears to meet the standard for what has drawn the ire of Comer, who will be joined on Thursday's panel by Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), and Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado), all of whom are conservatives with a history of backing Trump policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanctuary policies only provide sanctuaries for criminal illegal aliens," Comer said in a statement announcing Thursday's hearing. "The Trump Administration is taking decisive action to deport criminal illegal aliens from our nation but reckless sanctuary states like Illinois, Minnesota, and New York are actively seeking to obstruct federal immigration enforcement. The governors of these states must explain why they are prioritizing the protection of criminal illegal aliens over the safety of U.S. citizens, and they must be held accountable." MinnPost referred to Comer as "a Trump loyalist and political attack dog who is weighing a run for governor." Walz has not publicly commented ahead of the hearing, but spokesperson Teddy Schann said in an emailed statement that Governor Walz is happy to work with Congress, but since Minnesota is not a sanctuary state, one cant help but wonder if this is, perhaps, politically motivated." Minnesota is not a sanctuary state by definition, which would require a state law prohibiting law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. Minneapolis, however, is a known sanctuary city, as noted by the aforementioned MPD policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Star Tribune, GOP Rep. Pete Stauber, who represents Minnesota's 8th Congressional District, will also attend the hearing and plans to question Walz. On his Facebook page, Stauber wrote that "Minnesota has become a magnet for illegal immigrants" under Walz. Travel ban and unauthorized immigrants living in Minnesota It's unclear how many undocumented immigrants live in Minnesota. The latest data from the PEW Research Center goes back to 2022, when Minnesota had an estimated 75,000 to 175,000 undocumented immigrants. California led the nation with an estimated 1.8 million, while Texas (1.6 million), Florida (1.2 million), New York (650,000), New Jersey (475,000), and Illinois (400,000) rounded out the next five largest populations. Trump announced a travel ban on June 5 that restricts people from a dozen countries from entering the U.S., with Somalia joined by Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen. Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the U.S., with more than 85,000 residents of Somali descent currently living in the state. The federal ban has been criticized by Democrats, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who herself is a refugee from Somalia, calling Trump's ban racist and "a stain on our country." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because of this decision, our country will lose out on incredible contributions that people from these countries wouldve otherwise made to our neighborhoods and our society," Omar said. For some Americans, it will mean their fiances, or spouses or children will be banned from reuniting with them here." Comer's history with Walz As for Walz, this isn't the first time Comer has set his sights on the Minnesota governor. In August 2024, after Walz was named as then-Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, Comer urged the FBI to investigate Walz regarding his relationship with China. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT on Thursday, and you can watch it live here. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared. A mother prepares her infant son for bed. Since 2020, 36 states have lost at least one rural labor and delivery department. In rural counties, the loss of hospital-based obstetric care is associated with increases in births in hospital emergency rooms, less prenatal care and higher rates of babies being born too early. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) Nine months after Monroe County Hospital in rural South Alabama closed its labor and delivery department in October 2023, Grove Hill Memorial Hospital in neighboring Clarke County also stopped delivering babies. Both hospitals are located in an agricultural swath of the state thats home to most of its poorest counties. Many residents of the region dont even have a nearby emergency department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stacey Gilchrist is a nurse and administrator whos spent her 40-year career in Thomasville, a small town about 20 minutes north of Grove Hill. Thomasvilles hospital shut down entirely last September over financial difficulties. Thomasville Regional hadnt had a labor and delivery unit for years, but women in labor still showed up at its ER when they knew they wouldnt make it to the nearest delivering hospital. We had several close calls where people could not make it even to Grove Hill when they were delivering there, Gilchrist told Stateline shortly after the Thomasville hospital closed. She recalled how Thomasville nurses worked to save the lives of a mother and baby whod delivered early in their ER, as staff waited for neonatal specialists to arrive by ambulance from a distant delivering hospital. It would give you chills to see what all they had to do. They had to get inventive, she said, but the mother and baby survived. Now many families must drive more than an hour to reach the nearest birthing hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nationwide, most rural hospitals no longer offer obstetric services. Since the end of 2020, more than 100 rural hospitals have stopped delivering babies, according to a new report from the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform, a national policy center focused on solving health care issues through overhauling insurance payments. Fewer than 1,000 rural hospitals nationwide still have labor and delivery services. Across the nation, two rural labor and delivery departments shut their doors every month on average, said Harold Miller, the centers president and CEO. Its the perfect storm, Miller told Stateline. The number of births are going down, everything is more expensive in rural areas, health insurance plans dont cover the cost of births, and hospitals dont have the resources to offset those losses because theyre losing money on other services, too. Staffing shortages, low Medicaid reimbursement payments and declining birth rates have contributed to the closures. Some states have responded by changing how Medicaid funds are spent, by allowing the opening of freestanding birth centers, or by encouraging urban-based obstetricians to open satellite clinics in rural areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet the losses continue. Thirty-six states have lost at least one rural labor and delivery unit since the end of 2020, according to the report. Sixteen have lost three or more. Indiana has lost 12, accounting for a third of its rural hospital labor and delivery units. In rural counties the loss of hospital-based obstetric care is associated with increases in births in hospital emergency rooms, studies have found. The share of women without adequate prenatal care also increases in rural counties that lose hospital obstetric services. And researchers have seen an increase in preterm births when a baby is born three or more weeks early following rural labor and delivery closures. Babies born too early have higher rates of death and disability. Births are expensive The decline in hospital-based maternity care has been decades in the making. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Traditionally, hospitals lose money on obstetrics. It costs more to maintain a labor and delivery department than a hospital gets paid by insurance to deliver a baby. This is especially true for rural hospitals, which see fewer births and therefore less revenue than urban areas. It is expensive and complicated for any hospital to have labor and delivery because its a 24/7 service, said Miller. A labor and delivery unit must always have certain staff available or on call, including a physician who can perform cesarean sections, nurses with obstetric training, and an anesthetist for C-sections and labor pain management. You cant subsidize a losing service when you dont have profit coming in from other services. Harold Miller, president and CEO of the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform Theres a minimum fixed cost you incur [as a hospital] to have all of that, regardless of how many births there are, Miller said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In most cases, insurers dont pay hospitals to maintain that standby capacity; theyre paid per birth. Hospitals cover their losses on obstetrics with revenue they get from more lucrative services. For a larger urban hospital with thousands of births a year, the fixed costs might be manageable. For smaller rural hospitals, theyre much harder to justify. Some have had to jettison their obstetric services just to keep the doors open. You cant subsidize a losing service when you dont have profit coming in from other services, Miller said. And staffing is a persistent problem. Harrison County Hospital in Corydon, Indiana, a small town on the border with Kentucky, ended its obstetric services in March after hospital leaders said they were unable to recruit an obstetric provider. It was the only delivering hospital in the county, averaging about 400 births a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And most providers dont want to remain on call 24/7, a particular problem in rural regions that might have just one or two physicians trained in obstetrics. In many rural areas, family physicians with obstetrical training fill the role of both obstetricians and general practitioners. Ripple effects Even before Harrison County Hospital suspended its obstetrical services, some patients were already driving more than 30 minutes for care, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported. The closure means the drive could be 50 minutes to reach a hospital with a labor and delivery department, or to see providers for prenatal visits. Longer drive times can be risky, resulting in more scheduled inductions and C-sections because families are scared to risk going into labor naturally and then facing a harrowing hourlong drive to the hospital. Having fewer labor and delivery units could further burden ambulance services already stretched thin in rural areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And hospitals often serve as a hub for other maternity-related services that help keep mothers and babies healthy. Other things weve seen in rural counties that have hospital-based OB care is that youre more likely to have other supportive things, like maternal mental health support, postpartum groups, lactation support, access to doula care and midwifery services, said Katy Kozhimannil, a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, whose research focuses in part on maternal health policy with a focus on rural communities. State action Medicaid, the state-federal public insurance for people with low incomes, pays for nearly half of all births in rural areas nationwide. And women who live in rural communities and small towns are more likely to be covered by Medicaid than women in metro areas. Experts say one way to save rural labor and delivery in many places would be to bump up Medicaid payments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As congressional Republicans debate President Donald Trumps tax and spending plan, theyre considering which portions of Medicaid to slash to help pay for the bills tax cuts. Maternity services arent on the chopping block. But if Congress reduces federal funding for some portions of Medicaid, states and hospitals will have to figure out how to offset that loss. The ripple effects could translate into less money for rural hospitals overall, meaning some may no longer be able to afford labor and delivery services. Cuts to Medicaid are going to be felt disproportionately in rural areas where Medicaid makes up a higher proportion of labor and delivery and for services in general, Kozhimannil said. It is a hugely important payer at rural hospitals, and for birth in particular. And though private insurers often pay more than Medicaid for birth services, Miller believes states shouldnt let companies off the hook. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The data shows that in many cases, commercial insurance plans operating in a state are not paying adequately for labor and delivery, Miller said. Hospitals will tell you its not just Medicaid; its also commercial insurance. Hed like to see state insurance regulators pressure private insurance to pay more. More than 40% of births in rural communities are covered by private insurance. Yet theres no one magic bullet that will fix every rural hospitals bottom line, Miller said: For every hospital Ive talked to, its been a different set of circumstances. Stateline reporter Anna Claire Vollers can be reached at avollers@stateline.org. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Bird lovers, break out your binoculars. A rare bird species was spotted in a forest in eastern India thanks to camera traps, also known as trail cameras. Trail cameras have become a great tool for wildlife scientists and biologists, and they've also become a great resource for teaching youth about animals and how they interact within their ecosystems. Environmental Force At Grass Root Level (ENFOGAL), a non-governmental group working out of the Ukhrul District of India, made the discovery after placing trail cameras around the town of Shirui, India, to see what they would find. The cameras caught a Blyth's Tragopan on camera, a rare bird from the same family as pheasants and turkeys. According to BirdLife, the species is considered vulnerable, with populations decreasing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Once again, we have been fortunate to capture an image of a rare species thanks to the use of camera traps," the organization shared on Instagram. "Shirui is truly emerging as a promising haven for bird enthusiasts, and it's heartening to see such precious wildlife being documented and appreciated." Trail cameras have been integral in the conservation of endangered wildlife species. They provide critical data on the presence, numbers, and behaviors of animals, helping surrounding communities inform their conservation strategies. Vox reported on how cameras set up in the mountain regions of Sonora, Mexico, have been helping save the lives of the jaguar population as well as the other felines that call the Northern Jaguar Preserve home. This initiative not only aids in tracking these species but also fosters community engagement by compensating ranchers for images captured on their land, promoting coexistence and expanding protected habitats. At one time, ranchers were commonly known to kill jaguars because they were a threat to their livestock. The resurgence of endangered species contributes to better ecosystems, which directly impacts humans. Healthy ecosystems support biodiversity, which in turn ensures better food systems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's pretty amazing what a few trail cameras can reveal. Not only are they helping conservationists keep tabs on rare and vulnerable species, but they're also getting local communities involved in protecting their wildlife neighbors and the world around them. 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. Invasive tilapia have been threatening endangered cod populations in Australia's Mary River, but experts say the cod are biting back, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Conservationists from Burnett Mary Regional Group performed a routine survey in April, which involved catching and testing some of the region's Mary River cod. Researchers were pleased to discover traces of tilapia in two of the cods' mouths and also documented an 80-centimeter (31.5-inch) cod eating a 40-cm (15.75-in) tilapia. In other words, despite the fact that the tilapia are not native to the area and the cod haven't evolved to eat them, the endangered native fish have adapted and are eating them anyway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There was always the hope and suspicion that [the cod] were eating everything," BMRG CEO Tom Espinoza said. "It's provided a lot of hope for people that are invested in healthy cod populations across the board. Hopefully in 10, 15, 20 years' time, we've got a population of large cod that can do the rest of the job themselves. It's a real natural, sustainable solution." This is encouraging news, because as matters stand, the tilapia are a serious problem. They're invasive meaning they came to the area from another region and thrived so well that it's damaging the ecosystem and they eat the eggs and young of not only cod but also other endangered species such as the "bum-breathing" Mary River turtle, Australian lungfish, and white-throated snapping turtle. Because the tilapia have spread to 26 of Queensland's 67 catchments, it's considered impossible for humans to eradicate them. Left unchecked, they could destroy the native species in the river, damaging the ecosystem that both people and wildlife rely on. However, steps have been taken to control the population. For example, tilapia are being harvested to use as fertilizer for native plants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now that it appears cod are also eating the tilapia, there's a chance to achieve a new healthy balance. 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. Nigeria faces an imminent food shortage crisis that could affect over 33 million people across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory between June and August 2025, reported Aljazirah News. What's happening? The food security crisis comes despite recent rainfall, as resurgent violence and economic challenges devastate farming communities. An analysis by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Programme, and Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Agriculture revealed that about 25 million people are already experiencing food crises nationwide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "With the concerted efforts of the government, CH stakeholders, and the international community, we can move closer to alleviating hunger and reducing suffering for Nigeria's most vulnerable populations," said Kouacou Koffy, FAO country representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, per Aljazirah News. "We are facing unprecedented challenges affecting livelihoods and food and nutrition security globally, regionally, and nationally. The World Bank estimates that more than half of Nigerians now live below the poverty line, a sharp rise from 40.1% in 2018 to 56% today. This economic decline makes families even more vulnerable to food insecurity. Why is food security important? When violence targets farming communities, the effects impact everyone, even those not directly attacked. You might notice these impacts at your grocery store, as global food systems are interconnected and disruptions in major agricultural regions can drive higher prices worldwide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The crisis in Nigeria shows how climate challenges combine with human conflict to create food emergencies. Farming communities in states like Benue, known as Nigeria's "food basket," have faced horrific violence, with Amnesty International documenting over 1,300 people killed in nearby Plateau State alone between December 2023 and February 2024. Local farmer Husseini Dodo from Niger State pointed out the pattern: "All these communities constantly being attacked in Niger, Plateau, Benue, Borno, Edo, Ebonyi, Enugu States are all farming communities. So I think it is a deliberate move to starve the nation." When farmers can't safely tend their fields, food production plummets and prices rise. This affects everyone, including you, as global markets adjust to shortages. The situation threatens to push more families into hunger and worsen difficult economic conditions for millions. What's being done about food security? International organizations are responding with both emergency aid and longer-term solutions. The United Nations agencies conducting the Cadre Harmonise analysis are working to identify populations at greatest risk so aid can be directed effectively. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FAO's Koffy has called for "a unified approach to address food and nutrition security," bringing together government resources, international partners, and local communities. You can help by supporting organizations providing emergency food assistance while advocating for peace and security in agricultural regions worldwide. Consider reducing food waste in your home by planning meals carefully and using leftovers creatively. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. This story was originally published on Payments Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Payments Dive newsletter. Payment processing giant Fiserv is developing an infrastructure for its merchant customers to pay for goods and services with cryptocurrencies, the companys CEO, Mike Lyons, said in a presentation last week. The Milwaukee-based company has heard from its merchants clients that they're interested in using cryptocurrency such as stablecoins, a common type of digital asset, Lyons said in a June 3 question and answer session at the Baird Global Consumer, Technology and Services Conference in New York City. Were hearing from merchants, Hey, maybe this has got a lot less interchange, Lyons said in response to a questions about merchants and banks using stablecoins. Were going to help them develop the capabilities. The company should also be prepared if a federal bill regulating stablecoins is signed into law, he added. What if Congress passes a cryptocurrency law and we suddenly have to stand up a (cryptocurrency) wallet and were told to do it in X number of months? Lyons said. That seems like a significant investment. The Senate may vote as early as this week on the GENIUS Act, a bill creating a regulatory framework for stablecoins. The House of Representatives has yet to vote on the bill. Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency pegged to the value of a traditional asset, such as a fiat currency like the U.S. dollar or the euro. Theoretically, the value of a stablecoin is less volatile than that of other types of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, that tend to be volatile. Payment companies have held up stablecoins as a way to simplify and cheapen cross-border payments, among other possible uses, but so far the digital assets have not achieved widespread adoption. Fiserv President and CEO-elect Michael Lyons Fiserv is working on creating the infrastructure for its customers to use stablecoins, Lyons said. He did not provide a timeline, but said in the next week or two, we'll come out with something that talks about standing up some infrastructure. Lyons provided few details about the plans, and a Fiserv spokesperson declined to provide more specifics. The process will likely involve helping clients create stablecoin wallets they can use to spend money using the digital assets, he said. Merchants are interested in stablecoins as a way to save on costs, like avoiding fees charged when credit cards are used, Lyons said. It's a great opportunity that plays right into our strengths, he said Recommended Reading Amid rising sea levels, people in coastal communities may need to change the way they deal with the relentlessly advancing waters. What's happening? It would behoove North Carolinians to alter their approach and work with nature rather than against it, Duke University marine biology student Ava Kocher wrote for the North Carolina Coastal Federation's Coastal Review. She said residents were fighting a losing battle to maintain their properties along the state's coast, warning that seawalls and bulkheads were a waste of money and suggesting that living shorelines can help shift "this combative approach" as "a step in the right direction." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tarheel State's coastal marshes are shifting as rising global temperatures melt ice and expand seawater. These ecosystems are able to retreat with this slow onslaught unless they are blocked by concrete or another human-made structure. Alyson Flynn, an environmental economist at the North Carolina Coastal Federation, told Kocher that the construction of such infrastructure on individual properties has forced neighbors to put up the same walls, as their land was eroding faster without it. "They felt like the only way to protect their property was to also put up a seawall," she said. "And so then it had this barricading effect across the whole shoreline." Why is this important? North Carolina will lose 98,000 acres of salt marsh by 2100, Coastwatch magazine reported last year. This is because rising sea levels are accelerating and outpacing land elevation gains. The results include a higher water table and more frequent and severe floods and all the problems that come with those symptoms of the rapidly overheating planet, such as increasing fatalities, property damage, and insurance costs from extreme weather events such as hurricanes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Sea level rise, that might be like your allergies and then comes a hurricane," Christine Voss, a retired research associate at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill's Institute of Marine Sciences, told Kocher. "And because you may have been worn down by your allergies, when the cold or the pneumonia or the flu comes by, you're actually more susceptible." Instead of hardening land in an impossible bid to ward off the sea, however, living shorelines featuring plants, sand, or rock can help mitigate risk and buy time, as one Havelock family showed. Kocher noted that homeowners Vernon and Michele Kelly chose this route instead of replacing a worn-out bulkhead. "Minnows seem to have figured out, 'Hey, we've got a sort of haven here.' I've seen an increase of blue crabs in that sill area. And I actually had one oyster starting to grow," Vernon Kelly said. "What we've done, it'll save it for my lifetime, maybe my kids. But if Mother Nature really decides she wants to do something, we can't stop her," he added. What's being done about sea level rise? As Vernon Kelly noted, this may be a long-term solution compared to a human lifespan, but it's actually temporary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because the warming of Earth is caused primarily by the burning of dirty energy sources, the solution is to transition to cleaner forms of power, such as solar and wind. Swapping personal vehicle trips for public transit rides, making your next car an electric vehicle, and shopping at thrift stores help cut down the production of heat-trapping pollution and will save you money. "Living shorelines are not the answer to save the coasts but they are a potential action toward reimagining future coastal resilience," Kocher concluded. "Relinquishing the ideal of a manicured waterfront is the start of embracing an alliance with the ecosystems we inhabit. Starting in backyards like Kelly's, there is an opportunity to recognize the value of wetlands and begin to dissolve the walls, physical and philosophical, built between humans and the sea." 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. Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during his monthly news conference in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Pool photo by Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters on Tuesday hes grateful President Donald Trump has activated the California National Guard and sent Marines to Los Angeles to tamp down on protests a move Trump made without California Gov. Gavin Newsoms consent. Im sympathetic to a president who wants to make sure that were protecting lives and property and doing everything possible to make that happen, Cox said during his monthly PBS Utah news conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom and other Democrats have called the deployment of National Guard troops a violation of state sovereignty with Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta filing a lawsuit Monday challenging it as a violation of states rights for not first conferring with the state before mobilizing the National Guard. Acknowledging that lawsuit, Cox who leads a Republican-controlled state where leaders often decry federal overreach said the U.S. Constitution and federal law clearly states that the federal government does have the ability to deploy National Guard troops on states. I do think it is legal for the president to do that whether its wise or not, Cox said. When things get out of control, somebody has to stop it. And so Im grateful that we have a president who is willing to act to help stop that. However, Cox also added that as a states rights person he doesnt love that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I wish the Constitution didnt say that, and I wish that federal law doesnt say that, but it does say that, he said. And so that always is an option. The real debate, Cox said, is over whether California needed the president to call the troops in. Cox said his take is they probably do need it. Again, Ive seen the videos. The damage thats being done is unconscionable, Cox said. We just cant have that in a civil society. The protests of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents activity in Los Angeles sparked a weekend of conflict between protesters and federal agents downtown and in nearby Paramount, California. It also ratcheted up fighting between Trump and Newsom, with Trump calling Newsom grossly incompetent and saying White House border czar Tom Homan should arrest him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tensions in Los Angeles rose over the weekend as ICE protesters faced off with police officers, who fired dozens of rubber bullet rounds attempting to disperse people in the streets surrounding the 300 North Los Angeles Federal Building. Some clashes turned violent. At least two self-driving vehicles were set on fire near the protest. Videos of protesters throwing rocks at police vehicles quickly spread online. On Tuesday, Cox told reporters he has lots of concerns about whats happening in California. Youve seen the videos. Youve seen whats happening out there, the riots, the chaos that is ensuing, Cox said, comparing it to protests that occurred in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked widespread protests, including in Salt Lake City. Cox said people should be free to protest, but violent acts should not be happening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor also gave a preemptive warning to anyone protesting in Utah. We will not allow that type of rioting to happen here in Utah, here in our capital city or anywhere else, and well be prepared to make sure that doesnt happen, he said. Cox added that he wants Utah to be the best place in the United States to protest. I want to do everything possible to protect the rights of those who want to protest, he said, noting that Utah has had some recent protests and expects to see more this weekend. I think thats wonderful. Thats also part of the Constitution the ability for people to show up and express their views and do so publicly, the right to assemble. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the governor said he also wants Utah to be the worst possible place to riot. The minute you start to spray paint the Capitol, the second you implement violence or property destruction, we will arrest you and we will hold you accountable, and we will break up the disturbance thats happening, he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Among the protests planned in Utah is a No Kings rally as part of a national movement to demonstrate against Trumps multimillion-dollar military parade planned in Washington, D.C. this Saturday, meant to honor the 250th birthday of the Army and Trumps 79th birthday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cox said Utah leaders will be over prepared to quickly quell any protests that turn violent or destructive. Just a word of warning to anybody who is thinking about any type of violence or chaos or property damage or vandalism, it will not happen here and you will be held accountable, Cox said. If you want to protest, this is a great place to protest. If you want to (be violent or destructive), go to California. Earlier in the day Tuesday, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall also urged for peaceful protest during a Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony at City Hall. She said exercise of free speech is welcome, but violence and destruction will not be tolerated to any extent in Salt Lake City, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Mendenhall also echoed comments from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, the outlet reported: Dont take the bait of the Trump administration. Protest peacefully. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked whether he has been contacted by the Trump administration about sending Utah National Guard troops to California or any other state, Cox said, We havent heard from the administration about sending Guard troops anywhere. However, Cox said we have had conversations about providing troops for logistics help for processing and transporting undocumented immigrants to a holding facility in Nevada, which is the closest one to Utah. Cox said Utah troops are not going hands on, not being a part of anything that ICE is doing, but there has been a request for help from states and their national guards to help process and transport undocumented immigrants. They can use training hours for some of those types of things as well, Cox said. So those are the conversations that are ongoing, but we dont have any requests for anything else. Pressed on whether Cox would send troops if the Trump administration did ask for the Utah National Guard to be deployed for immigration enforcement in other states, the governor gave a noncommittal answer. We would have to look at the situation and consider whats happening in other states and if thats a good use of our resources, he said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Claim: In early June 2025, Louisiana lawmakers voted "to force a 9-year-old girl to deliver her rapist's baby." Rating: Rating: Mixture What's True: In early June 2025, Louisiana lawmakers rejected a bill that would have added exceptions for rape to the state's abortion ban, specifically allowing young rape victims to terminate their pregnancies. What's False: The proposed bill did not reference or target any specific case of a pregnant 9-year old. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What's Undetermined: The claim originated from Louisiana state Rep. Patricia Moores mention of a pregnant 9-year-old girl in her district. However, we were unable to independently confirm the existence or circumstances of the case. In early June 2025, a rumor spread that Louisiana lawmakers voted to deny abortion to a 9-year-old rape victim. One X post (archived) on the topic, which as of this writing had over 958,300 views, read, "Louisiana votes to force a 9-year-old girl to deliver her rapist's baby." It also quoted Democratic state Rep. Patricia Moore allegedly saying, "I'm constantly hearing that God would take a bad situation and turn it into good," additionally claiming that Moore spoke out against the bill "even after being made aware of the pregnant 9-year-old girl living in her district." Louisiana votes to force a 9-year-old girl to deliver her rapist's baby. Rep. Patricia Moore explained: "Im constantly hearing that God would take a bad situation and turn it into good." Lawmakers rejected bill to let child rape survivors get abortionfor 3rd straight year. pic.twitter.com/eVpx07O3kW LongTimeFirstTime (@LongTimeHistory) June 4, 2025 Another Facebook post (archived) making the claim, which amassed over 25,000 reactions, read, "If a 9-year-old walked into an adoption agency with plans to be a mother, they would laugh her out of the room and explain that she's too young to become a mom. But if a 9-year-old is raped, conservatives believe he's the perfect age for motherhood." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Similar claims spread on social media platforms including Instagram (archived) and Reddit (archived). In short, the claim was a mixture of true, false and undetermined information. In early June 2025, for the third year in a row, Louisiana lawmakers rejected a bill that would have added exceptions for rape to the state's abortion ban. Namely, the bill would have allowed young rape victims to terminate their pregnancies. However, the proposed legislation did not reference any specific case of a pregnant 9-year-old. The claim stemmed from a statement by Moore, who said she was aware of a 9-year-old girl in her district who had become pregnant. In response to our request for clarification, Moore said she was informed of the case sometime in the last year by someone who did not disclose the child's name but said the girl was from Morehouse Parish. However, we were unable to independently verify the existence or circumstances of the child mentioned. Louisiana abortion law and the recent bill on exceptions Louisiana's abortion ban took effect in 2022 following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. That decision eliminated federal protections for abortion and allowed individual states to set their own laws. Under the state's law, abortion is banned except in limited cases, such as when the pregnant woman's life is at serious risk, the fetus is "medically futile" or in cases of ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. There is currently no exception for rape or incest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The in-question legislation was Democratic state Rep. Delisha Boyd's third attempt to create exceptions to Louisiana's abortion law. The proposed bill aimed to allow abortions for victims under 17 who became pregnant as a result of specific offenses such as rape or sexual battery that, if committed against a minor, would make an abortion legal in those cases. The bill said the victim wouldn't need to provide a police report, forensic evidence or proof that someone was being prosecuted for the crime in order to get the abortion. Legislators discussed the bill during a House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice hearing on June 3, 2025. As shown in the image below, the bill that "provides for exceptions to the abortion laws of this state relative to rape and certain sex offenses" received three votes in favor ("Yea") and nine votes against ("Nay"). Therefore, the law did not proceed to the House floor for further consideration. (Louisiana House of Representatives) You can access the full text of the in-question bill here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A video circulating alongside the claims on Louisiana "denying abortion to 9-year-old rape victim" originated from an April 11, 2025, KLFY News 10 segment that aired before legislators voted on the bill. Moore mentioned pregnant 9-year-old Moore made the statement about the pregnant 9-year-old during the hearing at 38:57 of the video recording available via the Louisiana House of Representatives' official website. Moore stated that she was "aware of a nine year old, in [her] area, pregnant" and that she was struggling to reconcile her feelings about the case with her religious beliefs. Moore also added that her mother was raped at the age of 13 and had her at 14. "So I do struggle with it. I know we got to protect our children, but this point right now, I cannot vote yes," she said. Boyd, who authored the bill, also mentioned she was aware of a "Louisiana girl who was raped and gave birth at 13 years old and a 9-year-old girl who became pregnant after being sexually assaulted." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All in all, while it's true that Louisiana lawmakers rejected a bill that would have allowed abortion in cases of child rape, there was no confirmed evidence that the decision directly affected a specific 9-year-old. Moore mentioned being aware of such a case during the hearing, but we were unable to independently verify the claim. As of this writing, Louisiana abortion law does not include an exception for rape or incest. Sources: - YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpixLsRrfa8. Accessed 11 June 2025. Agenda - Administration of Criminal Justice. https://legis.la.gov/legis/agenda.aspx?m=25110. Accessed 11 June 2025. HB215. https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?i=248142. Accessed 11 June 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ---. https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?i=248142. Accessed 11 June 2025. LA House On-Demand Video. https://house.louisiana.gov/H_Video/VideoArchivePlayer?v=house/2025/Jun/0603_25_CJ. Accessed 11 June 2025. Louisiana House of Representatives 24-28. https://house.louisiana.gov/H_Reps/members?ID=102. Accessed 11 June 2025. "Louisiana Lawmakers Reject Adding Exceptions for Some Rape Cases to Abortion Ban." AP News, 3 June 2025, https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-abortion-rape-exception-de8097eb664362941167c92d6ad356db. Louisiana Laws - Louisiana State Legislature. https://legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=78689. Accessed 11 June 2025. Updates: June 12, 2025: This report was updated to include a response from Louisiana state Rep. Patricia Moore. Claim: In June 2025, a series of photographs authentically showed Pope Leo XIV falling down stairs. Rating: Rating: Fake In 2025, a set of photographs allegedly depicting Pope Leo XIV falling down stairs circulated online. For example, one Facebook post (archived) by the account Daily Bible Verse shared three images, one of the pope waving to the crowd as he walked down stairs and two of him falling down stairs: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1047206560859417&set=a.580604907519587 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The same photos appeared several times on Facebook (archived) and Threads (archived). However, the story was fictional. A Google search (archived) and a Google News search (archived) revealed no reputable news outlet reported this incident. Of the three images, one showing the pope waving was most likely authentic. The photo started circulating online on May 21, 2025, after the pope's first weekly general audience. Similar photos from that event appeared on the same day in the same setting from reputable news agencies such as Getty Images, NurPhoto and The Associated Press, and artificial intelligence detectors indicated it was not AI-generated. But there were visual clues that the two smaller images showing the pope falling were unlikely to be real. For example, Leo's face in them was blurry and elongated. His position as he fell also appeared to change from image to image falling backward in the first image and then falling forward in the second in a way that seemed physically implausible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Snopes ran the images through two different artificial intelligence image detectors, Decopy and Undetectable, both of which determined the images of the pope falling were AI-generated. The pinned comment on the Daily Bible Verse post linked to a website with an article that appeared to have little to do with the photographs. It read: According to multiple eyewitnesses, a piece of ceremonial technologypossibly a small microphone transmitter or liturgical devicedetached unexpectedly from Pope Leo's vestment and fell near the altar. The moment was brief, almost imperceptible to many in the crowd, but cameras caught it. Within minutes, social media platforms exploded with theories, commentary, and metaphor-laden interpretations. Snopes ran the text of the article through two AI text detectors, Quillbot and GPTZero, both of which concluded it was AI-generated a clue that the website in question was a junk content farm filled with so-called "AI slop." Snopes often fact-checks fake and altered images of well-known people; see, for example, our story on an edited image of tech billionaire Elon Musk's chest and a fact check debunking an image of United Healthcare CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione wearing a "Sailor Moon" costume. Sources: Ibrahim, Nur. "Fake Photo Shows Luigi Mangione in 'Sailor Moon' Costume." Snopes, Snopes.com, 16 Dec. 2024, www.snopes.com/fact-check/luigi-mangione-sailor-moon-costume/. Accessed 10 June 2025. Liles, Jordan. "Photo of Elon Musk Altered to Increase His Chest and Stomach Size." Snopes, Snopes.com, 11 Nov. 2024, www.snopes.com/fact-check/elon-musk-photo-chest-stomach/. Accessed 10 June 2025. FAFSA deadline nears: Las Vegas students urged to seek aid now LAS VEGAS (KLAS) An important deadline is quickly approaching for Las Vegas valley students heading to college this fall. The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, must be submitted by the end of the month. The application is the first step to accessing billions of dollars in financial aid. FAFSA unlocks federal grants, loans, and work-study as well as many state and college programs aid on a first-come come-first first-served basis, Shaan Patel, Founder and CEO of PrepExpert.com, an online college prep service, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The entire application can be completed online. Make sure you have all your necessary documents so you get the maximum financial aid possible for college this fall, Patel said. Dr. Rhea Watson, also known as The Scholarship Doctor and CEO of Scholarship Solutions, warns that skipping the FAFSA could cost you thousands of dollars. She emphasizes that its a mistake to assume you wont qualify for financial aid. If you dont have a FAFSA application on file, it is nearly impossible, very difficult for your scholarship applications and even those financial aid packages you want to receive from a college, Watson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roughly $3 billion in aid goes unclaimed every year, Watson said. Dont leave money on the table it just goes and recycles through the government versus going to students who can use it to go to school and go without debt, Watson said. The FAFSA only takes a few hours to complete if one is prepared. Once submitted, one can expect the financial aid award letter within 2 to 3 weeks. However, keep in mind that state and school-specific aid can run out quickly, so its best to apply as early as possible. Documents needed for filling out the FAFSA include: Social Security number Parents Social Security numbers (if you are a dependent student) Tax returns Records of child support received Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts Social Security card, drivers license, and/or alien registration card (if not a US citizen) Federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information on what students need to know before they fill out the FAFSA form, 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 KLAS. FALL RIVER, Mass. (WWLP) A Fall River resident is celebrating a life-changing windfall after winning $1 million in the State Lotterys Bonus 100X instant ticket game. Lakeville man scores first $1 million prize in Mega Money lottery game Alberto Borges claimed his prize on Monday and opted for the cash option, receiving a one-time payment of $650,000 before taxes. (Courtesy of Massachusetts State Lottery Commission) According to lottery officials, Borges plans to use the money to treat himself and his loved ones. He said he intends to put the winnings toward a vacation and his family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The winning ticket was purchased at the Cumberland Farms, located at 864 Stafford Road in Fall River. As a result of selling the ticket, the store will receive a $10,000 bonus from the Massachusetts State Lottery. 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. Those arrested during the immigration raids in Southern California have been taken to various locations, with some being transferred more than once to federal detention facilities. Some of their exact whereabouts are unknown to their families and even to local authorities. According to various reports, some of the detainees are being processed and held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles. As of Wednesday morning, the building is under the protection of the U.S. military, even though state and local officials say it is not necessary. Peaceful protest escalates to violence in Santa Ana Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The detention center is also ground zero for demonstrators. On Tuesday, many gathered in front of the building, praying for the detainees. However, many questions remain, with most of them unanswered, about those detained. Workplaces that were raided, and you had individuals detained, and their families dont know where they are. They have not been able to be in contact with them, they have been denied legal counsel, none of these things happened in past immigration enforcement, explained Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on KTLA 5 Morning News. People who are legal, they get their annual immigration appointment, they go to the office to check in and then theyre detained. The Department of Homeland Security has not revealed how many people in total have been taken into custody since the raids began on June 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When KTLA 5s Annie Rose Ramos reached out to the agency for a statement, they responded with photos and a history of some of those detained, calling them the worst of the worst. Among them was a detainee from Colombia who had been previously arrested for domestic battery, child endangerment, assault with a deadly weapon, grand theft, and narcotics violations. Doechii blasts immigration raids, protest crackdown Another included a Mexican national who Homeland Security said had previous criminal convictions for sex with a minor, narcotics violations and a hit and run. American people should know some of the individuals that we picked up on these ICE operations, child rapists, child molesters, murders, convicted arsonists, truly the worst of the worst in the streets, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News. My message to Mayor Bass and to Governor Newsom and these rioters that they back is that ICE will not be deterred. We will not be intimidated by this riot or violence. We will keep going. We will only ramp up ICE operations, and we will continue to get these criminals off of our streets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the meantime, new reports claim that even those without a criminal history are also being detained. ICE agents have been spotted all over Southern California since last Friday, including in Oxnard, where there were raids as recently as yesterday. Instead of focusing on undocumented immigrants with serious criminal records and people with final deportation orders, the strategy both parties have long supported, this administration is pushing mass deportations, California Governor Gavin Newsom explained in an address to the state on Tuesday evening. One Southern California family, whose uncle was taken into custody during a raid on Friday in Los Angeless garment district, says he doesnt even have access to his attorney while in federal custody. We tried to go see him, but they said no, because they were not letting anybody and not even the lawyers, his niece Kamilla Ponce explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Erica Perezs mother, who has lived here for 35 years, was also detained by ICE agents while attending her immigration hearing in court last week in Oxnard. Her daughter is now speaking out and described the conditions her mother has experienced as she is being held inside the downtown L.A. federal facility. She told me to take care of my siblings, and its going to be okay. She told me about all the women inside, banging on doors, begging for food, Perez said holding back tears. They were so hungry that they would pretend that they were drinking like Starbucks. The Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights, known as CHIRLA, operates the Rapid Response Network hotline. That is a hotline people can call, particularly immigrant families, or anyone who works with immigrants who have seen these ICE raids, or know someone who has been detained,. As of Wednesday morning, CHIRLA reports that approximately 300 people have been detained since the raids began last week. 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. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Seven Arkansas families filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging an upcoming state requirement that public school classrooms have posted copies of the Ten Commandments, saying the new law will violate their constitutional rights. The federal lawsuit challenges a measure Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law earlier this year, similar to a requirement enacted by Louisiana and one that Texas' governor has said he'll sign. The Arkansas law takes effect in August and requires the Ten Commandments to be prominently displayed in public school classrooms and libraries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Permanently posting the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library rendering them unavoidable unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the states favored religious scripture, the lawsuit said. The suit was filed on behalf of the families by the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation. The lawsuit names four school districts in northwest Arkansas Fayetteville, Bentonville, Siloam Springs and Springdale as defendants. A spokesperson for Fayetteville schools said the district would not comment on pending litigation, while the other three districts did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Attorney General Tim Griffin said his office was reviewing the lawsuit and considering options. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys for the families, who are Jewish, Unitarian Universalist or nonreligious, said they planned to ask the federal judge in Fayetteville for a preliminary injunction blocking the law's enforcement. The attorneys say the law violates longstanding Supreme Court precedent and the families' First Amendment rights. By imposing a Christian-centric translation of the Ten Commandments on our children for nearly every hour of every day of their public-school education, this law will infringe on our rights as parents and create an unwelcoming and religiously coercive school environment for our children," Samantha Stinson, one of the plaintiffs, said in a news release. Louisiana was the first state to enact such a requirement, and a federal judge blocked the measure before it was to take effect Jan 1. Proponents of Louisiana's law say that ruling only applies to the five school boards listed in the suit, but The Associated Press is unaware of any posters being displayed in schools as the litigation continues. ___ Associated Press Writer Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana contributed to this report Imagine your parents leave you and your siblings a share of land thats been in your family for generations. Several of your relatives already live on the land, and youd like to do the same; but you cant get a loan to build or renovate a home without permission from all the relatives who also share ownership. And at any moment, another heir could sell their share, triggering a court-ordered sale that could force you off the land and lose everything youve invested in. This is the reality of whats known as heirs property: land passed down informally, without clear wills or deeds, which results in a tangled or clouded title. Its more common than you might think in the U.S., especially in rural areas, and it presents significant challenges to long-term housing stability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Research shows that within 44 states and the District of Columbia, there are an estimated 508,371 heirs properties, with an assessed value of US$32 billion. (There wasnt reliable enough data in six states.) Its more of an issue in some states, such as Alabama. But its also a problem in cities such as New York City and Philadelphia. Because its so difficult to finance home construction on this land, sell it or leverage it, heirs property can leave families vulnerable to exploitation and perpetuate cycles of poverty. Despite these challenges, many families have nonetheless lived together and supported one another on shared land for generations. As faculty and collaborators with Auburn Universitys Rural Studio, we study heirs property and its role in shaping housing access. Based in Hale County, Alabama, Rural Studio has completed over 200 projects many of them homes built on heirs property providing critical housing for families facing complex land ownership challenges. Land with no clear owner The lack of a clear will or deed often happens due to inadequate access to and distrust of the legal system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once the land is passed down to the next generation, the heirs are known as tenants in common, meaning they own an undivided interest in the entire property. As the property continues to pass down from generation to generation, the number of tenants in common increases exponentially. When a couple passes down land to their children and then those kids pass it down to their kids the number of heirs dramatically increases. Auburn University Rural Studio, CC BY-SA Without clear title, no single person or group can make decisions about the property. Every heir must legally sign off on any action, which makes it nearly impossible to secure traditional forms of financing, obtain insurance, access disaster relief, or use the land as collateral. Those living on the land often pay their share of property taxes, but distant or unaware heirs might not, which puts the entire property at risk of being lost through a tax lien sale. This leaves families with property in tangled status exposed to predatory land acquisition practices that often lead to land loss. Any tenant in common can sell their share to an outside party. These outside parties either individuals or companies can then request a court to order whats called a partition by sale, which can push every other owner off the land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Imagine three siblings inherit a piece of land from their parents and are now tenants in common. One sibling sells their share to a real estate investor. That investor then goes to court and requests a partition by sale. The court then orders the entire property sold and the proceeds split among the owners, effectively forcing the other two siblings off the land, even if they wanted to keep it. Such tactics are especially common in the Black Belt region of the U.S., which covers Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina; as such, they disproportionately affect Black Americans. Why family-owned land matters Our research in Hale County, Alabama, finds that Black families in particular have supported one another for generations while living on heirs property. These multigenerational kinship networks rely on one another for child care, elder care, food, transportation and shared utility costs. But the value of this sort of living situation goes beyond social and economic benefits. The land can be woven into family lore or be steeped in the history of the surrounding area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, despite the legal and financial challenges, many extended families will do whatever they can to continue living together on their land. Even a small stake in heirs property offers connection to the past and a place to return home in the future. Family members often live in different homes spread across heirs property, which often exists in a legal gray area. Auburn University Rural Studio, CC BY-SA These informal kinship networks can provide support and resilience in ways that traditional forms of land and homeownership do not. Putting all of the people who own the land on the title whats known as clearing title is not only costly and time-consuming, but it also often requires dividing up the property into smaller parcels, which can prevent some family members from living on the land altogether. Meanwhile, traditional legal and financial products think mortgages and land-use agreements with farmers tend to be structured with sole ownership in mind. Most banks and institutions simply wont lend to heirs property with tangled titles. There have been recent efforts to protect these informal arrangements. The Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act, which has been enacted in 25 states, ensures due process and sets up safeguards against immediate partition by sale actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, if a suit is brought by a co-owner, a fair market value appraisal or an agreed-upon value by all parties must be conducted. The other shareholders of the land also have the option to buy out the shareholder bringing the suit. Under the statute, additional partition methods may be considered. And if a sale is required, its done on the open market. Many organizations are working to address issues related to heirs property and tangled titles. Most of the work centers on clearing title, establishing shared land agreements and teaching landowners how to avoid having their property fall into a tangled title situation. For example, the Florida Housing Coalition, Housing Assistance Council and the Alabama Heirs Property Alliance are actively engaged in community education, legal support, data mapping and policy advocacy. Build first, ask permission later Many rural families on heirs property have limited pathways to homeownership. Financial constraints, limited access to quality housing options and lot restrictions have often forced residents to settle for older, substandard, manufactured homes. Small utility sheds have even begun to replace broken-down trailer homes in many rural areas. Utility sheds are increasingly being used as homes across the U.S. South. Auburn University Rural Studio, CC BY-SA Theres clearly a need for safe, durable housing that enables these families to build generational wealth. And thats where Rural Studio comes in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Building new housing or renovating existing structures means dealing with a web of zoning laws, building codes and land development ordinances, which are all tied to financing and lending systems. While many efforts to address heirs property aim to change legal policies, we approach this issue through housing. We use what we call a build first strategy. Using funds from research grants and donations, we simply start building on heirs properties with the permission of families. In the process, we show that if tangled titles were no longer an obstacle, much more housing could be built. One of our recent Rural Studio projects is the 18x18 House, a compact, multistory home built for a young man living on heirs property in Alabama. The 18x18 House is a multistory home that was on heirs property in Alabama. Auburn University Rural Studio. Photo by Timothy Hursley, CC BY-SA The home is nestled between several other family members homes. We had to work around existing electrical lines, a septic field, roads and steep topography. Despite these site constraints, the house is an ideal starter home: big enough for the young man and a future partner to live comfortably on the family plot. If he ever decides to leave, other family members can move in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rather than focusing on one-off products, our goal with the 18x18 House is to develop replicable housing prototypes that respond to the realities of intergenerational living on family land. We also hope that tangible housing will help policymakers understand the value of reform. The question isnt whether design can respond to these challenges, but how it can lead by pushing antiquated regulatory and legal frameworks to evolve. This article is part of a series centered on envisioning ways to deal with the housing crisis. 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: Jennifer Pindyck, Auburn University; Christian Ayala Lopez, Auburn University, and Rusty Smith, Auburn University Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Jennifer Pindyck receives funding from Fannie Mae, Wells Fargo and the Center for Architecture, in partnership with AIA New York. She is affiliated with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and is a registered architect in the state of Georgia. Christian Ayala Lopez work is funded through a diverse range of organizations such as Fannie Mae, USDA, and Center for Architecture NY. He is affiliated to Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, and member of Florida Housing Coalition. Rusty Smith receives funding from Fannie Mae, USDA, Wells Fargo and Regions Bank. He is affiliated with the Housing Assistance Council, the American Institute of Architects, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Innovation Incubator, the EPA Collegiate/Underserved Community Partnership and the Bipartisan Policy Center. Editors note: The video above aired in a previous newscast. WHITESTONE, Queens (PIX11) Police are searching for two suspects accused of forcing a family into the basement of their Queens home and robbing them on Monday, according to the NYPD. It happened near 152nd Street and 12th Avenue around 7:40 a.m. Police said the two suspects, posing as Amazon delivery drivers, allegedly walked up to the home and pulled out a gun after a 43-year-old man answered the door. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More Local News A 39-year-old woman, an 18-year-old woman, a 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl were all forced into the basement, according to authorities. Police said the suspects are accused of stealing $16,000 in cash, jewelry and electronics. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State The suspects allegedly fled the home in the victims car, which was later found near 154th Street and 14th Avenue, according to authorities. No injuries were reported. 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. Key Points The White House is officially encouraging the development of the nation's air taxi industry. A recent executive order calls for at least one private company to be involved in shaping the launch and future of this business. Even though Archer isn't guaranteed to be a part of this laying of regulatory groundwork, regulatory hurdles may have just been lowered. 10 stocks we like better than Archer Aviation Shares of Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) rekindled their choppy recovery rally today, up 11.7% as of 2:33 p.m. ET. While the reason for the big move doesn't directly translate into real revenue or profit progress, it certainly makes both much more likely than was first anticipated. An executive order further clears a trail Credit President Donald Trump, mostly. With an executive order signed late Friday, the U.S. president has hastened the advent of the United States' electric air taxi industry that will provide personal mobility from one specific inner-city location to another. The order explicitly requests that the Secretary of Transportation begin laying the groundwork for the development of an official eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) pilot program that includes the participation of at least one "private sector partner with demonstrated experience in eVTOL aircraft development, manufacturing, and operations." Image source: Getty Images. Archer Aviation qualifies. Its so-called Midnight aircraft capable of flying like an airplane but taking off and landing like a helicopter is not only fully electrically powered, but has already made several hundred successful test flights. Moreover, the company itself is already laying the groundwork for commercial operations in New York and Los Angeles. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy could readily meet President Trump's accelerated timeline goals using Archer's work to date. Bolstering the tailwind already blowing There's no assurance that Archer Aviation will be one of the private sector outfits brought into this regulatory fold, of course. There are others that qualify, like Joby Aviation. There's also no reason to suspect that only one private operator will become involved in this official test initiative though. And, given that Archer is developing a version of its Midnight aircraft specifically for the U.S. Air Force, its technology also already arguably has the U.S. government's unofficial approval. And, whether or not Archer is selected for involvement with the Secretary of Transportation's new mandate, there's more than ample opportunity for more than one air taxi service provider in the U.S. alone, not to mention overseas. Industry research outfit Global Market Insights believes the world's air taxi market is poised to grow at an average annualized pace of more than 20% per year through 2032, led by North America. MERIWEATHER COUNTY, Ga. (WRBL) The family of Ronald Moreland, a 61-year-old man that was killed last year when a deputy with the Meriwether County Sheriffs Office (MCSO) crashed into his car, has sued Meriwether Sheriff Chuck Smith for wrongful death and negligence. According to the lawsuit, MCSO deputy Norman Siefken was going 20 miles over the speed limit without his emergency lights or sirens on Highway 85 in Senoia. Morelands family says he was on his way to work when Siefken plowed into Moreland, who was turning left onto Joel Cowan Parkway. Dashcam video shows that Siefken accelerated to 67 MPH as he came to the intersection of Highway 85 and Joel Cowan Parkway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Siefken was not responding to an emergency at the time. Moreland died as a result of the injuries he sustained in the collision. The familys lawyer, Harry Daniels said, This is about as clear a cut case of police recklessness and neglect as Ive ever seen. This deputy wasnt responding to some emergency. He was speeding and driving recklessly, accelerating into a busy intersection without any lights on and he killed a good man as a result. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WEST JORDAN, Utah (ABC4) A 15-year-old West Jordan girl has been missing for the past six days, and police and her family are seeking information that can help them find her. Sophia Rojas, 15, was last seen on June 3, and she has had absolutely no contact with her friends or family since, West Jordan Police Department said. Police also believe that she may be with an adult and lying about her age. She was last seen wearing a grey suit and pants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ABC4.com spoke to Sophias family, and they shared a message: We just want her to come home. Courtesy: Porscha Chavez Courtesy: Porscha Chavez Courtesy: Porscha Chavez Courtesy: Porscha Chavez Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Courtesy: Porscha Chavez She is Hispanic with dark brown eyes and black hair. She is 52 tall and weighs roughly 130 pounds. West Jordan Police are asking that anyone with information about Sophia Rojas contact 801-256-2000 and reference case WJ25-27102. Resources for Missing Persons The Utah Department of Public Safety has a page on its website with resources for missing persons, and you can view missing persons on the website as well. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also has resources for what to do if your child is missing. Here is a list of hotlines and resources from a 2021 guidebook by the US Department of Justice: 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. Ten years ago, border czar Tom Homan, who was then an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, got an urgent request from an immigration attorney: Please grant a stay of removal to a migrant father of two U.S. citizen children with disabilities, who was at risk of deportation. In a brief reply to the attorney's email about Juan Marcial Ocampo, a Mexican national who had been living in Maryland for about 13 years, Homan granted the request to allow Ocampo to remain in the U.S. "Granted one year stay," Homan said in the email obtained by ABC News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: 'Have mercy': Families plead as migrants arrested at routine DHS check-ins While the reprieve granted by Homan, who is one of the public faces of the Trump administration's hardline immigration agenda, expired after one year, Ocampo remained in the U.S. and regularly checked in with ICE. Typically, those in removal proceedings are required to report to ICE annually to maintain compliance with their immigration status. Advocates and attorneys told ABC News the check-ins are how ICE has kept track of some people who are not priority for removal. But now, almost ten years later, Ocampo is at risk of imminent deportation to Mexico after being detained last week during a routine ICE check-in, according to his wife and attorney. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration, in an effort to increase the arrests of noncitizens, has been detaining migrants at immigration courts and at ICE check-ins, immigrant advocacy groups and attorneys have told ABC News. PHOTO: Ten years ago, Juan Marcia Ocampo was granted a stay of removal by Tom HomanAttorney Bianca Granados (Attorney Bianca Granados ) Homan, who granted Ocampo a stay during the Obama administration, has recently warned that every undocumented migrant should worry they could be arrested at any time, even if they have no criminal record. "There's consequences [for] entering the country illegally," Homan told ABC News' Martha Raddatz in January. Ocampo's wife and lawyer told ABC News that after being granted the one-year stay of removal by Homan in 2015, Ocampo checked in regularly with ICE for several years without a problem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I always accompany him to his check-ins and I was in the car last week waiting for him when he messaged me saying he had been detained," his wife, Maria de Jesus Benhumea, told ABC News in Spanish. In her 2015 email to Homan, Ocampo's immigration attorney told Homan that a Baltimore ICE office had denied Ocampo's request for a stay of removal. "The Baltimore field office has denied the request for stay of removal. Mr. Marcial has a 1999 expedited removal order and has lived in Maryland for the past 13 years," the lawyer said in the email. "He has two U.S. citizen children with a serious genetic disease called Marfan Syndrome which will slowly render them blind." PHOTO: Ten years ago, Juan Marcia Ocampo was granted a stay of removal by Tom Homan. (Attorney Bianca Granados ) "We respectfully request that ICE HQ grant a stay of removal so Mr. Marcial Ocampo can continue to financially support his two U.S. citizen children diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome," the lawyer wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the email, the lawyer also said that Ocampo has a DUI on his record from 2008, "for which he is very regretful but attests that his entire way of life changed after becoming a father." An ABC News review of Maryland and federal court records found a 2018 traffic citation for driving without a license. Ocampo pled guilty, according to the records. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson, in a statement to ABC News, said, "This illegal alien has remained in the United States illegally for nearly 10 years longer than the 1 year stay he was granted. During that time, he re-offended and was charged with a second DUI, endangering innocent Americans. The Trump Administration is committed to keeping the President's promise to deport illegal aliens." After being detained during his ICE check-in last week, Ocampo, according to Bianca Granados, one of his current immigration lawyers, was transferred to an ICE processing center in Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: Trump's border czar: 'If you're in the country illegally, you got a problem' "He's been complying with everything that ICE has asked from him," Granados said. "There's no reason why he should be detained, especially with these compelling reasons as to why he needs to be with his family and continue to provide for his U.S. citizen girls." Benhumea told ABC News that her two daughters, who are now both legally blind, have been asking about their father. "They know what happened and they are very scared," she told ABC News. "My husband is a good man, he works and we go to church on the weekend. We need him." Father who was allowed to stay in US to care for disabled children is at risk of removal, lawyer says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The FBI arrested a Green Township man this week they say is responsible for detonating homemade explosives in wooded areas across Greater Cincinnati. Robert Gilb, 50, was arrested June 10 by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force after agents connected Gilb to at least three explosions in Hamilton and Butler counties. The federal investigation began in April after Hamilton County sheriff's deputies responded to a loud explosion and white smoke in a wooded area off East Miami River Road in Cleves. There, deputies found a small pipe, a small piece of wire and 10 batteries housed together in the radius of 50 feet, according to a sheriff's office incident report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FBI took over the investigation and connected it to two similar explosions in Butler County a month earlier. Butler County sheriff's deputies told the FBI in March they went to a neighborhood in Okeana, a small unincorporated community off State Route 126, for a dispute between neighbors. The dispute followed an explosion nearby similar to the one in Cleves. Then, days later, a witness to another explosion nearby reported seeing a white BMW parked prior to the detonation. Authorities learned Gilb was the owner of that BMW. After talking to "multiple witnesses," a federal agent wrote in court documents Gilb was identified as a person involved in construction explosives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gilb faces charges of possession of an unregistered destructive device and transporting explosive materials without a permit, according to court records. Those are federal crimes punishable by up to 10 years in prison, Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly Norris said in a news release. Gilb is expected next in federal court in Cincinnati on June 12 at 1:30 p.m. before Magistrate Judge Karen Litkovitz. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FBI: Green Twp. man blew up homemade bombs in Cincinnati-area woods AMHERST Federal law enforcement officials arrested a Western Massachusetts man this week after they said he threatened a local supermarket and a Tennessee police officer who responded to a mass shooting in 2023. The arrest comes weeks after Amhersts Luke Brissie was involuntarily committed for a mental health evaluation, after he told FBI agents who visited him in April that he was planning on carrying out a mass stabbing at a local grocery store that morning, according to court records. On Monday, Magistrate Judge Katherine Robertson ordered that Brissie remain temporarily detained after she held an initial hearing in his case. Prosecutors have charged him with communicating a threat in interstate commerce, and they asked that he remain detained until his trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because no condition or combination of conditions can reasonably assure the safety of the community he must be detained, Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Merck wrote to the judge. Prosecutors said Brissie sent messages through Instagram on April 5 to a member of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, threatening to bomb or shoot him because he had responded to the 2023 mass shooting at a Nashville elementary school that left three adults and three students dead, according to court records. In his messages to the officer, images of which were included in court documents, Brissie described the perpetrator of the 2023 massacre at The Covenant School in Nashville as his spiritual mother. Brissie also wrote that he would bomb an FBI office, and harm a person he said was another officer in Tennessee. He also wrote that in a couple of days ... Im going to commit mass stabbing at a grocery store called big (expletive) y. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officer, identified as M.C. in court documents, took screenshots of the messages and reported them. Meta Platforms, which owns Instagram, provided police with information related to Brissies account, according to court records. FBI agents in Nashville contacted agents in Boston and told them to locate and interview Brissie as soon as possible, the criminal complaint says. When FBI agents showed up at Brissies house in Amherst, he told them he was surprised the officer received his messages. Brissie also told agents that he intended to bomb the FBI Boston Field Office and had, in fact, planned on conducting a mass stabbing at a nearby grocery store the morning that he was encountered by agents, says the criminal complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brissies message to the Tennessee officer came days after officials in that state released a report into the 2023 massacre at The Covenant School that said the shooter had taken years to plan the attack and took care not to tip off his family or doctors. In his message to the officer, Brissie said he is bipolar, and a note in the docket of his court case says, Theres a competency issue that needs to be addressed. Brissies court-appointed attorney and a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Massachusetts did not immediately return requests for comment. While Brissie described the shooter in female terms, police in Tennessee said the perpetrator of the massacre identified as male. However, officials used female pronouns in the report to comply with a Tennessee state law that says the sex of a person is determined at birth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In January, then-President Joe Biden announced that he awarded the Medal of Valor the highest award for valor that can be bestowed to an officer to five Nashville police officers for their conduct responding to the school shooting. The heavily armed shooter at The Covenant School shot at officers Jeffrey Mathes, Rex Engelbert, Ryan Cagle, Zachary Plese and Michael Collazo as they arrived at the elementary school, according to the White House. Still, the officers entered the school, cleared classroom after classroom, and ran towards the sounds of gunfire, the White House statement says. more news from Western Massachusetts Read the original article on MassLive. Kash Patel has sued MSNBC columnist Frank Figliuzzi over his unverified claim last month that the FBI director had been at nightclubs more than hed been in his office. Patel filed a lawsuit on June 2 in Texas against Figliuzzi, a former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI who now serves as a senior national security and intelligence analyst for MSNBC and NBC News. The complaint accuses Figliuzzi of fabricating a specific lie about Patel over his nightclub allegation, and claimed there was no basis for [the] Defendants fabrication, and Defendants use of the weasel word, reportedly, is itself a fabrication, according to the New York Post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suit called Figliuzzis claim a maliciously false and defamatory statement and accused the columnist of making up the story to discredit Director Patel because of Defendants clear animus toward Director Patel. It noted that the commentator has previously been critical of the FBI heads qualifications. Patel has not spent a single minute inside of a nightclub since becoming FBI director, the lawsuit states. Kash Patel is suing Frank Figliuzzi over a claim he made on MSNBC. / Andrew Harnik / Getty Images The FBI and an attorney for Patel did not immediately return The Daily Beasts request for comment. Figliuzzi has been approached for comment via his website. Figliuzzi, a 25-year veteran of the FBI, made the remark during a May 2 broadcast of Morning Joe. He claimed Donald Trumps pick to lead the bureau was not often present at its headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reportedly, hes been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover building, Figliuzzi said to Morning Joe co-host Jonathan Lemire. And there are reports that daily briefings to him have been changed from every day to maybe twice weekly. The one word that keeps coming back at me from inside that building is chaos, he added. People dont know whats happening from day to day. On the next Morning Joe broadcast the following Monday, Lemire told viewers Figliuzzi had made a misstatement. Figliuzzi said that FBI director Kash Patel has reportedly been more visible at nightclubs than at his office at FBI headquarters. This was a misstatement. We have not verified that claim, Lemire said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MSNBC declined to comment on the lawsuit. FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson wrote on X at the time that Figliuzzis claims were bogus, writing, I see him here at HQ every day. Patels appointment was and has been the subject of significant backlash, given his limited senior law enforcement experience and concerns over his past promotion of pro-Trump conspiracy theories. Well-funded activists and a coordinated social media campaign helped spark the pro-illegal migrant protests on Friday that descended into days of rioting in Los Angeles. Left-wing groups posted calls to action with a location to gather on Friday in unison after the arrest of a local Service Employees International Union (SEIU) leader on Friday. The subsequent uprising echoed scenes of the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020, which brought activists such as professional legal observers into the streets during a wave of protests that led to fires, looting, vandalism and deaths across the country as the organizations leaders enriched themselves. Protests continued in a coordinated fashion through Monday, with some unidentified individuals driving up to others in trucks to distribute protective face shields resembling gas masks, according to a Fox 11 reporter who said he witnessed the trend. Fox News Bill Melugin reported on Sunday that protesters were being provided with ear plugs, gas masks and water bottles that they then hurled at police officers. The FBI is investigating any and all monetary connections responsible for these riots, FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday night. As the chaos built up, activist groups and a major labor union fanned the flames of the anti-ICE movement by fomenting resistance to law enforcement in the streets and online. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) SEIU California President David Huerta helped kick off the tumultuous weekend by getting arrested during ICE raids on Friday morning. The Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges Huerta tried to obstruct federal agents who were executing a lawful judicial warrant while ICE conducted raids in Los Angeles. An affidavit accuses Huerta of conspiracy to impede an officer by directing others to block the path of law enforcement vehicles. SEIU said Huerta was exercising his First Amendment right to observe and document law enforcement activity in a Friday press release. Aligned activist groups and local SEIU chapters began posting announcements on Friday on platforms such as X, Bluesky and Instagram telling people to come to a downtown Los Angeles federal building at 4 p.m. and stand against the ICE raids. Many groups obtained and posted the same graphic for the announcement bearing the SEIUs logo. SEIU California boasts of having more than 700,000 members, and SEIU chapters are funded by member dues. SEIU Californias media team did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundations request for comment. Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights (CHIRLA) SEIUs shared graphic advertised a press conference with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) at the buildings address that ended up taking place. However, after hundreds showed up to the facility starting at 4 p.m., protesters began throwing objects at police, blocking off parts of a street and vandalizing federal property, ABC7 reported. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) declared an unlawful assembly after 7 p.m. CHIRLA is a left-wing, immigration-focused nonprofit that received nearly $34 million in government grants in 2023 under the Biden administration, tax filings show. The group did not respond to a request for comment. Union del Barrio and Centro CSO Another downtown Los Angeles press conference on Friday featured speakers from Union del Barrio and Centro CSO, Facebook video shows. Union del Barrios Ron Gochez told his audience about the need to resist ICE by any means necessary. If we organize, we can kick their asses out of every single ghetto, every single barrio, anywhere where our people are, Gochez said, drawing applause. Who gives a damn about legality, when these people have their boot to our neck, Gochez said, referencing immigration law. We have every single obligation, moral, historical, we have every reason to defend our people, to defend our community, to defend our families by whatever means necessary. Union del Barrio describes itself as entirely self-financed through membership dues, community contributions, and local fundraising on its website, while Centro CSO says it is a member-funded grassroots group. The organizations did not respond to the DCNFs requests for comment. Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) The Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) helped spread SEIUs graphic about CHIRLAs Friday press conference on X. Citizens who know their rights can disrupt and slow ICE incursions, as well as pressure local authorities to take action, another Friday X post from the group reads. The DSA chapter did not respond to a request for comment. Photo depicts vandalized police cars as rioters continue anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025. (Photo by ALI MATIN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images) Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) Los Angeles protesters were seen carrying signs from the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), which encouraged the protests to continue their courageous stand over the weekend and accused law enforcement of escalating the situation. A large PSL banner and PSL signs were also seen behind speakers at CHIRLAs Friday press conference. The PSL is a political party that is not required to publicly disclose its funding, but it is linked to a pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) millionaires network of political and media organizations, the DCNF previously reported. The PSL did not respond to a request for comment. 50501 Movement The 50501 Movement, formed in response to the second Trump administration, promoted the protests on Bluesky throughout the weekend, including the Friday 4 p.m. gathering. 50501 National Press Coordinator Hunter Dunn posted about being personally among the protesters. 50501 is a peaceful movement, its website says. Violence of any kind will not be tolerated. The groups press team did not respond to a request for comment. FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) A former youth summer program co-director has been charged with allegedly secretly recording multiple children in his Groveton home, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Victor Souphom, 52, was employed with the Lao Heritage Foundation (LHF), an organization running cultural music and fine arts summer programs for children in the DMV. Fairfax County police recover body from water amid ongoing search for missing teen Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Child Protective Services (CPS) received reports on May 27 that Souphom was under investigation for unlawfully filming a minor in Ohio, and detectives coordinated with FCPD to determine if any additional crimes were committed in Fairfax County. Police investigation determined that Souphom traveled to Ohio with a group of minors and stayed in a rental home where a video recording device was discovered. FCPD detectives said they had reason to believe Souphom was also secretly recording the children while he hosted events for the foundation in his home. According to police, multiple search warrants found hidden cameras and digital media storage devices in his residences and car. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Souphom was arrested on May 29 and charged with two counts of unlawful filming of a minor. The following day, he was removed from his position as co-director and board member for the foundation, according to the LHF. What to know about Trumps military parade in DC He is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond. The LHF stated that the local DMV summer camp has been canceled, and any further activities are on hold until further notice. Detectives are asking anyone whose child attended events or gatherings with the Lao Heritage Foundation and believes their child may have been a victim to call our Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 6. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by calling 866-411-8477. 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. Members of CEASRA, a local environmental group, demonstrate in front of the Tri-County Landfill in September 2023 in Grove City, in Mercer County. (Courtesy of Jane Cleary) 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. For years, people in Grove City in Mercer County have fought to stop a decades-old landfill from resuming operations in their town. They were worried the landfill would make legacy pollution in the area worse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in 2022, information about the kind of waste the landfill would accept raised new fears. We realized we didnt only have a trash problem, but we had a radiation problem, said Beverly Graham, who lives about three miles from the landfill site and is the recording secretary for the Citizens Environmental Association of the Slippery Rock Area, or CEASRA, the local environmental group at the forefront of the battle against the landfill. The group had found a map of landfills that accept oil and gas waste in Pennsylvania, published by investigative journalists at the Public Herald. One of the sites was Seneca Landfill, owned by the same company, Vogel Holding, that owns the landfill in Grove City. We just became very alarmed, Graham said. Oil and gas wasteand especially the waste generated from fracking in Pennsylvaniais often toxic and radioactive. Researchers have found increased radioactivity downstream from the points where Pennsylvania landfills that accept this waste discharge their wastewater. Despite that, oil and gas waste is permitted for disposal in municipal landfills like the one proposed near Grahams house. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its in the middle of a population center, Graham said of the Tri-County Landfill site. The landfill is close to a housing complex, the airport and an outlet mall. Its only a few miles from Grove Citys Main Street. The site also sits at the crossroads of two highways, making it ideal for trucking in waste from other places, and one reason, Graham said, that the company is so intent on re-opening there. Theres no need for this landfill to open to take local garbage, she said. Oil and gas waste was a key focus in Commonwealth Court on May 6 as CEASRA and one of the townships where the landfill is located made their case for repealing the companys solid waste permit. Lisa Johnson, the attorney representing CEASRA and the township, told the judges what she and her clients view as the real impetus behind the landfill in a state where natural gas production has soared since fracking began. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pennsylvania has an oil and gas waste problem, and they need somewhere to put it, she said. Theres no need for this landfill [in the community]. And why would these environmental harms be inflicted upon the public if its not actually needed? (Paul Horn/Inside Climate News) Johnson said Pennsylvanias environmental rights amendment, which guarantees the right to clean air and pure water, demands that this permit be vacated. Alan Miller, representing the Tri-County Landfill, emphasized the legal definition of hazardous. I keep hearing hazardous waste. Just look at our brief. Theres no evidence of hazardous waste having ever been disposed of in this landfill, he said. Oil and gas waste is not hazardous waste. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The old landfill operated from 1950 until 1990, and modern laws governing hazardous waste did not exist for much of that time span. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act wasnt passed until 1976; important amendments pertaining to hazardous waste disposal were added in 1984. And while oil and gas waste meets the dictionary definition of hazardous, its not classified that way under the law, the result of industry pressure. In Johnsons brief arguing against the landfills permit to discharge wastewater into a nearby watershed, she explained that the old, unlined site accepted toxic wastes like fly ash, foundry sands and 8,140 gallons of waste from General Electric, which included spent halogenated solvents. The company and its attorney did not respond to requests for comment. In an interview with a local newspaper last year, the owner of the company, Ed Vogel, said theres always going to be a few people that are opposed to the landfill. We really try to do the right thing. I have been doing this for years and I make sure we are always following the rules that are in place, he said. He has also said the landfill would cut costs for the company and create new jobs in the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2013, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection denied an earlier application to re-open the landfill, citing a history of non-compliance at Vogels related waste companies, including Seneca Landfill. In 2023, the department reversed course. The company had hired new employees and improved enough that the recent compliance history is on a par with or better than other comparable facilities operating within the Commonwealth, the DEP said. There was no reason to deny the new application based on compliance history, according to the department. But since that time, Seneca Landfill and related companies have been issued notices of violation, Johnson said. That includes four in March 2025, two of them for unlawful dumping and handling of solid waste contrary to rules and regulations. In response to questions from Inside Climate News, DEP spokesperson Tom Decker said the agency was not concerned about increased radioactivity downstream of the landfills discharge point. DEP does not believe there will be any environmental or health impacts from the landfills treated wastewater, Decker said, pointing to the results of the agencys 2016 study on radioactivity in oil and gas waste. That study said there is little potential for radiation exposure to workers and the public from landfills receiving waste from the oil and gas industry, though it also identified a potential long-term disposal issue for TENORM, or Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material, the name for radioactive materials that have been concentrated or altered through human activity like drilling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The study recommended that disposal protocols for this waste should be reviewed to ensure the safety of long-term disposal of waste containing TENORM. DEP did not respond to a question about whether it has started a safety review since the study was published. The entrance to the Tri-County Landfill. (Courtesy of Jane Cleary) The Tri-County Landfill has an approved radiation protection plan, which outlines rules for monitoring, exposure limits and recordkeeping related to radioactive waste. Its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit under the Clean Water Act requires the company to test for radium-226 and radium-228 quarterly. In an interview after the court appearance, Johnson pointed out that the permit does not set discharge limits for radium. Initially, CEASRAs Graham said, the group did not know the landfill would be taking oil and gas waste. When Tri-Countys permit included plans to accept oil and gas and other oil drilling waste, and they learned that Seneca also accepted this waste, the group became even more concerned about pollution affecting nearby homes and businesses. The company has said that the Tri-County Landfill would operate similarly to Seneca and its discharge would be similar to that landfills. According to Senecas annual operations reports, the landfill detected radium-226 in TENORM waste brought to the site more than 60 times between 2021 and 2023. In each of those cases, the materials were disposed of on site. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Black Run watershed, where the Tri-County Landfills discharge point is located, is classified as impaired. Decker said the stringent permitting requirements and conditions imposed by DEP in the NPDES permit ensure that the discharge will not contribute to, or make worse, any impairment of the watershed. The dispute over the Tri-County Landfill reveals the paradox at the heart of laws that regulate pollution in the United States. As Pennsylvanias Environmental Hearing Board explained in its dismissal of CEASRAs earlier appeal of the NPDES permit, laws like the Clean Water Act do not ensure completely clean water or prohibit pollution; they only restrict its emission to certain levels. The law does not prohibit the addition of any pollutants to any stream, the board wrote. Quoting a previous case, the panel noted: The point of the environmental laws is not to prohibit the discharge of all pollutants, but to intelligently regulate such activity so that regulatory standards are met, environmental incursions are minimized, and any remaining harms are justified. These legal limitations are compounded when it comes to oil and gas waste, especially from fracking, which contains proprietary chemicals that companies are allowed to shield from public scrutiny for trade-secret reasons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The public isnt aware enough about what is in this waste, Johnson said. Grahams home is close to where wastewater piped into the Black Run will flow into Wolf Creek. According to resident comments submitted to DEP, these waterways are places where children play and people fish. Fracking is a process that ends with toxic waste, and we are not dealing with that, Graham said. And if youre going to frack, then you need to take it all the way through to the safe disposal of the waste. If the appeal succeeds, it could have implications far beyond Grove City, for permitting and for other Pennsylvania communities where this waste is treated and disposed of. I think that this is an issue that communities and organizations arent going to let go of, Johnson said. The grassroots opposition to this waste being put in landfillsits bigger than just this case. Five months after President Donald Trump was sentenced without penalty in the New York hush money case, his attorneys will square off again with prosecutors Wednesday in one of the first major tests of the Supreme Courts landmark presidential immunity decision. Trump is relying heavily on the high courts divisive 6-3 immunity ruling from July in a long-shot bid to get his conviction reviewed and ultimately overturned by federal courts. After being convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records, Trump in January became the first felon to ascend to the presidency in US history. Even after Trump was reelected and federal courts became flooded with litigation tied to his second term, the appeals in the hush money case have chugged forward in multiple courts. A three-judge panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals all named to the bench by Democratic presidents will hear arguments Wednesday in one of those cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump will be represented on Wednesday by Jeffrey Wall, a private lawyer and Supreme Court litigator who served as acting solicitor general during Trumps first administration. Many of the lawyers who served on Trumps defense team in the hush money case have since taken top jobs within the Justice Department. What Trump wants The case stems from the 2023 indictment announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, who accused Trump of falsely categorizing payments he said were made to quash unflattering stories during the 2016 election. Trump was accused of falsifying a payment to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to cover up a $130,000 payment Cohen made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels to keep her from speaking out before the 2016 election about an alleged affair with Trump. (Trump has denied the affair.) Trump was ultimately convicted last year and was sentenced without penalty in January, days before he took office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president is now attempting to move that case to federal court, where he is betting hell have an easier shot at arguing that the Supreme Courts immunity decision in July will help him overturn the conviction. Trumps earlier attempts to move the case to federal court have been unsuccessful. Attorney Emil Bove, left, listens as Attorney Todd Blanche and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, seen on a television screen, appear virtually for sentencing, at Manhattan Criminal Court on January 10, 2025 in New York City. - Jabin Botsford/Pool/Getty Images US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, nominated by President Bill Clinton, denied the request in September keeping Trumps case in New York courts instead. The 2nd Circuit will now hear arguments on Trumps appeal of that decision on Wednesday. Hes lost already several times in the state courts, said David Shapiro, a former prosecutor and now a lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. And Trumps long-running battle with New York Judge Juan Merchan, Shapiro said, has just simmered up through the system in New York courts in a way that may have convinced Trump that federal courts will be more receptive. Trump, who frequently complained about Merchan, has said he wants his case heard in an unbiased federal forum. Banking on SCOTUS Trumps argument hangs largely on a technical but hotly debated section of the Supreme Courts immunity decision last year. Broadly, that decision granted former presidents at least presumptive immunity for official acts and absolute immunity when presidents were exercising their constitutional powers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State prosecutors say the hush money payments were a private matter not official acts of the president and so they are not covered by immunity. But the Supreme Courts decision also barred prosecutors from attempting to show a jury evidence concerning a presidents official acts, even if they are pursuing alleged crimes involving that presidents private conduct. Without that prohibition, the Supreme Court reasoned, a prosecutor could eviscerate the immunity the court recognized by allowing a jury to second-guess a presidents official acts. Trump is arguing that is exactly what Bragg did when he called White House officials such as former communications director Hope Hicks and former executive assistant Madeleine Westerhout to testify at his trial. Hicks had testified that Trump felt it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election, which prosecutors later described as the nail in the coffin of the presidents defense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps attorneys are also pointing to social media posts the president sent in 2018 denying the Daniels hush money scheme as official statements that should not have been used in the trial. State prosecutors introduced into evidence and asked the jury to scrutinize President Trumps official presidential acts, Trumps attorneys told the appeals court in a filing last month. One month after trial, the Supreme Court unequivocally recognized an immunity prohibiting the use of such acts as evidence at any trial of a former president. A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. If Trumps case is ultimately reviewed by federal courts, that would not change his state law conviction into a federal conviction. Trump would not be able to pardon himself just because a federal court reviews the case. Prosecutors: Its too late Braggs office countered that its too late for federal courts to intervene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal officials facing prosecution in state courts may move their cases to federal court in many circumstances under a 19th century law designed to ensure states dont attempt to prosecute them for conduct performed under color of a US office or agency. A federal government worker, for instance, might seek to have a case moved to federal court if they are sued after getting into a car accident while driving on the job. But in this case, Braggs office argued, Trump has already been convicted and sentenced. That means, prosecutors said, theres really nothing left for federal courts to do. Because final judgment has been entered and the state criminal action has concluded, there is nothing to remove to federal district court, prosecutors told the 2nd Circuit in January. Even if thats not true, they said, seeking testimony from a White House adviser about purely private acts doesnt conflict with the Supreme Courts ruling in last years immunity case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Braggs office has pointed to a Supreme Court ruling as well: the 5-4 decision in January that allowed Trump to be sentenced in the hush money case. The president raised many of the same concerns about evidence when he attempted to halt that sentencing before the inauguration. A majority of the Supreme Court balked at that argument in a single sentence that, effectively, said Trump could raise those concerns when he appeals his conviction. That appeal remains pending in state court. The alleged evidentiary violations at President-elect Trumps state-court trial, the Supreme Court wrote, can be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com IBM (NYSE:IBM) announced Monday that it acquired Seek AI, a New York City-based artificial intelligence startup specializing in natural language data querying, as part of a larger push into agentic AI development. The acquisition coincides with the launch of Watsonx AI Labs. According to IBM, Seek AI's software will become a foundational part of the lab's technological framework. IBM Aims To Turn Manhattan Into A Global AI Nucleus Founded in 2021 by former data scientist Sarah Nagy, Seek AI builds tools that allow users to interact with complex datasets using natural language prompts, automatically converting them into structured query language queries and generating insights, TechCrunch reports. Don't Miss: IBM said in the statement that Seek AI's natural language platform will be integrated into its AI development ecosystem, enabling startups and partners to build applications with conversational data capabilities. The newly launched Watsonx AI Labs is located in Manhattan's Flatiron District at One Madison, where IBM says it plans to build and test next-generation AI systems with engineers, researchers, and startups. According to IBM, the lab will co-create enterprise-ready AI applications spanning cybersecurity, customer service, and open-source frameworks. The facility will also focus on domain-specific AI solutions and prioritize responsible governance, a rising concern among enterprise adopters. New York City's growing role in AI development factored heavily into IBM's decision to base the lab there. According to Tech: NYC, the city hosts over 2,000 AI startups and experienced a 25% increase in AI workforce growth from 2022 to 2023. Since 2019, AI startups in NYC have collectively raised $27 billion in funding. IBM mentioned in the statement that it also plans to collaborate with local universities and research institutions to nurture future talent and expand its innovation footprint. Trending: Wall Street's Missing This AI Surgical Tech You Don't Have To. Invest from $350. Strategic Relocation And Investor Backing Strengthen IBM's AI Expansion Seek AI had previously secured nearly $10 million in backing from investors such as Battery Ventures, Conviction Partners, and NJP Ventures, according to TechCrunch. This map by the state of Alaska shows the location of Mount Carola in the Alaska Range. (State of Alaska image) The federal government may name an Alaska Range mountain after a longtime Talkeetna miner and pioneer woman this week. On Thursday, the domestic names committee of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names is scheduled to meet in Washington, D.C., to consider proposals for new names. On its agenda is Mount Carola, a mountain between Ruth Glacier and Tokositna Glacier in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mountain doesnt currently have a federally registered name, according to U.S. Geological Survey records. Carola June Young, born in 1936, was a longtime resident of Talkeetna and the rural Matanuska-Susitna Borough. She was a former owner of the Fairview Inn in Talkeetna, one of the founders of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, and former president of the Yentna Mining District, which includes Petersville. After her death in 2018, one of her daughters, Michele Stevens, sought to name the mountain which overlooks the Cache Creek area, her home for 40 years in her honor. The naming is supported by the Talkeetna Historical Society, the Mat-Su planning commission and the Alaska Miners Association, which petitioned the Alaska Historical Commission, the last stop before the national board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carola Young embodies the Alaska spirit and is the kind of legend we can all be proud of, wrote Deantha Skibinski, executive director of the Alaska Miners Association, and AMA could not be more proud to endorse naming a mountain after her. During its October 2024 meeting, the board voted 6-1 to approve the nomination and submit it for federal approval. At the same meeting, the board approved the renaming of Arkose Peak to Souvenir Peak, and it approved the naming of a nearby, unnamed mountain to Arkose Peak, reflecting local use by mountaineers and skiers. Both peaks, each above 5,000 feet high, are in the Talkeetna Mountains within the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neither of those proposals is on the federal boards agenda this month, nor is a proposal to rename Nazi Creek in the Aleutians. The Alaska Historical Commission approved that latter change in April, but it remains under consideration by the federal board. The World War II-era name was chosen as part of a pattern of naming features in a grid starting with different letters of the alphabet, and advocates for the change said the original naming was arbitrary. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Its been a chaotic few days in Los Angeles amid immigration raids, protests against those raids and violence that stemmed from the throngs who took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Its prompted the deployment of military personnel to augment law enforcement in L.A., something Gov. Gavin Newsom and other local leaders say is an unconstitutional use of power by federal officials. But the use of the military isnt the only alleged violation of the Constitution to emerge from this crackdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Free-speech advocates have noted that some actions by law enforcement arent targeting those suspected of being in the country illegally. Instead, theyre taking aim at those who stand with immigrants and against federal law enforcement, which they characterize as violations of the First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceful protest. Perhaps the most prominent example over the weekend was the arrest of David Huerta, president of the California branch of the Service Employees International Union, who faces a felony charge of conspiracy to impede an officer after a protest on Friday. But the alleged infringement upon First Amendment rights in Southern California dates back farther than just this weekend. In a report about Stephen Miller, a top White House advisor, pressuring federal law enforcement to deport more people, the Wall Street Journal listed a May 1 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on a home in Irvine as an example of established rules and best practices being thrown out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That day, ICE was looking for Michael Chang, whod allegedly put up fliers identifying ICE officers in the area. Even though Chang had moved to New York the month before, his parents Turtle Rock home was raided while they slept by ICE agents who arrived in a phalanx of military vehicles. Federal officials say Changs fliers were an act of doxxing, or publicizing personal information often with malicious intent. A Department of Homeland Security official responded to KTLAs request for an interview with an agency representative with the following statement: Homeland Security Investigations & U.S. Secret Service served a criminal search warrant in an upscale Irvine neighborhood, targeting the suspect they believe was responsible for posting fliers w/ the names, photos, phone numbers, & locations of ICE agents in Southern California in February. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Aaron Terr, director of public advocacy for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said identifying law enforcement officers is not a crime unless theres a call for violence or harm. In this case, from what we know about what was on the flier, there was nothing that amounted to a threat, Terr told KTLA. Theres no evidence of a threat or intent to harm anybody, just the dissemination of information coupled with political criticism. In the weeks since that Irvine raid, federal officials have kept mum, even as FIRE requested more detailed information, Terr said. U.S. Rep. Dave Min (D-Irvine) released a statement last month saying his office also sought more information, but if they received any updates, they havent been disclosed. Mins office did not return a request for more information prior to publication. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Further complicating the issue, President Donald Trump and his so-called border czar Tom Homan have threatened political opponents and protesters with criminal prosecution, which they say could be necessary to protect the safety of officers. But its not just officers safety that seems to be Trumps concern. Hes said that anyone who protests the military parade on Saturday which is also Trumps birthday will be met with very heavy force. If theres any protester that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force, Trump said, as reported by NBC News. I havent even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force. Terr said that notion doesnt align with the Bill of Rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats concerning because people who are peacefully protesting shouldnt be met with any level of government force Its very important for the government and for law enforcement to understand what the First Amendment does and doesnt protect and to let that guide their 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 federal judge on Tuesday night declined California Gov. Gavin Newsoms request for an immediate temporary restraining order to restrict President Donald Trumps deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to quell ongoing anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) riots in Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, declined to intervene by 1 p.m. PDT on Tuesday and instead set a hearing to consider Californias motion for a temporary restraining order on Thursday. The judge, who is the brother of retired liberal U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, said the federal government could submit its arguments by 11 a.m. PDT Wednesday. He gave California until 9 a.m. Thursday to submit a response to the court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Breyer, a former Watergate prosecutor, is presiding over the lawsuit filed by Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, challenging Trumps federalization of 4,000 National Guard troops and deployment of 700 Marines to Los Angeles. Rodney King Riots Officer Says La Mayor Acted Too Late As Anti-ice Violence Engulfs City Newsom has traded public wars of words with Trump administration officials, accusing the president of having "commandeered" 2,000 of the states National Guard members "illegally, for no reason" without consulting with Californias law enforcement leaders. The Trump administration, meanwhile, said its ICE operations are aiming to get "criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists, gangbangers, drug dealers, human traffickers, and domestic abusers off the streets." Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The INCOMPETENT Governor of California was unable to provide protection in a timely manner when our Ice Officers, GREAT Patriots they are, were attacked by an out of control mob of agitators, troublemakers, and/or insurrectionists," Trump wrote on TRUTH Social on Wednesday morning. "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" "If our troops didnt go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now, just like so much of their housing burned to the ground. The great people of Los Angeles are very lucky that I made the decision to go in and help!!!" Demonstrations against the ICE raids in Los Angeles have escalated into violent rioting and looting, and buildings have been tagged with anti-American messaging. "Instead of focusing on undocumented immigrants with serious criminal records and people with final deportation orders, a strategy that both parties have long supported, this administration is pushing mass deportations, indiscriminately targeting hardworking immigrant families regardless of their roots or risk," Newsom said in one of a series of video statements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor said he's sought an emergency court order against the use of "the American military to engage in law enforcement activities across Los Angeles." Newsom Says Los Angeles Rioters Will Be Prosecuted, Slams Trump For 'Traumatizing Our Communities' "If some of us can be snatched off the streets without a warrant, based only on suspicion or skin color, then none of us are safe," Newsom said. Newsom argued Trumps intervention escalated the Los Angeles rioting, but Vice President JD Vance pushed back on Tuesday. The Democratic governor claimed that California "didnt have a problem until Trump got involved," but Vance asserted it was Newsom's policies that "allowed Los Angeles to turn into a war zone." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Newsom and his stooge Karen Bass fomented and encouraged the riots, because their entire political movement exists for one purpose: to promote mass migration into our country," Vance wrote on X, blaming the governor and the mayor of Los Angeles. "It is their reason for being. Democratic leadership has no solution for the economy, for prosperity, or for security. They use their power when they're in the majority to import millions of illegal immigrants and when they're in opposition they do everything possible to prevent deportations." The vice president said Medicaid was extended to all illegal immigrants in 2024 under Newsoms leadership, meaning that "he elected to take healthcare from impoverished and disabled Californians and give it to illegal aliens." "And now, everything is President Trump's fault? Give me a break," Vance said. "If you want to know why illegal aliens flocked to your state, stop accusing Donald Trump. Look in the mirror. If you want to know why border patrol fear for their lives over enforcing the law, look in the mirror. It was your policies that encouraged mass migration into California. Your policies that protected those migrants from common sense law enforcement." "You sure as hell had a problem before President Trump came along. The problem is YOU," Vance said. Original article source: Federal judge refuses to block Trump's LA National Guard deployment on Newsom's timeframe A federal judge on Tuesday denied an urgent request by Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta to stop what they call the unlawful militarization of Los Angeles by the Trump administration over its immigration raids and subsequent protests. The ruling was issued just hours after the State of California filed a temporary restraining order to block Trump and the U.S. Department of Defense from expanding the current mission of National Guard personnel and Marines in L.A. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer also granted the Trump administrations request for more time to respond to the governors filing. A hearing on the matter was scheduled for Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The request accuses President Donald Trump of using federal troops and commandeering state National Guard personnel to carry out immigration enforcement. The legal filing, part of an ongoing lawsuit against Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the Department of Defense, seeks an immediate court order to halt the expansion of military involvement in Los Angeles. This request comes after federalized National Guard troops and U.S. Marines were deployed there in response to widespread protests against the Trump administrations immigration crackdown. Protesters confront California National Guard soldiers and police outside of a federal building as protests continue in Los Angeles following three days of clashes with police after a series of immigration raids on June 09, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. (David McNew/Getty Images) The federal government is now turning the military against American citizens, Newsom said in a statement. Sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy. Donald Trump is behaving like a tyrant, not a president. The protests erupted on June 6 after Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted raids in the city and surrounding communities. Demonstrations were largely peaceful, but tensions started to flare over the weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, Trump issued a memorandum ordering the Department of Defense to federalize 2,000 California National Guard troops for 60 days and deploy U.S. Marines to the region. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. At least 14 people are facing federal charges tied to immigration protests that have roiled L.A. in recent days, with alleged crimes ranging from assaults on officers and possession of explosive devices to conspiracy to impede arrests. Some are charged in criminal complaints with extremely serious offenses including hurling a Molotov cocktail at Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies last weekend or throwing cinder blocks at federal law enforcement but others face prison time for extremely minor skirmishes with immigration agents that one former federal prosecutor called "sad and pathetic." No one has been indicted thus far. Officials with the U.S. attorney's office in L.A. said they expect the number of people charged to increase in coming days, and the FBI has taken to social media asking for the public's help. During a news conference Wednesday where he accused Emiliano Garduno Galvez, 23, of Paramount, of throwing a Molotov cocktail at sheriff's deputies during a Saturday protest, U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli promised more prosecutions would come. U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli speaks at the Capitol in 2023. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) We are looking at hundreds of people ... we're going to take our time, we're going to identify them," Essayli said. "We're coming after all these people. So let's be clear, this is the beginning, not the end." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In criminal complaints provided by the U.S. attorney's office in L.A., federal authorities accused protesters of blocking vehicles, shoving an agent, grabbing another agent's arm and throwing hard objects believed to be remnants of cinder blocks and rocks toward agents. Among the federal authorities allegedly accosted have been Border Patrol agents. On Wednesday, prosecutors also announced charges of possessing a destructive device against Wrackkie Quiogue, 27, of Long Beach, and accused two other men of misdemeanor assault against a federal officer. According to the complaint, LAPD officers spotted Quiogue with a Molotov cocktail a clear bottle with a yellow rag sticking out of it and as they approached him, he allegedly threw it in the air and attempted to flee. The decision to charge David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California, has drawn the most consternation from the public. The union leader whose organization represents approximately 750,000 people is accused of conspiracy to impede an officer. Huerta was arrested Friday while documenting an immigration enforcement raid in the downtown Fashion District. His detention prompted rallies across the country demanding his release. Union members said he was exercising his 1st Amendment rights. He was released on a $50,000 bond on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal authorities said Huerta deliberately blocked their vehicles, obstructing federal agents access to a work site where they were executing a search warrant on Friday. Video of the arrest shows the labor leader pushed by authorities in riot gear until he falls backward, appearing to strike his head on the curb. Marilyn Bednarski, Huerta's attorney, said shes seen videos circulating of Huertas interaction with federal law enforcement and said she saw no intimidation, no effort to impede the government. Bednarski's comments echo broader concerns with Essayli's approach to protest prosecutions. Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor who is now a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said that, while the cases involving explosives and cinder blocks are certainly "serious crimes," the lesser offenses such as those alleged against Huerta are meant to send a message to protesters: the rules are different now. "It's not the type of charges we usually see come from the federal authorities. I think by bringing these charges they want to send a message that they have zero tolerance," she said. "Where do you draw the line between an organized protest and a conspiracy to impede? It'll actually be interesting to see if a grand jury indicts these cases." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Levenson questioned if Essayli had gone too far in charging Huerta with conspiracy, and she noted that in some cases the allegations seemed focused on demonizing normal protest behavior. "There are factual issues in these cases, like who pushed whom first. Some of the charges, including with pictures, seem to make a big deal out of how the protesters were making obscene remarks or gestures," she said. "That's not illegal. They're doing that to try and bolster what the intent was here." Essayli, a devout Trump supporter and hardcore conservative, also echoed the President's rhetoric of "if you spit we hit" in announcing another protest-related filing late Wednesday. Omar Pulido Bastida, 41, of Los Angeles, was charged with assault for allegedly spitting at an ICE agent through a door when they tried to arrest him for illegally re-entering the country, according the U.S. attorney's office. While viral video has focused on clashes between protesters and state, local and federal agents, the actual number of arrests and criminal charges have been difficult to tally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal prosecutors have brought cases against at least 14 people. While Los Angeles police have arrested hundreds this week on a range of offenses, many are still under review by prosecutors. The bulk of the arrests were for misdemeanor offenses such as failing to disperse or violating curfew, which the L.A. city attorney's office has typically declined to prosecute. On Wednesday afternoon, L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman announced felony charges against eight people for various incidents including assaulting police and burglary. It's unclear exactly how many immigrants have been affected, but federal officials confirmed that hundreds have been arrested by ICE officers and agents since Friday. Protests broke out last Friday as federal authorities served search warrants for four business locations suspected of unlawfully employing illegal aliens and falsifying employment records related to the status of its employees," according to the criminal complaint against Huerta. In an affidavit filed with the complaint, Ryan Ribner, a supervisory special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, accused Huerta of blocking the path of a law enforcement vehicle trying to assist with the search warrant for Ambiance Apparel, a sprawling fast-fashion warehouse. The company was one of the sites of a workplace raid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Ribner wrote that he saw Huerta push back on an officer who put his hands on him in an attempt to move him, Huerta has not been charged with assault. Criminal complaints reviewed by The Times laid out a range of alleged crimes over the past days, including against sisters Ashley and Joceline Rodriguez, who were arrested tied to a protest in Paramount on Saturday. Federal authorities allege that the sisters ignored commands to stop blocking Border Patrol agents' cars. When an agent attempted to move Ashley, she allegedly resisted, broke free and then shoved the agent. Joceline allegedly grabbed an agent's arm "in an apparent effort to prevent the USBP agent from arresting" Ashley. Both have been charged with assault on a federal officer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There appear to be numerous social media accounts of [the] event that conflict with the account of the agents," Kenneth Reed, an attorney representing Ashley, said in an email. Joceline's attorney, Kate Corrigan, said her client was born and raised in California and is a hardworking college student. She said her client's conduct "if any, is minimal and not worthy of federal prosecution." "This is by no means felony conduct," Corrigan said. Also arrested at the Saturday protest was Gisselle Medina, who has been charged with conspiracy to impede an officer. According to the complaint, a man believed to be Medina's boyfriend threw a rock at the agents and, when they attempted to apprehend him, Medina allegedly jumped in front of an agent, grabbed onto the person "and prevented the arrest." Medina's lawyer did not respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "She may not have done the right thing but in previous administrations you wouldn't have necessarily seen that charged as a conspiracy to impede an officer," Levenson said. The FBI is still searching for Elpidio Reyna, who was accused of throwing rocks at federal vehicles and injuring one of the agents as they left a command post in Paramount on Saturday. Among those charged was Russell Gomez Dzul, who was not involved in a protest. Border Patrol agents claimed they approached Gomez on a Los Angeles street because he "appeared startled and nervous when he saw the agents," and abruptly changed course, "moving away from the agents at accelerating speeds." "Based on Gomez's reaction and movements, Agent O.I. perceived Gomez to be attempting to evade the agents, and suspected Gomez of being in the U.S. illegally," a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations wrote in an affidavit. None of the agents were named in the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the complaint, the agents ordered Gomez to stop, but he abandoned the bike and fled on foot. Gomez allegedly physically resisted arrest "by forcefully pulling his arms away from the agents grips." The agents were then able to put him in handcuffs and secure him in a marked Border Patrol vehicle, according to the complaint. As many as 15 protesters allegedly confronted the agents soon after, according to the complaint. In the affidavit, the HSI agent said that, based on a review of footage of the incident, "protesters were filming on their cell phones, yelling obscenities at the agents, and throwing items at the agents, including rocks." In attempting to exit the area, according to the complaint, Agent L.M. opened the rear passenger door of the Border Patrol vehicle where Gomez was seated. When it opened, Gomez allegedly pushed his weight against the door, moved his feet out of the vehicle and attempted to get out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the complaint, in an interview with a Border Patrol agent later, Gomez said he ran away from the agents on instinct when he saw the cop car. Essayli tried to draw a clear line between encroaching on the 1st Amendment and criminal activity in speaking to reporters Wednesday. You have the right to peacefully protest, no ones going to stop you, but as soon as you cross that line into violence, youre throwing stuff, youre throwing rocks, youre throwing bombs, thats unacceptable, it will not be tolerated," he said. "Were going to come down with a really heavy hand. 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. A Department of Homeland Security officer stood watch at the rear of the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building in Tennessee, where Kilmar Abrego Garcia will face federal criminal charges of human smuggling. (Photo by John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Federal prosecutors on Monday detailed legal arguments for the detention until trial of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran man mistakenly deported by the Trump administration. Abrego Garcia was returned to Nashville from El Salvador on Friday to face two criminal human smuggling charges tied to a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He appeared briefly in a downtown Nashville courtroom late Friday, and is scheduled to return to court this Friday for a formal arraignment of the charges against him. That hearing will also consider a motion by the Justice Department to keep Abrego Garcia in custody until the date of his trial, which has not yet been set. A federal grand jury indictment issued under seal May 21 and made public June 6 charges Abrego Garcia with conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain and unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain. Abrego Garcia knowingly and unlawfully transported thousands of undocumented aliens for profit between 2016 and 2025 as a member of the MS-13 gang, prosecutors said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dumaka Shabazz, a federal public defender appointed to represent Garcia in the criminal case, declined comment on the charges Monday. At this date, we are not inclined to give a statement, Shabazz said via email. The criminal charges stem from a November 2022 traffic stop in Putnam County by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, court records show. Abrego Garcia was driving an SUV with nine Hispanic men when he was pulled over for speeding on Interstate 40 in Putnam County, about 80 miles east of Nashville, court records said. He was not charged in the incident. Prosecutors now allege that further investigation revealed the stop involved Abrego Garcia smuggling migrants within the United States illegally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia faces a potentially lengthy sentence: a maximum of 10 years in prison for each person he allegedly transported. A resident of Maryland until a prior traffic stop on March 12 this year, Abrego Garcia was dispatched within days to an El Salvador prison along with scores of other detainees. An immigrant from El Salvador, Abrego Garcia had received an immigration court order in 2019 that allowed him to reside in the United States and specifically barred the federal government from deporting him to El Salvador, where, he said, he feared gang violence. The prosecutors memo seeking Abrego Garcias detention until trial, filed in federal court Monday, alleges there is a serious risk that Abrego Garcia and/or persons acting on his behalf will obstruct justice and/or intimidate the witnesses against him should he be released from federal custody pending his trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They also argued Abrego Garcia is a flight risk and a danger to the community. In their memo, prosecutors said they plan to raise allegations that children without legal immigration status were transported and used in unsafe ways to avoid detection of Abrego Garcias illegal smuggling activities. Abrego Garcia has not been charged with crimes involving the illegal transport of children. Prosecutors also acknowledged that, should Abrego Garcia be released pending trial, he would likely be immediately taken into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to face further proceedings in immigration court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nevertheless, they argued that should he not be taken into ICE custody, Abrego Garcia would have an enormous reason to flee. U.S. Magistrate Barbara Holmes, who presided over Fridays brief hearing, has given Abregos attorneys until Wednesday to file a legal response. This story first appeared in the Tennessee Lookout, which is part of States Newsrooms nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX When the COVID-19 pandemic reached the U.S. in early 2020, it spurred an instant economic crisis. Non-essential businesses were forced to close their doors for weeks on end as Americans were urged to stay home and keep their distance from one another. Don't miss In response to the crisis, lawmakers passed the CARES Act, which distributed stimulus checks to struggling Americans, boosted unemployment benefits, and provided loans for small businesses that needed a financial lifeline to stay afloat and pay their employees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Billions of dollars of these taxpayer-funded relief funds were stolen, according to the Justice Department, which has been investigating and prosecuting pandemic relief fraud. As of April last year, it had slapped criminal charges against more than 3,500 defendants for losses of over $2 billion and $1.4 billion had been seized or forfeited. And the work continues. Recently it announced 14 people were arrested for allegedly obtaining more than $25 million in COVID-19 relief funds and small business loans with fraudulent applications. A total of 18 defendants were charged, but four are believed to be in Armenia. Fox 11 reported $30 million was stolen. This transnational criminal network sought to defraud the government of millions of dollars and almost succeeded, said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles Acting Special Agent in Charge John Pasciucco. HSI is continuing to identify these criminal groups looking to profit from the pandemic and will use all available resources to criminally prosecute or remove them from the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Todays enforcement action is intended to send a message to all criminals who take advantage of government programs designed to help those who need them most, said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. If you took COVID-19 or SBA money you werent entitled to, your door could be the next one we visit. A major fraud ring uncovered Fox 11 reported that Vahe Margaryan, a.k.a. William McGrayan, 42, was the brains of the fraud ring that applied for $47 million in federal funds and managed to get approved for $30 million. He and his co-conspirators allegedly made false documents, including fake bank statements and tax returns, for sham companies that supposedly needed the money. Some of the charges the suspects face are conspiracy to defraud the government, wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering conspiracy. Some of the money was spent on homes and luxury goods, the rest was wired to Armenia, making it harder for the U.S. to trace Most were born in Armenia, but have become naturalized here in the U.S., said Fox 11 reporter Matt Finn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The press release says law enforcement seized about $20,000 in cash, two money-counting machines, paper cash bands or currency straps in denominations of $2,000 and $10,000, multiple cell phones, multiple laptops, two loaded semi-automatic 9mm handguns, and boxes of 9mm ammunition. 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 Crisis profiteering in America Crisis profiteering is the concept of making money from a crisis situation in an unethical or illegal manner. And it can take on different forms. In some cases, it can mean exploiting consumers through price gouging. In the case above, it means stealing funds that were earmarked to help struggling consumers and businesses through a major crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As The New York Times reported, lawmakers approved stimulus bills during the pandemic that resulted in roughly $5 trillion of dollars in funding the largest flood of federal money into the economy in recorded history. An estimated $349 billion went into the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, while $835 billion went into the Paycheck Protection Program. The problem is that lawmakers didn't impose strict requirements for small business aid, allowing it to benefit some companies that didn't need a financial lifeline at the time. Worse yet, funding was so rushed that lawmakers didn't have ample time to put adequate fraud measures in place. In June of 2023, the Small Business Administration's Office of Inspector General released a report estimating it gave out more than $200 billion in potentially fraudulent pandemic relief funds, including EIDL and PPP loans. All told, that would mean that 17% of all COVID-19 EIDL and PPP funds were distributed to potentially fraudulent actors. And this isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened. The U.S. Government Accountability Office said that improper and fraudulent relief payments following Hurricanes Rita and Katrina are estimated at $600 million to $1.4 billion out of the total $6 billion in payments made through the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The same occurred in the post-9/11 days. Disaster relief funds were made available to New York City residents and businesses impacted by the attack. But relaxed requirements on FEMA's part "may have increased the likelihood of fraud in the Individual and Family Grant Program," said the Government Accountability Office. Similarly, 2.6% of the $1.6 billion disbursed after Hurricane Sandy may have been "improper or fraudulent." The problem, of course, is that the more federal relief funds that are lost to fraud, the more money it costs taxpayers. Overall, the federal government loses $233 billion$521 billion annually to fraud, based on data from 2018-2022. The challenge is that in situations like the pandemic, major hurricanes, and events like 9/11, time is of the essence. Relief dollars often need to be disbursed quickly, so theres not ample time to put guardrails in place to prevent fraud. What the government can try to do, though, is be proactive in identifying those who took advantage of the crisis. While there may not be a 100% recovery rate for stolen funds, the more money the government can recoup, the better. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone with information about fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form. 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. The discovery of more than 900 pounds of crystal methamphetamine in a Burnsville storage unit led to authorities carrying out eight search warrants in the Twin Cities last week, according to a criminal complaint filed this week. The law enforcement presence during the June 3 warrant action in South Minneapolis drew protesters who were concerned it was a federal immigration enforcement action. A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment against a 27-year-old St. Paul woman on Tuesday, charging her with assaulting officers during the protest and punching an FBI agent when she was arrested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Information in a federal criminal complaint provides the first details about the scope of the investigation that led to the search warrants. The search warrants were part of a long-term drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking investigation involving a transnational criminal organization, Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Joseph Thompson said in a statement. $22-25M of meth initially seized The complaint gives the following information: The 900 pounds of crystal meth found during a previous search warrant in Burnsville were concealed in multiple tubes separately held in large spools of metal. Agents estimate that, conservatively, this amount of methamphetamine had a street value of between $22 million and $25 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Internal Revenue Service and Homeland Security Investigations executed search warrants on June 3 in Burnsville, Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville, Bloomington, Minneapolis and Northfield. The warrants, authorized by a federal judge, directed law enforcement to search for and seize evidence related to transportation, storage, ordering, purchase and distribution of controlled substances, money laundering, bank fraud, human trafficking, and firearms violations for multiple years. The search warrants were filed under seal and will remain sealed, pending indictment, because the investigation is ongoing. Agents seized evidence at each of the locations, including a set of gold-plated firearms at a Northfield residence. They were adorned similarly to others regularly observed to be used by and seized from narco-traffickers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a Burnsville business, agents saw multiple Scarface movie portraits. Such homage images are regularly observed by law enforcement as adornments to the walls of homes and businesses of those involved in the drug and related money laundering trades, the complaint said. Charges against St. Paul woman Agents started carrying out the warrants at residences at 6 a.m. on June 3 and then progressed to business locations. Shortly after 10 a.m., federal agents began executing a search warrant at a Minneapolis restaurant at Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue. A crowd of people gathered in the area. They appeared to be under the mistaken belief that the gathered law enforcement officers were present to arrest individuals illegally present in the country for immigration offenses, the complaint said. This was incorrect. While some people in the crowd were engaged in legal protest activity, there were incidents of assaults on law enforcement and federal agents worked to identify the people involved. One was identified as the 27-year-old St. Paul woman, the complaint said. Related Articles Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was seen on body-worn cameras and open-source videos she kicked an FBI SWAT officer, pushed another FBI SWAT officer and threw a softball at the back of a Hennepin County sheriffs deputy, according to the charges. She is in custody. Georgia Fort, founder of BLCK Press, wrote that the woman was arrested after leaving an interview at her downtown St. Paul office. Video clips circulating online showed her being assaulted by agents in fatigues, Fort wrote of what happened last week. She also said the womans arrest led to unanswered questions: How did federal agents know exactly where she would be and when? Was she being surveilled? Or targeted for speaking to the press? A Kentucky estate owned by two men accused of torturing an Italian man in SoHo over a Bitcoin password was raided by a team of investigators Tuesday. New York City cops joined federal officials and Kentucky State Police to go through a property belonging to cryptocurrency investor John Woeltz and his associate William Duplessie, according to TMZ. Investigators reportedly have two warrants for an active and ongoing investigation involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Woeltz, 37, and Duplessie, 33, are accused of luring 28-year-old Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan from Italy to Manhattan, then violently keeping him under their control for 17 days before he seemingly escaped their downtown townhouse bloodied and wearing no shoes. Some photos obtained by TMZ call into question how much resistance Caturan offered at certain points in the ordeal. TMZ said one image showed him unrestrained and seemingly using crack cocaine in what appeared to be a party atmosphere. But prosecutors claim Carturans wrists were bound and he was subjected to beatings including but not limited to the use of electric wires to shock him as well as being assaulted with a firearm that was sometimes pointed at his head. The alleged assailants are also accused of using a saw to cut his leg and urinating on him. Carturan said he was relieved of his passport and electronic devices upon arrival on the Prince Street property. He escaped when one of his captors left him alone to get a laptop so he could enter the passport the suspects wanted. Woeltz is known as the Crypto King of Kentucky, according to TMZ. A demonstrator watches while an officer sprays mace following a raid at Las Cuatro Milpas in Minneapolis, Minnesota Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) Law enforcement officers found 900 pounds of methamphetamine in a Burnsville storage locker recently, which led them to raid eight Twin Cities metro locations seeking evidence related to the drug find, as well as evidence of bank fraud, illegal guns and human trafficking, according to a federal court filings. The details of the raid were revealed in a federal indictment announced on Tuesday against a 27-year St. Paul woman for assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers during a protest at one of the search locations, Las Cuatro Milpas in south Minneapolis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The indictment is filled with details that would seem to be tangentially related to the alleged assault on an officer, but shed light on the larger operation. The attempt to execute a search warrant in south Minneapolis led to a contentious confrontation last week between a bevy of law enforcement agencies and demonstrators, who feared an ICE raid amid the agencys increasingly militarized tactics. The indictment also confirms that the operation was not related to immigration per se but was an ongoing investigation of major drug trafficking. Federal officials say they found the meth valued between $22-25 million in Burnsville and were then granted eight search warrants for locations in Bloomington, Inver Grove Heights, Northfield, Burnsville and Minneapolis. They found two gold-plated guns, documents, digital evidence and images from the Brian De Palma film, Scarface, which is a common homage of narco-traffickers, according to the indictment. At Las Cuatro Milpas on East Lake Street last week, officers showed up to serve the warrant wearing the uniforms of ICE, DEA, FBI, the criminal investigation arm of the IRS. The Hennepin County Sheriffs Office was also present as was the Minneapolis Police Department, though only for crowd control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An ICE spokesperson said the groundbreaking operation was Minnesotas first under President Donald Trumps Homeland Security Task Force, which he established via executive order on the first day of his second term. The overwhelming show of force motivated people in the community fearing an immigration raid to protest. The demonstration led to clashes with police A slew of local elected officials questioned the effectiveness and purpose of the law enforcement operation. Gov. Tim Walz called it chaotic. Attorney General Keith Ellison said it seemed like the point was to inflict terror and fear into the community. Minneapolis City Councilman Jason Chavez told MPRs Cathy Wurzer that the operation was intended to intimidate residents. It felt like a very tactical decision to escalate, cause pain and trauma, to the people that live here in the heart of south Minneapolis, and it felt like an intentional decision to unfortunately scare the people that live here. Despite the new information on the south Minneapolis operation, federal law enforcement is still likely to face skepticism in the Twin Cities following the raid, especially given the Trump administrations escalation of immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, which now includes use of the U.S. military. Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE:EXR) is a real estate investment trust, which owns and/or operates 4,099 self-storage stores in 43 states and Washington, D.C. If You Bought Extra Space Storage Stock 10 Years Ago The company's stock traded at approximately $65.83 per share 10 years ago. If you had invested $10,000, you could have bought roughly 152 shares. Currently, shares trade at $149.83, meaning your investment's value could have grown to $22,760 from stock price appreciation alone. However, Extra Space Storage also paid dividends during these 10 years. Don't Miss: Extra Space Storage's dividend yield is currently 4.32%. Over the last 10 years, it has paid about $45.51 in dividends per share, which means you could have made $6,913 from dividends alone. Summing up $22,760 and $6,913, we end up with the final value of your investment, which is $29,673. This is how much you could have made if you had invested $10,000 in Extra Space Storage stock 10 years ago. This means a total return of 196.73%. However, this figure is less than the S&P 500 total return for the same period, which was 244.94%. What Could The Next 10 Years Bring? Extra Space Storage has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a price target of $162.95 based on the ratings of 21 analysts. The price target implies a nearly 9% potential upside from the current stock price. Trending: Invest Where It Hurts And Help Millions Heal: Invest in Cytonics and help disrupt a $390B Big Pharma stronghold. On April 29, the company announced its Q1 2025 earnings, posting FFO of $2, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98, while revenues of $704.38 million came in below the consensus of $763.47 million, as reported by Benzinga. We had a solid first quarter, beating same store revenue expectations, maintaining historically high occupancy, and continuing to grow our capital light ancillary businesses. This led to FFO growth above our internal projections. Despite this level of performance, the recent economic uncertainty has caused us to maintain our same-store guidance, said CEO Joe Margolis. For full-year 2025, the company expects core FFO in the range of $8 to $8.30. FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) The felony charge for a Fort Smith woman recently hired as the citys internal auditor and subsequently fired has been reduced, according to Oklahoma court documents. Rebecca Cowan, 48, was previously accused of felony stalking in Oklahoma. Rebecca Cowan, 48 (Courtesy: Sebastian County Detention Center) Court documents filed in LeFlore County say on March 15, 2023, a man identified as Cowans husband received a notification on his phone that there was an Apple AirTag near him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The man went to a friends house, and they found the tag zip-tied under his truck. Fort Smith human resources director retires amid internal auditor hiring controversy Authorities later found that the AirTag was linked back to Cowans phone number. The man said he was divorcing Cowan at the time and this was not the first time he had been tracked by her, according to the affidavit. A detective with the LeFlore County Sheriffs Office spoke with Cowan over the phone to get her side of the story. Cowan said she only put an AirTag in her daughters bag. The detective tried to contact Cowan multiple times two weeks later, but she reportedly did not answer any of the calls, the affidavit said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The husbands friend gave a statement detailing where they found the AirTag and said Cowan had a previous history of stalking. Cowan was arrested in connection with that case in Sebastian County on June 7, 2024, and was transferred to LeFlore County on June 10, 2024. Court records say on May 21, LeFlore County District Attorney Tim Webster filed to dismiss the felony stalking charge and added a misdemeanor violation of the Computer Crimes Act charge. WATCH: Video shows inmates attack on Sebastian County Sheriffs deputies Cowan is set to appear in court on July 2. Cowans time as internal auditor Cowans time as the internal auditor for the City of Fort Smith was short-lived. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Board of Directors appointed Cowan as the citys internal auditor on April 22, and she was set to start on May 27. Days after her hiring, Cowans stalking charge became public and, on April 24, the board voted in a special meeting to terminate the agreement between Cowan and the city. A statement from a city spokesperson said that the city was aware of media reports concerning Cowan. The applicant disclosed references to ongoing legal issues as part of her application materials, the spokesperson 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 KNWA FOX24. BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) A man was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute. Kajuan Woods, 36, appeared before a federal judge for the District of Vermont after several police encounters last year. He was sentenced to 47 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. According to court records, Woods was in an apartment on St. Paul Street in Burlington when law enforcement searched the place as part of an ongoing investigation in January of 2024. Woods was wearing a satchel at the time which contained nine grams of fentanyl and over $1,100 in cash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Massachusetts woman arrested on attempted murder charge in Waterbury Woods was involved in a second incident in May 2024 when South Burlington police encountered him and a woman passed out in a vehicle while it was running. The vehicle was found to contain nearly an ounce of suspected cocaine, a stolen Apple MacBook Pro, and over $2,400 in stolen clothing as well as a partially loaded magazine for a gun. Woods provided a false name to police during the incident. In a third event, Burlington police responded to reports of a man threatening a woman with a gun, and found Woods with a woman in a car. Woods ran from the police through residential backyards, but they quickly caught up with him and arrested him on a federal warrant. At the time, he had a bullet in his pocket and over an ounce of suspected cocaine, while in the rental car he had been using were a pistol and unspecified amounts of suspected cocaine and fentanyl with $3,200 in cash. A brief tornado touched down in Beekmantown Tuesday afternoon Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Acting U.S. Attorney thanked police for their effort in detaining Woods, while warning that individuals who possess distribution quantities of deadly controlled substances, thousands of dollars in cash, and firearms pose a danger to the communities where they sell drugs, to law enforcement officers, and to themselves. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman has once again emerged as the his party's "voice of reason" after he denounced the Los Angeles riots for their "anarchy and true chaos" and Democratic colleagues attempt to characterize the anti-ICE riots as "peaceful protests." "John Fetterman is once again a voice of reason within the Democrat party," University of Pennsylvania grad Eyal Yakoby, who has frequently spoken to the media about antisemitism on college campuses since 2023, posted to X Monday. Fetterman issued a strong message on X Monday evening denouncing the riots in Los Angeles and included a now-infamous photo showing a rioter standing on a car while waving the Mexican flag surrounded by raging flames. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigrationbut this is not that," Fetterman posted. "This is anarchy and true chaos. My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement." Fetterman Calls Out 'Anarchy' In La, Noting That Dems Forfeit 'Moral High Ground' By Failing To Decry Violence A protester places debris in a fire as Border Patrol personnel in riot gear and gas masks stand guard outside an industrial park in Paramount, Calif., June 7, 2025. The message received strong support among conservatives who have balked at Democrats attempting to portray the riots as peaceful and only turning violent and chaotic when President Donald Trump activated the National Guard over the weekend. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fetterman Defies 'Punitive' Punishment For Breaking With Democratic Party During Bipartisan Discussion "We conservatives were wrong about John Fetterman," one social media commenter posted, referring to how conservatives were quick to denounce Fetterman's 2022 Senate run. "He seems to be the only voice of reason on the left at this point." "You are welcome to come to the winning side like the rest of us" comedian Rosenne Barr responded. "He is correct. As I have always said, anyone who engages in this type of conduct, whether in LA, in Minneapolis, in Portland, or on January 6th should be arrested and prosecuted," New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler responded. "Causing violence, physical damage or harm is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated." Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has repeatedly bucked the Democratic Party. "Why arent more democrats saying this?" Republican Minnesota politician Joe Teirab posted. "To me, this is obvious and common sense." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Senator John Fetterman should lead the Democrat party," another account posted. Fetterman Breaks Ranks, Praises Trump's Middle East Policies: 'Did The Right Thing' "Sen. Fetterman appears to be the only prominent Democrat to denounce the rioting. Everybody else is as quiet as a mouse (or as a clenched fist). Didn't they tell us that Silence is Violence?" another wrote. "True," former Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker posted in response to Fetterman's message. "Once again, my friend @JohnFetterman is simply telling the truth," Republican Alabama Sen. Katie Britt posted in response. A car burns on Atlantic Boulevard during a standoff between protesters and law enforcement after multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Los Angeles County city of Paramount, Calif., June 7, 2025. This is far from the first time Fetterman has found himself being praised by conservatives and typical critics of the Democratic Party. Fetterman was among a handful of Democrats to denounce anti-Israel protests that took over college campuses after war broke out in Israel in 2023. He praised Trump for ending the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran and re-imposing sanctions against the nation in 2018. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Knives Out For Fetterman: Maverick Senator Joins Long Line Of Dems Punished For Breaking From Left President Donald Trump and Sen. Fetterman Fetterman Calls Out 'Absolutely Absurd' Pandering To Far-left Democrats Fetterman was vocal about Democratic missteps during the 2024 presidential election, remarking in the lead-up to Election Day that Trump support in the Keystone State was "astonishing" and condemning Democrats who slammed Trump as a "fascist" after the election. Conservatives are praising Fetterman as the Democrats navigate their future after a disastrous 2024 election cycle that saw Joe Biden exiting the race with just over 100 days left in the cycle and Kamala Harris launching a truncated presidential campaign that failed to rally support against Trump's bid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman's office for additional comment on the matter but did not immediately receive a reply. Original article source: Fetterman emerges as Dems voice of reason as LA burns, conservatives say (Stock photo by Wichayada Suwanachun/Getty Images) Just 21% of Colorado voters want Congress to decrease Medicaid spending, according to a poll released Tuesday. Concerns about gutted health care access come as U.S. Senate Republican leaders work to push through a tax and spending bill that would cut Medicaid by an estimated $625 billion over the next decade. The poll zeroed in on the 8th Congressional District, which includes the northern Denver metro area and parts of Weld County. In the district, where 1 in 4 residents receive Medicaid benefits, 63% of voters said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who voted to cut Medicaid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The 8th District is represented by Republican Gabe Evans, who voted in favor of the plan that would reduce federal Medicaid spending when it was brought to the U.S. House of Representatives in May. A spokesperson for Evans defended the vote, saying a proposed provision to institute part-time work requirements for some people to retain Medicaid eligibility would make the program more efficient by cutting out fraud, waste, and abuse. Congressman Gabe Evans has been steadfast in his support of protecting Medicaid for the vulnerable populations it was created to serve pregnant women, kids, and disabled people, said spokesperson Delanie Bomar in a statement Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evans, who was elected to the House last year, represents one of the countrys few congressional swing districts. According to the poll, 42% of voters in the district want to see increased federal Medicaid spending, 20% want it to stay about the same and 28% want it to decrease. Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for lower-income people and some with disabilities, serves more than 70 million U.S. residents. The poll of 675 registered Colorado voters was conducted by Broomfield-based firm Magellan Strategies on behalf of the nonprofit Healthier Colorado. It has a margin of error of 3.7%. Politicians are saying that they want to cut Medicaid to make it better, but the poll shows clearly that voters arent buying what theyre selling, said Jake Williams, CEO of Healthier Colorado. It shows that theres real political peril for any candidate who votes to cut Medicaid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bomar pointed to the polls findings that many respondents, especially those who are Republicans or unaffiliated, said Medicaid should only be for U.S. citizens or legal residents, with some calling for stricter eligibility enforcement. Immigrants who are in the U.S. unlawfully are not eligible for federal Medicaid benefits, but Colorado and 13 other states provide some state-funded coverage to immigrants lacking permanent legal status. Under the proposed federal cuts, an estimated 7.8 million people, most of them citizens or lawful residents, would lose access to Medicaid, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Some of the main reasons cited in the poll by respondents who said they have favorable opinions of Medicaid are the benefits it provides to low-income Coloradans, seniors, children, people with disabilities and single parents. The poll shows that Medicaid cuts would have devastating effects for both our health and economy here in Colorado, Williams said. I also think it shows that Colorado voters arent dummies. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A man named Regan Prater was charged with arson for the burning of Highlander Center in New Market, Tennessee, on May 7, 2025. The nonprofit has a long history of involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. The FBI stated in a court document that Prater participated in neo-Nazi Telegram group chats online. Earlier this year, Brandon Clint Russell, founder of Atomwaffen Divison, also known as the National Socialist Resistance Front, a onetime neo-Nazi terrorist organization, according to the Department of Justice, was convicted of conspiracy to damage an energy facility in Baltimore. In the fall of 2024, a 24-year-old man, Skyler Philippi, targeted the Nashville power grid with an explosive drone. Federal authorities allege that Philippi was motivated by white supremacist ideologies and affiliated with the extremist group the National Alliance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In my research on right-wing extremism over 30 years, a disturbing pattern has emerged: White supremacists and white nationalists are increasingly willing to use violence targeting critical infrastructure in an effort to destabilize society. Since the Ku Klux Klans resurgence in 1915, white supremacists have pushed for white control of society. In particular, white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups have long advocated violence to establish a white ethnostate, a proposed political entity or nation-state where residency and citizenship are exclusively limited to whites. In the past several years, extremists have started using the term accelerationism to describe their desire to create social chaos and societal collapse that leads to a race war and the destruction of liberal democratic systems, paving the way for a white ethnostate. What is accelerationism? The motivating idea behind accelerationism is that social chaos creates an opportunity for extremists to create a racially or ideologically pure future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scholars who study extremism have used the term accelerationism since the 1980s, but it wasnt widely associated with right-wing extremist violence until the late 2010s. People calling themselves eco-fascists, for example, often endorse mass violence as a means to reduce population and spark societal collapse. Accelerationism is often connected to the white replacement theory, a white nationalist conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that there is a deliberate plot to diminish the influence and power of white people by replacing them with nonwhite populations. While not all extremists who advocate violent confrontation use the label, the calls for violent disruption strive for the same results. Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the Australian white supremacist who perpetrated the Christchurch mosque shootings on March 15, 2019, in New Zealand, labeled an entire section of his online manifesto Destabilization and Accelerationism: Tactics for Victory. Members of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement salute and shout sieg heil during a rally in front of the State House in Trenton, N.J., on April 16, 2011. AP Photo/Mel Evans This primer provides an overview of some of the key groups that have embraced accelerationist thinking, posing significant threats to public safety, democratic institutions and social cohesion. The Order One of the first American groups to embody this ideology was The Order also known as Bruder Schweigen, or the Silent Brotherhood which continues to influence newer generations of extremist organizations, both directly and indirectly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robert Jay Mathews, who founded The Order in 1983, was inspired by the apocalyptic vision laid out in the novel The Turner Diaries. The 1978 book by William Luther Pierce under the pseudonym Andrew Macdonald calls for a violent, apocalyptic race war to overthrow the U.S. government and exterminate Jews, nonwhite people and political enemies. Pierce founded the National Alliance a neo-Nazi, white supremacist organization advocating for a white ethnostate and violent revolution in 1974. The call for violent insurrection and radical societal overhaul has since served as a blueprint for white supremacists and right-wing extremists. The Order believed the U.S. federal government was under the control of Jews and other minority groups, and it aimed to overthrow it to create a white ethnostate. The Order funded its activities through robberies, including US$3.6 million taken from an armored car near Ukiah, California, on July 19, 1984. Its criminal and violent actions escalated to murder, most notably the 1984 assassination of Jewish radio host Alan Berg in Denver by Order member Bruce Pierce. Atomwaffen Division (AWD) The Atomwaffen Division, one of the most violent neo-Nazi accelerationist groups in the U.S., was officially founded in October 2015 by Brandon Clint Russell, a former Florida National Guardsman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russell had been active on a neo-Nazi web forum IronMarch.org since 2014 and announced the groups formation on the site. He used the handle Odin to connect with other far-right extremists. AWD quickly gained notoriety for its violent, neo-Nazi ideology, advocating for a race war and the collapse of the U.S. government through terrorism. The group drew inspiration from the writings of white supremacist James Mason, particularly his collection of essays titled Siege. AWDs activities included recruiting members on university campuses and among military personnel, engaging in paramilitary training, and promoting accelerationist violence. The group has been linked to multiple murders and plots in the United States and has inspired offshoots in Europe and other regions. By 2020, AWD unraveled due to law enforcement pressure, prosecutions and internal splits. Though not fully gone, it effectively stopped operating under its name. Members helped form the National Socialist Order, which continues to promote Masons Siege and violent accelerationism. Active Club Network Active clubs are loosely organized, often regional groups of white supremacists and neofascists who combine fitness, combat training and ideology to promote violence and white nationalist goals. Members protest Pride and multicultual events and recruit members through fighting and combat sports. Active clubs and similar extremist networks use a multipronged recruitment strategy, combining online reach via Telegram and other social media with in-person, fighting-based community-building to attract new members. Neo-Nazi counterdemonstrators shout angrily at the marchers from behind police barricades during the Lesbian and Gay Pride March on Fifth Avenue in New York, on June 25, 1995. AP Photo/Kathy Willens Emerging in 2017 from the street-fighting Rise Above Movement in Southern California and gaining prominence in the 2020s through the rise of The Active Club Network, or ACN, this movement demonstrated a shift from online-only, far-right groups to groups willing to fight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beginning in December 2020, The Active Club Network formed as a loosely affiliated, decentralized web of white supremacist, fascist and accelerationist groups that operate under a shared banner promoting physical training, brotherhood and militant white nationalism. The Base Founded around 2018, The Base represents one of the most explicit modern expressions of white nationalist accelerationism: as it is known by members, its Siege Culture. Founded by Rinaldo Nazzaro, an American living in Russia who used the name Roman Wolf, the group recruited ex-military and survivalists preparing for collapse through self-sufficiency, aiming to spark a race war. The Base was directly influenced by James Masons book Siege. The Base operates as a decentralized network of cells trained in paramilitary tactics, sabotage and guerrilla warfare. Their online propaganda explicitly calls for violent action to destabilize society. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its members have been involved in plots to murder anti-fascist activists, poison water supplies, derail trains and attack critical infrastructure. In 2020, multiple members were arrested before they could carry out an armed assault at a pro-gun rally in Richmond, Virginia, where they planned to attack police officers and civilians. Although several members have been arrested and convicted on a variety of crimes, including conspiracy to commit murder, civil disorder, firearm charges, vandalism and other violent crimes, The Base illustrates a fundamental feature of accelerationism: leaderless resistance, or a lack of a centralized leadership, which helps it survive and thrive. Its ideology and tactics are spread through online forums dedicated to white supremacist propaganda. Patriot Front Founded in 2017 by Thomas Rousseau, Patriot Front is a white supremacist group that emerged from a split with Vanguard America following the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Vanguard America was a white supremacist group that opposed multiculturalism and whose members believed America should be an exclusively white nation. The goals of the organizers of the Unite the Right rally included unifying the American white nationalist movement and opposing the proposed removal of the statue of Robert E. Lee, the general who led the Confederate troops of slave states during the Civil War, from Charlottesvilles former Lee Park. The rally sparked a national debate over Confederate iconography, racial violence and white supremacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Patriot Front defines itself as an organization of American nationalists. According to the Anti-Defamation League, since 2019 the Patriot Front has been responsible for a majority of white supremacist propaganda distributed in the United States, using flyers, posters, stickers, banners and the internet to spread its ideology. The group frequently participates in localized flash demonstrations where it marches near city halls. Such demonstrations have also increasingly made it one of the United States most visible white supremacist groups. In 2024, Patriot Front held demonstrations on patriotic holidays such as Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day. Although the group claims loyalty to America, the Patriot Fronts ultimate goal is to form a new state that advocates for the descendants of its creators namely, white men. Understanding the motivations and tactics of accelerationist groups and individuals, I believe, is critical to recognizing and countering the dangers they represent. 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: Art Jipson, University of Dayton Read more: Art Jipson 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. ***Related video above: City explains no ticket for Cleveland mayors driver in crash*** CLEVELAND (WJW) One year after a crash while driving the mayor, a Cleveland police officer may finally face discipline. The Civilian Police Review Board on Tuesday discussed the investigation into officer Demetrius Woods. Board chair Billy Sharp told us the case will now go before the chief to consider discipline. Then, the board will make the final decision on discipline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawlessness: Hundreds of juveniles cause chaos in Mayfield Heights after church festival Last June, police said officer Woods put on emergency lights, ran a red light and collided with another vehicle while driving Mayor Justin Bibb. Months ago, the I-Team revealed a special prosecutor recommended two tickets. Yet, the officer never got cited even though Cleveland police said he was at fault. So, the officer could face only internal punishment that could range from a letter of reprimand to a suspension. The internal investigation found the mayors driver could get punished for causing the crash, not wearing a bulletproof vest, not wearing a body camera and not filling out a report in a timely manner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why not issue the ticket and discipline internally? we asked the Cleveland law director earlier. Right, we cant do both at the same time, Mark Griffin responded. So, our process has always been, since before I got here, if there is a traffic problem with one of our officers, we pursue internal discipline. At the scene of the crash with the SUV carrying the mayor, the other driver and witnesses blamed the officer with the mayor. Sarah Johnson, a spokesperson for the mayors office said in a statement, there is a distinct difference between on-duty and off-duty. She added that, for on-duty crashes, Chief Todd says we have never done both (tickets and internal discipline). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I-Team: Why so much red tape when you try to get unclaimed funds? We pressed the law director, adding, most people who see this say, if thats me, Im getting a ticket that day. What is different here is theres going to be internal discipline from the employer, and I think thats something thats a higher standard, Griffin said. Had those two tickets been issued, each would have carried a fine up to $150. The mayors driver also would have been subject to $141 in court costs in Cleveland Municipal Court. The final determination on discipline is expected in about a month. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. HELSINKI (Reuters) -Finland's foreign ministry said on Wednesday it had summoned a Russian diplomat over a suspected June 10 violation of Finnish airspace, the second such event in under three weeks. NATO member Finland on Tuesday said it believed a Russian military aircraft entered its airspace off the coast of Porvoo in the southern part of the country, and that the Finnish Border Guard was investigating the incident. "The foreign ministry has invited Russia's acting head of mission to speak on the issue today," the Finnish ministry said in a statement to Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia's embassy in Helsinki did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by Reuters. Finland summoned Russia's ambassador on May 26 over an incident in the same area involving two military aircraft. The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with the NATO alliance boosting its presence in the area with frigates, aircraft and naval drones. (Reporting by Essi LehtoEditing by Terje Solsvik, Louise Rasmussen, Peter Graff) Finlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned Russias charge daffaires in response to a violation of the countrys airspace. The meeting is scheduled for 11 June, but no further details have been disclosed. Source: Yle, a Finnish public service media company, citing the press service for Finlands Foreign Ministry, as reported by European Pravda Details: A charge daffaires is the deputy to an ambassador who assumes their duties in the ambassadors absence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident took place on the afternoon of Tuesday 10 June. A Russian aircraft reportedly entered Finnish airspace over the sea near the city of Porvoo. The Finnish Border Guard is conducting an investigation. This is not the first such incident in the region. Finnish authorities have repeatedly stated their readiness to respond decisively to any violation of national sovereignty. Background: On 23 May, Finlands Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to explain another airspace violation by Russian aircraft. At the time, Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen noted that Russian activity in the Baltic Sea had clearly increased, raising tensions in the region. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated. A large fire reportedly broke out at a gunpowder plant in the town of Kotovsk in Russia's Tambov Oblast overnight on June 11, Russian Telegram channels reported. Residents reported hearing multiple explosions amid a Ukrainian drone attack on the region. Videos posted on social media purportedly show a large fire in the vicinity of the plant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No information was immediately available as to the extent of damage caused. Russian state media TASS claimed that a large-scale drone attack on the region was repelled by Russian air defense systems, which resulted in a fire. The outlet did not mention an attack on the plant. Regional Governor Maxim Egorov said that the fire that broke out was extinguished by emergency services without specifying the location of the blaze. Egorov claimed that there were no casualties as a result of the attack. The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify reports of the attack on the plant. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the alleged attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 0:00 / 1 The gunpowder plant has previously been the target of Ukrainian attack. In July 2024, the facility was struck with a Ukrainian attack drone, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent. The plant was also previously struck in January 2024 and November 2023. The Tambov gunpowder plant is one of the largest industrial facilities in Russia that manufactures ammunition for the army, including gunpowder for small arms cartridges. Its production has been reportedly increased by a third since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The plant was put on the U.S. sanction list in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukrainian forces regularly conduct drone strikes and sabotage acts on Russian territory, targeting military assets, oil refineries, and industrial facilities. On the morning of June 10, drones reportedly attacked targets in Russia's Tatarstan Republic and Leningrad Oblast. On June 6, drones struck a Russian military plant in nearby Michurinsk, Tambov Oblast. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the days since, Ukraine has continued to target key Russian military assets, launching strikes against missile bases and the Crimean Bridge. Read also: Zelensky calls on West to slash Russian oil price cap in half as strikes on Ukraine escalate Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK) One firefighter was injured after a house fire in Longview early Wednesday morning. Lufkin firefighters battle house fire on Ted Trout Drive According to the Longview Fire Department, around 12:45 a.m. firefighters responded to a fully involved house fire at 101 Harlem Avenue where one firefighter was treated and released for an injury after performing roof operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photos courtesy of Longview Fire Department Officials said crews found the structure to be vacant and the fire caused around $68,000 in damage. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Cheng Xin / Getty Images CEO Niccolo de Masi has said IonQ aims to become the Nvidia of quantum computing IonQ (IONQ) announced the acquisition of a UK rival Monday and unveiled results of a collaboration involving semiconductor titan Nvidia (NVDA). IonQ said Monday it reached a deal to acquire UK quantum computing firm Oxford Ionics in a $1.08 billion primarily stock deal. The move accelerates our mission to full fault-tolerant quantum computers with 2 million physical qubits and 80,000 logical qubits by 2030, IonQ CEO Niccolo de Masi said. Qubits are a measure of quantum computing power. IonQ stock rose 3% in recent trading. The shares are down about 4% in 2025 so far. Elsewhere in the sector, Quantum Computing (QUBT) added 7%, Rigetti (RGTI) shares were up 2%, and D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) stock slid 1%. Meanwhile, IonQ reported on its collaboration with Nvidia, Amazon (AMZN) Web Services, and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN) on the use of quantum computing in small molecule drug development. It said the project, which demonstrated a large-scale simulation of a chemical reaction used in the synthesis of pharmaceutical drugs, delivered a solution 20 times faster than previous benchmarks. IonQ said it will present further results this week at the ISC High Performance conference in Hamburg, Germany. Last month, IonQ shares rocketed higher after CEO Niccolo de Masi said aims to become the Nvidia of quantum computing. IonQ is in the business of quantum just like Nvidia and Broadcom are in the business of classical GPUs, de Masi said in an interview with Barrons. I believe IonQ will be the Nvidia player." Read the original article on Investopedia Two years after a cold case unit was formed to focus on missing and murdered Indigenous women and people, an arrest has been made in a case. On May 21, Attorney General Nick Brown filed second-degree murder charges against Tina Alcorn for the 2016 death of George David. David was a resident of Neah Bay and a member of the Clayoquat Indian Band of Vancouver, B.C. He was found dead on March 28, 2016 at the age of 65 in Port Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alcorn, who has ties to Clallam County, was identified early in the investigation as the primary suspect, according to Brown. However, charges Davids death were not filed, and Alcorn was extradited to Arkansas and incarcerated for violating probation on an unrelated felony theft conviction In 2024, Port Angeles police requested the assistance of the new cold case team. Supported by the MMIWP Cold Case Team, the department conducted additional investigation into evidence collected in 2016, including additional DNA analysis performed by the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab, Brown said. I want to commend our cold case team for their work on behalf of victims and families, Brown said. This is a milestone on a long path toward accountability. The Legislature funded this work because so many people would not give up the pursuit of justice for their loved ones. princeton A proposed county spay/neuter ordinance and canine control ordinance with goals of controlling the local homeless pet population are scheduled for first reading today before the Mercer County Commission. A canine control ordinances first reading is an early item on todays commission meeting agenda. This meeting begins at 10 a.m., at the Mercer County Courthouse. County Commissioner Greg Puckett said this ordinance for canine control is a change in the current leash law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This helps clarify that dogs do not need to be tethered to be controlled, he said. The ordinance states that tethering or putting a dog on a leash is a form of control, but not the only way to control a dog, Puckett said. Keeping dogs behind a fence so they cant wander around a community is another way to control them. Making the ways pet owners can keep their dogs under control clearer is a better way to address the countys animal issues, he said. In March, Matoaka residents spoke to the county commission about the problems they were having with stray dogs tearing into trash and harassing people. Weve had these issues for decades, Puckett said. We did have that public meeting and a lot of what came out of that public meeting was ways to solve a lot of these problems. I want to thank everybody who came out. The solutions that are being supported have come out of that public meeting. We want to thank the community and assure them that we heard them loud and clear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The canine control ordinance would include getting a county dog warden. Sheriff A.P. Christian said that under West Virginia Code 19-20-16, counties are authorized to hire dog warden. The sheriffs department would not be the agency hiring a warden. The county has animal control officers, but their duties are focused on dogs and cats being treated inhumanely, Christian said. Dog wardens are authorized to pick up stray and unlicensed dogs that are roaming the county. After the canine control ordinances first reading, Puckett is scheduled to do the first reading a county spay/neuter ordinance. The county tried to institute a spay/neuter ordinance in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of passing an ordinance is to manage Mercer Countys large population of homeless dogs and cats. Both last year and this year, the Mercer County Animal Shelter has declared Code Red situations whenever its facilities were too full, Puckett said. Code Red is declared when euthanasia may be considered to make more room. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In October 2024, the Furever Fixed low-cost spay/neuter clinic opened near the county animal shelter to help decrease the homeless pet population. The nonprofit clinic has been busy with both dogs and cats, said Director Connie Gillespie. Oh gosh yes, Gillespie said. We had that dry spell when we were between veterinarians. We do have a full-time veterinarian now four days a week. We do have a waiting list that we are working on with still over 300. The spay/neuter clinic recently completed over 300 spays and neuters through the West Virginia Spay/Neuter Program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Gillespie said. Since April 1, the program has helped pet owners from Mercer, Monroe, McDowell, Raleigh and Summers Counties. There are clients who do not show up for appointments, but the clinic also helps the neighboring animal shelter by doing spay and neuter procedures. We are nonprofit but we are not a government-run solution, she said. Every animal that leaves our facility that is spayed or netuered has a certification of sterilization their owners can show landlords and anybody else that needs to know their animals are fixed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Farmers and hunters told the commission the last time a spay/neuter ordinance was proposed was that it would harm their work dogs and hunting dogs. Puckett said the proposed ordinance has variances for hunters, breeders and other owners that dont want to spay or neuter their dogs. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com A Republican on the Indianapolis City-County Council has joined other calls for Mayor Joe Hogsett's resignation, following an investigation into the handling of sexual harassment complaints by his former top aide and the revelation of the mayor's late-night, personal text messages to two younger women. Joshua Bain, who represents the south side of Marion County, is the first Republican on the 25-member Democrat-led council to call for Hogsett's resignation. Democrat Andy Nielsen and Democratic socialist Jesse Brown previously called on Hogsett to resign. "Calling for resignation is not something I do lightly," Bain said in a statement June 10. "But the weight of these failures ethical, personal, and professional demands accountability. Immediate change in leadership would be right for Indianapolis." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The call from Bain follows an explosive City-County Council meeting on June 9 in which Lauren Roberts, who is one of three women who accused Hogsett's former right-hand man Thomas Cook of harassment and abuse, was forcibly dragged out of the council chambers by sheriff's deputies as she tried to make a statement to council members about her experience and the subsequent investigation. Though the calls for Hogsett's resignation are growing, it's not up to the City-County Council whether Hogsett stays in office. An impeachment process exists, but is largely controlled by the Indiana General Assembly. Recall elections also don't exist here. However, losing support from the council where there is a Democratic supermajority could make it more difficult for the mayor to govern. It already appears to be impacting his schedule. Hogsett had been scheduled to attend a press conference June 10 to announce a city housing initiative called "Streets to Home" but that event was canceled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: 'We won't allow facts to be buried': Hogsett investigative report omissions raise concerns The Council's Democratic caucus released a statement yesterday stating they were let down by the mayor's behavior but stopped short of calling for a resignation. But the statement added "the mayors past and recent conduct has compromised (public) trust and weakened the moral authority of the office." Democrats called for the city to implement several reforms, including establishing an independent human resources board to replace the city's current human resources division. The council's Republicans are also demanding that the council take several additional action steps, including an oversight hearing, more documentation from the law firm that conducted the investigation and a public addendum to the report that includes any evidence omitted from the official version. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far, just one member of the council, Democrat Ron Gibson, has released a statement in staunch support of Hogsett. IndyStar's recent reporting revealed the mayor's late-night personal texts to younger women made them feel uncomfortable, they said, and they shared those texts with Fisher Phillips investigators who were probing the Cook allegations as evidence of a troubled workplace culture under Hogsett. No mention of the texts appeared in the final report, IndyStar reported last week, even though they directly contradicted some of the report's conclusions. After the June 9 meeting, where dozens of people came to protest Hogsett, another Democrat on the council, Crista Carlino, said she was "deeply considering" calling for Hogsett's resignation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As someone who serves part-time, runs campaigns, evening text messages with staff are things that unfortunately have to happen," Carlino said. "We pull late nights. But the content of those, particularly around the poetry especially for a married man, gives me great pause. Hogsett was married at the time the messages were sent but got divorced in 2023. In his call for the mayor to resign, Bain said there was a "troubling and growing pattern" of issues with the mayor, including a "lack of response" during the 2020 protests in downtown Indianapolis. "That lack of leadership left a lasting mark on our downtown, on our public trust, and on our ability to move forward as a united city," Bain said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Can Indiana mayors be removed from office? There's a law, but it's rare, experts say. Mayor cancels press conference after explosive council meeting Fallout from the City-County Council meeting in which Roberts and her supporters were forcibly removed from the chambers continued the next day. Before the meeting, Hogsett had been scheduled to attend a press conference June 10 to announce a city housing initiative called "Streets to Home." On the day of the press conference, Hogsett's administration decided to "postpone" the meeting to an undetermined date "in light of recent events, in order to keep the focus on supporting our unhoused neighbors." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Faith leaders criticized that decision and said they had suggested that someone else from the mayor's office represent the administration "out of concern for the tone, perception and effectiveness" of the event. "Last night's events at the City-County Council meeting deeply unsettled many in our community and cast a shadow over the important progress we are trying to make through the Streets to Home initiative," according to a statement from Rabbi Aaron Spiegel, Pastor David Greene and Rev. Gray Lesesne. The Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis and the Baptist Ministers' Alliance also released a statement on June 10 criticizing the "disturbing revelations about sexual harassment, retaliation and silencing of victims at the highest levels of city government." Removing Roberts from the council meeting was "further traumatizing a woman who had the courage to speak truth to power." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We say with one voice: You cannot protect future victims by abandoning those already harmed. You cannot legislate equity while practicing erasure. You cannot call yourself a public servant and privately shield misconduct," the statement read. Email IndyStar Reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09. Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, by IndyStar political and government reporters This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: First GOP Indianapolis council member joins calls for Hogsett to resign A customer shops for produce at an H-E-B grocery store in Austin, Texas, in February. The Texas legislature recently passed a bill that would require warning labels on foods that contain certain artificial additives and dyes. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) In a first-of-its-kind effort, the Texas legislature has passed a bill to require warning labels on foods such as Mountain Dew and white bread that contain certain artificial additives and dyes. The measure, now awaiting action by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, would require a warning label prominently displayed on foods containing any of 44 artificial dyes and additives a mandate that would apply to popular foods from Doritos and Skittles to Toaster Strudels and breads made with bleached flour. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It marks the first time a state, rather than the federal government, has tried to put its own warning labels on food. While the bill passed the Texas House and Senate with bipartisan support, its sponsors are eagerly tying it to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s Make America Healthy Again movement. This is about the MAHA parents and the crunchy granola parents coming together to say we are sick and tired of being sick and tired, state Rep. Lacey Hull, who partnered with fellow Republican state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst to sponsor the bill, told legislators before the House voted on May 25. I have personally spoken to the White House, who said they are looking to us, to Texas, to get this done, to stand for our children and for our future, Hull said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abbott has not yet said whether he will sign the bill. It also includes other statewide health mandates, such as expanding physical activity requirements in public schools and setting new nutrition education requirements for high school and higher education students. But the food warning label has drawn the most attention. The label would read: WARNING: This product contains an ingredient that is not recommended for human consumption by the appropriate authority in Australia, Canada, the European Union, or the United Kingdom. This is about the MAHA parents and the crunchy granola parents coming together to say we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Texas Republican state Rep. Lacey Hull Critics of food dyes and additives say they are most often found in low-nutrient, ultra-processed foods that promote unhealthy eating habits and contribute to chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some artificial dyes that are permitted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in foods are not recommended by its counterparts in other Western countries. European Union regulators require warning labels on some foods containing synthetic dyes, saying they may have an adverse effect on childrens activity and attention. In January, the FDA banned the artificial coloring Red No. 3, which is used in many foods and drinks in the U.S. but has been linked to cancer in animals. California became the first state to ban its use in 2023. That bill was sponsored by a Democrat and goes into effect in 2027. But in Texas, the snack industry is pushing back. A coalition of dozens of food industry and business groups including Walmart, General Mills and Coca-Cola wrote a letter in opposition to the Texas bills warning label provision, saying it casts an incredibly wide net and goes too far. Texans deserve honest labeling; but they also deserve public policy thats been studied, vetted, and evaluated for health considerations as well as economic impacts, the organizations said in a letter circulated around the Texas legislature ahead of the House vote in May. Yet opposition from some of the countrys largest food manufacturers may not be enough to halt the MAHA train. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The legislation with the labeling requirement joins other Republican-sponsored bills in the Texas legislature and around the country that reflect Kennedys MAHA agenda, from ending the addition of fluoride to public waters systems to loosening vaccine restrictions. In March, West Virginia became the first state to pass a sweeping ban on synthetic food dyes. At least two dozen other states considered similar food dye bans in this most recent legislative session, according to data from the Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy group that pushes for removal of chemicals from food and consumer products. At the federal level, the FDA under Kennedys direction has also asked the food industry to phase out certain synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, though some of the largest companies have said the timeline may not be feasible. Stateline reporter Anna Claire Vollers can be reached at avollers@stateline.org. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The Laurel County Fiscal Court approved a $46,345,254 budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year Monday during its regular meeting that morning. The court conducted the second reading and formally adopted Ordinance #222.96, finalizing allocations across several county funds. The breakdown of budgeted appropriations is as follows: General Fund: $17,277,585 Road Fund: $5,698,780 Jail Fund: $13,841,000 Local Government Economic Assistance Fund: $37,020 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Forestry Fund: $9,003 Occupational Tax Fund: $8,216,324 Opioid Settlement Fund: $1,083,000 LEPC (Local Emergency Planning Committee) Fund: $6,502 County Clerk Storage Fees Fund: $176,080. A first reading of Ordinance #231.4 a personnel policy and procedures amendment was also conducted. Judge-Executive David Westerfield said the policy will most notably change the countys starting pay from $14 an hour to $16. Each of the items on Mondays agenda were approved, including multiple grant and application authorizations. There was no discussion surrounding the resolutions. These included: RES #2025-05: Extending utilities on Greta Lane Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RES #2025-06: KDPI (Kentucky Product Development Initiative) grant authorization RES #2025-07: EDF application for Durango One, LLC Additionally, the court approved the appointment of Taylor McDaniel to the London-Laurel County 911 Board. McDaniel was appointed due to Robbie Grimes recent resignation with the Laurel County Sheriffs Office, meaning LCSO had no presence at the meetings. Similarly, David Williams was also approved as trustee at the Bush Fire Department. The court also hired Kyle House to work with the Road Department. Further, the court reviewed and approved the countys fiscal year-end audit for June 30, 2023, as well as the accounts payables. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The meeting adjourned with the adoption of the 2025-2026 budget. 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 Thursday, June 26. SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Port Commission officially received the Port's proposal to remake the very heart of Fisherman's Wharf into a more viable and attractive center of the world-famous tourist site. It involves bulldozing one famous restaurant, possibly rehabbing two others, creating a new pedestrian plaza and making historic fishing boats the centerpiece. Revitalizing Fisherman's Wharf What we know First and foremost, the plan calls for tearing down the long-closed Alioto's Restaurant and converting the space into an open-air portal with spectacular western-facing vistas within a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sal Alioto, captain of the fishing boat Golden Gate, is a member of the famed Alioto family. "So, once they open up the total view of Fisherman's Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge and visualize the sunset at night this will be a gorgeous view," said Alioto. "It's always sad to lose something that's iconic and Alioto's the first restaurant on the wharf, the first building on the wharf," said third-generation San Francisco Lana Costantini of the SF Historical Society. She adds, "I think it gives us an opportunity to rethink parts of our city and how we reuse it and how we engage with the space there." Another major goal, is to vastly improve the Inner Lagoon docks and lighting for historical fishing vessels; one of the wharf's most iconic attractions and the largest fishing center on the California coast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "And that's what the port wants to do is to keep it viable. They want people to come down here and buy fresh fish off the boats which is a good thing," said Alioto. Another goal: improve business conditions and requirements to get both long-term and pop-up businesses to attract tourists and locals to the wharf. Dining mecca Don McFarland is one of five generations who own and operate Salbella and Latorre Italian Restaurant and crab stand, and says the wharf can again be a dining mecca. "In the heyday, we used to generate over 30% of revenue for the city just on this block from Gardino's down to Grotto's place," said McFarland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Historic Fisherman's Grotto and Tarantino's could find new owners. But it all must maintain the Fisherman's Wharf legacy. "If they're gonna keep the history, it will be wonderful. It's all about keeping the history of Fisherman's Wharf," said Alioto. With Alioto's, Fisherman's Grotto and Tarantino's all empty now, The Port of San Francisco and the City of San Francisco have an enormous opportunity to turn this into something unimaginably successful in the center of one of the most important tourist areas on Earth. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The United States Coast Guard intercepted a boat carrying five migrants Monday off the coast of San Diego. The 20-foot pleasure craft was interdicted about four miles southwest of Point Loma, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a news release Tuesday. Coast Guard suspends search for six after plane crashes into ocean off San Diego All five migrants, claiming Mexican nationality, were transferred to the custody of Imperial Beach Border Patrol at Ballast Point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident comes a day after seven migrants aboard another boat were detained Sunday about eight miles south of Point Loma. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Prosecutors in eastern France on Wednesday requested a winemaker accused of producing and selling fake champagne in an elaborate scam be sentenced to four years in prison, with three years of the term suspended. Didier Chopin, 56, was also requested to pay a fine of 100,000 euros on charges of fraud and theft of a protected brand name at the trial, which started on Tuesday. The winemaker from the Aisne region produced and sold hundreds of thousands of fake champagne bottles for a year, between 2022 and 2023. He produced the champagne with wines from Spain and southern France, to which he added aromas and carbonised gas to make them sparkling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The total value of the fraud was estimated at several millions of euros. The prosecution at the Reims criminal court also requested that the winemaker's wife incur a suspended prison sentence of two years and a fine of 100,000 euros on the same charges of fraud and theft of a protected brand name. The prosecution denounced "a cynical and premeditated logic of profit," and requested that the couple be definitively banned from running a business and from exercising any industrial or commercial professions in the champagne sector. The confiscation of all seized possessions and the destruction of all seized bottles was also requested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The couple's holding company, SAS Chopin, was requested to pay a 300,000 euro fine on charges of embezzlement and misuse of company assets. The court is expected to announce its verdict on September 2. "This is a sad conclusion. I made a mistake, I am ruined and I have nothing else to add," Chopin told reporters. The winemaker's lawyer, Francis Fossier, had argued for a fully suspended prison sentence. His client had already spent "seven months" in prison in Morocco "in horrible conditions," said Fossier. After the champagne fraud was revealed by former employees in 2023, Chopin had fled to Morocco and launched a new vegetable farming business there. He was then arrested, convicted and sentenced to prison on accusations linked to uncovered cheques. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The part of the trial relating to customs violations -- concerning the export of the fake champagne outside of France -- has been adjourned to February 3, 2026. The winemaker also faces another legal procedure after five former employees accused him of sexual assault. cor-etb-mct/sjw/rl Protestors opposing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) gathered outside Seattles federal building on Tuesday, clashing with police at one point and making makeshift barricades. The protests, one of many across the nation happening now, took place early Tuesday morning outside the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building on 1st Avenue in downtown Seattle. Protestors gathered in solidarity with the anti-ICE raid protests in Los Angeles, which have drawn national attention both for the intensity of the protests and the response from President Donald Trumps sending in the National Guard and Marines to quell the protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group in Seattle was seen throwing dozens of e-bikes and scooters in front of the federal building, piling them up at doors and the exit to the building parking garage. The build-up of bikes and scooters that were zip-tied together to create a barricade outside the building to slow down an ICE bus from leaving. In a statement to KIRO 7, an ICE representative wrote: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement fully respects the Constitutional rights of all people to peacefully express their opinions. That being said, ICE remains committed to performing its immigration enforcement mission consistent with federal law and agency policy. While June brings several holidays, like Juneteenth and Fathers Day, theres a more obscure holiday this Fathers Day weekend. Flag Day lands on the Saturday before Fathers Day this year, which is always the third Sunday in June. It isnt a federal holiday and most people in the U.S. dont get the day off of work, but most will this year, since it lands on a weekend day. Heres when Flag Day 2025 is, what it is, why its observed and how it started. When is Flag Day 2025? Flag Day, which is observed on the same day in June every year, falls on the day before Fathers Day this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flag Day 2025 will fall this Saturday, June 14, and Fathers Day is the next day, on Sunday, June 15. When is Fathers Day 2025? Here's the date and origin story for the June holiday for dads What is Flag Day celebrated for? Flag Day commemorates the day that the Continental Congress decided what the official American flag would look like: June 14, 1777. According to legend, in 1776, George Washington commissioned Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross to create a flag for the new nation, The Library of Congress says. Scholars, however, credit the flags design to Francis Hopkinson, who also designed the Great Seal and first coin of the United States. Even so, Ross most likely met Washington and certainly sewed early American flags in her familys Philadelphia upholstery shop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Library of Congress, there have been 27 different official versions of the American flag, with the arrangement of stars varying until President Taft standardized the flag to 48 stars in six rows of eight. The current version of the flag with all 50 stars was standardized on July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became the 50th state on August 21, 1959. Is U.S. mail delivered on Flag Day? Yes. Flag Day is not a federal holiday and doesnt mean a break from work or normal government-funded operations like mail service when it falls on a weekday. But this year, those who dont work weekends will have the day off because it falls on a Saturday in 2025. When did Flag Day start in the U.S.? Why was June 14 chosen as Flag Day? Flag Day commemorates June 14, 1776, which is the day the Continental Congress agreed on what the nations flag would look like. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1916, President Wilson issued a proclamation of June 14 as Flag Day. And more than 30 years later, in 1949, President Truman signed a formal observance of the holiday into law. But the creation of Flag Day pre-dates Wilsons proclamation and started in the 1880s, with a school teacher in Waubeka, Wisconsin, a small town about 35 miles outside of Milwaukee. On June 14, 1885, Bernard J. Cigrand, an 18-year-old Waubeka native teaching at Stony Hill School, put a flag in his inkwell and assigned his students an essay about what the flag means to them, PBS says. Cigrand left the next year for dental school in Chicago, but he never gave up his advocacy for a national day dedicated to the flag. Cigrand realized his dream in 1916 when Wilson issued his proclamation. Is Flag Day the same as the Army's birthday? Yes! Flag Day shares a date with the birth of the U.S. Army, which pre-dates the decision of what the American flag would look like by two years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "According to U.S. Army history reports, on June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress authorized the formation of 10 companies from Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia to march to Boston to support the war against England for independence and put it under the command of General George Washington a few days later on June 19, 1775," according to Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA), the Department of Defense's largest military installation. "This army was known as the Army of the United Colonies until its name was changed to the Army of the United States after the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776." This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Flag Day this Father's Day weekend: What to know about the obscure holiday We recently published a list of Jim Cramer Put These 14 Stocks Under the Microscope. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D) stands against other stocks that Jim Cramer discusses. A caller inquired about Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D), given that the current administration seems to be against clean energy. Heres what Cramer had to say in response: I like Dominion. Its fine. For a while, I was worried about the balance sheet. I think were okay. I think were okay with Dominion. Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D) delivers regulated electricity and natural gas services, supported by a diverse energy portfolio that includes substantial generation and distribution infrastructure. The company focuses on both traditional and renewable energy solutions. In October 2024, Cramer was not sure about the company and said that he was not quite ready to recommend it at that time. However, he still mentioned some positives as he commented: A block of flats has been illegally releasing wastewater straight into a river for more than 35 years, a water company has said. Southern Water said it found the worst misconnection staff had ever seen at Royal Court on Upper Grosvenor Road in Southampton. Ben Trinder, from the water operator's illegal connections team, said since 1989 it could have released 11 million litres of sewage into the River Itchen from toilets alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company said it was now working to put the situation right. Mr Trinder, who tracks the sources of contamination into surface water drains from homes and businesses, said: "I've never seen anything like this before. "It can take a lot of work to track down one faulty connection but it's important work as a single loo can produce 20,000 litres of sewage a year." 'Off the charts' He said in addition to the sewage, water from showers, baths, dishwashers and washing machines would also have flowed into the river. "We knew we were on to something big as soon as we started sampling the contamination was off the charts," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The team lifted a series of manholes to trace the issue and eventually arrived at Upper Grosvenor Road. "We put our CCTV camera down the surface water pipe and couldn't believe our eyes rows of private sewage pipes were punched through the side and into the drainage pipe," Mr Trinder recalled. "This pipe then runs straight into the Itchen." Darko Zlatarek, the misconnections team leader, said the case was "on another level". He described the Itchen as "such a sensitive habitat" and said Southern Water was "spending millions in the area to protect wildlife and support a council application for a new bathing water designation". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company was hit with a 90m fine four years ago, after raw sewage was discharged across Hampshire, West Sussex and Kent. Rows of private sewage pipes were connected to the drainage pipe [Southern Water] Usually it is the duty of householders to correct misconnections. But Southern Water said the "scale and importance" of the find meant it was seeking the landowner's permission to fix it without charge. Since the discovery the company has been pumping out the sewage before it reaches the Itchen and taking it away by tanker to be treated. It recently signed deals worth approximately 540m to "boost" its wastewater network performance across the South East. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its customers have been hit by the biggest increase in water bills in the UK, though chief executive Lawrence Gosden defended the decision to MPs earlier this year. 'Very disturbing' Resident Chungching Tai described the situation as "surprising" and "awful". "I take my children to the riverside park quite often and I see a lot of water activity over there, a lot of animals... people are sailing. "It's no wonder sometimes it didn't smell very good." Michael Tarcuta added: "It was shocking to hear, especially with the harm that's bringing to the environment. It was unexpected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It definitely doesn't sit well in the mind knowing that my waste is going into the actual river." Teams lifted a series of manholes to trace the issue [BBC] Paul Vignaux, executive director for the Test and Itchin Association, said when he heard about the size of the misconnection his first feeling was "dread". "I couldn't believe that something could go on for so long undetected," he said, adding that it was "very disturbing to see illegal connections of raw sewage piling into the river". He said: "Sewage contains nitrates and phosphates and those lead to what's called eutrophication which is a reduction in oxygen in the river." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the Itchen was a "key area where salmon lay up on their migration up the river and that will physically halt them". Phosphates in detergents were "equally as bad" as raw sewage because of the ammonia levels, he explained. The 15 flats were constructed in 1989, prior to the creation of Southern Water. A spokesperson for Southampton City Council said a building regulation application for the building's construction was made with the city council the year before. "Unfortunately, because the application was submitted more than 35 years ago, we do not hold any site inspection records as such records relating to applications are only required to be kept for 15 years," they explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The legal responsibility for complying with building regulations rests with the developer who undertook the work, who would also be responsible for liaising with Southern Water and connecting the drainage systems in the correct manner." The BBC has attempted to contact the developer for comment. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. More on this story Related internet links The Brief Silver Airways has shut down all operations as of Wednesday, June 11. The airline filed for bankruptcy in December 2024. In a statement, Silver Airways said all future flights have been canceled and told passengers not to go to the airport. HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - Silver Airways announced early Wednesday that it is ceasing operations immediately, canceling all upcoming flights. The backstory The airline, which was based in Hollywood, Florida, and had a hub in Tampa, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time, Silver Airways promised to continue normal operations, but some flights were abruptly canceled as far back as early March. PREVIOUS: Silver Airways cancels all flights at Orlando International Airport without notice, files bankruptcy The airline was founded in 2011 and previously served Tampa, Orlando, Pensacola, Fort Lauderdale and Key West, along with airports in the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Silver Airways debuted their ATR-42-600s at the Farnborough International Air Show in 2018. (Photo credit: Silver Airways) Early Wednesday, Silver Airways posted a statement on its website, writing: "We regret to inform you that we are ceasing operations as of today, June 11, 2025. In an attempt to restructure in bankruptcy, Silver entered into a transaction to sell its assets to another airline holding company, who unfortunately has determined to not continue Silvers flight operations in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Please do not go to the airport. All credit card purchases should be refundable through your credit card company or your travel agency." Big picture view "Airline bankruptcies are sadly not uncommon, but airlines shutting down are rare," Henry Harteveldt, an Airline Industry Analyst with Atmosphere Research Group, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harteveldt says the abrupt circumstances of this shutdown are unusual. "For an airline to shut down during the peak summer season is very unusual," Harteveldt said. He also pointed out that hundreds of employees suddenly lost their jobs as a result. Drew Dawson, a Professor of Bankruptcy Law at the University of Miami, says the airline operated with very slim margins. "If you look at Silver, they're kind of like, a long history of going in and out of bankruptcy, or different regional carriers that have failed and reunited through bankruptcy," Dawson said. Silver Airways has shut down all operations as of Wednesday, June 11. He says the industry of airlines operating on slim margins is competitive and that any sort of disruption can throw off the whole business model. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They had a fairly small fleet when they entered bankruptcy, right, and it just kept getting smaller," Dawson said. Experts say Silver Airways serves a number of vacation destinations, in addition to business travel around Florida. "One thing that dogged Silver for a long time has been its poor on-time performance," Harteveldt said. It's not clear who was poised to buy the airline. "When one company buys another, you expect that they are buying it to continue operating that company, whether it's an airline or a donut shop, right?" Harteveldt said. "But for them to have made this assessment that Silver was not worth continuing as an ongoing business is extremely rare and quite a shock." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source This story was written with information provided by Silver Airways in a statement posted on June 11, 2025, along with previous FOX 13 News reports. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Florida has taken some big steps in the fight against sexually explicit deepfakes. On June 10, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed five bills designed to protect children against sexual crimes. The bills expand Florida laws against luring or enticing children, add more registration and reporting requirements for sexual predators and offenders and mandate minimum terms for subsequent offenses, add harsher penalties including the death penalty for anyone convicted of human trafficking for sexual exploitation of children under 12 or individuals who are mentally incapacitated, and provide an enforceable framework to remove deepfake material from online platforms. The bill against deepfakes is called "Brooke's Law" after Brooke Curry, the daughter of former Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry, who was 16 when a teenage boy she didnt know used a picture from her Instagram account to create an image she later described as embarrassing, vulgar, rude and against everything I stand for. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Curry, now 18, testified at a Florida House of Representatives committee hearing for passage of House Bill 1161 and was on hand when DeSantis signed the bill. Florida has zero tolerance for criminals who exploit children, DeSantis said. Throughout my time in office, we've worked with the legislature to strengthen penalties for child abuse, hold predators accountable, and ensure that Florida remains a safe place to raise a family. Here's what to know. What are deepfakes? "Deepfakes" are fake images or video created through graphics software or AI generators of real people. Faces taken from social media posts or other pictures available online are photoshopped onto adult movie actresses or models or used to generate explicit AI-generated content without consent, which is then shared around school, sent to family members or employers, or uploaded to websites for millions to see. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Software to create convincing deepfake nudes has become increasingly accessible and the content it produces is often indistinguishable from real images and video. It's used as a tool of abuse, humiliation and harassment that disproportionately targets teenage girls and women. Celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Jenna Ortega and Megan Thee Stallion have seen false sexual imagery of themselves spread across the web, and women politicians are frequent targets. One in eight teens age 13 to 17 personally know someone who has been victimized by deepfake nudes, according to a report from Thorn, a nonprofit company focused on childhood safety online. One in 17 said they were a direct victim. Deepfake penalties: Students used AI to create nude photos of their classmates. For some, arrests came next. Law enforcement was slow to address the problem as they worked out how to address the everchanging murky world of cybercrime, and many websites refused to remove images or video after they were reported. If they were removed, offenders would share them somewhere else, further traumatizing the victim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May, President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan Take It Down Act to federally criminalize publication of non-consensual intimate imagery, also known as NCII. The law requires social media platforms and similar websites to remove nonconsensual intimate imagery defined as including realistic, computer-generated pornographic images and videos that depict identifiable, real people within 48 hours of notice from a victim. What does HB 1161 'Brooke's Law' do? Florida's HB 1161, Removal of Altered Sexual Depictions Posted without Consent, provides victims with a legal mechanism to fight deepfakes by requiring specified websites and online services to establish a process for victims to request removals, with a clear and conspicuous notice of the process in easy-to-understand language. Once a victim makes a written request for removal, the platform must remove the content and any copies within 48 hours. Failure to reasonably comply will be considered an unfair or a deceptive act or practice under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, subject to cease and desist orders and civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation, plus actual damages and attorney's fees and costs. The bill provides liability protections for platforms that act in good faith. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The platforms are required to establish a clear and prominent process for reporting such content. Email providers, information services and websites whose content is not user-generated are not included. The bill is effectively immediately. What does HB 777, Offenses Involving Children do? HB 777 expands the laws on luring and enticing children: Expands the age of the victim involved to be any child under 14 (previously it was a child under 12) Prohibits a person 18 years of age or older from intentionally luring or enticing, or attempting to lure or entice, a child under the age of 14 into or out of a structure, dwelling, or conveyance for other than a lawful purpose 1st violation: Bumped up from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony 2nd or subsequent violation: Bumped up from a third-degree felony to a second-degree felony If committed by an offender with a previous violation of certain offenses: Bumped up from a third-degree felony to a second-degree felony Expands the scope of the offense by including "or out of" buildings and vehicles, not just into one Prohibits ignorance of the victim's age, misrepresentative of the victim's age by another person, or what the defendant sincerely believed the victim's age as a legal defense Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This bill takes effect Oct. 1, 2025. What does HB 1351, Registration of Sexual Predators and Sexual Offenders do? HB 1351 adds sexual predator and offender reporting requirements to block some reporting loopholes, including: Requires registrants to report their occupation, business name, employment address, and employment phone number Requires sexual offenders and predators to report in-state travel residences within 48 hours either online through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)s online system or in person with the sheriffs office, removes a requirement to report it to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Requires local law enforcement agencies to conduct address verifications of sexual offenders at least one time per calendar year and sexual predators four times per calendar year to ensure the accuracy of the information Clarifies that permanent residence, as far as sexual predator and sexual offender registration and reporting requirements go, means the persons home or other place where the person primarily lives This bill takes effect Oct. 1, 2025. What does HB 1455, Sexual Offenses by Persons Previously Convicted of Sexual Offenses do? HB 1455 provides mandatory minimum sentences for certain sexual offenses when committed by registered offenders or predators: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Requires a court to impose a mandatory minimum sentence if a person who has previously been convicted of a specified sexual offense is convicted of committing a subsequent specified sexual offense, even if the mandatory minimum exceeds the maximum authorized sentence 10 years for: Lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim under 16 years of age Lewd or lascivious molestation of an elderly or disabled person Online solicitation of a minor, traveling to meet a minor, or prohibited computer usage Possession or transmitting of child pornography 15 years for possession of child pornography with the intent to promote 20 years for: Use of a child in a sexual performance Promoting a sexual performance by a child Buying or selling minors Specifies that except in the case of a pardon or conditional medical release, a person sentenced must serve the full minimum sentence This bill takes effect Oct. 1, 2025. What does SB 1804 Capital Sex Trafficking do? SB 1804 establishes a new felony offense, "Capital Human Trafficking of Vulnerable Persons for Sexual Exploitation," and makes it a capital offense punishable by life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or death. Under the law, Capital Human Trafficking of Vulnerable Persons for Sexual Exploitation is committed by a person 18 years or older who knowingly initiates, organizes, plans, finances, directs, manages, or supervises a venture that has subjected a child less than 12 years of age, or a person who is mentally defective or mentally incapacitated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Supreme Court has held that death sentences are limited to murder cases with at least one aggravating factor. "No one has been executed for a non-murder offense in this country since 1964," an analysis of the bill states, and life imprisonment without the possibility of parole is the current maximum sentence for capital sexual battery due to a string of court cases in both the U.S. and Florida Supreme Courts. According to deathpenaltyinfo.org, six other states Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas and the U.S. military allow for death sentences for various specifications of underage rape. There have been no executions under those laws so far, and two people sentenced in Louisiana had their sentences overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. This bill takes effect Oct. 1, 2025. Steve Patterson, Florida Times-Union, contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida strengthens laws against deepfake nudes, sex trafficking A 52-year-old woman from Live Oak was detained after a check-in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Tallahassee. Now, her daughter says she's been handcuffed and shackled by the ankles, and is being denied a translator and medication for her diabetes. On June 3, Maria Isidro thought she was going to check in with immigration in Tallahassee, an 82-mile drive, to talk about her case. At least, that's what ICE told her. She thought to herself, "Maybe they need more paperwork?" Since arriving to the United States from Mexico in 1998, she has never missed an immigration check-in, and she was approved for an I-130 a "petition for alien relative" in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When she arrived, however, she was detained. Even though she has applied and been approved for a "stay for deportation" every year since she received an order for removal in 2004, ICE officials took her belongings and only gave her a few minutes to call her husband to tell him what was happening. "That's when our nightmare has started," said her daughter, 31-year-old Vanessa Isidro-Gonzalez. Requests for comment are pending with an ICE spokesperson. "Every time she would go to an appointment, she would pray about it. But ... we're humans, we have flesh, we have bones, we have feelings. We were scared. Probably in our hearts and our minds, we knew this was going to happen," Isidro-Gonzalez told the USA TODAY Network Florida. Over the week after she was detained, Isidro was transferred to Orlando and then to Broward Detention Center in Pompano Beach, where she called her daughter crying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Law enforcement shackled her ankles to hips, and hips to wrist and she spent the night in a bus with other detainees. When they would ask for air conditioning, law enforcement would blast cold air until it was freezing, Isidro-Gonzales said. When the detainees said it was too cold, law enforcement would then crank up the heat. "Her feet hurt, her ankles hurt, her wrists, her hips were hurting, and they were bruised from where (the immigration officers) have been pulling on them. She has not been receiving any medication. She only received it one time, and it was insulin, something that she's never done before," Isidro-Gonzalez said. Her mother said when she asked for a translator, a law enforcement officer told her, "You should know English by now." Live Oak, Florida native Maria Isidro, third from the left, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Tallahassee in early June. Isidro is now being transferred to Texas, where many detainees go to be seen by a judge and then booked on a flight for removal. Immigration lawyers generally say it's because judges in the Lone Star State are known to be "tougher," and it's closer to the U.S.-Mexico border. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also makes it harder for legal counsel, who have to refile paperwork every time a detainee gets moved to another federal jurisdiction. As previously reported, federal agents executing President Donald Trump's mass deportation plans have quickly escalated their efforts. In May, officers began to detain immigrants while they were leaving mandatory court appearances, as the White House gave ICE agents new powers to detain and deport people when they show up for those court hearings as long as they arrived in the United States within the past two years. Isidro, however, has been in the U.S. for almost 30 years. She and her husband came to the United States after doctors in Mexico said they couldn't treat their oldest daughter's medical condition and told her one of the best hospitals was in Houston, Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Mom has always told us, 'Whatever happens ... we have to be together, and we have to be united,' " Isidro-Gonzalez said. "She is the glue to our family. She's the one who does everything, and we just feel defeated." There are several sets of ICE detention standards, but all require detainees receive "routine and preventive care, specialty care, emergency care, and hospitalization, as medically indicated," according to a 2024 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report entitled "Medical Care Standards in Immigrant Detention Facilities." All facilities that house ICE detainees are required to have some type of onsite health care clinic for exams and routine conditions. But according to the CRS report, this can vary from facility to facility. Community members in Live Oak, Florida are urging people to call elected officials and advocate for Maria Isidro's immediate release from ICE detention. "The conditions of her treatment have been horrific and traumatic for her and her family and those who live her," said Logan Hurst, a friend of the family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hurst, who calls Isidro "Nana Maria," has known her for five years. She said news of her detention has been an "eye-opening shockwave" to the Live Oak community, the county seat in rural Suwannee County. Isidro, a nanny and the wife of a preacher, has taken care of Hurst's daughter since she was 8 weeks old. She and other community members have started a campaign, "Bring Nana Maria Home!" They are urging people to call Florida's elected officials and advocate for Isidro's immediate release. Requests for comment have been made to state lawmakers who represent her area. "Knowing that someone who loves and cares about people so much is being treated like not even a criminal, but an animal, is hard to fathom," Hurst said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jo Isidro, Maria's son, learned his mother was on her way to Texas on his birthday, June 11. He turned 23. "When a mother like mine can be taken after doing everything right, really we should all be asking, what are we allowing? And who will be next?" he said in a statement. "Let my mother's story be more than just a moment of sympathy," he said. "Let it be a wake up call." Ana Goni-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Live Oak woman shackled, denied meds after ICE check-in, family says For Gov. Ron DeSantis, the budget coming together during negotiations among lawmakers is several days late and several million dollars short in key areas. In talks between House and Senate leaders June 9 and June 10, lawmakers agreed to a spending plan that doesnt include a cut in property taxes used for schools, falls shy of what DeSantis wanted for raises for state troopers and leaves out funding for Hope Florida, a conservative alternative to welfare championed by First Lady Casey DeSantis. Any attempt to try to shortchange Highway Patrol will not be viewed favorably, certainly (not) by me and I know (not) by the people of Florida, DeSantis said during a Cabinet meeting June 10. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DeSantis called for a 25% raise for all veteran state law enforcement officials and a 20% hike for entry-level officers. The budget deal includes a 10% raise for new hires and 15% increase for veteran officers. The Legislature is already 40 days past its originally May 2 deadline to pass a budget. A stalemate between the chambers over Miami Republican House Speaker Daniel Perezs plan to cut the state sales tax pushed the session into overtime. Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton eventually agreed to a deal to cut taxes but not the overall rate. Rep. Daniel Perez becomes speaker of the Florida House during an organization session held by the Florida legislature, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. Under the agreements reached June 10, another proposal pushed by DeSantis hit the cutting room floor, at least for the next year. The K-12 schools budget is poised to get a $945 million increase, but $674.5 million of that is from an increase in property tax revenues. DeSantis wanted to eliminate the state portion of the property tax for homeowners with a homestead exemption and use state money to backfill it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DeSantis, though, has railed against the very concept of property taxes in recent months, arguing homeowners arent really secure in their ownership if they have to pay taxes to the government each year for their property. Hes floated the idea of an expanded property tax exemption, something that would have to go before voters on the November 2026 ballot, but also wanted to use the state portion of the school property tax to provide a $1,000 rebate to some homeowners next year. We need to do more. We need people to actually own their property, DeSantis said. Its not something that can be simply done by legislation. It is going to require a ballot initiative and Im going to be leading the charge to be able to get that done for the people of this state because its pinching a lot of people. Gov Ron DeSantis holds a press conference at the Wakulla Environmental Institute on Monday, June 9, 2025. Hope Florida snubbed so far in state budget for 2025-26 Lawmakers are also prepared to deny funding for four new positions in DeSantis office to host a Hope Florida office, which would coordinate efforts of the initiative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the bill to put that into place failed during the session, amid a House probe into a $10 million payment by a Medicaid vendor to a charity tied to the initiative. That money was then moved to two other nonprofits, which then passed them on to a political committee led by James Uthmeier, who at the time was DeSantis chief of staff and has since been named Attorney General. The money was used to combat proposed constitutional amendments on last years ballot that would have legalized recreational marijuana and installed abortion rights. Senate Appropriations chair Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, said there could still be more money added for Hope navigators, the state workers who coordinate aid for residents among agencies, charities and businesses with the aim of getting them off government assistance. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater Were having discussions about other opportunities for those programs to do what they need to do, Hooper told reporters June 10. I think in chatting with the governors office, theyre OK with where we are in language right now, but theres still a couple of days left to land this plane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before the budget is finalized, each chamber often adds a supplemental funding packet at the end of budget negotiations, offering a last-gasp opportunity for programs that missed out in initial negotiations. It's better known in Capitol circles as the sprinkle lists, a nickname from the idea that lawmakers are "sprinkling" extra money across the state often to favored districts or causes after the core budget already has been finalized. These lists, created behind closed doors by House and Senate leadership, have been decried by watchdogs like Florida TaxWatch. At the same time, DeSantis is getting much of what he requested from lawmakers for cancer research. The pending budget is set to provide more than $200 million for cancer research, including a program named after Casey DeSantis, who overcame breast cancer. The House initially resisted a push for a $30 million pot of money dedicated to pediatric cancer research. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another cancer fund, however, the Mary Brogan Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, is set to be eliminated, at least under the latest budget offer. The program, named after the late wife of former Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan, provides screenings for breast and cervical cancer. Mary Brogan died in 1999 from breast cancer. Hooper indicated that program could get another look before the end of budget talks: It may be zeroed out on the budget line, but it may be possibly available for some further consideration, Hooper told reporters June 10. I happen to be a big believer in the Mary Brogan program. Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis loses ground as key state budget items dropped or downsized Sandy Martinez, a single mom in Lantana, Florida, is taking her town to the Florida Supreme Court to fight $165,000 in outrageous and unconstitutional fines for things like parking on her own property. Six-figure fines for parking on your own property are outrageous, her attorney Mike Greenberg said in a news release. Don't miss Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greenberg works for the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit public interest law firm representing Martinez in the case. According to the organizations website, its mission is to end widespread abuses of government power. Its lawyers argue that Martinezs case is a textbook example of taxation by citation where cash-strapped municipalities use minor infractions to justify outsized penalties as a revenue-generating machine. $100K in fines for parking at home As the New York Post reports, Martinezs problems started in May 2019, when she was cited because cars at her home occasionally had two tires parked on the lawn. She said it was bound to happen with four family members and four vehicles. The penalty? A staggering $250 per day. 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 Martinez claims she tried to resolve the situation by meeting with a code enforcement officer after the initial violation, but those attempts were fruitless, and fines kept mounting tapping out at $100,000 in parking violations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lantana officials didnt stop there. According to court filings, Martinez was fined for cracks in her driveway, something she didnt have the money to fix right away. That resulted in daily $75 fines for 215 days, totaling $16,125, far greater than the cost of an entirely new driveway, Martinez said in her lawsuit. Then came the fence. After a major storm knocked it down, Martinez waited for her insurance to cover repairs. While she waited, the city fined her $125 a day for 379 days, adding up to $47,375 in penalties. Martinez sued the city over the fines in 2021, but lower courts sided with the town. Its surreal that the town still refuses to admit that what its doing to me is abusive and unfair, Martinez said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now in her appeal to the Florida Supreme Court, her lawsuit cites Floridas Excessive Fines Clause, which mirrors protections in the U.S. Constitution. Local officials have not publicly commented on the case. Its up to Floridas Supreme Court to decide whether the punishment truly fits the "crime", or if it's an abuse of power dressed as municipal regulation. How to protect your wallet from property fines While Martinezs case may be extreme, it highlights just how quickly minor violations can snowball into major financial stress. Here are some practical ways homeowners can stay ahead of fines, reduce financial risk and protect their assets: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Get written notice and document everything. If you receive a code violation notice, ask for it in writing. Keep records of all correspondence, photos of your property before and after corrective actions and any receipts or repair quotes. Paper trails are crucial if you have to defend yourself legally or contest fines. Know your local ordinances. Municipal codes can vary, with some towns enforcing rules more strictly than others. Review your citys or HOAs code enforcement policies so youre not caught off guard by unexpected fines. Most city or county websites post their code enforcement rules and fine schedules. Act right away. Respond immediately to any violation notice. Contact the code enforcement office and ask for a walkthrough or extension while you fix the issue. Proactive communication can sometimes prevent daily fines from stacking up. Set up a home emergency fund. Even minor home repairs, like fixing a cracked driveway, can carry steep price tags. A home emergency fund (separate from your general savings) can help prevent you from dealing with fines, like Martinez. Realtor.com recommends putting aside 13% of your homes value for unexpected repairs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ask for a fine reduction or hardship adjustment. Many municipalities offer hardship waivers or payment plans. You can often negotiate fines, especially if you can show financial hardship or prove the issue was out of your control (e.g., a delayed insurance payout). Ask in writing and reference any delays due to insurance or contractor availability. Know your rights. Florida, like many states, protects homeowners from excessive fines under its state constitution. If fines feel disproportionate, especially compared to the violation, consult a legal aid group or nonprofit like the Institute for Justice. While most homeowners wont face six-figure fines like Sandy Martinez, the financial consequences of even minor code violations can be devastating if ignored. Staying informed, communicating early, and having a financial safety net can help you avoid falling into a costly trap. 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. Gov. Ron DeSantis will fly to France next week to attend the 55th International Paris Air Show as part of a trade and business development mission, his office said June 11. Floridas focus on manufacturing, aviation, and the space industry already makes it a global leader in aerospace, DeSantis said in a statement. Our efforts on this trip will be to promote further investment in our state and bring more high-paying jobs to Florida. The show will run June 1618. According to DeSantis office, 15 Florida-based companies will attend the show, and the trip will include Florida Secretary of Commerce Alex Kelly, Secretary of Transportation Jared Perdue, Secretary of State Cord Byrd, Space Florida President Rob Long, University of Central Florida President Alexander Cartwright and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University President Barry Butler. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There will be multiple project announcements, a Florida-focused business roundtable and a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Florida Pavilion, the release from DeSantis office says. In addition to drawing investment in Florida, the trip is also geared toward helping Florida companies boost their access to global markets. But the threat of increased tariffs by President Donald Trump could loom over the mission. Trump initially said hed impose a 50% tariff on goods from the European Union, but on May 25 six days before they were set to take effect he announced he was pushing the deadline back to July 9. The delay would give the U.S. and the EU more time to reach a trade deal. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: A Floridian in Paris: Gov. DeSantis headed to Air Show Former State Sen. Cindy Coyne is seen in a video announcing her 2026 campaign for lieutenant governor. (Screenshot) Former state Sen. Cindy Coyne is looking to return to the Rhode Island State House, not as a lawmaker but as lieutenant governor. Coyne, 63, on Tuesday announced her 2026 campaign for the states second-highest executive office, a seat currently held by Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, a Providence Democrat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My work has been about bringing people together, Coyne wrote in her announcement. Listening to people. Seeking the truth and solving problems. Thats what government should be about and thats what Ill do as your next Lieutenant Governor. The Barrington Democrat was first elected to her Rhode Island Senates District 32 seat in 2014. Coyne beat Republican challenger Giovanni Cicione to fill the seat left vacant by Republican Sen. David Bates, who held the seat for 22 years but decided not to seek reelection. Coyne served through 2022, then decided not to run again. The District 32 seat is now filled by Democrat Pam Lauria, also a Barrington resident. The district spans Barrington and parts of Bristol and East Providence. Accompanying Coynes campaign announcement included a website and a one-minute, 41-second video recapping her achievements in state politics and her career as a Rhode Island State Trooper. Coyne is the first challenger to officially enter the ring against Matos, who was elected for a full term in 2022 following her 2021 appointment to the role by Gov. Dan McKee. McKee served as lieutenant governor for Gina Raimondo, who resigned to go work for the Biden administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I expect there to be a lot of political announcements in the 18 months between now and the election, but I remain focused on my job and serving the people of Rhode Island by lowering the cost of groceries, protecting our small businesses and caring for our seniors, Matos said in a statement Tuesday. Coyne chaired the Senate Committee on Judiciary, among the chambers most powerful roles. She led successful legislation to disarm people convicted of domestic abuse and sponsored bans on ghost guns as well as a 10-round limit on magazines. In 2017, she sponsored legislation which defined state penalties regarding human trafficking, and the bill later became law. Alongside Rep. Teresa Tanzi, Coyne introduced legislation to raise the states smoking age to 21, which eventually became law in 2021. A 2016 bill sponsored by Coyne led to the creation of child fatality reporting mandates for the states youth welfare agency. The Pawtucket born and raised Coyne was one of the first women to graduate from the Rhode Island State Police Training Academy and worked with the State Police from 1985 to 2006, rising from a trooper to the rank of lieutenant. She attended the 10-week training program at the FBI National Academy in 1990. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She served on the Barrington Town Council from 2010 to 2014, voting to support a successful ban on plastic bags in the town. Barrington was one of the first municipalities in New England to support such a ban. Coyne was the councils liaison to the towns Senior Services Advisory Board and took special interest in issues affecting elderly people and seniors as a state senator. She led the 2019 legislation that established a 13-member advisory committee on how the state funds, researches and provides guidance for Alzheimers disease a bill prompted by Coynes own father, who died from Alzheimers. That 13-member commission remains a component of the states Alzheimers care strategizing, according to a 2024 report from the state health department and the office of current Lt. Gov. Matos. Coyne earned a swimming scholarship to attend the University of Rhode Island, graduating in 1983 with a bachelors in political science and economics. Six years later, Coyne earned a Bachelors of Science in administration of justice from Roger Williams University. The statewide primary is set for Tuesday, September 8, 2026. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Former NASCAR team owner Ron Devine pleaded guilty Wednesday to failure to pay payroll taxes, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. According to the plea documents and other court records, Devine, 68, was the owner and President of BK Racing, LLC (BK Racing), which operated a NASCAR team and owned two charters. As the owner, Devine was discovered to have exercised control over the teams financial affairs, including authorizing the filing and payment of its trust fund taxes, commonly referred to as payroll taxes. Federal judges rule in favor of NASCAR in lawsuit filed by Jordan-owned 23XI and Front Row Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Payroll taxes are withheld from employees gross pay for income tax and to fund Social Security and Medicare. Employers are also required to make contributions to trust fund taxes matching the amounts withheld from their employees pay, and to file and pay quarterly taxes. Court records indicate that beginning in 2012, Devine caused BK Racing to fail to account for and pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in payroll taxes. Court documents show that, between 2012 and 2017, instead of using the funds held in trust to pay for payroll taxes due, Devine allegedly transferred more than $2 million to other businesses and entities that he owned and controlled and used some of the funds to pay for BK Racings expenses. Devine, who lives in northern Virginia, was released on bond following his guilty plea. The charge of failure to truthfully account for and pay over trust fund taxes carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set. This is just the latest in Devines financial troubles that were taken court. In April, a federal judge approved a lawsuit from Front Row Motorsports after buying a charter for BK Racing that came with more than $9 million in debt. After Front Row settled with the bank for $2.1 million, the team asked Devine and business partner Michael DiSeveria to pay the balance, plus interest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They refused at first, thus creating the legal matter. In January, a federal appeals court upheld an order for Devine and his BK Racing associates to pay a $31 million fine, after being accused of attempting to obstruct and delay the teams bankruptcy proceedings. BK Racing last competed in the Cup Series in 2018, when they filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caryn Finley and Daniel Ryan of the Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the payroll tax 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 Queen City News. BUENA VISTA COUNTY, Iowa (KCAU) A former Cherokee, Iowa, man accused of killing a person in a head-on collision entered a not guilty plea on Tuesday. According to court documents, Jorge Ortega-Ortega, 28, of Worthington, Minnesota, is charged with homicide by vehicle in the death of Roseannabelle Bumsted, 65, of Nemaha. Officials said Ortega-Ortega waived his right to a speedy trial. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Back on March 19, Ortega-Ortega was heading west on Highway 3 in Buena Vista County. He turned left into the eastbound lane while driving west, about nine miles east of Cherokee. Authorities said Ortega-Ortega drove past a No Passing sign and stayed in the eastbound lane for around a mile before crashing into Bumsteds vehicle. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for August 14, and a jury trial is set for September 9. 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. JPMorganChase is accepting applications for a new fintech accelerator program for startup founders in the U.K. The Fintech Forward accelerator, developed by JPMorganChase and U.K.-based consulting firm EY, is a 12-week in-person and virtual program for founders applying technology to create scalable solutions within financial services. Applications for the accelerator opened May 26 and will close on June 27. The program will run from September to November of 2025. Successful applicants receive access to mentorship from bank executives, a two-day offsite at JPMorganChase's technology center in Glasgow and opportunities to showcase their business to potential investors and commercial partners. The accelerator is targeting U.K. fintech candidates with a "live product demonstrating market traction" and annual revenues not exceeding 1 million, according to the program's website . "At JPMorgan Payments, our north star is to improve the payments ecosystem and transform the movement of information, money and assets," said Veronique Steiner, head of EMEA innovation economy at JPMorgan Payments. "We're actively encouraging applications from founders or business leaders who are overcoming obstacles to growing a business, including a lack of proximity to funding and networks, and are addressing the needs of underserved consumers, businesses or communities." A research report published by EY on Monday said that the U.K. "continues to be Europe's most attractive destination for foreign direct investment into financial services, despite a drop in the number of projects across the region." The U.K. financial services sector "continues to capture global investor confidence, particularly as they navigate challenging market conditions," said Martina Keane, EY's managing partner for the U.K. and Ireland. Future success rests on factors such as growing the attractiveness of the U.K.'s financial services sector on the global stage, Keane said. "To do this, we must build on our inherent strengths and prioritize progressive regulation, innovation and the continued establishment of key international trade relationships," she said. The office of the Lord Mayor of London has also highlighted the need for funding and support for U.K. fintech startups. "The U.K. is the third most attractive destination for investing in AI and tech in the world after the U.S. and China, specifically as a home for startups," Jason Esi, internal communications officer for the City of London Corporation, told American Banker in a previous interview. "When startups scale up in the U.K., what has happened is that when they need money, they tend to move to the U.S. to get that funding." Hope Scheppelman, who is running in the Republican primary to represent Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, is seen at left standing with President Donald Trump in a photo from 2024 on the homepage of the Colorado Republican Party's website. (Colorado Newsline) Hope Scheppelman, former vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party, is challenging U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd in the 2026 race to represent Colorados 3rd Congressional District. Scheppelman, of Bayfield, said Hurd tricked and lied to CD3 voters last year and has since exposed himself as just another liberal elitist who is dead set against President (Donald) Trump and the millions of MAGA citizens like me in a press release announcing her candidacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She is a U.S. Navy veteran and former health care professional and business owner. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Hurd, a Grand Junction Republican who started his first term in Congress in January, won voters in the district by promising a different style from his predecessor, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Windsor Republican and MAGA provocateur who moved districts after she was reelected by under 600 votes in 2022 and now represents the 4th Congressional District. Hurd has been one of the more moderate Republicans in Congress since he took office. When the people of CD3 learn what Jeff Hurd has really been up to in D.C., I know they will choose a real conservative who will fight for them and our real-world local interests, not the sold-out liberal elitists in BOTH parties who are thrilled with Hurds betrayal of our common sense values, Scheppelman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The press release announcing Scheppelmans run said Hurd earned a primary from the MAGA wing of Colorados GOP. She was vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party under former chair Dave Williams, who broke party norms by endorsing candidates in primary elections across the state, favoring many MAGA Republicans who lost their races. A group of Republicans attempted to oust Williams and other party leaders, but that effort was halted by the courts. Party members voted Scheppelman out as vice chair after one term in the position. If elected to Congress, Scheppelmans campaign website says she would prioritize ending the fentanyl crisis and securing the border; defending agriculture, water rights and landowners; improving rural health care, Medicare and Medicaid; restoring American energy independence; empowering parents and reforming education; defending constitutional rights and Western values; honoring and supporting veterans; and strengthening rural economies and small business growth. The 3rd District encompasses the Western Slope and the southwest corner of the state, sweeping east to include Pueblo, Otero and Las Animas counties. Hurd has already raised over $700,000 for his reelection campaign. Two Democrats, Alex Kelloff and Kyle Doster, have also filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission declaring their run for the seat in the Democratic primary. Party primary elections in Colorado will take place in June 2026. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE ABBEVILLE, La. (KLFY) A former police officer will spend the next 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to repeatedly raping a 5-year-old, prosecutors said. Christopher Moorehart will be 92 years old upon his release from state prison after being sentenced by 15th Judicial District Judge Thomas Frederick on Monday. Frederick sentenced Moorehart to 30 years for each of his two second-degree rape charges, to which he pled guilty in February. The sentences will be served consecutively, requiring at least 30 years for each. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am very pleased with the sentence, Assistant District Attorney Celeste White said. This is one of the top two sex crimes I have been a part of. Plus, he is a former police officer. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KLFY Daily Digest Moorehart was charged with raping the five-year-old for months while he and the girls mother were dating. The rapes occurred with the girls mother also in the bed, prosecutors said. Moorehart is a former Delcambre Police officer. 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. WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) Less than a week before the start of her trial, Linda McCullough has both rejected a plea deal and waived her right to a jury trial. It will now proceed with a bench trial Monday morning. Her decision was put on the record during a pretrial hearing on Wednesday. The proposed offer and whether its considered an offer now was having the defendant enter a plea and undergo a presentence investigation, and the states position would be recommending a prison sentence at sentencing, said Chuck Morrow, assistant prosecutor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To describe that as an offer is stretching the word beyond the Webster meaning. It is not an offer; its more like a Trumpian ultimatum, said Jerry Ingram, McCulloughs attorney. McCullough is charged with 10 counts , including theft in office. Shes accused of using her position as Viennas fiscal officer to steal more than $116,000. She resigned from her position during an investigation and audit into the townships $1.3 million budget shortfall. In court Wednesday, McCullough also waived her right to a jury trial, meaning Judge Cynthia Westcott Rice will be the sole decision-maker in the case, with the trial starting in just five days. Vienna Trustee Phil Pegg says he wants people who live in the township to be there, showing their support. I would like to invite every all 4,000 Vienna Township residents who were ripped off by her, basically, Pegg said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McCullough will be in court Monday morning for the start of her bench 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 WKBN.com. Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker is ready to be back in Houston politics. Parker announced Wednesday that she is running for Harris County judge in 2026, setting up a potential intra-party challenge against fellow Democrat Lina Hidalgo, who has held the seat since 2019 and narrowly won reelection in 2022. Hidalgo has not yet publicly stated definitive plans for 2026. Parker is the first well-known Democrat who has announced a run to preside over the commissioners court of Texas most populous county. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im running for Harris County Judge to keep our county safe, affordable, and thriving, Parker said in a statement. Im running to fight the chaos that is hurting our seniors, families, and small businesses. Im running to fight for US. In her announcement, Parker took aim at Republican President Donald Trump, who began a second term in January. Donald Trump is throwing millions of Americans off healthcare to fund tax cuts for billionaires and gutting FEMA, which pays for our local response to hurricanes, flooding, and major disasters, she said. Parker made history as the first openly LGBTQ+ mayor for a major American City when she was first elected as Houstons mayor in 2010. She served two terms as mayor and has been out of politics since 2016. She is the only person to hold the office of mayor, controller and council member in Houston. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After her tenure as Mayor ended, Parker became the CEO and president of the LGBTQ+ Victory fund, a political action committee. She resigned from the PAC in December. The only other candidate in the race for Harris county judge is the mayor of Piney Point Village, Aliza Dutt, a Republican who was elected in 2024, according to the Houston Chronicle. 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. The former leader of the Islamic State terrorist group in Germany, Abu Walaa, has lost his appeal to avoid deportation. The 41-year-old Iraqi is currently serving a sentence that keep him behind bars until May 2027. Following his release, he is due to be sent back to Iraq. After an urgent appeal against his deportation a year ago went against him, the full case was heard by the Dusseldorf Administrative Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the ruling, the judge said there was neither evidence that Walaa has credibly renounced his former life as an Islamic State terrorist nor that he has deradicalized, and that therefore there was a risk of reoffending. The judge said that the danger posed by him to public safety was so serious that the interests of his seven children did not prevent him from being deported. His lawyer unsuccessfully requested that the proceedings be suspended until an expert opinion of his potential danger was available. The Islamic preacher was found guilty of support and membership in a foreign terrorist organization by a court in Celle in 2021, after a trial that lasted more than three years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The court found that until his arrest in 2016, he had espoused a jihadist ideology as an imam in a mosque in the northern city of Hildesheim. The presiding judge said that he had been appointed by Islamic State as its de facto top representative in Germany. Despite the judge's ruling, there is a strong chance that the German government will not follow through with Abu Walaa's deportation, as Iraq has not ruled out executing him upon return. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A police officer from the Upper Peninsula has been formally charged with misconduct in office. The Michigan Attorney Generals Office announced that Chad Olson, 43, of Vulcan, was arraigned earlier Wednesday morning. MSP called to investigate old bomb found in ditch He faces two counts of misconduct in office, a felony charge that carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. He also faces one count of falsifying a sales record involving a firearm, a four-year felony, and one count of purchasing a pistol without a license, a 90-day misdemeanor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Olson was an officer with the Norway Police Department in Dickinson County. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says Olson misused his position to access police databases and get personal contact information for women. It is alleged he then used that information to flirt and curry favor with the women, which led to one sexual encounter with a woman while on duty in the police station, the office said in a statement. Surveys show troopers lack confidence in MSP chief He resigned from his position on Dec. 20, 2024, but then allegedly purchased a pistol without a license. He allegedly used his MCOLES number, which he no longer had the authority to use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We expect law enforcement officers who take an oath to protect and serve our communities to do so with integrity, Nessel stated. I commend the investigative efforts of the Dickinson County Sheriffs Department and the Michigan State Police and remain committed to ensuring those who commit such serious dereliction of duty are held accountable. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A former medical examiner testified Tuesday during Karen Reads second murder trial that she did not think hypothermia contributed to Reads boyfriends death, contradicting the official autopsy report. Read, 45, is accused of striking her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John OKeefe, with her car outside a suburban house party and leaving him to die in the snow in January 2022. She has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene. Reads lawyers say OKeefe, 46, was beaten, bitten by a dog, then left outside a home in Canton in a conspiracy orchestrated by the police that included planting evidence against Read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reads second trial has so far followed similar contours to the first, which ended in a mistrial last year. The judge, who also oversaw the first trial, said the jury could take the case as soon as Friday. Former medical examiner says OKeefe died of trauma, not hypothermia The medical examiners report said OKeefe died from hypothermia and blunt impact injuries to the head. But on Tuesday, an expert witness for the defense called that autopsy into question. Elizabeth Laposata, a forensic pathologist, said OKeefe died from blunt force trauma alone. The body did not have any hypothermia, Laposata said. The medical examiner who performed OKeefes autopsy, Irini Scordi-Bello, testified earlier that she could not determine the cause of OKeefes death to a reasonable degree of medical certainty but that hypothermia was a contributing factor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Laposata, who CBS News reports was Rhode Islands chief medical examiner at the time of the deadly Station Nightclub fire, also said she didnt think eye injuries suffered by OKeefe were consistent with being hit by the rear of Reads SUV. She said there was no evidence of impact from a vehicle at all. The judge barred Laposata from testifying about potential dog bite wounds, but allowed her to say that some of OKeefes injuries were consistent with an animal bite. She said they were very much consistent with bite or claw marks, and appeared to be inflicted before death. Prosecutors mistake leads to another call for mistrial Read attorney Robert Alessi accused the prosecution of intentional misconduct Monday while cross-examining a crash reconstruction analyst. Daniel Wolfe, who works for the accident reconstruction firm ARCCA, testified about the numerous tests he and others conducted of a dummy colliding with a replica of Reads SUV taillight at various speeds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutor Hank Brennan held up the hoodie OKeefe was wearing that night and asked Wolfe if the holes in it could have been caused by road rash. Alessi subsequently accused Brennan of trying to mislead the jury by not disclosing that investigators had cut holes into the back of the garment. I dont believe one could come up with more misleading, misdirecting elucidation of testimony than this, on the key issue in the case, Alessi said. Brennan asked the judge to clarify the issue for jurors rather than declare a mistrial. Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone agreed, telling the jury that they couldnt draw any inference that holes came from the incident on the night OKeefe died. Andrew Rentschler, a biomechanical engineer and accident reconstructionist from ARCCA, began testifying on Tuesday. Crash expert says damage to the SUV and clothing are inconsistent with a collision Wolfe, who testified at Reads first trial for the prosecution but this time is being paid to speak in her defense, also described a test in which an SUV backed into an crash test dummys arm suspended in the air and a full-body dummy wearing clothing that matched OKeefes outfit on the night he died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A prosecution expert testified that OKeefes injuries were consistent with having been struck by a vehicle. But Wolfe said the damage to Reads taillight and OKeefes clothing was inconsistent with striking an arm or a body. Wolfe acknowledged that the 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. 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. (KRON) A former paraeducator and current board of education member at San Rafael City Schools (SRCS) has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a student on at least three separate incidents, said the San Rafael Police Department. ID theft duo nabbed with burglary tools, stolen items tied to 30 victims: Livermore police SRPD said Isai Nicodemo Rodas, 22, of San Rafael, was taken into custody and booked into the Marin County Jail for several charges including sexual assault with a minor with 3 years of age difference, child molesting, and sexual battery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement San Rafael PD said it was alerted of the encounters on Friday by officials with the Marin County Office of Education. Investigators believe the inappropriate contact started in late 2023 while Rodas was employed as a paraeducator, a role similar to a teachers assistant, at Marins Community School in San Rafael. The inappropriate contact escalated to at least three separate incidents of sexual assault that occurred offsite from the school campus, said police. Rodas was 20 years old at the time while the victim was 16 years old. Rodas left MCOE in June 2024. Police said assistance services and resources have been provided to the victim, whose identity will remain confidential. While Rodas never worked for San Rafael City Schools (SRCS), he is currently a member of the SRCS Board of Education, having joined in December 2024, said Sergeant Justin Graham of the San Rafael Police Department. Currently, we have no knowledge of any misconduct involving SRCS students. SRCS Administration and Board will work to suspend Mr. Rodas Board duties for the foreseeable future, pending the outcome of this matter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call San Rafael Police at (415) 485-3000. Tips can also be made online at https://www.srpd.org/tips Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A former teacher at a prominent Catholic high school in Ohio accused of having a sexual relationship with a student has been sentenced. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] According to our news partner WCPO, Emily Nutley was sentenced to spend three years in prison for each count of sexual battery, and her sentences will run concurrently. In April, Nutley, 43, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual battery of a student. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When she is released, Nutley will have to register as a tier 3 sex offender, WCPO says. Nutley was a supervisor of a program designed to help St. Xavier High School students struggling academically in fall 2023. According to Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers, the relationship occurred with a 17-year-old student assigned to the program. TRENDING STORIES: WCPO reported that Nutley began contacting the student outside of school hours. Some of those messages included sexually explicit text messages and nude photographs of herself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nutley allegedly began a physical relationship with the student in November 2023. Powers said Nutley and the student engaged in sexual activities on the schools campus, including after hours in her office at the school and one additional time off campus. When the victim attempted to stop the encounters, Nutley continued to contact the victim via text messages, Powers said. St. X administrators brought the sexual relationship to light during an internal investigation. Springfield Township police investigated the allegations, which led to charges of six counts of sexual battery. Prosecutors believe the 17-year-old was the only victim. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] PIERRE, S.D. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced a Springfield, S.D. woman who worked for the South Dakota Department of Health was sentenced to two years in prison, but suspended with conditions, for falsifying documents. Renee Strong, 55, was accused of forging and falsifying food service inspection reports while performing inspections for the Department of Health through a contract with the Department of Public Safety, according to a release. She was sentenced Tuesday, June 10, in Hughes County Circuit Court on two Class 6 felony counts of Offering False or Forged Instruments for Filing or Recording in a Public Office and two Class 5 felony counts of Forgery. She was sentenced to two years in prison for each count, all suspended; $500 fines on each count, and $116.50 in court costs on each count. She was also sentenced to 40 hours of community service, according to a release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Former South Dakota state employee pleads guilty to four forgery-related charges Strong is also ordered to pay $2,000 in fines, and placed on five years-probation for earlier pleading guilty to four forgery-related charges. The crimes were committed while she was an employee of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety and performing contract work for the Department of Health, the release states. This defendant jeopardized public health when she forged health inspection records, said Attorney General Jackley in a release. Her actions also harmed the reputation of those state employees who work hard and take pride in public service. South Dakotas Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) investigated the case, and the Attorney Generals Office is prosecuting the case. This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Former SD state health employee sentenced for falsifying documents The legislation targets the curtailment of fast fashion trends and aims to control the surge in market volumes and associated detrimental effects in France. The bill seeks to bolster awareness among consumers in France regarding the ecological consequences of fast fashion, while also promoting options for clothing reuse and repair. The proposal looks to broaden the scope for adjusting eco-contributions based on the ecological footprint of garments. It also includes provisions to ban advertisements from firms and products that are linked with fast fashion practices. A total of 337 senates voted in favour of the bill with only one dissenting vote on 10 June 2025. The bill was proposed by member of parliament Anne-Cecile Violland and several of her colleagues. It was passed by the National Assembly on 14 March last year. The Senate's Committee on Regional Planning and Sustainable Development examined the bill in the same month. The legislation is not yet finalised, as a joint committee of senate and national assembly members is scheduled to convene from September to create a unified version before the law's ultimate ratification. Notification to the European Commission is also required prior to the final endorsement to ensure compliance with EU regulations. Globally, the apparel industry sees over 100 billion pieces of clothing sold each year. France has experienced a significant increase in clothing sales over the past decade, with an additional one billion items pushing the annual total to 3.3 billion products, equating to more than 48 items per person. The textile and fashion sector is a major contributor to environmental concerns, accounting for roughly 10% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissionssurpassing the combined emissions from all international flights and maritime shipping. Facing this intense competition, France's traditional clothing industry is under pressure. In light of climate change commitments, there is a pressing need to revert to sustainable levels of production in the industry. The Textiles Industry Union in France labelled the bill "a first step" and expressed hope for its "rapid adoption," despite it not fully meeting their expectations. Following recommendations from the Committee on Regional Planning and Sustainable Development, the French Senate has refined the definition of fast fashion to legally solidify the framework. The amendments include promoting product repairability and specifying regulations for online marketplaces. The senate also aims to enhance consumer awareness messages by including information about the social impacts of products. A former Terre Haute resident lost her life in Columbia, Tenn., May 31 after a violent attack in her neighborhood that left two people dead and another injured. Stacie Lynn Malone Wright, 51, who graduated from Terre Haute North Vigo High School and Indiana State University, was one of two people killed in the attack; the other individual who died, John Bidle, was a neighbor. The suspected gunman, Byron Childers, 41, lived just a few houses down from the victims, according to NewsChannel5 in Nashville. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Childers faces multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder, the station reported. Others individuals were assaulted in the attack. According to WSMV.com, quoting affidavits, Childers walked up and shot 46-year-old Bidle, who was standing in front of a house in the neighborhood. Witnesses reported that Childers then stood over Bidle in the street and shot him several more times while shouting, It was safe now, because he got the demon from hell. While this was happening, Wright opened the door of her home to see what the noise was, and Childers turned the gun on her, according to the affidavit. She was hit multiple times. Bidle lived across the street from her, the station reported. Childers later began firing at an ice cream truck on the street. A man in the ice cream truck was struck by a bullet in the hip, and his truck was hit several times by the gunfire, WSMV reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wright was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she later died. In Tennessee, she had been a talent acquisition specialist at Ultium Cells. She was born to the late Silver Ruth Barksdale Malone and Pastor Cleytus D. Malone, according to an obituary. Survivors include her husband of 20 years, Sean Wright, and children, Sydni and Sean Michael of Columbia, Tennessee, as well as her father, Cleytus Malone of Terre Haute and brother, Dwayne Malone of Terre Haute. Ceremonies to celebrate Wrights life are June 14 at Saints Home Church of God in Christ in Terre Haute; visitation is from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. and the funeral is at 1 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In lieu of flowers, people are asked to donate to Stacies GoFundMe at bit.ly/4n1F5vi The Boys & Girls Club of South Central Tennessee issued the following statement on social media after her death: We are heartbroken. This weekend, we lost a beloved member of our Boys & Girls Club family. Stacie Wrighta longtime volunteer, mentor, and friendtragically lost her life in Columbia. Stacie was a bright light in our community. She gave her time freely and her heart fully, always showing up with warmth, joy, and an unwavering commitment to the mission. Whether she was helping behind the scenes at fundraising events or guiding kids as they built birdhouses in Spring Hill, Stacies presence made everything better. She truly embodied the spirit of service, and her impact on our youth was immeasurable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are devastated by this loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and colleagues at Ultium Cells during this incredibly difficult time. Stacie touched so many lives, and her kindness will never be forgotten. She will be missed more than words can say. YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) A former York County police officer is facing charges after allegedly misusing a law enforcement database dozens of times, court documents show. State Police at York said in a criminal complaint, Sean Lake, 32, of Dover, allegedly made more than 32 queries through the database to get information for his own use. The complaint shows Lake was an officer with York County Regional Police prior to being charged. In a statement, York County Regional Police said they fully cooperated with State Police during the investigation and that it holds all employees to the highest of standards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pennsylvania Game Commission conducts iconic prescribed burn using helicopter, lawmaker pushes back on tactics We have fully cooperated with the Pennsylvania State Police throughout the course of this investigation, the statement reads. The Department holds all its employees to the highest standards of ethical, moral, and lawful conductboth on and off duty. If an employee fails to meet these expectations, appropriate action will be taken to guarantee accountability. Lake is accused of misusing Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network (CLEAN) and other systems to surreptitiously obtain demographical information for personal use, police said in the complaint. CLEAN is also a way for law enforcement in Pennsylvania to access the National Crime Information Center, the FBIs National Crime Information Center, and the International Justice and Public Safety Sharing network. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Police said Lake was first given access to CLEAN in July 2020 when he worked with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. His access was first switched when he worked with Lower Windsor Police in August 2022. Then again, when he began working with York County Regional Police in September 2023, and remained in place until being barred Jan. 9, 2025. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Livestream Alerts There was an audit that was done by State Police that found several instances where Lake allegedly misused the database, the complaint says. Through multiple interviews, Troopers learned that there was no legitimate law enforcement reason for the queries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A total of 19 people had their information searched by Lake, and State Police said that he also allegedly searched for or messaged 15 of them on Facebook. Lake had to go through training and answer statements regarding the lawful use of the database before he could access it. Lake faces 32 felony charges of unlawful use of a computer. Lake is out on unsecured bail set at $50,000 by Magisterial District Judge Scott Laird. He is scheduled to be formally arraigned July 10. York County District Attorney Tim Barker issued a statement regarding the charges against Lake, saying individuals who break the law in any profession must be held accountable. As the criminal complaint and affidavit of probable cause reveal, Sean Lake is alleged to have engaged in substantial and sustained conduct involving his official police authority and access to officially maintained records for his own personal use. While these charges are serious, we want to emphasize that this is the alleged criminal conduct of one individual. Every profession, including my own, encounters colleagues who break the law, and those individuals must be held accountable. The conduct of one individual should in no way, shape, or form be misused to smear the reputation of our great public servants who work in law enforcement with honor, dignity, and professionalism. They are heroes and we are blessed to have law enforcement who will sacrifice their lives to serve and support our community. I extend my thanks to the Pennsylvania State Police for a thorough and extensive investigation of this case and to the York County Regional Police Department for your cooperation and assistance in this serious matter. York County District Attorney Tim Barker Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. FORT NOVOSEL, Ala (WDHN) President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his administration would work to change the names of seven Army bases, including Fort Novosel, that previously bore the names of Confederate Army officers. For a little breaking news, we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Robert E. Lee, Trump said while speaking at Fort Bragg. We won a lot of battles out of those forts. Its no time to change. The home of Army Aviation in Dale County is currently named after Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Novosel Sr., an aviator and Medal of Honor recipient with direct ties to Army Aviation and Enterprise who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump says he will reverse Fort Novosel name change The installation was previously named for General Edmund W. Rucker, a Confederate officer during the Civil War. Rucker served under Nathan Bedford Forrest, a slave trader and early leader of the Ku Klux Klan. While the Army installation will once again be named Fort Rucker, it will not be in honor of the same man. The U.S. Army announced that Fort Novosel will soon take the name of Captain Edward W. Rucker, a World War I aviator and Missouri native who received the Distinguished Service Cross after engaging in a firefight with German aircraft behind enemy lines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to reports from the American Masonic Great War Project, Rucker, then a lieutenant, was credited with shooting down one enemy aircraft over France. Fort Novosel underwent its first name change in 2023, along with eight other Army bases. The movement to rename the installations under the Biden administration stemmed from concerns that U.S. military institutions should not be named for a Confederate leader who fought against the United States and was committed to slavery. Shortly after Trumps announcement Tuesday afternoon, the Army released a statement defending the decision. The Army will take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic Soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu, the statement provided to WDHN read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is currently unknown when the process to change the name will begin, but the Army said the Secretary of the Army will take immediate action to implement these redesignations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. TOPEKA (KSNT) Fort Riley hosted a hiring event called Hiring our Heroes Tuesday afternoon. The event was hosted by the transition assistance program, and is designed to help service members and veterans connect with local and national employers. It included workshops, where soldiers were taught about job searching and networking, and a job fair. More than 70 employers were at the event to meet with soldiers who are seeking their next job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crystal Bryant-Kearns, the Director of Events for Hiring our Heroes, believes the event is a cant-miss opportunity for both employers and job-seeking service members. Big Red One sending troops to D.C. Birthday Parade If you are an employer and you have not tapped into military talent, you are missing out on excellent talent, Bryant-Kearns said. If you are a service member or military spouse, and you are seeking your next opportunity, you want to work for a company that is military-ready to hire, and that supports you, and their culture matches what theyre looking for. Hiring our Heroes is an annual event at Fort Riley. Event coordinators said theyve been very successful in finding jobs for service members and veterans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. FORT RILEY (KSNT) The Armys Fort Riley Museum is on a list of over 20 museums to be shuttered; approval for the closing will come in the next few weeks. 27 News reached out to Army Strategic Communications Officer F. Lee Reynolds for more information about the potential closure. According to Reynolds, the Armys decision to close some museums came after extensive review of operational constraints, including staffing limitations, visitor engagement, and facility maintenance costs. While some museums will close, their artifacts and historical materials will not be lost; neither will their stories, Reynolds said. They will be carefully preserved and integrated into remaining institutions or stored in Army Museum Support Centers for future use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Woman behind first-ever Topeka lavender festival hopes to start annual event Reynolds told 27 News that the museums on the list are expected to be closed to the public by the end of September 2027. Additionally, efforts are underway to explore partnerships that may allow local communities to continue engaging with Army history in meaningful ways; we will stay engaged with our stakeholders as we develop these partnerships, Reynolds said. We recognize the concerns this decision has generated and remain committed to honoring the Armys legacy. Kansas ranchers hit hard by cattle theft operations In 2023, the U.S. Cavalry Museum and the 1st Infantry Division Museum reopened after making $17.5 million in renovations. The buildings started the renovations in 2018 with each building getting structural updates, new heating and cooling systems, new lighting and updated technology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Cavalry Museum was originally built in 1855 as a post hospital. The 1st Infantry Division Museum was built in 1905. 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. When Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker recognized Pride Month, officials stood with LGBT activists promoting the No Kings Day protests against President Donald Trump this weekend. Parker, a Republican, declared that Yall means All June 10. During the signing, officials posed for a photo-op taken by the Fort Worth Report with LGBT activists, including some with Trinity Pride. Trinity Prides calendar advertises various events from drag shows, to Dallas Pride, to Queer Craft Night. But it also promoted the upcoming, anti-Trump No Kings protest, part of a national mobilization sponsored by left-wing activists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trinity Prides calendar advertised the No Kings protest in Fort Worth at noon on June 14, at Burk Burnett Park. The group called it a massive PEACEFUL rally built for ALL members of our community. The group called attendees to bring their family, friends, and neighbors. This is big. This is bold, the Trinity Pride description read. This is how we rise together and join forces to ensure equal representation and opportunity across the board. NO MORE KINGS! After The Dallas Express emailed Trinity Pride asking for comment, the calendar listing disappeared from the groups website. Trinity Pride did not comment, or explain why it removed the posting, in time for publication. The Dallas Express took screenshots the morning of June 11, while the protest listing was still up. Screenshot | Logan Washburn, DX When reached for comment, Mayor Parker told the The Dallas Express, The resolution was not about Trinity Pride or any organization. It was about recognizing the people of our community. The resolution, obtained by The Dallas Express, recognizes Pride Month but does not mention any specific organizations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Pride Month proclamation failed in the city council last year. In June 2024, Parker posed with Trinity Prides leaders for a photo, when officials issued the group a Certificate of Recognition for Pride Month. The Fort Worth No Kings event is organizing resistance to Trump, according to its description on the left-wing organizing platform Mobilize America. We dont bow to wannabe kings! NO KINGS. NO CROWNS. NO DAMN THRONES. FORT WORTH HAS HAD ENOUGH! the description reads. This country doesnt belong to Trump or his billionaire buddiesit belongs to the people. Fort Worth and Tarrant Countyits time to stand up! Organizers apparently referenced Trumps military parade in Washington D.C. for Flag Day and the Armys 250th anniversary, claiming the president plots parades and power grabs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fort Worth will be loud enough that hell hear us from wherever hes hiding, the description reads. Parker told The Dallas Express she has full faith in the Fort Worth Police Department to manage the No Kings demonstration. The Indivisible Project, a powerful anti-Trump network, is working with other left-wing groups to sponsor these No Kings protests across the nation June 14. One of its local chapters, Fort Worth Area Indivisible, is backing this specific event. Were not here to play nice with authoritarianism, reads FWA Indivisibles website. Were organizing to fight back against racist redistricting, Trumps Project 2025, and every rigged system meant to silence our communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tarrant County Republican Chair Bo French warned residents about the protest, put on by radical violent Marxists. https://x.com/BoFrenchTX/status/1932635864149999661 The Dallas Express also reached out to No Kings and FWA Indivisible, but they did not comment in time for publication. Indivisible has assisted similar protest movements like Hands Off with things like infrastructure to get the campaign off the ground in the past, according to The Federalist. Indivisible and other activist groups are coordinating the national protests as well as several in the DFW area through Mobilize. As The Federalist previously reported, Mobilize falls under Bonterra which was launched by the London-based private firm Apax Partners, and which also oversees the Democrat Partys comprehensive voter database NGP VAN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The upcoming protests fall in the wake of violent anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles and Dallas, as The Dallas Express previously reported. Gov. Greg Abbott announced June 10 he would deploy the national guard across Texas to quell unrest. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) The United Way of East Tennessee Highlands has announced a partnership with FoundersForge to support small businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene. Executive Director David Nelson joined First at 4 to describe how the cooperation will help small businesses throughout the region. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. VERMONT (ABC22/FOX44) Vermonters across the state will be gathering together to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, but it has been traditionally celebrated among African-Americans in the U.S. since 1866, shortly after Emancipation and the Civil War. Vermont was one of the first states to abolish slavery in 1777, before it became part of the U.S.. Juneteenth: The long road to becoming a federal holiday Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The City of South Burlington will hold its celebration on Thursday, June 19 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Park. The events will include a craft fair and music, and the city says it will be highlighting BIPOC food vendors and business owners as well as BIPOC-focused non-profit organizations. Winooski is holding its Juneteenth Block Party in Rotary Park on Friday, June 20. The event is scheduled from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.. Burlingtons Juneteenth festivities will take place on Saturday, June 21 from 2:00 to 10:00 p.m., with celebrations on Church Street and in City Hall Park. City mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak welcomed the public to the event, calling it not just a commemoration of freedom, but a powerful statement of our commitment to racial equity and social justice in the City of Burlington. Will you be getting mail on Juneteenth? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hartford, together with Bethel and Lebanon, New Hampshire, will also be holding their celebration on Saturday, June 21, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Lyman Point Park. The town is welcoming speakers including Vermont state senators Kesha Ram Hinsdale and Joe Major, and New Hampshire executive councillor Karen Liot Hill. More events may still be announced. Cities across Vermont including Rutland and Essex have held events in the past, and more information may be found on your communitys website or social media page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A Lebanon, Missouri woman is suing two men facing charges in the drug-related deaths of her son and two other men. It marks the fourth wrongful-death lawsuit against the pair. Norma Chester, the mother of 38-year-old Ricky Johnson, filed the suit on Monday against Jordan Willis and Ivory Carson, who are accused of supplying drugs at a Kansas City Chiefs game watch party at Willis home in January 2024. Johnson and two other men, 37-year-old David Harrington and 36-year-old Clayton McGeeney, died of fentanyl and cocaine toxicity, according to an autopsy report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The three men were found dead in the backyard of a Northland home after McGeeneys fiancee told police that after she hadnt heard from McGeeney, she broke into the homes basement. In the back porch area, she found a dead body. Willis and Carson were charged with two counts each of delivery of a controlled substance and three counts each of first-degree involuntary manslaughter in March, according to Platte County court documents. Chester is seeking damages on behalf of Johnsons three children, according to the lawsuit. The woman is suing on counts of negligence. Similarly to three other wrongful death lawsuits filed against the men, the June lawsuit alleges Willis and Carson knew or should have known that decedent was experiencing negative side effects from cocaine and/or fentanyl, according to the lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit also alleges the pair failed to render aid or attempts to rescue the three men from the impacts caused by the cocaine and fentanyl. Other wrongful-death lawsuits against Willis and Carson have been filed by Johnsons father, 64-year-old Rickie Johnson; McGeenys mother, Nancy Bossert; and Harringtons father, Jon Harrington. Willis attorney, John Picerno, previously told The Star that Willis maintains that he did not supply drugs at the watch party. Willis DNA was found on a bag of cocaine at the scene and Carsons DNA was found on a bag of fentanyl, according to court documents. A hearing for the case is set to be held on Sept. 12, 2025. The Stars Kendrick Calfee, Nathan Pilling and Andrea Klick contributed reporting to this story. Fox News host Greg Gutfeld blamed former President Joe Biden for the ongoing unrest in Los Angelesdespite Donald Trump being five months into his second term. Speaking on Tuesdays The Five, Gutfeld railed against Bidens riots, claiming without detailing any evidence that immigrants who entered the country under the Biden administration are now behind orchestrated clashes in California. These are the Biden riots, when you think about it, he said. Remember the tens of thousands of men that flowed across the border, almost all entirely menwhere did they go? I guess some were deported, but most of them are not deported yet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The clashes began with a series of federal immigration raids on workplaces in the city that sparked protests. Those demonstrations prompted President Trump to send in the National Guard and then additional Marines. Demonstrators wave flags from atop a wrecked car, in Los Angeles, California, on June 8. / RINGO CHIU / AFP via Getty Images Officers have suppressed crowds with rubber bullets, pepper balls, tear gas, and flash-bangs. Several journalists have also been hit by projectiles, including Australian correspondent Lauren Tomasi, who was shot in the leg by a rubber bullet. Despite all of this, some in the MAGAverse insist its all Bidens fault. Gutfeld even suggested that the protesters are professional freelancers and argued that the disorder proves why Trump is necessary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also said June is now like Pride Month for Trumpers. Walk outside openly in your red hats, let your Trump flag fly because you are not alone, he quipped. He went on to suggest that so-called organizers of these protests are now instructing demonstrators to swap Mexican flags for American ones, calling the move another Trojan horse and likening it to Bidens 2020 re-election campaign, which he claimed used patriotism as a trick to hide radical intentions. The flag, like Joe, is meant to trick us into letting our guard down so there can be radical upheaval, which we are now seeing, he explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Fox News host said the rallies are as orchestrated as the Boston Philharmonic. President Donald Trump has deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. / DAVID PASHAEE / David Pashaee/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Save for suggesting that migrants may have crossed the border during the former administration, Gutfeld did not explain how the protests are the responsibility of Biden, who left office in January 2025. But his blame-Biden logic appears to be part of a wider pattern among Fox hosts, who happily scapegoat the former president for todays crises. Sean Hannity, for example, has continued to refer to Bidens open borders. Were still cleaning up Bidens mess, Hannity said in a May 22 broadcast, while showing footage of migrant encounters that had occurred in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In another instance, Laura Ingraham cited the legacy of Bidens weakness abroad when discussing a flare-up between Russia and NATO forces in the Baltic Sea in late April. She was conspicuously silent, however, on Trumps failure to deliver on a promise to negotiate a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia on day one of his presidency. Last month, Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt suggested that the Biden economy was still weighing down American familiesignoring the stock market havoc wreaked by Trumps import levies, and the extra costs for consumers. The finger-pointing is a trickle-down ploy from the commander-in-chief himself. This is Bidens Stock Market, not Trumps, the president wrote on Truth Social back on April 30. A Los Angeles protestor holds up a rubber Trump mask and a Mexican flag. / Nick Ut/Getty Images I didnt take over until January 20th, he continued, passing the buck for the tumbling stock market. Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden Overhang. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!! Wall Street traders reportedly laugh at Trumps economic excuses, but his lieutenants have got the memo. This is Joe Bidens economy, Vice President JD Vance said in response to anchor Bret Baier highlighting the first quarterly GDP fall in three years. New YorkSpending in the U.S. on logistics rose in both absolute dollar terms and as a percentage of GDP, and it isnt likely to go down anytime soon. That was one of the primary conclusions of the annual logistics report released last week by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) at a media briefing in New York. This years report was entitled Navigating Through the Fog. Kevin Smith, the moderator of the panel and the president and CEO of Sustainable Supply Chain Consulting, joked about the title and the logistics environment. This should be an easy session today, he said. Not much has changed. The first part of the presentation was led by Korhan Acar, a partner at Kearney, the global management consulting firm that produced the report in conjunction with the CSCMP. Acar, referring to the title of the report, said I dont think it requires any explanation why we call it that, coming out of recent uncertainty. The CSCMP report puts an estimate on what it calls total U.S. business logistics costs (USBLC). The increase last year was $133 billion, a jump of 5.4%, to $2.58 trillion, up from $2.447 trillion the prior year. The decrease from 2022 to 2023 was 8.3%. Despite that, the five year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in total USBLC is 8%. Acar said outlays for logistics in the U.S. last year were about 8.8% of nominal GDP. With that number having fluctuated mostly in about the 7.4% to 8% range through most of the post-COVID period, and now having reached 8.8%, Acar said we have started to stabilize. But the base percentage of logistics spending as a percentage of GDP is stabilizing at a higher level than what was seen pre-COVID. If a higher basis forms, what this really means is that logistics costs have been increasing as a percentage of GDP, Acar said. Theyre going to be a little bit more prominent and pronounced in the profit and loss statements of companies. There could be a retraction back to pre-COVID levels, Acar said. But that is not likely given various trends. China plus One of those trends is what Acar referred to as China plus one, China plus two, which is an elongation of supply chains where a company expands its base of suppliers beyond a total or near-total reliance on China and goes to one or two other suppliers. Given that sort of philosophical change, as well as a long list of other disruptions like Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, cost and logistics are not seeing any kind of downward pressure, Acar said. So we do expect that to remain at an escalated baseline for next year as well. FOX News Podcasts has launched a special "Great Americans" podcast series leading up to America's birthday on July 4. The "Great Americans" series spotlights inspiring Americans on some of FOX News Podcasts' most listened-to talk and news programs. The series will feature 20 special episodes released across the popular podcast feeds of "The Brian Kilmeade Show," "FOX Across America with Jimmy Failla," "The Guy Benson Show" and the "FOX News Rundown Podcast." This series, which celebrates well-known figures and everyday individuals who have significantly impacted the nation in their own unique ways, launched on June 5. New episodes will be released each Thursday through July 3. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fox News Tops All News Brands On Youtube With Staggering 362 Million Views During May LifeVac CEO Arthur Lih, country music star John Rich, West Point graduate and combat veteran Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, and Tunnel to Towers CEO Frank Siller are among the other patriots that have been featured in the series. FOX News Podcasts features a variety of programs, including "Perino on Politics," "The Bret Baier Podcast," "The Untold Story with Martha MacCallum," "The Big Ben Show," "Kennedy Saves the World," "Livin the Bream," "Jesse Watters Primetime Monologues," "Fox Nation Investigates" and "The FOX True Crime Podcast with Emily Compagno." Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To listen to "Great Americans," visit FoxNewsPodcasts.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Original article source: FOX News Podcasts celebrate Great Americans with new series showcasing heroes ahead of Independence Day GASTON COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Gaston County confirms its ninth rabies case this year after a fox attacked residents and a dog in Dallas. On June 5, around 9:45 p.m., Gaston County Animal Care and Enforcement were notified of a fox attack where a person and their dog were bitten in the 800 block of Alexis High Shoals Road in Dallas. Animal Care specialists investigated the incident and were not able to locate the fox after it ran back into the woods following the attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The person received treatment at a local hospital and the dog, which was up-to-date on its rabies vaccinations, received a booster shot the next morning. On the evening of June 6, a second neighbor reported that he was attacked by a fox that bit his steel toe boot while he was in his yard. He was not bitten or injured during the encounter and no other pets were harmed. This neighbor was able to neutralize the fox, which was impounded by Animal Care and Enforcement. The fox was sent to the NC Laboratory of Public Health in Raleigh on Monday, June 9. The official lab results were received on June 11, at approximately 1 p.m., indicating that the fox was positive for rabies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Animal Care and Enforcement canvassed the area of Alexis High Shoals Road to notify the community of the positive results and verify rabies vaccinations for family pets in the area. This marks the ninth confirmed rabies case in Gaston County 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 Queen City News. French police have arrested several people suspected of involvement in last month's kidnapping of the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency entrepreneur, a source close to the case said Wednesday. French authorities have been dealing with a string of kidnappings and extorsion attempts targeting the families of high-worth individuals dealing in cryptocurrencies. The most recent suspects, apprehended on Tuesday according to the source, are believed to have been part of an attempt to extort funds from a wealthy man by abducting his father. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On May 1, he was taken in Paris's southern 14th arrondissement in broad daylight by four men wearing ski masks who bundled him into a delivery van as passers-by looked on. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of several million euros (dollars) and cut off one of the man's fingers. He was freed days later by a police tactical unit who stormed the house in a Paris suburb where he was being held. There was no word Wednesday on the exact number or the locations of the arrests. The suspects can be held up to 96 hours without charges being brought. Since the start of the year crypto-related kidnappings and abduction attempt haves sparked concern about the security of wealthy crypto tycoons, who have notched up immense fortunes from the booming alternative currency business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One prominent cryptocurrency entrepreneur urged authorities to "stop the Mexicanisation of France" -- a reference to kidnappings by violent organised crime groups. The spate of abductions began in January, when kidnappers seized French crypto boss David Balland and his partner. Balland co-founded the crypto firm Ledger, valued at the time at more than $1 billion. Balland's kidnappers cut off his finger and demanded a hefty ransom. He was freed the next day, and his girlfriend was found tied up in the boot of a car outside Paris. The suspected mastermind of that operation and other similar attacks, 24-year-old Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, was last week arrested in Tangier, Morocco. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least nine suspects are under investigation in that case. Last month, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau held an emergency meeting with cryptocurrency leaders, with the ministry announcing plans to bolster their security. asl/jh/sjw/cw Jun. 10State and federal labor officials as well as human rights advocates will come together Friday to offer a wage theft legal clinic. The Albuquerque event is free and open to all workers, and will offer informational presentations, resources and complaint assistance for worker exploitation. Employees can also file complaints on-site at the event. Spanish language resources will be available. Wage theft is the largest form of theft in the U.S. Workers across the nation lose billions of dollars annually in unpaid wages, according to the National Employment Law Project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That's why Organized Power in Numbers is hosting the Friday clinic, said Janyce Cardenas, campaign manager for the labor organization serving the South and Southwest. Wage theft can happen unintentionally, like working through lunch or not getting paid for equipment runs, Cardenas said. But that's not always the case, she added. She said Organized Power in Numbers has worked with clients whose bosses threaten deportation as retaliation to an employee speaking up about exploitation. Immigrant communities are especially vulnerable as the Trump administration carries out mass deportations, Cardenas said, pointing to the recent L.A. protests over immigration enforcement and, more locally, immigrant arrests in New Mexico as examples. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "So now we have a group of immigrant workers who are afraid to go to work, and ... they're more vulnerable to labor violations because their bosses know that they're less likely to speak up," she said. "This is why events like this are important so that all workers know, and especially immigrant workers know, that they have rights as workers, regardless of immigration status," she added. Officials with the U.S. Department of Labor, New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, city of Albuquerque Office of Equity and Inclusion, New Mexico Center for Law and Poverty, the Mexican Consulate, New Mexico Caregivers Coalition, Border Human Rights Network and Casa Fortaleza will be at the event. Organizers encourage workers attending the event who want to file a labor complaint on-site to bring any receipts or documents related to the case. A French court on Wednesday sentenced a top antiques expert to jail for duping the Palace of Versailles and wealthy collectors into buying furniture he had helped build, claiming it dated from the 18th century. The ruling from the court in Pontoise, north of Paris, caps one of the biggest forgery scandals to rock the rarified world of France's top museums. Bill Pallot, 61, along with five other people as well as a prominent gallery, stood trial in the spring. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pallot and woodcarver Bruno Desnoues were convicted of having produced and authenticated chairs they sold, which they passed off as historic pieces that once adorned the rooms of the likes of Madame du Barry, the mistress of Louis XV, or of Queen Marie-Antoinette. Customers duped by the pieces included the Palace of Versailles and wealthy collectors including a member of the Qatari royal family. Pallot was sentenced to a four-year term including four months behind bars, fined 200,000 euros ($230,000) and handed a five-year ban on working as an expert. He will not go to jail having spent time in detention after his arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Known for his distinctive long hair and three-piece suits, Pallot has been described by magazine Vanity Fair as "the world's leading expert on the works of 18th-century France." Paris Match branded him "the Bernard Madoff of art", referring to the late American financier who devised a notorious pyramid scheme. - 'A little harsh' - Pallot said the sentence was "a little harsh financially," although he was satisfied that his apartment would not be seized, contrary to the prosecutor's demand. "We thought we'd do it for fun, to see if the art market would notice or not," Pallot has told the court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It went without a hitch," he added. Desnoues, a prominent woodcarver, was sentenced to a three-year term including four months behind bars, and fined 100,000 euros. In court, he presented himself as a humble artisan uninterested in money and motivated only by his love of art and "the pleasure of working, of making beautiful things". A lawyer for the Palace of Versailles implied the men got away too easily, denouncing "the particularly diabolical manoeuvres" of the two main defendants and pointing to "clean, white-collar trafficking." "When you are caught red-handed, you are not sentenced to very long prison terms," said Corinne Hershkovitch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We feel that we are not protected for the future," she added. - 'Pallot's blessing' - The pair pocketed nearly 1.2 million euros in commissions. Galleries and auction houses made even more, selling fake furniture pieces to the Palace of Versailles and billionaire collectors. After the French Revolution, the Palace of Versailles was completely emptied, with thousands of royal furniture pieces and other items dispersed at revolutionary sales. Nearly half of Pallot and Desnoues' fakes were acquired through various channels by the Palace of Versailles, which has since the 1950s sought to refurnish the former home of French royalty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Indeed, Versailles's decision to purchase the chairs hinged on Pallot's blessing," Vanity Fair said in 2018. "And based on Pallot's imprimatur, the government classified two of his fake lots as national treasures." Accused of failing to carry out sufficient checks, the prestigious Kraemer antique gallery was acquitted. The public prosecutor had sought a fine of 700,000 euros. Intermediaries between the forgers and the final buyers believed they had been misled by Pallot's reputation, and charges for most of them were dismissed during the eight-year-long investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unnoticed for years, the scam caused an estimated 4.5 million euros in damage. The fraud was discovered by accident during an investigation into the lavish lifestyle of a Portuguese couple who were laundering Desnoues' money. When the scandal erupted in 2016, the ministry of culture swiftly ordered an audit of Versailles's acquisitions policy. amd-amb-as/sjw/yad A group of French drivers are suing Tesla, claiming that Elon Musk has turned their cars into totems of the extreme Right. The lawsuit filed on behalf of 10 drivers in Paris says the perception the vehicles have become political symbols prevents them from fully enjoying their car. It is the latest example of a backlash against Mr Musk for his support of Donald Trump in the US. Because of Elon Musks actions ... Tesla-branded vehicles have become strong political symbols and now appear to be veritable extreme-Right totems, to the dismay of those who acquired them with the sole aim of possessing an innovative and ecological vehicle, said law firm GKA in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The French drivers suing Mr Musks company are demanding that their leases be terminated and that their legal fees are repaid. Most of the leases run for four years, with an option at the end to buy the vehicle. Teslas sales in the European Union have almost halved since the beginning of the year, a slump attributed by some analysts to Musks political activities but also the companys ageing line-up of cars. Before last week when he acrimoniously broke with Mr Trump over the presidents one big beautiful bill Mr Musk had described himself as the US presidents first buddy, providing large donations to his election campaign and serving in his government to help establish the department of government efficiency (Doge). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This and the cuts to US international aid that Doge has pushed through have provoked controversy among the Trump administrations opponents. Mr Musk also triggered an outcry at Mr Trumps inauguration with a hand gesture that resembled a Nazi salute. The billionaire has repeatedly insisted he was signalling my heart goes out to you. However, his intervention in German politics to support the far-Right Alternative for Germany party, which has been classified by the countrys security services as extremist, has also provoked criticism in Europe. In France, prosecutors are investigating an arson attack on a Tesla dealership near the southern city of Toulouse that left eight vehicles burned out and four badly damaged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Activists have branded Teslas swasticars, with the actor Alex Winter best known for playing Bill Preston in the film Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure running a campaign urging people to sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines. Some owners have also placed stickers on their Teslas reading: I bought this before Elon went crazy. Patrick Klugman, one of the lawyers working on the French case, told Agence France-Presse: The situation is both unexpected and impossible for French Tesla owners. Musks political positions have interrupted enjoyment of the vehicles, and we believe that Mr Musk owes these buyers the peaceful possession of the thing sold, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tesla has not commented on the case. It came as Mr Musk apologised to the US president for posting incendiary comments on social media that called for him to be impeached and claimed he was named in the Epstein files. I regret some of my posts about president @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far, Mr Musk wrote on Wednesday morning. 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. Michigan couples planning their weddings could have a family member or friend officiate a ceremony without needing any kind of religious authorization under legislation that recently passed the Michigan Senate. The proposal would also expand the list of elected officials who can perform marriages in the state. The bills in the package passed the Michigan Senate June 10, with support of every Democratic lawmaker in the chamber and three Republicans: state Sens. Jon Bumstead of North Muskegon and Michael Webber of Rochester Hills, along with Senate Minority Leader and GOP gubernatorial candidate Aric Nesbitt of Porter Township. Who can officiate weddings in Michigan? Under current state law, marriages in Michigan can be solemnized by judges, mayors, county clerks and religious practitioners. Because Wayne County is so large, the law allows employees of the clerk's office to also perform marriages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Township supervisors, state lawmakers and civil celebrants would be added to the list statewide under the bill approved by the Michigan Senate. The legislation defines a civil celebrant as someone who is at least 18 years old and "works in accordance with the wishes of the client couple." Sixty-one percent of Michigan adults identify as Christians, 6% identify with other religions and 31% of Michigan adults are religiously unaffiliated, according to the Pew Research Center's 2023-24 U.S. Religious Landscape Study Interactive Database. By enabling judges and some local officials to solemnize marriages, current state law allows for non-religious marriage ceremonies in Michigan. "But a lot of people don't want somebody they don't know conducting the most important ceremony in their life," said bill sponsor state Sen. Veronica Klinefelt, D-Eastpointe, in a June 3 hearing on her legislation. As a workaround, an officiant chosen by a couple will go online and pay a fee to obtain a certificate as an ordained minister. This new legislation would allow a couple's chosen officiant to skip that step. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Sen. Kevin Daley, R-Lum, who opposed the legislation, characterized it as a blow to marriage. "Allowing just anybody to officiate a wedding will further weaken what should be a very serious undertaking," he said. "I'd be glad to support legislation to require real training to become a wedding officiant, thus adding an extra layer of dignity and importance to the proceedings." A separate bill voted on by the Michigan Senate would increase the fine for violating the state's marriage license law from $100 to $500. Michigan's marriage rate has steadily declined since 1970, according to data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. It reached a low in 2020 of 8.4 individuals married per 1,000 residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, but marriage rates have not bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. In order for the legislation to land on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk, the GOP-controlled Michigan House would have to approve the bills passed by the state Senate. Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan bill to expand who can perform weddings passes Senate More than five decades of snack food production came to an end this week when Frito-Lay closed manufacturing operations at its Rancho Cucamonga facility, eliminating hundreds of jobs in the process. The plant has been a major employer in the area since opening in 1970, staffing thousands over its 55-year run. The facility also gained cultural significance as the birthplace of Flamin Hot Cheetos, which were introduced in 1991, though the origin story has been the subject of litigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Frito-Lay is owned by parent company PepsiCo Foods U.S., which confirmed the shutdown of manufacturing operations at the site. We are truly grateful for all the support over the last five decades from our Rancho Cucamonga manufacturing team as well as the local community, the company said in a statement Monday. We are committed to supporting those impacted through this transition and we are offering pay and benefits to impacted employees. The company did not specify how many employees were affected. Former workers posted on social media that they were given 10 weeks of severance pay. The abrupt nature of the closure left employees scrambling to figure out their next steps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was supposed to get married this year, now I have to find a new job or at least figure a way to survive, one laid-off worker said on Reddit. The Employment Development Department confirmed that Frito-Lay had not filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, with the state, which typically requires employers to give 60 days advance notice of mass layoffs. The Rancho Cucamonga closure is part of a broader pattern of PepsiCo facility shutdowns. Earlier this year, the company announced the closure of a Frito-Lay plant in Liberty, N.Y., laying off 287 workers, and cut 56 jobs at a warehouse in Maryland. The closures come as PepsiCo faces declining snack sales. In its most recent earnings call, Chief Executive Ramon Laguarta said the company was right-sizing the cost of its snacks division after Frito-Lay sales volume dropped slightly in the first quarter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Warehouse, distribution, fleet and transportation services will continue to operate out of the facility. 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. A Frito-Lay manufacturing plant in Rancho Cucamonga has stopped production after more than 50 years in operation, and potentially hundreds of workers are now looking for new jobs. On Monday, a spokesperson for PepsiCo Foods U.S., the parent company of Frito-Lay, confirmed that manufacturing operations at the Rancho Cucamonga facility have ended. We are truly grateful for all the support over the last five decades from our Rancho Cucamonga manufacturing team as well as the local community, a statement reads in part. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company says it is committed to supporting those impacted, and will be providing severance pay to affected employees. While manufacturing at the plant has ceased and other administrative roles were eliminated, the company says warehouse, distribution and fleet and transportation teams will continue to operate out of the facility. Several employees who contacted KTLA said hundreds of workers were let go, many of whom were not given the opportunity to transfer to different departments to keep their jobs. A company spokesperson would not confirm the total number of affected employees, and details about particular severance packages was not disclosed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Rancho Cucamonga Frito-Lay plant has been a staple of the city for more than five decades, and employed thousands over the years. It is also the facility that once employed Richard Montanez, who claims to have invented the brands beloved Flamin Hot Cheetos although the company disputes that claim. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. FT. GORDON, Ga. (WJBF) Seven Army installations whose names were changed in 2023 because they honored Confederate leaders are all reverting back to their original names, the Army said Tuesday. Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon (Courtesy of DOD) But to be clear, they are being renamed for different people who were not associated with the confederacy, but have the same last name as the original honoree. Fort Gordon was changed to Fort Eisenhower to commemorate the former presidents time leading Allied forces in Europe in World War II. It will now be named for Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon. He was honored for his valor during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia, where he defended wounded crew members at a helicopter crash site and held off an advancing enemy force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Cyber Center of Excellence Public Affairs Officer Ms. Lesli Ellis-Wouters, released the following statement on behalf of Ft. Eisenhower. As we prepare to receive additional guidance from the Secretary of the Army, we appreciate the support and understanding of our Central Savannah River Area community that has been a stalwart proponent of the installation since its inception in the early 1940s. Our mission remains unchanged in supporting national defense operations and training world-class, highly skilled Signal, Cyber, and EW professionals to fight and win Americas wars. We will provide more information as transition timelines are developed and approved. Ms. Lesli Ellis-Wouters, Cyber Center of Excellence Public Affairs Officer Ms. Ellis-Wouters tells NewsChannel 6 that the name change takes effect immediately. The six other bases that are scheduled to change names again are Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Pickett and Fort Robert E. Lee in Virginia, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Polk in Louisiana and Fort Rucker in Alabama. To find out more about what the names will be change to and who they honor, click here. The Associated Press contributed to this article. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The agentic checkout automatically tracks prices on the selected product listing. It not only notifies users when the item becomes available at their preferred price, but can also complete checkout on their behalf. The tech giants new experimental AI Mode, introduced last month, allows consumers in the U.S. to test features that make more sophisticated personalized recommendations. LVMH is also guarded about Googles moves to harness AI with new functions that act like a personal shopper. We dont plan to put chatbots on all our websites, he noted. These are luxury sites, after all, and we prefer human interaction. Le Moal cited the example of a retail agent at fashion brand Celine, capable of answering complex queries from sales associates, and a client outreach agent for jeweler Tiffany & Co. that helps them craft more personalized messages. For now, LVMH uses agents for internal purposes only, Le Moal told WWD in a joint interview with Anthony Cirot, Google Clouds vice president for the Europe, Middle East and Africa South region. The latter refers to AI systems that can act autonomously toward goals, often taking initiative, making plans and executing tasks across time. Though it likes to refer to itself as a quiet tech company, LVMH continues to work with Google to develop new applications for AI and genAI, and increasingly agentic AI, which is shaping up as one of the buzzwords of this years Viva Tech trade fair in Paris, which runs from Wednesday to Saturday. In order to ringfence its data, LVMH created its own chatbot, MaIA, which handles 1.5 million requests a month from 40,000 users, according to company data. Today, our forecasting, budget planning, sales planning, distribution planning, merchandising planning, and even production planning, are all units augmented by applications that use algorithms, said Franck Le Moal, group IT and technology director at LVMH. Fast-forward four years, and cloud-based AI solutions underpin virtually every transaction made by the worlds biggest luxury group, which recorded revenues of 84.7 billion euros in 2024. PARIS When LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton revealed in 2021 that it was partnering with Google Cloud to ramp up its AI capabilities, few could have predicted just how quickly the technology would revolutionize every aspect of its business. Story Continues We havent yet made up our minds about this. Well see. But Im not sure its a good idea to have assistants systematically crawling our web platforms to buy luxury products, Le Moal said. A Growing Threat of Cyber Attacks Cirot said there are plenty of other new functionalities to explore in future, among them improved search functionality using natural language processing, and virtual try-on technology. The partnership with LVMH has benefited from the leaps in AI in the last two years. Weve seen an acceleration of technologies with genAI, where an application that required around 12 months to 18 months to develop, sometimes with a terrible tunnel effect, can now be delivered in a week, he said. Cirot lauded LVMH as a pioneer for understanding early the importance of building a strong data corpus. We knew that it would very quickly be important to have structured data in the cloud because what customers want to do, and what LVMH is already doing, is to talk to their data, he said. LVMH has trained some 1,500 data experts over the last four years, ranging from data scientists to analysts, engineers and architects, Le Moal reported. A further 15,000 employees have been through its Data and AI Academy. The link between the different professions and IT has become much closer, and much more satisfying, too, Cirot remarked. We can serve them much faster, and were very close to the different departments. One area where LVMH and Google have stepped up their efforts is security, following a series of cyber attacks on U.K. retailers including Marks & Spencer and Harrods, and data breaches at luxury brands like Cartier and Dior, the latter of which is owned by LVMH. Googles Threat Intelligence Group recently warned that the U.S. retail sector is also being targeted in ransomware and extortion operations. There has been an absolutely exponential growth in cyber risk in recent months, said Le Moal. This is a constant concern for us. Protecting our customers data is of utmost importance. Despite a global downturn in luxury spending that has hit budgets across the industry, LVMH is bolstering investment in cybersecurity, he said. But its a game of cops and robbers, and its an ongoing battle, he said. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, all you need is the occasional tiny flaw in the system to benefit this increasingly large-scale cyber crime industry. This is a challenge for all businesses, including luxury. Google has beefed up its cybersecurity capabilities, namely through the 2022 acquisition of cyber defense and response vendor Mandiant. Our philosophy at Google is what we call zero trust, which applies to all the applications we develop, said Cirot. The cloud security model is based on the idea that no person or device should be trusted by default, even if they are already inside an organizations network. An Issue of Sovereignty With shrinking demand and geopolitical turmoil roiling luxury stocks, technology will be key to gaining an edge over the competition, said Le Moal. In a volatile environment, luxury brands will rely increasingly on AI and genAI to retain customers, recruit new clients, optimize their supply chain to curb over-production, direct products to the right locations and minimize returns, he said. But with big tech increasingly shaping government policy, the stakes now go far beyond a single sector, Le Moal noted. Technology has become an issue of sovereignty. We have to adapt to Chinese sovereignty, and potentially soon to European sovereignty, he said. With all due respect for my partners at Google, were also increasingly vigilant about a form of American sovereignty. Google has anticipated potential evolutions by establishing trusted cloud solutions, for instance through its joint venture with French defense and technology firm Thales. Already, for example, everything we do today with LVMH is encrypted, Cirot said. There is anxiety in the market on this topic, he recognized. So we are ready, we have different possible scenarios to support customers and we will follow the regulation and discussions. With the U.S accounting for 24 percent of LVMHs revenues in the first quarter, the threat of trade tariffs looms large over its immediate fortunes. LVMH chairman and chief executive officer Bernard Arnault has urged the European Union to make concessions in its trade talks with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. These issues also have the potential to impact our business, and there again, its crucial to have the best tools to be as responsive as we can in adapting our retail and production capacities, Le Moal said. At Viva Tech, LVMH plans to showcase collaborations between 11 of its luxury maisons which include Guerlain, Tag Heuer, Louis Vuitton and Loro Piana and 13 technology partners under the banner LVMH Dreamscape: Where Stories Connect. One of its houses will present an agent that can automatically generate marketing content while respecting the brands tone of voice. Its Moet Hennessy wines and spirits division will highlight a collaboration with start-up Hiphen, which uses AI to analyze crops. There will also be a big focus on 3-D, which is crucial in the creative industries, Le Moal said. He noted that design teams are also using genAI to create mood boards and iterate products, though LVMH is committed to an ethical use of the technology that does not replace human input. A strong theme of Viva Tech will be the use and integration of these AI and genAI technologies into everyday life, he said. Unlike the metaverse, which was a flash-in-the-pan, were talking about a profound transformation thats here to stay. Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." The dozen board members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board voted to resign, effective immediately. The reason for their resignation is the political interference of the Trump administration, which rejected some 200 Fulbright scholars who were previously approved by the board. The board wrote in their resignation statement, the current administration has usurped the authority of the Board and denied Fulbright awards to a substantial number of individuals who were selected for the 2025-2026 academic year. The administration is also currently subjecting an additional 1,200 foreign Fulbright recipients to an unauthorized review process and could reject more. We believe these actions not only contradict the statute but are antithetical to the Fulbright mission and the values, including free speech and academic freedom, that Congress specified in the statute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Fulbright program was established in 1946 by Senator J. William Fulbright, a Democrat from Arkansas, and formalized in 1961 with the Fulbright-Hays Act, signed into law by President John F. Kennedy. The State Department manages the program. The bipartisan Fulbright Board was mandated by Congress to be a check on the executive and to ensure that students, researchers and educators are not subjected to the blatant political favoritism that this administration is known for, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, said in a statement, per the New York Times. While I understand and respect the bipartisan Fulbright Board for resigning en masse rather than grant credibility to a politicized and unlawful process, I am painfully aware that todays move will change the quality of Fulbright programming and the independent research that has made our country a leader in so many fields. The Fulbright board noted, Our resignation is not a decision we take lightly. But to continue to serve after the Administration has consistently ignored the Boards request that they follow the law would risk legitimizing actions we believe are unlawful and damage the integrity of this storied program and Americas credibility abroad. Indeed, the erosion of the Fulbright program weakens America and our national security interests. Institutions and the rule of law matter and have distinguished our country for almost 250 years. They concluded, It is our sincere hope that Congress, the courts, and future Fulbright Boards will prevent the administrations efforts to degrade, dismantle, or even eliminate one of our nations most respected and valuable programs. Injecting politics and ideological mandates into the Fulbright program violates the letter and spirit of the law that Congress so wisely established nearly eight decades ago. Read the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board's full resignation statement, here. You Might Also Like A Fulton County judge is likely to rule Daniel Blackman ineligible from the June 17 Democratic primary for District 3. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder (file) This story was updated at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, with the latest. Morrow resident Greg Thornton voted for Daniel Blackman in the Georgia Public Service Commission race Wednesday afternoon before he became aware that Blackman had been disqualified from the Democratic Party primary for an Atlanta-based district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its disappointing to hear my vote wont matter, Thornton said. I didnt know exactly what was going on but Ill make sure I pay more attention (if) there is a runoff. I do care about whos in control of what I pay on my electric bills. By Thursday morning, Georgia polling stations will be required to have signs telling voters that, while Blackmans name will appear on the ballot, any votes cast for him will not be counted. Blackman was disqualified last month by an administrative law judge and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for failing to meet residency requirements a decision Blackman challenged. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville denied Blackmans appeal Wednesday, ruling Blackman ineligible for Tuesdays Democratic primary for District 3, which includes Fulton, Clayton and DeKalb counties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Glanville ruled from the bench Tuesday, saying he believed the earlier decision to disqualify Blackman properly considered the petitioners failure to update his voter registration until April of 2025. Under state law, a commission candidate must live in one of five districts for at least 12 months before an election. Glanville issued his formal written order in the case late Wednesday. Early voting is underway now and ends Friday for a pair of primary races for the commission. As of Wednesday evening, nearly 52,000 Georgians have cast a ballot. Glanville wrote that the secretary of state erred in limiting testimony from Blackman about furniture and other personal belongings at the Atlanta resident but said he considered whether that was enough evidence to prove that Blackman intended to permanently live there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (Blackman) challenges the secretarys determination that testimony was uncorroborated, Glanville wrote. The final decision examined the evidence advanced by (Blackman) and determined that it failed to corroborate his testimony. (Blackman) did not offer any witnesses with actual knowledge of his residence and limited documentary evidence. The last legal recourse for Blackman would be an expedited request to have the Georgia Supreme Court consider his appeal. He has not said whether he will go that route. With Blackman out, that leaves three other Democrats in the race, including Keisha Sean Waites, a former Atlanta City Council member and Georgia House representative; Peter Hubbard, founder of the Center for Energy Solutions; and Robert Jones, who worked in energy regulation in California. A runoff election will be held July 15 if one candidate fails to receive at least 50% of the vote in the primary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blackman had been considered a frontrunner in the race. He served as the Environmental Protection Agencys Southeast regional administrator under the Biden administration, and hes a former PSC candidate who came close to winning a seat on the commission back in 2020. Blackman has remained on the ballot while appealing the May 27 ruling from Administrative Court Judge Dominic Capraro, who concluded that Blackman voting in Forsyth County in the Nov. 5 general election was proof that Blackman was not a legal resident of Fulton County. Blackman has said his wife and children remained in Forsyth County to finish the school year while he relocated to an Atlanta residence. Blackmans attorney Matthew Wilson argued Tuesday that Blackman met state requirements as a commission candidate, including registering address changes 30 days in advance of an election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He told others his intent was to move to Fulton County and remain there for an indefinite period of time, starting October 2024, Wilson said at Tuesdays virtual court hearing. Alexandra Noonan, an attorney for the state, said that Blackman failed to prove the Atlanta home was where he intended to live long term. None of that amounts to a presumption that he shares a domicile with his family, she said Tuesday about previous witness testimony and evidence from Blackman. The Democratic primary winner will face appointed Republican Commissioner Fitz Johnson in November to serve a one-year term. There will be another election in 2026 when Georgians will elect a commissioner for the district to a full six-year term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Georgia Public Service Commission is made up of five elected officials who regulate utilities for electricity, natural gas and telecommunications. Although commission seats are confined to geographical areas, all Georgians can vote on each race. All of the current commissioners are Republican. The other commission primary on Tuesdays ballot features Republican Commissioner Tim Echols, who is fighting off a challenge from Lee Muns for the District 2 position that spans from Hart County to Savannah. The GOP primary winner will face Democratic challenger Alicia M. Johnson in November. The commission has faced criticism for approving a series of requests from Georgia Power to charge its ratepayers more to cover base electric rate increases, recover excess fuel costs, and expand Plant Vogtle. The average residential customer is paying $43 more per month since 2023. State regulators are set to vote later this month on Georgia Powers proposal to freeze its rates for the next three years, and the commissioners are set for a controversial vote this summer on the utilitys plans to lean on fossil fuels to meet growing energy demands primarily driven by data centers. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) Gang violence has displaced a record 1.3 million people across Haiti as the local government and international community struggle to contain the spiraling crisis, according to a new report released Wednesday. The U.N.s International Organization for Migration warned of a 24% increase in displaced people since December, with gunmen now having chased 11% of Haitis nearly 12 million inhabitants from their home. Much of the gang violence remains centered in Port-au-Prince, but more than 230,000 people alone have been left homeless as gunmen continue to lay siege in the two largest regions north of the capital, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need to act urgently. The strength of the Haitian people is humbling, but resilience cannot be their only refuge, Amy Pope, IOMs director general, said in a statement. The number of makeshift shelters also has skyrocketed by more than 70%, from 142 to 246, with much of the increase reported in Haitis once peaceful central region. The IOM noted that for the first time, regions outside Port-au-Prince have more shelters than the capital, given the ongoing violence in towns like Mirebalais and Petite Riviere. Overall, more than 80% of those displaced are staying with friends or family, although in Port-au-Prince, the majority of those displaced are staying in crowded and unsanitary makeshift shelters that include abandoned government buildings. Many now face life without access to health care, schools, and clean water, leaving already vulnerable families struggling to survive, according to the IOM. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hours after the report was released, officials with the U.N, the Inter American Development Bank and Haitis government and civil society gathered behind closed doors to talk about the situation. The crisisis only getting worse, Bob Rae, president of the U.N.s Economic and Social Council, said ahead of the meeting. He and other officials said its not enough to only tackle Haitis security crisis. Gangs that control at least 85% of Port-au-Prince are recruiting a growing number of children in the deeply impoverished country. Without development, we have no security, without security, we have no development, Rae said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police is helping Haitian authorities fight gangs, but it remains underfunded and understaffed, with only some 1,000 personnel out of the 2,500 envisioned. Rae stressed that the international community is looking beyond the U.N. Security Council for help, saying that more bilateral talks are needed with the U.S., the U.K. and countries in Africa, Europe and the Caribbean. He also said talks are ongoing with the Organization of American States, which has been prodded to help. On Monday, Leslie Voltaire, one of seven voting members on Haitis transitional presidential council, praised the OASs new secretary general for his commitment to help Haiti, but issued a warning. Haiti cannot contemplate dialogue with terrorists, he wrote on X, referring to armed gangs. Peace cannot be built by making a pact with terrorists. ____ Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america GASTONIA, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Gaston County officials shared the federal assistance its residents received following Hurricane Helene last fall. Gaston County was one of the hardest hit areas in North Carolina outside the mountains. There was a series of flooding along the Catawba River that affected areas of Mount Holly and Belmont. One storm-related death was reported there. Since FEMA aid arrived there, the county has landed more than $8.7 million in housing-related assistance. As of Tuesday, here is how those funds have allocated for the countys 242,000 people: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement $7.2 million in Individual and Households Program (IHP) assistance 10,536 registrations through 10 Multi-Agency Resource Centers $1.5 million in Housing Assistance ($5,800 per household) $5.1 million in Other Needs Assistance ($1,620 per household) These numbers reflect real help for real people, the countys Office of Emergency Management wrote. Whether its housing repairs, essential items, or other recovery needs, FEMA and our local partners are here to help our residents rebuild and recover. In May, FEMA upheld its decision to deny matching 100 percent of the State of North Carolinas expenditures used for Hurricane Helene recovery. Gov. Josh Steins office said then it also asked the Trump administration and Congress to send $19 billion to the state for disaster relief. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) California Gov. Gavin Newsom retaliated against posts made on X, formerly Twitter, by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) regarding protest violence in Los Angeles. Sanders posted a clip of her appearance on Fox News discussing the protests in Los Angeles. In the post, Sanders added a caption summarizing her comments on the national news network. Whats happening in California would never happen here in Arkansas because we value order over chaos. President @RealDonaldTrump does too, which is why he is doing what Governor Newsom wont, Sanders wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom responded with a post referencing Arkansas homicide rate. Your homicide rate is literally DOUBLE Californias, Newsom wrote. Sanders recently spoke with the Washington press corps about the Los Angeles protests as she was leaving the White House. The governor said she was there to determine how Arkansas can best continue to support the president, and all the great things they are doing. Californias Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have protested the use of troops to combat the protests. Those siding with the protesters are illogical, Sanders said. To take place the fact that theyre choosing rioters and criminals over American law enforcement is absolutely absurd, the governor said. Theyve picked crazy over normal. Im a big fan of order over chaos and I think the president is absolutely 100% right to step in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mullin, who represents Oklahomas 2nd District, which includes LeFlore County and Sequoyah County, posted a video on X expressing his support of President Donald Trumps decision to send the National Guard to address the protests in Los Angeles. In that post Mullin added the caption, The Left is claiming pro-illegal alien mob violence in LA is the result of federal law enforcement presence. Literally *nobody* believes that. America is sick of illegal immigration and weak, lawless liberal leadership. Now, Newsom is suing @POTUS. Rich. Newsom wrote in response, If you want to discuss violence, lets start with your states murder rate which is 40% higher than Californias. In April, Mullin said he joked in a video posted on social media, claiming journalists would not write fake news if violence was still used to handle disputes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mullin posted the video on X of him in the United States Capitol describing the 1890 shooting and killing of Rep. William Taulbee by newspaper reporter Charles Kincaid. Now, theres a lot we could say about reporters and the stories they write, but I bet they would write a lot less false stories as President Trump says, fake news if we could still handle our differences that way, Mullin said in the video. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is responding to MAGAs gaslighting with a big ol fire extinguisher. On Tuesday, the California Democrat offered White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller a harsh dose of reality after the top aide got riled up over Newsoms call for the National Guard to withdraw. Newsom announced on social media Sunday that he had formally requested that the Trump administration rescind its unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles County, saying the community didnt have a problem until Trump got involved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Didnt have a problem? Miller raged on X in response, launching into a wildly racist description of California. Your state is a criminal sanctuary for millions of illegal alien invaders, cartel killers, foreign terrorists, transnational gangs and insurrectionist mobs, Miller claimed. Huge swaths of the city where I was born now resemble failed third world nations. Protesters face members of the California National Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Los Angeles on June 10, 2025. FREDERIC J. BROWN via Getty Images After spewing off some more MAGA-approved propaganda about the situation, Miller concluded by criticizing Newsom. You still refuse to arrest and prosecute the arsonists, seditionists and insurrectionists, Miller wrote. This Administration is fighting to save the city and the citizens you have left to struggle and suffer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom naturally zeroed in on Millers use of the word insurrectionists, considering that Millers boss, President Donald Trump, issued pardons on the first day of his second term for over 1,500 people who were convicted for their roles in the violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and aimed to overturn the results of a U.S. election. The only people defending insurrectionists are you and @realDonaldTrump, Newsom shot back on X Tuesday. Or, are we pretending like you didnt pardon 1500 of them? The only people defending insurrectionists are you and @realDonaldTrump. Or, are we pretending like you didnt pardon 1500 of them? https://t.co/0kinmoOdeJ Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 10, 2025 Although the anti-deportation protests are ongoing, the 700 Marines sent to Los Angeles on Monday had not been sent to any demonstrations as of Tuesday morning, The Associated Press reported. Local officials have also repeatedly said that the situation on the ground does not warrant the Trump administrations reaction, with Los Angeles police chief noting that the military presence makes it harder for authorities to handle the protests safely. Newsom even filed for an emergency order to block Trump and the Department of Defense against the unlawful militarization of Los Angeles on Tuesday. Related... California Governor Gavin Newsom mocked President Donald Trump in a series of TikToks comparing him to a Star Wars villain. Newsoms press office took to X on Tuesday to share two TikToks of what appeared to be the AI-generated voice of Star Wars antagonist Emperor Palpatine, who was played by Ian McDiarmid, reading two of Trumps Truth Social posts. Both posts denounced the Los Angeles protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with the president calling them lawless riots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first video showcased one of the presidents Truth Social posts from Sunday with clips of Stormtroopers and music from the film franchise playing in the background. The caption read: A ONCE GREAT AMERICAN CITY HAS BEEN OCCUPIED! Order will be restored, the illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free, said the AI Emperor, dictating the presidents post. A ONCE GREAT AMERICAN CITY HAS BEEN OCCUPIED! pic.twitter.com/R3EnZNIk55 Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) June 10, 2025 Another video with the caption LOS ANGELES WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY OBLITERATED! had a similar structure, this time with one of Trumps Truth Social posts from Monday. The very incompetent Governor, Gavin Newscum, and Mayor, Karen Bass, should be saying, THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP, YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL. WE WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT YOU, SIR, said Palpatines voice, as Star Wars music blared in the background. LOS ANGELES WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY OBLITERATED! pic.twitter.com/dmTcCD3Fsh Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) June 10, 2025 Newsom and Trump have been locked in this back-and-forth trading of insults since Saturday, when the president announced that he would be deploying the National Guard to L.A. to quash anti-ICE protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The California governor wrote on X that the federal government is sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate. That is not the way any civilized country behaves. As the federal government conducts chaotic immigration sweeps across the country, the state is deploying additional CHP to maintain safety on Los Angeles highways to keep the peace. It's not their job to assist in federal immigration enforcement. The federal government is sowing Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 8, 2025 Trump and the Governor continued to go at it both online and in interviews, with the president even suggesting on Monday that his border czar, Tom Homan, should arrest Newsom. I like Gavin, hes a nice guy, but hes grossly incompetent. Everyone knows that, Trump said. Trump is known for posting AI-generated photos and videos on his own social media accounts, as well as the White Houses accounts. A notable example was a Studio Ghibli-style AI cartoon of a crying woman being handcuffed by an ICE officer, which was posted on the White Houses official X account back in March. Trump also sparked outrage when he posted an AI-edited photo of him as the Pope on Truth Social days before the papal conclave convened to deliberate on who to name the new pope following Pope Francis death in April. Gavin Newsoms office has lashed out at the stupidity of Stephen Miller after he misrepresented how the states sanctuary policies work. The White House deputy chief of staff posted on X during the Los Angeles protests against federal immigration raids that Californias Sanctuary State law means that every criminal alien arrested by local police is set free back into the community instead of being handed over to ICE. The California governors team fired back, writing: Yes, we seek sanctuary from your stupidity. The post included a 2020 Washington Post review of the book Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been pushing back against the White House figures amid the Los Angeles anti-ICE protests. / Daniel Cole/Reuters Twisting the knife, Newsoms office also referred to Miller as Voldemortthe villain from the Harry Potter franchise, a nickname critics use for the Trump allywhile citing data showing Californias prison system has coordinated with ICE to transfer 10,588 inmates into federal custody since Newsom took office in 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast. President Donald Trump has vowed to liberate Los Angeles. / Aude Guerrucci/Reuters Miller, seen as the mastermind behind many of Trumps hardline immigration policies, also launched a bizarre attack on Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after she said the unrest in the city only began after the intervention of the federal government. Sharing a clip of Bass remarks on X, Miller accused her of issuing a threat that the mob violence would only stop once federal law enforcement was withdrawn from the city. This is the definition of insurrection, Miller wrote, giving a rather creative interpretation of both the term and Bass comments. Los Angeles police said they made mass arrests amid a fifth day of protests in the city. / Leah Millis/Reuters In a further comment not seemingly based in reality, Miller added that Los Angeles and California are demanding the nullification of the election results, of federal law, of national sovereignty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has also inflamed tension surrounding the L.A. protests by feuding with Newsom. On Monday, the president went so far to say it would be a great thing if his border czar, Tom Homan, arrested Newsom if found to have obstructed law enforcementsomething Homan admitted the governor has not done. In response, Newsom said Trumps remarks were an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism. California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered a stark warning about Donald Trump not only to citizens of his state but to the nation at large: The moment we have feared has arrived. Newsom, in a speech broadcast on local television and streamed online early Tuesday night, unambiguously said that Trump is trying to assume dictatorial powers and that hell be coming for other states soon enough. Newsoms remarks came on the 5th day of protests against ICE agents, which Trump has used as an excuse to send military forces to Los Angeles to quell protest, which Newsom pointed out has been done illegally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom explained that the protests were kicked off after ICE agents began randomly raiding locations throughout greater Los Angeles, noting one particularly authoritarian example on Saturday morning when federal agents jumped out of an unmarked van near home depot parking lot, they began grabbing people, a deliberate targeting of a heavily Latino suburb. Families separated, friends, quite literally, disappearing, he said also. Newsom praised local law enforcement and military servicemembers, and acknowledged that eventually, vandals took advantage of the chaotic situation, saying if you incite violence or destroy our communities, youre going to be held to account. That kind of criminal behavior will not be tolerated. But, he said, this brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, later adding that law enforcement is not what Donald Trump wanted. He again chose escalation. He chose more force. He chose theatrics over public safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE agents, working on Trumps orders, are :traumatizing our communities, and that seems to be the point, Newsom later said, adding that California will keep fighting, keep fighting on behalf of our people, all of our people, including in the courts. If some of us could be snatched off the streets without a warrant based only on suspicion or skin color, then none of us are safe. Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there. Trump and his loyalists, they thrive on division because it allows them to take more power and exert even more control. Newsom also reminded those watching that Trump is not opposed to lawlessness and violence, as long as it serves him, What more evidence do we need than Jan. 6, referring to the 2021 attack on the capital Trump incited in order to keep power after losing the 2020 election. I ask everyone take time reflect on this perilous moment, a president who wants to be bound by no law or constitution, perpetuating a unified assault on American traditions, Newsom continued. :This is a president who, in just over 140 days, has fired government watchdogs that could hold him accountable, accountable for corruption and fraud. Hes declared a war on culture, on history, on science, on knowledge itself Hes delegitimizing news organizations, and hes assaulting the First Amendment and the threat of defunding them at threat. Hes dictating what universities themselves can teach. Hes targeting law firms and the judicial branch that are the foundations of an orderly in civil society. Hes calling for a sitting governor to be arrested for no other reason than to, in his own words, for getting elected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom then noted that Trumps takeover of Californias national guard didnt just apply to California, but to every other state. It clearly will not end here, other states will be next, democracy is next, democracy is under assault before our eyes he said. The moment we have feared has arrived. Trump is taking a wrecking ball, a wrecking ball to our founding fathers historic project, three co-equal branches of independent government no longer any checks and balances. Congress is nowhere to be found The Rule of Law has increasingly been given way to the rule of Don, Newsom said. Newsom concluded by urging people to stand up justice, arguing that what Donald Trump wants most is your fealty. Your silence to be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him. As protests against immigration raids continue in Los Angeles, Trump has enlisted 4,000 members of the National Guard and around 700 U.S. Marines to the city. Mayor Karen Bass said earlier Tuesday that the city has ample police capacity to handle the protest on their own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom encouraged Angelenos to exercise their first amendment rights to protest but asked them to please please do it peacefully. The protests, which began Thursday after federal immigration raids on businesses heated up, were peaceful until Trump enlisted federal troops to the city. Newsom said thats not what Donald Trump wanted. He again chose escalation. He chose more force, Newsom said. He chose theatrics over public safety. Watch the address here: The post Gavin Newsom Warns Trump Is Acting as a Dictator Amid Protests: Moment We Have Feared Has Arrived appeared first on TheWrap. (Reuters) -The U.S- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation accused Hamas militants of attacking a bus on Wednesday carrying Palestinians working with the organization, leading to at least five deaths and multiple injuries. (Reporting by Costas Pitas, editing by Michelle Nichols) Mambu, a core cloud banking platform, in collaboration with Avenga, a system integrator, has completed the migration of Marginalen Bank from its legacy core banking system to Mambu's platform. This transition, which took 13 months, enables the bank to enhance its offerings for both consumer and business deposits while adopting a modern banking framework. The migration to Mambu's API-driven core banking platform, supported by Microsoft Azure Cloud, has allowed Marginalen Bank to replace outdated systems. This shift is expected to improve the bank's agility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. The new cloud-native architecture facilitates the rapid launch of financial products, ensuring compliance with Nordic financial regulations. Avenga banking and financial services SVP Peter Stros said: Successfully migrating a banks core system in just 13 months is a highly complex process, requiring deep expertise in cloud-native architectures, regulatory frameworks, and seamless integration across a banks ecosystem. Avenga's involvement was key in the project, overseeing the decommissioning of the legacy core banking system and establishing a fully integrated, cloud-first architecture. The initiative included comprehensive data migration and integration across various components of the bank's ecosystem, such as Data Warehousing (DWH), Core Banking System (CBS), microservices, and local third-party providers. Marginalen Bank chief financial officer Bo Andersson said: Our goal has always been to simplify our customers everyday financial lives, and to do so, we need a strong, scalable infrastructure. Mambus composable banking approach perfectly complements Marginalens technology strategy. Weve been able to seamlessly migrate to the modern core and future-proof our technology. Marginalen Bank is now part of a growing number of Scandinavian financial institutions utilising Mambus SaaS cloud banking platform. Other banks in this group include Nordiska, based in Stockholm, and Denmarks Kompasbank. Established in 2010 after acquiring Citibanks Swedish consumer bank, Marginalen Bank provides a diverse range of financial services for individuals and businesses. In February this year, Ibercaja Banco partnered with Mambu to launch a new consumer finance entity, set to roll out in phases starting early this year. "Marginalen Bank completes migration to Mambus cloud banking solution" was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. Russia has lost 999,200 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on June 11. The number includes 1,120 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day. According to the report, Russia has also lost 10,927 tanks, 22,783 armored fighting vehicles, 51,579 vehicles and fuel tanks, 29,016 artillery systems, 1,413 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,183 air defense systems, 416 airplanes, 337 helicopters, 40,297 drones, 3,337 cruise missiles, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine. Read also: US to cut military aid to Ukraine, Hegseth says Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD)Georgetown County is preparing to host its first-ever Juneteenth Festival this Saturday, an all-day event honoring freedom, culture, and Black excellence. Held at the Georgetown County Library, the celebration will feature storytelling, live music, games, food vendors, and more, all designed to spotlight local Black-owned businesses and cultural traditions. Juneteenth is excellence, power, resilience just a whole lot of strength in the community highlighting Black excellence, said Whitley Snipes, owner of Nobu Wellness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the main attractions will be the Black Business Expo, showcasing vendors from across the county. Itll feature all Black-owned businesses from Georgetown County, selling their products, sharing their stories, and showcasing their excellence, said JoVonna Davis, Social Media Manager for the library. Visitors can also enjoy performances from local bands, Legend Gullah Storytellers by Ron and Natalie Daise, and a hands-on sweetgrass basket workshop led by Jennifaye Singleton. Snipes says events like this are vital to building stronger communities. Sure, weve got big franchisesbut being local means you connect more, build real relationships, and we all grow together. Thats powerful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizers say the festival is not only a celebration but also a chance to learn, connect, and support one another. I hope folks walk away understanding what Juneteenth truly means and maybe even discover a new favorite Black-owned business to support, said Davis. The festival runs Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Georgetown County Library. Its free and open to the public. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." As President Donald Trump's new travel ban goes into effectbarring citizens of 12 countries from the U.S. and partially restricting those from seven otherscolleges and universities are grappling with how to advise their students who are from those nations. Georgetown University has recommended incoming international students from those travel ban countries (Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen) and the ones on the partially restricted list (Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela) to defer their enrollment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to The Hoya, the school's student newspaper, letters from the university recommend to incoming international students from those countries without a visa that they defer their enrollment. For the students currently enrolled at the school from those nations, Georgetown advises them to stay in the United States and not leave. As long as you are currently in the U.S. when the proclamation goes into effect, your nonimmigrant status should remain valid, even if your visa is expired, a letter, viewed by T&C, explained. The letters affirmed Georgetown's commitment to its international community members. International students and scholars make up an integral part of the Georgetown community and we remain committed to supporting you in navigating this changing immigration landscape, the institution noted. The Trump administration has cracked down on international student visas in recent weeks and monthsand not just students from the aforementioned travel ban countries. Axios reported in April that The Trump administration has revoked the visas of hundreds of international students nationwide in recent weeks some for affiliation with pro-Palestinian protests, others for a crime or traffic offense. For some, the reason is unknown. In April, Georgetown and 85 other universities filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs in American Association of University Professors (AAUP) v. Rubio, which is a a case challenging the administrations revocation of visas and detentions of noncitizen students and scholars, per the Presidents' Alliance. The brief noted, The administrations actions have created a climate of fear among non-citizen students on campuses across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We know that the current immigration climate for international students and scholars can be challenging to understand and navigate, a Georgetown university spokesperson told the Georgetown Voice in April. Through Georgetowns Office of Global Services (OGS), the university provides dedicated resources and support for our international students and scholars. OGS continues to closely track Executive Orders and federal agency directives. You Might Also Like GEORGIA (WJBF) In 2022, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoffs bipartisan investigation uncovered the mistreatment of military families living in privatized housing on Ft. Eisenhower. Now, Sen. Ossoff wants to hear from more Georgia military families about conditions of their military housing. Sen. Ossoff is seeking to hear directly from Georgia military families about the condition of privatized housing on defense installations across the State of Georgia. In recent years, local reporting found Georgia military families have continued to raise concerns about privatized military housing conditions on installations across the State. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I want to fight for you and hold these companies accountable if theyre letting you down, Sen. Ossoff said in the PSA. You make huge sacrifices in defense of our nation, and you shouldnt have to sacrifice a safe, clean, healthy home for you and your family or the quality of customer service and tenants service that you deserve. In 2022, Sen. Ossoff led an 8-month bipartisan investigation that uncovered mistreatment and neglect of families living in privatized military housing on post at Ft. Eisenhower. As a direct result of Sen. Ossoffs investigation, the U.S. Army then conducted unit-by-unit inspections of housing on military installations, starting at Ft. Eisenhower. In 2023, Sen. Ossoff then convened a military housing oversight session to continue his work to improve housing conditions for military families in Georgia and across the nation. Click here to watch Sen. Ossoffs PSA to military families. 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 WJBF. Christina Rimes, a Georgia resident, was arrested today in Volusia County and is facing fraud charges for allegedly defrauding a Daytona Beach resident of $17,000. The victim was deceived by a fraudulent claim of a federal warrant from a North Carolina sheriffs office, prompting them to send money via Bitcoin. Volusia Sheriffs Office financial crimes detectives traced bank records to Rimes, linking her to the scam. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities disclosed that the fraud was part of a larger scheme involving inmates at Georgia State Prison, collaborating with outsiders to put illegal funds into prison commissary accounts. The Volusia Sheriffs Office urges residents to stay vigilant against similar scams. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. (NewsNation) Protests in Los Angeles against recent ICE raids in Southern California have entered a fifth day. The Trump administration recently deployed thousands of National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines to L.A. in order to quell the protests and assist law enforcement. Mayor Karen Bass has spoken out against the agents being in the city, saying it has created unrest. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told NewsNations Elizabeth Vargas that sending the ICE agents was necessary because they are arresting dangerous criminals and that the department will not be deterred from doing their jobs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anti-ICE protests in LA expand to New York, Chicago According to The Washington Post, immigration officials within the Trump administration have reportedly issued arrest quotas for agents totaling 3,000 a day. Geraldo Rivera, NewsNations correspondent-at-large, said the recent raids are deeply offensive, as he believes that the dangerous criminals the administration says they are targeting are not being caught as frequently and that ICE and DHS need to come up with a better way of making sure theyre arrested. There is no doubt that the DHS-Trump axis has bitten off more than it can chew, Rivera said. It has promised quotas that are deeply disturbing, and have very little to do with the problem they are seeking to solve with regulating the immigration problem in this country. 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. German sculptor and installation artist Guenther Uecker, best known for his mesmerising artworks using thousands of nails, has died at age 95. His works, created from the 1950s, saw him hammer nails into furniture, TV sets, canvases and a tree trunk, creating undulating patterns, the illusion of movement and intricate shadow plays. While he became famous for using a hammer instead of a brush to "paint with nails", Uecker later also used other materials, from sand to stones and ash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier hailed Uecker as "one of Germany's most important post-war artists" who broke new ground and, "with his nail reliefs, blurred our visual perceptions". Uecker was born on March 13, 1930, in Wendorf in what is now the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. He grew up on Wustrow, a peninsula north of the Baltic Sea port of Wismar, experiencing the horrors of World War II. A few days before the German surrender, the ship "Cap Arcona" sank near his hometown, with 4,500 concentration camp prisoners on board. Uecker helped bury the dead who washed up on shore, a traumatic experience he addressed decades later in his work "New Wustrow Cloths". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fearing the advance of the Russian Red Army, a young Uecker nailed shut the door of his family home from the inside to protect his mother and sisters. Uecker remembered that "panicked, instinctive act" in a 2015 TV documentary with public broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk. "That had a profound impact on me and was perhaps a key experience for my later artistic work." - 'Intrusiveness and aggression' - Even as a child, Uecker was constantly drawing. This displeased his father, a farmer, who thought his son was "a failure and not quite normal", Uecker recalled in a 2010 interview with the Rheinische Post daily. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a young man in East Germany, Uecker in 1949 began an apprenticeship as a painter and advertising designer, then studied fine art. But Uecker, who wanted to study under his artistic idol Otto Pankok, fled East Germany in 1953 for West Berlin and soon transferred to the University of Dusseldorf. Uecker, who created his first nail paintings in the late 1950s, later said that the nail attracted him for its "intrusiveness, coupled with a strong potential for aggression", something he said he also carried within himself. In 1961, he joined the art group Zero of Otto Piene and Heinz Mack, who sought to counter the devastation of World War II with a spirit of optimism and lightness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zero aimed to return art to its absolute basics, they wrote in their manifesto: "Zero is the beginning." Uecker's work often addressed contemporary issues. His ash paintings, for example, were a response to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. After xenophobic riots targeted migrants in a suburb of Rostock in 1992, he created a series called "The Tortured Man" which was exhibited in 57 countries. Uecker's works are exhibited in museums and galleries, but he also designed cathedral church windows and the prayer room of Berlin's Reichstag building housing the lower house of parliament. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked once whether he was bothered by being known simply as the nail artist, he said he wasn't. "Something like that is necessary for identification ... People need a symbol, an emblem." wik/fz/jsk/giv German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has affirmed the unity of his coalition government, comprising the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD), despite calls from some SPD members for a review of policy towards Russia. Source: German TV news channel n-tv, as reported by European Pravda Details: Speaking at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday, Merz responded to calls from certain SPD figures for diplomatic rapprochement with Russia and an end to Germanys arms policy. He emphasised that the coalition remains united on these matters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We in the federal government, comprising the CDU, CSU and SPD, are fully united in our assessment of the war Russia is waging against Ukraine and the conclusions that must be drawn from it. I am counting on this unity to remain intact," he said. More details: Highlighting recent Russian attacks on Ukraine, Merz stressed the need to recognise Russia as a threat to the security of the entire NATO Alliance. "Russia poses a security risk on both sides of the Atlantic," he said, adding that the upcoming NATO summit will address a long-term increase in defence spending. Background: A document titled "Manifesto," signed by over 100 SPD-associated figures, has sparked significant controversy in Germany. It advocates a shift in security and defence policy, including negotiations with Russia and an end to the deployment of new US medium-range missiles in Germany. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has already publicly rejected these proposals. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! A German court is debating whether the previous government was right to ban far-right magazine Compact, a publication classified as right-wing extremist by domestic intelligence. Then-interior minister Nancy Faeser banned the magazine in July 2024, describing it as the "central mouthpiece of the far-right extremist scene." But the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig provisionally suspended the ban in urgent proceedings shortly afterwards, allowing Compact to continue publication for the time being. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The court is now set to hand down a ruling in main proceedings, which kicked off on Tuesday. Wednesday's hearing centred on the question of whether individual statements made in the magazine should be considered expressions of opinion and therefore be protected by press freedom and freedom of expression, or whether they should be considered anti-constitutional and pose a concrete threat. Excerpts presented to the court by the Interior Ministry on more than 240 pages include terms and statements including "Passdeutsche" (passport Germans), "Volksaustausch" (great replacement), "Vernichtungsschlag gegen das deutsche Volk" (destruction of the German people) and "Deutscher ist ein Mensch mit deutscher Herkunft" (a German is a person of German origin). According to the ministry's legal representative Wolfgang Roth, the text passages demonstrate that the makers of Compact are striving for "absolute homogeneity or a rescue of the intercultural identity of the German people". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The defence team has rejected the accusations, describing them as polemics. The statements made did not reveal any "political concept pursuing an anti-constitutional goal," said lawyer Ulrich Vosgerau. Judges in Leipzig have scheduled another hearing in the case for Thursday, as it appears increasingly unlikely that a ruling will be made this week. A German court ruled Wednesday that toymaker Ravensburger can use Leonardo da Vinci's drawing "Vitruvian Man" for its puzzles, in a setback for the Italian state and a Venetian gallery. The Stuttgart Higher Regional Court dismissed a claim filed by Italy's Culture Ministry and the Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia and upheld an earlier ruling that favoured Ravensburger. The Italian plaintiffs had demanded a licensing agreement for the commercial use of one of the Renaissance master's most famous drawings, despite the fact that he died more than 500 years ago, placing his works in the public domain under international copyright law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plaintiffs argued that a domestic law aimed at protecting Italy's cultural heritage meant they had the authority to demand agreements with those who profit from culturally significant artworks, even if they are based abroad. After failed negotiations, the Italians obtained a preliminary injunction from a court in Venice that barred Ravensburger from selling the puzzle worldwide. Ravensburger then challenged the injunction in Germany. Last year, a lower regional court in Stuttgart sided with Ravensburger, ruling that Italy's cultural protection laws could only be enforced in that country. Rejecting the appeal, the Stuttgart court on Wednesday found that "German courts are neither bound by the prior decision of the Italian court nor prevented from making their own ruling on the matter". The judgement is not yet final. The Italian plaintiffs can ask the German Federal Court of Justice for permission to appeal the ruling. pe-vbw/fz/yad Supply chain solutions provider Medline has entered a prime vendor agreement with Santiam Hospital and Clinics, an independent acute-care hospital in Oregon, US. This multi-year collaboration will see Medline delivering distribution services to support Santiam Hospital's annual patient base of more than 40,000 in its 11 clinics. The agreement, which also encompasses the hospitals satellite clinics comprising over 500 employees, including 60 medical staff, underscores Medline's focus on customer service and supply chain reliability. Medline acute care division director Ryan Dickson said: We are thrilled to finalise the prime vendor agreement, marking a new chapter of collaboration. This is a testament to our Medline team and our ability to partner with our customers to help solve their most complex supply chain and standardisation problems, delivering when they need us most. We look forward to what the future holds with this exciting new agreement. The partnership between Medline and Santiam Hospital will focus on the standardisation of sterile procedure trays (SPTs) to enhance patient outcomes and lessen care costs. Located in Portland, Medline's distribution centre will be responsible for supplying the necessary products to Santiam Hospital's locations. Earlier in the month, the supply chain solutions provider secured a prime vendor agreement with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center for medical-surgical product supply. The partnership also includes supply chain optimisation solutions to more than 100 facilities within the health system. In October 2024, Medline signed a similar agreement with Kaweah Health in California, which resulted in maintained patient care and cost savings for the community hospital. "Medline signs vendor agreement with Santiam Hospital and Clinics" was originally created and published by Hospital Management, a GlobalData owned brand. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Wednesday rejected a manifesto containing demands by his centre-left colleagues for a reversal in the government's Russia policy. "This position paper amounts to a denial of reality," said Pistorius, one of the leading figures in Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD), the current junior partner in the coalition government. "It exploits the desire of the people in our country for an end to the terrible war in Ukraine, for peace," he told dpa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prominent SPD figures signed a manifesto calling for diplomatic talks with Russia, in what appears to be turning into a stand-off with party leadership over the government's defence policy. Germany is the largest supplier of military aid to Ukraine behind the United States. In a process initiated by the previous SPD-led administration, the new German government, in office since May 6, has vowed to boost military expenditure and is pushing for a massive hike to NATO defence spending in light of Russia's growing expansionist ambitions. SPD lawmakers up in arms The position paper, which has been made available to dpa and has been signed by more than 100 people, laments a "compulsion to increase armament and prepare for a supposedly imminent war." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Alarmist military rhetoric and huge armament programmes do not create more security for Germany and Europe, but lead to destabilization and a strengthening of the mutual perception of threat between NATO and Russia," the document states. While it is unclear whether all signatories are members of the SPD, prominent party figures including Rolf Mutzenich, the former leader of the parliamentary group, former party chief Norbert Walter-Borjans, and foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner are among them, as are several federal and state lawmakers. Pistorius finds clear words Dubbed "Manifesto," the paper could cause a stir at the SPD party conference scheduled for later this month, where delegates are set to elect a new leadership following the disastrous showing in February's parliamentary elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defence Minister Pistorius said that while he shared the wish for peace, Russian President Vladimir Putin was rejecting offers from Ukraine for an unconditional ceasefire. "He breaks off negotiations. And when he does negotiate, he simultaneously bombs cities in Ukraine with even greater severity and brutality." This demonstrates that Russia does not want peace, or only on its own terms, he noted. Putin has thrown years of diplomatic mediation attempts to the wind, the minister argued. "He is pursuing a strategy of confrontation. Not us," Pistorius said, accusing the authors of the manifesto of disregarding the circumstances. Trouble on the horizon? Coming off the heels of leading a squabbling three-party coalition, the SPD, one of Germany's two traditional mainstream forces, was relegated to third place behind the conservative bloc and the far-right Alternative for Germany. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The party conference will be preceded by the NATO summit in The Hague, where member states are expected to agree on a significant hike in defence expenditure. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a conservative, is pushing for a new target for NATO members to spend at least 3.5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence, with an additional 1.5% on infrastructure. The manifesto's signatories call for "a return to dialogue with Russia once the guns fall silent, including on a peace and security order for Europe that is supported and respected by all." They argue that genuine confidence-building measures must be preceded by a cautious resumption of diplomatic contacts. They also oppose the stationing of new US mid-range missiles in Germany, as well as raising NATO defence spending to the target advocated by Merz. Prominent figures from Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) have signed a manifesto calling for diplomatic talks with Russia, in what appears to be a stand-off over the defence policy of the coalition government, in which the SPD is the junior partner. The position paper, which has been made available to dpa and has been signed by more than 100 people, laments a "compulsion to increase armament and prepare for a supposedly imminent war." "Military alarm rhetoric and huge armament programmes do not create more security for Germany and Europe, but lead to destabilization and a strengthening of the mutual perception of threat between NATO and Russia," the document states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While it is unclear whether all signatories are members of the SPD, prominent party figures including the former leader of the parliamentary group Rolf Mutzenich, former party chief Norbert Walter-Borjans and foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner are among them, as are several federal and state lawmakers. Dubbed "Manifesto," the paper could cause a stir at the SPD party conference scheduled for later this month, where the party is set to elect a new leadership following its disastrous showing in February's parliamentary elections. Coming off the heels of leading a squabbling three-party coalition, the SPD, one of Germany's two traditional mainstream forces, was relegated to third place behind the conservative bloc and the far-right Alternative for Germany. The party conference will be preceded by the NATO summit in The Hague, where member states are expected to agree on a significant hike in defence expenditure. Prominent figures from Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) have signed a manifesto calling for diplomatic talks with Russia, in what appears to be a stand-off over the defence policy of the coalition government, in which the SPD is the junior partner. The position paper, which has been made available to dpa and has been signed by more than 100 people, laments a "compulsion to increase armament and prepare for a supposedly imminent war." "Military alarm rhetoric and huge armament programmes do not create more security for Germany and Europe, but lead to destabilization and a strengthening of the mutual perception of threat between NATO and Russia," the document states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While it is unclear whether all signatories are members of the SPD, prominent party figures including the former leader of the parliamentary group Rolf Mutzenich, former party chief Norbert Walter-Borjans and foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner are among them, as are several federal and state lawmakers. Dubbed "Manifesto," the paper could cause a stir at the SPD party conference scheduled for later this month, where the party is set to elect a new leadership following its disastrous showing in February's parliamentary elections. Coming off the heels of leading a squabbling three-party coalition, the SPD, one of Germany's two traditional mainstream forces, was relegated to third place behind the conservative bloc and the far-right Alternative for Germany. The party conference will be preceded by the NATO summit in The Hague, where member states are expected to agree on a significant hike in defence expenditure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a conservative, is pushing for a new target for NATO members to spend at least 3.5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence, with an additional 1.5% on infrastructure. The manifesto's signatories call for "a return to dialogue with Russia once the guns fall silent, including on a peace and security order for Europe that is supported and respected by all." They argue that genuine confidence-building measures must be preceded by a cautious resumption of diplomatic contacts. They also oppose the stationing of new US mid-range missiles in Germany, as well as raising NATO defence spending to the target advocated by Merz. Germany supports Denmark in the face of US President Donald Trump's claims to Greenland, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday. "The principle of the inviolability of borders is enshrined in international law and is not up for negotiation," Merz said in Berlin after a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. "We stand firmly alongside our Danish friends on these issues and that will remain the case," the German chancellor added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to take control of Greenland - a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark - and has not ruled out doing so with military force. Against the backdrop of these comments, US Vice President JD Vance visited the US military base at Pituffik in northern Greenland at the end of March. Greenland and Denmark have categorically rejected Trump's approaches. Frederiksen on Wednesday stressed that the sovereignty of states is a core element of the world order, and attacks on such fundamental principles and values cannot be allowed. The future of Greenland can only be decided by its people, she emphasized. She said she believes that Trump is serious about Greenland. "But we are also serious," she added. Bruno Kahl, President of Germanys Federal Intelligence Service (BND), has said that Russia is preparing to test the credibility of NATOs Article 5, adding that German intelligence has concrete evidence of the Kremlins preparations for potential aggression against the Alliance. Source: Kahl in a podcast for German outlet Table Briefings, as reported by The Times Details: The BND chief emphasised that Moscow no longer believes in the reliability of NATOs collective defence system particularly Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which guarantees a joint response in the event of an attack on a member state. He warned that the Kremlin may attempt to test this provision in practice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote: "We are very sure, and we have intelligence evidence to back this up, that [Russias full-scale invasion of] Ukraine is only one step on Russias path towards the west." More details: Kahl clarified that this "doesnt mean that we expect large tank battalions to roll from the east to the west". German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has issued similar warnings in the past, repeatedly stating that Germany must be "ready for war" by the end of this decade. "Our experts estimate that it could be possible within a period of five to eight years," Pistorius said in an interview with German TV news service Tagesspiegel last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its February report, Denmarks military intelligence concluded that after the war in Ukraine ends, Russia could redeploy substantial forces to the borders of other European countries within six months. Kahl also warned that Russia seeks to "push NATO back to its 1990s boundaries", "kick out" the US from Europe and "expand its influence by any means necessary". "We need to nip this in the bud," Kahl stressed. Meanwhile, he noted that despite certain tensions, cooperation with the United States remains stable. "The Americans take Article 5 very seriously, but they rightly insist Europe must do its part," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sinan Selen, Deputy Director General of Germanys Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), stated that Russia is increasingly using cyberattacks and sabotage against Western countries. "We have noticed that Russias war of aggression against Ukraine has led to our cyber and espionage defences being increasingly tested," Selen said. An annual report by the BfV reveals that Russia has begun actively deploying so-called "low-level agents" to carry out sabotage operations, particularly placing incendiary devices in parcels, resulting in a series of fires at logistics centres across Europe. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russian exports to Germany dropped by 94.6% to 1.8 billion ($2.05 billion) last year compared to levels seen in 2021, as sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine have mostly curbed trade, the federal statistical agency reported on Wednesday. Prior to the war launched by Moscow on February 24, 2022, - and the 17 EU sanctions packages passed - Germany imported Russian goods worth 33.1 billion in 2021. German exports to Russia were down 71.6% last year compared to 2021, trading goods worth 7.6 billion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 17th EU sanctions package aimed at disturbing the Russian war effort came into force in May, as Russian attacks on Ukraine continue unabated. It includes a further tightening of restrictions on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" used to transport oil and oil products. An 18th package of sanctions is already in the works. Russia's share of total imports to Germany fell to just over 0.1% in 2024, down from 2.8% in 2021. At the same time, Russia accounted for only 0.5% of all German exports last year, down from 1.9% in 2021. Until the second half of 2022, Russia was an important energy supplier for Germany, but as of last year, main exports to Germany include metals, chemical products, food and animal feed. Conversely, Germany mainly supplied pharmaceutical and chemical products as well as machinery last year. The EU as a whole has also significantly reduced its trade with Russia. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is apparently preparing to replace the head of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and is considering Martin Jager, the current German ambassador to Ukraine, for the position. Source: German newspaper Spiegel, citing its own sources, as reported by European Pravda Details: Initial signs of a leadership change at the intelligence agency emerged immediately after Merzs government took office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spiegel has information that the replacement of the head of Germanys Federal Intelligence Service has already been informally agreed upon, with Martin Jager expected to take up the post. He is currently serving as Germanys ambassador to Ukraine. The current BND chief, Bruno Kahl, who has held the position for eight years, is set to become ambassador to the Vatican. He supposedly showed interest in the role even before the collapse of the "traffic light coalition" in late 2024, and his request is now expected to be fulfilled. Under the German government's plans, the BND is set to receive increased funding in the coming years, along with more flexible operational capabilities. Merzs team believes that with Jager as head of the intelligence service and Philipp Wolff as intelligence coordinator in the chancellors office, the BNDs effectiveness will increase significantly. Read more: Europe Will Stretch from Lisbon to Luhansk Ukraine Will Be In, Russia Out: Interview with German Ambassador to Ukraine Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The U.S. Marshals Service arrested 28-year-old Darriana Burton on Monday, accusing her of helping her boyfriend, convicted murderer Derrick Groves, escape from the Orleans Parish Justice Center. Burton, a former employee of the Orleans Parish Sheriffs Office (OPSO), faces felony charges of conspiracy to commit simple escape. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced Burtons arrest, stating, We will continue to pursue anyone and everyone who has aided and abetted these criminals. We will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you to the full extent of the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Id like to thank the U.S. Marshals Service for executing our warrant for this woman, she added, per Fox 4 KDFW. We will arrest all aiders and abettors, and we will eventually get Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves back to prison where they belong. An arrest warrant was issued for Burton on May 27 after authorities confirmed she communicated with Groves, with whom she had an on-again, off-again relationship for three years and is believed to be currently dating. An arrest affidavit states Burton coordinated contact between Groves and individuals outside the jail, sharing information related to the escape. Melaine Talia of the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation said, As I understand, just two days prior to the escape, Groves and his girlfriend had communication via the tablet that was issued through the Orleans Justice Center. Talia added, I dont think [its] surprising that someone would help an individual that has that violent history, and is known for using violence to get what he wants, WDSU News reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tablets, introduced in February through the Smartcom program, allow inmates free 15-minute daily phone calls and 20-minute weekly video calls to reduce jail violence and improve quality of life, according to OPSO documents. Burton worked at OPSO from August 2022 to March 2023 but was fired for allegedly bringing contraband into the facility. In 2023, she faced charges of malfeasance and bringing contraband into jail, but the Orleans Parish District Attorneys Office refused the charges after Burton completed a pretrial diversion program. The district attorneys office issued a statement explaining, The charges against Ms. Burton were thoroughly reviewed by a senior screening attorney, who considered all available evidence at that time, the specific conduct alleged, and Ms. Burtons lack of criminal history. Ms. Burton was ultimately offered, and successfully completed, a pretrial diversion program. The contraband in question was not actually introduced into the secure area of the facility. According to the incident report, Ms. Burton left the contraband inside a bag at the facility entrance and did not follow through with delivery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement added, As with all cases, our offices priority is to evaluate whether we can meet our legal burden of proof at trial, along with other relevant factors. The present matters remain under active review by the appropriate agencies. Any and all persons found to be complicit in the escape or in aiding escapees will be fully prosecuted and held accountable for their actions. Groves and another inmate, Antoine Massey, remain at large. Brian Fair of the U.S. Marshals Office said, Our investigation continues, and they could be anywhere. They could be in New Orleans, or they could be out of the New Orleans area. Talia emphasized, They are not going to give up; law enforcement is on it, WDSU reported. Gisele Pelicot, a French feminist icon who survived nearly a decade of rapes by dozens of men, has reached a settlement with a magazine she accused of taking photos without her consent, her lawyer has said. Attorney Emilie Sudre said late Tuesday that "an amicable settlement" had been reached between Gisele Pelicot and the Paris Match weekly, instead of the case going to court on Wednesday. In April, Paris Match published seven pictures of Pelicot accompanied by a man it described as being her new companion walking in the streets in her new hometown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her lawyer Antoine Camus at the time said it was "disappointing" that Paris Match would secretly take pictures of Pelicot "whose ordeal was the subject of 3,000 pictures and videos". He accused the magazine of "having learned nothing from the four-month trial" last year that saw her ex-husband and 50 other men convicted. Sudre said Gisele Pelicot had not requested any "compensation" as part of the settlement. Her client instead agreed that the magazine "pay 40,000 euros ($45,000) to two associations supporting victims of violence, including within families", especially children and women, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two non-governmental organisations fund a women's shelter and a riding centre that helps survivors recover, the second based in the southern town of Mazan where much of the abuse Gisele Pelicot suffered took place. Christophe Bigot, a lawyer for Paris Match, said the magazine was "delighted with the solution, which would help victims of violence". Gisele Pelicot, who has since changed her name, gained international acclaim after she demanded her trial be open to the public, insisting it was up to rapists -- not their victims -- to feel ashamed. Dominique Pelicot, her former husband, drugged her for nearly a decade so he and dozens of strangers he recruited online could rape her in her own bed. He meticulously documented the abuse in files on his computer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A French court in December sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Fifty other men, the strangers who he recruited online to carry out abuse alongside him, were also convicted in a trial that saw no acquittals. Seventeen of the other defendants initially lodged an appeal, but sixteen have since withdrawn their claim. The single remaining appellant, Husamettin D., has the right to drop his appeal right up until the opening of his hearing scheduled for October 6. adr-ah/as/giv Michael Schneider has gone viral yet again this time, direct from Detroit. Known around the world by his internet handle Blcksmth, he is known for his whimsical, witty and thought-provoking typographical art that writes out both fun and profound quotes using balloons, flowers, leaves and/or LED lights. Commanding nearly a million followers on Instagram, almost every post he makes goes around the internet like a lightning bolt; if youve been on any major social media platform in the last few years, youve seen his work. Schneiders most recent work was done right in the heart of the Motor City during his first visit, and he confessed to the Free Press that hes fallen in love with Detroit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was brought to town to create several installations around the campus of The Summit, a four-day event that convened business executives, major arts and music figures, and some of the most celebrated thinkers of the day to connect, collect and collaborate. One display he created here, a Campus Martius flower installation reading If being hard on yourself worked, it would have worked by now, has racked up more than 23,000 Instagram likes since it was posted on Friday, June 7. He became so enamored with Detroit that he also created two different video montages chronicling his experiences in the city. Schneider, 51, first went viral in 2018 before the balloons and flowers with his Box Wine Boyfriend series. Id had a bad breakup, he explained, and so I constructed a replacement boyfriend out of the boxes of wine that I used to self-medicate after the breakup. And we posted in all these different scenarios that I would fictionally do with my boyfriend. So we were grocery shopping together, and reading the paper in bed together, and it was just a silly, ridiculous series but it was actually pretty fun to do. i do not have a boyfriend so i made one out of boxes of wine pic.twitter.com/1r6QKtUbvz Michael James Schneider (@BLCKSMTHdesign) February 26, 2018 The following year came the balloon messages, which blew up during the 2020 Covid lockdown when celebrities began sharing his images. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I love typographic art, he said, and so its always been fun to just play with words and quote art. My friend Johnny says, One day, I lived in a world without seeing balloons on a wall. And then I saw balloons on a wall, and then I never saw anything else. So Im sorry if they are a constant presence on your social media feed, he added with a laugh. As the United States moved deeper into the pandemic era and the first Donald Trump presidency, Blcksmths posts notably began drifting into themes of social activism and self-empowerment. Now, its a regular occurrence to see posts with such phrases as You still havent met all of the people who are going to love you (a sign he recreated while in Detroit) or PBS didnt become woke, you grew up to be a bad person. The pinned post on Schneiders Instagram page reads, "When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king, the palace becomes a circus, and he has also created signs that directly refer to Trump. My lean into activism was inevitable, he said. As a queer, half-Mexican descent artist, my very life is political. That bled into my art, and quote artworks are so powerful to convey succinct messages. Unfortunately, they can also be interpreted differently by a great many people, but I feel like I have an obligation and a mission to amplify voices and words that would maybe not necessarily be amplified as much. My favorite thing is to collaborate with other artists and activists in communities that arent seen as much as I am. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Detroit's 'best art show in 50 years' closing soon at Carr Center See also: Theaters, arts organizations across Michigan facing crisis after Trump's NEA cuts He initially worried that taking a political stance at this uncertain moment in American history would close a lot of doors for him. Instead, he found the opposite to be true. At the beginning of this year, he said, I was facing a very difficult decision, because I knew that I would book less jobs if I still remained politically outspoken. For a few weeks, I did even archive a great number of my politically oriented posts to make my social media presence appear more universal and more neutral. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And when the week of the inauguration hit, I was gripping my phone in my hand tightly, and I was like, F that. Im not going to do that. And I unarchived all of those, and then I did a post that directly addressed the inauguration. The trade-off? Schneider quickly booked three jobs in a row. I intend to let my audience who is, for the most part, aligned with my values know where they should shop and where they should put their money, that they are worth people putting their money towards them and giving them their business, he said. I had no preconceived notions of Detroit when Summit invited me out here, and since I have been here, I have been really, really charmed by the history of the city, a lot of the buildings. I find parallels between Detroit and Portland, honestly. I feel like they both have a really thriving art scene. Half of the people who have come up to approach me and say hi are artists! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I went to the Eastern Market to do an installation, and theres an endless supply of colorful walls and murals that I could overlay my balloons on, so it was hard to pick one. And, again, everybody is so friendly, it also feels similar to Portland. I think both cities are coming from difficult recent pasts, and theres a sort of spirit of optimism in the air and hope for a brighter future. And, you know, anytime you visit a new city as a tourist, its going to roll out the red carpet for you, and youre always going to find yourself being like, I could live here. This is a great city, but I really do feel that about Detroit. To follow Blcksmth and see more of his work, go to instagram.com/blcksmth. This story was updated to add a video. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: An internet superstar fell in love with Detroit and went viral here Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is one of the best wide moat stocks to buy now. On June 9, Mercks preventative antibody shot received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This shot shields infants up to the age of one from the respiratory syncytial virus during their first RSV period. RSV refers to a common respiratory virus that leads to seasonal infections like the flu, yet for infants and older people, it is a primary cause of pneumonia and death. There has been limited availability of Sanofis and AstraZenecas preventive shots for RSV for the previously mentioned age group so far. Mercks antibody, called clesrovimab and sold under the name Enflonsia, can be taken as a single dose to protect healthy pre-term, full-term, and at-risk infants from mild to aggressive RSV. Merck & Co (MRK) RSV Antibody for Infants Approved by US FDA A close-up of a person's hand holding a bottle of pharmaceuticals. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) projects Enflonsia shipments to turn up on schedule for the 2025-2026 RSV season. The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will likely gather later in June to assess and recommend the use of Enflonsia for infants. Merck is a global healthcare company that develops treatments for cancer, infectious diseases, and chronic conditions, and also provides vaccines and health solutions for both humans and animals. While we acknowledge the potential of MRK as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: The Best and Worst Dow Stocks for the Next 12 Months and 10 Unstoppable Stocks That Could Double Your Money. Disclosure: None. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) General Motors on Tuesday evening announced plans to put $4 billion over the next two years toward its domestic automotive manufacturing, increasing U.S. production of both gas and electric-powered vehicles. GM hopes to assemble more than 2 million vehicles per year in the U.S., focusing on plants in Michigan, Kansas and Tennessee. In Michigan, GM will invest in Lake Orion Assembly in Lake Orion Township to begin producing gas-powered full-size SUVs and light duty pickup trucks starting in early 2027. GM said that move would help the company meet continued strong demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement GMs Factory ZERO in Detroit and Hamtramck will be its location dedicated to bundling the Chevrolet Silverado electric vehicle, the GMC Sierra EV, the Cadillac Escalade IQ and the GMC Hummer EV pickup and SUV. Other plants receiving investments include Fairfax Assembly in Kansas City, Kansas and Spring Hill Manufacturing in Spring Hill, Tennessee. GM graphic illustrating the locations of its $4 billion investment in domestic auto manufacturing We believe the future of transportation will be driven by American innovation and manufacturing expertise, said Mary Barra, GM chair and CEO, in a statement. Todays announcement demonstrates our ongoing commitment to build vehicles in the U.S and to support American jobs. Were focused on giving customers choice and offering a broad range of vehicles they love. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the leaders of the Michigan Legislature praised the move, saying in a statement that GM and Michigan have a long history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am grateful to GM for bringing more auto manufacturing back home to Michigan, protecting thousands of good-paying, union auto jobs, Whitmer said in a statement. Over the last few years, GM has grown their footprint in their home state, and I am proud that the state of Michigan has been a strong partner in helping them build, baby, build! Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) thanked President Donald Trump for GMs investment. This is exactly what we said would happen when he unveiled his bold tariff strategy, Hall said. While other politicians were paying out billions to build EV plants with small job totals, President Trump took the smarter path to bring back gas-powered production that will put more people to work and do it without handouts. President Trump took a strong stand to bring factories back to American shores and punish companies that shed American jobs to move their operations overseas. That plan is working. In its announcement, GM gave no indication that the tariff strategy being implemented by the Trump administration was a factor in its decision to make the investments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless, Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) said the multi-billion-dollar investment would mean thousands of new auto jobs for the state. I am delighted by this news, Brinks said in a statement. Our hardworking and dedicated workforce, vibrant neighborhoods where people want to put down roots, and major advancements in economic policy make our state the natural place to make such a transformative investment. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX General Motors may have a slight advantage over its competitors at least in the future as the industry faces a possible shortage of rare-earth minerals used in a variety of car components. Many industry analysts fear that a shortage of the rare earth minerals could bring on a repeat of the pandemic-era semiconductor chip shortage that led to widespread production disruptions. Those, in turn, caused a dearth in new car inventory and a subsequent spike in new and used car prices. Currently, China has the market cornered on processing the 17 rare earth metallic elements that go into components that are critical to vehicle production. They are also used across most electronics and even in the contrast dye in MRI machines and in some cancer drugs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But amid the escalating trade war with President Donald Trump, China has decided to make it harder for the world to get those rare earth products. In April, the country introduced a new licensing requirement on the export of rare earth products, bringing global exports of them to a near halt. View of MP Materials Mountain Pass mine and processing facility in Mountain Pass, California. As delegations from the United States and China met in London the week of June 9 to talk about a new trade deal, it was expected that discussions about an agreement on opening up the exports of rare earth minerals would be on the table. Late in the evening of June 10, news media reports said progress had been made to de-escalate the trade war. On June 11, according to published reports, there was discussion on rare earth minerals; the details of any agreement were not released. But media reports said it essentially involves China relaxing its export restrictions on rare earth minerals and in return, U.S. officials would roll back limits on exports of U.S. products and technology as well as proposed visa restrictions. Industry observers say it's critical for the Detroit automakers that a deal is reached. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "With this weight hanging over their head it is a very serious thing if the current administration doesnt negotiate this right with China," Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, told the Detroit Free Press. "There will be limitations on the products being imported and vehicle production could be hampered very quickly." Here's where GM comes in. About four years ago, the automaker formed strategic alliances with two rare earth mineral processing companies to domestically source rare earth minerals and process them into the components GM uses in its electric cars. While the partnerships are not a total panacea to the problem yet, some analysts said GM will be in a position of strength one day. Theyre not online yet," said Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research at Telemetry, of the rare earth mineral processing factories. "So, in the immediate future, its not going to help them much. But longer term, having a more diversified supply chain of rare earth materials, will definitely be helpful. What are rare earth minerals? Despite the name, rare earth minerals are not rare. In fact, they are the most abundent minerals on the planet, Abuelsamid said. They are the primary element in rare earth magnets, which are used in EV motors and almost every consumer electronic device. They are used in the parts of your car that use little motors such as electric seat adjusters, windshield wipers, exterior side mirrors and so forth, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Theres plenty of (rare earth minerals) in the Unites States, but we dont have much in the way to process it," Abuelsamid said. "China has a stranglehold on these right now. So they want to make it as costly as possible, particularly for American companies, to get these materials." If a company wants to bring rare earth minerals or products, such as rare earth magnets, from China, it has to go through various permits to export them. The other option is to export a finished product, such as an EV motor, that already has the rare earth magnet installed inside it. China will allow the latter. But doing that means paying the tariff the tax an importer pays to bring a good across a border on the entire product rather than merely on the raw materials, Abuelsamid said. Fiorani said one of the reasons its so cheap to get rare earth minerals from China is because China's government regulations to extract and process the minerals are lower compared to those in North America or Europe. How much supply do U.S. companies have of rare earths? Last week, China tentatively opened up the exports of rare earth materials, but Fiorani said thats likely a negotiating play for future trade assistance such as loosened tariffs out of Washington. He said he believes the Chinese auto companies want to start selling cars here as soon as possible a competition that the Detroit Three want to avoid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far, high tariffs on Chinese cars have kept Chinese vehicles from being sold in the U.S. But, Fiorani said the Chinese "could potentially hold the market hostage with some of these minerals" and shut down most vehicle production and the production of other products. U.S. companies have two or three months worth of supply of rare earth minerals, according to a CNN report that attributes that data to Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. After that, Baskaran said the industry simply could not manufacture unless an agreement is reached between the United States and China. I suspect China knows where the choke points are and if you want to inflict discomfort, wheres the low hanging fruit?" Mike Wall, executive director of Automotive Analysis at S&P Global Mobility, told the Detroit Free Press. "Rare earths is one of them because China has such a hold on the processing. With one mandate you can literally take down beyond autos multiple industries. But National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on June 9 told CNBCs Squawk Box that he expected a deal on rare earths to be struck quickly. GM's deal to source rare earths A GM spokesman declined to discuss the automaker's current position with its supply of rare earth minerals or its strategic alliances given the sensitivity of the current global trade discussions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in 2021, GM formed a strategic alliance with MP Materials, which owns and operates a rare earth mine and processing facility in Mountain Pass, California, the only active and scaled rare earth production site in America. MP Materials broke ground in 2022 on its first rare earth metal, alloy and magnet factory in Fort Worth, Texas, where it will take the mined minerals and make them into finished alloy and magnets for GM's EVs starting later this year. The alloy production room at Independence, MP Materials' fully integrated rare earth magnet manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2021, GM also formed a strategic partnership with VAC of Germany, a global producer of advanced magnetic material, to build a plant in Sumter, South Carolina. The plant, which will operate under VAC's e-VAC Magnetics division, will use locally sourced raw materials to manufacture permanent magnets for the electric motors used in the GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Silverado EV and more, VAC said in a media release. That plant is expected to start production early next year. Similarly, in 2023 Stellantis the company that makes Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat signed a tentative agreement with NioCorp, a rare earth minerals mining company in Nebraska, to develop a rare earth magenetic supply chain. A Stellantis spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry as to the status of that deal. But Reuters reported that NioCorp is developing a rare earth project in Nebraska scheduled to start production within three years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, rare earth company Carester SAS in France said it inked a sales agreement with Stellantis over an initial 10-year period to provide "over 3,400 (metric) tonnes of neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium oxides, 36% of which are recycled." The impact on Ford In early May, Ford Motor Co. temporarily shut down production for about 10 days at its Chicago Assembly Plant where it builds the Ford Explorer, Police Interceptor Utility and Lincoln Aviator because of a shortage of critical minerals needed for the braking systems, according to media reports. More: From sourcing rare earth minerals to internal changes, 5 takeaways from chat with Ford CFO Ford employee Bradford Barnes secures the engine and transmission to the subframe of the all-new 2020 Explorer at Chicago Assembly Plant in July 2019. Ford CFO Sherry House said on June 4 that Ford has taken action to mitigate any disruptions from the export controls China has put on rare earth minerals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You have to look for alternative parts or alternative ways to get things," House said. "Frequently, it goes through, it just may take more time. So then you might be facing expedited shipment costs that you werent anticipating and it just puts stress on a system thats highly organized with parts being ordered many weeks in advance." She said Ford has been managing the issue so far, but warned, "I dont know if at some point this is going to be a larger issue for us?" It has become an issue for other automakers. Suzuki Motor suspended production of its flagship Swift subcompact from May 26, citing a shortage of components, according to Reuters. It expects a partial restart on June 13, with full resumption after June 16, Reuters reported. Several European auto supplier plants and production lines have been shut down because of a rare earth shortage, Europe's auto supplier association CLEPA said on June 4. BMW said a part of its supplier network was affected by the shortage, but that its own plants were running as normal, Reuters reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Ford Bronco, Bronco Sport missed top safety ratings for this reason What's the long-term answer? Automakers have been trying to wean off their dependency on China for rare earth products for awhile, Fiorani said, but it takes time and money to build up the scale in this country to produce rare earth products that meet their vehicle production demands. Wall said the industry has stockpiled some of the rare earth magnets precisely because of its known vulnerability to China. But it is hard to keep track of those stockpiles. Plus, those who could be impacted by this problem extends beyond the auto companies that directly use rare earth products, Wall said. "I was talking to a supplier of exterior trim. They dont use any magnets in their products so one would think youre not having to chase down the rare earth minerals," Wall said. "But they said they are as vulnerable as everyone else because the programs they supply, if that assembly plant is taken offline, the automaker wont need their product either. So it brings them offline." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the semiconductor chip shortage a few years ago, automakers could build a vehicle with the missing chip, park it and then install the chip parts later once they came in stock. Rare earth components are in so many parts of the vehicle, it's impossible to partially build them and then complete them later. Instead, all production has to stop if there is a shortage, Wall said. The near-term solution to the problem, he said, is to get a trade deal with China. But longer term, the United States has to start processing rare earth minerals, too, and it has to get additional trade deals with friendlier countries who will process rare earth minerals. Until then, he said there is widespread concern in the auto industry over this problem. "Theres a level of powerlessness. Theres a clear air of vulnerability," Wall said. "Some of the largest of the largest automakers are in a pickle, too. The supply chain gets it. Everybodys heightened to it and the problem is you dont have a lot of control. Even if you try to throw money at it, its not going to yield much in the near term. Its that processing itself because so much of it is coming out of China. (This story has been updated with new information.) Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: GM's got an advantage in a worrisome rare earth minerals trade war ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) As the 2024-25 school year comes to an end, News 8 is taking a look back at all of the teachers we have spotlighted this year through our Golden Apple series! Each week, News 8s Katrina Irwin surprises local teachers with a Golden Apple Award for being an outstanding educator. Lets take a look back at this school year through the News 8 Golden Apple End of Year Celebration Special: Check out these surprised teachers! Golden Apple End of Year Celebration: Bill and Carol Van Dusen Fund All of the teachers News 8 surprised this year will also be receiving gift cards. For the past six years now, the Bill and Carol Van Dusen Fund through the Rochester Area Community Foundation has awarded these to the winning teachers as a way to give back and thank educators in the Rochester area. Roberts Wesleyan Universitys Three Scholarship Recipients! Each year, Roberts Wesleyan University gives out three $10,000 scholarships to students pursuing their career as a teacher in varying degrees: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Traditional Undergrad Population: Ava Thompson is a freshman student from Brocton, New York pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Adolescent Education: English 5-12. She is a member of Roberts Wesleyan Universitys Global Honors Program. Pathway to Teaching: Melissa Brown transferred in courses from California State University and will focus on Childhood Education Students with Disabilities in Grades 1 to 6. She is currently a stay-at-home mom but would love to work at Honeoye Falls where her kids go to school. Master of Education Program for Initial Certification: L Wiltse currently works as a substitute teacher for Carthage Central School District but holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from SUNY Potsdam. They are looking to get their initial certification to educating childhood and students with disabilities. Golden Apple Winner Spotlight: Sister Karlien Bach Sister Karlien Back just wrapped up her 45th year of teaching at Our Lady of Mercy! Fun fact: She taught News 8 WROCs Wendy Bello, Programming Coordinator Colleen Law, and News 8 First at 4 Anchor Natalie Kucko. Hear what she says is her secret to staying in the job all these years: Golden Apple End of Year Celebration: Advantage Federal Credit Union! News 8 would not be able to properly thank these teachers without help from a number of sponsors one of those being support from Advantage Federal Credit Union throughout the year. Diane Miller stopped by the News 8 End of Year Celebration Special to talk about Advantages participation: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thank you to everyone who nominated a teacher for the Golden Apple award! Well see you next year! (Gio Battaglia / News 8 WROC) Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Imagine a future where North Korea launches a surprise missile barrage, China unleashes a wave of hypersonics, and Russia sends intercontinental ballistic missiles arcing over the North Pole. In this nightmare scenario, the only thing standing between those warheads and millions of lives is a massive new missile defense system called The Golden Dome. However, that assumes it doesnt end up being a total boondoggle. Initially announced as The Iron Dome for America, and then glitzed up as The Golden Dome, the project, estimated to cost up to $175 billion, was ordered by President Donald Trump, who said during a May 20 press briefing that it should be fully operational before the end of my term, so well have it done in about three years. The Dome, whether Iron or Gold, would create an all-encompassing missile shield that can detect, track, and destroy virtually any incoming aerial threat, like drones and ballistic missiles, before it strikes U.S. territory. It has been described by Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein as a project on the scale of the Manhattan Project, the top-secret World War II initiative that produced the atomic bomb. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But where that project delivered a functional weapon in just a few years, The Golden Dome faces far more complicated technical, financial, and strategic hurdles. In this video, we break down what The Golden Dome is, and isnt, like how its not a big shimmering bubble over America and is instead an integrated network of sensors, interceptors, and data systems backed up by AI-enhanced decision-making tools. And a number of systems already in operation today will form the backbone of The Golden Dome. The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system, whose origin can be traced back to the Strategic Defense Initiative, uses advanced SM-3 and SM-6 interceptors to target missiles in the midcourse and terminal phases. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, operated by the U.S. Army, is capable of high-altitude terminal intercepts and has a proven track record in live-fire testing and a handful of real-world engagements. Meanwhile, Patriot batteries, upgraded with PAC-3 and PAC-3 MSE missiles, serve as the last line of defense, targeting incoming threats at lower altitudes and closer ranges. We also dive into the price tag, which was initially estimated at $175 billion, but will likely come in at around $500 billion to $900 billion over 20 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And then theres the question of whether it will actually work. This type of missile defense system has never been built before, and will require dozens of systems, some of which dont exist yet, and they all have to function together seamlessly, in real time, from anywhere on the planet, but also in space. So, yeah, well see. The latest on Task & Purpose Republican senators support President Trumps crackdown on people protesting his administrations work to deport thousands of migrants, but they are uncertain about the Pentagons deployment of 700 active-duty Marines to California. The Trump White House appears confident that a showdown with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) over illegal immigration is good politics for the president. But some GOP lawmakers are worried about the prospect of street clashes spreading to other cities and of Trump invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 to get the active-duty military more involved in responding to mass protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres no GOP opposition to a tough response to street protests. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine), who is up for reelection next year in a state Trump lost to Biden, said the violence that were witnessing against law enforcement, ICE officers in L.A. and the property damage is completely unacceptable and does call for a strong response. But she warned that sending in active-duty troops to deal with domestic law enforcement issues raises very serious concerns. I do not agree with the presidents decision to do that, she said, before pivoting to support for Trumps decision to call in the National Guard without the consent of local officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think calling up the National Guard, which has experience in dealing with domestic disasters, whether man-made or weather-related, does make sense, Collins said. But I do not think that sending in active-duty Marines is a good idea. I think it puts them in a very difficult position, she added. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Armed Services Committee, said he hopes cooler heads prevail on both sides of the political spectrum as the administration continues operations to deport migrants. Rounds said he doesnt want to see street clashes and property destruction play out in other cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hopefully it does not occur and hopefully cooler heads prevail all the way around, he said. The challenge is youve got individuals that are creating a scene when [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is coming in and doing their job. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Armed Services panel, declined to comment on the deployment of Marines. A poll of 4,309 U.S. adults by YouGov found that only 34 percent of Americans approved of Trump deploying Marines to Los Angeles, while 47 percent disapproved. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Tuesday defended Trumps decision to deploy 4,000 members of the California National Guard to help maintain the peace in Los Angeles, but he distanced himself from the decision to mobilize active-duty Marines, telling reporters he didnt know Trumps precise authority for doing so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont know the particulars on what authorities exist there, but my assumption is that the administration has been looking carefully at what he can and cant do under the law. Obviously, the 1798 Act is available to them if they choose to exercise it, Thune told reporters. Thats a reference to the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which authorizes the president during a declared war, invasion or predatory incursion to detain and deport citizens of an enemy nation. Thune argued Trump was justified in mobilizing the National Guard because local authorities failed to contain property destruction and the threat of violence. In this case, at least there were clear just failures on the part of state and local officials, which is why I think it required the president to take a federal response, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was a security situation out there that needed to be addressed, and I think ultimately, the presidents objective is to keep people safe, he said. Newsom accused Trump of intentionally causing chaos by mobilizing troops, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) said the move was completely unnecessary because the Los Angeles Police Department was well equipped to handle protests. Trumps deployment of active-duty troops is raising questions on Capitol Hill about whether he will invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807. The president cited the law in January as potential authority to obtain complete operational control of the southern border, if necessary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement White House aides drafted a proclamation during Trumps first term in 2020 to invoke the Insurrection Act in case Trump wanted to deploy active-duty troops to Washington, D.C., to respond to protests over the murder of George Floyd earlier that year. The president decided not to, despite calls by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who wrote in a New York Times op-ed to send in the troops. Gen. Eric Smith, the commandant of the Marine Corps, told Republican senators Tuesday morning that the 700 Marines Trump deployed would be limited to guarding federal properties and had training in crowd control. He said active-duty soldiers would not have arrest authority. Rounds told The Hill that Smith informed members of the Armed Services panel that Trump was operating under Title 10 of the United States Code, which includes the statutes often referred to as the Insurrection Act, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are there just as if they were on any other sovereign mission at an embassy anyplace else around the world. They have been trained in crowd control, but their mission is to protect other entities that are federal in nature, meaning buildings or other members of the military, Rounds said. He said the National Guard troops in contrast to the Marines are federally activated and members of the armed services under Title 10 rather than Title 32, referring to the transfer of the California National Guard from Newsom to Trump. That was not part of the discussion, he said of the Insurrection Act. I know its available to him, referring to Trump, but right now its not necessary. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) claimed that the Democratic officials in California and Los Angeles seem not to be very concerned with controlling the violence and in some ways are defiant of federal law by refusing to work with federal officials to deport migrants who are living in the country illegally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said my preference would be to have local, not national law enforcement and troops handle local protests but warned that waiting too long to send in the National Guard could allow protests to spiral out of control, like they did in some cities during summer 2020 after Floyds murder. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, photographed during a May dragnet in South Nashville. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Tennessee Republican lawmakers unveiled legislation this week that would make it a felony for public officials to release the names of immigration officers in yet another public swipe aimed at the Democratic mayor of Nashville. The bill, filed by a half dozen lawmakers who comprise Tennessees GOP House and Senate leadership, would also subject state and local officials to ouster from office under the states moral turpitude laws for revealing the names of immigration agents or information related to specific future immigration enforcement operational activities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bills filing, announced in a news release, is the latest effort by Republicans in Tennessee and members of the Trump Administration to target Mayor Freddie OConnell, who decried mass immigration sweeps on Nashville streets in early May. Nashville Mayor Freddie OConnell (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) The people of Tennessee expect their elected leaders to protect law enforcement not endanger them, said Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson of Franklin, who is sponsoring the measure. When a public official like Mayor OConnell chooses political activism over public safety, especially by interfering with federal immigration enforcement, he has no business holding office in the state, Johnson said. The bill, he said, sends a message not only to Mayor OConnell, but to any other blue-city mayor who may consider following his lead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican leaders have focused on an executive order by the mayor requiring certain city employees to report any interaction with federal immigration officials to the mayors office. The order, originally issued by former Nashville Mayor David Briley in 2019, was revised by OConnell to require reporting within 24 hours, instead of three days. The mayors office then began publicly posting notes of those reports in an online spreadsheet. The initial public posts identified three federal immigration officials by their full names and one by her first name. The posts were inadvertent and later removed, the mayors office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump Administration officials highlighted the posts as an effort by OConnell to disrupt immigration enforcement activities and dox immigration agents. White House border czar Tom Homan pledged to flood the zone with immigration enforcement activities in Nashville in response to the mayors public statements condemning immigration raids. Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton publicly called on OConnell to rescind the executive order. Two Republican-led U.S. House panels the House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees also launched an inquiry into the response by Nashvilles mayor to federal immigration enforcement activities. Asked Tuesday to address OConnells statement that the release of immigration agent names was inadvertent, Johnson noted the bill addresses both intentional and negligent actions, calling them unacceptable and dangerous. This bill ensures that such breaches are not tolerated, Johnson said. Regardless of the intention behind the release of the information, public officials have a duty to protect sensitive information. Any failure to do so puts both public safety and the lives of law enforcement officers and their families at risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill makes clear that sharing information between local, state and federal agencies to support the enforcement of immigration laws remains fully permitted, he said. Johnson did not address a question about whether a mayor had a right or responsibility to ascertain whether immigration enforcement actions were taking place in his city. OConnells office did not respond to a request for comment about the bill filing Tuesday. At the height of immigration sweeps, which took place in the heart of Nashvilles busy immigrant enclave in early May, OConnell spoke out against the actions he said were conducted by people who do not share our values of safety and community and have the authority to cause deep community harm. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) on Wednesday launched a probe into whether the Los Angeles protests are funded by a local nonprofit. Hawley, who serves as chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, requested a history of internal communications and financial records from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) to address allegations that they are fueling chaos in California. Credible reporting now suggests that your organization has provided logistical support and financial resources to individuals engaged in these disruptive actions, Hawley wrote in the letter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CHIRLA did not immediately respond to The Hills request for comment on the matter. However, the 39-year-old nonprofit did deny reports that they were involved in the Los Angeles demonstrations. We have not participated, coordinated, or been part of the protests being registered in Los Angeles other than the press conference and rally cited above, a CHIRLA spokesperson told the New York Post. The organization has received funds from various sources including the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate local citizenship education training. Let me be clear: bankrolling civil unrest is not protected speech. It is aiding and abetting criminal conduct. Accordingly, you must immediately cease and desist any further involvement in the organization, funding, or promotion of these unlawful activities, Hawley wrote in his Wednesday letter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since protests began last week, the organizations leaders have joined forces with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) to rally against the raids. Hundreds are detained. Have your prayers say: Stop the raids. Set us free as immigrants in this country, Angelica Salas, CHIRLA executive director, said during a Tuesday faith rally attended by Bass. We love this country. We want this country to love us back, she added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 President Donald Trumps upcoming military parade featuring dozens of tanks and other armed vehicles in the nations capital this week isnt sitting well with some members of his party on Capitol Hill. Asked about the June 14 event, which will cost taxpayers up to $45 million and will commemorate the Armys 250th anniversary, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) expressed concerns about its cost and the imagery typically associated with authoritarian regimes in the former Soviet Union and North Korea. I love parades but Im not really excited about $40 million for a parade, Paul told HuffPost. I dont really think the symbolism of tanks and missiles is really what were all about. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you ask me about a military parade, all the images that come to mind, the first images, are of the Soviet Union and North Korea, he added. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) also said he would spend the money on other things. The United States of America is the most powerful country in all of human history, Kennedy told Fox News. Were a lion, and a lion doesnt have to tell you its a lion. Everybody else in the jungle knows, and were a lion. I would save the money, but if the president wants to have a parade, hes the President, and Im not. Members of the military work on an Abrams tank at West Potomac Park ahead of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary parade in Washington, D.C. Bloomberg via Getty Images The Saturday parade which happens to fall on the presidents birthday will feature a massive amount of military equipment and thousands of soldiers in Washington, D.C. It comes amid nationwide protests against Trumps immigration crackdowns and his decision to deploy military troops to help quell unrest in Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump on Tuesday threatened anyone planning to protest the parade, even though U.S. citizens have a constitutional right to peacefully assemble. If theres any protest that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force, by the way. And for those people that want to protest, theyre gonna be met with very big force, the president said from the Oval Office. Millions of people are expected to take part in No Kings protests in more than 1,500 cities across the country on Saturday, organizers of the demonstrations have said. The effort is focused on pushing back against Trumps attacks on the rule of law. However, no No Kings protests are planned for Washington, D.C., where the parade is being held. In America, we dont do kings, reads a website for the demonstrations. Theyve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too. far. WASHINGTON They snapped. They stared off into space. They zipped into Senate elevators and smiled as the doors closed with them safely inside. This is how nearly a dozen Senate Republicans reacted Wednesday when asked the simplest question: Do you plan to attend President Donald Trumps military parade in D.C. on Saturday, and are you comfortable with its estimated $45 million price tag? HuffPost is committed to fearlessly covering the Trump administration. Click here to support our mission and become a member today. I wont be here in town, but I wish I was, lamented Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked about the tens of millions of dollars the event is going to cost taxpayers, Fischer walked into a nearby Senate elevator and gazed into nothingness as the doors closed. At least the Nebraska senator spoke. Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) clocked in at eight seconds of silence in response to HuffPost asking the same question. With a big grin, Budd slipped into another elevator and stood there, waiting for the doors to close. Nope, Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) said, fidgeting on his phone, when asked if he planned to attend. He let out a big sigh when asked about the parades price tag, and started talking about unrelated legislation. Im focused on the trillions right now, which is the reconciliation bill, Young said. So I think my constituents would assess that my priorities are appropriate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked if that means he is comfortable with how much Trumps military event will cost taxpayers, he snapped: I answered the question. When HuffPost pointed out he didnt actually answer the question, Young interrupted, I answered the question I wanted to answer! Alrighty then, sir! "I answered the question I wanted to answer!" Bill Clark via Getty Images Saturdays parade is being billed as a celebration of the Armys 250th anniversary, but its also timed with Trumps 79th birthday. The event will feature thousands of soldiers, 150 military vehicles and more than 50 aircraft being rolled around the streets of D.C. Millions of people nationwide will be protesting Trump at the same time as his parade, in response to his harsh crackdown on immigration enforcement and his decision to deploy the U.S. military to Los Angeles to respond to unrest there. The No Kings Day protests are happening in all 50 states and in more than 1,500 cities, though not in D.C. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An obvious reason Senate Republicans dont want to talk about the cost of this parade is that theyve been on a tear about slashing so-called government waste since Trump took office, and a massive military parade for the president isnt exactly essential. I might be, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said of attending the parade. As for its costs? Uh, I have not looked into the price. But GOP senators also dont want to say anything that will anger the president, even if deep down, theyre not happy about spending tens of millions of dollars on something that the second-highest-ranking U.S. general told Trump in his first term is what dictators do. So they seem to be opting for going silent or fleeing the scene. I am committed in Boise, Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) said of his plans for Saturday. I appreciate the Army and the fact that theyre 250 years old. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for the cost of the military parade, he just walked away, saying, Thats all youre going to get. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) dismissed any conversation at all about it, saying she doesnt do hallway interviews. (Most conversations with the press happen in Senate hallways.) No comment, said Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). No comment. Thats all youre going to get," said Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), when asked if he's comfortable spending $45 million on a military parade for Trump. Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images To be sure, a few Republicans said they were fine with the costs to put on the event. Listen, the Army has done a lot for us, said Sen. Markwayne Mullen (R-Okla.). The idea that we get to celebrate their 250th birthday, I think they deserve to have a good celebration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He wont be there, though. It is my 28th wedding anniversary, he said. I choose marriage. Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) said hes very supportive of a celebration of our presidents birthday, and the costs of the parade dont bother him because he wants it to look impressive to people in other countries. I mean, if you go out there with, you know, two jeeps and an M-16, you know, how does the world perceive that? Justice said. Come on now, this is America, you know? If were going to do it, lets put on a big show. Out of 14 GOP senators, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only one HuffPost talked to who criticized holding the parade. Its not just because of its hefty costs, he said, but also because he doesnt think the symbolism of tanks and missiles represents what the United States is all about. If you ask me about a military parade, all the images that come to mind, the first images, are of the Soviet Union and North Korea, he said. Former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli speaks to supporters in Holmdel after winning the GOP gubernatorial primary on June 10, 2025. (Hal Brown for New Jersey Monitor) New Jerseys Republican voters selected former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli as their nominee for governor Tuesday, the Associated Press projected. Ciattarelli, 63, a Somerset County native, prevailed over four opponents to claim the GOP nod, defeating former radio host Bill Spadea and Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Union) as well as longshot candidates Justin Barbera and Mario Kranjac, a former Englewood Cliffs Mayor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We won because our campaign is about people, not politics. Its about vision, not division. We won because of our positive energy. We won because we talked about the issues that mattered, Ciattarelli said at a campaign party in Holmdel Tuesday night. Ciattarellis Tuesday victory was resounding. He won 68% of the vote, came in more than 200,000 votes ahead of his closest opponent, and nabbed the win in all of the states 21 counties. His victory address veered into attacks against Rep. Mikie Sherrill whom Democratic voters on Tuesday selected as their nominee for governor offering New Jersey voters a preview of what they can expect to hear over the next 146 days. The Republican nominee likened Sherrill to incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy, saying she would offer more of the same, and alleged she had benefited financially from her congressional tenure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres something else Mikie did during her time in Congress: She got filthy rich. As congresswoman, she bought and sold hundreds of stocks, more than tripling her own net worth to more than $10 million, and when she was questioned on it, she had the audacity to say, quote unquote, I got really lucky.' Ciattarelli, a former Somerset County freeholder who has run twice before for governor unsuccessfully, came into the primary with several advantages. Most of the states Republican county committees backed his bid, as did President Donald Trump, who remains something of a kingmaker in GOP primaries. He was the only one of the Republican candidates to obtain $5.5 million in public matching funds, and he did so by March 28, earlier than any rival on either side of the aisle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite Bramnicks decades-long legislative career and Spadeas presence on morning airwaves, New Jersey voters were more familiar with Ciattarelli. In 2017, Ciattarelli eschewed an Assembly reelection campaign to seek the governorship but lost the nomination to then-Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, 47% to 31%. In 2021, Ciattarelli pursued the nomination as a moderate, with the more Trumpian primary opponents splitting the vote. He won the GOP nod but lost that November to Murphy, who won reelection by about 84,000 votes, about 3.2 points. Ciattarelli said he would seek the governorship again just 10 days after polls closed. He shifted to the right in the intervening years and has pledged that his attorney general would not sue the federal government over Trumps executive orders. Former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli speaks to supporters in Holmdel after winning the GOP gubernatorial primary on June 10, 2025. (Hal Brown for New Jersey Monitor) Republicans Joyce and Carmen Crea of Ewing both voted for Ciattarelli. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The last time, we think he got robbed, said Joyce Crea, 72. The couple, both retired state employees, said affordability and immigration top their concerns. Who can afford the property taxes in New Jersey? And hes going to help lower the taxes, he says. We shall see, Joyce Crea said. But we cant afford to live in New Jersey, and Murphy says: If you dont like it, then move out. Who wants to move out of a state we were both born in, and why would we leave here? Our familys here. Why leave? The state needs a Republican governor for a change, she added. It remains to be seen how Ciattarellis growing closeness with the president will prove a bane in November. Though Trump lost New Jersey 52% to 46% last year, he came closer then to winning the state than any Republican presidential nominee since Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush by 2.4 points in 1992. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ciattarelli is not shying away from Trump yet, using his victory speech Tuesday to mock Sherrill for her Trump criticism. Mark my words, mark my words. While we focus on these key New Jersey issues, my Democratic opponent will do everything in her power to change the subject. Trust me: If this campaign were a drinking game and you took a shot every time Mikie Sherrill says Trump, youre going to be drunk off your a** every day between now and November 4th, he said to applause from the crowd. Dana DiFilippo and Morgan Leason contributed. By Foo Yun Chee LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) -Meta Platforms and TikTok said a European Union supervisory fee levied on them was disproportionate and based on a flawed methodology as they took their fight with tech regulators to Europe's second highest court on Wednesday. Under the Digital Services Act that became law in 2022, the two companies and 16 others are subject to a supervisory fee amounting to 0.05% of their annual worldwide net income aimed at covering the European Commission's cost of monitoring their compliance with the law. The size of the annual fee is based on the number of average monthly active users for each company and whether the company posts a profit or loss in the preceding financial year. Meta told judges at the General Court it was not trying to avoid paying its fair share of the fee, but it questioned how the Commission had calculated the levy, saying it had been based on the revenue of the group rather than of the subsidiary. Meta's lawyer Assimakis Komninos told the panel of five judges the company still did not know how the fee was calculated. He said the provisions in the Digital Services Act, or DSA, "go against the letter and the spirit of the law, are totally untransparent with black boxes and have led to completely implausible and absurd results". ByteDance-owned Chinese online social media platform TikTok was equally critical. "What has happened here is anything but fair or proportionate. The fee has used inaccurate figures and discriminatory methods," TikTok lawyer Bill Batchelor told the court. "It inflates TikTok's fees, requires it to pay, not just for itself, but for other platforms and disregards the excessive fee cap," he said. He accused the Commission of double counting the companies' users, saying this was discriminatory because users switching between their mobile phones and laptops would then be counted twice. He also said regulators had exceeded their legal power by setting the fee cap at the level of group profits. Commission lawyer Lorna Armati rejected both companies' arguments and defended the Commission's use of group profit as a reference value to calculate the supervisory fee. "When a group has consolidated accounts, it is the financial resources of the group as a whole that are available to that provider in order to bear the burden of the fee," she told the court. "The providers had sufficient information to understand why and how the Commission used the numbers that it did and there is no question of any breach of their right to be heard now, unequal treatment," she said. AUSTIN (KXAN) Gov. Greg Abbott has called up Texas National Guard members to at least two Texas cities, in response to immigration-related protests, officials from Austin and San Antonio have confirmed. It isnt the first time Abbott has brought in guardsmen in reaction to protesters. Mayor: TX National Guard on standby to assist DPS during protests in Austin The governor previously activated more than 3,800 Texas National Guard members, including Army National Guard soldiers, in 2020 amid the George Floyd protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Texas Military Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Guard was not called in for the pro-Palestine student protests at the University of Texas at Austin last year, according to AP News, but more than 100 Department of Public Safety troopers were deployed, The Texas Tribune reported. Abbott said this current deployment of Texas National Guard is meant to ensure peace & order. Peaceful protest is legal, Abbott said in a social media post. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement said on social media Wednesday night that destroying taxpayer-funded property is not peacefully protesting referencing the protest in Austin from Monday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE will continue upholding the law by removing dangerous criminal aliens from our communities period, the agency said. Sparking protest Protests over President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown and raids erupted in Los Angeles, California, in the first week of June. Protesters took to the streets of downtown L.A. The protests took a chaotic and violent turn, with cars being set on fire and a freeway getting blocked off. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to tamp down the crowd. The disorder prompted Trump to order U.S. National Guard troops to the city and ready hundreds of Marines, which the state government and governor denounced. Police detain more than 20 people on first night of curfew aimed at protests in downtown Los Angeles Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since then, protests popped up in cities across the country, including Austin. In Texas, Abbotts readying of the Texas National Guard in San Antonio and the Capital has drawn concern. Austin Police officers deployed in response to a lingering group of protesters who were part of a march earlier in the evening of June 9, 2025. (Grace Reader/KXAN Photo) Annie Bright, a St. Marys Law School visiting professor and constitutional and immigration law expert, said Abbotts move raises constitutional concerns. The ability to express discontentment with the governments policies is so fundamental to the idea of self-governance and Democracy in the United States, said Bright. Its how citizens tell the government that theyre not happy or not in agreement with a policy. She noted the distinction between the situations in California, where the state government has vehemently opposed it, and Texas, where Abbott has directed the state militarys activation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless of which level of government makes the orders, Bright said the militarization of the policing of protests can have a chilling effect on the exercise of free speech. If simply protesting against federal immigration enforcement policy is considered a threat to the government worthy of a militarized response, thats a serious problem, she said. That is how we exercise our right to freedom of speech, is by organizing, coming together, and making a statement, so that an elected official understands that communities that are affected by the policies that are being carried out are not in agreement, Bright said. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson confirmed National Guard soldiers were prepared to assist DPS if necessary. While Watson said he supports peaceful assembly, and the humanity and value of the immigrant community, he warned that destructive acts are wrong and only hurt the city. City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, Austins Mayor Pro Tem, condemned Abbotts National Guard activation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve seen this playbook before, military force used to threaten and silence communities demanding justice, Fuentes said in a statement. To every Texan exercising their constitutionally protected free speech: know your rights, stay vigilant, and protect one another. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Protesters gather at Ervan Chew Park in Houston, Texas, on June 8, 2025, for a demonstration against the Trump Administration's immigration policies and mass deportations. Credit - Reginald MathaloneGetty Images What started out as large-scale protests in Los Angeles, with people rallying against raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has now spread to other cities across the U.S. In response to the protests in his state, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has announced that he intends to deploy the National Guard across the state to ensure peace and order ahead of further planned demonstrations against the Trump Administrations immigration policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Troops are already on standby in San Antonio, where demonstrators are expected to gather Wednesday and Saturday, in solidarity with L.A. Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal and will lead to arrest, Abbott said on social media at around 11.30 p.m. local time on Tuesday. Texas Guard will use every tool and strategy to help law enforcement maintain order. Read More: L.A. Protests Intensify as Police Report Mass Arrests Despite Mayor Issuing Downtown Curfew While initial protests were described as peaceful, downtown Los Angeles was put under curfew on Tuesday due to vandalism and looting, with people inside the zone told to stay indoors between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the curfew applies to everyonelimited exceptions, including for emergency and medical personnel, residents, workers and credentialed media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the 2,000 National Guard troops deployed over the weekend, without the request or approval of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, on Tuesday President Donald Trump sent around 700 active-duty Marines to L.A. to quell demonstrations. A man waves a Mexican flag as smoke and flames rise from a burning vehicle during a protest against federal immigration sweeps, near Los Angeles City Hall in downtown L.A., on June 8, 2025. David SwansonReuters Trump's response prompted Gov. Newsom to file a lawsuit against the Administration for what it referred to as the "federal governments gross overstep of authority." An emergency motion for a temporary restraining order filed Tuesday by Newsom was denied. A federal judge is now due to hold a hearing on Thursday over Californias request to block the Trump Administration from using troops in L.A. Read More: Protests Spread Beyond Los Angeles as National Tensions Mount Over Immigration Raids Tens of other protests are now being staged across the country against Trumps immigration policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement San Antonio held a peaceful protest on Sunday after individuals who showed up to the citys immigration court were arrested by federal immigration officers. Hundreds of demonstrators also gathered in Austin on Monday. At least six men were arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety, according to the San Antonio Express News. Contact us at letters@time.com. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Tuesday that President Donald Trumps federalization of National Guard troops to quell violent Los Angeles riots is a constitutional use of presidential authority. During the Biden administration, Cox spearheaded gubernatorial opposition to perceived executive overreach regarding the National Guard. Despite his preference for states rights, Cox said Trump had the obligation to get involved as protests escalated into chaos. When things get out of control, somebody has to stop it, Cox said during his monthly PBS broadcast. Ive seen the videos. The damage that is being done is unconscionable, and we just cant have that in a civil society. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cox said he is grateful Trump is willing to act as demonstrators have protested federal deportation policies by burning self-driving cars, vandalizing federal buildings, looting retail stores and lobbing rocks at law enforcement officers. But Cox was hesitant to fully endorse Trumps approach, which included the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines in a stated effort to protect federal buildings and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. As local California leaders have spoken out against Trumps use of the military, Cox said he wished that the Constitution and federal law did not enable the president to call up National Guard troops from states. I do think it is legal for the president to do that" Cox said. I wish the Constitution didnt say that, and I wish that the federal law doesnt say that, but it does say that and so that always is an option. Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during his monthly news conference at PBS Utah in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 | Bethany Baker Will protests come to Utah? California officials alleged that Trumps deployment of troops led to the escalation of the protests. California lawmakers asked a federal judge to restrict Trumps use of federal troops, arguing that it was illegal for Trump to bypass Gov. Gavin Newsom in sending them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cox contrasted Utahs approach to violent protests with that of Californias leadership. He also had a warning for the nationwide No Kings protests organized by the 50501 Movement that is scheduled to come to Utah on Saturday. I want Utah to be the best place in the United States to protest, Cox said. I also want Utah to be the worst possible place to riot. The minute you start to spray paint the Capitol, the second you implement violence or property destruction, we will arrest you, and we will hold you accountable. Cox said Utah law enforcement will be overprepared for any incidents this weekend and that if anyone in Utah wants to engage in violent protests they can go to California. ICE raids The Los Angeles protests reportedly erupted after federal agents conducted a raid in the citys garment district, looking for workers suspected of being in the country illegally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This could become a more common feature of the Trump presidency as his administration seeks to increase daily ICE arrests from less than 1,000 a day to a daily quota of 3,000. On Friday, as many as 100 individuals were arrested by immigration officials at Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, Nebraska, in what immigration officials called the largest Nebraska enforcement operation since Trump took office. Cox said he typically is not notified of local law enforcement raids and would not expect to be notified of a raid by federal authorities. Weve got good people out there that wear uniforms, both local, state and federal, and trust them to do their jobs, Cox said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cox said the states willingness to aid the Trump administration in conducting deportations of those in the country illegally does not violate the Utah Compact on Immigration from 2015. Over a decade ago, hundreds of government officials, business leaders and faith representatives signed a statement putting forward Utahs approach to immigration with a commitment to maintaining the rule of law, integrating migrants into the economy and avoiding the separation of families. Too many people only read the end of the compact, not the beginning of the compact, that we also support law enforcement and support actually obeying and defending the laws that exist, Cox said. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced Wednesday hes deploying National Guard troops to statewide protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, making him the first governor to willingly use military force on this wave of demonstrations. Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace & order, he wrote on social media. Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. The troops will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order, he continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Demonstrations have arisen in Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and other cities in Texas following ICE raids rounding up and detaining undocumented immigrants at work and on the streets, including people showing up to immigration court hearings and young, asylum-seeking children. The Texas Department of Public Safety said it arrested just five people during the protest Monday in Austin, which brought out hundreds of demonstrators. The citys police department arrested eight others. Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a bill signing in the State Capitol on April 23. Brandon Bell via Getty Images The governors announcement comes the same day a sizable protest is expected in downtown San Antonio on Wednesday evening. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said at a press conference earlier Wednesday that Abbott hadnt given him any notice of the National Guard being deployed, adding that his constituents are fed up with the governments crude interpretations of immigration law and cruel approach to human rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump sent the National Guard into Los Angeles as protests took off there last weekend. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has loudly rebuked Trump for doing so without his request, and the state filed a lawsuit arguing there was a lack of evidence that local law enforcement was incapable of asserting control and ensuring public safety. Amid the pushback, Trump announced he was also deploying the Marines to Los Angeles, despite protests there being largely peaceful. Trump said Tuesday hes done playing by the rules when it comes to sending in the National Guard, bucking the protocol of letting governors and local leaders make that call. You have to remember, Ive been here before and I went right by every rule. And I waited for governors to say, Send in the National Guard. They wouldnt do it, Trump said from the Oval Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I said to myself, if that stuff happens again, weve got to make faster decisions, because they dont want to do it, he continued. Related... Barges and ships navigate the Mississippi River near Gramercy, Louisiana, on May 1, 2025. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) A bill that attempted to add a layer of legislative oversight to the governors picks for the Port of New Orleans board was officially sunk Monday with Gov. Landrys veto pen. Senate Bill 89 by Sen. Joseph Bouie, D-New Orleans, would have required the Senate to approve the governors picks for members of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans. The measure received unanimous approval from both chambers of the legislature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Currently, the governor has sole authority to choose port board members nominated by a coalition of organizations from Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard Parish. The nominating organizations are made up of university leaders, trade associations and local chambers of commerce. Members of the board serve for five-year terms. Landry cited an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy as grounds for nixing the bill in his veto message, saying the port board selection process was sufficiently rigorous. Appointments are locally driven, carefully vetted, and rooted in industry expertise and community representation, reads Landrys veto message. Adding a Senate confirmation requirement would complicate a system that already includes substantial input, oversight, and structure. The Port Board of Commissioners is made up of four members from New Orleans, three from Jefferson Parish and one from St. Bernard Parish. As the sixth-largest port in the United States, the Port of New Orleans handles shipments of hundreds of cargo types, from consumer goods such as coffee, clothes and food to industrial materials including metals, wood and rubber. A major hub of global commerce, the Port of New Orleans ships more than 74 million tons of goods a year, according to a 2025 U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics report. Smoke billows from a wildfire in the cottonwood forest along the Rio Grande in Socorro County, New Mexico, on April 27. (Jerry Redfern) In late May, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams office sent out a press release announcing an executive order that declared a drought emergency and state of emergency in New Mexico. The order itself was missing two things: It didnt actually include an emergency declaration, and it didnt say why the state was in the midst of the worst drought conditions in recorded history. Lujan Grishams order did urge local governments to consider appropriate firework bans. It also told the New Mexico Drought Task Force to meet and make near-term action recommendations no later than July 31 more than two months after the executive order was signed, and deep into fire season. (Lauren Dodd Thorp, communications assistant to the governor, said that while the order does not specifically use the terms drought emergency or state of emergency, it does function as an emergency declaration under the Governors authority.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This story originally appeared in Capital & Main and is republished with permission. The order didnt say what is making the drought as bad as it is, but scientists in New Mexico have. Climate change is making things worse, said Dave DuBois, New Mexicos state climatologist. The warming climate doesnt cause droughts, but it does increase the likelihood that they become longer, hotter and more intense, exactly what New Mexico is experiencing. Tree ring studies infer historical periods of drought and abundant rain via ring thickness. In New Mexico they show that the current drought has been one of the most intense weve seen in hundreds of years, DuBois said. The overall trend is heading toward a warmer climate There is nothing to show us that trend is going to change a lot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In fact, there is a mountain of evidence that the warming and drought is caused by humanitys greenhouse gas emissions, said David Gutzler, professor emeritus of climate science at the University of New Mexico. And those emissions come from burning fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. There is no other plausible explanation, he said, And the evidence keeps getting stronger and stronger. There is very little appetite in policymaking that has any kind of regulatory effect on the oil and gas industry. ~ Lucas Herndon, energy policy director, ProgressNow New Mexico That evidence puts New Mexico in a tight spot. Among the nations states, only Texas produces more oil, and only a few produce more natural gas, depending on the week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The irony for New Mexico is that those fossil fuels heating the atmosphere also fund more than a third of the states general budget and all that entails: a third of school spending; a third of road building; and a third of the effort to mitigate ever-increasing drought and fire seasons. New Mexico doesnt spend very much, though, on containing the industry that funds budgets and warms the atmosphere. There is very little appetite in policymaking that has any kind of regulatory effect on the oil and gas industry, said Lucas Herndon, energy policy director at ProgressNow New Mexico. He said his group recently reviewed every legislative session since Lujan Grisham took office in 2019 and found that no major oil and gas legislation made it to a floor vote in the state Legislature in that time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said oil and gas companies have successfully killed any real attempt at any comprehensive reform of their industry in New Mexico. That includes legislation in the past session that tried to codify Lujan Grishams much-touted methane regulations, which she often points to as an environmental win. Methane is the main component of natural gas and it is a potent greenhouse gas, with more than 80 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide. Beginning in 2021, oil and gas producers are required to reduce natural gas leaks and emissions to less than 2% of production by the end of 2026. In addition, starting in 2022, they also have had to reduce releases of other volatile organic compounds like benzene, toluene and hexane that form the building blocks of toxic ozone pollution. New Mexicos methane emissions appear to have dropped since the rules were implemented, but rules do not have the long-term durability of law, and in the past four years the states Democrat-controlled Legislature hasnt made them so. Herndon said that industry has maintained its perfect record of preventing regulatory legislation with a flood of money that crested this year. His group just tallied all lobbying dollars spent in New Mexico in this years legislative session and found that 54% was spent by the oil and gas industry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats an incredible amount, he said. The industry is also biggest when it comes to the states greenhouse gas emissions. Across the country as a whole, transportation is the largest overall greenhouse gas emitting sector, followed by electricity generation. But in New Mexico, leaks and emissions from the oil and gas production process top the list. Its a rare distinction the state shares with Alaska. Coincidentally, Lujan Grisham was at the Fourth Annual Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage last week. In a press release she noted the states hydrogen and geothermal energy developments and also said, New Mexico produces some of the cleanest liquefied natural gas in the world, thanks in large part to our nation-leading methane emission standards. The state does have some of the countrys strongest methane standards, but claims of clean liquified natural gas are debated. She planned to discuss federal partnerships for New Mexicos advanced energy initiatives with Energy Secretary Chris Wright, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The partnerships may prove difficult. Just two years ago, Wright said, There is no climate crisis and were not in the midst of an energy transition either. Zeldin, on his first day in office at the EPA, said, We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion. And Burghum, on his first day in office, said, Interior will focus on ways to eliminate harmful, coercive climate policies. Since taking office, all three have promised to roll back federal oil and gas production regulations. Lujan Grisham traveled to Alaska with Rob Black, recently appointed secretary of the New Mexico Economic Development Department. Previously, Black spent six years as the president of the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce, where he regularly testified on behalf of the states oil and gas industry at the New Mexico Legislature. The governors office did not respond to questions about the trip by publication time. * * * Meanwhile, others in the state are preparing for future fires. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Laura McCarthy, New Mexicos state forester, said, Were looking at above significant fire danger, particularly in the southwest/south central regions of the state. She said that includes the states two biggest metro areas, Albuquerque and Las Cruces, and two areas that have already been walloped by years of drought-fueled fires, the Gila and Lincoln national forests. This risk comes from the persistent drought the state faces, low precipitation over last winter and mistakes that people make, she said. Those mistakes arent directly related to oil and gas policy. The data tells us that the majority of our fires are caused not by malicious behavior but by folks making mistakes when theyre outside on a windy day, she said. The higher temperatures from global warming fan the flames of those mistakes. I worry about those forests burning. And the sad part is that the data analyst part of me understands that those forests will burn. David Gutzler, professor emeritus of climate science, University of New Mexico The danger continues despite recent rains across the state. Certainly, we love to see rain any time, but this year it is not a silver bullet to alleviate fire danger, McCarthy said. In fact, it may well increase fire danger later this summer, because rain allows for faster green-up of flashy fuels like grasses that can burn very fast and move a fire quickly in a high-wind situation, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gutzler, the University of New Mexico climate scientist, said storms that suddenly dump huge amounts of rain are actually a signal of the warming climate. As the climate warms up in general, the potential for extreme precipitation goes up, he said. The science is complicated, but in rough terms, as air warms it can hold more water, leading to tremendous dumps that exceed what weve seen historically. I do not expect every year to look as dire as this year, he continued, but this wont be the last dire drought year. Gutzler said, In the short term we must adapt. He lives north of Albuquerque, about a mile from the Rio Grande, which bisects the state from north to south. Gutzler said usually it is a full, freely flowing river this time of the year. But this year he and his wife hiked along its banks on Memorial Day, and its not a high flowing river, for sure. So thats troubling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Looking up at the neighboring Sandia Mountains from the trail, I worry about those forests burning. And the sad part is that the data analyst part of me understands that those forests will burn, he said. Our forests are at a dire risk. That is part of climate change. That is daunting to think about. So the hopeful part of me [thinks] people have dealt with droughts forever here, and have muddled through them. And Im reasonably confident we can muddle through this one, Gutzler said. Having said that, I dont expect a return anytime soon to the wet decades of the end of the 20th century, Gutzler said. We need to be careful. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) Organizers of Oklahoma protests in response to immigration enforcement and issues with federal leaders say they plan to host peaceful events, with Governor Kevin Stitt issuing a stern warning if they dont. Nationwide, solidarity protests have sparked in response to ongoing protests in Los Angeles, California, over immigration enforcement. The escalating protests have gotten the attention of the federal government, with President Donald Trump ordering military troops to the state and mass arrests. Los Angeles mayor imposes curfew on downtown following increased nighttime violence Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt shared in a social media post that his office and state troopers are aware of protests in response to immigration enforcement being planned in Oklahoma. A nationwide movement, No Kings Day, is planned to see several protests in Oklahoma on June 14, with one protest set for downtown Oklahoma City. A permit for the event shared with News 4 shows it was requested well before the California protests. The permit lists the event as a political march with a rally planned to be held in front of Oklahoma City Hall. It says the rally will include music and speakers. It also says protestors will stay on sidewalks and crosswalks. Protestors have also agreed not to block any doorways, entrances, or exits. Were coming together and supporting each other, supporting our neighbors, said Nina Lawrence with Indivisible Oklahoma. Lawrence described the event as a means to mobilize in response to authoritarian excesses and corruption from leaders in the federal government, and said everyone human in the United States deserves to be treated with dignity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oklahoma County deputies rescue dog trapped in cage with no food, water for days Governor Stitts social media post Tuesday stated that peaceful assembly is allowed, but went further in saying that well quickly stop any violence or lawlessness. State Troopers stand ready to assist local law enforcement in protecting our streets. Law and order will be upheld. Lawrence said that neither she nor other organizers of the Saturday protest have any intention of encouraging violence, and that security will be on hand to make sure things stay peaceful. Were absolutely committed to a nonviolent demonstration, said Lawrence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The same can be said for Fernando Baquera, who told News 4 on Tuesday, his organization, Community Response Network OK, is organizing a separate protest on June 21 in response to immigration enforcement. We are going to remain peaceful at all times, said Baquera. I feel like [the Governor] kind of wants action in Oklahoma, but like I said from us, its not going to come from us. Baquera said local immigrant communities in the metro are on edge. Tuesday, he said, Community Response Network received a tip that ICE agents were arresting immigrants in a Warr Acres church parking lot. News 4 reached out to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tuesday, that an operation was conducted there, but the spokesperson said only one illegally present Mexican national was arrested in the operation. Baquera said that contradicts what he was told by family members of at least two people who allegedly were arrested. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not respond when asked for the arrestees name and if any additional people were detained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We feel like were being targeted, said Baquera. The tensions are high. News 4 also spoke with immigration attorney and Democratic State Senator Michael Brooks-Jimenez on Tuesday, who said hes heard of an increased presence of ICE operations and enforcement in the past several weeks. He said he still encourages peaceful demonstrations and doesnt believe anyone actually wants a fight. I dont think at this point anybody is looking for a conflict, said Brooks-Jimenez. I have not received any kind of indication from the governors office that he wants to aggressively confront people in a way thats not lawful. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 law's enactment comes days after Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson cut a deal with one of the two defendants whose charges inspired the legislation. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Gov. Joe Lombardo on Tuesday signed Rebas Law, a bill passed in response to the death of a bulldog who died of heat stroke days after she was found in a sealed tote behind a Las Vegas business last summer. Rebas Law increases the penalty for willful and malicious acts resulting in the death of an animal from the current maximum of four years in prison to six. Assembly Bill 381, sponsored by Republican Assemblywoman Melissa Hardy of Clark County, initially sought to increase the prison term to a maximum of ten years, but was amended. The measure almost expired in the Assembly after it failed to get a hearing before an initial deadline, but was resurrected after animal advocates applied pressure to lawmakers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lombardos approval comes days after Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, who complained the existing maximum penalty of four years in prison wasnt adequate punishment for people who abandon animals, cut a deal with one of the two defendants. An investigation by the Current revealed Wolfson rarely seeks prison time in cases involving animals. Markeisha Foster, 30, originally charged with one count of cruelty to animals, agreed to plead guilty to a count of attempt to kill, disfigure or maim an animal of another, according to court records. She will serve seven months in jail and is expected to be released at the end of the month on time served. The other defendant, Isaac Laushaul Jr., is scheduled to stand trial this month. Its unknown if Foster is cooperating with prosecutors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rebas Law strengthens our legal tools, but laws on paper are not enough without infrastructure, manpower, and training to support them, Gina Greisen of Nevada Voters for Animals said in a news release, adding that cruelty cases often fall apart due to inadequate or delayed investigations, missing necropsies, and an inability to determine cause of death earlyleaving prosecutors without the evidence they need to pursue charges. If there is no timely, proper, and thorough investigation on the front end of an animal cruelty complaint, there is no case. The organization is calling on officials to support the laws with necessary resources. That means funding trained cruelty investigators, prioritizing forensic veterinary support, and holding agencies accountable for enforcement, Greisen said. Another provision of Rebas Law provides criminal immunity to individuals who rescue pets left unattended in cars. Nevada law currently authorizes law enforcement or individuals to use reasonable means to protect a pet left unattended in a vehicle, and avoid civil liability. An individual rescuing a pet must ascertain the animal is in danger, notify law enforcement, take the most reasonable means to remove the pet, and remain with it until officers arrive. Noemi Ciau visited Westchester Hand Wash on Sunday to drop off a pizza to her husband, who works there as a cleaner. It was around noon when they met and chatted a few minutes. Ciau was taking their daughter shopping for a dress and shoes to wear to her eighth-grade graduation later that week, she told him. "If you need money or anything else, call me," she recalls him telling her. Ciau wouldn't see her husband again, because 52-year-old Jesus Cruz was taken mere hours later by federal immigration agents who raided the car wash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The business was among at least nine car washes in Los Angeles and Orange counties that have been targeted in recent days, according to CLEAN Carwash Worker Center, a labor advocacy nonprofit that has been able to verify these raids through community reports and footage on social media. CLEAN has determined that at least 26 people were taken by immigration enforcement agents at five of these locations some in unmarked vehicles. The vast majority were workers, although one customer was also picked up at Culver City Express Hand Car Wash and Detail during a Sunday raid. Ciau, an Inglewood resident, spoke alongside other family members of detained workers at a news conference held by CLEAN on Wednesday morning at the Culver City car wash. She said that she relied on her husband to take care of their children in the evenings because she works mornings at LAX. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was my backbone, she said. Whos going to pick up my kids. Whos going to take them to music class? "Now her father can't even be there for her graduation," Ciau said. Federal immigration agents raided four businesses on Friday, including a Home Depot in the Westlake neighborhood and Ambiance Apparel in the garment district in downtown L.A. in a crackdown that led to the arrests of dozens of people and ignited a weekend of civil unrest that has led to the controversial deployment of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles. Industries with a low-wage, mostly immigrant workforce appear to be targets, as well as work sites that afford direct access to workers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flor Melendrez, executive director of CLEAN, said her organization has been scrambling to identify people detained and keep up with new car wash raids in real time. "The agents are armed. They are grabbing people and putting them in vehicles, which is why we are calling them 'kidnappings' because they are not identifying themselves," Melendrez said. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment. Besides Westchester Hand Wash and Culver City Express Hand Car Wash and Detail, Crenshaw Imperial Car Wash, Touch and Glow Car Wash in Whittier and Magnolia Car Wash in Orange County were also raided over the weekend and early this week, according to CLEAN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Westchester Hand Wash and the Culver City car wash were hit twice, on consecutive days. On Wednesday, La Puente Car Wash and Pacific Auto Spa in Whittier, as well as Galaxy Auto Detail and Firestone Hand Car Wash in Downey were also hit. The Times independently verified several of these raids by interviewing witnesses and family members and reviewing video footage. Mehmet Aydogan, owner of Westchester Hand Wash, said in an interview that he told the agents he could answer any of their questions, that he had documents for his workers, but they were uninterested. Video footage obtained and reviewed by The Times shows Aydogan speaking calmly to an agent as another arrests a worker named Miguel Navarro. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aydogan tells the agents they had already visited the car wash the previous day. One agent joked about whether the agents from the day before had gotten a car wash. The manager replied, No. You guys didn't get anything. You're just taking our people who's working really hard. "We just work here, we're not criminals," Aydogan says in the video. Westchester Hand Wash is now closed, after being hit two days in a row. The business needs at least 14 workers to function, and with six workers taken and others scared to work, they were forced to close, Aydogan said. Some of the workers taken had been employed at the car wash since it opened more than two decades ago, hired by the previous family that owned it. Aydogan took over the business about two years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These are all longtime workers. They have children, they have families, this is sad," Aydogan said. "The reason they were here was to take somebody, anybody, this was the plan, I believe." A video clip posted to social media of the Magnolia Car Wash immigration action shows what appears to be the business manager arguing with and cursing at agents. "Dont sign a single paper," he yells at one of the workers being detained. Video obtained by The Times shows a masked agent in jeans and a T-shirt leading one handcuffed man away from Pacific Auto Spa at about 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The handcuffed man wore a red shirt, which is the uniform for workers at the car wash. Jose Antonio Martin Lastor, 20, was among several workers taken from Pacific Auto Spa, his family members said. At the Culver City car wash, federal agents blocked both exits with their vehicles, said 15-year-old Brian Vasquez in an interview. Video footage shows Brian shouting at agents as his 11-year-old brother sobs. Another video clip posted to social media of the Sunday raid shows his father, Arturo Vasquez, who had panicked and run, sitting on the sidewalk across the street, being yanked up by the collar of his shirt by a uniformed agent. Arturo had come to the car wash with his family as a customer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Family members said they did not hear from Arturo and did not know where he had been taken until Tuesday, when he called from an El Paso, Texas, number and told them he had been taken to a detention facility in Texas. "Right now his sons are very traumatized, the younger one hasn't been able to sleep," said Lizeth Garcia, who is Arturos niece. "I feel very heartbroken, and basically useless. We are seeing our family member being mistreated and there's nothing we can do about it. There is a lot of confusion and all of us are scared." Brian said he's been unsettled and angered after reading hateful, anti-immigrant comments on social media under the clips that have been posted of his father's arrest. "I just want my dad back," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Staff writer Melissa Gomez contributed to this report. 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. A state program that provided free test preparation to students at public universities and some community colleges that organizers said has helped some 4,700 students since its launch in February went unfunded in the state budget approved by Illinois lawmakers last month. The program received $10 million in the budget year ending June 30 and provided students with free access to more than 40 test prep courses, including graduate-level admission exams, according to Lynne Baker, a communications director at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, one of the programs partners. Most of the funding, about $8.6 million, went to Kaplan, a long-standing educational services company. The funding wont run out until Dec. 23, when students who rely on the financial help will lose access to the courses, Baker said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pritzker did not include funding for the program in the budget he proposed in February, so the General Assemblys decision to pass a budget without the money was not a surprise. Nonetheless, state Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat, said he pushed to secure another years funding. We knew there would be cuts, but I thought that, if anything, it would probably be agreed that a reduction in the appropriation might happen, but not a total elimination, Ford said. It was just assumed that this would be in it, since it was an item that there was no opposition to this is actually something that we found is taxpayer worthy. Andres Correa, a spokesperson for the governors office said Illinois made the difficult decision to eliminate the program as part of the states larger effort to responsibly balance this years budget. Correa noted the budget included funding for educational programs such as the Monetary Award Program, which supports Illinois residents in attending some Illinois colleges. Ford said he will continue efforts to get money for the test prep program, and encouraged students to publicly advocate for it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think the governor will listen to his students at public universities and parents, and when they continue (advocating for) just how valuable this is, Ford said. We will begin to see students pretty devastated by having a program that theyre relying on to get their license for professions that Illinois needs to increase the workforce nurses, lawyers, medical students, you name it. Asa Asad, who graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago in May with a degree in neuroscience, said the free coursework offered by the program convinced him to take the Medical College Admissions Test after studying for the exam on his own last fall left him feeling unprepared. Honestly I dont think I would have taken it (the MCAT) without this, said Asad. The MCAT is just such a monster of a test that theres really no way to prepare for it without trying to get some sort of guidance from somebody and a lot of that is behind a paywall or a cost of some sort. This program is free, which helps me be able to fully invest in my education versus having to work to pay for the class, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asad said he doesnt think a lot of students are aware that funding for the program was eliminated. It feels like its a little hidden away from the population that would really want to use it the most, said Asad. The opportunity to take free test prep courses was especially helpful at UIC, Asad said, because many students come from a background where its not feasible to drop $3,000 or $4,000 on a course. Asad, the mentorship chair of his pre-med club in graduate school and a student body president, said he signed up over 200 students for the test prep program. I think losing the program is such a blow to our students, Asad said I feel like because the resources needed to actually get into these careers are so limited that only a certain population can really afford to get in, and its going to be such a loss for representation as a whole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baker, the ISAC communications director, said more than 1,400 UIC students registered for test prep courses through the program, second most in the state behind the 1,600 students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who took advantage of the program. Jenny Neef, executive director of the U. of I. career center, said the number of students who benefited from the program in such a short time indicates cost had previously been a barrier to accessing test prep services. The program allowed her to suggest high quality resources to students without worrying about the cost. Test prep is one of those pieces that helps us have a highly qualified, highly educated, well-prepared workforce to move into the jobs that are available within the state, and so I see it as part of this continuum of how higher education is part of the whole ecosystem, as it relates to a well-prepared workforce, Neef said. As of early May, more than 60% of students utilizing the state program were minority students and over a third were low-income or first-generation students, according to Dave Adams, a senior vice president with Kaplan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Kaplan spokesperson said the company hopes the state will continue funding the program, but regardless, we are focused on continuing to deliver the full program. Among its most important impacts, this program jump-starts the pipeline of future nurses, doctors, and other essential professionals, addressing critical shortages across Illinois by getting skilled, motivated students on the path to serving communities and delivering life-saving care where its needed most, the Kaplan spokesperson added. Ford said that if lawmakers convene in the next few months to address transportation funding and other issues, he would advocate for using discretionary funding under the governors control to continue the test prep program. We give the governor lots of power and authority over a certain amount of money so that he can decide what he would like to do with it in the case of emergencies, Ford said. He would have some authority to make some decisions, but we will see, as we know that it wasnt in his introduced budget. So, hopefully students will make it known that this is will be a tragedy. Krishna: The problem with the homeownership experience is that there isn't any transparency. It's difficult to figure out whether the realtor that you work with has your best interest. It's difficult to know that you're getting the best rate. It's difficult to understand where you stand in the process, how underwriting works. It's difficult to understand how your loan gets licensed and then serviced and then passed off to another lender. The start-to-finish real estate experience has been a Holy Grail for a long time. We've all been saying for decades that it's antiquated. And at this particular moment in time, there's a lot of spirited debate in the industry over how much of the process any one company should control. You have one big player in the market saying that they want to have the listings in-house and they want to be able to represent both sides of the transaction. And there have long been questions about how much any professional should be able to steer business to others. We want consumers to get professional help but how do you walk that line between wanting them to also be able to choose who represents them? Glenn Kelman: The central economic problem that people under 40 have is that they don't believe in the American Dream anymore. They can't afford a house, they get lost in the process, they get overwhelmed by the fees. They're spending half their down payment on the broker and the banker. And I do think we can fix that. And then they get kind of handed off into the servicing business where they spend a lifetime handling things like property taxes, their monthly payments and their escrows. And the whole process is just so complicated. It takes time, it takes energy, it's expensive. What we want to do is fix that. We want to take something that is expensive, manual, and antiquated, and we just want to make it all seamless and frictionless, and ultimately create more savings and value for the consumer. Varun Krishna: Today when you think about the process of buying or selling a home, the consumer sort of gets handed off from industry to industry to industry. One industry helps them with the process of searching for a home and working with a realtor, another industry helps them with the process of financing. Within that, there are industries that help them with things like title, insurance and closing. Still, the tie-up comes at an auspicious time. As USA TODAY has reported, there are deep fissures in the industry about how much control any one company should have over how real estate listings are shared publicly and who should represent buyers and sellers. At the same time, higher-for-longer mortgage rates and elevated home prices are fraying the American Dream, and making profits and margins challenging, as Kelman memorably noted in a 2024 call with analysts . Story continues And I think the fundamental issue today is there's an illusion of control, that there's any choice at all. And that the fee structures make sense, and the way that the consumers have to choose and what they get to choose it's a little bit of a fallacy today and we want to improve that. I mean, that is our fundamental ethos is exactly that consumers deserve better. They deserve a system that is more transparent. They deserve to have better rates. They deserve to pay lower fees. They deserve to be able to get into a home faster or sell a home faster. Kelman: For me, it's really hard to give the consumer a better deal when the title company, the broker, the banker, and the servicing company are all fighting for the customer. We're going to give customers a choice. They can work with a Redfin agent, and then a different banker. They can work with a Rocket banker and then a different agent. But our hope is that by working together, we can give the consumer such a better experience and such a lower fee that what they'll want to do is work with us. But if you keep these industries at each other's throats, where we're all spending money to get the same customer, youre never going to make the industry more efficient. And that's why the consumer is still paying so much every time she moves. A Redfin lawn sign There has been a lot of experimentation, a lot of companies spending a lot of money on big bets, you know, Redfin starting with salaried agents, the iBuyers like Opendoor that buy homes directly from owners, Zillow Offers. Why is it so hard to get the model right? Kelman: I think the consumer is really traditional. It's an infrequent purchase, so once a decade you move and usually you call on a neighbor to help you handle the sale, or you hire your uncle as a real estate agent. Also it's a cooperative industry. So anytime you have a disruptor, the consumer has to worry. When she puts a Redfin sign in her yard, will other buyer agents want to show that listing? You have to worry when you have a RE/MAX agent representing the buyer: Will other listing agents really tell that agent what's going on in the deal? Any time there has been a disruptor, there has been an industry reaction and so the challenge here is finding a way to take a very fragmented industry and make it work together better. Krishna: I think part of the reason these things are hard is when you disrupt any kind of hyperlocal dynamic, whether it's commerce, real estate, or financial services, you have local fragmentation, word of mouth. You have a diversity in the landscape of how people do this job, where some people sell one or two homes and others take it as a full-time profession. You have varying levels of hustle.Kelman: I just think that most of the companies building technologies in this industry don't actually want to get their hands dirty and serve the customer directly. The first thing Varun and I had in common was just that we wanted to put the consumer first, but the second was that both of us have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in our people. And in most of the industry, if you build a better gadget, you sell leads to a traditional agent or to a traditional loan officer. For us, it just seems hard to build a better mousetrap, have the world beat a path to your door, and then give people the same old service at the same old fee. There's a lot of concern about some of the buyers who have purchased recently with rates at cycle highs and very high home prices. While the vast majority do have fixed-rate mortgages, we know that homeowners insurance costs are rising pretty dramatically, pretty quickly. Property taxes are also likely to rise. How concerned are you about those borrowers from the perspective of the borrower? And how concerned are you, or how sanguine are you, about the mortgage servicing system being able to manage if we do see an uptick in distress? More: As real estate listings become more private, Zillow fights back Krishna: We watch the trends like hawks and we look at everything from leading indicators to lagging indicators on how consumers are spending. Typically the mortgage is the last thing to go, so consumers will do anything and everything to make sure that they stay in their homes. I would say given everything we've seen too far, we're not worried in the sense that we see, you know, deep structural cracks in the way that the industry is developing. But at the same time, we know affordability is a challenge. Inventory is a challenge and we also know that there's still a significant amount of friction in the entire experience as well. We need to start thinking of it as a continuum, where a consumer will progress from renting to eventually ending up in a home which is still the bedrock of the American dream. And if we can help them with that from a lifetime perspective or we can help them not just search and find a home, but to be able to finance it, title it and then service it, we can take a lot of cost out of the system. Part of the problem today is that when you think about the expense, a lot of it goes into things like lead acquisition, right? Mortgage leads are one of the most expensive leads and mortgage companies spend thousands of dollars on individual leads. The margins end up being a little bit low because of that. And then there's no lifetime value because the consumer is in a different part of the funnel for servicing. We can make it faster. This is our approach to saying this is how we want to help fix the problem and to create a model that we think is more sustainable as far as homeownership is concerned. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rocket Mortgage buys Redfin. The CEOs break down the deal GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Aiming to reduce the number of drownings in the Great Lakes, the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project has conducted more than 100 water safety presentations so far this year and more than 1,200 in the Midwest since 2011. On Wednesday, it presented to fifth and sixth graders at White Pines Intermediate School in Grand Haven, teaching students what it looks like to be in trouble while in the water and survival strategies like flip, float and follow to escape a dangerous current. Staying safe near the water this summer Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The presentation honored the memory of 17-year-old Andy Fox, who drowned in 2003 after being caught in a rip current in Lake Michigan. His mother Vicki Cech now educates others on the dangers of the Great Lakes. The big thing was to try and create awareness here, Cech said. Because we didnt know. A lot of people had never heard of rip currents in Lake Michigan. So we wanted to make people aware and the kids what to do and how to be safe and not get into the situation that Andy was in. A monument at the Grand Haven pier memorializes those who drowned in Lake Michigan. (June 11, 2025) A sign at the Grand Haven pier memorializes Andy Fox, who drowned in Lake Michigan in 2003. (June 11, 2025) There have been over 1,300 drownings in the five Great Lakes since 2010, according to data compiled by the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. Cech said a number is too high. Knowledge is everything. These kids, if they know what to do, theyre either going to stay out of the water because they know there is a danger there, or theyre going to know what to do if they do get into trouble. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Red flag or green, advocates urge caution on Lake Michigan The group is also using their platform as a means to bring awareness to two bills moving through Michigans Legislature Senate Bill 295 and House Bill 4477 both proposing a statewide water safety program for K-12 students focusing on topics like flotation devices, water conditions and basic rescue and resuscitation techniques as a part of physical education classes. We are way behind with water safety education in the United States as well as the Great Lakes region, program director Dave Benjamin said. It is of utmost importance that we have water safety education in schools. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The grandfather of one of the escaped New Orleans inmates is pleading for his grandson to turn himself in as authorities continue their search. Lee Taylor, the grandfather of Antoine Massey, told CBS News that he's concerned for his grandson's safety. "I haven't slept. I haven't been eating, and I've lost 15 pounds," Taylor told CBS News. "I'm worried about what's going to happen to him." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Massey is one of the 10 inmates who escaped a New Orleans jail on May 16 by yanking open a faulty cell door, removing a toilet, crawling through a hole in the wall behind it and scaling a barbed wire fence in the early morning hours. The jailbreak went unnoticed for hours. Massey, 32, faces charges of kidnapping, rape, domestic battery involving strangulation and motor vehicle theft. In an Instagram post shared Friday, a person claiming to be Massey stated he is "innocent." In an interview with CBS News, Massey's pastors added that his family members have been hurting, praying every Sunday for him to give up his time on the run and yield to authorities. Pastor Robert Brown of Ray Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans says he would be happy to help facilitate Massey's surrender, if that would make him more comfortable to come forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are doing everything in our power to diffuse another jailbreak," Brown said. "I don't believe that no one should have to break out of jail to express themselves and tell their story, to be heard. We heard your story, Antoine. We need you to turn yourself in." Massey's grandfather said the jailbreak came as a shock to him and Massey's family. "It blew my mind," Taylor said. Taylor added that law enforcement even searched his home, something he welcomed, but he's afraid that if a confrontation with law enforcement were to occur, it could end poorly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I give them credit for what they're doing because they keep me safe... That's their job, and I praise them for what they do," Taylor said of law enforcement searching for Massey. "But all I say, 'if you find him, treat him like a human being.'" Massey's grandfather hopes he will turn himself in before the law catches up with him. He says Massey is a father of two a 17-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. "I just want him to give himself up. Show some love for your family," Taylor said. "They're wishing you could just give up while knowing that you're OK." Massey and Derrick Groves are the two escapees who still remain at large, and officials have raised the reward to $50,000 per fugitive. At least 16 people have been arrested and accused of aiding the escape of the inmates, including Groves' on-again, off-again girlfriend, who worked at the jail in 2023, but was fired for allegedly bringing in contraband. Meanwhile, Taylor says he hasn't heard from Massey since the escape, but he hopes Massey will hear his pleas."I want America to know that my grandson is not as bad as they think he is," Taylor said. "He's got a good heart. He just hasn't had the chance yet to really know what it takes for a man to be." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Australian reporter covering Los Angeles protests shot with rubber bullet by police officer Eye Opener: Protests erupt in more cities over ICE deportations LAPD chief speaks out about deployment of military forces to anti-ICE protests NEED TO KNOW Heidi Dutton, 19, was sentenced to life in prison for her role in the murder of her grandparents, Deborah and Larry Dutton, just days before Christmas in 2022 Deborah and Larry were Dutton's biological grandparents and adoptive parents Deborah was shot in the face and had her throat slit, while Larry was stabbed repeatedly in the face before both were buried in the backyard An Oklahoma teenager convicted of murdering her grandparents appeared in court for her sentencing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heidi Dutton, 19, entered a guilty plea in May to two counts of first-degree-murder, conspiracy, and two counts of desecration of a human corpse in the deaths of Deborah and Larry Dutton, who were her biological grandparents and adoptive parents. On June 6, a Washington County Court judge sentenced Dutton to life in prison on the recommendation of the jury in the case. That comes on the heels of Dutton's boyfriend and accomplice in the murders, Lucas Walker, being sentenced to 35 years in prison after a federal trial. Walker's case was tried at the federal level because he is a member of the Cherokee nation. Washington County Sheriff's Office heidi dutton heidi dutton Deputies with the Washington County Sheriff's Office did not launch an investigation into the deaths of Deborah and Larry until a month after the murders, according to a copy of the criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Jan. 20, 2023, deputies responded to a welfare check at the couple's residence in Dewey, a city located approximately 130 miles southeast of Wichita. 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. Dutton, then 17, and Walker were at the residence when deputies arrived that day, and later left the residence in handcuffs after detectives discovered blood that had seeped under the baseboards of Deborah and Larry's bedroom. Once in custody, both Walker and Dutton confessed to the murders, according to the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walker told police that he hid out in Dutton's bedroom on the night of Dec. 19, 2022 after taking a .22 caliber pistol from the garage, and then lay in wait outside the door to her grandparents' bedroom once the two were asleep. Washington County Sheriff's Office Lucas Walker Lucas Walker Deborah died first, according to the complaint, which says that when she "opened the door to the main bedroom, Walker shot her in the face and slit her throat." When her husband "got out of bed and rushed him, Walker attempted to shoot Larry Dutton but the pistol jammed," according to the complaint. Walker said that he decided to repeatedly stab Larry in the face with a knife. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walker and Dutton then dragged the couple out on bedsheets and buried them in the backyard an act that was captured by the home's Ring Camera according to a copy of a search warrant request obtained by PEOPLE. Two days after that welfare check the bodies of Deborah and Larry were exhumed from the backyard. Larry Dutton, 73, was a retired Master Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and former manager of Lt. William M. Milliken Airport in Eureka, Kan, per an obituary for the couple. He "had a big heart and would give anyone the shirt off his back," one friend of his remembered in a funeral guestbook entry. His wife Deborah was a retired Staff Sergeant in the Air Force and had also worked as a chef. A lawyer for Dutton did not respond to a request for comment. Read the original article on People ATLANTA, Ga. (WSAV) The Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust works to eradicate and prevent the opioid crisis. In 2022, Georgia secured $638 million from settlements with major pharmaceutical companies and an additional $13 million from McKinsey & Company to combat the opioid crisis. The funds go to support initiatives like expanding treatment options, increasing public awareness and providing life-saving naloxone, more commonly known as Narcan. Governor Brian Kemp said, Like every other state, the opioid crisis has hit Georgia communities and families hard and with lasting effect. These funds will help us fight the good fight against the disease of addiction, help us make our communities more secure and help us see that justice is done for the victims of these opioid manufacturers and distributors. The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (GDBHDD) says opioid-related overdoses have killed more than 650,000 people over the last 25 years, with a 200 percent increase between 2010 and 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kevin Tanner, State Commissioner for the GDBHDD, said of the settlement, $479 million of that money will flow through the trust over the next 18 years and out of that, 60 percent will go statewide initiatives, and 40 percent for regional initiatives. We opened that first opportunity for grants last year. Apply online for the funds through Wednesday, June 18, 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 WSAV-TV. SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. (WFRV) Officers in southern Wisconsin are thanking a widespread community effort in helping to locate a child who was seen roaming around without an adult on Tuesday afternoon. Officers with the Sun Prairie Police Department say that around 4:40 p.m. on June 10, they were notified by an uninvolved passerby who saw a young child crossing Grove Street without an adult near Hawthorn Drive. First 5 Fox Valley provides update on Family Resource Center progression ahead of 2026 transformation Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities immediately began checking the area, which is near Sun Prairie East High School, with help from the Sun Prairie Fire Department and the Dane County Sheriffs Office Drone Team. A Nixle alert was also issued to area residents asking for help. Shortly after the alert, several residents reportedly contacted police and helped identify the child and their home address. Officers responded to the address provided and confirmed the child had safely returned home. Family & Childcare Resources of Northeast Wisconsin holds monthly diaper giveaway During the investigation, officers learned that the child had left the home without the parents knowledge and returned before they realized the child had been gone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The quick coordination between our officers, fire department, and the Dane County Drone Team, along with alert and engaged community members, made a big difference in resolving this quickly, said Chief Kevin Warych. Were grateful for everyones effort to ensure this childs safety. No additional information has been released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Jun. 10The towns of Gray and New Gloucester narrowly voted down a $35.4 million school budget Tuesday. The overall vote total was 1,211 in favor and 1,230 opposed, a margin of just 19 votes. In Gray, 644 voted in favor and 805 voted against, while in New Gloucester, 567 voted in favor and 425 voted against. The proposed School Administrative District 15 budget represented an increase of $2 million, or 5.9%, from the previous year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gray Town Clerk Britt Barton told Lakes Region Now that, ahead of the vote, the budget was a hot topic among residents, with detractors saying that there has been too much left in the general fund over the years, and that there have been increases to line items that don't need them. SAD 15 Board Chair Penny Collins gave more detail on the process of crafting the budget, and which specific items were seeing an increase. She explained that most of the budget items were voted on at the towns' budget validation meeting on May 22, with all articles being passed as written, and any attempts to amend the articles downward were rejected. She said this year does not feel particularly different in terms of the community conversation, and that, while the district was optimistic about the fate of the budget, should it fail, they would simply restart the process of crafting the budget. Collins said more than three quarters of the $2 million came in the form of contracted pay increases for employees and an increase in health insurance, with the rest going towards district needs, bond payments, and adult education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carolyn Justice won her select board race with 656 votes, with candidates Rachel L. Rumson and Joshua J. Pietrowicz receiving 562 and 400 votes, respectively. Penny L. Collins was reelected to her seat on the MSAD 15 school board with 712 votes, as was Misty Coolidge with 661 votes. Note: This story was updated at 7:30 a.m. to correct the margin of votes on the budget referendum, and the number of candidates elected to the MSAD 15 school board. Copy the Story Link Shalayna Valencia has been named general manager and director of sales for Gray owned CBS affiliate KOSA in Odessa, Texas. Valencia started her career as an account executive at KWES in Midland/Odessa and has worked in leadership roles including marketpPresident at Townsquare Media and digital sales director at Hearst. One note: No judgement here, but we found no evidence of any social media presence for Valencia. Interesting? Who knows? JEFFERSON, Iowa For the past decade, theres been an ongoing effort to bring more diversity to Greene County to fill jobs and grow the population in rural Iowa. Greene County has shrunk in population for 100 years, like most every rural county has, Sid Jones, former president of the Greene County Development Corporation, said. Can we really reverse that? Can we do something different? And what initiative is that going to take? How much courage is that going to take? A lot. Greene Countys population includes about 8,700 people. Jefferson, the county seat, makes up almost half of that. Its also home to a new center and advocate whos on a mission to grow the number with minorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sara Huddleston is the director of the Multicultural Family Resource Center. Im focused on bringing people in our community, Huddleston said. And I see with that challenges, but I like challenges. More: Live on Location in Jefferson Shes been in the role for one year and is in charge of welcoming people to work and live in Greene County. An effort thats been years in the making, according to Jones. Around 2015, as a development corporation, we realized wed done a pretty good job with creating jobs, creating tax base and industry, Jones reflected. What we found out was we had more jobs than we had people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jones said GCDC put together a group called Vision 2020. People 40 years of age and younger participated. And they wanted a say. They wanted to decide what this community would look like, Jones said. And what our question to them was, whats it going to take to have more of you here?' Community members answered with five initiatives to focus on: schools, childcare, housing, recreation, and a high-end bar and restaurant. In addition to working on those, leaders decided the solution to filling jobs and increasing population was to bring in more diversity. If they think back far enough, our ancestors came from all over the world to rural Iowa and to Greene County and weve done this before, Jones said. We did it before. Its just a different culture. Its a different set of cultures. Were in a different world that moves so much faster, but at the same time, it took a lot of courage for those people to come here and to start a life and to have the opportunities and to grow their businesses and grow their farms and all the things that have happened. Were back in that same spot again. And we need people, and we need young families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its why they created the Multicultural Family Resource Center, with the financial help from a USDA grant and local investors. Woodworking meets Broadway in small town Iowa We were primarily at that point focusing really on that Latino culture, but weve since realized its multicultural, Jones said. Its not just the Latino culture. Theres Asians, theres South Africans, theres a variety of people that want to live someplace different than where they live today and want a different opportunity in life. Huddleston came from the culturally rich community of Storm Lake and has experience in social services. She stays busy in her new role. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I get calls from the police Jefferson Police, from the sheriff. I go to the hospital for taking people to medical appointments, interpret, Huddleston said. I still got to do a lot of outreach and connection with manufacturing. I have plans to outreach with Iowa Central Community College and the career academy we have in town. So yes, I dont sit down. Huddleston also works closely with the school system to help students adapt. Recent numbers from the local Area Education Agency show that of the 1,240 enrolled students at Greene County Community School District, 177 of them are non-Caucasian, meaning 14 percent minority enrollment. The numbers tell you, Jones said. And the greatest opportunity is to bring those populations here to try to fill this workforce, grow our population again, fill those schools with students. They need housing, they need a lot of things. But opportunity is challenging and its growth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Growth in the student body reflects whats happening in Greene County. Progress that takes time. The one most important ingredient to be successful in our community is to build the trust, Huddleston said. If you dont have the trust, nothing will move the needle but once you have the trust and the relationships and the network, everything can happen. Jones also adds in communication. I think Greene County has been unique in our ability to collaborate and bring our city and our county and our investors together. And thats hard work, Jones said. But I think when you have that trust and you have communication and you have investment, collaboration is the result. And I think if you continue to do that there will be success. It will happen you just have to have patience and persistence, and those things come together. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Greene County Development Corporation is looking ahead to the future with new leadership. The executive committee voted unanimously to name Michelle Book as its interim director. Book stepped down as Food Bank of Iowa CEO at the end of 2024. She is a 1979 graduate of Jefferson High School, as well as this years WHO 13 News Remarkable Woman winner. If youd like to learn more about the Multicultural Family Resource Center, click here. Iowa 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 who13.com. GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) The Town of Greeneville and the George Clem Multicultural Alliance (GCMA) will host their annual Juneteenth Celebration on June 21 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bicentennial Park. A news release from the town said the celebration aligns with the federal holiday, which was recognized in 2021. Juneteenth commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement that proclaimed freedom for enslaved people in Texas, the last state of the Confederacy with institutional slavery after emancipation. Crowder, Shenandoah, Zach Top and more performing at Appalachian Fair Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The celebration starts that Saturday with a welcome from Mayor Cal Doty and the GCMAs Candi Turner and Shanda Story. A prayer and scripture reading take place afterward by Rev. Sarah Varnell of Trinity United Methodist Church. Musical performances will be provided by JessBless, Kelle Jolly and Devoted. A kids area will be available for children to enjoy, which will include inflatables, oversized games, bubbles, hula hoops, touch-a-truck and a book bus. Carolina Ace Barbecue, Creamy Cup Ice Cream, Marcus Cameron (chicken and fish), and The Sweet Spot (kettle corn, candy, and dirty sodas) will be selling food and treats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bicentennial Park is located in downtown Greeneville at 207 N College St. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chair or picnic blanket. More information about the event can be found at greenevilletn.gov/page/juneteenth. Photo: Larry Horn Photo: Larry Horn Photo: JessBless Photo: Kelle Jolly Photo: Larry Horn Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Greenville High School will be the scene on June 21 of a celebration of Filipino-American culture in honor of Philippine Independence Day. Hosted by Genuine Faith Community Church in Greenville, this years festival will mark the fifth event of its kind. In addition to music, select vendors, food and drinks, the event will have performances of traditional dances and songs, and children and adults will be modeling traditional, old-style Filipino garb, Genuine Faiths Greenville president Ginalyn Davis said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The now-annual Philippine Independence Day event grew out of Genuine Faith Community Churchs congregation, which is a small, closely-knit church that is largely comprised of local Filipino-Americans and their spouses. More than anything, we of course aim to share the message of Jesus Christ but the church also reaches out to the area Filipino community because many who are new here are nervous to go out because they dont know where to go so they end up staying at home all the time, Davis said. This event is another way for us to reach out to the Filipino community of the wider area. Despite being a Philippine Independence Day celebration, Davis emphasizes that the event and the church are open to people of all cultures. Next Saturdays Philippine Independence Day event will be from noon to 5 p.m. at Greenville High School at 3515 Lions Lair Road. Mullen Automotive CEO David Michery, at Bollinger's Oak Park, Mich., headquarters, believes the difficult market for EVs is temporary. His strategy is to wait out the tariff negotiations while positioning Mullen Automotive and Bollinger Motors for big production increases. DETROIT After speaking with Mullen Automotive CEO David Michery for close to an hour, you get the impression he would be a formidable poker player. If theres the slightest chance that he holds the winning cards, no matter whats face up on the table, hes not likely to fold. And thats the way Michery, 58, is approaching his financially challenged electric vehicle startup, Mullen Automotive of Brea, Calif. Michery sat down with reporters from Automotive News and Crains Detroit Business on June 4 at Mullen subsidiary Bollinger Motors headquarters in Oak Park, Mich. Michery didnt flinch or give an inch under tough questions that probed his companys finances and why he remains determined to crank up production of EVs when the business case that justified their investment has, in part, been upended by tariffs and changing government policies. Sign up for the weekly Automotive News Mobility Report newsletter for the latest developments at the intersection of transportation and technology. Dressed in a black T-shirt and weathered blue jeans, wearing a gold watch and showing a smattering of colorful tattoos on his arms, Michery doesnt look like a traditional automotive CEO. He doesnt act like one, either. In the last 60 days, after Mullen stock twice sank to less than a nickel a share, Michery orchestrated two reverse stock splits to keep Mullen Automotives shares in Nasdaq compliance. He gave away an unused 675,000-square-foot plant in Indiana to a creditor which Mullen got in 2022 in its $240 million purchase of bankrupt Electric Last Mile Solutions, another failed EV startup. On June 3, Michery settled a lawsuit filed by Bollinger Motors founder Robert Bollinger, paying him $11 million and acquiring 95 percent of the companys shares. Michery essentially runs both Mullen Automotive and Bollinger Motors on the generosity of an unnamed benefactor who cuts a check for $1.5 million per week to the company and a $150 million line of credit that the company draws upon. That investors total cash infusion into Mullen is more than $800 million, according to court documents. Michery believes the difficult market for EVs is temporary, and his strategy is to wait out the tariff negotiations while positioning Mullen and Bollinger for big production increases. Virtually all Mullen and Bollinger vehicles contain significant Chinese-sourced components. Here is an edited transcript of the interview with Automotive News Reporter Richard Truett and Crains Detroit Business Reporter Kurt Nagl. Q: For the six months ending March 31, Mullen posted a loss of $162 million on sales of $7.9 million. Cash on hand totaled $2.3 million. That looks like a tough situation to be in. A: A lot of those losses are noncash losses. Theres no excuse. EVs are out of favor right now. We have invested about $900 million since going public in 2021. The company has survived when no one else has. Its a testament to our resiliency and our ability to withstand the most awful market conditions in the last 20 years. Its no excuse for [our] performance, but if you look at the major OEMs, like General Motors and them shutting down the [Chevrolet] Bolt, that should tell you all you need to know. Backing off of EVs is something we havent done, and we believe that is a viable space. Our core investor is a multibillionaire who is committed to the company. Its not going to go nowhere. I am a fighter. I dont give up. I like to believe that you have to kill me to stop me. Greta Thunberg is speaking out after being detained by Israel. Fabrizio Villa / Getty Images This month, the Swedish activist took part in a sail to Gaza organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to challenge Israel's blockade of the area's land, sea, and air. Along with 11 others, the Madleen carried a number of emergency supplies for Palestinians. JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images However, a few days ago, the boat was intercepted by Israeli forces despite groups such as Amnesty International calling the move illegal. The Israel Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying, "The 'selfie yacht' carrying Greta Thunberg and the other so-called 'celebrities' is continuing its journey toward an Israeli port. Upon arrival, arrangements will be made for their return to their respective home countries." SOPA Images / SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Related: The Internet Is Having A Field Day Over Marjorie Taylor Greene's Tweet About Homeschooling With An Altered Map Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking to press in a Paris airport after being deported, Greta said, "We were illegally attacked and kidnapped by Israel and taken against our will to Israel, where we were detained. And then some of us [were] deported, some are still there. There are very big uncertainties, because it was quite chaotic and uncertain. So I don't really know what's going on. I haven't had a phone for many days." HUGO MATHY / AFP via Getty Images As for what conditions were like, Greta said, "They were absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine, especially Gaza right now. This is yet another violation of international rights, adding to the list of countless of such, especially towards Palestinians that Israel are committing. By blocking and preventing humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, that is illegal." ANDERS WIKLUND / TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images Related: A NSFW Float Depicting Donald Trump's "MAGA" Penis Was Just Paraded Around Germany, And It's...Something When asked in another interview why she thinks so many are ignoring what's happening in Gaza, Greta replied, "Because of racism. Thats the simple answer. Racism and basically desperately trying to defend a destructive deadly system that systematically puts short-term economic profit and to maximize geopolitical power over the well-being of humans and the planet. Right now it's very, very difficult to morally defend that." The clip was then "liked" by Bella Hadid on Instagram. Thomas Lohnes / Getty Images Greta was also asked about President Donald Trump's comments about her. Earlier this week, he said, "She's a young, angry person. I don't know if it's real anger; it's hard to believe, actually. But I saw what happened. She's certainly different. Anger management. I think she has to go to an angry management class. That's my primary recommendation for her...I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response, Greta told an interviewer, "I think the world needs a lot more young, angry women, to be honest, especially with everything going on right now. That's the thing we need most of." KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images According to the FFC, two of the ship's members have been placed in solitary confinement during their ongoing detention in Israel, including European Parliament member Rima Hassan. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has said that Israel should expel the four French activists from the boat by the end of the week. NurPhoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images You can learn more about the Madleen here. Also in In the News: JD Vance Shared The Most Bizarre Tweet Of Him Serving "Food" As Donald Trump's Housewife Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also in In the News: This Senator's Clap Back Fully Gagged An MSNBC Anchor, And The Clip Is Going Viral Also in In the News: AOC's Viral Response About A Potential Presidential Run Has Everyone Watching, And I'm Honestly Living For It The Brief Two out-of-state couples met their adoptive daughters from Haiti in person on Tuesday after a Tampa nonprofit rescued them from the Caribbean country. Gang violence continues to be an ongoing problem in Haiti. Grey Bull Rescue facilitates evacuations and rescues people from dangerous situations. TAMPA - "This is crazy! Yes, it's all hitting all at once," emotional Texas resident Kathleen Smith told FOX 13 Tuesday. "It's wild. I feel like we've been -- not we, I! -- have been crying on and off for months." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smith and her husband, Jordan, have been trying to bring their seven-year-old adoptive daughter, Love Esther, home from Haiti for over a year. RELATED: Violence in Haiti stalls Plano family's attempt to adopt daughter However, ongoing gang violence in the Caribbean country has made the process difficult. "Gangs taking over everything," Jordan Smith said. "It's horrible." Grey Bull Rescue helps two families bring adoptive daughters from Haiti to the U.S. Its a similar story for Jake and Maribeth Joraanstad of North Dakota: Theyve been trying to get their daughters out of the Haitian orphanages, too. "The girls had heard gunshots in the neighborhood," Jake Joraanstad said of his adoptive daughters, Mitialove and Mirlanda. Local perspective Enter Grey Bull Rescue: The Tampa nonprofit facilitates evacuations, rescuing people in danger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And thats exactly what theyre doing for these two couples. "They just got started coordinating, making plans, getting paperwork pushed through," Jordan Smith told FOX 13. On Tuesday, Grey Bull Rescue founder, Bryan Stern, and his team flew to Haiti to get Love Esther, Mitialove, and Mirlanda to bring them back to Tampa. Two out-of-state couples met their adoptive daughters from Haiti in person on Tuesday after a Tampa nonprofit rescued them from the Caribbean country. Dig deeper The families told FOX 13 that the three girls who range in age from six to 12 -- have American visas. The presidents current travel ban does include an exception for adoptions. CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: CAMPBELL, Ohio (WKBN) Its a first in the City of Campbell, aimed at meeting an urgent need. There was a ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday morning for a new home on Whipple Avenue. When we have a shortage of housing, and especially that doesnt break peoples bank accounts, said Deb Flora, with the Mahoning County Land Bank. It marks the first time the Mahoning County Land Bank, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and City of Campbell have worked together on a housing project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Money for this development is coming from a new project from the state known as Welcome Home Ohio, which was created to help working-class, middle-income families buy affordable housing. At a time where housing construction is very expensive, the Welcome Home Ohio dollars are making it affordable for us, as the developer, to get it done, and then theres also a requirement from the state that we cant sell this house for more than $180,000, Flora said. She says they have to sell the home to a household that is at or below 80% of the average median income. Mahoning County has already received more than $7 million from this program, which will pay for 31 projects around the county. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its the second groundbreaking this month, following one in Struthers last week, with half a dozen more in Youngstown. In this particular case, the land bank purchased this property in 2017 and tore the existing house down. I mean, its going full cycle from being a blighted property that creates negative energy and is kind of a contagion on the block, removing it, the interim use was a green vacant lot, said Ian Benniston, with YNDC. Now Mayor George Levendis hopes this, along with a revitalization effort of businesses on nearby 12th Street, could help attract new residents to the city. This is a first step and, hopefully, theres going to be many more of these kinds of houses, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizers hope lawmakers will continue funding the Welcome Home Ohio program in the next state budget. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ill. A group of Jefferson County, Illinois taxpayers have filed a lawsuit in a push to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the lawn of the countys courthouse, citing concerns over religious neutrality and constitutional violations. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Illinois 2nd Judicial Circuit Court, targets Jefferson County, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners and several Jefferson County board members. It also references county sheriff Jeff Bullard, not explicitly as a defendant, but as an individual who allegedly had a role in moving the monument from its original location inside the courthouse to the lawn outside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No ICE demonstration comes to STL According to the lawsuit, Bullard commissioned the monument last year with help of private donations, and the monument was initially installed inside the courthouse lobby. The lawsuit contends, later that year, after legal counsel warned the display could raise constitutional concerns, the monument was relocated to an outdoor lawn near the courthouse entrance. The lawsuit claims that the sheriff used around $4,800 from a county-controlled account known a Chirper Fund to cover relocation costs not fully covered by the original private contributions for the monument. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit alleges, around September 2024, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners voted to retain the monument on county property, despite legal warnings from the Freedom From Religion Foundation and an attorney who informed the county that the monument could raise serious legal concerns. The lawsuit, however, notes the boards decision followed public comments with mixed reactions. The monument, which stands nearly seven feet tall, features a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments, according to the lawsuit. Now several months since it was moved outside, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight Jefferson County taxpayers of various religious and non-religious backgrounds. The ACLU argues that the monument signals a government endorsement of a particular religious perspective. Close Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News In Illinois, we do not permit local politicians to use the power and authority of their office to promote their religious views, said Kevin Fee, legal director for the ACLU of Illinois, via a news release. Our organization has always worked to ensure that everyones religious freedom is respected. This monument which must be removed immediately attempts to undermine that freedom for many residents. We are pleased to represent these clients in seeking fairness in Jefferson County. This Ten Commandments monument represents an intrusion of civil authority into matters of faith, said lead plaintiff and Pastor Lynn Neal. As a minister, I object to my government co-opting my religious beliefs for improper political purposes, usurping my role as a religious leader by promoting an officially preferred version of the Ten Commandments and presenting it outside of its biblical context. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit is seeking declaratory relief through a court order that would require the removal of the monument from public property and prohibit further use of public resources to support religious displays. FOX 2 has reached out to the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners and Sheriff Jeff Bullard for comment. Our requests for comment have not been returned as of this storys 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 FOX 2. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Anger over immigration raids started in Los Angeles and spread from city to city and Tuesday night, it reached Kansas City. A group of people marched through downtown in solidarity with the people of Los Angeles and in protest of the recent tactics by ICE under the Trump administration. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV The group first met outside of Liberty Memorial. The gathering of a couple hundred people grew later but things remained peaceful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The march continued onto Main Street and was joined by a second group before cutting across the Crossroads District and then coming back to Liberty Memorial where the group gathered at the steps. Some people left and others went on a second march which went through Broadway. The Kansas City Police Department confirms its monitoring but that things have remained peaceful. Tensions in Los Angeles escalated earlier this week as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to President Donald Trumps extraordinary deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd. Many protesters dispersed as evening fell and police declared an unlawful assembly, a precursor to officers moving in and making arrests of people who dont leave. Some of those remaining threw objects at police from behind a makeshift barrier and others hurled chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention center where protesters concentrated. Several dozen people were arrested throughout the weekend of protest. Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android Trumps decision to bring in the National Guard has been heavily criticized by Democratic lawmakers, who claim the use of force may only make the situation worse. Trump has responded by saying he is prepared to bring the U.S. Marines into Los Angeles if needed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Pain is a predictable part of the process for many women walking into a reproductive healthcare clinic. That problem now is receiving renewed focus in the wake of a report released May 15 by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The report compiles recommended pain management techniques for eight of the more common pain-inducing procedures routinely performed in a clinic. These include intrauterine device (IUD) insertion, endometrial and cervical biopsies and hysteroscopies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The advised techniques include local anesthetic options and providing anti-inflammatory drugs. The report details dosages and side effects for each advised treatment. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, or ACOG, is urging clinicians to communicate these options to their patients in a manner that is individualized, culturally competent, trauma-informed, and guided by shared decision-making. Dr. Marie Forgie, an obstetrician and gynecologist performs all of the procedures mentioned in the report through her practice at Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee. She said understanding, predicting and managing patient pain during gynecologic procedures has been a recent hot topic for the field. There's been limited or conflicting evidence about different pain control options, and that information has been scattered across different publications, Forgie said. Having this guidance will make clear all the options that we know could potentially work. The report emphasizes how systemic racism and gender bias in medicine has historically affected the kind and quantity of pain control options offered to patients, with Black patients receiving less attention to their pain than White patients, and womens pain garnering less concern than that of men. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In August 2024, the Center for Disease Control updated its own advice on pain management for IUD insertion, recommending topical numbing creams and paracervical block injections both lidocaine-based local anesthetics, as potentially useful for reducing patient pain. The CDCs updated guidelines also urged doctors to counsel their patients on pain management before they undergo the procedure to insert the contraceptive device. Dr. Allison Linton, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsins chief medical officer, noted that pain is difficult to study because it is subjective, and can vary patient to patient. Our field of reproductive health has realized for a long time that even though IUDs are a very effective form of birth control, they can be really uncomfortable to place, Linton said. For quite a long time, we've all been trying to figure out how we best support patients while making sure that we are keeping them as comfortable as possible and certainly not creating more trauma in an area that historically has had a lot of trauma for a lot of patients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lintons routine pain management protocol has focused on giving patients realistic expectations of how IUD insertions and other procedures might feel, and helping patients cope with anxiety about upcoming procedures, sometimes by offering them a pre-procedure visit to talk through pain management options. In the past one to two years, Linton said, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin clinicians have also started offering paracervical blocks to IUD insertion patients one of the local anesthetics recommended by the recent CDC and ACOG recommendations. Dr. Laura Jacques, an associate professor in the University of Wisconsins obstetrics and gynecology department, recalled she has offered local anesthesia for in-office procedures since 2017 at least. ACOG is the standard-setting body for our field, so their new guidance will undoubtedly have broad influence on OB-GYN practice, Jacques wrote. While it doesn't change my individual practice, or our practice at UW, it helps promote patient-centered care across the field. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin OB-GYNs cheer new IUD insertion pain management guidance ABBEVILLE, La. (KLFY) A violent altercation in Abbeville on Friday night led to a shooting, according to the Abbeville Police Department. The incident involved a group of young individuals who were allegedly fighting amongst themselves. According to police, the incident involved a group of young people who were allegedly fighting amongst each other. During the fight, one of the people involved allegedly pulled out mace and multiple people were sprayed. Then a minor allegedly pulled out a gun and accidentally shot a woman in the arm, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities mentioned another male victim was reportedly punched in the face and fell to the ground where hit his head. Police said the young man was severely injured. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KLFY Daily Digest At this moment, police did not release any more information about this incident but are getting a warrant for the minor who allegedly shot the woman. This case remains under investigation. We will update as more information is released. 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. Editors note: The video above is from Sept. 10, 2024, when Anthony Lamar Buxton was first charged in the death of Kanivia Howard-Browley. WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) A Wyoming man is heading to prison for gunning down a woman outside his home last September after the two got into an argument. A judge on Wednesday sentenced Anthony Lamar Buxton to a minimum of 19 years behind bars for second-degree murder in the death of Kanivia Howard-Browley, 25. Buxton will first serve a two-year term for felony use of a firearm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Kent County jury in May convicted him in Howard-Browleys death, but Buxton was acquitted on charges that he threatened a second woman who confronted him about the shooting. Man guilty of shooting, killing woman outside Wyoming home The shooting played out in the early afternoon of Sept. 8 in front of Buxtons home on Bluebird Avenue SW near 36th Street, Wyoming police said. Witnesses told police Buxton and Howard-Browley were arguing and that they heard three gunshots and saw Kanivia on the ground and Anthony holding a black and silver firearm, according to a probable cause affidavit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video from a home three doors away shows Buxton, 48, chasing the woman into the street and firing at her three times, records show, going on to say that one of the rounds fatally struck Kanivia and she passed away at the hospital a short time later. Buxton returned to the garage and placed the gun in a dark-colored bucket, police said. The firearm along with matching unspent rounds was located in the defendants garage, records show. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Ukrainian drones have attacked the Tambov Gunpowder Plant in the city of Kotovsk in Russias Tambov Oblast on the night of 10-11 June, with locals reporting multiple explosions. Source: Russian Telegram channels Details: Residents of Kotovsk reported hearing at least 15 explosions in the sky as air-raid sirens blared throughout the city. https://t.co/0NQocMJYOw pic.twitter.com/CvbUa4SeEi (@ukrpravda_news) June 11, 2025 On the morning of 11 June, Yevgeny Pervyshov, acting Governor of Tambov Oblast, confirmed that Kotovsk had been targeted by UAVs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pervyshov claimed that "a fire had broken out after one of the downed drones crashed", but it was extinguished by firefighters. No casualties were reported. Russias Defence Ministry asserted that its air defence units had intercepted 32 Ukrainian drones overnight, including five over Tambov Oblast. For reference: The Tambov Gunpowder Plant is one of the largest Russian facilities specialising in the production of ammunition and gunpowder for small arms, artillery, grenade launchers, mortars and tank shells. It also produces components for explosives, including nitrocellulose and colloxylin. The plant has been under sanctions since March 2023. Background: The facility has been targeted by Ukrainian drones before in January 2025, July 2024 and November 2023. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo on Monday vetoed a bill that would have outlawed carrying a gun at election sites. Assembly Bill 105 (AB105) was a second attempt to keep guns away from polling places, and it met the same fate as a bill (AB354) that Lombardo vetoed two years ago. Seven vetoes on Monday put Lombardos total at 56, still 19 shy of the record he set in 2023 by rejecting 75 bills passed by the Nevada Legislature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lombardo reasoned that there are already federal laws against intimidating, threatening or coercing others in ways that interfere with their right to vote. He also cited a state law making it a felony to interfere with the conduct an election. The provisions in AB 105 are therefore redundant and do not offer meaningful new protections. Instead, they simply create additional gun-free zones, without clear justification, Lombardos veto message said. 16 new vetoes boost Lombardo total to 49; HOA limits, price fixing bill rejected Anti-gun groups criticized the veto and supported Democratic Assembly Majority Floor Leader Sandra Jaureguis efforts against guns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Free, fair, and safe elections are a cornerstone of our democracy. In vetoing a bill that bans guns from polling places, Gov. Lombardo puts Nevada communities and Nevadas elections in danger, according to Kris Brown, president of Brady United. The presence of a firearm alone at voting booths can intimidate voters, especially in a country where so many people have experienced the devastating consequences of gun violence. Everyone deserves to safely cast their vote, and this veto will make it harder for Nevadans to exercise that right, Brown said. Emily Persaud-Zamora, executive director of Silver State Voices, said, In our years of experience with conducting an election protection program, voters have repeatedly expressed that feeling safe at the polls is a crucial factor when casting their ballot. While this is unfortunate, this will not deter us from fighting for gun violence prevention and voting rights for Nevada voters. Lombardo also rejected Senate Bill 156 (SB156), which would have set up a Special Counsel for the Prevention of Gun Violence under the Nevada Attorney Generals Office. He argued it politicizes the issue of gun violence because the attorney general is an elected position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another bill involving elections, SB100, was rejected as an overreach that imposed unnecessary state-level control over local decisions. Democratic State Sen. Skip Daly sponsored the bill, which addressed a new wrinkle in the smooth operation of Nevada elections. Washoe County commissioners had refused to certify election results last year, prompting Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar and Attorney General Aaron Ford to file a petition with the Nevada Supreme Court to compel the commission to certify the vote. Dalys bill would have given that authority to the secretary of state. Two commissioners who were holding out eventually voted for certification. A third continued to refuse, but a 4-1 vote ended the matter on July 17. Lombardos veto message emphasized the portion of SB100 that dealt with the selection of ballot-counting systems. He said local authorities should choose the vendors they use. Other bills vetoed on Monday: AB434, AB589, SB71 and SB428. 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 KLAS. By Harshita Mary Varghese (Reuters) -Paramount Global's finance head Naveen Chopra will leave to take on a similar role at video gaming firm Roblox, the companies said on Monday. The move comes as Paramount is seeking to close its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, which is pending approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Chopra joined Paramount as CFO in 2020, when the company was still called ViacomCBS, and drove its transition from legacy media to streaming. Before this, he was finance head for Amazon's Devices and Services business. Andrew Warren, currently Paramount's strategic advisor to the office of the CEO, will take over as interim CFO, the company said. Chopra succeeds Michael Guthrie at Roblox, which is experiencing increased engagement on its platform from a vast Gen Z user base. The video gaming company is also breaking into new revenue streams such as advertising that are expected to contribute positively to its financial performance. Joining Roblox gives Chopra "a tremendous opportunity to shape its growth trajectory", Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said, adding that Chopra was a "seasoned professional and a capable replacement" for Guthrie. Guthrie announced last year that he would be stepping down as CFO to pursue personal interests. He will stay on as CFO at Roblox until the end of June to ensure a smooth transition and later serve as a consultant. Despite the looming economic uncertainty brought on by tariffs, Roblox lifted its annual bookings forecast in May, after its average daily active users - a key engagement metric - rose 26% to an all-time high of 97.8 million in the quarter ended March 31. The company is also trying to woo older customers with new game genres, including horror, to boost in-game spending on virtual items. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai) (WJW) A New York man faces charges after a fiery boat crash in the Bronx left nearly two dozen people injured over the weekend. According to the New York City Fire Department, rescuers responded to a boat fire in the Long Island Sound around 8 p.m. Saturday evening after reports that multiple people were in the water. When they arrived, as seen in photos from the scene, firefighters found flames shooting up and black smoke billowing from the vessel. Courtesy of New York City Fire Department Investigators determining next steps after 2 cars found in Lake Glacier Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the departments marine units pulled a few people out of the water. Fire officials said 19 others swam to Hart Island, where they were picked up by the New York Police Department Coast Guard and fire department boats. The New York City Police Department told FOX 8 News that 23 people were taken to nearby hospitals. One patient suffered serious injuries and 22 others suffered minor injuries. As reported by People, a criminal complaint alleged that the boat captain, identified as 33-year-old Joshua Brito, had watery eyes and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath. Military memorial vandalized in Ashland: police Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the complaint, Brito admitted to picking up the passengers from World Fair and that he allegedly had problems with the yacht a couple days earlier, People reported. I had one beer, Brito allegedly told New York police. Brito was arrested on several charges, including reckless endangerment and driving while intoxicated, a police spokesperson confirmed. The boat fire remains under investigation by the NYPD and the U.S. Coast Guard. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. New Hampshire officially joined over a dozen states in the nation to enact universal school choice on Tuesday. Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed into law an expansion of New Hampshires school voucher program, removing the income eligibility restrictions that had defined the program during its first four years. "Giving parents the freedom to choose the education setting that best fits their childs needs will help every student in our state reach their full potential," Ayotte said. "Im proud to sign this into law today along with the Parental Bill of Rights, which ensures parents are the central voice in their childrens education. I thank the House and Senate for working to get these across the finish line." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Of Largest Teachers Union In Us Defends Illegal Immigrants During Anti-ice Protest In La New Hampshire enacted universal school choice under Gov. Kelly Ayotte. The Granite States school voucher program allows any family to receive at least $4,265 per child next school year to spend on educational expenses, including private school tuition or tutoring. The program provides families of children with additional needs of up to a maximum of $9,676 per year in taxpayer funds. Prior to the bill being signed by Ayotte, less than half of students in the northeastern state were eligible for the school voucher program. Read On The Fox News App Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the American Culture Project, told Fox News Digital that "the teachers unions really stepped in it by fighting to keep schools closed during the COVID era." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump Admin To Probe Illinois School Over Allegations Girls Were Forced To Change In Front Of Trans Student Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte on Tuesday signed into law an expansion of New Hampshires school voucher program, removing the income eligibility restrictions that had defined the program during its first four years. (Photo: Douglas Graham via Getty Images) "New Hampshire is the 17th state to pass universal school choice in the past four years. The wind is at our backs and the momentum for education freedom is unstoppable. We have a state that went for Kamala Harris in November now going all-in on school choice. Putting parents in the driver's seat should be a nonpartisan issue kids don't belong to the government but the Democrat Party is a wholly owned subsidiary of the teachers unions," DeAngelis said. New Hampshire is the latest state to pass universal school choice, joining a trend of states with Republican trifectas expanding education options for children. New Hampshire is the first state that passed the legislation that went for Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024. Arizona became the first state to offer universal school choice for all families in 2022, launching an $800 million program that gives parents $7,000 to put toward their children's tuition. Original article source: New Hampshire enacts universal school choice, joining other states across the US Deadly driving crashes continue to rise across New Hampshire with 2025 already outpacing last year, when 135 roadway deaths marked a 6% increase overall and young driver deaths spiked at an alarming rate, transportation officials said. As of Monday morning, 45 people had died in crashes across the state since Jan. 1, according to Mark Munroe, highway safety program manager for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Yearly traffic deaths have been trending up since 104 people died in crashes in 2020. In 2024, death among drivers age 16 to 21 more than doubled, with 10 fatalities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most recently, a teen was killed in a motor vehicle incident in Bedford Sunday night. Details of that incident have not been released. So far this year, four drivers under 21 have died, compared with three over the same time period last year. Theres been an even bigger spike in deaths among drivers over 70 11 deaths, nearly double for that age range, Munroe said. To address the number of roadway deaths, last year the state relaunched a program called Driving Toward Zero, which aims to reduce traffic fatalities by 50% by 2030. This past February, 75 first responders, safety, transportation, health and municipal officials held a Traffic Fatality Summit aimed at curbing the trend. Munroe could not be reached for further comment Tuesday afternoon, but said in late February he had never seen anything like the deadly trends across the state in his 40 years working in public safety. Both Munroe and State Police Lt. Chris Storm have repeatedly voiced concern and frustration with the deadly trends they're seeing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New laws considered This year, legislators have considered three bills addressing recent dangerous driving trends. None have passed so far. HB 466 would have made it so anyone who refuses to take a blood-alcohol test loses their license for a year. Representatives killed that bill and a similar state Senate bill. HB 482 would have raised the fine for driving over 100 mph to $750 on the first offense with a 90-day license suspension. The state Senate tabled the bill last month. However, the House and Senate are working on similar legislation. HB 776 would add wrong-way driving to the list of factors that elevate driving while intoxicated or impaired to aggravated DWI, which has stiffer penalties. State Police said there were 271 wrong-way drivers reported in 2024. The bill passed both the House and Senate and is awaiting a conference committee after it was amended by the Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More statistics Of the 45 people killed this year, 26 were drivers, eight were not wearing a seatbelt, six were pedestrians and eight were on motorcycles. The number of pedestrians killed is double what it was at this time last year. dpierce@unionleader.com BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) An elderly man was found dead Sunday night north of Lamont and the Kern County Coroners Office has released his identity. Fernando Espino Nava, a 69-year-old from Hanford, was found dead in the 8000 block of Blackburn Street, just west of Weedpatch Highway, according to the coroner. Officials are investigating this death as a homicide, and said Nava had been shot by another person. He was found at 7:04 p.m., and was pronounced dead at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you have any information regarding this case, reach out to the Kern County Sheriffs Office, at 661-487-4553. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Sentinel scientists collaborating to sequence mpox samples Credit - Kat KendonKendon Photography A dangerous mpox outbreak is unfolding in Sierra Leone. In just the first week of May, cases rose by 61%, and suspected cases surged by 71%. Roughly half of all confirmed mpox cases in Africa now come from this small West African nation. The virus is moving widely, across geographies, genders, and age groups. And the virus is changing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Genomic analysis has revealed a fast-moving new variant of mpoxcalled G.1that likely emerged in late November. At first it circulated silently but has since taken hold and quickly began sustained human-to-human transmission. Cases have been doubling every two weeks. Estimates suggest more than 11,000 people in Sierra Leone may already be infected. This is how outbreaks become epidemics, and mpox, as a pandemic, could be brutal. Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) belongs to the same viral family as smallpox. It causes a disease that can be painful, disfiguring, and debilitating, particularly in children. In Sierra Leone, nearly all patients present with severe rashes, and about a quarter have required hospitalization; in some, the disease has progressed to necrotizing lesions. Its no longer rare, no longer contained to the LGBTQ community, and it has already reached more than 100 countries. Read More: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: Global-health architect Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sierra Leone has been here before, at the epicenter of a disease outbreak while the world looked away. In 2014, Ebola swept through the West African region. A single mutation supercharged its spread just as it reached Sierra Leone. Tens of thousands died. Health systems collapsed. The global cost soared into the billions. The lesson? Delay is deadly. As infectious disease researchers, weve lived that lesson. For two decades, weve worked alongside colleagues across Africa and around the world to build faster, smarter ways to detect and respond to outbreaks. We were on the ground during Ebola, Zika, the COVID-19 pandemic, and recently Marburgplus, many outbreaks that never made the news because they were stopped in time. Together, weve built technologies that track viruses in real time and trained thousands of frontline workers to use them. What once took months, we can now do in days. And now, in Sierra Leone, we are putting that progress to the test. This time, Sierra Leone isnt waiting for others to step in to do testing and sequencingits leading. Within days of the outbreaks escalation, local public-health teams and scientists under the leadership of Sierra Leones National Public Health Agencyworking with international partners including ourselvesexpanded testing, began sequencing the virus, analyzed its evolution, and shared data in real-time. They also launched robust social mobilization and contact tracing that are helping to slow the spread. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To stay ahead of the virus, teams in Sierra Leone are using powerful new tools. One is Lookout, our real-time national platform that fuses genomic, diagnostic, clinical, and epidemiological data into a single cloud-based system. As more data come in, Lookout gives health officials a live, evolving map of the outbreak, showing where its spreading, how its changing, and where to act next. A custom Lookout view to support Sierra Leone's outbreak response was deployed within six hours of receiving data. Fathom Information Design Lookout is just one example of the infrastructure that teams in the U.S. and Africa have co-created through decades of collaboration. It belongs to a broader system called Sentinel, an outbreak detection and response network we co-lead, launched with support from the Audacious Project, a collaborative funding initiative housed at TED. Sentinel is just one part of a larger movement: scientists, engineers, public health leaders, industry partners, and frontline workers working together to build faster, smarter systems to stop outbreaks before they explode. But even the best systems cant run without support. Earlier this year, the U.S. canceled all funding to Sierra Leone and halted a $120 million initiative by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aimed at strengthening epidemic preparedness in the country. The Africa CDC, U.S. CDC, World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations continue to offer vital support, but with far fewer resources than before. Philanthropic and industry partners, including the ELMA Relief Foundation, Danaher, and Illumina, have admirably stepped in, but they cannot fill the gap alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, local teams are doing so much rightwith nearly everything stacked against them. The warning signs are flashing. But their resources are running out. Read More: This is About Childrens Lives: Gavis CEO Makes the Case for Funding the Global Vaccine Alliance Its tempting to believe this isnt our problem. But thanks to collaborative sequencing efforts, we know the G.1 variant spreading in Sierra Leone has already been detected in at least five patients across multiple U.S. statesMassachusetts, Illinois, and Californiaand in Europe. It may seem distantlike COVID-19 did at firstbut its not. Yes, vaccines exist, and they are expected to be effective against this new variant. But supply is limited, distribution is deeply inequitable, and the vaccines themselves present challengesfrom limited clinical data and uncertain duration of protection to storage requirementsthat make large-scale campaigns far from straightforward. West Africa has received only a fraction of the doses it needs. Without both vaccine access and real-time tracking, were flying blind. Surveillance isnt a luxury. Its our first and best line of defense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sierra Leone is showing the world what preparedness looks like. But it shouldnt have to stand alone. We can waitagainuntil the virus spreads further. Or we can act now, support the leaders in Sierra Leone already responding, and get them the resources they needlike diagnostics, clinical support, vaccines, sequencing reagents, and frontline outbreak responseto save lives and cut this outbreak short. Weve seen how the story of viral outbreaks can unfold. This time, with the present mpox epidemic in Sierra Leone, we still have a chance to change the ending. Disclosure: TIMEs owners and co-chairs Marc and Lynne Benioff are philanthropic supporters of Sentinel. Contact us at letters@time.com. COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) Harris County has started its Seamless Summer Feeding Program for Harris County residents during the summer months. The program is offered to any Harris County resident 18 years of age and younger. The residents of Harris County are provided with a free, well-balanced meal while school is out for summer break. Shelia Baker, the Assistant Superintendent of Support Services in the Harris County School District, shared how she wants this program to aid the children in the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Summer meals are important to fight those food insecurities that some of our children who are most at need would need to have those meals that they would normally get during a school day, Baker said. The program has two feeding sites available for residents. One is located at Harris County High School and the other at Parks Elementary School. The program offers breakfast and lunch, which are available for pickup or can be enjoyed on site. The intent of the program is to support the community and combat food insecurity, offering meals to those in need of them. Baker says residents who would normally consume their meals at school are now being provided with nutritious meals during the summer months. Also, summer meals are important because it keeps children healthy. Children are most active oftentimes during the summer, so it keeps them healthy in that regard, Baker said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The nutrition program will be open from now until June 26th. For the Harris County High School site, breakfast meals are served from 7:30 a.m. 8:15 a.m. Lunch meals are served 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. For the Parks Elementary School location, meals will only be available for pickup from 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. on Mondays. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) Right now there is no legislation in Pennsylvania that requires menus to have food allergy disclaimers. A bill to change that already passed the House. Restaurants abc27 spoke with agree the changes it would make are needed. House Bill 77 would also require restaurants to display a poster for their employees and have food allergy safety training. Millworks menu items that contain nuts or gluten are labeled. Front of House Manager Freddy Arundel says more and more customers are coming in with food allergies, which already prompted the restaurant to take precautions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The staff is trained to alert the kitchen about the allergies, Arundel says. Its also flagged in our system on every ticket, so everyone who sees whats going on anywhere in the process and its prepared separately and taken to the guest separately as well. Sauce Boss owner Sheri Tolomeo says gluten would be the main concern at her restaurant and she wouldnt mind updating her menus to disclose that. We could educate the people on it and then people can feel more comfortable when they come in ordering things because they know exactly what theyre getting, Tolomeo says. We can mix and match and make something that accommodates someone with an allergy. Close Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Severe Weather Alerts More than 33 million Americans have food allergies. That includes over one million in Pennsylvania. Bill sponsors say restaurants and other food retail facilities are the source of nearly half of all food allergy deaths. In a press conference on Tuesday, Kathy Briden spoke about her son Matthew who had a peanut allergy and died at age 28 after an accidental exposure. With a practical law in place, individuals and families living with food allergy may be more willing to extend trust when dining out, allowing Pennsylvania restaurants reap the economic benefits, says Sung Poblete, chief executive officer of FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, it is on the patron to inform the staff, but when the staff doesnt know whats in the food and just how deadly some of these reactions can be, we think thats the whole premise of House Bill 77, says Rep. Natalie Mihalek (R-Allegheny and Washington Counties). House Bill 77 passed with bipartisan support in the House. Sen. Judith Schwank said in the Tuesday press conference that shes working on getting the Agriculture and Rural Affairs committee she co-chairs to get it on their agenda. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Harvey Weinstein was convicted Wednesday in a New York City retrial on one charge of committing a criminal sexual act. The former Hollywood studio head, who has also been convicted of rape in a California court, was acquitted on a second charge. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on a third charge and have been told to continue their deliberations. Wednesdays partial verdict is a major milestone in the ongoing push for legal accountability for Weinstein. In the fall of 2017, news of long-standing and rampant sexual misconduct perpetrated by the one-time influential studio head broke in a series of stories reported by both The New Yorker and The New York Times, spurring a new wave of attention to the #MeToo movement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The one guilty conviction Wednesday came in relation to accusations made by Miriam Haley, a former production assistant on the reality television show, Project Runway, who alleged that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in his home in downtown New York City in 2006. She also accused Weinstein of raping her in a hotel room in New York City weeks later. Haleys testimony during the retrial garnered media attention as a result of an exchange she had with Weinsteins attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, during cross-examination. Bonjean repeatedly asked Haley about what she was wearing when she was assaulted by Weinstein and whether she had been the one to remove her clothing when with him. Haley cried on the stand, at one point shouting, Dont tell me I wasnt raped by that fing ahole! In testimony days later, she repeatedly insisted that Weinstein was the one who had been the perpetrator of all sexual activity, detailing that he was the one who had removed her clothing, had removed her tampon and had placed his mouth on her genitals. It was the second time Haley had to recount these details in a courtroom. Weinstein first faced criminal trial in New York City in 2020 and was found guilty on two charges and sentenced to 23 years in prison. He was serving that sentence when those convictions were overturned in April 2024 after a judge ruled that the choice of prosecutors to allow for testimony by women who claimed they had been assaulted by Weinstein but who were not part of the suit against him was in fact inadmissible and prejudicial. At the retrial, which began April 23, Weinstein pleaded not guilty to all charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weinstein is currently serving a 16-year sentence related to his 2022 conviction for rape after a trial in Los Angeles. The #MeToo movement has faced increasing and coordinated backlash, which has picked up following President Donald Trumps return to office. Haley, for example, was one of the subjects of a recent podcast series by far-right wing influencer Candace Owens, during which Owens alleged that Weinstein was innocent and had been framed. The post Harvey Weinstein convicted in retrial as push for #MeToo accountability continues appeared first on The 19th. News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday. Subscribe to our free, daily newsletter. Harvey Weinstein appears in court for his retrial at Manhattan Criminal Court on June 3, 2025 in New York City. - Credit: Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty Images A New York jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty of one of three charges he was facing during his retrial on Wednesday. It found him guilty of one count of a criminal sexual act but not guilty on another count of a criminal sexual act. On Thursday, the jury failed to reach a verdict on a third charge of rape, resulting in a mistrial on that charge, the Hollywood Reporter wrote. Following a trial that began on April 23, closing arguments concluded June 3. The case was then turned over to the jury, who handed over the verdicts, concluding five days of deliberations. A sentencing date was not available at time of publication. He will serve the California sentence first, as it is now his primary sentence, said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, according to the Times. More from Rolling Stone Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the days leading up to the decision, bickering among jury members appeared to delay the verdict. I feel like they are attacking, talking together, fight together. I dont like it, the foreperson said, according to a transcript with Judge Curtis Farber. I feel it is not fair taking the decision about the past. The prosecutor on the case, Matthew Colangelo, argued that the concerns werent enough for a mistrial since some aspects of the moguls past were allowed into evidence. In the first 2020 case, Weinstein was convicted on two out of five charges, one for a felony sex crime, the other for third-degree rape. Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison, but last spring an appeals court overturned the conviction. The ruling stated that prosecutors should not have been allowed to let some of Weinsteins other accusers, whose allegations were not related to the charges he faced, testify. In Weinsteins retrial, prosecutors again focused on the testimony of two of the three women from the initial trial Jessica Mann and Miriam Haley as well as added a new sex-crime charge involving a third women, who was identified for the first time as Kaja Sokola. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sokola, a former model from Poland, accused Weinstein of assaulting her at a Manhattan hotel room in 2006. She claimed that Weinstein told her he wanted to show her some movie scripts, but when they were alone, he allegedly pinned her onto a bed and forcibly performed oral sex on her. Attorneys for the women did not immediately return Rolling Stones requests for comment. Weinsteins lawyer also did not immediately send a comment. In addition to the New York retrial, Weinstein was previously also convicted of rape and sexual assault, and sentenced to 16 years in prison, in a separate California case. Hes filed an appeal in that case, as well. Weinstein previously claimed he was battling bone marrow cancer along with a host of other health issues that has kept him in and out of prison hospitals. Im in a serious emergency situation, Im begging for you to move your date, Weinstein told the judge at a hearing prior to his retrial. I need to get out of this hellhole as quickly as possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mogul expressed remorse for his family in an interview with New York Citys Fox station last week but not for the women he allegedly assaulted. 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. I am so deeply grateful to the jury. The defense set a disruptive and chaotic tone from the start of this trialwhich I suppose was meant to distract the jury from undeniable facts, and Im so thankful they saw through the antics and nonsense, Miriam Haley, on whose charges Weinstein was found guilty, said in a statement to Rolling Stone. Testifying in the face of constant disruptions, victim-shaming, and deliberate attempts to distort the truth was exhausting and, at times, dehumanizing. But todays verdict gives me hope. Hope that there is a new awareness around sexual violence, and that the myth of the perfect victim is fading. Kaja Sokola said in a statement, I am relieved that Harvey Weinstein will be held accountable for some of his crimes and I thank the District Attorneys office for their dedication to this case. Harvey Weinstein will remain behind bars and that is a winI owed it to myself, and to the other women who survived him, to make sure that the world knows what kind of man Harvey Weinstein is. Speaking out was an act of power and it allowed me to reclaim the pride and confidence he tried to take from me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jessica Mann, who accusations against Weinstein resulted in a deadlocked mistrial on rape charges at the second trial Weinstein was acquitted of Mann-related charges during the first trial, as the two were in a relationship at the time of the alleged rape said in a statement to Rolling Stone following second trial, I would never lie about rape or use something so traumatic to hurt someone. Rape can happen in relationships and in dynamics where power and manipulation control the narrative. Some victims survive by appeasing, and many carry deep empathy, even for their abusers. Thats part of the trap. Even in my dynamic with Harvey the lack of a seductress is under-discussed and the evidence that usually follows a person with those intentions. The smear campaign built around me is hollow. The evidence doesnt exist because the propaganda isnt real. Its the nuances I fight to have heard while Im objected at when answering in the courtroom, Mann continued. Coming forward cost me everything. My privacy, my safety. I laid bare my trauma, my shame everything Id tried to bury just to keep living. Still, I stood up and told the truth. Again and again. Harvey hides behind PR firms, lawyers, spy agencies contracted to intimidate. Ive had only my voice. This story was updated June 12 at 12 p.m. to reflect the mistrial on the third charge. Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Harvey Weinstein was convicted Wednesday on one charge of first-degree sexual assault in his New York retrial, and acquitted on a second. The jury was ordered to continue deliberating on a third count, a lesser charge of third-degree rape even as the reported chaos in the jury room continued. The panel found Weinstein guilty of forcibly subjecting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley to a sex act in 2006, and acquitted him of a second charge of sexually assaulting former model Kaja Sokola, also in 2006. It could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third-degree rape involving Jessica Mann in 2013, and was sent back for more debate. After the partial verdict was read, Weinstein took the unusual step of asking to address the court, which the judge allowed: My life is on the line, and you know what? Its not fair, he said. Its time, its time, its time, its time to say this trial is over. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The third-degree rape charge carries a lesser penalty than the first-degree criminal sex act offenses under New York state law. The convicted charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years, though Weinsteins sentence will ultimately be dependent on the outcome of the charge involving Mann. The panel of seven women and five men the first female-skewed jury that Weinstein faced across three trials began deliberating late last week. By Monday, after three days of deliberations, jurors signaled that they were struggling with issues both legal and interpersonal, reporting infighting and the consideration of improper evidence. The foreperson had told the judge that some jurors were ganging up on others and pushing them to change their minds based on information that was not presented in court the very issue that triggered the retrial after an appeals court ruled in Weinsteins favor last year. The trouble in the jury room continued through Wednesday, as the foreperson again told Judge Curtis Farber that he was concerned about ongoing heated arguments, indicating he did not wish to change his position and was still being bullied. After another closed-door discussion, Farber told the court that [the foreperson] did indicate that at least one other juror made comments to the effect of Ill meet you outside one day, and theres yelling and screaming, according to the Associated Press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the turmoil, Farber re-instructed the jury, Manns testimony was re-read and the panel was sent back for more deliberations, which the judge said would resume Thursday. Weinstein is still on the hook for a 16-year sentence in California, where he was convicted in December 2022. That verdict is under an appeal of the same nature that got his 2022 New York conviction thrown out, due to improper testimony from women who said they were assaulted, but whose accusations were not formally charged. Though Weinstein told his lawyers he wanted to testify in his own defense this time around which would have been highly unusual they ultimately decided it was too risky. He did, however, take the unusual step of granting a jailhouse interview, to Candace Owens, telling the conservative commentator that sexual encounters with the women was consensual and purely transactional. Three women took the stand to accuse Weinstein in the Manhattan retrial. Sokola, the only new witnesses who did not testify in the 2020 New York trial, told the jury on May 8 that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in a Manhattan hotel in 2006. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mann testified May 20 that she started a consensual sexual relationship with Weinstein, but after she tried to end it by telling him she was seeing someone else, he grabbed, dragged, forcefully undressed and raped her in 2013. Another accuser, Haley, testified April 30 that Weinstein forced oral sex on her in 2006, also in a hotel room. Throughout all three trials, Weinstein has denied any wrongdoing, saying the sex with aspiring actresses amounted to cheating on his wife, but that he never assaulted anyone. Weinstein was a legendary moviemaker in the 90s, when he was known as the charismatic but hard-charging producer of Oscar-winning films like Shakespeare in Love and The Kings Speech making him without a doubt the single most-thanked man from the Oscar dais. Harvey minted not just classic movies, but bona fide Oscar-winning movie stars, seemingly out of thin air. But even in those early days, a sinister mythology swirled around the man who operated like a mob boss that he was a vicious bully and a serial screamer, that he would woo filmmakers only to let their films gather dust, that young actresses were always in his orbit at film festivals, angling for roles and attention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The truth, it turned out, was far darker than the darkest of those rumors. When the New York Times and New Yorker published back-to-back accounts in October 2017 of women who said Weinstein sexually harassed, assaulted or raped them followed by countless other women who came forward with chillingly similar allegations the dam broke on what soon became known as #MeToo, a social movement whose cultural impact was felt far beyond the 30-mile zone. In the immediate aftermath, Weinstein was dismissed from The Weinstein Company (the second distribution company he founded with brother Bob, after Miramax), expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, exited the Directors Guild and was divorced by his second wife, Georgina Chapman. Police in New York, Los Angeles and London opened investigations, in some cases revisiting witnesses who had come forth before with complaints (only to have them neglected or dropped). With a preponderance of evidence now all over the local papers, New York filed the first criminal charges in May 2018, and a jury found him guilty on two of five felony counts in 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then in 2021, prosecutors filed charges in California, where a Los Angeles jury convicted Weinstein on three of seven felony counts the following year. Dozens of witnesses were called between the two trials, and each ground through weeks of emotionally punishing testimony from victims, including Jennifer Siebel Newsom, now the wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom. One by one they took the stand and, in almost every case, broke down emotionally as they walked jurors through the grim details of unwanted sexual encounters with the imposing, bulldozing and, by many accounts, genitally mutilated movie mogul. Their stories followed a similar script: Harvey set a professional meeting, usually set in one of his favorite luxe hotel suites, where he greeted the woman in a bathrobe and demanded a massage. In some cases, the women said Weinstein tracked them down and barged into their living quarters with no notice before going on the attack. The post Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty on One Count of Sexual Assault in New York Retrial, Acquitted on 2nd appeared first on TheWrap. (Refiles with new headline) By Marco Aquino PISCO, Peru (Reuters) -In Peru's Pisco Desert, rows of blueberry bushes towering as much as two meters high stretch towards the horizon, finally giving way to sand dunes. Traditional blueberries need chilly nights to bring fruit, but genetic innovations have created varieties like Eureka Sunset that can grow in this kind of arid landscape some 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Lima. For more than a decade the healthy berries have rolled north to U.S. supermarket shelves, but there is a rival buyer in town: China. Growers in Peru are looking for new markets as production rises and their best customer, the United States, is waging a trade tariff war on partners around the world. China has insatiable demand and has built a huge new port near Lima that cuts shipping time across the Pacific in half. "There will be a rebalancing of export share to different markets," said Miguel Bentin, general manager of major producer the Valle y Pampa farm, which began production in 2012 when the blueberry harvest was a tenth of the size it is today. The desert has long been a source of grapes made for Pisco brandy, the base for Pisco Sour cocktails, but blueberry growers have transformed the landscape by drilling wells up to 100 meters (328 feet) deep to find water for the crops and bringing in workers to care for them. Now, Bentin says, they are looking for new buyers. "The full potential of the Chinese market for our products has not yet been fully realized," Bentin told Reuters at the farm. Valle y Pampa typically ships 60% of its blueberries to the United States and the rest to Europe. This year, though, it is planning its first big China shipment to mitigate the impact of a 10% U.S. tariff on all goods from Peru. Peru overtook Chile in 2021 as the world's largest exporter of blueberries and the sector has been adding new markets, according to half a dozen ministers, farming and export officials, and government presentations seen by Reuters. "The search for new markets in Asia, Europe and Oceania (Australia) for agricultural exports has intensified," Peru's Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Ursula Leon said in mid-May, explaining that U.S. tariffs could slow the deep purple fruit's booming rise that boosted Peru's exports by some $2.3 billion last year. Production during the 2025-2026 harvest is expected to grow by 25% to 400,000 tons. "If the U.S. tariff measure is maintained, there would be a drop in shipments, especially in the agricultural, textile and mining sectors," added Leon following a meeting with the Trump administration. She named India, Indonesia and China as markets with growth potential. Peru is negotiating to end U.S. tariffs, which it says breach a free trade agreement. Harvey Weinstein was convicted on one count of committing a criminal sexual act but acquitted on another during his sex crimes retrial in New York City on Wednesday. The majority-female jury found the former Hollywood producer guilty of sexually assaulting Miriam Haley, but acquitted him of a second charge of sexually assaulting Kaja Sokola. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count involving Jessica Mann and was told to resume deliberations Thursday morning. More from Variety Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The partial verdict comes after a weeks-long trial that began in April, during which three women testified about the alleged sexual assaults committed by the former Hollywood mogul. Weinstein faced two counts of committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree and one count of third-degree rape. Prior to the mixed verdict, Weinstein himself addressed the court, urging the judge to declare a mistrial as several jurors reported ongoing tensions in the deliberation room. This is my life thats on the line, Weinstein told Judge Curtis Farber, adding, I am not getting a fair trial. Weinstein then told the judge, You are endangering me, Your Honor. Earlier on Wednesday, the jury foreperson in Weinsteins retrial informed the judge that tensions remained high during deliberations and requested a private meeting with the judge and attorneys to discuss the situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In court, Farber conveyed the forepersons account, stating that there was infighting among the jurors and that the foreperson was not going to change his position whatever that position is. He did indicate that at least one other juror made comments to the effect of Ill meet you outside one day, and theres yelling and screaming, the judge said. A crime was committed against this juror, Weinsteins lawyer Arthur Aidala argued, describing the situation in the deliberation room as menacing and harassment. Aidala added: Their verdict is all about coercion and threats. Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, however, argued that the foreperson didnt seem frightened or apprehensive just stubborn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said hed made up his mind, he didnt want to change it, and people were pressuring him to change it, Colangelo said. Thats what jury deliberations involve. In his 2020 trial, Weinstein was found guilty of sexually abusing Haley and Mann. He was serving a 23-year sentence in New York until those convictions were overturned in April 2024. Weinstein pleaded not guilty to all charges in his retrial; both Haley and Mann testified against him again. In their testimonies, Haley alleged that Weinstein forcibly sexually assaulted her at his apartment in 2006, while Mann accused him of raping her at a hotel in 2013. Sokola, who did not testify in Weinsteins 2020 trial, was first identified by the prosecution during opening arguments in late April. (She was previously referred to as Complaining Witness No. 3.) In her testimony, Sokola described two alleged sexual assaults by Weinstein: one in 2002, when she was 16, and another in a Manhattan hotel in 2006 the latter being the incident for which Weinstein was charged in the retrial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a written statement following the mixed verdict, Sokola said she was relieved that Weinstein will be held accountable for some of his crimes. Harvey Weinstein will remain behind bars and that is a win, she said. Coming forward was the hardest thing Ive ever done. I shared my story publicly, I testified under oath, and I relived my trauma, all at a personal cost so that the world would know the truth. Outside the courthouse, Haley told reporters, I just want to say that Im so grateful to the jury. The defense set a very disruptive and chaotic tone from the very beginning of this trial, which I suppose is meant to distract the jury from undeniable fact. And Im so grateful that they saw through the nonsense and the antics. Haley continued, Testifying in the face of constant disruptions, victim-shaming and deliberate attempts to distort the truth was exhausting and, at times, dehumanizing. But todays verdict gives me hope. Hope that there is new awareness around sexual violence, and that the myth of the perfect victim is fading. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weinstein is still serving a separate 16-year prison sentence following his 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles. Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The jury in Harvey Weinsteins criminal trial found him guilty of one count of criminal sexual assault against former Project Runway assistant Miriam Haley, but not guilty of the other count of criminal sexual assault against former model Kaja Sokola. The jury has yet to reach a verdict on rape in the third degree related to aspiring actress Jessica Mann. More from The Hollywood Reporter Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge Curtis Farber on Wednesday had asked the jury whether they had reached a verdict on any counts, before dismissing them for the day, amid larger concerns about fighting and tensions in the jury room. Weinstein faced one charge of rape in the third degree and two charges of criminal sexual act in the first degree, which is the higher felony charge and carries a maximum prison sentence of 25 years. Deliberations are expected to resume Thursday on the rape charge. Haley alleged he forced oral sex on her at his Manhattan apartment in 2006. Aspiring actress Jessica Mann claimed she was raped by Weinstein in 2013 in a Manhattan hotel, and Sokola testified Weinstein forcibly had oral sex with her in a hotel in 2006. The jury had been on its fifth day of deliberations, before they came to a halt. The concerns about jury tensions reached such a fever pitch Wednesday that Weinstein himself asked to address the judge in court. Your honor, this is a profile in courage moment for you. This is the fourth time weve heard a complaint from the jury, Weinstein said. This is not right for me, the person who is on trial here, the former mogul continued. This is my life thats on the line, and you know what its not fair. Its simple. Its just not fair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In that regard, Weinstein referred to an earlier complaint from the juror in which he said the jury was discussing elements of his past that were not part of the case. I know how it feels because Ive been in situations like this in business, Weinstein then told the judge about the decision to continue the trial. Ive been in situations where Ive wanted to hold on for dear life, but that was the wrong choice, he added. Weinstein went on to note that he knows judges on a personal level. I know lawyers on a personal level. Its time. Its time. Its time to say this trial is over, Weinstein said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Farber denied his request and his attorney Arthur Aidalas earlier request for a mistrial, saying that jury room discussions can get heated. Jurors fight. They act childish at times. They get heated, Farber said. Im not going to allow any injustice to happen to you. This came after the foreperson sent a note Wednesday afternoon asking to speak to the judge, after saying out loud in the courtroom, I cant go back in there with the other jurors. He asked to speak privately with the attorneys and Farber. After returning to court, Farber summed it up saying, In a nutshell, there does appear to be some fighting in the jury room. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least one other juror made comments to the effect of Ill meet you outside one day, Farber said, adding that there had also been yelling and screaming. Call 911, protect him! Hes asking you to protect him, Aidala yelled in the courtroom about the juror. Theres a crime going on in there! That was the second time the foreperson has asked to speak to the judge during deliberations. On Monday morning, the foreperson had written the judge a note saying, I need to talk to you about a situation which isnt very good. At the time, the foreperson said jurors were considering elements from Weinsteins past that werent being used as evidence in the trial and werent part of the charged crimes. Another juror, who was juror No. 7 on this case and the youngest on the jury, had asked to address the court twice Friday, first saying he had heard jurors discussing another juror in the courtroom elevators, and then asking to be excused from the jury as he did not feel the process was fair, while staring at the defense table. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of this comes after Weinsteins 2020 rape and criminal sexual assault conviction was overturned in April 2024 after the court of appeals found the trial prejudiced Weinstein with improper rulings, including allowing women to testify about allegations that were not part of the case. In the 2020 trial, Weinstein received a mixed verdict with the jury finding Weinstein guilty of the crimes against Haley and Mann, but also acquitting Weinstein of first-degree rape and predatory sexual assault related to other women. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg pursued the retrial of Weinstein shortly after his conviction was overturned. Sokola was a new addition to Weinsteins case, and a key witness for the prosecution, as she described meeting with Weinstein for lunch at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in 2006 and being invited up to his hotel room to see a script, as she pursued becoming an actress. When she followed him up, she testified that Weinstein asked her to come up to a hotel room to see a script and then forcibly held her down on the bed, removed her stockings and underwear and performed oral sex on her as she repeatedly asked him to stop. But the defense team sought to undermine her testimony by pointing to the fact that Sokola had not told her sister, who was at the lunch, about the assault, and even unveiled a diary from Sokola that did not include the sexual assault. Im very happy about todays verdict. Im proud of the other two girls, the other two women who testified. It was a extremely difficult journey for all of us to relive our traumas and to go through it in open court. Its a big win for everyone. Harvey Weinstein will be in jail, Sokola told reporters outside the courthouse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Haley had testified to meeting Weinstein at the Cannes Film Festival and then later getting work from him on Project Runway. He later invited her to a movie premiere in Los Angeles, which she accepted, and then stopped by his apartment before leaving. It was there that she said Weinstein backed her into the bedroom, held her down and forced himself on her orally. Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Haley said the verdict delivered a message to other predators. Todays verdict gives me hope. Hope that there is new awareness around sexual violence and that the myth of the perfect victim is fading. And I hope that this result empowers others to speak out and seek justice. To those predators who still believe they can exploit, abuse and walk away unscathed: Your time is running out. The world is changing. And you will not outrun the consequences of your actions forever, Haley said. Both Haley and Sokola had also testified to other unwanted sexual encounters with Weinstein that were not charged in the case, but could be considered as background by the jury. Sokola testified that Weinstein had touched her vagina and put her hand on his penis to masturbate when she was 16. Before the foreperson brought up his concern, the jury had sent three notes Tuesday afternoon related to the testimony of Mann and another Wednesday afternoon asking for the legal definition of rape in the third degree. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Sign up for THR's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The jury in Harvey Weinsteins New York retrial reached a partial mixed verdict on Wednesday, June 11, finding the disgraced former movie mogul guilty of one count of criminal sexual assault against former Project Runway assistant Miriam Haley and not guilty of a separate count of criminal sexual assault against model Kaja Sokola, per reporting in the Associated Press. The jury has yet to reach a verdict on a third charge of third-degree rape against aspiring actress Jessica Mann, and is expected to resume deliberations on Thursday. The retrial of Weinsteins criminal case in New York was prompted by an April 2024 ruling from the New York Court of Appeals that deemed egregious errors were made in Weinsteins 2020 trial, in which he was found guilty of assaulting Haley and committing third-degree rape against Mann. Regardless of how the New York retrial plays out, Weinstein is still serving a 16-year prison sentence following his conviction on three counts of rape and sexual assault in his 2022 Los Angeles trial. More from IndieWire Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arguments about juror safety have become a key sticking point in the re-trial. As the jury deliberated on Monday, the foreperson approached Judge Curtis Farber to discuss a private matter, per the AP. The judge later explained that the juror did not want to return to the deliberation room. He said words to the effect of I cant go back in there with the other jurors, the judge said, adding that the juror was being pressured to change his position by other jurors. He did indicate that at least one other juror made comments to the effect of Ill meet you outside one day, and theres yelling and screaming. Weinsteins lawyers saw the situation as cause to ask for a mistrial, with defense attorney Arthur Aidala saying I dont think the court is protecting this juror. Period. But prosecutor Matthew Colangelo pushed back, saying that tense conversations are standard procedure during trials. He said hed made up his mind, he didnt want to change it, and people were pressuring him to change it. Thats what jury deliberations involve, Colangelo said. But the trial continued, and the jury began Wednesday by re-hearing Manns testimony about Weinsteins alleged rape in 2013. Best of IndieWire Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Harvey Weinstein has been convicted on one count of sexual assault by a Manhattan jury but was found not guilty of assaulting a second woman. The jury reached its verdict one year after the disgraced Hollywood titans conviction was overturned. They will continue to deliberate on the third-degree rape charge, a highly unusual move according to legal experts. Weinstein was found guilty of sexually assaulting Miriam Haley, and not guilty of sexually assaulting Kaja Sokola. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Guilty, said the jury foreman in relation to the allegation he sexually assaulted Haley. He then shook his head when asked for a verdict on whether Weinstein raped a woman named Jessica Mann, and said not guilty for the Sokola charge. Jessica Mann (centre) accuses Harvey Weinstein of rape - JOHN ANGELILLO/AFP The jurys deliberations will continue on the Mann charge on Thursday. Its partial verdict on Wednesday came on the fifth day of sometimes fractious deliberations. Before the jury announced its verdict on Wednesday, Justice Curtis Farber met privately with one person on the 12-member jury referred to as Juror One. The judge then stated in open court that there had been fighting in the jury room. Yelling and screamingin jury room Juror One has made it very clear that he is not going to change his position, Mr Farber said, adding that Juror One did not tell him what his position was. He indicated that at least one other juror made comments to the juror that, Ill meet you outside one day, and theres yelling and screaming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prosecution accused Weinstein of attacking women in hotel rooms between 2006 and 2013, using his power and influence to lure in victims and then keep them silent. The movie mogul, who is suffering from a string of health problems, sat through the six-week trial in a wheelchair. The Miramax studio co-founder, who is already serving a 16-year prison sentence for rape in Califronia, will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. Partial victory for accusers The verdict is a partial victory for Weinsteins accusers, two of whom had to testify again after Weinsteins 2020 conviction was thrown out by the state appeals court last year. Weinstein had been serving a 23-year sentence in a prison in upstate Rome, New York, when the conviction for rape and a criminal sexual act was overturned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the 2020 conviction was thrown out, Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney opted to charge Weinstein again almost immediately, eventually bringing two counts of first-degree criminal sexual act and one count of third-degree rape against him. During the trial, prosecutors sought to show Weinstein used his power in Hollywood to sexually assault and exert enormous control over the three women, all of whom were seeking work in the film and television industry. He offered the women scripts and promises of fame, and he used those dream opportunities as weapons, Shannon Lucey, an assistant district attorney, said during her opening statement. Twenty-four witnesses called Prosecutors called 24 witnesses during the retrial, including Weinsteins former assistants, relatives of his accusers and workers at the hotels where he is accused of attacking the women. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They did not include testimony from women who accused Weinstein of assaults that did not lead to charges. Relying on such so-called prior bad acts testimony led to Weinsteins earlier conviction being overturned. The 2020 conviction had been a milestone in the #MeToo movement. Weinstein denied the charges, alleging the sexual encounters were consensual. Arthur Aidala, his lawyer, said the Oscar-winning producer had mutually beneficial relationships with his accusers, who ended up with auditions and other show business opportunities. Prosecutors originally accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting Ms Haley, a former production assistant, in 2006 and raping Ms Mann, an aspiring actress, in 2013, charges he was convicted of in the first trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the retrial, the prosecutors added a new charge that Weinstein assaulted Ms Sokola, from Poland, in 2002. Ms Sokola testified to the jury of seven women and five men that Weinstein assaulted her in a Manhattan hotel room. More than 100 women, including famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of misconduct. He has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex. 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. Harvey Weinstein was found guilty on one sexual assault charge Wednesday and acquitted on the other, but the two witnesses related to the counts are both viewing it as a win that keeps the former mogul in prison. A jury of 12 gave their unanimous verdicts on the two counts Wednesday, finding Weinstein guilty of one count of a criminal sexual act against former Project Runway assistant Miriam Haley, but not guilty of the other count of criminal sexual act against former model Kaja Sokola. The jury was sent home for the day, amid inflamed tensions among the jurors, to resume deliberations Thursday on the third count, rape in the third degree related to aspiring actress Jessica Mann. More from The Hollywood Reporter Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The charge of criminal sexual act in the first degree, which here is related to performing oral sex on the complainant, is the higher felony charge and carries a maximum prison sentence of 25 years. And so while Weinstein was not convicted on the charge related to Sokola, she said she remained happy about the outcome. Im very happy about todays verdict. Im proud of the other two girls, the other two women who testified. It was an extremely difficult journey for all of us to relive our traumas and to go through it in open court. Its a big win for everyone. Harvey Weinstein will be in jail, Sokola told reporters outside the courthouse Wednesday. Former model Kaja Sokola speaks to reporters after Harvey Weinstein was acquitted of sexual assault related to an alleged incident involving her as a teen pic.twitter.com/JpYv2tycjt The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 11, 2025 Weinstein also still faces a 16-year prison sentence in California, after being convicted in 2022 of rape and other sex crimes. His legal team has appealed that conviction. Miriam Haley, who also testified in Weinsteins 2020 trial, saw the verdict as sending a message to sexual predators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Testifying in the face of constant disruptions, victim shaming, and deliberate attempts to distort the truth was exhausting and at times dehumanizing, Haley told reporters. But todays verdict gives me hope. Hope that there is new awareness around sexual violence and that the myth of the perfect victim is fading. And I hope that this result empowers others to speak out and seek justice. To those predators who still believe they can exploit, abuse and walk away unscathed: Your time is running out. The world is changing. And you will not outrun the consequences of your actions forever. Miriam Haley speaks to the press after Harvey Weinstein was convicted on a charge related to sexually assaulting her in 2006 pic.twitter.com/nUXbvjevVK The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 11, 2025 Her attorney, Gloria Allred, who has also represented women coming forward against Jeffrey Epstein, R. Kelly and Sean Diddy Combs, added that this was confirmation that the #MeToo movement is not dead, as has been discussed in the press. That obituary was obviously premature and I dont think it applies at all based on my experience for almost 15 years in womens rights, Allred said. Haley had testified to meeting Weinstein at the Cannes Film Festival and then later getting work from him on Project Runway. He later invited her to a movie premiere in Los Angeles, which she accepted, and then stopped by his apartment before leaving. It was there that she said Weinstein backed her into the bedroom, held her down and forced himself on her orally. Her account was backed up by her former roommate, as well as a friend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of this comes after Weinsteins 2020 rape and criminal sexual assault conviction was overturned in April 2024 after the court of appeals found the trial prejudiced Weinstein with improper rulings, including allowing women to testify about allegations that were not part of the case. Weinstein was convicted on the charges related to Haley and Mann in 2020. Sokola was not part of Weinsteins 2020 case, but was a key witness for the prosecution in this one. She testified to meeting with Weinstein for lunch at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in 2006 and being invited up to his hotel room to see a script, as she pursued becoming an actress. When she followed him up, she testified that Weinstein asked her to come up to a hotel room to see a script and then forcibly held her down on the bed, removed her stockings and underwear and performed oral sex on her as she repeatedly asked him to stop. The defense team had sought to undermine her testimony by pointing to the fact that Sokola had not told her sister, who was at the lunch, about the assault, and even unveiled a diary from Sokola that did not include the sexual assault. As with the other victims, they also pointed to the fact that Sokola had received $475,000 as part of a settlement fund related to the 2016 incident with Weinstein. Sokola had also received a $3 million settlement in a civil lawsuit filed against Weinsteins brother Bob Weinstein, Disney and Miramax in 2019 related to an incident in which Sokola said she had been sexually assaulted by Weinstein in 2002, when she was 16. That incident was not charged in this case, but did come up in her testimony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Sokolas attorney, Lindsay Goldbrum, pointed out at the press conference, its also hard to prove allegations that happened 20 years ago beyond a reasonable doubt. For myself, its the closing of a chapter that caused me a lot of pain throughout my life. And having prosecutors hear my story, go through all the details with me and believe me and support me was extremely powerful, Sokola told reporters. And while Goldbrum also saw the conviction as a positive for the #MeToo movement, she added that it still has a lot of work that has to be done in terms of the courts and judicial systems denying justice. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Sign up for THR's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. KAILUA, Hawaii (KHON2) This summer, the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra invites the Windward community to enjoy an evening of music, nature and togetherness at its annual Symphony in the Park concert. Hawaii Symphony Orchestra back at Blaisdell Center Concert Hall after nearly three years The free performance will take place on July 9 at 5:30 p.m. at Kailua District Park. Supported by Alexander & Baldwin, a long-time sponsor of the event since 2014, Symphony in the Park is part of a shared effort to make symphonic music accessible to all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents are encouraged to bring their picnic blankets, lawn chairs and dinner as they gather with family and friends to enjoy music under the open sky. The concert will be led by HSOs Music & Artistic Director, Dane Lam. This years program will feature a mix of classical masterpieces and popular favorites, creating a night that appeals to music lovers of all ages. In addition to the orchestras performance, two rising stars will take the stage: harpist Iris Yun and cellist Lei Yao Chang. Both are recent graduates of Iolani School and winners of the 2025 Na Hoku Opio Young Stars award. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Selected through a competitive statewide process, they represent some of the finest young musical talent in Hawaii. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event is part of HSOs broader community outreach efforts to break down barriers to the arts, provide youth with meaningful performance opportunities and create inclusive cultural experiences for local families. Anyone looking for a peaceful summer evening filled with music is welcome to join in on the festivities. Admission to the concert is free and open to the public. It is recommended to arrive early for seating and parking. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news For more information about Symphony in the Park and other summer events, visit The Hawaii Symphony Orchestras website. 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. WASHINGTON Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is voicing strong opposition to recent and ongoing protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles and St. Louis, accusing demonstrators of dangerous behavior and inciting violence. Anti-immigration raid protests, which began last weekend in Los Angeles, have spread nationwide. According to the Associated Press, nearly 400 arrests have been made in Los Angeles since Saturday, and National Guard troops have also been deployed in response. Hawley (R), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, announced Tuesday that his committee is launching an investigation into the protests. The investigation, according to Hawley, aims to uncover who is organizing protests and whether they are funded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No ICE demonstration comes to STL Hawley, speaking to FOX 2 virtually on Wednesday, described the demonstrations as illegal and violent rather than peaceful. If you want to disrupt traffic, if you want to cause problems, if you want to try to hurt people, youre going to be looking at the inside of a jail cell, said Hawley in his conversation with FOX 2. Hawley said his office has sent letters to several organizations that have claimed involvement in the protests. He alleges that the demonstrations are funded and says he intends to investigate any sources of support. In addition to the investigation, Hawley says he plans to introduce legislation that would criminalize flag burning, calling for mandatory jail time and even stiffer penalties if it happens during protests deemed as illegal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A No ICE protest is ongoing Wednesday in St. Louis. When asked specifically about local demonstrators, Hawley reiterated his previous message: I just say the same thing. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Hawley also stated in his conversation with FOX 2 that undocumented individuals attending such protests could face action from ICE. Meanwhile, Missouri U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell (D) shared the following statement Wednesday on ICE protests: Let me be clear where I stand: Masked, unidentified ICE agents are snatching people off the street-not criminals, just folks trying to build a better life. Ive seen the fear this causes. Its cruel. Its wrong. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our response should show who we are; calm, disciplined, and unshaken in our support for our immigrant neighbors. Immigrants make this country who we are. I worry for our nation if hate has made us lose sight of that. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) Hopkins County Schools (HCS) has announced the appointment of two new assistant superintendents for the district. HCS says the two new appointments include a current district administrator and another with deep ties to the district. Dr. Ann Love, district director of human resources, and Jason Clark, most recently an assistant superintendent in Caldwell County, will start their new positions on July 1. Ride inspectors call safety at Holiday World top notch Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Dr. Love and Mr. Clark exemplify servant leadership and are committed to strengthening instruction, supporting staff, and advancing outcomes for all students, said Dr. Damon Fleming, incoming superintendent. Please join me in welcoming them to their new roles. Officials say Clark has been assistant superintendent for Caldwell County Schools since 2021. His 27-year career in education includes stints as principal of Browning Springs Middle School; district director of secondary instruction and district assessment coordinator for HCS and assistant principal, curriculum specialist, and teacher at Madisonville North Hopkins High School. HCS officials say Clark earned a Master of Arts in Education in School Administration, a second Master of Arts in Education, and a Bachelor of Science in Teaching from University of Southern Indiana. He also holds a Certification for School Superintendent. UE receives $33K in grants for visual arts and student experience Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HCS says Dr. Love has served as HCS director of HR since 2018. She has a 27-year career in education, all in Hopkins County Schools. She previously was principal of Grapevine Elementary School and instructional leader and teacher at Pride Elementary School. According to HCS, Dr. Love holds a Doctor of Education in Instructional Leadership from Oakland City University; a Master of Arts in School Administration from Murray State University; a Rank 1 in General Education and Master of Arts in K-12 Education, both from Indiana Wesleyan University; and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Western Kentucky 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 Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) A head-on crash that involved a motorcycle has left a man from Lawrence County dead. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said that a 2008 Harley-Davidson motorcycle was driving along Lawrence County 143 near Lawrence County 141 when it crashed head-on with a 2014 Dodge Durango around 10:08 p.m. ALEA identified the deceased man as Anthony B. Maxwell, 42, of Town Creek. Authorities said that Maxwell was pronounced dead at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The crash remains under investigation by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys Highway Patrol Division. (Photo Courtesy: Alabama Law Enforcement Agency) Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 head of Germany's Green Party has called for Berlin to join other countries in sanctioning Israeli far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir over accusations of inciting violence against Palestinians. Franziska Brantner, who co-leads Germany's second-largest opposition party, accused the two ministers of "openly calling for violence against the Palestinian population and long having propagated a policy of annexation and displacement." "This costs human lives, displaces entire communities and poses enormous hurdles on the path to a peace process," Brantner told dpa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her comments came after the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway on Tuesday announced they have sanctioned Ben-Givr, the security minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, and Smotrich, the finance minister. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich actively support the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and condone violence by militant settlers against the Palestinian population. Smotrich recently threatened the "total destruction" of the Gaza Strip, while Ben-Gvir has spoken out strongly against resuming humanitarian aid deliveries to the embattled Palestinian territory. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the five countries accused Smotrich and Ben-Gvir of inciting "extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights." The British government said that the UK sanctions involve a travel ban as well as the freezing of assets. Norway also imposed a travel ban. By Anushree Mukherjee and Kavya Balaraman (Reuters) -Platinum and palladium prices have both rallied this month, notching a more than four-year and seven-month high respectively, but analysts say they remain more cautious about the outlook for palladium due to its narrower demand base. Spot platinum was trading at $1,272.45 per ounce as of 1545 GMT on Wednesday, its highest level since February 2021, and has risen 41% this year on supply concerns, renewed investor interest following London Platinum Week in May, and increased jewellery demand as high gold prices drive consumers to cheaper alternatives, analysts say. Spot palladium, meanwhile, was trading at $1,078.62/oz, its highest level since November 2024, and has gained 18% this year, but has struggled to reach the high of $1,244.75 hit in October 2024. "The biggest factor is likely the wider appeal which platinum enjoys. Platinums uses are more diverse, spanning industrial applications, jewelry, and investor demand," said Zain Vawda, market analyst at MarketPulse by OANDA. "This diversification shields platinum from the headwinds palladium faces, such as declining long-term demand from the traditional automotive market due to the EV transition." Palladium is mainly used in catalytic converters for gasoline vehicles, while platinum has broader uses in diesel catalytic converters, jewellery, industrial applications, and emerging hydrogen technologies. PALLADIUM PRICES LAGGING Palladium could be considered a "one trick pony", with 90% of its demand coming from car manufacturers, Bank of America said in a note last week. "China's rising EV penetration rates are particularly damaging because it means that palladium-intensive cars with a gasoline engine are now being quickly displaced," the note added. The transition to EVs will also affect platinum in the medium term, but to a lesser extent, analysts told Reuters. "Large commercial vehicles will likely use larger amounts of platinum (relative to palladium) and these vehicles will be slower to electrify. Over time, the hydrogen economy will also absorb some platinum, limiting the downside risk on platinum versus palladium," said Nitesh Shah, commodities strategist at WisdomTree. Global sales of battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids rose to 1.5 million in April. Sales in China were up 32% from the same month of 2024 to 0.9 million vehicles. PLATINUM RALLIES Platinum, meanwhile, is expected to be moderately supported over the next six to 12 months, although the upside may be capped without a clear rebound in auto demand or meaningful acceleration in hydrogen-related applications, said Alexander Zumpfe, a precious metals trader at Heraeus Metals Germany. The head of Germany's Green Party has called for Berlin to join other countries in sanctioning Israeli far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir over accusations of inciting violence against Palestinians. Franziska Brantner, who co-leads Germany's second-largest opposition party, accused the two ministers of "openly calling for violence against the Palestinian population and long having propagated a policy of annexation and displacement." "This costs human lives, displaces entire communities and poses enormous hurdles on the path to a peace process," Brantner told dpa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her comments came after the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway on Tuesday announced they have sanctioned Ben-Givr, the security minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, and Smotrich, the finance minister. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich actively support the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and condone violence by militant settlers against the Palestinian population. Smotrich recently threatened the "total destruction" of the Gaza Strip, while Ben-Gvir has spoken out strongly against resuming humanitarian aid deliveries to the embattled Palestinian territory. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the five countries accused Smotrich and Ben-Gvir of inciting "extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The British government said that the UK sanctions involve a travel ban as well as the freezing of assets. Norway also imposed a travel ban. Brantner said if the German government was serious about its proclaimed responsibility for the security of the State of Israel - a policy known in Germany as "reason of state" - as well as for international law, Berlin needed to act in lockstep with its European partners. "This is the only way a two-state solution can ever have a chance as a way to ensure a life in security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians." House staff arrange articles from the chamber's version of the fiscal 2026 budget during a House Committee on Finance meeting on the evening of June 10, 2025. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) Stopping the states health care system from hemorrhaging is the primary focus of a revised fiscal 2026 spending budget given first passage by a panel of House lawmakers just late Tuesday night. The $14.3 billion spending plan is roughly $500,000 less than the final fiscal 2025 budget, which after upward revisions hit the high water mark in state history. However, its more than the $14.2 billion proposal unveiled by Gov. Dan McKee in January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The revised version centers largely on additional funding for health care systems and providers, along with new revenue for the cash-strapped Rhode Island Public Transit Agency and an extra $22 million to cover the recent price hike to rebuild the I-195 Washington Bridge. This budget was about making choices, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi said, speaking to reporters in a press briefing Tuesday night. We werent going to let public transportation for the state collapse, or primary care. We had to make choices. On the chopping block: McKees workforce development and high education apprenticeship programs, alongside many of his long-term capital projects, like buying a former Citizens Bank building for state offices, closing the Department of Corrections minimum security facility and opening a new state-run, long-term care hospital in Burrillville. The House Committee on Finances 11-3 vote Tuesday sends the updated spending proposal to the full House of Representatives for consideration on June 17. Three Republicans House Minority Leader Mike Chippendale of Foster, George Nardone of Coventry and Sherry Roberts of West Greenwich voted against the revised budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic Reps. Terri Cortvriend of Portsmouth and Ray Hull of Providence were absent. Lawmakers must approve a final spending plan before the new fiscal year begins July 1. Health care Shekarchi repeatedly emphasized the need to address the shortage of primary care doctors, calling it both a crisis and a fire that required immediate attention. We cant afford to just study it, Shekarchi said, referring to McKees budget plan to study state Medicaid reimbursement rates for future increases. To that end, lawmakers increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for primary care providers by another $45 million to match Medicare rates following a proposal championed by Attorney General Peter Neronha. And hospitals will get another $38 million in direct state payments and rate hikes far short of the $90 million that the Hospital Association of Rhode Island asked for, but more than McKee supplied. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another $12 million will help struggling nursing homes, accompanied by some version of a staffing requirement. Shekarchi emphasized that stabilizing the states health care landscape was a priority on both sides of the State House rotunda, referencing Senate President Valarie Lawson by name. Lawson in an emailed statement Thursday touted the primary care investments, as well as those in the public transit agency. We werent going to let public transportation for the state collapse, or primary care. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi tells reporters during a budget press briefing at the Rhode Island State House on June 10, 2025. We had to make choices. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) Help for RIPTA The cash-strapped bus agency will get a little less than half of the money needed to plug its $32 million deficit. But not from state coffers. Instead, the revised spending plan relies upon an increase in the state gas tax, which presently sits at 38 cents per gallon with a 1-cent per gallon increase every other year. Lawmakers are now adding another 2-cent increase , with $15 million from the expected extra revenue to help RIPTA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shekarchi stopped short of acknowledging that the agency may have to cut its fixed routes due to the remaining shortfall, pointing to a not-yet-complete efficiency study that could save costs on staff, operations and equipment. However, services for transit riders with disabilities through the RIPTA RIde paratransit program cannot be reduced or eliminated, as expressly stated in the revised spending plan. That is one area that is untouchable, Shekarchi said of the paratransit program. Taxes and fees Despite the strain on state coffers and the rousing cries from advocates, theres still no contemplation of a tax on top earners in the state spending plan. Shekarchi pointed to uncertainty with the federal tax code as reason why he and other lawmakers hesitated to begin a version of the millionaires tax. However, the revised budget increases the real estate conveyance tax on the sale of homes over $800,000 from $2.30 to $3.75 for every $500 increment above the $800,000 threshold. And, it adds a new property tax on non-owner occupied homes valued at $1 million or more, colloquially termed the Taylor Swift tax. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other new taxes include the extension of the states 5% hotel tax to whole home short-term rentals. Revenue from the tax on Airbnb and similar properties would be split between cities and towns, homelessness aid and local tourism districts. Stricken from the budget: a tax on digital advertising by billion-dollar companies, and a 50-cent increase in cigarette taxes. The budget preserves proposed registration fees for electric vehicles and an increase in the technology surcharge at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Education Unlike in recent years, lawmakers did not significantly upend the education funding formula, which is used to determine state aid to local school districts. The revised budget fills a $12 million shortfall in aid for low-income students, resulting from a correction to the count of students in poverty. And, it repurposes an additional $12 million increase in state aid to students in poverty, instead devoting more funding to aid for special education students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The budget was revised in the eleventh hour minutes before Shekarchi began addressing reporters at 9:15 p.m. to account for a $2 million settlement cost with the state education department. Details were not immediately available. Shekarchis voice showed signs of fatigue as he outlined the revised spending plan, which he called the toughest budget in his four years as Speaker of the House. There were a lot of holes, Shekarchi said of McKees original spending plan. McKees proposed fiscal 2026 budget failed to account for the extra $15 million cost for new contracts with state troopers and correctional officers, and a $3.2 million overspend on redeemable tax credits owed to production companies that filmed in Rhode Island. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We had 27 budget amendments and none of those amendments proposed new revenue, Shekarchi said. Meanwhile, uncertainty in D.C. has left state lawmakers flying blind on major funding sources like Medicaid, Shekarchi said. McKees office did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment Tuesday night More pluses and minuses An $8 million increase in the state budget for homelessness services Preservation of the presumed fourth-quarter revenue (roughly $10 million) from resumption of the state truck toll program No money to reform the embattled Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, including to abolish the appointed council Addition of the requested extension to the Rebuild Rhode Island tax credit program, which would allow developers of the Superman building to save another $4.6 million in sales taxes on construction materials No additional money for Ballys Corp, which had asked for another $17 million for marketing efforts as a convoluted workaround to offset potential revenue losses from a ban on indoor smoking in its Rhode Island casinos This story was updated to correct details regarding changes to the state education funding formula in the revised fiscal 2026 budget. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A former judge who is chairing a 50m public inquiry into the death of a man in police custody will hear arguments on Thursday on whether he should step down or see the job through. The Scottish Police Federation has accused Lord Bracadale of holding "secret" meetings with the family of Sheku Bayoh, who died after being restrained by police in Kirkcaldy in 2015. The organisation which represents rank and file officers believes the five meetings could lead to "perceived bias" and has called for him to "recuse" himself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lord Bracadale has been leading the inquiry since 2020 and ordered the hearing to allow core participants to make submissions on his conduct. If Lord Bracadale decides to stay in post, the federation has said it will seek a judicial review. His departure and the search for a last minute replacement after five years of work would delay the inquiry's findings by many months. It has already cost the public purse 24.8m, with an additional 24.3m spent by Police Scotland, including 17.3m of legal costs. The stage is now set for a robust exchange of legal arguments between senior lawyers. Lord Bracadale has been leading the inquiry into Mr Bayoh's death since 2020 [PA Media] Roddy Dunlop KC, dean of the Faculty of Advocates, will represent the police federation and two of the officers involved in the incident which ended with Mr Bayoh's death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The police federation has said that none of the other core participants were made aware that Lord Bracadale was meeting the family and the details of what was said have not been disclosed. The federation's general secretary David Kennedy has said it has lost confidence in the inquiry because not all core participants were being treated equally. The Bayoh family's solicitor Aamer Anwar has described the federation's actions as "a pathetic and desperate attempt to sabotage the inquiry" at the 11th hour. He claimed the hearing could cost taxpayers "in excess of a million pounds" in fees for "police lawyers." Competing arguments One of England's top barristers, Jason Beer KC, has been brought in as senior counsel for the inquiry itself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is expected to argue that Lord Bracadale's actions were procedurally appropriate because of the importance of maintaining the family's confidence. Scotland's prosecution service, the Crown Office, will state its position, along with Police Scotland, the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner and the Commission for Racial Equality and Rights. Lawyers representing other police officers involved in the case will also have the opportunity to have their say. The hearing is scheduled to last two days, with Lord Bracadale issuing his decision at a later date. The inquiry has been examining what happened before and during the death of Sheku Bayou, who died in police custody. It has been looking at how the police dealt with the aftermath, the investigation into Mr Bayoh's death and whether race was a factor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Members of the public called the police after Mr Bayoh was spotted carrying a knife and behaving erratically in the streets of Kirkcaldy on May 3, 2015. He wasn't carrying the knife when officers arrived at the scene but a violent confrontation followed, with up to six officers restraining the 31-year-old on the ground. The father-of-two lost consciousness and later died in hospital. UPDATE @ 6:40 a.m. Firefighters responded to a house fire in Dayton late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Dayton firefighters responded just before 11:50 p.m. to E. Third and Garfield Streets on reports of a house fire, according to a social media post. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Upon arrival, firefighters saw heavy fire in the back of a vacant two-story house. Crews quickly deployed multiple hose lines to control the fire and completed searches of the structure, Brad French, Dayton Assistant Fire Chief, told News Center 7. The extent of damage is currently unknown. No injuries were reported, French said. The Dayton Fire Department (DFD) Fire Investigations Unit is investigating the fire. Anyone with information can call (937) 333-TIPS. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to make light of the contributions made by Americas NATO allies during the war in Afghanistan at a Capitol Hill hearing on Wednesday. Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hegseth attempted to make a point that the White House and President Donald Trump himself have frequently made: that other NATO member-states should increase their defensive capabilities to match the benchmarks laid out in the defense pacts charter. Instead, the secretary harked back to a remark he told Sen. Chris Coons (D-Conn.) was commonly made by US service members on the ground in Afghanistan during his time in the service. Hegseth said his fellow Army National Guardsmen would often joke that the ISAF acronym on their shoulder patches which stood for International Security Assistance Force really stood for, I saw Americans fighting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately it was a lotta flags. Lotta flags. [But it] was not a lot of on-the-ground capability, Hegseth continued in disparaging the NATO troops. Youre not a real coalition, youre not a real alliance, unless you have real defense capability, and real armies that can bring those to bear. His remark drew immediate rebuke from Coons, who noted the military and human contributions that Americas allies made after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when NATOs Article 5 was invoked for the first time. Pete Hegseth told senators that the bulk of the effort was American during the war in Afghanistan (AP) The Democratic senator launched into an explanation about how Denmark, with a population of just six million, suffered some of the highest losses per capita of any coalition ally, only closely trailing the United States. Let's just make clear for the record that our military partners in Afghanistan included many who served and died, said the senator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Hegseth wasnt finished. Dont try and make it look like I dont care about the investments of our partners, said the secretary. Of course I do. I recognize that there were lives lost from other countries. But the bulk of the effort was Americans. Alongside the US, 31 other countries participated in the war in Afghanistan and saw soldiers killed in combat and due to other circumstances. The U.S. lost 2,461 troops over the course of the longest military engagement in U.S. history, followed by the UK, which lost 457 service members. The final deaths of the war occurred during a chaotic withdrawal from the country in 2021, following the fall of large tracts of territory to Taliban militants the U.S .and its allies failed to dislodge over the course of 20 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A blast attributed to Islamic State militants killed more than a dozen US service members outside of Kabuls airport during the evacuation, while thousands of desperate Afghans crowded the facility and sought exit on American planes. Americas participation in the war grew unpopular as it dragged on, and the withdrawal of forces was ordered by Donald Trump during his first presidency. Completed under Joe Biden, the chaotic nature of the pullout and the speed of the collapse of Afghanistans democratic government were points of soreness and contention in Washington, with defense hawks fretting that the Taliban takeover amounted to the country turning into a breeding ground for al Qaeda, the Islamic State and other terror groups once again. Britains House of Commons library reports that the total cost of UK contributions to the war topped 32.8 billion pounds, adjusted for 2024-25 price levels. Tens of thousands of Afghan refugees were also resettled by the UK and other US partners. In 2021 and the two years following, Afghan refugees were the most common nationality accepted by the Home Office, according to the governments figures. The Trump administration in January froze a program allowing Afghan citizens who helped the US during the war against the Taliban, Islamic State and Al Qaeda to resettle in America. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday insisted the Pentagons deployment of troops to Los Angeles was lawful. He just couldnt cite the law he was following. The Pentagon chief clashed with several lawmakers at a Senate budget hearing as he sought to defend President Donald Trumps decision to send thousands of troops, including 700 active-duty Marines, to California in response to mass deportation protests. But when asked to explain the legal underpinning that justifies the Marine deployment, the Defense secretary blanked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Id have to pull up the specific provision, he told Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.). But our Office of General Counsel, alongside our leadership, has reviewed and ensured, in the order that we set out, that its completely constitutional for the president to use federal troops to defend federal law enforcement. When Baldwin pushed again, Hegseth said, Its in the order, maam, but well make sure we get it to you as well. Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor who appears calm in front of the camera, faced a tougher time at Wednesdays Senate defense appropriations subcommittee than he did at a House budget hearing the day before. Democrats peppered him with questions about the domestic deployments, research budget cuts and the impact of tariffs on the defense industrial base. Republicans largely avoided focusing on Los Angeles, although they lashed out at him on Trumps tardy budget and approach to Ukraine. The Defense secretary argued the deployments to Los Angeles and along the southern border, where the military has 13,000 National Guard and active-duty troops, are necessary to protect the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We very much support President Trumps focus on defending [the] homeland on our southern border, he said, as well as supporting law enforcement officials doing their job in ICE in Los Angeles who deserve not to be assaulted, accosted and rioted while rounding up one of the 21 million illegals allowed in as an invasion under the previous administration. But Democrats questioned whether the moves violated laws that govern the use of the military on U.S. soil. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) pressed Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine about the argument underpinning the orders. Is the United States being invaded by a foreign nation? he asked. I dont see any foreign state-sponsored folks invading, Caine replied. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) raised concerns about Trump politicizing the military, asking Hegseth whether he supported deploying the National Guard to the Capitol in response to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection that sought to overturn the election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hegseth would not say. All I know is its the right decision to be deploying the National Guard in Los Angeles to defend ICE agents, he said. Murphy called Hegseths response evidence of a double standard. You are not willing to defend against attacks made on our democracy by supporters of the president, but you are willing to deploy the National Guard to protect against protestors who are criticizing the president, he said. But it was Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the usually restrained Senate Armed Services Committees ranking member, who was the most forceful in tone. He raised alarms about the Los Angeles deployment, as well as several Homeland Security requests for 20,000 more troops to assist at the border, for military forces to detain or arrest American citizens, and to provide drone surveillance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Is it your intent to approve these requests? Reed asked. Are you prepared to authorize DHS to use drones and also to authorize military forces to detain or arrest American citizens? Hegseth did not respond directly, but defended the administrations actions. Every authorization weve provided the National Guard and the Marines in Los Angeles is under the authority of the President of the United States is lawful and constitutional, he said. They are assisting in defending law enforcement officers executing their job in the city of Los Angeles. HONOLULU (KHON2) Valley Isle Community Federal Credit Union is helping Mauis keiki start the school year ready to learn. Maui: Hundreds to testify during controversial vacation rental hearing The credit union is holding its annual preschool supply drive to support families enrolled in Maui Economic Opportunitys Head Start program, which offers free preschool for income-qualifying families across the island. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From now through July 7, the public is encouraged to drop off new school supplies at any VICFCU branch in Kahului, Wailuku or Lahaina. Requested items include wide-ruled composition books, Crayola markers and crayons, plastic pencil boxes, glue and blunt-tip scissors. On behalf of the MEO Head Start families, we would like to thank Valley Isle Community Federal Credit Union for holding this supply drive, MEO CEO Debbie Cabebe said. Head Start offers preschool at no cost to income-qualifying families. With the high cost of living in Hawai`i, the gift of school supplies will help struggling Head Start families. MEO recently received federal confirmation of Head Start funding for the 2025-26 school year. A few openings remain for 3 and 4-year-olds, and applications are available online at meoinc.org. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Founded in 1965, MEO serves thousands of Maui County residents each year through more than 40 programs, including youth services, transportation, rent and utility assistance and early childhood education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information, families can contact MEO Head Start at (808) 249-2988 during office hours. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. HENRY COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) The Henry County Sheriffs Office said a man and a woman wanted in Henry County on drug charges led deputies on a vehicle pursuit near Bassett on June 10. According to the sheriff, deputies attempted to pull over a green Ford Ranger pickup truck on the 1500 block of Stones Dairy Road around 4 p.m. on Tuesday when the driver, 25-year-old Brandee Taylor Feazelle of Collinsville, allegedly fled. Deputies began to pursue Feazelle down Stones Dairy Road before turning onto Jarrett Drive, the sheriff said. As the chase continued, deputies allegedly witnessed the passenger door being opened multiple times, suggesting that one of the occupants may have been attempting to flee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Teen charged with robbery at Collinsville store, sheriff said The sheriff said that Feazelle then stopped the Ford Ranger behind a location at Jarrett Drive and exited the vehicle before allegedly attempting to flee on foot. James Shaffer, who was identified as the passenger in the front seat, also fled the scene into a wooded area behind a nearby trailer, according to the sheriff. Deputies also apprehended a third person who attempted to flee the scene; however, it was determined they had no outstanding warrants and were later released. A K9 Deputy responded to the scene and conducted a track to locate Shaffer, but the search was unsuccessful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Feazelle and Shaffer were both wanted on outstanding warrants. A search of the vehicle was then conducted, during which narcotics and drug paraphernalia were allegedly seized. Those items were collected and will be sent to the Virginia Department of Forensic Science Western Lab in Roanoke for testing. Three arrests made in Henry County homicides and human trafficking cases Brandee Taylor Feazelle has been arrested and charged with the following outstanding warrants: Possession of Schedule I or II Controlled Substances (Virginia Code Section 18.2-250) Probation Violation (Virginia Code Section 19.2-306) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Feazelle was charged with: Fail to Stop for Law Enforcement (Virginia Code Section 46.2-817) Loud Exhaust (Virginia Code Section 46.2-1049) Improper Tread Depth (Virginia Code Section 46.2-1043) Feazelle is currently being held at the Henry County Adult Detention Center without bond. James William Shaffer is still wanted by the Henry County Sheriff for the following charges: Possession of a Schedule I/II Drug (Virginia Code Section 18.2-250) Possession of a Schedule I/II Drug (Virginia Code Section 18.2-250) The Henry County Sheriff said the investigation is ongoing. If anyone has any information regarding the incident and/or the whereabouts of James William Shaffer, please contact the Henry County Sheriffs Office at 276-638-8751. You can also leave an anonymous tip with Crimestoppers at 63-CRIME (632-7463). The Crimestoppers Program offers rewards up to $2500.00 for information related to crime. The nature of the crime and the substance of the information determine the amount of reward paid. 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 WFXRtv. Honolulu firefighters airlifted four hikers in distress from the Ka au Crater Trail in Palolo on Monday morning. The Honolulu Fire Department received a 911 call at about 10 :30 a.m. for two male and two female hikers in their 20s reported to be stuck in a precarious location and unable to descend on their own. Six units with 17 personnel responded. The first firefighters to arrive established command and climbed up the trail on foot. They were able to locate the hikers and confirm they were not injured. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HFD said all four hikers were airlifted in the afternoon, one at a time, to a nearby landing zone. The four hikers declined medical care. No injuries were reported among HFD personnel. The Ka au Crater Trail is not one of the states established Na Ala Hele trails, and is described on blogs as a long, challenging and often muddy hike for advanced hikers. 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 ? . Just days after violent, anti-ICE riots first rocked Los Angeles, federal immigration agents announced a major enforcement operation deporting 122 illegal aliens to China, many of them convicted of crimes including murder, rape, and drug trafficking. The June 3 deportation flight, led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Dallas, was part of a nationwide push to protect American communities and restore law and order. According to an official ICE press release, the group included 96 men and 26 women, ranging in age from 19 to 68. All had final orders of removal and were held in ICE detention centers across the country. Ice Arrests 'Worst Of The Worst' Illegal Aliens In Los Angeles While Protesters Advocate For Criminals: Dhs U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel escort a detainee to board a charter flight to China during a large-scale removal operation, June 3, 2025. The flight was organized by ICE ERO Dallas. ICE officials say the charter flight to China was in the interest of public safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to an ICE press release, many of the individuals removed had been convicted of serious felonies, including murder, rape, human smuggling, bribery, and narcotics trafficking. One man removed was a 47-year-old with a murder conviction. Another was a 27-year-old found guilty of rape. Others listed included drug dealers and smugglers. Read On The Fox News App "Through our interagency partnerships and coordination across ICE field offices, we have successfully removed these individuals, many who were convicted of egregious crimes," said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Dallas acting Field Office Director Josh Johnson. Federal Officials Slam Democrats For 'Dangerous' Rhetoric As Ice Agents Face Violent Mobs In La, Nyc Dozens of individuals with final removal orders sit aboard a Department of Homeland Security charter flight bound for China, June 3, 2025. "This operation not only enhances the public safety of our communities across the U.S. but also strengthens national security. Our colleagues at ICE come to work every day to identify, arrest and remove illegal aliens who attempt to circumvent our nations immigration laws." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flight also reflects the tough stance President Trump has taken in his second term when it comes to China. A Department of Homeland Security charter flight sits on the tarmac as ICE personnel prepare to board 122 illegal aliens for deportation to China, June 3, 2025. The Trump administration has increased tariffs on Chinese imports, blamed Chinese companies for fueling the U.S. fentanyl crisis, and clamped down on tech exports. In response, Beijing has issued warnings to its citizens about traveling to American cities affected by civil unrest and imposed its own trade penalties. Americans with information about immigration violations or criminal activity are urged to contact ICE at 866-DHS-2-ICE or submit a tip online at ice.gov. Original article source: High-risk ICE flight deports over 100 illegal aliens, including convicted felons, to China Thames Water serves 16 million customers in London and south-east England. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA Thames Water should be placed into temporary government control to avoid setting a deeply troubling precedent, according to people close to bondholders who face losing all of their money in the latest rescue bid. The struggling utility is under the control of a group of lenders who hold the bulk of its huge 20bn debt pile. Those senior creditors on Tuesday revealed details of a last-ditch rescue effort with 5bn in funding, alongside writing off about 6.7bn in debt. However, the plan faces opposition from other junior bondholders, as well as a host of campaigners, who argue that the government should place Thames under a special administration regime (SAR), effectively a temporary nationalisation. The junior bondholders, which include hedge funds such as Polus Capital and Covalis Capital, are expected to argue the rescue plan would undermine the UKs infrastructure credibility. Related: Thames Waters creditors are being too greedy | Nils Pratley Thames Water, the privatised provider of water and sewage services to 16 million customers in London and south-east England, has lurched from crisis to crisis over the past two years as its balance sheet was stretched by expensive debt repayments. At the same time, it is under huge public pressure to stop sewage flowing into rivers and seas. The senior creditors were forced to step in after the US private equity group KKR last week abandoned a bid seen as financially and politically complex. The company will instead be controlled by a group of 100 creditors ranging from big institutional investors such as Aberdeen, BlackRock, Invesco and M&G, to US hedge funds such as Elliott Investment Management and Silver Point Capital. The senior creditors are keen to avoid a special administration that would probably result in most of their loans being written off. The Labour government also wants to avoid imposing a SAR, fearful of the nominal effect on the public finances. However, as part of their rescue bid the senior creditors have asked for leniency from the water regulator, Ofwat, over future fines for environmental failures or criminal breaches of the companys licences. That request for leniency is deeply controversial, as it would allow the senior creditors to escape deeper debt write-offs potentially allowing some of them to profit immediately. Other water companies across England and Wales would also be likely to ask for leniency themselves. A person familiar with the junior bondholders thinking said that the bid raises serious governance and accountability concerns. EVANSVILLE, Ind (WEHT) High schoolers in Evansville got a glimpse into the world of jobs in energy and cyber-security. CenterPoint Energy and communications company NexTech welcomed the students for a hands-on learning experience. Students met with CenterPoint employees to explore different career paths. I was a student myself in this program and I was really enlightened about how much computer science can impact our world, and I wanted to share with these students my same passion for computer science and hopefully spark their interest as well, said former program student Matthew Titzer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials say the visit offers a rare look at how careers in the utility sector are evolving in the digital age. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 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 explore how California Gov. Gavin Newsom is navigating a high-profile political fight with President Donald Trump. Plus, Steve Kornacki previews New Jerseys primary for governor before the results roll in tonight. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adam Wollner We want to hear from you! Have a question for the NBC News Politics Desk about the political fallout from the immigration protests, President Donald Trumps upcoming military parade or this months primary elections? Send your questions to politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com and we may answer them in a future edition of the newsletter. Newsom locks horns with Trump in a politically defining moment By Jonathan Allen and Natasha Korecki Amid immigration raids, peaceful protests, attacks on law enforcement officers and the threat of his own arrest by federal agents, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is immersed in what could be the most consequential political fight of his career. The battle has instantly turned Newsom, the governor of the nations largest state, into the face of resistance to President Donald Trumps expansive interpretation of the authorities of his office and mass-deportation campaign. It comes at a time when Newsom, who is a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, has been taking heavy criticism from within his own party over his efforts in part through his new podcast to cast himself in the role of conciliator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As it is, Newsom must balance forces that are both inside and outside of his control. That includes competing with messaging from Trump (who frequently refers to the governor as Newscum) and the presidents top lieutenants, who are ever-present on cable news, social media and political podcasts. And it involves attempting to quell violent actors while pointing to Trumps actions which have included deploying the U.S. Marines as an overreach. For its part, the White House maintains it is winning the public relations battle, with officials tapping a refrain this week that it was the fight they wanted replete with made-for-TV images. But Newsom has been mounting his own messaging offensive on X and through media interviews. And Democratic leaders say their party is galvanizing behind him at least for the moment and it would be difficult for prospective rivals to do anything but fall in line behind him when he is taking a stand on turf that is popular with Democratic voters. Friends of Newsom say it would be an unexpected political boon for the governor if Trump and his border czar, Tom Homan, follow through on their threat to arrest him if they decide he has broken the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more from Jon and Natasha Newsom vs. Johnson: Speaker Mike Johnson R-La., stopped short of saying Newsom should be arrested, but added that he ought to be tarred and feathered. Newsom called it a fitting threat given the @GOP want[s] to bring our country back to the 18th Century. How Republicans are responding: GOP lawmakers like Johnson largely stood by Trumps handling of the situation in Los Angeles. But Republican Rep. David Valadao who represents a battleground district in California said he was concerned about ongoing ICE operations in the state, urging the administration to prioritize the removal of known criminals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How Democrats are responding: While Democrats have largely been in unison with their criticism of Trump, there have been two notable exceptions. Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., went further than her colleagues in saying Trumps actions rise to the level of impeachable offenses. On the other side, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., referred to the situation in Los Angeles as anarchy and true chaos.My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement, Fetterman said. Trumps warning: Trump said that anyone who protests at the U.S. military parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday will be met with very heavy force. Price tag: The Defense Departments top financial officer said during a congressional hearing that the estimated cost of deploying the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles is $134 million. Related reads: The geographic dividing lines shaping New Jerseys primary By Steve Kornacki Rep. Mikie Sherrill heads into todays primary as the favorite to win the Democratic nomination for governor of New Jersey. She has blanketed the pricey New York and Philadelphia metro airwaves with television ads, she enjoys the backing of much of the partys establishment, and she had opened double-digit leads in two polls that were released several weeks ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is uncertainty, though. Credible public polling has, overall, been limited and infrequent. And court-imposed changes to the layout of the primary ballot could dramatically dilute the power of the endorsements Sherrill has received from key county Democratic organizations. Sherrills opponents have each made inroads. But, at least so far, that seems to have had the effect of keeping them in one anothers way, preventing one from emerging as the clear alternative to Sherrill. Consider the states political geography. You can draw a line south of Mercer and Monmouth counties, roughly where Route 195 would be on a map. Below that is South Jersey. Democratic politics here are dominated by an old-fashioned political machine that is backing the lone South Jersey candidate in the field: former state Sen. Steve Sweeney. The trouble for Sweeney is that only about 30% of all primary votes will come from this region. And because South Jersey is part of the Philadelphia media market, hes not well-known in the rest of the state, which is served heavily by the New York market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then theres vote-rich North Jersey, where the other candidates can all claim some advantage. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is likely to win his city the states largest overwhelmingly. Newark is also the seat of Essex County, which has more registered Democrats than any other county. More than 40% of Essexs population is Black, which should further boost Baraka, the most prominent Black candidate in the race (Sean Spiller, who is president of the state teachers union, is also Black). Nearby Union County, which has the second-highest share of Black residents, could offer another trove of votes. Baraka has also made a wider play for the partys progressive base. He has run hard to the left, and he burnished his anti-Trump credentials when he was arrested at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility last month. Coupled with deep Black support, that could be the makings of a potent coalition in a statewide primary. But Baraka has encountered traffic in the progressive lane thanks to the presence of Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who is also embracing left-wing themes and has framed his candidacy as a war on the Democratic establishment. Another candidate, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, has pitched his message more toward the middle, promising tax cuts and emphasizing cost-of-living issues. Gottheimer won his House seat by flipping what had been a reliably Republican district, and he has amassed an enviable campaign bankroll. He figures to perform strongly in suburban Bergen County, his political base, and he has been endorsed by Bergens official Democratic organization. But his only other party endorsement comes from tiny rural Warren County in the northwest corner of the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more from Steve What to watch: Outside of the crowded Democratic primary, former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, who was endorsed by President Trump, is viewed as the front-runner on the Republican side. Bridget Bowman has everything you need to know before polls close at 8 p.m. ET. Today's other top stories Populist push: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced a bill with Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. Read more Eyeing the exits: Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., said he will resign from his seat after Congress passes a sweeping domestic policy bill for Trumps agenda citing an opportunity in the private sector he said was too exciting to pass up. Read more Another round: Washington, D.C., Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who turns 88 this week, said she will run for re-election after The Washington Post reported on concerns from her allies and elected officials in the city that she is no longer up for the job. Read more Cash dash: The latest campaign finance reports show Democrat Abigail Spanberger had $14.3 million on hand for her Virginia gubernatorial campaign, compared to $3 million for Republican Winsome Earle Sears. Read more Prime parking available: The red Tesla that Trump purchased this spring in support of Elon Musk is no longer parked outside the West Wing, following reports that the president was considering selling or giving away the car. Read more 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 NEW YORK (PIX11)Are you looking for an apartment on StreetEasy? As of Wednesday, their website has changed: the no-fee button has been removed. This is because the forced brokers fee is now a thing of the past, as the FARE Act has gone into effect. The new law prohibits brokers who represent landlords from charging broker fees to tenants, according to the New York City Consumer and Worker Protection Office. More Local News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Landlords and their agents must also disclose all fees tenants must pay in their apartment listings and rental agreements. Today is a historic day in New York City real estate, marking a major step forward in improving housing affordability for the citys renters. The FARE Act has modernized the rental process to finally bring our city in line with nearly every other city in the country, removing an unnecessary barrier to provide immediate financial relief to renters and make it easier for them to understand what they can afford. StreetEasy spokesperson Before the FARE Act was enacted, New York City and Boston were the only major US cities where tenants could be responsible for paying broker fees. What do I do if Im being charged for a broker I didnt hire? If a landlord or an agent tries to charge a fee for a broker the renter did not hire, they can be reported to the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP). If residents see a listing that says an agent is working as a prospective tenant broker or any rental listing that still has a broker fee, they are encouraged to report it to the DCWP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To read more on how to report landlords who still charge broker fees after, click here. Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see 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 PIX11. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) For over 100 years, farmers and local vendors have gathered each weekend to sell their products in town. This photo from July 1912 shows what the farmers market first looked like when it was established near the Calvary Cathedral near Phillips Avenue. New Spring Creek owner shares golf course plans Throughout the decades, the market has changed locations and sizes. In the 1970s, the market went by the name of Downtown Farmers Market or Open Air Farmers Market and was held near what used to be the pedestrian mall on Phillips Avenue between 9th and 11th street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The owner of Sweetgrass Soapery, Miranda Koltze, has spent the last 10 summers selling her handmade products and says not much has changed when thinking about why people come every weekend. I dont think weve broken tradition that much. I know there were probably bakers, there were probably soap makers, there is definitely lots of produce. We dont use horse and buggy anymore so thats probably one of the biggest changes, Koltze said. Now located in Falls Park, Koltze shares how shes seen the market change within the last decade. Its been amazing to see the growth and I think when COVID came around is really what kind of was the catalyst for that, Koltze said. We had to spread out, and then once we spread out, took up more space, we realized theres so much more potential here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alissas Flower and Design has been at the market for over 20 years and notes its changed drastically since entering the 21st century. There was about 15 vendors back in 2000. We were here at Falls Park there was a maintenance shed that was close to the Blue Moon bar. Its gone now and it was just a gravel lot and we all had our tents and set up there, Alissas Flower and Designs Nathan Van Zweden said. Currently, the market has 40 unique booths, the most its ever had. Vanzweden is part of the famers market board that helps curate what booths come to sell. Theres quite a few hours that go into placing the booth where they all have to be. Make sure they all fit together, Van Zweden said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even 100 years later, John Wesselius with The Cornucopia says hes not surprised farmers markets have stood the test of time. Its about the feeling that you have when youre here. Local food, local people, local ambiance, local fragrances, local flavors, people, relationships, Wesselius said. His produce booth has been at the market for 20 years as he believes its his passion in life to provide food for others. I love doing what I do, Wesselius said. We grow vegetables. We try to grow vegetables year round, and we sell in the wintertime. This is what we do. We provide people with food. This year marks Elsa Fokkens fifth summer selling Songbird Kombucha each Saturday. She says markets like these are essential for local owners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our business couldnt have existed without the farmers market. I want to see this market thrive. I want to see it survive. I want to see it withstand. I want to see it grow with time, Fokken said. As vendors today reflect on the business owners from years past. Thinking 100 years ago and the nature of shopping had to feel so much different. So who knows if shopping 100 years ago was as bustling, as happy, as joyful as communal. But honestly, Id like to think that it was, Fokken said. There are folks that come every single week and do their grocery shopping or get their basic needs here, Koltze said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the market hopes to continue growing for years to come. I can only imagine well just be taking over the whole park eventually, Koltze said. Later this year the Falls Park Farmers Market will hold its first ever winter farmers market every other weekend at the Mosaic Arts & Events center in Sioux Falls. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. U.S. President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attend an event in the East Room of the White House on May 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. Credit - Chip SomodevillaGetty Images On May 11, 2023, President Joseph Biden ended the COVID-19 public health emergency, calling an finish to the pandemic. By the end of 2023, COVID-19 claimed the lives of over 20 million people around the world. But through international cooperation and evidence-based science, vaccines were developed and the world moved on. Indeed, perhaps the biggest success of the period was the quick production of a COVID-19 vaccine. The research behind the mRNA vaccine had been ongoing since the 1970s, but the emergency of the pandemic and international sharing of knowledge helped bring the vaccine to fruition. Today, the COVID-19 vaccine has been credited with saving 2.4 million lives around the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But now, the U.S. is choosing competition over cooperation. With President Donald Trumps day one executive order to leave the World Health Organization (WHO)blaming their COVID-19 responseand the shuttering of USAID, the country is taking steps towards further dividing health efforts across the globe. Here in the U.S., a sudden end to $11.4 billion of covid-related grants is stifling national pandemic preparedness efforts on the local and state levels. And most recently, Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. purged experts from the CDC Advisory Committee, putting lives at risk. Historical lessons demonstrate the need for global health infrastructure that works together, shares knowledge, and remembers that pathogens do not stop at borders. Read More: White House's Pandemic Office, Busy With Bird Flu, May Shrink Under Trump One of the greatest global health achievements of all timesmallpox eradicationprovides a perfect example of what can be done with independent scientific research and international cooperation. During the Cold War between the U.S. and USSR, decades of tension brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. Yet, incredibly, the nations managed to find common ground to support the efforts of smallpox eradication. Indeed, they understood the strategic benefits that came from letting public health practitioners and scientists work outside of political divides. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The WHO was founded after World War II in 1948. Its formation marked a move from international health, that focused on nations, to global health, that would serve humanity first. The WHOs first eradication effort was the failed, U.S.-backed, Malaria Eradication Program from 1955 to 1969. The Smallpox Eradication Program, with intensive efforts beginning in 1967, provided a chance for redemption for the U.S. and WHO. For the United States, investing in disease eradication and poverty helped to mitigate growing backlash against the Vietnam War. In June of 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson stated, I propose to dedicate this year to finding new techniques for making man's knowledge serve man's welfare. He called for 1965the same year he ordered ground troops to Vietnam to stop the spread of communism to be a year of international cooperation that could bypass the politics of the Cold War. Previously, the USSR did not participate in the U.S. and WHOs first, failed global eradication plan for malaria. But upon rejoining the WHO in 1956, it was the Soviets who made the first call and investment into global eradication of smallpox in 1958. The WHO functioning as a mediator was crucial to allowing the USSR and the U.S. to work together. It allowed both nations to avoid giving credit to each other; rather success went to science itself. President Johnson called this a turning point away from man against man towards man against nature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The limited role of politicians in the program proved to be key to its success. Scientists made decisions and worked togetherno matter what country they came fromby focusing on disease and vaccination, not international tensions. The Soviet-initiated program was lead by Donald A. Henderson, a U.S. epidemiologist, who worked alongside the Russians until the last case of smallpox occurred in Somalia on October 26, 1977. During the 20th century, smallpox was responsible for an estimated 300 to 500 million deaths. Smallpox was officially declared eradicated by the WHO in October 1980, and is today still the only human disease to achieve this distinction. Less than a year after the declaration of smallpox eradication, the emergence of another pandemic, the HIV/AIDS crisis, reinforced the importance of science-first cooperation over politically-driven decision making. In June 1981, the first cases of a new unknown disease were reported in the CDCs Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. In short order, gay men were stigmatized and blamed in what would become one of the biggest public health disasters of all time. It took years of grassroots science-based activism to move beyond HIV/AIDS victim-blaming and find medical solutions. Read More: The Poster Child for AIDS Obscured as Much About the Crisis as He Revealed Too often, governments across the globe placed blame on the gay community for their sins and did not provide needed support, leaving the sick to suffer and die. The pharmaceutical companies profited from the limited medications they had available and did not pursue sufficient development. The FDA process for new drugs was scheduled to take nine years, at a time when life expectancy after receiving an HIV/AIDS diagnosis was one year. These issues sparked activism, spawning the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) in 1987. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ACT UP organizers took science into their own hands and began educating themselves. Members began reading scientific journals religiously, learning the chemistry and epidemiology of drug manufacturing and clinical trials. Members learned how to translate these dense scientific messages to educate the community members on what wasand what was notbeing done to help. Because of this work, the FDA changed policies to allow for new treatments to be tested at accelerated rates in times of emergency. ACT UP was able to shift the cultural blame showing that the issue was a result of politics getting in the way of scientific advancements. By 1990, ACT UP influenced the largest federal HIV program to pass Congress, the Ryan White CARE Act. This program was a vital precursor to the 2003 PEPFAR (The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) global initiative. Both of these histories offer a powerful lesson: global health is national health, and national health is local health. With the recent funding cuts from the U.S. government, the future of global health is going in an unknown direction. And yet, the occurrence of pandemics is expected to increase in frequency due to climate change, mass migration, urbanization, and ecosystem destruction. It has been estimated that there is about a 25% chance we will have another COVID-sized pandemic within the next 10 years. No matter how secure the world makes borders, history shows that it can not protect us from disease if we do not have a strong, interconnected public health infrastructure. Luke Jorgensen is a Master of Public Health student at Purdue University where his epidemiology research examines human migration and infectious disease. Made by History takes readers beyond the headlines with articles written and edited by professional historians. Learn more about Made by History at TIME here. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors. Write to Made by History at madebyhistory@time.com. Image via Getty Images Arizonas Democratic governor has vetoed a GOP-backed bill that would ban the teaching of antisemitism in public schools and universities and allow teachers to be personally sued for alleged violations. Critics claimed the proposal would put public school teachers, and comprehensive teaching about the Holocaust, at risk. House Bill 2867 sought to ban Arizonas public K-12 teachers and university professors from teaching antisemitism in their classrooms, and make it illegal for schools to provide antisemitic professional development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But combating antisemitism was just a smokescreen, Gov. Katie Hobbs wrote in her veto letter. Unfortunately, this bill is not about antisemitism; its about attacking our teachers, Hobbs wrote. It puts an unacceptable level of personal liability in place for our public school, community college, and university educators and staff, opening them up to threats of personally costly lawsuits. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Sponsored by Rep. Michael Way, R-Queen Creek, the bill would have allowed students or their parents to bring civil lawsuits against teachers who they claim violated the law. It would have required teachers to be held personally liable for damages, exempting antisemitism from laws that generally shield teachers from being sued for what they teach in the classroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A handful of Democratic legislators also voted to pass HB2867, including sisters Alma and Consuelo Hernandez, who are both Jewish and have a history of support for Israel and advocacy for expanding laws to combat antisemitism. The bills creation was spurred by increased antisemitism that occurred across the country and in Arizona after Hamass brutal Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that left more than 1,200 dead and 240 kidnapped, and Israels violent and ongoing response to it. If youre pretending that this (antisemitism in schools) does not happen, shame on you, because it does and its problematic, Alma Hernandez said before the final vote in the House of Representatives on June 4. it is not your right to tell us what is offensive and what isnt antisemitism. Lori Shepherd, the executive director of the Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center, asked Hobbs to veto the bill to ensure that teachers can continue with comprehensive lessons about the Holocaust and its aftermath. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Teaching the Holocaust is not simple, Shepherd wrote in a June 6 letter to Hobbs. It requires confronting moral ambiguity, exploring the roots of hatred, and examining how propaganda, nationalism, and apathy paved the way to genocide. It also invites students to ask tough questions about the legacy of the Holocaust todayquestions that often touch on the history of Zionism, the founding of the State of Israel, and the persistence of global antisemitism. During a Feb. 18 House Education Committee hearing, Republican Rep. Matt Gress, of Phoenix, said he didnt interpret HB2867 as possibly interfering with education about the Holocaust. Hate should not be existing inside of our schools, Gress said. And I think this bill moves in that direction. The definition of antisemitism used in the bill is a controversial one created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance that includes claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour as an example of antisemitism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even Ken Stern, who helped to draft the definition 20 years ago when he was the American Jewish Committees antisemitism expert, now advocates against its use in legal matters, arguing that it has been used as a blunt instrument to label anyone an antisemite. When Sen. Mitzi Epstein of Tempe, whose husband is Jewish, proposed an amendment to the bill to ban the teaching of various other types of discrimination, remove personal civil liability for teachers and apply the law to both public and private schools, it was voted down along party lines. Hobbs wrote in her veto letter that parents and students can already report allegations of unprofessional conduct from teachers to the State Board of Education. I am confident that by using those tools, we can fulfill our moral and legal responsibility to eradicate hate and discrimination in our public school system, she wrote. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE When Governor Kathy Hochul abruptly hit the brakes in January on a sweeping program to price pollution, she said the state needed more time to get it right. Holding off on the cap and invest program would allow more space and time for public transparency, her 2025 agenda briefing book promised. The image shows a collage with Kathy Hochul in the foreground and grey smokestacks in the background, with dollar signs among the smokestacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later that month, the thenhead of the states Department of Environmental Conservation told lawmakers that the agency would continue the robust stakeholder engagement we have had over the past few months on New Yorks plan to ratchet down pollution while raising billions for the transition to clean energy. Four months on, theres little sign that Hochuls administration has continued those efforts. Climate advocates who had discussed details of cap and invest with state officials late last year as Hochul prepared to launch the long-anticipated program told New York Focus they havent heard anything from the administration since then about the core parts of the program. Instead, DEC is focused on a narrower component of it: creating rules for how companies would be required to report their greenhouse gas emissions. The agency published a draft version in late March, and held hearings on those rules this week, as part of a mandatory public review process marking the states first public forum on cap and invest since Hochuls about-face in January. Climate groups and legislators rallied outside hearings in Syracuse and Albany on Tuesday and Wednesday, and are planning to do the same in New York City next week, demanding that Hochuls administration release the full regulations to implement the carbon pricing program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DEC spokesperson Lori Severino said the reporting regulation lays the foundation for a future cap-and-invest program. But the centerpiece of the program an auction system requiring companies to pay for the right to pollute remains on hold. (Cap and invest, as proposed over the last two years, hinged on three pieces of regulation: the reporting rule, as well as one to determine which emissions polluters to charge and another to structure how the auctions should run.) DEC did not provide any examples of recent stakeholder engagement on that front, except to note that web portals soliciting public comments on how cap and invest funds should be raised and spent remain open. Nor has Hochuls administration sought meetings behind the scenes, according to several groups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I havent heard anything recently, said Conor Bambrick, senior climate adviser at the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance. He was one of many climate advocates who met with the Hochul administration in December, when officials were seeking to build support for the expected announcement of cap and invest rules in January. Our coalition members continue to try and engage with the executive around the urgent need to move forward with cap and invest this year, said Stephan Edel, executive director of the climate justice coalition NY Renews. Its frustrating how little weve heard from the governor on a program that would benefit residents statewide. One climate advocate, who requested anonymity due to ongoing dealings with the administration, said that some staff at the state energy authority NYSERDA who had been working on cap and invest outreach had been moved to other projects. (A NYSERDA spokesperson said staff routinely work on multiple projects at a time.) Alongside its work on the technical regulations, NYSERDA led sessions last August and September seeking feedback particularly from environmental justice groups on how to spend the proceeds from cap and invest. Regulators laid out a framework for the investments and specific prompts for written comments, asking for replies by the end of last September. Officials said the feedback would help inform the states budget for this fiscal year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But with cap and invest on pause, lawmakers instead agreed this spring on a one-time, $1 billion pot of climate funding from the states general budget more than the state had ever committed before, but less than the $3 billion cap and invest was expected to raise in its first year. NYSERDA has not continued its outreach on a longer-term spending plan. Vanessa Fajans-Turner, executive director of the group Environmental Advocates NY said that her organization, like others, hasnt gotten any recent updates from state officials on the overall cap and invest program. But she sees the emissions reporting rule as a step in the right direction. This reporting rule is progress and were glad to see DEC taking steps to hold polluters accountable. But we have to be honest with ourselves: knowing whos polluting doesnt stop the pollution, Fajans-Turner said in a statement Wednesday. New Yorks climate law required that the state issue regulations to meet its binding emissions targets by the beginning of 2024, and cap and invest was designed to help meet it. Many advocates were willing to give regulators longer to fine tune the program, as long as it was clear they were making progress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now that Hochul has hit the brakes, its a different story. Four climate groups sued the state in late March in a bid to get the program back on track. Bambrick, of the Environmental Justice Alliance, said there was no reason to wait for a final reporting rule to move ahead with the rest of the program. (His group is not party to the lawsuit.) This was pitched as three sets of regulations that needed to move forward. They can all move forward together, he said. Were running out of time. These should have been implemented a year and a half ago, and wed like to see them start to move forward now. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said June 10 he has no intention of stepping down despite calls by multiple members of the City-County Council for his resignation. The mayor is dealing with fallout from an investigation about how he handled sexual harassment allegations in his office by his former chief of staff, and a revelation about his own late-night, personal texts to two younger women who said they felt uncomfortable receiving the messages. Hogsett spoke with IndyStar over the phone the day after an explosive City-County Council meeting where his former deputy campaign manager Lauren Roberts was forcibly dragged out of council chambers by sheriff's deputies while trying to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roberts has alleged Hogsett's former right-hand-man Thomas Cook sexually harassed and abused her about a decade ago while the two worked on Hogsetts first mayoral campaign. Two other women have said they were sexually harassed or assaulted by Cook, who served as chief of staff and helped lead Hogsett's campaigns, while he was their boss over the period of about a decade. More: 'I kept saying no': Women accuse top Hogsett aide of preying on subordinates for years Cook also had a relationship with another subordinate city worker, which led to him resigning from the city back in 2020. Hogsett allowed Cook to stay on for 68 days and resign despite a recommendation from the citys human resources director that he be fired immediately. Hogsett responded to several questions IndyStar raised, including about the texts he sent to younger women, which he acknowledged made them uncomfortable. In the same conversation, he categorically denied a city-county councilor's allegation that he was "visibly impaired" during a meeting in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mayor also said people have lost sight of the most important issues that he wanted to tackle during the remainder of his third term, which ends in 2028. The transcript of the interview is below. It's been edited for brevity and clarity. IndyStar: Three councilors at this point have called for your resignation. Do you think you can effectively lead the city under these circumstances? Hogsett: Yes I do, and I certainly have no intent to resign. We just have still so much important work to do, not only to ensure the confidentiality and the safety of every employee, but my focus and that of the administration for the remainder of my term will be on the promises that we made to create economic and social vitality and growth for the people of Indianapolis. So there's a lot more that needs to be done, and I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and get about the business of the next two and a half years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IndyStar: You recently said that Cook didn't work with anyone on your 2023 mayoral campaign, but Mirror Indy reported that there's evidence that Cook did work with people directly during your campaign. Why did you say the opposite? Hogsett: Well, I think what I said was that Thomas Cook was an unpaid political adviser on my campaign until I became aware of Caroline Ellert's concerns and her complaints about Thomas Cook. My comment was about his contact with city employees after we removed him in September of 2023. IndyStar: You indicated to Fisher Phillips investigators that you didn't know any personal details about Lauren Roberts, but the text messages between the two of you make it appear that you do know personal details about her, including her then-partner's name and calling her "feisty." What happened there? Hogsett: I didn't recall during the course of my conversation with the folks from Fisher Phillips. I didn't recall. It's been, with respect, 12 years ago or 11 years ago, and how I answered that question in the conversation and the interview that they conducted with me, I stand corrected obviously. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But my point is this: I did not intentionally mislead anyone. I may not have recalled it during the course of the interview. The interview itself was over five hours long, so there was a lot of questions and answers in that interview. But that would be my explanation for whatever discrepancies may appear after the fact. IndyStar: Do you think that you acted over the line with Lauren Roberts or Caroline Ellert in the text messages that they provided to investigators? Hogsett: Um, well, I would respond to that question by saying that governing a city and campaigning for that matter has become a 24-hour endeavor. And frankly, I think it has become easier to develop a casual conversation style with those who you happen to work very closely with. And I worked very closely with Caroline Ellert, certainly, during the course of my awareness and knowledge of her. She was an adviser to me. She was the Marion County Democratic Party executive director, so I relied on her and asked for her advice probably with some frequency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, I want to be clear, I do understand even though it was not my intention to make anyone uncomfortable I do understand now how my words could have been taken out of context. IndyStar: Did you have a habit of texting younger employees personal matters? Are these the only text messages out there, or do you think there are other instances in which you texted other younger women about things such as poetry or their boyfriends? Hogsett: I did not make it a habit of texting anybody in particular at any particular point in time. I'm simply underscoring the fact that I think that most people who work in government and who work on campaigns in particular are used to a 24-hour cycle. That may strike others who go to bed every night at 9 o'clock and get up at 7 o'clock in the morning, that may strike them as odd, but it was not my intent to cause anybody any discomfort or make them feel uncomfortable. It was simply, at least in the case of Caroline Ellert, that I have a greater memory of because it is more recent, it was never my intent to make her feel uncomfortable. But I do in retrospect understand how that may have been something that I change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IndyStar: One of the big points that Fisher Phillips noted was that Cook was allowed to resign more than two months after a recommendation that he be fired back in 2020. Why did you allow him to resign after 68 days? Hogsett: It was based on the information that I was working with at the time. That's the way all my decisions as it related to Thomas Cook's engagement, either in my office or with the campaign, they were always made with what I knew at the time. If I knew then what I know now, perhaps my decision in fact my decision would have been different. But I was operating with what I knew at the time. IndyStar: Councilor Joshua Bain raised an allegation that you appeared to be visibly impaired in a May 15, 2024, meeting with him. He said he witnessed you stumble into a room, have trouble sitting down. Do you dispute the accuracy of that incident, and were you impaired? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hogsett: No, I was not. I categorically deny that. IndyStar: This is not the first time that allegations of substance abuse have been made. Have you ever been impaired or under the influence while serving as mayor? Hogsett: No. IndyStar: Have you ever sought any treatment for substance abuse? Hogsett: No. We're collectively losing sight of what is most important, and that's continuing to create a safer, more accountable working environment for all city employees. That is my focus. That is my standard. And that's what I'll stick to. IndyStar: You agree that a safe working environment is important. Many people who attended last night's council meeting have said that with you in a leadership position, they feel like it would be impossible to have a safe working environment. I wonder how you'll deal with those concerns and those doubts moving forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hogsett: Well, what happened last night was regrettable. But to reiterate something I said just a moment ago, we've lost sight of the most important thing here. We have already made strides in continuing to approve and strengthen city policies and training to create a safer and more accountable work environment for all city employees. It's something my administration has already been taking steps to do, and we will redouble and continue. Email IndyStar Reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09. Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, by IndyStar political and government reporter. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mayor responds to texts: 'It was not my intent to make anyone uncomfortable' HOLMES COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) The Holmes County Sheriffs Office deputies arrested two individuals at a residence on Beall Packing Road on Tuesday. According to a HCSO Facebook post, authorities responded to a residence regarding suspected illegal drug activity and to locate Casey Atkinson, who has active felony warrants. HCSO said that when they arrived, they made contact with Waylon Lolley, the homeowner, who stated that Atkinson was not at the residence and admitted to knowing she had active felony warrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Florida Department of Corrections probation officer was also on scene and observed Atkinson running into a back room of the residence. Authorities safely detained Atkinson without incident. HCSO said that while on the scene, authorities developed probable cause to obtain a search warrant for the residence. During the search, they found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia associated with illegal drug use. Lolley was arrested and charged with Possession of Methamphetamine, Harboring a Fugitive and Violation of Probation. Atkinson was taken into custody on her outstanding warrants. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Las Vegas(KLAS)-Holsteins Shakes & Buns, the home of outrageous burgers and over-the-top milkshakes, is bringing the party downtown. The Las Vegas-born favorite opened the doors of its brand-new location in the heart of the Arts District at 1216 S. Main St. on Thursday, May 29. The crew dropped into the Las Vegas Now Kitchen with a taste of their menu. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is overhauling its US advisory division, expanding its segments from four to eight to improve industry-specific offerings, The Wall Street Journal reported. These modifications will be implemented on 1 July 2025, as the firm reacts to a resurgence in demand for advisory services. The revised structure will incorporate managed services within each advisory segment, rather than keeping it as a standalone unit. This adjustment aims to deliver more cohesive support for clients in areas such as information technology and human resources. At present, PwC's advisory divisions comprise deals, cyber, risk and regulation, technology and business modernisation, alongside managed services. The reorganisation will result in the cyber, risk and regulation division being divided into two separate areas, while the tech transformation division will be split into five distinct platforms, the report said. PwC indicated that these changes are intended to address client needs for specialised support. The firm has confirmed that no job cuts are anticipated as part of this restructuring, and it is actively seeking to fill thousands of advisory positions. This recruitment drive follows a series of layoffs, with PwC eliminating around 1,800 roles last autumn, marking its first formal job reductions since 2009, according to the news agency. Additionally, the company has also reduced its workforce by approximately 1,500 positions in May 2025, primarily affecting the audit and tax sectors. The restructuring is part of a wider strategy led by US leader Paul Griggs to enhance operational efficiency. Griggs has previously streamlined processes and reverted the US unit back to three business lines, reinstating tax as a distinct entity. PwC's global advisory revenue rose 3.1% for the year ending June 2024, the slowest growth rate since 2020. The firm aims to strengthen its consulting capabilities, particularly in e-commerce, through collaborations with major corporations such as Microsoft and Salesforce. Managed services will now collaborate closely with the eight platforms, integrating their expertise into client operations. Tim Canonico is set to succeed Nikki Parham as the leader of managed services, as she retires at the end of the month. The restructuring underscores PwC's commitment to adapting to market demands and enhancing its service offerings in a competitive environment. The firm continues to prioritise individual performance as a crucial element of its operational strategy. "PwC revamps US advisory division" was originally created and published by International Accounting Bulletin, a GlobalData owned brand. HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) Holyoke Community College (HCC) is offering a free 12-week training course this summer on artificial intelligence. The program, titled AI Essentials, is being launched in partnership with the non-profit organization CanCode Communities. The class will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 24 to September 11 from 5:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. These western Massachusetts cities awarded funding to boost protection against cyberattacks Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Participants will get the opportunity to learn about the practical applications of AI, such as prompt engineering, tokenization, model structures, ethics, and more. They will also learn to use leveraging tools, including Google AI Studio, n8n, and OpenWebUI, to delve further into how AI models are built and trained for real-world use. Along the way, participants will gain valuable professional development experience, enhancing their technical skills and problem-solving abilities, said Arvard Lingham, HCC Executive Director of Community Education and Corporate Training. The class is free to eligible Massachusetts residents, with tuition assistance available for qualified residents age 18 and older. Limited seats are offered, and laptops and WiFi hotspots for Internet access will be provided for students who require them. This program is being funded by the Western Mass Alliance for Digital Equity. Those interested in signing up for the class can email admissions@albanycancode.org or visit cancode.org. 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. DENVER (KDVR) Denver Public Schools lawsuit filed against the Department of Homeland Security in February has been dismissed without prejudice, according to the district. In a press release, DPS said that two parties mutually agreed to dismiss the lawsuit on Monday. The suit sought to stop Homeland Securitys revocation of schools as a sensitive location, preventing immigration enforcement actions. One taken to hospital, dog dead after house fire in Parker Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suit was in response to a press release from Homeland Security announcing several policies had been rescinded, including guidelines for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents enforcement actions that restricted immigration actions at sensitive locations, which included schools, churches and hospitals. The announcement did not include details of the new policy. DPS sought to have the new policys language released through the lawsuit, and in March, a judge did not grant the school districts request for a temporary restraining order on the matter, which would have prohibited DHS enforcement under the purportedly revised policy, the district wrote in a press release. The district said Homeland Security released the guidance requested in the districts Freedom of Information Act claim in oral arguments for the case, resulting in DHS publishing the new policy, and admitted that the policy had not been fundamentally changed from the previous version, DPS stated Tuesday. This was another significant victory for DPS and school districts nationwide, as the Department of Homeland Security admitted in federal court that the policy had not been changed in a meaningful way and that schools remained protected as sensitive locations. This fact was not previously known, DPS said in a press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colorado senators introduce bill to limit immigration arrests at sensitive locations The suit can be refiled should any immigration enforcement action be made on school property or near a school. DPS also noted that it was represented pro bono, thus not incurring any costs for the lawsuit. In DPS, we strive to provide safe and welcoming environments for ALL of our students, the districts message stated. Those words are not hollow, but rather, carefully selected. Students cannot learn unless they feel safe and welcome in our schools. We owe that to them. The district said it would not hesitate to renew its legal battle should circumstances change. 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. Bedford Police are investigating the death of a 62-year-old homeless man who appears to have been run over while sleeping under a tractor-trailer truck at the Hannaford Supermarket on South River Road. Police responded just after 5:40 a.m. to the store at 7 Kilton Road for a report of an individual who appeared to have been run over by a tractor-trailer, according to a news release. The 62-year-old man was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver was identified and is cooperating with police, according to the news release. The incident remains under investigation by the Bedford Police Department and New Hampshire State Police. HONOLULU (KHON2) The Wildest Show at the Honolulu Zoo is ready to kick off its concert series. Bring the ohana for ono food and kid activities after hours at the zoo. Spectra Fest bringing the community together You can enjoy music from the Henry Kapono Foundation featuring up and coming local musicians through their On the Rise program. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Legendary headliners will perform right after such as Henry Kapono, Makaha Sons, and Jerry Santos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gates open at 4:30 p.m. with pre concert activities and the music will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news Need your tickets? Go to honoluluzoo.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 KHON2. A federal judge sentenced a 28-year-old Hooksett man to 7 years in prison for distributing methamphetamine, officials said Tuesday. Gavel Erik Pena pleaded guilty in February to two counts of distribution of a controlled substance. In addition to his prison term, Pena faces three years of supervised release, according to a written news release from acting U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire Jay McCormack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023 and 2024, law enforcement officers purchased more than 2 pounds of methamphetamine from Pena, according to court documents and statements made in court. Investigators found distribution-level quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, as well as four firearms, ammunition, and body armor while searching Penas stash house, officials said. Additional fentanyl pills were found at Penas home, investigators said. The distribution of methamphetamine devastates communities, fuels addiction, and endangers public safety, McCormack said. Drug trafficking will not be tolerated in New Hampshire. The FBIs Major Offender Task Force led the investigation. State Police and the Hooksett Police Department assisted. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) A Shelby County man who owned and operated a chiropractic practice in Hoover pled guilty to tax evasion and obstructing the IRS in federal court Monday. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Gary Forrest Edwards did not file income tax returns for many years. He filed tax returns for 2009-13 in 2015. On a tax return filed for 2017, Edwards reported he owed over $2.5 million in taxes. Despite the admission, court documents and evidence admitted at trial showed Edwards never paid the taxes he reported due. He also did not pay the interest and penalties assessed against him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why is a grand jury asking for e-cigarettes not to be sold at the Walker County Jail anymore? Edwards, who owned and operated Hoover Health and Wellness Center, thwarted the IRS efforts to assess and collect taxes against him, according to the DOJ. He hid financial accounts from the IRS and took funds from his accounts to those only in his spouses name. He also submitted false court documents to terminate federal tax liens against his property and lying to IRS criminal investigators. The DOJ stated Edwards faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for tax evasion and up to three years in prison for obstructing the IRS. He also could be sentenced to a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. U.S. District Court Judge Anna Manasco for the Northern District of Alabama will determine any sentence. Edwards is set to be sentenced later in 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 CBS 42. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) A 35-year-old wanted man was arrested and charged with theft of property after a traffic stop last week in Horizon City, Horizon City Police said in a news release. Horizon City Police said Sean Lawrence Payne was arrested on Thursday evening, June 5, and was charged with theft of property. He was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility under a $1,500 bond. Shortly after 9 p.m. on Thursday, officers conducted a traffic stop along the 200 block of Horizon Crossing for an equipment violation, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said officers conducted a routine warrant check for Payne, who had an outstanding warrant for theft of property. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) Driven in part by a violent string of May crimes, Horry County crime rates are on a record-breaking track, Chief Kris Leonhardt told officials Tuesday. Through the first quarter of 2025 that ended March 31, authorities took more than 121 pounds of drugs off the street, seized nearly $138,000 worth of assets, arrested 55 fugitives and took 59 firearms. Our officers are out there doing the work, getting things done, identifying folks and getting charges on these cases, Leonhardt said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leonhardt said 10 known Blood gang members were also arrested after police broke up a crime ring in the Little River area earlier this year. May was a particularly grueling month with a spate of high-profile incidents including a mass shooting in Little River, disciplinary action against several officers tied to the 2022 road rage death of Scott Spivey and multiple home invasions in the Conway area. Thank you for the great work that the Horry County Police Departments doing. Youve had a lot of distractions the last couple of months. Youve put up with a lot of crap, but I appreciate the great job, council member Tom Anderson said. I think the gross majority of our police are professionals, and Im on your team and in favor of you. Public safety administrator Randall Webster said events like Memorial Day weekend, motorcycle rallies and the Myrtle Beach Classic already require a heavier law enforcement presence, but over the past couple of years its been even more of a challenge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The call volume is increasing every year, and the incident types are getting more severe each and every year, he said. Councilwoman Jenna Dukes said shes concerned about the crime spike and strain it has on law enforcement. May is getting bigger and bigger, like you said. And we did have a few incidents that could have went another direction. So as we move into next year, can we just take a deeper look at May and how its affecting us, both manpower and financially, she said. Honestly, I mean, people are exhausted. * * * Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * * * Shelby Martin is a multimedia journalist who joined the News13 team in May 2025. Shelby is from Orange County, California, and graduated in 2023 from California State University, Fullerton. You can read 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 WBTW. 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? House Republicans have finalized changes to the party-line tax and spending package the chamber passed last month necessary to keep the bill in compliance with Senate rules. The amendment, which House Republicans teed up in the Rules Committee Tuesday evening and plan to adopt on the floor Wednesday, would among other things nix a policy cracking down on the fraud-plagued employee retention tax credit created during the pandemic. Republicans were relying on this provision to recoup $6.3 billion in savings to offset the massive legislation. House GOP leaders are also scrapping $2 billion for Pentagon military intelligence programs and more than $500 million for developing missiles, a decision that especially irked many House GOP lawmakers. But the tweaks were informed by conversations with Senate Republicans and the Senate parliamentarian, who flagged certain provisions that would cause the bill to lose its "privilege" and its ability to be passed at a simple-majority bar. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even though Senate Republicans are making their own changes to the package, the issues with the House-passed version needed to be resolved before the measure was officially sent to the Senate to guarantee the bill wouldn't lose its power to skirt the filibuster. It all underscores the difficult choices Republicans have to make to ensure they don't lose their best chance to pass President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," with a self-imposed deadline of July 4. The amendment House Republicans plan to approve this week would change a policy in their original legislation that would have ended some increased SNAP nutrition assistance for households that also qualify for subsidies to help cover the cost of heating and cooling their homes. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) complained about that piece of the House plan. Republicans are also forgoing a contentious provision that would have reversed the Biden administrations moves to bar mining near Minnesotas Boundary Waters wilderness, where a company called Twin Metals has long sought to mine copper and nickel. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Republicans are, as well, abandoning the extension of a policy that requires federal agencies to procure a certain amount of biofuels or bio-based products. So the House doesn't have to vote again on passage of the tax and spending package that was difficult to whip the first time, the changes will be adopted through a fast-track tactic: By approving a resolution to tee up floor debate on a separate bill, the House will also be voting to amend the megabill before it is officially transmitted to the Senate. In the coming weeks, Senate Republicans will begin to receive "Byrd Bath" rulings from the Senate parliamentarian, flagging additional policies that don't work under the special rules. The most well-known type of violation is policies that don't have a direct impact on federal spending, revenue or the debt limit. James Bikales, Brian Faler, Benjamin Guggenheim, Grace Yarrow and Nicholas Wu contributed to this report. This story was originally published on Retail Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Retail Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: U.S. retailers eliminated close to 76,000 jobs in the first five months of the year, an increase of 274% from the same period in 2024, according to a report released Thursday by Challenger, Gray & Christmas. A total of 11,483 retail jobs were cut in May, compared to 7,235 in April. Job cuts across all U.S. employers in May 93,816 were down 12% from April but still 47% higher than May of 2024. So far this year, retail job losses rank second behind government job cuts, most of which were attributed to eliminations by the Department of Government Efficiency. Technology ranked just behind retail with almost 75,000 job losses since the beginning of the year, per the report. Dive Insight: Job cuts are surging in both retail and the broader market in the first half of the year. A total of 696,309 jobs were lost across all sectors through the end of May, an 80% jump over the same period in 2024. Tariffs, funding cuts, consumer spending, and overall economic pessimism are putting intense pressure on companies workforces, Andrew Challenger, senior vice president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said in a statement. Companies are spending less, slowing hiring, and sending layoff notices. A number of prominent retail brands have recently announced layoffs, including Nike which cut a number of employees from its global tech team in May as it shifted around responsibilities for certain work. That came on the heels of the footwear giant cutting 2% of its workforce last year. Also in May, Walmart slashed 1,500 jobs in its global tech and U.S. operations departments in an effort to streamline and be more efficient. And the Procter & Gamble Company said on Thursday that it would trim upwards of 7,000 jobs, or 15% of its nonmanufacturing workforce. Despite the continuing flow of cuts, the hiring sector proved to be resilient. Employment increased by 139,000 in May and the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.2%, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retail itself showed little change in employment in May, per that report. Challenger also found that employers were slightly more proactive in planned hires through May than in 2024, though plans are still historically low compared to prior years. The current 2025 hiring pace is more aligned with [2012 and 2013] than with the rebound years of 20212022, suggesting that, while companies are adding workers, they are doing so cautiously, Challenger said in the report. The House Oversight Committee has scheduled voluntary transcribed interview with four Biden White House aides as it investigates whether there was a cover-up of President Bidens mental state, according to a committee aide. The confirmed interviews come as the panel has expanded the reach of its probe, asking top aides to sit with the committees investigative staff. Neera Tanden, the former director of the Domestic Policy Council, will sit for an interview June 24, while Anthony Bernal, a former assistant to the president and senior adviser to the first lady, will do so June 26. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next month, Ashley Williams, the former special assistant to the president and deputy director of Oval Office Operations, will sit with staff for a July 11 interview, while Annie Tomasini, a former assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff will appear July 18. Last week Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) subpoenaed Bidens White House doctor, Kevin OConnor, for a deposition on June 27. The day prior, Comer sent letters demanding interviews to former chief-of-staff Ron Klain, senior adviser Anita Dunn, former counselor Steve Ricchetti, and aides Michael Donilon and Bruce Reed. The scope of your responsibilities both official and otherwise and personal interactions within the Oval Office cannot go without investigation. If White House staff carried out a strategy lasting months or even years to hide the chief executives condition or to perform his duties Congress may need to consider a legislative response, Comer wrote in a letter to Klain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House also confirmed last week that pardon attorney Ed Martin would be reviewing Bidens pardons for his family members, as well as some other clemencies granted during his final days in 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 The Hill. WASHINGTON The Republican-controlled House is poised to pass a trio of bills this week to repeal Washington, D.C., laws on immigration, voting and policing, even as it has yet to restore a painful $1 billion cut to the city's budget. The House passed two of the bills Tuesday. One would bar noncitizens from voting in local elections in the nation's capital, overturning a Washington law that was passed in 2022. It passed 266-148, with 56 Democrats joining Republicans in support. The other bill would restore collective bargaining rights and a statute of limitations for Washington police officers involved in disciplinary cases. It passed 235-178, with 30 Democrats voting for it and four Republicans voting against it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, on Thursday, the House is expected to pass a third bill, the District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act, which would require the Washington government to comply with requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security to share information and detain undocumented immigrants. Under current Washington law, local authorities do not work with federal immigration officials unless they have judicial warrants. Altogether, the bills represent House Republicans attempt to assert authority over deep-blue Washington at a time when the GOP has unified control of the federal government. Home rule in which the Washington mayor and city council make their own laws but Congress has the ability to review them has long been a point of contention. Democrats have pushed in recent years to grant full statehood to Washington, while Republicans have slammed decisions made by local leaders and sought to reverse them. D.C.s City Council made radical decisions in our nations capital under the Biden-Harris administration, passing local laws that are woefully inconsistent with national standards or constitutional principles, Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee who authored the GOP voting bill, told NBC News in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im proud that the House is taking action to overturn several of these reckless measures including my legislation to prohibit noncitizens from voting in local D.C. elections, he said. At the same time, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Republican leaders have been dragging their feet on a legislative fix for Washington's budget. A government funding bill that Congress passed in March to avert a shutdown included a provision requiring the city to revert to fiscal year 2024 funding levels, leaving it with a $1.1 billion shortfall. The move was quickly met with opposition from local leaders. The Senate voted by unanimous consent in March to undo it and restore Washington's authority to use local tax dollars as its leaders see fit. President Donald Trump endorsed the fix, calling on the House to immediately pass the bill on social media on March 28. But months later, Johnson still hasnt held a vote on the bill, prompting criticism from Democrats and Mayor Muriel Bowser. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its absurd that the House hasnt taken it up. Its absolutely irresponsible, unfair and beneath the credibility of leadership, said Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., who represents a congressional district just outside Washington. Its not our money, its D.C.s money ... and I dont know why the speaker hasnt put the Senate bill on the floor. Itll pass overwhelmingly. This is a particular egregious example of substituting their judgment for those who are locally elected to govern the District of Columbia, Hoyer said. Last month, Johnson told reporters that he was in communication with Bowser and that the House would take up the funding fix as quickly as possible. He said passing Trumps massive domestic policy package had taken up all of our energy and insisted the delay was not for a political purpose. Were working on it right now. Its not like weve closed the door to that, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told NBC News on Tuesday. But obviously there are other problems were trying to resolve along the way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bowsers office denounced the GOP bills to revoke Washington law and while noting that Washington has mitigated the most catastrophic impacts of the budget restrictions urged Congress to pass the funding fix. Mayor Bowser continues to oppose all congressional interference in the lives and affairs of Washingtonians. DC will continue to fight to protect our home rule and self-determination, a Bowser spokesperson said in an email. If Congress wants to be helpful, they should pass the District of Columbia Local Funds Act to fix their damage to DCs FY25 budget. Johnsons office had no comment when it was asked Tuesday when or whether he still plans to hold a vote on the funding fix. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., who is No. 4 in Republican leadership, said, I honestly dont know; I havent heard yes or no, when she was asked whether the funding fix will come up for a vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other congressional Democrats said Republicans should stay out of Washington issues. Its bad enough, usually, when theyre playing in D.C. local, home rule issues, said Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., whose district abuts Washington. But then to do it at a time when they havent returned the $1.1 billion is especially egregious. Immigration has dominated the national political debate this week, with protests erupting in Los Angeles in response to the Trump administrations mass deportation efforts. Republicans said the fight over immigration is a winning issue for the party, and they have continued to lean into it with the legislation on the floor this week. If D.C. wants illegals to vote, weve made it clear at the federal level people here illegally should not vote in any elections, Scalise said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were still the most generous nation in the world in terms of our legal immigration system, he continued, but we have to fix our broken immigration system. And you could just see whats going on in L.A. to prove the point. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com House Republican leaders on Tuesday teed up changes to the big, beautiful bill of President Trumps tax cut and spending priorities that are slated to come up for a vote of the full chamber this week. The tweaks come after the Senate parliamentarian reviewed the sprawling package and identified provisions that do not comply with the upper chambers procedural requirements for using the budget reconciliation process, which allows Republicans to circumvent a Democratic filibuster and approve the legislation by simple majority. Leaving the language in the bill risks losing the ability to pass the bill under budget reconciliation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The parliamentarians process is known as the Byrd bath. The adjustments impacted a number of policy areas including defense funding, energy policy and changes to Medicaid. On the defense front, House GOP leaders are nixing $2 billion for the enhancement of military intelligence programs; $500 million for the development, procurement and integration of maritime mines; and $62 million to convert Ohio-class submarine tubes to accept additional missiles. The changes also removed a provision that would have reinstated leases for a proposed copper and nickel mine that had been renewed under the first Trump administration but revoked under Biden. The mine would have been located near an area known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a nature preserve that contains canoe routes and species including black bears, moose and foxes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One House Republican described the lower chambers tweaks as preventing fatalities from remaining in the bill when it hits the Senate. There are a small number, I mean, could count them on one hand, of fatalities that have been identified by the parliamentarian, the GOP lawmaker said. Of course we cant transmit the bill with fatalities so those fatalities will be cured through a rule this week. While the lower chamber is planning to strip those terms from the bill, party leaders are not giving up on the policy: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said Senate Republicans will fight for the provisions when the bill hits the floor. We disagree; ultimately were going to try it again on the Senate floor, Scalise told reporters. We disagree with the parliamentarian. But you cant take the risk on any of them. You cannot take the risk because if any one of them is ruled on the Senate floor to be fatal, its a 60-vote bill. The whole bill is a 60-vote bill you cant take that risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The full House will vote on approving those changes this week, with the adjustments tacked on to a rule resolution a procedural measure that governs debate for legislation. The rule making the fixes to the megabill will also tee up the terms of debate for unrelated legislation to claw back $9.4 billion in funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting. It advanced out of the Rules Committee on a party-line, 8-4 vote Tuesday evening. Rule resolutions are typically passed along party lines and are tests of party loyalty, but Republicans sometimes buck leadership and vote against the procedural rules in protest of process or policy. Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) one of two House Republicans who voted no on the bill when it passed the House last month voiced his disapproval of making the changes to the bill via a rule in a post on the social platform X. Nancy Pelosi once said the House needed to vote for a bill to find out what was in it. Today @SpeakerJohnson said hold my beer. He just announced hes using the Rules Committee to change the text of the Big Beautiful Bill a week after we voted on it! Massie said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While House Republicans have already passed the bill in the lower chamber, they have not officially transmitted it to the Senate enabling them to make the fixes via the rule mechanism. Republicans are using the budget reconciliation process to push the megabill through Congress while avoiding the Senates 60-vote cloture rule, enabling them to pass the bill on party lines without support from Democrats. The tweaks in the House come as party leaders are holding out hope that they can enact the package by July 4, which was their self-imposed deadline. Trump, however, opened the door to the process blowing past that timeline, saying if it takes a little longer, thats OK. Updated at 8:33 p.m. EDT. 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. Mayra Moreno - Moreno website ABC 13 (KTRK) evening anchor Mayra Moreno is clapping back over criticism she speaks Spanish during her newscasts. The veteran journalist who joined the Houston ABC owned station in 2015, recently responded on to a viewer who didnt like her nightly sign-off of Buenas Noches. In an email, the viewer wrote: I would like to make a suggestion. When you present the news in English you seem to feel we need to know your ethnicity by signing off Buenas Noches. Im sure you know we have Spanish stations if you need to drop something in Spanish. If you speak in English throughout the show, why do you sign-off in Spanish? With all thats going on with the Latinos, your sign-off sounds like youre teasing the Hispanics. Theres no need for this kind of activity to go on. CHRON I say it with pride at the end of my newscast. It's small, but it's meaningful to me. A simple way to share a piece of myself with the people I serve every night, she responded on Instagram. I'm proud of who I am. Proud to be a reflection of my parents who are hardworking, bilingual, and full of corazon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moreno said that growing up she faced lots of racism and was made fun of because she had an accent, adding it took me a long time for her not to feel ashamed of her roots. So no, I'm not going to stop saying it, wrote. And I'm definitely not going to apologize for being bilingual, bicultural, and unapologetically me. Buenas Noches, Houston. The Houston Chronicle said that in late 2024, she received widespread support from viewers and fellow journalists alike after defending her accurate pronunciation of Spanish names during newscasts. According to her station bio, Moreno is a proud alum of the University of Houston, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a double major in Journalism and Spanish. The Brief Harris County Precinct One Constables have issued a warning against trespassing in abandoned buildings following a viral video of a person inside the Astrodome. A social media video showing a user unlawfully inside the Astrodome has gained over 100,000 views, prompting NRG Park officials to emphasize the legal consequences of unauthorized entry. Three 18-year-old men were arrested for trespassing in the Astrodome after being spotted by a security guard and are now facing charges. HOUSTON - A viral video showing a trespasser inside Houston's historic Astrodome has prompted a stern warning from Harris County Precinct One Constables. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Harris County Constable's Office in Precinct One is sending a clear message to those considering trespassing in abandoned buildings around Houston. This comes after a video went viral over the weekend, showing a social media user inside the Astrodome. What we know A TikTok video, which has garnered over 100,000 views, shows a user inside the Astrodome, discussing its historical importance. However, entering the building without permission is illegal. Statement from NRG Park:"We strongly discourage anyone from attempting to enter NRG Park without a ticket to an event or a legitimate purpose. Unauthorized entry is strictly prohibited and will result in prosecution to the fullest extent of the law." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Harris County Constables in Precinct One are actively addressing this issue. Recently, they arrested three men for sneaking into the Astrodome. A security guard spotted the intruders shortly after midnight and alerted deputies. The three 18-year-old suspects were seen running across the parking lot and jumping fences near the intersection of Fannin and Holly Hall, where they were apprehended. Conner Carson (left), Jack McGowan (center), and Michael Gorman (Source: Harris County Jail) All three suspects have been charged with trespassing. What we don't know It is not known if the three suspects charged with trespassing are connected to the viral video on social media. The Source FOX 26's Jonathan Mejia reached out to NRG Park and spoke with Alan Rosen. The US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has suggested "Muslim countries" should give up some of their land to create a future Palestinian state. In an interview with the BBC, Huckabee said "Muslim countries have 644 times the amount of land that are controlled by Israel". "So maybe, if there is such a desire for the Palestinian state, there would be someone who would say, we'd like to host it," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ambassador also strongly criticised US allies including the UK and Australia for sanctioning two far-right Israeli ministers over "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities" in the occupied West Bank. [BBC] In his interview, the ambassador called a two-state solution - a proposed formula for peace between Israel and the Palestinians that has generally received international backing, including from multiple US administrations - "an aspirational goal". The two-state solution envisages an independent Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank and in Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital. It would exist alongside Israel. In a separate interview with Bloomberg, Huckabee said the US was no longer pursuing the goal of an independent Palestinian state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce later said the ambassador "speaks for himself", and it is the president who is responsible for US policy in the Middle East. Later this month at the United Nations in New York, French and Saudi diplomats will host a conference aimed at laying out a roadmap for an eventual Palestinian state. Although Huckabee did not say where any future Palestinian state could be located specifically or whether the US would support such an effort, he called the conference "ill-timed and inappropriate". "It's also something that is completely wrongheaded for European states to try to impose in the middle of a war," he said, arguing that it would result in Israel being "less secure". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "At what point does it have to be in the same piece of real estate that Israel occupies?" he said on the BBC's Newshour programme. "I think that's a question that ought to be posed to everybody who's pushing for a two-state solution." Asked if the US position was that there could not be a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Huckabee said: "I wouldn't say there can never be, what I would say is that a culture would have to change. "Right now the culture is that it's OK to target Jews and kill them and you're rewarded for it. That has to change." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel rejects a two-state solution. It says any final settlement must be the result of negotiations with the Palestinians, and statehood should not be a precondition. Huckabee has previously been a strong supporter of the idea of a "greater Israel", seeking permanent Israeli control of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and using the biblical term "Judea and Samaria" for the West Bank. Some of his language echoes positions frequently taken by ultranationalist groups in Israel. Some in this movement, including far-right ministers in the Israeli governing coalition, have argued for the expulsion of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Gaza, saying any future Palestinian state could exist in Arab or Muslim countries. If such a policy was enacted, rights groups and European governments say it would be a clear violation of international law. Sanctions 'shocking' The ambassador also reacted to the sanctioning of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, which was part of a joint move announced by the UK, Norway, Australia, Canada and New Zealand on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the Israeli officials had "incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights". The men were banned from entering the UK and will have any assets in the UK frozen. Israel registered strong objections to the move, and Huckabee called it a "shocking decision". "I have not yet heard a good reason for why these two elected ministers have been sanctioned by countries that ought to respect the country's sovereignty and recognise that they have not conducted any criminal activity," he said. The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 251 others hostage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are 56 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Since October 2023, at least 54,927 Palestinians have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run ministry of health. The UN estimates that more than a quarter of them are children. MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (WDTN) One local artist is now considered a master in his field. Middletown resident Michael Surber just returned from Italy, where he was recognized as one of 60 artists globally for his talent and contribution to the art world. My style is vibrant, colorful and expressive, he says. I find through color that Im able to say more than I can verbally and express myself better. Photo by Tyson Reed/WDTN Surber is a marketing representative but at night hes an artist. Hes been balancing the two for years now. His work is much more than meets the eye. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im an abstract artist. I am working fluid paint, says Surber I love vibrant color. The brighter the better for me. They just speak to me differently. One canvas at a time, he is showcasing his talents to the world. I dont use brushes in any of my paints whatsoever, he says. My paintings are done with palette knives and a paper towel roll, and I just split it, to be whatever its going to be. He showcases his work on social media and at local art galleries. But little did he know his pieces were being considered for international recognition. Share your good news with 2! Its a whole judging process that you dont even know is going on because you never applied for it, he recalls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May, Surber was nominated for Art Tour Internationals Top 60 Masters Award. Widely recognized as the Oscars of the Visual Arts, the awards honor artists whose work goes beyond technique, championing those who create with meaning, vision, and courage. He and his oldest son traveled to Ferrara Italy to accept the award. Photo by Tyson Reed/WDTN I can official say Im a master artist. Its been huge for me. Surber says its the honor of a lifetime and that he hopes its a reminder to up and coming artists to never give up on your dreams. If you really love it, keep trying, he says. Dont accept nos. I have more rejection letters than I do acceptance letters. Keep pushing the algorithms on social media are not a critic for you and dont let them be. It doesnt matter how many likes you have. If you love it, keep going, keep pushing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Masters Award has opened doors for Surber, and hes in the process of transitioning to art full time. His next solo exhibit is July 11 in Eaton at Preble Arts Center. If youd like to see more of his work, 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. NEED TO KNOW Stefan Watkins, 47, of Warwick, England, was reported missing in May 2023 In February, authorities found human remains in Coventry Extensive testing confirmed that the remains belonged to him, the Warwickshire Police announced on Tuesday, June 10 Human remains found earlier this year have now been identified as belonging to a British man who disappeared over two years ago. After "extensive" tests, authorities were able to confirm that remains found in February belonged to Stefan Watkins, 47, the Warwickshire Police Department said in a statement on Tuesday, June 10. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are not treating his death as suspicious, police continued, noting that Stefans family has been informed, and a file will be passed to the coroner. According to police, the Warwick man, who was "known as Lee or LeeLee" was last seen after leaving his home on May 6, 2023. In an update last September, authorities said that they believed he might have traveled to Coventry early in the morning of May 7, 2023. However, despite "pursuing numerous investigative opportunities and data enquires - speaking with witnesses, viewing CCTV, and issuing media appeals," he remained missing. Police went on to say that a 45-year-old woman, who was arrested that July on suspicion of conspiracy to murder in connection with his disappearance, had been released and that no further action would be taken. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It has been, and continues to be, a challenging time for Stefans partner," senior investigating officer Gareth Unett said in a statement, going on to ask the public for help. "Any information you can give us no matter how small may be a crucial missing piece to help get answers for her and Stefans loved ones, Unett 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. In February, police announced that authorities searching for Watkins came across remains in an area of Coventry. Four months later, they announced the positive identification. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wed like to thank everyone who helped us by sharing our appeals as we tried to find Stefan and we know his disappearance struck a real chord in the local area," Unett said in a statement. Since Stefan was reported as a missing person, weve continually supported his family and strived to get answers for them, Unett continued. Its been a complex and lengthy investigation, and although this is not the outcome any of us would have wanted, hopefully his loved ones should now be able to start to come to terms with what has happened." Read the original article on People The Homestead Office building in Albuquerque. (Photo courtesy of CWA Local 7076) Hayley Peterson recalls coming in to work on the morning of May 5 and stepping off the elevator to the third floor of her office and immediately smelling natural gas. It just smelled like gas, like crazy, in the building, she said. Peterson, an epidemiologist at the New Mexico Department of Health and a union steward with Communications Workers of America Local 7076, works in the Homestead Building, a state government office building in Albuquerque. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She told Source NM her coworkers in nearby cubicles also smelled the gas that day. Other people had gone to talk to building staff about it smelling like gas, and they were basically told its not possible, and they were just dismissed, she said in an interview on Tuesday. At least a dozen workers reported the smell over the next few days, the union said in a news release, but management didnt try to investigate the smells source or secure the workers safety. A frustrated CWA member called New Mexico Gas Company, whose inspectors found six of the buildings 10 furnaces were leaking, the union said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DOH closed the building for four days starting on May 8 as a result, New Mexico Health Department Communications Director Robert Nott said. The New Mexico Department of Health takes these concerns very seriously, Nott told Source NM in an email. We value the lives and contributions of all our employees. The Health Care Authority issued Source NM a similar statement and said HCA coordinated closely with the Department of Health to ensure staff safety after a gas leak was reported at the Homestead facility. HCA staff members were removed from the building as a precaution while repairs and safety inspections were completed, HCA spokesperson Marina Pina said. We appreciate our teams patience during this incident, and we remain committed to the safety and well-being of all state employees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When workers returned to the Homestead building on May 14 and immediately smelled gas again, the union said management ignored their complaints until May 16 when DOH Human Resources Director HC Hawkins sent an immediate evacuation notice via email. A leak that had been repaired the first time needed to be repaired again, Nott said. Management sent the workers home a second time that morning, and they returned to work on May 19, he said. HCA confirmed to Source the building was closed May 8, 9,12,13 and 16. CWA 7076 Executive President Megan Green on June 5 elevated her grievance with the department to Health Secretary Gina DeBlassie. Our union is deeply concerned that the New Mexico Department of Health has systematically endangered its workforce through willful negligence, engaged in active retaliation against workers who report safety concerns, provided false or misleading statements to enforcement bodies like OSHA, and fought against the labor rights of your staff, Green wrote in the grievance. Hundreds of NMDOH and HCA workers were forced to work in a building with an active gas leak for several days on two separate occasions. My coworkers and I were being poisoned Many workers in the Homestead building did not receive the first evacuation notice, Peterson said, because leadership sent it using an incomplete email listserv. I had coworkers in my area that only knew to evacuate because I told them, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a survey of 68 workers the union conducted after the first gas leak, 44% of respondents said they received the evacuation notice and other building closure notices. A third said they did not receive the notices and approximately 23% were not sure. One person who didnt get the notice was Marcia Carroll, a DOH management analyst who didnt become aware of it until 40 minutes later. I stayed in that building for 40 additional minutes after an evacuation order, Carroll told Source NM in an emailed statement on Tuesday. When the building was first closed, the owner contacted a local plumbing company to repair the leaking furnaces, Nott said. This photo taken by a CWA Local 7076 member shows plumbing workers parked outside the Homestead Office building while it was closed due to a gas leak. (Photo courtesy of CWA Local 7076) We have since contracted with DC Environmental Inc. of Albuquerque to conduct an environmental assessment of the building to ensure the safety of the entire facility and its occupants, Nott said. We are awaiting DC Environmental Incs report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peterson said those are great first steps, but she questions if the outside evaluation will present a complete picture without input from workers impacted by the incidents over the last two months. This initial gas leak endangered hundreds of lives in our building, said Carroll. When I sit back and think about it, for four days my coworkers and I were being poisoned. Our lives and health [were] jeopardized. Why? Because we were told there was nothing to worry about and multiple calls of concern were ignored. Peterson, Carroll and the union say the problems at the Homestead building began earlier in April, when they breathed in toxic chemicals from a maintenance mishap. Peterson said a maintenance worker sprayed a stain sealer on the ceiling 10 feet away from her, and she and other workers nearby started coughing. She immediately started feeling a headache and nausea, and walked out of the building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres no way to ventilate the building, because the windows dont open, she said. The stain sealer that workers say was sprayed inside the Homestead Office building during work hours in April without prior notice, alongside the chemicals warning label. (Photo courtesy of CWA Local 7076) Carroll, who said she has a scent sensitivity, said it was irresponsible for the departments lease manager to allow a maintenance worker to spray the chemical during work hours. Management did not promptly respond to this health emergency, she said. We were not provided any information. None. More than a dozen employees experienced symptoms such as vomiting, nausea or aspiration, the union said. Three sought emergency medical attention, Green wrote in her grievance. It really wasnt acknowledged to us by anyone in leadership for a week, Peterson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The union said DOH reported the incident to the state Occupational Health and Safety Bureau, but presented a one-sided and biased report without speaking to any injured workers. Source NM asked the bureau for comment at the end of the day on Tuesday and will update the story as needed. NMDOH has refused to provide written notification of the hazards to which workers were exposed, or provide any actionable guidance on how they can be safe from these hazards in the future, Green wrote. Peterson said as a health scientist, she thinks its inappropriate that DOH never informed its employees what they had been exposed to in the three incidents, because they would have no way of knowing what to say to a doctor if they see one. Were Department of Health and Health Care Authority workers: we work for the health of New Mexicans, and so we want our leadership to also care about our health, Peterson said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Hundreds of people gathered at the State House on Tuesday to protest on-going efforts by the federal government to increase deportations of migrants. The demonstrators marched through Beacon Hill, chanting and holding signs which largely denounced what they call a reign of terror over immigrants. Demonstrators marching from State House through Beacon Hill denouncing on-going efforts to ramp up deportations. Protest happening one day after President Trump authorized deployment of additional 2,000 National Guard members to help respond to LA protests #Boston25 pic.twitter.com/mVN94aUhbB Drew Karedes (@DrewKaredes) June 10, 2025 The protest comes one day after President Trump authorized the deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard members to respond to similar protests in Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protestors who spoke out against the Trump administrations immigration policy said they stand in unity with protestors in Los Angeles. What to know about Trumps deployment of Marines, National Guard to LAs immigration protests Not only are they targeting people who are undocumented, theyre going to come to a point when they cant get more, said demonstrator Paul Mayer. If theyre attacking LA, theyre going to attack us! Protestors said theyre especially outraged over the Trump administrations goal of arresting 3,000 immigrants a day. If ICE meets that quota, it will add up to more than a million arrests after a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were seeing threats of ICE showing up at schools and picking up children, said Boston ESL teacher Amrita Dani. A lot of students are very scared. Theyre talking about ICE coming to school or seeing ICE in the neighborhood. Governor Maura Healey signed a statement on Monday released by the Democratic Governors Association. It urges the Trump administration to respect state leaders executive authority. President Trumps move to deploy Californias National Guard is an alarming abuse of power. Governors are the Commanders in Chief of their National Guard and the federal government activating them in their own borders without consulting or working with a states governor is ineffective and dangerous, the letter states. 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 Photo via Richard B. Levine/Newscom Consider it the Hot or Not list of the business world. And whos not hot? Robinhood and AppLovin, for starters. At least, not quite hot enough. Shares of both companies are slipping this week after each failed to break into the S&P 500, disappointing eager investors who thought they looked like strong candidates to get tapped for the big leagues during the indexs quarterly adjustments. Alas, they remain on the outside looking in. READ ALSO: OpenAI Careens Toward Messy Divorce From Microsoft and Drones Steal the Paris Air Show Wall Streets Hottest Club Is Conventional wisdom says being on the S&P 500 isnt just a status symbol. Its one that is supposed to come with plenty of benefits. Namely: a steady rise in passive inflows, as index funds and ETFs tracking it buy up stock. Its a major reason why both Robinhood and AppLovin saw positive share price movement through May as speculation swirled that they might be called up to the A-Team. For context: Robinhood is still up 26% in the past month, and AppLovin almost 11%, though they have slipped 3% and 8%, respectively, since the index revealed on Friday itd be adding no new companies in its latest round of quarterly rebalancing. That means short-term investors looking for a quick fix by betting that the companies would score S&P 500 membership and post-membership gains got singed by the bad news. On the other hand, research shows that scoring that shiny new credential may not mean much in the long run anyhow, despite what conventional wisdom might have you believe: In a study published last year, researchers at McKinsey analyzed hundreds of companies that were added or removed from the S&P 500 and found that companys stock prices ultimately returned to their intrinsic value within two months of the inclusion or removal, writing shareholder returns drive index inclusion or exclusion, not the other way around. In fact, that temporary bump may be getting smaller and smaller. In a study titled The Disappearing Index Effect published last year, a pair of Harvard Business School researchers found the abnormal return associated with a stock being added to the S&P 500 has fallen from an average of 7.4% in the 1990s to less than 1% over the past decade. Door Policy: To get an S&P 500 nod, companies have to meet several criteria, including having a market cap of $20.5 billion or higher and having a positive sum of GAAP net income over the four most recent consecutive quarters. Robinhood and AppLovin check those boxes, so why the rejection? One theory recently floated by Barrons is that theyve both been more volatile than the broader market though that didnt prevent the similarly volatile CoinBase from getting accepted in May. In other words: Earning a spot on the premier index is sort of like trying to enter Berghain, the popular all-night dance club in Berlin with an infamously arbitrary door policy. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Oregon families who receive free student meals during the school year have resources available to ensure food security throughout the summer. According to Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, 94% of the states public schools currently offer free meals to all students. The nonprofit helped secure new state funding to expand the free school meal program. Despite this, the nonprofit said there are still tens of thousands of children who dont have access to these programs. As the school year comes to a close, families who already get free school lunches may be wondering how theyll keep their children fed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every student deserves to know where their next meal comes from, said Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon Policy Advocate David Wieland. Hunger doesnt take a break during the summer. Fortunately, there are options for families. Esquire names Portland bar among best in the US in 2025 The Oregon Department of Education has more information about its Summer Food Service Program, where families can locate hundreds of free meal sites across the state. In addition, for the second summer in a row, the Oregon Department of Human Services is offering its Oregon Summer EBT program. The grocery benefit program helps families buy food for their school-aged children when school is out. The single yearly payment provides $120 for each eligible child to buy groceries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the State of Oregon, over 340,000 eligible children already automatically received the Summer EBT back in May, though some families still need to apply. The state said they expect up to 370,000 school-aged children will be provided with the Summer EBT benefits this year. The program costs the state about $2.5 million in administrative costs. In return, Oregon receives $40 million in federal funding that goes directly to students. Despite this, Wieland said the work to combat hunger is not over. Lyft pushes back against ride fee hikes in Portland Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon are hoping state legislators pass a bill to extend free breakfast and lunch to all students in Oregon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Oregon House of Representatives unanimously passed HB 3435 back in March. It is now in the Joint Ways and Means Committee. If you want to call your legislator and urge them to make this a priority, wed love that, Wieland said. People who are already signed up to receive SNAP, TANFF or OHP benefits should already see those summer grocery benefits on their account. If not, the State of Oregon has more information on how to apply. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) Ibero American Development Corporation looks to purchase the School No. 25 building in the city of Rochester. The school was shuttered in 2020. The sale would be for $820,000 dollars, pending City Council approval, and the project would be a total cost of $26 million. Ibero would convert the school into 29 apartment units. Also included in the proposal would be to convert another nearby property into 26 apartments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Closing on the sale is anticipated 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 RochesterFirst. Jesus Jose Carrero-Marquez, 30, right, and his family pose during a recent graduation celebration for their daughter at an Albuquerque school. Carrero-Marquez was hospitalized after a federal immigration law enforcement arrest May 31 in Albuquerque's South Valley. After being detained somewhere in Texas, his wife hasn't heard from him, and records show he's no longer in custody. (Photo courtesy Daniela Marina Diaz-Ortiz) UPDATE:3:20 p.m., Friday, June 13, 2025 A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Source New Mexico on Friday that Carrero-Marquez has been deported to his home country of Venezuela. According to spokesperson Leticia Zamarripa, Carrero-Marquez has been deemed a threat to the community due to his suspected affiliation with the foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His wife, Daniela Marina Diaz-Ortiz, denied in an interview that her husband is a criminal or gang member, and a search of federal and state court records shows only a traffic ticket. The New York Times also recently reported that Trump administration officials have a low bar for deeming someone a Tren de Aragua member, including tattoos and clothing. As for the arrest itself, Zamarripa said Carrero-Marquez passively resisted arrest and complained of having a medical condition. Zamarripa said,Emergency services were called, to take him to the hospital and, upon being released from the hospital, was returned to ICE custody. On Tuesday, June 10, ICE removed him to his home country, Zamarripa said. Last Saturday around 8 a.m., as she followed her husband to a mechanic in Albuquerques South Valley, Daniela Marina Diaz-Ortiz says she and her 5-year-old daughter watched, terrified, as federal immigration agents leapt out of four SUVs and pulled her husband to the ground. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They stopped him and took him out of the car. They didnt ask him for any identification. They didnt tell him he was under arrest or anything like that, she told Source in Spanish in an interview outside her home Monday afternoon. They just pulled him out of the car, threw him on the ground, putting their feet on his back and head. At that moment, they also lifted him up by his neck and forced him into the truck. Jesus Jose Carrero-Marquez, 30, was hospitalized at the Presbyterian Hospital emergency room for hours, potentially due to injuries sustained in the arrest, his wife and others told Source NM. Agents who waited outside Carrero-Marquezs room told hospital workers that the detainee was a violent gang member, according to New Mexico Rep. Eleanor Chavez (D-Albuquerque), who advocates on behalf of working conditions for healthcare workers across the state. Chavez said she learned of the arrest from a hospital worker and relayed to Source what the worker told her. Diaz-Ortiz adamantly denied her husband is violent or a criminal or in a gang. Sources review of state and federal criminal records for Carrero-Marquez showed only a local traffic ticket in January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, Diaz-Ortiz said he is a father and husband who makes a living as a Doordash delivery driver, while seeking asylum on behalf of himself and his family after being injured in a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro several years ago. The lawyer representing his appeal did not respond to requests for comment. Diaz-Ortiz showed Source photos the family is using in its asylum appeal that show what appear to be injuries to Carrero-Marquezs leg and back, which left him with a punctured lung and a limp, she said. Source could not determine why federal immigration authorities arrested Carrero-Marquez on May 31; why they purportedly took him to the hospital; where he is being detained; or whether hes been deported. A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to questions from Source about Carrero-Marquezs arrest, their alleged use of force or his current location. A spokesperson said the agency would respond but had not as of publication time after multiple requests. Source will update the story as necessary*. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advocates, including Chavez and immigration lawyers, have tried since May 31 to find him, including enlisting the help of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrichs office. A Heinrich spokesperson said the office had made efforts to find him but that ICE is not providing timely or helpful responses to our inquiries. A recent change to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention policies has made it difficult to determine whether someone is in jail and, if so, at which detention center, said Sophia Genovese, a lawyer for the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center who joined efforts this week to find Carrero-Marquez. Following his arrest, Carrero-Marquez called his wife from detention somewhere in El Paso, Diaz-Ortiz said, and described severe pain in his head and back from the arrest, she said. The last time she spoke to him, on Sunday, her husband told me that they were taking him away, that he didnt know where they were going, that he hadnt seen a judge to decide whether he would be ordered to leave the country or not. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When she hadnt heard from him again on Tuesday, Diaz-Ortiz told Source she felt certain he was gone. I believe my husband has already been deported, she said, because otherwise, I believe he would have called me. On Wednesday morning, Diaz-Ortiz said she woke up after a long night of making deliveries to check ICE detention records for updates, which shes done multiple times a day since his arrest. She discovered, and Source confirmed, he was no longer listed in custody as of Wednesday morning. And he still had not called her, she told Source. I still dont know anything about what happened to him, she said. It just says, Texas Carrero-Marquezs arrest follows the pattern of recent ICE detentions, which leave little trail for lawyers or advocates to follow, said Genovese with the Immigration Law Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After being arrested and hospitalized, Carrero-Marquez called his wife from his hospital bed, she said. But hospital workers would neither confirm he was there nor allow her to see or speak with him in the emergency room, she said. While the hospital would not confirm that Carrero-Marquez was hospitalized, a spokesperson said it has Do Not Announce protocols as part of federal patient privacy regulations and that patients may be under that protocol for many reasons. The hospital staff had no choice but to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, the hospital worker told Chavez, the state representative. A spokesperson for Presbyterian told Source that, while it cannot discuss specific patients, it is legally required to cooperate with all law enforcement agencies. We do not have policies designed to help or hinder any law enforcement or other governmental agencies, a spokesperson said in an emailed statement Friday. The officers took Carrero-Marquez to jail, likely to the Torrance County Detention Center in Estancia, Genovese said, though jail records never showed him being held there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Diaz-Ortiz was the first person to hear from him, a few days after the arrest, when he called from El Paso, she said. Before Wednesday, when his name disappeared completely, ICE records didnt say where hes being held, and instead only said Texas, instead of a facility name and address. According to Genovese, he could have been held at either the El Paso Service Processing Center or at a nearby former Border Patrol holding facility intended for short-term use that ICE recently took over. The ICE takeover of the holding facility has resulted in confusion and difficulty for lawyers seeking to speak to their clients. It also means no one knows where detainees are being held. This is like a new trend, where were seeing a lot of people have the exact same situation where it just says, Texas. It doesnt provide a detention facility, Genovese said. Thousands of arrests per day As for why he might be in jail in the first place, Genovese said ICE agents increasingly have less discretion about detaining people who, like Carrero-Marquez, are appealing denials of asylum claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to online records and a document provided by Diaz-Ortiz, a judge denied Carrero-Marquezs asylum request in February. Records also show he is appealing that denial, and that the appeal is pending. While he has not yet received a final removal order, ICE has discretion to detain him during removal proceedings, his current status., Genovese said. That said, given the sheer number of people currently in removal proceedings with pending appeals, ICE typically would not find and detain people until a final removal order is issued, Genovese said. ICE, for very real capacity reasons, given the limited number of beds nationwide and the millions of cases pending at immigration court, frequently exercised discretion in the form of releasing people on their own recognizance pending their removal proceedings, Genovese said Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But President Donald Trumps push for mass deportation has removed ICEs choice about when and where to arrest people, she said. Its changed now under the Trump administration, where there is a mandate, a requirement, that ICE make thousands of arrests per day, she said. And they are targeting people with active removal proceedings, many of whom do not have any sort of interaction with law enforcement which would trigger mandatory detention. We came here for a better future Carrero-Marquezs daughter recently celebrated graduation at a South Valley school. His wife shared a picture showing the three of them smiling, with her in a graduation gown. Since witnessing her fathers arrest, the girl is depressed, Diaz-Ortiz said, and afraid of anyone who looks like a police officer. Diaz-Ortiz doesnt know whether ICE will come next for her or her daughter, whether she should enroll her daughter back in school or what to do next. But she still has to work. On Tuesday, she took her daughter along with her as she made deliveries for DoorDash, she said, suddenly the sole caregiver and sole income earner in her family. Amid the confusion and uncertainty about her husbands whereabouts, Diaz-Ortiz said she is terrified about the prospect of him being deported back to Venezuela due to his injuries and the governments repressive policies. In Venezuela you cant speak freely or say what you want because they attack you, she said. We came here for a better future. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has denied a request by a Detroit high school student to stay in the U.S., according to his attorney. Maykol Bogoya Duarte, 18, of Detroit, who is currently in an ICE detention center in Louisiana, had requested on Monday, June 9, a stay of removal filed by his attorney, Ruby Robinson. But that request was denied by ICE on Wednesday, June 11. The denial means that Duarte, an immigrant from Colombia who lived in Detroit, may soon be deported once ICE is able to gather other Colombian nationals for a plane to Colombia. Maykol Bogoya Duarte, 18, a student at Western International High School, was arrested by Border Patrol on May 20, 2025 in Rockwood, Michigan, while on a school field trip. He is currently jailed, in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The jail where Duarte is currently housed, Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center in Louisiana, is known as a staging area for immigrants about to be deported, Robinson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The denial came despite desperate pleas by Duarte and his supporters in Michigan. More than 1,600 have signed a petition asking for his release until he can graduate from high school. Duarte has just three to four credits remaining to get his diploma, Robinson said. Elected officials, including Detroit's two U.S. House representatives, issued statements calling for his release. More: Border Patrol arrested a Detroit student on a field trip. He now faces deportation. U.S. House Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, said June 11 he sent a letter June 10 to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asking for "an immediate update on his well-being, the reasons why he was initially targeted by law enforcement, and that he be granted a stay of deportation to complete his education." Shawn Vaughn, 34, of Detroit leads chants for protestors with By Any Means Necessary, a group opposed to the Trump Administration outside of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in Detroit on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Vaughn said, Im standing here in solitary against the raids, deportations and the arrests of the immigrants in our community. A protest in support of immigrants was held late Wednesday outside an ICE office building in downtown Detroit on Michigan Avenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mother of Duarte said she's appreciative of the community support, saying in a statement through the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center: "Mil mil gracias," or "Thanks a million." Duarte, a student at Western International High School, was stopped by Rockwood police in May while headed to a field trip in a Downriver park along with some other students. He was accused of tailgating a police officer in an unmarked car. Rockwood police then called Border Patrol, who then arrested Duarte. He was later transported to an ICE jail five hours north in Sault Ste. Marie and is now in Louisiana. More: Detroit high school student detained by ICE pleads to halt deportation until graduation ICE did not comment June 11 on Duarte's case, but has previously said he was an illegal alien who had a previous order of deportation. Robinson said Duarte and his mother had previously applied for asylum after entering the U.S. about one and a half years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was a protest in support of immigrants on June 11 in a separate case outside the McNamara Federal Building on Michigan Avenue after some claimed ICE had arrested immigrants showing up for court cases. The arrests could not be immediately verified, but an ICE spokesman released a statement to the Free Press saying that ICE officers have permission "to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses when they have credible information that leads them to believe the targeted alien(s) is or will be present at a specific location." Staff photographer Finn Gomez contributed to this report. Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, X @nwarikoo or Facebook @nwarikoo This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: ICE denies a Detroit high school student's request for stay of removal Alarm spread through California agricultural centers Tuesday as panicked workers reported that federal immigration authorities who had largely refrained from major enforcement action in farming communities in the first months of the Trump administration were showing up at farm fields and packinghouses from the Central Coast to the San Joaquin Valley. Today we are seeing an uptick in the chaotic presence of immigration enforcement, particularly the Border Patrol, said Elizabeth Strater, vice president of the United Farm Workers. Were seeing it in multiple areas. Department of Homeland Security officials declined to confirm specific locations, but said enforcement actions were taking place across the southern area of the state. Advocates from numerous immigrant advocacy groups said their phones were lighting up with calls, videos and texts from multiple counties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Times reviewed a video that showed a worker running through a field under the cover of early morning fog, with at least one agent in pursuit on foot and a Border Patrol truck racing along an adjacent dirt road. Eventually, the worker was caught. In Tulare County, near the community of Richgrove, immigration agents emerged near a field where farm laborers were picking blueberries, causing some workers to flee. In Fresno County, workers reported federal agents, some in Border Patrol trucks, in the fields near Kingsburg. And in Oxnard in Ventura County, organizers said they responded to multiple calls of federal immigration authorities staging near fields and entering a packinghouse at Boskovich Farms. In a statement issued Thursday, Boskovich Farms said the company "did not authorize federal immigration authorities to enter its packinghouse or any of its other facilities, nor did federal authorities enter any of Boskovich Farms facilities. The company did not respond to requests for further comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hazel Davalos of the group Cause, said there were reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents trying to access multiple farms in Oxnard, but that in many cases, they were denied entry. Strater said that she did not yet have information about the number of people detained in the raids, but that the fear among workers was pervasive. At least half of the estimated 255,700 farmworkers in California are undocumented, according to UC Merced research. These are people who are going to be afraid to take their kids to school, afraid to go to graduation, afraid to go to the grocery store, Strater said. The harm is going to be done. Maureen McGuire, chief executive of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, said immigration agents visited five packing facilities and at least five farms in the fertile Oxnard Plain. They attempted to enter Glass House Farms, a cannabis greenhouse, she said, but the owners informed them it was private property and turned them away. She said the agents then moved into the surrounding area, attempting to gain access to properties without judicial warrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Agents also stopped people on their way to work, she said, adding that in her view, the agents were targeting nonwhite people in beater cars, as a form of racial profiling. McGuire said she received calls from growers reaching out on behalf of workers who were afraid to leave the fields, asking if it was safe. Unfortunately, I couldnt assure them, she said. Its just really sad and disappointing, and unlawful. The expansion into rural communities follows days of coordinated raids in urban areas of Los Angeles County, where authorities have targeted home improvement stores, restaurants and garment manufacturers. The enforcement action has prompted waves of protest, and the Trump administration has responded by sending in hundreds of Marines and thousands of National Guard troops. Two Democratic members of Congress who represent the Ventura area, Reps. Julia Brownley and Salud Carbajal, released a statement condemning the raids around Oxnard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have received disturbing reports of ICE enforcement actions in Ventura County, including in Oxnard, Port Hueneme, and Camarillo, where agents have reportedly stopped vehicles, loitered near schools, and attempted to enter agricultural properties and facilities in the Oxnard Plain, they said. These actions are completely unjustified, deeply harmful, and raise serious questions about the agencys tactics and its respect for due process. They added that these raids are not about public safety. They are about stoking fear. These are not criminals being targeted. They are hardworking people and families who are an essential part of Ventura County. Our local economy, like much of Californias and the countrys as a whole, depends on undocumented labor. These men and women are the backbone of our farms, our fields, our construction and service industries, and our communities. Read more: More immigrants opt to self-deport rather than risk being marched out like criminals Farmworker advocates noted that Tuesday's raids came despite a judicial ruling stemming from a rogue Border Patrol action in Kern County this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ACLU attorneys representing the United Farm Workers and five Kern County residents sued the head of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Border Patrol officials, alleging the Border Patrols three-day raid in the southern San Joaquin Valley in early January amounted to a fishing expedition that indiscriminately targeted people of color who appeared to be farmworkers or day laborers. Judge Jennifer Thurston of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California said in an 88-page ruling that evidence presented by the American Civil Liberties Union lawyers established a pattern and practice at the Border Patrol of violating peoples constitutional rights when detaining people without reasonable suspicion, and then violating federal law by executing warrantless arrests without determining flight risk. Thurstons ruling required the Border Patrol to submit detailed documentation of any stops or warrantless arrests in the Central Valley and show clear guidance and training for agents on the law. This article is part of The Times equity reporting initiative , funded by the James Irvine Foundation , exploring the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address Californias economic divide. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Social media posts are claiming ICE officials were spotted at Franklin Elementary School in Vancouver early this week, but district leaders say these rumors arent true. Vancouver Public Schools sent a letter to families Monday morning to address these concerns. Anti-ICE protests escalate outside South Portland facility Some of the posts inaccurately claim ICE activity occurred at Franklin Elementary during the morning drop-off. We are writing to let you know that any ICE activity that may have occurred in the Franklin neighborhood did not take place on our school grounds, the letter said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement District officials said they checked the elementary schools security footage and found no activity from ICE on the campus. Should ICE activity occur on school grounds in the future, please know we would message our community for your awareness as we do almost every time law enforcement or first responders are unexpectedly at school, the school 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 KOIN.com. (Texas Scorecard) Federal immigration officers arrested three individuals outside a southwest Houston courtroom this week as part of a broader national crackdown targeting illegal aliens whose asylum cases have just been dismissed. On Monday, ICE agents in plain clothes arrested three illegal aliens outside a southwest Houston immigration court just moments after government attorneys dropped their pending asylum claims. The arrests mark the first time such an operation has been publicized outside an immigration court in the Houston area. Fox News has confirmed this is part of a nationwide initiative aimed at arresting illegal aliens after their asylum cases are dropped in order to expedite deportations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FIEL, the first to report the arrests, claims to be a non-profit dedicated to supporting immigrants, promoting education, and advancing the American dream. However, the group has been mired in controversy in recent years. Last July, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit accusing FIEL of violating federal non-profit laws by engaging in electioneering. The suit alleges that FIEL breached its 501(c)3 tax-exempt status by campaigning against Texas legislation and portraying Donald Trump as the son of the devil. Meanwhile, in the wake of rising public pressure, ICE has released information on 142 deportations that occurred last month, including the names of 10 individuals. ICE officials explained that while the release reflects their ongoing effort to balance privacy with the publics right to information, it was largely driven by citizen and journalist concerns over data transparency. This is just a small snapshot of those efforts, as it only focuses on deportations to one country over the course of a two-week period, said Bret Bradford, a field operator with ICE Houstons Enforcement and Removal Operations division. But it gives you an idea of how big this problem really is. Among the 10 named deportees, three had been convicted of driving while intoxicated, one of human trafficking, and one of sexual abuse of a child, among other charges. Notably, two of the individuals were deported solely for illegal entry. While enforcement has thus far often focused on violent offenders, President Donald Trumps promise of mass deportations will ultimately require removal of individuals whose only offense is entering the country illegally. WABAUNSEE COUNTY (KSNT) A local sheriff is helping break down how Kansas deputies are assisting federal immigration officials this year. 27 News checked in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this week to see how many law enforcement agencies in Kansas have signed up to assist the federal agency under its voluntary 287(g) Program. The program allows local and state law enforcement officials to help carry out U.S. immigration policies under the oversight of ICE. Costs associated with training law enforcement under this program are covered by ICE. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and several sheriffs offices around the state signed up to help ICE under the program earlier this year. The current list of agencies participating in the 287(g) program include the following as of June 11: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Participating agencies. Cowley County Sheriffs Office March 5, 2025. Finney County Sheriffs Office March 17, 2020. Jackson County Sheriffs Office July 23, 2020. KBI Feb. 18, 2025. Reno County Sheriffs Office March 5, 2025. Rice County Sheriffs Office March 26, 2025. Wabaunsee County Sheriffs Office May 28, 2025. Pending agencies. Anderson County Sheriffs Office. Ellis County Sheriffs Office. Haskell County Sheriffs Office. Student-athletes allegedly sexually harassed at Haskell Indian Nations University: Report Wabaunsee County Sheriff Eric Kirsch told 27 News that his office is participating in the program under the Warrant Service Office (WSO) model. This is the same model that all of the above sheriffs offices are participating in as well which amounts to giving local law enforcement the ability to serve and execute warrants on immigrants that are in the county jail. The Wabaunsee County Sheriffs Office chose to participate in the 287G at the lowest tier Warrant Service Officer (WSO) program to improve coordination with federal immigration authorities in a lawful, limited, safe, and controlled setting, Kirsch said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kirsch explained that his agency monitors 20 miles of Americas Main Street or I-70 which leads to a greater influx of people into the county jail. He said that one deputy with the sheriffs office will be qualified to serve administrative warrants issued by ICE within the jail under the WSO model. The WSO program provides a clear legal process that respects due process while helping remove criminal offenders who pose a threat to the community, Kirsch said. Six-year-old girl dies after apparent drowning incident at Milford State Park Deputies with the Wabaunsee County Sheriffs Office will not be able to question people about their immigration status, conduct investigations or initiate deportations under the partnership. Kirsch said the role of his agency under the WSO model amounts mostly to filing paperwork and is limited in scope. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The WSO program does not change how we serve the community or how we handle routine law enforcement matters or services to Wabaunsee County Kansas, Kirsch said. We will simply have a designated staff member who will have the authority to serve ICE administrative warrants inside our jail. This helps streamline the custody transfer process for individuals identified by ICE, without any cost to the taxpayers, nor ever involving deputies in immigration enforcement outside the facility. Kirsch said the WSO model does not invite immigration enforcement into the community. Its purpose is instead focused on forming a clear line of communication with federal officials. I will not allow Federal Authorities to have control over or dictate our policies or facility/community, Kirsch said. The WSO program is not nor ever shall be about broad immigration enforcement. Due to our geographic location in proximity to I-70 and the many arrests made by multiple agencies on I-70, were in a position where we have an increased likelihood of this program being used and our operational philosophy is to be in a constant state of readiness, safe, pro-active, accountable, and responsible in nature. The Wabaunsee County Sheriffs Office can sever ties with the WSO model at any time if it chooses to do so. You can learn more about the 287(g) Program by clicking here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Topeka strip club owner indicted for machine gun possession 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. 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. DES MOINES, Iowa Hundreds of people gathered on Tuesday evening at Cowles Commons in downtown to protest the ramped up efforts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The protests follow the weekend events out in Los Angeles, with President Trump calling in the National Guard and now U.S. Marines on Tuesday morning. The group protested peacefully while chanting Deport ICE, among other phrases as well. One protestor explains why he was there on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have a lot of immigrant workers throughout Iowa, and a lot of them are in smaller towns, you know, factory towns or like agricultural labor. But theres also some major communities here in Des Moines that we know are fearful right now, said Duncan Burnett, a protestor. Weve seen a lot of really illegal attacks, including attacks that have separated families. Were seeing a lot of people detained and deported without due process. And when theres that sort of escalation, like those sorts of attacks on our rights, are eventually going to come back and affect everybody. Iowa HHS reports second case of measles in state this year Burnett said everyone knows an undocumented immigrant, whether it be a friend, neighbor or someone in your community. It is more personal to him as some family members classify as that. An immigration attorney spoke with WHO 13 News on Wednesday prior to the protest, saying that clients are coming in concerned with the ramp up in ICE raids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive had lots of clients reach out. Theyre scared. And quite honestly, I basically tell them that nothings really changed. The laws are what they are. Enforcement is ramping up, said James Benzoni. On Monday, there were protests in Cedar Rapids and Sioux City. Before the rally on Tuesday Governor Kim Reynolds released a statement on X. As long as Im Governor, Iowa will enforce immigration law and never become a sanctuary state. Peaceful demonstrations are welcome, but make no mistake: any unlawful behavior will be stopped immediately. Our brave law enforcement officers are ready to protect all Iowans. Iowa remains a state of law and order. Gov. Reynolds (R) Metro 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 Brief Gov. Abbott says he will deploy Texas National Guard troops statewide to "ensure peace & order" ahead of planned anti-ICE protests. San Antonio officials confirmed the National Guard's presence, noting they didn't request or receive advance warning. Past protests saw arrests and incidents like objects thrown at officers in Austin and Dallas. SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Governor Greg Abbott says Texas National Guard troops will be deployed across the state ahead of planned anti-ICE protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement National Guard troops have been deployed to San Antonio ahead of planned protests on Wednesday night. Gov. Abbott on ICE protests On Tuesday night, the governor posted that Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to "ensure peace & order." The governor said that while peaceful protest is legal, anyone who harms a person or property will be arrested. "[The Texas National Guard] will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order," Abbott wrote. Several protests are scheduled across the state on Saturday. What they're saying "The State of Texas stands ready to deploy all necessary personnel and resources, including Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, to uphold law and order across our state. Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles. Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be swiftly arrested and held accountable to the full extent of the law," said a press secretary for Gov. Abbott. San Antonio anti-ICE protests expected Wednesday San Antonio officials held a news conference on Wednesday morning ahead of planned protests on Wednesday and Saturday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wednesday night's protest is scheduled at the Alamo. Saturday's is scheduled for Travis Park. Officials called for the protests to remain peaceful. San Antonio leaders confirmed that the Texas National Guard is in the city and that they did not request their presence, nor receive any advance warning. What they're saying "If police intervention becomes necessary, it will be carried out according to department policy with strong emphasis on de-escalation and maintaining order," said San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenberg. "Keeping San Antonio safe is a shared responsibility. I urge all of those who choose to demonstrate to do so peacefully." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked about the National Guard presence, San Antonio police chief said it has not happened in San Antonio in a "very, very long time." He also noted that he has not had communication with the National Guard. "I wouldn't say it makes me nervous, no. Do I wish they would? Sure." said San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus. "I'll say this, that the questions you're asking me about the National Guard, I would ask you to direct those questions to the individual who's responsible for deploying them." Texas anti-ICE protests Hundreds of protesters have demonstrated in cities across Texas, with more scheduled on Saturday. Austin 13 people were arrested in Austin for their roles in anti-ICE protests on Monday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protests included demonstrators defacing the JJ Pickle Federal Building, throwing scooters and barricades. Four officers were injured in the protests. They were treated and released. Texas DPS eventually used gas to disperse the crowd. What they're saying "The City of Austin has been notified that the National Guard will be prepared to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety on Saturday, if deemed necessary," wrote Mayor Kirk Watson in a statement. "The City of Austin will continue to protect the right of people to peacefully assemble. We will continue to recognize the humanity and value of our immigrant community. Im supportive of people exercising their right to engage in peaceful protest against politics and policies that they disagree with. However, destructive actions or efforts to hurt police is wrong. You are damaging your city." Dallas Dallas anti-ICE protest on June 9, 2025. Hundreds of demonstrators in Dallas gathered near the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas on Monday night for a protest calling for the end of ICE raids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At times the demonstrations were tense, with protesters throwing water bottles, fireworks and rocks at officers. No officers were injured. Only one protester was arrested, according to Dallas police. Gerardo Velasquez Jr., 27, was charged with assault of a peace officer and attempting to take a weapon from an officer. Houston Houston anti-ICE protest (Source: FOX 26 Houston) A group called Houston Unidos organized a rally Sunday in Houston, marching from Ervan Chew Park to Herman Park, demonstrating against recent immigration policy. Houston Police were seen blocking off cross streets down Dunlavey with units, giving the rally a safe path from one park to another. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HPD mounted patrols also trailed behind the crowd, monitoring the situation. The demonstration remained peaceful. The Source Information in this article comes from statements by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a news conference held in San Antonio on Wednesday, June 11 and past coverage from FOX. Charles Schwab Corp. (SCHW) slashed fees on four of its equity exchange-traded funds, bringing the cost of all its equity and fixed-income market-cap-weighted index ETFs below 10 basis points, according to a company announcement Monday. The fee cuts come as Morningstar reports fund fees hit record lows in 2024, with many index funds and ETFs approaching what may be a pricing floor as some providers offer zero-fee options, according to the research firm's annual study. The moves highlight how investors continue to favor the cheapest funds, with the cheapest 20% of funds attracting $930 billion in net inflows last year. Read More: Fund Fees at Record Lows but Decline Is Slowing: Morningstar Expenses Reduced on SCHK & More The reductions, effective June 10, affect the Schwab 1000 Index ETF (SCHK), the Schwab International Equity ETF (SCHF), the Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF (SCHC) and the Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF (SCHE), according to the release. SCHK, which tracks 1,000 of the largest U.S.-listed stocks and manages $4.1 billion in assets, saw its expense ratio drop from 0.05% to 0.03%, according to Schwab Asset Management. The fund has returned 2.5% year to date, with Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and NVIDIA Corp. (NVDA) as its top holdings at 6.3% and 6.2%, respectively. SCHF, the company's $48.1 billion international equity fund, had its fees cut from 0.06% to 0.03%, according to the announcement. The fund, which tracks the FTSE Developed ex-US Index and has gained 18.2% this year, holds SAP SE and ASML Holding NV as its largest positions. John Sturiale, head of product management and innovation at Schwab Asset Management, said the company is looking for new opportunities to make investing more accessible, according to the press release. SCHC, focused on international small-cap stocks with $4.4 billion in assets, saw its expense ratio reduced from 0.11% to 0.08%, according to Schwab. The fund has posted a 19.3% return this year and holds WSP Global Inc. as its top position. SCHE, the emerging markets fund managing $10 billion, had its fees lowered from 0.11% to 0.07%, according to the filing. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM) represents 9.5% of the fund's holdings, with the ETF gaining 10.4% year to date. ETF Price Competition Intensifies The broader industry has seen fees approach rock-bottom levels, with many index funds already charging less than 0.05%, according to Morningstar. Some providers now offer zero-fee options, suggesting the price wars of recent years may be winding down, the research firm noted. Protests unfolding nationwide against President Donald Trumps immigration agenda come as Immigration and Customs Enforcement races to meet White House arrest quotas. Since Trump took office, ICE, which had previously been operating with a set of guidelines focused on public safety and national security threats, has had to pivot as the key agency at the core of the presidents campaign promise to carry out mass deportations. While the administration has touted its immigration crackdown publicly, privately officials have come under fire for failing to meet White House arrest quotas, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For some agents, the greater latitude was a welcome move, allowing them to have more discretion on who they arrest. Still, agents have continued to come under pressure from senior Trump officials to arrest more people, including those with no criminal records. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, architect of the administrations most hardline immigration policies, communicated that urgency in a meeting last month with senior ICE officials, telling agents to search anywhere and everywhere for undocumented immigrants, according to multiple sources. ICE agents have shown up at routine immigration checks, immigration courts, and worksites, among other locations. The speed at which agents are trying to arrest migrants in the United States has raised alarm among immigrant advocates and former ICE officials. White House border czar Tom Homan maintained this week that despite protests, ICE operations to enforce Trumps immigration policies would continue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyll continue every day, not only in California, Los Angeles, theyre gonna continue every city across the country we have teams throughout the country that are out there looking for those in the country, Homan told CNNs Kaitlan Collins Monday on The Source. Were in every city and country, and ICE is going to be out every single day and will continue to be there regardless whats happening in LA. The arrests have also strained ICE detention, serving as yet another reminder of the logistical challenges the administration still faces as it tries to ramp up deportations. As of Monday, there were about 55,000 people in ICE custody. The agency, which relies in part on cooperation with local jails, is only funded for 41,500 beds. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that several convicted criminals who are in the U.S. illegally were arrested as part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles on Monday and Tuesday. The ICE operations in Los Angeles triggered protests and riots in parts of the city, and President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops to protect the federal immigration officers while they continued arrests. "Murderers, pedophiles, and drug traffickers. These are the types of criminal illegal aliens that rioters are fighting to protect. How much longer will Governor Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass continue to prioritize these criminal illegal aliens over their own citizens?" Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California Sheriff Says Newsom Encouraged La Riots As Ice Arrests Violent Illegal Aliens A rioter waves a Mexican national flag next to a car on fire during a protest following federal immigration operations in the Compton neighborhood of Los Angeles on Saturday. "Secretary Noem has a message to the LA rioters: you will not stop us or slow us down. ICE will continue to enforce the law and arrest criminal illegal aliens," McLaughlin added. DHS highlighted nine arrests all of whom the agency says are in the country illegally. Read On The Fox News App Mexican national Gerardo Antonio-Palacios had been deported before but was previously convicted of burglary and homicide. Cambodian national Mab Khleb, 53, was convicted of transporting and possession of a controlled substance, battery, and "lewd action with a child," according to DHS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Laotian Sang Louangprasert was criminally convicted of "lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14" and "inflicting corporal injury, spouse or cohabitant." Dozens Of Anti-ice Rioters Arrested In La As Trump Sends In National Guard To Quell Violence Mexican national Antonio Benitez-Ugarte was convicted on drug trafficking charges, and Alberto Morales-Mejia, also from Mexico, was convicted for amphetamine production. Click Here For More Immigration Coverage Honduran national Carlos Alberto Escobar-Flores was also arrested, and he was previously convicted of grand theft. Another Honduran national, Jose Jimenez-Alvarado, was also arrested after a prior conviction of "two counts of theft." Mexican national Jesus Romero-Retana, 52, had prior convictions of "threatening crime with intent to terrorize and battery." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another Mexican national, Raul Teran-Guillen, was previously arrested for "human smuggling and money laundering" before his ICE arrest this week. Ice Arrests 'Worst Of The Worst' Illegal Aliens In Los Angeles While Protesters Advocate For Criminals: Dhs California Gov. Gavin Newsom talks about the future UCLA Research Park, California's new global hub for innovation, being built at the former Westside Pavilion in Los Angeles on Jan. 3, 2024. The Trump administration has a goal of 3,000 ICE arrests daily in hopes of fulfilling the campaign trail promise of mass deportations following millions of people being let in during the Biden administration. The ICE efforts have received scrutiny from Democrats in California and nationwide, and saying that Trumps decision to deploy the guard and conduct ICE sweeps is instigating. "Donald Trump's government isn't protecting our communities. They're traumatizing our communities," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a brief address on Tuesday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Angelenos are trying to live their livesgoing to work, caring for their familieswhile facing the constant threat of sudden immigration crackdowns," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass posted to X on Wednesday morning. "This fear paralyzes communities. We saw it before: kids too scared to go to school, families torn apart without warning. Lets not pretend this is about public safety. Its political retributionplain and simple." Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Newsom and Bass for comment, but they did not immediately respond. Original article source: ICE ramps up arrests of convicted criminals as riots rage in blue city: 'You will not stop us' After nearly three months in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil made a request to move closer to his family. ICE denied it last week, according to emails reviewed Wednesday by NBC News. Khalils legal team asked in late May that he be transferred to a detention center in New Jersey to be closer to his wife and newborn son. He has been held in a Louisiana ICE facility since March. ICEs policy requires detaining noncitizen parents or legal guardians, who are primary caretakers or have custody of minor children, in facilities close to their children Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The New Orleans ICE Field Office wrote that Khalil did not fall under the agency policys criteria and denied the request without explanation, according to the emails. I am declining your request that Mr. Khalil be transferred from the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Jena, Louisiana to a detention center in New Jersey, an official wrote. Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University, outside the gates of the campus last year. (Seth Harrison / The Journal News / USA Today Network via Imagn Images file) Nora Ahmed, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, which is part of Khalils legal team, called the decision cruel. ICEs directive recognizes that the government should have no role in destroying the family unit, and yet that is exactly what is happening here, Ahmed said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to requests for comment on the emails. Khalils wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, a Michigan-born dentist, gave birth to the couples son in April. Citing the ICE policy, his legal team reached out to the New Orleans office in hope of getting him moved. The directive, issued in 2022, considers detained parents who have custody of their children as covered individuals under the policy. It stipulates that covered individuals must be placed as close as practicable to their minor children. It also requires ICE personnel to accommodate regular visitation between covered individuals and their minor children. There is no possible justification to detain Mr. Khalil at such a great distance from his minor child, in violation of ICEs own policy, when ICE maintains numerous detention facilities within driving distance of where Mr. Khalils wife and infant son reside in New York City, Khalils counsel wrote in an email to the New Orleans ICE office. In an email to Khalils legal counsel, an official at the New Orleans ICE office said he did not qualify as a covered individual. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khalil, who grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria and was granted permanent U.S. resident status last year, became a widely recognized activist amid the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University last year. In March, he was abruptly arrested outside his student housing on campus and detained before being the Trump administration accused him of leading activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. He has not been charged with any crime. ICE previously rejected Khalils request to attend his sons birth, court documents show. The most immediate and visceral harms I have experienced directly relate to the birth of my son, Deen. 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 said in a legal filing last week. Khalil met his son for the first time last month, his attorneys said, just before an immigration hearing. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and 16 other attorneys general are suing the Trump administration over its decision to stop enforcing a federal ban on switch devices that convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland and claims that the redistribution of forced reset triggers (FRTs) violates federal law and poses a threat to public safety. The federal government signed a settlement agreement promising to stop enforcing federal law that prohibits FRTs and to redistribute the thousands of devices seized by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raoul said switch devices are illegal under Illinois law and noted their increased use in crimes. Forced reset triggers replace the trigger mechanism on a standard firearm with one that allows for the weapon to fire multiple rounds with a single squeeze, like a machine gun. The Trump administrations decision to redistribute devices that convert firearms into machine guns is extreme and would have a devastating effect on the safety of communities across our country. Federal law bans these devices, and this settlement does not change the law, Raoul said. Illinois law is also clear: Forced reset triggers are unlawful. I will continue to enforce the ban on forced reset triggers under Illinois law, and I will advocate against any policy that will contribute to the gun violence that has become common in too many communities in Illinois and across the nation. Along with Illinois, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington also participated in the lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Chicago Sun-Times reported that switch-related cases in the Rockford area have climbed in the past three years, with the number of cases involving teenagers doubling from 2022 to 2024. In February, Judge Iain Johnson of the Northern District of Illinois sent a letter to the U.S. Sentencing Commission asking for harsher penalties for criminals who are in possession of switch devices. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Brief Gov. JB Pritzker is preparing for his appearance in front of Congress to defend Illinois' sanctuary laws. GOP members are expected to grill Pritzker over the TRUST Act, which bans local police from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. Pritzker hired a high-power D.C. law firm, including counsel to former President Biden, to prepare for the hearings on Thursday. WASHINGTON, D.C. - IllinoisGov. JB Pritzker is in Washington, D.C. this week preparing for his big testimony Thursday in front of Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor will be defending Illinois' laws protecting undocumented residents amid the Trump administration's standoff with California over the ICE raids. Pritzker to be grilled What we know Sources close to Pritzker confirmed he's preparing for his grilling with a White House counsel to former President Joe Biden. Republican members of Congress are expected to hit Pritzker, along with Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York. Pritzker has so far turned down requests for interviews, but issued a statement: "Despite the rhetoric of Republicans in Congress, Governor Pritzker will share facts about how this bipartisan public safety law is fully compliant with federal law and ensures law enforcement can focus on doing their jobs well. The bipartisan Illinois TRUST Act was signed into law by a Republican governor [Bruce Rauner] and focuses on enabling people, regardless of immigration status, to report crime, call emergency services, and keep their communities safe. As allowed by the law, the State of Illinois cooperates with federal immigration enforcement when there is a federal criminal warrant or required by federal law." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing will get underway at 9 a.m. Chicago time on Thursday. The hearing will feature some of the most firebrand members of Congress, including Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Nancy Mace, as well as Democratic members like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett. Pritzker will defend the Illinois TRUST Act, which, in short, prohibits local police from cooperating with federal immigration agents unless they present a criminal warrant. It also prohibits the sharing of immigration information with the feds or the cooperation of local jail authorities. The governor is violating federal law The other side But not everyone in Illinois is a fan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick said he believes the law violates federal immigration law. He argued the TRUST Act hamstrings police officers who he thinks should cooperate and said the U.S. Department should investigate Pritzker. "I truly believe that in Illinois, the governor is violating federal law," Mendrick said. "I truly believe that. It's right there that you cannot shield them from detection. Giving them housing and putting $44 million of budgeting into housing for illegal immigrants that you're currently summoning here, sounds like shielding to me, sounds like harboring, sounds like participating, doesn't it?" Mendrick has also announced a run for Illinois governor on the Republican ticket. What's next Fox 32 Political Editor Paris Schutz will be in Washington, D.C., starting on Wednesday, with complete coverage of Thursdays hearing, which starts at 9 a.m. Chicago time. PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) A man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge that he and others conspired to steal money from area ATMs. Leandro Bordones Villegas, 26, pleaded in U.S. District Court in Peoria to bank larceny and conspiracy to commit bank larceny. He faces up to five years in prison on each count when sentenced Oct. 9 by U.S. District Judge Jonathan Hawley. He and another man Marol Aguiar Rodriguez, 20 were arrested in February and later indicted by a federal grand jury. Rodriguez pleaded guilty last month to the same charges and will be sentenced in September. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to their indictment, the duo and others engaged in a jackpotting scheme which is where they intended to introduce malware into the ATMs to get the machines to give them money without linking the withdrawal to an account. On Feb. 19 and Feb. 20, they accessed machines in Avon and in Abington, netting at least $20,000 in total. Both men have been in the custody of the U.S. marshals since their arrest and will remain in custody pending their sentencing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Driverless Waymo vehicles, coated with graffiti and engulfed in flames. Masked protesters, dancing and cavorting around burning American flags. Anonymous figures brazenly blocking streets and shutting down major freeways, raining bottles and rocks on the police, while their compatriots waved Mexican flags. The images flowing out of Los Angeles over nearly a week of protests against federal immigration raids have cast America's second most populous city as a terrifying hellscape, where lawbreakers rule the streets and regular citizens should fear to leave their homes. In the relentless fever loop of online and broadcast video, it does not matter that the vast majority of Los Angeles neighborhoods remain safe and secure. Digital images create their own reality and it's one that President Trump and his supporters have used to condemn L.A. as a place that is "out of control" and on the brink of total collapse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The images and their true meaning and context have become the subject of a furious debate in the media and among political partisans, centered on the true roots and victims of the protests, which erupted on Friday as the Trump administration moved aggressively to expand its arrests of undocumented immigrants. Read more: Newsom, in California address, says Trump purposely 'fanned the flames' of L.A. protests As the president and his supporters in conservative media tell it, he is the defender of law and order and American values. They cast their opponents as dangerous foreign-born criminals and their feckless enablers in the Democratic Party and mainstream media. The states political leaders and journalists offer a compelling rebuttal: that Trump touched off several days of protest and disruption with raids that went far beyond targeting criminals, as he previously promised, then escalated the conflict by taking the highly unusual step of sending the National Guard and Marines to Southern California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reaction to the raids by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and the subsequent turmoil will divide Americans on what have become partisan lines that have become so predictable they are "calcified," said Lynn Vavreck, a political science professor at UCLA. "The parties want to build very different worlds, voters know it, and they know which world they want to live in," said Vavreck, who has focused on the country's extreme political polarization. "And because the parties are so evenly divided, and this issue is so personal to so many, the stakes are very high for people." A demonstrator waves a Mexican flag as a fire that was set on San Pedro street burns on Monday night. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times Protesters continue to clash with the Los Angeles Police Department in downtown on Monday. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times Protesters continue to clash with the Los Angeles Police Department in downtown Los Angeles on Monday. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times Anti-ICE protesters face off with the LAPD on Temple St. on Monday. Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times Flowers lay at the feet of federalized California National Guard members as they guard the Federal Building on Tuesday. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times As a curfew was imposed Tuesday, the sharpest street confrontations appeared to be fading and a national poll suggested Americans have mixed feelings about the events that have dominated the news. The YouGov survey of 4,231 people found that 50% disapprove of the Trump administrations handling of deportations, compared with 39% who approve. Pluralities of those sampled also disagreed with Trumps deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Southern California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But 45% of those surveyed by YouGov said they disapprove of the protests that began after recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. Another 36% approved of the protests, with the rest unsure how they feel. Faced with a middling public response to the ICE raids and subsequent protests, Trump continued to use extreme language to exaggerate the magnitude of the public safety threat and to take credit for the reduction in hostilities as the week progressed. In a post on his TruthSocial site, he suggested that, without his military intervention, Los Angeles would be burning just like it was burning a number of months ago, with all the houses that were lost. Los Angeles right now would be on fire. A large crowd hold their fist up with faith leaders outside the Federal building in downtown Los Angeles as demonstrators protest immigration raids in L.A. on Tuesday,. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) In reality, agitators set multiple spot fires in a few neighborhoods, including downtown Los Angeles and Paramount, but the blazes in recent days were tiny and quickly controlled, in contrast to the massive wildfires that devastated broad swaths of Southern California in January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps hyperbole continued in a fundraising appeal to his supporters Tuesday. In it, he again praised his decision to deploy the National Guard (without the approval of California Gov. Gavin Newsom), concluding: If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated. The Republican had assistance in fueling the sense of unease. His colleagues in Congress introduced a resolution to formally condemn the riots. Congress steps in amid 'out-of-control' Los Angeles riots as Democrats resist federal help, Fox News reported on the resolution, being led by Rep. Young Kim of Orange County. A journalist based in New Delhi pronounced, based on unspecified evidence, that Los Angeles is descending into a full-blown warzone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas Collins suggested that the harm from the protesters was spreading; announcing in a social media post that a care center for vets in downtown L.A. had been temporarily closed. "To the violent mobs in Los Angeles rioting in support of illegal immigrants and against the rule of law, his post on X said, your actions are interfering with Veterans health care." A chyron running with a Fox News commentary suggested "Democrats have lost their mind," as proved by their attempts to downplay the anti-ICE riots. Many Angelenos mocked the claims of a widespread public safety crisis. One person on X posted a picture of a dog out for a walk along a neatly kept sidewalk in a serene neighborhood, with the caption: Los Angeles just an absolute warzone, as you can see. Federal officers and the National Guard protect the Federal building in downtown Los Angeles as demonstrators protest on Tuesday. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) In stark contrast to the photos of Waymo vehicles burning and police cars being pelted with rocks, a video on social media showed a group of protestors line dancing. Oh my God! They must be stopped before their peaceful and joy filled dance party spreads to a city near you! the caption read. Please send in the Marines before they start doing the Cha Cha and the Macarena! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And many people noted on social media that Sundays Pride parade in Hollywood for the LGBTQ+ community went off without incident, as reinforced by multiple videos of dancers and marchers celebrating along a sun-splashed parade route. But other activists and Democrats signaled that they understand how Trumps position can be strengthened if it appears they are condoning the more extreme episodes that emerged along with the protests police being pelted with bottles, businesses being looted and buildings being defaced with graffiti. On Tuesday, an X post by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reiterated her earlier admonitions: "Let me be clear: ANYONE who vandalized Downtown or looted stores does not care about our immigrant communities, the mayor wrote. "You will be held accountable." Read more: ICE expands immigration raids into California's agricultural heartland Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The activist group Occupy Democrats posted a message online urging protesters to show their disdain for the violence and property damage. The moment violence or property damage begins, EVERY OTHER PROTESTER must immediately sit on the floor or the ground in silence, with signs down, the advisory suggested. The media needs to film this. This will reveal paid fake thugs posing as protesters becoming violent. .The rest of us will demonstrate our non-violent innocence and retain our Constitutional right to peaceful protest. Craig Silverman, a journalist and cofounder of Indicator, a site that investigates deception on digital platforms, said that reporting on the context and true scope of the protests would have a hard time competing with the visceral images broadcast into Americans homes. It's inevitable that the most extreme and compelling imagery will win the battle for attention on social media and on TV, Silverman said via email. It's particularly challenging to deliver context and facts when social platforms incentivize the most shocking videos and claims, federal and state authorities offer contradictory messages about what's happening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dan Schnur, who teaches political science at USC and UC Berkeley, agreed. The overwhelming majority of the protesters are peaceful, Schnur said, but they dont do stories on all the planes that land safely at LAX, either. Protesters march in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) Though it might be too early to assess the ultimate impact of the L.A. unrest, Schnur suggested that all of the most prominent politicians in the drama might have accomplished their messaging goals: Trump motivated his base and diverted attention from his nasty feud with his former top advisor, Elon Musk, and the lack of progress on peace talks with Russia and Ukraine. Newsom "effectively unified the state and elevated his national profile" by taking on Trump. And Bass, under tough scrutiny for her handling of the city's wildfire disaster, has also gotten a chance to use Trump as a foil. What was not disputed was that Trumps rapid deployment of the National Guard, without the approval of Newsom, had little precedent. And sending the Marines to L.A. was an even more extreme approach, with experts saying challenges to the deployment would test the limits of Trumps power. The federal Insurrection Act allows the deployment of the military for law enforcement purposes, but only under certain conditions, such as a national emergency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California leaders say Trump acted before a true emergency developed, thereby preempting standard protocols, including the institution of curfews and the mobilization of other local police departments in a true emergency. Even real estate developer Rick Caruso, Bass opponent in the last election, suggested Trump acted too hastily. There is no emergency, widespread threat, or out of control violence in Los Angeles, Caruso wrote on X Sunday. And absolutely no danger that justifies deployment of the National Guard, military, or other federal force to the streets of this or any other Southern California City. We must call for calm in the streets, Caruso added, and deployment of the National Guard may prompt just the opposite. 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. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Immigrant advocate organization, the Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR), is gathering Tuesday evening, June 10 in Downtown El Paso at the San Jacinto Plaza in solidarity with communities in Los Angeles who took to the streets over the weekend to protest immigration raids being carried out by ICE. What to know about Trumps deployment of the Marines and National Guard to LAs immigration protests The protests in Los Angeles made national headlines as they escalated this past Sunday with protesters blocking a major freeway and vandalizing self-driving cars and law-enforcement vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump also announced that he was deploying National Guard and Marines to quell the protests. The initial 2,000 National Guard troops arrived Sunday. On Monday, the president announced he was sending an additional 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines. Photos by Edith Montero/KTSM Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photos by Edith Montero/KTSM In El Paso, the BNHR calls Tuesday evenings demonstration a peaceful vigil, in which they will also call for an end to ICEs terrorizing immigration enforcement tactics and for the immediate withdrawal of military forces from Los Angeles and the border. What were seeing in Los Angeles is not new. Its the amplification of a strategy weve endured at the border for years, said Fernando Garcia, the executive director for BNHR, in a news release. ICE has become a political weapon used to terrorize our communities, Garcia said. This administration is exploiting law enforcement and military personnel, placing them at the center of an anti-democratic agenda that undermines the very freedoms they swore to defend. Were not here to vilify individuals in uniform. Were here to demand accountability from the leadership that is weaponizing them against our people. Meanwhile, Michael Aboud, chairman of the El Paso County Republican Party, said that while people have the right to protest, he condemned the vandalism that transpired over the weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you come here illegally, youre not allowed to stay, period. The ones that are destroying property, theyre burning the U.S. flag and theyre flying foreign flags. Thats whats concerning. You want to protest in peace? Weve allowed that since the beginning of our country, OK. But the ones that are the problem are the ones that are doing all the destruction. You can have a wrong opinion and be able to speak about it, Aboud said. Aboud praised the Trump administrations immigration efforts and shared a message for El Pasoans who will demonstrate Tuesday evening. They dont get to decide what the law is. They dont get to decide that. They go to any foreign country and go there illegally and stay and then tell those people what the foreigners wishes are. Listen to what law enforcement says to you. Cooperate and go home peacefully, Aboud said. Alan Lizarraga, communications manager for the BNHR, stressed the importance of El Pasoans demonstrating in light of what occurred at Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What has been unfolding in Los Angeles was an intended provocation. It is a manufactured crisis for the government to be able to excuse what theyre doing in our communities. If we dont stand up against whats happening in L.A., what guarantees that tomorrow theyre not going to start doing the same here in El Paso. Lizarraga said. What we have to understand is that El Paso has been the center point to the policies that were seeing nationwide. We have seen militarization of our border. Weve seen how immigration enforcement has turned into a paramilitary operation now. So what communities in Los Angeles saw over the weekend was just that. It was armed soldiers and armed vehicles going after hard-working individuals, Lizarraga added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) Dozens of people rallied at Columbia Heights Civic Plaza in Northwest D.C. Tuesday evening, protesting against deportation efforts. It comes as National Guard troops are on the ground in Los Angeles, backing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents making arrests at protests across the city. People were angry and upset at whats going on in LA, and they dont want to see similar ICE raids in D.C. or any violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Calif. governor asks court to block Trump administration from using troops in immigration raids A big crowd of immigrants and supporters filled Columbia Heights Plaza with one central message. The main message is that we are together, that we are united, said Lita Trejo. We are united and were going to fight back. Were not going to hide in our houses. Were going to come out and fight back. I have family and friends, friends my age, who are immigrants, and they fear for their lives, said Laura Sotelo. Among the protestors is Michelle Xai, whos in D.C. to protest Trumps military parade, but was part of protests that broke out after ICE raided a Home Depot in Los Angeles and detained day laborers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protesters were peaceful. Who brought the violence were ICE, were Homeland Security, were the FBI. And since then, Trump has sent the National Guard, Xai said. Trump, Newsom collide over LA unrest A sizeable number of D.C. police officers surrounded the rally as a precaution, knowing what has happened in LA. I think they have the right to protest. You know, theyve been invaded, and we dont want that to happen to Washington, D.C., Trejo said. The protestors want the military out of LA, and theyre demanding ICE stop targeting immigrants. This is our city and we deserve respect, Trejo said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some people who were at the rally plan on protesting against the Trump administration Saturday afternoon before the Army parade. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Demonstrations have gripped Los Angeles for several days in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the sanctuary city, with some protesters clashing with police. Tensions escalated after President Donald Trump called up the National Guard over the objections of state and city leaders to address what the White House referred to as the "lawlessness that has been allowed to fester." Solidarity protests against ICE have broken out in other cities in the wake of the federal response, which has also included deploying hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's a look at how the protests began and what demonstrators are calling for. PHOTO: Members of the California National Guard stand guard in front of the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles, June 9, 2025. (Daniel Cole/Reuters) How did the LA protests start? On Friday, federal agents executed search warrants authorized by a Los Angeles federal judge at four businesses suspected of unlawfully employing undocumented immigrants and falsifying employment records, according to a criminal complaint. On social media, "word quickly spread about 'ICE raids' taking place throughout Los Angeles," according to the complaint. Video showed federal agents conducting the operations, including at a Home Depot in Westlake and the clothing manufacturer Ambiance Apparel in downtown Los Angeles. PHOTO: People react as a Department of Homeland Security officer shoots pepper balls during a protest after federal immigration authorities conducted an operation, on June 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Jae C. Hong/AP) Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was "deeply angered" over the raids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city," she said in a statement on Friday. "We will not stand for this." MORE: LA protest live updates Local activists and family members of the workers showed up at the locations, confronting agents about the arrests. A prominent union leader -- Service Employees International Union California President David Huerta -- was arrested on Friday outside Ambiance Apparel and charged with conspiracy to impede an officer following an altercation with a law enforcement officer, according to the complaint. SEIU President April Verrett told ABC News that Huerta was "exercising his constitutional right to peacefully protest and be an observer on a sidewalk in the city of Los Angeles." Following the raids, protesters also gathered outside federal buildings in downtown Los Angeles that are home to an immigration court and a detention facility, holding signs that said "ICE out of LA!" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our community is under attack and is being terrorized," Angelica Salas, the executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, said during a press conference in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. "These are workers, these are fathers, these are mothers, and this has to stop. Immigration enforcement that is terrorizing our families throughout this country and picking up our people that we love must stop now." Hours later, amid ongoing protests in downtown LA, the LAPD declared an unlawful assembly Friday evening following reports that a "small group of violent individuals are throwing large pieces of concrete," and officers in riot gear moved in to disperse the crowd. 'We're going to keep showing up' Protests against immigration raids continued into the weekend in downtown LA, as well as Los Angeles County cities including Compton and Paramount. "We have a very beautiful community, a very strong community. And this is why we show up and we're going to keep showing up," Paramount demonstrator Nabil Shukir told ABC Los Angeles station KABC over the weekend. "It is an obligation and a duty for each and every one of us to be here and fight against the oppression and these kidnappings." PHOTO: Members of the California National Guard arrive in Los Angeles, June 8, 2025. (KNN) On Saturday, the White House said Trump signed a memorandum deploying thousands of National Guardsmen to Los Angeles after "violent mobs" attacked ICE officers -- over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. MORE: Amid LA protests, what officials say about the rules of force for National Guard, Marines The following day, some protesters were seen hurling scooters and bottles at patrol vehicles and several of the self-driving car company Waymo's vehicles were set on fire. Amid the protests, LAPD said officers have arrested dozens of people for failure to disperse, as well as looting. Other charges have included attempted murder with a Molotov cocktail and assault with a deadly weapon, police said. PHOTO: A protester throws a scooter at a police vehical near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, June 8, 2025. (Jae C. Hong/AP) PHOTO: Two Waymo taxis burn near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, June 8, 2025. (Jae C. Hong/AP) Bass has condemned the violence while noting in a call with KABC on Monday that the majority of people protesting have been peaceful and that the more-violent protesting and vandalism were happening "late at night." She added that she assumed violent protests weren't being led by people supporting immigrants, but rather by "fringe groups." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bass has also blamed Trump for the escalation and has continued to call on the Trump administration to stop immigration raids in the city, saying the fear and uncertainty they have created have led to the unrest. "It makes me feel like our city is actually a test case, a test case for what happens when the federal government moves in and takes the authority away from the state or away from local government," she told reporters during a news conference Monday. "I don't think that our city should be used for an experiment." Newsom has called the deployment a "complete overreaction." He and California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Monday that they have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the "illegal and unnecessary takeover" of the California National Guard that has "needlessly escalated chaos and violence in the Los Angeles region." "Let me be clear: There is no invasion. There is no rebellion. The President is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends," Bonta said in a statement. PHOTO: People attend a rally against the detention of SEIU California and SEIU-USWW union president David Huerta amid federal immigration sweeps in downtown Los Angeles, June 9, 2025. (David Ryder/Reuters) Protests over the federal response and continued ICE raids in the Los Angeles area have been ongoing. Demonstrations have also been held at Los Angeles International Airport against Trump's new travel ban, which went into effect on Monday and bars nationals of 12 countries from entering the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SEIU held a large rally in downtown LA on Monday in support of Huerta, who was released from federal custody on a $50,000 bond that day. MORE: Who is David Huerta, the union leader arrested while protesting in Los Angeles? Bass said Tuesday it is unclear how many people have been detained by ICE. "On Thursday of last week, Los Angeles was peaceful. There was nothing going on here that warranted the federal intervention that took place the very next day," she said during a press briefing. "If we want to look at the cause of what is happening here, I take it back to raids that took place on Friday, and the uncertainty and the fear and the fact that families across the city are terrified that they don't know if they should go to work, they don't know if they should go to school." PHOTO: People protest following three days of clashes with police after a series of raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), June 9, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Trump on Tuesday defended his decision to send in the National Guard and Marines, saying the situation in LA was "out of control." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "All I want is safety. I just want a safe area," he told reporters. "Los Angeles was under siege until we got there. The police were unable to handle it." Trump went on to suggest that he sent in the National Guard and the Marines to send a message to other cities not to interfere with ICE operations or they will be met with equal or greater force. "If we didn't attack this one very strongly, you'd have them all over the country," he said. "But I can inform the rest of the country that when they do it, if they do it, they're going to be met with equal or greater force than we met right here." Why are people protesting ICE? Since Friday, other demonstrations have broken out across the country in solidarity, protesting ICE activity in their communities and the federal response in Los Angeles. On Monday, protests were held in cities including New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Dallas, and, in California, San Jose and Santa Ana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesters turned out in San Francisco on Sunday outside of an Immigration Services building to rally in solidarity against ICE raids and deportations. "We've been watching what's going on in LA, and we're like, no," protester Nancy Kato told ABC San Francisco station KGO. "The whole thing about going after immigrants and people who are undocumented, the most vulnerable of our populations, that is so wrong." PHOTO: A person raises their hands facing a row of police outside the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Santa Ana Field Office after reports of ICE raids in Santa Ana, Calif., June 9, 2025. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images) Nellie Wong told KGO she was there "to protest the outrageous attacks on undocumented immigrants." "This has been going on for some time, but the events that have been going on in Los Angeles, I just find horrifying," another protester, Amy Gray-Schlink, told KGO. "We need a united front of everyone who wants to oppose the scapegoating of immigrants." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In San Diego County, protesters gathered near the main gate of Camp Pendleton on Sunday to stand against any military activation. "We want to show our support to the military members that work here. We want to kind of remind them of what their duty is to us," one of the demonstrators, Air Force veteran Patrick Saunders, told ABC San Diego affiliate KGTV. "But additionally, we want to make it very publicly known that we condemn any sort of action by the administration of using active duty or National Guard troops on U.S. citizens." How the immigration protests in Los Angeles started originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Soltage, an independent power producer (IPP), has secured a $260m construction and term debt financing facility for the deployment of solar and storage projects from the companys development pipeline, which exceeds 2GW across the US. The financial arrangement features a revolving construction loan, a tax equity bridge loan and a term loan facility. This provides Soltage with flexible capital to advance the development, construction and management of an expanding portfolio of clean energy infrastructure assets. The National Bank of Canada was responsible for structuring and leading the financing facility in collaboration with First Citizens Bank. Additional joint arrangers were BankUnited, Cadence Bank and Siemens Financial Services. Soltage CEO Jesse Grossman stated: This financing marks Soltage's continued deployment of innovative financial structures that enable efficient capital investment in domestic energy infrastructure. With the support of National Bank of Canada, First Citizens Bank and our valued financial partners, this facility will enable construction of the next 250 megawatts of distributed solar and storage projects across our national portfolio. Legal representation for the financing for Soltage was provided by Foley Hoag, and Norton Rose Fulbright represented the lending syndicate. National Bank of Canada project finance managing director Vincent Guimond stated: NBC has been a strong supporter of Soltage's entrepreneurial story which has evolved into a great partnership between our firms. We are honoured to play a key role in this adaptable financing structure, empowering Soltage to achieve its growth ambitions. Soltage's expanding clean energy portfolio is part of the company's commitment to providing robust, clean energy solutions for communities and businesses across the country. First Citizens Bank's Energy Finance group head Mike Lorusso stated: We are proud to deepen our relationship with Soltage through this flexible and strategic capital structure. "Our collaborative approach with National Bank of Canada helps ensure streamlined execution and strong alignment across construction and term financing phases. "Soltage secures $260m for US solar and energy storage projects" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. Jun. 10MORGANTOWN For the past several weeks, a mobile home has sat unattended alongside the intersection of Grafton Road and Scott Avenue, causing a potential road hazard to motorists traveling along those roads. However this isn't the first time this house has been a roadside unattractive. Before it wound up in its current location, it had been left for weeks along the Kingwood Pike near the Interstate 68 overpass. The West Virginia Department of Transportation has been in contact with the owner of the home and has given the owner time to get the home moved from next to the roadway, according to spokesman Brent Walker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are in contact with the owner, and we're working with them trying to give them a little bit more time to make arrangements to move the mobile home, " Walker said. "We are just trying to give him a little bit more time before it'll have to be moved by us." Walker added several groups have been in contact with the owner of the home to try and get it moved from its current position. "It takes a special permit " to move it, he said. "We're not able to just get in there and lift it. It's the owner's responsibility, so we're just working with him and letting him know that he has a little bit more time." Walker added he would like to have the home moved sooner rather than later, but no specific timeframe has been given yet. Atul Kumar (name changed) anxiously paced the corridor of a public hospital in India's capital Delhi. A small-appliance mechanic, he was struggling to secure medicines for his 26-year-old daughter who suffers from drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). Mr Kumar said his daughter needed 22 tablets of Monopas, an antibiotic used for treating TB, every day. "In the past 18 months, I haven't received government-supplied medicine for even two full months," he told BBC Hindi in January, months before India's declared deadline to eliminate the infectious disease. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Forced to buy costly drugs from private pharmacies, Mr Kumar was drowning in debt. A week's supply cost 1,400 rupees ($16; 12), more than half his weekly income. After the BBC raised the issue, authorities supplied the medicines Mr Kumar's daughter needed. Federal Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said that the government usually acts quickly to fix medicine access issues when alerted. Mr Kumar's daughter is one of millions of Indians suffering from tuberculosis, a bacterial disease that infects the lungs and is spread when the infected person coughs or sneezes. India, home to 27% of the world's tuberculosis cases, sees two TB-related deaths every three minutes. India's TB burden has long been tied to poor case detection, underfunding and erratic drug supply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite this grim reality, the country has set an ambitious goal. It aims to eliminate TB by the end of 2025, five years ahead of the global target set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations member states. Elimination, as defined by the WHO, means cutting new TB cases by 80% and deaths by 90% compared with 2015 levels. But visits to TB centres in Delhi and the eastern state of Odisha revealed troubling gaps in the government's TB programme. In Odisha's Khordha district, around 30km (18.6 miles) from state capital Bhubaneshwar, 32-year-old day-labourer Kanhucharan Sahu is struggling to continue his two-year-old daughter's TB treatment, with government medicines unavailable for three months and private ones costing 1,500 rupees a month - an unbearable burden. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We can't see her suffer anymore," he says, his voice breaking. "We even thought of abandoning her." At Odisha's local TB office, officials promised to review Sahu's case, but a staffer admitted, "We rarely get the medicines we need, so we ration them." Kanhucharan Sahu's two-year-old daughter is fighting tuberculosis [BBC] Mr Sahu says he hasn't received the promised 1,000 rupees monthly support from the federal government and at the local TB office, officials admit to chronic shortages, leaving families like his adrift in a failing system. Vijayalakshmi Routray, who runs the patient support group Sahyog, says medicine shortages are now routine, with government outlets often running dry. "How can we talk about ending TB with such gaps?" she asks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are other hurdles too - for example, changing treatment centres involves navigating complex bureaucracy, a barrier that often leads to missed doses and incomplete care. This poses a major hurdle for India's vast population of migrant workers. At a hospital near Khordha, 50-year-old Babu Nayak, a sweeper who was diagnosed with TB in 2023, struggles to continue his treatment. He was regularly forced to travel 100km to his village for medicines as officials insisted he collect them from the original centre where he was diagnosed and first treated. "It became too difficult," he says. Unable to travel so often, Mr Nayak stopped taking the medication altogether. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It was a mistake," he admitted, after contracting TB again last year and being hospitalised. At his hospital, no TB specialist was available, highlighting another critical gap in India's fight: a shortage of frontline health workers. The BBC shared its findings with the federal health ministry and officials in charge of the TB programme in Delhi and Odisha. There was no response despite repeated reminders. A 2023 parliamentary report showed there were many vacant roles across all levels of the TB programme, affecting diagnosis, treatment and follow-up - especially in rural and underserved areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2018, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought forward India's TB elimination target to 2025, he cited the government's intensified efforts as a reason for optimism. Two years later, the Covid pandemic disrupted TB elimination efforts globally, delaying diagnosis, diverting resources and pausing routine services. Medicine shortages, staff constraints and weakened patient monitoring have further widened the gap between ambition and reality. Despite these challenges, India has made some progress. Over the past decade, the country has reduced its tuberculosis-related mortality. Between 2015 and 2023, TB deaths declined from 28 to 22 per 100,000 people. This figure, however, is still high when compared with the global average which stands at 15.5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The number of reported cases has gone up, which the government credits to its targeted outreach and screening programmes. In 2024, India recorded 2.6 million TB cases, up from 2.5 million in 2023. TB is a bacterial disease which affects the lungs [Getty Images] Federal Health Minister JP Nadda recently touted innovations like handheld X-ray devices as game-changers in expanding testing. But on the ground, the picture is less optimistic. "I still see some patients come to me with reports of sputum (phlegm) smear microscopy for TB, a test which has a much lower detection rate as compared to genetic tests," says Dr Lancelot Pinto, a Mumbai-based epidemiologist. Genetic tests, which includes RT-PCR machines - widely used to diagnose HIV, influenza and most recently, Covid-19 - and Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing, also examine the sputum sample but with greater sensitivity and in a shorter timeframe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Besides, the tests can reveal whether the TB strain is drug-resistant or sensitive, something that microscopic testing can't do, Dr Pinto says. The gap, he adds, stems not just from lack of awareness but from limited access to modern tests. "Genetic testing is free at government hospitals but not uniformly available, with only a few states being able to provide it." In May, Modi led a high-level review of India's TB elimination programme, reaffirming the country's commitment to defeating the disease. But the official statement notably skipped mention of the 2025 deadline. Instead, it highlighted community-driven strategies - better sanitation, nutrition and social support for TB-affected families - as key to the fight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government has also prioritised better diagnosis, treatment and prevention at the core of its elimination strategy. This approach mirrors the WHO's view of TB as a "disease of poverty". In its 2024 report, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called it "the definitive disease of deprivation", noting how poverty, malnutrition and treatment costs trap patients in a vicious cycle. As India pushes toward its goal of eliminating the disease, deep health and social inequalities remain hurdles. With just six months left until India's self-imposed deadline, new complications have emerged. The fallout from US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the WHO and suspension of USAID operations has raised concerns about future funding for global TB efforts. Since 1998, USAID has invested more than $140m to help diagnose and treat TB patients in India. However, India's federal health secretary insists there is "no budgetary problem" anticipated. Meanwhile, hope lies on the horizon. Sixteen TB vaccine candidates are currently in development across the world, with the WHO projecting potential availability within five years, pending successful trials. Delhi is "hopeful" of reaching a trade agreement with the US before the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs ends on 9 July, India's foreign minister has said. In an interview with French daily Le Figaro on Tuesday, S Jaishankar, who is on a four-day visit to Belgium and France, said India and US had already begun trade negotiations before Trump unveiled his 2 April 'Liberation day' tariffs on global partners, including up to 27% on India. "Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi met with Donald Trump in February and they decided to further open access to our respective markets," Jaishankar told the paper. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are hopeful of reaching an agreement before the end of the tariff suspension on 9 July." Earlier in the day, a US delegation held closed-door meetings with Indian trade ministry officials in Delhi. An unnamed Indian official told Reuters news agency that the recent set of trade talks with US officials had been productive and "helped in making progress towards crafting a mutually beneficial and balanced agreement including through achievement of early wins". Until recently, the US was India's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $190bn. India has already reduced tariffs on a range of goods - including Bourbon whiskey and motorcycles - but the US continues to run a $45bn (33bn) trade deficit with India, which Trump is keen to reduce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and Modi have set a target to more than double this figure to $500bn, though Delhi is unlikely to offer concessions in politically sensitive sectors such as agriculture. Modi (L) and Trump at the White House in February [Getty Images] Earlier this month, the White House told its trade partners that the US wants them to make their best trade offers, with the deadline fast approaching, Reuters news agency reported. Last week, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he was "very optimistic" about a deal between India and US, which he said said would come in the "not too distant future". In May, Trump made global headlines by claiming that Delhi had offered to drop all tariffs on goods imported from the US. These claims were swiftly disputed by India, with the foreign minister saying that "nothing is decided till everything is". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jaishankar had previously emphasised that any trade deal must be mutually beneficial and work for both countries. Speaking separately about US foreign policy under Trump, Jaishankar told Le Figaro he sees the US "looking at things from the perspective of its immediate interest and seeking benefits for itself". "Frankly, I will do the same with them," Jaishankar added. Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. More funding and payment changes are coming to county jails. (Getty Images) The Indiana Department of Correction owes Indiana jails about $12.7 million in payments for housing state offenders but there is a plan in place to pay it back starting July 1 and avoid the problem in the future. The state prison system exhausted its appropriation for jail payments earlier this year. At the time, it wasnt clear how much money counties were losing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the DOC provided a spreadsheet showing a county-by-county tally of the arrears. Elkhart County has the highest bill at $1 million with Allen and Marion counties following. Capt. Michael Culp with the Elkhart County Sheriffs Office said the county last received a payment from the state in August 2024. Here are the top five counties in terms of payments owed by the Indiana Department of Correction: Elkhart $1,027,837 Allen $772,982 Marion $751,237 St. Joseph $531,187 Delaware $401,957 He said, on average, the county houses between 40-50 inmates that are sentenced to DOC. The prison system will generally only accept 20 inmates at a time, which leads to a higher than normal DOC committed population, with longer stays in the jail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Allen Countys jail is a $20-million operation and Auditor Nick Jordan said the $773,000 owed by the state would fund a handful or two of confinement officers. Without that state reimbursement, the county has to rely on property and local income tax revenue. Annie Goeller, spokeswoman for DOC, said the new fiscal year begins July 1 and the agency has a plan to send the money owed once the funding is received from state budget officials. The budget bill addressed a number of issues surrounding county jail payments, including the amount funded per year, when payment requests must be submitted and paid, and the per diem rate, Goeller said. DOC is also working on a plan to ensure compliance with this legislation. Stephen Luce, executive director of the Indiana Sheriffs Association, applauded DOC and legislative leaders for working with sheriffs to make the situation right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is going to be good for the counties, and at the same time I know Commissioner (Lloyd) Arnold is really making this a priority to make sure moving forward that a good process is in place, he said. Luce said DOC officials are going to come to the sheriffs annual conference in July to give an update. Background The appropriation in the current state budget, which ends June 30, was $34 million for the county jail maintenance contingency fund. The fund reimburses sheriffs for two groups of offenders: anyone convicted of a Level 6 felony, as well as anyone being held on higher felonies or parole for IDOC. Of that amount, up to $25.3 million was set aside for the Level 6 felons at a rate of $40 per day. This group of offenders used to be sent to state prisons until a criminal justice overhaul in 2013. After that, low-level felons were kept in local jails at state expense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new state budget increased the line item to $45 million the first year and $41 million the second year. Luce said the daily per diem rate was also increased to $42, which is better than nothing. A study by the sheriffs association found costs average about $74 a day to cover inmates. They had hoped to increase the rate to a minimum of $50 to $60 a day but a dismal revenue forecast limited new spending in the budget. Jordan said the lack of money has been ongoing for years and even $42 is still woefully short of the average cost of $60 per day, per inmate to run the Allen County Jail. Culp said the $42 is also less than the cost to Elkhart County, which averages $55 to $125 per day. The difference in cost is dependent on an inmates needs, such as mental health or other medical issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also significantly, Luce said the budget bill creates a more direct reimbursement of the costs rather than a formula the state used in the past. Now counties must submit their numbers within 60 days. Theyre going to try to create a traditional billing system instead of using a formula based off of level six holds, which honestly I dont think it really reflected a good solution for housing, he said. I think going to the traditional one is probably going to be much better off moving forward. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The indictment of Rep. LaMonica McIver on Tuesday marks the latest dramatic escalation in the Trump administrations effort to quell public and political opposition to the presidents crackdown on illegal immigration. Its also likely to be a dud. The decision to proceed with an indictment following the initial charges against the New Jersey Democrat comes at a politically volatile moment following President Donald Trumps decision to deploy the National Guard and the Marines in response to protests in Los Angeles, and in the midst of ongoing wrangling over the scope and legality of the administrations deportation effort. In recent weeks, that effort has generated heartrending images from courthouse arrests and more admissions of mistaken deportations from the Justice Department. Meanwhile, the administration is moving to deport hundreds of thousands of people who entered the country legally under the last administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Justice Departments prosecution of McIver stemming from a scuffle with Homeland Security agents in Newark last month cannot be disentangled from this context. And that may ultimately prove to be the undoing of the case. Ordinarily, there is a baseline assumption in any given federal prosecution that the Justice Department will obtain a conviction, because that is what happens more than 90 percent of the time. In McIvers case, however, the factual circumstances and charges are unique, and they come with all sorts of quirks and political freight not the least of which is the fact that the administration prosecuting her over a fracas at a government facility is the same one that pardoned hundreds of people accused (and in many cases convicted) of violently assaulting or resisting officers during the siege of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Ultimately, conviction at a trial if it ever gets there is far from assured. And for a variety of reasons, the odds that McIver will ever spend a day in prison on the charges appear to be low, if not close to zero. The indictment charges McIver with two felony counts of physically assaulting, resisting or impeding two Homeland Security agents during an altercation that occurred last month after McIver and two other House members showed up to inspect an ICE detention facility in Newark. New Jersey Mayor Ras Baraka was also present. A third count in the indictment appears to charge McIver for the same conduct in the form of a single misdemeanor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors initially charged McIver with the first two counts in a criminal complaint shortly after the encounter. A criminal complaint is a charging document that requires approval only by a magistrate judge, and it is often used when prosecutors want to begin a case quickly (without having to empanel and present evidence to a grand jury). In order to proceed on felony charges, however, prosecutors must eventually get an indictment from a grand jury. The Justice Department alleges that one of the agents instructed Baraka to leave a secure part of the area outside the facility while at the same time acknowledging that as a member of Congress who has the legal right to inspect ICE detention facilities without providing advance notice McIver could remain. A scuffle ensued as McIver and others sought to prevent the removal of Baraka, who was eventually arrested on a trespassing charge. The indictment alleges that McIver slammed her forearm into the body of one agent and reached out and tried to restrain [him] by forcibly grabbing him. The indictment further alleges that, after Barakas arrest, McIver pushed past the second officer and used each of her forearms to forcibly strike [him] as she returned inside of the secured area of the facility. The felony charges come with a maximum penalty of eight years and no readily identifiable precedent. (The misdemeanor count maxes out at a year.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are relatively used to seeing members of Congress charged with white-collar crimes, like insider trading or bribery. Lawmakers are also sometimes arrested during nonviolent protests. That happened, for instance, during the Biden administration, when 17 members of Congress were arrested during a protest outside the Supreme Court over abortion rights. They each paid a $50 fine to resolve the matter. The claim against McIver is that she attempted to forcibly interfere with Barakas arrest, but the first red flag against DOJs argument is that prosecutors quickly dropped the charge against Baraka. The federal magistrate judge overseeing the Baraka case described the hasty arrest as a worrisome misstep and the dismissal of the charge as an embarrassing retraction. It is not the sort of fact pattern that generally gives rise to prosecutions of secondary figures on the scene, much less a sitting member of Congress. McIver also has defenses that she can assert at the pretrial stages and, if necessary, during a trial itself. One possible defense out of the gate is for McIver to invoke the Constitutions Speech and Debate clause, which provides civil and criminal immunity for members of Congress engaged in legislative activity, including oversight activity. Still, it is not clear how a judge would resolve this argument, since the law in this area is notoriously unclear, and cases are often decided on fact-specific grounds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here, there is little question that McIvers oversight activity at the facility at least as an initial matter is entitled to some form of criminal immunity, but the dispute will concern the precise scope of that protection. Prosecutors are likely to argue that any such immunity does not extend to a physical assault on federal law enforcement officers because that particular conduct is not legislative in nature. If the case does go to trial, it should be brief perhaps a one- or two-day affair. McIver is being represented by Paul Fishman, a well-regarded former U.S. Attorney in New Jersey, who has previewed the trial defense in comments to the press in which he has said that McIver had the right and responsibility to see how ICE is treating detainees and that instead of "facilitating that inspection, ICE agents chose to escalate what should have been a peaceful situation into chaos. In a statement following the indictment, Fishman anticipated that the legal process would expose this prosecution for what it truly is political retaliation against a dedicated public servant who refuses to shy away from her oversight responsibilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a sound defense, particularly given the fact that the statute requires the Justice Department to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that McIver forcibly assaulted or resisted law enforcement officers. The video available to date is not crystal clear about what took place, but it does suggest something far less nefarious a regrettable scrum in which McIver, who is not exactly a towering or physically intimidating figure, tried to maintain her balance while reacting to a highly unusual altercation with officers that was premised on an arrest that they have since effectively disavowed. The politics of the venue could also come into play and work sharply against the Justice Department. The jury pool for the court in Newark where McIver was charged is drawn from counties in northern New Jersey that, in the aggregate, are not favorable terrain for Trump. Former Vice President Kamala Harris outperformed Trump in those counties in the 2024 election by a margin of roughly 55-42 percentage points. Then there is the broader political context, which may prove impossible for some jurors to ignore. Shortly after McIvers initial arrest, Trump told reporters, She was shoving federal agents. She was out of control. The days of that crap are over in this country. This may come as news to anyone whose memory stretches all the way back to January, when Trump pardoned hundreds of violent criminals who tried to overrun the U.S. Capitol in a clash with law enforcement in order to overturn the 2020 election in his favor. Or to anyone who knows that Trump has pardoned or commuted the prison sentences of dozens of political allies who were convicted of serious offenses. Trumps campaign of selective and politically expedient benevolence is not exactly consistent with the tough-on-crime ethos that he has otherwise tried to project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the circumstances, it is not hard to envision one or more jurors refusing to convict McIver on these grounds alone or, indeed, for her to be fully acquitted by a unanimous verdict of the jurors. The charges certainly appear to many as both politically motivated and, at a bare minimum, unwarranted as a matter of appropriate prosecutorial discretion. Meanwhile, in the event that McIver is convicted in a trial, the odds of her being sentenced to any prison time are low. Perhaps she would get a fine, but she would be a first-time offender, and one of the factors that sentencing judges must consider is the need to avoid unwarranted sentence disparities among defendants with similar records who have been found guilty of similar conduct. In that context, if Justice Department prosecutors actually sought prison time, Trumps Jan. 6 pardons could present a major and perhaps insurmountable obstacle. Not surprisingly, the Trump administration has already sought to project an air of confidence around the case in public comments, with acting New Jersey U.S. Attorney (and former Trump lawyer) Alina Habba saying that Tuesdays decision by the grand jury is the next step in a process that my Office will pursue to a just end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The truth is that, depending on how things play out, the whole thing could eventually blow up in their faces. CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly attributed quotations to Paul Fishman. The 11 people injured in a deadly school shooting in the Austrian city of Graz are now in stable condition, authorities said on Wednesday. On Tuesday, a gunman opened fire at a secondary school in Graz before taking his own life, leaving a total of 11 people dead. According to reports, the 21-year-old suspected perpetrator, who was a former pupil, entered a classroom and intentionally targeted students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nine of the 11 remain in intensive care units at various hospitals in the city, which is located about 150 kilometres south-west of Vienna, the company managing the hospitals said. A victim who had suffered a facial injury would require a follow-up operation, and another needed a knee operation, it added. Earlier, Graz police said that a non-functioning pipe bomb had been found during a search at the home of the deceased suspect. The gunman used two legally owned weapons to carry out the horrifying attack, according to Austrian authorities. His motive is not yet known. According to the police, a farewell letter and video from the attacker contained no clues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Austria is observing three days of national mourning following the deadly shooting and a minute's silence was observed across the country at 10 am (0800 GMT) on Wednesday. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker called the incident a "national tragedy" in a post on X, as European leaders offered their condolences. Pope Leo XIV said in Rome on Wednesday that he was praying for the victims and their families. Graz, in south-eastern Austria, is home to around 300,000 people. Mourners gather in front of the school in Graz during a minutes silence following the rampage that left eleven dead and a dozen injured, some critically. Erwin Scheriau/APA/dpa A display board with the words "We stand together for Graz" in front of the parliament can be seen during a minute's silence for the victims of the rampage in Graz. Max Slovencik/APA/dpa District Administrator Simone Schmiedtbauer (L) and District Administrator Karlheinz Kornhaeusl during a minute's silence after the rampage that left eleven dead and a dozen injured, some critically. Erwin Scheriau/APA/dpa (L-R) District Administrators Simone Schmiedtbauer, Karlheinz Kornhaeusl, and Willibald Ehrenhoefer, along with Deputy Governor Manuela Khom, lay candles and flowers in front of the school in Graz during a minutes silence following a rampage that left eleven dead and dozens injured, some critically. Erwin Scheriau/APA/dpa Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Candles and flowers are laid in front of the school in Graz after a rampage that left eleven dead and dozens injured, some critically. Erwin Scheriau/APA/dpa AUSTIN (KXAN) On Wednesdays episode of Inside Austins Agenda, host Grace Reader will sit down with Austin City Council Member Marc Duchen to talk about upcoming budget conversations now that the council has wrapped up for its summer break. Austin is projecting a budget deficit heading into the next fiscal year. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has also stated that the city will need to address budget asteroids including the state tax cap and the expiration of American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, dollars. KXAN has covered ARPA funding running out extensively. The Austin City Council will have to work with city staff to address those budget concerns and approve the final budget before the fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Inside Austins Agenda: Mayor looks to beef up budget process amid financial uncertainty Inside Austins Agenda is live every other Wednesday at 3 p.m. Watch every episode at the top of this article, on Facebook, and on our KXAN+ streaming app. You can find previous episodes 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 KXAN Austin. BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) The tornado that formed in Cattaraugus County on Monday, June 9 was rated an EF-1 with maximum wind speeds of 110 miles per hour, just on the cusp of an EF-2. So, what caused it? On June 9, the Storm Prediction Center issued the Southern Tier and McKean/Potter counties a slight risk of possible scattered severe storms. The area was also under a 2% risk of a tornado. Tornado causes damage in Cattaraugus County Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A few strong thunderstorms rolled through the area earlier that afternoon, but the first severe thunderstorm occurred at 4:43 p.m. There were reports of 1-inch diameter hail and wind damage within that cell. As the storm tracked northeast, we started to notice some rotation within the cell. We kept an eye on it until it was finally warned at 5:36 p.m. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning in northwestern Cattaraugus County, encompassing towns like Ellicottville, Machias, Great Valley, Humphrey, and Franklinville. At first, it was just radar indicated. This radar image was taken four minutes after the warning was issued. Red indicates wind going away from the radar, while green indicates wind going towards the radar. Opposite winds that are close to each other indicate rotation. Correlation Coefficient (CC) is a radar product that is used to identify debris that is lofted into the air. The highlighted area next to the tornado icon on the above radar capture was a telltale sign that there was a fair amount of debris in the air; a sign that a tornado was on the ground. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At 5:44 p.m., the tornado warning turned into a confirmed tornado warning, which means that a trained spotter saw a tornado on the ground and reported it to the National Weather Service. The tornado warning expired at 6 p.m. and after that, photos and videos of the damage came rolling in. The National Weather Service sent a surveying team to the area the following day, and around 3:30 p.m., it was confirmed that the tornado was high-end EF-1 strength and was on the ground for four minutes from 5:37 p.m. to 5:41 p.m. It was 600 yards wide and travelled 2.4 miles from Great Valley to the Town of Humphrey along Salamanca Sugartown Road (Route 98) before it dissipated. The ball of debris was carried in the air for about 15 miles, almost reaching Franklinville. A tornado of this magnitude is not common in Western New York, although they have become more frequent in recent years. Latest Local 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 News 4 Buffalo. A plot of some kind is afoot. It is August 12 2022 and Yunqing Jian, a young Chinese plant scientist, is flying from Seoul to San Francisco. But she has a problem. She is apparently carrying contraband seeds she needs to smuggle through customs. She sends a worried message on the Chinese social media platform WeChat to her boyfriend, Zongong Liu, with whom she had studied plant diseases at Zhejiang University in eastern China. Mr Liu is calm but practical. He warns that teacher Liangs seeds must be placed well and reminds her she will have to pass through security again after picking up her bags. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ms Jian is anxious. She considers hiding the seeds in her shoes, but cannot remove the insole, according to a condensed and machine-translated transcript provided by the FBI. Eventually, they hit on a solution: Ms Jian stuffs the seeds into a tiny zip-lock bag and hides them in her Dr Martens, slipping through airport security undetected. What the seeds were, no one seems to know. Nor would anyone have found out had Mr Liu allegedly not been more careless on his own trip from Shanghai to Detroit last July. Following a routine search, US agents discovered a sheet of filter paper and four small resealable plastic bags concealed in a wad of tissue tucked into a hidden pocket of his backpack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This time, US investigators were able to make a positive identification. Mr Liu was allegedly carrying Fusarium graminearum, a highly destructive fungal pathogen responsible for billions of dollars in agricultural losses every year. The toxic fungus, the FBI said, was a potential agroterrorism weapon. Yunqing Jian has so far been charged with visa fraud, making false statements and smuggling Mr Liu was deported. Last week, after an 11-month investigation, the FBI arrested Ms Jian, who has been working as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan. Citing evidence that she had taken an oath of allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the FBI hinted at possible state backing. The case deepened on Sunday when US authorities arrested another Chinese researcher, Chengxuan Han, upon arrival at Detroit airport. She is suspected of sending four shipments of concealed biological material to the same Michigan lab where Ms Jian worked. Federal officials were quick to allege a broader conspiracy to harm the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals, including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party, are of the gravest national security concerns, said Jerome Gorgon, US attorney for Michigans eastern district. These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a potential agroterrorism weapon into the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme. Some senior figures in the Trump administration echoed the alarm. Kash Patel, the FBI director who has courted controversy for promoting conspiracy theories, wrote on X: This case is a sobering reminder that the CCP is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply putting American lives and our economy at serious risk. Samples of the toxic plant pathogen smuggled into the US by Chinese scientists - Reuters Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, praised the investigation and vowed to protect our nation from hostile foreign actors who would do us harm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But not everyone in the scientific community is convinced the case is as clear-cut as investigators and politicians claim. It is possible, they say, that Ms Jian and Mr Liu were undercover operatives on a mission to harm US interests. However, it is just as plausible that they were simply a pair of earnest, slightly nerdy researchers engaged in irregular but ultimately harmless research who foolishly tried to skirt American bureaucracy. There is no doubt that Fusarium graminearum is a dangerous pathogen. It infects cereal crops, leading to shrivelled grains and yield loss. In some cases, it can make livestock and humans sick through mycotoxin contamination. Yet, as scientists point out, the fungus is already endemic in the United States and has been for more than a century. It is also widespread in the UK and Europe. Fusarium graminearum has been described as a potential agroterrorism weapon - Reuters Weaponising the fungus is theoretically possible, says a senior agricultural specialist at the United Nations, who asked not to be named. Both the US and the Soviet Union once explored using a related fungus, Fusarium oxysporum, nicknamed Agent Green, in biowarfare targeting crops. But neither fully developed it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You could theoretically introduce a new strain during flowering, when cereals are most vulnerable, he said. But as an act of agricultural sabotage, it wouldnt make much sense. It would be detected quickly as monitoring systems are already very stringent. While all three Chinese scientists allegedly lied about the work they were doing and the materials they brought into the US, scientists suggest other motives for the cover-up, such as trying to bypass complex phytosanitary importation regulations. It seems to me this was bad judgment fuelled by scientific excitement, not agroterrorism, Caitilyn Allen, of the University of Wisconsin, told Chemistry World, the Royal Society of Chemistrys monthly journal. She also disputed the FBIs classification of the fungus as an agroterrorism threat: Fusarium graminearum does not pose a national security threat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other elements of the FBI case are also under scrutiny. While the agency emphasised Ms Jians apparent pledge of allegiance to the CCP, this is not unusual among Chinese researchers it is often a bureaucratic requirement for securing state research funding. US court documents show the fungus hidden inside a textbook Whether the Chinese scientists were masterminds of a sinister plot or simply reckless is still unclear. Even sympathetic scientists concede their behaviour is, at times, puzzling. Ms Jian failed to tell her supervisors or the FBI that she was working on Fusarium graminearum isolates, some of which her boyfriend in China had provided. Mr Liu claimed he was merely visiting his girlfriend, yet the contents of his backpack suggested otherwise. Even so, scientists caution that to brand this as terrorism would be a leap. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Further complicating matters is the broader political climate in both countries. Chinese science is often conducted under heavy secrecy. Beijing has also fuelled international suspicion particularly over its handling of the Covid-19 outbreak. Accusations of Chinese involvement in agricultural sabotage are not new. In 2016, four Chinese nationals were arrested in Indonesia for allegedly contaminating chilli seeds with another crop-damaging pathogen. In 2020, mystery seeds postmarked from China arrived at thousands of homes in the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, raising fears of a co-ordinated biowarfare campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet early alarm often gives way to more mundane explanations. Indonesia later convicted the Chinese nationals on visa charges, not agroterrorism. The seed packets were likely part of a marketing ploy known as a brushing scam. So far, Ms Jian and Ms Han have so far only been charged with visa fraud, making false statements and smuggling, not espionage. The contents of one of the packages sent by Chengxuan Han to a Michigan lab US politics may also be playing a role. Donald Trump, the US president, has pushed to revoke visas for Chinese students as part of a wider immigration clampdown. His administration is actively seeking misconduct cases at American universities to bolster his attacks on higher education. Some fear the upshot of the case will be a greater suspicion of research and international scientific collaboration a development, they warn, that would benefit no one. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet a balance must be struck between the shared pursuit of research that could aid humanity and the need to protect Western food security from potential state threats, analysts say. Agriculture a soft target for bioweapons In intelligence circles, concern is growing over the risk of biological warfare targeting agriculture, even if confirmed attacks remain rare or unproven. The US military, after all, has previously tested pathogens such as stem rust, rice blast and Agent Green with the aim of using them to destroy opium poppies in Afghanistan and coca crops in Colombia, well after the Cold War. Since the 9/11 attacks, US security agencies have warned that agriculture is a soft target for bioweapons a concern shared in the UK where the Ministry of Defence stepped up monitoring of potential bioterror threats following the BSE and foot-and-mouth outbreaks. Worryingly, as Barry Pavel and Vikram Venkatram noted in a 2021 paper for the Atlantic Council think-tank, the tools for biological sabotage are now more accessible than ever. Terrorist groups could use synthetic biology to craft bioweapons, using data to manufacture dangerous pathogens or modifying easily accessible pathogens to make them more virulent, they wrote. The work the Chinese researchers were doing, then, can arguably be interpreted in two ways. Either they were modifying pathogens to increase their virulence a theory the FBI appears to favour or they were continuing Chinas century-long quest to develop resistance to Fusarium and combat a blight that has devastated cereal crops across the temperate world. Which interpretation is correct remains unclear. China has said little about the detention of the two scientists, who remain in custody. But on Tuesday evening, the Ministry of State Security Chinas main intelligence agency issued a statement that, while not directly referring to the case, seemed to offer a third explanation. It accused foreign research institutions of recruiting volunteers inside China and inducing them illegally to collect data on the distribution of biological species in China. In other words, the three researchers may not have been Chinese agents or naive rule-breakers but perhaps something altogether more startling: covert operatives working for the United States. 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. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Carved onto the front of the New York State Supreme Court Building are words once written by George Washington: The true administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good government. The quote, which emphasizes the justice system as a stabilizing political force, loomed over thousands of protestors like a specter on Tuesday at Manhattans Foley Square, the site of several federal immigration courts where plainclothes officers, emboldened by the Trump administrations crackdown on immigration, have arrested dozens of migrants attending routine case hearings over the past few weeks. The protestors had mobilized within 24 hours, spurred on by a call to action amplified by several local organizations including the Peoples Forum, Damayan Migrant Workers Association, and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. For days, images and videos from Los Angeleswhere thousands are rallying against recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportationshave flooded social media and news feeds. The struggle has ignited dozens of more protests across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People are seeing that ICE is invading their communities, says David Chung, an organizer with the Peoples Forum. Theyre seeing that ICE is spending all of these resources that they claim that immigrants are taking and theyre ready to stand up and fight back. After protests broke out in LA last week, Trump deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to quell demonstrations. Instead, the military presence has only escalated already jittery tensions. On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for the legally questionable deployment, which the Pentagon estimates will cost $134 million. Thats money that could be actually used to feed hungry people here, house homeless people here, says Chung, who immigrated to the U.S. from Korea at three years old. All were saying is that we should be putting resources towards life, towards the people, and thats why were protesting. For Beth Levy, an attendee at Tuesdays event and the chair of the Immigration and Justice Committee of an Indivisibles chapter that covers part of the Bronx and Westchester, the deportations are a horrifying callback to the past. It reminds me of the Holocaust, she says. Innocent people, even people without status, deserve asylum and the right to be here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As different speakers stepped up to the mic, the demonstration at Foley Square remained as peaceful as it was emphatic, though there was a general sense of weariness of being perceived as the right kind of protestor. Over the past week, media outlets have inevitably characterized protests in LA as violent, a descriptor that gives vandalism or a tossed rock the sameor even heavierweight than, say, the LAPD aiming their flash bangs and rubber bullets against unarmed protestors (and, in one case, an Australian journalist during a live broadcast). Indeed, later on Tuesday night in New York, a faction of the protestors returned to Foley Square, near a government building where arrested migrants have been detained. Officers in riot gear were filmed dragging individuals by their backs and slamming them to the ground as they crossed the street. Addressing the crowd onstage that afternoon, Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour encouraged critics to reorient their understanding of violence. The root of this problem is not protestors, Sarsour said. The root of this problem is masked men who are kidnapping mothers and fathers and students. Half a year into the second Trump administration, its an understatement to say that trust between exhausted Americans and public officials has deteriorated beyond partisan lines. For years, advocates have called for the abolition of ICE, Sarsour added. Liberals and Democrats called us radical. Democrats defended ICE and, in fact, gave them more resources, she said. So Im not really feeling the clutching of pearls when its you, the Democratic party and Democratic leadership, that gave ICE the resources and tools to attack our communities. As helicopters and drones whirred overhead and dozens of New York Police Department officers lined barricades along the streets, New Yorkers raised bright yellow posters that read ICE Out of New York and Stop the Deportations Now. They marched west, stopping traffic on Broadway, where throngs of Big Buses bearing tourists looked on and outdoor dining spectators raised their phones to record. They chanted to the beat of drums and brass instruments, reciting, El pueblo unido jamas sera vencido! They wore keffiyehs and pins, they offered masks and water bottles, they passed anti-fascist pamphlets and fliers, and they waved upside-down American flags. In this city, the cacophony of honking is nothing new, but as halted drivers joined the passing parade by blasting their own horns, it sounded something like a jubilant chorus. You Might Also Like The Standard Insurance Company has expanded its alliance with technology company HCLTech to incorporate AI into its infrastructure and application services. This move is aimed at expediting the transition to a product and service-based IT operating model, aligning with the insurers digital transformation agenda. HCLTech will provide The Standard with its generative AI (genAI)-led service transformation platform, AI Force, as well as digital engineering and cloud services. These technologies are expected to refine The Standard's delivery of workplace benefits, with a focus on customer service. The transformation will be supported by the formation of a Joint Innovation Council and a Digital Experience Office. The Standard chief information security officer and IT infrastructure and security management organisation head Laxman Prakash said: "The Standards growth journey has accelerated in recent years through digital transformation and acquisitions, and HCLTech has proven to be the best partner to help us scale efficiently and seamlessly with its digital-first and customer-focused approach. We look forward to the positive impact that this ongoing partnership will provide for our customers." HCLTech senior vice-president and North America insurance head Anubhav Mehrotra stated: We are excited about this extended partnership with The Standard, showcasing our deep commitment to the insurance sector. This collaboration underscores HCLTech's investment in AI-led capabilities and innovative talent, which have been pivotal in guiding The Standard through its digital transformation journey." Last month, The Standard expanded its partnership with EvolutionIQ, integrating an AI-powered claims guidance platform into its disability insurance processes. This technology empowers The Standard's claims team to leverage data insights to reduce administrative workloads, enhance decision-making and streamline payments. "The Standard expands tie-up with HCLTech to integrate AI " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand. BOSTON (SHNS) After gaining momentum last session, cancer care advocates returned to Beacon Hill Tuesday to promote bills expanding access to biomarker testing, which can help oncology providers determine targeted treatments for patients. Commercial health insurers, as well as the Group Insurance Commission and MassHealth, would be required to cover comprehensive biomarker testing when supported by medical and scientific evidence under proposals from Rep. Meghan Kilcoyne and Sen. Jake Oliveira (H 1227 / S 809). The testing analyzes patients genes and proteins to identify more precise and effective treatment options, and supporters say it can help some patients avoid broader regimens like chemotherapy and radiation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill cleared the Financial Services Committee and Health Care Financing Committee last session, before it stalled in the House Ways and Means Committee. Were confident this session, that given the progress we made last session, we can move this forward, Marc Hymovitz, government relations director at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) , told the News Service ahead of an advocacy event. Today is part of that, just having our volunteers from across Massachusetts coming up to talk to their legislators, to tell legislators how important this bill is to them as constituents. The bills have again garnered pushback from the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans (MAHP), which opposes costly mandates but is open to a possible legislative compromise. Among fully insured health plans, the coverage requirement would increase premiums on average by 45 cents to $1.32 per member per month or between 0.072% to 0.211% of premium, over a projection period of five years, according to an April 2024 report from the Center for Health Information and Analysis. That could translate into premium costs of $35 million annually, or more than $168 million over a five-year period. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MAHP CEO Lora Pellegrini said the association supports biomarker testing when it is clinically appropriate and supported by rigorous evidence. But MAHP has significant concerns with the proposed bills, she said. While biomarker testing holds promise for improving diagnosis and treatment in certain cases, these bills may not represent the most effective or efficient approach to promote the ongoing inclusion of clinically beneficial biomarker testing as part of insurance coverage, Pellegrini said in a statement to the News Service Tuesday. MAHP has initiated discussions with the bill sponsors and the American Cancer Society and remains committed to working collaboratively toward a compromise that ensures clinical and cost effectiveness. The refiled bills had a hearing before the Finance Services Committee on April 29. Under House rules reforms, House members have until June 28 to take action on Kilcoynes bill or seek an extension. Hymovitz said expanding access to biomarker testing across insurance types would help alleviate health disparities, including among marginalized communities and patients living in rural parts of the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lot of the issue that were seeing is the science is ahead of the policy. Biomarker testing and precision medicine treatments are relatively new in medical science, but the policy hasnt caught up, Hymovitz said. Insurers are covering some biomarker testing. Theyre just not fully meeting what national medical guidelines say they should be covering, and were trying to speed that up by getting this legislation passed. Twenty-one states have laws boosting access to biomarker testing, which is also being used to treat arthritis, autoimmune conditions, rare diseases and preeclampsia, according to ASC CAN. Many states around us have also passed similar legislation, including Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York. These are our economic competitors right around us also high-outcome states when it comes to health care, Oliveira told the News Service. So I think the momentum is building this session to move it across the finish line. Kilcoyne described biomarker testing as an antidote to a scorched-earth policy, in which oncology providers with limited information turn to more invasive and potentially ineffective treatments that can lead to longer hospital stays. She also acknowledged policymakers will face questions about imposing new insurance coverage requirements amid soaring health care costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fact of the matter is, is what we know that this technology can do is that it can make sure people are spending less time in the hospital, it can make sure that people are not getting unnecessary treatments, and that they are getting the least invasive procedures possible, Kilcoyne said. Which we all know sitting here today is going to save us money and the commonwealth money, as well. So this has dollar-saving implications, but more importantly, life-saving implications. 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. (FOX40.COM) The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District is launching a new invasive mosquito control program next month in South Natomas. The sterile male mosquito pilot program aims to combat the spread of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, reduce mosquito populations, and protect residents health. The program starts in July and runs through October. Investigation underway after dead body found wrapped in blanket in Sacramento Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Invasive mosquitoes have been spreading rapidly within our area, said Luz Maria Robles, Public Information Officer for the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District. Over the last few years, weve definitely been picking more and more of them up in our traps. So weve been finding more adults as well as more immature mosquitoes in those small sources where they breed. The spread of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which was initially brought to California in a shipment of bamboo plants, is surging in Northern California. Allowing them to breed, stagnant pools of water. Flower pots, bird baths, and outdoor dog bowls, for example, can become breeding grounds for these pests. How does ICE know who to deport? A container as small as a bottle cap of water would be enough to breed these mosquitoes, said Robles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As populations of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes grow, so does the chance of contracting dangerous and even deadly diseases. Deputies seize nearly 7,000 marijuana plants in Northern California drug bust They pose a health threat for dengue, zika, and chikungunya, Robles said. Now that we have these mosquitoes very well established in our area, we could see locally acquired cases of dengue. Thats why the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District is launching this program. Robles said mosquito control staff will release sterile male mosquitoes twice a week in South Natomas once the program begins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well be releasing sterile males that have a bacteria called Wolbachia, she said. When they mate with the wild females in the area, then their eggs wont hatch. So its a way of reducing mosquito populations over time. These sterile male mosquitoes dont bite either, easing concerns for South Natomas residents already experiencing swarms of mosquitoes. You have to put up, like, you know, like shades, or you have to put up a curtain, you know what I mean? Like, so the mosquitoes dont get around or irritate you. Its a problem, said area resident Jalen Garrison. Now I feel more safer with them combating, you know, what was just a nuisance like 3 or 4 years ago, said Garrison. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Investigators believe theyve spotted the man accused of murdering his daughters amid an ongoing manhunt in Washington State, authorities said. Travis Decker has been missing since May 30. He is accused of murdering his three daughters, who were found dead near a campsite with his truck on June 2. A lone hiker was spotted by a hiking party near Enchantments, a tip that led to a helicopter crew locating an off-trail subject before running from sight near Colchuck Lake, the Chelan County Sheriffs Office said in a post on Facebook Tuesday afternoon. They believe this person is Decker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents reveal grim details as search for father accused of killing daughters continues The hiking party that saw the man said he appeared to be ill prepared for trail and weather conditions, and appeared to be avoiding others, officials said. Teams later picked up a trail and deployed K9s to the area, tracking the subject to the area of Ingalls Creek Trailhead on HWY 97, the Chelan County Sheriffs Office said. Authorities are now alerting any hikers who have been in the Enchantments area, west of Wenatchee, in the past week and saw something suspicious to contact the sheriffs office with any information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials said anyone residing in the area or staying in cabins should lock their doors and cars and check footage from cameras. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KOIN Breaking News Alerts If you have any cameras, including trail cameras in the area, please check them or submit a tip to the US Marshals tip line with a location of the camera for law enforcement to check, the sheriffs office said. Federal authorities joined the manhunt for Decker last week. On Monday, the Chelan County Sheriffs Office announced search efforts were turned over to federal authorities on Sunday evening to give local resources a chance to rest. 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. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) Investigators with Youngstown police, Mill Creek MetroParks Police and the Mahoning County Sheriffs Office are trying to determine what to do next after they examined a pair of submerged cars Wednesday in Lake Glacier. Read next: Two people in critical condition after car crash with side-by-side off-road vehicle Members of the sheriffs office Dive Team examined both cars, in different spots of the lake, and were able to pull pieces off of them, but not much else. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both cars have been in the lake for many years, investigators said, and they are in rough shape. One of the cars is almost buried in silt, while the other car has corroded so badly that any efforts to haul it out with a tow truck would probably fail because the car would fall apart. Investigators said the cars were found as part of an investigation, but they would not say what that investigation was, except to say they do not believe the cars are linked to each other. Among the pieces divers recovered were windshields, front and back windows and a trunk liner. The city police departments Crime Lab was called to catalog the finds and to store them in an operation that roughly took about two hours. The cars had been found earlier and marked for the divers, who examined them on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Members of all three agencies said the next step is to try and determine a way to get the cars out of the lake without them breaking apart. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SEATTLE (AP) Authorities say they believe they spotted Travis Decker, an ex-soldier wanted in the deaths of his three daughters, near a remote alpine lake in Washington state, after receiving a tip from hikers who said they saw a lone person who appeared to be ill-prepared for the conditions. The Chelan County Sheriff's office said in a Facebook post Tuesday that tracking teams responded immediately, and a helicopter crew spotted a hiker near Colchuk Lake, in a popular Cascade Range backpacking area called The Enchantments. The off-trail hiker ran from sight as the helicopter passed, the sheriff's office said. Teams later found a trail, and K-9 teams tracked the person to the area of the Ingalls Creek Trailhead, south of Leavenworth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities did not say when they spotted the subject, but late Monday night they issued an alert for residents in the Ingalls Creek and the Valleyhi community to lock homes and vehicles and to be on the lookout for Decker. Decker, 32, has been the target of a large manhunt ever since June 2, when a sheriff's deputy found his truck and the bodies of his three daughters 9-year-old Paityn Decker, 8-year-old Evelyn Decker and 5-year-old Olivia Decker at a campground outside Leavenworth. He had failed to return the girls to their mother's home in Wenatchee, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Seattle, following a scheduled visit three days earlier. Decker was an infantryman in the U.S. Army from March 2013 to July 2021 and deployed to Afghanistan for four months in 2014. He has training in navigation, survival and other skills, authorities said. He once spent more than two months living in the backwoods off the grid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials with an array of state and federal agencies have searched hundreds of square miles, much of it mountainous and remote, by land, water and air. The U.S. Marshals Service was offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his capture. Last September, his ex-wife, Whitney Decker, wrote in a petition to modify their parenting plan that his mental health issues had worsened and that he had become increasingly unstable, often living out of his truck. She sought to restrict him from having overnight visits with their daughters until he found housing. An autopsy on Friday determined the cause of death to be suffocation, the sheriffs office said. The girls had been bound with zip ties and had plastic bags placed over their heads. SHENANGO TWP., Pa. (WKBN) Pennsylvania is investing millions to help create new jobs in Lawrence County. Governor Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday that the Commonwealth is investing $3 million to support Berner Internationals expansion of its manufacturing operation in Lawrence County. This is expected to bring $15.4 million into the local economy, create at least 74 new jobs and retain at least 127 existing positions over the next three years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Berner International, which was founded in New Castle in 1956, designs and manufactures air curtains for doorways to block outside air, insects and debris from coming inside buildings. This project is going to boost the economy in Lawrence County and bring more quality jobs to the area. We look forward to another 70 years of growth and success for Berner, said Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger. The company is building a 55,000-square-foot addition to its manufacturing facility in Shenango Township, allowing it to scale up production capacity, introduce advanced manufacturing technologies and enhance logistical operations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Members of the Iowa Board of Regents spoke with the managing principal of the search firm selected to help find a replacement for ISU President Wendy Wintersteen. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) After announcing the committee and search firm set to seek out Iowa State Universitys next president, the Iowa Board of Regents heard Tuesday from a former university president and search expert on the process and pitfalls of such an undertaking. Roderick McDavis, managing principal of AGB Search and former Ohio University president, spoke to board members about best practices when searching for a new university president. The national higher education search firm, based in Washington, D.C., was announced June 9 as the firm selected to assist ISU in finding a replacement for President Wendy Wintersteen, who will retire in January 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The firm has previously worked with each university governed by the regents to find new leaders, McDavis said, adding that he is excited to collaborate with the board, its staff and university members once again. We think you have three great public institutions in the state of Iowa, and you folks are unique, McDavis said. Weve worked with a lot of different states across the country, but in Iowa, we think you folks get it right, and I want to commend you as a board for ensuring that you have three high-quality institutions that are run well, and that you have a board that embraces those institutions and supports them in the way that they should be supported. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A former University of Iowa president, Sally Mason, has worked at AGB for nine years and currently serves as a senior executive search consultant, which McDavis said is an honor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To conduct a presidential search the right way, McDavis said, the timeline should stretch across five or six months, and the firm, board and others involved in the search must be on the same page about jobs and expectations. Confidentiality must also be maintained until the proper time, officials said. Mark Braun, the boards executive director, said finalists names will be released when the individuals come to campus for forums. Before the candidates come into play, McDavis said, the involved parties will create a leadership profile to serve as the searchs north star. The profile determines what kind of person is being sought for the position such as their qualities, skills and qualifications and describes the position being applied for and the institution itself. It serves two purposes, McDavis said. One, it lets people know what the qualifications are for the position, but secondly, its also a marketing tool. Theres a lot of information there about the institution, about its vision, about where its headed. So, it entices people to get interested in the institution, not just because of the position, but because of where that institution is going. From there, candidates will apply or be nominated for the position and applicants will be reviewed by members of the search committee, semifinalists will be identified and interviewed, then narrowed down to finalists. The firm will also assist in developing a transition plan for ISU for the period before and after Wintersteen departs, and for a time into the new presidents tenure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AGB will receive the equivalent of 25% of the appointed presidents initial base salary as payment for its services, as well as the value of any expenses, according to a board news release. The board also released the list of those included in the presidential search committee a 12-member group charged with recommending candidates to the board for further consideration. Regent JC Risewick and ISU Faculty Senate President Meghan Gillette will co-chair the committee, which also includes other board members, representatives from ISU undergraduate and graduate student governments, faculty, alumni and more. Full list of search committee members: Regent JC Risewick, Iowa Board of Regents ISU Faculty Senate President Meghan Gillette Iowa Board of Regents President Pro Tem Greta Rouse Regent Robert Cramer Regent Kurt Tjaden ISU Student Government President Colby Brandt ISU Graduate and Professional Student Senate President Muhammad Azhan ISU Professional and Scientific Council President-Elect Jennifer Schroeder ISU professor Tim Day ISU professor Patrick Schnable ISU alum Cara Heiden ISU alum Roger Underwood Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McDavis said it is important for each of the parties involved in the search, from the Board of Regents to the search committee and other consultants, to have well-defined roles laid out early in order to avoid any confusion later in the process. The boards role is to find a search firm, appoint a search committee chair and members, interview finalists for the position, negotiate a contract and hire the preferred candidate, he said. The role of the search committee, which we like to repeat often, is not to make decisions about who the next president will be, but to make recommendations to the board so the board can do its work in terms of selecting the next president of the institution, McDavis said. Other committee tasks include helping to develop the leadership profile, approving the search timeline, reviewing candidates and interviewing semifinalists before sending candidates to the board. The chair of the search committee will be the one to make any statements on its behalf, McDavis said, and a board professional will serve as a point of contact between the board, committee and search consultants, and will handle setting up listening sessions, creating the leadership profile, developing processes for application, setting up a candidate pool, conducting reference checks and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Previous searches at other universities have seen problems when people are confused about their responsibilities, McDavis said, or when people try to change or add to the criteria already identified as pointing to a good candidate. When not everyone is in agreement on processes and policies, he said it can cause friction and frustration. Other problems that McDavis said hes seen in presidential searches can come from outside influence, including situations in which a politician wants to see a certain candidate move through the ranks, and from the candidates themselves when they wait to disclose concerns about relocating with partners and families. As long as everyone stays in their particular lane, searches tend to run very, very well, McDavis said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Iowa City residents are expected to join a nationwide day of protest against President Donald Trump and declare, "No Kings." The demonstration is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 14, along Iowa Avenue near the Pentacrest. A release said the event will bring the community together for "an electricifying day of live music, dancing and activism." More: How do you safely participate in a protest in Iowa? Here's what to know about Iowa's laws What's happening at Saturday's 'No Kings' rally? Speakers are expected at 11:30 a.m. while live music and taco trucks are scheduled for noon. Additional speakers and tabling opportunities are scheduled for 1 p.m. The event is expected to finish with a People's Parade around downtown Iowa City beginning at 1:30 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Saturday's musicians are expected to "(dress) up in costume representing the things they want to PROTECT under the constitution," including books, mailboxes, shopping carts, drag queens and more. Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie are expected to make a cameo in opposition to cuts to public television, according to a release. More: UIHC settles $3.5M in lawsuits for wrongful death, medical malpractice The release encouraged attendees to bring their "signs, voices and energy" as they "parade, rally and push forward for change." "This event is more than a paradeits a call to action," organizers wrote. "Community support groups will be present, offering resources and ways to stay engaged beyond the rally. This is an opportunity for people to stand shoulder to shoulder, march together, and ensure that the people not the powerful few shape our future." People gather for the Hands Off Rally Saturday, April 5, 2025 in downtown Iowa City, Iowa. Nationwide protests scheduled during military parade in D.C. The 'No Kings' protests are expected in more than 1,000 cities nationwide, according to protest organizers. They will precede a large-scale military parade in Washington, D.C., celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. The parade is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m., though events are scheduled throughout the day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The celebration will take place one week after Trump mobilized the National Guard in Los Angeles to quell protests against immigration enforcement. Trump has also since mobilized 700 Marines to protect federal buildings and property. Saturday, June 14, is also Trump's 79th birthday and Flag Day. Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01. This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: When is Iowa City's 'No Kings' protest? What to know DES MOINES, Iowa The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said its investigating a fish kill at a Des Moines lake. On Tuesday afternoon the DNR announced that it received reports last week of dead fish being seen in Dean Lake, located on the southeast side of Des Moines. The DNR also said that dark-colored water and a strong, septic smell were being reported at the lake. Increase in ATV/UTV popularity brings more crashes on roads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dean Lake drains into multiple stormwater basins between East Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and Maury Street before flowing into the Des Moines River. The DNR said that fish in the basins are now showing signs of stress, and while dead fish are expected to eventually appear in the basins, the fish kill event is not expected to affect fish or other aquatic life in the river. The DNR advises the public to avoid the affected areas. An investigation into the fish kill is ongoing. Metro 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. DES MOINES, Iowa The Democratic field for a challenger to incumbent Senator Joni Ernst (R) is growing. Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls announced his run for the seat on Wednesday morning. Wahls, from Coralville, has been serving District 43 since 2019. He tells WHO 13 News why he is now deciding to hop into the race. Im running because Iowans are working hard but arent getting ahead. And I want to do something to help solve the problems that hardworking Iowans are facing. Ive got a track record of standing up to leaders of both parties when they are not delivering for us. And thats exactly what Ill do in Washington. My wife and I started talking about it seriously this spring when we were watching everything that was happening in D.C., said Senator Wahls, (D) District 43 from Coralville. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE Out protest brings in hundreds in Des Moines Democrat Nathan Sage from Knoxville announced his bid for the office earlier in the year. Along with State Representative J.D. Scholten, from Sioux City. Wahls tells WHO 13 News that he isnt focusing on his Democratic opponents in this primary race, instead focusing on the incumbent. The fact that Senator Ernst didnt have the courage of her convictions to stand against the nomination of Pete Hegseth when she clearly had concerns that were valid, as we all found out when the Signal-gate story broke. And I think that unfortunately, Sen. Ernst has lost her way, said Wahls. We deserve a senator who isnt going to glibly joke that we are all going to die, I mean we all know we are going to die, thats a part of life. Its not supposed to be our senators who are the ones killing us. We need someone whos going to fight back for these benefits that so many Iowans count on. Wahls told WHO 13 News that he is eager to get out and campaign in all 99 Iowa counties and meet voters. Wahls is a 6th-generation Iowan who is eager to run on lowering costs, protecting health care and abortion rights, and providing affordable child care to Iowas families. 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. Global coffee house chain Starbucks chairman and CEO Brian Niccol is implementing a new staffing and service framework across the entire network of 18,000 outlets in North America. Niccol told Reuters that the company aims to deploy and complete the initiative by the close of summer 2025 - an advancement from the original strategy which targeted only a third of US locations by the end of the year. During the earnings call, Niccol stated: We'll launch a pilot across 700 stores looking at staffing levels to improve our Green Apron partners' ability to serve. He went on to say that pilot tests have demonstrated a rise in sales with the new model. The Green Apron blueprint encompasses the integration of in-store technological solutions designed to sequence orders with greater efficiency, alongside the allocation of a specialised barista to exclusively manage drive-through orders. The company has gathered more than 14,000 coffeehouse leaders from across North America in Las Vegas for a three-day event on 10 June and 11 June. Leadership Experience 2025 (LE25) is led by Niccol and COO Mike Grams and is the company's largest leadership event to date. LE25 is a major step in Starbucks' turnaround strategy, which is focused on exceptional service, simplified routines and deeper customer connections. The event aims to set new customer service standards and reinforce the company's commitment to hospitality, targeting a four-minute wait time without sacrificing the warmth of the Starbucks experience. At the summit, Niccol told Reuters: Weve learned, and now we know what we need to do, so lets scale it. Grams stated that since the introduction of the "Back to Starbucks" strategy in September 2024, customers have noticed improvements: welcoming spaces, more confident baristas, faster service and the return of small but meaningful personal touches such as like ceramic mugs, and handwritten notes on cups, a more consistent dress code, and a much-loved customer favourite: the condiment bar." The strategy aims to revitalise the brand by enhancing the unique coffeehouse experience for which Starbucks is known. The company's initial efforts have concentrated on improving the store experience in the US and Canada. However, Starbucks is also evaluating the structure and size of its global support teams as part of its transformation efforts. The "Back to Starbucks" initiative has yielded positive results, with record-high shift completion rates, turnover rates below industry average and rising partner engagement scores. News of Mojahed Kourkouri's execution sparked condemnation among human rights groups [Social media] A man has been executed in Iran, three years after he was arrested during the nationwide anti-government protests in 2022, the judiciary says. Mojahed Kourkouri, also known as Abbas Kourkouri, was sentenced to death after being convicted of armed attacks and membership of a "rebellion group", according to the judiciary's Mizan news agency. He was accused of killing seven people, including nine-year-old Kian Pirfalak, during protests in the city of Izeh. Kian's family said he was killed by security forces, but authorities maintained that a "rioter" shot him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amnesty International said Kourkouri was subjected to torture and that his trial was "grossly unfair". Kourkouri is the 11th person known to have been executed in relation to the protests, which were sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was detained by morality police in Tehran in September 2022 for allegedly wearing her hijab "improperly". Hundreds of people were killed and thousands detained in a violent crackdown by security forces, which portrayed the protests as "riots". Kourkouri was accused of opening fire on a car carrying Kian Pirfalak and his family in Izeh, in the south-western province of Khuzestan, at the height of the unrest that November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State authorities blamed "terrorist agents" for Kian's killing, and later arrested Kourkouri during an armed raid the following month, during which Kourkouri was shot and injured in the knee, human rights groups said. Kian's family has repeatedly said it does not think Kourkouri was involved in the boy's killing. At Kian's funeral, the boy's mother was overheard in a video telling mourners: "Hear it from me myself on how the shooting happened, so they can't say it was by terrorists, because they're lying." "Plainclothes forces shot my child. That is it," Zeynab Molaei said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later that the day, she appeared to recant the remarks in a state TV interview, warning that they should "not be misused". She looked visibly distressed, prompting many on social media to warn that she might have been coerced. The judiciary's announcement that Kourkouri had been executed sparked condemnation among human rights groups. Amnesty International said Kourkouri's trial was unfair because he had been denied access to an independently chosen lawyer and his confessions, which were broadcast on Iranian state media, had been forced. It added that following his arrest, Kourkouri was held in solitary confinement and repeatedly subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, including severe beatings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kourkouri was initially sentenced in April 2023, but a judicial review of his case was filed to the Supreme Court in January 2024, Amnesty said. His conviction was later upheld and his sentence was sent for implementation later that year, it added. The director of the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran's other leaders "must be held accountable for the extrajudicial killing" of Kourkouri, "as well as for the murders of Kian Pirfalak and thousands of other innocent people". "The international community must break its silence in the face of this tsunami of executions carried out by the Islamic Republic," he added. Kurdish human rights group Hengaw said at least 582 prisoners, including 19 political, religious, and security inmates, had been executed in Iranian prisons so far this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The last person to be executed in connection with the 2022 protests was Reza Rasaei in August last year. The 34-year-old was sentenced to death in 2023 after what Amnesty called a "grossly unfair" trial that relied on forced confessions, which they said were "obtained under torture and other ill-treatment, including beatings, electric shocks, suffocation and sexual violence". Iranian authorities accused him of having a part in the death of a member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards during the protests - a charge Rasaei denied. He was executed in secret and his family was not given prior warning, Amnesty said. Iran on Wednesday hanged a man convicted of killing seven people, including a 10-year-old boy, during nationwide protests in 2022 but human rights groups said he was the victim of a wrongful conviction. Abbas Kurkuri, also known as Mojahed Kurkur, was hanged at dawn in Sheiban prison in the western city of Ahvaz, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Hengaw groups said. His execution was reported by the Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website which said he had been convicted by a Revolutionary Court of the capital offences of "corruption on earth" and "waging war against God". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He had been arrested more than two years previously over the deaths in November 2022 at the height of the nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd detained for an alleged breach of Iran's strict dress code for women. He was accused of opening fire with a military weapon in the town of Izeh northeast of Ahvaz in an attack that left seven people dead, including 10-year-old Kian Pirfalak, whose death sparked outrage at the time. At his trial, Kurkuri confessed to the charges and said he had been "under the influence of social media", Mizan said. But human rights groups said his confession, which was broadcast by Iranian state media and re-published by Mizan on Wednesday, had been obtained under duress and accused the authorities of framing him to take the blame away from the security forces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - 'Tsunami' of executions - "During his detention, Korkor endured severe torture and was denied access to legal counsel," said Hengaw, adding that Pirfalak's mother had said at her son's funeral that it was security personnel who fired at their vehicle. It noted that the execution had taken place on what would have been the boy's birthday. IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam described the execution as "an extrajudicial killing". "The Islamic republic authorities attempted to blame him for the murder of 10-year old Kian Pirfalak by forcing confessions under torture," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the hanging of Kurkuri, a member of Iran's Bahktiari minority, was the latest in a "tsunami" of executions in Iran, with convicts currently being put to death at a rate of four a day. According to IHR, at least 569 people have been hanged in Iran so far this year. Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi, currently on leave from her own prison sentence, said Kurkuri had been "brutally tortured in solitary confinement (and) falsely accused of Kian's murder based on fabricated claims by interrogators and the regime's judiciary". Amnesty International said he was convicted after a "grossly unfair sham trial marred by torture-tainted 'confessions' obtained while he was subjected to enforced disappearance". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The London-based group said its investigations had showed "plainclothes security officials used unlawful lethal force during protests in Izeh and fatally fired live ammunition at the child". "Authorities immediately blamed 'terrorists', but the boy's family repeatedly refuted these claims publicly and attributed the responsibility to the authorities." Over 550 people were killed in the authorities' crackdown on the protests, according to the IHR's figures. The authorities emphasise that members of the security forces also lost their lives. Kurkuri's execution comes a day after Iran hanged nine men convicted of plotting to carry out attacks in 2018 on behalf of the Islamic State group. Iran is the world's second most prolific executioner after China, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International. bur-sjw/ekf/kir Irans defence minister has said his country would target US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out with the United States, as President Donald Trump said he was losing confidence that a nuclear deal would be agreed. Washington and Tehran have held five rounds of talks since April as Trump seeks an agreement that would place constraints on Irans uranium enrichment. He has threatened to attack Iran if no deal can be agreed. Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said on Wednesday that Iran would target US military bases in the region if the US attacked it first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations dont come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us all US bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries, Nasirzadeh told reporters, the Reuters news agency reported. Iraq, in the meantime, has not monitored any security concerns that call for evacuation of US personnel from the embassy in Baghdad, the Iraqi state news agency reported on Wednesday. US and Iraqi sources said earlier that Washington is preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to depart locations around the Middle East due to escalated security risks in the region. Later in the day, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated Tehrans red lines: We have announced and the supreme leader has a belief that we will not build nuclear weapons. Come and evaluate it however you want. We will not build a nuclear bomb. However, who gave you permission to say that we in this country do not have the right to conduct research on such and such topics? Who are they to tell us that we have no right to conduct research and must shut everything down? We are engaged in negotiations We stand firm to ensure that no one imposes force upon us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sixth round of talks is expected later this week, with Trump saying they will take place on Thursday, and Tehran saying they will be held on Sunday in Oman. Trump less confident of a deal Trump said that he was growing less confident that a nuclear deal would be reached, in comments in a podcast released on Wednesday. I dont know, the US leader told the podcast Pod Force One on Monday, when asked whether he thought he could strike a deal with Iran. Im less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made, he said. Trump repeated the US position that Iran would be stopped from developing a nuclear bomb, regardless of whether a deal was reached. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, its so much nicer to do it, he told the podcast. But I dont think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal. Russia offers help Iran insists that its nuclear programme is purely for civilian purposes, but Western powers have long expressed fear that Tehran intends to develop a nuclear weapon. In the next round of talks, Iran is expected to deliver its counter to a previous US offer that was rejected by Tehran. The global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is currently meeting in Vienna, where it is poised to vote on a resolution to censure Iran over accusations it has failed to comply with nuclear non-proliferation obligations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Iran has promised a proportionate response to any action against it by the watchdog or Western powers. Russia has also called for greater efforts to find a resolution to the nuclear issue. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees arms control and US relations, said on Wednesday that Moscow could provide practical help to strike a solution, offering that Russia could remove nuclear material from Iran to be converted into civilian reactor fuel. Irans Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also weighed in on the impending talks, stressing again that Iran did not wish to develop nuclear weapons, and calling for the continuation of its enrichment programme under the supervision of the IAEA. Irans Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi said a deal can be reached [File: Jose Sena Goulao / EPA] President Trump entered office saying that Iran should not have nuclear weapons. That is actually in line with our own doctrine and could become the main foundation for a deal, Araghchi wrote on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As we resume talks on Sunday, it is clear that an agreement that can ensure the continued peaceful nature of Irans nuclear program is within reach and could be achieved rapidly, he wrote. President Trump entered office saying that Iran should not have nuclear weapons. That is actually in line with our own doctrine and could become the main foundation for a deal. As we resume talks on Sunday, it is clear that an agreement that can ensure the continued peaceful Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 11, 2025 Iran successfully tests missile Another major sticking point in the talks has been Irans missile programme, which would be used in the delivery of any nuclear weapon. Nasirzadeh also said on Wednesday that Iran had successfully tested a missile carrying a 2,000kg (4,410lb) warhead last week. He did not specify whether this was a variant of the Khorramshahr ballistic missile Irans longest-range projectile that can travel over 2,000km (1,240 miles) or a new model, or provide further details about the missile. During his first White House term from 2017-2021, Trump pulled the US out of a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed limits on Tehrans uranium enrichment drive in exchange for relief from sanctions. ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD) A Lowcountry beach community is considering implementing new regulations on recreational fishing that would prevent anglers from intentionally trying to catch sharks. The discussion comes after an Isle of Palms resident raised safety concerns about a commercial shark fishing business operating from the beach near their home. If youre attracting larger sharks from offshore, bringing them in where its a threat possibly to swimmers and surfers, I think thats something we definitely ought to look at, Councilman Rusty Streetman said during a Public Safety Committee meeting last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Current city law prohibits commercial activity on the beach, but nothing in the code specifically stops someone from recreationally fishing for sharks or other species in the surf, according to Isle of Palms Police Chief Kevin Cornett. As shore-based shark fishing becomes increasingly popular along the coast, city councilmembers are now looking at ways to curb the potentially dangerous activity. Shark fishing has a long and checkered history off the South Carolina coast, Councilman Blair Hahn wrote in a June 9 message to News 2. It has been made in Horry County and many coastal communities for decades. For multiple reasons, the IOP never addressed this practiceI believe the time has come to do so. The practice involves releasing chum into the water from a structure like a pier to attract sharks closer to the shore, sometimes with the help of drones or kayaks. Anglers then use heavy rods and other specialized gear to reel them in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We currently have multiple individuals that set up between 47th and 50th Avenue, paddle ten-pound-plus hunks of meat 200 yards offshore and set large steel J hooks, Hahn said. He explained that an underwater ridge about one mile offshore, called the bump, has become a hotspot for sharks and other large fish such as tarpons that feed on shrimp, noting that tiger sharks, bull sharks, and even Great Whites have been tracked in the area. Bringing these predators to shore, especially after making them angry and hungry, is an exceptionally bad idea, Hahn said. I have watched individuals drag shark through surf, past multiple individuals swimming in the ocean on multiple occasions. Shark bites are bad on many levels. Obviously, shark bites create life-threatening injuries. In addition, shark bites tax our EMS services and have a chilling effect on tourism. These techniques not only increase the likelihood of an unwanted interaction between sharks and swimmers, but the use of larger fishing gear also presents safety risks to those enjoying other activities on the water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The last thing we want is a kid to get stuck on a hook, and depending on what theyre fishing for, could dictate how big that hook is, Chief Cornett said during a June 3 committee meeting. The proposed restrictions would be modeled after ordinances and guidelines already in place in other parts of the state, including Seabrook Island and Horry County, according to officials. Southern Shrimp Alliance study reveals a majority of Charleston-area restaurants serve imported shrimp While the specifics are being worked out, the ordinance would generally prohibit someone from intentionally fishing for sharks and require that they be immediately released if caught an extension of a state law that already mandates catch-and-release for certain species. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chumming with raw meat or fish parts, excluding poultry products, within a certain distance of the beach and using certain equipment like drones and trot lines would also be prohibited. Youre not going to take feed, dead fish, and others and put it in the water, said Councilman John Bogosian, who chairs the Public Safety Committee. Thats specifically attracting sharks, and that activity shouldnt be legal. Still, Bogosian questioned how the rules would be enforced given that recreational fishermen do not usually know what they will catch when casting a line. If you put it in there that fishing for shark is illegal, to me its unenforceable unless someone says, Yeah, Im fishing for shark, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cornett acknowledged that enforcing a shark fishing ban would be challenging overall, but certain acts like chumming would be easy to verify. The issue is expected to go back before the committee in July for further discussion. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Israel is to expel by the end of the week four French nationals held after security forces intercepted their Gaza-bound aid boat, France's foreign minister said Wednesday, as an Israeli NGO said one of the French campaigners was briefly put in solitary confinement. The announcement came as France's prime minister accused activists aboard the boat -- who hoped to raise awareness about the humanitarian situation in war-torn Gaza -- of capitalising on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for political attention. The four, who include Rima Hassan, a member of European Parliament from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party who is of Palestinian descent, will be deported on Thursday and Friday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were among 12 people on board the Madleen sailboat which was carrying food and supplies for Gaza before it was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off the besieged Palestinian territory on Monday. Four, including two French citizens and Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, agreed to be deported immediately. The remaining eight were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily, according to Adalah, an Israeli rights NGO representing most of the activists. All 12 of them have been banned from Israel for 100 years. Adalah said on Wednesday that Israeli authorities had placed French MEP Hassan and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila in solitary confinement, with Hassan later removed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - 'Abandoning French prisoners' - "Israeli authorities transferred two of the volunteers -- the Brazilian volunteer Thiago Avila and the French-Palestinian European Parliament member Rima Hassan -- to separate prison facilities, away from the others, and placed them in solitary confinement," Adalah said in a statement. The NGO later said that Hassan had been moved back to Givon prison in Ramla, near Tel Aviv, while Avila remained in isolation. When asked for comment, Israel's prison authority referred AFP to the foreign ministry, which said it was checking the reports. Adalah said Hassan was put in isolation after writing "Free Palestine" on a prison wall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The NGO said Brazilian activist Avila was placed in isolation "due to his ongoing hunger and thirst strike, which he began two days ago." "He has also been treated aggressively by prison authorities, although this has not escalated to physical assault," it added. The leader of Hassan's LFI party in parliament, Mathilde Panot, said France's prime minister Francois Bayrou had failed to condemn Israel's actions. The party's boss, Jean-Luc Melenchon, accused Bayrou of "abandoning the French prisoners", and called on President Emmanuel Macron to step in. "These activists obtained the effect they wanted, but it's a form of instrumentalisation to which we should not lend ourselves," Bayrou responded in the National Assembly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's "through diplomatic action, and efforts to bring together several states to pressure the Israeli government, that we can obtain the only possible solution" to the conflict, he added. Foreign Minister Barrot also rejected Panot's criticism, saying "the admirable mobilisation" of French officials had made a rapid resolution of the situation possible "despite the harassment and defamation that they have been subjected to". - Mounting pressure - France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting a UN meeting later this month in New York on steps towards recognising a Palestinian state and reaching a so-called two-state solution to the conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, whose entire population the United Nations has warned is at risk of famine. Israel's defence minister Israel Katz on Wednesday called on Egypt to block a hundreds-strong pro-Palestinian activist convoy from reaching Gaza, as the group arrived in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023 attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the retaliatory Israeli military offensive has killed at least 55,104 people, the majority civilians. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable. Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. burs-jh-acc/gv A New York State Regents Exam study guide intended for 10th graders is making the rounds on social media over its section on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the guides section on "Decolonization and Nationalism" which happens to be Unit 10.7 the section gives its definition of Zionism and includes notes on the United Nations Partition Plan and acts of terrorism. The widely criticized guide calls Zionism an "example of extreme nationalism" and defines it as the "belief that Jews need a homeland in Palestine." Additionally, its example under the category of "Acts of Terrorism by Israel & Palestine" is "settler movement by Jews taking away land from Palestinians." Student Calls Out Elite University Staffing And Costs Before House Judiciary Committee Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Half Hollow Hills Central School District Interim Superintendent Brian Conboy addressed the issue at a Board of Education meeting on Monday. He said that the material in question was neither created nor approved by the Social Studies Department or the district. He also noted that the material was created before Hamas Oct. 7 massacre. "As planned and previously discussed, the HHH Social Studies Department will be meeting to conduct curriculum writing over the next two months to address these exact topics. Moving forward, all curriculum relating to these issues, both historical and modern, will be district-wide and vetted by an outside group of experts in the field," Conboy said. He assured parents that all teachers in Global Studies 10 would use "the same materials and language" on this topic next school year. "On behalf of the district, I want you all to know that offensive and inaccurate materials such as this do not meet our standards of excellence and are not something we take lightly. We can and will do better moving forward," Conboy concluded. Read On The Fox News App Palestinians asses the damage following an Israeli strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 6, 2024. Jewish Family's Peace Shattered As Neighbor Is Accused Of Hate-fueled Attack Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The New York State Education Department (NYSED) Spokesperson JP OHare acknowledged the issue in a statement online and clarified that it "does not create or distribute curriculum or study guides." OHare also said NYSED would "continue to monitor and take appropriate action as needed." In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment, OHare seemed to take a swipe at critics, saying NYSED takes "issue with anyone attempting to cloak misinformation in the guise of combating antisemitism. Thats not advocacy, its manipulation." Despite the school district and NYSED statements on the issue, the study guide has drawn backlash from both sides of the aisle with Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., condemning the academic materials. Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., speaks onstage at the March For Israel at the National Mall on Nov. 14, 2023 in Washington, D.C. Federal Judge Sides Against Jewish Students Who Sued Upenn Over Antisemitism Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Torres said the guide "demonizes Zionism" while failing to "label as extreme the anti-Zionist ideology that inspired the October 7th massacrethe belief that Jews should be violently expelled from the land of Israel." "Anti-Israel indoctrination under the guise of academic instruction is one of the pathologies of modern education," Torres wrote in a post on X. Stefanik who some believe is preparing to launch a bid for New York governor slammed N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrats. "This New York State Regent Exam is a disgraceful example of the rampant and persistent indoctrination of our children in the K-12 education system perpetrated by radical far-left Democrats," Stefanik said in a statement to Fox News Digital. She also posted a similar message on X, claiming the "aging antisemitism in New York is appeased and promoted by Kathy Hochul and her failing antisemitic NY Democrat Party." House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, left, and Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York, during a news conference outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Auburn Basketball Coach Accuses Carville Of Spreading Hatred With Statements About Jewish Donors Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment on the study materials, Hochul's office said that the NYSED was responsible for the Regents Exam. However, they also noted Hochul's repeated condemnations of antisemitism and actions taken to combat it, including convening "the first-ever summit on antisemitism in education." Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust Director Anne Bayefsky said that, "such indoctrination perpetuates antisemitism." She slammed the guide for teaching hate over "tolerance, respect and coexistence." "Anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism because it teaches that Jewish self-determination is a wrong instead of the realization of a basic human right. It is time to connect the dots between teaching hate inside the schools and the violence on our streets," Bayefsky told Fox News Digital. As of this writing, the original source of the study guide remains unclear, with neither NYSED nor the school district attributing it to anyone in particular. According to Michelle Herman, a parent at Half Hollow Hills High School East, one teacher who distributed the material did not realize what was in it and has since apologized. Herman emphasized that she does not blame the teacher for the guide. Original article source: 'Israel-Palestine Conflict' section of study guide for New York high schoolers draws outrage Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called on Egypt on Wednesday to prevent activists from reaching Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip and entering the Palestinian territory. This would endanger the safety of Israeli troops in Gaza, which would not be allowed, Katz said in a statement. The Israeli army currently controls the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing. Earlier Egyptian authorities called on activists to obtain official permits on their journey from Tunisia to the border with Gaza in solidarity with Palestinian civilians. Some 1,700 activists have set off from Tunis in buses and cars, according to the state news agency TAP, including around 200 from Algeria. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They hope to travel through Libya and Egypt to reach the Rafah crossing with Gaza to protest Israel's conduct in the war. Among them were 52 French, 67 Algerian, 13 Moroccan and 8 Libyan nationals. ITHACA, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) An Ithaca man has pleaded guilty to Murder in the Second Degree in Tompkins County Court on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, following a woman being killed by her husband on the morning of November 11, 2024. Ithaca Police Department names victim in homicide investigation In the plea, 44-year-old Ahmed Abed admitted to intentionally causing the death of his wife, Alaa Hussein Jeena Abed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to New York State law, Murder in the Second Degree is punishable by a minimum of 15 years to life and a maximum of 25 years to life. District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said, I will be asking the Court to impose the maximum sentence for this brutal and heinous act of violence. If I could ask for a greater sentence, I would. There is nothing that will truly amount to justice in this tragic case. The fact that the defendant accepted responsibility, pleading guilty to the indictment and saving his children and the community the trauma of enduring a lengthy trial, is the right outcome under the law, and one that certainly advances public safety. Sentencing has been scheduled for August 19. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSYR. Jack Ciattarelli, the Trump-endorsed former state assemblymember, wins the Republican primary race for New Jersey governor, AP projects. Ciattarelli will fight to flip New Jersey red in the November election to replace incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy. Because the New Jersey gubernatorial race is one of the first major elections since Donald Trumps return to the White House, theres a tremendous amount at stake simply through public perception. This is a breaking news update. Watch live election coverage in the media player above, and stay with us as this story develops. Election results Election results map Who is Jack Ciattarelli? Jack Ciattarelli, a moderate establishment figure in the Republican field, is making his third bid for New Jersey governor. Jack Ciattarelli, Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey, left, departs after casting his ballot during early voting in Hillsborough, New Jersey, U.S., on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Ciattarelli, a former member of the state's Assembly, initially ran for the New Jersey Governor's office in 2017 he came in second place in the Republican Party gubernatorial primary, with 31% of the vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His second attempt in 2021 proved more successful; Ciattarelli won the Republican Party gubernatorial primary, but lost the general election to incumbent Murphy. He received 48% of the vote to Murphy's 51%. In his third run, he received an endorsement from President Trump, even though he's received accusations of being a "never-Trumper" from the party's far right. Policy Positions His campaign focused on New Jersey's affordability crisis his plan includes capping property taxes at 1% of a home's assessed value and reducing state spending by 30%. Ciattarelli has pledged to end New Jersey's Immigrant Trust Directive on his first day in office, allowing local police to cooperate with federal officials on civil immigration matters. He also plans to direct the attorney general to cease lawsuits against the Trump administration. In an NJ Now interview, Ciattarelli expressed willingness to work with President Trump while maintaining the ability to oppose policies detrimental to the state. JACKSON, Fl. (WDHN) The Jackson County Sheriffs office arrested a wanted sex offender out of Holmes County. When deputies got the call, they found Randall Brett Morris location, but he then began to flee on foot. Deputies called their K9 tracking unit to find Morris, and they were successful. According to the Jackson County Sheriff Offices Facebook post, Sheriff Edenfield thanked the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for responding with drones, and the Graceville Police Department for help with the search. 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. FRANKFURT (Reuters) -The head of T-Mobile U.S., the fast-growing and profitable subsidiary of Germany's Deutsche Telekom, is due to step aside before the end of his current contract, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Monday. Handelsblatt reported Mike Sievert, who has headed the mobile operator since 2020, wanted to take a break and that Chief Operating Officer Srini Gopalan, until recently head of Deutsche Telekom's Germany business, was a leading candidate to succeed him. The chief executive would step down this year or next, the newspaper added. "We dont comment on rumors or speculation," said a spokesperson for T-Mobile U.S., adding Sievert "loves his job ... Mike and the board are delighted that we have recruited Srini to join our team as COO and bring his experience to our business." Deutsche Telekom did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. Previously facing troubles, T-Mobile has become a revenue and profit driver in recent years. Thanks to strong figures from the U.S. mobile operator, Deutsche Telekom has raised its earnings targets several times. T-Mobile U.S. customer growth fell short of expectations at the beginning of the year due to an intensified price war. The subsidiary nonetheless aims to win 5.5 to 6 million new users by 2025. Sievert, who joined T-Mobile as marketing head in 2012, had been due to remain in post until 2028. (Writing by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Nia Williams) A Jackson man pleaded guilty in Belknap Superior Court Wednesday to one count of reckless second-degree murder in connection with the 2022 fatal shooting of Esmae Doucette, 23. Brandon Mitchell, 23, entered a guilty plea as part of a capped plea agreement. As part of the plea agreement, an alternative count of knowing second-degree murder and a charge of falsifying physical evidence will be dismissed. At a sentencing hearing scheduled for Aug. 1, at 10 a.m. in Carroll County Superior Court, prosecutors are expected to request that Mitchell be sentenced to 35 years to life in state prison on the reckless second-degree murder charge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police were called to the Dana Place Apartments in Jackson on the night of Nov. 30, 2022, and found Doucette had been shot and seriously injured. She died from her injury two days later. An autopsy performed by Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Mitchell Weinberg determined Doucettes cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of her death was homicide. Carolyn Gray, a former Madison resident now living in Maine, described Esmae in an online tribute as light, love, laughter, and joy. There are no words to describe a feeling like being in her presence when she talked, sang, or danced, wrote Gray on Facebook. Esmae was sunshine on a cloudy day. I feel incredibly lucky to have spent time with her and make so many memories. Esmae had the best smile and giggle, it was incredible to be around her. Her soul is so beautiful and vibrant, you can feel it through a picture or video. There are so many emotions; anger, confusion, sadness, rage. Esmae had so much to give and never expected anything in return. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Inn at Ellis River posted on its Facebook page, There are no words. We are so very sorry for the incomprehensible loss of this beautiful young woman. Our deepest condolences and love go out to the Doucette family. In an obituary, Doucette was remembered as a true child of Jackson, an avid reader who loved hiking in the White Mountains, and a caring friend, sister and daughter. As her final act of generosity, selflessness and love, Esmae was an organ donor, giving the gift of life to three others, the obituary read. JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) Jackson Mayor-elect John Horhn announced new members to his mayoral transition team. According to Horhn, Carol Palmer and Dr. Beverly Hogan were named as additional co-chairs of the transition team. He also announced the selection of eight At-Large Transition Team Members: Zakiya Summers Mississippi State Representative, District 68 Sollie Norwood Mississippi State Senator, District 28 Johnnie Patton Former National Democratic Committeewoman Surinder Singh Entrepreneur Patricia Reese Entrepreneur Gabriel Prado Entrepreneur Warren Herring Healthcare Entrepreneur Brenda Scott Labor Advocate Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jackson Mayor-elect John Horhn names transition leadership team Horhn said the expanded team will focus on several areas during the transition period, including personnel reviews, key appointments, budget analysis, infrastructure and public safety evaluations and community input sessions. They also plan to address water and sewer infrastructure modernization, street repairs, public safety, job creation and county, state and federal partnership development. This transition is about more than changing administrations its about transforming how city government works for every resident of Jackson. Our expanded team reflects the collaborative approach we will bring to city leadership, said Horhn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The transition will begin with Horhns inauguration on July 1, 2025. 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. [Source] Japans parliament passed legislation in late May establishing standards for childrens name pronunciations, addressing disputes over creative interpretations of traditional characters. What you need to know: The law requires family registries to include phonetic guidance for all names, preventing parents from assigning arbitrary sounds to kanji characters. Officials will reject applications where proposed pronunciations lack connection to the written characters standard meanings. Registry offices can deny names like pronouncing traditional Taro characters as George or Michael. Households will receive postal notifications about existing name pronunciations, with a one-year window for appeals or modifications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why this matters: The legislation responds to administrative burdens at medical facilities, schools and government agencies struggling with unconventional pronunciations. Creative, unusual names including examples that sound like Elsa, Naruto, Nike, Pikachu and Pooh have divided opinion between advocates of parental choice and critics citing potential social consequences. Still, the naming approach has gained popularity over past decades, with daughters receiving distinctive names more frequently than sons as families embrace personal expression. Previous naming controversies include a 1993-1994 legal battle over registering Akuma (meaning demon), which ultimately failed. Meanwhile: The new legislation comes amid Japans population decline. Last year, births dropped to 686,061, the lowest annual total since national records began in 1899. Meanwhile, fertility rates fell to 1.15 children per woman, significantly below the 2.07 threshold needed to maintain population levels. Government officials have identified the 2030s as the critical period for reversing demographic trends. Trending on NextShark: Japan bans flashy baby names like 'Nike,' 'Pikachu' This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what were building, consider becoming a paid member your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Trending on NextShark: Smartphone smuggled from North Korea automatically censors 'oppa' Subscribe here now! Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today! BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) Japans Princess Kako of Akishino, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, was welcomed on Wednesday by Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for a private ceremony on the latest leg of her 11-day tour of the South American nation. The younger daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko also addressed Congress and thanked Brazilians for hosting Japanese immigrants for more than a century. Her trip, which started on June 5, marks the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The efforts of the Japanese who came, and the Brazilians who went to Japan, are deepening our bilateral relationship of friendship," Kako told Brazilian lawmakers. I hope that the relationship between the two countries is a long lasting one. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congress speaker Hugo Motta told the princess he hopes Brazils ethanol can help Japan reduce its dependency on fossil fuels. Brazil has the largest population of people of Japanese descent in the world, estimated at about 2.7 million. About half of those live in Sao Paulo state, official figures show, where the princess last week received the state's highest honor from Gov. Tarcisio de Freitas. Emperor Naruhito has no male children, which makes his brother Akishino, Princess Kakos father, the first successor in line. Japans tradition does not allow women to take the throne. Princess Kako will arrive in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, where she will visit the Christ the Redeemer statue and a museum of Japanese immigration. The last part of her trip will take place in the city of Foz do Iguacu, where the world famous Iguacu falls are located. JAMES CITY CO., Va. (WAVY) James City County Police Department (JCCPD ) warned residents on Monday that suspicious letters were being sent out claiming to be official notices from James City County via a Facebook post. The letters claim to be from Animal Control and Codes of Compliance, warning residents of a rat infestation. The letters go on to encourage residents to hire pest control services and take additional measures or remedies will be enforced under the VRTLA and other applicable laws. JCCPD says there is no known scam attached to the letter, but may be intended to scare residents and benefit solicitors who come through neighborhoods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say any real concerns of rat infestations should go through the Virginia Department of 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 WAVY.com. Editors note: This story has been updated. Jennifer Crumbley's appellate lawyer has been fined $1,657 over his request to get Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald and her team kicked off the case on alleged misconduct grounds. Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews issued the fine on June 9 after previously concluding that appellate attorney Michael Dezsi's request to have McDonald disqualified was for an "improper purpose because the court clearly didn't have jurisdiction to decide the motion." In her order, she called Dezsi's motion "frivolous," stating that his grounds for seeking McDonald's removal had already been raised before, and were therefore redundant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Matthews had sanctioned Dezsi in April over his motion, it wasn't until June 9 that she announced the $1,657 fine, which is how much Dezsi who is court appointed in this case was paid for filing the request. He has until July 14 to pay it back, though Dezsi is appealing the sanction order to the Michigan Court of Appeals, arguing he has a right to scrutinize the prosecution's tactics and fight for his client. I will not be bullied or intimidated into being silent about the prosecutors misconduct or how Jennifer Crumbley was denied a fair trial," Dezsi said in a statement Tuesday. "It is my job for which I swore an oath that I intend to honor to the fullest extent. I am confident that the courts sanction will be thrown out by a higher court. Attorney Michael Dezsi, left, argues on behalf of his client Jennifer Crumbley, as they attend a motion as Crumbley is looking for a new trial in her case in front of Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews a the Oakland County Court House in Pontiac on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. More: Defense: Prosecutor paid 3rd PR firm thousands to 'smear' the Crumbleys More: West Bloomfield mom charged with sending child, 3, to day care with loaded gun in backpack Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dezsi has argued among other things that McDonald and her staff cannot be trusted with Crumbley's case, alleging prosecutors crossed multiple ethical and legal lines in handling her historic prosecution. This includes brokering secret proffer agreements with two key witnesses who testified against Crumbley at trial these deals protected the witnesses from having statements to investigators used against them and hiring high-priced public relations firms to run what Dezsi alleges was a "smear campaign" against the Crumbleys to sway public opinion. The prosecutor's office has scoffed at Dezsi's claims, calling the "smear campaign" accusations "absurd," and saying it was under no obligation to turn the proffer agreements over to the defense because, it maintains, no immunity was ever granted to any witnesses. The proffer agreements, meanwhile, are being scrutinized by the judge as Matthews is still trying to determine whether the prosecution engaged in misconduct by withholding the deals from the defense, and whether Crumbley deserves a new trial or acquittal should she conclude there was misconduct. The defense has requested a retrial, or acquittal. Matthews has previously expressed concern over the prosecution's handling of the proffer agreements, but has yet to issue a decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents in America to be held criminally responsible for a mass school shooting committed by their child. Two separate juries convicted both parents of involuntary manslaughter over their roles in the massacre that claimed the lives of four Oxford High School students in 2021. Six other students and a teacher were also injured in the rampage. The shooter, who was 15 at the time of the massacre, pleaded guilty to all his crimes and is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. He is appealing, as are his parents, who maintain they had no idea their son was planning to shoot up his school, and that the gun he used in the tragedy was hidden in an armoire unloaded, with the bullets hidden in a separate drawer. The prosecution has long argued the Crumbleys, more than anyone else, could have prevented the massacre had they done the "smallest of things," like put a lock on the gun, tell school officials that their son had access to a gun on the day they were summoned over his troubling behavior, or bring him home after seeing a picture of gun that he had drawn, along with the words: "The thoughts won't stop, help me." The Crumbleys went back to their jobs after being summoned over that note. Their son went back to class. Two hours later, he fired his first shot. Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jennifer Crumbley's lawyer fined over his request to kick prosecutor off case Jensen Huang disagrees with Dario Amodei's warning that AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs. "He thinks AI is so scary, but only they should do it," Huang said of the Anthropic CEO. Nvidia's Huang says AI will replace some jobs but change others including his own. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang isn't buying the AI jobs apocalypse narrative especially not from Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of VivaTech 2025 in Paris, Huang dismissed Amodei's claim that AI could soon wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I pretty much disagree with almost everything he says," Huang said. "He thinks AI is so scary, but only they should do it." Last month, Amodei told Axios that AI could spike unemployment by up to 20% in the next five years, gutting roles in law, finance, technology, and consulting. He urged governments to stop "sugarcoating" the threat. But Huang took aim at Amodei's prediction and provided a more optimistic view. "If you want things to be done safely and responsibly, you should do it in the open," Huang said, likening AI development to medical research, where transparency and peer review are essential. "I believe AI is not that expensive. Do I think AI will change jobs? It will change everyone's it's changed mine." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Huang acknowledged that some roles would disappear, but said that AI could also unlock creative opportunities. He isn't the only CEO to have rebuked Amodei's outlook. Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar told Business Insider that AI will create more opportunities for fresh graduates by reducing the need for deep expertise and enabling faster upskilling. While some are optimistic about AI's impact on jobs, there is already evidence that it has been disrupting them. Data provided to BI by Revelio Labs found that since January 2023, there has been a steeper decline in job postings for roles with greater exposure to AI, such as IT specialists and data engineers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for Anthropic disputed Huang's characterization of Amodei's stance. "Dario has never claimed that 'only Anthropic' can build safe and powerful AI," the spokesperson said. "As the public record will show, Dario has advocated for a national transparency standard for AI developers (including Anthropic) so the public and policymakers are aware of the models' capabilities and risks and can prepare accordingly," they said. The spokesperson added that Amodei has raised concerns about the economic impact of AI, particularly on entry-level jobs, stands by these positions, and will continue to do so. Read the original article on Business Insider Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli have won their parties primaries for governor in New Jersey, NBC News projects, setting up one of the most closely watched races of the year. New Jersey is one of two states with governors races this year, and the contest will be an early sign of how voters are responding to President Donald Trumps second term. Sherrill beat out five other Democrats for her partys nod, pitching herself as the most electable candidate after her party struggled in the state last year compared with other recent presidential elections and as a Democrat willing to stand up to Trump. She also leaned heavily on her background as a former Navy helicopter pilot and on criticism of Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's going to take a strong voice to cut through the noise from Washington and deliver for the people. So I stand here tonight doing just that. And as a mom of four teenagers, you guys know I'm not going to put up with the incompetent, whiny nonsense coming from aggrieved MAGA Republicans, Sherrill told her supporters Tuesday at a victory rally. Former state representative Jack Ciattarelli, R-N.J., and Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J. (USA Today Network; Getty Images file) You probably cant do better than to quote George Washington at this moment: Fix the bayonets, Im resolved to take Trenton, Sherrill added. Ciattarelli, who had Trumps endorsement in the primary, defeated four other Republicans for the nomination in which he also appealed to voters' desire for electability, casting himself as the Trump ally best positioned to win the Democratic-leaning state in November. Ciattarelli came close in 2021 to defeating Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who cannot run for re-election because of term limits. And during his victory speech, he panned Sherrill as "Phil Murphy 2.0" and pitched a vision for an inclusive GOP that would buck years of Democratic control in the state. "We made a strong statement about what the New Jersey Republican Party stands for: A party open to anyone and everyone who is willing to work hard and play by the rules; a party of Jersey values and common sense policies; a party that believes our best days are ahead of us if, if we have the courage to think big and act boldly," Ciattarelli said. Sherrill prevails The Democratic primary featured Sherrill and five other prominent Democrats, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, teachers union president Sean Spiller and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Sherrill, the only woman in the field, was a persistent leader in limited public polling, victory was far from certain as millions of dollars flooded the New Jersey airwaves. Sherrill was winning more than one-third support with most of the expected Democratic vote tallied, holding a double-digit lead over Fulop, the next-closest Democrat. Sherrill showed early signs of strength in crucial Essex County, which is home to the most registered Democrats. The Essex County Democrats endorsed her, but the county also includes Newark, which Baraka leads. Sherrill won around 43% of the mail-in vote, followed by Baraka at 24%, Fulop at 17%, Gottheimer at 10%, Spiller at 5% and Sweeney at 1%. Sherrill proved to be a strong fundraiser, and she did have help from an aligned outside group, One Giant Leap PAC, which launched ads boosting her in the final weeks of the race. Sherrill also racked up support from the most county Democratic parties, prompting some critics to tie her to the states Democratic political machine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherrill touted her military service and her success flipping a longtime Republican House district in 2018 as she made her case to primary voters. While each of the candidates presented a different path forward for the party, Sherrill said the obvious path is to effectively govern. Ruthless competence is what people in New Jersey want to see in government, Sherrill told NBC News before she marched in the Asbury Park Pride parade. And thats what Ive always provided, and thats what I think stands in stark contrast to the most incompetent federal government weve probably ever seen in this nation. GOP picks Ciattarelli Ciattarelli leaned on his endorsement from Trump in the final weeks of the race, in which he faced former radio host Bill Spadea, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac and contractor Justin Barbera. Ciattarelli trounced his opponents, winning more than two-thirds support with most of the expected vote in. Spadea was in a distant second at 22%, followed by Bramnick, Kranjac and Barbera in single digits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump hosted a tele-rally as early voting kicked off this month, telling supporters that Ciattarelli is going to help us with a win this November and send a powerful message to the entire country that New Jersey is turning red. But Ciattarelli did have to overcome attacks from Spadea, his chief competitor in the primary, who highlighted Ciattarellis past criticisms of the president as proof he was not sufficiently pro-Trump. Trump ultimately backed Ciattarelli about a month before the primary, writing on Truth Social that Ciattarelli is now 100% MAGA and is best positioned to win in November. General election preview Both Ciattarelli and Sherrill have already previewed the general election fight, sparring on social media over Trumps sweeping domestic policy bill and his recent decision to federalize California National Guard troops despite Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsoms objections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherrill has tied Ciattarelli directly to Trump, who lost the state by 6 points in November after he lost it by 16 in 2020. Sherrills recent TV ad warns, MAGAs coming for New Jersey with Trump-endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli, and she said at a primary debate last month that Ciattarelli is not going to stand up to Trump on anything. It remains to be seen whether Ciattarelli will put some distance between him and Trump in the Democratic-leaning state, but he has said he would campaign with Trump this year. Ciattarelli has also previewed how he might push back against Democrats who try to tie him to Trump, often noting that the next governor must address four crises facing the state: affordability, public safety, education and overdevelopment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last time I checked, this was a race for governor, Ciattarelli said at a recent campaign stop. And so what is it that President Trump has to do with those windmills of our Jersey Shore? What does he have to do with the fact that we have the highest property tax in the nation? What does he have to do with the failure of our public school system, which just slipped from two to 12 on the national report card? What does he have to do with the overdevelopment of our suburbs? They broke it, they own it, Ciattarelli said of Democrats in charge of the state government. And were not going to let anybody forget it over the next five months. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com NEW JERSEY (PIX11) The drought warning that had been in place since last fall has finally been lifted, the Murphy Administration announced on Wednesday. All drought regions will return to normal conditions, except for the Coastal South region, which is being moved to drought watch status. More Local News Record-breaking dry fall and near record-breaking dry winter conditions led to prolonged water supply deficits, said State Climatologist David Robinson. Precipitation approached normal totals in early spring, followed by New Jerseys fifth wettest May dating back to 1895. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The announcement should bring good news to many in New Jersey, as wildfires have scorched thousands of acres of forests since last fall. In November, the Jennings Creek fire burned more than 5,000 acres across New York and New Jersey. It took a couple of weeks for operations to bring the fire completely under control. Recently, the Jones Road fire scorched over 13,000 acres in Ocean County. The fire started at the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area in Barnegat Township before spreading to Lacey and Ocean Townships. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will continue to monitor conditions, but reports that precipitation patterns and reservoir storage have all returned to normal over the last 90 days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See 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 PIX11. A grand jury indicted Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) on a trio of charges, interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba said Tuesday. The indictment continues the Trump administrations legal attacks against opponents of its immigration policies. And it comes as the administration has sent troops into Los Angeles over immigration protests. The indictment is a required step for prosecutors to keep pressing felony charges announced last month following a scuffle outside an immigration detention facility in Newark involving McIver, two other Democratic members of the New Jersey congressional delegation, the citys mayor and a group of federal law enforcement agents. The three counts, which allege McIver forcibly interfered with law enforcement officials, come with a maximum sentence of 17 years in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As I have stated in the past, it is my Constitutional obligation as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer for New Jersey to ensure that our federal partners are protected when executing their duties, Habba said in a social media post. While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve. In response, McIver said the legal case was an effort by Trumps administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do. The facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation, she said in a statement. The indictment follows a previously announced pair of charges against McIver. It was not immediately available on Tuesday night from a website for the federal courts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Habbas office previously charged Mayor Ras Baraka with a misdemeanor trespassing charge that it has since dropped. A federal judge criticized Habbas office for worrisome and embarrassing blunders in that case. Baraka is now suing Habba. Habbas announcement of the indictment came as polls in the New Jersey gubernatorial primary were about to close, with Baraka on the ballot as a Democratic candidate for governor. A criminal complaint that telegraphed the indictment, filed last month in U.S. District Court in Newark, alleged McIver slammed her forearm into one agent and forcibly grabbed him after they moved to arrest Baraka. The mayor had been invited into a gated area then told to leave it. After he left the gated area, the indictment alleges McIver went outside towards the agents and attempted to thwart the arrest. McIver was also accused of using each of her forearms to forcibly strike another officer, according to the previous complaint, which included multiple photos from video cameras worn by officers, as well as others mounted outside the facility. Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez were also there. Menendez said he saw an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shove McIver, a moment which was also filmed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new charges add a misdemeanor count that appears to cover McIvers alleged interference with other federal officers during the May 9 incident beyond the two identified in the criminal complaint last month. While the Justice Department under President Donald Trump has publicly vowed not to engage in plea bargains in some cases, Habbas post Tuesday did not say her office would push for McIvers conviction on all charges. Instead, she called the indictment the next step in a process that my office will pursue to a just end. Alex Martin / AFP / Getty Images Tesla has said it will launch its robotaxi service this month, with reports suggesting a June 12 launch date KEY TAKEAWAYS Tesla shares are rising in intraday trading Tuesday after gaining more than 8% over the past two sessions in the wake of last week's public spat between CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump. The gains may point to some cooling of tensions between them and signal that investors are increasingly looking forward to Tesla's expected launch of its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, as soon as this week. Tesla shares are rising 3% in intraday trading Tuesday but are down by more than a fifth so far this year entering Monday. Tesla (TSLA) shares are rising in premarket trading Tuesday after gaining more than 8% over the past two sessions in the wake of the public spat between CEO Elon Musk and President Trump last week. The gains may point to some cooling of tensions between the two, at least if Musk's actions are anything to go by: He has reportedly appeared to delete some of his posts on his social media platform X, CNBC noted, for instance, and also retweeted Trump's criticism of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The share price gain may also signal that investors are increasingly looking forward to Tesla's expected launch of its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, as soon as this week. The stocks rise is bucking negative views from analysts who see Tesla shares as affected by Musks relationship with Trump over the EV makers fundamentals. Analysts from Argus Research and Baird said that Tesla is still a favorite stock for the long term but downgraded their ratings to "hold" for the time being. Musk has publicly opposed Trumps Big Beautiful taxation-and-spending bill, while Trump has accused Musk of doing so for reasons connected to his businesses. The friction triggered a sharp sell-off in Tesla shares, which plunged almost 15% last week. Trump on Saturday said he assumes his relationship with Musk is over. Tesla shares are rising 3% in intraday trading Tuesday but are down by more than a fifth so far this year entering Monday. UPDATEJune 10, 2025: This article has been updated to include signs of a cooling of frictions between Trump and Musk and refreshed share prices. Read the original article on Investopedia Jewish leaders and activists have signed an open letter condemning Queens state Sen. John Liu for endorsing staunch Israel foe Zohran Mamdani for mayor, The Post has learned. The letter, signed by more than 60 mostly Jewish residents in the borough, called Lius endorsement a betrayal. It is set to appear as an ad in local Queens Jewish publications, said the letters organizer, Michael Nussbaum, a board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and former head of the Queens Jewish Community Council. New York City Jewish leaders condemned state Sen. John Liu for endorsing Zohran Mamdani for mayor. Brigitte Stelzer Mamdani has made it clear that he is a virulently anti-semite in words and deeds As a leader in our county, and a representative of a large Jewish population, we consider your endorsement a slap in our face, states the missive, which shows the Israeli flag with the Star of David in the top right corner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Given the history of hateful acts against our community, this support will not go unnoticed, it says. Lius 16th District in northeast Queens has a significant Jewish population and his endorsement was a coup for Mamdani. Mamdani supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel and has opposed its right to exist as a Jewish state. Liu, a former city comptroller and councilman, is an Asian-American trailblazer who is widely respected. Liu endorsed Mamdani despite saying they have a big disagreement on Israel. X / @ZohranKMamdani Nussbaum told The Post he has known the state senator for decades and respects him as a gifted politician and good public servant and thats why he was shocked that Liu was backing the most anti-Jewish and Israeli candidate in the race. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why would he attach his name to someone who is an enemy of Israel and the Jewish people? Nussbaum asked. During his June 2 endorsement of Mamdani, Liu noted that he had a big disagreement with the Democratic socialist assemblyman on the the issue of Israel and how the Jewish community needs to be viewed in this social climate. Nussbaum said he didnt buy Lius explanation for backing Mamdani. The letter to Liu from Jewish leaders. The wellbeing of the Jewish people is the defining issue in this race given the rise in antisemitism, he said. Other signatories of the letter include former CUNY trustee Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, Yaniv Meirov, CEO at Chazaq Organization; cantor Alan Brava of the Free Synagogue of Flushing, Zev Berman, executive vice president of the Queens Jewish Community, retired judges Jeremy Weinstein and Jeff Leibowitz, and David Aronov. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In closing, the letter quotes scripture: Even my close friend whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. Liu, in a statement on Tuesday, defended his endorsement of Mamdani but also said he would continue to stand with the Jewish community. This public rebuke and the many private protestations come from respected individuals and organizations with whom Ive worked for many years, and I accept them and the consequences they will bear, Liu said. Notwithstanding the deep disapproval of my endorsement, I will continue to stand with and up for the Jewish community. Jun. 10John JD David Gates With deep sadness we announce the passing of John David Gates (J.D.), 68, a dedicated advocate for Indigenous rights and representation, SAG actor, and respected educator. An enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, John died on February 27, 2025, leaving a legacy of contributions to federal Indian law and policy. Born in Gallup, New Mexico, John earned degrees from the University of New Mexico and the University of Iowa College of Law. He served as tribal prosecutor and judge pro tem for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Pueblo of Laguna. John taught Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico, Cultural Studies at Central New Mexico Community College, and contributed to Indigenous education globally as a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Bonn, Germany. He was a faculty member at the Evergreen State College in Tribal Governance and recently served with Albuquerque Public Schools supporting Native American students. John lived with a fierce joy recognizing that each moment in life is unique. He did not suffer fools gladly and was forever prepared to argue for equity and justice. He loved his friends dearly, and showed them a gentle kindness he did not often share with the world at large. John Gates, who was such a powerful presence in life, remains so in the hearts of those who loved him. He is survived by stepmother Alice Gates and half brother Edward Gates, both of Ohio, and by his friends and all whose lives he touched. A memorial service will be held at Los Duranes Community Center, 2920 Leopoldo Rd NW, Albuquerque, NM, on June 21, 2025 from 11 am to 1 pm. (Potluck donations appreciated.) In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to organizations supporting Indigenous education and legal advocacy. On episode 848 of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? Dooner is joined by gCaptains John Konrad to talk about global turmoil in maritime. First, theyre looking at the US-China trade deal that President Trump just announced. What does it mean for relations between the two superpowers, and how will it impact freight? Operation Spiderweb has drone warfare at top of mind, but its also something John Konrad has been warning about for years. Konrad explains why the US needs drone carriers now. Theyll also look at Greta Thunberg getting deported from Israel and the state of U.S. shipbuilding. Plus, a massive Canadian cross-border drug bust involving truckers; a UNFI hack starts to hit store shelves; a bicycle-riding attorney wants to ban spiky truck hubcaps; and more. Catch new shows live at noon EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on FreightWaves LinkedIn, Facebook, X or YouTube, or on demand by looking up WHAT THE TRUCK?!? on your favorite podcast player and at 5 p.m. Eastern on SiriusXMs Road Dog Trucking Channel 146. Watch on YouTube Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Check out the WTT merch store Visit our sponsor Subscribe to the WTT newsletter Apple Podcasts Spotify More FreightWaves Podcasts The post John Konrad: US-China trade deal; containerized drones; Greta gets deported | WHAT THE TRUCK?!? appeared first on FreightWaves. It seems as though Jon Voights meeting with Gov. Gavin Newsom last week did not leave the pair seeing eye-to-eye. Thats because the Oscar-winning actor just put the California politician on blast for his handling of the Los Angeles ICE protests, all while calling President Trump the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln. Youre a fool, blaming Trump. What are you doing for this destruction, these animals destroying Los Angeles? Are you there talking calmly with them, you fool? They would burn you down like theyre burning the cars and the American flag with no regard for humanity, Voight said in a video posted to X late Tuesday night. This is not about Trump. This is about protecting the people from these animals and criminals trying to destroy us and our police force. Are they supposed to stand there, let rocks hit them and kill them? Whos going to save them? You? President Trump called in the National Guard and the Marines to help with these destructive, barbaric riots. All you do is cause chaos for the people. Youre a disgrace, he continued. Youre nothing but a lying dog for the hopes of becoming the president one day, and God is my witness, truth will prevail because of your faults and your incompetence for Californias failures. We the People, we stand I stand with Donald Trump to make this state great again. We the people choose Donald Trump to save America, and were in danger with threats from terrorists now and we must protect our country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This has now become good against evil, and evil will lose because our president of the United States of America was sworn in to protect this nations greatest gifts: freedom, safety, prosperity, Voight concluded. And he shall, he will, because he is the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln and we the people stand with this nations honor and respect, and with the President of the United States of America. Donald J. Trump. God Bless. The actor is, of course, one of Trumps three Hollywood Ambassadors alongside Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone. His comments came shortly after Gov. Newsom condemned Trump for sending troops to L.A. without being asked. To the Governor pic.twitter.com/aYC64gf21P Jon Voight (@jonvoight) June 11, 2025 The moment we have feared has arrived, he said in a televised speech Tuesday night. This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation He again chose escalation. He chose more force. He chose theatrics over public safety. If some of us could be snatched off the streets without a warrant based only on suspicion or skin color, then none of us are safe, the governor added. Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there. Trump and his loyalists, they thrive on division because it allows them to take more power and exert even more control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its worth noting that Newsom also told his constituents that if you incite violence or destroy our communities, youre going to be held to account. That kind of criminal behavior will not be tolerated. Gov. Newsom and Voight met in Century City last Thursday to discuss the actors Make Hollywood Great Again proposal. 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 told TheWrap. The post Jon Voight Calls Gavin Newsom a Fool for Letting Animals and Criminals Destroy Los Angeles | Video appeared first on TheWrap. A Joplin school official said Tuesday that several problems occurred Sunday that prevented some school shelters from opening when storm sirens sounded, but he believes issues have all been fixed. Doors at only five of the school districts 13 storm shelters opened after sirens sounded about 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Matthew Harding, assistant superintendent of operations, said Tuesday that was because the computer programming that triggers the doors of the shelters to open is activated automatically when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning. In this case, the sirens were activated to signal high winds, which is permitted by the city of Joplins siren policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harding said preparations for the shelters are usually triggered automatically when a tornado watch goes into effect. Typically, there is usually a tornado watch. We contact all volunteers and the districts security director and we log into the (computer) system to make sure we can react quickly, and if theres any trouble, we can contact support. That has never really happened before, he said. There is information about the districts community safe rooms on the school district website at https://joplinschools.org/safe. It states that if the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning, the doors unlock automatically without district input. If there is no warning, but the city of Joplin activates the outdoor warning sirens, Joplin Schools staff will initiate a remote-opening sequence to open the doors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not all of those who can manually activate the shelter doors were available Sunday, Harding said. As a result, weve adjusted a couple of our procedures to make sure this doesnt happen again, Harding said. A lack of time to react was another factor, the school official said. In this situation, there was just no warning. It happened so fast that with the wind speeds there was no time. We were not able to access the system, and we contacted the provider, but by the time they could react, the storm was over, Harding said. The system provider worked overnight Sunday to ensure that district officials could open the safe rooms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since then, we have been testing the system to make sure thats not going to happen when the doors need to open, Harding said. Also, there is some reprogramming to allow for a thunderstorm warning to act as tornado watch and signal action. Its nobodys fault. Things happened so quickly, he said. The shelters harbor 1,000 to 5,000 each, depending on the weather and whether school is session and how many students are being sheltered. Gymnasiums that serve as shelters can hold many people, Harding said. EXCLUSIVE Sixteen Palestinian children, 10 of whom are cancer patients, were evacuated from Gaza on Wednesday as part of an ongoing Jordanian initiative to help civilians amid the war, Fox News has learned. The humanitarian effort is part of a larger initiative called the "Jordan Medical Corridor" that was developed by King Abdullah II and announced during a White House meeting between the Jordanian leader and President Donald Trump in mid-February. "Jordan is keen to bring more child patients from Gaza in each evacuation batch and to expedite the process," a Jordanian source told Fox News. "There are limitations due to technical and logistical challenges facing the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as Israeli restrictions." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Netanyahu Coalition Threatened By Conscription Standoff With Religious Parties Despite the limitations, a total of 64 Palestinians were able to leave Gaza on Wednesday for Jordan. The youngest is a 5-month-old baby suffering from severe malnutrition. Other patients include a 6-year-old with explosive injury burns and a 2-year-old with blood cancer. Four of the patients were taken by helicopter from the Israel-Jordan border. In Amman, the entire group of children, with the exception of two who will be flown to nearby countries, will receive free medical treatment and housing until the completion of their care. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas Trying To 'Sabotage' Trump-backed Aid Group, Israeli Official Says The current Jordanian mandate aims to evacuate 2,000 children from the Palestinian enclave, while continuing internal efforts to provide field hospital treatment and aid to those still trapped in Gaza. "The ongoing Israeli operations make it hard to ensure the safety of the child patients and their families during their transportation to the assembly point and inside the assembly point," a Jordanian source added. An Israeli official confirmed the evacuation took place at the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, adding that there is cooperation between Israel and Jordan despite the security challenges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier in the war, Jordan used C-130 aircraft to drop food into Gaza using pallets attached to large parachutes. Some of these drops were done in coordination with U.S. Central Command. More than 600 days into the war, regional conversations continue to take place aiming for a ceasefire that would end the suffering of Palestinian civilians and bring the remaining 55 hostages held by Hamas home. Jordans King Abdullah II has spoken out against discussions of forced displacement for Palestinians living in Gaza. Original article source: Jordan evacuates sick and injured Palestinian children from Gaza Originally appeared on E! Online Josh Duhamel is highlighting the heroes in his community. The Transformers star surprised the firefighters at Los Angeles Fire Department Station 88 with a donation of $28,000 and a Bobcat utility vehicle (UTV) in recognition of their service to their community, particularly during the devastating wildfires earlier this year. I'm so proud and grateful for the work our firefighters do in this town, he told E! News Francesca Amiker in an exclusive interview. I think anybody who lives here understands how important they are to this community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Having played a firefighter in the 2012 thriller Fire With Fire, the actor has long held the profession in high esteemthough he was quick to note that the real-life heroes are in a league of their own. Anytime you can meet the guys who do the actual deed, it helps you, he explained. Playing a firefighter isn't quite actually fighting fire, so yes, I do learn from these guys. I really do admire them so much in the work that they do, so any chance I get to support them, I take that seriously. Keep reading to see what other stars have said about the L.A. wildfires More from E! Online Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats why Josh, a 2025 Brand Ambassador for the global equipment company, jumped at the opportunity to support his local fire station and its staff. Jordan Strauss/NBC I've been working with Bobcat now for six years or more, and they're always looking to do things to help communities big or small, he continued. Anything that they can do to help these tremendous, heroic firefighters get the job done, keep people safe and prevent these things from spreading any further than they can. And the opportunity to give back has proven to be fulfilling for Josh as well. I just want to keep doing things that give me a purpose, he shared. I feel like I always have to be building something. If I'm not building something, I'm kind of lost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Keep reading to see what other stars have said about the L.A. wildfires Taylor Swift The "Karma" singer posted a handwritten statement about the "suffering, loss and destruction" caused by the wildfires. "The fires in California have devastated so many families, and it's been heartbreaking to see these stories unfold," she wrote on Instagram Story Jan. 16. " As so may people embark on some of the most challenging times of their ives, there are also many amazing organizations and groups banding together to help these communities rebuild." Sharing that she donated to multiple organizations providing relief to those affected by the blazes, including the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and MusiCares, Taylor added, "If you feel compelled or able to donate, please do." Leonardo DiCaprio The Titanic actor is helping with relief efforts by donating. "The Los Angeles wildfires are devastating our city," he wrote on Instagram Jan. 15. "I am committing $1 million in partnership with @rewild's Rapid Response Program to support both urgent needs and post-fire recovery efforts." He said aid will immediately benefit the LA Fire Department Foundation, California Fire Foundation, World Central Kitchen, California Community Foundation, Pasadena Humane Society, and SoCal Fire Fund, which he described as "organizations on the frontlines providing much-needed resources to our first responders and firefighters, and the people, animals and communities who need it most." Bill Hader The Saturday Night Live alum confirmed on Jan. 14 that his Pacific Palisades home had been damaged by the fire. "It doesnt seem real," he told local news station KTLA5, while visiting the charred remains of his neighborhood. "I'm in shock. Its just gone. Everything." Jennifer Lopez "My heart goes out to everyone affected by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires," the singer wrote on Instagram Jan. 11. "I cant even imagine how deeply traumatic these events can be, especially for children who've lost their homes and sense of security." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sarah Levy The Schitt's Creek alum shared a heartbreaking message about her "sweet home" after it had been destroyed by the Palisades Fire. "My heart so deeply aches," she wrote on Instagram Jan. 14. "What I would give to hear the key slide in the front door one more time or the baby gate click behind me as I bring the laundry upstairs." "How blessed we were to raise our son in such an idyllic, magical place away from the hustle and bustle of LA," Sarahwho shares son James with husband Graham Outerbridgecontinued. "Our whole future ahead, planned in our little kitchen. Luckily we are all safe and if this has taught me nothing else, its to appreciate every last detail of your life." Her dad Eugene Levy's home has also been reportedly destroyed by the fire. Bella Hadid On Jan. 9, the supermodel shared the childhood home she shared with sister Gigi Hadid and mom Yolanda Hadid had burned down in the Palisades Fire. Gwyneth Paltrow The Iron Man actress took to social media to express her sadness about the tragedy that has fallen over her beloved city. We are in deep grief for so many of our close friends who have lost everything, she wrote in her Jan. 9 Instagram post. Thank you to those inquiring, we are currently safe. When the fires are out there will be more to say and everything to do. The city of angels will need angels of all kind, she continued. Please everyone, stay safe and vigilant. Harvey Guillen "Thank you to everyone who has checked in," the What We Do in the Shadows actor wrote on Instagram Jan. 14. "my house has damage and will take some time .. but nothing compared to the city I call home." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jamie Chung & Bryan Greenberg The Once Upon a Time actress and the One Tree Hill actor are sharing resources after tragically losing their home in the Los Angeles fire. It was all a dream, Bryan wrote on a Jan. 9 Instagram story, showing the rubble that was once their family home. Thankfully the family is safe. Thank you to all the firefighters risking their lives. Stay safe out there. And in between posting helpful resources, Jamie shared a tragic video of their entire neighborhood. Damn. Our entire neighborhood is gone, she wrote Jan. 9. We are grateful to our brave firefighters and first responders and pray we dont lose any more lives to these catastrophic fires. Stay safe and stay vigilant. Joshua Jackson The Dawson's Creek alum confirmed on Jan. 12 that he had lost his home to the L.A. fires. First and most importantly, all the people closest to me affected by the fire are ok," Joshua told Deadline in statement. "My daughter, my family, my neighbors all made it out safely. Sadly my beautiful home did not survive the fires. But today, I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by the people I love. Barbara Corcoran On Jan. 9, the Shark Tank star shared that her "little slice of heaven" at the Tahitian Terrace Mobile Home Park in Pacific Palisades, Calif., had been burned down. "For the past five years, I've been privileged to have a home in this loving, tight-knit community," she wrote on Instagram. "Its a place where kindness thrives, friendships are cherished, and neighbors become family. My heart breaks again and again as I see these incredible people who built their lives here for decades, many of them seniors who poured their hearts and life-savings into their trailers, left with absolutely nothing." Diane Warren The Grammy winner shared one last view from her Los Angeles beachfront home before it was lost in the fire. This is the last pic I took of Leah's rock from my beach house, the songwriter, who confirmed her animals and rescue ranch were safe, wrote in her Jan. 9 Instagram post of the ocean view. I've had this house for almost 30 years. It looks like it was lost in the fire last nite. There's a rainbow shining on it which I'm taking as a sign of hope for all creatures who have been affected by this tragedy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jessica Simpson Amid the outbreak of the Kenneth Fire on Jan. 9, the "Irresistible" singer shared an image of smoke rising from beyond her backyard. She wrote in the caption, "We stayed as long as we could." Cary Elwes The Princess Bride actor shared his and his wife Lisa Marie Kurbikoffs Malibu home did not survive the fire in a heartfelt message to fans. Firstly, myself and my family are all safe, thank God, he wrote in his Jan. 9 Instagram post. Sadly we did lose our home but we are grateful to have survived this truly devastating fire. Our hearts go out to all the families impacted by this tragic event and we also wish to extend our gratitude to all the firefighters, first responders and law enforcement who worked so tirelessly through the night and are still at it, he continued. We want to thank everyone for their incredible outpouring of support. It really means a great deal to us. Ricki Lake Sharing a video of the raging fires in the near distance, the former talk show host detailed her and husband Ross Burninghams final efforts to save her Los Angeles home in a Jan. 9 Instagram post. Were going down my street praying for these homes and these people and my house, she said in a video, showing the fire in the near distance. I dont even know what I grabbed, I think I might have just said goodbye to my house. Grateful to have made it out alive and uninjured, she added in the caption. Forever grateful to @kirbykotler_ our absolute angel. He did everything to try to save our precious property. No doubt had we stayed, we would not have survived. Mel Gibson During a Jan. 9 appearance on Elizabeth Vargas Report, the Braveheart actor shared that his Malibu home was destroyed while he was away recording Joe Rogans podcast in Texas. "Obviously, its kind of devastating. Its emotional," the 69-year-old said. You live there for a long time, and you had all your stuff. I had my stuff there, and its all like, Ive been relieved from the burden of my stuff, because its all in cinders. But when he returned home to discover that his home had been destroyed, he was relieved to find that, at least, his chickens survived, adding, It was amazing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miles Teller & Keleigh Teller The Top Gun Maverick stars wife shared one last photo of what was their Los Angeles home before it was lost in the fire. To everyone reaching out I cant thank you enough, your kind hearts have meant the world, Ill never forget them, Keleigh wrote in her Jan. 9 Instagram post. Community has come out stronger than I could imagine, pacific palisades I love you beyond measure you are a little slice of heaven, we will come back stronger than ever. If youre in the LA area PLEASE get out if you can, she continued. I wish I grabbed my wedding dress .. wish I did a lot different but it doesnt matter, stay safe, get out. there are no words. THANK YOU to the first responders fighting. Mandy Moore The This Is Us alumwho is mom to three kids with husband Taylor Goldsmithshared an update on her family after having to evacuate their home. "We were able to park and walk up our street to bear witness to all the loss," she wrote on Instagram Jan. 9. "Miraculously, the main part of our house is still standing. For now. Its not livable but mostly intact." However, she noted that the home studio, garage and back house were destroyed in the Eaton Fire. "Every house on our street is gone. My in laws. My brother and sister in law- 6 weeks from welcoming their first baby. Our best friends," she added. "Feeling weird survivors guilt. We love this community and will do everything we can to help rebuild and support." Milo Ventimiglia Like his This Is Us costar, the actor's Los Angeles home was destroyed by the fires. While visiting what remained of his property, he told CBS Evening News his heart felt "heavy." "You start thinking about all the memories," he continued. "My heart just breaks." Olivia Wilde "My block was on fire tonight and the only reason we still have a home is thanks to the brave members of the @losngelesfiredepartment who worked on the ground and from the air to save us," the Don't Worry Darling director wrote on Instagram Story Jan. 8. "Thank you." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bozoma Saint John The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star revealed her dream home in Malibu, where she lived with her teenage daughter Laela, was totaled in the fires. "This is an unimaginable loss," she wrote on Instagram Jan. 9. "I grieve with the rest of Los Angeles as it burns and even though Ive found even words to write here, theres nothing that I could say in this moment to describe this feeling. Chrissy Teigen The Cravings cookbook author started preparing in case of an evacuation, writing on Instagram Story Jan. 8, "This is surreal. I'm very scared. Packing." Jen Atkin The hairstylist and her husband Mike Rosenthal safely evacuated along with their kids and pets, though she said their home was "gone." "Our whole area demolished," she added on Instagram Stories Jan. 8, alongside a tearful selfie. "So many are displaced and feeling scared right now it's almost too much to comprehend." Olivia Culpo One day after the Sunset Fire set the Hollywood Hills ablaze, the Culpo Sisters starwho is married to San Francisco 49ers Christian McCaffreywrote on Instagram Story Jan. 9, "Im praying so hard for our community. My heart aches for everyone who has lost so much so fast. Its just unimaginable." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App By Helen Coster (Reuters) -Journalists have been among those injured during protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles in recent days, as police clashed with crowds of protesters and fired less-lethal munitions to disperse them. Since confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement first flared over the weekend, more than 30 cases of "police violence" against journalists while covering the protests have been reported, according to a database maintained by the Los Angeles Press Club. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The press club includes physical violence as well as efforts to impair journalists' coverage, such as nonconsensual bag searches, in the category. It updates its database with reports from journalists and incidents reported on social media. Some of the incidents have resulted in injuries. Lauren Tomasi, U.S. correspondent for 9News Australia, was hit by a projectile while reporting live in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. Tomasi had her back to police and was speaking into the camera when an officer pointed a weapon toward her and fired it, according to a video of the incident. Toby Canham, a freelance photographer working for the New York Post, said he was struck by a projectile on Sunday, resulting in a bruised forehead. In an interview he said the projectile, which was "hard and rubbery," knocked him to the ground. The Post published an image shot by Canham showing a law enforcement official that he said had fired at him from about 100 yards (91 meters) away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tomasi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Matt Stanton, CEO of 9News parent company Nine, in a statement called the incident shocking and emphasized the need for a formal investigation. A photo editor at the New York Post did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The press club said it was aware of 20 injuries to journalists during the LA protests, including at least five that required medical attention. While Reuters established that at least two journalists were injured, the news agency could not independently confirm whether Tomasi or Canham were targeted because they are journalists. Reuters also could not confirm the press club's figures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In remarks to Australias National Press Club on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tomasi was targeted as a journalist and that Australia has raised the issue with the Trump administration. An LAPD spokesperson did not confirm it had launched an investigation into the Tomasi incident, but highlighted a press release stating that its professional standards bureau will be investigating allegations of excessive force and other issues related to LAPD actions during the protests. It is unclear whether those allegations relate to Tomasi. Other journalists included in the database said they were tear-gassed alongside protesters, kept in a small area, or had their bags searched by law enforcement without their consent. Asked about the incidents involving journalists, a White House spokesperson highlighted the risks to law enforcement officers and the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whenever violent, left-wing rioters engage in lawless behavior, they put innocent bystanders at risk," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. She added that Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass "refused to quell the violent riots" and are "directly responsible for putting civilians in harms way." Spokespeople for Newsom and Bass did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Bass, a Democrat, has said protests have been "largely peaceful", but there have also been incidents of protesters hurling projectiles at police, burning cars and looting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement INADEQUATE TRAINING? Adam Rose, the press clubs press rights chair, said the volume of incidents involving members of the media over just four days is unprecedented in Los Angeles. The high frequency could reflect a number of factors, including inadequate training of both law enforcement and journalists, Rose said. Canham, the freelance photographer who was injured and who previously served in the British Army, described a scene in which people were throwing water bottles at law enforcement before an officer "deliberately aimed" at him. "My main point is, please positively ID a target before you shoot," he told Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since Los Angeles relies heavily on transportation by car, law enforcement officials have a large responsibility to move protesters out of the way to allow traffic to flow, said Katherine Jacobsen, the U.S., Canada and Caribbean program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists. The priority for moving traffic could create more opportunities for conflict between police and journalists, she said. Commentators on the right have taken to social media attacking coverage by some outlets, saying they were at times intentionally downplaying the protests. It was unclear if that criticism had any impact on the number of incidents involving journalists. Trump has said protesters have spit on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on Saturday that ICE officers had been targeted in recent days and doxxed, the practice of publicizing private information for malicious reasons. Reuters could not confirm these incidents. GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The LA protests are not the first time journalists including some from Reuters covering U.S. civil unrest have suffered injuries, whether by accident or through deliberate attacks. The number of physical assaults on members of the media spiked in 2020, the year nationwide Black Lives Matter protests erupted after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, according to Press Freedom Tracker, which describes itself as a nonpartisan news website and database. In subsequent years, assaults on journalists have moderated, the Press Freedom Tracker shows. Before the recent unrest in Los Angeles and other U.S. cities, only a handful of such cases have been logged by the database this year. (Reporting by Helen Coster in New York; Editing by Frank McGurty and Rod Nickel) A federal judge in New Jersey blocked the Trump administration from deporting pro-Palestinian Columbia University protest organizer Mahmoud Khalil on foreign policy grounds. U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz ruled Wednesday that the Trump administrations effort to deport Khalil under a provision of federal law that allows the deportation of any foreign citizen whose presence or activities in the U.S. is determined to have serious adverse foreign policy consequences and is chilling Khalils First Amendment free speech rights. In a 14-page order, Farbiarz said the rarely used statute Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked against the former Columbia graduate student is likely unconstitutional. He also ruled that the activist and legal U.S. resident who has been in immigration custody in Louisiana since March cant be detained further on that basis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge said it was unlikely the Trump administration could justify detaining Khalil via another rationale it tacked on after his arrest in Manhattan: that when he applied for a green card, he failed to disclose all his past employment and membership in certain organizations. Immigrants are almost never detained for those sorts of omissions, the judge noted, finding it likelier that Rubios determination was the basis for Khalils ongoing detention. However, the judges ruling did not foreclose Khalils continued detention on alternative grounds, emphasizing that he had only definitively rejected Rubios determination and that his decision had no impact on other aspects of the effort to deport Khalil. Farbiarz, a Biden appointee, put his ruling on hold until Friday morning to allow the Trump administration to appeal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lawyer for Khalil, Baher Azmy, said in an email that he believes Farbiarzs order means Khalil should be released from custody by Friday morning unless an appellate court intervenes. "We are relieved that the Court determined that both his detention and his removal based on the ridiculous, overbroad Rubio determination would be unconstitutional, Azmy said, and that he is suffering severe ongoing harms [from] the governments grotesque, vindictive retaliation for his constitutionally protected expression in support of Palestine. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin expressed disappointment in Fabriarzs decision and said she expects it to be overturned by a higher court. Todays ruling delays justice and seeks to undermine the Presidents constitutionally vested powers, McLaughlin said in a statement. It is a privilege to be granted a visa or green card to live and study in the United States of America. When you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans, and harass Jews, take over buildings and deface property, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Khalil has remained detained, others who have been similarly swept up as part of the Trump administrations crackdown on pro-Palestinian academics have been released. In early May, a Vermont federal judge ordered the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish Tufts University Ph.D. student. A few days later, a federal judge in Virginia ordered the release of a Georgetown researcher, Badar Khan Suri. Like Khalil, both Ozturk and Suri had been detained in March. Jun. 10OREGON An Ogle County judge denied a Byron man's request Monday for a lighter prison sentence for sexually assaulting two young girls, ruling against a defense argument that 25 years in prison was "a death sentence." Duane Upchurch, 60, who was found guilty three years ago of sexually assaulting two young girls in 2004 and 2008 and sentenced in April to a total of 25 years in prison, will continue to serve that sentence at the Big Muddy Correctional Center in Ina, Judge John "Ben" Roe ruled. Monday's decision comes two months after Roe ordered Upchurch to serve two consecutive 12-year, six-month sentences in the Illinois Department of Corrections, following an emotional sentencing hearing at the Ogle County Judicial Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sentence came despite pleas from Upchurch's attorney, Stephen Komie of Chicago, that a lesser sentence was warranted based on Uphurch's age, medical condition and lack of prior criminal history. But two victims that Upchurch was found guilty of assaulting tearfully told Roe that the defendant had scarred them for life and was a "predatory monster" who should be put behind bars. On Monday, Komie argued that Roe had erred in sentencing Upchurch and questioned language used in the sentencing order. "The age of the defendant is key," said Komie, who appeared in court via Zoom. "It [the sentence] is effectively a death sentence no matter how you cut it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Komie said a shorter sentence of 6-10 years would be "more than enough." In his motion to reconsider the sentence, Komie argued that Upchurch's sentence of 25 years, to be served at 85%, was "cruel and unusual punishment" not intended by state law for "death or life imprisonment" for those found guilty of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. Ogle County State's Attorney Mike Rock disagreed. "These are two sentences to be served consecutively for 25 years at 85%," said Rock. "His parole date would be July 30, 2043." Rock said language in the sentencing order was correct. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The sentences are to run consecutively of one another. It is correct," Rock said. Roe agreed and denied Komie's motion. "I understand both arguments. I stand by my decision," Roe said. Komie then asked Roe to ensure that all transcripts of sentencing hearings be sent to him for preparation of an intended appeal. The charges Upchurch was found guilty in May 2022 of two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child in 2004 and 2008, both Class X felonies, and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, Class 2 felonies, with both girls being under the age of 13 when the crimes occurred. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was found not guilty of two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault one in July 2005 and 2008 and the other in September 2004 and 2008. Upchurch was arrested Aug. 8, 2019, by Ogle County sheriff's deputies following an investigation by the Ogle County Sheriff's Office that began in March 2019. He was charged in August 2019 for the offenses that prosecutors said occurred in September 2004 and 2008. He posted bond and was released pending his trial in 2022. He had been held in the Ogle County Jail since the 2022 trial while his sentencing hearing was delayed several times for post-trial motions and responses. April 11 sentencing Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About a dozen people were in a packed courtroom in support of the victims on April 11 while approximately 20 came to show their support for Upchurch. Two victims told Roe how Upchurch's assaults had affected their lives. "How do you quantify the impact of abuse," one of the women asked when reading her victim impact statement. "As an 8-year-old, he made me feel disgusting. I struggled with self worth, depression...crippling anxiety. He abused and traumatized numerous children. The justice here today will not fix the damage." The other woman said Upchurch assaulted her numerous times when she was 5-6 years old and told the court it took her 19 years before she could face coming forward about the incidents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The abuse and rape has shifted everything for me," she said. "I'm telling my truth today to protect other children. He is a vile child predator. I am no longer a weak, scared little girl. This predatory monster deserves life behind bars. He has a sick and disgusting attraction to children." Komie presented one witness in mitigation Dr. Pedro De Guzman, a physician who examined Upchurch in the Ogle County Jail's clinic in March. Guzman, an internist, said Upchurch had high blood pressure and other health concerns that could result in a stroke or heart attack if not treated correctly. When asked by Komie to give a prognosis for Upchurch, Guzman replied: "It would be a bad prognosis." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rock said lives had been forever changed by the actions of the defendant. "They [victims] are haunted by what happened to them at such a young age," Rock said. "He repeatedly raped them." Rock said the victims were "recounting the horrors" while Upchurch "focuses on multiple women who he says wanted to hurt him." "He takes no responsibility," said Rock. "This defendant took away their innocence at a very young age. We demand that this defendant never has access to a child again." Rock recommended Upchurch be sentenced to 25 years in prison on each of the Class X offenses and 4-6 years on the other charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are well aware of the defendant's age. The state does not want this defendant to be in the community ever again where he can perpetrate these horrors again," Rock said. When asked by Roe if he wanted to make a statement to the court, Upchurch declined. Roe recessed the hearing for an hour while he reviewed arguments, testimony and evidence presented at the hearing including the victim witness statements and written character statements. He acknowledged that Upchurch had minimal criminal history. "He has led a law-abiding life for a substantial time," said Roe. "We did hear from victims that were here this afternoon and one other person. It's all very relevant to me. There were powerful statements from the victims. I have to balance what is appropriate with what is just. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This was an emotional case from the start to the finish," Roe continued. "And I weigh that with the lifelong trauma of the victims. And when I do so, this is what I believe is appropriate." When released, Upchurch will be supervised for three years and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Creditors have requested that Ofwat set Thames Water lower environmental standards so it does not amass fines that would create a doom loop for the company. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA Lenders to Thames Water have said they will provide 5bn in funding to the struggling utility, in an emergency turnaround plan that has quickly raised concerns from the water regulator, Ofwat, over potentially inadequate losses for debt holders. The group of existing senior creditors to Thames Water, a band of more than 100 financial institutions, said their plan would inject 3bn of equity and another 2.25bn of debt. However, they said their plan would reduce total debt levels at Thames, which is struggling under about 20bn of debt. In total, lenders would write off about 6.7bn of their loans to Thames and its parent company in an effort to reduce the huge load and in preparation for an eventual stock market listing. Creditors admitted their plan hinges on a considerable leniency from Ofwat, the governments water regulator for England and Wales, over future fines for environmental failings. The creditors have requested that Ofwat set Thames Water lower environmental standards and even for it to let the water company off without fines for past breaches of its licences and permits. The creditors will argue to Ofwat that the much-criticised leniency is necessary to avoid a doom loop of fines preventing recovery. The Guardian previously revealed that creditors are hoping for immunity for directors from prosecution for environmental crimes. Thames Water has been on the verge of financial collapse for several years, after decades of underinvestment and dividend extraction left it with leaking pipes and treatment works falling apart, even as its debt mountain grew. The company has desperately been seeking a way out of the turmoil without the government being forced to take control under a special administration regime (SAR), essentially temporary nationalisation. The government is also opposed to stepping in unless there is a direct threat to water and sewerage services for 16 million customers in London and south-east England. The creditors were forced to step forward with a rescue plan after the preferred bidder, the US private equity firm KKR, pulled out last week in a shock announcement. KKR is thought to have balked at the complexity of taking on Thames Water amid intense political scrutiny. KKRs withdrawal will mean long-term control of Thames Water will sit with the group of about 100 creditors, ranging from big institutional investors such as Aberdeen, BlackRock, Invesco and M&G, to US hedge funds such as Elliott Investment Management and Silver Point Capital. It is widely acknowledged that creditors will have to write off a significant portion of existing debts to allow Thames to recover. Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information A judge has denied James and Jennifer Crumbley new trials, concluding the parents of the Oxford school shooter both got fair trials even though prosecutors intentionally withheld from the defense secret agreements it struck with two key witnesses who testified against them. In ruling against the Crumbleys, Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews on June 11 expressed concern with the prosecution not disclosing the agreements, stating: "The lack of disclosure which is mandatory ... is disturbing." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, Matthews concluded, the prosecution's actions did not "rise to the level" to justify new trials, stressing that given the "significant" evidence facing the Crumbleys, the parents likely still would have ended up being convicted, even if they had been given the agreements brokered with the witnesses. The Crumbleys, who made history last year after a jury held them responsible for the Nov. 30, 2021, Oxford High School massacre committed by their then-15-year-old son, were trying to get their involuntary manslaughter convictions dismissed, or new trials, based on alleged prosecutorial misconduct grounds. Jennifer Crumbley attends a motion as she is looking for a new trial in her case in front of Oakland County Judge Cheryl Matthews a the Oakland County Court House in Pontiac on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. James Crumbley, left, reads a statement in the Oakland County courtroom of Cheryl Matthews on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 for sentencing. Prosecutor: 'It's time to refocus ... on the Oxford victims' Oakland County prosecutors have long argued that they engaged in no misconduct, and that the Crumbleys were convicted fair and square. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, who made history in holding the first parents in America criminally liable for a mass school shooting committed by their child, praised the judge for her decision. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald speaks to the media on Thursday, March, 14, 2024, as Nicole Beausoleil, mother of Madisyn Baldwin; Steve St. Juliana, father of Hana St. Juliana; and Craig Shilling, father of Justin Shilling; look on after James Crumbley was found guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths caused in 2021 by Crumbley's son after he perpetrated a mass shooting at Oxford High School. Today, Judge Cheryl Matthews upheld the guilty verdicts of James and Jennifer Crumbley and denied their requests for new trials, McDonald said in a statement. These cases have always been about just one thing: justice for Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, Justin Shilling and the other Oxford victims. Judge Matthews' ruling makes clear that no issue raised by the defense affected the trial or the jurys verdict." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She continued: Now that the juries verdicts have been reviewed and upheld, it is time to turn our attention away from the Crumbleys and refocus on the Oxford victims. The bottom line is both James and Jennifer Crumbley were convicted by juries of their peers after receiving a fair trial. Defense blasts judge: 'What a hypocritical example of justice' The defense, however, isn't giving up as it blasted the judge's ruling and vowed a vigorous fight in the Michigan Court of Appeals. "What a hypocritical example of justice," defense attorney Michael Dezsi, who represented Jennifer Crumbley in her appeal, said in a statement after the order came down. Attorney Michael Dezsi, who represents Jennifer Crumbley in her appeal, speaks at a press conference at the Royal Oak Community Center in Royal Oak on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. At issue for Dezsi, he said, is that the judge concluded the prosecutors violated court rules, but let them get away with it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, the prosecution intentionally cheated and violated the court rules, but they didnt cheat hard enough for the court to do anything about it, Dezsi said in a June 11 statement after the ruling was issued. "Jennifer Crumbley was never going to get a fair trial in Oakland County as demonstrated by the courts actions in the last six months, and its decision finding the prosecutors actions 'disturbing' but harmless should shock the public." Dezsi added: "I will immediately appeal to a higher court the denial of Jennifer Crumbleys motion for bond pending appeal. The courts decision today (June 11) was only the first step in a lengthy appeal process that is only now just getting started. I am confident that a higher court will find the prosecutors actions were not only disturbing but also grounds to overturn Jennifer Crumbleys conviction. This legal battle is just starting." Alona Sharon, James Crumbley's lawyer, echoed similar concerns, saying she is "disappointed" with the judge's decision and the message it sends. "Judge Matthews found that Karen McDonald and her office violated a discovery rule that is designed to guarantee the right to a fair trial and due process. But, despite their intentional violations they will pay no price," Sharon said in a statement. "This opinion writes a blank check permitting prosecutors throughout the state to skirt the rules and laws that that are designed to ensure integrity in our justice system. And, that consequence should terrify everyone." Legal feud focuses on secret agreements with 2 school officials At issue in this contentious legal battle is whether the prosecution unlawfully withheld from the defense confidential agreements that it reached with two key school witnesses who were promised early on that their statements to investigators would not be used against them, and who later testified against the Crumbleys at their trials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agreements known as proffer agreements offered some immunity to the two school officials and key witnesses in the Crumbleys' historic trials: They were promised that whatever statements they made to investigators would not be used against them. Attorneys for the Crumbleys had argued that those agreements should have been provided to the defense before trial, which would have allowed the defense to argue to jurors that the school witnesses were under the threat of prosecution themselves, and therefore not credible. But the jury never got to hear that. The two school witnesses were the dean of students and a counselor the last two officials who spoke with the shooter and the parents on the morning before the massacre, and made the controversial decision to let him return to class despite the teen's troubling behavior: He had drawn a gun on a piece of paper, a human body bleeding and the words, "The thought's won't stop. Help me." The defense argued both school witnesses tailored their testimony to make the parents look bad, and protect themselves in the process. But they were already protected by the proffer agreements, they argued, only the defense didn't learn about the agreements until the Free Press disclosed them in an investigation last March, after the shooter's parents both had been convicted in separate trials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prosecution has argued that it was under no obligation to provide the proffer agreements to the defense because it maintains no immunity was provided. Prosecutors also long argued that it was the Crumbleys, more than anyone else, who could have prevented the massacre had they done the "smallest of things," like put a cable lock on the gun that their son snuck out of the house and used to shoot up his school, tell the school officials that their son had access to a gun when they were summoned over his troubling behavior, or taken him home from school when they saw his drawing with the troubling message: "The thought's won't stop. Help me." The Crumbleys though, went back to their jobs after seeing that message. Their son went back to class, with school officials concluding he wasn't a threat to himself or anyone else. Two hours later, he fired his first shot. In the end, prosecutors argued to the jurors, it was the Crumbleys' own actions and inactions that would cost four students their lives: Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17. As McDonald said in her closing arguments at the dad's trial: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Remember that he didn't just fail in his duty to his son ... he failed in his duty to protect Hana, and Justin and Madisyn and Tate. I don't say their names to evoke sympathy. I say their names because they matter. They matter!" McDonald said, her voice growing loud. "And that is why we are here ... because if James Crumbley had done even the smallest of things, like the 10-second cable lock or gone home or took responsibility for his kid who was in trouble, those kids wouldn't have been shot and killed in that school on that day." More: Defense: Prosecutor paid 3rd PR firm thousands to 'smear' the Crumbleys Jennifer and James Crumbley have long argued that they had no idea their son was going to shoot up his school, that they saw no signs that their son was mentally ill, that gun at issue was hidden in an armoire unloaded, and that the bullets were stored in another drawer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shooter pleaded guilty to all his crimes and is serving a life-without-parole sentence. He also is appealing. Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Judge denies parents of Oxford school shooter new trials The Brief A Democratic candidate running in the primary election for Georgia Public Service Commission has been disqualified again, meaning all votes he's gotten so far will not count. A judge ruled that Daniel Blackman hadn't proved he met the qualifications to run, in part because he moved to Fulton County in October but voted in Forsyth County in November. Blackman can appeal the ruling after the judge enters a written order. FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - A judge has ruled all votes cast for one of the Democratic candidates running in the June 17 primary election for Georgia Public Service Commission will not count. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After a hearing on Tuesday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville said that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's disqualification of Daniel Blackman was the correct move. The backstory Last week, an administrative law judge recommended Raffensperger disqualify Blackman, a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator, from the District 3 seat because he did not show he lived there long enough. Voters statewide elect commission members, but they must live in one of five districts for at least 12 months before an election. District 3 includes the core metro Atlanta counties of Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton. All five commissioners are currently Republicans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Administrative Court Judge Dominic Capraro said in his earlier ruling Blackman didnt prove he met the qualifications to run in part because he moved to Fulton County in October but voted in Forsyth County on Nov. 5. He switched his registration to his Fulton County address in April, right before signing up to run for the District 3 seat. Blackman argued in his appeal that he moved to Fulton County for work in October while his wife and kids temporarily remained in Forsyth County where they could finish the school year. After that, they plan to live together in Fulton County. Blackman said he waited to register to vote at his new address in order to comply with Georgias rules that require address changes to be registered at least 30 days before an election. What they're saying Glanville, ruling from the bench, said Blackman didnt do enough to prove he had truly moved, noting he didnt transfer his voter registration to Fulton County until April. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The court is of the opinion that the secretarys decision did, in fact, properly apply Georgia law," Glanville said during an online hearing. "The final decision properly considered the petitioners failure to update his voter registration until April of 2025." Glanville said he hoped to enter a written order as soon as Wednesday. Blackman could appeal after that. What's next Blackman can appeal, but if he loses, any votes cast for him will not be counted in the District 3 Democratic primary for the utility regulator. Three other Democrats Peter Hubbard, Robert Jones and Keisha Waites are also seeking their partys nomination to oppose Republican Fitz Johnson in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Signs warning voters that Blackman has been disqualified will be posted in polling places as soon as Glanville makes a written order, said Robert Sinners, a spokesperson for Raffensperger. A Republican primary will also be decided June 17, with Lee Muns of Harlem challenging incumbent Commissioner Tim Echols of Hoschton. Echols has been on the Public Service Commission since 2011. The winner will face Democrat Alicia Johnson in November. Early voting ends Friday, with Election Day on June 17. The Source Information for this report came from previous FOX 5 stories and reporting from the Associated Press' Jeff Amy. Lackawanna County Court Judge Mark Powell ordered a Scranton resident to remove all of his 10 or more cane corso breed of mastiff guard dogs from his home in Minooka, because they and their owners handling of them constitute a public nuisance. In a ruling in a preliminary injunction lawsuit by Scranton against resident John Dodge, the judge also agreed with the citys contention that Dodges kennel business violates the residential zoning of his home at 421 Campbell St. The city on Jan. 2 issued a zoning violation to Dodge for having more dogs than allowed in a residential zone on less than an acre. After no response or appeal by Dodge, the city filed the injunction suit May 19. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Powell heard the case May 27. Dodge did not attend the hearing and did not respond to the lawsuit, according to the suit, testimony and Powells ruling. During the May 27 proceeding, Assistant City Solicitor Mariclare Hayes sought an order requiring Dodge to surrender or rehome all but two of the dogs and prove with documentation that those two are spayed or neutered. Powell went a step further in his ruling issued Tuesday, by ordering all of the dogs removed from the property as the only means to abate the nuisance. Efforts to reach Dodge on Wednesday were unsuccessful. The dispute between the city and Dodge over citations he has ignored had been brewing for several months; but tension between Dodge and his neighbors over the dogs had been ongoing for about two years, shortly after he began keeping, breeding and selling the dogs, according to court testimony from the May 27 hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the injunction lawsuit: The city zoning ordinance caps at six the number of pets over 3 months old allowed on a residential property of an acre or less; and the number of canines at the 421 Campbell St. property has varied, but city officials have seen no less than 10 full-grown cane corso mastiffs and believe their numbers have reached as high as 25. Barking, the stench of dog feces and safety concerns about the large dogs occasionally running loose disrupt the neighborhood, particularly neighbors Dawn and David Hafner of 2426 Pittston Ave., who have lived there 23 years. Their backyard abuts Dodges rear deck and yard, Dawn Hafner testified May 27. Dodge moved to 421 Campbell St. around January 2021, and around February 2023 got two dogs and eventually more over the years, and he now has about 10, Hafner testified. Her testimony also included that the two largest male dogs each weigh about 150 pounds, while females weigh about half of that; the dogs hang over the deck railing directly into Hafners yard; Dodges routine hosing dog feces off of his deck causes the excrement to wash into Hafners yard; and excessive feces and urine in Dodges yard also stink up the neighborhood. Dodge has done nothing to remediate the situation and has not appealed the zoning violation, and he has not sought a variance to operate his Superior Cane Corso Kennel, city Planner Don King, who is the citys director of planning and zoning, testified. King also testified that Dodges property is too small and its too close to other residences to operate a kennel, and he sells the dogs via a website and social media, thus operating a business in a residential zone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dodge also had not responded to citations and fines issued by the citys animal control officer regarding a lack of dog licenses and rabies vaccinations, the lawsuit claimed. The citys animal control officer, Katie Gallone, testified that she had concerns about safety regarding the dogs; and that without proper handling and training, the dogs can exhibit a pack mentality and be a threat to humans or other animals. Powells ruling cited Gallones testimony that included a February 2024 incident of the dogs running loose in the neighborhood and going after a person; a dog attack at Connell Park in July, when a small dog being walked by a 16-year-old girl was attacked by two mastiffs owned by Dodge and his wife, and that resulted in $700 in veterinary bills regarding the small dog; and video of a December 2024 incident of several of the dogs running loose in the neighborhood after escaping from Dodges back gate. There is ample credible testimony on the record by neighbors and city employees, as well as pictures that prove the dogs are noisy, create a foul smell from both urine and feces, that the dogs are a danger to the community when they get loose because the dogs are exceptionally intimidating showing aggressive pack behavior, causing fear to those they encounter, Powell said in his ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A breed of Italian lineage, the name of cane corso roughly translates from Latin as bodyguard dog. * A photo of several cane corso mastiff dogs on a rear deck of 421 Campbell St. in Scranton, as taken from a neighboring home at 2426 Pittson Ave. (COPY OF PHOTO / COURTESY OF DAWN HAFNER) * A photo of several cane corso mastiff dogs on a rear deck of 421 Campbell St. in Scranton, as taken from a neighboring home at 2426 Pittson Ave. (COPY OF PHOTO / COURTESY OF DAWN HAFNER) * John Dodges home, on the left at 421 Campbell St. in Scranton, and the home of neighbor Dawn Hafner, on the right, at 2426 Pittston Ave. were referenced Tuesday, May 27, 2025 in Lackawanna County Court during a hearing in an injunction lawsuit by the city of Scranton against Dodge to get a court order to have him surrender most of his several cane corso mastiff dogs, and keep two that are spayed or neutered. The citys suit claims the keeping of 10 or more of the dogs at any given time violates the residential zoning and has created a public nuisance in noise, smell, excessive feces and concerns about safety. A judge did not immediately rule on the injunction request. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * A photo of several cane corso mastiff dogs on a rear deck of 421 Campbell St. in Scranton, as taken from a neighboring home at 2426 Pittson Ave. (COPY OF PHOTO / COURTESY OF DAWN HAFNER) Show Caption 1 of 4 A photo of several cane corso mastiff dogs on a rear deck of 421 Campbell St. in Scranton, as taken from a neighboring home at 2426 Pittson Ave. (COPY OF PHOTO / COURTESY OF DAWN HAFNER) Expand FAIRMONT Developments in the case of the 2022 murder of Henry Silver have not been potent enough for a judge to grant bond to one of the six men accused of the crime. Marion County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Wilson denied bond to Ryan Lane on Tuesday. The Marion County Prosecuting Attorney alleges that as club president for the regional Pagans Motorcycle Club, Lane sanctioned the murder of Silver, after Silver committed adultery with the friend of one of the other Pagans members. Lanes attorney, Elgine McArdle, used the outcome of a previous trial for one of Lanes codefendants and a case the West Virginia Supreme Court overturned in Marion County to argue her client should be set free on bond pending his trial in July. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McArdle primarily argued Lanes innocence Tuesday. McArdle used testimony from the Austin Mullins trial to make her case. Mullins confessed to the murder on the witness stand and testified Mullins killing wasnt premeditated. The jury in that trial found his testimony credible and found Mullins guilty of second degree murder, which in broad terms is applied to crimes of passion and lacks the intent element required for first degree murder. She pointed out a logical inconsistency when it came to Lanes charges as a result of the Mullins conviction. I dont know how you can conspire with Lane to commit murder one when Mullins was convicted of murder two, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also pointed out Lane was not present at the murder scene, a fact acknowledged in court by the prosecution, and that gang membership itself is not illegal. McArdle also attacked the foundation on which the prosecution had built its case, which was that Lane was president of an outlaw motorcycle club with a known history of violence among its different chapters. The prosecutions whole theory of the case is Pagans are bad, they dont belong in Marion County, convict them, McArdle said. She said the evidence against Lane was scant, as were the elements of a murder conviction. Marion County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Sean Murphy rebutted that the bond motion has been asked for six times now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nothing new here, its all been repeated ad nauseum, Murphy said. McArdle pushed back that there has never been a bond hearing in Wilsons court. McArdle has filed several other motions in the case, which have been heard by Judges David Janes and Matthew Delligatti, among them the three bond motions. Previously, Judge Janes denied a similar bond motion. Judge Delligatti heard a second attempt, but the Marion County Prosecuting Attorneys office moved the trial to Judge Patrick Wilsons courtroom before Delligatti could issue a ruling. After hearing arguments, Judge Wilson acknowledged that bond was not granted in the previous motions by the other judges. He also pointed out two grand juries found probable cause to indict Lane for Silvers murder. He also told McArdle it was more clear than ever to the court that McArdle was going to argue the evidence for Lanes guilt is nonexistent at trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wilson said the grand jury found enough probable cause in the evidence presented to indict Lane. Evidence also potentially exists that could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Lane was involved in Silvers murder. Based on the allegations and evidence, as well as the fact Lane was president of the club with allegations of criminal enterprise against it, Wilson denied Lanes bond. The trial is scheduled to begin in two months. Jun. 10---- An administrative law judge overseeing the permit application process for a proposed utility-scale solar farm in Renville County is recommending its approval. Judge Kristien R.E. Butler in findings filed June 2 recommended that the Public Utilities Commission approve a site permit for the Gopher State Solar Project. Butler found that the project meets environmental and other requirements, and that Gopher State Solar made commitments to address issues raised by Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement and a neighboring landowner during hearings on the project. The Public Utilities Commission is expected to consider the permit application possibly as early as July, according to information provided at the public hearings. Gopher State Solar is proposing a 200-megawatt solar farm north of Bird Island in Kingman, Osceola and Bird Island townships. The company has secured a 1,645-acre area and will place solar panels on 977 of those acres. The land is currently in agricultural production. The company estimates it will cost $187.75 million to $242.5 million to develop, including construction and all of the associated engineering and permitting needs. It estimates the operation will generate $32 million in tax revenues over an expected 40-year life span. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the findings, Butler addresses the issues raised by the county and neighboring landowners. Renville County has objected to Gopher State Solar's plan to provide a bond to cover an estimated $1.4 million in decommissioning costs. The county stated that it believes the decommissioning costs could be as high as $21 million and that there is no way to know the value of the recycled materials to offset some of those costs. Gopher State Solar has agreed to pay for the costs of an independent engineering analysis of the potential decommissioning costs as part of its permit. Butler noted the company's offer to address the county's concerns and includes it as part of the proposed permit. Butler also cited the visual aesthetic concerns raised by the owners of a residential property located in close proximity to the project site. He recommended the permit include the company's commitment to work with the property owners to address screening needs by planting trees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Butler found that the noise of the transformers and inverters from the site should not adversely affect the residential site. The distance is sufficient that the expected sound level will be below the threshold of human hearing, according to the finding. The judge's finding also acknowledged the potential that the project could affect property values, but stated the impact cannot be known. If its permit application is approved by the PUC, Gopher State Solar expects that construction would start in the spring of 2027 and the site would be in commercial operation in late 2029. More about the project can be found on the Minnesota Department of Commerce website at under the tab that includes solar farms. Look under open projects to find a link to the permit application and supporting documents. Five years after police destroyed cancer survivor Vicki Baker's house while pursuing a fugitive, a federal judge has ruled that the Texas city she used to call home must pay her for the damage. "Ive continued fighting this long, because if this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone," Baker told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement. "This case has always been about more than the money for me. I want to see real change." Baker's ordeal started in July 2020, when she moved to Montana and was in the process of selling her home in McKinney, Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This Is Personal: Marine Veteran Reacts To Judgment On Federal Loophole Police Used To Seize His Cash Wesley Little kidnapped a 15-year-old girl, fled from police and took refuge in Baker's home. Police surrounded the house and Little eventually released the teen but refused to surrender, according to court documents. A SWAT team tried to draw him out by launching a barrage of tear gas canisters at the house, shattering windows and punching holes in walls. Read On The Fox News App When police finally entered the house, they discovered that Little had killed himself. Baker's daughter's Chihuahua was inside during the onslaught and was left blind, deaf and sick from the tear gas and explosions. The dog eventually had to be put down, Baker said. A hazmat crew disposed of almost everything inside the house because it was saturated with a toxic film from the teargas, according to court documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Damage to the home totaled at least $50,000, according to Baker and her attorneys at the nonprofit civil liberties law firm Institute for Justice. But her insurance company refused to cover the bulk of the damage because her policy like most excludes damage caused by the government. Justice Department Halts Dea's Random Searches Of Airport Travelers After Report Finds 'Serious Concerns' Baker tried to file a property damage claim with the city of McKinney, but officials refused to pay, citing qualified immunity, a doctrine often used to shield police and other government agencies from being sued for violating people's rights or destroying property during the course of their work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Institute for Justice sued under the Fifth Amendment and the Texas Constitution, arguing that police may have been authorized to seize Baker's home in the interest of pursuing a dangerous fugitive, but that they should have to pay her just like they would if the government seized a home to build a road or other infrastructure. A prolonged legal saga followed, with one federal judge ruling in 2022 that Baker should be compensated and a jury awarding her nearly $60,000 in damages. The following year, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed her Fifth Amendment win. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case last year, but Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch acknowledged the high court has yet to address whether the government can require individuals to bear the cost of police actions. Last week, a U.S. district court judge ruled again that Baker is entitled to $59,656.59 plus interest under the Texas Constitution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This ruling makes it clear that the Texas Constitutions promise of just compensation applies when police destroy innocent peoples property, and that this entire lawsuit could have been avoided if the city simply did the right thing in the first place," IJ attorney Jeffrey Redfern, who represented Baker, said in an emailed statement to Fox News Digital. The City of McKinney is "evaluating its options for appealing this ruling," a spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital. The city previously offered to pay the full amount of the damage to settle the case, but Baker's team says they refused to settle unless the city also changed its policies to protect all homeowners from similar actions in the future. Redfern said he still hopes the Supreme Court will hear a case similar to Baker's in the future so "we can ensure that the United States Constitution also protects innocent property owners in cases like this." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I want to make sure that cities around the country are doing the right thing and paying just compensation to people in similar situations," Baker said. Original article source: Judge rules in favor of Texas woman after SWAT destroyed her house while pursuing a fugitive A New Jersey federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from deporting or continuing to detain Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. In his ruling issued on Wednesday, Judge Michael Farbiarz is barring the administration from seeking to remove Khalil based on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's determination that his continued presence in the country would pose a risk to foreign policy. The judge is staying his injunction until 9:30 a.m. Friday. The timing gives the Trump administration about 40 hours to appeal the decision before Khalil must be released, his attorneys said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The preliminary injunction will go into effect once Khalil posts a "nominal bond in the amount of $1," the judge's order said. MORE: Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil takes the stand in bid for asylum Khalil, a green card holder who is married to an American citizen, has been held in a Louisiana detention facility since ICE agents arrested him in the lobby of his apartment building in New York City on March 8. In April, an immigration judge in Louisiana ruled that Khalil is deportable based on Rubio's assertion that his continued presence and actions in the country pose an "adverse foreign policy consequence." The judge has yet to rule on a second set of charges which stem from the Department of Homeland Security's allegations that Khalil withheld information on his green card application. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Farbiarz stated in his ruling that lawful permanent residents, like Khalil, who are accused of making misrepresentations on their applications are "virtually never detained pending removal." Khalil's attorneys called the judge's decision to grant their motion for the preliminary injunction a "big win." "We are relieved that the court documented what was obvious to the world, which is that the government's vindictive and unconstitutional arrest, detention and attempted deportation of Mahmoud for his Palestinian activism is causing him and his family agonizing personal and professional harm," Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, said in a statement. Khalil's wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla -- who gave birth to their first child while Khalil has been detained -- said she hopes he can experience his first Father's Day at home with his family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Mahmoud must be released immediately and safely returned home to New York to be with me and our newborn baby, Deen," Abdalla said in a statement Wednesday. "True justice would mean Mahmoud was never taken away from us in the first place, that no Palestinian father, from New York to Gaza, would have to endure the painful separation of prison walls like Mahmoud has." PHOTO: Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is seen at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the Columbia University campus in New York, April 29, 2024. (Ted Shaffrey/AP, FILE) Officials from President Donald Trump's administration have said Khalil was detained for his purported support of Hamas -- a claim his legal team has rejected. In a memo filed in the case, Rubio wrote that Khalil should be deported because of his alleged role in "antisemitic protests and disruptive activities, which fosters a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States." MORE: Mahmoud Khalil's wife gives birth after ICE denied his request to attend delivery Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a hearing last month in Louisiana, Khalil testified in support of his case for asylum and for withholding of removal to either Algeria or Syria, where he grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp. He repeatedly stated that the Trump administration's accusations that he's a Hamas supporter makes him a target for Israel in any country he could be deported to. In Syria, he also said remnants of the Assad regime as well as military factions within the country could target him or that he could be used as a "bargaining chip" in negotiations between the new Syrian government and other nations including the U.S. Ahead of the hearing, Khalil's attorney submitted over 600 pages of documents, declarations and expert analyses supporting their claim that he is not antisemitic and that he could face torture and death if he were to be deported. Judge rules Trump administration cannot continue to detain Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil originally appeared on abcnews.go.com NEW YORK (AP) A federal judge has ruled that the government must release Mahmoud Khalil, the former Columbia University graduate student whom the Trump administration is trying to deport over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. But Khalil, a legal U.S. resident, will remain in custody until at least Friday, giving the government time to appeal, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz in New Jersey said Wednesday. The courts decision is the most significant vindication yet of Mahmouds rights, said Ramzi Kassem, one of Khalil's lawyers. But we arent out of the woods until Mahmoud is free and back home with his wife and child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Noor Abdalla, Khalils wife and a U.S. citizen, expressed hope he could be returned to New York in time to enjoy his first Fathers Day with his son, Deen, who was born while Khalil has been held in a federal detention center in Jena, Louisiana. This is the news weve been waiting over three months for," she said in a statement provided by the American Civil Liberties Union, which is also representing Khalil. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the administration intends to appeal. Todays ruling delays justice and seeks to undermine the Presidents constitutionally vested powers under Article II," Tricia McLaughlin, an agency spokesperson, said in a statement. We expect a higher court to vindicate us in this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khalil was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8 in the lobby of his university-owned apartment, the first arrest under President Donald Trumps crackdown on students who joined campus protests against the war in Gaza. He was then flown thousands of miles away to Louisiana. Khalils lawyers challenged the legality of his detention, accusing the Trump administration of trying to suppress free speech. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he can deport Khalil, citing a rarely used statute that gives him the authority to expel those who pose potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States. Farbiarz had ruled earlier that expelling Khalil from the U.S. on those grounds was likely unconstitutional. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his new ruling Wednesday, the judge said that Khalil had shown that his continued detention is causing irreparable harm to his career, his family and his free speech rights. However, the judge put his order on hold until 9:30 a.m. Friday to allow the government time to appeal. He also required Khalil to post a $1 bond before he is freed. Farbiarz cited Khalils statement to the court last week that the revocation of his green card has damaged his career prospects, including a decision by Oxfam International to rescind a job offer to serve as a policy adviser. The judge also noted that the decision deterred Khalil from engaging in constitutionally protected protests. "The Court finds as a matter of fact that the Petitioners career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled and this adds up to irreparable harm, the judge wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Farbiarz noted in his ruling that the government has also argued it is detaining and deporting Khalil in part because of alleged omissions on his green card application. But the judge said evidence presented by his attorneys showed lawful permanent residents are virtually never detained for such a thing. Khalil, in his statement to the court last week, also disputed that he wasnt forthcoming on the application. For example, he said he was never employed by or served as an officer of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, as the administration claims, but completed an internship approved by the university as part of his graduate studies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge's decision comes after several other legal residents targeted for their activism have been released from custody, including another Palestinian student at Columbia, Mohsen Mahdawi; a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk; and a Georgetown University scholar, Badar Khan Suri. Khalil isnt accused of breaking any laws during the protests at Columbia, but the Trump administration has argued that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be expelled from the country. They say such protesters express views that are antisemitic and pro-Hamas, referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Khalil, then an international affairs graduate student, served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists. He wasnt among the demonstrators arrested, but his prominence in news coverage and willingness to speak publicly made him a target of critics. The White House accused Khalil of siding with terrorists, but has yet to give any evidence for the claim. A federal judge said on Wednesday that the Trump administration cannot deport or continue to detain Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University activist who was arrested by immigration officers in March. But Judge Michael Farbiarz put a pause on his injunction until the morning of 13 June to give the federal government time to appeal. Mr Khalil will be detained at least until that point. In his written decision, Judge Farbiarz said there was no compelling interest to keep Mr Khalil in custody or to deport the 30-year-old, who is a lawful permanent resident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since he was arrested at his home in New York, Mr Khalil has been held at a detention centre in Louisiana. He was taken into custody as part of President Donald Trump's wider crackdown on international students who protested the Israel-Gaza war. Mr Khalil has become one of the most high-profile cases in that crackdown, with videos of his arrest whipping around social media and the birth of his child in April, while he was being held, making headlines. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had determined his presence and activities in the country compromised US foreign policy interests and he should be removed, but the judge on Wednesday questioned using the determination to hold or deport Mr Khalil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also wrote that Mr Khalil's "career and reputation are being damaged and his speech is being chilled --- and this adds up to irreparable harm" and that he expects Mr Khalil to win in the case against him. The federal government is expected to appeal against the injunction. Mr Khalil's attorneys at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a statement celebrating the injunction as a win for their client. "Today's ruling is a huge win for the Constitution and the rights of citizens and non-citizens alike," said Brett Max Kaufman, a senior counsel for the group. "No one should be imprisoned or deported for their political beliefs." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Khalil's wife Noor Abdalla called for him to be released immediately and sent home "to be with me and our newborn baby, Deen". In a statement provided by the ACLU, she said: "I will not rest until Mahmoud is free, and hope that he can be with us to experience his first Father's Day at home." A Milwaukee man will serve 29 years in prison for killing activist Rosalind Rogers in June 2024. In October 2024, a Milwaukee County jury found Raymond Willis guilty of killing Rogers, who went by Rozz. Well-known and active in community engagement, Rogers was an advocate for the Black community. At Williss sentencing hearing on June 11, more than a dozen of Rogers friends and relatives filled the courtroom to await the judges ruling, and hear Rogers sister, Shatarrea Bradley, make a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bradley addressed Willis directly when she spoke, sharply conveying the devastating impact that Rogers loss left on her family. I just want to know why, Bradley said. What made you think her life wasnt as important as yours? She concluded, I hope to never see you again. Rogers was killed on June 13, 2024, around 4 a.m. on the 5100 block of North Teutonia Avenue. Surveillance footage from a nearby McDonald's restaurant presented as evidence in the trial showed that Rogers was approached by a red vehicle, from which she was later seen running away as flashes "consistent with muzzle flashes" emerged from the driver's area of the vehicle. Police traced the vehicle to Willis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the sentencing hearing, prosecuting attorney Paul Tiffin stated his belief that Willis had no apparent motive in firing his weapon at Rogers, and that the killing was the result of a "complete lack of self-control." Willis was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide with use of a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The homicide charge carries a maximum penalty of 60 years imprisonment. Judge Laura Crivello sentenced Willis to 28 years of initial confinement for the homicide charge, and another consecutive year for the firearm possession count. Willis will also face eight years of extended supervision for the homicide charge and one additional year for the firearm possession charge. Crivellos ruling is harsher than the sentences recommended by the cases prosecutor and Williss defense attorney, who respectively advised he should serve 25 years and 15 years for the homicide conviction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When delivering the sentence, the judge referred to victim impact letters she had received describing the effect of Rogers loss on her family. Eleven such letters were sent to Crivello, according to the Victim Witness Services office. Rozz was an amazing spark to have in the community, Crivello said. Throughout his trial, a pre-sentencing investigation and the sentencing hearing, Willis did not take responsibility for Rogers death. Although he initially admitted to police that the red car involved in the shooting looked like his vehicle, he maintained that it was not his. I want to say that its just a tragedy that my family did all they can do to try to find that car, Willis said, when given the opportunity to make a statement before the court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crivello acknowledged that Willis' background stood out from other individuals convicted for similar offenses, referencing his older age and lack of a violent criminal history. Before his trial for killing Rogers, Willis was last convicted of a crime in 2004, when he was found guilty of manufacturing and delivering cocaine, a felony charge. Still, the judge admonished Willis for possessing a weapon and resorting to armed violence instead of engaging in disagreements through speaking. "Why couldn't you just talk to her?" Crivello asked Willis about his encounter with Rogers. "She sounds like the kind of person who would engage with anyone." In addition to the prison sentence and extended supervision, Crivello ordered that Willis participate in cognitive intervention programming and obtain a high school equivalency diploma. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Judge sentences man who killed Rozz Rogers to 29 years in prison This is The Takeaway from today's Morning Brief, which you can sign up to receive in your inbox every morning along with: The chart of the day What we're watching What we're reading Economic data releases and earnings The S&P 500 (^GSPC) is back near record levels with the largest tech stocks in the market once again leading the market higher. After struggling to start the year, the "Magnificent Seven" stocks of Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), Meta (META), Tesla (TSLA), and Nvidia (NVDA) have combined to account for 62% of the S&P 500's advance in May. Outside of Apple, all other members of the Mag 7 outperformed the S&P 500 last month. This has been the trend dating back to the start of the bull market in the fall of 2022, when ChatGPT was first launched. Sign up for the Yahoo Finance Morning Brief Subscribe By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy And in recent weeks, investor excitement surrounding Big Tech has trickled down to newly issued public offerings. Shares of stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL) have surged more than 240% from its IPO price. The massive rally follows a successful IPO from Nvidia-baked CoreWeave (CRWV), which has seen its stock rise nearly 300% since its March 28 IPO. In a June 9 research report, Carson Group associate portfolio manager Blake Anderson analyzed the performance of 23 "large IPOs," defined as raising more than $500 million in proceeds from the offering since the start of 2024. Anderson found that shares tied to tech IPOs have risen an average of 108% from their deal price. Conversely, non-tech IPO companies have seen their stock rise "just" 49% from their deal price, a return that is nothing to shrug off but shows the massive outperformance seen in tech-related themes. The enthusiasm for tech, and AI specifically, has also been seen in companies yet to go public. In March, OpenAI (OPAI.PVT) raised $40 billion in new funding at a $300 billion valuation. Reuters recently reported that xAI (XAAI.PVT) is in talks to raise roughly $20 billion in equity funding, which would place the company's valuation north of $120 billion. From private to public markets, the takeaway has been clear: Investors continuously want a stake in emerging technology companies involved with AI or crypto. Since the launch of OpenAI's large language model on Nov. 30, 2022, Nvidia, Meta, Vistra Corp (VST), Super Micro Computer (SMCI), and Coinbase (COIN) are the top performers in the S&P 500. That puts themes relating to AI chips, AI use cases, AI power, and cryptocurrencies among the most-loved stocks in the market over the past two and a half years. A judge may have cleared the way for the long-fought redevelopment of the former American-Statesman site, at least for now. This week, District Judge Jan Soifer ruled in favor of the city of Austin in a case centered on the property, located just south of downtown along Lady Bird Lake. The ruling denied a motion for summary judgment in a lawsuit filed by the Save Our Springs Alliance, an environmental watchdog group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit alleged that the Austin City Council violated key provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act in 2022 when it approved a special type of zoning known as a planned unit development, or PUD, for the former Statesman site. The lawsuit sought to void the council's Dec. 2, 2022 vote to approve the PUD, based on the alleged open meetings violations. The former site of the Austin American-Statesman on the shore of Lady Bird Lake at the Congress Avenue Bridge Thursday May 15, 2025. The Statesman moved several years ago from the site at 305 S. Congress Ave. to a new location near the airport. In arguing their case before Soifer on May 15, Save Our Springs attorneys Bobby Levinski and Bill Bunch contended that the council granted the PUD zoning in violation of two key mandates of the Texas Open Meetings Act: proper public notice, and a reasonable opportunity for the public to speak before the vote was taken. Levinski said today that the Save Our Springs Alliance might appeal the ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Given the importance of this case for governmental transparency and proper enforcement of the Texas Open Meetings Act, we'll be evaluating our options for appeal," Levinski said. "This case ultimately impacts the ability of residents to weigh in on important matters that affect their community, including the relocation of the Hike and Bike Trail and removal of the natural, tree-lined aesthetic of the Lady Bird Lake shoreline. Every case has its challenges, and we may need to work on it a little longer to ultimately prevail." More: Lawsuit seeks to halt planned redevelopment of former Statesman site on Lady Bird Lake Casey Dobson and Sara Wilder Clark represented the landowner, the Cox family of Atlanta, along with Austin-based Endeavor Real Estate Group. The Cox family hired Endeavor several years ago to create plans to redevelop the prime waterfront site. The site formerly housed the newspaper offices and printing plant. Cox sold the Statesman but retained ownership of the 18.9-acre site, a property many developers had long coveted and said was ripe for new development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dobson did not immediately respond to an email for comment about the ruling and what it means for future plans to transform the property into a mixed-use project with high-rise buildings and other uses, which could include housing, office and retail development. Richard Suttle Jr., an Austin attorney and the spokesperson for the planned redevelopment, said he hasn't seen a final judgment yet in the case, so couldn't comment on what it might mean for the future planned redevelopment. Dan Richards represented the city in the lawsuit. Richards said Soifer's ruling, signed Monday, means "the trial court case is basically over." Litigation over PUD approval At last month's hearing, Richards told Soifer that voiding the PUD could jeopardize the developer's ability, in the current economic climate, to secure a new amendment offering the same level of community benefits such as 6.5 acres of green space at the site. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the same hearing, Dobson and Wilder Clark said the PUD zoning change was properly noticed, and the public was given sufficient opportunity to speak at nine different meetings. However, Levinski said that, while the PUD was listed on the council agenda as a zoning item, that posting was misleading because it failed to provide "full disclosure of the subjects to be discussed." The proposed PUD ordinance encompassed "numerous provisions that extend well beyond traditional zoning regulations," Levinski told Soifer. Those included "sweeping changes" to environmental protections and other city land-use codes, including a failure to disclose height limits, setbacks and the elimination of two restrictive covenants. "There are so many different parts of this (PUD) ordinance that are not zoning, yet it was sold to public as a rezoning," Levinski said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The zoning changes included modifications to the Lady Bird Lake shoreline; the relocation of the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail inland away from the lake; the removal of more than 90 mature trees; code waivers; and "amendments to almost every chapter of Austin's land development code," Levinski told Soifer. In arguing their case before Soifer, Leviniski and Bunch said that the Texas Open Meetings Act requires a public notice identifying these major changes to city standards and a public right to speak on them before council granted the approvals. The Cox owners and Endeavor have the right to build high-rises up to 725 feet tall within 140 feet of Lady Bird Lake. The development would be "forever exempt from a plethora of water quality, parkland and lakeshore rules and regulations," according to the Save Our Springs Alliance. "The key here is the Statesman PUD went beyond zoning," Levinski said. "This didn't give sufficient notice to the public to say what is occurring with this zoning." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among other issues, he said the PUD included "non-zoning provisions, including items the council doesn't have authority over." There was a way the city could have described with greater detail what was occurring with the zoning case, "but they chose not to, and it's deceptive that they chose not to," Levinski said. The level of specificity "gets enhanced" when the issue involves matters of "significant public interest," Levinski said. "It's not enough to rely on the assumption that the general public may have knowledge of the subject matter." Dobson and Wilder Clark, however, told Soifer that the public notices complied with the Texas Open Meetings Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The notices properly and adequately disclosed the subject of the PUD at various meetings on the council's printed public agenda, Dobson and Wilder Clark said. Moreover, all the details that Save Our Springs claims were lacking from the notice were available at "the click of a link" in backup materials on the council's online agenda, Wilder Clark said. "Not only did (the public) get to talk in meetings, but they got to submit written testimony," Wilder Clark said. She also noted that the council postponed meetings on the case. Showing slides of newspaper articles, Dobson said the proposed redevelopment of the Statesman site was front-page news. He said the case was "noticed out of the wazoo." "(Opponents) think this was done in the dark of night, with adequate notice to nobody," Dobson said. "In fact, the polar opposite happened." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dobson said no special notice was required, and opponents "didn't need it. They wrote letters, they spoke at length to (the city) Planning Commission and City Council. This did not take place under the shroud of secrecy," Dobson said. Countering the city's arguments, Bunch said the city "invented out of whole cloth" its position that it upheld the open meetings act, saying "there's no support for that in the entire body of open meetings cases." Early in the hearing, Dobson showed a photo of the current Statesman site "in all its glory," showing a low-slung building surrounded by a near vacant parking lot with lots of asphalt and concrete. Attorneys for the city and the developer stated that "virtually no one" opposes the proposed development, which may include condominiums, apartments, a hotel, office space and retail areas. Noting the site's popularity as a prime location for viewing the famed bat colony under the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, they emphasized the new development will enhance the bat viewing area. Additionally, they said the project has the support of bat conservation groups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, the Save Our Springs Alliance won a lawsuit contesting the city's creation of a special financing district, a so-called tax increment reinvestment zone, to fund infrastructure improvements within the proposed Statesman redevelopment project. A judge ruled that financing method unlawful. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Judge rules for city in case involving former Statesman site AUSTIN (KXAN) A Travis County Civil Court judge sided with the city of Austin, potentially moving forward the Planned Unit Development (PUD) on the former Austin-American Statesman property. According to an attorney for the Save Our Springs Alliance (SOS), the judge did not provide a reason for the ruling against the organization. The PUD was approved in 2022 for a development that would include a 275-room high-rise hotel, six towers of residential units and office space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From 2022: Some concerned about required park space in Statesman PUD conversation According to the city, PUD zoning is meant to preserve the natural environment, encourage high quality development and innovative design, and ensure adequate public facilities and services and must be superior to the development that would occur under conventional zoning and subdivision regulations. However, PUD zoning also provides greater design flexibility by permitting modifications of site development regulations. The lawsuit that was rejected in court Tuesday claimed that Austin City Council violated the Texas Open meetings Act and the Austin City Charter when it approved the PUD for 18.86 acres along the south shore of lady Bird lake. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SOS claimed that the city did not provide adequate public notice regarding major changes to City standards. The attorney for SOS told KXAN they are considering options for appeal. KXAN has reached out to the city of Austin for its response to the ruling. We will update this article if a statement is received. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. An appeals court panel took up President Trumps bid to fight his hush money criminal conviction in federal court Wednesday, acknowledging the extraordinary prosecution coupled with the Supreme Courts presidential immunity decision breaks new ground. The three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit must decide whether to open a path for Trump to attempt to throw out his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records by letting him advance his case in a federal forum, instead of New York state courts. Trumps gambit was already rejected once, and now he has latched onto the Supreme Courts decision to try again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It seems to me that we got a very big case that created a whole new world of presidential immunity, said Judge Myrna Perez, an appointee of former President Biden, and that the boundaries are not clear at this point. Trump argues he is entitled to a federal forum to make his case the jurys guilty verdict must be tossed in light of the Supreme Courts subsequent ruling granting broad criminal immunity to former presidents. The presidents lawyers concede he is not immune from the 34 felonies themselves, but they contend prosecutors improperly included immunized evidence during the trial, such as a White House aides testimony and Trumps social media posts. The district attorney holds the keys in his hand, Trump lawyer Jeffrey Wall said. He doesnt have to introduce any of this evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal officers get prosecuted all the time for things that have nothing to do with their job, but if a state or local attorney says, Were going to put into evidence things that have to do with the way you do your job, then theyve triggered a uniquely federal interest, he continued. The appeals panel is not expected to conclusively resolve in the ruling how immunity applies. At this stage, Trump just needs to show it is a colorable meaning plausible defense. But it remains unclear following the oral argument whether the panel was convinced he clears even that lower standard. Was there another case in which an evidentiary immunity related to a federal, or is claimed as a federal defense, has served as a basis for removal? asked Judge Susan Carney, an appointee of former President Obama. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wall acknowledged the situation arises very rarely. But he argued the point of federal officer removal is that theyre entitled to a federal forum. If thats true for the average federal officer, it must be true for the president and his anomalous, one-of-its-kind prosecution, he said. Trump must clear other roadblocks, too, to emerge successful. He must show the hush money prosecution relates to an act under color of his presidency, a potential complication given that his 34 charges stem from reimbursements for a hush money payment made before his presidency. Why wouldnt that prong be understood to focus on the charged conduct and whether the charges themselves are for the relating to official acts? Perez pressed Wall at one point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And regardless, federal law requires Trump to prove that he has good cause to pursue his removal effort since it came after his trial. Trump stresses the Supreme Court immunity decision didnt land until he was convicted. Steven Wu, appellate chief at the Manhattan District Attorneys office, argued Trump waited two months after the Supreme Courts immunity decision to mount the effort again. It is worse, not better, for questions of resolving disputes between federal and state courts that they first went to the state court fully briefed not just immunity, but also recusal and sought a stay of the sentence, Wu said. He did so in a deliberate attempt to get state court relief there, and only then came to this court, or rather to the district court, to seek federal court relief. Judge Raymond Lohier, an Obama appointee, asked then whether even if the panel agreed with Trump that the immunity decision rendered the case removable, there would be no good cause because of that delay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats correct, Wu said. Trumps effort is his second such bid. He dropped the first effort after a federal judge before the trial rejected that the hush money case was sufficiently connected to his role as president. The new bid is backed by his Justice Department, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case after he returned to the White House. Though no clear direction emerged from the argument, all three judges acknowledged the uniqueness of the case. I think you might agree that this is a pretty extraordinary, highly unusual case, Lohier told Wu. Do you agree with that? In some respects, yes, but in some respects, no, Wu replied. And what Ill say is this: yes, its unusual for this criminal case to be taking place. The defendant is an unusual defendant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But it is very far from unusual for a criminal defendant, after being sentenced, to claim, one, that an intervening court decision favors his appeal, and two, that there were trial errors that he would like to object to, he said. Those are commonplace grounds. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. CONNECTICUT (WTNH) Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is being celebrated across the nation leading up to the holiday on Thursday, June 19. The holiday marks the beginning of the end of slavery in the United States, specifically on June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were informed of their freedom. Juneteenth started with handbills proclaiming freedom. Heres what they said Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Black Americans have celebrated Juneteenth since the 1800s, however, it has been officially recognized as a federal holiday over the last few years. About 28 states, including Connecticut, have made it a permanent paid or legal holiday with legislation or executive action, according to the Congressional Research Service. Here are some events and celebrations being held across the state: Bloomfield Juneteenth Run/Walk 5K Race & Parade Date: Saturday, June 21 | 8 a.m. & 9 a.m. Location: Blue Hills Fire Department, 1021 Blue Hills Ave. Juneteenth Community Food, Craft & Fun Festival Date: Sunday, June 22 | 15 p.m. Location: Blue Hills Fire Department, 1021 Blue Hills Ave. Branford Afro-Semitic Experience Juneteenth Concert Date: Monday, June 16 | 68 p.m. Location: Blackstone Library, 758 Main St. East Hartford Juneteenth Celebration Date: Saturday, June 14 | 11 a.m.4 p.m. Location: East Hartford Town Green, 1047 Main St. Enfield Bells for Juneteenth Date: Thursday, June 19 | Noon Location: Enfield United Church of Christ, 1295 Enfield St. Hamden Hartford Meriden Middletown 3rd Annual Juneteenth Parade & Liberation Day Festival Date: Thursday, June 19 | 10:30 p.m.6 p.m. Location: Harbor Park, 80 Harbor Dr. Milford Juneteenth Flag-Raising Ceremony Date: Friday, June 13 | 12 p.m. Location: Milford City Hall, 110 River St. 6th Annual Milford Juneteenth Celebration Date: Saturday, June 14 | 11 a.m.5 p.m. Location: Milford Green Mystic/Stonington Mystic Seaport Lecture: Connecticut & Juneteenth Date: Thursday, June 19 | 3-4:30 p.m. Location: Mystic Seaport Museum, 75 Greenmanville Ave. New Britain Juneteenth Celebration Date: Thursday, June 19 | 58:30 p.m. Location: Central Park, 230 Main St. New Haven New London Juneteenth Festival/Community Celebration Date: Saturday, June 14 | 11 a.m.4 p.m. Location: Hempsted Houses, 11 Hempstead St. Faith and Freedom Screening Date: Wednesday, June 18 | 4:30 p.m. Location: New London Public Library, 63 Huntington St. North Haven Wine Down for Juneteenth Date: Thursday, June 19 | 69 p.m. Location: Valor Wines, 118 Quinnipiac Ave. Portland Juneteenth Celebration Date: Saturday, June 14 | 125 p.m. Location: Portland Middle School Simsbury Farmington Valley Juneteenth Celebration Date: Saturday, June 14 | 15 p.m. Location: Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center, 22 Iron Horse Blvd. Waterbury Waterbury Black Giving Circle Date: Friday, June 13 | 5:308:30 p.m. Location: Connecticut State Community College Naugatuck Valley, 750 Chase Parkway West Hartford West Hartford CommUnity Juneteenth Celebration Date: Saturday, June 14 | 11 a.m.2 p.m. Location: West Hartford Town Hall, 50 S Main St. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If an event or ceremony is missing from the list, email bailey.wright@wtnh.com to have it added. Please include a location, date, time and a link to 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 WTNH.com. Palm Beach County officials on Tuesday urged the public to stay vigilant for storms now that the six-month hurricane season has started. And theyre telling residents how to prepare. The region has been spared of a direct hit by hurricanes for many years, making it very lucky, said Mary Blakeney, the countys emergency management director, during a public meeting Tuesday. But thats no reason not to be ready for when a storm does strike. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It just takes one storm to impact us, so thats why its really important that preparedness cannot wait, Blakeney said. This is especially true given the wiggle room that often must be accounted for with hurricanes. A 20-mile shift, for example, could make a huge difference in where a storm makes landfall, Blakeney said. Wiggles really matter, and its really important for individuals to stay vigilant all year long when a storm is approaching our community, she said. Evacuation If they havent already, people should learn if they live an evacuation area, Blakeney said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The time to learn that is now, she said. Palm Beach County residents can find evacuation-related maps at discover.pbc.gov/publicsafety/dem/pages/hurricane.aspx. Broward Countys evacuation maps and a hurricane-preparedness guide can be found at Broward.org/hurricanes. Blakeney explained how evacuation often is ordered due to storm surge the abnormal rise in seawater level during a storm. During storms, the county could see as much as 6 feet to 9 feet of storm surge, and that is often what does a large amount of damage. Storm surge often leads to severe flooding, and Blakeney said flooding of all kinds, whether from storm surge or rainfall, is the No. 1 cause of deaths during hurricanes. What to expect The number of inches of rain and the length of time during which that rain lingers can be a good indicator of how much water people can expect in their area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tommy Strowd, the Lake Worth Drainage Districts executive director and district engineer, identified what people can expect during rain events: About 3 to 4 inches of rain, which is a frequent occurrence during the rainy season, will mean standing water in yards and ditches. About 5 to 7 inches of rain in 24 hours could lead to some flooding in low-lying areas along residential roads. About 15 to 23 inches is considered excessive rainfall and that could mean flooding in homes and businesses. Strowd cited the example of the intense rainfall received in Fort Lauderdale in April 2023, which amounted to more than 20 inches in 24 hours. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its very rare but it does occur, Strowd said during the meeting. Preparation County officials urge residents to set aside important documents, non-perishable food, hygiene items, medications, batteries, flashlights, water, cash and even board games in the event of evacuation. Blakeney also said people with pets or family members who have disabilities should pre-register for shelters that accommodate those needs. We really encourage people to use shelters as a last resort, she said. Theyre not going to get cots. Theyre not going to get a private room. Theyre not going to get a private bathroom. Its literally floor space in a school, so they need to realize thats what theyre going to get. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hurricane forecasters currently are calling for 13 to 19 named storms with six to 10 of those being hurricanes. Hurricane season began June 1 and runs until Nov. 30. The happiest day is the end of hurricane season for all of us, and quite frankly, we get a little lax toward the end of hurricane season, and historically thats when weve been getting our worst storms, so we really cant be asleep at the switch toward the end, County Mayor Maria Marino said. The Trump administration is urging a federal judge to reject California Gov. Gavin Newsoms bid to block the military from supporting immigration enforcement activities in Los Angeles, calling the lawsuit a crass political stunt and warning that the restraining order Newsom wants would endanger federal personnel. That would be unprecedented. It would be constitutionally anathema. And it would be dangerous, Justice Department lawyers said in a response delivered to San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer Wednesday. In a pointed, 32-page filing replete with political overtones, the administration contended that Trumps decision to deploy the military to help suppress unrest stemming from ICE raids and arrests taking place across Los Angeles is entirely within his authority as commander-in-chief, and unreviewable by the court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Breyer, a Clinton appointee, is set to hold a hearing Thursday afternoon on Newsoms request. The governor initially asked the court to block the deployment within two hours, but the judge agreed to a Justice Department request for 24 hours to respond. Trump has authorized the Pentagon to call up nearly 4,000 members of Californias National Guard contingent on a mission to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities and personnel. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles. Though federal law generally bars the use of the military to enforce domestic laws, Trump invoked a provision that permits him to call up National Guard troops to protect federal property and personnel when there is a rebellion or danger of rebellion. The Justice Department described the chaotic situation on the ground over the weekend as mobs resisting federal authority in a manner that rises to the level of rebellion, although city and state officials have emphasized that the unrest has impacted only a few relatively small parts of the sprawling metropolis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DOJ lawyers also urged Breyer not to second-guess the presidents assessment that military support was needed. Newsoms claim that the law required Trump to consult him before issuing such an order is both wrong and dangerous, DOJ lawyers argued, because it would give state officials an effective veto of the presidents military judgment. DOJ attorneys also dismissed as speculative the states concern that the National Guard or military forces would take part in law enforcement. Images taken on the streets of Los Angeles Tuesday showed Guard forces standing watch as immigration enforcement officers detained and searched potential deportees. The administration argued that those troops were there to protect ICE officials, a distinct mission from carrying out immigration arrests. Justice Department lawyers salted their brief with a series of thinly-veiled political shots at Newsom, speculating that California officials might be unwilling to put a stop to the violence. Two days after Trump suggested Newsoms arrest, the brief also suggests perhaps the governor had broken the law by failing to pass on Trumps order to state Guard officials, although those troops have responded to the presidents directive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if Plaintiffs interpretation of the statute were correct, the only party acting unlawfully would be Governor Newsom not President Trump or Secretary Hegseth, the attorneys wrote. And the Justice Department also quoted Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who recently criticized fellow Democrats over their posture toward the unrest. The DOJ brief also draws an analogy sure to grate on Newsom: comparing him to Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus, who sought to use that states National Guard to resist court-ordered school desegregation in the 1950s. The federal statute Trump invoked affords no veto to Governor Newsom over the Presidents decision to call forth the guard, just as it afforded no veto to Governor Faubus when President Eisenhower last invoked the predecessor [statute] to ensure that the enforcement of federal law was not obstructed, DOJ lawyers wrote. KALIHI VALLEY, Hawaii (KHON2) Community concerns are high in Kalihi after two violent incidents overnight. Police investigating apparent shooting in Kalihi Valley A shooting at Kalihi Valley Homes left one victim in critical condition, then three officers were almost struck by a suspect in a stolen vehicle early Tuesday morning. The victim of Monday nights Kalihi Valley Homes shooting managed to make it to the Kalihi Police Station before he was brought to the hospital in critical condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Community leaders said there is concern for keiki with school out of session. Kids are, you know, running around and having fun. We dont want our kids to be worried that someones going to walk up to them and potentially have a weapon, said Leialoha Tumbaga, Kalihi Valley Neighborhood Board chair. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news The shooting took place just after 9 p.m. Monday and two suspects were still on the loose as of Tuesday afternoon. Then just after 12:30 Tuesday morning also in Kalihi three officers were nearly struck by a 33-year-old man who revved the engine and drove toward them in a stolen vehicle. That suspect was arrested, but more information from residents never hurts investigations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HPD are doing their best, and, you know, theyre not here to see everything, said Kalihi Valley Neighborhood Watch organizer Simeon Rojas. You know, its okay to say something because if we dont, we are asking for disaster and thats whats happening at this point. Rojas organizes the Kalihi Valley Neighborhood Watch and hopes the latest incidents encourage the community to join up. A 16-year-old teen was shot while the bus he was riding was idling at a Kalihi bus stop in August 2024. Just look at it this way. If that person was, or anyone of your family members was in that bus or around that area, you know, Rojas said, It will be a thought where, you know, its like I wish I put in more time and concerns to the community. So they can only draw from what people are willing to speak out. Im hoping there are other people who know even more can report anonymously, Tumbaga said. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Anyone with information about the Kalihi Valley Homes shooting is asked to contact Honolulu police. 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. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) Former gubernatorial candidate Ashley Kalus has reached a settlement with the Illinois contractor who distributed politically damaging text messages in 2022, and now she says she wants an apology from Gov. Dan McKee over how the episode played out. The recent settlement between Kalus and the contractor, Michael Gruener, involves his release of vulgar and insulting texts she had allegedly sent to him during a prior business dispute over a construction project. During the campaign Kalus publicly defended the texts in which she referred to Gruener as, among other things, Mr. Mom and a bottom amid a drumbeat of criticism from the McKee campaign and its allies. Kalus sued Gruener the day after the election, alleging he had violated a November 2019 settlement that resolved their business dispute. That agreement included a provision barring either side from disparaging the other publicly, including to the news media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kalus and Gruener finalized a fresh settlement on May 7, two weeks before the suit was set to go to trial and three months after a judge imposed sanctions over Grueners failure to comply with demands for documents. Kalus provided Target 12 with a copy of a notarized statement signed by Gruener in which he offered Kalus my sincere apology and laid out his version of events. I regret allowing myself to be used as a political weapon, the statement said. Political operatives specifically the McKee campaign manager exploited my emotions during a period of frustration. The terms of the settlement, including the notarized statement, were not filed in court. Grueners lawyer, Larry Mishkin, did not respond to a series of phone calls, text messages and emails. The person who answered a phone number associated with Gruener hung up after being told the caller was a reporter from Rhode Island. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kalus said she sued Gruener because she wanted to know what the truth was. This was a coordinated smear campaign by the McKee operatives, and I assume McKee, too, because hes responsible for the people that work for him, Kalus told Target 12 last month during an interview at a house she just bought on Providences East Side. A spokesperson for the McKee campaign made no apologies. Ashley Kalus cant keep her story straight, the spokesperson, Mike Trainor, said in a statement. Before her 19-point loss to Governor McKee, Ms. Kalus wore her menacing text messages as a badge of honor, arguing that what they show about Ashley is that she is a fighter.' A shifting message on the texts The article at the center of the controversy was published by The Boston Globe on Nov. 1, 2022, a week before the election in which Kalus, a Republican, was seeking to unseat McKee, the Democratic incumbent. (The Globe is a WPRI 12 news partner.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The newspaper remains confident that the story was accurate. The Boston Globe stands by its reporting, Globe spokesperson Carla Kath told Target 12. The Globe quoted Gruener as saying Kaluss treatment of him was abnormally harsh, and interviewed several others who expressed varying recollections about her behavior during the construction project. But the off-color language and bullying tone in the text messages which The Globe confirmed it obtained from Gruener became the biggest headline. The McKee campaign sought to capitalize on the controversy, with Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos headlining a campaign rally that assailed Kaluss character. As a woman and as a mother, having watched this campaign play out, I have been deeply, deeply troubled by Ashley Kaluss patterns of conduct, Matos said, adding that the texts paint a disturbing picture of how she does business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kalus defended herself over subsequent days, describing Gruener as a seedy Chicago contractor during a debate and telling WPRO host Tara Granahan that the texts showed her toughness. When Im governor, nobodys going to take advantage of the taxpayers, either, she said. As for the specific text where she described Gruener as a bottom, Kalus told Granahan she had not meant the term with a sexual connotation, but rather that he was a bottom feeder or bottom of the barrel. Kaluss lawyer, Richard Hellerman, continued to suggest the text messages were authentic in court papers, but argued that Gruener shouldnt have shared them because doing so violated the terms of the 2019 settlement. In a filing on Nov. 27, Hellerman wrote that the texts were now in the public domain, making it impossible to unring the bell or otherwise repair the damage to Ms. Kalus. Grueners lawyer, Lawrence Mishkin, made a similar assertion a month later, writing in a court document: Plaintiffs, including Ashley, have long admitted to Ashley having drafted and sent Ashleys disparaging texts to Gruener. [T]here is no question of fact that Ashley drafted Ashleys disparaging texts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, however, Kalus is casting doubt on whether the texts were authentic and defensible. Asked directly whether she sent them, Kalus told Target 12, I dont believe that I did. If you know me, I do say things I just didnt think I said those specific things, Kalus said. It didnt seem like my sort of messaging. Its generally not how I talk when Im upset, she added. Usually youd get just, like, a really long email from me. So why did Kalus defend the texts when the Globe article came out, rather than cast doubt on them? Kalus pointed to the fact that the story emerged during the frantic final days of the 2022 campaign, and specifically what she was told about where the texts had come from. Where did the texts come from? The question of who had access to the text messages involves yet another court proceeding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grueners 2019 settlement with Kalus wasnt the end of the legal issues stemming from their renovation project; Gruener was also taken to court by the company that provided doors for the project. Kaluss husband Dr. Jeffrey Weinzweig testified as a witness against him in that case. Kalus said her campaign was under the impression that the text messages had been filed as evidence during the doors litigation in a publicly accessible court document, meaning anyone could look them up. In a court filing, Grueners lawyer indicated that his client had uploaded the text messages to a Dropbox which was then sent to all lawyers involved in the doors case, including Weinzweigs, as well as the court clerk. But there is no evidence they were presented in a publicly available filing. Gruener appears to have wanted Kalus and her husband to think the texts were accessible at the courthouse. Court documents show he stressed that to others, including in a message he sent to Weinzweig during an argument in the days before the Globe articles publication: Only thing is foia material presented at door trial which is public record. (FOIA is the federal Freedom of Information Act.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kalus said that since she believed the texts could be obtained by anyone from court, I didnt feel that I could deny them and not look crazy. A campaign staff member said a First Amendment lawyer gave them similar advice. Kath, the Globe spokesperson, questioned the significance of the issue. Ms. Kalus has repeatedly acknowledged the authenticity of the texts, Kath said. Whether she and her campaign would have responded differently had they better understood where the texts were stored doesnt change the accuracy of The Globes reporting. In Grueners notarized statement, he expressed regret over the effort to mask where the texts came from. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was a manipulative and unethical tactic by me that denied [Kalus] a fair opportunity to respond, he said. There are no original, actual text messages that can be viewed and verified, as I have deleted all of what I had claimed were the messages from my phone from that time frame, and Ashely did not have her phone from that era. How Gruener entered RI politics Kalus was new to Rhode Island politics when she sought the governors office in 2022. Her company had landed a COVID-19 testing contract with the state during the pandemic, and she registered to vote in the state early in the year of the election. She had previously worked for the governor of Illinois and said she came to know Rhode Island through her husband, who trained at Brown Universitys medical school. She spent millions of dollars of her own money and ran an aggressive campaign, regularly assailing McKee over the FBI investigation into the controversial state contract he gave to the ILO Group, an education consulting firm. But she lost the race 58% to 39%. In mid-September 2022, at the the same time that Kaluss campaign against McKee was heating up, Gruener lost the doors case in which Kaluss husband had testified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hellerman, Kaluss attorney, said he obtained phone records showing Gruener immediately started reaching out to McKees office, the Democratic Governors Association and the Rhode Island Democratic Party. (In earlier court filings, Gruener had claimed he hadnt known about Kaluss candidacy until a Globe reporter reached out to him.) In his notarized statement, Gruener confirmed he proactively worked to make contact with McKees team at the time, and said he eventually connected with McKees campaign manager, who helped me shop pre-packaged stories to the media as part of a coordinated, untruthful political attack. Its not unusual for campaigns to try and convince reporters to write about derogatory information uncovered about their opponents. But Kalus suggested the McKee campaign crossed the line due to the timing of the text messages release, the issue of where the texts had been filed, and the repeated accusation that the texts showed she was homophobic. I am in a lot of ways not a traditional Republican, and to try to do this whole identity [politics] attack thing was horrible and horrific to me, Kalus said. Trainor, the McKee campaign spokesperson, dismissed Kaluss comments. Its classic MAGA: deflect, blame, and accuse, he said. Throughout his reelection campaign, Governor McKee looks forward to continuing to hold politicians like Ashley Kalus to account for maligning good journalism and hiding the truth from Rhode Islanders. Why a judge imposed sanctions Kaluss new lawsuit against Gruener alleging he had violated their 2019 settlement agreement by releasing the texts and speaking out against her during the campaign began a day after the 2022 election in the Cook County Circuit Court. The case moved slowly, in part because Hellerman suspected Gruener was withholding many of the text messages he exchanged with the Globe reporter as the story was coming together. What [Gruener] produced instead, Hellerman later wrote, was a carefully curated version of the texts, which he doctored to remove statements that were inconsistent with his defense in this case and were clearly disparaging of Plaintiffs (which Gruener had steadfastly denied ever having made, at any time). Gruener provided more text messages in March 2024, but Hellerman still believed the record was incomplete, so he successfully subpoenaed the same conversations from The Globe. When The Globe provided its copy of the conversations, they revealed various messages Gruener hadnt disclosed. Additionally, Grueners lawyer repeatedly sent emails to Hellerman falsely claiming that Gruener hadnt given the texts to The Globe, according to court filings. Hellerman eventually asked Cook County Circuit Judge Patrick Sherlock to impose sanctions on Grueners company the named defendant in the lawsuit as well as Gruener individually and Mishkin. Mishkin admitted he could make no excuse for the lapses, saying Gruener simply did not focus on the scope of production. He also asserted that Grueners phone periodically deletes text strings to save space. On Feb. 4, the judge ruled that Grueners company was not honest in providing documents to Kaluss lawyer, and ordered him to pay various legal fees incurred by Kalus. The judge denied the request to impose sanctions on Gruener as an individual or on Mishkin. The court battles with Gruener are one of a number of conflicts involving Kalus that have made news since she entered Rhode Island politics. She is currently in active litigation against the McKee administration over her COVID-19 testing contract, and other past incidents came to light during her 2022 campaign. Kalus said she is not litigious, but also made no apologies for going to the courts when she decides such a step is necessary. There are certain cases when somebody does something that I view as morally wrong, and [if] the only way to get to justice is through the justice system, I will pursue it that way, she said. As for whether shell make another run for governor in 2026, Kalus was noncommittal. I honestly dont know, she said. A lot of what Im doing is asking for there to be new candidates. I really dont like the current slate. 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. Eli Sherman contributed to this report. 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. KANSAS CITY, Mo. A Kansas City man has been sentenced after he pleaded guilty to murdering a 50-year-old man who tried to evict him in 2023. According to court records, Gregory Foster was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of second-degree murder. One dead after fiery motorcycle crash in Independence Originally, Foster was also facing a charge of armed criminal action; however, that was dropped by prosecutors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX4 previously reported that on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, officers with the Kansas City Police Department were called to a shooting near East 117th Street and Troost Avenue, just south of Minor Park. The person who called stated that he had shot someone in his basement and left the back door open for officers, court records say. When officers arrived, they entered the home and found the victim, later identified as 50-year-old John Buckley, covered with a towel. It was also reported that shell casings were found nearby. Court records say Foster told investigators he had found a note from Buckley, who shared a home with him, saying that he had three days to move out of the property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement GM to invest $4B into U.S. manufacturing, including KCKs Fairfax plant That was when Foster grabbed a handgun, walked downstairs into the basement and shot Buckley as he was watching television on the couch, according to court records. Foster then walked back upstairs, grabbed a blanket and covered Buckley before calling police. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 CITY, Mo. The Kansas City Public Library (KCPL) has been awarded a $500,000 grant to expand its programs, the Carnegie Corporation of New York announced Tuesday. The KCPL is one of 11 public library systems to receive a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York through its Libraries as Pillars of Education and Democracy initiative which is aimed at helping public libraries expand access to adult literacy and college readiness programs. This national effort builds on the foundations renewed commitment to libraries as trusted public institutions that help reduce political polarization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New upscale beach-themed restaurant to open in Kansas City Power & Light District Andrew Carnegie believed libraries were ladders upon which anyone and everyone could rise, and that belief continues to guide us, Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie, said in a news release. At a time when trust in public institutions is fraying, libraries retain public trust. We are delighted to support these grantees as they provide essential programs and community services. The KCPL was selected as part of an effort to help deliver critical services that promote socioeconomic mobility. Libraries are critical infrastructure in our communities spaces that nurture learning, connection and possibility, KCPL Director and Chief Executive Abby Yellman said in a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are honored to receive this grant, which reaffirms the vital role libraries play in the ecosystem of community life. This generous support strengthens our commitment to expanding opportunity for all while fostering a shared sense of community and belonging. The grant will be used to expand three of KCPLs flagship programs: The KCPL said it established RISE in 2014 to connect immigrant populations with quality library services, resources and lifelong learning opportunities through outreach, education and advocacy. The program serves more than 3,000 patrons and offers more than 100 English language classes each year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Carnegie Corporation grant will support the development of new multilingual courses to offer instruction that supports workforce certifications in high-demand fields. The KCPLs college and career readiness programs for teens and tweens will also be expanded thanks to the award. TLOT offers teens leadership and volunteer opportunities at the KCPLs branch locations. The Digital Media Lab, based in the Southeast Branch, gives teens access to a variety of digital tools and training in two broad areas of focus: media production and engineering. Potential Royals move to Kansas sparks mixed reaction in Overland Park Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Libraries are places where people build knowledge, skills and agency, said Ambika Kapur, an education program director at Carnegie. This initiative reflects our belief in investing in civic participationwherever people come together to learn. Carnegie has been one of the largest philanthropic funders of libraries, from the early construction of libraries in the United States, to helping establish the endowment of the American Library Association, funding the nations first graduate library school and digitizing archival collections around the world. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Shareholders of Toyota Industries have voiced their disapproval of a $33bn buyout offer from Toyota Motor, suggesting the bid may undervalue the company and unfairly benefit the Toyoda family. The proposal, criticised for undervaluing Toyota Industries, has drawn international and domestic disapproval, including from Zennor Asset Management and Oasis Management, reported Reuters. Toyota Motor plans to privatise Toyota Industries through a complex deal, offering Y16,300 per share. This price has been contested by shareholders who believe it does not reflect the supplier's true worth and could increase the founding Toyoda family's influence over the group. During the meeting, one shareholder stated: "I don't think I am the only one who feels the price is too low." Another raised concerns about the potential "domination" of Toyota Industries by the automaker. The session, which lasted nearly two hours, saw executives fielding an unprecedented number of questions. Toyota Industries' chairman Akio Toyoda may encounter similar scrutiny at Toyota Motor's upcoming annual general meeting. Toyota has defended the acquisition, stating it would foster deeper collaboration within the group as it transitions into a "mobility company." The transaction involves creating a new holding entity, with investments from unlisted Toyota Fudosan and Akio Toyoda, the founder's grandson. Toyota Motor will contribute Y700bn for non-voting preferred shares. Oasis, holding stakes in both companies, has publicly sought a higher offer price. Zennor and others have pointed to the undervaluation of Toyota Industries' substantial real estate assets, which are recorded at 1.5tn yen on the balance sheet. With Toyota Group companies owning at least 39% of Toyota Industries, the deal is anticipated to proceed, with shares closing at the offer price of Y16,300. "Toyota Industries $33bn deal faces shareholder criticism" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. Taylor Overton leads the new Kansas Department of Commerce Small Business Office. She spoke Tuesday at the Tee Box in Topeka. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA Tools for small business owners are now available through the Kansas Small Business Office, leaders with the Kansas Department of Commerce announced Tuesday while highlighting the need to encourage entrepreneurship and business development in the state. Connect KS, a resource website that will answer questions of small business owners and help them find resources in their part of the state, is part of the SBO, said Taylor Overton, who heads up the new office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The resources were announced at an event at the Tee Box in downtown Topeka that drew entrepreneurs from across the state to share the importance of finding programs and information to help them succeed. In addition, many spoke about being part of a Kansas delegation recently at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Indiana. One of the reasons why this is so important is that new businesses under five years old create the most net new jobs in our economy, said Jason Grill, with Right to Start, a nonprofit organization that advocates for small businesses. They also grow GDP, and they increase lifetime incomes. They increase community wealth, very much so, in lifetime incomes, they diversify our goods and services in our communities, and they fight inequality and poverty. Grill told about 50 people gathered that for every 1% increase in entrepreneurship in a community, there is a 2% decrease in poverty. Joshua Jefferson, deputy secretary of business development at the commerce department, said the coordination of resources throughout the state is key to the new initiatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were here to commit to the work of a new era in small business support here in Kansas, he said. The COVID 19 pandemic exposed that the Kansas Department of Commerce was not doing enough for small businesses in the state of Kansas. In the wake of a once-in-a-century economic crisis, we examined the way that the agency was working, and in the process, we discovered that we really werent supporting small business as much as we could, or that we should. Jefferson said the creation of the SBO, along with resources like Connect KS, was the culmination of those efforts to change the states support network. We can do more, and we will do more, he said. He outlined resources included in the SBO and stressed that part of the task has been making them easier to navigate and accessible to all Kansans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By creating a coordinated statewide hub for entrepreneurs at every stage, were coordinating key resources and creating centralized points of contact for entrepreneurs who are navigating the tough work of business development certifications, permitting access to capital, mentorships and much, much more, he said. Much of the work of the SBO is connecting people with opportunity, and Overton said she was excited to take a Kansas delegation to the global congress to network with people from around the world. Joshua Jefferson, deputy secretary of business development at the Kansas Department of Commerce, spoke Tuesday at the launch of the Kansas Small Business Office. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector) Wichita business owner Kristin Kienzle, who attended the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Indiana, said she is learning about creating a successful franchising model that can be replicated nationwide as she explores opportunities to expand into Oklahoma. Kienzle, who owns Utopia Modern Salon Suites, grew her unique approach to offering salon services from one site to three in Wichita, with more on the way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I learned some tactical things. I learned some inspirational things and then I also just kind of learned some things about myself, she said. Being with other entrepreneurs helped her realize how little people understand about what it takes to start a business and manage all the risks. As an entrepreneur, we just do what we do, she said. So being in the room on a grand stage with all these people who have done great things, everyone from Mark Cuban down to the guy who started this business six weeks ago, and everything in between was just so it just made me realize, wow, these people, and this is a really unique crowd. Trademark attorney Julie Grabbe, of Hays, said meeting people from other countries was valuable. Im in west Kansas, so were in a different situation than a lot of the more metropolitan cities, she said. But commerce is very important to us. We want to be able to keep our young talent. We want to keep growing our cities. We want it to be a vibrant place to live. I think one of the ways to do that is really to have the support of the state to go out and do these kinds of things and get these ideas. The jury in Karen Reads retrial could get the case by the end of this week after the defenses last witness took the stand Tuesday. Read, 45, of Mansfield, 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. Reads lawyers say OKeefe, 46, was beaten, bitten by a dog, then left outside a home in Canton in a conspiracy orchestrated by the police that included planting evidence against Read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Andrew Rentschler, a crash reconstructionist from ARCCA originally hired for the federal investigation of the Read murder case, testified Tuesday that evidence does not corroborate the theory that she struck John OKeefe with her Lexus. It really was impossible to get a skull fracture by hitting the tail light and not sustain any other significant fractures, Rentschler explained. Dr. Elizabeth Laposata, a professor at Brown University & former chief medical examiner in Rhode Island, testified the same. According to Laposata, OKeefe died from a massive skull fracture which would leave traces in the yard of 34 Fairview Road. If you fell back on grass, you would tend to see, you might see grass in the wound, or you would tend to see an irregular kind of crisscross pattern of the flattened grass, Laposata said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Loposata said the wounds on OKeefes arm were consistent with an animal attack. Judge Beverly Cannone prohibited the defense from asking if it could have been a dog. Loposata also testified that hypothermia did not contribute to OKeefes death despite. The medical examiners report said OKeefe died from hypothermia and blunt impact injuries to the head. The body did not have any hypothermia, Laposata said. The medical examiner who performed OKeefes autopsy, Irini Scordi-Bello, testified earlier that she could not determine the cause of OKeefes death to a reasonable degree of medical certainty but that hypothermia was a contributing factor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rentschler will return to the stand on Wednesday. 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 Karen Reads second trial in connection with the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John OKeefe, continues on Wednesday in Dedhams Norfolk Superior Court before Judge Beverly Cannone. On Tuesday, the jury heard testimony from a medical examiner hired by the defense, who rebutted the prosecutions theory of the case. People to know: Hank Brennan, special prosecutor for the Norfolk district attorneys office Alan Jackson, lawyer for Read Andrew Rentschler, biomechanical engineer at ARCCA 10:12 a.m. - Scrapes on OKeefes arm inconsistent with striking Lexus Rentschler said he reviewed X-rays of OKeefes right arm as part of his analysis, and on all of them saw no indication of any type of acute injury. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The questions moved to the damage to OKeefes sweatshirt, which prompted an objection from Brennan and a lengthy sidebar. After the sidebar, Rentschler said he counted 36 different superficial abrasions on OKeefes right arm but only nine holes were observed on the right sleeve of OKeefes hoodie. Each abrasion represented a different point of contact to get through the sweatshirt and to the skin, Rentschler explained. He determined the abrasions on OKeefes arm were inconsistent with hitting the Lexus. You cant get horizontal abrasions on the upper arm and somehow get vertical and angled abrasions on the forearm, Rentschler said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rentschler offered several criticisms of the test conducted by Aperture, the firm hired by the prosecution, saying Judson Welcher, the employee who performed the tests, did not take any measurements for his paint transfer test. The test involved Welcher painting a portion of a Lexus SUV taillight blue, then backing it into his arm. As a result, Rentschler said the test didnt show the area where the blue paint is corresponds to the area of the abrasions. You cant eyeball it, he said. The test tells us nothing about what may have actually occurred or how the abrasions were produced. You cant conclude [that] where the paint hits the arm is where the abrasions were, Rentschler said. 9:41 a.m. - Paint transfer test has nothing to do with force Rentschler described the process of a biomechanical analysis, telling the jury the first step of any analysis was to determine a persons injuries then to determine how their body moved to cause those injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also talked the jury through the scientific method. In this case, the central question for ARCCAs testing was can you demonstrate if you arm hit the taillight, it would shatter and cause abrasions? An analysis requires research, peer-reviewed articles, physical evidence and testing, Rentschler said. You have to have to demonstrate what you think happened is possible and actually did occur, he said. Rentschler, using a PowerPoint presentation, reviewed testing performed by Aperture, the firm hired by the prosecution. Specificially, he looked at a paint transfer test, where Aperture painted an exemplar Lexus SUV taillight blue, then had it collide with an arm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The test attempted to show where [the] paint contacts [the] arm is [the] same area as [the] abrasions on OKeefes arm, Rentschler said. But it doesnt describe how his arm wouldve moved or how the taillight wouldve fractured. Apertures presentation lists OKeefes injuries as lacerations, when in fact he sustained abrasions, a critical distinction, Rentschler said. Abrasions are rubbing or scraping of skin, while a laceration is a jagged ripping or tearing of the skin. Abrasions take much less force, he said. 9:17 a.m. - Rentschler resumes testimony As she does each morning, Cannone asked jurors if they were able to follow her instructions about avoiding media coverage of the case and not discussing it with anyone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each juror said they had. With Rentschler back on the stand, Jackson began asking about ARCCAs review of testing conducted by Aperture, a firm hired by the prosecution. Brennan objected to the questions and Cannone called the lawyers up to sidebar. The retrial is nearing an end. Lawyers told Cannone Tuesday the case could be ready to go to the jury as soon as Friday. Read, 45, is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident causing injury or death in connection with the death of OKeefe, who was found outside the home of a fellow Boston police officer on Jan. 29, 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) Dairy brand Kemps is donating nearly 800,000 cartons of milk in 2025 to food banks across the Midwest, and on Wednesday, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin received over 30,000. The Giving Cow chocolate milk cartons were donated to the Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin center in Appleton. Green Bay Area Public School District begins Summer Meals Program, providing free food to students Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The idea for the massive donation came from the recent rise in food costs, and in eastern Wisconsin alone, about 459,000 people are experiencing food insecurity, according to Feeding America. In Wisconsin as a whole, that number is over 617,000, with about a third of them being children. The reason for the milk donation is that its one of the most requested and least donated items at food pantries, as many lack proper refrigeration. Mayor Eric Genrich fires back at Detroit after Green Bay NFL Draft sees nearly 31% increase in unique visitors According to the release, Giving Cow milk is specifically designed in a carton made for food banks and backpack programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Learn more about the Giving Cow Foundation through Kemps 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 WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. Quite the wild situation unfolded in small-town Kentucky recently. A Murray, Kentucky, man, who was identified by the Murray Police Department as 40-year-old Jonathan Mason, was arrested for allegedly releasing a raccoon into an open business. According to a Murray Police Departments Facebook post, Mason arrived at the unnamed business around 9:18 p.m. on June 6 and released the animal. The raccoon subsequently bit a patron inside the business, police said. Pet Raccoon Caught With Meth Pipe In Its Mouth When Cops Pulled Over Ohio Woman: Expect The Unexpected Jonathan Mason Mason had already previously been warned not to return to the business, according to police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After being pulled over by police, Mason allegedly refused to roll down his window for the officers, who removed Mason from his car. Man Found Dead In Kangaroo, Wallaby Enclosure Reportedly Had 'History' Of Playing Rough With Animal Read On The Fox News App Jonathan Mason allegedly released a rabid raccoon (not pictured here) into a business months after he was arrested for evading police on a mule. The reportedly rabid raccoon's release inside the business was just the latest in a string of animal-related offenses committed by Mason, police said. In December 2024, police said a "manifestly" drunk Mason rode a mule to a liquor store. When he refused to leave, the police were called. Mason was arrested after trying to ride off on his mule, police said. Jonathan Mason was arrested in December while allegedly riding a mule while drunk. Some witnesses reportedly told police they saw Mason unnecessarily whip the mule at a different business. The mule was taken away by the police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A few days later, police said Mason tried to take back his mule, also while drunk. Mason was allegedly caught riding his mule down the road and refused to stop. He was arrested again and taken to jail, police said. According to the Murray Police Department, spanning his three arrests, Mason has been charged with two counts of second-degree animal cruelty, third-degree fleeing or evading police, second-degree disorderly conduct, alcohol intoxication in a public place, two counts of third-degree criminal trespassing, two counts of resisting arrest, second-degree assault and failure of owner to maintain required insurance. Fox News Digital reached out to the Murray Police Department for additional comment but has not received a response. Original article source: Kentucky man charged with releasing raccoon into business after previous mule-riding incidents Kettering Health has announced that they have resumed normal operations after key services were knocked out by a cyberattack for nearly three weeks. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] They say they are working to identify what data was impacted in the cyberattack. Our investigation is ongoing, and we will directly notify any impacted individuals, Kettering Health said in their press release. Notifications may include fraud protection resources, such as identity theft or credit monitoring. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement >>RELATED: Kettering Health officials acknowledge impacts of cyber attack are extremely frustrating TRENDING STORIES: Kettering Health says services such as surgery, imaging, retail pharmacy and physician office visits are back to normal. MyChart, which was restored Monday, is functional for patients. According to an update from the network, patients are now able to view upcoming appointments, schedule appointments, view prescription lists, message their providers and view test results. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement >>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Kettering Health cyberattack; Hacker group claims responsibility, sensitive info put on dark web Kettering Health says their cyber security and employee security training will effectively mitigate future risks. News Center 7 will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] CHICOPEE The Springfield woman who allegedly plowed into a trooper conducting a traffic stop Tuesday morning told her employer and the police that she had been attacked at a convenience store by several women and that her car was stolen. This is according to court records associated with the arrest of Naisha L. Rodriguez, 32, of Springfield. She was arraigned in Chicopee District Court Wednesday morning after being charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol causing serious injury, intimidating a witness, leaving the scene of a crash and falsely reporting a stolen vehicle. She pleaded not guilty to the charges and was held on $500,000 cash bail. The parking lot of the courthouse was filled with state police cruisers; troopers packed the courtroom in support of their injured comrade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators say Rodriguez was driving her work-issued Subaru in the westbound lane of the Massachusetts Turnpike around 2:20 a.m. near Chicopee, and veered into the trooper, who had a tractor trailer pulled over in the breakdown lane. A witness called 911, and colleagues of the trooper came to his aid. Troopers arrived on scene and located (the injured trooper) severely wounded and bleeding extensively from his arm in front of the tractor trailer, a police narrative reads. While Rodriguez fled the scene, state police detectives gathered video footage from around the region to track Rodriguezs movements before and after the crash, according to the report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her cover story about the alleged attack and car theft was quickly debunked, the records say. Video footage showed Rodriguez went to Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer around 1:15 a.m., leaving 20 minutes later. The Subaru did not appear to have any body damage. Less than an hour later, the footage told a different story. The troopers dash-cam video shows him walking along the drivers side of the tractor trailer. Once out of view, a white Subaru ... is seen moments later driving in the right lane before a witness, who was standing on the passenger side of (the cruiser), is seen running toward the direction of (the trooper), records say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Footage from the city of Chicopee then showed the Subaru exiting I-90 with extensive passenger side damage, then idling in a nearby Walmart parking lot and heading toward Springfield a few minutes later. The vehicle was registered to LabCorp in Holyoke, investigators found. Troopers spoke with a manager there, who confirmed that the Subaru was assigned to Rodriguez exclusively. He also said Rodriguez called him at 4:30 a.m. to report five women had cut her off at a Cumbies, pulled her from the car and stole it. The manager said Rodriguez had been an employee only for 10 months and had already been involved in two motor vehicle incidents. One of which occurred on May 29, 2025, when she also stated she was attacked and had her vehicle stolen. She was given the Subaru Outback after the incident, the police narrative states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rodriguez doubled down on the stolen car story by also making a report to the Springfield Police Department, records show. She told a responding officer a woman named Dixie attacked her but she did not know why. I observed multiple injuries to Ms. Rodriguez for this incident. She suffered a black eye on her left side, bleeding from her lower lip and scratches on both sides of her arms, a Springfield police report says. Rodriguez refused an ambulance. A witness told police that Rodriguez called her six times between midnight and 6 a.m. that morning. After Witness 1 returned her call, Rodriguez stated she just killed two people and hung up. Rodriguez is known to drink excessively, a trooper recounted in the police report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators ultimately found the Subaru on Windemere Street in Springfield. The windshield was marked with pieces of a high visibility patrol jacket and had pieces of flesh clinging to the underside of the side quarter panel, which was torn back, according to the report. Briefing reporters on Monday outside Baystate Medical Center on Tuesday, Col. Geoffrey Noble of the Massachusetts State Police said the injured trooper will have a long road to recovery but was in good spirits. Investigators later arrived at Rodriguezs Tulsa Street home and spoke with her, the report says. Investigators immediately observed a strong odor of alcohol emanating from Rodriguezs breath as she spoke with a very slurred voice, the report says. Rodriguez incoherently repeated over and over a story about being beat up and having her car stolen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was an empty nip bottle on the floor of her living room, which she quickly swatted away, the report adds. Rodriguez refused to go to the state police office at Tower Square in downtown Springfield and asked troopers to leave. They later returned with an arrest warrant. A pretrial hearing in the case is set for July 10. Read the original article on MassLive. Kim Kardashian has called out the Trump administration over its inhumane immigration raids in Los Angeles, which have generated national outcry and spurred days of protests in the city. When were told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals great, Kardashian wrote in a statement posted to her Instagram story on Tuesday. But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do whats right. Kardashian, a lifelong resident of Los Angeles County, said she has seen firsthand how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, co-workers and family, she continued. The reality star told her more than 356 million followers on the platform that this isnt a partisan issue: No matter where you fall politically, its clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants. We cant turn a blind eye when fear and injustice keep people from living their lives freely and safely. There HAS to be a BETTER way, she wrote. Kardashian, 44, also shared a video of Doechii denouncing the raids during Mondays BET Awards. There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order, the rapper said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kardashians public condemnation of the administration may come as a surprise to some, considering her prior work with Donald Trump on criminal justice reform. During the president's first term, Kardashian lobbied him to commute the sentence of Alice Johnson, a grandmother who was serving life without the possibility of parole for a nonviolent drug offense. In 2018, Trump commuted Johnsons sentence and, in 2020, granted her a full pardon. Johnson currently serves as Trumps pardon czar. After Johnsons release, Kardashian continued to work with the administration, lobbying for the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill that Trump signed into law in 2018. In 2020, she attended a meeting at the White House with several women whose prison sentences Trump had commuted. At the time, Kardashian said she was there to discuss more change that our justice system desperately needs! In 2019, Kardashian told Vogue magazine that her work on prison reform inspired her decision to pursue a legal education. She announced in May that she had completed her law degree after six years of study. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Celebrities are making themselves known as vocal opponents of the ongoing ICE immigration raids as demonstrations continue in Los Angeles. There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order, rapper Doechii said while accepting her BET Award at the show Monday. Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want yall to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that people are being swept up and torn from their families? She continued: And I feel its my responsibility to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people, for Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza. We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear and I hope we stand together, my brothers and my sisters against hate and we protest against it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elsewhere, celebs like Kim Kardashian, Demi Lovato, John Leguizamo and more also spoke out on social media. Whats happening in Los Angeles and across the country is heartbreaking. Lovato wrote. Immigrants are a vital part of our community and the fabric of our country. While I feel powerless, I stand with those living in fear and hope that these resources can help in some way. Lets please continue to show up for one another and support our neighbors. Eva Longoria called the raids inhumane and un-American in a video posted to her Instagram. We all can agree, nobody wants criminals in our country, nobody wants rapists, nobody wants drug dealers, nobody wants bad actors in our country- thats not whats happening, Longoria said. These roundups are happening in birthday parties, in elementary school graduations, Home Depot. Those are not criminals. I hope that everyone has more compassion for this issue and realizes we have industries dependent on immigrant labor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kardashian posted similar thoughts to her Instagram Stories. When were told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals- great, she said. But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do whats right. She added: Growing up in LA, Ive seen how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city. They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers, and family. No matter where you fall politically, its clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants. We cant turn a blind eye when fear and injustice keep people from living their lives freely and safely. There HAS to be a BETTER way. Leguizamo posted a video encouraging the protestors to keep at it as the raids drew on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Your protests are beautiful, the actor said. Protesting is as American as apple pie. But Trump wants to create a situation. He wants to be able to call on the Insurrection Act. He wants to create martial law so he can take over every government in every city and every state, so dont give him that, the actor pleaded to his followers. Dont give him what he wants. I mean, hes trampling on all our democratic values of due process, of listening to courts and the judiciary. Just stay calm, stay peaceful. Dont let dont give him what he wants. The raids began late last week and sparked protesting over the weekend. President Trump mobilized 2,000 members of the National Guard to quell the gatherings without consulting Governor Gavin Newsom and then added an additional 700 marines to the mix on Monday. The protesting reached the point that LA Mayor Karen Bass placed a curfew downtown beginning Tuesday night. The post Kim Kardashian, Demi Lovato, Eva Longoria and More Speak Out Against Trumps LA ICE Raids: Those Are Not Criminals appeared first on TheWrap. Kim Kardashian has joined the growing chorus of voices against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Under Donald Trump's administration, ICE has embarked on numerous raids to stop illegal immigration into the country. However, their methods of removing those with roots in America have sparked multiple complaints and ongoing protests in Los Angeles. Kim Kardashian recently lent her voice to the cause, imploring the president to find a more peaceful resolution to the issue. She also reiterated rapper Doechii's powerful message at the 2025 BET Awards, indicating her agreement with her comments about ICE and Donald Trump. Kim Kardashian Slams ICE's 'Inhumane ' Treatment Of Immigrants Instagram Stories | Kim Kardashian The "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" star addressed the ICE situation on her Instagram Stories, penning a lengthy statement about why she believed the organization was wrong. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She acknowledged their mission to protect the country from "violent criminals" but stressed that they were attacking the wrong immigrants. "When we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do what's right," Kim declared. She reflected on her childhood in L.A., noting that she saw firsthand how deeply immigrants were crucial to the city's growth and development. Kim noted these people were more than just immigrants, labeling them "neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers, and family." She implored fans not to be divided by their political beliefs when "it's clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants." The Reality TV Star Implores The President To Change His Methods Instagram Stories | Kim Kardashian Although Kim did not mention Trump by name, her words seemed directed at the POTUS. She pushed for a positive change in the treatment of immigrants, writing: "We can't turn a blind eye when fear and injustice keep people from living their lives freely and safely. There HAS to be a BETTER way." In a separate post, Kim reposted a video of Doechii's acceptance speech for Best Female Hip Hop Artist at the BET Awards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Blast covered the story, reporting the rapper marked her debut at the event with a scathing review of Trump and ICE. She addressed the ongoing L.A. protests and the president's use of military force in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. "I want y'all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?" Doechii asked the crowd, implying that Trump was acting like a dictator instead of listening to the cries of his citizens. Doechii Fought For 'All Oppressed People' Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA Doechii slammed Trump and his ICE raids, labeling them "ruthless attacks" that not only incited fear and chaos but also broke families apart. She stressed that the situation was so dire that she felt it was her responsibility to use her platform to fight for "all oppressed people." The list included the Black and Transgender communities, Latinos, and the people in Gaza. The "Anxiety" hitmaker implored other celebrities to stand against injustice, stressing that everyone deserved to "live in homes and not in fear." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She concluded her speech by asking others to protest, echoing similar sentiments to Chrissy Teigen. The wife of John Legend slammed Trump as a wannabe King, telling her fans that they needed to join the upcoming protest on June 14. Teigen noted they had to prove that America wasn't a monarchy but a country belonging to its citizens, adding that the president acted "like some of his authoritarian idols." The Skims Founder Claimed She Could Become A Full-Time Lawyer Steven Bergman/AFF-USA.COM / MEGA Two years before sharing her stance on ICE, The Blast shared Kim's interest in leaving reality TV to focus on law. Her journey began in 2017 when she pushed for criminal justice reform after learning about the Alice Marie Johnson case. Her work helping inmates regain their freedom and improving prison conditions eventually blossomed into Kim pursuing a career in law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the 2023 TIME 100 Summit, she claimed her passion for justice had grown significantly to a point where she believed she "would be just as happy being an attorney full-time" as her time as an entertainer. "The journey just really opened up my eyes so much. It gets overwhelming because there's so much to be done," Kim explained. She also recalled changing the perspective of those around her, noting her sister Khloe had an eye-opening experience during their visit to a prison. Kim Kardashian Has Achieved Her Law School Dreams Despite the numerous challenges, including two failed attempts to pass the baby bar exam, Kim has finally completed her law studies. The Blast covered her celebratory post, reporting that she shared a carousel of images from the big day. The pictures captured Kim with her family, friends, and children, who gathered to mark the realization of her dream to become a lawyer. The TV personality reflected on her journey in the post's caption, noting that it took six years to reach her final destination despite a few hiccups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kim recalled how some subjects induced "doubt" and "fear," but she scaled these odds triumphantly with a "strength no one can take away." She acknowledged everyone who supported her, claiming it would have been more challenging without their help. The former inmates she helped regain their freedoms also shared kind words at her graduation ceremony. ZURICH (Reuters) -UBS finance chief Todd Tuckner voiced his disappointment on Wednesday over proposed new Swiss capital regulations, which he said was the beginning of a possibly long process that the bank intends to contribute to. "Naturally, as to capital, we're disappointed," Tuckner said at a conference in Berlin, speaking days after the Swiss government proposed rules that could make the country's remaining big bank hold $26 billion more in core capital. "We are looking at every possible option to potentially mitigate the imposition of these extreme capital measures," he added. UBS planned to engage in political consultation processes on Switzerland's capital requirements, which could eventually lead to a more proportionate outcome, Tuckner said. Expecting a phase-in period of four years or more for stricter capital deductions rules on deferred tax assets and software was reasonable, Tuckner said, while reconfirming the bank's 2025 capital return expectations and 2026 targets. "In terms of longer-term ambitions that we've talked about in the past, we have to see what the timeline ultimately is and have more visibility around the rules." (Reporting by Ariane Luthi, Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Miranda Murray and John Revill) Kim Kardashians Scathing Message to Donald Trump About ICE Raids originally appeared on Parade. Kim Kardashian isnt mincing her words when it comes to the Trump administrations immigration crackdown. On Tuesday, the reality star and entrepreneur, 44, took to Instagram with a bold message condemning the recent ICE raids in Los Angeles, calling the actions inhumane. When were told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals great, her message began. But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do whats right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Growing up in LA, Ive seen how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city, she continued. They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers, and family. No matter where you fall politically, its clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants. We cant turn a blind eye when fear and injustice keep people from living their lives freely and safely. She concluded: There HAS to be a BETTER way. Kardashians comments come as protests continue across L.A. in response to federal immigration sweeps that have sparked outrage and additional protests across the country. This week, President Donald Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops, along with an unprecedented 700 U.S. Marines, to assist local law enforcement. Meanwhile, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has since issued a citywide curfew in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. Kim Kardashians Scathing Message to Donald Trump About ICE Raids first appeared on Parade on Jun 11, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared. Los Angeles and the country at large have been in a heightened state of panic ever since President Donald Trump deployed ICE and military troops on the West Coast to raid the community and arrest immigrants. Kim Kardashian recently spoke out in defense of immigrants and their well-being. When were told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals-great, she wrote on her Instagram story on Tuesday evening (June 10). But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do whats right. The 44-year-old entrepreneur reflected on her experiences growing up in Los Angeles and how people who move there from elsewhere are so vital to the community. They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers, and family, she added. No matter when you fall politically, its clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants. We cant just turn a blind eye when fear and injustice keep people from living their lives freely and safely. There HAS to be a BETTER way. Read the full note below. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kim Kardashian followed her post with a post of Doechiis speech at the 2025 BET Awards. Though she was there to celebrate winning the Best Female Hip-Hop Artist award, she couldnt help but extend her love and support to those being taken away from their families. There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order, the TDE artist said during her acceptance speech. Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want yall to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our Democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that? She also stressed the importance of unity and the right to free speech for all races. For Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in GazaWe all deserve to live in hope and not in fear, she said. I hope we stand together, my brothers and my sisters, against hate, and we protest against it. Watch below. Doechii calls out Donald Trump and ICE during her acceptance speech. #BETAwards #BETAwards2025 pic.twitter.com/M025pwCxwS VIBE Magazine (@VibeMagazine) June 10, 2025 More from VIBE.com Sign up for Vibe's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. NEED TO KNOW The family of a 6-year-old student at Lincoln Avenue School in New Jersey alleged that their child drank what he thought was cold water from a school fountain, which turned out to be hot They said the child suffered second-degree burns as a result and alleged that the school did not contact emergency services after the boy sustained the burns The school district said in a statement to ABC affiliate WABC that the matter is currently being investigated The family of a 6-year-old boy in New Jersey said their child was scalded after he drank water from a school fountain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matilda Ekeize said in an interview with ABC affiliate WABC on Tuesday, June 10, that her son Idris drank water at Lincoln Avenue School in Orange that he assumed would be cold, but turned out to be hot. "I put my cup up there, and then I turned on the cold water, super hot," Idris, 6, told the outlet. Ekeize alleged that the school did not contact emergency services or send her son to the hospital, even though she had signed a release to make sure the school would do exactly those things in case her child suffered harm. The mother said that the school instead sent Idris back to class. "This is definitely medical, Ekeize told WABC. That's second-degree burns, so if they would have called EMS and sent him to the hospital, I probably would've been feeling a little bit more at ease. I wasn't because now I had to call the ambulance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ekeize said she took Idris to the hospital for his second-degree burns. She also alleged that the school principal told her that he didnt know "the procedures" to follow when a child gets second-degree burns. PEOPLE reached out to Ekeize, Lincoln Avenue School and Orange Public Schools for comment. In a statement shared with WABC, a representative for the school district said, At this time, the district is investigating this incident and at this time, the district does not have any further comment. Evelyn Green, a family relative of Ekeize, told WABC that she was concerned about the school's response to Idris' injury. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That is an event that he's probably going to remember forever and you guys were not there for him, she 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. Idris, a kindergartner, has not returned to school since the incident, WABC reported. "I never, never, never again. It's not fun," Idris told the outlet. The family is reportedly seeking legal counsel, according to WABC. Read the original article on People Trooping the Colour 2025 will take place in London on Saturday. The annual military parade serves as King Charles III's official birthday celebration. The royal family gathers on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as part of the event. King Charles III was born on November 14, 1948, which means two things: He is among the most famous Scorpios in the world, and you probably wouldn't expect him to be thinking about his birthday in June. But thousands will celebrate the king's birthday in the UK on Saturday at Trooping the Colour, one of the biggest royal events of the year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the royal family's website, Trooping the Colour, a massive parade that takes place in June, has been the British sovereign's official birthday celebration for over 260 years. Trooping the Colour is the monarch's official birthday celebration The annual celebration occurs in June, regardless of when the reigning monarch's actual birthday is. The royal family's website says that June is the ideal time to host the parade because the chance of the weather being suitable for outdoor activities in London is high compared to other times of the year. The royal family at Trooping the Colour 2024. Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images According to History, King George II, who was born in October, was the first monarch to move his birthday pageantry to the summer, but he combined his official celebration with a summer military parade in 1748. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reigning monarch's actual birthday is still publicly acknowledged with a royal gun salute, but the sovereign typically celebrates privately otherwise. A military parade is the centerpiece of the event During Trooping the Colour, a parade of royals and military personnel travels from Buckingham Palace to the Horse Guards Parade at Whitehall in London. The royal family's website states that the parade includes over 1,400 soldiers, 400 musicians, and 200 horses, and the royals typically ride on horseback or in carriages. The monarch can participate in the event from either carriage or horseback. According to the BBC, Queen Elizabeth II rode a horse during the parade until 1987. Queen Elizabeth at Trooping the Colour 1985. Anwar Hussein/Getty Images Once the parade reaches Whitehall, the monarch formally inspects the troops during the ceremony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Likewise, the chosen Regimental Colour, or flag, is carried through the ranks of participating soldiers before they march back to Buckingham Palace. Thousands of onlookers cheer on the participants as they process. According to an FOIA request to the Ministry of Defence, the 2021 Trooping the Colour cost 59,662 pounds, which would be about $81,000 today. That total includes stable costs, transportation, and fuel, among other fees, though it does not factor in the cost of the police presence required to keep the event safe for the royals and attendees. Trooping the Colour brings the royal family together at Buckingham Palace Trooping the Colour culminates in a flypast by RAF pilots over Buckingham Palace as the royal family watches from the balcony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trooping the Colour marks one of the few times a year the royal family gathers in one place, so they are always heavily photographed when they appear on the balcony. The occasion offers a chance to see how royals interact with each other, with people analyzing shots of Princess Diana and Prince Harry in years past. Royal children often steal the show when they appear at Buckingham Palace for the event as well. The royal family at Buckingham Palace during the Trooping of the Colour in 1989. Anwar Hussein/Getty Images Royals also use the occasion to send a message to the public since it draws so much public interest. For instance, the 2024 Trooping the Colour served as the backdrop for Kate Middleton to make her return to public duty after she announced she was undergoing treatment for cancer in March 2024. She rode to the event in a carriage with her children and waved from the Buckingham Palace balcony with the royal family. The Princess of Wales announced she was in remission in January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Likewise, King Charles appeared at the 2024 Trooping the Colour amid his ongoing weekly cancer treatments , though he rode in a carriage in the parade with Queen Camilla instead of on horseback as a result of his health. King Charles in a carriage during the Trooping the Colour parade in 2024. HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images The Times reported the monarch will ride in a carriage again for the 2025 event, though Prince William, his heir, and his sister Princess Anne will ride on horseback through the parade. Anne is the king's Gold-Stick-In-Waiting, his ceremonial personal protection officer, at ceremonial events. She first served as her brother's gold stick at his 2023 coronation. Read the original article on Business Insider (NewsNation) One of the biggest events for the British royal family will be happening this weekend to mark the monarchs birthday. But who will be in attendance this year? Trooping the Colour takes place on June 14 each year, with musicians, horses and parading soldiers taking part in the celebration. Royal family members will also sometimes join in on the fun, riding horseback and being in horse-drawn carriages. Kanye West changes name to Ye Ye: Documents Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the parade, senior royals will gather on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the Red Arrows fly overhead. King Charles, Queen Camilla and his son, Prince William, should all be in attendance. However, with royals clashing and Prince Harrys recent bid for security being denied, who can we expect to see at this years event? What royals will be on Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour? Theres no doubt that King Charles, 76, and his wife, Queen Camilla, will be at the center of the balcony, waving to the crowd below. Express Newspapers reported that 42-year-old Prince William, along with Princess Kate, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, will also be on the balcony. In 2024, after much speculation, Kate did end up attending the event despite her abdominal surgery and cancer diagnosis. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex departs after attending a Court of Appeal hearing regarding his security at the Royal Courts of Justice on April 8, 2025 in London, England. Prince Harry is appealing a previous High Court ruling based on a decision made by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) to downgrade the level of security he receives whilst visiting the UK after stepping back from being a full time working member of the royal family. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM DECEMBER 19: (L-R) Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Prince Emmanuel of Belgium and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium host a reception for one hundred members of the public during the festive season at the Royal Palace on December 19, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Getty Images) Britains King Charles, from left, Queen Camilla, Canadas Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney pose for a family portrait at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario, during a royal visit May 26. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP) FILE The Princess of Wales holds son Prince Harry while royal families posed for photographers at the Royal Palace, Mallorca, Spain, Aug. 9, 1987. (AP Photo/John Redman, File) From left, Britains Prince George, Prince William, Prince Louis, Kate, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to view the flypast following the Trooping the Color ceremony in London, Saturday, June 15, 2024. Trooping the Color is the Kings Birthday Parade and one of the nations most impressive and iconic annual events attended by almost every member of the Royal Family. (James Manning/PA via AP) FILE Britains Prince Harry leaves after attending an Invictus Games Foundation 10th Anniversary Service of Thanksgiving at St Pauls Cathedral in London, on May 8, 2024. Prince Harry said that his crusade against the British tabloids has contributed to his royal family rift, according to a documentary airing Thursday July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File) FILE Britains King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the coronation ceremony in London, May 6, 2023. When it comes to the United Kingdoms royal family, the Americans cant seem to get enough. That was evident this week, following the announcement of King Charles IIIs treatment for cancer on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File) In this photo made available by Buckingham Palace on Monday, May 8, 2023, Britains King Charles III and Queen Camilla are pictured with members of the working royal family, from left Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Princess Anne, Prince William, the Prince of Wales, Kate, the Princess of Wales, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy and Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, London. (Hugo Burnand/Royal Household 2023 via AP) Copies of the new book by Prince Harry called Spare are displayed at Shermans book store in Freeport, Maine, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Prince Harrys memoir provides a varied portrait of the Duke of Sussex and the royal family. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) FILE Britains Queen Elizabeth II waves to the crowd during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant at the Buckingham Palace in London, June 5, 2022, on the last of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. Queen Elizabeth IIs death in September 2022 was arguably the most high-profile death this year. In her 70 years on the British throne, she helped modernize the monarchy across decades of enormous social change, royal marriages and births, and family scandals. For most Britons, she was the only monarch they had ever known. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool) Britains Princess Anne, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, and Zara Tindall join other members of the Royal family on a walkabout to thank members of the public following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, at Balmoral, Scotland, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. (Owen Humphreys/Pool Photo via AP) FILE In this Monday, Nov. 2, 1987 file photo, Britains Diana, the Princess of Wales, is pictured during an evening reception given by the West German President Richard von Weizsacker in honour of the British Royal guests in the Godesberg Redoute in Bonn, Germany. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Herman Knippertz, File) FILE In this file photo dated Thursday, June, 19, 2014, Britains Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip arrive by carriage in the parade ring on the third day of the Royal Ascot horse racing meeting, at Ascot, England. In the TV program Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers released late Saturday Sept. 18, 2021, members of the royal family have spoken admiringly of the late Duke of Edinburghs barbecuing skills. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, FILE) FILE In this July 29, 1981 file photo, Britains Prince Charles kisses his bride, Princess Diana, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London, after their wedding.For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/File) LONDON, ENGLAND JULY 10: (L-R) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF on July 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images) (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) FILE In this Monday, March 9, 2020 file photo, Britains Harry and Meghan the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince Harry has repaid 2.4 million pounds ($3.2 million) in British taxpayers money that was used to renovate the home intended for him and his wife Meghan before they gave up royal duties. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file) Charles brother, 61-year-old Prince Edward, should also be in attendance with his wife, Duchess Sophie. It is unclear if their children, Lady Louise and James, will be with them. Louise was with her parents in 2024, but James had skipped for his exams. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Princess Anne is set to be on the balcony with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. Other senior royals who should be in attendance include: The Duke of Gloucester, Prince Richard The Duchess of Gloucester, Birgitte The Duke of Kent, Prince Edward Sabrina Carpenter announces new album Mans Best Friend This is allegedly a smaller crowd than what Queen Elizabeth saw during her reign. When she had the throne, other royals who would be on the balcony included Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips. Queen Elizabeth would invite the entire royal family to join her for the event, but that changed in 2022, according to The Mirror. The late queen had decided to only invite working members to the balcony, which excluded Harry and his wife, as well as Prince Andrew. The only exception made was for Princess Annes husband, Sir Tim, her two youngest grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement King Charles kept those same rules in 2023 and 2024 and will likely keep that same pace this year, since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, along with their children, are not expected to attend. Prince Harry very lonely in Montecito: Friends One insider recently told NewsNations Paula Froelich that Prince Harry doesnt really have any friends in Montecito and is very lonely. Sources told People magazine that Harry has one foot in the past, and his friends agreed. He spent his entire life in England with family and friends. Its harder to forge deep friendships with people when youre older, especially if youre wary they may speak to the press. King Charles and Prince William allegedly dont speak to Harry for the same reasonthat what they say will be repeated to a news outlet. Duke and Duchess of Windsor became outcasts similar to Prince Harry After Duke Edward abdicated, the royal family didnt have much contact with his family. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor became outcasts among the elite, and Edwards brother, King George, only saw him a few times in private after the abdication. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beach Boys Brian Wilson dies, family at a loss for words The difference between Harry and his wife and Edward and his wife is that the Duke and Duchess of Windsor remain mostly quiet. Harry and Markle do press appearances and Instagram drops, showing more of their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com The King County Council has no confidence in King County Assessor John Wilson. Members voted unanimously Tuesday, calling on Wilson to resign amid allegations that he stalked and harassed his former fiancee. I see it as a pattern, a very dangerous pattern, and certainly not one that we want in our highest levels of government in King County, King County Council member Girmay Zahilay, running against Wilson for County Executive, said. Council members call for King County Assessors resignation Multiple local leaders called for Wilson to step down after another restraining order was filed against him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement King County Council member Claudia Balducci introduced a motion at last weeks council meeting, calling for Wilsons resignation. There is a cycle of control and manipulation that underlies domestic violence and stalking and harassing behaviors like we are seeing from our county assessor that I think should cause us to be very assertive in our willingness to stand up and say, We dont accept it, Balducci said during the council meeting. The council struck down the motion, but Balducci indicated she may reintroduce it. Wilson has since filed an ethics complaint with King County against Balducci, which reads in part: This motion relies on unsubstantiated allegations made against me to impugn my reputation, generate more media attention, and undermine my campaign for King County executive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Balducci and Wilson are both running for the position of King County executive. Wilson told The John Curley Show on KIRO Newsradio Tuesday, Theres never been any domestic violence. The audacity of her to come at me about domestic violence when she doesnt know my family history, he added. Lee Keller issues statement on very active restraining order Wilson also mentioned on the show that Lee Keller, his former fiancee, who filed the temporary restraining order, had mentioned getting it dismissed. Shes come back each time and said, Look, Im really sorry. I want to make it work. And this happened even after this, DVRO (domestic violence restraining order), and through an intermediary, she said, Will you let John know I so love him. Im so sorry about this. Im getting it dismissed, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Kellers attorneys subsequently reached out to the show, telling KIRO Newsradio, The restraining order is very active. Keller also issued an email statement to KIRO Newsradio on Tuesday, defending the order. The restraining order against John Wilson remains in place. I will not be changing my mind, despite his repeated efforts to coerce me to dismiss it, she wrote. A hearing on the restraining order will be held on June 30, 2025. I welcome the opportunity to address Johns reference to a signed agreement at that time, and inform the court of Johns continuing violations of the very active restraining order. The order was issued by Keller against Wilson on May 13the second one in a year, according to The Seattle Times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The order requires Wilson to stay 1,000 feet away from his former partner and will remain in effect until his court hearing on June 30, the media outlet stated. Wilson is accused of consistent stalking and harassment. Previous restraining order Keller previously filed a restraining order last year, The Seattle Times reported, claiming Wilson falsely accused her former boyfriend of sexual assault and made a false police report. That restraining order lasted seven weeks. Harrell calls for resignation In light of the events, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell urged Wilson to step down Thursday. I am appalled by the stories of County Assessor Wilsons conduct and want to add my voice to the community and elected leaders calling on him to resign his position, Harrell wrote in a statement, via a news release. While he has a right to due legal process, the published allegations are disqualifying for public office. We need to send a clear message to survivors of intimate partner abuse that this type of behavior by people in positions of trust is not tolerated. King County Assessor responds to allegations Wilson released a statement Tuesday in response to the allegations: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I had hoped we could respond firmly to the exaggerated allegations made by my former fiancee, Lee Keller. My attorney has advised me to wait until the court takes action on the dismissal motion already signed by the attorneys for both Ms. Keller and me. These one-sided allegations have been treated as if they are proven facts. They are NOT. I will have a statement soon. In the meantime, I will not be hounded or bullied out of office by my two opponents for King County Executive. They have appointed themselves judge, jury, and executioner. They are not. As attorneys themselves, I find their conduct shameful and an appalling rejection of our core democratic principlesnamely, due process. As some voters have noted, this is a brazen attempt to remove voters choice for King County Executive. I will stand before the voters this August for King County Executive. I will continue to advocate for public safety, tax relief, affordable housing, and the tangible actions I will take to advance the public interest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I will not resign as Assessor, and I am proud to stand on my record. No oneespecially not my opponentshas fought harder for meaningful tax relief for the working homeowners, renters, and small businesses of King County. Finally, minutes ago, Council member Claudia Balducci proposed a no-confidence motion to the King County Council, calling for my resignation, using the unsubstantiated allegations in the court documents. This represents a clear and troubling misuse of official authority for political gain, and I have filed a complaint with the King County Office of the Ombudsman. I will have more to say about this matter soon. This story was originally published on May 29, 2025. It has been updated and republished since then. Contributing: Aaron Granillo, KIRO Newsradio KINSTON, N.C. (WNCT)- One of the oldest police departments in the East is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. The Kinston Police Department started in 1850 and was the second police department ever founded in the entire state. Back then, police say the chief was also the mayor. Over time, the department continued to grow and even separated from a previously combined department with fire and rescue. Current officers, like Major Brandon Turner, say the standards have always stayed the same. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Culture has always been a big part of Kinston, Major Brandon Turner said. Early on, there were a lot of officers that were from Kinston. The police department itself had officers that were born and raised here. They patrolled their communities. They patrolled their own areas. And it gives them legitimacy to the police. Click the video above for 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 WNCT. LONDON (AP) Police in Northern Ireland say 17 officers were injured during a second night of anti-immigrant violence in the town of Ballymena, where rioters threw bricks, bottles, petrol bombs and fireworks and set several vehicles and houses on fire. Police used water cannon and fired rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of several hundred people. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said Wednesday that the violence died down by about 1 a.m. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behavior. What sparked the violence Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Violence erupted Monday after a peaceful march to show support for the family of the victim of an alleged sexual assault on the weekend. Two 14-year-old boys have been charged. The suspects have not been identified because of their age. They were supported in court by a Romanian interpreter. After the march, a crowd of mostly young people set several houses on fire and pelted police with projectiles. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said 15 officers were injured that night. There were similar scenes after dark on Tuesday, as well as small pockets of disorder in several other Northern Ireland towns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said agitators on social media were helping fuel what Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson called racist thuggery. The town's history Some politicians said immigration had strained the town of about 30,000 some 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Belfast, long known as a bastion of hardline pro-British Loyalism. Jim Allister, leader of the conservative party Traditional Unionist Voice, said unchecked migration, which is beyond what the town can cope with, is a source of past and future tensions. Some Romanians in Ballymena told Britains PA news agency they had lived in the town for years and were shocked by the violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several houses in the Clonavon Terrace area that was the focus of the violence put up signs identifying their residents as British or Filipino in an apparent attempt to avoid being targeted. Henderson said there was no evidence that Loyalist paramilitaries, who still hold sway over Protestant communities, were behind the disorder. Past Northern Ireland history Northern Ireland has a long history of street disorder stretching back to tensions between the British unionist and Irish nationalist communities. Though three decades of violence known as the Troubles largely ended after a 1998 peace accord, tensions remain between those largely Protestants who see themselves as British and Irish nationalists, who are mostly Catholic. In Belfast, peace walls still separate working-class Protestant and Catholic areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Street rioters sporadically clash with police, and recently immigrants have become a target. Anti-immigrant violence erupted in Northern Ireland as well as England last year after three girls were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the northwest England town of Southport. Authorities said online misinformation wrongly identifying the U.K.-born teenage attacker as a migrant played a part. Government appeals for calm Police condemned the latest violence and said they would call in officers from England and Wales to bolster their response if needed. All the parties in Northern Irelands power-sharing government issued a joint statement appealing for calm and urging people to reject the divisive agenda being pursued by a minority of destructive, bad faith actors." On the alleged sexual assault, the statement added that it is paramount that the justice process is now allowed to take its course so that this heinous crime can be robustly investigated. Those weaponizing the situation in order to sow racial tensions do not care about seeing justice and have nothing to offer their communities but division and disorder. Students were sitting in their classrooms at a secondary school in Graz when a 21-year-old Austrian man shot dead nine people, before killing himself. Twelve people were injured in Tuesday morning's violence, with one person dying hours later in hospital from their injuries. The incident was the deadliest mass shooting in Austria's recent history and the country has declared three days of mourning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police are still investigating why the gunman - a former student who did not graduate - carried out the attack. Here is what we know so far. What happened? The first shot echoed through Dreierschutzengasse secondary school, in the north-west of Graz, close to the main train station, at about 10:00 local time (09:00 BST), initially sparking confusion as to what was happening. "Was that a shot? That can't be true. Something must have fallen at the construction site across the street," a 17-year-old student, identified as F, said to his friends, according to the Kleine Zeitung newspaper. One student told Die Presse that when shots rang out, his teacher immediately locked the classroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another student told the paper that at first she thought the shots were firecrackers, but "then there was screaming, and we ran". Local resident Astrid, who lives in a building next to the school, told the BBC she heard 30 or 40 shots. Her husband Franz called the police. "We saw one pupil at the window - it looked like he was getting ready to jump out... but then he went back inside," Franz said. The couple later saw the students had "got out of the school on the ground floor, from the other side" where they "gathered on the street", Franz said. The shooter took his own life in a school bathroom shortly after the gun attack, the authorities said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first emergency calls reached police at exactly 10:00, with the first patrol arriving on scene at 10:06, police said on Wednesday. Shortly after, a Cobra tactical unit, which handles attacks and hostage situations, and other specialist units arrived. Police brought the situation under control in 17 minutes. More than 300 police in total were deployed to the school. [BBC] Who are the victims? Nine students - six girls and three boys - between the ages of 14 and 17 were killed in the shooting, police said. A teacher died of her injuries in hospital. All were Austrian citizens, except for one Polish citizen. The victims have not yet been named by the authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One woman, Tores, told BBC News in Graz's main square on Wednesday that she knew one of the boys who had died. He was 17. "I've know this family for a long time, including the son of the family, and knew that he attended that school. I rang immediately, to ask if everything is OK. Then they let me know at midday, that the boy was one of those slaughtered," she said. "What happened yesterday is completely awful, the whole of Austria is in mourning," she said. "This is terrible for the whole of Austria." The other eleven injured people are currently out of danger, police said on Wednesday. They are between the ages of 15 and 26. Eight are from Austria, two from Romania and one from Iran. [Getty Images] What do we know about the shooter? The 21-year-old, who has not yet been named, was an Austrian man from the wider Graz region who acted alone, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He lived with his single mother, who is also Austrian, in the Graz-Umgebung district, police said in a press release on Wednesday. His father, who is originally from Armenia, had not lived in the same household since their separation. He was a former Dreierschutzengasse student who did not graduate from the school, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner told a news conference on Tuesday. In a statement on Wednesday, police said they found a "farewell letter", "farewell video", a non-functional pipe bomb and apparently abandoned plans for a bomb attack during a search of the suspect's home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He legally owned the pistol and shotgun used in the attack, police added. Police said they are still investigating a possible motive. What are Austria's gun laws? Austria has one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe, with an estimated 30 firearms per 100 persons, according to the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project. Machine guns and pump action guns are banned, while revolvers, pistols and semi-automatic weapons are allowed only with official authorisation. Rifles and shotguns are permitted with a firearms licence or a valid hunting licence, or for members of traditional shooting clubs. School shootings are rare. There have been a few incidents over the years that have involved far fewer casualties: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2018, a 19-year-old was shot by another youth in Mistelbach, north of Vienna In 2012 in St Polten, a pupil was shot dead by his father In 1997, in Zobern, a 15-year-old killed a teacher and seriously injured another In 1993, a 13-year-old boy in Hausleiten seriously injured the head teacher and then killed himself Austria's most violent gun attack in recent years took place in the heart of Vienna in November 2020. Four people were killed and 22 injured when a convicted jihadist ran through the centre of the city opening fire, before he was eventually shot by police. Fanny Gasser, a journalist for the Austrian daily newspaper Kronen Zeitung, told BBC News the school was likely unprepared for the possibility of an attack. "We are not living in America, we are living in Austria, which seems like a very safe space." In June 2025, a claim (archived) circulated online that the Cuban-born "Latinos for Trump" leader and activist Hector Luis Valdes Cocho was arrested by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement and was awaiting deportation. A Reddit post included an image that read: "'Latinos for Trump' leader Hector Luis Valdes Cocho, a Cuban activist who rallied others to vote for Trump, was picked up by ICE and is in a detention center waiting to be deported." The claim also appeared on Facebook (archived), X (archived), Threads (archived), Instagram (archived), Bluesky (archived) and TikTok (archived) dating to February (archived) 2025 (archived). Snopes readers messaged us about claims surrounding the arrest of Valdes starting in February. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the ICE's Online Detainee Locator System, a Hector Luis Valdes-Cocho born in Cuba was in ICE custody at Otay Mesa Detention Center in California at the time of this writing. Snopes was unable to view the details of Valdes' immigration case without his alien registration number (also known as an A-Number), which is not generally publicly available information. Therefore, it was not possible to confirm whether Valdes was facing deportation at the time of this writing. ICE detains people for reasons including "to ensure their presence for immigration proceedings, to facilitate removals to their countries of citizenship, and to protect public safety." Furthermore, though popular online claims said Valdes was a leader in the Latinos for Trump campaign movement, we found no credible reports linking him to this particular group (archived, archived, archived, archived). Valdes' Facebook and Instagram accounts were inactive at the time of this writing, so they could not provide additional information about his political activities. We reached out to ICE for any information it could provide about the status of Valdes' immigration case and potential deportation. We also reached out to the former co-chairs of Latinos for Trump, Jeanette M. Nunez and Margarita Palau-Hernandez, to ask if they could confirm or deny Valdes' involvement with the group. We await replies to our queries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE's locator system did not include a picture of the Hector Luis Valdes-Cocho the agency detained. CiberCuba, an online newspaper founded by Cuban expatriates, said that the person detained by ICE in California (and previously Florida) was the same person who featured in the claims in this article. When asked about the authenticity of a mug shot (archived) showing Valdes during an arrest in November 2024, a spokesperson for Orange County, Florida, jail told Snopes they were prohibited under federal law from disclosing or otherwise permitting to be made public "the name or other information relating to ICE inmates," further indicating that the Valdes arrested in November 2024 was the same person detained by ICE at the time of this writing. Mapping Valdes' road to ICE detention Valdes was a journalist and anti-government activist in Cuba before he was forced into exile in January 2022. It was unclear when and how he arrived in the U.S. In April 2024, Partido del Pueblo, a self-described right-wing political party founded to counter the Communist Party of Cuba, posted (archived) a picture on Instagram of Valdes holding a Trump 2024 banner and said it was taken in Michigan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was also unclear at the time of this writing exactly how Valdes ended up in ICE detention. In November 2024, CiberCuba reported that Valdes was arrested by Orange County sheriff's deputies in Florida. The report referenced a mug shot of Valdes from a Facebook page that reposts mug shots from Orange County. CiberCuba's report said the arrest was for failure to appear in a traffic violation case. A spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff's Office said it carried out the arrest on an out-of-county warrant. We contacted the Osceola County Sheriff's Office on the Orange County department's recommendation to ask what the warrant was for. At the time of his arrest, multiple Cuban journalists and activists accused Valdes of failing to repay loans, according to CiberCuba. It was unclear whether any of the accusations led to criminal charges or, in turn, to ICE detention. Then, in February 2025, CiberCuba reported that it found Valdes on ICE's online detainee locator detained in Florida. It was unclear when ICE moved Valdes to California, where the locator said he was detained at the time of this writing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement News of Valdes' ICE detention came as the Trump administration paused and aimed to terminate a number of humanitarian parole programs, including one for nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. In May 2025, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to pause the program, and with it the short-term lawful status granted to citizens of the named countries under the program, making them deportable. It was unclear whether Valdes gained lawful status in the U.S. under the CHNV program and whether he was affected by the Trump administration's pause. The program grants short-term lawful status to successful applicants, usually around two years, which would have expired by 2025. Sources: "Amnesty International Names Prisoners of Conscience in Cuba." Amnesty International, 19 Aug. 2021, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/08/cuba-amnesty-international-names-prisoners-of-conscience/. "CPJ Welcomes El Salvador's Acceptance of 2 Journalists Expelled from Cuba." Committee to Protect Journalists, 6 Jan. 2022, https://cpj.org/2022/01/cpj-welcomes-el-salvadors-acceptance-of-2-journalists-expelled-from-cuba/. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Cuba." United States Department of State, https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cuba/. Accessed 11 June 2025. "Cuban Hector Luis Valdes Cocho Is in ICE Custody in Florida." CiberCuba, 1 Feb. 2025, https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2025-02-01-u1-e199894-s27061-nid296478-cubano-hector-luis-valdes-cocho-encuentra-bajo. Derby, Kevin. "Mike Pence, Jeanette Nunez Launch Latinos for Trump." Florida Daily, 25 June 2019, https://floridadaily.com/mike-pence-jeanette-nunez-launch-latinos-for-trump/. Detain | ICE. 17 Aug. 2020, https://www.ice.gov/detain. Echavarri, Fernanda. "Latinos for Trump Co-Chair Boasts of a Country That 'Has Opened Doors.'" Mother Jones, https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/08/latinos-for-trump-co-chair-boasts-of-a-country-that-has-opened-doors/. Accessed 11 June 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "El Partido Del Pueblo ." Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/PartidoDelPuebloCuba. "Hector Luis Valdes Cocho" and "Latinos for Trump" - Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=1c9521c8b424d55a&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB1138GB1138&q=%22H%C3%A9ctor+Luis+Vald%C3%A9s+Cocho%22+and+%22Latinos+for+Trump%22&tbm=nws&source=lnms&fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZ1Y6MJ25_tmWITc7uy4KIeqDdErwP5rACeJAty2zADJgeXKnD4z7v_UXM32TmNnj1AiDPbPo_OFZLlB6cXa3f-Cz5oXJX0iIlvFJDfuhAMzgeaks7IFv4YVeq9v6y4blXwChfORWqEh4rEBl3HPMR4zM9zZkd_Bjx5cW5MEyYaeZNkP7B6WFhdDOTqD3Ea5rtmM2RlA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjiuens3emNAxVzT0EAHWuQI9EQ0pQJegQIFBAB&biw=1920&bih=849&dpr=2. Accessed 11 June 2025. "Hector Luis Valdes Cocho" and "Latinos for Trump" - Search News. https://www.bing.com/news/search?q=%22H%c3%a9ctor+Luis+Vald%c3%a9s+Cocho%22+and+%22Latinos+for+Trump%22&FORM=HDRSC7. Accessed 11 June 2025. "Hector Luis Valdes Cocho" and "Latinos for Trump" - Yahoo Search Results. https://news.search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AwrNPLeVp0loDgIAwLNXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3BpdnM-?p=%22H%C3%A9ctor+Luis+Vald%C3%A9s+Cocho%22+and+%22Latinos+for+Trump%22&fr2=piv-web&fr=sfp. Accessed 11 June 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Hector Luis Valdes Cocho" and "Latinos for Trump" at DuckDuckGo. https://duckduckgo.com/?t=h_&q=%22H%C3%A9ctor+Luis+Vald%C3%A9s+Cocho%22+and+%22Latinos+for+Trump%22&ia=news&iar=news. Accessed 11 June 2025. "Hector Luis Valdes Cocho Arrested in the U.S. amid Scandal over Scams." CiberCuba, 22 Nov. 2024, https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2024-11-22-u1-e135253-s27061-nid292492-detienen-hector-luis-valdes-cocho-eeuu-medio. Litigation-Related Update: Supreme Court Stay of CHNV Preliminary Injunction | USCIS. 6 June 2025, https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/litigation-related-update-supreme-court-stay-of-chnv-preliminary-injunction. Online Detainee Locator System. https://locator.ice.gov/odls/#/search. Accessed 11 June 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Orange County Mugshots. "VALDESCOCHO, HECTOR LUIS." Facebook, 20 Nov. 2025, https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02BZ9r4UkRYq6h2rfPFHJb2xcFpfLHs98exnnZ7sAEAv9uAVfmbKiTir7CrRNuwpBTl&id=100091724342180. @pdpcuba. "Nuestro Consejero de Seguridad Hector Luis Valdes Cocho Desde Michigan." Instagram, 24 Apr. 2022, https://www.instagram.com/p/CcwEGR3BT1W/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D. Schmidt, Samantha. "Cuba's Internet Comes Back on and Reveals Scenes of a Crackdown." The Washington Post, 14 June 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/14/cuba-protests-internet/. "Securing Our Borders." The White House, 21 Jan. 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/securing-our-borders/. Totenberg, Nina. "Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to End Humanitarian Status for Some Migrants." NPR, 30 May 2025. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2025/05/30/nx-s1-5406775/supreme-court-trump-chnv-program. Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-B) is one of the best wide moat stocks to buy now. On June 9, UBS analyst Peter Grom maintained a Neutral rating on Brown-Forman and slashed the price target from $38 to $30. The price target was amended after the company disclosed challenges at the end of FY2025, with future forecasts suggesting that these issues will persist. Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-B)s Q4 results and outlook for the next year fell short of Street estimates. The companys financial outcomes triggered investor concerns about the present hindrances and whether they will continue in the future or remain a temporary setback. UBS Remains Neutral on Brown-Forman Corporation (BF-B), Trims PT to $30 A close-up of bottles of whisky and other alcoholic beverages from a winery. The analyst commented that before the Q4 results, investors believed that the biggest headwinds had already been priced into the stock, and the possible cost cutting might result in more profits. However, the actual earnings were not aligned with this optimism, leading people to rethink the companys long-term growth potential. Despite the share price drop, Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-B)s valuation is promising, trading at roughly 17x the earnings, which is less than its 5-year average of about 33x. While the valuation is attractive, the analyst noted that the stock will potentially remain within a specific range until more compelling data emerges about future revenue growth. Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-B) is a leading American producer of premium alcoholic beverages, known for iconic brands like Jack Daniels, Woodford Reserve, and Herradura. While we acknowledge the potential of BF-B as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: The Best and Worst Dow Stocks for the Next 12 Months and 10 Unstoppable Stocks That Could Double Your Money. Disclosure: None. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) Here are the top headlines from this morning. Two softball teams came together to help raise money for a KCAU 9 employee as he battles cancer. Local schools raise money for KCAU 9 morning directors cancer battle An inmate tried to escape from the Sac County Jail. Sac County Sheriff: Man assaulted jail staff, attempted escape A tree in Nebraska, that was older than the United States of America, recently died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nebraskas oldest bur oak dies at over 300 years old Check out more stories in the video 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 SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. Peter Stark/Getty Images After controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Los Angeles garment district, mostly peaceful protests began in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, June 6. Demonstrations spread to surrounding neighborhoods and nearby cities such as Paramount and Compton through the weekend. On Monday, June 9, in response to escalating tensions, President Donald Trump deployed 4,000 National Guard troops to the region, doubling the original count of 1,700, and added a battalion of 700 Marines, despite vocal opposition from Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The majority of the protests in Los Angeles have remained peaceful; however, some areas have experienced looting, vandalism, and property damage, particularly in the downtown area. Law enforcement has responded with aggressive tactics, deploying tear gas, flash-bangs, pepper spray, pepper balls, and nonlethal bullets against protesters and at least one journalist. Still, for most travelers, the area where protests are taking place is limited to a 0.2% area of downtown Los Angeles. Here's what to know if you have a trip planned to LA this week. Is it safe to travel to LA right now? Yes, it is safe to travel to the vast majority of Los Angeles. The protests are concentrated in specific areas, with the vast majority of the city and surrounding areas operating as usual. Avoid downtown protest zones during curfew hours, check local updates, and call downtown Los Angeles businesses in advance before visiting. When are the protests planned for? Wednesday, June 11 marked the sixth day of the protests in LA. It is unclear exactly how much longer they will continue. The "No Kings" movement is planning nonviolent protests against the Trump administration's recent actionswhich organizers say have undermined democratic principlesacross multiple cities on Saturday, June 14. What areas of LA are affected? The majority of LA continues to operate as usual. LAX Airport remains unaffected, and popular neighborhoods such as Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and West LA are business as usual. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protests have primarily taken place in downtown Los Angeles, especially near the Metropolitan Detention Center, the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, and the United States Courthouse. These federal sites have become focal points for demonstrations, and travelers can expect street closures and increased law enforcement presence nearby. LA tourist hotspots like Little Tokyo, Grand Central Market, Olvera Street, Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Broad Museum, and parts of the Arts District are within or near the affected area. Notably, Otoro, a well-known sushi restaurant in Little Tokyo, was recently looted. The Japanese American National Museum also suffered damage during the unrest, and riot gear-clad officers have been photographed stationed under the prominent Shohei Ohtani mural nearby. Waymo has temporarily paused autonomous vehicle operations in downtown Los Angeles after several cars were vandalized. Several businesses in the protest-affected corridorespecially along Broadway between 3rd and 7th Streetshave been looted or boarded up, and many are temporarily closed. Call ahead before planning a visit to any downtown business. The law enforcement presence has expanded beyond protest zones to areas such as the Civic Center and Little Tokyo. Travelers should expect to see a visible police and military presence near federal buildings and city landmarks. LA curfew hours To protect property and ensure safety, Mayor Karen Bass issued a curfew for parts of downtown LA from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting Tuesday, June 10. The overnight curfew is expected to remain in place for several days, the New York Times reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The restricted zone spans from the 5 Freeway to the 110 Freeway (east to west) and from the 10 Freeway north to where the 110 and 5 Freeways merge. Over 23 businesses were looted on Monday alone, and the curfew is expected to remain in place for several days. Well-known Los Angeles hotels in the curfew zone include the Miyako Hotel, Conrad Los Angeles, and citizenM. Visitors staying at or near these properties should contact their hotel directly and monitor local alerts for updates. Your rights Los Angeles is a sanctuary city, meaning that local authorities generally do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement unless required to do so by law. However, given the ICE raids that sparked the protests, residents and visitors who are not US citizens and visiting LA may be concerned about their rights if approached by an ICE officer. What to do if ICE approaches you Stay calm. You have the right to remain silent and are not required to answer questions about where you were born or how you entered the US. Ask, Am I free to go? If they say yes, walk away. If they say no, you have the right to remain silent and to speak with a lawyer. If they try to search your belongings, say: I do not consent to this search. Never lie or present false documents. Documents to carry on you (photocopies are okay): Passport (or copy of photo page) US visa or ESTA approval I-94 travel record (download from i94.cbp.dhs.gov) Hotel/lodging address and return flight info Contact info for your countrys consulate Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can also order free Red Cards in 39 languages that cover your rights and can be shown to law enforcement officers. This is a developing news story and will be updated with information as it becomes available. Originally Appeared on Conde Nast Traveler The Latest Travel News and Advice South Korea on Wednesday halted loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts into the nuclear-armed North, the defence ministry said, adding it was a bid to "restore trust" under Seoul's new administration. The decision to suspend the broadcasts was "to make good on a promise to restore trust in South-North Korea relations and seek peace on the Korean peninsula", the defence ministry said in a brief statement. A ministry spokesperson told AFP the broadcasts were halted Wednesday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ties between the two Koreas deteriorated under the hardline administration of hawkish ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol. But Yoon was impeached and stripped of office earlier this year over an abortive martial law declaration. After winning last week's snap poll, Seoul's new President Lee Jae-myung pledged to improve ties with Pyongyang. The loudspeakers were turned on in the demilitarised zone that divides the two Koreas in June last year in response to a barrage of trash-filled balloons flown southward by Pyongyang. The North claimed the balloons were a response to activists floating similar missives filled with anti-Kim Jong Un propaganda and US dollar bills northwards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two Koreas technically remain at war because the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. The anti-North Korea broadcasts infuriate Pyongyang, which has previously threatened artillery strikes against Seoul's loudspeaker units. South Korea's resumption of its broadcasts last year was the first time the tactic had been used in six years. They typically consist of blaring K-pop songs and news reports into the North. - North Korea response? - In response, North Korea turned on its own propaganda broadcasts, sending strange and unsettling noises into the South at all hours, prompting complaints from border residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Ganghwa island, which is very close to the North, villager Ahn Hyo-cheol told AFP that the North Korean noises had "not subsided at all" by Wednesday afternoon. "While I don't have high hopes for how North Korea might change, I think the government's decision to halt loudspeaker broadcasts toward the North is the right move," he said. Ganghwa county councillor Park Heung-yeol told AFP the move by Seoul was "long overdue". "Halting the loudspeaker broadcasts should not be the end -- we must also work to restore inter-Korean communication channels and initiate dialogue to stop the Norths broadcasts targeting the South," Park added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lee, who took office the day after last week's election, has vowed to improve ties with the North through dialogue. "No matter how costly, peace is better than war," he said after he was elected. North Korea has not commented on Lee's election except for a brief news report informing its public of his win. Lee comes to power with his party already holding a parliamentary majority -- secure for the next three years -- meaning he is likely to be able to get his legislative agenda done. The halt to loudspeaker broadcasts "is a clear signal from Lee that he intends to deliver on his campaign promise to improve ties with the North and that he has no hostile intent toward it," said Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We can expect Lee to take further steps to further this stance, such as attempting to revive a military agreement with the North that was scrapped last year," Hong said. "The North could reciprocate by halting its own noise campaign targeting South Koreans living on border-area islands." kjk-cdl/ceb/dhc By Fatos Bytyci PRISTINA (Reuters) -Kosovo has accepted a request to receive migrants deported from the United States, with an initial plan to take in 50 deportees per year, the government said in a statement to Reuters on Wednesday. "The government has expressed its readiness to participate, with the opportunity to select individuals from a proposed pool, provided they meet specific criteria related to the rule of law and public order," it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States is on the look-out for partners to receive third party nationals as it seeks to deliver on President Donald Trump's promise of record-level deportations. Kosovo, a Balkan country of 1.6 million people, already has a deal to receive 300 prison inmates from Denmark beginning in 2027 in return for 210 million euros over the next decade, and has expressed interest in receiving deportees from Britain. Kosovo-U.S. relations are particularly strong, given the U.S. lead in supporting independence from Serbia in 2008. "We hold their support in very high regard," the statement said. (Reporting by Fatos BytyciWriting by Edward McAllister Editing by Peter Graff) Russia is shrugging off European Union plans for an even lower price ceiling on its oil exports, the TASS news agency reported, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov. "Russia has not been living under restrictions for just a day - we have long operated under such conditions, which we continue to regard as unlawful," Peskov is reported as saying. "Russia has gained valuable and substantial experience that allows us to minimize the adverse effects of such measures," he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The EU is aiming to reduce the current price ceiling from $60 per barrel to $45, as part of efforts to tighten Western sanctions on Moscow. Peskov said the move would not bring stability to global oil and energy markets. Russia now sells most of its oil to China and India, maintaining revenue streams that help fund its war economy. The EUs strategy is designed to apply financial pressure to the Kremlin, which relies heavily on raw material exports to sustain its state budget. Moscow repeatedly makes clear that the bloc has not achieved its goal of halting the Russian invasion of Ukraine with its 17 sanctions packages to date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia has nevertheless felt the effects and is demanding the lifting of sanctions in return for a ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the ceiling to be halved to $30 dollars per barrel. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was slammed online for recent comments she made about the Los Angeles community amid ongoing tensions surrounding protests in the city against mass raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. During a Monday night appearance on Fox News show Hannity, both host Sean Hannity and Noem criticized Californias so-called sanctuary policies which, in general, limits cooperation with federal immigration officials. Noem charged that ICE agents have been targeting criminals in Los Angeles who are the worst of the worst despite data and reporting showing that the mass arreststhat have taken place under President Donald Trumps administration have included people with no criminal records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noem went on to charge that Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) have done absolutely nothing about crime in the city. Now shes holding press conferences talking about the fact that people have the right to peacefully protest, and that theyre a city of immigrants, Noem said about Bass on Hannity before she leveled a disparaging dig about Angelenos. Well, theyre not a city of immigrants; theyre a city of criminals, she continued. Because she has protected them for so many years. People in Los Angeles have taken to the streets to protest the Trump administrations ICE raids in their neighborhoods. Newsom has accused Trump of escalating the situation after he deployed Marines and National Guard troops in California to counter the protests. The president justified his decision to do so despite objections from Newsom telling reporters from the Oval Office on Tuesday that he was done playing by the rules. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom has accused the president of wanting to fuel chaos in Los Angeles. The last time a president deployed the National Guard without cooperation from a governor was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect civil rights protesters. People on X, formerly Twitter, slammed Noems comments about Los Angeles, the second largest city in the country, which has rich cultural diversity. Many called her comments dehumanizing. Speaking about Noems comments on Hannity, Collin Anderson, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences, said that its always concerning to hear a high-ranking federal employee paint entire swathes of the country with a broad brush. He emphasized that its important to remember that federal employees are public servants who are supposed to serve the people. A protester photographed holding up a sign in front of the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on Monday. via Associated Press Noem calling Los Angeles a city of criminals is a tactic and its dangerous. Anderson said that Noems comments that Los Angeles is a city of criminals is an attempt to paint the situation in LA as quite dire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said that if news reports suggest that all of LA is burning, and the city is brimming with criminals, then people will be more likely to support harsher measures to bring what they perceive to be as out of control violence even though, he said, people participating in the protests represent only a fraction of a percentage of the population of the city, and that the demonstrations are confined to a geographic area of a few square miles. And Anderson said that baselessly describing people as criminals people who for the most part have not gone through due process to determine their criminality or not is meant to cast them as being in an out-group a group that isnt part of proper society. Dehumanizing language is dangerous, and society must always be vigilant about it, lest we repeat the horrors of the past, he said. The last thing to remember in all of this [is] rights are either for everyone, or they are for no one. If someone elses rights are being violated, your rights can be too, he continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jaime Dominguez, a political scientist and associate professor of Instruction at Northwestern University Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, said that Noems comments about Los Angeles reflect an overarching theme within the Trump administration, which is to criminalize immigrants and seeing immigrants through just this linear lens. And the lens is, of course, that theyre not a citizen, they dont care about the country, theyre not invested in the country, he said. Dominguez said that viewing immigrants this way gives Noem and other members of the Trump administration the leverage to basically target immigrants and to push a narrative that theyre not invested in our country. He emphasized that this strategy from the current administration is dangerous. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once you dehumanize the immigrant in the eyes of the public, then the public will become immune and desensitized to what we see happening on the street, he said, before later adding: Its out of the playbook of authoritarian figures. Dominguez also stressed that Trumps decision to send troops to Los Angeles is part of his tactic to create chaos and disorder and to make it seem as though hes the one fixing it. Its part of Trumps DNA, he said. Related... Arkansas Department of Human Services Sec. Kristi Putnam discusses the state's waiver request for Medicaid work requirements on Jan. 28, 2025 as State Medicaid Director Janet Mann (left) and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders listen. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) Arkansas State Medicaid Director Janet Mann will become secretary of the Department of Human Services next month as Secretary Kristi Putnam returns to Kentucky, the governors office announced Wednesday. Mann serves as DHS deputy secretary of programs as well as medicaid director. She has over 20 years of experience in healthcare and healthcare finance and previously served as chief financial officer and director of the division of medical services for the department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Putnam was deputy secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services when Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders picked her to lead Arkansas Human Services Department in 2023. Over the past two-and-a-half years, Kristi has overhauled the Department of Human Services and brought much-needed reforms to the programs her agency oversees, including foster care, Medicaid, maternal health, food stamps, and more, Sanders said in the press release announcing Putnams departure and Manns promotion. I am grateful that we have someone as qualified as Janet to take over for Kristi and seamlessly continue to make positive changes at DHS, Sanders said. Janet has an encyclopedic knowledge of her agency and I know she is the exact right person to lead DHS into the future. Sanders said Putnam will be returning to Kentucky. Putnam said her whole career has focused on serving families, and this move back to Kentucky is so I can serve my own family in a bigger way, according to the release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Putnam described Mann as the absolute right person to step up as secretary. The incoming secretary is one of the most creative policy experts I have ever known, and will take DHS to new levels of success, Putnam said. Mann said she is honored that Sanders selected her and is looking forward to continue the great work Kristi and I have been able to accomplish in this administration. As DHS deputy secretary of programs, Mann oversees the departments divisions of aging, substance abuse and mental health, developmental disabilities, provider services and quality assurance, eligibility, child welfare and youth services, as well as Medicaid. The department is the states largest agency with a total budget of about $11 billion, and its programs serve approximately 1 in 3 Arkansans. Manns background includes a stint as the deputy administrator for Mississippi Medicaid and as a consultant to several states Medicaid agencies on finance, reporting, managed care, program integrity, organizational assessments and eligibility, according to the press release. She holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting from the University of Alabama and is a Certified Public Accountant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governors press release said she, Putnam and Mann have worked closely together to deliver transformational change to the people of Arkansas. It cited Arkansas welfare to work requirement, changes initiated by the Governors Maternal Health Strategic Committee to support pregnant people and a foster care and adoption initiative that has reduced the number of children in foster care. The release also cited the states first-in-the-nation law preventing pharmacy benefit managers from operating drug stores in Arkansas and the newly approved ban on the use of SNAP benefits for soft drinks and candy. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Labor unrest is hitting the grocery industry hard, and Kroger may be the next to feel the full impact. One of the nations largest grocery chains now faces a potential strike that could shutter stores and disrupt supply chains across multiple states. The Street reported that tension began building in early June when CDL drivers at Krogers Forest Park fulfillment center in Georgia voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. Represented by Teamsters Local 528, the workers say theyre fed up with Krogers refusal to negotiate what they call a fair contract. Their demands? Better wages, real benefits, and enforceable protections in the workplace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These workers organized with the Teamsters to win better wages, real benefits, and respect on the job, said Teamsters Warehouse Division Director Tom Erickson. If Kroger refuses to deliver, well do whatever it takes to hold them accountable. This vote follows another recent strike authorization from a separate labor union within Kroger, signaling a broader wave of employee dissatisfaction. Its part of a trend sweeping through major industries, from Starbucks to airlines, where union activity is ramping up, demanding better treatment and compensation for frontline workers. Krogers goal is to provide employees with stability while working to reach a fair and balanced agreement that both rewards our associates and keeps groceries affordable for the millions of American families we serve," Erin Rolfes, Director, Corporate Communications & Media Relations, told Men's Journal in a statement. Unlike airlines, which require federal approval before a strike, grocery chains like Kroger dont have that layer of protection. That gives workers serious leverage and raises the stakes for the company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If workers walk out, Kroger stores in affected areas could close temporarily. This closure would force customers to shop at competitors like Walmart, Target, and Costco since food is a necessity. However, Kroger noted that these stores are all non-union and actively fight against organizing. Of course, once shoppers change habits, theres no guarantee theyll return. That means Kroger would have to spend resources wooing them back. With union momentum building and public support for workers growing, Kroger may soon have to choose between negotiating or facing widespread disruption. Either way, the grocery giant is on the clock. Related: Grocery Chain Favorite Just Launched Summer Inspired Flavors With a Massive Giveaway Kroger Faces Massive Strike Threat With Big Consequences for Shoppers first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 11, 2025 Frustrated by Democrats' seniority system, Kweisi Mfume fled the House three decades ago, saying he could do more to advance civil rights from the outside. Now hes back and trying to reap the benefits of seniority at a moment when many in his party are starting to openly question it. The Baltimore native last month surprised many House colleagues by entering the wide-open race to lead Democrats on the high-profile Oversight Committee, seeking to fill the spot vacated by the sudden death of Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly. Into the void jumped a pair of young, ambitious members Jasmine Crockett of Texas and Robert Garcia of California as well as a close Connolly ally, Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts. And then theres Mfume, who at 76 is making no bones about this being the capstone of a long career that included stints leading the Congressional Black Caucus and the NAACP jobs he took back in the 1990s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I started a long time ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth, Mfume joked in an interview, before describing his old-school approach to legislative relations: The first thing you learn is how to count votes, which has never failed me yet, he said, adding that he would be careful not to alienate colleagues by doing something that causes problems for them in their district. Rather than detail a point-by-point agenda for taking on President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, Mfume said if elected hed convene the committees Democrats to decide a course of action. The party, he said, can only move forward with a consensus. That style stands in sharp contrast to a Democratic base thats itching for more aggressive leadership and a more visible fight with Trump something the other candidates are clearly heeding: Garcia has tangled with the Justice Department over his criticism of Elon Musk; Crockett has broached the prospect of a Trump impeachment inquiry; and Lynch, as the panels interim top Democrat, attempted last week to subpoena Musk during a panel hearing. The race also threatens to become a proxy fight for broader questions about age and seniority inside the Democratic Party. House Democrats ousted several aging committee leaders at the end of last Congress as they girded for a fight with the Trump administration and many in the base were disappointed when Connolly triumphed over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The winner is poised to lead efforts to investigate and thwart the Trump administration if Democrats can retake the House majority next year and ride herd on a chaotic panel that in recent months has featured intense personal attacks between lawmakers and the display of nude photos. It's a street fight every day, said Rep. Lateefah Simon of California when asked about the panel and what it takes to lead it. It's every single day being able to expose the hypocrisy of this administration and to tell the truth. There was a time when Mfume would have been a natural choice for such a moment. First elected to Baltimores City Council at the age of 30, he quickly butted heads with legendary Mayor William Donald Schaefer. After longtime Rep. Parren Mitchell retired, Mfume easily won the seat in 1986 and within a few years become a national figure due to his chairmanship of the CBC. Ascending to that role just as Bill Clinton was elected to the presidency, he became an important power broker, forcing key concessions in Clintons 1993 budget and pushing the White House to restore ousted Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. He also clashed with Clinton at times, including over his decision to pull the nomination of prominent Black legal scholar Lani Guinier to a top Justice Department post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But after Democrats lost their House majority in 1994 and Mfume lost a quixotic bid to enter the party leadership he decided two years later to forgo a long climb up the seniority ladder. He instead took the helm at the Baltimore-based NAACP, a job thought to better harness his skills at organizing and oratory. Former Maryland state Sen. Jill Carter said Mfume has long had the it factor and charisma that matters in politics. When Carter ran against Mfume in his 2020 House comeback bid, she got a reminder of how well her rival was known in the district and beyond: When some of my people did exit polling, they got the response, Oh, we love Jill but, come on, this is Kweisi. Whats less clear is whether Mfumes reputation in Baltimore, burnished over 45 years in the public eye, makes him the man for the moment as far as his contemporary House colleagues are concerned. Hes not known as a partisan brawler, and he said in the interview he doesnt intend to become one. There are always going to be fights and disagreements, he said. It's kind of escalated in the last few years to a level that we haven't seen before. I think the main thing is to moderate and to manage the disagreements, because you're not going to cause any of them to go away. How you manage them and how they are perceived by the overall public is what makes a difference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mfume is leaning heavily, in fact, on the style and reputation of the man who filled the 7th District seat for the 24 years in between his House stints the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, who served as top Democrat and then chair of Oversight during Trumps first term and is still spoken of in reverent terms inside the caucus. Mfume concedes that Cummings might have been the better communicator he had a little more preacher in him than I do but said they share a similar lofty approach to politics. Like Cummings, he suggested prescription drug prices might be a committee priority. What Mfume is unlikely to have is the official support of the Congressional Black Caucus, a powerful force in intracaucus politics. With two members in the race Crockett also belongs Mfume said he does not expect a formal CBC endorsement after an interview process Wednesday. But he still expected to draw support from the bloc especially its more senior members. Other factors complicate Mfumes candidacy. One is age: He is a year older than Connolly was when he was elected to lead Oversight Democrats last year. For those who prize seniority, Lynch has actually spent more time on the panel. And his 2004 departure from the NAACP was marred by controversy: The Baltimore Sun reported the executive committee of the group voted not to extend his contract under threat of a sexual harassment lawsuit; the NAACP later paid the woman who complained a $100,000 settlement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mfume strenuously denied any wrongdoing, but while the episode has not emerged as a major issue in the Oversight race, some Democrats have privately expressed reservations about elevating a leader with personal baggage to potentially lead investigations of Trump. There's never been one person to corroborate that one allegation not one, Mfume said. About the payment, he said, I found out about it, quite frankly, after it happened. Much of the Democratic Caucus remains undecided ahead of the June 24 secret-ballot vote. Candidates will first go before Democrats Steering and Policy Committee, which will make a recommendation to the full caucus. I think that you have a situation where Mfume and Steve Lynch are getting support from folks who put seniority at top, and maybe the other two candidates would probably lean toward members who are newer, and then you got a whole host of folks that's in the middle. And I think that's where the battle is to see where they fall, said Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One younger member said he was swayed by Mfumes experience. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who is 48 and had weighed his own bid, said that while other candidates were compelling, the Baltimorean had a leg up. Kweisi shows me pictures of him with Nelson Mandela, he said. I was like, I'm not going to run against Nelson Mandela's best friend. Gov. Andy Beshear speaks to reporters in Louisville. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley) LOUISVILLE In the wake of tension between the White House and and elected officials in California, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky said that violence is never acceptable but a chain of command should be respected. Over the weekend, Republican President Donald Trump mobilized California National Guard troops in response to protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents activity in Los Angeles over the objections of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. The president also ordered U.S. Marines to respond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beshear said that violence is never acceptable when speaking to reporters following a Greater Louisville Inc. luncheon where he was the keynote speaker Wednesday, adding that Los Angeles police should crack down and I know is cracking down on anybody who is breaking the law, is vandalizing and or is throwing things at officers. But as somebody who has had to govern through major protests, you need to have a chain of command where all the different groups can communicate with each other in law enforcement so that you can be effective, Beshear said. Beshear mobilized the Kentucky National Guard during 2020 protests in Louisville against police violence. Ultimately, a West End barbecue owner David McAtee died as a result of a gunshot wound from a National Guard member, but no local police officers or Guards members faced state charges in the incident. Beshear initially called in the Guard to Louisville after seven people were shot during a protest. Beshear said his main concern is by having a president call in a states National Guard without communicating to the governor about it at all, means you have different chains of command for the police, for the state police, for the National Guard, and now for the Marines, and that could be dangerous in the response itself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So whats most important is that people are safe, that any police response is effective, that it prevents violence, but it cannot stop peaceful, lawful protest. The Kentucky governor, who is vice chair of the Democratic Governors Association, was part of a joint statement released by the association Sunday condemning Trumps mobilization of the California National Guard. Demonstrators protest outside a downtown jail in Los Angeles following two days of clashes with police during a series of immigration raids on June 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) The Democratic governors statement sparked a backlash from the Republican Party of Kentucky. In a Tuesday statement, state Republican spokesman Andy Westberry said by opposing President Trumps attempt to restore order and gain control of a dangerous situation, Beshear is giving the latest reminder that his delusional presidential fantasies matter more to him than what the overwhelming majority of Kentuckians support: public safety, enforcing federal immigration law, and standing with law enforcement. When asked about the statement, Beshear emphasized that his concern was that a governor should be and must be consulted if a president is going to call out their National Guard to ensure safety and allow peaceful protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If I ordered hundreds of state police into a county over the objections of the county judge, the sheriff and the police chief, I bet those same legislators would say Im doing something wrong, the governor said. In response to this story, Westberry issued a statement Wednesday evening calling Beshears comments comical. After his own inadequate response to violent riots and widespread looting in Louisville during the Breonna Taylor protests five years ago, how does Beshear have any moral authority to lecture President Trump on handling civil unrest and what exactly would he do differently in Los Angeles? Westberry said. Republican Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman joined other GOP attorneys general on Tuesday in backing Trumps mobilization of the National Guard in California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When local and state officials wont act, the federal government must, Coleman said on X. In the days ahead, protests are being organized nationwide and across Kentucky to protest Trump who on Saturday will preside over a military parade in Washington D.C. It also will be the presidents 79th birthday. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg recently said that the city would not tolerate damage to property, but some local protests so far have been peaceful. When asked about the Louisville protests, Beshear also agreed that they have been peaceful so far and that the Louisville Metro Police Department can monitor them. Beshear said that he has not heard anything from the White House about replicating the California order to mobilize the National Guard in other states in response to protests. This story was updated Thursday morning with additional comments. Starling, a UK digital bank, has launched a new generative AI chatbot named Spending Intelligence, integrated within its mobile app. The chatbot is designed to answer customer queries about their spending habits. It is powered by Gemini, Google's LLM, and operates within the Google Cloud Platform, where Starling hosts its tech infrastructure. Spending Intelligence is now available to all Starling customers, including personal and business account holders. The chatbot is accessible via a search bar located at the top of the existing spending section of the app, providing users with insights into their spending patterns across more than 50 customisable categories. The new chatbot builds on this functionality by enabling users to ask questions about their spending during defined timeframes. Spending Intelligence draws only on data from within customers Starling accounts and does not offer financial advice, such as investment suggestions or savings strategies, due to regulatory boundaries. The feature is free to use and, according to Starlings chief information officer Harriet Rees, there are absolutely no plans to make it paid for use, according to This is Money. By analysing the types of questions customers ask, Starling also hopes to identify opportunities for further AI deployment, such as fraud detection and onboarding processes. As part of its agreement with Google, any data received through customer interactions with the chatbot will not be used to train Gemini's LLMs. While future updates may include features such as suggesting ways to save money, for now, the chatbot is focused solely on providing insights into spending. Rees said: We're having a think about how you could save. But we genuinely believe giving customers insights about how they are spending is the best way to get them thinking about where they could save. In April, Starling Bank's Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) division, Engine by Starling, established its first international subsidiary, Engine by Starling Services US. "UKs Starling Bank rolls out Gen AI powered chatbot " was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. A neighborhood in Springfield, Oregon, on June 10 renamed a local street from "Kiev" to "Kyiv" a move initiated by members of the Kyiv Independent's global community. Photos shared with the Kyiv Independent show the newly installed blue-and-yellow street sign, reflecting both the correct Ukrainian transliteration and the national colors of Ukraine. The change comes amid a broader effort by Ukraine and its allies worldwide to move away from Russian-derived place names and honor Ukraine's linguistic and political independence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're very proud of our city (Springfield, OR, U.S.) for supporting our efforts to make this happen," one community member told the Kyiv Independent. The new street sign in a neighborhood of Springfield, Oregon, U.S. (Photo provided by Kyiv Independent community members) The spelling "Kiev," pronounced "kee-yev," is the Russian version of Ukraine's capital. "Kyiv" (pronounced "keev") is the correct Ukrainian form, based on the native pronunciation and Latin transliteration. For decades, global usage favored Russian-based spellings, a legacy of the Soviet Union's dominance and the widespread misconception that Ukrainian cities and culture were merely extensions of Russia. Even after Ukraine declared independence in 1991, much of the international community continued using names like Kiev, Lvov, and Odessa all Russified versions. That began to change after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and its war in eastern Ukraine. The full-scale invasion in 2022 accelerated the shift, prompting governments, media outlets, and advocacy groups to adopt Ukrainian transliterations such as Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa. A city worker installs a new street sign in Springfield, Oregon, U.S., officially changing the spelling from "Kiev" to "Kyiv." (Photo provided by Kyiv Independent community members) Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has promoted the change through campaigns like #KyivNotKiev, arguing that the use of correct names respects Ukraine's sovereignty and resists Russian imperial narratives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, have long emphasized historical ties to Kyiv in their justification for expansionist policies. Renaming streets and using correct spellings is one way communities abroad are pushing back. Read also: Kyiv, not Kiev How Ukrainians reclaimed their capitals name Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. UPDATED, 1 PM: After nearly a week of curtailment, the curfew on one square mile in Downtown Los Angeles was lifted Tuesday. As we continue to adapt quickly to the chaos coming out of Washington, Im prepared to reinstate it if necessary, wrote L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. The safety and stability of LA remains my top priority. More from Deadline Effective today, I am lifting the curfew in Downtown Los Angeles. As we continue to adapt quickly to the chaos coming out of Washington, Im prepared to reinstate it if necessary. The safety and stability of LA remains my top priority. Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 17, 2025 PREVIOUSLY on June 16: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Monday that, while a curfew will continue for a small part of downtown L.A., the hours of said restriction will be lessened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im reducing the curfew hours in Downtown LA to now begin at 10 PM as our efforts have helped protect businesses and communities from bad actors, wrote Bass. The priority remains the same: safety, stability and support for residents, business owners and venues as we respond to chaos from Washington. Im reducing the curfew hours in Downtown LA to now begin at 10 PM as our efforts have helped protect businesses and communities from bad actors. The priority remains the same: safety, stability and support for residents, business owners and venues as we respond to chaos from pic.twitter.com/mkvHlh5iqR Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 16, 2025 That means the curfew now runs from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell in a statement echoed Bass comments, adding that the adjusted curfew reflects the progress weve made in reducing crime and vandalism in the zone. That said, were not letting our guard down, McDonnell said. The LAPD will maintain a strong presence in the downtown area to ensure the safety of residents, businesses and demonstrators alike. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PREVIOUSLY, June 12: With thousands of #NoKings protests set across the country including in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, local officials extended the curfew in downtown L.A. at least through tonight. The LAPD confirmed the news to Deadline. The curfew, which runs 8 p.m.-6 a.m. was imposed by L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Tuesday night to curb looting in a one square mile area amid growing protests over ICE raids and the Trump administration calling in the National Guard and Marines. Bass said then she expected the curfew to be in effect for several days, and that she will consult with law enforcement officials about extending the curfew for additional days. #NoKings marches are expected to draw millions of people in all 50 states on Saturday. In Los Angeles, there are a dozen such gatherings planned. The largest of them will undoubtedly be the one planned for Downtown. It will begin at 10 a.m. in front of City Hall which is, its worth noting, smack in the middle of the curfew zone. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, seven people were arrested for curfew violations Wednesday night and Thursday morning. There were 71 arrests for failure to disperse, two for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and one for resisting an officer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A motorist was arrested late Wednesday for allegedly driving through a skirmish line of protesters and police officers near Beverly Boulevard and Western Avenue in Koreatown. That driver led authorities on a high-speed freeway chase into the Inglewood area, where he was arrested after attempting to flee the vehicle on foot on a surface street. On Wednesday morning, LAPD officials said 17 people were arrested for curfew violations on Tuesday night. Throughout the day Tuesday, the LAPD arrested 203 people for failure to disperse. Three people were arrested for possession of a firearm, one for assault with a deadly weapon and one for discharging a laser at an LAPD airship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two officers were injured during Tuesdays unrest, according to the LAPD. The curfew zone extends east to west from the 5 Freeway to the 110 Freeway; and from north to south from the 10 Freeway to where the 110 and 5 freeways merge. See map below. COMMUNITY CONCERNS Questions have been raised regarding the 101 freeway on and off ramps. They will remain closed due to scheduled protests today. Curfew will remain effective begging this evening at 8 pm and ending at 6 am. If an employee or family/friend member pic.twitter.com/5yPHNL8QCU LAPD Central Division (@LAPDCentral) June 11, 2025 Deadline reported earlier on how the closure is impacting L.A. Live, which houses Crypto.com Arena, the Peacock Theater and the massive Regal L.A. Live cineplex, and other downtown venues such as the Mark Taper Forum, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Convention Center. PREVIOUSLY on June 10: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a curfew tonight for Downtown Los Angeles after five days of protests and minor clashes with police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The curfew will be in place from 8 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. tomorrow, announced Bass, noting that it could last for several days and would be reevaluated tomorrow. Everyone must abide by this curfew. The boundaries of the area impacted are relatively small: One square mile from the 5 freeway to the 110 freeway and from the 10 to the point where the 110 and the 5 merge. The mayor emphasized that the protests have been limited to roughly this one square mile across the 500-plus square miles that make up L.A. Limited exceptions will apply for residents, people traveling to and from work and credentialed media representatives, said Bass. If you are within that curfew during the restricted hours without a legal exemption, you will be arrested, said LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The area under curfew encompasses Disney Hall, the Taper, the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, Crypto.com Areana, L.A. Live, the Convention Center, City Hall and Union Station. In fact, Disney Hall canceled a performance. Due to the curfew put in place for downtown Los Angeles, tonights Seoul Chamber Music concert has been canceled at Walt Disney Concert Hall, according to a statement. Bass also said a local emergency has been declared and that the curfew was necessary after dozens of businesses were looted last night. I issued a curfew starting tonight at 8pm for Downtown Los Angeles to stop bad actors who are taking advantage of the President's chaotic escalation. If you do not live or work in Downtown L.A., avoid the area. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 11, 2025 The recent protests, sparked by federal immigration enforcement efforts in Los Angeles and more recently President Trumps order to have U.S. Marines deploy in the city, led to dozens of arrests today as demonstrators gathered outside the downtown Metropolitan Detention Center and a splinter group made its way onto the Hollywood (101) Freeway, briefly blocking both directions of traffic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal detention center on Alameda and Aliso streets has been a common site of protests over the past four days, along with the nearby federal building and federal courthouse. The nearby federal building on Los Angeles Street houses the local office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Hundreds of people ultimately gathered outside MDC Tuesday afternoon, but National Guard troop formed a skirmish line to prevent them from entering the facility. By early afternoon, the Los Angeles Police Department had ordered the crowd to disperse, and many protesters made their way either north or south on Alameda Street, away from the MDC. A group of several hundred protesters marched east on Temple Street then made their way north to the 101 Freeway, poured through a gap in a chain link fence and walked onto the freeway, blocking traffic on both sides. California Highway Patrol officers, however, wasted little time and took aggressive action to push the crowd off the roadway. At least two people were seen being taken into custody as they struggled with CHP officers pushing them back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Los Angeles Police Department, 96 people were arrested on suspicion of failure to disperse during Monday nights demonstrations. One person was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, another on suspicion of resisting arrest and one on suspicion of vandalism. Another 14 people were arrested on suspicion of looting. Two officers were injured during the Monday unrest. They were treated at a hospital and released, according to the LAPD. Numerous less-lethal rounds were fired by officers from the LAPD and other partner agencies Monday night and early Tuesday morning. Police eventually demobilized around 3 a.m. Tuesday. Mayor Karen Bass condemned the looting, noting in a social media post that people who are vandalizing and burglarizing stores are unaffiliated with people legitimately protesting on behalf of immigrants. Trump over the weekend federalized 2,000 California National Guard troops and ordered them to be deployed to Los Angeles, despite protests by Bass, Gov. Gavin Newsom and other local officials who said such a move would further exacerbate tensions and lead to more intense protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Trump doubled-down on the move Monday, ordering an additional 2,000 Guard troops into the city, while also directing 700 U.S. Marines to move into Los Angeles and support the Guards mission of protecting federal facilities and personnel. Pentagon officials said Tuesday the deployment is expected to cost about $134 million. The state of California sued Trump on Monday to overturn the federalization of National Guard troops, and it filed an emergency motion in federal court in Northern California Tuesday seeking a restraining order to block the deployment of the National Guard and the Marines. It was unclear when a hearing on the matter might be held. Newsom also condemned the move, saying Marines shouldnt be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president. This is un-American. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, meanwhile, said his agency had been given no formal notice about Marines being deployed to the city, and he said without better coordination, their arrival could present a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city. McDonnell indicated tonight that his department has everything it needs to protect the city which, he said, was nowhere near needing federal troops on the street. In fact, he said, the next move would be to request more help from the neighboring counties, not the feds. The sequence would be: We request mutual aid from partner agencies throughout the seven county area. The next step, then, is though the governor the sheriff to the governor and the emergency OES at the state that the national guard be deployed. We are nowhere near that in this environment. We believe we can do what we need to do with the resources that we now have access to. City News Service contributed to this report. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass enacted a partial curfew for Downtown L.A. on Tuesday evening, following five days of protests against immigration raids in the city. If you do not live or work in Downtown L.A., avoid the area, Bass said during a press conference Tuesday. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew and you will be prosecuted. It will begin at 8 p.m. tonight and go until 6 a.m. tomorrow. In a post to X, Bass said the reasoning behind the move was to stop bad actors who are taking advantage of the presidents chaotic escalation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While, officially, the curfew has only been put in place for Tuesday night, Bass said she will be speaking with elected leaders and law enforcement officials tomorrow and that she certainly expect[s] for it to last for several days. Protesters gather outside of a federal building following raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that began last Friday, on June 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. / Spencer Platt/Getty Images As repeatedly stressed by Bass during the conference, the curfew will only impact a small area of the city. Look at the map and you can see that the city of Los Angeles is a massive area, 502 square miles. The area of downtown where the curfew will take place is one square mile, Bass said. The mayor went on to note that there are exceptions to the curfew, including for residents, people heading to or from work, and credentialed members of the media. Demonstrators protest outside a downtown jail in Los Angeles following two days of clashes with police during a series of immigration raids on June 08, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. / Spencer Platt/Getty Images White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller subsequently criticized Bass explanation for the curfew, writing in an X post: Chaotic escalation = federal authorities arresting illegal aliens. The Mayor is using the rhetoric of the insurrectionist mob. Chaotic escalation = federal authorities arresting illegal aliens. The Mayor is using the rhetoric of the insurrectionist mob. https://t.co/wa9fGJSRL5 Stephen Miller (@StephenM) June 11, 2025 California Governor Gavin Newsom held a presser of his own Tuesday night, where he slammed the Trump administrations handling of the protestsnamely, their decision to deploy the National Guard and Marines without his approvaland warned that although California may be first Democracy is next. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This isnt just about protests here in Los Angeles, said Newsom. When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state in this nation. This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Newsom warned democracy is next during a speech Tuesday. / Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Protests first erupted in L.A. on Friday after word spread that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were targeting four businesses, including a Home Depot, on the suspicion that they had unlawfully hired undocumented immigrants and fabricated employment records, according to ABC News. Activists, local residents, family members, and more showed up to the different locations and proceeded to confront law enforcement about the raids, with protests still ongoing. A Los Angeles County probation officer was arrested Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of smuggling drugs into a juvenile hall where a teen died of a drug overdose in 2023, prosecutors said. Michael Solis, 59, allegedly conspired with two juvenile detainees to sell Xanax to people being held inside Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar between May and August of 2023, according to a criminal complaint filed last week. Court records show Solis allegedly began conspiring to sell the drugs on May, 14, 2023, just five days after 18-year-old detainee Bryan Diaz died of a fentanyl overdose in the same building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trafficking illegal drugs to juveniles is unconscionable under any circumstances, let alone as a government employee taking advantage of vulnerable youth in need of guidance and support, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said in a statement. Probation officers have as their primary duty the protection, health and safety of juveniles under their care. My office will not tolerate such an abuse of power, which endangers youth, undermines rehabilitation, and makes our communities less safe. A spokesperson for the district attorney's office said Solis was cited to appear for arraignment on June 18. The office declined to say whether Diaz's death sparked the investigation into Solis, who faces up to three years in prison if he is convicted. Reports of increased drug use among teens held at the Secure Youth Treatment Facility at Nidorf, where Solis worked, had surfaced in the months before Diaz's death. Read more: Judge orders more than 100 youths moved out of troubled L.A. County juvenile hall Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April 2023, the L.A. County inspector general's office detailed two incidents where youths were taken to medical facilities or revived with Narcan after fentanyl overdoses. A March 2023 search of the unit where the teens overdosed uncovered pills laced with fentanyl and two large bindles of what appeared to be fentanyl inside a dormitory, according to the inspector generals report. Diaz died on May 9, 2023. Five days later, according to the criminal complaint, Solis began conspiring with two juveniles at Nidorf to bring Xanax into the jails. Court filings say he was caught on camera twice handing a juvenile identified only as "Co-Conspirator A" small packages believed to be drugs inside Nidorf. Solis, whom the juveniles nicknamed "Old Boy" in phone calls recorded by law enforcement, was charging as much as $400 per drug drop, according to the complaint. The enterprise fell apart in August 2023 when Co-Conspirator A was caught with 106 Xanax pills, court records show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no room in this Department for anyone who violates the public trust and endangers the safety and wellbeing of the youth in our care, Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Viera Rosa said in a statement Tuesday. We applaud the action taken by District Attorney Nathan Hochman, and remain steadfast in our commitment to holding our staff to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and accountability. Solis first came under scrutiny in October 2023 after another Secure Youth Treatment Facility resident, Nicholas Ibarra, was charged with bringing drugs into the facility. Ibarra told two probation officers Reggie Torres and David Corona that he could identify an officer bringing drugs into the facility, according to Tom Yu, an attorney representing both officers. Torres and Corona were both placed on administrative leave a short time later for conducting an "incomplete investigation," according to Yu, who said the charges against Solis vindicated the officers. "My guys were unlawfully fed with essentially, they were harassed, and they were obstructed from doing their jobs," Yu said. "Solis was the target of the investigation." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Probation Department has not responded to Yu's allegations since he first made them in 2023. The charges are the latest in a series of criminal investigations targeting probation officers. This year, a California attorney general's office investigation into so-called gladiator fights at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey led to indictments against 30 officers. A probation supervisor also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in February, years after The Times published video of him bending a teen in half inside Camp Kilpatrick. 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. Protests in Los Angeles rage on, after the downtown curfew was declared for the second night in a row on Wednesday. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said the measure was put in place to stop bad actors who are taking advantage of the President's chaotic escalation. The L.A. Police Department (LAPD) provided further details, publishing a map highlighting the area to which the restrictions apply, covering a portion of the citys downtown area. Police on horseback dispersed crowds in L.A. before the curfew came into effect at 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday evening. (The curfew lifts at 6 a.m. local time.) An estimated 400 people have now been arrested so far as part of the ongoing protests in the southern Californian city. Hundreds of protesters marched on L.A. City Hall on Wednesday evening. What began as a peaceful demonstration reportedly turned violent, as police used less-lethal munitions and horses to disperse crowds, with many protesters fleeing into nearby Grand Park Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LAPD reported on Wednesday that 203 arrests had been made for failure to disperse, and 17 additional arrests for curfew violations. Furthermore, three protesters were arrested for possession of a firearm, and one arrest was made for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer. Mayor Bass said in a press conference that if there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue. Joined by more than 30 leaders of Californian cities, Bass once again criticized the immigration raids ordered by the Trump Administration. Mayors across the L.A. region and the country have spoken out unequivocally against these reckless raids and the Trump Administrations chaotic escalation here in Los Angeles, Bass said, saying the city is stuck in no mans land, not knowing when the immigration policies will end. Read More: Trump Sparks Backlash as National Guard Arrives in L.A. on His Orders to Quell Immigration Protests: Purposefully Inflammatory Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protests started in Los Angeles on Friday, as locals demonstrated against President Donald Trumps immigration policies, his Administrations push to ramp up deportations, and raids conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The protests turned violent, with reports of vandalism and looting. Over the weekend, Trump deployed the National Guard in response to the protests, he did so without a request being made by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. In fact, Newsom and Bass have both been vocal in their disapproval over Trumps decision to bypass them and call in the National Guard. Trump has since ordered marines to quell the protests, also. The U.S. Northern Command said on Wednesday that Marines have completed necessary training and would be deployed within the following 48 hours. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When National Guard troops started arriving in L.A. on Sunday morning, Newsom said: Trump is sending 2,000 National Guard troops into L.A. Countynot to meet an unmet need, but to manufacture a crisis. Hes hoping for chaos so he can justify more crackdowns, more fear, more control. Newsom urged Californians to never use violence and stay peaceful. Newsom has since called the added deployment of the marines "a blatant abuse of power," maintaining that Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense, is "illegally deploying them onto American streets so Trump can have a talking point at his parade this weekend." A federal judge is due to hold a hearing on Thursday over Californias request to block the Trump Administration from using troops in Los Angeles. The hearing comes after an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order filed Tuesday by Newsom was denied. Tensions continue to rise between Gov. Newsom and President Trump Newsom has continued to criticise Trumps use of the states National Guard, saying the President is pulling personnel from other crucial services and inflaming the situation by mobilizing the military. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ranch Fire in San Bernardino is 4,000 acres and growing. Meanwhile, 5 of Californias 14 National Guard fire crews are understaffed because Trump deployed them for a political stunt in L.A.. This isnt just illegal. Its dangerous, Newsom said. During an appearance on the On Democracy with FPWellman podcast, Newsom again criticized the Presidents actions. He [Trump] has no stated purpose for them except to exercise a propaganda ploy and to politicize our military, he said, adding that Trump is trying to impose a mindset of militarization, power, dominance, and controlnot the rule of law. On Thursday morning, Trump doubled down on his decision to bypass Newsom and send troops into L.A. "Los Angeles was safe and sound for the last two nights. Our great National Guard, with a little help from the Marines, put the L.A. Police in a position to effectively do their job. They all worked well together, but without the military, Los Angeles would be a crime scene like we havent seen in years," he said, claiming that Newsom had totally lost control of the situation. He should be saying THANK YOU for saving his ass, instead of trying to justify his mistakes and incompetence! Trump concluded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Newsom addressed Californians, and Americans as a whole, in an impassioned speech on Tuesday night. Whats happening right now is very different than anything weve seen before This isnt just about protests here in Los Angeles. When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state in this nation, Newsom said. The Governor also maintained that Trumps deployment of the National Guard and the subsequent introduction of marines was illegal. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next, he warned. Read More: Greg Abbott Orders National Guard to Deploy in Texas as Protests Spread Across U.S. Cities Protests spread beyond L.A. Meanwhile, the protests have now far surpassed L.A. and have spread to other U.S. cities. As of Thursday morning, protests have reportedly taken place in 37 different cities in the U.S., across 21 states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city of Spokane in Washington state was put under curfew at 9:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday after a reported 1,000 protesters took part in demonstrations and 30 people were arrested. In Chicago, thousands of protesters congregated in the downtown area as part of anti-deportation protests on Tuesday. Police said that protests were largely peaceful, with a few pockets of the demonstrations turning violent. A car also drove through crowds during Tuesdays protests, leaving a woman with a broken arm and injured face. Hundreds protested outside ICE headquarters in New York on Tuesday, with three arrested. Similar protests continued on Wednesday evening too, with another two demonstrators arrested. Seattle Police reported arresting eight people on Wednesday night after a small group of protesters set fire to a dumpster, followed by rocks and bottles being thrown at police officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has responded to the unrest in his state by ordering for the National Guard to be deployed. The Texan city of San Antonio saw hundreds of demonstrators peacefully protest on Wednesday night, they marched from the city town hall through the downtown area. Contact us at letters@time.com. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) weighed in on the President Trump administrations deployment of Marines and National Guard soldiers to Los Angeles in light of the ongoing protests against raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying during a brief interview that the president wants the show. Gomez, who represents Californias 34th Congressional District, which includes several Los Angeles neighborhoods, was asked Wednesday if he expects the administration to pull back the National Guard and the Marines if the curfew, which Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) imposed for a small part of the city Tuesday night, seems to be working. No, I think that Donald Trump is not doing it because there was ever an issue. Hes doing it in order to have it on TV. He wants the show, of course, because thats he likes to play the tough guy, but when it comes to taking on China, he always backs down, Gomez said during an interview with NewsNation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When it comes to taking on the cartels, he backs down. So he wants to show that hes tough, and thats what its always been about. Its about the show that people can see, even if its limited, the California Democrat told NewsNations Joe Khalil. The administration has argued that Marines and the National Guard were deployed to help halt the protests after some protestors ransacked a federal building, while others set cars on fire. Bass, who has been under criticism from Trump and his allies over her handling of the protests, said during a Tuesday press conference that the curfew was instituted in a part of downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting. It started at 8 p.m. and end at 6 a.m. and is expected to last for several days. If you do not live or work in downtown L.A., avoid the area. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted, Bass said on Tuesday. Since then, law enforcement has arrested dozens of individuals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gomez also said on Wednesday that he is still hearing concerns from people in the Los Angeles area over the ICE raids. I think its because originally, remember, he said he promised everyone that he would go after people who are undocumented or in this country illegally, but were criminals. But now hes not doing that, Gomez said. Hes going after people who are showing up through their asylum cases at the ICE check ins at court, and theyre getting arrested. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Violent protests in Los Angeles over the weekend continued overnight Monday into Tuesday, including instances of looting and vandalism despite calls from high-level California officials to refrain from violence and follow the path of civil disobedience. More than 100 people were arrested Monday night, according to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Thats up from 50 arrests over the weekend. Bass blamed fringe groups for the violence. What were seeing downtown is just horrible, but you know that the majority of people that attended the protest this afternoon were peaceful, Bass told KABC-TV. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump deployed 2,000 National Guardsmen on Friday night despite warnings from California officials that protests could become more volatile with military presence. These troops were expected to help protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents as they carried out their duties, and to protect federal buildings. Trump also called up 700 Marines, as well as an additional 2,000 National Guardsmen in the following days, making 4,000 National Guard troops in total. Sen. Mike Lee in a post on X Monday morning said, Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass helped create this problem, President Trump is fixing it. On Tuesday, California asked a federal judge for an emergency order to block the Trump White House from using the National Guard in California. Union workers rally for David Huerta, the president of Service Employees International Union California, who was arrested during a Los Angeles protest, on Monday, June 9, 2025, in San Francisco. | Noah Berger Why protesters ignored calls for peaceful disobedience The day prior, California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the Trump administration for sending troops to L.A. without asking the governor and accused the president of purposefully sowing division and chaos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit described the unrest as primarily peaceful protests with some acts of violence that do not rise to the level of a rebellion. On Sunday, protesters burned several self-driving taxi Waymo vehicles while waving Mexican flags. They also blocked roads and freeways and started several confrontational run-ins with the Los Angeles Police Department. Still, Newsom and other state and federal officials called for protesters to remain peaceful. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chimed in through a post on X Monday, saying, Dr. King defeated racist government officials & ended segregation through disciplined non-violent resistance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Violent protests are counterproductive and play right into Trumps playbook, Sanders added. Thomas Chatterton Williams from The Atlantic called scenes unfolding in Southern California over the weekend catastrophic messaging. In what world (not this one) can a protest movement whose symbols are torching Waymo taxis and waving *foreign* flags appeal to most Americans? One of the principle reasons Trump swept back into power was the legacy of the calamitous visual language of 2020s fiery but mostly peaceful protests. This is such a gift to him. Throw in a Hamas armband to boot? I almost cant believe this isnt staged https://t.co/0ejyjAL5dK https://t.co/Mc2vYfLpQe Thomas Chatterton Williams (@thomaschattwill) June 9, 2025 Williams, in another post, said, The civil rights movement literally laid out the blueprint and no one can manage to follow it. Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan, D-Calif., encouraged peaceful protests in an interview with PBS News. She also blamed the violence on a few bad actors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We do not believe that people should be throwing items at law enforcement, Barragan said. I will also say, I think that last night we saw people who were taking advantage of the situation, who I dont think were there really to protest the immigration conduct and activity. They were destroying property, they were looting. She added those individuals are going against the cause and should be arrested. How do Americans feel about Trumps immigration policy? Trumps approval ratings on immigration shot up ahead of the weekend. Roughly 54% of voters approved of the Trump administrations deportation policy. In comparison, 46% disapprove, according to a CBS News poll on Trumps immigration policy, conducted from June 4-6, before the National Guards deployment to California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The poll also found 53% of voters said they believed the Trump administration was deporting dangerous criminals first and 47% said they didnt believe that was the case. Real Clear Politics polling average shows Trump holds a net -2.1 approval rating overall, but a +4.5 approval rating on immigration. Trumps approval rating on immigration experienced a positive shift compared to his first term in office, moving from -21% in 2017 to +1 as of this week, CNNs data analyst Harry Enten noted. There is no issue on which Trump is doing so much better than he was in his first term more than the issue of immigration, he said. Trump is begging for a fight on this. He knows what hes doing so far is working with the American electorate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bass said she thinks Trump is using L.A. as its test subject. I think were an experiment because if you can do this to the nations second largest city, maybe the administration is hoping that this will be a signal to everybody everywhere to fear them, the L.A. mayor said. That your federal government that historically has protected you can come in and take over. Authorities in Los Angeles carried out mass arrests after the mayor imposed a curfew on parts of the city amid widening protests against the US governments immigration crackdown. Activists have also gathered in New York, Chicago, and other major US cities to protest against the White Houses aggressive round-up of migrants. The crackdown has led to a diplomatic spat with Mexico: President Claudia Sheinbaum said that accusations from the US homeland security secretary that she had encouraged the demonstrations in LA were absolutely false. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless, far-right pundits have seized on her comments, with Charlie Kirk, a commentator close to senior Trump administration figures, saying she represented a bigger threat to America than Vladimir Putin. This story was originally published on Grocery Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Grocery Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: United Natural Foods, Inc. is currently serving customers on only a limited basis as it works to recover from an intrusion into its information technology systems that the company discovered last week, CEO Sandy Douglas said during the companys third-quarter earnings call Tuesday morning. UNFI is working with other wholesalers to supply its grocery customers in some cases following the cyberattack, which forced UNFI to shut its network down entirely Friday evening, Douglas said. The grocery wholesaler and retailer also disclosed Tuesday that it has mutually agreed with Key Food to end a long-term arrangement under which UNFI serves as the chief grocery wholesaler to that chains stores in the Northeast. Dive Insight: UNFIs efforts to resume normal operations remain a work in progress, and the company is working with customers in various short-term modes, Douglas said. The company is working with authorities, including the FBI, as it works to bring its systems back online and determine why its information technology defenses failed, he added. We use multiple different external benchmarks to assess ourselves and really hold nothing back in this area, Douglas said. Having said that, we just got penetrated, so we will be continuing to look at every aspect of our defense, every aspect of how our tools are working, and what may be necessary to bolster it going forward, because it's clearly an area that requires a tremendous amount of focus from companies today. Asked whether customers would be able to break contracts with UNFI because of the cyberattack, Douglas said he was not in a position to factually answer that question, even if I was inclined to disclose it. Douglas also said during the call that the company decided to terminate its contract with Key Foods, which it signed in 2021, because the arrangement was unprofitable. UNFI will stop distributing groceries at or around Sept. 20, UNFI said in a regulatory filing. UNFI will close its distribution center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in connection with the dissolution of its deal with Key Foods, Douglas added. We simply found that the combination of operational factors, post-COVID impacts and the details of that agreement were very difficult, and in collaboration with Key Food, we determined with them that the best possible scenario for everyone, given the facts at hand and the likely scenarios that emerge, was to exit the relationship in the market, and so we did so in an effort to optimize the results for them and for us, Douglas said during the call. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass during a press conference on Wednesday claimed the LA riots were "provoked by the White House," going so far as speculating the city is part of a national experiment to determine how much power the federal government has. Bass claimed local officials initially heard the administration was searching for violent felons, gang members and drug dealers. Yet, she alleged federal agents were raiding workplaces, "tear[ing] parents and children apart" and "run[ning] armored caravans through [the] streets." Her comments came after protests against immigration enforcement escalated into fiery riots over the weekend, prompting President Donald Trump to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops and at least 500 Marines to the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local officials this week enacted a nightly curfew and announced hundreds of arrests, following the destruction of numerous local businesses and violence against police. A protester places debris in a fire as Border Patrol personnel in riot gear and gas masks stand guard outside an industrial park in Paramount, Calif., on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Trump Takes Action Against 'Orchestrated Attack' On Law Enforcement By Deploying Marines To La: Assemblyman "This was provoked by the White House," Bass said. "The reason whywe don't know. I posit that maybe we are part of a national experiment to determine how far the federal government can go in reaching in and taking over power from a governor, power from a local jurisdiction, and frankly, leaving our city and our citizens in fear. You're not trying to keep anyone safe, you're trying to cause fear and panic." Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She did not denounce the violent rioting during the press conference, alleging the rioting issue is contained to six square miles. "@MayorOfLA suggests things won't be 'peaceful' in Los Angeles until the Trump Administration stops enforcing immigration law and removing violent criminal illegals from the streets," the White House wrote in a response on X. "Why are these Radical Left lunatics so obsessed with defending criminals who have no right to be here?" Looters break into a gas station's marketplace as demonstrators and law enforcement clash with demonstrators during a protest following federal immigration operations, in the Compton neighborhood of Los Angeles, California early on June 8, 2025. Rioters Smash Windows At Lapd Headquarters As Anti-ice Agitators Clash With Authorities The LA mayor was joined by multiple surrounding mayors and local officials from 30 cities, who argued Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should not be enforcing the law in California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We want the National Guard out of our region," said El Monte Mayor Jessica Ancona. "We want the military out of our region. They have no business here. And we also want ICE out of our cities. We need to keep our families safe." Downey Council Member Mario Trujillo and South Gate Mayor Maria Davila noted ICE raids continued in their cities on Wednesday. U.S. National Guard are deployed around downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following an immigration raid protest the night before. Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores claimed the Trump administration's actions were unconstitutional, and asked to send a message directly to the Marines on the ground. "The people that are here who have been called foreigners are not foreigners. These are Americans," Flores said. "When we lifted our hands, we swore the oath to defend the Constitution and to defend this country. That oath was to the American people. It was not to a dictator, it was not to a tyrant, it was not to a president. Law enforcement detain a protester at the U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons after federal immigration authorities conducted an operation on Friday, June 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. "It was to the American people and the people that are here Whether they have a document or they don't, you're dealing with Americans," Flores said. "So please remember that if you're ever put in a situation or asked to do something." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bass later added Marines "are trained in warfare on foreign lands, not domestic," and said she did not know what role they could play without the ability to make arrests. California Lt. Governor Says Los Angeles Riots Are 'Generated By Donald Trump' Paramount Mayor Peggy Lemons said her city created a special fund Tuesday night that will financially help immigrant families. "The city council and staff are working tirelessly to develop other means of support and assistance, doing more to support our community," Lemons said. "We will also be seeking out our residents who have been directly impacted so that we may hear from them and provide direct support." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House and Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment. Original article source: LA Mayor Bass rips Trump, claims city part of 'national experiment' to test federal power amid anti-ICE riots Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass imposed a curfew in her citys downtown Tuesday evening, seeking to avert looting and vandalism as immigration protests stretch into their fifth day. The attempt to ease tensions came after the Trump administration ordered Marines and California National Guard troops to the region over the objections of Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom. California has sued to reverse the deployment , and the state is awaiting a Thursday afternoon hearing on its request for a restraining order. If you do not live or work in downtown LA, avoid the area, Bass told reporters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said the curfew would cover one square mile of the city. Democrats have insisted the interventions are unnecessary to quell mostly peaceful protests of federal immigration raids in which demonstrators are far outnumbered by local police. Yet videos of protesters throwing rocks at cars, burning self-driving cars and insulting law enforcement have created a national spectacle in California. The curfew will begin at 8 p.m. Tuesday and last until 6 a.m. Wednesday, and include exceptions for residents of the area, people traveling to and from work and media. Bass said the city would likely impose curfews again over the next few nights. Trump has promised ongoing, daily immigration arrests in Los Angeles. Guard troops deployed to the region have begun assisting in the sweeps, protecting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from demonstrators, the Associated Press reported . Melanie Mason contributed to this story. A curfew has been issued for part of Downtown Los Angeles following days of civil unrest triggered by ICE raids. Mayor Karen Bass announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the curfew will be in effect from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting. A curfew has been in considered for days, she said. But clearly after the violence that took place last night 23 businesses looted and just the extensive widespread nature of the vandalism, we reached a tipping point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I will consult with elected leaders and law enforcement officials tomorrow on the continuation of the curfew but we certainly expect for it to last for several days, Bass added. Members of the California National Guard stand watch outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building on Tuesday morning (AFP/Getty) The curfew covers one square mile in downtown Los Angeles, and there are exceptions for residents, people traveling to and from work and credentialed media. LA Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell emphasized that anyone who is within the designated curfew area in Los Angeles between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. and is not deemed exempt will be subject to arrest. The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city, McDonnell said Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protests entered a fifth day on Tuesday. A few dozen protesters gathered peacefully downtown in front of the federal detention center Tuesday, which was quickly declared an unlawful assembly, the Associated Press reported. Earlier Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom asked a federal court to block the Trump administration from using the National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles, saying it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. He filed the emergency request after Trump ordered the deployment to LA of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines following protests directed at the presidents stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. The federal government said Newsom was seeking an unprecedented and dangerous order that would interfere with its ability to carry out enforcement operations. A hearing on the matter is set for Thursday. A protester yells at police and federal agents in an action to denounce the ICE, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, operations in the area Tuesday (AP) In a public address on Tuesday night, Newsom said Trump chose theatrics over public safety when he deployed the National Guard to California without his support and that the decision was a brazen abuse of power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He criticized Trump for the mass deportations, saying that the administration is indiscriminately targeting hard working immigrant families regardless of their roots or risk and that the immigration crackdown has gone well beyond arresting criminals as dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers and seamstresses are among those being detained. Everyday Angelenos came out to exercise their constitutional right to free speech and assembly, to protest their governments action, Newsom said. The situation was winding down, but that's not what Donald Trump wanted...he chose more force. Newsom said Trumps decision should be a warning to other states. California may be first but it clearly wont end here, he said. Protests against Donald Trumps immigration crackdown have spread across the United States, with demonstrations erupting in at least a dozen cities overnight. The National Guard has been deployed in Texas, and protests were held in Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta and New York as opposition to the administrations aggressive round-ups intensified. In Los Angeles, National Guard troops have begun temporarily detaining civilians, the commander in charge confirmed, adding that these individuals are being rapidly turned over to law enforcement officers. Maj Gen. Scott Sherman also said about 500 of the National Guard troops had so far been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, said the state would deploy its National Guard to maintain order after police used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators in Austin. There have been at least 25 rallies and demonstrations coast to coast since Monday, according to NBC News. Some were small, while others attracted thousands. At least 80 people were arrested in New York after demonstrators marched through Manhattan overnight. Credit: Reuters The protests first erupted in Los Angeles last Friday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers carried out a string of raids at Home Depot parking lots and local businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US president has ordered ICE to find immigrants living without legal status, and officers have carried out sweeps across the country. The demonstrations against the move have at times descended into violence, with protesters throwing Molotov cocktails, rocks and fireworks at police, who have shot rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowds. On Tuesday, Los Angeles police made mass arrests after hundreds of protesters defied an emergency curfew in the citys downtown area. An 8pm curfew was put in place after Karen Bass, the Los Angeles mayor, said the city had reached a tipping point on the fifth day of protests. On Wednesday, Ms Bass said the curfew would remain in place for another night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protests have become a political touchstone, with Mr Trump making the unprecedented move to send 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles. Dozens of people have been arrested in Los Angeles after a series of violent protests - Jon Putman Police officers arrest protesters in Los Angeles on Tuesday - Mario Tama/Getty Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, accused Mr Trump of drawing a military dragnet across the city and called him a deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president. Mr Trump and Tom Homan, his border czar, threatened to arrest him if he got in the way. Mr Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, as some guardsmen were seen standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests. The spreading discontent came as Mr Newsom accused Mr Trump of an illegal power grab in California and warned other states would be next. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state in this nation, he said in a speech on Tuesday night. California may be first but it clearly wont end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault right before our eyes. Mr Newsom, claiming Mr Trump had taken a wrecking ball to the Constitution, said the riots had been winding down when the US president chose to inflame the situation by sending in thousands of troops. What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty. Your silence. To be complicit in this moment, he said. Do not give in to him. At the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt would not comment on reports that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had asked the Pentagon to have the military arrest protesters in Los Angeles. She did condemn the events playing out in the streets of Los Angeles as shameful and blamed California officials for refusing to reign in left-wing radicals. They didnt have the courage to do the right thing and protect law-abiding Californians from rioters, Ms Leavitt said. Thats why President Trump deployed the National Guard and mobilised Marines to end the chaos and restore law and order. Ms Bass declared a curfew from 8pm on Tuesday to 6am on Wednesday after 23 businesses were looted on Monday night. The measure covers a one-square mile section of downtown, which includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday night, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers began arresting protesters who ignored the curfew. But hundreds of protesters defied the restrictions and marched through the downtown area for several hours as a police helicopter circled above. A procession of cars joined the on-foot protesters, driving slowly, with the Mexican flag hanging from their windows. They honked their horns to rapturous cheers from the crowd. Residents came out onto their balconies to shout in support as the protesters passed their homes, with one woman coming outside waving the stars and stripes. Masked demonstrators sprayed graffiti on walls as they moved with the crowd, while others threw fireworks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A police presence was largely absent throughout the first hour of the march, but at around 10pm dozens of police cars zoomed through the streets and officers began piling out in preparation to arrest those who had defied the curfew. Credit: CNN Jacob Garcia, 23, who attended the protest on Tuesday, said people were still demonstrating because theres a lot to fight for. Mr Garcias father and stepfather were both previously deported back to Mexico after living in the US for several years. Ive never seen so many people get so scared living here in my lifetime... Ive never seen my friends and family be so worried, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John Parker, 46, walked up to the police and waved a large flag with his six-year-old son shortly after the curfew came into effect. Ill keep having my voice heard, he told The Telegraph. They want to arrest me, and thats what they will do. I need to have my voice heard. 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. SACRAMENTO, California President Donald Trumps aggressive response to anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles is fueling a California push to insulate state residents personal data from Washington. Tech-skeptical California lawmakers and activists fear the Trump administration will leverage tech tools to track and punish demonstrators accused of interfering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. One possible instrument at ICEs disposal: location data, a highly detailed record of peoples daily movements thats collected and sold by everything from weather apps to data brokers. California Democrats introduced at least a half-dozen measures this year aimed at bolstering the states already-tough data protections, but several died as Sacramento grapples with a $12 billion budget deficit. Those efforts are taking on new meaning as the protests and ICE raids gain national attention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California Assemblymember Chris Ward, a San Diego Democrat, told POLITICO he may reintroduce a bill next year that failed this spring, which aimed to close a loophole on location data. Californias existing privacy laws limit local law enforcement from sharing license plate data with ICE and other federal agencies, but standards for online location data are weaker. Ward said he absolutely would not put it past Trump to leverage location data in ICE investigations, citing the Department of Government Efficiencys fight to access sensitive personal information stored in Social Security records. Who knows how they could package that and repurpose it for their interests, Ward said in an interview. Devices and apps collecting location information can share it with data brokers, which in turn can sell the information to federal agencies like ICE without asking for user consent. A 2022 report from the Georgetown Law Center on Privacy and Technology, updated last month, found ICE has extensive purchasing contracts with data brokers like LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California Attorney General Rob Bonta in March pledged to investigate businesses that appear to be breaking Californias rules for protecting location data, citing concerns about Trumps immigration policies. He declined to comment on the investigation when POLITICO asked for updates this week. Privacy advocates argue the presidents vow to quash the Los Angeles protests with troops a move Gov. Gavin Newsom cast as authoritarian highlights why California Democrats should guard sensitive personal information from the Trump administration. Clearly the president is looking for a fight with California, Leora Gershenzon, policy director for the nonprofit California Initiative for Technology and Democracy, told reporters during a press call this week. Federal law enforcement agencies have a huge number of tech tools at their disposal to track protesters location, like data from cell phone towers and automated license plate readers, said Catherine Crump, a technology law professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump-appointed officials are already using tech to investigate Los Angeles protesters. Bill Essayli, a former state Assembly member who recently became the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, told Fox LA this week his office will comb through every piece of available video and social media evidence to track down demonstrators accused of interfering with law enforcement. Just rest assured, the FBI is monitoring everything, Essayli, a Southern California Republican, said Monday, singling out people accused of throwing projectiles at officers or damaging federal property. We will come get you. Gershenzon said location data-sharing could open the door for a free speech crackdown. It is just scary to think of what could become with all of that location data in the hands of this government. Wards failed measure, which would have prohibited companies from selling location information to federal agencies and private parties like data brokers, stalled after Californias powerful Assembly Appropriations Committee blocked it from proceeding to a floor vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ward said he wasnt sure why the Appropriations Committee blocked his bill, though pro-business groups argued it would inflict significant costs on businesses. A spokesperson for Appropriations Chair Buffy Wicks didnt return a request for comment. Notably, theres no concrete example yet of federal officials using location data to track anti-ICE protesters in Los Angeles. Spokespeople for ICE and Essaylis office declined to say whether investigators would leverage the technology to pursue people accused of impeding immigration enforcement. But privacy advocates said Trumps response to the LA protests should prompt lawmakers to reconsider Wards bill. "We are learning from the rise of authoritarianism around the world, said Samantha Gordon, chief program officer at nonprofit TechEquity, pointing to how other countries have used online surveillance to target protesters. This is part of us trying to make sure that we're prepared. A version of this story first appeared in California Decoded, POLITICOs morning newsletter for Pros about how the Golden State is shaping tech policy within its borders and beyond. Like this content? POLITICO Pro subscribers receive it daily. Learn more at www.politicopro.com. HONOLULU (KHON2) Methamphetamine and fentanyl are the deadliest drugs on the streets today, according to Gary Yabuta, the executive director of Hawaii High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area or HIDTA. HPD shares fentanyl-related arrests and recovery stats for May But the danger doesnt stop there. Many illegal drugs are now laced with unknown mixtures, mystery cocktails that can kill in minutes. Xylazine, bromazalam and kratom are emerging new drugs often mixed with other illicit drugs to intensify or prolong the high, according to Gary Yabuta, executive director for Hawaii High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were seeing a lot of cocktails out there, Yabuta explained. Bromazalam is huge in the mainland. So were having to keep a close eye on that. He said xylazine is already linked to seven overdose deaths in the state over the past two years. But the biggest killers remain fentanyl and methamphetamine. They are the most lethal, driving the epidemic. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Those are our two biggest drug threats here in Hawaii, Yabuta said. Methamphetamine (deaths) rose dramatically in 2024 and primarily here in the City and County of Honolulu, thats where were seeing the increase. Meth is back, and its back very very strong. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Yabuta, 260 deaths were linked to meth in 2024, compared to 222 the previous year. Fatalities jumped 26% on Oahu (142=2023 compared to 179=2024). But overall, he said fentanyl overdose deaths dipped in 2024 (107 in 2023 compared to 103 in 2024). Only Oahu saw an uptick in overdose fatalities in 2024 (55 in 2023 compared to 70 in 2024). Were intercepting a lot of methamphetamine, a lot of fentanyl pills, Yabuta explained. Its out there and were just getting the tip of the iceberg. However, were doing everything we can. The Hawaii Health Harm and Reduction Center works to combat substance abuse. Nikos Leverenz, HHHRC Policy Manager, said the statistics are sobering. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need to intensify harm reduction efforts and access to community-based treatment, he said. Fundamentally, every overdose death is a policy failure. Leverenz said investing in outpatient community-based treatment can save lives. Were fortunate to have a governor whos a medical doctor who understands that prevention works, who understands that treatment works, he added. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news But he said he worries about how potential funding cuts will impact their work and those struggling with addiction. Its certainly very foreseeable that if the federal government cuts funding for community-based drug treatment, then more people will overdose and more people will die. Thats the bottom line. 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. As a former member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents and CEO of a local farm equipment manufacturer, I couldnt agree more with the importance of continuing to fund the materials science department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM's making a big mistake to cut engineering program at critical time, June 3). It is a vital part of the engineering program that offers vast economic benefits to Wisconsins employers. That said, Kathleen Gallagher and business leaders are dead wrong to place any blame on UWMs leadership or the UW System. Lack of adequate support from the state and 10 years of declining tuition revenue mandated by Republican politicians is the direct cause of UWMs budget constraints. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The facts are clear, when faced with a $4 billion surplus, the leadership in the Wisconsin Legislature, led by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, refuse to spend any additional funds on educating our future workforce. Negotiations for a new budget are underway. If business leaders want educational opportunities like the materials science program to continue, they should make their case to Vos and LeMahieu; they hold the checkbook, not university leaders. John W. Miller, Fox Point Letters: House budget provision exempts executive branch from following court orders Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opinion: Decoupling a common sense solution to Wisconsin school funding conundrum 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: Blame for UWM budget woes goes to lawmakers, not UW leaders | Letters ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) After a 24-hour delay, a Buchanan County contractor was able to take on the task of spraying weeds at Lake Contrary. A helicopter pilot sprayed Clearcast Aquatic Herbicide, an EPA-approved product, on more than 300 acres of land. High winds delayed the two-day project that was supposed to start on Monday and turned it into a one-day job on Tuesday. I believe that he wanted a drone photo of it sometime last week just to kind of see where the green was and all that stuff because there are certain areas where certain types of vegetation need a little bit more (Clearcast)," Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner Scott Nelson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A product overview on its website says the growth of sensitive plants will stop 24 hours after application. Nelson estimates that it will be six weeks before the aquatic herbicide kills the vegetation. "I think this takes a little while for it just because it's got to get absorbed, and then it's got to move down the root stem to the root ball, and then it starts to work on the root ball," he said. "I'm assuming that we're going to see the color changes and that sort of thing." The Missouri Office of Administration told the Buchanan County commissioners last October that taking care of the lake was their responsibility once it dried up. Nelson said removing the weeds is primarily to remove fire hazards. "This is the first step since we've been mandated by the state to maintain it," Nelson said. "So this is what we're doing to maintain it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Buchanan County received a permit from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on Friday to allow weed spraying, but the county still has not received a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the lake. "Other things have kind of crept up and overtaken it on the to-do list," Nelson said. "The big one being the (juvenile) detention center." Nelson said the weed spraying on Tuesday is the largest effort to remove vegetation at Lake Contrary that he can think of. Now, the county commission will observe the results over the next couple of months. "This is 300 acres that we want to get beat down and basically see how it does and then how long it lasts, Nelson said. Lake County Republican Party Chairman and county councilman Randy Niemeyer raised concerns Tuesday about Democratic employees setting up for the partys caucus during work hours and paying student election workers for training they didnt attend. Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Director Michelle Fajman said the set-up for the caucus took place over the weekend, and that student election workers have a different training sign-in and payment process compared to other election workers. Niemeyer, R-Cedar Lake, said during the councils Tuesday meeting five or six Democratic employees spent three hours setting up for the county Democratic Party caucus, which was held Saturday, March 1, at the Lake County Government Center auditorium, during work hours Friday, February 28. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The countys employee handbook says that activity is deemed improper, Niemeyer said, so hed like to look into why the employees set up the caucus during work hours, what has been done to correct the action, and who paid for the workers time. That is not allowed to happen on government time even if there is someone else paying for it, Niemeyer said. I dont think its ever good practice for government workers to be participating in political work during their work hours. Lake County has a history of employees doing political work in the office, Niemeyer said, like former Lake County Surveyor George Van Til who was convicted in federal court for using county resources to run his campaign. Weve had situations here in the past where people have faced legal consequences for those sorts of things, and I sure as heck dont want to see another black eye on Lake County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Employees did not spend three hours setting up for the caucus during business hours. The voting machines and tables were delivered that Friday, Fajman said, but all set up was done Saturday morning. Fajman said some employees couldve walked into the auditorium to see if the equipment was in the room ready to be set up the next day. Employees like to walk the government campus during their breaks, so its possible some employees couldve walked by the auditorium, she said, but no set-up was done. During the May special Crown Point and Hobart school referendum elections, Niemeyer said he was concerned about inspectors and students being paid for training, which they have to attend by law, but records indicate that some didnt receive training. Weve got some discrepancies there in processes and systems that need to be looked into, Niemeyer said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fajman said that special elections are paid for by the entity holding the election, so all payments of election workers would be paid for by the school districts. Initially, the money comes out of the countys general fund, and then the schools reimburse the county for the elections. Under Indiana law, clerks and judges can complete election training online or in person, Fajman said. Inspectors have to do training in person, she said. Further, Indiana law dictates that students have to attend training, Fajman said, so they can pick in person or online. Fajman said when election workers go to training, they show their drivers license and check in on a poll pad against voter registration data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because some students arent old enough to vote yet, Fajman said they are checked in manually. To get paid, students on Election Day sign a pay claim and mark on the claim that they attend training. Inspectors could have a discrepancy in training attendance because there could be situations where an inspector had to back out of working the election but remains on the record and another inspector fills in, Fajman said. The election office has been working toward coming up with a system to better track attendance and payments, Fajman said, and hopes to launch it by the next general election. Right now, theres no foolproof method that we have, but were looking into it right now, Fajman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, said he supports Niemeyer raising questions about what occurred in the election office and during the special election. But theres agencies out there to police that, Bilski said. Bilski said the situations should be looked into and see what the investigations find. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, said since Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, was in the audience of the meeting, maybe the legislature could look into election training criteria to make it more clear who can and cant do which type of training. akukulka@post-trib.com LIVINGSTON, Texas (KETK) A line break has required the Paradise Cove system (PWS 2040062) to notify all customers that a boil water notice is in effect Tuesday. Boil water notice dos and donts According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, children, seniors and people with weakened immune systems should boil water before consumption including: Washing hands Washing face Brushing teeth Drinking Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil to kill all bacteria and microbes. Bottled water is suggested for consumption or drinking purposes instead. When the boil water notice has rescinded, customers will be notified. Any questions can be answered by Lake Livingston Water Supply at (936) 327-3107. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Kevin Carter / Getty Images Victoria's Secret lowered its full-year operating income guidance on higher costs from new tariffs. Key Takeaways Victoria's Secret lowered its full-year operating income guidance on higher costs from new tariffs. The lingerie and other women's apparel maker expects tariffs to add $50 million in expenses. Victoria's Secret reported better-than-expected revenue in its first quarter earnings report, which was delayed because of a cyberattack last month. Shares of Victoria's Secret (VSCO) fell Wednesday as the maker of lingerie and other women's apparel lowered its full-year outlook when it released its delayed first-quarter financial report. The announcement had been held up by a cyberattack that disrupted the company's operations in late May. Victoria's Secret maintained its full-year net sales outlook of $6.2 billion to $6.3 billion, but it now anticipates the tariffs will cost an additional $50 million. Therefore, it has lowered its expected adjusted operating income to be in the range of $270 million to $320 million from the previous prediction of $300 million to $350 million. In the first quarter, the company posted adjusted earnings per share of $0.09, in line with Visible Alpha forecasts. Revenue declined 0.5% year-over-year to $1.35 billion, but that topped narrowly topped estimates. CFO Scott Sekella noted that while the macroeconomic environment is uncertain, Victoria's Secret "will continue to be disciplined in controlling costs and will remain agile." The company cut general, administrative, and store operating expenses 4% to $454.4 million. Victoria's Secret shares fell nearly 3% Wednesday morning and have lost nearly half their value this year. TradingView Read the original article on Investopedia SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) Weekday recreational access to two of San Diegos reservoirs Lake Murray and Lake Miramar was restored by the city council as part of its revision to Mayor Todd Glorias proposed cuts to close a more than $250 million budget deficit. The reinstatement of the funding for boating and other activities at the reservoirs came after blowback from thousands of San Diegans in the form of petitions and public statements of concern over the suggested budget cuts. In earlier versions of the budget, the lakes would only be open on the weekends, saving about $400,000 per year for the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement San Diego approved its controversial trash fee: Whats next? Ahead of the city councils vote to restore this funding, kayaker Steve DaLuz, who has been a central voice in the push for maintaining daily lake access, expressed fear in a conversation with FOX 5/KUSI about the impact of potential closures. I dont know what Id do if they take this away from us, he said. DaLuz, who is Type 1 diabetic, experienced a medical emergency three years ago after severe food poisoning on a fishing trip that landed him in a coma. Complications also led to an episode of cardiac arrest and the complete loss of his vision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, DaLuz and his two friends, Matt Hanna and Joe Zaso, kayak at Lake Miramar every week. For him, it is a form of therapy that has been an instrumental part of his road to recovery. Ive lost probably the most important sense, which is sight. Now I come out here and smell and I hear the kayak going through the water. I focus in on the birds flying all around me, kids laughing, said DaLuz. If I continue talking, Im probably going to tear up, he continued. Thats how much it means to me. It also means the world to his friends. For Steve, its water therapy. For me, its the same thing, said Zaso. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement Tuesday night, Councilmember Raul Campillo celebrated the restoration of full lake access, specifically at Lake Murray, which is in his council district. The full restoration of Lake Murray access is a win for the thousands of San Diegans who made their voices heard loud and clear: we would not stand for this, he said. This victory for District 7 and for lake users across the city is a testament to whats possible when we stand up together for whats right. However, it is unclear whether this victory may end up being short-lived. Rachel Liang, director of communications for Gloria, expressed discontentment with the version of the budget the city council passed in a statement on behalf of the mayors office issued Tuesday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, Mayor Gloria presented the City Council with a proposed budget that was responsible, strategic, and balanced, the statement read. Today, the Council added tens of millions of dollars in new spending and changes, many of which raised concerns from both the Independent Budget Analyst and the City Attorneys Office. Concerns grow over early plans to build in South Park canyon She further emphasized the mayor has a say over the final version of the budget, as he can veto individual line-items that may have been approved by the city council before signing it into law. However, the city council can override the veto with a two-thirds vote. Over the next several days, the Mayor and his team will closely review the Councils amendments to ensure the final budget meets the level of fiscal responsibility this moment demands, especially given the current economic uncertainty and global instability, the statement added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mayor now has five days to exercise his line-item veto authority to make final revisions or sign the budget into law. A final version of the budget must be signed by June 15. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The foreign secretary has visited Gibraltar for talks ahead of a potential post-Brexit deal for the territory. David Lammy and Europe Minister Stephen Doughty met Gibraltar's chief minister Fabian Picardo and his cabinet on Wednesday, and the three are now heading to Brussels for discussions with EU and Spanish ministers. Talks on rules governing the border of Spain and Gibraltar have been ongoing since Britain left the European Union in 2020, but an agreement has not yet been reached. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Foreign Office source said that a deal was not yet finalised and that a number of sticking points remained. Writing on X, Picardo said it was "time to try to finalise arrangements for lasting, stable relationship between Gibraltar and the EU/Spain which is safe, secure and beneficial". Announcing the new UK-EU deal last month, Sir Keir Starmer and EU Council President Antonio Costa said that the two were "not very far" from concluding a separate deal on Gibraltar. Gibraltar, which is a British Overseas Territory, is a 2.6 square mile headland to the south of Spain. The UK has had sovereignty over Gibraltar since 1713, although this is disputed by Spain, who claim the territory as their own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The territory's status and that of its border with Spain has been a key sticking point and has remained unresolved since Brexit. An estimated 15,000 people cross the Gibraltar-Spain border every day for work and leisure. Currently, Gibraltar residents can cross using residence cards without needing to have their passports stamped. Spanish citizens can cross using a government ID card. But there were concerns this would end with the introduction of the EU's Entry/Exit system later this year, causing huge delays at the border. Last month's deal UK-EU deal included confirmation there will be no legal barriers to UK citizens using e-gates, which should mean there won't be a return to passport stamping. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But a separate Gibraltar deal could reportedly make the territory an associate member of the Schengen zone, allowing people to cross freely and see physical border infrastructure removed. Public opinion in Gibraltar, which has a population of 32,000 according to its government, is in favour of keeping British sovereignty. The most recent referendum, held in 2002, saw almost 99% of voters reject a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain. The alarming revelation that 2024 recorded the highest number of global conflicts since the Second World War should be taken as an incentive to deepen ties with key allies, not fracture them. That would certainly be the response of any government committed to the defence of the realm faced with the depressing statistic that last year saw 61 conflicts taking place in 36 countries. Of these, 11 were defined as full-blown conflicts those that claimed at least 1,000 battlefield deaths and included the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as other less-publicised violent eruptions in Sudan, Syria, Nigeria and Ethiopia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a time when Sir Keir Starmer is attempting to promote his national security credentials, the rising tide of conflict detailed in a report by Swedens Uppsala University should prompt his Government to strengthen ties with key allies such as the US and Israel. Instead, by opting to target two members of the Israeli government with sanctions, Starmer has shown that he is more interested in virtue-signalling than common sense. National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich may come from the ulta-nationalist fringe of Israeli politics, but they remain important members of Israels democratically elected government, which is one of the UKs closest allies in the Middle East. Moreover, Israel, just like Ukraine, finds itself in the vanguard of the Wests deepening confrontation with two of the most potent threats it faces, in the form of Vladimir Putins Russia and Iranian-sponsored Islamist terrorism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The UKs support for Ukraine, together with its European allies, is predicated on the understanding that Western security would be fatally compromised if Russias unprovoked invasion of Ukraine were to succeed. Similarly, the UKs declaration of support for Israel in the wake of the October 7 attacks in 2023 was based on the tacit acknowledgement that it was in the Wests interests that Irans backing for Hamas terrorists must not be allowed to go unchallenged, especially given the ayatollahs fixation with developing nuclear weapons. The Labour Governments decision, therefore, to single out two prominent members of the Israeli government for public censure not only threatens to undermine relations with a key regional ally. It runs the risk of jeopardising our own national security, especially if the Israelis conclude it is no longer in their interests to share vital intelligence with the UK. Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar has already announced the Israeli cabinet will meet next week to respond to what he called an unacceptable decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The British Governments decision to pick on the two politicians is hardly surprising given its previous lamentable track record of targeting Israel, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy declaring his support for the International Criminal Court and its highly politicised move to prosecute Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes. Yet, by siding with other self-righteous, but wholly naive, administrations in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway, to provoke an entirely avoidable diplomatic row with Israel, Starmer and Co have placed themselves firmly on the wrong side of history. Apart from alienating Israel, the move also risks causing a rift with the US, another key ally. Americas secretary of state Marco Rubio was particularly critical of the measures imposed against Ben-Gvir and Smotrich for inciting violence against the Palestinian people. The sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war, he said, urging the UK not to forget who the real enemy is. Hitting two controversial Israeli politicians with sanctions might play to Labours vociferously anti-Israel supporters, but it could prove to be a self-defeating move in terms of safeguarding our own long-term interests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In terms of the likely impact it will have on Israeli policy, the sanctions will be about as effective as Greta Thunbergs equally puerile attempt this week to break Israels Gaza blockade with her Freedom Flotilla. At the same time they run the risk of sending a signal to Iran and other hostile regimes that the UK is more interested in embarrassing its allies than confronting its enemies. It is certainly hard to grasp the logic of why, when Western powers like the UK are preparing to confront Iran over its nuclear programme, they should choose this moment to pick a fight with Israel, Tehrans sworn enemy. The need to impose fresh sanctions against Iran was very much in evidence at this weeks meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, when Rafael Grossi, the bodys director general, confirmed three new previously undeclared nuclear sites had been identified in Iran that could be used for developing nuclear weapons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The UK is among a number of European powers that have responded by pressing for the reimposition of sanctions against Tehran. But the ayatollahs are unlikely to change course on their nuclear ambitions if they believe they share a common interest with Britain and its allies in targeting the Israelis. 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 father whose seven-year-old son died during severe floods says homes "should always be a safe space" on the day of a summit about toxic landfills. Campaigners from more than 20 communities experiencing "severe and sometimes fatal harms from toxic landfill and contaminated water" will speak at Wednesday's Zane's Law summit, organisers said. They include Kye and Nicole Gbangbola, whose son Zane died after the River Thames flooded their Surrey home in 2014. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His parents disputed the results of an inquest in 2016 and say their son was killed by gas washed out of a former landfill site in Chertsey. At his inquest, the coroner concluded Zane was killed by carbon monoxide from a petrol pump used to clear flood water from the family home in Chertsey. Zane's parents will join Dirty Water Campaign, Gas Communities United, Corby Childhood Cancer, and the Environment Secretary Steve Reed at a gathering at the Houses of Parliament. The coalition of landfill campaigns have come together calling for Zane's law, which Mr Gbangbola described as "enforceable law to protect communities from the dangers of toxic landfill and polluted water". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other speakers will include Des Collins, the solicitor who represented families affected by the toxic waste scandal in Corby, dramatised in the recent Netflix series Toxic Town. 'Action is needed' Mr Gbangbola told BBC Radio Surrey the summit would bring together campaigns from "all across the country that up until this point have really been unheard". "When they come together they move through an understanding that it's not only them, there's others across the country, other communities experiencing such harm and death," he added. He claimed the issues of those living near toxic landfills ranged from respiratory issues, through to birth defects, tumours, neurological and immune system damage and homes which could be valued at zero. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our homes should always be a safe space, when you're experiencing these impacts simply from living in proximity to landfill it becomes a time when action is needed," he said. Baroness Natalie Bennett, who will chair the hybrid meeting, said current UK regulations on contaminated land were "grossly inadequate" and a threat to the safety of many. Several local authorities have passed motions calling for Zane's Law. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has been contacted for comment. Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. More on this story Related Internet Links COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) Landowners in 5 Big Country counties are eligible for part of a wildfire mitigation grant through the Texas A&M Forest Service. The Forest Service awarded $155,000 to the landowners via the Mechanical Fuel Reduction Grant, which is a cost-share reimbursement grant designed to help fund practices like hand cutting and mulching to prevent wildfire damage to homes and other structures. The Mechanical Fuel Reduction Grant helps landowners take proactive measures that will help protect their homes, land and community, said Victoria Wenkman, Texas A&M Forest Service Community Resilience Program Specialist. Private landowners and local fire departments are the first lines of defense to wildfire. Creating fuel breaks and defensible spaces on their own properties can help reduce the risk and severity of wildfires. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Landowners in Coke, Runnels, Coleman, Brown and Mills are all eligible to receive funds from the grant, as well as landowners in several other counties across central Texas. Anyone interested in the Mechanical Fuel Reduction Grant has from August 1 through September 12 to apply. Read more about the grant and how to apply on the Texas A&M Forest Service 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 KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. KANSAS CITY, Mo. An inmate who escaped the Lansing Correctional Facility last year was found guilty this week. On Monday, a Leavenworth County jury found 55-year-old Bradley G. Verstraete guilty of aggravated escape from custody following a one-day trial. Motorcyclist killed after colliding with tractor-trailer in Kansas City He was serving an 8.5-year prison sentence for attempted murder and aggravated assault on a police officer in 2017 in Pratt County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was discovered missing during a standard inmate count on Sunday, April 7, 2024. Surveillance footage showed Verstraete walking out without authorization. He was declared an escapee shortly thereafter. Verstraete was a minimum security inmate at the time of his escape. He was arrested the next day by Lansing police. Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said over 100 people were arrested Monday night amid recent Los Angeles-area protests against arrests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In a Tuesday press release, the department said that it, alongside multiple local law enforcement partners, responded to protest and criminal activity in the downtown area Monday. The LAPD said 96 people were arrested over Failure to Disperse, one person was arrested over Assault with a Deadly Weapon, one person was arrested over Resisting Arrest and another over Vandalism that night. Two LAPD officers were injured and transported to a local hospital for medical treatment and released, the LAPD said in the release, adding later that 14 people were arrested over Looting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recently claimed that President Trumps deployment of troops to Los Angeles amid ongoing protests against Trump administration immigration raids was a warning to other states. Pod Save America host Tommy Vietor asked the Golden State governor what his message was to people in all the other U.S. states who believe, Eh, this is just Trump going after crazy California, where all the liberals are like, well be fine. To preview things to come. Its a coming attraction, Newsom said Monday on Pod Save America. I mean you, Im sure you guys have been saying it. This is what he did to create the conditions that led to the insurrection on January 6th. Trump and Newsom have been going at it over unrest in Los Angeles in recent days. On Monday, Trump said he would support arresting the Golden State governor, Newsom responded to on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America, Newsom said on X. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. CHEYENNE Some deputies with the Laramie County Sheriffs Office will now be authorized to interrogate and process suspected undocumented immigrants per an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 287(g) Jail Enforcement Agreement. On May 20, LCSO joined agencies in more than 40 states officially participating in the Jail Enforcement Model (JEM), one of three models offered to local law enforcement that empower officers to act as ICE agents, with some limitations. Named for Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), these agreements allow ICE to delegate some of its responsibilities to state and local law enforcement officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LCSO is pursuing all three agreements available to law enforcement, including the Warrant Service Officer (WSO) model and the Task Force Model (TFM), both of which are pending approval. Our focus on investigations for immigration is going to be kept to traffic stops and on the interstates for interdiction, or if you wind up in jail, Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Friday. Our policy is going to be pretty clear that our deputies, when they go to a call or do an investigation, do not ask about immigration status. Regardless of Kozaks intent, these programs have been heavily criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others for potential financial and civil rights consequences, relying on law enforcement to do ICEs job at the expense of services to locals. Each agreement requires local law enforcement to take on different immigration tasks typically associated with ICE, said ACLU of Wyoming Senior Staff Attorney Andrew Malone. Even though there is training required, it is not as rigorous as the training for full-time ICE agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The financial, civil rights and local service risks associated with the program dont lessen by pursuing all three contracts, Malone said. People are receiving less training, (and) are doing this in addition to their regular jobs, Malone said. The exact scope depends on which type of model, but by choosing to take on all three, youre just kind of multiplying the issues that come with taking on any one of these models. While ACLU advocates point to several case studies that demonstrate these risks, Kozak says he doesnt see staffing or financial burdens being an issue. Kozak added that trust issues between immigrant communities and law enforcement exist regardless of the agreements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats always been an issue, no matter what, Kozak said. Even though weve tried outreach to try to tell people not to be afraid to call us, its still a problem. LCSO has a few Spanish-speaking deputies who work on outreach to Spanish-speaking communities. Two of those deputies will be certified with ICE through the 287(g) agreements, according to Kozak. The first MOA While the TFM and WSO agreements are still pending, the JEM agreement is in effect, allowing deputies to process removable aliens, or immigrants who are suspected of violating immigration laws. Per the memorandum of agreement between LCSO and ICE, deputies assigned to detention duties will perform immigration-related tasks in addition to performing their normal duties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the direction and supervision of ICE, these deputies will have the authority to: * Interrogate any person held in the jail who the officer believes to be an alien about his or her right to remain in the United States. * Process for immigration violations for those arrested on federal, state or local offenses. * Serve and execute warrants of arrest for immigration violations. * Administer oaths and take and consider evidence, including fingerprinting, photographing and interviewing suspected undocumented immigrants in custody. * Prepare charging documents, affidavits and take sworn statements for ICE supervisory review. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * Detain and transport arrested immigrants subject to removal. Per the memorandum, LCSO is responsible for maintaining proper records and is required to notify ICE of a hold related to a suspected immigration violation within 24 hours. LCSO personnel are also required to report all encounters with asserted or suspected claims of U.S. citizenship to ICE immediately, but generally within one hour of the claim. From deputy to ICE agent Though he has reiterated the goal to maintain community trust and keep ICE actions restricted to the jail several times, Kozak has recently decided to pursue a contract that will give his deputies immigration authority outside of the jail, the 287(g) TFM. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kozak recently decided to pursue the more aggressive agreement after reflecting on his experience with law enforcement in Avon, Colorado. While in Avon, officers working with Kozak encountered two suspected violent offenders who were abusing approximately 18 victims of human trafficking. We asked ICE assistance in that case, and they would not assist, Kozak said. We were almost ready to release the offenders because we had no authority to investigate the federal crimes. After some pressure, Kozak said ICE eventually assisted. That was in the early 2000s, and now, Kozak says he wants to avoid that situation at all costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I want our deputies who are doing human trafficking interdiction to be able to help victims and do everything all at once, Kozak said. Thats the main reason why I changed my mind about (TFM). The TFM will allow deputies to be a force multiplier in non-custodial settings, essentially acting as ICE agents outside of the jail, which Kozak intends to utilize in drug and human trafficking interdiction operations. Now Kozak says that, assuming ICE is pursuing someone suspected of criminal offenses, deputies trained under the TFM agreement could potentially assist ICE with local operations. Task forces return under Trump Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Kozak is hopeful that these deals will help build community trust, the 287(g) TFM has a history of civil rights abuses, particularly racial profiling, which caused it to be discontinued under the Obama administration, according to the ACLU. The option for TFM has only recently returned following an executive order from President Donald Trump in January titled Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Depending on how each specific agreement is crafted and enforced, all three 287(g) models may expose local law enforcement agencies to potential liability for constitutional and legal violations, two representatives of the ACLU of Wyoming wrote in an article published May 14. Despite the agreements history, Kozak is still intent on utilizing it, pending ICE approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We know I-80 (and) I-25 are the major corridors for human trafficking and drugs, Kozak said. We just want to be effective in what were doing, and having our deputies certified to take action on all those issues. Kozak added that often those involved in drug trafficking are also illegal aliens, though data from the CATO Institute indicates that the majority of drug traffickers in the U.S. are citizens. According to the Department of Homeland Security, There is no single profile of a human trafficker; their only commonality is that they are driven by profit at the expense of others. Protests have been held in Colombia as supporters of left-wing President Gustavo Petro express their support for his proposed labour reform, with the country rattled by an eruption of violence in the last week amid fears of a return to darker days of assassinations and bombings. Petro on Wednesday signed a decree to hold a public referendum vote on the labour reform. Large numbers of people took to the streets of the capital, Bogota, and other cities across the country to express continued support for a referendum on the reform proposed by the president, even as the Senate debates an alternative bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protests come as Colombia is still reeling from bombing attacks in the southwest of the country that left seven dead and an attempted assassination on conservative opposition senator, and presidential hopeful, Miguel Uribe Turbay at a campaign rally in Bogota. In the city of Cali, Colombias third largest and the centre of Tuesdays bombing attacks, there were calls to suspend these rallies due to the recent bout of violence in the country, said Al Jazeeras Alessandro Rampietti, reporting from Bogota. However, people decided to come out in the streets again in support of the government, rejecting the violence of the past days, said Rampietti. Bystanders look at the wreckage of a car after it exploded in front of the City Hall in Corinto, Cauca department, Colombia, on June 10, 2025 [Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP] Petro was in Cali on Wednesday morning to lead a security meeting with local authorities and the military following Tuesdays attacks. The president also said they would be investigating possible connections between the bombing attacks and the attempt on Uribes life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 15-year-old boy, who police believe was a sicario or hitman working for money, is accused of trying to assassinate Uribe and was also charged with carrying a firearm. He was formally charged on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty, the prosecutors office said on Wednesday. The hospital treating the senator said Wednesday that after four days, they are finally seeing some neurological improvement, that he is now more stable but remains in critical condition, said Rampietti. This has been the most optimistic report that weve seen since hes been brought to the hospital. President Petro has expressed gratitude about Uribes improving condition, Rampietti added. The bombing attack was likely carried out by an armed group that splintered from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, according to the army and police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Petro also participated in the rallies in Cali, where he is expected to sign a presidential decree ordering the referendum vote. In the meantime, the countrys Senate was debating a different text of the labour reform that Petro has criticised and labour unions say does not sufficiently advance workers rights. The reforms in Petros bill include increased pay on Sundays and public holidays, changing the number of weekly working hours and changing over-time hours, said Rampietti. The reform that is being discussed in the Senate is not the reform that the government would like to see implemented, Jorge Restrepo, an economics professor at Javeriana University in Bogota, told Al Jazeera. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These demonstrations [in support of Petro] seek from the side of the government to put pressure on the Senate to include some more progressive elements in the reform. I think the government is going to be weakened politically, but the reform will go through most likely today in the Senate. Well have to see if the government its happy with what the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives agree later on to finalise this reform, concluded Restrepo. Following the attack on Uribe, the senate initially decided to suspend this weeks sessions in his honour. However, it reversed that decision 24 hours later. The Senate is trying to bring it [the labour reform] to a vote by Thursday, Rampietti added. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) A 35-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday, June 10 after allegedly shooting and killing a 29-year-old man and barricading himself in a Las Cruces motel, the Las Cruces Police Department (LCPD) said in a news release. Suspected shooter arrested after barricading at Las Cruces motel LCPD said Pancho Garcia, 35, was arrested and charged with an open count of murder for the shooting death of 29-year-old Juan Javier Lujan Garces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garcia was then booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center and is initially being held without a bond, LCPD said. LCPD said that shortly after 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Las Cruces police and fire were dispatched to reports of shots fired at the intersection of Picacho Avenue and 17th Street. Las Cruces Police responding to suspected shooter barricaded at motel First responders arrived to find a Lujan Garces in his vehicle with at least one gunshot wound. They attempted life-saving measures, but Lujan Garces was pronounced dead at the scene, LCPD said. LCPD said that after the shooting, Garcia barricaded himself in a first-floor room of a motel on the 1700 block of West Picacho Avenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LCPD set up a perimeter and activated its SWAT and Hostage Negotiation Teams (HNT), who made multiple attempts to contact Garcia, according to the news release. At about 11:30 p.m., SWAT members breached a window of the suspects room. Shortly after, Garcia exited the room and was taken into custody. No shots were fired by police, and no other injuries were reported, LCPD said. LCPD said residents who live within proximity to the suspects room were asked to evacuate, and others, who resided further away, were encouraged to shelter in place. In addition, a portion of West Picacho Avenue was temporarily closed to traffic during the investigation. Picacho Avenue has since been cleared and is open to traffic, LCPD 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 KTSM 9 News. Major food wholesaler United Natural Foods (UNFI) announced Monday that it experienced unauthorized activity on its IT systems, prompting the company to take some services offline while an investigation is underway. Most Read from Fast Company As a leading food distributor, UNFI is the primary supplier to Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary. Last year the two companies extended their partnership through 2032. A Whole Foods spokesperson says the company is working to restock our shelves as quickly as possible and apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused for customers. According to a Securities and Exchange Commission report, UNFI became aware of the cyberattack last Thursday and immediately implemented containment measures. As soon as we discovered the activity, an investigation was initiated with the help of leading forensics experts, and we have notified law enforcement, a company spokesperson tells Fast Company. We are assessing the unauthorized activity and working to restore our systems to safely bring them back online. As we work through this issue, our customers, suppliers, and associates are our highest priority. We are working closely with them to minimize disruption as much as possible. The full scope and impact of the breach remain unclear. However, shares of UNFI, a $1.5 billion company, dropped by at least 8.6% at the time of publishing, and social media users have begun reporting disruptions. Came in at 5 a.m. today and was told there will be no UNFI truck today due to issues on their end, a Reddit user shared on r/wholefoods. A user claiming to be a UNFI employee added in the same thread: We literally cannot do anything network-related. At a complete standstill. This is catastrophic to the business. The UNFI breach adds to a growing list of cybersecurity concerns, particularly in the retail sector. U.K. retailers have recently faced a wave of cyberattacks, and the chief analyst for Googles Threat Intelligence Group told NBC News that U.S. companies were already in the crosshairs. Beyond retail, recent cyber incidents have also hit the social media platform X, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (which led major banks to halt sensitive data sharing), and the car rental company Hertz. This post originally appeared at fastcompany.com Subscribe to get the Fast Company newsletter: http://fastcompany.com/newsletters LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A Las Vegas man faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, after he allegedly shot at police while running away, police documents show. Brodie Jarrett, 30, faces 16 charges after police said he shot at officers while running away after police found what they believed to be a stolen vehicle. On Wednesday, May 28, at around 9:45 p.m., officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department were conducting an area check for suspicious vehicles in the 1900 block of North Decatur Boulevard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officers found a 2019 Ram with a license plate that a records check showed was registered to a 2006 Dodge, according to an arrest report. One officer also saw a meth pipe on the center console. Police spoke to an employee at a nearby Dottys Casino, asking if she knew who drove the truck. The employee quietly responded and subtly pointed to a man, later identified as Jarrett, in the business who was holding a dog, the report stated. Jarrett stood up and began to leave the building. One of the officers attempted to speak to Jarrett, but he ignored the officer, dropped the dog, and ran from the officers, according to the report. As officers ran after Jarrett, they heard several gunshots coming from where Jarrett was located. Ten gunshots were heard on body-worn camera footage, the report said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While officers attempted to contain a perimeter to search for Jarrett, a phone number registered to Jarrett called 911, claiming to be the victim of a carjacking. On Thursday, May 29, at around 3:30 a.m., officers found Jarrett on the patio of a residence in the 1700 block of Cordoba Lane. While police took him into custody, Jarrett recieved a minor dog bite from an LVMPD K9, according to the report. During a search, police found an unloaded handgun magazine in Jarretts pocket. Jarrett told police that he ran because he had a warrant for his arrest out of Oregon. He said that while he was running from police, he heard gunshots and thought the officers were shooting at him, the report stated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jarrett told police he walked to Dottys until confronted about the truck, when Jarrett claimed he got the truck from a friend of a friend a week prior. When asked about a handgun, Jarrett claimed not to know anything about a gun. When police brought up video cameras from the area, Jarrett said he was done answering questions and asked for an attorney, according to the report. Jarrett was held at the Clark County Detention Center on a $350,000 bail. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for June 18. He faces the following charges: Two counts of attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon Ten counts of assault on a protected person with the use of a deadly weapon Possessing, receiving, or transferring a stolen vehicle Resisting a public officer with a firearm Owning or possessing a gun by a prohibited person Carrying a concealed gun without a permit Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court records show Jarrett was also charged with battery by a prisoner on June 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 KLAS. The Los Angeles Police Department has made nearly 400 arrests and detentions since Saturday in connection to immigration protests. The vast majority arrests have been for failing to leave the area in defiance of requests from law enforcement, according to police. There have been a handful of more serious charges including for assault against police officers and for possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun. Here's the latest: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LA appears relatively calm Roughly 45 minutes after the curfew took effect, downtown LA appears fairly quiet, a departure from the last few evenings. There are no signs of Marines or National Guard members. Demonstrators march in Seattle In Seattle, hundreds of protesters gathered at a rally in a park in the citys Capitol Hill neighborhood before starting to march toward downtown as dusk approached. No police were visible at the rally, which got underway peacefully. LA curfew kicks in The curfew will end at 6 a.m. PDT. Police downtown began making arrests before the curfew officially took effect. Some protesters plan to disregard curfew Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As with last night, some protesters say they dont plan to leave the downtown area when the 8 p.m. curfew arrives. For now, police appear to have successfully segmented the crowd into smaller groups. On one corner, protesters were dancing to La Chona, a popular Mexican song, while waving flags of Honduras and El Salvador. A few steps away, a line of police stood with their hands on their guns and batons. One officer cracked a slight smile, prompting cheers from the group. LA police respond more aggressively than Tuesday night Officers are chasing groups of protestors through the streets, seemingly trying to push them further from the federal buildings in the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The downtown curfew is set to begin at 8 p.m. PDT. Tensions flare at LA protest A demonstration in Los Angeles' civic center suddenly turned chaotic, as police in riot gear many on horseback charged at a group, striking them with wooden rods and pushing them out of a park in front of City Hall. Officers also fired crowd control projectiles, striking at least one young woman, who writhed in pain on the ground as she bled from her hip. It wasnt clear what initiated the confrontation. But minutes earlier, some protesters had lit fireworks as they approached the federal building, the site of numerous showdowns in recent nights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Simultaneously, a larger portion of the protest had been in the midst of a dance party. It was chill the whole time, it was cool vibes, peaceful protesting, said Raymond Martinez, a 23-year-old from Hemet, California. Once we got by the federal building, the horses started coming. They started shooting in the air and pushing up, and that woman got shot. Its crazy. Hundreds march through downtown LA demanding ICE, the National Guard and Marines leave the city The mood was exuberant and festive, with demonstrators pausing in front of City Hall for a Mexican line dance, backed by trumpet players, drummers and loud truck speakers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is not a war zone, said Yaneth Bonilla, a 50-year-old lifelong resident of Los Angeles, whose parents immigrated from Mexico. Members of her family were afraid to leave the house, she said, fearful they would be picked by ICE. We have to realize Trump is going after innocent, hardworking people, she added. Thats why were here. The curfew for a section of downtown Los Angeles will begin for a second night at 8 p.m. PDT. Hundreds of protesters converge outside San Antonio City Hall More than 400 people were at the anti-ICE demonstration Wednesday evening, according to local authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protest was largely peaceful, with many blasting music and some handing out water. Nearby streets were closed off as law enforcement watched from hundreds of feet away. Dozens of the demonstrators had walked to City Hall from the Alamo after police there closed off the area where a protest was scheduled to take place. Trump administration calls Newsoms lawsuit a crass political stunt California Gov. Gavin Newsoms sued the Trump administration in an effort to stop the military helping immigration agents in Los Angeles. The administrations official response on Wednesday says that President Donald Trump is exercising his lawful statutory and constitutional power to ensure that federal personnel and facilities are protected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to quell protests over immigration enforcement. The lawsuit argues that the deployment of troops trampled on the states sovereignty and pushes for a restraining order. In the Trump administrations response, it called this unprecedented, saying: It would be constitutionally anathema. And it would be dangerous. A judge has set a hearing for Thursday. Demonstrators return to lower Manhattan Demonstrators critical of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency returned to lower Manhattan on Wednesday evening, a day after dozens of protesters were detained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Groups of people chanting and holding anti-ICE signs once again gathered around the area of Foley Square. New York City police did not immediately have information about possible arrests. Police detained more than 80 people during protests Tuesday evening into early Wednesday. Protesters gather in San Antonio More than two dozen officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety told a small group of protestors that the Alamo in San Antonio, where a demonstration was planned to take place, was closed. Dozens of people gathered hundreds of feet outside of the Alamo holding signs in support of immigrants and in opposition to President Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think the National Guard made a lot of people afraid, Pinky Ochoa, 21, said at City Hall, where another protest was scheduled to take place. I think a lot of people fear whats going to happen, Pedro Ruiz, 53, said about the mostly quiet downtown. Officers with the Public Safety Department said the Texas National Guard was present at a protest in downtown San Antonio. Members were not seen standing with law enforcement in front of a small crowd of demonstrators. LA top prosecutor expects to file dozens of criminal cases against peaceful protest disruptors District Attorney Nathan Hochman highlighted five cases brought in recent days, with charges including assault, grand theft and felony vandalism. In one case, suspects allegedly shot fireworks at police officers. Two other defendants are accused of driving their motorcycles into a line of officers. Hochman said investigators were reviewing video from demonstrations that turned violent over the weekend and more charges are pending. He said people are encouraged to engage in peaceful demonstration, but the moment they engage in illegal acts, they are no longer legitimate First Amendment protestors. They are criminals. Most LA arrests have been for failing to leave the area The Los Angeles Police Department has made nearly 400 arrests and detentions since Saturday in connection to immigration protests. The vast majority of which have been for failing to leave the area in defiance of requests from law enforcement, according to police. There have been a handful of more serious charges including for assault against police officers and for possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun. Nine police officers have been wounded, most were minor injuries and some were transported to a hospital and released. About 500 National Guard troops in LA are trained to accompany agents on immigration raids The commander in charge said while some troops have already gone on such missions, he said its too early to say if that will continue even after the protests die down. Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, speaking in an interview with The Associated Press and ABC, also warned that he expects the protest situation will escalate, noting that protests across the nation are being planned and discussed now. Im focused right here in LA, whats going on right here," Sherman said. "But you know, I think were, were very concerned. Sherman, commander of Task Force 51 that is overseeing the Guard troops and Marines deployed to LA, initially said that National Guard troops had already temporarily detained some civilians. He later said he was incorrect, and that he had based his comments on photos and footage he had seen that turned out to not be a representation of Guard members in Los Angeles. ___ This item has been corrected. The commander of the troops deployed to Los Angeles initially told the AP that National Guard members had already detained some civilians. He later said his information was incorrect and Guard members have not detained civilians. 17 people were arrested in Chicago protests Some of those arrested in connection with downtown protests during rush hour Tuesday were charged for vandalism, police say. Four people face felony charges, including for aggravated battery against an officer of the peace. Thousands of people demonstrated in a downtown plaza to call out the Trump administrations immigration operations and his move to dispatch dispatching the military to California. Chicago leaders say the majority of protesters were peaceful and exercising their First Amendment rights. Texas governor refuses to disclose details of his National Guard mobilization plan Speaking at a bill-signing news conference Wednesday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott would not say how many guard members will be used or how. He added only that they will be in strategic locations where they can provide the most robust response if needed. There are others outside of this room who would like to know that. And Im not going to tell them, Abbott said. Protests are planned in San Antonio on Wednesday night and in other cities around the state this weekend. San Antonio officials have said they didnt ask for the Guard to be sent. We want to make sure that what has happened in California does not happen in Texas, Abbott said. LA could lift its curfew if arrests drop The mayor said an overnight curfew for downtown neighborhoods will remain in effect indefinitely. Bass said officials will consider lifting it if there are fewer arrests Wednesday night. What Im hoping is that Angelenos got the message last night, she said. How long it will remain in place also depends on the response by the federal government, Bass said. If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue, she said. City leaders say ICE raids have been happening outside Home Depots and churches Maybe we are part of a national experiment about how far to determine the federal government can go in reaching in and taking over power from a governor, power from a local jurisdiction, Mayor Karen Bass said. Mayors who joined her said immigrants are vital for the economy, including harvesting food for the country. We are not criminals. We are hard working people. We came to the United States to work, to better our families, said South Gate Mayor Maria Davila. Many of the city leaders said raids have been happening outside Home Depots, churches and other businesses. A woman who was nine months pregnant and a man dropping off his granddaughter were among those detained, they said. LA police say they detained over 200 people and two officers were injured The vast majority of people -- 203 -- were detained for failing to disperse Tuesday, and 17 others for violating the curfew that set in at 8 p.m. over part of Los Angeles, police said in a statement Wednesday. Police arrested several more people for possessing a firearm, assaulting a police officer and shining a laser at a police airship. Police said they used numerous less lethal munitions to control the crowd. Two officers were injured Tuesday, bringing the total number injured over the past several days of protests to nine. Houston is ready for any protests, mayor says At Wednesdays Houston City Council meeting, Mayor John Whitmire did not specifically mention the possibility of Texas National Guard troops being sent to the nations fourth-largest city ahead of any protests. City leaders expressed their confidence in the Houston Police Department being able to monitor any protests. Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts office says National Guard troops are on standby in Texas in areas where demonstrations are planned. Were so prepared, Whitmire said. We have such a great police department, a diverse police department that has so much experience. We have a history of peaceful demonstrations brought about by the faith community, our civic leaders, our political figures. And were going to continue down that path. Protests in Chicago have been mostly peaceful, mayor says Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the citys police have responded appropriately in managing crowds at immigration protests in recent days. The demonstrations have been in response to aggressive immigration arrests in the city and in solidarity with Los Angeles. The largest Chicago gathering was downtown Wednesday when thousands gathered in a downtown plaza and onto surrounding streets during the evening rush hour. There were some incidents of vandalism, and one 66-year-old woman was injured when she was hit by a car. The vast majority of protesters remain peaceful and organized, Johnson said. 2 people charged for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails toward police during LA protests No officers were hit. Both people are charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said at a press conference Wednesday. You can make a statement, but you cant throw bombs or Molotov cocktails, Essayli said. Investigators are combing through FBI videos, body camera footage from law enforcement and other evidence on social media, said Essayli. Authorities expect to charge more people in the coming days and weeks. Department of Homeland Security says 9 people arrested in LA had criminal convictions The U.S. Department of Homeland Security revealed names of nine people arrested by immigration authorities in Los Angeles on Monday and Tuesday with criminal convictions, including one for homicide and burglary and others for drug trafficking and child endangerment. It used those cases to portray violent criminals as its primary targets and accuse political opponents of coddling them. How much longer will Governor (Gavin) Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass continue to prioritize these criminal illegal aliens over their own citizens? said Tricia McLaughlin, a department spokesperson. Secretary (Kristi) Noem has a message to the LA rioters: you will not stop us or slow us down. ICE will continue to enforce the law and arrest criminal illegal aliens. Woman injured in Chicago after car strikes protesters Chicago police say a 66-year-old woman was injured when she was struck by a car during downtown protests Tuesday evening. Crowds of demonstrators rallying in solidarity with activists in Los Angeles took over a plaza and some surrounding streets amid rush hour traffic. Video footage shows a car speeding through a roadway where people were standing and were protesting. Police said Wednesday that the injured woman fractured her left arm and was treated at a local hospital. No other injuries were reported. Chicago police say detectives are investigating. No charges have been filed. Jeffries and Schumer defend Newsom The defense of Newsom came as House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer were asked how Newsom should be dealing with Trump. Jeffries said Newsom has been doing a tremendous job on behalf of the people of California. He then used the question to state Democrats believe along with Newsom that anybody who commits violence or destroys property should be held accountable to the full extent of that law. At the same time, people have a right to peacefully protest and petition their government. Schumer said that Trump has been trying to intimidate Newsom. He has shown hes not going to be intimidated, and were all for that, Schumer said of Newsom. All for him and proud that he is refusing to be intimidated by Donald Trump. NYPD detains more than 80 people during Tuesday nights protests in Lower Manhattan The protests took place around Foley Square Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning. Many in the large crowds, which police estimated at around 2,500 people, shouted out against federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement and waved signs that included ICE out of NYC as they rallied near an ICE facility and federal courthouses. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful. She blamed smaller groups for causing the disorder that required police intervention. Police said they took 86 people into custody, including 52 who were released with criminal court summonses for minor crimes and 34 who were charged with assault, resisting arrest and other crimes. Some protesters clashed with police when they jumped over metal barricades and were wrestled to the ground by officers. Video also showed demonstrators throwing items at law enforcement vehicles. Marines will not be deployed Wednesday in Los Angeles About 700 Marines are still undergoing civil disturbance training at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach in Orange County, California, said Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, head of the task force thats overseeing the deployment of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles. Sherman wouldnt speculate about when the Marines might join the 2,000 or so Guard troops that have been deployed in downtown areas to protect federal buildings during sometimes violent demonstrations against President Trumps immigration crackdown. Another 2,000 Guard troops were expected to mobilize on Thursday, he said during a news conference. Downtown LA bustling after curfew lifted The streets of downtown Los Angeles began bustling with residents walking dogs and commuters clutching coffee cups after the overnight curfew was lifted at 6 a.m. Wednesday. Officials said at least two dozen people were arrested for violating the curfew, but overall they were fewer clashes between police and demonstrators than on previous nights. There were no signs of Marines that were expected to be deployed in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, joining the National Guard troops that are protecting federal buildings and ICE agents making arrests. Attorneys General coalition condemns the unlawful deployment of National Guard A coalition of 18 Democratic attorneys general on Wednesday condemned the Trump administration for what they called the unlawful deployment of the California National Guard amid the protests in Los Angeles. The presidents decision to federalize and deploy Californias National Guard without the consent of California state leaders is unlawful, unconstitutional, and undemocratic, the attorneys general said in a statement released by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. They said the Trump administration should be working with local leaders to keep everyone safe, not mobilizing the military against the American people. In their capacity as the chief legal officers of the 18 states, they also expressed support for California Attorney General Rob Bontas court challenge to Trumps order. We oppose any action from this administration that will sow chaos, inflame tensions, and put peoples lives at risk including those of our law-enforcement officers, they wrote. The statement was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Vermont. Denver police arrested 17 people during protest against immigration raids The hundreds who marched Tuesday evening down thoroughfares in the city, blocking traffic and chanting, were eventually told to disperse by police. Officers used smoke and pepper balls -- similar to paintballs but filled with a substance akin to pepper spray -- to control the crowd, the Denver Police Department said in a statement Wednesday. Three people were arrested on assault charges, according to Denver police. Other charges included graffiti, unlawfully throwing projectiles and failing to following the polices orders. Mexican president to discuss Kristi Noems comments accusing her of inciting violence Claudia Sheinbaum said she would discuss the U.S. Homeland Security Secretarys accusation with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Wednesday as he visits Mexico. She rejected Noems comments as completely false the day before, publishing a video of her in her morning press briefing calling for Mexicans to act in peace in the Los Angeles protests. Sheinbaum added more details Wednesday claiming her opponents had completely taken out of context her previous comments suggesting that Mexicans could protest a tax on remittances proposed by Trump. We have never called for a violent demonstration, she said. We are against all violent acts. Weve always supported peaceful protests. San Antonio Mayor says city officials did not ask for the Texas National Guard to be deployed Mayor Ron Nirenberg said city officials did not ask for the Texas National Guard to be deployed to the city ahead of planned protests Wednesday night and Saturday. Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts office said Tuesday night that National Guard troops were on standby in areas where demonstrations are planned. That came after police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday near the state Capitol. Wednesday nights protest in San Antonio are scheduled to be near the Alamo, in the heart of the citys downtown. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said he has not been told by either the governors office or the guard how many troops would be in the city, where they would be positioned or what they will be doing. The governors office has not publicly released those details. McManus said the city police are ready to handle any security issues with the demonstration. We are prepared for a peaceful demonstration, but we are also prepared if something goes south and it turns violent, McManus said. Immigrant communities are rattled Immigration raids across Southern California are rattling the areas immigrant communities, even among those in the country legally. More than 100 people have been detained since Friday. In Orange County, a day laborer said he started carrying his green card everywhere. And during a news conference Monday, the family members of detained workers in Los Angeles urged officials to uphold the city and the state of California as places of sanctuary for immigrants. Read more about how the raids are affecting immigrant families Protests over immigration raids pop up across the US with more planned Protests that started in Los Angeles have begun to spread across the country, with more planned into the weekend. California National Guard are positioned at the Federal Building on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) From Seattle and Austin to Chicago and Washington, D.C., marchers have chanted slogans, carried signs against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and snarled traffic through downtown avenues and outside federal offices. While many have been peaceful, some have resulted in clashes with law enforcement as officers made arrests and used chemical irritants to disperse crowds Activists are planning more and even larger demonstrations in the coming days, with No Kings events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trumps planned military parade through Washington. The Trump administration said it would continue its program of raids and deportations despite the protests. ICE will continue to enforce the law, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted Tuesday on social media. Read more about some of the other protests across the country Trump says hes open to using Insurrection Act Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. Its one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president. If theres an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. Well see, he said from the Oval Office. Later the president called protesters animals and a foreign enemy in a speech at Fort Bragg ostensibly to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. In a public address Tuesday evening, Newsom called Trumps actions the start of an assault on democracy. Newsom warned people against inciting violence, but urged them to stand up to the presidents actions. LA police swiftly enforce downtown curfew as protests against Trumps immigration crackdown continue Los Angeles police swiftly enforced a downtown curfew, making arrests moments after it took effect, while deploying officers on horseback and using crowd control projectiles to break up a group of hundreds of demonstrators. Members of the National Guard stood watch behind plastic shields, but did not appear to participate in the arrests Tuesday night. Hours later, many of the protesters had dispersed, although sporadic confrontations continued that were much smaller than in previous nights. The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown and the curfew covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section that includes an area where protests have occurred since Friday in the sprawling city of 4 million. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, with some guardsmen now standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests. He said it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. The judge set a hearing for Thursday, giving the administration several days to continue those activities. Read more about Tuesday nights protests ___ This story has been corrected. The commander of the troops deployed to Los Angeles initially told the AP that National Guard members had already detained some civilians. He later said his information was incorrect and Guard members have not detained civilians. Six law firms, including Morgan & Morgan and the firm of prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, are suing five companies involved with the engineering and construction of the gangway on Georgias Sapelo Island that led to the deaths of seven people after collapsing last October. Four of the people who died were from Jacksonville, one was a former reverend from Brunswick, and the two others were from Georgia. Georgia state officials believe 40 people were on the gangway between the ferry and the island when it broke apart. This was a tragedy of unbelievable proportions, said Chadrick Mance, a Savannah-based attorney who helped create the lawsuit, there was an improper design and improper maintenance of the gangway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 101-page lawsuit lists 19 different charges against the companies being sued, including negligence and wrongful death related to the collapse. Part of the reason is because it lists information from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources saying the gangway should have been able to hold the weight of 320 people. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Between survivors of the collapse and family of those who died, 50 people are listed in the lawsuit as those seeking damages. The lawsuit claims the gangway had issues for years. It shows an email from 2022 between one of the companies that helped design the gangway and DNR, saying hairline cracks and a completely failed weld had been found during an inspection, and concerns raised over a loud popping sound as people were walking across the platform. The email later said there were no issues or concerns related to the gangways structural integrity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit was announced between two separate news briefings: one held by attorney Ben Crump in Atlanta and another held by Chadrick Mance at the Elm Grove Baptist Church in Meridian, Georgia. Its right next to the ferry pickup to Sapelo Island and the site where those who survived the collapse first reunited with their families after it happened. Replaying everything in my mind, seeing my daughter hanging on the side, finding out my wife and my youngest daughter are missing, its just been rough, Michael Wood said, one of the survivors who spoke at the briefing inside Elm Grove Baptist Church. Read: Historic Mayport Lighthouse in plans to be relocated One of the last pages of the lawsuit, which was filed in Georgias Gwinnett County, demands a trial to be held, though no set trial or hearing date has been given. Mance, along with the other lawyers who helped put the lawsuit together, are promising answers for those affected by the collapse in the hope it may help them heal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We will be seeking maximum justice, unfettered justice and aggressive justice for these clients. And these are the best firms in the country. And so if theres ever an opportunity to get justice, this is it, Mance said. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [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. AGAWAM, Mass. (WWLP) State lawmakers are getting feedback Tuesday evening on a new behavioral health initiative launched in Agawam Public Schools. State lawmakers led a discussion in Agawam Tuesday evening, in the fight to improve student mental health. Holyoke Community College to offer free course in AI essentials There, they solicited feedback on the states new behavioral health initiative called MC-PAP for schools, which launched a year ago within the Agawam public school system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its hard being a kid these days, says Senate President Karen Spilka. And we need as adults to make it easier to provide mental health services as early as possible. It is meant to connect available resources for each students individual needs through a systemic approach, improving behavioral health support, using data points from nurse visits to attendance as well as social-emotional screenings to identify students who might otherwise fly under the radar. Senator John Velis adds, Wow, this is sad. A lot is going on with the kids, but also they are raising their hands and talking about it, I dont know if that would have been the case 6,7 years ago. The program also assesses district-wide mental health strategies and how families are being reached. Weve made a lot of great gains this year, increasing student access to community providers, says MCPAP Consultant Jen Brennan. Our main goal is to think about a sustainable process that school districts can follow. The key takeaway as the first year of the initiative comes to a close. Real progress is possible if schools, families, and the community work together to meet the student where they are. Its really about increasing access and increasing it more quickly for kids that need it, adds Sara Whitcomb, Associate Director of Research and Evaluation for the Boston Childrens Neighborhood Partnerships Program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to this program, Senate President Karen Spilka says they are working on legislation to address cellphone use in the classroom, telling 22News it only adds to the mental health crisis. 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. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) The Governors Merit Scholarship has already helped high-achieving Ohio high schoolers attend college in-state, and Ohio senators want to ensure those students stay after graduation, too. The scholarships give $5,000 per school year to students in the top 5% of their class who agree to attend schools in the Buckeye State. Senators continued funding for the Governors Merit Scholarship in their state budget draft, but proposed revoking the funds if students move out of state in the three years after graduating. Because of this scholarship, this year, an additional 1,700 of our top students have decided to go to college in Ohio and not go to college out of state, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South-Western City Schools teachers, board clash over contract The scholarship began in 2023 as a way to incentivize high-achieving Ohio high school graduates to stay in state for college, and DeWine said 87% of students offered the scholarship this year accepted it. DeWine said before the scholarship, between 35-40% of Ohios top high school graduates attended college in another state. He said keeping students in the state is even more pertinent because two-thirds of American students work in the state they graduate from. Now, senators want to ensure students are part of Ohios workforce. Beginning in 2027, first-time scholarship recipients would have to commit to living in Ohio for the three years after graduation. Under the Senates proposal, students would have to sign a promissory note that would require them to pay back the scholarships if they dont stay in Ohio. The Senate budget changes would also adjust student eligibility. In the 2025-2026 school year, Senators proposed giving the scholarship to just the top 2% of students at each high school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While no final language has been approved, our office appreciates the Ohio General Assemblys support of the Governors Merit Scholarships, a governors office spokesperson said. We will continue to work with the General Assembly through the budget process. Students from public schools, homeschooled, recovery dropout programs or chartered nonpublic high schools are eligible for the scholarship, which does not require an application. Instead, schools are given a specific number of scholarships to award to the top 5% of the graduating class by Nov. 1 of their graduating year. Students must actively accept the scholarships by March 1. Senate Bill 1 cosponsor calls Ohio States Juneteenth guidelines an intentional overreaction In the 2023-2024 school year, Ohios most recently available data, there were just under 1.6 million students enrolled in eligible high schools. Although class sizes and circumstances vary, that would mean around 400,000 students graduate annually. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2026, the top 5% of students would amount to 20,000 possible scholarship awardees. By switching to the top 2% of students, just 8,000 students would qualify in fiscal year 2027. The Senate budget allocates $47 million for fiscal year 2026 and $56,410,000 for 2027. This would allow 9,400 students to receive the full scholarship amount in 2026 and allow 11,282 students to receive the full amount in 2027. The scholarship gives up to $5,000 in case more students are eligible and nominated, which would lead to a prorated award. The Senate did not keep a change to the scholarship program included in the House budget draft that would let private, for-profit universities accept Governors Merit Scholars if they signed a commitment to comply with Senate Bill 1. S.B. 1 is a sweeping anti-DEI higher education bill that goes into effect for public colleges at the end of June, but the Senate removed this provision. What potential fallout awaits when Ohio State sexual abuse documentary debuts Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both the Senate and the House included provisions requiring all state institutions to accept students who graduated in the top 10% of their class, and any student in the top 5% of their class must be accepted to the main campus. Both the House and Senate followed a DeWine recommendation to guarantee high-performing high schoolers admission to state schools. The Senate budget requires all public universities to accept Ohio residents who graduated in the top 10% of their class. If students are in the top 5%, they must be accepted to the universitys main 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. Gov. Jeff Landry speaks to reporters about his legislative agenda to bring down high auto insurance rates on April 9, 2025. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) With just two days left to write new laws in the 2025 legislative session, Louisiana lawmakers have halted the only two insurance proposals this year that critics said would have directly provided relief to homeowners struggling to afford skyrocketing rates. Senate Bill 235 and House Bill 356 drew wide public interest as homeowners wait for state officials to rein in the coverage costs. Average homeowner insurance premiums in Louisiana are the eighth highest in the nation, according to the industry news site Insure.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both were also among the few insurance bills that had bipartisan support, though not quite enough from conservatives. Sponsored by Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, Senate Bill 235 would have created an annual tax credit of up to $2,000 for homeowners insurance payments. It would have been available to anyone with homeowners coverage and an income no greater than 200% of the federal poverty level. The legislation included a provision to sunset the credit after 10 years. After narrowly clearing the Senate, Duplessis SB-235 narrowly failed in the House as Republicans there tanked it with a two-vote margin, 49-52. The other measure, House Bill 356 by Rep. Jacob Braud, R-Belle Chasse, would have required insurance companies to let homeowners who are free of mortgages to purchase stated value policies. It would cover the home for a lesser amount chosen by the homeowner rather than for its full market value. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the bill is still alive, its a mere shell of the version that cleared the House in a 79-20 vote just last week when it drew strong vocal support from Republicans like Rep. Tim Kerner of Lafitte, who called it the only bill he has seen this year that actually helps homeowners with affordability. The original measure would have required insurers to create stated value policies upon the request of a customer, but Senate lawmakers changed a single word in the bill from shall to may doing away with the mandate provision that served as the cornerstone on which the rest of the bill relied. Rep. Mike Bayham, R-Chalmette, expressed his disappointment over the fate of the two bills in an interview Tuesday, saying the high cost of insurance is the one issue above all others that lawmakers really needed to fix. Everything else seems to be, Lets pass something and just hope the rates get better, Bayham said. I thought Brauds bill was more direct, and I thought Duplessis bill would have provided direct relief even on a limited scale. At the end of the day, we were elected to the Legislature to tackle the insurance crisis. Tax credit crash The version of Duplessis bill that reached the House floor would have capped the states total annual payouts for the homeowners insurance tax credit at $10 million. It also would have made the credit refundable for filers earning less than $25,000 per year, meaning they could have received a cash rebate for the credit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, gathered enough votes for an amendment to remove the refundable provision and to lower the states payout cap to $1 million per year. Rep. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, who presented the bill on the House floor for Duplessis, objected to those changes but lost that vote in a 65-29 decision. This bill is to try to help those who need the most as far as homeowner insurance is concerned, Riser said. Emerson said the bill would only shift the cost of high homeowners insurance to the broader Louisiana tax base while doing nothing to address the underlying causes of high rates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont think that that gives a lot of incentive for rates to go down when were basically subsidizing those rates, she said. House Insurance Committee Chairman Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, who has spearheaded much of the pro-insurance industry legislation this year, rallied his conservative colleagues to oppose Duplessis bill by calling out one of the organizations backing it, the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance. Firment took issue with recent text messages from the Alliance that accused lawmakers of doing nothing to pass meaningful insurance reform. He pointed out the group gave a poor rating to Republican Congressman Steve Scalise ahead of his 2024 reelection and a positive rating to the Democratic challenger Mel Manuel, whom Firment called a radical transgender candidate. Questioning the relevance of those comments, House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, began interjecting to ask Firment to focus his comments on the bill, but the Grant Parish lawmaker had made his point and yielded the floor. It encourages you to gamble Meanwhile Monday in the Senate, members of the upper chamber were approving a neutered version of Brauds legislation with little discussion. If signed into law, the Senates version of the legislation would make no changes to what is already allowed under current law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stated value policies are typically customized for homeowners who have paid off all or most of their mortgage and prefer to shoulder the risk of having only partial coverage. They would receive lower premiums in exchange for paying out-of-pocket for any damages, increasing the likelihood of losing their homes entirely in the event of a bad storm or a lawsuit. In an interview Tuesday, Braud said theres no law that would currently stop insurers from selling stated-value policies, but he wouldnt go so far as to say the Senate changes rendered his proposal a do-nothing bill. Weve gotta start somewhere, the Plaquemines Parish lawmaker said. Braud added that he believes passing the neutered version of the bill might not change anything this year, but it could help the idea of stated value polices gain momentum. Braud said he hopes he can get the word shall back into the law during next years session. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pro-industry lawmakers such as Firment opposed Brauds legislation, arguing it would shift insurance costs to other parts of the state that arent prone to hurricanes and would lead to an increase in blighted property from people abandoning their damaged homes after storms. Ironically, the same group Firment criticized during debate on Duplessis bill is aligned with him in opposition to Brauds bill. In a phone interview Tuesday, Andreanecia Morris, president of the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance, said her organization is sympathetic to the plight of homeowners everywhere who cant afford insurance, but she believes Brauds bill doesnt address the underlying problem of high rates. Were not fans of encouraging homeowners to go it alone and not have enough insurance to replace their homes should the worst happen, Morris said. People cant afford what they need, and thats the issue. Solving that problem isnt gonna be accomplished by just asking them to need less. Its like asking them to breathe less. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers could be doing more to solve the problem and regulate the insurance industry, she said, adding that Brauds bill could spell disaster if too many Louisiana residents go underinsured or drop out of the property insurance market altogether. It encourages you to gamble in a way that is unsustainable and could lead to you losing your home, Morris said. We learned those lessons after Katrina. Brauds bill is scheduled for a conference committee on Wednesday in which a small group of lawmakers from both chambers try to work on a compromise to get the measure passed. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers is calling on the Trump administration to address the continued sale of illicit, compounded GLP-1 products, warning that consumers may be accessing these drugs without knowing the product could be fraudulent. North Carolina Reps. Brad Knott (R) and Deborah Ross (D) wrote to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi, imploring them to end the sale of counterfeit, research-grade and illegal copycats of popular GLP-1 medications. When the commercial, branded versions of tirzepatide and semaglutide were declared to no longer be in shortage, compounding pharmacies were disallowed from continuing to sell compounded versions of those drugs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While telehealth companies have transitioned away from compounded versions, state officials have warned that copycat drugs have proliferated in the months since the shortages ended. Earlier this year, the National Association of Attorneys General sent a letter to the FDA to warn that counterfeit GLP-1 drugs have infiltrated the U.S. supply chain from China, Turkey, India, and other foreign sources. According to the attorneys general, online retailers sell the active ingredient for the GLP-1s under the claim that theyre for research purposes only or not for human consumption while still marketing them to consumers on social media. The FDA issued a warning in April, telling consumers to not take counterfeit Ozempic. The drugs manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, had alerted the agency that several hundred units of counterfeit product had entered the U.S. supply chain. At the time, the FDA said it was aware of six adverse events associated with the counterfeit products. Though the FBI issued a public service warning soon after the letter from the attorneys general was sent, Knott and Ross said raising public awareness wasnt enough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FDA has received hundreds of reports of adverse events, even some resulting in the hospitalization and death of patients who used illicit GLP-1s, they wrote. This is likely a significant underreporting of adverse events experienced by patients because federal law does not require state-licensed pharmacies that are not outsourcing facilities to submit adverse events to FDA. The lawmakers asked that the Trump Cabinet members fully use the legal tools at your discretion to further detect illicit and enforce U.S. drug standards. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) sent his own letter to Cabinet members, calling for enhanced collaboration among agencies like FDA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Justice Department in order to stop the counterfeit products from reaching the supply chain in the first place. The Hill has reached out to the agencies named in the letter for comment. 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. LAWRENCE, Kan. The Lawrence Police Department is asking for the publics help after they say a person fired a gun outside an apartment complex, sending many people running for safety. It happened over the weekend at The Connection, near W. 31st Street and Ousdahl Road. A woman who lives at The Connection tells FOX4 she woke up to gunfire and heard more than a dozen rounds right outside her apartment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its kind of a very shocking feeling to be like in your home and hear something like that, Sophia Tenrreiro said. Lawrence nonprofit opens sober group home for women in recovery Tenrreiro has lived at The Connection for the last three years and never heard gunshots there until early Saturday morning. Its very kind of unnerving to know that it actually happened within this gated community, Helenna Shcherbinin said, who also lives at the apartment complex, said. Lawrence police are asking for help in finding the person who fired a gun outside the apartments. Police said it happened just after 12:30 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detective Evan Curtis said there were dozens of people at a party at the apartment complex. Witnesses told officers after a fight inside an apartment unit, people moved outside to the parking lot and continued the argument. Thats when someone pulled a gun. At some point, out in the parking lot area, one of the possibly involved subjects pulled a firearm and starting firing back at the apartment complex, Curtis said. Officers found more than a dozen shell casings. Police said nobody was hurt, however gunfire hit at least one vehicle. With the large amount of people at the party and outside, it was a very high likelihood that somebody couldve been hit or killed, Curtis said. Luckily at this time, we only note there was only a car that was struck, and no individuals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Motorcycle crash shuts down K-10/US 40 in Douglas County Tuesday afternoon The Connection sent a statement to FOX4 saying We are aware that local police were called to investigate an incident of a firearm being discharged on June 7th in a parking area of The Connection Lawrence property. We are pleased to note that there were no apparent injuries and minimal damage. The safety of our residents is our highest priority, and we will respond as appropriate based on the outcome of the police investigation. Police said there were several witnesses and many ran for their own safety after hearing gunfire. The suspect has been described as a Black man between 55 and 58 with a thin build. Witnesses also told detectives he was wearing dark clothing and carrying a red back pack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspect used a very unique style handgun, which I think would stand out to anyone who may be aware or families with the individual involved, Curtis added. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV If you have any information, call Lawrence police dispatch at (785) 843-0250 or Crime Stoppers at (785) 843-8477. Police said tips leading to an arrest could be eligible for a reward and you can choose 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 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. Steve Kruse's Stonehenge Kennels in West Point, Iowa, has been repeatedly cited for failure to provide adequate veterinary care, and the USDA suspended Kruse's license in 2023. The dog pictured here is one of those that federal inspectors alleged was in need of veterinary care. (Aerial photo courtesy of Bailing Out Benji. Inset photo taken by USDA inspector, courtesy of Bailing Out Benji) A lawsuit alleging the U.S. Department of Agriculture has failed to enforce animal-welfare laws in the state of Iowa remains at a standstill while the litigants wait for a judges ruling. In September 2024, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sued the USDA and then-Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, claiming the federal agency and former governor of Iowa violated the federal Animal Welfare Act by repeatedly renewing the license of Steve Kruse, an Iowa-based dog breeder. Kruse operates a large-scale breeding facility, Stonehenge Kennels in West Point, which has a long history of animal welfare violations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ASPCA claims the USDA routinely licenses dog breeders and dealers such as Kruse despite the agencys direct knowledge of practices that violate federal regulations or fall far below the standards required by the Animal Welfare Act. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks a court order that would force the USDA to void all current licenses issued to Kruse and his associates and prevent the agency from renewing them. In response, the USDA has argued that any decisions as to whether to enforce the Animal Welfare Act through a license suspension or revocation fall within the discretion of the secretary of agriculture Vilsack at the time of the Kruse case, and now Brooke Rollins of Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By challenging past decisions to issue and renew licenses for Kruse and his associates, the USDA argues, the ASPCA is now seeking to override the secretarys discretion in licensing matters and impose its policy preferences on the secretary. Lawsuit alleges horrific treatment of dogs According to the ASPCA, the USDAs own inspection reports detail horrific treatment of breeding dogs kept caged in Kruses massive West Point, Iowa operation, which typically holds more than 700 dogs. The inspectors reports document observations related to dogs limping and suffering from open, bleeding wounds; dogs with untreated eye infections or severe dental issues; painful fur matting; and a lack of veterinary care. Steve Kruses Stonehenge Kennels in West Point, Iowa, has been repeatedly cited for failure to provide adequate veterinary care. The dogs pictured here were suffering from bleeding foot injuries and an eye disorder, according to federal inspectors. (Photo taken by USDA inspectors, courtesy of Bailing Out Benji) The USDA reports also allege Kruse poured hot sauce on one dogs open wounds to keep the dog from licking them, and housed other dogs in cages so small they restricted the animals freedom of movement. The dogs also had fecal matter on their coats and in their food bowls, the USDA inspectors alleged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During one inspection, Kruse was alleged to have thrown a bag of dead puppies at a USDA official but he has continued to operate his dog-breeding business under USDA licensure. The USDA has not filed an answer to the ASPCAs allegations, but in November 2024 sought a dismissal of the case. However, theres been no movement in the case over the past five months while the parties await a judges ruling on that motion to dismiss. In seeking a dismissal, the USDA claims the ASPCA lacks standing to sue the federal agency, arguing that the courts have only rarely held that individuals or organizations can sue for the unlawful regulation of third parties. Citing past U.S. Supreme Court rulings, the federal agency claims an organization may not establish standing based on the intensity of the litigants interest, or because of strong opposition to the governments conduct. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ASPCA has responded to that argument by claiming the USDA has previously relied on the ASPCA to assist with the rescue of hundreds of dogs when a previous associate of Kruse amassed so many violations of the Animal Welfare Act that the Department of Justice took the unprecedented step of seeking injunctive relief in federal court to halt that licensees operation. That assertion is an apparent reference to Daniel Gingerich, an Iowa breeder who operated a puppy mill in connection with Kruse and who was cited for more than 200 violations of the Animal Welfare Act before the U.S. Department of Justice intervened and negotiated the surrender of more than 500 dogs. Such cases have a direct impact on the ASPCAs ability to pursue its mission, the organization says, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to assist with rescue and relocation efforts. ASPCA: Feds knew of puppy laundering Court records indicate that in 2022, the USDA approved Kruse for a three-year license despite what the ASPCA now calls an extensive history of AWA violations that included violations cited on the very day Kruse applied for a license. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Throughout 2023, the ASPCA argues, the USDA observed numerous dogs with severe veterinary care issues, including injuries, diseases, or conditions that had not been treated. In addition, the USDA is alleged to have improperly approved the licenses of two of Kruses associates in Iowa, Brian Lichirie and Wuanita Swedlund, despite full knowledge of the relationship between the parties. That lawsuit claims that despite the Animal Welfare Acts clear prohibition against issuing more than one license to a dog dealer, Lichirie and Swedlund each hold their own license while operating kennels that are populated by dogs owned by Kruse. Technically, such arrangements are prohibited by the USDA since they can result in puppy laundering - the process of routing dogs from a serial violator to a different licensee with a relatively clean record, in order to facilitate sales to retailers in the rapidly growing number of jurisdictions that prohibit the sale of dogs sourced from questionable operators. The ASPCA claims the USDA wrote to Kruse nine years ago, in 2016, to inform him that federal law required him, Lichirie and Swedlund to operate under a single license. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Kruse failed to take corrective action, the ASPCA claims, the USDA continued to renew his license and never took any steps to revoke the licenses of Lichirie or Swedlund. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic are in Odesa for the UkraineSoutheast Europe Summit. Source: European Pravda, with reference to official announcements published on the websites of the three governments Details: The Greek governments website states that Mitsotakis "is travelling to Odesa to take part in the 4th UkraineSoutheast Europe Summit", which is being held on 11 June. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Croatian governments press service reported that Plenkovic had arrived in Ukraine to attend the summit, though it did not specify the location. The previous summit was held in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It was noted that this is Plenkovics fourth visit to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war. Croatia has provided Ukraine with various forms of assistance worth approximately 315 million and has granted temporary protection to 30,000 Ukrainians. The website of the president of Montenegro also confirmed that Milatovic was invited to the summit and that it is taking place in Odesa. Among other guests attending the summit are Romanias new president, Nicusor Dan, and Serbias pro-Russian president, Aleksandar Vucic, who is making his first visit to Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Key Points U.S. and Chinese negotiators are trying to work out a trade deal in London this week. High retaliatory tariffs from China threatened MP Materials' rare earths export business earlier in the year. Longer term, MP Materials hopes to manufacture its own rare earth magnets without having to export rare earths to China first. 10 stocks we like better than MP Materials Shares of MP Materials (NYSE: MP), the biggest miner of U.S. rare earth metals, and also involved in rare earth refining and magnet manufacture, surged to close up 7.7% Monday. Why? Well, over in London, trade representatives from China and the U.S. are meeting to discuss lowering tariffs tensions in general, and in particular, to discuss easing export restrictions on rare earths from China, to be imported into the U.S. You would think this would be bad news for MP Materials stock, as those imports will compete with its own production! Image source: Getty Images. Reading between the lines But here's the thing: The obvious answer isn't always the right one. As I explained back in April, President Trump's trade war with China hasn't been unalloyed good for MP's business. On the one hand, yes, imports of rare earth magnets from China undermine MP's efforts to build a rare earth magnets business of its own here in the U.S. On the other hand, though, that magnet manufacturing business is only just getting started. For now, MP still makes most of its money selling rare earth ores to China for refinement. Indeed, according to MP's own annual report, rare earths refiner Shenghe Resources Holding accounted for 80% of all revenue MP collected last year. What this means for MP Materials What does this mean for MP? In the near term, MP will be hoping trade talks reduce Chinese tariffs on rare earths exported from the U.S., to not decimate MP's business in that direction. Later on, if China restricts magnet imports, that could be good for MP's sales of its own magnets -- but only after MP's magnet business is up and running full steam. For now, MP remains a commodities exporter, heavily dependent on China, and very interested in seeing free trade restored. 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See the 10 stocks HILLIARD, Ohio (WCMH) Hilliard City Schools students who score well on their state tests do not have to take final exams, a district spokesperson confirmed. District announcements show the program began as an incentive for students to do well on Ohios state tests. Any student who got a proficient score, or 700 and higher, in Algebra I, Biology, English II, Geometry, U.S. History and U.S. Government could choose to be exempted from that courses end-of-year exam. According to state records, this policy would exempt more than half of the students from these exams. Ohio has five levels of performance for its state exams: limited, basic, proficient, accelerated and advanced. Ohio Department of Education Press Secretary Lacey Snoke said students must score competently enough on state tests a 684 or higher to graduate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DEI law cosponsor calls Ohio States Juneteenth guidelines an intentional overreaction Ohios State Tests provide valuable insights into how well our students are growing in the knowledge and skills outlined in Ohios Learning Standards, Snoke said. They also help guide and strengthen future teaching, ensuring that we are preparing our students for long-term success in school, careers and life. Snoke said districts have control over their daily operations, including things like final exams, so Hilliard is able to offer incentives like this one. According to state data, the policy would exempt more than half of Hilliards students from these exams. Hilliard students had their worst scores in Geometry, with 53.8% of students earning a proficient score. In the 2023-2024 school year, as many as 80% of students could have skipped their final exams thanks to the incentive. Hilliard scores better on these tests than most districts, but it lags behind similar districts in its scoring. The state identifies similar school districts for easy comparison, and Hilliard is grouped in with other suburban schools with low student poverty rates and large student bodies. The state considers Worthington, Gahanna-Jefferson, Pickerington, Dublin and Westerville similar districts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Hilliard spokesperson said the incentive was common practice among central Ohio schools. At Columbus City Schools, district policy exempts most students with an A in a course from the final, and many districts including Hilliard exempt students from end-of-year exams if they take a relevant AP test. South-Western City Schools teachers, board clash over contract However, none of the five central Ohio districts that the state qualifies as similar to Hilliard appear to offer the same exemption. Gahanna allows individual instructors to choose if they will have an exam and dont have an adjusted schedule. Westerville requires exams at the end of each semester, exempting only seniors in good standing with an 80% or higher in the class. Dublin City Schools requires teachers to administer exams at the end of the semester, and all students are required to take them unless they have a specific approved exemption. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Examinations of this type are excellent tools for determining the degree of knowledge obtained from a course, Dublin schools said. They also provide excellent preparation for the type of examinations encountered in higher education. Hilliard students who scored proficient or higher on the state test but had a near-failing grade in the class were highly encouraged to take their exams as a chance to improve their grades, but not required. Any student who wanted to take their final exam was allowed to. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Nevada last year approved $2.2 million in transferable tax credits to "Beast Games." Last week, the Nevada Film Office approved an additional $2.5 million. (Screenshot of YouTube video filmed in Allegiant Stadium promoting season one of Beast Games) Days after the death of a proposal to massively expand the states film tax credit program, the Nevada Film Office approved up to $2.5 million in transferrable tax credits for a reality competition show that made headlines last year for unsafe conditions for contestants and crew. On Friday, Beast Games, a reality competition show hosted by Jimmy MrBeast Donaldson, YouTubes biggest content creator, was approved to receive up to $2.5 million in transferrable tax credits to film an episode of its second season at a temporary soundstage in Las Vegas near the South Point Casino. The approval comes roughly a year after a promo video for its inaugural season was approved for up to $2.2 million in transferrable tax credits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Filming for a 24-minute YouTube video promoting season one of Beast Games took place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in July 2024 and was embroiled in controversy, according to multiple news reports and a class-action lawsuit. Reporting from KSNV, New York Times and Time quote Beast Games contestants alleging that they were not properly fed or given access to their prescribed medications and did not receive adequate medical care after being injured in physical challenges. Contestants described the staff as overwhelmed and unprepared for the scope of the production, which involved 2,000 contestants attempting to earn one of 1,000 available spots. The Nevada Labor Commissioners Office told the Nevada Current no complaints against the production have been filed with them. The class-action lawsuit was filed in September in California against Donaldson, Beast Games and associated production companies. The contestants alleged numerous labor code violations and sexual harassment against women contestants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit alleges producers knowingly misclassified contestants on their 2024 film tax application in part, to obtain a tax credit they would not have received if they had disclosed the Productions actual labor costs, according to a redacted copy of the lawsuit published byVariety and KSNV. Contestants on unscripted reality or game shows are not typically considered employees, though there is an evolving conversation on that as a labor issue at the national level. Lawyers for the plaintiffs could not be reached for comment. Spokespeople for MrBeast declined to respond to specific questions about the lawsuit or public allegations about the conditions of their production last year. In a provided statement, they said last years shoot in Las Vegas was unfortunately complicated by the CrowdStrike incident, referring to a nationwide IT outage that affected millions of Windows systems, extreme weather, and other unexpected logistical and communications issues, which we reviewed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement added that virtually all of those invited to Toronto where the full inaugural season was filmed enthusiastically accepted. The Governors Office of Economic Development, which houses the Nevada Film Office, did not respond to specific questions from the Current asking if they are looking into any of the allegations related to the filming of Beast Games last year, or whether the allegations were considered when approving additional tax credits. GOED spokesperson Carli Smith in a statement said the office is aware of the ongoing lawsuit and actively tracking developments. She added that the production has not completed a required third-party audit and therefore has not received any tax credits from the state. How the film tax credit program works Production companies can apply with the Nevada Film Office to receive transferable film tax credits equaling a certain percentage of qualified expenses. Because their own tax liability is less than the amount of tax credits they receive, the companies sell them to other Nevada companies at less than face value, though the state accepts them as payment at full face value. The procedure provides a financial subsidy to the tax credit recipients (the tv or film production company), and a tax break to the tax credit purchasers (typically gaming or insurance companies). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A delay of over a year between the approval of tax credits and the issuance of them is not uncommon. According to GOED, projects involving post-production have up to 270 days after post-production wraps to submit a third-party audit, which is required before any tax credits are issued. A 90-day extension can also be requested. Off Ones Base, the North Carolina-based independent production company that filed for the tax credits for Beast Games season one is still within that window of time. Audits are not considered public records, though companies can approve requests to make them public. The final amounts issued are reported by GOED within their annual reports. Fridays hearing for the $2.5 million in transferable tax credits for Beast Games season two was brief, with GOED staff and an executive producer restating details included in their public application. This years application was filed by Trailblazer Events, a North Carolina-based production company associated with MrBeast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The same point of contact was listed on both applications. According to its film tax credit application, Episode 201 of Beast Games season two will be shot entirely in Las Vegas with a budget of approximately $22.1 million, approximately $17 million of which covers what are considered qualified expenses for film tax credits. The budget includes $9.4 million in set construction and $2.2 million in wages to Nevada residents. Beast Games was promoted as having the largest cash prize, most contestants, and most cameras ever with 1,000 people competing for a $5 million grand prize. The 10-episode season aired on Amazon Prime Video in December. The promotional video featuring Allegiant Stadium streamed on YouTube. Amazon last month announced there would be two additional seasons and called Beast Games the most-watched unscripted show ever, amassing 50 million viewers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Locally, the reaction was more mixed. KSNV quoted the productions contestant wranglers alleging they were unable to call for medics when needed and were asked to clean a sleeping bag covered in human excrement. A spokesperson for MrBeast in a statement to the Current said the company communicated directly with 97% of the 2,000 people who participated in last years Las Vegas shoot to ask for feedback, adding they took the necessary steps to ensure that we learned from this experience and continue to comply with standard industry rules and regulations. MrBeast operates the most-subscribed channel on YouTube and is known for outrageous stunts and giving away money. The 27-year-old, based in Greenville, North Carolina, had 320 million subscribers on his main account and nearly 9 billion views last year, according to Forbes, which named him the internets top creator in 2024. Official notices posted in the Maine State House in Augusta. (Jim Neuger/Maine Morning Star) In an effort to stem the often lengthy debates and occasional partisan fighting that has encroached on valuable voting time, House Speaker Ryan Fecteau warned the chamber Tuesday that if they werent able to get through enough bills this week, the chair will have to consider having a session on Saturday and Sunday. Weekend work has yet to be determined, but the House did wrap before 8 p.m., comparatively early to recent late nights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One issue that always sparks debate is abortion, and with a slew of bills aiming to roll back the states current protections, both chambers had their share of discussion late Monday and Tuesday. However, the Democratic majorities in the Maine Senate and House of Representatives ultimately shot down each effort. These include: LD 253, An Act to Prevent the MaineCare Program from Covering Abortion Services; LD 886, An Act to Regulate Medication Abortions; LD 887, An Act to Make Manufacturers Responsible for Proper Disposal of Abortion Drugs and Require a Health Care Provider to Be Physically Present During a Chemical Abortion; LD 1007, An Act to Update the States Informed Consent Laws Regarding Drug-induced Abortion; LD 1930, An Act Regarding Acts of Violence Committed Against a Pregnant Woman; and LD 1154, An Act to Require That Informed Consent for Abortion Include Information on Perinatal Hospice. The bills were initially rejected by the House late Monday and laid before the Senate on Tuesday. Both chambers Tuesday also rejected legislation (LD 682) that would impose criminal penalties for performing an abortion, ban abortions passed viability unless in an emergency, and require reports on each abortion performed that would include race, marital status, and education level of the patient. (Read more about these and other related proposals here.) With papers frantically shuffling between chambers this week ahead of the planned June 18 adjournment, Maine Morning Star will highlight the biggest items of debate as well as legislation and issues that weve followed all session. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres an overview of what happened Tuesday. Both chambers After passage by the Senate earlier this month, the House voted 75-65 Tuesday night to back LD 1016, one of several proposals to support mobile home park residents in purchasing their parks. (Read more about the bill and the other proposals here. The budget committee also voted in some related funding into the budget on Tuesday.) A provision that would make it so a simple majority of each chamber can extend the Legislatures work beyond the statutory adjournment date appears likely to become law. With a 73-71 vote, the House enacted LD 1668 after both chambers gave their initial approval. Currently, two-thirds support in both chambers is needed. Lawmakers in the House and Senate on Tuesday backed the latest effort (LD 982) to provide the Mikmaq Nation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022. (Read more about this here). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Senate and House opted to indefinitely postpone legislation (LD 4) that would establish year-round eastern daylight time, effectively killing the measure. A similar bill (LD 3) that requires approval by the federal government and also adopted by other states in the eastern time zone did pass and is headed to the governors desk. Members of the House voted 78-69 and the Senate 18-14 in favor of legislation (LD 537) that would prohibit the doxing of a minor. Rep. Amy Kuhn (D-Falmouth) said the bill imposes common sense guidelines for the treatment of minors and provides important protections for their privacy and safety. Rep. Rachel Henderson (R-Rumford) said she took issue with the provision that allows a minor to be able to consent to having their image shared, rather than having a parent involved. Following the Senate, the House voted Tuesday against a bill that would amend the constitution to require the popular election of the secretary of state, attorney general and state treasurer (LD 455). Both the House and Senate backed legislation (LD 259) to Establish the Criminal Records Review Commission in Statute, with the House voting 78-68 on Tuesday. Proponents said it would help cement and continue the work of the committee, which is tasked with reviewing issues with expunging criminal records and finding ways to prevent past convictions from holding people back from being productive members of their communities. (Read more about this issue here). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An emergency bill (LD 1920) to prohibit the sale to a person under 21 years old of potentially intoxicating hemp products passed both chambers without a roll call. Because it is an emergency measure, it needs to secure two-thirds support in both chambers during enactment votes. The House met that threshold Tuesday night, with a unanimous 143-0 enactment vote. Legislation (LD 1571) to modify certification standards for full-time teachers in public charter schools as well as those for reissuance of educational technician certificates passed both chambers, with the Senate voting 18-14 on Tuesday. Both chambers have now backed legislation (LD 1427) directing the Criminal Law Advisory Commission to review and analyze the statutes of limitation pertaining to sex trafficking offenses committed against both adult and minor victims. After initially passing both the House and Senate, a bill (LD 1034) that would decriminalize adult possession of therapeutic psilocybin, found in some mushrooms, failed to garner a majority in either chamber during final enactment votes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Legislation (LD 1620) to regulate the testing of adult-use cannabis and related products was rejected by the House and Senate. Nonconcurrent matters LD 613, a bill supported by the Maine Medical Association that allows terminally ill patients to waive the current 17-day waiting period for access to life-ending medication, will go back to the Senate after the House voted to insist on passage of the bill Tuesday after the upper chamber voted Monday against the measure. After LD 1928 squeaked through both chambers last week, the Senate voted 14-20 against enactment on Monday leaving the bill, which would prohibit lodging establishments from using single-use plastic containers such as mini shampoo bottles in limbo. The House on Tuesday insisted on its position in favor of the bill. The House Tuesday insisted on its rejection of LD 371, which would remove the 100-megawatt maximum capacity limit for hydropower to qualify as a renewable resource under the states renewable resource portfolio requirement. The Senate had supported the measure. (More on this issue here.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After initially backing a proposed constitutional amendment (LD 1052) establishing the state auditor as constitutional officer, the majority of the House voted against enactment, putting it in conflict with the Senate, which placed it on the appropriations table. The chambers split over a tax proposal (LD 1879) that would increase corporate tax rates and use that revenue to support the states agricultural industries. After the House backed the measure 77-67, the Senate voted 13-18 in opposition. Critics argued the proposal would ultimately amount to a tax on consumers. But tax committee chair Sen. Nicole Grohowski (D-Hancock) said farmers are competing with large corporations while operating on thin margins. The bill, she argued, gives the state a way to step up for them without placing the burden on working families. (Read more about the bill here.) Senate action The Senate voted 19-15 to pass legislation (LD 1138) that seeks to better align the states transportation projects and planning under the Maine Department of Transportation and Turnpike Authority with the Climate Action Plan. During debate, Sen. Tim Nangle (D-Cumberland) said the state has limited resources to improve transportation and explained that the committee moved this bill forward because it addresses the simultaneous problems of climate change and a lack of transportation choices. Legislation (LD 1666) to expand ranked-choice voting to races for general and special elections for governor, state senator and state representative passed the Senate with a 20-14 vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senators voted 18-14 to pass legislation (LD 497) that clarifies the definition and regulation of significant vernal pools under the Natural Resources Protection Act. House action The House voted without a roll call in favor of a proposal (LD 1555) to create a tax credit for employers that pay for or provide in-kind child care for all employees. (Read more about the bill and other related proposals here.) LD 1099, which would exempt diapers from sales tax, passed without a roll call. The House also passed another tax-related measure (LD 1657), which would expand the use of tax increment revenue for affordable housing by adding authorized project costs, such as costs for the development, sale, and operation. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Jun. 10WILKES-BARRE The State Senate Labor and Industry Committee unanimously approved Sen. Lisa Baker's electronic payroll modernization legislation, co-introduced by Sen. Nick Miller, D-14th District. Senate Bill 581 provides employers the option to utilize either payroll cards or direct deposit for the electronic payment of their employees. "This is not a new issue," said Baker, R-Lehman Township. "The time has come for modernizing payroll delivery in Pennsylvania, benefiting both employees and employers alike while offering important protections from fraud. Last session, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the legislation, and we're hopeful the bill will advance to the governor's desk this year." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baker said the legislation would provide employers with the option to pay employees electronically with a modern and secured method. She said payroll cards provide strong consumer protections, offering employees the access to utilize banks, ATMs and online purchases with cash-back at a point of sale. In addition, the payroll cards will not overdraw or expire and include fraud protections that consumers are familiar with. "As technology continues to evolve, we need to improve existing payment options that make it easier for individuals to access their wages promptly and efficiently," said Miller. "With living costs rising across the Commonwealth, we are working to improve affordability on multiple fronts. Ensuring timely and reliable wage distribution is one way we can ensure employees can access their hard-earned money in a timely fashion, especially during unexpected disruptions." Pashinski hosts senior fair Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, recently hosted a very well-attended senior fair at the Wyoming Valley Mall, providing Luzerne County seniors and their families with a comprehensive array of resources and services designed to enhance their quality of life. The free event, held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., featured 40 vendors offering a wide range of services, including free health screenings, legal advice, caregiver resources, and transportation information. Attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with representatives from state and local agencies, healthcare providers, insurance companies, and senior living communities. "Lots of folks don't even know some of the resources that are available to them," Pashinski said. "That's why this one-stop-shop kind of concept gives them a very good idea of what's out there. We had so many great conversations during this event and everyone was happy very happy to be able to have a face-to-face conversation to answer their questions and to receive so many handouts related to their concerns." The senior fair also provided information on health care services and insurance options, senior discount programs, resources for care-giving, housing, and transportation, as well as educational materials on state and federal assistance programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For those who were unable to attend, Pashinski encourages residents to contact his office at 570-825-5934 in Wilkes-Barre and 570-301-6158 in Plains Township for assistance in connecting with available services. "My staff and I are looking forward to the next senior fair in 2026," Pashinski said. Walsh to host grant seminars Rep. Jamie Walsh, R-Ross Township, will host two seminars for municipalities and community organizations to learn about applying for grant funding. Walsh will be joined by Paul Macknosky, Regional Director, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development; and Tyler Day, community and economic development manager, Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The evens will be on Thursday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2-4 p.m. a two sites Back Mountain Regional E.M.A. Building, 3593 State Route 118, Dallas; and Sugarloaf Township Municipal Building, 858 Main St., Sugarloaf. Bresnahan announces U.S. Service Academy nomination application process U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, Jr.. R-Dallas Township, has announced the opening of the application process for nominations to the United States Service Academies for the Class of 2030. Young men and women from Pennsylvania's Eighth Congressional District are encouraged to apply to serve our nation and receive a world-class education at one of the nation's leading service academies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Service academies offer unparalleled opportunities for education, leadership, and service to our country. I am honored to help open the doors for the next generation of leaders who will serve both in the military and as public servants," said Bresnahan. "These institutions are training tomorrow's leaders, and I look forward to working with local students to help them achieve their dreams." Applications are now being accepted for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Nominations are required for each of these institutions (the U.S. Coast Guard Academy does not require a congressional nomination) and Bresnahan is committed to ensuring that talented students from our community have access to these incredible opportunities. For information on eligibility requirements, the application process, and an upcoming information session, visit Bresnahan's website. Additional details and instructions are available to help guide students through the nomination process. Rep. Haddock measure celebrates U.S. Army's 250th birthday Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state House of Representatives unanimously approved a resolution sponsored by state Rep. Jim Haddock, D-Pittston Township, recognizing the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army on June 14. "Today, between active duty, reserve, National Guard and civilian personnel, more than 1.2 million individuals ensure that our Army is prepared to protect our country," said Rep. Haddock, a member of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee. "I introduced this resolution to recognize their selfless service and sacrifice, as well as that of those who have served before them." Rep. Haddock said he asked 10 House colleagues who served in the Army to be co-prime sponsors of this measure, "because those who serve in our Armed Forces don't recognize party affiliation and that is the way it should be. I think if George Washington was alive today, he would be proud of us for coming together in a bipartisan way to approve this resolution." On June 14, 1775, the U.S. Continental Army was established to represent the original 13 colonies in the war for independence. At their core, this force was largely composed of riflemen hailing from Pennsylvania. Following the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the Continental Army was renamed the Army of the United States. Since then, the U.S. Army has served in every major conflict of the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With nearly 700,000 veterans living in Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth is home to the fifth-largest population of veterans in the country. Featured Local Savings Featured Local Savings Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle. House Speaker Daniel Perez (R) with House budget chief Rep. Lawrence McClure (L). (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) Florida could be poised to make it easier for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities (IDD) to maintain their Medicaid services. The latest round of budget negotiations between the House and Senate includes a proposal by the House to eliminate a requirement for people with IDD to annually be redetermined eligible for the health care safety net program for the poor, elderly, and disabled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If approved, once they would be presumptively eligible the rest of their lives unless they no longer qualify for Medicaid or their condition changes. The proposal, if accepted by the Florida Senate, would require approval from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to take effect. Id call it a game changer for our population, Florida Developmental Disabilities Council Executive Director Valerie Breen told the Florida Phoenix Wednesday. The council aims to increase the capacity of individuals with IDD to be included in their communities. The House health care budget conferees made the offer Tuesday. As of this publication, the budget negotiators had not met again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Breen said people with these disabilities face difficulties when they have to be re-determined Medicaid-eligible. She said people with IDD erroneously fell off the Medicaid rolls when, following the end of the public health emergency associated with Covid 19, people had to requalify for Medicaid. Breen guessed that as many as 1,000 people with IDD who were eligible for Medicaid erroneously lost their coverage. For people with IDD the redetermination process requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF), which determines eligibility, to communicate with the state Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), which administers the Medicaid program, and the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD), which is charged with oversight of programs that serve these populations. Sometimes, Breen said, redetermination also included interaction with the Social Security Administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those were the critical components, and the agencies did not communicate with each other, she said. As a result people with IDD lost access to the home and community-based services that help them with the activities of daily living like eating and grooming. They were not able to access any of those services, Breen said. The Legislature was forced to extend the 2025 Session after legislative leadership couldnt reach an agreement on how much state money to spend in state fiscal year 2025-26, which begins July 1, and how much tax relief to provide residents. House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton ultimately agreed to extend the session until June 16 and to spend about $50 billion in general revenue, or state tax dollars, across various government agencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of the money will go to two areas: education and health care, with the former receiving more than $22 billion and the latter about $17.5 billion. Budget negotiators have been meeting to try to hammer out the details of how the money should be spent. The state budget must be printed and distributed to legislators by June 15 in order to vote on it by June 18. Thats because of a constitutional provision that requires the budget to cool off for 72 hours before legislators can vote on it. The move to allow people with IDD to remain on Medicaid after initially being determined eligible is one of several proposals relating to people with IDD that are being championed by the House. Perez vowed to make those issues a priority during his two year tenure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To that end, Perez championed HB 1103, a proposal to make a small managed care pilot program, available statewide for people with IDD. HB 1103 also requires APD to publicly publish reports regarding the number of people with IDD the state serves and the number of people on a wait list for the Medicaid services. Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the legislation. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE KANSAS CITY, Mo. SEA LIFE Kansas City and LEGOLAND Discovery Center Kansas City are celebrating Fathers Day with free admission on Sunday. At both attractions, dads and their families can become ocean explorers and create memories amongst the millions of LEGO bricks with free admission and 50% off admission for up to three family members. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV Free admission for fathers is only available at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Kansas City and SEA LIFE Kansas City. It is not available online. You have to purchase a ticket to receive one free fathers admission ticket. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Apart from the Fathers Day promotion, families can take advantage of brand-new activities at both attractions through Aug. 3. Whether visitors enjoy creating, discovering, building, dancing or just playing, LEGOLANDs new LEGO Summer of Play offers new activities to help kids find their own Play Mode. Families can also explore SEA LIFE Kansas Citys brand-new event, The Great Mermaids & Pirates Adventure, where they can interact throughout the aquarium with animated pirates and mermaids surrounded by thousands of real marine life. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. When Lesley Lokko was a young student in 1990s London, architecture was a place of openness and experimentation. And yet, she felt the discipline was incapable of thinking beyond European concepts of space. We were being taught in a very predominantly Eurocentric way, about the difference between inside and outside, between privacy and publicity, or even simple things like a family structure, said the renowned Scottish-Ghanian architect, now in her 60s. She noted the difference between her experience growing up around extended family and the small two-up, two-down homes common among nuclear families in the UK. Even her way of thinking about building materials was at odds with the curriculum: in the tropics, concrete rots and metal rusts. The way you think about weather and materials and circulation and ventilation is very different, Lokko told CNN over a video call from Ghanas capital Accra. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fast forward three decades and Lokko is now the educator leading the classroom. Her initiative, the African Futures Institute (AFI), is an effort to radically re-imagine what a design education should look like for younger generations. The institute, based in Accra, was initially going to be an independent post-graduate school of architecture. But Lokko soon realized the logistics and resources needed to start an entirely new school might be out of reach. Also, Im not sure that the world needs another architecture school what it needs are more ambitious, more creative, more dynamic thinkers and makers, she said. Instead, the AFI will host the Nomadic African Studio, a series of annual studio sessions offering new ways to think about architecture and design as they relate to pressing global issues, like climate change and migration. Over half of the first group of participants are from Africa, with another 25% from the diaspora. Part of the project aims to turn narratives about Africa on their heads. Echoing post-colonial thinkers like Frantz Fanon, the West Indian psychiatrist and philosopher, Lokko laments how the continent has long been positioned as the recipient of knowledge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were the producer of raw materials, but we are the recipients of finished products whether thats intellectual products or cars, she said, expressing her desire for the project to demonstrate that Africa is also the generator of ideas and knowledge. When Lokko curated the Venice Biennale in 2023, the event's participants were notably younger and more diverse. Here, the architect Mariam Issoufou Kamara draws plans of the future of Niamey, Niger onto the exhibition's walls. - Marco Zorzanello The first of many Last year, Lokko became the first African woman to be awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects Royal Gold Medal in its 176-year-history. The year before, she became the first Black architect to curate the Venice Biennale, with her program widely celebrated as one of the most politically-engaged, environmentally aware and inclusive in the events history. (Her attempts to stretch the boundaries and reach of the discipline were not without criticism, however: architect Patrik Schumacher, principal of the late Zaha Hadids firm, lamented that the event from his perspective did not show any architecture.) Lokkos achievements signal a breakthrough for diversity in the discipline (in the UK, nearly 80% of registered architects are White). But how does Lokko feel about being the first to receive these prestigious accolades and appointments? The constant refrain, the first Black, the first woman, the first African, theyve always seemed to me to be other peoples descriptions. Its not how I would describe myself, she said. The first only really makes sense when youre not living here, she added, referring to her home in Ghana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When I left Accra, I was half-Scottish, half-Ghanaian, she said of leaving the country at 17 for boarding school in England. When I arrived in London the next morning, I was Black. But she acknowledges the monumental achievements are a massive leverage enabling her to pursue projects like AFI. Whatever the descriptions are, they give you access to supporters, donors, funders, philanthropists, in a way that you probably wouldnt have without it. Its a bit of a double-edged sword, Lokko added. Completed in 2005, Lokko's self-designed home in Accra is described by the architect as a modern mud house. - Festus Jackson-Davis Designing for the future The future and preparing younger generations for it are at the forefront of Lokkos practice today. When she curated the Biennale, the average age of participants was 43 (significantly younger than previous editions). Half the practitioners on the program hailed from Africa or the African diaspora. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Biennale also centered the continent through its central exhibition theme: Africa as the Laboratory of the Future. It was an attempt to say that so many of the conditions that the rest of the world are now beginning to face, Africa has been facing those for 1,000 years and, in some ways, were ahead of the present, said Lokko, who used the word laboratory to convey the continent as a workshop where people can come together to imagine what the future can look like. Ethiopian artist Miriam Hillawi Abraham presented a series of visual narratives unfolding over the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia at the Venice Biennale in 2023. - Marco Zorzanello Lokkos own work exhibited at the 2023 Venice Biennale, in the Force Majeure section, pictured on May 17, 2023 in Venice, Italy. - Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images The Nomadic African Studio appears to take a leaf from the same book. The first of its annual month-long programs will launch in Fez, Morocco this July. Around 30 participants under the age of 35 were either chosen from an open call or invited by a nomination committee to join the free program. (Lokko admitted there was pushback about the age limit but she wanted to use the inaugural studio to address Africa as a continent of young people.) Working in small groups, participants will be given a topic like city-making or cultural identity to interpret and produce a model, design, film, or performance around. The focus, for Lokko, is not on the outcome. She is critical of architectural education for its tendency to fixate on finished products. The point here is not about producing speedy outputs, its about teaching people how to think. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can have a huge impact on the way someone thinks about really important, difficult topics, said Lokko, who hopes that after five iterations, hundreds of people will have benefitted from its rigorous, exploratory environment. Maybe, eventually, a new form of school will emerge, she said. Drawing inspiration Lokko herself had no plans of becoming an architect. She studied Hebrew and Arabic for a term at the University of Oxford before studying sociology in the US. She considered becoming a lawyer, and was working as an office manager when an offhand comment set her on the path to becoming an architect. While helping a colleague sketch countertops for his side businesses (a restaurant and dry cleaners), he became struck by her drawings. He told her: Youre mad. Why do you want to be a sociologist or a lawyer? You should be an architect, Lokko recalled. It was literally the first time it had ever occurred to me. At 29, she found herself back in the UK and enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at University College Londons famed Bartlett School of Architecture. Lokko felt fortunate to study there at a time of what she called great experimentation and academic open-mindedness though the field remained male-dominated and lacking in diversity. I think there were maybe six or seven women in the class there was only one other person of color, she recalled. Beyond the demographics, aspects of the discipline felt restrictive and didnt reflect the experiences Lokko had with built spaces growing up in Ghana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rules seemed to be that you conformed to architecture, rather than architecture conforming to what you might have known, she explained, referencing ways of learning about space that didnt account for the world outside of Europe. I was very conscious all the time of having to forget all that in order to excel at what I was being taught, said Lokko, adding that those first few years pursuing her degree were a matter of suppressing my instincts and experiences. Rethinking education In the early 2000s, Lokko decided the architecture field wasnt for her and left a teaching job in the US to become a writer. For 15 years, she worked full time writing novels that explored themes of racial and cultural identity through romance and historical fiction. It was an unorthodox move that ended up broadening her perspective as an architect. (Fiction) allowed me to develop certain ideas around identity, around race, around belonging, around history that I think I would have really struggled to articulate in architecture, she explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After so much time away from the discipline, she was called back when she was asked to be an external examiner for the University of Johannesburgs graduate program. It was at a time when South Africa was undergoing profound change with the Rhodes Must Fall and Fees Must Fall movements, when university students demanded the removal of 19th century colonist Cecil Rhodes statue at the University of Cape Town and refused tuition hikes eventually securing a freeze on their fees. The student activist movement also called for the decolonization and transformation of higher education institutions across the country, where academia was a predominantly White space. (In 2012, White academics made up 53% of full-time permanent academic staff despite White people making up 8% of South Africas population.) Lokko hopes initiatives like the African Futures Institute can play a role in re-imagining education for future generations. - Festus Jackson-Davis Lokko stayed on, becoming an associate professor in the universitys department of architecture, which she remembers as having low enrollment and little diversity. The opportune timing meant the atmosphere was ripe for change, leading her to found a new graduate school of architecture at the university in 2014. Suddenly, the flood gates opened, and Black students started pouring into the school, she said, the experience allowing her to develop a way of teaching that was relevant to Africans and post-colonial identities. But what made all these Black students enroll in a discipline that had been dominated by White students for so long? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a really basic level having role models, having professors of color, said Lokko. Female students would say to me: Wed never encountered somebody like you before. The enrollment numbers were also bolstered by her efforts to center the curriculum around student interests and the cultural context they were approaching architecture from. It was all part of a broader ethos Lokko uses to approach education, the job of which is, she said, to dream about possibilities for a future thats not yet here. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The guest editorial Persecuting Harvard could affect others (Reading Eagle, June 3) commented on the antisemitism problems Harvard University has tolerated. It seems like Harvard must agree with the protesters. Ive read reports of appalling things happening there. Jewish and Muslim students are harassed, bullied and assaulted. Racial slurs are shouted at them. Harvard has a bullying and harassment policy, so why do its leaders not enforce it? The solution to all the antisemitism is this: No matter who the offending or recipient students are (even if the offending one is related to a big-money donor), enforce the policy. If a student is assaulted, call the police and expel the offender. If protesters damage college or personal property, arrest and expel them. The editorial argues that Harvard is like any other college. It is not. Joyce Maurer Spring Township An interview with Milford teenager Marcelo Gomes da Silva, recently released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, is casting doubt on several statements ICE made about the arrest. ICE had claimed Gomes da Silva was not the target of the arrest, and that ICE agents were after his father, Joao Paulo Gomes-Pereira. But Gomes da Silva said in an interview published by NBC News on Wednesday that ICE agents never asked him about his father or his family when he was arrested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added that ICE agents knew his name, that he was 18 and that he was heading to school. He (the ICE agent) said I was an illegal immigrant and put me in the car. I was in complete shock, Gomes da Silva said in the interview. I didnt cry, I wasnt angry or anything. I didnt understand what was happening, I didnt understand what I did wrong. I was clueless. Gomes da Silva made local and national headlines after ICE agents arrested him on May 31. The 18-year-old was driving in a car with members of his volleyball team when ICE agents pulled him over and made the arrest. For six days, he was detained at an ICE field office in Burlington. On June 5, an immigration judge ordered Gomes da Silva be granted bond, and he was subsequently released from custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, said during a press conference in Boston on June 2 that ICE agents stopped the car Gomes da Silva was in because it was his fathers car. We were looking for his father obviously, hes the father of the year, because he brought his son up here illegally as well," Lyons said June 2. In addition to new questions about whether the father was the target of the ICE action, the other part of Lyons statement that Gomes da Silva was brought to the U.S. illegally is also in dispute. Gomes da Silvas attorney, Robin Nice, said on June 5 that the teen had come to the U.S. from Brazil on a visitor visa when he was younger than 7. The visitor visa had turned into a student visa, which had lapsed years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She added that Gomes da Silva has an asylum application pending. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that officials were looking for Gomes-Pereira because he had been identified as a known public safety threat a statement Gomes da Silva forcefully disputed. McLaughlin said that local authorities notified ICE that Gomes-Pereira drove at speeds over 100 mph through residential areas, endangering Massachusetts residents. First of all, its completely impossible to drive 100 mph in a residential area, Gomes da Silva told NBC. They could have at least thought a little bit harder to make up a lie. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Milford High student released from ICE detention: Nobody should be in here' The 18-year-old also said his father has to stay home out of fear of being arrested but that his lawyers are working to address the situation. Gomes da Silva told NBC that he was born in Brazil but that he grew up in an American environment. He added that he wants to become an American citizen and stay in the country. Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino told MassLive on Wednesday that he was upset about Gomes da Silvas arrest, stating it compromises ongoing investigations within the community. It harms the migrant communitys willingness to come forward and disclose crimes to the police, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tusino said he could not comment about whether Milford Police passed on information to federal authorities about Gomes da Silvas father. Milford police only assist ice with criminal arrests, not civil detainers and not illegal entry, Tusino said. He added that Gomes da Silva was never part of any criminal investigation. A spokesperson for ICE did not provide comment as to whether they are still seeking to arrest Gomes da Silvas father. Same old Marcelo It was a normal day for Gomes da Silva as he returned to Milford High School Tuesday, according to his friend Fiona Lentini as much as it could be after the teen was detained recently by federal immigration officials for almost a week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two spoke for five minutes before classes, chatting about plans to play volleyball soon, Lentini told MassLive Tuesday. A sophomore at the high school, Lentini said her friend seemed happy to be back in school. Hes good, she said about Gomes da Silva. Same old Marcelo. On Tuesday, Gomes da Silva returned to Milford High School to continue the remainder of his junior year, according to Lentini. She said it was nice to see her friend again. What Gomes da Silva is most excited about is to play volleyball again this summer, she said. Playing volleyball just brings us all closer since we all connect about our love for the sport, Lentini said. My cousin has a net and in the summer we play there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gomes da Silva also got to see his girlfriend graduate from Milford High School last weekend, according to his cousin, Marcelo Bastos. Bastos told MassLive Tuesday that Gomes da Silvas mother, father and two younger siblings are also safe, with all five still living in Milford. Theyre pretty much OK, Bastos said. Theres no problem. Bastos told MassLive that Gomes da Silvas father and mother were not born in America but Gomes da Silvas younger siblings were. He added that Nice plans to submit paperwork that would allow the mother and father to go outside their house without fear of arrest. He did not know what the paperwork in question was. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nice did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday and Wednesday. As the family remains home, Bastos has been trying to help by delivering and leaving food and water at their doorstep. He added that the familys neighbors have also been making deliveries to their house, bringing them food, flowers and money. Everybodys doing a little bit, he said. We do good. Lentini said that her friend is happy to be back with his family but said it is hard knowing that his parents are still possibly in danger. Obviously, its devastating to have to worry that your family may be torn apart, she said. More Worcester Stories Read the original article on MassLive. Key Points A media report stated that an activist investor is accumulating a stake in the Wegovy maker. According to the article, that investor aims to influence the company's choice of a chief executive. 10 stocks we like better than Novo Nordisk Wegovy and Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) saw its stock price tick up slightly on Monday, on a media report about the possible entry of an activist investor. Market players cautiously bid the shares a little more than 1% higher on the news. Although this wasn't a giant gain, it was sufficient to top the S&P 500 index's basically flat-line performance. An active activist Citing unnamed "people with knowledge of the details," the Financial Times reported Monday that London-based activist hedge fund Parvus Asset Management is accumulating stock in Novo Nordisk. The FT's sources said that the goal is to influence the company's choice of CEO, as its longtime leader Lars Fruergaard Jrgensen stepped down from the post last month. A replacement has not yet been found. Image source: Getty Images. It wasn't immediately clear how much of a stake Parvus has managed to amass. Novo Nordisk is based in Denmark and listed on that country's main stock exchange. Per Danish securities law, a strategic investor need not disclose the size of a stake if its holding is below 5% of a company's equity. While Parvus isn't a well-known activist investor to many Americans, it has been actively involved in European companies. Among the businesses in which it has taken a stake are discount airline Ryanair and storied Italian bank UniCredit. Neither Novo Nordisk nor Parvus has yet commented on the FT article. Watch for strategic shifts in the future Activist investors often circle the water when a company is struggling and its share price sinks. That's been the case with Novo Nordisk, which has seen setbacks in its drug development activities lately while facing intensifying competition for weight-loss drug Wegovy. I don't think investors should trade on the basis of whether an activist like Parvus will enter the company and begin agitating once it's there. The situation is worth monitoring, though, as a determined activist can indeed shape the strategy of a business. Should you invest $1,000 in Novo Nordisk right now? Before you buy stock in Novo Nordisk, 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 Novo Nordisk wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) The Springfield Police Department is warning the community, particularly in the Longmeadow area, about a phone scheme. Springfield man charged with DUI, wrong-way driving in Enfield According to police, the scheme involves callers impersonating Springfield Police sergeants in an apparent attempt to defraud recipients. They said police have been getting inundated with reports from residents receiving calls from individuals falsely claiming to be members of the Springfield Police Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The schemers are using the real names of both a retired and a currently serving Springfield police sergeant to appear credible. Authorities say no one has reported falling victim to the scheme, but residents have been contacting the police after receiving and hanging up on calls. AUDIO: Message impersonating police sergeant In the audio file provided by the Springfield Police Department, the recording says they are a sergeant with the Springfield Police Department looking to speak with the person regarding a confidential legal matter and leaves a callback number. The scheme appears to be targeting phone numbers in the Longmeadow area, with reports increasing over the past two days. Police are advising residents to hang up immediately if they receive such a call and not to call the number back. Individuals do not need to notify the police unless they have already provided money or sensitive information. In such cases, or if someone wants to verify the legitimacy of a call, they are urged to contact the Springfield Police Department at 413-787-6355. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Northampton, a similar scheme is taking place throughout the city. Residents are receiving phone calls from a person who is impersonating an officer of the Northampton Police Department and asking for money for fines owed to the Court. No officer would call residents and ask for money to pay fines. If you receive a call like this, hang up the phone. Tips to protect yourself from schemes The Longmeadow Police Department is reminding residents that officers will never ask for payment of any kind over the phone and recommends the following to protect yourself from falling victim: Verify the callers identity: Always request the full name, identification number, and contact information of the caller. Legitimate law enforcement officers will provide this information without hesitation. Refrain from sharing personal information: Avoid disclosing personal details, such as your Social Security number, bank account information, credit card numbers, or any other sensitive data over the phone. Be cautious of urgent or coercive tactics: Scammers often create a sense of urgency, coercing victims into immediate action. They may threaten arrest, fines, or legal consequences to pressure you into revealing information or making immediate payments. Take a step back, remain calm, and verify the authenticity of the call before making any decisions or taking action. Educate yourself and loved ones: Share this information with your friends, family, and vulnerable individuals within your community. By spreading awareness, we can collectively protect ourselves and prevent these scams from succeeding. 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. Ricky Lamar Hawk, 27, a rapper known professionally as Silento, pleaded guilty to charges for the 2021 shooting death of his cousin, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces Wednesday. Silento is known for the song Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae). Hawk pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and concealing the death of another in connection to the death of Frederick Rooks III in unincorporated Decatur. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney Johnson, who presided over the plea hearing, sentenced Hawk to 30 years in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Jan. 21, 2021, the DeKalb County Police Department arrived around 3:37 a.m. and found Rooks with multiple gunshot wounds at the intersection of Deep Shoals Circle and Corners Crossing in the Panthersville area. EMS confirmed his death. Ten bullet casings were found near his body. Several people in the area reported they heard gunshots, and security camera footage from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding from the area just a few minutes after the gunfire. Police said Family members said Rooks was last seen with Hawk. He had picked Rooks up from a friends home in the same kind of vehicle that was seen in the surveillance footage. RELATED STORY: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The SUV was also caught by a Flock camera at the intersection of Panthersville Road and Flat Shoals Road at 2:45 a.m. that same morning, police said. Hawk was arrested Feb. 1, 2021, and admitted to shooting Rooks. Physical evidence corroborated his confession. Ballistics testing matched bullet casings at the scene to a gun found with Hawk when he was arrested. GPS data from his vehicle also placed the vehicle at the murder scene. In a statement on social media, Chanel Hudson, who identified herself as Silentos publicist to local media, asked for the public to send her client some positive vibrations. Hudson said Hawks has been suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hudson described him as a beautiful soul, and we hope that the same people whippin and nay naying with him, continue to support him and lifted in prayer! TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] (NewsNation) Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday following President Donald Trumps announcement that the U.S. has reached a trade deal with China. Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President XI and me, Trump wrote in a social media post. In his opening statements, Bessent said that China has a singular opportunity to stabilize its economy by shifting away from excess production towards greater consumption, but needs to be a reliable partner in trade negotiations with the US. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If China will course-correct by upholding its end of the initial trade agreement we outlined in Geneva last month, then a big, beautiful rebalancing of the worlds two largest economies is possible, he told lawmakers. Bessent also credited the Trump administration for slowing inflation, following the Labor Departments release of Mays Consumer Price Index report Wednesday. The report showed inflation picked up as food costs rose. Substantial non-inflationary growth was created, Bessent said. We believe that this will happen again. Consumer prices increased 2.4% last month compared to a year ago, according to a Labor Department report released Wednesday. That is up from a 2.3% yearly increase in April. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later, Bessent said trade partners are approaching the U.S. with unimaginably good trade deals that include steps to reduce non-tariff barriers; measures he noted can be just as harmful as tariffs. US will allow Chinese students to attend American colleges, universities Trump said China would provide the U.S. with magnets and rare earth minerals up front, while the United States has agreed to allow Chinese students to attend U.S. colleges and universities. The announcement comes as Trump had recently begun cracking down on the presence of Chinese nationals on U.S college campuses, though he said Wednesday that this has always been good with me. Inflation rose slightly last month as grocery prices ticked higher Tariffs on Chinese goods will total 55% Trump said tariffs on Chinese goods will move to 55%, which would mark an increase from the 30% levy set in Switzerland during talks in May. China will impose a 10% tariff on U.S. goods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT! Trump wrote. Tariff negotiations between the two nations had stalled in recent weeks after officials agreed last month for the U.S. to lower its tariff rate on imports from China from 145% to 30%. Beijing also reduced its rate on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%. ICE detains 70 workers in Nebraskas largest workplace raid: Exclusive Senior U.S. and Chinese negotiators announced late Tuesday in London that they had agreed on a framework to get their trade negotiations back on track after a series of disputes that threatened to derail them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The announcement came at the end of two days of talks in the British capital that wrapped up late Tuesday. 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 NewsNation. The Brief California Gov. Gavin Newsom filed an emergency motion on Tuesday in federal court to block National Guard members and Marines from helping with immigration raids in Los Angeles. In a public address, Newsom called Trump's actions an "assault" on democracy. The protests are in response to Trump's nationwide crackdown on immigration. OAKLAND, Calif. - A sixth day of demonstrations is underway across Southern California and the Bay Area as communities protest against President Donald Trump's immigration raids across the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this week, the Trump administration ordered thousands of National Guard members and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to curb protesters, who he's called a "foreign enemy." Marines have not been seen in LA as of Tuesday, and National Guard troops' interactions with protesters have been limited, the Associated Press reported. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday filed an emergency motion in federal court to block National Guard members and Marines from helping with immigration raids in Los Angeles. A judge is expected to rule on that motion Thursday. In a public address Tuesday night, Newsom called Trump's actions an "assault" on democracy, warning that the president's actions could expand beyond his state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next," he said. The governor warned demonstrators against inciting violence, but urged action against Trump. Follow along here and check back throughout the day for the latest live updates on ICE enforcement and protests across the Bay Area and California. Wednesday, June 11 8 P.M Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to post on X to criticize Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's decision to send troops to the protests, without adequate food, water or a place to sleep. Meanwhile, he points out Hegseth attended a baseball game while the troops are lying on the floor piled on top of one another. Pete sent 4,700 troops here (when they werent needed) without adequate fuel, food, water or a place to sleep. But dont worry, hes at a baseball game. https://t.co/C6g0327GCFpic.twitter.com/2L1G9qN3LT Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 12, 2025 6 P.M. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reminds on social media that the curfew remains in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for downtown Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She says the curfew is to stop "bad actors who ware taking advantage of the President's chaotic escalation." If you don't live or work in the area, you are instructed to stay clear of the area. "Vandalism and violence will not be tolerated," Bass says. 2 P.M. Federal authorities are asking for the public's help to identify a woman accused of assaulting officers and stealing an FBI agent's badge at an immigration protest in Concord on Tuesday. Officers, some in plainclothes and others wearing jackets with "FBI" lettering, were seen at the immigration courthouse on Gateway Boulevard detaining people. Video shows protesters trying to stop federal officers from placing people in their patrol cars. In a news release, the FBI said the woman was wearing a hoodie at the time of the incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agency released photos showing the suspect wearing a face mask and pink hat. The FBI is offering up to a $25,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the woman and return of the officer's badge. Bay Area ICE Protests on June 9 9 P.M. Video of an Oakland Shiekh store in the Fruitvale District being looted by a mass of people on Tuesday night was captured on camera. The store, located at 3422 International Boulevard, was struck sometime this evening in the same vicinity where there had been an earlier, peaceful, anti-ICE protest. KTVU also has video of a car on fire in the same area at 35th Avenue and International Boulevard. 6 P.M. Hundreds gathered for a peaceful vigil to support immigrants in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood. 1 P.M. Closer to home, federal officers were seen on Tuesday walking a handcuffed man out of an immigration building in Concord as protesters swarmed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ali Saidi, director of Stand Together Contra Costa, said four asylum seekers were detained. The organization provides rapid response and legal services to immigrants. Federal authorities did not confirm how many people were detained at the courthouse. According to Saidi, those detained had arrived for scheduled asylum hearings. He said the government moved to dismiss the cases over the individuals objections and then allowed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain them, with assistance from the FBIs San Francisco office. Protesters were also seen in San Francisco on Tuesday near an immigration court as several people were detained. Trump speaks in North Carolina on June 9 In a speech in North Carolina, Trump spoke about the protests in Los Angeles and state and local leaders' handling of the demonstrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. Thats what they are," Trump said at Fort Bragg. The Source KTVU reporting in Concord and San Francisco, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Donald Trump's Fort Bragg speech on June 9, 2025 and the Associated Press. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) Governor Cox commented on Salt Lake Citys Sego pride flags in his monthly press conference Tuesday, calling them and the Utah law that banned pride and other unofficial flags dumb. Governor Cox was asked if he supported the official flags that Salt Lake City adopted in response to Utah H.B. 77, the law that banned pride flags and any other unofficial flags from being displayed on government property and at public schools. Previously, Cox called H.B. 77 the most divisive bill of the 2025 legislative session. Cox allowed the law to go into effect without his signature, and he did not veto the bill because it passed with a veto-proof majority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont support [the bill]. Theyre dumb flags, and it was a dumb bill, Cox said. He clarified that he was referring to the Sego pride flags in Salt Lake City. Gov. Coxs pick to head new state records office gets OK from Senate panel despite criticism In response to H.B. 77, Salt Lake City adopted pride and Juneteenth designs as official flags for the city in a unanimous vote on May 6. These flags allow the city to circumvent the law banning pride flags and other unofficial flags because they are now official city flags. The Sego Celebration, Belonging, and Visibility flags are meant to honor Juneteenth and Black and African American residents, LGBTQIA residents, and transgender residents respectively. Salt Lake City officials raised the Celebration Sego flag for the first time Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its ridiculous. I feel bad for the Japanese Americans. I feel bad for the Polynesian Americans I mean, who are we leaving out here? Cox said. Im sure they [Salt Lake City Council] feel great that they got around this dumb law, and they did it with dumb flags. The whole things dumb. Cox offered his thoughts on what both the state and cities should do instead of squabbling over pride flags. We should raise the American flag, and lets unify around that. Its a great flag, represents everyone, and the legislature doesnt need to be in everybodys business all the time, he said. Were living in the dumbest timeline right now, thats all I can say, Cox concluded. 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. They are dumb flags and it was a dumb bill, Gov. Spencer Cox said Tuesday when speaking about Utahs flag ban bill and the alternative flags Salt Lake City approved in order to get around the bill. The comments were made during the governors monthly press conference when he was asked how he felt about Mayor Erin Mendenhall adopting three new city flags. These new flags adding the sego lily logo from Salt Lake Citys flag to the Juneteenth, Progress Pride and transgender flags were meant to get around the flag ban bill passed by the Utah Legislature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new flags do not replace the citys primary flag, which was adopted in 2020. Cox repeated what he has said in the past, including that he doesnt support HB77, which banned the display of most flags by public school teachers and government entities. But the governor also made it clear that he doesnt approve of how Salt Lake City handled the situation. Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during his monthly news conference at PBS Utah in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 | Bethany Baker Im sure they feel great that they got around this dumb law, and they did it with dumb flags, and its just the whole things dumb, Cox said. The governor said he feels bad for those being left out, such as Japanese Americans and Polynesian Americans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cox did give a suggestion as to what he thinks should be done instead. We should raise the American flag, and lets unify around that, that its a great flag that represents everyone, Cox said. As he spoke about the flag ban and the alternative Salt Lake City flags, the governor used the word dumb seven times in less than a minute. He ended his comments on the situation with a simple sentiment. Were living in the dumbest timeline, Cox said. SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) Local and state leaders are reacting to the recent Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE) raids and the protests against them. According to a report from the White House, ICE officers have arrested more than 100,000 people in less than five months since President Donald Trump took office, compared to 113,000 in the entire 2024 fiscal year. Arrests took place in Bulloch County just last Friday. Bryan County Republican Party Chairman Jordan Given and Savannah Mayor Van Johnson both told WSAV this is what republicans voted for, though their opinions on whether the enforcement is a good thing differ. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think when someone shows you who they are, you believe them. I think President Trump made it very clear what his priorities were, Johnson said. Elections have consequences. Given said, Weve got to maintain a level of lawfulness in our country. We support ICE. We support our border security, national safety and the rule of law. We proudly defend and support the actions that our president and the federal government are taking to secure our communities. Protests continue across the nation, even locally in Georgia and South Carolina. Both attorney generals spoke out against violence this week. Let me be clear: if you attack law enforcement, destroy public or private property, or endanger lives in our state, you will be arrested, charged, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in a post on X, In this country, you have a right to peacefully protest. You do not have a right to right to loot or to punch men and women in uniform. A Bluffton protest will be in front of the Beaufort County Government Building starting at 4 p.m. Saturday. There are rallies at noon in Beaufort and Hilton Head as well. The Savannah event begins at 11 a.m. at Thomas Square Park. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. CLAY, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) A local veteran is sharing his frustration after he says mold and water damage have taken over his apartment at Serenity Village in the town of Clay. The veteran said property management at the complex has done nothing to resolve the issue. Jett Forgues says every time it rains, it literally pours into his apartment. Im not just being robbed. I am being violated both as a person and as a tenant, said Forgues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The homebound veteran said the water damage has led to his floor sinking, mold buildup and pest infestation. When I am sleeping, whether it be in my bedroom or in my living room, the bugs, the flies, whatever type they are, they just fly up my nose or in my mouth or into my eye, said Forgues. According to Forgues, water began seeping into his apartment window last May and its progressively gotten worse, causing rotted wood and an odor. In the meantime, Forgues says hes had to dish out his own money. Ive lost probably in the past year, close to $4,000 worth of my stuff, said Forgues. Forguess health has landed the vet in the hospital multiple times. He said property management has done nothing to fix things. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once for pneumonia and then in the last year three times for respiratory infections as well as sinus infections and I told them that I am immunocompromised because of the cancer and they just ignore it or they dont care, and they dont do anything to help, even when I express the fact that I am a homebound disabled vet, said Forgues. Its outlandish, its crazy, and no one will do anything about it. Forgues rent has gone up $150 just in the last year, and because hes on a fixed income, he cant afford to move out. Im tired of feeling like I am living in a dirty home when I clean every single day, chronically, said Fourges. I am just helpless, which really sucks as a veteran, said Forgues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Forgues says he has reached out to property management and theyve sent maintenance only once to look at the problem, but never fixed it. NewsChannel 9 reached out to the owners of Serenity Village, NBM Management, and is still waiting to hear 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 WSYR. Plans for one of three large hydro power schemes that would draw water from Loch Ness to generate electricity are to go before Highland councillors next week. Loch Kemp Storage Ltd has proposed building a power station and tunnels near Whitebridge, about 10 miles (16km) north of Fort Augustus. The Scottish government, which has a say on whether it eventually goes ahead or not, has consulted Highland Council on the project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The local authority's officials have recommended that the south planning applications committee does not raise any objections to the plans. Loch Kemp is one of three different pumped storage hydro schemes proposed for near Loch Ness. The others are Statkraft's Loch na Cathrach, in the hills above Dores, and Glen Earrach Energy (GEE), near Drumnadrochit. They would also draw water from Loch Ness to help generate electricity for thousands of homes. Map: A map of Scotland showing the locations of Inverness, Drumnadrochit and Whitebridge. Pumped storage hydro involves two bodies of water at different heights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The water flows from one to the other through tunnels, passing through a power station to generate electricity. When there is low demand for electricity from consumers and/or when surplus power is available from wind farms, electricity is used to pump water from the lower level to fill a reservoir further up the hill. The water can then be released from the upper reservoir, flowing down the tunnels to drive turbines which generate hydro-electricity. This happens at times of high demand, or when there is not enough wind to power wind farms. Loch Kemp Storage Ltd, which is owned by Statera Energy, has proposed damming Loch Kemp, the upper reservoir of its scheme, to raise water levels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also plans to construct an underground waterway systems and tunnels, and powerhouse on the shores of Loch Ness. GEE has been holding community events this week as part of its work towards trying to secure consent for the 2GW project on Balmacaan Estate. The developer has made a commitment to deliver a community wealth fund of more than 20m a year throughout the lifetime of the scheme. A spokesperson said GEE was developing one of the UK's "largest and most water efficient" pumped storage hydro schemes. Loch na Cathrach, formerly known as Red John, was granted consent by the Scottish government in June 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The project was taken over by Statkraft in December 2023 and is in a pre-construction phase. Operators pictured at the Cruachan hydro scheme in 1974, nine years after the complex was first opened [Getty Images] The UK has four existing pumped storage projects - Cruachan and Foyers in Scotland, and Dinorwig and Ffestiniog in Wales. However, a large-scale pumped storage scheme has not been built in the UK for more than 30 years. Foyers Power Station on Loch Ness opened in 1974, though hydro electricity has been generated in the area since the late 19th Century. Operator SSEN Transmission has proposed an extension to the switching station, which manages the flow of electricity from the site. A proposal of application notice was submitted to Highland Council in February. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The operator of Cruachan - an underground power station dubbed "Hollow Mountain" - has put on hold its plans for a major expansion of the site. Renewables developer Drax had proposed building a new hydro-electric facility next to its existing complex inside Ben Cruachan, near Dalmally in Argyll. But it said the costs of the project had risen and it would not be bidding for UK government support at this time. The company said the expansion could potentially go-ahead in the future, "subject to an appropriate balance of risk and return". More on this story Related internet links LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) Its been 25 days since London was hit with the unimaginable. In the late evening hours of May 16, a deadly and violent EF4 tornado touched down in the place that thousands call home. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Id imagine its going to take us years, said City of London Mayor Randall Weddle. And I dont know that the scars will ever be healed. More than 800 homes were impacted, and 19 people lost their lives. Its going to take some time. We lost some amazing people. Every individual we lost in this community hurts, Weddle added. Its been a burden on this community that lost one so. In those 25 days, its been nonstop work, rebuilding the community one day at a time. Were over with cleanup, so if you go back out into the areas, weve done a tremendous amount of work out there, and it goes to the volunteers, said Weddle. Weve had over 2,000 volunteers and over 11,000 hours of manpower thats been out there the last several weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city has also established temporary storm shelters that will be activated in the event of inclement weather at the South Laurel High School gymnasium, the North Laurel High School gymnasium, the London Community Center, and London Elementary School (during town center events). LATEST KENTUCKY LISTS AND RANKINGS: Its really important because when this stuff happens, you know theres going to be trauma from the memories of this happening, and we want to give them a safe place where they can come and be taken care of, said Hobie Daugherty, public affairs officer with the London Police Department. Although the timeline for a full recovery looks like years, city leaders are reminding their community that theyre not doing it alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With this recent disaster, that seems to be the goal of the community itselfwe take care of one another, and the love thats come out from everybody is just amazing, Daugherty added. Weddle is also asking people to sign up with FEMA. They are set up at the Laurel County library. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Paytech company Wonder has become the omnichannel payment facilitator for Octopus Cards in Hong Kong. The move aims to enhance both offline and online payment capabilities for merchants using Wonder's payment infrastructure. The collaboration enables merchants to add Octopus to their payment options alongside more than thirty other methods through Wonder's know your customer (KYC) process. Settlements to merchants will be conducted directly via Wonder's platform, aiming to simplify financial operations for businesses across different sectors. Wonder founder and CEO Jason Ngan said: Becoming Octopus first payment facilitator in Hong Kong marks a major milestone for Wonder and reflects our shared commitment to driving payment innovation and digital transformation across the city. Since our strategic partnership began in early 2025, we have seen strong adoption momentum, and we look forward to working closely with Octopus to further expand acceptance and bring smarter, faster, and more effortless payment experiences to businesses and consumers in Hong Kong. Octopus CEO Tim Ying said: Our collaboration with Wonder will enhance our customers' payment experience across Octopus extensive network of over 190,000 physical acceptance points and our growing online presence. Working closely with all ecosystem partners, our goal is to ensure every interaction between buyers and sellers is seamless, convenient, and secure. Octopus Cards, which operates under the Stored Value Facilities Licence, has been providing payment solutions since its inception in 1997. The Octopus system is a contactless smartcard payment method in Hong Kong. Wonder, a fintech and payments platform catering to the Hong Kong and Asia Pacific markets, facilitates digital financial transactions for merchants as a digital omni-channel payments system. It enables them to complete digital KYC onboarding, account opening, payment processing, and transaction management from a single integrated platform. "Wonder to power omnichannel payments for Octopus Cards " was originally created and published by Electronic Payments International, a GlobalData owned brand. The Brief Closing arguments are finished in Lori Vallow Daybell's second and final Arizona trial. Prosecutors rested their case on Wednesday, and Daybell will not be testifying in the case. The jury is going home for the day and will be back to deliberate Thursday morning. PHOENIX - Closing arguments are finished in Lori Vallow Daybell's second murder conspiracy trial in Arizona on Wednesday, June 11, and the jury has gone home for the day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The jury will come back to court on Thursday morning to deliberate at 10 a.m. MST. NOW: Jury will continue deliberations tomorrow at 10am. Justin Lum | (@jlumfox10) June 11, 2025 What Happened Today The fate of the final trial is in the hands of a jury. Vallow Daybell didn't put on a defense, just like her last trial. It only took five days for the prosecution to present its case, trying to prove to a jury that she conspired in the attempted murder of her former nephew-in-law. A jury of twelve is finalized seven women and five men. They now have the case, but it only took about 15 minutes for the group to decide it was time to go home. They return on Thursday, June 12, at 10 a.m. MST for deliberations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve seen and heard from 18 witnesses, and evidence has ranged from cell phone data, surveillance footage, and dozens of photos of the Jeep Wrangler involved in this shooting on October 2, 2019. "We read the text from Brandon to me on June 25, 2019, where he claims that he will never stop until he proves that I am responsible. Well, here we are, almost six years later, and I'm charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. In order to have a conspiracy, two or more people have to make an agreement to commit a crime. There is no such agreement between me and my brother Alex, although I did love my brother Alex," Lori said in her closing statement. Prosecutor Treena Kay responded, "And I'm going to object again, your honor, to testifying the stand." Vallow Daybell replied, "There is no agreement that was shown to you between myself and Melanie Boudreaux. Although I love Melani." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kay said, "And I'm going to object again to testify." The judge replied, "sustained." Vallow Daybell continued, "I cannot tell you what happened that day, October 2, 2019, because I was not there. I'm going to strike everything the defendant has said." Kay said, "Defendant wants you to think that Brandon has it out for her. She has tried to insinuate that Brandon was involved with working with Detective Pillar for years just to get her. But what you heard was that Brandon has actually been working with law enforcement on multiple investigations." We are back in court. Rule 20 motion was just heard. Daybell says the state does not have substantial evidence to prove she conspired in the attempted murder. Justin Lum | (@jlumfox10) June 11, 2025 The backstory This is the second and final Arizona trial for Daybell. In this case, she is accused of conspiring with her brother, Alex Cox, in the attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux, who was once married to Daybell's niece. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boudreaux was driving home when a bullet missed him by inches, striking his Tesla. Investigators say Vallow Daybell and her late brother Alex Cox planned the attempted murder, accused of using burner phones and removing the Jeeps backseat and spare rear tire so that Cox could easily fire from the back window. At the time, Lori was living in Rexburg, Idaho after she moved from the Valley to be closer to her now-husband, Chad Daybell. Brandon was in the middle of a divorce with his wife, Melani Boudreaux, who he says was heavily influenced by Vallow Daybell, leading to the marriages end. The incident is linked to a series of deadly events in Idaho, including the murders of Daybell's two children, Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Chad Daybell's first wife, Tammy. In April 2025, Daybell was also found guilty of plotting the fatal shooting of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, in Chandler. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just like she did in her first Arizona trial, Daybell is representing herself. The trial kicked off on Thursday, June 5 with both sides presenting their opening statements. During Daybell's opening statement, multiple objections were made by the prosecuting attorney, Treena Kay. A day later, Daybell was briefly removed from the courtroom after an intense exchange with the presiding judge. What Happened Yesterday On June 10, Daybell continued her cross-examination of Gilbert Police Officer Ryan Pillar, who also testified on June 9. Pillar is the case agent who investigated the shooting at Brandon Boudreaux's home on Oct. 2, 2019. During Vallow Daybell's cross-examination, she questioned Gilbert's lack of testing to determine the type of gun used, why Boudreaux's Tesla vehicle was not kept in evidence, and the trajectory of the shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecuting attorney Treena Kay later re-directed testimony to argument that evidence showed a clear shooting from a Jeep Wrangler that was allegedly driven by Cox, who died in December 2019. Later on, Lieutenant Ray Hermosillo from Rexburg, Idaho took the stand. Lt. Hermosillo was one of the detectives on the case against Lori and Chad Daybell, a crucial part of the investigation leading to the discovery of the remains of Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan on Chad Daybells property in June 2020. Daybell did not choose to cross-examine Hermosillo. During Tuesday's proceedings, we also saw photos of rifles discovered in Alex Coxs garage at his Rexburg apartment. In Other News... On the morning of June 11, we obtained legal documents related to a motion that Daybell filed that seeks the recusal of Judges Jennifer Green and Justin Beresky. Per the legal documents, a judge has dismissed Daybell's motion, stating that the motion can't be filed after a hearing or trial began. Lori Daybell is denied by a different judge. On Monday, Daybell filed a motion to recuse Jennifer Green, the judge who denied her motion to change her trial judge. Daybell also requested a hearing for motion to dismiss abuse of discretion. Stay with me (cont.) pic.twitter.com/IK49phQV58 Justin Lum | (@jlumfox10) June 11, 2025 What you can do You can watch live coverage of the trial on FOX 10's YouTube channel. Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado Aide on Leave Following Anti-Ice Protest Arrest originally appeared on L.A. Mag. An aide to Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado has been put on unpaid leave following their arrest at an anti-ICE protest. My office is aware that a member of my staff has been arrested. The allegations are deeply concerning and I take them very seriously, Jurado said in a statement provided to LA Mag. According to the Los Angeles Times, which obtained Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department inmate records, Luz Aguilar was arrested around 7 p.m. on June 9 for suspicion of assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon. Their twin sister, Antonia Aguilar, was also arrested, and they were being held in lieu of the $50,000 bail. Aguilar had been the deputy of community growth and economic innovation for Jurado. Last year during her campaign for the City Council seat she now occupies, Yurado who declared herself an abolitionist who would get rid of the LAPD in a Democratic Socialist of America questionnaire was criticized when she was recorded saying "Fuck the Police." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Serving District 14, she represents Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno, Boyle Heights and downtown. Yurado took office in December 2024 and became the first person of Filipino descent on the city council. While I respect the individuals right to due process, I hold my team to the highest standards of conduct, Jurado also said. They have been placed on unpaid leave while we assess the facts and consider appropriate action. When ICE raids began on June 6, Jurado spoke to a crowd outside City Hall, reflecting on the heinous acts of the federal government to inflict fear and suffering during Pride Month and graduation celebrations. Make no mistake, this was not a coincidence. It was a deliberate act and a calculated attempt to take joy from our communities, to replace celebration with anxiety, she said. What kind of government plans this violence during our most sacred moments of joy? The footage speaks for itself. This is cruelty disguised as policy. Any notion that this is about public safety is a deluded lie. Aguilar is also the child of Pasadena Councilmember Rick Cole, who has been in attendance at protests. Its a loud, but entirely peaceful exercise of our rights to stand against cruel and arbitrary deportations of our neighbors and workers in our community, he wrote in an Instagram post. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared. The Brief A Craigslist ad appeared to be offering thousands of dollars to people volunteering to protest in Los Angeles. The ad was posted the day before thousands began protesting in downtown Los Angeles against ICE and President Donald Trump's immigration policies. The advertisement was reportedly a prank, according to the podcast host who made the listing. LOS ANGELES - Protests against ICE and President Donald Trump's immigration policies have continued for days in downtownLos Angeles, with the president calling in the National Guard and hundreds of Marines to control the demonstrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, a recent ad posted on a Los Angeles-area Craigslist forum is at the center of controversy. Some are using the ad as proof that protesters are being paid, but the man who made the listing now says the whole thing was a prank for a podcast. RELATED: LA ICE protests, Day 5: Demonstrators gather again as tensions continue to run high Los Angeles protest Craigslist ad What we know An ad popped up on the Los Angeles Craigslist forum for general labor jobs late last week. The listing was looking for "the toughest bad***es in the city," offering to pay them $6,500 to $12,500 a week. "We are forming a select team of THE TOUGHEST dudes in the area. This unit will be activated only when the situation demands it BUT YOU GET PAID EVERY WEEK NO MATTER WHAT," the now-deleted ad reads. "High-pressure, high-risk, no room for hesitation. We need individuals who do not break, panic, or fold under stress and are basically all around kick*** dudes." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The listing said it was looking for people with military experience, "except for Marines, we don't work with Marines anymore, long story," and people with "experience facing trained opposition." ICE protests in Los Angeles The backstory A day after the Craigstlist ad was posted, massive protests broke out in downtown Los Angeles to speak out against multiple ICE raids across the region. Protests continued throughout the weekend and into the next week in Los Angeles, Paramount and Orange County. SUGGESTED: Newsom fires back at Trump over deployment of National Guard in LA Trump has since deployed the National Guard and several hundred Marines to the area to try and disperse the protesters. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sued the Trump administration over the move, but a federal judge on Tuesday denied Newsom's request to block the deployment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the advertisement was not related to these immigration protests in Los Angeles at all. It was apparently a prank. Los Angeles Craigslist prank What they're saying Joey LaFleur posted the ad. He hosts a prank show called "Goofcon1." LaFleur told the Associated Press that he "had no idea it was ever going to be connected to the riots. It was really a weird coincidence." SUGGESTED: Trump defends decision to 'SEND IN THE TROOPS' amid LA protests In a livestream the day after the post, LaFleur said he'd posted another similar ad in a forum in the Austin, Texas, area. Paid insurrectionists The other side On his Truth Social account on Sunday, Trump posted simply "paid insurrectionists," amid a flurry of posts about the LA protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While it was unclear if Trump knew about the Craigslist ad, many people shared screenshots of the listing on social media, claiming it was proof of paid rioters. "JUST ANNOUNCED: CALIFORNIA RIOT IS A FUNDED OPERATION," read one X post, adding that "President Trump was right about everything." "Accidentally goofed the entire nation on the latest @goofcon1," LaFleur said in an Instagram story, addressing the Craigslist ad. The Source Information in this story is from an unlisted Craigstlist ad, a YouTube stream from the "Goofcon1" channel, an interview between podcast host Joey LaFleur and the Associated Press, comments made by President Donald Trump at Fort Bragg on June 10, 2025, a June 8, 2025, Truth Social post from Trump and other social media posts about the Craigslist ad. Los Angeles imposed a curfew Tuesday evening until Wednesday morning to clamp down on instances of lawlessness, including looting and vandalism. Protesters still gathered but dispersed two hours after the curfew began. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass called the measure effective in an interview with MSNBC. I think that the idea that what is going on here is chaos and we need federal intervention is just not accurate. It doesnt paint an accurate picture of whats going on here at all, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city handled things perfectly last night and will continue to do this, Bass added. Police block a street during a protest on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. | Eric Thayer I do believe though, that this is all part of an experiment thats taking place in Los Angeles and the test is what happens when the federal government intervenes and takes power away from a governor and a mayor. The home of Hollywood may very well be a guinea pig in Trumps immigration agenda but L.A. also became a blueprint for other liberal cities in the U.S. launching their own fight against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trump takes create for a calmer LA Gov. Gavin Newsom in an appearance on CNN said, This isnt just about protests here in Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state in this nation. This is about all of us. This is about you, he said. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom have pushed against the federal governments involvement in the initial protests and blamed the deployment of the National Guard for the escalation over the weekend. Celestina, who's daughter in law was detained by ICE, wipes a tear during a press conference with families of detained car wash workers Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Culver City, Calif. | Ethan Swope Its very hard not to see this as a stunt, Bass said. Trump deployed 2,000 National Guardsmen on Friday night. These troops were expected to help protect ICE agents as they carried out their duties, and to protect federal buildings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump also called up 700 Marines, as well as an additional 2,000 National Guardsmen in the following days, totaling 4,000 National Guard troops. The president took credit for the subdued demonstrations Tuesday night. If our troops didnt go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now, just like so much of their housing burned to the ground, he said in a post on Truth Social. The great people of Los Angeles are very lucky that I made the decision to go in and help!!! The Los Angeles Police Department made more than 200 arrests Tuesday night. The majority of the charges were for failure to disperse and curfew violations. But not all of it was peaceful: One individual was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and another for discharging a laser at an LAPD airship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Curfews will be enforced through Wednesday night. A man raises his fist as California National Guardsmen look on during a protest on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. | Eric Thayer Protests spread across U.S., FBI opens an investigation As L.A. clamps down on the unrest, which is allowing federal agents to continue to carry out raids to deport undocumented immigrants, groups in other blue cities and states are taking note and putting up their own fight against ICE. San Francisco has seen their own anti-ICE protests. The San Francisco Police Department arrested more than 150 people Sunday, as many arrests as LAPD made over the course of a whole weekend, according to a local Bay Area news outlet. On Tuesday, San Francisco shut down two immigration courts in the area. The Chicago Police Department made 17 arrests during anti-ICE protests on Tuesday. Four individuals were charged with felonies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New York City also witnessed marches on Tuesday and while the demonstrations were largely peaceful, reports indicated instances of escalation later in the day. Hundreds gathered in several cities in Texas including Austin, Dallas and San Antonio earlier this week. Protests also erupted in Denver, Santa Ana, California, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston, and Washington, D.C., and are expected to continue this week. Trump during his remarks in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Tuesday, said some protesters received compensation for being violent during unstable times. Theyre incompetent and they paid troublemakers, agitators and insurrectionists, Trump said. FBI Director Kash Patel, appointed by Trump earlier this year, told Just the News, The FBI is investigating any and all monetary connections responsible for these riots. LOS ANGELES (AP) Dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday to demand that the Trump administration stop the stepped-up immigration raids that have spread fear across their cities and sparked protests across the U.S. But there were no signs President Donald Trump would heed their pleas. About 500 of the National Guard troops deployed to the Los Angeles protests have been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations, the commander in charge said Wednesday. And while some troops have already gone on such missions, he said its too early to say if that will continue even after the protests die down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are expecting a ramp-up, said Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, noting that protests across the nation were being discussed. Im focused right here in LA, whats going on right here. But you know, I think were, were very concerned. Hours later, a demonstration in Los Angeles civic center just before the second night of the citys downtown curfew was set to start, suddenly turned chaotic, as police in riot gear many on horseback charged at a group, striking them with wooden rods and pushing them out of a park in front of City Hall. Officers also fired crowd control projectiles, striking at least one young woman, who writhed in pain on the ground as she bled from her hip. It wasnt clear what initiated the confrontation. Minutes earlier, some protesters had lit fireworks as they approached the federal building, the site of numerous showdowns in recent nights. Simultaneously, a larger portion of the protest were in the middle of a dance party. It was chill the whole time, it was cool vibes, peaceful protesting, Raymond Martinez said. Once we got by the federal building the horses started coming." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The LA-area mayors and city council members urged Trump to stop using armed military troops alongside immigration agents. Im asking you, please listen to me, stop terrorizing our residents, said Brenda Olmos, vice mayor of Paramount, who said she was hit by rubber bullets over the weekend. You need to stop these raids. Speaking alongside the other mayors at a news conference, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the raids spread fear at the behest of the White House. The citys nightly curfew will remain in effect as long as necessary. It covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section of downtown where the protests have been concentrated in the city that encompasses roughly 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers). If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue, Bass said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those who have been caught up in the nationwide raids include asylum seekers, people who overstayed their visas and migrants awaiting their day in immigration court. The administration has cited the protests in its decision to deploy the military. California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, has asked a federal court to put an emergency stop to the military helping immigration agents in the nations second-largest city. This week, guardsmen began standing protectively around agents as they carry out arrests. A judge set a hearing for Thursday. The Trump administration called the lawsuit a crass political stunt endangering American lives" in its official response on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The military is now closer to engaging in law enforcement actions such as deportations, as Trump has promised in his crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests must be made by law enforcement. The president posted on the Truth Social platform that the city would be burning to the ground if he had not sent in the military. Some 2,000 National Guard soldiers are in Los Angeles and are soon to be joined by 2,000 more along with about 700 Marines, Sherman said. Speaking in an interview with The Associated Press and ABC, Sherman initially said National Guard troops had already temporarily detained civilians in the Los Angeles protests over immigration raids. He later said he based his comments on photos and footage he had seen that turned out not to be a representation of Guard members in Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LA curfew will continue in downtown Police detained more than 20 people, mostly on curfew violations, on the first night of the curfew and used crowd-control projectiles to break up hundreds of protesters. But officers were more aggressive in controlling demonstrators Wednesday evening and as the curfew took effect, police were beginning to make arrests. Los Angeles police have made nearly 400 arrests and detentions since Saturday, the vast majority of which were for failing to leave the area at the request of law enforcement, according to the police department. There have been a handful of more serious charges, including for assault against police officers and for possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun. Nine police officers have been hurt, mostly with minor injures. Some were transported to a hospital and released. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protests have spread nationwide Demonstrations have also spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin in Texas, and Chicago and New York, where thousands rallied and more arrests were made. In New York City, police said they took 86 people into custody during protests in lower Manhattan that lasted into Wednesday morning. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the majority of demonstrators were peaceful. A 66-year-old woman in Chicago was injured when she was struck by a car during downtown protests Tuesday evening, police said. Video showed a car speeding down a street where people were protesting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Texas, where police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts office said Texas National Guard troops were on standby" in areas where demonstrations are planned. Guard members were sent to San Antonio, but Police Chief William McManus said he had not been told how many troops were deployed or their role ahead of planned protests Wednesday night and Saturday. Officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety said the Texas National Guard was present at a protest downtown. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. ___ Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This story has been corrected. The commander of the troops deployed to Los Angeles initially told the AP that National Guard members had already detained some civilians. He later said his information was incorrect and Guard members have not detained civilians. This story also corrects a quote that was misattributed to Mayor Jessica Ancona of El Monte. It was said by Brenda Olmos, vice mayor of Paramount. ___ Taxin reported from Orange County, California. Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Julie Watson in San Diego, Jesse Bedayn in Denver, Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report. (FOX40.COM) Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared local emergency for the city and mandated a curfew to go into effect Tuesday night amid anti-ICE protests. Video Above: Chaos continues in Los Angeles amid anti-ICE protests The curfew was issued for one square mile in Downtown Los Angeles from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Anyone who violates the curfew is subject to arrest. A Waymo vehicle burns in the street as smoke billows during protests in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025. Following a series of aggressive federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, tensions escalated when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted a high-profile raid on a Home Depot location. The raid sparked widespread protests across the city, where demonstrators decried the targeting of immigrant communities and the separation of families. (Photo by David Pashaee / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by DAVID PASHAEE/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images) How does ICE know who to deport? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, Bass, the Los Angeles Police Department, and city council members held a press conference where they discussed the chaos that has unfolded over the past few days. Stores have been looted, windows of businesses have been shattered, and property has been severely vandalized. For updates click or tap 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 FOX40 News. LOS ANGELES (AP) Los Angeles mayor imposes overnight curfew on downtown following increased nighttime violence and vandalism. WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps deployment of thousands of troops including 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles to quell protests is fueling concern that the Marines have not been properly trained for interacting with civilians, including children, during potentially tense law enforcement operations. One of the duties of the Marines and National Guard troops will be to provide security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel as they conduct immigration raids in the Los Angeles area, according to officials with knowledge of the operation and court filings. National Guard troops and Marines will transport ICE agents to and from raids and secure neighborhood perimeters while ICE agents conduct operations. California Democrats argue that this violates the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement efforts. California Attorney General Rob Bonta argued in a court motion on Tuesday that the Trump administrations deployment violates that law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federalized National Guard and active-duty Marines deployed in Los Angeles will engage in quintessential law enforcement activity in violation of the PCA, the motion said, referring to the Posse Comitatus Act. Defendants will create a substantial likelihood that the military will physically confront, detain, or search civilians whom they perceive are posing a security threat, thereby actively executing civil laws. A military official with knowledge of the operation told NBC News that the Marines would not conduct arrests and would only transport and guard ICE agents. They said that these activities would not violate the Posse Comitatus Act. As with many other political battles since Trump took office, the issue will be decided in court. On Thursday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer will hold a hearing in San Francisco to hear arguments from both sides regarding Trumps use of the National Guard and Marines in L.A. Breyer could accept or reject Bontas request that he issue a court order blocking the Trump administration from using National Guard troops and Marines during ICE operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some local law enforcement officials and state Democrats say that Trump is stoking tensions rather than calming them. The National Guard is often used to respond to riots or violence on American streets. And active-duty Marines are not typically trained for domestic law enforcement and lack the tools or the training to respond to civil disturbances. Mike Hillman, a law enforcement consultant, military veteran and former Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief who served more than 40 years in the department, said there is a big difference between what law enforcement does and what Marines do. The Marines are warfighters and they come with rules of engagement and tools and equipment that they would normally use under those circumstances, Hillman told NBC News. This situation has serious consequences. It puts the United States Marine Corps and the warfighters in the position where they are having to deal with domestic incidents on domestic soil. Concerns about Marine 'rules of force' Some of the Marines deployed to Los Angeles will provide security and transportation for ICE personnel as they conduct operations. This includes driving ICE agents in military vehicles to arrest locations, according to two sources familiar with the plans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Marines have been issued small cards that list rules of force terminology used for domestic military operations, the two sources said. The cards describe what Marines are allowed to do during a deployment. California National Guard members stand guard outside the federal building Tuesday as protests continue in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles. (Apu Gomes / AFP - Getty Images) Two sources familiar with the planning say that ICE agents, as well as local officials in Los Angeles, have expressed concern about those rules of engagement. The sources said ICE agents worry that the Marines have not been properly trained and could be pulled into law enforcement operations for which local police or the National Guard is better suited. Jim McDonnell, the Los Angeles police chief, said in a statement Monday that he was not notified of the Marine deployment and urged federal officials to maintain continuous communications with local law enforcement officials. The arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles absent clear coordination presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city, he said. We are urging open and continuous lines of communication between all agencies to prevent confusion, avoid escalation, and ensure a coordinated, lawful, and orderly response during this critical time. Warning from Rodney King riots An incident in Los Angeles during the 1992 riots following the police beating of Rodney King serves as a cautionary tale. According to the book Fires and Furies by Maj. Gen. James Delk, who oversaw National Guard operations in California at the time, Marines caused an incident when they accompanied police officers to a domestic disturbance in the wake of the riots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A police officer asked the Marines to cover me as he tried to enter the residence, according to the book. Instead of simply pointing their weapons at it to deter the people inside, the Marines opened fire on the house. The officer had not meant shoot when he yelled cover me to the Marines, Delk wrote. The officer meant, point your weapon and be prepared to respond if necessary. However, the Marines responded instantly in the way they had been trained, where cover me means provide me with cover using firepower. California legal battle Bontas motion asked Breyer, the federal judge in San Francisco, to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from using National Guard troops or Marines during ICE operations. Defendants, including President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth have sought to bring military personnel and a warrior culture to the streets of cities and towns where Americans work, go to school and raise their families, Bonta wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, Department of Justice lawyers rebuffed Bontas motion. Plaintiffs motion is legally meritless, they wrote in a filing. It seeks an extraordinary, unprecedented and dangerous court order. Bontas motion argued that the administrations actions, in fact, were dangerous. There is no invasion or rebellion in Los Angeles, it said, only the kind of civil unrest that occurs from time to time that is typically the purview of local law enforcement. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A night-time curfew in a portion of protest-hit downtown Los Angeles will remain in effect for at least one more night, the Los Angeles Police Department announced on Wednesday. The curfew will run from 8 pm Wednesday to 6 am Thursday (0300 GMT to 1300 GMT Thursday). Mayor Karen Bass first imposed the measure on Tuesday and has indicated it could remain in place for several days. She said it was to stop vandalism and looting during protests against the expanding raids by federal agents on undocumented immigrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bass has stressed that the curfew area is tiny - amounting to less than 3 square kilometres in a city that spans some 1,300 square kilometres. Further protests against US President Donald Trump's immigration policies took place overnight in Los Angeles, remaining largely peaceful. Demonstrations of various sizes have also popped up in a slew of other places, including New York and Philadelphia. Dozens of protesters were arrested in the two East Coast cities on Tuesday night, with more rallies planned in the coming days. Los Angeles has seen days of demonstrations opposing Trumps hardline stance on migrants and recent deportation raids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response, Trump mobilized 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 marines for deployment in Los Angeles, despite opposition from California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Bass. The soldiers are arriving gradually; according to media reports, no marines have yet been seen in downtown LA. City leaders say Trump's moves are out of proportion to the protests and only inflaming tensions. (NewsNation) Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday said her city has reached a tipping point amid escalating protests against President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown. The citys police chief confirmed nearly 200 were arrested on Tuesday, with thousands of National Guard troops standing by at Trumps behest. U.S. Marines are expected to be deployed in LAs streets on Wednesday. Fines waived for those who self-deport, DHS says Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protests which began Friday after federal immigration raids in LA have caused chaos in the nations second-largest city, inspired similar rallies across the country and reignited tensions between Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Demonstrations are expected to continue throughout the week, with No Kings events planned across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trumps military parade through Washington. Mayor Karen Bass sets curfew amid LA protests Bass declared a local emergency and implemented a curfew for the city: 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time. Officials said the restriction aims to deter vandalism and looting. Police made arrests as soon as the curfew took effect, while members of the National Guard stood watch behind plastic shields. The curfew is expected to last several days, Bass said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Geraldo Rivera: ICE arrest quotas deeply disturbing The curfew doesnt apply to residents who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, credentialed media or public safety and emergency officials, according to LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell. Immigration protests erupt across US Protests erupted Tuesday in Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Denver, Portland, New York and more, echoing the demonstrations in LA. In Chicago, the citys transit authority temporarily suspended bus services to the Loop, its downtown neighborhood, as protests and marches spread. NewsNation affiliate WGN reported a car appeared to drive through a crowd of marching protestors, narrowly missing them. It is unclear if the person in the vehicle has been apprehended by law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New York authorities said they arrested more than 80 people overnight following a demonstration at the New York ICE Bureau in Federal Plaza. Protesters gather to denounce ICE, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, operations on June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo Damian Dovarganes) Protesters hold signs during an immigration demonstration June 10, 2025, in Brookhaven, Ga., near Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) Demonstrators protest ongoing raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers June 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Demonstrators march during a protest June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) ICE defends raids at Rio Grande Valley worksites, arrests 12 In El Paso, Texas, activists gathered in the citys downtown San Jacinto Plaza in solidarity with Californias communities, NewsNation affiliate KTSM reported. What were seeing in Los Angeles is not new. Its the amplification of a strategy weve endured at the border for years, said Fernando Garcia, executive director for Border Network for Human Rights, in a news release. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday night he planned to deploy the states National Guard to ensure peace and order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest, Abbott said on social media. Marines, National Guard deployed to LA will cost $134M: Pentagon According to the Pentagon, the deployment of troops to California will cost at least $134 million and mainly cover just the cost of travel, housing and food for about 700 active-duty Marines and more than 4,100 National Guard troops sent to protect federal buildings and personnel. We stated very publicly that its 60 days because we want to ensure that those rioters, looters and thugs on the other side assaulting our police officers know that were not going anywhere, Hegseth told lawmakers. Trump, Newsom clash over LA protests The war of words between Trump and Newsom has escalated alongside the protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In sending troops to LA, Trump cited Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which allows the president to call into federal service members and units of the National Guard of any State in such numbers as he considers necessary when there is a rebellion, an invasion or the danger of either happening. ICE raids wont stop despite protests: DHS spokesperson Newsom called the deployment a threat to democracy and sued the administration. Though a judge did not grant an injunction on Tuesday, a hearing is scheduled for Thursday. California Attorney General Rob Bonta told NewsNation on Wednesday that Trump has overstepped. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres existing law that governs what the president can do and cant do. The president has invoked a specific statute to call in the National Guard that he believes authorizes him and that law requires that there be a rebellion there, Bonta said Tuesday on Elizabeth Vargas Reports. Theres no rebellion. It requires that there be an invasion. Theres no invasion, he said. Posse Comitatus Act: Does law allow Trump to send troops to LA? The president has not ruled out invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow him to use the military to conduct civilian law enforcement activities. The last time the Insurrection Act was invoked was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Trump floated the idea of border czar Tom Homan arresting Newsom, telling reporters, I would do it if I were Tom. NewsNations Anna Kutz and 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 NewsNation. (Reuters) -Global advertising revenue is expected to grow 6% this year, WPP Media (WPP) said on Monday, lowering its earlier target of 7.7% due to uncertainty over U.S. trade policies. Advertisers are appearing to delay making new commitments to their marketing plans because of the shifting policies, according to a report by the media investment arm of ad group WPP . Why it's important Digital ad spending by companies is a major driver of revenue for Alphabet-owned search giant Google and social media firms such as Meta Platforms, Pinterest, Reddit and Snap. Economic uncertainty is accelerating the adoption of AI tools in ad production and targeting, the WPP Media report said. Meta aims to allow brands to fully create and target ads with its AI tools by the end of 2026, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. Research firm Emarketer recently said companies that rely on traditional keyword-based search ads could lose revenue due to the growing popularity of AI-driven search ads. By the numbers WPP Media now expects global ad revenue to reach $1.08 trillion in 2025, with 6.1% growth projected for 2026. Digital advertising is expected to account for 73.2% of the global revenue this year. In 2025, user-generated content will account for a greater share of ad revenue than professionally produced content, the report said. It forecast print advertising revenue will fall 3.1% to $45.5 billion this year, while search revenue is expected to grow 7.3%. Context WPP Media said brands are expected to prioritize flexible ad contracts, shift budgets toward media placements that reach consumers directly and focus on secure data strategies amid economic uncertainty. The U.S. remains the largest ad market and is expected to grow 5.6% to $404.7 billion, followed by China and the UK, according to the report. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed) President Donald Trump loves displays of military force. Hes parading two very different kinds this week. On one coast, military forces are arriving by the thousands to defend federal buildings and agents, facing off with civilians protesting the presidents immigration agenda. On the other, theyre readying a celebration of American military might in a parade held on the Armys and Trumps birthday. The scenes in Los Angeles and Washington underscore how Trump is leveraging his role as commander-in-chief in a much clearer and more urgent way than he did during his first term embodying the image of a strong military commander that he has long admired in other foreign leaders, allies and adversaries alike. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has long seen the military and his command of it as a sign of his own strength and even expressed a sense of ownership over it. During the first term he referred to John Kelly and James Mattis, the retired four-star Marine generals who served in his Cabinet, as my generals. Trump allies say time has reinforced that sense and removed any inhibitions, allowing him to expand his role as commander-in-chief even further, whether thats showing off the military in a parade or using it to quell protests. When you have four years out of office, you really have an opportunity to reflect on how you would do the job differently and I think you see that manifesting itself in countless ways, said Sean Spicer, who was press secretary during Trumps first term. He is much more confident in command. And, Spicer added: He does love being commander in chief. In recent days, Trump has mobilized thousands of Californias National Guardsmen and deployed hundreds of Marines in defiance of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to stamp out protests in Los Angeles over his deportation agenda. It comes as he prepares to preside over a very different show of force on Saturday with the kind of Americana-drenched military parade he has long dreamed of in celebration of the Armys 250th birthday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 100 military vehicles and thousands of soldiers are set to participate, with M1A2 Abrams tanks rolling down Constitution Avenue in front of the White House and Black Hawk, Apache and Chinook helicopters and World War II- and Vietnam-era planes circling overhead. The price tag, which could range anywhere from $25 million to $50 million, will dwarf any other military parade in recent memory, according to the Army. As of Tuesday afternoon, at least a dozen military vehicles, including humvees, were staged in a Pentagon parking lot. In addition, several dozen tanks and other military vehicles were sitting in West Potomac Park. Trump has wanted to hold a military parade in Washington since he accompanied French President Emmanuel Macron to a 2017 Bastille Day parade, where troops marched down the Champs-Elysees while fighter jets flew overhead, leaving trails of red, white, and blue smoke behind them. Trump later called it one of the greatest parades I've ever seen, but aides advised him against throwing a similar affair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has also heaped praise on military displays from adversaries. During a 2017 state visit to China, Trump called a military parade magnificent, and after North Korea toned down its military parade in 2018 to reportedly exclude nuclear weapons, he praised the country for making a big and very positive statement. Marc Short, who served as Trumps legislative affairs director and Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff during the presidents first term, said the timing of the Washington parade and the Los Angeles protests was coincidental, but acknowledged the two events offer a sharp contrast. He always wanted a military parade the first administration, he said. Theres no doubt theres some things that the second go-around he feels like he learned from the first administration the way he wants to do a second time. One former Trump official, who like others in this story was granted anonymity to speak freely, called both the administrations response to the Los Angeles protests and the military parade a holistic approach to national security using all elements of state power as needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This administration understands that civil unrest and social cohesion is integral to our overall security, the official said. You cant be a secure and prosperous country when rioters waving foreign flags are rampaging in a major country. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement that America is respected again with Trump as commander in chief. Thanks to this Presidents leadership, our homeland is secure, military recruitment is up, our warfighters are prioritized, and the U.S. Army is getting the grand celebration it deserves for 250 years of honor, courage, and sacrifice, Kelly said. Trumps response to the unrest in Los Angeles offered an opportunity to accomplish something he didnt in his first term. His decision to mobilize the first tranche of those troops, just 24 hours after the protests began, without the support of Newsom offered a stark contrast to his response to the protests after the killing of George Floyd in 2020, when he instead waited for governors to deploy their guardsmen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Steve Cortes, a longtime Trump adviser and conservative commentator, said that Trumps response then was just not forceful enough, early enough. Trump seems super intent on a very different path now, with a serious show of righteous force to protect American lives and property, Cortes said. The displays of military force also speak to another theme of his second administration his desire to bring American institutions to heel, from elite universities and cultural centers to the federal bureaucracy and the military. In a recent address to West Point graduates, the president touted his elimination of the militarys diversity, equity and inclusion policies and that he had rebuilt the military. Second term, I think he's really become what I call a unilateralist, which is he wants to do things that he can do on his own that people can't stop him from doing, said Tevi Troy, a former White House official under President George W. Bush turned presidential historian. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, Troy noted, that for as much as Trump likes displays of military power and is willing to deploy military resources at home to curb civil unrest, secure the border or assist with deportations, hes been much more reluctant to send soldiers into large-scale combat overseas. Trump has in some ways been more demanding on the military in the first five months of his administration than in his first term, deploying 10,000 active duty and Guard troops to the southern border, using dozens of military transport aircraft to fly migrants around the world, and the deployment of 4,700 troops to Los Angeles. Military parades are a regular occurrence for many branches of the armed forces. The Marines host a small-scale parade at their Washington Barracks near Capitol Hill almost every week of the summer, and the Navy hosts Fleet Week where ships park in city docks. But those do not come at the behest of the president. The scale and optics of Saturday's parade and Trump's expansive deployments of U.S. troops on their own soil have split the Pentagon's traditionally apolitical bureaucracy along party lines, one defense official said. Pro-Trump officials in the Pentagon have defended the event as an Army birthday celebration, while anti-Trump officials have likened it to a North Korean military demonstration. "The U.S. military has always been his flex," one former defense official said of the recent events. "He loves threatening the world with its power. And now he threatens his domestic enemies which are anyone he casts as liberal or democrat, and anyone who speaks against him." 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) The Louisiana Legislature has approved a bill targeting out-of-state abortion-inducing drug providers, giving more time to individuals who want to sue someone who performed, attempted to perform or substantially facilitated an abortion. The legislation is part of an effort from anti-abortion advocates to crack down on doctors who ship abortion-inducing medication to states where the procedure is illegal. In nearly all instances, abortion has been illegal in Louisiana since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Bill 575 by Rep. Lauren Ventrella, R-Greenwell Springs, easily passed both chambers. She dubbed her proposal the Justice for Victims of Abortion Drug Dealers Act, though it would apply to all forms of the procedure. It extends the window for abortion lawsuits from three years to five years and allows out-of-state doctors and activists to be sued. The bill will become law unless vetoed by Gov. Jeff Landry, which is unlikely. Ventrellas bill has the support of Attorney General Liz Murrill, who is currently prosecuting a case against a New York doctor accused of providing abortion-inducing medication to the mother of a pregnant minor in West Baton Rouge Parish. Gov. Kathy Hochul has refused to extradite the doctor to Louisiana to face charges, citing New Yorks shield laws. The doctor and the minors mother were both indicted. Murrill has alleged the minor was coerced to take the medication, though her mother was not charged with this crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ventrellas legislation was substantially whittled down throughout the legislative process. In its original state, it would have allowed the mother of the unborn child, her parents, the man who impregnated her and his parents as potential plaintiffs. The man would have been unable to sue if the pregnancy was the result of rape, sexual assault or incest. The measure also would have allowed the plaintiffs to sue anybody who facilitated the abortion, with this term originally being undefined. It also would have allowed drug manufacturers to be sued. The legislation received bipartisan pushback, with multiple lawmakers raising privacy concerns. Last year, Louisiana lawmakers classified mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled dangerous substances. Both are used in medication abortions but also have other uses, including to stop life-threatening postpartum hemorrhages. Medical professionals opposed the move, warning the designation could make the drugs more difficult to access in time-sensitive medical crises. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) The Livingston Parish Sheriffs Office arrested a man accused of stalking and recording women. The sheriffs office received a complaint about a man reportedly recording and taking photos of women who were shopping in the Juban Crossing shopping center. Several days a week for the past few months, this guy was secretly filming females. We have surveillance video of him in action, said Sheriff Jason Ard. We learned hed change up his disguise, hed wear glasses sometimes, ball caps and even change up his hairstyle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tyler Washington, 23, of Denham Springs, was arrested and booked into the Livingston Parish Detention Center on charges of four counts of stalking and four counts of video voyeurism. Ard said Washington was initially charged with stalking. Further investigation revealed he was filming the women for sexual gratification. This is an ongoing investigation. 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. Gov. Jeff Landry addresses the Louisiana Legislature on opening day of legislative session, Monday, April 14, 2025, at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate-Pool) As Gov. Jeff Landrys assault on state ethics laws continues to unfold, there remains a small glimmer of hope for those who wish to see Louisiana politics to depart from its history of corruption and cronyism. It comes from the demise of House Bill 160, by Rep. Kellee Hennessy Dickerson, R-Denham Springs, which would have removed confidentiality protections from anyone filing an ethics complaint. A tipsters identity would have been revealed to the elected official, lobbyist, public employee or government contractor they accused of wrongdoing, even if the complaint or tip didnt result in an investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dickerson placed multiple hindrances in her bill to deter individuals from coming forward with damning information. To submit a tip, complainants would have been required to submit a notarized, signed document by mail or to deliver it in person to the state ethics administrations offices in downtown Baton Rouge, where they would be required to present identification. The representative insisted tipsters need not feel intimidated because, under her bill, they could sue for damages if they were harassed as a result of submitting a tip or complaint. As with the governors ethics law upheaval, Dickersons legislation places the interests of the politically powerful ahead of the individual citizen seeking to do right. The provisions in her bill would have created needless costs, inconvenience and unwarranted public scrutiny for whistleblowers. Dickerson also wanted to limit what materials ethics investigators could use to begin a probe to materials submitted by government agencies and officials. News reports, which triggered 18 ethics investigations from 2020-23, would have been declared off-limits an especially disappointing restriction given Dickersons background as a journalist. Her motivation for bringing the bill was clear. As a member of the Livingston Parish School Board, she ran afoul of ethics rules in 2023 when she helped a high school teacher obtain a contract to perform construction work on the same campus a double-dip thats not allowed under state law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dickerson, who was running for state representative at the time, was fined $1,500. She said a political opponent brought the incident to the attention of the state ethics board, and she has described the process as abusive and very chilling. The same words could easily apply to her legislation, which fizzled in the Louisiana Senate after ethics board members wrote to senators asking that they shelve the measure. Dickerson credited their letter with killing her bill, calling their action harassing. I guess people fear the retaliation of the ethics board being against it, Dickerson told the Illuminator. No, representative. The only thing public officials should fear are the consequences from breaking ethics laws. But as the governor continues to chip away at what are largely toothless regulations to begin with, theres not so much to be frightened of these days. At least theres some comfort in knowing, at least for now, whistleblowers wont face more scrutiny than the scofflaws they hope to hold accountable. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg talks with attendees of The Louisville Forum at Vincenzo's in downtown Louisville. June 11, 2025. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Ladd) LOUISVILLE Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey said the city should not be blamed for delaying a court order to correct civil rights abuses by Louisville police and to reform the department. During the monthly meeting of The Louisville Forum Wednesday, Humphrey pointed to federal bureaucracy while Greenberg acknowledged that a lot of people think that our administration and the LMPD was the reason a consent decree mandating police reforms was not signed before the Republican Trump administration killed the agreement as expected. The mayor insisted that is not the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Responding to an audience question, Greenberg told the gathering that it took more than 11 months for the Justice Department under Democratic President Joe Biden to get the city a draft agreement after then-Attorney General Merrick Garland came to Kentucky in 2023 to discuss the police departments civil rights violations. Greenberg said the city at that time offered to provide an initial draft of a consent decree. They insisted that they would provide us with the first draft. Notwithstanding our weekly requests (of) when that draft was coming, we got the first draft of the consent decree 11 and a half months later, Greenberg said. So we waited basically a year to see a first draft of the consent decree after Attorney General Garland came to our city. The agreement was announced in December 2024, the month before President Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term. In May, the Trump administrations U.S. Department of Justice pulled back from the consent decree, saying such actions are handcuffing local leaders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The consent decree came in response to the 2020 police killing of Breonna Taylor, an unarmed Black woman, and a subsequent federal investigation that exposed a pattern of constitutional violations by Louisville police. Taylors mother criticized the mayor, Louisville Public Media reported in May, accusing him of dragging his feet on the issue. Louisville Metro Council member J.P. Lyninger, a Democrat, also has voiced disappointment with Democrat Greenbergs administration. The findings were announced two years ago, he told Louisville Public Media last month. If we had more speedily entered into agreement with the Department of Justice, this would already be on the books and we wouldnt be talking about this today. A consent decree is a negotiated agreement that avoids a trial by spelling out requirements that a federal judge signs and enforces. On Wednesday, Greenberg said, Louisville Metro government was not the reason why this took time. Instead, he said, the police department and city had worked day and night with getting this done as their primary focus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Humphrey agreed, saying there are a lot of things that could be improved about that process at the federal level to expedite the consent decree process. The federal government, Humphrey said, was more concerned with protecting the case than they were with improving the police department. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, center, and Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey, left, spoke at The Louisville Forum at Vincenzos in downtown Louisville. June 11, 2025. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Ladd) On the same day the Trump administration moved to let LMPD off the hook for reform, Greenberg and Humphrey announced the city would move forward with its own Community Commitment, a 214-page handbook with goals similar to those outlined in the proposed consent decree. If we were using delay as a negotiating tactic, we would not have voluntarily signed the community commitment within hours of the Department of Justice announcing they were dropping the case, Greenberg said at the Louisville Forum. It would have been a very different response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the Community Commitment, the city will issue a request for proposals (RFP) seeking candidates to fill the role of an independent monitor. The public will be able to weigh in on monitor candidates via an online survey and at community listening sessions. The independent monitor will cost Louisville around $750,000, Greenberg said, and will have a five-year contract. We have our community commitment that were moving forward with, and so looking back at what the federal government did or didnt do is a waste of time, in all honesty, Humphrey said. Lets move forward and make this community better. The city has several listening sessions already scheduled where the public can weigh in on reforms. I encourage you to be a part of the solution, Greenberg said. Its very easy to criticize, its very easy to observe and talk to friends. We want (people) across the community to be a part of the solution. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX BUFFALO, NY (WIVB) Family and friends of Shabrina Grant, the 28-year-old woman who was killed in a wrong-way accident on the Skyway last week, are mourning her loss and reflecting on the type of person she was. On the evening of June 5, Grant was in the passenger seat of a vehicle when it was struck head-on by another car traveling in the wrong direction. She was bubbly, she was a lovely dresser, said Betty Jean Grant, Shabrinas aunt and former Erie County legislator. She loved to fix hair, and she just loved dressing up and Im sorry that we wont get to know her further than we already do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The driver of the vehicle responsible for the crash was identified as a 27-year-old man from Lackawanna. WIVB News 4 reached out to Buffalo Police for comment, but authorities have yet to release further details or confirm whether charges have been filed. Shabrina is being remembered by loved ones as a bright, kind and loving person and above all, a devoted mother. It is hard to wrap our heads around this, and Im still really in a state of shock, Betty Jean said. Shabrina worked as a certified nursing assistant at Elderwood in Williamsville. She leaves behind her 5-year-old son, Jaevion, who has autism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She loved children and loved raising them, Betty Jean said. She got her wish he is going to be raised by her siblings, but its tragic all around, tragic for her to lose her life, and tragic for this young boy who will now grow up without the person who loved him most. The Grant family has faced more than their share of heartbreak over the years. In 2008, one of Shabrinas younger sisters was found murdered on Koons Avenue. In 2021, their beloved mother died of COVID-19. We just dont know what to make of it, Betty Jean said. We pray, and we hope the community will continue to pray for us. Shabrina was one of 13 siblings. Her sister, Shatica Grant, declined to speak on camera, but shared a message with News 4. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My family has been through a lot these last few years, Shatica said. Rest in peace, Shabrina. I am so hurt. Tasha Cole, a former teacher of Shabrinas, also expressed her sorrow on social media, writing, I watched you all grow up, and I will always love you all like my own. Shabrinas family plans to lay her to rest in Tennessee, alongside her mother. Latest Local News Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Waco, TX (FOX 44) Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick held a post-session press conference at the Waco Regional Airport on Tuesday afternoon. The press conference comes after the 89th Legislative Session, which approved major bills including a THC ban. Lt. Gov. Patrick said THC sales impact Texas schools due to smoke shops opening near school campuses and selling products with dangerous amounts of the chemical. Alongside THC guideline changes, Patrick highlights the new school bill and how it will positively impact schools and teachers across Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The most important person is the teacher, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said. And we must raise their salaries, that Ive been doing since I became lieutenant governor, to where we get the best and the brightest into our schools and keep the best teachers we have today. Governor Greg Abbott has until June 22 to sign or veto. If no action is taken, it will become law automatically. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick made a stop in Wichita Falls on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, highlighting key bills passed during the 89th Legislative Session. Patrick held a Post Session Press Conference at the FBO building at the Wichita Falls Municipal Airport as a part of a tour of Texas cities. The full press conference can be found below: Patrick, along with Sen. Brent Hagenbuch, State Senator for District 30, touched on a number of bills that will soon head to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WATCH: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick holds press conference at Wichita Falls Regional Airport Cuts to property taxes Patrick discussed cuts to property taxes that were passed during the 89th Legislature. According to Patrick, theyre the largest property tax cuts in history. Patrick said the Homestead Exemption has been increased. Previously $40,000, the Homestead Exemption will now be $200,000 for senior citizens and $140,000 for Texans under the age of 65. According to Patrick, senior citizens will no longer be required to pay property taxes on school properties. If youre over 65 and youre the average homeowner, senior homeowner, you will no longer pay school property taxes again for the rest of your life, Patrick said. And if youre under 65, this will cut your school property tax cut about 50 percent from what youve been paying. School Choice and funding for public education Patrick then addressed the passing of School Choice in Texas, the new school voucher-style program, recently signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The law allocates billions toward public education while allowing up to 100,000 students to apply for funding to attend the school of their choice. Patrick clarified a common misconception that the law takes money away from public schools. 95 percent of the kids in Texas or more are always going to go to public schools. Thats what we fund the most, Patrick said. The biggest part of our budget will always do that. But not every parent wants to send their child to public school. TEXAS POLITICS: Recap of Texas 89th Legislative Session Patrick added that public schools in Texas are the biggest area of investment of the states budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We added $8.5 billion to public education, Patrick said. Thats more than ever before in one session that goes into the classroom. Ten Commandments, prayer in schools Patrick also addressed a new law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. According to Patrick, the 16x19 posters wont be funded by the school itself, but rather, the school will be adopted by local churches, businesses, or individuals, and schools will be obligated to display them. Additionally, Patrick said prayer will be returning to public schools in Texas. While no one will be compelled to pray, students will be given private time for prayer if they choose to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were putting our values back in the classroom, Patrick said. Values that most Texans believe in. Pay raises for teachers Teachers in Texas schools will also be getting raises, according to Patrick. Patrick said the average salary for a teacher in Texas will increase to $69,000, up from the current average of $54,000, adding that with new incentive programs, that increase could be even higher. Your salary is getting a big bump, Patrick said.Were using $4 billion to increase your pay. And in rural Texas, where theres always been about a $10,000 pay gap between rural and urban-suburban, were closing that gap dramatically. Texas infrastructure improvements Patrick also discussed several areas of infrastructure in Texas that will be funded by the bills passed during the 89th Legislative Session. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patrick said billions of dollars will be invested in water development, building roads, and the Texas power grid, promising billions of dollars for each. TEXAS POLITICS: Thousands of Texas House Bills die at key midnight deadline Wind and solar are fine, but when the winds not blowing, the suns not out, quite frankly, we dont have enough power, Patrick said. Funding for law enforcement Patrick also announced that during the 89th Legislature, $350 million was invested to raise pay for rural law enforcement officers. According to Patrick, sheriffs will have a minimum salary of $75,000, and deputies and jailers will make around $40,000 minimum or more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We stand behind our law enforcement, Patrick said. Were not the blue states, like whats going on in California right now and elsewhere around the country, or blue cities. We fund our police. Bail reform in Texas Patrick also addressed bail reform in Texas, saying that for the fourth session in a row, bail reform was passed. Patrick said in the 89th Legislative Session, three major bail reform bills were passed that will keep felons behind bars. Patrick criticized Democrats in the Texas House for voting against two additional bail reform bills that passed easily in the state Senate. We worked very well with our Democrats in the Senate. We passed a lot of legislation, Patrick said. But the Democrats in the House have killed these two important bills. Banning products containing THC The topic that Patrick spent the most time addressing on Tuesday, June 10, was a ban on THC products in Texas that was passed during the 89th Legislative session. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is not a game, Patrick said. I understand some people out there disagree with the policy, but it is not legal. The federal government has not legalized pot across the country. According to Patrick, in the last 3 or 4 years in Texas, over 8,000 smoke shops and vape shops have opened up, many of which sell products containing THC, including gummies, cookies, and candies meant to attract young people. Why did they build most of their 8,000 stores 1,000 or 2,000 feet from schools? Patrick said. Theyre targeting your children, your grandchildren. Patrick added that THC is poisoning our culture, however, the THC ban only affects consumable products and doesnt place an outright ban on hemp, a common misconception. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Patrick, agricultural hemp and hemp processing plants will still be able to operate in Texas. This bill does not impact them at all, Patrick said. In fact, our agricultural commissioner, Sid Miller, backed this bill because it doesnt impact the agricultural hemp. It only impacts people who use it and then mix it with other chemicals to create consumable 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 Texomashomepage.com. Vacations are in the cards for two Massachusetts men who each won a cool $1 million on scratch tickets. Alberto Borges of Fall River is the winner of a $1 million prize in the Massachusetts State Lotterys Bonus 100X instant ticket game, lottery officials said Tuesday. David Strickland of Lakeville is the first $1 million prize winner in the Massachusetts State Lotterys new $25,000,000 Mega Money instant ticket game. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Strickland, who said he has never taken a vacation, plans to change that by putting his winnings towards a trip to Las Vegas. Borges also said he plans to put the winnings towards a vacation, and his family. Both men chose the cash option on his prize and received a one-time payment of $650,000, before taxes. Borges purchased his winning ticket at Cumberland Farms, 864 Stafford Road in Fall River. Strickland bought his lucky ticket at Bristol County Wine and Spirits at 128 Myricks St. in Berkley. Each store will receive a $10,000 bonus for its sale of a winning ticket. 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 (Reuters) -U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Wednesday that the 55% tariffs imposed by the United States on China will not change after a trade deal was struck between the two countries. A U.S.-China trade deal is "done," U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier in the day, hours after negotiators from Washington and Beijing agreed on a framework to get a fragile trade truce back on track. "You can definitely say that," Lutnick told CNBC in an interview when asked if the tariff levels on China would not change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The trade deal, which needs to signed by both Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, would remove Chinese export restrictions on rare earth minerals and other critical industrial components. Lutnick also said China has agreed to examine how it can do more business with the U.S. He said that trade deals with other countries can be expected starting next week. (Reporting by Bhargav Acharya; editing by Rami Ayyub) ***Video above: What happens when you call 911*** SEATTLE (WJW) The Seattle Police Department is investigating after two suspects reportedly broke into rapper Macklemores home while a nanny and his three children were inside. According to a police report obtained by FOX 8 News, the home invasion happened before 1 a.m. on Saturday at the residence of a high profile individual in Seattles Capitol Hill neighborhood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE detains the most followed person on TikTok, Khaby Lame DUBLIN, IRELAND JUNE 04: Macklemore performs at St Annes Park on June 04, 2025 in Dublin, Dublin. (Photo by Kieran Frost/Redferns) Officers responded to the scene after a woman, later identified as a nanny, said two men broke into the house. The woman told dispatchers that she escaped to call 911, but three children were still inside the home. When they arrived, police officials learned that the nanny had been sitting on the main floor after putting the kids to bed upstairs, when she noticed two men wearing all black, with masks and gloves coming in through a patio door. According to the police report, one of the suspects then sprayed the nanny in the face with bear spray, while the other demanded, where are the jewels? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The nanny led them to the master bedroom, where the suspects, went through drawers, cabinets and raided the closet full of clothing, jewelry and shoes, the police report said. She told police the suspect forced her to the ground and took her phone. The nanny started screaming and was pinned to the wall, but according to the report, she broke free after biting one of the suspects hands. The woman then ran to a neighbors home to call police. According to Seattle police, officers searched the home but the suspects had already fled the scene. The children, who were still inside, were found safe. Other family members took custody of them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shoot-out at Akron store after sleeping clerk awoken by robbers: Police There were obvious signs of disarray in the portions of the house, the police report reads, and bear spray was still present in the air through portions of the house. While searching the area, investigators found a can of bear spray. Investigators also found several bushes flattened near the propertys fence. As reported by People and The Seattle Times, the address listed in the police report matches voting records for 41-year-old Ben Haggerty, better known as the Thrift Shop rapper Macklemore. A spokesperson for the rapper did not respond to Peoples request, the outlet reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to USA Today, Haggerty has three children with his wife Tricia Davis. The break-in 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 8 Cleveland WJW. PARIS (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron said he would push for European Union regulation to ban social media for children under the age of 15 after a fatal stabbing at a school in eastern France, the latest such violent attack that left the country reeling. Macron said in an interview late on Tuesday that he hoped to see results within the next few months. "If that does not work, we will start to do it in France. We cannot wait," he told the France 2 public broadcaster, hours after a fatal stabbing at a middle school in Nogent, Haute-Marne. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police questioned a 14-year-old student on Tuesday over the knifing of a 31-year-old school aide during a bag search for weapons. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou told parliament the incident was not an isolated case. Macron said social media was one of the factors to blame for violence among young people. Writing on social media platform X after the interview, Macron said such regulation was backed by experts. "Platforms have the ability to verify age. Do it," he wrote. Macron's comments come amid a wave of measures in countries around the world aimed at curbing social media use among children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Australia last year approved a social media ban for under-16s after an emotive public debate, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the toughest regulations targeting Big Tech. Although most social media do not allow children under 13 to use their platforms, a report by Australia's online safety regulator found children easily bypass such restrictions. (Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Richard Lough and Alex Richardson) Emmanuel Macron has vowed to ban social media for children under the age of 15 after a fatal school stabbing. France, along with Greece, is leading the way in cracking down on social media platforms in Europe, passing a 2023 law requiring them to obtain parental consent for users under the age of 15. The measure, however, has not received the European Union (EU) green light that it needs to come into force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an interview late on Tuesday, Mr Macron said: Im giving us a few months to get European support. If that doesnt work, I will negotiate with the Europeans so that we can start doing it in France. We cant wait, he told the France 2 public broadcaster, hours after a fatal stabbing by a 14-year-old at a middle school in Nogent, Haute-Marne. Mr Macrons call comes as France appears on a collision course with Donald Trump, the US president, over restrictions on applications run by American tech giants, albeit in the name of child protection. The Trump administration has already slammed EU tech laws as overseas extortion. The call for the ban comes as police questioned a 14-year-old student on Tuesday over the stabbing of a 31-year-old school assistant during a bag search for weapons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Francois Bayrou, the French prime minister, told parliament the incident was not an isolated case and that he intended to reinforce a ban on the sale of all types of knives to minors and experiment with security gates outside schools. French gendarmes outside the secondary school in Nogent where a 31-year-old teaching assistant was stabbed by a 15-year-old pupil - JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP via Getty Images The Left has called for more assistants able to detect and help pupils with psychological issues, while the Right has accused Mr Macron of failing to secure educational establishments. However, the stabbing of Melanie G, as French media are calling her, took place during a bag check by gendarmes at the school. The assistant was not taking part in the check. Anne-Marie Nedelec, a local official in Nogent and a senator, pointed the finger at social media and the internet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve already banned mobile phones in secondary schools, but we need to go much further. We all know that there are platforms that constantly broadcast violence, pornography, calls for murder, calls to commit suicide, and so on. This has to stop, she told France Inter. Our teenagers are living in a virtual world where people slit each others throats, kill each other, come back to life, and then kill themselves again, but the problem is that here in real life, we dont come back to life. And Melanie is dead, dead for good. Mr Macron said social media was one of the factors to blame for violence among young people. France, along with Greece, Denmark and Spain, has led the way in pushing the EU to force platforms to verify the age of users when they create an account on apps such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Writing on social media platform X, Mr Macron said such regulation was backed by experts. Platforms have the ability to verify age. Do it, he wrote. France has also followed the UK and the Netherlands this week in allowing Netflix sensation Adolescence, which highlighted some of the harmful content children view online, to be used in secondary schools to teach teenagers about toxic masculinity. The Macron government, a long-time ally of big tech, has in recent years moved to regulate social media apps more stringently. That has exacerbated tensions with the Trump administration, which is ramping up attacks on Europes digital rules, along with the threat of trade sanctions. Steps to address certain risks Last month, the US state department sent a request to its offices around Europe seeking examples of government efforts to limit freedom of speech, according to The Wall Street Journal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US is committed to shutting down the global censorship-industrial complex, it wrote. Internal instructions cite as guidance a speech JD Vance, the US vice-president, gave in Munich earlier this year, in which he accused EU commissars of censorship. It cited US diplomats as warning the country will take steps to ensure that American companies are not strong-armed into enforcing a European censorship regime that is harmful to American interests, European interests, and the world. The EUs Digital Services Act (DSA), adopted in 2022, regulates European activities of the worlds largest digital platforms, many of which are American. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DSA requires platforms to show they are taking steps to address certain risks, including the spread of illegal content and the use of disinformation to manipulate election results. Darren Beattie, the acting undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, told the Wall Street Journal: Obviously, we dont love the idea of the Europeans censoring their own citizens, but the principal concern is these spillover effects affecting content-moderation policies and a variety of free speech concerns within the United States. And there are various mechanisms within the DSA that are concerning in that regard. EU officials say the law, which only applies in the EU, doesnt threaten free speech and is designed to protect Europeans basic rights and to help keep children safe online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DSA is absolutely not a censorship tool, said Thomas Regnier, spokesman for the European Commission. To the contrary, freedom of expression is at the heart of the DSA. 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. During his primetime address on Tuesday night, Gov. Gavin Newsom took a little time to address the fact that Donald Trump deployed hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles this week. These are men and women trained in foreign combat, not domestic law enforcement, the California Democrat said. We honor their service. We honor their bravery. But we do not want our streets militarized by our own armed forces. Not in L.A. Not in California. Not anywhere. This was not an uncommon sentiment. As The New Republic noted, the latest national poll from YouGov suggested much of the public agrees with Newsoms point about the Marines deployment: The number of people against the presidents action eclipsed those who supported it by double digits, with 47 percent of polled Americans saying they disagreed with the order compared to 34 percent who approved. Even Jim McDonnell, Los Angeles police chief, didnt sound especially pleased about the developments. The LAPD has not received any formal notification that the Marines will be arriving in Los Angeles. However, the possible arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles absent clear coordination presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city, McDonnell said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Are there are any Republican officials willing to make related comments? As it turns out, the yes or at least, sort of. Politico reported: Sen. Susan Collins, the powerful Senate Appropriations chair, became the first prominent Republican to oppose deploying active-duty Marines to Los Angeles even as she backed the use of the National Guard to assist with the unrest. The Maine Republican said sending the National Guard to support state and local authorities, probably makes the most sense amid violent protests against mass deportation policies. But Collins said she disagrees with President Donald Trumps decision to send Marines. I would draw a distinction between the use of the National Guard and the use of the Marines, the senator told reporters. Active duty forces are generally not to be involved in domestic law enforcement operations. As rebukes go, this wasnt exactly a full-throated condemnation, but as Politicos report added, Collins statements mark the first public break from Republican leadership on Trumps decision to deploy Marines, which could open the door for more internal dissent. It was against this backdrop that CNNs Manu Raju asked Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski if she also had any concerns about the president deploying U.S. Marines to Los Angeles. Yes, the Alaska senator said without elaborating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres no point in exaggerating the severity of these comments, and there isn't yet any evidence to suggest Collins or Murkowski are prepared to take additional steps related to their apparent concerns. That said, the Trump White House is heavily invested in maintaining total partisan unity on all issues, at all times, and when it comes to sending Marines onto American streets for dubious reasons, it appears there are some cracks in the unified GOP wall. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Four months into her tenure as the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard has proven her many critics right with one misjudgment after another. The DNI, for example, fired the National Intelligence Councils leadership for presenting facts that the White House didnt like. When pressed on the Signal chat scandal, she testified under oath about details that appeared to contradict reality. In recent days, Gabbard has reportedly taken steps to politicize her agencys inspector generals office, while exploring ways to turn the presidents daily briefing into Fox News-style segments. But her latest move is arguably the strangest. Politico reported: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard warned of a nuclear holocaust and chastised warmongers for bringing the world closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before in a foreboding video posted to social media on Tuesday. In the three-minute video, Gabbard details a recent visit to Hiroshima, Japan to learn more about the aftermath of the U.S. nuclear attack on the city in 1945 during World War II. The video features footage of Gabbards trip and archival footage showing victims, interspersed with Gabbard speaking directly to camera about the consequences of a nuclear attack. Much of the three-minute video is unremarkable. Gabbard reflected on a recent visit to Hiroshima and talked about the significance of a nuclear threat in ways that are largely uncontroversial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But one part of Gabbards message stood out as ... odd. As we stand here, closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before, political elite and warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers, she said toward the end of the video. And perhaps its because they are confident that they will have access to nuclear shelters for themselves and for their families that regular people wont have access to. So, a few things. First, the suggestion that were currently closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before is difficult to take seriously. Id encourage Gabbard to read, for example, any good book about the Cold War. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Second, I noticed the DNI didnt name which warmongers are trying to foment tensions between nuclear powers the specifics matter. Who are these nefarious figures allegedly putting the world at great risk? Third, the idea that the unnamed elite warmongers have secret nuclear bunkers seems quite bizarre, even by Gabbard standards. In fact, the message was so strange that some of the Republican senators who voted to confirm her to her current position despite her lack of qualifications and habit of echoing Russian propaganda made no effort to defend her. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, for example, told Jewish Insider that she obviously needs to change her meds. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who has a flair for classic understatements, added that Gabbards message was very strange. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before the Senate confirmation vote on the former Hawaii congresswoman, a variety of former national security officials urged senators not to vote for her. In hindsight, perhaps the chambers GOP members shouldve heeded their warning. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com In September 2022, Joe Biden delivered memorable remarks on the threats to American democracy while speaking in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Democracy cannot survive when one side believes there are only two outcomes to an election: either they win or they were cheated. And thats where MAGA Republicans are today, the then-president said. They dont understand what every patriotic American knows: You cant love your country only when you win. The remarks resonated, though they also sparked a brief controversy: Observers noted that the Democrat delivered political remarks flanked by two Marines who were both visible in the background. It led some to argue that Biden had breached protocol and broken with White House traditions concerns rooted in the idea that its inherently dangerous to mix politics and the U.S. military. Three years later, those complaints sure do seem quaint. NBC News reported: [Donald Trump] delivered a campaign-style speech heavy on partisan politics [Tuesday] at Fort Bragg before thousands of soldiers and their families on the Armys 250th birthday. Instead of a focus on the Armys anniversary and its history, Trumps speech at the countrys biggest Army installation was more reminiscent of his 2024 campaign stump speeches. For all intents and purposes, the Republican president treated the active-duty troops at Fort Bragg as if they were just another MAGA audience because, by all appearances, Trump believes members of the armed forces are just another MAGA audience (his own atrocious record on the military and service members notwithstanding). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the course of nearly an hour, the incumbent president didnt just throw partisan red meat to his audience condemning transgender student athletes, for example he also goaded U.S. troops into booing Biden. And the free press. And American elected officials Trump doesnt like. The rhetoric was familiar. Indeed, the speech echoed the kind of rhetoric Trump uses on a near-daily basis. But context matters: Its one thing when a politician peddles cheap, partisan nonsense by way of his social media platform or his latest Fox News appearance; its something else when the commander in chief of the nations strongest fighting force delivers cheap, partisan nonsense to active-duty troops on a military base. The former is forgettable. The latter, as a report in The Bulwark put it, is grotesque. The importance of an apolitical military is a foundational, bedrock principle of the United States. Partisan, ideological and electoral considerations must be utterly irrelevant to what the military is and how it functions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is a principle for which Trump appears to have no use. The morning after the event, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told Fox News that Trump who did not serve in the military and who has been credibly accused of disparaging those who wear the uniform as an incredible connection ... with his army. Except, of course, its not his military; its the countrys military. When compiling evidence of the presidents authoritarian-style vision, its best to keep examples like this near the top. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Amid unrest in Los Angeles, Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans have largely stuck to specific talking points, each of which is burdened by the same flaw: The presidents pardons for Jan. 6 criminals, including convicted felons who violently clashed with law enforcement. Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, for example, told CNN this past weekend that he has a problem with protesters in California attacking law enforcement, which was a perfectly sensible sentiment. Of course, it naturally led many observers to note that many Jan. 6 rioters went to prison for attacking law enforcement, and the incumbent Republican president gave them all pardons. Around the same time, U.S. Customs and Border Protection used its social media platform to issue a statement that read, Let this be clear: Anyone who assaults or impedes a federal law enforcement officer or agent in the performance of their duties will be arrested and swiftly prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Attack a cop, and life long consequences will follow! FBI Director Kash Patel added in a statement of his own: Hit a cop, youre going to jail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was nothing wrong with the statements, except for the degree to which they were undercut by Trumps pardons for Jan. 6 rioters. The president himself told reporters this week, Nobodys going to spit on our police officers. Unfortunately for Trump, he put this principle aside while pardoning violent felons who did a lot more than just spit on police officers. It was against this backdrop that House Speaker Mike Johnson was pressed on the obvious contradiction. Newsweek reported: CNNs Manu Raju asked Johnson whether he thinks its hypocritical for Trump to condemn the anti-ICE protesters in Los Angeles for clashing with law enforcement when Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of everyone charged in the deadly Capitol riot, many of whom were convicted of beating or impeding law enforcement. Look, no, I think theres a clear distinction between those two, Johnson said. Pressed on what he sees as the difference, the Louisiana Republican added, Everybody wants me to relitigate January 6, Im not going to do that. Theres a very clear distinction between the two. The people who broke the law and destroyed property [on January 6] were met with the proper consequences on that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of course, what the House speaker neglected to mention is that after the Jan. 6 criminals were met with the proper consequences, his partys president decided to undo those consequences. The next day, Attorney General Pam Bondi was pressed on the same point, and she struggled, too. Republicans have had several days to come up with some compelling talking points on this. Evidently, they cant think of anything. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Within days of his second inaugural, Donald Trump sent an unmistakable signal about the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency: As far as he was concerned, FEMAs days were numbered. FEMA is getting in the way of everything, the Republican president argued, failing to explain what that meant. Trump soon after said he saw the agency as an unnecessary department that should be TERMINATED. In the weeks and months that followed, Trump and his team not only failed to properly respond to domestic national disasters, they also fired their own acting FEMA chief after he had the audacity to tell Congress that he believed his agency should exist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was against this backdrop that The Washington Post reported on the White Houses plans, which are now coming into sharper focus. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration plans to wean states off Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance after this years hurricane season, offering in the most explicit terms yet his plans for states to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies on their own. Were moving it back to the states, so the governors can handle, Trump told reporters, seemingly indifferent to the fact that state governments lack the resources and wherewithal that only the federal government can provide in the wake of a disaster. Were going to give out less money, the president added. Were going to give it out directly. Itll be from the presidents office. Well have somebody here. Those comments were hardly reassuring: Trump seemed to suggest that White House officials, instead of federal disaster relief officials, will be exercising control over which communities receive assistance. A Reuters report noted, Distributing funds directly from the White House would ... mark a departure from current protocols, under which FEMA oversees the dissemination of financial aid to the states following the presidents declaration of a disaster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not like this wont open the door to problems, right? Trump concluded that the administration will start phasing it [FEMA] out after hurricane season, which ends in the November. Between now and then, the agency is likely to struggle to tackle its important work as a result of recent FEMA job losses and DOGE-imposed cuts. This might not have been what Americans thought they were voting for last year, but its apparently what theyre getting. I wont pretend to know whats likely to happen once communities nationwide start struggling, looking to a Trump administration that decides to start ignoring disaster relief requests, but its worth appreciating where this idea comes from. As Axios reported earlier this year, Project 2025 suggests reforming FEMA emergency spending to shift the majority of preparedness and response costs to states and localities instead of the federal government. Evidently, Trump is inclined to agree. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Donald Trump and his team have been fixated in recent months on renaming things. From the Gulf of Mexico to the USNS Harvey Milk, from Veterans Day to the Persian Gulf, the president and his administration have made it painfully clear: Theyre not satisfied with names and labels that much of the public finds familiar, and theyre eager to impose new ones. This is especially true when it comes to U.S. military bases, with the Republican administration having already renamed Fort Liberty in North Carolina to Fort Bragg, and Georgias Fort Moore to Fort Benning. As NBC News reported, that list is poised to grow. Trump said at Fort Bragg [on Tuesday] that he plans to restore the names of several military bases that were renamed during the Biden administration. We are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee, Trump said. We won a lot of battles out of those forts. Its no time to change. Of course, the Confederate names have already been changed. When the president said, Its no time to change, he apparently meant the opposite: Now is precisely the time that he wants to impose changes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Team Trump continues to play a little game with the monikers. As The New York Times reported, In a statement, the Army said it would take immediate action to restore the old names of the bases originally honoring Confederates, but the base names would instead honor other American soldiers with similar names and initials. For example, Fort Gordon was originally named after John Brown Gordon, a Confederate slave owner and suspected Ku Klux Klan member, and it was changed to Fort Eisenhower, honoring Dwight D. Eisenhower. Now, it will return to being Fort Gordon again, but this time, itll be named after a wink, wink different person with the same last name. Theres no shortage of problems with such a move, but among the most important is the fact that Trump is openly defying Congress again. I realize that memories are often short in politics, but in the waning weeks of Trumps first term after his 2020 defeat, but before Jan. 6 the president took a break from trying to overturn the election results to veto funding for the U.S. military. He did so for a handful of reasons, including one he wouldnt stop whining about: There was bipartisan support for renaming military bases that had been named after Confederate military leaders who took up arms against the United States, and a provision on this was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats and Republicans managed to agree on this point in the wake of George Floyds murder and national protests in support of social justice. It wasnt easy, but after considerable debate, the parties came to a consensus. After Trump rejected the NDAA, lopsided bipartisan majorities in both chambers easily overrode his veto. This, in turn, led to the creation of a congressional commission, which ultimately proposed new names that were approved, wrapping up a yearslong process. Trump has decided simply to undo all of this work and defy Congress because he feels like it. The presidents move, the Times report added, skirts the law. Whether there are any consequences for this remains to be seen. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Todays edition of quick hits. * In L.A.: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and several other L.A.-area mayors condemned the ICE raids happening in their region, saying residents are living in fear. ... Bass slammed the Trump administration for trying to cause fear and panic, adding that deploying military and National Guard troops was a drastic and chaotic escalation and completely unnecessary. * In related news: A defense official said 700 Marines are mobilized and in the Los Angeles area but are not on city streets as part of Task Force 51. The official said some Marines could be sent out as early as today, but there are no orders to do so at this point. The Marines are still going through some basic training about the standard rules of force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * Donald Trump declared that a trade deal with China is done, but that wasnt true: While Mr. Trump described the agreement as a deal, officials did not announce progress on any other trade issues, beyond rolling back the tit-for-tat measures taken against each other after Mr. Trump ratcheted up tariffs on Chinese products in early April. * Similarly, the American president also claimed online that a federal appeals court ruled that his administration can use tariffs to protect itself against other countries. That wasnt true, either. * Im not an attorney, but Im hard-pressed to imagine how this could be legal: U.S. military troops deployed to Los Angeles are allowed to temporarily detain individuals until law enforcement agents arrive to arrest them, a senior U.S. military official said on Wednesday. * Raise your hand if you saw this coming: A reunion of the worlds richest man and its most powerful may not be imminent, but at least one of them has expressed his regrets as their relationship lies in ruins. Elon Musk said on X in the early hours of Wednesday that he regrets some of the barbs he posted as he and President Donald Trump traded insults on social media, saying they went too far. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * Sometimes, politically inconvenient images are real: In the hours after the [San Francisco] Chronicle published two exclusive photos of California National Guard troops sleeping on the concrete floor of a Los Angeles federal building, a torrent of false claims and outright misinformation about the authenticity of the images hit social media. * Wait, you mean the Argentinian justices didnt conclude that the countrys former president was above the law? Argentinas highest court upheld a six-year prison sentence for former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in a ruling Tuesday that permanently banned her from public office over the corruption conviction that found she had directed state contracts to a friend while she was the first lady and president. * The rights campaign against marriage equality is intensifying, not weakening: The Southern Baptist Convention voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to call for the overturning of the Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage, with strategists citing the successful effort that overturned the right to legal abortions as a possible blueprint for the new fight. * Harvard is not without allies: Twenty four universities, including five Ivy League schools, and more than 12,000 alumni took measures to back Harvard University in its legal battle against the Trump administration, which has threatened it with slashing billions of dollars in grants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * Following up on a story from earlier in the week: Journalist Terry Moran is out at ABC News after he called top White House official Stephen Miller a world-class hater whose hatreds are his spiritual nourishment on social media. ABC News said Tuesday that it was not renewing Morans contract because of the post. See you tomorrow. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Huawei founder remains optimistic despite US curbs 08:29, June 11, 2025 By Ma Si ( Chinadaily.com.cn The United States' restrictive policies against China are ironically catalyzing China's technological advancements, industry insiders said on Tuesday, referring to the chip breakthroughs achieved by Huawei Technologies and the recent remarks of its founder Ren Zhengfei, who downplayed the impact of US export controls. In an interview with People's Daily that was published on Tuesday on the front page of the newspaper, Ren said that Huawei has no need to worry about chip challenges. In the face of external blockades and suppression, "there is no need to think too much about difficulties; just take action and move forward step by step", he said. Ren outlined his company's pragmatic strategy for overcoming US technology restrictions, emphasizing investment in and relentless execution of theoretical research. Addressing Washington's warnings about using Huawei's Ascend AI chips, he said: "Many Chinese chip firms perform well. Huawei is just one of them. The US overstates our achievements we're still one generation behind in single-chip performance." Ren made the remarks after Jensen Huang, CEO of US semiconductor company Nvidia, told Bloomberg in a recent interview that Huawei's AI chip technology, including the CloudMatrix cluster and Ascend 910C chip, now competes with Nvidia's high-end offerings such as Grace Blackwell and H200. Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Zhongguancun Modern Information Consumer Application Industry Technology Alliance, a telecom industry association, said that Huawei's achievements have demonstrated how the US restrictions are accelerating China's progress in chip technology. "China's semiconductor industry, tempered by years of US sanctions, now boasts stronger prowess," Xiang said. According to Huawei's founder Ren, the software-related challenges that China faces are manageable. "Software is built on mathematical symbols, codes, and layers of cutting-edge algorithms. There are no shackles here," he said. "The real challenge lies in our education system and talent development. In the future, China will have hundreds, or even thousands, of operating systems supporting its progress across industry, agriculture, healthcare, and beyond," he added. Ren underscored the importance of theoretical research. "Without fundamental research, we lack roots. Even if the leaves appear lush and thriving, a single gust of wind can make them fall," he said. Buying foreign products is expensive, precisely because their prices incorporate investments in foundational research, Ren said. "Therefore, whether China pursues fundamental research or not, we will pay the price either way. Why don't we pay our own researchers instead?" Huawei is backing its vision with action. Of the company's 180 billion yuan ($25 billion) annual expenditure on research and development, 60 billion yuan is allocated for theoretical research. "Without theoretical research, there will be no major breakthroughs and we will not catch up with the US," Ren said. On the broader development of artificial intelligence, he predicted a century-long evolution, noting that China has a lot of advantages, including hundreds of millions of young people, robust power grids, and the most advanced communication networks. US economist Richard Wolff once said that the primary reason the US lacks a high-speed rail system as advanced as China's is its capitalist path, where every endeavor must turn a profit. In contrast, China's socialist market economy is enabling the development of infrastructure nationwide, Ren said. "Why is it that only socialism undertakes endeavors that aren't profitable? One of its purposes is to advance society. ... Looking at infrastructure development whether it is high-speed rail, expressways, or dams we know we have only pursued the path of a socialist market economy. Otherwise, none of these projects would have been built," he said. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) Far-right influencers are calling on Donald Trumps supporters to boycott Walmart after one of the companys heirs took out a full-page ad in The New York Times last Sunday promoting the No Kings protests planned for the day of Trumps military parade this weekend. The ad purchased by Christy Walton, 76, who inherited a 1.9% stake in Walmart from her late husband John Walton and is one of the richest women in the United States, encouraged Trump critics to mobilize against the presidents costly military parade scheduled for Saturday,Forbes reported. Its similar to another ad she paid for in the Times back in March. The honor, dignity, and integrity of our country are not for sale, Sundays ad read. Walmart stakeholder Christy Walton drew backlash from MAGA supporters after she took out a full-page ad in the New York Times to promote an anti-Trump protest. Alberto E. Rodriguez via Getty Images Trump acolytes including far-right influencer Laura Loomer,White House special adviser Kari Lakeand Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna all attacked Walton over the ad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Looks like the Walmart dynasty is big mad about China Tariffs, Luna wrote. Walmart Chief Financial Officer David Rainey warned investors in an interview with CNBC last month that shoppers will likely see higher prices toward the end of May and in June because of Trumps tariffs. Walmart heiress Christy Walton is funding full page color ads in the NYT for No Kings Day, a nationwide counter protest scheduled for Trumps birthday, organized by far-left group Indivisible. Looks like the Walmart dynasty is big mad about China Tariffs. pic.twitter.com/22hWK73LjX Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) June 10, 2025 A spokesperson for Walmart told HuffPost, the advertisements from Christy Walton are in no way connected to or endorsed by Walmart, noting that she does not serve on the board or play any role in decision making at Walmart. We condemn violence, including when its directed towards law enforcement, and the damaging of property, the spokesperson said before referring to the ongoing protests in LA, where Trump called in the National Guard. As a company with associates and customers in the Los Angeles region, we remain focused on their safety and that of impacted communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nonetheless, the far-right account Libs of Chicago and other users with high followings lashed out at Walmart on X, calling for a boycott of the retail chain. Sort of ironic isnt it? A Walton married a socialist, Libs of Chicago wrote. If there was ever a time to boycott Walmart, its now. One of the ppl funding the socialist movement is Christy Ruth Walton who is a stake holder of @Walmart. Sort of ironic isnt it? A Walton married a socialist. If there was ever a time to boycott Walmart, its now. pic.twitter.com/wY6jTT1kSs Libs Of Chicago (@Libs_OfChicago) June 9, 2025 A representative for Walton sent HuffPost a statement saying the ad was a personal message from her meant to people encourage to engage peacefully and civically during the Saturday protests, and was unrelated to anti-ICE protests unfolding in Los Angeles. Walton has provided no funding to organizations or individuals involved in the demonstrations in Los Angeles or other cities, nor has she provided any funding to those organizing the upcoming events, the statement said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her interest is simply in encouraging people to listen to one another, participate in their communities, and productively engage on the issues they care about, the statement continued. She believes while we have the right to protest, we do not have a right to violence. She condemns violence in all forms and her message promotes civic engagement, peaceful dialogue, and the sharing of diverse views and voices. The president, who also used forceagainst protesters in his first term, threatened that anyone who came out to protest the military parade will be met with very heavy force. If theres any protest[er] that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force, by the way. And for those people that want to protest, theyre gonna be met with very big force, Trump said Tuesday. Related... MAGEE, Miss. (WJTV) Violent crime in Magee is down as the police department targets the roots of drug and gang violence. The City of Magee has seen a 54% drop in violent crime, according to Police Chief Denis Borgas. The department reported only 27 gun-related incidents in 2025 as of June 10. This is down from 148 in 2024. Borgas, who took over the department in September 2024, said this is a major accomplishment for both the city and the Magee Police Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im happy with it. The team has really been successful, because Im only going to be as good as the people that, you know, work for me or follow me, he said. Jackson groups advocate for gun violence victims The police chief said support from the Mayor and Board of Aldermen provided the resources needed to boost police presence, including approved overtime and updated technology to combat crime. The board has been instrumental in a lot of the stuff that were successfully able to do now. They have been very approving of stuff that Im trying to get for the department. Body cameras. We have body cameras now that officers cannot delete. So, its more accountability. Also, tasers, new tasers, said Borgas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers are also receiving improved training on how to present cases in court, which is a strategy aimed at ensuring violent offenders face jail time. The state requires 24 hours minimum. I want to go beyond that. I want my officers to be properly trained to where cases arent lost in court because of technicalities. A lot of times that can cost a case, Borgas stated. While the police chief is pleased to see the number of crimes diminishing, Borgas said theres still more work to be done. Hed like to see more officers on patrol. I want to make Magee one of the safest cities in Mississippi. My goal is to continue to obtain more grants, create more opportunities for officers to work overtime, so they can be more in the streets. A lot of times we tackle what people claim is petty like seat belts and things like that actually allows us to be visible in the city. The more blue lights are out there, the more visibility and maximum visibility. A lot of time, you know, curbs a lot of crime before it happens, the police chief said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report also showed an 87% drop in other community crimes, including weapons offenses, sexual assaults and animal cruelty. 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. Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent figure during the Gaza war protests at Columbia University in the spring of 2024, has drawn global attention after the Trump administration arrested and moved to deport him. The case has raised questions about free speech on college campuses and the legal process that would allow for the deportation of a US permanent resident. Mr Khalil was held in an immigration facility Louisiana for three months before a federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump could no longer detain or deport him. On 20 June, a judge ruled Mr Khalil must be released. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Born in Syria, the Columbia graduate's arrest by immigration agents was linked to Trump's promise to crack down on student demonstrators he accuses of "un-American activity". Trump has repeatedly alleged that pro-Palestinian activists, including Mr Khalil, support Hamas, a group designated a terrorist organisation by the US. The president argues these protesters should be deported and called Mr Khalil's arrest "the first of many to come". The 30-year-old's lawyers say he was exercising free speech rights to demonstrate in support of Palestinians in Gaza and against US support for Israel. They accused the government of "open repression of student activism and political speech". Mr Khalil's arrest was the highest-profile in Trump's crackdown on international student protesters, as video of his arrest whipped around social media and the birth of his first child in April, which he was still detained, made international headlines. Khalil's work for UK in Middle East Born in Syria to Palestinian refugees, Mr Khalil earned a degree in computer science from the Lebanese American University before working with the Syrian-American non-profit Jusoor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More recently, he managed the Syria Chevening Programme for the British Embassy in Beirut, offering scholarships for study in the UK, according to his biography on the Society for International Development website. The UK Foreign Office said Mr Khalil stopped work there more than two years ago. Mr Khalil moved to the US in 2022, where he earned a master's degree at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He has since married an American woman, who is eight months pregnant, and initially faced arrest threats herself, according to his lawyer. His role in the student protests [Getty Images] Mr Khalil's role in Columbia's 2024 protests placed him in the public eye. On the front lines of negotiations, he played a role in mediating between university officials and the activists and students who attended the protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Activists supporting Israel have accused Mr Khalil of being a leader of Columbia University Apartheid Divest (Cuad), a student group that demanded, among other things, the university to divest from its financial ties to Israel and a ceasefire in Gaza. Mr Khalil has denied that he led the group, telling the Associated Press (AP) that he only served as a spokesperson for protesters and as a mediator with the university. After Mr Khalil's arrest the Department of Homeland Security accused him of "leading activities aligned to Hamas" but did not provide further details. The White House alleged that he had organised protests where pro-Hamas propaganda was distributed. His lawyers responded that there was no evidence that he had provided support of any kind to US-designated terror groups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They're trying to make an example of him to chill others from making similar speech," Samah Sisay told the AP. Some Jewish students at Columbia have said the protests veered into antisemitism and made them feel unsafe on campus. The Columbia Jewish Alumni Association said Mr Khalil had "spent over a year abusing the privileges this country and Columbia gave him". The Trump administration recently cut $400m in funding to the university over what it said was "continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students". Students affiliated with Cuad and the protests have rejected these characterisations, and many Jewish students and groups participated in the campus rallies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Columbia was just one college campus that played host to mass student protests over the war in Gaza. And activists say they fear the Trump administration will continue to target protesters who are not US citizens. Legal experts say green card holders can be deported on national security grounds, but add that the case against Mr Khalil is unprecedented. "Targeting individual protesters just for protesting... is highly unusual and something that we haven't seen before, even under the first Trump administration," said Jacob Hamburger, a visiting assistant professor at Cornell Law School. Khalil had been briefly suspended from Columbia Amid the protests early last year, Mr Khalil was briefly suspended from the university, after police swarmed the campus following the occupation of a building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time, he told the BBC that while he was acting as a key protest negotiator with Columbia officials, he had not participated directly in the student encampment because he was worried it could affect his student visa. It is unclear when he obtained his green card, which provides permanent residency. "[They said] that after reviewing the evidence, they don't have any evidence to suspend (me)," he said in an interview in early May. "It shows how random the suspension was they did that randomly, and without due process." At the time he said he would continue protesting, but more recently, Mr Khalil's wife said her husband had grown worried about deportation, after facing online attacks that "were simply not based in reality". She said he sent Columbia University an email asking for urgent legal help on 7 March, the day before immigration agents arrested him. Protests surge in wake of arrest Mr Khalil's arrest has sparked demonstrations in New York City, where Columbia is located. Hundreds of people gathered at a Manhattan protest, including students and professors from Columbia University. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Donna Lieberman, president of New York Civil Liberties Union, called the attempted deportation of Mr Khalil "targeted retaliation and an extreme attack on the First Amendment". New York Attorney General Letitia James said she was "extremely concerned". The American Civil Liberties Union called the arrest "unprecedented" and "obviously intended to intimidate and chill speech on one side of a public debate" "The federal government is claiming the authority to deport people with deep ties to the US and revoke their green cards for advocating positions that the government opposes," it said. The White House has continued to defend its move. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This administration is not going to tolerate individuals having the privilege of studying in our country and then siding with pro-terrorist organisations that have killed Americans," said Karoline Leavitt, Trump's press secretary. The legal battle for his release Mr Khalil was arrested in New York on 8 March. From then until mid-June he was held by immigration authorities on two charges. Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked a rarely-used portion of the Immigration and Nationality Act to argue Mr Khalil's presence in the US could pose "potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences". In early June, US District Judge Michael Farbiarz ruled Rubio's justification for detaining Mr Khalil was likely unconstitutional and said the US government could not detain or deport a legal US resident under that reasoning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys for the Trump administration then said Mr Khalil was being held for a different reason, failing to disclose information when he applied for lawful permanent residency in 2024. But on 20 June, Judge Farbiarz ordered him to be released on bail. The White House maintains the judge did not have jurisdiction to order Mr Khalil's release and said they plan to appeal. Jun. 11AUGUSTA Lawmakers advanced a bill this week to allow ranked choice voting to be used in statewide elections, including for governor. If enacted, the bill may set up a confrontation in court. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court issued a 2017 advisory opinion that found using ranked choice voting for state-level offices conflicted with the state Constitution, which says such offices are determined by who gets the most votes. Currently, ranked choice voting is used in Maine for federal offices and in gubernatorial and state-level primary elections. Some cities, such as Portland and Westbrook, also use ranked choice voting for local elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill, sponsored by Sen. Cameron Reny, D-Round Pond, cleared both chambers this week in mostly party-line votes, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed. It narrowly passed in an initial 72-70 vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday with seven people absent and it cleared the Senate 20-14 without debate on Tuesday. The bill faces additional votes in each chamber before it can be sent to Gov. Janet Mills, whose aides did not respond to questions about the proposal. Opponents argued that the bill would conflict with the Maine Law Courts' advisory opinion and would expand a system that is confusing to some voters. But proponents said a case decided by the Alaska Supreme Court dismantled Maine's advisory opinion and upheld the constitutionality of the system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. David Boyer, R-Poland, said Maine's Constitution is clear that state offices must be decided based on a plurality, meaning that whoever gets the most votes is the winner even if they don't win an outright majority of votes. He accused ranked choice voting supporters to doing an end-run around the Maine Law Court, rather than seeking an updated opinion in light of the ruling in Alaska, which has a similar constitutional provision for state offices. "Instead of going back to (the court) today in 2025, we are instead going to redefine what the word 'plurality' means so that we can pretend like it's constitutional," Boyer said. "I know it's a prickly issue, and facts are a stubborn thing, but if we did pass this, it would be unconstitutional, and we should have reached out to the Maine Supreme Court, rather than trying to do this end-run around." But Rep. Adam Lee, D-Auburn, said Maine's advisory opinion was dismissed by Alaska's court. He said Maine's court ruling hinged on the idea that a candidate must win in the first round, while Alaska's court ruled that the vote is not completed until the final round. "The Alaska Supreme Court compellingly took apart the Law Court's opinion and demonstrated the flaw of its reasoning," said Lee, who is an attorney. "This legislative change would align us with how the Federal Elections Commission and other federal courts and the Alaska Supreme Court have come to understand ranked choice voting not as multiple votes but as a single iterative process." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maine became the first state in the nation to adopt ranked choice voting in 2016, after it was approved through a citizen's initiative and has withstood Republicans' subsequent efforts to repeal it. The process allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. The candidate with the least number of votes in each round is eliminated. Ballots listing an eliminated candidate as their top choice then have their second choice adding to the remaining candidates. That process continues until a candidate surpasses 50% of the vote. The push for ranked choice voting came largely as a response to the 2010 governor's race, in which long-shot Republican candidate Paul LePage took office with just under 38% of the vote, after the Democratic candidate and a third-party challenger split the opposition. LePage won reelection in 2014 in another three-way contest without receiving more than 50% of the votes. An advisory opinion from the Maine Law Court in 2017 said the voting method could not be used to elect a governor, state senator or state representative, because the constitution says those offices are to be elected by plurality. The court ruled the method could be used in other elections, including federal races and state-level primaries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LD 1666 would extend ranked choice voting to gubernatorial and legislative races by clarifying the definition of ranked choice voting by changing several references to "votes" to "ballots" and adds that the final round "of tabulation is determined to have received a plurality of the votes cast." "It refines the statutory language that each ranking is not a separate vote, but rather a single expressive vote, counted through successive rounds, until one candidate earns a plurality," Lee said. "Let's follow the reasoned path laid out by the Alaska court and the will of our constituents and move forward with a voting system that reflects both legal soundness and democratic values." Sen. Rick Bennett, R-Oxford, joined Senate Democrats in supporting the bill, while Democratic Reps. Ed Crockett of Portland and James Dill of Old Town joined House Republicans in opposing it. Copy the Story Link Demonstrators protest outside a downtown jail in Los Angeles following two days of clashes with police during a series of immigration raids on June 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Maines congressional delegation have varying stances on President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard and Marines to quell protests over the administrations workplace immigration raids in Los Angeles. Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree called the move an abuse of power. Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King said it doesnt appear justified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maines other Democratic representative, Jared Golden, and Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins did not condemn the deployment of troops. Collins called it an appropriate use of the National Guard, but not the Marines or other active duty military personnel. The National Guard often responds to domestic emergencies and is well-trained to do so, Collins said in a statement. The Marines should only be involved in domestic disturbances in the most extreme emergencies. The legality of the deployment is currently being debated in court. This is the first time a president has activated a states National Guard since 1965 without a request from a governor something Gov. Janet Mills and other Democratic governors condemned in a joint statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued Trump over the deployment, arguing it is a violation of state sovereignty. Meanwhile, Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn that he endorsed the idea of White House border czar Tom Homan arresting Newsom. Trump later deployed Marines on Monday. The citys police chief has warned that without coordination the Marines arrival could cause operational challenges and stated that local law enforcement remain confident in their ability to handle large-scale demonstrations. Pingree offered the most pointed critique, saying whats happening in California should alarm everyone. The President is manufacturing a crisis to deliberately inflame tensions in one of Americas largest cities, Pingree said in a statement to Maine Morning Star. Its a flagrant abuse of power, egregious federal overreach, and a chilling attempt to turn our military into a political weapon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pingree also pointed to the Pentagons estimate that the mobilization has already cost taxpayers $134 million. Further, the representative condemned the sweeps being carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The people of Los Angeles are seeing their neighbors being swept up in unprecedented ICE raids, meant to fill quotas rather than make our communities safer, Pingree said. These arent violent criminals. Theyre workers waiting for jobs and families going home from church, who are suddenly being detained and deported without a shred of due process. King stopped short of labeling the deployment as overreach but said that he does not believe the preconditions of the underlying statute Trump cited in justifying his federalization of the National Guard, 10 U.S.C. 12406, have been met. These include an invasion or threat of invasion, rebellion or danger of rebellion and that the president is unable to execute the law with regular forces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There has been no evidence of any invasion or rebellion, King said. And while a protest could have some impermissible violent actions, it does not constitute a rebellion. Equally important, the history of the use of these provisions has been very rare, and almost always, at the request [of] the governor of the state. To send in the National Guard over the objection of the governor of the state is almost unheard of and certainly doesnt appear justified in this case. King also made a point to state that he does not in any way condone violence or property damage by the people who are protesting, but believes the response should be proportional and the use of military personnel should be a last resort. Collins and Golden focused on the protesters in comments about whats happening in Los Angeles. While Trump and his allies have called the protesters insurrectionists, officials in California have called Trumps response an overreaction to mostly peaceful demonstrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spokesperson Mario Moretto pointed to Goldens comments on social media in response to a request about his stance, in which the representative wrote, I encourage demonstrators to exercise their rights peacefully and lawfully, and my expectation is that members of the armed services on the ground will support local law enforcement with the discipline and professionalism that is the bedrock of our military community. While not stating whether he supports the deployment of the National Guard or Marines, Golden, who served in the Marine Corps, said he rejects Trumps strategy of they spit, we hit, referring to the presidents comment threatening protestors of physical harm if they spit on police or troops. Meanwhile Collins shared in a statement to Maine Morning Star, Violence, threats, and the destruction of property are not acceptable forms of protest. Collins added that she believes its important for federal, state, and local leaders to coordinate their response to the demonstrations. Our law enforcement personnel who are on the ground dealing with this dangerous situation need clear direction and support, Collins said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Jun. 11Maine's medical cannabis providers have once again fought off a controversial requirement to start testing their products at least for now. A legislative committee killed one bill and carried over another that would have instituted testing and tracking requirements that industry members have said for years would put them out of business or force price increases. While Maine's recreational cannabis market requires testing for contaminants and potency and includes potency limits, the medical market requires neither. Maine is the only state that doesn't mandate medical cannabis to be tested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LD 104, proposed by the state's Office of Cannabis Policy and sponsored by Rep. Marc Malon, D-Biddeford, would have required seed-to-sale plant tracking and standardized chemical, mold and heavy metal testing between recreational and medical cannabis. LD 1847, sponsored by Rep. Anne Graham, D-North Yarmouth, sought to do the same while also adding potency caps on edibles. The latter will be taken up again next year. "I have listened and I've read testimony and I've worked with public health advocates to make sure that the medical cannabis industry survives, thrives and (can) be regulated so that when patients buy cannabis, they know that they have a safe product and they know what the potency is," Graham said. " ... Clearly our regulations and how we look at (testing), it needs work, a lot of work." But it's also "hugely complicated," she said, and needs more time. Jennifer Belcher, president of the Maine Cannabis Union, said there's a "sense of relief now that we know that nothing is going through this year. If either bill passed as written, she said "the medical program would be done." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Belcher was encouraged by how receptive the committee was to the industry's concerns, and while "it is nerve-racking that we are going to face this next session," there's also an exciting opportunity for collaboration. "(LD) 1847 gives us an opportunity to focus on the facts, the research, the science," she said. AN ONGOING FIGHT John Hudak, director of the office, has been clear that implementing a testing program is a top priority, but this session was the first time since he was appointed to the office in late 2022 that an official proposal has been before the committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following a 2022 law, any major substantive rule-making from the department must be approved by the Legislature. "If a business model is one in which producing clean cannabis is too costly, there's something wrong with the business model," he said previously. "We're not going to focus on profits at the expense of patients' health." Supporters of the bill have referenced a 2023 report by the Office of Cannabis Policy that found about 45% of the cannabis in Maine's medical market would fail the standards set for the recreational market. They also pointed to the influx of suspected illegal growers allegedly tied to Chinese organized crime who have been selling bulk cannabis at "rock bottom" prices to legal dispensaries. However, in a public hearing last month, dozens of medical cannabis caregivers and consumers testified in opposition to the bills and the committee received roughly 1,000 pieces of written testimony. They criticized the state's testing program, citing several recalls in the recreational program last year that have brought the science behind the tests and the state's standards into question. The recent recalls, they argue, prove the testing doesn't work and shouldn't be forced on the medical program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fight is just the latest in a series of uphill battles for Maine's medical cannabis providers. Oversaturation, competition with recreational cannabis and high costs have caused revenue to plummet and people to leave the industry in droves. Unlike many other states, Maine's medical cannabis market has always outperformed its recreational counterpart. But the gap between the two is narrowing, and in 2023 the medical market brought in about $280 million (down from $371 in 2021), while the recreational market brought in $217 million. The number of providers, known in the industry as caregivers, has been cleaved in half from its 2016 peak of 3,257 to 1,627 in May, according to state data. "We are literally fighting for our lives at this point," Belcher said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OTHER BILLS The committee carried over several other bills, including one that would require the director of the Office of Cannabis Policy be confirmed by the Legislature rather than appointed by the commissioner of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, which oversees the office. Sen. Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop, who drafted the bill, said the committee needed time to investigate whether there are other directors, like the heads of the state's alcohol and gambling control agencies, that should also be subject to legislative approval. Lawmakers also carried over a proposal to allow cannabis "social clubs" or public consumption, based off recommendations in a task force report this winter. Earlier this session, the committee killed two bills that would have implemented revenue sharing across Maine's cannabis industry, meaning towns and cities that allow recreational businesses could receive a portion of the tax revenue they generate. Legislators hoped the bills would encourage more towns and cities to allow cannabis shops and help them recoup the costs of overseeing the recreational program. Copy the Story Link PALESTINE, Texas (KETK) The City of Palestine has received a large amount of rain over the past few hours, causing major flooding on several roads across the city. According to the Palestine Police Department, the city had received at least three inches of rain throughout the afternoon, which led to significant localized flooding throughout several parts of town. The department also urged residents to avoid flooded roadways and stay informed for updates. Courtesy of Bayli Honeycutt Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Palestine Police Chief Mark Harcrow advised residents on how to remain safe during floods. I really ask that people dont put themselves in that situation, it doesnt take much water to stop your car, Harcrow said. Harcrow also explained what caused mass flooding throughout Palestine this afternoon and why it can sometimes be unpredictable. When we get several inches of rain in less than an hour its just too much rain at once, Harcow said. Its hard for us to get ahead of it sometimes and know which roads are going to flood. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Brazil's Supreme Court reached a majority Wednesday in favor of toughening social media regulation, in a groundbreaking case for Latin America on the spread of fake news and hate speech. The South American country's highest court is seeking to determine to what extent companies like X, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook are responsible for removing illegal content, and how they can be sanctioned if they do not. The judges' final ruling will create a precedent that will affect tens of millions of social media users in Brazil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At issue is a clause in the country's so-called Civil Framework for the Internet -- a law in effect since 2014 that says platforms are only responsible for harm caused by a post if they ignore a judge's order to remove it. By Wednesday, six of the court's 11 judges had ruled in favor of higher accountability, meaning sites should monitor content and remove problematic posts on their own initiative, without judicial intervention. One judge has voted against tougher regulation, and four have yet to express an opinion. "We must, as a court, move in the direction of freedom with responsibility and regulated freedom, which is the only true freedom," Judge Flavio Dino said during Wednesday's session, broadcast online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not doing so would be like "trying to open an airline without regulation in the name of the right of free movement," he added. Google, for its part, said in a statement that changing the rules "will not contribute to ending the circulation of unwanted content on the internet." - Coup plot - Alexandre de Moraes, one of the court's judges, has repeatedly clashed with X owner Elon Musk and various right-wing personalities over social media posts. The review is taking place in parallel with the Supreme Court trial of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is alleged to have collaborated on a coup plot to remain in power after his 2022 election defeat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors say Bolsonaro's followers used social media to lie about the reliability of the electoral system and plot the downfall of successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Last year, Moraes blocked X for 40 days for failing to comply with a series of court orders against online disinformation. He had previously ordered X to suspend the accounts of several Bolsonaro supporters. Musk and other critics say Moraes is stifling free speech, and US President Donald Trump's administration is weighing sanctions against the judge, whom Bolsonaro accuses of judicial "persecution." Lula, who emerged the victor in the tightly-fought 2022 election against Bolsonaro, is advocating for "accelerating regulation" of online platforms. ffb/ll/dga/mlr/des/nl BAMAKO, Mali (AP) Malis Council of Ministers on Wednesday adopted a controversial bill granting the head of the military junta an additional five years in power. Gen. Assimi Goita has led the West African nation since orchestrating two coups in 2020 and 2021. The move follows the military regimes dissolution of political parties in May. According to the governments cabinet statement, the bill will lead to the revision of the Transition Charter, granting the Head of State a five-year renewable mandate starting in 2025. It implements the recommendations of the national dialogue consultations organized by the military regime in April, which the political parties boycotted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill now awaits ratification by the National Transitional Council, the legislative body overseeing the transition. Earlier in May, Gen. Goita signed a decree dissolving political parties, a decision made against a backdrop of burgeoning opposition. It coincided with a surge in kidnappings of pro-democracy activists in the capital, Bamako, and just days after a demonstration by several hundred activists. Mali, a landlocked nation in the semiarid region of Sahel, has been embroiled in political instability that swept across West and Central Africa over the last decade. The nation has seen two military coups since 2020 as an insurgency by jihadi groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group worsened. The junta had promised a return to civilian rule by March 2024, but later postponed elections. No date has been set yet for the presidential election. ____ Follow APs Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa A man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a Peoria police sergeant during a drug-related investigation that gathered the attention of protesters on June 10. Police have arrested Tyler Hitte, 23, in connection with the aggravated assault of an officer. Police said the incident began at about 9:30 a.m. when Peoria officers assisted Homeland Security Investigations with traffic control near 69th Avenue and West North Lane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesters arrived in the area believing the case was immigration-related based on social media posts, police said. As a sergeant was walking back to his vehicle, a group of people, including Hitte, began to remove police scene tape from an enclosed area and wrap it around the legs and body of the officer, court documents said. The officer pushed through the tape and continued to his vehicle until he felt Hitte wrap the tape around his neck and constrict him until he lost balance, court documents said. The sergeant then grabbed Hitte while co-agitators attempted to separate the two by "forcing a large umbrella into his face," court documents said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officer deployed his taser two times to maintain control as Hitte attempted to escape his grasp, court documents said. Hitte was then arrested and booked by the Peoria Police Department, documents said. Police confirmed the sergeant involved was not seriously injured, adding, "Peoria Police continues to support the public's right to peaceful assembly, but we also recognize the importance of safety for all involved our community and our officers." News alerts in your inbox: Don't miss the important news of the day. Sign up for azcentral newsletter alerts to be in the know. (This story has been updated to add more information.) This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Woman arrested after wrapping tape around Peoria officer, police say California Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked a federal court to block the Trump administration from using the National Guard and Marines to assist with immigration raids in Los Angeles, saying the practice would only heighten tensions GIRARD, Ohio (WKBN) A Girard man is awaiting trial after he was accused of choking a 12-year-old boy late last year. According to court records, Marquis Lee, 39, was indicted on charges of strangulation, a second-degree felony; endangering children, a second-degree felony; and domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor. Police were called to a house on East Kline Street on the night of December 20. Police said they found a 12-year-old in the house whose face was swollen. Police said the boy had red eyes and was in a daze. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers were then led to Lee, who was on the phone. Police reports said that officers smelled a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. When police tried to question Lee, he would avoid their questions. According to police reports, a witness said Lee entered the living room and began yelling before he choked the boy. Reports said that the boy lost consciousness because he was unable to breathe. Police said the boy could only squint when he was asked to open his eyes. The boy was taken to St. Joseph Hospital for treatment. Lee has a pretrial scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday. His jury trial is scheduled for July 7 with Judge Sean O Brien. 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. MEMPHIS, Tenn. An arrest has been made after a man was accused of pointing a gun at a Wing Stop employee over his order back in March. On March 10, the employee filed a police report stating that while she was working at Wing Stop on 4461 Elvis Presley Boulevard, a man pointed a gun at her over a transaction. Baby found safe after father takes her at gunpoint: MPD During the investigation, officers say video footage showed the suspects face and the gun being pointed at the victim. After a photo of the suspect was released, they received a tip identifying the suspect as Justus Marshall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marshall was identified in a six-person photo lineup and booked into jail on Tuesday. Justus Marshall, 35, is charged with aggravated assault. His bond has yet to be set, but he is scheduled to appear in court on 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 WREG.com. LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) A Delaware man was arrested after allegedly hiding in a businesss ceiling, then stealing nearly $10,000 worth of guitars after closing. According to the Lancaster Township Police Department, on March 22, at 10:52 a.m., police responded to a reported burglary at the Guitar Center in the 1200 block of Millersville Pike. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe Now WHTM Daily Digest An investigation revealed 29-year-old Judeau Brown of Newark, Delaware, allegedly hid in the drop ceiling of the store during business hours, then dropped down and stole three guitars worth a total of $9,400 after the store closed, police said. Evidence at the scene helped police, who have been participating in an investigation with the Bergenfield Police Department and the Baltimore County Police Department, identify Brown as the alleged offender. Brown was arrested and is now incarcerated in Baltimore County, Maryland. Police said he will be moved to Lancaster County to face burglary and theft by unlawful taking charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All three guitars were returned to their rightful owners. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) A 27-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly went live on a social media platform while shooting his dog with a gel blaster gun, El Paso Police said. Jesus Armando Ortega, 27, was arrested on Thursday, June 5, and charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals, police said. He was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility under a $4,000 bond. According to police, on June 5, Animal Services reported to police a video that depicted a pit bull mix that was being hit with a gel blaster several times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Police Departments Animal Cruelty Investigation Unit looked into the incident and identified Ortega as the individual who went live on a social media platform while shooting his dog with a gun that shoots small, water-absorbent beads. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A 41-year-old man was arrested following a mobile home fire in the northeast Las Vegas valley on Tuesday, according to the Clark County Fire Department. The fire took place around 4 a.m. at a mobile home park in the 3300 block of Nellis Boulevard. When CCFD crews arrived at the scene, they found smoke and fire along the side of a unit within the park and were able to contain the fire mostly to the exterior of the unit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CCFD investigators determined the fire was intentionally set. Juan Hurtado was identified as a suspect in the case and arrested, according to CCFD. No injuries were reported at the scene of the fire. As of Tuesday night, Hurtado remained at the Clark County Detention Center, where he faces charges of aggravated stalking and destroying property of another, according to records. The Clark County Fire Departments Investigation Division said it would charge Hurtado with first-degree arson. Hurtado is expected to appear in court on Wednesday morning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Polish law enforcement has detained a man accused of espionage on behalf of Russia. Source: National Prosecutors Office of Poland, as reported by European Pravda Details: The Mazovian branch of Polands National Prosecutors Office has reported the arrest of 28-year-old Viktor Z., who is suspected of passing information to Russian intelligence that could harm Polands national security. On the prosecutors request, he was arrested on 4 June, and searches were conducted at several locations in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Viktor Z. has been charged with espionage under Article 130 of Polands Criminal Code. Investigators stated that between 28 February 2024 and 30 April 2025, the man obtained and transmitted classified information to Russia concerning Polish critical defence infrastructure. He is to face a lengthy prison sentence ranging from eight years to life. He is currently being held in custody for a period of three months. The investigation noted that his actions were motivated by pro-Russian views. Background: In late May, Germany charged three suspects with working for Russian intelligence. Investigators disclosed that they had been spying on a veteran who fought for Ukraines defence forces. In Bavaria, a trial has begun for three individuals reportedly recruited by Russia to carry out sabotage operations in Germany. Earlier in May, German media reported on arrests in Germany and Switzerland of individuals suspected of attempting to send parcels containing explosive devices on instructions from Russian intelligence. The suspects are Ukrainian nationals. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! MURRAY, Ky. (FOX 56) Murray police had another run-in with a man remembered for a police chase involving a mule, but this time, the call for service involved a raccoon. RELATED | Video shows western Kentucky man leading police chase on muleback Around 9 p.m. on June 6, Murray police said they received a call reporting that 40-year-old Jonathan Mason let a raccoon loose in the Big Apple Grill and Bar, and it had bitten someone. Court documents show that this is the same bar Mason allegedly visited before leading police on a muleback chase. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murray police said by the time officers arrived, Mason had left. An arrest citation noted that they found him driving a red pickup truck on Highway 94 East, but when they activated their emergency equipment, Mason allegedly motioned for officers to pass. Once out of the vehicle, officers said Mason wouldnt roll down his window, and police approached the truck with guns drawn. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Jonathan Mason had a history of involving firearms when dealing with law enforcement officers, Murray police wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers broke the drivers side window and removed Mason from the truck. Court documents noted that the truck was left in neutral and rolled backward, hitting a police cruiser. Big Apple staff told police that Mason has been banned from the property, per an arrest citation. Its unclear if this is concerning his alleged drunken visit to the Big Apple on muleback from December 2024. Read more of the latest Kentucky news Mason was arrested and charged with second-degree assault, third-degree criminal trespassing, resisting arrest, and failure to maintain insurance. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) Homicide by vehicle and other charges were filed Tuesday in a deadly multi-vehicle crash in Adams County last year, according to court documents. State Police at Gettysburg charged Robert Elicker, 87, of McSherrystown, in connection with the fatal Nov. 19, 2024, crash on Route 94 in the area of the 1500 block of Carlisle Pike, by Hershey Heights Road, in Oxford Township. Prior coverage -> Man dies weeks after multi-vehicle crash that shut down Adams County road for hours Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Troopers, four people were sent to the hospital after the crash. Weeks later, Steven Litten, 69, of Gettysburg, died from his injuries sustained in the crash. A criminal complaint filed by State Police shows Elicker allegedly claimed he heard a noise from his truck and lost the ability to brake or steer. However, the investigation found that the truck he was driving did not have any mechanical failure. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News Alerts Troopers saw five vehicles involved in a crash after arriving at the scene a little after 5:30 p.m. It was noted in the complaint that the roadway is four lanes where it intersects with Hershey Heights Road, and it is a designated 45mph zone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The complaint states Elicker, who was driving a 2019 Ram pickup truck back from Colorado, hit another vehicle that was traveling the other direction head-on. This caused him to spin into another vehicle while the one he hit head-on was pushed back into a fourth vehicle. Elicker also faces a felony charge of aggravated assault by vehicle, along with summary charges of traffic violations. He was released on unsecured bail set at $50,000 after being arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Tony Little. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 18. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) The man accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy last month in Springfield appeared before a judge for a dangerousness hearing on Wednesday. Multi-vehicle crash on I-91 in Springfield The judge ruled that 53-year-old Ahmed Ahmed will be held without bail until trial. That order comes after prosecutors argued Ahmeds release would pose a threat to public safety. The Springfield Police Department stated in a news release that on Friday, May 30, officers received a report of a sexual assault. A 17-year-old boy reported to police that at approximately 8:00 p.m. on Friday, he was walking on Hancock Street and was forcibly dragged to Johnny Appleseed Park by an unknown man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The man allegedly sexually assaulted the boy, who was eventually able to escape. He reportedly ran about one mile home as the suspect chased him. Springfield Police Special Victims Unit (SVU) detectives began investigating the incident by reviewing city cameras and speaking with the victim and witnesses. On Tuesday, SVU Detectives were granted a warrant for the arrest of the suspect, Ahmed. At approximately 4:00 p.m., Ahmed was found on the 700 block of State Street and arrested. The boys family says he is recovering at the hospital. Ahmed is scheduled to appear in court again on July 11th for a pre-trial hearing. 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. HILLIARD, Ohio (WCMH) A former employee at a Hilliard addiction treatment center is facing charges of identity fraud after police allege he sold hundreds of patients private information on the dark web. Hilliard police arrested Alexander Perry in May. Hilliard Police Det. Chris Crabtree said the investigation started with a traffic stop in October. He said this stop opened the gates to the major fraud investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chillicothe paper mill will close in August after stating it would remain open Proactive policing in general, just being out there looking for what looks suspicious to them, Crabtree said. The officer got probable cause to search the suspects vehicle. During the search, he found multiple items that are typically linked to fraud, like multiple IDs with his face, but somebody elses information, and a good amount of gift cards as well. Police also found a loaded gun and multiple cell phones. Crabtree said Perry worked as a liaison at Evoke Wellness Center in Hilliard from November 2021 to July 2024. He said police were eventually able to search Perrys phone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We started discovering that what we thought were maybe four or five victims was actually over 200 victims, Crabtree said. Crabtree said there are 240 victims nationwide, but most are from central Ohio. He said Perry was selling patients private information, including names, addresses and social security numbers on the dark web. Tornado touchdown confirmed in central Ohio after Mondays thunderstorms He said Evoke did not know what Perry was doing. He should not have had access to any of that information, Crabtree said. He did find ways to kind of work around that. Hilliard Police arrested Perry again in May. They say he had fraudulent state IDs, military IDs, blank checks, and passports, and he used the IDs to buy and sell electronics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anything that has value can be monetized and when youre looking at somebodys identity, theres monetization ability there, Denise Bergstrom, the program chairperson for cybersecurity at Franklin University, said. Bergstrom said if you are a potential identity theft victim, something to be aware of is health insurance fraud. If anyone is intentionally or unintentionally using your information, that data about them may be put in place of your data, she said. Things like blood types could be changed, you know, other, you know, allergies, things like that, and that then means that when youre in need of vital care and seconds are counting, you could be given the wrong blood. Franklin County deputy clocked 30 hours when he was not at work, investigation finds Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bergstrom recommends that businesses do background checks on their employees before hiring them. She also recommends that any potential victims freeze their credit and always monitor it. Hilliard police believe there could be dozens more victims out there. Crabtree said that since releasing information about the case, he has received several calls from more potential victims. He can be reached at 614-334-2430 or ccrabtree@hilliardohio.gov. So at this point, were asking for the public to come forward and say, Hey, I was a patient there during this time frame. I noticed these fraudulent charges on my account. I believe I may be a victim, Crabtree said. Hilliard police said Evoke has been cooperative with the investigation. The company conducted its own investigation and fired Perry, according to police. Evoke did not respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said the investigation is still active and Perry could face even more 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. Its been a dramatic few months in the Colorado Springs-area craft-drink scene, to say the least. In May, beer fans began mourning the imminent departure of Metric Brewing, which marks its final day of business Friday at 1213 N. Circle Drive. On the heels of that news, came word that 1350 Distilling would be closing the doors at 520 Pikes Peak Ave. which it did, on SundayJune 8. The following day, Brass Brewing Co. announced that its 7-year-old, downtown operation had been sold to a new startup, Gunslinger Brewing. A final hurrah for Brass is planned for June 23, at 318 E. Colorado Ave. The headlines werent all dire, though. Falcon celebrated the grand opening Memorial Day weekend of a new craft spot, Ascent Brewery, on 13 acres refashioned from a tumble-down historic ranch into a farmhouse brew destination that focuses on traditional styles, good views and vibes. Heres a look at what weve lost, and gained, so far in 2025: Metric bids farewell Metric Brewing headlined the years early brewing drama with an announcement, in May, that its last day of operation will be Friday, June 13. The landlord would not renew Metrics lease, news which prompted an outpouring of community support for the brewery, which quickly morphed from a watering hole into a Knob Hill community hotspot after opening in 2018. Metrics owners initially said they held out hope of fighting to stay put or finding a new address for the brewery, hopefully nearby. Many took to social media to suggest locations. On Monday, the community's hopes for a stay or rebirth for Metric appeared to be dashed. Four government branches are allegedly poised to move into the building Metric will be vacating, one owner said. Specific details remain murky, though a Metric owner added that their rent would have been much higher had they stayed. Co-owner Chase Perry told The Gazette that there are no solid plans to reopen elsewhere. "I just want to say thank you to this community; we could not have done this without them," Perry said Tuesday. "There's a lot of good beer here in the Springs, and I encourage everyone to keep supporting local." Two Metric patrons who stopped by the brewery last Friday, and who did not want to be named, said theyve been coming there since it opened, and are sad to see it go. 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 The bartenders here are amazing, one said. You could walk in by yourself and sit here for hours talking with someone you just met. It really draws great people. Brass passes the flag Veteran-owned Brass Brewing opened in 2018, inside the remodeled and rebranded former site of Triple S Brewing. The brewerys closure announcement Monday took many fans by surprise. After more than 7 incredible years of brewing beers and building friendships in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs, its time for a new chapter, wrote owners Woody and Kellee Briggs in a post to Facebook. This wasnt an easy decision, but its the right time. Were filled with gratitude for every moment, every pour, and every person who helped make Brass what it is. Before June 23, when Brass will officially pass the flag to Gunslinger, the owners encouraged the community to continue to come by, share a story, grab a pint, and if youre a 'mug member,' please dont forget to pick up your mug! And when Brass is gone, they added, we sincerely hope youll show Gunslinger Brewing the same love youve shown us all these years. Ascending east Falcons brewery/craft taproom count doubled over Memorial Day weekend, with the grand opening of Ascent Brewing, at 6630 Chief Road in Peyton. Steph Prue, who owns the brewery with her husband, Joe, said their brewing operation is as much an experience as a watering hole, and that is 100% by design. We're kind of more farmhouse destination brewery setup, which is very uncommon for Colorado, said Steph Prue, adding that the couples long-game vision was inspired both by their military service overseas, in the beer motherland of Germany, as well as tenure in the northeast U.S. Despite far-flung inspirations, the endeavor is anchored with local roots, both literally and figuratively, she said. Just staying very local, but at the same time bringing a traditional flavor to it, Steph Prue said. We've kind of come out of the gates with a lot of German-style lagers. The family-friendly brewery is open Thursdays through Sundays, and features a rotating roster of food trucks. We worked really hard to get this going, literally from the ground up," Prue said. "Four-and-a-half years later, we're just so grateful to have our doors open, and to have people appreciate it and like it. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) A man convicted by a jury in May of assaulting a Boardman police officer who was later shot was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison. Judge Maureen Sweeney handed down the sentence to Damian Cessna, 28, for felonious assault, a first-degree felony. The charge stems from a July 13, 2021, confrontation with a Boardman police officer on South Avenue, where Cessna was shot after he charged an officer while holding a knife and refused to drop the knife. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was tried in September and found guilty of obstructing justice, but jurors deadlocked on the felonious assault charge. Prosecutors opted to retry him, and he was found guilty on May 15 following a trial. Judge Sweeneys sentence came after county Prosecutor Lynn Maro suggested a sentence of a year in prison with orders for intense mental health treatment and counseling after he is released. Maro said she was concerned that without mental health treatment, Cessna would be back before a judge on the same type of charges. She said Cessna has a history of mental health illness. The officer who shot Cessna, Evan Beil, told the judge he believes Cessna needed a sentence of prison with mental health treatment so that he knows there are consequences for his actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beil had seen Cessna riding his bicycle in the easily morning hours and said he was concerned because Cessna was riding in the dark and Beil had answered a lot of bicycle accidents after dark. Beil said he wanted to make sure Cessna wouldnt get hurt. Judge Sweeney said she was concerned because Cessna has never accepted responsibility for his actions, but Maro said he immediately apologized after he was shot, so he was aware he had done something wrong. She said the fact that he took responsibility, then later backtracked, is one of the signs of a person with his type of mental illness. The sentence Maro recommended was the same as a plea offer prosecutors made to Cessna, but he rejected that offer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cessna declined to speak before he was sentenced. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) An Albuquerque man who got a break in court for slamming into a school bus full of students asked the court to cut his sentence down even more. Mario Perezs family members told the courtroom he didnt deserve this, speaking to his character and integrity. They begged Judge Bruce Fox to resentence him to less time in prison. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the judge said that Perez already got a good deal. I am going to deny your motion to reconsider. I consider the four-year sentence I gave to Mr. Perez basically a minimal sentence for this type of crime, said Judge Bruce Fox, Second Judicial Court. Perez was facing up to 15 years behind bars for a crash in 2022 that was so powerful it flipped an Albuquerque Public Schools school bus full of students on its side. Investigators said Perez was street racing and driving over 100 miles per hour before the impact on Gibson in southwest Albuquerque. In February, Judge Bruce Fox sentenced him to four years in prison, saying Perez lacked a criminal history and considered his age, being over 50 years old. During Tuesdays bid for a lesser sentence, Judge Fox made it clear that street racing is a major problem in Albuquerque and demands a response from the court. I dont know why its just not sinking in, but we continually have these issues of people crashing and innocent lives being affected by you know, poor decision making, said Judge Fox. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge sided with prosecutors, who argued the impacts of the crash had lasting effects on the teenagers who were in the bus. Perez was out of jail for the last three years while the case played out in the courts. Judge Fox also pointed out that Perez has the chance to get time shaved off his sentence for good behavior. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) One man is hospitalized, and another man is facing DUI charges following a Wednesday morning crash in southeast Las Vegas. According to Las Vegas Metropolitan police, a 19-year-old man was struck by a car as he attempted to cross Eastern Avenue in a marked crosswalk near Reno Avenue. He was transported to Sunrise Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The crash was reported around 12:45 a.m. The driver, Gregory Pero, 45, was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on charges of DUI, reckless driving, and failing to decrease speed or use due care, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is scheduled for an appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court on Thursday, June 12. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Grand Rapids immigration advocates are seeking the release of a man who they say was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement only days before he was scheduled to leave the country. Movimiento Cosecha GR and GR Rapid Response to ICE say Carlos Menjivar is at the Calhoun County Correctional Facility, which is an ICE holding facility. ICE did not immediately confirm that to News 8 Wednesday. The advocacy groups say Menjivar was detained June 4 when he went for what they called a routine check-in at the office for the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program on Michigan Street NE near College Avenue in Grand Rapids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ISAP is an ICE program in which people are under supervision while their immigration cases make their way through the system, which can take years. Through it, contracted case managers can keep ICE agents up to date on cases and whether people are abiding by the conditions of their release, an April 2022 document from ICE explains. (Menjivar) was asked to come to this ISAP office with his paperwork, so his passport, and approve of them leaving (the United States). They had agreed, actually verbally agreed, with the ISAP office to departure this Saturday, Movimiento Cosecha organizer Gema Lowe said at a Wednesday news conference. She said ISAP workers were supposed to check the paperwork and plane tickets for their return to Menjivars native El Salvador. Instead, she said, he was arbitrarily detained and ICE now has his and his familys passports. This family, they have been compliant to everything Immigration has asked them since they came to this country as refugees in 2017, Lowe said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She argued that asking Menjivar to report to the ISAP office was a trap. At the news conference, one of Menjivars children held a sign that read, Te amamos, Papa, or We love you, Dad, in Spanish. ICE did not immediately provide answers after Target 8 sought information about Menjivars status and details about how frequently people are detained at ISAP check-ins. GR Rapid Response to ICE organizer Jeff Smith suggested between eight and 10 people were detained at the ISAP office June 4. It was unclear how he reached that count. ICE has not provided any information. Immigration advocates went to the ISAP office that day and Grand Rapids police were called to ask them to leave. Smith said everyone who went to an ISAP appointment after the advocates arrived was allowed to leave as expected. Smith said the group is now offering to send advocates with people when they have appointments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smith said advocates are calling for Menjivar to be released in time for the familys scheduled departure Saturday, that the passports be returned to the family for that travel and that ICE documentation note he left voluntarily. They have also asked U.S. senators and representatives to intervene. In the meantime, Menjivars wife and three children are seeking sanctuary at Fountain Street Church, a nondenominational Christian church in downtown Grand Rapids, the advocates say. When the residents of our community are under attack or under threat, our doors are open to provide shelter and sanctuary, Rev. Nathan Dannison, the pastor at Fountain Street Church, said. Our beliefs here at Fountain Street compel us to act. Smith called on other Grand Rapids faith organizations to offer themselves up as sanctuaries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were asking the public to see whats happening. This is the faces that they are brave enough to show and say, Were here,' Lowe said. Even though they did they did everything they were asked to, theyve still been separated. Its structural 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 WOODTV.com. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) An investigation is underway following a shooting that left a motorist injured in Nashville Tuesday night. According to Metro Nashville dispatch, the incident was called in shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10 from an address in the 1700 block of Dr. DB Todd Jr. Boulevard thats listed as Nashville Fire Department Station 11. 1 dead, 1 in custody after shooting in Madison Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Metro Nashville Police Department told News 2 that a man was shot in the shoulder while driving a rented Tesla. He reportedly drove to the fire station after realizing hed been shot and was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with a non-life-threatening injury. Officials said the victim told investigators he heard gunfire while nearing the intersection of Clarksville Pike at Rosa Parks Boulevard. Woman injured in shooting at Whites Creek Pike gas station Detectives are still working to determine the vehicle and suspect involved in the shooting, according to authorities. No additional details have been released about this ongoing investigation. 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. WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) A man entered a plea Tuesday in a trespass case. Dylan Hilty, 23, pleaded guilty to aggravated trespass and theft in Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas. Police identified Hilty as one of three suspects who broke into the NRG substation on Belmont Avenue on Feb. 15. Reports said it appeared that the suspects entered the property by cutting a large hole through the barbed-wire fencing that surrounded it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Inside, multiple cable tray panels appeared moved or displaced, and officers noted several control cables appeared to be cut and removed. An employee told police there is copper wiring inside the cables. The employee estimated the stolen cable to be worth upward of $7,000. Hilty is set for sentencing on July 17. The other men identified as suspects, Shawn Squires and Clifford Squires, also pleaded guilty to aggravated trespass and theft charges. They are awaiting sentencing as well. Nadine Grimley and Laurel Stone 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. WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) A Niles man pleaded guilty in a robbery case involving a threat of violence. Lance Holbrook, 23, pleaded guilty to third-degree robbery. The plea avoids the grand jury process, according to the Trumbull County Prosecutors Office. Investigators say Holbrook walked into a Speedway on Vienna Avenue in Niles in March 2025 and handed the store clerk a note saying he had a bomb and a gun. The clerk gave Holbrook money from the register and hit the silent alarm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say Holbrook later confessed to the crime. He will be sentenced following a presentence 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 WKBN.com. JACKSONVILLE, Ark. A man is facing charges in connection with the death of a woman who went missing from Jacksonville last year. The Jacksonville family of 40-year-old Lateshia Patillo said Oct. 13, 2024, changed their lives forever when Patillo went missing. Jacksonville police searching for missing woman; family hopes she will be found quickly Court documents state she got a ride from a truck driver named Stevie Bernard Williams in Arkansas that same day. While the semi was traveling at 68 miles per hour, Williams said Patillo jumped out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She did not deserve to be done the way she was done. And left on the side of the road and later died, Patillos mother said. The affidavit states that Williams did not call 911 and continued his route toward New Jersey. Patillo was found on the shoulder of Interstate 40 in Roane County, Tennessee, and later died in a medical center. Body found in pond believed to be missing Benton woman Williams is facing charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and criminally negligent homicide. Officials said he will face a grand jury on June 16 in Roane County. I just pray justice will prevail in the case, Patillos mother said. Because she didnt deserve to die at all. She didnt deserve this. Its very devastating. 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. BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) A man called police on Tuesday after realizing he had fallen victim to an expensive scam. Read next: Two people in critical condition after car crash with side-by-side off-road vehicle On Monday, the man told police he received several phone calls from a man with an accent, claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House, who said he was the winner of their latest drawing. The scammer told the man he won $10.5 million, paid out by $10,000 per week plus a new Mercedes-Benz. But before he could claim his reward, the man was told he needed to send money to cover the processing and transfer fees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim was then connected via phone with another man who claimed to be with the Federal Trade Commission, who explained the process of how the prize would be awarded and what all the upfront fees were for. Next, the victim spoke with someone claiming to be an attorney with the Better Consumer Protection Agency, who discussed legal paperwork, reports state. After all the calls, the man was provided with a Florida address and instructions to send $3,400 cash to cover said fees. Reports state the man boxed up the cash and sent it via FedEx overnight service. The next morning, the man received another call claiming there had been a miscalculation and that an additional $800 was needed to cover the fees. This time, the caller claimed a person could be sent to the mans home to collect the money. The victim said no one arrived at his house at the time they scheduled for but shortly later, he received another phone call stating another $2,000 was necessary to cover more unexpected fees. The man was told if he didnt pay, it would cause a delay in receiving the prize. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After that, the man told some family members what was going on and reports state they made him aware that the whole thing was a scam. The Publishers Clearing House website states that a genuine win from their company is free, and winners never have to pay to claim a prize. The company requests that anyone who has fallen victim to a scammer using the PCH name or logo to submit a scam incident 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. WACO, Texas (FOX 44) A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a Waco man with one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. According to court documents, Darrin King allegedly fled from Waco Police officers on May 28, who were dispatched to a civil disturbance involving a firearm. A police K9 was deployed in pursuit of King, who allegedly produced a firearm and fired multiple shots at the dog, striking the K9 twice in the neck and once in the chest. The Department of Justice says King was subsequently taken into custody and the firearm was recovered. The firearm was allegedly equipped with a machinegun conversion device (MCD), also known as a Glock switch, allowing the firearm to fire as a fully automatic weapon. MCDs are defined as machineguns under the National Firearms Act, even when not installed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PREVIOUS STORY: Waco PD K-9 shot, recovering, man arrested The injured K9 survived his life-threatening injuries but due to the extent of the injuries, will be medically retired. The DoJ says King faces up to ten years in prison if convicted. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Waco Police Department are investigating the 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 KWKT - FOX 44. U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet holds a 31-point lead over Attorney General Phil Weiser in Colorado's Democratic gubernatorial primary more than a year before votes will be counted, according to an internal poll released Monday by Bennet's campaign. KANSAS CITY, Mo. A Kansas City man is out of jail and on probation just months after firing a gun inside a Waldo bara shot that narrowly missed a staff member by only mere inches. The incident happened on Black Friday of last year. According to a probable cause statement, Alexander Pylypczuk had ordered a drink at the bar and later went to use the restroom. Potential Royals move to Kansas sparks mixed reaction in Overland Park Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When he tried to open the single-stall bathroom door, he believed someone was holding it shut. In reality, it was a pull door, not a push. Mistaking the situation as a threat, Pylypczuk pulled a handgun from his waistband and fired a single round. It missed one of my guys by probably about 12 inches, said Shawn Larson, the owner of the bar. He wouldve hit that person possibly in the stomach, possibly killing somebody. Staff called 911 immediately and kicked Pylypczuk out of the establishment. Police arrived on scene and arrested him. In the charging documents, police wrote: Due to the violent nature of the incident, Pylypczuk should be considered a danger to the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon while intoxicated and unlawful discharge of a weapon. Seven months later, he is now out of jail and on probation. This week, FOX4 confirmed that Pylypczuk is now out of jail and on SIS (Suspended Imposition of Sentence) probation following a plea deal with the Jackson County Prosecutors Office. In a statement to FOX4, the Prosecutors Office explained their reasoning: While the probable cause statement does contain standard language about public safety risk, prosecutors must consider a wide range of factors before reaching a resolution. Given the defendants background as a veteran with challenges, his lack of criminal history, and that no one was hurt in this incident, the Prosecutors Office determined a lengthy SIS probation best serves both the safety of the community and the defendants treatment. The SIS probation includes strict conditions that address our primary safety concerns: barring him from possessing a firearmincluding forfeiting the firearm used in this caseand requiring participation in Veterans Court, which provides specialized treatment, while also ensuring defendant accountability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For bar staff and Larson, that explanation doesnt ease their concerns. Its because no one was hurt, so 12 inches is the dictator of how we treat that. The lack of accountability is ridiculous in my opinion, Larson said. He adds that small business owners like him are already stretched thin. Motorcyclist killed after colliding with tractor-trailer in Kansas City We have enough battles as it is with rising food costs, everything is more expensive, its tough to just survive right now, Larson said. As part of his sentence, Pylypczuk must surrender the firearm used in the incident and is prohibited from being around weapons while on probation. 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. DAVIDSON COUNTY A Greensboro man pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a drug-related death and subsequent investigations of drug sales. Marcus Dwayne Parker, 42, pleaded guilty on May 27 in Davidson County Superior Court to death by distribution, trafficking heroin greater than 28 grams, two counts of assault on law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by felon and being a habitual felon, according to a press release. Parker was sentenced to a minimum of nearly 23 years in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the Davidson County Sheriffs Office said when Parker was arrested last October that Parker lived in Greensboro, the Davidson County Detention Center, where he was still being held on Tuesday, listed his address as being on Texas Drive in Lexington. In June 2024 after a death attributed to a suspected overdose, detectives with the sheriffs office began a narcotics investigation of the distribution of fentanyl in Davidson County. Parker was identified as the person who provided the drugs to the person who died, whose name has not been released. Parker continued to distribute narcotics in Davidson County, the sheriffs office said. In July, detectives with the Davidson County Sheriffs Office and Greensboro Police Department executed search warrants at an address in the 200 block of Hillcrest Court, Lexington, and one in the 1200 block of Blackmoor Road, Greensboro, and seized more than 60 grams of fentanyl, the sheriffs office said. Parker and a Lexington man Cory William Bailor of Hillcrest Court were arrested on drug charges at that time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In October, after autopsy results showed that the cause of death was fentanyl toxicity, Parker and Bailor were indicted and charged with felony death by distribution. Bailor was convicted of a felony in December and sentenced to six to eight years in prison, according to the N.C. Department of Adult Correction. The offense date is listed as June 2024, but no information about the specific felony conviction or what it involved was immediately available. An undocumented Wisconsin man who was framed for writing death threats against President Donald Trump was granted bond Tuesday. Ramon Morales Reyes bond was set at $7,500 during a hearing in a Chicago immigration court, NBC News reported, with the judge in the case saying Morales Reyes is not a danger to the public. If he does not post bond, hell next be in court on July 10. Morales Reyes was arrested on May 22 after letters threatening the president were written in his name. But it turns out that the author was Demetric D. Scott, who forged the letters in order to get Morales Reyes deported so that he could not testify against him in an armed robbery case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scott was arrested in 2023 after he stabbed Morales Reyes with a corkscrew in an effort to steal his bike. In a phone call from jail a few days before the letters were received, Scott said of Morales Reyes, This dude is a goddamn illegal immigrant and they just need to pick his a-- up If he gets picked up by ICE, there wont be a jury trial, so they will probably dismiss it that day. Thats my plan. The Wisconsin Attorney General's Office, Milwaukee Police Chief, and Milwaukee ICE headquarters all received versions of this letter threatening the president, which Demetric D. Scott admitted to forging in Ramon Morales-Reyes' name. / Department of Homeland Security As a result, Scott was charged with felony witness intimidation and identity theft, as well as two counts of bail jumping. The Department of Homeland Security told the Daily Beast last month that Morales Reyes would remain in custody because he was determined to be in the country illegally and [has] a criminal record. Demetric D. Scott, who is accused of stabbing Morales-Reyes in 2023, confessed to forging the letters threatening President Trump in Morales-Reyes' name. / Milwaukee County Sheriff According to the DHS, Morales Reyes entered the U.S. illegally nine times between 1998 and 2005 and had been charged with felony hit and run, criminal damage to property, and disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, the judge noted Morales Reyes had several arrests on his record, but only one conviction: disorderly conduct. Morales Reyes has three children, who are U.S. citizens, his attorney told NBC News. ROCKY HILL, Conn. (WTNH) A New Mexico man was sentenced Wednesday to multiple decades in jail for the fatal shooting of a Windsor man in 2008. Mark White, 47, of Albuquerque, New Mexico was sentenced to 40 years in prison with six months of jail credit. 4 arrested after Bristol drug bust reveals nearly 300 grams of crack cocaine In March, a Hartford Superior Court jury found him guilty of murder. According to evidence presented at the trial, police responded to a shooting in the area of West Morningside Street in Hartford on May 3, 2008. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jumar Joiner, 25, died of multiple gunshot wounds. No arrests were made and the case went cold until 2017, when the Division of Criminal Justices Cold Case Units tip line received new leads. That information- combined with witnesses to the shooting- led to Whites arrest in March of 2022. White was already in custody in New Mexico at the time, for illegal possession of handguns and cocaine. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. TAMPA A man who acted as a money mule in a nationwide scheme that involved government impersonators and bilked a pair of Tampa Bay-area women of close to $1 million will spend six years in federal prison, a judge ordered Tuesday. U.S. District Judge William Jung called the crime evil and wicked, noting that the scheme ripped off older adults who were led to believe theyd be arrested if they didnt turn over their life savings. Its pretty much the same thing as going in their house and sticking a gun in their temple, Jung said. These people were terrified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prison sentence for Pranav Patel was greater than the three years suggested by federal guidelines, though significantly less than what the judge said hed planned to impose. Jung was apparently persuaded by arguments from Assistant Public Defender Adam Allen, who said Patels role in the scheme was limited to that of a courier for what he knew was bad money. It was a job he came to at a low point in his life, his lawyer said. He was really depressed and not doing well, Allen told the judge. And those are the types of people that get roped into becoming mules. Patel, 33, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering for his role in the scheme. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal prosecutors identified 11 victims in seven states. Their collective loss was estimated at close to $1.8 million. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Peresie read a letter from one man who lost $49,000. He wrote that he had to sell his home and struggled to pay expenses. The man was devastated by the fraud, Peresie said. The crime came to light in December 2023 after a Ruskin woman told investigators shed handed over several large sums of cash and gold at the direction of someone whod contacted her by phone. The woman, identified in court records by the initials E.L., believed the person was an officer of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. She gave money to clear up what she was told was an arrest warrant charging her with money laundering. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She described several transactions in which a car pulled up to her house before she was instructed to place cash packages in the back seat. She never spoke to the driver. Over several months and multiple transactions, the woman emptied her bank accounts, a life insurance policy and a Roth IRA. By the time the scheme came to the attention of law enforcement, shed lost $170,000. A Pasco County woman told authorities a similar story. That woman, identified in court records as D.L., described a series of transactions for cash and gold bars with a person she believed was a Treasury agent. Her total loss was pegged at $732,000. The final exchange occurred outside a Ruskin Circle K, under the watch of Hillsborough deputies and U.S. Secret Service agents. E.L. had been told to deliver $27,000 in gold coins and bars. Agents instead gave her a package of soap, which she placed in the back of a red Jeep. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They followed the driver all the way to the Wiregrass mall in Wesley Chapel. In the mall parking lot, they watched as Patel got out and opened the package. He was then arrested. Patel tried to cooperate with investigators, his attorney said. But he could provide only scarce information about the people who employed him. No one else involved in the scheme has been brought to justice. The perpetrators were based in call centers in India. I need my sentence to send a message to wherever these people are, Jung said. Youre hiding in some boiler room, but some of your minions are getting a serious, big sentence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patels involvement in the scheme lasted only about 60 days, his attorney said. He had no role in planning or organizing the scam. He has otherwise lived a law-abiding life. He holds a college degree in mechanical engineering from a school in his native India. He immigrated with his family to the U.S. in 2018. They lived in New Jersey. Patel pursued a masters degree at Marshall University in West Virginia, but his limited English led him to drop out, according to a sentencing memo. His language difficulties made it difficult for him to hold a job. Hed worked for short periods as a 7-Eleven cashier, a Bank of America software engineer and a soil inspector for an engineering company. He married an American woman, but separated after she became physically abusive, his lawyer said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His life in the U.S. was characterized as one failure after another, the memo stated. He became a money mule out of desperation. In October 2023, he was offered a job that involved picking up and delivering packages. He was told little else, but came to learn the packages held money and gold. He received directions on his phone through WhatsApp about where to go to pick up the packages. He never met the person who gave the directions. Once he arrived, someone would come out and place the package in the back of his car. Hed then obtain further instructions on where to deliver it. For every package, Patel was reimbursed the cost of his airfare and car rentals. Although he assisted in the laundering of more than $1.5 million, Patel received a meager $6,000 for his work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He knew he was involved in an illegal scheme, court records state. But he knew nothing about its scope and structure. Patel sat in court Tuesday wearing an orange jail uniform. He listened to the words of an interpreter who translated the proceedings from Gujarati, his native language. His father, Bharat Patel, urged the judge to impose a lesser sentence. His sons crime was due to the bad influence of a friend, he said. As he spoke, his son placed his hands over his face. In his own words to the court, Pranav Patel said he wished he could apologize to the victims and vowed never to make the same mistake. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I came to the USA for a better life, he said, speaking through the interpreter. And I feel very sorry and bad ... that the best years of my life I spent this way. He said he never knew that what he did was making people miserable. But their misery ran deeper than the theft, the judge said. Patel stole their peace of mind that they could never fall victim to such a fraud. You were a vital part of the scheme, Jung said, which was just about as cold and nasty of a scheme as Ive ever seen." Times staff writer Alexa Coultoff contributed to this report. A New Jersey man was among a large group of tourists in Yellowstone National Park that approached a bison too closely and he wound up in need of medical assistance. The 30-year-old from Randolph was gored by the bison, the incident occurring Tuesday at around 9:45 a.m. in the Upper Geyser Basin at Old Faithful. The man sustained minor injuries and was treated and transported by emergency medical personnel, according to the National Park Service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No other details were available, and the incident is under investigation. Generic image of a bison in Yellowstone National Park. This is the second reported incident of a person being injured by a bison in 2025. The first occurred May 7 and involved a 47-year-old Florida man who approached a bison too closely, failing to heed the warning by the NPS to remain at least 25 yards away from bison. That man also sustained minor injuries. The NPS warns tourists that wildlife in Yellowstone are wild and can be dangerous. It offers these guidelines: Wild animals can be aggressive if people dont respect their space. It is your responsibility to stay more than 25 yards (23 meters) away from all large animals bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and at least 100 yards (91 meters) away from bears, wolves, and cougars. If wildlife approach you, move away to always maintain these safe viewing distances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bison will defend their space when threatened and have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal. They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans. Learn more about our safety tips while visiting Yellowstone, including how to behave around wildlife. The safety of these animals and humans depends on everyone using good judgment and following these simple rules." This article originally appeared on For The Win: Large group gets too close to bison in Yellowstone, man gets gored BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A man from Ghana faces an extortion charge after he allegedly used nude photographs of a victim in Buffalo to blackmail him, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Cross Abu Cole, 21, possessed nude photographs of the Buffalo male when he was a minor, according to a complaint made by the victim in October 2022. Cole then allegedly demanded $200 be sent to him otherwise he would send the photos to people the victim knew on Snapchat. The man also possessed a nude photo of the victims friend, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Numerous threats for money were made and nude photographs were sent out. An investigation traced the telephone number threats to Cole. He was taken into custody in Texas and was charged by criminal complaint with interstate communications with intent to extort. Cole faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 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. Originally appeared on E! Online A New Jersey resident is on the mend after a shocking end to his visit to Wyoming. At Yellowstone National Park June 10, a 30-year-old man from Randolph, New Jersey, sustained minor injuries after being gored by a bison, when a large visiting group got a little too close to the animal, according to the parks website. Park officials said in a news release that the bison charged at the man at around 9:45 a.m. local time in the Old Faithful geyser area of the park. Yellowstone officials are still investigating the severity of the mans injuries and the incident itself, although they reported he had been treated and transported by emergency personnel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is the fifth bison-related incident to occur in the national park since 2023, according to Yellowstone. The latest bison blitz follows another situation that occurred this spring in the Lake Village area of the park, when a 47-year-old Florida resident was similarly struck by the animals horns. More from E! Online And in 2024, an 83-year-old woman from South Carolina was more severely injured after she was lifted off the ground by the grassland animals horns. Following her attack, Yellowstone issued a report saying she was airlifted to an Idaho hospital by helicopter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yellowstone repeatedly warns its visitors about the dangers of getting too close to bison that live in the park, recommending to maintain at least 25 yards of distance from the animals, and at least 100 yards from the parks bears, wolves and cougars. Ron Buskirk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal, Yellowstone has said in several press statements following the various attacks. Bison are not aggressive animals but will defend their space when threatened. They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans. After the park opened up on the situation on social media, many online users reacted to the latest attack, noting the victim was blatantly breaking the Yellowstone rules. Dont pet the fluffy cows! one user joked, with another adding, You guys dont put those signs up just for fun?? For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App A man was gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday after getting too close, the National Park Service said. Around 9:45 a.m. in the Upper Geyser Basin at Old Faithful, a man from Randolph, New Jersey, was gored after a large group of visitors approached the bison too closely, the NPS said in a statement. The man sustained minor injuries and was treated and transported by emergency medical personnel, officials said. The incident is under investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was the second bison incident in a little over a month. A Florida man was gored by a bison in May in Yellowstone National Park after coming too close to the animal. Park officials said the man suffered minor injuries and was treated by emergency personnel. Bison herd in the grass at sunset, Yellowstone National Park, USA. / Credit: / Getty Images Park officials said wild animals can be aggressive if visitors don't respect their space, and visitors should never approach wildlife. It's the visitors' "responsibility to stay more than 25 yards away from all large animals bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes and at least 100 yards (91 meters) away from bears, wolves and cougars," the NPS says. Bison have also gored visitors at the park last year and in 2023. After a bison attacked an 83-year-old woman from South Carolina in 2024, the park released a statement warning visitors that bison "are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bison the largest land-dwelling animal in North America have lived continuously in Yellowstone National Park since prehistoric times, the NPS says. The 2024 population estimate was 5,400, according to the agency. LAPD chief speaks out about deployment of military forces to anti-ICE protests Australian reporter covering Los Angeles protests shot with rubber bullet by police officer Can Trump deploy National Guard without governor's approval? WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) A man indicted for rape has plead guilty to a lesser charge. Kamare Evans, 23, of Warren, pleaded guilty to a third-degree sexual battery felony. Evans was previously indicted March 1 on two charges of rape and one count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The case involved a sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl at a Niles residence on Feb. 7, 2025. Prosecutors stated Evans supplied the girl with alcohol prior to the assault. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evans, who faces up to five years in prison, will be declared a Tier 3 sexual offender upon sentencing, which will take place after he undergoes a background investigation by probation 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 WKBN.com. Colorado justices say access to Missy Woods data must be litigated in Jeffco 'Everyone with one of these cases is trying to get access to the information,' said defense attorney Mary Claire Mulligan, speaking about convictions impacted by a DNA scientist's misconduct A man murdered the father of his former partner in a "frenzied" knife attack after an argument with his ex, a court has heard. Kamar Williams, 34, stabbed bus driver Derek Thomas, 55, from Stoke Newington, north-west London, who was on his way home from work, his Old Bailey trial was told. He denies murder. Prosecutor Anthony Orchard KC said that on 30 July Mr Williams had been out looking for Mr Thomas's daughter Carron, who was his former girlfriend, but had failed to find her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A WhatsApp discussion to sort out domestic arrangements after their break-up had become abusive and "tempers appeared to become frayed," Mr Orchard said. 'Easier target' The same night as the messages were sent, Mr Williams was allegedly driving his van near the Thomas family home when he saw Carron's father carrying a bag of shopping, on his way home from work. Witnesses described seeing a man stop his van in the middle of the road, get out, and attack Mr Thomas before returning to his vehicle and driving away. The bus driver, who worked for Go-Ahead London, had been stabbed five times with a large knife. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was pronounced dead at the scene, in Northwold Road, Stoke Newington, less than half an hour later. Mr Orchard said: "The breakdown of the defendant's relationship with Carron Thomas appears to have been the trigger for [the defendant's] actions." "He went out looking for Ms Thomas but was unsuccessful. He decided on an easier target, her father. "There can be no doubt the attacker was the defendant. Mr Thomas was struck by the knife on five occasions in what was a frenzied attack. "Mr Thomas must have been terrified." The defendant made a "determined attempt to avoid arrest" in the weeks after the attack before being arrested on 26 August at the Notting Hill Carnival, the court heard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Williams, of Cuba Street, Tower Hamlets, east London, also denies a charge of having an article with a blade or point. The trial, which is expected to last four weeks, continues. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk More on this story Related internet links MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) A man was charged in connection with a fatal stabbing nearly six months after the deadly incident, Montgomery County authorities announced. On Dec. 16, 2024, the Montgomery County Department of Police (MCPD) responded to the 8000 block of Blair Mill Road, where they found 49-year-old Mynor Rene Lara Salguero suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nearly 18-hour standstill: Police on scene after person climbs broadcast tower at American University MCPD said detectives learned that 38-year-old Bulfrano Martinez-Maldonado was with Lara Salguero shortly before his death. He was arrested on an outstanding warrant in early 2025, and authorities were able to obtain a DNA sample from him. Tests run on his DNA linked Martinez-Maldonado to Lara Salgueros murder. He was charged with first-degree murder on Jun 10. MCPD noted he is currently being held in a detention center in Arizona, but will be extradited to Montgomery County to face 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 DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A man faces a possible sentencing of at least 20 years after he admitted to a string of armed robberies at five dispensaries and a bar. Cory Jackson, 44, pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree robbery with a firearm in a Multnomah County court on Tuesday. He also faces charges in Washington and Clackamas counties. Cars damaged near Portland school after teen suspect rammed cars outside, police say Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities arrested Jackson in late May after a months-long search that began in February. Portland police said the Vancouver Police Department had notified them that Jackson was driving into Oregon from Washington. Officials say Jackson had worked with an accomplice by the name of Melissa Ann Maxwell, who also pleaded guilty to several counts of robbery in April. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Wife dead, husband injured after tragic house fire in Hood River County No employee should go to work and face the barrel of a gun in a robbery. Cory Jackson and Melissa Maxwell, however, traumatized numerous hard-working Portlanders by doing just that, over and over again, Deputy DA Chris Shull said. Im glad they were both peaceably arrested and will be removed from this community, giving their many victims a sense of safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KOIN 6 News reported on Jacksons alleged robbery spree of five dispensaries in a five-month span earlier this year, highlighting how the cash-only cannabis industry is particularly vulnerable to these types of crimes. Jacksons sentencing is set for July 9, 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 KOIN.com. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A mans bond was increased to $100,000 after being arrested again for allegedly beating a woman with soda cans and a broom. The Shelby County District Attorneys Office said that Rodney Rogers, 32, had a bond of $10,000, and it was increased to $100,000 after his past violence and bond violations. Rodney Rogers _ Mugshot Courtesy of Shelby County District Attorneys Office On May 21, Rogers pleaded guilty to assault and violating bond conditions, and a week later, he was arrested again for assaulting the same victim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On May 28, police responded to a simple assault/domestic violence call just before midnight in the 1200 block of Turkey Run Lane at an apartment complex. When officers arrived, they heard a woman screaming from the inside of the apartment. After attempting to get an answer at the door, the victim and Rogers answered the door. Police detained Rogers. The victim, Rogers girlfriend, said the fight had continued for days, but it became physical at 6 p.m. 21 people charged with trafficking drugs in TN The victim said Rogers threw a lamp at her, struck her in the head with his fist, threw soda cans at her, and hit her with a broom on the right forearm and her back in the upper shoulder area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She told police the ongoing fight was in the couples room, where Rogers broke the TV with the broom he used to hit her with. Police saw a wound on the victims forearm, and she refused any medical attention. Rogers was placed into custody without further incident, and he told police he had pain in his wrist, leg, and back. He was transported to Methodist South for treatment and transported to 201 Poplar. His preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 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 WREG.com. A man accused of causing the deaths of 41 dogs at a rescue centre he ran refused to attend court, a judge said. The animals were discovered during a raid at a property in Crays Hill near Billericay, Essex, on 13 May. Police discovered the remains of four more dogs on 4 June, after a number of buildings at the site were dismantled. Oaveed Rahman, 25, of Hope Road in the village, was due to appear at Southend Crown Court charged with three counts of fraud by false representation and two animal cruelty offences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Judge Samantha Leigh said he refused to leave the prison cell he was remanded in and attend the hearing. She adjourned proceedings until the week beginning 23 June. A group of campaigners stood outside Southend Crown Court ahead of the hearing [Stuart Woodward/BBC] Basildon Council launched an internal inquiry after the discovery, which also led to the seizure of 21 alive dogs in need of treatment. A 25-year-old woman from London and another man who were arrested by police have been bailed until July. They were prohibited from entering Hope Road and being in possession of any animal during that period. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Related internet links UPDATE: Courtraziun Marble has been found and the City Watch has been cancelled. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A missing/endangered person alert was issued for a missing man after police say his home was destroyed in a fire Tuesday night. Courtraziun Marble, 22, is described as 59 and 210 pounds. Marbles mother says she last saw him around 8 p.m. when she took him some food. She told police that he suffers from memory loss. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was asleep. When I woke up, the fire department and all them were down the street, said his mother. Police say Marbles home was destroyed in a fire; however, the fire department did not find anyone in the burned-down home. (Photo by: WREG Staff) (Photo by: WREG Staff) (Photo by: WREG Staff) The Memphis Fire Department confirmed that the fire on Selden Cove was accidental and electrical. The home sustained around $69,000 in damages. If anyone has seen, heard, or knows the whereabouts of Courtraziun Marble, please call 901-545-2677. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 jury in Texas convicted William R. McKelvy, 65, of abusive sexual contact after he allegedly groped a woman on a flight from Tulsa to Dallas in 2023 McKelvy touched the victim four times on her breast and thighs, even after she made it clear the attention was unwelcome, she testified in court He later described the incident to police by saying he "flirted with this chick," and is now facing up to three years in prison A Texas man is facing up to three years in federal prison for repeatedly groping a woman on a plane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement William R. McKelvy, 65, was traveling on a Southwest flight from Tulsa to Dallas on April 25, 2023 when he started to molest the woman next to him. This included touching her breast and inner thigh on four occasions despite being told to stop by the victim, according to a copy of the complaint filed in the Northern District of Texas and obtained by PEOPLE. The victim testified about her ordeal at the trial, according to a news release from the Department of Justice, telling prosecutors that she initially thought that the man had inadvertently touched her and his actions were accidental. Just a few minutes later, the victim made her feelings clear by forcefully pushing McKelvy away and telling him to keep his hands to himself, she testified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the third instances she described feeling trapped as McKelvy again started to touch her, she said in court. When he went in for the fourth time the victim got loud, screaming: "Get your ******* hand off me, or I will break your ******* hand! 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. Prosecutors said that her response gained the attention of fellow passengers, who notified flight attendants of the situation. The flight attendants then moved McKelvy to the back of the plane and called ahead to have police meet the plane when it arrived at Love Field. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Upon meeting the police, McKelvy said that he had been vaping on the plane, according to prosecutors, and when speaking about his actions with the female passenger, contended he had "flirted with this chick." During the trial, McKelvy claimed to have no recollection of the incident because he consumed alcohol and marijuana gummies prior to boarding the plane. Sexual assault aboard an aircraft is a federal crime investigated by the FBI," said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. "It is because of fellow passengers and the flight crew that the defendant was detained and charged for assaulting the victim multiple times." The jury deliberated for 30 minutes before returning with a verdict. McKelvy will be sentenced on Sept. 8. Read the original article on People DENVER (KDVR) A man was sentenced to spend 20 years in prison for his possession and intent to distribute fentanyl and meth, the Denver District Attorneys Office announced Tuesday. Derian Acosta was found guilty by a jury in May of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DA said he was found with about 474 fentanyl pills, 31 grams of powder fentanyl and 15 grams of meth. Before he was sentenced, the DA said Acosta pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl in a separate case, in which he was found to have more than 800 fentanyl tablets in his car. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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) A man from Greeley is set to spend the rest of his natural life in prison for his involvement in the shooting death of an employee during an armed robbery at a gas station in 2021. The Weld County District Attorney announced Tuesday that Kyle Moore, 31, was convicted of multiple charges on Monday, including first-degree murder and aggravated robbery, in connection with the shooting. Teen accused of killing Commerce City 16-year-old released ahead of a trial Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge Marcelo Kopcow sentenced him to life in the Colorado Department of Corrections without the possibility of parole, with an added 64 years behind bars. You committed the ultimate crime of taking another persons life, Judge Kopcow said during the sentencing hearing, according to a district attorneys office release. Someone who did nothing to you. The incident happened on Dec. 14, 2021, at the Cosmic Market gas station in Greeley. Police responded to the gas station after a report of an armed man attempting to steal a vehicle there. When police arrived on the scene, they found that the store manager, 51-year-old Victor Martinez, had been shot during the attempted robbery. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another suspect was previously sentenced in the case. In 2023, Trent ONiel pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, two counts of aggravated robbery, first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft and third-degree assault related to the case. He was sentenced to 55 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections. Now that these two defendants are behind bars, our community is undoubtedly safer, Chief Deputy District Attorney Patrick Roche said in a press 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 FOX31 Denver. CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) A man with a history of violent crimes was sentenced to life in prison without parole Tuesday for murdering a North Charleston motel owner in 2022. Honorable Roger Young handed down to the sentence to Darnell Dwayne Brown after he was convicted of murdering Jagdishbhai Patel on June 25, 2022. At the time of the execution, Brown had been in the custody of the SC Department of Corrections four months earlier after serving time for two armed robberies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr. Patel brought his family to the United States to pursue the American dream of becoming a citizen and owning a small business. He did both by the book, only to be executed by a home-grown murderer, Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said. Patel was murdered at his business, the Charleston Heights Motel, according to the solicitors office. Evidence presented in court revealed surveillance from a nearby residence showed the killer wearing the same clothes as Brown was shown wearing a short time afterward. Brown was also found less than two-tenths of a mile away from the crime scene with a backpack, motel registration, key card, and gloves that tested positive for gunshot residue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities found Brown about 50 yards from a .38 special revolver that housed fired casings. Investigators matched a fired bulled to the revolver found next to Brown. The solicitors office also said Brown made incriminating statements to North Charleston detectives. We are grateful to the Patel family for their sincere and incredible strength in the face of this unnecessary violence, said Assistant Solicitor Lemuel Zeigler. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The justices may also intervene in a cold-case murder prosecution out of Boulder County in which the trial judge believed prosecutors misunderstood his ruling (PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo.) A man was airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries after an ATV crash in a remote location in Pueblo County. According to the Pueblo County Sheriffs Office (PCSO), its agency partnered with the Pueblo West Fire Department, AMR, UCHealth flight teams, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Pueblo Fire Department on Tuesday afternoon, June 10, to rescue a 35-year-old man involved in an ATV crash. PCSO said the crash occurred on the southern end of the Pueblo Motorsports Park property, between the City of Pueblo and Pueblo West. Courtesy: Pueblo County Sheriffs Office Courtesy: Pueblo County Sheriffs Office Courtesy: Pueblo County Sheriffs Office Courtesy: Pueblo County Sheriffs Office Courtesy: Pueblo County Sheriffs Office Courtesy: Pueblo County Sheriffs Office PCSO said it took rescuers some time to reach the man because he was in a remote location. Once they reached him, rescuers were able to transport him to a waiting helicopter. The man suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. 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 man was shot Tuesday evening while he was trying to break up a fight between two relatives in Jacksonvilles Oceanway community. The fight happened at about 6:30 p.m. in the 14000 block of Yellow Bluff Road. Two of the victims relatives were involved in an argument and one of them grabbed a gun, a Jacksonville police news release states. The victim attempted to diffuse the situation, and a struggle ensued, the news release states. The victim was shot during the struggle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim was taken to the hospital with a non-life threatening gunshot wound to his shoulder, police said. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [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 Brief Grand Prairie police arrested a man after a police chase on I-20 early Wednesday morning. The suspect managed to steal a police SUV and led officers on a second chase. That second chase ended in Oak Cliff when the suspect lost control, after spoke strips were deployed, and flipped the vehicle. GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - A man who was arrested after a high-speed chase in Grand Prairie was arrested again after stealing a police SUV and leading officers on a second chase overnight. Grand Prairie Police Chase What we know The first chase happened just after midnight on Wednesday. Grand Prairie police tried to stop a stolen Cadillac that was driving erratically and with no headlights on Interstate 20. Kendral Pickett (Source: Grand Prairie Police Department) One suspect, identified as 22-year-old Kendral Pickett, eventually ditched the car and ran away into a wooded area. They were located by helicopter and canine units. Pickett was handcuffed and placed in a police vehicle. Second police chase Dig deeper Police were waiting for paramedics to arrive because Pickett suffered a dog bite. Thats when he managed to shimmy his handcuffed hands from behind his back, under his legs, and then to the front of his body. Pickett then climbed into the driver's seat of the police SUV and drove away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A second police chase ensued as police chased Pickett to I-30 and Hampton Road. Dallas police and Dallas County Sheriff's deputies swarmed I-30 to assist Grand Prairie police after the police SUV was stolen. The chase ended in Oak Cliff, where the suspect lost control and crashed after spike strips were deployed. He was recaptured and taken to the hospital with minor injuries. What's next Pickett is charged with two counts of theft of a motor vehicle, two counts of evading arrest, one count of escape while arrested and assault on a public servant. According to online court documents, Pickett was out on bond as the 22-year-old was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in January in Tarrant County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was a second suspect arrested alongside Pickett. We are still waiting for his name to be released. The Source Information in this article comes from Grand Prairie Police and FOX 4 photojournalist Terry Van Sickle, who gathered details for this story from police officers at the crime scene. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) A man suspected of illegally trafficking protected exotic birds through the San Ysidro Port of Entry appeared in court Tuesday. Juandaniel Medina, 24, of Lindsay, CA, faces an importation contrary to law charge, with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a news release. According to a federal complaint, Medina was the driver and registered owner of a vehicle in which U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials found the birds; he admitted paying $700 cash for the parrots with the intention of breeding and or reselling them in the United States in the future, the DOJ said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement San Diego-area spot named one of top bars in US for 2025: Esquire All seven of the parrots six of which have been identified as Red-Lored Amazon Parrots are alive and thriving at a quarantine facility managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, per federal officials. Amazon parrots are originally from Mexico, the West Indies and northern South America, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The incident comes following another Amazon parrots smuggling attempt at the same port of entry. The risk of illegally importing birds can spread infectious diseases like the Avian influenza (bird flu). 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 5 San Diego & KUSI News. A woman was arrested after being accused of an attack that left a 65-year-old man dead nine years ago, Washington police said. In March 2016, George Cecil David, of British Columbia, was staying at an apartment in Port Angeles, with plans to see his family and attend a funeral, according to a June 10 Facebook post by the citys police department. David, a known woodcarver, was found dead in the apartment on March 28 of that year from blunt force trauma to his head, police told the Times Colonist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These are in collections all over the world, his niece Bonnie David said about his work to the outlet. He had been to Vancouver to sell his work not long before his death. In April 2016, officers identified 55-year-old Tina Marie Alcorn as a primary suspect, police said. Alcorn was arrested in Mount Vernon on an outstanding warrant issued by Arkansas officers, and although charges in regards to Davids case were not filed, she was later extradited to Arkansas and booked on charges of violating her probation in a theft case, police said. In 2024, Port Angeles officers reopened the case along with the Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This case has never been forgotten, Port Angeles Police Chief Brian Smith said in the release. The renewed investigation, bolstered by our partnership with the MMIWP Task Force, reflects our commitment to justice and to honoring George Davids memory. The Washington State Attorney Generals Office will be processing the charges against Alcorn in Davids case, officers said. Police didnt specify their relationship or what led to the attack. She waived her extradition and was booked into the Clallam County jail on a murder charge, officers said and records show. Her bail was set at $1 million, and she is scheduled to reappear in court on June 20 for her arraignment, officers said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Port Angeles is about a 140-mile drive northwest from Seattle. 18-year-olds body found along river leads to arrest 40 years later, ME cops say Jogger dragged to secluded area and raped in 1994, NM officials say. Man now convicted Teen found dead behind strip mall in 1999, NJ officials say. Now man is found guilty The Manchester school board is sending a letter to state legislators sounding the alarm about a small section six lines, to be exact in the state budget trailer bill (HB 2) that would cost the school district approximately $10.2 million next fiscal year. Page 70 of the bill includes language establishing what is essentially a cap on targeted aid for larger school districts. For districts with 5,000 or more students, the bill seeks to subtract from targeted state aid until the amount decreases to $3,750 per student. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cap would effectively cut Manchesters adequacy aid from $127.8 million under current law to just under $117.6 million a cut of more than $10.2 million. By comparison, the city of Nashua would see its targeted aid jump by more than $1.2 million under the new language, from $83.2 million to $84.4 million. As far as we can tell, Manchester is the only municipality in New Hampshire that stands to lose money because of this cap on targeted aid, the letter from Manchesters school board to the Legislatures Committee of Conference says. Such a loss would put at risk our ability to best serve the educational needs of our students. The state's education aid formula was tweaked in response to Manchester getting a bonus from the introduction of the Extraordinary Needs Grant in 2021, a more than $30 million annual increase. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The amendment limits that bonus and will lead to Manchester getting more than $10 million less than it gets now. The amendment received support from members of both parties, because the $10 million is being shared by other income- and property-poor communities like Berlin, Claremont and Franklin. Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais said Tuesday he has been in contact with some of the committee members, who will likely begin meeting later this week. "I am reaching out to the conferees to gather information and develop a course of action to address this issue," Ruais said. School board member Bob Baines, a former mayor and educator, said he spoke to Gov. Kelly Ayotte about the targeted cap last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We've been in touch with various representatives, but this needs to be watched very, very carefully in the (Legislature's) Committee of Conference, Baines said. Can you imagine the devastation that will occur in Manchester, the most significant devastation possible in our public schools. We all need to work on that with our representatives, because I think in any big government bill no matter how big and beautiful it is some people don't read it and don't understand. Why would Manchester be singled out as the only community in the state of New Hampshire that would lose funding? If you care about Manchester, we should get that funding we planned on it. School board member Sean Parr drafted the letter and gathered the signatures of fellow board members this week. We are hoping to reach out to the Committee of Conference to let them know that it has this particular effect only on Manchester, Parr said. I think it would be good for us to at least explain the situation, tell them that it's a significant impact to our budget in its current form, and to ask that they reconsider that part of the budget proposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the letter, school board members urge committee members to reconsider the targeted cap portion of the bill, warning the proposed budget could lead to harmful cuts and reductions to student services. School officials point out that despite being the largest school district in New Hampshire with nearly 12,000 students, Manchester ranks at the bottom of the state in per-pupil spending, with over 53% of students qualifying for free and reduced-price meals, 20% multilingual learners, and 23% special education students. The proposed reductions would therefore have devastating consequences for our students, our educators, and ultimately, the future of our city, the letter says. We welcome the opportunity to engage in continued dialogue, and we hope that you will collaborate in crafting a budget that reflects the values, priorities, and long-term vision of a thriving state with excellent public schools. pfeely@unionleader.com Los Angeles remains the epicenter of unrest after protests erupted in the wake of a string of raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Friday. Now, demonstrations have been sparked across the country, with dozens reported in at least 23 states since Friday. The first protests followed after crowds attempted to thwart ICE agents detention efforts in downtown LA last week. On Saturday, President Donald Trump caused fresh outrage after announcing his plan to deploy the National Guard before later mobilizing the U.S. Marines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dozens of demonstrations have erupted around the country, both in solidarity with the LA protesters and as part of a broader protest against the Trump administrations immigration crackdown. After a week of unrest, The Independent has identified anti-ICE protests in at least 40 U.S. cities since Friday. So far, they have been spread across 23 states, with the highest concentrations in Texas, California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. There have been at least 565 arrests so far at various protests, mainly in LA, with as many as 30 people arrested Wednesday in Spokane, Washington, following a significant police response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other marches also took place on Thursday across the U.S. from Anchorage to Chicago. The nationwide demonstrations have varied in size, with some cities reporting dozens or hundreds of protesters. Meanwhile, other areas have seen thousands of protesters take to the streets, with the National Guard called in to two cities and hundreds of arrests made nationwide. Around 1,900 No Kings rallies across all 50 states will coincide with a multi-million dollar parade for the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary in D.C. on Saturday, which critics have billed as an extravagant birthday bash for Trump. Chicago, Illinois Police officers face off with immigrant rights protesters in the Loop on Tuesday in Chicago, Illinois (Getty) Thousands of protesters marched through downtown Chicago on Tuesday. Demonstrations were largely peaceful, but Fox News reported that some protesters vandalized police vehicles with the network adding that there had been some physical altercations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seventeen arrests were made on Wednesday as thousands flooded the streets at Federal Plaza. Four were charged with felonies, including aggravated battery of a police officer. Multiple vehicles were tagged with anti-ICE graffiti. On Thursday, hundreds of demonstrators displaying signs and chanting through the streets with one group at Michigan Avenue chanting: Donald Trump, youre a clown. Immigrants will take you down. Denver, Colorado Hundreds gathered outside the Colorado Capitol in Denver on Tuesday, according to CBS News, for largely peaceful protests. Reports say that protesters spilled into the streets, but no widespread unrest was reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later that evening, Denver Police reportedly used smoke and pepper balls to disperse the crowd. Eighteen arrests were made Tuesday, police said. In nearby Aurora, home to Colorados only ICE detention center, an additional 150 people joined the protest, according to local news reports. New York City People march during a protest against deportations and ICE on Tuesday in New York City (Getty) Around 20 anti-ICE protesters were also led away by police in New York, following demonstrations in Manhattan on Monday. The following morning, two dozen people were arrested during a sit-in protest at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. Clashes broke out between police and protesters near an ICE office on Tuesday, which saw demonstrators thrown to the ground as police tried to handcuff them. Others lobbed water bottles at officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The NYPD prepared for further anti-ICE protests Thursday after demonstrators marched from Foley Square before moving down Broadway, and later up to the Manhattan Detention Center. Atlanta, Georgia A rally began on Monday outside the ICE office in Atlanta, with protesters calling for the end of immigration raids and the release of the detained union leader, David Huerta, in California. Hundreds of protesters gathered Tuesday night along Buford Highway in Brookhaven. Many carried signs and chanted in English and Spanish during the march, denouncing the Trump administrations stringent deportation efforts. Officials say that they arrested six people after protesters failed to leave after the rallys designated cut-off point and clashed with law enforcement officials. Spokane, Washington After a protest Wednesday afternoon outside an ICE office in Spokane, Mayor Lisa Brown imposed a curfew in the citys downtown area running from 9.30 p.m. until 5 a.m. Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 30 protesters were arrested, and officers deployed pepper balls on the crowd, according to Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall. Brown told reporters that the curfew is meant to protect public safety, adding that the vast majority of protesters were peaceful What is happening in Los Angeles? The protests in LA are expected to enter their seventh day on Friday. More than 700 Marines awaited deployment in Los Angeles on Friday, marking the latest escalation of Trumps response to the immigration raid protests. Around 400 people involved in protests have been arrested by the LAPD alone, according to CNN. Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, enforced a curfew for a third night in a portion of downtown LA in response to looting and vandalism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The curfew is currently in place from 8.00 p.m. Thursday to 06:00 a.m. Friday local time, which is expected to continue for several more days. Trump has maintained temporary control of the National Guard in Los Angeles, an appeals court has ruled, in a major blow to California Governor Gavin Newsom. The US Secretary of State has condemned Sir Keir Starmer for imposing sanctions on two Israeli politicians over the war in Gaza. Marco Rubio criticised Britain and other nations for announcing on Tuesday that they would break with the US and sanction two ultra-nationalist Israeli cabinet ministers. The UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway accused Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich of inciting violence against the Palestinian people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Rubio said the sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war. He urged the UK not to forget who the real enemy is. Mr Ben-Gvir responded on Tuesday evening by comparing Sir Keir to Neville Chamberlain, the former prime minister who was accused of appeasing the Nazis. History will judge the Chamberlains of our time, Mr Ben-Gvir, who has called for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, replied to Mr Rubios post on X. Thank you, Mr. Secretary of State! The American administration is a moral compass in the face of the confusion of some Western countries that choose to appease terrorist organizations like Hamas. Israel is not afraid we will continue to fight terrorism! History will judge the (@itamarbengvir) June 10, 2025 The US ambassador to the UK said he fully supported Mr Rubios comments, adding that the sanctions impede constructive dialogue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the sanctions, Mr Ben-Gvir, Israels national security minister, and Mr Smotrich, the finance minister, will be banned from entering the UK. All their financial assets in Britain will also be frozen. Israel has faced growing international criticism over the conduct of its war with Hamas. Last week, Sir Keir described its actions in Gaza as appalling, while aid groups have accused Israel of blocking food and medicine from entering the territory despite an increasing humanitarian crisis. Foreign Office sources told The Telegraph they hoped sanctioning high-profile members of the Israeli government would make it clear that the UK was willing to adopt a hard line approach to allow aid into Gaza and bring about a ceasefire. The sanctions mark a significant break between No 10 and the White House. Donald Trump has lifted sanctions on Israeli settlers and threatened diplomatic action against the International Criminal Court as it seeks to investigate Israel for war crimes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Foreign Office is understood to have informed the US government that the sanctions were coming on Monday night. However, the State Department was not given a chance to object or veto the decision. In a joint statement, the five countries said Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now to hold those responsible to account, they added. Gideon Saar, Israels foreign minister, described the sanctions as outrageous. He added: I discussed it earlier today with Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, and we will hold a special government meeting early next week to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Smotrich once described the entire Arab population of the West Bank as Nazis. Last month, he said that Gaza should be totally destroyed and its population evacuated. He also said he would not let a grain of wheat into the territory. It is unclear what meaningful response Israel can take against the UK, which technically remains a key ally. British and other diplomats working in the West Bank have already been subject to bureaucratic frustrations by Israel for over a year, it is understood. The Israeli government has promised to discuss the matter at a cabinet meeting in five days time, suggesting it would prefer to downplay the importance of the sanctions rather than escalate the row. The Telegraph understands that British ministers did not explicitly threaten Israel with the sanctions, but particularly since Labour took over last year had become increasingly critical about human rights abuses, particularly comments and actions that led to violence in the West Bank, behind closed doors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said the Israeli pair had used horrendous extremist language and that he would encourage the Israeli government to disavow and condemn that language. He has also described the conduct of the Israeli army as monstrous and condemned the actions of extremist settlers in the West Bank. Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, called the responses from Israel and the US predictable. The Israeli government does need to uphold its obligations under international law and some of the expansionist rhetoric that weve seen as well is clearly in contradiction of that from these hard-line right wing members of the Netanyahu government, he said on Wednesday in an interview with ABC Radio Sydney. David Lammy (left), the Foreign Secretary, met Marco Rubio (right), the US Secretary of State, in May - Getty Images Mr Albanese said the comments made by the two men had aided what is a serious impediment to a two-state solution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Zealands foreign minister insisted the measures were not directed against the Israeli people or government. Rather, the travel bans are targeted at two individuals who are using their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state solution, Winston Peters said. In response, Yishai Fleisher, a former advisor to Mr Ben-Gvir, attacked the sanctions and Mr Lammy calling him Mr Lamey. Its a sad day for Western civilisation when the formerly great country of England and the UK, and other countries, have completely succumbed to the jihadist narrative, just as the streets of London are succumbing to jihad, he told the BBC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, instead of defending Israel, which is the lone Jewish state that is constantly under attack from radical Islam, the UK has joined the wrong side to fight against the Jewish state, to try to shrink it and destroy it, and now to delegitimise the government. Mr Smotrich, meanwhile, appeared to retaliate against sanctions by attempting to cripple the financial system that underpins the Palestinian economy. His office said in a statement that he had ordered the cancellation of a waiver that indemnified Israeli banks when corresponding with Palestinian banks. The Palestinian Authority relies heavily on its relationships with Israeli banks, as it does not have its own currency. Earlier, Mr Smotrich threatened to collapse the Palestinian Authority in response to the sanctions. It is understood that foreign diplomats in Israel are concerned that this measure is not a bluff and worried about the damage it might do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, the US dropped its support for an independent Palestinian state. Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, said a two-state solution was no longer White House policy. He said: Unless there are some significant things that happen that change the culture, theres no room for it. The sanctions are not thought to be linked to the issue of recognising a Palestinian state. France and Saudi Arabia are planning a major conference next week with the aim of pushing that agenda. While it is a manifesto commitment for the UK government to recognise a Palestinian state, it is thought Sir Keir Starmer has yet to decide how best to proceed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Wednesday there were further reports of shooting near a newly-opened aid centre run by the US Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The Gaza civil defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting to enter the food distribution facility near the neighbourhood of Netzarim, in the centre of the Strip, killing 31 and wounding around 200. The agency comes under the Gazan ministry of the interior, which is controlled by Hamas. Other accounts put the death toll at 25. The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It follows reports of several deaths on Tuesday, and multiple mass-casualty events last week at the Rafah GHF centre, with eyewitnesses blaming Israeli fire. 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. Timothy Kudo, a military veteran who served as a U.S. Marines Corps captain, warned Tuesday that Donald Trump deploying Marines and National Guard troops to protests in Los Angeles could end horrifically. Kudo revealed to MSNBCs Alex Witt that the Marines sent to the demonstrations against the presidents immigration policies the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines are an infantry unit thats trained for many months to close with and destroy the enemy. The training that theyve just had on how to deal with civilians, maybe theyve gotten in the past 24 to 48 hours, if that, Kudo said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 700 Marines that arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday were reportedly set to be issued a card by the Pentagon with guidelines advising them what to do while protecting federal personnel and property in the city. Their deployment will cost a whopping $134 million, a figure that covers troops housing, food and travel for 60 days, per acting Defense Department Undersecretary Bryn MacDonnell. Kudo chuckled and shook his head in disapproval when Witt mentioned the Pentagons card for troops before explaining that its likely tied to the Standing Rules for the Use of Force, which applies to how soldiers should conduct escalation of force [and] engagement with civilians. Unfortunately, a card runs contrary to how theyve been trained for this many months, since boot camp even, said Kudo before referring back to the Marine units training. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kudo proceeded to underscore the communication challenges that could arise in Los Angeles between local law enforcement and the Marines. He noted that in 1992, when the Insurrection Act was last invoked by George H. W. Bush during the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, Marines fired hundreds of bullets on a home when a police officer said cover me (this means something entirely different to a Marine) while they were on a domestic violence call. Thankfully, he added, no one was killed inside the home. Kudo, when later asked what seems to get under Trumps skin about Los Angeles, said he thinks Trump hates the citys multiculturalism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Having grown up there ... its a wonderful place where theres a lot of activism and a lot of protest and a lot of engagement by the citizenry, said Kudo, a Santa Monica native. Its a hugely diverse city and I think its something that scares him because its a vision of America that hes entirely opposed to. Related... The roughly 700 Marines recently ordered to deploy to Los Angeles have not yet completed training on less-than-lethal weapons and training on the Standing Rules for Use of Force, which governs the use of force for military personnel within the United States, said a spokesperson for U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM. It is not yet clear when the Marines will complete the training, or when they will join NORTHCOMs Task Force 51, which is overseeing U.S. troops responding to the ongoing immigration protests in Los Angeles, the spokesperson said. When U.S. troops operate domestically, they are bound by the Standing Rules for the Use of Force which are more restrictive than wartime rules of engagement and they must follow the same law and rules under the 4th Amendment as police, said retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rachel VanLandingham, a former military attorney. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NORTHCOM announced on Sunday that the Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, had been told to be ready to deploy to Los Angeles to supplement National Guardsmen responding to immigration protests there. The Marines began receiving Standing Rules for Use of Force training from an operational law attorney with I Marine Expeditionary Force before deploying to Los Angeles, a Marine Corps official told Task & Purpose. Since the immigration protests began on June 7, President Donald Trump has federalized about 4,000 members of the National Guard to protect federal personnel and buildings. The Marines were ordered to deploy to Los Angeles on Monday. Typically, states activate their National Guard troops to conduct disaster relief or law enforcement missions when their governors deem it necessary, VanLandingham told Task & Purpose for a previous story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 prohibits federal U.S. troops from enforcing U.S. laws on American soil unless the president invokes the Insurrection Act. Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act, and he has only directed the federalized National Guard troops to protect federal personnel and buildings, VanLandingham said. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of NORTHCOM, recently told the Los Angeles Times that the Marines do not have the authority to arrest people. They are not law enforcement officers, and they do not have the authority to make arrests, Guillot told the newspaper. There are very unique situations where they could detain someone if detaining was necessary to defend, but they could only detain that person long enough to hand it off to a proper law enforcement official. The latest on Task & Purpose Jun. 10OREGON A Markham man will begin serving his 30-day jail sentence June 18 after pleading guilty May 28 to battering a 17-year-old Polo woman in December 2022. Armon D. Pearson, 25, also was sentenced to 24 months of probation after pleading guilty to the misdemeanor offense as he appeared before Judge Anthony Peska. Pearson's attorney, Brian Erwin, and Assistant Ogle County State's Attorney Matthew Leisten told Peska that a plea agreement had been reached on a new charge of battery, and a felony charge of sexual assault, filed in July 2023, would be dismissed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pearson originally was charged with criminal sexual assault of a 17-year-old in Polo on Dec. 13, 2022. He pleaded not guilty Feb. 14, 2023, and requested a jury trial. Under the new charge, filed May 28, Pearson is accused of making physical contact of "an insulting or provoking nature" with the woman. Peska sentenced Pearson to serve 30 days in the Ogle County Jail with credit for six days served. As part of the probation sentence, Pearson must "cooperate and satisfactorily complete" a domestic violence intervention program, cooperate and complete psychological or substance abuse assessments or treatments, and not have any contact indirectly or directly with the victim. He also was ordered to pay $1,039 in fines and court costs in payments of $200 until paid in full. Pearson was ordered to turn himself in at the jail June 18. MARLBORO COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) A Marlboro County woman accused of stabbing her husband to death during a domestic dispute in 2019 was arrested Tuesday for failure to appear in court on a murder charge, authorities said. Gladys Williams was captured by bail enforcement agents and taken to the Marlboro County Sheriffs Office to surrender, according to deputies. She was then moved to the countys detention center to await a hearing before a circuit judge. Williams allegedly stabbed her husband, Leroy Williams, 60, on Feb. 1, 2019, inside his home on Westwood Court in Bennettsville. He died at an area hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police also charged Jennifer Adams with accessory after the fact to murder for removing and throwing out the murder weapon. Authorities said she removed and threw out the murder weapon. Adams recently pleaded guilty in February to a charge of destroying, altering, concealing, or tampering with physical evidence or biological material and was sentenced to time served. Its unclear how long authorities had been looking for Williams before she was returned to custody on Tuesday. News13 has reached out to Bennettville police for more information about their investigation. * * * 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. An Ohio school administrator, who was married with children, was sentenced to three years in prison on Tuesday for having sex with a teen student in her office. Emily Nutley, a 43-year-old former counselor who worked with at-risk students at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, pleaded guilty to sexual battery in April, and must also now register as a Tier 3 sex offender every 90 days during her life, WLWT's Karin Johnson reports. Although Ohio law does not mandate a prison term for such a crime, the victim's family called for the maximum possible sentence. Ohio asked for a five-year sentence, while the defense asked for probation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A sentencing memorandum obtained by the Cincinnati Enquirer said text messages showed Nutley initiated the sexual relationship with the male student in late 2023. Nutley had texted the student, who was 17 at the time, sent nude photos of herself to him and had at least four sexual encounters with him. High School Teacher Caught In Undercover Sting Operation After Explicit Chats With Teen Girl Online: Police When the teen tried to end things with Nutley, who was 42 at the time, the documents state that "she threatened to kill herself" and paid him to keep quiet about the relationship. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The student told his parents about the situation on Oct. 7, 2024, and met with school administrators the following day, the newspaper reported. On Oct. 11, 2024, the school fired Nutley after an internal investigation. In the memorandum, prosecutors likened Nutley to "most pedophiles," saying that she "preyed on the most defenseless person she could find." Alabama Kindergarten Teacher, 49, Accused Of Enticing Teen Into Bathroom For Sexual Encounter Nutleys attorney, Joe Suhre, filed a separate sentencing memorandum, describing her as a "broken woman" who suffered from mental illness and alcohol abuse and was a survivor of sexual abuse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Suhre said that when the sexual encounters with the student began, Nutley was depressed over the death of her brother and the dissolution of her marriage. He said a psychologist treating her found her behavior to be tied to "unresolved trauma." Prosecutors wrote that the student "will pay the price for the rest of his life" over Nutleys actions. Since her conviction in April, Nutley has been in a treatment program for those convicted of sex crimes, Suhre said. Original article source: Married Ohio school administrator, 43, learns sentence for sex with teen student in office The Brief Mary Lou Retton pleaded no contest to a DUI charge after a May traffic stop in her hometown and was fined $100 as a first-time offender. Police said she smelled of alcohol, slurred her words, and failed a sobriety test; wine was found in her vehicle. Retton took full responsibility, apologized publicly, and said she was committed to personal growth after the incident. FAIRMONT, W. Va. - Olympic gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton on Tuesday entered a no contest plea to driving under the influence stemming from a traffic stop and arrest in her homtown in West Virginia last month. Mary Lou Retton sentenced with $100 fine A Marion County judge fined Retton $100, consistent with sentencing guidelines for first-time, non-aggravated offenses, her attorney Edmund J. Rollo said in a statement. What they're saying In a statement released through her attorney, the 57-year-old Retton said she took full responsibility for her actions. Gymnast Mary Lou Retton visits at SiriusXM Studio on August 9, 2016 in New York City. (Credit: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images) "What happened was completely unacceptable. I make no excuses," she said. "To my family, friends and my fans: I have let you down, and for that I am deeply sorry. I am determined to learn and grow from this experience, and I am committed to making positive changes in my life. I truly appreciate your concern, encouragement and continued support." Mary Lou Retton arrested Dig deeper Fairmont police stopped Retton on May 17 following a report about a person in a Porsche driving erratically. According to the criminal complaint, Retton smelled of alcohol and was slurring her words, and she failed a field sobriety test. Officers also reported observing a container of wine in the passenger seat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement EARLIER: Olympic legend Mary Lou Retton arrested on DUI charge, records show Retton was charged with one count of driving under the influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs on May 17, according to Marion County court records. She was released from jail after posting a personal recognizance bond of $1,500. Mary Lou Rettons career The backstory Retton was 16 when she became the first American female gymnast to win the all-around title at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The native of Fairmont, West Virginia, also won two silver and two bronze medals at those Summer Games to help bring gymnastics a sport long dominated by eastern European powers like Romania and the Soviet Union into the mainstream in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED:Mary Lou Retton says she's a 'fighter' as she recuperates at home following pneumonia scare Retton became the first woman to be featured on the front of a Wheaties cereal box. She retired from competitive gymnastics in 1986 and did numerous commercial endorsements. She also made several film and television appearances, including a stint on "Dancing with the Stars." She and her husband, Shannon Kelley, divorced in 2018. After she retired from gymnastics, Retton became a motivational speaker and frequently shared messages about the benefits of proper nutrition and exercise. In 2023, Rettons family disclosed she was recuperating from a rare form of pneumonia that landed her in intensive care. Doctors found her oxygen levels dangerously low. Her medical team considered putting her on a ventilator as her conditioned worsened. Retton went on oxygen treatment and, after weeks in the hospital, improved enough to be sent home. The Source The Associated Press, FOX News contributed to this story. This story was reported from Los Angeles. LANHAM, Md. (DC News Now) A simple icon on a drivers license in Maryland could be a lifesaver. A mom and son duo spearheaded a new law to bring hidden disabilities to the forefront. Now, when first responders see a butterfly logo on the ID, theyll know the person might have a condition they cant see, like autism or other hidden disabilities. Bowie police officer being called a hero for saving a teenager from drowning Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eric Carpenter-Grantham and his mother, Linda, were given a special proclamation Tuesday by members of the Prince Georges County council. The recognition was for the familys hard work and dedication for spearheading the new law known as Erics ID Law. Eric Carpenter-Grantham is a 20-year-old with high-functioning autism. I felt so much love in the room and in my heart, and I want to thanks them so much for this beautiful award they gave me, Eric Carpenter-Grantham said. His mother, Linda Carpenter-Grantham, was also humbled and honored to receive a proclamation. I am totally grateful and very appreciative and humble, and its a really good thing and a huge blessing, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state legislation was passed in April, but County Councilmember Wanika Fisher says the council wanted to remind the community how important this is. This is huge for Prince Georges County and our school system. We have the largest amount of kids with hidden disabilities in the entire state. So Erics ID law was a big priority for the county council last year and us advocating for this, Fisher said. Linda Carpenter-Grantham is now working to get this law nationwide. Erics ID Law goes into effect in October. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Eleanor Holmes Nortons language was pointed. Rep. Andy Harris is trying to overrule the will of my constituents, said Norton, Washington D.C.s delegate to the U.S. House. The Maryland Republican, she added, is violating his own principles regarding local control of local affairs. Norton was referring to Harris tucking language into federal budget legislation that prohibited the District of Columbia from spending money to carry out a marijuana legalization law approved by its voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That was 2014, but it might well have been yesterday. In every congressional session since including the current one the Harris Rider has appeared in appropriations bills, and Norton and marijuana legalization advocates have vehemently railed against it. Their longstanding back-and-forth is as predictable as the humidity that returns to Washington each summer. The rider means people can possess or use limited amounts of marijuana at home in Washington, but no one can sell it for recreational use. The congresswoman always advocates to remove it, said Sharon Eliza Nichols, the communications director for Norton, now 89. She speaks against it continuously she references it specifically on the House floor, at press conferences, and at external speaking engagements whenever she speaks about the D.C. appropriations bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harris, 68, whose district includes the Eastern Shore, Harford County and a portion of Baltimore County, is a Johns Hopkins-trained anesthesiologist who has long crusaded against marijuana use. He has an outsized role in District of Columbia governance as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which has a powerful say over D.C. finances. Harris says marijuana has been linked to a host of physical and social ills. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Food and Drug Administration have held long-standing opinions that marijuana is a psychoactive drug that is both addictive and harmful, Harris said in a written statement to the Baltimore Sun. Despite a lack of much scientific research showing safety and growing evidence of harm, over three dozen states legalized the recreational use of marijuana, he said. I am glad to see that the Trump administration recognized the importance of the Harris Rider by including it in their FY26 Budget Request and look forward to seeing the Harris Rider enacted into law again in this years appropriations process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said she opposes all congressional interference in the lives and affairs of Washingtonians, in a statement from her office on Tuesday. Maryland voters approved a ballot referendum in 2022 to legalize marijuana for adults, and sales were permitted beginning in July of the following year. Marijuana remains classified, along with heroin and LSD, as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it is illegal at the federal level. States such as Maryland acted independently in legalizing it, and federal law enforcement has generally concentrated its efforts on criminal networks involved in the illicit marijuana trade, according to the Congressional Research Service. President Joe Bidens administration had proposed reclassifying marijuana, which would have removed some restrictions on medical research, for example although it still wouldnt have been declared the drug legal federally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But President Donald Trumps administration has not moved to downgrade the drug from Schedule 1, even though Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had pledged to decriminalize cannabis at the federal level while a presidential candidate in 2023. HHS did not return messages seeking comment about its plans. The battle between Harris and marijuana legalization activists seemed to get personal after the congressmans rider was first introduced. In April 2018, former Washington head shop owner Adam Eidinger rented a brick rowhouse in the congressmans district in Salisbury so he could vote against Harris and organize others to do the same. Eidinger, 51, helped push Initiative 71, the ballot measure approved by voters in 2014 to legalize marijuana in Washington for recreational use. He also often showed up at Harris public events, asking repeatedly why Harris thought he knew more than District voters about what is good for them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eidinger and his fellow activists tried to imbue their rallies and events with creativity. They displayed inflatable joints outside the White House and distributed cannabis at Trumps first inauguration in 2017. Harris would not relent. Andy Harris is totally out of touch. Its frustrating on so many different levels, Eidinger said this week. Ive given up on trying to change these guys minds. We have to vote in guys we can trust, he said. _____ A U.S. citizen in her ninth month of pregnancy was hospitalized with sharp stomach pains after being arrested and later released by ICE agents who accused her of obstructing the arrest of her undocumented husband. In an incident that was captured on video, 23-year-old Cary Lopez, her husband, her cousin, and a coworker of her husband were arrested just outside of their workplace in Hawthorne a city in Los Angeles County by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents wearing face coverings and sunglasses. ICE has been conducting large-scale raids and arrests of undocumented people at workplaces in the Los Angeles areas. Protests against the arrests grew increasingly volatile over the weekend after the president federalized the National Guard and later deployed active duty U.S. Marines to the city in what local officials called an excessive and incendiary response to the unrest. Members of the military are slated to accompany ICE on raids and arrest operations, despite not being authorized to participate in civilian law enforcement activities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lopez, who was about a week away from her due date at the time of the arrest, attempted to stop the agents from entering. I was blocking the doors because they were trying to forcibly open them, but I told them they were on private property, she told NBC4 . They had us all surrounded, Lopez added. I had lost my balance because he was kind of shoving me away from the door [] Thats when I kind of leaned forward, trying to protect the stomach. I wasnt resisting or anything [] I cant fight back, Im pregnant. Following the arrest, Lopez told NBC4 that she began to experience sharp pains in her stomach, and spoke to the news station from the hospital where her pregnancy is being monitored. Its not the first instance in recent weeks in which ICE which displays the motto honor first on its vehicles manhandled a pregnant U.S. citizen. According to a March report from the Idaho State Journal, Kayla Somarriba a 25-year-old who at the time was seven months pregnant was driving her undocumented husband and brother in law to a court hearing in Spokane Valley, Idaho, when they were surrounded by about a half dozen ICE and Department of Homeland Security vehicles. Agents claimed to have an arrest warrant for the two men and demanded that they get out of the car, but refused to show the warrant to Somarriba. When the three occupants refused to exit the vehicle, agents shattered the windows in order to drag them out, and her husband was shocked with a stun gun. I even offered to show them my passport, my husbands work permit and social security number, but they didnt want to see it; they just kept saying they are criminals and that they cant be in the United States, Somarriba told the Journal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mistreatment of pregnant U.S. citizens by ICE agents emboldened by the Trump administration reflects a larger pattern of abuse against migrant women who remain in their custody. Last month U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) quietly repealed several rules granting protections to pregnant women, postpartum women, and infants that came into contact with the migrant detention system. These included requirements to provide extra medical care and resources, private areas for lactation and breastfeeding, and mandating that supplies like diapers and unexpired baby formula be available in detention facilities. This May, Iris Dayana Monterroso-Lemus experienced a stillbirth in her fourth or fifth month of pregnancy while being held at a Louisiana ICE detention center after what she told The Nashville Banner were days of pleading with staff for medical attention. They didnt give me medical attention nowhere. Not in Louisiana, not in Alabama. I was in Alabama too, sleeping on the floor, she said. I started suffering from insomnia, from anxiety. Then I felt like I was having a stroke, and they still didnt give me a medical exam, Monterroso-Lemus, a mother of six recalled. She began having contractions, and says she was told by staff that the pain was normal because her baby was growing. When I was delivering my baby, they didnt even give me a little privacy, she told the Banner. Imagine, [a guard] was sitting right there, watching me day and night. One time, they even shackled my feet because they thought I might escape. Like I was some kind of criminal. I told them, What youre doing to me isnt right. She was deported to Guatemala shortly after. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration claims publicly that their large-scale operations targeting undocumented migrants are focused on finding and detaining known and notorious criminals, but its clear that the administrations tactic is to cast a dragnet through immigrant communities, and then insist that all those detained are criminals under their immigration status alone. A U.S. Citizen? Pregnant? No criminal record? All are fair game to the Trump administration in their mission to purge the nation of undocumented immigration. 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 an instance of exceptional depravity, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a pregnant U.S. citizen just days before her due date, NBC News reported Tuesday. Cary Lopez Alvarado was detained by masked ICE agents Sunday, who claimed that she was obstructing an arrest of her partner and his co-worker, two undocumented immigrants from Guatemala, during a raid in Hawthorne, a city in Los Angeles County. Lopez Alvarado and her cousin Alberto Sandoval, who is also a citizen, were opening a gate to allow their truck into the parking lot of a private building when ICE agents arrived. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They had us all surrounded, she told NBC News in an interview from a hospital bed, her voice breaking. After being released by ICE shortly after her arrest, Lopez Alvarado experienced sharp pains in her stomach, and was admitted to the hospital. I had lost my balance, she tearfully told NBC. He was kind of shoving me away from the door, and uh, thats when I kind of just like leaned forward because I was kind of trying to protect the stomach. In a video of the incident obtained by the outlet, neighbors could be heard shouting Let her go, and Shes pregnant! In one video, Lopez Alvarado can be heard explaining to the agents that they could not enter private property. The agents told her that the parking wasnt private property, and that she was impeding their arrest, she said. I wasnt resisting or anything, she said. I cant fight back; Im pregnant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Lopez Alvarado tried to tell the officers that she was due June 17, she said they responded, OK, your baby is going to be born here, but youre from Mexico, right? And I told them no. Lopez Alvarado told Telemundo 52 in Spanish that she was born in Los Angeles. As part of its inhumane crackdown on immigration, the Trump administration has readily arrested U.S. citizens, deported families, and endangered sick children, leaving hollow promises to target individuals with criminal records in the rearview. In a statement to NBC News, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that Lopez Alvarado had been detained because she allegedly obstructed federal law enforcement by blocking access to a car that had two Guatemalan illegal aliens in it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement claimed that the ICE agents had been assaulted during the incident and that rioters had thrown wrenches and batteries at the agents. Sandoval still faces assault charges, though his mother, Maria Alvarado, told Telemundo 52 that he was innocent, and there was proof. My son didnt attack. He was attacked. There are videos. Theres evidence, she said in Spanish. A recent series of ICE arrests in Los Angeles have sparked massive protests there, and the Trump administration has been quick to fan the flames of unrest by calling in the National Guard and U.S. Marines, in possible violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. California has already moved to sue Trump for overreaching his authority, and California Governor Gavin Newsom warned Wednesday that the president had placed democracy under assault. If youre a member of the Bay States political and chattering class, and you needed a reminder that Massachusetts is officially in the thick of a gubernatorial campaign season, then you didnt have to look much further than your email inbox on Monday. There, you would have found dueling press releases from Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve, the two former Baker administration officials vying for the GOP nomination for the Corner Office in 2026. The target, inevitably, was Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, whod signed onto a statement with her fellow Democratic governors criticizing the Trump administrations decision to federalize National Guard forces in response to immigration protests in Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement, issued through the Democratic Governors Association, took the Republican White House to task for its unusual decision to sidestep Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom when it called in the National Guard which 700 U.S. Marines have since supplemented. The White Houses end-run was an alarming abuse of power. Governors are the commanders-in-chief of their National Guard, and activating them within their own borders without consulting or working with a states governor is ineffective and dangerous, the DGAs statement asserted. Kennealy, who served as Bakers housing and economic development czar, was first out of the gate at little after 4 p.m., arguing that, by opposing the federal response, the Democratic incumbent was legitimizing criminal behavior under the guise of protest. Shortsleeve, who ran the MBTA under Baker, followed up around 6:30 p.m. He got in a similar shot, condemning Healey for appearing to side with rioting protesters waving foreign flags who were violently attacking American law enforcement officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shortsleeve also slammed Healey for her management of the states hugely expensive migrant crisis and, by implication, her criticism of the aggressive tactics of federal immigration agents as theyve rounded up undocumented people across the state. If cooperation between the federal and state governments is what she wants, you wouldnt know it by her refusal to work in an orderly way to ensure criminal illegal immigrants in our state were delivered to federal law enforcement for deportation instead of released onto our streets, Shortsleeve said. Kennealy, who didnt explicitly mention the migrant crisis, but who has been publicly critical, observed that when the federal government offers help to restore order and protect citizens, we take it because doing the right thing for our people should always come before scoring partisan points. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taken together, the broadsides from the two Republican hopefuls were a reminder that the migrant crisis, which has subsided in its intensity, remains a potent line of attack, and that the Democratic incumbent remains vulnerable on the issue. More than half of respondents (52%) to a UMass Amherst/WCVB-TV poll in February, for instance, said they disapproved of the Arlington Democrats management of the shelter crisis. Their mood was reflective of national trends. A broader UMass poll in April found Americans to be of two minds on the issue, supporting a path to citizenship, even as they supported the White Houses moves against migrants with criminal records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A CBS News poll completed before Saturdays unrest in Los Angeles, however, provided a reminder that public patience for the White Houses tactics extends only so far. Thats because support for enforcement against non-criminals drops off precipitously, the poll found. While 55% of respondents approved of Trumps deportation goals, only 44% approved of his approach to the deportation effort. Healey, in public appearances, repeatedly has drawn that line. Shes stressed that she supports taking criminals off the streets, even as shes decried the apparent shroud of secrecy thats enveloped the apprehension of such noncriminal migrants as Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk and Milford High School student-athlete Marcelo Gomes da Silva. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is part of the problem that were seeing with ICE across the country. And certainly here in Massachusetts, people are being picked up. We have no information about their circumstances, Healey said after an unrelated news conference at the State House last month. There have been real questions raised about due process and whether or not ICE and immigration officials are ... complying with due process here and in other states. And we need answers. Its not clear, however, if the Massachusetts voters were grasping the subtlety of that policy fine line. An internal poll by Kennealys campaign pointed to a similar vulnerability for Healey on immigration issues, The Boston Herald reported last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And 49% of respondents to a University of New Hampshire poll last week said they approved of her job performance, compared to 45% who said they disapproved. With the polls 3.3% margin of error, thats a statistical dead heat. Even still, Healeys loyalists pounced on the UNH canvass, dismissing it as an outlier, as they pointed to other public polling that showed her more broadly popular overall. Governor Healey is going to earn reelection because she understands Massachusetts people need someone whos going to fight to lower costs for them, going to fight to increase housing opportunities for them, going to fight back against Donald Trump, state Democratic Party Chairperson Steve Kerrigan said during an interview on WBZ-TVs Keller @ Large program that aired last weekend. And frankly, neither Mike Kennealy nor Brian Shortsleeve are willing to do any of that. The lingering question is what happens if Massachusetts, which already has been targeted by the White House, finds itself facing a Los Angeles-style protest that results in Trump doing a gubernatorial end-run by federalizing the state National Guard or, at its extreme end, dispatching U.S. troops to Boston or some other city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If elected, would Kennealy or Shortsleeve acquiesce in the face of such an action? Or would they protest a usurpation of their executive authority? At that point, the question moves from political to practical. Healey staked out her territory with that DGA statement. The responses from Shortsleeve and Kennealy would speak volumes about how they intend to lead during what presumably would be the final two years of Trumps term. Thats something that Massachusetts voters would have to decide for themselves. Which makes their answers bear watching. Read more analysis from John L. Micek Read the original article on MassLive. OAKLAND, Calif. - Video of an Oakland Shiekh store in the Fruitvale District being looted by a mass of people on Tuesday night was captured on camera. What we know The store, located at 3422 International Boulevard, was struck sometime this evening in the same vicinity where there had been an earlier, peaceful, anti-ICE protest. KTVU also has video of a car on fire in the same area at 35th Avenue and International Boulevard. We are working to get more details about what happened. We have reached out to the Oakland Police Department for official details but have not yet heard back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Norma Orozco, an organizer of the earlier peaceful demonstration, said the protest ended at 8 p.m. and everybody dispersed. That's when she saw a car crash happen and one of the cars involved was left abandoned. Much later, a group set the car on fire. "At some point, other individuals came up and somebody lit the car on fire. When the car was already on fire, I saw at least three Oakland police drive by and do absolutely nothing," Orozco, an organizer with the Ella Baker Center, said. She said the fire department showed up and extinguished the fire. It is not clear if the looting of the store is connected to anyone who may have been protesting ICE. Chaos The video shows chaotic moments of a crowd of people at the store's entrance as the mob rushes in to take whatever they please. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People can be heard on the video encouraging each other to "hurry up!" Looters can be seen with armfuls of piles of clothing taken directly off the rack. Several of the thieves are wearing hooded sweatshirts and many people have masks to partially obscure their faces, although some people's faces can clearly be seen on the video. The video captures the moment a sledgehammer is used to break into the store. It is not clear if anyone was hurt by these incidents. This is a developing story. While Colorado Springs voters weigh whether to annex almost 2,000 acres east of the city over the next week, the commander of Schriever Space Force Base outlined the risks of encroachment around the base and the need for affordable housing for service members in a letter to local leaders. About 6,500 single-family homes and a business district could be built on the prairie northwest of the intersection of Bradley and Curtis roads as part of the Karman Line annexation, over 3 miles outside existing city limits along Bradley Road. At the closest point, the proposed development is 1.5 miles from the city limits. The new neighborhood's boundary could be less than half a mile from Schriever at its closest point, the El Paso County County Assessor map shows. Col. Kenneth Klock leads Space Base Delta 1 and oversees seven Space Force bases, including Schriever and Peterson Space Force Bases and Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station. At Schriever crews run the GPS satellites that undergird Google and Apple Maps. The base is also home to the Space Innovation and Development Center plus the Missile Defense Agency, and it is considered a sensitive base for national security purposes, according to federal law. While Klock cannot take a position on any development proposal, he did detail some of the risks of encroachment, history of the base and needs of current service members, including affordable housing and child care, in the letter and in response to Gazette questions. When families are supported through affordable housing, quality child care, and a strong community, our service members can focus on their space missions, knowing their loved ones are safe, stable, and thriving, he said. Schrievers original mission came to the Pikes Peak region from Sunnyvale, Calif., because it was incompatible with commercial development and encroachment, Klock said. Sunnyvale also could not accept expanding missions. Schriever Space Force Base's location was strategically chosen in the 1980s for its horizon-to-horizon satellite tracking, isolation from urban growth, and ability to support expanding DOD space programs, Klock said. He went on to say that development in the surrounding area could pose numerous risks. These risks include electromagnetic and radio frequency interference. Satellites are controlled through electromagnetic waves because they move through the vacuum of space. The electromagnetic spectrum is a physical domain which can be managed, occupied, and selectively controlled. It is also facing pressure from the private sector with the expansion of mobile phones and Wi-Fi. For example, a 2021 Congressional Research Service Report said the domain could be disrupted by the expansion of 5G cellular networks. Development could bring other risks such as horizon and physical obstruction, ambient noise, and vibration, Klock said. Additional traffic that could pose safety risks is also a factor for consideration. Balancing the need for growth and problems with encroachment will require collaboration, he said in response to questions. "We remain committed to transparent dialogue with community stakeholders to ensure future planning protects both national security and the well-being of the Pikes Peak Region," he said in the letter. Eli Bremer, a Karman Line development partner, said that as a former Air Force officer who served at Schriever, he understands the experience of service members and their need for housing and services closer to their workplace. He also worked with the base on designs for the development. The military was completely involved with this as much was appropriate and proper and legal, Bremer said. If voters approve Karman Line, development is expected to start as close to Schriever as possible to alleviate the base's need for housing, he said. As more of the Schriever workforce lives near the base, that could also help alleviate traffic along Colorado 94, a narrow, two-lane state highway, he said. If the base leadership had raised any concern, Bremer said, his team would have addressed it. Klock said in response to questions from The Gazette that an exchange of information about a project is not an endorsement. "While we support responsible growth in the region, any suggestion that we have endorsed a specific project or development is inaccurate," he said. Rather, military leadership is involved under a Colorado law that requires installations to be involved in any projects within 2 miles of their boundaries to ensure the development remains compatible with national security missions. Colorado Springs Chamber and Economic Development Corp. CEO Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer said that her organization welcomes opportunities to work with the bases to address encroachment issues and the need for affordable housing and child care. But developers need for more specifics about how to mitigate concerns about encroachment. "We are not getting specifics about encroachment issues, so we can work with the bases," she said. The local Military Affairs Council, now separate from the Chamber, declined to comment. Karman is not the only development seeking to serve Schriever. Flying Horse East could feature nearly 5,000 homes, in addition to some businesses, directly north of Schriever along Colorado 94. The county's planning commission is scheduled to review the sketch plan for the project June 19. Keith Klaehn, with the local and all-volunteer Defense Mission Task Force, presented on development encroaching around military bases last year in front of the El Paso County Planning Commission, where he noted that the Department of Defense does not have the money to buy up land to buffer all its bases, so it is an important issue for local communities to watch. One concern nationally is foreign investment around bases, particularly Chinese investment, Klaehn said. In late 2024, the federal government started requiring a review of real estate transactions for a 100-mile radius around Schriever to monitor for concerning foreign investment. The change increased the review radius from 1 mile. Colorado Springs voters have until 7 p.m. June 17 to turn in their ballots regarding the Karman Line annexation. The city had seen a 14% turnout, or about 47,000 ballots, returned as of Monday night. The southeast district of the city, closest to the annexation, also has had the lowest turnout so far, with about 7% of ballots submitted. After losing nearly $100,000, Leo Behaj is sharing his experience with a pair of troublesome renters he says have a PhD in scamming landlords. Behaj and his wife bought a second home in Reading, Massachusetts a few years ago with the intention of moving in when their children got to high school, allowing the kids to attend a school in the district. In 2021, they found a couple who were keen to rent the property in the meantime a couple that reportedly also wanted to keep their children in the desirable district. Don't miss Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Almost immediately, these tenants began to complain about needed repairs and stopped paying rent. As Behaj and his wife would come to learn, the couple has reportedly been repeating this pattern with helpless landlords for 20 years, having been at the center of 12 eviction cases in the state. "They're professionals," Behaj shared with NBC10 Boston. "These people have a PhD. They have everything for how to screw the system." Meet Bryan Coombes and Nicole Inserra Behaj and his wife came to the U.S. from Albania in 2010, and since they were new to the country, renting this property was their first experience as landlords. "I said to my friends, 'From an American dream, it can become an American nightmare.'" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bryan Coombes and Nicole Inserra, the couple accused of being "professional tenants, battled Behaj in court for two years. Behaj says Coombes represented himself during the proceedings and seemed to know exactly what to do in order to delay the couples eviction. NBC10 Boston also reports that $13,000 in rental assistance, which is covered by taxpayer dollars, was given to Coombes and Inserra during their stay at Behaj's property. Meanwhile, during the two-year battle with his tenants, Behaj was forced to take a second job as an Uber driver to pay the mortgage on both of his properties. After losing $95,000 in legal fees and unpaid rent, Behaj sold the house in order to work his way out of debt. NBC10 Boston also found that while Coombes and Inserra were Behajs tenants, they filed for bankruptcy five times. Federal court records show the couple has a combined nine bankruptcy cases between the two of them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking outside the court, Coombes told NBC10 Boston that he is not a professional tenant. "That's not true. I use the law, and the law helps me do what I need to do," Coombes said. "I don't avoid paying rent. I use the law to my advantage when people don't fix things that are supposed to fix things." 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 The first of many victims NBC10 Bostons investigative team managed to track down the first family that Coombes and Inserra had issues with 20 years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peter Amatos parents bought a duplex in Woburn that Amato and his wife, Teri, lived in until 2004. Amatos parents then rented the property out to Coombes and Inserra and, according to court records, the couple almost immediately stopped paying rent. Amato said issues dragged on for months. Complaints to the city's health department over things like lightbulbs, asbestos and lead paint allowed Coombes and Inserra to stay on the property without paying rent. After months of mounting costs, Amatos parents finally gave up. "It was either pay them and stop bleeding out money, or fight them and bleed out money and put yourself in financial chaos," said Amato. "It was cheaper to give them $20,000 and tell them to get lost." The latest case Coombes and Inserra are now battling a new landlord over the same type of alleged issues they claimed were wrong with Behajs property. NBC10 Boston spoke with Bob Lee, an attorney who is currently working on a case for a landlord who rented a home in Burlington to Coombes and Inserra. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Their whole entire goal is just to stay on the property as long as possible, paying the least amount of money possible," Lee said. "It doesn't take a lot of effort to play the system that way." The owner of the Burlington home filed an affidavit in May, saying he and his wife plan to move back into the house once he takes possession because he can't afford to pay two mortgages and risk foreclosure. Meanwhile, the homeowner has amassed nearly $100,000 in losses including rent, legal fees and repairs. The homeowner also claims in the court filing that he was forced to borrow money from friends and family. "Without the court's immediate intervention to allow me to take rightful possession of my property, this is an unsustainable, unreasonable and unjustifiable situation for any landlord," the homeowner said in his affidavit. "There is no scenario where the tenants can make me whole." Professional tenants explained Also known as professional renters, tenants who use loopholes to avoid paying rent are not uncommon. In fact, 58.5% of respondents to a National Multifamily Housing Council survey in 2024 said theyve experienced an increase in nonpayment of rent due to fraud in the past 12 months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A professional tenants goal is quite simple: wrap up the landlord with complaints and legal proceedings to avoid paying rent and delay eviction for as long as possible. Coombes and Inserra have reportedly been running this playbook for decades, using bankruptcy as another tactic to prolong court proceedings and delay eviction. Due to failure to file the required documentation, all of the bankruptcy cases filed by Coombes and Inserra were dismissed, but the two likely knew their cases would fail. "It's pretty obvious that they never intended any of these cases to be successful," said Josh Burnett, a bankruptcy attorney who reviewed the court filings with NBC10 Boston. "They were just trying to buy time." How to spot professional tenants Thankfully, there are a number of legitimate ways that landlords can screen potential tenants to ensure theyre trustworthy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the usual credit check, a landlord can also run a criminal background check on any potential tenants. Landlords may also ask for an employer letter or even pay stubs to prove the tenants have sufficient income to afford rent each month. Its also worth asking for references from more than one previous landlord if the prospective tenants have a history of frequent moves. Getting a sense of a prospective tenants rental history is key. Behaj told NBC10 Boston that while he spoke to a reference for Coombes, he now believes the person he spoke with was only impersonating a landlord. If youre a first-time landlord, asking plenty of questions can help you understand more about your prospective tenants and provide clarity on any gaps in their rental history, allowing you to make a sound judgement about their character. Trust your gut, and dont be afraid to keep looking if you dont think a potential tenant is the right fit for you. 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. Jun. 10MASSENA The Massena Central School District will be picking up more of the tab for its school resource officer and crossing guards. Village trustees approved the agreements during their May meeting, and the district's school board will be asked to do the same when they meet Thursday night. The school district will be paying an additional $80,000 for the school resource officer under the agreement, which runs from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The district is paying the full cost of this. I think it's only fair," Mayor Gregory M. Paquin said. "The school board and Superintendent (Ronald P.) Burke were very understanding. It was a pleasure to deal with them on this." The village and school district had signed an agreement in February 2024 for Michael A. Flynn, the Massena Police Department's juvenile officer, to also work as the school resource officer. The initial agreement provided a school resource officer from February 2024 to June 2024, and a second agreement was for Flynn to work as an SRO from July 2024 to June 2025. Flynn serves strictly in his juvenile officer position during the summer. Burke told school board members during their May meeting that the district would be covering more of the cost and it was budgeted in the spending plan that was approved by voters last month. "The contract with the village of Massena for our SRO shows an $80,000 increase this year. The village of Massena was arbitrarily charging us around $70,000 to $80,000. That's not the true cost of the SRO, and the village is basically requiring that if we want to maintain that relationship, that we do need to pay the full cost of the individual," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the village was picking up additional costs related to the SRO. "As you see, our SRO works on different days when school is not in session. We need to keep in mind that there is a little bit of give and take on this. We're not paying for the police vehicle. We are not paying for the equipment that the police officer has. We're not paying for the training. What we're paying for is a true cost of the personnel, not all the other materials that go along with that," Burke said. Village Trustee Kenneth J. McGowan said the SRO played an important role in the district. "Having a wife and a daughter that both teach, they think it's an awesome asset. I think it's well worth the money," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paquin said there was even interest for a second SRO, but not until the district was certain their budget would handle it. "There's a lot of interest for a second one because of the job that our current one is doing. We're in negotiations for the second one. It wouldn't be until next year. They said they'd want to wait a year. They were a little concerned about their budget. I think they wanted to see how the budget plays out for the next year because they don't want to hire someone and have to cut them," he said. The school district will also be paying for some of the crossing guards around the schools. The village previously employed six crossing guards to provide services for the district. However, according to the resolution approved by village trustees, "The village informed the school district that due to budgetary constraints, it would be reducing the number of crossing guards to three moving forward." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The school district and village have determined that it is in their mutual best interest to enter into this agreement for the school district to obtain from the village the services of crossing guards to promote the goal of ensuring a caring, safe, respectful, and orderly learning environment in its schools. The village agrees to increase the number of school crossing guards performing services to the school district from three to six upon the school district's payment of certain costs," the resolution reads. "There's a total amount that they're wiling to pay. It's an even split," Paquin said. The agreement runs until May 31, 2026. Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated. Russia attacked homes and apartment buildings in Kharkiv with drones overnight on June 11, killing at least three people and injuring 64 others, including nine children, authorities reported. The attack struck a five-story residential building in the city's Slobidskyi district, leaving 15 apartments in flames, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. Several homes in the Osnovyanskyi district were also hit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The large-scale attack also struck a trolleybus depot in the city, several vehicles, playgrounds, and local businesses, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Terekhov said that nine people have been hospitalized as a result of the attack, including a 2-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy. Nine children were injured in total, the Prosecutor General's Office said. Earlier in the night, Terekhov warned residents that a "massive enemy drone attack" was targeting Kharkiv. He later reported that Russia carried out 17 drone strikes in the city. "Every new day now brings new vile Russian attacks, and almost every strike is telling," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "And we must not be afraid or postpone new decisions that could make things more difficult for Russia... And this depends primarily on the United States and other world leaders." Russia has pounded the city of Kharkiv with relentless aerial attacks in recent days. A series of attacks with drones, missiles, and KAB guided bombs on June 7 left four dead and around 40 injured, as Russia struck civilian targets in the city throughout the night and again in the afternoon. President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the "brutal strike" and urged the U.S. to allow Ukraine to purchase urgently needed air defense systems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Already a frequent target of Russian strikes due to its proximity to the front lines, Kharkiv has also come under fire during Moscow's recent record-breaking attacks against cities across Ukraine. Zelensky said on June 10 that Russia has been steadily increasing the number of weapons it launches at Ukraine in its mass overnight assaults. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday condemned the federal governments hunt for local records following news of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement subpoenaing a municipal ID program used by noncitizens. Its bad, the mayor told reporters at his weekly news conference. Its wrong. The mayors short remarks came after the Tribune reported Friday that the city received a summons April 17 requiring the city to turn over the past three years of CityKey records, according to a copy obtained by the Tribune in a Freedom of Information Act request. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson corporation counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry said the administration wont cooperate with the subpoena because doing so would expose vulnerable applicants. We respectfully declined within the bounds of the law, given the privacy issues and specifically the exposure of groups like domestic violence victims, which would have been exposed had that information been provided, which would have been in contravention to their rights, Richardson-Lowry said. We will continue to monitor all administrative warrants, as we are doing now, and weve put a process in place should we receive future administrative warrants from this administration. The ICE subpoena called on the city to provide a copy of the application and all supporting documents for all individuals who applied for a CityKey identification card between April 17, 2022, and April 17, 2025, and used any foreign document as proof of identity, including but not limited to: consular identification card, foreign drivers license, or foreign passport. Richardson-Lowry noted the subpoena was an administrative warrant, meaning the city does not have to comply unless ICE chooses to escalate by seeking a court order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Should they move toward a court setting, we will respond in kind, Richardson-Lowry said. In some other categories, we produce documents that we do think were obligated to produce. But with respect to CityKey, we dont believe such an obligation is there. The ID program was launched in 2017 by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel and city Clerk Anna Valencia as part of a stand against Trump though it is not just for immigrants. While officials trumpeted the safety of the CityKey application during its inception, promising the city wouldnt keep identifying documents in case federal officials sought to track down applicants, the situation recently changed. After being overwhelmed by demand for the IDs by Venezuelan migrants at in-person events in fall 2023, Valencia started offering an online portal in December 2024. To meet state document requirements, the clerks office has kept application materials for more than 2,700 people who used the online CityKey system since then, a spokesperson for Valencia told the Tribune on Friday. On Wednesday, Valencia released a statement saying her office was in the process of discussing next steps for the program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im engaging with community stakeholders and government officials to make sure CityKey continues to serve and protect all Chicagoans, Valencia wrote. Thank you to the Law Department for their work in protecting vulnerable Chicagoans from potential harm and Mayor Johnson for his commitment to CityKeys mission. Working together to fight for our communities is a priority of mine and well continue to stand up for our neighbors. Johnson spokesperson Cassio Mendoza said Friday, Turning over personal information would betray the privacy and trust of residents who participated in the program. Mayor Johnson will continue to resist any attempts by the federal government to violate the rights and protections of Chicagoans. Tonantzin Carmona, former chief of policy for the city clerk, told the Tribune Wednesday that the office examined every possible worst-case scenario of how data could be used against a particular group to harm them before CityKeys 2017 launch including a federal subpoena. We definitely discussed this possible scenario, Carmona, who left the clerks office in 2019 and is now a Brookings Institution fellow, said. Disabling the online portal may be the most responsible course of action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carmona added that the federal governments actions could create a chilling effect across the U.S. Outside Chicago, the Trump administration has been pressuring the Internal Revenue Service to share data with ICE to identify immigrants for deportations. A federal judge in May refused to block the IRS from doing so. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Trump in allowing his Department of Government Efficiency to access personal data stored in Social Security systems. City officials should be prepared for it to not be the only program that gets targeted, Carmona said. This moment isnt just about records. Its about whether people feel that they can exist in public spaces, seek help from public agencies or like, fully belong in the city they call home. CityKey appeals to immigrants because it allows noncitizens to obtain a city government-issued ID. Its unclear how many of its 87,100-plus applicants during the time period encompassed in ICEs subpoena are immigrants. The city clerk policy is to only retain records for those who apply via the online portal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tribune also obtained an ICE subpoena sent to Chicagos Department of Streets and Sanitation on March 21 that sought payroll records for current and recent employees as part of a worker eligibility audit. Its important to a community that wants to be an immigrant sanctuary to also be a data sanctuary, and that means to collect and retain as little information as possible about immigrants, said Adam Schwartz, privacy litigation director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The solution is for the holders of the data in this case, the mayor of the city of Chicago to fight back and say, No. Were going to use every legal tool at our disposal to protect data privacy. Mayor Karen Bass Declares 'Local Emergency,' Orders Curfew to Address 'Crisis in DTLA' originally appeared on L.A. Mag. Mayor Karen Bass, stunned by the vandalism and graffiti that has ravaged DTLA, has implemented a curfew that begins Tuesday at 8 p.m. and will be in place nightly until 6 a.m Irvin Rivera Mayor Karen Bass announced a curfew for Downtown Los Angeles after five straight days of violence and mayhem that has marred much of the neighborhood around the federal buildings where immigrants rounded up in a series of raids are being held and prosecuted. The curfew will be in place from 8 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. tomorrow, announced Bass, adding that it could last for several days and would be reevaluated tomorrow. Everyone must abide by this curfew. Bass said a local emergency has been declared and that the curfew was necessary because of what she called "extensive widespread vandalism" that includes profanity-laced graffiti scrawled on City Hall, an LAPD building, and rampant destruction in public parks and at private businesses. Bass said she was dismayed that 23 businesses were looted, while multiple historical landmarks in Little Tokyo along with immigrant-owned businesses, were heavily damaged. Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said that anyone who violates the curfew "will be arrested." The curfew's boundaries will encompass the area encircled by the 5 Freeway, the 110 Freeway, and the 10 Freeway and end where the 5 Freeway and the 110 Freeway merge. "The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property, following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city," McDonnell said. "Since Saturday, we have seen a concerning escalation in unlawful and dangerous behavior." Bass said people who live or work in Downtown and credentialed media representatives have a limited exemption from the curfew. Those experiencing homelessness are also exempt from the curfew, McDonnell said. The mayor had a message for President Trump, who has ordered 700 Marines and as many as 2,000 National Guard soldiers into Los Angeles to deal with what he called lawlessness. "If you want to restore peace in the city, end the raids." This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told MSNBC Tuesday that she believes the LAPD could handle the citys ICE raid protests without President Donald Trump deploying the military. She expressed the stunt is a grand experiment for the president to see how the nation reacts to future military takeovers. Over the weekend, Trump ordered 2,000 National Guardsmen into L.A. to help crowd control the protests against ICEs arrests of undocumented individuals in the city. As protests heightened in intensity with the National Guards arrival, the president ordered 700 marines to the city on Monday. Bass believes the deployments were a mistake. Its unclear. We dont know what theyre doing from one day to the next, she told MSNBC Tuesdsay. For example, we were told that the raids were going to go on for another 28 days. Is that going to be the case? Where are they going to take place? We have to wake up in the in the morning and find out which businesses, which workplaces were raided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch the full segment below: When asked if she thought the Los Angeles County sheriffs department could handle the protests without the military, the mayor responded she 100% believes they could. Ironically on Saturday night, the president came out and said that the National Guard is the reason why the protests were quelled and the vandalism was stopped, Bass added. He went on to congratulate the National Guard, they werent even here. They werent even deployed until Sunday. As far as Im concerned, I think this is unfortunate, this is a stunt, it makes me feel like L.A. might be a grand experiment to see what the response of the public would be if the federal government came in and took over. Gov. Gavin Newsom was also vocal in his contempt for Trumps military action in recent days. On Monday, he threatened to sue the president for the decision and called the move a deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president. He filed a temporary restraining order on Tuesday in hopes of blocking the president from deploying more troops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Marines have served honorably across multiple wars in defense of democracy. They are heroes, Newsom wrote on X. They shouldnt be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President. This is un-American. The protests against the Trump administrations federal arrests of undocumented individuals began Friday and continued through the weekend flaring in intensity after the president sent additional National Guard troops into the city. Trumps decision to deploy marked the first time a president sent the National Guard to a state without a request from that states governor since the 1960s. Protestors and officers clashed off and on all weekend. The post Mayor Karen Bass Worries LA Is Trumps Grand Experiment for Future Military Takeovers | Video appeared first on TheWrap. AUSTIN (KXAN) Austin Mayor Kirk Watson confirmed the Texas National Guard may be called on to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety during protests in Austin this weekend. On Tuesday night, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he would deploy the Texas Army National Guard to locations across the state as protests are planned throughout the week and into the weekend. Abbott calls to deploy Texas National Guard to locations across the state Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a social media post, Abbott said the deployment was to ensure peace & order. Peaceful protest is legal, Abbott said. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. Watson confirms National Guard may assist in Austin The City of Austin has been notified that the National Guard will be prepared to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety on Saturday, if deemed necessary. The City of Austin will continue to protect the right of people to peacefully assemble. We will continue to recognize the humanity and value of our immigrant community. Im supportive of people exercising their right to engage in peaceful protest against politics and policies that they disagree with. However, destructive actions or efforts to hurt police is wrong. You are damaging your city. We are dealing with a very real situation right now that impacts the lives of very real people. Much of what we see out of Washington is to create fear and chaos we should not play into these politics of fear. Adding to the chaosthrough destruction of property, hurting other people, including police officers, or otherwiseadds to the problems for those people being targeted while empowering those in Washington who want more pain and chaos. The reality is that we should not feed into this politics of fear and pain and risk doing harm to those we want to help. We must continue to assert our first amendment rights to peacefully assemble without creating negative consequences for real people already living in fear. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson MORE | No Kings protest organizer: Texas National Guard deployment an overreaction In response, Austin Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes said deploying the National Guard was wrong. Weve seen this playbook before, military force used to threaten and silence communities demanding justice. To every Texan exercising their constitutionally protected free speech: know your rights, stay vigilant, and protect one another, Fuentes said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other city council members have expressed concerns too. Im concerned about the call up of the National Guard, because soldiers are not trained as police, said District 7 City Council Representative, Mike Siegel. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Mayor Michelle Wu Tuesday responded to serious allegations made by a former city employee against her staffer, as reported by the Boston Globe. The Boston Globe reports that Marwa Khudaynazar, former chief of state for Bostons Police Accountability Office, is accusing Mayor Wu of firing her to protect her cabinet chief, Segun Idowu. Khudaynazar was fired alongside her boyfriend, Chulan Huang, another city staffer, in May after a domestic dispute in Chinatown. Huang faces a charge of assault and battery on a household member. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khudaynazar faces a charge of assault and battery on a household, and assault and battery on a police officer. A police report obtained by Boston 25 News claims Khudaynazar invoked her city hall status when police arrived to avoid punishment. The Boston Globe article reports that the dispute between Khudaynazar and Huang was in light of an encounter between her and Huangs boss, Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion for the city of Boston Segun Idowu. He was appointed by Mayor Michelle Wu. During that encounter, Khudaynazar claims Idowu made several sexual advances on her, according to the Boston Globe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khudaynazar was fired in light of her arrest. But, according to the Boston Globes report, she claims Segun was protected by the mayor amidst an election cycle. Mayor Wu responded to the serious accusations. I am aware of whats been reported, Wu told Boston 25 news reporter Daniel Coates Tuesday. Anytime the city of Boston receives any kind of allegation or report or suggestion there has been improper behavior by a city employee we, conduct a review. Mayor Wu claimed she did not know of the allegations until the Boston Globes report. Jeff Robbins, Idowus attorney, told Boston 25 in part Tuesday: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Any suggestion by anyone that Mr. Idowu engaged in any form of sexual harassment whatsoever would be pure and unadulterated [expletive], and defamatory [expletive] at that. Josh Kraft, the democratic running for Mayor Wus seat, said in part in a statement: These incidents, and the way the Mayor is handling them, suggests there is a workplace culture and ethics problem at the highest levels of City Hall. City councilor Erin Murphy said she is demanding an independent review alongside councilman Ed Flynn. I heard from that day on there was more to this, she explained. That was the rumor since day 1, Will she try to avoid any public backlash from it? I hope thats not what she did. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mayor Wu said she has faith in her internal investigations to oversee any and all allegations against the roughly 2,000 city workers. 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 Mairi McAllan is returning to the Scottish cabinet with an instruction to tackle Scotland's housing problems. She has been appointed housing secretary by First Minister John Swinney, with responsibility for all aspects of policy including heat in buildings. McAllan, who is returning to government after maternity leave, replaces Paul McLennan in the housing portfolio. A statement said he requested to leave the Scottish government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gillian Martin, who stood in for McAllan, will now assume the climate action and energy role on a permanent basis. Swinney (centre) alongside (left to right): Maree Todd, Mairi McAllan, Gillian Martin and Tom Arthur on the steps of Bute House [BBC] Swinney also named Maree Todd as his new drug and alcohol minister, following the death of Christina McKelvie earlier this year. Todd will also maintain her sport portfolio. After a morning of meetings at Bute House, the first minister's official residence, Tom Arthur was appointed as social care and mental wellbeing minister Acting Climate Action Minister Alasdair Allan will leave government at the end of this week, having indicated that he only wished to serve on an interim basis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mini-reshuffle means, excluding law officers, the overall size of government decreases from 27 in May last year to 23. Swinney said: "Mairi McAllan has been tasked with tackling the housing emergency, including ensuring we have energy efficient homes to help bring down bills and tackle the climate emergency. "These are two of the biggest challenges facing people across the country and I want them to know they have a government firmly on their side and focused on delivering real change." Last May the Scottish government declared a national housing emergency, which recognises the shortage of affordable, quality housing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month businessman Sir Tom Hunter urged the government to "build baby build" in a bid to solve the crisis. SNP vow to 'learn lessons' The changes come a week after Scottish Labour's Davy Russell won an unexpected victory in McKelvie's Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse seat. Swinney later defended his prediction that the contest would be a "two-horse race" between the SNP and Reform. And he vowed the party would learn lessons from the result ahead of the Holyrood election next year. McAllan served as the minister for environment, biodiversity and land reform from 2021 to 2023 and as the minister for transport, net zero and just transition from 2023 until February 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She went off on maternity leave last July, with Gillian Martin stepping in to cover her net zero and energy brief. McAllan is the second Scottish government minister to take maternity leave after Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes' pregnancy in 2022. Deputy Scottish Labour leader Dame Jackie Baillie said the reshuffle was like rearranging the "deckchairs on the Titanic", and she questioned Swinney's authority over his party. She added: "The SNP lost the by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse because they failed to listen to the priorities of people who have been badly let down by the government at Holyrood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If, after 18 years in power, the best John Swinney has to offer as an answer to the issues facing Scots is to shuffle his Cabinet around, then that is simply not good enough." [BBC] The first minister will no doubt be relieved to have Mairi McAllan back in government after her maternity leave. He clearly views her as something of a protegee, a bright and capable woman, a potential future leader of the SNP. McAllan is a good communicator and introduced John Swinney when he became leader of the party in May last year. She was also entrusted with the introductions when the SNP unveiled their candidates a year out from the next Holyrood election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nicola Sturgeon faced criticism for not doing enough succession planning. It seems John Swinney is determined not to make the same mistake and is eyeing up the Clydesdale MSP for future advancement. CUMBERLAND Maryland state Sen. Mike McKay is seeking a second term. McKay, a Republican who represents District 1 comprised of Allegany, Garrett and a portion of Washington counties launched his reelection campaign Tuesday during an event that featured about 250 supporters at the Western Maryland Railway Station. Town by town, handshake by handshake, well listen, well lead, and well make sure working families have a real voice in Annapolis, McKay said. His remarks were also posted to social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McKay has been a state senator since 2023. He was a member of the state House of Delegates, representing District 1C, from 2015 to 2023, and an Allegany County commissioner from 2010 to 2014. He is the only candidate to file so far in the race. The primary election is June 20, 2026. The Denver police arrested 18 people on Tuesday night about 2 miles from the state Capitol, where a separate rally, which had drawn hundreds downtown to protest the White Houses deportation actions in Los Angeles, was winding down. Police said two people were arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault on a peace officer and a third for second-degree assault. One officer suffered a minor injury after being struck in the leg with a rock, Doug Schepman, a Denver Police Department spokesperson, said in an email to The Denver Gazette. Other officers reported being struck, but not injured, by thrown objects. The arrested individuals, some as young as 19, were apprehended on suspicion of a variety of charges, including assault, interference with a police officer, criminal mischief, failure to obey a lawful order and obstruction of streets, the department said. One of the people arrested was on the Capitol green. Several others were arrested in the 700 block of S. Broadway St and at the intersection of 14th Avenue and North Clarkson Street. Three others were arrested at the intersection of 20th Street and Little Raven Street, by Union Station. The final determination of charges will be made by the Denver District Attorney's Office. The police said the demonstrators marched along city streets and blocked roadways, creating situations where officers had to work to divert traffic as a safety measure. The police said at 8:05 p.m., officers deployed smoke and pepper balls to disperse crowds blocking roadways or denied protestors access to places, including in the area of S. Broadway near I-25. Pepper balls deployed are typically fired at the ground to release a powdered substance into an area, according to the police. There were numerous reports during the night of protestors throwing rocks and bottles at officers, and multiple reports of tagging and graffiti, the police said. The police used a loudspeaker to issue orders to protestors in real time, Doug Schepman said. An assembly turns into an unlawful one, Schepman said, when it transitions from peaceful protest into one that threatens the public safety or order with assaults or destructive behavior. The Denver Police Department said before DPD officers employed any crowd control tactics, multiple audible warnings were given, notifying individuals that their actions were unlawful and would be enforced if they continued. Officials said that, in accordance with Denver municipal ordinance and Colorado law, it does not assist with the enforcement of civil federal immigration laws. Featured Local Savings "The Denver Police Department remains committed to the safety of all individuals and will continue to cite or arrest individuals committing criminal offenses in our community regardless of immigration status," the department said in a news release. Earlier in the day on Tuesday, hundreds gathered on the lawn of the state Capitol to protest the immigration raids in Los Angeles in an anti-ICE rally, with many protesters clad in gas masks, saying they feared being tear-gassed. Others wore face masks to protect their identity. In speeches given from the back of a pickup truck at the Capitol, protesters claimed that Trump administrations move to call in the National Guard in California could portend a martial law declaration. Martial law is the substitution of military authority for civilian rule, often used in times of war, rebellion or natural disaster. We know the crackdowns are not normal, Jesus Loayza, a member of the CWA Local 7799 union for public defenders, said. Its unclear whether the two demonstrations the second resulting in the arrests were related. After the Capitol rally, videos posted on social media showed a confrontation between protesters and police at South Broadway and West Exposition Avenue. Those videos showed police engaging with a much smaller group of protesters than had demonstrated at the capitol. Gov. Jared Polis received a brief ahead of the demonstration planned at the Capitol on Tuesday, said Shelby Wieman, a spokesperson for the governor. Governor Polis strongly supports public safety, and every persons right to demonstrate peacefully, Wieman said in an email. While the Colorado National Guard and the military perform a necessary function in protecting Coloradans during emergencies and natural disasters Wieman said doing so should not be done at the expense of people protesting peacefully. There is absolutely no need to take away National Guard units from the states; doing so makes us less safe and removes an important tool that the governor has to protect Coloradans, and any engagement of National Guard must include Governors, who serve as commanders in chief in most instances for their Guard, Wieman said. Gov. Polis continues to call on Congress to do their part and pass real immigration reform that secures our border and provides adequate personnel for border and interior enforcement. Unlike in California, the Trump administration did not send the National Guard or the Marines to Colorado. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) McKinley High School is temporarily relocating. The move is necessary due to McKinley undergoing renovations. School officials announced that their last day at 800 East McKinley Street will be Wednesday, June 18. After that, McKinley will be located at Kenilworth Middle School. The address is 7600 Boone Drive. According to East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools, the renovations and improvements are a part of a tax plan approved by voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While construction is ongoing, students from McKinley High will attend classes at Kenilworth for two years. EBR Schools said they will be reimagining the exterior of the building, renovating some interior spaces, along with other projects. The school system confirmed that there will be a community meeting in the future where architectural renderings will be shown to the public. Standout Student: Southern University track star heads to NCAA Outdoor Championship in Oregon If you have any questions, you can reach the school at 225-344-7696. 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 Brief MCSO is asking the public to come forward with any information you might have about the deaths of Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17. They were found dead on Mount Ord with gunshot wounds on May 27. Their deaths are being investigated as homicides. PHOENIX - Tuesday, June 10, marks two weeks since two Valley teenagers were found tragically shot to death while on a camping trip near Mount Ord in the Tonto National Forest. What we know On June 10, the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office (MCSO) made a renewed plea for the public to come forward with any information from that weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two teens, Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17, were found in a separate location from their car on May 26. The two Arcadia High School students were just five days into summer break on a camping trip to Mount Ord. MCSO has called this a double homicide and a murder investigation, listing their deaths as suspicious. Dig deeper What happened to Pandora and Evan? Well, two weeks later, the investigation is still active. On June 10, MCSO said, "Despite exhaustive efforts and the pursuit of all available leads, detectives have thus far been unable to develop actionable results." Investigators are turning to the community, asking for any information or details, no matter how small. All tips will be handled with discretion and can remain anonymous. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sheriff's office believes that information from the public could be critical in solving this case, bringing answers and justice to the victims and their families. MCSO's June 10 statement reads, in full, "The Maricopa County Sheriffs Office is asking for the publics assistance in connection with an active investigation, which involves two victims who tragically lost their lives due to gunshot wounds in the Mt. Ord area. Despite exhaustive efforts and the pursuit of all available leads, detectives have thus far been unable to develop actionable results. We are appealing to community members to come forward with any information that may assist in moving this investigation forward. Even details that may seem minor or irrelevant could prove critical to resolving the case. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office at 602 876-TIPS. All tips will be handled with discretion, and anonymous submissions are welcome. Below is what have been release so far on this incident. At this time, the circumstances surrounding their deaths are being treated as suspicious. MCSO is seeking the communitys assistance. If you have any informationno matter how smallthat may be relevant to this case, we strongly encourage you to come forward. Your help could be critical in bringing answers and justice to the victims and their families. We thank you for your continued support and cooperation as we work to ensure the safety and well-being of our community." What you can do Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office at 602 876-TIPS. WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) A medical equipment company that filed a motion in federal bankruptcy court in April wanting its medical equipment back from Insight Trumbull and Hillside Rehabilitation has withdrawn that request. Court records, which were recently updated, show the motion was withdrawn last month. Read next: No timeline, but Insight still planning to reopen closed Trumbull County hospitals, Ohio AG says Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Phillips Medical Capital LLC filed the emergency motion in the Texas federal bankruptcy court handling the Steward Health case. Ohio Attorney General David Yost announced late last week that Insight Health System plans to reopen Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital, following the closure of both facilities earlier this year. Insight shut down operations at both facilities in March, stating that Steward Health had stopped funding certain services even as government authorities requested guaranteed weekly payments to ensure continuity of care. The lack of funds also led to extensive layoffs. A reopening date for Trumbull and Hillside has not been announced. 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. In our In the Spotlight stories, Herald-Leader journalists bring you continuing coverage of news and events important to our Central Kentucky community. Read more. Story idea? hlcityregion@herald-leader.com. A former Frischs Big Boy in Lexingtons popular Hamburg shopping district could soon be the site of a medical marijuana dispensary complete with a drive-thru and knowledgeable budtenders ready to answer questions. Thats according to Casey Flippo and Sean Clarkson, the two Arkansas entrepreneurs behind the project, who spoke to the Herald-Leader in a June 3 interview. In 2021, the two founded Dark Horse Cannabis, where Flippo is the CEO, and Clarkson, the chief financial officer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The establishment comes as the private sector mobilizes following Kentuckys launch of a medical marijuana program earlier this year. The states Office of Medical Cannabis has awarded limited but transferable licenses for production and sales, and as of Jan. 1, qualifying Kentuckians can apply for a medical cannabis card. Recreational marijuana use remains illegal in Kentucky. Flippo said the process for demolishing the interior of the former restaurant, situated in a shopping center between Sir Barton Way and Man O War Boulevard, has already begun. Its located at 1849 Alysheba Way. We have been seeking permitting approval with the city of Lexington, Flippo told the Herald-Leader, adding the plan is to open the doors mid-November at that facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Wednesday afternoon, June 11, city spokesperson Susan Straub told the Herald-Leader via email the city has not received the required paperwork for the business. The 5,500-square-foot dispensary wants to offer compassionate care discounts to qualifying patients, Flippo said. Theres also potential to accept online orders for pick up via the drive-thru, so patients never have to get out of the car, Clarkson added. Its a quick and easy process for our patients, especially those that are handicapped in some way, or elderly, Clarkson said. Clarkson anticipates patients will likely want to meet with dispensary staff in-store at least initially after its opening for questions about products and their use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As theyre getting familiar with the product availability, theyre going to want to talk to budtenders, Clarkson said. I believe that we will probably end up employing somewhere between 30 and 40 individuals, at the site, Flippo added. The idea is for staff to be extremely knowledgeable about the medicinal applications and appropriate use of the cannabis thats being dispensed, Flippo said. That said, there will likely be many obstacles to clear before the business can open its doors to the public. Its historically pretty challenging to prop up cannabis markets quickly, Flippo said. Chief among the obstacles: finding a supplier who can stock the dispensarys shelves with products. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kentuckys medical cannabis program only allows for edibles, oils, tinctures, vapes and raw plant material. State law requires the plant material, which must be produced and tested in the commonwealth, to be vaped not smoked. Raw plant material packaged in Kentucky must be labeled not intended for consumption by smoking. State rules also require medical marijuana cultivators to stand up secure, indoor facilities for growing, cultivating and harvesting the plants. The states first medical cannabis cultivator broke ground on a facility in Monticello this spring. In Winchester, Cresco Labs cut the ribbon in April on a cultivation facility that promises to be the one of the states largest. Phase one construction on that facility, which includes a 5,000-foot plant canopy, is expected to be completed by the fall. We believe that the market should be set to open sometime in late Q4 of this year, Flippo said, adding his dispensary is targeting an opening during that window. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KYLX Acquisition Company LLC now holds the state license for the dispensary planned at 1849 Alysheba Way in Lexington. KYLX recently acquired it from ZenLeaf LLC, which was the original licensee awarded via a state lottery held last year. Kentucky held series of state-run lotteries last fall to award medical cannabis business licenses. The lottery to award Fayette Countys two dispensary licenses was held in December. In April, Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball announced a probe into the lottery process amid ongoing concerns out-of-state companies with deep pockets were able to flood it with applications, thus tilting it in their favor. Dark Horse was identified as one of those companies in a series by Louisville Public Media, which also found Clarkson had ties to 350 of the new businesses created in the month leading up to the application deadline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked for his response to concerns about too few Kentucky hemp farmers being awarded licenses, Flippo said he was very sympathetic to those who did not win, especially given the application fees were thousands of dollars and were not refundable. Ultimately though, Flippo defended the process for awarding the business licenses. Our experience with the [Office of Medical Cannabis] and the governors office was nothing short of spectacular. I think that they put a phenomenal program together, Flippo said. In working with the Office of Medical Cannabis, Flippo said, I would argue that its probably one of the most successful cannabis market launches in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Herald-Leader reporter Janet Patton contributed to this story. Do you have a question about Lexington or Kentucky for our service journalism team? Wed like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com. Republicans ambitious July 4 target for their sweeping domestic policy legislation is facing new doubts this week as GOP leaders in the House and Senate push and pull over changes to the complex megabill. Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview Wednesday that while he believed Republicans were on track for final passage by the self-imposed deadline, that depended on the Senate approving a bill that hews close to the version that passed the House last month. We'll see what they produce, Johnson said, adding: I just need them to come to their final decisions on everything. So well see how it shapes up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Privately, top leadership aides believe that while the Senate could still finish its work by July 4, the process might take several more weeks or months if the Senate departs dramatically from the House product. Among the open questions leaders are working through is the endgame for final passage of the bill. Top officials in the House, Senate and White House all want to avoid another big fight over the bill in the House and another round of pingpong where the bill goes back and forth between the two chambers. The hope is to incorporate any final negotiations into the Senate version so the House can take a vote on final approval only without making any changes. But to do that, the two chambers would have to resolve key fights including over the level of spending cuts, business tax cut extensions and the cap on the state and local tax deduction in advance. In an ideal scenario, Senate Republicans would offer a wraparound amendment reflecting a bicameral agreement at the end of the long series of amendment votes known as vote-a-rama allowing for a relatively fast up-or-down vote in the House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The alternative would be entering into a much lengthier conference between the two chambers after Senate passage negotiations that leaders fear could add weeks, if not months, to the process. While several GOP senators have floated a conference, leaders have repeatedly tamped down the idea. Johnson declined to weigh in on the procedural questions Wednesday: Im in constant communication with [Senate GOP leaders], but there's still a lot of question marks over it. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in an interview that his team, as well as key Senate committee chairs, are working with Johnson to avoid a scenario where the House makes changes to the bill that passes the Senate. That includes weekly meetings, and more frequent phone calls, with the speaker and his team. Theres just a lot of coordination to hopefully avoid some of the potential snafus that could happen with something that's this complicated, Thune said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) is meeting with Senate GOP leadership staff Wednesday to discuss the Houses proposed increase to the SALT cap ahead of the Senate vote. Meanwhile, House GOP rebels Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Scott Perry (R-Pa.) met with Senate GOP fiscal hawks Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Tuesday night as they push the Senate to carve out deeper spending cuts and maintain the Houses rollback of clean energy tax credits. The White House is keeping pressure on, as well. Trump border czar Tom Homan attended a Senate GOP lunch Wednesday, underscoring the need for the additional immigration enforcement funding in the bill. Senate committees chairs continue to roll out pieces of the bill this week, with all eyes on Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), whose panel is handling the thorniest parts of the legislation and might not release text until next week. Thune and other GOP leaders are already planning to use next week to negotiate additional changes to the bill in the lead-up to floor action the following week. Both Johnson and Thune met separately with President Donald Trump on Monday. Afterward, even the president acknowledged during a White House event that the July 4 timeline could slip. If it takes a little longer, thats OK, Trump said. The national furor over the situation in Los Angeles is bleeding into the debate over the massive military parade scheduled for Washington this weekend. The parades official purpose is to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army. But the day of the parade, June 14, is also President Trumps birthday. The intersection of the two dates led to criticism from liberals from the moment the parade was announced, with allegations flung that it will amount to a strongmans show-of-force rather than a patriotic celebration of the American military. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), herself an Army veteran, wrote on social media last week that the money being used on the parade could be better spent helping with necessities like food and child care for troops if it was really about celebrating military families. But it isnt, Duckworth added. Trump is throwing himself a $30 million birthday parade just to stroke his own ego. The critique is being turbocharged by events in Los Angeles. There, Trump has ordered the deployment of more than 4,000 members of the National Guard as well as 700 Marines in response to disorder around immigration protests. Some cars have been burned by protesters angry at actions taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and objects, including Molotov cocktails and rocks, have been thrown at law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response, Trump has called out the Guard against the express wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and amid criticism from other local officials, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D). It is the first time the Guard has been deployed without the agreement of the relevant states governor since 1965, when former President Lyndon Johnson sent federal troops to Alabama to protect civil rights protesters. Some of Trumps most dramatic announcements including the suggestion that Los Angeles would have burned to the ground have been met with derision from some quarters. Democratic critics have also asserted Trumps actions have inflamed the situation where de-escalation is required. For the president to do this when it wasnt requested, breaking with generations of tradition, is only going to incite the situation and make things worse, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote on social media that the deployment of federal troops was an abuse of power and a dangerous escalation. Its what you would see in authoritarian states and it must stop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are, of course, many supporters of Trumps actions, who celebrate his much harder line on immigration enforcement in general, and contend that left-leaning protests have sometimes been treated too leniently when protesters have engaged in violence or vandalism. Immigration remains Trumps strongest issue in most opinion polls and was an effective line of attack for him in last years election campaign. Either way, the debate over Los Angeles sharpens the controversy over the forthcoming parade. Trump offered a preview, of a kind, when he visited Fort Bragg, N.C., the nations largest military installation, on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lines of troops formed the backdrop for a speech in which he offered a vigorous defense of his actions in relation to California, saying his intervention was necessary to protect federal immigration agents from the attacks of a vicious and violent mob. What youre witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty carried out by rioters carrying foreign flags, Trump said. He also contended that, in the case of Los Angeles, an American city was being invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. Earlier in the speech, Trump had briefly and more mildly previewed the weekend parade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He cast the event as a chance for the nation to show off a little bit. But even in Fort Bragg, there was a reminder about how events that feature both a politician and the military can edge into questionable areas. Some of the troops arrayed behind Trump, for example, expressed support for the presidents criticism of some Democratic officials, such as Bass, by booing on cue. The weekend parade in Washington is forecast to cost up to $45 million, including $16 million the Army has budgeted as an upper ceiling for the cost of repairing streets in the District of Columbia after tanks have rolled down them. More than 100 military vehicles are expected to be involved, and the Army will bring in as many as 9,000 troops, according to NBC News. The cost of the festivities has drawn some dissent even from Republicans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Fox Newss Jennifer Griffin, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he had never been a big fan of goose-stepping soldiers in big tanks and missiles rolling down the street. So if you asked me, I wouldnt have done it. Im not sure what the actual expense of it is, but Im not really we were always different than the images you saw of the Soviet Union and North Korea. Griffin also quoted Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) as saying: I wouldnt spend the money if it were me. The United States of America is the most powerful country in all of human history. Were a lion, and a lion doesnt have to tell you its a lion. Kennedy added, I would save the money, but if the president wants to have a parade, hes the president, and Im not. Security will be tight in the nations capital, and progressive groups are planning counterdemonstrations against Trumps military parade. One event, alluding to what organizers see as Trumps creeping authoritarianism, will be called No Kings Day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Trump, earlier Tuesday, upped the ante about any potential confrontation this coming Saturday. If theres any protester wants to come out, they will be met with very big force, he warned. The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A Memphis man wanted in connection with convenience store robberies in Arkansas was killed Wednesday during a high-speed chase with Arkansas troopers in Van Buren County. According to Arkansas State Police, Joey Vincent Simmons II, 23, was the subject of a BOLO for his involvement in the armed robberies in Conway and Damascus. Troopers said they located Simmons vehicle traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 65 south of Bee Branch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copper thieves knock radio station off the air: MPD They said the pursuit began with Simmons driving at speeds of more than 100 mph, passing motorists, and heading into oncoming traffic. ASP said Simmons fired a gun from inside his vehicle toward a trooper before he lost control of his vehicle, veered into a wooded area, and was ejected. Simmons was pronounced dead at the scene. Woman stabs man with hot sauce bottle, police say Arkansas State Police said no troopers were injured during the pursuit, and no law enforcement officers fired a weapon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. MEMPHIS, Tenn. The Tennessee State Conference NAACP, along with multiple other advocacy organizations, held a press conference to call on elected officials to protect Medicaid and SNAP funding for Tennesseans. The Senate is expected to vote on proposed cuts before the end of June. Proposed cuts will harm families, deepen poverty, and damage the states health and economic infrastructure, said the Memphis NAACP. 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. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is calling for unity within his governing coalition amid dissent from some members of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) over the country's defence and Russia policy. Merz, a conservative who took office last month with the SPD as the junior coalition partner, said the parties in government were "in complete agreement on the assessment of the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine and on the consequences that must be drawn from it." "And I am counting on this unity to remain intact," he added, speaking during a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Berlin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In light of recent Russian attacks on Ukraine, Merz warned that anyone "with a reasonably clear view" must recognize that "Russia is a threat to the security of the entire alliance." His comments come after prominent SPD figures issued a position paper calling for a shift in Germany's approach to Russia. The manifesto, signed by former parliamentary group leader Rolf Mutzenich, ex-party chief Norbert Walter-Borjans, foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner, and several federal and state lawmakers, urges direct diplomatic talks with Moscow and criticizes the governments rearmament plans. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, a leading SPD figure and one of the country's most popular politicians, forcefully rejected the document. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This position paper amounts to a denial of reality," said Pistorius. "It exploits the desire of the people in our country for an end to the terrible war in Ukraine, for peace." The manifesto, which has been made available to dpa and was signed by more than 100 people, warns against "alarmist military rhetoric" and claims "huge armament programmes do not create more security for Germany and Europe, but lead to destabilization." Pistorius countered that while he shared a desire for peace, Russian President Vladimir Putin had rejected ceasefire offers and continued bombing Ukrainian cities with increasing brutality. "He breaks off negotiations. And when he does negotiate, he simultaneously bombs cities in Ukraine with even greater severity and brutality," Pistorius said. "He is pursuing a strategy of confrontation. Not us." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Germany, the second-largest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States, is set to push for a significant increase in NATO defence spending at the alliance's summit in July. Merz is advocating for members to spend at least 3.5% of economic output on defence, with an additional 1.5% on infrastructure. The paper's authors oppose this target and reject the stationing of new US mid-range missiles in Germany. They also call for "a return to dialogue with Russia once the guns fall silent, including on a peace and security order for Europe that is supported and respected by all," emphasizing the need for cautious diplomatic contacts and confidence-building measures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The SPD is expected to debate the manifesto and wider defence policy at its party conference later this month, a gathering likely to be contentious following the party's poor showing in Februarys elections. The SPD, one of Germany's two traditional mainstream forces, was relegated to third place behind Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the far-right Alternative for Germany. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) The Armys 250th Birthday Parade and Celebration is Saturday, June 14, and Metro shared some tips on how to get there. Metro advised travelers attending the parade to head to Foggy Bottom, Farragut West, Farragut North, McPherson Square, Metro Center, Federal Triangle, or the Archives-Navy Memorial stops to get to security checkpoints. If you are attending the festival on the National Mall, you should head to LEnfant Plaza, Federal Center SW, or Archives-Navy Memorial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Man arrested in two possible hate crimes against LGBTQ+ community in DC, police say In a news release, Metro said that its trains will be running at Saturday service frequencies trains will run every 4-6 minutes at core stations during the day. Further out, trains will arrive every 8-12 minutes. Metro also provided the following schedule details: Red Line trains arrive every 6 minutes during the day and every 10 minutes after 9:30 p.m. Green and Yellow line trains arrive every 8 minutes all day. Blue, Orange, and Silver line trains run every 12 minutes during the day and every 15 minutes after 9:30 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve kicked off a busy summer of large events, and we want everyone to know Metro is the best way to get to the parade and Army birthday celebration. We always stand ready to move large crowds and will have extra staff onsite to help visitors navigate the system, Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke said in a statement. Metro said that there will be some closures due to the security perimeter the National Mall entrance of the Smithsonian Station will be closed, and some Metrobus routes will be affected. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. While the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday said goodbye to a longtime member, a familiar name in local and state politics put her hat in the ring as a possible replacement. Cami Bremer, who recently announced her resignation from the County Commission after she was hired in September as the CEO of Pikes Peak United Way, served her last day on the commission Tuesday. Bremer was elected to the District 5 seat, which serves the central portion of El Paso County, including most of Colorado Springs. As a Republican, Bremer's replacement is up to the El Paso County Republican Party to appoint. Party chair Ken Davis confirmed on Tuesday that former county party chair Vickie Tonkins and current Colorado Springs School District 11 board member Lauren Nelson have announced as candidates. Other candidates still have time to put their names forward. The party plans on holding a vacancy committee election on June 17, within the 10-day period allowed for appointments under state law. Tonkins was elected county party chair in 2019 and left the position earlier this year. A well-known name in Colorado GOP politics, Tonkins threw her support behind former state chair Dave Williams last year amid efforts from other members of her party to oust him. She was both the subject of and initiator behind censures as the local party experienced conflict from a longstanding split between factions. Nelson is an at-large member of the D-11 school board first elected in 2021. Her term ends later this year. According to her biography, she is a graduate of D-11 and currently a stay-at-home mom after a career in food science. Featured Local Savings Bremer's appointment from the vacancy committee process is not guaranteed to serve her full term, which ends in 2026. The commissioner said the passage of new state legislation changing the process affected the timing of her departure, which was first announced eight months ago. Bremer was announced as the new CEO of Pikes Peak United Way in September of last year. The nonprofit is one of the region's most influential service organizations. Initially saying she would resign as a commissioner in early 2025, Bremer announced her departure date about eight months later. Just two days before her resignation announcement, Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill that would shorten the tenure of Bremer's replacement appointee. As a Republican, Bremer's replacement would under the old rules be chosen by a vacancy committee made up of members of the El Paso County Republican Party. The appointee would serve out the remainder of Bremer's term until 2026. Now, under the provisions of House Bill 1319, the Republican Party's replacement will only serve until the next odd-year primary, which will come this fall. Then, Republican and unaffiliated voters will vote on candidates to fill out the term. Davis said the party was going ahead with the appointment process. He previously told The Gazette he had concerns about the new process outlined in the bill, namely how he felt money could influence the outcome of the election. Bremer's is not the only vacancy committee being organized by the party; on Monday, state Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen also announced his resignation. The Republican from Monument left his position for a leadership role with the American Excellence Foundation in Washington, D.C. The Colorado legislature also passed a bill concurrent to HB-1319 altering the vacancy process for state senators, but that law doesn't take effect until 2027, according to Davis. During a ceremony Tuesday, Commissioner Holly Williams called Bremer a "characteristically steady" presence on the board, especially through the county's COVID-19 response. "Commissioner Bremer always had the ability to pull us back together and get us to the heart of the solution," she said. "Commissioner Bremer and I have not agreed on everything, but I am very grateful that we were able to work together on the things that we both cared about," said Commission Chair Carrie Geitner. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A Metro Councilmember who serves the Antioch community has taken steps to limit the number of semi-trucks parking on roadway shoulders. Federal laws require truckers to stop and rest after driving a certain amount of hours. However, the U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Highway Administration states that the demand for parking is far outpacing the supply nationwide. Metro Councilmember for District 32, Joy Styles, said shes seen the problem firsthand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its getting a lot more crowded: Antioch neighbors fight townhouse rezoning effort Apparently, the truck stop is filling up, so truck drivers are having to stop, but theyre basically deciding to stop anywhere, so they are parking on Old Hickory Boulevard, Styles said. Theyre parking right now on Murfreesboro Pike in front of the Publix. Styles told News 2 that truckers have lined the shoulders of local roads near busy highways, raising serious visibility and safety concerns. These were not built to hold tractor trailers to just sit on the street, Styles added. She said the problem has worsened over the past six months, and she has asked Nashvilles Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure to intervene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I asked NDOT, Can we please start ticketing these trucks if they are parked in places where theyre not supposed to be?' Styles said. For some of that issue, we attempted to put No Parking signs in some places. Sometimes, the tractor-trailers ignored the parking signs. Styles is looking for more long-term solutions, such as identifying vacant lots that could serve as safe, designated truck parking areas. Newsmaker on Tour: Everything happening in Antioch We have to try and find land that is close to the interstate, that isnt disruptive to existing neighborhoods because the reality is truck traffic is very loud, Styles said. How can we do that? Lets start looking; lets start collaborating. Lets start reaching out to TA and saying, Hey, would you be interested in building another facility? Thats what I will be doing this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ultimate goal for Styles is to ensure the safety of both truck drivers and residents. Its not putting one group in terms of importance over another. Its about safety, Styles said. Safety is always priority number one. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NEW MEXICO (KRQE) Its been one year since Americans were last compensated for radiation exposure, as New Mexico advocates continue to urge Congress to bring it back. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act expired last year, and now, state Democrats say it not only needs to be reinstated but strengthened. Which New Mexico bills are going into law July 1? Despite the Senate passing the bill twice, the House has yet to pass it, with Democrats calling on Speaker Mike Johnson to put it to a vote. This is not a partisan issue. And as a matter of fact, just based on the demographics of the states we are trying to add to RECA, the zipcodes we are trying to add to RECA, more Republicans have been affected than Democrats, said Tina Cordova, Co-Founder, Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Mexico Democrats said they want the bill amended to include all people impacted by radiation from government-funded projects. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Mexico eased a ban on chicken shipments from Brazil, setting the restriction now only to products coming from the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, instead of a previous countrywide ban, Brazil's Agriculture Ministry said on Tuesday. On the other hand, the ministry said in a statement that Mauritania announced a countrywide ban on imports of Brazilian chicken, while Oman suspended chicken imports coming from Rio Grande do Sul state. Brazil last month identified a case of bird flu on a commercial farm in Rio Grande do Sul, triggering trade restrictions from dozens of countries. (Reporting by Andre Romani; Editing by Kylie Madry) (Rimma Bondarenko/ Getty Images) New Mexico public health officials on Tuesday announced wastewater testing in Roswell had identified a positive sample for measles. A state health department news release said the June 3 sample result will not impact the number of cases in the state, which requires a diagnosis and often a laboratory confirmation of a sample taken from a person. The sample comes as part of a wastewater testing initiative NMDOH undertook starting in mid-March, conducting weekly wastewater measles testing in Albuquerque/Bernalillo County, Carlsbad, Chaparral, Deming, Las Cruces, Portales, Rincon, Rio Rancho, Roswell, Santa Fe and the South Central treatment plant in Dona Ana County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an interview with Source NM, NMDOH Medical Epidemiologist Dr. Daniel Sosin said the agency is partnering with researchers at Rice University in Houston Texas for that testing. The wastewater results have limits, and dont reveal when, where or even how many people might have measles. But they do provide warning. In this case, the positive result from Roswell indicates more cases might be coming in Chaves County, NMDOH says. Chaves County s last measles case was recorded on April 5. As of Tuesday, New Mexico measles infections remain unchanged at 81 cases. Sosin said the wastewater testing program augments the departments strategies for increasing vaccine availability and contract-tracing known cases, and likened the approach to layers of Swiss cheese. If you have enough slices, you cover the holes so cases dont slip through, Sosin said. Wastewater is one more layer that helps us monitor for a condition that we dont expect to see in all parts of the state, but could see and want early recognition for. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sosin said measles wastewater testing is better for early detection or asymptomatic spread, and those detections could mean putting area doctors on alert for additional cases. The major limitation of wastewater surveillance, he said, is the tool is only precise for a general picture and cannot be narrowed further. We cant follow up for contact tracing or notifications to reduce ongoing transmission, Sosin said. Its really more of an indicator that [measles] is there and we should be watching more carefully for it. Sosin said the best guidance to the public remains the recommendation to get two doses of the vaccine to prevent contracting and spreading the measles. The state says since Feb. 1, 34,210 New Mexicans have received MMR shots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Measles symptoms can appear one to three weeks after contact with airborne droplets from an infected persons coughs or sneezes. They include fever, cough, red eyes usually followed by a spotted red rash spreading from the head to the body. Measles can be spread in days before and after symptoms emerge. NMDOH urges any people with symptoms to stay at home and contact the NMDOH Helpline at 1-833-796-8773 for further questions about testing, vaccines or treatment. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A New Mexico man has been sentenced to four decades behind bars in connection with a fatal shooting in Hartford in 2008 that went cold for investigators for nearly 10 years. Mark White, 47, of Albuquerque, New Mexico faced sentencing last Friday in Hartford Superior Court where Judge Nuala E. Droney ordered that he receive six months of jail credit to his 40-year prison term, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice. White in March was found guilty of murder following a jury trial in the killing of 25-year-old Jumar Joiner of Windsor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the DCJ, Joiner was shot in the area of West Morningside Street on May 3, 2008. Police at the time of the shooting said Joiners friends took him to a hospital and he was later pronounced dead, according to previous reports. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found that Joiner suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Authorities followed up on a number of leads over the months that followed before the case went cold. A major break came in 2017, when the Division of Criminal Justices Cold Case Unit received information through its tip line that led to new leads in the case, officials said. After about five more years of investigating, White was arrested in March 2022 using the new information, which included the names of two men who told police they witnessed the shooting. White at the time was in custody in New Mexico on charges tied to the alleged illegal possession of handguns and cocaine. According to the DCJ, the case was investigated by now-retired Hartford Police Det. Andrew Jacobson who was assigned to the Cold Case Unit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant States Attorney Robin Krawczyk and Executive Assistant States Attorney Lisa M. DAngelo. They were assisted by Supervisory Inspector Michael Sheldon, Inspectors Elisa Tuozzoli, Douglas Jowett, Edwin Rodriguez, Paralegal Specialist Suzanne Colley, Connecticut Department of Correction Officer Kevin Rival and Hartford Police Detective Eric Logan, DCJ officials said. The Cold Case Unit is grateful to the Hartford States Attorneys Office for their assistance during the prosecution of this case, the DCJ said in a statement. After five years of creating designs for weddings, a London couple has opened a floral shop that is now booking for 2026. With 25 years of experience in floral design, florists Mia and Wes Lovins opened their full-service floral shop in April. "We both did floral and now we get to do it together," Mrs. Lovins said. The couple, featured in the Kentucky Bride magazine twice, held a ribbon-cutting alongside the London-Laurel County Chamber of Commerce June 2, in celebration of the two-month-old shop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the Lovinses have served the community for years, they did not previously have a home for their business. However, with continued growth and success, the couple knew it was time to rent a space for their work. When the florists visited their shop's two-story building on Main Street, they "knew immediately" that it was the location for them, noting curb appeal, parking, and its proximity to local funeral homes. "Jesus worked it out and that's all we can say," Mr. Lovins said. Mrs. Lovins said Mia & Wes stands out due to its unique designs. Mr. Lovins added that while their shop is different from others, it also remains "classy and timeless." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Trends come and go but some things are timeless and that's what we want to stay with," Mr. Lovins stated. The Lovinses said they also remember the married couples they have created floral designs for. "It means more to us than just a sale," Mr. Lovins stated. "It's sentimental to us." "It's kind of like we were a part of their new beginning and that's pretty precious," Mrs. Lovins added. Both the Lovinses said blue hydrangeas are their favorite flower, finding the flower classy. Floral work is particularly special to the couple as they are "working with God's creation." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He gives us gifts and our gift is to be a floral designer. We get to use something he made," Mrs. Lovins stated. "Flowers are just meant for joy in all purposes even in death." In closing, Mrs Lovins said: "We're just thankful. Since we've been open, we feel like we've been in business for years and it's just because all the community has really supported us." "All glory to God," Mr. Lovins added. Mia & Wes on Main is located at 705 South Main Street in London. To learn more about the shop's services or book with them, call (606) 862-1942 or email wesley.lovins@gmail.com. Find Mia & Wes on Facebook by the shop name. A federal jury convicted Michael Madigan on Feb. 12, 2025, of multiple federal charges including bribery conspiracy but jurors deadlocked on other charges in the wide-ranging indictment, including the marquee racketeering conspiracy count. Madigan was first outed as Public Official A in court records in a deferred prosecution agreement filed in July 2020 where the public utility Commonwealth Edison acknowledged it had showered the speaker with various rewards in exchange for his assistance with its legislative agenda in Springfield. Among the perks were do-nothing jobs for Madigans top political cronies, college internships for students in his 13th Ward power base, legal business for political allies and the appointment of his choice for the state-regulated utilitys board of directors, according to the allegations. The Dishonor Roll: Meet the public officials who helped build Illinois culture of corruption Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He resigned from the Illinois house and also resigned as chairman of the state Democratic Party in February 2021, after spending 36 years as House speaker and a half-century in the Illinois House. The embattled 79-year-old lawmaker released a lengthy statement on Feb. 18, 2021. Madigan was indicted twice in 2022 on charges tied to the ComEd conspiracy as well as similar allegations involving AT&T. Hes also charged with trying to pressure developers in Chinatown to steer business to his private law firm. He pleaded not guilty. Whats publicly known about federal efforts related to the now former speakers political operation stretches back to at least May 2019. Subpoenas or raids have touched lobbyists, legislators, private companies and members of Madigans political operation. Heres what to know. Michael Madigan: The basics Born: April 19, 1942, in Chicago Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early life: Attended St. Adrians Elementary School 1960:St. Ignatius College Prep 1964:Notre Dame, B.A., Economics 1967: Loyola University Law School After law school: Held patronage jobs as a hearing officer for the Illinois Commerce Commission and as a public utilities consultant for the city, according to a 1988 Tribune story. 1969: Elected as a delegate to the Illinois constitutional convention. Also elected a Democratic committeeman. 1970:Elected to the Illinois House for his district on the citys Southwest Side. 1977: Entered House Democratic leadership. 1983: Elected speaker of the House, holding the post continuously through January except for two years in the mid-1990s when Republicans gained control of the chamber. He was ousted from the position in January 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 1998:Elected chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party. He stepped down in February 2021. Family: Married to Shirley Madigan, has three daughters, one son and four grandchildren. His daughter Lisa Madigan was Illinois attorney general from 2003 to 2019. Work:An attorney, Madigan is a partner at Madigan & Getzendanner, a firm that works in Chicagos lucrative field of commercial property tax appeals. Sources: Illinois General Assembly, Northern Illinois University Libraries, Notre Dame, Loyola University, Chicago Tribune archives Timeline of the federal investigation Mid-May 2019: Raid of home of 13th Ward political operative Kevin Quinn The feds raid the Far South Side home of former 13th Ward political operative Kevin Quinn the brother of Ald. Marty Quinn who was ousted by Madigan amid a sexual harassment scandal in 2018. Quinn received checks from current and former ComEd lobbyists. Mid-May 2019: Raid of lobbyist Mike McClains home The FBI raids the downstate home of Mike McClain, a longtime ComEd lobbyist who is widely known as one of Madigans closest confidants. The Tribune exclusively reported in November that the FBI had tapped McClains cellphone. Mid-May 2019: Raid of former Ald. Michael Zalewskis home The FBI raids the Southwest Side residence of former Ald. Michael Zalewski, who at the time was working with Madigan to get lobbying work from ComEd. Mid-May 2019: Raid of City Club offices Feds raid the City Club of Chicago offices in the Wrigley building seeking records pertaining to club President Jay Doherty, a longtime ComEd lobbyist. July 12, 2019: ComEd subpoenaed ComEd reveals in a regulatory filing that it was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury investigating the utilitys lobbying practices. Late July 2019: Feds investigating $10,000 in checks from ComEd lobbyists to Kevin Quinn Records obtained by the Tribune reveal that checks went to Kevin Quinn after he was dismissed from Madigans political operation in early 2018. Sept. 24, 2019: Raid of state Sen. Martin Sandovals home and offices Federal agents raid the Springfield and Cicero offices and the Southwest Side home of the longtime Democratic state senator as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Oct. 4, 2019: ComEd subpoenaed again ComEd reveals in another regulatory filing it received a second federal grand jury subpoena related to its lobbying practices, this time specifically requesting any communications with Sandoval and other unnamed individuals and entities. Oct. 15, 2019: Exelon CEO resigns Anne Pramaggiore, CEO of ComEd parent company Exelon Utilities, abruptly steps down after it was revealed the utilitys lobbying practices were under criminal investigation. Oct. 29, 2019: Madigan comments Im not a target of anything, Madigan tells reporters at the Illinois Capitol. In a statement, he called for a review and strengthening of ethics and lobbying laws. November 2019: Feds taped Madigan confidants calls Federal authorities recorded Madigan confidant McClains phone calls as part of the investigation into ComEds lobbying practices, sources tell the Chicago Tribune. One of the sources said the recordings were made as a result of an FBI wiretap on McClains cellphone. December 2019: Questions about Madigan Federal authorities have asked questions about Madigan and his political operation as part of an ongoing investigation about connections between Commonwealth Edison lobbyists and Madigan, lobbyists giving contracts to people tied to the speaker, and city, state and suburban government jobs held by his associates, four people who have been interviewed tell the Tribune. February 2020: Subpoenas in Merrionette Park and Bridgeview A pair of federal grand jury subpoenas seeking records from southwest suburban Merrionette Park and Bridgeview name Madigan, his former chief of staff Timothy Mapes, McClain, Marty Quinn and Kevin Quinn. The documents also called for copies of state and federal tax records related to Raymond Nice, a longtime precinct captain in Madigans vaunted 13th Ward operation. April 2020: Records show Madigans legal spending Madigans main campaign fund paid nearly $462,000 in legal fees in the first three months of 2020 to a law firm that employs former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, campaign finance records show. In the final quarter of 2019, Madigans campaign fund paid more than $445,000 for legal fees to different firms, which a Madigan spokeswoman at the time said was to cover the cost of a $275,000 settlement with a former campaign worker, as well as ongoing civil cases and routine staff training. July 17, 2020: U.S. attorney announces ComEd fine ComEd is paying a $200 million criminal fine as part of a federal investigation into a yearslong bribery scheme involving jobs, contracts and payments to Madigan allies, the U.S. attorneys office in Chicago announces. Additionally, prosecutors asked Madigans office for any and all documents and communications concerning AT&T, including contracts and correspondence related to the hiring of anyone to provide consulting or lobbying services to the public utility, according to a subpoena the Tribune obtained through an open records request. July 23, 2020: AT&T subpoenaed The Tribune reports that AT&T was subpoenaed earlier that year by federal prosecutors in the operation encircling Madigans political operation. July 2020: Madigan subpoenaed A federal subpoena to Madigans office shows investigators were interested in a wide range of information, including dealings with Walgreens and Rush University Medical Center, records related to Madigans political organization and private property tax appeals law firm, as well as former state lawmakers and current or former Chicago aldermen. Nov. 18, 2020: Four indicted McClain is charged with bribery conspiracy and bribery in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury. Also charged are former ComEd CEO Pramaggiore; lobbyist and former ComEd executive John Hooker, of Chicago; and Doherty, a consultant and former head of the City Club of Chicago. Nov. 19, 2020: Madigan responds The embattled Illinois House Speaker releases a statement saying that if anyone at ComEd had tried to bribe him, it was never made known to me. Dec. 2, 2020: Madigan confidant, three others plead not guilty McClain, Pramaggiore, Hooker and Doherty plead not guilty to charges they orchestrated an elaborate bribery scheme with Commonwealth Edison to funnel money and do-nothing jobs to Madigan loyalists in exchange for the speakers help with state legislation. Jan. 13, 2021: Madigan ousted as speaker of the House Emanuel Chris Welch is elected the states first Black speaker of the House after Democrats reject Madigans bid to maintain the single-handed power he wielded over the state for nearly four decades. Feb. 18, 2021: Madigan resigns from Illinois House Madigan announces his resignation from the Illinois House after representing a Southwest Side district for a half-century, the majority of that time as the powerful speaker, but remains chairman of the state Democratic Party. Feb. 21, 2021: Madigan picks his successor Edward Guerra Kodatt, 26, a bilingual outreach and budget assistant in the constituent services office run by Madigan and 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn, is installed in the Illinois House seat that was vacated by Madigan. Feb. 22, 2021: Madigan steps down as state Democratic Party chair Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, previously party vice chair, takes over on an interim basis. Feb. 24, 2021: Madigans successor resigns just three days after being installed Despite the ill-fated Kodatt pick, Madigan gets another shot at appointing a replacement. The former speaker remains the 13th Ward Democratic committeeman and holds 56% of the weighted vote cast in the 22nd House District. Feb. 25, 2021: Madigan picks another House successor Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar becomes the second replacement in four days for the Illinois House seat formerly held by Madigan. March 5, 2021: Former state Rep. Eddie Acevedo pleads not guilty to tax charges stemming from ComEd probe The charges allege Acevedo attempted to evade paying taxes he owed, including by depositing cash payments into his bank account to conceal the source of income. He was also charged with four misdemeanor counts of failing to file a tax return from 2015 to 2018. Acevedo faces up to five years in prison on the most serious counts. May 26, 2021: Mapes charged with lying The former longtime chief of staff to Madigan is indicted on charges of lying to a federal grand jury investigating allegations that Commonwealth Edison paid bribes in exchange for Madigans assistance pushing though legislation in Springfield. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He pleads not guilty two days later. May 27, 2021: Former state Sen. Annazette Collins pleads not guilty to a new charge An outgrowth of a case that arose from the ComEd bribes-for-favors scandal, Collins is charged with falsely claiming $31,830 in travel expenses on her tax returns. Collins, who previously lobbied for ComEd, was hit with the new charge of filing a false tax return for the calendar year 2018 in a superseding indictment filed May 26, 2021 that added the allegations to a broader tax case. She pleads not guilty. June 2021: Former Ald. Solis made audio, video recordings of conversations with Madigan The Tribune learns among their discussions was a plan to turn a state-owned parcel of land in Chinatown into a commercial development. Though the land deal never was consummated, its been a source of continued interest for federal investigators, who last year subpoenaed Madigans office for records and communications hed had with key players. At least one of them recently appeared before the grand jury investigating Madigans political operation, sources tell the Tribune. September 2021: Dougherty texts Mayor Lori Lightfoot: ComEd duped me Text messages, obtained by the Tribune through an open records request, show Dougherty repeatedly tried to downplay his role in the ComEd probe to the mayor in 2020 even after federal agents raided the City Clubs offices in the Wrigley Building in the spring of 2019. Dec. 14, 2021: Acevedo pleads guilty Acevedo, enters his plea to one count of tax evasion during a hearing via videoconference before U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plea scuttles a jury trial that had been set for Jan. 10, 2022. January 2022: Whats next for the ComEd bribery probe? The most remarkable thing about the Commonwealth Edison bribery probe in 2021 might be what didnt happen. March 2, 2022: Madigan indicted on federal racketeering charges The indictment is returned by a federal grand jury after a more than two-year investigation, according to federal prosecutors. Among the alleged schemes outlined in the indictment was a plan by utility giant Commonwealth Edison to pay thousands of dollars to lobbyists favored by Madigan in order to win his influence over legislation the company wanted passed in Springfield. March 9, 2022: Madigan pleads not guilty A week after he was charged in a bombshell corruption indictment, Madigan, is arraigned in a telephone hearing in U.S. District Court on allegations he ran his elected office and political operation as a criminal enterprise that provided personal financial rewards for him and his associates. March 23, 2022: Acevedo sentenced to 6 months in prison for tax case stemming from ComEd probe Acevedos attorneys had asked for a term of probation, but U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly says his background as a former elected official and a Chicago police officer meant that people were paying attention, and a sentence of probation would seem like this person got a pass. May 2022: Madigan knew about secret payments to Kevin Quinn, unsealed court filing alleges The revelation undermines the storyline Madigan put out when the Tribune first revealed his longtime confidant McClain had lined up friendly utility lobbyists to pay Kevin Quinn thousands of dollars despite his abrupt departure. Oct. 13, 2022: Mapes makes first in-person court appearance Mapes, the former chief of staff to Madigan, walks into the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse for a status hearing on charges he lied to a federal grand jury investigating the alleged ComEd scheme. He was the first of six people who have been charged as part of the ComEd bribery scandal to set foot in a federal courtroom. Oct. 14, 2022: AT&T charged with trying to illegally influence Madigan, who now faces additional conspiracy charges AT&T agrees to pay a $23 million fine as part of a federal criminal investigation into the companys illegal efforts to influence Madigan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal prosecutors also unseal a superseding indictment against Madigan and his longtime confidant McClain, adding allegations about the AT&T Illinois scheme. Late October 2022: Tom Cullen, longtime brain in Madigan political operation, provided testimony for feds The Tribune learns that Cullen, a lobbyist who played political point man for years on Madigans government staff, has testified before the ongoing federal grand jury looking into broad aspects of Madigans political world, which prosecutors allege included a criminal enterprise aimed at providing personal financial rewards for Madigan and his associates. Jan. 9, 2023: Trial date is set The date for the six- to seven-week trial is set during a 10-minute telephone status hearing between U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey and attorneys in the case. Neither Madigan nor his co-defendant McClain were required to be on the call. March 14, 2023: Jury selection begins in ComEd Four trial After about seven hours of questioning potential jurors in the hot-button case, U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber wrapped for the day about 5 p.m., with a pool of just over 60 members of the panel told to come back to court for another round. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement March 15, 2023: Trial begins Madigans photo became a focal point as the high-profile ComEd Four trial started in earnest at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where federal prosecutors said in opening statements that the long-serving Democratic boss benefited personally and politically from a scheme by the utility giant to funnel payments and jobs to Madigans associates. In return, prosecutors, say, the powerful speaker used his position to push or block legislation worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the utility. May 2, 2023: All four defendants convicted of conspiracy in ComEd Four trial Found guilty of bribery conspiracy are: Former ComEd contract lobbyist Michael McClain, a longtime Madigan confidant; former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore; ex-ComEd executive John Hooker, and Jay Doherty, who worked as a lobbyist for ComEd for 30 years and served as president of the City Club of Chicago civic forum. Feb. 12, 2024: Mapes sentenced to 2 1/2 years for lying to federal grand jury In handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge John Kness said he struggled at a fundamental level to understand how Mapes found himself in this position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a very sad case to me because I dont understand why you did what you did, Kness said. You were immunized in the grand jury and all you had to do was go in there and tell the truth. Kness likened it to the mafia concept of omerta, the concept that you dont rat on your friends. Feb. 12, 2025: Guilty A federal jury convicted Madigan of multiple federal charges including bribery conspiracy but jurors deadlocked on other charges in the wide-ranging indictment, including the marquee racketeering conspiracy count. The panel also deadlocked on all six counts against Madigan co-defendant Michael McClain. Sources: Court documents, news reports and Chicago Tribune reporting Melissa Miles speaks during a Michigan state Senate Housing and Human Services Committee meeting on June 10, 2025. | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols As a grandmother the last thing Detroit resident Kathleen Hurd wants to have to do is tell her grandchildren she has been raising for the past decade that their family has to choose between paying for housing or clothes or food. But as a federal spending plan that would cut billions of dollars from food assistance makes its way through Congress, Hurd told Michigan lawmakers Tuesday shes worried that she wont be able to shield her grandchildren from experiencing the effects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal spending plan, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is a plan endorsed by President Donald Trump to align federal spending with the values of the administration. Amongst other cuts, the plan would eliminate nearly $300 billion in funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which provides food assistance to 1.5 million Michigan residents, roughly 15% of the states population. As a parent, you try not to put the stress and the concerns of adulthood on children so to have to possibly say to my grandchildren, well, we either have to eat or not have a place to live, or we have to eat, but not be able to get those shoes or whatever it is that they need is very concerning to me, Hurd told Michigan lawmakers on the state House Housing and Human Services Committee. Her request to lawmakers and her prayers are for her family and other families to not have to make children have to wonder where their next meal will come from, Hurd told lawmakers. Food banks and pantries in Michigan have raised concerns with the Trump administration making cuts to food assistance programming, outside of the Big Beautiful Bill, in recent weeks, but the cuts expected in congress plan has leaders in Michigan urging federal officials to consider the human impact across states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cuts to food assistance will cost Michigan about $900 million, the Michigan State Budget Office said in a memo earlier this month, adding that more than half of SNAP participants are families with children. Michigan having to take over the cost of SNAP food assistance, which is currently 100% federally funded, presents a ticking time bomb for the state, Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), chair of the committee, said. SNAP also boosts the states economy, Dwayne Haywood, senior deputy director of the Economic Stability Administration in the state health department said. Michigan state Sen. Sue Shink (D-Ann Arbor) speaks during a state Senate Housing and Human Services Committee meeting on June 10, 2025. | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols A significant portion of Michigans children and senior citizens rely on SNAP benefits in their household, Haywood said, but ultimately 70% of households receiving benefits have employed individuals. And Michiganders use their SNAP funds locally, at businesses and farmers markets totalling $3.6 billion in the state in 2023, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can only imagine the cost directed to market. It will be a cost. It will be devastating [for] farmers, Haywood said of the agriculture sector, a top industry in Michigan. That will certainly hurt us as we try to help our residents understand healthy eatingeveryone in the community will be greatly impacted. Hunger is a powerful motivator and not always for good, Sen. Sue Shink (D-Northfield Township) said, remembering her childhood, hearing about how her fathers family in Detroit had struggled to ensure every family member could eat, with some loved ones resorting to illegal activity in order to put food on the table. I heard from his cousins who would eat less to make sure that my dad had enough food, Shink said. I will tell you, as the daughter of somebody who went through that, who saw the incredible damage that it did to my dad, and who knows the damage that it did to me that I still do carry every day. We dont want to do that to our people. The American Dream shouldnt just be survival, Melissa Miles, a resident of Hillsdale County told lawmakers. Currently, Miles said shes a student at Eastern Michigan University, raising an immunocompromised four-year-old as a single mom who relies on SNAP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hers is a story of survival, Miles said, as she is attending school to better herself and create a bigger future for her and her child, but it is dependent on her ability to not have to worry where her childs next meal might come from. If my family didnt have SNAP, I cant bear to think how much sicker my child would be. Im here today asking you to think about Michigan families, Miles said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Federal Bureau of Investigation agents face off against protesters during an ICE raid at Ambiance Apparel in Downtown Los Angeles on June 6, 2025. Photo by J.W. Hendricks for CalMatters Two Democratic members of the Michigan House of Representatives on Tuesday called for non-violent action this Saturday, June 14, when a nationwide protest movement plans to hold rallies against the administration of President Donald Trump and its recent actions to detain and deport large numbers of immigrants. The call to action comes after a weekend of chaos in Los Angeles and Paramount, California, where protesters formed a resistance response to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. The protests began peacefully but escalated as law enforcement descended on the cities to quell the uprisings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protests were planned on June 14 before the weekends events played out in California. But organizers of the Michigan Resistance Coalition in a virtual call Tuesday said the scenes out of the Golden State further emphasized the need for the No Kings movement to be a peaceful opposition force. Let me be clear, what were seeing from the Trump administration is not law and order. Its state sponsored terror, said Ken Whittaker, the executive director of Michigan United Action. When ICE agents dressed as military commandos kick in doors and drag people away under the cover of night, thats not law enforcement, thats a war on the people. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Whitaker warned that Trumps deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines to California was a massive overreach and noted that those individuals were trained for war, not non-violent protests or civil disobedience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michigan Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) said she is the daughter of a man who served in World War II and helped liberate a Nazi Germany concentration camp. In that vein, she said she was raised to not stand idly by while dictators weaponize a government against its own citizens, as she said Trump is doing now with those who stand up against ICE while they conduct raids. We are witnessing something that I hoped we would never see in America, the U.S. military and immigration agents in full military gear on the streets of a major city targeting protesters and the media, Pohutsky said. Let me be crystal clear: We unequivocally condemn any violence. That has no place in our movement for peace and justice. Everyone should use their voice peacefully, but the Trump administration intentionally provoked the situation by sending a force of armed and armored agents to round up immigrant workers. Pohutsky said the Trump administration is sending waves of armed forces and armed agents to round up immigrant workers, day laborers, garments employees and others all without warrants a far cry from the gang members and criminals Trump said hed focus on when making campaign promises for mass deportations. State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia), during a virtual call on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, emphasized the need for the No Kings protest set for June 14. | Screenshot These are people working hard to provide for their families. They arent dangerous. Theyre our neighbors and theyre our friends, Pohutsky said. The cruelty is the point. Trump and his movement have been clear. He has said repeatedly that he wanted to send in troops against protesters. The MAGA think tank, the Center for Renewing America, wrote a playbook for doing exactly what we are seeing today, using immigration enforcement to provoke confrontation and then using that as a pretext to send in troops against our own citizens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was noted that labor leaders are also becoming targets of ICE, as SEIU President David Huerta was recently detained for protesting ICE activity in Los Angeles. This is a wholesale assault on political opposition, and I want to underline this, Pohutsky said. Trumps order sending in troops does not just apply to Los Angeles or California. It applies to the whole country. State Rep. Carrie Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor) said she has been worried about this very scenario since Trump was elected to his second term. He laid it out in his campaign that he was going to take any excuse he can to use the military to target civilians, Rhiengans said. Its wrong. Its un-American, and we have to stand up against it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also called on Michigan residents to join the No Kings protests on June 14, which is also Trumps birthday. Theyre counting on us, she said. They elected us to represent them, and we, all Republicans and Democrats, swore an oath to the United States Constitution, and its our duty to defend and protect it. State Rep. Carrie Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor) during a virtual call on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, saying President Trumps use of the military in California was un-American. | Screenshot Michigan Republicans react to California protests While some Democrats in Michigan called for further demonstrations, Republicans in Congress and the state Legislature called for new ways to curtail protesters and to create a pathway for local law enforcement to assist ICE. On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland), reintroduced the Clear the ROADS Act, which is a direct response to protests unlawfully obstructing traffic on local roads and highways. In a news release, Huizenga said news reports have highlighted that a freeway was shut down by protesters in Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill would provide the Trump administration with another tool to hold states accountable when federally-funded roadways are overrun by these dangerous roadblocking activities. If states are neglecting their duties to keep their federal taxpayer-funded roads free from these traffic-obstructing actions, then federal taxpayer funds should be withheld from those states, Huizenga said in a statement. My legislation recognizes that endangering the free flow of ambulances, fire trucks, and other drivers is not an option. Based on Gov. Gavin Newsoms handling of the recent road-blocking riots in California, the Clear the ROADS Act would provide President Trump with the ability to penalize Californias access to roughly 400 million in taxpayer-funded federal transportation dollars. Huizengas bill would: Withhold 10% of a States federal highway funds if the State has not made reasonable efforts to prohibit the reckless obstruction of lawful vehicle traffic on their federal-aid eligible roadways; and Require the Secretary of Transportation to annually certify whether a State has met this requirement prior to federal highway funds being apportioned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Michigan, state Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford) introduced a resolution calling on local governments to cooperate with ICE in enforcing federal immigration law. The resolution was described as a direct response to the California protests. In early May, Schriver and several of his Michigan House Freedom Caucus colleagues introduced House Bill 4472. The bill would create a task force to develop policies on orderly removal and deportation of immigrants from Michigan. It was referred to the House Government Operations Committee which is known as the place where bills go to die and has yet to receive a committee hearing. Michigan Advance asked Pohutsky and Rheingans about the measures and what kind of friction ICE action has caused with House Republicans who control the chamber. Pohutsky said that the resolutions or policies that have been brought up by House Republicans have been heinously anti-immigrant, but werent terribly well-though out and dont get funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It talks about, in some cases, requiring local units of government to comply with ICE, with no clear direction about what complying actually means, whether or not law enforcement even has the ability in these areas to comply with ICE, she said. That doesnt even begin to take into account the human toll. And you know what? These folks who are our neighbors contribute to our communities, and what the communities want in terms of their neighbors. Pohutsky mentioned that the House is bearing down on its self-imposed July 1 deadline for having its budget ready to present for final passage, but no such budget bill has emerged from House Republicans. We need to be working on things that will actually help people, not targeting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, she said. Rheingans said House Bill 4472 would, in effect, create a Michigan Gestapo focused squarely on immigration enforcement. Youre seeing this extremism play out not only in resolutions, but also in bills, and these things are going to run up the tab in our state, she said. It is important to make sure that we keep track of what Republicans are doing, and not just what theyre saying. Theyre trying to run up the tab, waste our money and target people that they dont like, and its not right. Thats dictatorial and authoritarian behavior. And there are no kings in America. Michigan State University reached a settlement with three campus survivors of a 2023 shooting, totaling a payout of almost $30 million. Attorneys announced the settlement of $29.75 million on Tuesday. The shooting left three students dead and five more wounded. The three students in the lawsuit sustained life-altering injuries, from paralysis to lasting brain injuries. These settlements bring closure to one chapter of these survivors healing journeys. Grewal Law and Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman are honored to assist in obtaining justice for these remarkable young men, the attorneys said in an announcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nathan Statly, who sustained a gunshot wound to the head, secured $14.25 million in the settlement. Yukai John Hao who was shot in the back got $13 million and the university waived tuition, room and board for the student. Troy Forbush, who was shot in the chest, got $2.5 million after suffering a lung injury and needing extensive rehabilitation therapy. Michigan State University understands the depth of the impact of the events of February 13 and extends our deepest condolences to those injured and to their families and loved ones, Amber McCann, a spokesperson for the university, said. Our university community stands with them and continues to work with them as they heal and recover from the tragedy. While the university cannot comment on any specific settlements, we truly hope reaching a resolution helps provide some measure of relief, support and care to impacted individuals and their families, she 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 The Hill. Colorado Springs police say they arrested Kimberly Nicholson, 54, Tuesday near Memorial Park for acting erratically, ultimately putting the community in danger. Police say a concerned citizen reported a woman screaming, yelling and driving recklessly at Memorial Park, near Prospect Lake Drive and Rio Grande Street. According to the police department online blotter, when officers tried to approach Nicholson's vehicle, she fled the scene, staying on Memorial Park roads. After locating her vehicle the second time in the Prospect Lake main parking lot, police told Nicholson she was under arrest. Nicholson refused to exit her vehicle for over an hour, and police eventually released chemical irritants in the car to coerce her out. Nicholson then surrendered to officers, according to the department. Nicholson was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. Police say she will be booked into the El Paso County jail later today on suspicion of felony vehicular eluding, misdemeanor reckless driving, obstruction and resisting arrest. Argentine President Javier Milei said Wednesday his country would in 2026 move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the status of which is one of the most delicate issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. "I am proud to announce before you that in 2026 we will make effective the move of our embassy to the city of west Jerusalem, as we promised," Milei said in a speech in the Israeli parliament during an official state visit. Argentina's embassy is currently located in Herzliya near the coastal city of Tel Aviv. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is Milei's second visit to Israel since being elected in 2023. His previous trip, in February 2024, was his first official state visit outside of Argentina. During that trip he announced plans to move Argentina's embassy to Jerusalem -- a controversial move that echoed US President Donald Trump's shock 2017 decision to unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Israel has occupied east Jerusalem since 1967, later annexing it in a move not recognised by the international community. Israel treats the city as its capital, while Palestinians want east Jerusalem to become the capital of a future state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most foreign embassies to Israel are located in the coastal hub city of Tel Aviv in order to avoid interfering with negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Speaking ahead of Milei's address to parliament on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "the city of Jerusalem will never be divided again." Several countries, including the United States, Paraguay, Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo, have moved their embassies to Jerusalem, breaking with international consensus. - 'Stand firm' - In 2017, during his first term as US president, Trump unilaterally recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, sparking Palestinian anger and the international community's disapproval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States transferred its embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018. Milei, who has professed a deep interest in Judaism and studied Jewish scripture, is one of Israel's staunchest defenders. As Israel faces mounting international pressure over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza after more than 20 months of war, Milei sought to express his support. "As a nation, we want to stand firm alongside you as you go through these dark days, we will not yield to criticism resulting from cowardice or complicity with barbarism," he said on Tuesday during a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also demanded the "unconditional return of the four Argentines still in captivity" in Gaza after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war. The Palestinian militant group's attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the retaliatory Israeli military offensive has killed at least 55,104 people, the majority civilians. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable. Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. lma-acc/ysm Marcelo Gomes Da Silva was released from ICE custody at the Burlington facility on June 5. Since then, he says his experience has sparked a push to advocate for not only those he was detained with but for the immigrant community. Most papers that would come in would have like a signature saying that the guard told them and they understood what he said which wasnt the case they would always ask me what it meant and I would read it to them and usually I would either tell them that they were deported or they had court, Gomes Da Silva tells Boston 25 News. Back on May 31, Gomes Da Silva was detained by ICE agents while on his way to volleyball practice. ICE officials say they were looking for his father, but arrested Gomes Da Silva due to his legal status. ICE officials say his father is wanted for speeding more than 100 miles an hour in residential areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Him bringing us here from Brazil, I find the most beauty in because he says he did it for me and for my mom. For you to go out of your way and leave your whole family behind to come here and start a new family is like crazy because youre alone, youre working hard, youre working for us, Gomes Da Silva said. Marcelos arrest led to school walkouts in solidarity and a video statement from his family calling on ICE to release him. A week after his release, his lawyer, Robin Nice, tells Boston 25 News this is the start of a long process, but that there is still an asylum application in progress. Nice adds that his parents also have a way forward. Gomes Da Silva says he plans to return to school in the fall. He says his favorite subject is government and that there is still a lot more work to do. I would tell anyone in there to pray, stay strong, and just keep fighting for their rights, Gomes Da Silva said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boston 25 News reached out to ICE for comment and hasnt heard back. 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 DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) One lucky pup is heading home with her handler after a career working as a military dog. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base held a Military Working Dog Retirement Ceremony on Tuesday to honor 8-year-old Misha. WPAFB working to combat forever chemicals, water contamination Throughout her service, Misha has worked more than 80 Secret Service missions, executed over 3,000 hours of anti-terrorism measures and delivered more than 100 canine demonstrations to the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mishas handler is also retiring from active service. He says theyve both worked hard for this moment. Some of my favorite memories are going out to the caterpillar factory and protecting a school from a bomb threat, said Kyle Runk, Mishas handler. Seeing how these dogs work and how theyre mans best friend, how they work to protect everyone, how kind and sweet they can be, but how important their job is to the military and the public community around them. Runk says Misha loves to play, and is sure shell have no problem transitioning to civilian life. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Members of a crowd filled with members of the military and their families booed and jeered President Trumps political rivals and the press Tuesday at the presidents prompting during his address at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The response from attendees, most of whom were wearing military fatigues, was a jarring sight given the militarys history as a traditionally nonpartisan entity. Presidents have historically drawn criticism when they have been seen as using the military as a political pawn. Trump opened with a dig at his predecessor, noting the Biden administration had renamed Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty under a 2023 congressionally mandated rule to rename installations honoring Confederate generals. The Trump administration has since changed the name back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit? Trump asked, eliciting boos from those in the crowd. Trump later bragged that he didnt think former President Biden would be able to draw a similar crowd. Do you think this crowd would have showed up for Biden? I dont think so. I dont think so. I dont think so, maybe Im wrong, he said to more jeers from the crowd. At one point, Trump invoked the unrest in Los Angeles, where demonstrations in response to immigration raids have at times turned violent. The president referred to the governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles, which triggered boos from some in the audience directed at Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Mayor Karen Bass (D). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president identified journalists in attendance as the fake news, a comment that prompted jeers from some service members on hand. The address drew criticism from some Democrats. Its truly disgraceful to watch Trump give a nakedly political speech at Fort Bragg, and encourage uniformed members of the military to boo and hiss political opponents, Tommy Vietor, who served in the Obama White House, posted on the social platform X. I realize weve given up on norms from the before times, but its still awful and harmful to the military! Trump was at Fort Bragg in North Carolina to attended a military demonstration and mark a celebration of the Armys 250th anniversary. For his speech, hundreds of service members were in attendance, including dozens seated behind the presidents podium. 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. A hacker group claims to have stolen a trove of patient data from one of Dubais leading hospitals, a major breach as health care providers in the region push to digitize records. As many as 450 million data points were stolen from American Hospital Dubai, including patients credit card numbers and treatment plans, Cyber News reported. The dark web gang, which specializes in ransomware, said it would publicly release the stolen data on June 8. But patient systems remain down, and there has been no update on negotiations with the hackers. American Hospital Dubai did not respond to Semafors request for comment. Part of the Mohamed & Obaid AlMulla Group, the 254-bed acute care facility is also part of a network of caregivers that works with US nonprofit Mayo Clinic. The Brief People took to the streets of downtown Milwaukee on Tuesday night to protest ICE and mass deportations. Hundreds marched from Cathedral Square Park to the ICE field office on East Knapp. Organizers of Tuesday's protest said they wanted to keep things peaceful. MILWAUKEE - A large immigration enforcement protest took over downtown Milwaukee on Tuesday night, June 10. What we know Protests over immigration enforcement happening across the country reached Milwaukee, as hundreds marched from Cathedral Square Park to the ICE field office on East Knapp. Cathedral Square Park ICE protest, Milwaukee Chants, signs and passion took over during what organizers called an emergency protest against ICE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android Erica Steib is a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Their message is simple: "We dont want ICE in Milwaukee. We dont want to see ICE in LA." ICE protest, Milwaukee "Its an emergency because were seeing our immigrant family members and friends be ripped apart from their families and communities," Steib said. Big picture view Those with the microphone spoke out against President Donald Trump's crackdown on undocumented immigrants and civil unrest following days of protests in Los Angeles, as people protested ICE raids and mass deportation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The people of Los Angeles have a right to protest that is constitutionally protected, and today we affirm that right," protest organizer Eva Mucka said. ICE protest, Milwaukee SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News Organizers of Tuesday's protest said they wanted to keep things peaceful. There were officers blocking off certain roads and monitoring, but there was never any major tension. ICE protest, Milwaukee "Im so upset, it's terrible what's going on," said East Troy resident Mike Zei. "Im very worried about what they are doing to immigrants and neighborhoods." The protest caught the eye of Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We want to make sure that the people in Milwaukee are treated with dignity and respect," he said. "That's been my message the entire time and will continue to be my message as we continue to go through this time in our country." The Source FOX6 News attended the protest on Tuesday. Not every relationship is easy. But for Milwaukee couple Aerion and Doris Winters, one horrifying incident sent things beyond fixing. Police say what sent things over the edge was an argument and Mrs. Winters was just sick and tired of being sick and tired. Doris Winters, 61, was just charged in connection to a fatal shooting that occurred May 31. Milwaukee police say they responded to an apartment complex by 95th and Brown Deer late that evening. Upon arrival, police said they found 49-year-old Aerion suffering from gunshot wounds to the back and chest. He died on the scene. Police said witnesses pointed at a woman who was walking away from the scene and identified her as the shooter. Police also saw the woman drop a handgun. They then confronted her and took her into custody, later identifying her as Doris, per FOX 6 Now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With the help of witness statements, police eventually put together the backstory of what happened before she allegedly gunned down her husband. Authorities said the couple were staying at separate residences but that night Aerion came over to collect some of his things. The two began arguing but at some point, Doris picked up a handgun. A witness tried to break up the two but she allegedly fired at her husbands back when he turned away from her. Get him out of here before I shoot him again, she allegedly told the witness, who said they carried Mr. Winters outside. According to police documents, Doris didnt deny her alleged actions but rather admitted to them on her own, the report says. He called me a [expletive] for the last time and I just shot him. I just shot him so I just grabbed my gun and shot him because Im just tired. I know I shouldnt have shot him, but Im just tired, she said in the back of a patrol car, according to FOXs report. Mrs. Winters was charged with first-degree reckless homicide with use of a dangerous weapon. Jun. 10ST. PAUL The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is offering four elk licenses this year down from 10 in 2024 and the tags will be limited to the Caribou-Vita area of northeast Kittson County, the DNR said Tuesday, June 10. Minnesota hunters have through Thursday, July 3, to apply for one of the four elk licenses, the DNR said. "We are reducing opportunities for elk harvest this year to make sure Minnesota's elk populations continue to thrive," Kelsie LaSharr, Minnesota DNR elk coordinator, said in a statement. "The number of permits available is based on the lower-than-expected number of elk we counted during our 2025 aerial flights and recent trends in population growth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The DNR will continue to work with Tribal Nations, local landowners, agricultural producers, legislators, local government officials and state agencies to manage Minnesota's elk sustainably." The Red Lake Nation in March announced that it will offer 20 tribal elk tags in northwest Minnesota this year double the number offered last year for a season that will begin Sept. 15. Much of northwest Minnesota falls within an area covered by a treaty that Red Lake tribal leaders signed with the U.S. government on Oct. 2, 1863. As part of the 1863 Old Crossing Treaty, the Pembina and Red Lake bands of Ojibwe ceded some 11 million acres of land in northwest Minnesota and eastern and northeastern North Dakota to the U.S. government. There are currently three recognized herds in northwest Minnesota: Grygla, Kittson Central and Caribou-Vita. The Grygla area zone remains closed to state-licensed elk hunters, and this year, the Kittson Central zone will also be closed to state-licensed hunters. The Red Lake Band, meanwhile, will offer 10 "either-sex" tags good for either a bull or a cow elk and 10 "antlerless" tags, Jay Huseby, wildlife director for the Red Lake DNR, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement told the Herald in March. The band won't be taking any elk from the Grygla herd, which has lagged below management goals for more than a decade, Huseby said. The Minnesota DNR tallied 63 antlerless elk and 12 bulls in the Kittson Central herd near Lancaster in early January during its annual winter aerial survey. By comparison, the DNR counted 50 antlerless elk and 25 bulls in the Kittson Central herd during the 2023 survey. The DNR didn't fly the elk survey in 2024 because there wasn't enough snow to accurately spot elk from the air. All of the elk in the Caribou-Vita survey block, where the herd ranges between northeast Kittson County and Vita, Manitoba, were on the Canadian side of the border during the January 2025 survey. The DNR counted 128 antlerless elk and six bulls on the Manitoba side of the border. That was down from 227 elk 96 in Minnesota and 131 in Manitoba during the 2023 survey, but the DNR only surveyed the first 4 3/4 miles of Manitoba this year, LaSharr told the Herald in a February story, an area that represented about 25% of the Manitoba survey block. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DNR counted 18 antlerless elk and six bulls in the Grygla herd, down from 18 antlerless elk and 11 bulls in 2023. Minnesota hunters can apply for one of two seasons: * Two licenses are available to harvest either a bull or antlerless elk in the Caribou-Vita (Zone 30) during the A season, Saturday, Sept. 13, through Sunday, Sept. 21. * Two licenses are available to harvest an antlerless elk in the Caribou-Vita (Zone 30) B season, Saturday, Sept. 27, through Sunday, Oct. 5. This is a once-in-a-lifetime hunt for Minnesota residents. Successful applicants who choose not to purchase a permit will be eligible for future elk hunts and receive an application point toward their 10-year application history preference. Given the reduction in available state permits this year, no tags will be available for the 10-year application history pool or for eligible agricultural landowners who reside within elk range, the DNR said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunters must select a season and can apply individually or in parties of two at any license agent, online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense or by telephone at (888) 665-4236. There is a nonrefundable application fee of $5 per hunter. Total license cost for selected applicants is $288. Successful hunters must present the animal within 24 hours of harvest for registration and collection of biological samples to screen for diseases or other health-related issues. In 2024, 4,307 individuals or parties (up to two people) applied for one of the 10 state-issued elk licenses, DNR statistics show. If a similar number of individuals or parties apply this year, the odds of drawing a tag would be about 0.093%, or 1 in 1,077. * On the web: More information is available on the DNR's elk hunting webpage at mndnr.gov/hunting/elk . For more on Minnesota's elk, check out the DNR's elk management webpage at mndnr.gov/elk . Jun. 10Kendall Qualls speaks on economy, education and reducing crime at Republicans meeting By Ayanna Eckblad Minnesota governor candidate Kendall Qualls on Monday spoke about revitalizing the state's economy, reducing crime and providing a better quality of education at the Freeborn County Republicans monthly meeting at Edgewater Bay Pavilion. Qualls was originally going to be one of several speakers present at the meeting, but elected officials that were also scheduled were called to a special legislative session in St. Paul and were not able to attend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his speech, Qualls covered why he is running for governor in the 2026 gubernatorial election and the three main topics he was running on. "People say, 'Minnesota is far gone. We're like California.' We're not. Minnesota is not a one-party state yet like California," Qualls said. He continued by stating that although Democrats own the media, K-12 and high education, they only have a one-seat majority in the Senate and a tie in the House. With the right candidate at the top of the ticket for governor, he said, the GOP could win the state governorship, House, Senate, attorney general and secretary of state positions. Qualls said he would like to restore Minnesota to its former glory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Minnesota, if you think about it, if it was a company traded on the New York stock exchange, most people would have sold their stock by now," he said. Qualls explained he served for five years in active duty before entering the private sector. He said a good leader can see an opportunity where others may only see a failing business. "I know because I've done this. I've worked on brands and turned it around." Qualls said over the course of his campaign travels throughout the state, he has spoken to many people who have been forced to move from Minnesota to neighboring states because of Gov. Tim Walz's policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added he plans to win the election by reaching swing voters without compromising values. Qualls outlined three main issues he would like to address as governor. The first issue was to cultivate a thriving economy by creating an environment with a low tax base in which communities can thrive. Everybody wants a thriving economy, he said. The second issue Qualls spoke about was how to increase safety in the state, specifically in metro areas like Minneapolis. He began by saying that Minneapolis rated highly in safety and quality of life by Forbes in 2009, but Walz since his election has turned the city into a war zone with a 45 percent increase in violent crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We can't live in a great state without a great Minneapolis," Qualls said. If he were to be elected governor, he said, he would begin by issuing a public apology to Minnesota law enforcement. The third topic Qualls spoke on was the need for a quality system of public education in Minnesota. "Whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, everyone wants their children to have a great education," he said. Following Qualls' speech, local attorney Matt Benda and Shell Rock River Watershed District manager Brad Kramer also spoke. A Norfolk-based sailor who went missing almost two weeks ago has been found dead, and another sailor is in pretrial confinement in connection with the case, Navy investigators said Tuesday. The body of Culinary Specialist Seaman Angelina Petra Resendiz, 21, was discovered Monday by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in a wooded area in Norfolk, Virginia, NCIS said in a statement. Resendiz, 21, assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer James E. Williams, disappeared May 29 after being last seen at her barracks in Miller Hall on Naval Station Norfolk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A sailor has been placed in pretrial confinement in connection with Resendizs death, with charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice pending, the service confirmed. NCIS did not provide additional details, including the sailors identity, citing an ongoing investigation. NCIS remains committed to uncovering the facts surrounding the tragic death of Seaman Resendiz to ensure accountability and justice, NCIS said. After Resendiz vanished, the Virginia State Police issued a critically missing adult alert, hoping for the publics assistance in discovering her whereabouts. Publicist Kimberly Wimbish issued a statement to local media on behalf of the Resendiz family after a body was initially recovered and prior to the NCISs confirmation that the body was that of Resendiz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Angelina is a loving, compassionate, and devoted individual who has always prioritized the well-being of her family and those around her, the statement read. Her absence has caused immense grief for all who know and love her. The NCIS investigation remains ongoing, in collaboration with Navy leadership, the Norfolk Police Department, Virginia State Police, Virginia Search and Rescue and federal and local law enforcement authorities. Editors note: A previous version of this story erroneously stated NCIS as the authority that placed a sailor in pretrial confinement. The story has been updated to reflect the correction. DENVER (AP) One of the nation's most prominent election conspiracy theorists, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, stuck by his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen while testifying Monday during a defamation trial over statements he made about a former official for a leading voting equipment company. Taking the stand for the first time during the trial, Lindell denied making any statements he knew to be false about Eric Coomer, the former product strategy and security director for Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems. Among other things, Lindell accused Coomer of being a part of the biggest crime this world has ever seen." Lindell also distanced himself from a story told by a conservative podcaster who accused Coomer of helping to rig the 2020 election. It was discussed during a 2021 symposium Lindell hosted to discuss election fraud. Lindell said he did not know about the story before it was discussed onstage at the event and only learned about it during the trial. Coomer said his career and life have been destroyed by statements Lindell made about him and allowed to be promoted through his online media platform, Frankspeech. During sometimes rambling testimony in federal court in Denver, Lindell painted himself as the victim of lawfare when people are sued to scare them into silence. Several conservative news organizations, including Fox News,Newsmax and One America News, have settled defamation lawsuits from voting machine companies over allegations that they promoted falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election. In 2021, Newsmax also apologized to Coomer for airing false allegations against him. Nevertheless, Lindell said he hoped his trial would lead people to look at what happened in the election and get rid of electronic voting machines, which have been targeted in a web of conspiracy theories. Reviews, recounts and audits in the battleground states where Trump contested his 2020 loss all affirmed Democrat Joe Biden's victory. Trump's own attorney general at the time said there was no evidence of widespread fraud, and Trump and his allies lost dozens of court cases seeking to overturn the result. Lindell said he never accused Coomer of rigging the election, but he testified that Coomer's claims led Newsmax to block him from being able to go on air to talk about voting machines. Youre part of the biggest coverup of the biggest crime the world has ever seen, he said to the Coomer lawyer questioning him, Charles Cain. Lindell said he used to be worth about $60 million before he started speaking out about the 2020 election, and now he has nothing and is $10 million in debt. Featured Local Savings I believe what you did to me and MyPillow was criminal, he said to Cain during questioning. Both Cain and U.S. District Judge Nina Wang had to remind Lindell several times to listen to the questions and only provide the answers to them, rather than head off on tangents. During the trial, Coomers attorneys have tried to show how their clients life was devastated by the series of conspiracy theories about him. Lindell was comparatively late to seize on Coomer, not mentioning him until February 2021, well after his name had been circulated by other Trump partisans. Coomer said the conspiracy theories cost him his job, his mental health and the life hed built and said Lindells statements were the most distressing of all. He specifically pointed to a statement on May 9, 2021, when Lindell described what he believed Coomer had done as treason. Asked by his attorney what he wants out of the trial, Coomer said he would like an apology, compensation and a chance of rehabilitating my public image. Lindells attorneys argued that Coomers reputation was already in tatters by the time Lindell mentioned him partly because of Coomers own Facebook posts disparaging Trump, which the former Dominion employee acknowledged were hyperbolic and had been a mistake. Your reputation was shattered long before Mr. Lindell said a word about you, Chris Katchouroff said to Coomer. Katchouroff noted that Lindell also is known for making hyperbolic statements and that what he said about Coomer was simply the result of his sincere concern over vote-rigging in the 2020 presidential election a claim for which there is no evidence. Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi contributed to this report. A U.S. Navy sailor who disappeared from her barracks about two weeks ago has been found dead, authorities said Wednesday, and another sailor is currently in pretrial custody in connection with her death. Angelina Petra Resendiz, 21, vanished from her barracks at a naval base in Norfolk, Virginia, on May 29, according to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, or NCIS. She was reported missing June 3, and the Virginia State Police subsequently issued a "critically missing adult alert" on behalf of the agency. The Norfolk Medical Examiner identified her body on Tuesday, after remains were found the day before in a wooded part of the city, a spokesperson for the law enforcement agency said in a statement to CBS News. Angelina Resendiz / Credit: GoFundMe Authorities have not released the name of the Navy sailor who is being detained in Resendiz's death. Charges were pending Wednesday, but the agency noted that the sailor would be tried in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice. That set of rules dictates how the military investigates, prosecutes and punishes personnel for a range of crimes. It applies to active-duty members of the military, the National Guard and Reserve, as well as military academy students, according to the Department of Defense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Resendiz was a culinary specialist assigned to the USS James E. Williams and based at Naval Station Norfolk, according to NCIS and CBS News affiliate WTKR. "NCIS has worked tirelessly in close coordination with Navy leadership, the Norfolk Police Department, Virginia State Police, Virginia Search and Rescue, and numerous other federal and local law enforcement partners to pursue all leads since learning of Seaman Resendiz' disappearance," the agency said. "NCIS remains committed to uncovering the facts surrounding the tragic death of Seaman Resendiz to ensure accountability and justice." Esmerelda Castle, Resendiz's mother, criticized the Navy's handling of her daughter's case in a statement this week, WTKR reported. "[Resendiz's] colleagues, friends, and even authorities knew she was missing, but the response was minimal, and after her friends filed a missing person's report when her commander would not, they showed little compassion or understanding," Castle said in the statement, according to WTKR. "This callousness led to [Resendiz's] death, which cannot be tolerated." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A GoFundMe launched to help Castle has raised over $9,000. An accused woman skips her pedicure, kills her ex-husband Watch California Gov. Gavin Newsom's full speech on federal response to Los Angeles protests LAPD chief speaks out about deployment of military forces to anti-ICE protests NEED TO KNOW Authorities have now confirmed missing Navy sailor Angelina Petra Resendiz was found dead in Virginia on Monday, June 9 She was last seen alive at her barracks at Naval Station Norfolk on Thursday, May 29 Her body was discovered "in an off-base wooded area in Norfolk" Authorities have now confirmed missing Navy sailor Angelina Petra Resendiz was found dead in Virginia this week, about a week and a half after she was last seen alive at her barracks and a suspect has been placed in custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Norfolk Medical Examiners Office verified on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 10, that Resendizs body had been positively identified. She was discovered by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) a day earlier in an off-base wooded area in Norfolk, PEOPLE previously reported. A spokesperson for NCIS did not reveal a cause of death, but confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE that a Navy Sailor had been placed in "pretrial confinement" in connection with Resendiz's death. The Virginia State Police issued a critically missing adult alert for Resendiz, 21, on Tuesday, June 3 after she was last seen at her barracks in Miller Hall at Naval Station Norfolk on Thursday, May 29. 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 Resendiz family said they were heartbroken and deeply concerned over her sudden and unexplained disappearance, in a statement shared on Instagram on Monday, June 9. Gofundme Angelina Petra Resendiz went missing on May 29, 2025. Angelina Petra Resendiz went missing on May 29, 2025. Angelina is a loving, compassionate, and devoted individual who has always prioritized the well-being of her family and those around her. Her absence has caused immense grief for all who know and love her, the statement continued. Prior to her death, Resendiz had been assigned to the USS James E. Williams. Read the original article on People JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) A recent report revealed that Mississippi is a major home for firearm purchases. America is often synonymous with weapons. More than two in five households own at least one gun. SafeHome.org data found that a similar dynamic exists in Mississippi; the website found that the state has the 10th highest rate of gun purchases. Last year, Mississippi sold 217,458 guns. Though that is a 4.3% decrease compared to 2023, sales for 2025 will likely be very similar. Between January through April, the state sold 70,344 guns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of those weapons are purchased for recreation. The states national forests provide over a million acres of land available to the public for hunting. Common game includes white-tailed deer, wild turkey, quail, squirrel, rabbit, raccoon and waterfowl. However, other uses of firearms present dangers for many Mississippians. Jackson groups advocate for gun violence victims Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that Mississippi led the country in firearm deaths. June commemorates National Gun Violence Awareness Month. In 2023, the gun violence death rate in the state continued to exceed the national death rate, a trend observed for decades. Firearms are the leading cause of death among children in the United States. Recognizing this, the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) recommended that people implement the SMART method. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Secure all guns at home and in vehicles Model responsible behavior around guns Ask about unsecured guns in other homes Recognize the role of guns in suicide Tell others about SMART For those new to or considering firearm ownership, the state offers handgun training courses at three sites throughout the state, including one location in Canton. For those interested, visit the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks (MDWFP) website. 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. STARKVILLE, Miss. (WJTV) Starkville police announced a man was arrested in connection to multiple fraudulent transactions in the city and other jurisdictions in and out of state. Police said Deshun Williams, 33, of Columbus, was arrested on June 9 and charged with two counts of false pretenses (felony), six counts of credit card fraud (felony) and one count of credit card fraud (misdemeanor). Ohio man sentenced for scheme that targeted Mississippi companies Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to officers, the charges stem from an ongoing investigation into fraudulent purchases and transactions made by Williams. The offenses occurred between March 2025 and June 2025. Deshun Williams (Courtesy: Starkville Police Dept.) In addition to the charges in Starkville, police said Williams faces related charges in Oxford, Horn Lake, Clay County, and Pickens County, Alabama. He is also currently wanted for charges by an additional law enforcement agency in Tennessee. 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 Legislature recently passed House Bill 602. Beginning July 1, 2025, all seafood and crawfish sold in Mississippi must be clearly labeled as either imported or domestic. Oversight and enforcement of the new labeling requirements will be managed by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC). Starting July 1, each agency will begin inspecting businesses across the state to ensure compliance. NCAA settlement could reshape Mississippi sports Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials encouraged businesses selling seafood and crawfish to begin preparations now by reviewing their sourcing documentation, updating signage and menus and training staff accordingly. Both MDMR and MDAC will also provide outreach and educational resources to support businesses as they adapt to the new requirements. Under the new law, all wholesalers, processors, retailers and food service establishments are required to properly label seafood and crawfish as either: Domestic if harvested, raised and processed in the U.S.; or Imported if harvested, raised and/or processed outside the U.S. According to MDAC, the labels must be prominently displayed on menus, packaging, sales displays or any form of public advertisement where seafood or crawfish is sold or promoted. To ensure visibility, the labeling text must be at least the same size as the product name. If domestic and imported products are mixed, the product must be labeled as Imported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday on a case involving a transgender student's access to locker rooms (Clara Bates/Missouri Independent). In a 5-2 ruling Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court rejected a transgender students claim that he faced sex discrimination when the Blue Springs School District denied him access to single-sex locker rooms and bathrooms. The case did not seek a ruling on the constitutionality of school districts barring transgender students from sex-designated spaces. Instead, it centered around whether evidence presented in Jackson County Circuit Court was sufficient to rule on the students claims of sex discrimination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2021, a Jackson County jury sided with the student, identified by his initials R.M.A. in court proceedings, and awarded him over $4 million in damages. But Circuit Judge Cory Atkins threw out the verdict in a move that is reserved for a complete absence of probative fact to support the jurys conclusion. The courts decision, written by Judge Kelly Broniec, affirmed Atkinss decision. R.M.A. had not proven that he was discriminated against on the basis of male sex but instead shown discrimination based on female genitalia, Broniec wrote. Although R.M.A. argues the school districts consideration of genitalia is inherently sex-related, the only evidence adduced at trial was that the school districts decisions were based on the fact that R.M.A. had female genitalia, she wrote in the courts decision. R.M.A. amended his birth certificate during his time as a student, and his physician testified in circuit court that he is a male. The only evidence of female genitalia in the case is the original birth certificate the district received when R.M.A. enrolled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dissenting opinions from Judges Paul Wilson and Brent Powell say there was too much evidence to allow a judge to overturn a jurys verdict. There was more than enough other evidence from which the jury could find R.M.A.s male sex was a contributing factor in the districts discriminatory conduct, Wilson wrote. Powell opined that the jury had the role of deciding what evidence to believe. Another piece discussed during the cases oral arguments in February was whether discrimination based on genitalia constitutes sex stereotyping. Its very clear that the plaintiffs sex was the reason for this discrimination, R.M.A.s attorney Alexander Edelman said in February. In that he was a male who was assigned female at birth and so he differed from other males. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The majority opinion rejected the argument, arguing that genitalia is intrinsic to biological sex. A persons biological sex is not a stereotype, it says. Wilson rebuts that biological sex is more complicated. What the dictionary does not say, what no witness testified to or treatise in evidence states, and what no statute or judicial decision provides, is that a persons sex is always and only determined by that persons genitalia, he wrote. R.M.A.s case is not the only Missouri lawsuit addressing transgender students use of school bathrooms. In 2023, a Platte County School District student filed a lawsuit, alleging the districts policy is discriminatory, and the case is ongoing. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Trump administration is losing its ability to hide its pro-Russia affinities. In a searing exchange with Senator Mitch McConnell Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed the mental gymnastics at play as administration officials take a soft approach on Russia amid its ongoing war on Ukraine. Number one, whos the aggressor and whos the victim in the conflict? asked McConnell. Russia is the aggressor, Hegseth said, quietly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Which side do you want to win? McConnell said. But the defense secretary couldnt provide a simple answer for that. As weve said time and time again, this president is committed to peace in that conflict. Ultimately, peace serves our national interests, and we think the interest of both parties, even if that outcome will not be preferable to many in this room and many in our country, Hegseth said. Which side is President Xi pulling for? continued McConnell. That question tripped up the former Fox News anchor even more. After providing a complicated answer in which he pointed fingers at the Biden administrations policies, Hegseth eventually conceded that China and its leadership would prefer Russia to win in the Ukrainian conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One thing Im sure we agree on is that we dont want a headline at the end of this conflict that says Russia Wins and America Loses, McConnell said. And given the fact that all of our adversaries are communicating with each other, thats extremely important if were going to continue to play the role in the world that the vast majority of members of Congress think we should still play. Particularly now that our adversaries are more significant than they have been since the Berlin Wall came down. McConnell: Whos the aggressor and whos the victim in the conflict? Hegseth: Russia is the aggressor." McConnell: Which side do you want to win?" Hegseth: "This president is committed to peace." pic.twitter.com/q7XCoshpvC The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) June 11, 2025 The White House has played a weaker and weaker hand in its game against Russia since Trumps inauguration. On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to end the war within days of returning to powerbut that hasnt been the case. Instead, Trumps heavy hand on Ukraine and his repeated concessions toward Russias enduring violence have been interpreted by Kremlin propagandists as a massive win for Russian President Vladimir Putin, resulting in televised laughter on Russian programs at the downfall of American power. In the months since he took office, Trump has claimed that Russia has come ready and willing to reach a peace deal, even though many of its demandssuch as staking a Russian flag in Crimeareverse long-standing U.S. policy. Following a deadly airstrike on Kyiv last month, European leaders urged Western countries to enact sanctions on Moscow as a way to reel Putin back to the negotiating table. But Trump responded by wringing his hands, claiming that applying pressure on Russia would hurt a deal. Just about everyone in the U.S.including Trumps own partywants the White House to act. By late May, Senate Republicans resorted to begging Trump to take a stand against Russia while they mulled over the possibility of going over his head to enact the internationally recommended sanctions. Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced last week that the upper chamber would begin work on a sanctions bill sometime this month. Culpeper Sheriff Scott Jenkins speaks to the crowd at the pro-gun rally in 2020. (Ryan M. Kelly for the Virginia Mercury) Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is pushing back against President Donald Trumps decision to pardon former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins, saying the ex-lawmans federal bribery conviction was well-founded and the pardon misguided. I have to authorize any state investigation into any elected official. And so I was aware of a lot of the facts at that time, Miyares told The Mercury in an interview Tuesday. Given what I know, I would not have pardoned him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rare public break from Miyares, a Republican and rising star in Virginia politics who is seeking a second term this year, comes just weeks after Trump issued the controversial pardon in late May. The president portrayed Jenkins a longtime supporter who campaigned for Trump in both 2016 and 2020 as the victim of political persecution. Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post announcing the pardon. He blamed the case on an overzealous Biden Department of Justice and claimed Jenkins had been left for dead by Radical Left monsters. But prosecutors, a jury and residents in Jenkinss own hometown paint a far different picture. In March, Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of accepting over $75,000 in bribes in exchange for issuing auxiliary deputy sheriff appointments and law enforcement credentials to wealthy businessmen and undercover agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement None of the recipients were trained, vetted, or expected to perform any actual law enforcement duties. They offered Jenkins cash and campaign contributions. The appointments came with official Culpeper County Sheriffs Office badges, identification cards, and in some cases, the ability to carry concealed weapons in jurisdictions where they otherwise may not have had permission to do so. Jenkins, 53, was convicted in December 2024 on 12 federal counts including conspiracy, four counts of honest services wire fraud, and seven counts of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. Scott Jenkins violated his oath of office and the faith the citizens of Culpeper County placed in him when he engaged in a cash-for-badges scheme, said Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee in a statement after sentencing. We hold our elected law enforcement officials to a higher standard of conduct and this case proves that when those officials use their authority for unjust personal enrichment, the Department of Justice will hold them accountable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FBI officials echoed that assessment. Stanley Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBIs Richmond Division, called Jenkinss actions a betrayal of his badge. Every law enforcement officer takes an oath to serve and protect the community that includes following the law theyve sworn to uphold, Meador said. I am proud of the diligent work our investigative team did on this case to bring Jenkins to justice. Court documents showed that Jenkins accepted bribes from at least eight individuals, including co-defendants Rick Rahim, Fredric Gumbinner, and James Metcalf all of whom pleaded guilty as well as two undercover FBI agents posing as wealthy donors. In return, Jenkins appointed them as auxiliary deputy sheriffs and issued official law enforcement credentials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In one instance, Jenkins pressured Culpeper County officials to support a petition falsely claiming that Rahim a convicted felon resided in the county, in order to have his firearm rights restored. The petition, later revealed to contain misleading information, was central to the governments case in proving Jenkinss abuse of power. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith, along with Trial Attorneys Celia Choy and Lina Peng from the Department of Justices Public Integrity Section, led the prosecution. Despite the evidence and jury verdict, Trumps decision to intervene and grant clemency to Jenkins sparked outrage even in conservative Culpeper County, where Trump won more than 60% of the vote in the 2024 presidential election. According to NPR, which interviewed more than two dozen Culpeper residents following the pardon, all but one person expressed disapproval of the pardon and the lone supporter refused to go on record. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats a terrific mistake, Ken Green, a retired entrepreneur and three-time Trump voter, told the reporter as he sat at the counter of Frost Cafe on Culpepers Main Street. Its a failure of our justice system. He was guilty as could be. He needed to go to jail, and he didnt. So what kind of signal does that send? For Miyares, the issue isnt Trumps constitutional authority which he acknowledges but whether that authority was exercised responsibly. I think it is clear the Constitution gives the president incredibly broad pardon powers, as we have seen, Miyares said in the interview. And regardless of whos in the White House, these pardons can be controversial at times. He added, Clearly the White House is privy to facts that Im not aware of, but with the facts that I am aware of, I would not have pardoned him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miyaress criticism adds to a growing chorus of Republicans what they view as Trumps increasingly personal use of the pardon power. While presidents have long granted clemency for controversial figures, Jenkinss case stands out because of the sheer volume of evidence, the jurys unanimous verdict and the betrayal of public trust by a sitting sheriff. Youre scared. Honestly, youre scared, Jenkins said of his sentencing. You may have been a cop all your life but youre sitting here going, They want to put me in prison for life. Whether Trumps decision will have political consequences remains to be seen, but the fallout in Virginia especially among conservative voters who also value law-and-order policy is still unfolding. As Miyares put it, I dont agree with that. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Editors Note: This post has been updated to correct the location of the Ksubi store. Police are searching for a mob of burglars who smashed through the window of a well-known retail chain location in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles overnight. Officers were dispatched to a Ksubi store on the 100 block of South La Brea Avenue after receiving the burglary call around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Miller confirmed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 10 to 15 males were seen inside the location before taking off in a white Audi and a black Cadillac Escalade, Miller said. Officers were able to take one suspect into custody in the area, but the rest of the suspects remain on the loose. Shattered glass is seen following a burglary at a Ksubi store in Inglewood on June 10, 2025. (KTLA) Video showed broken glass and debris being cleaned up outside the store early Wednesday morning. Police confirmed that merchandise was taken from the store, but it was unclear how much. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NEED TO KNOW A Pennsylvania mother and her young son were found dead in a parked car inside the garage of a home on June 8, officials said A representative from the Bucks County Coroners Office confirmed to PEOPLE that the victims were Agnes Dawidowicz, 42, and her son Charlie Dawidowicz, 3 The causes and manner of death are pending further investigation, the coroner's office said Officials say a mother and her young son were found dead in a parked car inside a garage of a Pennsylvania home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Bucks County Coroners Office said that the Pennsylvania State Police and emergency responders were called to a residence in Quakertown on Sunday, June 8, where they found the woman and child unresponsive in the vehicle, CBS affiliate KYW reported. It is unknown why authorities were notified to go to the property. It's also not clear at this time if it was their home. Both victims were pronounced deceased at the scene at 5 p.m. local time, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. In an email to PEOPLE on Wednesday, June 11, a representative from the Bucks County Coroners Office confirmed that the victims were mother Agnes Dawidowicz, 42, and her son Charlie Dawidowicz, 3. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Citing a LinkedIn page, the Daily Voice reported that Agnes worked in clinical research and served as a group leader for Almac Clinical Technologies since 2014. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University and a Master of Business Administration from California Coast University. The Bucks County Coroners Office further told PEOPLE that the autopsies of the victims were performed, and the causes and manners of death are pending further investigation. The office said that the Pennsylvania State Police is investigating the case. PEOPLE contacted the Pennsylvania State Police for additional information on Wednesday. Read the original article on People The police department tasked with protecting the University of Colorado Colorado Springs student body has issued a warning that scammers are using threatening phone calls to try to scam students. The UCCS Police Department issued the warning on social media Tuesday evening, warning of scammers posing as police officers calling people up and advising them to pay fines or face imminent arrest due to outstanding warrants or missed jury duty. In at least one case the scammers were faking their call actually coming from the real UCCS police dispatch number of (719) 255-3111. The police department says that it will never demand payment over the phone or threaten arrest in such a manner. Anyone receiving a threatening call purportedly from the department should hang up, and call the dispatch number. This type of impersonation fraud has been used in the Pikes Peak region previously. This spring the FBI sent out a general warning about this type of criminal scheme, and in late February the Colorado Springs police sent out a public warning that several city residents had received fraudulent calls from city police impersonators. In all cases, authorities recommend to hang up and immediately call the law enforcement agency in question directly. To report one of these scams to the Colorado Springs Police Department call 719-444-7000. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A mother is left searching for answers, four years after her son was found dead in a Downtown Portland youth housing facility. After struggling with homelessness and addiction, Tianna Martinez said her son Jack was excited to get a room at Outside Ins youth supportive housing in the fall of 2021. Things were starting to look up for the 19-year-old, who was applying for jobs after his mother bought him a new phone, but the device wouldnt be activated for long. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Nov. 2021, just weeks after Jack moved in, Martinez said she received a devastating call from the Multnomah County Medical Examiners office. A representative informed her that Jack had been discovered dead in his room, having been dead for approximately three to four days. All I remember is screaming. And screaming, no, Martinez recalled. I felt rage. It was just so sad that my son was alone in his room like that for those days. She said she was shocked to learn the room at the county-backed non-profit, which had provided her family with so much hope, instead housed his body, unchecked. They told me directly that they do 24-hour knock checks and weekly room checks, the mother said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, in a Portland Police report obtained by KOIN 6 News, a social worker told officers he discovered Jacks body during a welfare check on Nov. 11, after realizing the teens fob hadnt been used since roughly Nov. 7. I could just see him, and picture him and his body there, Martinez said. No one caring, and no one checking in on him the extreme injustice. According to police, no drugs were found in Jacks room, however, the medical examiners report concluded the teen died of an accidental fentanyl overdose. Described as a devoted brother to his sister Annika and an artist, his mother said the loss was unbearable for the Martinez family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everybody loved Jacks smile, she said. He was just inviting, his energy was loving and caring. Martinez said she took time to grieve but filed a federal tort claim shortly before the statute of limitations expired. However, since then she claims Outside In has delayed releasing her sons records, making it difficult for her to get answers or move forward with potential litigation. I feel like theyre trying to make me give up, she told KOIN 6 News. But I am not going to give up, Im a fighter. (I) will fight to the extent of whatever it takes to get these records. I will not stop. Jacks death is one of at least six to occur at similar secure, transitional housing facilities over the last few years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In August 2024, Central City Concern (CCC) confirmed the body of a man was discovered inside his room at the non-profits Shoreline housing location days after he passed. That facility is the same complex where the body of Brendan Mackey was found months earlier in February. The Mackey family filed a lawsuit against CCC, claiming Brendans remains went undiscovered for at least two months following his death. Central City Concern held exclusive possession of Brendan Mackeys corpse for 64 continuous days from December 26, 2023, and each day after until February 28, 2024, the complaint alleges. Prior to the time of Brendan Mackeys residency and death in the Shoreline Building, at least three other persons have died in a Central City Concern building and Central City Concern has failed to discover their remains prior to postmortem alteration Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both CCC and Outside In declined to provide KOIN 6 News with the number of people who have died while staying at their housing facilities. I would like to say that I am here, not only for Jack, but for all of the ones that have been reported to die the same way at other nonprofits, Martinez said. There is a systematic problem in Portland healing these vulnerable people. I do not want to see another mother go through what I have been going through. In response to questions regarding Martinezs claims of delayed records and questions about Outside Ins door-knock policy, development director Justine Ziegler provided the following statement to KOIN 6 News: Outside In expresses its deepest condolences to the family over the loss of a loved one. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agencys onsite supportive housing program maintains policies and practices that are in alignment with tenant law. The agency cooperates with any legal representation and law enforcement regarding matters of this nature and would provide documents and records as required. When asked what policy changes Central City Concern has implemented following deaths at their facilities, associate director of external communications Laura J. Recko told KOIN 6 News as the landscape has changed, so has CCCs response. CCC has seen a profound shift over the last 3-5 years in the people were serving, Recko added. Theyre clinically struggling more than ever before, finding it more challenging to get stabilized and maintain recovery from substance use disorders and severe mental health challenges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recko told KOIN 6 News in recent years CCC launched a Zero Overdose Initiative, increased Narcan training and access, updated its medication management program, hired safety and security teams, as well as Overdose Prevention Aftercare Specialists, among other measures. She said the deaths are also devastating for staff, who she says hold an annual private memorial service. Every death of a resident or client is a tragedy. It is a heartbreaking loss for their families and for the greater community, Recko wrote. It is especially tragic knowing that many of the people Central City Concern serves had reached a potential turning point in their lives and decided to ask for help, and we still lost 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 KOIN.com. MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) A Monongalia County man accused of hundreds of incidents of sexual abuse will spend up to 75 years in prison after officers say he admitted to them last year. William Wiley According to a release from the Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney, William Ellis Wiley will serve between 45-75 years in prison for three counts of first-degree sexual assault. His case stems from a report made to the Morgantown Police Department in September 2023 by someone who was once Wileys foster child, who claimed that Wiley had sexually abused them between 1985 and 1992. He was arrested in January 2024. Mary Lou Retton pleads no contest, fined $100 for DUI, says shes committed to make positive changes Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The release said that Wiley accepted responsibility for the sexual abuse during an interview between him and the victim. Documents provided by the Monongalia County Circuit Court Clerk confirmed that Wiley was the victims foster parent and that he had been receiving payment from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) while the abuse was going on. Judge Cindy Scott ordered Wiley to serve each of his three sexual assault sentences consecutively, each carrying 15-25 years. Following his sentence, he will be subject to 50 years of extended supervision. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. MONONA COUNTY, Iowa (KCAU) UPDATED (1:28 P.M.): The child has been found. The Monona County Sheriffs Office thanks anyone who helped. PREVIOUS (12:46 p.m.): The Monona County Sheriffs Office is asking for the publics help in finding a missing child. The Monona County Sheriffs Office posted on Facebook that the child was last seen at Bomgaars in Mapleton. Anyone who has information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Monona County Sheriffs Office at (712) 423-2525. 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. In this photo illustration, packages of Mifepristone tablets are displayed at a family planning clinic on April 13, 2023 in Rockville, Maryland. A Massachusetts appeals court temporarily blocked a Texas-based federal judges ruling that suspended the FDAs approval of the abortion drug Mifepristone, which is part of a two-drug regimen to induce an abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy in combination with the drug Misoprostol. (Photo illustration by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) A trio of abortion-related bills, passed in 2021, were declared unconstitutional by a nearly unanimous Montana Supreme Court on Monday. Nearly, because Justice Jim Rice wrote both a concurring and dissenting opinion affirming again Montanas constitutionally protected right-to-privacy, which includes medical procedures and abortion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The laws were halted before they could even be practically enacted, so the hurdles to the procedure, including waiting periods, mandatory ultrasound, a pile of documentation and banning abortion after 20 weeks, even before the point of fetal viability, never rippled throughout the state. Justice Beth Baker wrote the opinion on behalf of the court, which not only reaffirmed the state Constitutions right-to-privacy as unique and separate from federal cases on abortion, but also took the state to task for failing to support its claim that the State of Montana had a compelling interest in abortion, while not proving that any of the legislative hurdles were scientifically supported. The lawsuit was brought by Planned Parenthood of Montana, and had a handful of other entities that wrote friends-of-the-court briefs, including a group of delegates to the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention. The three laws that were challenged were House Bill 136, House Bill 140 and House Bill 171: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HB 136 would have banned abortion at 20 weeks, even though expert opinion agreed that fetal viability is not possible until at least 22 weeks. HB 171 would have put paperwork and more requirements for healthcare providers who provide abortion via medication or telehealth, subjecting them to both civil and criminal penalties. HB 180 would have required healthcare professionals to provide both ultrasound and fetal heartbeat tones to those considering abortion, and requiring a patient to sign a form created by the state, demonstrating that the patient had been offered the choice, and yet declined. Because fetal viability or the concept a child can survive outside the womb is dictated by a host of factors, including medical science and approximate age of the fetus, the court rejected the states attempts to prescribe a fixed number of weeks for viability. A fixed gestational age that does not allow a providers case-specific determination fails to ensure that the government does not interfere with an individuals private medical decision, the ruling said. Until a fetus is viable and able to survive outside the womb, the right of personal autonomy belongs to the person on whose body the fetus depends. We find no legal authority for the idea that the states interest in preserving fetal life or the fetus right to life takes precedence over all constitutional protections and dignities of the mother. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys for the state had argued that physical safety risks of abortion increase as the pregnancy progresses, and that abortions lead to worse mental health outcomes, an argument that the Supreme Court dismissed and debunked. The record shows that abortion is safe, the decision said. As the district court noted, there were zero deaths cause by abortion in Montana between 2010 and 2020 and only 25 of 8,402 (0.3%) reported abortions in Montana from 2016 to 2021 resulted in complications. This court cannot find a bona fide health risk simply based on a detailed step-by-step description of what the state defines as barbaric and gruesome procedure when the overwhelming evidence shows that procedural abortions are safe. The ruling also said if the state wanted to address health outcomes or mental health issues, banning abortion was not the least restrictive way to do it. The court also pointed out waiting-periods and requiring multiple in-person visits, as outlined by HB 171, actually increased the odds of harm or complications, instead of avoiding them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The record demonstrates that compliance with the 24-hour wait period, the multiple in-person visits, and the telehealth ban serve only to delay access to abortion care thus increasing the odds that the patient will not be able to obtain an abortion or increasing the odds of the very complications this state asserts it wishes to protect against, the opinion said. The ruling also said in addition to violating the states constitutional provisions for privacy, it also impacted physicians free-speech rights by requiring them to provide forms and documents, for example, information about a disputed abortion reversal procedure, that have not been medically verified or supported. They said HB 171 compelled healthcare professionals to give advice contrary to their training and conscience. Physicians and experts also raised concerns about the states assertion abortion led to other health care concerns, for example, an increase in breast cancer, which has never been scientifically established. Forcing medical providers to give medical advice that they disagree with like the safety and efficacy of abortion reversal is a form of compelled-speech triggering protections, the ruling said. (Planned Parenthood) asserts that patients may mistakenly understand the consent form to indicate DPHHSs and their providers approval of abortion reversal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ruling calls such compelled speech egregious because it favors one viewpoint over another namely, the viewpoint that abortion reversal is safe and possible over the judgements and viewpoints of providers that it is unsafe, ineffective and undermines informed consent. The court noted the state does not mandate documentation or consent that requires medical providers to discuss the risk of carrying a pregnancy to term. Finally, the court also called into question the real purpose of HB 140, which mandates ultrasounds and fetal heart tones before an abortion, something that providers said either happens during the course of pregnancy, but may not be medically necessary. The court stated it was left with the strong impression that the law aims to advance the ulterior motive of discouraging abortion, which is unacceptable under the law, the ruling said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Montanas highest court found that in the case of HB 140, it was exactly substituting the judgment of the state, and the lawmakers who supported it, with the views of the doctor. The courts decision further protects what Montanans need and deserve: Legal access to compassionate, timely abortion care, free from government interference. At the same moment as this win for Montanans, anti-abortion politicians continue to threaten to decimate access to care by defunding Planned Parenthood via the reconciliation bill before Congress, in an effort to shut down health centers who provide abortion and other reproductive care. Montanans agree that abortion should remain legal and accessible, and Planned Parenthood of Montana will always do whatever we can to ensure that patients in Montana have access to abortion care, said Martha Fuller, president and CEO of Montana Planned Parenthood, after the ruling in a statement. The case was active for several years of litigation, and had district court Judge Amy Eddy sitting in place of former Chief Justice Mike McGrath, who retired at the end of 2024, as well as Judge Shane Vannatta, who was sitting in for Dirk Sandefur, who also retired. McGrath has since been replaced by Chief Justice Cory Swanson, and Sandefur was succeeded by Justice Katherine Bidegaray. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) It took warehouse employees only a few minutes to fill a shipping container with fortified peanut butter at a facility in Quonset, but Edesia Nutritions CEO, Navyn Salem, says the moment was months in the making. Ive learned a lot about paperwork and all of the things that are needed to keep things moving, Salem said. She said she had been waiting on a transportation contract from the federal government to ship food to children in war-torn Sudan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Getting a transportation contract is usually something that just happens, she said. But when you are working with a broken system that is in a transition period from USAID to the State Department, youre going to encounter a lot of disruptions. BACKGROUND: Edesia Nutrition cuts 10% of workforce due to lack of USAID funding The United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, was placed under the authority of the State Department as part of sweeping cuts in the early days of the new Trump Administration. Since some of the boxes of peanut butter were packaged back in January, Salem says she was worried the United Nations would not let her ship food out. Fortunately, she said, the UN has made an exception. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now with a contract in hand, she is finally able to ship 122,000 of the boxes sitting in Edesias North Kingstown warehouse. But she is still trying to figure out how to ship the 185,000 that remain. There is still a lot of work to do, because children really cant wait, she said. Anyone interested in donating to Edesia Nutrition can do so online. 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 This Week in Good 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 WPRI.com. MONTROSE, Colo. (KREX) On Saturday, June 28, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the City of Montrose and Montrose County will have a waste collection event for area residents to dispose of hazardous chemicals at the City Public Works shop located at 1221 64.50 Road in Montrose. The city and county agreed to contribute funds to dispose of the materials collected during the event. The goal of this event is to encourage citizens to properly collect, handle, and dispose of common household hazardous waste materials, the city and county said in a joint statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Individuals are limited to disposing of a maximum of 20 gallons of liquid material, 50 pounds of dry or powder waste material and 20 aerosol cans. The accepted household hazardous materials include items such as: batteries, aerosols, fertilizer, paint supplies, liquid fuels and herbicides. Materials that are not accepted include items such as unidentifiable wastes, non-residential household hazardous wastes, explosive or radioactive materials, electronic waste, and biological or infectious waste. The full list of accepted and not accepted materials, as well as the fee schedule, can be found on the City of Montroses website at www.cityofmontrose.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 WesternSlopeNow.com. The following article is written by Nathan Prewett for the Trussville Tribune: MOODY, Ala. (Trussville Tribune) On Monday night, the Moody City Council held a public hearing for a request to rezone Taylors Crossing in anticipation of the construction of a new 100 home housing development. City Attorney Kyle Barrentine said that the citys Planning Commission recommended approving the rezoning of the 191-acre property from AG-1 (agricultural) to E-1 (single family residential estate) at the request of developers, Beaver Creek Partners Moody, LLC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rezoning would come with five conditions, one being a 50-foot undisturbed buffer and a 50-foot disturbed buffer, totaling a 100-foot buffer between Taylors Crossing and Twin Lakes. The other conditions include that there should be no structure on the 100-foot buffer, there should be underground power, that sidings will be required for garages, and lastly that there will be roads that meet city standards. Tanya Sloane spoke during the public hearing to raise concerns that nearby properties at Joyce Circle may be affected by water runoff from a ridge that is part of the property that Beaver Creek Partners Moody wants to develop on. I am definitely afraid that they are going to dump more water not only onto Joyce Circle but into Twin Lakes, Sloane said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alabama Department of Public Health determines there are no active measles cases in the state Councilor Linda Crowe echoed similar concerns, especially about trees being cut down in the area. She asked Brian Hatcher, an engineer with the developers who was present to take questions, what kind of guarantee that the water runoff will be controlled. Hatcher responded in regards to the trees that the added undisturbed buffers for this phase allows for a section of vegetation near the future homes. As for the water, it can be directed by planned alterations to the ridge in which runoffs will be drained into areas that should not go toward the current nearby properties. He added that a lake will be built to contain water. This rezoning put stipulations on them that we require for them to get this done, so hopefully it helps you guys in the long run, said Councilor Lynn Taylor to Sloane during further discussion. Im not guaranteeing that but hopefully this rezoning helps you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The matter will come to the council for a vote on July 14. At the beginning of the meeting department heads gave their reports for the month of May. Police Chief Reece Smith reported 1,280 calls, 34 traffic accidents, 196 citations, 131 reports written, 49 misdemeanors, 25 felonies, three juvenile cases, 56 arrests and $6,712.26 were spent on vehicle maintenance. Fire Chief Larry Horton reported 225 responses, two fires (one vehicle, one residential), 113 emergency medical calls, 10 wrecks, 43 public services, 33 lift assists, 24 false alarms, one mutual aid, 69 annual inspections, nine re-inspections, and one pump inspection. In other business the council: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Approved a request from Reece to replace a ballistic vest for $1,200, Approved Library Director Sara Roberts request to purchase a dehumidifier for $350, and Approved Mayor Joe Lees request to advertise and hire for a municipal court magistrate. Moody City Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Monday of every month at 6 p.m. at Moody City Hall on 670 Park Ave. Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@gmail.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 CBS 42. More than 100 Demonstrators Arrested Monday As Protests Continue in DTLA originally appeared on L.A. Mag. Police in riot gear attempting to maintain order in DTLA on June 9, 2025Irvin Rivera Nearly 100 people were arrested Monday as protests against federal immigration raids continued to escalate across downtown Los Angeles for the fifth straight day. The Los Angeles Police Department says 96 people were arrested for refusing to leave the area, one was arrested for vandalism and another for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon as part of the mayhem connected to a series of sweeps conducted without warning in several locations. Two cops were injured, the LAPD says, and 14 people were arrested for looting. LAPD News: LAPD Releases Information Related to Recent Protests pic.twitter.com/uk7FX79zrz LAPD PIO (@LAPDPIO) June 10, 2025 The chaos, which wreaked havoc on the Little Tokyo neighborhood, which borders the area around the Metropolitan Detention Center, where many of the immigrants arrested by federal agents in surprise raids are being held, and the federal courthouse where the U.S. Attorney for California's Central District is prosecuting many of their cases. Profane graffiti against ICE is tagged all around Los Angeles including the federal courthouse near Little Tokyo.Courtesy of Eli Young On Tuesday a federal judge denied a request from California Governor Gavin Newsom and the state's Attorney General Rob Bonta to temporarily prohibit the Trump administration from using 700 Marines deployed from Twentynine Palms and the National Guard to protect federal buildings and assist law enforcement. Trump had harsh words for California leaders Tuesday, telling reporters that they should be thanking him for protection "from the attacks of a vicious and violent mob. Some of the radical left, they say, Oh, thats not nice, Trump told reporters. Well, if we didnt do it, there wouldnt be a Los Angeles. It would be burning today, just like their houses were burning a number of months ago." Mayor Karen Bass said she is committed to "repairing and restoring" downtown with the help of the faith community and businesses. This morning Ive been in touch with business leaders and faith leaders about coming together as a city to restore and repair downtown. This will be a major moment of unity for our city stay tuned, Los Angeles! Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 10, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday morning, Bass told reporters the destruction had only taken place on a "few blocks within the downtown area," which has resulted in vandalism, graffiti, looting and fires. Bass said thorough investigations will be conducted and the looters and vandals will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. "I don't believe that individuals that commit vandalism and violence in our city really are in support of immigrants; they have another agenda," Bass told reporters. "The violence and the damage is unacceptable. It is not going to be tolerated." This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) More than 400,000 Ohioans have seen their drivers license suspensions lifted in just one month since a new law was implemented, according to Sen. Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati). Ingram said as of Tuesday, 429,501 Ohioans have had total suspensions or blocks removed, and more than $8.3 million in reinstatement fees have been forgiven; 201,024 eligible drivers have been sent notifications. Chillicothe paper mill will close in August after stating it would remain open Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These arent just numbers, Ingram said. These are lives of workers, parents, and students who now have one less barrier standing in their way. The bill was co-sponsored by Sen. Louis W. Blessing III (R-Colerain Township) and became law on April 9. It fully went into effect at the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles on May 9. Watch previous coverage in the player above. The law ends the practice of suspending drivers licenses for failure to pay court fines or fees, along with some other minor offenses. The law does not apply to any drug abuse offense in which a vehicle was used to further the commission of the offense. The law also allows those who have had their license suspended for being in default on child support payments to prove that a suspended license prevents them from making the payments, and they could be granted limited driving privileges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Fort Rapids sale looms, Columbus church eyes plan to redevelop waterpark A 2022 report from the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland found that 60% of drivers licenses suspended in Ohio were suspended due to reasons not related to driving. Drivers are encouraged to make sure their information is current with the BMV so that if theyre eligible for reinstatement, they can be notified. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio applauded the law, which makes Ohio the 25th state to shift away from debt-related penalties. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. More people could die at a beach where a teenager drowned unless a lifeguard is stationed there at high-risk times, a coroner has warned. David Ejimofor, 15, died at Aberavon beach, Neath Port Talbot, on 19 June 2023, after jumping into the sea with friends while celebrating the end of their exams. Assistant coroner Edward Ramsay also said he had seen no evidence that other measures put in place since David's, such as clearer signs, were "working effectively to reduce the risk". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the inquest into David's death, Mr Ramsay said a lifeguard on duty could have stopped him from dying. In a prevention of future deaths report, Mr Ramsay said a lifeguard had previously been stationed at the beach in spring and summer and it "was known to be effective at reducing the risk". He said he was not given a satisfactory explanation why that had been removed before David's death, "nor why that measure continues to be absent today". The report was issued to Neath Port Talbot council, Associated British Ports and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, urging action to prevent future deaths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement David's inquest heard from fisherman Ethan Clarke who said he heard the boy telling other teenagers he "couldn't swim". He added that he heard the teenagers telling the boy "it would be fine" despite him telling them he could not swim. Mr Clarke said the teenager jumped in and began to panic as soon as he entered the water. David's mother, Maria Ejimofor, described her son as a "beautiful young boy", who was "bright and sporty". DENVER (KDVR) The Denver Police Department said it has arrested more than a dozen people after a large protest Tuesday night in solidarity with Los Angeles demonstrators against immigration enforcement operations. Hundreds of people marched through downtown Denver Tuesday evening from the Colorado Capitol after the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition asked people to stand with protesters in Los Angeles. The protest had been planned to start at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and according to an early Wednesday morning press release, protestors later in the night, around 8 p.m., attempted to block roadways, including in the area of South Broadway near Interstate 25. Crowds gather for immigrant rights protest at Colorado Capitol Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the press release, officers used smoke and pepper balls, which contain a pepper-spray-like powder, to disperse crowds from blocking the roadways or deny their access to areas. Police said they did not use tear gas. Before DPD employed any crowd control tactics, multiple audible warnings were given, notifying individuals that their actions were unlawful, and that enforcement of applicable laws would begin if their actions continued, police said in a second statement later Wednesday morning. Police also said in a press release that there were numerous reports during the night of protestors throwing rocks and bottles at officers, and multiple reports of tagging/graffiti. A spokesperson for the police department told FOX31s Vicente Arenas that 18 people were arrested for investigations, including graffiti, unlawful throwing of projectiles, obstruction of streets and assault. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here is a breakdown of arrests, according to the press release: Number of Arrests Arrested for Investigation of. 3 Graffiti 1 Interference with Police Authority 1 Unlawful Throwing of Projectiles, Failure to Obey a Lawful Order 7 Obstruction of Streets, Failure to Obey a Lawful Order 2 Obstruction of Streets, Failure to Obey a Lawful Order, Interference with Police Authority 1 Second Degree Assault 2 Second Degree Assault to a Peace Officer Police said they could not release the names of the people arrested until after 9 a.m. Wednesday. The department also reiterated its compliance with municipal and state law on immigration. In accordance with Denver municipal ordinance and Colorado law, the Denver Police Department does not assist with the enforcement of civil federal immigration laws, the department said. The Denver Police Department remains committed to the safety of all individuals and will continue to cite or arrest individuals committing criminal offenses in our community regardless of immigration status. The department also said it does not ask witnesses or victims of crimes about their immigration status. 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. NEW JERSEY (PIX11) Drivers, businesses, and residents of Wharton, NJ, are ready to celebrate. Work to repair a stretch of Interstate 80 in the Borough of Wharton is proceeding ahead of schedule, and all westbound lanes will be fully open this weekend. More Local News The NJ Department of Transportation says crews have been working around the clock since a sinkhole opened in December. Two others appeared at the beginning of the year. Extensive studies, investigations, and repairs have been done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some eastbound lane restrictions will remain as the project wraps up. The full reopening is expected by June 25, but it could happen earlier. Local businesses say they welcome back customers. Residents say their commutes have improved as some lanes opened at the end of May. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Plans to overhaul Britains energy market being studied by Ed Miliband would prompt a surge in the number of wind farms in the South of England, officials have confirmed. Fintan Slye, the chief executive of the National Energy System Operator (Neso), said breaking the electricity market into regions under so-called zonal pricing would encourage developers to put turbines up in the South. He backed the idea and said the current system of setting wholesale power prices nationally was giving renewable developers the wrong price signals over where to locate wind farms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a speech at the Royal Society, Mr Slye said he wanted renewable developers to move south and build more wind and solar farms closer to where demand is strongest. Mr Slye said: [Zonal pricing] will incentivise the development of wind and solar farms in southern areas but it will also encourage energy intensive developments in the North and Scotland. Under zonal pricing, Britain would be split into regions and energy prices in each area would be set based on local supply and demand. In practice, households in the South would pay more than those in the North where most wind farms are concentrated. However, Mr Slye argued that the higher power prices would encourage more developers to build renewable capacity in the South, which would add supply and put downward pressure on bills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far most wind farms have been built in Scotland and offshore despite the UK power grid lacking the capacity to carry all the power they generate. Britain has spent more than 537m this year on paying northern wind farms to switch off just to avoid overloads, a cost known as constraint payments. Mr Slye is pushing Mr Miliband to make the change to zonal pricing, arguing it could generate huge savings for consumers and businesses overall. He said: The current arrangements where theres a single national price and we, the system operator, acts as the residual balancer are not working. Constraint costs are rising and developers are not getting the market signals that incentivise them to operate in the right way or locate in the right place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said there were very significant benefits to consumers of a move to zonal pricing. He added: The amount varies depending on the assumptions that you make, but it is in the range of 30-50bn over the period 2030 to 2050. Mr Slyes words carry weight given the crucial role played by the Neso. The organisation, which was recently spun out of National Grid, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the entire British power grid. It is now wholly owned by Mr Milibands Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Mr Miliband is considering whether to adopt a zonal pricing system as part of the review of electricity market arrangements. The Energy Secretarys advisers have recommended he back the policy. However, the proposals are highly controversial as they would usher in a surge in construction activity in the English countryside and trigger higher bills in the South. Downing Street has taken a growing interest in plans, amid fears of a voter backlash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zonal pricing has also divided industry. Octopus Energy, which is among the UKs biggest suppliers, has campaigned strongly for the change, while others including British Gas-owner Centrica and green energy tycoon Dale Vince have publicly spoken out against it. A government spokesman said: We are considering reforms to Britains electricity market arrangements, ensuring that these focus on protecting billpayers and encouraging investment. We will provide an update in due course. 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 West Virginia Department of Human Resources, located at One Davis Square in Charleston, W.Va. (Lexi Browning | West Virginia Watch) Under Gov. Patrick Morrisey, the state has spent more than $700,000 in emergency purchases in an effort to fix glaring issues in West Virginias foster care crisis. The money was spent on out-of-state vendors to help with urgent needs that included licensing new foster families and delays in placing children in homes. The state which is the fastest in the nation to remove children from homes doesnt have enough traditional foster homes, leading to some children being sent to out-of-state facilities or sleeping in hotels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About half of the money was spent on a foster care listening tour, where Chicago-based Guidehouse advisory firm facilitated meetings around the state that brought together foster families, Child Protective Services workers, biological parents and more to air grievances and offer solutions for a laundry list of issues in the child welfare system. Without immediate intervention, West Virginia risks further deterioration of its child welfare system, placing countless children at greater risk of harm. The crisis demands urgent attention from agencies and community stakeholders to ensure that every child in the state receives the protection and care they deserve, the state Department of Human Services wrote in an emergency purchasing request earlier this year requesting $348,000 for the listening session facilitator. Emergency purchases permit state agencies to bypass the usual bidding process required in state government. DoHS said in its request that the traditional procurement process would take too long and not align with the urgency required to address the crisis. The CPS crisis has escalated to a level that demands swift intervention, the request continued. The listening tour wrapped up last month, and Guidehouse will produce a report this summer with its findings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morrisey, through an executive order, is requiring his office to review any purchasing requests over $100,000 as he looks to reduce government spending and root out waste. Along with approving the funds for the listening tour, Morrisey also approved a $390,000 emergency purchase request in March from DoHS for a vendor to provide solutions-driven approach to improve the states foster care licensing and placement issue. Governor Morrisey is committed to reforming the Child Welfare System and supports creative solutions to the many longstanding, inherited challenges, Morriseys spokesperson told West Virginia Watch. The one-year contract was awarded to Change & Innovation Agency, according to DoHS. The agency is a Missouri-based consulting firm that specializes in child welfare, child care and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agency will be tasked with helping DoHS improve its process for licensing foster families as the state has a backlog of families who have applied to foster. Theyll also work on ensuring the state is in compliance with state and federal foster care guidelines. DoHS looks forward to partnering with Change & Innovation Agency to address the time required to license new foster families, placement delays and administrative burdens while developing a sustainable framework for long-term system improvements, said Angel Hightower, communications director for DoHS. Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha During the recent legislative session, Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, called for an outside agency to audit the states foster care system, which is serving more than 6,100 kids with an ongoing shortage of CPS workers, in-state homes and mental health services for children. The state spent nearly $70 million last fiscal year to house foster children in out-of-state facilities because the state doesnt have the capacity to keep children close to home. Stuart also wanted a group to make recommendations for how DoHS could improve its foster care system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DoHS Secretary Alex Mayer pushed back on Stuarts legislation, saying that he wanted to assess the problems himself after taking on the role at the beginning of the year. He also vowed changes to the troubled system. Alex J. Mayer, secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services Mayer attended the listening tour sessions, saying that it was imperative he hear from people around the state about their experiences with the child welfare system. Stuart paused his bill mandating the outside audit, and DoHS requested the outside group to help with placements in March before the legislative session adjourned. The emergency procurement differs significantly in scope and intent, Hightower said. While Sen. Stuarts bill proposed an external audit and study of the child welfare system, the departments request focused on streamlining and improving foster care licensing and placement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Stuart said bringing in an outside group to help with licensing foster families showed a serious approach under Morrisey in addressing the issues. I hope that my efforts have played a role in trying to fix a broken system. I applaud the governors offices willingness to invest in our kids, Stuart said. I dont care what form it comes in or who gets the credit, but I want to make sure and my focus is the child welfare system making sure it works for our kids and our families. He added, I think there are a lot of people to blame here administration after administration that didnt pay proper attention to this issue. Stuart added that he expected more funding requests to address foster care problems. Lawmakers recently allocated more than $300 million in the upcoming budget for child welfare services; Morrisey cut 75% of lawmakers allocated funding to West Virginias Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, a program that helps foster children in the court system, before signing the budget bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Morrisey recently announced sweeping reforms to the states child welfare system that he said would end years of bureaucratic stonewalling from within the agency and begin a new era of transparency. The Republican governor attributed some of the changes to the recently-concluded DoHS listening tour. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE President Donald Trump is celebrating the Armys 250th anniversary and his own 79th birthday with a massive, multimillion-dollar military parade Saturday in Washington. But one group of otherwise devoted Trump allies largely wont be there to celebrate: congressional Republicans. Among the 50 GOP lawmakers surveyed by POLITICO, only seven said they planned to stay in Washington this weekend for the festivities. Those begging off include members of the Republican leadership in both chambers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, the top congressional officials overseeing the military, are skipping Trumps pageantry, which includes a flyover of vintage and contemporary warplanes. Instead, theyll attend a different air show the annual defense industry confab in Paris. Among those attending will be some of Trumps most devoted House supporters, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. Yes, of course, she said Tuesday. Im going to be there for the 250th anniversary of the Army. MAGA stalwarts Byron Donalds of Florida, Elise Stefanik of New York and Cory Mills of Florida also said they would attend, along with Reps. Rich McCormick of Georgia, John McGuire of Virginia and Lisa McClain of Michigan. But many more said they would beg off choosing, as most members do, to stay away from Washington for the weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso are skipping, as is House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said hell be back in Alabama campaigning for governor. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin said its his anniversary, and I choose to be married. Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee said the event conflicts with his daughters 18th birthday. West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice said hes a no but added that doesnt mean that Im against it. Its great celebrating President Trumps birthday, and I think its great celebrating the military, Justice told reporters Tuesday. We havent done that in a long time. Among those skipping are several military veterans and members of the two Armed Services panels. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a former Air Force reservist, said Tuesday hes not planning to attend, though he left open the possibility. Other senators who have served in the military and are planning to sit out the celebration include Sens. Todd Young of Indiana, Rick Scott of Florida and Tim Sheehy of Montana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast of Florida, another veteran, said Tuesday hes unsure whether hell attend. Other prominent House Republicans are also skipping. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris said he wont attend, though his home is less than a two-hour drive from D.C. House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole said hes heading home. Its celebrating the birthday of the Army and I think its a good thing to do, Cole said. I just didnt get to go home last week and Id like to get to go this week. Asked if he was attending, Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker of Mississippi said, Ill be at the air show an apparent reference to next weeks Paris Air Show, where defense contractors peddle their latest wares. House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers of Alabama confirmed thats where hell be. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaker Mike Johnsons office did not respond to a request for comment on his plans. The White House is shrugging off the absences. An official granted anonymity to describe plans for the event said senior military leaders and at least 15 Cabinet members, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, are expected to attend. President Trump looks forward to a historic crowd at the Army Birthday Parade, where he will be joined by top military leaders, administration officials, congressional representatives, and most importantly, thousands of patriotic Americans to celebrate 250 years of honor, courage, and sacrifice by our United States military, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. Many Hill Republicans have shrugged off the parades hefty price tag. But a few have raised concerns. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said in an Army budget hearing last week that the costs could range from $25 million to $40 million. He said he could not provide an exact estimate because the Army could not predict how much damage its tanks would do to the Districts streets, potentially necessitating costly repairs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont want to take anything away from celebrating the anniversary of our armed forces if it helps with recruiting and patriotism, Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington said in a brief interview. But it depends on what that number is. If its $100 million, it causes one to pause. Military leaders have defended the parade as a vital recruiting tool. But Democrats have railed against the administration for prioritizing pageantry over service members and their families. The parade, set to run along the north side of the National Mall, begins near the Pentagon in the Virginia district represented by Democratic Rep. Don Beyer, who sees the event as a waste of money. Like his deployment of the military in L.A., its a shocking waste of money at a time they are closing Social Security offices to save money, Beyer said in a statement. Theyre shutting down our regional transportation including the airport for this, and people I hear from in the military dont even want it, the whole thing is just to boost Trumps fragile ego. Trump warned Tuesday that protesters who show up to the Saturday parade will be met with very big force. Demonstrations to counter the parade are planned for other cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyer said Trumps threat only added to the trappings of authoritarianism the parade already carried. Roughly 6,600 troops are expected in Washington. The Army plans to roll 25 M1 Abrams main battle tanks and 150 vehicles down Constitution Avenue. A World War II-vintage B-25 bomber and P-1 fighter will join the parade, along with Vietnam-era Huey helicopters. Soldiers marching in the parade will wear uniforms from every conflict the U.S. has fought, from the Revolutionary War to the present day. Jordain Carney, Ben Jacobs and Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated how many of the 50 surveyed members said they would attend the parade. It is seven. KANSAS CITY, Mo. One person was critically injured after a motorcycle crash in Kansas City on Tuesday evening. The incident was reported just before 7:10 p.m. Investigations revealed that a red Honda Goldwing motorcycle was traveling eastbound on 350 Highway. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri The motorcyclist failed to navigate a curve and went off the roadway hitting a guardrail and being ejected off the motorcycle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital with critical injuries and is currently in stable condition, according to police. The motorcyclist was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, according to KCPD. The crash 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 FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. A pack of motorcycles rolled through Gwinnett County Tuesday as theyre raising awareness for veteran suicide. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] In the parking lot of Fraziers Harley-Davidson in Buford, theyre on the last leg of an important road trip. Angela White and her husband, Jason, a veteran himself, are founders of the nonprofit Riding 22 in 22. The nonprofit is a veteran suicide awareness group thats biking 22 states in 22 days. Theyre raising money to donate to a program that works with The Ohio State University. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When youre out there on a back road by yourself, its just you, the wind, and your thoughts, said Jason White. And those bikers thoughts are on some of our nations veterans who need help. The average number of veterans who commit suicide a day is 22, said Angela White. TRENDING STORIES: Motorcycle shops are primary stops along the way. The Whites meet new friends who help them spread the word to help those who served their country and now may need help themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I say check on a buddy. Call and say, Hey dude, whats up today? Been thinking about you. Just contacting somebody can save a life sometimes, Jason White said. Georgia is state No. 19 for the bike-riding couple. On Wednesday, the convoy heads to South Carolina. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) A motorcyclist suffered serious injuries after being involved in a crash on 300 West and 600 South in Salt Lake City on Wednesday morning. The Salt Lake City Police Department posted about the crash on social media shortly after 8 a.m. on June 11. Police did not immediately provide details about the crash, saying only that the crash involved two cars and a motorcycle. The motorcyclist was reportedly taken to the hospital in serious condition. The crash caused significant traffic impacts to the area while police cleared debris scattered through the intersection and conducted an investigation. Officers fully closed the intersection and began diverting traffic one block away in each direction. Traffic impacts on 600 South near I-15 just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday, June 11, after two cars and a motorcycle were involved in a crash near 300 West. (Courtesy: UDOT) Shortly after the crash, the traffic monitor map provided by the Utah Department of Transportation showed 600 South experienced significant slowing, backing up on the off-ramp from eastbound I-80. Additional traffic impacts affected 400 West and 300 West. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just after 10 a.m., about two hours after the crash, Salt Lake City police announced the on-scene investigation had been completed and the scene was cleared. The road closures at the intersection were then lifted and traffic resumed as normal. This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post as new information becomes available. 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. Video: Prior coverage of an electric transformers navigation through Greene Co. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) A moving road closure will be in effect in Greene County Friday, June 13. The Greene County Engineers Office said Wednesday that a 369,400 pound electric transformer will be moved from the Fairborn Railroad to the AES substation on Dayton Xenia Road. The transformer will follow the path below. The trip will begin west on East Xenia Drive and will continue to East Dayton Drive. The transformer will then travel southwest on East Dayton Drive to OH-444S (South Central Avenue/ Kauffman Avenue). Then it will head southeast on OH-444S to West Dayton Yellow Springs Road. From there it will go south on West Dayton Yellow Springs Road to Trebein Road. Then south on Trebein Road to Dayton Xenia Road. Then, finally, to Dayton Xenia Road until it reaches the substation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Road closures will begin at 9 a.m. as the transformer moves along its route. The transformer is expected to reach the AES substation within three to four hours. We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this important move and apologize for any inconvenience. If you are traveling along these routes, we strongly encourage you to seek alternative routes, said the Greene County Engineers 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 WDTN.com. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A man was arrested on Monday after allegedly stealing a truck that contained over $60,000 worth of cereal. The incident has led John Woods, 24, to face multiple charges, such as theft of property and vandalism. John Woods. (SCSO) On June 8, officers responded to a theft of a tractor-truck in the 1200 block of Jackson Ave. The victim said that he had parked his 2022 Freightliner Cascadia truck on Jackson Ave and when he returned, the truck was missing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers later responded to the 4600 block of Mendenhall, where J.B. Hunt Corporate security called and said that a chassis and container had been stolen. Egg prices fall to lowest level in months: WREG Price Tracker The employee told officers that the J.B. Hunt container and the chassis it was mounted on were stolen. He added that during the theft, the gates, parking barriers and light pole had been damaged. According to the employee, the value of the damage was approximately $10,000. On June 9, the Shelby County Sheriffs Office received a call to attempt to locate a J.B. Hunt container and chassis that was actively being tracked in the 4200 block of Hacks Cross Road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies arrived and saw four people inside the trailer. When they saw the deputies, they took off running. Where did 100,000 registered vehicles go in Shelby County? As deputies checked the truck, they found John Woods in the sleeper cab with six boxes of cereal that had been taken out of the container. After Woods was taken into custody, deputies learned that the truck had been stolen. J.B. Hunt Corporate said the value of the chassis and container was approximately $20,000. The value of the cereal inside was approximately $68,000. The value of the 2022 Freightliner was $80,000. Woods has been charged with two counts of theft of property $60,000 to $250,000 and vandalism $2,500 to $10,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At this time, no other arrests have been made in connection to these thefts. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace said Tuesday that it felt different to have President Donald Trump "f--- around with the military" in his second term during an interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert. Wallace argued that there were no "normal Republicans" in Trump's current administration and said "whats different about Stephen Miller running the ICE raids, and running basically a siege of Los Angeles, is that there is no Mark Esper, Jim Mattis, and thats the big difference, and that is the danger." Colbert then asked Wallace about the National Guard troops and the Marines that have been sent to Los Angeles to help quell the riots. "We have seen Trump stretch his presidential powers over the last five months. Is this different?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It feels different, it feels different to, can we swear here?" she asked as Colbert said she could. "To f--- around with the military, it feels really different, and he wanted to the first time, but people like Mark Milley, people stopped him. It feels really different to use the military as pawns out loud and as a public tactic. That feels different to me." Msnbc's Nicolle Wallace Has Seen Ratings Plunge Since Trump Prevailed On Election Day MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace joins late-night host Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, June 11, 2025. A battalion of 700 U.S. Marines are mobilizing in Los Angeles to respond to anti-immigration enforcement riots, just days after Trump deployed the National Guard to the area as well. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson responded to criticism of Trump's actions on Tuesday, telling Fox News Digital that "violent rioters in Los Angeles, enabled by Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, have attacked American law enforcement, set cars on fire, and fueled lawless chaos." "President Trump rightfully stepped in to protect federal law enforcement officers. When Democrat leaders refuse to protect American citizens, President Trump will always step in," she added. Colbert also asked Wallace about the state of the Democratic Party and asked the MSNBC host if they were "in danger of an autocrat." "I dont know, and I think that, in politics, you are one leader away from a comeback, you're one moody character away from this unlikely hero. And so I think the Democratic Party hasn't rotted. I mean the Democratic Party has not corrupted itself, it hasn't turned on itself in the way that the Republican Party has. And I think the Democratic Party is one leader away from being something fresh and appealing to a majority of others again. I think the Republican Party is still heading down, down, down following Trump and his authoritarian ways," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Msnbc Hosts Call Trump's Comments On 13-Year-old Cancer Survivor In Speech Disgusting Political Move President Donald Trump speaks during an "Invest in America" roundtable with business leaders at the White House, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Washington. Wallace previously made headlines earlier this year while covering Trump's address to Congress, during which the president made a 13-year-old cancer survivor, DJ Daniel, an honorary Secret Service agent. "But I think this was a lesson in finding one thing that you let yourself feel," Wallace said during her coverage of the address. "And I let myself feel joy about DJ, and I hope hes alive for another, you know, 95 years, and I hope he lives the life he wants to live. He wants to be a cop. He knows what he wants to do, and maybe when you have childhood cancer, that crystallizes for you." "I hope he has a long life as a law enforcement officer," she continued. "But I hope he never has to defend the United States Capitol against Donald Trumps supporters, and if he does, I hope he isnt one of the six who loses his life to suicide, and I hope he isnt one who has to testify against the people who carried out acts of seditious conspiracy and then lived to see Donald Trump pardon those people." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture The MSNBC host was criticized by Trump and the White House at the time. Original article source: MSNBC host tells Colbert that Trump has started to 'f--- around with the military' ANTWERP TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) One man was injured and another was arrested after a Tuesday night shooting near Paw Paw, troopers say. It happened around 8:50 p.m. on Red Arrow Highway near Almena Drive in Antwerp Township, according to the Michigan State Police. Troopers say a 33-year-old Paw Paw man was shot. He was treated on scene for minor injuries. No one else was hurt. Another man from Paw Paw, age 49, was arrested and jailed on charges of assault with intent to murder and felon in possession of a firearm, according to MSP. His name was not released Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators believe the shooting started with a dispute, and they say there is no threat to the public. Authorities are investigating. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) Middle school and high school students interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math have an excellent opportunity for a summer camp. Midwestern State Universitys McCoy School of Engineering will host the Young Engineers Summer (YES) Day Camp, a free, week-long summer camp focused on bringing STEM fields to life, from June 23 to 27. Thanks to a grant from Howmet Aerospace Foundation, this camp is of no cost to students, and they will also receive a tour of the Wichita Falls Howmet Aerospace Company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Along with site visits and social activities, attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in hands-on workshops, including the MSU Texas Formula SAE, which showcases their new car design, as well as other workshops focused on mechanical and electrical engineering. Spaces are limited. Applicants must fill out an online application by Tuesday, June 17. Hours are 7:30 a.m. until roughly 5:30 p.m., and attendees will need transportation to and from camp each day. Lunch will be provided. For more information, visit the YES camp webpage, email Christina Miller, or call 940-397-4286. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) Property tax rates could quadruple in Mt. Juliet next year. Currently, the city has one of the lowest rates in the state at just $0.11. City commissioners voted Monday night on the first reading of next years budget proposal. It includes a hike on property taxes as well as job cuts for several city employees. By going five times the property tax rate, I think is a little irresponsible, one constituent said during public comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mt. Juliet Board of Commissioners listened to nearly two hours of public comments that ranged on a variety of concerns, one of those being a hike in property taxes for next years budget. The rate was amended Monday night to go from $0.11 to $0.44. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts I do not understand how any of you can look at your constituents and say last year $0.11 was just fine and this year we are going to raise them five or six times. Thats not just sitting right with me, and its giving me heartburn, another constituent said during public comment. Weve got some hard decisions to make tonight, said Scott Hefner, District 3 Commissioner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Hefner was the only commissioner to vote against the proposed budget for next year. He said this large tax increase could have been avoided if property tax rates had slowly gone up years ago. We should have been looking at tax increases three years ago, two years ago, last year, Hefner argued. Part of the proposed budget would also end contracts for a couple of city employees, including the Deputy Parks Director and the citys Public Information Officer. Multiple people spoke in favor of keeping the citys spokesperson, Justin Beasley, including Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto. I dont want to ever see any of our staff cut; they all have a role, and they were hired for a reason, but I have pressured and pressured our city manager to looks for ways to cut and this is one of his recommendations, James Maness, Mt. Juliet Mayor said. Mayor James Maness said the increase in property taxes is needed for the citys infrastructure improvements, roads and the expansion of public safety. Currently, Mt. Juliet is one of ten cities in the state to have its own ambulance service. The city is also building new police headquarters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are the #4 ranked safest city in the state of TennesseeWe dont become the 4th safest city for free. That comes at a cost and comes in a way of investing in our police report, Hefner said. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Mayor Maness said a property tax increase would generate $7 million in revenue, which he said would be an investment for the citys future. We are making sure we are providing the same services that we did yesterday, that we are going to be doing for tomorrow, Bill Trivett, Vice Mayor, said. Board of Commissioners will vote on the second reading on June 23. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Transit officials are hoping a new ad campaign, a new spokesman and a few subway car modifications will continue to drive down subway surfing deaths. The MTA relaunched its Ride Inside, Stay Alive anti-subway surfing campaign on Wednesday, this time with the support of Queens-born professional BMX bike rider Nigel Sylvester. Like last years initiative, the push involves a series of recorded subway announcements by Sylvester, as well as by New York City schoolchildren about the dangers of riding on the outside of a subway train, plus a series of digital posters displayed on subway and platform screens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subway surfing is going to get you injured or killed, Sylvester says in a subway announcement recorded for the campaign. Its pretty simple: Dont do it. I believe I can relate to these kids, Sylvester said Wednesday, when asked how a professional thrill seeker can be a role model for safety. Kids can relate to me, and we can have a meaningful dialogue. Subway surfing has been a persistent, deadly problem, with six deaths attributed to the practice last year and five deaths in 2023. Another 25 people were injured while riding outside of trains in those two years. The overwhelming majority of subway surfers are teenagers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far this year, one person a 13-year-old boy has died from subway surfing, succumbing to his injuries days after falling off the top of a No. 7 train in Queens. As a father of three children, I cant imagine seeing my child on [top of] a train as that train barrels down the track, said NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. I was a manager here on the [No.] 7 line, Crichlow continued. Ive seen on a first-hand basis what happens to the children when they come into contact with a fixed, immovable object. The revamped campaign focuses not just on the dangers of subway surfing, but on the toll that kids deaths take on surviving families and friends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A three-display ad unveiled Wednesday tells the fictionalized story, in comic-book form, of a 12-year-old who falls from a train, and the horrors his death inflicts on his friends, his mother and the EMT who responds to the scene. The MTAs chief customer officer, Shanifa Rieara, said the campaign involved 43 such ads that would be rolled out over the next 12 months. Other announcements focused on the senselessness of a subway surfing death. The rush from subway surfing is fleeting the consequences are real, Ahana Chandra, a student at Stuyvesant High School, said in her subway announcement. Six people died subway surfing last year, and for what? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ad campaign comes amid a series of other efforts to curb thrill-seeking subway deaths. The transit agency is in the early stages of testing add-on barriers to train cars in an effort make it harder to climb up to the roof. Rieara also noted that the MTAs efforts to get subway-surfing videos taken down from social media continues. So far this year, she said, roughly 1,800 such videos have been removed by platforms like X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Middle Tennessee State University announced it is making changes to comply with Tennessee's new "Dismantling DEI Departments Act," along with an executive order by President Donald Trump. The measures bar public institutions of higher education from maintaining, authorizing or supporting programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, also known as DEI. "While MTSU has not functioned in a way that discriminates against students, faculty, staff or our overall community, the parameters of the president's executive orders and Tennessee law requires us to reevaluate our operations to ensure that we remain in compliance around how we support students, nonacademic programs and some academic support programs," MTSU President Sidney McPhee said in an email sent to the university community on June 10. People walk toward the student union at Middle Tennessee State University on Friday afternoon Nov. 10, 2023, in Murfreesboro, Tenn., as the leaves change color across campus. The public university, located about 35 miles south of Nashville in Murfreesboro, is home to around 20,000 students. To comply with the order and the new state law, McPhee said, the university must do the following: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Restructure or eliminate programs that explicitly focus on DEI Remove DEI references from the university website and publications Adjust scholarship programs with criteria structured around DEI Eliminate sponsorships and support of any initiatives, programs and services related to DEI, both internally and externally McPhee said the university is conducting a "comprehensive review" of its programs and services, which may lead to further cuts, including laying off some employees. He said he and his team are working to meet the new requirements while making sure students feel supported and minimizing disruptions in the university's operations. Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney McPhee speaks during a campus event in October 2024. It was not immediately clear if any changes have been enacted, or what impact those changes may have on programs, scholarships, services, student and faculty. University spokesperson Andrew Oppman told The Tennessean that he did not have any specifics as of June 11. He said McPhee wanted the email to alert the university community that a "thorough review" was underway and to give a sense of the scope of the possible changes. Oppman said once final decisions are made, they will be shared with the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We understand that these actions may raise questions and concerns," McPhee wrote. "Our administration is actively working to ensure that our university employees and students continue to feel supported as we address these challenges. We are aware that these laws will impact our community in a way that will cause angst and frustration, and we want to assure you that our commitment to serving all students has not changed." Rachel Wegner covers education and children's issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at RAwegner@tennessean.com. You can also find her on Twitter or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: MTSU: Change ahead to comply with anti-DEI law, Trump order COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) One boy is hospitalized and two others are in custody after engaging with police near a south Columbus park Wednesday afternoon. A police dispatcher said that at approximately 3:12 p.m., officers responded to 580 East Woodrow Avenue near Lincoln Pool and the Barack Community Center for a report of teenagers firing gunshots. According to Columbus Police Sgt. Joe Albert, bicycle officers arrived at the parking lot of the community center and located the three suspects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the teens immediately ran from the scene, Albert said, and was taken into custody a short distance away. As that suspect was running, he allegedly threw a gun over the fence surrounding the pool. That gun was recovered by police, Albert said. Chemical leak at explosives manufacturing plant prompts evacuations in Vinton County One of the other two suspects stayed in the parking lot and started crouching down behind a car, pulling out a handgun, Albert said. An officer then fired his gun at the teen several times, hitting him. He was taken to a local hospital in stable condition; a handgun was recovered. The third suspect stayed in the parking lot and complied with police, Albert said, adding that officers recovered a BB gun from that teen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Albert, none of the teens fired their weapons at police, and no officers were injured. I can tell you all three males that are in custody, the one thats at the hospital, the two that are here at scene, are all juveniles, Albert said. One being 16 years old, the other two being 15 years old. Were tired of it, Albert added. Were tired of teenagers with firearms, I can tell you that. The entire city is tired of it. Albert said officers with the Ohio Attorney Generals Bureau of Criminal Investigation are investigating the shooting, as the office does with most of the states officer-involved shootings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The community center is located near a Columbus police substation, so officers were able to respond quickly. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Authorities have publicly released the name of the Multnomah County deputy who shot and injured a man in Northeast Portland on Friday, June 6. Deputy Matt Hansen, 32, was placed on critical incident leave following the shooting, per standard protocol, according to the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office. Search area narrows in manhunt for Washington state father accused of killing daughters Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shooting happened near 4600 NE 116th Avenue in the Parkrose Neighborhood around 5 p.m. Prior to the shooting, the suspect was briefly detained while officers investigated a disturbance of two men fighting. However, after no crime victim was found, the man was released to go home and officers cleared the scene. A call later came from the same block with witnesses stating the man was back out on the street while holding a gun and had fired a shot, according to police. The Deputy worked with PPB Officers to challenge the suspect with the gun in the middle of NE 116th Avenue just south of NE Sandy Boulevard, and the suspect pointed the handgun at the uniformed law enforcement officers, PPB said in a press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cars damaged near Portland school after teen suspect rammed cars outside, police say At that point, the MCSO deputy fired at the man and the suspect dropped the gun, officials said. Portland police said they provided emergency first aid to the man until paramedics arrived. The man who was shot was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and his current condition is unknown. His identity has yet to be shared with the public. The Portland Police Bureau is leading the investigation of the incident. Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Multnomah County leaders are urging the City of Portland to make good on an apparent agreement to fund sobering services in the city. Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards said the county was expecting $1.9 million this year from the city but has not gotten it. They were also expecting another $1.9 million in the upcoming city budget, but right now it is not included. Wife dead, husband injured in tragic house fire Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reason why we had that expectation and thought we had the commitment is this is a service, actually, the city used to provide, Brim-Edwards said. And then when they closed the sobering center, it wasnt until the county, sort of took control of the project, stood up a sobering center that, that those beds actually came to life. KOIN 6 News reached out to the City of Portland about the funding and received a statement. It reads, This was a commitment made to fund a permanent sobering center. Mayor Wilson is committed to providing funding once the permanent facility is open and operational, which the County has targeted for 2027. Brim-Edwards said the county is already doing the sobering work with 13 beds at its Southeast Portland deflection center. She said the least the city could do is pay for a service it used to provide, and still uses now. This is a service that local law enforcement, Portland Street Response, and also others service providers will be using, she said. And so our expectation is this is a direct service to the city, that the county has stood up, and our expectation is that they would be partners in the, in the effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the City of Portland drafts its next budget, Portland City Councilor Eric Zimmerman is proposing an amendment to set aside $1.2 million of opioid settlement funds for the county that they can use once the permanent center is opened. He said it is important to show support so the county does not walk away from trying to open the center altogether. City of Vancouver considers district-based voting Setting $1.2 million in a savings account for them to use is, I think, good practice, he said. If they are able to, to access those funds as soon as possible in the current year coming up. But even if they open a little bit later into the next fiscal year. Brim-Edwards said she will keep pushing the mayor and City Council to provide the funding. But she said there is not room in the Multnomah County budget to make up the difference if the city does not pay them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked how confident Zimmerman is that he can get the budget amendment through, he told KOIN 6, 50-50. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 decade after a Nampa man was found dead in his home, someone is facing charges. The Nampa Police Department announced Tuesday that Mark Neal, 54, of Nampa, had been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of Akrian Evans. Evans body was found with a gunshot wound on March 14, 2015, at his residence in the 4100 block of Garrity Boulevard. Police at the time released a sketch of a man seen at Evans home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nampa police spokesperson Carmen Boeger told the Idaho Statesman that advancements in DNA and ballistics testing over the last 10 years led to new evidence that assisted in the ongoing investigation and led to todays arrest. She also credited the tireless work of the investigators. Police said Neal was already in custody at the Canyon County jail on unrelated charges. This arrest demonstrates our unwavering commitment to seeking justice, no matter how much time has passed, Nampa Police Chief Joe Huff said in a news release. Our thoughts are with the victims family, and we hope this development brings them some measure of closure. I am incredibly proud of the persistent work of all the investigators involved in this case. The Evans family did not respond to the Statesman. Jun. 11Antonio Riano does not deny he shot Benjamin Becarra outside a Hamilton bar 20 years ago. But his defense attorneys this week will try to prove he did it in self defense. The murder trial for Riano, also known as 'El Diablo,' began today with opening statements after jurors were chosen Tuesday in a Butler County Common Pleas courtroom. The prosecution said the 63-year-old Mexican national said he ruthlessly shot the 25-year-old Becarra in the face on Dec. 19, 2024, with a .38 Smith & Wesson. The defense said Riano was at a breaking point, claiming he and his family were terrorized by the man he shot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Assistant prosecutor Michael Hon led the proceedings Wednesday with his opening statement before a jury of 12 and two alternates. The facts show that the two men were at the Round House Bar on East Avenue and Long Street. Riano was inside when Becarra walked through a door off Long Street. An argument ensued, which had continued outside the bar. Hon said Riano fired a shot into the ground, and Becarra told a cousin to call 911. Then Riano walked away, but turned back, and they continued arguing. A bystander from the bar stood between the two men, but Hon said Riano pulled out his gun, stretched his arm over that bystander, and shot Becarra in the face. Defense attorney Kara Blackney said the shooting was in self-defense, and told the jury her client had "enough." She said Becarra and his friends terrorized him and his family he had a wife and three children under 10 at the time and allegedly attacked his younger brother. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Antonio wasn't going to the Round House Bar looking for a fight," Blackney said, adding his "El Diablo" nickname stems from volunteer work for his church as a teenager. "The fight found him." Blackney said the shooting happened mid-afternoon on Dec. 19, 2004, and Becarra said his blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit and tested positive for cocaine. She was also told he was not permitted in that bar, as well as others, due to a fight the day prior. Hon told the jurors that the evidence presented and the witnesses called "may seem out of order to you," mostly in part due to navigating schedules and travel of witnesses, "it will all come together at the end." Butler County authorities worked the case for two decades with federal authorities to bring Riano back to Hamilton on the murder charge. According to Blackney, Riano fled Hamilton, going to New Jersey before heading to Mexico, where he had lived for the past 20 years, including working as a police officer in his hometown. Riano was indicted on the murder charge in February 2005. He was extradited back to the United States with the help of the U.S. Marshals Office and other authorities on Aug. 1. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Dallas recently conducted a DHS operation that ended up removing 122 illegal aliens from the United States, sending them back to China aboard a special charter flight on June 3. According to a Dallas ICE press release, the group sent back included a total of 96 men and 26 women with an age range from 19 to 68, all with final orders of removal after being detained at ICE facilities across America. Many of those deported had been convicted of serious crimes, including murder, drug trafficking, rape, human smuggling and bribery. This operation not only enhances the public safety of our communities across the U.S. but also strengthens national security. Our colleagues at ICE come to work every day to identify, arrest and remove illegal aliens who attempt to circumvent our nations immigrations laws, said Josh Johnson, Field Office Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Dallas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the notable removals were a 47-year-old man convicted of murder, a 49-year-old man convicted of drug trafficking, and a 27-year-old man convicted of rape. The list also included a 50-year-old woman convicted of bribery and a 55-year-old man convicted of human smuggling. All of them, again, were illegal aliens residing in America but were originally from China. Just last week, as previously reported by The Dallas Express, two Chinese nationals tied to the Chinese Communist Party were arrested and charged with smuggling a dangerous fungus, fusarium graminearum, into America, threatening the countrys agriculture and food supply. Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu allegedly used a University of Michigan lab to study the fungus after bringing it through a Detroit airport. Citizens with information about criminal activity or suspicious behavior related to immigration violations have been encouraged to contact ICE through their tip line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or via their online tip form. The family of Muriel McKay who was held hostage and murdered 56 years ago have offered a 1m reward for information that leads to the discovery of her remains. Mrs McKay's grandson, Mark Dyer, told the BBC the family was inspired by the Mel Gibson movie Ransom to make a last-ditch attempt to solve the mystery. Mrs McKay's body has not been found since she was kidnapped in 1969, taken to a farm in Hertfordshire and killed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police searched the farm at the time, in 2022 and again in 2024, but Mr Dyer said the family hoped the reward "could provide a new way forward". He said the 1m ($1.35m), which had been supplied by a "benefactor", would not be paid "if finding Muriel involves any illegal act whatsoever". "It's a long shot, but it's a big statement and I think after 55 years we have been trying to get her back ever since," he added. In the 1996 thriller Ransom, Mel Gibson plays a millionaire who offers a $1m reward to find the people who kidnapped his son [Touchstone Pictures/Getty] The reward mirrors the original ransom demand of 1m to return Mrs McKay to her family. She had been mistaken for the then-wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and abducted from her London home on 29 December 1969. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her husband, Alick McKay Murdoch's deputy - returned home to find her missing. Later that evening, he received a phone call. He was told: "This is Mafia M3. "We're from America, we have your wife. It will cost you a million pounds to get her back. "You'd better get it by Wednesday, or we will kill her." The caller was Nizamodeen Hosein, who was convicted of Mrs McKay's kidnap and murder along with his brother, Arthur. Arthur died in prison. Nizamodeen Hosein later spoke to the McKay family, explaining where he had buried her. The Metropolitan Police interviewed Hosein in 2024 and - despite scepticism about his account - carried out a third dig at Stocking Farm, near Bishop's Stortford. No human remains were found. The Met Police said its third search of Stocking Farm in 2024 "covered a huge area" and no further searches would take place [Steve Hubbard/BBC] Mr Dyer said his mother Dianne Muriel's daughter had seen the film Ransom and "thought it was an interesting idea to turn it on its head" by offering the same payment that had been demanded in ransom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're offering it to anybody who can lead us directly to recovering Muriel's remains. "Someone who feels a flicker of recognition. It could be an old memory. "You may have been living with this for 55 years, you may have been suffering with that knowledge. "There are people perhaps in Trinidad or in prison who were told things over the years. "You could have the courage to rewrite history and give a family that peace that's been denied," he said. Nizamodeen Hosein told the McKay family where he claimed her body had been buried [Louise Parry/BBC] Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story Related internet links Elon Musk apologised to Donald Trump after a phone call with JD Vance, the US vice-president, it has emerged. Mr Musk, the richest man in the world, has now spoken privately to Mr Trump for the first time since their public clash, The New York Times reported. The details of the truce between the two men emerged after Mr Musk said publicly on Wednesday morning that he regretted writing inflammatory posts about the president on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two men had a spectacular clash last week, with the Tesla billionaire claiming that Mr Trump was named in the Epstein files, and the president retaliating by threatening to strip his former ally of government contracts. On Friday, Mr Musk spoke with Mr Vance and urged him to end a feud that he said had been damaging for both men, The Telegraph understands. As a former venture capitalist with Silicon Valley ties, whom Mr Musk publicly backed to replace Mr Trump last week, the vice-president was well positioned to mediate between the pair. Donald Trump and Elon Musk, pictured at a mixed martial arts event in New York in November, became close after Mr Musk backed his presidential campaign - Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC In a podcast episode released the day after the feud erupted, Mr Vance said: I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe thats not possible now because hes gone so nuclear but I hope it is. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to The Wall Street Journal, Mr Musk also spoke to Susie Wiles, Mr Trumps White House chief of staff, despite reports of a tense relationship between them. Mr Musk wrote on X on Wednesday: I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. He did not specify which posts he was referring to, although he has since deleted the claim about Mr Trump being named in the government files pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and paedophile. Mr Musk called Mr Trump on Monday night and the two men spoke briefly, The New York Times reported, in a sign of thawing relations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Trump was appreciative of Mr Musks apology, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said on Wednesday. The president acknowledged the statement that Elon put out this morning, and he is appreciative of it, and we are continuing to focus on the business of the American people, she said. Ms Leavitt was then asked if the administration had started reviewing Mr Musks government contracts with a view to cancelling them, as Mr Trump had threatened. No efforts have been made on that front, as far as Im aware, she answered. The row between the two men began with a disagreement over the presidents so-called big, beautiful spending Bill. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025 Mr Musk had been hired as a special government employee to head the new Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), controversially tasked with downsizing the federal workforce and slashing spending. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While he enjoyed some success in his mission, he was upset by Mr Trumps decision to open the spending taps in his Bill, saying it was undoing his teams work. Mr Musk exited the White House at the end of May, ending a turbulent 130-day stint in Mr Trumps team, just days after he said he was disappointed with the new budget. In a cordial public farewell to the man who appointed himself as the presidents first buddy, Mr Trump said Mr Musk would stay on as an adviser. He was handed a gold key to the White House. But the simmering dissent went public last week when the pair began trading insults online, with Mr Musk denouncing the presidents budget as a disgusting abomination that would bankrupt the US. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tesla billionaire called on Americans to help kill the Bill, which includes multi-trillion-dollar tax breaks and a boost to defence spending. Mr Trump was quick to hit back, claiming the Tesla billionaire had been irked by the legislation ending tax credit worth billions of dollars to his electric vehicle company. Credit: Reuters Their spat rapidly intensified when Mr Musk called for the presidents impeachment and claimed the Republican was in the Epstein files. In response, Mr Trump threatened to cancel US government contracts with Mr Musks companies, which include SpaceX. By Saturday, Mr Musk had deleted the worst of his tweets in an apparent sign that he was hoping to repair the rift. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the damage was done. Mr Trump declared his relationship with the South African-born tycoon was over and that he had no desire to mend it, accusing Mr Musk of being disrespectful to the office of the president. Mr Trump also warned that there would be serious consequences if Mr Musk switched his allegiance to the Democrats and funded rival candidates who would vote against the Bill. Mr Musk had bankrolled Mr Trumps election run to the tune of $250 million (185 million) and was rewarded with his special government employee role. For months after Mr Trumps inauguration, Mr Musk rarely left his side, travelling on Air Force One, moving into Mar-a-Lago and having the president babysit his four-year-old son in the Oval Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the night of the election, Mr Trump declared of Mr Musk that a star is born. Weeks later, the billionaire confessed that he loved the president as much as a straight man can love another man. The messy breakdown of their bromance, however, had been heavily predicted. Mr Trump, who has now refocused attention elsewhere including to the deployment of troops to the LA riots, recently told reporters he wasnt even thinking of Mr Musk. According to reports, he had been considering selling or giving away the red Tesla he bought from him earlier this year. 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. Elon Musk looks on during a news conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on May 30, 2025. Credit - Allison RobbertAFP/Getty Images I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week, Elon Musk posted on his social media platform X early Wednesday. They went too far. Musk and Trump, who were once almost inseparable allies, were engaged in a public and vitriolic war of words last week. But the fierce hostilities between the man with the most money in the world and the man with the mightiest military appear to be cooling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement of remorse by Musk, who spent more than $250 million to help elect Trump in 2024, comes as observers have noticed another shift in his tone on social media toward the Administration. In retweets and replies, Musk signaled support for Trumps approach toward the protests in Los Angeles, including sharing multiple of the Presidents recent posts from Truth Social. He also responded with a heart emoji to a video of Trump telling reporters on Monday that he wished Musk well and that they had a good relationship. Its a sharp contrast to how the two powerful men discussed each other last week, after Musk left his official government role and ramped up his criticisms of Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill massive tax-and-spending legislative package that is stumbling through Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elon and I had a great relationship. I dont know if we will anymore, Trump told reporters at the White House on June 5. Im very disappointed in Elon. Ive helped Elon a lot. On Truth Social, Trump said at the time that Musk went CRAZY! and threatened that the easiest way to save money would be to terminate Elons Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. In turn, Musk alleged that the Administration was holding back the public release of so-called Epstein Files because Trump is implicated in them, and he endorsed a message that suggested Trump should be impeached and Vance should replace him. Those posts have since been deleted. On Wednesday, Trump said Musks statement of regret was very nice, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added that the President was appreciative of it. Contact us at letters@time.com. Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's former advisor, said Wednesday he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president, after the pair's public falling-out last week. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote on his social media platform X, in a message that was received favorably by the White House. Musk's expression of regret came just days after Trump threatened the tech billionaire with "serious consequences" if he sought to punish Republicans who vote for a controversial spending bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their blistering break-up -- largely carried out on social media before a riveted public since Thursday last week -- was ignited by Musk's harsh criticism of Trump's so-called "big, beautiful" spending bill, which is currently before Congress. Some lawmakers who were against the bill had called on Musk -- one of the Republican Party's biggest financial backers in last year's presidential election -- to fund primary challenges against Republicans who voted for the legislation. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," Trump, who also branded Musk "disrespectful," told NBC News on Saturday, without specifying what those consequences would be. Trump also said he had "no" desire to repair his relationship with the South African-born Tesla and SpaceX chief, and that he has "no intention of speaking to him." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But after Musk's expression of regret, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump was "appreciative," adding that "no efforts" had been made on a threat by Trump to end some of Musk's government contracts. "The president acknowledged the statement that Elon put out this morning, and he is appreciative of it," Leavitt said. According to the New York Times, Musk's message followed a phone call to Trump late on Monday night. Vice President JD Vance and Chief of Staff Susan Wiles had also been working with Musk on how to broker a truce with Trump, the report said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - 'Wish him well' - In his post on Wednesday, Musk did not specify which of his criticisms of Trump had gone "too far." The former allies had seemed to have cut ties amicably about two weeks ago, with Trump giving Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But their relationship cracked within days, with Musk describing the spending bill as an "abomination" that, if passed by Congress, could define Trump's second term in office. Trump hit back at Musk's comments in an Oval Office diatribe and from there the row detonated, leaving Washington stunned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump later said on his Truth Social platform that cutting billions of dollars in subsidies and contracts to Musk's companies would be the "easiest way" to save the US government money. US media have put the value of the contracts at $18 billion. With real political and economic risks to their falling out, both already appeared to inch back from the brink on Friday, with Trump telling reporters "I just wish him well," and Musk responding on X: "Likewise." Trump had spoken to NBC on Saturday after Musk deleted one of the explosive allegations he had made during their fallout, linking the president with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sex trafficking. bur-arp/aha (NewsNation) Billionaire Elon Musk expressed regret Wednesday over some of his recent comments targeting President Donald Trump, admitting they went too far. The move marked a turnaround from last week, when the two engaged in a public feud on social media. Early Wednesday morning, Musk posted on his social platform X that some of his posts targeting the president went too far. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025 The fallout began over a disagreement regarding Trumps big, beautiful bill. The conflict quickly escalated and became personal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk suggested Trump wouldnt have won the election without his support and accused Trump, without evidence, of being tied to the Jeffrey Epstein files. Trump fired back in several posts on Truth Social, one of which said Musk had been wearing thin and just went crazy after the president removed incentives for electric vehicles from the bill. LA protests quiet under curfew as military mobilizes Trump: No problem if Elon Musk calls me Despite the tension, Trump said the two havent spoken since, and he wouldnt mind if Musk reached out. I havent really thought about it, actually. I would imagine he wants to speak to me. I would think that, Trump said while speaking to reporters Monday. If I were him, Id want to speak to me, but maybe he has already called. Youd have to ask him. Ask him whether or not hes already called, but Id have no problem with it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The feud appeared to begin after Musk stepped down from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency and began openly criticizing Trumps legislative agenda. Some of Musks posts on X have since been deleted. Trump kicks off Armys 250th anniversary at Fort Bragg Trump retaliated, warning Musk could face serious consequences if he supported Democratic lawmakers in the upcoming 2026 midterms, though he did not elaborate on what those might be. Musks companies have billions of dollars in contracts with the federal government most notably SpaceX, which shuttles NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Elon Musks father: Stress led to Trump-Musk feud Speaking in Russia this week, Musks father, Errol Musk, claimed the feud was caused by intense stress from his work within the Trump administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When he was presented with a budget that in no way represented savings, he stood by his principles and said, Im not prepared to support this, this is wrong, and so therefore I stand by my son, Errol Musk said. Musks father added that he believes the two will eventually reconcile their friendship. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 containerized launcher designed to fire the same suite of artillery rockets and ballistic missiles as the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) has appeared at the U.S. Armys Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The ability to launch ballistic missiles, in particular, from what is outwardly indistinguishable from any other shipping container, presents a flexible strike capability that is harder for opponents to spot. Ukraines recent Operation Spiderweb covert drone attacks highlighted to a dizzying degree the value of even lower-end concealed fires capabilities. The launcher inside the container is visible off to the side in a video, seen below, from President Donald Trumps visit to Fort Bragg today, which was posted online by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino. Trump was given demonstrations of various Army capabilities at the bases Holland Drop Zone, including the launch of artillery rockets. A separate launcher, the type of which is not immediately clear, was used to fire those rounds. President Trump arrives at the Holland Drop ZoneFort Bragg pic.twitter.com/VQrOWoyata Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) June 10, 2025 A still frame from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavinos video showing President Donald Trump, in the white hat, watching the launch of artillery rockets at Fort Braggs Holland Drop Zone. The containerized launcher is seen at right. Dan Scavino via X Trump also observed paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division jump from a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane and a mock special operations assault involving Green Berets and the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). A transporter erector launcher for the Soviet-designed Scud ballistic missile, or a full-scale mockup of one, is also notably present in the footage of the special operations demonstration. Bragg is the Armys main special operations hub, as well as home to the 82nd Airborne Division, among other units. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A look at the Scud transporter erector launcher present during the special operations demonstration today for President Donald Trump at Fort Bragg. Dan Scavino via X TWZ has not been able to quickly find additional information about the containerized launcher, but it is not entirely new. In August 2024, Military Times posted a video of it, seen below, across its social media accounts, but with no additional context. We have reached out to the Army for more details. What is clear is that the containerized launcher, the entire roof of which is designed to open to one side, can accommodate two of the same ammunition pods used as the tracked M270 MRLS and wheeled M142 HIMARS launch vehicles. Pods are available that come loaded with six 227mm guided artillery rockets, a single Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile, or two Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). ATACMS and PrSM, the latter of which is beginning to enter Army service now to replace the former, are both short-range ballistic missiles. A mock-up of an ATACMS missile next to one of a standardized ammunition pod. US Army Current-generation 227mm artillery rockets in Army inventory can hit targets some 50 miles (around 80 kilometers) away, and a variant with a maximum range of just over 93 miles (150 kilometers) entered production last year. The longest range variant of the ATACMS short-range ballistic missile in Army service today can reach targets out to 186 miles (300 kilometers). An M270 MLRS launches a 227mm artillery rocket. Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A US Army HIMARS launcher fires an ATACMS missile. US Army The initial version of PrSM, also known as Increment 1, has a range of 310 miles (500 kilometers), but there are also plans to extend that out to 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) or more. Its worth noting that a PrSM with a range beyond 620 miles/1,000 kilometers would be categorized as at least a medium-range ballistic missile. The Army is also developing an anti-ship variant of PrSM with a new seeker and is eyeing further versions with enhanced lethality payloads that could include miniature smart bombs and kamikaze drones. A test launch of an Increment 1 PrSM. Lockheed Martin The Army is also currently exploring new pods loaded with smaller rockets that could expand the magazine depth of M270 and M142 launcher vehicles, but at the cost of a reduction in range. The service has been experimenting with new launcher vehicles that can fire this same family of munitions, including uncrewed types and a design offering significantly expanded ammunition capacity. An uncrewed Autonomous Multi-domain Launcher (AML), derived from HIMARS, seen launching a new smaller, shorter-range rocket during a test. US Army A Lockheed Martin launcher based on the 1010 MKR18 Logistics Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR) truck and capable of being loaded with up to four MLRS/HIMARS munitions pods. Lockheed Martin Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Being able to launch this array of rockets and missiles already gives M270 and M142 immense flexibility. A containerized launcher would open up additional possibilities, including the ability to turn any truck that can carry a standard shipping container into a platform capable of firing long-range guided rockets and missiles. This, in turn, could help the Army more readily expand its available launch capacity as required. The containerized launchers could also be deployed in a fixed mode, offering forward operating bases the ability to hold targets at risk dozens, if not hundreds, of miles away. This can include providing an on-call form of organic air/fire support for troops operating far from the forward base. The launcher inside the container cannot traverse laterally, but an array of them could be positioned in such a way to provide maximum coverage in all directions. A US Army M1074 Palletized Load System (PLS) truck seen offloading a standard shipping container. US Army Being a container-based design, whether deployed in a truck-mounted or fixed configuration, they would be readily relocatable from one location to another. The containerized launchers could also be loaded on rail cars and/or employed from ships with sufficient open deck space. In any of these modes, the launcher would benefit from its unassuming outward appearance. This would present challenges for opponents when it comes to detection and targeting, since any container could potentially be loaded with rockets or ballistic missiles. As already mentioned, Ukraine just demonstrated the value of concealed launch capabilities in its unprecedented covert drone attacks on multiple Russian air bases. Other countries, including Russia, China, and Iran, have also been developing containerized launch systems for artillery rockets and/or missiles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In terms of naval use, specifically, its also worth mentioning here that the U.S. Navy is already in the process of fielding a different containerized missile launcher, designed to fire Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and SM-6 multi-purpose missiles, in shipboard and tractor-trailer configurations. The Navy launcher is based on the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) found on various American and foreign warships, and is directly related to the Armys ground-based Typhon system that can also currently fire Tomahawks and SM-6s. Examples of the Navys containerized launcher for the Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles. USN How close the containerized launcher seen at Fort Bragg may or may not be to becoming an operational capability is unclear, but its potential value is not hard to see. Contact the author: joe@twz.com Residential customers of Duke Energy in North Carolina could pay $87 million more per year for electricity under a proposal rocketing through the state legislature, a new study shows. The figure represents about a 4% jump in household bills. The legislation, Senate Bill 266, would change how Duke distributes the cost of electricity it buys to supplement generation from its own power plants significantly hiking the share paid by residential consumers and cutting the portion paid by industrial electricity users, like chemical manufacturers and textile mills. The analysis shows the legislation is a better deal for industrial customers than the status quo, said Will Scott, Southeast climate and clean energy director for the Environmental Defense Fund. They will pay less to use the same amount of energy, and residential ratepayers will pay more, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SB 266 is the latest version of a Senate-passed measure that would unravel the states climate targets. It was publicly unveiled moments before it was debated and approved by the House Energy and Public Utilities Committee last week, and received fulsome praise from Duke, industrial groups, and others in testimony. On Tuesday, despite protests from clean energy advocates and some Democratic lawmakers, the bill easily cleared the Republican-controlled House and now returns to the Senate, also run by the GOP. The study, conducted by independent analysis group EQ Research, has a narrow scope, homing in on the ramifications of just one section of the 30-page bill the part that covers how purchased power is billed to customers. We were pretty laser-focused, said Justin Barnes, president of EQ Research, because that's the analysis we could do with readily available information quickly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Duke generates much of its own electricity from a fleet of fossil fuel and nuclear plants, it also contracts to buy some of its solar power from independent producers and purchases energy from other generators under certain conditions, such as when demand spikes. Under current law, the entire cost of this purchased power is passed on to customers annually along with a charge for natural gas and other fuels. The utility divvies up the costs of this fuel "rider" between residential and industrial customer groups based partially on their peak electricity demand and partially on their overall energy use. According to EQs analysis of Dukes latest filings with regulators, the fuel rider totals about $2.75 billion for the companys two North Carolina entities, Duke Energy Progress and Duke Energy Carolinas. The purchased power portion is around $1.1 billion. Of the purchased power portion, residential customers currently pay about 41.2%, and use just over 40% of the energy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SB 266 eliminates any weight given to overall energy use in allocating purchased power costs, according to EQ, shifting charges from large industrial users of electricity to residential consumers. The result is that households would pay just under 49% of those costs while using the same 40% of energy, the groups study found. It is not going to be a savings for us ratepayers, said Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Guilford County Democrat, speaking against SB 266 on the House floor. It is going to be an increase. The EQ study does not incorporate the potential effects of other parts of the bill, including alleged savings from eliminating a 2030 deadline by which Duke must cut its carbon pollution, and the impact to customers of allowing the utility to recoup some costs for power plants not yet delivering electricity. Rep. Dean Arp, the Union County Republican championing SB 266, said last week in committee that erasing the 2030 climate target would save all customers a total of $13 billion by 2050. He said allowing Duke to recover plant-construction financing costs early would net them another $1.4 billion. He echoed those claims Tuesday on the House floor, rounding up the total savings by over half a billion dollars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A vote against this legislation is a vote to make all ratepayers pay $15 billion more in electricity costs, Arp said. But opponents of the bill reject the allegation that striving for more wind and solar energy in the near term will contribute to rising rates, an assertion stemming from an elusive study from the state-sanctioned customer advocate, Public Staff, that hasnt been provided widely to legislators or members of the public. Clean energy advocates say the Public Staff analysis considers only the cost of building new power generation, not the rising price of fossil fuels. And they continue to question the wisdom of allowing Duke to charge consumers for costs related to nuclear and gas plants that may never come online. Perhaps above all, EQs findings show why more time is needed to vet the bill with all interested parties, including clean energy and consumer advocates, not just Duke and large industrial customers, critics contend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When we rush processes like these and don't include all the stakeholders, we can end up with results that unfairly burden North Carolina households, said Scott with the Environmental Defense Fund. I hope that we can slow down and make the adjustments we need so that this bill doesn't cause unnecessary pollution or unnecessary costs. But the Houses public deliberation of the measure has been anything but slow. In less than a week, it cleared two committees and two required floor votes. It could appear on the desk of Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, as soon as this week. There are all kinds of reasons to vote no on this bill, Harrison said to the full House on Tuesday, including its treatment of residential customers, its abdication of climate targets, and the process by which it was rushed through the chamber. As the House prepared to vote around 7 p.m., she said, It's not clear why we're doing this tonight. Rep. LaMonica McIver, a Democrat, is accused of shoving federal authorities during a scuffle outside an ICE jail in Newark last month. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor) A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against a New Jersey congresswoman who is accused of shoving federal authorities while Mayor Ras Baraka was being arrested for trespassing at an ICE jail in Newark last month, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced Tuesday. The indictment charges Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-10) with assaulting, resisting, impeding, and interfering with federal officers, according to a copy obtained by the New Jersey Monitor (Habbas office did not release it Tuesday). Habba said the three charges carry a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison total. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As I have stated in the past, it is my Constitutional obligation as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer for New Jersey to ensure that our federal partners are protected when executing their duties. While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve. Todays decision by the grand jury is the next step in a process that my Office will pursue to a just end, Habba wrote on social media. McIver in a statement called the grand jury proceedings a brazen attempt at political intimidation. She said shell be entering a plea of not guilty. This indictment is no more justified than the original charges, and is an effort by Trumps administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do, McIver said. But it wont work I will not be intimidated. McIver was initially charged on May 19, about a week after Baraka was arrested outside Delaney Hall, a privately owned migrant jail that recently reopened amid President Donald Trumps mass detention and deportation efforts. Authorities later dropped the charge it filed against Baraka. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McIver and two other New Jersey House Democrats, Reps. Rob Menendez and Bonnie Watson Coleman, were visiting the jail May 9 for an unannounced visit, which is permitted by members of Congress. Baraka, a Democrat who at the time was running for governor, was there to check on the facility, which he had claimed owner Geo Group opened without obtaining proper city permits. The indictment alleges the House members entered a secure area of the property while a gate opened to let a vehicle enter. It claims Baraka said he was part of the congressional members entourage, was denied entry, and then allowed on the property when a guard working at the facility became concerned for (his) safety amidst the crowd of protesters. According to the indictment, Baraka was soon asked to leave the property, and a scuffle broke out when authorities moved to detain the mayor. When an agent announced Baraka would be placed under arrest, McIver shouted, Hell no! Hell no! the indictment says. She then ordered others to circle the mayor in an attempt to thwart the arrest, according to the indictment. Department of Homeland Security officials have released videos that show McIver pushing past a federal agent and pushing another one on his shoulder. A complaint filed against her last month claims McIver slammed her arm into an agent and tried to grab another. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McIver has maintained that she was acting lawfully and that the federal agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when handcuffing Baraka. Paul Fishman, attorney for McIver, said the legal process will expose the charges she faces as political retaliation against a dedicated public servant who refuses to shy away from her oversight responsibilities. Amol Sinha, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, blasted the indictment as an outrageous and unprecedented escalation of the Trump administrations intimidation campaign against those who refuse to do its bidding. All public officials must immediately denounce this indictment, he said in a statement Tuesday. Members of Congress must leverage their oversight powers to provide strong checks and balances on the Trump administrations shameful intimidation campaign and its cruel mass detention and deportation agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, Baraka filed a lawsuit charging federal officials with malicious prosecution and false arrest. Habba has previously said she is investigating Gov. Phil Murphy and state Attorney General Matt Platkin over the states directive banning local law enforcement from assisting in civil immigration enforcement. McIver, who represents parts of Hudson, Union, and Essex counties, including Newark, first joined Congress in September. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX As protests in Los Angeles became more widespread and some turned violent over the weekend, leaders of the Veterans Affairs L.A. Ambulatory Care Center made the tough call to close the facility, which serves thousands of patients a week. The center is one of four federal buildings in a block in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood, the focus of demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and the center of ongoing operations by the Los Angeles Police Department and Army National Guard. Not knowing how long the ambulatory care facility would be closed, Veterans Affairs providers scrambled Sunday evening to make sure their patients -- including vulnerable veterans who require daily medication -- could access vital medical care in the coming week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read Next: Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump's Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance Schedulers have worked assiduously to shift appointments to either a later date or to telehealth, while those who get weekly therapy or take methadone to manage substance use disorder were encouraged to seek treatment at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. A VA staff member with knowledge of the events told Military.com it was an overwhelming response by employees. "When a crisis like this happens, [the center] is able to respond," the employee said. "Most places don't have the resources we have at the VA." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement VA officials said Tuesday that the center would remain closed at least through Wednesday, with a reassessment of the situation regarding operations through the end of the week. VA Secretary Doug Collins said the facility will reopen "as soon as it is safe to do so, and in the meantime, in-person appointments at the facility are being rescheduled or shifted to telehealth." "California leaders have repeatedly put the interests of illegal immigrants and criminals above those of hard-working citizens, and now Los Angeles Veterans are paying the price. We are thankful President Trump has the courage to bring order and safety back to the citizens of Los Angeles -- something California leaders have failed to do," Collins said in a statement to Military.com. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass both opposed the deployment of military troops to the city, saying local law enforcement was equipped to handle the protests over the Trump administration's increasingly aggressive immigration raids across the country. Over their objection, Trump commandeered the California National Guard, ordering about 4,000 soldiers and 700 Marines to L.A. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom filed an emergency motion in court Tuesday to stop Trump from expanding the mission, saying that "sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy." Meanwhile, the health of veterans with mental health conditions or those prescribed medication for substance use treatment are considered particularly at-risk because their conditions may worsen without treatment or they could suffer debilitating withdrawals or relapse. Patients who abruptly stop taking methadone, for example, may experience nausea, vomiting, pain, agitation and insomnia, according to the National Institutes of Health. VA Press Secretary Peter Kasperowicz said that since Monday, the facility's patients who have needed urgent care are "being supported at nearby facilities," and those who require daily medication were offered "courtesy pick-up and take-home doses" from the West Los Angeles VA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The VA's vocational rehabilitation and employment counselors, who work for the VA's Regional Benefits Office at the site, also have pivoted to provide support via virtual appointments, according to Kasperowicz. Related: Veterans' VA Referrals to Private Medical Care Will No Longer Require Additional Doctor Review LOS ANGELES - Roughly 4,000 National Guard troops were deployed to Los Angeles as anti-ICE protests intensified. The troops were deployed by President Donald Trump, without the authorization of Gov. Gavin Newsom. The deployment has caused an uproar among city, county, and state leaders, who say the federal government is overreaching their power. Why was the National Guard deployed? The backstory Over the weekend, Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 California National Guard troops in Los Angeles, as anti-ICE protests broke out in downtown LA and some surrounding areas. The protests eventually turned violent, with people setting Waymo cars on fire, vandalizing buildings, throwing fireworks, and more. In response to the violence, on Monday, Trump ordered an additional 2,000 Guard troops along with 700 U.S. Marines to assist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pentagon officials said Tuesday the deployment is expected to cost about $134 million. What role do Guard troops play? National Guard troops are typically deployed to areas to help during emergencies and natural disasters like floods and wildfires. They can be requested by the governor of a state or the President of the United States. In LA, the National Guard was equipped to protect federal buildings and personnel. Guard troops arrived downtown at 4 a.m. Sunday. Why is Newsom upset over the deployment? Newsom said Trumps order to send the National Guard was a "complete overreaction" that was "purposely inflammatory and will only escalate tensions." The governor now plans to sue the Trump administration over the deployment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There really is a separation of power issue, the federal government is stepping in, Newsom is arguing, where the states should have control," legal analyst Mary David told FOX 11. The state of California filed an emergency motion against the administration asking the court to take immediate action to block Trump and the U.S. Department of Defense from expanding the current mission of National Guard personnel and Marines in LA. RELATED: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The federal government is now turning the military against American citizens," Newsom said in a statement. "Sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy. Donald Trump is behaving like a tyrant, not a President. We ask the court to immediately block these unlawful actions." He, along with LA Mayor Karen Bass, said the move would further exacerbate tensions and lead to more intense protests. Bass said that despite claims by Trump, National Guard troops have played no role in stopping the violence in the streets. "We didn't need the National Guard, what on earth are they going to do? Do you know what the National Guard is doing now? They are guarding two buildings, the federal building here in downtown and they are guarding the federal building in Westwood. That's what they are doing. So they need Marines on top of that?," Bass said during a press conference Monday evening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom said troops were deployed without any federal funding for food, housing or water. The governor shared a photo on X of some troops sleeping on a floor presumably inside the federal complex downtown. He said only about 300 National Guard troops had actually been deployed, despite Trump's initial call for 2,000 troops. You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep. Here they are being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another. If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/4i8VIiYZLrpic.twitter.com/sUYD2KHu6O Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025 The other side From the Oval Office, President Trump said he wanted to act quickly by sending in the National Guard and had to federalize the troops to "address the lawlessness." "If we didn't send in the National Guard quickly, right now Los Angeles would be burning to the ground," Trump said. President Donald J. Trump on following every rule when deploying the National Guard in California: "I waited for governors to say, 'Send in the National Guard'. They wouldn't do it ... I said to myself, if that stuff happens again, we've got to make faster decisions." pic.twitter.com/rs72EuD1bi The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 10, 2025 RELATED:Trump defends decision to 'SEND IN THE TROOPS' amid LA protests When was the last time National Guard troops were deployed to LA? The National Guard was recently in Los Angeles during the deadly January 2025 wildfires. Newsom ordered 2,500 service members to respond to LA to help with the firefighting efforts, along with ensuring public safety in the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2020, Newsom deployed approximately 8,000 National Guard troops to quell protests over racial injustice following the death of George Floyd. Well over half the troops deployed in California were sent to Los Angeles County, where police arrested more than 3,000 people. The Source Information for this story came from statements made by Gavin Newsom, Donald Trump, and Karen Bass. City News Service and the Associated Press contributed. MARANA On a warm Saturday morning, more than 100 protesters gathered near Waterman Peak in the Ironwood Forest National Monument to voice their support for public lands protections. At the same time over 350 miles to the north, public lands advocates gathered at the states most recently created national monument, Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon, holding a banner reading Protect the Sacred. The rallies were part of a nationwide Day of Action on June 7, in response to a push from the Trump administration to increase domestic critical mineral production on public lands after declaring a national energy emergency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through executive order, the president has called on the Department of Interior to review public lands that have been blocked from mining in the past, and the Department of Justice has released a legal opinion finding that presidents have the authority to reduce the size of national monuments designated by former presidents. In April, the Washington Post reported that Interior Department officials were actively considering scaling back protections for six national monuments in the West, including two in Arizona, Ironwood Forest and Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni. The Department of Interior did not immediately respond to a request for comments. But the move would be consistent with actions taken by the first Trump administration, and one that public lands advocates have been anticipating since the president took office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With the Silver Bell Mine visible in the distance, speakers from the Friends of Ironwood Forest, the Wilderness Society and the Pima County Board of Supervisors called on the public to contact their elected officials to voice their support for protecting the conserved lands. Hopefully enough people are calling enough congressmen that one of them will grow a spine and stand up, said Tom Hannagan, president of the Friends of Ironwood Forest, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the permanent protection of the national monument. Public lands: 'Fewer and smaller monuments': Republicans seek to limit the use of Antiquities Act Presidential authority to reduce monuments remains an open question The rallies took place on the same weekend as the 119th anniversary of the Antiquities Act of 1906, the law that gives the president the power to protect swaths of public lands by designating them as national monuments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the Supreme Court has affirmed the presidents power to create national monuments, it is unclear whether the president has the unilateral authority to revoke or reduce a national monument created by a previous administration. Tom Hannagan, president of Friends of Ironwood Forest, speaks to the crowd at the public lands rally on June 7, 2025. Friends of Ironwood Forest is a local nonprofit organization that advocates for the permanent protection of the national monument. On June 10, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel released a legal opinion concluding that the president has the power to alter or eliminate national monuments contrary to a previous legal opinion issued in 1938. Public lands advocates say the courts have disagreed. The Trump administration can come to whatever conclusion it likes, but the courts have upheld monuments established under the Antiquities Act for over a century," said Jennifer Rokala, executive director of Center for Western Priorities, a nonpartisan conservation organization, in a news release. "This opinion is just that, an opinion. It does not mean presidents can legally shrink or eliminate monuments at will." This opinion goes so far as to claim the public doesnt support the preservation of public lands as national monuments, which we know from over a decade of polling is not true," Rokala said. "In fact, public support for national monument designations has grown over the past 10 years. Once again the Trump administration finds itself on the wrong side of history and at odds with Western voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In December 2017, Trump announced plans to decrease the size of two national monuments in southern Utah, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, which hold uranium and coal deposits respectively. The order was the largest reduction in national monument protections in U.S. history, and it was immediately challenged in court through multiple lawsuits brought by environmental advocacy groups and tribal nations. Before the cases could be settled, President Joe Biden took office and restored both monuments to their previous sizes. In 2023, President Biden designated almost a million acres near the Grand Canyon as Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, protecting it from new uranium mining projects and other natural resource extraction at the urge of multiple tribal groups that hold the land sacred. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 2024 poll by the Grand Canyon Trust found that 80% of Arizona voters support the monuments designation. Here we are back again with the pendulum swinging back towards extractive industries and away from conservation and public lands protections, said Mike Quigley, Arizona State Director of The Wilderness Society, one of the groups that sued the Trump Administration in 2017. 'Ancestral Footprints': What to know about Arizona's newest national monument Potential legal action on the horizon Created by President Bill Clinton in 2000, the Ironwood Forest National Monument spans 129,000 acres of Sonoran Desert landscape. Named after one of the longest living trees in the region, the monument is also home to rich biodiversity and historical sites over 5,000 years old. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also surrounds the Silver Bell Mine, which has produced copper and other minerals for over 70 years. As public lands advocates gather on at the Ironwood Forest National Monument, the Silver Bell Mine is clearly visible in the distance. The mine has advocated in the past for a reduction in the monument's size to allow for expanded operations. In 2017, ASARCO, the mining company that operates the Silver Bell Mine adjacent to the monument, submitted a letter to the Department of Interior in response to an executive order issued by Trump during his first term. The 2017 executive order called for a review of national monuments created after 1996. In their letter, ASARCO advocated for the Ironwood Forest National Monuments boundaries to be adjusted to allow for increased mining activity. The company owned 880 acres of fee lands and over 4,000 acres of unpatented mining claims that it could not develop because of the designation, according to the letter. The (Ironwood Forest National Monument) is nothing but a disincentive for continued investment in this mine and in the state and local economy, stated the letter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However environmental advocates argue that the public wants to see the land preserved and undeveloped. This year, officials from Pima County, Tucson and Marana issued proclamations recognizing June 9, 2025, as Ironwood Forest Day to celebrate the monuments 25th anniversary. On May 20, the Pima County Board of Supervisors reaffirmed their support for Ironwood Forest National Monument by voting to oppose any reduction proposed by the Trump Administration for natural resource extraction. Want to read more about public lands? Sign up for AZ Climate, The Republic's weekly environment newsletter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the public lands rally, protesters carried homemade signs reading Hands Off Our Public Land and We Love Ironwood to show their support for the monuments boundaries before any official is taken by the Trump administration. We're hoping that demonstrations like today and the resolutions that were passed this week by Pima County, the city of Tucson, and the town of Marana are indicators to our congressional delegation, but also to the Trump administration, that Southern Arizonans value this place as a national monument, said Quigley of the Wilderness Society. If the administration moves ahead with plans to reduce the monument, Tom Hannagan of Friends of Ironwood Forest said they are ready to take legal action. We'll take them to court immediately, if they actually attempt to do anything, said Hannagan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John Leos covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to john.leos@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: Supporters of Arizona monuments rally against Trump cutback proposal Americas public lands, from its majestic national parks to its vast national forests, are at the heart of the countrys identity. They cover more than a quarter of the nation and large parts of the West. Some are crisscrossed by hiking trails and used by hunters and fishermen. Ranchers graze cattle on others. In many areas, the government earns money through oil, gas, timber and mining leases. These federally managed public lands have long enjoyed broad bipartisan support, as have moves to turn them into protected national parks and monuments. Research consistently shows that a majority of Americans want their congressional representatives to protect public access to these lands for recreation. One avenue for protection is the creation of national monuments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the status of national monuments can change. Presidents have expanded and contracted national monuments, as the U.S. saw with Bears Ears National Monument in Utah over the course of the past three presidencies. The rules for the use and maintenance of various public lands can also change, and that can affect surrounding communities and their economies. The U.S. is likely to see changes to public lands again under the second Trump administration. One of the new administrations early orders was for the Department of Interior to review all national monuments for potential oil and gas drilling and mining. At least two national monuments that President Joe Biden created in California are among the new administrations targets. The avenue for many of these changes is rooted in one century-old law. The power and vagary of the Antiquities Act The Antiquities Act of 1906, signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt, gave Congress or the president the authority to establish national monuments on federal land as a means of protecting areas for ecological, cultural, historical or scientific purposes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From Theodore Roosevelt on, 18 of the 21 presidents have used the Antiquities Act to create, expand or contract national monuments through a presidential proclamation. By using the Antiquities Act to create, expand or reduce national monuments, presidents can avoid an environmental impact statement, normally required under the National Environmental Policy Act, which also allows for public input. Supporters argue that forgoing the environmental impact statement helps expedite monument creation and expansion. Critics say bypassing the review means potential impacts of the monument designations can be overlooked. The Antiquities Act also offers no clarity on whether a president can reduce the amount of area protected by prior presidents. The act simply states that a president designates the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected. This has led to the shifting of national monument boundaries based on the priorities of each administration. The Citadel Ruins are the remains of Anasazi cliff dwellings at Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Bob Wick/Bureau of Land Management via Wikimedia Commons An example is Bears Ears, an area of Utah that is considered significant to several tribes but also has uranium, gas and oil resources. In 2016, President Barack Obama designated Bears Ears a national monument. In 2017, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation reducing Bears Ears by 80% of its total designated size. The monuments size and scope shifted a third time when President Joe Biden reestablished Bears Ears to the boundaries designated by Obama. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the span of just over five years, the monument was created, reduced, then restored to the original monument designation. The uncertainty about the long-term reliability of a designation makes it challenging for federal agencies to manage the land or assure Indigenous communities that the government will protect cultural, historical and ecological heritage. Public lands can be economic engines National parks and monuments can help fuel local economies. A 2017 study by Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit research group, found that Western rural counties with more public land have had greater economic growth, including in jobs and personal income, than those with little public land. National monuments can also benefit neighboring counties by increasing population, income and employment opportunities. Even small national monuments provide economic benefits for their surrounding communities. Visitors to Fort Stanwix National Monument in Rome, N.Y., spent $5.3 million in nearby communities in 2023, according to a National Park Service report. National Park Service via Wikimedia Commons While many counties adjacent to public lands may be dependent on natural resource extraction, the establishment of a national monument can open up new opportunities by expanding tourism and recreation. For example, four national parks and monuments in southeastern Utah, including Natural Bridges, drew about 2.4 million visitors who spent nearly US$400 million in surrounding communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, when there is uncertainty over whether public lands will remain protected, communities may be hesitant to invest in that future, not knowing whether it will soon change. What Congress and the courts could do There are a few ways to increase the certainty around the future of national monuments. First, lawsuits could push the courts to determine whether the president has the authority to reduce national monuments. Since the Antiquities Act doesnt directly address presidential authority to reduce monument size, thats an open question. Advocacy groups sued the government over Trumps authority to shrink Bears Ears National Monument, but their cases were put on hold after Biden expanded the monument again. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear other cases in 2024 that argued that a presidents authority to declare and expand national monuments should be far more limited under the law. Gold Butte National Monument covers nearly 300,000 acres of remote and rugged desert landscape in southeastern Nevada and is popular with hikers. Bureau of Land Management Second, Congress could permanently protect designated national monuments through legislation. That would require presidential approval, and the process would likely be slow and cumbersome. Creating White Clouds Wilderness in Idaho, for example, took decades and a public campaign to have it designated a national monument before Congress approved its wilderness designation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Third, Congress could take new steps to protect public lands. For example, a bipartisan bill titled Public Lands in Public Hands Act could block privatization of public lands and increase and maintain access for recreation. One of the bills lead sponsors is U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican from Montana who served as Interior secretary during the first Trump administration. Whether the bill will pass and gain the presidents approval remains to be seen. Public lands have widespread support The Antiquities Act has led to the creation of 163 terrestrial and marine monuments and subsequently the protection of land and waters that hold cultural, scientific or historic significance. These monuments tend to have broad support. During the first Trump administration, there were over 650,000 public comments on Trumps review of national monument creation. An analysis found that 98% of the comments expressed broad support for both the creation and expansion of national monuments. Public lands are more than just physical places. They are spaces where our ideals and values around public land unify us as Americans. They are quintessentially American and in many ways define and shape the American identity. 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: Monica Hubbard, Boise State University and Erika Allen Wolters, Oregon State University 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. WATCH ABOVE: Drone footage of the damage in Van Buren. (COURTESY: Charles Peek and the Weather Channel) TULSA, Okla. (KNWA/KFTA) The National Weather Service confirmed June 10 that seven tornadoes touched down in Sequoyah County and Van Buren on June 6. The NWS says a line of severe thunderstorms moved across Sequoyah County and into west-central Arkansas. Damaging winds occurred along virtually the length of Sequoyah County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the NWS, an EF1 tornado formed near McKey in Sequoyah County and moved southeast before turning to the northeast and dissipating northwest of Sallisaw. Wind speeds hit 95 mph. The NWS says damage appeared to be confined to trees. An EF1 tornado hit Vian with winds up to 95 mph. The tornado formed around 6:52 a.m. and lifted around 7:02 a.m. It traveled for 7.55 miles. The tornado formed west of Vian between Interstate 40 and Highway 64 and traveled east-southeast. An EF1 tornado hit Sallisaw with wind speeds up to 95 mph. It formed between North Wheeler Avenue and South Road 4640, north of East Road 1060. It headed east-southeast, crossing East Road 1060 near South Road 4650. The tornado traveled to South Road 4670 where it dissipated. Damage was primarily done to trees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An EF1 tornado with wind speeds of up to 90 mph formed near Liberty in Sequoyah County. It formed in the western sections of the community. The tornado traveled near and just south of East Road 1060. Minor damage was done to the roof of the communitys school, and a power pole was damaged. Many trees were damaged. Some trees were uprooted. Van Buren tornado from June 6 rated EF-1, 2 other brief tornadoes reported Van Buren was hit by three tornadoes. An EF0 tornado hit the city with wind speeds of 85 mph. The tornado developed just west of the Arkansas River south of Interstate 540 in an open area and traveled across the Arkansas River to the Port of Van Buren. The tornado damaged a fabric and metal storage shelter and the roof of a nearby building. It dissipated as it left the port area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An EF1 tornado with wind speeds between 95 mph and 105 mph touched down in southeast Van Buren near South 4th Street and Wood Street. The tornado moved rapidly northeast into the area just south of the Baptist Health-Van Buren complex. A commercial building was damaged, along with multiple homes on Ozier Street, Mulberry Street and South 19th Street. Winds blew in the walls that contained windows of two homes. One home lost its entire roof and the other lost a large portion of its roof. The tornado quickly dissipated, lasting a little more than one minute. Another EF0 tornado hit Van Buren with 85 mph wind speeds. It traveled near the Union Pacific Railroad line north of Kibler Road and west of Shibley Road. The tornado damaged trees and passed over homes. The NWS says damage to structures appeared to be limited. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. From New York to San Francisco, thousands have taken to the streets this week to protest the Trump administrations recent immigration enforcement actions. What began as scattered demonstrations has erupted into a nationwide movement, driven by outrage over ICE raids in Los Angeles and broader frustration with the treatment of immigrant communities. In response to the protests in LA, President Trump defied California Gov. Gavin Newsom by deploying the states National Guard and Marines calling the move the first, perhaps, of many and warned that protesters in other cities would be met with equal or greater force. Despite the presidents threats, the protests have continued and grown. Most have stayed peaceful, but some have turned violent, sparking clashes with police, arrests, and injuries. In Texas, officials have put the National Guard on standby, while others stand firm in defending the right to protest. With more than 1,500 protests set for June 14, this movement doesnt appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Heres a closer look at where the action is heating up and where its headed next. What other cities are protesting ICE raids? Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston Texas, home to more than 5 million immigrants, is seeing a wave of demonstrations in response to recent federal immigration actions. On Monday, several hundred people marched through downtown Austin to the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, which houses an ICE office. Police used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse the crowd after some demonstrators threw objects, including bottles and rocks. Three officers were injured, and 12 people were arrested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, Gov. Greg Abbott has placed the Texas National Guard on standby in San Antonio. Mayor Ron Nirenberg expressed that he was neither consulted nor notified beforehand about the deployment, while acknowledging the local communitys anger and frustration over what he described as the governments crude interpretations of immigration law and cruel approach to human rights. Protests have also taken place in Dallas, where at least one arrest was made during a clash with police Monday night, and in Houston. State officials say National Guard troops will be stationed in multiple locations throughout the state to ensure peace and order. Protests against the Trump administration's immigration policies were reported in two major Texas cities, Dallas and Austin, on Monday night. pic.twitter.com/6I6kqf86LM Newsweek (@Newsweek) June 10, 2025 New York City Thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Manhattan on Tuesday to protest federal immigration enforcement. The crowd remained largely peaceful, with many holding signs that read ICE out of NYC. However, some protesters reportedly threw objects at law enforcement vehicles and breached metal barricades, prompting a police response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We want to maintain everyones right to protest peacefully in this city and in this country, but we will not tolerate chaos and disorder or violence, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in an interview. Authorities reported 86 arrests. Of those taken into custody, 52 were issued criminal court summonses for low-level offenses, while 34 face charges including assault. San Francisco Los Angeles isnt the only city in California where demonstrators have taken to the streets. In San Francisco, hundreds of people marched through the Mission District on Monday, marking the second consecutive day of protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While police reported 154 arrests during Sundays demonstrations, they described Mondays event as overwhelmingly peaceful, with only limited instances of vandalism to buildings and cars. NOW Hundreds of people are rallying at 24th & Mission in San Francisco, protesting the ICE raids in LA & arrests taking place across the country. Marches have started down Mission Street. pic.twitter.com/iuvSPjDysw Mission Local (@MLNow) June 10, 2025 Mayor Daniel Lurie affirmed the citys support for peaceful protest, saying he is committed to protecting residents right to demonstrate, but emphasized that San Francisco will never tolerate violent and destructive behavior. Chicago Thousands of protesters marched through downtown Chicago on Tuesday, carrying signs in both English and Spanish with messages like The People say ICE out and ICE out of Chicago, according to CBS Chicago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the demonstration, a 66-year-old woman was struck by a car that police say was speeding through an area where protesters had gathered. She was hospitalized with a fractured arm, and authorities are investigating the incident. Police officers stand guard as people protest against federal immigration sweeps in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Octavio Jones pic.twitter.com/wuIIjtNAN2 Idrees Ali (@idreesali114) June 11, 2025 Several arrests were made throughout the day, and bus service was temporarily suspended in parts of the city due to the march. Denver A large crowd gathered outside the Colorado State Capitol on Wednesday, holding signs and chanting in protest of federal immigration enforcement. Demonstrators filled the area with messages, including one sign that read, Show your faces, ICE cowards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protest splintered into smaller groups as the evening unfolded, and tensions escalated, prompting police to declare an unlawful assembly and use smoke and pepper balls to disperse the crowd. At least 17 people were arrested over the course of the night. Philadelphia Around 150 protesters filled the streets of Philadelphia on Tuesday, denouncing Trumps immigration enforcement efforts. The demonstration started off with chants and signs but grew more intense after protesters blocked traffic, triggering a tense back-and-forth with police. When it was over, two officers and two protesters had suffered minor injuries, and at least 15 people were taken into custody. ICE demonstrations on Market St & 11th St Getting intense between Philadelphia Police & demonstrators pic.twitter.com/yHk7UpTsss Shukri Wrights (@ShukriWrights) June 10, 2025 What is No Kings Day? Over 1,500 No Kings Day protests are planned nationwide for June 14, including in cities like Austin and New York City, where demonstrations have already taken place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The idea was originally launched to oppose former President Trumps planned military parade in Washington, D.C., on the same date, which is also the presidents birthday. (That parade is estimated to cost between $25 million and $45 million.) But the movement has since broadened: Organizers say overwhelming interest has fueled its expansion to include protests against the administrations handling of recent ICE raids in Los Angeles. The progressive group Indivisible, which is coordinating the nationwide effort, has urged participants to stay calm and orderly. We do not want to give Trump an excuse to crack down on peaceful protests, which is exactly what he wants to do, said co-executive director Ezra Levin in an interview with MSNBC. Trump, for his part, has already issued a warning to would-be demonstrators, saying theyll be met with very big force. Want to know if theres a rally near you? Heres a map to find out. The post Nationwide Protests Erupt Over ICE Raids as No Kings Day Movement Gains Momentum appeared first on Katie Couric Media. WASHINGTON Donald Trump is getting the parade he wanted showcasing Americas military power but hell also be getting mass protests exposing the nations partisan divisions. The tanks and artillery launchers rolling through Washington on Saturday will honor the Armys 250th anniversary, which falls on the day Trump turns 79. About 7,000 soldiers will march. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to line up along Constitution Avenue on the co-birthdays and cheer. Trump is set to watch the spectacle from a viewing stand south of the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in Washington and in all 50 states, organizers will be staging protests that could dwarf the parade in size. A coalition of pro-democracy, labor and liberal activists is arranging a full day of counterprogramming to make the case that Trump is hijacking the Army celebration to venerate himself. Workers install security fencing on the National Mall in Washington D.C. on Tuesday. (Jacquelyn Martin / AP) The goal here is to deprive Trump of what he wants in this moment, which is a story about him being the all-powerful political figure of our time, and instead create a contrast with normal, everyday people demonstrating that power in this country still resides with the people, said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of the progressive group Indivisible, who is helping organize what participants have dubbed a nationwide No Kings demonstration. If past protests are a guide, the participants could number in the millions, he said. A total of 1,800 rallies are expected, with events in each congressional district, he added. Another group called Womens March is also arranging protests to coincide with the parade, with a theme of Kick Out the Clowns. Organizers expect up to 5,000 people to participate in Madison, Wisconsin, alone, said Tamika Middleton, chief political and strategy officer of Womens March. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nothing feels more absurd than the idea of this president having a massive military parade on his birthday, she said. "It feels surreal for many of us. The White House didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. On Tuesday, Rand Paul of Kentucky became the first Senate Republican to criticize the parade, citing the imagery. Showing off lethal hardware is something other countries do, not the United States, he said. I wouldnt have done it," Paul told reporters. He added that "we were always different than the images you saw in the Soviet Union and North Korea. We were proud not to be that." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump isn't deterred. Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, he warned that protesters this weekend will face "very big force." He didn't distinguish between those who demonstrate peacefully or violently. "And I havent even heard about a protest," Trump added, "but you know, this is people that hate our country. But they will be met with very heavy force." (At a news briefing this week, a Secret Service official said thousands of agents and officers will be on hand to provide security.) A Bradley Fighting Vehicle near the Washington Monument on Tuesday. (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images) The parade is happening at a fraught moment when Trump has drawn the military among the nations most trusted institutions into a tense standoff in Los Angeles over his aggressive efforts to deport people living in the United States illegally. The Trump administration this week activated about 700 Marines to help quell demonstrations over his immigration enforcement methods, despite warnings from California officials that he is inflaming the situation. The militarys main purpose is to fight and win foreign wars, and it has largely retained its reputation as an apolitical body carrying out a national mission. Only in rare instances has the nation held military parades: The last one took place 34 years ago after the United States defeated Iraq in the first Gulf War. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Saturday will open with a festival on the National Mall. Soldiers will be on hand to meet people and take part in special military demonstrations. The parade will start at 6:30 p.m. ET and follow Constitution Avenue from near the Lincoln Memorial to the Ellipse south of the White House. Workers have been laying down steel plates to protect the roads from the heavy tanks. Bradley Fighting Vehicles will also be on display, while dozens of helicopters will take part in a flyover. At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last Thursday, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll put the cost at $25 million to $40 million. Driscoll justified the expense as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fill up our recruiting pipeline with young Americans. Trump told NBC News in May that the cost was "peanuts compared to the value." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 in an interview with "Meet the Press." Some military experts echoed that sentiment, seeing merit in an event that gives Americans a chance to thank their soldiers and see them up close. Only 9% of young Americans have an inclination toward military service, said Kori Schake, who has worked at both the Defense Department and the White House National Security Council. And so, exposing more Americans to our Army, where kids can talk to soldiers about their experience, is good for the country. Others said the money is being wasted. A better idea would be to restore programs serving veterans or rehiring some of those who lost their jobs in the Trump administrations effort to shrink the government workforce, some lawmakers and veterans groups said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Department of Government Efficiency cuts have fallen heavily on veterans, who make up a disproportionate share of the federal workforce. Meanwhile, the Veterans Affairs Department cut a program that provides mortgage assistance to veterans so they dont face foreclosure on their homes. The mortgage program helped tens of thousands of veterans stay in their homes. And they want to spend $50 million on a parade? said Chris Purdy, who heads the Chamberlain Network, a pro-veterans group. It really shows this is about an individuals pride and not the nations pride. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, criticized the parade's price tag in an interview. "The military is being required to spend resources and time on this, instead of training and preparing to meet the national security needs of the country," he said, adding, Its a horrible idea." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has long championed a military parade. In 2017, he attended the Bastille Day ceremony in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and got a firsthand look as tanks rumbled past the reviewing stand. The trip left an impression. After he returned to the White House, Trump spoke often about holding a similar parade at home, a former White House official said. Aides delayed and diverted him, mentioning the potential cost and telling him the United States didn't make a point of flaunting its hardware, the person said. Certainly, the French do it a lot and the North Koreans do it a lot and the Russians, but we dont really tend to do those things, the former official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. He brought it up quite a bit, the person continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his Oval Office remarks, Trump didn't mention the parade in the context of his birthday. He noted instead that the day is Flag Day. "Were going to have a fantastic June 14th parade, Flag Day," he said. "Its going to be an amazing day. We have tanks, we have planes, we have all sorts of things. And I think its going to be great. Were going to celebrate our country for a change." Whether the day comes off as a tribute to the Army or to Trump hinges on how Trump behaves in the moment, analysts said. The degree to which this is a violation of norms depends in part on what the president says and does on the margins of this event, said Peter Feaver, a Duke University political science professor who has written about the militarys relationship with political leaders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the run-up to the parade, Trump is capitalizing on the Army's milestone birthday in partisan terms. Speaking Tuesday at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he took aim at various Democratic foes, including the last commander in chief, Joe Biden. He invoked Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, another Democrat, eliciting boos from the audience. Mentioning Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee last year, Trump said: "I think he's running for president, but he's a radical lunatic." Linking the military to the sitting presidents birthday and sending it into the streets to confront fellow Americans risk tarnishing its credibility while pushing the country away from its democratic roots, Trump's critics warn. Displays of hardware, whether its tanks or Stryker vehicles, is more characteristic of totalitarian militaristic states like North Korea or Russia, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who questioned the events cost at a recent hearing with Army leaders. And they are used in part to glorify the dictator in those countries. This parade falls on President Trumps birthday and is as much a celebration of his birthday and him at least its designed to be as it is our Army. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) In a new ranking based on tens of thousands of customer reviews, one fast food chain has officially been crowned the king of fast-food fries in America. Federal minimum wage would rise to $15 under Sen. Hawley bill The study, conducted by Seating Masters, analyzed over 40,000 Yelp reviews mentioning fries across 21 major fast-food chains. In-N-Out topped the list with an average rating of 3.86 out of 5, based on 7,595 reviews across 25 locations. The California-based chains fresh-cut fries, prepared in-store daily, garnered the highest praise from customersdespite its limited geographic footprint compared to national giants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shake Shack claimed second place with a 3.7 average from 17,018 reviews across 45 locations. The chains crinkle-cut fries, which were temporarily removed from the menu in 2013 and brought back due to popular demand, have since regained favor among customers. Freddys Frozen Custard & Steakburgers rounded out the top three with a 3.59 rating, based on 2,396 reviews at 47 locations. Known for its thin, crispy shoestring fries, Freddys earned high marks for flavor and texture. Bojangles, a Southern regional favorite, landed in fourth with a 3.51 rating, while Chick-fil-A followed in fifth place with 3.4. The chicken chains waffle fries, beloved for their dippable design and crispy bite, continue to be a standout menu item. Raising Canes, Zaxbys, Arbys, Hardees, and Checkers/Rallys completed the top 10 list. Notably, Arbys curly fries helped secure its eighth-place finish with a 2.89 average rating. Top 10 Fast-Food Chains for Fries: In-N-Out Burger 3.86 Shake Shack 3.7 Freddys Frozen Custard & Steakburgers 3.59 Bojangles 3.51 Chick-fil-A 3.4 Raising Canes 3.24 Zaxbys 2.98 Arbys 2.89 Hardees 2.86 Checkers/Rallys 2.84 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the opposite end of the spectrum, KFC was rated the worst for fast-food fries, earning an average of 1.77 from 175 reviews across 50 locations. Despite its status as a fried chicken powerhouse, the chains side offering left much to be desired, according to customer feedback. In a surprising result, McDonaldsthe brand long synonymous with fast-food French friesranked second to last with a 1.91 rating from 1,381 reviews. Burger King followed closely behind with a 1.92 average from 623 reviews, reinforcing ongoing criticism of its fries despite repeated recipe overhauls. Churchs Chicken and Popeyes also found themselves in the bottom five, scoring 1.9 and 2.0,8, respectively. Bottom 5 Fast-Food Chains for Fries: KFC 1.77 McDonalds 1.91 Burger King 1.92 Churchs Chicken 1.9 Popeyes 2.08 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The study looked specifically at reviews that mentioned fries and aggregated data from various locations nationwide to provide what it calls the most comprehensive snapshot to date. While chains like McDonalds and Burger King may dominate in scale, its the regional favorites and quality-focused brands like In-N-Out that are winning over fry lovers with freshness, flavor, and consistency. 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. A one-page draft of a joint declaration for the upcoming NATO summit omits Ukraine's membership aspirations and last year's pledge of over $40 billion in support, Bloomberg reported on June 11 after reviewing the draft. This news signals that, for the first time since 2022, Russia's war against Ukraine will not be the chief focus of the annual NATO meeting, which is taking place on June 24-25 in The Hague. The unusually brief document recognizes Russia as a threat to NATO but not as an aggressor in Ukraine. It also does not mention China, Bloomberg reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The communique of the 2024 summit in Washington named Beijing as a "decisive enabler" of Russia's war against Ukraine. Last year's gathering also included a declaration that Ukraine's path to NATO is "irreversible" and promised more than $40 billion in additional military aid. This year, the document will solely focus on defense spending, as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes NATO partners to hike the military expenditure benchmark from 2% to 5% of GDP. The final version of the statement can still change, Bloomberg reported. The brevity of the communique and the summit itself, as well as the decreased focus on Ukraine, stems from the effort to avoid conflict between Trump and European allies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a sharp break from former U.S. President Joe Biden, the Trump administration has not approved any new military aid packages to Ukraine and signaled its intent to reduce assistance for Kyiv in the next year's budget. The U.S. president initially vowed to broker a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow but became increasingly less engaged in the process as the negotiations stalled and Russia only intensified its attacks against Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, NATO allies will pledge to allocate at least 3.5% of GDP to defense needs and 1.5% to protecting infrastructure and civil preparedness by 2032. Member states will also consider counting their contributions to Ukraine as part of the new defense spending targets, the news outlet reported. The summit was preceded by rumors that President Volodymyr Zelensky would not be invited to participate for the first time due to U.S. opposition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later, the speculations were dispelled after the Dutch media reported that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had invited the Ukrainian leader to attend. Read also: As Russia inches closer to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, new Ukrainian region might soon be at war Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Navy officials on Thursday discovered a body in a wooded area of Norfolk, Virginia, and the local medical examiner has confirmed it to be missing Navy Seaman Angelina Resendiz. Resendiz, 21, was last seen on May 29 at her barracks in Miller Hall on Naval Station Norfolk around 10 p.m., according to Virginia State Police and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). "A Navy Sailor has been placed in pretrial confinement in connection with the death of Seaman Resendiz. Charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice are pending," NCIS said in a Thursday statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NCIS said it has "worked tirelessly in close coordination with Navy leadership, the Norfolk Police Department, Virginia State Police, Virginia Search and Rescue, and numerous other federal and local law enforcement partners to pursue all leads since learning of Seaman Resendiz disappearance." Navy Sailor Vanishes Without A Trace As Mother Reveals Concerning Break In Daily Habit Angelina Petra Resendiz, 21, was last seen on May 29 10 p.m. in Miller Hall at Naval Station Norfolk, according to Virginia State Police. "NCIS remains committed to uncovering the facts surrounding the tragic death of Seaman Resendiz to ensure accountability and justice," the agency said. Read On The Fox News App Police previously described Resendiz's disappearance as critical, saying her health was at risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hannah Kobayashi Never Mentioned Mexico Travel Plans Despite Voluntary Border Crossing: Family Resendiz's mother, Esmeralda Castle, who lives in Resendiz's hometown in Texas, described her daughter as "loving" and "kind" in an interview with WVEC . She worked as a culinary specialist for the Navy, Castle said. Angelina Petra Resendiz was a culinary specialist for the Navy and stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. Castle added that Resendiz had not responded to calls or texts from her family, which was out of character. Family Of Woman Who Went Missing On Cross-country Vacation Says Cryptic Texts Sent From Phone Unlike Her "Her and my sister have a 400-day streak on Snapchat. Every single day she talks to somebody. She talks to family, or she will talk to a friend," Castle told WVEC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 21-year-old did not drive or have a vehicle, and she was reported missing after she failed to show up for work, according to WVEC. Resendiz missing poster "She just stopped existing Thursday. She's spent no money, made no calls.She disappeared," Castle told the outlet. "Its very hard to tell people that shes missing." NCIS said that it will not be releasing further information at this time while the investigation remains ongoing "out of respect for the investigative process." Original article source: Navy's search for missing 21-year-old seaman ends with tragic discovery, sailor detained in Virginia New Bern Alderman Victor Taylor speaks about his prostate cancer treatment at a news conference on a proposal to establish a statewide screening program for uninsured and underinsured men. (Photo: Lynn Bonner/NC Newsline) Offering prostate cancer screening to men who are uninsured or underinsured will save lives, legislators, doctors, advocates, and cancer survivors said at a news conference Tuesday. Prostate cancer is one of the most curable cancers if it is detected early, said Rep. Rodney Pierce (D-Halifax), the bills lead sponsor. But, too many North Carolinians are diagnosed too late. This legislation is about saving lives, about a higher quality of life, and giving our fathers, uncles, brothers, nephews and sons the fighting chance they deserve, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House bill 128 would appropriate $2 million to establish a prostate cancer screening program modeled after the states breast and cervical cancer screening program. Money for prostate screening is not in the House or Senate budget proposals, but Pierce hopes it will be funded. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the state, according to the UNC Mens Health Program. The issue has gained increased attention in the last few weeks after former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with a more aggressive form of prostate cancer. Men in North Carolina are diagnosed with prostate cancer at higher rates than men nationally, according to the National Cancer Institute, and North Carolinas mortality rate is higher, at 20.2 per 100,000 men. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Black men are more likely to develop prostate cancer and more likely to die from it, according to the American Cancer Society. NC Rep. Rodney Pierce (Courtesy photo) Legislators at the Tuesday news conference made direct appeals to Black men to be screened. A blood test is used to screen for and monitor prostate cancer. Rep. Abe Jones (D-Wake) said hes tested twice a year because his father had prostate cancer. It is a sneaky, nasty, tricky disease, Jones said. Its ugly and it kills Black men at a higher rate. It doesnt give you a warning, it just comes on you, Jones said. I just encourage all my brothers out there to please get tested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Bern Alderman Victor Taylor, a prostate cancer survivor, said the screening bill would help men in rural areas. Its vital for men to talk about prostate cancer, he said. Its so important to talk, talk, talk and share, he said. You dont know how many lives youve saved by talking and sharing. The bill proposes free or low-cost testing for uninsured or underinsured men ages 40 to 70 who have a family history of prostate cancer. Men without a family history would be eligible for screening at ages 50 to 70. Recommendations for screening have a cloudy history. In 2012, the US Preventative Service Task Force, a group of independent experts, recommended against routine screening. The recommendation changed in 2018, with the group suggesting men 55- to 69-years old talk with their doctors about regular screening. The task force is in the process of updating its recommendation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Dan George, a member of the Duke Cancer Institute who specializes in prostate cancers, said theres a concern that prostate cancer is going under-treated. Its so vitally important for people to recognize that knowledge is power, George said. Understanding your cancer status is an opportunity for you to prevent a leading cause of death in this state. Rural residents would benefit from routine testing that residents with access to medical specialists can more easily obtain, he said. Former state Sen. Eddie Goodall, a Union County Republican, talked about his prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. Goodall said he was diagnosed in 2005, just as his first term in the legislature was beginning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was excited about being a freshman senator and being able to change the world, Goodall said. Instead, he received a diagnosis that he kept secret from his mother because he didnt want her to worry about another son dying. Goodall said that five years before he was diagnosed, his brother died of cancer. Goodall said he talked and compared notes with another former senator who was diagnosed with prostate cancer at about the same time. Goodall decided against surgery. The cancer spread to his bones. Goodall said he started hormone therapy in 2018 and was told he had 18 months to two years to live. But its been seven years, and Im still here. So Im very grateful for that. RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) Tuesday, the North Carolina General Assembly approved a measure that would require several state agencies to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill now goes to Governor Josh Stein, who could sign or reject the measure. The bill requires the State Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the N.C. Department of Adult Corrections to enter into agreements with ICE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Governor Josh Steins office told CBS 17: The Governor will continue to review the bills. He has made clear that if someone commits a crime and they are here illegally; they should be deported. On Tuesday, as lawmakers prepared to take a vote, protesters gathered outside the legislative building. About 35 protesters, wearing green, and carrying signs urged North Carolina senators not to pass Senate bill 153, which requires the SBI, Highway patrol, Department of Public Safety, and Department of Adult Corrections, to enter into agreements with ICE and have employees, trained by ICE, determine if anyone in their custody is not authorized to be in the country. The bill also orders the state to ensure those in the country illegally will not receive benefits like housing assistance, Medicaid, or unemployment and says cities or towns that adopt sanctuary ordinances can be sued if someone who is not documented commits a crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The measure also orders that colleges in the UNC system must follow immigration laws. Dr. Misti Nicole Harper urged lawmakers to consider the consequences. I beg them to look around their communities and really think about what its going to do to target Black, Brown, and working-class folks and really think about how their lives are about to be affected, Harper said. Senator Phil Berger, President Pro Tempore of the NC Senate responded. Tell the community that we have certain laws. If they disagree with what those laws are and they are federal laws, then they need to work to have those federal laws changed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Senate voted to send that bill to the governor. The Senate also passed HB 318. It would expand the list of charges that would require law enforcement to determine someones citizenship status and to notify ICE immediately if that status is in question. That bill heads back to the House. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome. Im Ronni Butts and heres whats been happening in North Carolina politics. First, a dispatch from Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi on Senate Bill 568, a proposal to create a task force to study how North Carolina could integrate psychedelic-assisted therapies into its mental health system if federally approved. The bill is receiving bipartisan support and is backed by Sen. Sophia Chitlik, a Durham Democrat, and Sen. Bobby Hanig, a Powells Point Republican. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a Tuesday press conference, Sally Roberts spoke in favor of the bill. She said she has two resumes. One reflects her achievements: two-time world bronze medalist in womens wrestling, special operations combat veteran, business founder. The other tells a different story multiple surgeries, seven concussions, two traumatic brain injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Her PTSD, she said, didnt come from military service or wrestling, but from being abducted and sexually assaulted at age 5 while playing outside. That put me on a life trajectory of that of a fighter and of a warrior, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the pandemic, stress from her business career overwhelmed her. She began experiencing memory loss. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offered tips and tricks to cope, but those didnt help, she said. When that failed, she was prescribed a cocktail of medication, which initially felt like being strapped to a rocket booster until she crashed, and crashed spectacularly, she said. Desperate, she tried something new, and traveled abroad for psychedelic therapy. She said Ibogaine, a psychoactive substance thats not legal in the United States, gave her a second chance at life, a do-over. Luke Focer, a former Marine sniper and intelligence professional with seven combat deployments, also spoke in support of the bill. Focer, who works with Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS), said VA care and dozens of medications failed to ease his PTSD, anxiety, suicidal ideation and more. He was approved for a grant by VETS to undergo psychedelic-assisted therapy in Mexico using Ibogaine a treatment he said saved his life. This is not a red or blue issue, Focer said. This is an American issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since 2001, more than 125,000 U.S. veterans have died by suicide, and the VA reports that 29% of veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq will experience PTSD. Other states are looking into psychedelics as therapy. Texas most recently launched a state-backed research consortium focused on Ibogaine which sponsors call the largest public investment in psychedelic research. Alaska and Nevada have passed similar task force bills. As for its chances of passing into law this year? Hanig said theres quite a bit of support in the House and Senate bipartisan support for it. The bill missed a key deadline to move forward, but its language could be added to other bills that did survive. Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi HOUSE MAY VOTE TODAY ON PERMITLESS CONCEAL CARRY, WITHOUT ALL GOP VOTES Senate Bill 50, which would eliminate the permit requirement for concealed carry of a handgun, passed the House Rules Committee in a close vote Tuesday and is on the calendar today for a potential House vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But at least two House Republicans oppose the bill. Republican Reps. William Brisson and Ted Davis voted against the bill in Rules, and a few more Republicans left the committee room just before the 12-to-10 roll call vote. Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan has the story here. Without every single Republican and at least one Democrat, the House cannot overturn a likely veto from Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. In the past, Republican House and Senate leaders have not even called for a vote if they dont think they have a supermajority of support. The House session Tuesday afternoon started an hour late because Republicans caucus meeting ran an hour over time. Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan DEMOCRATS WANT TO BAN GHOST GUNS Two senators were joined by a Fayetteville City Council member at a Tuesday news conference in support of legislation that would ban ghost guns, which are made in parts and dont have traceable serial numbers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Bill 409 would ban ghost guns and untraceable firearms. Sen. Val Applewhite of Fayetteville, who filed the bill in March with Raleigh Democratic Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, spoke at the news conference. Regulating ghost guns is not about infringing on lawful gun ownership, Applewhite said. This is about untraceable, unserialized weapons, often assembled in basements or garages, that are increasingly finding their way into the hands of people with no intention of using them responsibly, she said. These are weapons with no paper trail, no accountability and no way for law enforcement to do their jobs effectively. Fayetteville City Council member Courtney Banks-McLaughlin serves on the Governors Crime Commission. Her daughter, Coryonna Treasure Young, was accidentally shot and killed at 15, in 2022, by a ghost gun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are selling these parts and making it out of 3-D printers, she said. They have no serial numbers, no background checks are required. Our daughter, Corianna, should have graduated on Wednesday, she said. She should have been in her cap and gown. The bill has not moved forward. Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan HELENE OMNIBUS BILL PASSES THE SENATE The state Senate on Tuesday passed a wide-ranging bill titled Various Disaster Recovery Reforms. The bill includes all Helene-related provisions that have passed the Senate, said Sen. Tim Moffitt, a Hendersonville Republican. It also includes provisions the bill previously contained in the House, where it had initially focused on banning discrimination in disaster recovery aid based on political affiliation or speech. The proposal followed reports that a Federal Emergency Management Agency supervisor who was later fired is said to have instructed staff to skip homes with signs supporting President Donald Trump. Additions to the bill include new criminal penalties for trespassing or looting homes in emergency areas, temporary building code exemptions in certain situations and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What has not advanced in the Senate is the Houses separate Helene recovery bill, passed in May, which outlines how to spend an additional $464 million on recovery efforts. The House has called for Helene recovery funding to be handled separately from the budget, which remains stalled. On budget negotiations with the House, Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters they were working on a list of items that we feel need to be addressed. Berger didnt elaborate when The N&O asked him about Helene negotiations. Its all wrapped up together. Well have conversations about both of those, he said. Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi WHAT ELSE WERE WORKING ON President Donald Trump , alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll , paid a visit to Fort Bragg in Fayetteville on Tuesday to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Army, Sophia Bailly reports. This was Trumps first visit to the state since January, when he visited Western North Carolina to assess damage from Helene. As Trump addressed the crowd, he referenced the ongoing protests in Los Angeles against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trump has activated thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles. This anarchy will not stand, he said. North Carolina lawmakers on Tuesday sent two bills to Gov. Josh Stein that target unauthorized immigrants and mandate further state cooperation with ICE. The bills, among other things, would require some state law enforcement agencies to carry out immigration actions and prevent immigrants from receiving state benefits if they are in the country illegally. Both passed the Senate along party lines, Kyle Ingram reports. Stein has not indicated how he will act on the bills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Todays newsletter was by Ronni Butts, Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan and Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi. Check your inbox Thursday for more #ncpol. Not a subscriber? Sign up on our website to receive Under the Dome in your inbox daily. Immigrant rights advocates call on North Carolinians to stand up against bills targeting undocumented immigrants in the state as part of an Immigrant Rights Advocacy Day on May 21, 2025. North Carolina lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to a bill cracking down on state immigration enforcement, sending it to Gov. Josh Steins desk. Senate Bill 153 requires state agencies to sign agreements cooperating with U.S. Immigrations Customs Enforcement (ICE). It bars undocumented immigrants from receiving state-funded benefits. And it opens local governments that have declared themselves sanctuaries to lawsuits in crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senators gave the bill final approval Tuesday, agreeing with changes by the House after previously passing it along party lines back in March. I think the people of North Carolina and the people of this nation want our immigration laws enforced, Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said Tuesday. And I think what we have moved forward with are things that will enhance the ability of the federal authorities to enforce our nations immigration laws. Stein, a Democrat, could veto the legislation. If he does, it would be the first of his term and set up a narrow vote down the line when Republicans attempt to override it. Senate Republicans have a solid veto-proof majority, but House Republicans are one vote short. Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) has previously touted a working supermajority, saying there were several Democrats with whom he believes his caucus could swing for key override votes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats objected to passage of the bill Tuesday. Sen. Natalie Murdock (D-Chatham) called it heavy-handed government overreach. This bill really is not about safety, Murdock said. Its about intimidation. Its about fear-mongering. Shortly after the bills passage, a group of around 30 protesters in the Senate gallery erupted and left the chamber. We will hold you accountable for the harm that you caused, one woman shouted. Tuesdays vote is the latest in a series of Republican-led efforts to ramp up immigration enforcement in North Carolina. And it comes with a national spotlight on deportation efforts by the Trump administration, as federal and state officials battle over jurisdiction in California and troops arrive in Los Angeles amid protests. Trump also visited North Carolina on Tuesday, speaking at Fort Bragg. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The situation in LA is beyond a protest, Berger told reporters Tuesday. Last years House Bill 10 required local sheriffs in North Carolina to require with ICE. A separate bill aims to close what Republicans have said are loopholes in the law. That proposal, House Bill 318, also made it to Steins desk Tuesday. It passed the Senate, 26-17, over opposition from Democrats, and was swiftly given final approval by House Republicans (66-45). As national protests break out against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements sweeping deportation raids, North Carolina lawmakers on Tuesday sent two bills to the governors desk that target unauthorized immigrants and mandate further state cooperation with ICE. The wide-ranging bills would deputize some state law enforcement agencies to carry out immigration actions, ban immigrants from receiving state benefits if they are in the country illegally, and require sheriffs and prisons to notify ICE about suspected immigration violations in more circumstances. Both passed the Senate 26-17 with Democrats united in opposing the proposals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This bill really is not about safety, its about intimidation, Sen. Natalie Murdock, a Durham Democrat, said. Its about fear mongering, and its about targeting vulnerable people who come to North Carolina seeking a better life. Republicans, however, have championed the measures, saying the state needs to do more to aid the federal governments immigration enforcement actions. I think the people of North Carolina and the people of this nation want our immigration laws enforced, Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters after the vote. I think what we have moved forward with are things that will enhance the ability of the federal authorities to enforce our nations immigration laws. Democratic Gov. Josh Stein has not said whether he will veto the proposals, both of which are likely to head to his desk soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor will continue to review the bill, a spokesperson for his office said. He has made clear that if someone commits a crime and they are here illegally, they should be deported. If Stein does veto the bills, Republicans would have to gain the support of at least one Democrat in the House to override his rejection. Democratic Rep. Carla Cunningham voted in favor of one of the measures, House Bill 318, on Tuesday making her the only member of her party do so. Ahead of Tuesdays vote, protesters demonstrated against the bills outside the legislature, saying they contributed to a campaign of fear against immigrants stoked by the Trump administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im seeing our immigrant communities being terrorized and its unnecessary, Karen Ziegler, a protester, said ahead of the vote. These are people that have been living around us, working, performing critical functions, paying taxes. This is not OK, whats happening now. People being snatched off the streets, people being flown and transported to concentration camps in this country and in other countries. Its so wrong and I dont understand why the General Assembly wants to support this slide into fascism. Tuesdays votes come as the Trump administration ramps up its efforts to respond to anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, sending in the National Guard and Marines in a dramatic escalation of tensions. What exactly do the bills do? Both pieces of legislation significantly expand the states responsibilities to cooperate with ICE. Senate Bill 153 would require four state law enforcement agencies to participate in the federal 287(g) program, which allows state officers to carry out immigration actions usually done by federal agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers from the state departments of Public Safety and Adult Correction, the State Highway Patrol and the State Bureau of Investigation executive agencies which are overseen by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein would all be required to carry out ICE functions. The other bill, HB 318, would require sheriffs to notify ICE before releasing anyone in their custody with a detainer, or detention request, from the agency. A law passed last year requires the affected person to be kept in confinement an additional 48 hours to give ICE time to potentially retrieve them, but the new bill aims to ensure immigration officials are notified. Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch attempted to amend the bill with what she called a victims rights provision which would ensure that victims of violent crimes could request that the person charged in their case be tried in court before ICE carries out any immigration actions. Without her amendment, Batch said the bill would be amnesty for criminals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its going to allow someone to come into North Carolina, to seriously injure, rape, murder or harm someone, and does not allow the victim or the victims family to come before a court to ask for that individual to be tried (and) held accountable to our rules, she said. Republicans set aside her proposal without debating it. HB 318 would also require sheriffs to attempt to determine the immigration status of anyone charged with a felony or drunk driving. Previous legislation narrowed this requirement to only people charged with high-level violent crimes. Cooperation with ICE isnt the only factor in the legislation passed Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SB 153 would also direct state agencies to ensure unauthorized immigrants do not receive a variety of state-funded benefits, such as housing assistance or unemployment. Another portion of the bill would allow local governments that approve what it describes as sanctuary policies for immigrants to be sued if a person in the country without legal authorization commits a crime in their jurisdiction. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) Its been over 24 hours since D.C. police first responded to the scene of an ongoing barricade incident at a communication tower on the American University campus. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Several American University dorms evacuated due to police activity American Universitys dorms, including Centennial, Letts and Anderson were evacuated Tuesday in the late afternoon due to a heavy police presence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The individual reportedly entered the area around the broadcast tower on main campus and climbed up the structure before refusing to come back down, according to a letter sent out by the university. American University Police Department, the Metropolitan Police Department and DC Fire all responded to assess the situation. The full universitys statement reads as follows: Dear AU Community, On Tuesday afternoon, an unauthorized individual entered the area around the broadcast tower on main campus and climbed up the structure and refused to come down. AUPD, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and DC Fire responded to the scene and conducted a full assessment. While the emergency response presence was large, it was appropriate and necessary to support safety and deploy the necessary personnel and expertise to address the situation. The area was cleared while emergency responders assessed the situation and ensured community members would not be at risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The individual remains on the tower this morning and the response activity continues at the site. In MPDs assessment, the individual does not pose a risk to the community or campus safety. MPD remains on scene with AUPD and continues to engage with the individual and seek to conclude the situation. There will be normal campus operations today, with buildings and offices open. Please avoid the area around the broadcast tower until further instructions are provided. We will continue to update you as additional information becomes available. Thank you for your attention to this matter and your support for our emergency responders and AU team members who have been diligently working this situation since yesterday afternoon. Sincerely, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bronte Burleigh-Jones CFO, Vice President, and Treasurer Police first received the call on Tuesday just before 3:20 p.m. Officers responded to a barricade situation in the 4400 block of Massachusetts Avenue. Negotiators were on the scene. In an update Wednesday morning, police reported that they were still on the scene. The university also confirmed the individual was still on the tower, but was informed by police that the community was not deemed at risk. DC News Now was also on the scene and caught footage of the individual. The person can be seen wearing a red hoodie, jeans and a black mask, pacing around on the platform high in the communication tower. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The campus is expected to conduct normal operations with buildings and offices open; however, the community is still advised to avoid the area Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. [Source] Around 45% of full-time employees in Japan are quiet quitting, a practice where workers do only what their roles require, without extra effort, according to a recent survey of 3,000 workers by job-matching company Mynavi. Younger workers lead work attitude shift The poll found that 46.7% of respondents in their 20s identify as quiet quitters the highest rate among age groups. Overall, 45.3% of full-time employees reported doing only the minimum required at work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The trend marks a clear departure from Japans postwar salaryman model, which prized loyalty, long hours and self-sacrifice. Among younger workers, it signals changing values and a move toward prioritizing personal boundaries over traditional corporate loyalty. Trending on NextShark: Japan bans flashy baby names like 'Nike,' 'Pikachu' Why workers are stepping back Japans workplace culture discourages open criticism, making quiet quitting a subtle form of resistance. Rather than protest openly, employees pull back discretionary effort while still meeting expectations. Experts say this reflects growing dissatisfaction with rigid hierarchies and outdated norms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Respondents cited protecting personal time and limited career prospects as key reasons for disengagement. Many younger workers say they no longer see value in going beyond their job scope without clear rewards. Trending on NextShark: Smartphone smuggled from North Korea automatically censors 'oppa' People no longer see the point in exhausting themselves for companies that dont invest in their growth, one participant told Mynavi. Addressing the issue A 2024 Gallup report found that only 6% of Japanese workers are actively engaged the lowest rate worldwide. Analysts warn that continued disengagement could weaken productivity, innovation and talent retention if companies fail to adapt. Trending on NextShark: Asian Americans no longer healthiest older adult group, study finds Experts recommend that employers respond by offering flexible schedules, clearer career paths and meaningful recognition. Without change, the gap between old work norms and new expectations may continue to grow, posing long-term risks to workforce stability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Trending on NextShark: World Bank: 1.8 billion South Asians at risk to extreme heat by 2030 Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what were building, consider becoming a paid member your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Subscribe here now! Trending on NextShark: Nearly half of Japanese workforce engages in 'quiet quitting': survey Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today! An anti-abortion group is trying to revive the issue with a new ballot initiative seeking to ban abortion outright with no exceptions. Shown is the 2024 Walk for Life in Lincoln. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN Last year, Nebraska voters approved putting a ban on abortions after the first trimester into the state constitution, with exceptions for the life of the mother, rape and incest, instead of adopting a competing proposal that would have left the decision between a woman and her treating health care practitioner. It was a unique choice for Nebraska voters, as the only state where voters faced opposing abortion-related proposals in 2024. Nebraska joined two other states, Florida and South Dakota, in rejecting ballot initiatives seeking to expand abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, a ruling that governed reproductive rights for nearly half a century. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But an anti-abortion group is trying to push harder with a new ballot initiative for 2026 seeking to ban abortion outright with no exceptions. Choose Life Now is trying again after failing to get enough signatures for a similar ballot initiative in 2024. Ballot initiative organizers seeking to amend the Nebraska Constitution must gather signatures from at least 10% of Nebraska voters. The signatures must include 5% of registered voters in at least 38 of the states 93 counties. Back again Choose Life Now filed its paperwork to collect a new round of signatures in January the same month as the original Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973. We do not consider this a political issue but rather a human rights issue, said David Zebolsky, co-chair of Choose Life Now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During its kick-off event, organizers called the ballot initiative a spiritual battle to stop the culture of death that comes with abortions. The group said it plans to gather signatures with help from churches around the state and other forms of outreach including a table at the Nebraska State Fair. We know that with evangelization and education we will see increasing support, Zebolsky said. And with God, anything is possible. The language in the proposed ballot initiative is fairly simple, by design. It says, A preborn child is a person at every stage of development, beginning at fertilization. Wherever under Nebraska law the term person is used or implied, it shall include such a child. The initiative also crosses out the voter-adopted constitutional language limiting legal abortions to the first trimester. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zebolsky said the ballot language was crafted in a way that it would integrate easily into the existing state constitution and legislative statutes and be strong to withstand future legal challenges. The Choose Life Nows quest for a total ban on abortion in Nebraska echoes national Christian advocacy organizations and some Republican members of Congress advocating for a nationwide ban. GOP moderating on abortion? President Donald Trump, on the campaign trail in 2024, vowed to veto any total federal abortion ban, though the Trump administration recently rescinded a Biden-era policy that requires hospitals to provide emergency abortions to women whose health is in danger, including in states that restrict or ban abortion. The national GOP has softened its stance on abortion since the Dobbs decision, as bans became unpopular with the public. On the state level, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has said he would prefer a total abortion ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless, political optics dont matter to those behind the latest ballot initiative, they say, because it is the right thing to do. Were called to do the right thing, in obedience to God, said Teresa Fondren of Abolish Abortion Nebraska. We can rely on his providential power to handle the results. Familiar fight Fondren, continuing a fight that nearly consumed two anti-abortion petition efforts in 2024, said the most significant opposition to the effort for a full abortion ban in Nebraska and in other states has been from major pro-life organizations. Advocates for a total ban have criticized Nebraska Right to Life and others for backing the initiative that restricted abortion instead of banning it. During that 2024 campaign, Nebraska Right to Life and other advocates of putting some abortion restrictions into the constitution over the passage of a competing abortion-rights amendment argued that voters would not accept a total ban and some restrictions were better than none. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abortion-rights advocates at the time argued that the restrictions amendment put womens health and bodily autonomy at risk. They gathered signatures for a competing abortion-rights amendment that wouldve legalized abortion later into pregnancies. Executive Director of Planned Parenthood North Central States Andi Curry Grubb told Omaha NBC affiliate WOWT that Choose Life Nows renewed effort would fail again, because it does not reflect the values or will of Nebraskans. We know a majority of Nebraskans support access to abortion care and the right to make deeply private medical decisions about their bodies and futures, Grubb said in a statement Wednesday. Fundraising update The constitutional amendment banning most abortions after the first trimester was backed by Nebraska Right to Life and Nebraska Family Alliance. Prominent anti-abortion politicians and conservative donors backed the Protect Women and Children campaign behind it, including the family of U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Tom and Shawn Peed, with Sandhills Global. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Top donors for the failed abortion-rights amendment were former billionaire Michael Bloomberg and University of Nebraska Regent Barbara Weitz of Omaha. Typically, over the past decade, a successful petition effort in Nebraska could cost $1.5 million or more to gather signatures and campaign. Roughly a year ago, Rose Kohl, a Choose Life Now ballot sponsor, said the groups effort in 2024 had limited funding and virtually no paid circulators. The anti-abortion group increased its funding by $9,496 last month, according to the latest state campaign finance records. The Choose Life Now campaign now has $11,772 cash on hand. It raised roughly $13,738 for its 2024 effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group has until next July to gather enough signatures and meet other requirements to get on the November 2026 ballot. Its on us, the people of God of Nebraska, to rise up and put a stop to it, Kohl said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX LAS VEGAS (KLAS) The Nevada assemblywoman behind a bill to toughen penalties for animal abusers expressed her relief to 8 News Now on Tuesday after learning that Governor Joe Lombardo signed it into law. Rebas Law is now officially Nevada State Law! The tireless work of the last year paid off! This law tells the people of Nevada that we will not tolerate cruelty, and we will not allow innocent lives to be harmed without consequence, Republican Assem. Melissa Hardy told 8 News Now on Tuesday. Rebas life mattered. And with this law, we make it clear that all animals deserve protection, dignity, and justice. Nevada lawmakers approve Rebas Law; its now on the governors desk Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Assembly Bill 381, was aimed at strengthening penalties after the death of an English bulldog who died in July 2024 after she was left sealed inside a plastic tub in 110-degree heat. Hardy proposed the bill, which also establishes a wider range of penalties so prosecutors can more easily make the punishment fit the crime, she said. Rebas death made national headlines in 2024 as people called for Justice for Reba. In December, police arrested Issac Laushaul Jr., 32; and Markeisha Foster, 30, on animal abuse charges. A grand jury later voted to indict them on similar 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 KLAS. This article was originally published in Chalkbeat. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. New high school delayed amid pay complaints The latest version of the amended lease, approved by the school board in May, includes two new deadlines for the completion of the school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) A Newington man was sentenced to six years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, Wednesday for trafficking narcotics. According to evidence and testimony, the FBIs Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force conducted a court-authorized search of the residence of 30-year-old Martin Delgado on Main Street in Newington. Bristol man allegedly tried to hide crack cocaine in police cruiser during arrest Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The search led to the seizure of approximately 2,500 wax paper sleeves containing fentanyl, about 160 grams of loose fentanyl, approximately 21 grams of cocaine and drug packaging materials, along with a loaded 9mm gun magazine. Investigators also found more cocaine and fentanyl in Delgados vehicle. Delgado fled on foot when officers arrived at his residence, but was apprehended a short time later in West Hartford. Investigators located and seized a loaded 9mm handgun in the vicinity of Delgados residence that he discarded as he fled. The firearm had been reported stolen in 2019. Delgado was initially charged with state offenses and released on bond. He has been detained since his arrest on federal charges on Aug. 2, 2024. He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine on Feb. 11, 2025. Delgado has been detained since his federal arrest on August 2, 2024. On February 11, 2025, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine. 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 WTNH.com. Newport News City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to authorize Costcos move from its current location on Jefferson Avenue and Bland Boulevard to a larger space 2 miles down the road. The new property will include a 163,000-square-foot warehouse, along with a members-only 32-pump gas station with queuing space for up to 70 vehicles. The site will also double its existing parking capacity to more than 800 spaces. Ferguson Enterprises occupied the 32-acre property for more than 25 years before it consolidated its operations into its headquarters in City Center in 2021, leaving three buildings vacant. With the development, those buildings will be demolished, along with the surrounding green space for the new project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Costco will occupy 20 acres of the site and the remaining land will be split into two parcels, which the wholesale giant eventually will sell off. Its a big win for the city, Mayor Phillip Jones said during Tuesdays meeting. Related Articles Costco wasnt the original plan for the property, according to the city. A 1992 city plan aimed to turn the site into a hotel and conference center, or some other corporate office to accommodate the nearby Newport News-Williamsburg Airport. The city even wanted a high-end office to use Fergusons existing space and marketed it for two years to no avail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, with the airport struggling to meet expectations, the city is pivoting to Costco. Bringing a popular store complete with an upgraded gas station to the area means traffic between 150 and 200 more cars per day during peak traffic hours on Interstate 64 to northbound Jefferson Avenue ramp, according to an April memorandum from the Department of Transportation. The project includes several traffic improvements in the hopes of mitigating further backup on an already busy road, including adding a right-turn lane at the entrances, a southbound left-turn lane at the Jefferson Avenue and Boykin Lane intersection, extending southbound left-turn lanes at Jefferson Avenue and Bland Boulevard and creating two new turn lanes on Bland Boulevard. There will also be a required 20-foot transitional buffer along Jefferson Avenue filled with vegetation, as well as a raised median to for pedestrians while crossing Jefferson Avenue and Boykin Boulevard. As for the space Costco is moving from, at the corner of Oyster Point Road and Jefferson Avenue, new things may be on the horizon, according to Lindsey Carney Smith, an attorney representing the wholesaler. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The current space is not owned by Costco. They are a tenant in that center, so its not entirely in their control whats going to backfill that, Carney Smith said. But we are told by the landlord that they have some really interesting national prospects of the quality of Costco that could backfill that space. Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037, devlin.epding@virginiamedia.com Democratic politicians have spent the last few months talking about standing up to President Donald Trump in his second term. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is among the first faced with figuring out what standing up actually looks like. Allies and opponents agree how Newsom handles the protests including Trumps calling in the National Guard and sending in active-duty Marines over the governors objections will reverberate far beyond California, and long after this week. Thats how Newsom is approaching what has become a fight on the streets and in the courts, only a few days after he was responding to a Trump administration effort to identify federal grants going to the state that can be canceled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other Democratic governors have been calling Newsom, checking in, ticking through scenarios in their minds of how whats happened in California could play out at home for them, according to multiple people briefed on the conversations. Every Democratic governor signed onto a statement over the weekend calling Trumps call-up of the National Guard an alarming abuse of power, but they have been treading carefully since then, their eyes on both the politics of potentially triggering Trump and on the legal concerns of how their words might be used in lawsuits they might have to bring. Newsom, people familiar with his thinking say, wants California to hold the line after some universities and law firms facing White House pressure reached concession deals with the administration. What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty. Your silence. To be complicit in this moment, Newsom said in remarks released Tuesday evening. Do not give into him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If some of us can be snatched off the streets without a warrant based only on suspicion or skin color then none of us are safe. Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves. But they do not stop there, Newsom said, reiterating accusations that Trump officials instigated and inflamed what started as peaceful protests, though there have been skirmishes and occasional violence that Newsom and others have condemned. This is about all of us. This is about you, he said. California may be first but it clearly wont end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. unknown content item - An issue for this year and for 2028 As obvious as Newsoms presidential ambitions are, several top Democrats say this is much more about America over the next few months than any talk of the 2028 presidential primary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, another potential 2028 candidate, has become one of the most outspoken Democrats calling attention to what he says is Trumps direct threat to democracy in his second term. Trump is clearly trying to scare his opposition into silence, and that is definitely one of the ways that democracies die: when people fear that they are going to face physical harm if they turn out for protests, it often causes people to stay home. That is a tried and true path for democracies to be converted into autocracies. Elections still happen, but the opposition can never amount to any kind of numbers because people fear theyll get the shit kicked out of them if they show up, Murphy told CNN. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who acknowledged his record-breaking 25-hour Senate speech came during a different phase both for Trump and for Democrats response, saw the faceoff the same way. With this presidents clear authoritarian bent, lack of respect for separation of powers and violations of the law, were in dangerous territory with still three-plus years to go. Thats what California has me concerned about, Booker said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For months, Newsom angered many Democrats by inviting Trump-friendly figures onto his podcast or taking shots at his own party for going too far on the issue of transgender athletes playing in womens sports. He tried to connect with Trump in an effort to get more federal money to rebuild after the devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires at the beginning of the year and suggested hed work with Trump on tariffs aimed at bucking up the film industry that has been fleeing California, even as other leading Democrats called for more intense pushback, like when Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a fiery speech in New Hampshire in April that, never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption. But I am now. But the events of the last few days have rekindled the long-simmering rivalry between Trump and Newsom. Newsom dared the Trump administration in one television interview to arrest him rather than targeting immigrant children. Trump then suggested in response to a reporters question that Newsom should be arrested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The only rationale Trump has offered for making the threat of arresting a sitting governor is because his primary crime is running for governor, because hes done such a bad job. I like the fact that when one of Trumps henchmen threatened Newsom with arrest, he said, Well, come and get me, here I am. Were not going to be afraid of Donald Trump because we have the rule of law on our side. Were standing up for the Constitution. The states are not the pawns of the federal government. The states have an independent constitutional and political existence, said Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, who taught constitutional law before being elected to the House. Other governors should stand up for the rule of law and stand up for the rights of their people. With some looters also taking to the streets while Trump and his deputy chief of staff refer to an insurrection, the situation hasnt gone over well with every Democrat, including those who worry about playing into Trumps hands on a signature issue. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is among members of the party who have called for a more forceful condemnation of violent protesters. Newsom himself has said that those engaged in violence or attacking police officers would be prosecuted and noted that law enforcement is already reviewing videos of the events to track down more perpetrators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even before Trump already threatened very heavy force if any protesters disrupt the massive military parade he is hosting this Saturday in Washington on his 79th birthday, leaders in other centers of immigrants were expressing concern about what happens if federal agents target their communities. I would hope that New Yorkers will speak up and do whatever they believe is their constitutional right in a non-violent way, and if Trump tried to tamp it up, I think the people would see it for what it is, said New York Rep. Greg Meeks. I would say to New Yorkers and others, We know what hes trying to do. A few Republicans have joined Democrats in expressing concern, including swing district California GOP Rep. David Valadao, who tweeted Tuesday that he is concerned about ongoing ICE operations through CA. But for now, most Republican leaders have either been expressing support for Trump or staying quiet about the situation. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he couldnt speak to the legal argument about arresting Newsom, but he ought to be tarred and feathered. While some Democratic strategists, including some who have kicked in with advice to Newsom in recent days, have urged a more defensive position that echoes Trumps hardline approach to immigration so that they dont give the president a fight he clearly wants, others are glad to see Newsom taking a more forceful lead on his own terms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats need to recognize that voters are appalled by Trumps overreach on immigration not just Democratic voters, but independent voters, libertarian leaning voters dont believe in arresting random peaceful people and separating families, said Texas Rep. Greg Casar, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. So we shouldnt be scared of going toe-to-toe with Trump on his overreach and abuse of peoples rights. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The Brief Anti-ICE immigration protests have taken over downtown Los Angeles for five days now. President Donald Trump has called in the National Guard and more than 700 Marines to disperse protesters. Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed Californians in a video message Tuesday night, calling out the Trump administration, accusing the President of making the situation worse. LOS ANGELES - California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered a public address on Tuesday night, accusing President Donald Trump and his administration of intentionally worsening violence at anti-ICE protests in downtown Los Angeles. The backstory Protests have taken over downtown Los Angeles for the last five days, after ICE raids in the area. Thousands of demonstrators have flocked to the federal building in downtown to speak out against the raids. Other protesters briefly blocked the 101 Freeway on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To deal with the protesters, Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. Violence broke out at several protests, both in downtown LA and in the city of Paramount. Some threw rocks at federal vehicles and destroyed driverless cars; others looted businesses. However, most of the demonstrations have continued to be peaceful. Trump then deployed another 2,000 National Guard troops as well as hundreds of Marines stationed in Twentynine Palms. What they're saying On Tuesday night, Newsom made an address to Californians, saying that Trump's use of the National Guard caused what were mostly peaceful protests to erupt into violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Donald Trump, without consulting California law enforcement leaders, commandeered 2,000 of our state's National Guard members to deploy on our streets illegally and for no reason," Newsom said. He went on to call the President's moves a "brazen abuse of power," and warned that Trump could potentially use the situation in LA to justify deploying the National Guard and the military in other states. "This isn't just about protests here in Los Angeles. When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state in this nation. This is about all of us. This is About you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes." The other side Trump has repeatedly justified his decision to send in the troops to Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If I didnt 'SEND IN THE TROOPS' to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday, calling Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass "incompetent." Trump has also referred to the protesters as "insurrectionists" and "foreign invaders" in several social media posts. In a speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday, Trump called Los Angeles a "trash heap." "What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order, and our national sovereignty carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country," Trump said "We're not going to let that happen." What's next Newsom has sued the Trump administration, saying that Trump was illegally using the military to attack citizens. On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked Newsom's attempted restraining order to stop the troops' deployment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge has scheduled a hearing for Thursday afternoon to look at California's request for a restraining order. The Source Information in this story is from Gavin Newsom's address to California on June 10, 2025, Donald Trump's speech at Fort Bragg on June 10, 2025, Donald Trump's Truth Social account, and previous FOX 11 reports. Vivek Ramaswamy said he sees parallels between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and another controversial Democratic governor who literally stood in the way of the National Guard and had well-known presidential ambitions. Newsom is beginning to "resemble" former Alabama Gov. George Wallace in several aspects of his response to Los Angeles' riots, Ramaswamy claimed Tuesday on Fox News "Jesse Watters Primetime." The Ohio gubernatorial candidate noted how Wallace an avowed segregationist who ran for president four times forced the hand of President John F. Kennedy by preventing Black students from attending the University of Alabama. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "[Newsoms] behavior is starting to resemble that of another Democratic governor from U.S. history by the name of George Wallace, who was the governor of Alabama, who famously stood in the way of federal desegregation," Ramaswamy said. Maxine Waters Taunts Armed Agents After Feds Slam Door On Her During La Riots: You Better Shoot Straight Alabama Gov. George Wallace and California Gov. Gavin Newsom "The parallels are actually pretty striking, if you think about it: Democrat governors, when you look at George Wallace, he resisted desegregation. Gavin Newsom is resisting deportations. George Wallace wanted segregated cities. Gavin Newsom wants sanctuary cities. George Wallace stood in the school door, blocking the way. Gavin Newsom is blocking the ICE vans. It's the same Democrat-governor playbook." Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The former DOGE co-leader said both Newsom and Wallace "dodge[d] the feds and rall[ied] the radicals." "What they were both doing is really carving their Democratic primary path for their presidential ambitions," he added. "Gavin Newsom's presidential ambitions are going to end in the same place that George Wallace's did: In the dustbin of history where it belongs." In June 1963, Wallace prevented two Black students Vivian Malone and James Hood from enrolling on the Tuscaloosa campus of the University of Alabama and made his infamous "stand in the schoolhouse door." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom Says Los Angeles Rioters Will Be Prosecuted, Slams Trump For 'Traumatizing Our Communities' After Wallace refused Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbachs order to step aside, he delivered a pro-states-rights speech and did not budge. Kennedy federalized the Yellowhammer States National Guard under the Insurrection Act. Gen. Henry Graham personally confronted Wallace, who ultimately relented. The next year, Wallace primaried President Lyndon Johnson and notably won a few northern states he had targeted on his segregationist platform but lost to the incumbent. In 1968, he tried again on the American Independent line with a counter-civil-rights message splitting the Democratic vote, winning five states and helping ultimate victor Richard Nixon. During his 1976 run, he apologized for his past support for segregation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This week, Newsom objected to President Donald Trumps federalization of the California National Guard and the ensuing deployment of 700 Marines to Los Angeles to assist in riot response. Late Tuesday, Clinton-appointed federal Judge Charles Breyer rejected a Newsom request to block Trumps military deployments. Gavin Newsom Newsom continued to lambaste Trump, saying in a video statement Tuesday that, "authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there." Newsom also took heat for his riot response strategy from some famous Los Angeles residents, including actor Jon Voight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You fool," Voight fumed in an X video posted early Wednesday. "They [the rioters] would burn you down like they are burning the cars and the American flag." Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom for comment but did not immediately hear back. Original article source: Newsom compared to infamous Dem governor who also tried to block National Guard President Donald Trump has catapulted Gavin Newsom to the front of the Democratic resistance. The California governor had faded from national prominence as public attention shifted to Washington and, in his home state, the deliberations over Kamala Harris' political future. But as Trump and his allies make Newsom their foil in a brawl over immigration unrest in Los Angeles and the presidents unilateral deployment of the National Guard and Marines, they are also elevating his stature on the left. No longer is Newsom responding to criticism, often from fellow Democrats, over aligning with Republicans on transgender athletes or proposing to scale back health insurance for undocumented immigrants. Instead, as Trump turns California into a test of his power to impose his will on blue states, Newsom is the Democrat standing in his way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were at an inflection point in the countrys history, said South Carolina state Rep. JA Moore, a lawmaker who has been deeply involved in his states early presidential primary politics. I see in this moment that the governor is fighting like hell, not just for the people of LA or the people of California or even the country. Hes fighting for democracy itself. In the span of several days, Newsom has become a ubiquitous antagonist, excoriating Trump administration officials on social media and on television. He has personalized the conflict by daring the administration to follow through on a threat by Trumps border czar Tom Homan to arrest him. (On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he should be tarred and feathered as an alternative). He is forcing a legal reckoning by suing to block Trumps deployment of the National Guard and Marines. On Tuesday, Newsoms press office mocked Trump with an X post casting Trump as a Star Wars villain. The governors response to his threatened arrest come and get me, tough guy turned into a rallying cry thats getting noticed by Democrats nationally and in states that will be key to his potential 2028 prospects. In an address Tuesday night, Newsom lit into Trumps deportation agenda and his decision to use the military to quell unrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California may be first but it clearly will not end here, he said. Other states are next. Democrats have united behind Newsom, with top party officials echoing his warnings that Trump is unnecessarily thrusting the nation into crisis. The partys official social media account posted a glam shot of a stoic-looking Newsom emblazoned with his come and get me quote. Democratic governors began reaching out over the weekend to see how they could assist, according to multiple people with knowledge of the developments granted anonymity to speak about private discussions, producing a statement lambasting the Trump administration. Signatories included Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a potential 2028 contender who earlier this year assailed Newsom for hosting Trump counselor Steve Bannon on his podcast. Governors were motivated to act by an abuse of power that was much bigger than just one state, one of the people familiar with the letters drafting said. It is a perilous issue for Democrats, who have suffered from public sentiment favoring Trumps hardline posture on immigration, and the dynamic cuts both ways. Trump himself mused that Gavin loves the publicity in response to a question about a potential arrest. Nightly images of protesters setting fires or clashing with law enforcement, even as Newsom has condemned demonstrators who destroy property, may play into Trumps argument for federal intervention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But its an issue and a governor Democrats are seizing as they look to regain their political footing in Trumps Washington. And if the feuding is benefiting Trump, it may ultimately improve Newsoms prospects with his own base, too. I think this is helping Trump broadly, said Mike Madrid, a California-based Republican consultant who opposes Trump. I also think itll help Gavin especially if he gets arrested. In California, the crisis has led Democrats to close ranks behind Newsom while shifting attention from budget negotiations that alienated some key Newsom allies as he looked to close a massive deficit. Newsom joined other Democrats in demanding the release of David Huerta, a prominent labor leader who was detained during a protest. We've been waiting to feel like the governor is standing up and fighting for California and every Californian, and he seems to be doing that, said California Labor Federation leader Lorena Gonzalez. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even onetime foes, like former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, gave props for Newsoms pugilistic stance. Ive criticized him in the past but I commend him for what hes doing, Villaraigosa said. You stand up to a bully. You dont let a bully take away our First Amendment rights. The standoff marks a return to the arena for a governor who initially sought to avoid open strife with the president. Newsom worked with the Trump administration to secure wildfire aid and invited MAGA figures like Bannon on his podcast as part of a bid to make inroads with voters who swung away from the party in 2024. But the crisis roiling Californias largest city has propelled Newsom back into the familiar role of anti-Trump combatant. This time, it is different from previous legal and policy clashes over matters like climate policy an explosive showdown about the fundamental balance of power in America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rather than focus on immigration policies like Californias sanctuary limits on cooperation between local law enforcement and the federal government, Newsom has framed the fight as a matter of safeguarding democracy against authoritarianism a microcosm of Democrats case against Trump and a key gauge of their ability to stop him. If this doesn't become about immigration but becomes about federal deployment of military domestically, said Rob Stutzman, a California-based Republican consultant who opposes Trump, (Newsom) may be onto the issue that propels him not just within the party but beyond the party as a bulwark against a potential threat to democracy. Trump and key policymakers like Stephen Miller, an architect of the White Houses immigration agenda, have cast the conflict as part of an existential quest to rescue Democratic cities from unchecked migration, and they have vilified Newsom as the embodiment of Democratic failings. This is a result of the Democratic Partys failed policies and failed leadership, said California Republican Party Chair Corrin Rankin. The president took decisive action to restore order, and I think thats something our governor shouldve done sooner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats in Los Angeles and beyond, by contrast, see Newsom as a shield against Trumps efforts to intimidate blue jurisdictions into compliance. Courtni Pugh, a Los Angeles based consultant who has worked for Newsom, said she has begun carrying proof of her naturalization with her. He is showing up and hes showing up strong, Pugh said, and I think LA needs that kind of unwavering strength in this time of real fear. California Gov. Gavin Newsom went scorched earth on Donald Trump in a withering address on Tuesday, likening the president to failed dictators and warning Americans, other states are next. The Democrat gave a fervent play-by-play of events that have taken place in Los Angeles since last week, beginning with a series of federal immigration raids on workplaces in the city that sparked protests. Those demonstrations prompted Trump to send in the National Guard and then additional Marines, in defiance of Newsoms warnings that it would inflame tensions and make things worse. Like many states, California is no stranger to this sort of unrest, Newsom said in a livestreamed press conference. We manage it regularly and with our own law enforcement. But this, again, was different. What then ensued was the use of tear gas, flash bang grenades, rubber bullets, federal agents detaining people and undermining their due process rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Donald Trump, without consulting California law enforcement leaders, commandeered 2,000 of our states National Guard members to deploy on our streets, illegally and for no reason, he continued. Smoke rises as members of the California National Guard gather during a protest against federal immigration sweeps in downtown Los Angeles. / Daniel Cole / Reuters Fires have erupted and protesters have clashed with law enforcement during the unrest. / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers, and even our National Guard at risk. Newsom described the move as the beginning of a downward spiral, accusing Trump of fanning the flames on purpose. Trump made a series of inflammatory posts on Truth Social over the weekend, ignoring Newsoms calls to return the National Guard troops to his command. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor also condemned the several dozen lawbreakers who became violent and destructive, saying offenders would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. More than 220 people had been arrested so far, he said, with more likely to come. He thanked law enforcement and the majority of Angelenos who protested peacefully. On Monday, Trump ordered an additional 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles, as well as 700 Marines, after first activating 2,000 National Guard troops on Saturday. Newsom accused Trump of doing so intentionally to manufacture chaos. Trump activated 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines against Newsom's wishes. / David Ryder / REUTERS The situation was winding down and was concentrated in just a few square blocks downtown, Newsom said. But thats not what Donald Trump wanted. He again chose escalation. He chose more force. He chose theatrics over public safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House did not immediately return a request for comment on Newsoms address. Its director of communications, Steven Cheung, wrote on X: NewScum mustve hired Kamala and Bidens loser campaign team because he saying this is a threat to democracy. Newsom also condemned the ongoing Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raids, which he said had continued since last week. Images shared by ICE on social media on Tuesday appear to show troops on scene while agents detain people. The agency said the images showed an immigration enforcement operation. Photos from todays ICE Los Angeles immigration enforcement operation. pic.twitter.com/fb1AGH0qcx U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) June 10, 2025 Newsoms administration filed an emergency motion on Tuesday to block Trumps unlawful militarization of Los Angeles. A judge declined to grant immediate relief but gave the Trump administration until Wednesday to file its response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If some of us could be snatched off the streets without a warrant based only on suspicion or skin color, then none of us are safe, Newsom said in his press conference. Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there. He referenced the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, arguing that Trump is not opposed to lawlessness and violence as long as it serves him. Trump in January pardoned about 1,500 people who had been convicted over their roles in the riot, which was carried out in protest of Trumps 2020 election loss. Newsom also ran through some of Trumps most stunning acts as president so far, including his targeting of universities, the media, government watchdogs, law firms and the judiciary. Hes ordering our American heroes, the United States military, and forcing them to put on a vulgar display to celebrate his birthday, just as other failed dictators have done in the past, he added, referring to the June 14 military parade to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army and the presidents 79th birthday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Democrat warned Americans this is not just about the protests in Los Angeles. This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next, he said, adding: This moment we have feared has arrived. With federal troops occupying the streets of downtown Los Angeles and immigration agents carrying out indiscriminate raids across the city, Gov. Gavin Newsom forcefully rebuked President's Trump claim that militarization was necessary to control the protests and offered an alternative vision of leadership for a nation in turmoil. "Donald Trumps government isnt protecting our communities they're traumatizing our communities," Newsom said in a speech Tuesday shared on social media during the prime-time hour. "And that seems to be the entire point." The governor released the speech hours after Trump said at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina that he sent in the California National Guard and the U.S. Marines to protect immigration agents from the attacks of a vicious and violent mob. By standing up and countering Trump's assertions, Newsom endeared himself to Democrats who are hungry for a leader who isn't afraid to fight back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He looked like a real leader," said Celinda Lake, a national Democratic pollster based in Washington, D.C. "I thought he made a really clear point. He looked extremely authentic. He was strong. He looked like the kind of person you'd want in charge of your state, in charge of your city and in charge of your country." Newsom portrayed a sharply different reality to the White House's version of events that led to the federal takeover of Los Angeles, contending that Trump intentionally fanned the flames of the protests and pulled "a military dragnet" across the city, endangering peaceful protesters and targeting hardworking immigrant families. State and local law enforcement personnel were successfully keeping the peace before federal authorities deployed tear gas, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets on Angelenos exercising their constitutional right to free speech and assembly, he said. Then Trump "illegally" called up the California National Guard, Newsom said. "This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers, and even our National Guard at risk," Newsom said. "Thats when the downward spiral began. He doubled down on his dangerous National Guard deployment by fanning the flames even harder. And the president, he did it on purpose." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a politically polarized country, the speech drew praise from Democrats and criticism from Republicans after days of verbal sparring between the governor and the president. The governor and the mayor need to actually do more," said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. "I know Gavin Newsom had a big address to the nation last night. I guess he thought that's what it was for maybe future political ambitions but he spoke a lot of words. We haven't seen action. California has been a mess for years because of the incompetence of Gavin Newsom. Newsom, who has become a central figure in the political and legal battle over the protests, has said for days that an "unhinged" Trump deployed troops to intentionally incite violence and chaos, seeking to divert attention away from his actions in Washington and assert his dictatorial tendencies. Read more: L.A. immigration raids draw California Gov. Gavin Newsom back into the fight with Trump Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom and state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta filed a request for a restraining order earlier Tuesday asking a federal judge to call off the Department of Defenses illegal militarization of Los Angeles and the takeover of a California National Guard unit. The request came the day after California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration alleging that the deployment of the Guard without the governors consent violated the U.S. Constitution. After returning to Washington, Trump commented Tuesday on the good relationship hes always had with Newsom, before blaming the governor for the unrest. This should never have been allowed to start, and if we didn't get involved, Los Angeles would be burning down right now, Trump said, and then made a reference to the deadly wildfires in the Los Angeles area in January. Just as the houses burned down." He said the military is in the city to de-escalate the situation and control what he described as paid insurrectionists, agitators and troublemakers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have a lot of people all over the world watching Los Angeles, Trump said. We've got the Olympics, so we have this guy allowing this to happen." On Monday, Trump said his top border policy advisor Tom Homan should follow through on threats to arrest the governor. Newsom immediately jumped on the comment, comparing the federal administration to an authoritarian regime. I never thought I'd hear those words. Honestly, Democrat, Republican. Never thought I'd hear those in my lifetime to threaten a political opponent who happens to be sitting governor, Newsom said. Read more: California asks court for restraining order to block Guard, U.S. Marine deployments in L.A. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) declined to answer a question Tuesday about whether Newsom should be arrested and instead said the governor should be tarred and feathered. Newsom took a shot at Johnson during his address, saying the speaker has "completely abdicated" his responsibility for Congress to serve as a check on the White House. He warned that "other states are next." "At this moment, we all need to stand up and be held to account, a higher level of accountability," Newsom said, imploring protesters to exercise free-speech rights peacefully. "I know many of you are feeling deep anxiety, stress and fear. But I want you to know that you are the antidote to that fear and anxiety. "What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty. Your silence. To be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Times staff writers Andrea Castillo and Laura Nelson and Washington bureau chief Michael Wilner 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. In a televised address on Tuesday night, California Governor Gavin Newsom accused President Donald Trump of a "brazen abuse of power". The Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts were terrorising his state's immigrant neighbourhoods, he said. "California may be first, but it clearly will not end here," he warned. "Democracy is under assault before our eyes." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom's speech was the latest salvo between the US president and the Democrat who heads America's most populous state. The clash between the two leaders presents a formidable challenge to the 57-year-old governor. But it also offers a political opportunity for a man whose term in office ends next year and has his own presidential ambitions. "This is unquestionably an opportunity for Gavin Newsom," said Darry Sragow, a long-time California Democratic strategist. He adds, however, that as the state's governor, Newsom has an obligation to defend California - whether it's in his political interests or not. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's a call to duty," he said. Trump has accused Newsom of being "grossly incompetent" and of failing to adequately respond as some of the Los Angeles protests turned violent. He's dusted off an earlier derisive nickname for the governor, "Newscum", and said on Tuesday that he believed arresting him would be a "great thing". According to media reports, the White House is considering whether to cut off federal aid to California, including billions of dollars of education grants. "Gavin Newsom's feckless leadership is directly responsible for the lawless riots and violent attacks on law enforcement in Los Angeles," White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Instead of writing fundraising emails meant to score political points with his left-wing base, Newsom should focus on protecting Americans by restoring law and order to his state." Newsom called the arrest threat a step toward authoritarianism and said Trump's deployment of military personnel to secure federal buildings and protect immigration officials had inflamed protests that had been isolated and controlled. "The rule of law has increasingly given way to the rule of Don," he said in his Tuesday night address. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the past few days, Newsom has become the face of a Democratic Party that has often struggled to present a clear and unified alternative to Trump's Republican administration on the national stage. The governor's set-piece speech, delivered in a suit while standing in front of California and US flags, received widespread press coverage and attracted well over a million views on assorted YouTube channels. Newsom's press team has also been active on social media, comparing Trump to the evil Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars films. According to the Washington Post, the TikTok followers on his official governor's account have doubled to 897,000 in the past few days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There is a very real possibility that Newsom will come out of this with a significant and favourable national profile," Sragow said. He says that the more Newsom can outline a story of Trump against California - a state with whom the president has a very clear grudge - the better the chances for the governor to benefit. "Don't make this into a mano-a-mano shootout between two gunslingers on the streets of Laredo," he said. Trump and Newsom have always presented a contrast in stories and styles the brash outer-borough New Yorker versus the polished San Francisco cosmopolitan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom was elected to office in 2018, in the Democratic mid-term wave election that marked the first major voter pushback against Trump's first presidential term. He promised to make his state a counterpoint to Trump's national right-wing populism, but his political journey hasn't always been a smooth one. He flirted with controversy during the Covid pandemic, as he backed aggressive lockdowns of public spaces but gathered for a birthday celebration at a posh French restaurant in November 2020. His political opponents, sensing weakness, triggered a recall election in September 2021 but Newsom won the vote by a comfortable margin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom won re-election to a second four-year term in 2022 and became more involved in national Democratic politics, fuelling speculation that he harboured presidential ambitions. He became a high-profile surrogate for Joe Biden's re-election campaign and took to Fox News for high-profile debates with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was at the time running for the Republican presidential nomination, in December 2023. After Trump's re-election last November, Newsom made a noticeable tack to the political centre. He expressed new discomfort with transgender athletes in women's sports, called for curtailing health benefits for undocumented workers, and hosted conservative guests like former White House senior adviser Steve Bannon on his political podcast provoking the ire of some in the Democratic Party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In January, he toured the devastating fire damage in a Los Angeles suburb with Trump and pledged to work with the new Republican administration in recovery efforts. The Los Angeles protests have brought a sudden and decisive end to that detente, as the two men square off across a deep political divide. Trump has frequently benefitted from having a political foil with which to contrast himself whether it was Hillary Clinton in 2016, Nancy Pelosi in the latter years of his first presidential term or Joe Biden during his drive back to power. While there are risks for Newsom in this fight suspension of federal aid to California and the threat of arrest being just two notable ones it is also a clash he seems more than willing to embrace. Advertisement Advertisement ROME The under-development GCAP fighter and the newly launched American F-47 can be cogs in an integrated allied system of fighters and not competitors, a European official has said. The F-47 will be principally a U.S. fighter and not a competitor to the GCAP, said Italian Air Force Gen. Giandomenico Taricco, who is working on the Anglo-Japanese-Italian GCAP program. What we want is for the GCAP to be interoperable with the F-47, to make them two elements in an integrated system, said Taricco, who is commercial and corporate director at GIGO, the intergovernmental agency running the sixth-generation GCAP program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. signaled its arrival in the sixth-generation market in March when President Donald Trump said Boeing would develop the F-47 which could be fielded by the end of the decade. That would give it a head start on the GCAP plane, which is not expected to be delivered until 2035. Trump reportedly discussed the F-47 with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba last month. (Trump) said the United States has such great fighter jets and asked Ishiba if he would like to take a look at them, wrote Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, quoting unnamed sources. Japan joined GCAP to be able to co-own the technology on board the plane, something it would be less able to do with an equivalent U.S. jet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But there are growing reports Japan is unhappy with the time needed to develop the GCAP as neighbor China threatens its airspace with advanced fighters such as the planned sixth generation J-50. Last month Reuters reported Japan was dubious GCAP would achieve its planned 2035 in-service date and was considering ordering more F-35s as a gap filler. Taricco told Defense News that Italy and the U.K. shared Japans sense of urgency about keeping GCAP on schedule and even shortening the schedule. The Japanese are extremely motivated to accelerate the program and rightly so, as are we, he said. We all share the urgency and everyone is putting pressure on, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taricco, who has formerly worked on Italian Air Force acquisitions including U.S. Gulfstream sensor jets, is one of two directors at the U.K.-based GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO) which teams the three government customers on the program. He is joined by program and technical director Phil Brooker, a British former air vice-marshal. They both report to Japanese chief executive Oka Masami, who was appointed for three years when the agency was stood up last year. At the same time, an industrial joint venture was announced, teaming BAE Systems, Italys Leonardo and Japans JAIEC which is jointly funded by Japans Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taricco said the joint venture would open for business within weeks and be based in the same building as GIGO at Green Park in Reading, close to London. The combined staff of the joint venture and GIGO there will be around 1,000 within 12-15 months, he said. Taricco said a first international contract will be signed by GIGO with the joint venture by the end of 2025 while GIGO will then likely sign a design and development contract with the joint venture by the end of 2026 or the start of 2027. Planners envisage the fighter operating alongside drones, although work on unmanned platforms remains a national prerogative and no schedule has been set for including unmanned platforms in the work undertaken by the joint venture, Taricco said. He said that export was a fundamental part of the cooperation program, adding that talks to bring in new partners such as Saudi Arabia are being handled at national government level. At the moment, GIGO does not have direct contacts with possible partners, said Taricco. The New Hampshire Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the states education aid law, upholding a plan that lets property-rich towns keep excess money raised under a statewide property tax that supports public schools. The high courts 3-1 decision overturned the 2023 ruling of Rockingham County Superior Court Judge David Ruoff, who had said that letting richer towns keep some of that tax violated Part II, Article 5 that holds all taxes must be proportional and reasonable. In the majority opinion, Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald wrote that the statewide property tax passes legal muster because its imposed at the same rate on all cities and towns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We hold that the SWEPT (Statewide Education Property Tax) scheme is constitutional under Part II, Article 5 because it is administered in a manner that is equal in valuation and uniform in rate throughout the state,'" MacDonald said. Joining MacDonald in the majority decision were Associate Justices Patrick Donovan and Melissa Countway. Associate Justice James Bassett was the lone dissenter. He maintained that the SWEPT clearly gave a financial benefit to property-rich towns not available to other communities. The impact of the SWEPT scheme on taxpayers in excess SWEPT communities is anything but theoretical or indirect: the effective SWEPT rate reduction those taxpayers enjoy is real and direct. The impact of the SWEPT scheme on taxpayers in other communities that do not generate excess SWEPT is also real and direct: those taxpayers enjoy no comparable reduction in their effective SWEPT rate, Bassett said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its lawsuit, the plaintiffs noted that the property-rich Lakes Region town of Moultonborough has an effective SWEPT tax rate of $0.44 per $1,000 of property value while the poorer town of Plymouth has an effective rate of $1.56. This disparity in effective tax rates violates Part II, Article 5 and is precisely the kind of taxation and fiscal mischief from which the framers of our state Constitution took strong steps to protect our citizens, Bassett wrote. An ongoing fight When lawmakers first created SWEPT in the 1990s, it compelled rich towns to send to the state all it had collected under the tax. This plan sparked a movement by these donor towns that banded together as the Coalition Communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For many years they lobbied the Legislature to change the statute so that they didnt have to send more than $20 million to the state for distribution to other communities as part of state aid to education. In the Tea Party-dominated election of 2010, voters gave Republicans a 3-1, veto-proof majority in both chambers of the State House. The Legislature in 2011, over the objection of then-Democratic Gov. John Lynch, got rid of donor towns, passing a law that let them keep their excess amounts. Zach Sheehan, executive director of the NH School Funding Fairness Project, said the decision allows a two-tiered system of public schools to exist. For far too long the state has allowed this two-tiered system to operate, and this order will allow it to continue at the expense of funding for schools in the districts that need it the most, Sheehan said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He urged lawmakers to remedy the matter by changing the SWEPT law. This is a major step backwards for our state, but it doesnt have to be forever, Sheehan said. Just because this SWEPT loophole is allowed does not mean that the Legislature cannot act to close it. The Supreme Court still has another education funding case, and another appealed ruling by Ruoff, on its plate. The Ruoff ruling under appeal is the case in which the ConVal regional school district and nearly 20 others sued the state, alleging that the level of state aid to public schools wasnt enough to meet the requirement that the state support the cost of an adequate education for all students. In that matter, Ruoff concluded that the state's definition of an adequate education cost was woefully short and ordered the Legislature to increase state spending to public schools by more than $500 million a year. klandrigan@unionleader.com NEED TO KNOW Nicole Daedone founded OneTaste, a company dedicated to teaching the practice of orgasmic meditation in 2004 and sold her stake in 2017 for $12 million She and former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz were convicted of forced labor conspiracy by a jury in Brooklyn on June 9 and face 20 years in prison, but plan to appeal the verdict The two "sought complete control over their employees lives," alleged prosecutors, "driving them into debt and directing them to perform sexual acts while also withholding wages" Would you like some tea? Nicole Daedone asked a reporter on June 1 after introducing two employees at the Harlem offices of the Institute of OM, formerly OneTaste, the company she cofounded in San Francisco in 2004. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She motioned toward a table set with plates of macaroons, nuts and dried fruit and sat down for a discussion of orgasmic meditation, OM for short, the 15-minute sexual stimulation practice that Daedone, 57, turned into a multimillion-dollar business. OM represents the radical idea that womens bodies hold wisdom, not shame, she said, and that we can train our attention through pleasure. uki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Jennifer Bonjean, Daedone, Rachel Cherwitz (l to r) Jennifer Bonjean, Daedone, Rachel Cherwitz (l to r) The practice claims to unlock a womans full spiritual and physical potential and even heal past sexual trauma. Daedone said she has taught OM to tens of thousands of people over the years while growing a community of devoted followers, some of whom viewed her as their spiritual leader. I decided from the beginning I was going to run this company as a woman, and it would be designed in a feminine way so I didnt have to separate my life and my practice from my work, she said. Thats why we have the communityI designed it like that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What Daedone described as a collaborative community, however, was a business that some former employees have likened to a cult. Timothy Archibald Daedone with OM students Daedone with OM students In April 2023 Daedonewho sold her stake in OneTaste for $12 million in 2017 but remains a consultant for the rebranded companyand former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz, 44, were indicted on a federal charge of forced labor conspiracy by the United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York. Under the guise of empowerment and wellness, the defendants are alleged to have sought complete control over their employees lives, including by driving them into debt and directing them to perform sexual acts while also withholding wages, said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. For more on Nicole Daedone and OneTaste, subscribe now to PEOPLE, or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors argued that Daedone recruited employees by promising to heal their trauma with her teachings and then made them dependent on her and OneTaste for basic necessities such as food and shelter, isolated them from friends and family and in some cases instructed them to engage in sexual activity with individuals despite their objections or resistance. In addition ex-employees have accused Daedone and Cherwitz in civil lawsuits of sex trafficking and forcing them to do OM with potential investors. Brian Cahn/Zuma/Alamy OneTaste instructors OneTaste instructors Daedone and Cherwitz have denied liability in the civil suits and pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges. But after a five-week trial, a Brooklyn jury on June 9 found them guilty of forced labor conspiracy. 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 defendants built a business on the backs of a select group of women who they targeted, abused and exploited, prosecutor Nina Gupta told jurors in her closing statement. They claimed they would free them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Daedone told it, her venture began with a happy coincidence. Born in California and raised by a single mother, Daedone graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in semantics and gender communications and was studying to become a Buddhist nun when she met a fellow guest at a party who told her about OM. She said she spent years studying the practice before launching OneTaste on a shoestring budget. We had people sleeping on couches, working for passion rather than maximizing paychecks, because they believed in the vision, she recalled. It was Silicon Valley energy applied to human consciousness. The combination was electric. Grand Central Life & Style; YouTube Daedone's book 'Slow Sex' (left) and Daedone at a 2011 TED Talk (right) Daedone's book 'Slow Sex' (left) and Daedone at a 2011 TED Talk (right) The start-up was a financial success, offering OM workshops and retreats that cost as much as $60,000 per person. But some former employees say they were exploited for profit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was really, really lonely. I really wanted community, and OneTaste offered that in such a clear way, an ex-sales team member, who went by the name Becky Uma at work, testified in federal court on May 7. But she said her monthly salary barely covered the cost of the communal space with a shared bed she rented from the company and the OM courses she was expected to take. Becky told jurors she lived in a state of constant surveillance from peers and higher-ups and endured verbal and sexual abuse from Cherwitz. It was the expectation that I would be open to OMing with anybody off the street, Becky testified. Lawyers for Daedone and Cherwitz argued that Becky, who was ultimately terminated by her bosses at her own request in order to receive unemployment benefits, could have left her job or moved out of company housing at any time. Maya Gilbert Daedone and Bonjean (center holding cup) with supporters Daedone and Bonjean (center holding cup) with supporters Each facing up to 20 years in prison, Daedone and Cherwitz plan to appeal the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was not justiceit was the criminalization of regret and a retroactive rewriting of consensual experiences, Daedone said. The government turned ideology into prosecution, targeting female sexuality and freedom of expression. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. had a different take: The jurys verdict has unmasked Daedone and Cherwitz for who they truly are: grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims by making empty promises of sexual empowerment and wellness only to manipulate them into performing labor and services for the defendants benefit. Nocella added that he hopes future charlatans think twice. NEED TO KNOW Orgasmic meditation, or OM, is a partnered practice that involves the methodical stroking of a womans genitals for 15 minutes. By putting the woman in a turned on state of power and self-awareness, the technique leads to calm and alertness, heightened creativity and deeper relationships and can even help to heal sexual trauma, claims Daedone. A 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology reported measurable changes in brain function in 20 sets of OM partners. Read the original article on People WASHINGTON National Institutes of Health director Jayanta Bhattacharya got a cool reception from Democratic and Republican senators on Tuesday as he defended his agencys budget request for 2026, which would slash billions in cutting-edge biomedical research on cancer, Alzheimers disease, diabetes and other health conditions. NIH is considered the crown jewel of American science and the global leader in biomedical research and innovation. Senators in both parties are proud of its success and of their own roles in boosting its funding over the years in support of medical breakthroughs. So Bhattacharya had to know his budget request would land with a thud as he presented it to a Senate appropriations subcommittee. He kept trying to square two things that didnt make sense: that Trump is committed to preserving Americas role as the leader in biomedical research, and that his proposed $18 billion in cuts to the agency next year or 40% of its entire budget wont hamper that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senators didnt buy it. At times, Bhattacharya didnt seem to want to defend it, either. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who chairs the full Senate Appropriations Committee, called the administrations proposed cuts to NIH so disturbing. It would undo years of congressional investment in NIH, and it would delay or stop effective treatments and cures from being developed for diseases, Collins said. We also risk falling behind China and other countries that are increasing their investment in biomedical research. In particular, she asked why the administration is calling for the cutting of funding by 40% for the National Institutes of Aging, which funds most Alzheimers research, when its been successfully developing breakthrough drugs and blood tests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bhattacharya, without defending his own proposed cuts, said the intention of the Trump administration is to lead the world in biomedical research, suggesting Congress could make a counteroffer and potentially propose more spending. The budget is a collaborative effort between the Congress and the administration, he said. Collins simply replied, We look forward to working with you to remedy these problems and the deficiencies in the budget. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the sweeping level of cuts the Trump administration is proposing in NIH's budget for next year is "disturbing." Getty Images Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the appropriations panel, ripped the administrations catastrophic cuts to NIH to date. She said Trump has so far forced out nearly 5,000 employees, prevented nearly $3 billion in grants from being awarded, and terminated nearly 2,500 grants totaling almost $5 billion for life-saving research. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration is already systematically dismantling the American biomedical research enterprise that is the envy of the world, throwing away billions in economic activity in every one of our states, Murray fumed. This budget proposal would effectively forfeit our leadership in research innovation and competitiveness to China. She tangled with Bhattacharya over one of dozens of clinical trials that have been halted due to frozen NIH funds: a 23-year research effort to develop an HIV vaccine. Scientists there are on the cusp of a functional cure for HIV, she said, and now 6,000 people in that trial have been cut off from treatment. Bhattacharya jumped in to say he is absolutely committed to supporting research on HIV. But you did terminate the HIV research at Fred Hutch that, again, was on the cusp of a treatment for 6,000 patients nationwide, Murray replied, referring to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You did do that, she said, as they talked over each other. Id have to get back to you on that, said Bhattacharya. You did do that, she repeated. After more back and forth, the NIH director said again, The budget request is a work of negotiation between Congress and the administration. Minutes later, he said it yet again, as Murray pressed for details on how many fewer clinical trials there would be next year because of the Trump administrations proposed cuts. Ill say this, Bhattacharya declared. The budget itself is a negotiation between Congress and the administration. He said it several other times, too. In fact, it became clear this was the NIH directors go-to line for defending his own devastating budget request. It simultaneously allowed him to stand by his bosses Trump, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while not exactly arguing in support of its specific cuts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Trump has committed that the U.S. be the leading nation in biomedicine in the 21st century, he said at one point. I entirely support that goal. Well, I do too, but its hard to understand how were going to get there when the budget slashes funding, replied Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). Particularly in critical areas of research where our most critical competitor, the Chinese, are increasing funding in those areas and were slashing the budgets. Bhattacharya didnt respond. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) went scorched earth on NIH director Jayanta Bhattacharya over the devastating cuts he's proposing to his own agency. JIM WATSON via Getty Images Its possible he may not have agreed with some of his own budgets cuts. Bhattacharya certainly had a hand in crafting his agencys budget, but so did other officials at the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services. Before becoming NIH director in April, Bhattacharya was a professor of medicine, economics and health research policy at Stanford University. He knows how vital and highly esteemed NIH is, worldwide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why not put it on Congress to save it? You say this is a collaborative effort, and youre absolutely right, and I encourage Congress to exert its authorities, said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas). If Congress were to provide additional dollars above and beyond the presidents budget request, how would we as a committee and how would you as NIH recommend for us to prioritize that spending? Bhattacharya said hes focused on the real health needs of Americans, like diabetes and cancer, and on the need to think big for advancing science. Again, the budget, its a collaborative effort, he said. But I think its going to be important that we address the real problems in science and the real needs of the American people with whatever budget comes out. Thats my job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moran redirected Bhattacharya back to the need for more funding at NIH. I assume that means we need more resources, said the Republican senator. And that you would put them to good use. Is that accurate? Thats my job, replied the NIH director. NILES, Ohio (WKBN) A Niles man is in the Trumbull County Jail facing multiple counts of rape. Danny McFadden, 75, was arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Niles Municipal Court on five counts of rape, a first-degree felony. His bond was set at $2 million cash or surety. According to court records, the charges were filed Tuesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Evacuations are underway as multiple agencies respond to a chemical leak at a manufacturing plant in Vinton County on Wednesday. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The Vinton County Sheriffs Office confirmed that there was a confirmed leak at Austin Powder, located at 32000 Powder Plant Rd. in McArthur, according to our news partners at WBNS in Columbus. Jackson County Emergency Management Director Robert Czechlewski stated that a storage tank containing 50,000 gallons of nitric oxide was leaking. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the companys website, Austin Powder is headquartered in Cleveland, and the manufacturing facility in Vinton County is known as Red Diamond. The company produces industrial explosives used for mining and construction purposes. A spokesperson with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency told WBNS that the agency was aware of the chemical leak and that a coordinator from the emergency response office was going to the site to investigate. Residents in the village of Zaleski are being asked to evacuate the area. The sheriffs office said those being evacuated can go to Vinton County High School, located at 63910 U.S. 50. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] As the 2025 primary election day nears its end, New Jersey residents are close to finding out the candidates who will fight to succeed Gov. Phil Murphy as the states 57th governor. LIVE ELECTION RESULTS | JUMP TO: DEM PRIMARY FOR GOV | GOP PRIMARY FOR GOV | NJ ASSEMBLY Jack Ciattarelli, the Trump-endorsed former state assemblymember, will win the Republican primary race for New Jersey governor, AP projects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Mikie Sherrill, NJ-11, will win the Democratic primary race for New Jersey governor, AP projects, claiming victory over a crowded and competitive field of prominent current and former officeholders. New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states holding gubernatorial races after the presidential election, meaning the outcome in November may serve as both a referendum on President Donald Trumps second term and a preview into who could take power in the 2026 midterm elections. Who is Jack Ciattarelli? Jack Ciattarelli, a moderate establishment figure in the Republican field, is making his third bid for New Jersey governor. Jack Ciattarelli, Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey, left, departs after casting his ballot during early voting in Hillsborough, New Jersey, U.S., on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Ciattarelli, a former member of the state's Assembly, initially ran for the New Jersey Governor's office in 2017 he came in second place in the Republican Party gubernatorial primary, with 31% of the vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His second attempt in 2021 proved more successful; Ciattarelli won the Republican Party gubernatorial primary, but lost the general election to incumbent Murphy. He received 48% of the vote to Murphy's 51%. In his third run, he received an endorsement from President Trump, even though he's received accusations of being a "never-Trumper" from the party's far right. Policy Positions His campaign focused on New Jersey's affordability crisis his plan includes capping property taxes at 1% of a home's assessed value and reducing state spending by 30%. Ciattarelli has pledged to end New Jersey's Immigrant Trust Directive on his first day in office, allowing local police to cooperate with federal officials on civil immigration matters. He also plans to direct the attorney general to cease lawsuits against the Trump administration. In an NJ Now interview, Ciattarelli expressed willingness to work with President Trump while maintaining the ability to oppose policies detrimental to the state. Who is Mikie Sherrill? Sherrill, a former federal prosecutor and U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, was the establishment, left-of-center candidate in a crowded field of Democratic contenders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of her campaign messaging had leaned on her military experience and being able to handle conflict. "I learned early on: In a crisis, the worst thing you can do is freeze," she said. "You have to choose to lead," Sherrill has represented the 11th District, which includes parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties, since her 2018 election during President Donald Trump's first administration's midterm. Sherrill flipped the district from Republican control with former Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen's retirement and has been reelected three times since. Sherrill raised $2.8 million during the primary election, placing her among the top House fundraisers in the country. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., speaks at a "Get Out the Vote" rally, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Elizabeth, N.J. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Before getting elected to Congress, she was a prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. She served in the Navy from 1994 to 2003. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Born in Alexandria, Virginia, the 53-year-old now lives in Montclair, New Jersey with her husband. She is also a mother of four. During an interview with NJ Now, she said she would address the states affordability issues by building more housing, investing in community solar to lower utility costs, and holding the grid operator PJM accountable. MORE: Whos running for NJ governor? Also at stake are all 80 state General Assembly seats, although only 25 districts face contested races. Track real-time election results below once polls close at 8 p.m. NJ governor: Democratic primary election results Dem candidates: Election results list Dem candidates: Election results map NJ governor: Republican primary election results GOP candidates: Election results list GOP candidates: Election results map New Jersey Assembly: Election results for all races Use the dropdown below to view different districts. An anti-uranium advocate stands during a protest in Window Rock, Ariz. in April, part of a protest against new uranium mines proposed around the Navajo Nation, including the sacred Mount Taylor area. The federal Permitting Council recently listed three uranium projects in New Mexico as projects it is seeking to streamline. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann / Source NM) A federal council recently placed two proposed uranium mines in New Mexico on a select list of mining projects nationwide to receive streamlined federal permitting consideration, a designation the projects owner says results from President Donald Trumps push to accelerate nuclear energy production. The Jara Mesa and Crownpoint-Churchrock mine projects are now two of six mining projects nationwide to get whats known as the FAST-41 designation, established under the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The designation means the projects will receive focused, hands-on permitting support that aims to improve coordination and efficiency among federal agencies, according to the federal Permitting Council. The council notes, however, the designation doesnt change any law or regulation, environmental or otherwise, required for federal permitting. As a result of the change, three of six mining projects nationwide to receive the designation are in New Mexico, as the Grants Precision project was added in early May. The other three projects on the list are in Arizona, California and Colorado. The permitting website shows both projects were added to the list May 30, and, last week, Laramide Resources, the company trying to build the mine in McKinley County, touted the mines inclusion as part of Trumps domestic energy agenda. As momentum builds around a new era for nuclear power, it is important to recognize that uranium is the fundamental starting point of the entire fuel cycle, Laramide CEO Marc Henderson said in a June 2 news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement cited a May 23 Trump executive order supporting the acceleration of nuclear development in the United States. In addition to the FAST-41 designation, the Jara Mesa is one of two proposed uranium in the Mount Taylor Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest that forest leaders have deemed priority projects, as Source New Mexico reported in March. The Jara Mesa mines proximity to Mount Taylor, a sacred mountain to the Navajo Nation and several pueblos in New Mexico, is one reason anti-nuclear opponents have forcefully pushed back against the mine for more than a decade. They also cite the legacy of the uranium mining industry in New Mexico, which has left decades of radioactive and cancer-causing waste in its wake. In addition to the Jara Mesa Mine, the Crownpoint-Church Rock mine was also added to the FAST-41 list in late May. Laramide Resources touted the project as one of the largest undeveloped uranium deposits in the U.S., which has the potential to play a central role in securing a domestic supply of this critical mineral. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A regulator with the states Mining and Minerals Division recently told Source New Mexico that, even though the federal government is seeking to streamline its approval of the uranium projects, the state will take its time for a review. He also said no project can legally move forward without a state permit, even though the mines lie largely on federal land. An environmental lawyer in New Mexico also told Source that the Trump administrations efforts to gut federal environmental impact reviews is likely illegal and would be subject to litigation if he tried to cut them in New Mexico. The Laramide statement says while the FAST-41 designation helps its goal of breaking ground in what would be the first new uranium mine in New Mexico in more than 50 years, continued policy support will be essential to overcome the longstanding regulatory and permitting challenges that have constrained U.S. uranium production. The other uranium mine proposal near Mount Taylor, known as Roca Honda, does not appear on the FAST-41 list. But it is on a list of transparency projects, one of about 20 selected by the federal Permitting Council to improve the publics understanding of how the projects are progressing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because of the designations, the public gleans a clearer sense of when the federal permits might be granted: For La Jara Mesa, permitting is expected to be approved in March 2028; for Roca Honda, its November of 2027. The permitting website does not provide an estimate of when Crownpoint-Churchrock mine might receive a federal permit. The United States Forest Service oversees the La Jara Mesa project, whilehe Nuclear Regulatory Commission is listed as the agency overseeing the Crownpoint-Churchrock and Grants Precision project. EDITORS NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify details of the District Attorneys Offices statement. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) Its been seven months since a shooting at The Marketplace on Ming Avenue in southwest Bakersfield killed 15-year-old Prince Banner. No charges have been, nor have new arrests been made. RELATED: Marketplace shooting: Victim was armed, had history with suspected shooter Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Banners mother recently filed a claim against the city of Bakersfield for $15 million. She says the area is known to bring trouble and did not have enough security. She also said there was a call reporting violence in the area an hour before her son died. Months later, the community is still feeling the impact of the case. College student Emma Skyfox said it is a weird feeling coming back with friends after the shooting. This is such a connected, family-based area, so I was like, oh God, this is starting to really affect smaller based communities and thats starting to scare me a lot, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To have that place compromised of the comfort and safety you feel with other people, it just made you think is that place not safe? Marketplace employees and frequent shoppers say security could be improved at the center. 1 dead, 2 hurt in fiery SE Bakersfield crash caught on video I mean, they do let the kids ride their bikes and skateboards all over the walkway and everything, employee Andrew Abramson said. Teens around The Marketplace said parents have been a lot more skeptical with when and where they allow their kids to go alone and some shops reported a dip in productivity closely following that November evening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, many shoppers are unphased. Others say the case didnt scare them and they still feel safe at the shops. I feel like a lot of the incidents are more of a personal than a random public thing happening, said Roseanna Brandon, a frequent shopper. Since November, the case has gone back and forth between the district attorneys office and the Bakersfield Police Department, but no charges have been filed. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News The shooter was 15-year-old Albert Briseno Jr., police said. He turned himself in two days after the shooting but was later released. He remains free. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say Banner also had a gun, but investigators dont believe he fired it. 17 News asked both the Kern County District Attorneys Office and Bakersfield Police Department for updates. A spokesperson for the district attorneys office said their team is actively reviewing the case with thorough consideration before determining a filing 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 KGET 17 News. Jun. 10ROCHESTER The Rochester City Attorney's Office has not made a charging decision for the case involving Shiloh Hendrix, a woman caught on video using a racial slur at a Rochester park. According to City Attorney Michael Spindler-Krage, the office has no updates to report yet, as of Monday, June 9. The viral video's case was referred to the city attorney's office on May 5 after the Rochester Police Department completed its investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The original video, which was posted on April 28, depicted a man confronting the woman for calling a Black child a racial slur at a Soldiers Field Park playground. Though the original video was deleted, social media influencers had reposted the video with their own commentary. One user's repost on TikTok has since garnered 14.2 million views and 1.3 million likes. The woman in the video identified herself as Shiloh Hendrix in a crowdfunding campaign, asking the public to help her family relocate after their personal information was leaked. As of Tuesday, June 10, Hendrix's campaign has raised more than $790,000. In response to her fundraising efforts, the Rochester branch of the NAACP created a GoFundMe to raise $340,000 for the child in the video and his family. Days after the video was posted, a town hall and protests were held to encourage the city attorney's office to press charges against Hendrix. At the time, Spindler-Krage said it would be premature to estimate when a final decision would be made but that his office would release its decision publicly. The Rochester branch of the NAACP urged the city attorney's office and Olmsted County Attorney's Office "to act with urgency, seriousness, thoroughness, and expediency." The statement listed seven Minnesota criminal statutes the organization believes would apply to the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case marks the second completed investigation into a high-profile incident involving race in Rochester over the last year. On April 14, 2024, a racial slur was spelled out using plastic cups in the chain-link fence on the pedestrian bridge over East Circle Drive. The Rochester Police Department identified the four teenagers responsible for the act and referred the case to the Olmsted County Attorney's Office on June 3, 2024. Three days later, former County Attorney Mark Ostrem said his office would not file charges. While the incident was offensive, Ostrem wrote at the time, it has protection under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In August 2024, a state representative found racist graffiti painted on her shed, a swastika on a window of her home, and paint over all but one of the surveillance cameras around her house. The investigation has not been completed. An Indian Hill High School alumnus who graduated at the top of his class has been sentenced to just over three years in prison. But Asif Rahman is no average valedictorian, nor was he a typical defendant in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. Rahman, 34, pleaded guilty in January to two felony counts related to the sharing of classified information about a U.S. allys planned military action against a foreign adversary. He accessed the classified records through a top-secret security clearance as part of his job at the CIA. The charges stemmed from the disclosure on social media of classified U.S. documents about Israels preparations for a retaliatory strike against Iran, USA TODAY reported. His sentence handed down June 11 by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles was less than the government had asked, but more than his attorneys' request of roughly a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These are not common charges, Tolliver Giles said, adding that the publicly available information about this case is minimal compared to what confidential records show about Rahmans actions. Who is Asif Rahman? Rahman was born in California but moved to Greater Cincinnati, where he was raised from a young age in what his attorneys described as a supportive and tight-knit family, court records show. He graduated from Indian Hill High School as valedictorian in 2009. He also obtained a bachelors degree from Yale University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago. Asif Rahman's Indian Hill High School yearbook photo.. Rahman started working as an analyst with the CIA in 2016, prosecutors wrote in a presentence court filing. His job was to compile binders, including country-specific and regional-specific information, to apprise high-ranking government personnel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rahman accessed and downloaded thousands of "highly classified" intelligence reports focused on the Middle East between February 2019 and October 2020, prosecutors said, adding that he continued to keep such records years after losing the authority to do so. Prosecutor: U.S. 'did everything it could' to find leaker of Israel's military secrets His arrest and subsequent prosecution stemmed from his leaking of two classified documents, which a government agency generated on Oct. 16, 2024. Within just 24 hours, Rahman took the documents from his work station to his home, where he photographed them and transferred the images to a computer program, prosecutors said. According to prosecutors, Rahman edited the images to conceal their source and sent them to people who lacked proper security clearances. Those images later appeared on social media platforms. Rahman deleted the activity from his devices and returned the documents to his work station, where he shredded them, prosecutors said, adding the devices used to transmit the information were later destroyed and discarded in public trash cans. He also deleted classified intelligence reports from his workstation, as well as 1.5 gigabytes from his email and a personal folder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal investigators quickly figured out the documents were accessed through a specific government computer application. Rahman was identified as the only person in the entire U.S. government to access and print those documents between when they were published on classified networks and when the leak occurred, prosecutors said. FBI agents arrested Rahman in November at the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia, where he was most recently stationed, before he departed for a planned trip to Thailand. The government did everything it could to find who did this, Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Edwards Jr. said. "We found him across the world." Asif Rahman's mugshot from the Alexandria Adult Detention Center, in Virginia. Court records show that Rahman's improper transmissions of classified information spanned several months in 2024, and investigators uncovered a to-do list, written in cryptic strings of letters and numbers, indicating that Rahman planned to continue sharing top-secret information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I fully accept responsibility for my conduct last year, Rahman said in court while standing at a podium in a green jail uniform. There was no excuse for my actions. He has been at a detention center in Alexandria since December, when the judge ordered that he be detained pending trial. Defense attorneys cite 'family-related grief,' trauma from foreign assignment as motive for leak In court filings, Rahmans attorneys said that he began cooperating with authorities within days of appearing in federal court in Virginia and pleaded guilty just six weeks after his initial hearing. He also provided passwords to all the encrypted devices seized by the FBI, which allowed agents to do a full forensic examination. While prosecutors described Rahmans cooperation as substantial, it's unlikely to lead to any other criminal prosecutions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rahmans attorneys attributed his actions to a combination of family-related grief and trauma from a previous assignment in Iraq, which was compounded by geopolitical strife in the Middle East beginning in the fall of 2023. He was distraught, said Dorothy Ames Jeffress, one of Rahmans attorneys. She added that he acted under the belief that leaking the documents was in furtherance of peace and saving lives. While the judge acknowledged the difficulties going on in Rahmans life at the time the leak occurred, it was no excuse for what he did. This is very serious," Tolliver Giles said. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Indian Hill student ex-CIA analyst Asif Rahman sentenced for leak (NewsNation) California Gov. Gavin Newsoms request for judicial intervention in the Trump-ordered military presence in the Los Angeles protests was unsuccessful Tuesday. Newsom asked a federal judge to limit the National Guards response to anti-ICE protests in his state by 4 p.m. ET. Trump had deployed the National Guard without the governors request Sunday after days of immigration protests. Although a federal judge did not grant the immediate halt, a hearing will take place Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state sued Trump because of the irreparable harm and irreversible injury that we would suffer. Anti-ICE protests in LA expand to New York, Chicago Theres existing law that governs what the president can do and cant do. The president has invoked a specific statute to call in the National Guard that he believes authorizes him and that law requires that there be a rebellion there, Bonta said Tuesday on Elizabeth Vargas Reports. Theres no rebellion. It requires that there be an invasion. Theres no invasion. He said hes confident the judge will rule in Californias favor by limiting the militarys presence in response to the protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some protesters have thrown rocks and bottles at police, set cars on fire and committed other violent acts during the demonstrations, which first prompted law enforcement response. When you have peaceful protests, you have agitators, and those who use the cover of the protest to engage in unlawful conduct, its wrong. They should be held accountable. They should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, Bonta said. Thats largely been happening, and it and none of that was being done by the National Guard or the Marines. It was done by local law enforcement agencies, sheriffs and hard-working members of the police departments who are getting the job done on the ground. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Protests against the Trump administration are planned in more than 1,800 locations this weekend, including in Tampa Bay. On Saturday, community organizers with a group called No Kings are holding demonstrations in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Largo and elsewhere to protest what they say are authoritarian excesses and corruption from President Donald Trump and his allies. On June 14, were showing up everywhere he isntto say no thrones, no crowns, no kings," the group said on its website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The No Kings website said protests will be held at these Tampa Bay locations: Largo Central Park, 101 Central Park Drive, Largo, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Tyrone Square, 6901 22nd Ave. N, St. Petersburg, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. U.S. Highway 19 N and Curlew Road, Palm Harbor, 12-2 p.m. Riverview, 3-5 p.m. (The protest location is private, according to the website.) Tampa City Hall, 315 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 3-6 p.m. The corner of Ulmerton Road and Seminole Boulevard, Largo, 5-6 p.m. Plant City City Hall, 302 Reynolds St., Plant City, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The intersection of State Road 54 and Little Road, New Port Richey, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Pasco County Courthouse, 37918 Meridian Ave., Dade City, 9-11 a.m. Spring Hill; 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (the protest location is private, according to the website) Other groups are planning protests this weekend specifically against Trumps immigration policies. The Tampa Bay Party for Socialism and Liberation posted on social media that it will hold an anti-deportation protest at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Pinellas County Jail in Clearwater, and the Tampa Bay Immigrant Solidarity Network said it will march Friday from 4-8 p.m., starting at the intersection of Dale Mabry Highway and Columbus Drive in Tampa. Liv Coleman, a leadership team member with Indivisible Manatee, which is organizing No Kings events in Sarasota and Ellenton, said the group is expecting strong turnout. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Interest has been growing; were expecting many hundreds of people, she said. Coleman said the goal of the No Kings protests was to spur action from legislators against the Trump administrations policies, including proposed cuts to social services in the federal budget bill passed by the House. We want our elected representatives, particularly those in Congress, to hold the Trump administration accountable, she said. Were seeing all these cuts coming down the line. If theres enough money for a military parade, theres enough money for Medicaid. Deputy Geoff Moore, a spokesperson for the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office, said the office had no plans to increase police presence in the area in light of the protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont have any added patrols this weekend, Moore said. Weve been very lucky over here, and we dont expect to have any problems. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in an interview Wednesday with The Rubin Report that Floridians can hit and run over protesters with their cars if they feel threatened. If you are driving on one of those streets and a mob comes and surrounds your vehicle and threatens you, you have a right to flee for your safety, he said in the interview. If you drive off and you hit one of these people, thats their fault for impinging on you. Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey also warned Thursday that his officers would kill violent protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you throw a brick, a fire bomb or a pointed gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at, because we will kill you, graveyard dead. Were not going to play, he said at a news conference. Trump warned Tuesday that any protesters who attend the military parade in Washington, D.C., would be met with very big force. His comments came after he mobilized nearly 3,000 Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles in recent days to respond to protests against immigration roundups conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. DeSantis slammed the protests in Los Angeles and Californias response to them, saying in a Fox News interview Tuesday that the way to put the fire out is to make sure you have law and order. He offered Tuesday to send the Florida State Guard to the Los Angeles protests, but Californias governor declined. President Donald Trump is holding a military parade Saturday in Washington, D.C. Its to honor the 250th birthday of the United States Army. Its also Trumps 79th birthday. As that celebration is taking place, more than 1,800 No Kings Day protests are planned around the U.S. More than 70 are planned for Florida and dozens in Georgia. Some of the planned protest locations in Florida include Jacksonville, Orange Park, St. Johns, St. Augustine, Palatka, Palm Coast, Gainesville, Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach. Some Georgia locations include Brunswick, Waycross, St. Marys, and Valdosta. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The No Kings mobilization is a direct response to Donald Trumps self-aggrandizing $100 million military parade and birthday celebration, an event funded by taxpayers while millions are told theres no money for Social Security, SNAP, Medicaid, or public schools, the organizers website states. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The Army birthday celebration was planned months ago, but earlier this spring, Trump announced his intention to transform the event which coincides with his birthday into a massive military parade complete with 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks and Paladin self-propelled howitzers rolling through the streets of the nations capital. The No Kings demonstrations are following violent protests that erupted this week over the Trump administrations immigration crackdown in California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No Kings organizers released a statement after the President sent National Guard members and Marines into Los Angeles as the ICE protests there turned violent. The No Kings mobilizations on June 14 were already planned as a peaceful stand against authoritarian overreach and the gross abuse of power this Administration has shown, a portion of the statement reads. Now, this military escalation only confirms what weve known: this government wants to rule by force, not serve the people. Organizers arent holding any No Kings protests in D.C. during Trumps military parade. Trump warned people Tuesday against protesting the military parade in Washington, according to Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For those people that want to protest, theyre going to be met with very big force, Trump told reporters in the White Houses Oval Office, according to Reuters. All No Kings events adhere to a shared commitment to nonviolent protest and community safety, the No Kings website states. Organizers are trained in de-escalation and are working closely with local partners to ensure peaceful and powerful actions nationwide. There are other counter-protests of varying sizes planned for Saturday in D.C. with the largest being a mass march to the White House, according to the Associated Press. President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Pope Army Airfield at Fort Bragg, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Fort Bragg, N.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Military tanks and other military vehicles are transported via railroad to Washington, D.C. for an upcoming parade for the Army's 250th anniversary, Monday, June 2, 2025, at Fort Cavazos near Killeen, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [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. Protestors in Arizona and across the country are gearing up for No Kings demonstrations against President Donald Trump on June 14. The No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance was scheduled as counterprogramming to a military parade marking the U.S Armys 250th anniversary. The date also coincides with Trumps 79th birthday. Protests in more than 1,500 cities are planned, according to organizers of the No Kings events. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amid escalations of protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles, the organization reiterated in a statement on June 8, all No Kings events adhere to a shared commitment to nonviolent protest and community safety. Heres what to know about the demonstrations happening on June 14 in Arizona and across the country. Where are No Kings day protests happening in Arizona? "No Kings" day marches and other demonstrations were scheduled across the state on June 14, according to a map of events shared by NoKings.org. The list was not exhaustive; some cities have multiple events scheduled. Phoenix: Arizona state Capitol, 9 a.m., 1700 W. Washington St. Tempe: Pedestrian Bridge, 7:30 a.m., 2000 E. Carson Drive Scottsdale: Old Town, 8 a.m., Camelback and North Scottsdale roads Surprise: 8 a.m., North Civic Center Drive and Bell Road Mesa: 9 a.m., East Southern Avenue and South Stapley Drive Chandler: 8 a.m., 3 S. Arizona Ave. Tucson: 2 p.m., 905 S. Concert Place What will the military parade celebrate? The parade coincides with Trumps 79th birthday, but event organizers and administration officials insist the event is solely a celebration of the Army. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vince Haley, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said in a statement that Trump is planning a "historic celebration of the Army's 250th birthday." "As one of the first events of the year-long celebration of our 250th anniversary, this commemorative parade will be a fitting tribute to the service, sacrifice, and selflessness of the brave men and women who have worn the uniform and devoted their lives to defending the greatest experiment in liberty known to man, Haley said. What date will the military parade commemorate? The Second Continental Congress established the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, "as a united colonial response against the British enemy," according to the National Museum of the United States Army. How much will the military parade cost? The parade was estimated to cost between $30 million and $45 million, according to reporting by USA TODAY. Where to watch the military parade? The parade was scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. MST and was expected to end at 7:30 p.m. MST. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All the events from the 250th birthday celebration, including the parade, will be livestreamed on all U.S. Army social media platforms. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Anti-Trump protests planned across metro Phoenix. Here's where People gather in Detroit, Michigan on Feb. 17, 2025 to say 'No Kings on Presidents Day' in response to what they say are President Trump's and Elon Musk's undemocratic action. Credit - Jim WestUCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images More than 1,500 No Kings Day demonstrations are set to take place across the U.S. this weekend to protest the Trump Administration as President Donald Trump holds a military parade in Washington, D.C. The demonstrations will take place all over the country on Saturday, coinciding with the parade Trump has planned to mark the U.S. Armys 250th birthday. Ezra Levin, the co-founder and co-executive director of the progressive organization Indivisible thats behind No Kings Day, told MSNBC on Monday that the protestsoriginally announced last monthhave generated overwhelming interest in the aftermath of the Administrations response to the immigration-related protests in Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In America, we dont do kings, reads a website for the events. Theyve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too. Far. The protests will follow days of demonstrations in L.A. over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting undocumented immigrants. In a rare and controversial exercise of presidential power, Trump over the weekend mobilized the National Guardagainst the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsomto quell the protests in the L.A. area, which had been largely peaceful. The move sparked immediate outcry from Democratic politicians, advocacy organizations, and legal experts. Trump has since escalated federal involvement by deploying hundreds of Marines and thousands of additional National Guard troops to the city. No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance. 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 No Kings Day description said. On June 14th, were showing up everywhere [Trump] isntto say no thrones, no crowns, no kings. Read more: What the Founding Fathers Said About Kings Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The events organizers arent holding a protest in D.C. itself, saying they want to make the demonstrations elsewhere the story of the day rather than allowing Saturdays military parade to be the center of gravity. On Tuesday, Trump warned people planning to protest at the parade that they would face very big force. For those people that want to protest, they're going to be met with very big force, Trump said. And I havent even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force. Contact us at letters@time.com. Over 30 protests, including four in Burlington, are set to take place across Vermont on June 14 in response to the Trump administrations policies. The No Kings National Day of Mobilization comes as protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles have escalated after President Donald Trump deployed federal troops to the state. Thousands of communities across the country have No Kings demonstrations scheduled for June 14, which is also the same day as the Trump administration has planned a pomp-filled military parade in Washington, D.C. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The demonstrations are organized by Indivisible, a nonprofit coalition of progressive political action groups. What are the No Kings, anti-Trump protests? Indivisible said that theyre organizing to reject corrupt, authoritarian politics. Theyve defied our courts, deported citizens, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, slashed essential services, and handed billions to their allies, reads a press release. Enough is enough. The date is significant: June 14 is the day that President Donald Trump is getting a long-dreamt-of military parade marking the Armys 250th anniversary on a date that coincides with his own birthday. The protests are a retaliation to the parade, and meant to draw attention away from it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizers say action is being taken to reject the notion the country is ruled by a "king" and to show what democracy looks like: "people, united, refusing to be ruled." This country doesnt belong to a king and were not letting him throw himself a parade funded by tens of millions of our taxpayer dollars while stealing from us and stripping away our rights, our freedoms, and the programs our families rely on, says the release. Homemade signs were parading up and down Church Street at the June 10 LA to Burlington anti-ICE protest. Indivisible said that the protests are meant to be nonviolent and discouraged bringing weapons of any kind. Where are No Kings protests being held in Vermont? Over 30 communities in Vermont are holding No Kings protests on June 14. Burlington will have four. Heres a list as of June 11. Find an event near you Bennington Brandon Brattleboro Burlington Chester Colchester Danby Essex Junction Ferrisburgh Georgia Jericho Leicester Manchester Middlebury Milton Montpelier New Haven Newbury Newport Pittsford Rutland Saint Johnsbury Salisbury Shaftsbury Shelburne St. Albans Stowe Swanton Underhill Vergennes Wallingford Wilmington Woodstock Some of these events are part of the Vermont No Kings Relay for Democracy taking place on June 14. The vehicle parade of decorated trucks and cars carrying a ceremonial flag will travel along Route 7, starting in Williamstown, Massachusetts, driving up through Vermont and finishing in Swanton. No Kings protest map To see a map of registered No Kings protests across the U.S., go to nokings.org. What has Trump said about the June 14 protests? Trump has promised retaliation for protesters at the military parade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For those people that want to protest, theyre going to be met with very big force, Trump said in a statement at the Oval Office on June 10. This is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force. Contributing: Dan Medeiros This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: No Kings day protests planned June 14. See locations of VT events Even before Donald Trump militarized his crackdown on pro-immigrant protesters in Los Angeles, a massive, nationwide demonstration was in the works for Saturday. The No Kings protests on June 14 have been imagined as a peaceful uprising to counter President Trump throwing himself a military parade on his birthday (which is also Flag Day and the 250th anniversary of the Army). Trump is organizing spectacle befitting a tin-pot tyrant, including a procession of tanks, Howitzers, mobile rocket launchers and other war machines rolling through the streets of Washington, D.C., as military aircraft, including Apache helicopters, soar overhead. Protest organizers have billed June 14 as a nationwide day of defiance, during which Americans across the country stand up to reject authoritarianism and reclaim patriotism in the name of democracy. The flag doesnt belong to President Trump. It belongs to us, the protest website declares. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has menaced demonstrators planning to show up at his military procession: If any protester wants to come out, they will be met with very big force, he said Tuesday. Anticipating such a reaction, protest organizers specifically decided not to target the Trump parade route; there is not even a No Kings event planned in D.C. They envision, instead, demonstrators showing up everywhere [Trump] isnt to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings. Turnout at the nationwide demonstrations is expected to surpass the April 5 Hands Off! protests, which drew more than 3 million protesters to oppose the Trump government, then dominated by Elon Musk, who was imposing draconian cuts on federal services through the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Weve been planning the No Kings day for months, says Ezra Levin, a cofounder of the progressive grassroots giant Indivisible, which is a key partner in a protest coalition that includes grassroots groups like 50501, civil rights organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, and many labor and environmental groups. Outside of a few anchor events a large event is planned in Philadelphia, for example the No Kings protests are organized on a viral, distributed basis, with locals in each community calling the shots. By last week, the number of planned events had already surpassed the April total. Now that Trump has ordered troops into the streets of Los Angeles to crack down on Americans exercising their First Amendment rights by protesting actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement the reasons to demonstrate just got a lot more concrete. With the egregious overreach in Los Angeles inflaming tensions, Levin says, suddenly all the numbers started skyrocketing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The volatile situation in the Los Angeles area was provoked by ICE agents expanding arrests of community members at job sites, including at downtown garment factories and a Home Depot. Tensions were also inflamed by reports of ICE taking law-abiding individuals who showed up to mandatory check-ins with immigration officials into custody, and then locking them in the basement of a federal building. Speaking Monday with Rolling Stone, Levin described 1,800 planned No Kings events, roughly 500 more than the total for April. These include protests across America from Nome, Alaska, to San Juan, Puerto Rico (map: here) as well as solidarity actions around the globe. I can guarantee you there will be millions of people out on No Kings day, he says. The planning for the No Kings protest began when Trump started touting his dictator-style birthday parade, Levin recalls. We didnt want to cede the narrative to him; we didnt want to allow him to portray himself as all-powerful. The idea was to mass mobilize Americans of all walks of life in big cities and small towns and rural communities as a counter weight to Trumps authoritarian ambitions. (Trumps birthday bash is wildly unpopular; a new poll finds the military parade is opposed by three out of four Americans, including a majority of Republicans.) The federal escalation in Southern California is rocket fuel for the protest mission. In the context of his escalation in L.A., it takes on greater import, Levin says. You need to have a visible demonstration that Americans are against authoritarian overreach. Organizers want to turn out protesters who are ideologically diverse and geographically dispersed. It needs to be everywhere, so that the contrast of what Trump is doing is as clear as possible, says Levin, a former congressional staffer. This guy stands for himself and his cronies. And the American people arent going to stand for it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The L.A. protests have been combustible, marked by clashes between demonstrators and the citys notoriously brutal cops and sheriff deputies, as well as with paramilitary forces from the Department of Homeland Security. The authorities have been launching tear-gas attacks and firing less-lethal projectiles into crowds, and agitators have been filmed throwing rocks and debris at law enforcement. Levin insists that No Kings will be a show of nonviolent resistance, adding that Trumps ugly show of force including deploying National Guard troops and Marines in Los Angeles over the governors objections must be met with a combination of mass turnout and immaculate vibes. When they crack down on peaceful protests, what you need is overwhelmingly large, peaceful protests. Thats the way you respond to the authoritarian playbook. We need nonviolence in the streets, he continues. The alternative is giving the authoritarian the excuse that he wants to crack down on yet more peaceful protesters outside of L.A. With emotions running hot, that puts a special burden on protest organizers most of whom are self-appointed volunteers. No Kings organizers are providing trainings this week for local protest marshals emphasizing public safety and de-escalation. We need to have everybody in the right mindset, Levin says, explaining that the protests are a strategic play to demonstrate exactly how outside the norm this administration is. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Events this large can take on a life of their own. Some people are going to join in because they heard it was the cool place to be, Levin says. Its incumbent on those who are more engaged to act as leaders and to operate under the umbrella of nonviolence, because the alternative is playing directly into Trumps hands. 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. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) No Kings protest is scheduled nationwide on Saturday, June 14, with protests in San Angelo and Abilene. The San Angelo protest is scheduled to be held at Civic League Park, 2 S Park St., and to run from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Abilenes protest is scheduled at Abilene City Hall, 555 Walnut St, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. APD: 8 people arrested, 4 officers injured after anti-ICE protest downtown Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the No Kings website, this protest is to reject authoritarianism- and show the world what democracy is. No Kings is an organization whose mission is to protest non-violently the ICE deportations and what they describe as President Trumps military parade. The organizations website states, On June 14th, were showing up everywhere he isntto say no thrones, no crowns, no kings. Hundreds of Marines mobilizing to Los Angeles Before and after June 14, No Kings is offering various Zoom calls for trainings such as Know Your Rights Training, No Kings Marshal Training and more. The San Angelo Police Department confirmed with Concho Valley Homepage that they are aware of the protest on Saturday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No Kings specifies that no weapons of any kind should be brought to the events and to de-escalate and act lawfully at events 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 ConchoValleyHomepage.com. National protests will take place all over the country, including more than 20 in Tennessee. The protests will take place on June 14, the same day as President Trump's birthday and the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary parade. Indivisible, a progressive activist group, is partnering with 50501 and others for the nationwide anti-Trump movement. "Theyve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services," the organization's website reads. "The corruption has gone too. far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's what to know about the protests. What is the 'No Kings' protest? The "No Kings National Day of Defiance" is being held across the nation on June 14, which coincides with Flag Day, the Army's 250th anniversary celebration, and, most importantly, Trump's birthday. Organizers are protesting what they say are Trump's attempts at displaying authoritative dominance, particularly during his birthday celebration in a "spectacle meant to look like strength," states a release from Indivisible, which has partnered with dozens of advocacy groups. The protests are separate, but not opposed to the Anti-ICE protests happening around the country. What is Indivisible? Indivisible, a grassroots political activism group focused on progressive causes, was founded in response to Trump's 2016 election as president. The founders of the national organization, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin, former congressional staffers, were included in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2019. What does 50501 mean? The 50501 Movement is a grassroots initiative that originated on the social platform Reddit, under the hashtag #50501, in the early days of Trump's second inauguration. It stands for 50 protests in 50 states on 1 day, which has since evolved to 50 states, 50 protests, one movement. They organized the May Day Strong protests last month. What is Trump's military parade on June 14 about? While the parade is on the same day as President Trumps 79th birthday, event organizers and administration officials say it is solely to celebrate the U.S. Army. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The military parade is slated for June 14, in the heart of Washington, D.C., spanning six blocks and bisecting the National Mall. Organizers say the procession begins at 6:30 p.m. ET. On June 6, Trump posted a video on Truth Social, inviting Americans to the June 14 parade, which he described as an "unforgettable" celebration, "one like you've never seen before." "I think it's gonna be better and bigger than any parade we've ever had in this country," Trump said. "I don't think we've ever done one quite like this." 'No Kings' protests in Tennessee Across Tennessee, there will be 24 protests that take place on June 14. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bolivar: June 14 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDT Chattanooga: June 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EDT Clarksville: June 14 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. CDT Cookville: June 14 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. CDT Crossville: June 14 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. CDT Gallatin: June 14 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. CDT Jackson: June 14 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. CDT Johnson City: June 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT Kingsport: June 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. EDT Knoxville: June 14 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. EDT Madisonville: June 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT Maryville: June 14 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. EDT Memphis: June 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT Morristown: June 14 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. EDT Murfreesboro: June 14 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDT Nashville: June 14 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDT Oak Ridge: June 14 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. EDT Paris: June 14 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. CDT Pulaski: June 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT Sevierville: June 14 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT Tullahoma: June 14 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. CDT Union City: June 14 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. CDT Winchester: June 14 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. CDT (This story was updated to add a photo gallery.) This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee 'No Kings' protests: Over 20 scheduled on Trump's birthday AUSTIN (KXAN) A protest planned to occur at the Texas Capitol Saturday comes after Texas Governor Greg Abbotts deployment of the states National Guard to Austin and other Texas cities following a Monday night protest in the states capital city. Andrew Mahaleris, press secretary for the Governors office, said in a statement that peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but that Texas cities need soldiers to uphold law and order. MORE | Texas National Guard on standby for Day of Defiance protests in Austin, San Antonio Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soldiers are on standby in areas where mass demonstrations are planned in case they are needed, reads part of Mahaleriss statement. Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles. Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be swiftly held accountable to the full extent of the law. The Monday night protest, organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, was held to show solidarity with protesters in Los Angeles. Saturdays protest, No Kings/Kick out the Clowns, is part of a nationwide action against a military parade in Washington D.C., also on Saturday. The Austin rally is organized by Hands Off Central Texas (HOCTX), a coalition of liberal activist groups such as 50501, Indivisible Austin, Indivisible Rosedale, Third Act Texas and ResistAustin. Hands Off Central Texas President Sophia Mirto said that the rally will feature speeches by activists and locally elected politicians, as well as performances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE | Gov. Abbott readying National Guard for protests, not the first time [The idea is] to point out the extreme ridiculousness of government waste that the regime will be using on Saturday, spending over $30 million of our tax money on a whats tantamount to a birthday party and a very tacky parade, she said. Its extraordinarily concerning that they are wasting so much tax money that they are seeking to intimidate citizens and residents of America, especially here in Texas, where we love to use our constitutional freedoms. Democratic Congressman Greg Casar is one of Saturdays scheduled speakers. He said that the protests bring attention to concerning deportations of children and lawful migrants. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, speaks at a rally at the Texas State Capitol on Saturday, March 5, 2025. (KXAN Photo/Christian Rodriguez-Panesso) These are concerning things that people should be allowed to bring up without the governor trying to crush that message and intimidate people by sending in the National Guard, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Casar also said the needless deployment makes National Guard soldiers into political pawns. He has spoken at some of the coalitions prior rallies and said that the events have been peaceful and without incident. Ive done multiple rallies where theres hundreds or a few thousand people peacefully assembled with zero incident at all. Unfortunately, right now, Trump and Abbott want to stoke chaos, he said. They arent just pouring gasoline onto the flames. Theyre starting the fire themselves and then pouring gasoline onto the fire because they want there to be division. They want to dominate the news stories by helping stoke up a confrontation or stoke up a problem. Austin mayor: Texas National Guard on standby to assist DPS during protests in Austin The organizers hope is that the event will be non-violent, but that security will be in place to isolate instigators in necessary. They have previously organized rallies at the Capitol in coordination with the Texas Department of Public Safety, according to Mirto. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DPS has actually removed instigators and people threatening unlawful action. We work with DPS, we work with APD for all of our events, she said. We will not be marching anywhere, and if ordered to disperse, we will be very calmly, safely leading people to their vehicles. Protesters at Hands Off protest at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on April 5, 2025. (KXAN Photo/Kevin Baskar) Those reasons are why Mirto said she thinks the Guards deployment in Austin is unnecessary. It is incredibly unwarranted and unnecessary that the governor of Texas is threatening to deploy National Guard on civilians utilizing their First Amendment, Mirto said. Threatening to deploy law enforcement against non violent, peaceful, permitted displays of American patriotism is incredibly alarming. While Mirto stressed the difference between her coalitions tactics and others, she said that law enforcement rapidly escalated violence Monday night. She also called on Texans to pay attention to the actions of law enforcement during protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deploying chemical weapons on the streets of our city is absolutely unacceptable. It is a violation of our constitutional rights, and it is a violation of morality to deploy chemical weapons on civilian streets, she said. During the Monday night march, Texas DPS troopers deployed tear gas against protestors. Law enforcement deployed tear gas against a group of ICE Out protesters in downtown Austin. (KXAN photo) Saturdays rally at the Capitol starts at 5 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. In addition to Casar, State Rep. John Bucy, D-Austin, attorneys Pooja Sethi and Sara Spector, and HOCTX board member Melody Tremallo are also scheduled to speak. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. DENVER (KDVR) The town of Parker is disappointed to hear the No Kings protest is still taking place after Parker tried to cancel it due to the Parker Days Festival on Saturday. On Saturday, June 14, a group known as No Kings is planning a nationwide day of defiance against the Trump administration on President Donald Trumps birthday. The group said during Trumps birthday festivities, theyre planning on showing up around the country to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings. No Kings: Activist fair planned at Colorado Capitol on Trumps birthday, DC parade day Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protests will be held in Colorado and all over the country, including Parker, even after the town of Parker said it had to be canceled due to a scheduling conflict. The town said the Parker Days Festival, which is hosted by the Parker Chamber of Commerce, is a permitted event that takes place the same weekend every June, with an estimated 350,000 people attending the event. Because of the festival, the town said resources and staffing are limited. Unfortunately, due to the large nature of the festival, the Town would not have sufficient staffing and resources, including those of the Police Department and other departments, to ensure the safety of any individuals participating in protests or rallies or any other person within the Town, the town said in a statement. More than a dozen arrested in Denver Tuesday during ICE protest; police use smoke, pepper balls Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The town said it spoke with the No Kings Day event organizer last week, and the organizer reportedly agreed to cancel the event. However, No Kings said it was removed by mistake, and its still on. The town said it was disappointed to hear that the event was taking place anyway, and it offered to help find another date to host the event. No Kings said the event was still on, and the protest is still listed to take place on Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon, but at a private address in Parker. Carolyn Williamson, the No Kings Parker organizer, told FOX31s Gabrielle Franklin the protest will be in a block-by-block format and the group is staying away from Main Street and Parker Days. I moved it quickly when I heard Parker Days was there down to the intersection about a half a mile away, down where Kohls is, its called Flat Acres Market Center, and I thought we could do it at one intersection. Then, as the numbers grew, I said lets do it like the May Day rally, the block-by-block Broadway rally, said Williamson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Williamson also said she reached out to the Douglas County Sheriff and Colorado State Patrol to see if they could assist police with safety enforcement. She said they told her they can help in life or death emergencies. The Town of Parker absolutely recognizes individuals First Amendment rights but must balance those rights with the rights and safety of all other individuals. The Town is truly unable to accommodate another event during the weekend of Parker Days, as it will negatively impact its ability to safety and properly respond to the routine matters within the community, as well as any incidents that may occur due to the number of people anticipated to attend the No Kings rally, the town said. The town said that with hundreds of thousands of people heading to Parker this weekend, its doing everything it can to make sure everyone is safe. It is asking for patience and caution while driving around the community, as there will be more traffic and pedestrians than usual. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) No Kings Protests will occur nationwide Saturday, coinciding with President Donald Trumps birthday and protests and riots against federal immigration raids. A local protest is scheduled for Saturday, June 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in downtown Wichita Falls. According to the Facebook event for the local protest, Saturday, Is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from Trump and his allies. Weve watched as theyve cracked down on free speech, detained people for their political views, threatened to deport American citizens, and defied the courts. Theyve done this all while continuing to serve and enrich their billionaire allies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizers said these protests are not to come off as anti-military nor anti-veteran, as President Trump is throwing an Army parade to honor the 250th anniversary of the American Army. No Kings Protests come as demonstrators gather across America to protest federal immigration raids in Los Angeles. More than 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been deployed to provide security at the immigration protests and operations in Los Angeles. While some lawmakers said the mobilization of troops is illegal, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the call Wednesday. The mission in Los Angeles, as you know well, sir, is not about lethality, Hegseth said in response to questions during a Senate hearing. Its about maintaining law and order on behalf of law enforcement agents who deserve to do their job without being attacked by mobs of people. 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 Texomashomepage.com. The Brief Several protests are planned in the Houston area this Saturday. No Kings is the movement mobilizing the demonstrations. June 14 is the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army and the president's 79th birthday. HOUSTON - Half a dozen protests are planned in Houston for Saturday, June 14 by the No Kings movement, according to their website. What we know The website says protests are planned in multiple Houston suburbs spanning multiple counties. Law enforcement agencies and Governor Greg Abbott's office says they are aware and prepared for the demonstrations. Where and when are the protests? According to the movement's website, these are the locations and times of the Houston-area demonstrations: Houston Location: Houston City Hall 901 Bagby St, Houston, TX 77002 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Time: 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Sugar Land Location: Town Square 15958 City Walk, Sugar Land, TX 77479 Time: 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. Katy Location: Katy City Hall 901 Avenue C, Katy, TX 77493 Time: 12 p.m. -1 p.m. Cypress Location: 19823 Northwest Freeway (This location is a Jersey Village address of a diner. FOX 26 called the diner, who was unaware of the demonstration) Time: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Kingwood Location: Kingwood Drive & West Lake Houston Parkway 9:30 a.m. -12 p.m. Conroe Location: Conroe City Hall 300 W Davis St, Conroe, TX 77301 Time: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. League City Time: 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Location: Not provided on No Kings website Why are the protests happening? What they're saying The No Kings website says June 14 "is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The website allows visitors to sign up to "host" an event and indicates that the demonstrations are community-organized. The website reads, "A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events." Why June 14? Big picture view June 14 is Flag Day, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army, and President Donald Trump's birthday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House posted a video of President Trump announcing a "spectacular military parade in Washington, D.C. like no other," promising tanks and flyovers for the celebration. The caption reads, "Join us in D.C. on Sat., June 14, for an unforgettable celebration of 250 years of the U.S. Armythe greatest fighting force in the history of the world. Were marking this historic milestone with a once-in-a-lifetime military parade." Official response Governor Gregg Abbott's office released the following statement concerning the planned protests: "The State of Texas stands ready to deploy all necessary personnel and resources, including Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, to uphold law and order across our state. Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles. Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be swiftly arrested and held accountable to the full extent of the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - Andrew Mahaleris, press secretary The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office issued the following release in response to the planned protests: "The Montgomery County Sheriffs Office is aware of the intent to protest this weekend in Montgomery County. While we do not publicly share operational plans or tactical preparations, we want to reassure our community that we are working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure a safe environment for all. Our top priority remains the safety and security of our community, and we are fully prepared to respond to any public safety concerns swiftly and professionally. We respect and support the constitutional right to peaceful protest. Lawful assembly and the free expression of ideas are foundational rights we all share. To those planning to attend, we ask that you exercise those rights responsibly, with respect for one another and for our community. Our deputies are committed to ensuring everyone has the opportunity to peacefully express their views while maintaining order and safety. We are not here to silence voices, we are here to protect lives, property, and the peace of our county. Let it be known: We are confident in the strength and unity of Montgomery County, and we will not allow disorder or criminal activity to disrupt that. As your Sheriff, I will always stand for law and order and defend the people and property of Montgomery County. We support the right to peaceful protest, but we will not tolerate violence, chaos, or threats to public safety. Our deputies stand ready to protect this community with strength, resolve, and zero hesitation. I want to thank Governor Abbott for his steadfast commitment to law and order in Texas. As the Governor has said, if you come here to cause trouble, youll be met with accountability. In Montgomery County, we dont back down from protecting our people." -Sheriff Wesley Doolittle For official updates." The Sugar Land Police Department issued the following statement in response to the planned protests: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Sugar Land Police Department is aware of the event and is planning staffing accordingly. Our top priority is keeping the public safe. The SLPD supports the constitutional right of individuals to peacefully protest. Our role is to maintain public safety for all members of our community." League City Mayor Nick Long sent a statement regarding the demonstration saying, "There is one planned for League City. People are welcome to peacefully gather and protest, but blocking traffic or other shenanigans will not be tolerated." The Source This article was written with information from the No Kings website, the Sugar Land Police Department, The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Governor Greg Abbott's office and the White House. The Brief Statewide protests labeled "No Kings" rallies are planned across Georgia this weekend as part of a national day of action against the Trump administration. The Atlanta rally will take place on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Liberty Plaza near the State Capitol. Other Georgia cities participating include Tucker, McDonough, Fayetteville, Athens, Valdosta, and Woodstock, with events organized by Indivisible, 50501 Movement, and Stand Up America. ATLANTA - Another wave of protests is set to take place across Georgia this weekend as part of a national day of action against the Trump administration. Organizers are calling the coordinated demonstrations the "No Kings" rallies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED: Gov. Kemp, AG Carr urge calm ahead of 'No Kings' protests in Georgia Saturday No Kings protests The backstory The "No Kings" theme was orchestrated by the 50501 Movement, a national movement made up of everyday Americans who stand for democracy and against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement. FILE - Thousands of demonstrators rally in Chicago, Illinois, as hundreds of "50501" protests and community events against the Trump administration were held across the United States on April 19, 2025. (Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images) The No Kings Day of Defiance has been organized to reject authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics and the militarization of the country's democracy, according to a press release from No Kings. The No Kings Day of Defiance is expected to be the largest single-day mobilization since Trump returned to office, organizers said. Organizers said they are preparing for millions of people to take to the streets across all 50 states and commonwealths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier protests organized by 50501 have rallied against Trump and his former billionaire adviser Elon Musk, who led Trumps Department of Government Efficiency to cut federal spending. What they're saying Protesters are calling for Trump to be "dethroned" as they compare his actions to that of a king and not a democratically elected president. "Theyve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services," the group says on its website. "Theyve done this all while continuing to serve and enrich their billionaire allies." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The flag doesnt belong to President Trump. It belongs to us," the No Kings website says. "On June 14th, were showing up everywhere he isnt to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings." RELATED: 6 demonstrators arrested after anti-ICE rally along Buford Highway No Kings protests Atlanta locations What we know In Atlanta, the rally will be held at Liberty Plaza near the Georgia State Capitol on Saturday, June 14, at 10 a.m. Similar demonstrations are planned in cities across the state, including Tucker, McDonough, Fayetteville, Athens, Valdosta, and Woodstock. Click here to find information for every rally in the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizers say the rallies are open to all who want to stand up for constitutional checks and balances, civil liberties, and governmental accountability. The date, June 14, is significant because it is Flag Day, President Donald Trump's birthday and the Army's 250th birthday. Army parade in Washington Big picture view The nationwide demonstrations will coincide with the Armys 250th anniversary celebration which Trump has ratcheted up to include an expensive, lavish military parade. The event will feature hundreds of military vehicles and aircraft and thousands of soldiers. The Army birthday celebration had already been planned. But earlier this spring, Trump announced his intention to ratchet up the event which falls on Trumps birthday to include 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks and Paladin self-propelled howitzers rolling through the city streets. He has long sought a similar display of patriotic force. The other side Trump said Tuesday that any protesters in DC would be "met with heavy force," but the White House later clarified that Trump supports "peaceful protests." RELATED: Army's 250th Birthday: Everything to know about Trump's military parade Jun. 10---- is participating in the Saturday with a rally and march from to the Flags of Honor Veterans Memorial. According to an announcement from the local group, those who wish to participate should meet at 10 a.m. Saturday at the parking area at Robbins Island. Participants will march on the bike path to the Flags of Honor, led by a drummer. At the Flags of Honor, Bob and Jean Whitney will lead participants in patriotic songs and there will be speeches by veterans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The actions to reject corrupt, authoritarian politics in the United States are set to take place during President military parade in Washington, D.C., according to a May 5 news release from "Instead of allowing this military parade to be the center of gravity, activists will make action everywhere else the story of America that day," the release states. Organizers have emphasized that a core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. It is expected that all participants seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance is expected to attract millions of people who will take to the streets in more than 1,500 cities across all 50 states and commonwealths, according to It is expected to be the largest single-day mobilization since Trump returned to office described as a mass, nationwide protest rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics and the militarization of United States democracy. TYLER, Texas (KETK) Starting on July 1, Texas will no longer be issuing paper license plates. Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 718 into law back in 2023 which will now require dealers to issue metal plates to buyers at the time of sale. READ THE BILL: Final version of HB 718 eliminating paper license plates Another major change included in the bill is that all title transactions must now be processed electronically through the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles online webDEALER system. Rep. Craig Goldman holds a metal license plate honoring his bill, HB 718. (KXAN Photo/Matt Grant) On Tuesday, the Smith County Tax Office hosted a free training for vehicle dealers regarding the new law. Paper tags issued prior to July 1 will remain valid until expiration. The different types of tags that will be provided are as follows: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Buyers Temporary Tags Dealers Temporary Tags 30-Day & One-Trip Permits Dealer Agent Tags Dealer Vehicle Specific Tags Internet Down Tags Texans buying a vehicle from a dealer will receive metal license plates at the time of delivery, allowing them to immediately display the plates while awaiting their registration window sticker. When a customer sells or trades a vehicle with general issue plates, dealers will be able to remove the plates and transfer them to another vehicle of the same class sold within 10 days. The process remains unchanged for person-to-person vehicle sales. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. House of Representatives prosecutors said Wednesday that Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial could not be stopped despite the Senate sending the case back to them hours after convening as a court. Prosecutors told an afternoon press briefing their case had complied strictly with the constitution, adding they would seek clarification over what they called "confusing" Senate orders. Duterte was impeached in early February on charges of graft, corruption and an alleged assassination plot against former ally and running mate President Ferdinand Marcos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A guilty verdict would see her removed from office and permanently barred from politics. "No one can stop this anymore, because jurisdiction has been acquired already by the impeachment court," said Congresswoman Gerville Luistro, pointing to the Senate's issuing of a summons for Duterte late Wednesday night. "There will be no... withdrawal (of the impeachment case) by the House. That is not allowed by the constitution." Tuesday night's 18-5 Senate vote ordered the House to certify it had not violated the constitution by hearing three impeachment complaints before the one that ultimately went to a vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The constitution bars subjecting anyone to multiple impeachment proceedings within the same year. House member Ysabel Maria Zamora said the final impeachment complaint had "consolidated all the articles" into one. On Wednesday night, the House passed a resolution certifying that the impeachment proceedings against Duterte fully complied with the constitution, including the filings of the first three complaints. A second order to guarantee the case would move forward after new House members take their seats on June 30 was "impossible" to fulfil as they could not speak for a future Congress, prosecutors said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Outside the Senate, several hundred protesters gathered Wednesday, shouting slogans and pounding on the gates as they called for the body to follow through with the impeachment trial. - 'Political survival' - The Senate's vote to remand was as much a matter of "political survival" as anything, lawyer and former senator Leila de Lima told AFP Wednesday. De Lima, who warned more than a week ago the Senate could move to kill the impeachment, said the spectre of a still-powerful Duterte was likely on lawmakers' minds. "Loyalty, friendship, political survival. Maybe they are thinking the Dutertes are very much around even if the patriarch (ex-president Rodrigo Duterte) is in The Hague," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The elder Duterte has been imprisoned since March when he was arrested and transferred to the International Criminal Court to face charges tied to his deadly drug war. His daughter has been widely mooted as a presidential candidate in 2028 should she survive the impeachment process. Senators "were trying to protect their political ambitions", agreed Congresswoman France Castro, who endorsed an early impeachment complaint against the vice president. Asked at Wednesday's press briefing if he believed the Senate was deliberately delaying the trial, Congressman Keith Flores said the answer was clear. "I cannot speak for everyone but for me, yes." pam-cgm-cwl/dhc Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem took a shot at Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for how he handled the 2020 riots in his state, claiming that the Trump administration wouldnt let history repeat itself in Los Angeles amid immigration protests. Noem, who previously served as governor of South Dakota, defended the Trump administrations decision to deploy thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to address the protests in Los Angeles, using Minnesota as an example of what happens when a "bad governor" is in charge. "I was a governor of a neighboring state to Tim Walz and watched him let his city burn," Noem told reporters Tuesday. "And the president and I have talked about this in the past, and he was not going to let that happen to another city and to another community where a bad governor made a bad decision." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ice Sweeps Through La Businesses As Local Democrats Cry Foul Over Trump Administration's Enforcement Actions Walz was first elected governor of Minnesota in 2019, leading the state as protests broke out after the death of Black man George Floyd at the hands of a White police officer in 2020. While Walz has said he takes the blame for a delayed response activating the National Guard in his state, he has also said he is proud of how Minnesota reacted. "Im proud of Minnesotas response. Im proud of Minnesotas first responders who were out there, from firefighters to police to the National Guard to citizens that were out there," Walz said in a 2022 gubernatorial debate. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walzs office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Federal Officials Slam Democrats For 'Dangerous' Rhetoric As Ice Agents Face Violent Mobs In La, Nyc Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has said he takes the blame for a delayed response activating the National Guard in his state during 2020 riots, but he has also said he is proud of how Minnesota reacted. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is dispatching a total of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles after protests broke out Friday stemming from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in the city. President Donald Trump has gone head-to-head with Californias governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom, over the activation of the troops. While Trump has argued the National Guard troops are necessary to prevent destruction in Los Angeles, Newsom said most of the troops "are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ice Official Puts Politicians On Blast, Demanding They 'Stop Putting My People In Danger' California Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, has said most of the troops "are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders." Additionally, Newsom argued that the move violates state sovereignty because state governors typically oversee National Guard troops. However, Trump invoked a law to place the troops under federal command to bypass Newsom. "This isnt about public safety," Newsom said in a post on X on Monday. "Its about stroking a dangerous Presidents ego." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Original article source: Noem takes aim at Tim Walz for letting his 'city burn' in 2020 as she justifies Trump's LA riot response A non-functioning pipe bomb was found during a search at the home of the 21-year-old suspected perpetrator of a deadly school shooting in Austria, police told dpa on Wednesday. On Tuesday, a gunman opened fire at a secondary school in Graz before taking his own life, leaving a total of 11 people dead. According to reports, the gunman entered a classroom and intentionally targeted students. The suspected perpetrator, a former pupil at the school, used two legally owned weapons to carry out the horrifying attack, according to Austrian authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His motive is not yet known. According to the police, a farewell letter and video from the attacker contained no clues. Austria will observe three days of national mourning following the deadly shooting and a minute's silence will be observed across the country at 10 am (0800 GMT) on Wednesday. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker called the incident a "national tragedy" in a post on X, as European leaders offered their condolences. Graz, in south-eastern Austria, is home to around 300,000 people. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund on Wednesday filed a motion in U.S. District Court seeking to restore the "Texas Dream Act" after the state last week ended in-state tuition for foreign-born students who are in the U.S. without legal authorization. The state's move came as a quick concession to a Trump administration lawsuit challenging the 2001 state law, which extended reduced in-state tuition rates to eligible students who lack lawful immigration status but express their intention to pursue citizenship. The U.S. Department of Justice sued the state June 4 alleging that the Texas Dream Act violated a federal law that prevents students who are in the country without legal status from accessing special benefits that aren't available to U.S. citizens. Texas, opting not to defend the state law, asked a North Texas district court to strike it down. The judge, that same day, found the law unconstitutional and handed down a permanent injunction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The San Antonio branch of MALDEF is challenging the judge's decision. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said last week that he joined the Trump administration's motion to end the "unconstitutional" law. Ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas," he said. MALDEF said it filed the motion to join the case on behalf of Students for Affordable Tuition, a group of students who would have to pay out-of-state tuition four times as high if the judge's ruling holds. "What happened last week the invalidation of longstanding state law in the course of one afternoon was an abuse of our judicial system; those affected by the attempted invalidation have the right to be heard on the legality of the Texas Dream Act," said Thomas Saenz, the president and general counsel of MALDEF. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its motion to intervene, MALDEF states that the 2001 Texas Dream Act was passed five years after Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Responsibility Act with the clause that an undocumented person cannot be eligible for residence unless a citizen is eligible for the same benefit. U.S. citizens who reside in Texas can qualify for residency within a year, but under the 2001 state law students without legal immigration status must live in the state three years, graduate from a Texas high school and sign an affidavit stating their intent to pursue citizenship at the first available opportunity. Foreign-born students currently receiving in-state tuition under the 2001 state law may have to withdraw from higher education because of the "imminent and severe hardship" with paying for the increased tuition. Federal financial aid is available only to U.S. citizens, and many foreign-born students rely on out-of-pocket payments, private aid or limited state aid. "Relying on guarantees from the State of Texas for over twenty years that they would qualify for in-state tuition rates, SATs members decided to pursue higher education in Texas," the motion states. "However, because of this lawsuit and the Courts final judgment, SATs members face increases of up to 810% in their higher education costs." State Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, had introduced a bill this legislative session to repeal the 2001 act, but it died before it received a vote in the Senate. Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed the 2001 Texas Dream Act into law, which passed with widespread bipartisan support because it provided foreign-born students a path to become productive Texans as they sought U.S. citizenship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The court must grant MALDEF's request for intervention before it can officially join the lawsuit and argue the case. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas nonprofit fights end to in-state tuition for undocumented students PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) A North Adams man was sentenced to prison on Wednesday for multiple charges related to rape of a child. Upskirting case involved multiple victims, Berkshire County DA urges update on Massachusetts law Berkshire District Attorneys Office Chief of Operations Julia Sabourin shared in a news release that 29-year-old Austin Miller-Robinson was sentenced to 18 to 20 years in state prison for the charges of Aggravated Rape of a Child with Force and Rape and Abuse of a Child Aggravated by Age Difference. (Courtesy of the Berkshire County District Attorneys Office) This sentencing stems from an investigation beginning in 2019, in which Miller-Robinson raped a three-year-old child. He was found guilty on June 4. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is an important victory for the children and citizens of Berkshire County, said Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue. I will always advocate for the strongest possible penalties under the law for anyone who harms our children. 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. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Republicans at the North Carolina legislature gave final approval Tuesday to two pieces of legislation that would compel state agencies to participate in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and would toughen a recent law that required sheriffs to help federal agents seeking criminal defendants. The series of House and Senate votes on the measures could mean an early showdown between the GOP-controlled General Assembly and new Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, who since taking office in January has tried to build rapport with lawmakers on consensus issues like Hurricane Helene aid. Stein has yet to a veto a bill, and pressure will build on him to use his stamp on one or both of the bills that were sent to him late Tuesday given the overwhelming Democratic opposition to the measures during floor votes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The GOPs legislative maneuvers happened as National Guard troops have been deployed by Trump to Los Angeles to confront protesters angry with federal conducting sweeps that led to immigrant arrests. Should Stein issue vetoes, Republicans in the ninth-largest state could face challenges in overriding them, since the GOP is currently one seat shy of a veto-proof majority. Republican leaders would need at least one Democrat for their side during an override vote or hope some Democrats are absent. Dueling immigration philosophies Republicans say the measures are needed to assist the Trump administration's efforts to remove immigrants unlawfully in the country who are committing crimes and or accessing limited taxpayer resources that are needed for U.S. citizens or lawful immigrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Carolina is one step closer to increasing the safety of every citizen in the state, said Senate Leader Phil Berger, a primary sponsor of one of the bills. The Republican-led General Assembly made it clear that harboring criminal illegal aliens will not be tolerated in our state." But Democrats and social justice advocates of immigrants say the bills vilify immigrants who work and pay taxes, leading residents to feel intimidated and fear law enforcement, which will ultimately make communities less safe. Demonstrators opposed to GOP action filled the Senate gallery during debate. Republicans are spending their time trying to sell a lie that immigrants are the source of our problems, Democratic Sen. Sophia Chitlik of Durham County said, telling colleagues that their constituents didnt send us here to round up their neighbors. They sent us here to make their lives better. Stein spokesperson Morgan Hopkins said late Tuesday that the governor "will continue to review the bills. He has made clear that if someone commits a crime and they are here illegally; they should be deported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Breaking down the bills One measure receiving final approval in part would direct heads of several state law enforcement agencies, like the State Highway Patrol and State Bureau of Investigation, to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That would include having to officially participate in the 287(g) program, which trains officers to interrogate defendants and determine their immigration status. A Trump executive order urged his administration to maximize the use of 287(g) agreements. The measure also would direct state agencies to ensure noncitizens don't access state-funded benefits and publicly funded housing benefits to which they are otherwise ineligible. The same applies to unemployment benefits for those aren't legally authorized to live in the U.S. And the bill also prohibits University of North Carolina system campus policies that prevent law enforcement agencies from accessing school information about a students' citizenship or immigration status. Thousands of international students attending college in the U.S. had their study permissions canceled this spring, only for ICE to later reverse decisions and restore their legal status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The other approved bill Tuesday builds on the 2024 law that lawmakers enacted over then-Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers veto that directed jails hold temporarily certain defendants whom ICE believe are in the country illegally, allowing time for immigration agents to pick them up. The law was a response by Republicans unhappy with Democratic sheriffs in several counties who declined to help immigration agents with offenders subject to federal immigration detainers and administrative warrants. The proposed changes expands the list of crimes that a defendant is charged with that would require the jail administrator expanding in the bill to magistrates to attempt to determine the defendants legal residency or citizenship. A defendant with an apparent detainer or administrative warrant would still have to go before a judicial official before a defendant could be released to agents. A jail also would have to tell ICE promptly that they are holding someone and essentially extends the time agents have to pick up the person. The North Carolina Legislative Building (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline) The North Carolina House voted 59-48 Wednesday to pass a contentious bill authorizing constitutional carry, sending it to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein for approval. Senate Bill 50, Freedom to Carry NC, would allow individuals who are U.S. citizens, at least 18 years of age, and not otherwise prohibited by law, to carry concealed weapons without applying for a permit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its one of the most controversial topics of the legislative session. Members of Republican leadership support the bill, which would make North Carolina the 30th state to approve of so-called constitutional carry. Republican Reps. Ted Davis of New Hanover and William Brisson of Bladen and Sampson counties voted against the bill. Davis also voted against the measure during Tuesdays House Rules Committee hearing. Ten Republicans and 3 Democrats abstained from voting. Stein signaled to reporters on Tuesday that he would veto the bill, according to The Carolina Journal. Its possible the legislature doesnt have the numbers to override a gubernatorial veto after Republicans lost their supermajority in the House following Novembers elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort) presented SB 50 to the chamber. Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort) (NCGA screengrab) It allows people to constitutionally carry a firearm without obtaining a permit from the government to exercise their God-given right to defend themselves, he said. The bill does not change who may buy a firearm or the circumstances surrounding when or where an individual can carry a firearm, Kidwell said. Debate was lengthy, lasting about an hour. Roughly half of a dozen Democrats rose to speak out against the legislation, while a handful of Republicans defended it. Rep. Phil Rubin (D-Wake) cited surveys from Everytown for Gun Safety and Elon University that found a large majority of North Carolina voters were against removing permit requirements from concealed carry laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Allen Buansi (D-Orange) said the bill made him think of his community: the people and the law enforcement. This bill would make their jobs a whole lot harder and put them at an even greater risk, he said. Rep. Marcia Morey (D-Durham) proposed an amendment that would remove the first section of the legislation the parts about eliminating the permit process. It would leave the portions about compensating the families of gun violence victims. These provisions were added by Democratic amendments when the measure appeared on the Senate floor in March. I just ask you to vote, pick out the most controversial, dangerous part of the bill, Morey said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kidwell asked the chamber to shut down Moreys amendment. This basically just guts out the bill, he said. The amendment failed by a vote of 46-61. Morey argued that SB 50 itself highlights the harm it will cause. The first part eradicates the need for a permit to carry a concealed weapon, yet the rest of the bill addresses the irreparable damage that will come, she said. It increases compensation for families, of slain law enforcement, EMS. It provides scholarships for children whose family members die. Rep. Tracy Clark (D-Guilford)(NCGA screengrab) Rep. Tracy Clark (D-Guilford) shared two emotional stories about her own experience and trauma from guns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A childhood friend died by suicide while the pair attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill together. Four years later, Clark lost another friend, Eve Carson, to homicide. Carson, UNC-Chapel Hills student body president, was shot and killed near the campus in March 2008. Two totally different stories that Im traumatized by: suicide with a good guy with a gun, homicide with two very bad guys with a gun, Clark said. I have to speak out today because this bill goes too far. House Democratic leader Robert Reives said he was moved by Clarks painful remembrance of her friends lost to gun violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I felt I would be less of a man not to stand up and tell her how much I feel those stories, said Reives. Rep. Jay Adams (R-Catawba) reminded the chamber that he, like many of his friends, are part of the baby boomer generation born to World War II veterans whose parents taught them how to own weapons responsibly. Adams said he has owned firearms since he was 11 years old. But circumstances are different now, Rep. Amos Quick (D-Guilford) retorted. He said everybody is a law-abiding citizen until theyre not. When I was in school, no one thought about a school shooting, he said. If we pass this bill, we are opening the door potentially for more of our children to have to endure the horrors of being locked in their classroom, because one of their classmates, 18 years old, had the state of North Carolinas stamp of approval to go and get a weapon and conceal it and walk in the school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Carolinians Against Gun Violence are calling on Governor Stein to veto SB 50. Becky Ceartas, executive director of NCGV The safeguards we lose if we repeal the requirement for a concealed carry weapons permit are all too dangerous to risk when it comes to public carry of firearms in North Carolina, said Becky Ceartas, executive director of NCGV. Without a background check, the public and law enforcement do not know who is illegally carry a concealed weapon or not. Ceartas said weak concealed carry weapon permitting laws also increase gun thefts by approximately 35%. The General Assembly is taking us in the wrong direction for our state, and we urge Governor Stein to veto this dangerous bill. Immediately after approving SB 50, the House passed legislation (HB 811CS) that would appropriate $1 million in recurring funds over the next two fiscal years. This would allow North Carolinas community colleges to establish a comprehensive firearm safety instruction course, making the instruction as accessible as possible to all citizens 18 years and older who seek to enroll. Chimney Rock, North Carolina, was unrecognizable after Hurricane Helene swept through, bringing mudslides and flash flooding that ripped apart homes. At the time, it took hours and an escort for CBS News to reach the village, since the only access road had been washed away. Eight months later, the tourist town still isn't ready to welcome summer visitors, putting residents who rely on the tourism industry in peril. Residents like Theresa and Glenn Cauthren had to move into the Chimney Rock Inn, the hotel they own, after their house filled with mud. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They had hoped the hotel would have reopened by now, like hotels in Asheville and other nearby cities, but Chimney Rock is still without running water and sanitation. "I had no idea it was going to take this long," Glenn Cauthren told CBS News. Similar cases can be seen along Main Street. Peter O'Leary owns Bubba O'Leary's General Store, and he also serves as mayor of the town of 125. His store also filled up with mud after the hurricane, he said. Chimney Rock's remote location and the very geography that makes the town so stunning have also made recovery work slower and more expensive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Even though we're making great progress, there's still so much to do," O'Leary said. "I was in Asheville this morning. I was in Hendersonville this morning. And life is normal. And then you come here and it's just totally upside down," O'Leary said. "And, you know, that's just what we're all trying to come to grips with, is that our neighbors just a few miles away are living their lives and we're still trying to recover." But that's not deterring the community, including the Cauthrens. "We are resilient," Theresa Cauthren said, adding, "We're gonna be back and it's gonna be better than ever." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Australian reporter covering Los Angeles protests shot with rubber bullet by police officer Eye Opener: Protests erupt in more cities over ICE deportations LAPD chief speaks out about deployment of military forces to anti-ICE protests Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Chief Deputy Attorney General Claire Ness talk to reporters June 11, 2025, about an opinion related to Gov. Kelly Armstrong's veto. (Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakotas attorney general said Wednesday Gov. Kelly Armstrongs veto was sound, dismissing a differing conclusion by legislative staff that his intent was unclear and the Legislature should hold a special session to fix the error. The opinion by Attorney General Drew Wrigley means $35 million for housing programs Armstrongs office unintentionally crossed out in a May line-item veto can move forward unless the matter is challenged in court or the Legislature reconvenes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres been a bit of a tempest created in all of it, but what the governor did was a very modest veto, Wrigley said. Armstrongs veto message for the Industrial Commission budget described cutting $150,000 set aside for a Native American-focused organization to fund a homelessness liaison position. But a markup of the bill also crossed out a $35 million appropriation for affordable housing and homelessness funding Armstrong had intended to leave intact. His office later said there had been a staff markup error. Since then, the Legislature has been trying to figure out what actions, if any, must be taken to address the veto including the possibility of calling a special session. Wrigley found that the unintentional markup does not change the substance of the veto because Armstrongs written veto message was clear and unambiguous about what parts of Senate Bill 2014 he intended to cut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said in a Wednesday press conference that a visual image should not take precedence over the written orders, the detailed description offered by the one person with the power to veto. Attorneys for North Dakotas legislative branch in a Friday memo took a very different position, advising the Legislature that calling a special session would be the prudent remedy for the mistake. In its memo, Legislative Council said legal precedent suggests the marked-up bill is part of the official veto document. It would not be appropriate to allow the Governor and Attorney General to resolve the ambiguity by agreement, the memo states. Doing so could have unintended consequences for how ambiguous vetoes are handled in the future, Legislative Council said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wrigley called the Legislative Council memo a political document and said the Attorney Generals Office has the final say on the matter unless the issue is challenged in court. The power in question is strictly the governors power and it has to be in compliance with the constitution and laws of North Dakota, he told the North Dakota Monitor last week. Thats the only assessment here. Theres no role for this in Legislative Council. They have no authority in this regard. Armstrong, whose office requested the opinion, in a statement agreed with Wrigleys findings. We appreciate the Attorney Generals determination, which clarifies the matter, avoids the cost of a special session and nullifies the flawed interpretation that initially blew this up into something much bigger than it needed to be, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A special session is estimated to cost $65,000 per day, Legislative Council has said. The Legislature could still decide to reconvene for a special session to override the veto if it chooses to, Wrigley said. Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, R-Minot, said he disagrees with the attorney generals conclusions. He said legislative leadership and Legislative Council will meet with the governors office to discuss next steps. I dont want there to be uncertainty about these issues, he said. The interim Legislative Management Committee would have to vote on whether to challenge the opinion in court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Legislative Council Director John Bjornson said the office did not immediately have a statement on the opinion. The bill takes effect July 1. This story was updated. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Attorney General Opinion LAS VEGAS (KLAS) North Las Vegas police identified a vehicle of interest in a deadly shooting that left a 17-year-old dead Sunday. Just before 2 a.m. Sunday, North Las Vegas police responded to a report of a shooting at a business in the 3100 block of East Lake Mead Boulevard near North Pecos Road. When officers arrived, they found a 17-year-old unresponsive. 17-year-old killed in North Las Vegas shooting; police searching for suspect Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Medical personnel attempted life-saving measures however, the teen succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. Police said the suspect left the scene before officers arrived. North Las Vegas detectives identified a red 2015-2017 Hyundai Sonata as a vehicle of interest in a deadly shooting in the 3100 block of East Lake Mead Boulevard (NLVPD) North Las Vegas detectives identified a red 2015-2017 Hyundai Sonata as a vehicle of interest in a deadly shooting in the 3100 block of East Lake Mead Boulevard (NLVPD) North Las Vegas detectives identified a red 2015-2017 Hyundai Sonata as a vehicle of interest in the shooting. Anyone who may have information about this incident is urged to contact the North Las Vegas Police Department by phone at 702-633-9111. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers of Nevada by phone at 702-385-5555, or online at crimestoppersofnv.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. In district court last week, a Laurel County jury acquitted a local teacher of all charges related to a December 2024 incident involving a child. North Laurel Middle School teacher Brittany G. Farmer, 36, was recently determined not guilty on both third-degree criminal abuse and fourth-degree assault. The charges were based on allegations that Farmer had struck a juvenile child with a leather belt causing bruising and lacerations on the childs buttocks, according to a complaint filed by the Laurel County Sheriffs Office. The charges were brought after the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) investigated reports of possible child abuse. Laurel County Sheriffs Deputy Tommy Houston submitted the affidavit, which was filed on Feb. 7, 2025. District Judge Wendell Skip Hammons Jr. then signed and filed the warrant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Farmer was later arrested and released on a $2,500 cash bond. Jurors were instructed that to convict on the abuse charge, they had to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Farmer recklessly caused the child who was under 12 at the time to be subjected to torture, cruel punishment, or confinement. For the assault charge, the jury was told to consider whether she was justified in using physical discipline. The jury found Farmer, who had been represented by attorney Brandon West, not guilty on both counts. In February, Laurel County Public Schools released a statement clarifying that the juvenile was not a student. The statement also said Farmer had been placed on administrative leave pending the results of the trial. At this time, it remains unclear whether Farmer will return to her teaching position at North Laurel Middle School as school officials have not yet commented on her employment status. For the third night in a row, riots rocked the town of Ballymena in Northern Ireland on Wednesday, lasting into the early hours of Thursday morning. Protesters used petrol bombs and fireworks as they clashed with the authorities. In response, police deployed plastic baton rounds and a water cannon. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed that an additional nine officers were injured on Wednesday during the unrest. Overall, several arrests have been made and dozens of police officers injured. Police said that across the first two nights of rioting, businesses and homes had been attacked and damaged. As tensions escalated, tires and bins were set alight on Wednesday evening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement addressing Wednesdays violence, PSNI reported that officers responded to an arson attack at a leisure center in the nearby town of Larne. Shockingly, people were inside the building at the time of this firethankfully no injuries were reportedand we could have been looking at a completely different situation, police said. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is facing resignation calls after a social media post about the location of migrant families who fled the riots near their homes in Ballymena and sought shelter at the leisure center. Lyons has defended his post from Wednesday evening, telling BBCs Good Morning Ulster: "I will very strongly hit back at any notion that I had revealed the use of this facility to the public when the protest was already planned, when everybody knew what was happening. People are seen walking past flames as PSNI officers in riot gear respond to a third night of civil unrest on June 11, 2025, in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. Charles McQuillanGetty Images A number of protests have also taken place in other towns and cities across Northern Ireland, including Belfast, Lisburn, and Newtownabbey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the town of Coleraine, police reported that trash cans were set alight on railway tracks at the local train station. Heres what to know about the ongoing unrest in Ballymena. What prompted the riots in Northern Ireland? The disorder started on Monday, June 9, after a peaceful protest took place in the town of Ballymena over an alleged sexual assault that police say occurred the previous Saturday. Earlier on Monday, two 14-year-old boys appeared at Coleraine Magistrates' Court in relation to the assault. The boys are charged with attempted oral rape. Both deny the charges. The boys appeared via videolink from a juvenile center, and confirmed their names and ages via a Romanian translator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later in the day, hundreds of peopleincluding men, women and childrenpeacefully protested the ongoing case in the town centre of Ballymena, raising concerns about the safety of young women and locals. Separate riots then began in the town on Monday night, as police reported a number of missiles thrown at officers and properties nearby being damaged. The authorities have referred to the escalated riots as "racially-motivated" attacks that are targeting minority ethnic communities. Chief Superintendent Sue Steen issued a plea to the public on Monday night, saying: We are urging everyone to remain calm and to act responsibly. Violence and disorder will only place people at greater risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police announced on Tuesday, June 10, that a third person had been arrested in connection with the sexual assault. PSNI said that the suspect was a 28-year-old man who had been unconditionally released from police custody after questioning. A protester throws an object at officers from the PSNI, who are holding riot shields, during a third night of disorder in Ballymena in the early hours of Thursday, June 12, 2025. Liam McBurneyGetty Images How long are the riots expected to last? Speaking to the BBCs Nolan Show on Wednesday, assistant chief constable Ryan Henderson said that he expected the violence to continue in the coming days and urged the public to stay home on Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, Sky News correspondent Connor Gillies, who has been in Ballymena, said on Wednesday that some families had been barricading themselves in their attics amid the escalating violence. "The talk here in this town is that it could go on for weeks yet," he said. How have police responded? In response to the first night of rioting, constable Henderson said during a press conference: This violence was clearly racially-motivated and targeted at our minority ethnic community and the police. It was racist thuggery purely and simply, and any attempt to justify or explain it as anything else is misplaced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The BBC has reported that some households have put up signs signifying the ethnicity or nationality of its residents, seemingly in an effort to remain out of harm's way. One photo showed a sign above a door reading Filipino lives here. Henderson appealed for calm voices and cool heads on Thursday after another night of disruption, which once again spread to protests in Belfast, Lisburn, and Antrim. Most of the protests in Belfast, as well as those in Lisburn and Antrim, passed without incident, according to the authorities. This criminal behaviour has no place on the streets of Northern Ireland and is completely unacceptable. What we witnessed last night has caused fear and huge disruption within our communities, including to our local transport network and community services, Henderson said. In a statement released on Wednesday in response to the second night of chaos, chief constable Jon Boutcher called the riots mindless violence and that it was "deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the [police] in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice, and protection, Boutcher said. Ironically, and frustratingly, this violence threatens to derail the very pursuit of justice it claims to challenge. Let me be clear: This behaviour must stop. I appeal to everyone involved to cease all further acts of criminality and disorder immediately. The chief constable also thanked the police officers tasked with handling and responding to the riots, adding that he believes the PSNI is critically underfunded. Despite operating under immense financial pressurefar greater than that faced by other public services in Northern Ireland or police forces across the UK and in the Republic of Irelandour officers continue to display unwavering professionalism, courage, and resolve, said Boutcher. A burnt out house is pictured on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, on Queen Street following a second night of violence in Ballymena, during a protest over an alleged sexual assault. Niall CarsonGetty Images What have politicians said about the riots? British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer addressed the riots during Prime Ministers Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I utterly condemn the violence that weve seen overnight in Ballymena and in other parts of Northern Ireland, he said. It is absolutely vital that PSNI are given the time they need to investigate the incidents concerned rather than face mindless attacks as they seek to bring peace and order to keep people safe. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said: This is not what Northern Ireland is about, this is not what we want the rest of the world to see, on BBCs Good Morning Ulster on Thursday. Whatever views people hold, there is no justification for trying to burn people out of their homes, that is what is going on, and that is what needs to stop because it is shocking and damaging. Irish Tanaiste [Deputy Prime Minister] Simon Harris has also condemned the rioting. "The scenes of violence over the last two nights in Ballymena are deeply disturbing. The strong collective calls for the violence and disorder to end immediately must be heeded. There can be no justification for attacks such as these on peoples homes or on the police, he said on Wednesday. Michelle ONeill, Northern Irelands First Minister, has called for an immediate end to the racist and sectarian attacks on families across the North and the rioting in Ballymena. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking out via social media on Wednesday morning, she said: No one, now or ever, should feel the need to place a sticker on their door to identify their ethnicity just to avoid being targeted. Police respond to a second night of violence in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, in the early hours of Wednesday June 11, 2025. Niall CarsonGetty Images Leader of the Northern Irish Unionist Ulster Party Mike Nesbitt, who also serves as Health Minister, said: There is no justification for this mayhem, and my thoughts are with those who have lost their homes and the greater number who are feeling intimidated and unwelcome. I understand there are community concerns regarding an alleged serious sexual assault. There are legitimate ways to express those concerns. Street violence is not one of them. Sinn Fein MP (Member of Parliament) John Finucane has condemned the attacks. The racist attacks on a number of homes near the Ballysillan area last night were abhorrent, and my thoughts are with those families affected. Sickening behaviour such as this has no place in our society, Finucane said in a statement shared via social media on Wednesday morning. I will be contacting the families affected to ensure they receive the support they need in the time ahead. Racism, wherever it occurs, must be stamped out and faced down through strong leadership in our communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Northern Irelands Justice Minister Naomi Long has expressed her concerns over the riots. The violence we have witnessed in recent days in Ballymena and other parts of Northern Ireland is appalling, and I urgently appeal for calm throughout our society, she said. Those responsible do not reflect our communities, and my thoughts are with everyone who has been affected. Contact us at letters@time.com. NEWTON COUNTY, Ind. (WGN) An Illinois woman survived for six days in her crashed car in Northwest Indiana and then spent almost three months in the hospital recovering. Now, she is finally in the comfort of her own home. I just feel like He has a purpose that Im here, whoever that is. I dont have any other explanation for it, Brieonna Cassell said. In March, the 41-year-old mother of three was driving home when she fell asleep behind the wheel and her car veered into a ditch along CR 600S in Newton County, Indiana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My whole body was thrown into the floorboard and my legs buckled underneath me. My wrist hit the steering wheel and I hit my head on the windshield, Cassell said. Missing woman survives nearly a week after Northwest Indiana crash Cassell was pinned inside the Ford Taurus with broken legs, ribs, an ankle and wrist. A rock was preventing her door from opening. She was stuck. But she says she never panicked nor did she feel the pain. I knew the first thing when I wrecked was just that I have to stay calm, she said. The impact of the crash sent her phone flying underneath the passenger seat, just out of reach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was trying to get Google to call and Google would not listen. It was saying, I would love to do that for you but first you must unlock your screen,' Cassell said. She shouted for help. She painted 911 with nail polish on a piece of debris and tried to hold it up. And she used a broken piece of the center console to reach a mattress cover behind her to stay warm. She figured out how to survive, dipping a spare pair of jeans into the ditch below to soak up water to drink until help arrived. Shes very strong: Illinois woman trapped in car for 6 days, recovering from surgeries I would hold onto the end of the leg and then I would fish over my shoulder while I held my door open with my head and my broken arm. Id pull it up and I would suck the water right out of the end of the jeans, Cassell said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She survived six days waiting to be rescued before she was airlifted to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. I didnt start to give up until the day I was actually found, Cassell said. My bones had turned black, I could see them. Id smelled rotting flesh for two days at that point. Im like, if you dont let somebody see me, then Im not going to make it. And an hour later a truck pulled up. That truck was driven by a local fire chief who was alerted to the car by his employee who spotted Cassell from high up on a tractor. Once at the hospital, Cassell spent most of her time in the ICU and the operating room, undergoing 13 surgeries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She arrived back home Saturday morning. A new wheelchair ramp is installed at the home she shares with her mom. Thats the first time Ive heard her tell the whole story and it got me, Kim Brown, Cassells mom, said. I tell her all the time, I just love you. Im so glad youre here. In the nearly three months since the crash, Cassell has had plenty of time to think about the practical advice shed offer other drivers. If you notice youre starting to fall asleep while driving, pull over. Do not leave your cell phones in cupholders, they will fly out if you crash. You dont want to be stuck like I was stuck, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cassell is writing a book about her journey. It stands at 13 chapters one for each surgery. Her friends are hosting a benefit to raise money for her recovery on July 19 at 4 p.m. in Wheatfield, Indiana. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Montana Public Service Commission is hearing NorthWestern Energy's rate case this week and next. (Photo by fhm | Getty Images) Even before the Public Service Commission approved a settlement that meant a 28% rate increase for NorthWestern Energy customers, Chris Blazers friend struggled. Blazer, of Helena, said her friend lives on just $2,000 a month. Even five years ago, before the big rate increases, she was living in darkness and cold so that she could feed herself and her horses, Blazer said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blazer made her comments Wednesday to the Public Service Commission during a hearing on the monopoly utilitys rate case. She said some people do not realize the impact so-called minor increases have on customers lives. In August 2022, NorthWestern Energys electric customers paid $91.27 a month, according to its own records. On July 1, likely before the PSC issues an order in the current case, those same customers could be paying $127.24, a 39.4% increase in three years. NorthWestern Energy said rates could drop compared to the current rate if the PSC approves a settlement in the case the PSC put June rates at $118.20 for the average electric customer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But a couple of other adjustments are pending in the meantime, and a group of organizations intervening in the case are asking commissioners to take a closer look at costs. At the hearing this week, a lawyer representing the group also quizzed a NorthWestern Energy vice president about the utilitys response to an earlier order requiring the utility to assess its programs to help people with lower incomes. In a discussion about rate increases nationally, PSC President Brad Molnar said Montana customers pay the 12th lowest electric rates in the U.S. So were actually living pretty well, Molnar said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement *** On the witness stand earlier in the week, NorthWestern Energy CEO Brian Bird agreed with Commissioner Annie Bukaceks perspective that the utilitys rates are reasonable in comparison to other expenses people pay. Bird said coffee can be $5 and a Big Mac meal can be $9.99. By comparison, he said, NorthWestern Energy powers all appliances in a persons home and supplies all of its natural gas for $6 a day. I think people dont really appreciate that when we can do that as affordably as we have, Bird said. Customer Jocelyn Leroux, however, said NorthWestern Energy executives dont appreciate the financial pressures Montanans face for some, an extra $20 on a bill is money that used to pay for groceries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Imagine having to choose between sweating through the night to save on electricity, or turning on the air conditioning, and going light on food for the week, said Leroux, with the Montana chapter of the Sierra Club. These are the kinds of calculations that many people are forced to make. She said the reason customers are forced into these choices is NorthWestern executives seem to be prioritizing their own financial status over more affordable and cleaner energy sources despite all the wind and solar potential in Montana. A NorthWestern Energy shareholder report on the utilitys website outlined compensation for executive officers in 2024, including salary, stocks, deferred compensation and other pay: Brian Bird, CEO: $4.81 million Crystal Lail, CFO: $1.74 million Shannon Heim, general counsel: $1.00 million Bobbi Schroeppel, VP customer care, communications, HR: $892,457 John Hines, VP, supply/MT government affairs: $929,887 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an introduction to the report, Bird encouraged shareholders to review the information in preparation for an April 30th meeting. The executive pay section describes its aim. Our executive pay program is designed to align the long-term interests of our executives, shareholders, and customers, the report said. (From a NorthWestern Energy shareholder report on its website.) But some Montanans still need help paying the bills. Tuesday, lawyer Jenny Harbine asked if NorthWestern Vice President Schroeppel had reviewed data that showed 20% to 50% of Montana households with incomes of less than $75,000 said they needed to reduce or forego spending on basic necessities to pay their utility bills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harbine represents a group of organizations that are asking the PSC to reject a settlement in the case. They argue NorthWestern is falling short when it comes to responsibly planning for the future, taking climate change into account and ensuring reasonable bills, especially for customers with lower incomes. When it comes to household budgets, though, Schroeppel said the reverse is true at times, and some households forgo paying their electric bills to afford other items. Harbine also wanted to confirm some of those families might not be buying daily lattes and burgers. Can we agree that Mr. Birds testimony about the cost of a daily soda or Big Mac or coffee may overlook the experience of these families? Harbine asked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I cant speak to that, said Schroeppel, vice president of customer care, communications and human resources. Harbine asked if Schroeppel was aware the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program reached only 15% of the eligible population in Montana in 2024. Schroeppel said shes seen numbers as high as 20% across the state. However, she said the figure includes customers served by other utilities. In response to Harbine, however, she conceded the majority of that population is made up of NorthWestern customers, although she also said LIHEAP is a program run through the state health department, not the utility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an order in January 2024, the Public Service Commission directed NorthWestern Energy to evaluate the efficacy of low-income energy assistance programs. The PSC ordered the utility to, at a minimum, address information gaps about trends in affordability for low-income customers, barriers to programs, and the most effective outreach. Harbine wanted to know if NorthWestern had made any changes since the order. The group Harbine represents is comprised of the Montana Environmental Information Center, the Human Resource Council District XI, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the NW Energy Coalition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schroeppel said the utility had not made changes, but I dont read the commission order to indicate that thats what they were looking for. Rather, she said, the directive was to pull a stakeholder group together to understand why customers dont participate in programs and determine the best way to reduce barriers and communicate. To that end, she said NorthWestern is evaluating significant customer research thats hot off the press and includes national data as well as information from its own customers. After reviewing the research, Schroeppel said, the utility will talk to the stakeholder group, start strategizing around (the PSCs) objectives, and likely hire a consultant to further facilitate the stakeholder group and look at data to understand what needs to change. Harbine wanted to know if the group had produced any recommendations based on the PSC order. Schroeppel said the group is at that point right now, saying it has a whole host of recommendations, including, for example, to allow categorical eligibility. That would mean a customer could be automatically eligible for utility assistance if the person already qualifies for, say, Medicaid. Harbine wanted to know if the group would make a proposal that addressed the PSCs order before its next rate case, but Schroeppel said she anticipated it would issue findings and an update instead. The proposal would come more along the lines if we were going to come in and ask to change something, Schroeppel said. And you dont anticipate asking to change something? Harbine said. Schroeppel said NorthWestern does not anticipate changing anything yet because it needs to do more work around analytics and the cost of different ideas. I think some of the barriers can probably be just worked on between the various agencies and the stakeholder group, Schroeppel said. Harbine wanted to know if Schroeppel believed NorthWestern was committing enough resources to address affordability concerns, and Schroeppel said she does. But Schroeppel said the consultant will help, and she anticipates that work will extend beyond the scope of what this initial commission order was and look at future programs, including ideas from other utilities. The hearing is expected to continue through June 20. Editors note: This story has been corrected to note the customers Molnar indicated pay the 12th lowest rates in the U.S. are Montanans as a whole, not NorthWestern customers. Colstrip Power Plant (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan). NorthWestern Energy has said it had to charge customers an extra $40 million when a plant at Colstrip went down right before a cold snap in 2024 but its leaders also argue the coal-fired facility is critical to reliability. Lawyer Jenny Harbine, representing a group of organizations that are questioning the monopolys ability to responsibly plan for the future and manage costs, argued she should be able to ask a NorthWestern vice president questions about the apparent contradiction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If were not able to probe the veracity of those twin assertions, then our advocacy is significantly hampered with respect to issues that NorthWestern has placed before this commission, Harbine said. Tuesday was the second day of a hearing on a major rate case filed by NorthWestern Energy, the states largest public utility. The Montana Public Service Commission continued to hear testimony from witnesses for the utility, including Vice President of Supply John Hines. Harbine represents a group of organizations that argue NorthWestern is demonstrating ignorance of climate-related costs and risks in the decisions it makes to the detriment of customers including the cost to keep coal-fired units running at Colstrip. A lawyer for NorthWestern Energy objected to some of Harbines questions about the plant and climate change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, in the case of the extra costs and outage in January 2024, Montana Public Service Commission President Brad Molnar allowed her to ask her question given the expertise of the witness. Hines said he wasnt aware of the $40 million number in connection with the cold stretch and pointed to another witness as better suited to address some of Harbines questions. A company memo NorthWestern discussed in March 2024 estimated the cost of market purchases at nearly $40 million. In response to a question from Harbine, however, Hines agreed market purchases would have cost less if the Colstrip unit had stayed online and hadnt broken down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Hines also said the plant was up and running again before the worst of the cold spell, and he said any type of facility will have ups and downs. Also, he said, wind and solar at times dont produce either. Thats why we have a diversified portfolio that encompasses all different types of generation, Hines said. Also in response to questions from Harbine, Hines agreed regular overhauls are performed on the Colstrip units, previously every four years, and more recently every three years. He said those overhauls involve a lot of scoping, with 280 miles of pipe within one unit Its an incredible engineering feat. He compared the work to regular maintenance on a car every 20,000 miles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hines said the work is intended to be preventative, but Harbine asked if the plant would still break down, and Hines agreed it would, as it did in 2024. The current rate case before the commission involves a proposed partial settlement on electric costs among NorthWestern and other parties. However, the group of organizations Harbine represents wants the Public Service Commission to reject it as too risky and costly for customers. NorthWestern Energy also has hydro power generation, and Harbine asked if the utility had assessed how climate change might affect, for instance, river flow. Hines said he hadnt seen any significant deviation other than normal variation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harbine wanted to know if he had reviewed modeling of future snowpack, but Hines said he was more interested in current snowpack than future predictions. Harbine, though, pressed Hines on whether NorthWestern had enlisted expertise to assess how changes to snowpack might affect the productivity of NorthWesterns hydro assets. Hines stressed NorthWestern evaluates existing conditions, but as far as hiring a climate scientist to opine about local impacts from a global phenomenon, Im not even aware of any accurate models that do that. He said global warming shows overall trends, and its possible to do some geographical narrowing, but he wasnt aware of modeling specific to a watershed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Have you inquired? Harbine asked. I havent inquired specifically, no, Hines said. In response to a question about whether he disputes the science of climate change, Hines said its an interesting question. Hines said hes a bit of a history buff, and he knows the biggest fire in Montana was in 1910, and a fire in 1988 burned one million acres in Yellowstone National Park. So relating events to global changes, I am somewhat cynical about, Hines said. In response to Commissioner Annie Bukacek, Hines agreed he was frustrated to see people connect specific incidents to human-caused climate change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres a lot of pretty significant events that are being (attributed) to climate change, such as fires these days, that were ongoing well before the Industrial Revolution, if you will, Hines said. The group Harbine represents is comprised of the Montana Environmental Information Center, the Human Resource Council District XI, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the NW Energy Coalition. The hearing will continue at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Norway plans to transfer significantly more F-16 fighters to Ukraine than previously stated. Source: annual report on the import and export of conventional weapons, cited by Militarnyi Details: The document indicates that Norway intends to provide Ukraine with 14 F-16 aircraft, despite official announcements confirming only 6 fighters. Delivery schedules for the additional unannounced F-16s remain undisclosed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report does not detail the condition of the eight additional aircraft. They may include airframes unsuitable for flight, potentially used for training technical personnel, disassembly for spare parts, or as decoys. This aligns partially with earlier Norwegian government statements about transferring only combat-ready fighters, decommissioned in 2021. However, it is possible that some of the unannounced F-16s have been repaired and restored to operational condition. In addition to the F-16s, the report mentions the transfer to Ukraine of 20 German-made Dingo 2 armoured vehicles and 2 Norwegian NM189 engineering vehicles, based on the Leopard 1 tank. Background: In May 2025, Norwegian Defence Minister Ture Sandvik announced that all promised F-16 fighters would be transferred to Ukraine by the end of 2025. He confirmed that some aircraft had already been delivered, with the remainder scheduled for dispatch before year-end. In the summer of 2024, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre announced that Ukraine would receive six F-16 fighters from Norway. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The Wisconsin Historical Society has chosen not to raise the Pride flag this year, ending a practice that it had started in 2019. While there are understandable reasons to avoid flying all flags except for state and national flags on government buildings, it is difficult not to see this decision as an act of negation, a step backward, and an act of political acquiescence. When the current federal administration has chosen to attack LGBTQ+ communities by removing protections and allowing discrimination at the same time that it rejects decades of historical scholarship with the Executive Orders Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling and Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History (both openly rejected by professional historical organizations), it is no small act to choose negation. The denial of history is intimately related to citizen acquiescence and then social erosion. The timing of the Historical Societys decision leaves one to wonder if a president and party that wields power with threats to funding and vituperative speech had a role in this decision. History too often is built on acts of erasure The Historical Societys spokesperson, Colleen Lies, has said that while the decision was complex and difficult, the society would be guided by its mission to connect people to history by collecting, preserving and sharing stories of Wisconsinites from all backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. And a quick look at the societys website clearly demonstrates its commitment to headlining LGBTQ+ stories this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Letters: House budget provision exempts executive branch from following court orders But history is not just an act of collection; it can often be built on acts of erasure. The erasure of history has been used to do harm, maintain power, and silence painful reckoning. "History," wrote Maya Angelou, "despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again." Noted historian Gerda Lerner, who practiced and helped build the field of womens history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, just yards from the doors of the Wisconsin Historical Society, asserted that historical knowledge was power. Only by reclaiming their history could women empower themselves. "Men develop ideas and systems of explanation by absorbing past knowledge and critiquing and superseding it, she wrote in "The Creation of Feminist Consciousness." "Women, ignorant of their own history, did not know what women before them had thought and taught, and so could hardly change the cycle of subordination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Historical consciousness helped change that trajectory. Without that consciousness, historical ignorance and erasure doom us all to a Sisyphean struggle. We are in a moment of national and local reckoning with historys importance. Every historical gesture and decision matters. Wisconsin Historical Society has chosen an act of negation The Wisconsin Historical Society, one of the premiere historical societies in the nation, has chosen an act of negation, perhaps adding to a quiet erosion of all that the state has done to pioneer Queer rights. Pride Month, like Womens History Month or Black History Month, reminds us that in the recovery of history, in the preservation of those histories alongside equally important but longer-told and better-known histories, we enrich the nation and the national story. In our many histories and many stories, we build strength and tolerance. Opinion: Americans need transformative talks on race. Juneteenth is the space for that. Collection and preservation are crucial, but we must also fight erosion and erasure, particularly at a moment when the process of erasure is federally mandated and funded. In 1851, just after statehood, Wisconsin adopted the motto Forward to reflect the collective desire to lead the nation toward progress. At this important moment, lets not go backward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A. Kristen Foster received her Ph.D. in U.S. history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She worked at the Wisconsin Historical Society while completing her degree and is currently an Associate Professor of History Marquette University. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Not flying pride flag step backward for WI Historical Society | Opinion President Donald Trump quickly reacted to fledgling riots in Los Angeles County over the weekend by activating the National Guard, a response that drew comparisons to the summer of 2020, when widespread violence and destruction arose from Black Lives Matter and Antifa riots. Trumps decision to federalize 4,100 National Guard soldiers and deploy hundreds of Marines came in the face of forceful objections from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is now suing Trump over the move. Trump's deputies, however, say the National Guard was a necessary step to quash riots lest they reach the scale of the ones that occurred across the country in the aftermath of George Floyd's death on May 25, 2020. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Trump's decision would prevent a scenario like the one in Minnesota that year, when Democratic Gov. Tim Walz waited two days to call upon the National Guard to address unrest in his state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Thats one of the reasons why these National Guard soldiers have been federalized, so they can use their special skill set to keep peace," Noem said in a recent television interview. "Were not going to let a repeat of 2020 happen, and if you remember, it all happened in Tim Walzs state, in Minneapolis and Governor Tim Walz made very bad decisions." David Marcus: Two Ways Trump 2.0 Quelled The Would-be La Riots Walz tried to get Trump to "bail him out" after the governor "let his city burn for days on end," Noem said. Read On The Fox News App Walz activated the National Guard in Minnesota on May 28, after looting and arson had already cropped up in the state in response to Floyd's death. Within hours of Walz announcing he had mobilized National Guard soldiers, rioters set ablaze Minneapolis' Third Precinct police station. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Walz ended up activating Minnesotas entire National Guard, his hesitancy prompted Trump to threaten on May 29 to federalize the soldiers "to get the job done right." 'State Of Rebellion': Expert Weighs In On Newsom Challenge To Trump Deploying National Guard President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. By May 30, Minnesota's National Guard announced that the governor had fully mobilized it, marking the "largest domestic deployment" in its history. During these riots, Trump was far more deferential to governors, several of whom saw their cities ravaged by rioting, looting, arson, violence and death. The Democratic governors struggled at times to balance a law-and-order posture with their sympathy for those frustrated by police brutality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Guard is a military force based in each state, and governors and presidents have shared authority over it. Governors typically have purview over their respective National Guard units, but presidents can call them into federal service in certain scenarios. On June 3, 2020, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., pressured the Trump administration in a New York Times op-ed to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow the president to federalize the National Guard. The prospect was so controversial at the time that the newspaper retracted the op-ed, citing fierce blowback from its readers. Jonathan Turley: Democrats' Rabid Anti-ice Resistance In La Against Trump Could Backfire Sen. Tom Cotton asks a question during the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on April 28, 2021, in Washington, D.C. By June 4, governors in 32 states and Washington, D.C., activated a total of more than 32,000 National Guard soldiers as the chaos transpired across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Click Here For More Immigration Coverage DHS Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar echoed Noem's remarks in a statement online on Monday, saying Trump moved so quickly because he did not want the same level of violence and damage as in 2020. Trump and Noem "will not allow violent radicals to intimidate and shut down law enforcement in LA," Edgar said. "This isnt the Summer of 2020 2.0. I thank the brave men and women of the National Guard defending federal buildings so that immigration officials can keep us safe." Original article source: Now and then: How Trump's response to LA riots has changed from 2020 Black Lives Matter and Antifa In a shocking collapse of care and accountability, elderly and disabled residents at two Rochester housing complexes were given just 10 days to vacate after a support program they depended on shut down suddenly, leaving some without housing or access to their own Social Security checks. One of those affected is 80-year-old Georgia Johnson. She is packed and ready to move, but cant. The reason? A nonprofit still controls her money. How can they be so heartless to take peoples money when they have to live? Johnson told News10NBC. Don't miss That money was supposed to be put in mommys account Family Service of Rochester, the nonprofit tasked with running the Enriched Housing Program at Hudson Ridge and Danforth Towers, managed residents' Social Security and disability benefits in exchange for providing support services and paying rent on their behalf. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But according to the Rochester Housing Authority and as previously reported, the organization owes more than $400,000 in back rent. And the New York State Department of Health said the care provided by Family Service had become so poor that it posed health and safety risks to residents. Want to hear the shocker? Johnson asked. They told me I was going to be in one room with a partner That wasnt even a downsize that was a no-size. Johnsons daughter, Jannine Johnson, found an assisted living facility willing to take her mother, but there's a catch: Family Service of Rochester is still receiving Georgias Social Security benefits and has failed to reimburse her for prior payments that she should have received directly. Despite a promise that her May check would be refunded, the money never showed. The family tried to cut ties with the nonprofit, visiting the Social Security office to change the representative payee, but due to a clerical error, the June 3 payment still went to Family Service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That money was supposed to be put in mommys account, Jannine said. Now theyve been told to ask the nonprofit to cut a check. So far? No check. No refund. No move. 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 This country is supposed to be land of the free and home of the brave, Georgia Johnson said, but in other countries they take care of their elders. News10NBCs Deanna Dewberry contacted the board chair of Family Service of Rochester. She claimed she was unaware of the situation but said theyre now trying to resolve it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Family Service issued a statement saying it is "following instructions" from the Social Security Administration. The nonprofit says it can only release funds for rent if it receives an invoice from a new facility. They claim checks are written weekly. With $400,000 in unpaid rent and dozens of displaced and vulnerable residents, the situation caught the attention of law enforcement. Both the Monroe County District Attorney and the New York State Attorney General have confirmed theyre actively investigating. It would not be the first time that a nonprofit is accused of misusing government funds. The U.S. Attorneys Office has not yet commented. How to safeguard your finances This case exposes just how vulnerable seniors can be when someone else controls their money. Here are five takeaways to protect yourself: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Know your rights: If someone else is handling your benefits, you can change or revoke that arrangement by contacting the Social Security Administration (SSA) directly. Advance Designation allows you to pre-select up to three individuals as potential payees, offering peace of mind and preparedness. Keep documentation: Always keep records of your benefits, how theyre spent and who is the payee. In emergencies like this, paper trails are everything. Keep in mind that SSA requires representative payees to report any changes that may affect the beneficiary's benefit payments within 10 days after the month in which the change occurred. Emergency savings and housing plans: Seniors and caregivers should create what if emergency savings and housing plans, especially when third-party agencies are involved in finances. Understand your legal rights: Review or revoke power of attorney (POA) if you feel unsafe and assign a new one with legal assistance. Know elder abuse laws: Financial abuse is a crime. Report suspected abuse to Adult Protective Services or local law enforcement. Use technology safely: Beware of phishing and scams and never share financial information over the phone or email unless youre certain the individual youre speaking with is an authorized representative of the agency. Secure your devices by keeping your phone, computer and passwords safe, especially if you do online banking. 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. [Source] Community advocates in Manhattans Chinatown unveiled a new proposal last week calling for the relocation of a controversial, borough-based jail project as opposition intensifies against what would become one of the worlds tallest detention centers. Catch up The Manhattan jail at 124-125 White Street stems from former Mayor Bill de Blasios 2017 announcement to create a borough-based jail system replacing Rikers Island, which the City Council voted to shut down in 2019. Major construction of the borough-based jails began in June 2021, but the Manhattan project now faces significant delays, with costs rising from an original $1.7 billion estimate to $3.8 billion and completion pushed to 2032 though city officials now consider the original 2027 Rikers closure deadline unattainable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Community group Neighbors United Below Canal (NUBC) filed a lawsuit in 2020 citing the city underestimates the impacts of the Manhattan jail on traffic, noise pollution and socioeconomic impacts, initially winning before the citys successful 2021 appeal. Demolition work that began last spring has disrupted the adjacent Chung Pak senior housing center, with residents reporting structural damage and dust, and one tenant describing constant shaking that feels like an earthquake is coming. Trending on NextShark: NYC Chinatown residents unveil alternative plan to relocate 'mega jail' The latest efforts NUBC and a new community group, Welcome to Chinatown, held a rally on June 2 to present their Alternative Plan, which proposes relocating the Manhattan jail to the currently vacant Metropolitan Correctional Center that closed in 2021. Under their proposal, the 125 White Street site would be converted into 1,040 units of affordable housing, a 25,000-square-foot public plaza and community retail space, while reducing the maximum building height from 335 feet to 235 feet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NUBC co-founder Jan Lee said the plan reflects what the community has been asking for all along: more affordable housing and a real voice in what happens to our neighborhood. The proposal has won support from Councilmember Chris Marte, Assemblymember Grace Lee, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and other elected officials, with Community Board 1 passing a resolution endorsing the plan last month. Trending on NextShark: Japan bans flashy baby names like 'Nike,' 'Pikachu' Whats next The alternative proposal faces significant obstacles, requiring both city and federal approval since the Metropolitan Correctional Center is a federal facility. Community advocates have contacted Sen. Chuck Schumers office, and according to Lee, Schumer has been in touch with the Bureau of Prisons regarding the facilitys status. Time is running short, with Lee warning that the window for changes could be just a matter of weeks as once those boring tests are over, the bulldozers come in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams office maintains that any decision to relocate the jail must go through the City Council. He noted that the original Chinatown site selection occurred under the previous administration, with a spokesperson stating, the contract to build the Manhattan-based borough jail at this site has already been signed and the work has already begun. Trending on NextShark: Smartphone smuggled from North Korea automatically censors 'oppa' This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what were building, consider becoming a paid member your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Trending on NextShark: Asian Americans no longer healthiest older adult group, study finds Subscribe here now! Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today! NEW YORK NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch says she doesnt need help from the National Guard after cops arrested 86 anti-ICE activists in lower Manhattan with more protests expected this week. We certainly got this, Tisch said on Fox 5s Good Day New York Wednesday morning. I spent the weekend reaching out to our federal partners with a very clear message that the NYPD will have this under control. We have plans in place and if things escalate we can bring in cops from all over the city to assist. We have an army of 34,000 officers, she added. Were prepared for everything that comes our way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has deployed the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles against the wishes of Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom to quell protests that had flashes of violence. The state is suing to block the deployment. Tisch does not expect a similar scenario to play out in New York. The NYPD has a responsibility to maintain safety and order and we are not going to abdicate that responsibility, Tisch told Fox 5. We are fully able to police these protests and do it well. More than 2,500 protesters showed up in Foley Square to protest the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements new tactics of rounding up and arresting people coming out of immigration court. It was the second day of protests at Foley Square. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Holding signs and screaming F--- you! F--- ICE! and No ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA! some protesters marched to Washington Square Park while a large number stayed at Foley Square to vent their frustrations with the Trump administrations immigration crackdown. Some protesters who remained by ICE headquarters at 26 Federal Plaza began to throw litter baskets and rubbish in the streets, Tisch said. We did have a group of about 200 protestors looking to sow a little chaos and disorder and the NYPD will not tolerate that, Tisch said on MSNBCs Morning Joe Wednesday. Some of the protesters threw bottles at cops and chucked traffic cones into the street. By the end of the night, cops had rounded up 86 protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cops said 52 of the protesters received summonses to appear in court at a later date. The remaining 34 were criminally charged, although the exact charges were not immediately disclosed, and were awaiting arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court. Officers started to clash with protesters around 8 p.m., with cops zip-tying demonstrators who were then put into white police vans. More anti-ICE demonstrations are expected throughout the week and a mass protest is scheduled for Saturday. Many of the protests playing out in New York and around the country were sparked by horrific images of the National Guard and Marines being called in to quell anti-Ice protesters in Los Angeles. NEW YORK (PIX11) The NYPD is prepared for whatever comes our way ahead of more planned protests, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in an interview on Good Day New York. Protests have been held in Foley Square over the Trump administrations ramped-up deportation of immigrants across the U.S. More than 80 people were taken into custody on Wednesday during a rally in Federal Plaza, according to authorities. More Local News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thousands are also expected in Bryant Park on Saturday at 2 p.m. for the No Kings March, a protest planned to coincide with President Donald Trumps Washington, D.C. military parade. Organizers said over 1,500 cities will hold their own marches. Tisch said the NYPD has been speaking with federal authorities to keep the National Guard out of the city. The National Guard has been deployed in Los Angeles amid anti-ICE protests. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State The NYPD, we have this under control, she said. We have plans in place so that if it escalates, we can bring cops in from all over the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The NYPD has 34,000 police officers it can deploy if protests get rowdy, according to Tisch. The agency hasnt confirmed plans for stepped-up patrols in areas where rallies are expected. 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. CIVIC CENTER, Manhattan (PIX11) The New York Police Department has announced parking restrictions around Foley Square due to protest activity on Wednesday. No parking is permitted at the Foley Square area on Wednesday, though it was not immediately made clear how long the restriction would remain in place. More Local News The move comes after at least 2,500 protesters rallied against recent ICE raids in front of the federal immigration building in Foley Square on Tuesday, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police have said the protest at Federal Plaza near Foley Square on Tuesday had one of the largest crowds theyve seen since immigration rallies began. At least 80 people were arrested during the demonstration. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State The rallies have come amid waves of unrest on the West Coast, with the United States National Guard and the Marines being deployed to Los Angeles by Pres. Trump. During an interview with Morning Joe on Wednesday, Tisch says shes been in conversation with the head of the FBI, Federal Protective Services and Homeland Security Investigations to discuss whether the National Guard should also be sent to New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My message that I delivered to them was very clear, at the New York City Police Department, we are expert in policing protest, we have lots of practice at it and our cops are the best of the world, Tisch said. It is our responsibility to maintain safety and order on our streets and we will not abdicate that responsibility. More protests against the Trump administrations policies are planned for over the weekend. Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found 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. PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) Desperation is looming among the growing homeless population in Hampton Roads as they struggle to find shelter and their next meal, and the problem is only worsening. Meanwhile, a prominent place of feeding in Hampton Roads is on edge as their resources dwindle. Oasis Social Ministry has been feeding the homeless community in Portsmouth and beyond for 54 years, but will it make it to 55? That question remains as the food pantrys executive director, Cathy Davis says they are currently down by 67 percent on monetary donations and have been tanking since February. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were looking at are we still going to have our doors open in six months, she says. The need is undeniably high. Just last month, its staff of six rolled out 25,000 meals. Our homeless numbers are up by 18 percent over two years ago, says Davis. With all the budget rollbacks and cutbacks for the federal funding for USDA feeding programs, SNAP programs, Medicaid programs. But the economic uncertainty with rent prices going up, grocery prices going up, it has created a perfect storm of uncertainty. Lack of affordable housing, systemic poverty, mental health and addiction, unemployment, and eviction are all driving the numbers, according to the Southeastern Virginia Homeless Coalition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the state, the SVHC also reports homelessness to have climbed by 15 percent between 2021 and 2023. The data shows Portsmouth to hold one of the highest per capita homeless populations. I have consistent daily, multiple times a day, people coming and asking for shelter, she says. Where did they go for shelter? Who they call for shelter. We have seen what we call our unique visit. So first time visitors ever to a food pantry are up by 50 percent. So those are almost 250 folks a month that are coming to us that have never had to go to a food pantry before in their life. Its executive director Cathy Davis says last month the pantry served 25-thousand meals. Oasis Social Ministry receives no city, state or federal funding. However, it does participate in federal food programs like the Commodity Supplemental Feeding Program, which just lost $1.2 billion to funding cuts. To donate to Oasis Social Ministry, 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 WAVY.com. State Sen. Peter Oberacker on Wednesday called on the state Senate Investigations and Government Operations Committee to launch a full-scale investigation into the practices of utility companies such as New York State Electric & Gas. Families in my district are being hit with $3,000 bills and unauthorized withdrawals of nearly $1,000 without warning, Oberacker said in a news release. This isnt just bad billing its borderline criminal and we need answers. Oberacker cited the case of a constituent in Unadilla who, he said, received a $3,000 bill and another constituent whose monthly NYSEG auto-pay of $150 suddenly jumped to a $980 withdrawal with no notice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oberacker specifically questioned the link between the dramatic cost increases and the rollout of so-called smart meters and pushed for reforms to increase transparency and accountability, the release stated. Among Oberackers proposed solutions were: A full investigation by the Senate Investigations Committee Mandatory, fully itemized utility bills showing supply, delivery, taxes and surcharges clearly Clear labeling of estimated bills and procedures for correction A ban on utility companies passing along lobbying and public relations costs to ratepayers New Yorkers arent asking for favors. Theyre asking for fairness, honesty, and some basic accountability, Oberacker said. Utility companies shouldnt be able to raid peoples bank accounts or bury charges behind vague line items. We need to bring this abuse to light. N.C. 12, the highway that runs down the spine of the Outer Banks, is constantly at risk of being covered in water and sand because of erosion and sea-level rise. Those forces also threaten one of the states ferry terminals. Ocean water has swallowed pavement and the septic drain field at the Hatteras Inlet car ferry terminal on Ocracoke, forcing the N.C. Department of Transportation to consider whether to fortify the docks or build new ones elsewhere on the island. NCDOT has come up with four options that it made public in May. Because of the dramatic loss of shoreline in front of the ferry terminal at the north end of Ocracoke, doing nothing is not one of them, said Jed Dixon, director of the NCDOTs Ferry Division. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In one storm, we could lose all this if nothings done, Dixon said, gesturing toward an aerial photo of the terminal, known as South Dock. So we really need to start the planning now. Ferries are lifelines for Ocracoke, an island community of fewer than 800 year-round residents whose population swells several times that size in the summer. NCDOTs vehicle ferries between Ocracoke and Hatteras carried 186,156 cars and trucks last year and 426,222 passengers. Two of the options for preserving that service involve expanding the ferry terminal in Ocracoke Village and landing the Hatteras ferries there. That would more than double the run time between Hatteras and Ocracoke to 2 1/2 hours and require NCDOT to buy more of the larger boats capable of operating in the open waters of Pamlico Sound. A rendering of a potential new car ferry terminal in Ocracoke Village. The N.C. Department of Transportation has come up with four options for landing Hatteras Inlet car ferries on Ocracoke, including two in the village. The proposals are in response to erosion at the north end Ocracoke Island at and near the existing South Dock ferry terminal. A third option would be a new ferry terminal at Devil Shoals, in an undeveloped area outside the village near the Ocracoke Campground. It also would require larger boats and a longer trip, and would come with unpopular environmental costs both in the water and on land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The final option is to overhaul South Dock, with new slips for larger boats and new stacking lanes, where cars can wait to board. The old waiting area is no longer usable after large sections of pavement were washed away. The big challenge with maintaining South Dock is that more than a mile of N.C. 12 just south of the terminal is close to the surf and prone to flooding. In 2020, after Hurricane Dorian washed away the beach and left the road broken and buckled, NCDOT installed 2,500 sandbags to try to stabilize the protective dune. Parts of N.C. 12 on Ocracoke, pictured here on Sept. 13, 2019, were destroyed by Hurricane Dorian. The bags just barely hold back the sea, says Dave Hallac, superintendent of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which stretches over 70 miles and includes most of Ocracoke. Even on a calm day, the waves are basically hitting the other sides of those sand bags, Hallac told members of the N.C. Board of Transportations ferry committee in December. And then when the surf kicks up, theres just nothing to stop it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because of rising ocean waters and subsiding land, scientists predict sea-level rise of 15 to 22 inches along the Outer Banks by 2050, according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment released in late 2023. That will make South Dock and other areas of N.C. 12 even more vulnerable, Hallac said. Challenges associated with erosion are going to become worse with sea-level rise, and you dont have to be an oceanographer to know that, he said. With more water, were going to have more erosion. NCDOT dealing with several hot spots on N.C. 12 What to do at South Dock is just the latest challenge for NCDOT along N.C. 12. Four years ago, Dare County created the N.C. 12 Task Force to work with NCDOT, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Hyde County to develop a long-term plan to keep the highway open. The plan focused on seven hot spots where the road is especially vulnerable, including the section on Ocracoke near South Dock. One of the hot spots has been fixed in a way that shows how difficult and expensive maintaining N.C. 12 can be. Two years ago, NCDOT bypassed the so-called S-curves north of Rodanthe by building a 2.4-mile bridge out over Pamlico Sound, at a cost of $154 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its hard to focus on one trouble spot without thinking about the others. At a public meeting about South Dock on Hatteras last month, charter boat captain Steve Coulter asked NCDOT officials about the section of highway between Frisco and Hatteras Village that became an inlet after Hurricane Isabel in 2003 and remains perilously narrow. All of this is moot if that doesnt get fixed, said Coulter, who heads Dare Countys Waterways Commission. Thats the narrowest place on the damn island. The most susceptible spot on Highway 12 from Ocracoke to Oregon Inlet right now is right there. The narrowest place on Ocracoke is just south of South Dock. Of the four choices presented by NCDOT, fortifying the existing ferry terminal would be the least expensive and disruptive to residents and visitors alike. But it cant be done without also fixing the road, says Natalie Kavanagh, another member of the Dare County Waterways Commission who attended the meeting. That is the one that makes the most sense, Kavanagh said, nodding toward the NCDOTs South Dock plan. But weve got to get people safely from there to the village. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ronnie Sawyer, NCDOTs deputy division engineer for the area that includes Dare and Hyde counties, said the N.C. 12 Task Force identified potential strategies for stabilizing that stretch of highway, ranging from more sand bags to moving or raising the road or building a bridge. The problem, Sawyer said: We dont have any money to go with our desires there. What the public says In addition to public meetings on Hatteras and Ocracoke, NCDOT collected feedback on its four plans for South Dock online, where some patterns emerged from the mostly anonymous comments. For starters, few support moving the Hatteras car ferry to Silver Lake in Ocracoke Village. Many said that would both suffocate the community with cars and threaten the tourism business with fewer and longer boat trips. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Village couldnt handle traffic from all the runs, especially in season, one person wrote. Moving the terminal and creating a 2+ hour trip will kill the economy and turn Ocracoke into another Portsmouth, a reference to the abandoned town on a neighboring island. A new terminal at Devil Shoals enjoys a little more support, though usually as the best of four bad choices. Many oppose the dredging and loss of habitat that would be required to make it work and worry about marring a pristine part of the island. Please leave this area alone, one person wrote. Reinforcing South Dock is the most popular choice, as long as it includes stabilizing N.C. 12. This is the only feasible option if Ocracoke is to survive, someone wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But others are skeptical about trying to hold off the sea at the north end of the island. I know many prefer this, but its not a long-term answer, one person wrote. The erosion is only going to continue. Better to move it south and ensure access long term. NCDOT acting with a sense of urgency Thats essentially what the N.C. 12 Task Force concluded in 2023. It was the consensus of the subcommittee that neither South Dock nor the roadway could be protected for many more years absent major engineering of the island, it wrote in its final report. The group suggested moving the ferry dock closer to the village, south of the vulnerable stretch of highway, though it said more study was needed to find a location. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NCDOTs options for landing Hatteras Inlet ferries on Ocracoke are all conceptual at this point, lacking both details and cost estimates. Once it decides later this year, the state still needs environmental permits and to find the money, which would be considerable if it must build a new fleet of larger boats. Dixon, the ferry division director, said the state could decide to work in steps, shoring up South Dock and the nearby section of N.C. 12 while it works on a longer-term solution. But theres a sense of urgency, as the waves continue to eat into the shoreline at South Dock. Its changed fast, Dixon said. We just dont know where it stops. Is there some line where its going to start gaining back at some point, or is it going to continue to lose? We dont know. More info on South Dock options For more information about the South Dock study, including renderings of the four options, go to publicinput.com/southdock. NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com The Titans story isnt over yet. Netflixs newest investigation documentary Titan: The OceanGate Disaster gives insight to the years and moments leading up to the tragic day where 5 people died on the way to see the wreckage of the Titanic. Netflixs documentary explores the means OceanGate used to skirt through regulations with the Titan submersible and Stockton Rushs obsession to become the next big billionaire. In the film, former OceanGate bookkeeper Bonnie Carl says that Rush wanted to be a Jeff Bezos or an Elon Musk. He referred to those guys as big swinging dicks, and he loved that term. More from StyleCaster Related: Heres Where the Unlocked: A Jail Experiment Cast Is Now, Including Whos Still Behind Bars However, that journey came at the expense of five lives. Rush, British aviation billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman, and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet were all killed in the Titans implosion on June 18, 2023. What were the Oceangate Titans victims last words? Submersible According to the US Coast Guard, the Titans last message to the boat Polar Prince that they were dropped two wts, referring to their weights. After that message, there were no updates from the submersible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Forty minutes after the submersible dived down, the Polar Prince experienced trouble receiving transmissions from the Titan. I need better comms from you, to which the Titan answered yes and said they lost system oand [sic] chat settings, at around 10:15 a.m. Paul-Henri Nargeolet, was believed to be the messenger. The ship later asked, status? do you see polar prince on your display? The Titan wrote back yes and all good here. Tym Catterson, who was OceanGates contract safety diver and submersible pilot, recounted seeing the victims right before the implosion in a BBC documentary. Suleman was close to the last to going in and when he came up I grabbed him by the back of his flotation device and pulled him to make sure he isnt going to go sliding off into the water, he said. I helped him get in I helped him get into the sub and then I said have a good dive. Rushs wife, Wendy, who was on the support ship, heard a boom. That boom was likely the implosion. The projects development started in 2016 but had major red flags throughout the years. Experts believed that the carbon fiber wasnt up to safety regulations and end caps, made of titanium, were affixed to the hull with glue. There were clear warning signs when the carbon fiber kept popping during subsequent trips. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I still question it every day: How could he not see this was dangerous? former Oceangate employee Bonnie Carl says about Rushs ego. In my opinion, he clearly wanted fame. Stockton had his mind set. He was going to do this no matter what. Best of StyleCaster Sign up for Stylecaster's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson released a statement Wednesday afternoon concerning the name change of the military installation, Fort Gordon. Fort Gordon, which was changed to Fort Eisenhower 2023, has now been named for Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon after President Donald Trump made an announcement Tuesday. While we believe the Fort Eisenhower name was a fitting tribute, given President Dwight D. Eisenhowers deep personal connection to Augusta, at the same time, we are proud to honor the legacy of Fort Gordons new namesake, Master Sergeant Gary I. Gordon, Johnson said. A true American hero and Medal of Honor recipient, Master Sergeant Gordons valor and sacrifice during the Battle of Mogadishu represent the highest ideals of service. His name carries great meaning, and we are honored to have his legacy forever tied to our region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The name change was effective immediately. Mayor Johnson said the base will continue to remain a vital part of Augustas identity and plays an essential role in national defense, cybersecurity, and innovation. We are proud of the enduring partnership between the City of Augusta and the installation, and we will continue to support our military community with unwavering dedication, he said. Together, we look ahead with deep respect for the past, confidence in our shared future, and gratitude for all who serve. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Officials ID bicyclist killed in weekend collision with light rail train originally appeared on Bring Me The News. Authorities have released the identity of a bicyclist killed in a collision with a Blue Line light rail train in south Minneapolis over the weekend. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner says 38-year-old Miles Patak, of Minneapolis, was killed on Sunday near East 42nd Street and Hiawatha Avenue after he collided with a light rail train while riding his bike. Tony Webster, Wikimedia Commons Patak was declared dead at the scene. His cause of death is listed as multiple blunt force injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Metro Transit Police Department is the lead agency tasked with investigating the incident. Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcements latest version of events, and may be subject to change. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared. Denmark is taking a fresh look at nuclear power after 40 years of saying no, marking a huge shift for this renewable energy leader, the Guardian reported. The Danish government plans to study the benefits of new small nuclear reactors despite already generating over 80% of its electricity from wind, solar, and other renewables. "We can see that there is development under way with new nuclear power technologies small, modular reactors," said Lars Aagaard, Denmark's energy and climate minister. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This move comes as many European countries show renewed interest in nuclear energy alongside their existing renewable projects. Small modular reactors offer key advantages over traditional nuclear plants. Their compact designs allow them to be built in factories and assembled on-site, which may lower costs and shorten construction times. The timing aligns with increasing demand for round-the-clock clean electricity. As countries work to decarbonize transportation, heating, and industry, they need reliable power sources that work when the sun isn't shining or wind isn't blowing. Even tech giants such as Google are looking at small modular reactors to power their energy-hungry data centers with consistent, carbon-free electricity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Denmark isn't alone in this nuclear rethinking. Spain might delay shutting down its seven nuclear reactors after a massive power outage, while Germany faces pressure to reconsider its 2022 nuclear ban following Russian gas supply cuts. You can take advantage of clean energy innovations by installing solar panels, which can bring your home energy costs down to nearly zero. EnergySage provides a free service that makes it easy to compare quotes from vetted local installers and save up to $10,000 on a solar installation. "Wind and solar are good as long as you have wind and sunshine. But you have to have a non-fossil base-load and it's ridiculous to exclude nuclear power in advance," said Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former prime minister of Denmark. "My guess is that this is a process towards lifting the ban." Should the government be allowed to restrict how much water we use? Definitely Only during major droughts No way I'm not sure 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. Successful conservation efforts have been recorded at the Si Phang Nga National Park in Thailand following the sighting of an Asian Black Bear captured on trail cameras. "The species is vulnerable and their numbers are decreasing, making their appearance in the park good news," reported the Miami Herald. Asian Black Bears are native to areas throughout southern Iran to the Himalayas, in addition to Asia and Japan, according to Britannica. The International Union for Conservation of Nature reported that the species has been in decline for thirty years, facing a 60% decrease within that time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AnimalsAsia explained that the decline has corresponded with a demand for bear bile, which "saw thousands of bears ripped from the wild." Bear bile is said to be used in traditional Asian medicine as a useful treatment for liver and gall bladder conditions. As a result, many bears have been poached from the wild as cubs. There are many inexpensive alternatives to bear bile that can be used for the same treatment purposes. Organizations like AnimalsAsia have fought back against bear poaching and bear breeding farms, explaining that they "won't stop until bear bile farming ends for good." Amid the bear's population crisis, the trail cameras offer a glimpse of hope for conservation efforts. "The bears only forage in abundant, undisturbed environments making their appearance in the park an indicator of successful conservation efforts," officials told the Miami Herald. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trail cameras are typically used to monitor the animals that the park works to conserve. They enable researchers to gather data on how to further help endangered species. In providing education, reducing the impact of tourists, and promoting wildlife biodiversity, national parks are crucial in helping bring stable population numbers to threatened animals. This means a safer, healthier world for all, as every animal plays a role in maintaining ecosystems that work to each other's benefit. 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. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) A new Ohio proposal would give counties the authority to lower property taxes if they determine the amount collected is more than needed. Every county in the state has a budget commission, made up of the county auditor, treasurer and prosecutor, which is tasked with overseeing the taxation process for local governments. As Fort Rapids sale looms, Columbus church eyes plan to redevelop waterpark Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Bill 309, introduced by David Thomas (R-Jefferson) in May, would require the panels to review the budgets of taxing authorities annually. If a local government is collecting more money than a public entity such as a school or law enforcement agency needs, the legislation gives budget commissions the power to suspend or reduce tax rates. If the local government doesnt actually need the full amount of that revenue, or if theyre providing the service for less, or can, why should the taxpayers still be charged a much higher tax rate? Thomas said. Christopher Galloway, the Lake County auditor, testified in support of the bill at its first hearing. He said county prosecutors different interpretations of legal precedents have resulted in budget commissions responsibilities being unclear and varying across counties. Galloway claimed that while the Lake County budget commission has been a rubber stamp on tax budgets for decades due to its prosecutors legal opinions, its neighboring county of Geauga rolls back rates when an entitys budget does not require the full amount of taxes. He said he wants all 88 counties to have that ability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chillicothe paper mill will close in August after stating it would remain open HB309 wont be talked about around kitchen tables like a statewide initiative to eliminate property taxes, but it is in fact a REAL and effective means of controlling property taxes in the State of Ohio, he said in written testimony. The legislation comes as many Ohioans are expressing frustrations with the costs of property taxes, including a group of citizens who recently started collecting signatures to amend Ohios constitution and eliminate property taxes altogether. Clearly, our taxpayers are telling us across Ohio that the current status quo is not working, Thomas said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, not everyone is in support of the bill, with some claiming it is an attempt to undermine the will of voters. The nonprofit League of Women Voters is among those who have criticized the legislation. House Bill 309 is just another example of this gerrymandered state legislatures effort to take power away from local governments and voters, a spokesperson said in a statement. Slowly but surely, corrupt politicians in the Ohio Statehouse are trying to end local control and reduce the rights of Ohio citizens. What Ohioans need are real solutions to real problems, not this. Dispensary reacts to Ohio marijuana limit changes Thomas disagreed with such concerns, stating if the legislation passed, voters would still have the full authority and say over the services they want. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The provision has also been folded into a larger property tax relief overhaul, House Bill 335, which combines multiple bills and would deliver $3.5 billion in property tax relief, according to Thomas. House Bill 309s second hearing will take place on Wednesday, when opponents of the measure will have the chance to testify. House Bill 335 was introduced last week and awaits its first 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. Former state Rep. Kathleen Clyde will lead the Ohio Democratic Party as candidates prepare for 2026 and seek to break the Republican Party's hold on Ohio. The Democrats' executive committee tapped Clyde to replace former party chair Liz Walters, who resigned to become CEO of a political data firm in Washington, D.C. The shakeup came months after a brutal election for Ohio Democrats, leaving state Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner as the only Democrat in statewide office. Get The Scoop!: Sign up for our weekly Ohio politics podcast Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite past defeats, Clyde believes the party has an opportunity to capitalize on backlash against President Donald Trump and reclaim power in 2026. In her new role, she'll help recruit and support candidates, raise money and organize get-out-the-vote efforts. "Democrats need to unify around a message that shows what these harmful policies coming out of Washington and the statehouse mean for our economy, our health care, social security," Clyde told the statehouse bureau ahead of the June 10 vote. "We need to offer a compelling message about what Democrats do when they're in power." Kathleen Clyde, a former state representative and Portage County commissioner, speaks during a press conference in Columbus in 2018. Clyde, a Portage County native who lives in Columbus, was once considered a rising star in the Ohio Democratic Party. She served four terms in the Ohio House and unsuccessfully ran for secretary of state in 2018. After that, she was appointed to the Portage County Board of Commissioners, but lost when she ran for her seat two years later. Clyde had the backing of former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who Democrats hope will run for governor or U.S. Senate in 2026. Several Democrats challenged Clyde in the race for chair, but her biggest rival state Sen. Bill DeMora of Columbus dropped out before the vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DeMora said he wasn't supporting any remaining candidates, including Clyde. As party chair, Clyde said she wants to tackle urban, suburban and rural areas with different strategies and work with county parties to meet voters where they are. She said Democrats also need to address depressed turnout in Ohio's largest cities and ensure they listen to the needs of Black voters who abandoned the party. "I feel confident that we can come together as Democrats and focus on the work ahead of turning the state around and winning at all levels of government for the working people and putting the needs of Ohioans first," Clyde said. State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@gannett.com or @haleybemiller on X. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kathleen Clyde to lead Ohio Democratic Party for 2026 election Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde. (Photo provided.) Former state Rep. Kathleen Clyde has been elected as the next Ohio Democratic Party chair. Clyde was elected Tuesday night by members of the partys State Executive Committee. Im grateful to Ohio Democrats for putting their trust in me during this critical election cycle, and Im looking forward to getting to work, Clyde said in a statement. With every statewide office and a U.S. Senate race on the ballot, Ohio has key opportunities to elect Democrats who actually work for Ohioans and get our state back on the right track. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Current chair Liz Walters announced last month she will step down from the role no later than June 30. Walters, who was appointed chair in 2021, will be the new CEO of TargetSmart, a Washington, D.C.-based Democratic political data analysis firm. She was the first woman to be Ohio Democratic Party chair. Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown endorsed Clyde for party chair. Brown lost to Republican Bernie Moreno in the 2024 election. Brown has yet to announce if he is running for office in 2026. Clyde served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2011 to 2018. She ran for Ohio Secretary of State in 2018, but lost to Republican Frank LaRose. In December 2018, she was appointed to the Portage County Commission. She ran for a full term as commissioner in 2020 but was defeated by Republican Tony Badalamenti. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ohio state Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, and Greene County Democratic Party Chair Kim McCarthy both dropped out of the race to be state party chair last week. Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner is the only Democrat currently holding any statewide office in Ohio. Republican incumbent Ohio Supreme Court Justice Patrick Fischler is challenging Brunner for her seat in 2026, unable to pursue another term in his own seat due to age restrictions. Republicans currently control the state high court 6-1. All four statewide executive offices of governor, attorney general, auditor, and secretary of state are up for open election in 2026, with all of the current Republican incumbents term-limited out of running for the same positions again. Former Ohio Health Department Director Dr. Amy Acton is currently the only Democratic candidate running for Ohio governor. Republican candidates include businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Morgan County school board president Heather Hill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Current Republican Ohio Auditor Keith Faber is running for attorney general in 2026; current Republican Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague is running for secretary of state in 2026; and current Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is running for auditor in 2026. Current Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost had been running for governor, but recently dropped out of the race after the Ohio Republican Party endorsed Ramaswamy. Bryan Hambley, a cancer doctor with University of Cincinnati Health, is the only announced Democratic candidate for Ohio Secretary of State. Former state representative Elliot Forhan has announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Ohio Attorney General. No Democrats have yet announced their candidacy in 2026 for Ohio auditor or treasurer. Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, announced last week she is stepping down from her leadership role at the end of the month, but she has not said whether she will seek a statewide office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The last time any Democratic candidates won any of Ohios statewide executive offices was in 2006, when Ted Strickland was elected governor, Marc Dann was elected attorney general, Rich Cordray was elected treasurer, and Jennifer Brunner was elected secretary of state. They were all swept out of office in the 2010 cycle. Also in 2006, Democrat Sherrod Brown was elected to his first of three terms in the U.S. Senate, defeating then-incumbent U.S. Senator and now-incumbent Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, before being defeated himself in 2024. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Ballot petition signature collection. (Photo by WEWS.) In August 2023, Ohio voters sent a clear message when they overwhelmingly rejected the legislatures blatant attempt to undermine our citizen-initiative process. But instead of listening, politicians in Columbus doubled down. Their new targets? Everyday Ohioans who dare to collect signatures, knock on doors, and exercise their constitutional right to direct democracy. Ohio Senate Bill 153 and Ohio House Bill 233 are the latest attempts to dismantle the peoples power. While headlines may focus on disingenuous provisions about voter registration and drop boxes, buried deep in these 204-page monstrosities are provisions specifically designed to intimidate, harass, and shut down grassroots campaigns before they ever reach the ballot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lets be clear: these bills are an attack on the Peoples Process on your voice, your rights, your power. Imagine a system where simply collecting signatures for a cause you believe in could land you under investigation, compelled to testify before hostile politicians without any evidence of wrongdoing. No formal charges, no protections just suspicion, interrogation, and intimidation. Organizers could be forced to reveal private donor lists, volunteer contacts, and internal communications. This isnt democracy. Its surveillance. Its coercion. Its guilty until proven innocent. And it gets worse. These bills are packed with petty, punitive rules designed to trip up campaigns on technicalities. Didnt write the number of signatures in a petition book personally? All signatures in that book: void. A minor correction to a signature count? Void. Wearing a compensation badge while volunteeringbecause you accepted a slice of pizza before canvassing? If not, void. This is death by a thousand cuts and its exactly what the General Assembly wants. Why? Because when citizens write the laws, it threatens the political status quo. A status quo built and reinforced by rampant gerrymandering that leaves most Ohioans without a voice in the Statehouse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two constitutional amendment campaigns one to end qualified immunity and another to eliminate property taxes are preparing for signature collection. If these bills pass, both will face outrageous, politically motivated barriers. Thats not a bug in the legislation. Its the design. And what about the so-called solutions these bills claim to offer? Requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote is a dangerous fix to a nonexistent problem. Just ask Kansas, where a similar law blocked over 30,000 eligible voters from registering until a federal judge struck it down as unconstitutional. Claims of widespread non-citizen voting have been repeatedly debunked. Meanwhile, real people like a longtime East Cleveland resident wrongly flagged as a non-citizen pay the price. As for drop boxes: these secure, monitored ballot return options helped over 180,000 Ohioans cast their vote in November 2024. We need more of them, not fewer. Restricting access only makes voting harder, not safer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SB 153 and HB 233 would have chilling real-world consequences and set a dangerous precedent. Any lawmaker who says, If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear, should take a long look in the mirror. That logic has no place in a democracy. This isnt about partisan politics. This is about power and who gets to wield it. The answer must remain: the people. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Ohio lawmakers want to bring back the Presidential Physical Fitness Test to the state's schools. The proposal would require students in grades 1 through 12 to take an annual fitness exam modeled after the test, which started in 1956 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower and was discontinued in 2012. Ohio lawmakers say today's children need more physical fitness. "In a time when sedentary lifestyles, screen time, and childhood obesity are on the rise, this legislation sends a clear message: physical fitness is not optional, it is essential," said Elgin Rogers, D-Toledo, one of House Bill 322's sponsors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So how heavy are Ohio's children? Here's a look at the state's childhood obesity rates. Eric Guardino (left) escapes the grip of Karlo Ochoa during a training exercise at the Justin Simmons Free Florida Youth Football Camp in 2024. What is the childhood obesity rate in Ohio? The rate of obesity in Ohio is 18.3% for children ages 6 to 17, according to the State of Childhood Obesity report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, slightly higher than the national average of 17%. The study uses data from the National Survey of Childrens Health in 2022 and 2023. Ohio ranks No. 17 in the nation for obese children, better than Wisconsin (No. 16) at 18.4% but worse than South Carolina (No. 18) at 18.1%. Topping the list is Mississippi, which has a childhood obesity rate of 25%, according to the report. Looking at childhood obesity rates for different age groups in the report, Ohio is No. 12 in the nation for obesity among high school students with a rate of 16.8%. The report uses data from 2019 for that statistic. For children ages 10-17, the obesity rate is 16.2%, 27th in the nation, using data from 2022. And for children ages 2-4 that participate in the state's Women, Infants and Children program, the obesity rate is 12.5%, using data from 2020, putting the Buckeye State at No. 42 in the nation in that age group. What is the Presidential Physical Fitness Test? According to Harvard Men's Health Watch, a publication of Harvard Medical School, the fitness test has undergone many revisions over the decades. However, the version most people are familiar with consists of a one-mile run, pull-ups or push-ups, sit-ups, shuttle run and sit-and-reach. "The aim was to assess cardiovascular fitness, upper-body and core strength, endurance, flexibility, and agility," Matthew Sloan writes in the article. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The test was discontinued in 2012 by President Barack Obama in favor of a different method, the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. The new program "modernized fitness education" by emphasizing student health, goal setting and personal progress. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio lawmakers eye physical fitness test return. Childhood obesity rates MEMPHIS, Tenn. An Ohio man was sentenced in Oxford, Miss., to four years in prison and ordered to pay over $500,000 in restitution for his role in a wire fraud and money laundering scheme targeting Mississippi businesses and others across the country. Gabriel Waters, 54, of Chillicothe, Ohio, was involved in the scheme, in which fraudsters spoofed email accounts, imitating corporate accounts of employees who control company finances. According to the U.S. District Attorneys Office of the Northern District of Mississippi, fraudsters bought domain names that resembled the legitimate domain names owned by the victims businesses. They used these fake emails to convince employees, customers, or company partners to send money to a bank account controlled by the fraudsters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. The victims were led to believe that this was a legitimate business transaction. The U.S. Attorneys Office says that Waters had a vital role in the scheme. He was responsible for setting up bank accounts in the U.S., receiving money directly from the victims, and laundering the money to different accounts before finally converting it to cryptocurrency to send overseas to the email fraudsters. Waters was sentenced to 57 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay a total of $547,455 in restitution to his victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Working with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue criminal prosecutions against scammers who victimize American businesses and individuals, said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. Reach out to law enforcement immediately if you have fallen prey to an online scam so that evidence can be gathered, and money can possibly be recouped. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. STRS Ohio meeting room. (Photo by Morgan Trau, WEWS.) The Ohio retired teachers pension fund has hired a former pensions expert from North Carolina as its new executive director. Steven Toole, the previous head of the North Carolina Retirement Systems, will take over starting in mid-July. He grew up outside Columbus and went to Ohio State University, according to his candidate material records. My experience extends to working closely with boards and stakeholders to ensure transparency, accountability, and integrity values central to State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) Ohios guiding principles, Toole wrote in a letter to a recruiter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Currently, he works as a senior product manager at Principal, a retirement and investment company. He also gets some income from Home Depot, according to an ethics filing. While working at the North Carolina retirement system, he managed a $100 billion pension system and $11.8 billion in defined contribution assets, serving approximately 1 million public employees, according to his candidate documents. He worked as the executive director of the North Carolina system from 2011 to 2019, when he was fired, the records request shows. According to Toole, in an email he sent to recruiter Dan Cummings, he stated that there were no performance issues at all, and he didnt receive an explanation from the state treasurer as to why he was being removed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cummings told a board member that the former North Carolina Treasurer Dale Folwell replaced Toole when he came into office, emails show. The candidate document shows that he was replaced with Folwells hand-chosen successor. However, Toole was replaced two years into the treasurers term. Once this was brought up by a board member, according to emails, the new STRS head suggested that the reason may be related to the treasurers cost-cutting platform. More records are pending from the North Carolina Treasurers Office. Following being let go from the North Carolina system, Toole then worked for Prudential Retirement. This was later bought out by another company, and his job was eliminated, according to the documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He worked in retirement benefits for nearly three decades at Nationwide Insurance before joining the North Carolina team, the documents show. A close vote His hiring comes after a year of controversy, during which the STRS board chair and one of the former board members were accused of participating in a $65 billion corruption scheme. The chair, Rudy Fichtenbaum, denies all allegations, and some retired educators are accusing Ohio Statehouse Republicans of trying to stop transparency. The high scrutiny and media attention surrounding STRS Ohio over the past eighteen months do not give me pause rather, I see it as an opportunity to step into a leadership role, bring clarity, and strengthen trust among members, legislators, and stakeholders, Toole wrote in his candidate document. There are mainly two defined factions of the STRS population: reformers and those who want to keep the status quo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In short, reformers want to switch to index funding, while status quo individuals want to keep actively managing the funds. Recent elections have allowed the reform-minded members to have a majority of the board. Fichtenbaum and all of the reformers on the board voted in support of Toole, while each of the status quo members, including appointees, voted against him. The vote ended up being 6-5. The current acting executive director, Aaron Hood, was also given his notice at the meeting. Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on X 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 OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) On Tuesday, the Oklahoma County Sheriffs Office rescued three pets abandoned by their owners. In one case, deputies were performing a routine eviction, but when they opened the door, those deputies found a traumatic situation. The tenant was already gone, but left their dog locked in a cage with no food or water for at least four days. This poor dog was truly, truly suffering. This dog was on the cusp of death, said Aaron Brilbeck, public information officer, Oklahoma County Sheriffs Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mountain lion kittens found in Oklahoma Unfortunately, this isnt an isolated case; deputies say theyre seeing this way too often. We see this almost on a weekly basis where we go to do an eviction, we show up and a dog has been left behind or multiple dogs or cats or other pets, said Brilbeck. Just last week, 55 pigeons and two dogs were rescued from a home. Its difficult to try to take care of those animals, and it winds up resting on the shoulders of the taxpayers because of somebody elses irresponsibility, said Brilbeck. Brilbeck says leaving a pet behind like this is considered a misdemeanor offense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of us wish that it was a felony, quite honestly, but we do work with the animal welfare, and they will be pursuing charges. We know who the individual is, who owns the animal, said Brilbeck. He says there is no excuse for these situations. Dont just leave your dog locked up in a cage to fend for itself in a tiny three-foot by three-foot cage. Its cruel, its a horrible way for that animal to die, said Brilbeck. Oklahoma City Animal Welfare says there are many ways to humanely surrender your pet. You need to reach out to all the available resources, including social media sites, websites, rescue groups, family friends, anything like that,t and use the shelter as a last resort. We will find a way to help you if there are no other options for an animal, said Ronnie Schlabs, superintendent, Oklahoma City Animal Welfare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since January, Oklahoma City Animal Welfare has received over 100 calls for abandoned pets. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 execution of a convicted murderer who has escaped death twice is back on. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled 4-0 Wednesday, June 11, that John Fitzgerald Hanson should not have been given a temporary stay. "Hanson's execution date of June 12, 2025, remains in effect," the appeals court said. Hanson, 61, faces execution for the fatal shooting of an elderly Tulsa woman in 1999. His execution by lethal injection is set for 10 a.m. Thursday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is the third of four executions set for this week in the United States. Two took place Tuesday. On Monday, Oklahoma County District Judge Richard Ogden granted Hanson a temporary stay of execution until his lawsuit against the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board is resolved. Hanson complained in his lawsuit that his clemency hearing was unfair because the newest board member, Sean Malloy, was a prosecutor in Tulsa County at the time of his resentencing trial. He called Malloy biased. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 on May 7 to deny Hanson's clemency request. Malloy was one of the three voting against clemency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its order Wednesday, the Court of Criminal Appeals directed Judge Ogden to vacate the stay after concluding he had no authority under the law to grant it. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 on May 7 to deny clemency for death row inmate John F. Hanson. The appeals court also noted Malloy's vote was of no consequence anyway because a tie, 2-2, is still a denial of clemency. "Thus, the resulting delay that would be caused by the stay is wholly unnecessary and unjustified," the appeals court wrote. Hanson also has sought a stay of execution on other grounds. The Court of Criminal Appeals on Tuesday denied a stay after Hanson's attorneys claimed they had newly discovered evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attorneys told both courts that they discovered the new evidence while preparing for the clemency hearing. They claim they have proof a key prosecution witness made a secret deal in exchange for favorable treatment on his best friend's criminal cases. The witness, Rashad Barnes, testified Hanson confessed to killing "the old lady." In denying the stay, the Court of Criminal Appeals found the alleged new evidence is both inconsistent and strains credibility. The court also found the evidence against Hanson, irrespective of the testimony from Barnes, was compelling. The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday also denied Hanson a stay on the issue. Hanson also had sought a stay in federal court in Muskogee. He complained he had been unlawfully transferred from a federal prison in Louisiana to Oklahoma to be executed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White rejected his complaint in May and refused to stay his execution. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver declined on June 6 to take up the issue. Hanson has a death sentence for the murder of Mary Agnes Bowles, who was kidnapped from the parking lot of a Tulsa mall on Aug. 31, 1999. She was 77. He denies he was the shooter. Hanson and an accomplice, Victor Miller, wanted the retired banker's car for a robbery spree. Hanson shot her four to six times in a ditch near Owasso after the accomplice killed a dirt pit owner, Jerald Thurman, according to trial testimony. The dirt pit owner had spotted them on his property and had planned to lock them in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hanson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the dirt pit owner's murder. He escaped death the first time when the Court of Criminal Appeals ordered him to be resentenced for the retired banker's murder. A second Tulsa County jury chose death again as his punishment at the 2006 sentencing trial. He escaped death a second time when the Biden administration refused to release him from federal prison in 2022. He had been set to be executed in Oklahoma on Dec. 15, 2022. His transfer went through after President Donald Trump returned to office. He was in federal prison for crimes involving the robbery spree. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma execution of John Fitzgerald Hanson back on schedule A new law taking effect Nov. 1 gives women more access to birth control. (Getty Images) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.) OKLAHOMA CITY- A new law that gives women access to a six month prescription of birth control will make it easier to access pregnancy prevention medication, one health advocate said. Maintaining access to contraceptives can be difficult for women who live in rural areas, have multiple jobs, children to care for and limited transportation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Bill 176 will require fewer trips to the pharmacy, said Laura Bellis executive director of the Take Control Initiative. The new law, which takes effect Nov. 1, requires insurance companies that provide coverage for contraception to allow women to obtain six months of birth control at the same time after being prescribed a three month supply. The Take Control Initiative, which is based in Tulsa County, has operated the nations longest running birth control access program for 15 years. The program is focused on removing barriers while growing access to birth control. Increasing access can also improve the effectiveness of contraception. Bellis said some methods of contraception require individuals to take it at the same time every day. Maintaining access to care aids in consistency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Having access to contraception by age 20, reduces womens chances of living in poverty, according to the groups 2024 annual report. Sen. Jo Anna Dossett, D-Tulsa, one of the authors of the legislation declined to comment. Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay, did not return messages seeking comment. Although contraception can be used to prevent pregnancy, 14% of women use it for non-contraceptive reasons. It can be used to treat acne, irregular periods, cramps, migraines and endometriosis. Hopefully this change in law will remove a barrier to these organizations that are truly trying to protect public health in Oklahoma, said Mary Boren, D-Norman. She was one of 30 senators who voted in favor of it. Gov. Kevin Stitt allowed the bill to become law without his signature. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Ylleana Berryhill has joined Oklahoma Voice as a summer intern. (Photo by Barbara Hoberock/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY Ylleana Berryhill has joined Oklahoma Voice as its summer intern. Part of the Inasmuch Foundations Community Fellowship Class, Berryhill, 20, finished her sophomore year at Rose State College in Midwest City, working as associate editor of the campus newspaper. A graduate of Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, Berryhill plans to attend University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond this fall and pursue a degree in professional media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I like shedding light on things that people otherwise wouldnt have known about, giving people a voice as well and uplifting issues and uplifting people, she said. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in statehouse reporting. Were excited to partner with Inasmuch Foundation to give Ylleana an opportunity to strengthen her state government reporting skills, said Janelle Stecklein, Oklahoma Voice editor. Shes a great asset to our newsroom. Berryhills internship runs from June 2 until Aug. 1. Oklahoma Voice is really focussed on state government reporting, she said. And that was something I was really, really interested in learning about and exploring. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, Old Fort Niagara announced plans Tuesday to construct a replica 18th century Native American dwelling to serve as a Native American Education Center. The center will vividly represent the living conditions for Native Americans at the Fort during the Revolution and serve as a focal point for the Forts Native living history programming. As one of the most historic sites on the Great Lakes, Old Fort Niagara has endured for nearly 300 years, Robert Emerson, executive director, Old Fort Niagara, said. An integral part of that long history is the Forts connection with local Native American nations and its important that we elevate that story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fort Niagara has already secured $200,000 toward the cost of the building and aims to raise another $50,000. The centers design reflects a little-known piece of local history. During the American Revolution, thousands of Native Americans fled to Fort Niagara to flee the ravages of war. Hewn log dwellings were constructed right outside the walls of the fort to house the Native allies of the British. The interior of the recreated log structure will include sleeping, dining and storage spaces each incorporating period Native American clothing, weapons, trade goods, lighting and other historic pieces. Native interpreters will share with visitors the role of the Native peoples at the Fort, Native history and culture, trade, military alliances, diplomacy and survival. This facility and our enhanced Native programming will undoubtedly enrich the experience of thousands of school students, area residents and visitors to our region, who will have the opportunity to engage fully in both the military history of the Fort and its Native history, said Jordan Smith, Mohawk, Bear Clan and head of Native education at Old Fort Niagara. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to educational living history experiences, the building will also serve as a hub for workshops for small groups to learn traditional Native skills such as moccasin making, beadwork, quillwork, finger weaving and even Native language classes. Old Fort Niagara also intends to invite local Native communities to use the building for social gatherings and small-group meetings. The public portion of the fundraising campaign, co-chaired by Chief Brennen Ferguson, Tuscarora, Turtle Clan and Michael McInerney, recently retired CEO of Modern Disposal Services, Inc., is underway with the goal of raising the remaining funds by early September. At a kick-off event attended by local Native American leaders and Old Fort Niagara supporters, Ferguson spoke to the importance of sharing the Haudenosaunee story. This cabin will stand not only as a window into the past, but as a doorway to greater understanding, said Ferguson. The story of this land did not begin with the founding of Fort Niagara. Native Nations lived, traveled, and governed here long before European arrival. Today, Native staff at the Fort continue the vital work of educating the public about that deeper history. This structure will support their efforts, helping to share a fuller story; one that honors the presence, contributions and strength of Indigenous Peoples. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McInerney discussed the importance of supporting cultural sites like Old Fort Niagara and the imperative to attract new audiences. In addition to providing a new, engaging experience for all who visit the Fort, the Native American Education Center will draw new visitors and school groups, and help Old Fort Niagara broaden its reach, said McInerney. The expanded draw will help ensure the Fort remains a vibrant educational resource in our community for generations to come. The new building will be located adjacent to the Old Fort Niagara Visitor Center, with a planned opening in the spring. The facility will be open during regular operating hours, including for field trips, and can open for special events during the evening, lit by traditional lighting. The National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonians Natural History Museum have been next-door neighbors in Washington, DC for nearly 90 yearsbut until now, theyve never shared so much as a cup of coffee across the fence. That all changes this summer, as the two institutions collaborate to create a cross-pollinated art and natural science exhibition featuring selections from the art gallerys centuries-old paintings of birds, bugs, and exotic critters along with actual examples of those creatures drawn from the Smithsonians enormous collection of animal artifacts. The exhibit, called Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World, focuses on a period beginning in the 1500s when artists in Northern Europeinspired largely by strange specimens that had found their way to Antwerp, Belgium, aboard merchant sailing shipswere creating exquisitely detailed, and unprecedentedly accurate, images of creatures from the smallest insects to the largest mammals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One display case features the Smithsonians own specimen of a Central American elephant beetle, the size of a babys fist but armored and horned in a most terrifying (if harmless) manner. Next to it is mounted Flemish painter Jacob Hoefnagels 1592 painting of the same species, meticulously rendered with brushes that at times consisted of a single hair bristle. An insect tableau created for the National Gallery of Art exhibition Little Beasts by the Department of Entomology at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History with specimens from the collection. Photograph by James Di Loreto, Smithsonian Institution Jan van Kessel the Elder. Insects and a Sprig of Rosemary, 1653 oil on copper. Photograph courtesy of National Gallery of Art, The Richard C. Von Hess Foundation, Nell and Robert Weidenhammer Fund, Barry D. Friedman, and Friends of Dutch Art Nearby is 17th-century Czech artist Wencenslaus Hollars etching of a Tasmanian vasum ceramicum shell, impossibly spindly and surreally suspended in midair, joined by a spectacular real-life specimen from the Smithsonians vast shell collection. And there is Hoefnagels life-sized painting of a Southern Hawker dragonfly, highlighted with gold paint, seemingly ready to fly off its parchment pageaccompanied by a real dragonfly, temporarily freed from its drawer in the Smithsonians climate-controlled archives. (Recent studies have revealed that Hoefnagel, obsessed with accuracy, sometimes fastened actual dragonfly wings to his paintings.) These and the rest of the exhibitions works embrace a historic moment when artistsmany wielding magnifying glassesbecame obsessed with capturing nature in all its detail. Throughout three exhibition halls, the juxtaposition of art and artifacts reveals the astonishing amount of research and detail represented in each work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (A rare look inside the Smithsonian's secret storerooms) Jacob Hoefnagel. Part 1, Plate 1, from the series Archetypa studiaque (Archetypes and Studies), 1592 Photograph courtesy of National Museum of Natural History, Rosenwald Collection An Elephant Beetle (Megasoma e. elephas) from the Department of Entomology collections at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. Photograph by James Di Loreto and Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian Institution 'Nature in its most minute detail' While it holds a prestigious spot on the National Mall, the National Gallery is not part of the Smithsonianand the collaboration is novel for both institutions. We came up with the idea for this during the pandemic, says Alexandra Libby, a curator of Northern Paintings for the museum. We started trading e-mails, hoping to get the Smithsonian people excited about it, explaining that these are not just pretty pictures of butterflies, but evidence that there was a real scientific level of engagement during this period. They were engaged from the start. They said, This is amazing! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moving from gallery to gallery, a visitor to this joint venture exhibition walks through a period when artists took the lead in creating the concept of natural history, says Brooks Rich, a curator of Old Master art at the National Gallery. The flourishing of interest in nature in its most minute detail that we see here really provided the foundation for the entire discipline, he says. That breakthrough is crystalized in a display case positioned at the center of the exhibitions first room: Four diary-sized books, bound in leather, illustrated by the artist Hoefnagel. Entitled Aier, Aqua, Ignis and Terra (Air, Water, Fire, and Earth), the books contain, on fine parchment paper, 270 hand-painted images of creatures ranging from house flies to elephants with a level of detail that rivals anything a 4K TV screen will reproduce today. Collection of animal skeleton etchings on laid paper by Teodoro Filippo di Liagno Photograph by Rob Shelley, National Gallery of Art Prior to Hoefnagel, most people dismissed insects as vermin, says Stacy Sell, the museums curator of Northern Book Painting. But he undertook a sustained study of them, looking at every minute detail, and saw how beautiful they were. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finally, he said, You know, watercolor just isnt going to cut it. So, he developed all kinds of innovative techniques to create a level of detail no one had attempted before. I mean, he actually painted with butterfly dust. Thats pretty amazing. (How to plan a walking tour of the best museums in D.C.) So delicate are the images in the four books, the museum almost never has them on display. In the course of the exhibitionMay through November 2the pages will be turned just three times. Perhaps the most glorious art work in the exhibition is the epic Noahs Family Assembling the Animals Before the Ark, painted around 1660 by the Flemish artist Jan van Kessell the Elder. The Noahsdressed in their Flemish finestherd a zoofull of animals across a distinctively Northern European landscape toward a distant, barely-visible boat. Camels, turtles, monkeys, ostricheseven North American turkeysramble across the frame. But its the sky that commands our attention: A riot of birds, two-by-two, winging their way to safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was such a joy to work with the Natural History Museum managers as they identified all the birds in this painting, says Libby. They studied it to see what the artist got right, and why they might have gotten some things wrong. For example, at the paintings extreme upper right, a pair of Paradisaea apodaGreater Birds of Paradise, from New Guineastreak into the image like plumed missiles. Besides their glorious color, their most distinctive feature is the fact that they have no legs. These birds were prized for their feathers, for womens hats, says Libby. By the time those dead birds arrived in Europe, their legs were gone. For a painter obsessed with getting everything just right, only one solution could satisfy both art and science: Rather than get the legs wrong, van Kessell simply left them out. (How do you find a 'lost' masterpiece?) OMAHA, Neb. (NewsNation) Omahas newly inaugurated mayor says he doesnt know why the city was targeted by federal immigration officials which resulted in the arrests of more than 100 people. Mayor John Ewing Jr., a Democrat who was sworn into office on Monday, said his team is still working to get more details on the status of those arrested in Nebraskas largest workplace operation under President Trump. Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer told reporters Wednesday that his department did not assist federal agents in the raid. He said Omaha Police officers seen at the site of the raid were there to provide traffic control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He expressed concern that undocumented residents would not report crime if theyre concerned that local police are acting as immigration enforcement. We werent part of the aiding function of this. As far as planning of the raid, as far as knowledge of the operation, anything of that nature the Omaha Police Department did not have a role in that, said Schmaderer. I can assure the public that the Omaha Police Department will not be involved in checking immigration status in our community. I need (crime) victims to come forward. They will not come forward if theyre fearful of the Omaha Police Department being immigration officers. Ewing called on Congress to develop a comprehensive immigration policy. Right now, what is happening across the country is a lot of fear is being created, he said. We dont have an understandable approach to immigration, especially when it comes to our Latino members of this country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Out of the 107 people who were targeted in the raid, 70 were detained after ICE determined their status. The raid happened around 9 a.m. at Glenn Valley Foods in south Omaha, an area where nearly a quarter of residents are foreign-born according to the 2020 census. A small group of people came out to protest the raid, and some of them even jumped on the front bumper of a vehicle to try to stop officers in one location while others threw rocks at officials vehicles as a white bus carrying workers pulled away from a plant. Many workers attempted to avoid arrest by hiding in building rafters and walk-in freezers with subzero temperatures, prompting EMTs to respond and check individuals for health and safety concerns, according to federal agents on scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The operation comes amid nationwide protests over immigration enforcement, particularly in Los Angeles, where similar workplace raids last week triggered demonstrations that prompted Trump to deploy National Guard troops. Glenn Valley Foods owner Gary Rohwer said he used the federal E-Verify system to check workers eligibility but was deceived by employees using stolen identities of U.S. citizens, which allowed them to pass background checks. The operation is part of the Trump administrations renewed focus on workplace enforcement as part of broader immigration crackdowns. Such operations have become flashpoints for protests, with critics arguing they separate families and damage communities while supporters say theyre necessary to enforce immigration law and protect American workers. NewsNations Ali Bradley 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 The Hill. 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. In 2012, a young wolf named Slavc loped into the Lessini Mountains of Italy, completing a 1,200-mile route from Slovenia, where he was born. This was a dangerous place for a wolf to settle. The region had been proudly wolf free since about 1860; a stone commemorates the spot where the last one was killed. Slavc, who had been outfitted with a GPS collar by Slovenian biologists, soon encountered a female of his kind, a wanderer from the south. They became a pairthe first pack Lessinia had seen in more than a centuryand the vanguard of a lupine renaissance. Within a decade, Italy would become home to 2,000 wolves in almost 20 packs. The resurgence of wolves is not strictly an Italian phenomenon. Whereas in the middle of the 20th century, wolves were nearly extinct in Europe, today, more than 20,000 roam the continent. Their howls are heard everywhere except in the countries theyd have to swim to: Malta, Cyprus, Iceland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Slavcs journey might have been extraordinary, but more astonishing still is how rapidly the wolf has repopulated these lands, as though it has never been away, Adam Weymouth writes in his new book, Lone Wolf, which explores what a predators return means to a people and a landscape that had forgotten it. Italy, Weymouth observes, was an empty stage waiting on its protagonisthollows that could be dens, saplings that could be marking posts, deer that could be prey. Weymouth is an uncommon brand of travel writer, weaving natural history with culture and politics. For his first book, Kings of the Yukon, he paddled 2,000 miles along the Yukon River in tandem with migrating king salmon, learning how this species, crucial for local livelihoods and prized commercially, shapes community identities in the Far North. In Lone Wolf, the author swaps runs of fish for a single predator. In 2022, Weymouth shouldered a rucksack to walk 1,000 miles along Slavcs GPS trail, following the hundreds of virtual breadcrumbs that marked the wolfs path from Slovenia to Italy. Weymouth slept in the same forests Slavc did, huffed across the same mountain passes, and traversed the same national borders. He spoke with Slovenian farmers, Austrian politicians, and Italian shepherds along the way to understand how the reemergence of wolves has troubled rural communities in the Southern Alps. [Read: The book that teaches us to live with our fears] But instead of showing how, as with salmon, a species can unite people, Weymouths interactions document how one can divide them. Lone Wolf is much more than the story of Slavc: It is a vehicle for Weymouth to trace the fault lines splintering Europe and to examine how people respond when confronted by unwelcome change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Polarized politics, climate change, reduced demand for dairy products, and shifting demographics are affecting regions across Italy, especially rural ones. For the people of Lessinia, the return of the wolf seems to encompass multifarious anxieties, refracting, as Weymouth writes, the entirety of their frustration and their fear, like the sun through a magnifying glass. From 2020 to 2021, wolves killed more than 400 farm animals. But carnivores are not the only disrupters in these areas. A drier climate means worsening conditions for grazing livestock; meanwhile, meager pay pushes younger generations down the slopes into cities such as Verona, waves of immigrants from places such as Bangladesh and North Africa are bringing new practices and norms to the countryside, and confusing European Union regulations are hobbling farmers throughout the continent. One rule, for instance, requires animals to be outdoors for at least half the year in order for a farm to qualify as organic and receive government subsidies. But if a wolf starts killing those animals, its almost impossible to secure a permit to cull it. As Weymouth writes, in Austria, farmers are furious, villagers are terrified, and there is a general, all-pervasive sense throughout the country that all hell has broken loose. The belief that government is an obstacle, not a solution, leads to hundreds of wolves being killed illegally each year, their carcasses displayed in public spaces beheaded, strung up, or skinned, as if in warning to other wolves or to those who support them. Some populist politicians have promoted a narrative in which the hardworking farmer is a victim of out-of-touch urban elitists. Weymouth worries that this serves to dramatize the situation, creating further crises for those whose livelihood depends on finding a way to coexist with the wolves. These predators once wreaked unequivocal havoc across Europe; from 1571 to 1920, they killed 5,400 people in France alone. Weymouth highlights specific wolves that perpetrated reigns of terror, such as the Beast of Gevaudan, an animal (or animals) that killed 113 people and wounded an additional 49 in southern France in the 1700s. Throughout the continent, farmers watched helplessly as wolves dwindled their flocks and sometimes even fed on their children. These types of stories breed an almost hereditary disdain: The wolf is, and can only ever be, an enemy. After hundreds of years of persistent persecutionone generation of farmers learning from the previous generation to poison, snare, and shoot wolvesthe animals near disappearance around the turn of the 20th century was celebrated throughout Europe as the end of a long, bloody, and hard-won war. Wolves did not simply stumble back into Europe in the 21st century. Their return was facilitated by the rise of environmentalism in the 1970s, and progressive laws aimed at restoring biodiversity. Improved habitat and reduced efforts to kill the animals allowed wolves to flourish. Biodiversity benefits humans as well: Extensive natural systems are more resilient to climate change, offer food security, and buffer us from the risk of zoonotic diseases such as coronaviruses. To have a good system you have to have every part of the system, writes Weymouth, and this includes large carnivores. Although some might argue that the reemergence of wolves in Europe portends a return to the Bad Old Days, these creatures are also a sign that we are doing something right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [Read: The overlooked danger thats massacring wildlife] Does this drive toward biodiversity inevitably result in friction between predators and people? Well, yes, Dale Miquelle, a conservation biologist and an expert on carnivores of a different stripe (tigers), told me; the key is having effective conflict-mitigation systems in place to deal with humanlarge carnivore conflicts. These might include honest communication between pro- and anti-predator groups, the investment of significant time and money to minimize clashes, and acknowledgment of the needs and concerns of everyone involved. Weymouth outlines multiple techniques to deter wolves from targeting livestock, including encouraging farmers to shepherd flocks as they graze, training dogs to wander pastures, and building fences to keep out wolves. Examples from places such as Kenya, Belize, and China demonstrate that these adaptations are highly effective at reducing carnivore attacks. However, as Weymouth reports, for many in the Lessinia mountains and similar farming regions, adopting such practices is seen as capitulation. Farmers who build fences might be viewed as traitors, siding with outsiders who have no understanding of country ways. But the wolfs return to Europe can be sustainable only if farmers and other inhabitants buy into the process. For that to happen, their voices need to be truly heard by politicians and conservationists. When a wolf attacked a child in Rome last year and was relocated instead of euthanized, some Italians saw this as proof that the government was prioritizing wolf lives over human ones. Conservation advocates will have to make concessions to build trust, and some wolves will have to be removed from the wild. Finally, as Weymouth notes, the cause of conservation is hurt when advocates paint an unrealistic picture of the wolf. Part of its rebrand in recent years has been the widely put-about assertion that a wolf, or a healthy wolf at least, would never kill a human, he writes. Wolves are, in fact, opportunistic predators, and should never be considered harmless. Wolves do kill people, albeit rarely; in North America, they did so as recently as 2010, when a teacher was killed in southwestern Alaska. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Understanding these animals requires getting to know them, perhaps by literally following in their tracks. With so much modern wildlife science done remotely via GPS collars and satellite imagery, its refreshing to simply take in the landscapes and cultures of Southern Europe with Weymouth as our guide. He carefully picks at the Gordian knot linking wolves and rural communities, teases out nuances, and tells a complex story of a world in transition. There are dramatic changes happening all across the Alps. Migration, depopulation, melting glaciers, dying forests. I have seen how people are scared of their lives changing, how they want it all to stop, and how politicians of a certain stripe continue to stoke those fears while promising that everything can stay the same, he writes. We are all plunging forward into an uncharted world, and the only fantasy is that we can stop it. To observe and absorb the natural-human interface, as Weymouth does, is an art, one that would benefit those on both sides of the wolf divide. Article originally published at The Atlantic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made it his mission to remind Americans that they need to get off the couch and lay off the junk food. But theres one vice hes not talking about: smoking. Thats troubled anti-smoking activists, researchers who focus on the diseases tobacco causes and Democrats in Congress who point out that smoking, despite a marked decline in recent years, still leads to more preventable deaths than anything else. Even so, Kennedy didnt mention the health impacts of smoking once in last months Make America Healthy Again report assessing the biggest threats to Americans health. That marks a turning point from the priorities of public health officials going back decades, including the Biden administrations, which targeted smoking as part of a moonshot plan to halve cancer death rates. Anti-tobacco advocates fear deemphasizing the dangers of tobacco could slow or even halt progress in driving down smoking rates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attempting to combat chronic disease without tobacco control is like attempting a triathlon without a bicycle, said Brian King, whom Kennedy pushed out of his job as the Food and Drug Administrations top tobacco regulator in April. You're destined for failure before leaving the starting line. Since President Donald Trumps inauguration, his health agencies appear to have shelved two moves King planned to combat smoking: banning the last remaining legal cigarette flavoring, menthol, and requiring companies to reduce the amount of nicotine in their products. Nicotine is what makes cigarettes addictive. But an HHS spokesperson said the department remains steadfast in its mission to protect and promote public health, adding that the MAHA report is not an exhaustive inventory of every HHS program or public health challenge. HHS agencies continue to carry out their responsibilities, including work on tobacco control, with the highest level of integrity and commitment to the American public, the spokesperson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A sustained public health campaign to educate Americans about smokings risks over decades has driven a huge decrease in use. In the 1960s, more than 4 in 10 adults smoked cigarettes. Now its fewer than 1 in 8. And the public health success among kids is even starker. Fewer than 1 in 26 now smoke cigarettes, according to an analysis of federal data. The negative health impacts of tobacco use are well-studied and vast. For years it has been the top preventable cause of death in the United States, contributing to cancer, heart disease and stroke. But when Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) quizzed Kennedy about that during a budget hearing last month, asking him to name the No. 1 cause of preventable death in America today, Kennedy was stumped. I'm not sure what you're talking about, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kennedys apparent lack of interest in combating smoking the word tobacco appears in the MAHA report only within the context of his concerns about food marketing while smoking and cigarettes are never mentioned also suggests this Trump administration wont be like the first. Then, Trumps FDA commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, put the menthol ban and the limits on nicotine on the table, drawing applause from anti-smoking activists. Congress permitted the agency to make those moves in a 2009 law. That law banned flavorings except menthol which is a cash cow for Marlboro cigarette maker Philip Morris, whose support helped get the law passed but gave the FDA the power to decide whether to ban it. It also gave the agency the power to force cigarette companies to reduce nicotine levels. The Obama administration didnt do so. President Joe Biden proposed limiting nicotine levels after the 2024 election but never finalized the rule. A Biden plan to ban menthol cigarettes in 2022 was also not finalized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Menthol is popular among Black smokers, and some Democrats feared a ban could alienate crucial voters in a presidential election year. Jerome Adams, who was surgeon general during the first Trump term, said he wants Kennedy to prioritize the tobacco regulations laid out in Gottliebs tobacco regulation plan an effort he said would benefit youth and marginalized communities that are disproportionately impacted by menthol cigarettes. These proposed regulations align with the MAHA movements focus on preventing chronic diseases, Adams said. Tobaccos wins The tobacco industry spent heavily on Trumps 2024 campaign and already has a lot to show for it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump pledged to save vaping on his social media site, Truth Social, in September after meeting with Vapor Technology Association Executive Director Tony Abboud. The Trump administration pushed King whom the tobacco industry had criticized for years out of his job leading the FDAs Center for Tobacco Products. Job dismissals led by Trumps Department of Government Efficiency also gutted the CDC Office on Smoking and Health, which oversees federal smoking cessation programs and studies. The Trump administration also slashed funds the National Institutes of Health disburses to research facilities, which scientists say could imperil tobacco smoking studies. Asked about the industrys contributions to the Trump campaign, White House spokesperson Kush Desai wrote in an email, the only special interest guiding the Administrations decision-making is the best interest of the American people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tobacco-control advocates say Trumps early moves could undermine the countrys progress diminishing smoking and the diseases it causes. These levels are decreasing because we have made such a commitment over the past few decades to enact things to work to get these levels down, said Catharine Young, a Biden administration official who worked on his cancer moonshot initiative. But if you stop that or if you don't increase that effort, they're not going to continue to go down. They're either going to flat line, or they're going to start rising again. Powers unused Both Democratic and Republican administrations have hesitated to use all the regulatory authorities the 2009 law granted them. After Gottlieb resigned in March 2019, the agencys efforts to advance his 2017 tobacco plan were snuffed out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With his resignation, we lost the champion for the 2017 plan, and some months after he resigned, I was literally ordered by political appointees at FDA to stop talking publicly about menthol and nicotine, said Mitch Zeller, who led the FDAs Center for Tobacco Products before King. Ultimately, Zeller wasnt able to implement a menthol ban or nicotine limits during any of the three administrations he served. During Bidens administration, then-FDA Commissioner Robert Califf enlisted allies outside the government to lobby the White House after agency efforts to ban menthol cigarettes were held up at the Office of Management and Budget. But the final rule was not published before Biden left office. They caved to political pressure from cigarette companies, Zeller said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FDA estimated the plan to limit nicotine levels in cigarettes proposed during the Biden administration would avert 4.3 million deaths and prevent 48 million youth and young adults from starting habitual cigarette smoking by the end of the century if implemented. And banning menthol cigarettes in the U.S. would cut 324,000 to 654,000 smoking-attributable deaths by 2060, according to modeling studies cited in the 2022 proposal. The vaping debate Luis Pinto, a spokesperson for Reynolds American, the maker of Lucky Strike, Camel and Newport cigarettes, said the company has not yet met with Trumps FDA commissioner, Marty Makary. Pinto said the company is opposed to a menthol cigarette ban because it believes there are "more effective and sustainable ways to help adult smokers transition away from combustible cigarettes." Rather than setting a nicotine standard, the focus should be on expanding access to a diverse and innovative portfolio of potentially reduced-risk products, Pinto said. Tobacco harm reduction, not prohibition, is the most effective path forward in reducing the health impacts of smoking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Capitol Hill, Kennedy has rarely discussed tobacco despite his focus on preventing chronic disease, disappointing lawmakers like Durbin, the second ranking Democrat in the Senate. In an interview with POLITICO, Durbin emphasized the tobacco industry is still a threat to public health, especially as it markets more novel forms of nicotine exposure like vaping, which has become popular among younger Americans. The tobacco companies have not given up. Their basic approach is to addict children to their product, and so now theyre using vaping and [other] devices to get high schoolers in America addicted to forms of nicotine, Durbin said, referring to Gottlieb as a hero. I just dont think you can credibly say youre addressing public health in America and ignore tobacco and vaping. King, whos now with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, an anti-smoking group, is still hoping to convince Trump officials that going after tobacco needs to be part of the MAHA agenda. And he says he sees hope in the FDAs crackdown on illegal e-cigarettes, which he interprets as a sign the government is looking to snuff out unapproved vaping products. We have seen the decimation of tobacco control infrastructure, King said. Its important you have the resources and the people. Craters across the Frenchman Flats in Nevada dot the landscape where the U.S. government tested hundreds of nuclear weapons. (Karen Kasmauski/Getty Images) June 10 marks one year since the U.S. Congress allowed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, to expire abandoning thousands of Americans who sacrificed their health in the name of national security. RECA provided critical compensation for medical expenses to uranium miners, mill workers, and downwinders exposed to radiation during Cold War-era nuclear testing and weapons development. But even when it was active, RECA was incomplete, excluding entire communities including Idahoans who suffered the same devastating consequences. The unfinished legacy of RECA From 1945 to 1992, the U.S. government detonated over a thousand nuclear weapons, scattering radioactive fallout across the West. While RECA compensated some downwinders in Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, Idahoans who endured the same invisible poison were left out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Uranium miners employed after 1971 and St. Louis communities used as dumping grounds for Manhattan Project Waste were also excluded from RECA compensation. The consequences have been deadly. Research shows that radiation exposure leads to cancers, heart disease, genetic mutations, and immune disorders with women and children at greatest risk. Yet for decades, the government dismissed these victims as collateral damage, treating rural Westerners and Indigenous communities as expendable. A low-use segment of the population Atomic Energy Commission documents revealed the attitude of the officials making decisions, that we were just a bunch of cowboys, Indians, and Mormons, and a low-use segment of the population. Western states were deemed low-population, as if rural lives mattered less. The Marshall Islands, subjected to 67 nuclear tests, were treated as a sacrifice zone, and officials justified this; they are more like us than the mice is the quote from an Atomic Energy Commission official in 1956. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dismissing Nevada Test Site downwinders and other nuclear weapons test victims as insignificant reflects a brutal truth: the U.S. government calculated whose life had worth and whose did not. But cancer doesnt discriminate. Families in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, and beyond have watched generations suffer from rare leukemias, thyroid diseases, brain cancers, and clusters of tumors. Many never knew their illnesses were tied to nuclear testing until it was too late. Justice cant wait RECA should be reinstated and expanded to cover all radiation victims, including people like: Idaho downwinders Post-1971 uranium workers Other communities excluded from fallout zones Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congress has a choice: pass RECA in the next must-pass Big, Beautiful, Bill, or continue to let victims die waiting. This isnt just about compensation its about admitting the full cost of Americas nuclear legacy and justice for victims. What you can do Our representatives in Congress will make better decisions if they hear from residents about how expansion of RECA would affect them. Research your family history were there unexplained cancers, thyroid conditions, or stillbirths? Radiations effects linger for generations. Speak up this isnt ancient history. Every day RECA lapses, more people suffer. We cant allow our government to wait for people to die. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Curtis Building pictured Tuesday, June 10,2025, on the Limestone University campus in Gaffney, South Carolina, served as the college's administration building until the school's closure at the end of April 2025. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) GAFFNEY Limestone University required students to pre-pay for summer classes. Now that the college has closed for good, some say theyre out thousands of dollars. The schools initial announcement that the 179-year-old, private college in South Carolinas Upstate needed to raise $6 million to stay open came as online students faced a deadline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On April 13, school officials told virtual students, including Mike Thielen, to submit their payments for summer classes within five days, according to emails reviewed by the SC Daily Gazette. The April 16 announcement of potential closure said online classes would continue, suggesting online students need not worry. But after two weeks of frantic fundraising fell short, the schools governing board ultimately voted for total closure. Online offerings ended too. That blindsided everybody, Thielen said. Its been six weeks since the board vote. Thielen and half a dozen others say the school has still not refunded their money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Limestone personnel designated as a point of contact after closure have not responded to emails sent by the SC Daily Gazette. Total failure of leadership At first, Thielen received email replies from staff saying they were working on returning the $4,000 he paid for two classes. He followed up several times and received the same response until layoffs became official and people stopped returning messages altogether. I dont know if Ill ever see my money again, Thielen said. Everyone is passing the buck. Its just really shameful. Thielen enrolled in Limestones online program while working for a Spartanburg software company, which had a partnership agreement with the school. When he took a new job, he continued studying with Limestone, hoping to become the first person in his family with a masters degree. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The online Master of Business Administration student, who lives near Fort Worth, Texas, and works as a healthcare recruiter, was just three classes away from finishing his degree. Now hes left finding a new school one that may not accept all of his transfer credits. And hell have to come up with more money to pay for it, on top of what he lost. It was just a total failure of leadership, he said. They rushed to shut it down and now theyre hiding. The story is similar for South Carolina Army National Guard member Thomas Martin. The master sergeant from Charleston has worked for the Guard full time for two decades and was pursuing a bachelors degree in business on the side. Martin said Limestones online program was a popular choice among his fellow guardsmen because they could use federal and state benefits offered to military members to pay for it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Limestones final spring semester ended, Martin still had about $1,000 in state aid available, which he had hoped to put toward summer classes or textbook costs. The school, which received students allotment directly from the state Commission on Higher Education, has yet to credit him for those unused state dollars. I had a great experience with Limestone up until this, he said. Now theyre not even acknowledging my emails. Its disappointing. Financial straits Martin said he was repeatedly referred to South Carolinas higher education agency for help. The commissions staff told him they would research the matter but werent hopeful that the aid dollars would be returned. Commission spokesman Mark Swart said the agency has not received any official, written complaints against Limestone at this time. He said the agency referred several students to Limestones former chief of staff, who the school designated as a point of contact. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Martin told the Gazette he didnt realize the complaint process existed. When Limestone announced the final decision to close, laying off 478 people employed by the college, leadership cited enrollment declines impacting colleges nationwide and rising costs as the drivers behind the schools financial straits. Limestones enrollment fell by half over the past decade, from 3,214 students in fall 2014, according to state higher education data, to 1,600 this semester, including both online and in-person students, according to the universitys announcement. Auditors reported the school had a $7.6 million operating loss as of June 2024. To make up for losses, the school had borrowed some $22 million from its small endowment, which had a balance of just $9.2 million last June. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The school also faced an additional $30 million in debt, largely from a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development loan, which Limestone took out in 2018 to construct a new library and student center, purchase a residence hall and refinance previous debt. The school offered campus land and buildings as collateral. So far, USDA is not calling in that loan. In a statement, a USDA spokesperson said it takes its stewardship of taxpayer funds seriously and continues to actively engage with the universitys board and leadership to explore all available options to protect the federal investment and ensure the best possible outcome for the community and taxpayers. The school also has not filed for federal bankruptcy protections. No liens have been filed against the school in South Carolina district court. Nor are there any small claims filings from students at this time. Other impacts Not only does Limestones closure impact the colleges students, it also affected college employees and 13 K-12 public charter schools that relied on the colleges associated charter school management operations: Limestone Charter Association. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A former employee has filed suit in federal court alleging the school violated national labor laws when it only gave two weeks notice to workers. Federal law requires companies with 100 or more employees to give at least 60 days notice for layoffs, though there are some exceptions. In its notice letter filed with the state employment agency, Limestone claimed the exemption allowed for employers actively seeking funding that an earlier notice could have jeopardized. The school has yet to respond in court filings. Meanwhile, the state Department of Education is allowing the Limestone Charter Association, which operates as a separate nonprofit with its own staff, to continue operations through the coming school year as the charter schools it serves search for a new authorizer. According to staff at the K-12 agency, the charter association will continue to receive state funding and act as an authorizer until July 1, 2026. It cannot accept any new schools starting July 1, 2025, and the state Education Department is recommending charter schools apply to a new authorizer by December. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Limestone Charter Association schools: Theres only one Friday the 13th this year its just days away, with the summer solstice right behind it. It is an off-season cameo of spooky season, which is just months away. Or just a cosmic nudge to release the weird energy before we soak in the sun's longest stay. Either way, it can serve as a day to reflect and let go, to create a chance for renewal. What's the history of Friday the 13th? Friday the 13ths reputation for bad luck largely originates from religious and cultural beliefs. In Christianity, it is associated with the Last Supper, where Judas, the 13th guest, betrayed Jesus, leading to his crucifixion on a Friday, according to USA TODAY. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Norse mythology also contributes, with the 13th god, Loki, bringing chaos and death. This superstition deepened over time, particularly after the mass arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13th, 1307, further cementing the days unlucky status. When is the next Friday the 13th? This is the only Friday the 13th of 2025. Next year will feature three Friday the 13ths spanning February, March and November the maximum possible in a single calendar year. 7 Friday the 13th superstitions to either avoid or pursue To avoid: Breaking a mirror: Breaking a mirror is said to bring seven years of bad luck, so handle glass carefully today. Walking under a ladder : This superstition stems from the idea that walking under a ladder disrupts the triangle, a symbol of life, and invites misfortune. Spilling salt : Accidentally spilling salt has been seen as bad luck for centuries. To counteract, throw a pinch over your left shoulder to ward off evil. Crossing paths with a black cat : Black cats, often associated with witches and bad omens, are considered unlucky, especially when they cross your path on Friday the 13th. Stepping on Cracks: The rhyme "step on a crack, break your mother's back" comes from the idea that stepping on cracks invites bad energy or harm. To pursue: Carrying a lucky charm: Items like four-leaf clovers, horseshoes or rabbits feet are believed to bring good luck and protection from bad vibes. Knocking on wood: This age-old superstition is believed to prevent bad luck or jinxes. If you say something hopeful, knock on wood to "seal the deal" and keep good fortune on your side. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: How did Friday the 13th originate? 7 superstitions to avoid or pursue WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) As the 4th of July nears, Presbyterian Manor is reminding us that patriotism doesnt have to be loud; it can be written in ink. At Presbyterian Manor, its not about parades or fireworks; its about messages from the heart, as their Operation Thank a Veteran campaign is delivering cards to residents who made the ultimate sacrifice. Wichita Falls Area Food Bank, Wichita Falls Farmers Market team up for seniors, WIC food Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The campaign allows anyone, anywhere, to submit a message of gratitude online. Once submitted, staff members print the cards and hand deliver them to residents before the Fourth of July. Jerri Thomas, Director of Marketing, says some of the most touching messages have come from people who have never even met the veterans. One time I got a message from someone that, said my unborn child thanks you. Thanks to you, my unborn child is going to live in a free country because of your service and your sacrifice and the things that you did to be a hero. Theyre so appreciative. Its amazing. Some of them have tears in their eyes, Thomas said. One of the most common things that I hear is that they cant believe people remember because its been so long ago. And we want them to know that it doesnt matter how long ago it was, their service counted. It matters. As Independence Day approaches, the message is clear: sometimes the simplest thank you is the one that matters most. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If youd like to participate, its free, just go to: Tribute Gift | Presbyterian Manor Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Every few generations, a controversial book is published that sparks a dramatic shift in political trajectory. Upton Sinclairs The Jungle (workplace and food safety reforms), Rachel Carsons Silent Spring (environmental activism), and Milton and Rose Friedmans Free to Choose (the Reagan Revolution) are a few examples. We suggest that Abundance, authored by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, may be such a tome. Abundance dissects how progressivism has crippled innovation, housing and essential development. The liberal authors artfully recommend a liberalism that protects and builds. Although causing a rift in the Democratic Party, could this signal a shift in the trajectory of national politics? COWLEY: Reminiscent of Princess Leias plea to Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Abundance agenda is Democrats only hope. Government is getting in their way, stifled by layers of self-imposed regulatory burdens. Government should be judged by its outcomes, not the rigid principles it follows. Process has been prioritized over product. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stymied public projects are merely symptoms of a larger illness within the Democratic Party. They have countless militant factions, each fighting for their niche issue to be pervasively included in all facets of government. Environmental activists demand prairie dog protection from new transmission lines. Clean air advocates want mass transit to be carbon-neutral. Even Biden saw how his infrastructure spending bills didnt have a meaningful impact because a large chunk was gobbled up by red tape and compliance costs. Imposing restrictions on their own desired outcomes results in money spent, time wasted and little to show for it. They cannot be all things to all people. Leadership is sometimes saying no. Although not entirely the fault of Democrats, upward mobility and the American Dream are becoming relics of the past. In 1940, children had a 92% chance of out-earning their parents. By 1980, it fell to 50%. If we dont build and innovate, economic opportunity dwindles. AI is the next frontier for discovery and development. This global race is one that Americans cannot afford to lose, and both parties should be paying attention. PIGNANELLI: The formation of ideological factions within political parties starting among intellectuals and writers is a staple of American history. Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic I remember when Friedmans program promoting the free market aired on PBS (thats right) in January 1980, when President Jimmy Carter was beating Ronald Reagan 65%-31 %. In November, Reagan won in a landslide. Ideas have power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abundance philosophy has existed for years. But this book compiled supportive documentation into a mass communication vehicle. The well-intentioned government programs established 50 years ago are crippling housing and the implementation of technological innovations. The authors argue that progressives are focused on process and litigation rather than achieving results that benefit society. Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden passed massive legislation to fund projects in healthcare, technology and alternative fuels that were impossible to initiate due to regulatory barriers. Severe left-wing opposition to abundance advocates underscores their fear of losing influence. Indeed, pundits predict a civil war within the Democratic Party between the far left and moderates eager for a new ideology. This demand for competent, efficient government can attract independents and moderate Republicans. America is amidst a major political realignment, and abundance is a new dynamic. We are witnessing history. Utah is well governed. But are there aspects of Abundance that could be utilized to promote the objectives of our state officials? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement COWLEY: Utah understands that less is more when it comes to government. The Legislature is actively removing government barriers to innovation. For example, Utahs regulatory sandbox allows entrepreneurs to seek regulatory relief in their businesses while serving as laboratories of innovation. Look at the speed with which nuclear power is coming to Utah. Yet, more could be done on permitting and zoning to address Utahs significant housing shortage. PIGNANELLI: Gov. Spencer Cox appropriately notes that Utah has performed DOGE-like functions for years. Senate President Stuart Adams is promoting clean nuclear energy. Speaker Mike Schultz and lawmakers pursued a similar objective by mandating that the Utah Higher Education reallocate 10% of state funds to more productive uses. Despite public grumbling, insiders are grateful for the political protection that compels them to readjust resources. These goals also apply to conservatives to discourage their policies that inhibit housing and economic development at the local government level. Abundance should not be beholden to any political party, but rather a mindset that if government is used, it must be practical and not an interference. Will Abundance be a campaign issue in the future? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement COWLEY: The Abundance agenda may help Democrat candidates become more appealing to Utah voters as the battle between progressives and moderates wages on. The real question is if they see the existential crisis befalling them and what will they do to avoid extinction. Staying the course doesnt have an upside. There is no drama-filled Twitter spat or blunder big enough that Trump could commit for the millions of Americans who voted for him to suddenly support the progressive agenda. Democrats need to loosen the stranglehold activists have on their party in order to rack up wins. PIGNANELLI: Abundance will be weaponized against moderate Democrats by left-wing progressives in internal battles. Democrats and Republicans in swing districts will advocate for this philosophy. Theres a popular fable about the person who shows pity to an ailing venomous snake after securing its promise not to bite. When the snake ultimately strikes its rescuer, its unapologetic: You knew what I was when you picked me up. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., knew who Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was when he voted to confirm him as health secretary earlier this year. But Cassidy, after voting to convict Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, also thinks that he can win a third term in the U.S. Senate. That fanciful belief caused Cassidy to hand Kennedy the power to do what he did Monday: apparently violate a promise hed made to Cassidy by firing all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. It should surprise no one, least of all Cassidy, that Kennedy believes the committee, as he wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed Monday, is plagued with persistent conflicts of interest and is a rubber stamp for vaccine approvals. We should all feel anger at what Kennedy is doing, but only Cassidy should feel like a sucker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Long before coming to the Senate, Cassidy was a physician who spent his career working at a hospital for poor and uninsured people and who once launched a laudatory vaccination program for some of Louisianas most vulnerable people. Kennedys nomination presented him with a dilemma. He had to have known that he couldnt derail one of Trumps Cabinet nominees and expect a Louisiana Republican Party already angry with him to support him in a Senate re-election campaign in 2026. But nor could he, as a physician, endorse Kennedys vaccine antagonism. So he got the countrys most notorious critic of vaccines to pinkie swear that, if confirmed, hed be something other than the countrys most notorious critic of vaccines. Specifically, Cassidy announced in February, prior to casting the deciding vote on Kennedys nomination in the Senate Finance Committee, that he got Kennedy to promise that he would maintain the 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes. Rather than admit he was had, Cassidy rewrote history, telling reporters Monday that Kennedys promise was about not changing the process, not the committee itself. Hes laboring to express his disapproval without acknowledging his culpability or accusing Kennedy of deceit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion, Cassidy wrote on X on Monday. Ive just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and Ill continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case. A conversation. Thats what Kennedy got and thats what Kennedy is going to get for getting rid of all the experts on a vaccine advisory committee. A conversation with someone who didnt use his power to stop him when he could have stopped him and who has no power to stop him now. When Cassidy was asked by a reporter Tuesday if hes sure Kennedy will appoint people to the committee who support vaccinations, he answered, I cant answer that because I havent seen the names. To a follow-up question Why would you trust him? an aide interjected, Thank you, guys; thats enough. Cassidy had an incentive to put his trust in Kennedy. Opposing his nomination would have meant abandoning his hope of winning next year. The obvious problem, though, is that his getting re-elected isnt in the publics interest. A public health infrastructure that makes decisions based on science, and not on pressure from a charlatan like Kennedy, is. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once Cassidy saw that hed made himself a pariah among Louisiana Republicans, it would have been better if he had given up the idea of winning in Louisiana again and been guided with the same sense of purpose that led him to start those vaccination clinics so long ago. He should have acted with the same sense of integrity that led him to say, with bracing clarity, Our Constitution and our country is more important than any one person. I voted to convict President Trump because he is guilty. The publics health is more important than one persons appointment. Ensuring that the Department of Health and Human Services wasnt put into the hands of someone hostile to its mission would have been a career-ending decision for Cassidy, but he would have left the Senate with his dignity. Instead, he extracted a worthless promise from a man who maintained a slipperiness throughout his confirmation hearings about the extent of his anti-vaccine opposition and advocacy. What ought to make us especially angry is that Cassidy was the one who got Kennedy to promise to do right but were the ones getting bit. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com President Trump has exercised the pardon power in ways that have defied custom and surprised many. He pardoned all of the Jan. 6 rioters. He has sometimes bypassed the traditional Department of Justice process for considering pardon requests. The Wall Street Journal recently characterized pardons in Trumps second term as the Wild West. As in other areas, Trump has approached pardons in a way that rejects norms and maximizes executive prerogative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Trump has not yet deployed the pardon power in another way that would challenge convention and expand presidential authority: He has not tried to pardon any civil offenses. But he could do it. Many punishments meted out by the federal government take the form of civil penalties rather than criminal sentences. Agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau routinely impose penalties of millions of dollars for alleged civil not criminal violations, as well as imposing restrictions on the future conduct of the entities they target. If he wished to do so, Trump could remedy the regulatory overreach of unduly aggressive civil enforcement actions by pardoning the underlying civil offenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pardon power is succinctly set forth at Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution: The president shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. Conventional wisdom says the pardon power is limited to criminal offenses, but you will notice there is no such statement in the constitutional language. This erroneous conclusion stems largely from the Supreme Courts 1925 decision Ex parte Grossman, in which the court held that the president could pardon criminal contempt of court, but suggested a pardon could not apply to civil contempt. The distinction was based on the courts characterization of criminal contempt as punitive whereas civil contempt is remedial. However, this distinction does not lead inexorably to the conclusion that the pardon power applies only in the criminal context. It could just as easily lead to the conclusion that any punitive measure imposed by the federal government can be pardoned. Indeed, the Supreme Courts reasoning in Grossman was at odds with earlier decisions in which the court sweepingly asserted that the president can pardon fines, penalties, and forfeitures of every description arising under the laws of Congress (The Laura, 1885) and that the pardon power extends to every offense known to the law (Ex parte Garland, 1866). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no question that the Constitution empowers the president to pardon terrorists and organized crime bosses. It would be deeply incongruous if he could pardon heinous criminal acts but not, for example, civil violations of securities laws. The notion that the president lacks authority to pardon civil offenses is inconsistent with the best reading of the Constitution. The term offences used in the Pardon Clause is a broad category that includes but is not limited to crimes. In addition to the Pardon Clause, the term offences appears in the Offences Clause at Article I, Section 8. This clause gives Congress the power To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations. This clause is not limited to criminal acts the courts and Congress have cited it as authority for civil laws, such as the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and the Torture Victim Protection Act. Further, the Pardon Clause states that impeachment cannot be pardoned, though impeachment is not a criminal offense. If the Framers understood that the pardon power applies only to criminal offenses, there would have been no need so explicitly to exclude impeachment from its reach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the early days of the republic, pardons were used to excuse violations that today would be considered civil in nature. Federal civil offenses did not even exist in the late 18th century. Consequently, early presidents issued pardons for then-criminal offenses that would undoubtedly be treated as civil regulatory violations today. For example, Washington and Adams pardoned minor customs violations. Jefferson issued pardons for keeping a billiard table without license and keeping a disorderly house. Trump has taken unprecedented steps both to reduce regulatory overreach and to reassert executive authority as intended by the Constitution for example, by removing members of so-called independent agencies. Applying the pardon power to civil offenses where warranted is another legitimate tool available to him. Thomas Beck is the author of Constitutional Separation of Powers: Cases and Commentary and is a former federal agency head. He served as an adviser to the Trump-Vance transition. 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. The crisis unfolding in Los Angeles isnt about immigration enforcement or civil unrest its about a president deliberately manufacturing confrontation to expand his authority. President Trumps illegal deployment of Marines and threats against state officials represent a calculated strategy to bait opponents into escalating responses that justify even greater executive overreach. The real emergency isnt in Californias streets; its in the Oval Office, and it demands an immediate, coordinated response from every level of American government. Trumps plan in Los Angeles is becoming clear: violate the law brazenly, provoke pushback, then use that pushback to justify further lawlessness. His deployment of Marines without invoking the Insurrection Act violates the Posse Comitatus Act, but it also serves a darker purpose. By putting military forces on American streets illegally, hes creating conditions that invite confrontation. When protesters inevitably respond to military presence, Trump will claim vindication for his emergency powers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a dangerous feedback loop designed to normalize authoritarian governance through manufactured crisis. This is strategic provocation. Every illegal order, every constitutional violation, every threat against state officials is calculated to generate the very chaos Trump claims to be solving. The more opposition he faces, the more emergency authority he will claim. The more governors resist, the more he can portray federalism as rebellion. The more courts push back, the more he can paint judicial review as obstruction. Breaking this cycle requires recognizing Trumps strategy and refusing to play his game. The response must be swift, coordinated and unambiguously committed to non-violent constitutional resistance. Heres what needs to happen immediately. First, protesters must maintain absolute non-violence. This is perhaps the most critical element. Trump is counting on violent confrontation to justify his illegal military deployment. Every act of violence, every thrown bottle, every aggressive encounter with federal forces plays directly into his strategy. Protesters must make crystal clear to any observer that military force against peaceful citizens represents grotesque governmental overreach. The contrast between peaceful assembly and military occupation must be so stark that no reasonable person can justify the latter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Second, the courts must act with unprecedented speed. Californias lawsuit challenging the National Guard federalization cannot languish in normal judicial timelines. Federal judges must recognize that constitutional violations happening in real time require rapid judicial response. Emergency injunctions, expedited hearings and immediate rulings are not just appropriate theyre essential to prevent Trump from building momentum through delay. Every day courts allow illegal deployments to continue is another day Trump normalizes military governance of civilian affairs. Third, the media must refuse the distraction. Trumps provocations are designed to generate coverage that focuses on protest tactics rather than constitutional violations. The story isnt whether protesters are disruptive its whether presidents can get away with deploying military forces illegally. The story isnt whether governors are obstructionist, but whether federalism survives executive assault. The framing matters, and the media must resist being manipulated into covering Trumps constitutional crisis as a law enforcement story. Fourth, Democrats must unite behind a single, clear message. With Republicans having abdicated their constitutional responsibilities in favor of blind party loyalty, Democrats across all levels of government must coordinate their response around one central theme: Donald Trump is the threat to law and order, not the solution. Democratic governors, mayors, members of Congress and party leaders must speak with one voice: presidents cannot deploy military forces illegally, federalism is not negotiable, and political opposition is not criminal behavior. This isnt about policy or protest tactics its about whether America remains a constitutional republic. Every Democratic official must hammer this message home consistently, refusing to be distracted by Trumps provocations or drawn into debates about secondary issues. The contrast must be crystal clear: Democrats defending constitutional order versus Republicans enabling constitutional destruction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The stakes couldnt be higher. If Trump successfully uses manufactured confrontation to expand presidential power, every future president inherits those expanded authorities and it becomes a matter of when, not if, the republic finally falls. Todays illegal military deployment becomes tomorrows standard response. Todays threats against governors become tomorrows federal prosecutions of state officials. Todays violation of federalism becomes tomorrows unitary executive state. Trump is betting that American institutions will either enable his lawlessness or respond so chaotically that he can justify even greater overreach. Both outcomes serve his purposes. The only winning move is coordinated, non-violent, constitutional resistance that exposes his actions as the real threat to American order. The emergency isnt in Los Angeles its in the systematic breakdown of constitutional government by a president who views legal constraints as obstacles to overcome rather than principles to uphold. American democracys survival now depends on whether its institutions can respond to this manufactured crisis with the urgency it demands. Nicholas Creel is an associate professor of business law at Georgia College and State University. His views do not necessarily represent those of his employer. 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. President Donald Trump and his most loyal allies have seized on images of Mexican flags being waved at the protests in Los Angeles against his mass deportation regime. Insurrectionists carrying foreign flags are attacking immigration enforcement officers, Vice President JD Vance posted Saturday on X. Foreign flags flying in American cities to defend the invasion and defy federal law, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller tweeted that very same day. Displaying flags from Mexico, Central America or other Latin American countries is nothing new at these demonstrations. As Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano said in a recent video, those of us who have covered immigration issues for years frequently run into this undue obsession with a piece of cloth. Once again, immigration enforcement is being reduced to a culture war spectacle, pitting Americans against Americans over who and what gets to define what it means to be American. This is not a new tactic for Trump and his ilk but Los Angeles is not just another city facing this fight. We have to resist this, because in Los Angeles, we clearly understand whats happening, high school history teacher and Union del Barrio community organizer Ron Gochez told Democracy Now! over the weekend. The Trump administration is trying to make an example of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is the heart of the Mexican and Central American community here in the United States. And so, they think that if they can break us, they can break anyone in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a region that is nearly 50% Latino, Los Angeles has long been a stage for what happens when marginalized communities push back. That resistance has often come with a price, from the Zoot Suit Riots in 1943, when young Mexican American men were beaten and arrested by servicemen and police, to the 1970 Chicano Moratorium, when the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department killed three individuals, including journalist Ruben Salazar, during a protest against the Vietnam War. In 1994, the city was the center of the fight against Proposition 187, Californias attempt to deny public services to undocumented immigrants. Those in power condemned each of those movements at the time, but all of them have since become part of a broader American story of civil rights. The Trump administration and its supporters havent read that story though. This is a calculated and strategic decision by the Trump administration to turn LA into a test case for quashing political dissent, journalist Tina Vasquez wrote earlier this week. It is easier to attack a symbol like a flag, which is ironically woven into U.S. history through the land-grabbing legacy of the Mexican-American War, than to confront what it represents in the hands of someone born here, raised here and determined to stay. Americans also forget how, during the time of the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century, the United States intervened militarily multiple times, occupying border towns and launching cross-border raids. The line between what is American and what is Mexican has never been clear-cut, no matter how much political leaders insist it is. Still, the images of the Mexican flag align with a narrative Trump and his allies have been promoting for years, a way to reduce a protest about policy and due process to a spectacle about patriotism and identity. Instead of discussing due process violations, courthouse arrests or policy abuses, they want to pivot the conversation to patriotism and symbols. They want a debate over whether people have the right to wave any flag at all, not why theyre waving it in the first place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These idiots waving Mexican flags during the LA riots just gave Donald Trump the greatest political gift, Republican strategist Matt Wylie told Newsweek. It will be Exhibit A as proof of an invasion. Those images have done more in the last few days to strengthen his ability to crackdown on illegal immigration than weeks of messaging ever could. But as Vasquez wrote, like many audacious, power-hungry leaders before him, Trump has vastly underestimated his adversaries. Thats what is missing from much of the current political spin. Yes, Trump and his allies are trying to paint Los Angeles as an anti-American symbol of insurrection, but the MAGA crowd overlooks that previous protests, such as the Prop 187 ones or the massive immigration rallies of 2006, were about the same issues we are all witnessing now. Angelenos have seen it all before: vilification, fearmongering and false claims about un-American activities. All this anti-immigrant strategy has accomplished is to mobilize states like California to produce new leaders and justice movements that place immigrants first. A CBS News poll released just before the demonstrations found that Americans only support deportations if they believe ICE is targeting dangerous criminals. That support drops fast if they believe people are being denied hearings or due process. While 55% support the presidents deportation goals, that flips to 56% opposing his approach to deportations. And a YouGov survey taken amid the demonstrations finds just 39% approve of Trumps handling of deportations, while 50% disapprove. Trumps bet on making foreign flags the story follows a predictable script. The difference is that those waving the flags know the ending. They have lived it before and theyre still here, protesting with pride in where they come from and ensuring that their voices will not be erased. They sense that they are on the right side of American history. And they understand that these protests are not about loyalty to another country, but about claiming space in this one. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com I have an idea for Elon Musk: join the Libertarian Party! Actually, dont just join it take it over! Let me explain. Musk and President Trump seem to have entered some kind of detente following their big blowup last week. The worlds richest man is no longer tweeting constantly about Trump being on the Epstein client list, or about how he feels betrayed over the big beautiful bill, which will massively increase the deficit despite Republican promises to finally cut government spending. In fact, hes spent the last several days tweeting about the Los Angeles riots and the importance of emerging AI technology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump, for his part, is refusing to engage Elon with particular hostility. Trump recently told reporters that he would be keeping the Tesla he bought from Musk, that he would continue using Starlink, Musks internet service, and that he wished Elon well. I try not to make political predictions, but it actually would not surprise me in the least if Trump and Elon makeup or at the very least, if the Republican Party maintains a friendly enough connection to Elon so that the tech billionaire remains a financial backer of, say, Vice President JD Vance when he inevitably runs for president. But heres an alternative idea Id like to plan in Musks head, as he is currently party shopping. As a Libertarian Party member, and voter, I would be thrilled to welcome Elon into the party and I suspect I wouldnt be alone. After all, the Libertarian Party is a natural fit for Elon, whose politics mostly seem to align with Rand Paul and Thomas Massie, the two most libertarian members of Congress in the Republican Party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elon wants low taxes, lower spending, low regulation, and thinks the federal governments priorities should reflect that: Cut the deficit first, get our fiscal house in order, and worry about the other stuff later. He also wants government regulations to be friendly to technological growth, is particularly motivated to prevent censorship on social media, and thinks the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic was authoritarian. These are all textbook libertarian issues. Whats more, the current trajectory of the Libertarian Party makes it ideal for some new leadership. For years, the party has been the nations third or fourth largest, alongside the Green Party. In the 2016 election, Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson received 4.5 million votes and about 3 percent of the national vote, a record at the time. In 2020, the Libertarian nominee received about 1 percent of the national vote. In both of those elections, it finished ahead of the Green Party. Behind the scenes, however, the party has gone through something for a transformation over the last two cycles. Johnson, the 2016 nominee, was perceived by some within the Libertarian Party as too liberal and mainstream not based enough to attract contrarians and dissidents to the party. In response, a faction calling itself the Mises Caucus formed and attempted to take control of the party. In 2022, they succeeded. Their strategy was podcast-focused: Find people who listen to Joe Rogan and like-minded independent thinkers and draw them to the Libertarian Party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The strategy had a certain amount of merit. The party ended up flirting with Robert F Kennedy Jr., and found itself having significant audience overlap with him. But eventually, Kennedy made a quasi-endorsement of Trump and essentially withdrew from the presidential race. Meanwhile, at the Libertarian National Convention, delegates bucked the Mises Caucus and picked their least preferred candidate, Chase Oliver. In response, the Mises Caucus leadership barely tolerated the Libertarian candidate, hindering his campaign in numerous ways. The partys chairwoman, Angela McArdle, the highest-ranking Mises Caucus official, subsequently resigned from the party. The new chair is not a member of this faction and is trying to chart a more neutral course and reunite the party, though the Mises Caucus has vowed to retake control. So thats where we are now: The Libertarian Party could use some new people, some new leadership, and probably a new infusion of cash. If Elon Musk really wants to make Republicans sorry that they failed to live up to his expectations and cut government spending but quite rationally believes that Democrats will never ever, ever do better he might find he has the most in common with the ticket that gets my vote every year. Robbie Soave is co-host of The Hills commentary show Rising and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary. 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 the 10,000 Afghan refugees who have made the U.S. home after fleeing a growing humanitarian crisis under Taliban rule, the future is no longer even temporarily secure. On May 12, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it will terminate Afghanistans designation for Temporary Protected Status, effective July 14, devastating not only its beneficiaries but also the communities that have embraced them. This is personal to me. And it should be personal for anyone who believes in standing up to oppression and protecting those most at risk. Created in 1990, Temporary Protected Status provides individuals from countries facing armed conflict, environmental disaster or other extraordinary conditions, with legal status and work authorization for renewable 18-month periods. Applicants undergo thorough background checks to be eligible for and maintain their status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are not admitted if they are felons, have several misdemeanors, or fail to meet the other requirements for the program, as outlined by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status has served as an incredibly effective legal pathway for refugees fleeing various large-scale conflicts to find safety while helping to strengthen American communities and our economy. The Biden administration redesignated Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status in the fall of 2023 for good reason. The Talibans return had brought with it renewed political repression, severe economic collapse and destruction of fundamental rights, especially for women and girls. None of that has changed. Yet now, DHS has announced protections will be stripped away in a few short weeks. Moreover, the Trump administrations recent travel ban, which includes Afghanistan, adds further confusion, chaos, and contradiction to this decision. When lifting Afghanistans Temporary Protected Status designation, the administration cited Afghanistans security and economic improvements as a reason for doing so. However, when implementing the travel ban, the administration noted security issues and a lack of appropriate screening and vetting measures as justification. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is more than a policy misstep. It is a moral failure. President Trump, who rightfully criticized his predecessor for his chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan as the most embarrassing event in the history of our country, is effectively sending families back into the grip of a Taliban regime sanctioned by his administration as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. This issue hits me particularly close to home. Decades ago, I served in Iran through the Peace Corps and later as the press attache at the embassy in Tehran, where I was held hostage for 444 days. Despite this trauma, I returned to the region after 9/11 to work on the Afghan Education Project, coordinated by Teachers College, Columbia University. For three years, I worked to modify the school curriculum to erase Taliban-imposed propaganda and foster a more open, free and democratic society. During that time, I became close with my driver and occasional translator, Shamgul. Without him, the work could not have happened, and my own safety would have been at greater risk. He helped keep me and many others safe as we moved through Kabul and beyond. We considered each other family. After the Taliban regained power, I tried desperately to get officials in Washington to bring him and his two sons to America, but failed, and Shamgul was murdered by the Taliban for having worked with us. Families that did make it to America are now being abandoned and told they must return to danger and perhaps a similar fate. This must not happen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The program was created to prevent this scenario. It offers stability, safety and the chance to contribute. And it works. Afghan Temporary Protected Status holders contribute $296 million to the U.S. economy annually, and the program remains popular among voters. According to a joint poll by the SEIU and FWD.us, 66 percent of voters in battleground states support using the program as an effective legal pathway for protection from deportation and for work authorization. The Trump administrations decision to remove Afghanistans designation and subsequent travel ban is a betrayal of American values. I have spent my life on the front lines of the U.S. mission to advance democracy, human rights, peace and security. I strongly encourage the current administration to live up to these ideals and protect innocent Afghans seeking refuge. The moral test of a nation is how it treats those with the least power. Right now, we are failing that test. Barry Rosen is a veteran of the Peace Corps, survivor of the Iran Hostage Crisis and a co-founder of Hostage Aid Worldwide. He worked with UNICEF in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2005. 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. The Trump administrations recent completion of a minerals for security deal with Ukraine raises a question: Are there other countries where we could ink a similar agreement? However improbable it might seem, I believe North Korea, which is likely home to large rare earth mineral deposits, should be next. In addition to supplying the United States with critical minerals, a deal with North Korea could halt the growing threat of Pyongyangs nuclear-tipped missiles, reduce the danger of a regional conflict and put South and North Korea on a path to ending the Cold War on the Korean peninsula. Tensions have mounted in northeast Asia since President Donald Trump met North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in 2019. Pyongyangs steady buildup of long-range nuclear-armed missiles has ignited a dangerous regional arms race that also threatens the continental United States. In fact, two respected experts believe North Korea is preparing for a fight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The danger of a second Korean war is real. The two Koreas came close to blows three times, in 2010, 2015 and 2017, a conflict that could also involve the United States and China. The next crisis will be even more dangerous as North Koreas defense alliance with Russia deepens and the Kremlin shares advanced military technology. A retired American general has warned that the countries in the region are one bad decision away from a nuclear war. Cooperation in developing North Koreas minerals could be the centerpiece of an agreement intended to head that danger off. The United States and North Korea could reach a deal to develop those resources, especially rare earth elements that have important applications in a wide range of modern technologies. The resulting income stream, which would benefit North Korea, could be funneled into a fund used to modernize its economy. None of this would be possible without taking steps to build a better relationship between Washington and Pyongyang. Those steps would include establishing diplomatic relations and lifting sanctions that prevent economic cooperation. But no agreement could get off the ground if tensions remain high. An economic deal would have to also address Washingtons security concerns, the threat posed to its allies and the danger of a regional conflagration. At this point, denuclearization might be off the table, especially with the size of Kims arsenal. However, an agreement would have to, at the very least, bring North Koreas WMD programs under control and start a process of confidence building between countries in northeast Asia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump is well-positioned to reignite his first-term bromance with Kim. A minerals-for-security deal could appeal to a transactional president who had made helping Pyongyang develop its economy an important part of his past engagement with Kim. Moreover, the global pursuit of rare earth minerals is a key objective for Trump and his administration. And to Trumps luck, the next president of South Korea is Lee Jae-myung, who has long been an advocate for warmer ties with North Korea. The timing is impeccable: Former President Suk Yeol, who was permanently removed from office in April after declaring martial law, was a North Korea hawk who likely would have been against an economic deal with Pyongyang. Lee could be a close partner to Trump in this deal, similarly to how former President Moon Jae-in helped organize the first summit between Kim and Trump. Moreover, South and North have cooperated in the past in developing Pyongyangs mineral resources. However, Lee will have a tough road to hoe, since relations between the two Koreas plummeted under his predecessor. North Korea also seems open for business. Estimates of the size of its rare earth mineral deposits vary but they appear to be substantial. Moreover, Kim understands that North Koreas rare and other significant mineral deposits play an important part in developing his countrys economy; Pyongyang proposed a $2.5 billion deal with the Chinese in 2018 to exchange rare earth minerals for an investment in solar panels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, Kim may be in no mood to reengage Trump, despite their past summits their two meetings in 2019 ended in failure and North Koreas foreign policy tilt towards Russia and China, Washingtons two main protagonists. However, if the U.S.-China trade war subsides and a positive Putin-Trump relationship grows, Moscow and Beijing could end up tacitly backing a deal. Lowering tensions in the region would also serve their interests. Kims nuclear weapons arsenal will present a challenge for renewed talks. Since Washingtons past priority, requiring him to give them up, is no longer feasible, the United States should emphasize reducing the danger of a nuclear war. One possible step which Kim had agreed to in the past would be a moratorium on nuclear and missile tests that would both lessen tensions and at least begin a process of denuclearization. Third, the devil will be in the detail of any new deal. Given Russias close relationship with North Korea and its recent agreement with Pyongyang to jointly develop its mineral deposits, Moscow may need to be part of an agreement. So may China, which will have to prioritize reducing regional tensions since an agreement could undercut its domination of the global rare earth mineral market. South Korea will probably also want to participate in view of its strong interest in the future of the peninsula. While a multilateral deal may be necessary, it would certainly be more complicated to implement. Just as with the U.S.-Ukraine agreement, a U.S.-DPRK deal could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take as long as 10 years of surveys and building infrastructure before Pyongyangs deposits can be exploited. Getting off the ground quicker may mean initially monetizing North Koreas more accessible deposits of iron, copper, gold and graphite, which are already being mined. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finally, while diplomats may negotiate a deal and leaders may clinch an agreement, implementation will prove challenging. The Trump administration will need to carefully prepare to move forward. That will require exercising leadership in building cooperation between all the participants to finance and supervise the agreements implementation. Admittedly, a minerals-for-security deal with North Korea would be a bold but difficult undertaking. However, a bold initiative may be the only way out of an increasingly dangerous situation that could well result in a devastating nuclear war. In what may be one of the year's most ironic moments, President Donald Trump will spend Wednesday night attending the opening of the musical Les Miserables at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. No, this isnt some presidential obligation that Trump is reluctantly fulfilling. Rather, as he told Fox News Digital last week: I love the songs, I love the play. I think its great. For once, Trump seems to be telling the truth. True, none of the numbers from "Les Mis" appeared on his official playlist for his 2024 campaign, unlike other Broadway musicals like Cats or Phantom of the Opera. (His love of Andrew Lloyd Webber is well-known and deeply telling in its own way.) But Id forgotten until today that during the announcement of his third presidential run in 2022, he walked onstage immediately following the strains of Do You Hear the People Sing? Former President Trump walks out at Mar a Lago after playing of Le Miserables anthem He's introduced as the next president pic.twitter.com/ZJzpKm5IbX Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) November 16, 2022 In fact, hes used the song multiple times at events over the years, almost always prompting similar bouts of confusion from people who understand Les Miserables. Which brings us to the other half of his statement to Fox News Digital: that he thinks the show is "great." Its entirely unclear to me whether theres anything about the shows characters, plot, themes, or general vibe that would speak to Trump on any deeper level. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For starters, Do You Hear the People Sing? is a wild choice of anthem for someone like Trump who has only known wealth and power. The song calls for a revolutionary uprising against the reestablished monarchy in favor of republican ideals and uplifting the poor and downtrodden. The students who belt the number then build a barricade on the streets before the army crushes their insurrection and dreams of a brighter future for France along with it. Given his eagerness this week to deploy Marines onto the streets of Los Angeles, and attacks on protests on college campuses, I have a hard time picturing Trump either sympathizing with the students' cause or mourning their deaths. Further, am I supposed to believe that the law and order president identifies at all with former convict Jean Valjeans story of the cruelty of the law toward the poor and needy? Or that he feels moved by Inspector Javert hurling himself into the Seine when he realizes that mercy can be more just than the law as written? I wouldnt put it past him to describe Gavroche, the young street urchin shot down mid-song as he aids the rebels, as "no angel." Granted, as The Washington Post noted, there are Trump supporters out there who see the MAGA movement as following in the footsteps of the Friends of the ABC in fighting tyranny. But Im less convinced that Trump feels similarly. My money is on him being more captivated by the way the sweeping, booming, overwhelming score sounds than any moral that the show might be trying to bestow on the audience. Cest la vie. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicle Services is warning about the latest text and email scam targeting Oregonians. On Monday, the DMV issued a press release describing the scam, in which bad actors claim the message recipient has an outstanding ticket or other violation and cites phony, administrative codes. The messages then demand payment and claim the recipient could face vehicle registration suspension, suspended driving privileges, service fees and damaged credit scores if they dont pay. The Oregon DMV is warning Oregonians about a text and email scam, in which bad actors pose as the department and demand payment (Courtesy Oregon Department of Motor Vehicle Services). However, the Oregon DMV is warning Oregonians to not click links in those messages and to block the sender and delete the messages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DONT MISS: Beware of scam texts claiming you have a past due toll balance, ODOT says These messages are not from Oregon DMV, said Oregon DMV Public Information Officer Chris Crabb. These are fake messages designed to get you to click on a link and provide personal information or send money. Oregon DMV will never ask you for personal information or payment through an unsolicited text, email or phone call, Crabb explained. DMV transactions should only be completed online at dmv2u.oregon.gov or in person at a DMV office. The DMV clarified that the department does send texts or emails in some instances, but only for transactions initiated by a customer, noting these messages never include links to confirm personal information or to receive payment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arrest warrant issued for Hwy 26 hit-run suspect who removed ankle monitor The DMV offered several tips for Oregonians to protect themselves including never clicking links from messages about unpaid tolls, and to be cautious of suspicious texts demanding immediate action or that ask for personal information and payment. Scams and suspicious communications can also be reported to the United States Federal Trade Commission. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 group of workers with Interstate Business Solutions which contracts with the Oregon's Department of Transportation clean up trash on a highway. Lawmakers are currently weighing a new transportation package that would enhance oversight for the department. (Courtesy of Interstate Business Solutions) A powerful committee tasked with creating the Legislatures newest attempt at a transportation investment package faced growing calls Tuesday to hold Oregons imperiled Department of Transportation accountable for funding future projects and regulations aimed at restoring the states infrastructure. Testimony from Oregonians on House Bill 2025, a 102-page piece of legislation that would institute dozens of taxes including a 15-cent raise to the gas tax and higher fees for electric vehicle drivers, lasted for about an hour and a half. Its the latest in a series of proposals Oregon lawmakers have put forth this session to address longstanding concerns over issues like crumbling roads and weakened bridges throughout the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many speakers pressed lawmakers to ensure that they consider vulnerable communities throughout the state and the growing effects of climate change while deciding funding for roads and bridges. Representatives for unions, construction workers, environmental advocacy groups and other transportation industry insiders all came out to push lawmakers to fund key projects involving highway expansions, corridors and equitable development. But perhaps one of the most significant changes the legislation makes is further oversight over Oregons heavily scrutinized Department of Transportation. In recent years, the department has been the subject of independent reviews, internal audits and public scrutiny over stretched out project timelines and increasing budget estimates. This year, the department is facing a budget deficit, and its workers are pushing for further funding. The bill calls for further audits into the Department of Transportation and establishes quarterly reporting requirements regarding the agencys progress on reforms and projects. It also would set up a new committee to check in on the status of infrastructure projects. Our priority throughout this conversation has not changed. We want to respect valuable frontline jobs in communities throughout the state, Courtney Graham, political director for the Service Employees International Union Local 503, which represents more than 70,000 public employees and caregivers, told lawmakers Tuesday. Absent a solution this session, more than 1,000 positions at [the department] will be eliminated, including hundreds of our members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Graham said delays in project delivery have harmed public trust. She said House Bill 2025 could help alleviate those concerns, but warned that past legislatures have made choices like prioritizing major capital projects over core maintenance. Other speakers on Tuesday said they would like to see further accountability from the department beyond what lawmakers have proposed so far. The departments challenges merit bold changes, said Kirsten Adams, director and counsel for policy and public affairs for the Wilsonville-based Associated General Contractors. The joint committee in May reviewed findings from an independent investigative firm that attributed the agencys plight to dated financial software, surging costs, turnover, and workflow bottlenecks. We also appreciate the efforts to bring more accountability to ODOT, Adams said during her testimony. However, we think these provisions could have gone farther, particularly in light of the work done this session by the committee on accountability issues and significant feedback received there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers on the committee did not engage with speakers or ask questions, but they will likely do so in a work session that has not been scheduled yet. There are two more public hearings on the legislation: one on Wednesday regarding transit, rail and bike safety alongside public transit, and another on Thursday involving operations, maintenance and preservation. The bill would also give Gov. Tina Kotek the authority to choose the director of the department in consultation with the Oregon Transportation Commission, a move Kotek supports. The governor currently appoints five commissioners from different areas of the state who must be confirmed by the Senate. The bill would extend the Senates mandate to also include a vote on the governors choice for director. At this point Im not looking at any changes in the agency, Kotek told reporters Monday. But everything that I can have for stronger tools to hold that agency accountable will help me do my job and serve Oregonians better. The bills cost has been a point of contention and uncertainty among lawmakers, raising questions for several in attendance Tuesday who said they were unable to comment in further detail without more official analysis about the bills fiscal impact. At a Monday informational hearing, two lawmakers on the joint committee Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, and Sen. Chris Gorsek, D-Troutdale agreed the cost to taxpayers would likely generate at least $1 billion in revenue. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The Oregon legislature passed a bill on Monday in an effort to combat politicized book bans across the state, the Democratic House Majority Office announced. Senate Bill 1098, the Freedom to Read bill, prevents books from being banned based on protected topics such as race, sex and religion, or bans based on the authors identity. The bill also ensures that people who are directly connected to a school including parents, guardians and school staff can file complaints about textbooks or library materials rather than allowing complaints from politicians, campaigns or people outside of Oregon. Under the bill, local review committees will make the final call if the material is allowed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DONT MISS: Oregon representative counters bill against book bans by reading explicit excerpt This legislation is a clear statement of our values as Oregonians and a society, said Representative Travis Nelson (D-N & NE Portland), a chief sponsor of the bill. It embodies our commitment to creating an educational environment where every student can learn, grow, and see themselves reflected in the stories and histories that shape our world. The bill comes as 127 books were challenged in Oregon schools and libraries in 2024, marking the highest number since the State Library started tracking challenged titles, according to the House Majority Office. SB 1098 creates a process to make sure such decisions are made with community input, and to protect librarians from being targeted by activist groups. Under this bill, a book challenge must come from a parent, guardian or school employee, not from an outside person or organization, said Rep. Zach Hudson (D -East Multnomah County). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KOIN Morning Digest As an elementary teacher, I observed daily the importance of students having access to a broad range of cultures, histories, and experiences, added, Rep. Lisa Fragala (D Eugene). All students deserve to see themselves, their families, and their communities represented in the books they read at school. Book bans erase the voice and experiences of too many children, and we need learning environments that affirm students identities, so they feel empowered to learn. In a press release issued Monday, however, Rep. Boomer Wright (R-Reedsport), a member of the House Education Committee, argued that the bill limits school districts ability to choose age-appropriate books for school libraries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I voted against SB 1098 because there were no sideboards on age appropriateness. I do not support banning books. I support age appropriateness when choosing instructional materials, Rep. Wright explained. Wright noted that Rep. Emily McIntire (R-Eagle Point) introduced an amendment, which would affirm a schools ability to consider age and grade-level appropriateness when reviewing books, Wright said, adding, The amendment supporting age appropriateness was not adopted. If it had, I could have voted in support of SB 1098. Cars damaged near Portland school after teen suspect rammed cars outside, police say After passing the Oregon Senate and House of Representatives, the bill now heads to Governor Tina Koteks desk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill comes after written testimony was submitted by State Librarian Wendy Cornelisen, noting the State Library is neutral in its support of the bill. According to Cornelisen, Oregon is seeing a clear pattern in recent reports of book challenges. Incidents and challenged materials are disproportionately about, by, or center the stories of individuals who belong to an underrepresented protected class under ORS 659.850. In 2023-24, 87% of the items challenged told the stories of one or more underrepresented groups. Sixty-six percent of challenged materials focused on 2SLGBTQIA+ people, while 22% centered Black, Indigenous, or people of color, Cornelisen said. The data shared here were gathered through reports of challenges at schools and libraries, media stories, and our staffs experience working on challenge incidents. However, we have reason to believe that incidents in Oregon are underreported. Many school and library staff are not aware of the option to report such incidents. Despite the anonymity of the reporting process, staff also may decline to report for fear of political blowback, job repercussions, or media attention on their organization, Cornelisen continued. We anticipate the numbers we have shared here would be significantly higher if all intellectual freedom incidents in Oregon were reported. 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. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) An Orem man has been sentenced to prison for creating and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Austin Matthew Otto, 25, was sentenced to eight years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release after he pleaded guilty on June 4, 2024. He was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to each victim. In 2021, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office (USAO) District of Utah, Otto produced sexually explicit photos of two children and uploaded CSAM to his Google Photos account. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A report from Google to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified the IP address, and it was connected to Otto. The case was sent to the Orem Police Department for investigation, and they served a search warrant on him and his accounts. Salt Lake man charged for making plans to meet stranger and sexually abuse child, documents say The search warrant uncovered hundreds of images and videos of CSAM, and a pair of childrens underwear was in Ottos possession. The forensic evaluation on the digital evidence also revealed filenames, keyword and web browser hits, bookmarks, playback history of videos, hidden names and folders all containing child sexual abuse material including 17 exploitive images of two victims under eight years old located on Ottos cell phone and laptop, the press release says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Otto was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Howard C. Nielson, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol A. Dain of the USAO for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorneys Office noted that this case is part of a greater effort to investigate child exploitation cases, Project Safe Childhood. PSC is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. 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 Brief A man was arrested in Osceola County after allegedly attacking another man with a machete during an argument outside a Circle K on June 9. Angel Ramos-Arce, 35, was charged with aggravated battery after deputies found blood and the weapon in his truck. ORLANDO, Fla. - A man was arrested Monday after allegedly attacking another man with a machete during an argument outside a Circle K in Osceola County, deputies said. What we know Angel Ramos-Arce, 35, was taken into custody and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon following the June 9 incident near the Circle K located at 4692 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Osceola County Sheriffs Office, a deputy on patrol was flagged down by a woman who reported that her brother had been assaulted with a machete and was heading to the hospital with the suspect. Angel Ramos-Arce | CREDIT: Osceola County Sheriffs Office Deputies located the victim at the hospital and determined the altercation stemmed from a verbal argument between the victim and Ramos-Arce. Investigators found blood inside Ramos-Arces truck and recovered the machete from the truck bed. Ramos-Arce was booked into the Osceola County Jail. What you can do Authorities ask anyone with information about the incident to contact the Sheriffs Office non-emergency line at (407) 348-2222. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: The Source The information in this article comes from a report shared by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office. Protests have spread across America following days of demonstrations in Los Angeles against immigration raids by the federal government. Thousands of troops and hundreds of US Marines have been deployed to LA by US President Donald Trump to quell the demos, causing a row with state politicians. Days of unrest were sparked after federal immigration officers arrested large groups of unauthorised immigrants in areas with large Latino populations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rallies have since taken place from coast to coast, with more planned over the coming days. On Saturday, a series of anti-Trump "No Kings" rallies in hundreds of cities across the country are scheduled to coincide with a large military parade in Washington to mark the US Army's 250th anniversary. Texas - San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Houston Hundreds gathered in Austin on Monday [Reuters] Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the state's National Guard to deploy to San Antonio ahead of planned demonstrations on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He wrote on X: "Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest." San Antonio's mayor, Ron Nirenberg, said Wednesday that he did not ask for National Guard troops "nor did we get any advance warning." In Austin, hundreds of protesters gathered on Monday between the state capitol building and a federal building that houses an office for staff of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). State and local police used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse the crowd, while bottles, rocks and other objects were thrown towards officers. Abbott said more than a dozen people were arrested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Demonstrators have also gathered in Dallas - where at least one arrest was made after protesters and police clashed on Monday night - and in Houston. New York City [EPA] Thousands of protestors gathered in lower Manhattan on Tuesday. Thirty-four people were arrested and charged, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) told the BBC. A further 52 people were detained and issued with court summonses after the largely peaceful protests. Mayor Eric Adams said protests like those in LA were "unacceptable and will not be tolerated if attempted in our city". California - San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Ana [Reuters] LA is not the only city in California where people have been demonstrating. Thousands of people have protested in San Francisco - and more than 150 were arrested after a demonstration near another ICE office turned violent on Sunday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Buildings and vehicles were damaged, according to local police, while two officers were injured in the disorder. And on Tuesday, some 200 protesters gathered outside the San Francisco Immigration Court after activists said several arrests were made there. Protests were also held on Tuesday in nearby Oakland. [Getty Images] On Monday hundreds of protestors gathered in downtown Santa Ana, in Orange County south of LA, after reports of ICE raids in the city that morning. The gathering descended into violence. Federal authorities used tear gas to disperse the crowd, while local police said protesters had thrown fireworks, rocks and bottles towards officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were reports of further protests and clashes in the area on Tuesday night, as National Guard troops were deployed in the city. Congresswoman Lou Correa said the problems were caused not "by us but by the federal government coming into our community". Correa said at least 31 people were currently in custody at Ice detention facilities in the city. Other protests across the US [BBC] Chicago [Reuters] Thousands gathered near an immigration court before marching through the city's downtown on Tuesday evening and halting traffic on a main highway. A car sped through the crowd at around 18:19 local time (23:19 GMT) and narrowly missed the demonstrators, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News. The vehicle appeared to be travelling at 50mph (80 km/h) at one point, a witness said. A 66-year-old woman suffered a broken arm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers also clashed with protesters and at least 17 arrests were made, according to the Chicago Police Department. Atlanta Fireworks were thrown towards officers during the unrest in Atlanta [Reuters] Fireworks were thrown towards police and tear gas used to disperse protestors in Atlanta on Monday, according to local media, and hundreds gathered along the city's Buford Highway on Tuesday. At least six people were arrested. Philadelphia At least 15 people were arrested after around 150 protestors gathered in Philadelphia on Tuesday, according to CBS. Local police said the crowd disrupted traffic and "endangered public safety". Several officers used force when making arrests, they added, saying this would be reviewed. Washington DC Members of several unions gathered in the US capital on Monday, marching past the Department of Justice building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They rallied against the detention of union leader David Huerta during the raids in LA on Friday. He was released from federal custody later on Monday. President Trump has said that protesters at Saturday's military parade in the city will be "met with very big force." Boston [EPA] Hundreds gathered outside Boston City Hall on Monday, similarly calling for Huerta's release. On Tuesday, hundreds marched through the city to the Massachusetts State House. Seattle Around 50 people gathered outside Seattle's immigration court on Tuesday. Some tried to block vehicle access to the building using e-bikes and e-scooters. You can also get in touch by following this link PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) South Dakota customers of Otter Tail Power might want to get ready to start paying more for their electricity. The Fergus Falls, Minnesota-based utility wants to raise rates for the approximately 11,500 households, businesses and other entities in South Dakota who get their power from Otter Tail. State plans to decrease its payments to the needy The company has applied to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission for approval. Otter Tail is seeking permission to increase net revenue $5,719,671, or 12.5 percent, from South Dakota customers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stuart D. Tommerdahl is Otter Tails manager for regulation and retail energy solutions. He says in a letter that the proposed change in rates will result in an average increase of $14 per month for residential customers under the rate design proposed by the company. The increase in rates is needed for the Company to recover increases in operating costs incurred by the Company in providing electric service to its customers and on-going investments in infrastructure. This increase is necessary to continue to serve customers as reliably, economically, and environmentally responsibly as possible, the letter said. The PUCs three elected commissioners are scheduled to publicly begin considering the request at their next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, June 17. A rate chart shows Otter Tails proposed increases. Here are some examples: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A household using 932 kilowatt-hours per month currently pays $103.97 and would see a $14.39 increase. A farm using 1,857 kilowatt-hours per month currently pays $191.52 and would see a $26.12 increase. A general servicer customer using 2,751 kilowatt-hours per month currently pays $259.23 and would see a $34.77 increase. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Jun. 10Bennett hopeful at least some projects will benefit from bonding funds to Public Facilities Authority District 23A Rep. Peggy Bennett said she is optimistic at least a couple of the local clean water projects will receive funds through money appropriated to the Public Facilities Authority in the bonding bill that passed Monday. The $720 million bonding bill included $206 million toward clean water and drinking water projects. Whether a project receives funding depends on where it falls on a list from the Public Facilities Authority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bennett said she knows Albert Lea is fairly high on the list, but she had not yet received a list of the projects that will receive funding. The Public Facilities Authority provides a combination of grants and low-interest loans. "I am feeling good that at least some of our projects will be in that," she said. "This is something I have been pushing for a long time focusing our bonding on really core needs." The city of Albert Lea had asked for $12.5 million for one phase of the expected $80 million in costs to replace its wastewater treatment plant, which has grown substantially since it was first proposed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Clarks Grove, the city requested $9.9 million in bonding funds to design, construct and equip water and sewer infrastructure in the city. This includes two new lift stations, a water treatment plant and the replacement of sewer and water system infrastructure throughout the city. In Manchester, the city asked for $2 million for the design and construction of a new clean water distribution system, new water treatment plant, a new well and other related water improvements. The infrastructure in all of three of these communities was built around the same time thanks to grants from the federal government, but now they are all wearing out at the same time, too. Bennett said she is happy the Legislature passed a bonding bill, especially considering that they did not pass one in 2024 when it was an actual bonding year. She said she will push for one again next year to get back on track. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the end, she said as the two parties negotiated with Gov. Tim Walz, they opted not to do any local projects, such as community centers and others. Aside from the bonding bill, Bennett said there were ups and downs to the legislative session. While the focus this year was the budget, she had hoped some other things would have been done as well. She said her biggest disappointment was that no significant fixes were passed to some of the legislation that has caused problems since it was passed in 2024. "There was very much digging in the heels of anything that was passed over the last two years," she said. "It was very difficult." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the issues she was hoping to see addressed were bills regarding discipline at schools and laws on fraud prevention, among others. She was disappointed in the outcome of the education bill because schools will be facing cuts, particularly in special education, all while the state Department of Education will see an operating increase. She had also hoped to see some significant mandate relief for schools. She said districts will face hefty burdens with all of the mandates they have to accomplish and the financial cuts. She said some of the mandates cost a lot of money to implement, and not all of them are funded. Bennett said she is pleased there will be no new taxes, though there were some fee increases that passed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also agreed with removing adults who are in the country illegally from being eligible for subsidies for health insurance starting Jan. 1. Children will still be allowed to stay on. Regarding health care, she noted cuts in nursing home funding, which she did not agree with, and said she was disappointed that these cuts would be happening, while the state agency overseeing them would see an operating increase. Another bill will allocate $30 million for strengthening ambulance services in rural Minnesota. She said she was unsure how entities would qualify for funding. The Legislature also approved increasing the Medicaid reimbursement rate for hospitals, which she said will help rural hospitals, and other action was taken to support rural pharmacies. The ridgetop and hollows of Laurel Hill are in a state of constant change. What was once a vast swath of American chestnut, hemlock and fire-dependent pitch pine is now predominantly oak and other mixed hardwoods. Wildlife populations have ebbed and flowed with those changes regardless of human interference, but efforts by a local forester and his staff are ensuring they all have what they need to thrive. Pennsylvania Game Commission forester Tom Respet, of Champion, has 10 game lands encompassing 50,000 acres in Somerset and Westmoreland counties in his care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My projects on (State Game Lands No.) 42 are geared toward forestry for wildlife, Respet said. People dont like to see trees cut, but some of the species that they dont see around much more depend on that early successional and the young forest that dynamic of tight-knit trees. Theres grouse on that game lands. A lot of it is due to the habitat being provided to them by cutting trees. Respet has a special connection to Laurel Hill. Growing up in Smithton, he hiked on it as a young Boy Scout, shot his first buck on it, hunted bear with family on its broad summit and skied down its slopes. Now, he has the pleasure of managing its forests. I can honestly say it is a dream come true to be responsible for managing some of the areas that were such a meaningful part of youth into adulthood, Respet said. Besides chainsaws and mowers, Respet and his crew use prescribed fire and chemical application to foster conditions that will best provide food and cover for species such as grouse, woodcock, turkeys and a variety of songbirds by creating what he calls flush undergrowth that is, high-quality cover. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were trying to utilize forestry for wildlife, Respet said. I know a lot of people in the public think that we cut trees just to make money for that almighty dollar, but thats far from the truth with regard to us. We take pride in our work. Although a carpet of ferns sprawling under a canopy of mature hardwoods is picturesque, it is not healthy wildlife habitat. Were trying to get sunlight down to the forest floor for regeneration purposes of trees, Respet said. Red oak, oak of all types, maple, poplar theyre all under there, just waiting on their time. When that sunlight hits, they take off. What the U.S. Department of Agriculture calls an introduced fungal disease caused a chestnut blight in the 1820s, which spread throughout eastern hardwood forests at a rate of 24 miles per year. By the 1950s, almost all mature American chestnuts had succumbed to it. Mixed hardwoods now reign on the ridge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On our ridge over here, its really difficult to regenerate the oak stands the way they were, Respet said. Were having the birch take over. That birch, as well as red maple and ferns, block sunlight from reaching the more desirable oaks that feed wildlife with their acorns. Since ferns and birch are not preferred browse for deer, they can quickly choke out the more beneficial species. Hopefully there is some oak re-gen under there, and when we eliminate that (interference), it will have time to shoot up and outcompete the birch, Respet said. Fenced-in sections of woods, called deer exclosures, remain a vital tool for him. There are four on Laurel Hill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were just trying to prevent deer from browsing down all our preferred re-gen, Respet said. The exclosures need to remain for roughly 10 years to have any desired results, but fallen trees and branches destroy fencing and allow deer to enter and feast. Respet said that people have cut the fences as well. Our main objective is providing wildlife habitat good, quality wildlife habitat, Respet said. Hunters benefit from that along the way. We definitely want the hunters because they help us out. Theres too many deer. Theyre over-browsing our regeneration that were trying to keep, so were working for both purposes wildlife and hunters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were trying to create young forests its the habitat thats been missing across the landscape. His projects benefit bird species and mammals such as rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and black bears. Standing dead trees, called snags, and mast-producers are spared the chainsaws blade during clear-cutting. Photosynthesis allows blackberry, huckleberry, laurel, scrub oak and witch hazel to flourish as well. Respet has even begun managing areas for timber rattlesnakes on the ridge. My goal is to go into some of these rocky areas and just open them up to sunlight, Respet said. He said the technique will also draw insects, which in turn will attract bats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Current oak and cherry stand projects he and his crews are working on are expected to yield positive results decades into the future. As those stands get from, say, 10 to 20 to 30 (years old), theres stem exclusion, Respet said. Theyre competing with each other. Were just helping that along. Playing such a pivotal role in Laurel Hills future is an assignment that is very personal to Respet. I love the Laurel Highlands, he said. Ive grown up here. Anytime Im on it, Im happy. John Rucosky is a photographer for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5055. Follow him on Twitter @JohnRucosky. Six people face charges after a protest of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement operations that was largely peaceful through the day experienced violence Tuesday night. Brookhavens mayor told Channel 2s Michael Doudna that the people responsible for a lot of the damage were not from the area. Its clear that they were outside agitators, decided to try to basically goad us into action, Mayor John Park said. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Only one of the people arrested was from Brookhaven, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around 9:30 p.m., windows were smashed on multiple police cars and fireworks were thrown. Park said those actions are a crime, not a protest. Pretty much all the protesters, they dont want violence, he said. They want to be heard. Estevan Hernandez helped organize the protest, speaking out against ICE operations across the country. L.A. was the spark, and were seeing it travel across the country now, he said of the nationwide demonstrations. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr on Wednesday warned against people getting violent. If you use violence for the purposes of changing public policy, we can and will charge you with domestic terrorism, Carr said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For most of the evening Tuesday, hundreds of people peacefully rallied along Buford Highway. This will likely be one of multiple protests in the near future, as law enforcement will have to balance First Amendment rights with public safety. People have the right to be heard, Park said. We support that, but our main concern is we want to keep people safe. The same group that organized Tuesdays protest has scheduled another one Saturday in DeKalb County. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] More than 1,150 illegal aliens near the Mexican border including more than 600 in Texas were charged this month with federal immigration crimes. U.S. attorneys in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas charged more than 1,150 illegal aliens in early June with violating immigration law, according to a press release from the Department of Justice. Federal officials in West and South Texas filed 612 total immigration cases, including against violent felons, human smugglers, and illegals who were previously deported. The Texas Arrests The Southern District of Texas filed 202 cases from May 30 to June 5, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei. Officials charged 129 aliens for illegally entering the country, and charged 63 for felony reentry after prior removal. Seven cases involved human smuggling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more, the release reads. One suspect is Luis Humberto Gonzalez-Sanchez, who allegedly harbored 16 illegal aliens in his home in Mercedes, a small town near the Texas-Mexico border, according to the release. He allegedly sheltered more than 100 illegals in the last six months, for each of whom he was reportedly paid $150. He could face up to 10 years in prison. Six Mexican nationals are also facing charges for unlawfully returning without any permission, the release said. Juan Manuel De La Cruz-Mejia, Jose Luis Tostado-Flores, Jesus Morales-Vargas, Jose Patricio Rios-Rojas, Juan Manuel Alvarado-Gonzalez, and Oscar Vicente Perez-Lopez had previously been convicted of illegal entry from 2015 to 2023. They were sentenced to federal prison for these charges, but authorities recently found them again in the Rio Grande Valley. They could face up to 20 years in prison. The Western District of Texas filed 410 new immigration cases from May 30 to June 5, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons. The charges include illegal reentry and human smuggling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials charged Mexican national Albert Sanchez-Jaimes with one count of illegal reentry, according to the release. They found him at the Burnet County Jail, where he faced charges of boating while intoxicated and marijuana possession. According to court records, he was booked on May 25 and placed on detainer for Austin ICE and U.S. Marshals. He was previously arrested on charges including assault, failure to identify a fugitive, and driving without a license. The ICE Fugitive Operations Team arrested Mexican national Daniel Edgar Perez-Cortez on June 5 on a referral from Waco Crime Stoppers, according to the release. He was previously convicted in 2024 for illegal reentry. He had also been convicted of driving while intoxicated, possessing prohibited weapons, and deadly conduct by discharging a firearm. Border Patrol agents also arrested two Honduran nationals for illegal reentry in Eagle Pass on June 2, the release said. Ariel Antonio Lopez-Serrano was convicted in 2023 for human smuggling, and Jose Aparicio Diaz-Amaya returned after being deported three times. Agents also arrested U.S. citizens Cynthia Guerrero and Berenice Stevens in El Paso on May 31, for allegedly trying to sneak seven people including six children into the country. The minors had been given seven gummies of an unknown substance to make them sleep, the release reads. Guerrero and Stevens were charged with human smuggling. Authorities also charged several Mexican nationals in other human smuggling busts. Other Border Busts The District of Arizona brought immigration charges against 199 suspects, according to the DOJ release. Officials filed 74 cases for illegal reentry and charged 104 aliens for illegal entry. They also charged 20 suspects allegedly responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into Arizona. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Southern District of California filed 131 border-related cases, including for assaulting a federal officer, smuggling controlled substances, smuggling illegal aliens for financial gain, and illegal reentry. The District of New Mexico filed 211 immigration and border security-related cases, the release said. Officials charged 67 people for illegal reentry, 5 for alien smuggling, 50 for illegal entry, and 88 for illegal entry in the new Military Zone. Federal authorities made several large drug busts at the border last week, as The Dallas Express reported at the time. This week, the DOJ announced a major narcotrafficker had been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Earlier this month, officials also charged a father and son for aiding a Mexican cartel through their South Texas oil business. The Los Angeles Police Department made more than 200 arrests during protests in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday night, following the enforcement of a citywide curfew and reports of criminal activity. While most people dispersed after officers arrived, police reported 203 arrests for failure to disperse. Authorities also reported 17 curfew-related arrests, three arrests for possession of a firearm, one for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, and one for discharging a laser at an LAPD helicopter. According to the LAPD, officers, along with multiple law enforcement partners, responded to large gatherings near Temple Street and Los Angeles Street after the curfew took effect at 8 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2 men charged with throwing Molotov cocktails at officers during protests The curfew, issued by Mayor Karen Bass, covered the area bounded by the 5, 10 and 110 freeways. The curfew is in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and will remain in place until further notice, according to the mayors office Two LAPD officers were injured and received medical treatment, the department said. Police also deployed numerous less-lethal munitions during the crowd control efforts. Another update on arrests is expected Thursday morning. None of the arrestees were identified by name. Los Angeles especially downtown has been the site of destructive and at times violent demonstrations over the past five days. Protests also spread into Orange County when ICE raids were confirmed in Santa Ana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local, state and federal leaders have urged demonstrators to protest peacefully; Bass went so far as to say that those who engage in looting and other violent activity do not care about immigrants. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ATLANTA (WRBL) An Atlanta man was charged with several drug and weapons related crimes after an FBI drug bust uncovers an enormous fentanyl pill pressing lab and weapons stash. Bartholomew Keeton Harralson, 47, was charged on Tuesday by a federal grand jury with the following: Possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harralson allegedly possessed 28 firearms, including a machine gun, and hundreds of thousands of pills containing fentanyl and other illicit drugs. This armed felon allegedly ran a massive fentanyl pill pressing operation in our community, producing enough deadly fentanyl to potentially kill millions of people, said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. Due to the quick action and seamless collaboration of our law enforcement partners, Harralson now faces federal drug and firearms charges, his operation has been dismantled, and countless lives have almost certainly been saved. According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, on June 5, 2025, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Harralsons Atlanta-area residence. Once inside, law enforcement located over 56 kilograms of fentanyl, 84 kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly 10 kilograms of heroin, and approximately four kilograms of cocaine all in the form of powders and hundreds of thousands of pressed pills. Law enforcement also located nine firearms, including one converted to function as a machine gun, $145,000 in cash, and a book titled How to Avoid Federal Drug Conspiracy & Firearms Charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harralson was arrested at the scene. Later that same day, law enforcement executed another federal search warrant at Harralsons Douglasville residence. There, law enforcement found two large pill press machines capable of pressing up to 25,000 pills per hour, three hydraulic presses used to form kilogram-sized bricks of narcotics, more than 37 kilograms of fentanyl, approximately 13 kilograms of methamphetamine, just over eight kilograms of heroin, and more than six kilograms of cocaine. These drugs, like those recovered during the search of Harralsons other residence, were in the form of powder and hundreds of thousands of pressed pills. In addition, in a machine shop located behind the Douglasville residence, law enforcement found approximately 1,375 pounds of binding agent used to press pills, 564 punch dies to mark the pills, 19 firearms, four drum-style magazines, and a significant amount of ammunition. This case is part of Operation Take Back America and is being investigated by the FBI, DEA , and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the South Fulton Police Department and Douglasville Police Department. 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 WRBL. The Brief Over 80 people were arrested after anti-ICE protesters clashed with police. Those arrested were taken into custody after breaching metal barriers that were set up by police. "We will not tolerate chaos and disorder or violence," NYPD Commissioner Tisch said. NEW YORK CITY - Dozens of anti-ICE protesters clashed with the NYPD in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday night, leading to over 80 arrests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NYC protests What we know Demonstrators were armed with signs, face coverings and flags. Some were led away to NYPD buses in zip ties, while others were wrestled to the ground and pepper sprayed by officers dressed in riot gear. NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - JUNE 10: Protestors confront NYPD officers during an anti-ICE protest outside 26 Federal Plaza Building in New York City, New York, U.S., June 10, 2025. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images) Those arrested were taken into custody after breaching metal barriers that were set up by police to keep them on the sidewalks and prevent them from spilling into traffic. The backstory The chaos in Federal Plaza followed a planned demonstration in Foley Square, near a large government building that houses federal immigration offices and the city's main immigration court. Dozens of migrants showing up for hearings have been detained at the courthouse this month, prompting pushback and drawing activists to the area. The first day of local demonstrations happened on Saturday. Could the National Guard be deployed? What they're saying New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he doesn't foresee President Donald Trump having to send in the National Guard to the city, saying any continued demonstrations can be solely handled by the NYPD. Adams emphasized the citys large law enforcement manpower and added that there are other options before turning to a military response. NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - JUNE 10: Protestors confront NYPD officers during an anti-ICE protest outside 26 Federal Plaza Building in New York City, New York, U.S., June 10, 2025. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images) According to The New York Post, Trump assured Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Kaz Daughtry and NYPD Chief of Department John Chell that he will not send the National Guard, provided the police keep demonstrators from acting out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, both Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch warned New York City would not tolerate violence tied to the protests. "We want to maintain everyone's right to protest peacefully in the city and in this country, but we will not tolerate chaos and disorder or violence, and when we saw people breaking the rule or breaking the law, we stepped in, made arrests swiftly," Tisch said on Wednesday morning in an appearance on Good Day New York. On the topic of the National Guard, Tisch responded: "In New York City, the NYPD has a responsibility to maintain safety and order on our streets, and we will not abdicate that responsibility." "We have plans in place so that if it escalates, we can bring cops in from all over the city," Tisch said. "We have an army of 34,000 uniformed members of the service in New York City and New Yorkers should know that the NYPD is prepared for whatever comes our way." What we don't know The charges of those arrested were unclear at the time. Trump, Los Angeles latest Big picture view Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass imposed an overnight curfew for the city in response to the looting of nearly two dozen businesses in the midst of anti-ICE demonstrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump doubled down on Tuesday, defending the use of the National Guard in Los Angeles and left the door open to invoking the Insurrection Act, a federal law that allows a president to deploy military forces domestically. A line of NYPD officers pushes back a group of demonstrators trying to block an ICE transport van during a protest outside 26 Federal Plaza in New York USA on June 7 2025. (Photo by MADISON SWART/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images) The Insurrection Act, passed through a series of laws between 1792 and 1871, has been used sparingly due to its sweeping power. More than 80 people were arrested as a massive anti-ICE protest in Lower Manhattan Tuesday devolved into chaos with shrieking, sign-holding demonstrators flooding the streets, clashing with cops and hurling objects at officers. Thousands took to the streets near Foley Square in the shadow of City Hall to protest the Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations ongoing in the city and throughout the country. Police began taking rowdy demonstrators into custody as the sky grew dark with a total of 86 people detained overnight, the NYPD said early Wednesday. NYPD officers detain a demonstrator during an ICE Out Of NYC protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and federal immigration operations, in New York City on June 10, 2025. AFP via Getty Images Protesters in Foley Square holding a banner that reads Abolish ICE. Dorian Geiger / NY Post Law enforcement officers detain a demonstrator during a protest against federal immigration sweeps near the US immigration court at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York City, June 10, 2025. REUTERS Of those, 52 were issued criminal court summonses while 34 were arrested and charged, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of those cuffed were charged with disorderly conduct, police sources said. After several hours of vociferous protesting during the daylight, several chaotic scenes erupted across as night fell. Large groups of protesters, many wearing keffiyehs associated with pro-Palestine political movements, carried on in opposition to the NYPD, which ordered a level three mobilization to handle the mass of people. One woman confronted the protesters who were blocking traffic and preventing her from reaching her job, according to video posted to X How is this a peaceful protest? the unidentified woman asks the protesters. New York City A black woman pleads with leftist rioters to stop blocking traffic so that she can drive to work. The man laughs and mocks her. Video by @sav_says_: pic.twitter.com/SVfIZwhWpw Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) June 11, 2025 Oh no, not work I care so much, the pony-tailed man sarcastically responded, laughing at his own joke. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some protesters threw water bottles and other objects at police officers, according to police sources and video. Others chanted Shame! Shame! as the NYPD took masked demonstrators into custody, video showed. Law enforcement tried to contain the crowds in Foley Square on Tuesday night. Aristide Economopoulos A protester was seemingly in a passionate exchange with NYPD officers. Aristide Economopoulos Several protesters were pepper-sprayed during the course of arrests some of which were violent. A woman wearing a black-and-white keffiyeh was aggressively slammed to the ground by several NYPD officers, appearing to bang her head on the toppled barricades, a Post reporter witnessed. One NYPD officer appeared to twice use pepper spray during the course of that apprehension. Dozens more arrests on both sides of 26 Federal Plaza as NYPD continues targeting people at random trying to disperse the crowds around the ICE building. Over 20 arrests today so far, jail support ongoing at 1 Police Plaza. https://t.co/7E8mP7QSpS pic.twitter.com/UnVARx8eEO Gerard (@GerardDalbon) June 11, 2025 Another wild apprehension was caught on camera with police corralling a masked man by his backpack also appearing to take into custody his friend who attempted to intervene in the initial NYPD stop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the night progressed, protesters became more emboldened. Aggressive demonstrators wrestled with barricades and hurled lewd insults at officers one even blew vape smoke in a cops face. People packed Foley Square and Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan to protest ICE immigration arrests. Aristide Economopoulos A police officer grabbing a persons leg. Aristide Economopoulos Video taken by a journalist circulating online showed some masked protesters trying to breach a police barricade in an apparent attempt to stop an ICE van from leaving the back of a Federal Plaza building. One wild apprehension was caught on camera with police corralling a masked man by his backpack also appearing to take into custody his friend who attempted to intervene in the initial NYPD stop. Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters took to Foley Square in a raucous demonstration against the ICE raids in the city. A cop pulled a trash bin as officers filled the streets of Lower Manhattan. Aristide Economopoulos NYPD officers arrested several protesters in Foley Square. Aristide Economopoulos Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Picketers carried placards reading Abolish ICE and ICE out of New York! and chanted phrases such as, Brick by brick, wall by wall, this racist system has got to fall! Notable speakers at the protest included Brooklyn Councilwoman Shahana Hanif and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. In my community everyone is anxious, Hanif told the frenzied crowd. Cops in protective gear dragged a demonstrator on the street. Aristide Economopoulos Mayor Adams has made it clear he does not care about working class people he is collaborating with Trump to use tactics bringing out the military. Hes ok with ICE attacking our communities, Hanif charged. Williams spoke across the street from the federal courthouse where he also took aim at Mayor Eric Adams. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were in a scary situation and I have to call out the fact that Mayor Eric Adams is nowhere to be found in a city full of immigrants, Williams said Tuesday afternoon. NYPD officers detain a demonstrator during an ICE Out Of NYC protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and federal immigration operations, in New York City on June 10, 2025. AFP via Getty Images Williams further called out the NYPD for allowing ICE to kidnap people in the city. On Monday, Adams condemned the ongoing riots across the country during a press conference alongside NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. The escalation of protests in Los Angeles over the last couple of days is unacceptable and would not be tolerated if attempted in our city, Adams said. Hizzoner had warned fellow New Yorkers not to follow their California counterparts in taking over streets and fighting law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I want to assure all New Yorkers that we have the best police department in the world. Men and women who are prepared to handle any issues that may arise, especially when we are faced with deep division in our society, he said. The well-attended anti-ICE protest in lower Manhattan comes as similar demonstrations took place in San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago. The spreading protests come on the heels of four days of violent anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles County which continued into its fifth night Tuesday. Additional reporting by Joe Marino. The Brief Over a dozen people were arrested after police say an ICE protest in Philadelphia turned "violent and extremely disorderly." Two Philadelphia police officers and two demonstrators were treated for minor injuries, according to police. Police say arrests were made after protesters blocked "major roadways" and used bicycles to obstruct officers. PHILADELPHIA - Fifteen people were arrested on Tuesday after police say a march to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) turned "violent and extremely disorderly." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say the protesters gathered near the Federal Detention Center and marched to the ICE headquarters before eventually blocking traffic on major roadways. Two bicycle officers were treated at the hospital for minor injuries, and two protesters required medical attention, according to police. What we know Police say a crowd of protesters gathered outside the Federal Detention Center around 4 p.m. Tuesday and marched to the ICE headquarters for speeches. After returning to the Federal Detention Center a short time later, police say members of the group began to block traffic and used bicycles to obstruct officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police issued three orders to disperse over a megaphone, but authorities say the protesters ignored their calls and continued to block traffic and confront officers. The protests became "violent and extremely disorderly" just before 7 p.m., and police began to make arrests near 11th and Market streets. Police say order was restored a short time later, but roughly 20 peaceful protesters were allowed to remain outside the Federal Detention Center. Two bicycle officers were treated at the hospital for minor injuries, and two protesters required medical attention, according to police. What they're saying The Philadelphia Police Department said several of their officers used force while making arrests, and each of those confrontation will undergo a review. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Philadelphia Police Department supports the publics right to lawful, peaceful protest," the department wrote. "We remain committed to facilitating First Amendment activity while protecting public safety and maintaining order on city streets." Big picture view The protests in Philadelphia on Tuesday were part of a nationwide movement to rebuke U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation operations. In Los Angeles, protesters and police have clashed for the last several days, prompting President Trump to deploy over 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines. Gov. Gavin Newsom objected the move and filed an emergency motion in federal court seeking to block the use of federal troops to assist in immigration raids. President Donald Trump in recent days has sent thousands of National Guard troops and 700 active duty Marines to quell Los Angeles-area protests over immigration enforcement actions, despite the objections of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and local leaders. On Tuesday, National Guard troops were standing guard around officers as they made arrests, an expansion of the troops' duties from their earlier role of protecting federal property. The actions are in line with what Trump pledged during last years campaign, when as a candidate he promised the largest mass deportation effort the U.S. has seen, and said he would be willing to use military might to make it happen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Trump has changed his position since his 2020 presidential bid, namely around using the Insurrection Act to send military units to respond to unrest in the states. Here's a look at how Trump has talked about use of the military when it comes to immigration and how his position evolved in his own words: 2025: If theres an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it' If theres an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. Well see. But I can tell you last night was terrible, and the night before that was terrible. Trump, Tuesday, to reporters in the Oval Office. ___ During an Oval Office engagement with reporters, Trump left open the possibility of invoking one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Insurrection Act authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the United States to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. It is often referred to as the Insurrection Act of 1807, but the law is actually an amalgamation of different statutes enacted by Congress between 1792 and 1871. In calling up National Guard forces over Newsom's objections, Trump cited a legal provision that allows him to mobilize federal service members when there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States. 2024: I would have no problem using the military Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If I thought things were getting out of control, I would have no problem using the military, per se. We have to have safety in our country. We have to have law and order in our country. And whichever gets us there, but I think the National Guard will do the job. Trump, April 30, 2024, interview with Time Magazine. ___ While campaigning in 2024, Trump said he would use the National Guard as part of efforts to deport millions of migrants across the country. He didnt say how he would carry out the operations and what role the National Guard would play, but added he would resort to the military if things were getting out of control. When asked to clarify if he would use the military inland, he said, I dont think Id have to do that. I think the National Guard would be able to do that. If they werent able to, then Id use the military. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump told Time that he would deport between 15 million and 20 million people who are in the country illegally. The foreign-born population, including immigrants in the country both legally and illegally, was estimated to be 46.2 million, or nearly 14% of the U.S. total, in 2022, according to the Census Bureau, which also reported about 11 million immigrants in the country illegally. After winning the November election, the possible contours of Trump's incoming administration and how it would handle issues, including immigration, began to take greater shape. On Nov. 17, after conservative activist Tom Fitton proclaimed in a social media post that the incoming president will declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program, Trump replied: TRUE!!! On his first day back in office, Trump rolled out a blueprint to beef up security at the southern border in a series of executive orders that began taking effect soon after his Jan. 20 inauguration. Trump ordered the government, with Defense Department assistance, to finish construction of the border wall and send troops to the border. He did not say how many would go leaving it up to the defense secretary or what their exact role would be. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His executive orders suggested the military would help the Department of Homeland Security with detention space, transportation (including aircraft), and other logistics services. Trump directed the defense secretary to come up with a plan to seal the borders and repel unlawful mass migration. 2020: Theres no reason to ever' make insurrection determination We have to go by the laws. We cant move in the National Guard. I can call insurrection, but theres no reason to ever do that. Trump, Sept. 15, 2020, in a town hall hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia. ___ Questioned during a 2020 election town hall about his campaign promise of restoring law and order, Trump said he could not activate the National Guard unless a governor requested it, referring to the response to wildfires that ravaged Portland in 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have laws. We have to go by the laws. We cant move in the National Guard. I can call insurrection, but theres no reason to ever do that, he said. Even in a Portland case, we cant call in the National Guard unless were requested by a governor. If a governor or a mayor is a Democrat, like in Portland, we call them constantly. That reference wasn't explicitly to immigration, but it was referring to Trump's willingness to overrule a state's governor and federalize National Guard resources. ___ Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP After four days of protests, shopkeepers in downtown Los Angeles began Tuesday to sweep up glass, board up windows and try to make sense of the violence that erupted during the demonstrations against immigration raids near the heart of the city. Around Little Tokyo and other downtown L.A. neighborhoods, workers and business owners woke Tuesday to fresh graffiti on government buildings and businesses, shattered shop windows and an increased police presence. Many businesses remained closed during the protest. Some reopened for the first time Tuesday. The Los Angeles Police Department reported Tuesday that 96 people were arrested during the previous night for failure to disperse in the downtown area. Additionally, one person was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, another on suspicion of resisting arrest, one allegedly over vandalism and 14 on suspicion of looting, according to the LAPD. Two L.A. police officers who were injured and transported to a hospital were treated and released. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Workers were spotted Tuesday morning installing plywood over broken windows and scrubbing at graffiti primarily obscene attacks aimed at President Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The Theatre Jewelry Center and several adjacent businesses were struck by vandals who shattered windows and broke display cases overnight Monday, according to business owners in the neighborhood. It's unclear whether items were stolen from any of the businesses. Read more: Shocking vandalism rampage in downtown L.A. sparks outrage as LAPD seeks suspects "There is a lot of anxiety, frustration in downtown right now," said jeweler Raz Tatanian, a downtown tenant at a nearby building who said a group of people also broke into at least two separate businesses on 7th Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These are the actions of opportunistic hoodlums who don't care about the immigrants," he said. "Yes, protest against ICE, but don't do it by stealing from these people's livelihoods." Tatanian's sentiments were echoed by several downtown shopkeepers who said they supported the protests but denounced the violence and property damage that accompanied the latest demonstrations. Foot traffic was sparse Tuesday morning on South Broadway, a street normally teeming with shoppers and pedestrians. A T-Mobile store was boarded up with wood planks, and other storefronts were closed or had their metal gates pulled down. The El Pollo outlet on Broadway and 3rd Street had been closed for the last two days and reopened Tuesday at 9 a.m., said Britney Abila, who has been working as a cashier at the location for the last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been very scary for my cookers especially, she said, adding that the workers were scared both about the protests and the ICE raids. Read more: Photos: A fierce pushback on ICE raids in L.A. from protesters, officials Nearby, Monty Bhavsar, owner of the perfume and accessories store Bargain Line 2, swept away broken glass from a display case in his store window Tuesday morning. He said he received an alert from his security company around 12:30 a.m., notifying him that someone had broken his window. He called his landlord to report the break-in, but said his landlord told him that a group of people also was trying to break into several other storefronts connected to the same building at Hill and 7th streets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When he arrived downtown, Bhavsar said he spotted hundreds of people outside his business. He could do nothing but watch. Los Angeles police eventually dispersed the crowd, Bhavsar said. He remained at his business until around 4 a.m. "It's such a mess. What are you accomplishing here by doing this?" he asked, pointing to the broken glass. "I support protesting. I'm Indian, an immigrant too. I'm a U.S. citizen now. We dream of coming to Los Angeles, and then this happens? It's lawless." The T-Mobile store on South Broadway had been broken into during the protests, said Carlos T, a cashier at Blue Bottle Coffee across the street who declined to give his full name. The coffee retailer was closed Monday as a precaution and reopened Tuesday morning, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even downtown business owners who were spared severe damage were upset and trying to make sense of the destruction. Kazumi Tsuji, a shop owner in Little Tokyo, walked around her business and surrounding buildings with a handful of burning sage. "It's to keep away the evil spirits," she said. Her shop was not damaged when police and protesters made their way through Little Tokyo on Monday evening. But around the corner from her shop, a group of what appeared to be masked teenagers smashed a glass door with a skateboard near the Shoe Palace. "I'm OK with protests," she said, "but setting fires, destroying businesses, all of that seems like people who just want to start chaos." 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. PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) A Pennsylvania senator is hoping to introduce legislation that would help provide law enforcement with tools to help solve serious crimes like homicide. Senator Joe Picozzi (R-Philadelphia County) argues that in Pennsylvania, over a quarter of homicides go unsolved, and only over one-third of crimes like robbery and burglary are solved. In a memo to lawmakers, he claims these problems can be attributed to a shortage of police personnel and the lack of investment in technology and tools that law enforcement needs. Thats why he plans to introduce the Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods (VICTIM) Act. The proposed legislation would create a grant program through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Police agencies could then apply for grants that would be used to help solve those violent crimes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PA bills will expand access to opioid overdose reversal agents Law enforcement could use the grants for the following: Hire and retain officers Upgrade technology Ensure compliance with reporting requirements Picozzi said that the legislation is critical and will provide the following results: Better public safety, because higher clearance rates lead to the apprehension and incapacitation of violent criminals. Less crime, because solving homicides and other violent crimes sends a clear message that perpetrators will be held accountable. Community trust in law enforcement, because improved clearance rates demonstrate the effectiveness of police in solving crimes and maintaining public safety. More justice for victims and families because solving homicides and other violent crimes provides closure and justice, helping victims and families heal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This bill supports our law enforcement by increasing the tools available to them to solve more violent crime, and by solving more violent crimes, we also build trust in our justice system. Ultimately, we make neighborhoodssafer places to live and raise our families, Picozzi added. Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters. You can read more about the proposed Victims Act 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 WTAJ - www.wtaj.com. The National Mall in Washington, D.C., which will be the site of a military celebration on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Peter Hall/Capital-Star) About 250 Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers will be deployed to Washington, D.C., to assist with traffic and crowd control during the unprecedented military parade that will coincide with President Donald Trumps 79th birthday. But, they will not be taking part in the event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No Pennsylvania National Guard equipment or personnel are expected to participate in the parade, Maj. Travis Mueller, public affairs officer for the Pennsylvania National Guard told the Capital-Star on Tuesday. However, we are sending around 250 soldiers to D.C. to support the D.C. National Guards traffic and crowd management mission, similar to the support we typically provide during presidential inaugurations. The June 14 parade is planned to feature tanks and other military vehicles, thousands of soldiers marching in the streets of the nations capital and fly-overs by armed forces aircraft. Mueller referred questions about the cost and funding for the deployment to the U.S. Army public affairs office, which did not immediately respond to an email. The parade also coincides with a celebration on the National Mall of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Armys founding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and run along Constitution Avenue NW from 23rd to 15th streets passing the Ellipse and the White House. The Army says the events throughout the day will cost taxpayers up to $45 million. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Palm Beach County will soon have a new county administrator. And for the four finalists, the days ahead of the expected Tuesday, June 17 announcement will be exhausting ones. Individual meetings with each of the seven commissioners will occur Monday, June 16 in their respective offices, the day before the vote to hire an administrator. The interview sessions are expected to take up most of the day. The finalists are Deputy County Administrator Patrick Rutter, Assistant County Administrator Isami Ayala-Collazo, County Clerk Joe Abruzzo, and Keith Clinkscale, the countys director of strategic planning and performance management. The position, is expected to pay around $450,000 a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The position is open because Verdenia Baker the first woman and the first Black person to lead Palm Beach County's government is retiring after 10 years as county administrator. Following the one-on-one closed interviews with the commissioners, the finalists will attend a community event at the Palm Beach County Convention Center from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Residents, who cannot attend, can view the session on Channel 20, the countys television station, where it will also be live-streamed. Patrick Rutter, one of four finalists under consideration to become the county administrator The candidates will introduce themselves. Then, questions, submitted by the public, online or in person, will be asked of each of them. The moderator will randomly select the questions, and candidates will have up to three minutes to respond. Joe Abruzzo, one of four finalists under consideration to become county administrator Meanwhile, The Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches has invited the finalists to attend a "Meet & Greet" with chamber members from 5:30-7 p.m., Wednesday, June 11. Only chamber members can attend the event at the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, 401 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach. Isamai Ayala-Collazo, one of four finalists under consideration to become county administrator The two outside applicants Cornell Wesley, director of the Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity for Birmingham, Alabama, and Eric Johnson, the city manager of Norcross, Georgia withdrew their names from consideration last week. Keith Clinkscale, one of the four finalists under consideration to become county administrator Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wesley told The Post that he had important commitments that he could not postpone, preventing him from attending next week's interviews. He noted that the interview dates were adjusted and that he was prepared to be interviewed based on the initial schedule. I had asked to come on another date, but the county was unable to accommodate my request, Wesley said. Efforts to reach Johnson for comment were unsuccessful. Todd Bonlarron, an assistant county administrator, is serving as interim county administrator. Todd Bonlarron, an assistant county administrator, has been appointed interim administrator until a new administrator is hired. He did not apply to become administrator. His salary has been set at $350,000 a year. Convention Center live-streamed community event planned The candidates will be publicly interviewed by the county commission at the Government Center Chambers in West Palm Beach from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 17. The session will be televised on Channel 20 and live-streamed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The candidates will answer the commissioners questions in a rotating order. They will have up to three minutes to respond. A commissioner can then ask a follow-up question. Once the interviews are completed, the commissioners will publicly discuss which candidate should be chosen. Each commissioner will indicate their preferred candidate on a ballot. More: Palm Beach County's next administrator has big shoes to fill | Editorial More: Retiring Palm Beach County administrator Verdenia Baker looks back on a career of firsts If a candidate receives four votes, that person will become the next administrator, replacing Verdenia Baker who retired on June 1. A deeply divided county commission voted 4-3 this year to skip on a national search. Instead, it chose to depend on a volunteer task force to narrow the candidates down to six applicants. More than 200 applied. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If no one can secure the necessary majority necessary on June 17, the commission will start a true national search for a new administrator by hiring a recruitment firm. Three commissioners Mayor Maria Marino, Marci Woodward, and Gregg Weiss initially insisted upon this option. Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County to meet to select new administrator on June 17 Attorney General Pam Bondi has declined to say what the president was thinking about the possibility of invoking the drastic emergency powers of the Insurrection Act to respond to the Los Angeles immigration protests. Right now in California, were at a good point, Bondi told reporters outside the White House, insisting controversial measures like sending federalized California National Guard troops and Marines are working to resolve the crisis. Were not scared to go further, Bondi added. Were not frightened to do something else, if we need to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president was similarly vague when asked on Tuesday about his threshold for invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow active-duty military members to break with the usual strict legal prohibitions on engaging in domestic law enforcement. If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it, Trump said during an Oval Office press conference. We'll see. Attorney General Pam Bondi and President Trump have left door open to invoking the Insurrection Act, but have offered few details on exact threshold that would provoke White House to trigger emergency law (Reuters) The Attorney General said Wednesday that the police response to aligned anti-immigration raid protests in other cities had been more encouraging than that of officials in Los Angeles. Weve seen it in New York, she said. What happened in New York was very different. NYPD came in right away. NYPD came in and shut it down. We all believe in peaceful protest...There were peaceful protests happening in New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least 25 rallies and demonstrations have broken out across the country in the wake of the conflagration in Los Angeles, in locales including New York, Dallas, Chicago, and San Francisco. More than 300 people have been arrested over the Los Angeles protests, while at least 14 were arrested across protests in Austin and Dallas, more than 150 have been arrested in San Francisco, and at least 86 have been taken into custody in New York. Even without the Insurrection Act, federal and state troops in Los Angeles are already edging closer to law enforcement roles in response to the protests, which kicked off late last week in response to immigration raids. Military troops are providing protection for federal law enforcement officers as they continue operations to remove the worst of the worst from Los Angeles, the Department of Homeland Security told The Independent. If any rioters attack ICE law enforcement officers, military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain them until law enforcement makes the arrest. The violence against ICE law enforcement must end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state of California is suing the Trump administration, seeking orders barring the military from joining in immigration raids and challenging the overall deployment of the Guard against state leaders wishes. Federal antagonization, through the presence of soldiers in the streets, has already caused real and irreparable damage to the City of Los Angeles, the people who live there, and the State of California, the state wrote in an emergency filing in federal court on Tuesday. They must be stopped, immediately. Local leaders have also taken emergency measures, including a curfew for parts of downtown Los Angeles that was instituted on Tuesday following continued spurts of violence and occasional looting. BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) A Panama City man was charged with allegedly soliciting a minor for sex. Bay County Sheriffs investigators arrested 67-year-old Daniel Lewis Eakin on Tuesday. Authorities say Eakin contacted what he thought was a 16-year-old boy on the Grindr online dating app back on May 20th. Authorities say Eakin proposed they meet for sex and gave his cell phone number. As a result, the 16-year-old was an undercover deputy. They subpoenaed the phone company, matched the phone number to Eakins, and arrested him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eakin was charged with using an electronic device to seduce 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. (COLORADO SPRINGS) Local health care workers and Democrats held a panel on Tuesday, June 10 discussing how Medicaid budget cuts could impact Colorado Springs. Data shows 19% of the 5th Congressional District, which covers most of El Paso County, are enrolled in Medicaid. Organizers of the panel said that number could drop if President Donald Trump signs his so-called Big Beautiful Bill. The bill adds restrictions to who would be eligible for Medicaid, which Republicans argue would cut down on fraud. However, those at the panel on Tuesday disagree, arguing these cuts will impact services across the board. They said the only way to make sure your voice is heard is to speak up to the lawmakers who represent you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Call your representatives. There is somebody, they aint going to answer the phone, but there is somebody who can answer the phone. Get out. Speak your mind. Talk to your neighbor. Find out what goes on, said Leeann Webster with CA Home Health Care. The senate is currently debating the controversial bill. Both Colorado Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennett both indicated they will not vote in favor of the measure. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Governor Greg Abbott announced that construction is officially underway on a new state-of-the-art mental health hospital, a modern psychiatric facility in North Texas. The $159 million project in Amarillo will bring much-needed inpatient mental health services to the 26-county Panhandle area for the first time in state history. The 75-bed hospital, funded by the Texas Legislature and spearheaded by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), is expected to be finished in 2027. At 164,475 square feet, it is designed to meet modern standards in psychiatric care and will be able to serve adults requiring severe inpatient treatment for psychiatric problems and other ailments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas is delivering on its promise to expand healthcare to rural communities across our great state, Abbott said in a June 10 press release announcing the groundbreaking. This Panhandle State Hospital the first state-operated facility in the region will provide Texans greater access to mental health professionals and high-quality care close to home. I thank the Texas Legislature and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for their work to increase access to mental healthcare for Texans in every corner of our state, the governor added. The new facility will include communal activity spaces and outdoor courtyards to promote recovery and social engagement for psychiatric patients. According to Abbotts office, the hospitals modern design is part of a broader strategy to integrate new evidence-based practices and layouts into mental health facilities. Cecile Erwin Young, HHSCs executive commissioner, talked about the importance of providing quality care to certain previously underserved communities across Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texans are better served when they have access to healthcare closer to home, and that is why state leaders and HHSC have invested in facilities like the Panhandle State Hospital, Young said. The Amarillo construction project is part of a sweeping overhaul of the states mental health infrastructure. Since 2017, the Abbott administration and Texas lawmakers have allocated over $2.5 billion to modernize and expand the states psychiatric care system, including renovating, replacing, or constructing hospitals across the state. The HHSC currently oversees nine different hospitals and one inpatient youth treatment center. These facilities provide 24/7 care for residents struggling with severe mental illness, including those found incompetent to stand trial in the legal system, or deemed a danger to themselves or others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With rural healthcare access a growing concern across the state, as previously reported on by The Dallas Express, the new hospital will be a big milestone in addressing mental health disparities across Texas. HHSCs official webpage has construction renderings of the new facility and updates on the projects progress. When completed, this hospital will offer hope and healing to some of the most vulnerable people in the Panhandle, Young added. FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) As the Commonwealth continues the rollout of its medical marijuana program, thousands of people have already received a medical cannabis card. But with all those people getting cards, some have concerns. For one parent, who wished to remain anonymous, their concerns with having a medical marijuana card pertained to custody of their children. Upon applying for and receiving their medical marijuana card, one question they had was how possessing a card and using medical marijuana would be perceived in terms of family court and Child Protective Services (CPS). LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To get answers, this person reached out to county officials as well as CPS, but didnt get a clear answer on what would be permitted. The only guidelines they gave me was if you use it, there has to be another sober adult in the household, and you can only use it outside or in your car, the parent said. But then when I reached out to the dispatch non-emergency line, if you use it in your car, then you have paraphernalia in your car. And if you use it in your car and youre smoking it, then you have a smell in your car, which then introduces more problems if you get pulled over or drive with your kids. Also, if you use it outside, that can be public intoxication if you live in county limits. The agency responsible for Kentuckys Medical Marijuana Program is the Cabinet for Health & Family Services. The parent told FOX 56 they had applied for a medical cannabis card because of a past medical issue where they were prescribed pain medication, but they didnt want to deal with a possible addiction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They said the last thing they wanted to happen was to lose custody of their children because of their legal use of medical marijuana in Kentucky. They are concerned about a lack of communication from the state about the medical marijuana program and said when they reached out to their county officials, no one could direct them to the right place. Kentuckys 2025 medical marijuana legalization could pose challenges for gun owners We reached out to the officials for the Cabinet for Health & Family Services for an interview and received the following statement from Office of Public Affairs Executive Director Kendra Steele: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Team Kentucky is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our children and providing necessary services for children and families in the commonwealth. In every situation, DCBS evaluates whether a caregiver is able to safely care for a child. Per the Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) Chapter 218B.045, which discusses a number of rules regarding the medical marijuana law. It says a cardholder otherwise entitled to custody of, or visitation time or parenting time with, a minor child shall not be denied that right, and there shall be no presumption of abuse, neglect, or dependency for conduct permitted under this chapter unless the persons actions in relation to medicinal cannabis created an unreasonable danger to the safety of the minor child as established by clear and convincing evidence. MEDICAL-MARIJUANA-LAW-REGARDING-PARENTINGDownload Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can learn more about Kentuckys Medical Cannabis Program 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 FOX 56 News. Nastya Rodionova, a Russian writer and artist who has been based in Paris since 2022, had only met gallery manager Luiza Rozova in passing at events before she learned who the 22-year-olds parents were. Described by a number of people as a very nice and well-mannered girl, Rozova is the daughter of a Russian woman named Svetlana Krivonogikh and, according to investigative journalists, Russian President Vladimir Putin. After learning about Rozovas family background, Rodionova took to social media on June 4 to share it, highlighting the fact that the galleries where Rozova works primarily showcase Russian and Ukrainian anti-war art. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The post quickly went viral but the reactions were divided. Some members of the Russian emigre community argued Rozova had no control over who her parents are and it shouldnt be held against her. Others agreed it was ethically questionable that a family member of the Kremlin leader worked in anti-war art galleries as Russia was waging war against Ukraine, and praised the artist for revealing it. We are talking about artists (showcased in the galleries) who fled the regime, Rodionova told the Kyiv Independent. Many of them are in danger. They shared all their personal information with the gallery staff without knowing who works there it upset them very much (to learn about her). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kyiv Independent reached out to Rozova for comment through her employer. He acknowledged that he had passed along the request for comment and if she considers it possible to answer she would do so. As of publication, Rozova has not replied. Uncanny resemblance In most of Rozovas photos that were posted on social media or taken by media outlets for interviews, her face is deliberately cropped or turned away a subtle yet telling choice, which some believe is due to her uncanny resemblance to the Russian leader. In the few photos of Rozova where her face is fully visible, she does bear unmistakable resemblance to Putin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Listen, judging by (Putins) younger photos probably, yes, I do look like him. But as it turns out, there are actually a lot of people who resemble Vladimir Vladimirovich, she told GQ Russia in 2021. In the interview, Rozova wasnt directly asked whether she was related to the Russian leader. Rozova first attracted international attention in 2020, when the independent Russian investigative outlet Proekt published an expose detailing the substantial wealth of her mother, Svetlana Krivonogikh, who at the time possessed over $100 million in assets. Proekts investigation revealed Krivonogikhs longstanding ties to Putin and noted that her daughter Rozova bears an uncanny resemblance to the Russian leader, fueling the widespread speculation about her parentage. In the rare instances that Rozova has granted media interviews since then, she has never outright acknowledged or denied that Putin is her father. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dmitri Dolinski director of the L Association, which oversees both Studio Albatros and the L Galerie where Rozova is employed confirmed to Rodionova that Rozovas mother is Krivonogikh, she said. Krivonogikh was sanctioned by the U.K. in 2023 due to her stake in Bank Rossiya, which has, among other things, supported investments in Russian-occupied Crimea following the illegal annexation of 2014. Why it matters In her original viral social media post, the Russian artist Rodionova stressed the importance of Studio Albatros and L Galerie as cultural spaces showcasing Russian and Ukrainian anti-war artists and why that made the presence of the Kremlin leaders alleged daughter there problematic. In the context of Russias ongoing war of aggression, people organizing any public events involving anti-war artists and in some cases direct victims of the regime must act with maximum transparency and sensitivity, Rodionova wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rodionova previously participated in some gallery events but has chosen to no longer do so. We must know who we are working with and make informed decisions about whether we are okay with (exhibiting art there). My personal answer in this case is no. Given the Russian and Ukrainian artists outspoken anti-war positions, there is a potential risk associated with disclosing their personal information to L Association particularly given the lack of clarity around Rozovas ties to the Russian regime. One artist who collaborated with the gallery had even welcomed Rozova into their home without knowing her family connections, Rodionova added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Rodionova first asked about Rozovas background, Dolinski reportedly told her that he does not look into his employees families. At the same time, Rodionova noted, it appears he hired Rozova while knowing who her mother was and the fact that her mother was already subject to U.K. sanctions. Amid the ongoing controversy, the L Association appears to be standing behind Rozova. We regret that some voices have called for forms of stigmatization or collective punishment, and we remind everyone that no one should be judged by their origins, birthplace, heritage, or any other criteria beyond their control. This is a red line we will not cross, the organization wrote on Facebook on June 9, although they didnt mention Rozova by name. Dasha, 6, cries as she hugs her mother before boarding an evacuation train in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 22, 2024. (Ed Ram / The Washington Post via Getty Images) A soldier walks past destroyed residential buildings in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on April 8, 2025. (Kostiantyn Liberov / Libkos / Getty Images) In response to Rodionovas post, a number of Russian emigres argued in the comments that Rozova should not be held accountable for the crimes of her alleged father. They claimed she has made a public anti-war stance in social media although her actual social media account is disputed and pointed to her residence in Paris as evidence that she is unlikely part of Putins close inner circle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The exact number of Putins children remains unconfirmed. It's known that he has two daughters from his marriage to Lyudmila Putina, who he divorced in 2014. In 2024, the Russian investigative outlet Dossier Center reported that he also has two young sons with Alina Kabaeva, a former Olympic gymnast long rumored to be his partner. The two boys reportedly live in Putins residence on Lake Valdai in northwestern Russia. Since coming forward with her revelation about Putins alleged daughter Rozova, Rodionova told the Kyiv Independent that she has dealt not only with public slander but also threats made against her. I want to believe that these people have expressed their personal opinion but lots of messages were suspiciously similar, she said, suggesting that there was an organized campaign of retaliation. Rodionova pushed back against those attacking her for raising questions about Rozovas parentage, arguing that they were distorting the reasons behind her decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless of Rozovas personal politics or the extent to which she has or hasnt benefited from the Russian regime, exiled artists like Rodionova emphasize that the ongoing dangers posed by Russias full-scale war require extra caution and transparency when it comes to who is welcomed into anti-war cultural spaces. Read also: Controversial Russian literature prize sparks debate on separating culture from war crimes Note from the author: Hi there, its Kate Tsurkan, thanks for reading this article. The story of Putins alleged daughter working in anti-war art galleries in Paris is one of those crazy stories that make you realize culture and politics are never that far removed from each other, especially when it comes to Russias war against Ukraine. I hope by reading this article you also reflected on questions of accountability, transparency, and trust during wartime. If you like reading this sort of material, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid member of the Kyiv Independent today. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. A paroled burglar will sing the blues once again after a St. Louis County Circuit Court judge signed a warrant for his arrest for breaking into a Webster Groves music store last month. According to the Webster Groves Police Department, this recent burglar happened on May 17 at Music Folk in the 8000 block of Big Bend Blvd. Police said Shawn M. Overstreet went to the store at 1 a.m. and kicked-in the glass panel on the front door. He went inside and stole the cash box from the checkout area before leaving. The entire burglary was captured on store surveillance video. The crime took 15 seconds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was a couple hundred dollars in the drawer. Just some change. The door was really all that was damaged; the glass out of the door and the door was broken, Music Folk Vice President Don Ploof said. No ICE demonstration comes to STL The cash box contained $350 but the front door cost approximately $2,800 to replace. The suspect walked past dozens of expensive instruments and went straight for the cash box. Ploof has a theory as to why. If you have a guitar, thats pretty traceable. Youre going to have to go to a pawn shop, he said. Music Folk has been in Webster Groves since 1973. Ploof said this is the second time theyve been burglarized in the past few years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said an investigator recognized Overstreet from the video and corroborated his identity with his probation-parole officer. A car registered to Overstreet was seen entering the area at 12:25 a.m. and leaving the area shortly before 1:10 a.m. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Overstreet is no stranger to these charges. Hes faced at least 15 counts of second-degree burglary in the past as well as other theft and stealing charges. His rap sheet goes all the way back to 1995. Most recently, Overstreet was charged in January 2020 for a pair of business burglaries in November 2019. He was eventually convicted and sentenced in July 2023 to three years in state prison. Its unclear if he finished his sentence or was released early. The Missouri Department of Corrections has not responded to our request for clarification. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorneys Office charged Overstreet with second-degree burglary and first-degree property damage for the Music Folk break-in. Hell be jailed on a $100,000 bond upon 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 FOX 2. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday announced a curfew for downtown Los Angeles from 8 pm (0300 GMT Wednesday) until 6 am Wednesday in response to ongoing protests against US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. "I have declared a local emergency and issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting," Bass told reporters at an evening news conference, noting significant damage to businesses and properties. "Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted," she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People have been protesting in Los Angeles for days against attempts by security forces to carry out immigration raids. Trump has sent thousands of National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city, claiming the situation is out of control. Trump says LA is being invaded by a 'foreign enemy' Trump on Tuesday described the unrest in Los Angeles as an invasion by a "foreign enemy" during a speech at Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina. Addressing the ongoing protests in the city, he said demonstrators were "rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order, and on national sovereignty," Trump said. He went on to describe the protesters as "animals" who "proudly carry the flags of other countries," but do not carry the US flag. California governor: Trump's move a 'brazen abuse of power' Critics including California Governor Gavin Newsom have accused Trump of inflaming the situation by sending troops. In a televised address on Tuesday, Newsom criticized Trump's decision to deploy National Guard members "illegally and for no reason" without consulting California law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk," he added. "Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived," Newsom said. "What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence, to be complicit in this moment. Do not give into him." Trump had argued that the city "would be burning right now" if not for the troops he sent, comparing the situation to the fires that caused unprecedented damage earlier this year. Trump says he's open to using Insurrection Act Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said he is considering whether to invoke a 200-year-old law to deploy additional military forces in Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Responding to journalists at the White House, Trump said he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that allows presidents to send troops to restore public order in certain emergency situations. A demonstrator is arrested for disorderly conduct as hundreds gather outside 26 Federal Plaza in New York City to protest ICE arrests targeting individuals arriving for immigration hearings. Carlos Chiossone/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Participants of the UkraineSoutheast Europe Summit, held in Odesa on Wednesday 11 June, have confirmed their support for the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Kyiv and other countries in the region. Source: the summit declaration released by the press service of the Office of the President of Ukraine, as reported by European Pravda Details: The leaders of Ukraine and Southeast European states agreed that "NATO membership remains the best cost-effective security option for Ukraine". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We reaffirmed our support to the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of partners of the region. We support Ukraine on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership," the declaration reads. The summit participants also stated that neither Russia nor any other non-NATO state "has the right to veto the Alliances enlargement". "In the same vein, we fully support Ukraine's right to choose its own security arrangements and decide its own future, free from outside interference," they added. Background: The fourth UkraineSoutheast Europe Summit in Odesa has been attended in person by the leaders of Greece, Croatia and Montenegro, as well as President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, marking his first visit to Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Two hotly competing narratives have emerged over the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles and President Donald Trumps decision to deploy the National Guard and Marines to California. On one side, the protests symbolize crucial resistance to abuse and overreach by the Trump administration. On the other, radicals are torching cars and the troops are needed to restore law and order. The ultimate political fallout is still unknown. But one scholar who has drilled deep into the subject is Omar Wasow, a professor at UC Berkeley who published a paper in 2020 showing that non-violent protest especially when met with violence from the state shifted public opinion toward the Civil Rights Movement, while protester-initiated violence fueled a right-wing backlash. The paper happened to come out less than a week before the murder of George Floyd and it caused a stir, with commentators across the political spectrum citing Wasows work, and one pollster even losing his job over suggesting that violent protest could hurt Democrats election chances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, will the LA protests harm Democrats political prospects this time around? In an interview with POLITICO Magazine, Wasow said it was too early to make predictions about the political consequences and noted that so far property damage had been relatively contained, with no loss of life. Trump, meanwhile, could face his own political risk if the state engages in some spectacle of excess violence, he said. Wasow also previewed some of his other work that has yet to be published, which includes some depressing, if not entirely surprising, conclusions about where things might go from here. Violence works a bit like a bat signal, both for Trump and for the anti-ICE movement, he said. People who are pro-Trump get mobilized to be more pro-Trump. And people who are anti-Trump get mobilized on behalf of the anti-mass deportation movement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Tell me what youve found in your research about the political effects of when protests turn violent. Looking at the Civil Rights Era from about 1960 to 1972, what I find is that in the earlier period of the Civil Rights Movement, most of the violence was state violence against protesters and the protest movements were overwhelmingly peaceful. Protesters were mostly using nonviolent tactics. That generates media coverage that emphasizes civil rights, and then ultimately voting behavior shifts in favor of the Democratic coalition, which is the pro-Civil Rights coalition in the 60s. But in the later period of the 1960s, we see more protester-initiated violence. These are events that have historically been called urban riots. That generates media coverage that emphasizes crime, disorder, riots, and the public opinion in counties near those events shift toward more concern about crime, concern about law and order, and vote more conservatively and toward the Republican coalition, which is the law and order coalition at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In contemporary rhetoric, theres one school of thought that says, Tactics dont matter. Youre going to get painted as violent no matter what. And I find that, at least in the 1960s, tactics really did matter, and nonviolent tactics, particularly nonviolent tactics met by state repression, moved public opinion in favor of civil rights. Fast forwarding to the present, theres a variety of evidence from other countries that suggests its not just violence, but more broadly what is perceived as extreme tactics that tend to cause people to disidentify with protesters and with their cause, and that leads to a lowering of support. So theres this process by which people are watching the story unfold, and theyre writing themselves into or out of that story. What do you make of the protests in Los Angeles, and the potential for public reaction? One thing Im still puzzling over a little is that in the 1960s, the violence was at a totally different scale. Watts in 1965 or [the Rodney King protests in] Los Angeles in 1992 even, theres thousands of recorded incidents of arson, and there were 37 people killed in Watts in 1965 thats also often by groups like the National Guard coming in and firing lots of ammunition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, in some ways, five Waymos and some graffiti, its very easy to imagine that were just a couple of news cycles away from moving on to the next thing. Thats one scenario. But I think a more likely scenario relates to some unpublished work that Ive been working on. This is about how violence works a bit like a bat signal, both for Trump and for the anti-ICE movement. People who are pro-Trump get mobilized to be more pro-Trump. And people who are anti-Trump get mobilized on behalf of the anti-mass deportation movement. One thing were seeing is these parallel protests in San Francisco and other cities where people are now being called to action by what theyre seeing in Los Angeles. And I would also expect that the counter mobilization, the pro-mass deportation movement, gets activated too. So whats happening in Los Angeles is polarizing and also mobilizing. I think were going to see more of these anti-mass deportation protests around the country. How does the continued backlash to the George Floyd protests and the 2020 moment in America impact this week? What historical analogues are you drawing on as you watch protests in Los Angeles? Not to sound too technical, but whats going on in Los Angeles is whats called in social science a contentious event. Its not just contentious in the sense the National Guard and LAPD are in conflict with local protesters. Its contentious in the sense that it gets read very differently by different constituencies. When I went to Fox News over the weekend, its language was, Riots are gripping Los Angeles. Conversely, other headlines emphasize a military-style crackdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So theres evidence for either side to make a story thats consistent with their prior beliefs. And so if your frustration with the liberal media in the era of George Floyd was, They're telling me these events are peaceful, but I just watched the Minneapolis Police Station go up in flames, this is more evidence of how the radical left is engaging in violence and is hypocritical when they say We are peaceful, but January 6 was violent. As people are pushed to their corners, the event can be read in a way that affirms a conservative story. And of course, from the liberal side, theres lots of evidence of excess force by the state like, Why are they shooting flash bangs and tear gas? Theres this clip of an officer shooting a reporter, which is one more step in any kind of authoritarian transition. In that sense, if you believe that, then militant resistance to this repressive set of policies is justified. Thats all to say, there was and still is a lot of contention in whether the Floyd protests were violent or nonviolent. So, the way I think about this is its not just tension on the ground, but theres narrative contention in how these different constituencies read these events and use them to affirm stories that go back to 2020, and even before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The civil rights movement of the 1960s had real official leaders, who could make strategic choices. That doesnt exist in LA, or in many contemporary protests. Is that a fundamental hurdle facing protests today? Thats exactly right, and thats one of the core differences between the more traditional Civil Rights movement and a lot of the activism that we see today. A core challenge of any movement is how do you get a bunch of people to meet at a certain place and a certain time that coordination problem is now vastly simplified because of the internet. The advantage of that is it radically lowers the cost of organizing. But the disadvantage is, it means you have no organizing body that can help to impose message discipline on a movement or to rein in somebody who might be behaving in a way that undermines the larger message. Were in this transition where movements are really struggling to figure out how to adapt to that radical decentralization. Democratic voters want politicians who will stand up to Trump. But swing voters or less engaged voters are generally put off by images like cars burning in the street. Whats the tightrope walk that someone like Gov. Gavin Newsom is doing right now politically? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The classic pattern historically is that an elected official, Democrat or Republican, will condemn rioting, looting or violence, but will say We believe deeply in freedom of association and the First Amendment and the right to assemble. Thats such a standard refrain at this point. But where I think there is a tightrope walk and where politicians often fail, is in their inability to articulate why it is people are so angry. And so whether its around the Rodney King decision or to fast forward to the present, the sense that these mass deportations are harmful, if politicians can't give a pretty full-throated articulation of what's mobilizing people in the streets, then the sort of routine condemnation of violence will typically feel very hollow. The tightrope walk for Newsom or Bass or national figures is that theyre trying to hold this diverse coalition together, from an Abolish ICE end of the continuum, to a more moderate, pro-law-and-order end of the continuum. And they need to speak to both of those sets of concerns in a way that feels credible and also doesn't alienate the other. When I was walking in the neighborhood near where I work in Oakland, somebody had both a Black Lives Matter sign on their front lawn and a sign that said this house is patrolled by a private security company. That, to me, captures some of who these voters are. There's a non-trivial chunk of the Democratic base that is pro-Black equality and wants order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Should Democrats be worried theyll get hurt politically because of the LA protests and images of burning cars? I think its too early to expect there to be political consequences for this. Thats not just because we're a year and a half from 2026, but also because so far, the amount of property damage is relatively contained. Nobodys been killed to my knowledge. And those are the sorts of things that tend to really raise the salience of an event like this. So while it certainly has become national news and is almost certainly polarizing the electorate, the only way this will matter in the election is if it keeps happening. The other scenario is theres some risk for Trump. If theres an incident where the state is engaging in some spectacle of excess violence, that also could move the median voter into being more critical of Trumps policies. Since the 1960s, it seems like liberals have believed mass mobilization leads naturally to political change, whereas conservatives have been less interested in developing mass movements conservative protests, when they do occur, are usually smaller in scale. What do you make of that continued distinction? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fundamentally, I agree with you. It is worth noting that the Tea Party is an important right-of- center mobilization. Its also probably worth thinking of Trumpism and Make America Great Again as not just conservative, but as reactionary. MAGA is a nostalgic motto, We have to return to some glorious past. And much of what Trump has done in terms of policy is also about turning the clock back on various policies. Usually, the right tends to be almost by definition for preserving the status quo. And so you do have movements like the pro-life movement that had both national protests and mobilizations against abortion facilities. But on the whole, if you're looking to preserve the status quo, then that doesn't lend itself to taking to the streets as much. But in some sense, Trumpism is actually not status quo preserving, and its more about trying to return to policies of years or decades past. His rallies also serve a little bit as a place where that kind of mobilizing energy manifests. In general, though, theres much more of that on the left than the right. Going back to the Civil Rights movement and then the long echo of feminist and disability rights and gay rights movements that follow, theres just a tradition on the left of these movements that seek change. If you had advice for people on the left or right engaged in protest, what would it be? What my and other research suggests is that a lot of how protests are effective is in terms of making an issue salient in the news. By making it salient in the news, they make it top of mind for the public. To give two examples, the Tea Party helped bring debt to the forefront of national debate. And then Occupy Wall Street helped bring inequality to the forefront of national conversation. By having message discipline and trying to focus the media on their concerns, a protest movement can influence whats top of mind for the public. The other dimension of that, though, is whether that coverage is positive or negative. Part of where violence can potentially harm a movement is you make your issue salient, but the coverage is quite negative toward the movement. Mass deportations are more salient in the news right now, but if the coverage is quite negative toward a movement, that can make it salient and move people away from your side of the issue. So theres this balancing act of trying to draw media attention, which often requires drama and conflict but to do it in a way that ideally produces sympathetic coverage so that youre growing your coalition. A Florida-based airline announced it would immediately stop flying after a bankruptcy sale ceased operations, leaving passengers suddenly without flights on the day of travel. Silver Airways released a statement to its customers on Wednesday, 11 June, informing them it is ceasing operations immediately. In an attempt to restructure in bankruptcy, Silver entered into a transaction to sell its assets to another airline holding company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It added that the holding company unfortunately has determined to not continue Silvers flight operations in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Please do not go to the airport, Silver Airways added. All credit card purchases should be refunded through your credit card company or your travel agency. Silver Airways had a series of routes flying to, from and within Florida, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and Caribbean Islands, with flights in and out of Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport being one of the most common. The airline had dozens of flights scheduled on Wednesday and throughout June, data from FlightRadar shows, but the airline has announced that these will be cancelled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Passengers who booked journeys to and from Florida, the Bahamas or within the Caribbean will now have to rebook onto a new flight and seek a refund. Silver Airways flight operations were still taking place across most of their routes right up until Tuesday, the day before it stopped flying. However, in prior months, it had reduced its fleet by half, as well as abruptly stopping services to and from Orlando in March. In December, the airline told its customers that it voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 protection in a bankruptcy court in the Southern District of Florida. At the time, it said the decision would allow Silver Airways to secure additional capital and carry out financial restructuring. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It predicted that by the first quarter of 2025, this process would be complete, and it would then be in a stronger position to continue serving customers. The airline was more than $100 million in debt, according to WLRN. The airline had a stalking horse acquisition offer from a firm of around $5.7 million, but at a recent bankruptcy auction ordered by a court judge in hopes of securing larger funding to pay off the debts, the regional airline received no bids to take over the company. Silver Airways launched in 2011 off the back of the assets from another defunct service, Gulfstream International Airlines. Over the next 14 years, the regional airline became a popular choice for ferrying tourists between Florida and the Caribbean, using short-haul turbo ATR aircraft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the airline remained favoured in the region, Silver Airways began facing fuel and maintenance cost issues, exacerbated by the lack of travel in the Covid pandemic. Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent of The Independent, said: Silver Airways provided essential connectivity to, from and within Florida. But evidently they couldnt make the concept of domestic airline for the Sunshine State financially sustainable. No one should lose out financially, since credit-card firms will refund any air fares the problem is going to be finding alternative transport. It remains to be seen if anyone will move in to replace Silver Airways on some of its network. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The airlines announcement comes at the same time that Qantas revealed it will be shutting down Jetstar Asia after 20 years of operations. Jetstar Asia will reduce its flight schedule across the next seven weeks before operations cease on 31 July. For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calders podcast ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) A Rockford pastor is working to bridge Christian theology with the LGBTQ+ community by hosting a conversation on Biblical scripture and sexuality. Just because its not listed [in the Bible], that there are others within that spectrum, it doesnt mean that theyre not God ordained, said Zion Lutheran Pastor Mike Thomas, who led a conversation on Christian scripture and its relation to sexuality on Tuesday afternoon at Katies Cup, 502 7th Street. Thomas said it took him 30 years to become an LGBTQ+ ally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I wasnt advocating. I was spineless, he said. Today, Thomas is using Pride Month to open a conversation on how Christianity and sexuality intersect. We celebrate having conversations like this one today here, as well as at church on Sunday, to talk about what does the Scripture say about people who are in the gay community, Thomas said. In many denominations, views interpreting homosexuality as a sin or aberration have softened, with recent studies showing a growing number of Americans support the LGBTQ+ community. 71-year-old Debbie Raymond said attitudes toward gay people have come a long way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the beginning, it was very tough. You basically lived in a closet, you know, you didnt talk very much, she recalled. Now, shes a proud member of the Lutheran church. Raymond credited events such as the one at Katies Cup for helping to bring her and others back to religion. Go talk to pastors, go talk to congregations. You know, do your research, understand the first rule: I was born this way, she said. Its wonderful to be able to change peoples perspective on understanding what Scripture says, as well as what the central message of Gods grace and mercy, through Christ. In the Gospels, thats the emphasis that we focus on, Thomas said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thomas also said he saw more Christian denominations than ever before at this years Rockford Pride Parade on Saturday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, told reporters Tuesday that his panel will unveil changes to the House-passed bill to enact President Trumps agenda that will be more conservative and propose dramatically less money for border security. Paul has argued for weeks that Congress doesnt need to spend $150 billion to secure the border and beef up immigration enforcement since border crossings plunged after Trump took office in January. It will actually be the conservative version of how much money we spend on the border, Paul told reporters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the Senates text under the jurisdiction of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee would propose about half as much money as the $150 billion passed by the House. The wall, if you look at the [Customs and Border Protection (CBP)] website until they removed it yesterday they said it would cost $6.5 million per mile to build the border wall, Paul said. If you add that up for about 1,000 miles thats $6.5 billion. They asked for $46.5 billion, so they got a math problem, he added. Instead of addressing the math problem, CBP took that off their website two days ago. Paul posted on social media Monday that Congress doesnt need to spend $150 billion to secure the border and enforce immigration law through deportations and other actions, arguing that the Trump administration could get the job done for half the cost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont need $150 billion to secure the border. We can do it for half that $75 billion and still protect the American people, he wrote. The math backs it up. Paul said he would submit the text of his revisions to the House-passed Homeland Security chapter of the bill to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Tuesday. We will be giving that to Sen. Thune later today, he told reporters. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Residents near the J. Percy Priest Dam Reservoir may face some traffic obstacles in the coming days. The Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure has begun the process of repaving South New Hope Road this week, according to Metro Councilwoman Erin Evans. The project involves repaving South New Hope from Stewarts Ferry Pike to Central Pike. During the process, residents and travelers along that road should anticipate intermittent lane closures and allow for extra time if they need to travel on that stretch of roadway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More I am looking forward to a new and smoother driving experience, Evans said of the road in her newsletter. According to Evans, NDOT uses a systematic scoring system to determine which roads receive priority for paving needs, and residents in her district are all glad South New Hope made the list this year. Residents can expect a few weeks of work on the project, weather permitting, she told News 2. Crews will have signage and flag/sign teams out to make sure residents know when the road is down to a single lane. I expect the process to go smoothly! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to NDOT, milling and casting has begun and should be wrapped up by the end of the week. After additional operations work, paving will begin. Downtown parking garage partially collapses after overnight fire Once the repaving starts, that work should last through the end of the month, according to NDOT. Once the repaving is done, crews will restripe the road. The goal is to be completely done with the project by mid-July, NDOT told News 2. We will be working on one side of the road at a time and traffic control will be present to help direct traffic and allow work to proceed efficiently without any directional closures, Public Information Coordinator Brendan Scully told News 2. Do you have news happening in your neighborhood? Let us know by sending an email to neighborhoodnews@wkrn.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 WKRN News 2. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has confirmed he is deploying the National Guard to cities throughout the state in anticipation of protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson told the American-Statesman on Wednesday that the city has been notified the Texas National Guard "will be prepared to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety if deemed necessary" for planned protests this weekend. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus confirmed to San Antonio Express-News that guard members had arrived in San Antonio Tuesday night, ahead of planned protests in the downtown area on Wednesday and in Travis Park on Saturday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several Texas cities are expected to hold rallies for "No Kings Day of Mobilizations" on Saturday, June 14. The protests are organized by "50501," a grassroots movement enabling independent organization across the country, My San Antonio reports. "No Kings Day" has been intentionally planned for the same day as the Trump administration's military parade in D.C., which also coincides with Trump's birthday. Abbott's press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, gave the following statement to San Antonio Express-News: The State of Texas stands ready to deploy all necessary personnel and resources to uphold law and order across our state. Texas National Guard soldiers are on standby in areas where mass demonstrations are planned in case they are needed. Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles. Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be swiftly held accountable to the full extent of the law. Abbott provided further clarification in a social media post on Tuesday. "Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace & order," Abbott wrote. "Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. @TexasGuard will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order." Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace & order. Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest.@TexasGuard will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order. https://t.co/rS8b5zgE3T Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 11, 2025 Abbott had not disclosed further details as of Wednesday morning, including which other cities the National Guard may be deployed to. Texas National Guard officials also didn't respond to San Antonio Express-News' request for comment. National Guard deployed after Monday protests throughout Texas News of the National Guard's deployment comes after hundreds of protesters assembled at the Texas Capitol in Austin Monday to show support for those protesting ICE actions in Los Angeles. Similar demonstrations were held in downtown Dallas that same evening, and protests also occurred in San Antonio and Houston over the weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement See videos, images of protesters holding anti-ICE rallies across Texas. Tensions in Los Angeles escalated after an ICE raid on June 6 led to the arrest of several individuals. The operation sparked protests that escalated over the weekend, prompting President Donald Trump to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to the city. On June 9, California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the deployment of the National Guard without prior consultation with Governor Gavin Newsom. The governor criticized the decision in a social media post, calling it "illegal and immoral." In another post that morning, Newsom accused Trump of "illegally" federalizing the Guard and declared, "We're suing him." San Antonio Express-News contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas anti-ICE protests: Gov. Greg Abbott deploys National Guard Protests against immigration raids stretched into the night in Orange County, with demonstrators taking to the streets of Santa Ana for the second straight day. One female protester said it was her first time doing so because shes a child of immigrants and she felt the need to be there for those who cant. I see the fear in my parents eyes. I see the fear every day coming out here in Santa Ana, she told KTLA 5. This is my hometown. This is all I know. And I see every single day, elders, the federal man in the corner of the street, and hes there, worried. So I have to do this. Have to do this. This is a new generation, and I have to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Things started peacefully, but as the protest grew, so did tensions. The demonstration later escalated into violent confrontations with police at the intersection of Bristol and 1st Streets. This prompted police officers to use tear gas and less-than-lethal projectiles. Many retaliated by hurling bottles through the air, landing near officers in riot gear. Fireworks were also detonated. More than 100 demonstrators split from the crowd and gathered at the O.C. Civic Center and started heading towards the federal building just a block away. They chanted things like Nazi soldiers at nearby officers as snipers watched them closely. Video obtained by KTLA 5 showed the large group moving along Bristol Street, eventually engaging in a tense standoff with law enforcement. At around 8:00 p.m., police declared an unlawful assembly and deployed tear gas to push back the crowds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No officers are believed to have been injured. A couple of arrests were made on Tuesday evening. Since the protests started on Monday, more than a dozen people have been arrested in Santa Ana in total. As of Wednesday morning, Homeland Security and the National Guard are standing by the federal building in downtown Santa Ana at the corner of Parton Street and Santa Ana Boulevard. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) An unidentified pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle early Tuesday morning, June 10, along U.S. 54 in Northeast El Paso, El Paso Police said. Just before 4 a.m., police were called out to a crash involving a pedestrian along U.S. 54 South near Ellerthorpe. Person dies after pedestrian crash in Northeast El Paso When police arrived, they found a dead man in the roadway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Special Traffic Investigators were called out to the scene. The preliminary investigation showed that a vehicle was traveling south on U.S. 54 when the driver saw a man lying down in the road and swerved to avoid the pedestrian. He was unable to do so, police said. The driver contacted police after the crash. It is unclear if the man was already dead when he was run over or if another car had hit him previously. Police continue to investigate the case. This is the 27th traffic fatality in the City limits compared to 29 at the same time last 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 KTSM 9 News. (WHTM) A Pennsylvania lawmaker plans to introduce a bill allowing drivers to use passenger vehicles with self-driving technology. The bill, circulated by state Rep. Napoleon J. Nelson (D-154), would allow Pennsylvanians to use passenger vehicles equipped with Level three autonomous driving capabilities. Level three autonomous driving capabilities, also known as conditional automation, give vehicles the ability to handle all driving tasks, provided the driver can take over when the system allows it, according to Imagination Technologies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Morning Weather Forecast According to the memo, the bill would allow drivers to use this technology as long as they are behind the wheel and can resume the task of driving at any point. Several U.S. states have already implemented vehicles with this technology, the memo says. Rep. Nelson said he believes the bill would help significantly reduce DUI incidents in the state and improve roadway safety for other motorists, bicyclists, and other forms of transportation. It is essential that Pennsylvania continue to lead in the advancement of transportation technology, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill has not been submitted for introduction yet. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Brief A sexual abuse arrest was made in Berks County this week. Officials say a man raped a child, and recorded it on his phone. The video was found by his lover, who reported it to police. MUHLENBERG TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Officials say an alleged child rapist is behind bars after he was arrested at his home in Berks County this week. What we know Angelo Concepcion, 28, is charged with raping a 6-year-old child at a home on the 2100 block of Adams Street in Muhlenberg Township. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials say video of the abuse was accidentally discovered on the suspect's phone by his lover, who reported it to police. Concepcion was taken into custody at his home on Monday, and charged with Rape of a Child, Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse and Indecent Assault. What's next Concepcion was committed to Berks County Jail after failing to post $175,000 bail. The Source Information from this article was provided by the Berks County District Attorney's Office. AMITYVILLE, N.Y. (PIX11) A Pennsylvania man was found guilty in connection with the fatal shooting of a 41-year-old at a backyard party in Amityville on July 18, 2021, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced Wednesday. A jury found Paul Cerisier, 29, guilty of murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. More Local News Cerisier drove to Amityville around 2:50 a.m. on July 18, 2021, and entered a backyard party, according to prosecutors. At the party, Cerisier walked up to Maresse Dickerson-Stevenson, the uncle of his ex-girlfriend, and fatally shot him without provocation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cerisier was arrested at a hotel in Washington County, Pennsylvania, on July 15, 2024, officials said. This was a cold-blooded, unprovoked attack on an innocent man at a backyard party, said District Attorney Tierney. With this verdict, justice has now been served. I thank the jury, law enforcement, and our prosecution team for their diligent work in securing this outcome. Cerisier faces up to 25 years to life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for July 15. Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See 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 PIX11. (WHTM) Pennsylvanians can now carry concealed firearms in Virginia. According to Attorney General Dave Sunday, the two states signed a reciprocity agreement this week, allowing holders of licenses to carry firearms in both states. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now WHTM Daily Digest Shortly after taking office, I asked my staff to review opportunities to maximize reciprocity agreements with willing states, and ensure all existing and future agreements protect and respect standing law and constitutional rights, said Attorney General Sunday. Our research of law in both states revealed nothing conflicting that would disallow permit holders to carry in both states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Memorandum of Agreement between the two states only applies to handguns and requires permit holders to: Be at least 21 years of age Carry photo identification Display the concealed carry permit when asked by law enforcement Not have a concealed carry permit previously revoked Pennsylvania House passes bill to expand AG oversight of health system transactions Pennsylvania now has concealed carry reciprocity agreements with 30 states. The AGs office provides a complete list online. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 federal contractor tasked with performing background checks on Department of Defense employees seeking high-level security clearances copped to submitting reams of bogus reports when she claimed to have thoroughly vetted candidates who, in fact, had not been properly checked out. Of 39 allegedly fraudulent investigations Nousheen Qureshi carried out over the course of more than a year for the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency, at least a half-dozen included fabricated interviews with people who later said they had never even heard from her at all, according to a plea agreement obtained first by The Independent. The results of the background investigations conducted by [Qureshi] were used to determine whether to grant security clearances to individuals at various levels, including and up to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) access, states the plea agreement, which was unsealed Tuesday in Santa Ana, California federal court. To conduct the investigations, [Qureshi] herself had TS/SCI clearance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Qureshi, a Mission Viejo resident, worked at the time for CACI International, a $7.7 billion Virginia-based conglomerate that bills itself as being ever vigilant in helping our customers meet their greatest challenges in national security. Each of the 299 background investigations she turned in between July 2020 and August 2021 had to be re-worked by the agency, costing taxpayers nearly $250,000 extra, according to the plea agreement. Qureshi was subsequently hired by two other companies to run background checks for the Department of Homeland Security, doing more than 600 of them until her past finally came to light and she was removed from all DHS projects, the plea agreement says. She was charged by information on June 2, and the case has not been made public until now. Tucker Atkins, Qureshis court-appointed lawyer, did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Nousheen Qureshi worked for CACI International, a federal contractor that positions itself as 'ever vigilant' (Getty) Since the September 11 terrorist attacks there has been a tremendous increase in the number of security clearances issued by the federal government, according to attorney Dan Meyer, a former U.S. Navy officer who is now a national security partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Tully Rinckey, PLLC. As the system has become more and more overloaded, investigators have seen their workloads double, triple, or even quadruple to as many as 40 cases a week, Meyer told The Independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Along with this, the incentive to cut corners has also increased, said Meyer. And once they start falsifying documents, theres a greater incentive to falsify documents because youve got to hide it once youve done it, he said. Further, Meyer pointed out, the Trump administration has publicly undercut the gravity of rigorous security clearances, where he said sends a message out to the rank-and-file, who start to think, Hey, maybe this isnt so important. A sham background report such as those generated by Qureshi can lead to extremely serious counterintelligence issues, according to Seamus Hughes, a senior researcher at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center, a partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omaha and DHS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Intelligence officials are trusted with some of the nations most important secrets. Fabricating background interviews and gaming the process has the potential to put those secrets at serious risk, Hughes told The Independent. Theres been an increasing number of criminal cases recently against government employees with high-level security clearances leaking classified information. A thorough security clearance review is paramount to preventing such disclosures. Qureshi carried out security clearance investigations for the Department of Defense, and later, the Department of Homeland Security (Getty) The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency is responsible for ensuring U.S. government job candidates, as well as those already on the payroll, can be trusted with, among other things, classified information. As Americas gatekeeper, the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency conducts over two million background checks each year on people applying for both civilian and military roles, and reinvestigates current employees security clearances at regular intervals. Qureshi began working at CACI in June 2018, and was assigned to the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency security clearance investigations, according to her plea agreement. In that capacity, [Qureshi] conducted background investigations for the Department of Defense, the plea agreement says. The investigations included applicants for DoD employment, DoD employee background reinvestigations, and investigations for security clearances of defense contractors employees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Qureshi was responsible for interviewing friends, acquaintances, and associates of those under investigation, and writing reports on her findings, according to the plea filing. It says the clearances in question went all the way up to the TS/SCI level, which allows individuals with a demonstrated need to know to access highly classified materials. To ensure security clearance investigations are being done properly, the agencys Quality Management Oversight Group randomly selects reports to review and re-contacts the individuals interviewed with written questionnaires about the process, the plea explains. In June 2021, amid a routine probe into one of Qureshis reports, the agency heard from J.F., a person she had spoken to as part of background investigation into a Top Secret security clearance candidate identified in the plea filing as M.C. J.F.s response to DCSA stated that he provided information to [Qureshi] about M.C.s drug use, the plea states. [Qureshis] report of J.F.s interview did not contain this derogatory information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also says that Qureshi willfully falsely reported that she had interviewed M.C.s landlord, S.R., and that S.R. stated that M.C. had lived at a Lancaster, California residence alone. However, the plea filing goes on, Qureshi well knew that she had not interviewed S.R., and S.R. had not stated M.C. lived alone. In a subsequent interview with S.R., DCIS Special Agents learned that M.C. lived at the Lancaster residence with four roommates and that two rooms at the residence were used as vacation rentals, the plea continues, adding that Qureshis false statements were material to the decisions that followed by DCSA as to granting M.C. a security clearance. The plea agreement, which does not specify if M.C.s clearance was ultimately approved or not, says CACI then pulled a sample of Qureshis other background investigations, to recheck her work. After she was fired from her job doing Department of Defense clearance investigations, Qureshi found work doing them for the Department of Homeland Security (Getty) Of the cases CACI reviewed, it came to find out that six individuals claimed they had not been interviewed at all by Qureshi, who, the plea maintains, submitted six separate reports stating that she had interviewed those individuals and provided factual narratives of their conversations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, the plea says CACI fired Qureshi in August 2021. Once she was gone, the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency reworked the 299 background investigations Qureshi had conducted over the prior year, for which she had spoken to 1,025 sources, according to the plea. In all, it says special agents discovered no fewer than 39 false reports, and pegs the cost of redoing them at $240,306.04. Two months later, Qureshi hired on as an investigator at a pair of other federal contractors, Omniplex World Services Corporation and ADC Ltd., the plea filing states. It says the two companies had contracts with DHS to perform background checks on prospective employees applying for jobs at the agency. Between late October 2021 and February 2024, when the DHS Office of Inspector General connected the dots and had Qureshi removed from all assignments connected to the agency, she conducted 608 background investigations on applicants to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to the plea. Messages seeking comment sent on Wednesday to CACI and ADC went unanswered. In an email, an Omniplex spokesman said, Given that this is a legal matter between an individual and the U.S. Attorneys Office, it is inappropriate for us to comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2020, another CACI employee conducting security clearance investigations for DCSA pleaded guilty to fabricating nearly 70 reports in 11 months. Two years later, a Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency staffer pleaded guilty to falsifying reports as part of security clearance investigations. In 2024, another agency investigator pleaded guilty to near-identical charges, admitting to having made up more than 40 security clearance interviews that never actually took place. Qureshi pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements, a charge that carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In Qureshis case, however, prosecutors are recommending she be sentenced to probation and home detention. Qureshi is due to appear in court on June 16. The Pentagon is reviewing the AUKUS agreement on sharing nuclear-powered submarine technology with Australia and the United Kingdom a decision immediately condemned by congressional Democrats and one that may cause angst among U.S. allies. The Department is reviewing AUKUS as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous Administration is aligned with the Presidents America First agenda, a Pentagon spokesperson wrote in a statement Wednesday. The spokesperson did not say who was involved in the effort, when it would conclude or why it was initiated except to say that the Pentagon was concerned about the readiness of its forces and the U.S. defense industry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This review will ensure the initiative meets these common sense, America First criteria, the statement continued. AUKUS countries update rules on sharing defense kit The Financial Times first reported news of the review. As part of the trilateral defense pact, Britain and Australia will build a nuclear-powered submarine, with the United States selling Virginia-class boats to Canberra in the interim. The agreement also includes a separate goal for the three countries to develop advanced technology together, such as quantum computing and hypersonic missiles. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Singapore just over a week ago, where he met with his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, multiple times. In a major speech on the Trump administrations Asia policy, Hegseth didnt mention AUKUS, something Marles dismissed in an interview with Defense News later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve spoken extensively about AUKUS both of our countries, including Secretary Hegseth himself. We dont feel a need to keep reiterating it on every single occasion, Marles said, arguing the program was on track. In his March confirmation hearing, Pentagon head of policy Elbridge Colby expressed some hesitancy about AUKUS in particular, Americas difficulty increasing its own production of nuclear-powered submarines, which would conceivably make it harder to sell extra boats to Australia. If we can produce the attack submarines in sufficient number and sufficient speed, then great. But if we cant, that becomes a very difficult problem because we dont want our servicemen and women to be in a weaker position, Colby said. It should be the policy of the United States government to do everything we can to make this work, Colby continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colby has also argued that Australia, which is increasing defense spending to around 2.4% of GDP by the mid-2030s, should raise its defense budget far faster. In a Pentagon readout after Hegseth and Marles met, the U.S. said it wanted that number to be 3.5% of GDP. In April, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel Paparo, defended the initiatives value in testimony before the House and said the effort on nuclear submarines was meeting every milestone operationally. AUKUS delivers something to INDOPACOM that is critical and could be a key advantage, and that is a Indian Ocean submarine base. This gives us faster response time to the South China Sea than in Hawaii, in Washington, in San Diego, Paparo said. To help America build more submarines, Congress has spent billions of dollars in recent defense bills targeted at the effort. Australia, too, has pledged $3 billion in its own funding to help the U.S. build more of the boats, which Marles referenced in his interview with Defense News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is a challenge, but I think its a challenge we can meet, he said. The Australian embassy didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the British embassy, meanwhile, responded to the news with reassurance. It is understandable that a new administration would want to review its approach to such a major partnership, just as the U.K. did last year. Senate Democrats criticized the White House for casting doubt on the future of the AUKUS agreement. If this administration is serious about countering the threat from China like it has said as recently as this morning then it will work expeditiously with our partners in Australia and the U.K. to strengthen this agreement and ensure we are taking steps to further boost our submarine industrial base, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anything less would play directly into Chinas hand. Fellow Senate Armed Services Committee member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said the news that Trump may abandon AUKUS will be met with cheers in Beijing and further weaken Americas standing in the world. At a moment when we face mounting threats from [China] and Russia, we should be encouraging our partners to raise their defense spending and partnering with them on the latest technologies not doing the opposite, she said. Military Times reporter Leo Shane III contributed to this story. An attorney representing several nonprofits grilled the top executive of NorthWestern Energy on Monday about why the company is continuing to invest in coal-fired power plants and other fossil fuels when the utility's own wildfire mitigation strategy notes that the length of the wildfire season in Montana has increased 600%. Shiloh Hernandez is a lawyer representing the Montana Environmental Information Center, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the NW Energy Coalition and the Human Resource Council. He also asked Brian Bird, the president and CEO of NorthWestern, questions about how they intend to meet the companys stated goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 when they are taking over a huge portion of the Colstrip coal-fired power plant in 2026. Bird was the first witness called to the stand at the Montana Public Service Commission on Monday for NorthWesterns rate hearing, in which they are asking for the PSCs permission to raise electricity and natural gas prices for the hundreds of thousands of customers in Montana. NorthWestern is Montanas largest monopoly utility and they have to go before the PSC, in most cases, before raising rates to recover their costs and provide a return on equity for investors. The aforementioned nonprofits have intervened in the rate case. Hernandez questioned Bird about the financial liability the company could face due to climate change caused by carbon emissions. Hernandez asked about maintenance costs on the 40-year-old Colstrip plant, legal liability for wildfires, and liability if the government ever puts in place severe limitations on greenhouse gas emissions in the future. Hernandez noted that NorthWestern could be asking Montana customers to pay for those costs in the future. I think that Montana ratepayers could be on the hook for having to pay for greenhouse gas limitations or pollution controls associated with that if NorthWestern moves forward with continuing to plow money into Colstrip, Hernandez told the PSC. We believe that goes with prudency. As part of the rate hearing, NorthWestern has to prove to the five-member, all-Republican PSC that their actions in investing in power generation have been prudent, or reasonable to ask customers to pay for those investments. The Montana Environmental Information Center, and other groups, have argued that NorthWestern should be investing in more renewable energy resources and energy storage infrastructure. Things got a little heated when Hernandez asked Bird if he was aware that Montanas constitution guarantees its residents the right to a clean and healthful environment. That also guarantees the right to a stable climate system. Did NorthWestern Energy consider the right to a clean and healthful environment at all when it selected the proposal to build the Yellowstone County Generating Station? Hernandez asked. The YCGS is a $320 million gas-fired power plant near Laurel, and NorthWestern is asking the PSC for permission to raise rates on customers to pay for it. What we did from a healthful environmental perspective is being able to serve Montanans on the coldest days of the year, Bird said. From my perspective, if we cant do that, thats not helpful to our customers. And people can die from the cold, as we saw in Texas. So yes, we did consider being able to deal with a resource adequacy issue thats critical to our customers. We are definitely thinking about the health of our customers. Hernandez asked if Bird took into account the right to a clean and healthful environment when making investments in Colstrip. We have to balance reliability, affordability and sustainability, and decisions with YCGS and Colstrip are taking into consideration that balance, Bird said. Hernandez asked Bird about the companys wildfire mitigation plan. The companys own document notes the wildfire season in Montana has grown six-fold in recent years. Do you know if climate change is driving increases in wildfires? Hernandez asked. Theres many things that are causing increases in wildfire, Bird said. There is a longer wildfire season, forest mismanagement, people moving into forested areas. The biggest impact on our business as a whole are the legal liabilities associated with wildfire. Weve been dealing with fire for 100 years. Bird said the actual damage from wildfires isnt as big of a risk to utilities as much as the legal liability. Legal environments cause more costs to utilities from a wildfire perspective more than anything, Bird said. When talking about NorthWesterns plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, Bird said the company has about 61% of its power generation portfolio coming from renewable resources like hydroelectricity dams and solar energy. He said the national average for energy utilities is about 41%. Were doing our part from a sustainability standpoint, he said. It will take time, like many other utilities (to reach net-zero). Bird said NorthWestern has a substantial lead over other utility companies. NorthWestern is acquiring a large share of Colstrip for zero cost, because environmental laws in the state of Washington have led to companies based there, Puget Sound Energy and Avista, to divest from coal-fired power. Bird said that NorthWestern is gaining 592 additional megawatts from Colstrip. The first 222 megawatts, he said, was needed to address the companys resource adequacy issues. There have been numerous winters where were having to acquire (power) resources from the market, Bird said. Were having to acquire power from the market and importing them into our system. Then, the remaining megawatts theyre acquiring from Colstrip will allow them to control 55% of the facility, which means they can prevent it from closing. Hernandez then asked Bird about NorthWesterns plans to sell as much as 400 megawatts of electricity to two data center companies. Thats an enormous amount of power, enough for over 300,000 homes. We have excess capacity, and again, ultimately, that (decision to sell power to data centers) hasnt been decided, Bird said. Whether were able to sell that, well continue to work with those data centers to have that incremental load, that cost, would be shared and spread amongst many customers, ultimately reducing costs to customers. We encourage that. That incremental capacity could be used to serve data centers and ultimately benefit customers. The rate case continues this week and into next week. A livestream can be found at psc.mt.gov. PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) Gov. JB Pritzker announced on Wednesday that a local company will be receiving money through the Made in America Grant program. The money was given to 29 small and mid-sized manufacturers throughout the state for a combined $1.35 million in capital grant funding, according to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Locally, GEO. J. Rothan Company, a fine wood product manufacturer in Peoria, received funding in this round of grants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The program provides matching grants up to $50,000 to help manufacturers invest in strategic projects and fuel innovation. Illinois is a globally-recognized manufacturing hub and the Made in Illinois Program is designed to support the small and mid-size manufacturers that make up a crucial part of our economy, Pritzker said. This grant program helps companies access resources to become more competitive, enhance economic development, attract capital, and bring jobs to communities across the state. I look forward to seeing how these manufacturers utilize the program to advance innovation in their field. The program was started in 2024 and has so far provided more than $3 million in capital grants to 69 manufacturers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Artificial intelligence development and deployment is accelerating, and so are the ironies. A recent report by Great Learning found that a growing number of Indian engineers a group deeply involved in creating and deploying AI are pessimistic about how it will affect their careers. Far from irrational pessimism, this is an early indicator of what my recent research calls the de-skilling of the knowledge economy AIs slow but accelerating erosion of middle-skill technical and cognitive work. The concern Indian engineers express is increasingly visible across global labor markets. U.S. labor unions are calling for AI legal protections. Fast food chains are testing AI-driven voice ordering and robotic kitchen equipment that could displace thousands of teenage and other entry-level workers. The technologies that seem novel today are rapidly becoming commonplace, creating broad unease about the future of work. While production workers are not exempt from AI impacts, the most exposed jobs are held by millions working in middle-skill, middle-income knowledge economy jobs. Many of these jobs are made up of the types of tasks that are especially well suited to AI automation because, like the factory jobs of the past, they are repetitive, codable and subject to technological substitution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The compression of middle-skill employment is already visible in sectors like software development. Routine front-end coding tasks are increasingly being handled by generative AI. More experienced coders those who can manage complex system integration and lead cross-functional teams are still in demand. But the base of the coding professional pyramid is narrowing. This is classic skills-biased technological change: those with the right combination of technical and noncognitive skills benefit greatly, others must reskill, and many are squeezed out of their current jobs altogether. Workers need to know that, as a society, we have their backs if AI displaces them. If we fail to prepare, we are inviting even more of the economic and social turmoil that weve experienced in the past decade. Whats striking in the new reports is how widespread the effects are becoming. In fast food, AI is reducing the need for human cashiers and kitchen staff roles traditionally filled by young people seeking their first work experience. These arent knowledge economy jobs per se, but they serve as training grounds for master skills like teamwork, time management and communication that future AI-enhanced jobs increasingly demand. As AI systems become capable of handling not just repetitive tasks but also judgment-heavy work like customer service, legal document review and financial risk analysis, even highly credentialed professionals are exposed. Automating brain work is likely to have effects similar to automating muscle work. Productivity growth means we will still need workers, but those workers will need a different blend of technological and human-facing capabilities. The extreme uncertainty we face means starting now in designing an automation adjustment assistance system with the scale and flexibility required for potentially sweeping labor market changes. As I will outline in a forthcoming report, such a system would have four core elements: better jobs data, worker-controlled transition support, broad AI literacy programs and, as a hedge for the future, greater investment in child, family and community stability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our existing rearview mirror labor market information systems need recalibration toward understanding the impact of technological change. Without locally and regionally focused headlight data, its difficult, if not impossible, to effectively target re-skilling and education investments. When it comes to AI impacts, harnessing the power of predictive analytics is the foundation for finding and supporting the workers most exposed to automation. A second key need is to develop more flexible and worker-driven employment transition systems. Tools like Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) can empower workers to choose their own upskilling pathways, while a reimagined version of Trade Adjustment Assistance tailored for the effects of automation could offer broader, more effective transition support that would cushion change for those in need of long-term reskilling. AI literacy is also critical in the same way reading and math are. This means integrating exposure to AI tools and concepts into K-12 education, higher ed, corporate retraining programs and workforce development. Crucially, we need to invest in people to build the human attributes required for learning and work in an AI-driven economy. The challenge is that these skills sometimes referred to as noncognitive or soft skills are often shaped very early in life. That means increasing investment in family stability, early childhood development and other initiatives that promote healthy communities. Weve seen this movie before in the automation revolution of the past 40 years. Workers need to know that, as a society, we have their backs if AI displaces them. If we fail to prepare, we are inviting even more of the economic and social turmoil that weve experienced in the past decade. And, this time, we will have only ourselves to blame. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) Last month, WKBN provided details on Youngstown City Schools plans to reshape the district. Tuesday night, the Board of Education approved Phase I of that plan. This plan consolidates all of the Youngstown City middle schools and high schools into centralized campuses. The district says this plan will allow it to provide high-quality education while using district resources responsibly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The important thing to note is that these changes wont take effect until the 2026-2027 school year. This plan does a few things: It creates one centralized high school and one centralized middle school, starting in the fall of 2026. In this plan, the elementary schools are not affected. The early colleges will be preserved and expanded, and the school will develop career and college readiness programs. With these consolidations, the names of the school and its mascots will be determined after getting some input from students and the community. The district says theyll be looking at names that represent one Youngstown. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Brief Bruce Drelich, 60, of Philadelphia, has been charged with human trafficking and attempted sex crimes after officials say he arranged to sexually assault what he believed was a 12-year-old girl. The Attorney General's Office will prosecute the case. TRENTON, N.J. - A Philadelphia man has been charged with attempting to lure and sexually assault a child. What we know A Philadelphia man accused of arranging to sexually assault what he believed was a 12-year-old girl, has been charged with human trafficking and attempted sex crimes, NJ officials say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bruce Drelich, 60, of Philadelphia, is charged with conspiracy to commit human trafficking (1st degree), attempted human trafficking (2nd degree), luring (2nd degree), attempted aggravated sexual assault (2nd degree) and attempted endangering the welfare of a child by sexual conduct which would impair or debauch the morals (3rd degree). According to the criminal complaint, an undercover law enforcement officer acting as a mother with a 12-year-old daughter was contacted on a mobile app by a user on April 5, 2025. The officer told the user her daughter was 12 years old, and the user allegedly indicated that he was interested in having sex with the daughter while the mother watched, officials say. The user then uploaded a picture of himself and identified himself as: Bruce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Upon further investigation, officials found the user to be Bruce Drelich. The 60-year-old and the undercover officer arranged to meet at a hotel in Bordentown, New Jersey. Drelich allegedly made a reservation at the hotel for May 2, 2025. He arrived and was arrested by the authorities. What's next DCJ Deputy Attorney General Michael Forte is prosecuting the case. First-degree crimes carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $200,000. Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000. What they're saying "Sex crimes targeting children are some of the most disturbing matters my office investigates," said Attorney General Platkin. "This defendant tried to arrange the sexual assault of a child. Thanks to the diligent work of our investigators and prosecutors, he was arrested and charged without carrying out his plans." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The internet is a dangerous place, providing a level of cover for people who are trying to conceal their dangerous criminal intentions," said DCJ Director Theresa L. Hilton. "Child sex predators are lurking online, but they should know that we are out there too, always looking for them." "The charges in this case represent some of the most heinous and reprehensible acts imaginable," said Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. "Human trafficking and the exploitation of a child are crimes that strike at the very core of our societys values. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting children and bringing those who engage in such vile and predatory behavior to justice. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to ensure that individuals who commit these unspeakable acts are held fully accountable." The Source The information in this story is from Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ). A Phoenix man was arrested for attempting to blow up his house with five roommates inside, according to court documents. Phoenix police officers found a bottle of bleach inside an oven set to 400 degrees, documents said. Justice Patterson, 28, told officers the voices in his head have been telling him to do it, according to court documents. He planned to mix a rust cleaner with the bleach to cause an explosion, but left the house before adding the cleaner to the oven, according to court documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He told officers he had a prior military background with specific training involving biological warfare, court documents said. Patterson previously served in the National Guard, documents said. Officers did some research and found that when bleach is heated alone, it can create chlorine gas, which is a deadly chemical toxin, according to documents. Patterson was expected to be in court June 11 for a status conference and again June 13 for a preliminary hearing in Maricopa County Superior Court, court records said. He faced multiple charges, including four counts of attempting to commit aggravated assault and serious physical injury, according to court records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement News alerts in your inbox: Don't miss the important news of the day. Sign up for azcentral newsletter alerts to be in the know. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix man put bleach in an oven to create an explosion, police say Demonstrating impact of deepfakes: On the left is the original, real photo of state Rep. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon). The photo on the right was manipulated, yet looks realistic, by reporter Morgan Trau for the sake of this news report. (Photo by: Adam Mathews and Morgan Trau.) Ohio lawmakers are trying to combat misinformation by requiring disclaimers on realistic artificial intelligence-generated or created content. AI every single day, (it) seems to be getting better and better, state Rep. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And its becoming increasingly accessible. There are now widely accessible, free, or inexpensive services that use AI to create and edit photos, videos, and audio. But with that, Case Western Reserve University technology law professor Erman Ayday says come major problems. People can also use (sites) in order to create effects for themselves, like you can actually put yourself in front of a beach right now, Ayday said. But sometimes, theyre also used for manipulation, for bad purposes, for blackmailing. Over the past several years, deepfakes have become more prevalent online with fake explicit photos of celebrities to politicians urging you not to vote for them. Mathews is trying to stop this type of misinformation. He and state Rep. Ty Mathews, R-Findlay, have proposed Ohio House Bill 185, which would regulate AI content. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a way for the normal Ohioans to protect themselves, Adam Mathews said. Malicious deepfakes, AI meant to harm someones image, would only be allowed as long as they have a clear watermark that they were artificially manipulated. If it would confuse a reasonable person, there is some type of disclaimer, the lawmaker added. If a reasonable person would say that this is a manipulated image, then that would not need a disclaimer. Lets show some examples. Original photo State Rep. Adam Mathews by JD Vance sign. This is the original photo of Rep. Mathews by a sign for now Vice President JD Vance. Deepfake 1 Needs disclaimer Manipulated by Morgan Trau. This is a deepfake made of him one by a Kamala Harris sign. This image would require a disclaimer. Deepfake 2 Doesnt need disclaimer Expertly drawn by Morgan Trau. This is an expertly drawn deepfake we made of him. This one would not require a disclaimer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Political cartoons are totally protected; no one thinks that a drawing actually happened, Mathews said. Enforcement The legislation would allow everyone to own their image, and it would be a trademark infringement to produce malicious content without someones consent. There could be civil penalties of tens of thousands of dollars. The bill also makes it a third-degree felony to create or distribute malicious AI content in order to extort the individual being deepfaked. Any pornographic deepfakes or deepfakes of a child are completely banned, with or without a disclaimer. No one has spoken out publicly against the bill, but Ayday said the biggest challenge will be enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is not really something scary for people who are doing this for malicious purposes especially during the elections or during some high-stakes events, the professor said. Distributing this thing in an anonymous way is extremely easy. The bill will continue being heard this week. 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 A tornado confirmed by the National Weather Service has devastated a family farm in Wattsburg, Pennsylvania, leaving the community rallying to assist in recovery efforts. The EF2 tornado struck the Seabury farm, causing significant damage and resulting in the loss of two horses. Volunteers from across the county and beyond have come together to help clean up and support the family in their time of need. The Seabury family took cover in their basement as the storm approached, as windows were blown out and cracks began to form on the interior walls. The aftermath revealed their farm decimated by the tornado. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Me and my family, we worked to keep this farm running and every single day Ive been out here, my whole life. Its been a real staple and to come home and see everything absolutely demolished is just really surreal, said Nolan Seabury, son of the property owners. National Weather Service confirms EF2 tornado in Erie County Hundreds of volunteers have arrived with trucks, trailers, wood chippers, and disaster relief vehicles to assist in the cleanup efforts. They are picking up debris, cutting fallen trees, and providing essential supplies like food, water, and generators. Penelec crews have been working to repair power lines and install new utility poles to restore electricity to the area. In such a dark time it was really comforting and brought a lot of joy knowing my community really does have my back. We always try to be our best people, and it makes us to feel good that people are here to support us, Nolan Seabury added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A volunteer group called All One has mobilized to provide additional support, including cooking meals for workers and offering internet and electricity. They just a few of the many people doing their part. Logan Eschrich from All One Disaster Response commented, We also do disaster relief kits similar to the Red Cross and Salvation Army. We focus on a lot of small towns with the truck because sometimes small towns dont get looked at if theres a larger population affected. WATCH: National Weather Service Cleveland in Erie Co. to investigate storm damage The communitys response has been a beacon of hope for the Seabury family, demonstrating solidarity and support in the face of disaster. Efforts continue to restore the farm and aid the family in rebuilding their lives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The farm faces up to $100,000 in uninsured damages, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help with recovery costs. 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. School districts in Pierce County could lose millions of federal dollars in President Donald Trumps proposed budget for the U.S. Department of Education. The document released late last month takes steps towards establishing education solely as the responsibility of the states, moving towards a promise that Trump made on the campaign trail to eliminate the Department of Education. His efforts to do so have been temporarily stymied after a judge blocked an executive order he signed to dismantle the department in March. In the meantime, the budget request he outlined late last month seeks to cut its overall funding by 15%, NPR reported. Washington state budget officials are sounding the alarm about the impact the cuts would have on local school districts, forecasting that the reductions, if implemented, would result in a loss of just under $7 million of federal funding for Pierce County school districts per school year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal criticized the move, saying it was part of an extremist ideology that indicated Trumps intention to harm public education. Cuts of this magnitude and with this focus on students who rely on additional support from the hard-working and passionate educators who serve them, is yet one more signal that this administrations focus has little to do with the reality of student needs, Reykdal said in a statement. In Pierce County, Reykdals office forecasts that certain districts could lose as little as $8 per student, while others could lose up to $171 per student. The Carbonado School District tops that list, with a possible loss of $171 per student for a total of $30,189 lost per year starting in the 2026-2027 academic year. Tacoma Public Schools, which is already contending with a $30 million budget deficit and has started to cut staff positions to address the deficit, stands to lose the highest amount of total federal dollars in the county: $2,660,907, or $97 per student. Proposed cuts to the U.S. Department of Education will disproportionately impact school districts in rural parts of the state, according to State Superintendent Chris Reykdal. The map above indicates by color the extent of the loss -- the darker the district, the higher the proposed federal cuts. These proposed cuts would be in addition to the cuts to three grants that Tacoma Public Schools has been notified of this year, which funded mental health services for students in the district, outdoor education and schoolyard upgrades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reykdal said the cuts would disproportionately impact smaller school districts in rural parts of the state, like the Benge School District in Eastern Washington which could lose $1,787 per student per school year. Though the total loss per year for that district would only be $19,660, Reykdal said, school districts in rural communities are often more reliant on federal funding, and the loss would be a higher percentage of their total budget. Let me be clearI am supportive of changes to federal programs in the name of government efficiency if there is a better, sustainable, and data-driven program to replace them, Reykdal said in a statement. By targeting and eliminating programs that directly support students, without establishing a back-up plan, the Trump administration is being intentionally reckless in order to tear apart our public education system, while simultaneously harming our most vulnerable students and families. Heres a full list of the K-12 public school districts in Pierce County and the amount of money they could lose in Trumps proposal each school year, based on data from the 2023-2024 academic year: Disney and NBCUniversal a pair of media behemoths behind franchises ranging from "Star Wars" and "Toy Story" to "Minions" and "Shrek" are suing AI company Midjourney, accusing it of enabling copyright infringement on a massive scale through its AI image generator tech. In the lawsuit, which was filed in a California district court today, the two Hollywood juggernauts accused the firm of ignoring its previous requests to stop violating their intellectual property rights. "Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism," the scathing complaint reads, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's a major escalation in the fight between copyright holders and AI firms, a battle that has been brewing for years. Per Axios, it's the "first legal action that major Hollywood studios have taken against a generative AI company." And it's not just the use of image generators; generative AI writ large has triggered a barrage of lawsuits, with media companies accusing the likes of OpenAI and Google of training their large language models on their materials without fair compensation. Those disputes have turned into a major pain point for the AI industry, despite surging enthusiasm for the tech. Considering the sheer size of both Disney and Universal Disney is the third largest media company by market cap in the world Midjourney could soon be in a world of hurt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Disney, in particular, has a long track record of closely guarding its enormous cache of intellectual property. "Our world-class IP is built on decades of financial investment, creativity and innovationinvestments only made possible by the incentives embodied in copyright law that give creators the exclusive right to profit from their works," said Disney's chief legal compliance officer, Horacio Gutierrez, in a statement. "We are bullish on the promise of AI technology and optimistic about how it can be used responsibly as a tool to further human creativity," he added. "But piracy is piracy, and the fact that its done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing." The lawsuit explained in an example how Midjourney users could easily request a picture of the Disney-owned "Star Wars" character Darth Vader in a "particular setting or doing a particular action," and the AI "obliges by generating and displaying a high-quality, downloadable image." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That kind of loose approach to copyright has been an open secret for quite some time. In January 2024, noted AI critic Gary Marcus and film industry concept artist Reid Southen warned in a piece for IEEE Spectrum that tools like Midjourney and OpenAI's DALL-E3 could land them in a "copyright minefield." The pair found that it was "easy to generate many plagiaristic outputs, with brief prompts related to commercial films," including well-known Marvel superheroes, Nintendo's Super Mario, and Disney's Darth Vader. Disney and Universal are framing their legal action as a way to "protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us," said NBCU executive VP and general of counsel Kim Harris in the statement. Given the lack of a clear legal precedent, it'll be fascinating to watch the lawsuit unfold over what's likely to turn into a years-long courtroom battle. More on Midjourney: Self-Styled "AI Artist" Furious That People Are "Blatantly Stealing My Work" MINNEAPOLIS (WKBN) The Minnesota Twins claimed left-handed pitcher Joey Wentz off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday. Wentz was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh last Saturday. The 27-year-old Wentz made 19 relief appearances for the Pirates this season, posting a 2-1 record with a 4.15 ERA. In 26 innings, he tallied 11 walks and 22 strikeouts for Pittsburgh. Wentz was originally claimed off waivers by the Pirates last September from Detroit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He posted a 4.68 ERA over a career-high 46 games between the Tigers and Pirates in 2024. He owns a career combined record of 8-18 with a 5.40 ERA in 97 games with the Tigers and Pirates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Pittsburgh-area war heros rape case is going to trial. Brandon Rumbaugh, a decorated Marine veteran, today waived his preliminary hearing in the case that accuses him of raping a 13-year-old girl multiple times in his Pleasant Hill home. >>> Pittsburgh-area war hero accused of raping 13-year-old girl <<< Rumbaugh is a double amputee who lost both of his legs after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defense Attorney David Shrager told Channel 11 he and Rumbaugh decided to waive his preliminary hearing, meaning his case will go to a higher court. Hes entitled to his day in court, and I would be asking that if he didnt serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. If he didnt save a marine who was injured by an IED, if he didnt become a double amputee saving that marine being blown up by an IED, Shrager said. Three of his charges were withdrawn, but Rumbaugh is still facing a rape charge. The case will proceed to Rumbaughs formal arraignment, which is scheduled for Aug. 7. He is facing multiple charges, including rape of a substantially impaired person and statutory sexual assault. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Allegheny County police, the young girl told investigators she and Rumbaugh began communicating on her phone when she was 11 or 12 years old. She allegedly told police she slept at his home three separate times. The first time she did, they went to the gym and watched military movies. The two other times, the girl told detectives she and Rumbaugh had sex. >>> Pittsburgh-area war hero accused of raping teenage girl denied bond <<< The girl also noted Rumbaugh didnt have legs, and that on one of the nights, there was another person sleeping in the room while Rumbaugh allegedly sexually assaulted her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to detectives, Rumbaugh told the victim to keep this a secret until she was 18 years old. Police say there is surveillance video of Rumbaugh and the girl in a Sheetz, where you see Rumbaugh purchasing alcohol. A judge denied Rumbaugh bond on May 28. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) A former teacher arrested on child pornography charges has been identified as a former employee of Pittsford Schools. In a letter to parents sent out Wednesday, Superintendent Michael Pero said Kevin Burns who has been charged with receipt and possession of child pornography has not worked in the district for about a year. Prosecutors and New York State Police received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a person living in Rochester uploaded an image of child pornography from the internet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators said an investigation traced the images to Kevin Burns, 45. In November 2024, investigators executed a search warrant on Burns home, where they seized his computer and recovered more than 450 images of child pornography. Prosecutors said images included children engaged in sexual acts with adults, children who are restrained, blind folded or masked, and infants and toddler-aged children. Pittsford Schools said Burns resigned from the district in June 2024 when he secured other employment. During his employment with Pittsford, we did not receive any complaints or reports of inappropriate conduct, the statement reads. We do not have any reason to believe that this situation is in any way related to our school district or his prior employment. The District has not been contacted by any law enforcement entity as a part of the investigation or charges against Mr. Burns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Superintendent Pero said the district will work with law enforcement to to address additional concerns and information as it pertains to the investigation. Prosecutors said Burns worked in two school districts. News 8 is working to confirm the other district in which he was employed. Check back for updates. FULL STATEMENT FROM PITTSFORD CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT: Dear PCSD Families and Staff, We are writing to let you know that we are aware of stories in the media regarding a former employee, Mr. Kevin Burns, who has been charged with receipt and possession of child pornography. Mr. Burns has not worked in the District for approximately a year. He was employed by Pittsford Central School District from 2009-2024 as a secondary-level paraprofessional and substitute teacher following standard criminal and professional background checks. He resigned from the District in June 2024, when he secured other employment. During his employment with Pittsford, we did not receive any complaints or reports of inappropriate conduct. We do not have any reason to believe that this situation is in any way related to our school district or his prior employment. The District has not been contacted by any law enforcement entity as a part of the investigation or charges against Mr. Burns. We will monitor the situation closely and work with law enforcement to address any additional concerns or information that results from their investigation. Please contact your child`s counselor or principal if you have concerns or questions. Sincerely, Michael Pero, Superintendent of Schools Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. OWEGO, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) News 34 is excited to announce the return of Pizza Week. 34 alum and now special pizza correspondent Mike Tanzini is resuming his tour of local pizzerias. First, Mike takes us out to Owego to learn about a familiar family recipe. Its just an ongoing tradition and a family-run business, said Marios Owner Jerry Pettinato. A staple in Owego, Marios Pizza has been in business for over 45 years. A lot can change in four and a half decades. But if you ask Jerry Pettinato, if something aint broke, you dont fix it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It hasnt been tweaked, it has not been changed, its been the same recipe, said Pettinato. Jerry knows a thing or two about the pizza business. His father and family managed an Italian restaurant in the Scranton area thats been in operation since the 1920s. Meanwhile, Jerrys father-in-law opened Marios Pizza in the late 1970s. It wasnt long before Jerry jumped into the pizza biz to continue the family tradition. Between my wife being in the business, me being familiar with that, it seemed like a natural progression with me to get into this, said Pettinato. Its a full family effort as Jerry, Amanda, Vinny, and Gina all work together to make the signature Marios pizza, which starts with dough made fresh each day using a blend of flour, water, sugar, salt, and a special yeast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fresh yeast is extremely fragile. It cant sit for a long time, or it will lose its potency, said Pettinato. The dough will ferment for 24 to 36 hours, which enhances its flavor and makes it light, airy, and easy to work with. You go all the way around. Give it a little tug and pull. Let gravity stretch it out. Give it a little tug and a little turn. Unfortunately, it took me a little while to really get the technique. Its not about speedoh there it goes. I jinxed myself here. Is this fixable? This is the magic of television. When this comes out, you probably wont be able to tell there was a hole in it, said Pettinato. Next, its time to drop down the sauce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One scoop of sauce dead center kind of like target practice here, said Pettinato. Marios utilizes fresh California tomatoes. You want the best that you can possibly get. Its been the same brand of tomato for 45 years. That company is strict with their tolerances, and everything is perfect said Pettinato. Along with a special blend of Italian seasonings, which packs a punch of fresh flavor. As with any loyal family business, Jerry isnt budging on revealing the family recipe. There are some traditional Italian seasonings. A little bit of TLC, a little bit of love, and well just leave it at that, said Pettinato. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, time for the 100% whole milk, full cream mozzarella cheese thats going to melt beautifully and blanket our pie. After spreading what Id consider a perfect layer of cheese, I feel like it might be time for a promotion! Im in charge. My first order of business is giving everyone a half day. Jim is going to stay and make pizza with me. After several minutes in the oven, we take it out, cut it up, and get ready to enjoy a meal as a family the same meal that Marios has been serving to customers, both young and old. Theyve been with us for generations. Its more than 45 years that weve been here. Were on second and third generations now coming up and seeing their kids and grandkids come in and have that same smile on their face when they take that first bite of pizza, said Pettinato. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I want to thank everybody at Marios for helping me be a part of the family and for creating their signature Marios pizza. There are some places out there that say, When youre here, youre family. I can tell you firsthand that when youre down at Marios, youre part of La Famiglia. Marios is located at 51 Fox Street in Owego, which is the only location owned by the Pettinato family. Next, Mike heads to Vestal to learn about another long-time pizza staple in our community. Meanwhile, you can vote for your favorite local pie in our pizza poll by clicking 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 WIVT - News 34. Discarded plans for a bomb attack were found at the home of the suspected perpetrator of a deadly school shooting in the Austrian city of Graz, local police said on Wednesday. Police said earlier that they had found a non-functioning pipe bomb during a search of the 21-year-old's home. On Tuesday, a gunman opened fire at a secondary school in Graz before taking his own life, leaving a total of 11 people dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two weapons were found at the scene. The suspect's farewell messages did not reveal a motive. The police also updated their information on the victims of the shooting. According to the latest reports, six girls and three boys aged between 14 and 17 died at the scene. Police had initially reported that the victims were aged between 15 and 17. A seriously injured teacher died in hospital from her injuries. One of the dead was a Polish national, the others were Austrian citizens. Eleven injured people, aged between 15 and 26, are still being treated in hospital, police said. A conservationist is campaigning to get the Lake District's world heritage status revoked, claiming too many tourists are damaging the land. Ecologist Lee Schofield, who owns farmland near Haweswater, has written to Unesco saying the area is being "abused" by increased tourism, second-home ownership and unsustainable sheep farming. The area was given the status by the United Nations agency in 2017, with its beauty, thriving farming businesses and inspiration for artists and writers being praised. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said losing the status would be a "hammer blow" to tourism and farming. Unesco has been approached for comment. The Lake District was the 31st place in the UK and overseas territories to be put on the heritage list, joining the likes of the Grand Canyon, the Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu. About 18 million people visit the area each year, spending a total of 1.2bn and providing about 18,000 jobs. It is home to England's largest natural lake - Windermere - and highest mountain - Scafell Pike. The area was given the status in 2017, with the United Nations praising its beauty and for inspiring artists and writers [Getty] Mr Schofield said: "Some areas need a rest, maybe for quite a long period of time to allow the habitat to recover again and then it will be able to support more livestock again in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The designation is also really damaging in terms of tourism, it's a much bigger contributor to the rural economy than farming is but it reaches a point when it has a really damaging impact on wildlife and the communities that live in these places." He also said there was a "massive problem" with second-home ownership driving up property prices, meaning locals could not afford to buy homes. Julia Aglionby, professor of protected areas from the University of Cumbria, disputed the claim there was "over-tourism". She said it was important it was managed properly and that was the role of the "hard-working" Lake District National Park Authority. Hannah Wadsworth said without the status her family's farm park business would "struggle" [BBC] Hannah Wadsworth, who helps run Lakeland Maze Farm Park, near Kendal, said the status had boosted her business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said: "The World Heritage Status has been really helpful for us bringing people into the farm park. "If it was to go it would be really unfortunate and [we] would really struggle to maintain our livelihood." Other UK Unesco sites include Stonehenge, Durham Castle and Cathedral, and the city of Bath. About 18 million people visit the Lake District each year [BBC] Farron said he was against the campaign and that it was a "misguided and poorly judged attack" on hill farmers. He said: "Stripping the Lake District of the status and removing sheep from the fells would be hammer blow for Cumbria's tourism and farming sectors - both of which are utterly vital to our economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It would also be damaging to our heritage and diversity." Mr Schofield added: "I'm one of many people who have raised these concerns - this is not a personal campaign, I'm certainly not alone in this." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Related Stories Related internet link PUNA, Hawaii (KHON2) Eight years after a lava flow from Kilauea blocked access to the Pohoiki Boat Ramp, dredging work has finally begun to restore access. Kilauea shows signs of new eruption On Tuesday, June 9, hundreds of people gathered for a celebration and blessing at the top of the ramp, what many call the heart of the community. This is a day of celebration to recognize the collaboration of the community, elected officials and DLNR working together to support this project, DLNR Chair Dawn Chang said before the blessing. The Pohoiki Boat Ramp is a piko, or focal point for this community. Fishing is a huge part of the greater Puna community and commercial, recreational and subsistence fishers have been waiting patiently for this work to begin. The million-dollar question is what took so long? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ramp is expected to be cleared of an estimated 42,000 cubic yards of black sand and boulders, which is equal to about 22,000 full-sized pickup truck beds. The state had hoped for more federal support to approve the removal of most of the volcanic debris in Pohoiki Bay, but FEMA was only able to approve restoration of the boat ramp entrance channel. Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You It then took great efforts by state lawmakers from the district to convince the rest of the legislature that opening the Pohoiki boat ramp was the top priority for people in the district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chang singled out the efforts of state Senator Joy San Buenaventura and state Representative Greggor Ilagan in getting $5.4 million of state funding for the dredging. The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation is covering the remaining $2.9 million. We needed people to understand how much it cost in fuel just to bring all our boats from the Wailoa Small Boat Harbor in Hilo, the nearest boating facility, out to Puna so they could fish to feed and support their families, said San Buenaventura during the blessing ceremony. The total project cost came in at $9.28 million. Check out more news from around Hawaii Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The project is expected to be completed by November. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A Polish citizen has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia, the Polish Prosecutor's Office announced on June 11. According to prosecutors, 28-year-old Wiktor Z. was detained on June 4 by Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) on charges of gathering and passing sensitive information to Russia's intelligence services. The arrest followed searches of several properties in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region in northern Poland, authorities said. Warsaw has intensified its crackdown on Russian intelligence activity following a number of sabotage attacks allegedly directed by Moscow. Several suspected spy networks, allegedly run by Minsk and Moscow, have been uncovered in Poland over the past years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors said Wiktor Z. is suspected of offering to cooperate with Russian intelligence and engaging in espionage between February 2024 and April 2025 in the city of Bydgoszcz and abroad. He allegedly collected data about infrastructure critical to Poland's defense, the disclosure of which could pose a serious threat to national security. The suspect acted "out of ideological and pro-Russian convictions," the Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. Wiktor Z. has been placed in pretrial detention for three months. If convicted, he faces a minimum of eight years in prison or up to a life sentence. In May, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced the closure of the Russian consulate in Krakow after accusing Russian intelligence of orchestrating a 2024 arson attack that destroyed the Marywilska shopping center in Warsaw. Polish officials, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Justice Minister Adam Bodnar, have blamed the Kremlin for directing the sabotage, citing detailed intelligence. Multiple individuals have been arrested in connection with the fire, which burned down a complex housing over 1,400 stores. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities in Lithuania have also linked Russia's intelligence services to similar sabotage incidents, including an arson attack on an IKEA warehouse in Vilnius, causing over half a million euros in damages. Polish and Lithuanian officials are reportedly cooperating on the investigations. Russia has denied involvement and condemned Poland's move to shut down its diplomatic post, warning of retaliation. Western officials have warned of a growing Russian sabotage campaign across Europe targeting states that support Ukraine amid Moscow's ongoing invasion. Read also: From spy rings to arson Russias sabotage across Europe continues unpunished Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Polands pro-European Union coalition government survived a confidence vote Wednesday, brought after the shock victory of a populist candidate in last months presidential election. Prime Minister Donald Tusk won the motion comfortably by 243-210: His coalition holds a large majority, which meant he was always likely to survive the vote, Reuters reported. Still, Karol Nawrockis June 1 presidential win casts doubt over the administrations future, as a hostile president is able to wield veto powers, the outlet noted. A recent poll showed nearly half of voters believe Tusk should resign, suggesting the prime ministers reprieve may be brief. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tusks agenda will also likely be heavily curtailed: Nawrocki has been more circumspect about supporting Kyiv, telling a Hungarian outlet that he was against Ukraines entry into the EU. Poland is considering introducing temporary border controls with Germany in the coming months, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday. "I have informed our neighbours, not only Germany but also other neighbouring countries, that I will not hesitate to introduce temporary controls," Tusk said during a debate in parliament. This step will be taken "if the situation at the border is tense and the pressure is high," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the Polish prime minister emphasized that border controls would place a considerable burden on many Poles who commute to work in neighbouring Germany. Shortly after the new German government took office in May, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt tightened border controls and ordered border officials to deny irregular migrants entry to the country even if they apply for asylum, prompting criticism from Poland. The German government plans to stick to this practice even after a court ruling prohibited turning away asylum seekers at the border. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is to call a vote of confidence in parliament on Wednesday. The vote comes days after conservative nationalist Karol Nawrocki won the country's presidential election. Tusk expects a tough conflict with the new president, who was supported by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party. The confidence vote, expected at 10 am (0800 GMT), is an attempt to cement his support among his pro-European centrist coalition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tusk, a former president of the European Council, has led Poland since the end of 2023. His government has sought to reverse the damage to the rule of law caused by the PiS government's judicial reforms between 2015 and 2023. The outgoing president, Andrzej Duda, has blocked many bills brought forward by the Tusk government. Nawrocki is likely do the same after taking office on August 6, and could take an even harder line. The 42-year-old historian is not a member of any party, but he owes his rise to PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, a political arch-enemy of Tusk. Nawrocki said last week that Tusk could expect "strong resistance from the presidential palace." Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced plans for a Cabinet reshuffle in July, ahead of a vote of confidence in his government on Wednesday. There will be a change in structure, as well as "new faces," Tusk said in a statement before the vote. The 68-year-old called the vote of confidence following his Civic Coalition's defeat in the presidential election on June 1. The run-off election saw liberal candidate Rafa Trzaskowski lose by a narrow margin to right-wing conservative Karol Nawrocki, who is backed by the opposition Law and Justice party. Nawrocki's victory dealt a serious blow to Tusk's government, with the president holding the power to veto new laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tusk struck a combative tone in the statement. "I know the taste of victory and the bitterness of defeat, but there is one word I do not know: surrender," he said. "We are facing two and a half years of hard, serious work under conditions that will not improve," Tusk said. Nawrocki has already announced that after he takes office on August 6, Tusk can expect "strong resistance from the presidential palace." A record number of 267 members of parliament have submitted questions for the subsequent debate in parliament before Wednesday's vote of confidence. By Barbara Erling and Alan Charlish WARSAW (Reuters) -Poland's pro-European coalition government won a vote of confidence on Wednesday, an outcome that Prime Minister Donald Tusk hopes will give his cabinet new momentum after it was shaken by a setback in the presidential election. Rafal Trzaskowski from Tusk's Civic Coalition was defeated by nationalist Karol Nawrocki in the June 1 runoff vote, unleashing recriminations from the smaller partners in the coalition government and casting doubt over the administration's future when a hostile president is able to wield veto powers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tusk's broad coalition has 242 lawmakers in the 460-seat lower house, or Sejm, meaning it was always likely to survive Wednesday's vote of confidence. "I needed this vote because we were seeing... speculation that this government will not make it, that Tusk may be taken down, and you cannot work under such conditions," Tusk said. However, he added that he still needed to regain voters' confidence: "We need to do much more." In a debate ahead of the vote, Tusk listed higher defence spending and a cut in visa issuance for migrants as major achievements since he took power in December 2023, replacing the nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS), which backs Nawrocki. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tusk also said his government would continue its efforts to roll back judicial reforms implemented by PiS that the European Union says undermine the courts' independence. Poland's outgoing president, Andrzej Duda, also a PiS ally, has so far blocked the government's attempts to reverse the judicial reforms. Analysts say many Polish voters are disillusioned with the government's failure to deliver on promises including liberalising abortion laws, reforming the judiciary and raising the threshold at which Poles start paying taxes. In an interview published on Wednesday, President-elect Nawrocki told Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily that he would sign a law to raise the tax-allowance threshold and would even submit such a bill himself if the government did not. In an apparent swipe at the government's failure to implement the 100 promises it made for its first 100 days, Nawrocki said he would "do (them) for Donald Tusk. Isn't that conciliatory?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 'NEW MOMENTUM' The government had hoped for a Trzaskowski victory in the presidential election that would have given it the freedom to fully implement its agenda. Facing questions about his leadership even from normally sympathetic media outlets, Tusk framed the vote of confidence as a chance to relaunch his 18-month-old government. "I would like you to know that for the entire... coalition, this is to be a day of new momentum and I am convinced that you will live up to this task," he told his government ahead of Wednesday's vote. Tusk has said there will soon be a government reshuffle, probably in July. Meanwhile, members of the administration say their coalition agreement will also need to be renegotiated, a process that could lead to conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PiS has relished the situation. Veteran party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski proposed that a "technical government" made up of experts should be put in place immediately to restore calm. Former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, the architect of the judicial reforms Tusk's government has sought to overhaul, was more direct. "The lost presidential election is the end of Donald Tusk," he told reporters. "His fate is already sealed." (Additional reporting by Pawel FlorkiewiczEditing by Barbara Lewis and Gareth Jones) Poland's pro-European government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk survived a vote of confidence in parliament on Wednesday by a margin of 243 votes to 210. Following the result, members of the ruling coalition broke into chants of "Donald Tusk, Donald Tusk" on the parliamentary floor. Tusk called the confidence vote in the wake of his camps defeat in the June 1 run-off presidential election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Liberal candidate Rafa Trzaskowski, a close ally of Tusk, narrowly lost to conservative Karol Nawrocki, who was backed by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party. The loss dealt a blow to Tusk's leadership. In a defiant speech ahead of the vote, Tusk struck a combative tone: "I know the taste of victory and the bitterness of defeat, but there is one word I do not know: surrender." Nawrocki's win signals a challenging path ahead for Tusk's centrist coalition, especially on contentious reforms such as liberalizing abortion laws and depoliticizing the judiciary. Tusk has sought to reverse the damage to the rule of law caused by the PiS government's judicial overhaul between 2015 and 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am asking for a vote of confidence because I have the conviction, the belief, and the certainty that we have a mandate to govern and to take full responsibility for what happens in Poland," Tusk said in his address to parliament. Presidential veto looms over Tusk's agenda In Poland, the presidency carries significant power. The president has the authority to veto legislation, a tool that can be used to block or delay government initiatives. Outgoing president Andrzej Duda, aligned with PiS, has frequently wielded this power to obstruct Tusks reformist agenda. His successor, Nawrocki, who takes office on August 6, has already warned that Tusk can expect "strong resistance from the presidential palace." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amid this mounting pressure, Tusk sought to use the confidence vote to consolidate support within his governing coalition. Members of the PiS opposition were noticeably absent from the parliamentary chamber during his address. Tusk highlights border security, diplomatic gains In his speech, Tusk outlined what he described as key achievements of his administration over the past 18 months. He emphasized the fortification of Polands border with Belarus which is also an external border of the European Union as a major accomplishment in curbing irregular migration. He noted that Poland had secured EU support for the project, and reiterated accusations that Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is deliberately funneling migrants from crisis regions to Polands frontier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tusk, a former president of the European Council who has led Poland since the end of 2023, also pointed to Polands strengthening role on the international stage. "Poland has returned to the top class of world politics," the 68-year-old declared. He highlighted a recently signed friendship and cooperation agreement with France that includes provisions for defence cooperation, and praised strong ties with the United States, calling the relationship "excellent and at the highest level." Poland plays a critical role as a political and military ally of Ukraine and serves as a major logistical hub for Western military support amid Russias ongoing invasion. Looking ahead, Tusk announced a Cabinet reshuffle set for July, promising "some new faces" and a stronger focus on improving the governments communication strategy. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Police arrested three men after an investigation into drug and gun trafficking violations in Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge Police Department announced the arrests of Jaquael Robinson, 20, Deonta White, 25, and Keyon Kyser, 23. Police said Robinson was identified as a member of the Shiesty Gang Kartel after the investigation was launched in May. Investigators searched two homes on Jefferson Highway and Gwen Drive on June 9. Police noted that the Gwen Drive home was previously searched in April. Drugs and guns were seized from two Baton Rouge homes during an investigation. (Baton Rouge Police Department) Guns and drugs seized: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Black 9mm Freedom Ordinance FX-9 pistol PR Binary Trigger 9.7 grams of marijuana Black .40 caliber Glock 27 handgun Black multi-caliber Radical Firearms RF-15 Black 9mm Glock 19 10 30mg Adderall pills 20.8 grams of fentanyl Five THC Vape Cartridges A pink, black, and silver 38 caliber Pink Lady revolver Two digital scales Bottle of Mannitol Four handgun magazines 125 capsule pills containing methamphetamine 17 packets of THC gummies 29.2 grams of marijuana Black 9mm Canik TP-9 handgun Five foil blister packs containing 47 Tapentadol pills 46.5 grams of fentanyl .22 caliber with unidentifiable make and model Robinson was arrested on charges of: Two counts of possession with intent to distribute Schedule I Two counts of possession with intent to distribute Schedule II Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon Possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance Illegal use of controlled dangerous substances in the presence of a person under 17 years of age Possession of drug paraphernalia Police noted that Robinson was previously arrested on gun and drug charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement White was arrested on charges of: Two counts of possession with intent to distribute Schedule I Three counts of possession with intent to distribute Schedule II Prohibition on the possession of firearms by a person against whom a protective order is issued Possession of drug paraphernalia Police said White has been arrested previously on drug, gun, and theft charges. Kyser was arrested on charges of: Two counts of possession with intent to distribute Schedule I Three counts of possession with intent to distribute Schedule II Possession of drug paraphernalia According to BRPD, Kyser has been arrested previously on charges of home invasion, domestic abuse, child endangerment, battery, and obstruction of justice. Police arrest man accused of womans shooting death in Baton Rouge 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. Police have arrested a man who is accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from a home improvement store in East Haven where he allegedly paid an employee to let him walk out without paying full price. Stacey M. Grier, 51, of Hamden was taken into custody last Friday by Connecticut State Police and turned over to the East Haven Police Department, according to East Haven Capt. Joseph M. Murgo. He faces charges of third-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit third-degree larceny. Murgo said Grier was implicated in a series of organized thefts at the Home Depot at 75 Frontage Road. The pattern of suspicious transactions was uncovered by the stores Asset Protection team, which led to an investigation conducted by police, according to Murgo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murgo said the arrest warrant obtained by investigators alleges that Grier repeatedly approached the same register during at least 15 visits to the store. He allegedly would make off with high-value merchandise without paying full price. According to Murgo, video surveillance footage and transaction records showed that Grier was knowingly undercharged or allowed to leave with items that were not scanned. In exchange, he reportedly paid off the employee who was allegedly involved, Murgo said. The losses to Home Depot were estimated at more than $7,000. According to Murgo, the investigation remains open. Authorities are looking to potentially establish a connection to similar incidents at other Home Depot locations in the state, he said. Grier is expected to appear in New Haven Superior Court on June 18. WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) Police arrested a man in Warren on Monday as the result of what investigators say was a deep investigation into drug activity. Around 7:15 a.m. Monday, the Warren Police Departments Street Crimes Unit, Warren Tactical Entry Team and Trumbull Action Group executed a search warrant at a home in the 1500 block of Tod Avenue NW. Police say the warrant was the result of an intensive investigation into suspected drug activity at the home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the search, detectives recovered suspected illegal narcotics totaling approximately 3.8 ounces, including crack cocaine, cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. Drug paraphernalia and a 9mm handgun were also recovered, according to police. The Warren Police Department remains committed to protecting the community from illicit narcotics activity through the enforcement of current drug laws, police said in a provided statement. We appreciate the assistance from the Trumbull County Sheriffs Department that made this arrest possible. Darius Priest was taken into custody and transported to the Trumbull County Jail for processing in connection with the investigation. Police say charges related to the seized items will be filed pending laboratory results from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Additionally, Priest was arrested on 14 active felony drug warrants issued by the Trumbull County Common Pleas Court through a secret indictment filed Monday, as well as a domestic violence charge through Warren Municipal Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was indicted on the following charges: trafficking in fentanyl related compounds; trafficking in cocaine; aggravated trafficking in drugs; trafficking in heroin; possession of cocaine with specification for forfeiture; and possession of cocaine. Court records show Priest will be arraigned Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. Anyone with information on illegal drug activity in the City of Warren can leave an anonymous message by calling the Street Crimes Unit at 330-841-2658. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Police have arrested a third person in connection with a deadly shooting in 2024. The Baton Rouge Police Department confirmed that Robert Lewis, 19, was identified as a suspect in the deadly shooting of Teressa Calligan, 41. Lewis was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on charges of first-degree murder. Roger Parker, 20, was also identified as a suspect in Calligans death. Parker was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison for first-degree murder. Parker was previously arrested in connection with a shooting that left an 8-year-old boy dead on Swan Avenue. A mother and her five children were hit by gunfire multiple times during the drive-by. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition, Parker was tied to a 2024 shooting on Fairchild Street that left two people with injuries. David Catherine, 22, was arrested after police identified him as a suspect in connection with the incident. The shooting occurred at the intersection of Airline Highway and Greenwell Street on Sept. 15, 2024. Calligan was found in a vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators learned that a vehicle pulled alongside her and opened fire. Police said that after she was shot, her vehicle hit other vehicles, including a deputys unit. Catherine was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on charges of first-degree murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement BRPD said an investigation is ongoing. Attorney General Liz Murrill released a statement on Catherines arrest. Remember when I asked who thought it was a good idea to give him free run at one of our middle schools? Glad that the family of Teressa Calligan finally has some closure. Please continue to keep them in your prayers, said Murrill. In March 2025, Catherine, who is alleged to have gang ties, visited a local Baton Rouge middle school. Murrill criticized the school system after allowing Catherine on school grounds and raising concerns about school safety and privacy violations. She made posts on social media, stating the behavior is absolutely unacceptable, and the parish allowed a person with a known gang affiliation to make a video with kids using offensive, racist language and glorifying violence, and basically turns a day at [an] elementary school into a day of recruiting for a gang. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 1 arrested after deadly I-10 shooting in Prairieville 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. CHICAGO (WGN) Chicagos Civilian Office of Police Accountability on Tuesday released police bodycam video from last months deadly shooting in Hammond, Ind., that involved Chicago police. The May 8 incident began when Chicago police responded to a call on the 13400 block of South Baltimore Avenue, on the citys far South Side, about a person with a gun. The suspect, later identified as 50-year-old Joseph Navarro, jumped into a vehicle and fled before crashing a short time later in Hammond. Man killed in shootout with Chicago police in Hammond; COPA investigating Police said Navarro fired at them and they returned shots, striking and killing him. A gun was recovered from the scene, they said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No officers were hurt. Multiple videos and documents pertaining to the investigation are posted on COPAs 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 WGN-TV. Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge placed the blame for the fatal stabbing of an Over-the-Rhine man on the state for not telling them the accused killer, on probation, had broken off his ankle monitor months earlier. Theetge said in a video released the evening of June 10 that her officers must be able to trust the people they arrest will be prosecuted and held accountable after they are released. It's the first public comment by the chief since the killing of 46-year-old Patrick Heringer on June 4. Through her spokesman, Theetge has declined multiple requests for an interview with The Enquirer this past week. The killing shocked the city and raised fears about crime and public safety, particularly in Heringer's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say Heringer was fatally stabbed inside his East McMicken Avenue home by 38-year-old Mordecia Black, a recently released convicted felon who is now facing charges of murder and aggravated burglary. Black, prosecutors said at his arraignment, was released from prison on probation with an ankle monitor in January. He cut off his ankle monitor a month later and has been on the run since. Theetge and Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said city police were never notified when Black cut off his ankle monitor. More: Mayor meets with wife of slain OTR man, says suspect 'should not have been walking free' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Law enforcement is only one part of the public safety puzzle," Theetge said in the video statement. "When we arrest and charge violent offenders, there must be clear policies and procedures in place to manage their reintegration into society, and to ensure they are held accountable to the conditions of their post-release supervision." Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge placed the blame for the killing of Patrick Heringer in Over-the-Rhine on the state. JoEllen Smith, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, said the state lost track of Black after he was released, Enquirer media partner Fox 19 reports. The Enquirer has reached out to the agency for more information about how that could happen. The mayor echoed much of what the chief said earlier, telling The Enquirer in a statement he is ready to help "champion needed reforms at the state level." Theetge says officers will 'serve as a barrier between good and evil' In the video, Theetge also read the names of five homicide victims who have been killed within the past two weeks: Treasure Thomas, Laura Schueler, Jayshaun Cornelius, Jevon Kirk and Heringer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The truth is painful. We do not have a crystal ball. We cannot always predict when or where violence will strike," Theetge said. "What we can do and will do is continue to serve as a barrier between good and evil." The second-year chief called for more officers, referencing a rising number of retirements to the roughly 1,000-person force. She touched on an uptick in certain property crimes, but did not address the state of violent crime in the city. More: Cincinnati sees uptick in violent crime in 2025; all crime up in Over-the-Rhine 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 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 Mayor Aftab Pureval, pictured, and Police Chief Teresa Theetge met June 10 with the wife of a man killed in Over-the-Rhine. Homicides 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. Homicides, including stabbings, are down about 15% and are at the lowest levels they've been at since at least 2021. Mayor Pureval, Chief Theetge met with Heringer's wife Ahead of their respective public statements on June 10, Theetge and Pureval both met privately with Heringer's wife, Sarah Heringer. In a letter she read to a Local12 reporter, Sarah said she watched her husband bleed out in front of her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Mayor meets with wife of slain OTR man, says suspect 'should not have been walking free' Pureval wouldn't discuss details of the meeting with Sarah Heringer but, in a statement, said the man accused of the crime "should not have been walking free." In a Facebook post after the meeting, Sarah Heringer said she wants to know why there was "no system connecting the parole board with local law enforcement." I told him directly: that is something I hold him accountable for, Sarah Heringer wrote on Facebook. I also told him he needs to find out what other holes exist in his system before another family pays the price. He agreed to do that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She vowed that she will work with the city on reforming the system and sharing the results with the public "every step of the way." Sarah Heringer said she wants to make sure this doesn't happen again to someone else. Enquirer reporter Scott Wartman contributed to this story. This story was updated to add a video. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Police Chief blames state for Over-the-Rhine man's killing London Hundreds of masked demonstrators attacked officers during a second night of "rioting and disorder" in the Northern Ireland town of Ballymena on Tuesday, injuring 17 officers, according to police. The Northern Ireland police condemned the unrest on Wednesday, saying 32 officers had been injured in total since the disorder reportedly an explosion of simmering racial tension was sparked by an alleged sexual assault in the town. "The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable," Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said in a statement. "Hate-fueled acts and mob rule do nothing but tear at the fabric of our society. They resolve nothing and serve no one." At least five people were arrested overnight, as four houses were damaged by fire and demonstrators smashed windows of homes and businesses, according to CBS News' partner network BBC News. Police respond to a second night of violence in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, as people take part in what the police called "Police officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks in their direction," the Police Service of Northern Ireland said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protests began just hours after two 14-year-old boys appeared in a court Monday over the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl in the town. BBC News said the boys had communicated through a Romanian interpreter. Ballymena has a large immigrant population, according to AFP news agency. Residents described the violence as "terrifying" and told AFP that "foreigners" were being targeted. A burned out house is seen following a second night of violence in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, during unrest sparked by an alleged sexual assault case, June 11, 2025. Multiple cars and properties were set on fire in Ballymena while rioters hurled petrol bombs, fireworks and masonry at police officers. / Credit: Niall Carson/PA Images/Getty A Romanian resident in Ballymena told the Irish Times newspaper on Tuesday that she had put a British flag on her front window to avoid being targeted. Northern Ireland lawmaker Paul Frew told BBC Radio that he feared the violence could turn deadly, saying tension in the town had been rising for a while, and people were "frightened about illegal immigration." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There has been no confirmed information about the immigration status of the teenagers who appeared in court on Monday. LAPD chief speaks out about deployment of military forces to anti-ICE protests Can Trump deploy National Guard without governor's approval? Trump's $134 million deployment draws scrutiny Police have been attacked with fireworks, bottles and bricks as violence erupted for a third night in Northern Ireland. The worst of the disorder was in Ballymena, but unrest also spread to other towns on Wednesday evening. In Larne, masked youths attacked a leisure centre and set it on fire. The centre had been providing emergency shelter for families following the clashes earlier this week, the council said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The disorder first began on Monday after a peaceful protest over an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena, County Antrim. During the first two nights of disorder, 32 officers were injured and six people arrested. Police have not yet given any details about Wednesday night. Officials have described the violence as racially-motivated, with Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson calling it "racist thuggery targeted at ethnic minorities and police officers". At the leisure centre in Larne - about 20 miles (30km) from Ballymena - police left the area after masked young people threw objects at vehicles, but later officers in riot gear returned to the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A crowd of about 50 people watched the dozen or so individuals target the centre. Local Alliance Party MLA Danny Donnelly, who was there, told BBC News NI there was "absolute disorder". He said "a brick went through a window when a yoga class was on" and "staff had to barricade themselves and run out the back door". Donnelly called the group carrying out the attack "thugs" and he was "absolutely disgusted". Fire damage was contained mainly to the front reception but there was extensive smoke damage, the fire service said. In a statement, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council said the families placed at the centre had all been "safely relocated" and were no longer using the centre. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a social media post earlier on Wednesday, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said he had been made aware of individuals being temporarily moved to the centre. Matthew O'Toole, the leader of the opposition in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said he would refer Lyons to the standards commissioner over his comments, saying "lives are at stake". In a statement following the violence, Lyons condemned the violence. "Wanton destruction such as the attack on Larne Leisure Centre is an attack on all residents who use the facility." The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service said that they attended the scene at 20:54 BST [BBC] In Ballymena, smoke bombs, fireworks, bottles and bricks were thrown at police during a stand-off with a gathered crowd. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A row of six police Land Rovers advanced on the crowd, with officers in full riot gear pushing a number of individuals back. Police also deployed dogs and water cannon. Closer to Clonavon Terrace, the scene of most of the clashes during the first and second night of disorder, the windows of a residential property were also smashed. Water cannon was deployed again on Wednesday night [Reuters] The PSNI also said fires were set within Cloughfern Roundabout in Newtownabbey. "We are appealing to parents and guardians to check in on your young folk and see where they are. Youths are actively engaged in this criminal behaviour," they said. Meanwhile, Translink said there were "severe delays and disruption" to trains on the Londonderry line because of "civil unrest" in Coleraine and "possible damage to rail tracks". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier on Wednesday it was confirmed that a significant number of extra police officers were being deployed into areas affected. Police Scotland has agreed to send officers, after police in Northern Ireland requested extra support under mutual aid arrangements. The deployment will involve an undisclosed number of public order officers trained to police civil unrest. The PSNI said they have requested 80 officers in Great Britain. The Doagh Road in Newtownabbey on Wednesday night [BBC] ACC Henderson said all footage of incidents was being reviewed and prosecutions would come. "We... are surging a significant number of extra officers, vehicles and equipment to those areas where the rioting is taking place," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said this would impact communities as "vital resources" are being taken away from other areas. "It's hugely important that people realise there are consequences for this." The first protest was organised hours after two teenage boys appeared before Coleraine Magistrates' Court. They spoke through an interpreter in Romanian to confirm their names and ages. Their solicitor said they would be denying the charges. ACC Henderson said: "This violence only serves to undermine the criminal investigation and cause further distress and turmoil to a young victim and her family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This violence threatens to derail the very pursuit of justice it claims to challenge." Police said there have also been sporadic incidents of disorder in Carrickfergus, north Belfast and Newtownabbey, where one man was arrested. One man, 29, has been charged with riotous behaviour, disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police after Monday's violence. ACC Henderson said many people woke up on Wednesday "feeling genuine fear for their lives and their livelihoods". He added "the power of social media" is "galvanising" some of the violent behaviour. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have seen a number of calls over social media for protest activity this evening at various places within Northern Ireland," he said. Some homes have begun displaying stickers outlining the residents' nationalities. Signs which read "British household" and "Filipino lives here" could be seen on some doors. Businesses and homes were attacked and damaged and a number of vehicles were also set on fire in the area. Signs have appeared outside some homes in Ballymena to indicate the nationality of residents [BBC] Mother-of-two Mika Kolev, who lives and works in Ballymena, said she was now fleeing her home with her family and is considering moving back to Bulgaria after her house was damaged in Tuesday's disorder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We know what's going to happen so it's not possible to wait and see what's going to happen," she said. "I have to save my children, I have to save them." Mika Kolev and her family have been living and working in Ballymena for about 10 years [BBC] ACC Henderson also said that it is "absolutely of note" that petrol bombs and masonry were thrown at police during Monday and Tuesday night. "There were people who were intent on violence right from the off, so that says to me that there was pre-planning involved from those who wanted to attack us." Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he "utterly condemns" the violence. First Minister Michelle O'Neill said what was happening in Ballymena was "pure racism, there's no other way to dress it up". Meanwhile, the Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said the violence was "serving no purpose whatsoever" and was only damaging communities. The PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher described the disorder as "mindless violence". Authorities have identified the victim of a deadly shooting in Bostons Dorchester neighborhood on Monday night. Boston Police say 41-year-old Anildo Cardoso of Roxbury was shot and killed in the area of 4 Levant Street just before 9 p.m. No arrests have been made and officials say the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information about the case is strongly urged to contact the Boston Police Homicide Unit at (617) 343-4470. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 LONOKE COUNTY, Ark. Arkansas State Police officials said a deadly officer-involved shooting shut down Interstate 40 for hours on Wednesday. According to ASP officials, the shooting happened following a traffic stop on Interstate 40 East near the 180-mile marker near Carlisle at around 1:30 p.m. State police said troopers and U.S. Marshals stopped a 33-year-old man who was wanted in an armed carjacking and kidnapping that happened in Michigan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities said the suspect exited his car with a weapon before troopers fired at him and hit him. Police said he died at the scene. No additional suspect information has been released at this time. ASP officials said the ASP Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the shooting. After the investigation, CID agents will submit the case to the Lonoke County Prosecuting Attorneys Office to determine if the use of lethal force was justified. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. KANSAS CITY, Mo. The Edwardsville Police Department says a suspect is in custody following a standoff Tuesday night. Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the standoff with a wanted person. According to the Edwardsville Police Department, just before 7 p.m., multiple agencies attempted to arrest the suspect in the 100 block of Beach Street. Edwardsville police said officers encountered the suspect barricade himself within his home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the standoff, police restricted the area for the safety of residents and law enforcement personnel. Police reported just after 8:30 p.m. that the suspect was taken into custody without further incident and that the scene was cleared. Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android The police department said further information will be released as the investigation continues. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Do you recognize this man? [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Miami Township Police are looking for a man accused of stealing over $800 worth of clothing from Target, according to a social media post. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident happened on Monday, June 9. The department posted security camera images on its Facebook page. Anyone with information can contact Officer Swearingen at (937) 433-2301, extension 1468. Photo contributed by Miami Township Police (via Facebook) [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] WYOMING, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) 28/22 News has updates on an attempted robbery that led to a chase in Luzerne County. It happened Monday night, and police say one of the weapons used in the incident was nearly identical to that of a real firearm. Wyoming Area Regional Police are actively searching for the driver of the vehicle they say was used in the chase Monday night. Police say she and four boys approached another boy at Morris Park in West Pittston on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the weapons used very closely resembled that of a real firearm. A Glock 19 styled BB gun, almost identical to that of the firearm Wyoming Area Regional Police Chief Turner carries, police say, was held to a boys head and stomach in Morris Park in West Pittston Monday night. Very similar. Exactly, to be honest with you. Stamped with the serial number, imprinted with the Glock 19 on the slide. The only difference was the air cartridge in the magazine holder instead of a magazine, Chief Turner explained. According to police, two of the five people who approached the young boy had guns. The one that was seized by police was in the hands of a teenager. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of them allegedly searched the victims pockets and asked the value of the victims belongings. PSP investigating deadly Bradford County shooting Police say thats when the boy took off on a bike and the chase began. A young female was allegedly driving the SUV. Im glad that the officer located the handgun before it went down the wrong road, Chief Turner added. Investigators also say at the park, a third man pulled out a knife. After the suspects were captured by police, all five were taken into custody. Police charged 19-year-old John Williams of Wyoming with aggravated assault, attempted robbery, and other related offenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The playgrounds are there for the children to play. If you bring this nonsense and this, its not going to be tolerated, Chief Turner continued. Police say the other three boys involved are juveniles. Chief Turner says they will be petitioned, and he anticipates making more arrests. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A 68-year-old woman is in stable condition after being rescued from a vehicle fire that engulfed her car when it flipped over during a crash on a highway in New York, police said. The incident occurred shortly after 4 a.m. on Sunday morning when units from the Chester Police Department in New York were dispatched along with other emergency service units to a report of a motor vehicle on Kings Highway near Knapps View Park, according to a statement from the Chester Police Department. MORE: Spirit Airlines plane passenger calls in fake bomb threat after missing flight: Officials Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When authorities arrived on scene, they discovered that the driver was still trapped in the vehicle that had been consumed by flames, police said. MORE: US Marshals arrest Dominican man wanted in quadruple homicide, including victims aged 2 and 4 MORE: Climber falls over 3,000 feet to his death off tallest mountain in North America Officer Nicholas Contino was the first police officer to arrive on scene, authorities said in their statement. He gave his fire extinguisher to a passing motorist and worked to locate the operator in the vehicle. He was able to break the sunroof glass and free her from the vehicle. With the assistance of two passing motorists and a paramedic from Empress EMS, she was removed from the vehicle and away from the fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman who was driving the car has not been named by authorities, but officials did say that she was a 68-year-old resident of Warwick, New York, and that she suffered burns to about a third of her body. MORE: 3 plane crash survivors plucked from Atlantic Ocean at night after plane goes down off Florida coast The woman was immediately taken to Westchester Medical Centers Burn Unit and currently remains in stable condition. Officer Continos effort greatly increased the motorists chances for survival and he is commended for a job well done, police said. Police rescue 68-year-old woman from burning car after it flips over on highway originally appeared on abcnews.go.com OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) Police are investigating a shooting in Southwest Oklahoma City after a victim walked into a local business injured. According to authorities, the incident started out as a domestic situation near Southwest 23rd and Robinson where one man was found shot in the leg. Police say, the injury to the man is was not life threatening and is expected to recover. Man calls 911 after he finds a body on the side of the road Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investigation continues with no suspect description released at 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 KFOR.com Oklahoma City. The Brief A Mesquite gym owner lost $5,000 in a "jugging" incident after withdrawing cash from a bank. The man believes he was followed from the bank, and his 15-year-old daughter was in the car when a suspect stole the money. Dallas police are investigating, have collected fingerprints, and are hoping to identify suspects using surveillance footage from the area. PLEASANT GROVE - Dallas police are investigating a possible case of jugging that left a man without thousands of dollars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Mesquite small business owner says he went to the bank, then went to run another errand, when a man stole the cash out of his vehicle. North Texas Jugging Incident What Happened Tuesday, FOX 4 spoke with Chris Robles of Mesquite. He owns the Grind Hard Fitness gym in Mesquite. Just before noon on Friday, Robles withdrew $5,000 in cash from a Pleasant Grove Chase bank near Masters and Lake June Road. He walked back to his car, with a cash envelope in his pocket. Then Robles drove four miles to pick up a U-Haul at the corner of Jim Miller Road and C.F. Hawn Freeway, right across the street from Dallas PD's southeast patrol division. He believes he was being watched and then followed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robles told us he even tried to be cautious that day. He went inside the bank to get the cash from a teller, not the outside ATM. But even after doing that, he says he still was targeted. While he was inside the business, a thief, who he believes followed him from the bank, stole the money from his car. The scariest part, to him, was that his 15-year-old daughter was also in danger. What they're saying "I didn't have any idea someone was following me. Everything was very normal," Robles said. He went inside while his 15-year-old daughter waited in the vehicle. "As soon as I walked in the door, I got a phone call from my daughter. And she was yelling, someone is in the car. I thought she said someone hit the car. So I ran out there immediately. And I saw her crying," Robles said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robles said his daughter later told Dallas officers a man in his late teens to early twenties with a black ski mask took the cash from the center console. The teenager said she was able to snap a quick photo of the suspect vehicle: a gray Honda sedan. She sent the picture over to the Dallas police. "She is 15 years old. I'm glad she is here today," Robles said. What's next Dallas police confirm they're investigating the robbery and are still looking for the suspect or suspects involved. Dallas investigators collected fingerprints from Robles' vehicle. Robles was also told by police they have cameras at that intersection, and they hope to capture a license plate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Robles is still focused on growing his gym grind hard fitness even with the unplanned and dangerous money setback. What is Jugging? Dig deeper The tactic of following someone from a bank or business to steal cash is called jugging. A new Texas law, House Bill 1902, aims to crack down on the growing crime trend. Now, suspects are charged with burglary or robbery. But starting Sept. 1, jugging is its own crime, and can carry steeper penalties if the offense escalates. The Source Information in this article comes from Chris Robles and the Dallas Police Department. Police are seeking a charge accusing a 12-year-old student of making terroristic threats after they said the student admitted to sending an email threatening staff at Kennedy Middle School in Germantown. Germantown Police Chief Patrick Merten said in a June 11 news release that a referral for that charge has been submitted to Washington County Juvenile Intake. Their request came after police executed a search warrant June 6 at the student's Germantown home as part of their investigation into the threat, which was discovered June 2. Police seized multiple electronic devices during the search. In conducting a forensic analysis of their contents, detectives recovered data revealing a Google account used to send the threatening email. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police determined the device belonged to a 12-year-old boy, a sixth-grade student at Kennedy Middle School. The student admitted to creating and sending the message, which said "On June 2, 2025, we will show up to Kennedy Middle School with an AK-47 and kill all of the teachers. We will start with the east side of the school, then the west. - Anonymous," according to Merten's news release. The email was sent to a Kennedy Middle School attendance email account typically used to notify the school of student absences. A school secretary discovered the email the morning of June 2 and immediately contacted the Police Department's school resource officer, the news release said. More: How do Wisconsin school districts determine what's a 'credible threat'? Local schools weigh in More: School crisis communication is critical but it's not as straightforward as you think. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The student told police he sent the email because he was upset after a recent interaction with a teacher, but did not intend to act on the threat. The student's parents said he has no access to any firearms in the home. The parents have cooperated with police and the Germantown School District throughout the investigation, the release said. Merten acknowledged that some parents and community members were concerned about the lack of immediate information. "It's important to understand that when a threat of this nature is received, numerous steps must be taken behind the scenes to ensure the safety of students and staff. The school was placed in a 'hold' as a precaution while law enforcement worked to assess and manage the situation," Merten said in the release. Neither Germantown School District Superintendent Chris Reuter, nor Germantown School District marketing and communications manager Claire Podbielski, immediately responded to phone or email messages seeking comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at@AlecJohnson12. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Germantown student could face charges connected to threatening email DENVER (KDVR) Police are looking for the people responsible for damaging at least eight unoccupied parked vehicles in the Aberdeen Village neighborhood and surrounding areas. The reported vandalism happened from the evening of June 1 through the morning of June 2, according to the Littleton Police Department. Public Information Officer Sheera Poelman told FOX31s Shaul Turner that the department received several 911 calls on the night of June 1 and well into the next morning after at least eight unoccupied cars near Broadway and Littleton Boulevard were either totaled or significantly damaged by what appears to be large rocks. The LPD said the vehicles were either totaled or extremely damaged by what appears to be large rocks. Screenshot of video footage provided by Littleton Police Department. (Credit Littleton Police Department) Screenshot of video footage provided by Littleton Police Department. (Credit Littleton Police Department) The department said it does not believe there is any physical threat to the community in relation to the incidents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox Residents have been left shaken and say its time to stick together. Im not afraid to call 911 if I see something that doesnt look right, one resident told Turner. While crime rates can increase once the school year ends police say the age of the suspects in this case isnt known. I would not want any individual regardless of age to throw rocks or slash tires said Melanie Mitchell. Littleton Police told Turner that with longer days and warmer weather, the Littleton police department (LPD), similar to our law enforcement partners across the country, tends to see an increase in minor crimes during the summer months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LPD encourages residents to take steps to protect themselves and their property by locking all doors, never leaving valuables in vehicles and ensuring assets, such as security cameras and exterior lighting, are in proper working order. Any additional victims are asked to contact LPD at 303-794-1551. The department is also asking anyone who may have video or images of the incidents, or anyone who can identify the suspects in videos posted by the department, to call them. No one was injured in the incidents, according to LPD. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Brief A Monroe man is facing charges after he was caught allegedly trying to cut the lock of a gate at a Wixom business. Police said Justin Cochran had burglary tools in hsi vehicle when he was pulled over. Cochran is currently on parole for larceny and home invasion. WIXOM, Mich. (FOX 2) - A suspect with a history of thefts and break-ins is now in more trouble after police say he was caught trying to cut the lock on a gate at a Wixom business last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justin William Cochran, 40, of Monroe, was arrested Friday after he was allegedly spotted trying to cut the lock at a business' parking lot in the 25000 block of Assembly Park Drive just before 5:40 a.m. The backstory Police responded to the area and saw Cochran leaving in a vehicle and stopped him. According to police, Cochran allegedly had burglary tools in the vehicle, along with a fake license plate clipped over his actual license plate to hide its registration. Cochran was charged with possession of burglary tools, malicious destruction of fences/gates, and unlawful use of a license plate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His bond was set at $4,000 cash/surety. Dig deeper According to records, this isn't the first time Cochran has been arrested for similar crimes. Cochran is currently on parole from the Michigan Department of Corrections for home invasion and larceny convictions in 2020. He also has previous breaking and entering and home invasion convictions. The Source This information is from Wixom police and MDOC records. ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. A St. Louis man tracked obituaries of multiple St. Louis County residents who recently died, then broke into their homes to steal jewelry, weapons and other high-priced items, police say. The suspect allegedly left his own debit card behind at one home, eventually linking him to multiple burglaries. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorneys Office has charged Brandon J. Welch, 33, with second-degree burglary and two counts of stealing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The burglary leading to Welchs charges occurred on May 6, 2024 in the 2600 block of Blackforest Drive in south St. Louis County. Big changes to Missouris fireworks laws: What you need to know According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Welch acted with another person to steal a Lowes credit card, jewelry and a firearm from the home. Investigators say Welch left behind his own debit card at the scene, along with a card belonging to the victim of another apparent burglary. While investigating, police learned that a neighbors surveillance camera captured a Dodge Ram at the scene for nearly four hours, which later linked Welch to the crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the burglary, the victims Lowes card was used to purchase more than $3,000 of merchandise for pickups. A driver in a Dodge Ram later arrived at the Lowes location to retrieve items, but the store had been alerted to possible fraud and ultimately stopped the transaction. Thats when Welch allegedly called Lowes twice in an attempt to complete the pickup. Investigators then began tracking his phone activity, which revealed unusual patterns. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News According to court documents, Welchs Gmail account showed that he search for obituaries in the St. Louis region, along with directions for at least two homes of deceased victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Welchs Gmail account captured an IP address activity that linked his location to Black Forest Drive on the day of the burglary. Phone logs determined Welch made 15 calls to a specific phone number shortly before the Dodge Ram pulled up to the victims home. Authorities issued a warrant for Welchs arrest on Tuesday, per Missouri court records. Its unclear if any additional suspects are facing or could face charges 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 FOX 2. SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) Police in Texarkana, Texas are asking for the publics help in identifying a man caught on video stealing $25,000 worth of shingles. According to a social media post by TTPD, the crime happened on May 27 on South Lake Drive. They say the man broke into the truck, used a set of keys to start it, and then drove the vehicle away. According to TTPD, the man had another 18-wheeler parked down the road and he swapped out the trailer loaded with the stolen shingles. He then abandoned the original truck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you know who this man is or where he might be staying, please call the Texarkana, Texas Police Department at (903) 798-3116. VIDEO COURTESY: TEXARKANA TEXAS 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 KTALnews.com. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) June 11, 2025, marks 4 years since a Southwest Oklahoma City neighborhood was rocked by a late-night shooting. 28-year-old Larry McDowell was shot and killedtwo others were hit and survived. It happened on June 11, 2021, just before midnight at a housing complex on Southwest 62nd and Douglas. LOCAL NEWS: Oklahoma City Police looking for more information in deadly 2021 shooting Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Four years later, remnants of the shooting are gone, but the looming wonder of who did this is still circling. I mean, one person died. So we want to make sure that were able to get some kind of closure, make an arrest, and hold the person responsible accountable, said SGT. Dillon Quirk, OKCPD. Police said they havent stopped looking for a suspect, but leads theyve been following havent led anywhere. A year ago, police posted the homicide report hoping to get a tip. We did not receive any that led to an arrest or significant change in the case, said SGT. Quirk. Now, theyre asking the public for help again, trying to find out more about what happened and whos responsible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED STORY: OKCPD looking for more information in 2021 cold case Officers said they havent stopped investigating this case over the last four years, and they dont have any plans to change that anytime soon. It just goes to prove how hard our investigators work and they never stop working to solve a case, especially one that has not had any results in bringing justice for family members or any closure to the case. And so as long as we receive information, well keep actively working those cases, said SGT. Quirk. If you know anything about this shooting or what happened on June 11, 2021, in the neighborhood, call Oklahoma City Police. 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 KFOR.com Oklahoma City. Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA (left), speaks to Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D-Prince George's and Anne Arundel) in a photo from 2023. (File photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) CASAs longtime executive director Gustavo Torres plans to retire in November. Torres began his work as an advocate with the immigrant rights group when it started out in a church basement in Takoma Park. Now, 34 years later, CASA is an organization with more than 170,000 members in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania and in Atlanta, where it opened a welcome center in Atlanta in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement Friday, Torres said he wants to take a break and spend his time with family, to give the same love, attention, and presence to the people whove stood by me through it all. I look around me and see a new generation of leaders that are ready to take the helm, and I am confident that CASA is strong, rooted, and ready for whats next, his statement said. These powerful, young, diverse Black and brown leaders in our organization are going to move forward with the same boldness these next 30 years. The organization has become an authoritative voice on migrant issues and immigration legislation at the local, state and natioanl levels over the years. It did face controversy in November 2023, after some members issued statements and social media posts expressing solidarity with Palestinians during the war in Gaza that began Oct. 7 of that year. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It led somelawmakers, including Montgomery Counts Senate delegation to publicly scrutinize CASA and threatened to pull public funding. Private donors also announced they would withdraw funding. CASA released a public apology from Torres in response. The organization has been busy this year. Even before President Donald Trumps (R) January swearing in, CASA held Know Your Rights events to prepare for possible enforcement actions from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. CASA leaders were in Annapolis lobbing for legislation, including one to prohibit local police from entering into 287(g) agreements with ICE. On the last day of the legislative session in April, lawmakers passed a watered-down version of a bill that does not include the 287(g) ban, the biggest loss for immigration. advocates this year. CASA plans a nationwide search for someone to build on Torres unshakeable legacy, carrying forward CASAs mission to build people power, advance equity, and drive lasting systemic change, said Melissa Guzman, the organizations chief operating officer. We invite visionary leaders from inside CASA and across the country to apply and help shape the next chapter of this movement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Torres will be honored at CASAs 40th anniversary celebration on Sept. 18. Making the grade for the Chesapeake Bay Unlike the typical student, the Chesapeake Bay has long received two report cards from two different schools: One from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and another from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. But that could be changing. At an event in Eastport on Tuesday to release the latest UMCES report card (which gave the bay a grade of C), officials from the center and the nonprofit said theyre looking to combine their efforts. Were really excited about this, because it will reduce the confusion of having two separate report cards and slightly different messaging, said Heath Kelsey, director of the Integration and Application Network at UMCES. Bill Dennison, vice president of science application at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, at Tuesdays release of the 2025 Chesapeake Bay report card. (Photo by Christine Condon/ Maryland Matters) Bill Dennison, UMCES vice president of science application, said he approached the Bay Foundation decades ago about working together on a single report card, to no avail. With the new leadership at the Bay Foundation, I think that dream could be realized, Dennison said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hilary Harp Falk has been president and CEO of the foundation since 2022. She said Tuesday theres lots left to iron out, but the potential partnership between the two organizations is exciting. Weve been talking a lot about our shared goals and the strengths of the different products, and how we can both show how the bay is doing and answer that question, but also show a path to success, which I think has been elusive, Harp Falk said. We think the strength of our report card and our work and the UMCES science could really be a force multiplier. Dennison said looming cuts at federal environmental agencies have made the collaboration more urgent. On April 1, the center held a workshop with the Bay Foundation, as well as some riverkeeper groups that also have their own regional report cards, to discuss the future of bay report cards. This is a tough time for us environmentalists. The federal budgets are being slashed, and so we have to more than ever we have to work together, Dennison said. Life insurers seek rate hikes on long-term care About 8,200 Maryland residents who use long-term care programs could soon pay more for services, as four life insurance companies are asking state officials to increase premium rates for those services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a virtual meeting with Maryland Insurance Administration officials Tuesday, representatives from life insurance companies argued that because people are living longer and more people are using long-term care services for longer periods of time, those rate increases are justified. Mutual of Omaha understands premium adjustments are never welcome news and we do not take such actions lightly, said Rylan Deemer, product director and actuary at Mutual of Omaha. Due to increasing use of long-term care services and longer open claims, we found it necessary to file this rate adjustment. In other words, more policyholders are recognizing the benefits of their long-term care insurance policies, using benefits more often and for longer than anticipated. Those justifications were shared by representatives from the other insurance companies Tuesday: Metropolitan Life Insurance, Prudential Insurance Co. and Transamerica Life Insurance Co. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Requested rate increases range from 24% to 52%, depending on company and plan. The requests are not unusual for long-term care plans, but they come at a time when insurers are also looking to increase premiums on certain health care plans due to the possible loss of a federal subsidy under the Trump administration. State regulations prohibit insurers from raising premiums more than 15% in a 12-month period, meaning that larger increase proposals would be spread out over the course of a couple years, if approved. Each of the insurers Tuesday said they were sympathetic to policyholders who would not be able to afford long-term care plans at the higher rates, and said they would offer lower-priced, lower-coverage plans to those who could not afford to keep their current plans. The rate increases are not finalized. MIA officials raised concerns that some of the rate requests could be too steep. The proposed rate increases are open to public comments until next week. Help for Western Maryland flood victims In the first use of a new state emergency fund, state officials announced Tuesday that they will award $459,375 in financial assistanceto Allegany County to help victims of May 13 floods that swamped homes, schools and businesses and forced evacuations in Allegany and Garrett counties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The funding is coming from the Maryland State Disaster Recovery Fund, a form of state-assisted financing for county and local governments for the purpose of providing essential assistance to individuals, households, businesses, and local governments affected by disasters, according to a news release from the governors office. Local governments can request aid from the fund, which is administered by the Maryland Department of Emergency Management. These funds will help Marylanders get back on their feet in the wake of historic flooding, said Gov. Wes Moore in the release. I encourage all affected Marylanders to learn if theyre eligible for additional resources and supports. Allegany County officials requested the funds after damage assessments showed recovery needs were beyond the countys means, the governors office said. Heavy rains from May 12-14 led rivers and creeks in the region to flood, with Georges Creek reaching a near-record level of 12.41 feet. Rising waters forced evacuations in Garrett and Allegany counties, with the town of Westernport hit particularly hard. Floodwaters caused significant damage to more than 200 homes and businesses in the region. Gov. Wes Moore (D) inspects damage at a library in Westernport on May 15 in the wake of flooding in the previous week. (Photo by Patrick Siebert/Governors office) The comprehensive assistance from multiple state departments has been extraordinary, and this monetary award through the new Disaster Recovery Program is both timely and impactful, Allegany County Commission President David J. Caporale said in the news release. As the first recipients of this program, we recognize the significance of this moment, and we are committed to putting these resources to immediate use to help our neighbors and communities rebuild stronger than before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Maryland Department of Emergency Management is also working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state agencies in recovery efforts to mitigate the risk of flooding due to the impacts on the local rivers and streams in the area. State officials estimate that volunteer organizations have provided more than $400,000 in support services, including muck-out and cleanup of residences and businesses across Allegany County. Area residents may also be eligible for disaster loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration Physical Loan program. A Disaster Loan Outreach Center, serving both counties, at 103 1st St. in Westernport will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a .m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Multiagency resource and support centers remain open at the Bruce Outreach Center in Westernport on Saturdays and Mondays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m and Wednedays from 1-7 p.m.; and at the Good Will Fire Co. Armory in Lonaconing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays and Tuesdays and from 1-7 p.m. Thursdays. Recently, President Donald Trump declared that he is bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes. He hopes to make up for the removal of commemorative statues important to the Italians that love him so much. But Columbus Day had not been scrapped or reduced to ashes. Although President Joe Biden issued a proclamation for Indigenous Peoples Day in October 2024, on the same day he also declared a holiday in honor of Christopher Columbus. Nonetheless, Trump posted in April 2025, Christopher is going to make a major comeback. By using Columbus name, which means Christ-bearer, a president who covets the praise of faith leaders yoked the explorer to his campaign promise: For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By reasserting the importance of Columbus, the president took a stand against the toppling and vandalism of statues of Columbus. In this case, his act of retribution for his supporters focused on the holiday, which he could declare more easily than returning icons of a fallen man to empty pedestals. Trumps statement invoked the politics of grievance a sense of resentment or injustice fueled by perceived discrimination that have characterized his actions for years. The list of targets for his retribution, which have included Harvard University, elite law firms and former allies he believes have betrayed him, now exceeds 100, according to an NPR review. As a historian of early America, I am familiar with how grievance marked the colonial era. Throughout this period, grievance fueled rage and violence. European grievance in America Europeans who arrived in the Americas following Columbus 1492 journey claimed the territories in the Western Hemisphere through an obsolete legal theory known as the doctrine of discovery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spanish, English, French, Dutch and Portuguese rulers, according to this notion, owned portions of the Americas, regardless of the claims of Indigenous peoples. This presumption of ownership justified, in their minds, the use of violence against those who resisted them. In 1598, for example, Spanish soldiers patrolling the pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico demanded food from local residents, whom the colonizers saw as their subordinates. The towns inhabitants, believing the request excessive, fought instead, killing 11 Spaniards. In response, the governor of New Mexico, a territory almost entirely populated by Indigenous peoples, ordered the systematic amputations of the hands or feet of residents whom the soldiers thought had participated in the attack. They also enslaved hundreds in the town. Roughly 1,500 residents of Acoma died in the conflict, according to the National Park Service, a response seemingly driven more by grievance than strategy. English colonizers proved just as quick to deploy extraordinary violence if they believed Native Americans deprived them of what they thought was theirs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March 1622, soldiers from the Powhatan Confederation composed of Algonquian tribes from present-day Virginia launched a surprise attack to protest encroachments on their lands, killing 347 colonists. The English labeled the event a barbarous massacre, using language that dehumanized the Powhatans and cast them as villainous raiders. An English pamphleteer named Edward Waterhouse castigated these Indigenous people as wyld naked Natives, Pagan Infidels and perfidious and inhumane. Opechancanough was paramount chief of the Powhatan Confederacy in present-day Virginia from 1618 until his death in 1646. mikroman6/Getty Images War began almost immediately. Colonial soldiers embraced a scorched-earth strategy, burning houses and crops when they could not locate their enemies. On May 22, 1623, one group sailed into Pamunkey territory to rescue captives. Under a ruse of peaceful negotiation, they distributed poison to some 200 Native residents. By doing so, the colonial soldiers, driven by grievance more than law, ignored their own rules of war, which forbade the use of poison in war. Grievance drove colonists against each other Even among colonists, grievance promoted violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1692, residents of Salem, Massachusetts, believed their misfortunes were the work of the devil. Their anxieties and anger led them to accuse others of witchcraft. As historians who have studied the Salem witch trials have argued, many of the accusers in agricultural Salem Village modern-day Danvers harbored resentments against neighbors who had closer ties to nearby Salem Town, which was more commercial. The aggrieved found a spokesman in the Rev. Samuel Parris, whose own earlier failure in business had led him to look for a new path forward as a minister. Parris anger about his earlier disappointments fueled his indignation about what he saw as inadequate economic support from local authorities. In a sermon, he underscored his financial irritation by emphasizing Judas betrayal of Jesus for a poor & mean price, as if it was the amount that mattered. The resentful residents and their bitter minister fueled the largest witch hunt in American history, which left at least 20 of the accused dead. The painting Trial of George Jacobs of Salem for Witchcraft in 1692 by T.H. Matteson. Tompkins Harrison Matteson/Library of Congress via AP The most obvious forerunner of todays grievance-fueled politics was a rebellion in the spring and summer of 1676 by backcountry colonists in Virginia who battled their Jamestown-based colonial government. They were led by Nathaniel Bacon, a tobacco farmer who believed that provincial officials were not doing enough to protect outlying farms from attacks by Susquehannocks and other Indigenous residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bacon and his followers, consumed by their declaration of grievances, petitioned the local government for help. When they did not get the result they wanted, they marched against Jamestown. They set the capital alight and chased Gov. William Berkeley away. Bacon succumbed to dysentery in October, and the movement collapsed without its charismatic leader. Berkeley survived but lost his position. The rebellion has become etched into history as a violent attack against governing authorities that foreshadowed the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol. When President Trump invokes alleged insults to one community to satisfy the yearnings of his followers, he and his allies run the risk of once again stoking the passions of the aggrieved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Acts of grievance come in different forms, depending on historical and political circumstance. But the urge to reclaim what someone thinks should be theirs can lead to deadly violence, as earlier Americans repeatedly discovered. 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: Peter C. Mancall, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Read more: Peter C. Mancall has received support from the University of Southern California, the Huntington Library, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Oxford University to support his research on early America. Gov. Ron DeSantiss tenure in Florida is destined to be remembered for a seismic shift in the landscape of higher education marked by an erosion of academic independence and intellectual diversity. Under his leadership, politics trumped merit, and loyalty replaced qualifications. The states colleges and universities are no longer centers of independent thought theyve become landing pads for Republican allies, rewarded through sham searches and backroom deals. The list of appointees reveals a troubling consistency. In Sarasota, New College was handed to former House Speaker Richard Corcoran. At Florida Atlantic University, former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner was tapped to lead. Fred Hawkins, another former legislator with no academic credentials, was installed as president of South Florida State College in Avon Park. Former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez now leads Florida International University. And soon, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz a former Republican legislator from Hialeah, a loyalist with no higher education leadership experience will take the helm as interim president at the University of West Florida. Florida Atlantic University presidential candidate Adam Hasner speaks to students, donors and faculty at a public forum at the FAU campus, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. Florida A&M University trustees selected telecommunications lobbyist Marva Johnson to be the new president; she has no experience working in higher education but has long-standing ties to DeSantis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Which leads me to Gainesville. Home of the University of Florida, our states flagship university and my alma mater. After a prior Republican political appointee with no academic gravitas flamed out spectacularly as UF's president, the school (and the state) had a chance to chart a new course. Santa Ono, Ph.D., a nationally respected university leader and former president of the University of Michigan, was unanimously approved by UFs Board of Trustees. His hiring should have been a slam dunk, and a return to academic excellence. Santa J. Ono, Ph.D., at University of Florida Board of Trustees meeting on May 27, 2025. But this is the so-called Free State of Florida, where freedom is reserved for those who pass an ideological litmus test. Ono didnt. And now UF will pay the price. In what was described as a stunning move, the Florida Board of Governorsstacked with political appointeesrejected Onos confirmation. It was the first time in state history that the board overruled a universitys chosen president. But this rejection of a qualified candidate was not stunning to those paying attention to the politics of Tallahassee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Santa Ono barred from UF presidency amid mounting pressure from GOP officials Credentials, experience, and vision werent enough to shield him from partisan inquisition. In a deeply embarrassing 106 vote, the Board of Governors rejected a leader who could have elevated UFs already elite national standing, and it delivered a blow not just to one university, but to Floridas academic reputation as a whole. The damage is done. This decision will haunt UF for years to come. Qualified candidates wont apply, and top-tier leaders wont want to work in a system where political purity matters more than academic leadership. Floridas current and future students will pay the price for a governor and a governing board more interested in a political gamesmanship than excellence. Michael Napoleone This wasnt just a rejection of Ono. It was a rejection of everything a great university should stand for. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michael Napoleone is an attorney and the mayor of Wellington. He wrote this for the USA Today Network-Florida. JOIN THE CONVERSATION Send letters to the editor (up to 200 words) or Your Turn columns (about 500 words) to letters@tallahassee.com. Please include your address for verification purposes only, and if you send a Your Turn, also include a photo and 1-2 line bio of yourself. You can also submit anonymous Zing!s at Tallahassee.com/Zing. Submissions are published on a space-available basis. All submissions may be edited for content, clarity and length, and may also be published by any part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis overseeing undoing of Floridas academic integrity | Opinion POOLER, Ga. (WSAV) The Pooler Police Department (PPD) are asking residents for more information regarding damaged property at the entrance of Newton Cemetery. Officers were dispatched on Monday to significant damage to the brick column and archway at the entrance. Damage to Newton Cemetery PPD is asking for residents to check doorbell cameras for possible video of the incident. PPD asks for residents to call the department at 912-748-7333 if they have any information. 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 WSAV-TV. Jun. 10Portland students will not be allowed to have or use their phones during the school day beginning in the fall, following the passage Tuesday of a bell-to-bell ban by the city's school board. The closely watched decision follows a national trend and statewide push to get cellphones out of schools from the start of each day to the end. The board heard support from educators and parents during a public hearing, as well as opposition from a local LGBTQ+ youth organization. Members approved an amended version of the policy in a unanimous vote with two members absent. The board's student representatives all voted against it, although their votes don't count toward the outcome. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In past public hearings, many teachers have testified that policing phone use is one of the greatest challenges of their teaching day, and parents have argued that cellphones have negative mental health impacts on school-age children. However, some school officials have been hesitant about enacting a ban and say current policies are working just fine. Some parents had concerns about safety and communicating with their children. And high school students have been almost universally opposed to the ban, according to administrators. Reception to the policy at a first reading in May was mixed, with slightly more commenters speaking in support of its passage. A K-12, bell-to-bell ban has been in consideration for Portland schools since last summer. The school board's curriculum and policy committee advanced the policy in April, after which the district held seven well-attended stakeholder engagement sessions with students and parents to gather input. The district also conducted a survey of community members following the first hearing in May and received 1,200 responses, according to board Chair Sarah Lentz. She said the board also received several hundred emails about the policy. District representatives recently visited Morse High School in Bath, where a cellphone ban has been in place since the start of the school year. Administrators there say the policy has led to fewer student suspensions, greater focus and higher teacher morale. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PUBLIC COMMENT Many educators and parents, like Portland High School teacher Lily Sage, encouraged the board to pass the policy Tuesday night. "I believe that a phone ban will help students focus better, socialize and detox from the omnipresent screens, at least during the school day," Sage said. "When we allow phones in students' pockets or in their bags or anywhere within their reach or view, we are inviting distraction into the classroom, even when they are untouched." Casco Bay High School teacher Matt Hosmer said cellphones are designed to be addictive to young people and he worries that his students are unable to focus in class or stay away from phones without a blanket ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Minors should be protected from products that are designed to be addicting," Hosmer said. But several representatives of the LGBTQ+ youth advocacy group Portland Outright turned out against the policy. The organization's director Osgood said a blanket ban would impact the most marginalized students. "This policy is, unfortunately, following a troubling trend in local and national politics to police, control and limit the power of young people," they said. "We worry about the impact on queer students and students of color who are always impacted by bans and criminalization." Other organization members described the policy as punitive, worried that it would negatively impact student autonomy and said it would prevent students from developing healthy relationships around technology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am extremely concerned that this current provision will be used to violate the privacy of students at risk of being overly policed," Portland student and Outright member August Chandler testified. BOARD DELIBERATION Lentz and District 5 Member Sarah Brydon introduced an amended version of the policy. Their revision stipulates that personal electronic devices "shall not be available or accessible to students for the duration of the school day." Lentz and Brydon said they simplified the policy in response to community feedback, removing language around search and seizure and discipline. They also broadened the language to allow schools to create policies for special circumstances like when students go off campus or travel between schools. The amendment includes an expanded exception policy that allows a student's family to submit a phone exception request if they believe access during the school day is needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The creation and implementation of rules are up to the administration and individual schools. The district is looking at possibly using magnetically locking pouches that students keep on their person at the high school level. The board discussed details of language around exceptions, district liability and off-campus trips, and approved several line-item amendments before approving the policy. Throughout deliberations, student representatives to the board expressed skepticism about the policy, and the four high school student members voted against it. Portland High School Representative Mina Fitzgerald said her peers are confused about why the board has acted so quickly and prioritized the change over others, and said the district did not have an open mind to student concerns during stakeholder meetings. She said adults often model poor behavior around phone use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I do think that at the end of the day, we've let phones become very integrated. And so if you wanted to educate around how to develop properly as a person by using phones, then adults themselves have to do the exact same amount of work, if not more work, than any students," she said. "And I just do not see that effectively happening within the next three months." Copy the Story Link PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Portland Community College student Diego Lobato has been selected as one of 90 Jack Kent Cook Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholars. The award includes a $55,000 annual scholarship to be put towards a bachelors degree, plus help covering other education-related financial burdens. Lobato hails from San Diego where he was raised by his single mother, and is currently completing his Oregon Transfer degree with a STEM concentration. He will continue his education at New York University starting this fall with a double major in economics and computer science. Earning a Jack Kent Cooke scholarship means the world to me, said Lobato. It eases my financial worries tremendously and affirms that I am on the right path. I called my mom the moment I found out she cried. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has been providing aid for students in financial need since 2000, and they received over 1,600 applicants this year nationwide. They made their final selections based on financial need and academic achievement. This years cohort reflects the remarkable talent and determination thriving in community colleges nationwide, said Giuseppe Basili, the foundations executive director. As we mark 25 years of impact, we remain committed to amplifying the successes of these students and opening doors to the opportunities they deserve. The Foundation offers other college assistance in addition to the scholarship itself, including college advising and a valuable network of fellow Jack Kent Cooke scholars. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A man was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Tuesday after a December 2021 police chase ended in gunfire. The incident began in the Lents neighborhood on Dec. 11, 2021 with Joshua William Degerness fleeing from the police after an attempted traffic stop. Police used a Pursuit Intervention Technique, and Degerness crashed into a nearby tree. He was uncooperative with demands from officers and proceeded to fire at least two shots at officers from inside his car. The police officers sustained no injuries, and shot Degerness nonfatally. Degerness was indicted by a grand jury in 2021. He was convicted last month and was sentenced Tuesday by Multnomah County Circuit Judge Jenna Plank. In addition to his three first-degree attempted murder charges, he was also charged with attempted assault, unlawful use of a weapon, felon in possession of a firearm and felony attempt to elude. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bob Day, Portland Police Chief, expressed satisfaction at seeing Degerness brought to justice. Todays sentencing brings closure to a dangerous incident in which an individual eluded police and then fired at PPB members, putting their lives and the community at risk, Day 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 KOIN.com. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The countdown is on when it comes to local budget cuts. Portland City Council heard from the public Tuesday on a number of amendments, including reserving funds to prevent cuts to parks in lieu of a proposed increase in police funding. Portland City Councilors will continue discussing their budget plan on Wednesday. Investigators are on the trail of murder suspect The City of Portland is facing a historic budget shortfall of $93 million. Last month, city councilors voted to transfer $1.9 million dollars from the Portland Police Bureau to the Parks and Recreation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This seems like an overfunded police department. It seems inefficient and it seems like we can take care of our neighbors, like Portland Street response, would be better served to do this kind of work, said Portland Democratic Socialists of America Benjamin Gilbert. During last months session, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said that he expects grave consequences if they lose that money. In response to the vote, Mayor Keith Wilson drew up an amendment reversing the vote. Reducing the police budget now risks driving away more businesses, more residents and more taxpayers. We will remember who stood before the public safety and who voted to erode it, said community member Brian R. Anti-ICE protests continue to grow in Portland Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dozens of people showed up at Tuesdays meeting, voicing their opinions. Safety shouldnt be compromised. But currently it is. Look around us as businesses are failing, even Big Pink is up for sale. How much more damage has to occur before our city starts prioritizing peoples lives? said Business Owner Loretta Guzman. Dont give the police more than they need and more than they asked for. When I look at Los Angeles right now, I see what an overfunded police department looks like said Gilbert. Another hot topic, an amendment to increase rideshare customer fees from 65 cents to $2 per ride, which would generate $10 million for the Portland Bureau of Transportation Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sobering center: County calls for city to pay $1.9M Rideshare drivers said raising the fee would hurt the workers. This TNC [Transportation Network Companies] was adopted without considering the negative impacts to our already struggling driver community, said Nathaniel Hudson-Hartman, an organizer with Drivers Union Oregon. The meeting ended at 6 p.m and will pick back up tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. The final vote on the budget is June 18. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. To celebrate Fathers Day, The Conversation U.S. asked Philadelphia anthropologist, playwright and poetic ethnographer Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon to reflect on a poem she recently performed to accompany a 1986 photograph by Philadelphia photographer Joseph V. Labolito. Williams-Witherspoon, who also serves as senior associate dean of the Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts at Temple University, shares how the collaboration came about, and why one of Labolitos photos in particular brought back a rush of cherished memories of being a little girl hanging out with her dad. Local residents sitting on the steps in the shade at 3106 N. Broad St. in North Philadelphia in 1986. Joseph V. Labolito/Philadelphia Collections There Are Black Fathers To Daddy, Fathers Day, June 19, 1983 Ive known men Who rise at dawn To run a sort of race; Working through sleep Stopping long enough to yawn Providing for their families Just a little place. Black men going, going, going (sometimes, till their gone.) Ive known men Who trudge home after long hours And an even longer pain, And still manage to smile, Warmed by the voice of a child. "Hi, Daddy!" "How was your day?" Ive known men Who take care Even when Mommy cant. And, even though they can only Cook hamburgers really good, They put band-aids on awfully well. Ive known men Who loving replace lost teeth With shiny new dimes; Remember birthdays and Christmas. Dutifully repair Old, broken toys And, even, sometimes, Wipe away salty tears. Ive known men Who reprimand, Teach us values And, if were lucky, Along with Mom, Help us take a stand. Who calm us when were frightened; Scare us when were bad Hold our hands. Ive known men, Not just as Fathers; But, more so, as "Dads" Who give us what we get And gave us what we had. Loving and kind; Stern, yet strong, Ive known men Whove guided generations along As provider, supporter, parent Pop, Dad! There are Black fathers Who would gladly do it again Parenting future generations. Yes, I have known These men. 2025 Kimmika L. H. Williams-Witherspoon What do you want people to take away from the poem? The whole poem is a tribute to my father, Samuel Hawes Jr., who lived from 1920 to 1989, and the many men like him who were always present and participatory in the parenting of their children and the providing for their families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because of stereotypes and popular culture media, movies, news stories that tend to demonize and pathologize Black men, theres a myth that men in our communities are all cut from the same cloth. For me, the poem discounts that stereotypical narrative and celebrates the African American men that I knew growing up Daddy, my uncles, the deacons in our church, the neighborhood dads on my block. The men in this photograph represent men like Daddy, who at one point worked two jobs to provide for his family. He drove a yellow cab and worked the graveyard shift as a presser at the U.S. Mint. He took me to school every morning when I was in high school. He made it to every school function or occasion, drove me to and from parties so I could hang out with friends, took me to church every Sunday morning and on those special road trips to Cleveland, Akron, Ohio, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, throughout my life. Tell us about your collaborator for this piece Joe Labolito is a Philadelphia photographer whose work, I believe, is visual ethnography at its best. Throughout the 80s, '90s and 2000s, he documented the people, streets and neighborhoods of Philadelphia. His photographs are housed in several public and private collections, including the Special Collections Research Center at Temple University and the Free Library of Philadelphias Print and Picture Collection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About a year ago, I saw an exhibit of Joes work at Temple. Since that time, I have been using some of his photographs as a visual prompt for my students, while he and I talked about doing something together down the road. When I was asked to participate in Temple University President John Frys investiture events in March 2025, I asked Joe if he wanted to do something with me. Right away he said Yes whatever it is. I asked him to send me maybe 25 of his favorite photos, and instead, he sent me about a hundred. When I got a minute to sift through them, there were 11 that, as soon as I looked at them, immediately prompted lines of poetry. This photograph of the two men and the little girl, however, made me remember an old poem, There Are Black Fathers, I had written a long time ago on Fathers Day on June 19, 1983 for my father before he passed away from prostate and bone cancer. I went digging through my old journals until I found the poem that I had written for Daddy, and I performed that poem to this photograph at the event. What stood out to you about this photograph? The juxtaposition between the men and the little girl their beautiful, bright smiles, the joy they seemed to radiate it all made me think about and remember how much I loved Daddy my entire life but especially as a little girl. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats the power in these kinds of artistic, material and visual artifacts. This photograph transported me right back to my childhood, filled with the warmth of a summers day, hanging out with my dad, and the promise of a banana Popsicle later in the afternoon. What is your process for writing a poem to accompany a photograph? Whatever the prompt a photograph, a landscape, a person Ive passed on the street, a word or phrase the first draft is a free-write sensory download dump. I ruminate and then write down everything that comes to me in whatever order it comes. And then with each subsequent draft or pass at it, I start reading the poem out loud and tweaking it, making edits, moving and changing things while crafting lines that frame and build the story. I read the piece aloud over and over and over again until the poem tells me when Ive got it right. I dont know how, but my ear will tell me when its done and right with my spirit. What is poetic ethnography? Ethnography is an area of anthropology. From the Greek word ethnos, ethno simply means people or culture, and graphy, from the Greek word graphia, is the writing about said people or culture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Traditional ethnographies are usually written in a diarylike journal form. You end up jotting things down thoughts, feelings, expressions, verbatim texts from interview participants alongside bits and pieces of theory that correlate. Field notes are a combination of prose and scientific inquiry. I am a proponent of compiling poetic ethnographies turning my observation and investigation of cultures, communities, and my field notes, into poetic form. Growing up in Philadelphia and a product of Philadelphia public schools, my primary language is mainstream U.S. English, but I tell people that my actual language is poetry. I see the world through poetry, and through the medium of poetry, I think I am better able to articulate the world I see. Read more of our stories about Philadelphia. 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: Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon, Temple University Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon has received funding from Lumena Foundation's Fund for Racial Justice and Equity (2018-19) and PEW Charitable Trusts Arts Grant (2020). Joseph V. Labolito owns the copyright to Philadelphia Collections. Philadelphia Collections research and operations is supported and partially funded by the Bridge award; an internal grant provided by the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) at Temple University for the 2024 - 2025 year. (NewsNation) Police may have spotted ex-soldier Travis Decker, who is accused of killing his three young daughters. He may be hiking alone off-trail near Colchuck Lake in Washington State, the Chelan County Sheriffs Office said Tuesday. The Sheriffs Department says a tip came in from hikers who spotted a lone hiker who seemed to be very ill prepared for the trail. Authorities also said he was seen running from a helicopter. Deckers three daughters were found dead near his vehicle at a campground site. Their cause of death was suffocation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It sounds to me like his capture is imminent, Chris Swecker, former assistant director of the FBI, told Banfield on Tuesday. Swecker worked the manhunt for Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph. Authorities reveal cause of death for Washington sisters The forest where police are searching for Decker is remote, but there are structures in the area, and he could be hiding in caves, Swecker said. He thinks police will close in on him in the daytime Wednesday. Hes been spotted. Theres a perimeter set up around maybe a mile going in each direction, and I think very slowly, theyll tighten down that perimeter, Swecker said. He is desperate, and hes obviously mentally disturbed. If he is armed, hes likely to shoot. Hell see them, the searchers, before they will see him. So they have to be very deliberate, very measured and very disciplined in how they close that perimeter. 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. Social media users have shared images of standing seats for planes in false posts that claim European low-cost carriers would start using them in 2026. However, the prototype seat dates back to 2012 and its Italian manufacturer Aviointeriors said they were not meant to be put into service. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it has not received applications to use such seats on passenger planes. "Standing seats in planes: A new reality of budget airlines beginning 2026," reads a Malay-language Facebook post on May 18, 2025. It describes the seats as "a cross between bicycle seats and a standing position" and claims they are being introduced to reduce cost and increase capacity. The post features three images of the vertical, saddle-like seats designed to allow passengers to sit in a semi-upright position. Screenshot of the false post taken on June 10, 2025 The false claims spread after British tabloid Daily Mail published an article titled "Is this the future of travel? Low cost airlines could launch standing only seats as early as next year" on May 21, 2025 (archived link). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report claims that the SkyRider standing chairs, made by aircraft seat manufacturer Aviointeriors, can increase passenger capacity by 20 percent. Similar posts were shared elsewhere on Facebook. But Aviointeriors clarified in an Instagram post on May 23 that the "standing seats" were merely prototypes dating back to 2012 (archived link). "Designed as a bold response to one of the aviation industry's most pressing challenges, while maximizing space and ergonomics it was never meant to be taken at face value," the company said. Screen shot of Aviointeriors Instagram post clarifying the false claim taken on June 10, 2025 A check on Aviointeriors' website also shows the SkyRider standing seats are not part of the company's catalogue (archived link). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When contacted by AFP, the EASA confirmed that it had not received applications to certify standing seats in commercial aircraft. "Such seats would pose significant technical challenges, particularly in terms of emergency evacuation," it told AFP, adding that the design of a plane's fuselage does not allow for passengers to stand near windows. "Any airline wishing to introduce this type of seat will face significant challenges, both in terms of aircraft reconfiguration and in demonstrating compliance with strict safety and evacuation requirements." Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair also told AFP that the airline was not considering introducing the seats. However, its head Michael O'Leary said in 2009 that he would not have any problem introducing standing seats on planes, but pointed out that such a move will likely be rejected by the European Union for safety reasons. U.S. Rep. Mark Green addresses supporters at the Montgomery County Republican Party on Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo: Anita Wadhwani/Tennessee Lookout) The list of possible candidates for a special election to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Mark Green is growing after his second decision to quit before his term ends in 2026, with one person confirming he will run for the seat. Tennessee Department of General Services Commissioner Matt Van Epps announced Tuesday he will seek the 7th Congressional District seat in the wake of Greens plan to depart. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congressman Green is an American patriot who has served our country on the battlefield and served Tennesseans in the halls of Congress, Van Epps said in a release. From one West Point grad to another, I commend Congressman Green for his conservative legacy and his commitment to advancing President Trumps America First agenda on behalf of Tennessee. Matt Van Epps, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, will run as a Republican to fill the Congressional District 7 seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Mark Green. (Photo: tn.gov) Van Epps graduated from West Point and served multiple combat deployments as a helicopter pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment based in Clarksville. He continues to serve in the Tennessee Army National Guard. A Nashville resident, he was previously senior vice president of operations at Main Street Health, a rural healthcare company. Tennessee state Sen. Bill Powers and state Rep. Jody Barrett, as well as former state Rep. Brandon Ogles, told the Lookout Tuesday they are looking at potential candidacies. Powers, a Clarksville Republican, said he is seriously considering a run for the 7th Congressional District seat after Green announced he will resign from the post once the House votes on President Donald Trumps budget and domestic policy bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is nothing I take lightly and am talking with family and friends as we carefully consider this major decision, Powers, a second-term senator, said in a text message. We do need conservative leadership and someone who will support the presidents agenda. Im prepared to fill that role. Barrett, a Dickson Republican, said he has consistently stated that he has no burning desire to climb any political ladder or get to the next proverbial level but left the door open for a candidacy amid public support. If I were to run for Congress, it would be for the same reasons I decided to run for state representative. My family and I are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and encouragement from throughout the 7th Congressional District for me to jump into this race, but I have never been one to act impulsively or out of self-interest. We will continue to wait, watch and seek direction as to what is best for the Tennesseans that love living in western Middle Tennessee, said Barrett, who is in his second House term. Ogles, who served two terms in the House before opting not to seek re-election, told the Lookout he and his family are praying about a potential run. His cousin, U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, represents Tennessees 5th Congressional District. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Others being mentioned for the election include Republican state Rep. Gino Bulso of Brentwood, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Sen. Bill Powers, R-Clarksville, confirms he is considering a Congressional run. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Green, chairman of the U.S. Homeland Security Committee, announced in February 2024 he would be leaving the U.S. House but reneged within two weeks. He had been dogged at that point by revelations he and his wife were going through a divorce as she said publicly he started carousing in Washington, D.C., with members of Congress. Trump selected Green, a graduate of West Point, to serve as secretary of the Army in 2017. But questions about his stances on vaccines and whether former President Barack Obama was a U.S. citizen or a Muslim left him short on support and he withdrew from consideration. Green said this week he decided to step down from Congress because of a private sector opportunity too exciting to pass up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His vote is expected to be critical in passing Trumps budget plan because Republicans hold a narrow House majority. District 7 includes 14 counties in Middle and West Tennessee, with more than half of votes cast coming from Davidson, Montgomery and Williamson Counties. The district was redrawn after the 2020 census and with the inclusion of portions of Nashville, picked up more Democratic territory but is still considered a safe Republican seat by the Cook Political Report, which provides nonpartisan analysis of federal campaigns and elections. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A 28-year-old woman set to give birth as early as next week spoke out about being detained by immigration authorities in California, even after she told agents she was a U.S. citizen. Cary Lopez Alvarado lost her balance as agents "shoved her" during her arrest over the weekend, she tearfully told NBC Los Angeles on Monday from a hospital bed. Thats when I kind of leaned forward, trying to protect the stomach. Lopez Alvarado told Telemundo 52, NBCs sister station in Los Angeles, "I was afraid that they were going to hurt me." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once she was back at home Tuesday, she told Noticias Telemundo, I crouched down and held my belly, because I was scared they would hurt me. ... Three agents were grabbing me and trying to handcuff me." Lopez Alvarado said she started experiencing sharp pains in her stomach after she was arrested and released Sunday and that she went to the hospital. With just one week left before her due date, her doctors said, they hospitalized Lopez Alvarado for a day to monitor her and her baby, NBC Los Angeles reported. Masked men wearing Border Patrol uniforms pulled up to a buildings private parking in the city of Hawthorne in marked U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicles Sunday after having followed a white pickup truck with two undocumented workers, one of whom is Lopez Alvarados partner, Brian Najera. Cary Lopez Alvarado speaks with NBC Los Angeles from her hospital bed. (NBC Los Angeles) Lopez Alvarado and her cousin Alberto Sandoval, who is also a U.S. citizen, opened the parking gate so Najera and the other co-worker could o in. Lopez Alvarado and Sandoval, as well as Najera and the other co-worker, were in the building doing maintenance work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lopez Alvarado said she and her cousin believed agents would need to show they had a warrant to be able to enter their workplace. They had us all surrounded, Lopez Alvarado told NBC Los Angeles on Monday. Lopez Alvarado captured her interactions with immigration enforcement agents on video. In one video, she tells the agents: "I'm gonna need you guys to leave. This is private property." As the agents "were trying to forcefully open" the gates, Lopez Alvarado said, she "was blocking the door," and "I told them they were in private property. In another video, one of the agents responds: "Excuse me, ma'am. You are interfering with my arrest. I'm doing my job. ... Can you please move away?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm not moving away," Lopez Alvarado tells the agent. Lopez Alvarado said agents told her the parking wasn't private property and arrested her alongside her partner, her cousin and her co-worker. In an email to NBC News on Tuesday night, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Cary Lopez was arrested because she obstructed federal law enforcement by blocking access to a car that had two Guatemalan illegal aliens in it." According to the statement, "during this incident, agents were assaulted, and an additional subject was taken into custody after he pushed an officer. Additionally, rioters began throwing wrenches and batteries at agents. Anyone who actively obstructs or assaults law enforcement, including U.S. citizens, will of course face consequences which include arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Homeland Security said that "ICE enforcement officers are facing a 413% increase in assaults against them," which McLaughlin said was "disgraceful." The arrests took place the same weekend immigration authorities conducted a series of raids in Southern California, arresting dozens of people and triggering five straight days of protests in Los Angeles. Federal agents detain Lopez Alvarado during an immigration sweep in Hawthorne, Calif. (Obtained by NBC Los Angeles) Witnesses recorded the moment immigration authorities handcuffed Lopez Alvarado. They shout at the agents "let her go" and "she's pregnant." After Najera was arrested and Lopez Alvarado was detained, they were put in separate cars, she told Noticias Telemundo. She said immigration agents told her, "Calm down, calm down, youre pregnant. 'I said, how can I calm down?' Lopez Alvarado recounted through tears. She added she still hasn't heard from Najera following his arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said agents told her she was taken into custody for trying to obstruct their operation. I wasnt resisting or anything, she said. I cant fight back; Im pregnant. During the arrest, Lopez Alvarado said, she told agents she was due on June 17. The agents responded, 'OK, your baby is going to be born here, but you're from Mexico, right?' And I told them no, she said. "I was born here," Lopez Alvarado told Telemundo 52 in Spanish. "I was born in Los Angeles; I was born in Hollywood Hospital. Lopez Alvarado was released shortly after the arrest and taken to her home. She was told that agents would contact her later about the obstruction allegations. She said no one gave her any documents or citations in connection with the arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her cousin, Sandoval, was not released because he faces assault charges, his mother, Maria Alvarado, told Telemundo 52. "My son didn't attack. He was attacked. There are videos. There's evidence," she said in Spanish. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com MADISON, Tenn. (WKRN) From schools, streets and neighborhoods, it seems like his name can be found on every corner. When you enter the zip code of 37076, it can feel like youre stepping back in time. President Andrew Jackson bought The Hermitage property in 1804. At first, he lived in his log cabin for 17 years before moving into the brick mansion. Andrew Jackson was probably one of the most well-known people in the United States of American during his day, explained Tony Guzzi, Chief Experience Officer at The Hermitage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Andrew Jackson first moved to Tennessee to be the district attorney for the Nashville area. He became the major general for the Tennessee militia in 1802, catapulting Jackson in his career after his victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans and eventually winning the presidential election in 1828. It was the first time an American army on its own defeated a British army that decisivelyand so there was a great sense of relief and national pride wrapped up in Jacksons story, Guzzi said. News 2 On Tour | Explore the communities that shape Middle Tennessee That national pride can still be felt today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its one of the reasons we see the Jackson name and version of the Jackson name like Old Hickory or The Hermitage attached to so many different things in Middle Tennessee, explained Jason Zajac, President and CEO of Andrew Jackson Foundation. From the state Capitol, to Hermitage, streets, neighborhoods, businesses, schools are named after him and his family. Old Hickory was Jacksons nickname. Donelson was the name of Jacksons father-in-law. Jacksonville, FloridaJackson, Mississippi, all connections back to Andrew Jackson, Zajac said. But when thinking back on his legacy, there were some troubling aspects in Jacksons life and American history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More Jackson owned more than 300 slaves over the course of his life. News 2 visited several of the slave quarters on The Hermitage property. In his political years, he was an architect of Indian removal and relocation which had terrible consequences for the Native American population of course, Zajac said. Today about 220,000 people visit The Hermitage from across the world to learn the history of the enslaved people and American history, learn about the property and pay their respects to our 7th president. Everybodys going to look at Jacksons legacy in retrospect now and they are going to have differing opinions on Jacksons legacy, Guzzi 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 WKRN News 2. CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) President Donald Trump says he wants to wean off of FEMA following the 2025 hurricane season. Trump and his allies have long argued the agencys response to Hurricane Helene and similar storms was far too slow. Trump told reporters Tuesday he wants to see disaster relief funds flow directly to the states. When you have a tornado or a hurricane or you have a problem of any kind, in a state, thats what you have Governors for. Theyre supposed to fix those problems, said Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congressman Chuck Edwards, who represents western North Carolina in Congress, has said FEMAs response did not adequately meet the needs of his constituents. He previously was hesitant to fully commit to calling for a dissolution of FEMA, but told Queen City News Wednesday that he is on board with the presidents plan. Im very much open to the idea of significantly reducing or eliminating FEMA altogether. But of course, if we eliminate FEMA, were going to have to find some other agency or form to provide service to the states. However, he did say there should still be some sort of federal entity that can provide guidance to states trying to recover from a natural disaster. There needs to be a core group of consultants here in Washington, D.C that could provide consultation, not oversight, but consultation to the state and of course, the states need to receive the block grant funding that Congress would appropriate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Carolina Governor Josh Stein believes FEMA needs to be reformed, but insists the agency must remain intact to properly respond to natural disasters in the Tar Heel State and beyond. A spokesperson for Stein issued this statement to Queen City News: The Governor has been clear on this: Eliminating FEMA would be a man-made disaster; we need FEMA to help us address natural disasters. Lets work together to improve FEMA so we are ready for future disasters. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. President Trump resurrects lie about 2020 Minneapolis riots as he criticizes Walz originally appeared on Bring Me The News. As he responded to scrutiny about his administration's response to civil unrest in California, President Donald Trump resurrected a lie about his actions during the 2020 riots in Minneapolis as he took a swipe at Gov. Tim Walz. The president was being questioned at Fort Bragg after he deployed the National Guard and the Marines to California in response to protests following a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The deployment of military personnel has been roundly criticized by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who claims it was a decision taken without informing local law enforcement and in violation of state sovereignty. While there have been clashes between protesters and police and reports of vehicle burning and looting in some parts of the city, Newsom's administration said that the protests have not "risen to the level of protests or riots that Los Angeles and other major cities have seen at points in the past, including in recent years," with Newsom saying the deployment of the military risks inflaming tensions. When asked Tuesday about the decision to send in the National Guard, President Trump repeated a lie about his actions during the protests and riots that broke out in Minneapolis following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, falsely claiming that it was he and not Gov. Tim Walz who called in the National Guard to quell the unrest. "You know I went in my first term, I waited for governors to call in the military and they didn't want to do it, and I watched Minneapolis and other places burn for a long time and I said when are you going to call when are you going to call, and I said if I ever do this again if they're not responsive at the beginning not at the end," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You know I called in the military in Minneapolis but it was seven days. I waited for this guy but the same guy who ran for vice president, who's a very dumb person. He's a low-IQ individual like many Democrats are. "It was gonna burn to the ground, and he wouldnt call the guard. And I waited for a long time, and I called the guard, and I saved it." The National Guard was called in to Minneapolis during the 2020 unrest by Gov. Walz, and it wasn't "seven days" as the president claimed. Walz deployed the Minnesota National Guard on May 28, three days after Floyd was murdered by MPD Sergeant Derek Chauvin and two days after the protests escalated to property damage and the use of rubber bullets and tear gas by police in response. The National Guard in Minneapolis in 2020.Joe Nelson The governor gave the order for the National Guard's deployment at 2:30 p.m. on May 28. Trump then threatened to send in the National Guard at 11:53 p.m. as he criticized Mayor Jacob Frey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The deployment of the National Guard in Minneapolis was also not the result of a request from Trump, but rather it was deployed at the request of Minneapolis and St. Paul mayors Frey and Melvin Carter, respectively, with Walz saying this took place before he spoke with the White House. This is a repeat of what Trump started as early as June 17, 2020, when he claimed it was "five days" after the rioting started and which he repeated again during the 2024 election campaign after Walz became Kamala Harris' running mate. Related: Walz declares emergency, activates National Guard amid unrest in Twin Cities Frey would later criticize Walz's office, saying he requested the National Guard on the night of May 27 and claimed the governor was "hesitating." But the Walz administration responded by saying it required a formal written request, and that the Frey administration's earlier appeals for information were "rather vague" and lacking in strategy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On June 1, 2020, Trump praised Walz for his response to the riots and for calling in the National Guard, telling a group of governors on a phone call, "I fully agree with the way he handled it the last couple of days." He then called Walz "an excellent guy." He also made the claim during the call that he had encouraged Walz to use the National Guard, which Walz later said was not true. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared. During the Revolutionary War, the infant United States of America flew several different flags. That all changed on June 14, 1777, when Congress passed the Flag Resolution of 1777, establishing the U.S. flag with 13 alternating stripes of red and white, and a union of white stars on a blue field. While the number of stars has changed over the last 248 years, the overall design has not. But it took more than 170 years before Flag Day became a national holiday, celebrated on June 14 every year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing, according to the official Flag Code." Flag Day is an honor and tradition that displays the national flag with pride and happiness," said Anniston Army Depot Sgt. Maj. Happiness Brown on army.mil. "It is an annual observance which reminds us of the dedication and sacrifices made by our military service members. Its also a time to pray for our troops, those at home and abroad." Continental Congress adopts flag design On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution on the new country's flag design. "That the flag of the United States shall be of thirteen stripes of alternate red and white, with a union of thirteen stars of white in a blue field, representing the new constellation," the resolution read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A flag of this design was first carried into battle less than three months later, on Sept. 11, 1777, in the Battle of the Brandywine, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. When did we start celebrating Flag Day? "In the late 1800s, schools all over the United States held Flag Day programs to contribute to the Americanization of immigrant children, and the observance caught on with individual communities," according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14, according to the Library of Congress. Both Wilson, in 1916, and President Coolidge, in 1927, issued proclamations asking for June 14 to be observed as National Flag Day. Congressional legislation designating the date as national Flag Day wasn't signed into law until 1949 by President Harry Truman. The legislation also called upon the president to issue a Flag Day proclamation every year. President Trump born on Flag Day President Trump was born on Flag Day on June 14, 1946. "I am blessed to have shared my birthday with the Star Spangled Banner and the U.S. Army," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement US Army's 250th anniversary a celebration that coincides with Trump's birthday. How to attend In 2017, he proclaimed not only Flag Day but Flag Week, saying, "On Flag Day, we honor the symbol that reminds us that we are one Nation under God, united in our pursuit of liberty and justice for all. "By honoring our flag, we pay due respect to the patriots and heroes who have laid down their lives in defense of the liberty it represents. "The Congress also requested, in 1966, that the President annually issue a proclamation designating the week in which June 14 occurs as 'National Flag Week' and call upon citizens of the United States to display the flag during that week." Who created the first American flag? What it really Betsy Ross? "According to legend, in 1776, George Washington commissioned Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross to create a flag for the new nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Scholars, however, credit the flags design to Francis Hopkinson, who also designed the Great Seal and first coin of the United States. Even so, Ross most likely met Washington and certainly sewed early American flags in her familys Philadelphia upholstery shop," according to the Library of Congress. How many versions of the US flag have there been? There have been 27 official versions of the flag, but the arrangement of the stars has varied according to the flag-makers preferences until 1912. That's when President Taft standardized the then-new flags 48 stars, according to the Library of Congress. That changed when Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959. The current version of the flag dates to July 4, 1960. Flag trivia: High school student's flag design gets presidential call ... and grade change The current American flag was designed by Bob G. Heft, a high school student from Lancaster, Ohio, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Even though Bobs history teacher gave him a B- for not knowing how many states the Union had, Bob submitted his design to the White House (unprompted) in anticipation of Hawaii and Alaska joining the Union. To his surprise, President Eisenhower called him! Today, its Bob Hefts 1958 design showing 50 stars in a field that included five rows of six stars and four rows of five stars which is now our 50-star American flag." Heft's teacher changed his grade to an A. What do the colors of the American flag mean? The Continental Congress left no record explaining why it chose red, white and blue for the country's new flag. In 1782, the Congress of the Articles of Confederation chose the colors for the Great Seal of the United States with these meanings: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement white for purity and innocence red for valor and hardiness blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice How do you correctly fly the US flag? The U.S. Flag Code provides guidelines on how to display and care for the U.S. flag. Flags should always hang freely but never with the stars down, except as a distress signal. The U.S. flag flies above any other flag. Never use the flag for decoration. Use bunting with the blue on top, then white, then red. It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated at night. When a flag becomes unfit to fly, it should be destroyed with dignity. Do not let the flag touch the ground. Do not fly flag upside down unless there is an emergency. Do not carry the flag flat, or carry things in it. Do not use the flag as clothing. Do not store the flag where it can get dirty. Do not use it as a cover. Do not fasten it or tie it back. Always allow it to fall free. Do not draw on, or otherwise mark the flag. Does the flag fly at half-staff on Flag Day? No. The flag should be flown at full-staff, at the top of the pole on Flag Day. Is Flag Day a federal holiday? No, Flag Day is not a federal holiday, but the president traditionally proclaims its observance every year. The date, June 14, remains the same, no matter which day of the week it falls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are 2025 federal holidays: Jan. 1: New Year's Day Jan. 20: Inauguration Day; Martin Luther King Jr. Day Feb. 17: Washington's Birthday. Many state and local governments designation it as Presidents Day. May 26: Memorial Day June 19: Juneteenth July 4: Independence Day Sept. 1: Labor Day Oct. 13: Columbus Day Nov. 11: Veterans Day Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day Dec. 25: Christmas Day Contributing: Janet Loehrke, USA Today Network This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 10 things to know about Flag Day, President Trump's birthday Leading Democratic mayoral hopefuls Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo are battling to see who can fend off President Trumps agenda better. Both candidates released plans Tuesday to protect the Big Apple from the feds after Trump sent in the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to quell anti-immigration enforcement protests this week. Mamdani, the surging Democratic socialist candidate, proposed $224 million in legal defense funding, abortion hubs and more as part of his Trump proof sanctuary city plans. Mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo fought over who would better prepare New York City from a federal crackdown on immigration protests. AP Fighting the Trump administration will require fiscal independence from the feds, he said at a press conference claiming that his $10 billion tax increase plan will help pave the way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Queens assemblyman previously said he would pay for his freebie-filled agenda with a flat 2% tax increase on New Yorkers making $1 million or more and by raising the corporate tax rate to match New Jerseys 11.5% a move that experts said could lead to a mass exodus from the Big Apple. The campaign didnt clarify how much of Mamdanis tax plan was already accounted for, nor how much would be reserved to cover his Trump resistance proposal and any lost federal funding. Cuomo, meanwhile, released his own plan to thwart any future federal crackdowns in New York City. The proposal includes calls for legal monitors to ensure the NYPD complies with sanctuary laws, outfitting potential protests with first aid stations and coordinating with local groups to keep demonstrations peaceful. Mamdani has proposed to spend $224 million in legal defense funding, abortion hubs, and other initiatives as part of his Trump proof sanctuary city plans. Gregory P. Mango Cuomos campaign did not respond to a request for comment about the estimated cost of his proposals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is essential that we learn from the events unfolding in Los Angeles and prepare now, so New York City does not repeat the same mistakes, the former governor said in a statement. Mamdani, when announcing his own proposals, also took the opportunity to swipe at frontrunner Cuomo, saying that he would bend the knee to Trump on immigration. We need someone whos going to fight against Donald Trump. Cuomo would welcome Trumps troops into our city with open arms if it meant another check in his pocket to fund his campaign, Mamdani said. Cuomo also released his own plans, which include the NYPD following the current sanctuary laws, having first aid stations at potential protests, while also being in contact with local groups to prevent demonstrations from getting violent. Getty Images What we are seeing in Los Angeles is something that we have to be clear eyed about. It is authoritarianism. It is an example of what the Trump administration is already doing across this country, and hopes to bring to cities from coast to coast, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cuomo rep Rich Azzopardi shot back that the ex-gov has a documented past of bucking the Republican president. Only one candidate in this race has a documented history of standing up to Trump and preventing him from sending troops to New York and it sure isnt the Silver Spoon socialist performance artist who only passed three bills during his time as a legislator and then stopped showing up to work, he said. President Donald Trump speaks to soldiers at Ft. Bragg to celebrate the Armys 250th birthday. (Photo: Greg Childress) In a build up to a massive military parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to celebrate the Armys 250th birthday, President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised soldiers at Ft. Bragg for their fearlessness in keeping the nation safe and promised the name of Americas largest military base will never change again. Soldiers began filling grandsands hours before President Donald Trumps arrival at Ft. Bragg to celebrate the Armys 250th birthday. (Photo: Greg Childress) Trump also broke news, telling soldiers and civilians attending the celebration that he will restore the names of all bases that were named for Confederate generals but changed by Congress near the end of his first administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit? Trump asked soldiers in the crowd. Fort Bragg is in. Thats the name. And Fort Bragg it shall always remain. Thats never going to be happening again. Fort Bragg, which was named to honor the confederate general Braxton Bragg, had been renamed Fort Liberty and some signs leading to the military installation still carry that name. The names of the bases names for Confederate leaders were changed to reflect a more inclusive and representative America. Trump said the original names will be restored to Fort Gordon in Georgia, Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Lee in Virginia, Fort Picket in Virginia, Fort Polk in Louisiana and Fort Rucker in Alabama. We won a lot of battles out of those forts and its not time to change, said Trump, who planned to make the announcement Saturday but said he couldnt wait. Im superstitious. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuesdays celebration under mostly cloudy skies and intermittent showers was well attended. Soldiers began to fill the grandstands hours before Trumps appearance. Patriotic music blared from speakers while visitors feasted on food from nearby food trucks, giving the event a county fair feel. Occasionally, military helicopters whizzed overhead, drawing the attention of both children and adults. The crowd cheered almost uncontrollably when Trump finally arrived, fresh from viewing military readiness exercises that included howitzer live fires and a jump by more nearly 600 paratroopers. This week, we remember that we only have a country because we first had an army, Trump said. The army was first. Trumps visit comes as he faces criticism for deploying Marines and the National Guard in Los Angeles to quell protests over ICE raids on immigrants in that city. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll (Photo: Geg Childress) The visit also comes days ahead of Saturdays military parade to honor the 250th birthday of the Army and to celebrate the 79th birthday of the president. Army officials estimate 200,000 attendees for the military parade in Washington, D.C. Trump has faced criticism for what some call an ostentatious display, with some of the criticism coming from within the Republican Party. Veterans voice concerns about Trumps deep cuts to VA As Ft. Bragg readied for Trumps visit, retired Army major and Democratic congressional candidate Richard Ojeda issued a statement calling out the former presidents record of what he called betrayal toward veterans and military families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a proud veteran, I am disgusted to hear that Donald Trump will be standing on the sacred ground of Fort Bragg, shaking hands, taking photos, and pretending to care about those who wear the uniform, Ojeda said. Trump has no business showing his face at Fort Bragg, not after proposing 80,000 job cuts from the Department of Veterans Affairs and slashing services for those who have earned and bled for the healthcare they deserve. Ojedas comments come amid concerns about steep staffing cuts at Veterans Administration hospitals. VA staff and supporters contend proposed cuts will hinder the ability to adequately care for veterans. More than 80,000 positions just over 17% of the roughly 470,000 people it employs could be eliminated as part of a major restructuring of the federal governments second largest department. Veterans across the state have criticized the Trump administrations cuts to the VA. At a recent Voices for Veterans event in Fayetteville, a panel of veterans, VA employees and elected officials agreed that America has a moral obligation to care for members of the military after they have completed their service. The Trump administration is thinking about numbers and not people when it proposes such deep cuts to the VA, said VA nurse Ann Marie Patterson-Powell, a member of the panel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre not looking at the human side of it. Patterson-Powell said. We promised those who signed up and left their families, their homes everything behind to serve the country. We said, If you do this for me, were going to take care of you when you come back. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has defended the Trump administrations planned staffing cuts, saying, Were going to maintain VAs mission-essential jobs like doctors, nurses and claims processors, while phasing out non-mission essential roles like DEI officers. Defending the use of Marines in LA immigration crackdown Turning from the celebration of the Armys birthday, Trump attacked California Gov. Gavin Newson, blaming him and other Democratic leaders for the civil unrest in Los Angeles, which stems from the presidents immigration policy. The president claimed the city would have burned to the ground had he not ordered Californias National Guard and several hundred Marines to Los Angeles to protect federal law enforcement from the attacks of a vicious and violent mob. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It [Los Angeles] would be burning to day just like their houses were burning a number of of months ago, Trump said, referring to the fires in Southern California earlier this year that destroyed more than 16,000 homes and structures. Without providing proof, Trump said the agitators in Los Angeles are professionals and are well-funded. What youre witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, public law an order and our national sovereignty carried out by rioters with aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country and were not going to let that happen, Trump said. Trump warned would-be protesters that he would not tolerate any disruptions at Saturdays celebration in the nations Capitol. Pete Hegseth (Photo: Greg Childress) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Fayetteville as well and spoke briefly ahead of Trump, pledging to rebuild the military by restoring the warrior ethos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were not a college or a university, said Hegseth, who has degrees from Princeton and Harvard. Were not interested in your woke garbage and your political correctness. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll boasted that the Army has hit recruiting goals four months ahead of schedule, signaling what he has previously said is a renewed sense of patriotism and purpose among Americas youth. It is undeniable that young men and women [are] joining the Army in greater numbers, Driscoll said. The U.S. Army has reported signing 61,000 recruits four months ahead of schedule. This years goal was more than 10% higher than the 55,000 recruits targeted in fiscal 2024, demonstrating a surge in interest and enthusiasm for Army service, the Army said. President Donald Trump speaks to soldiers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday. (Greg Childress/NC Newsline) FORT BRAGG, N.C. In a build up to a massive military parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to celebrate the Armys 250th birthday, President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised soldiers at Fort Bragg for their fearlessness in keeping the nation safe and promised the name of Americas largest military base will never change again. Trump also broke news, telling soldiers and civilians attending the celebration that he will restore the names of all bases that were named for Confederate generals but changed by Congress near the end of his first administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit? Trump asked soldiers in the crowd. Fort Bragg is in. Thats the name. And Fort Bragg it shall always remain. Thats never going to be happening again. Fort Bragg, which was named to honor the confederate general Braxton Bragg, had been renamed Fort Liberty and some signs leading to the military installation still carry that name. The names of the bases names for Confederate leaders were changed to reflect a more inclusive and representative America. Trump said the original names will be restored to Fort Gordon in Georgia, Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Lee in Virginia, Fort Picket in Virginia, Fort Polk in Louisiana and Fort Rucker in Alabama. We won a lot of battles out of those forts and its not time to change, said Trump, who planned to make the announcement Saturday but said he couldnt wait. Im superstitious. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Army base in Louisiana had been renamed in June 2023 for Sgt. William Henry Johnson, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient for his exploits in World War I. The based was originally named after Confederate Gen. Leonidas K. Polk, who was also bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. The new Fort Polk will be named in honor of Gen. James H. Polk, the commander in chief of the U.S. Army in Europe from 1967-71. Tuesdays celebration under mostly cloudy skies and intermittent showers was well attended. Soldiers began to fill the grandstands hours before Trumps appearance. Patriotic music blared from speakers while visitors feasted on food from nearby food trucks, giving the event a county fair feel. Occasionally, military helicopters whizzed overhead, drawing the attention of both children and adults. The crowd cheered almost uncontrollably when Trump finally arrived, fresh from viewing military readiness exercises that included howitzer live fires and a jump by more nearly 600 paratroopers. This week, we remember that we only have a country because we first had an army, Trump said. The army was first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps visit comes as he faces criticism for deploying Marines and the National Guard in Los Angeles to quell protests over ICE raids on immigrants in that city. Soldiers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina await President Trumps arrival on Tuesday, June 2025, to celebrate the Armys 250th birthday. (Greg Childress/NC Newsline) The visit also comes days ahead of Saturdays military parade to honor the 250th birthday of the Army and to celebrate the 79th birthday of the president. Army officials estimate 200,000 attendees for the military parade in Washington, D.C. Trump has faced criticism for what some call an ostentatious display, with some of the criticism coming from within the Republican Party. Veterans voice concerns about Trumps deep cuts to VA As Fort Bragg readied for Trumps visit, retired Army major and Democratic congressional candidate Richard Ojeda issued a statement calling out the former presidents record of what he called betrayal toward veterans and military families. As a proud veteran, I am disgusted to hear that Donald Trump will be standing on the sacred ground of Fort Bragg, shaking hands, taking photos, and pretending to care about those who wear the uniform, Ojeda said. Trump has no business showing his face at Fort Bragg, not after proposing 80,000 job cuts from the Department of Veterans Affairs and slashing services for those who have earned and bled for the healthcare they deserve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ojedas comments come amid concerns about steep staffing cuts at Veterans Administration hospitals. VA staff and supporters contend proposed cuts will hinder the ability to adequately care for veterans. More than 80,000 positions just over 17% of the roughly 470,000 people it employs could be eliminated as part of a major restructuring of the federal governments second largest department. Veterans across the state have criticized the Trump administrations cuts to the VA. At a recent Voices for Veterans event in Fayetteville, a panel of veterans, VA employees and elected officials agreed that America has a moral obligation to care for members of the military after they have completed their service. The Trump administration is thinking about numbers and not people when it proposes such deep cuts to the VA, said VA nurse Ann Marie Patterson-Powell, a member of the panel. Theyre not looking at the human side of it. Patterson-Powell said. We promised those who signed up and left their families, their homes everything behind to serve the country. We said, If you do this for me, were going to take care of you when you come back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has defended the Trump administrations planned staffing cuts, saying, Were going to maintain VAs mission-essential jobs like doctors, nurses and claims processors, while phasing out non-mission essential roles like DEI officers. Defending the use of Marines in L.A. immigration crackdown Turning from the celebration of the Armys birthday, Trump attacked California Gov. Gavin Newson, blaming him and other Democratic leaders for the civil unrest in Los Angeles, which stems from the presidents immigration policy. The president claimed the city would have burned to the ground had he not ordered Californias National Guard and several hundred Marines to Los Angeles to protect federal law enforcement from the attacks of a vicious and violent mob. It [Los Angeles] would be burning to day just like their houses were burning a number of of months ago, Trump said, referring to the fires in Southern California earlier this year that destroyed more than 16,000 homes and structures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without providing proof, Trump said the agitators in Los Angeles are professionals and are well-funded. What youre witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, public law an order and our national sovereignty carried out by rioters with aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country and were not going to let that happen, Trump said. Trump warned would-be protesters that he would not tolerate any disruptions at Saturdays celebration in the nations Capitol. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Fayetteville as well and spoke briefly ahead of Trump, pledging to rebuild the military by restoring the warrior ethos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were not a college or a university, said Hegseth, who has degrees from Princeton and Harvard. Were not interested in your woke garbage and your political correctness. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll boasted that the Army has hit recruiting goals four months ahead of schedule, signaling what he has previously said is a renewed sense of patriotism and purpose among Americas youth. It is undeniable that young men and women [are] joining the Army in greater numbers, Driscoll said. The U.S. Army has reported signing 61,000 recruits four months ahead of schedule. This years goal was more than 10% higher than the 55,000 recruits targeted in fiscal 2024, demonstrating a surge in interest and enthusiasm for Army service, the Army said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Louisiana Illuminator contributed to this report. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE This report was originally published by NC Newsline, part of the States Newsroom nonprofit news network, Its supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com. President Donald Trump speaks to soldiers at Ft. Bragg to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday. (Photo: Greg Childress) In a build-up to a massive military parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to celebrate the Armys 250th birthday, President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised soldiers at Ft. Bragg for their fearlessness in keeping the nation safe and promised the name of Americas largest military base will never change again. Trump also broke news, telling soldiers and civilians attending the celebration that he will restore the names of all bases that were named for Confederate generals but changed by Congress near the end of his first administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit? Trump asked soldiers in the crowd. Fort Bragg is in. Thats the name. And Fort Bragg it shall always remain. Thats never going to be happening again. Fort Bragg, which was named to honor the confederate general Braxton Bragg, had been renamed Fort Liberty and some signs leading to the military installation still carry that name. The names of the bases names for Confederate leaders were changed to reflect a more inclusive and representative America. Trump said the original names will be restored to Fort Gordon in Georgia, Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Lee in Virginia, Fort Picket in Virginia, Fort Polk in Louisiana and Fort Rucker in Alabama. We won a lot of battles out of those forts and its not time to change, said Trump, who planned to make the announcement Saturday but said he couldnt wait. Im superstitious. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuesdays celebration under mostly cloudy skies and intermittent showers was well attended. Soldiers began to fill the grandstands hours before Trumps appearance. Patriotic music blared from speakers while visitors feasted on food from nearby food trucks, giving the event a county fair feel. Occasionally, military helicopters whizzed overhead, drawing the attention of both children and adults. The crowd cheered almost uncontrollably when Trump finally arrived, fresh from viewing military readiness exercises that included howitzer live fires and a jump by more nearly 600 paratroopers. This week, we remember that we only have a country because we first had an army, Trump said. The army was first. Trumps visit comes as he faces criticism for deploying Marines and the National Guard in Los Angeles to quell protests over ICE raids on immigrants in that city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The visit also comes days ahead of Saturdays military parade to honor the 250th birthday of the Army and to celebrate the 79th birthday of the president. Army officials estimate 200,000 attendees for the military parade in Washington, D.C. Trump has faced criticism for what some call an ostentatious display, with some of the criticism coming from within the Republican Party. Veterans voice concerns about Trumps deep cuts to VA As Ft. Bragg readied for Trumps visit, retired Army major and Democratic congressional candidate Richard Ojeda issued a statement calling out the former presidents record of what he called betrayal toward veterans and military families. As a proud veteran, I am disgusted to hear that Donald Trump will be standing on the sacred ground of Fort Bragg, shaking hands, taking photos, and pretending to care about those who wear the uniform, Ojeda said. Trump has no business showing his face at Fort Bragg, not after proposing 80,000 job cuts from the Department of Veterans Affairs and slashing services for those who have earned and bled for the healthcare they deserve. Ojedas comments come amid concerns about steep staffing cuts at Veterans Administration hospitals. VA staff and supporters contend proposed cuts will hinder the ability to adequately care for veterans. More than 80,000 positions just over 17% of the roughly 470,000 people it employs could be eliminated as part of a major restructuring of the federal governments second largest department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Veterans across the state have criticized the Trump administrations cuts to the VA. At a recent Voices for Veterans event in Fayetteville, a panel of veterans, VA employees and elected officials agreed that America has a moral obligation to care for members of the military after they have completed their service. The Trump administration is thinking about numbers and not people when it proposes such deep cuts to the VA, said VA nurse Ann Marie Patterson-Powell, a member of the panel. Theyre not looking at the human side of it. Patterson-Powell said. We promised those who signed up and left their families, their homes everything behind to serve the country. We said, If you do this for me, were going to take care of you when you come back. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has defended the Trump administrations planned staffing cuts, saying, Were going to maintain VAs mission-essential jobs like doctors, nurses and claims processors, while phasing out non-mission essential roles like DEI officers. Defending the use of Marines in LA immigration crackdown Turning from the celebration of the Armys birthday, Trump attacked California Gov. Gavin Newson, blaming him and other Democratic leaders for the civil unrest in Los Angeles, which stems from the presidents immigration policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president claimed the city would have burned to the ground had he not ordered Californias National Guard and several hundred Marines to Los Angeles to protect federal law enforcement from the attacks of a vicious and violent mob. It (Los Angeles) would be burning to day just like their houses were burning a number of of months ago, Trump said, referring to the fires in Southern California earlier this year that destroyed more than 16,000 homes and structures. Without providing proof, Trump said the agitators in Los Angeles are professionals and are well-funded. What youre witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, public law an order and our national sovereignty carried out by rioters with aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country and were not going to let that happen, Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump warned would-be protesters that he would not tolerate any disruptions at Saturdays celebration in the nations Capitol. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Fayetteville as well and spoke briefly ahead of Trump, pledging to rebuild the military by restoring the warrior ethos. Were not a college or a university, said Hegseth, who has degrees from Princeton and Harvard. Were not interested in your woke garbage and your political correctness. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll boasted that the Army has hit recruiting goals four months ahead of schedule, signaling what he has previously said is a renewed sense of patriotism and purpose among Americas youth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is undeniable that young men and women (are) joining the Army in greater numbers, Driscoll said. The U.S. Army has reported signing 61,000 recruits four months ahead of schedule. This years goal was more than 10% higher than the 55,000 recruits targeted in fiscal 2024, demonstrating a surge in interest and enthusiasm for Army service, the Army said. This story was originally produced by NC Newsline which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) A state law which protects abortion patients from being prosecuted for their own abortions also protects miscarriage patients from facing criminal charges if theyre accused of having an abortion, according to comments made by the president of the West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Association on Monday, June 9, 2025. Luke Furbee, who is also a prosecuting attorney in Tyler County, made the explanation on the same day his organization released a statement explaining that prosecutors in the state have no plans to file criminal charges against those who miscarry and dispose of fetal remains. Furbee said his group released the statement to clarify statements made earlier by fellow prosecuting attorney Tom Truman of Raleigh County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Truman had said in late May he heard from other state prosecutors over the years who were willing to prosecute women they suspected of having abortions by using state code related to disposal of human remains. One of those statutes was concealment of a dead body. Prosecutor warns of potential charges against women who miscarry in West Virginia Furbee told 59News on Monday that the concealment charge could not be brought against a woman who miscarried. If you read the concealment of a deceased human body law, it specifically references where death occurred as a result of criminal activity,' Furbee said. We think that that is pretty clear that the predicate there would be death as a result of criminal activity, and what we didnt want was the narrative to be out there that somebody thought simply having a miscarriage was criminal activity or automatically necessitated some kind of police report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Furbee said a woman who has an abortion also would not be charged with disposing of the fetal remains. There is a near-total abortion ban in the state, but Furbee said the abortion statute exempts pregnant women from criminal charges. The analysis that I think you could use is thats a specific statute, and the law typically teaches that a specific statute prevails over a more general one, so thats one way to look at it, but I think the main message from our association is that the tragic experience of simply having a miscarriage doesnt trigger criminal liability. Attorney for pregnancy rights group says West Virginia law protects women who miscarry Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because having an abortion is not a crime for an abortion patient, women who miscarry and is accused by another party of having an abortion could not face criminal charges under the concealment law, Furbee confirmed during the interview. Thats the analysis that the association (WVPAA) is taking on, said Furbee. Prosecutors say text messages show Natalie Cochran tried to put distance between Michael Cochran and his family An Ohio woman was arrested on similar charges in 2023 for how she disposed of fetal remains after a miscarriage. An Ohio grand jury later declined to indict the woman, Brittany Watts, whom prosecutors said had abused a corpse by flushing her toilet after a miscarriage at 21 weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watts has since filed a lawsuit against Mercy Health St. Joseph Hospital in Youngstown, naming health care workers Connie Moschell, Jordan Carrino and Parisa Khavari and alleging nurses provided false information about her health care to local law enforcement. City of Warren police detective Nick Carney is also named. As Ms. Watts lay in a hospital bed hooked up to I.V.s and awaiting treatment, Defendants Carney, Moschell, and Carrino conspired to interrogate Ms. Watts and accuse her of harming the fetus. They worked together to fabricate evidence to falsely implicate Ms. Watts in criminal conduct, the lawsuit alleges. They knowingly created reports and hospital notes that contained blatantly false information. As a result, Ms. Watts was arrested and charged with a felony: abuse of a corpse. She faced a year in prison for simply having a miscarriage at home. Former corrections officer sentenced in connection with the death of an inmate at Southern Regional Jail Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kulsoom Ijaz, senior policy counsel for the non-profit Pregnancy Justice in New York, told 59News that policies centered on the concept of fetal personhood often result in more charges being brought against pregnant and post-partum women. West Virginia does not have strong fetal personhood laws, Ijaz said. These are failed policies that are proven not to work, Ijaz said. When you punish pregnant and post-partum women, that stokes fear, and that makes them so afraid that they arent able to access necessary health care, including pre- and post-natal care, and when that happens, that drives up terrible maternal and infant health outcomes, which is exactly what a state doesnt want. 59News asked Furbee what bills containing some elements of fetal personhood policy, such as those proposed in 2023, could mean for the legal landscape, but Furbee declined to answer before gaining more information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, the Life at Conception Act of 2024 failed to pass. The bill language stated, Nothing in this bill shall be construed to require the prosecution of any woman for the unintentional death of her unborn child and also stated that the proposed bill would not deny the full humanity for those who choose abstinence or use traditional pre-fertilization contraception methods. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) Price Rite Marketplace celebrated its 30th anniversary by giving back to the community on Tuesday. Mass. officials support local farms during National Dairy Month To celebrate, the grocery chain teamed up with the Boys and Girls Club and other charities and organizations to help families in need. They hosted an event on the Big E Fairgrounds where families received a 25-pound box of food, a 15-pound box of personal care items, backpacks filled with school supplies, Price Rite gift cards, and other assorted items. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kevin McDonnell, Price Rites president, told 22News he is grateful to be able to give back. Its very satisfying to me to be able to operate stores in these diverse areas and be able to provide wholesome food to our customers, but then to be able to give back a little bit to the communities and help the kids in particular, McDonnel said Hunger remains a serious issue in many communities, with one in five children in the U.S. experiencing food insecurity. 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. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) Its time for our Primetime 585 Shining Star Spotlight where we introduce you to some student athletes who are brightening up our community were highlighting Kaili Witherell. Kaili is a softball superstar at Haverling High School in Bath. She made her 1,000th career strikeout this season and broke the Haverling career strikeout record in her junior year. Shes the Gatorade Player of the Year and the Section V B-1 Player of the Year for 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shes also a National Honor Society member, Student Council President, and a Texas State softball signee. A big congratulations Kaili, from all of us here at News 8 and Primetime 585 and thank you for brightening up our 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 RochesterFirst. Prior Lake-Savage Area school board dissolves equity and inclusion resolution originally appeared on Bring Me The News. The Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools Board of Education voted 5-2 on Monday to dissolve the district's equity and inclusion resolution, despite protesters urging district leaders to reconsider. The resolution was adopted in 2020 after a community-led process and stated, in part, that the district "is fully committed to developing and sustaining an inclusive and anti-racist school community." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School Board Chair Daniel White previously told FOX 9 the board would be reviewing the resolution "to determine if it is still necessary given the direction and commitments outlined in our strategic plan." Some of the supporters of rescinding the resolution argued the language was divisive and the steered the district away from a focus on student achievement. Opponents of the effort to rescind the resolution have claimed there wasn't a transparent process that allowed for community input. It comes at a time that a number of companies, institutions and organizations have scrapped programs and policies relating to diversity, equity and inclusion following presidential executive orders and funding withdrawals relating to DEI from the Trump administration. Prior Lake High School, Facebook Dustin Smith, a parent of two kindergartners, said he was surprised and disappointed to see the action on Monday's meeting agenda at a time when district leaders are weighing a proposal to close some schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It seems to me that there are bigger issues currently facing the district that should be a priority right now not debating whether a resolution that advocates for the learning, success and safety of all children is an issue," Smith said. Savage resident Michael Nelson was a school board member from 2018 until 2021 and helped create the resolution. She questioned board members on why the district wouldn't have both a strategic plan and statement supporting equity, as many other districts do. "This board let the resolution gather dust," Nelson said. "It is only now an issue because certain people in our community clamor to remove any mention of equity." The full resolution can be found here. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared. (FOX 5/KUSI) California prison officials are asking the public for help to find a man who walked away from a reentry program facility in San Diego County on Tuesday. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Justin Dake, an incarcerated person, tampered with his ankle monitor and was missing during an emergency count around 10:30 p.m. Law enforcement agencies in the area have been notified and are helping in the search. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dake, 29, is described by CDCR as being 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing approximately 164 pounds, and having blue eyes and blond or strawberry-blond hair. California newborn kidnapped 45 years ago could still be alive, officials say Dake was reportedly received from Orange County in May 2017 after receiving a sentence for attempted second-degree murder with enhancements, and while incarcerated, also received a sentence out of Kern County for an in-prison assault, according to CDCR. State prison officials said that some people with less than two years left on their sentence may be eligible to serve that time in a reentry center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone who sees Dake or has information about his whereabouts is asked to call 911 or Special Agent Guillermo Lopez at 619-666-5523. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) A Youngstown man was sentenced to an additional 24-month prison term after a federal probation violation. Earlier this year, police reported finding a gun and marijuana in the home of Donald Snowden, who was being investigated for a parole violation from federal court. Snowden pleaded guilty to drug charges in an indictment filed in October 2022 in the U.S. Western District Court of Pennsylvania. Seven other people were also indicted in the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison followed by three years of federal probation. A sentencing memorandum in Snowdens case said he was part of a network that was selling drugs in Mercer and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania as well as in the Youngstown area. On Wednesday, U.S. District Court records state that the 24-month prison term was handed down for the parole violation, followed by a 12-month term of supervised release. Court records state that he was not to possess a controlled substance or firearm as part of his probation. Joe Gorman 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. ALBANY Activists and socialist Democratic lawmakers held a sit-in on a busy street outside the state Capitol to push for a bill that would expand the states controversial sanctuary policies. The so-called NY4All Act would stop all police and New York state employees from working with immigration authorities. We will remain here until NY4All passes, one activist with a bullhorn declared. The demonstration blocking Washington Avenue came as unrest over ICE raids roiled Los Angeles, where President Trump took the extraordinary step of deploying the National Guard and Marines. Pro-sanctuary policy activists blocked a busy Albany intersection Tuesday. Vaughn Golden/NY Post Support for NY4All in the state legislature is on shaky ground at best. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans have blasted the bill despite its longshot status. While President Trump continues to remove dangerous criminals here illegally, the NY for ALl Act will make our state a safe harbor and magnet for illegal immigration, Assemblyman Matt Slater (R-Westchester) told The Post in a statement. Clearly, Democrats learned nothing from the failed open border policies of the past. Socialist pols including state Assembly members Emily Gallagher (D-Brooklyn), Marcela Mitaynes (D-Brooklyn) and Claire Valdez (D-Queens) spent about an hour at the sit-in, which was organized by the New York Immigration Coalition. Gallagher referred to the Trump administration as fascist in an X post featuring a video of her sitting in the street as a brass ensemble played in the background, threatening to drown out her words. Demonstrators called for the passage of NY4All, a bill restricting local and state law enforcement from working with ICE. Vaughn Golden/NY Post ICE might still overwhelm us, but we need to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to protect our community members, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill beyond restricting local and state law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities would prohibit ICE from entering state property without a judicial warrant, stop county jails from boarding out ICE detainees and bar state employees from entering any information about a persons immigration status into a state database. The sit-in led many buses to reroute as it unfolded along an intersection thats a major stop for many bus routes going in and out of Albany. The activists were cleared away by 4:30 p.m. and no arrests were made. Bo Loudon, a conservative Gen Z influencer who has called Donald Trumps son Barron Trump his best friend, is taking credit for helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement briefly detain Italian-Senegalese social media star Khaby Lame, the worlds most-followed person on TikTok. In a statement to USA Today on Sunday, an ICE spokesperson confirmed that Lame, whose full name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was detained on Friday at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for immigration violations. The 25-year-old, who has more than 160 million followers on TikTok, was born in Senegal but moved as a child to Italy, where he is now a citizen. According to ICE, he entered the U.S. on April 30 and overstayed the terms of his visa. After a brief detention, the agency said, Lame was granted voluntary departure, which allows an individual facing removal to leave the U.S. voluntarily in a set time frame, rather than being ordered to be deported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lame has not addressed his detention on social media and did not respond to a request for comment from The New York Times. After losing his factory job during the Covid pandemic, Lame began posting silent skits reacting to life-hack videos on TikTok, quickly gaining a following. He has held the title of the most-followed user on the platform since June 2022, when he surpassed dancer Charli DAmelio. On Friday, before Lames detention was widely reported, Loudon alleged he played a role in the influencers interaction with immigration authorities. Ive been working with the patriots at President Trumps DHS to make this happen, Loudon, 18, wrote on X. In a video posted on Monday, Loudon alleged he heard from a few of his friends and business partners that Lame had overstayed his visa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I just called some buddies in the administration, and Ive never seen anything happen so quick, Loudon alleged. They were like, Were gonna get right on this. Loudon wished Lame the best of luck and said he hopes hes able to come back as a law-abiding citizen. Bo Loudon is the son of former Republican Missouri state Sen. John Loudon and conservative media personality Gina Loudon, who served as co-chair of Women for Trump. The 18-year-old frequently posts photos of himself with both the president and Barron Trump on his social media pages. During Trumps presidential campaign, Loudon was said to have played a role in helping the 78-year-old court young male voters. Loudon said he helped set up Trumps interviews with Adin Ross and Joe Rogan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was the honor of my life to be able to organize and attend the LEGENDARY stream between Rightful President Trump and my friend @AdinRoss, Loudon wrote at the time. GEN-Z STANDS WITH TRUMP! This article was originally published on MSNBC.com CORRECTIONVILLE, Iowa (KCAU) Theres good news for Little Sioux Park visitors. Progress is being made on repairing the boat ramp that was damaged during the historic flooding in June 2024. During Tuesdays meeting, the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors approved a $65,000 allocation for the repairs. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already approved the money for the project and will reimburse the county. However, it is not known when that will happen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nebraskas oldest bur oak dies at over 300 years old The project has been held up after the Woodbury County Conservation, who oversees Little Sioux Park and boat ramp, did not have funds available for the repairs. The ramp is used by the public, along with rescue teams during emergencies on the Little Sioux River. Work on the boat ramp is expected to begin next month. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Twp., and House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri, D-Canton, participate in a PAC reception during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) The Detroit Regional Chambers annual Mackinac Policy Conference is a controversial fixture of Michigan politics. Each year politicians, lobbyists, business representatives and community leaders gather at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island for three days of handshaking, networking and panel discussions aimed at issues like education, housing, economic development and foreign policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recent conferences have featured appearances from members of the states congressional delegation and remarks from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, alongside various politicians, politicos and business leaders such as former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), former U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and businessman Mark Cuban. However, the conference has drawn criticism from Detroiters who say the chambers agenda doesnt match their needs, while activist groups have raised concerns about the influence of corporate money in politics. While media and certain government officials receive complimentary registration, attending the conference carries a multi-thousand dollar price tag, with registration for the 2025 conference coming in at $3,700 for general members of the Detroit Regional Chamber and $4,900 for future members. MIGOP Chairman state Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, center, and state Rep. Bryan Posthumus, R-Rockford, right, discuss the future of the Michigan Republican Party Chad Livengood of The Detroit News during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) The conference also carries several big name sponsors including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Rocket Companies and the states largest energy providers, DTE Energy and Consumers Energy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sam Inglot, director of the progressive advocacy group Progress Michigan called the conference a petri dish of some of the worst aspects of our political system. Corporate money flooding our politics, exclusive access for only those with money and a lot of self-congratulatory bullcrap from political and lobbying insiders. What do Michiganders actually get out of this performance? Inglot said in a statement. As part of its monthly Lake Effect Poll, conducted by the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling, Progress Michigan asked 622 Michigan voters between May 30 and May 31, 2025 about their thoughts on the conference. One question states these lawmaker trips to Mackinac Island are often funded by corporate lobbyists, who join lawmakers on the island as they make public policy decisions, before asking voters whether they supported lawmakers traveling to places like Mackinac Island to make policy decisions that impact communities across the state. Former Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, left, and Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., right, at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) In response, most voters opposed having their officials travel to the conference, with 44% in strong opposition and 27% saying they somewhat opposed the notion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Republicans and Democrats offered similar levels of opposition to lawmakers making the trip to Mackinac to talk policy, independents offered the strongest opposition of any subpopulation, with 47% in strong opposition and 27% saying they were somewhat opposed. Another question states Every year Michigan lawmakers travel to Mackinac Island, a place accessible only by ferry or private plane, to gather and make important public policy decisions, before asking voters whether they support officials traveling to the island to make policy decisions. Responses to this question were increasingly split, with 45% of voters offering their opposition with 25% strongly opposed compared to 38% in support. The remaining 17% responded they werent sure of their opinion. While Democrats were more supportive of lawmakers traveling to the island to make policy decisions with 46% offering support, Republicans and independents were more opposed to officials going on policymaking trips. Fifty-one percent of Republicans offered some form of opposition, while 50% of Independent voters were opposed, compared to the 35% of independents in support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The more people learn about the Mackinac Policy Conference and the corporate lobbyists who are the engine of it, the less they support it, Inglot said. This is a trend we are seeing across the state, people are fed up with the corporate dominance of our politics. They want to see the money and the corrupting influence it brings out of our political system. Catia Sabak, the chambers director of communications said the Detroit Regional Chamber is proud to have led the conference for almost 50 years. Other states have tried, and failed, to recreate this special convening of the states top leadership. It is truly unique in the nation, Sabak said. Despite that the Conference is hosted by a private business organization and hosted on private property, the Chambers current leadership has made most of the thought leadership shared on the Island available free of charge via a partnership with Detroit PBS and includes over 130 working media from local, state and national outlets, including CNN. In an emailed statement, Kim Murphy-Kovalick, the senior director of policy for Voters Not Politicians, said Progress Michigans polling underscores a key point: voters are fed up with the corrupting influence of money in politics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the conference is great for getting access to lawmakers and political leaders, the people who can afford to make that trip are mostly lobbyists, special interests groups and industry insiders, not voters, Murphy-Kovalick said. Michigan politicians should instead place their focus on representing the voters who are excluded from attending the conference, Murphy-Kovalick said. Most everyday people have no insight into how Lansing functions, and this conference is one reason for that. If politicians cant afford to attend on their own dime, how can everyday Michiganders hope to compete with wealthy special interests and corporations for their attention? she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) The Hampden County Sheriffs Department is keeping individuals with cognitive conditions safe in the city of Chicopee with a new program. This program is called Project Life-Saver, and it provides the citys most vulnerable population with a small tracking device to wear, which can be used to locate them if they get lost. Chicopee Fire Department promotes two officers to new ranks Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Project Life-Saver is a safety system for those with cognitive conditions such as autism or dementia. If they wander off or get lost, which for some could be days or weeks, it helps protect them and bring them back home. We always want to hear the word rescue and not the word recovery, and thats just the blunt fact, said Chicopee Mayor John Vieau. And the goal is to rescue people, and thats what were hopeful this will help us do. This is a key initiative under the Hampden County TRIAD program, founded in 2021. Members of the Chicopee Police and Fire Departments completed comprehensive training to support the program. How Project Life-Saver works The program requires participants to wear a bracelet that can be tracked using radio frequency in case they go missing. Lt. Greg Moss from the Hampden County Sheriffs Department explained how this helps to find them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We punch in their specialized radio frequency from the transponder on that, and then we go from where the person is last known, last known location, Moss said. This helps speed up emergency responders search and recovery time to under 30 minutes. We can pick up their signal no matter where they are, said Deputy Elizabeth Rodriguez, Triad Officer for the Hampden County Sheriffs Department. If theyre in the water, if theyre in a basement, if theyre under a bridge. How to obtain a tracking device Deputy Rodriguez said this not only ensures their safety and well-being but also brings peace of mind to their caregivers or loved ones. Each bracelet is free and can be worn on a persons wrist or ankle. Families interested in enrolling a loved one are asked to call the Hampden County Sheriffs Office at (413) 858-0060. 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. Louisiana Illuminator The Louisiana Senate has refused to refer a bill targeting diversity, equity and inclusion to a committee where it could be debated, an unusual move that essentially means the proposal will die on the vine. House Bill 685 by Rep. Emily Chenevert, R-Baton Rouge, would have banned DEI practices across state government and prohibit state universities and colleges from requiring certain race and gender-based curricula for undergraduate students. It narrowly passed the House last month after a hours-long debate in which Black lawmakers called the bill racially oppressive. We couldnt figure out which committee to refer it to, Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, said Monday in an interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chenevert said she was disappointed her bill didnt get a Senate committee hearing, adding she would consider sponsoring the legislation again in the future. Sometimes its not about getting all the way through, Chenevert said. Maybe its just bringing up the topic and having some open conversations about it. The legislation was originally debated in the House and Governmental Affairs Committee, because its original version only prohibited DEI practices in state agencies. During that hearing, it was amended to restrict college curricula but it was not sent to the House Committe on Education, which handles proposals on curricula and higher education. To the extent the bill intended to prohibit the inclusion of certain concepts which are unrelated to specific courses or programs it would be unnecessary as professional best practices already set that standard, LSU Faculty Senate President Dan Tirone said in a statement to the Illuminator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Bill 685 was introduced in the Senate on May 20, with more than three weeks left in the legislative session during which it could have been debated in committee, a necessary step before it can get a Senate floor vote. But as the final week of committee meetings passed, Cheneverts proposal remained unreferred. I think its unnecessary, Henry said, adding it was the Senates decision, not just his, to stall the bill. An enormous amount of people from both parties expressed their reservations. Cheneverts bill had the support of Gov. Jeff Landry. If the governor wants to institute that, he can do an executive order, Henry said of the legislation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If it had become law, the bill would have prohibited required classes that cover any of the following subjects: Critical race theory White fragility or white guilt Systemic racism, institutional racism or anti-racism Systemic bias or implicit bias Intersectionality Gender identity Allyship Race-based reparations Race-based privilege The legislation would have allowed any of the subjects to be taught if it was included at the discretion of the faculty member, is not prescribed by the institution as a program requirement, and is part of a broader pedagogical objective. Opponents of the bill said even with this language, the legislation could have had a chilling effect on facultys academic freedom and freedom of speech. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Louisiana chapter of the American Association of University Professors sent a letter to lawmakers asking them to oppose the bill. This legislation would stifle the marketplace of ideas and infantilize our students, forcing faculty to avoid concepts the legislature dislikes and presenting only those that have gained their favor, the letter reads. This is antithetical to freedom in a democratic society and hurts our students as they transition into fully enfranchised citizens. The Southern University Foundation, which is affiliated with Louisianas largest historically Black university, also opposed the bill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A St. Clair Shores man accused of killing his mother by beating her with a broken broomstick handle is incompetent to stand trial, but may be deemed competent after treatment, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office. Armando Jourdain Streeter, 46, is charged with second-degree murder and assault with intent to murder in the killing of his 76-year-old mother in their home April 5. A competency hearing was held June 10 in 40th District Court in St. Clair Shores. The prosecutor's office indicated in a news release June 11 that a competency report said Streeter is incompetent, but is likely to regain competency with treatment, which he is to receive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A review hearing is set for Sept. 16, according to online court records. Streeter is being held without bond in the county jail. Messages were left for Streeter's attorney, Robyn Kennedy, who could not be immediately reached for comment. Prosecutor Peter Lucido said his office will monitor Streeter's status and will resume prosecution when Streeter is found to be competent. Lucido said the decision "does not affect the charges brought or the seriousness of the alleged offenses." More: Michigan grown, never remediated: A cleaner take on cannabis More: Lawsuit over Detroit police shooting seeks $25M Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to an online story in the Macomb Daily, a detective sergeant told the judge that dispatchers received a call from Streeter's brother saying he found his mother dead in the bedroom "with the end of a broomstick impaled in one of her eyes." A man matching Streeter's full name, age and year of birth was discharged from state prison in January 2024 after serving time on charges of assault with intent to murder and a felony firearms offense from a 2001 case in Wayne County. He was sentenced in 2002 after a jury conviction, according to Michigan Department of Corrections online records. 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: St. Clair Shores man incompetent for trial in fatal beating of mother Press Release June 11, 2025 Transcript of Senator Pia S. Cayetano Privilege Speech - Dirty Ashtray Award Chairman's Report June 11, 2025 Mr. President, I rise today on a matter of personal and collective privilege. June is National No-Smoking Month, under Presidential Proclamation No. 183 and May 31 was World No Tobacco Day. In light of this, and the ongoing global and national efforts to curb tobacco and vape use, the following report is all the more timely and warranted. As Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, known as the Blue Ribbon Committee, I will be submitting my Chairperson's Report and its Executive Summary is here, which I have personally distributed to the members of this body, regarding the inquiry in aid of legislation on the Privilege Speech of this representation, entitled "For the 5th Time, the Philippines Gets 'Dirty Ashtray' Award," on 14 February 2024. This report includes an inquiry into the Philippine delegation's conduct during the Conference of the Parties (the COP10) negotiations, which drew criticism for delaying the proceedings, echoing tobacco industry arguments, and failing to uphold the country's commitments to global health standards. In 2005, the Philippines signed and ratified the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This is the WHO FCTC. During the WHO FCTC COP10, held from 05 to 10 February 2024 in Panama City, the Republic of Panama, the Philippines received a 'Dirty Ashtray' award. The 'Dirty Ashtray' award, a notorious dishonor, was conferred upon the Philippines for the brazen use of tobacco industry tactics to dispute and delay consensus. It was reported, among others, that the Philippines sent a 34-person delegation to COP10--the largest from any government. This unusually large number remarkably outnumbered the delegations of more populous countries, such as China and Russia. After conducting several hearings, I now present our key findings and recommendations. First, the Philippine delegation received the notorious 'Dirty Ashtray' award at the WHO FCTC conference for actions seen as favoring the tobacco industry by, among others, delaying the agenda and pushing the so-called "balanced policy" narrative. In reality, the "balanced policy" has been weaponized to serve industry interests guised as concern for farmers, in direct conflict with our obligations under our current laws and the WHO FCTC. Second, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) appears to have exceeded its authority when it issued the DTI Vape Law Supplemental Rules, which effectively delayed the implementation of key provisions of the Vape Law. We recommend further investigation to determine whether this constitutes a usurpation of legislative powers. Third, the vape industry was directed to register their products and remove non-compliant products from the market. The period to comply was continuously extended by the DTI. By granting the vape industry undue leeway through this extended market clearing period from 05 June 2024 to 07 September 2024, the DTI may have committed corrupt practices under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. We therefore recommend the filing of appropriate charges against the responsible officials. Fourth, we raise concerns over the Philippine delegation to COP10, which may be considered a misuse of public funds. We recommend that the Commission on Audit conduct a special audit of all expenses--whether public or private--related to this trip. Fifth, the Committee affirms the need to re-establish DOH leadership in future FCTC negotiations. Sixth, we raise serious constitutional concerns with the Vape Law itself. It may violate the principle of pacta sunt servanda--our duty to honor international commitments. The Committee recommends urgent amendments to RA 11900: Return regulatory authority over vapes and HTPs to the FDA; Raise the minimum age of access from 18 to 21; and Strengthen the provision on restriction of flavors to plain tobacco and menthol only. Finally, it must be emphasized that this hearing took place at a time when, tragically, the first documented death from E-cigarette or Vape-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) was recorded in the Philippines. This case mirrors global evidence, including a 2019 U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention report of over 2,800 EVALI hospitalizations and 68 deaths. We cannot ignore that the first related death in the Philippines is a sobering reminder of what happens when regulation and public health protections fail. And this may not be the only case--others could remain hidden due to weak surveillance and lack of accountability. Dear colleagues, this is how the tobacco industry operates. They prioritize profit over public health. The industry is slimy. They repeatedly use delaying tactics and exploited regulatory loopholes to advance its interests at the expense of public health. The previous Congress undermined progress made on tobacco and vape control by removing the protective measures under the Sin Tax Law. The passage of the Vape Law not only overturned important provisions under our Sin Tax Law, but it also opened the floodgates for more Filipinos, especially our youth, to use these harmful products and practically encourage such practice in the guise of regulation. We owe it to the next generation to guard them against an industry that seeks to profit at the expense of their health and safety. Sa Kongreso pong ito, ilang beses akong tumayo para ipahayag sa inyo ang kalokohan ng tobacco industry. Lubos kong ikinagagalak na marami sa inyo ang nagpakita ng suporta sa kagustuhan ko na mapigilan natin ang industriya na sirain ang kalusugan ng ating mga mamamayan. I hope that you will join me in the filing of bills in the next congress to hold this industry accountable and firmly put them in its place. Thank you, Mr. President. NEED TO KNOW The government is seeking to remove a juror in Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial, who the defense claims is among the panels Black members Alexandra Shapiro, one of Combs' attorneys, said the government's attempt at removing the juror is a "thinly veiled effort to dismiss a Black juror" The trial is in its fifth week Prosecutors in Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial, which is in its fifth week, have requested that a juror be dismissed, citing "a lack of candor." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Wednesday, June 11, the lead prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey, told U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian outside the presence of the jury that "it appeared to be a lack of candor with the court that raises serious issues with us." We did not want to do this," Comey said. "We were compelled to do that. One of Combs' attorneys, Alexandra Shapiro, said the defense opposes removing the juror and said the government's attempt at doing so is a thinly veiled effort to dismiss a Black juror. Subramanian said he would address the matter by the end of the week after he had received written submissions from both sides. 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. Twelve people eight men and four women were selected for the jury, and a half-dozen alternates. The jurors range in age from 30 to 74. Their identities are known to the judge and lawyers but wont be made public. Among the six alternates, two are women and four are men. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges. Read the original article on People By Karen Lema and Mikhail Flores MANILA (Reuters) -Philippine prosecutors said on Wednesday there was no stopping the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, expressing bemusement at why the Senate convened a court before swiftly returning the case to the lower house. The impeachment of Duterte, a likely contender for the 2028 presidency, has dominated headlines in the Philippines this year after a high-profile grudge match between her and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr that spiralled into a bitter battle for power and influence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in February to impeach Duterte for betrayal of public trust and high crimes, referring the case to the Senate to convene a trial. Duterte insists the impeachment is politically motivated and denies wrongdoing. But the Senate on Tuesday sent the case back to the lower house, requiring it to certify that it was lawful, a move some critics said was a tactic to try to thwart the impeachment. The decision prompted wider outrage, including from legal and church groups, who said it was a betrayal of the constitution and a shirking of the Senate's responsibility to hold public officials accountable. Congresswoman Gerville Luistro, a member of the impeachment prosecution panel, said the lower house had fulfilled its duty and the Senate's issuance of a summons to Duterte to answer charges meant it already had jurisdiction over the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "No one can stop this anymore," Luistro told a press conference, adding the prosecution's case was strong and backed by ample evidence. "We are certain that the complaint is strictly and fully compliant with the requirements of the constitution." POLITICAL MANOEUVRE The popular daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte has been accused of budget irregularities, amassing unexplained wealth, and threatening the lives of Marcos, the first lady and and the house speaker. She faces a lifetime political ban if convicted. Senator Imee Marcos, the president's sister and now an ally of the Duterte, said there was justification in the Senate's decision and called the impeachment bid a political manoeuvre to keep Duterte out of the 2028 presidential race. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marcos has distanced himself from the impeachment and his office on Wednesday said the president was busy and not following the trial. Duterte's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Marcos, who is limited to a single term, is expected to groom a successor who can preserve his influence and legacy and defeat Duterte if she is acquitted and runs for the presidency. Outside the upper house on Wednesday, hundreds of protesters braved the rain, carrying banners demanding accountability from Duterte and calling the senators "cowards" and "traitors". The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, a prominent church group, said the decision was a betrayal of the public trust. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Allow the constitutional process to proceed without obstruction. If there is nothing to hide, there is nothing to fear," its president said. (Reporting by Karen Lema and Mikhail Flores; Additional reporting by Lisa David) COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Just as similar protests continue in California, people gathered in Columbus for an ICE Out protest Tuesday evening. Hundreds of people gathered in front of Columbus City Hall to show what they said was solidarity with those in Los Angeles. Their message: ICE is not welcome here and no human being is illegal. ICE raids: What are your rights when approached by an immigration officer? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The people in Los Angeles are coming out because they are defending not only their right to practice free speech in the face of repression, but to stand with their immigrant neighbors and that is what we are doing here today, one of the demonstrations organizers said. This demonstration is in response to the Trump Administrations recent immigration raids on workplaces. The White House has come out and said the raids are completely legal and target criminals. Were here to say, from L.A. to Columbus, we want ICE out of our city and we want to protect our community, Shenby G., an organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation, said. Several different groups came together to organize this demonstration. Signs held by dozens of people read C-Bus loves L.A. and Stand with Immigrants. Some demonstrators said the community is stronger when it is united. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tornado touchdown confirmed in central Ohio after Mondays thunderstorms Whether youre a citizen, whether youre documented, whether youre undocumented, no matter what your status is, were all members of the working class and were here to stand together, Shenby G. said. The protest ended with a march. Columbus Police were there to assist; the event, which lasted approximately two hours, was peaceful throughout. Theres nothing more violent than ripping a mother away from her child, Shenby G. said. Many said that while they are not in L.A., theyve all been watching closely. Dispensary reacts to Ohio marijuana limit changes Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its disgusting to not only mobilize the National Guard, but also now to mobilize the Marines and really try and really weaponize and attack our people, Shenby G. said. Protesters said they will continue to defend their immigrant neighbors and fight for their right to be in the United 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. MERIDEN, Conn. (WTNH) Protesters demonstrated against the detention of a Maloney High School senior by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Wednesday after he was unable to attend his graduation the day before. The rally began in the area of East Main Street in Meriden around 11 a.m. A flyer cited the walk is to bring awareness for those who cannot walk among us due to ICE presence, threatening the safety and well-being of our community. Maloney High School students in Meriden walked graduation stage days after classmate is detained by ICE Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuesday night, as a seat at the graduation ceremony remained empty, many students thought of their friend and the future he might have had. This senior, who is underage, was detained by ICE last Friday during an immigration hearing in Hartford. It is unclear why the boy was detained, but the family is working with an attorney to try and get him back to Connecticut. This is a developing story. Check back 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 WTNH.com. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) Im terrifiedIm terrified of what could happen, said Ashley Garcia Rios, protesting against ICE at the Liberty Bell in Downtown Bakersfield on Tuesday. Fear lingers in Kern County ever since the January immigration raids. Theres always going to be fear, said Efren Hernandez. Theres always going to be fear. Fear is something thats always going to live in-between our community, said Rios. Especially having immigration status or not. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have a friend already that might move to Mexico because their mom is saying that she feels locked up inside, said Hernandez. She cant go outside, she cant even do her dailies. Though there might be some resistance against the cause, protesters say its important to keep showing up to bring awareness and prevention. They believe immigration officials could come up from Los Angeles County anytime. We know that they are going to be here soon and were prepared. Were preparing, said Rios. Rios asked local law enforcement for transparency on their stance regarding immigration raids. Whats your guys plan? Are you guys going to keep us safe? said Rios. Because, supposedly law enforcement is supposed to keep you safe and not cause fear. 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. CHICAGO A large anti-ICE protest was held Tuesday evening in downtown Chicago. Demonstrators started at Federal Plaza and were protesting ICE and other federal agents engaged in the mass deportations happening nationwide. Images of people in Chicago being lured to immigration appointments before being detained are fresh in the minds of many. Commr. Jessica Vasquez saw what happened last Wednesday in the South Loop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ICE arrests at immigration supervision building in Chicagos South Loop spark protest, advocates speak out I have never seen anything like, and I know I have a resident who was detained. She has a daughter at one of our elementary schools. She was the only parent in the city. Whats going to happen to what child? Vasquez said. Those protesting on Tuesday said solidarity is key. I feel like ICE is treating the immigrants wrong and theyre not giving them the freedom that everybody else should, so I feel like we should stand up and protest it, because thats the right thing to do, demonstrator Dezirre Harris said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE raids: What are your rights when approached by an immigration officer? Dozens of protesters first gathered on East Adams Street outside an immigration court. Many of those protesters then joined with others at Federal Plaza later in the day. The crowd then moved throughout the downtown streets, appearing to reach as far as DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Chants also filled the air for much of the day. All appeared to be peaceful, but our cameras did catch a car appearing to drive through the crowd of marching protesters, narrowly missing them. A WGN-TV employee said he saw the car parked first on State and Monroe. The driver appeared to be taunting officers with a can of spray paint before she got in the car and drove through the protest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities later said a 66-year-old woman suffered a broken arm after she was struck by a car in the area around 6:30 p.m. though police have not explicitly confirmed that the crash unfolded during the protest. In addition to the vehicle, WGN-TV crews saw a few skirmishes with police and a few people being detained. The CTA temporarily suspended bus services in the Loop due to the protests affecting traffic in the area. Service appeared to be fully restored as of 7:45 a.m. Wednesday. Sources also told WGN-TV that CTA and Chicago Police Department vehicles were damaged, but it is unclear how many were damaged at this time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In total, 17 people were taken into custody during the demonstration on Tuesday evening. According to police, 10 of the arrests were for misdemeanors, while four were for felonies. One other arrest was for possession of paint or marker with intent to deface. Charges are pending against two others. The ages of those charged range from 20 to 37. Tensions in Los Angeles also remain high after President Trump sent the National Guard and Marines to the city of angels to assist with immigration raids. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) spoke Tuesday reflecting on the deployment of National Guardsmen to Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Broadview ICE facility faces scrutiny over alleged poor conditions, treatment Addressing it effectively means not grandstanding, but giving law enforcement the resources they need to control the situation, Durbin said. Durbin added on Tuesday what were seeing in Los Angeles is the first time the National Guard has been deployed for a domestic operation without the request of a governor since the 1960s, when the National Guard was sent to Alabama to protect Civil Rights demonstrations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) Protests continue in Los Angeles and across the country over immigration raids. President Donald Trump defended sending troops to Los Angeles. A federal judge in California is considering whether to block the president from sending the National Guard. California Governor Gavin Newsom blamed President Trump for the escalation. Earlier this week the president ordered the National Guard and the marines into Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democracy is under assault before our eyes. The moment we have feared has arrived, said Newsom. California Governor Gavin Newsom calls this an assault on democracy. He again chose escalation. He chose more force. He chose theatrics over public safety, said Newsom. President Trump says he made Los Angeles safer. By having the military there, it de-escalates. I mean, that was the only way, said Trump. The pair traded insults on Tuesday. The brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, said Newsom. Meanwhile, the president blamed the governor, The Governor of California and the Mayor of Los Angelestheyre incompetent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mayor instituted an 8 p.m. curfew enforced by the LAPD. Protestors also clashed with police and cars in Chicago. In Austin, Texas protests turned violent and 13 people were arrested. Governor Greg Abbott says he will deploy the National Guard across the state of Texas. As military officials prepare to celebrate the Armys 250th birthday on Saturday in Washington, D.C., President Trump warned, If theres any protester that wants to come out, they will be met with a very big force. Activist groups have more protests planned across the country this weekend. The Homeland Security secretary says the administration will continue its plans of immigration raids and deportations. 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. Protests against the Trump administrations immigration crackdown are spreading across the United States with several organizations planning to launch demonstrations on Saturday that are meant to coincide with a military parade in Washington, D.C., on the presidents 79th birthday. The groups No Kings and 50501 have partnered to host protests in a wide range of states, including New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and California. Protests are also scheduled to take place in Austin, Texas, as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said hes prepared to deploy the states National Guard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protests come after initial demonstrations in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. Some of those demonstrations led to the destruction of property, which led Trump to call in the National Guard over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D). The Pentagon this week sent 700 Marines to Los Angeles in another step Newsom criticized as provocative. The battle has set off a legal fight and appears to be leading to new protests now across the nation. Theyve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings, protest organizers wrote in a statement on their website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre holding Zoom calls in the days leading up to Saturday to plan, prepare and mobilize in the streets to combat the presidents crackdown on illegal immigration. Instead of protesting in Washington during Trumps massive military parade in honor of the Armys 250th birthday, No Kings said it would host an event in Philadelphia. Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption, the group wrote on its website. For that reason, NO KINGS is not hosting an event in Washington, D.C. We will instead have a major flagship march and rally in Philadelphia to draw a clear contrast between our people-powered movement and the costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade in Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said protestors who attempt to disrupt the military parade in Washington would be met with a very big force in a post on social media prior to calling demonstrators animals during remarks at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. These are animals, but they proudly carry the flags of other countries. They dont carry the American flag. They only burn it. Did you see a lot of the flags being burned? Trump told soldiers. They werent being burned by people from our country, or from people that love our country. People that burn the American flag should go to jail for one year, he continued. His words come after days of demonstrations and large-scale protests in Los Angeles. 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. 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. This is an edition of 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. For months, as Donald Trump has hollowed out the executive branch, defied courts, and worked to suppress dissent, his critics have rightly worried about the lack of visible public opposition. Democratic Party leaders are still obsessing over the 2024 election; outside organizations are fatigued; and mass protests such as those seen in the early months of Trumps first term have been missing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That began to change over the past few days, as demonstrations arose in Los Angeles over immigration-enforcement operations by federal agents. As they begin to spread to other cities, these protests look like the first mass movement against the second Trump administration. And with events scheduled this weekend to serve as counterprogramming to Trumps birthday military parade, they have the potential to grow. Yet as this moment begins, some members of the anti-Trump coalition worry that these demonstrations will bring about disaster. Protests are messy; even when the majority of participants are peaceful, just a few bad actors can produce instances of violence, and big protests always draw a few bad actors. Observers have also worried about the optics of protesters carrying Mexican flags, lest the protests be seen as unpatriotic or anti-American. One overriding concern is that even minor missteps by Trumps critics will give him an excuse to overreach further. Trump is expecting resistance, my colleague Tom Nichols wrote over the weekend. You will not be heroes. You will be the pretext. These concerns are understandable, and they are offered in good faith by dyed-in-the-wool Trump critics, who dont hesitate to call him a budding authoritarian. Theyre correct that Trump is welcoming confrontation. Trying to convince anti-Trump allies about the most effective tactics can feel much more productive than appealing to Trump to respect protests or the rule of law, especially because his actions are frequently erratic and irrational. But the focus on specific tactics, or on trying to predict how the president will respond, overlooks how effective large protests have beennot just historically, but also during Trumps first term. The same could be true now. None of this is to excuse violent protests, which are dangerous and destructive, and also usually politically counterproductive in America. Actual violence in Los Angeles appears to be limited and small in scale, and Trumps decision to federalize thousands of National Guard members and deploy hundreds of U.S. Marines is, as I wrote yesterday, both legally dubious and wildly disproportionate. The most heralded victims so far have been some Waymo driverless taxis, and local authorities blamed scattered violence on provocateurs who are tangential to the protests. Most protesters appear to be on the streets simply to witness and to speak out against the administrations immigration raids. Take the presidents word for it: Even Trump says the situation is very well under control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The existence of large demonstrations, which are spreading into other cities, is itself a sign of Trumps vulnerability. His turn to the military to try to enforce his will, less than six months into his term, is a gesture of authoritarianism, but its also an indication of his weak sway over the public. Plenty of experience shows that Trump almost always folds. Besides, Trump definitely wins if people disperse because they dont want to provoke him. Peaceful protests can be very effective at changing policy and public opinion, and the biggest win for Trump might be for people to be so scared of what hell do next that they do nothing at all. As the journalist Asawin Suebsaeng noted on Sunday, you would be hard-pressed to find Americans counseling protesters in repressive nationssuch as Iran or Burma or Hungaryto stop protesting just because their leaders might be spoiling for a fight. Furthermore, gaming out strategy and predicting how things might end here (or anywhere) is very difficult. This applies to everyone involved. Some advising caution are worried that protests will give Trump cover to intensify a crackdown, but he hardly needs an excuse, and his reactions are unpredictable. Meanwhile, people around Trump are very confident that theyre in a winning position on immigration. We couldnt script this any better, someone close to the White House told Politico. Democrats are again on the 20 side of an 8020 issue. But why should anyone believe them? The story of Trumps career is overreach followed by public oppositionincluding on immigrationand sometimes that opposition sways him. During his first term, Trump reversed his family-separation policy in summer 2018 because of widespread horror. Trump and his advisers were also convinced that protests against police brutality, which turned violent in cities such as Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Portland, Oregon, were going to win them the 2020 election, and they were proved wrong about that. The backlash has come even faster this term. Although Trump won the election with a campaign that focused intensely on immigration enforcement, Americans have been less enthusiastic about the results now that theyre experiencing their effects. Lots of people support deporting criminals, but they dont like it when beloved community members such as Carol Hui, the woman whose story became a rallying point for a conservative Missouri town, are removed. (She has since been released. TACO.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April, a Washington Post / ABC News / Ipsos poll found that a majority of people disapproved of Trumps immigration policies. A CBS News / YouGov poll taken before the L.A. protests found him slightly higherbut at just 50 percent approval. The data journalist G. Elliott Morris finds that coverage of the improper deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador hurt Trumps approval ratings. YouGov polls conducted since the protests began have found that pluralities of Americans disapprove of Trump deploying both the National Guard and the Marines. None of these polls should be taken as gospel, but they should give pause about drawing conclusions as to how the public at large will view whats happening in Los Angeles. They are also a reminder that public opinion is not immutableits dynamic and can be shaped. The anti-Trump movement can much more easily figure out what it stands for than it can predict what Trump might do next, or how other people will react. Related: Here are three new stories from The Atlantic: Todays News The Pentagon doubled the number of California National Guard members in Los Angeles and deployed about 700 Marines to the citys protests yesterday. A shooter killed at least 10 people at a high school in Graz, Austria, according to police. The State Department ordered diplomatic missions on Friday to resume processing visas for Harvard University students and exchange visitors. Evening Read The Wyoming Hospital Upending the Logic of Private Equity Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By Megan Greenwell After years of trying to improve his hospital in Riverton, Wyomingfirst as a doctor, then as a board member and volunteer activistRoger Gose was ready to give up You want to leave a place better than you found it, he told me. And for a long time, he felt like he had. But that was before LifePoint Health, one of the biggest rural-hospital chains in the country, saw his hospital as a distressed asset in need of saving through a ruthless search for efficiencies, and before executives at Apollo Global Management, a private-equity firm whose headquarters looms above the Plaza Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, began calling the shots. That was before Gose realized that, in the private-equity world, a hospital was just another widget, a tool to make money and nothing more. Read the full article. More From The Atlantic Culture Break Lionsgate Watch (or skip). Ballerina, the new John Wick spin-off (in theaters now), succeeds as a piece of junky funbut it also shows the trap of the cinematic side quest, David Sims writes. Examine. As Donald Trump prepares to host the musical Les Miserables at the Kennedy Center, a Victor Hugo scholar explores the real message behind the novel. Play our daily crossword. Stephanie Bai contributed to this newsletter. Explore all of our newsletters here. When you buy a book using a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic. Article originally published at The Atlantic The Stone Education building on the Florida State University campus is the home of its College of Education. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) In a time when the Legislature is trying to pare back the size of the state budget, lawmakers agreed this week to pump more than $29 billion into K-12 education, a $945 million increase over current year spending Per student funding would increase by $142.74, to $9,130, under a plan House and Senate budget conferees agreed to this week, a 1.59% increase from the current fiscal year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its adequate, its historic, its all of the things. Its really good, House budget chief Rep. Lawrence McClure said of per student funding. Much of the K-12 education budget increase, 71%, would be funded by local property taxes, Politico first reported. Floridas growing school choice program, in which state dollars can be used for private school tuition or homeschooling, has decreased public schools share of enrollment. I think we can all agree that the public school population is declining. The schools still are open and operating, so that expense is there, and if theres fewer students being there then money comes from somewhere [else], Senate budget chief Sen. Ed Hooper told reporters this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The spending agreement was made as legislators met in an extended session dedicated to crafting a budget for state fiscal year 2025-26, which begins July 1. The extension was necessary because legislative leadership couldnt agree during the 60-day regular session on how much money to spend and ways to reduce taxes. As part of the K-12 agreement, the chambers agreed to allocate an extra $101.6 million toward teacher salary increases statewide, targeting an area Florida has lagged in. Last year, salary increase allocations went up by about $200 million. Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed about $250 million for teacher and personnel salary increases this year. According to the National Education Association, Florida is 50th in the nation for average teacher salaries. Accelerated courses like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate were facing reduced funding under earlier proposals, but pushback from school officials and constituents made a difference. Ultimately, the programs are funded at a rate consistent with the current year, $596 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The chambers have agreed to infuse an additional $6 million into the Schools of Hope program. Schools of Hope are charter schools opened near struggling schools. Policy in play While lawmakers agreed to extend the session to address the budget, they have found creative ways to use the spending blueprint to readdress substantive legislation that died during the regular 60-day session. That policy-focused legislation will be included in whats called a conforming bill. Unlike the budget, which expires in a year, conforming bills make permanent changes to statutes. As of publication, a K-12 education conforming bill had not been released. The chambers have publicly discussed reviving a bill that died during the regular 60-day session to allow Schools of Hope to open inside persistently low-performing public schools or on the property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers are looking to adjust how school choice scholarships are reimbursed as more students use the option. Throughout the session, school administrators and legislators expressed concerns about how and when money is paid to scholarship recipients or schools, saying it was impossible to track where some students were enrolled. Obviously, the accounting for the scholarships has not gone well. Were trying to come up with a way that the money does follow the child, the student, and instead of reporting quarterly I think we are going to report monthly, Hooper said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Jun. 10MITCHELL Mitchell's mayor is removing his public support for the proposed prison in Davison County. After the Mitchell Republic asked Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson for a definitive stance on the prison topic on Tuesday, he issued a press release stating that "I do not and will not support this proposed prison project in the Mitchell Community." "My support was always conditional," Hanson wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hanson admits to being focused on the economic benefits and not on the "emotional, social and long-term financial impact" on the families of Mitchell, and that his responsibility to lead included not going "down a path the people do not want." "I no longer believe that a prison near Mitchell is in our long-term best interest," Hanson wrote. The Mitchell City Council and Mitchell's mayor were presented a physical document to sign expressing support of the prison at the May 19 council meeting by Mitchell Area Development Corporation and Chamber of Commerce CEO Mike Lauritsen, according to Hanson. Hanson says he modified the letter in his own handwriting to say he supported the "pursuit of analyzing a proposed men's correctional facility in our community," and that he was fully prepared to support the decisions that our city council and county commission make on this proposal "after they hear input from their constituents." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the June 9 Planning Commission meeting, Hanson expressed support for a lakeshore development that would bring 40 jobs to Mitchell. Hanson called out the Mitchell Area Development Corporation for not publicly supporting the development. "Something most people would actually want, versus having murderers in their community," Hanson told the commission. In a phone call on Tuesday, June 10, Hanson told the Mitchell Republic that he does not support the prison, and that he supports a majority of the people. According to feedback Hanson has received, he said, about 15% to 20% of the people he has spoken to are in favor of the prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hanson has made a goal for the city to increase to a population of 20,000 people. When asked how the prison might affect this goal, Hanson indicated that how that growth happens is important to him. "At the end of the day, I would rather have a small town united than a growing town divided," Hanson told the Mitchell Republic. According to Hanson, how the prison may affect future developments in Mitchell is unknown and he'll "lean on what people want." "There's nothing wrong with saying 'no' to things as long as we say 'yes' to the right things. If we're going to oppose things, we need an equal or even more forceful support for other things that are good," Hanson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hanson considered local businesses, manufacturing, sporting events, and investing into the community and bringing new residents and businesses to town worth supporting as a community. "Not everybody wants the town to grow. A lot of people like it just the way it is, and that's fine," Hanson said. ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Survivors and family members of the 49 victims killed in the Pulse nightclub massacre nine years ago got their first chance Wednesday to walk through the long-shuttered, LGBTQ+-friendly Florida venue before it is razed and replaced with a permanent memorial to what was once the worst U.S. mass shooting in modern times. In small groups over four days, survivors and family members of those killed can spend half an hour inside the space where Omar Mateen opened fire during a Latin night celebration on June 12, 2016, leaving 49 dead and 53 wounded. Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, was killed after a three-hour standoff with police. At the time, it was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The Pulse shootings death toll was surpassed the following year when 58 people were killed and more than 850 were injured among a crowd of 22,000 at a country music festival in Las Vegas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city of Orlando purchased the Pulse property in 2023 for $2 million and plans to build a $12 million permanent memorial that will open in 2027. Those efforts follow a multiyear, botched attempt by a private foundation run by the club's former owner. The existing structure will be razed later this year. Christine Leinonen, whose son, Christopher Drew Leinonen was killed in the mass shooting, was among the first groups to go inside the club on Wednesday. Leinonen, who has been a fierce critic of the police response, the investigation into the mass shooting and the nightclub's owner, said she wanted to see the space where her son died. It's not closure. It's pragmatic for me because I needed to see the space. I needed to see how big it was, Leinonen said afterward. I would have regretted it if I didn't go through it. Visits coincide with the shooting's ninth anniversary Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The opportunity to go inside the nightclub comes on the ninth anniversary of the mass shooting. Outside, oversize photos of the victims, rainbow-colored flags and flowers have hung on fences in a makeshift memorial, and the site has attracted visitors from around the globe. But very few people other than investigators have been inside the structure. Around 250 survivors and family members of those killed responded to the city's invitation to walk through the nightclub this week. Families of the 49 people who were killed were able to visit the site with up to six people in their group, and survivors could bring one person with them. The club had been cleaned and lighting has been installed ahead of the walk-throughs. The people invited to visit were given the chance to ask FBI agents who investigated the massacre about what happened. They weren't allowed to take photos or video inside. On Wednesday, a security screen shielded the entrance to the club as the visitors got off a small bus and walked into a white tent at the venue's entrance. Some of those who had planned to come backed out at the last minute. Brandon Wolf, who hid in a bathroom as the gunman opened fire, said he wasn't going to visit, primarily because he now lives in Washington. He said he wanted to remember Pulse as it was before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I will say that the site of the tragedy is where I feel closest to the people who were stolen from me, said Wolf, who is now national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, a LGBTQ+ advocacy group. For survivors, the last time they were in that space was the worst night possible. It will be really hard to be in that space again. Mental health counselors planned to be on hand to talk to those who walk through the building. Original memorial plans for Pulse fell short Survivors and family members had hoped to have a permanent memorial in place by now. An earlier effort by a private foundation to build one floundered, and the organization disbanded in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barbara and Rosario Poma and business owner Michael Panaggio previously owned the property, and Barbara Poma was the executive director of the onePulse Foundation the nonprofit that had been leading efforts to build a memorial and museum. She stepped down as executive director in 2022 and then left the organization in 2023 amid criticism that she wanted to sell instead of donate the property. There were also complaints about the lack of progress despite millions of dollars being raised. The original project, unveiled in 2019 by the onePulse Foundation, called for a museum and permanent memorial costing $45 million. That estimate eventually soared to $100 million. The city of Orlando has since outlined a more modest proposal and scrapped plans for a museum. The building may come down, and we may finally get a permanent memorial, but that doesnt change the fact that this community has been scarred for life, Wolf said. There are people inside the community who still need and will continue to need support and resources. ___ Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A dozen people, including three who were taken to the hospital, are now recovering after an attack at the McDonalds on South Tryon Street Tuesday morning. The incident happened just before 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 10. We have 12 individuals feeling the effects, first responders said on the radio traffic from Broadcastify. There were so many people injured that MEDIC had to bring their mass casualty bus, but a witness says it started with something much smaller. Queen City News I was sitting in my car, and I heard a ruckus, said Shelia James. I turned around and two employees were getting ready to fight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not long after, James says a carload of people arrived. She believes they were family members of one of the workers, and she says they started chasing the other worker inside the restaurant. James says the worker who was being chased got right up to the door, turned around, and defended herself. Queen City News Queen City News The girl came out with a big can of bear mace and sprayed everybody, said James. It was like a big ball of dust, it was everywhere. Not only did it leave a big mess to clean up, but James says it was pure chaos, and she says the victims even included children. They were running out and holding their eyes, I actually got a gallon of water out of my car, and they were running over and then we got milk because it works better, and they were just rubbing it out of their eyes and kids were crying and screaming and wiping their faces, said James. Queen City News is tracking CRIME in your area >> Latest stories here She tried to distance herself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have a lung disease, and I didnt want it to get anywhere near me, I was moving away from the place, said James. But she knows the scene at the fast-food restaurant wont quickly leave her mind. Queen City News has reached out to McDonalds for comment, but we have not 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 Queen City News. welch While nearly four months has passed since the Feb. 15 flooding disaster, recovery efforts are still ongoing in McDowell County. This includes infrastructure repair. Ironically, a flood wall located on Virginia Avenue in Welch was among those structures damaged by the winter storm. Bids for the replacement of that flood wall are due back this Friday at city hall in Welch. While the flood wall damaged by the winter flood will be replaced, Welch Mayor Harold McBride also is pushing for the construction of additional flood walls in the city. He would like to see flood walls installed along Lake Drive and Summers Streets, both of which are located off of Riverside Drive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive lived here all of my life, and I always go back to the 77 flood, McBride said. We live between these mountains and water is always going to be an issue. The same like living in Florida with the hurricanes. Flooding has been a repeat problem in McDowell County. Some long-time residents like McBride still remember the 1977 flood. But most area residents recall the back-to-back 2001 and 2002 flooding disasters that caused widespread damage across McDowell County. The 2002 flood, in particular, caused extensive damage throughout the city of Welch. The Feb. 15 flood also ravaged the city. Three lives were lost in that disaster. McBride said the flood washed out a section of the existing flood wall, which is located not far from city hall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are just trying to replace one section which washed out and fell on us, McBride said. But Im also talking to FEMA, and trying to get one on Lake Drive and Summers Street going out toward Coney Island. While no funding has been awarded for such a project to date, McBride said he envisions a flood wall extending from flood-prone Coney Island to Summers Street and the back portion of Welch. Both the Coney Island underpass, and the underpass located a short distance away near Welch Community Hospital, will frequently flood when heavy rainfall occurs. There is always some kind of flooding in McDowell County every summer, McBride said. Its not as terrific as it was in February, but the underpass floods two or three times each summer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Damage from the Feb. 15 flood was widespread. Both the McDowell County Sheriffs Office and the countys 911 center sustained damage. Sheriff James Boomer Muncy and other county officials have asked state and federal lawmakers to assist with relocating both the sheriffs office and the 911 center. The sheriffs office is located not far from the Elkhorn River in the citys historic downtown area. When U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., toured the county earlier this year, Muncy told her the flood destroyed thousands of dollars in law enforcement equipment. {p class=p1}Relocate the 911 Center and the sheriffs office, Muncy told Capito on April 14. We lost everything in our office. Meanwhile, members of the McDowell County Commission are petitioning state and federal officials for help with the dredging of creeks, streams and rivers across the county. Many of those waterways havent been cleared since the 2001 disaster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since that request was made, assistance has been offered by both the state conservation office and Capitos office, according to County Commissioner DeWayne Dotson. The conservation office has been down, Dotson said Monday in reference to the dredging of creeks and streams. Theyve begun helping us. Capitos office supplied the grant to do the engineering to distinguish what needs to be done. While local officials are not able enter a river, they are able to assess what debris and items need to be removed from the waterways, Dotson said. And we are going to stay on it and we are going to keep working on it until we get some movement, Dotson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the long-term, Dotson, who was joined by County Commission President Michael Brooks, said officials hope to relocate both the sheriffs office and the 911 center to a site near the Indian Ridge Industrial Park and the federal prison in Welch. That would get both the sheriffs office and the 911 center on higher ground and far away from flood-prone rivers. In the meantime, the dredging of the creeks and streams is essential, according to McBride. It has to be, McBride said. Thats the reason that weve had so much mud this time. The streams where they used to be 10 feet down, now they are two feet down. Weve got to reconstruct some of our streams. Some of them are level with the road. Just like the 2001 flooding disaster, city hall was flooded again on Feb. 15. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recovery has been ongoing across the city since the storm hit. McBride estimates that flood recovery efforts in Welch are about 85 percent complete. There is still some work to be done, McBride said. But we are looking pretty good as far as the city of Welch itself. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.c om SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) While flames may have destroyed the inside, a bill that could allow Matunuck Oyster Bar to serve customers outside is one step closer to becoming law. Nearly a month after fire devastated the beloved South Kingstown restaurant, the community is continuing to rally behind it in hopes of reopening in time for the busy summer season. Like a bad dream: Rhode Islanders distraught by fire at beloved oyster bar Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee and Sen. Susan Sosnowski are helping lead the charge with the Outdoor Dining Act, which would allow restaurants damaged by natural disasters such as fire or flooding to operate with outdoor seating and a mobile kitchen. The legislation advanced Tuesday night in both the House Committee on Small Business and the Senate Committee on Housing and Municipal Government. Matunuck Oyster Bar owner Perry Raso stressed how important this step is to him and his staff. It will allow us to maintain and do some level of business and sell seafood which is what we do and keep our staff going and hopefully generate some revenue at the same time until we can rebuild, Raso said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, the South Kingstown Town Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the legislation. Town manager James Manni explained how the restaurant is a critical thread in the fabric of their local economy and community. How many of us have been there for graduation, anniversaries, mothers day, fathers day so on and so forth?, Manni said Tuesday night. The current proposal includes a sunset clause that would expire in June 2027, but both Hagan McEntee and Sosnowski said they expect to revisit the timeline. There may be other restaurants that may be effected and we should look at it and make it a permanent law rather than just a temporary one, Sosnowski said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Votes on the bill are expected in the full House and Senate on Thursday. Smiley: Providence in very preliminary talks with Matunuck Oyster Bar 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. UNIONVILLE, Pa. (WTAJ) A Centre County community is relying on a grant to fix an aging sewer system, but now that grant could be in jeopardy. Eagle Creek is a Unionville subdivision with a faulty sewer system. They have known for years that it would need to be connected to a nearby sewer line, but a $1.8 million price tag is slowing progress. County officials applied for Pennsylvanias Community Development Block Grant and expected to see the decision in April 2025. Now they are saying Congress could eliminate the grant entirely, which would leave the project without funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were pushing for it, Commissioner Chair Mark Higgins said. We are actually out burning some political capital with the state to try to keep that on the list. It is unclear when a final decision will be made on the grant. Officials have expressed concerns about being able to move forward with the project without the extra funding from the grant. Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters. A grant application with the same project has been rejected once before. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has directed his military command to substantially enhance the combat capabilities of Russias ground forces. Source: a statement by Putin at a meeting on the state armaments programme, as reported by Kremlin-aligned Russian Telegram channel Smotri Quote: "The ground forces remain the dominant force in conducting modern military operations of any scale and intensity. It is crucial to enhance their combat capabilities as quickly as possible, to establish a solid foundation for development and to ensure the creation of advanced weapons systems with the highest tactical and technical specifications and modernisation potential." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: Alongside this, Putin ordered that the Russian navy be developed. Background: Putin has previously claimed that 95% of Russias nuclear triad consists of modern weapons, asserting this as the highest figure in the world. He directed officials to prioritise nuclear weapons as a cornerstone of Russias sovereignty in the new state armaments programme for 20272036. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Quad Cities residents made their voices heard about the ongoing ICE raids in Los Angeles. Three different ICE-related protests were held throughout Davenport Tuesday at the corner of Brady and Locust, outside of the U.S. District Courthouse, and at Bechtel Park. A variety of the signs and chants called the recent ICE raids an example of totalitarianism. A couple of people told Our Quad Cities News that they were shocked to see military personnel being deployed against protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It makes it extremely more personal to me seeing familiar faces, familiar people, people who speak like me, look like me, being taken by ICE, ripped away from their kids and families, and everything they call home, said Alex Friend, a protester. You cant have justice without compassion and mercy. Otherwise, you are just a brutal dictator, and that is what Trump is showing himself to be, said Rich Hendricks, a protester. More than 20 people participated in each of the different protests. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A quarter of immigrants living in Germany are considering leaving the country again, with political discontent, tax burdens and red tape among the main reasons cited, according to a new survey released on Wednesday. Some 26% of the 50,000 immigrants aged 18 to 65 questioned for the online survey by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) are mulling whether to emigrate again, with 3% saying they have concrete plans to do so. Social factors played a particularly important role when it comes to a potential return, including partners, relatives and friends back home, the survey found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those considering moving on to another country also cited professional goals and the economic situation in the destination country as drivers. Among refugees, discrimination experienced in Germany also played a role. Respondents who came to Germany for work or professional training, have a high level of education, are more economically successful and have better German language skills are more likely to consider leaving the country. In other words, it is precisely those individuals Germany aims to attract to address its skilled labour shortage who are most likely to leave, according to the IAB, which is affiliated with the federal employment agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If Germany's labour market is to continue functioning, we need skilled workers and labour from third countries," said Vanessa Ahuja of the federal employment agency. She called on the government to "consistently cut red tape," and support digitalization as well as "leaner recognition processes and broad and honest social acceptance." Most asylum seekers, who do not yet have a recognized residency status, were included from the study. The disgraced founder of Queens Defenders and her formerly incarcerated boyfriend were charged Wednesday with fleecing the indigent-defense nonprofit for some $60,000 in personal expenses, including a $6,000-a-month penthouse apartment, vacations to Bali and Southern California, fancy restaurants and luxury goods, according to an indictment issued in federal court in Brooklyn. As part of the scheme, which spanned half of 2024, Lori Zeno, 64, and Rashad Ruhani, 55, used the groups credit cards to spend $10,000 on the Bali trip, enjoy a $2,600 steak dinner, buy an 85-inch television for $3,300, go on a $5,200 shopping spree, and get their teeth whitened for $600, among other expenses, the indictment alleges. Ruhani was arrested Tuesday night at JFK Airport after he arrived on a flight from California. He was arraigned and ordered detained by Magistrate Judge Vera Scanlon. Ruhanis lawyer James Lenihan could not immediately be reached for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zeno was not in custody and was slated to be arraigned on a later date. She was ousted as executive director of the group which represents indigent defendants in January. She also could not be reached. According to the indictment, Zeno, the groups executive director since 2018, and Ruhani, who was paroled after 26 years in state prison in 2022 for a robbery conviction, started a romance soon after Ruhani was hired as a client advocate in October 2023. Zeno soon promoted Ruhani to oversee Queens Defenders youth programs in June 2024. From there, the couple began using the organizations credit cards to illegally pay for a range of personal expenses, which also included the rent for the $6,000-a-month penthouse apartment in Queens. The couple then lied repeatedly to the organization, claiming the expenses were for legitimate business purposes, to obtain reimbursement, the indictment alleges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Between August 2024 and October 2024 alone, Ruhani submitted $39,000 in fraudulent expense reports for the cost of the penthouse apartment, which he claimed was being used for client defense and foster parent care. Queens Defenders received roughly $368,000 in federal funds via the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The couple is charged with theft of federal funds and wire fraud. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the city Department of Investigation. A DOI spokeswoman declined comment. Queens Defenders declined comment on the charges. Earlier this year, the city reassigned the groups contracts to Brooklyn Defenders, a separate nonprofit that represents poor defendants in that borough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Daniel Ball, a spokesman for Brooklyn Defenders, said the transition will be official on July 1. As of that date, Ball said, criminal defense attorneys, social workers, paralegals and other staff [from Queens Defenders] are going to be part of our organization and will continue to serve their clients and the Queens community. A 25-year-old man riding a moped was fatally struck by a wrong-way hit-and-run driver in Queens, police said Wednesday. Antonio Smith-Ortiz was riding his gas-powered 2015 Honda PCX 150 moped east on 149th Ave. in South Ozone Park when he was struck near 121st St. by a driver going the opposite direction at about 10:05 pm. Tuesday, cops said. The driver, who was going against traffic in the eastbound lane, then struck an unoccupied parked 2015 Ford Transit 350 Courier van before speeding off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Medics rushed Smith-Ortiz to Jamaica Hospital, but he could not be saved. He lives in Ozone Park, according to cops. The driver has not been caught, and cops have not yet been able to develop a vehicle description. Smith-Ortizs family declined to comment Wednesday. With Sheetal Banchariya There will be a moment, some time in the next few years when the US will genuinely consider leaving Nato. And if it does, we should not be surprised. It wasnt as if they didnt warn the rest of us. About the only thing Donald Trump and Barack Obama ever agreed on was that Europe must make a much bigger financial contribution to Nato. In 2014 at the Cardiff Summit, the Treasury furiously resisted the demands. All sorts of tricks were pulled and definitions were stretched to get the UK to 2 per cent of GDP. The Americans, in their polite way, asked nicely. Theyve been asking ever since. Because as they command all Allied forces in Nato they knew the truth about the state of everyones forces. While public scrutiny was kept at bay using secrecy and operational reasons, SACEUR Supreme Allied Commander Europe, the military boss of Nato and always an American grew increasingly concerned as Russia got more and more aggressive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And still European capitals, including London, carried on cutting. Not until 2019 and Boris Johnson did the Ministry of Defence turn the corner with real money and real reform. Previous Conservative and Labour governments had used the Red Arrows and Trooping the Colour to pretend that all was well. But Ukraine found us out. Nato and the international community needed to act: and as we examined our inventory ministers could see just how weak we had become. I remember when we debated gifting the AS90 155mm long range artillery to Ukraine I was informed that while we had 73 guns on the books only 19 worked! Or when I tried to increase the number of tanks to be upgraded to Challenger 3s I was told it was impossible because so many of our tanks had already been stripped of parts to keep others running. You might say that I should have known all that detail on day one. But youd be surprised how well the services can hide bad news when they want to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week we witnessed Labours first defence review for more than 20 years. It was heralded by reannouncing many Conservative procurements. As a review it was weak: clearly budget-led not threat led. The big decisions had been made beforehand, and without 3 per cent by 2030 the review would clearly be hollow at birth, as it was. It was also an insult to the men and women of the Armed Forces and the equivalent of sticking two fingers up to the White House. Todays spending review confirmed what we all feared. Rather than making tough decisions on public spending priorities, Rachel Reeves chose to use Treasury tricks to deceive us all. The Government has folded in intelligence spending, Ukraine spending and even Foreign Office money to the notional defence figure. The result is that core defence spending will not even be 2.5 per cent as promised: not even close. There was no path to 3 per cent either. It was just a con all along. If John Healey spent as much time battling the Treasury as he did repeating my governments plans or deceiving the public with spin then he might have had some success. But it is clear he is Labour first and UK defence second. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How dare this Government avoid the solemn duty to defend our shores and properly equip the men and women of the armed forces. Labour was the government that sent our troops to war in Snatch Land Rovers and they are destined to repeat that betrayal. Next week Donald Trump will arrive in Holland for the Nato summit. He will bring with him a message that we must all spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on actual defence, not counting spies or diplomats. The Donald will not be bought off with Treasury tricks. I was in Washington last week and some very senior people in the White House and the Pentagon genuinely believe Trump may leave Nato in two years. They are serious. So we need to either demonstrate we are pulling our weight or we need to compensate for the 70 per cent loss to Nato capability if the US leaves. Based on Rachel Reevess efforts we will do neither. History may point to this as the moment when the UK surrendered its place in Nato and triggered its demise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And all the while, Putin and Xi will be licking their lips. Waiting for their moment. For that little bit of Estonia or Finland. The best Donald Trump can do next week is say that Nato is a club with a subscription. No money should mean no entry. Ben Wallace served as Secretary of State for Defence from 2019 to 2023. He is a former British Army officer 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. Rail passengers faced cancelled trains and delays in the West Midlands due to a points failure and signalling fault. National Rail said the points failure between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street caused disruption to journeys between the two stations on Wednesday. A spokesperson said the issue had since been fixed but disruption was expected until the end of the day. Separately, a fault with the signalling system also caused disruption between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway passengers were told tickets could be used on some other services, with some rail replacement bus services in operation. A limited rail replacement bus service ran between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Related internet links Showers, storms to return to much of Northeast for Father's Day weekend The clock is ticking on a batch of dry air that turned off showers and thunderstorms for most areas in the Northeast. AccuWeather meteorologists say that moist air capable of producing downpours is not all that far away and will return to some areas before the Father's Day weekend. A small area of high pressure that moved in from the Midwest was just strong enough to dry out the atmosphere Thursday for much of the Northeast. The exception was some showers in northern Maine and a narrow zone of thundershowers in central Pennsylvania late Thursday afternoon. The sunshine and overall good drying conditions helped temperatures rise with widespread highs in the 80s F on Thursday. Some parts of the mid-Atlantic reached the lower 90s with AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures in the mid- to upper 90s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the dry air will be replaced by surging moisture that will trigger more clouds and pockets of rain. GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP By Friday afternoon, an uptick in showers and thunderstorms is anticipated from the Ohio River Valley through the rest of the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic. AccuWeather.com While not all of this area will experience a downpour, the places that do could be drenched. And, some places might be pestered by more than one shower or thunderstorm. As a storm rolls slowly out of the south-central United States this weekend, it will continue to pump moisture northward from the Gulf and northwestward from the Atlantic. AccuWeather.com The moisture surge may be significant enough for downpours to repeat and trigger flash flooding in parts of the Ohio Valley, southern Appalachians and part of the mid-Atlantic by Saturday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those heading to the 250th anniversary parade of the U.S. Army in Washington, D.C., on Saturday should be prepared for a drenching shower or gusty thunderstorm. As the storm continues to advance northeastward and moisture further expands in the region on Sunday, most of the Northeast will be at risk for locally drenching showers and perhaps gusty thunderstorms. AccuWeather.com Father's Day barbeque plans, a fishing trip or a day at the ballpark or beach could be hampered by downpours and the potential for thunderstorms. The best day at the mid-Atlantic beaches over the next several days is likely to be on Thursday before the rain arrives over the weekend. A pocket of dry air may dip down from Canada on Sunday and may be just enough to keep rain away most of the day in parts of New England and eastern Upstate New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Looking ahead into next week, "there are some signs that a spell of very warm weather or perhaps a even a heat wave may evolve," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. "That will depend on how strong an area of high pressure is that is forecast to build in place over the region." Time will tell if the high is strong enough to shunt the Father's Day weekend storm to the east and hold off new storms to the west. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer. Raleighs growth is a credit to thoughtful leadership and sound planning. But every city reaches inflection points moments when progress requires renewed focus on the fundamentals. Everything we count on to enjoy life in Raleigh safe neighborhoods, vibrant downtown, thriving businesses relies on public safety. After years of under-investment, Raleigh now has an opportunity and a responsibility to build on this years progress and strengthen the foundation for long-term public safety. Were encouraged by the budgets inclusion of long-overdue pay increases for Raleigh police a step in the right direction. But its only a start. Raleigh will need to do more to compete for talent and build a highly trained force equipped to serve a city of this size. Even with higher starting pay, were still hundreds of officers short. The citys own estimates suggest a gap of 200 to 400 officers. While a full staffing analysis is underway, the current reality is undeniable and felt daily by residents and businesses: Our police force is stretched too thin. Delayed response times and limited coverage arent just operational challenges they are issues of public trust. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To put it in perspective: 25 years ago, Raleigh had 777 officers serving a population of 280,000. Today, that number has dropped to roughly 725 officers, despite the population nearly doubling to around 500,000. As representatives of Raleighs small businesses, hospitality sector and public safety advocates, we see the consequences of under-investment. Restaurant owners deal with repeat break-ins. Employees worry about walking to their cars after dark. Visitors share concerns about safety downtown. These experiences hurt morale, stall growth and chip away at our citys reputation. When crime or even the perception of crime keeps people from coming downtown, it creates a chain reaction. Offices go unused. Retail and restaurants lose foot traffic. Over time, vacancies increase and property values fall. When the value of commercial property drops, homeowners are left to pick up the burden. Weve seen it happen. In Boston, declining downtown activity has forced over $1 billion in new tax burden onto homeowners. Its a stark reminder: When safety slips and businesses start to leave, the financial cost to residents can be staggering. Raleigh is not immune. We risk the same cascading consequences, not just for safety, but for affordability and livability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 11% pay raise in the budget is a meaningful step, but it wont be enough on its own. We respect the citys decision to avoid a tax increase this year. But without additional investment, we risk falling further behind. Thats why this years budget should be viewed as the first step in a multi-year plan. A dedicated one-penny increase each year over the nextthree to five years an increase of about $40 a year for a $400,000 home, or roughly 1% of the average annual tax bill each year would substantially increase headcount and equip officers with the modern tools and training they need. There are other smart solutions within reach. One promising proposal, currently being considered at the state level, would allow officers eligible for retirement to remain on the job without forfeiting a portion of their retirement benefit, known as a separation allowance. This common-sense legislative measure would keep veteran officers in service, easing pressure on existing staff, while helping rebuild capacity without waiting for long-term recruitment cycles to catch up. The time for deliberation has passed. The need is clear, and so is the publics expectation. Public safety was the top concern for voters across all districts in last falls election. This budget was the councils first real chance to act on that mandate. And while they took a step in the right direction, the true test of their commitment is still ahead. We urge the Raleigh City Council to move beyond a one-time raise and commit to a multi-year strategy to close our staffing gap and restore public trust. That means sustained investment, better planning and the courage to act on what we already know: A safe city doesnt happen by accident. Its the result of long-term commitment by leaders willing to invest and follow through on bold choices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raleigh has everything it needs to be a national model of growth and livability, but only if we protect the foundation first. John Cerqueira is executive director for Citizens for a Safe & Secure Raleigh. Jim Beley is director of Wake County Hospitality Alliance. Jennifer Martin is executive director of Shop Local Raleigh and Greater Raleigh Merchants Association. Vivek Ramaswamy waded into the row over immigration protests in Los Angeles by comparing California Gov. Gavin Newsom to a notoriously racist Democratic governor who led the fight against civil rights in the 1960s. George Wallace was a staunch segregationist who served four terms as governor of Alabama. He was also the last governor to have the National Guard deployed against his wishes, until President Donald Trump deployed federal troops in L.A. I know Gavin Newsom. I actually happen to like him as a person, Ramaswamy said on Fox News Jesse Watters Primetime Tuesday night. The reality is hes not gonna like what I have to say on this, which is that his behavior is starting to resemble that of another Democratic governor from U.S. history by the name of George Wallace. Wallace promised segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever during his 1963 inaugural address. / Bettmann / Bettmann Archive/ Getty Images Wallace made headlines in 1963 when he physically blocked two Black students from enrolling at the University of Alabama. President John F. Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard to halt his blockade of the school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever, Wallace declared in his infamous inaugural address in 1963. His actions led Martin Luther King Jr. to call him perhaps the most dangerous racist in America today. In March, 1965, Wallace forced Kennedys successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, to deploy the National Guard again after he refused to guarantee the safety of civil rights protesters marching from Selma to Montgomery. It was the last instance of a president federalizing the National Guard against the wishes of a state governor until Trump did the same in California at the weekend. In his Fox News appearance, Ramaswamy, the GOP candidate for Ohio governor, took a wild swing at Newsom, comparing him to the former Alabama governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The parallels are actually pretty striking if you think about it. Democrat governors. When you look at George Wallace, he resisted desegregation. Gavin Newsom is resisting deportations. The Los Angeles riots started as protests against immigration enforcement raids. / Jay L Clendenin / Getty Images George Wallace wanted segregated cities, Gavin Newsom wants sanctuary cities. George Wallace stood in the school door, blocking the way. Gavin Newsom is blocking the ICE vans. Its the same Democrat governor playbook, Ramaswamy charged. The Daily Beast has reached out to Newsoms office for comment. Newsom, a Democrat, has clashed with President Donald Trump and federal immigration authorities over efforts to deport migrants, actions which have sparked widespread protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps administration is doubling down on its aggressive immigration crackdown, with the president vowing to deport millions of immigrants in what he claims will be the largest mass deportation in U.S. history, though some of those caught up in the sweeps have proper documentation. Demonstrators took to the streets in downtown Los Angeles amid reports that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE has denied these claims. Protesters waved Mexican flags, fueling MAGA accusations of a full-on Trump moved to federalize and deployed Californias National Guard to quell the unrest and has ignored Newsoms calls to return the National Guard troops to his command. On Tuesday night, the governor likened Trump to failed dictators and warned Americans, other states are next. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like many states, California is no stranger to this sort of unrest, the California Democrat said in a livestreamed press conference. We manage it regularly and with our own law enforcement. But this, again, was different. What then ensued was the use of tear gas, flashbang grenades, rubber bullets, federal agents detaining people and undermining their due process rights. Donald Trump, without consulting California law enforcement leaders, commandeered 2,000 of our states National Guard members to deploy on our streets, illegally and for no reason, he continued. This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers, and even our National Guard at risk, Newsom added. SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. Despite strong wind gusts, firefighters were able to make progress against a fast-moving wildfire that broke out in Southern California after it exploded in size in a matter of hours and forced people to flee their homes on Tuesday. According to CAL FIRE, the Ranch Fire broke out near Apple Valley in San Bernardino County just after 2:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday. The blaze was initially reported to be about 80 acres but quickly grew. Some evacuation orders were lifted late Wednesday night, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How To Watch Fox Weather While no buildings have been damaged, photos and video show several vehicles that were burned out by the fire. In a matter of about four hours, the Ranch Fire had grown to 2,000 acres and then doubled in size to more than 4,200 acres by Tuesday night. Download The Free Fox Weather App As of Thursday night, the Ranch Fire was 50% contained, and the cause remained under investigation. Evacuation centers have been set up for evacuated residents at the Sitting Bull Academy on Sitting Bull Road in Apple Valley, while the Victorville Fairgrounds in Victorville are being opened up to shelter large animals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This latest wildfire in San Bernardino County comes months after the destructive Line Fire scorched nearly 44,000 acres back in September 2024. Tens of thousands of structures had been threatened by the Line Fire, while heroic efforts to contain and extinguish that blaze took weeks. A two-hour time-lapse video showed flames from the Line Fire surrounding a camera, with the video surviving about an hour in the middle of the inferno until the camera feed cut out. No deaths were reported, but at least six firefighters were injured while battling the fire. Arson was determined as the cause of the fire, and on Sept. 10, a 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of starting the blaze in Highland , California, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said. Original article source: Southern California firefighters make progress on Ranch Fire months after destructive Line Fire U.S. Sen. Rand Paul criticized President Donald Trump's upcoming military parade, which will coincide with Trump's 79th birthday on June 14. In an interview with NBC News on June 10, the Kentucky Republican said he has never been a fan of "goose-stepping soldiers and big tanks and missiles rolling down the street," and he "wouldn't have done it." "Im not sure what the actual expense of it is, but Im not really, you know, we were always different than, you know, the images you saw in the Soviet Union and North Korea. We were proud not to be that, Paul said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paul added he wasn't "proposing" that's the image Trump wants to show, but he is still worried about the message the parade will send. The parade, which also coincides with the Army's 250th anniversary, will feature dozens of tanks, warplanes and 7,500 soldiers rumbling through the streets of Washington, D.C., according to USA Today. Democratic lawmakers have also criticized the event, saying the parade is for Trump's own political purposes. Trump, meanwhile, has argued the parade is about celebrating "the greatest military in the world." This isn't the first time Paul has disagreed with Trump's decisions or views. Last week, Trump lashed out at Paul for criticizing the tax and domestic policy bill GOP leaders and the president are trying to push through the Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paul has also rallied against Trump's tariff proposals, along with fellow Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, arguing they will cause prices at stores around the nation to rise. Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at hpinski@courier-journal.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Rand Paul again criticizes Trump, this time about military parade China is counting on one crucial advantage as it seeks to grind out a deal to ease its high-stakes trade war with the United States -- dominance in rare earths. Used in electric vehicles, hard drives, wind turbines and missiles, rare earth elements are essential to the modern economy and national defence. AFP takes a look at how rare earths have become a key sticking point in talks between the US and China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - Mining boom - "The Middle East has oil. China has rare earths," Deng Xiaoping, the late Chinese leader whose pro-market reforms set the country on its path to becoming an economic powerhouse, said in 1992. Since then, Beijing's heavy investment in state-owned mining firms and lax environmental regulations compared to other industry players have turned China into the world's top supplier. The country now accounts for 92 percent of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency. But the flow of rare earths from China to manufacturers around the world has slowed after Beijing in early April began requiring domestic exporters to apply for a licence -- widely seen as a response to US tariffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the new requirements -- which industry groups have said are complex and slow-moving -- seven key elements and related magnets require Beijing's approval to be shipped to foreign buyers. - Deep impact - Ensuring access to the vital elements has become a top priority for US officials in talks with Chinese counterparts, with the two sides meeting this week in London. "The rare earth issue has clearly... overpowered the other parts of the trade negotiations because of stoppages at plants in the United States," said Paul Triolo, a technology expert at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, in an online seminar on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That disruption, which forced US car giant Ford to temporarily halt production of its Explorer SUV, "really got the attention of the White House", said Triolo. Officials from the two countries said Tuesday that they had agreed on a "framework" for moving forward on trade -- with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressing optimism that concerns over access to rare earths "will be resolved" eventually. - Rare earth advantage - The slowing of licence issuance has raised fears that more automakers will be forced to halt production while they await shipments. China's commerce ministry said over the weekend that as a "responsible major country" it had approved a certain number of export applications, adding that it was willing to strengthen related dialogue with "relevant countries". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But that bottleneck has highlighted Washington's reliance on Chinese rare earths for producing its defence equipment even as trade and geopolitical tensions deepen. An F-35 fighter jet contains over 900 pounds (more than 400 kilograms) of rare earth elements, noted a recent analysis by Gracelin Baskaran and Meredith Schwartz of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Developing mining and processing capabilities requires a long-term effort, meaning the United States will be on the back foot for the foreseeable future," they wrote. - Playing catch up - Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The recent export control measures are not the first time China has leveraged its dominance of rare earths supply chains. After a 2010 maritime collision between a Chinese trawler and Japanese coast guard boats in disputed waters, Beijing briefly halted shipments of its rare earths to Tokyo. The episode spurred Japan to invest in alternative sources and improve stockpiling of the vital elements -- with limited success. That is "a good illustration of the difficulty of actually reducing dependence on China", said Triolo, noting that in the 15 years since the incident, Japan has achieved only "marginal gains". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Pentagon is trying to catch up, with its "mine-to-magnet" strategy aiming to ensure an all-domestic supply chain for the key components by 2027. The challenge facing Washington to compete with Beijing in rare earths is compounded by sheer luck: China sits on the world's largest reserves. "Mineable concentrations are less common than for most other mineral commodities, making extraction more costly," wrote Rico Luman and Ewa Manthey of ING in an analysis published Tuesday. "It is this complex and costly extraction and processing that make rare earths strategically significant," they wrote. "This gives China a strong negotiating position." pfc/oho/fox WACO, Texas (FOX 44) While many Central Texans may prefer clear skies and sunshine, the recent stretch of rainfall is being welcomed by farmers across the region. After a prolonged period of heat, steady rain has helped replenish soil moisture and revive pastures that had been without adequate water for months. We were so dry June to about the 1st of April this year, where we were really, really behind, said Shane McLellan, an extension agent for agriculture in McLennan County. We were about half of what our normal rainfall is for that same time period, and now were past that. Were catching up on some missed rain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to McLellan, the timing of the recent rainfall has also worked in farmers favor. Its coming at a time of year when its probably the least destructiveexcessive rainfall anyway, he said. For retired farmer and rancher Michael Moon, monitoring rainfall is still part of his daily routine. Moon uses a digital mapping tool to track precipitation across seven different farms and pastures. It gives me up-to-date and real-time information on the amount of rain were getting at each farm. Moon said the rain has been mostly beneficial, with only minor concerns about standing water in low-lying areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The only thing that I can see that it might hurt is some low ground that might stand water, Moon said. But for the most part, its going to be very good. While this rainfall may cause short-term inconvenience for some, its proving to be a much-needed resource for farmers hoping to rebound from last years dry spell and prepare for a stronger growing season. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Manufacturing software provider fast-tracks generative AI capability with guidance from Decision Inc. Australia, unlocking new value and a future revenue stream OFS (Operations Feedback Systems) is an Australian-headquartered software company that is helping manufactures in over 30 counties to produce more with less. Since 2006, its analytics platform has helped operators, supervisors, and senior leaders in manufacturing gain clear, real-time visibility into performance, enabling faster decisions and stronger outcomes on the production floor. With a customer base including Dulux, Asahi Beverages, Bega, nudie, AstraZeneca, Twinings, and Electrolux, OFS wanted to stay ahead of rising expectations around artificial intelligence by embedding generative AI directly into its product suite. To accelerate development and go to market faster, OFS engaged Decision Inc. Australia to help guide and define a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for its new GenAI feature, now known as Mayvn AI. The Challenge As manufacturers increasingly look to their software partners for AI capabilities, OFS recognised the need to rapidly build a GenAI experience that delivered practical, real-world value. While OFS already had an in-house engineering team, it turned to Decision Inc. for support in validating the concept, developing a secure architecture, and accelerating its roadmap to MVP. Manufacturers are under enormous pressure to do more with less, and theyre asking smart questions about how AI can help, said James Magee, CEO of OFS. Our goal was to build something meaningful, not gimmicky. We didnt want AI just for the sake of AI, we wanted it to solve real problems. OFS needed a solution that would securely integrate with its existing architecture, scale into production, and provide early confidence that the AI feature could meet the performance and privacy standards its customers expect. At the same time, the OFS team wanted to build internal knowledge and capability as part of the process. The Solution With Decision Inc. Australias support, OFS accelerated the development of Mayvn AI, a GenAI-powered operational intelligence tool designed to deliver actionable insights directly to factory leaders, engineers, and operators. The goal was to bridge the gap between factory data and leadership decision-making, turning real-time production feedback into meaningful conversations and faster resolutions. Decision Inc.s AI Advisory services helped OFS quickly define a scalable MVP architecture that would sit securely within their existing software ecosystem. From architecture design to proof-of-concept prototyping, Decision Inc. played a hands-on role in helping OFS validate the feasibility of GenAI integration while upskilling their internal engineering team to take the solution to production. Mayvn AI functions as an intelligent co-pilot for manufacturing leadership, surfacing real-time insights from complex production data using simple prompts. By leveraging large language models (LLMs), Mayvn AI can instantly summarise plant performance, flag inefficiencies, identify recurring issues, and even recommend areas for capital investment based on real-world downtime or waste patterns. It is designed to operate securely, respecting data privacy boundaries across client environments. From generating daily shift reports to uncovering root causes of line stoppages and packaging faults, Mayvn AI is enabling factory teams to spend less time pulling data and more time acting on it. A notable early use case allows a CEO or site leader to ask, What should I know before walking into this site today? and receive a concise, personalised briefing within seconds. Decision Inc. brought the technical clarity and early-stage confidence we needed to move quickly, said Magee. They helped us de-risk the process and ensure we were building something scalable, secure, and aligned with the needs of our customers. The Outcome Mayvn AI was launched in February 2025 and is already being used by more than 200 manufacturers worldwide. The feature acts as an embedded GenAI assistant within the OFS platform, enabling business leaders to simply ask questions, like Whats been impacting our line efficiency this week? or Where should we invest at this site? and receive real-time, production-specific answers. By transforming unstructured manufacturing data into actionable insights, Mayvn AI bridges the gap between leadership and the factory floor. Its helping users surface previously hidden trends, reduce prep time for shift reports, and justify capital investments with data-backed recommendations. What were seeing now is our clients using AI not just to analyse data, but to tell stories with it, to understand whats happening in their business and act with confidence, said Magee. Thats where Mayvn AI is making the biggest impact. Mayvn AI is a perfect example of how GenAI can be deployed responsibly and pragmatically, said Tony Butler, Managing Director, Decision Inc. Australia. By starting with a real problem and focusing on the user experience, theyve built something powerful and future-ready. We were proud to play a role in accelerating that journey. Jun. 11AUGUSTA Supporters of a fall ballot measure that would make it easier to temporarily take firearms from people in crisis told lawmakers Wednesday that the proposal would improve public safety and reduce gun deaths, while opponents said the measure is unnecessary and infringes on Second Amendment rights. The arguments were made during a public hearing on the proposed red flag law, also known as an extreme risk protection order. If passed by voters in November, the citizen-initiated referendum would provide a pathway for family or household members, in addition to law enforcement, to petition a court to temporarily remove someone's weapons. Unlike Maine's current yellow flag law, it would eliminate the need for a mental health evaluation before a judge can order the temporary confiscation of weapons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wednesday's hearing was demanded by Republican lawmakers and gun rights supporters after Democrats, who control both chambers and committees in the Legislature, initially said they would not hold one before reversing course this week. The hearing drew more than four hours of testimony from both supporters and opponents, foreshadowing the arguments both sides will be making this fall as the measure heads to voters. MILLS' OFFICE AGAINST RED FLAG Opponents of the red flag law, which included the office of Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, argued that the existing yellow flag law is working and that changes are unnecessary. Opponents also argued that the red flag proposal would infringe on Second Amendment rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The bottom line is that our law is working," Mills' chief counsel, Jerry Reid, said in written testimony submitted to lawmakers on behalf of the governor's office. "In fact, it is working far more effectively than so-called red flag laws in some other states where such laws are very rarely used." Twenty-one states have red flag laws, though some can only be used by law enforcement and not family members, according to the gun safety organization Everytown for Gun Safety. Maine is the only state with a yellow flag law. The yellow flag law, which took effect in 2020, has been used 881 times, according to Reid's testimony. Most usage of the law came after the October 2023 Lewiston mass shooting raised awareness of it among law enforcement. Reid also noted that lawmakers last year approved updates, including clarifying that law enforcement can seek a warrant signed by a judge, in unusual circumstances, to take a person into protective custody to do the required mental health evaluation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the requirement for the mental health evaluation is reasonable, and also addressed the argument by supporters of the red flag law that family and household members should have an avenue to appeal directly to a judge, without going to law enforcement, for weapons' removal. "It is the responsibility of law enforcement, not that of a private citizen, to protect the public," Reid wrote. "Further, we do not believe a private citizen should be expected to navigate what can be a complex and confusing court procedure by themselves, especially in the middle of already difficult circumstances." Gun safety advocates made a push for a red flag law last year following the Lewiston shooting, but lawmakers never voted on that proposal. The Maine Gun Safety Coalition then gathered signatures from Maine voters to qualify the question for the November ballot after a similar measure. ANOTHER TOOL FOR FAMILIES Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nacole Palmer, executive director of the coalition, said during Wednesday's hearing that the yellow flag law failed to prevent the Lewiston shooting. The independent commission that investigated the shooting said in its final report last year that the yellow flag law could have been used by police to take shooter Robert Card's firearms, but wasn't. "Perhaps things could have been very different for Maine if a real extreme risk protection order had been in place for his family to use," Palmer said. "Extreme risk protection orders empower families to go directly to the court if a loved one is in crisis and may pose a threat to themselves or others." Other supporters of the red flag law, including doctors, teachers and clergy members, echoed Palmer's statements that such a law would provide an avenue for families to take action if a loved one poses a threat and said it would prevent gun deaths generally, including suicides. David Moltz, representing the Maine Association of Psychiatric Physicians, said the yellow flag law has been effective but has "significant deficiencies," including that it requires a mental health evaluation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moltz said a red flag law would avoid stigmatizing people with mental illness, and it would ensure that firearms could also be removed from people who are dangerous but are not found to have mental illness. "If this act is enacted, it will not replace the yellow flag law but will expand the range of options and provide another avenue for emergency weapons removal when appropriate," Moltz said. Margaret Martin, a high school teacher in Lewiston, also urged support of the proposal, saying that while she grew up in a family that hunted and had guns, more must be done to prevent school shootings, and the red flag proposal would help. "My students can't wait around for another tragedy before we do the responsible thing," Martin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OPPONENTS SAY YELLOW FLAG IS WORKING David Trahan, executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, a group that advocates on behalf of gun owners and sportsmen, said the existing yellow flag law is "far superior" to the red flag proposal. "It's designed to help people who may be suffering from a mental health crisis at the lowest point in their lives, in a compassionate manner," Trahan said. "It gets them help, addresses the underlying cause and directs them to further treatment and services, if needed." Lt. Michael Johnston of the Maine State Police also testified against the red flag law, saying that in addition to the yellow flag law already working well, the red flag law could be dangerous for law enforcement because they would be tasked with having to remove a person's weapons without having had the prior contact of taking the person into custody and ensuring they undergo a mental health evaluation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Service of these orders will be extremely high risk," Johnston said. "Under the yellow flag law, we have the opportunity to serve the person in the confines of a hospital and then work with family members on the relinquishment of firearms. Under this proposed bill, we would be going to that residence and serving the order and taking the weapons after a finding of dangerousness." Most qualified citizen initiatives in recent years have received public hearings by lawmakers before being voted on by the public, but the leaders of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee said this spring that they would not have one, saying it was not required by the Maine Constitution and was unnecessary as lawmakers planned to send the initiative to voters. Republicans and gun rights supporters opposed to the measure pushed back on the decision from the Democratic committee leaders, pointing to a 2019 state law that says all valid citizens initiatives must receive a public hearing unless the requirement is formally waived by lawmakers. Democrats reversed course and announced the hearing would be held earlier this week. Copy the Story Link Quick quiz. During an interview with ITV News on Tuesday, which Labour Left-winger said the following words? Immigration is the lifeblood of this country. It always has been. Did you get it? Probably not, because it was a trick question. The person who made that impeccably progressive statement is not a Labour Left-winger. Or even a Labour centrist. He is in fact Dr David Bull: none other than the brand new chairman of Nigel Farages Reform UK. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seriously. Thats what he said. And then, during another interview later that day, Dr Bull said something just as extraordinary. We are, he informed viewers of GB News, an island of immigrants. Well, yes, I suppose we are, in the year 2025, after three decades of ever-rocketing immigration. But his choice of words was still startling. Because We are an island of immigrants is a phrase normally deployed by open-border liberals, with the aim of promoting the false but politically convenient notion that the mass immigration of recent years is entirely normal, and therefore you have no right to object to it. Essentially, the message is: what are you moaning about, you silly gammon? Boudica was born in Afghanistan! Chaucer came from Eritrea! Henry VIII spent 4 million a day on asylum hotels! This is simply the way things have always been, so shut up and be grateful! In light of Dr Bulls comments, therefore, supporters of Reform are bound to be feeling a touch perplexed. Surely their partys chairman, of all people, should understand what Reform is meant to stand for. Its meant to offer a proper alternative to the Labour/Tory uniparty. Its meant to reject smug metropolitan cliches about multiculturalism. And above all, its meant to be the party you can trust on immigration. So what on earth is going on? Its one thing for Reform to move Left on nationalisation and welfare. But quite another for it to move Left on this. These days, even Sir Keir Starmer is trying to talk tough on border control. Yet, all of a sudden, the chairman of Reform sounds as if hes auditioning for a slot on Alastair Campbells podcast. What will he suggest next? Rejoining the EU? Gary Lineker for Home Secretary? Make Greta Thunberg our ambassador to Israel? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, at least one person on the Right is happy. Robert Jenrick, the former and no doubt future Tory leadership contender, seized on Dr Bulls words with glee. He clearly couldnt believe his luck. This is just nonsense, he snorted. Not all immigration is equal. The unprecedented mass, unskilled migration weve experienced has been severely economically and culturally damaging... The idea that it is the lifeblood of our country, without which things would fall apart, couldnt be further from the truth. Until not all that long ago, of course, Mr Jenrick was a member of the government that blithely enabled this unprecedented mass, unskilled migration to reach record heights (from a net figure of 252,000 in 2010 to 906,000 in 2023). Which is, very obviously, a major reason why so many voters have abandoned the Tories for Reform. Theyre sick of being lied to. Theyre tired of being patronised. And they cant understand why, every month, 1 billion of their taxes should be spent on immigrants benefits. As a result, they want drastic change. So when Reform promised a net zero immigration policy as in, one in, one out these voters naturally thought that, at long last, here was a party they could believe in. A party that genuinely thought the same way they did. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nigel Farage, therefore, had better reassure these voters that this is still the case. Contrary to what the BBC or The Guardian may imagine, Reforms prospects of winning power will not be damaged by soap opera nonsense: internal tiffs, or politically incorrect posts on social media, or ex-chairman Zia Yusuf flouncing out in a huff only to slink back in two minutes later. Nor will they be damaged by the news that Dr Bull once described Mr Farage as an idiot, all of 11 years ago. Theres only one thing that could halt Reforms surge. And thats the fear that, once safely ensconced in office, theyd be no different from the parties theyd usurped. Just the Tories, in a slightly lighter blue. 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. After their very public feud, Elon Musk says he regrets some of his posts about President Trump, saying "they went too far." Trump called Musks apology very nice. NBC News Garrett Haake and New York Times Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker join Christina Ruffini to discuss the apology, which came at the urging of Vice President Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The federal government is seeking to unseal long-classified FBI surveillance records on Martin Luther King Jr. nearly two years before their court-ordered release date (January 2027) and 56 years after his assassination. The King family and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which King founded, have objected to the early release, arguing the files contain illegally obtained wiretaps and personal information that should remain private. However, the compelling public interest could outweigh the family's understandable desire to shield King's memory from renewed smear campaigns. The FBI waged a psychological war against King through its COINTELPRO program, a counterintelligence operation targeting civil rights leaders suspected of communist ties. With backing from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and approval from Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, agents illegally wiretapped King's home, offices, and hotel rooms. What started as a probe into alleged communist ties morphed into a protracted campaign to destroy King's reputation, utilizing fabricated stories, false documents, and anonymous threats. The recordings and accounts of King's private life, deemed likely illegal and unethical by the House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1979, were sealed for 50 years by a federal court in 1977, following a lawsuit by King's associate and the SCLC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A January executive order issued by President Donald Trump directs the Justice Department to seek an early release of the records, although officials claim their focus is only on documents related to King's assassination. On June 4, Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia agreed to review the files before determining what will be released. "It's not going to happen overnight," Leon said. "The court is going to move very carefully." King's youngest daughter, Bernice, and son, Martin Luther King III, have asked the court not to release the documents, arguing that it would infringe on the family's privacy. The Kings also cite the botched release of John F. Kennedy files that revealed Social Security numbers, and point to the FBI's attempts to blackmail and smear King as evidence that a premature, unvetted disclosure could be harmful. Matthew Guariglia, senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, tells Reason that the issue of privacy can be easily rectified. "The FBI or whoever is releasing these files has an opportunity to both preserve the privacy of the surveillance target and also reveal any historically significant facts about FBI methodology just by redacting a lot of the intentionally embarrassing surveillance information," he said. Leon will be tasked with balancing the file's significance in American history against the privacy concerns of those who were illegally spied on. As Guariglia notes, the situation requires a nuanced approach: "Important historical documents should not be withheld and classified forever. That being said, I think motivation here is important." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the King family's concerns are valid, the primary issue remains that the government collected such material in the first place. The Kings' objections are "shortsighted," Patrick Eddington, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, tells Reason. "In an age where government surveillance and political repression has become all too commonplace, I think the release of these records showing the FBI's prurient surveillance of King and attempts to blackmail him into abandoning the civil rights cause would be a powerful reminder to Americans about why the FBI's domestic surveillance activities need to be sharply curtailed." The FBI's surveillance of Americans continues to this day, largely with the approval of policymakers. Despite multiple instances of illegal FBI surveillance, including monitoring protesters after the 2020 George Floyd riots and the January 6 Capitol riot, Congress extended Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in 2024. This post-9/11 authority allows warrantless surveillance of foreigners abroad and the "incidental" collection of Americans' data. While the explicit targeting of Americans is prohibited, the 2024 renewal endorses nearly all warrantless searches of Section 702 data, inevitably capturing Americans' private conversations in the process. Unsealing the FBI's surveillance records on Dr. King would not violate his legacyit would reaffirm the values he died fighting for: truth, accountability, and freedom from state repression. The release would be especially worthwhile if it leads to meaningful curbs on federal surveillance powers. The post Would Releasing the Martin Luther King Files Help Curb the Surveillance State? appeared first on Reason.com. WASHINGTON Despite the June heat, hundreds of clergy and their congregants joined Democratic senators at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday to protest the Trump administrations proposed cuts to the federal budget in a vigil that one leader described as very moving. Leaders from more than 30 churches, organizations and denominations gathered to oppose cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in the budget bill passed by the House last month. They said prayers, read scripture and sang songs to commemorate Pentecostal Sunday, where disciples received courage to act, and demonstrated to not forget the least of these, the Rev. Jim Wallis said. Grateful to co-host a vigil at the US Capitol with Rev. @jimwallis for hundreds of faith leaders to bear witness against the GOPs immoral tax bill. As Rev. Wallis reminded us, we are taught: Do not forget the least of these. Thats exactly what this immoral legislation does. pic.twitter.com/qrrqWLMsGM Senator Chris Coons (@ChrisCoons) June 10, 2025 The big, beautiful bill passed in the House late last month after weeks of debate. It is now in the Senate for consideration and several senators have said they want to see changes to the package before they can support it. The demonstrators Tuesday sought to push senators to make those changes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bishop Dwayne Royster of the Faith United Church of Christ in Washington, D.C., executive director of Faith in Action, spoke to the crowd wearing what he described as a Ghanaian symbol that means the all sufficient God. And Im here today to say we have an insufficient government, he said. We have an insufficient government that cannot do the things that it has been called to do, which is care for its citizens all across the country. We need to call out our governments insufficiency because there are people who will go hungry all across the land because SNAP benefits are about to get cut, Bishop Royster continued. The problem is that Jesus fed the 5,000, why cant the United States of America? Bishop Royster said that the country needs to reevaluate how it views itself and oppose the bill that he said will make billionaires richer and send others into poverty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The faith leaders said they were gathered to protest the budget because they believe it is an immoral document. Paul Raushenbush, the CEO of Interfaith Alliance, told the Deseret News that he found the demonstration Tuesday moving because of the unity between so many different people of faith. He described the budget bill as antithetical to Christian values. If you look at Jesuss life and Jesuss teachings, kind of across the board, they lift people up who are hungry, they lift up the people who are sick, they lift up the children, he said. Democratic senators join faith leaders to protest Trumps bill After the faith leaders held their vigil, participants proceeded to the steps of the Senate and were joined by Sens. Chris Coons, Cory Booker, Raphael Warnock, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Michael Bennet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coons said Tuesday that they were gathering to remind lawmakers that no faith teaches that you should take away food from hungry children and health care and seniors and children in order to pay for a bigger tax cut for billionaires and the biggest corporations. That is the core of what this bill does, Coons told MSNBC before the vigil, later adding, A budget is a moral document and this budget bill is an immoral document. Raushenbush said he was glad to see Democratic support for their advocacy because religion and faith have become associated with the Republican Party. It was wonderful to hear their voices and to hear how deeply faithful they are, Raushenbush said of the senators. I think one of the reasons its so important to do this is that there is a false narrative out there that one side of the aisle has God and the other side is nonreligious. He noted that faith leaders who assembled on Tuesday held meetings afterward with senators on both sides of the political aisle as the Senate considers changes to the bill. The House is set to vote on a bill that would make several billions in cuts to the federal government by DOGE permanent. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) joins Christina Ruffini to discuss President Trumps budget bill, the protests in Los Angeles, and more. The Franklin County Courthouse in Frankfort on March 26, 2025. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley) The estimated cost to repair two Kentucky courthouses following April floods is about $11 million, an Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) official told lawmakers Tuesday. Danny Rhoades, the AOC executive officer, told members of the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary that insurance claims are still being filed to fix issues at the Hardin County and Franklin County courthouses. However, the state may need to pay to address lingering issues. Rhoades did note that the insurance coverage for the Franklin County Courthouse is about $1 million. Officials are also waiting to see if the Federal Emergency Management Agency can cover some costs or reimbursements of courthouse repairs, but no federal emergency declaration has been issued for public facilities at this time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But we have to get these back up and operational and repaired as quickly as possible. So the court will need your alls help, Rhoades said to the committee. In addition to the Franklin and Hardin county buildings, the Perry County Hall of Justice also suffered some damage from early April floods. Wind damaged some roof panels on the Perry County building and some water entered the building, but that was quickly repaired, Rhoades said. Since it was built about 28 years ago, the Hardin County Justice Center had never flooded until April, Rhoades said. The building had 18 inches of water in its basement, which housed court records and some electrical equipment. Court operations in Hardin County were suspended while electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems were evaluated and the water receded. However, Franklin County Courthouse operations must still be conducted offsite due to flooding in the lowest level of the building. Last week, the Franklin circuit clerks office, as well as some in-person proceedings for the circuit and district court, moved to the Administrative Office of the Courts campus at 1001 Vandalay Drive in Frankfort. The building was previously a Home Depot store. For a few weeks, the court had in-person proceedings in the Court of Appeals chambers on Chamberlin Avenue. Some proceedings for people in custody have taken place at the Frankfort Regional Jail. See slides from court officials flood recovery update 3. Disaster Response Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During April, water reached four feet on the first floor of the Franklin courthouse. Thats where the circuit clerk offices, security office, specialty courtrooms and holding cells are. Also, the buildings mechanical and electrical systems were damaged by water. Rhoades said it took a week for water to be pumped out of the building. Judge Thomas Wingate, the chief circuit judge for Franklin County, also appeared before the committee and detailed how staff members moved court records throughout the night and early morning to save them from flood water, adding that he could not help much because of a recent back surgery. It actually started coming in about I dont know it was like 10 oclock in the morning, Wingate told lawmakers. By 11, I ordered everybody out. I thought someone was going to get electrocuted. It was coming in that quick. Wingate said that as a circuit judge, most of his caseload has not been affected. The courthouse and jail have reverted to some COVID-era protocols, meaning court can be held virtually over Zoom meetings. The Kentucky River was swollen and rising in Frankfort, April 6, 2025. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer) As you all know, since sometimes you all are in my court, its Monday and Wednesday at nine, I just do it from my living room, Wingate said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Franklin County is home to Kentuckys capital city, most court cases involving state officials or government are filed in the local circuit court. An Administrative Office of the Courts spokesperson recently told the Kentucky Lantern that full restoration of the Franklin County Courthouse may take over a year. The agency has hired an architect to develop options for restoration or renovation, but has not yet chosen a construction company. Rhoades said repairing electrical panels within the Franklin County Courthouse should be completed within the next couple of weeks. Then, the HVAC and plumbing systems will be evaluated for damage. An alternative space for the circuit clerks office will need to be elsewhere in the building once systems are reestablished. I will say that this is a major, major catastrophic flooding event that we basically are having a lot of expenses accumulate on, Rhoades said. A piece of legislation passed earlier this year included a restricted funds carry-forward balance for the Courts of Justice, Rhoades said. However, the courts will need authorization from the legislature to use the funds available for repairs. FBI director Kash Patel testifies before a U.S. Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Thursday, May 8, 2025. The bureau's leadership is considering moving one of its elite training academies to Huntsville. (Photo from U.S. Senate webcast) The Federal Bureau of Investigations leadership is considering moving one of its training programs for local, federal and international law enforcement from Quantico, Virginia, to Huntsville, according to the Washington Post. Law enforcement agencies across the world nominate officers with leadership potential to participate in the 10-week training National Academy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FBI has a separate training program for new bureau hires. That program, and other parts of the FBIs Quantico facilities, including the bureaus laboratory division, would remain at the sprawling campus in Northern Virginia under FBI Deputy Director Dan Bonginos proposed pilot plan, people familiar with the discussions told the newspaper. An FBI spokesperson said in a statement to States Newsroom that new facilities would be chosen based on cost and utility. Messages seeking comment were left Wednesday with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency; Gov. Kay Ivey; U.S. Sens. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, and Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama and U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville were left on Wednesday morning. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that Congress should be deeply skeptical of any plan to uproot the FBIs National Academy from its longtime home at Quantico and relocate it to Huntsville. This move raises serious questions, starting with why such a relocation is even necessary, and at what cost? the statement said. Quantico is co-located with other critical FBI and national security assets and before we spend taxpayer dollars on a disruptive and potentially unnecessary move, the Bureau owes Congress and the American people a clear justification for this plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said the city would welcome the FBI. Expanding law enforcement training capabilities at Redstone Arsenal has long been a part of the FBIs master plan, the statement said. We look forward to welcoming more trainees to Huntsville. The FBI moved an explosives training academy to Huntsville in 2016 and employed about 1,500 people in the city at the start of 2023. Republicans in Congress have named the city as a possible place for a new FBI headquarters, claiming the FBIs current location exposes it to political influence and leads to duplicated services. The push to move the National Academy to Huntsville has drawn criticism from some FBI personnel, who see little justification for the potentially costly move, the people told the Post. The FBIs training facilities at Quantico were recently upgraded, and the people familiar with the discussions said critics do not think Huntsville would have comparable facilities without significant new funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trumps pick for the FBIs director Kash Patel, has said that he would move up to 1,500 staff and agents out of the FBIs downtown Washington headquarters to satellite offices across the country. Five hundred of those employees would go to Redstone Arsenal, the bureaus large satellite headquarters in Huntsville. States Newsroom reporter Jacob Fischler contributed to this report. Updated at 12:20 p.m. with statement from Sen. Mark Warner and at 2:32 p.m. with a statement from the FBI. Republicans on the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee rejected a funding request from the City of Ashland to build a new boat launch at Kreher Park. (City of Ashland) A pair of Republican lawmakers has introduced legislation that would re-authorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Grant program, a popular program that allows the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to fund the purchase of public land and the upkeep of recreational areas. The decades-old program is set to expire next year and despite its bipartisan support among the states voters, a subset of Republicans in the Legislature largely from the northern part of the state have become increasingly opposed to the program due to concerns that it stops land from being developed for commercial activities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Until a 6-1 decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court last summer, members of the Legislatures powerful Joint Finance Committee had the ability to place anonymous holds on proposed grants through the program, which resulted in many projects being delayed or prevented altogether. Without that ability, Republicans who were already wary of the program became more opposed because of what they characterize as a lack of legislative oversight. Proponents of the program say the Legislature exercises oversight through the budget writing process when it allocates funding for the program. In recent years, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program has received $33 million annually in the state budget. In his budget request this year, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers proposed re-authorizing the program with a $100 million annual budget. Republicans stripped that provision out of the budget along with most of Evers other proposals. Last week, Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) and Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) introduced a bill that would keep the program alive with $28 million in annual funding. The bill would also create a major land acquisitions program for stewardship grant awards which would require the DNR to annually submit a list of all its proposed land acquisitions costing more than $1 million for that year. Those acquisitions would need to be approved by votes of the full Legislature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, the bill would create a sub-program to use stewardship grant funds for habitat restoration projects, require the DNR to prioritize projects that develop already existing public lands over new land acquisition, require local governments to match 20% of the state funding, get rid of the current 10-acre minimum size requirement and limit the states contribution to 40% of the total cost if the sale of a piece of land is already closed when stewardship funds are applied for. In a co-sponsorship memo, Kurtz and Testin, who did not respond to requests for an interview about the bill, said the initial proposal is meant to be the start of negotiations, not the final version of the bill. Its important to note what were proposing is not an agreed upon deal, the memo states. Its a first offer to provide a starting place for negotiations on this important program. Its very likely the bill will continue to change during the legislative process, but its important to put something forward to allow feedback, have open-minded conversations and ultimately find a good place to ensure the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Programs legacy continues. At a meeting with the Wisconsin chapter of the Audubon Society in April, Kurtz said the program was on life support and he was trying to save it from dying but any bill would need to put some oversight on the DNR in order to receive enough Republican support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The opposition to the stewardship program from a subset of the Republican caucus in both chambers means the bill might require Democratic votes to pass the Legislature and reach Evers desk. Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin (D-Whitefish Bay) has spent months pushing for the programs reauthorization often pointing to a stewardship grant project in her district that was subjected to an anonymous hold, the Cedar Gorge Clay Bluffs on Lake Michigan. She said the hold on that project angered a lot of her constituents of both parties. That really got people upset, she told the Wisconsin Examiner. People would not at all want to see a reenactment in any fashion of that anonymous objection process. Habush Sinykin said that shes closely watching the bill to make sure it protects a program that enjoys wide support outside of the Capitol building and will stir up significant opposition if its allowed to die. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once people understand that this program is at risk, they are coming forward to express their opposition to any permanent damage to the program, she said. And so what we are engaged in right now is this process to keep it going forward, and there is going to be ongoing negotiation, because the devil is in the details. We need to make sure that what is one step forward will not ultimately be two steps backward. Charles Carlin, director of strategic initiatives for Gathering Waters, a non-profit aimed at land conservation across Wisconsin, said that Kurtz and Testin should be credited for working to get the conversation started and provisions in the bill like the habitat restoration program. But he added that there are still a lot of questions about how provisions such as the requirement for legislative approval will work. I think part of what they are trying to balance here is a recognition that this is an incredibly popular program with voters, while trying to balance that against the fact that there are a handful of legislators who are deeply skeptical of the DNR and deeply skeptical of additional investments in conservation, he said. So I see that major land acquisitions component as a way for them to try and balance those competing interests. The way that that major land acquisitions program is currently described in the bill just leaves a lot of question marks. The bill is set to receive a public hearing in the Assembly Committee on Forestry, Parks and Outdoor Recreation Wednesday at 11 a.m. A Republican senator from Missouri threatened an investigation on Wednesday into one of Los Angeles' most established immigrant organizations, accusing it of "bankrolling the unrest." The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights should "cease and desist any further involvement in the organization, funding, or promotion of these unlawful activities," said Sen. Josh Hawley in a letter to Angelica Salas, head of the organization. "Credible reporting now suggests that your organization has provided logistical support and financial resources to individuals engaged in these disruptive actions," wrote Hawley, who chairs the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism. "Let me be clear: bankrolling civil unrest is not protected speech. It is aiding and abetting criminal conduct. Accordingly, you must immediately cease and desist any further involvement in the organization, funding, or promotion of these unlawful activities." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hawley did not immediately respond to a request to comment. Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, speaks to members of the media during a vote at the U.S. Capitol on June 2. (Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images) Salas, a longtime immigrant rights activist who pushed for sanctuary state laws and has organized dozens of peaceful protests over the years, said the accusations are false and pointed to the years of peaceful organizing the group has done in Los Angeles. "This is trying to take away the spotlight from the pain and suffering that this administration is causing," she said. "I refuse to make it about anybody else but them." She said the federal government is engaged in a concerted effort to strip immigrants of their rights, in part by undermining the groups that support them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hawley's letter follows an announcement by a House panel this week that it would investigate 200 non-governmental organizations, including her coalition, "that were involved in providing services or support to inadmissible aliens during the Biden-Harris administrations historic border crisis." In a statement, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green (R-Tenn.) and Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability Chairman Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.) wrote that they "are examining whether these NGOs used taxpayer dollars to facilitate illegal activity, as the previous administration incentivized millions of inadmissible aliens to cross our borders." On Friday, federal officials arrested Service Employees International Union California President David Huerta on suspicion of interfering with federal officers. The union is among the groups working with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights. The top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles Bill Essayli seemed to suggest on Sunday that other union officials and organizers would be investigated. We saw union activists and organizers be involved in these efforts to resist our operations," he told local television station KCAL . "We've got lots of video online and both surveillance videos. We have FBI teams working around the clock we will identify you. We'll find you and we'll come get you." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Salas said they are doing nothing illegal, but she takes threats seriously. "It's very clear they have an agenda against social justice organizations and anybody in any infrastructure that supports the community rights organizations." she said. "That's why they've not just gone after the immigrant community, but also after organizations, by defunding us, by trying to discredit us, trying to connect us with violent groups. This is not normal." 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 IT-OT convergence trend is the dominant set up driving demand for Penguin Solutions Stratus fault-tolerant computing solutions to customers across a broad range of markets. Speaking to ITWire on a recent visit to Australia, Sean Smiley, the Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Services for Penguin Solutions, said the IT-OT revolution is now the preferred option. The first thing everyone thinks about is Im putting all those cybersecurity networking, operational technology and controls into one system. That seems to be really dangerous, right? If that one system were to fail, then you would lose all of those applications and you would be completely in the dark. Thats where the Stratus platform really shines. You are not putting all your eggs into one basket, Smiley explains. You are putting your eggs into a tank that isnt going to get penetrated or isnt going to fail. It is absolutely built for our fault-tolerant platform. Stratus Technologies was founded in 1980 and has expanded to 22 offices globally. In 2022, it was acquired by Smart Global Holdings (SGH) and in October 2024, SGH was rebranded to Penguin Solutions. Last month Penguin Solutions announced that Stratus while maintaining its name as a product brand would sit under the Penguin Solutions banner. Smiley said the merger gave Stratus customers access to advanced computing solutions for AI that span from the data centre to the edge and the cloud. The two companies complement each other. Stratus has a long history of being very methodical and very thoughtful. And Penguin Solutions brings its expertise in AI which is a little bit Wild West as the technology is still trying to figure itself out. So, combining Penguin Solutions AI and high-performance computing offerings significantly expands our product portfolios capabilities, adding the flexibility and knowledge to customise solutions to support the specific needs of modern enterprises. Smiley said Penguin Solutions computing is one of the largest AI and high-performance system integrators in the world. These guys do all of Metas AI Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook. They do a significant amount of government contracts in the US. They are very good at big AI HPC data centres. The acquisition was intended for Stratus to have a full scope solution where youve got your AI data centre on one end and your edge nodes on the other end, which is the Stratus solution. Smiley said he travelled a lot and it is always great to see that most of the worlds critical infrastructure runs on a Stratus server particularly in the banking, finance, telecom and port authority sectors. Additionally, for the past 10 years we have been hyper-focused on manufacturing, retail, water, wastewater, oil and gas, and mining. Smiley said Penguin Solutions had recently signed Wavelink as a reseller to grow its footprint in Australia and New Zealand. 98% of our business worldwide is sold through resellers and we want to get that to 100%. He said Penguin Solutions in Australia did several million dollars a year in business both in product and services with a focus on critical infrastructure companies, although by signing new IT partners it is looking to expand its exposure in healthcare and mining. As an example of what the Penguin Solutions technology does in Australia for customers, Smiley spoke about Sydney Rail. The controls that actually operate the railway has to reside onto a compute platform and that compute platform cannot fail for obvious reasons. If there is a failure of, for example, with a CPU, the switch over to the redundant unit is instantaneous and in fact it has been receiving the same data so there is no lost data in that transition. Its a good use case in having those computer control systems operating on a hardware platform, server platform that is truly fault tolerant, meaning no lost in-flight data. WASHINGTON The House advanced a bill to ban noncitizens from voting in local elections in Washington, D.C., marking the latest step from Republicans to crack down on city policies they view as too liberal. Lawmakers voted 268-148 largely along party lines to advance the measure, sending the bill over to the Republican-led Senate for consideration. The bill managed to garner some bipartisan support after 56 Democrats voted in favor. However, the legislations future is uncertain as it would require seven Democrats to buck party leadership and support the proposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The right to vote is a defining privilege of American citizenship, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a speech on the House floor. Diluting that right by extending it to noncitizens whether here legally or illegally undermines the voice of D.C. residents. The bill would overturn the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act, a bill passed by the D.C. Council in 2022 that permits undocumented residents living in Washington to vote in local elections. City lawmakers have defended the measure by pointing to a long history of the U.S. allowing noncitizens to vote in local (or) state elections. Lawmakers also note many of the undocumented residents pay local taxes, support businesses, and attend district schools arguing that should qualify them to have a say in local elections. However, Republicans have argued that allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections sets a dangerous precedent that could negatively harm local governments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some may wrongly dismiss these as local elections. The reality is local elections are a vital part of our democratic process and have a significant impact on communities, Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, who led the bill in the House, said in a speech. Local elections determine matters such as taxation, the criminal code, and the election of city council members who create essential ordinances, including those that dictate voting rights. Additionally, Republicans have criticized the law as a way to dilute the voice of American citizens. Its also important to acknowledge that many local elections are decided by razor-thin margins underscoring their significance and importance of active participation, Pfluger said. GOP lawmakers also cited opposition from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who withheld her signature from the ordinance but allowed it to take effect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why would my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want foreigners to vote in local elections in Washington, D.C.? Whats the purpose? Pfluger said. Free and fair elections are prerequisites for the healthy republic our founding fathers envisioned, with the District of Columbia as the epicenter. House Republicans passed a bill in 2023 seeking to repeal the D.C. law allowing noncitizens to vote. The bill was spearheaded by Republicans but 52 Democrats ultimately joined all Republicans in approving the bill despite efforts from Democratic leadership to quash the proposal. However, the legislation was never considered in the Senate, which was controlled by Democrats at the time. Despite not being a state, Washington is permitted to operate as an independent city government under the D.C. Home Rule Act. However, local laws are still subject to congressional approval before they can take effect, occasionally setting up showdowns between Congress and local lawmakers. The vote on Tuesday is the first of three bills being considered this week by the House to rein in some of D.C.s local ordinances. Other proposals being considered would rescind D.C. Council policies allowing city employees to not comply with requests from the Department of Homeland Security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Michigan State Police | Susan J. Demas Several Republicans in the Michigan House and Senate on Wednesday called for the director and chief deputy director of the Department of State Police to resign. The call for State Police Director James Grady and Chief Deputy Director Aimee Brimacombe to step down followed a weekend announcement from the Michigan State Police Troopers Association and the Michigan State Police Command Officers Association that said the two groups took a nearly unanimous no-confidence vote against the agencys leadership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Calls for their resignations came from Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township), who is a Republican candidate for governor, state Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake), who is the chair of the Michigan Republican Party, and state Rep. Mike Mueller (R-Linden). Department spokesperson Shanon Banner in a statement defended Grady and his leadership team, whom she said provide unwavering support to department members and are proud of the public safety services delivered every day to the public and our law enforcement partners across the state. Col. James F. Grady | MSP photo The no confidence vote follows a years worth of discontent between the troopers association and their leadership. Troopers filed an ethics complaint against Grady and Brimacombe in January. A handful of troopers also filed lawsuits against Brimacombe questioning her leadership, as well. Grady was appointed as director of the department following the departure of former director Joseph Gasper. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nesbitt said the vote of no confidence was a damning indictment on the agencys current administration. It is undeniable that this is the absolute worst leadership our state police has ever seen and completely unacceptable for the troopers and public they serve, Nesbitt said in a statement released Monday. There needs to be a change at the top and that change needs to happen immediately. Col. Grady must step down or the governor must relieve him of his duties. Runestad questioned how Grady and Brimacombe could continue in their roles after more than 1,000 troopers voted against their leadership. It has become alarmingly clear that Col. Grady and Lt. Col. Brimacombes failed leadership has disparaged the reputation of the Michigan State Police, Runestad said in a statement. I demand they step down immediately and urge the governor to relieve them of their duties if they do not resign voluntarily. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mueller, a former law enforcement officer who has been investigating issues with State Polices leadership and other controversies at the individual post level, said troopers spoke loudly this weekend. State Rep. Mike Mueller (R-Linden) | Michigan House photo They have no confidence in the current leadership. It is corrupt, dishonest, and doesnt keep the best interest of its own troopers in mind, Mueller said in a scathing statement. If they have any shame, Grady and Brimacombe should resign right now. In response, Banner said it has been a priority for Grady to conduct in-person visits to department worksites to listen to member feedback. During these visits, hes engaged in meaningful conversations, including seeking input from the membership about morale and opportunities for areas of improvement, Banner said. Under Colonel Gradys leadership, the department has continued to invest in better training and professional development opportunities, updated equipment and improved technology. Further, dozens of new troopers joined the ranks last month and this years proposed budget includes pay raises for troopers and sergeants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Banner added that Grady remains committed to the department and is focused on moving the department forward while maintaining the departments proud tradition of service through excellence, integrity and courtesy. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The focus here is going to be on basically keeping our food safe and preventing disease from spreading, Sen. Howard Marklein said at a press conference. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) Republicans and Democrats on the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee were divided Tuesday about the amount of money the state should invest in several state agencies including the Department of Workforce Development, the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection. Republicans on the committee said they were making strategic and realistic investments in priority areas, while Democrats said Republicans investments wouldnt make enough of an impact. GOP rejects new protection for state Supreme Court The first divisive issue came up when the committee considered the budgets for Wisconsins courts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats proposed that the state provide an additional $2 million and 8 new positions for the creation of an Office of the Marshals of the Supreme Court that would provide security for the Court. Rep. Tip McGuire (D-Kenosha) and Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) said the need for the office has increased recently due to the number of threats the judges and justices are facing. JFC Democrats were doubtful that Republicans would make adequate investments at a press conference. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) Given the role that they play in our judiciary in order to be impartial, we shouldnt want them to be in danger or to fear for their safety or to have any outward pressures on them that would influence the case, McGuire said. I believe its important for the cause of justice. I believe its important for the cause of safety. Roys noted the inflammatory language that members of the Trump administration have used when talking about judges and justices, noting that Republicans have passed legislation before to help protect judges. She also noted that former Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer was targeted and murdered at his home in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is really frightening and the Supreme Court has made this request over numerous years because they understand better than any of us do what its like to try to serve the public in this critically important but increasingly dangerous role, Roys said. I am much less interested in putting people in prison after they have murdered a judge than I am in preventing our judges from being attacked or killed, so, this seems to me a tiny amount of money to do a really important task to protect the third branch of government and particularly our Supreme Court. Republicans rejected Democrats motion. Committee co-chair Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) said at a press conference ahead of the meeting that the Wisconsin Capitol Police are tasked with protecting visitors, employees, legislators, the Court and anyone else in the building. They do a good job and continue to provide top-notch work here at the Capitol as part of security for everyone who works here, Born said. The committee also voted 13-3 with Andraca joining Republicans to allocate an additional $10 million each year to counties for circuit court costs. Meat inspection gets additional funding The committee took action on portions of the budget for the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), giving a boost to he agencys Meat Inspection Program and Division of Animal Health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The focus here is going to be on basically keeping our food safe and preventing the disease from spreading, committee co-chair Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) said. The Meat Inspection Program got an additional $2.7 million and two additional positions under the proposal approved by the committee. The program works to ensure the safety and purity of meat products sold in Wisconsin, including by inspecting the livestock and poultry slaughtering and processing facilities that are not already inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Division of Animal Health would get three additional employees that would be funded with about $500,000. According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, Wisconsin has 233 official meat establishments and 70 custom meat establishments that require state inspection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roys said the proposal falls far short of what is needed, noting that agriculture is a major economic driver in Wisconsin and the industry is under pressure due to actions being taken by the Trump administration. The USDA recently terminated its National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection, which had been in place since 1971, and the administration has considered ending most of its routine food safety inspections work. That kind of uncertainty is exactly why we need to step up our work at the state level, Roys said, adding that she hopes that Republicans consider funding at the appropriate level what our farmersdeserve. Marklein noted that the committees work on DATCPs part of the budget is not completed yet. This is a program thats had a shortfall year over year, Andraca said, adding that she hopes members of this committee are vegetarians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If theres one place that I wouldnt cut, it would probably be in meat inspection. If were looking at places to take a little off the edge, food safety is not one of them, particularly in a time where we have avian flu and other diseases breaking out, Andraca said. Youth apprenticeship program gets boost The committee also voted along party lines to invest additional funds in programs administered by the Department of Workforce Development, including $6 million in youth apprenticeship grants, $570,000 in early college credit program grants, $250,000 for the agencys commercial driver training grant program and $250,000 for the workforce training grants. Democrats had suggested that the committee dedicate $11 million for the youth apprenticeship program, which provides an opportunity for juniors and seniors in high school to get hands-on experience in a field alongside classroom instruction, but Republicans rejected it opting to put a little more than half of that towards the program. Andraca said the program is important for allowing youth to try out new skills and new jobs and train to fill positions in Wisconsin and that the $6 million investment makes it seem like the program is pretty much getting gutted. The program has steadily grown annually over the last several years at an estimated rate of 16%, although, according to the LFB, the number of additional students each year has declined going from a high of 1,923 additional students in 2022-23, to 1,703 more in 2023-24, and 1,430 in 2024-25. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Andraca noted that the program currently operates on a sum certain model, meaning that there is a specific amount of money available and the size of a grant could vary depending on participation and available funds. If there is continued growth of 16% then the grant sizes could shrink. A sum sufficient model (which Democrats wanted) would mean that the agencys spending on the program isnt capped by a specific dollar amount. Sen. Romaine Quinn (R-Birchwood) noted that the grants for students would likely grow from an average of about $900 currently to about $1,000 under the Republican proposal. This motion [is] at $6 million and $100 per award over the last budget, but were supposed to believe its gutting the program, Quinn said. Welcome to the Peoples Republic of Madison where stuff like that happens a lot; $6 million in new money is a lot of money to most people but obviously the other side, its gutting the program, Born said, responding to Quinn. At some point when youre building a budget, you have to figure out a way to afford it, be reasonable in your investments, so maybe thats why we dont view a $6 million investment as gutting because were trying to live within our means. Funding to support new Wisconsin History Center The committee approved $2.3 million to support the new Wisconsin History Center in downtown Madison for 2025-26 and $540,800 and six positions annually starting in 2026-27. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Construction on the museum, which will be operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society, started in April and its opening is set for 2027. The Historical Society had requested the one-time funding of $2.3 million in 2025-26 as well as ongoing funding of $1.7 million annually more than double the amount the committee approved starting in 2026-27 to help with operational costs, including security, janitorial and maintenance services. It said without ongoing funding from the state it wouldnt be able to open and maintain the museum. It also said that it was not anticipating needing to request additional funding for the museum operations in future budget cycles if the request is funded. The committee also approved an additional $562,000 in one-time funding across the biennium for security and facilities improvements for the Historical Societys facilities and collections and $157,000 to cover estimated future increases in services costs. But the committee decreased funding for the Historical Society by $214,000 for estimated fuel and utilities costs. DOR budget moves resources to Alcohol Beverages Division A law, 2023 Wisconsin Act 73, overhauled alcohol regulation in Wisconsin and created a new Division of Alcohol Beverages under the Department of Regulation tasked with preventing violations of the new laws. Republicans on the committee approved a motion to recategorize nine general DOR positions and over $900,000 to the Division of Alcohol Beverages to help with enforcement. It also transferred an attorney to the division and added $456,000 in funding for two more positions in the Division of Alcohol Beverages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats said that Republicans on the committee were nickel and diming the Department of Revenue with its proposal given that it recategorizes already existing positions rather than creating new ones. I do appreciate some of the efforts involved in this motion, McGuire said, adding that he noticed there were 10 positions that were moved around. That seemed odd to me, McGuire said. Were their feet up on their desk? They werent collecting taxes or what were they doing? We want to be able to give the Department of Revenue tools they need to succeed, and frankly, the tools they need to provide resources to the state to make sure that everyones on an even playing field so we can fund the priorities of the state. The GOP proposal passed on a party-line vote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Congressional Republicans arent sticking around to watch Donald Trump blow millions of taxpayer dollars on himself this weekend. Just seven of 50 surveyed GOP lawmakers are planning to actually attend the presidents birthday festivities over the weekend, reported Politico. Trumps 79th birthday coincides with the Armys 250th anniversary. To celebrate, the president is throwing himselfand the U.S. militarya parade and festival that Army officials estimate could cost up to $45 million, with millions in damages to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those sticking around include some of Trumps most stalwart MAGA supporters: Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene (who told Politico of course shed be there), Byron Donalds, and Elise Stefanik are all planning to celebrate. Representatives Cory Mills, Rich McCormick, John McGuire, and Lisa McClain are also expected to be in attendance. But the list of those planning to skip is much longer. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso wont be in town, nor will House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Senator Tommy Tuberville excused himself to continue his campaign for Alabamas gubernatorial race, while Senator Markwayne Mullin said the date coincides with his anniversary, reported Politico. Speaker Mike Johnsons office wouldnt comment. Notable veterans are also planning to sit this one out. Senator Lindsey Graham said hes not planning to attend, and Senators Todd Young, Rick Scott, and Tim Sheehy wont be there either. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast told Politico that he hadnt made up his mind as to whether hell be there. And the chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, Representative Mike Rogers and Senator Roger Wicker, wont be around, either. Instead, theyre planning to be at another airshow scheduled for next week in Paris, where defense contractors will gather for an annual conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has wanted a military parade for himself since at least 2018, but the idea was quickly shot down by local and military officials who cited enormous estimated damages to Pennsylvania Avenue, torching the hefty price tag involved in dragging heavy equipment through the U.S. capital. The president was reportedly inspired after watching a Bastille Day celebration in Paris in 2017. It was one of the greatest parades Ive ever seen. Were gonna have to try and top it, Trump said at the time, but we had a lot of planes going over and a lot of military might, and it was really a beautiful thing to see. The parade will include 6,600 soldiers who will represent every era of the Armys history. It will also showcase some 150 vehicles as 50 aircraft, including 26 M1A1 Abrams tanks, 27 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, two World War II Sherman tanks, a World War Iera Renault tank, eight CH-47 helicopters, 16 UH-60 Black Hawks, and four World War IIera P-51 aircraft, Army officials told CBS News. The plan was not always to have a march that big. In February, the Army put out a press release indicating that it intended to celebrate its anniversary with a series of commemorations, including leadership engagements, community outreach events and other events showcasing Army units, history, lineage and esprit de corps. It did not make mention of a parade. The ongoing chaos and clashes with immigration enforcement in Los Angeles have given Republican leadership a new talking point to convince their on-the-fence members to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill. During his weekly press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson featured images of the clashes with law enforcement in Los Angeles, including one with a demonstrator standing on top of a burnt car waving a Guatemalan flag. Johnson said that California Gov. Gavin Newsom deserved to be tarred and feathered. Because, you know, it's those men and women, the federal law enforcement officers who deserve our support right now, Johnson told reporters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The legislation, which Senate Republicans are now deliberating, includes money to hire more than 10,000 agents for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and 3,000 Border Patrol agents, who are part of the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP). House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington told The Independent that the demonstrations, which began with protests after ICE conducted raids in Los Angeles on Friday, made the need to vote on the bill in the Senate more urgent. U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) said clashes with law enforcement in Los Angeles emphasized the need to pass the One Big, Beautiful Bill through the Senate. (Getty) It's more important than ever to have the resources again, not just to deport and detain people, which is, by the way, just enforcing the law, Arrington told The Independent. But to defend our own federal law enforcement officers against radical leftist rioters. Senate Republicans plan to pass the bill, which also includes an extension of the 2017 tax cuts that Trump signed, increasing spending for the US military and oil drilling, using the process of reconciliation. That would allow them to sidestep a filibuster as long as the legislation relates to the federal budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But some Republicans, such as Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, want the bill to do more to reduce the deficit. I would have already had the border funding passed, I would have had the extension of the tax law passed, he told The Independent. So we had a massive tax credit taken off the table. But we are where we are. So those are certainly the things that I support in the House bill. Johnson remains a holdout for the bill, even though Trump had previously hoped to pass the bill into law by July 4. But even Sen. Josh Hawley, who has raised concerns about cuts to Medicaid, said that the demonstrations and clashes with law enforcement warranted the bills passage. I think it means that the provisions for the border wall, for ICE, for detention facilities are more important than ever, Hawley told The Independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response to the pushback of the ICE raids, Trump deployed the US National Guard to Los Angeles, which Newsom criticized, saying the president did so without cause. The president also deployed 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, criticized the deployment. So they're doing everything in their power to stage a confrontation, because they've got no positive public policy agenda for the country, and Donald Trump's primary policy passion here has been tariffs, which have been a disaster for small business and for the economy, Raskin told The Independent. So the whole thing is an attempt to change the subject by provoking some kind of dramatic, violent confrontation. But Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Democrats were being hypocritical for complaining that Trump doesnt follow the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The President and the governor's number one responsibility is to protect the people, he told The Independent. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump campaigned heavily on conducting mass deportations of immigrants in the country illegally. He made Stephen Miller, his longtime adviser and an immigration hardliner, his deputy chief of staff. He also brought back Tom Homan, who served as acting director for ICE, as his border czar. Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma told The Independent that Republicans had many reasons to pass the bill, but immigration was top among them. The bill itself increases the number of ICE agents, for instance, nationally, and removes the pressure on them, Lankford said. They've got just the quantity of enforcement that they have with literally millions of people that are here to have more support to be able to do that significantly. The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee advanced a bill on Tuesday that would repeal a 30-year-old federal law created to safeguard abortion clinics even as violence against providers and clinics has skyrocketed since the Supreme Court ended federal abortion protections. The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, also known as the FACE Act, was enacted in 1994 by President Bill Clinton in response to escalating violence against abortion clinics. The law made it a federal crime to use force or the threat of force to injure, intimidate or block any person trying to provide or access reproductive health care services. While the law has primarily been used to protect abortion clinics, it also protects fertility clinics, anti-abortion pregnancy centers, churches and other places of religious worship from similar violence. Anti-abortion violence dropped by 30% when the FACE Act was first signed into law. The law is arguably now more important than ever, since federal abortion protections fell in 2022 and violence against providers and clinics have skyrocketed. The year the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade, there was a 538% increase in people obstructing clinic entrances, a 913% increase in stalking of clinic staff and a 133% increase in bomb threats, according to a National Abortion Federation report. Reproductive rights are under attack. HuffPost is committed to reporting the truth, amplifying voices, and covering this fight with depth and care. Support our work by joining our membership program today. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) introduced the FACE Act Repeal Act of 2025 earlier this year, claiming that President Joe Bidens administration weaponized the law to prosecute anti-abortion activists. The repeal is part of a yearslong push by the GOP to stoke a false narrative that Democrats are waging a war against the anti-abortion religious right. Republican support for the bill comes less than a month after a California fertility clinic was bombed and one person died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After a heated debate on Tuesday, the repeal bill passed in a 13-10 vote along party lines. It now heads to the House for consideration. NAF has been tracking anti-abortion violence since 1977, and we know this for certain: when the FACE Act is being enforced, it is an effective and important tool to keep abortion providers and their patients safe, Julie Gonen, chief legal officer at the National Abortion Federation (NAF), said in a Tuesday statement. It is unconscionable to see anti-abortion legislators trying to repeal a law that has been keeping people safe for decades. During Tuesdays debate, Roy claimed that he had little issue with the actual law and instead worried about overcriminalization and the Biden administrations one-sided enforcement of the law. He noted that hes received pushback from within the Trump administration over his repeal bill because he said the administration is looking to use the FACE Act to protect churches. The previous administration weaponized the FACE Act to prosecute nonviolent pro-life Americans with the harshest sentences, Roy said, routinely referring to abortion clinics and pro-choice advocates as anti-life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans argued that the law has been disproportionately applied against anti-abortion advocates who protest at abortion clinics. Chairman of the Judiciary Committee Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said there has most certainly been egregious abuse from the Biden administrations selective enforcement of the law. Roy said in his opening statement that 8% of the FACE Act cases filed under Bidens Department of Justice were against protesters at anti-abortion centers and 92% were against anti-abortion activists at abortion clinics. Because of this there should be a full repeal of the federal law, Republicans argued. But several Democrats pointed out that simply looking at the numbers does not prove selective enforcement of the law. Instead, it shows that abortion clinics face a disproportionate amount of harassment and violence from anti-abortion protesters. The FACE Act is completely viewpoint neutral in its textual scope and viewpoint neutral in its application, ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said. If more people have been convicted of attacking pro-choice abortion clinics than have been convicted of attacking pro-life pregnancy centers, as my friend from Texas suggests, it is because there have been vastly more people attacking abortion clinics than attacking pregnancy centers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The only Republican on the committee who did not support a full repeal was Rep. Tom McClintock (Calif.), who said enforcement was abused but the law should instead be revised. Days into his presidency, Donald Trump announced he would limit enforcement of the FACE Act. He dismissed a handful of current ongoing FACE investigations and instructed prosecutors to apply the law only in extraordinary circumstances such as instances of death, extreme bodily harm or significant property damage. Trump also pardoned 23 people for FACE convictions that ranged from harassing pregnant patients to breaking into clinics and stealing fetal tissue. Several of those pardoned, some of whom were serving prison time, have already said theyplan to return to targeting and invading abortion clinics. Abortion providers, clinic staff and other experts working in the reproductive health field told HuffPost shortly after Trumps announcement that they were deeply demoralized by the administrations decision. Some had already seen an increase in aggression and hostility from protesters in the few weeks since Trump took office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unless you have worked at an abortion clinic, you will never understand the terror we face on a daily basis, Renee Chelian, founder and CEO of Michigan abortion clinic Northland Family Planning, said in a statement following the advancement of the bill to repeal the FACE Act. Chelian and her staff have survived arson attacks and a chemical bomb, as well as bomb and death threats. Eight of the protesters who attacked Northland Family Planning were convicted under the FACE Act during the Biden administration, but were later pardoned by Trump. Our patients have been blockaded from entering while needing immediate medical attention. My own children were targeted and terrorized, Chelian said. The FACE Act is one of the only tools to hold these criminals accountable There is no explanation for repealing this law other than purposefully inspiring violence against patients and clinic staff. Related... Federal research funding cuts pose an existential threat to academic medicine that will have repercussions for patient care in the US, according to a new report from the Association of American Medical Colleges, highlighting what it calls significant damage already done to the nation. The association, which represents 172 MD-granting US and Canadian medical schools and more than 490 teaching hospitals and health systems, noted in Wednesdays report that proposals in the House GOP tax and spending cuts bill could lead to a loss of health insurance for 11 million people enrolled in Medicaid or Affordable Care Act coverage and jeopardize loans for half of medical students. This is the first time in recent history when all three missions of academic medicine research, education and patient care are threatened, said Heather Pierce, the associations senior director for science policy. Typically, she said, when one is under fire, the others can compensate to ensure that health care is not compromised. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is the first time that all the missions of academic medicine simultaneously face these threats from our federal partners, Pierce said. Should this trend continue, Pierce said, the United States will probably face a physician shortage, stagnation in scientific progress and a decline in the quality of medical care. We have a long way to go Academic health systems, which include medical schools and teaching hospitals, educate future physicians and investigate complex medical cases, treating the sickest patients. The new report says these institutions are also twice as likely as other hospitals to provide clinical services such as trauma centers, organ transplant centers, birthing rooms and substance use disorder care. The report says patients treated at major teaching hospitals where future health care professionals receive practical hands-on training have up to 20% higher odds of survival than those treated at non-teaching hospitals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Funding cuts to these institutions have effects that trickle down to patients nationwide. The report noted that academic health systems conduct the majority of research funded by the US National Institutes of Health, and complex patient care is made possible only through extensive medical research. As of June, more than 1,100 NIH grants have been terminated since the beginning of the second Trump administration, according to the report. These include at least 160 clinical trials to study HIV/AIDS, cancer, mental health conditions, substance abuse and chronic disease. Although not all clinical trials involve life-saving treatments, for some people who have diseases that have no established therapies, trials may be their only option. Weve made terrific progress in many diseases, but there are many diseases where we have a long way to go to be able to offer a newly developed treatment that we know can improve or lengthen their lives, Pierce said. With those diseases, in many cases, the only way to try to move forward is with what scientists think are the very best potential treatments for those diseases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the clinical trials were terminated before their conclusion, which is unethical, she said. Halting a clinical trial before it ends at any point, even if all of the patients who are in the clinical trial finish their treatment, before data analysis has been done, before the results are released, renders that clinical trial less useful and less ethical, she said. Patients take on the risk of uncertainty when they join clinical trials, not knowing whether the treatment will be effective. If we never know the outcome, all of that time, all those patients launching everything that they did to bring science forward has been wasted. In some cases, it could be years of progress. The report notes that research funding has made crucial contributions to life-saving care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, the NIH funded the development of the first artificial heart valve with the first successful replacement at the NIH Clinical Center in 1960. Today, more than 100,000 heart valve replacements are performed each year. And a study also found that NIH funding contributed to research associated with every new drug approved from 2010 to 2019. Physician shortage and declining quality of care Each year, medical schools and teaching hospitals that are members of the Association of American Medical Colleges train about 77,000 residents nationwide, making these institutions the primary producers of primary care and specialty physicians. Medicare offsets a portion of the costs for the majority of trainees, and teaching hospitals fully cover the cost of training for the rest of the residents. The proposed elimination of federal student aid programs and changing eligibility requirements for loan forgiveness would affect nearly half of all medical students, the new report says. Should investment not increase, the association predicts that the nation will face a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As federal partnerships with research institutions continue to falter and immigration restrictions become more strict, the United States is becoming a less attractive place for students to pursue science, Pierce said. The nation has benefited from their longstanding global medical and scientific approach, she said. There is information being shared between countries, people being trained all over the world, Pierce said. The United States has always been the place where people want to come, trained to be scientists and trained to be physicians, and we have benefited from that. Nearly half of US graduate students in STEM fields are from other countries. If the United States is not seen as a place that will collaborate with and welcome international scholars, students and researchers will leave, Pierce said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She emphasizes that what makes US innovation unique is that research comes with not the support but the full partnership of the federal government. A weakening of this partnership will make it harder for the United States to stay as the driver of innovation and science progress, Pierce said. A physician shortage coupled with declining research investment leads to the suffering of patient care, she said. When the research stops, progress stops, Pierce said. Scientific progress toward more treatment, towards more cures, towards a better quality of life, is all dependent on this ecosystem [of academic medicine] that is more intertwined than I think anyone realized. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com It's one of the known problems with plastic pollution: Marine animals like seals and whales keep turning up dead with their stomachs full of plastic bags and deflated Mylar balloons, having eaten these nonfood items until it kills them. That makes some sense near the surface, where the soft shape of a drifting bag might be mistaken for a jellyfish or squid, but what about deep underwater, where hunting whales can't even see the plastic? A new study has shed light on the factor at play here, specifically, sound, PBS North Carolina reported. What's happening? Marine scientists from Duke University, NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration came together for a study that tested the way plastic bags and debris appear when detected with echolocation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Echolocation is a sense that some animals, including whales, dolphins, and bats, use to get around in conditions when ordinary visibility is poor. The animal emits a specific sound, then listens for the way that the sound bounces off surrounding objects and returns to them. The time it takes for the sound to return tells them the distance to the object, and the way that the sound changes such as becoming distorted or muffled tells them about the characteristics of the object, like its hardness. Echolocation helps these animals build a very precise view of the world, but as these researchers discovered, it doesn't give them all the information. According to PBSNC, all of the plastic items tested reflected sound in a way similar to the bodies or beaks of squids, the prey that toothed whales hunt in the dark depths of the ocean. That explains why so many whales are turning up with plastic in their stomachs it really does sound like food. "Assuming these animals are ingesting plastic at depth and not at/near the surface, they are consuming plastic without visually identifying it," said a passage in the study, per PBSNC. "Deep-diving toothed whales may therefore be misinterpreting acoustic cues when echolocating; presumably plastic's acoustic signature resembles that of primary prey items, driving plastic consumption." Why is it important if whales eat plastic? Whale species are already under severe threat. After many years of being hunted some of which continues to this day and in an ocean which is getting warmer and more difficult to survive in every year, populations have severely diminished over time, and conservationists are scrambling to keep these intelligent and charismatic species afloat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Plastic waste in the ocean presents another threat to species already under pressure. There are 170 trillion pieces of plastic in our ocean now, from tiny microplastics to full-sized pieces of trash and fishing equipment, all of which are killing sea life. If these hazards succeed in destroying whale species, we will not only have lost an irreplaceable part of our planet's diversity and some of the smartest creatures in existence. We will also have lost a key part of our ocean ecosystem, and humans rely on the ocean for a huge amount of food and a major portion of our economy. The estimated worth of the oceans is $24 trillion. What's being done about whales eating plastic? Companies and individuals around the globe are looking for ways to keep plastic out of the ocean and to clean up what's already there. Even middle schoolers are making strides with a robot to clean up microplastics, and researchers are putting AI on the job as well. 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. Foreign-born heads of households in London cost Britain around 3.6 billion a year in discounted rent, Telegraph analysis suggests. Nearly half of all social housing in the capital, 48 per cent, is occupied by foreign-born heads of household, data from the 2021 census shows. This is well over the national average of 19 per cent. These households benefit from cheap rents which, when compared to private rent in London, average out at a discount of around 11,600 per year per household. Responding to the figures, Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: This research shows how the huge costs of mass, low-skilled migration are often hidden from the public. When you lift up the bonnet, its clear that the level and composition of immigration have been hugely economically harmful for decades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The figures also show some 35 per cent of working age foreign-born heads of households in Londons social housing are either unemployed or economically inactive, despite living in one of the UKs most prosperous regions. The most recent ONS figures show that output per hour worked in the capital is approximately 26 per cent higher than the UK average. The figures cast further doubt on the UKs migration policies. Last year, the Office for Budget Responsibility found that low-paid migrant workers were costing taxpayers more than 150,000 each by the time they hit state pension age. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proportion of social housing allocated to foreign-born lead residents varies drastically across the capital. A majority of social housing is occupied by a foreign-born lead tenant in 14 of the citys 32 boroughs, with only 10 areas in the capital falling below the level of 40 per cent. Over 60 per cent of social housing in Brent and Westminster is allocated to foreign-born lead residents but this drops to 16 per cent in Havering. To come to the figure of 3.6 billion, The Telegraph matched rents for Londons general needs social housing stock across local authority and private registered providers with median private sector rents for properties with equivalent numbers of bedrooms. This suggested that socially rented properties were approximately 11,992 cheaper per year in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adjusted for estimated service charges, the net discount works out at 11,610. Added up across the city across the whole of the population, this suggests a total subsidy of approximately 7.7 billion. If households headed by foreign-born residents take up a proportional share of this sum, it would amount to roughly 3.6 billion per year in total discounts. Separate data from the English Housing Survey suggests that there is significant variation between ethnic groups with regards to social housing use. Roughly 48 per cent of Black Caribbean households, 40 per cent of Black African households, and 40 per cent of Bangladeshi households in England live in social housing, compared with 16 per cent of White British households, and 5 per cent of Chinese and Indian households. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, the standfirst stated that 48% of social housing in London has a non-British head of household. It should have read foreign born rather than non-British. We are happy to correct the record. 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. Northwest Arkansas lawyer Jennifer Waymack Standerfer and Arkansas Appleseed Executive Director Bobby Howard discuss a proposed constitutional amendment from the Protect AR Rights coalition to preserve direct democracy in Arkansas during a press conference at the state Capitol on May 19, 2025. (Sonny Albarado/Arkansas Advocate) The authors of a proposed constitutional amendment to protect Arkansas direct democracy process are still revising their measure following the attorney generals rejection of their original draft last week. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said he could not certify The Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment because it failed to meet the eighth-grade reading level standard set in a new law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Act 602, which became law in April, prohibits the certification of a proposed ballot title with a reading level above eighth grade as determined by the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula. The test uses word complexity and sentence lengths to calculate what grade of education is needed to comprehend written material. During a virtual press conference Tuesday, Jennifer Waymack Standerfer, a Northwest Arkansas lawyer and drafter of the measure, said its difficult to meet both the reading level provision and a requirement to not be misleading because the formula used to calculate the reading level assigns a higher grade to more complex words that she said are needed to properly convey the intent of the measure, such as fundamental right. If I say right instead of fundamental right, theres a lot less syllables there and that drops my readability score, but Im not being as transparent and open and honest with the public about what were actually doing, Standerfer said. The courts bounce around about rights and fundamental rights. Sponsored by the Protect AR Rights coalition, the proposed measure would amend Article 5 Section 1 of the Arkansas Constitution, the section that governs the states initiative and referendum process. It would designate as a fundamental right the right of voters to propose laws and constitutional amendments that can be put to a statewide vote. Asked if breaking the proposals several sections into separate ballot measures would make it easier to meet the reading level standard, Emma Olson Sharkey, a partner at the Elias Law Group who specializes in voting rights and citizen-led ballot initiatives, said its not necessarily the amount of policies or changes that are involved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is the way that theyre described, and even just that simple change (right vs. fundamental right), which would mean a lot to the people of Arkansas, wouldnt meet the standard that the Legislature has set, which is, in my view, ridiculous, Sharkey said. Among its various provisions, the measure would require petition signatures be gathered from at least 15 counties instead of 50 and would explicitly prohibit the Arkansas General Assembly from amending or repealing a constitutional amendment approved by voters. Coalition members may consider removing some provisions and editing other language to meet the reading level requirement, Standerfer said. The drafting process has become a balancing act of meeting statutory requirements while also staying true to the intent of the measure, she said. All of the policies that we have in here are really, really crucial and really, really important, and if the Legislature is putting requirements on us that make us sacrifice content, then that is impeding upon the peoples rights to legislate, Standerfer said. They dont get to tell the people what content they get to legislate in law. Legislative prerogative? Various court interpretations of the Arkansas Constitution have said state lawmakers can amend an initiated act by a two-thirds majority vote, but not an amendment, Standerfer said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That being said, the case that says that essentially says well, we know what the Constitution says, but they couldnt have possibly meant that, thats crazy, Standerfer said. There are some lawyers who are concerned the current Supreme Court would reverse itself, and because of that and the concerns that have been raised, additional clarity to restate the law as it exists now is warranted and appropriate. In an attorney general opinion issued in November, Griffin said the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1951 reasoned that the plain language of Amendment 7 gives the General Assembly the power to amend citizen-initiated constitutional amendments. But the court departed from the text because it didnt believe it was voters intention to give lawmakers that power, he said. In my opinion, that decision employed an erroneous form of reasoning and was wrongly decided, Griffin wrote. If this issue were raised today, I believe the Supreme Court would overturn that case and hold that the plain language controls. During this years legislative session, lawmakers proposed a bill that would have granted this authority to the General Assembly, but it died in the House. Let us know what you think... Two direct democracy proposals Legislators were successful, however, in passing several laws changing the states initiative and referendum process, which prompted direct democracy-related ballot proposals from Protect AR Rights and the League of Women Voters of Arkansas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Direct democracy is the process through which Arkansans can propose new laws or constitutional amendments and put them to a statewide vote. Arkansas is one of 24 states that allows citizen-led initiatives, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The Leagues measure was rejected three times, including once for failing to meet the eighth-grade reading level requirement. Griffin substituted and certified the popular name and ballot title so it met the reading level requirement on May 21. That means the League can begin gathering signatures to try to place their measure on the 2026 ballot. The nonpartisan group will officially launch its statewide signature collection campaign Friday in Fayetteville. The organization also filed a lawsuit in April that challenges several of the new direct democracy laws. Protect AR Rights filed a motion to intervene so the coalition can challenge additional laws not included in the original lawsuit, including the reading-level law. Both the League and the state argued in their responses to the motion that Protect AR Rights lacks standing and is not entitled to intervene in the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the meantime, drafters of Protect AR Rights ballot measure are continuing to solicit public input and hope to resubmit their revised proposal in the next week or so, Standerfer said. The attorney generals office declined the coalitions request for a meeting for feedback because of the pending litigation, she said. While the proposed ballot measures from Protect AR Rights and the League of Women Voters of Arkansas have the same general goal of preserving Arkansans rights to propose laws and constitutional amendments, they do conflict in some areas, Standerfer said. Because of that, if both qualify for the ballot and are approved by the voters, the one with the most votes would become law, according to the state Constitution, she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The EvilProxy phishing kit resurfacing with new attacks and tactics, such as: GUEST RESEARCH: During May, Barracuda threat analysts identified several notable email-based threats targeting organisations around the world and designed to evade detection and boost the chances of success, including: EvilProxy resurfaces with new tactics, spoofing a popular employment platform and sending fake Microsoft 365 warnings Threat snapshot EvilProxy, a leading Phishing-as-a-Service (PhaaS) provider that was prolific in early 2025, has resurfaced with a range of innovative tactics designed to trick users into clicking on links and sharing credentials. The first of these is a wave of phishing attacks spoofing the trusted Upwork employment platform to send fake payment notifications. Impersonating the Upwork freelance platform The attacks begin with a legitimate-looking email that claims to notify the freelancer that theyve been paid for recent work. For added credibility, the email pretends to come from a trusted Upwork customer. There is a link in the body of the email inviting the recipient to view the details of the payment. This link directs them to a ShareFile page where they are presented with another link. If the target clicks this link, they are taken to a "verification" page to prove they are not a bot. This extra step is intended to make the process seem more legitimate and encourage the victim to continue. The victim is then redirected to a fake login screen designed to steal their Microsoft login credentials, giving the attackers access to their personal accounts and sensitive data. A new twist on the standard invoice scam involving layered attachments Another set of EvilProxy attacks investigated by Barracuda threat analysts last month were invoice scams that led victims through multiple attachments, each one taking them further away from protection. These attacks begin with a message that looks like a legitimate payment confirmation and includes a .msg attachment. The .msg attachment claims to be a remittance note and includes an embedded image that is disguised as a PDF attachment. When the unsuspecting user clicks on the image, they are redirected via a malicious link to a Cloudflare Turnstile verification page. The Turnstile verification makes it harder for automated security tools to spot the EvilProxy phishing site that the user is directed to after passing the Turnstile verification. The phishing page is designed to steal the victims login credentials. Fake Microsoft 365 security alerts The threat analysts also found EvilProxy sending phishing emails disguised as Microsoft 365 login alerts. These alerts pretend to come from known and trusted security vendors. In the campaign seen by Barracuda threat analysts, the attackers sent a range of emails with consistent body copy but three different subject lines. This tactic is often used by scammers to enable attacks to continue after security tools have spotted and blocked one of the subject lines. The email warns recipients that they urgently need to block a particular IP address that is trying repeatedly to login to their account a common tactic to create a sense of urgency and the need for prompt action. The email carries an embedded link that users need to click to block the IP. This link takes them to a fake Microsoft login page, designed to steal their login credentials. Scammers trick users into attacking themselves using the ClickFix technique Threat snapshot ClickFix is a social engineering tactic popular with nation-state threat actors and now phishing gangs. It involves tricking victims into thinking theres a problem with something theyre trying to do. Theres an error message or prompt that tells users they can fix the issue by copy-pasting some commands into a Windows dialog box. These commands enable the attackers to execute malicious commands on the victims computer. ClickFix phishing scams dont require the targets to open infected documents or click on malicious links. They rely on duping users into adding malicious commands themselves, and this makes such attacks harder for automated security systems to spot. Recent examples seen by Barracuda mirror those seen elsewhere, targeting organisations in the hospitality sector pretending to be someone called "David" who had booked a hotel room via Booking.com but never received confirmation. The emails use emotive language to ask the recipient to click on a link to verify the reservation before the customer loses money. To make the email feel even more authentic, it includes the "Sent from iPhone" signature. Barracuda threat analysts have investigated two variants of the attack. In the first variant, when users click the link, theyre taken to a page that looks like a standard Im not a robot verification. They are asked to follow a few simple instructions: press the Windows key + R, then Ctrl + V to paste a command, and press Enter. Theres a cleverly placed "Verify" button that silently copies a malicious command to the victims clipboard. When users follow the steps as instructed, they unknowingly execute that command. This downloads and silently runs malware in the background, giving attackers access to the victims system without any obvious signs of compromises. Among other things, the attackers install malicious scripts that can steal sensitive information or install additional malware. In the second variant of the attack, theres no "Verify" button. Instead, the page displays a simple checkbox like a typical CAPTCHA. When users click the checkbox, it shows a brief loading animation, making it seem like an authentic verification process. However, behind the scenes, the page silently copies a malicious command to the users clipboard without their knowledge. The command uses a built-in Windows tool that runs an HTML Applications file (HTA). While legitimate in purpose, such files are often exploited by attackers to run malicious scripts. In the incidents seen by Barracuda, these files connect to a URL, which likely contains a harmful HTA file or script designed to execute code on the victims system. In both cases, the attackers goal is to deliver and run malicious code with minimal user interaction, using trusted Windows components to bypass security software and silently compromise the system. Gov. Kim Reynolds line-item vetoed part of the education appropriations bill before signing that would have funded a new UNI tuition program. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed legislation setting state appropriations for primary and secondary education for the next fiscal year, but item-vetoed a line providing funds to the University of Northern Iowa for out-of-state tuition changes with a vow to further work with the university next year. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reynolds signed Senate File 647 alongside other policy and appropriations bills June 11, according to a governors office news release. Reynolds said in a veto letter she line-item vetoed a $1.5 million appropriation to UNI to provide in-state tuition for students coming from states bordering Iowa not because she doesnt support the program, but because of how it was being implemented. UNI originally requested $3 million for the tuition change, Reynolds said in the letter, a one-time allocation to launch the program before it became self-sustaining, but the legislation would provide $1.5 million in the upcoming fiscal year with an expectation of ongoing funding. Questions also remained about how the program could impact current students who fall under this category, Reynolds said in the letter. UNI President Mark Nook told lawmakers this spring lowering tuition for students from contiguous states would help bring more of them to Iowa, where they would likely stay after graduation. I look forward to working with UNI next year to further develop the details of the program and see it launched, Reynolds said in the letter. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE RFK Jr. Removes Every Member of CDC Vaccine Committee Due to Conflicts of Interest originally appeared on L.A. Mag. Amid a growing measles outbreak across 17 U.S. states, health officials are urging some adultsespecially those vaccinated before 1989to consider an MMR booster. Vaccination remains the most effective protection against the highly contagious virus.Getty Images Secretary Kennedy made the announcement within an article for the Wall Street Journal, declaring a clean sweep is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science. The committee in question, the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP), was appointed by the Biden administration, with thirteen of the members selected in 2024. As a result, the current administration would have been unable to appoint a new majority until 2028. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D., R-Louisiana, shared that Kennedy had promised to maintain the [CDCs ACIP] without changes. This promise was made to Cassidy and many other undecided senators during his confirmation process, which took place in February of this year. Despite this assurance, Kennedy abruptly fired the administration, citing alleged conflicts of interest, and incorrectly stated that most members of the committee had received substantial funding from pharmaceutical companies. However, ACIP members are routinely screened for any conflicts of interest and barred from holding stocks or serving on boards linked to vaccine manufacturers. Recently fired ACIP member Noel Brewer spoke out on ABC News Tuesday morning to discuss the events, describing the committee as populated by the worlds best vaccine scientists and the absolute cream of the crop. Kennedys move triggered widespread backlash from the medical community. American Medical Association President Bruce Scott, M.D. condemned the action, saying it undermines that trust and upends a transparent process that has saved countless lives. In this statement on Monday, he warned, With an ongoing measles outbreak and routine child vaccination rates declining, this move will further fuel the spread of vaccine-preventable illnesses. The ACIP is scheduled to convene from June 25 to 27 at the CDC Headquarters in Atlanta. New appointees have yet to be named, but Brewer expressed concern with the assumption that those appointed will have the same vaccine skepticism as the current secretary does. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared. DES MOINES, Iowa Theres a new rhino at Des Moines Blank Park Zoo. The zoo announced Wednesday that four-year-old male AJ had joined the fold. The eastern black rhino comes from the Cincinnati Zoo. His more formal name. Ajani Joe, means he who wins the struggle in Swahili. AJ the Eastern Black Rhino (Courtesy: Blank Park Zoo) AJ the Eastern Black Rhino (Courtesy: Blank Park Zoo) AJ the Eastern Black Rhino (Courtesy: Blank Park Zoo) AJ the Eastern Black Rhino (Courtesy: Blank Park Zoo) AJ the Eastern Black Rhino (Courtesy: Blank Park Zoo) AJ was brought to the zoo as part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Species Survival Plan, and officials said he will play a vital role in maintaining a genetically diverse breeding population. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Woodworking meets Broadway in small town Iowa The arrival of Ajani Joe is the next major step at Blank Park Zoo in our efforts to help increase the population of this critically endangered species, Blank Park Zoo President and CEO Anne Shimerdla said. Eastern black rhinos were nearly wiped out by poaching, with their population dropping by over 90% between 1970 and the early 1990s. Thanks to conservation efforts, population numbers have been on the rise. Rhinos first came to Blank Park Zoo in 2012. Since then, two rhino calves have been born at the zoo. Metro 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. EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) The Rhode Island Genealogical Society is celebrating 50 years of helping people learn about their family history. On Saturday, the society will be hosting an all-day conference with guest speakers, a raffle and more. You can get tickets here. Community Focus: Brown Universitys Michael Littman Rhode Island Genealogical Society President Maureen Taylor joined 12 News at 4 to share more about the event, the societys work, and how people can get involved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch the interview in the video above. 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. FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) After years of waiting, Bicentennial Park is finally opening to the public. Franklin leaders have called the new 14-acre park a community hub for Franklin residents. Formerly home to the Old Georgia Boot Factory, the park has been transformed into a venue that can host up to 5,000 people for community events. Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The park is located near the Harpeth River and will feature an open-air pavilion, a stage for outdoor movies and performances, a public plaza, shaded picnic tables and more. Franklin officials restored a dust collector from the factory, highlighting a piece of history to the modern new park. The groundbreaking has been scheduled for June 18 from 4-6 p.m. Free parking is available in the citys parking garages on 2nd and 4th Avenues, but there is ADA parking on-site. You can follow this link for more information about parking for the event. Do you have news happening in your neighborhood? Let us know by sending an email to neighborhoodnews@wkrn.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 WKRN News 2. Richard Desmond has launched a fresh legal claim against the Gambling Commission over a 70m handout granted to the National Lottery. The media mogul alleges that funds set aside for charitable donations under Camelot, the lotterys previous operator, constitute a subsidy and should therefore be recovered from Allwyn, the current operator. The claim, lodged at the Competition Appeal Tribunal, represents an escalation of an increasingly bitter battle between Mr Desmond and the gambling regulator since he lost out to Allwyn in his bid to secure the fourth National Lottery licence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Allwyn, controlled by Czech billionaire Karel Komarek, subsequently acquired Camelot after it gained control of the lottery. However, Allwyns ownership has so far been beset by problems owing to a botched IT upgrade. Allwyn is controlled by Czech billionaire Karel Komarek Mr Desmonds Northern and Shell group, which owns the Health Lottery, claims that the Gambling Commission allowed Camelot, once it was under Allwyns control, to take 70.21m from the National Lottery Distribution Fund to help bankroll marketing activities. The decision had the effect of granting to Camelot financial assistance which conferred an economic advantage, on the grounds that the subsidy provided Camelot with resources to market and promote the National Lottery, court papers filed by Northern and Shell said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This, in turn, bolstered the National Lotterys competitive position in the relevant markets, to the ultimate benefit of Camelot and Allwyn. Court battle The National Lottery Distribution Fund is a pot that essentially collects the proceeds of the National Lottery not paid out as prizes and hands them out to so-called good causes. A source close to Mr Desmond described the 70m payment as money that could have helped fund British Olympic athletes or other major UK charities. Northern and Shells latest lawsuit comes amid an acrimonious fallout set to be settled in the High Court later this year. Mr Desmond has launched a separate 1.3bn claim against the regulator for failing to award him the fourth National Lottery licence, as he claims the bidding process for the 10-year contract was unfair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The dispute was thrown into chaos earlier this year after the Gambling Commissions lawyers accidentally sent thousands of confidential documents to Mr Desmonds legal team. A judge recently ruled that Northern and Shell could rely on the majority of the material in court. Mr Desmond has since been forced to deny accusations that he cannot afford to fight the case. Earlier this month, the Gambling Commission and Allwyn told a judge that his companies cannot afford the legal costs associated with the case, a claim that Northern and Shell has vigorously denied. Saad Hossain KC, representing Northern and Shell, stressed that the company had sufficient funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawyers acting for Allwyn told the court that Northern and Shell would be liable for at least 55m in legal costs if it lost the case. The Gambling Commission was contacted for comment. An Allwyn spokesman said: This is a legal dispute brought by Richard Desmonds Northern and Shell group against the Gambling Commission only. No proceedings have been brought by the Northern and Shell group against Allwyn or Camelot. Mr Desmond declined to 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. The front entrance to the UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. (Photo by Shelby Kleinhans for Source NM) Management at a hospital in Rio Rancho violated workers labor rights by refusing to bargain over a series of layoffs in 2023, a state district court judge ruled this week. Second Judicial District Court Judge Elaine Lujan issued a ruling on Tuesday upholding an earlier order by the state Public Employee Labor Relations Board, which found that the University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center breached its legal duty to bargain with the union who represents workers there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through a prohibited practices complaint in May 2023, the United Health Professionals of New Mexico alleged the hospital had begun laying off more than a dozen workers. That October, the Boards hearing officer concluded that management broke the law by refusing to bargain over the layoffs, failing to respond to requests for information about the layoffs and implementing unilateral changes to some workers duties. The Board in February 2024 adopted the hearing officers recommendations, and the hospital appealed the decision to Lujan, whose decision this week sided with PELRB. This ruling should shut the door on the hospitals campaign to avoid bargaining in good faith and silence its workers, UHPNM President and physical therapy Regina McGinnis said in a statement on Wednesday. Its refusal to follow basic legal obligations under labor law is not only unethical but dangerous for workers and the patients they serve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UNM Health System Communications Director Chris Ramirez told Source NM on Wednesday that UNM Hospital respects the ruling. Since acquiring UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center in 2024, UNM Hospital has bargained with and entered into collective bargaining agreements with two labor organizations, including most recently UHPNM, Ramirez said in a statement. UNM Hospital is committed to working with its labor partners to ensure that it fulfills its mandate to the community by providing high-quality patient care. UNM Hospital looks forward to continuing this dialogue with its labor partners. According to a news release, UHPNM is currently reviewing the Public Employee Labor Relations Boards remedy to determine whether the employer has complied or whether further legal action is required, and noted ongoing serious concerns about the hospitals compliance given its past behavior. This is a public hospital, funded by public dollars, and there must be public accountability, McGinnis said. Health care workers deserve more than empty apologies and legal delays. They deserve respect and a lawful seat at the table. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX As a fifth day of anti-ICE protests continued into the typically volatile evening hours, a state of emergency and a curfew in a portion of downtown Los Angeles are now in place, many across Southern California and the nation are asking who is inciting the violence, committing the vandalism and doing the looting? Is it demonstrators or habitual agitators? In a Tuesday evening press conference, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass announced the curfew in a single square mile area downtown between the 110, 10 and 5 freeways, including Skid Row, Chinatown, Little Tokyo and the Fashion District. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The curfew, which began this evening at 8 p.m. and goes until 6 a.m., is expected to remain in place for at least several days. Last night, there were 23 businesses that were looted, the mayor said. I think that if you drive through downtown L.A., the graffiti is everywhere and has caused significant damages to businesses and a number of properties. Bass warned anyone attempting to remain in the curfew zone after 8 p.m., with limited exceptions, will be subject to arrest. On Monday, Bass expressed her deep frustration with those choosing to engage in illegal behavior, using the cover of immigrants rights as a reason to cause mayhem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I just say to anybody that does that, dont come and say you are supporting immigrants rights. You cant possibly be supporting immigrants and vandalize our city, she said. You will be arrested. It might not happen that day, so dont think that because you went home that night that youre free. Theres a lot of videotape, investigations that will take place and you will be held accountable and, frankly, need to be separated from the people who are fighting on behalf of our immigrant community. A protester vandalizes a Waymo taxi as another burns near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last nights immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Protesters in Paramount, California, United States on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Jon Putman/Anadolu via Getty Images) A California Highway Patrol vehical burns on the 101 Freeway near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last nights immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) A protester leaps off a burning Waymo taxi near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last nights immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Protesters outside of the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, US, on Sunday, June 8, 2025. The deployment of National Guard troops by President Donald Trump over the weekend, despite the objections of state and city officials, led to growing friction between local leaders and the administration. Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images On Sunday, L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell highlighted the level of violence police have battled, from a Molotov cocktail that hit an officer to two motorcyclists reportedly ramming skirmish lines to cinderblocks smashed into rocks, passed around and lobbed at police and commercial-grade fireworks launched at the force. That can kill you, McDonnell emphasized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The night of June 9 also devolved into a stretch of five Waymo driverless taxis on North Los Angeles Street near Arcadia Street tagged with graffiti and lit on fire, sending flames and clouds of toxic black smoke into the air. 3 killed in crash involving motorcyclist fleeing Southern California police These are people who are all hooded up, theyve got a face mask on, the chief said. Theyre the people who do this all the time, get away with whatever they can [and] go from one civil unrest situation to another using similar tactics. Some would call them anarchists, but theyre people we run across routinely, city to city; its what they do. Even more disgusting [is] that many people doing this come in from other places just to hurt people and to cause havoc. As of late afternoon Tuesday, police said that nearly 200 people had been arrested on various charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just before 9 p.m., LAPDs Central Division said in a post to X that mass arrests are being initiated for curfew violations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. In 2018, some activists, appalled by woke nonsense being published by academic journals, submitted nonsensical research. One paper claimed researchers "closely and respectfully examined the genitals often thousand dogs" to learn about "rape culture and queer performativity at urban dog parks." Some journals published it! In my new video, one of the hoaxers, James Lindsay, claims this "woke virus" now has spread to the right: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There is a radical segment embedded within MAGAthat acts the same way, uses the same tactics, acts like the woke left." I was skeptical. But to make his point, Lindsay pulled off a new hoax. He rewrote parts of The Communist Manifesto and, using the pseudonym Marcus Carlson (a play on Karl Marx), submitted it to the conservative magazine American Reformer. His article criticized classical liberal ideas like free markets, global trade, and individual freedom, like Marx did. Yet the conservative magazine published it. Even after a reader pointed out that it was The Communist Manifesto, the magazine kept its article up, writing, "It's still a reasonable aggregate of some New Right ideas." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The New Right, says Lindsay, acts like the woke left. "There's the victimhood mentality, the cancel culture, struggle sessions. They bully people online with swarms; they rewrite history." The New York Times' 1619 Project rewrote history, claiming America was founded to protect slavery. Today's woke right say: Hitler "was trying to encourage communityfamily values," (claims social media influencer Dan Bilzerian). "I want total Aryan victory.The only way we are going to make America great again is if we make this country Christian again," says white supremacist Nick Fuentes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fuentes' videos have received more than 30 million views. On his show, he says, "Jews better start being nice to people like us because what comes out of this is going to be a lot uglier and a lot worse for them." Influencer Andrew Tate won 10 million followers largely by attacking feminism: "I am absolutely sexist." "'Men should be in charge, knock the women down,'" sighs Lindsay, "The woke right literally becomes all the caricatures that the woke left said conservatives are: 'racist, sexist, homophobes.'" "They're fringe," I say to Lindsay. "No real threat." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "That's what everybody said about woke kids on campuses," he replies. That shut me up. I admit I thought brainwashed college progressives would drop "safe spaces," trigger warnings, speech codes, and other silly ideas once they had to earn a living. But I was wrong. Most didn't. Those kids brought about lots of change. Their preferences got many companies to mandate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training and led many employees to fear speaking honestly at work. But today, says Lindsay, the energy is on the right. "It's great that we're having a conservative revivalbut there's also called 'falling off the cliff.'" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elected officials now say things like, "We should be Christian nationalists!" (Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia) and, "I'm tired of this separation of church and state junk," (Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado). "Your ability to believe as you will," says Lindsay, "worship as you will without state interference, is a bedrock idea of the American experiment. Woke right, like the woke left, is this litany of bad ideas." He fears that next election, the woke right will elect the woke left. "The left is going to say, Hillary Clinton was right to call [people on the right] 'deplorable.' Then the left will sweep back in and dominate." COPYRIGHT 2025 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC. The post The Rise of the Woke Right appeared first on Reason.com. After they were captured in Canada, the wolves released in Yellowstone National Park initially stayed in acclimation pens, like this wolf pictured in the Crystal Creek pen on Jan. 26, 1996. (Photo courtesy of Jim Peaco/Yellowstone National Park) EDITORS NOTE: This is the second installment of Howl, a five-part written series and podcast season produced in partnership between the Idaho Capital Sun, States Newsroom and Boise State Public Radio. Read the first installment by clicking here. NEZ PERCE RESERVATION, IDAHO Long before the American government removed them both from their ancestral homelands, wolves and Native Americans coexisted side-by-side for centuries. Those connections run deep for Shannon Wheeler, the chairman of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wheeler remembers growing up as a boy, hearing elder members of the Nez Perce Tribe tell stories about wolves. One story involves a young boy talking with his grandfather. They were talking and the grandfather told him that each of us have a wolf inside of us. We actually have two wolves inside of us. Ones a good wolf, and ones a bad wolf. And theyre constantly fighting one another. And the grandson asked him, Well, Grandpa, which wolf wins? And he says, Whichever one you feed the most will win, Wheeler said. The story of the two wolves is one that Wheeler carries with him to this day. Were able to utilize that lesson and our teachings to our younger ones coming up as we continue to try to grow our people and to fit into part of a world that is outside of who we are and outside of our culture and so we need those strengths, Wheeler said. We need to know that were feeding the good wolf inside of us so that we are that strong. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the stories, some members of the Nez Perce Tribe develop even deeper spiritual connections with wolves. What I can tell you from my position as the Tribal chairman is the wolf has always played a significant part in who we are as people, based on even the names of our people, Wheeler said. Many of our people have gone out for weyekins A weyekin is something where you go and fast and you get your animal spirit, and itll come to you. And sometimes its a himiin, its a wolf. Himiin is the name for us for wolf. Nearly 70 years after the U.S. government drove the wolf population to near extinction in the U.S. Rocky Mountains, that spiritual connection is what led tribal members to work to bring the himiin back to Idaho, Yellowstone National Park and the West. This is the story of how the Nez Perce pulled off a task no one else wanted and why theyre still fighting for wolves today. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX An opportunity by the Creator to occupy this land For thousands of years the Nez Perce Tribe has lived, hunted, fished and traded in what are now parts of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Wyoming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over time, members of the Nez Perce Tribe developed a deep connection to the land and animals, said Allen Pinkham, a member of the Nez Perce Tribe who was born in 1938. To us, we are given the opportunity by the Creator to occupy this land that were at right now, and then were supposed to take care of the land and all the species that we utilize because its a life source, Pinkham said. Its an opportunity to believe and have faith in your Creator. Thats what we do, and were supposed to take care of everything else, because it provides and sustains life for ourselves. Today, the Nez Perce is a federally recognized tribe that has about 3,500 members and governs the Nez Perce Reservation that is located in north-central Idaho. In 1965, Nez Perce National Historical Park was created by an act of Congress, and what was known as Spalding Park became the headquarters and visitor center for Nez Perce National Historical Park. (Photo by John Elk/Getty Images) The Tribes headquarters is located in the town of Lapwai, Idaho, and the reservation sits on a fraction of the Nez Perces ancestral territory. Lapwai is a working-class town nestled in a valley and the reservation is a mix of grassland, forested mountains and rural communities anchored by the Clearwater River. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An 1855 treaty between the Nez Perce Tribe and the U.S. government set aside about 7.5 million acres of land for the tribe. But after gold was discovered on the reservation, additional treaties shrunk its size to less than a tenth of what it was. Its now about 770,000 acres The Idaho Legislature wanted no part of the federal governments plan to reintroduce wolves to Idaho Thanks to bounties, trapping and widespread poisoning, by the 1930s the U.S. federal government all but killed off wolves that used to roam the U.S. Rocky Mountains from the Canadian border to Mexico. But in the 1990s the U.S. government undertook one of the most controversial wildlife programs in history capturing wild wolves in Canada and reintroducing them in Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. On Jan. 14, 1995 in the aftermath of a major snowstorm, Suzanne Asha Stone was part of a convoy of vehicles that made a white-knuckle drive across icy roads to release four wolves at Corn Creek at the edge of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Central Idaho. At the time, Stone was an intern on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services wolf capture and reintroduction team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conditions were so sketchy that some members of the team unbuckled their seatbelts as they worried about plunging into the freezing Salmon River below, Stone said. If you slid off the road into the river, you wouldnt have had time to disconnect your seat belt, Stone said. It was kind of like the decision of whats the worst that could happen, and preparing for that. The wolves, which had been flown from Canada, were placed in kennels and driven in the back of U.S. Forest Service pickups to the Frank Church Wilderness. When they arrived at Corn Creek, the wolf team opened the kennel doors and immediately released the wolves into the wild. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those first four wolves reintroduced in Idaho had only been running wild for three days when the Idaho Legislature nearly derailed the entire operation. On Jan. 17, 1995, the Idaho Legislature rejected the Wolf Recovery and Management Plan developed by the Legislative Wolf Oversight Committee. The move blocked the state from leading wolf recovery in Idaho. And it left the federal government without a local partner to monitor and oversee the first wolf population to call Idaho home in more than half of a century. What happened next is a largely untold story of how the Nez Perce Tribe stepped in to save wolf reintroduction in Idaho. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even now, 30 years later, many people in Idaho dont know the role the Tribe played. A song for the wolves: How the Nez Perce Tribe saved wolves in Idaho Even as the Idaho Legislature said no to wolves, the Nez Perce Tribe was demonstrating its connection to wolves and investment in wolf reintroduction. Just before wolves were reintroduced to Idaho and Yellowstone National Park in January 1995, the late Horace Axtell, who was the spiritual leader of the traditional Nez Perce Seven-Drum religion, and Tribal member Allen Pinkham traveled to Missoula, Montana. Axtell and Pinkham came to offer blessings for the wolves that had been captured in Canada and were being kept in kennels at an airport hangar before their release. They met the wolves just before they were transported over the final leg of their journey for reintroduction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the ceremony, Axtell welcomed the wolves back home to Montana, Idaho and Yellowstone. And so he sang a song for the wolves, Pinkham said. About that time, the late Nez Perce leader Levi Holt traveled to Boise to meet with policymakers, said his nephew, James Holt. Levi Holt delivered a speech at the Idaho State Capitol pushing to have the Nez Perce Tribe take responsibility for the new wolf program in Idaho, James Holt said. My uncle Levi, being very active at that time, made that impassioned speech before decision makers to actually push them to have the Tribe be the managing partner for that reintroduction effort, James Holt said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It worked. A billboard near the Nez Perce Reservation in Lapwai, Idaho, encourages people to protect wolves and grizzly bears. (Photo by Clark Corbin/Idaho Capital Sun) Because of the Tribes connection to wolves and history of coexistence, the Nez Perce Tribe was ready to take over wolf reintroduction and conservation after the Idaho Legislature said no. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was looking for a partner, and we became that partner, said Aaron Miles Sr., who has worked as natural resources manager for the Nez Perce Tribe since 1999. Miles was still finishing his forestry degree at University of Idaho when the Nez Perce took over the program in Idaho. He took pride in seeing the Tribe taking a lead role in protecting a species that had shared a homeland with his ancestors. But Miles also heard plenty of stereotypes and lots of misinformation about the Tribe even among college students he was helping tutor. Id hear all the chatter about, well, can the Tribe do this? How can they do that? Miles said. Theyre all these questions, and sometimes it was racist. It wasnt just the fact that they were asking an honest question. But it had to be like, OK, these Indians, this or that, and here I am helping some of these guys with their homework, and that really upset me. Hiking and howling, the jaw-dropping work of monitoring Idahos new wolf population Biologist Marcie Carter is a member of the Nez Perce Tribe who served on the Tribes wolf project starting in June 1997. Carter got her start while she was still a student at Lewis-Clark State College and helped put together the first wolf management plan. Marcie Carter, who began her career with Nez Perce Tribes wildlife division working on the wolf project, poses for a photo in front of a wolf den. (File photo courtesy of Marcie Carter) Our goal was to go into the field, find paired up wolves that potentially had pups, and document the reproduction of those wolves, and also count how many pups were out there, Carter said. That summer I dont even recall how many, we probably had maybe five or six pairs of wolves that had puppies that year, Carter said. So they started out very well. Carter and another biologist spent their summer hiking around Central Idaho in places like Stanley and the Bear Valley area near the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, looking for wolves. The wolves had been fitted with radio collars that allowed the wolf project team to track their location. Typically a pilot and another team member would fly overhead, locate the wolves from the air and then use a radio to relay the animals location to the biologists on the ground. At that point, the biologists would hike in and locate the wolves. We worked 10 days in a row, and then wed take four days off, Carter said. And we camped out, we backpacked and lived in a tent and slept on our Therm-A-Rest and ate packaged noodles. And every day for those 10 days, thats what we were doing. We were up, out and looking for any type of sign of wolves. Although she grew up in Idaho and had spent time in the woods, Carter hadnt really ventured into the wilderness until she joined the Nez Perces wolf project team. Before setting out, she had to borrow a backpack, sleeping bag, tent and cook stove. A typical assignment during her first summer in 1997 involved flying into Central Idahos remote Chamberlain Basin with a team of other biologists. Located within the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, the Chamberlain Basin was the site where one of the first wolf packs in Idaho established territory following the reintroduction of wolves. That pack became known as the Chamberlain Basin Pack. That was basically our lives during that time, Carter said. It was just backpacking, walking, hiking, listening. It was a great time. The reason they spent so much time in wolf country is because that is the best way to get an idea of how the wolves are doing and what they are up to. Carter and the team conducted howl surveys. With hands cupped over mouths, researchers threw their heads back and let out their best imitation wolf howls. They hoped to get live wolves to howl in response, which helped them track the wolves location. Contribute to the nonprofit Idaho Capital Sun Howl is the largest investment in time and resources weve put toward one project at the Idaho Capital Sun. If you find value in what we do, you can support work like this with a one-time or recurring donation at IdahoCapitalSun.com/Donate. To read the weekly installments of Howl, released every Wednesday morning, sign up for our free email newsletter, IdahoCapitalSun.com/Subscribe. To join us for our free live panel discussion Wolves in the West 30 Years of Reintroduction and the New Threats Wolves Face Today on June 17 at the Special Event Center in Boise State Universitys Student Union Building, register online. As the team hiked and drove across wolf country, they scoured the ground for wolf tracks and droppings that researchers call scat. They analyzed data from wolves fitted with radio collars. They documented the newborn pups. And they counted the wolves that were killed. Once a year the team packed all that data into a report documenting Idahos wolf population. It was all very positive and very, very jaw-dropping type work, Carter said. Although the wolf project started as a cool summer job for her, it became more than that. Carter soon began asking one of her grandfathers about wolves. They talked about how himiin, the Nimiipuu language word for wolf, comes from the word for mouth. Thats because wolves talk to each other, Carter said, with their howls. When older members of the Nez Perce Tribe began to find out about the wolf project, they asked Carter about her work and shared stories about the Tribes history. When they talked about losing wolves from the landscape, sometimes the older Nez Perce members talked to Carter about other losses the Tribe experienced. It was a learning experience for me, not just in the field, but culturally, Carter said. Its just that it goes back to the loss of the connection that all Tribal people went through, with being moved to the reservation, being forced to stop speaking our language, Carter said. It did kind of raise that awareness also for other Tribal people that loss that we had experienced and continue to experience, Carter said. And then that reconnection it happened with wolves. Its happening with salmon. Maybe someday itll happen with grizzly bears. Over six years on the wolf project, Carter documented growth and stabilization in Idahos wolf population. And as she observed wolves in their natural habitat, Carter saw a very different side to the animals that people warned her about. I saw these families of wolves taking care of each other and playing, and they are not this evil that people think, Carter said. As the wolf population increased in Idaho, calls for change grew During Carters time monitoring wolves, the population increased significantly. Compared to the original 15 wolves released in Idahos Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in 1995, the Nez Perce Tribe reported a minimum of 192 wolves in the central Idaho recovery area in the fall of 2000. At the end of 2005 a decade after wolves were reintroduced to Idaho the Nez Perce team and Idaho Department of Fish and Game biologists had identified 59 resident wolf packs in Idaho. Biologists observed a minimum of 370 wolves in 2005, and estimated the states wolf population to be 512 in 2005. By 2005, wolf territory in Idaho stretched from near the Canadian border, south to Interstate 84 and east from the Oregon border to the Montana and Wyoming borders, the wolf team noted in its annual report. During 2005, Wildlife Services officials said 26 cattle, 218 sheep and nine dogs were reported as confirmed or probable wolf kills. As the number of wolves and wolf kills increased, so did the calls to remove the wolf from the Endangered Species List and turn management of wolves over to the states. Under the Endangered Species Act, animals that are listed in danger of extinction are given protections like the protection of critical habitat and prohibitions on hunting and recovery plans. For species protected by the Endangered Species Act, the animals recovery and stabilization is the priority. Animal species that have been saved by Endangered Special Act protections include the bald eagle, the California condor, the whooping crane and grizzly bear, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Once species are removed from Endangered Species Act protections, regulations can be eased and states can approve hunting rules or other management and lethal population control methods. In January 2006, then-Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Interior transferring day-to-day management of wolves to the state of Idaho. After about a decade, the Nez Perce Tribes role leading wolf recovery in Idaho had come to an end. I think we would have kept it, but the funding was going away, and so we did not have the money to keep a program going, Carter said. And so I think the only way was basically to hand it over to the state. Removing wolves from protections under the Endangered Species Act By 2007, the state of Idaho was officially planning for its first wolf hunts since reintroduction in 1995. At that same time, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife put forward plans to remove the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List. A series of legal battles ensued, where wolves were removed and then returned to the Endangered Species List. In January 2009, Samuel N. Penney, the then-chairman of Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee, wrote a letter expressing the Tribes full support for removing wolves from Endangered Species Act protections in Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, northern Utah and eastern Washington. Samuel Penney, former chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe, speaks as Jeremy Takala Yakama of the Yakama Nation looks on during the Salmon Orca Summit IV on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on July 14, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Nez Perce Tribe) Penney told then-Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar that wolves met recovery goals for the Northern Rocky Mountain region in 2002. By 2008, Idahos wolf population was estimated at over 800 wolves in 88 packs, Penney wrote. The Tribe wants, and understands that citizens of United States also want, wolves to be conserved, Penney wrote. The Tribe is confident that you understand the importance we place on being able to make decisions locally about how to wisely manage this resource in combination with all our other wildlife resources. Ultimately, wolves were removed from Endangered Species Act protections in 2011 after Congress inserted language into the federal budget requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove wolves in Idaho, Montana, eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and north-central Utah from the Endangered Species List. By May 2011, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game had taken over management of wolves in Idaho, and put wolf hunting tags up for sale. Then in 2021, the Idaho Legislature expanded wolf hunting and trapping by removing the limit on the number of wolf tags hunters can buy, allowing trapping on private land year round and allowing the state to enter into contracts with third parties to kill wolves. The state of Idaho had officially set out to reduce the wolf population by killing the predators. Now Marcie Carter and other wolf advocates worry the government is starting to go down the same road it did 100 years ago when wolves were eradicated from the U.S. Rocky Mountains. We did all this great work, and we spent hours and hours out in the woods and then to come to this point where theyre treated like vermin, its really disorienting, Carter said. Its definitely being undone, Carter added. Its been being undone since we stepped out. Its very expensive to recover wolves and its not very expensive to take them off the landscape. Journalists Clark Corbin and Heath Druzin reported and wrote Howl over the course of 14 months, trekking deep into the backcountry in some of the most remote places in the Lower 48 chasing the story of Americas wildest and most controversial wildlife comeback story wolf reintroduction. New installments of the written series will be published in the Idaho Capital Sun each Wednesday through July 2. The Howl podcast is available free everywhere that podcasts are available. Upcoming Howl schedule: Wednesday, June 18: Fixing Yellowstone: How an intact ecosystem set the stage for a wolf queens long reign. Despite being orphaned and repeatedly challenged for alpha status and ultimately being killed by a rival pack, Wolf 907 leaves a long legacy. Wednesday, June 25: Cattle Battle: How wolves and livestock collide and how one Idaho project offers solutions. Western ranchers say their livelihood is at stake after wolves were reintroduced into the Lower 48 30 years ago. Wednesday, July 2: Ghost Wolves: While wolves might represent natures greatest and most controversial comeback, some longtime wolf advocates say they arent seeing wolves in the same places they always used to after the Idaho Legislature expanded wolf hunting and trapping in the state. Some scientists have openly questioned how the state of Idaho tracks and counts wolves, and some original members of the wolf reintroduction team worry 30 years of hard work to bring wolves back could be undone. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE TBS in Akasaka, Tokyo (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) Akasaka, located in the center of Tokyo and a short 20-minute walk from Hardy Barracks, is known for being an upscale district. Here youll find Akasaka Palace, the Prime Ministers official residence, first-class hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, a broadcasting station and numerous foreign embassies and office buildings packed into one area. Lets stroll around the stone-paved street near TBS broadcasting station, also known as Big Hat. There is a large shopping, restaurant and residential complex called Akasaka Sacas where you can find a variety of unique food and souvenirs on the street. During mealtimes, the street becomes very busy with business and traveling folks who form a line in front of popular eateries. Originally, Akasaka was a residential district for feudal lords during the Edo Period (1603 1867). The area was then developed as home to high-ranking government workers, military leaders and businessmen in Tokyo. Geisha houses and premium eateries were also built to entertain these wealthy figures a century ago. Go off the main street and explore the side streets where youll find trendy, high-end ryotei Japanese restaurants housed in chic, classical buildings. Akasaka (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) TBS (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) TBS Akasaka ACT Theater (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) TBS Akasaka ACT Theater (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) Across the large Akasaka Intersection down the street from TBS, is Hie Jinja, a Shinto shrine and famous Tokyo power spot. Although the picturesque shrine is located high on a hill, there is a large escalator to take you up. The top of the escalator offers a nice view of Akasaka, and the shrine itself has stunning vermillion shrine buildings worthy of a photo or two. (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) Every other year in mid-June, Hie Jinja hosts Sanno Matsuri, one of Japans three biggest festivals (along with Kyotos Gion and Osakas Tenjin Matsuri). The festival draws thousands to enjoy the processions, performances and festival food. The next one is expected to take place in mid-June in 2026, according to Hie Shrine. So, when you stay at Hardy Barracks or New Sanno, be sure to walk around Akasaka to feel some high-end atmosphere that Tokyo has to offer! Akasaka https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/2226/ EASTHAMPTON River Valley Co-op will hold its annual Strawberry Ice Cream Social and Austin Miller Co-op Hero Awards on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the co-ops Easthampton site. This outdoor celebration will honor community leaders and welcome the arrival of strawberry season with music, food, family fun, and a deep sense of gratitude for local changemakers. State Rep. Homar Gomez will join River Valley Co-op directors in presenting the Austin Miller awards, which recognize local individuals, nonprofit groups and businesses that exemplify cooperative values and uplift the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All proceeds from this years Ice Cream Social will benefit the Center for New Americans in Northampton, a nonprofit group providing immigrants and refugees with education and support to help them thrive in their new communities. This years award recipients include: Local nonprofit: Center for New Americans Local farm or food producer: Thomas Farm, Goat and dairy cheese makers Local business: Real Pickles Local individual: Linda Frogameni, of the Northampton Early Childhood Center The event will feature live music from The Gaslight Tinkers, known for their Afro-Caribbean, Latin, and funk grooves. A fresh summer menu will be available for purchase with favorites, like burgers, corn on the cob and locally sourced strawberry sundaes. Sundaes are specially priced at just $3 for the event. All proceeds go to CNA. Family-friendly activities and games on the patio. This event is free to enter and open to all. Read the original article on MassLive. ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) PLAY ALL DAY with Roanoke Parks, Recreation and Tourism will be celebrating outdoor fun on Friday, June 20. This event is across Virginia for a statewide day of fun. Boys & Girls Club hosts 4th annual Four on the 4th Run in Vinton Here are the summer events and locations: Summer Solstice Yoga Brambleton Rec: 8 a.m. Plein Air Painting Walrond Park: 5:30 p.m. Splash Valley Water Park DJ + Afternoon Fun Hello Summer Festival Green Hill Park | 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (Free!) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To learn more and to register, 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 WFXRtv. CHICAGO (WGN) A man is dead after he was shot while allegedly attempting to rob another man at gunpoint on the West Side overnight. According to police, the incident unfolded just after 10:45 p.m. in the 1400 block of North Artesian Avenue, in West Town. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Officers said the victim, a 36-year-old man, was retrieving items from his car when an armed man approached. Officers said the suspect then allegedly demanded the victims personal belongings. But the victim, a Concealed Carry License (CCL) holder, was able to draw his own weapon and opened fire on the suspect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland Officers said the suspect, identified by the Medical Examiner as 18-year-old Daone Feazell, suffered several gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but was later pronounced dead. No other injuries were reported. An investigation into the incident is now underway by Area Five Detectives. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Jun. 10ROCHESTER Rochester is slated to receive a $650,000 state grant to fund the planned expansion of the Silver Lake skate park . Parks and Recreation Director Paul Widman said the funds will help meet long-standing community priority by providing an improved space for skaters of all ages and abilities. "Everyone in our community needs safe, welcoming places to gather and connect and this is especially true for our youth and young people," he said. "The current facility needs an upgrade to continue fulfilling this need and to ensure it remains a vibrant, inclusive space." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The funds are part of $4 million in skate park grants approved by the Minnesota Legislature on Monday during a special session. The Silver Lake Skate Park expansion is part of $9.7 million worth of park improvements that are already underway with the replacement of the park's pool . Other work includes updating the west shelter and playground area and creating an indigenous gathering area where the Zumbro River meets Silver Creek. While construction of the other projects are slated to start this summer, Parks and Forestry Division Head Mike Nigbur said the skate park work was on hold in hopes of expanding the existing $350,000 budget. With the $650,000 state grant, the potential budget is boosted to at least $1 million. Nigbur said it's unclear whether the city will need to find additional funds to secure the state support, and another grant request remains under review. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once the budget is finalized, Nigbur said design work can start, with the hopes of securing a contractor later this year to start work in the spring of 2026. He said he expects a portion of the state funds to be used to coordinate design efforts with the Twin Cities nonprofit City of Skate, which lobbied for the legislative funding. Paul Forslin, president of City of Skate, said the added funding is a state milestone in ongoing efforts to expand similar facilities through the state. "With this grant program, Minnesota is setting a national example of how public investment can empower youth and create lasting community impact," he said. "This funding represents years of persistent work, community engagement, and partnership with state leaders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Skateparks are vital public spaces places where kids can be active, creative, and connected." In addition to Rochester's grant. Other approved grants were: * $550,000 for Winon's WERC Skatepark. * $500,000 for Northfield;s Phase 2 of Memorial Park Skatepark. * $400,000 for Minnetonka's Glen Lake Skatepark. * $750,000 for Brainerd's Memorial Park Regional Skatepark * $500,000 for St. Paul's Merriam Park Skatepark. * $250,000 for Minneapolis' Central Gym Park Skatepark. * $400,000 for Minneapolis' Folwell Park All Wheel Park. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) Rochester Police confirm a person was found dead inside a burning car early Sunday morning. Police and fire crews responded to the car fire around 1:40 a.m. on the 700 block of Exchange Street. After the Rochester Fire Department put out the flames, an unidentified person was found inside. Investigators said the car was parked before the fire and there is no indication of a collision or criminal activity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police are working with the Monroe County Medical Examiners Office to identify the victim. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) The Rochester Rotary Club hosted guest Tom Golisano at a luncheon Tuesday. He talked about the upcoming graduation of the Golisano Institutes Inaugural Class, as well as whats next for its recently announced one-year advanced certificate in AI and business. Rochester Rotary has been in the community for over 100 years, serving children in the Rochester area. The Rochester Rotary Club operates the sunshine camp, an accessible residential summer in Rush for children with physical challenges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To learn more, visit the Rochester Rotary Club 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 RochesterFirst. BELLEVUE, Tenn. (WKRN) Neighbors in Bellevue say the nearby rock quarry is rocking their houses. Controlled explosions are causing some concern in the community, but the company says theyre not doing anything wrong. Lisa Bradley has houses in West Park and in Cross Timbers, both in Bellevue. Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More She told News 2 both houses shake when Vulcan Materials Company performs a blast, and shes concerned its impacting her homes structure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bradley she felt a blast from a rock explosion on Mondaythe biggest one shes felt since last year. She said its a scary feeling, somewhat like an earthquake, and wished she was aware of when they were going to happen. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts Her main concern is her homes foundation, she told News 2. When theres big ones like that I think they could sometimes be over what theyre allowed to do, Bradley said. I dont know who is keeping track of that or who is checking on that, or if they are testing it. Vulcan Materials Company sent News 2 a statement reading, Vulcan Materials has operated the River Road Quarry for decades. As part of producing construction materials for roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, and infrastructure projects, we conduct blasting, historically on average, less than twice per month. Blasts last for less than a second and we track ground vibrations, from multiple monitoring stations, to ensure we are well within state-required limits. Prior to any blasting, we notify nearly 50 neighbors who have signed up for notifications from our quarry. At Vulcan, we make every effort to be a good neighbor, which includes supporting local organizations and hosting on-site tours and open houses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To reach Vulcan Materials, contact community@vmcmail.com. Do you have news happening in your neighborhood? Let us know by sending an email to neighborhoodnews@wkrn.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 WKRN News 2. ROCK VALLEY, IA (KELO) There are new glimmers of hope in Rock Valley, Iowa after floodwaters swept through town in June of last year. The water rose quickly, forcing many people from their homes. In the weeks that followed, volunteers came from all over the area to help people pick up the pieces. Now, nearly a year later, things still arent back to normal, but theyre getting better. Last June, The Rock River crested at nearly 28 feet, which was five feet more than the previous record. City officials say more than 500 homes were directly impacted by the flooding that followed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But now, the residents who were displaced have a reason to be optimistic. Work on new homes is well on its way in Rock Valley. The flood affected everybody here in town, but were not going to let it affect us going forward. Were going to work forward with housing, with new opportunities, Rock Valley Mayor Kevin Van Otterloo said. Talks of new housing were in the works before disaster struck. The flood happened. Then when city powers to be reached out and said, Hey, we have a huge need for housing, for residential homes, Schafersman Development CEO Byron Schafersman said. Once work is complete, there will be around 195 new homes and apartments on new or existing lots. Some of them will be at Valley Vue on the east side of town. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds checked out the progress and toured one of the homes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im proud to say that this city and the surrounding region arent just building back, theyre building back stronger, more resilient and more sustainable than ever, Reynolds said. Reynolds says the state of Iowa has provided millions of dollars in relief. Everything that we asked for back last June, shes delivered on, Van Otterloo said. The sight of new homes and apartments is a sign of hope for Rock Valley, but both Van Otterloo and Reynolds say that recovery is not over. To everyone who loves Rock Valley, were just getting started, Van Otterloo said. Were going to continue work every single day, to get this community and northwest Iowa back to where it was before these horrific floods hit, Reynolds said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are also displaced residents who are still living in trailers provided by FEMA. Mayor Van Otterloo says he expects some of them to buy their trailers and make them their permanent homes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 former Los Angeles Police Department detective who was on the force during the 1992 Rodney King riots said that Democrat Mayor Karen Bass was too late in calling for law and order to be restored as riots broke out in the city this week. President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles as anti-ICE violence escalated over the weekend, prompting pushback from Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom. On Monday, the U.S. Northern Command announced that 700 Marines would be sent to the greater Los Angeles area to help protect federal property and agents. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said on Tuesday his department made 197 arrests, with 130 of those occurring near Commercial and Alameda, and the other 67 occurring after protesters occupied the 101 freeway. The LAPD said it arrested 96 people overnight Monday during protests in the downtown area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Charges included assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, failure to disperse and looting and arson. One person was arrested for attempted murder with a Molotov cocktail. Trump Takes Action Against 'Orchestrated Attack' On Law Enforcement By Deploying Marines To La: Assemblyman A protester places debris in a fire as Border Patrol personnel in riot gear and gas masks stand guard outside an industrial park in Paramount, Calif., on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Police have used tear gas in an attempt to disperse protesters. Numerous businesses in the Los Angeles area were also looted. Read On The Fox News App Moses Castillo, a former LAPD detective, told Fox News Digital that Bass was too late in calling for order to be restored. "She's now trying to play catch up," Castillo said. "I think if she would have been very more forceful in the beginning that we're not gonna tolerate these crimes and allow police officers to do their job and arrest people on site, I'd think it would have be different. Instead, she's now saying it now that these crimes would not be tolerated, looting would not tolerated. But it's a little bit too late." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fox News Digital reached out to Bass' office. Castillo said that he thinks both sides are using the violent protests to attack each other, something he says needs to stop. Mayor Bass Blames Trump's Ice Raids For Starting Riots While Claiming 'Things In La Are Calm' A demonstrator waves an American and Mexican flag during a protest in Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025, after federal immigration authorities conducted operations. "I believe that both sides, the president, Governor Newsom, are using the media waves to attack one another," Castillo said. "To me, that's like going back to high school, really. I think they wanted to do is come to the table. Let's have a face-to-face, let's have a meeting, let's hash out the issues, and let's find solutions." Police officers stand amid tear gas during a protest against federal immigration sweeps in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole Police officers are enveloped in a cloud of smoke from tear gas and percussion grenades while guarding a highway onramp during a protest against federal immigration sweeps in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 8, 2025. "They're not united in this front," he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Castillo recalled being an LAPD trainee during the Rodney King race riots in 1992, and said "History is repeating itself." Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies watch over demonstrators on a street covered in spent "less lethal" munitions, during a protest against federal immigration sweeps in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 8, 2025. "Here, people are upset about the immigration policies of this current White House administration and the difference also being is we're in a time where social media is instant. Images are going up there, so it's easy to get the word out and get people down to come in and create chaos," Castillo said. "History is repeating itself, and this time we're dealing with a lot of violence against police officers. They're throwing bottles of cocktails, they're throwing cinder blocks, you name it." Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner and Louis Casiano contributed to this report. Original article source: Rodney King riots officer says LA mayor acted too late as anti-ICE violence engulfs city Romanian President Nicusor Dan will visit Odesa on 11 June to attend the fourth Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit organised by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Source: a statement on the Romanian presidents official website, as reported by European Pravda Details: The statement outlines that during the summit, Dan will reaffirm Romanias commitment to continued support for Ukraine at all levels and its involvement in efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace, particularly through recovery initiatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He will also highlight the importance of maintaining unity and a coordinated approach across the region represented at the summit, in order to protect the European continents security as a whole. Particular attention will be paid to the Black Sea, especially in the context of safeguarding trade routes. While in Odesa, Dan will also take part in the first-ever high-level trilateral meeting between Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. Together with his counterparts, he will discuss key infrastructure cooperation projects primarily in the energy sector as well as EU accession processes and security cooperation. Background: President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic will also attend the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit, marking his first visit to Ukraine. Dan officially took office on 26 May and made his first foreign visit to Vilnius for the summit of the Bucharest Nine and Northern European countries. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) Roper St. Francis is working to give more people access to healthcare in the Lowcountry. Officials broke ground on their future campus off Interstate 26 and 526 near Mall Drive. At the groundbreaking ceremony, Roper St. Francis officials spoke about bringing the future of healthcare to the metropolitan North Charleston area, the third largest city in South Carolina. The new Roper St. Francis will feature a 24-hour emergency room department, state of the art operating rooms, inpatient units, enhanced security systems and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not only are we celebrating the movement up to the center of the population of the Charleston region but were putting in a building thats going to be around for over a century, said Joseph Deleon, CEO and President of Roper St Francis Healthcare. The project is expected to have a 2.5-billion-dollar economic impact and generate 3600 construction-related jobs. Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette promises more healthcare jobs in the stat With beautiful structures like this coming up, we know it becomes critical to have a well-trained workforce, said Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette. My pledge to you is we will continue to strive to create more nurses, more doctors, more healthcare workers so that in all the jobs were opening we have a workforce ready for you. Nurse, physicians and frontline care team members spent over 500 hours working with architects in hands on sessions to better the design for the facility, which includes everything from supply cabinets to electrical outlet placement. When they have the opportunity to provide input where the walls and outlets and pieces of equipment will be you get a much better product, said Deleon. Roper St. Francis will transition their team at their current location in downtown Charleston to North Charleston. In 2024, MUSCs board voted to purchase the downtown Roper building. However, the transaction will not be finalized until Roper relocates to North Charleston. Construction is expected to be finished in 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 WCBD News 2. (WBRE/WYOU) Dozens of police officers and state troopers will be out patrolling three counties in northeastern Pennsylvania this weekend as part of Operation Nighthawk. Pennsylvania State Police say Troop P Wilkes-Barre will host Operation Nighthawk, a specialized training and enforcement program that targets drunk driving. Man shot in forehead during road rage incident, DA says The program combines classroom instruction, workshops on DUI case law and drugged driving, and roving DUI patrols in collaboration with municipal law enforcement partners, state police said in a media release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 60 state troopers and municipal officers will saturate areas designated for enforcement in Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Monroe counties on Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. UPDATE: The woman has been found and safely returned home, according to the Roy City Police Department. ROY, Utah (ABC4) The Roy City Police Department asked for the publics help in locating a 65-year-old woman who reportedly went missing on Tuesday evening. Police say the woman, whose name has been removed from this article to protect her identity, left her residence at the Orchard Cove apartments around 7 a.m. on June 10 but never returned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Roy City PD, the family said she is new to the area and has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia and mutters a lot when speaking. She has been described as a Hispanic female and is about 5 feet 2 inches tall, 150 pounds with a medium build and shoulder length grey colored hair. She was last seen wearing white shoes, white pants, a dark blue sweater and possibly a maroon shirt. She may also be carrying a maroon-colored purse. Roy City PD said there are no available photos of the woman at this time. Anyone with information about her potential whereabouts is encouraged to contact Weber Area Dispatch by calling 801-395-8221 and asking to speak with a Roy City Police Officer. 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. In a potential pullback after U.S. officials said two weeks ago that they would "aggressively" revoke visas for Chinese students enrolled at U.S. universities and increase vetting of student visa applicants, President Trump said Wednesday that he had come to an agreement with China on students "using our colleges and universities." The president offered no details in the announcement posted to his Truth Social platform as part of a brief outline of a trade deal with China that he said was pending approval by each side. But the decision appeared to relax a clampdown on America's second-largest international student group that has been under increased scrutiny since May 28, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested the U.S. would broadly revoke Chinese student visas and target individuals tied to the Chinese Communist Party or studying unnamed "critical fields." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Wednesday, Trump said that having Chinese students at U.S schools "has always been good with me!" "Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me. Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. Relationship is excellent! Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump said in his all-caps post. Read more: Trump administration threat to revoke Chinese student visas roils California The State Department did not respond to a request for clarification on the visa matter, including the question of whether Rubio's comments still applied. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The May policy to aggressively cancel Chinese student visas has roiled higher education nationally and in California. Universities depend on the full tuition fees paid by international students and see Chinese and other foreign students as integral to their academic operations and missions to foster diverse campuses. The Rubio announcement and now the potential relaxing of it has exacerbated growing uncertainty at universities, which have been dealt a barrage of actions under Trump, including grant cancellations, federal investigations into alleged antisemitism and probes into admissions policies. International students have especially been in the crosshairs. There have been thousands of student visa cancellations over the spring for violations as minor as speeding tickets and attempted deportations of pro-Palestinian college activists who are international students. There is a pause of new student visa application appointments while the State Department increases security vetting procedures, including looking at social media profiles for pro-Palestinian language and imagery. Trump's new travel ban, which went into place Monday, has also led some universities to advise incoming students from countries on the list to defer enrollment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of the 1.1 million foreign students enrolled at U.S. universities, roughly 277,000 are Chinese second only to Indians. The 51,000 Chinese nationals in California make up more than a third of the states nearly 141,000 foreign students. The University of California has 17,832 Chinese students across all of its campuses. Locally, USC has nearly 6,000 and UCLA has 2,208. Read more: S. Jack Hu, new UC Riverside chancellor, defends international students amid Trump crackdown A UC spokesperson declined to comment on Trump's social media post and pointed The Times to the university's statement last month on Chinese student visa restrictions that said it was "concerned about the U.S. State Departments announcement to revoke visas of Chinese students." "Chinese students, as well as all our international students, scholars, faculty and staff, are vital members of our university community and contribute greatly to our research, teaching, patient care and public service mission," the statement said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A USC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. While there are no data pointing to widespread security concerns over Chinese students and scholars, there have been incidents in recent years. This week, the U.S. said it arrested a Chinese scientist who was arriving in Detroit to pursue research at the University of Michigan. The scientist, from University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, is accused of illegally smuggling biological material related to worms that require a government permit. In an interview, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Riverside), a member of the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce, called the potential Trump shift on Chinese student visas an example of "TACO," a phrase some Democrats are using to say "Trump always chickens out," reflecting the president's policy shifts. Republicans have argued that the president's shifts are a negotiation strength. "In allowing Chinese students to come here, it's part of the importance of the United States being a draw for students from everywhere," Takano said. "But his overreach, his interference in the operations of universities ... endangers the higher education enterprise of America." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is also political value to the U.S. in having Chinese students here, experts said. "For the United States, bringing Chinese students [here] isn't just about educating them in subjects like math and science it is about educating them in American values, like democracy and freedom of speech," said Emily Baum, an associate professor of modern Chinese history at UC Irvine. "And the expectation is that either they will stay in the United States because they enjoy life here or take those values back to China and influence the political system." It could be that some Chinese students are turned off by the vacillations of the Trump administration and decide to stay in China for their studies, one expert added. Gaurav Khanna, an associate professor of economics at UC San Diego, said that around the year 2000, China began a major campaign to build new universities. Within about a decade, it had doubled the number of institutions in the country, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They invested heavily," Khanna said. "In some ways, they are well-suited to say, 'Hey, don't risk your future going to a second-tier American university. Why don't you stay back here in China and go to this really good university where ... there is funding for research?'" 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. Russia is increasing its military presence in West Africa by delivering tanks, artillery and advanced electronic warfare systems to regions where Africa Corps, a new Russian military formation, is gaining influence. Source: Associated Press Details: Journalists report that Russia is using cargo ships flying its flag to transport military equipment to West African ports. Notably, the Baltic Leader and the Patria, both under sanctions, unloaded at the port of Conakry in Guinea at the end of May. The equipment was then transported by land to Mali. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shipments include tanks, armoured personnel carriers, artillery systems (including 152 mm guns), electronic warfare systems, Spartak armoured vehicles and military infrastructure such as tanker trucks and boats marked in Russian. Satellite images also showed a Su-24 fighter jet at the airbase in Bamako. The Associated Press notes that, unlike military groups nominally subordinate to local armies, Africa Corps seems to have been granted autonomous aerial support. Read more: Women no longer go out to work, fearing rape by Wagner mercenaries: how Russia is colonising Africa "We intend to expand our cooperation with African countries in all spheres, with an emphasis on economic cooperation and investments," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "This cooperation includes sensitive areas linked to defence and security." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the disbandment of the Wagner Group in 2023 and the death of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin established Africa Corps a new regiment that took over operations on the continent. The European Union found that it is controlled by Unit 29155, a covert unit of Russias military intelligence agency (GRU) known for sabotage and contract killings in Europe. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russian forces struck the Semenivka hospital in Chernihiv Oblast again on 11 June. This is the fifth recorded attack on this medical facility. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories ed.] Source: Viacheslav Chaus, Head of Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration Details: Early reports indicate that the Russians used a Molniya attack drone. Aftermath of the Russian attack on the hospital Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photo: Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration The attack damaged the building's exterior facade and interior, shattering the windows. Aftermath of the Russian attack on the hospital Photo: Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration As of yet, there is no information on casualties. Chaus reports that this is the fifth recorded attack on this medical facility. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! North Korean ballistic missiles once again rained down over Ukraine this week as the war with Russia continues to rage, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to renew warnings that the threat posed by the Moscow-Pyongyang alliance is "extremely dangerous" for Europe and Asia alike. "The longer this war continues on our territory, the more warfare technologies evolve, and the greater the threat will be to everyone," Zelenskyy said Tuesday. "This must be addressed now, not when thousands of upgraded Shahed drones and ballistic missiles begin to threaten Seoul and Tokyo." Zelenskyys warning came just one day after Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, confirmed in an interview with The War Zone that Russia has significantly improved North Korea's KN-23 ballistic missiles. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lays flowers as he pays tribute to 12 people killed by the Russian ballistic missile in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 25, 2025. Zelenskyy Dismisses Trump's Claim That Russia Wants Peace, Says He Knows Putin 'Much Better' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this year, the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team a U.N.-member group that includes the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and South Korea confirmed late last month that Pyongyang not only supplied Moscow with more than 11,000 troops beginning last October, but also 9 million rounds of mixed artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition, a slew of weapons systems, and at least 100 ballistic missiles last year alone. In May 2024, Ukrainian authorities reported that at least half of the North Korean-supplied ballistic missiles fired by Russia were missing their targets by malfunctioning and even exploding in midair. Read On The Fox News App On Monday, Budanov said the missiles are now hitting Ukrainian targets with "deadly accuracy" an improvement that appears to have arisen following a June 2024 mutual defense pact between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un pose for a photo during a signing ceremony following bilateral talks in Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19, 2024. Russia Launches Biggest Drone Barrage Of The Ukraine War, Kyiv Says Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Top Ukrainian officials are sounding the alarm that there is a clear exchange of North Korean troops and supplies for Russian technical knowhow including developments it has learned from Iranian drone manufacturing. "We are also tracking evidence that Russian-Iranian drone technologies have spread to North Korea," Zelenskyy said Tuesday. "This is extremely dangerous both for Europe and for East and Southeast Asia." Similarly, Budanov said Pyongyang has agreed to produce Russian UVAs on North Korean territory utilizing developments in drone warfare that Moscow has obtained through Iran and its steady supply of Shahed drones. "It will for sure bring changes in the military balance in the region between North Korea and South Korea," the intelligence chief warned on Monday. Upper floors of a nine-story residential building in the Dniprovskyi district are damaged by a Russian drone strike on March 23, 2025, in Kyiv, Ukraine. But North Korea's increased knowledge of drone development and ballistic missiles could have far deadlier consequences when it comes to the nuclear-armed, anti-Western nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Unfortunately, ballistic missiles are carriers of nuclear payloads," Budanov pointed out. But when asked if Moscow is aiding North Koreas nuclear program, the intelligence chief said, "Lets say they had huge problems with the carriers of these missiles and the firing from their sea component. And Russians are helping them with this." Original article source: Russia fires North Korean ballistic missiles in 'extremely dangerous' threat to Europe and Asia: Zelenskyy By Mark Trevelyan (Reuters) -Russia sent Tu-22M3 long-range bomber planes on a flight over the Baltic Sea on Wednesday, the defence ministry said, in the first such mission since Ukraine carried out a stunning June 1 attack on air bases in Siberia and the far north. A number of Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS bombers were destroyed or seriously damaged in those strikes, conducted by drones that were smuggled close to the airfields in trucks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia regularly conducts heavy bomber flights as a show of strength and deterrence to its adversaries, but Wednesday's also appeared aimed at sending a message of business as usual despite the Ukrainian attacks. The defence ministry said the Tu-22M3s flew for more than four hours over neutral waters of the Baltic, escorted for some of that time by fighter planes from foreign, presumably NATO, countries. The Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS, known to NATO respectively as Backfire and Bear-H, are 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. The Bear-H and the newer Tu-160M Blackjack are nuclear-capable aircraft which, alongside ground- and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, form part of Russia's strategic nuclear deterrent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday that Moscow's potential for nuclear deterrence against the United States had not suffered "any tangible damage" as a result of the Ukrainian attacks. Ryabkov has previously said Russia would repair the damage from the strikes, although commercial satellite images show a number were clearly destroyed. The United States assesses 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 last week. Ryabkov, without citing evidence, said Western countries had provided technical help to Ukraine when it came to targeting and transmission of real-time data, and this made them complicit. "These countries, which have such capabilities, took this step, deliberately testing our patience and endurance - they encroached on the foundations of the concept of nuclear deterrence, not just with their irresponsible indulgence of the Kyiv regime, but by supplying this regime with key sensitive information," Interfax news agency quoted him as saying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States has said President Donald Trump was not informed in advance of the Ukrainian operation, dubbed "Spider's Web," which Zelenskiy has said was 18 months in the planning. (Reporting by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Chris Reese) Russia's nuclear deterrence capabilities have not been significantly impacted in recent Ukrainian drone strikes on several military airfields, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on June 11. His comments come days after Ukraine launched a coordinated drone attack, dubbed Operation Spiderweb, targeting at least four major Russian air bases and reportedly damaging dozens of aircraft, including strategic bombers and airborne early warning planes. Ryabkov claimed that the extent of the damage from the attacks has been "greatly exaggerated" and that none of Russia's strategic forces were weakened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our nuclear deterrence potential against the U.S. and any other potential adversary has not suffered significant damage," Ryabkov said, according to the state-run news agency RIA Novosti. Russia has repeatedly issued nuclear threats against Ukraine and Western countries since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Those threats have so far not materialized, as Russia continues to wage its war. The Spiderweb attack was planned over 18 months and carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and is believed to have disabled or destroyed a significant portion of Russia's long-range bomber fleet. Ukraine claims the operation damaged 41 aircraft and disabled up to 34% of Russia's strategic bombers. Independent satellite imagery has confirmed destruction or damage at several sites, including multiple Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers at the Belaya air base. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 4 that nearly half of the planes hit in the attack are impossible to repair. NATO estimates that between 10 and 13 Russian planes were completely destroyed, and more were damaged. Ryabkov previously acknowledged damage to Russian aircraft but claimed that all of them could be put back into service. Read also: Ukraines SBU releases fresh video of Operation Spiderweb, teases new surprises Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russia has scattered its most valuable warplanes to a remote airbase in the far east of the country, after a surprise Ukrainian drone attack devastated its strategic bomber fleet last Sunday. Two Tupolev Tu-160 planes have been moved 4,000 miles from the front lines to the remote Anadyr airbase, which can only be accessed by air and sea, satellite imagery showed. Located on the desolate Chukotka Peninsula, the airfield is around 410 miles from Alaska and was set up during the Cold War. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The supersonic Tu-160 bombers can carry nuclear weapons and are by far the most expensive in Russias inventory, with a price tag of around $500 million per unit. By comparison, the B-52 Stratofortress, the mainstay of the USs bomber fleet, has an estimated value of roughly $94 million. Operation Spiders Web were the result of 18 months of meticulous planning by Ukraines security service In addition to being expensive, Tu-160s are rare. Russia is thought to have only 16 operational airframes, and Ukraine said it damaged some in last Sundays attacks. Prof Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow for air power at the Royal United Services Institute, told the i newspaper that imagery from the Anadyr base could suggest Moscow was trying to reduce the risk of more drone attacks. Dubbed Operation Spiders Web, the June 1 strikes were the result of 18 months of meticulous planning by Ukraines security service (SBU), which on Wednesday released a video detailing how the strikes played out. Agents smuggled cheap drones into Russia, right under the nose of the Russian security agency, captions from the video read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These drones were placed inside modified wooden cabins mounted on the back of lorries, then driven to locations near their targets by drivers who were seemingly unaware of their cargo. Once near the airbases, the cabins released the drones to attack aircraft on the bases. Everything was planned down to the second, the video explained. It happened simultaneously in three different time zones, involving 117 drones. The SBUs web was to entangle all of Russia, it said. The SBU planned to attack five airfields, although only four were hit, as drones exploded prematurely while en route to a base in Russias far east. The SBU planned to attack five airfields, although only four were hit - MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Admiral Pierre Vandier, Natos Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, lauded the operation, saying it was a reinvention of the Trojan horse method, with new technical and industrial creativity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sergei Ryabkov, Russias deputy foreign minister, on Wednesday said Moscows nuclear deterrence has not suffered significant damage, and that the affected equipment can and will be restored. Experts, however, said it would take years for Russia to recover from the assault, which Ukrainian officials estimated caused $7 billion worth of damage. Several Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers are believed to have been destroyed in the operation. Kyiv said last week that Russia had used a Tu-160 to launch a cruise strike against Ukraine. It claimed this indicated a shortage of Tu-95s and Tu-22s, as Moscow usually uses these older models for strikes rather than the more expensive and scarce Tu-160. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both the Tu-95 and Tu-22 are no longer produced. Russia does assemble new Tu-160s, however only two are thought to have been completed since 2022. Though the Tu-160 is a Soviet-era design, in 2018 the Russian ministry of defence ordered 10 new airframes at a cost of 160 billion roubles. 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. Russia on Wednesday sentenced exiled opposition figure Leonid Volkov -- the former right-hand man of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny -- to 18 years in a penal colony under a litany of charges. Volkov, who is now based in Lithuania, laughed off the charges in posts to social media. Russia has continued to crack down on Navalny's allies and family even after the Kremlin opponent's death in an Arctic prison last year -- which authorities have not fully explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moscow banned Navalny's organisations in 2021 as "extremist" and accelerated that crackdown with Russia's massive clampdown on dissent that came with its 2022 Ukraine offensive. "Volkov was found guilty of more than 40 episodes of crimes in nine criminal cases," the Interfax news agency said, quoting a Moscow military court. Russia has made wide use of censorship laws introduced following its invasion of Ukraine to silence criticism of the three-year war. Volkov was convicted on charges including "justifying terrorism", spreading "fakes" about the army, fraud and creating an "extremist" organisation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But he made light of it Wednesday. "Detente! Got 18 years," Volkov said in a post on Telegram, in a tongue-in-cheek remark typical of Navalny's political camp. Volkov left Russia in 2019 after authorities opened a criminal case against him. He has been on Russia's wanted list since 2021. The 44-year-old was the victim of a brutal hammer attack in April last year outside his home in Vilnius. Navalny's allies later blamed another camp of the anti-Kremlin opposition. The attack had divided the already splintered opposition, which has been forced into exile and severely weakened by the loss of its main figurehead Navalny. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Navalny was President Vladimir Putin's main political opponent, the only figure in Russia able to bring thousands to the streets in anti-Kremlin protests in the years before Moscow's Ukraine offensive. bur/djt/jj A Moscow military court sentenced Leonid Volkov, a Russian oppositionist and associate of late Alexei Navalny, to 18 years in maximum security prison, Mediazona reported on June 11. The ruling was issued in absentia as Volkov was forced to leave Russia in 2019 and was placed on the federal wanted list in 2021. He currently resides in Lithuania. The judge sentenced Volkov to a maximum sentence demanded by the prosecution based on 45 cases under nine criminal articles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The accusations raised against the oppositionist ranged from "discrediting" the Russian military, ties to an allegedly "extremist group," and the "rehabilitation of Nazism" to involving underage persons in rallies and vandalism. The said charges are often used by the Kremlin to suppress political dissent and silence opposition voices. Volkov was also ordered to pay a fine of 2 million rubles ($25,000) and banned from engaging in any online activity. Volkov was one of the closest allies of Navalny, who died in a Russian prison in February 2024 under unclear circumstances. Volkov was Navalny's chief of staff during the latter's 2018 presidential bid and led his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) organization until 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the summer of 2022, Volkov was charged in Russia for "justifying terrorism" and with "discrediting" the military, a charge invented by Russian authorities to silence criticism of the war against Ukraine. Volkov suffered injuries when he was assaulted at his home in Lithuania in March 2024. A month later, Polish authorities detained a Belarusian suspected of organizing the attack on Moscow's behalf. The Russian regime has intensified its crackdown on the domestic opposition since the outbreak of Moscow's all-out war against Ukraine in 2022. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russia has been shipping weapons to conflict zones in West Africa in violation of international sanctions, the Associated Press (AP) reported on June 10, citing radio signals, satellite images, and military officials. The deliveries represent another sign of Russia's expanding military footprint in African nations. Russian-flagged cargo ships delivered howitzers, radio jammers, and other military equipment to a port in Guinea in late May after a month-long voyage from the Baltic Sea, the AP reported. Other ships made deliveries to the same port in January, carrying armored vehicles and tanks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the vessels involved in the shipments, including Russia's Baltic Leader and Patria, are on Western sanctions lists. The weapons delivered to Guinea were then carried in trucks to neighboring Mali, European military officials told the AP. The outlet analyzed video footage from a Malian blogger to verify the report. Footage analyzed by the AP identified Russian-made 152 mm artillery guns, small cannons, and a BTR-80 armored troop carrier equipped with radio-jamming devices entering Mali. The delivery also included tanker trucks and semi-inflatable boats, one marked with a painted Russian flag. Read also: US warns serious consequences over Russian naval base plans in Sudan Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to military officials, most of the weapons were likely delivered not to the Malian Armed Forces but to Russia's "Africa Corps," a paramilitary group controlled by the Russian Defense Ministry. Russian mercenaries, including the notorious Wagner Group, have fought alongside Malian government forces since 2021, in attempts to fend off Islamic insurgents. The Wagner Group announced its withdrawal from Mali on June 6, but Africa Corps intends to maintain an active presence in the country. Satellite images from the Bamako air base indicate that Africa Corps also has at least one Su-24 bomber, the AP reported. Wagner forces in Mali have been sanctioned for alleged war crimes and widespread looting. In December 2024, Human Rights Watch accused Wagner mercenaries and Malian government forces of deliberately killing 32 civilians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wagner mercenaries and Malian soldiers have also reportedly suffered heavy losses in their engagements with Tuareg-led rebels. After a short-lived rebellion against Moscow led by former Wagner Commander Yevgeny Prigozhin in June 2023, Russia sought to tighten its control over operations in Africa the majority of which were led by Wagner forces. The influx of Russian weapons into Mali is likely accelerating Africa Corps' rise over Wagner in the region, officials and experts told the AP. The weaponry could also help prevent Russian forces in Africa from suffering the kinds of heavy losses incurred last summer. Read also: In African universities, Russias war against Ukraine finds new supporters Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russian drone strikes and bombs killed at least three people in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv overnight, regional officials there said, even though Moscow's latest drone and missile barrage elsewhere was significantly smaller than preceding nights. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a post to Telegram that another 56 people were injured by Russian attacks overnight, which included the use of Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones, first-person view commercial-style drones and KAB guided bombs. More than 103 residential buildings were damaged, Terekhov said, describing the destruction as "enormous." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kharkiv -- Ukraine's second largest city with a pre-war population of around 1.4 million -- sits just 20 miles from the Russian border. That proximity has seen the city bombarded throughout Russia's full-scale invasion. Kharkiv has also faced intense recent attacks as Moscow expanded its drone and missile campaign, plus as Russian forces reportedly mass along the nearby border and threaten new incursions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said of the strikes on Kharkiv, "Every new day now means new vile strikes by Russia, and almost every strike is indicative. Russia deserves increased pressure, with literally every hit on ordinary life it proves that pressure is not enough. And we should not be afraid, not postpone new decisions that could complicate the situation for Russia." "Without this, they will not go for real diplomacy," Zelenskyy added. "And this depends primarily on the United States and other world leaders. Everyone who called for an end to the killings and for diplomacy must act." PHOTO: A firefighter walks past a burnt car following a Russian drone strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on June 11, 2025. (Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images) Elsewhere on Tuesday night, at least five people were injured by Russian shelling in the southern Kherson region, local officials said in a post to Telegram. One person was also killed and another injured by Russian shelling in the eastern Donetsk region, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 85 drones and one missile into the country overnight, of which 49 drones were shot down or otherwise neutralized. Impacts were recorded in 14 locations, with drone debris falling in two other locations, the air force said. Zelenskyy said in a Tuesday night post to Telegram that he had spoken with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov about "our efforts to counter drones, protect against missiles and reinforce our air defense." The meeting came after Monday night's massive Russian attack on cities including Kyiv. "The Russians have once again used ballistic missiles from North Korea," Zelenskyy said of Monday night's attacks. "We are also tracking evidence that Russian-Iranian drone technologies have spread to North Korea. This is extremely dangerous both for Europe and for East and Southeast Asia." MORE: Zelenskyy demands 'action from America' after latest Russian drone, missile attack Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The longer this war continues on our territory, the more warfare technologies evolve and the greater the threat will be to everyone," Zelenskyy added. "This must be addressed now -- not when thousands of upgraded Shahed drones and ballistic missiles begin to threaten Seoul and Tokyo." Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down 33 Ukrainian drones overnight into Wednesday morning. In Russia's Tambov region -- around 260 miles southeast of Moscow and 230 miles from the closest Ukrainian-controlled territory -- acting governor Evgeny Pervyshov said on Telegram that a fire broke out in the town of Kotovsk due to falling drone debris. "The situation is under control," Pervyshov wrote. But Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said in a Telegram post that an explosives plant in the area was hit by drones. PHOTO: This handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on June 11, 2025 shows a burning building following a drone attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine. (Handout/UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE/AFP ) Kovalenko claimed that the Tambov gunpowder plant had been forced to suspend operations by the strike. "It produces gunpowder used for various types of small arms, artillery and rocket systems," he said of the facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The enterprise is one of the main suppliers of explosives for the Russian army," Kovalenko added. "With the beginning of a full-scale war in Ukraine, production at the plant has increased significantly." The governor of Russia's western Belgorod region said six people were also injured by a Ukrainian drone strike on a factory in the town of Shebekino. All were hospitalized, the governor said in a post to Telegram. ABC News' Oleksiy Pshemyskiy and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report. Russian airstrikes kill 3 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy warns of evolving drone tech originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Russian forces have attacked the Nikopol and Synelnykove districts of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, causing a fire at the premises of a company and damaging a high-rise building, houses and vehicles. Source: Serhii Lysak, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "The enemy targeted the Vasylkivka hromada with UAVs in the Synelnykove district. A fire broke out at the premises of a company. A building and agricultural equipment have been destroyed." [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories ed.] The aftermath of the Russian attack on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photo: Lysak on Telegram Details: The Russians struck the Velykomykhailivka hromada with a guided aerial bomb, damaging residential buildings. The aftermath of the Russian attack on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Photo: Lysak on Telegram Russian troops hit the Nikopol district with artillery and kamikaze drones, targeting the district centre (the city of Nikopol) and the Marhanets and Pokrovske hromadas. "A high-rise building was damaged. There were no casualties," Lysak concluded. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! At least four people were killed and 73 injured over the past day as Russian forces launched drone and missile attacks across multiple regions of Ukraine, authorities said on June 11. Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia deployed 85 attack drones, including Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and decoy drones, along with one Iskander-M ballistic missile launched from Russia's Kursk Oblast. The main targets were the Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Odesa oblasts. Ukrainian air defenses reportedly shot down 40 drones overnight, while nine drones disappeared from radars or were intercepted by electronic warfare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Kharkiv Oblast, three people were killed and 60 injured, including nine children, following drone strikes on residential buildings in Kharkiv city, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Five people were injured elsewhere in the region. In Kherson Oblast, five people were injured in Russian attacks, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. A high-rise building and 10 houses were damaged. In Odesa Oblast, Russian drones struck coastal communities overnight, damaging summer houses, farm buildings, cars, and civilian boats, the State Emergency Service reported. Fires broke out but were reportedly extinguished. No casualties were reported. In Donetsk Oblast, one civilian was killed in the town of Raiske, and another person was injured, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian forces carried out 419 attacks on 14 settlements, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. The attack included seven air strikes, 220 drone attacks, and 189 artillery strikes. A civilian vehicle was hit by a drone in Malokaterynivka, injuring two people. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russia targeted the Synelnykove and Nikopol districts, Governor Serhii Lysak said. A drone strike sparked a fire at a private enterprise in the Vasylkivska community, destroying a building and farming equipment. In the Nikopol district, artillery and kamikaze drones struck multiple communities, damaging houses and vehicles. No injuries were reported. In Sumy Oblast, Russian forces launched 14 attacks on border communities, local officials reported. The strikes included mortar and artillery shelling, as well as drone activity. No casualties were reported, but several houses and power lines sustained damage. Read also: Slovak PM threatens to veto 18th sanctions package against Russia over energy concerns Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A Russian drone strike on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed at least two people and injured dozens, local media reported early on Wednesday. The Kyiv Independent, citing Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, said eight children were among the 54 people wounded. Terekhov also reported damage to residential buildings and a large fire. According to the RBC-Ukraine news site, several commercial buildings were also damaged in the attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just days earlier, Kharkiv reported the largest Russian drone attack since the start of the war, which left several dead and many injured. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city located near the Russian border, has repeatedly been targeted by attacks. Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than three years. Russian troops attacked Kharkiv with 17 Shahed-type loitering munitions on the night of 10-11 June. Two people have been killed and 57 others, including eight children, sustained injuries as a result of the large-scale attack on the Slobidskyi and Osnovianskyi districts of the city of Kharkiv. The strikes have also damaged residential buildings, trolleybuses, playgrounds and production facilities. Source: Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov; Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration; Ukraines State Emergency Service Details: Terekhov reported that the attack began at 00:31 and lasted until 00:40. The Russians launched 17 Shahed kamikaze drones on residential areas of Kharkiv. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Terekhov reported direct strikes on apartment blocks, houses, playgrounds, public transport and industrial facilities. The attack caused fires in apartments, destroyed roofs of buildings, burned out cars and blew out windows. The strikes damaged trolleybuses, overhead lines and utility and industrial facilities. "": , 37 , 5 https://t.co/Xd8PcgagBE : pic.twitter.com/hphrcikqmW (@ukrpravda_news) June 11, 2025 : The aftermath of the Russian attack on Kharkiv Photo: State Emergency Service Two people are known to have been killed and at least 54 injured, including eight children. A 2-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy were taken to hospital. Several people were rescued from the burning apartments. : The aftermath of the Russian attack on Kharkiv Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photo: State Emergency Service "Enemy UAVs hit a trolleybus depot in the Slobidskyi district. Nine people were injured and taken to hospital, including two children," Syniehubov said. Update: Syniehubov reported that the number of people injured in the Russian drone attack had risen to 57, noting that medics were providing them with the necessary assistance. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! A Russian military aircraft is suspected of violating Finland's airspace on June 10, the country's Defense Ministry said in a statement. "The investigation into the suspect's airspace breach has been launched immediately," Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said. The Finnish border guard is investigating and will share more information as the probe continues, according to the Finnish Defense Ministry. The alleged violation occurred near the city of Porvoo, located about 50 km east of Helsinki. The city lies in the country's far-south, along the Gulf of Finland. Russia regularly stages provocations on NATO's eastern flank, which includes Poland, Finland, and the Baltic countries. On May 22, two Russian aircraft violated Finnish airspace, while the day prior Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian Su-24 bomber in international airspace over the Baltic Sea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russian aircraft frequently fly from its exclave, Kaliningrad. The jets often disable their transponders, fail to file flight plans, and do not establish contact with regional air traffic control a pattern NATO officials describe as high-risk behavior. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, NATO officials have increasingly warned Moscow could attack the alliance's members in the coming years. In anticipation of increased hostilities, Finland has said it expects a Russian military build-up on its borders after the war in Ukraine ends. On May 19, the New York Times published satellite images which seem to indicate an expansion of military facilities near the Finnish border. Finland joined NATO in 2023 following the onset of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022 and shares a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NATO countries in Russia's vicinity have intensified their preparations for a possible conflict. Poland and the Baltic countries moved to abandon a treaty banning land mines and are strengthening the borders shared with Russia and its ally Belarus while urging higher defense spending across the alliance. Read also: Germany plans expansion of air raid shelters amid growing Russian threats, official says Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russian forces attacked Ukraine with an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 85 Shahed-type loitering munitions and various types of decoy drones on the night of 10-11 June. Ukrainian air defence units have destroyed 49 aerial assets, but there were 14 strikes. Source: Ukrainian Air Force on Telegram Quote: "As of 08:00 [on 11 June], air defences have intercepted 49 enemy Shahed-type UAVs (and other types of drones) in the east, south, north and centre of the country. Forty were shot down with air defence assets and nine disappeared from radar/were suppressed by electronic warfare." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: The Russians targeted Kharkiv, Donetsk and Odesa oblasts last night. Strikes were recorded in 14 locations, while debris from destroyed targets fell in two places. "The aerial attack has been repelled by aircraft, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units, unmanned systems units and mobile fire groups from the Ukrainian defence forces," the Air Force reported. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russian forces have attacked municipal service employees in the city of Kherson using a drone, leaving two people injured. Source: Kherson Oblast Military Administration on Facebook Details: At approximately 12:20 in the Korabelnyi district of Kherson, Russian forces launched a drone attack targeting workers from one of the citys municipal companies. As a result, two employees aged 32 and 43 sustained blast injuries. They are currently in hospital, where doctors are carrying out examinations and providing them with the necessary medical assistance, the administration reported. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Russian forces have used a Molniya-type drone to strike the Shevchenkivskyi district of the city of Kharkiv. Source: Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov Quote: "Weve had a strike by a Molniya-type UAV in the Shevchenkivskyi district." Details: The mayor noted that information about the aftermath of the strike is still being gathered. Background: On the night of 10-11 June, Russian forces attacked Kharkiv with 17 Shahed-type strike drones. The large-scale attack on the Slobidskyi and Osnovianskyi districts killed two people and injured 60 others, including nine children. Residential buildings, trolleybuses, playgrounds and companies were damaged. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The divorce proceedings for Ryan Lochte and his estranged wife, Kayla Reid, have taken a dark turn since the initial news of their separation became public. Now, in a new filing, Reid is demanding sole use of one of their Florida homes, which the Olympic swimmer has pushed back on. In the legal documents, Reid also requested alimony, child support, and primary custody of their three children: Caiden, Liv, and Georgia. Ryan Lochte's Estranged Wife Is Trying To Keep Him Out Of One Of Their Florida Homes Instagram | Kayla Reid According to a report from Us Weekly, Reid, who filed for divorce from the Olympic Gold Medalist in March 2025, recently asked the court to grant her exclusive use of their home in Terrace, Florida. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report explains that Reid needs "the exclusive use of this home and the contents thereof, both now and in the future, for herself and the minor children." As of now, Lochte is reportedly residing at another home worth nearly $450,000, and has been doing so since March of this year. Ryan Lochte's Wife Is Requesting Child Support And Alimony Instagram | Ryan Lochte Reid's requests in the filing didn't stop there, though. Us Weekly also reports that the former Playboy Playmate claims Lochte took specific joint assets and income during their marriage and purchased other assets, some of which he put in his name. [Those] assets are presently being held by [Ryan] in trust for and for all the benefit of [Kayla], and the court should award to [Kayla] her full interest in said assets, her filing read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Reid asked the court for a portion of the money from Lochte's businesses, including Lochte Enterprises LLC and Legendaryswimming LLC, claiming she had contributed significant time and effort to help improve these companies. [Kayla] makes a claim for equitable distribution of the corporate defendant because she has been of great assistance of [Ryan], only in the marital business but also in terms of providing a home environment which supported [Ryans] needs in every respect," the filing read. Lochte's Wife Is Requesting Primary Custody Of Their Three Children Per Us Weekly, Reid stated that the "marriage of the parties is irretrievably broken" in her divorce filing. The Florida-based real estate agent also stated that she was the primary caretaker of their three children before requesting the court grant her "sole parental responsibility." The 33-year-old also said that she's unable to support their children without Lochte's help and requested that the court award her child support and alimony, adding that she needs rehabilitative alimony to assist her financially while acquiring sufficient education, retraining, developing skill and/or improving her employment and income. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reid's petition also requests that Lochte pay her attorney's fees. Ryan Lochte Fires Back Instagram | Kayla Reid In his response, Lochte acknowledged that they own a Florida home together; however, he did not support her request to be granted exclusive use of the estate. He also denied the mother of three's claims about her participation in one of his businesses. The Olympian filed a counter-petition to Reid's divorce filing, too, stating in his documents that their official date of separation was April 2025. Lochte, 40, also requested that the court establish a parenting plan, determine child support, and divide their shared assets. Lochte And Reid Are Headed For Divorce Instagram | Kayla Reid According to a previous report from The Blast, Reid opened up about filing for divorce from Lochte in an Instagram post, where she described the decision to end her marriage as one of the most challenging she's ever had to make. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Earlier this year, I made the hard decision to end my marriage after deep prayer and reflection," Reid wrote online. "I hold marriage in the highest regard, so this has been one of the most painful, revealing, and challenging seasons of my life. I've been hesitant to share until I could do so from a place of healing not from fresh, open wounds." She continued, "Sometimes we face trials we didn't choose or see coming. And in those moments, we're forced to make the hardest decisions to protect our peace, our children, and our future. I've come to the understanding that staying isn't always the most loving decision someone can make. For me, leaving was an act of love for those around me and for myself." Lochte also addressed the news in a separate post, where he said divorcing was the "right step toward peace and well-being for us both." "I remain committed to healing, growth, and co-parenting with care and respect as we move forward separately," he finished. (FOX40.COM) The Sacramento Public Library is considering changing the operating hours for its 28 locations. Currently, most of the librarys branches are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. 6 p.m. The Iselton, Marian O. Lawrence, and Walnut Grove branches, which are the exceptions, serve mostly shorter hours. The library is asking for the publics input on what its schedule should look like. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The most (and least) borrowed items from Sacramento Public Librariess Library of Things The library is reassessing its hours because our current schedule has not been updated since we implemented it when we reopened during the pandemic, a spokesperson for the library system told FOX40.com. This process will allow us to take a fresh, community and data-driven look at how our hours align with the needs of the communities we serve. Our goal is to ensure that each branchs hours are equitable, accessible, and reflective of local needs. Sacramento County residents can share their input in an online survey, during an in-person community meeting or in an online public forum on June 25. The community meetings will be held at the following places and times: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuesday, June 24th, 11-11:45 a.m. (Bilingual Storytime) at Rancho Cordova Library Tuesday, June 24th, 12-1 p.m. (Lunch at the Library) at Rancho Cordova Library Tuesday, June 24th, 2:30-4 p.m. (Blood drive) at Robbie Waters Pocket Library Wednesday, June 25th, 12-1 p.m. (Lunch at the Library) at Elk Grove Library Thursday, June 26th, 9:30-11:30 a.m. (Bookmobile Stop) at Tahoe Park Thursday, June 26th, 2-3 p.m. (Science Wizard Performance) at Isleton Library Summer Reading performance Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SALEM, Ohio (WKBN) The City of Salem is once again weighing in on the future of marijuana sales in the community. The question of whether or not Salem should allow a marijuana dispensary has sparked passionate discussion among city leaders and residents. On Tuesday, City Council faced a key decision on whether to put a ballot measure before voters in November an issue that was ultimately tabled. Mike Dombrowski owns Mikes Meds and More on State Street and wants to be the owner of the new dispensary if it gets the green light. He addressed council on the potential impact. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lot of the businesses have said they had about a 25% increase in business since the dispensary came to town, Dombrowski said. I have a lot of people dealing with cancer issues. I have several ex-military people with PTSD issues that want me to provide these products, but right now, Im not allowed. Meanwhile, other downtown business owners had questions of their own. We were just curious as downtown business owners, is there some type of increase in traffic revenue thats spent in the area surrounding dispensaries? one attendee asked. The council decided not to put the measure directly on the ballot. Instead, they voted to table it and send the issue back to a committee for more in-depth study and community input. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not sure what to think. I was here a month ago, we discussed all of the issues on the table and all the concerns. So, we thought we were ready to go with the vote tonight, Dombrowski said. With more work to be done, Salem voters will have to wait before deciding on marijuana sales in their city. For now, the conversation continues. I do know if we wanted to do a public initiative to get it on the ballot, this could take us a few months to get done. So, I think every week that were delayed, this could be a problem, Dombrowski 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. Utahs capital city has finalized a $2.2 billion budget, including a record $512 million in general fund spending without a property tax increase for now. The Salt Lake City Council voted Tuesday to adopt a series of budgets to fund operations for the upcoming 2026 fiscal year. The full $2.2 billion includes the citys general fund and other city departments. Were proud to adopt a balanced budget that delivers visible improvements for residents without raising property taxes, said Salt Lake City Council Chairman Chris Wharton in a statement after the vote. This budget strengthens our city with investments in safety, affordability and services that residents rely on every day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A significant portion of the general fund money, which the City Council oversees, is allocated toward salaries, as is typically the case. Police and firefighters received 5-8.7% raises, based on collective bargaining agreements. The city reached a new three-year agreement with the police union back in April before the budget process began. Most city employees will receive a 4% raise, which includes city leaders. The mayors salary jumped to $220,335 and the City Council members salary to $55,058, according to one of the documents. They received a more substantial raise last year, which garnered a strong reaction from the public at the time. Funding for new projects was also included, including a Clean City Team that will respond to reports of illegal dumping, camping and graffiti, as well as an increase in security within some of the citys higher-use parks and along the Jordan River. That comes after Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall outlined proposed changes in a new public safety plan she released earlier this year, following concerns brought up by state leaders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Funding more affordable housing and homeownership support was also included, as was new funding for transit options on the west side and safety, landscaping and building improvements for the Ballpark area. The City Council also set aside over $55.8 million for its capital improvement program budget. That money will eventually be split to pay for various improvement projects brought to the city or proposed by city leaders, such as improvements to Fisher Mansion that Mendenhall proposed in May. City leaders are expected to finalize program project allocations by August. While the citys final budget often goes through major revisions in the weeks leading up to its June 30 deadline, finances didnt change much from what the mayor presented to the council last month. Thats largely due to the economic uncertainty she had warned about. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next years budget represents a 7% increase from the end of the fiscal year, but most of the new funds come from growth in projected tax revenues. The city also drew on its fund balance to cover the remaining increases. This helped avoid any additional property tax increases. City leaders received good news earlier Tuesday, learning that they received over $1.84 million more in tax and judgment levy revenue than initially forecast. Those additional funds will be used to offset some of the money from the fund balance. Still, members of the City Council voiced concerns about spending toward the end of budget negotiations. They fear that a future property tax increase could be on the horizon, especially if there is a slowdown in the economy or federal funds compared to those in the past. I see ourselves hurdling toward a property tax increase at a time of incredible financial insecurity for a lot of our constituents, said Councilwoman Victoria Petro in a meeting last week as she and her colleagues discussed guidelines for what will be considered in a future increase. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The City Council added a legislative intent to indicate that it will provide an evaluation rubric or matrix in future budget proposals that will outline its reasoning whenever a property tax increase is proposed. Only time will tell if thats the case before the 2027 fiscal year. Two local leaders were honored at the 45th annual Salute to Scouting Gala at the Boston Harbor Hotel on Tuesday. Bob Rivers, executive chairman of Eastern Bank, was presented with the 45th Ralph Lowell Distinguished Citizen Award, praising him for his charitable contributions for social and economic justice. Amy Domini, founder of The Sustainability Group and Domini Funds, was presented with the 40th T.L. Storer Conservation Leadership Award for her pioneering work in sustainable investing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With challenges like tech overload, loneliness, and a disconnect from nature, we must step up to meet the needs of our youth, Scouting Boston CEO John Judge said. The values and experiences Scouting provides have never been more important. Bob Rivers and Amy Domini epitomize the leadership, community service and values inherent in the Scouting programs aims. Former Boston Police Commissioner William Gross, a former Scout Explorer leader in his own right, served as master of ceremonies. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) A neighborhood church, Central Faith Baptist Church, had its roof destroyed due to storm damage. The church is located at 2470 Jomar and was damaged due to the storm during night of June 10. A Conchovalleyhomepage reporter reached out to the churchs pastor of 21 years, Gerald Clark, for more information about the damages. Clark told the website that the churchs fellowship areas roof portion had ripped off, causing rain to leak in and causing the ceilings to cave in. Unfortunately, due to the storms about 7 years ago, the churchs insurance provider dropped providing insurance to churches and the church hasnt been able to find coverage since. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clark says he is still in the beginning stages of trying to repair the damage the storm left. He is hoping to get a brand-new roof for the Chruch. Clark said the churchs Wednesday bible study will still go on today, but in the sanctuary. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The highly scrutinized San Diego city budget for the 2026 fiscal year has finally been passed. After facing more than a quarter of a billion-dollar shortfall, city council voted to approve an amended budget, all while saving some of the key programs and services Mayor Todd Gloria chose to cut. There has been passion and heated opinions from the public for months, including on decision day Tuesday when city council was set to approve an amended budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investing in them tell San Diegans they matter. Mayor Glorias budget tells San Diegans that only some of them matter. It cuts funding for libraries, parks and rec centers, youth programs, the arts, equity offices and climate justice initiatives, said Noah Yee Yick, researcher and policy advocate at the Center on Policy Initiatives. Councilmembers presented amendments to Glorias final budget, saving several items on the chopping block that drew heavy criticism from the community. Fire pits have been saved due to county funding. Monday hours will be available at more than a dozen libraries and all rec centers hours will be restored. In addition, the Office of Race and Equity and $450,000 in funding for arts, culture and community festivals nonprofits grants will be restored. Access will not be lost to Lake Murray and Lake Miramar and public restrooms near the beaches and Balboa Park will remain open. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Gloria largely blamed the public for not passing the most recent proposed tax increase, the money for these restorations had to come from somewhere. That includes cutting administrative positions totaling $3 million, plans to start charging for parking at Balboa Park and a newly approved monthly trash fee, which is expected to generate $80 million annually. With that behind us and those revenues that we can count on for the next year, it is allowing us to do the extraordinary changes that our residents, our constituents, our neighborhoods, need and demand and deserve, said Council President Joe LaCava. Even with the budget passing with a majority 7 to 2 vote, the citys independent budget analyst acknowledges how narrow the margin is for any error. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If we do hit an economic downturn, even if all of these good things, these new revenues come to fruition, we will be faced with the need for immediate cuts, Charles Modica said. The budget goes into effect on 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 FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders ripped into California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday over his response to President Donald Trump sending in the National Guard to quell the ongoing immigration riots in Los Angeles. Trump deployed the National Guard over the weekend without Newsom's approval after violent clashes broke out between law enforcement and protesters in response to coordinated Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across L.A. Newsom claims Trump's actions inflamed tensions and overstepped his authority. In a lawsuit against the Trump administration, the state of California called the move an "unprecedented power grab." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During an appearance on "America's Newsroom" on Tuesday, Sanders criticized Newsom's leadership and his defiance of Trump. Gov Sarah Huckabee Sanders called out Gov. Gavin Newsom over his feud with President Donald Trump over deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles to quell violence from anti-ICE riots. 'State Of Rebellion': Expert Weighs In On Newsom Challenge To Trump Deploying National Guard "We would never choose rioters and criminal illegals over American law enforcement [in Arkansas]," Sanders said. Read On The Fox News App She called Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass' actions in resisting federal assistance "insane." "It's really clear: they can either choose normal vs. crazy or order vs. chaos," she continued. "The fact that they are allowing rioters to run their streets and are mad at the president for stopping it is insane." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They should be thanking Donald Trump for helping and assisting to bring order back to their city and state that they're frankly incapable of doing themselves. If they were doing a good job, Donald Trump wouldn't have to step in," Sanders added. President Trump called California Gov. Gavin Newsom "grossly incompetent" on Monday. Dems Walk Back Pro-cop, Law And Order Rhetoric From J6 Era In The Face Of Spiraling Immigration Riots The president's decision to deploy the National Guard drew support from Republicans but fierce opposition from Democrats. "I have formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles county and return them to my command," Newsom wrote on X Sunday. "We didnt have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where theyre actually needed." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanders argued Trump was within his authority to send in troops to protect Americans. "They're certainly not going to see that with Gov. Newsom or Mayor Bass," Sanders said. "We've seen their failure already play out." Newsom's office did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment. Original article source: Sarah Huckabee Sanders calls Gavin Newsom 'insane' for rejecting federal assistance during Los Angeles unrest Press Release June 11, 2025 Sponsorship Speech On the Confirmation of Ms. Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro as Secretary of Foreign Affairs Delivered by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada 11 June 2025 Mr. Chairman, esteemed colleagues of the Commission on Appointments: It is with great pride and utmost confidence that I rise today to sponsor the confirmation of Ms. Ma. Theresa Parreno Lazaro as Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines. Secretary-designate Lazaro is a paragon of excellence in the Philippine Foreign Service. Her remarkable career, spanning over four decades since she joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1984, reflects an unwavering dedication to the service of our country, the protection of our sovereignty, and the advancement of the national interest on the world stage. Throughout her distinguished career, Ms. Lazaro has held numerous key positions that underscore her capability, experience, and credibility as one of the most respected career diplomats in the country. She served with honor and distinction as Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation, as Ambassador to the French Republic and the Principality of Monaco, and concurrently as Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, where she ably championed Philippine interests in critical bilateral and multilateral fora. Upon her return to the Home Office, she took on the crucial role of Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs, later serving as Senior Undersecretary, where she became one of the most senior and trusted officials in the Department. Her tenure in these positions was marked by strategic leadership in regional diplomacy, particularly in ASEAN, where she represented the Philippines in high-level meetings and contributed meaningfully to preparations for our assumption of the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026. Among her notable contributions was her pivotal role in managing tensions in the West Philippine Sea, including facilitating arrangements to ensure the continued resupply of Philippine personnel stationed at Ayungin Shoal. She has also worked tirelessly to build regional consensus on the long-standing efforts toward a rules-based Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, demonstrating her capacity for balancing assertive diplomacy with constructive engagement. Ms. Lazaro's credentials are equally impressive in the academic sphere. She holds a Bachelor's degree in International Studies from Miriam College, and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of the Philippines Diliman. Her commitment to excellence in public service was recognized in 2016 when she received the Dangal ng Lipi Award, the highest honor conferred by the Province of Bulacan to its most distinguished citizens. Her record is clear: she has served our nation with competence, dignity, and resolve. In this time of great geopolitical uncertainty, we need a seasoned hand, a strategic thinker, and a firm yet diplomatic voice to lead our foreign policy. Ms. Lazaro brings all these--and more--to the position of Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Chairman, Ms. Ma. Theresa Lazaro has proven herself worthy of this critical role. She possesses the gravitas, wisdom, and commitment that the post demands. I therefore respectfully urge this Commission to confirm her appointment as Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Clay County is getting ready to celebrate a major milestone, the 40th anniversary of its beloved county fair. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The fair organizers announced Wednesday that the event will return April 212, 2026, and theyre promising a party like no other. The fair first opened back in 1986, starting with a small event focused on livestock. Over the years, its grown into a major tradition, bringing families from all over Northeast Florida. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read: Clay County Schools faces $10M budget hole ahead of new school year Fair organizers say theyre planning something special for the big 4-0, though details havent been released yet. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [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. DALLAS The Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution supporting a concerted effort to reverse Obergefell v. Hodges as the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage approaches its 10-year anniversary. The June 10 vote by the nations largest Protestant denomination at its annual legislative assembly in Dallas is another step in the evangelical Christian groups focus on opposing LGBTQ+ rights. That intensified focus is a shift from abortion, which was long the fixation of SBC resolutions prior to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The 2022 overturning of Roe emboldened many within the Nashville-based SBC to then hope for the same with the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Resolutions are non-binding statements expressing the conventions views on social and cultural issues. Other resolutions at past SBC annual meetings have reasserted Southern Baptist opposition to LGBTQ+ rights, though this years resolution was the most forceful articulation of their rebuke of the Supreme Court precedent protecting same-sex marriage. Messengers at the Southern Baptist Conventions annual meeting raise their ballots to vote on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. Legal rulings like Obergefell v. Hodges and policies that deny the biological reality of male and female are legal fictions, undermine the truth of Gods design, and lead to social confusion and injustice, the resolution said. Southern Baptist delegates, called messengers, overwhelmingly approved the measure. Whether the latest vote will move the needle on gay marriage remains to be seen. Last year, the SBC passed a resolution condemning the use of in-vitro fertilization, only to see President Donald Trump sign an executive order earlier this year seeking to protect IVF access and reduce its out-of-pocket and health plan costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reversing the Obergefell ruling is one of numerous issues related to sex, gender and marriage encompassed by the resolution. Among other things, the resolution affirms that there are only two genders, defines marriage as between a man and a woman, says families are designed for procreation and that human life is sacred from conception to natural death. A strongly traditionalist voice in the SBC, Denny Burk, proposed the language in the resolution that messengers ultimately approved. Burk is the president of Louisville-based Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, an advocacy group that was behind two well-known, cross-evangelical statements opposing LGBTQ+ rights. The first statement was the Danvers Statement in 1987 and the second was the Nashville Statement in 2017. It is sinful to approve of homosexual immorality or transgenderism and that such approval constitutes an essential departure from Christian faithfulness and witness, the Nashville Statement said, which stirred widespread local controversy upon ratification. Approval of homosexual immorality or transgenderism is a matter of moral indifference about which otherwise faithful Christians should agree to disagree. The new resolution approved by the SBC is another iteration of the Nashville Statement, but more forcefully attacks the U.S. jurisprudence protecting the LGBTQ+ rights that evangelicals oppose. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at ladams@tennessean.com or on social media @liamsadams. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Southern Baptists call for repeal of historic same-sex marriage ruling Rep. Jim Clyburn speaks at his annual fish fry on Friday May 30, 2025. (Photo by Shaun Chornobroff/SC daily Gazette) A decade after nine people were gunned down in a Charleston church, South Carolinas lone Democrat in Congress is launching another effort to close the loophole that allowed the hate-filled shooter to purchase his gun. U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, accompanied by a quartet of House Democrats, announced Tuesday the latest proposal to give the FBI longer to complete a background check. Instead of letting a gun sale go through after three business days, the bill would give the FBI up to 20 business days to verify whether a customer checks out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A longer background check may have prevented the tragedy that shocked the nation June 17, 2015. A drug arrest shouldve prevented then-21-year-old Dylann Roof from buying the gun he used to kill people gathered for a Wednesday night Bible study at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston. But an FBI investigator didnt determine that in time to stop the sale. These were all constituents of mine, some of whom I knew very personally, Clyburn, whose 6th District includes the historic Black church, said at a news conference in Washington, D.C. With the kind of background check we are talking about today, we would have prevented that because he would have never gotten a gun. The gunman, an avowed white supremacist who wanted to start a race war, had cased the church. He had researched the church, Clyburn said one week ahead of the 10-year anniversary. And he picked this church because of its history. A federal jury convicted Roof in December 2016 on 33 counts of federal hate crimes and firearms charges. Weeks later, jurors sentenced him to death. He is among just three inmates left on federal death row after President Joe Biden pardoned 37 other prisoners in December. In the aftermath of the shooting, the federal law allowing a licensed firearm dealer to continue with a sale after three days regardless of whether the check has been completed became known as the Charleston loophole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State and federal proposals to give the FBI more time have failed repeatedly. A month after the massacre, FBI Director James Comey outlined the clerical errors and jurisdictional confusion that let the gun sale go through, saying The bottom line is clear: Dylann Roof should not have been able to legally buy that gun that day. At the time, then-Gov. Nikki Haley said that knowledge made her literally sick to my stomach. But her response was to criticize the FBI for still relying on paperwork, saying technology, not more time, is the solution. Pro-gun lobbying groups, including the National Rifle Association, remain staunchly opposed to extending the wait time for background checks, arguing it could put people trying to buy a gun for self-defense in danger. The NRA has also noted that two months lapsed between Roof buying the gun and the shooting. The group contends extending the three-day required wait would not have stopped him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nationwide, 22 states have either extended the wait for a background check beyond three days or eliminated the ability for a sale to proceed before a check is complete, no matter how long it takes, according to the gun safety nonprofit Everytown. In the Southeast, those states include Florida, Tennessee and Virginia. The bill Clyburn announced Tuesday is very similar to legislation that passed the U.S. House in 2019 and 2021, when Democrats controlled the chamber. Neither got a vote on the Senate floor. Legislation he introduced in 2023, after Republicans regained control of the House, never made it out of committee. At the news conference, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pleaded for Republicans to support the bill. The gun violence epidemic that has ravaged America for far too long in such horrific ways, in such deeply personal ways, in such searing ways, requires an aggressive, commonsense response, said the New York Democrat, adding, We just need a handful of Republicans to join us. Aerial view in worker hands installing bitumen roof shingles with air hammer and nail. (File photo by Getty Images) COLUMBIA The state is pumping millions into a program that allows coastal South Carolinians to strengthen their roofs against hurricanes and other high wind events. The SC Safe Home grant program aims to protect homes against natural disasters, in turn lowering their insurance costs. The state Department of Insurance normally awards about $3.5 million annually to homeowners, spokesperson Diane Cooper told the SC Daily Gazette. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the Legislature provided a big boost in the budget that takes effect July 1: An additional $5.5 million will more than double the grants to $8.9 million in the upcoming fiscal year. The boost comes as federal forecasters predict above-normal activity this hurricane season, which started June 1 and extends through Nov. 30. One of the major complaints I hear from my constituents is the rise in insurance premiums for wind and hail, or hurricane floods, Sen. Tom Davis told the Gazette. Im always looking for ways that we can try to control the site and insurance premiums. The Beaufort Republican is one of the programs original backers, pushing for its creation during his tenure as Gov. Mark Sanfords chief of staff. Since its 2007 inception, the Safe Homes program has doled out more than 8,000 state-funded grants worth a total of $40.7 million to homeowners looking to reinforce their homes. This fiscal year, 598 grants worth up to $7,500 were awarded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The vast majority of homeowners use the money to retrofit their roof. Homeowners can also get up to $3,000 to install hurricane shutters. In all, they report saving 24% on their insurance premiums, according to the state Department of Insurances 2024 annual report. With the Legislature providing more money for the program, more houses can be retrofitted. Of the additional $5.5 million, only $2.5 million is recurring, meaning it will continue in future budgets indefinitely. Thats enough for roughly 250 grants annually. The $3 million in one-time aid will boost the total additional grants to an estimated 650 in 2025-26, Cooper said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The actual number of grants may be higher, depending on whether the agency needs to hire people and if so, how many to handle the additional workload, she said. Regardless of the exact number of grants, it should be enough to prove the program lowers costs, Davis said. He hopes legislators then turn the full $5.5 million into a recurring item in the budget. (L-R) Senate Finance Chairman Harvey Peeler, Senate President Thomas Alexander, and Sen. Tom Davis pictured on Aug. 22, 2024. (File photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) If our assumptions are correct and that retrofitting leads to a decrease in peoples premiums, that one-time money could be made recurring, said Davis, chairman of the Senate Finance subcommittee for natural resources and economic development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the National Institute of Building Sciences, the nation saves $6 in future disaster costs for every $1 spent on mitigation. The program, started in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, awards grants based on the homeowners income. Following Katrina and other hurricanes that hit the Gulf in Texas, insurers started refusing to cover hurricane-related wind and hail damage along the coast. The 2007 Coastal Property Insurance Reform Act was legislators response. Since 2012, the number of companies writing property insurance policies has increased by more than 100, according to the Department of Insurances annual report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the roof retrofits, the state also provides income tax credits to homeowners who fortify their property, worth a combined $2,500. Since the grants dont cover the entire retrofitting costs, the tax credits further help make the projects affordable, Davis said. The director of the insurance agency credits Davis for the budget boost. Hes been a tireless advocate for strengthening coastal resilience and protecting South Carolina families, Michael Wise, the agencys director, said in a news release. His leadership was critical in making this additional funding a reality, and we are grateful for his commitment to mitigation and public safety. Rep. RJ May, R-West Columbia, listens from the back of the House chamber during an organizational session on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. He was arrested Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (File photo by Mary Ann Chastain/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA A state legislator and founding member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus was booked in the Lexington County jail Wednesday, according to online jail records. No charges were listed for 38-year-old Rep. RJ May, a West Columbia Republican. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, a jail booking with his name and age indicated he was being held pre-trial for the U.S. Marshals Service, suggesting potential federal charges. Federal investigators seized electronic devices from May last August. At the time, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to the SC Daily Gazette an enforcement action occurred in Lexington County but did not provide any other details. A federal court filing in October provided the first public confirmation that Mays electronics were seized, though it didnt specify where. Among the items taken were a Lenovo laptop, an Amazon tablet, four cellphones, four hard drives, four SD cards, two DVD-Rs and 19 thumb drives, according to the filing. It indicated May could face federal criminal charges but provided no specifics on what those might be. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No court date has been set, according to the online jail record, which quickly disappeared from public view. The booking did not include a mugshot. The U.S. Attorneys Office declined to comment on the arrest. An attorney May hired to represent him following last summers search is no longer representing him, the office of Dayne Phillips said. Who currently represents May is unclear. A call by the SC Daily Gazette to Mays cellphone went to voicemail. May, first elected to the House in 2020, helped launch the state affiliate of the U.S. House Freedom Caucus in spring 2022. He was the de facto spokesman of the hardline caucus feuding with the chambers majority GOP until news of the federal investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement May was asked to leave the caucus ahead of the 2025 legislative session, said Rep. Jordan Pace, R-Goose Creek, who became its chairman last July. May was technically vice-chairman before those caucus elections, when he lost his leadership title. Rep. RJ May, R-West Columbia, talks to reporters Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in House chambers. (Photo by Seanna Adcox/SC Daily Gazette) He attended this years session but stayed quiet, not getting involved in floor debates. While no longer involved in the caucus he helped start, he continued to vote with them. May, originally from Virginia, is married and has two children. As the owner of Ivory Tusk Consulting, he ran political campaigns for Republicans who matched his ideology. Despite his legal troubles, he easily won re-election last year. After defeating his primary challenger in June with 68% of the vote, he faced no Democrat or third-party challenger on Novembers ballot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The district he represents spans the area of Lexington County between Cayce, Red Bank and Gaston. If charged with a felony, May faces suspension from the House pending the cases outcome. State law requires an officeholder indicted on a felony to be suspended. A San Gabriel Valley woman pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering on Tuesday for her involvement in a scheme that garnered more than $11 million from as many as 180 victims across the United States. Cynthia Song, 43, from Arcadia was arrested in October 2024 by federal authorities and has been in federal custody since, according to a release by the U.S. Department of Justice. For a little under two years, Song worked with a network of co-conspirators to target mainly elderly victims and scam them into sending money to multiple bank accounts in the Los Angeles area, according to authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The co-conspirators who contacted the victims worked overseas, impersonating government officials, law enforcement and customer support services. The posers tricked victims with fake threats, like demanding payments to avoid legal consequences and potential computer issues, according to the Department of Justice. The money was sent to bank accounts in the Los Angeles area, controlled by Song and other conspirators she had recruited. It was then immediately sent overseas mainly to China, the release said. More than 180 victims sent funds to these bank accounts. The payments demanded from victims ranged from $1,000 to $400,000. Once the money was sent overseas, it could not be recovered even after the victim reported the fraud to authorities, according to prosecutors. Read more: Criminal ring with SoCal ties swindled $25 million in COVID relief, small business loans, feds say Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To take part in the money laundering ring, the release said that Song recruited around 15 people living in the Los Angeles area, mostly of Chinese descent and some who were in the country unlawfully. The recruits were tasked with creating business entities and opening bank accounts, as well as transferring victim payments. Song also trained the recruits to deceive banks from uncovering the fraudulent accounts, according to the release. Documentation from the victims taken by the scammers was used to provide faulty verification for the "large and suspicious wire transfers from victims," the release said. Song and others participating in the scheme took around 5% to 10% of the payments received, before the money was sent overseas, according to prosecutors. Song's next court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 16, when she faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years and must pay restitution to her victims, according to the release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigations were investigating the case, the release 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. Originally developed as a tool to help Black children attend better schools, school voucher programs now serve a different purpose. (Drazen via Getty Images) School voucher programs that allow families to use public funds to pay tuition to attend private schools have become increasingly popular. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia currently operate voucher programs. In addition, 15 states have universal private school choice programs that offer vouchers, education savings accounts and tax credit scholarships. Indianas new state budget funds universal vouchers in the second year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More states are considering school choice and voucher programs as the Trump administration advocates for widespread adoption. School vouchers have a long history in the U.S. The first vouchers were offered in the 1800s to help children in sparsely populated towns in rural Vermont and Maine attend classes in public and private schools in nearby districts. After the U.S. Supreme Courts 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, in which justices ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional, segregationists used vouchers to avoid school integration. More recently, school voucher programs have been pitched as a tool to provide children from low-income families with quality education options. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a scholar who specializes in education policy, law and politics, I can share how current policies have strayed from efforts to support low-income Black children. History of school voucher programs Research from education history scholars shows that more recent support for school choice was not anchored in an agenda to privatize public schools but rooted in a mission to support Black students. Over time, as school voucher policies grew in popularity, they evolved into subsidies for middle-class families to send their children to private and parochial schools. School choice policies have also expanded to include education savings account programs and vouchers funded by tax credit donations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vouchers can redirect money from public schools, many of which are serving Black students. Impact on public schools States looking to add or expand school choice and voucher programs have adopted language from civil rights activists pushing for equal access to quality education for all children. For example, they contend that school choice is a civil right all families and students should have as U.S. citizens. But school voucher programs can exclude Black students and harm public schools serving Black students in a host of ways, research shows. School voucher programs can negatively impact the quality of public schools serving Black students. (Connect Images via Getty Images) This impact of voucher programs disproportionately affects schools in predominantly Black communities with lower tax bases to fund public schools. Since the Brown v. Board ruling, school voucher programs have been linked to racial segregation. These programs were at times used to circumvent integration efforts: They allowed white families to transfer their children out of diverse public schools into private schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In fact, school voucher programs tend to exacerbate both racial and economic segregation, a trend that continues today. For example, private schools that receive voucher funding are not always required to adopt the same antidiscrimination policies as public schools. School voucher programs can also negatively impact the quality of public schools serving Black students. As some of the best and brightest students leave to attend private or parochial ones, public schools in communities serving Black students often face declining enrollments and reduced resources. In cities such as Macon, Georgia, families say that majority Black schools lack resources because so many families use the states voucher-style program to attend mostly white private schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moreover, the cost of attending a private or parochial school can be so expensive that even with a school voucher, Black families still struggle to afford the cost of sending children to these schools. Vouchers can siphon school funding Research from the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C., shows that voucher programs in Ohio result in majority Black school systems such as the Cleveland Metropolitan School District losing millions in education funding. This impact of voucher programs disproportionately affects schools in predominantly Black communities across the U.S. with lower tax bases to fund public schools. Another example is the Marion County School District, a South Carolina system where about 77% of students are Black. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marion County is in the heart of the region of the state known as the Corridor of Shame, known for its inadequate funding and its levels of poor student achievement. The 17 counties along the corridor are predominantly minority communities, with high poverty rates and poor public school funding because of the areas low tax base due to a lack of industry. On average, South Carolina school districts spent an estimated US$18,842 per student during the 2024-25 school year. In Marion County, per-student funding was $16,463 during the 2024-2025 school year. By comparison, in Charleston County, the most affluent in the state, per-student funding was more than $26,000. Returning voucher policy to its roots Rather than focus on school choice and voucher programs that take money away from public schools serving Black students, I argue that policymakers should address systemic inequities in education to ensure that all students have access to a quality education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Establishing restrictions on the use of funds and requiring preferences for low-income Black students could help direct school voucher policies back toward their intent. It would also be beneficial to expand and enforce civil rights laws to prevent discrimination against Black students. These measures would help ensure all students, regardless of background, have access to quality education. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. A view of the sign at George Washington High School in Denver. (Quentin Young/Colorado Newsline) As we wrap up the school year and shift into the summer months, many of us are already planning for whats ahead for next year. We are kicking off our summer learning programs and starting preparations to ensure that the next school year starts strong. But the planning feels a bit different right now. Federal funding cuts proposed in Washington are causing uncertainty about what additional support schools may be able to provide families once the proposed cuts take effect in 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the most pressing concerns is the impact on after-school programming. Congress is considering eliminating the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program the only federal funding stream solely dedicated to after school and summer learning. Programs supported by these funds serve 1.4 million youth and 400,000 families across 10,000 communities. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The need for after-school and summer programs in Colorado is urgent and should not be considered political. For every child currently enrolled, five more are waiting for a spot. If funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers is eliminated, thousands of students and families in Denver could lose access to the safe, enriching and supportive programs they rely on every day. These programs help students receive academic intervention, develop social-emotional skills and build confidence. For working parents, particularly in our most vulnerable communities, these programs are critical, and 77% of parents and caregivers said that without their after-school programs, they would have to cut back on work hours or even stop working. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Supporting after-school programming has been a consistent and valued part of the Denver Public Schools Foundations mission, and we believe that learning doesnt stop when the school day ends. Through strategic partnerships with Denver Public Schools, local government and community donors, funding from the DPS Foundation provides safe, enriching and academically supportive after-school programs for more than 2,700 DPS students each year. Compared to their peers not enrolled in such programs, students enrolled in regular DPS after-school programs exhibit better school attendance, lower suspension rates and higher academic growth across reading, writing and math. For example, national research shows that Colorado students in grades 4-8 participating in CCLC programs demonstrated a 60% growth on state reading and language arts assessments. Were committed to working alongside Denver Public Schools, city officials and our community to protect these vital programs. But philanthropy and local action alone cannot replace the scale of federal investment. Congress must understand whats really at stake here. This isnt about politics. Its about families struggling to make ends meet while providing opportunities for their children to thrive. Now is the time to invest, not divest, from what works. We dont need more studies to demonstrate the positive impact of these programs. We know after-school and summer learning opportunities deliver real, measurable results for students and families. The end of one school year should be a time of celebration and not uncertainty. Lets make sure every student has what they need to succeed now and into the future. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE No modern U.S. president before Donald Trump has explicitly called for the end of diversity initiatives and targeted schools that have programs designed to ensure equal access for all students. Illustration: Kelly Caminero When the Trump administration announced in April that it was dismissing the Department of Justices decades-long effort to desegregate the Plaquemines Parish School District in Louisiana, the states Republicans rejoiced. For years, federal judges have imposed unnecessary requirements that have cost our schools and our children tens of millions of dollars, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said in a press release. Educational decisions should be made at the most local level and not by unelected, activist federal judges. In 1966, the DOJ sued Plaquemines in order to force the school district to racially integrate its schools. The court order required the district to bus Black children to all-white schools and banned it from discriminating against students or teachers on the basis of race. It was just one of many court orders that came in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court case that found that racially segregated schools were unconstitutional. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though nationwide desegregation efforts proved to be a boon for Black student success and didnt harm white students, Republicans said the Louisiana order amounted to an imposition on local lawmakers and educators. The federal government now seemingly agrees, framing the 60-year-old mandate as a historical wrong. Louisiana got its act together decades ago, and it is past time to acknowledge how far we have come, Leo Terrell, senior counsel at the DOJs Civil Rights Division, said in a statement. America is back, and this Department of Justice is making sure the Civil Rights Division is correcting wrongs from the past and working for all Americans. More than 100 U.S. schools are still under similar court orders to desegregate, and the Trump administration is reportedly considering dismissing more orders. The Justice Department did not respond to HuffPosts request for comment on ending desegregation orders. HuffPost is committed to fearlessly covering the Trump administration. Click here to support our mission and become a member today. President Donald Trumps second term has been predicated on punishing his enemies and reshaping the country to reward the biggest promoters of white grievances. For conservatives, its the perfect time to relitigate the idea that schools should be equal and accessible to kids of all identities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ending these court orders is just one tactic experts say the administration is likely to use to further that goal. By threatening public schools with diversity initiatives, promoting school choice, attacking efforts to make school discipline less racist and doing whatever he can to dismantle the Department of Education, Trump is on a path to make our modern school segregation problem worse. Certainly, the Trump administration is likely going to accelerate a process thats been going on for a while, Sean Reardon, an education researcher and sociology professor at Stanford University, told HuffPost. How We Got Here American schools are already more segregated today than they were at the end of the last century. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Throughout the 1960s, the Department of Justice adopted a strategy of suing school boards to force them to comply with Brown v. Board. These orders required schools to stop discriminating based on race and to allow Black students to enroll in previously all-white schools. Once schools could prove that they were no longer discriminating against Black students, the DOJ would dismiss their cases. Scholars agree that the orders helped with racial integration, even though federal courts never explicitly defined what, exactly, would determine if a school had satisfied an order. Graduation rates among Black students increased after schools were ordered to desegregate, as did their test scores, Rucker Johnson, a University of California, Berkeley economics professor, wrote in his 2019 book Children of the Dream: Why School Integration Works. Research from the National Coalition on School Diversity also shows that students of all races who attend racially diverse schools perform better academically and have better health and earnings outcomes in adulthood. The first Black students to enroll at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, leave the building and walk toward a waiting Army station wagon following their classes. Associated Press But between 1991 and 2009, the DOJ dropped 200 court orders and in every instance, segregation began to slowly increase. Part of the issue is that school districts are based on neighborhoods, and many residential areas remain segregated thanks to federal policies from the 1950s and 1960s that precluded people of color from buying homes in certain communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School desegregation peaked in the U.S. by the 1980s, Reardon said, and then started to reverse. The country wasnt so focused on racial inequality and segregation, Reardon said. I think there was some fatigue with the efforts. In the 1990s, the Supreme Court issued several rulings that made it easier for schools to be released from their required desegregation plans. This was followed by George W. Bushs DOJ encouraging schools to seek the dismissal of these orders. The number of dismissals dramatically increased between 2000 and 2007, according to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Only a handful of researchers have looked at the complete data on school segregation and what happened after the Department of Justice began ordering districts to integrate. But Reardon and other Stanford researchers found that once schools were released from their court orders, they became more segregated over the next decade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Between 2012 and 2022, the percentage of white students attending public schools dropped from 51% to 44%. And in the fall of 2022, 42% of white children attended schools where at least three-quarters of students were white, according to Department of Education data. By contrast, only 30% of Hispanic students and 21% of Black students attended schools where their racial or ethnic group made up three-quarters or more of the student population. The decades when the DOJ was actively ensuring school districts were desegregated made it clear that intervention from the federal government was crucial to ensure equal and racially diverse public schools. But this administration has instead supported policies that will exacerbate segregation. Trumps dizzying array of education policies is unprecedented. While other Republican administrations have criticized the federal governments role in public schools and championed right-wing school policies like taxpayer-funded vouchers, no modern president before him has explicitly called for the end of diversity initiatives and targeted schools that have programs designed to ensure equal access for all students. There are just so many ways in which the actions the administration is taking are already exacerbating segregation and are going to make it worse, Katrina Feldkamp, a senior counsel at the Legal Defense Fund, told HuffPost. A woman holds a sign listing conservative talking points ahead of a school board meeting in Loudoun County, Virginia. Katherine Frey/Washington Post via Getty Images The Cost Of School Choice Schools have become a focal point for right-wing activists and Republican politicians looking to implement a conservative agenda nationwide. Their movement has manifested itself as a fight against the promise of a multiracial democracy that includes racially integrated and equitably funded schools. Conservatives have also attacked LGBTQ+ groups, especially trans children, and immigrant kids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has meanwhile been promoting so-called school choice, the idea that parents should be able to send their kids to charter schools and private institutions at taxpayer expense. In celebrating the pivotal role that charter schools play to deliver high-quality options for students and families, Im excited to share that the Trump Administration is making historic investments in the Charter Schools Program, Secretary of Education Linda McMahonsaid last month in a press release. Not only are we proposing a future $60 million increase in the program budget, but we are also dedicating an additional $60 million in this years funding. Deemphasizing public schools could have significant repercussions for some students. The administrations focus on school choice and vouchers poses a real threat here, Feldkamp said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School choice, she said, was originally implemented as a way to help white families who are opposed to desegregation flee public schools and create their own segregation academies. We are sort of now seeing that play out here as there is a rush to give students school choice, Feldkamp added. After the Brown v. Board decision, conservative government officials in the South provided school vouchers to white parents to send their children to private schools so they could avoid going to school with Black children. The meaning of school choice has evolved over time the first charter school didnt begin operating until 1991 but the result is often the same. Research shows that charter schools make segregation worse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve seen that in districts where the number of charter schools have grown, so has segregation, Reardon said. Thats partly because charter schools operate outside of any school district efforts to create integrated schools. Charter school enrollment jumped from 1.8 million to 3.7 million between 2010 and 2021, according to the Education Department. And a 2024 study by the University of California, Los Angeles, found that 59% of charter schools were intensely segregated, meaning that at least 90% of the student body was from a minority racial background. The HuffPost is an irrelevant leftist publication that hires activist reporters solely to push hateful and divisive content, Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said in an emailed statement in response to a question about whether the administrations priorities would exacerbate segregation. The Presidents push to expand school choice enhances educational freedom and opportunity for all families and gives parents, not the government, the keys to their childs success. Only the left would view that as racist. Protesters demonstrate at the headquarters of the Department of Education to support public schools. Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press Shutting Down The Education Department While it props up charter schools, the administration is also making good on its promise to dismantle the agency that oversees the nations public schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of Trumps biggest promises on the campaign trail was shutting down the Department of Education and returning education to the states. Conservatives have been fantasizing about dismantling the agency since it began operating in 1980. And now that conservatives are in the throes of a culture war centered on public schools, the GOP has never been closer to abolishing the agency. Trump fired nearly half the staff of the Department of Education and then signed an executive order to begin the process of closing the agency in March. (Actually shutting down the department would require an act of Congress.) No office was spared from the mass layoffs, including the Office for Civil Rights the main avenue for students and their families to lodge complaints about civil rights violations, including race-based ones. Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that the administration must reinstate the laid-off Education Department employees. The government is challenging the ruling while staffers remain in limbo. The Education Department did not respond to HuffPosts request for comment. Though completely closing down the agency still seems unlikely, the Trump administration has been chipping away at the department. First, there were the cuts to any contracts the administration could claim were connected to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, or DEI. This led to the revocation of funds for researchers who study federal education data, which experts use to inform the public about how schools are doing including information about race that could help shed light on segregation. Everything that we are able to know about how our education system is functioning or is not functioning is going to go dark in a lot of ways, Feldkamp said. The literal statistics that the [Legal Defense Fund] uses to continue to hold school districts accountable in our school desegregation cases arent going to be available. The LDF has filed a preliminary injunction in federal court to get the Department of Education to restore research grants. The Trump administration has also gone after equity assistance grants, which fund programs that help school districts reduce discrimination in public schools. The LDF, on behalf of the NAACP and other education groups, has filed a suit against the Department of Education for terminating the grants. According to the lawsuit, one of the plaintiffs, the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium, was able to assist more than 100 education agencies, including 17 school districts in New York that needed help reducing racially discriminatory discipline practices. Without this funding, they wont be able to continue. Ultimately, Feldkamp said, their goal is to go back to a place where Black students dont have equal access to schools. A Flurry Of Executive Orders Trump signed an executive order titled Reinstating Common Sense School Discipline Policies in April. The order claims that Obama-era guidance, which said that schools that suspended students of certain racial groups at disproportionate rates could be violating civil rights law, had left teachers afraid of disciplining students for fear of being labeled racist. It alleges that educators ignored and covered up discipline problems, which hurt all students. As a result, students who should have been suspended or expelled for dangerous behavior remained in the classroom, making all students less safe, the order says. On its face, the language appears to be race-neutral. But theres a mountain of evidence to show that Black students are disproportionately punished at school. In 2018, the federal government found that Black students were being disproportionately disciplined. (Boys were also more commonly disciplined than girls, and students with disabilities were more often disciplined than those without.) Using the latest data available, the Government Accountability Office found that despite making up 15% of the public school population, Black students made up 39% of students who were suspended or expelled. In 2024, a GAO report focused on Black girls and had similar findings. Despite comprising just 15% of all girls attending public school, nearly 50% of the girls suspended were Black. The underlying message of the Trump administration waving away racial disparities in school discipline rates hints at a more sinister message: Black students dont belong. President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order alongside Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. Ben Curtis/Associated Press The school discipline order was similar to an executive order Trump signed on his first day in office that sought to end DEI across the federal government. As part of that effort, the Department of Education issued guidelines to public education institutions in February, telling them they must cease using race preferences and stereotypes as a factor in their admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline, and beyond. The letter was vague on details but made very clear threats, including that schools federal funding could be revoked. The letter said that schools had just two weeks to end their illegal DEI programming, prompting them to cancel programs they believed might run afoul of the new guidance. (In April, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from cutting the funds of schools that dont comply with anti-DEI policies.) By going after DEI, the administration is directly fighting and attacking programs that encourage desegregation, Feldkamp said. In Iowa, one school district withdrew from the University of Northern Iowas African American read-in event, a celebration of Black authors that typically draws hundreds of students from across the state, and asked teachers to return the hundreds of books they had intended to distribute to students. Officials in the Waterloo school district, which is majority nonwhite, feared they could lose federal funding if they allowed students to participate. The Trump administration claims that anti-white racism is on the rise and is being ignored by public schools across the country all while co-opting progressive language about civil rights. In recent years, American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds and low-income families, Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote in the February letter. These institutions embrace of pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences and other forms of racial discrimination have emanated throughout every facet of academia. The LDF sued the Trump administration over its anti-DEI guidelines. The suit says the letter did not make it clear which programs the Trump administration considered DEI and argues that it could force schools to end programs and policies that afford [Black students] equal educational opportunity. Disguising its agenda with the false premise that white students are being discriminated against on a systemic level shrouds what the administrations real end goal is. They can sort of erase the fact that these programs are really long-standing ones to fight this countrys original sin of slavery and segregation, Feldkamp said. Related... U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer on Wednesday, June 11 demanded that the Trump administration stop its attempts to close Job Corps centers, including the one in Oneonta. According to a news release from Schumer's office, closing the five upstate Job Corps centers would eliminate more than 550 jobs and take away the opportunity for thousands of students to get training for careers. Schumer said Upstate New Yorks Job Corps centers in Albany, Sullivan, Orleans, Otsego and Chautauqua Counties "are essential for local small businesses and other employers that rely on Job Corps for a pipeline of new skilled workers to fill jobs." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schumer said the Trump administration is not only attempting to shut down Job Corps centers by June 30, but in the recently released presidential skinny budget request, Trump said he wants to totally zero out funding for the program. Schumer "is leading efforts in the Senate to oppose these destructive and potentially illegal actions like pausing existing funds for the Job Corps centers by the Trump Administration to end this valuable program to train Upstate NY workers, and is demanding the GOP, especially NY House Republicans, many of whom have districts that rely on Job Corps, to stand with their constituents in fighting to save Job Corps by pushing the Trump administration to reverse course on these damaging policies," the release stated. Across Upstate New York, the Trump administrations cruel order to shut down Job Corps centers has caused students and teachers to scramble, and if this goes through, it will be our small businesses and local economies paying the price," Schumer said. "Job Corps is one of the best bang for your buck programs we have, one of Americas largest workforce training programs with thousands upon thousands of success stories putting young people into good-paying careers and helping employers grow with new, skilled workers. According to the release, the Oneonta Job Corps is currently providing training to hundreds of students and employs about 130 staff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Attracting students from all across the country, the center prepares students for careers in auto trades, healthcare, and pre-apprenticeship union trades in electrical, tile, and cement masonry, " the release stated. "Oneontas Smart Grid Advanced Training for Electrical program helps students develop the skills they need to work on overhead lines, underground residential distributions, and smart meter logic controllers." In partnership with Mohawk Valley Community College, the center is training the next generation of drone operators through its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operator program, the release stated. Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek spoke of the impact of losing the Job Corps campus in the city. The loss of the Oneonta Job Corps Academy would have a severe impact on our economy, our infrastructure, the capacity of our community services, and the quality of life in the city, Drnek said. But beyond that, the closure of the Job Corps program, would be the retraction of a helping hand, and of the opportunity for hundreds of young men and women to pull themselves from poverty and place themselves on the very ladder of success that is the American Dream, in many cases providing precedent and role modeling to family, friends and neighborhoods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, Trump paused operations at Job Corps centers nationwide sparking widespread outcry. Schumer said the move would kick more than a thousand young New Yorkers out of training programs "and potentially to the curb," create mass layoffs of hundreds of workers at Job Corps centers in every corner of the state and hurt local businesses and other employers in need of skilled workers. "Since then, a federal judge has temporarily blocked the pause, but Job Corps employees and students are being left in the lurch and are being forced to scramble as they do not know what the future holds as a final ruling in the court case is pending and the Trump administration continues its attacks on the program," the release stated. In addition, according to the release, Trumps 2026 budget proposal would completely eliminate funding for Job Corps centers, effectively killing the program. SCHUYLER COUNTY, N.Y. (WETM) An inmate was arrested after deputies said he had a dangerous controlled substance while behind bars in Schuyler County. Steven Brockway, 64, of Tyrone, but currently residing in the Schuyler County Jail, was arrested on the charge of promoting prison contraband in the first degree (class D felony), as stated in a release from the Schuyler County Sheriffs Office. Elmira sex offender arrested after failing to update address; police said Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brockways charge comes after deputies said he had a large amount of a controlled substance declared to be dangerous while behind bars, on unrelated charges. As a result, deputies explained, Brockway had his charges read to him and remains in jail, and will later face his new charge in Schuyler County Court sometime in the future. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A new study published in Environmental Research identified microplastics in various body fluids among people suffering from respiratory illnesses. What's happening? An Iran-based research team collected urine, mucus, and lung lavage fluid samples from 30 participants who suffered from respiratory illnesses. They found a total of 490 microplastics in the samples, representing an array of colors, sizes, and plastic types. These tiny plastic particles were most abundant in the mucus; all 30 patients had microplastics in those samples, and 358 total microplastics were found across all mucus samples. Meanwhile, only nine microplastics were detected in urine among eight of the patients. A total of 123 microplastics were identified in the lavage fluid samples, where a higher proportion of larger fibers were also discovered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The authors said their observations suggest that inhaled and ingested microplastics might be fractionated differently through the body. "Further research is required to determine why and how particles larger than theoretical limits are present in these fluids, along with their biopersistence and potential acute and chronic health impacts," they added. Why are microplastics concerning? Microplastics break off from larger plastics, and they can be found all around us, from the air we breathe to the water we drink and the food we eat. One study found that nearly all tested protein samples, including chicken and tofu, contained microplastics. These tiny plastic particles have also infiltrated our bodies. One study found significant levels of microplastics in the penises of four out of five men undergoing erectile dysfunctionrelated surgery, while another discovered that a growing number of microplastics are appearing in our brains. Research examining the impacts of microplastic exposure is ongoing, but it has so far been tied to cancer, dementia, and impaired blood flow in the brain, among other health concerns. What's being done about microplastics? Removing microplastics from the environment is difficult but not impossible. One group of scientists discovered a way to filter them out of water using egg whites, and another team found a way to remove up to 99.9% of pollutants including microplastics from water in just 10 seconds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While microplastic removal science is promising, it's also important to prevent new particles from entering the environment, and that means reducing our reliance on plastic in our everyday lives. Countries such as England and France are trying to address the microplastic problem through bans on plastic cutlery for most fast food and takeout. California banned plastic produce bags from grocery stores, and India outlawed a selection of single-use plastics. 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. Experts studying the health risks of talc have prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reevaluate its presence in candy, other foods, and medications. There is a prevalence of talc in our food and prescriptions in America despite its potential to cause cancer. What's happening? As Chemical & Engineering News reported, the FDA convened a nonpartisan panel to discuss the cancer and other health risks of talc. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Manufacturers use talc to prevent moisture absorption and caking on products. Since it's been linked to ovarian cancer, talc has been removed from most cosmetics and body powders. However, it still remains in chewing gum that white powder keeping stick gum from sticking to the wrapper and many commonly prescribed medications like Lipitor and Nexium. During the panel, the doctors and scientists discussed how it's unclear whether some rice and flour makers might be including talc since they would not need to disclose it under current laws, citing how it has been used in these products in other countries. "Talc is in candy that children eat," said FDA commissioner Marty Makary, a surgeon and professor who generally had bipartisan support in his appointment to the post. "It's in food." In addition to cancer risks, scientists on the panel also warned of talc's connection to chronic inflammation and expressed concern about talc's often being used as a food processing aid. Foodmakers aren't required to disclose the ingredients in their processing aids, so it's unclear which foods actually contain talc. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Talc has been a known carcinogen for over 40 years. "Yet," Makary said, "we're feeding it to our nation's children. I'm amazed that we scratch our heads asking, why are we seeing GI cancers go up in young people, and we never stop to think about the existing body of scientific evidence that has been there." Why is talc exposure important? Although the U.S. has largely eliminated talc from body products, it still remains a significant issue in what Americans routinely consume. The FDA found that talc in Johnson & Johnson baby powder was contaminated with asbestos, which led to an $8.9 billion settlement. Talc mining poses a risk for asbestos contamination, according to the FDA, because "both talc and asbestos are naturally occurring minerals that may be found in close proximity in the earth." In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, the editorial board criticized Makary for fueling plaintiff attorneys' lawsuits on food and drug manufacturers with alleged talc claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the science behind talc's health risks is undeniable. And just as the FDA banned Red 3 food dye while encouraging brands to stop using all other synthetic dyes, the common thread is that there are risks with no nutritional benefits. Similar to PFAS, or forever chemicals used in things like packaging and nonstick cookware talc may make some things "easier" or more convenient in the short term, but if the tradeoff is increased cancer risks, the government needs to play a role in banning or at least regulating safe exposures with penalties to deter violations. With cases like these, it often takes many scientists' testimonies and organizations to petition before widespread bans are finally approved to make products safer and our environment cleaner. What's being done about talc in our food and drug supply? Panel members urged the FDA to further investigate talc in the American food and drug supply and share findings with the general public. Clinical trials to study the impacts of talc on the human body have been discussed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The burden is now on the FDA to work with regulators to reconsider talc's widespread use. Fortunately, safer alternatives to talc exist, and there is international momentum also to ban talc in other countries for public health reasons. On that note, one of the panelists was Malcolm Sim, emeritus professor of planetary health at Monash University in Australia, who said he intended to help with uniting the countries' efforts to address talc. As an individual, you can keep harmful substances out of your body by supporting eco-friendly brands and companies that sell products with plastic-free packaging. If you are concerned about talc exposure, look for mentions of talc or magnesium silicate on product labels, and choose products that explicitly state they are talc-free when possible. You can also research manufacturers who make products you regularly buy to assess if they have conducted asbestos testing. 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. A surprising discovery has left the scientific community speechless. According to Inkl, a species previously believed to be extinct has been spotted. The unique 200-million-year-old species, famously named after Sir David Attenborough, was caught on camera in Indonesia. Photo Credit: Wiki Media Commons A group of researchers from Oxford University made the rediscovery, proving the existence of the Zaglossus Attenboroughi species, also known as Attenborough's long-beaked echidna. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the video clip, viewers can see the mammal's distinct beak and furry exterior. Before this footage, the only proof of the ancient species' existence was a specimen of a deceased Zaglossus Attenboroughi that had been preserved for museum display. However, that creature was alive "several decades ago," according to Inkl. Since echidnas roamed the planet alongside the dinosaurs, they're known as "living fossils," dating back 200 million years. The discovery of Attenborough's echidna came at the end of the researchers' expedition, concluding the trip on an exciting note. "I was euphoric, the whole team was euphoric," Dr. James Kempton, a biologist from Oxford University, told BBC News. "I'm not joking when I say it came down to the very last SD card that we looked at, from the very last camera that we collected, on the very last day of our expedition." Echidnas consist of four species, differentiated by their beaks. However, what makes these mammals so interesting is that they are one of the only mammals that lay eggs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The footage of Attenborough's echidna wasn't the only monumental discovery of the expedition. Dr. Kempton and his team also identified new insect and frog species. Discoveries like this underscore the importance of preserving the world's biodiversity. From both a scientific and cultural perspective, the discovery of Attenborough's echidna is significant. According to Inkl, in Papua local tradition, the echidna is one of the creatures that "symbolize the resolution of conflict and a return to harmonious relationships once found." 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. DONALD TRUMP SAYS HIS LATEST VENTURE into dictatorshipdeploying the National Guard and Marines against American citizens, over the opposition of state and local officialsis about safeguarding the rule of law. If we see danger to our country and to our citizens, well be very, very strong in terms of law and order, Trump told reporters on Sunday, as protests escalated in Los Angeles against his deportations. Its about law and order. Dont believe it. Trump is using the Guard and the military to enforce his will, not the law. The evidence of his insincerity is what he did four years ago: When rioters were on his side, he didnt call in the Guard. He embraced the criminals, pardoned them, and purged the law enforcement officials who prosecuted them. Hes a despot and a scofflaw. In the Los Angeles uprising, Trumplike every authoritarian before himclaims to be saving his country from chaos. Violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents, he declared on Sunday afternoon. These lawless riots only strengthen our resolve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A few hours later, he called for bringing in the troops . . . RIGHT NOW!!! Dont let these thugs get away with this. And on Monday afternoon, he ridiculed any suggestion that the protesters were peaceful. Just one look at the pictures and videos of the Violence and Destruction, he wrote, tells you all you have to know. Insurrectionist mobs. Lawless riots. Videos of violence. Weve heard such alarming descriptions before. And on January 6, 2021, we saw how little Trump cared about them. Share AT 1:21 P.M. THAT DAY, AS TRUMP returned to the White House after instructing his supporters to march on the Capitol, he was told twice by a member of his staff, Theyre rioting down at the Capitol. The exact moment of this encounter was captured in a photograph. Trump replied, All right, lets go see. He went to his dining room and watched on TV as the riot proceeded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the next hour, TV networks aired videos of the violence and destruction. Like this weeks videos from Los Angeles, they told the president all he needed to know. But Trump did nothing. Toward the end of that hoursomewhere between 2:13 and 2:24 pm, according to the final report of the House January 6th CommitteeTrumps chief of staff, Mark Meadows, informed White House Counsel Pat Cipollone that Trump doesnt want to do anything about the ongoing assault. A few minutes later, Cipollone was heard to tell Meadows, Theyre literally calling for the Vice President to be Fing hung. And Meadows was heard to reply, You heard him, Pat. He thinks Mike [Pence] deserves it. He doesnt think theyre doing anything wrong. Meanwhile, in a phone call, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy warned Trump that the rioters literally just came through my office windows, and my staff are running for cover. I mean, theyre running for their lives. You need to call them [the assailants] off. Trump responded by rebuking McCarthy: Well, Kevin, I guess theyre just more upset about the election theft than you are. These conversations took place as Fox News, which Trump was watching, reported that police had been injured and that rioters inside the Capitol were feet from the House chamber. On the screen, according to the House committee report, Fox was showing video of the chaos and attack, with tear gas filling the air in the Capitol Rotunda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Throughout the afternoon, Trumps aides, family, and friends implored him to tell the rioters to go home. He refused. Not until 4:17 p.m., nearly three hours after being informed about the riot, did he comply. Join now TRUMP NOW CLAIMS that he told the rioters to be peaceful and that he offered ten thousand National Guard troops to protect the Capitol. The first claim is misleading. The second is a lie. The House report shows that before and during the assault, Trump resisted entreaties to call for peace. On January 6th, a text message to one of his top aides, Hope Hicks, said Trump should tweet something about Being NON-violent. Hicks wrote back: I suggested it several times Monday and Tuesday and he refused. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At one point in his incendiary speech that morning, Trump did ask his followers to march to the Capitol peacefully. But that phrase, according to the House report, was scripted for him by his White House speechwriters. The main theme of the speech was to fight like hell. Another Trump aide, Sarah Matthews, told the committee that once the riot was underway, Trump resisted pleas to call for peace. He did use the term peaceful in a tweet at 2:38 p.m., but only grudgingly. Trumps press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, told Matthews that Trump did not want to include any sort of mention of peace in that tweet. Trumps other January 6th story, about the National Guard, is also a sham. His acting defense secretary, his Army secretary, and his chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff all testified that he never ordered the Guard to deploy that day. He never even spoke to these officials. Instead, during the riot, he used his phone to press members of Congress to do what the mob wanted: overturn the election. Its true that before the attack, Trump talked about the possibility of needing guardsmen. But it was never about protecting the Capitol. It was, in Meadowss words, to protect pro Trump people from anti-Trump protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In short, everything Trump decries in Los Angeles happened on January 6th, and more. A violent, insurrectionist mob swarmed and attacked police. And instead of bringing in the Guard RIGHT NOW, Trump watched the assault, encouraged the mob, and waited to see whether it would keep him in power. In fact, when he returned to office this year, Trump pardoned nearly everyone who had pleaded guilty to or had been convicted of assaulting police on January 6th. He said the insurrectionists were right: They were protesting a crooked election. He purged the prosecutors who had handled those cases. And in a speech at the Department of Justice, he boasted that he had removed the senior FBI officials who, in his words, had persecuted the J6 hostages. Share NOW, AS HE DEPLOYS THE MILITARY against protesters in an American city, Trump invokes law and order as a bogus excuse. And he vows to go further. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, he announced a policy of escalation against protesters. If they spit, we will hit, he wrote on Truth Social. This is a statement from the President of the United States. . . . The Insurrectionists have a tendency to spit in the face of the National Guardsmen/women, and others. . . . IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before. On Tuesday, speaking to troops at Fort Bragg, Trump said he was seizing control of the National Guard and ending the tradition of consulting governors. We will use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order right away, he declared. Were not going to wait . . . for a governor thats never going to call. And in remarks in the Oval Office, Trump said his policy of escalating state violence would apply to anyone who protests the military parade on June 14, his birthday. If theres any protester [who] wants to come out, they will be met with very big force, he warned. For those people that want to protest. . . . They will be met with very heavy force. This is not a man defending the rule of law. This is a man continuing the project he began in his first term and tried to complete on January 6th: replacing the rule of law with himself. Share The Bulwark TAYLOR, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) A van driver and parishioner of Ray of Hope church in Taylor is now facing more charges for the rape of another child. 22-year-old Tara Glan of Scranton has been charged with multiple counts of child rape and related crimes. Investigators claim Glan had raped a minor in the church, during prayer groups. Identity and details of missing kayaker released He was charged with the rape of other juvenile parishioners in other cases this year, including an intellectually disabled person. Glan is facing a total of six different charges related to the sexual assault of a child or child pornography. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His preliminary arraignment is planned for 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 28/22 News. A UN panel has urged the UK to renegotiate a deal returning the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, saying it "fails to guarantee" the rights of the Chagossian people. The deal, signed last month, handed sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, but the UK retained the right to run a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos Islands. By preventing the Chagossian people from returning to Diego Garcia, "the agreement appears to be at variance with the Chagossians' right to return," the UN experts wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Foreign Office spokesperson said the UK-Mauritius deal had been "welcomed by international organisations, including the UN secretary general". The panel of four experts were appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, but are not UN staff and are independent from the UN. They said by the UK keeping the military base of Diego Garcia, the Chagossian people were hindered from being able to "exercise their cultural rights in accessing their ancestral lands from which they were expelled". The panel called for the current deal to be suspended and for a new agreement to be negotiated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the agreement, the UK would pay an average of 101m a year for 99 years to continue operating the military base on Diego Garcia, in concert with the US. The Chagos Islands are located in the Indian Ocean about 5,799 miles (9,332km) south-east of the UK, and about 1,250 miles north-east of Mauritius. The UK purchased the islands for 3m in 1968, but Mauritius has argued it was illegally forced to give away the islands in order to gain independence from Britain. Diego Garcia was then cleared to make way for a military base, with large groups of Chagossians forcibly moved to Mauritius and the Seychelles, or taking up an invitation to settle in England, mainly in Crawley, West Sussex. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since then, Chagossians have not been allowed to return to Diego Garcia. Before the UK-Mauritius deal was signed last month, two Chagossian women living in the UK - who were born on Diego Garcia - launched a last-minute legal bid to stop it, saying the agreement did not guarantee the right of return to their island of birth. Philippe Sands KC, who represented Mauritius in its legal battle with the UK, defended the deal, saying former Chagos Islands residents in Mauritius and the Seychelles had been consulted, but not the community in Crawley. He told a House of Lords committee that he wanted to "knock on the head this idea that all of the Chagossians were not involved" in negotiations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Chagossian community is divided and I respect that division," he said, but added: "Most in Mauritius and Seychelles have made very clear... that they wish this deal to go ahead." The deal includes a 40m trust fund to support Chagossians, a component that the UN panel also questioned would "comply with the right of the Chagossian people to effective remedy... and prompt reparation". "The agreement also lacks provisions to facilitate the Chagossian people's access to cultural sites on Diego Garcia and protect and conserve their unique cultural heritage," the panel added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We recognise the importance of the islands to Chagossians and have worked to ensure the agreement reflects this." Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said the Conservatives "have been warning from the start that this deal is bad for British taxpayers and bad for the Chagossian people". "It is why I have introduced a bill in Parliament that would block the [agreement] and force the government to speak to the people at the heart of their surrender plans," she said. Both the House of Commons and House of Lords have until 3 July to pass a resolution to oppose the deal being ratified. [BBC] Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond. Jun. 10MITCHELL As home to longtime programming content like Sesame Street, South Dakota Public Broadcasting and its fellow public broadcasting outlets in other states are known for educational programming, along with other cultural, information and news offerings. But there is more than just that available at SDPB. That was the message staffers and supporters of South Dakota Public Broadcasting were sharing Friday evening in Mitchell. They had set up a booth near the Corn Palace to talk with the public about programming the organization has available, particularly when it comes to early childhood development and educational resources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "One of our core mission objectives is ensuring that every child in South Dakota enters kindergarten ready for school and ready for life and is supported and informed by engaged parents and professional educators and caregivers," Julie Overgaard, executive director for South Dakota Public Broadcasting, told the Mitchell Republic. "Our job isn't to take the place of any of that caregiving. It's to provide useful, high-quality, set-to-state standards educational resources that are free for anybody to use." Overgaard was referring to a slew of online educational and professional development materials available for anyone to use for free online through the SDPB website. Those resources include PBS Kids videos, interactive games, early learning resources such as activities, lessons and articles along with outreach and professional development information. It's all available at www.sdpb.org/earlylearning, and Overgaard and her fellow SDPB officials are hoping South Dakotans take advantage. The programming is geared for year-round learning but the free, online nature makes it available for use at any time or any season. SDPB is focusing its outreach on teachers, parents and other professionals such as daycare providers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The offerings found their footing in the late 2010s, particularly in the leadup to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then that interest in the educational programs took off when young children were suddenly home from school due to worries about the virus. Combined with general funding issues associated with education, the SDPB programs grew into a valued repository of learning tools. "(The pandemic) just had an outsized impact on our efforts in this area that none of us saw coming. Since then, we've been really successful and our major donors and other people around the state are really feeling that this is an important topic area that maybe doesn't get the funding and attention it deserves," Overgaard said. The materials provide a great source of educational activities, but there are also resources related to professional development. Overgaard said SDPB holds professional development workshops at daycare centers, Head Starts and school-associated preschools on how they can use the free materials to support their curriculums. The programming is designed to meet South Dakota early learning guidelines, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other outreach takes place at public libraries to encourage student interest in reading, as well working in the summer with teachers to help them with continuing education or professional development credits. "We go to a lot of education conferences and meet the teachers where they're at and just keep trying to get the world out about what we have to offer them," Overgaard said. She said that over 100,000 children a month access the available online programs. When added to other programming offered by SDPB, that comes in closer to 750,000 children a month. The resources have been especially utilized by homeschooling families, who Overgaard said are always on the lookout for supportive materials. A recent stop at a homeschooling conference was well-attended and well-received, she said. Kara Brodsky, brand and marketing manager for SDPB, was at the organization's booth on Friday in Mitchell, speaking with members of the public next to a large cutout of Sesame Street star Elmo. Conversations ranged from topic to topic, but getting the word out about the educational materials was paramount. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "(It's for) parents, for sure, but also teachers," Brodsky said. "We're here to support parents and teachers with the resources they might need. We fill in the blanks a little bit with some of the things that we can help with. So teachers, caregivers, anybody who is reaching those preschoolers, that early childhood development, is really important." Conveying the value of the resources that SDPB has available is important right now, Overgaard said. There has been concern about potential funding cuts to public broadcasting at the federal level, and Overgaard and other SDPB officials have been lobbying South Dakota leaders such as Rep. Dusty Johnson, Sen. Mike Rounds and Sen. John Thune about the importance of that funding to various programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cuts target perceived bias at the national level, such as National Public Radio and programming like PBS NewsHour, All Things Considered and Morning Edition, Overgaard said. But such cuts could hurt more localized programming, as well. "I'm very, very concerned about it. Federal funding flows through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has been targeted for elimination in a rescission of prior authorized funding. The talk is that it's all about biased programming at the national level," Overgaard said. "What most people don't understand is that the money that's being rescinded or threatened for elimination the vast, vast majority of those dollars are funneled to local public broadcasting stations across the country like SDPB. So the cut will have an outsized impact on rural networks and rural stations if it goes through." As officials with SDPB monitor the funding situation, they are also celebrating more accessibility to their product in the Mitchell area. The organization recently launched a new full-power radio station, 89.1 FM, near Mitchell. The tower has been in the works for nearly a decade, with Overgaard saying that another full-power radio station in the area overpowered the old low-powered SDPB transmitter and "blew us off the air." Listeners should be able to pull in the new transmission easily, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Now we have a good quality signal into Mitchell that extends all the way down south of Parkston, covering a much larger geography. We've really solidified our coverage in that area," Overgaard said. The new signal is a boost for SDPB, Overgaard said, but the free educational materials are available anywhere, anytime for anyone who has access to an internet connection. In times when funding for education can be limited, any and all quality resources become valuable for parents and professionals alike who want to support their kids the best they can. The invitation to use those materials is always open, she said. "The state and the legislature have had difficulty coming to agreement and funding for early childhood education initiatives. So as with other things in the state, you sometimes have to figure out the best way to do it yourselves," Overgaard said. More information on the educational resources available through SDPB can be found at www.sdpb.org/earlylearning. WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) What started as a groundbreaking in late 2023 has grown into one of the most anticipated additions to education in Walton County. Crews are now putting the final touches on the new multi-million dollar Seacoast Collegiate High School and Northwest Florida State College campus expansion. The new addition creates opportunities for many South Walton residents to earn a college degree. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Overlay project to begin in Walton County So, historically, our kids that come to our school, their ninth and 10th grade year, theyre with us. And then their 11th, 12th grade year, they are dual-enrolled students. And so, the past ten years, the kids have had to go to Niceville to take their classes in the college building, Seacoast Collegiate High School Principal Drew Ward said. Niceville is an hour away from the campus. The expansion will eliminate that drive. Seacoast currently has 175 freshmen and sophomores and 100 juniors and seniors. This Fall, that number will go to 230 underclassmen and 300 upperclassmen students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wharton Smith Construction began building a larger high school and the new Northwest Florida State College South Walton Center last May. College students will use the South Walton Center. High School students will attend classes in both. Now we have the outside finished. Its looking really nice. Well be getting the outside cleaned up, getting that courtyard installed. But inside, its turning from rough finishes to interior finishes to what its going to look like when the building is complete, Wharton Smith project manager Jake Reighard said. Walton County commissioners fire County Administrator Stan Sunday Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reighard says his crew is right on schedule. The project is expected to be completed by mid-July. That way, teachers can get ready for students on August 11th. Principal Ward says total enrollment by 2029 should be around 700 students. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Federal and local authorities in Washington state have narrowed down an area in their ongoing search for an ex-military father accused of murdering his three daughters in late May. Crews started their search for 32-year-old Travis Decker in the area of Ingalls Creek and Valley High in central Washington on Monday evening, according to the Chelan County Sheriffs Office. Cars damaged near Portland school after teen suspect rammed cars outside, police say Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sheriffs office is asking local residents to lock their homes and their vehicles. Federal authorities joined the manhunt for Decker last week. On Monday, the Chelan County Sheriffs Office announced search efforts were turned over to federal authorities on Sunday evening to give local resources a chance to rest. Decker has been missing since May 30 when he took his three daughters during a parental visit and never returned them to their mothers home in Wenatchee. His daughters were found dead near a campsite with his truck on June 2, according to authorities. An autopsy revealed the girls died from suffocation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, authorities say theyve collected a large amount of evidence from the truck at the campsite scene, including blood from the truck that matched a male and then another that was not human blood. Deckers dog was also found and turned over to the humane society. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. At least 49 people, including several schoolchildren, have been killed in the floods that have swept through South Africa's Eastern Cape province as torrential rain and snow have hit parts of the country. "The numbers are just escalating hour after hour. The situation is so bad on the ground," provincial premier Oscar Mabuyane said. Among the bodies recovered are those of four children, a driver and a conductor who were on a bus that was carried away in flood waters as it was crossing a bridge in the town of Mthatha on Tuesday morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mabuyane said rescue efforts were continuing to find four more children who had been in the vehicle that has since been found on a riverbank with no-one inside. Earlier, an official had told private TV station Newzroom Afrika that eight bodies, including that of the bus driver, had been found. Public broadcaster SABC reported that three children were rescued alive on Tuesday, found clinging to trees. It is now known that there were 13 people on the bus, 11 of them schoolchildren. On Wednesday morning, Mabuyane visited the scene to witness rescue efforts, and to meet affected communities in Decoligny, a village outside Mthatha. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hundreds of residents had been left displaced, many spending the night in makeshift shelters, he said. Mabuyane praised those who were assisting officials in locating the missing and for alerting their neighbours when the floods began. Officials said 58 schools in Eastern Cape had been affected across three districts: OR Tambo, Amathole and Alfred Nzo. "For all these years that I've lived, I've never seen something like this," Mabuyane said. In neighbouring KwaZulu-Natal, 68 schools across nine districts have been damaged but no fatalities have been recorded. The heavy snow, rains and gale force winds have also left nearly 500,000 homes without electricity since Tuesday - and state-owned power provider Eskom says efforts are being made to restore connections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered his condolences to the families of those who died as he urged citizens to "display caution, care and cooperation as the worst impacts of winter weather take effect across the country". The Eastern Cape - the birthplace of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela - has been worst-affected by the icy conditions, along with KwaZulu-Natal province. The bad weather has forced the closure of some major roads in the two provinces to avoid further casualties. More BBC stories on South Africa: [Getty Images/BBC] Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts NEED TO KNOW The Coast Guard has announced that it has suspended its search for six people involved in a plane crash near the San Diego coast The agency said crews combed over 300 square miles for over 35 combined hours before the search was suspended Among those killed in the crash are a husband and wife, as well as a father and his three sons The search for six people involved in a plane crash off the coast near San Diego has been suspended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Coast Guard announced the suspension of the search in a news release published on Tuesday, June 10. The Cessna 414 went down approximately three miles west of Point Loma, according to the Coast Guard, which searched over 300 square miles for over 35 combined hours with its partner agencies. The Coast Guard said watchstanders at the Joint Harbor Operations Center in San Diego were initially informed of the crash around 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, June 8. The search was suspended at 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday. "The decision to suspend a search is never an easy one," said Lieutenant Commander Justin Brooks, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector San Diego, in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added, "We appreciate the work of our partners throughout the search efforts, and our hearts are with the loved ones of those involved in the crash." The pilot of the downed plane was identified by a family member as Landon Baldwin, from Pima, Ariz., according to Fox affiliate KSAZ and NBC affiliate KNSD. Kirsten Baldwin, another relative, confirmed that Landon's wife Torrie was on board. Landon Baldwin/Facebook Landon Baldwin and his wife, Torrie Landon Baldwin and his wife, Torrie The husband and wife, who were both in their 20s, left behind two young children, KSAZ reported. A father and his three adult sons, also from Arizona, were also reportedly on the plane. I was deeply shocked, Kristen told the station. I didn't want to believe it at first because it just didn't seem like it could happen to this couple who is so awesome that I knew. 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. A witness previously told KNSD that he initially thought the plane was originally doing stunts in the air. "I saw him come down at an angle. He wasn't flying straight to the ground," said Tyson Wislofsky. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The next time he came out of the clouds, he went straight into the water. But after I saw this splash, about six seconds later, it was dead silent, he continued. I knew that they went in the water, nose first, at a high speed. But Landons relative Kristen said the pilot "wouldn't prank to get close to the water, or do something adrenaline-seeking" and that she believed "something was incredibly wrong for that to have happened. Read the original article on People The Brief Washington law enforcement believes they have tracked Travis Decker. The Pewaukee native is suspected of killing his young daughters. Federal agencies are leading the search efforts. PEWAUKEE, Wis. - Law enforcement agencies believe they are on the trail of a Pewaukee native suspected of killing his three children. What we know Travis Decker is accused of killing his three young daughters in Washington State. Authorities in Washington confirmed three girls, ages 5, 8 and 9, were found dead on Monday, June 2. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Chelan County Sheriff's Office received a tip from a hiking party, the sheriffs office announced on Tuesday, June 10. The hikers reported seeing a lone individual in the Enchantments area who appeared "ill-prepared for the conditions" and appeared to be "avoiding others." Tracking teams responded and found a lone, off-trail hiker from a helicopter near Colchuck Lake. The individual reportedly ran from sight as the helicopter passed. Additional resources were called to the area, and K9 units were deployed after teams picked up a trail. The subject was tracked to the Ingalls Creek Trailhead area on Highway 97. What you can do Individuals in the area with cabins or residences in the Blewett Pass/Highway 97 area are urged to report suspicious activity, lock their doors and vehicles and look out for neighbors' property. Those with cameras are asked to check them or submit a tip to the U.S. Marshals tip line with the camera's location for law enforcement review. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Decker is sighted, you are asked to call 911 immediately and not attempt to contact or approach him. Deputies also recently announced a $20,000 cash reward for any information leading to Decker's arrest. Decker lived out of his truck. The vehicle was found, but there is no sign of him. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or USMS Tips. Local perspective Decker graduated from Pewaukee High School. He was a wrestler while attending the school. His brother told FOX6 News Decker graduated in 2010. Travis Decker Investigators say Decker kidnapped his three daughters 5-year-old Olivia, 8-year-old Evenlyn and 9-year-old Paityn, who were found dead at the Rock Island Campground outside of Leavenworth, Washington. Investigators say the preliminary cause of death for each was asphyxiation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A GoFundMe to help the children's mother, Whitney, cover expenses and legal costs has surpassed $1 million. The Source Information in this report came from the Chelan County Sheriff's Office, FOX13 and prior FOX6 coverage. What was supposed to be a routine hike turned deadly for a man in Greece on Monday. Christos Stavrianidis, a reportedly experienced hiker, was in Fraktou forest in northeastern Greece with his friend Dimitris Kioroglou, another hiking veteran, when tragedy struck. The two encountered a bear a few meters away from them when it began to attack. I didnt have time to react, thats the truth. My dog got in the way and gave me 2-3 seconds to get the pepper spray out. I sprayed her [the bear]. She ran away, went to Christos [the other hiker] who was on the edge of the cliff. She gave him a push and he fell down, Kioroglou told the Greek newspaper, Kathimerini. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kioroglou, who credited his dog intervening with giving him the extra time necessary to escape, managed to take shelter in a tree and eventually called for help. Stavrianidis, meanwhile, fell down the 2,600-foot ravine. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to Agence France-Presse. The two men were reportedly hiking toward the remains of a Greek war plane that crashed in the area roughly 70 years ago. Spyros Psaroudas, a general coordinator of the environmental organization Kallisto, spoke with TV ERT and said the bear was likely "surprised" by the climbers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Condolences to the man's family, he was a nature lover, in love with this area, he had visited it repeatedly and there is no doubt that what happened is something tragic that has shocked us all," Psaroudas said. "The animal was obviously surprised by the climbers. The use of spray is often recommended, but not in our country because it is illegal, but in countries like Canada or the United States, climbers are required to have such sprays, which are used to repel the animal. "Bears, like any other animal, feel the dog as an intruder in their space. However, we cannot know the sequence of events." Our thoughts and prayers are with Stavrianidis' family and friends during this difficult time. Seasoned Hiker Dies After Bear Pushes Him Into Ravine first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2025 The Brief Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes suggested he would risk jail time to protect residents from potential federal military deployment. The statement was made during a confirmation hearing before the Seattle City Council's Public Safety Committee. Chief Barnes has served without official City Council confirmation for over three months, and this hearing marks the initial step in the process. SEATTLE - Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes said Tuesday that he would likely face jail time if the Trump administration were to deploy military personnel to Seattle with intent to harm or inhibit First Amendment rights. What we know The chief's remarks came during a confirmation hearing before the Seattle City Council's Public Safety Committee. Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes (right), Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (left) (FOX 13 Seattle) Council Member Alexis Mercedes Rinck asked Barnes how he would handle a hypothetical scenario where the Trump administration and military were deployed to Seattle, referencing similar situations seen in Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I will do everything in my power to protect anyone in Seattle from anyone who comes to the city with the intention to hurt them or inhibit their first amendment rights what this means is that at some point I will probably go to jail and be in prison," said Barnes. Chief Barnes, appointed by Mayor Bruce Harrell, has led the Seattle Police Department for more than three months without official City Council confirmation. Tuesday's hearing was the first step in that confirmation process. The Source Information in this story came from SDP Chief Shon Barnes' comments during a confirmation hearing at a Seattle City Council meeting. MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE Anti-ICE protesters use bikes, scooters to block Seattle Federal Building exits Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Travis Decker manhunt: Focus shifts near WA's Blewett Pass Home of Seattle rapper Macklemore invaded, nanny maced: police Woman sues Costco for $14M after display falls on her head WAs Chehalis Tribe acquires long-criticized Uncle Sam sign Lane Lambert ecstatic to take reins as new head coach of Seattle Kraken To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news. About 50 demonstrators gathered outside the immigration court in downtown Seattle on Tuesday, chanting, beating drums, and holding signs opposing deportations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to organizers and witnesses. The protest began peacefully, but tensions escalated when some protesters placed rental scooters in front of entrances and exits to the building, temporarily blocking access. Police later arrived at the scene. The demonstration was organized in part by members of Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Saying they were there in solidarity with the Los Angeles protesters, Mathieu Chabaud, a member of the group, added and to show that were opposed to ICE in our community. Protesters held signs that read, Free Them All; Abolish ICE and No to Deportations, joining a broader national movement calling for an end to immigration detention and deportation proceedings. Legal observers and immigrant support advocates, who regularly attend immigration court proceedings to assist and witness the hearings, were not allowed into the building during the protest. Security guards also denied entry to members of the media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Immigration court hearings are typically open to the public unless otherwise restricted for safety or legal reasons. Authorities have not commented on why access was denied or whether any arrests were made during the protest. The Brief Demonstrators are demanding the University of Washington drop suspensions and sever ties with Boeing over its military contracts. Activists plan to rally against immigration enforcement and in solidarity with recent protests in Los Angeles. NO KINGS protest: A national day of action will see local protests against what organizers call authoritarianism under Trump. SEATTLE - Protesters in Seattle are staging multiple demonstrations this week over issues ranging from opposition to immigration enforcement and what organizers call rising authoritarianism under the Trump administration to the University of Washington's ties to Boeing and its response to a pro-Palestine campus protest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the rallies are being held in solidarity with recent unrest in Los Angeles, where clashes over ICE enforcement turned violent and prompted a response from the National Guard and Marine Corps. Keep reading for a full list of planned Seattle protests scheduled this week. University of Washington protest in Seattle - Tuesday, June 10 A rally is set for Tuesday in Seattles University District, nearly a month after the same groups takeover of a University of Washington building led to more than 30 arrests. Protesters are calling on the university to lift its suspensions, drop criminal charges related to the May 5 protest and cut ties with Boeing. The group, Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return (SUPER UW), said UW students and Seattle community members are expected to rally at the U District light rail station at 5:30 p.m. The backstory On May 5, Super UW protesters protested in opposition to the new Interdisciplinary Engineering Building, which was funded in part by Boeing. The group said it demanded the university cut ties with Boeing due to the companys military contracts with Israel. The protesters caused around $1 million in damage to the building and the equipment inside, in addition to setting fire to dumpsters outside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, 33 people were arrested, and 23 students were later suspended, according to organizers. What they're saying "Despite more than 600 days of genocide against Palestinians, including the killing of Palestinian engineering student Shaban Al-Dalou during Israels relentless bombing on Al-Aqsa hospital, UW continues to partner with weapons manufacturer Boeing," SUPER UW wrote in the press release. "Boeing supplied the most guided bombs and munitions delivered to Israel of any U.S. company from 2021-2023, and their weapons have been documented being used to commit numerous atrocities and war crimes." Organizers of Tuesdays protest say the universitys response, including emergency suspensions, evictions and job losses, violates due process and is part of a broader crackdown on pro-Palestine activism, including alleged FBI attempts to infiltrate the group. ICE OUT emergency protest from L.A. to Seattle - Wednesday, June 11 An anti-ICE rally is set for Wednesday at Seattle's Cal Anderson Park, calling on the federal government to stop the deportations conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizers say the protest, expected to kick off at 7 p.m., is to stand in solidarity with protesters in Los Angeles, and defend the right of immigrants to protest. The press release stated, "The Party of Socialism and Liberation (PSL) is calling on Antifa to invade Seattle on Wednesday." What they're saying "The people of Los Angeles and surrounding areas have taken a courageous stand against Trump's reign of terror targeting immigrant families," wrote PSL in an Instagram post. "In response, the administration has falsely labeled those taking to the streets in protest of the brutal war on immigrants as "rioters" and called in thousands of National Guard soldiers for a crackdown. But we cannot let this repression intimidate us. For those who believe in immigrant rights, for those who believe in democracy, for the entire working class - now is the time to take to the streets in protest!" Anti-Trump 'NO KINGS protests in Seattle - Saturday, June 14 Major anti-President Trump protests are being held this Saturday across the U.S., including in Seattle and around Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "NO KINGS" local demonstrations take aim at "increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption," and assert have been perpetrated by the Trump administration. A national day of action is scheduled for Saturday, June 14 President Trump's birthday and will run counter to Trump's military parade planned in Washington, D.C. What they're saying "In America, we dont put up with would-be kings. NO KINGS is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from Trump and his allies," read a statement from NO KINGS organizers. "Weve watched as theyve cracked down on free speech, detained people for their political views, threatened to deport American citizens, and defied the courts. Theyve done this all while continuing to serve and enrich their billionaire allies." In Seattle, two separate protests are planned from noon3 p.m. A protest will take place at the University of Washington's Red Square. A second protest is planned at Cal Anderson Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. NO KINGS protest locations in WA In addition to the "NO KINGS" protest at Seattle's Cal Anderson Park on Saturday, similar protests are scheduled in Everett, Tacoma, Olympia and all across the state, including Vancouver and Spokane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a developing story. Check back for updates. The Source Information in this story comes from SUPER UW, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, "NO KINGS" demonstration organizers and original reporting from FOX 13 Seattle. MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE Travis Decker manhunt: 'Remote' areas of 5 WA counties told to lock doors Former Army squadmate shares insight into Travis Decker's military past Miles Hudson found guilty on 2 counts of reckless driving in Seattle Key figures from Bryan Kohberger's youth summoned to Idaho for student murders trial Rochester dog training facility owner accused of killing employee during video shoot Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news. Thousands of Oregonians are expected to take part in a wave of protests on Saturday, June 14, as part of the nationwide No Kings movement a coordinated series of protests against President Donald Trump and presidential overreach. More than 1,500 protests are planned across the country, including dozens in Oregon cities large and small. The official No Kings website lists hundreds of protests. Heres where to find them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The demonstrations fall on a significant date: June 14 marks Trumps 79th birthday, as well as Flag Day, and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. The Trump administration plans to hold a military-style parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the event, featuring tanks and other military displays, which critics say is emblematic of Trumps overreach as president. Organizers at Indivisible Oregon, the Portland-based chapter of the progressive group Indivisible, say the protests are intended to be peaceful demonstrations, pushing back against the planned display in Washington, D.C., which they call a troubling sign of Trumps increasing authoritarianism. This display of might, before a president who already behaves like a dictator and views the military as his personal foot soldiers, intended to intimidate opponents and solidify his image as a strongman, necessarily elicits comparisons with the worst totalitarian regimes the Soviet Union, North Korea, China, Iraq, and Nazi Germany, Indivisible Oregon wrote on its website. Protests follow months of unrest and political fallout Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The June 14 protests are the latest in a series of organized events against Trump and his policies, following Memorial Day rallies, May Day demonstrations, and the April Hands Off protests. That earlier wave of actions targeted Trumps relationship with billionaire Elon Musk, who at the time headed the controversial Department of Government Efficiency. That group slashed federal budgets and shuttered agencies while increasing federal contracts for Musks companies. Much has changed since the spring. Musk left the administration in May following significant financial losses at Tesla, where he is CEO. Since then, Musk has had a dramatic falling out with Trump, at one point writing on his social media platform, X, about the presidents ties to registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Many of those posts were later deleted. Concerns grow over federal crackdown on dissent In California, Trump has drawn sharp criticism for deploying Marines and members of the California National Guard to quell protests against immigration officials. Jules Boykoff, a political science professor at Pacific University who studies protest movements, said that decision may inspire others locally to stand up and protest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some recent events have upped the poignancy of the moment, Boykoff said. They have upped the ante politically. It wouldnt surprise me in the slightest if we saw enormous crowds across the country. Gov. Tina Kotek said Monday that she has no plans to deploy the Oregon National Guard this weekend and pushed back strongly against federal interference. I am the commander in chief (of the Oregon National Guard), Kotek told reporters June 9. We are taking care of our communities. If there is any activity that needs to be taken care of, it will be done by local law enforcement. Right now, all protests have been peaceful and theres no reason to think that itll be otherwise. This is what a healthy democracy looks like Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boykoff said the Trump administration uses violent police response as a way of crushing dissent and the country is experiencing a unique moment in its history. And what a moment it is, where the governor of Oregon has to proactively suggest not wanting the National Guard called out, Boykoff said. The fact that she has to preemptively stand up for basic protocol speaks to the uniqueness of this moment. And that injects unpredictability as well. But that should not stop people from exercising their rights, he said. Just because a protest doesnt lead to an automatic outcome doesnt mean that its useless, he said. This is how the fabric of social relations is woven, as people find who their allies are, their comrades are, and it builds moving forward. Its not always X to Y, its often a circuitous path to social change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oregon is well known for its activism and its history of protests. Portland earned the nickname Little Beirut because of protestors in the early 1990s. Boykoff said those demonstrations have helped current organizers learn and grow. That doesnt come around by accident, Boykoff said. It comes from layers and layers of history and organizing. This is what democracy looks like. This is what taking full advantage of the First Amendment looks like. This is what a healthy democracy looks like Its people meeting in community centers and basements and outside of city council meetings, talking about what they want to bring to the table. SANDUSKY, Ohio (WJW) In just weeks, rollercoaster enthusiasts will get to experience North Americas tallest, longest & fastest tilt coaster. Construction of Cedar Points newest attraction, Sirens Curse, is nearing completion and set to open Saturday, June 28, taking riders on 160 feet above the midway at the start. Massive egg recall hits Ohio Walmart stores On Wednesday, SkyFOX got a birds-eye view of the progress. (Check it out in the video player above.) Last week, Cedar Point spokesperson Tony Clark said the project is 85% complete. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Guide: Playgrounds for kids to explore in Northeast Ohio The rides been commissioning, which is our testing phase, where we run trains, we check all the safety systems, he said at the time. The manufacturer is still working on that. So, in a couple of weeks, well be able to take the first ride as they finish up some of the site work like landscaping and things like that. The ride opens to the general public on Saturday, June 28, but Cedar Point is offering a chance to be among the first public riders through an exclusive charity event supporting Prayers From Maria in their fight against childhood brain cancer. CLICK HERE to check out the details. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Jun. 10Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the new director of the National Institutes of Health, faced sharp questions from Sen. Susan Collins and other senators Tuesday about a proposed 40% budget reduction at the NIH and other cutbacks that are disrupting biomedical research. Bhattacharya appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on labor, health and human services and education on Tuesday as the Trump administration has slashed funding for biomedical research and public health. On Monday, hundreds of NIH scientists signed a letter, called the "Bethesda Declaration," asking the Trump administration to protect funding for biomedical research. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also Monday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. raised concerns among public health advocates when he summarily dismissed all 17 members of a key committee that advises the government on approving vaccines. Kennedy, who has falsely questioned the safety and efficacy of vaccines, has not said who he would place on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which among other duties, recommends the formulation for the annual influenza vaccine. At the Senate hearing Tuesday, Bhattacharya largely dodged questions about the Trump administration's proposals to slash the agency, and the ongoing cuts to research grants. Collins, who voted to confirm Bhattacharya but has decried NIH cuts, questioned why the Trump administration is requesting a $19 billion cut to the NIH in the 2026 budget, which she said would "undo years of congressional investment." "It would delay or stop effective treatments and cures being developed for diseases like Alzheimer's, cancer and Type 1 diabetes," said Collins, who is chair of the Appropriations Committee. "We also risk falling behind China and other countries that are increasing their investment in biomedical research." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bhattacharya said the agency is "fully committed" to making progress on Alzheimer's and that the 2026 budget will be a "collaboration" between Congress and the White House. But, despite getting a series of questions from Collins and other Republican and Democratic senators, Bhattacharya did not specifically address the rationale for the budget cuts. Collins has also been speaking out for months against the agency's moves to cap the amount of money that biomedical researchers can use for indirect costs at no more than 15% of their NIH grants. The indirect costs include overhead expenses, equipment and technical support for scientific research and scientists say the cap would hobble research laboratories in Maine and across the country. The amount that NIH grants pay for indirect costs varies by grant, but made up 26% of the cost of each grant, on average, in 2023. Collins has also directly lobbied Kennedy to reverse the NIH cap on indirect costs, and Maine has joined other states in a lawsuit to block the cuts. On Tuesday, Collins said she is still "alarmed and surprised the administration's budget request (for next year) contains the same 15% cap." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bhattacharya said he couldn't discuss the indirect costs issue because of the pending lawsuit, but that there's "lots of great possibilities for reform" on how NIH awards grants for research. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, also pointed out that the NIH has so far in 2025 spent $3 billion less on biomedical research compared to the same time in 2024, largely by freezing or denying grant funding on research that Congress previously approved. Much of the denied funding is the subject of pending lawsuits by states and universities that argue the Trump administration is illegally blocking the funding. The lawsuits argue that the executive branch is required to spend money that Congress approves, and the Trump administration does not have the power to block previously approved funding. "How is this anything other than sabotaging biomedical research?" Baldwin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bhattacharya did not answer, except to say he's "happy to work with Congress" on funding issues. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Illinois, said the cuts to research are disturbing. "For God's sake, we lead the world in medical research. Why would we walk away from it?" Durbin said. Copy the Story Link Tennessee is expected to see a special election later this year to replace U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Tennessee, and political experts say it could bring an open field of Republican candidates. Regardless of who runs for Greens seat, experts say it would likely be a longshot for any Democratic candidates as the district has a strong Republican hold. Green on June 9 announced his resignation from the 7th Congressional District, just months after his reelection, to pursue an opportunity in the private sector. His district represents a swath of rural counties in middle and west Tennessee, as well as Montgomery County and parts of Davidson and Williamson counties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from Congress," he said in a statement. "Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up. As a result, today I notified the Speaker and the House of Representatives that I will resign from Congress as soon as the House votes once again on the reconciliation package." His office didn't respond to an interview request; it's unclear what the private sector opportunity is. Republicans hope to pass what President Donald Trump calls his big, beautiful bill by July 4. If Green vacates his seat after voting on the bill, the state could see a special election this fall. Under Tennessee law, Gov. Bill Lee must order a special election within 10 days of Greens resignation and set a primary election date within 55 to 60 days. The state would then set a subsequent general election within 100 to 107 days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Green was reelected in November. His term expires in January 2027. Sen. Mark Green addresses the crowd at the Williamson County Republican Party''s annual BBQ Saturday, July 15, 2017, in Thompson's Station, Tenn. Who will take his seat? Green, a 60-year-old doctor and military veteran who lives in Clarksville, was first elected to his seat in 2018. He announced in February 2024 that he would not seek a fourth term, characterizing the country and Congress as nearly irreversibly broken. He changed his mind after a flurry of calls from fellow Republicans and a personal appeal from Trump. John Geer, a longtime political science professor at Vanderbilt University, speculated that Republicans, without any other strong candidates, asked Green to reconsider as he was set to fight off a challenge from former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They might have been worried a little bit that Megan Barry might win, he said. Geer said its unclear who would run for his seat now, but any new candidate will be quickly bolstered by Lee and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee. A typical low turnout for special elections could help a Democratic candidate, but Geer said it will depend on the political climate later this year, and the climate is changing fast. Its a longshot, but if the public is really angry and there is a Democrat that is viewed as a moderate, there could be a chance, he said. Kent Syler, a political science and public policy professor at Middle Tennessee State University, said Barry ran a spirited and well-funded campaign against Green but still had relatively low turnout at 38%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Syler said Tennessees 7th Congressional District contains an interesting mix of urban, suburban and rural voters, which poses a challenge for Democrats since they typically do better in urban areas. That dynamic will make it very difficult for a Democrat to take this seat, he said. That being said, this race is going to be far more about Donald Trump than it is about the two candidates. State Sen. Mark Green Greens political legacy Green serves as chair of the Homeland Security Committee, and its unclear how his departure will impact a Congressional investigation into Nashville Mayor Freddie OConnell for allegedly obstructing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity. The investigation is set to be led by the House Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees. A former U.S. Army major, Green was first elected to office in the Tennessee General Assembly, where Trump tapped him in 2017 to serve as Secretary of the Army. The move, however, sparked a backlash over comments he made about LGBTQ+ groups and Muslim religious practices. Green has said comments were misconstrued, but he withdrew his candidacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During his time in Congress, Green was an advocate for legislation affecting U.S. soldiers and veterans. His first bill after being sworn into Congress was the Protecting Gold Star Spouses Act to allow Coast Guard Gold Star Spouses to continue receiving stipends via the Survivor Benefits Plan. He advocated against the mandated COVID-19 vaccine for military members and fought for those who did not comply to be honorably discharged. A true patriot Tennessee and Montgomery County Republicans have praised his service as news of his retirement spread. Tennessee GOP Chairman Scott Golden said Green was both a friend to him and the Republican Party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Congressman Mark Green is a true American patriot, Golden said. He has served in the Army, served as a doctor, served Tennessee in the State Senate, and served our Country in Congress. Aron Maberry, freshman representative in the Tennessee General Assembly, commended Green's work. "Mark has really fought hard for District 7 and has done a lot of great things in Washington, D.C., and stood with our president," Maberry said. "I'm thankful for his services to our nation, in Tennessee and Montgomery County." This story was updated to add a video. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: U.S. Rep. Mark Green's retirement leaves open field for Republicans and a 'longshot' for Democrats This is an evolving story, for our latest coverage, please see Senate Proposes Selling Up to 3 Million Acres of Public Land. While members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee painted vastly different pictures of the state of public-land and natural-resources management in America, suggestions that a large land-auction amendment is forthcoming dominated todays budget reconciliation debate. The sale of as much as two million acres of federal lands in Nevada, Alaska, Utah, and Idaho could be part of the federal budget proposal. A proposal to sell about 500,000 acres of land in Nevada and Utah caused such an uproar among hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationists in the House version of the budget bill that the provision was removed. But now the Senate might reintroduce an even bigger land-sale proposal, and details could be released as soon as this evening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Committee Chair Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), a consistent proponent of transferring federal lands to state management, indicated that language identifying parcels of federal land and a process for their sale is forthcoming. Language will be out shortly, Lee told his Senate colleagues shortly after Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, testifying before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee on budget details, confirmed that discussions about a massive land-sale have been taking place. Weve been going through the Republican-side Byrd process and will be releasing bill text soon, Lee noted. The Byrd rule prohibits the inclusion of non-budgetary items in a budget reconciliation bill. Indications that Lee has been working to restore a land-sale provision in the budget bill have been circulating for at least a week. Montana Sen. Steve Daines (R) told the news site Politico that he had been working with Lee on what he characterized as land sales that are very, very narrow in scope. Daines had previously said that he opposes land sales. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Wednesday Daines office reaffirmed that position to Outdoor Life in an emailed statement, noting that Senator Daines is against the sale of public lands and is making his strong concerns clear to his colleagues. Lees acknowledgement that a large land-sale amendment might be forthcoming came after a contentious exchange on the topic between Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Burgum. In Nevada, we support public-land sales, particularly in southern Nevada and especially under the parameters that are set by the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA), Cortez Masto told Burgum, who has previously indicated that he supports the SNPLMA model. Its a model that requires robust stakeholder engagement that addresses all the land-management issues that we need, from affordable housing to economic development to water and infrastructure needs. Cortez Masto noted that under the SNPLMA model, revenue from the sale of federal lands is returned to the BLM for revinvestment in other public lands. She scolded Burgum for supporting the House budget provision that included land disposals in Nevada that didnt follow the SNPLMA model. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You had land in the House side [of the reconciliation bill] that was in the middle of the desert, she said. It makes no sense. I dont know any builders who can build affordable housing in the middle of the desert. But now Im hearing a proposal by the chair of this committee to put this back in reconciliation. Im hearing the proposal would allow the federal government to sell up to two million acres of land. Is that correct? Before Lee interjected to confirm that hes working on a land-disposal amendment, Burgum told Cortez Masto that federal land in at least four states would be considered. Generically, when anybody has looked at land sales, they would look at the states that have been most overburdened by federal government holdings, and among the top of that is Nevada, Alaska, Idaho, and Utah with the highest percentage of federal land. Read Next: Heres Why the Federal Land Sale Bill Is a Bad Idea, and Horrible Legislation Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lee gave Senates Energy and Natural Resources Committee members until this evening to submit comments and amendments for consideration. The whole committee will reconvene to debate and vote on its part of the reconciliation bill. Senate leadership has indicated it might keep the body in session through the July 4 recess in order to pass its version of the budget, which would then go back to the House for concurrence. Lee noted in his remarks to the committee that Anything on public land sales will involve a public process that will be part of any sale. This story was updated on June 11 at 5:43 EST to include comment from Sen. Daines office. Lawmakers in the Michigan Senate are eyeing a change to the states housing laws, including giving renters in the state more power to take repairing faulty appliances and poor conditions at leased properties into their own hands. Senate Bills 19 and 20, introduced by Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, would require landlords to commence repairs on defective appliances and hazardous conditions under set timelines. If the property lessor or licensors dont make the repairs in the required time under the proposal, renters would be able to withhold rent until the repairs are made or commence repairs themselves and deduct the costs from their rent payments. The bills are part of a four-bill package, called the Tenant Empowerment Package by Anthony, approved by the Senate Housing and Human Services Committee on June 10. The measures now move to the full Senate floor for a potential vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michigan faces a rising crisis of housing access and affordability, Anthony said, and the goal of the legislation is to ensure that housing that is available to tenants remains safe. Whether you live in a rural township (or) a city neighborhood, families across Michigan are struggling to find and keep safe, affordable, quality places to live, Anthony said during a June 3 committee hearing on the legislation. Under the legislation, landlords would have 48 hours after being notified to commence repairs on any defective condition considered hazardous to the life or the health and safety of a tenant, 72 hours to address mold or pests found in a unit and 30 days for repairs in other cases. If repairs arent made under the timelines, renters would be able to deposit their rent into an escrow account and withhold it from a landlord until repairs are made. Under current state law, provisions already exist for renters to place rent payments in escrow but the Tenant Empowerment Package would create clear timelines for repairs to begin, whereas current law states landlords have to make repairs in a "reasonable" time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Should a tenant decide to take repairs into his or her own hands, he or she would be required to obtain at least three free written cost estimates from a licensed contractor for the fix, provide the landlord with the estimates and give the landlord 24 hours to start repairs before doing it themselves. Elsewhere in the legislative package, Senate Bill 21 would set a 90-day notice requirement for landlords to inform tenants their annual rent would increase if their lease was renewed, an increase on the current 30-day notice requirement. Senate Bill 22 would allow security deposits to be able to be returned through electronic transfer. Two groups representing rental property owners, the Rental Property Owners Association (RPOA) of Michigan and Michigan Realtors, indicated opposition to Senate Bills 19-21. Anthony and other Senate Democrats previously introduced a version of the Tenant Empowerment Package last year, as well, although certain parts of the bills have been tweaked, including giving landlords slightly more time to start repair work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While these bills aim to bring greater balance and accountability to the housing system, they were crafted with a clear understanding of the realities landlords face, Anthony said June 3. Erika Farley, RPOA executive director, said the organization appreciates the changes under the current version of the bills. Still, Farley said the repair timelines set under the bills may not be achievable for all landlords, particularly considering availability of contractors or tradesmen. "We fully support well-taken care of, healthy, safe housing," Farley said in a June 10 interview. "When we look at this legislation and other legislation that has to do with rental housing, we also have to talk about are we taking a hatchet where there needs to be a scalpel? Are we making sweeping, broad brushstrokes for everyone where there are different scenarios." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Right to repair laws exist beyond housing the measures allow owners of electronics, agricultural equipment and even some automobiles to repair their products without needing to go back to the original manufacturer. In 2023, right to repair legislation was considered in 33 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In order to become law, the bills would have to pass both the Senate and House of Representatives and be signed into law by the governor. A version of Senate Bill 22 passed the Senate last year, but was not taken up in the House before the end of the session. Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Right to repair bills for renters advance Michigan Senate panel Sen Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) testifies on a slate of bills aimed at improving polluter accountability during a June 11, 2025 meeting of the Senate Energy and Environment Committee. | Kyle Davidson Lawmakers from the state House and Senate called for an update to Michigans laws on environmental contamination on Wednesday, arguing the current system does not offer enough protections for individuals impacted by pollution. Testifying before the Senate Energy and Environment Committee, Sens. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), Sue Shink (D-Northfield Township), and Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), as well as Rep. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor), underscored how the states current regulations have impacted Michigan residents, arguing that they focus too heavily on limiting exposure rather than cleaning up pollution, leaving Michiganders to bear the costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, members of the House and Senate announced they would be reintroducing polluter pay legislation in each chamber, with House Democrats introducing H.B. 46364640 and Senate Democrats introducing S.B. 385387 and S.B. 391393. Some people are calling for a restoration of a model that requires strict liability and full residential cleanups on every site. In fact, I proposed legislation like that in the past. But thats not what is being proposed today, Irwin said. What is being proposed today is a modest change that preserves the current risk-based system, but that makes modest changes to improve protections for our water, improve protections for our land and improve protections for our health. As a whole, the package aims to implement stricter pollution reporting and cleanup requirements, extend the statute of limitations for citizens bringing claims against polluters and allow residents impacted by pollution to sue companies for the cost of medical monitoring, Irwin explained. With more than 25,000 polluted sites across the state and 4,603 sites with land or resource controls, Irwin questioned how many aquifers the state is willing to give up to pollution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also warned the panel that industry lobbyists would testify against these additional measures, arguing they would harm investment in Michigan business. Not only do I think thats not true, but we developed these bills in consultation with industry stakeholders, Irwin said, noting that the sponsors had held workgroup meetings on the policies introduced during the previous Legislative session. The end result was more modest, but would still provide real benefits to the public, Irwin said. Sen. Sue Shink (D-Northfield Township) pushes back on criticism of a slate of polluter accountability bills during a June 11, 2025 meeting of the Senate Energy and Environment Committee. | Kyle Davidson Andrea Pierce, policy director for the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition and founder of the Anishinaabek Caucus said these laws are the beginning step in addressing environmental contamination in Michigan, not the end. Should these bills become law, Michigan would return to the pollution accountability standard it had before the states polluter pay law was restructured in 1995, Pierce said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need to go back to stronger laws that protect the people and communities of Michigan. Michigan needs a comprehensive legal framework for strengthening accountability and real recourse from those who pollute in our communities, Pierce said, emphasizing that Michigans most marginalized communities were also the ones most affected by pollution. Mike Witkowksi, director of environmental and regulatory policy for the Michigan Manufacturers Association argued shifting the system to require more from businesses would hinder the states brownfield redevelopment efforts. These are not technical fixes or minor clarifications. These are fundamental changes that would undermine one of Michigans most effective tools for addressing environmental contamination and supporting economic growth, Witkowksi said, criticizing the additional requirements and arguing the package would increase clean up costs and liabilities for businesses. At a June 11, 2025 meeting of the Senate Energy and Environment Committee, Mike Witkowski, director of environmental and regulatory policy for the Michigan Manufacturers Association argues reintroduced polluter pay bills would halt brownfield redevelopment in the state. | Kyle Davidson During his testimony earlier in the hearing, Irwin predicted industry stakeholders would argue that the legislation would hamper redevelopment by requiring polluted sites to be restored to pristine condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats not what this bill does, Irwin said, arguing that pollution already hampers redevelopment efforts. With the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy lacking both the funding and the personnel to address the thousands of contaminated sites throughout the state, Witkowski said private-sector investors and developers are essential to cleaning up contamination throughout the state. Should these bills take effect, those sites would sit idle and remain polluted, he argued. Shink countered, noting that shed served on Washtenaw Countys brownfield redevelopment board during her time as a county commissioner. I can assure you that it isnt just private funds thats cleaning up these brownfield sites. Theres a lot of public funds. That means the taxpayers, after the company has made its profit and maybe taken that profit out of state, the community is paying to clean that up, Shink said, noting that the state is paying to clean up the former Federal Screw Works site in Washtenaw County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alongside testimony from several environmental advocacy groups, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy also offered its support for the package with Aaron Keatley, the departments chief deputy director, noting that the bills aligned with their priorities for environmental legislation. Those priorities include transparency, ensuring predictable processes, securing assurances that companies will manage any releases of contaminants until the contamination is cleaned up, ensuring sites are redeveloped and streamlining the departments cleanup criteria so that the standards match the science, Keatley said. It is unfortunate that I look at you and I say I cannot tell you how many sites right now are managed by responsible parties, because theyre not obligated to inform me of their day to day activities to keep that property safe, Keatley said. The committee did not take votes on the legislation. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., launched an investigation into a left-wing group in California that he says may be financially supporting violent protests in Los Angeles. Hawley wrote a letter to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) on Wednesday, saying the organization may have an "alleged role in financially and materially supporting" protests and riots in Los Angeles, which he described as "coordinated." "Who is funding the LA riots? This violence isnt spontaneous. As chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime & Terrorism, Im launching an investigation to find out," Hawley announced on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The letter, addressed to CHIRLA Executive Director Angelica Salas, notes that "credible reporting" has indicated that the organization has provided "logistical support and financial resources to individuals engaged in these disruptive actions." Federal Officials Slam Democrats For 'Dangerous' Rhetoric As Ice Agents Face Violent Mobs In La, Nyc "Let me be clear: bankrolling civil unrest is not protected speech. It is aiding and abetting criminal conduct. Accordingly, you must immediately cease and desist any further involvement in the organization, funding or promotion of these unlawful activities," Hawley wrote. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The letter additionally requests that CHIRLA provide internal communications relating to any protest planning or funding, as well as financial documents related to the same, including third-party contracts, vendor agreements and various other business relationships. Hawley also requested travel records for individuals involved with the organization if they have been reimbursed by CHIRLA, as well as the organization's donor lists. National Guard To Be Deployed In Los Angeles County As Anti-ice Protests Rage: Border Czar Tom Homan A protester places debris in a fire as Border Patrol personnel in riot gear and gas masks stand guard outside an industrial park in Paramount, California, on Saturday. IRS records obtained by Fox News show that CHIRLA has received $34 million in government grants, including three from former President Joe Biden's administration for $750,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump has already cut funding for the organization. Nevertheless, CHIRLA still receives state and city grant funds to support its lawyers fighting against deportations. CHIRLA is also responsible for creating the so-called Rapid Response Network, the hotline immigrants use to report ICE raids. The network then sends text alerts, giving migrants an opportunity to hide. CHIRLA founded a phone network that helps warn illegal immigrants of impending ICE raids. CHIRLA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Trump has been vocal about his belief that many of the rioters and protesters in Los Angeles are professional agitators rather than real protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The people that are causing the problem are professional agitators. They're insurrectionists. They're bad people. They should be in jail," Trump said, going on to suggest that he would support arresting California Gov. Gavin Newsom over his handling of the riots. Newsom swiftly responded to Trump's comments in a post on social media. "The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor," Newsom wrote. "This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I dont care if youre a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism." Original article source: Senator launches investigation into Democratic org over potential support for LA rioters HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) U.S. Senator Todd Young sent a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins outlining concerns related to the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) manipulation of global financial markets and evasion of U.S. financial regulators. Sen. Young says the letter also encourages the SEC to consider additional steps to protect American markets, shareholders and the countrys economic and national security. IN Department of Health celebrates decrease in infant mortality rate Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senator Young writes, As you get settled in your new role, I write to express my concern with the continued risk that Chinese companies traded in U.S. exchanges pose to American investors and fiduciaries. I encourage the SEC to explore additional options to protect American economic and national security interests from these companies. Despite their presence on stock exchanges in the United States, these corporations are marked by a chronicand often intentionallack of transparency; poor corporate governance or even fraudulent behaviors and the constant threat of arbitrary or spurious enforcement actions by Chinese regulators. Moreover, the Chinese corporations lack incentives to disclose their business practices because the enforcement measures available to U.S. regulators pale in comparison to the punitive threats posed by Chinese agencies. USPS audit sheds light on Evansville mail delays Sen. Young says American investors, fiduciaries and publicly-traded firms with operations, supply chains and business arrangements in both mainland China and Hong Kong often experience a lack of transparency, fraudulent behaviors and arbitrary threats at the hands of the CCP. Without proper protections in place, malign CCP actions are a risk to American investors and firms as well as the countrys economic and national security. The letter can be viewed below. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 20250519-Letter-to-SEC-Chair-Atkins-on-Chinese-Public-CompaniesDownload Eyewitness News. Everywhere you are. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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). National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya faced questions from senators during an Appropriations subcommittee hearing Tuesday, as the federal government agency has taken hits to its staffing levels and grant-making ability since under President Trump. Senators focused on the Trump administrations requested 2026 budget, which calls for cutting NIHs funding by $18 billion from 2025 levels. That roughly 40 percent reduction means 1,800 fewer new grants would be awarded and funded through the NIH and would impact many current grants, according to STAT. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The budget also details Trump administration plans to restructure the agency and consolidate its 27 institutes into eight. Congress has the final say on how federal dollars are allocated, so the final NIH budget could look different. Here are four takeaways from the hearing: Bhattacharya owns grant cuts National Institutes of Health grant awards have plummeted since Trump returned to the White House in late January. One analysis found that the NIH has issued $2.3 billion less in new grant funds between January and April of this year than it did during that same time in 2024. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) questioned Bhattacharya about the drop in grant funding and asked who was behind the decision to terminate or withhold funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bhattacharya, at first, tried to sidestep the question but eventually took responsibility for the agencys grant cancellations. There [have been] changes in priorities for the NIH, to move away from politicized science. Ive made those decisions, he said. Decisions regarding, for instance, Harvard and some other institutions, thats joint with the administration. Aims for settlement with universities The NIH has canceled $9.5 billion worth of funding through 2,100 research grants since January and another $2.6 billion in contracts supporting clinical trials, according to a recent letter signed by more than 2,000 NIH scientists condemning the Trump administrations research cuts. Democratic Senators hammered Bhattacharya over the administrations desire to greatly reduce the NIHs spending. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill) noted that research in his home state has taken a hit and that Northwestern University has not received a penny in NIH grants in 11 weeks. Im very hopeful that a resolution can be made with the universities where those decisions have been made, Bhattacharya said. Wants geographically dispersed NIH funding Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) questioned Bhattacharya over the NIHs decision to impose a 15 percent cap on indirect costs in grant research. Bhattacharya said that he could not speak directly to the cap since it is subject to litigation. Instead, he spoke to how changes in the NIHs grant funding process are an opportunity to ensure that funds are more broadly distributed across the countrys research institutions. He argued that the agencys research funding very concentrated with 20 universities receive 60 percent to 65 percent of NIHs funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its absolutely vital that the NIHs investments are geographically dispersed, he said. I would love to work with Congress to think of ways to make NIHs investment in scientific research more geographically dispersed. Dodges question on long-term impacts Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) pushed Bhattacharya to answer long-standing questions about the consequences of the Trump administrations changes to the NIH, including just how many staff members have been terminated or left the agency amid threats of future layoffs. Murray also asked the director just how many clinical trials have been impacted by the NIHs grant terminations or pauses and how many fewer clinical trials the agency would be able to fund next year if the proposed budget were approved. Bhattacharya said he could not answer either question but pledged to send a response to Murrays office by the end of the day. 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. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has stated that his country is ready to participate in the reconstruction of one or two Ukrainian regions. Source: Vucic at the UkraineSoutheast Europe Summit in Odesa, as reported by European Pravda Details: During his speech, Vucic said that Serbia would remain committed to international law and the UN Charter in the context of supporting the territorial integrity of states, and this stance could be beneficial for Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I can imagine that Ukrainian citizens are fed up with words about support and assistance to Ukraine," Vucic stated. He also said that Serbia might have been "helpful" in efforts to achieve a ceasefire but now wished to contribute in a more practical way. "I would like to take one or two cities or regions that we could help rebuild. I think this would be very clear and visible to the Ukrainian people, so they could receive concrete support," Vucic stated. He also emphasised that Ukraine can "always count" on Serbias humanitarian aid and political support for its territorial integrity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are ready to listen to you and see how we can assist you," said the Serbian president. Background: This is Serbian President Vucics first visit to Ukraine. Vucic follows pro-Russian policy, with Serbia remaining the only European country that has not imposed sanctions against Russia, despite pressure from the EU. Vucic justifies this by citing potential economic losses and domestic political considerations. Vucic, along with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, were the only European leaders to attend Russias Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on 9 May. [Victory Day is a Russian holiday commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 ed.] Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic is heading to Ukraine on Wednesday 11 June for a one-day visit. Source: press service for the Serbian president, as reported by European Pravda Details: This marks Vucics first visit to Ukraine. The Serbian president is set to take part in the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit. Unlike previous official trips, Vucics visit was not announced in advance and the Serbian public only became aware of it after his departure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is worth noting that Vucic, together with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, were the only European leaders to attend Russian leader Vladimir Putins Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on 9 May. [Victory Day is a Russian holiday commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, celebrated on 9 May ed.] Vucic had previously insisted that Serbias European path would not be jeopardised by his visit to Moscow. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will visit Ukraine on June 11 to take part in the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Odesa, Serbia's Presidential Office announced. The one-day trip will mark the Moscow-friendly Serbian leader's first official visit to Ukraine. Top representatives of 12 southeastern European countries are expected to attend the meeting at the Ukrainian Black Sea coast city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Serbia has positioned itself as neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war, striving to balance its position as an EU candidate with its long-standing relationship with Moscow. Vucic, a populist politician who has held power in Serbia for 12 years, was one of the few European leaders who attended the Moscow Victory Day celebrations on May 9, drawing rebuke from the EU. The traditionally warm Russian-Serbian ties were strained recently after Russia's intelligence accused Serbian defense companies of supplying arms to Ukraine via intermediaries. Vucic has denied the accusations. Nicusor Dan, the recently elected president of Romania, will also visit Odesa to take part in the summit, the Romanian Presidential Office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Dan to visit Ukraine shortly after the latter won the May presidential election. Dan ran on a centrist, pro-EU platform against far-right Eurosceptic George Simion. While Simion has vocally opposed military aid for Kyiv, Dan pledged to maintain Romania's pro-Ukraine course. Read also: We only work for Serbia Vucic denies Moscows claims of Serbian companies supplying ammunition to Ukraine Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The N.C. Senate voted Tuesday to accept changes made by the N.C. House to a Senate bill that would require state cooperation and the use of state funds for U.S. border protections. Sponsors of Senate Bill 153, titled N.C. Border Protection Act, said the bill protects the taxpayers by ensuring that only U.S. residents and those legally authorized in the country receive state-funded public benefits, such as low-income housing tax credits, unemployment benefits, child-care subsidies and caregiver support. Democratic Gov. Josh Stein has 10 days to sign SB153, veto it or let it become law without his signature. At full attendance, House Republicans would need at least one House Democrat to support an override to get to the 72 necessary votes, or for one or more House Democrats to vote present or with an excused absence during a potential override vote. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have the needed 30-vote supermajority at full attendance to override a Stein veto. The governor will continue to review the bill, Olivia Weidie, press secretary for Stein, said Tuesday. He has made clear that if someone commits a crime and they are here illegally, they should be deported. In an executive order, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on the Southern border and his instructions for state and local law enforcement officers to cooperate with federal Homeland Security officers. The Senate initially passed SB153 by a 28-15 party-line vote on March 4. After making significant and controversial additions to SB153, the House passed its version by a 60-46 vote along party lines on June 4. On Tuesday, the Senate approved the House changes by a 26-17 vote along party lines. Sen. Buck Newton, R-Wilson, said on the Senate floor that the House made a few minor changes to the bill, and they look pretty good. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, took a rare role of serving as primary sponsor of SB153. North Carolina is one step closer to increasing the safety of every citizen in the state, Berger said in a statement. The Republican-led General Assembly made it clear that harboring criminal illegal aliens will not be tolerated in our state. Its time for Gov. Josh Stein to show North Carolinians that he stands with them and supports the rule of law by swiftly signing this bill. Sen. Natalie Murdock, D-Durham, said SB153 is really not about safety. Its about intimidation. Its about fear mongering. Its about targeting people who come to North Carolina seeking a better life each and every day. Immigrants are an essential part of our communities, so why are we punishing our immigrant neighbors by fracturing their relationships with local law enforcement? Shouldering the responsibilities of federal (law-enforcement) agents is also not their jobs. SB153 requirements In terms of requiring cooperation from state agencies, SB153 specifically mentions the department of Public Safety and Adult Correction, the State Highway Patrol, and the State Bureau of Investigation. They would be required to enter into memorandums of agreement with the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to fully cooperate with immigration laws. That includes law enforcement agencies being required to determine the immigration status of any person in its custody or under its supervision. Meanwhile, the Office of State Budget and Management would be required to determine whether, and to what extent, certain state-funded public benefit programs are being provided to unauthorized immigrants and post its findings publicly. Bill sponsors say SB153 is necessary because municipalities across the state continue to defy the state law. After the House waited almost three months to address SB153, the Judiciary 2 committee added the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, the N.C. Commerce Department, the N.C. Division of Employment Security (for unemployment benefits), the state Housing Finance Agency and all local housing authorities to list of agencies required to verify that only U.S. residents and those legally authorized receive benefits. SB153 also would change how municipalities and UNC System universities respond to state immigration laws. ICE component SB153 says the legislation would ensure state law enforcement officials are cooperating with federal immigration laws and that residents are protected from harmful Sanctuary City policies. As of Dec. 1, all sheriffs are required to cooperate with federal ICE agents for certain offenses particularly violent committed by undocumented immigrants. More than 90 sheriffs already voluntarily complied with ICE requests. However, several in metro counties including Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough of Forsyth County and Sheriff Danny Rogers of Guilford County limited their cooperation prior to the Dec. 1 change. The bill says Republican leaders believe Stein has not directed state agencies, law enforcement officers and other agents to support and participate in the Trump executive order. Bill sponsors also want Stein to prevent actions by agencies and political subdivisions of the state from frustrating Trumps executive order. North Carolinians are seeing the harmful impacts of open-border policies from dangerous drug trafficking to criminal, illegal immigrants being released from jail to roam our streets freely, Berger said. North Carolinians made it clear that they will no longer tolerate sanctuary policies that put them at risk. We must send an equally strong message by requiring Gov. Steins administration to cooperate with immigration officials. The bill also prohibits UNC System campuses from adopting any policy that does not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement or adopting sanctuary school policies. Trump influence on NC SB153 is a remarkable bill in a number of ways, said John Quinterno, principal with South by North Strategies Ltd., a Chapel Hill research company specializing in economic and social policy. It shows the convergence of the state and national Republican party around the figure of President Trump. This piece of state legislation arguably aims to advance policy goals favored by the president and advanced through an executive order that only applies to federal agencies. Berger and Newton have emphasized there should be support for the bill by virtue that a majority of N.C. voters support the legislation by voting for Trump for the third time in the 2024 presidential election. Legislative Democrats counter by saying North Carolinians also elected a Democratic governor and Democratic attorney general in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 general elections. Quinterno said SB153 ignores the traditional conservative deference to federalism and the separation of powers among different levels of government. The enforcement of immigration laws is a federal responsibility, not a state one. Why should North Carolina assume responsibility for a federal function? Relatedly, this bill reads like an unfunded mandate in which North Carolina law enforcement agencies will shoulder a federal responsibility without necessarily receiving funds to do that work on behalf of the federal government. Sergio Gor, head of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, has quietly been at the center of President Trumps effort to aggressively reshape the size of the federal government and stock it with loyalists. Gor is a lesser-known figure to those outside the Beltway, but sources told The Hill he is a highly influential aide with strong ties to the MAGA movement. He is a close ally of Donald Trump Jr. and a fierce loyalist to the president. As one President Trump ally put it, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller shapes Trumps policies, staff Secretary Will Scharf shapes whom and what Trump sees, and Gor shapes who serves in the administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sergio has led the effort to ensure committed, principled America First advocates staff the Presidents government. Hes done a great job, and will continue to do so, Vice President Vance said in a statement to The Hill. Gor is a former aide to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a somewhat ironic twist given Pauls current opposition to the massive reconciliation package containing key pieces of Trumps agenda, as well as Pauls recent sparring with Miller. But Gors MAGA credentials are not in question. He co-founded a publishing company with Donald Trump Jr. that has published books by the president and conservative figures such as Charlie Kirk and senior President Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro. Gor also led the pro-Trump super PAC Right for America. Gor has maintained a mostly low-key profile, though he has been in the headlines as a central figure in the acrimonious split between the president and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who departed his role as a special government employee late last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk and Gor reportedly clashed in recent months, including at Cabinet meetings where Musk chastised Gor over personnel disagreements. Musk, who led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had pushed for more access and authority for his top deputies. Gor was also cited as an animating figure in pushing for the withdrawal of Jared Isaacman, a Musk ally who had been tapped to lead NASA. Trump pulled the nomination shortly after Musks departure from government, citing prior associations, a reference to Isaacmans donations to Democrats. An administration official told The Hill that the decision to pull Isaacmans nomination ultimately rested with the president. The official also downplayed talk of a wider feud between Gor and Musk. They noted Gor oversaw the hiring of DOGE officials and argued the two were broadly aligned on the agencys goals. Gor has been instrumental in one of Trumps biggest undertakings so far in his second term: reshaping the federal government and stocking it with loyalists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DOGE made it its mission to drastically slash the number of employees working in the federal government, leading to a wave of layoffs at various government agencies that affected tens of thousands of workers. Some of those layoffs were allowed to go forward by the courts. Gor, meanwhile, has been leading the Office of Presidential Personnel, which handles the recruiting, vetting, interviewing and hiring processes for workers across the federal government. Trumps first term saw some of his most controversial policies and impulsive suggestions undercut or rebuffed by Cabinet officials and appointees who disagreed with him, including one who penned an anonymous op-ed in The New York Times. But those occasional guardrails have more or less been removed this time around, with Gor at the tip of the spear to ensure appointees are aligned with Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gor said shortly after Inauguration Day that all political appointee hiring decisions were going through the White House. Applicants were asked how they supported Trump during the 2024 campaign, among other questions that amounted to loyalty tests. Hiring guidelines sent out by the Office of Personnel Management late last month include a question about how applicants would advance Trumps executive orders and a request to cite examples of policy initiatives they find significant. The result has been an administration that abides by the old adage that personnel is policy, with Trump loyalists largely in unison carrying out the presidents agenda at an aggressive and more synchronized speed than his first term. Sergio is a vital member of the team and he has helped President Trump put together an Administration that is second to none, White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement to The Hill. As a long-time advisor, there is nobody more capable of ensuring the government is staffed with people who are aligned with the mission to make America great again and work towards implementing the presidents agenda. Elon allegations put Vance, Patel on the spot When Musk was on a social media tirade against Trump last week, he dropped what he referred to as the really big bomb, one that the Tesla CEO may have known would cause ripples with the presidents base. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk alleged Thursday that Trump was named in documents related to the federal investigation of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Those documents, and Epsteins death, have been a source of numerous conspiracy theories and wider fascination among Trump supporters. That fascination has put officials, such as Attorney General Pam Bondi, under a microscope and prompted outcry from some in MAGA World who arent buying the administrations insistence that theres no nefarious plot to uncover. It just so happened that as Musk was posting, two top Trump officials were taping appearances with influential podcasters whose audiences overlap with those interested in the Epstein case. Vice President Vance was on Theo Vons podcast, while FBI Director Kash Patel joined Joe Rogan. Both Rogan and Von are part of the manosphere, which comprises programming that appeals to young men in particular. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vance learned of the since-deleted Epstein post in real time as Von, host of the This Past Weekend podcast, read it aloud. Heres my basic reaction to all this stuff. First of all, like, absolutely not, Donald Trump didnt do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein. Whatever the Democrats and the media says about him, thats totally BS, Vance said. Patel, meanwhile, had already spoken at length about the Epstein files with Rogan when Musks post came up. But Patel, who has already caught flak from some in the MAGA base for insisting Epstein died by suicide, was not taking the bait to delve further into conspiracies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not participating in any of that conversation between Elon and Trump, Patel told Rogan. I know my lane, and that aint 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 The Hill. Seven people were hospitalized, one with serious injuries, after a stolen vehicle crashed into a pole and another vehicle in Far North Dallas on Monday night. The incident followed a police pursuit of an Audi sedan that was reported stolen, according to the Richardson Police Department. The crash occurred around 8:30 p.m. near 13000 Esperanza Road, close to the Dallas-Richardson border. Richardson police attempted to stop the Audi, which was reported stolen and believed to have armed occupants. The vehicle fled westbound on West Spring Valley Road before turning southbound onto Esperanza Road, where it collided with an electrical pole and a Chevrolet Tahoe. The Audi was occupied by six teens, ranging in age from 15 to 19, all of whom were hospitalized. One teen sustained serious injuries, while the others, along with the driver of the Tahoe, suffered minor injuries. Dallas Fire-Rescue reported transporting one person to Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas, three to Texas Health Presbyterian Plano, and three to Medical City Plano. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police recovered multiple firearms, a Glock conversion switch, and marijuana inside the Audi, with an additional firearm found on one of the teens. Charges are pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation, according to Richardson police. Authorities have not released the identities of those involved. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Richardson Police Department at 972-744-4800. Hundreds showed up to the West Virginia Capitol in Charleston on Saturday, April 5, 2025, to take part in a nationwide Hands Off rally to protest the actions of the Trump administration. (Zachary Hiser | West Virginia Watch) As the nations capital prepares for a massive military parade to mark the U.S. Armys 250th anniversary and President Donald Trumps 79th birthday, organizers in several West Virginia cities are planning to mark the day with anti-Trump protests. No Kings Day of Action rallies are planned for cities around the country, including Berkeley Springs, Bluefield, Buckhannon, Charleston, Elkins, Huntington and others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The events are in response to what the organization calls increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from the president and allies. In America, we dont do kings, reads a statement on Indivisible.org, the website for a grassroots organization made up of hundreds of local groups. Theyve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings. An estimated 200,000 attendees, 150 military vehicles and 50 aircraft are expected for Trumps military parade in Washington, D.C. Saturday, according to news reports. The spectacle will cost an estimated $45 million, including $16 million to repair the streets of D.C. following the event. A spokesman for the West Virginia National Guard said Wednesday that the agency will not send personnel or equipment to participate in the military parade, but they do plan to send 200 members of the CERF-P team to support the Nation Capital Region, at its request, as part of the Guards standing missing to support events of its size. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has defended the cost of the event, calling it peanuts compared to the value of doing it, in a recent interview with NBC News. We have the greatest missiles in the world, Trump said. 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. To Dr. Kate Waldeck, one of the organizers for Saturdays rally in Huntington, the parade is another example of the massive amount of money that Republicans want to divert from people who need it. The Trump-backed, big, beautiful bill that passed the House of Representatives and is making its way through the Senate would cut billions in funding to Medicaid and food assistance to low-income Americans. Were seeing, increasingly, that our social safety net is going to be stripped away, Waldeck said. And obviously, we hope that this political situation is temporary, but in the meantime, the reality is that were going to have to build new networks for our people. So our theme for this [rally] is No Kings, but we are taking that and extending it to just to No kings, just community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Huntingtons event will include speakers, music, guided meditation for kids, bystander and Narcan training as well as a goods drive for Lilys Place, Harmony House and the local city mission, she said. We want to have a good time with our community, and we want to show our neighbors, especially even the ones that dont feel safe coming to events like this, so people who are minorities or noncitizens, that were thinking of them, Waldeck said. She added that everyone is welcome at the nonpartisan, nonviolent protest event as long as they adhere to the ground rules of no racism, no homophobia and transphobia. Debra Kilgore of Mercer County Indivisible, is helping organize the event in Bluefield. I couldnt stay silent any longer, Kilgore said of her reasons for protesting. I couldnt hope that someone else will take care of these issues and make and hold our representatives accountable, because its not happening, especially in our state, where we have our Republican representatives in the federal government who are going along with everything. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Constitution grants Congress the power to levy tariffs, but theyve allowed Trump to run the tariff show, she said. Theyre letting it happen, she said. And so, watching, Ill call them the enablers. I cant rely on somebody else to do something anymore. While Mercer County, like the rest of West Virginia, voted overwhelmingly to elect Trump to a second term, Kilgore said as the year wears on, shes hearing from people that they no longer support the president. More and more people are saying, You know, I may have voted for Trump, but I didnt expect this, she said. Or people who never voted for Trump but in this area are afraid to say Im not a Trump voter, are starting to make their presence known. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The events Saturday come as protests against Trumps immigration policies continue in Los Angeles. The Trump administration is sending nearly 5,000 National Guard troops and Marines to the city, against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom, a Democrat, called Trumps move a brazen abuse of power, according to news reports. In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott deployed the National Guard across the state as more demonstrations are expected there Wednesday. Peaceful protest is legal, Abbott wrote on the social media platform X. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. [The Texas National Guard] will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Waldeck said shes concerned about the National Guard being deployed to respond to protests against Newsoms will, but shes not concerned about the protests themselves becoming violent. We are aware of the national situation obviously, and [host organization] 50501 is unwavering in its commitment to peaceful protest, so we will have event staff there trained in de-escalation in the event there are counter protestors etc, Waldeck said. Cindy Stemple, chair of the Randolph County Democratic Executive Committee, said the event theyre planning for Elkins will be a peaceful celebration of our country and flag. The event will feature speakers and musicians. Anyone who wants to sing or play an instrument will be allowed to do so. I think the protests are generally going to be peaceful unless Trump and everybody incites the people, Stemple said. Thats kind of my feeling. Now, Im not in LA, I dont know. Im not in Texas. Im not in D.C., but when you have somebody threatening a first right, First Amendment right, which is a right to peaceful protest, theres a problem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stemple said Saturdays event will be the Elkins community eighth anti-Trump and pro-Democracy rally. At each one, theyve also collected donations for community needs like flood relief for Southern West Virginia or contributions to the local food pantry, she said. We are trying to do something good most every time that we hold one of these and I call it a celebration, she said. We become friends [and] allies just standing up for our country and enjoying the time together. The rallies are planned for: Noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Morgan County Courthouse in Berkeley Springs Noon to 1:30 p.m. at the corner of King and Queen Streets in Martinsburg Noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at Bluefield Downtown Park, Federal and Commerce Streets in Bluefield Noon at Hart Avenue and Kanawha Street in Buckhannon 10 a.m. at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown 1 to 4 p.m. at Heritage Station in Huntington Noon to 2 p.m. at the state Capitol in Charleston Noon to 2 p.m. at Washington Street West and Jefferson Street in Lewisburg Noon to 1:30 at the Randolph County Courthouse in Elkins 1 to 3 p.m. at the Hampshire County Courthouse in Romney 3 to 4:30 p.m. at McMurran Hall in Shepherdstown 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Madison Elementary School in Wheeling More information is available at indivisible.org SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX LIBERTY TWP., Ohio (WKBN) Liberty Police are telling people to stay out of the secured area around the scene of Saturdays deadly home explosion after several items were reportedly stolen from the property. Some of those items include a four-wheeler, zero-turn lawn mower, trailer and SUV, according to a police report. Police tape has surrounded the property on E. Montrose Street since Saturdays blast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If youre on the property, and you cross that line and you want to commit a theft, youre going to get arrested. We have the house under surveillance. Were telling people stay off the property, Police Chief Toby Meloro said. Officials say staying away can also keep you safe. Authorities have deemed the house itself as unsafe. Restoration crews were at the home Tuesday, coming up with a plan to shore up the structure. Its expected to be demolished sometime soon. Justin Braun was killed in the explosion and two others, including a 4-year-old boy, were critically hurt. Investigators say occupants had been making homemade fireworks in the garage. 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. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) Several protests against immigration enforcement raids and the Trump administration are set to take place this week all across Utah, including cities like Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo, Moab and St. George. The first is an emergency protest held in Salt Lake City on Thursday, June 12, in support of the Los Angeles anti-ICE protests. The Los Angeles protests started over the weekend and, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell, have escalated into unlawful and dangerous behavior since Saturday. Amid the unrest, police enforced a curfew in downtown Los Angeles issued by LA Mayor Karen Bass, who said the curfew was to stop bad actors. The Associated Press reported that at least 23 businesses have been looted ahead of the curfew being put into place. More than 20 people have been arrested, mostly on curfew violations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response to the Los Angeles unrest, President Donald Trump mobilized roughly 2,000 National Guard soldiers and about 700 Marines, raising tensions in the downtown area of the city and several other cities nationwide. Those tensions have reached Salt Lake City as several Utah-based organizations, including PSL Salt Lake and Utah 50501, have called for an emergency protest, criticizing Trumps National Guard response. Were living in the dumbest timeline Gov. Cox comments on SLC Sego pride flags Several more protests were already planned in Salt Lake City and several other cities across Utah as part of the No Kings movement, a nationwide series of protests set to coincide with a planned military parade in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 14, that celebrates the Armys 250th birthday and Trumps 79th birthday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a map of planned events in Utah, there are 12 protests set to take place on Saturday, including two in Salt Lake City. Each has different start times, though the majority of protests are scheduled to start in the early morning and last into the afternoon. A No Kings protest led by Utah 50501 has the latest start time, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Pioneer Park in downtown Salt Lake City. During his monthly press conference with local reporters on Tuesday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said that he wanted the Beehive State to be the best place in the United States to protest and that he was supportive of the planned protests. However, he sent a stark warning saying the type of rioting found in Los Angeles would not be tolerated in Salt Lake City or anywhere else in the state. The minute you start to spray paint the Capitol, the second you implement violence or property destruction, we will arrest you and we will hold you accountable and we will break up the disturbance that is happening, Cox said. He later added, If you want to protest, this is a great place to protest. If you want to do that, go to California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Cox said the state will be overprepared for the No Kings protests planned for Saturday, June 14, but did not go into detail about what that preparation would look like. Brent Weisberg, a spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Police Department, told ABC.com that the citys number one priority was the safety of the community. Salt Lake City has a long history of safe and lawful demonstrations, and that history goes back several years, said Weisberg. Salt Lake City is a proud city to fully support First Amendment rights and the safe and lawful ability to gather and share one anothers beliefs. Weisberg said the police department has been actively monitoring demonstrations across the United States over the last several days and, at this time, there is no information to suggest any planned civil unrest in Salt Lake. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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. A San Diego judge has ordered Lisa Golden to stay at least 100 yards away from her Ocean View Hills home after two suspicious fires and the disappearance of a $200,000 insurance payout reports CBS 8 San Diego. Neighbors say the home on Mariner Drive has been a source of stress and fear for years due to hoarding, harassment and repeated court violations. Golden, who previously lived at the residence, is now legally barred from the property amid allegations she continues to trespass despite previous stay-away orders. Don't miss Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents told reporters that Golden screamed at children, threatened news crews and let the property fall into dangerous disrepair. After she failed to comply with multiple court-issued cleanup orders, the court appointed a receiver to take control of the property and prepare it for sale. Years of issues and refusal to clean up In California, a court cleanup order can be issued when a property becomes a public nuisance due to severe neglect, code violations or hoarding. If a homeowner fails to comply with city cleanup notices, the court can assign a receiver an independent third party authorized to take control of the property, perform repairs and, in some cases, sell it to recover costs. But the receiver's cleanup efforts at the Mariner Drive home didnt go smoothly. CBS 8 reported that fires broke out on the exact days crews were scheduled to remove debris. Police have not named a suspect in either blaze, but neighbors claim to have seen Golden at the property around the time of the fires, in defiance of court orders. "She had promised that if anyone were to take that house away from her, she would burn it down, neighbor Eddie Mead told reporters after the second fire. Thus, I believe it's her. She's dangerous. I just call her a violent criminal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a court hearing, Deputy City Attorney David Miller told the judge that $200,000 in insurance money from the first fire has vanished. The payout was issued to Goldens ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey Rogers, who is on the mortgage. Authorities have not confirmed what happened to the funds or whether Golden had access to them. After the second fire, the judge approved slashing the sale price of the home by $92,000, bringing it to about $500,000 about half of what similar properties in the area sell for. To secure the residence, CBS 8 reports that officials have installed metal panels over all doors and windows and posted 24-hour security on site. Golden, who appeared virtually at the hearing, argued that she still needed access to retrieve her belongings. We are trying to do this the right way, and the receiver is completely thwarting every effort for me to get clothing that I need and my personal supplies, she told the judge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The court ruled that Golden must work through her attorney and a third party to arrange the retrieval of her items, but she herself must maintain the 100-yard distance. 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 Plagued by problem neighbors? Here's what you can do Lisa Goldens case is extreme, but not unique. Neighbors in Ocean View Hills told reporters that they felt unsafe and unheard for years before officials stepped in. If you're dealing with a similar situation, here are steps you can take: Document everything. Keep a record of incidents, including dates, photos, and witness statements. If you don't currently have security cameras, consider installing them. Report code violations. In California, you can file complaints with your local code enforcement office for issues like hoarding, pest infestations and unsafe structures. Contact police for harassment. If a neighbor is threatening or harassing you, file a report. Repeated incidents may qualify for a restraining order. Work with your homeowners association (HOA) or city official. Organized pressure from a neighborhood group can push officials to act more quickly. Petition the court. As seen in this case, city attorneys and residents may petition the court to appoint a receiver when all else fails. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Goldens next court hearing is scheduled for June 13, reports CBS 8. Until then, neighbors hope the judges latest order brings some peace. 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. The family of Angelina Petra Resendiz, a Navy sailor who was found dead in Virginia this week, says they were not told about her disappearance and want someone to take accountability for her death. Angelina was last seen at her barracks in Norfolk on May 29, according to Virginia State Police. Her body was found on June 9 in an off-base wooded area in Norfolk by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, PEOPLE previously reported. A spokesperson for NCIS previously told PEOPLE that a Navy sailor had been placed in pretrial confinement in connection with Angelinas death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: Missing Sailors Body Identified After She Disappeared from Barracks and Navy Has Suspect in Custody Angelina was a kind and compassionate young woman who brought light into our lives, Esmeralda Castle, Angelinas mother, said in a statement, adding that her disappearance has left a void in their hearts and that they refuse to let her suffering be in vain. Castle claims that her family wasnt promptly notified of Angelinas disappearance, only learning about it informally through her daughters staff and media coverage. Colleagues, friends, and even authorities knew she was missing, but the response was minimal, Castle said in her statement. And after her friends filed a missing persons report when her commander would not, they showed little compassion or understanding. Virginia State Police Castle wants Congress to investigate Angelinas death and make sure that in the future, the Navy notifies families properly and promptly instead of relying on unofficial sources like the media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Navys failures threaten all families and the integrity of our military system, Castle said. Congress must reform these processes to prevent future tragedies, for the safety of all families. 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. Angelinas family and loved ones have started a GoFundMe to help Castle with any financial needs. Angies mother hopes to search these woods surrounding the base and hopes to have a protest calling for reform of the US Militarys treatment of missing women cases, the fundraiser says. The Navy did not immediately return PEOPLE's inquiry for comment. Read the original article on People BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) Sheas Performing Arts Center has named historic restoration consultant Doris Collins the 2025 recipient of the Michael Shea Lifetime Legacy Award, the theatre group announced. She was presented with the award at the Sheas Gala on June 6, a date also marking the 70th anniversary of her arrival in the U.S. from Austria. Collins, who began working in the role in 1995 has led Sheas Buffalo Theatres restoration efforts for the past 30 years. With over $15 million invested into the restoration, Collins used her expertise and research skills to work with suppliers and ensure the theatre could be restored to exact specifications. Additionally, Collins is a teacher at Villa Maria, educating students of the schools interior design program for the past 15 years. She also established a restoration volunteer program at the theatre to help with efforts throughout the lobbies and stairwells of Sheas. The award is named after the founder of Sheas Buffalo Theatre, Michael Shea, who operated a total of 12 theatres in Western New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the last 30 years Doris has been the driving force behind every perfectly matched crystal, paint, and fabric here at Sheas, Sheas Performing Arts Center president and CEO Brian Higgins said in a release. Her recruitment and expert training of restoration volunteers and students has saved Sheas millions of dollars. Thanks to the meticulous efforts of Doris over the last three decades visitors today step into this theatre as it was or I would argue even better than it was 100 years ago. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. When Shenandoah held its first townwide cleanup this spring, five dumpsters worth of junk were removed from public and private properties by volunteers, making a big difference in the boroughs appearance. But the benefits of that Shenandoah One Community, Helping Each Other effort, as it was called, went far beyond that, officials said. Working hard together on that rainy April day united people whod never met before, 50 residents and officials from different neighborhoods, backgrounds and ethnicities pitching in for the good of Shenandoah, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Afterward they celebrated together with a picnic, feasting on donated food of all types, from Italian to Mexican to Polish to Dominican. And now the borough is looking to make such cleanups into regular events, with the next scheduled for Saturday, June 21. The town was getting a little cruddy looking, said Shenandoah Council President Joseph Boris. So we decided to be proactive. And being proactive gets results. Those volunteering for the June 21 cleanup should meet outside borough hall on W. Washington Street at 9:45 for a quick safety briefing. The work will take place from 10:30 to 3:30, rain or shine, followed by another big picnic at the Columbia Fire Company, with restaurants from town again donating the food. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no need to bring trash bags or gloves as those will be provided. Just bring yourselves, be ready to work for a few hours and bring a healthy appetite, said borough manager Mike Cadau. Members of the Shenandoah community pick up trash along a road during a Community Cleanup event in April. (SUBMITTED) The upcoming cleanup will work much like the first, with the volunteers walking through as much of the town as they have time for, picking up trash wherever they find it. In many cases the volunteers knocked on doors to let people know that they were there to help clean their yards, and often the residents were thankful for that help and came out to assist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its also an educational day, Cadau said, as those whose properties are getting run-down will be politely told of the boroughs ordinances against high grass, debris and other maintenance violations, and how they can get into compliance instead of facing code enforcement penalties. While last time the volunteers loaded up mattresses, downed fences and other large pieces of debris in the dumpsters, this time theyll focus on smaller items and inform people of the process for getting bigger things hauled away. That involves paying the borough $15 for a tag to place on those items, which the borough will then haul away, a much cheaper rate than theyd pay if they took it to the landfill themselves, Cadau said. When Boris and four others were finishing for the day during the April cleanup, they walked by Divine Mercy Parish on W. Cherry Street and several of the nuns invited them inside the chapel to bless them, which was indicative of the appreciation that the cleanup received, Boris said. The whole town supported us, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That includes the community group La Casa de los Latino, an organization led by resident Victor Aquino. Shenandoahs Latino population is just as interested as anyone in improving the borough, he said, and it was happy to be part of the cleanup. It was good, he said. A lot of people joined us. We all want to get our town looking better. Cadau agreed, saying the cleanup was a day of unity that should help break down ethnic barriers in the community going forward. The post-cleanup picnic was a good example. It was a nice way to celebrate what we accomplished together. There was a lot of camaraderie, he said. And the food was delicious. I tried things Id never had before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its all about taking the opportunity to get to know each other, he said. People are people. Since the first cleanup, there has been a big increase in code violation tips called into the borough office, he said. That shows that more people are caring about the state of things and taking pride in their community, which is what borough officials want, he said. Volunteers for June 21 can sign-up in advance by calling the borough office at 610-462-1918, or they can just show up at borough hall at the meeting time. Even those who dont start the day as volunteers can take part, Cadau said, by keeping an eye out for the large group that will working its way through town wearing the yellow Shenandoah One Community shirts, he said. If you see us, come out and join us, he said. NEED TO KNOW In HBO's 'The Curious Case of Sherri Papini,' her mother Loretta Graeff is heard saying "It was not an abduction" Papini claimed during a new episode of 'The Viall Files' podcast that the quote was edited out of context and didn't reflect her mother's true beliefs She said her mother "definitely knows" she was kidnapped, despite Papini's 2022 guilty plea Sherri Papini the California mom who admitted to faking her 2016 kidnapping is pushing back on how her mother was portrayed in a new docuseries, claiming a quote that made headlines was taken "wildly out of context." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In The Curious Case of Sherri Papini, Papini's mother Loretta Graeff is shown saying: It was not an abduction. The quote appears to show Graeff doubting her daughters version of events a sentiment echoed by law enforcement and federal prosecutors, who ultimately revealed that Papini had orchestrated the entire disappearance herself. But now, Papini says the scene doesnt tell the whole story. My poor mother when you don't have control over your own audio and it gets cut and clipped it can be taken wildly out of context, Papini, 42, said during a new episode of The Viall Files podcast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pressed on whether her mother had changed her mind after initially expressing skepticism, Papini replied: Oh, no. My mom definitely knows that I was held captive and that I was kidnapped. She added that while things were very confusing in the beginning, her mother came to understand what actually happened and that the quote used in the documentary omitted that supposed clarification. investigation Discovery Papini's mother, Loretta Graeff, is pictured in HBO's documentary Papini's mother, Loretta Graeff, is pictured in HBO's documentary The docuseries recounts the story that once gripped the nation: Papini disappeared while jogging near her Redding, Calif., home in November 2016. She resurfaced 22 days later on Thanksgiving morning, battered and shackled, claiming she had been abducted at gunpoint by two masked Hispanic women. That story unraveled in 2022 when federal investigators revealed Papini had been hiding out with a former boyfriend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was charged with mail fraud and making false statements, later pleading guilty in a plea deal that sent her to prison for 18 months. She was released in 2023 to community confinement and remains under supervised release. Disney Keith and Sherri Papini. Keith and Sherri Papini. In recent interviews including the HBO project and her podcast appearance Papini has positioned herself less as a manipulative hoaxster and more as a woman misrepresented by a hostile media, overzealous prosecutors and edited footage. The 42-year-old divorced mother-of-two says that her kidnapping wasn't a hoax, and that she only lied about the identity of her purported captor: her ex-boyfriend. She said she feared for her safety, and that her ex-husband Keith Papini would revoke her access to their children if she told the whole truth. (Papini's ex-boyfriend, James Reyes, has never been charged with a crime. He declined PEOPLE's request for comment in May, around when the documentary began airing.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her alleged capture was preceded by a months-long emotional affair with James, she said, and she felt partially responsible for her circumstances after "leading him on," she said in the documentary. "I agreed with James to make up that someone else did it [in exchange for my release]," Papini claims. "It wasn't the right choice and I know that... I wish I would've told the truth from the day I was in the hospital that it was James." Related: Why Sherri Papini's Own Mother Doesn't Believe Her New Story About Supposed Kidnapping 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. She calls the HBO project a trial by media, noting that she never faced a criminal trial, and describes herself as living under a life sentence of judgment. She also alleges that key evidence such as interrogation audio in which, she claims, law enforcement guided her ex-boyfriends responses was left out of the final cut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Papini says she hopes her mother will publicly clarify her purported position if given the chance. I think given the opportunity, sure, she said. But for many, the words spoken on-camera in the HBO series stand in sharp contrast to Papinis revised narrative. Read the original article on People CICERO, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) June is National Dairy Month and the American Dairy Association Northeast is teaming up with Price Chopper stores across the region to provide New York-produced milk to families in need. The ultimate goal of this campaign is to be able to give milk to food banks because all people need milk to be healthy and grow and this is a great way to connect with our communities and give back, said Addison Brown, New York State First Associate Dairy Ambassador. Its all part of the Fill a Glass with Hope campaign, geared towards providing state-produced milk to families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From now until the end of June, shoppers at local Price Choppers will be asked to round up at checkout. To have a nutritionally balanced meal you need to have dairy products right, and whether thats milk, or a cheese or a yogurt product you know its all things that are essential, and those are items that the Food Bank of Central New York we cannot receive those from the general public as donations, said Lynn Hy, Chief Development Officer for Food Bank of Central New York. Campaigns like this make it possible. All of the money raised this month will be given to the Food Bank of Central New York. Were able to use those funds to purchase those items and then get them distributed out to our 11-county service area, said Hy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Farmers work 365 days a year, taking care of the land and their cows to be able to produce a wholesome, nutritious product, said Brown. It also comes at a time when its needed the most, with children no longer having access to free or reduced school meals as they head into summer break. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSYR. Voters in suburban Henrico's Short Pump precinct cast their ballots in 2018. (Photo by Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury) With six candidates on the ballot, the June 17 Democratic contest for lieutenant governor is the second most-crowded statewide primary in modern Virginia history. If history is any guide, a congested primary can generate uncertainty and makes it possible that someone can claim the nomination with considerably less than a majority of votes cast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres a quick review of five statewide primaries since 1997 where the nominee won less than 40%. The races are listed in chronological order. 1997 Attorney General (Republican primary) Political newcomer Gil Davis made a splash by representing a former Arkansas state employee who filed a sexual harassment claim against then-President Bill Clinton. A week before the primary, state Sen. Ken Stolle released a TV ad attacking Davis, who was shown, drink in hand, talking to a client about her desire to pose naked in Playboy magazine. As it turned out, Stolle should have saved his fire for his Senate colleague, Mark Earley of Chesapeake. The partys ascendent anti-abortion base carried Earley to victory in a four-way race. Davis finished last. Mark Earley 35.8% Jerry Kilgore 24.6% Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ken Stolle 20.8% Gilbert Davis 18.8% Source: Virginia Department of Elections Database In the 1997 general election, Republicans rode gubernatorial candidate Jim Gilmores No Car Tax! slogan to their first-ever trifecta of statewide offices. In the attorney general race, Earley captured 57.5% of the vote to defeat Democrat Bill Dolan. With a quiet second place finish in the GOP primary, Jerry Kilgore of Scott County in far Southwest Virginia put himself in line to become the partys consensus attorney general choice in 2001. Gil Davis never ran for office again, but one of his law associates, Bill Stanley, won a special election to the state Senate in January 2011. 2001 Lieutenant Governor (Democrat primary) In the second year after the millennium, the candidates with the best name ID were two members of the House of Delegates. Alan Diamonstein, at 69, was part of the partys old guard that had just lost its majority in the House of Delegates. Jerrauld Jones was a skilled lawmaker who headed the Legislative Black Caucus. Richmond Mayor Tim Kaine, with his yard signs an unusual green and yellow, was only one year younger than Jones, but presented himself as a new generation of Democratic leadership. Kaine, the son-in-law of former Republican Gov. Linwood Holton, rang up big majorities in the Richmond area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tim Kaine 39.7% Alan Diamonstein 31.4% Jerrauld Jones 28.9% Source: Virginia Department of Elections Database In the general election, Kaine landed just north of a majority (50.3%) in a three-way race against little-known Republican legislator Jay Katzen (48.1%) and Libertarian Party candidate Gary Reams (1.6%). Many Democrats had expected Charlottesville state Sen. Emily Couric to be their nominee. But Couric a rising star who was as telegenic as her sister, Katie, the Today Show host withdrew in July 2020 after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Emily Couric died three weeks before Election Day. 2001 Attorney General (Democratic primary) Its hard to imagine a statewide Democratic primary where the populous suburbs of Northern Virginia do not play the kingmaker. But that is essentially what happened in June 2001, when Democrats went to the polls to select nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general. Without a single candidate from Northern Virginia, turnout was driven by candidates from Richmond and Tidewater. In the lieutenant governors race, twice as many votes were cast in Henrico County (7,528) than in Loudoun and Prince William combined (3,012). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Downstate candidates state Del. Whitt Clement of Danville and state Sen. John Edwards of Roanoke put up dazzling favorite-son margins in their respective home bases, but the turnout worked to the advantage of Donald McEachin, a state legislator from Henrico who won majorities in core urban cities like Richmond, Hampton and Newport News. Donald McEachin 33.6% John Edwards 29.5% Whitt Clement 26.9% Sylvia Clute 10.0% Source: Virginia Department of Elections Database In the general election, McEachin lost his bid to become the first Black attorney general in Virginia history. McEachins social justice agenda was ignored by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Warner, who ran a centrist campaign with crossover appeal to gun-loving, NASCAR-crazy rural Virginia. McEachin managed only 39.9% of the vote, falling below Mary Sue Terrys previous record for the all-time worst performance by a Democrat in a statewide general election. 2005 Lieutenant Governor (Democratic primary) From the standpoint of geography and ideology, the four candidates who sought the lieutenant governor nomination in 2005 seemed handpicked to splinter the states Democratic coalition. Leslie Byrne and Chap Petersen were from Northern Virginia, Viola Baskerville was from Richmond and Philip Puckett was from Southwest Virginia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They ran the gamut from unabashed liberal (Byrne), diligent policy wonk (Baskerville), contrarian (Petersen) and conservative (Puckett). None were slouches; all were legislators who could point to achievements. In the end, party loyalists opted for Byrne, a familiar name who had served in both chambers of the state legislature and one term in the U.S. House, making her the first woman from Virginia to serve in Congress. Leslie Byrne 32.9% Viola Baskerville 26.1% Chap Petersen 21.7% Philip Puckett 19.4% Source: Virginia Department of Elections Database In the general election, Republicans nominated state Sen. Bill Bolling of Hanover County and figured they would make quick work of Byrne, arguably the most left-leaning statewide Democrat nominated since populist Henry Howell in the 1970s. Even though Bolling held a 2-to-1 ratio fundraising advantage, Byrne made it a close race. The final tally was Bolling 50.1%, Byrne 49.3%. 2021 Lieutenant Governor (Democratic primary) This wide-open race with eight candidates a record number for a statewide primary narrowed in late April when then-Gov. Ralph Northam endorsed Hala Ayala. She was a little-known state legislator from Prince William County who had been swept into the House of Delegates as part of a massive anti-Trump backlash in 2017. Her story of financial struggle as a woman of color who lacked health care when her first child was born resonated with party faithful still celebrating Medicaid expansion in Virginia. Her multiethnic lineage (a father with Northern African roots who emigrated from El Salvador and a mother who was Irish and Lebanese) offered something for an increasingly diverse Virginia electorate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hala Ayala 37.6% Sam Rasoul 24.3% Mark Levine 11.2% Andria McClellan 10.6% Sean Perryman 8.1% Xavier Warren 4.1% Elizabeth Guzman* 4.1% *Withdrew from race, but her name appeared on the ballot Source: Virginia Department of Elections Database The general election was a historic one in which Virginia would elect its first female lieutenant governor and the first woman of color. The GOP nominated Winsome Sears, a native of Jamaica who emigrated as a child to the United States with her family. Sears won 50.7% of the vote as part of a GOP sweep of the three statewide offices. Also of note: Democratic Del. Mark Levine took the risky path of running in two primaries on the same day one for lieutenant governor and the other to retain the partys nomination for his legislative seat in Alexandria. He lost both. Hollywood-based Silver Airways abruptly canceled all flights early June 11, telling passengers going to or from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and the other airports it services to check with their credit card companies for refunds. "We regret to inform you that we are ceasing operations as of today, June 11, 2025," the heavily indebted company said around midnight Wednesday, June 11 on Instagram. "Please do not go to the airport. All credit card purchases should be refundable through your credit card company or your travel agency." The airline canceled 14 flights in and out of Fort Lauderdale that connected with airports across Florida and the Carribean. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Silver Airways shut down after no one stepped up during a June 6 auction to buy the company, allowing Connecticut-based Wexford Capital to take control of it. "In an attempt to restructure in bankruptcy, Silver entered into a transaction to sell its assets to another airline holding company, who unfortunately has determined to not continue Silvers flight operations," the airline wrote in its social media post. Silver filed for bankruptcy protection in December with more than $100 million in debt. It was operating until Wednesday with a $5.7 million loan from Wexford, South Florida NPR affiliate WLRN reported June 6. The airline flew entirely within Florida and the Carribean. In Florida, it connected Fort Lauderdale with Tampa, Key West and Tallahassee. It also serviced Pensacola, but not directly with Fort Lauderdale. Does Silver Airways fly out of Palm Beach International? Silver Airways began its direct flights to and from Fort Launderdale on Thursday and announced expanded direct flights to Orlando. Silver Airways flew nonstop between Fort Lauderdale and Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the islands of St. Maarten and St. Kitts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 32,000 people flew Silver Airways in and out of the Fort Lauderdale Airport in April, the airport's latest passenger data shows, up 31% from a year prior. Silver Airways stopped flying out of Palm Beach International Airport last September. Chris Persaud covers transportation for The Palm Beach Post. Email news tips and ideas to cpersaud@pbpost.com. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Silver Airways flights cancelled at Fort Lauderdale, Florida airport Roberts County Farm Mutual Insurance Company (RCMI) marks 120 years of business this year. Having served South Dakotans since the early 20th century, the company is owned by its policyholders, and they are therefore considered a hometown company by clients. It is quite an accomplishment for a small town to have an insurance company, said Julie Stapleton, who has been a manager at RCMI since 2012. As one of the oldest existing businesses in Sisseton, Stapleton says the business still has a few policies in effect from the first policy numbers. Adrienne Schmid, Julie Stapleton, Sue Fischer and Tammy Chase of Roberts County Farm Mutual Insurance Company turns 120. More: Watertown opens new City Hall with help from Aberdeen construction co. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RCMI supports their local clients and all of their clients statewide, she told the Public Opinion. The current staff at Roberts Mutual strives to help the community and does many local community projects throughout the year and helps sponsor many local events. Roberts Mutual has helped two other Mutuals in the state by merging with them, and then they were able to take on their agents and clients. RCMI began offering its products statewide in 1984. The company merged with Kingsbury Farm Mutual just over three decades ago, then with Denver-Kingsbury Farm Mutual Insurance Company in 1998. Finally, in 2008, RCMI merged with Central Farm Mutual in Onida, expanding its business into the western part of South Dakota. Roberts County Farm Mutual Insurance Company turns 120. More: South Dakota records best pheasant hunting season in 13 years, state parks department says Stapleton says her company also has been able to help the Dakota Farm Mutual Insurance Company and their clients through the years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Currently, RCMI has roughly 60 agents across the state and have grown from a humble beginning to nearly 2,000 policyholders. In general, Roberts Mutual is able to provide a product that has small town appeal and affordable rates and excellent coverage, Stapleton said. The home office building a rental that was formerly a bank burned down in 1959. The company then rebuilt the current office building. So, Roberts Mutual built around the two bank vaults, Stapleton said. RCMI has two bank vaults. Roberts Mutual was able to purchase the building next door to them and expanded the office in 2006-2007. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the end, the company returns to its reliable, local roots. RCMI has had many local faces serve on the Board of Directors over the years, Stapleton said. Several local staff members and some local agents got their start in the Roberts Mutual Office Building. It has a long history of being on Main Street. Roberts is a fantastic place to work, and it shows with the longevity of the staff. There is over 85 years of combined insurance knowledge with the current staff. Roberts has always put family first, and the staff and directors are like family. This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: South Dakotas Roberts County Farm Mutual Insurance turns 120 Six boys, all aged 13 and 14, have been arrested after an older teenager was stabbed at a Birmingham school. Police said a 15-year-old boy was taken to hospital with two slash injuries to his back - described by officers as "significant injuries" - after an attack in the grounds of Moseley School on Wake Green Road, on Tuesday afternoon. The injuries "thankfully are not believed to be life-threatening", police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The six under arrest were all held on suspicion of wounding and remained in custody on Wednesday. 'Appalling attack' Police are supporting the victim's family and are working closely with the school, while officers examine CCTV and speak to witnesses. Det Sgt Shereen Ballintine said: "This was an appalling attack which has left a teenage boy with significant injuries, and other pupils at the school have been left really distressed by what has happened. "We are working very closely with the school to build a clear as picture as possible of what happened and why." She said it was "really important" police hear from anyone with information or footage of what happened in the attack, which took place just before 14:00 BST. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A statement issued on behalf of the school said: "We can confirm there was an incident at the school and we are supporting pupils and liaising with West Midlands Police." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Related internet links Six unusual stories about bees and hornets in Washington state Stories by Tacoma News Tribune journalists, with AI summarization This collection of stories shows unusual bee rescues and hive mishaps across Washington state. One story explains how officials used tiny radio tags to track and remove invasive "murder hornets" from the state. Another story tells how millions of bees escaped after a truck carrying hives overturned in Whatcom County. A remodeling project in Puyallup led workers to find a huge honey bee colony hidden in a house for decades. Beekeepers also had to contain a swarm after several hives fell off a vehicle on a highway near West Plains. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read the stories below. Beekeepers rescued bees from four hives that fell from a vehicle onto Highway 902 near West Plains, Washington, officials say. NO. 1: BEEKEEPERS TRY TO CONTAIN SWARM AFTER HIVES FALL ON HIGHWAY, WASHINGTON OFFICIALS SAY Hundreds of thousands of bees were released, beekeepers estimate. | Published April 28, 2024 | Read Full Story by Don Sweeney The Washington State Department of Agriculture found nearly 1,500 Asian Giant Hornets commonly known as Murder Hornets when it eradicated the first nest of the invasive species this year Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, in Whatcom County, Wash. NO. 2: TINY RADIO TAGS ARE LATEST TOOL SCIENTISTS ARE USING TO FIGHT SPREAD OF MURDER HORNETS Scientists in Washington state are at the forefront of research into how the technology can track murder hornets, other invasive species. | Published June 8, 2024 | Read Full Story by Claudia Geib Washington state Department of Agricultures hornet eradication team after removing hornets from the tree at the first hornet nest detection in the United States in October 2020. From left, Chris Looney, Cassie Cichorz, Sven Spichiger and Rian Wojahn. NO. 3: INVASIVE MURDER HORNETS FOUND IN WASHINGTON HAVE BEEN ERADICATED, OFFICIALS SAY It is a rare day when the humans actually get to win one against the insects, said Sven Spichiger, Washington State Department of Agriculture pest program manager. | Published December 19, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero 250 million pollinating bees escaped a commercial transport vehicle after it rolled over on May 30, 2025, in Lynden, Wash. By Whatcom County Sheriff's Office Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NO. 4: MILLIONS OF BEES ESCAPE TRANSPORT VEHICLE IN WASHINGTON AFTER ROLLOVER People were asked to avoid the area because of a swarming threat. | Published May 30, 2025 | Read Full Story by Rachel Showalter 250 million pollinating bees escaped a commercial transport vehicle after it rolled over on May 30, 2025, in Lynden, Wash. By Whatcom County Sheriff's Office NO. 5: WHY WERE MILLIONS OF BEES ON A TRUCK IN WA? WHAT TO KNOW AFTER CRASH, RELEASE A truck carrying 70,000 pounds of honey bee hives tipped over in Whatcom County Friday morning. Why thats not as strange as you might think. | Published May 30, 2025 | Read Full Story by Daniel Schrager This photo shows a cluster of honeybees within a 1938 home during a remodel in Puyallup. NO. 6: 300,000 HONEY BEES FOUND DURING REMODEL OF HISTORIC HOME IN DOWNTOWN PUYALLUP The bees were in the walls of the home. Instead of exterminating them, the team started a rescue operation. | Published June 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Sephora Charles The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists. Young people will benefit from a "colossal" jobs boom during and beyond the construction of Sizewell C nuclear power station, local educators believe. On Tuesday, the government announced it would be investing a further 14.2bn into the energy project on the Suffolk coast, which Chancellor Rachel Reeves said would "kickstart" economic growth. Bosses say Sizewell C will support up to 70,000 jobs across the UK once completed and 1,500 apprenticeships have been pledged - designed to provide the skills needed for a career in nuclear engineering. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement East Coast College student Skye Dorward credited Sizewell with "increasing the number of opportunities and pathways" into the industry for young people. Student Skye Dorward dreams of one day working at Sizewell C [Supplied] Engineering student Ms Dorward, 19, has secured a nuclear engineering degree apprenticeship with EDF, the French state-owned firm that will build the third Sizewell plant, which she hopes will lead to a job there. "The work and educational prospects it offers to young people is so great," she said. "The challenges and opportunities Sizewell C is presenting are outstanding, so coming back to Suffolk to work on Sizewell C would be really good. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I would love the chance to work on that project." Sizewell C will be a two-reactor nuclear power station that could generate 3.2 gigawatts of electricity for 60 years. But it is not just nuclear engineering roles that will need to be filled. The wider Sizewell C project will require workers from several industries - including construction, catering,d digital marketing, IT and hospitality. The chancellor called it a "landmark decision" to invest 14.2bn, while Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the investment was necessary to usher in a "golden age of clean energy". While it will take at least a decade to complete, Reeves said it would be the "biggest nuclear building programme in a generation". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sizewell C was originally estimated to cost 20bn. However, industry experts predicted that could double - a claim that was rejected by EDF, which is also building the new Hinkley Point plant in Somerset that has gone over budget. Investment into Sizewell C came in a series of announcements in the run-up to the government's Spending Review. Emma Taylor, from Suffolk New College, says Sizewell C will give students a plethora of job prospects [George King/BBC] Emma Taylor, director of business development and major projects at Suffolk New College, said Sizewell C posed a "colossal opportunity for great new jobs". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The college and Sizewell have long worked together to develop curricula that will give students the best chance of capitalising on the jobs the plant could generate. "We have been really integral to their conversations about what are the key roles that are going to be needed to enable this project," Ms Taylor told the BBC. "A number of our students really see the opportunities [Sizewell C offers] and that is growing and we're absolutely passionate to enable [them to pursue] those opportunities. "There is a growth in the number of young people applying for construction courses and we are no exception we've had real growth in that area, which is fantastic." 'Quite remote' Local educators believe Sizewell C presents a great opportunity for work and training [Getty Images] Leiston was once a thriving manufacturing town but, in more recent years, many feel it has lacked the capacity to provide career opportunities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the ONS, 79.1% of people in East Suffolk, however, were already in paid work or had a job, with an average weekly wage of 604. Julia Pyke, managing director of Sizewell C, told the BBC she was "committed" to ensuring at least one third of the workforce was made of local people. "There will be a lot of high quality jobs in an area which is quite remote and where there isn't currently enough high quality employment," she said. Phil Stittle from West Suffolk College said he was in favour of the Sizewell C construction [George King/BBC] Phil Stittle, executive director of business and skills at West Suffolk College, said he was determined to ensure anyone could benefit from the jobs boom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As an educator, we need to ensure the next generation understands that [Sizewell C] is going to be a great option for people to go and work at," he told the BBC. "But we also work with a lot of different agencies that support adult retraining, those that come from the military and prison and even care leavers. "We are looking to make sure we are not leaving anybody behind by training everyone that we can to support that big need [for jobs]. "I think the positives of Sizewell C far outweigh the negatives." But anti-Sizewell campaigner Jenny Kirtley says the prospect of Sizewell C being built often brings her to tears [George King/BBC] At the construction's height, the project will command the expertise and labour of 10,000 people about 4,000 more than actually live in nearby Leiston. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For locals, this has long proved a concern, with some worried about whether or not the town will be able to cope with such an influx of people. Some also fear the workforce demand at Sizewell C will dry up the employment pool available for local businesses. Jenny Kirtley, from Together Against Sizewell C, said: "I think it will have a huge impact on local businesses. "Whether it's building firms or in hospitality, people cannot match the Sizewell C money and the wages they are paying." Sizewell C joint managing director Julia Pyke told BBC Politics East that Sizewell C would be "great for the country and great for our region" [Martin Giles/BBC] But Sizewell C joint managing director, Ms Pyke, disagrees. "We are offering people progression and by investing in education and training we hope the amount of people wanting to work in East Suffolk increases so that all needs can be met," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are not going to be paying out of line wages to people for similar jobs or luring people from their current jobs." The government has said it will invest 14.2bn into the Sizewell C nuclear power plant [Sizewell C] Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story Related links MEMPHIS, Tenn. Skeletal remains were found Tuesday near a northeast Arkansas lake where a woman was reported missing after camping alone last month, authorities say. Greene County Sheriff Brad Snyder said a detective and a civilian search party made the discovery around 1:45 p.m. in an area southwest of Lake Ashbaugh. Search for missing woman continues in Arkansas Snyder said they encountered a strong smell of decomposition before finding the remains in a very advanced state of decomposition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The remains, which have not been identified, will be sent by the county coroner to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for positive identification, Snyder said. Jessica Paige Kemp, 32, a Paragould resident originally from Munford, Tennessee, was last seen alive on May 5, camping alone in roughly the same area near Lake Ashbaugh, her family said. Somebody may have taken her at this time, we just dont know. I just want her found alive and I want her to come home, said Sandy Kemp, mother told WREG last month. Remains of missing AR man found on remote MS river island Police found Kemps abandoned car, and inside the car were her purse with items scattered. Her phone was recovered, but there was no sign of Kemp. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lake Ashbaugh is about 115 miles northwest of Memphis. WREG reached out to Jessica Kemps family but was unable to get a statement. Greene County Sheriff Brad Snyder said no further information will be released until further investigation is learned from the crime lab. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images | Liz Coulbourn Editor's Note: On June 18th, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold Tennessee's gender-affirming care ban in U.S. v. Skrmetti. Read more on what this means for trans youth and their families here. Content warning: This article includes descriptions of self-harm and suicide. Resources are listed at the bottom of the story. Eleven days before the state of Missouri ended health care for young people with gender dysphoria, then-15-year-old Kai came out to her parents as transgender. Kai's mom, Esther, tells Teen Vogue that when she went to check on her new daughter before bed that night, it was the first time shed seen her child truly happy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A highly significant Supreme Court decision is approaching, and the lives of trans teens and their families hang in the balance. United States vs. Skrmetti will decide, once and for all, whether state bans on gender-affirming treatments are constitutional. If the court sides with Tennessee, its ban and other similar laws will remain in place. Nationally, access to gender-affirming care has also been threatened by a presidential executive order and the Republican-dominated Congress, but these efforts have thus far fallen short of a full ban. Stay up-to-date with the politics team. Sign up for the Teen Vogue Take Advocates say that safety and stability for trans youth and their families are at stake in the Skrmetti case. If the conservative-leaning Court upholds state care bans, loving families fear that their children could be removed by state child-protective services. (Due to the seriousness of these potential legal threats, this story uses pseudonyms for trans youth and their families in states with bans.) Why have some families decided to risk everything for these treatments? The answer, families say, is as simple as love. Those Teen Vogue has spoken to describe how decisions to seek gender-affirming treatments sprang from the trust trans youth have placed in their parents and the drive of parents to do whats best for the health of their children. Kai first began questioning her gender identity many years before she told anyone. I'd say between the ages of seven and 10, I had these recurring thoughts of, What if I was a girl? What if I wore more feminine clothing? she tells Teen Vogue on a video call. It really ramped up, the older I got. The older I got, the more frequently I experienced those thoughts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kais family members were LGBTQ+ friendly, but she attended a religious private school where she says she encountered negative attitudes toward gender and sexuality. These messages led her to push down all thoughts about gender. As hard as she tried, though, the thoughts wouldnt leave her. In the spring of eighth grade, as Kai's body was changing to become more masculine, she found herself actually dreaming of hormone therapy. I had this dream where I took estrogen, and I was happy. The changes weren't instant, but they were happening, and I was happier for it, she recalls. I woke up, and I had to go to work, and I was like, Oh sh*t, I can't run away from this. I'm going to have to confront this head on. Kais parents say they knew nothing of this inner struggle, but they did see the effects. Kai had meltdowns at school, and in eighth grade, she was discovered while hurting herself in a school bathroom. She was rushed to the emergency room. Afterward, her parents got her on medication and found a new therapist. US v. Skrmetti: Trans Teens Like L.W. Just Want to Have a Normal Childhood Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement *Teen Vogue* reports from the Supreme Court on the morning of a landmark case that could change access to gender-affirming care across the US. For Kai, getting help needed to start with coming out. After revealing her secret to her new therapist, she worked up the courage to ask her parents to talk, with her therapists encouragement. Kai, her mother, and father gathered in the parents bedroom. I remember just being stunned and in silence for two minutes," Kai says. "And then something clicks like, it's going to have to come out. And I'm like, 'Okay, so basically I'm trans, and I've been thinking this for years, and da-da-da-da-da. Kais parents were stunned in that moment, but they did their best to be supportive. After a group hug on their king-size bed, Esther asked for some time to talk with Kais father, saying shed come by Kais bedroom to check on her in a few minutes. It was there, in her daughters bedroom only a few minutes after learning she had a daughter that Esther saw something she never expected: I opened the door, and she was just beaming. She had her headphones in and was just kind of be-bopping and, like, dancing, Esther recalls. I'd never seen her smile like that. She'd been suffering with depression, [harming] herself, anxiety for years, and just had this heaviness to her. And it was just gone. There was a lightness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This moment of revelation is what opened Esthers mind to eventually approving medical options for Kai. She did hours of research, spoke with other parents and experts, and had Kai formally assessed. This had to happen outside of their home state, far from the world-class gender clinic at St. Louis Childrens Hospital, which had ceased offering medical options due to Missouris gender-affirming care ban for minors. Despite lengthy travel times for out-of-state treatment, the family persevered, eventually finding a clinic in Illinois to evaluate Kai and prescribe medications to increase estrogen and reduce testosterone levels in her body. Estrogen and testosterone therapy are just two of the treatments that fall under the umbrella of gender-affirming health care. Healthy human bodies of all sexes make estrogen and testosterone, known as sex hormones, naturally; however, female bodies usually have higher levels of estrogen and male bodies have higher levels of testosterone. Adjusting those levels to be closer to those of another sex causes changes typical of the puberty of that sex. This includes obvious things like breast growth (with estrogen) or facial hair (with testosterone), but also more subtle changes, like fat distribution, scent, and skin texture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Trevor Projects 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, most trans youth come out after turning 13. For those who come out even younger, there are other medication options, which are often referred to as puberty blockers, drugs that pause puberty. These reversible medications are used to give younger adolescents more time to explore their gender without the potentially harmful effects of going through what feels like the wrong puberty. I just absolutely refused to even countenance the idea that there was nothing that could be done for my kid. Puberty blockers which are generally used to address early puberty in children have been the subject of widespread misinformation that paint the drugs as experimental and dangerous. Families of trans youth, including very supportive ones, arent immune to the effects of this propaganda. Jennifer Harris Dault, who plans to help her 10-year-old trans daughter access puberty blockers when it becomes necessary, absorbed the message that puberty blockers would pose a serious, lifelong change to her childs bone health. In truth, because bone density increases during puberty, puberty blockers pause those changes. The long-term effects of the drugs on bone density are still being studied; however, bone density has been found to fully rebound for trans boys and mostly rebound for trans girls after they start hormone therapy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Says Harris Dault, I remember just being astounded when the doctor was talking through everything that happens and reporting that [a trans girls] bone density changes to [be more like] that of a cisgender woman." She remembers asking the doctor, "Wait isnt? Wouldnt [being similar to a cis girl] be the goal? Harris Dault continues, The more I learned from people whose career was knowing how medications interact with the body, and what their actual purpose is, the less scary things became. Although adults (and some teens) also access surgical options to further masculinize or feminize their bodies, its a myth that medical transition is primarily accomplished through surgery. A KFF/Washington Post survey published in 2023 found that only 16% of trans adults report having had gender-affirming surgery. But for those with severe gender dysphoria, such procedures can be life-changing. Thats the case for Reese, a 17-year-old trans boy in Texas, who had chest-masculinization surgery (also known as top surgery) as a teenager. Reese is now a thriving junior at a large public high school. When he was 10 years old, though, his family feared they might lose him forever. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reese came out as a boy to his parents at age nine, but hed always been highly masculine, insisting on having a boys haircut and wearing a boys uniform at his elementary school. His parents accepted this was how he was and never tried to force him to be feminine, but they didn't know anything about transgender children. Thinking back, Reeses mom, Melanie, says she knew adult trans people took medical steps, but she hadnt thought it could be an option for a child. My kid had been telling me all about this sort of thing. You know, talking about top surgery, talking about [testosterone], talking about all these things. I was like, Okay, buddy, sure, she remembers. I hadn't really taken it seriously. I just thought that's something that, like, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. That changed when her 10-year-old confessed to having taken an overdose of over-the-counter medications after getting his period triggered intense gender dysphoria. During the days that followed, Melanie spent hours at Reeses side in the ER, where she met medical professionals who were both trans-affirming and disaffirming. The difference, Melanie says, is that the affirming professionals offered her actual solutions: Someone said, 'Look, great news. It's super easy to not have a period. We have nailed the medicine on that. We've got lots of different methods and ways of accomplishing that.' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This hopeful attitude stood in stark contrast with a non-affirming provider who suggested long-term psychiatric hospitalization. The actively transphobic therapist who came through raised the same issue [of Reeses period]: Look, this is going to be an issue that your kid has to deal with every 30 days, so basically you just need to accept that your kid is going to need to be institutionalized, is how Melanie remembers the conversation. But Melanie wasn't having that. I just absolutely refused to even countenance the idea that there was nothing that could be done for my kid, she says. Dear Trans Kids, You Don't Need the Government's Permission to Exist In youth transition, as in all trans health care, individualized treatment is key. The affirming experts Melanie spoke with didnt describe a single, one-size-fits-all transition plan; instead, they suggested starting small by stopping Reeses periods with well-known birth control methods, starting therapy, and waiting to see how he responded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This slow, careful, individualized practice is the opposite of the rushed process anti-trans activists have often described to justify the care bans that are at the heart of the Supreme Court case. After stopping Reese's period and a long stretch of therapy, the family eventually decided testosterone was right for him. Each step seemed to help Reeses mood and adjustment, but his chest continued to be a major source of dysphoria. His mother noticed that he avoided showering, wore multiple binders, and slept with a binder on even developing skin problems because he never took his binder off. I remember that those conversations happened. I remember even saying, I need top surgery, Reese says. And my mom was, obviously, like, No. Not because she was unsupportive but because I really was just incredibly young. Reese appreciated his familys support during that time, but he still struggled. I was very, very depressed, he says now. I don't even think I was expressly suicidal, if anything, because I didn't want to hurt my family. I didn't want that to happen again, not because I wasn't suicidal or depressed again, but because I almost felt like it would be ungrateful. After extensive research and consultation with experts, Reeses parents and doctors decided that the step of chest-masculinization surgery, though very rare for a minor, was necessary due to the severity of his dysphoria, which was presenting a clear risk to his medical and emotional health. Today, Melanie is incredibly glad they finally went forward with the surgery, but she says the decision to okay the procedure for her child was agonizing. She spoke with multiple experts and read some of the medical literature on chest masculinization. Fears about whether Reese might regret the decision loomed large, but looming even larger, she recalls, were her concerns that his low quality of life was causing him to miss out on being a teenager. Now 17, Reese is thriving. I am doing fantastic. I go to a school that I love, I have a bunch of friends, my grades are fantastic. I'm just doing great, he tells Teen Vogue. I'm excited, and I'm figuring out what I want to do after high school and into a post-secondary school all that. But as for the transness," he adds, "it's not a big deal anymore. It's not a thing. It's just sort of been addressed. These stories represent the reality of many trans youth accessing health care in the US a reality that is characterized by careful consideration, individualized care, and remarkable transformations. The Supreme Court is expected to announce whether states can ban families from choosing these treatments in June. If you're in crisis or experiencing suicidal ideations, help is available. You can reach the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988. To reach an LGBTQ+ trained crisis counselor, dial 988 and press 3. You can also text with an LGBTQ+ trained counselor by sending the word PRIDE to 988, or you can chat online here. You can also reach out to the Trevor Project's crisis services here, by calling 1-866-488-7386, or by texting START to 678678. Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue Want to read more Teen Vogue LGBTQ coverage? Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened on June 10 to veto the EU's upcoming 18th sanctions package against Russia if concerns over Slovakia's reliance on Russian gas and energy exports were not addressed. The comments come as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on June 10 that the 18th package of European Union sanctions against Russia will include additional restrictions on energy, banking, and oil, among other areas. The EU has proposed for the first time a ban on transactions involving the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, as well as a reduction in the oil price cap from $60 to $45 per barrel, as one-third of Russia's government revenue still comes from oil exports, according to von der Leyen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fico said on Facebook that he would block additional sanctions unless the bloc finds "a real solution to the crisis situation that Slovakia would face following a complete halt in the supply of gas, oil, and nuclear fuel from Russia." Historically, Slovakia has been heavily reliant on Russian gas and energy transfer, serving as a key transit hub for Russian exports to Western Europe. Since taking office in 2023, Fico has also reversed Slovakia's previous pro-Ukraine policy, ending military aid to Kyiv and questioning the value of EU sanctions on Russia. EU foreign policy decisions, including sanctions, require unanimous approval by all member states. A Slovak veto could force concessions or delay enforcement in future rounds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fico's comments come as Slovakias parliament passed a resolution on June 5 urging the government to oppose any new international sanctions or trade restrictions against Russia, citing alleged negative economic impacts. The non-binding resolution argued that sanctions imposed in response to Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine have driven up energy prices, disrupted supply chains, and harmed Slovak industry. Fico subsequently vowed on June 8 that he would veto new sanctions if they harm national interests, adding that he would not support any measure that halts Russian fuel imports that are used to power Slovakia's nuclear power plants. Unlike Ukraine-skeptic Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who has repeatedly obstructed and delayed the bloc's sanctions against Russia and military aid for Ukraine, Slovakia has not previously attempted to block EU sanctions. On May 6 the EU presented a detailed roadmap to fully sever the blocs energy dependence on Russia by 2027. National governments, including Kremlin-friendly Hungary and Slovakia, will be required to submit individual phase-out plans by years end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: EU unveils 18th package of sanctions against Russia, targeting energy, banking, oil Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Sophie James stood outside the City-County Building in downtown Lincoln on Tuesday in her ribbon skirt, its bright colors a declaration of cultural identity and resilience. Ribbon skirts have also become an emblem of resistance among Native cultures to oppression and assimilation to American culture and society, the 22-year-old said. Thats what it represents right now, said James, who attended a small protest outside the County-City Building on Tuesday. We are here, and we want to let it be known that were here. ICE personnel reportedly conducted a raid at an Omaha meatpacking plant on Tuesday morning in search of workers without legal documentation, according to the Omaha World-Herald, arriving at the business looking for specific individuals. The Omaha World-Herald reported that the operation at Glenn Valley meatpacking plant resulted in the arrest of 76 undocumented individuals. The reported raid in Omaha comes as large-scale protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles continue, and President Donald Trump has deployed National Guard troops and active-duty Marines against the governor's wishes. On Tuesday afternoon, a small group gathered outside the center of municipal government and law enforcement in Lincoln more than 50 miles away, waving to passing motorists and waving signs in support of immigrants. Police chief says Lincoln has plan In Lincoln, were large-scale protests to happen, Lincoln police would try to follow a practice they've employed since the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 engaging with people who want to protest ahead of time, said Lincoln Police Chief Michon Morrow. In recent years, she said, people protest regularly, often weekly. "We have worked really hard, engaging anyone who wants to have a protest and to be able to voice opinions and express their First Amendment rights, which we support," Morrow said. "To us, it's about relationships. We reach out to organizers to have a conversation." They discuss organizers' plans, make sure they've gone through proper channels for permitting and make sure they understand law enforcement expectations, such as not blocking traffic and obeying traffic signals. If protests get too large and move into the streets, LPD will block traffic, though that's not their preference, she said. "We try to talk with leaders and ask for compliance." Officers try to remain in the background, but will step in if necessary. One thing they learned from 2020, Morrow said, is that officers will step in more quickly to quell any violence or assaults before they happen and things get out of control, she said. "What we recognize now is we're not going to allow a single incident," she said. "Our community deserves better than protests escalating to riots where buildings are burned and people are injured, including officers." While there were a number of peaceful protests in 2020, others included vandalism including a building being burned and officers used tear gas and less-lethal munitions. Police still have those tools, Morrow said, but hope it doesn't reach the point where they have to use them. "If we're using those tactics, it's devolved to where we've crossed a line," she said. The message of protesters is lost at that point, she said. "And we just don't want to be in that position." On Saturday, a peaceful protest against Trump's administration is planned for the area of 10th and O streets from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. as part of so-called "No Kings Day" demonstrations planned across the country. Carey Nesmith, the chair of the Lincoln chapter of Indivisible, a national grassroots organization founded in 2016 when Trump was elected to his first term, said the number of people who signed up online to attend "skyrocketed" after the ICE raids in Omaha. Nesmith said the group has talked to police about their plans to keep people safe. "We absolutely do not want violence," Nesmith said. Gathering peaceful On Tuesday, the protest remained small and peaceful. By 1 p.m., a small group gathered outside the center of municipal government and law enforcement in Lincoln, more than 50 miles west of Nebraska's largest city, waving to passing motorists and holding signs in support of immigrants. I wanted to make it known that as an Indigenous woman, Im proud to support immigrants in America that are scared right now and are being mistreated, James said. Also at the protest, Jack, a 33-year-old who declined to provide his last name, said he decided to protest ICE and what he described as a warped logic by those who support pulling people from their homes and workplaces. The Trump administration has claimed they are deporting criminals, Jack said, but has instead detained and deported people who work sun up to sun down or show up for their court dates. They should try to find the ones who actually are criminals, he said, not the ones trying to work their asses off to provide for their families. A native of Twentynine Palms, California, Jack said he grew up among Mexican Americans, Chicanos and others who called Southern California home before Los Angeles was founded, before moving to Lincoln 20 years ago. Watching the protests unfold in Los Angeles this week, Jack said he was reminded of the Zoot Suit Riots, a crackdown of Mexican Americans by the military that took place this week in 1943. One of the expressions that I like currently is our existence is resistance, he said. Coming together and being united on this front is whats needed right now. BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio (WCMH) A decade-long effort to revive a central Ohio town has included the renovation of nearly 60 historic buildings, yielding dozens of new businesses and more than $30 million in private investments. Located an hour northwest of Columbus, the city of Bellefontaine in Logan County succumbed to a crisis 15 years ago faced by many U.S. small towns: young residents, entrepreneurs and once lucrative industries turned to larger Ohio communities for increasing economic and cultural opportunities. The shift left a downturn in Bellefontaine, as more than 70% of the citys business district sat vacant and historic buildings fell into decline. Chillicothe paper mill will close in August after stating it would remain open Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, change would soon come from one young resident named Jason Duff, a Logan County native who had recently graduated from Ohio Northern University with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. Duff saw the potential in Bellefontaines decaying downtown, setting out to begin a career in entrepreneurship and connecting with other business owners who wanted to bring big city amenities found in Columbus to small towns. Jason Duff launched Small Nation, the company behind a revival in Bellefontaine, Ohio. (Courtesy Photo/Small Nation) We started finding people that had good ideas that wanted to activate some of the empty and available real estate, Duff said. I fell in love with Bellefontaine because they had all this beautiful historic building stock, but the buildings were vacant and just needed people with good ideas to start up and create businesses here. From those conversations, Duff launched Small Nation, a company he said invests in places, spaces and dreams for small towns and entrepreneurs. Now, 15 years later, the effort has built up more than $30 million in private investments, renovated 56 buildings in Bellefontaines downtown, and helped jumpstart about 60 new businesses providing nearly 200 jobs for the city. As Fort Rapids sale looms, Columbus church eyes plan to redevelop waterpark Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Exemplifying the Small Nation formula is Rainbow Row, one of the oldest blocks in Bellefontaines downtown. The block was purchased by the company in 2021 and has been restored to feature five street-level storefronts, including a craft beer and wine shop, a tattoo parlor, and a pop-up shop opening later this summer that allows small businesses to open inside for one to three months. Rainbow Row includes a craft beer and wine shop, a tattoo parlor, a pop-up shop opening later this summer, and more. (Courtesy Photo/Small Nation) Visitors taking a day or weekend trip to Bellefontaine can utilize Rainbow Rows seven Airbnbs found on the blocks second floor. Opera Block is Small Nations largest project to date. Built in 1891 and home to the oldest concrete street in America, the building operated as an opera house and a silent movie theater before becoming a 20th-century marketplace. Small Nation purchased the 40,000-square-foot structure in 2021, which now includes a coffee shop, boutiques, a chocolate and gourmet foods store, a small event venue, an axe-throwing destination and more. Dispensary reacts to Ohio marijuana limit changes Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Duff boasted Holland Theater, another historic Bellefontaine structure that recently installed a new 32-foot marquee thanks to funding from community members. Removed in the 1950s due to code changes, the original signage has been recreated and now blends historical accuracy with modern features, like LED side panels. Duff said the theater, which has become a go-to spot for a variety of comedy and live stage shows, will officially celebrate the new marquee in the coming months. Small Nation bought Opera Block in 2021 and now includes a coffee shop, boutiques, a gourmet foods store, a small event venue, and more. (Courtesy Photo/Small Nation) With the success of Bellefontaine, Small Nation has expanded with clients in small towns across the nation. Along with aiding developments in dozens of other Ohio cities, like Bowling Green and Greenfield, the company has also begun implementing the small town success formula in towns in Iowa, Idaho, Minnesota, Texas, and Alabama. For those Ohioans who are wary Bellefontaine has turned a corner, Duff encourages them to come see it to believe it. Im thankful that people are supporting downtown Bellefontaine, people show up and theyre spending money, theyre shopping, theyre having a good time and theyre telling their friends and neighbors, Duff said. We want the secret to get out. It really is Ohios most lovable downtown. 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. [Source] A North Korean smartphone smuggled out of the country by Seoul-based media outlet Daily NK in late 2024 has revealed new evidence of the regimes surveillance over its citizens. The smartphone contains state-installed software that censors language, monitors user behavior and restricts access to unauthorized content. Automatic censorship The phone, which resembles a standard Android device, replaces certain words typed by users with politically approved alternatives. For example, South Korea is changed to puppet state, and oppa is substituted with comrade, accompanied by an on-screen warning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also silently takes screenshots every five minutes and saves them in hidden folders. These files are inaccessible to the user but can be reviewed by authorities. Trending on NextShark: Japan bans flashy baby names like 'Nike,' 'Pikachu' Controlled digital environment Users are limited to a domestic intranet called Kwangmyong, which only provides access to government-approved websites. The phone is configured to block foreign networks and prevents the installation of unauthorized apps. Attempts to alter the devices software can trigger automatic shutdown or data deletion, according to analysts who examined the phones firmware. Trending on NextShark: Smartphone smuggled from North Korea automatically censors 'oppa' Laws in North Korea prohibit access to foreign media, and violations can result in imprisonment, forced labor or even death. Devices capable of circumventing official controls are banned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Trending on NextShark: Asian Americans no longer healthiest older adult group, study finds Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what were building, consider becoming a paid member your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Subscribe here now! Trending on NextShark: World Bank: 1.8 billion South Asians at risk to extreme heat by 2030 Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today! All content within the Smithsonian's 21 museums and zoo is currently under review, with the institution looking to eradicate political influence and bias following an executive order by President Donald Trump, according to a report. The Smithsonians Board of Regents is heeding Trumps executive order, which calls for the removal of improper, divisive or anti-American ideology from the network of museums, The Wall Street Journal reported. The worlds largest museum, education and research complexs decision to review its content was made during a closed-door meeting Monday, according to documents reviewed by the Journal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The board directed the secretary to assess content in museums and make needed changes to ensure unbiased content, including personnel changes, a Smithsonian spokesperson said. The board requested that the secretary report back on progress and suggested next steps. While Trump got his way with the review, he was unable to oust National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet, whom he tried to fire via a Truth Social Post on May 30 for her support of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives even though its not within his power to do so. The Smithsonians Board of Regents agreed to a review of the content in all of its 21 museums and its zoo following an executive order from President Donald Trump. (Getty Images) In a statement Monday, the Smithsonian said that it retained power over personnel decisions. A person familiar with the meeting told the Journal no decisions had been made yet about Sajets employment. Mondays board meeting was the first since Trump issued the executive order in March, and was the first with new members, Vice President J.D. Vance and Florida Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez. Vance and Gimenez pushed for the Smithsonian to make the review within three months, but the motion that was adopted did not have a timeline. Still, Gimenez told the Journal he thinks it will be completed quickly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps anti-DEI order is unprecedented, considering the Smithsonian has largely operated independently for over 175 years. The order instructs the Smithsonian to focus on promoting American greatness, and comes as Trump alleges objective facts within the museums have been replaced with a distorted, ideologically driven narrative. Museums in our Nation's capital should be places where individuals go to learn not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history, Trumps March executive order said. Offline, in real-world Los Angeles, most Angelenos are having a perfectly normal day. But online, the fires and riots are still raging. The powerful algorithms that fuel social media platforms are feeding users days-old and sometimes completely fake content about the recent unrest in L.A., contributing to a sense of nonstop crisis that doesnt exist beyond a small part of the sprawling city. Unvetted accounts on platforms like X and TikTok, in an apparent bid for clicks, clout and chaos, have preyed on the fears of liberals and conservatives about where last weekends clashes will lead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An AI-generated fake video on TikTok purported to show a National Guardsman going by the name Bob livestreaming his preparation for todays gassing of protesters. The video has been viewed more than 960,000 times as of Tuesday afternoon. Many in the comments section called the video a fake, but others appeared to believe it was real. (The video, which was debunked by BBC News, appears to have since been taken down.) Whats happening on social media is similar to the chaos of the information environment around the 2020 George Floyd protests, said Renee DiResta, an associate research professor at Georgetown Universitys McCourt School of Public Policy and an expert on how conspiracy theories spread online. People are trying to discern between real current footage and recycled sensational old footage repurposed for political or financial ends. In 2025, though, AI-generated images are more abundant, and users have splintered onto different online platforms where different stories are being told, DiResta told CNN. Differing realities On X, where right-wing views tend to flourish, influencers are denouncing the anti-ICE protesters as agitators and terrorists, while on the more left-wing Bluesky, prominent users are condemning President Trumps deployment of the National Guard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hyperpartisan and hyperactive accounts on X have been wildly overstating the actual volume of unrest in Southern California, furthering the online confusion about the offline situation. One viral post on X falsely claimed on Sunday that there were breaking news reports that Mexico was considering military intervention in Los Angeles. More than 2 million people have viewed the post as of Tuesday afternoon. Dozens of posts on X have spread conspiracy theories claiming the protesters were government-backed or funded by various sources, according to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank. Many of those posts have over a million views, and only a handful of them have been fact-checked with Xs community notes features. CNN has requested comment from X and TikTok. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recognizing how viral posts can distort public opinion and potentially exacerbate violence, California Governor Gavin Newsoms office on Sunday night pleaded with the public to check your sources before sharing info! in a post on X. The governors office also directly debunked some of the info. As some protests in L.A. turned ugly on Sunday evening, Senator Ted Cruz shared a shocking video clip of L.A. Police Department cars on fire and wrote, this is not peaceful. The Texas senators X post implied the video clip was brand-new, but it was actually from 2020, when the racial justice protests tipped into civil unrest. Cruz was reacting to actor James Woods, one of the prominent conservative X users who promoted the five-year-old fire video. Newsom responded to Woods: This video is from 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adding to the confusion, vandals did damage several police cars and set several self-driving cars on fire Sunday evening. But the viral clip reposted by Woods was old. Federal government accounts have been among the misleading sources on social media. A Defense Department rapid response account on X claimed Monday morning that Los Angeles is burning, and local leaders are refusing to respond. But there were no reports of fires burning in L.A. at the time of the Defense Departments claim. State media misinformation Russian and Chinese state media have also amplified images of the unrest, whether real or fake. Chinese state media outlets have rapidly seized on the deployment of Marines in the streets of Los Angeles, the German Marshall Funds Alliance for Securing Democracy, a think tank, said in an analysis shared with CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In keeping with their coverage of 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, PRC (Peoples Republic of China) propaganda outlets have used protests in the United States to dent Americas image abroad and to suggest that the US governments response to protests at home bears little resemblance to their support for protests overseas, Bret Schafer, a senior fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, told CNN. Russian state-controlled outlet Sputnik, meanwhile, circulated a photo, also shared by the actor Woods, purporting to show pallets of bricks at a protest site. But that photo is actually from a construction site in New Jersey, according to Xs community notes feature. Russian state media outlets have also echoed false or misleading claims from pro-Trump influencers about left-wing groups and figures funding the protests, according to Schafer. Moscow seems less interested in scoring propaganda points and more interested in throwing fuel into a combustible domestic information environment, he said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com By Will Dunham (Reuters) -The robotic Solar Orbiter spacecraft has obtained the first images ever taken of our sun's two poles as scientists seek a deeper understanding of Earth's host star, including its magnetic field, its 11-year cycle of activity and the solar wind. The European Space Agency on Wednesday released images taken in March using three of Solar Orbiter's onboard instruments. They show the sun's south pole from a distance of roughly 40 million miles (65 million km), obtained at a period of maximum solar activity. Images of the north pole are still being transmitted by the spacecraft back to Earth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Solar Orbiter, developed by ESA in collaboration with the U.S. space agency NASA, was launched in 2020 from Florida. Until now, all the views of the sun have come from the same vantage point - looking face-on toward its equator from the plane on which Earth and most of the solar system's other planets orbit, called the ecliptic plane. Solar Orbiter used a slingshot flyby around Venus in February to get out of this plane to view the sun from up to 17 degrees below the solar equator. Future slingshot flybys will provide an even better view, at beyond 30 degrees. "The best is still to come. What we have seen is just a first quick peek," said solar physicist Sami Solanki of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany, who heads the scientific team for the spacecraft's Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager instrument. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The spacecraft observed both poles, first the south pole, then the north pole," Solanki said. "The north pole's data will arrive in the coming weeks or months." Solar Orbiter is gathering data on phenomena including the sun's magnetic field, its activity cycle, and the solar wind, a relentless high-speed flow of charged particles emanating from the sun's outermost atmospheric layer that fills interplanetary space. "We are not sure what we will find, and it is likely we will see things that we didn't know about before," said solar physicist Hamish Reid of University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UK co-principal investigator of Solar Orbiter's Extreme Ultraviolet Imager instrument. The sun is a ball of hot electrically charged gas that, as it moves, generates a powerful magnetic field, which flips from south to north and back again every 11 years in what is called the solar cycle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The magnetic field drives the formation of sunspots, cooler regions on the solar surface that appear as dark blotches. At the cycle's beginning, the sun has fewer sunspots. Their number increases as the cycle progresses, before starting all over again. "What we have been missing to really understand this (solar cycle) is what is actually happening at the top and bottom of the sun," Reid said. The sun's diameter is about 865,000 miles (1.4 million km), more than 100 times wider than Earth. "Whilst the Earth has a clear north and south pole, the Solar Orbiter measurements show both north and south polarity magnetic fields are currently present at the south pole of the sun. This happens during the maximum in activity of the solar cycle, when the sun's magnetic field is about to flip. In the coming years, the sun will reach solar minimum, and we expect to see a more orderly magnetic field around the poles of the sun," Reid said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We see in the images and movies of the polar regions that the sun's magnetic field is chaotic at the poles at the (current) phase of the solar cycle - high solar activity, cycle maximum," Solanki said. The sun is located about 93 million miles (149 million km) from our planet. "The data that Solar Orbiter obtains during the coming years will help modelers in predicting the solar cycle. This is important for us on Earth because the sun's activity causes solar flares and coronal mass ejections which can result in radio communication blackouts, destabilize our power grids, but also drive the sensational auroras," Reid said. "Solar Orbiter's new vantage point out of the ecliptic will also allow us to get a better picture of how the solar wind expands to form the heliosphere, a vast bubble around the sun and its planets," Reid added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A previous spacecraft, Ulysses, flew over the solar poles in the 1990s. "Ulysses, however, was blind in the sense that it did not carry any optical instruments - telescopes or cameras - and hence could only sense the solar wind passing the spacecraft directly, but could not image the sun," Solanki said. (Reporting by Will Dunham in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) In a press conference today, Gov. Cox addressed the ongoing protests in L.A, saying he is concerned about what he is seeing, and added that Utah is overprepared in the case that violent protests would break out here. He also said he acknowledges California state leaders concerns about troops being deployed, but he understands why the president may be making this decision. The riots, the chaos that is ensuing, he said. The things that we saw five years ago, and things that should not be happening. I am sympathetic to a president who wants to make sure that we are protecting lives and property and doing everything possible to make that happen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What to know about Trumps deployment of National Guard troops Sunday, 2,000 guard troops were ordered to start arriving to the protests against ICE on Sunday. An additional 2,000 National Guard troops, along with 700 marines, were ordered to respond Monday. State leaders in California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over seizing control of their national guard. California Attorney General Bonta told reporters in the announcement Monday that Trump had trampled the states sovereignty. When asked about the presidents response in L.A. during a news conference today, Gov. Cox said its a right that the president has. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do think it is legal for the president to do that, whether its wise or not, when things get out of control, somebody has to stop it, so Im grateful that we have a president willing to act to help stop that, he said. The governor added that he understands Californias concerns, but said that action needs to be taken regarding the situation in LA. The Constitution clearly states that the federal government does have the ability, and federal law also states that the federal government has the ability to call up national guard troops from the states. As a states rights person, I dont love that, I wish the constitution didnt say that, and I wish that the federal law doesnt say that, but it does say that, he said. I think they probably do need it, again Ive seen the videos, the damage that is being done is unconscionable, we cant have that in a civil society. National Guard troops in LA, the latest in long history of deployments during civil rights protests Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Cox continued saying that this type of rioting will not be allowed in Utah. He said he supports citizens rights to peacefully protest but has no tolerance to demonstrations possibly escalating. He said that wants Utah to be the worst place to riot and that measures will be taken to intervene quickly if situations get out of hand. The minute you spray paint the Capitol, the second you implement violence or property destruction, we will arrest you and we will hold you accountable. We will break up the disturbance that is happening. We are going to be overprepared, and just a word of warning to anybody whos thinking of any type of violence, or chaos, or property damage, or vandalism: it will not happen here, and you will be held accountable, he said. 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. Growing up, service was a way of life for Dina Parrott. From watching her grandmother make a meal and deliver it to a family coping with the loss of a loved one, to seeing her mom pitch in to help a neighbor down on his luck, Parrott was surrounded by servant leaders. My mom and grandmother had me all over the place helping people, said Parrott, 53, an Air Force veteran. They did so much of that, and I remember seeing that, and not thinking it was a big deal. As I got older, I was like, Wow. They elected to help people. And then, as I grew up a little bit more, I started feeling like it was what you were supposed to do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without knowing it was happening, that became what Parrott wanted to do with her life. For her, she discovered that service would come in the form of a career with the U.S. Air Force. With the military its not about just going to war. Its about helping people and making people better, Parrott said. During her more than two decades of service, Dina Parrott served in the U.S. and abroad. One of her overseas placements took her to an assignment with NATO forces. Women Veterans Recognition Day is observed annually on June 12, commemorating the Womens Armed Service Integration Act of 1948. It is not a separate Veterans Day for women. Instead, in at least 21 states including Kentucky, special attention is paid to womens military contributions. Parrott is one of nearly 2 million female veterans living in the U.S. today 24,000 of whom are in Kentucky. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the Revolutionary War, more than 3 million women have served in or with the armed forces, according to the Department of Defense. Veterans like Parrott say its essential to remember that much has changed for the better for women who serve, because of the sacrifices of those who went before them. Recognizing these female veterans coincides with a time of reflection across Lexington as they city celebrates its 250th birthday with one eye on its rich history and the other on its future as a community and its commitment to public service. 250 Lex logo Put people first and the mission will get done After completing a year of college, Parrotts school funds were depleted. She needed a new direction, and wanted a change in her environment. She enlisted in January 1994 and stayed until her retirement in July 2019. It was two years before I really understood what (the military) was all about, and I really loved it, she said. It spoke to everything I believed in morally, things I valued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She enlisted in January 1994 and stayed until her retirement in July 2019. I was going to go for four years, Parrott said. I stayed with the Air Force because their No. 1 thing became people first. Literally, this is what they said, Put people first and the mission will get done. After retiring from active duty, Parrott now serves as the women veterans program administrator for the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs. Dina Parrott with her unit, the 27 th Special Operations Communications Flight. In the Air Force, a flight is a small squadron within a larger unit. Parrott served from 1994-2019. When I retired, I went back to school, but then I said to my husband, I dont have a purpose, and I struggled. I had nothing to wake up to, Parrott said. It was missing that itch, that call that somebody needs me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parrott was young and wanted to do more with her life, and she said shes found that in the work she does with the VA, especially because she gets to celebrate many who are often overlooked. People need to understand that every individual, no matter what race or gender or whatever, has something unique to contribute to a mission, whatever youre doing, Parrott said. Parrott said historically many groups of people including minorities and women have been overlooked or relegated to more traditional roles. Women have so much more to offer, weve evolved into seeing that everybody is capable. Not everybody has the same strengths, but thats how you build a good team, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parrott pointed to the accomplishments that continue to be brought to light about womens roles in the military, including those of the Hello Girls, a group of World War I female telephone operators and about the World War II-era 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, highlighted in the 2024 film The Six Triple Eight by Tyler Perry. The battalion included 18 women from Kentucky. The unit has collectively earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation, awarded in 2019, and a Congressional Gold Medal, awarded in 2022. Back in the day, none of those women who served were recognized as a veteran for the service they did in the military, Parrott said. There were sought out and brought in, and then overlooked. Today, Parrott works to right some of those historical deficiencies, and shes hoping to set people straight for the future. Dina Parrotts basic training photo. Parrott chose a military career as a way to continue her familys tradition of community involvement and service to their neighbors. The reason my program exists is to acknowledge women who have served, she said. If I go to my VA here and my husband goes with me, the volunteers right away are shaking his hand saying, Thank you for your service. I get so angry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parrotts husband has never been in the military, and hes quick to correct those who assume hes the veteran, she said. Hell give me my props and say, No, no, thats all her. When a woman walks into the VA, shes thought of as anything but a veteran. Were trying to bring light to some of these issues, trying to make sure that women are acknowledged, Parrott said. One major initiative is the Military Womens Memorial Register. An interactive database of records, the register asks women, or their loved ones if the veteran is deceased, to provide information about the service completed. It lives on forever, so that no womans story is ever forgotten again, Parrott said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parrott remembers a photo she sent home to her family. On a wall on base were photos of various squadron leaders, including Parrott. I remember taking a picture of all these men up here, saying what squadron theyre with, and you know they are this leader and that leader. And heres my little face, this little Black girl, she said. I sent it to my mom, and she cried. She cried when she saw that and she said, How are you up there? And I said, Mom, we have come a long way. We can do this stuff. We just need the opportunity. In 2022, Carla Baker and more than 130 other female veterans from the Commonwealth made history with the first all-women Honor Flight. The flights began in 2005 and in the past two decades, more than 300,000 veterans have traveled to Washington, D.C. to tour the war memorials and other historic sites there. Hard work and little credit for women in service Participation in the ROTC program in high school set Alex Lamb on her path to the military. But years before that, Lamb, now 57, had an inkling there was some type of service in her future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lambs mom worked at the police department and Lamb herself was involved in Girl Scouts in her hometown of Gainesville, Florida. Popular period movies of the 1980s like Top Gun and An Officer and a Gentleman further embedded that military mindset into Lamb. Still, Lambs mother Wanda didnt immediately embrace the idea of her only child heading off to enlist. She went to college for a few months, but tuition and fees were hard to afford, so her mom gave her blessing to enlist. Lamb served from 1989 to 1993. I got on the bus that night, and I was wearing jeans and a University of Florida T-shirt, you know like an 18-year-old would wear, she said. Upon arrival at the U.S. Navy Training Center in Orlando, Florida, Lamb said she quickly understood the weight of her decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You get off the bus, and its dark. They take you all into a room and you raise your right hand and swear (service) to the country, Lamb said. Uniform sizing came next. Among other things, Lamb recalled the nondescript nature of the items: plain white underwear and stiff, ill-fitting boots. Nothing personal. Her comfortable jeans and T-shirt were gone, and days later showed up back at her parents home. Navy personnel mailed Lambs clothes back to her mother. When she saw the contents, Lambs mom was shocked. She said, Honey, I felt like you died, Lamb said. My mom said that broke her heart. Ill never forget her telling me that. After apprentice training school, where recruits would be exposed from everything to plumbing and electrical career pathways, to carpentry and machining, Lamb landed in a role as an electrician. But shed been hoping for something a little more. I love water and diving and all that. I wanted to be in search and rescue, she said. Back then, Lamb said she and other women were discouraged from pursuing those roles. Whats more, she said that even in the jobs where women were assigned, the placements generated some not-so-friendly ribbing from their male colleagues. They would make bets on who would make it and who wouldnt, she said. You always had to watch your back. No matter how long you were in an assignment, you had to watch your back. And then, when you worked hard really hard you never got the credit for it. The Lexington woman recalled a conversation she overheard when working on a dock. After watching me work, a shipyard worker once said, in front of his employees, Ill take her and leave you three behind, Lamb said. Thats just how you had to work, to prove yourself. But I hope it paved the way for men to think twice. Im not the same person I was when I joined up The pressure women felt during their active-duty years continues to be a challenge for female service members today, according to a 2021 study in the Journal of Trauma and Dissociation. Women veterans interviewed by researchers revealed that they, among other challenges, were subjected to gender-based discrimination, and continued to feel marginalized in the male-dominated military service environment. Carla Baker experienced that marginalization first-hand during her tour with the Navy. Baker, 54, went through boot camp in Orlando, Florida. Upon graduation, she was assigned to the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Mississippi. Carla Baker after her enlistment in the U.S. Navy in 1989. Baker said as a female sailor in service, she had to work 10 times as hard as (the men) and that youre there because you want to be there. You had to fight against the boys club just to be able to do what you signed up to do. I was a Seabee. I was in at a time when women were still not allowed to go into combat units, Baker said. She was active duty from 1989-1995, and tried to re-enlist twice, but health complications prevented it. The Navy was a career path chosen from a default position. At the recruiting center, Baker wanted to know what would get her out of her hometown of Harrodsburg, Kentucky, the fastest. Enlisting was a spur of the moment decision, Baker said. I was just ready for something different. I was in such a small town, there wasnt much to offer. And I had no desire at that point to go to college, so I took the plunge. Wanting the fastest route helped Baker land on the construction mechanic pathway, despite the recruiters encouragement that Baker pursue typical female jobs like a personnel specialist (formerly personnelman) or a hospital corpsman. The choice turned out to be fortuitous, because in time Baker was asked if she wanted to be part of an underwater construction team, or transfer to Camp David. She chose the latter. Carla Baker serves as the commander of American Legion Douglas Laws Post 52 in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Baker spent six years on active duty with the U.S. Navy and said of her time in the service. Im not the same person I was when I joined up. Im more stoic, of course youre going to be more structured, because in the military things are done a certain way, Baker said. The first time I ever saw my daddy cry, was when I told him I had enlisted. He had wanted to go into the service, he tried every branch, but he was deaf in one ear, so that kept him out. And then mama, she told me, Well Carla, you never know. You might meet the president. She would eventually meet six presidents. I met all the way back to (Richard) Nixon, Baker said. Baker was on site for the former Russian president Boris Yeltsins trip to Camp David. And when Barbara Bush broke her ankle while sledding, it was Baker who accompanied the First Lady to the hospital. Baker, who today serves as the commander of the American Legion Douglas Laws Post 52 in Harrodsburg, said she encourages any young person who she thinks would succeed in the military to pursue enlistment. When I talk to anybody about the military, I say it is so easy to take a civilian, put them through boot camp and turn them into a military person, Baker said. But once youre a military person, youre not coming back to civilian. Im not the same person I was when I joined up. She wouldnt trade her service years for anything. But that doesnt mean everything was always smooth sailing. We did the same job that men did, and we had to work harder than the men to be taken seriously We were signing petitions saying that we wanted the same rights as the men who served We fought tooth and nail for everything that we have gotten. She recalled a story from June 2022, when Honor Flight Kentucky hosted 135 women, including Baker, on the first female-only Honor Flight. There was a younger woman on the flight who kept trying to speak with Baker, but the logistics of the day kept them apart. Finally, as the day was winding down, the two women spoke. Baker said the young woman was eager to learn about the elder veterans service. Baker was quick to tell her she never served in combat or combat-facing battalions. I said, Hon, I was in during a time when women were not allowed to go to combat. Of course, I told her we signed petitions and spoke out about deserving the same rights (as men). She gave me tears because she gave me the biggest hug and she thanked me. She said, If you had not done what you did, I could not have done what I did. Baker said all she wanted then is all she wants now to be taken seriously for her role, protecting and serving her country. America is free because of sacrifices made by individuals willing to stand up for our freedoms. I loved the Navy; I loved everything about it, Baker said. It was the feeling like you were doing something worthwhile and something that mattered, she said. Theres nothing I could do now that would ever compare to what I did when I was basically a kid. Theres nothing that will ever live up to the experiences that I had in the Navy. Sun Herald readers weigh in on local and national topics. Greta saves the world Greta Thunberg, that perpetual teenage looking darling of the climate change ideologues, staged a publicity stunt with a one vessel boat flotilla purportedly trying to break Israels maritime blockade of Gaza to bring relief aid. Well, shes an unemployed young lady now, who trades her infamy for sustenance so its vitally important to stay in the public eye. A decade ago she told the world we were all going to die in seven years due to climate change. Instantly, she was the media and greenies public facing patron saint. Oops, were still here which is a disastrous blow to her credibility. But a girls gotta make a living, so she morphs into a different cause celebre. Go home Greta and plant a tree before we all die seven years from now. Ship of fools Greta Thunberg and her selfie yacht has been stopped by the IDF. The Israelis just saved her life. Being allowed to continue was suicide. Hamas would have paraded her for days Kristi Noems words What Kristi Noem said about presidential use of the National Guard: If Joe Biden federalizes the National Guard, that would be a direct attack on states rights. Over the last several years, weve seen Democrats try to take away our Freedoms of religion, assembly, and speech. We cant let them take away our right to defend ourselves, too. South Dakota defends the Constitution. Overreach An opinion writer expressed concern about district federal judges decision overreach. Why are they not concerned with firings at Consumer Protection Agency, or cutting funds for Public Broadcasting, or cutting funds for cancer research, or firing Inspector Generals or causing economic chaos with absurd tariffs, or on and on. If concerned about judges, reflect on Republican Judge Aileen Cannons continuous delays in President Trumps prosecution and sentencing assuring hes not in jail but rather running for President. I guess that was OK. Federalizing the Guard Hurricane-prone states have declared martial law after devastating hurricanes to federalize the national guard to assist local law enforcement. This drastic move gives the national guard additional powers, and is always done at the states (governors) request. Today the federal government is deploying and federalizing the national guard to repress protesters in California. The governor has not requested this assistance. Another similar occasion that comes to mind is the use of Storm Troopers and the SS in WWII. This is 2025 and our country is a republic where states have much autonomy. This is not a Nazi-controlled regime Riots Its sad that media and Democrats coverage of the 2020, 2024 and now 2025 riots all state how peaceful these protesters are while businesses, buildings, vehicles, and more are being destroyed by fire and police, if allowed to engage, are attacked. Few if any are arrested, and if they are, they are released soon after with no punitive action. Its time these destructive protesters are stopped, arrested and prosecuted. Arrest Newsom The Los Angeles police chief admitted that his police were overwhelmed. The National Guard was deployed. Now 800 Marines are on the way. Governor Newsom should be arrested immediately. California Perhaps if wed treat rioters the way they should be treated, there would be less rioting. Just a thought. A mess California is a mess. Californians love the fact that they harbor illegal immigrants and are proud of it. They take in federal dollars yet deny federal authority. It doesnt work that way. Flag burning The rioters in L.A. are burning Old Glory and swinging the Mexican flag, fighting to prevent being deported back to Mexico! Let that sink in. Democrats are pure genius. Good job I applaud President Trump for moving to quash the violent protests happening in California. I only wish he had been inclined to do the same when it was his supporters on Jan. 6. No foreign flags Its kind of cute how worked up folks are about people waving the Mexican flag in the L.A. riots. Its also cute how unconcerned those same folks are when its a Nazi or Confederate flag. Cant imagine why that would be. Here is your answer Opinion writer would like to know why Trump keeps giving pardons to his convicted fraudster friends. The answer is very simple. He pardons those who helped him commit his frauds. The list is long, and not just for fraud. Steve Bannon was convicted of embezzling hundreds of thousands from the build-the-fence contributions, plead guilty, and Trump pardoned him before jail time. Washington is now a cesspool with an impotent Congress afraid to stand up to moral responsibility in fear of losing their cherished jobs. Send your Sound Offs to soundoff@sunherald.com. MIAMI After four months with President Donald Trump at the helm, Reinerio de la Torre says he's waiting to see if the president fulfills his promises. The 56-year-old electrician, who came from Cuba 18 years ago, voted for Trump in November. But he says the president has gone too far with immigration, and he doesnt like to see hardworking people being deported. De la Torre also disagrees with the partial travel ban on Cuba, saying, Visas should be decided case by case. But its still early in the presidency and we have to give him time to see what he does, de la Torre said outside Hialeahs City Hall, where roosters were heard crowing in the background. The street that runs across from it was recently named after the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patricia, 52, who declined to give her last name, echoed de la Torres sentiment. He is deporting innocent people, and I dont like the tariffs, but maybe at the end it will be for the better, she said. About 70% of Cuban Americans living in Florida voted for Trump in the 2024 election, and his support in Hialeah, a working-class city in Miami-Dade County with a robust Cuban American population, was among the strongest. Trump held a rally here one year before the election, and the rise in support he got helped him become the first Republican president to win Miami-Dade County since George H.W. Bush in 1988. Donald Trump supporters prepare to start a caravan in Hialeah, Fla., last July. (Giorgio Viera / AFP via Getty Images) While Trump's support among Cuban Americans remains strong and few seem to regret their vote, worries over immigration policies have begun to creep up among the multiple voters NBC News spoke to, especially among more recent arrivals. Cuban Americans began flocking toward Trump in big numbers during his first presidency, as he tightened U.S. sanctions against Cuba, banning flights to most of the island and restricting remittances. Many Cuban Americans who fled the communist-run island welcome a hard-line policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A historic wave has brought well over half a million Cuban migrants to the U.S. since 2022. Cubans had long been allowed to become U.S. residents fairly easily through the Cuban Adjustment Act, but now Trumps immigration policies have left some Cuban immigrants in legal limbo. Trump also revoked the legal status of migrants who entered the U.S. through the Biden-era CBP One app, which temporarily allowed migrants to live in the U.S., and ended the parole program that gave temporary legal status to 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. While the U.S. has been deporting Cubans regularly since 2017, some recent deportations have surprised some. News of families being separated or a former political prisoner's parole being revoked have alarmed some in the community. Trump administrations partial travel ban on Cuba now makes it impossible for Cubans to gain visas to visit family, which was already cumbersome since the U.S. stopped processing visas at the Havana embassy in 2017. For most visas, Cubans had to travel to third countries, often Guyana, which is out of reach for most of them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Cuban Americans voted for Trump for more than hard-line policies against Cuba, and most seemed content with his presidency thus far. Mirta Marino, 78, a retired bank worker, said, Trump is making tough policy decisions, but they are necessary to fix the country. She said many Cubans come to this country claiming political persecution but frequently visit the island after they become U.S. residents. Marino, who came in 1980 during the Mariel boatlift, said she never returned. She also believes some people come to this country and take advantage of benefits without working. A few miles away in the city of Doral, known for its concentration of Venezuelans, many patrons at the popular El Arepazo restaurant are still firmly supporting Trump as well. Rodrigo Torres, 22, said that "there are people getting deported for no reason," but he would still vote for Trump. (Carmen Sesin / NBC News) Rodrigo Torres, 22, a business owner, said he feels bad for all the Venezuelans affected by Trumps immigration policies, but he said it helps to get the criminals out of the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About half of the people deported in February did not have criminal records, and more than half of those in ICE detention have no criminal charges or convictions, according to ICE data. There are people getting deported for no reason, Torres said. But I would still vote for Trump over Harris. Like in Hialeah, a solid majority in Doral voted for Trump in 2024. The city is home to one of the presidents resorts, where he held events and rallies before the election. Venezuelans may be the group most impacted by Trumps immigration policies. Since he was campaigning, Trump regularly talked about Venezuelan gangs in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre sending us our criminals from Caracas, Venezuela, Trump said at a July rally in Doral, claiming Venezuela had sent all of their drug dealers, their criminals and most of their prisoners into our country. Once in office, Trump used an 18th-century wartime law to send hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, alleging they had ties to the gang Tren de Aragua which many of the migrants families and attorneys have disputed. The men have not been allowed to disprove any gang affiliation or contact attorneys or families. Trump also revoked special legal protections known as Temporary Protected Status for about 350,000 Venezuelans who had been living and working legally in the U.S. Outside El Arepazo, Carolina Villalobo said she did not vote in the presidential election because she is not yet a citizen, but said she never liked Trump. He is very aggressive, she said. I agree the country has to be cleaned out and the criminals should be deported, but it should be done with more tact. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But among her extended family, including siblings and nephews, shes alone. My entire family continues supporting Trump, Villalobo said. 'They certainly are feeling the pressure' The firm support for Trump in South Florida is not surprising to Fernand Amandi, a Democratic consultant and pollster in Miami. I havent seen a single person who voted for Trump in November of 2024 come out and say: I made a mistake, he said. What I have seen is a tremendous amount of rationalization, justification and unwillingness to admit that their votes have contributed to this situation that is now impacting a lot of families and a lot of people directly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In order to have a substantial number of voters change their minds, Amandi said, there would have to be a situation in which the economy hits rock bottom and its personally affecting them. Regardless, Democrats are already taking jabs at Republican lawmakers in South Florida who are up for re-election in November 2026. Recently, a group called Keep Them Honest launched an ad campaign on Miami highways and radio criticizing Republican Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar over their support for Trump. Salazar has been publicly critical about some of Trumps immigration policies, and all three lawmakers have a meeting scheduled with Homeland Security Kristi Noem Secretary this week. They certainly are feeling pressure, they certainly are feeling some backlash, but Im not quite sure yet its to the point where it has made them feel like they are in existential political danger, said Amandi of the Florida Republican members of Congress. We see it in their lack of engagement or confrontation with the Trump administration directly ... theyre not criticizing the policies or Trump, saying this is out of control and unacceptable. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com SEOUL, June 11 (UPI) -- South Korea suspended its propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts across the border to North Korea, officials said Tuesday, in a bid to reduce tensions with Pyongyang under the administration of newly elected President Lee Jae-Myung. Halting the broadcasts is "a measure to fulfill the public pledge to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula," a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said in a text message to reporters. The move came roughly a year after Seoul resumed the broadcasts in response to a series of provocations by North Korea that included floating thousands of trash-filled balloons across the border. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The broadcasts included news, K-pop music, and information about democracy and life in South Korea. The North responded at times by broadcasting bizarre noises such as metallic screeching and animal sounds, disturbing residents in areas near the DMZ. Lee ordered the suspensions, his office confirmed later on Tuesday. Spokeswoman Kang Yoo-jung said in a briefing that Lee "made this decision as a preemptive measure to ease tensions in a situation where there have been no recent major provocations by North Korea." "This is a measure to ease the military standoff between the South and the North and to open the way to restoring mutual trust." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was also meant to "alleviate the suffering of residents in border areas who have suffered due to North Korea's noise broadcasts," she said. Lee, who won a snap election on June 3 to replace impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol, campaigned on improving frayed inter-Korean relations. He vowed to suspend the loudspeaker broadcasts as well as prevent defector groups from floating balloons with anti-Pyongyang leaflets and USB drives containing South Korean media over the border. On Monday, the Unification Ministry in charge of inter-Korean relations called for a stop to the leaflet campaigns after an activist group sent balloons in early June. "We strongly request that the spreading of leaflets be stopped, as this could create tension in the situation on the Korean Peninsula and endanger the lives and safety of the people in the border areas," ministry spokesman Koo Byung-sam said at a press briefing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Koo said the ministry would work with agencies and related organizations to ensure compliance with existing regulations on leaflet distribution. The Unification Ministry will also "actively cooperate in discussing amendments to the National Assembly's Inter-Korean Relations Development Act," Koo said. Defectors and human rights activists have argued that the communications across the border provide a vital source of information about the outside world to North Korean citizens. The new government's stance is a departure from the Yoon administration, which took a hard line against North Korea and saw relations deteriorate amid a series of back-and-forth Cold War-style provocations in border areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lee has said he would continue to strengthen military cooperation with the United States but pledged to reopen communications with Seoul's recalcitrant neighbor. "We will prepare for North Korea's nuclear weapons and military provocations, while opening channels of communication with North Korea and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and cooperation," Lee said in a speech at his swearing-in ceremony. During his campaign, Lee also vowed to restore an inter-Korean military pact aimed at defusing military tensions and avoiding accidental conflicts along the border. It was signed during a period of detente in 2018 but scrapped by both countries last year. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Koreas military shut down loudspeakers broadcasting anti-North Korea propaganda along the inter-Korean border on Wednesday, marking the new liberal governments first concrete step toward easing tensions between the war-divided rivals. The South resumed the daily loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year following a yearslong pause in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign. South Koreas Defense Ministry said the move, ordered by President Lee Jae-myung, was part of efforts to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kang Yu-jung, Lees spokesperson, described the decision as a proactive step to reduce military tensions and ease the burden for South Koreans residing in border areas, who have also been affected by North Koreas retaliatory loudspeaker broadcasts. North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its third-generation ruler, Kim Jong Un, didnt immediately comment on the step by Seoul. South Korea reactivated its front-line loudspeakers to blast propaganda messages and K-pop songs toward the North last year in response to thousands of trash balloons that Pyongyang flew toward South Korea to drop substances including wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and even manure. From May to November last year, North Korea flew about 7,000 balloons toward South Korea in 32 separate occasions, according to the South's military. The North said that its balloon campaign came after South Korean activists sent over balloons filled with anti-North Korean leaflets, as well as USB sticks filled with popular South Korean songs and dramas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trash carried by at least one North Korean balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound in July, raising concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean facilities. Officials said that the balloon contained no dangerous material and no one was hurt. The South's broadcast playlist was clearly designed to strike a nerve in Pyongyang, where Kims government has been intensifying a campaign to eliminate the influence of South Korean pop culture and language among the population in a bid to strengthen his familys dynastic rule. The Cold War-style psychological warfare campaigns added to tensions fueled by North Koreas growing nuclear ambitions and South Korean efforts to expand joint military exercises with the United States and strengthen three-way security cooperation with Japan. Efforts to improve relations Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lee, an outspoken liberal who took office last week after winning an early election to replace ousted conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, has vowed to improve relations with Pyongyang, which reacted furiously to Yoons hard-line policies and shunned dialogue. During his election campaign, Lee promised to halt the loudspeaker broadcasts, arguing that they created unnecessary tensions and discomfort for South Korean residents in border towns. In recent months, those residents had complained about North Koreas retaliatory broadcasts, which included howling animals, pounding gongs and other irritating sounds. On Thursday morning, South Korea's military said North Korean broadcasts weren't heard in South Korean frontline areas, but it wasn't clear if the North has formally halted its own broadcasts. In a briefing on Monday, South Koreas Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, also called for South Korean civilian activists to stop flying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border. Such activities could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threaten the lives and safety of residents in border areas, said Koo Byoungsam, the ministrys spokesperson. In his inaugural address last week, Lee vowed to reopen communication channels with North Korea. But prospects for an early resumption of dialogue between the rival Koreas remain dim. North Korea has consistently rejected offers from South Korea and the United States since 2019, when nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang collapsed over sanctions-related disagreements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The North's nuclear threats remain North Koreas priority in foreign policy is now firmly with Russia, which has received thousands of North Korean troops and large amounts of military equipment in recent months for its war with Ukraine. South Korean and U.S. officials have expressed concern that Kim in return could seek Russian technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by his nuclear weapons and missile program. Yoon, who was removed from office in April over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December, had focused on strengthening military partnerships with Washington and Tokyo and on securing stronger U.S. assurances of a swift and decisive nuclear response to defend the South against a North Korean nuclear attack. In a fierce reaction to Yoons policies, Kim declared in January 2024 that he was abandoning the long-standing goals of a peaceful unification with the South and instructed the rewriting of the Norths constitution to cement the South as a permanent principal enemy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following years of heightened testing activity, Kim has acquired a broad range of missiles that could potentially target rivals in Asia and the U.S. mainland. He has also called for increased production of nuclear materials to create more bombs. Rafael Mariano Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Monday that the U.N. nuclear watchdog is monitoring signs that North Korea may be building a new uranium-enrichment plant at its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon. __ Associated Press writer Hyung-jin Kim contributed to this report. South Koreas military has been ordered to stop playing K-Pop music and political propaganda in the direction of North Korea through loudspeakers. Seoul suspended the broadcasts along its demilitarised border on Wednesday morning as part of attempts by its new Left-wing government to cool tensions with its neighbour. A spokesman for South Koreas defence ministry said: The decision was made as part of efforts to carry out the promise of restoring inter-Korean trust and peace on the Korean Peninsula. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two countries are technically still at war because, despite a ceasefire in 1953, no formal peace treaty was ever signed to officially end the Korean War. Lee Jae-myung, who was elected as South Koreas new president last week, has vowed to restart talks with Pyongyang, which had considered the broadcasts to be an act of war and previously threatened to blow the loudspeakers up. Mr Lee said in his inaugural speech that he would open a communication channel with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula through talks and co-operation. The broadcasts, which have been running on and off since the 1960s, had included a wide range of music and messages, from pop songs to more sensitive segments on democracy and capitalism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Korea has also played broadcasts over the border, including messages condemning South Korea and its allies, but these have tended to be harder to hear because of the poor quality of the speakers used. The broadcasts on the South Korean side were paused in 2018 after the North sent balloons filled with waste paper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and manure over the border. They resumed last summer. A couple of weeks after they restarted, a new rubbish-filled balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound, prompting questions about the security of the countrys key facilities. The balloons had been sent in retaliation for propaganda drops by South Korea over the years, which have included USB sticks of television dramas and leaflets criticising the North Korean regime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this week, South Koreas ministry of unification also called for the end of the leaflet campaigns. Seoul suspended the broadcasts across the border into the North on Wednesday morning - Pedro PArdo/AFP via Getty Images However, it comes amid efforts by Pyongyang in recent years to bolster its information war and restrict outside information. The regime passed a law in 2020 which increased the punishment for anyone caught consuming or sharing foreign media, with unverified reports that some individuals had even been executed. In 2023, Pyongyang also outlawed common South Korean phrases and made it illegal to speak in a South Korean accent. Mr Lees overtures to the North are a departure from the more hardline approach of Yoon Suk Yeol, his predecessor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Yoon, who was impeached following a short-lived declaration of martial law in December, had ended engagement with Pyongyang and threatened to destroy the regime if it ever deployed nuclear weapons. North Korea has yet to comment on the loudspeakers announcement, though it has previously rejected efforts from both Seoul and the United States to resume engagement. 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. South Korea's military says it has suspended its loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts across the border to North Korea, as part of a bid to "restore trust" between both countries. The move comes a week after the country elected its new president Lee Jae-myung, who had campaigned on improving inter-Korean ties. Pyongyang considers the loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts an act of war and has threatened to blow them up in the past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were paused for six years but resumed in June last year in response to Pyongyang's campaign of sending rubbish-filled balloons across the border to the South. In recent years, the broadcasts have included news from both Koreas and abroad as well as information on democracy and life in the South. Ties between North and South Korea had deteriorated under previous president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was more hawkish towards Pyongyang. Yoon was impeached and removed from his post for briefly placing South Korea under martial law in December, citing supposed threats from anti-state forces and North Korea sympathisers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His successor, Lee, had campaigned on a series of pledges, including one to restart dialogue with Pyongyang and to reduce tensions between both countries. The move aims to "restore trust in inter-Korean relations and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula", the military said in a statement. But organisations advocating to improve the human rights of North Koreans have criticised the suspension. "The loudspeakers were a vital bridge to the North Korean people, a reminder that they are not forgotten. By turning them off, we've only strengthened Kim Jong Un's efforts to keep his people isolated," said Hana Song, the executive director of the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, based in Seoul. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The fact that one of the new government's first actions is to turn off the loudspeakers is a troubling sign," she added. "It suggests we're returning to the days of appeasing the North Korean regime." But residents living along the border have welcomed the move. They have for months complained that their lives have been blighted by the noise of the loudspeakers coming from both the South and North, sometimes in the middle of the night. One border region, Ganghwa county, said in a statement: "We hope this decision will lead to an end to North Korea's noise-based psychological warfare, allowing our residents to return to their normal daily lives." According to a report by South Korea's Yonhap news agency, the military's decision also took into account the fact that the North has no longer been sending rubbish-filled balloons across the border. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, by suspending instead of terminating the broadcasts, the military is signalling that the speakers could be fired up again if needed, adds Yonhap. Seoul claims the broadcasts can be heard as much as 10km (6.2 miles) across the border in the day and up to 24km (15 miles) at night. The suspension comes almost exactly a year after they were first resumed in June 2024 - when both countries had engaged in various retaliatory campaigns involving rubbish and propaganda balloons. Reuniting with the South had always been a key, if increasingly unrealistic, part of the North's ideology since the inception of the state - until Kim abandoned the idea earlier last year. Both countries are technically still at war since the Korean War ended in 1953 without a peace treaty. By Hyunsu Yim SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's military said on Wednesday it had suspended loudspeaker broadcasts near the border targeting North Korea, nearly a year after resuming the propaganda and K-pop blasts during a time of growing tension with its neighbour. The step makes good on a promise by President Lee Jae-myung, who took office this month vowing to resume dialogue with the North, suspend the loudspeaker broadcasts and restore a suspended military pact with Pyongyang. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lee ordered the pre-emptive measure to ease tension, reduce military confrontation and build trust, his spokesperson, Kang Yu-jung, told a briefing, as North Korea has refrained from provocations lately. "Now it is North Korea's turn to respond," ruling party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo said in a statement. "Please stop broadcasting noise at the South." Those living near the heavily fortified border have opposed the loudspeaker broadcasts, which they blame for severe noise nuisance. Seoul's resumption last July of a round-the-clock campaign of loudspeaker broadcasts was in response to Pyongyang's launch of balloons carrying trash over the border, the South's military said then. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pyongyang had said the balloons were retaliation for a propaganda campaign by North Korean defectors and activists in the South who regularly send inflatables with anti-Pyongyang leaflets and other items across the border. The two Koreas remain technically at war since an armistice ended fighting in the Korean War of 1950 to 1953. (Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Clarence Fernandez) DALLAS (AP) Southern Baptist representatives on Wednesday fended off two efforts to move the staunchly conservative body even more sharply to the right, giving a vote of confidence to its public-policy agency and defeating a proposed constitutional ban on churches with women pastors. The votes came just before the adjournment of the two-day annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nations largest Protestant denomination. Church messengers voted 3,744-2,819 to retain their public policy agency, rejecting calls for its abolition from those who allege the entity is tainted by liberal affiliations on immigration issues and who want it to be even more conservative than it already is. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bid to enshrine a ban on churches with women pastors in the SBC constitution received a 3,421-2,191 vote, but that 61% majority fell short of the two-thirds support needed to initiate a constitutional ban. The measures reflect debate only on the degree of conservatism in the SBC. It comes just a day after messengers overwhelmingly endorsed a call to overturn the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage, and any other court and legislative actions with similar results. And it comes in a denomination that officially opposes women pastors, and where the debate is over whether that applies to women in subordinate pastoral roles. The action affirming the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission amounted to a vote of confidence in the public advocacy voice of the nations largest evangelical body, coming at a time when Christian conservatives have unprecedented influence in Washington. Willy Rice, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Florida, said he filed the motion to abolish the ERLC with the aim of making it heed member criticisms. Had the measure passed, he argued, it would have given the agency time to enact changes by next years annual meeting, when its fate would have come up for a final vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But make no mistake, this motion is a wake-up call, he said. But Richard Land, a former longtime president of the commission, said it would be tragic to silence Baptists' voice in Washington. We have more opportunity right now to influence public policy in our nations capital than we have had in my lifetime, Land said. We have a president who is more sympathetic. We have more congressmen and senators who are sympathetic to what we as Southern Baptists are trying to do, and to turn back the barbarians at the gate in our culture. President Donald Trump has created at least three religion-focused entities with a strong evangelical Christian influence, reflecting the overwhelming support he's received from that demographic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brent Leatherwood, president of the ERLC, presented a slideshow in defense of the organization. It included a photo of him with House Speaker Mike Johnson, a fellow Southern Baptist. A day before the vote, an ERLC event championed a Tennessee ban on certain medical treatments for transgender minors that faces a Supreme Court challenge. Abolishing the organization means the public square would be abandoned by the SBC, losing a powerful voice for the truth of the Gospel and in effect, rewarding secular efforts to push religion out, Leatherwood said. What does the ERLC do? While not a lobbying organization, the ERLC has advocated against abortion and transgender rights. It has promoted a strongly pro-Israel stance, a longtime evangelical priority. The commission has also provided ultrasound machines for organizations that seek to dissuade women from having abortions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leatherwood credited the ERLC with advocating for the repeal of Roe v. Wade, which was realized in a 2022 Supreme Court decision ending the nationwide right to an abortion. That was followed by abortion bans in several states. Leatherwood also touted ERLC advocacy for a pending congressional move to defund Planned Parenthood. But some criticism focused on the ERLC's opposition to criminal penalties for women who seek abortions. Time after time, theyve opposed righteous pro-life legislation that seeks equal justice for the unborn, arguing that those who choose abortion should face no legal consequences, Ethan Jago, pastor of Five Bridges Church in Panama City, Florida, said in calling for the vote to abolish the commission. Rice contended that outside progressive advocacy organizations have financially supported the commission. But Leatherwood said more than 98% of commission funding comes from the SBC, with the remaining coming Baptist state conventions and individuals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the ERLC has been criticized for its advocacy on immigration reform, the commission says it has promoted only stances in keeping with official SBC resolutions calling for both the rule of law and respect for human dignity. Women in pastoral roles debated The proposal on women pastors was a rerun of recent years' meetings. A similar proposal received two-thirds of votes in 2023, but fell just short of the necessary supermajority in 2024. Wednesdays vote sought to restart the process. The denominations official statement of belief, the Baptist Faith and Message, reserves the role of pastor to men. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Southern Baptist churches are self-governing. But the convention can kick them out if deemed not in friendly cooperation, based in part on how closely they adhere to the Baptist Faith and Message on issues such as women pastors. But there remain disagreements over whether the faith statement applies only to women as a senior pastor or similar role, or whether it applies to ministry assistants with the title of pastor. In recent years, the convention began purging churches that either had women as lead pastors or asserted that they could serve that role. That included one of its largest congregations, Californias Saddleback Church. But when an SBC committee this year retained a South Carolina megachurch with a woman on its pastoral staff, some argued this proved the need for a constitutional amendment. The church later quit the denomination of its own accord. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other ERLC-related controversies Criticism has long dogged the ERLC. After Leatherwood last year commended former President Joe Biden who is deeply unpopular among religious conservatives for withdrawing his reelection bid, the then-chairman of the commission announced his firing. However, the commission retracted that announcement and the chairman resigned when it became clear that its board's executive committee hadn't agreed to that. Instead, the board gave Leatherwood a strong vote of confidence along with a warning against stirring unnecessary controversy. A previous commission president drew fire for his harsh criticisms of pro-Trump pastors in 2016. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Southern Baptists, whose faith includes over 12 million members in the US, have endorsed a ban to end same-sex marriage in America. The moment marks the first time the group has officially opposed the ruling in Obergefell v Hodges, the 2015 landmark Supreme Court case backing same-sex marriage. The votes on Tuesday came during the annual Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas, Texas, attended by over 10,000 church representatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experts say the evangelical group's values have increasingly shifted to align with the Christian right, a branch of conservatism that has gained momentum under US President Donald Trump. The Southern Baptists' resolution does not use the word "ban" directly. Instead, it calls for the "overturning of laws and court rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges, that defy God's design for marriage and family". The resolution also calls "for laws that affirm marriage between one man and one woman". Any legal reversal of the Supreme Court's Obergefell decision would not lead automatically to a nationwide ban of same-sex marriage. Thirty-six states had already legalised same-sex marriage at the time of the ruling, and nearly 70% of Americans still support it, polls show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What we're trying to do is keep the conversation alive," Andrew Walker, an ethicist at a Southern Baptist seminary in Kentucky who wrote the resolution, told the New York Times. Although the resolution is non-binding, it comes from a large, influential faction of President Trump's base and sends a direct message to the White House. Eighty-five percent of white evangelical Protestants are likely to be Republican voters, according to a 2024 Pew Research survey. "I think there is a confidence that (Trump) will have their backs," Kristin Du Mez, a Calvin University history professor specializing in religion and politics, told the BBC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In some ways, it's an uphill battle," she said. "But I do think they sense that there's been this shift, that there may be a window opening, and that they think this is the right time to press this issue." She described a "transactional element" to the relationship between evangelicals and Trump, whose Supreme Court nominations helped end national abortion rights. Evangelicals also played a "very prominent" role overturning Roe v Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that protected abortion for nearly 50 years before it was overturned in 2022, said Ms Du Mez. She said she believes evangelicals may be using the same blueprint to end same-sex marriage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I know some of the leaders have pointed to Roe v Wade as a model of the need to play the long game," she said. Trump's message on same-sex marriage has been mixed over the years, telling CNN in 2015 that he supported "traditional marriage" then, in a 60 Minutes interview in 2016, saying he was "fine" with same-sex marriage. In his second term, however, he has launched a campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) with multiple directives targeting LGBTQ groups. This includes banning transgender people from serving the military, and revoking a Biden-era executive order preventing discrimination "on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation". Fear and anxiety in LGBTQ communities have grown as a result, leading some international organisations to boycott World Pride in Washington DC this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And although public support largely remains behind same-sex marriage, the Southern Baptists' resolution has added to LGBTQ groups' sense of alarm. "This is a very visible example of how attacks on the LGBTQ+ community as a whole have intensified, even as politicians take aim at transgender people as a tactic to divide us," Laurel Powell, Human Rights Campaign communications director, said in a statement to the BBC. "We will never stop fighting to love who we love and be who we are." The Southern Baptist Convention narrowly retained its public policy arm and showed strong support for a proposed constitutional ban on women pastors despite the measure's failure to receive a supermajority vote, replicating feuds the nations largest Protestant denomination has dealt with in the past couple of years. Legislative debates about women pastors and about the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission at this years SBC annual meeting in Dallas have led some to complain the convention is spinning its wheels. A renewed proposal at the Dallas legislative assembly for a constitutional ban on women pastors failed because it didn't meet a supermajority vote. Sixty percent of delegates, called messengers, voted for the proposal, just short of the required threshold. Messengers at the Southern Baptist Conventions annual meeting raise their ballots to vote on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. Why do they feel like they need to keep bringing this up over and over again when they already have mechanisms by which they can disfellowship churches, Meredith Stone, executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry, said at a June 10 event protesting support for banning women pastors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposed ban was the central debate at the 2023 and 2024 SBC annual meetings, and this week in Dallas messengers moved to reverse the last years outcome. If two-thirds majority of messengers approved the measure, it would have required a ratification vote at next year's SBC annual meeting in Orlando. SBC President Clint Pressley doesn't see these recurring debates as necessarily problematic, and in fact says it's a reflection of Southern Baptists' continued commitment to the convention business. "Thats the great thing about Southern Baptists is that they have a conversation, dont win a vote, and they still keep coming," Pressley, a North Carolina pastor, said in a June 11 news conference. Pressley said he expects some of the major legislative conversations at this year's SBC annual meeting to reemerge next year. Southern Baptist Convention president Clint Pressley speaks during the Conventions annual meeting on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. Messengers reelected Pressley to a second term, meaning he will preside over the 2026 SBC annual meeting in Orlando. This year, the convention also approved a resolution calling for the reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Obergefell v. Hodges on the month of the 10-year anniversary of the landmark ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission advocates for beliefs articulated in SBC resolutions, and is a reason why ERLC president Brent Leatherwood said the commissions work is essential for the denomination. Leatherwood addressed messengers before it debated the proposal to abolish the ERLC, saying eradicating the commission means the public square would be abandoned by the SBC, losing a powerful voice for the truth of the gospel and in effect rewarding secular efforts to push religion out. Critics have accused the ERLC of promoting views on issues like the environment, immigration, and the war in Ukraine that are inconsistent with conventional Southern Baptist values. Leatherwood has been the specifically been a target of those attacks. He nearly lost his job last year when the commissions former board chair acted unilaterally to remove Leatherwood, who shortly before had commended former President Joe Biden for dropping out of the U.S. presidential race. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission faced attacks at the 2022, 2023 and 2024 SBC annual meetings, each time narrowly surviving. This year, 56% of messengers voted to reject a proposal to abolish the ERLC. Exhaustion with debate on women pastorson both sides The SBC seemed to settle the fight over women pastors at the 2024 SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis, but controversies since then have emboldened some Southern Baptists to resurrect the proposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In February, SBC administrative leaders opted not to disfellowship, or oust, a South Carolina megachurch that employs a woman pastor. The SBC Executive Committee did oust an Anchorage, Alaska congregation over an apparent set of beliefs on women pastors at odds with the denomination's position. The South Carolina megachurch, NewSpring Church, ultimately withdrew from the SBC. If we dont give them that clarity, were going to have to come back year after year to debate this indefinitely, Travis Hartwell, a messenger from Houston, said during a June 11 floor debate. I for one do not wish to come to the convention every year to debate female pastors. Ultimately, the vote outcome at the Dallas meeting mirrored that of the 2024 SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis when a strong majority of messengers supported the proposal, but it was just short of a required supermajority. Messengers at the Southern Baptist Conventions annual meeting file towards the convention hall on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, during the Southern Baptist Conventions annual meeting in Dallas. Baptist Women in Ministry, a nonprofit that advocates for women in church leadership roles, organized the June 10 panel discussion on women pastors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What the Southern Baptist Convention is doing today in regards to women is one of the harshest measures against women in ministry in the western world, said panelist Beth Allison Barr, a religious historian. Its really making it clear to women that you belong under male power and theres no way around it. This story was updated to include a quote from SBC President Clint Pressley. Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at ladams@tennessean.com or on social media @liamsadams. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Southern Baptists repeat public policy, women pastors feuds in Dallas A Southern California fourth grader who was detained by immigration officials was deported and is now living with his father in Honduras. Martir Garcia Lara, 9, is adjusting to his new life in the small town of Tegucigalpa. I was scared to come here, he shared in an interview with Univision. Lara was a student at Torrance Elementary School whose detainment sparked outrage from teachers and community members who knew the boy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On May 29, he attended an immigration hearing in downtown Los Angeles with his father, Martir Garcia-Banegas, 50. Instead of receiving an update on their immigration status, the boy and his father were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). After a short separation, the next day, they were transferred to an immigration facility in Texas with plans to deport them to Honduras. Martir Garcia Lara, 9, speaks with a Univision reporter after he and his father were deported from Southern California and back to Temputitalpa, Honduras. (Univision) Martir Garcia Lara, 9, and his father, Martir Garcia-Banegas, 50, speak with a Univision reporter after he and his father were deported from Southern California and back to Temputitalpa, Honduras. (Univision) Martir Garcia Lara, 9, and his father, Martir Garcia-Banegas, 50, speak with a Univision reporter after he and his father were deported from Southern California and back to Temputitalpa, Honduras. (Univision) 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) Martir Garcia Lara, 9, and his father, Martir Garcia-Banegas, 50, are seen in a family photo. Martir Garcia Lara, 9, speaks with a Univision reporter after he and his father were deported from Southern California and back to Temputitalpa, Honduras. (Univision) Torrance Elementary School in Torrance, California. (KTLA) ICE officials said on July 10, 2021, the boy and his father left their hometown and illegally entered the U.S. On Sept. 1, 2022, an immigration judge ordered the pair to return to Honduras. Garcia-Banegas appealed the decision, but on Aug. 11, 2023, the appeal was dismissed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. News of the boys detainment had teachers and community members rallying together to find a way to help the pair stay in the country. Lara had been a student at Torrance Elementary since the first grade. However, federal officials said the father and son had exhausted due process and have no legal remedies left to pursue. Just days ago, they landed in Honduras. The 9-year-old said he misses his life in Torrance and is working to adjust to his new reality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I want to see my friends again, Lara said. I miss all my friends. The boys father said he hopes his case will be reconsidered in the future. In the meantime, he is working to provide for his son the best he can. Theyre being cruel to people, Garcia-Banegas said about the ICE raids in Los Angeles. All of it its inhumane. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Loved ones are heartbroken after a Southern California mother was detained and deported after a routine immigration hearing. Maria Valeriano Perez, 52, is a mother of three children who has lived in the U.S. for 35 years. She had been working as a custodian in Ventura County for years. Her family said she attended an immigration appointment on June 4 and, instead of receiving an update on her case, she was immediately handcuffed and taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Maria Valeriano Perez, 52, is seen with two of her children in family photo. Maria Valeriano Perez, 52, has worked as a custodian and lived in Southern California for 35 years. (Perez Family) Maria Valeriano Perez, 52, is seen her children in family photo. Maria Valeriano Perez, is seen hugging one of her children before she was deported to Oaxaca, Mexico. (PErez Family) She was transported to a federal detention center in downtown L.A. and was eventually deported to Oaxaca, Mexico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marias daughter, Erika Perez, said she was not only in shock over her mothers detainment, but also by the reportedly heartbreaking conditions her mother had witnessed. She told me about women inside banging doors, begging for food, Erika told KTLAs Sandra Mitchell. They were so hungry that they would pretend they were drinking [and eating.] Erika said her mother described the detention facility conditions as bleak a place where men, women and children were crowded into a single room for processing. The women would crawl under benches and start crying just to escape the nightmare that they were going through, Erika said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kamilla Ponce, whose uncle was also detained by ICE, said he was not provided with much information during the process. They didnt even ask if they had papers or if they were documented or had proof of ID, they just rounded them all up, Ponce said. Her uncle, Rodolfo Ponce Flores, was taken into custody during a raid in the Garment District in downtown L.A. on June 6. She said in just a few days, he had been moved to at least three different facilities across three different counties in SoCal. We tried to go see him, but they said, No, Ponce said. They were not letting anybody in, not even the lawyers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Erika said her mother has accepted her fate that she may never gain U.S. citizenship, it doesnt change the effect her absence will have on her friends, loved ones and community members. She told me to take care of my siblings and that its going to be okay, Erika said of her last conversation with her mother before she was deported. Im just devastated. Shes gone now. She left me alone to raise my two other siblings. Under a new policy from the Trump Administration, Maria would not be able to apply for re-admission into the U.S. for another 10 years. A GoFundMe page to help the Perez family can be found here. A campaign to help Ponces uncle can be found 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. GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) Author Rob Christensen will speak at Pitt County Democratic Party meeting and host book signing in Greenville, Saturday, June 14th. According to a press release, Christensen will be a guest speaker at the Pitt County Democratic Party meeting on Saturday, June 14, at 10 a.m. at Alice Keene Park, 4561 County Home Road, Greenville. After the meeting, Christensen will have a book signing at Barnes & Noble, located at 3040 Evans Street, Greenville, beginning approximately at noon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Christensen released his latest book Southern News, Southern Politics in March and has also authored The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics and The Rise and Fall of the Branchhead Boys. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SOUTHINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) Southington community members are demanding answers following reports of an ICE raid at a local car wash Monday. Video provided to News 8 shows employees of D-Hand car wash being approached by unidentified people wearing all-black. Then, a number of the workers are led by the alleged federal agents into a black SUV. Meriden high school senior detained by ICE: Superintendent Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement German Ramirez is the owner of the car wash and says four of his employees were detained by who he believes were ICE or agents with Homeland Security. Ramirez said it was scary for them. He added, his workers were not criminal guys, very good people, working seven days a week. Ramirez says the men were young, between 28 and 32, and had been living in the U.S from Guatemala for the past eight years. He told News 8 they are currently being held in Boston. Southington Council Member Jack Perry says neither the town nor police received any communication from ICE. Its alarming that theyre not identified and theyre grabbing individuals from the community, he told News 8. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perry says the town cannot confirm the mens immigration status. News 8 has reached out to ICE for more details. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Southwest Airlines is still dealing with passenger fallout over its elimination of free checked bags for most customers. The popular, largely domestic airline's deviation away from unassigned seating was also a significant change for people to absorb. At the same time, Southwest is making some other big moves that might be more to passengers' liking. And one of them would be massive. The airline is planning to move headfirst into the international market. That means that Southwest could start offering fares to Europe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The airline may add a route to Reykjavik, Iceland, in early 2026, according to Aviation2z. That would be the airline's first flight to Europe, according to View from the Wing. The significance is that this would be Southwest's "first transatlantic route." Normally a domestic airline, Southwest Airlines "is expected by many to announce its first flight to Europe," that site reported. Perhaps more significantly, it may signal the start of something bigger for the airline. Customers may have the ability to fly to new European routes through Southwest down the road. The airline "may use its upcoming partnership with Icelandair (FI) to offer access to additional European destinations," the Aviation2z site reported, "leveraging Iceland as a strategic entry point into Europe." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to View From the Wing, with the exception of Mexico and the Caribbean, Southwest has been mostly known as a domestic carrier. Until the near future, perhaps. That site explained that Iceland is the best choice for the launch because Southwest's planes can make it there. The Points Guy noted that the airline has had some flights outside the U.S. before, but the last one added was to Cozumel in 2020, which stopped in 2024. "We believe its first forays into long-haul international service could involve connecting into Reykjavik, which is in range for its [737] MAX 8s," wrote Tom Fitzgerald, an airline analyst, in a May 31 report, according to The Points Guy. Related: Southwest Airlines Announces 'Unprecedented' Change Amid Free Bag Outrage Southwest Airlines Might Fly to Europe in Major Change first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 11, 2025 SPRINGFIELD Last Saturday, Southwick native Troy Henke was elected as the state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Massachusetts, which was less than a decade after he joined the organization that is dedicated to serving veterans, the military and their communities. Its a labor of love, Henke said Monday about his commitment to the veterans group, which he joined in 2017. And that labor is all on a volunteer basis, as it is with all members of the VFW and its leadership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It can feel like it, certainly, Henke said when asked if being elevated to the groups top spot is a full-time job. It takes up most of my discretionary time, and sometimes my discretionary income, he said laughing. He knows because he ascended to state commander after serving a year in the role of senior vice commander. Henkes journey to becoming state commander began in 2001 when he joined the U.S. Army Reserves when he was only 17 and a junior in high school. After basic training, he graduated from St. Marys High School in 2001. While serving after his graduation, Henke was deployed twice to Paraguay in 2002 and then in Iraq in 2003, earning an honorable discharge in 2008. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He didnt really get involved in the Ransford W. Kellogg-General Knox VFW Post 872 until the War Memorial in Southwick was being renovated and learned from Joseph Deedy, the president of the Southwick Civic Fund, that the new granite markers were going to be installed without the names of those from town who served in the military. When he told me that, I took ownership of getting the names, he said. While compiling and researching the towns vets he realized that he was essentially working for the VFW, which was leading the effort with the American Legion Post 338 with financial support from the Southwick Civic Fund. But it took a few months before he was ready to join. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was the best thing that ever happened, he said. Henke readily acknowledge that he had a few difficult years after leaving the military. I was in a big funk for a long time. The financial crash of 2008 and just getting back from Iraq. He called it a dark place, that many veterans understand. How did he get through it? Me and God, he said, but added that joining the VFW help his healing. Slowly, but surely, the old Troy started coming out, he said. Once he got involved, his responsibilities grew. After serving as the chairman of Post 372, in 2019 he was elected as the commander for District Seven that encompasses all 15 posts in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Involved at the district level for three years, with serving as commander in 2019 for a year served as the district adjutant which came between his two years a district commander. That included the pandemic years. We had some real challenges, he said of that time. He said the district was dealing with issues of food security with veterans, their families, and Gold Star families. During the pandemic the district partnered with the nonprofit Massachusetts Military Support Foundation to provide food boxes for those vets in need, Henke said. That work resulted in District Seven being chosen as District of the Year in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also, during his second stint as district commander, Henke was actively involved in having $400 million included in the states 2021 bond bill to build the Holyoke Veterans Home. We helped get that bond bill over the finish line, Henke said, of the effort he calls one of his proudest moments while serving. He was also the driving force to develop and dedicate the Veterans Memorial Foyer at Southwick Regional School. It was during those accomplishments when he was approached about getting involved with the state leadership of the VFW. He first served on the state level as the state surgeon, which focuses on medical issues that affect veterans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While in that role, he focused on veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and those suffering from what is called Adjustment Disorder. Henke said there is a difference between the two, because he had first-hand knowledge. When he first got back from Iraq he began experiencing some of the emotional issues associated with PTSD. But I didnt see combat and didnt understand what was going on, he said. Once he learned about adjustment disorder, he said it all made sense about his feelings, and it was then he understood it was a temporary injury that could be overcome with the right help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When vets are released from active service, they have to learn how to transition back into society for things like competing for a job, he said. He also acknowledged that some returning vets never make the adjustment and without the right help, they often have the same ending as the vets who suffer from PTSD suicide. Not treated, it can lead to the same result, he said. Henke said progress had been made on that front with the number of vets taking their own life down from 22 a day to 17. His next stint on in the state leadership was after being elected state adjutant. The adjutant serves as the organizations parliamentarian and learns the groups bylaws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, while serving as adjutant he utilized the groups School of Instruction program, which helps individual posts when leadership changes. Henke said leading a VFW post is like running a small business with a building to maintain and revenues that come from running a canteen or a bar. They dont know what they dont know, he said with a chuckle. That School of Instruction educates new chairmen on taxes, maintaining its incorporated status as active, and insuring it meets federal guidelines on running a nonprofit. After serving at the state adjutant, he was elected junior vice commander. While serving in that role he worked with the Medic Now Foundation, which operates in Plymouth, to raise $32,000, which is used to continue the mission of the foundation, which is to help service members cover out-of-pocket medical expenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, he was elected senior vice commander, which was when it started getting real and getting ready to take command. The senior vice commanders primary function is to support the commander, which helped keep me in the trenches with the posts, Henke said. As commander, he said he will continue to push a bill through the state Legislature that would allow disabled veterans to be eligible for a property tax abatement that mirrors their level of disability. Henke said he will be advocating for the program, which some municipalities already use, to be state law. He explained the proposal. If a veteran is 70% disabled as a result of a service injury, their property taxes would be abated by that same amount. That bill has languished in the Legislature since 2013, he said. Henke, 43, is a locomotive engineer, and is married to Elizabeth and they have two children, Joseph and Katherine. He has two children from a previous marriage, Evelyn and Lauren. Read the original article on MassLive. NEED TO KNOW A New York City jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty on one count of criminal sexual act and not guilty on a second. Three women testified against the disgraced movie mogul Weinstein has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of one charge of criminal sexual act and not guilty of a second charge, PEOPLE confirms. The jury is still deliberating on the third-degree rape charge involving actress Jessica Mann. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, 48, testified that Weinstein, 73, forced oral sex on her at his SoHo apartment in July 2006. Former model Kaja Sokola, 39, also testified that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006, when she was just 19 years old. Actress Jessica Mann, meanwhile, testified that the former Miramax chief raped her in a New York hotel room in 2013. Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein 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. Weinstein has been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women, and the initial allegations against him in 2017 sparked the global #MeToo movement. He has denied all wrongdoing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In February 2020, Weinstein was convicted on state charges of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape in New York, and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. However, in April 2024, the New York Court of Appeals overturned his conviction, finding that the trial judge erroneously allowed three women whose allegations were not a part of the criminal case against Weinstein to testify about his alleged prior bad acts. In 2022, Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault in California, a conviction that still stands. Weinstein did not take the stand in his defense at the retrial. In a rare interview Friday with Fox 5's "Good Day New York," Weinstein said he took the advice from his lawyer to stay silent in court, lest the District Attorney "try to rip me apart." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also claimed to have "regrets" about how he "acted immorally," and over what his family had been put through. However, he claimed none of his actions were illegal. NPR reported that Weinstein has recently received treatment for bone marrow cancer. PEOPLE reported in 2024 that he had emergency heart surgery at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org. Read the original article on People SPRINGFIELD The City Council took the first step to pull synthetic marijuana products off the shelves of stores across the city, but some aired concerns that the proposed ordinance isnt strong enough. Mayor Domenic J. Sarno with Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris, police and the citys lawyers last week announced they were submitting a proposal to the City Council to close a loophole that allows the unregulated products that will produce a high to be sold in retail stores. It is very scary, and the situation is getting out of control, said City Councilor Maria Perez, who is working with city officials to get the ordinance passed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The problem is also pervasive with at least a dozen stores across the city found to be carrying the products, Caulton-Harris said. While legal cannabis is heavily regulated and tested before sold, manufacturers get around the law by selling hemp products, which are considered agriculture and unregulated by the states Cannabis Control Commission, because they contain such a tiny amount of THC they do not produce a high. The problem is the gas station weed is infused with a substance that provides that high, leaving the products unregulated, untested and available to people under 21. Perez said she was horrified to realize the products are sold near candy and cookies. Since much of the packaging looks similar to popular candy brands, it could easily be confused by a child who just wants a snack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the announcement last week, Sarno and others said the products are untested and some are found to contain pesticides, mold, bacteria and metals. Ingredients are not listed on the packaging with one product describing the contents as 100% magic. It is a health and safety issue, Perez said. The City Council voted 10-0 Monday to pass the first step of the ordinance and send it to subcommittee for more discussion. It will have to return to the City Council for a final vote after the proposal is further debated. The ordinance would allow any packages to be confiscated and a fine would be levied for $300 for each item. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several city councilors asked if fines can be stricter to add more teeth to the ordinance. Stephen Buoniconti, the city solicitor, said last week $300 is the maximum fine the city can issue under its regulations. City Councilor Melvin Edwards said members have to discuss who will have the authority to seize the products and how to make the ordinance stronger. At the same time, state legislators are debating a bill to ban the product from stores across the commonwealth. Read the original article on MassLive. SPRINGFIELD Mayor Domenic J. Sarno is expected to announce Thursday the availability of more than $420,000 for summer programs for city children. The announcement is to take place at 1:30 p.m. at the Springfield JCC at 1160 Dickinson St. There will be 16 local programs that will benefit from the funding. Groups will be named publicly Thursday. The funding will come through the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership. The partnership group was one of seven organizations in the state that also will offer wraparound supports to kids after school and out of school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To date, the group has awarded $4.1 million to about 30 local agencies that provide after school and summer programming for approximately 3,700 students. The Empowerment Zone Partnership is an independent nonprofit group founded in 2015 as a joint venture of Springfield Public Schools, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Springfield Education Association. It seeks to improve the lives of nearly 5,000 students in the 16 city middle and high schools that it manages and operates, in pursuit of equity, and acknowledging and combating the systemic oppression that school community members face daily. Read the original article on MassLive. ST. LOUIS The St. Louis Public Schools School District (SLPS) continues to navigate the aftermath of the May 16 tornado. The massive tornado left behind damage to thousands of buildings, including multiple ones in the St. Louis Public School District. A total of six schools, along with programs from another campus, wont reopen in time for the start of the new school year. On Tuesday, SLPS announced that students who attend some of the hardest-hit schools will be relocated to new schools to start the new school year, at least on a temporary basis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have determined that it is in the best interest of our students and families to house students from the most impacted schools at other SLPS locations at the start of the school year until we have a clear and firm plan for the restoration and reopening of their original buildings. This decision allows us to provide stability and continuity for our students while we meticulously work through the complexities of rebuilding, said SLPS in a Tuesday news release. No ICE demonstration comes to STL According to SLPS, to start the 2025-26 school year: Ashland Elementary students will be housed at Jefferson Elementary. Hickey Elementary students will be housed at Walbridge Elementary. Washington Montessori students will be housed at Ames Visual and Performing Arts Elementary. Yeatman-Liddell Middle students will be housed at Gateway Middle School. Soldan International Studies High students will be housed at Gateway STEM High. Sumner High students will be housed at Clyde C. Miller College Prep Academy. Programs at Beaumont Technical Center will be housed at Clyde C. Miller College Prep Academy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SLPS says its team is working to diligently assess the needs of school buildings damaged by the storms, taking into account ongoing insurance matters, funding and construction timelines. At this point, it is unclear when the impacted schools may reopen. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Brief A St. Pete man plans to sail 5,500 miles to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities. He left on Tuesday from Tierra Verde. The money will go directly to Ronald McDonald Houses in the Tampa Bay Area. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla - Starting Tuesday, a pontoon boat will be Darren Hayes home for the next four months. "I'm actually sleeping on that boat," Hayes said. "I'm camping on it for four months, and I'm sacrificing my comfortable night stays to raise funds so that families can stay in a hotel comfortably throughout the duration of their stay," he said. A St. Pete man plans to sail 5,500 miles to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities. Hayes is traveling 5,500 miles in the boat to raise awareness and support for Ronald McDonald House Charitites of Tampa Bay. His goal is to raise $100,000 for the charity, and the money will go directly to five Ronald McDonald Houses in the Tampa Bay Area. What they're saying "Our mission is to remove barriers of access to health care for families when their children are receiving life-saving medical treatment, and barriers could be a lot of different things," Bryanna Tramontana, Associate Director of Corporate and Community Engagement Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay, said. "It could be housing. It could transportation. It could meals. It can be all the things that stop a family from staying together during their toughest times," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It costs us at least $100 a night to house a family. I mean, think about the extended journeys our families have while they stay with us. Some of them as little as one night. Others as long as years while their children receive life-saving treatment," Tramontana said. "The impact (of Hayes' donation) truly just can't be overstated." Hayes said he was inspired by family friends whose daughter had brain cancer. "We wanted to do a fundraiser for his family, and we did, and he requested that we take the funds that we raised and give it to the hospital, the Ronald McDonald House, because they took care of him while his family was in need," Hayes said. A St. Pete man plans to sail 5,500 miles to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities. She sadly did not survive her fight with cancer. Hayes named the tractor he drove from Florida to Michigan after her to raise money for Ronald McDonald several years ago. He has also driven a 48 Ford through 48 states to raise money for the charity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We've done a couple of goofy trips in the past. They've both been on land. However, I love boats. I love being on boats, and this, I figured, was a great way to really get attention and put the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay in the limelight," he said. READ: Palm Harbor entrepreneur launches portable energy storage unit for hurricane season Hayes is looking for a name for the boat that Worldwide Yacht Sales in Tierra Verde lent him for the voyage. "I would love a good survivor story this year. So, if you could go to our social media and do some submissions, give us the names that you think you would like to see on the side of this boat and give us a backstory as to why you would like us to name it that. Maybe somebody that's been in your family that's being impacted by the Ronald McDonald House or any other children's hospital for that matter," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hayes said hes ready for all the elements. He plans to head south, then up the east coast to New York and eventually loop back around, ending in Treasure Island. He hopes to cover 80 to 90 miles a day. "My reaction to hearing about this journey was very much like, oh, this is kind of like Forrest Gump. Like, you're traveling this long distance to raise awareness, and it was incredible," Tramontana said. Hayes will stop at bars and restaurants to hold fundraisers along the way. "Once I got to see the difference that the donations actually make to these families, it's hard to not do something to help," he said. Timeline He left from the Tierra Verde Marina Resort around 1 p.m. Tuesday and hopes to get to Cape Coral by Tuesday night. You can follow his four-month-long journey and donate on his social media pages and website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kailey Tracy. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) The Standard School District made an abrupt announcement of Superintendent Dr. Jocelyn Hivelys resignation at its board meeting on Tuesday. The board of education said it has reached a mutual agreement with Hively regarding her resignation. Hivelys position as superintendent will end June 30, according to the board. Dr. Hively has served our district with dedication and commitment during her tenure, and the board acknowledges and appreciates our contributions in our schools, staff, students and community under her leadership, the board said in a statement at the meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mark Luque lands new job after surprise resignation as head of Bakersfield City School District The board said it was a mutual decision to move forward with a leadership transition. Standard School District Board President Pamela Jacobsen read a statement from Hively. Hively was not present at the meeting. I took this role to make a real difference, to raise expectations, strengthen teaching and learning and build a more equitable and excellent school system, Hively said. After thoughtful consideration, Ive decided its the right time for me to step away from the district, Hively said. For a district to succeed, the board and superintendent need to be fully aligned in both vision and action, our students deserve nothing less than our unified best. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jacobsen also condemned the mean-spirited, hurtful communications that have allegedly been directed towards Hively, asking for those comments to stop. We offer a stern reminder that this is a professional organization and one that should indeed, and must always, model appropriate communications, Jacobsen said. The resignation comes after the Standard Teachers Association passed a resolution of no confidence in Hively at the May 13 board meeting. Never miss a story: Make KGET.com your homepage STA previously accused Hively of taking too many out-of-state trips and conferences and expressed concerns about Hively serving as a superintendent despite having no past credentials as a teacher herself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No one from STA or SEIU made a comment at the meeting. Hively will receive payment equal to six months of base salary starting Jan. 1, 2026, the board announced at the meeting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. This story was originally published on Restaurant Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Restaurant Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Starbucks will add at least one dedicated, full-time assistant store manager to most of its company-owned restaurants starting in the fall, Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly wrote in a company post Tuesday. An assistant manager will provide consistent leadership during operating hours and help run the store, oversee teams and serve customers. Adding more assistant managers will help the chain with a critical shortage occurring in store-level leadership. Roughly 20% of the chains stores have an assistant store manager, and they often tend to be short-term, Kelly said. Dive Insight: Ensuring stores are properly staffed is part of CEO Brian Niccols Back to Starbucks plan to improve the overall coffeehouse experience for staff and customers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The initial phase of this assistant manager plan will roll out across six U.S. company-operated districts in September. The company will gather learnings from these pilots before scaling full-time assistant manager roles to a majority of its stores in 2026. In Canada, the assistant manager expansion will begin in the summer of 2026. For many, it will also be a meaningful first step into coffeehouse leadership, supporting Starbucks goal to develop talent, support internal career growth, and hire 90% of retail leadership roles from within, Kelly said. This move also builds upon the chains new Green Apron Service model that it began deploying across 2,000 company-owned locations in the U.S. in May. That model combines and unifies new service standards and expectations, changes to partner plays and deployment, streamlined routines, and our order sequencing algorithm, Niccol said during an April earnings call. Niccol said that the new service model would add more flexibility to its operations in addition to improving peak throughput, capturing demand, boosting the customer experience and growing transactions. The chain has paused its rollout of its Siren Craft System and curtailed the deployment of a cold press and cold brew equipment as it focuses on its new service model, which has more potential to improve throughput and connection while minimizing future capital expenditures on equipment, Niccol said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Starbucks also said this week that it is testing a virtual assistant in 35 stores that will help staff look up recipes, troubleshoot equipment and schedule last-minute callouts. This technology, which can be used on an iPad, is meant to also improve employees productivity and the guest experience. Recommended Reading Politicians from across divided Northern Ireland joined forces on Wednesday to call for calm after two nights of riots targeting foreigners, as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the "mindless" violence. The unrest that injured 15 police officers on Monday and 17 on Tuesday has included rioters throwing petrol bombs, fireworks and bricks at homes and businesses. It was triggered by the arrest of two teenagers accused of attempting to rape a young girl. The pair appeared in court on Monday where they asked for a Romanian interpreter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We strongly condemn the racially motivated violence witnessed in recent days and make an urgent appeal for calm across society," ministers from every party in the province's power-sharing executive said in a joint statement. Residents had been "terrorised" and police injured, they added, urging people to reject the "divisive agenda being pushed by a "destructive" minority. "There can never be any justification for the violence that has taken place in recent days," said the leaders. Traditional foes such as the republican Sinn Fein and pro-UK Democratic Unionist Party joined in the statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill, the Sinn Fein vice president, called the riots "abhorrent", while Starmer condemned them as "mindless attacks". - Police 'prepared' for more - Six people were arrested during the second night of riots in Ballymena, around 48 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Belfast, and other places. Police will not confirm the ethnicity of the two teenagers who remain in custody, but areas attacked on Monday included those where Romanian migrants live. Four houses were damaged by fire, while rioters smashed windows and doors of homes and businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Police officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks in their direction," the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said in a statement. Some of the injured officers required hospital treatment. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson told a press conference on Wednesday that his "nearly 30 years in policing makes me absolutely alert to the fact we could see more tonight, and that's why we're preparing and planned for that." Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour while a sixth was detained on suspicion of disorderly behaviour in Newtownabbey, one of four other places including Belfast where protests erupted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - 'Terrifying' - Tensions in Ballymena, which has a large migrant population, remained high on Tuesday. Residents told AFP of "terrifying" scenese in which attackers targeted "foreigners". Henderson on Tuesday denounced the violence as "racist thuggery" and that was "clearly racially motivated and targeted at our minority ethnic community and police". The unrest comes as immigration is increasingly a hot-button issue across the United Kingdom and in the neighbouring Republic of Ireland. Former Northern Ireland minister Lord Caine hit out at the protestors: "There is nothing remotely British about wrapping oneself in the Union flag, attacking migrants, forcing people from their homes and scapegoating entire communities anywhere in the United Kingdom." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Official figures do not indicate how many are longstanding residents or recent immigrants but the last census in 2021 put the number of Romanian-born people living in the province at 6,612. bur-har-jwp/jkb/tw Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of playing Russian roulette with the lives of a British citizen illegally detained in Egypt and his mother. Laila Soueif, 69, began refusing food in September after her son, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, remained imprisoned in Cairo despite completing a jail sentence. Doctors now warn she is on the brink of death. It feels like the Government is playing Russian roulette with my mother and brothers life, said his sister Mona, speaking to The Telegraph from a cafe opposite St Thomas Hospital in Westminster, where Ms Soueif is being treated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her sister Sanaa, speaking from Cairo, said both the Prime Minister and Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Egypts president, would have blood on their hands if her mother died before her brother was freed. Were not even asking Egypt for a favour, hes a British citizen. Does his passport mean nothing? she added. Alaa Abd El-Fattah has finished the prison term to which he was sentenced for sharing a Facebook post, but he remains in jail in Egypt - Omar Robert Hamilton/Handout via Reuters Mr El-Fattah, a British citizen who is also on hunger strike, was jailed in 2019 for sharing a Facebook post about the death of an inmate. A UN panel has found his continued imprisonment to be illegal and arbitrary. Sanaa said her brother was really anxious about their mothers condition and described him as a hostage. Hes being used as a negotiating card by both governments. Hes finished his sentence, Egypt is not even giving any legal argument to keep him. The Foreign Office insists it is committed to securing Alaa Abd El-Fattahs release, and said David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, raised the case again last week. However, Sir Keir is seemingly unable to convince Mr El-Sisi, who has reportedly ignored his calls since May 22. Mona Seif and her sister say the British Government must act to save their brother and mother - David Rose for The Telegrap Mona said: If you ask me personally, David Lammy on his own, Keir Starmer on his own, are both invested in the wellbeing of my family. But has this transferred into action? No. It hasnt led to any tangible change in Alaas condition in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She accused the Foreign Office of working against families. The way the Foreign Office works especially under this Labour Government it doesnt feel like it is working with you. Speaking from her hospital bed, Ms Soueif urged the Prime Minister to act fast: Mr Starmer, both Alaa and I are now in danger. Please get a result and get it quickly. We do not have weeks any more, we are lucky to have days. Laila Soueif has not eaten since last September when her son was not released at the end of his prison term - Supplied/FreeAlaa campaign Mr El-Fattah, a prominent writer and activist, had served previous time in prison before being re-arrested in 2019 and sentenced to three years in 2021. Shortly after his arrest in 2019, he was transferred to Egypts notorious Tora maximum security prison, where he was blindfolded, stripped of his clothing, and beaten, according to Amnesty International. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One police officer allegedly told him that prison was made for people like you and that he would be there for the rest of his life. Sanaa, who visited her brother twice on her visit to Cairo, said her brother had received better treatment where he is currently being held, the Wadi el-Natrun Prison, a massive jail complex north of the Egyptian capital. I saw him behind a glass shield, hes lost a lot of weight. He looked weaker but at least he says he feels OK. The doctors are testing his blood sugars, she explained. Mr El-Fattahs sentence expired in September 2024 which was when Ms Soueif began her hunger strike. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For months, she survived on black tea, black coffee and rehydration salts. In February, she began taking 300 liquid calories a day after Sir Keir personally called on Egypt to release her son. She resumed her full hunger strike on May 20 and was readmitted to hospital days later. Sanaa Seif at her mothers bedside in St Thomas Hospital - Supplied/FreeAlaa campaign Doctors say she has refused glucose treatment, and her blood sugar dropped so low last week it was undetectable. I dont think any of us thought she could continue this far, said Mona. This is why I feel extra angry with both governments. Fiona OBrien, UK director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said the Government had multiple levers it could use to pressure Egypt into action, such as changing travel advice. British tourists should know they could be arrested for sharing something online in Egypt, and that they wont get any consular visits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She urged ministers to consider sanctions or to refer Egypt to the International Court of Justice. Alaa is absolutely a hostage now the world is watching to see what Britain is going to do, she said. A Government spokesman said: We are committed to securing Alaa Abd El-Fattahs release. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have stressed the urgency of the situation in calls with their counterparts recently and further engagement at the highest levels of the Egyptian government continues. We are deeply concerned by Lailas hospitalisation. We remain in regular contact with Lailas family and have checked on her welfare. 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. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) The state bar wants another shot at stripping Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones of his law license, according to documents obtained by the 8 News Now Investigators. In March, a hearing panel charged with deciding whether to discipline Jones voted to reprimand him instead of revoking or suspending his law license. The state bar urged the panel to disbar Jones for deleting text messages related to a controversial real estate development project near Red Rock Canyon. Moreover, it rejected outright the state bars claim that Jones bribed then-county-commissioner and eventual Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak. The panel comprised entirely of volunteers rejected outright the notion of bribery and explained to Jones, his lawyers and the state bar counsel that they opted to reprimand him because of so-called character evidence portraying Jones in a good light. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, in recent filings with regard to Jones disciplinary matter, the state bar counsel, Dan Hooge, requested a new hearing based on what they refer to as misconduct by Jones attorney, who Hooge wrote made improper closing arguments which prejudiced the jury. Hooge also argues, in his April 28 motion, that the panel ignored instructions against using character evidence to determine guilt or innocence. The cumulative effect of these improper arguments prejudiced the State Bars case, denying it a fair hearing, Hooge wrote. Each tacticgolden rule arguments, emotional appeals, vouching, and mockingindividually and collectively undermined the panels ability to impartially evaluate the evidence. Hooge also said that Jones attorney, former Clark County District Court Judge Rob Bare spoke for too long to the panel, indicating that Bares four-hour closing argument was improper. Included in the 22 pages of memorandum and exhibits is a signed declaration by one of the three volunteer panelists, which was comprised of two volunteer attorneys and one member of the public. Attorney Rachel Wise, under the pains and penalties of perjury, wrote that the panels deliberations were influenced by Respondents counsels improper tactics, including name-calling, crying, and golden rule violations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wise wrote that the one member of the public empaneled to decide Jones disciplinary matter voted emotionally. I believe that the improper conduct from Respondents counsel prejudiced the panels ability to render a fair and impartial decision, Wise wrote. Jones did not respond to a request for comment. His attorney, Bare, did respond to the 8 News Now Investigators request for comment, writing, Please review our opposition to the motion you reference. It speaks for itself. To that end, in his own motion, Bare did not mince words. The State Bars motion seems to operate in an alternate universe where the Hearing Panel somehow gave Mr. Joens a free pass for the misconduct it ultimately found him guilty of, arguing that the decision to impose only a reprimand suggests the panel was swayed for improper reasons, Bare wrote, calling the motion litigators remorse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bare also signed a written declaration under the pains and penalties of perjury, in which he took issue with some of the allegations in a separate writing from Wises, an anonymous survey which ultimately was made public, in which she wrote Bare screamed at the state bars expert witness, UNLV Law Professor Benjamin Edwards. The hearing, Wise wrote in the survey, gave her a two-day migraine. Edwards testified about whether and why, in his opinion, Jones committed bribery. My closing argument was reflective of the fact that I was defending two different bar complaints combined into one, which alleged various serious charges against Mr. Jones, including that he had committed a felony criminal act, Bare wrote in his declaration. As the State Bar was seeking to permanently disbar Mr. Jones, I felt it was entirely necessary and appropriate to give the closing arguments that I did. It is unfortunate that Ms. Wise felt the need to resort calling me a 2 -year-old.' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This case is currently under automatic review by the Supreme Court of Nevada, with briefs due on June 19. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Flanged Tritium Waste Container (FTWC) is a stainless-steel certified pressure vessel designed for long-term storage of tritium-contaminated waste items. The Laboratory is planning to vent headspace gases from four of these containers. (Photo courtesy Los Alamos National Laboratory) The New Mexico Environment Department says Los Alamos National Laboratory will need to meet additional conditions before the state will sign off on a release of radioactive gas, and lambasted the lab for allowing the problem to mount over decades. The issue concerns four containers the lab packed in 2007, which contain radioactive gas tritium and some hazardous waste, and require pressure release by 2028 in order to be transported and disposed of. LANL has requested state officials sign off on a plan to release small amounts of gas over time to relieve the pressure, and said the releases will not harm the environment and human health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, can be naturally occurring or a byproduct from nuclear research, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA characterizes the gas as a lower threat, emitting radiation that often cannot penetrate the skin and leaves the body quickly when consumed as tritiated water. In a June 9 letter to officials at the National Nuclear Security Administration and private contractor Triad National Security, which operate LANL, NMED Secretary James Kenney decreed the lab will need to hire an independent technical reviewer for the plan; hold public meetings and tribal consultations; and submit to an audit of hazardous waste disposal operations, before approval will be given. In closing, the historical gross mismanagement of these waste streams by DOE and NNSA have placed NMED in an untenable situation. Now, the risk of inaction poses a far greater threat than a technical solution, but no technical solution is free from risk, Kenney wrote. Your disregard of state laws and rules governing these wastes for almost 20 years greatly exacerbated this situation and put New Mexicans, tribal communities, and our environment at risk. The state believes the laboratory can conduct the steps needed for approval within three months, New Mexico Environment Department Resource Protection Division Director Rick Shean said in an interview with Source NM Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the time pressure from LANL on the plan could have been mitigated in the years since the waste containers were found in 2007. If they had dealt with that closer to that discovery time, we wouldnt be in this situation right now, Shean said. So it was their lack of action when the problem was identified that has made this problem worse. The letter accompanied a complaint the New Mexico Environment Department filed over a failure of the federal government to fund the states independent oversight of national lab activities. While the funding was eventually restored, the complaint said, the department incurred a little more than $8,400 in administrative costs and jeopardized water, air and soil monitoring programs including for tritium releases. The complaint requests that federal officials sign a commitment for future funds, issue reports to Congress on the funding and explicitly request the NNSA be named as a responsible party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal officials have the chance to appeal the complaint in a hearing process before NMED. The NNSA said it was in receipt of the letter in an emailed statement to Source NM. To ensure the safety of our workers, the public, and the environment, DOE/NNSA will continue to work with the New Mexico Environment Department to safely depressurize and ship the containers offsite for permanent disposal, the statement said. The method to depressurize the four FTWCs has been developed, analyzed, and tested over a period of several years confirming the venting can be safely performed. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX This story was updated after publication to include a statement from the National Nuclear Security Security Administration. LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) State lawmakers have proposed millions in budget cuts for Michigan State University and the University of Michigan due to the imbalance of state funding poured into the schools. State Rep. Greg Markkanen, chair of the House Higher Education and Community Colleges budget committee, announced on Wednesday his $2.4 billion budget plan for Michigans higher education system. The House Higher Education Budget proposal will not change state funding for university operations, which is approximately $1.68 billion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the proposal reduces funding to MSU by nearly $62 million and U-M by more than $239 million. These freed funds will be used to increase support for the states 13 other universities. The House proposal would also eliminate DEI policies in Michigan universities. If a school is found to have a DEI policy in place, state funding would be withheld until it complies. The plan also includes requirements keeping men out of womens sports. Markkanen says this will put Michigan in line with Supreme Court decisions banning discrimination in admissions, legal status verification for every student, banning graduations based on race or sex. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Trump is doing important work at the federal level, and I want to make sure Michigan expands upon those efforts, said Markkanen in a news release sent to 6 News. Were putting an end to the race-based policies that have hurt our students for years. Were ensuring every person who attends a higher education institution in Michigan is a legal resident of our country. Were also limiting the amount that can be spent on overpaid and often ineffective university administration. The House budget recommends that universities receive funding on a per-person basis, $5,500 for each full-time resident undergraduate student enrolled in 2024. Michigans largest universities have been getting way more than their fair share for far too long, said Markkanen in a news release sent to 6 News. Our plan sets things right by trimming the fat off MSU and U of M and distributing that funding amongst our 13 other remarkable universities. Michigan State University Kevin Guskiewicz said in May that, We will need to make hard decisions that will impact people we care about as the school adjusts its budget in the wake of federal changes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hard choices ahead as MSU President says we must adjust our financial path Guskiewicz said hes proud of what he school has accomplished in his first full year as leader of the university, but he also calls it a challenging year, especially these last four months as he says changes at the federal level undercut our ability to advance our land-grant mission and continue essential research projects that make life better. 6 News reached out to the university for comment, and received the following statement from university spokesperson Amber McCann. MSU educates more Michigan residents than any university in the state and prepares them to lead in every sector of our economyfrom agriculture and health care to engineering, education, and entrepreneurship. A budget reduction of the scale proposed by the House would hinder our ability to deliver the high-quality, affordable education that Michigan students expect and deserve. As other states invest more in their public universities, Michigan must do the same. We urge lawmakers to adopt a higher education budget that reflects the values of Michigan residents and our shared priorities: Supporting Michigan students through sustained and expanded financial aid; Investing in public university infrastructure to ensure safe, modern learning environments; Strengthening the institutions that power our states talent pipeline and economic resilience. We are proud of the role MSU plays in driving Michigans futureand we believe the state budget should reflect that value, not diminish it. University spokesperson Amber McCann, June 11, 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 WLNS 6 News. Almost three years after the fall of Roe v. Wade made way for near-total abortion bans, state lawmakers are weighing whether to offer more specific guidance about when doctors can perform abortions in a medical crisis. Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee all passed laws this year ostensibly clarifying the scope of its abortion bans, a reaction to climbing sepsis rates and harrowing stories of patients who have suffered or died preventable deaths. Since June 2022, lawmakers in at least nine states have introduced such bills. But doctors, attorneys and policy experts say that the laws being enacted will not solve the problems health providers have been forced to navigate since the end of Roe: The risk of being punished has deterred physicians, hospitals and health systems from providing consistent care, even when it is needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The problem with these clarifying laws is they dont expand access under the law, they dont change the definitions, and they dont remove the legislative interference in the practice of medicine, said Molly Meegan, chief legal officer and general counsel to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. In Texas, a bill that awaits Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts signature ostensibly clarifies when the states near-total abortion ban allows for the procedure, saying explicitly that physicians do not need to wait until a patient is in imminent danger of dying to perform an abortion. The bill also requires training for doctors and lawyers on the states abortion law. But lawmakers have made clear that the bill, crafted in consultation with Texas-based health professionals and abortion opponents, does not introduce new exceptions; Texas ban does not allow for abortions in cases of rape, incest or fatal fetal anomaly. And if enacted, it would codify a Texas Supreme Court decision that found that the states ban still applied even in cases with complications that could threaten a pregnant persons health.. Such was the case for Dallas woman Kate Cox, who experienced amniotic fluid leaking and cramping which create the risk of bacterial infection after discovering a likely-fatal fetal anomaly in her pregnancy. Some former abortion patients whose lives were endangered because of delayed or denied care, including several who challenged the Texas abortion ban, said they fear Senate Bill 31 may not address situations like theirs. Amanda Zurawski sued the state of Texas for its abortion ban after she experienced life-threatening sepsis due to pregnancy health complications that doctors would not appropriately treat under the ban. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images) Amanda Zurawski, who sued the state after being denied an abortion when experiencing a life-threatening condition called preterm premature rupture of membrane, said at a legislative hearing on the bill that it likely doesnt provide the clarity she would have needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is unclear whether SB 31 would have prevented my trauma and preserved my fertility had it existed in 2022, and I find that problematic, Zurawski said. She only received care after she developed sepsis. Clarification bills can have mixed support in legislatures. Local physicians might back tweaks to exemption language if they see it as potentially lifesaving for their patients. Some anti-abortion advocates might also favor changes if the legislation can address certain medical emergencies that they believe fall outside of a states ban, such as ectopic pregnancies or preterm premature rupture of membranes. But not all anti-abortion advocates or Republican lawmakers within these statehouses support even a small clarification. I think in all these cases, lawmakers are being pulled in different directions by these different constituencies, said Mary Ziegler, an abortion law historian at the University of California, Davis. The bills themselves are kind of muddy, because theyre trying to be different things to different people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The end result are clarification laws that remain unclear to physicians and their employing hospitals and health systems, who can still face high penalties for violating an abortion ban. When the law isnt clear, physicians dont intervene, Ziegler said. Youre not going to be willing to gamble your liberty and your medical license on an uncertain interpretation of the law. In Kentucky, doctors vocally opposed a Republican-backed bill that supporters said would help health professionals understand when they can provide abortions. Like in Texas, the states ban only allows abortion when it is necessary to save a pregnant persons life. The clarification bill listed specific conditions that would qualify for an exception to the ban such as sepsis, hemorrhage or ectopic pregnancy despite concern from doctors that a delineated list wouldnt be able to predict every possible situation where an abortion might save someones life. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed the bill in March, calling gaps in the law literally a matter of life and death. The states legislature, where the GOP holds a supermajority, voted days later to override him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its hard to create this laundry list of, This is OK, this is not OK, because unfortunately, medicine is something with a bunch of gray areas, said Dr. Caitlin Thomas, an OB-GYN in Louisville. In Georgia where pregnant, brain-dead woman Adriana Smith remains on life-support until she can give birth later this summer, and where the death of Amber Thurman was attributed to the confusion created by the states abortion ban some lawmakers have asked physicians whether a clarification might allow doctors to provide abortions when the pregnancy threatens a patients life, possibly by listing specific conditions that qualify for an exception. We encouraged them not to, and said that would not be helpful, said Dr. Neesha Verma, an Atlanta-based OB-GYN. The more and more prescriptive you make these laws, the less space there is for clinical judgment. Following a case filed by seven Tennessee patients who had been denied abortions under the states ban, lawmakers in that state passed a law this year meant to clarify that, under the states ban, abortions could be performed in cases of preterm prelabor rupture of membrane or severe preeclampsia, but that the exception did not include mental health emergencies. Mental health conditions including substance use disorder, depression and confirmed or probably suicide are the largest single cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the state, according to a 2022 report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The interest in clarifying bans including from some lawmakers who oppose abortion is a response to where we know the public is and the fact that we know the public is generally supportive of abortion access and also has been presented with these terrible preventable cases since Dobbs, said Kimya Forouzan, who tracks state policy for the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit abortion research organization. That ambiguity was on display in a Texas case last year. A state judge held that the states abortion law exception permitted Cox to have an abortion when her doctors discovered the anomaly in her pregnancy. But the states attorney general, Ken Paxton, swiftly intervened, threatening legal action against any health care provider that performed an abortion on Cox. Cox ultimately left the state to terminate her pregnancy. Michele Goodwin, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine and author of Policing the Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood, said state officials can do more to ensure health providers know their legal rights. It would be credible for states attorneys generals and the prosecutors who are conservative to immediately issue statements of clarity, saying that they are opposed to these kinds of conditions, that they will not prosecute, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The post New state laws aim to clarify abortion bans. Doctors say its not so simple. appeared first on The 19th. News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday. Subscribe to our free, daily newsletter. Porchse Miller, an organizer with Black Lives Matter Grassroots Atlanta takes part in a peaceful immigration protest against LA ICE raids in Atlanta on Monday. State leaders are warning protesters to avoid violence during planned weekend protests. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder Georgia leaders say they are prepared to respond if weekend protests turn violent. My office remains in close contact with state and local law enforcement and stands ready to take whatever appropriate action is needed to safeguard our communities from crime and violence while also respecting the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement on social media. My support for public safety officers and the rule of law is unwavering, and any violence against those who protect and serve will be met with quick and heavy accountability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizers around the country are planning demonstrations Saturday against the Trump administration as part of the No Kings events. More than two dozen protests are planned in Georgia, from Dalton to Valdosta, according to organizers. Tensions are high across the country as photos and footage from Los Angeles depict smoldering vehicles and clashes between protesters and police fallout from protests over tactics used in raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The situation in California intensified after President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass, who said local law enforcement was sufficient to keep the peace. The last time a president called up the National Guard to a state without the approval of its governor was in 1965 when President Lyndon Johnson deployed troops to protect civil rights activists against the wishes of segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace. The second Trump presidency has already seen numerous protests in Georgia over immigration, federal spending cuts and other actions by the administration. One of them turned violent Tuesday night when immigration protesters allegedly threw fireworks and rocks at police officers and their cars. No officers were seriously hurt, but at least six people were arrested, according to multiple news outlets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kemp previously called in the National Guard over heated protests, including in 2020 when protests over the deaths of George Floyd and other Black Americans turned violent and in 2023 after protests over the Atlanta police public safety training facility known as Cop City led to burning cop cars. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, who is running for governor in 2026, issued a stern warning via a press release Wednesday: All Americans have the right to peacefully protest. No American has the right to destroy property, loot businesses, or attack law enforcement officers. Its very simple. Protesters use words. Rioters use violence. There is no gray area. In Georgia, if you engage in violence for the purpose of changing public policy, you can be charged with Domestic Terrorism. The penalty for Domestic Terrorism is 5-35 years in jail. Many protesters say its the tactics used by the Trump administration and ICE that should be illegal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I grew up in a sundown town up north, so them being able to come in and violate that sanctity of homes, schools, businesses, it triggers something in me, and it makes me so uncomfortable with whats going on, Melissa Steach, a member of the Union of Southern Service Workers who works at Waffle House, said at a peaceful protest outside ICE headquarters Monday. It needs to stop, she added. Were going to keep protesting until the raids stop. These people do so much for us, and Im gonna keep standing with our brothers and sisters. Georgia Recorder reporter Maya Homan contributed to this report. ANNAPOLIS Allegany County Government will receive $459,375 from the states Disaster Recovery Fund to support victims of flash flooding last month. In Maryland, we live mission-first, people always. These funds will help Marylanders get back on their feet in the wake of historic flooding, Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement. Our administration has taken a comprehensive approach to our recovery efforts and we will continue to support our people, uplift our communities and help Western Maryland bounce back. The May 13 flooding along Georges Creek caused significant damage to more than 200 homes and businesses and led to evacuations and water rescues, including about 150 students and 50 adults at Westernport Elementary School. Damage has been estimated at $78 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are deeply grateful for the unwavering support provided by the state of Maryland throughout every phase of our disaster recovery efforts, said Allegany County Commission President Dave Caporale. The comprehensive assistance from multiple state departments has been extraordinary, and this monetary award through the new Disaster Recovery Program is both timely and impactful. As the first recipients of this program, we recognize the significance of this moment, and we are committed to putting these resources to immediate use to help our neighbors and communities rebuild stronger than before. The State Disaster Recovery Fund is a form of state-assisted financing given to county and municipal jurisdictions within Maryland for the purpose of providing essential assistance to individuals, households, businesses and local governments affected by disasters. Local governments may request fund supplementation for essential individual and household needs such as housing, repairs and personal property replacement. The Maryland Department of Emergency Management administers the fund. Recovery is a whole community effort, said Department of Emergency Management Secretary Russell Strickland. Being the first of its kind in Maryland, the State Disaster Recovery Fund is providing critical support to the residents of Allegany County. Financial assistance availability at crucial times like this is what strengthens our states resilience and allows our communities to recover. The Department of Emergency Management is the lead coordinating agency for disaster response and recovery in Maryland. The department has established a state recovery organization with representation from local and state government agencies to fill resource requests, enhance information sharing and problem solving and address the needs of the impacted residents and businesses. The department has also coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state agencies in recovery efforts to mitigate the risk of flooding due to the impacts on the local rivers and streams in the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Volunteer organizations have already provided more than $400,000 in estimated support services via the Crisis Cleanup app, including clean up of residences and businesses, the governors office said. Additional goods, services and volunteer hours have also been donated in support of recovery that were not captured by the apps tracking. Garrett County and Allegany County residents and business owners are also eligible for disaster loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration Physical Loan program. A Disaster Loan Outreach Center has been opened at 103 1st St., Westernport, which will serve both Allegany and Garrett counties. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Multi-agency resource and support centers remain open at the Bruce Outreach Center in Westernport on Saturdays and Mondays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesdays from 1 to 7 p.m., and the Good Will Fire Company Armory on Sundays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 1 to 7 p.m. Press Release June 11, 2025 Valedictory Speech of Senator Cynthia Villar Session dated 10 June 2025 Mr. Senate President, esteemed colleagues, dear friends, and fellow Filipinos-- Twelve years ago, I entered the halls of the Senate with a clear intention: To serve with integrity and use the knowledge I had to make a difference, especially to uplift the lives of those who need it most. Ang nais ko po ay magamit ang aking karanasan upang mapataas ang kalidad ng buhay ng ating mga kababayan, lalo na ang ating mga magsasaka na siyang nagpapakain sa atin, ngunit madalas ay nananatiling salat sa tulong at oportunidad. I am honored to have been entrusted with the duties of Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, and later, of the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change - roles that allowed me to work on areas where policies could create real and lasting impact for the Filipino people. As Chairperson of the agriculture committee, I focused on legislation that could directly support farmers, fisherfolk, and rural producers. These are some of the key laws we passed: RA 10654 - Prevents Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF). RA 10659 - Sugarcane Industry Development Act RA 10816 - Farm Tourism Development Act RA 10817 - Halal Export Development and Promotion Act RA 10845 - Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, which was strengthened by RA 12022 the Anti-Agricultural Sabotage Act of 2024. RA 10969 - Free Irrigation Service Act RA 11203 - Rice Tariffication Law, as enhanced by RA 12078. It reformed the country's rice import policy and established annual Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) to provide rice farmers with high-quality seeds, modern farm equipment, accessible credit, and capacity-building programs RA 11321 - Sagip Saka Act RA 11511 - Enhances the Organic Agriculture Act and introduces the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) for smallholder certification. RA 11524 - Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act: Returns recovered coco levy funds to farmers via programs and support. RA 11547 - Declares Davao City as the Chocolate Capital and Region XI as the Cacao Capital of the Philippines. RA 11700 - Declares Catanduanes as the Abaca Capital. RA 11707 - Declares San Jose, Batangas as the Egg Basket of the Philippines. RA 11901 - Expands rural and agricultural financing through the Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development Financing Enhancement Act. RA 11953 - New Agrarian Emancipation Act: Condoned ?57 billion in unpaid amortizations of 600,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries. RA 11985 - Philippine Salt Industry Development Act Over 50 RAs establishing 63 Fish Hatcheries nationwide to boost aquaculture and local food production. As Chairperson of the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, I pursued legislative action to protect the country's rich biodiversity and promote sustainable use of natural resources. RA 11038 - Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (E-NIPAS) Act of 2018, which declared 94 new legislated protected areas across the country, such as forests, watersheds, and marine ecosystems, to ensure their long-term conservation and proper management. Ito po ay pamana natin sa susunod na henerasyon. Dagdag pa rito, we have passed additional specific protected area laws passed under my term, which include: RA 11684 - Mt. Arayat Protected Landscape Act RA 11685 - Mt. Pulag Protected Landscape Act RA 11686 - Naga-Kabasalan Protected Landscape Act RA 11687 - Tirad Pass Protected Landscape Act RA 11688 - Banao Protected Landscape Act RA 11806 - Tugbo Natural Biotic Area Act RA 11933 - Sicogon Island Wildlife Sanctuary Act We have also championed the passage of RA 11898 - Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022, which Institutionalizes accountability in the use of plastic packaging by requiring producers to recover their plastic waste. This law encourages us to change how we view waste--to repurpose instead of simply discard, and to see used materials as part of a circular economy. I hope this becomes a precedent not just for plastics but for other forms of waste - like electronic waste, bulk waste, and hazardous materials. Responsibilidad ng gumawa, ayusin ang iniwang basura. During the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, this august chamber quickly adapted. I was proud to be part of the institution that helped our nation respond and recover. We passed the Bayanihan laws, funded emergency subsidies, and supported our health system--all while keeping essential food systems running. Throughout my term, I had the privilege of working with 5 Senate Presidents, namely Senators Franklin Drilon, Koko Pimentel, Tito Sotto, Migz Zubiri, and Chiz Escudero--thank you for your leadership and guidance. To my fellow Senators, thank you for your friendship, collaboration, and the many meaningful moments we shared in service. I was fortunate to have worked with you all. Allow me to mention your names in alphabetical order: Senators Sonny Angara, Bam Aquino, Nancy Binay, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Leila de Lima, the late Miriam Defensor Santiago, Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, Franklin Drilon, JV Ejercito, Francis Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, Win Gatchalian, Richard "Dick" Gordon, Bong Go, TG Guingona, Gringo Honasan, Risa Hontiveros, Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, Lito Lapid, Loren Legarda, our President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., Imee Marcos, Manny Pacquiao, Robin Padilla, Kiko Pangilinan, Koko Pimentel, Grace Poe, Ralph Recto, Bong Revilla Jr., Tito Sotto, Sergio Osmena III, Francis Tolentino, Raffy Tulfo, Sonny Trillanes IV, Joel Villanueva and Mark Villar. To the Senate Secretariat and our entire support family--from OSAA, to the elevator attendants who welcome us with their smiles, to the administrative, committee, and technical staff who assist us in every hearing and plenary session, and in managing the respective Senators' offices--maraming salamat sa inyong tahimik pero mahalagang papel sa ating araw-araw na trabaho. Hindi magiging maayos at makabuluhan ang aming paglilingkod kung wala ang inyong sipag, tiyaga, at propesyonalismo. To my staff and team--thank you for standing by me every step of the way. To the incoming and remaining Senators: We live in complex times. Fake news and malicious narratives now easily damage reputations and erode public trust. And while some say this is all "part of the job," it should not be. Let us remain anchored on the truth. Let us rise above the noise. Let us protect not just ourselves, but the very institution we serve. In this Chamber, you fondly call me Mamabear -- a simple moniker, but one I took to heart. To be Mamabear meant being fiercely protective, genuinely caring, and always dependable. I saw it as a gesture of trust and respect, and a reminder to always show up, give my best, and look out for those around me. My term may be ending, but my commitment to public service remains. Hindi po natatapos ang paglilingkod sa pagtatapos ng termino. Sa halip, ito ay simula ng panibagong paraan ng makabuluhang ambag sa bayan. Salamat, Panginoon, sa biyaya ng pagkakataong makapaglingkod. Salamat sa aking mga kasamahan, sa mga kawani ng Senado, pati na rin sa iba't ibang sangay ng gobyerno na nakatrabaho at nakasalamuha ko, at higit sa lahat, sa ating mga kababayan, sa inyong tiwala at patuloy na inspirasyon. Mabuhay ang Senado. Mabuhay ang sambayanang Pilipino. Ralph Leroy Menzies listens as attorney Eric Zuckerman talks to the judge during a competency hearing in 3rd District Court in West Jordan on Monday, Nov 18, 2024. (Pool photo by Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune) Attorneys for death row inmate Ralph Menzies have filed an appeal with the Utah Supreme Court, challenging a recent decision that found the 67-year-old convicted killer has dementia, but is still competent enough to be executed. The news comes as the Utah Attorney Generals Office says it plans to move forward with Menzies firing squad execution, with a hearing set for July 9 to discuss the application for an execution warrant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An execution warrant, sometimes called a death warrant, is one of the final steps in the process, where the state authorizes the prison to carry out a death sentence after appeals have been exhausted. Its not yet clear how the appeal to the Utah Supreme Court will impact the states application for an execution warrant. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Menzies was convicted of murder in 1988 after he kidnapped 26-year-old gas station clerk Maurine Hunsaker from her work and took her up Big Cottonwood Canyon, where she was later found tied to a tree with her throat slashed. Menzies spent decades on death row, and in recent years his health has deteriorated. After falling several times in prison he was diagnosed with vascular dementia, caused when the brains blood flow is disrupted, leading to memory loss and declining cognitive function, according to court testimony. An MRI exam showed Menzies brain tissue is deteriorating, and his balance is fraught, causing him to fall several times each month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His attorneys say his brain is so damaged that he cannot form a rational understanding of why the state is pursuing the death penalty. The goal of the death penalty retribution and deterrence cannot be achieved if Menzies doesnt really understand why hes being executed, they argued. But attorneys for the state say while Menzies might be suffering from cognitive decline, he doesnt meet that threshold of incompetence. And Utahs 3rd District Judge Matthew Bates ultimately agreed in a ruling issued Friday evening. Menzies attorneys told Utah News Dispatch they disagree with the ruling and would file an appeal with the Utah Supreme Court. That was made official on Monday, with his attorneys writing they plan to challenge the final order finding that despite a proper medical diagnosis of vascular dementia, Mr. Menzies has failed to demonstrate that he is incompetent to be executed. In Utah, death row inmates sentenced before May 2004 had a choice between lethal injection and firing squad. Menzies, when he was sentenced in 1988, chose the firing squad. For those sentenced after 2004, the default method of execution is lethal injection, unless the necessary drugs are not available. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The news that Menzies was found competent to be executed was celebrated by Matt Hunsaker, Maurines son, who told Utah News Dispatch my family is very happy to see that we might have some closure coming. We definitely appreciate the fact that its moving forward, we are in hopes that the flow can continue and we can get an execution date and the death warrant signed immediately, Hunsaker said on Friday following Bates ruling. Menzies attorney Lindsey Layer, meanwhile, said she respectfully disagreed with the ruling, calling her client a severely brain-damaged, wheelchair-bound, 67-year-old man with dementia and significant memory problems. He cannot understand the States reasons for his execution. His dementia is progressive and he is not going to get better. It is deeply troubling that Utah plans to remove Mr. Menzies from his wheelchair and oxygen tank to strap him into an execution chair and shoot him to death, Layer said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) The South Dakota Department of Social Services has announced its intention to cut by 10% the amount of welfare aid paid to several thousand households receiving public assistance. DSS will hold a public hearing on Friday, June 20, at 11:00 a.m. CT at state governments new One Stop Center at 1501 S. Highline Avenue in Sioux Falls. The number of South Dakota families receiving payments from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program varies month to month, according to DSS statistics. In April, the most recent month for which data was publicly reported, there were 2,487 families. That was down from a 12-month high of 2,567 in October. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Spring Creek owner shares golf course plans The departments proposed TANF cuts come at the same time that the Legislature gave state government employees a 1.25% pay raise that takes effect July 1. State aid to K-12 education and for health-care providers will rise 1.25% as well. DSS officials say the proposed cuts result from the Legislature reducing the departments general funding for the coming year by $5.3 million. Actually, then-Gov. Kristi Noem had recommended in her December budget proposal a $5,168,200 general-fund reduction for the economic assistance division in DSS that oversees TANF payments. The department, in turn, planned to use a similar additional amount of federal funds as an offset, according to page 20 of a presentation made on January 21 to the Legislatures Joint Committee on Appropriations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That presentation referred to the maneuver as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Fund Swap. The document made no mention of any proposed cut to TANF payments. The departments then-chief financial officer, Jason Simmons, didnt speak about it either. This year, in working with the governors office and BFM (Bureau of Finance and Management), with revenues down and having to fund things like FMAP (federal medical assistance percentage) change and different things, our directive is to spend down some of that carryover. So this would be more of a temporary solution, Simmons told the committee. He continued, This is not something that were going to be able to do for many, many years, but its something we can do in a pinch for a few years to get us through, to spend down that carryover and continue to deliver these services. Five minutes later, DSS Secretary Matt Althoff expanded on those remarks. Responding to a question from Democratic Rep. Erik Muckey, Althoff said, Were going to examine our benefits and say, Is there a way we can reduce those as well? So well continue to look at that. Weve got a preliminary plan that, as recommended, would take effect July first. One of the panels co-chairs, Republican Rep. Mike Derby, asked Simmons to go through the mechanics of the TANF fund swap one more time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Simmons explained that money left over from the federal block grant that the department receives each year can be placed in a carryover account. Simmons said the department gets $21.2 million of federal funds each year and state government puts in $8.5 million for a total TANF funding of $29.7 million. At the end of fiscal 2024, the department had $23.4 million of carryover funds available. Simmons said the plan was to tap the federal carryover to offset reductions in state general funds, spending the oldest layer of federal funds first. Noems $34,665,498 recommendation of general funds for the new budget year that starts July 1 would have returned the divisions general funding to roughly the $34,415,895 actually spent in 2024. State lawmakers in March ultimately appropriated $34,517,352 of general funds to the economic assistance division for the 2026 budget year. That was slightly more than the amount actually spent in 2024 and slightly less than the amount Noem had recommended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked Monday about the proposed TANF cuts, Republican Sen. Ernie Otten told KELOLAND News that he expects to see the department make reductions in other areas too. Otten and Derby co-chair the Legislatures Joint Committee on Appropriations that assembles state governments budget each year. DSS never came back to the committee with a detailed plan or a change from what they presented, according to information that Derby received from the Legislatures fiscal office and forwarded on Tuesday to KELOLAND News. An average of 2,460 households per month received TANF payments during the 2024 budget year, according to the DSS fiscal note that was prepared for the proposed 10% cut. The average monthly amount was $518.06. Altogether, those payments totaled $15,293,131.20 in annual TANF costs, the department said, and a reduction of 10% from the current TANF payment standards equals $1,529,313.12. A statement signed by Secretary Althoff says the proposed financial cuts in TANF payments would have no impact on small businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TANF is a needs-based program for families with children under age 18 (or under age 19 if the child is in high school) who need financial support because of the death of a parent; a parent is absent from the home; or the physical or mental incapacity or unemployment of a parent. Families with serious financial needs may qualify for TANF monthly payments, the statement says. Public comments at the June 20 hearing about the TANF reductions can be made in person at the Sioux Falls One Stop Center or by telephone at 1-605-679-7263 and using conference code 183 579 146 #. Written public comments can be sent through June 30 to Teresa Schulte, Administrative Rules C219, Department of Social Services, 1501 S. Highline Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57110 or can be emailed to DSSAdminRules@state.sd.us. Many lawmakers also were upset during the 2025 legislative session after learning about the Noem administrations decisions to enter long-term leases for new One Stop centers in Sioux Falls and Rapid City. Most of state governments local offices including those of DSS in the two communities have since moved to the centers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noem resigned as governor in January after she received U.S. Senate confirmation as the new federal Homeland Security secretary. After she left, the Legislature unanimously adopted a new law requiring lawmakers approval of any lease longer than 15 years and costing more than $5 million in total or more than $50,000 per month. Leases for One Stop centers in Sioux Falls and Rapid City are for 30 years and will cost an estimated $200 million more during that time than had state government continued with previous leases for locations scattered throughout the communities. The new law however doesnt apply to any past lease agreements. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. An airplane drops fire retardant chemicals near the First Thunder Fire just west of Rapid City on Sept. 3, 2024. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight) Public safety officials are scrambling to make backup plans after Black Hills Energy announced it will develop a public safety power shut-off program this summer. A public safety power shut-off is when a utility company turns off power to a community or area to mitigate wildfire risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trent Nincehelser, state radio manager for the South Dakota Bureau of Information and Technology, told members of the state Public Safety Communications Council at its Wednesday meeting in Pierre that state officials are still wrapping our heads around how the plans will impact emergency responders. As you can imagine, that creates a whole host of concerns for us in the public safety community, Nincehelser said. Shut-offs can disrupt communications, water wells and air conditioning as well as access to other needs, such as medical devices, that rely on electricity. The strategy has grown in recent years after a Pacific Gas & Electric equipment failure ignited the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 84 people, ranks as the deadliest wildfire in California history and resulted in billions of dollars worth of lawsuit settlements. The year before that, wind blew a tree onto a Black Hills Energy line in Custer State Park and ignited the Legion Lake Fire, which became the third largest wildfire ever measured in the Black Hills. As you can imagine, that creates a whole host of concerns for us in the public safety community. Trent Nincehelser, SD Bureau of Information and Technology Several factors are considered before shut-offs are implemented, including heat, humidity, wind speeds and the moisture level of vegetation. The shut-off is used as a last resort when other mitigation measures arent enough, according to Black Hills Energy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Black Hills Energy Vice President Wes Ashton told South Dakota Searchlight that high-risk wildfire areas more likely to be affected by a shut-off are in rural, tree-lined areas with minimal customer impact. Affected customers would be alerted with phone calls, text messages, emails, notifications through traditional media and social media, and on the company website. Public utilities are able to shut off service in case of emergency, according to state law. The Public Utilities Commission does not have authority to require, approve or deny shut-off plans. Community members and local law enforcement have expressed concern about the plan to Black Hills media outlets. South Dakota has a statewide communications network serving first responders. Nincehelser said the state is double evaluating propane fuel capacity at radio tower sites, generator power backups and controlling things we can control for state radio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were probably not going to know exactly what the risk is until they shut the power off one day and we get punched in the nose, and then well know exactly what were dealing with, Nincehelser said. But to the extent that we can plan for this, I can assure you that we have put those wheels in motion already. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX What the state doesnt have control over, he said, is upstream challenges including backup solutions for internet service providers, network providers and other communications companies that public safety relies upon. Any time that this public safety power shut-off plan could potentially be implemented, obviously thats a really bad time for public safety communications to go down if youre in the most critical parts of a potential wildfire season or having concerns about wildfires sparking, Nincehelser said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ashton told South Dakota Searchlight the company has been working on the plan for quite a while and has spent decades building a wildfire mitigation strategy. He added that the company will continue meeting with stakeholders, elected officials and public safety officials until the plan is completed this summer to discuss how the plan would affect them. He added that the shut-offs would occur on the most extreme weather days. Using historical modeling from the last six years, the shut-off would have only been implemented once or twice a year. The shut-off, based on that data, would have lasted between two and seven hours, Ashton said, not including the time it would take to check lines and make repairs before re-energizing the system. If the impact was limited in size and scale, it would be relatively easy and quick to get all the lines completed, Ashton said. But if there was damage that occurred and lines needed to be repaired, then that would obviously take longer. If a shut-off was required and lasted longer because there was damage to the system, it would be a sign of a potential wildfire avoided, Ashton said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Any impact to our system that could have caused this outage would have still occurred with that damage, but it would have been paired, potentially, with a fire, Ashton said, and thats what were trying to stay ahead of as responsible stewards and partners to this area. Some other electric utilities serving South Dakota already have public safety power shut-off plans. NorthWestern Energy explains its shut-off plan and provides a map on its website. Xcel Energy explains its process for implementing a shut-off on its website as well. The Black Hills Electric Cooperative will not implement a public safety power shut-off plan, according to its website; however, Black Hills Energy controls the distribution system that delivers power to a substation in the area, which could affect some cooperative members. EDITORS NOTE: This story has been updated since its original publication with the addition of comments from Black Hills Energys Wes Ashton. JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), in collaboration with the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, will host the 2nd Annual State Employee Wellness Expo. The event will take place on Thursday, June 12 at the Mississippi Trade Mart in Jackson. The event, which will run from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., is designed to promote health, wellness and connection among state employees. UMMC expands health care access with UMMC Madison Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This years expo promises a wide variety of engaging and informative activities, said Dr. Dan Edney, State Health Officer and MSDH Executive Director. I encourage all state employees to join us in this exciting endeavor. Together, we can take significant strides toward improving the health and well-being of our state workforce. We look forward to seeing you there. The expo will include: Fitness and yoga demonstrations Mental health discussions Stress management exercises Healthy cooking demonstrations Relaxing chair massages Health screenings, including chiropractic, A1C, glucose, blood pressure, and oral health Vendors will also be on site to share resources on state employee benefits, PERS and BlueCross and BlueShield of Mississippi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Jun. 10SANTA FE Workers at a state-leased office building in Albuquerque have faced health issues and frustration after several workplace issues were largely ignored by top agency officials, according to labor union leaders. The issues include a gas leak at the Homestead Building that caused employees to be sent home on paid administrative leave for four business days last month. Employees were later sent home early on another day when the problem persisted. Dylan Pell, a Department of Health employee and the Communications Workers of America local union's agency vice president, said the gas leak incident came after a toxic spray used in the building during work hours in April caused several employees to seek medical attention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There are a large number of workers who just don't feel safe in the building," Pell said this week. The issues prompted CWA to file a grievance with Health Secretary Gina DeBlassie, in which the union's president accused DOH officials of having "systematically endangered" its workforce by downplaying employee concerns and retaliating against whistleblowers. Specifically, the grievance claims DOH initially responded to concerns about the toxic spray by asserting it did not pose a hazard to employees, while also instructing workers not to talk to one another about workplace safety issues. A DOH spokesman said this week the agency has followed proper protocols in responding to the gas leak, including reporting the incident to the state Occupational Health and Safety Bureau. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DOH spokesman Robert Nott also said the agency has contracted with an outside company to perform an environmental assessment of the building to ensure the safety of its occupants, even after the leak was fixed. "The New Mexico Department of Health takes these concerns very seriously," Nott said in a statement. "We value the lives and contributions of all our employees." But another DOH employee, Jenn Schusterman, said top DOH officials have not been forthcoming about the workplace issues, including failing to initially say why the building was being evacuated after the gas leak was detected. She also said she suffered from a headache and dizziness after the toxic spray incident, and was forced to work in a conference room instead of her usual desk space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They never were transparent with us to let us know what happened," said Shusterman, who is an epidemiologist and CWA union steward. "They're not treating us like humans," she added. "They're treating us like cogs in a wheel." The Homestead Building is leased by the state for employees from two different agencies DOH and the state Health Care Authority. Combined, the two agencies pay about $98,000 per month for the 30,000-square foot facility, according to General Services Department records. In all, about 200 DOH employees are based at the building, according to the agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the dispute over workplace safety comes more than two years after New Mexico state employees were ordered to return to in-person work by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's administration in February 2023. That directive rescinded a telework policy negotiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, after it drew scrutiny from legislators and the public. Remote work is currently allowed only in limited circumstances to comply with federal law, meaning the DOH employees who were sent home after the gas leak was detected were not allowed to work while on leave. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images If frying eggs or bacon is a regular part of your morning ritual, take note. Soon, your ability to use nonstick cookware may come down to where you live. New York state lawmakers recently introduced a bill that would prohibit the manufacture, sale, and use of cookware containing polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), the primary substance used to create a nonstick surface. Though the chemical compound, commonly known by the brand name Teflon, is approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, New York has now joined a growing list of states that are proposing to banor in some cases, have already bannednonstick cookware in their territories. Find answers about nonstick pans Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Is New York banning nonstick cookware? In January of this year, two New York State senators introduced Senate Bill S1767, which if passed, prohibits the manufacture, sale, and use of cookware containing polytetrafluoroethylene. In the bills justification, the sponsors write that the chemicals used in nonstick pans are within the family of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which are known to have severe health effects such as harm to reproductive and bodily functions, developmental effects in youth, increased cancer risk and increased risk for high cholesterol and obesity. It acknowledges that additional research is needed to determine the full scope of risk, but we should not leave people vulnerable to the potential negative health effects, it concludes. The bill is currently in Senate committee, meaning it hasnt been brought to the floor for voting by the whole legislative body. Once on the floor, it needs to be approved by both the New York State Senate and Assembly, then signed into law by the governor. Are nonstick pans safe? I Tried It Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I Tried It: Our Places Cast Iron Always Pan Is The Real Deal Your favorite pan now comes in a sturdier version There is little debate about the safety risk of nonstick pans that do not use Teflon coating, for example ceramic or cast-iron pans. However, those that do use PTFE have raised concerns in recent years. PTFE belongs to a subgroup of what is known as PFAS, explains Bruce Jarnot, PhD, global materials compliance expert, toxicologist, and product compliance advisor at Assent. PFAS are often colloquially called forever chemicals, because they dont degrade over time, and the human body cannot metabolize them. In some instances, this can come in handy. PFAS are used to insulate leads in a pacemaker or used in hip joint replacements since they are inert. In these instances, its fine, its inert, Jarnot says. But there are other considerations to take into account when considering potential laws like New York State Senate Bill 1767. Frying pan. Empty non-stick frying pan and kitchen utensils set on textured wooden background. cooking concept. Top view. Space for text. Flat lay. Recipe. Photo: Valentyna Yeltsova/Getty Images The first, he says, is the environmental waste and pollution that manufacturers of products containing PFAS make. We all have the monomersthe building blocks of polymers like Tefloninside us from the manufacturing phase, Jarnot says, adding that the waste ends up in water and soil, which eventually makes its way to the humans. So theres a strong argument against PFAS in general. Because they stay put in the body, and they can accumulate over time when theyre in our environment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In cookware specifically, that potential risk increases because the products are used with high heats. Thats probably the highest heat environment that a material like Teflon is exposed to. So when you have a pacemaker implanted, its at body temperature. If youre searing fish or steak in a fry pan, its being exposed to much higher heat, he says. Chemical reactions occur faster in hot environments, and, You could have decomposition of the polymer giving rise to some really nasty airborne PFAS. And there is probably some internalization of these decomposing products at high temperature. What happens when PFAS accumulate in the body? According to the the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposure to PFAS could be harmful to human health. Scientists at EPA, in other federal agencies, and in academia and industry are continuing to conduct and review the growing body of research about PFAS. However, health effects associated with exposure to PFAS are difficult to specify for many reasons, the agency says. For that reason, more research is required to determine the exact risks. As Jarnot explains, toxicologists often say that its the dose that makes the poison. So here you have something thats not metabolizing and that is accumulating in your body, creating aggregate exposure. In that case, every bit you add to your exposure cup counts. Chopped bacon is being fried in the non-stick skillet. Photo: Rebeca Mello/Getty Images Should consumers throw out nonstick pans? Even in states where nonstick pans are legal, some consumers may consider discarding theirs because of potential risk. As a toxicologist, I still use Teflon pans, Jarnot admits. But you should never heat them without something in it, and should avoid very high heat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That said, eliminating nonstick pans could be an easy way to minimize exposure to PFAS. Youre getting exposure in almost all drinkswater, wine, beer, sodabecause its in the water these drinks are made from. But you need water, you need food. So one of the places you could easily omit exposure is in cookware, Jarnot adds. What other states have banned nonstick pans? Multiple states have passed or are considering legislation about polytetrafluoroethylene in their territories. California, for example, passed a law that states cookware with intentionally added PFAS must be disclosed on product labels; however, it hasnt passed a full ban. Others, like Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, and Rhode Island have passed laws that go into effect over the next few years and ban products with intentionally added PFAS. Minnesota passed a law banning PFAS in a number of consumer goods, including cookware, which went into effect in January of this year. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest More Great Stories From AD By Leah Douglas WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. states will not be able to fully administer food stamp benefits for millions of the nation's poor if a proposal in the Republican tax bill forcing them to shoulder billions of dollars in new costs is signed into law, according to state officials, local government associations and policy experts. More than 41 million people receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nation's largest food aid program, which cost about $100 billion in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tax bill passed on May 22 by the U.S. House of Representatives and backed by President Donald Trump would shift some $22 billion in administrative and benefit costs to state and local governments, according to a Reuters analysis. Supporters of the move say it will promote accountability and reduce waste in the program. But states fear it will backfire. "No state is going to be able to simply absorb that," Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, told Reuters. Officials from North Carolina, Oregon and Michigan also said their states did not have the resources to easily take on the spending requirements in the proposal, which is now before the Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some states could be forced to shrink SNAP eligibility or to leave the program altogether, according to letters sent in May to Congressional and agriculture committee leadership from state and county legislatures and health officials. "Shifting the financial burden of SNAP onto states is fiscally unsustainable and risks harming the very individuals and families the program is designed to support," said one letter from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Other letters were sent by the National Association of Counties, National Association of County Human Services Administrators and the American Public Human Services Association. A USDA spokesperson said that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins supports Trump's agenda and that the agency will continue to provide technical assistance to states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans have long supported reduced spending on SNAP, arguing that the program creates a dependence on federal support and should be more narrowly targeted to the most vulnerable. Reuters could not reach a representative from the Republican Governors Association or from Texas, Florida or Georgia, the Republican-led states facing the highest SNAP costs. STATES WOULD STRUGGLE The House bill would require states for the first time to pay for a portion of SNAP benefits beginning in 2028, with their payment share from 5% to 25% tied to the states error rate, a USDA measure of how accurately states determine eligibility and benefit levels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nationwide, that would amount to more than $20 billion in spending, according to a Reuters analysis of data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The bill would also require states to immediately pay 75% of the cost of administering the SNAP program, up from their existing 50% obligation, adding another $2 billion to the sum, according to USDA data. The states facing the most new spending would be California ($3.7 billion), New York ($2.1 billion), Florida ($1.7 billion) and Texas ($1.2 billion). The state spending requirements would push 1.3 million people off of SNAP in an average month, because some states would modify eligibility requirements or stop administering SNAP, according to a May 22 letter from the Congressional Budget Office to House and Senate agriculture committee leadership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michigan does not have the ability to support $850 million in new SNAP spending and may need to restrict eligibility or reduce benefits if the House bill passes, said Elizabeth Hertel, director of the state Department of Health and Human Services. Oregon would struggle to absorb more than $477 million and the state is planning for what they would do if forced to take on the spending, said Claire Seguin, director of the division of the Oregon Department of Human Services that administers SNAP. North Carolina is already budget constrained and "there isnt really a way to backfill" more than $650 million in new SNAP spending, said Department of Health and Human Services secretary Dev Sangvai, who did not provide details on what steps the state would take if the provision passes. New York also cannot absorb its projected costs, Barbara Guinn, Commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, told Senators during a June 4 forum on the SNAP proposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because most states must balance their budgets and cannot accrue debt to offset new spending like the federal government can, shifting SNAP spending to states risks drawing down resources from other public programs like Medicaid, said Eric Mitchell, president of the Alliance to End Hunger. The bill would also expand work requirements for some SNAP recipients and restrict states' ability to waive those requirements when unemployment ticks up, which together would push another 3.2 million people off of SNAP in an average month, according to the CBO. (Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell) More than two dozen states, along with the District of Columbia, are suing biotechnology company 23andMe over plans to auction off personal genetic information without their customers knowledge or consent. The lawsuit, which was filed Monday by twenty-seven states in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Missouri, says that the California-based firm, which filed for bankruptcy in March, cannot sell off customers sensitive data without obtaining consent from each of the individuals. New Yorkers and many others around the country trusted 23andMe with their private information and they have a right to know what will be done with their information. My office is joining 27 other attorneys general to protect peoples most private information and to make sure 23andMe abides by the law, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) said in a news release on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The human genetics firm, founded in 2006, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March in U.S. federal court in Missouri. The company gained popularity for its at-home DNA tests. Customers had to send saliva samples by mail and then they would get genetic reports. 23andMe has collected biological samples and genetic information for more than 15 million consumers. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, another biotechnology company, said last month that it would purchase for $256 million. When it filed for bankruptcy, 23andMe said the personal information of customers could be accessed, transferred or sold as part of a transaction, but the potential buyers will have to comply with its privacy policies. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals said it would follow the outlined policies and the laws on-hand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Customers can erase their data from the 23andMe site. House lawmakers launched an investigation a month after the biotech company filed for bankruptcy, expressing concerns over the individuals data and added that some users were unable to delete their information off the 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 The Hill. Dozens of states have filed a joint lawsuit against the bankrupt DNA-testing company 23andMe to block the company's sale of its customers' genetic data without explicit consent. The suit, filed this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Missouri, comes months after 23andMe began a court-supervised sale process of its assets. The South San Francisco-based venture was once valued at $6 billion and has collected DNA samples from more than 15 million customers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company's bankruptcy has raised questions over privacy standards for genetic data, which experts say is uniquely sensitive, immutable and irreplaceable if stolen. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia filed the lawsuit, arguing that 23andMe customers have an inherent right to their own genetic information. Read more: 'People should be worried': 23andMe bankruptcy could expose customers' genetic data This isnt just data its your DNA," said Oregon Atty. Gen. Dan Rayfield in a statement. "Its personal, permanent, and deeply private. People did not submit their personal data to 23andMe thinking their genetic blueprint would later be sold off to the highest bidder." 23andMe announced in May that it would be sold to New York-based drug maker Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which had agreed to comply with 23andMe's existing privacy policy. However, a competing offer from nonprofit TTAM Research Institute led the bankruptcy judge to reopen the auction last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TTAM is run by 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki, who has made several failed attempts to take the company private. In a statement, a 23andMe spokesperson said the lawsuit's claims "are without merit" and that the sale of genetic data does not violate privacy regulations. Customers will continue to have the same rights and protections in the hands of the winning bidder," the spokesperson said. Read more: Congressmen sound alarm over data privacy following 23andMe bankruptcy 23andMe customers have the right to delete their genetic information from the company's database at any time, as outlined in the Genetic Information Privacy Act and the California Consumer Privacy Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a testimony in Washington earlier this week, 23andMe interim Chief Executive Joseph Selsavage said that 1.9 million customers have requested their data be deleted since the company's bankruptcy filing in March. Sara Geoghegan, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said that 23andMe's privacy policy was subject to change and not adequate to protect customers' data. In an interview in March, she stressed the sensitivity of genetic data. I would be very concerned if I had given a swab to 23andMe," she said. "There is little we can do to control what happens to it." 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. STATESBORO, Ga. (WSAV) Georgia Power Economic Development selected Statesboro as the first of six Retail Ready communities. City officials and representatives from Georgia Power will gather on Friday at 11 a.m. in front of city hall to discuss the achievement and its future impact. The partnership between the two will enhance retail recruitment efforts. Statesboro will receive valuable insights, data and tools to support retail growth. 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 WSAV-TV. Donald Trump loves authoritarian theater, but let's not forget that Stephen Miller is also to blame for the violence and chaos in Los Angeles. Last week, the right-wing Washington Examiner reported that Trump's deputy chief of staff called a meeting with the top officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to "eviscerate" them for falling far short of the ridiculous goal he set of 3,000 deportations a day. In their desperation to keep Miller happy, ICE has already been targeting legal immigrants for deportation, mostly because they're easy to find, due to having registered with the government. ICE agents stake out immigration hearings for people with refugee status and round up people here with work or student visas for minor offenses like speeding tickets, all to get the numbers up. But these actions were not enough for Miller. "Why arent you at Home Depot? Why arent you at 7-Eleven? he reportedly screamed at ICE officials. One ICE leader protested that the agency's lead, Tom Homan, said they're supposed to be going after criminals, not people who are just working everyday jobs. Miller reportedly hit the ceiling, furious that arrests aren't widespread and indiscriminate. Trump has repeatedly implied he was only targeting criminals, but as Charles Davis reported at Salon, that conflicts with his promise of "mass deportations." Undocumented immigrants commit crimes at far lower rates than native-born Americans. The expansive efforts to find and arrest immigrants in California, which kicked off the protests, appear to be a direct reaction to Miller's orders to grab as many people as possible, regardless of innocence. But Miller doesn't seem to care about crime. Or, perhaps he thinks having darker skin should be a crime. For Miller, the goal of "mass deportations" has never been about law and order, but about the fantasy of a white America. His desire to deport his way to racial homogeneity has always been not only deeply immoral, but pretty much impossible. His impotence shouldn't breed complacency, however. As the violence in Los Angeles shows, petty rage can lead to all manner of evils. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The term "white nationalist" is often used interchangeably with "white supremacist," but it has a specific meaning. White supremacists think the government should enshrine white people as a privileged class over all others. White nationalists, however, want America to be mostly, if not entirely, white a goal that cannot be accomplished without mass violence. That Miller appears to lean more into the white nationalist camp is well known. In 2019, the Southern Poverty Law Center reviewed a pile of leaked emails Miller had sent to media allies that illustrated his obsession with white-ifying America. He repeatedly denounced legal immigration of non-white people and endorsed the idea that racial diversity is a threat to white people. He longed for a return to pre-1965 laws that banned most non-white immigrants from moving to America. Want more Amanda Marcotte on politics? Sign up for her free newsletter, Standing Room Only. "Trump's mass deportation project is actually a demographic engineering project," Adam Serwer of the Atlantic explained on a recent Bulwark podcast, pointing to the administration's expulsion of legal refugees of color while making exceptions to the "no refugee" policy for white South Africans. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau defended the exception by claiming that "they can be assimilated easily into our country." But it's clear this language is code for "white." By any good-faith definition of the word, thousands of non-white people targeted for deportation have also assimilated. They have jobs. They get married. They have kids. They are part of their communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sure enough, a sea of MAGA influencers have responded to the Los Angeles protests like parrots trained quite suddenly to say "ban third world immigration." What a crazy coincidence pic.twitter.com/8jxIsMSb6y Allison (@Snarkage1) June 10, 2025 Charlie Kirk from Turning Point USA followed up by praising Steve Sailer, a white supremacist who peddles debunked "race science" falsely claiming skin color and ethnicity controls IQ. The Groypers, a Hitler-praising group that doesn't even pretend not to be racist, was ecstatic to see MAGA leaders edge closer to openly admitting to being white nationalists. Miller's whites-only dreams aren't going to happen, though it's unclear if he's delusional enough to think otherwise. White non-Hispanic Americans are 58% of the population, according to the Census. That means nearly 143 million Americans most of whom are citizens fall outside the strict parameters of what white nationalists like Miller would see as "white people." Even if the Trump administration met its unlikely goal of deporting 11 million people, this would still be a racially diverse country by any measure. And it's becoming more diverse: the non-white population is younger and having more children. If it feels gross to treat human beings like a math problem, that's because it is. But that's what we're dealing with: an administration, led by a would-be strongman and his little deputy, that can't engineer American demographics, no matter how hard they might try. MAGA Republicans flip out when liberals correctly point out that diversity is America's strength. But what really makes them crazy is knowing, deep down, that diversity is America's inevitability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This impotent rage factor is important for understanding what's happening in Los Angeles. Trump and Miller can't achieve their whites-only dreams, so they're lashing out violently at communities, like in southern California, that remind them of their powerlessness in this department. Make no mistake: the Trump administration is the instigator here, and not just because they sent ICE in to start nabbing people willy-nilly. As Judd Legum of Popular Information carefully detailed on Monday, the violence began because Trump called the National Guard. Before that, the protests had been relatively small and contained. The Los Angeles Police Department released a statement commending the protesters for their cooperation and peacefulness, which led to a demonstration "without incident." LAPD News: Los Angeles Police Department Statement Regarding Today's Peaceful Protests pic.twitter.com/Il8RMlytx4 LAPD PIO (@LAPDPIO) June 8, 2025 Trump started the chaos by sending in the National Guard. He wants violent visuals for right-wing media to run on a constant loop to serve his authoritarian agenda. When the protesters in Los Angeles didn't give Trump the imagery he wanted, he deliberately escalated and lied about the reasons. Now he is celebrating his victory because of the violence he unleashed. He's not subtle, and it's a failure of the media every time they report on the "violence" without noting that Trump was the instigator. Small, weak men can cause a lot of damage. No one should be complacent about either the violence in Los Angeles or the thousands of lives being destroyed by these deportation schemes. But it's also important to not be cowed by Trump and Miller's theater, which they put on in no small part to conceal the myriad ways they will never be as all-powerful as they promised their supporters they would be. Understanding this can help people find the courage needed to fight back, because the best shot that MAGA has at winning is if their opponents give up the struggle. Already the administration's overreach is creating a backlash: For Stephen Miller, the architect of US President Donald Trump's hardline migration policy, the protests in Los Angeles were nothing less than the front line of a "fight to save civilization itself." Hyper-loyalist Miller, 39, has carved out a niche as Trump's most powerful and hawkish advisor on the Republican's signature issue of immigration. A combative presence on the White House driveway, Miller is frequently rolled out in public to double down on the president's comments in front of the cameras and frequently spars with reporters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the sharp-suited advisor's comments on Los Angeles -- which echo hard-right talking points about the decline of the West as it faces an "invasion" of migrants -- underscored that the topic is not just political for him, but existential. His fingerprints have been all over the White House's unprecedented assertion of its right to use presidential power to pursue its agenda, often using centuries-old or rarely cited laws to deport migrants. And Miller, who is formally Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor, is at the sharp end of things too. - 'Ruins of the West' - Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was Miller who, according to the Wall Street Journal, issued US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with orders in May to step up its work after the number of daily deportations under Trump fell below those carried out by Joe Biden's administration last year. Those orders led to the immigration raids on a Home Depot in Los Angeles that triggered clashes between protesters and federal agents -- and Trump's decision to send in thousands of troops. Miller, who grew up in LA's Santa Monica, has since taken to social media to battle Democrats who accuse Trump of authoritarianism. "We've been saying for years this is a fight to save civilization. Anyone with eyes can see that now," Miller said on X on Sunday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A few days earlier he set out his right-wing worldview more explicitly as he pushed for Trump's new "big, beautiful" spending bill, which contains provisions for migration. "We will be debating these matters over the ruins of the West if we don't control migration," he wrote on June 4. Critics say such comments echo the far-right "replacement theory" about migration undermining Western society. Indeed, during Trump's first term, Miller's hardline stance made him something of an outlier. As a young firebrand, Miller was one of the architects of the so-called "Muslim travel bans" in Trump's first presidency, which later ran into legal difficulties after they were poorly drafted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miller largely avoided the chaotic feuding that engulfed Trump's first White House, resulting in somewhat more moderate voices winning out on immigration policies. Miller, however, remained loyal, and stuck by his boss even as Trump's first term ended in the disgrace of the US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. - Musk blip - In the second Trump administration, Miller's views have become mainstream. "I call Stephen 'Trump's brain,'" Republican former House speaker Kevin McCarthy told the New York Times just before Trump's inauguration in January. Miller was the driving force in particular behind the use of an obscure 200-year-old wartime law to deport undocumented migrants -- and a vocal defender when that crackdown saw a man wrongly deported to El Salvador. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also outraged Democrats when he said on May 9 that the White House was "looking into" suspending habeas corpus, which would prevent migrants targeted for mass deportations to appeal for their right to appear in court. Miller recently claimed a media scalp when broadcaster ABC dropped a veteran correspondent, Terry Moran, who described the Trump aide as a "world-class hater" in a late-night social media screed. One blip, however, came when Miller and his wife Katie found themselves caught up in the explosive split between Trump and his billionaire advisor Elon Musk. Katie Miller had been a senior advisor and spokeswoman in Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) -- and was reportedly set to leave and work for Musk's companies when he departed the White House. But the couple now find themselves, professionally speaking, on opposite sides of the break-up between the world's richest person and its most powerful. dk/jgc Stephen Miller mad: The Trump administration had been, at the beginning of its term, carrying out fewer deportations than the Biden administration had during the former president's last year in office. So Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff/hardcore restrictionist, started putting pressure on Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to step up their game. Miller's goal? 3,000 arrests per day. "Agents didn't need to develop target lists of immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally, a longstanding practice, Miller said," reports The Wall Street Journal. "Instead, he directed them to target Home Depot, where day laborers typically gather for hire, or 7-Eleven convenience stores. Miller bet that he and a handful of agents could go out on the streets of Washington, D.C., and arrest 30 people right away." It was a Miller-directed raid on Friday at the Home Depot in the Latino neighborhood of Westlake in Los Angeles that set off the protests and riots we're currently seeing, for which Marines and the state National Guard have been sent in, and a curfew now imposed. And this week's Just Asking Questions guest, longtime critic of California politicians Laura Powell, tells us that the actual number of people arrested in the precipitating event was very small, that the protesters and rioters themselves haven't even focused much on those cases, and that we don't know much about why exactly they were arrested: Independent journalist Cam Higby, who was on the ground in L.A., tells Pirate Wires: Eventually, it came to a point where there were so many bricks, cinder blocks, electric scooters, bikes, and whatever else they could get their hands on being dropped on the police cars that the police had to stop under the underpass because it was the only place that the protesters couldn't get them. And that's California Highway Patrol, who are known for not screwing around. So they're trapped under there. And the protesters are just pelting these cars for hours with stones, bricks, whatever. Eventually the protesters start throwing cardboard, mass amounts of cardboard down there. And I don't even know where they got it, but they started throwing tinderliterally like hay and small shreds of paperoff the overpass, onto the front of the police cars. And at one point, they threw some lit tinder off the overpass, and the first cop car caught on fire. So the cop car is now completely on fire, at least the front of it, and a police officer kind of comes closer to the edge of the underpass where he's not fully covered. And he uses the fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire on the front of the police cruiser just so it doesn't explode and kill them. And somebody pegged him right in the face with a brick. He had to stop, and then I think somebody took over from further under the underpass. Some deportations raising alarm: "In Irvine, Calif., ICE agents drove a phalanx of military vehicles in the Orange County suburb to arrest a person, though not for illegal immigration. They were seeking a resident's son who had allegedly posted fliers alerting neighbors to the presence of ICE agents," reports The Wall Street Journal. "The raid alarmed the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, an organization that defends free speech, which requested a copy of the warrant. 'Criticism of government officials is core protected speech, and to criticize them you have every right to identify them,' said Aaron Terr, the group's director of public advocacy." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But it's not constitutionally suspect actions like this one that are getting protesters up in arms, by and large; in fact, it's not even clear that many of the people out in the streetsespecially those doing the most damagecare or know much about incidents like these. The streets of Los Angeles have become opportunities for the "night crew" to vent generalized anger, destroy property, and sow mayhem, while the "day crew"the peaceful protestershas their cause tarnished by the actions of the others. (More on this dynamic from Nancy Rommelmann, who is on the ground there.) The big picture: "In a Democrat-dominated city of 1.5 million foreign-born residents, in the nation's most immigrant-rich state, where infamously ineffective politicians have long touted sanctuary from immigration enforcement while defining themselves largely in opposition to Trump," writes Matt Welch, "the prospect of a theatrical clash probably looked to the White House like a win-win-win: Draw out the most self-defeating elements of the protest left, highlight the intransigent ineptitude of once-ambitious Dems, and continue to scare immigrant communities into self-deportation. All while releasing pent-up demand for a 2020 rewrite." Welch details the ways in which the current protests are not quite the same as the summer of George Floyd, nor at the scale of the Rodney King riots in the '90s; but there's one facet worth paying attention to, that might lead to more unrest this weekend and the powder keg, in fact, blowing: Trump will be marching tanks and artillery launchers through Washington, D.C., this Saturday, to honor the Army's 250th anniversary. But it also just so happens to fall on the president's 79th birthday, which you'd be forgiven for thinking looks a bit like a massive military parade in his honor, sure to invite more protesters. Trump warns they will be "met with very big force," which sounds almost like a provocation. Trump on his parade this weekend: "If there's any protester that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force. For those people that want to protest, they're going to be met with very big force." pic.twitter.com/xUqWdXfFIy The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) June 10, 2025 Scenes from New York: Kind of insane that socialist Zohran Mamdani has amassed this much support: New Emerson poll of the Democratic primary for NYC mayor ends with Cuomo 54.4%, Mamdani 45.6% pic.twitter.com/jop2f7cSmv bryan metzger (@metzgov) May 28, 2025 QUICK HITS Wild ruling: Oh boy, here we go. In a 7-3 decision DC Appellate Court just ruled governments are responsible for lost rent due to eviction moratoriums. You hearing this @MayorOfLA and @GavinNewsom https://t.co/z0G8dJHkwC Joey - Master of Wit and Sarcasm (@jjstyx) June 10, 2025 "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week," said Elon Musk on X. "They went too far." "Sadly it's common for an overdose to occur soon after Harm Reduction supplies are handed out. I have personally witnessed it dozens of times and question whether this is actually reducing harm," writes independent journalist Kevin Dahlgren on X, in a very sad thread about overdose and addiction. "Hong Kong's pension fund managers have formed a preliminary plan to sell down their Treasury holdings within as soon as three months if the US loses its last recognized top credit rating, according to people familiar with the matter," reports Bloomberg. Hear about all the hot new trends courtesy of Reason Roundup: Out: Native American land acknowledgements. In: Conquistador land acknowledgements. https://t.co/kozLeLEIfk Legal Phil (@Legal_Fil) June 11, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The post Stephen Miller's Dream appeared first on Reason.com. COLUMBIA, S.C. Lawyers for a death row inmate who killed two people on the Grand Strand will be in federal court Wednesday trying to convince a judge that South Carolina is not properly carrying out lethal injections or firing squad executions, an argument meant to spare the prisoner just two days before hes scheduled to die. Stephen Stankos attorneys said the two doses of lethal injection drugs used in the past three executions by that method show those subjected to the procedure have died a lingering death, still conscious as they felt like they were drowning when fluid rushed into their lungs. Stanko changed his mind and decided to die by lethal injection because of accounts about the last firing squad death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In that April execution, the volunteer shooters nearly missed Mikal Mahdis heart, meaning the man convicted of killing an off-duty police officer took three to four times as long to die as he was supposed to, Stankos lawyers said in court papers. One expert hired by Stankos attorneys said the evidence suggests the firing squad may have aimed slightly below the target or the target was not placed on Mahdis heart to cause great pain before his death, according to court papers filed last week.South Carolina says theres no reason to stop the execution Lawyers for the state vigorously denied the claims. They point out that the South Carolina Supreme Court rejected a similar last-ditch appeal on May 28. They said every execution is different and that lawyers representing incarcerated people have not proven any condemned prisoner suffered gratuitous pain. So (perhaps) its not the method thats the issue instead, these inmates just dont want to have their sentences carried out and are willing to make any argument that they can, wrote Grayson Lambert, a lawyer for South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawyers for the state will ask federal Judge Richard Gergel on Wednesday to dismiss the claims. Stankos crime was killing his friend Henry Turner Stanko would be the sixth inmate executed in South Carolina in nine months. There were originally four executions scheduled around the country this week, one in South Carolina and one each in Florida and Alabama. On Monday, an Oklahoma judge granted a temporary stay to a man scheduled to be put to death Thursday. Stanko, 57, is slated to die at 6 p.m. Friday at a Columbia prison for killing his 74-year-old friend, Henry Turner. Stanko went to Turners Horry County home in April 2006 after lying about his father dying. Hours before killing Turner, Stanko beat and strangled his girlfriend in her Murrells Inlet home and raped her daughter before slashing the teens throat. The daughter survived and testified against him at one of his trials. Stanko was also sentenced to death in that case. Lawyers say executions arent done properly Stankos lawyers, in their 49-page brief, include a number of ways their experts think South Carolina is improperly carrying out executions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They include using bullets in the firing squad that arent powerful enough to guarantee the heart will be destroyed, failing to properly oversee how an IV line is placed for lethal injections and improper storage of the powerful sedative pentobarbital, which is used to kill inmates. The lawyers said the state is using two doses of pentobarbital in executions because while inmates might be paralyzed by the drug they remain conscious enough to feel like they are drowning and take longer than 10 minutes to die. Attorneys for the state said witnesses to the executions have not reported any signs of distress and said the inmates appeared to stop breathing within a minute or two. The most serious accusations in Stankos lawsuit come from Dr. Jonathan Groner, an expert in lethal injection and other capital punishments and a surgeon who teaches at Ohio State University. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am concerned that some element of those responsible for carrying out Mr. Mahdis execution intended not to hit his target and to cause great pain before his death, Groner wrote. South Carolina says nothing went wrong State Correction Department officials deny that anything went wrong in Mahdis execution. Agency leaders have signed sworn statements saying that all three guns fired and no bullets or fragments were found in the death chamber after Mahdis lawyers suggested one shot missed entirely. How bullets react once they strike the body is something that neither SCDC nor the members of the firing squad can control. That one condemned inmate dies more quickly than another does not necessarily mean that something went awry in one execution, the state said. Complicating any investigation into Madhis death is an inadequate autopsy. It did not include X-rays to allow the results to be independently verified. Only one photo was taken of Mahdis body and there were no close-ups of the wounds. The inmates clothing was not examined to determine where the target was placed or how it aligned with the damage the bullets caused, according to forensic pathologist Terri Haddix of California, one of the defense experts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stankos lawyers want to pause his execution to take a closer look at Mahdis death and require the three firing squad members to take a sworn oath they will shoot at the target in good faith. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ST. LOUIS Tuesday marked the second day of operations for the disaster assistance center at the Chaifetz Arena following a devastating EF3 tornado last month. The partnership between the City of St. Louis, the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency and Saint Louis University has resulted in hundreds of residents seeking help. I miss my home, said Patricia Wells, a resident of The Greater Ville Neighborhood in north St. Louis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Her insurance temporarily pays for her to stay at a hotel, but Wells has struggled to find help with repairs. Its hard trying to find contractors in our area right now, she said. Im having to piece together people to try to work on my home. Wells was just one of the residents turning to the disaster assistance center for help on Tuesday. For the next few weeks, the center will still be open to residents who were impacted by the tornado. I think it gives them some hope, said Melissa Friel, preparedness division manager for the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said 466 family members came to the center seeking assistance during the first day of operation. Friel said the agencies offering help include a combination of community services, faith-based organizations and non-governmental organizations. Big changes to Missouris fireworks laws: What you need to know A lot of folks are really struggling, but theyre grateful to be able to come here and talk to the different agencies, she said. Wells found the center to be helpful and hopes other affected residents are aware of its existence. The center will continue to operate through Thursday of this week, from Monday through Wednesday next week, and Monday through Thursday the week after that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hours of operation each day are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents are encouraged to register before arriving. For more information, visit 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 FOX 2. MENOMONIE While being recognized as Large Business of the Year by the Menomonie Chamber of Commerce, the University of Wisconsin-Stout also celebrated its role in the community. The recognition comes as the chamber annually recognizes several entities in the community, including small businesses, with this years recipient as Markquart Menomonie; nonprofits, recognizing The Bridge to Hope; emerging leaders and others. Seth Hudson, executive director of corporate relations and economic engagement, said the recognition is an honor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It really celebrates our partnerships with the community and our relationships with businesses and our collaborations that we put in place over a number of years, he said. We sit in the heart of downtown Menomonie and we are a large economic impact to the community as well, but we see ourselves in a relationship where we are working collectively and I think thats what this award really calls out and shows. Amid this recognition, the university was also able to talk about community impact. On average, Stout sees roughly 7,000 students enroll and attend classes annually. Furthermore, the college employs roughly 1,100 faculty and staff throughout their campus and off-campus facilities. In total, the university has an estimated annual economic impact of $306 million. Stout is a very large driver for our community, said Ashley DeMuth, Menomonie Chamber CEO. When the Chancellor [Katherine Frank] was first hired, I had the opportunity to get to know her a little bit and it was fun getting to know her and watching her get to know the community through the eyes of the university. Because the university is not only our largest employer in the community, but it also brings in those large influx of temporary residents to the community as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hudson said as part of their role, there are strong relationships with industry within the community created through a variety of programming, alumni relationships and investments into the community. For the region as a whole, Hudson said, were very fortunate to have that educational ability and the ability to work with industry from that collective, noting that Stout sits in a very unique place in the 10-county region alongside two other Universities of Wisconsin, UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls, and two technical schools, Chippewa Valley Technical College and Northwoods Technical College. Hudson said there are lots of different ways to engage and were always looking for new ways to do that and give back. We have a great, deep and strong relationship with the university, DeMuth said. They do a really great job participating in our programs and events. They also help us enhance our programming here at the chamber because they are such a large footprint in the community, so they really lend their expertise to us in a variety of ways as well. (PUEBLO, Colo.) City leaders in Pueblo are moving forward with another attempt to try and address homelessness in the city. In a six-to-one vote on Monday, June 9, Pueblo City Council approved an ordinance that adds lying down into the citys definition of loitering. It also further defines how loitering, what loitering looks like and how will be defined, said Harley Gifford, a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Pueblo. Another of the changes means people caught breaking the rules cannot say there was no sign banning loitering as a defense. No one spoke out in favor of the resolution on Monday evening, but two people who made public comment spoke against the changes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This amendment, again, is going to target the homeless people here in Pueblo, Colorado, said one community member. Its not fair to people who dont have a place to stay, to not be able to be anywhere. Councilmember Joe Latino introduced the measure to the council. Latino also introduced a no sit-lie ordinance earlier this year. While the original measure moved forward in March, the council later voted it down in a five-to-two vote in April. The latest change will also bring about a harsher punishment when it comes to loitering. Its [loitering] going to go to a class one municipal offense, which is a $1,000 fine and up to 364 days in jail, Gifford said. Those who spoke out against the ordinance add the citys recently-created commission on homelessness needs time to get its legs under it in order to find solutions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If we just give the commission time to do its work, working on the one problem that were concentrating on, homelessness, and leave all these stupid laws for another city to punish people, I think we can really make some good progress, a community member said. Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham would have to sign this before it officially becomes law. If it does move forward, it would go into effect 30 days after the mayors approval. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Jun. 10Students, faculty and staff from St. John's Catholic School in Brunswick lined up on a dreary Tuesday morning, forming a human chain from the school to the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program building, all while passing donated food items from hand to hand. The annual display of community contributed dozens of boxes worth of food items to MCHPP, which will go toward local families facing food insecurity. The chain stretched from the school on Pleasant Street along Union Street and to the doors of the MCHPP building on Tenney Way. A tradition for more than 20 years, the "food pass" engages kids in service and social responsibility, a release from the school said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This event is one of the most meaningful parts of our school year," Principal John Yorkey said in a prepared statement. "It teaches our students the importance of community, service and the impact we can have when we work together." Copy the Story Link The Sudanese army has accused the forces of eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar of attacking Sudanese border posts, the first time it has accused its northwestern neighbour of direct involvement in the countrys civil war, now in its third year. The war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), whom the military also accused of joint involvement in the recent attack, has drawn in multiple countries, while international attempts at bringing about peace have so far failed. Early in the war, Sudan had accused Haftar of supporting the RSF via weapons deliveries. It has long accused Haftars ally the United Arab Emirates of supporting the RSF as well, including via direct drone strikes last month. The UAE denies those allegations. Egypt, which has also backed Haftar, has long supported the Sudanese army. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Sudanese army spokesman Nabil Abdallah said the attack took place in the Libya-Egypt-Sudan border triangle, an area to the north of one of the wars main front lines, el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. He said the attack constitutes a blatant aggression against Sudan. We will defend our country and our national sovereignty, and will prevail, regardless of the extent of the conspiracy and aggression supported by the United Arab Emirates and its militias in the region, Abdallah added. Sudans Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the UAE of backing the assault, describing it as a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sudans border with Libya has long served as a major corridor for weapons and mercenaries supporting the terrorist militia, funded by the UAE and coordinated by Haftars forces and affiliated terrorist groups, it said in a statement. There was no immediate response from Haftars forces. The RSF has not issued an official statement, but a source within the group said that its fighters had taken control on Monday of the entrance to Jebel Uweinat, a remote mountain area that sits where the three countries meet, according to the AFP news agency. The Center for Biological Diversity has filed suit against U.S. government agencies for failing to release public records on plans to land rockets at Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. More specifically, the national nonprofit filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Hawaii over the failures of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of the Air Force to comply with Freedom of Information Act requests. Those FOIA requests were filed April 7, but neither agency complied within 30 business days as required, the suit says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Air Force announced plans months ago to build two landing pads at Johnston, a U.S. incorporated territory about 800 miles southwest of Honolulu, for the project. The atoll, a seabird refuge, is within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, and the plan has sparked concern among numerous conservation groups over the potential destruction to its ecology. While not formally announced, Elon Musks SpaceX Starship is being considered for the project. Landing massive rockets in one of the most isolated and valuable habitats for seabirds would be as destructive and irresponsible as it sounds, said Maxx Phillips, the centers Hawaii and Pacific Islands director, in a statement. Thats exactly why the military and SpaceX are trying to keep this projects details hidden from the public. This project threatens to destroy a site that millions of seabirds need for nesting and overwintering, all in the name of military logistics and Elon Musks profit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March, the U.S. Air Force issued a notice of intent to build and operate two landing pads at Johnston for up to 10 reentry vehicle landings per year over four consecutive years. A draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI ) were initially expected to be available for public review in early April, but has been delayed to an unknown date. The Center for Biological Diversity said it requested certain documents pertaining to the proposed construction at Johnston Atoll due to the likelihood of substantial environmental impacts on essential fish habitat, migratory birds, and other protected species. The Johnston Atoll and the surrounding Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument protect vital nesting habitat for seabirds, shallow coral reefs, and marine habitat, said the Center in its suit. Roughly a million seabirds use the Johnston Atoll for feeding, nesting, and resting, and it is home to a variety of wildlife throughout the year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These include bird species such as red-tailed tropicbirds, red-footed boobies and great frigatebirds, and endangered species such as green sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals, which are known to be present at times in the waters and on the island. The USFWS declined to comment due to ongoing litigation. The Air Force said the EA and FONSI would be out later this year, with no specific date. Phillips said the FOIA suit is part of an effort to gain more transparency from the agencies on their plans. The FOIA process has strict timelines and clear procedures in place. We filed the lawsuit because the USFWS and Air Force are unlawfully holding public records related tofrom our standpointa deeply concerning proposal to operate rocket landing pads at Johnston, Phillips said. The public deserves to know when and how the government is putting fragile ecosystems at risk, especially for places like Johnston Atoll that have no permanent residents to speak for them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One concern includes the impacts of the loud noise from rockets on sensitive species such as Hawaiian monk seals. The Center said the thriving seabird population at Johnston today is only possible after a decade of efforts by the USFWS to eradicate invasive yellow crazy ants, which wreaked havoc on birds, causing blindness, injury and death. Johnston, known as Kalama to Hawaiians, was used by the military in earlier decades to launch nuclear weapons tests, as well as for the storage of the defoliant Agent Orange and destruction of chemical weapons. The yellow crazy ants ended up at Johnston as a result of earlier human activity, but since the military pulled out 20 years ago, the atoll is now recovering. This isnt just about rocket testing, Phillips said. Its about protecting endangered species, honoring conservation efforts already paid for by taxpayers, and defending our shared natural heritage. If we dont demand accountability now, we risk losing one of the Pacifics last wildlife sanctuaries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Air Force project is part of a rocket cargo vanguard program exploring the use of commercial rockets for rapid, global military cargo delivery. The use of rocket cargo could fundamentally alter the rapid logistics landscape, connecting materiel to joint warfighters in a fraction of the time it takes today, said Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. Jay Raymond in an earlier news release about the program. In the event of conflict or humanitarian crisis, the Space Force will be able to provide our national leadership with an independent option to achieve strategic objectives from space, Raymond said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But conservation groups have been rallying against the project, saying that rocket testing poses serious risks, including contamination, debris, noise pollution and the potential for failed landings within protected waters. The Pacific Islands Heritage Coalition launched a petition strongly objecting to the plan, calling for a full environmental impact statement. The number of signatures since the petitions launch in March has doubled, with more than 3, 700 signatures as of Friday. The Center says SpaceX has had a history of inadequate environmental review and recurring harm to sensitive and ecologically critical habitat on national wildlife refuge lands, including several explosions. On April 20, 2023, the Center said, a SpaceX rocket exploded next to the Boca Chica Wildlife Refuge in south Texas, igniting a 3.5-acre brush fire and hurling concrete and metal into tidal flats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All shorebird nests surveyed after the accident showed damage or missing eggs, consistent with being hit with debris, said the center in its news release. At the time, the center, along with the American Bird Conservancy, Surfrider Foundation and other groups sued the Federal Aviation Administration for allowing the expansion of such operations without more detailed environmental study. SpaceX has already had a series of failed landings this year, including on Jan. 17 and March 6, which disrupted commercial flights and rained debris over the Caribbean islands. The latest SpaceX Starship rocket test flight failed last weekwhen it spun out of control about halfway through its flight after launching from Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The center is also part of a suit filed by Earthjustice challenging the legality of Trumps executive order opening the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument to commercial fishing. Since the start of Trumps second term, the Center has pursued numerous strategic Freedom of Information Act lawsuits seeking public records about the administrations destructive anti-environment agenda, said the center. The records sought include emails and other documents detailing plans to accelerate logging in national forests, carry out mass firings and dismantle protections for the nations wetlands. The center said the requested records would help the public understand the projects scope and whether the environmental study adequately examines its risks. It expects to receive records due to the Johnston suit in the next two to three months. Donald Trump's new elite legal team from Sullivan & Cromwell had their first day in court. In oral arguments, they asked for his hush-money conviction appeals to play out in federal court. They say the Supreme Court ruling granting Trump immunity powers made the case a federal one. President Donald Trump has assembled his most illustrious legal team yet. In a court hearing Wednesday morning, they made their debut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jeffrey Wall, a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell who briefly served as solicitor general in Trump's first term, arrived at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals arguing that the sweeping powers of presidential immunity should, at least, bring the appeals process for Trump's criminal conviction to federal courts not state courts. "Everything about this cries out for federal court," Wall told the panel of three judges. "We can have our merits arguments back and forth on the scope of that evidentiary immunity, but the scope of a federal constitutional immunity for the President of the United States should be decided by this court and the Supreme Court, not by New York State courts." The federal arena would give the lawyers a smoother path to bringing additional appeals to the US Supreme Court, which previously gutted a separate criminal case against Trump over his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Wednesday's hearing, in a 17th-floor Manhattan courtroom, marked the first time Sullivan & Cromwell, a 146-year-old Big Law firm that made $2 billion in revenue last year, represented Trump in a courtroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The firm's cochair, Robert Giuffra, who leads Trump's team, played a role in negotiating the deal between the White House and the law firm Paul Weiss, despite having no official government role. Trump had targeted Paul Weiss with an executive order, which was rolled back following the deal. Now he is leading the team appealing a verdict from May of last year, when a jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in order to cover up hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. Wednesday's oral argument focused on a single narrow issue: Which court should listen to the rest of Trump's appeal? A debate over venue The Manhattan District Attorney's Office brought the case in New York County criminal court, the usual venue for cases brought by the office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Appeals for cases tried there are typically heard in the New York State Appellate Division. Trump's lawyers want the case to play out in federal court instead. A federal judge, US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, had previously swatted down several attempts to move the case's proceedings to federal court. Wednesday's planned oral arguments, in the federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals, were over whether Hellerstein wrongly ruled against Trump when he tried to move the venue after the trial concluded, but before he was sentenced. At the hearing Wednesday, the three-judge panel didn't tip their hand about how they'd rule. They asked questions about how the procedure would work out if the appeals for a state criminal case would play out in federal, rather than state courts. The judges appeared to wrestle with the Supreme Court's standard for presidential immunity in criminal cases and how it should be applied to the hush-money case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It seems to me that we got a very big case that created a whole new world of presidential immunity, and the boundaries are not clear at this point," Judge Myrna Perez said. President Donald Trump is appealing his criminal conviction. Pool/Getty Images. Trump's team has argued that federal courts are the appropriate forum to hear additional appeals, which they say will focus on the US Supreme Court ruling that granted sweeping immunity powers to presidents. That ruling which was handed down after Trump's Manhattan criminal trial concluded would have forbidden much of the evidence from coming into the case in the first place, Trump's lawyers argue. They also argued that they didn't wait too long to try to remove the case to federal court as the Manhattan District Attorney's Office argued because it wasn't clear until the trial itself that witnesses would testify about discussions that took place within the White House, such as Trump's conversations with Hope Hicks, his communications director at the time, about reacting to the Stormy Daniels scandal. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office argues that it has painstakingly distinguished between witness testimony that was personal from evidence that was related to Trump's role as president, and that presidential immunity should not apply. Steven Wu, the office's chief of appeals, that the conversations with Hicks and other officials that came up in trial testimony weren't covered by the Supreme Court's immunity ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The conversations that were testified to at the state criminal trial were about that private, unofficial conduct," Wu said Wednesday. Trump's new lawyers In May with Trump now president again the Justice Department weighed in. It argued in a brief that the law requires the case to play out in federal courts because Trump's defenses rely on his position as a federal employee. Sullivan & Cromwell is bringing heavyweights to the case. Giuffra signed onto the appeal in January and later also agreed to represent him in the appeal for his $500 million civil fraud judgment in a case brought by the New York attorney general. Wall briefly served as acting solicitor general in Trump's first term and has clerked for US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The other Sullivan & Cromwell lawyers representing Trump in the appeal James McDonald, Morgan Ratner, and Matthew A. Schwartz are also all former US Supreme Court clerks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump lawyers who represented Trump during his trial, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, have since been appointed to top positions in the Justice Department. Bove is being considered for a lifetime appointment in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Overturning the conviction would help Trump clear a stain on his rap sheet, and it gives him an opportunity to renew long-standing complaints that prosecutors targeted him for political reasons. And it also matters for his businesses: The conviction could result in the revocation of the liquor licenses at the Trump Organization's New Jersey properties. Last year, state regulators began a process to pull those licenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's not clear when the Second Circuit panel will issue a ruling. At Wednesday's hearing, they considered asking Hellerstein to take another look at some of the issues in the case and rule whether it merited being removed to federal court. Wall said Trump's appeal is "incredibly important" and the case deserved a fast track in federal court. "This is, after all, an unusual appeal by the President of the United States in a first-ever criminal case," he said. "I do think we ought to get on with it." This story has been updated. Read the original article on Business Insider ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) A majority of high school students are looking to secure a summer job, something that has become more and more difficult for young people across the United States. To address this, Youth Services Network and the Rockford Park District are hosting a job fair on Wednesday, June 11th. The job fair is going to be open for youth as well as adults here in the city of Rockford and surrounding areas. We have a massive amount of potential employers, schools, tradespeople, and volunteers that theyre looking for, for various organizations here in the city of Rockford, said Parent Engagement Specialist Regina Hobson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows youth unemployment is on the rise, from 8.7% in July of 2023 to 9.8% in July 2024. We just share with them about the job fair, were not structuring to have people placed in a certain position, wherever the employees find comfortable for themselves to be ina position to present. We want the youth to come and talk to them. Even adults come and talk to them, communicate, said Hobson. Youth Services Network says it is trying to take a positive approach. Just inspiring them and encouraging them to try to, just be the cheerleader, definitely to our youth, to show them that you can do this, Hobson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hobson also gave some examples of how to do well at interviews, including having good eye contact and a confident handshake. Communication is a key element for everything in life in order to get things, she said. Communication is so important. Take the time out to communicate and talk to somebody, she said. For more information, email rhobson@ysnkids.com or call 815-289-6330. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SOUTH CAROLINA (WSPA) Students across the state will have access to free meals throughout the summer, thanks to the Summer Break Cafe and the Seamless Summer Option programs. The programs, according to the South Carolina Department of Education, is a federally-funded effort to ensure that low-income children can receive meals and snacks during the summer break. Summer meals are one of the most vital ways we support South Carolina students year-round, said State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greenville Co. Schools offering free breakfast, lunch to children this summer The programs run from June to August and is being offered at multiple sites throughout the Upstate. More than 1,200 sites, including schools, libraries, parks, churches and community centers will serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Officials said that meals and serving times vary by location. Certain sites will also offer grab-and-go meals. We are incredibly grateful to the school districts and local partners who will work tirelessly to ensure no child goes without a meal this summer, Weaver added. Summer Break Cafe offers more than nutrition: it provides partnership and peace of mind for struggling families. The result is stronger communities and a brighter, healthier future for our young people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State education leaders said around 3.2 million meals were served to students in through summer food programs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) Dorchester County leaders are considering a major road widening project in Summerville, but not everyone agrees its the right move. A public input meeting was held Tuesday night at Alston-Bailey Elementary to gather community feedback on the proposed expansion of Central Avenue and Parsons Road. The project would widen Parsons Road to three lanes and Central Avenue to five lanes between Butternut Road and Parsons Road. County officials say the upgrades are needed to ease congestion in one of the countys fastest-growing areas. The plans also include a 12-foot shared use path and a 5-foot sidewalk to improve pedestrian and bike access. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But local advocacy groups like Bike/Walk Summerville are urging county leaders to reconsider the design, especially in areas near businesses and neighborhoods where five lanes may encourage higher speeds. It kind of implies to the public that certain ideas arent even on the table, said Chris McClure, Executive Director of Bike/Walk Summerville. That doesnt really facilitate the best conversations. McClure says more clarity is also needed about the placement of sidewalks and shared use paths, and whether speeds will be safe enough for people to feel comfortable using them. Nobody uses Ladson Road bike lanes because 45 miles per hour with cars going by you, thats not comfortable. You dont feel safe, McClure said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Dorchester County said the project will follow the South Carolina Department of Transportations Complete Streets policy: These projects will adhere to SCDOTs Complete Streets policy and will prioritize the safety of all road users including pedestrians and bicyclists. The addition of a Shared Use Path and sidewalks will increase multi-modal connectivity in a safe and convenient manner. McClure said more public engagement is needed before plans are finalized. The more people that speak up and know about these things, and the more debate that is allowed to happen. Weve got to get somewhere, he said. Weve got to be in a better position than if it was just a small group of people that heard about the meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dorchester County officials say feedback from Tuesdays meeting will help inform next steps. No final decisions have been made. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. DENVER (KDVR) Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons is suing the Summit County Board of County Commissioners after it filed a resolution that the sheriff says retroactively denies funding for staffing expenses. The sheriff said that the board had denied a supplemental budget and appropriation of $1.26 million for the sheriffs offices 2024 staffing expenses. The wages had been earned by staff, approved by the county manager and finance director, and paid through standard payroll, according to FitzSimons. Aurora City Council will not hold in-person meetings until Kilyn Lewis lawsuit concludes Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This legal action is necessary to protect my ability to fulfill the statutory responsibilities entrusted to me by the people of Summit County, said Sheriff FitzSimons. I remain hopeful these issues can be resolved amicably. As a three-term elected Sheriff, I will continue to stand up for the public safety resources our community has come to depend on. The commissioners meeting minutes from May 13 show that there were concerns raised by the finance director that the sheriffs office has had salary overages for three consecutive years. FitzSimons said in a press release that the 2024 budget amendment, which was what the commissioners voted upon last month, supports staffing and overtime expenses associated with a commissioner-approved compensation plan from 2022. FitzSimons said that in 2022, the sheriffs office, county staff and the countys commissioners at that time developed a compensation package that would help with recruiting and retention. History cant be rewritten just because the landscape has shifted, said Sheriff FitzSimons. Denying pay retroactively undermines our ability to retain and recruit personnel, contradicting the purpose of the plan we created together. 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. SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) Rental properties in Sumner County could soon see a price jump. The potential increase comes after the countys property assessor elected to increase the tax rate for single-family rental homes from 25% to 40%. A 40% property tax rate is what commercial properties are set to in Tennessee, meaning Sumner County would be establishing a unified, higher-tax rate for all rentals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sumner County looks to support state resolution declaring July as month of prayer Initially, the landlords will have to pick that cost up, but it will eventually be passed off to the tenants, explained Danny Hale, property manager for Hendersonvilles HALO Realty. Rental is a viable alternative for most people, so its just going to push the cost up on the people who can least afford to pay it. A property owner who spoke at a county meeting on Monday said he was told the change was made to prevent large-scale rental companies from flooding their housing market. However, local property managers like Hale are weary of the fallout. Weve talked to several different property management companies in the area, and theyre all in agreement that this is outside the bounds of state law and that its not fair for those people and its going to put a hardship on the tenants, said Hale. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hale has been a property manager in Sumner County for 30 years. He said hes never seen tax assessments made based upon who owns the property, or how many rentals they own. Child helps Sumner County authorities find burglary suspect Hale estimates that 5-7% of houses in Sumner County are rentals, with a great demand currently for single-family homes. Sumner Countys Property Assessor John Hurt was out of the office on Tuesday. News 2 emailed him for further comment. He responded with this statement: Property is classified by its use in Tennessee. The previous Assessor, Don Linville, made the decision to classify income producing single family rentals as commercial and assess them at the 40% commercial rate in tax year 2024. These properties are not owner occupied and are being used as an income producing business by the owner. There are appeals for tax year 2024 regarding the classification that will be heard by a Judge later this year. The Court will determine whether income producing single family rentals should be assessed at a more favorable assessment rate than other income producing property. Property owners may appeal their property classification to the Sumner County Board of Equalization. The deadline to sign up for the board is June 13th. John Hurt Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Sumner Countys Commission will vote later this month on whether to ask Hurt to pause this increased tax rate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The county tax assessor is an elected official and doesnt answer to the county commission. So its really upon him how to decide how to interpret the law, and in this case, we think hes misinterpreted it, added Hale. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) Stay up to date on the latest headlines in todays Sunrise Smart Start for Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Lower pressure in Canada will fight against dry air across the eastern part of the United States today, forcing wind to pick up across New York State. The west flow will run 20-30 mph and temperatures peak in the upper 70s to near 80. Expect a dry day with just a few passing clouds. A weak front will pass overnight into early Thursday and get replaced by another bubble of high pressure out of Canada. That should mean another dry afternoon with temperatures back down to the lower 70s. 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. NEW YORK A group of executives in New Yorks finance, law and communications sectors has launched a new super PAC to oppose Zohran Mamdanis mayoral run, kicking off with an ad accusing the socialist of pushing to defund the police amid an increase in pro-Palestinian protests in the city. The PAC, called Sensible City, Inc., disclosed in filings released Tuesday it has raised $211,000 so far to oppose Mamdani, who has consistently polled as the runner-up to Andrew Cuomo, the favorite to win the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary. The ads focus on pro-Palestinian protests comes as Cuomo and other moderate Democrats have accused Mamdani of aligning himself with antisemitic causes due to his outspoken criticism of Israels war in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mamdani has rejected those accusations as politically motivated, saying hes adamant about fighting all forms of hate. Asked if he recognizes Israels right to exist as a Jewish state, Mamdani has said Israel has a right to exist as a state with equal rights for all. The PAC was launched by Alan Sash and Daniel Horwitz, partners at two prominent New York law firms, as well as investor Eric Eve and PR professional Lisa Wolford, paperwork shows. The largest single donation to the PAC to date came from Rob Stavis, a partner of Bessemer, a venture capital firm, who gave $100,000. Other contributors include Eagle Capital Management founder Ravenel Curry, who gave $50,000, and designer Danyelle Freeman, who also gave $50,000. Filings show the PAC has already plunked down $100,524 on airing the new ad slamming Mamdani. The ad started going out on digital platforms over the weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It doesnt stop: day after day, streets blocked, demonstrations, some calling for killing, destruction, its not safe. Institution walls defaced with symbols to remind us of what can happen only because of who we are. The haters mean every word they utter. What can we do? a voice in the digital ad says as imagery flashes across the screen of pro-Palestinian protests and anti-Israel vandalism playing out on New York City streets. Zohran Mamdani wants to defund the police, we need a mayor who puts more cops on the street. Whats your June 24 Democratic primary choice? A rep for the new PAC didnt immediately return a request for comment from the Daily News. Mamdani, a Queens Assembly member and democratic socialist, has in the past supported calls for defunding the police. As a mayoral candidate on the 2025 campaign trail, he has called for keeping NYPD staffing levels flat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mamdani spokesman Andrew Epstein called the new PAC expenditure a desperate attempt to push back on the candidates left-wing agenda, which includes vows to increase taxes on corporations and millionaires to bankroll expanded free child care and public transit. Its always amusing when some of the richest people in the city are so outraged at the idea of paying just a little more in taxes that they spend tens of thousands of dollars on deceitful and slanderous attack ads, Epstein said. New Yorkers will see this for exactly what it is: desperate. The new PAC spending comes as recent polls have shown Mamdani closing in on Cuomo. A May 28 poll from Emerson University put Mamdani just 8% behind Cuomo. A separate PAC, Fix the City, has raised more than $12 million, mostly from billionaires and powerful business executives, to boost Cuomo with ads and other political messaging. The Fix the City expenditure is the largest super PAC spend on a single election in New York history. _____ This story was originally published by Floodlight. Republicans and Democrats alike are less likely to support renewable energy than they were five years ago, according to a survey released last week by the Pew Research Center. The results mirror growing pockets of opposition to solar farms, reignited political support for coal plants, and moves by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to kill federally funded clean energy projects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This shift in opinion dates back to when Democratic President Joe Biden took office, said Brian Kennedy, Pew senior researcher and one of the studys authors. This isnt a new trend, he said. Still, Kenneth Gillingham, professor of environmental and energy economics at the Yale School of the Environment, was surprised. I see this shift as a successful effort to link climate change and renewable energy to broader culture war issues, Gillingham said. He added that in the past, prominent Republicans supported renewables and sought solutions to climate change, but those stances could now be seen as disloyal to Trump. The survey of 5,085 U.S. adults taken April 28 to May 4 revealed that while 79% of Americans favored expanding wind and solar production in 2020, that number has dropped to 60%. And 39% of Americans today support expansion of oil, coal, and natural gas almost double the 20% that supported it in 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Combustion of fossil fuels in transportation, energy generation, and industrial production is the No. 1 cause of climate change. Much of the change in opinion is driven by Republicans, whose support of oil and gas grew from 35% in 2020 to 67% today. But Democrats also indicated less support for renewable energy and more for fossil fuels than five years ago. While many results reflect Trumps policies opposing most renewables and boosting fossil fuels, Pew found a few notable exceptions: 69% of all respondents favor offshore wind a technology Trump has specifically targeted. Both Democrats and Republicans indicated stronger support for nuclear power, with Republicans favorable opinions increasing from 53% in 2020 to 69% in 2025. Democrats support rose from 37% to 52%. The Trump administration has signaled support for a nuclear renaissance, despite its high cost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were wide partisan splits on several topics. In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it would scale back environmental regulations. Pew asked whether it was possible to do that and still protect air and water quality: 77% of Republicans said yes, and 67% of Democrats said no. Pew didnt ask the respondents why their attitudes have shifted. But Kennedy said in Pews past surveys, Republicans have expressed concern about the economic impacts of climate change policies and transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Mike Murphy, a Republican consultant and electric vehicle backer, said when the environmental benefits of clean technologies are touted, it polarizes Republicans. Instead, Murphy said messages should be about pocketbook issues like lower fuel costs and jobs. It's hard for pro-climate people to understand, said Murphy, who has advised dozens of state and national GOP campaigns, including John McCains 2008 presidential bid. [They think] we just need to shout louder and hit people over the head about climate, climate, climate. The key is you want to talk about jobs and national security and other events that naturally resonate a lot more with right-of-center people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats what Murphys groups, the EV Politics Project and the American EV Jobs Alliance, are trying to do to depoliticize electric vehicles. Whenever electric cars are seen through a climate lens, Murphy said, their appeal narrows. Its a strategy also being used by the Electrification Coalition, a left-of-center pro-EV group. Ben Prochazka, the coalitions executive director, echoed Murphys strategy, adding that EVs have become overly politicized and caught in the culture wars, impacting markets and ultimately hurting our ability to realize their many benefits for all Americans. Prochazka noted that once introduced to EVs, consumers support them: "EV drivers love their vehicles, with more than eight out of 10 reporting that their next car will also be electric. Perhaps those practical messages are getting through. In the Pew survey, electric vehicles were the one item that saw an uptick in support 4 percentage points in the past year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But popular support might not be enough to stop Congress from killing a $7,500 electric vehicle credit, which Murphy said would be policy disaster. Republicans, he said, are in a real squeeze, because they dont have enough money for the tax cuts the president has promised. Said Murphy: Its easier for Republicans to cut Biden electric cars than it is for them to cut more Medicaid. Gillingham is still optimistic that solar, wind and other greenhouse gas-reducing technologies will move forward because they are the cheapest. The continued decline in the price of renewable energy and battery technologies, as well as other new technologies, is a reason to continue to have hope that the worst impacts of climate change can be addressed, he said. Floodlight is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powerful interests stalling climate action. The largest-ever survey of transgender adults in the United States confirms what trans people have long known: support, especially from family, can be a matter of life and death. Released Wednesday by the Advocates for Trans Equality Education Fund, the report draws on responses from more than 84,000 trans adults nationwide and presents a complex but cautiously hopeful portrait of health and access to care. It finds that transgender people are significantly more likely to report good health when they have supportive families and the ability to live in alignment with their gender identity. Those who experienced family rejection, by contrast, reported far higher rates of suicidal ideation and attempts. This report tells us that, for the most part, trans people are happy, healthy, and getting the care they need, especially when they can live out their lives freely, said Ankit Rastogi, A4TEs director of research. Attacks aimed at removing trans people from public life and limiting trans peoples access to health care threaten to halt this progress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report, Health and Wellbeing: Findings from the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey, is the third installment of a series analyzing data from the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey. It provides one of the most detailed statistical insights into transgender peoples lives in the United States at a moment when health care access for the community is increasingly politicized. Compared to the 2015 version of the survey, the new data suggest improved experiences in clinical settings. Trust in providers appears to be increasing: 50 percent of respondents in 2022 said all of their health care providers knew they were transgender, up from 40 percent in 2015. Nearly three in four respondents73 percentwho disclosed their transgender status to a provider said they were treated with respect by at least one provider, an increase from 62 percent in the previous survey. Still, structural barriers remain. Although 88 percent of respondents said they wanted gender-affirming hormone therapy, only 56 percent reported receiving it. Other access measures showed progress: 57 percent reported having a dedicated provider for transition-related care, up from 44 percent in 2015. Denial rates for gender-confirmation surgeries fell sharply, from 55 percent in 2015 to 20 percent in 2022. Despite these gains, health disparities between trans adults and the general U.S. population remain pronounced. Just 66 percent of trans respondents rated their health as excellent, very good, or good, compared to 81 percent of the general population. Insurance coverage was also lower among trans adults87 percent versus 92 percentand younger respondents reported worse health than older ones. While 78 percent of trans adults age 65 and older said their health was good or better, only 60 percent of those ages 18 to 24 said the same. Good health is the foundation that allows everyone to thrive, said Andy Marra, CEO of A4TE. It is unconscionable that access to health care is now on the chopping block for millions of vulnerable Americans, including tens of thousands of trans people. In Florida, a bill that bans cellphone use in elementary and middle schools, from bell to bell, recently sailed through the state Legislature. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law on May 30, 2025. The same bill calls for high schools in six Florida districts to adopt the ban during the upcoming school year and produce a report on its effectiveness by Dec. 1, 2026. Parents are divided on the issue. According to a report from Education Week, many parents want their kids to have phones for safety reasons and dont support bans as a result. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in the debate over whether phones should be banned in K-12 schools and if so, how students themselves are rarely given a voice. We are experts in media use and public health who surveyed 1,510 kids ages 11 to 13 in Florida in November and December 2024 to learn how theyre using digital media and the role tech plays in their lives at home and at school. Their responses were insightful and occasionally surprising. Adults generally cite four reasons to ban phone use during school: to improve kids mental health, to strengthen academic outcomes, to reduce cyberbullying and to help limit kids overall screen time. But as our survey shows, it may be a bit much to expect a cellphone ban to accomplish all of that. What do kids want? Some of the questions in our survey shine light on kids feelings toward banning cellphones even though we didnt ask that question directly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We asked them if they feel relief when theyre in a situation where they cant use their smartphone, and 31% said yes. Additionally, 34% of kids agreed with the statement that social media causes more harm than good. And kids were 1.5 to 2 times more likely to agree with those statements if they attended schools where phones are banned or confiscated for most of the school day, with use only permitted at certain times. That group covered 70% of the students we surveyed because many individual schools or school districts in Florida have already limited students cellphone use. How students use cellphones matters Some power users of cellphone apps could likely use a break from them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Twenty percent of children we surveyed said push notifications on their phones that is, notifications from apps that pop up on the phones screen are never turned off. These notifications are likely coming from the most popular apps kids reported using, like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. This 20% of children was roughly three times more likely to report experiencing anxiety than kids who rarely or never have their notifications on. They were also nearly five times more likely to report earning mostly Ds and Fs in school than kids whose notifications are always or sometimes off. Our survey results also suggest phone bans would likely have positive effects on grades and mental health among some of the heaviest screen users. For example, 22% of kids reported using their favorite app for six or more hours per day. These students were three times more likely to report earning mostly Ds and Fs in school than kids who spend an hour or less on their favorite app each day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They also were six times more likely than hour-or-less users to report severe depression symptoms. These insights remained even after ruling out numerous other possible explanations for the difference like age, household income, gender, parents education, race and ethnicity. Banning students access to phones at school means these kids would not receive notifications for at least that seven-hour period and have fewer hours in the day to use apps. Phones and mental health However, other data we collected suggests that bans arent a universal benefit for all children. Seventeen percent of kids who attend schools that ban or confiscate phones report severe depression symptoms, compared with just 4% among kids who keep their phones with them during the school day. This finding held even after we ruled out other potential explanations for what we were seeing, such as the type of school students attend and other demographic factors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are not suggesting that our survey shows phone bans cause mental health problems. It is possible, for instance, that the schools where kids already were struggling with their mental health simply happened to be the ones that have banned phones. Also, our survey didnt ask kids how long phones have been banned at their schools. If the bans just launched, there may be positive effects on mental health or grades yet to come. In order to get a better sense of the bans effects on mental health, we would need to examine mental health indicators before and after phone bans. To get a long-term view on this question, we are planning to do a nationwide survey of digital media use and mental health, starting with 11- to 13-year-olds and tracking them into adulthood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even with the limitations of our data from this survey, however, we can conclude that banning phones in schools is unlikely to be an immediate solution to mental health problems of kids ages 11-13. Grades up, cyberbullying down Students at schools where phones are barred or confiscated didnt report earning higher grades than children at schools where kids keep their phones. This finding held for students at both private and public schools, and even after ruling out other possible explanations like differences in gender and household income, since these factors are also known to affect grades. There are limits to our findings here: Grades are not a perfect measure of learning, and theyre not standardized across schools. Its possible that kids at phone-free schools are in fact learning more than those at schools where kids carry their phones around during school hours even if they earn the same grades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We asked kids how often in the past three months theyd experienced mistreatment online like being called hurtful names or having lies or rumors spread about them. Kids at schools where phone use is limited during school hours actually reported enduring more cyberbullying than children at schools with less restrictive policies. This result persisted even after we considered smartphone ownership and numerous demographics as possible explanations. We are not necessarily saying that cellphone bans cause an increase in cyberbullying. What could be at play here is that at schools where cyberbullying has been particularly bad, phones have been banned or are confiscated, and online bullying still occurs. But based on our survey results, it does not appear that school phone bans prevent cyberbullying. Overall, our findings suggest that banning phones in schools may not be an easy fix for students mental health problems, poor academic performance or cyberbullying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That said, kids might benefit from phone-free schools in ways that we have not explored, like increased attention spans or reduced eyestrain. 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: Justin D. Martin, University of South Florida and Chighaf Bakour, University of South Florida 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. The Brief The survivors of a ferry dock collapse that killed seven people on Georgia's Sapelo Island last year are suing the engineering and construction companies responsible for the dock's construction. The collapse happened when family members and tourists had traveled to the island for Cultural Day, an annual fall event spotlighting the islands tiny community of Hogg Hummock, home to a few dozen Black residents. Officials have confirmed with FOX 5 that the last inspection of the gangway took place in December 2023. No areas of concern were found during the inspection, which officials say examined the top and bottom sides. SAPELO ISLAND, Ga. - The survivors of a ferry dock collapse on Georgia's Sapelo Island have filed a lawsuit against the engineering and construction companies responsible for the dock's construction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The devastating disaster killed seven people and injured more than a dozen others who had gathered on the small island for a celebration. MORE: Remembering the victims of the Sapelo Island dock collapse The backstory The collapse happened on Oct. 19, 2024, when family members and tourists gathered for Cultural Day, an annual fall event spotlighting the islands tiny community of Hogg Hummock, home to a few dozen Black residents. Authorities say the dock held about 40 people when the metal snapped, sending them into the Atlantic waters. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said engineers calculated that the 80-foot gangway should have been able to support the weight of 320 people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The dock was rebuilt in 2021 after Georgia officials settled a lawsuit by Hogg Hummock residents who complained the ferries and docks failed to meet federal accessibility standards for people with disabilities. Ferry worker Ed Grovner said he complained to a ferry captain months ago that the gangway didnt seem sturdy enough, but nothing happened. "I couldnt sleep last night," Grovner told the Associated Press after the disaster. "My wife said I was sleeping, I was hollering in my sleep, saying, Im going to save you. Im going to save you. Im going to get you." A still photo of the Sapelo Island Ferry dock taken prior to the ferry dock gangway collapse on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, as the last ferry was leaving the island (Photo: John Taylor). Officials have confirmed with FOX 5 that the last inspection of the gangway took place in December 2023. No areas of concern were found during the inspection, which officials say examined the top and bottom sides. The remains of the gangway were sent to a secure facility to be inspected. Details about that inspection have not been released. What we know Attorney Chadrick A. Mance announced that a lawsuit has been filed in Gwinnett County against the parties involved in the engineering and construction of the gangway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the complaint, the survivors suffered physical injuries and mental anguish and trauma. While the complaint has not been released to the public yet, the Savannah-based attorney plans to discuss the lawsuit at a press conference on Wednesday morning. Dig deeper Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has also announced he would be representing the families of three of the individuals who lost their lives and one who was injured in the collapse. "The tragic deaths and injuries caused by the collapse of the Sapelo Island dock gangway are devastating for these families and the entire community. We will not rest until we uncover the truth behind this catastrophic failure and hold those responsible accountable," Crump said. "This should never have happened, and it is crucial that we prevent future tragedies by addressing the negligence that led to this horrific event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sapelo Island also has no medical facilities. Resident Jazz Watts said a health care provider was planning to open a clinic in the county-owned building that had long served as the islands community center. But those plans got scrapped when county commissioners opted to lease the space for a restaurant. The Source Information for this story came from a release by The Mance Law Firm and previous FOX 5 reporting. Survivors and victims families will step inside the Pulse nightclub on Wednesday. This is the first time they will see the inside of the site of the massacre, nearly nine years after the horrific day. The city of Orlando is hoping these visits will give them some closure. Thursday will mark nine years since 49 people were shot and killed and 53 others were hurt in one of the second-deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is being done before the building is demolished and a permanent memorial is put in its place. Nearly 250 people are expected to tour the inside of Pulse over the next several days. No photos or videos are allowed to be taken inside the building. This is because some survivors and family members do not want to see the inside of the building, and the city says it doesnt want someone who doesnt want to see this to find it on social media. Family members and survivors will stay at the same hotel and be bussed to the site for their visit. Each visit will last about 30 minutes. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. For Marissa Delgado, the empty Pulse nightclub holds joyful memories of dancing with friends on Latin night and dark reminders of the worst moments of her life. This week, she plans to step into the shuttered club for the first time since the early hours of June 12, 2016 when an armed gunman stormed inside and started firing, killing 49 and injuring scores of others, including Delgado who still carries bullet and shrapnel inside her. Delgado sees the visit as a way to move forward and a chance to ease a bit of the immense grief, sadness and trauma that still weighs on her. But Monday, she admitted, she was still torn about her plans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It could help me, she said. It could backtrack me. It could bring back a bad feeling, she added. I dont know. Im very scared. The city of Orlando plans to demolish the clubs building and erect a memorial on its site. But starting Wednesday afternoon and continuing this week it is offering families of those killed and survivors of the shooting a chance to see inside before the structure is torn down. The building has been closed and surrounded by a temporary memorial to the victims for years. Relatives of 24 of the 49 people killed plan to go inside starting late Wednesday as do about 70 survivors, city officials said, though they know some may decide once they arrive that they cannot go through the doors. The building has been cleaned and sanitized since the massacre nine years ago,but bullet holes still dot the inside walls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Portions of the walls have large holes where people tried to escape. There is no furniture inside, however, so the visitors will see only barren rooms. FBI agents trained with helping victims and survivors will accompany the tours. They will offer support and be able to show where the dance floor, the stage, the bar, the bathrooms where some people were held hostage for hours and the dressing rooms were located, said Donna Wyche, a mental health specialist for the city, who is helping to coordinate the tours. The agents also will be able to show visitors, if they ask, the exact spots where many of the victims fell. They may want to stand or be in the place where their loved one died, Wyche said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city is holding the tours which are not open to the public at the request ofvictims families and survivors. Its not closure. But it is part of the journey of grief, Wyche said Wednesday while standing outside of the Pulse building. Weve heard them. Weve listened to them. And theyve said it very clearly: We want to see it one last time. We want to be in that sacred place, one more time.' Christine Leinonens son Christopher Drew Leinonen, 32, and his boyfriend Juan Guerrero were both killed in the shooting. She is traveling from Polk County to Orlando for a late Wednesday afternoon visit. She has never been inside the club before and doesnt know what she expects to see or feel but said she is determined go inside no matter what. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I just want to see where my son took his last breath, where he bled to death, Leinonen said. I owe it to him. Leinonen said her son was shot nine times. Sometimes, she tries to imagine the pain he felt from the bullets, and the shock and terror as he lay helpless on the dance floor, waiting for aid that never came. She wants to see the last things he saw, she said, and breathe the air he breathed. Im never going to actually know what he feltbut I have to get closer, she said. I have to get close to my sons reality. Im never going to get closure. Im not trying to get closure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After she visited, Leinonen said looking around the club was painful but she would have regretted not taking the opportunity to see where the tragedy unfolded. I came to see where my son son took his last breath, she said. Its as simple as that. About 250 people are expected to tour, many of them relatives but also friends or clergy members who victims and survivors have asked to accompany them. The city will have mental health counselors on site, too, to speak with any visitors who want that help. Delgado, 38, who lives in Clermont, has a friend going with her. She expects shell hold her hand tightly during their tour Friday morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite what shes faced, including hospital stays and countless therapy sessions, Pulse still sometimes also means great memories when she thinks about about all the time she and friends danced and listened to music at the club on south Orange Avenue. Pulse was billed by its founders as the hottest gay bar in Orlando but it was popular with a large crowd gay and straight. The clubs theme on the night of the shooting was Latin night, when Pulse became a crossroads of the Latino and gay communities. It had such a great vibe, Delgado said. I remember how great everyone was. Not all the survivors of the Pulse shooting want to go back inside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leonel Melendez Jr. who was shot multiple times and whose parents were told he might not survive his first days in the hospital said hes not interested. Every year, he dreads mid-June, when he is reminded again of the worst night of his life. The whole thing just brings bad memories, he said of the Pulse nightclub building. But I try not to feel sad. Pulse to me is like a cut, or a wound. I know that it happened. But with time, it heals. he said. But the scar will always be there. During the shooting, bullets tore through the back of his head and ripped apart his left leg. His good friend Javier Jorge-Reyes was killed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For two weeks, Melendez 38 at the time was in intensive care in critical condition. He was on a respirator for 10 days and endured several surgeries. His parents, Nicaraguan immigrants, still call it a milagro, a miracle, that he is alive. Today, Melendez can no longer hear out of one of his ears. And he struggles with physical pain and the emotional toll of the shooting. Its just very hard, he said. Its a lot of mixed feelings, mixed emotions. Emotionally, its very sad that my friend is no longer here. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer toured the building nine years ago, after the FBI, which investigated the shooting, turned the building back to the city. He visited again more recently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a very emotional thing. Each person is going to experience it, I suspect, very much differently, he said. Nothing can bring those 49 back. Nothing can cure the mental anguish that so many people have gone through, Dyer said. There are different phases of grief, and everybody experiences it somewhat differently. I would hope that a site visit would be helpful to some, but I would also hope that the completion of the memorial would help everybody, he said, speaking to reporters outside the club Wednesday. Building a Pulse memorial has been a drawn-out, controversial affair. Orlando took over the effort in late 2023 after the collapse of the onePulse Foundation. A demolition date has not been set, but city officials said the entire building will be razed, though the iconic Pulse sign will likely be saved. The new memorial now estimated to cost $12 million should be built by the end of 2027. Early plans show a reflection pool where the clubs dance floor stood. An 18-member citizens advisory group that includes victims families, survivors and others helped choose the design. Though there was eventual agreement, some members initially wanted to save the building. Joshua Hernandez, who survived the shooting, will travel to Orlando from his home in Puerto Rico this week but is still not sure if he is ready to step inside the Pulse building. Hernandez had just left the dance floor to go to the bathroom when the shooting started. He was shot in his left arm and in the stomach and lay on the floor for nearly three hours until police killed the gunman and rescued him. He was in the hospital for two weeks. Probably yes, he said about taking the tour. It probably will help me heal. But every day I have this on my mind. Its still like yesterday. Hernandez is frustrated there is still no permanent memorial Its been nine years. I dont want it to be 20 years and still no memorial, he said. Im ready to finish this facet of my life. Skyler Swisher and Stephen Hudak of the Sentinel staff contributed to this story. CSRA (WJBF) A man was arrested Tuesday in connection to the death of Bruce Mitchell, according to the Waynesboro Police Department. The United States Marshalls Office and the Richmond County Sheriffs Office Special Operations Division arrested Jayven Ward on June 10 at Salem Arms Apartment Complex in Richmond County. According to the Waynesboro Police Department, a family member of Mitchell reported him missing on May 20. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities state that officers went to Mitchells residence on the 200 block of Lovers lane to conduct a welfare check, where Mitchell was found deceased inside the residence. According to the Waynesboro Police Department, Ward has 22 total outstanding felony warrants related to this case and others. Investigators state a search warrant was served at the apartment where Ward was located and numerous firearms, magazines and bullets were located. Marijuana was also located on the scene, according to the department. Additional charges could be pending. Jayven Ward was arrested June 10. (photo courtesy of Waynesboro Police Department) Items seized in a search warrant on June 10. (photo courtesy of Waynesboro 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 WJBF. Suspect in Flower St double homicide was paroled 6 days earlier BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) One of the suspects charged in a shooting on Flower Street that killed two men was released from prison just six days earlier, according to prison records. Darwin Young Jr., 20, was sent to prison in 2024 after being convicted of carrying a loaded gun in public while active in a street gang, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He completed his sentence and was released to parole supervision May 21, CDCR officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shooting occurred May 27. Damien Joseph Bullard, 26, and Anthony Victor Ochoa, 37, were fatally shot at about 9:41 p.m. in the 1600 block of Flower Street, according to coroners officials. BPD asks community to help find at-risk missing woman last seen Monday Young and Ramahs Darnell Turner, 17, are each facing two counts of murder and a robbery charge. A third person, Nancy Ruiz, 20, is charged with robbery. A criminal complaint filed June 3 says the crime was carried out for the benefit of the Eastside Crips. Young and Ruiz have pleaded not guilty and are due back in court next week. Turner has appeared in juvenile court and has a hearing scheduled mid-July. Prosecutors are seeking to charge him as an adult. 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. DENVER (KDVR) A man is wanted by Denver police for an incident that occurred May 29 on a Regional Transportation District light rail train. According to the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers, a man attempted sexual assault on a child at about 8 p.m. in the 8200 block of East Smith Road while riding the light rail train. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox The area is near the Central Park station, which is part of the A Line from Union Station to the Denver International Airport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police described the suspect as a Hispanic male, between 30 and 49 years old, standing about 5 feet, 8 inches tall with a medium build and short black hair thats shaved on the sides. This image shows a suspect accused of attempted sexual assault of a child onboard an RTD light rail train. (Courtesy Metro Denver Crime Stoppers) Anyone with information is asked to contact the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or online at metrodenvercrimestoppers.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 FOX31 Denver. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) A person was arrested after they barricaded themselves inside a motel room on Tuesday morning, June 10, in Las Cruces, City of Las Cruces Public Information Officer Dan Trujillo said. Las Cruces Police responding to suspected shooter barricaded at motel Trujillo said authorities responded at around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday to the Western Inn, 2155 W. Picacho Ave., to reports of shots fired. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities arrived at the scene and found a person who had suffered at least one gunshot wound, Trujillo said. The shooter then barricaded himself inside a motel room that he was staying in and eventually came out after some time. The shooter was then placed into custody, Trujillo said. Residents who were staying at the motel were evacuated, and other residents were asked to shelter in place or self-evacuate. Trujillo also addressed how several incidents have happened in that particular area of Las Cruces. We had another fatal incident there several months ago. Its unfortunate that these incidents happen, and when you have two or three incidents in one area, yeah, thats cause for concern, Trujillo said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most residents were allowed to go back to their rooms. However, residents who were staying in rooms near the shooters room will be allowed to go back later on Tuesday, Trujillo said. Las Cruces Police Departments SWAT team, New Mexico State Police, and the Dona Ana County Sheriffs Office responded to 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 KTSM 9 News. A 15-year-old boy accused of trying to assassinate Colombian Senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe has pleaded not guilty, the prosecutors office said. The teen was formally charged on Tuesday with the attempted murder of 39-year-old conservative presidential candidate Uribe, who was shot in the head on Saturday and is fighting for his life in critical condition in hospital. The teenager who police believe was a sicario or hitman working for money was also charged with carrying a firearm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No family in Colombia should be going through this, Uribes wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, told reporters outside the hospital where her husband is being treated. There is no name for this its not pain, its not horror, its not sadness, she said. The senators father, Miguel Uribe Londono, thanked the millions of Colombians and people around the world for their prayers. Miguel, amidst the pain and dismay that overwhelms us, has managed to unite this country in a single voice that rejects violence, his father added. It is not known why Senator Uribe, who was vying for the candidacy of his party, was attacked. He was polling well behind other party candidates at the time of the shooting. Footage from the scene of the shooting showed Uribe addressing supporters in the west of the capital Bogota when a youth rushed towards him firing at least eight shots. Uribe was hit twice in the head and once in the leg. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The alleged attacker was apprehended by security guards and a Glock 9mm pistol was recovered. In a video of the teens capture, independently verified by the Reuters news agency, the suspect can be heard shouting that he had been hired by a local drug dealer. An earlier video showed that as the suspect, who was wounded, attempted to escape the scene, a voice could be heard shouting, I did it for the money, for my family. But in court, the teenager rejected charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm, the attorney generals office said. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in a rehabilitation centre, not prison, as he is a minor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also on Tuesday, Colombia was rocked by bomb and gun attacks in the countrys southwest where at least seven people were killed in a wave of violence that echoed earlier decades when attacks by armed fighters, paramilitary groups and drug traffickers were common. Bystanders look at the wreckage of a car after it exploded in front of the City Hall in Corinto, Cauca department, Colombia, on June 10, 2025 [Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP] The bomb and gun attacks were likely caused by an armed group that splintered from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, according to the army and police. Colombian President Gustavo Petro, meanwhile, has broadly pointed the finger at an international crime ring as being behind the attack on Uribe, without providing details or evidence. Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti suggested there may be a link with the assassination attempt as rebels have increasingly turned to drug trafficking to finance their activities, though he did not provide evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Petro has ordered beefed-up security for government officials and opposition leaders in response to the attacks. Uribe had been a staunch critic of Petros security strategy, aimed at ending six decades of armed conflict, arguing that Petros approach of pausing offensives on armed groups despite the failure of peace talks only backfired. The senator had two government-provided bodyguards protecting him at the time of the shooting, the head of the National Protection Unit said. Uribes lawyer, Victor Mosquera, said his client had repeatedly asked for more bodyguards. CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) The Clarksville Police Department is asking for the publics assistance in identifying the suspects accused of burglarizing a storage facility on two separate occasions. According to the police department, iStorage on Pea Ridge Road was burglarized around 4 a.m. on June 1 and June 9. CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime-related reports from across Middle Tennessee Officials said the suspects were captured on video surveillance arriving in a gray Nissan Sentra with no license plate and a handicap placard hanging on the rearview mirror. The suspects reportedly forced their way inside the facility and illegally entered storage units. (Courtesy: Clarksville Police Department) (Courtesy: Clarksville Police Department) (Courtesy: Clarksville Police Department) Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Anyone with additional information or video footage of this incident is asked to contact Detective Neal at 931-648-0656, ext. 5188 or the Clarksville Montgomery County Crime Stoppers Tipsline at 931-645-8477. Tips can be submitted online by clicking here. 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. A ruling years in the making affirms property rights in a case previously reported by The Dallas Express. A federal judge has ordered the City of McKinney to pay nearly $60,000 in damages to a woman whose home was destroyed during a 2020 SWAT standoffdespite her having no connection to the fugitive inside. Vicki Baker, a cancer patient and retired grandmother, was preparing to relocate to Montana when police descended on her property. The SWAT team was pursuing her former handyman, who had barricaded himself inside her McKinney home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I told them, Please dont destroy my house, Baker recalled to NBC 5. They did anyway. What followed was a five-year legal battle in which the city refused to pay for the $60,000-plus in property damage, forcing Baker to dip into her retirement savings just to make the home livable again. With the help of the Institute for Justice, Baker took the city to court, arguing that government agents who destroy private propertyregardless of motiveshould be held financially accountable. Were trying to establish that even if the government is acting for a legitimate reason, they must compensate property owners for what they destroy, said attorney Jeffrey Redfern. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city previously offered a partial settlement, but Baker refused, pushing for full compensation and a broader legal precedent. Last week, a federal judge agreed and ordered McKinney to pay $59,656.69. City officials told NBC 5 they are evaluating options for appealing the ruling. Baker, now retired and living on Social Security, says she fought not just for herself but for others who might one day find themselves in her position. It was disastrous for me, but what if it were a single mom with no savings? Someone has to stand up, she said. The ruling could signal a growing trend of courts reining in unchecked government immunity when innocent citizens bear the cost of public safety operations. Syria's Islamist-led interim government has decreed that women must wear burkinis - a swimsuit that covers the body except for the face, hands and feet - or other "decent" clothes at public beaches and swimming pools. The regulations, issued by the tourism ministry, were "aimed at enhancing public safety standards and preserving public decency", Syrian state news channel Al-Ikhbariyah al-Suriyah reported. Private beaches, clubs and pools, as well as hotels with more than four stars, are exempt, the directive said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Women often dress modestly on public beaches in Syria, but some women do opt for more Western styles of swimwear. The new government previously pledged to govern inclusively. Under the new directive, beachgoers and visitors to public pools must wear "more modest swimwear", specifying "the burkini or swimming clothes that cover more of the body". The decree added that women should wear a cover-up or loose clothing over their swimwear when they move between swimming areas. "Travelling in swimwear outside the beach without appropriate cover is prohibited," it said. Men should also wear a shirt when they are not swimming, and are not allowed to be bare-chested outside swimming areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement said "normal Western swimwear" was generally allowed in exempted places "within the limits of public taste". More generally, people should wear loose clothing that covers the shoulders and knees and "avoid transparent and tight clothing", the decree added. The directive did not say whether those who fail to follow the rules would be penalised or how the rules would be enforced. But it did say lifeguards and supervisors would be appointed to monitor compliance on beaches. It also included other safety regulations around pools and beaches. Reacting to the new rule, one woman from Idlib in the north-west of the country told the BBC's World Service that, while she could see both sides of the argument, "I do think there is a positive to this, from a moral and respectful point of view". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Celine said: "Some people and families don't feel comfortable seeing or wearing too much exposed skin and I believe that is a valid perspective." But another woman, Rita, who lives in the capital, Damascus, said she was "not comfortable" with the new rule, "especially as we are not used to such laws". "In the coastal area, different ladies from different religions all have been going there and until now, we wore what we wanted," she said. "Religious people could avoid those in bikinis. But this law makes us scared of where to go." She added: "We have no problem with the burkini itself, but it's a problem with the concept that the government are controlling this." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In December last year, Islamist rebel forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime, bringing years of civil war to an end. Since then, al-Sharaa, now the country's interim president, has promised to run the country in an inclusive way. In an interview with the BBC shortly after he took power, he said he believed in education for women and denied that he wanted to turn Syria into a version of Afghanistan - which has severely curtailed women's rights. In March, Sharaa signed a constitutional declaration covering a five-year transitional period. The document said Islam was the religion of the president, as the previous constitution did, and Islamic jurisprudence was "the main source of legislation", rather than "a main source". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The declaration also guaranteed women's rights, freedom of expression and media freedom. Women in Syria must wear burkinis or swimwear that covers their body at public beaches and swimming pools, its tourism ministry has declared. It is the first time Damascus Islamist authorities have issued guidelines for women to observe conservative dress codes since Bashar al-Assads autocratic regime was toppled in December, amid concerns the countrys new rulers could implement a more religiously conservative agenda. The new restrictions were part of a wider decree that detailed public safety guidelines for beaches and swimming pools, such as not spending too long in the sun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Syrians should wear appropriate swimwear that respects public decency and the feelings of different segments of society, it said, which required more modest swimsuits. The order specified that women should wear the burkini or swimming clothes that cover the body more. Men are required to wear shirts under the guidance, which said that topless clothing is not permitted in public areas outside of swimming areas, hotel lobbies, and food service areas. In public areas outside of beaches and pools, it is preferable to wear loose clothing, covering shoulders and knees, and avoid transparent or overly tight clothing, it added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although normal Western swimwear is still permitted at private clubs and luxury hotels, it said the new rules should be followed with adherence to public morals and within the limits of public taste. The ministry said lifeguards and beach supervisors would monitor compliance to the guidelines. Repercussions for rule breakers are unclear. The crackdown reflects the influence of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) the de-facto Islamist coalition, designated a terrorist organisation by the UN the US, EU and UK, who led the lighting offensive that ousted Assads regime and are now running Syria. Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syrias new president, has been working to assure global leaders that he wont restrict womens rights in the new Syria. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sunni Islamist group HTS which has its roots in al-Qaeda claims it has a more nuanced approach to implementing Sharia law than other hardline regimes in the Middle East. For example, Irans morality police have brutally cracked down on women and girls perceived as failing to comply with the mandatory hijab laws and regulations, using public flogging and beatings as punishment. But al-Sharaa is treading a fine line, with observers abroad keeping a keen eye on signs that Syria could implement stricter Islamic laws. In December, he provoked a social media furore when he requested that a young woman who approached him for a photo covered her hair before taking a picture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Syria is working to rebuild after it was ravaged by 14 years of civil war. Last month, US president Donald Trump promised to lift economic sanctions on Syria, representing a major US policy shift toward the country. I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness, said Mr Trump. Its their time to shine. Were taking them all off, he added. Good luck Syria, show us something very special. 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 hes finally cracked a tentative deal with Chinabut why doesnt it sound any good? Trump announced on Truth Social Wednesday morning that a long-awaited trade deal had finally materialized, though it was still subject to final approval by Chinese President Xi Jinping and himself, and indicated that the U.S. would impose a 55 percent tariff on Chinese goods, while China would impose a 10 percent tariff. While these numbers are significant deescalations from the whopping 145 percent tariff Trump had levied on Chinese exports and the 125 percent tariff rate on U.S. exports China imposed in response, Trumps deal still leaves something to be desired. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before Trump entered office, China and the U.S. both had roughly 20 percent tariffs on exports from each others countries. In an initial agreement last month, the U.S. had agreed to lower rates to 30 percent and China had lowered to 10 percent, before Trump blew up the deal. So while the U.S. will still have to pay more for Chinese goodsa policy that will ultimately raise prices for American consumersit seems that China has struck a deal to pay even less for American goods than it did before Trump was in office. Meanwhile the other terms of that deal seemed to provide assets both countries had before Trumps ridiculous trade war. FULL MAGNETS, AND ANY NECESSARY RARE EARTHS WILL BE SUPPLIED, UP FRONT, BY CHINA, Trump wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chinas grip on rare earths had provided it with a lot of leverage in negotiations with the United States. When Trump first levied his astronomically high tariffs on China, Beijing essentially shut down exports, and even after it agreed to a truce, in Geneva last month, Beijing still required companies to purchase special licenses to buy them, placing a particular strain on robotics and defense companies. In return for resuming the supply of rare earths, the U.S. would allow Chinese students to attend American universities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced late last month that he would begin aggressively revoking the student visas of Chinese students, claiming concerns over national security. As one could probably assume, the purported threat posed by these students was never real but a bargaining chip for the Trump administration. Trump noted that allowing Chinese students to study at American universities has ALWAYS BEEN GOOD WITH ME! Taiwans top envoy to the U.S. urged the Senate to ease tax burdens between the two countries and asked Congress to fast-track foreign military sales, following a closed-door lunch Wednesday with the House. Ambassador Alexander Tah-Ray Yui, Taipeis top representative in Washington, told Fox News Digital that he is encouraged that U.S. leaders recognize the urgent existential threat China poses, but emphasized the need to get weapons into the hands of the Taiwanese military more quickly and to address issues impeding two-way investment. "We appreciate the United States prioritizing Taiwan and helping us strengthen our defense capabilities," Yui said. "Were cheering on more military commitments to the states and [a] joint effort to speed up the delivery of the products that we bought." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yui called on the Senate to advance a stalled double taxation agreement, which has already cleared the House. Robert Maginnis: 9 Signs Beijing's Taiwan Invasion May Be Imminent "Thats an important incentive for Taiwanese companies to come to the United States and invest but also vice versa for U.S. companies to go to Taiwan," he said. "We are the only one of the large trading partners without this treatment, which is worrying for the whole country right now." Read On The Fox News App By a vote of 423 to 1, the House last Congress passed the United States-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act, legislation that prevents double taxation on cross-border investments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ambassador also offered a sobering assessment of Chinas increasingly belligerent posture in the Taiwan Strait and across the Indo-Pacific. "We are concerned," Yui said. "The [Peoples Liberation] Army and Navy are increasing their activities around Taiwan, harassing our territorial waters and airspace. These provocations are constant." While emphasizing that "we dont want war," he noted that the U.S. and regional partners have begun ramping up their own defenses, recognizing the threat. 'Coming For Us': Expert Sounds Alarm On Ccp's Mission To 'Kill Americans' After Fbi Makes Shocking Arrests Soldiers pose for group photos with a Taiwan flag after a preparedness enhancement drill simulating the defense against Beijing's military intrusions, in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan on Jan. 11, 2023. Rep. August Pfluger, who chairs the influential RSC, told Fox News Digital that the meeting was a show of solidarity with Taiwans democratic government and a rebuke of Chinas authoritarian policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "China is an existential threat to Taiwan," said Pfluger, a Texas Republican. "The difference between mainland China and Taiwan is how they treat human life. Taiwan values openness. China suppresses free speech, targets groups like the Uyghur Muslims its deeply concerning." The lunch meeting, attended by dozens of House Republicans, comes amid rising tensions in the region but just as President Donald Trump announced a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping to ease the trade war. While Pfluger did not commit to further supplemental aid, he said he supports efforts by both nations to strengthen military readiness, including Taiwans move to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP. "It stands to reason that Taiwan increasing their own internal spending on defense, as well as the U.S. recapitalizing our Navy and Air and Space Forces, is vitally important," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked what message Congress wants to send to the Taiwanese people, Pfluger was unequivocal: "We stand by them as an ally, as a trading partner, as a democracy facing tyranny just next door." The conversation came at a time when U.S. military officials are warning China is readying for battle in the Indo-Pacific in an effort to "dominate" the region. "China is an existential threat to Taiwan," said Rep. August Pfluger. "Beijing is preparing for war in the Indo-Pacific as part of its broader strategy to dominate that region and then the world," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress this week. He added that such an outcome could put the U.S. economy and its supply chains in a choke hold. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "China is undertaking a historic military buildup and actively rehearsing for an invasion of Taiwan," he said. "These aggressive maneuvers are not routine exercises, they are rehearsals for a forced unification," Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added in his own testimony. Taiwan has recently renewed an effort to purge its ranks of Chinese sympathizers, indicting four people on Tuesday suspected of spying for China that had infiltrated the presidential office. Two Chinese aircraft carriers spotted conducting operations in the Pacific demonstrated the countrys "expansionist" aims, Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo said Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Crossing from the first island chain into the second island chain sends a definite political message and their expansionist nature can be seen," he told reporters in Taipei. The first island chain refers to the region from Japan to Taiwan and the Philippines to Borneo and the second island chain spreads farther into the Pacific, toward the U.S. territory of Guam. Original article source: Taiwan envoy urges congressional action, warns of rising China threat after meeting lawmakers PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) Rhode Island lawmakers on Tuesday night unveiled a $14.3 billion proposed state budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year that raises a variety of taxes and fees to fund health care and education, but rejects calls for an income tax hike on the wealthy. Lawmakers opted to raise the states gasoline tax by 2 cents, with the funding directed to RIPTA. There will also be a new statewide property tax on non-owner-occupied homes valued above $1 million often dubbed the Taylor Swift tax due to the singers house in Westerly. On health care, over $40 million will go to primary care, $38 million will go to hospitals and $12 million will go to nursing homes once federal matching funds are added to the totals. Legislative leaders indicated health care was prioritized over other spending options. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We had to make choices, said House Speaker Joe Shekarchi, D-Warwick. The budget bill is a revised version of the tax-and-spending plan that Gov. Dan McKee put forward in January. It follows months of public hearings as well as private horse-trading between the House, the Senate and the governors office. The final budget plan is about $119 million larger than McKees original proposal. Rhode Island leaders have been warning for the last year that the current budget cycle would be challenging, after years when huge influxes of federal money tied to the pandemic made it easier to increase spending. Estimates of the deficit for the current year have ranged from $200 million to $400 million. Drivers among those facing higher costs The 2-cent gas tax increase is expected to generate nearly $9 million to help RIPTA close its sizable operating deficit. The agency will also get an additional $6 million from its share of Highway Maintenance Account funding, bringing its funding infusion to almost $15 million. As conditions, RIPTA is required to maintain the RIde Anywhere program for passengers with disabilities, and also to complete an efficiency study examining cost savings and fare hikes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The gas tax isnt the only new cost for drivers in the budget bill. Theyll be paying more for traffic violations, as well, with most fines at the Traffic Tribunal rising from $85 to $100, the first increase since 2008. Registration surcharges for licenses and most vehicle registrations will rise from $30 to $40. Electric vehicles now will be charged annual registration fees of $200, with plug-in hybrids charged $100 and regular hybrids $50. The 7% sales tax will be charged on short-term parking at garages, lots and metered spaces starting Jan. 1, too. The new statewide property tax on second homes is one of multiple efforts to raise revenue from real estate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The real-estate conveyance tax will increase on all transactions, with a bigger increase on higher-value properties. Money from levying the hotel tax on Airbnb and other so-called whole-home rentals will be split between municipalities, tourism districts and homelessness programs. The local hotel tax will also be raised from 1% to 2%. Progressive groups expressed immediate dismay that House leaders refused to increase the income tax rate for high-earners. Shekarchi said the idea could be reexamined, potentially as soon as a special session this fall, depending on how the state is affected by the final version of D.C. Republicans proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Concerns about that federal legislation and other changes being made by the Trump administration are reflected in various ways in the budget. House leaders included a number of provisions directing the McKee administration to step up its efforts to prepare for policy shifts coming from Washington. That includes trying to lower the states payment error rate for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, an issue targeted by the GOP megabill. A tax hike left out of the final bill was McKees proposal to levy a tax on digital advertising. Shekarchi described the concept as too speculative, noting that Maryland is the only state in the country that has tried to impose one and that its effort is currently tied up in litigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Legislative leaders also declined McKees proposal to raise the cigarette tax, but they did opt to expand the states tax on other tobacco products to include nicotine pouches like Zyn. The new tax on those products, effective Oct. 1, is expected to generate $12 million a year. Health care, education are priorities Shekarchi said the serious problems affecting Rhode Island health care, from a shortage of primary care doctors to the precarious finances of some hospitals, was top of mind for lawmakers as they decided what made the final cut. We wanted to tackle that issue, he said. In exchange for new funding, nursing homes will also be subject to revised staffing requirements, after a previous legislative effort to mandate employment levels was halted amid an industry outcry. The revised rules follow negotiations between industry and union leaders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A review of reimbursement rates paid to primary care providers is advanced a year, from 2027 to 2026, in the budget bill. Lawmakers also plan to generate $30 million annually by adding a new fee on health insurance plans, estimated at $4 a month per insured person, to fund primary care and other programs. Lawmakers expressed frustration on the issue of education funding, which they increased by $16.5 million compared with McKees proposal back in January and $59 million compared with the current years budget. Shekarchi said lawmakers were notified on Tuesday, as the budget was nearly done, that the R.I. Department of Education needed $2 million to address an unexpected legal problem. RIDE had already warned lawmakers earlier in the budget process that the department had significantly underestimated how much money would be needed to cover the K-12 funding formula. Washington Bridge, Superman building addressed On homelessness where advocates have criticized McKee for failing to fill a funding gap left by the expiration of temporary federal aid lawmakers said the House budget adds an additional $8.5 million for services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The budget sets aside an additional $22 million to put toward replacing the westbound Washington Bridge following last weeks announcement that the all-in cost of the project has risen to an estimated $571 million. The budget includes $10 million in expected revenue once the R.I. Department of Transportation restarts the states truck toll program, which was paused amid litigation but got the green light from a court late last year. It remains unclear when RIDOT will actually start collecting tolls again, amid continued pushback from the trucking industry. No direct money is allocated in the budget for redevelopment of the so-called Superman building in downtown Providence, the states tallest skyscraper. But the bill does include language that will make the project eligible for a break on sales taxes if it ever happens. Its my understanding that the Superman building is still waiting for a very substantial grant or award from the federal government, Shekarchi said. I have no idea the likelihood of that or the timing of that. But if that trigger doesnt happen, there are no state dollars that go into that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the second year in a row, Assembly leaders nixed McKees proposal to acquire a building in East Providence from Citizens Bank to serve as a new state office. They also axed some of the governors ideas for job training programs, and they declined to implement General Treasurer James Diossas proposal for a new baby bond program. Major capital projects at the Department of Corrections and Eleanor Slater Hospital are also on hold for now. Lawmakers also reversed the governors effort to skip a required $22 million supplemental transfer into the state pension fund. But they backed his plan to skip a required supplemental transfer into the state rainy-day fund of the same amount. A request by Ballys for $17 million, promoted as a way to offset a potential ban on smoking in its casinos, was rejected. The House Finance Committee gave immediate approval to the budget bill Tuesday evening on a 11-3 vote, sending it to the full House for a floor debate and a vote next Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additional changes to the budget, sometimes minor and sometimes significant, are usually made by House leadership during the floor debate. Once the budget passes the House it will head to the Senate, which in most years makes no further changes before sending it on to the governor for his signature. The new fiscal year begins July 1. 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. This article has been edited to clarify the comparisons for education funding and the status of some capital projects. 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. HARRISBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) Income tax on tips and overtime pay could be a thing of the past in Pennsylvania with two new pieces of legislation being introduced by House Representatives. Representative Joe Hogan (R-Bucks County) introduced House Bill 1514, which will amend the Tax Reform Code of 1971 to remove wages from tips from being considered taxable income. The bill currently has 17 co-sponsors in the House, all of whom are Republican representatives from across the Commonwealth. Meanwhile, Rep. Ryan Warner (R-Fayette County) introduced House Bill 1586, which will also amend the Tax Reform Code of 1971. This bill would remove overtime wages from being considered taxable income in Pennsylvania. Warners bill currently has 12 co-sponsors, including Hogan, all Republican representatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians work in the service industry or in a field where overtime hours are offered, Hogan and Warner wrote in a co-sponsored memorandum. For some, its a part-time job to help bring in more household income. For others, the extra work is needed just to stay afloat. Both bills are currently with the House Finance Committee, overseen by Rep. Steve Samuleson (D-Northampton County) and Rep. Keith J. Greiner (R-Lancaster County). These working people are the backbone of our economy and deserve a tax cut. The change we will propose will also help businesses retain their employees and encourage out-of-state workers to move to Pennsylvania to benefit from our tax policy. Rep. Hogan and Rep. Warner, co-sponsored memorandum Stay up to date with the latest news in the palm of your hand. Click here to download the WTAJ app for Apple and Android devices. Currently, in Pennsylvania, tipped workers are required to report that income to their employer monthly and claim it as income on their yearly PA-40 tax return. 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 WTAJ - www.wtaj.com. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) Miranda Barnett just graduated from Science Hill High School, but shes well on her way to landing her dream job as a diesel mechanic. Barnett started as a dual enrollment student in high school at TCAT Elizabethtons Boones Creek Extension Campus, and now that shes attending class full time, shell graduate in December. I knew before in high school because I grew up with family members that were mechanics and stuff, Barnett explained as to why she attends TCAT. So its always been there. I dont see myself going to four-year college for something I dont like. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barnett and other students were joined by area and state dignitaries to celebrate the official ribbon cutting of the campus latest building, located where the former Boones Creek Elementary School was. The location offers off-road diesel technology as well as other programs such as heavy equipment operating and building construction technology. Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy says its exciting that the former Boones Creek Elementary School property is still being used to educate, but instead of learning ABCs, students are learning important trade skills. This was an opportunity to take some of those folks who would use their skills and upgrade them and put them out into the marketplace for really phenomenal salaries, Grandy told News Channel 11. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee was on hand for the ribbon cutting. He says the state has made an effort to improve workforce development and this school is part of a $1 billion investment in TCAT. He adds that in addition to public funds, its imperative to have local private partners to help. Several pieces of equipment provided by local businesses were the backdrop of Tuesdays celebration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So the state can provide funding in part for this, the locals participate as well but then what you have to have is the private sector individuals and companies that come alongside and partner with us, Lee said. These young people who are learning to work on equipment that they will actually be using when they get their jobs out in the private sector. Its crucial that we teach relevant subject matter, and the way to do that is to partner with local employers that will be likely employing these folks. The cost of these certifications is often far less than a four-year degree. And with financial aid, many students graduate with no debt. You can watch a full live stream of the ceremony 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. NEED TO KNOW A teaching assistant in France has died after being stabbed by a 14-year-old student, according to reports The 31-year-old victim was fatally injured on the morning of Tuesday, June 10, outside Francoise Dolto school in Nogent The tragedy occurred as police carried out a search for knives in students' school bags, per The Times A teaching assistant has died in France after being stabbed by a 14-year-old student, according to reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 31-year-old victim, who hasn't been identified, was fatally injured on the morning of Tuesday, June 10, outside Francoise Dolto school in Nogent in northeastern France, per The Times, the BBC and French outlet Le Monde. A 14-year-old boy has reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident, The Times reported, citing police. The outlet noted that the victim had been stabbed as police carried out a random search for knives in students' school bags. FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI/AFP via Getty Tributes are left after a teaching assistant was fatally stabbed at a school in France Tributes are left after a teaching assistant was fatally stabbed at a school in France Per the Associated Press, a police officer helping with the checks has also been slightly injured. The news agency added that fatal attacks in the country were rare, but the Education Ministry had introduced bag checks in some locations this year amid concerns about rising violence in schools. Regional Prosecutor Denis Devallois said the student did not have a police record, the AP stated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim was the mother of a young boy and had been working at the school since September, according to France 24, citing one of her cousins, Aurore. "She was a very cheerful, very kind person," Aurore said, per the outlet. JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP via Getty Authorities are pictured near the scene after a teaching assistant was fatally stabbed at a school in France Authorities are pictured near the scene after a teaching assistant was fatally stabbed at a school in France French President Emmanuel Macron said the teaching assistant had been a "victim of a senseless wave of violence," in an X post, adding, "The nation is in mourning." The country's Education Minister Elisabeth Borne called the incident "a terrible tragedy" on X, writing in a translated post, "I express my full support to the victim and her loved ones." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I salute the composure and commitment of those who acted to restrain the attacker and protect the students and staff," she added. JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP via Getty A photo of the Francoise Dolto school in Nogent, France A photo of the Francoise Dolto school in Nogent, France Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said the stabbing showed "a breakdown of the society in which we live," according to France 24. "This is not just an isolated incident," he said, per the outlet. France 24 noted that a student had killed a girl and injured multiple others in a stabbing in the city of Nantes in April, adding that French government figures released in February stated that reports of bladed weapons in schools had jumped by 15 percent over the past year. 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 Haute-Marne prefecture and Nogent police didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information. Read the original article on People CLEVELAND (WJW) The FOX 8 I-Team investigated why it seems so hard for you to get your money from the Ohio unclaimed funds. Weve found many people asking since the Cleveland Browns may get unclaimed funds to help build a dome. So, we took questions to the Department of Commerce to find out what you should know. Go to the FOX 8 Facebook page, you see a lot of people complaining about how difficult it is to get money from the states unclaimed funds account. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers may allow the Browns to use $600 million in unclaimed funds to help build a dome in Brook Park. Now, that has put a spotlight on red tape for folks like you. Dont click that text, BMV says Melissa Quillin-Grignon told the I-Team shes been fighting for unclaimed funds for a long time. My mother and myself have been trying for over a year, she said. I had to email them four times before I got a response they even had the claim. That was frustrating to start with. The Department of Commerce told us the state recently put a new system in place to help more people get their money more easily. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 30% of people are being streamlined for approval and they are getting their money in days, Division of Unclaimed Funds Outreach Supervisor Susie Wagner said. Yet, the states website shows Ohio has well over $4 billion in unclaimed funds. That includes money from old bank accounts, insurance policies checks never cashed and more. If the process has been streamlined, why are we still hearing so many complaints, I cant get my money?' we asked. Were walking a fine line of trying to make it easier for people to claim their money, but at the same time, were administrators of the law. We have to make sure that it goes to the rightful owner, Wagner said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I personally have received more messages than I can count from frustrated constituents, state Senator Casey Weinstein said. Bill could make federal minimum wage $15: The states paying less than that Weinstein said hes looking into more changes to improve the system Its kind of heartbreaking to hear of everyday Ohioans to get their money out, he added. Last week, lawmakers proposed giving the Browns $600 million in unclaimed funds. Money that would be paid back with profits from the project. Since then, it seems everyones asking about unclaimed funds. That was an 80% bump in claims being submitted. Up to 13,000 a day, Wagner said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Commerce recommends you make sure to pull together documents required and follow instructions on the unclaimed funds website, and keep checking for email messages back. A Department of Commerce spokesperson wrote in an email to FOX 8, For the submitted claims that are not finalized and unpaid currently, the vast majority are due to incomplete documentation. We encourage people who submit claims to continue to work with our team when we ask for additional documentation we may need. I would hope I can get my mothers money that she worked for, Quillin-Grignon 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 Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. The Brief A 17-year-old, Jayshaun Smith, was arrested at Kennesaw State University for possessing two handguns, ammunition, and THC; one firearm was reported stolen. Smith, not affiliated with the university, faces multiple charges and is held on a $5,000 bond, raising student concerns about campus security. Students express fear and call for increased safety measures, highlighting the need for the university to prioritize student protection. KENNESAW, Ga. - A 17-year-old was arrested Monday morning after he was found armed and asleep in a stairwell at a Kennesaw State University residence hall, prompting concerns from students about campus security. What we know Campus police responded around 10:30 a.m. to a report of a suspicious person at a student housing complex. Officers discovered Jayshaun Smith, who was in possession of two handguns, ammunition and THC, according to university officials. At least one of the firearms had been reported stolen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smith, who authorities said is not a KSU student or affiliated with the university, was arrested without incident. He is facing several charges, including theft by receiving a firearm, possession of a pistol by a minor, and carrying weapons within a school safety zone. He is currently being held in the Cobb County Jail on a $5,000 bond. What they're saying The incident left many students on edge. "It worries me, it definitely does," said Rhylan Byrd, who lives in student housing. "Thats going to have people scared to live here, because obviously someone is here with a gun." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Byrd said he believes the university should implement more safety precautions. Other students echoed concerns about the open nature of the campus. "That is scary, but Im not surprised," said student Nikki Oru. "This is a time and place that you should be aware and do your best to protect yourself," added Mariana Gossett. "We come here to learn and be educated so we can have a good life, so doing things like thatkeeping your students safeshould be a top priority for a school." What we don't know No injuries were reported, and police have not said how Smith gained access to the dorm area. What's next The investigation remains ongoing. The Source FOX 5's Denise Dillon spoke with Kennesaw State University Police and students for this article. Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. WEST JORDAN, Utah (ABC4) A teen who was charged as a juvenile in a triple homicide in 2022 is now facing adult charges three years later. Stefon Sandoval, 18, has been charged with three counts of aggravated murder and eight counts of felony discharge of a firearm. Steven Donovan Carmona, another teen involved in the crime, received these same charges in February 2023. He was convicted of aggravated murder, and the other charges were dismissed with prejudice. Three juveniles, one of whom was Sandoval, were also charged in juvenile court in February 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A document filed Tuesday revealed the arguments from the prosecution that led to this case being transferred to the adult court. Sandoval has been in a juvenile detention facility since 2023, while his case progressed. Staff testified that he has made improvements in several areas, but they also had concerns regarding gang-related interests he still has. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Teen charged in connection with triple homicide in West Jordan The prosecution argued that despite the improvements Sandoval was showing in detention, the homicide committed when he was 15 was a preplanned premeditated attack using what he knew was a deadly weapon. A licensed psychologist testified that Sandovals gang involvement is a high risk factor for him to reoffend. Sandovals behavior in detention, as described by staff and supported by testimony, has been largely positive and compliant However, the extensive, violent activity documented in social media, even if not all formally charged, suggests a level of dangerousness and commitment to a criminal lifestyle that is deeply concerning and relevant to both his history and the risk he poses, the prosecution says in the filing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Overall, the prosecution believed that Sandoval would need support and services provided by the corrections system beyond the age of 25. The juvenile system offers these services until that age, but anything after that is handled by the adult system. They argue that his immersion in gang culture presents a significant challenge to rehabilitation. The prosecution noted that whether he was tried as an adult or a juvenile, Sandoval would receive the same rehabilitative services that are supporting him now. They expressed their belief that these services will be necessary for Sandovals rehabilitation past the age of 25. The court transferred the case to the adult system, and it was filed Tuesday, June 10. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Three killed in gang-related shooting near West Jordan house party identified Background on the 2022 triple homicide According to documents, on June 17, 2022, a large fist fight broke out between members of rival gangs at West Fest in West Valley City. Following the fight, members of the gang that Sandoval participated in began seeking out those who were at the fistfight and planning retaliation. He was 15 at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the next several weeks, social media messages between Sandoval and the other three people charged for the deadly shooting discussed plans to find the addresses of the rival gang members and get them all together. On July 23, 2022, Sandoval, Carmona, and the two unnamed juveniles allegedly showed up at a party near 3000 W and 6920 S in West Jordan, where several of the rival gang members were. The group entered the party, then left several minutes later. Once the victims were outside, the group pulled up in a white Cadillac and fired out of the window. Three people were killed in the drive-by shooting: Fayzan Ali, 18, Ayash Mohamed, 18, and Mohamed Mohamed, 20. Police arrived to find Ali dead at the scene, and both Ayash and Mohamed Mohamed were transported to the hospital, where they were pronounced deceased. Man fatally stabbed in Tooele, 21-year-old suspect arrested, police say Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Witnesses told police about the white Cadillac and that several of them had fired their guns at it as it drove away. A few hours later, police allegedly located a vehicle matching the description with a bullet hole near Carmonas apartment. A search warrant revealed that he had a 9 mm handgun in his backpack, and Carmona was booked into the Salt Lake County Juvenile Receiving Center, as he was 17 at the time of the shooting. Forensic information revealed that some of the bullets and casings found at the scene matched this handgun. Further search warrants uncovered messages exchanged between Carmona, Sandoval, and the two unnamed juveniles. The group discussed the shooting in vague terms, and one of the juveniles even sent an Instagram screenshot depicting the three homicide victims, documents say. Two inmates charged for allegedly stabbing rival gang member at Utah State Prison Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On January 11, 2023, the two unnamed juveniles were arrested by the Unified Police Department for putting up gang-related graffiti in a Magna neighborhood. During a search, the arresting officer located a .45 caliber handgun on one of the juveniles. His parent told police that the gun was linked to the triple-homicide, and that Sandoval was also a shooter. The .45 caliber handgun was used to kill two of the victims, and prosecutors believe that Sandoval was the one to fire the handgun. In February 2023, all four suspects in the triple homicide were taken into custody. Carmona was charged as an adult, Sandoval and the two juveniles were charged in juvenile court. ABC4 has reached out to the Salt Lake County District Attorneys Office for more information on the process for this case. 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. BROOKLYN TOWNSHIP, Ill. (WTVO) A 16-year-old girl was killed Monday after authorities said she drove her pickup truck in the path of an oncoming semi in Lee County. According to the Lee County Sheriff, Chastity Stavenhagen, of Earlville, was westbound on Chicago Road around 2:21 p.m. when she pulled out onto Route 251 at the intersection, and was hit broadside by a semi truck. Stavenhagen was pronounced dead at the scene. Photo: Lee County Sheriffs Office Photo: Lee County Sheriffs Office Her passenger, a 20-year-old man from West Brookly, was taken first to OSF St. Paul Medical Center in Mendota and then flown to OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford. He is said to be in critical condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The roadway was closed for several hours following the crash. The driver of the semi, a 62-year-old man from Sublette, was uninjured. No charges have been filed, and the crash remains under investigation, police 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 MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports. NEW YORK (PIX11) Eighteen-year-old Jessica Navarro Davalos of Paterson was recognized at City Hall Tuesday, after recently being named the Boys & Girls Clubs New Jersey Youth of the Year. I was not born with privilege, but I was born with a purpose, said Davalos, speaking to reporters on Tuesday. More Local News Im passionate about education, which is why I started my own non-profit when I was 16, called STARS NJ, said Davalos. It provides free tutoring resources for students all across the nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year award is a prestigious honor that requires a rigorous application process. Students must write a trio of essays and submit a cover letter and resume. In-person interviews involve presenting a three-minute speech from memory. Davalos said she wrote one of her essays about personal growth and what she learned from competing in but ultimately not winning the Miss New Jersey Teen USA pageant. This fall, Davalos is headed to Northeastern Universitys Oakland campus, where she plans to double major in Business Administration and Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. Her long-term goals are centered around serving others. I want to go to law school, hopefully Harvard Law or UPenn Carey, said Davalos. After that, I want to get involved with local politicsultimately [becoming] a congresswoman just because I love AOC, said Davalos. Ive watched her since I was a kid and just aspire to be like her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh honored Davaloss achievements at Paterson City Hall on Tuesday, and hopes her story serves as an inspiration to others. The City of Paterson is proud to celebrate one of our own for being a distinguished resident, not only of the city but of the State of New Jersey, said Sayegh. Davalos hopes for the same. This award wasnt just for me, said Davalos. It wasnt just for the money. It was for Paterson. It was so other kids can see me do this and say hey, I can do that, too. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. As a teen was sentenced Tuesday in Rock Island County Court, a family expressed their grief two years after a Milan teen was killed. Josie Taylor (Bryan Bobb, OurQuadCities.com) Johnell Smith III, 17, was sentenced Tuesday in Rock Island County Court in connection with the shooting death of a 17=year=old Daniel Danny Taylor in 2023. Our Quad Cities News crew was in the Rock Island County courtroom Tuesday, when family members and friends of both the deceased and Smith attended the sentencing hearing that lasted about an hour. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an emotion-packed victim statement, Taylors sister said the sentence never can make up for what her family lost. Your punishment will never be enough for your crime. Dannys life meant so much more than yours ever will, said Josie Taylor. Your life for his is not justice and it is not retribution. Its the least the legal system could do. Johnell Smith was only 15, prosecutors say, when he broke into the home. My brother was robbed out of years of memories, laughter and love and I can only hope the same and more is taken from you, Josie Taylor said. Danny Taylors father,, who struggled with tears as he spoke, said he wishes he could take his sons place: Its been 788 days since I managed to make it through a day without crying; 788 days since I watched my son fall to his knees and take his final breath. A child should feel safe, protected by his father, or if necessary, saved by him, whether looking under his sons bed for monsters or fighting the monsters that come knocking on our door. Ill never forgive myself for my failures then. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the sentencing, Smith maintained his innocence, saying he feared for his life because of co-defendant Napoleon Jackson, who was with Smith that night. Judge Frank Fuhr sentenced Smith to 20 years plus 15 years for gun enhancement, for a total of 35 years. The sentence also includes three years of mandatory supervised release. A fatal shooting in Milan in 2023 Illinois State Police crime-scene investigators and Rock Island County sheriffs deputies were on the scene after the early-morning April 14, 2023, shooting in the 11700 block of Ridgewood Road in Milan, according to a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Rock Island County Sheriffs Office received a 911 call reporting a person shot around 12:44 a.m. that Friday from the 11700 block of Ridgewood Road in Milan. Deputies immediately responded to the residence and inside the home located a 17-year-old boy with multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Rock Island County Sheriffs Office. Although deputies attempted life-saving measures, along with the Coal Valley and Coyne Center Fire Departments, Daniel Taylor was pronounced dead. Police say the initial information gathered suggests that a confrontation occurred inside the residence, the news release said. During the incident, several gunshots were fired, including the round that is believed to have struck the victim. Suspects fled the scene, the release says. Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson identified the 17-year-old killed in Milan as Daniel Danny J. Taylor, of Milan. Also in connection with the incident, Tationna Taylor, 21, was sentenced to nine years with 18 months of mandatory supervised release after she pleaded guilty to, and was convicted of, home invasion, a Class X felony, according to Rock Island County Court records. . Illinois State Police crime scene investigators and Rock Island County sheriffs deputies are on the scene of a shooting in the 11700 block of Ridgewood Road in Milan on April 14, 2023. (Bryan Bobb, OurQuadCities.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 WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said he was still unable to travel freely nearly a year after being arrested. He faces charges in France pertaining to illegal content on Telegram. Telegram has called the case "absurd" and said Durov wasn't responsible for user behavior on the platform. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said he was still unable to travel freely almost a year after being arrested at a Paris airport. In an interview with Tucker Carlson posted on YouTube on Tuesday, Durov said that following his arrest in August 2024, French authorities detained him for four days in solitary confinement without access to a lawyer or phone calls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They read the list of charges; I have nothing to do with these crimes, like organized crime, selling drugs," he said. "But then I realized it's serious because they're not letting me out." Durov said the charges pertained to alleged criminal activity by some users on Telegram, the messaging app he founded that now has about a billion users. French prosecutors charged Durov in late August with six crimes, including "complicity" in the distribution of child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, arguing that he allowed illegal activity to flourish on Telegram while refusing to cooperate with authorities. He faced up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 500,000 euros if convicted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Telegram has called the case "absurd," insisting Durov was not responsible for user behavior on a platform that complied with EU law. Durov remained under judicial control, a legal status that restricted his travel. "I can't leave the country because there's still an investigation going on," he told Carlson. However, in March Durov was allowed to visit Dubai, where he had been living. Last month Politico reported that French authorities had denied Durov's request to travel to the US for "negotiations with investment funds." The Paris prosecutor's office told the outlet that the trip "did not appear imperative or justified." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russian-born Durov, who holds French and UAE citizenship, said he was not contacted by authorities before his arrest, despite Telegram's Dubai office being located in the same building as the French consulate. He said he believed his detention was a pressure tactic: "It's very, very strange what happened because it could have been resolved by different means." Durov said Telegram complied with European law and handed over user data such as IP addresses and phone numbers when ordered by a court. "My current status is I'm not on trial," Durov said. "It's an investigation intended to find out whether there will be enough evidence to put this on trial." The Elysee Palace and Telegram didn't immediately reply to requests for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider DAVIDSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) Speakeasy-style bars may be a hot trend in Music City, but their roots trace decades back into Tennessees past of Prohibition. The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club on Gallatin Pike in East Nashville is one of dozens of speakeasies nestled in neighborhoods across Nashville. I think the first thing youre going to notice is, were tricky to find, explained Brandon Archilla, beverage director at The Fox. Were in a basement, essentially. Very similar to speakeasies of old that wouldve been in places that are most clandestine, out of the prying eye. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Archilla said the hideaway is one of the neighborhoods original cocktail bars. The intimate space has a tight-knit staff and seats just 40 people for drinking and dining by candlelight, about the smallest footprint you can have legally. We leaned on local companies to do the Art Deco styling you see in the metal work and the woodwork beneath the bar. The tables were handmade, Archilla said. With hundreds of bottles of liquor from all over the world, and an exotic cocktail menu embracing a wide variety of flavor profiles, word of The Fox travels fast although this talk of the town is more like a whisper. A lot of our regulars will tell me they do still speak easy of us, and only tell certain people about this bar, said Caleb Young, the speakeasys head bartender. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement News 2 On Tour | Explore the communities that shape Middle Tennessee Speakeasies like The Fox are an ode to the Prohibition-era history of Tennessee. Tennessee was the first state to pass state-wide Prohibition in 1909. So, 11 years before the federal government did away with the sale and manufacturing of alcohol, Tennessee did. And that caused a controversy at first, explained David Ewing, historian and ninth-generation Nashvillian. Ewing said in Nashville, the crackdown really came in 1915 when the mayor who didnt believe in enforcing Prohibition was thrown out of office. That was the start of what Ewing described as a cat-and-mouse game between police, bar owners and whiskey makers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While you could not technically sell alcohol, they created locker clubs, where you could kind of bring your own and have your bottle stored in a locker, Ewing said. Then, when Prohibition was repealed in 1934, Congress gave the power to write alcohol laws back to the states so Tennessee put wine and beer back up for sale, but not liquor. Legally, you could not have a mixed drink in Nashville at a bar or restaurant until 1967, Ewing said. Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More Ewing explained Nashvilles growth stalled with few developers wanting to invest in hotels and restaurants that couldnt sell mixed drinks. But, letting liquor flow in the 1970s and 80s led Nashvilles nightlife to becoming what it is today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I guess its kind of one of those things where its like dont touch the cookie jar you want to touch the cookie jar! Young said with a laugh. Its a time bartenders at The Fox can hardly imagine, but they keep that speakeasy spirit alive in every sip. The way that I embrace that Prohibition-style history, and that legacy, is making people feel special when theyre here. Thats the most important part of service for me, Archilla 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 WKRN News 2. GRANDVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio (WCMH) A Tennessee man has been arrested after allegations of kidnapping and rape of a minor at a Grandview Heights hotel. According to a criminal complaint, the Grandview Heights Police Department took a rape report from a juvenile victim at Nationwide Childrens Hospital on May 5. The victim, 15, told police she met Davarus Delaney on a social media platform months earlier and that the two agreed to meet the Hyatt Place on Yard Street. At the hotel Grandview PD said that the victim was raped multiple times over a two-day period and that Delaney, 31, displayed a firearm and made numerous threats while not allowing her to leave the room. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over 400,000 Ohioans see drivers license suspensions lifted under new law The victim alleges that on April 28, Delaney became aggressive towards her, dragged her across the room and asked for oral sex. Delaney reportedly threatened to pistol whip the girl if she did not comply before he raped her. Police said the following morning the victim was raped again while being choked. On June 5 police said Delaney was arrested in Tennessee by a U.S. Marshals Task Force and the Chattanooga Police Department. Five days later he was extradited to Columbus for court processing. Grandview PD reported that Delaney admitted to having sexual contact with the victim while knowing she was 15 years old. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court records indicate that Delaney appeared before a Franklin County Municipal Court judge Wednesday morning on two counts of rape and two counts of kidnapping. He was issued a $550,000 bond and is next scheduled to appear in court on June 20 for a preliminary hearing. Additionally, Hamilton County court records out of Tennessee lists a charge of being a fugitive for a crime in another state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PRICEVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) A Tennessee man with several active warrants was arrested by Priceville Police after a traffic stop on Tuesday. On Tuesday at 10:42 p.m., Priceville Police pulled a vehicle over along I-65 near mile marker 335. While officers were speaking with the individuals inside the vehicle, a man identified as Trevor Allen Armstrong, 20, of Columbia, Tennessee gave a false name to law enforcement to avoid being identified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to police, when the false name could not be verified, Armstrong eventually told police his real name, which led to police finding out that he had several active warrants for Felony Aggravated Assault and Domestic Violence Assault issued by the Pulaski Police Department in Pulaski, Tennessee. The Priceville Police Department and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency then carried out a probable cause search of the vehicle which led to authorities finding a Glock 45 handgun, a quantity of marijuana, and various items of drug paraphernalia. Priceville Police told News 19 that Armstrong has a history of multiple convictions related to narcotics and violent crimes, including robbery, theft of property, evading arrest, and burglary of a vehicle. He is currently on probation in Tennessee due to a suspended sentence exceeding eight years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Armstrong was arrested and charged with being a certain person forbidden to possess a firearm and obstructing justice by using a false identity. He was transported to the Morgan County Jail and was issued a $80,000 bond with a hold for authorities in Tennessee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Warning: This article contains information that some may find disturbing. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A man and woman have been charged for their alleged involvement with online groups dedicated to monkey torture and mutilation, according to the United States Department of Justice. According to the DOJ, a grand jury indictment was unsealed Wednesday, June 11, charging Katrina Favret, of Tennessee, and Robert Craig, of North Carolina, with creating and disturbing so-called animal crush videos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ticks, possibly deadly for cattle, causes concerns The indictment alleges that the duo conspired with Ronald Bedra, of Ohio, who has since been sentenced to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release in connection with the online groups. Court documents state Favret and Craig conspired with others to create and distribute videos that showed acts of sadistic violence against juvenile and adult monkeys. They reportedly used encrypted chat apps to direct money to people in Indonesia who were willing to commit the requested acts of torture on camera. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com The videos alleged to have been created as part of the conspiracy included depictions of monkeys being sodomized with a heated screwdriver and a monkey having its genitals cut with scissors, wrote the DOJ in a release about the indictment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement Office reportedly investigated the case. No additional details were released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ark. A Jefferson County Quorum Court meeting held by some justices on Monday evening ended in chaos after a public commenter was tased and removed by sheriffs deputies. The disruption began shortly after 5:30 p.m. during a scheduled quorum court session originally called by the Jefferson County Judge. Jefferson County Justices of the Peace stage walkout, overrule judges veto to pass 2025 budget Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tensions flared when eight of the thirteen justices of the peace walked out, breaking quorum and halting official business. Thats when County Judge Gerald Robinson adjourned the meeting. About 20 minutes later, the same eight returned, reconvened as a special meeting with the clerk present and resumed proceedings under the leadership of Justice of the Peace District 1. Alfred Carroll was voted to chair the meeting. The group overrode a veto from County Judge Gerald Robinson regarding the 2025 budget and approved bonuses for unpaid employees. But before that during the public comment portion of the meeting, things escalated quickly. Garland Trice approached the microphone, requested a copy of the meeting agenda, and remained silent while reviewing it. Carroll urged him to state his name and use his time productively. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What followed was a heated verbal exchange between Trice and several justices, including Reginald Johnson and Carroll, prompting calls for decorum. When Trice refused to return to his seat and continued speaking beyond his allotted time, deputies with the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office physically removed him from the courtroom. But outside the chambers, the confrontation intensified. Jefferson County Justices of the Peace pass 2025 budget in special meeting According to a statement from Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods, Jr., the following occurred: On June 9, 2025, during a regularly scheduled Jefferson County Quorum Court meeting at the Jefferson County Circuit Courthouse, Garland Trice, Sr. disrupted proceedings by refusing to yield the floor after his allotted public comment time had expired. Despite multiple warnings to comply with the presiding officers directive and return to his seat, Mr. Trice became more boisterous, while continuing his refusal, ultimately requiring deputies to physically remove him from the meeting room. His passive resistance necessitated the use of less-lethal force, including taser deployment, to ensure compliance and restore order. This incident was entirely preventable had Mr. Trice adhered to the established rules of conduct. His repeated disruptive behavior at public forums appears intended to provoke reactions and advance personal political grievances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While parliamentary procedures govern meeting decorum, the authority of the presiding officer and law enforcement extends beyond these rules to maintain public order and safety. Disruptions by members of the public that impede official business or threaten security cannot and will not be tolerated. The Jefferson County Sheriffs Office remains committed to safeguarding the constitutional rights of peaceful assembly and free speech, while ensuring the safety and integrity of public meetings. He was taken to the hospital and held overnight for observation. As of Tuesday evening, he had not been booked into jail and was still at the area hospital. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs Jefferson County budget correction bill, goes into immediate effect But not everyone agreed with how the situation was handled. In a statement, County Judge Gerald Robinson criticized both the arrest and the use of force: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Concerning the incident which occurred after the regularly scheduled June 9th, 2025 Quorum Court meeting, where eight justicesReginald Johnson, Melanie Dumas, Reginald Adams, Margarette Williams, Alfred Carrol, Cedric Jackson, Richard Victorino, Brenda Bishop Gaddyall walked out in protest, leaving the regular scheduled meeting without enough members to have a quorum to continue county business. Upon the adjournment of the meeting and approximately twenty minutes later, the eight reconvened and started another special meeting. Mr. Garland Trice was arrested during a public comment section. From all indications, in my opinion, it was a violation of his constitutional rights. Viewing the video footage from a number of social media sources, I fail to see the probable cause for an arrest and the excessive force displayed by the Sheriff and deputies of the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department. Im also puzzled as to why the Sheriff even got involved, because he has verbally stated in the public and through social media sources that he is not the Sergeant-at-Arms for the Quorum Court. He has also shown that he would not perform these duties in open court when asked by this Judge to escort people from the meeting when they were being unruly, one being former Justice Lloyd Franklin Jr. and best friend of the Sheriff. In my opinion, he (the Sheriff) has clearly demonstrated that he is not an officer of the Quorum Court and his involvement was unwarranted! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justices remain divided on how to handle Trices behavior going forward. Justice of the Peace Alfred Carroll (District 1) acknowledged the disruption but said banning Trice outright may go too far: If he shows up, he is going to do what he can to be disruptive. Do I think that he should be banned from the meetings? I do not think so. Even though he is very disruptive, uncooperative, and prevents a lot of business from being conducted, he is still a taxpayer. Unless he comes back and continues down this road of not following protocol, I think he should be allowed. He is a citizen, he has political aspirations, and likes to be involved. But Justice Reginald Johnson (District 3) believes stronger measures are warranted: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well, I think that Mr. Trice should not be allowed to come to our meetings by the judge. I hate that this has happened to him due to his age he is an older gentleman and I just wish that if he is going to come, he would simply have respect. Because you dont tell justices of the peace to simply shut up in a meeting. Thats just wrong and its disrespectful. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NEED TO KNOW Terry Morans employment with ABC News has been terminated, the network confirmed to PEOPLE on Tuesday, June 10 The move came after the journalist shared an incendiary social media post about President Donald Trump and one of his advisors on X Moran and Trump previously clashed when the reporter interviewed him in the Oval Office to mark the first 100 days of his second presidential term Terry Morans employment with ABC has been terminated after the journalist shared an X post criticizing President Donald Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are at the end of our agreement with Terry Moran and based on his recent post which was a clear violation of ABC News policies, we have made the decision to not renew, a spokesperson for the network said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE on Tuesday, June 10. At ABC News, we hold all of our reporters to the highest standards of objectivity, fairness, and professionalism, and we remain committed to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism, the statement concluded. Heidi Gutman/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Terry Moran on ABC News. Terry Moran on ABC News. Prior to his termination, the 65-year-old news reporter was suspended after he shared an incendiary social media post about Stephen Miller, the president's homeland security adviser and deputy chief of staff for policy, on June 8. In his early morning post, Moran referred to Miller and Trump, 78, as "world-class hater[s]" in the since-deleted tweet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. He's a world-class hater. You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate," the journalist tweeted, in part. "Trump is a world-class hater. But his hatred is only a means to an end, and that end his his own glorification [sic]. That's his spiritual nourishment," he concluded. "This is unhinged and unacceptable," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X in response, adding, "We have reached out to @ABC to inquire about how they plan to hold Terry accountable." ABC News soon announced Moran had "been suspended pending further evaluation." James Devaney/GC Images Donald Trump Donald Trump Its statement added that the network stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks on others. The post does not reflect the views of ABC News and violated our standards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just one month ago, Moran and Trump clashed in person as the Senior National Correspondent at ABC News interviewed the president in the Oval Office for a special broadcast marking Trumps first 100 days in office of his second term. Things became tense as the two discussed a wide range of topics from the economy to immigration and foreign policy, with Trump eventually telling Moran that the only reason he was selected to do the interview was because he had never heard of Moran. ABC President Trump the First 100 Days: The Interview in the Oval Office with Terry Moran President Trump the First 100 Days: The Interview in the Oval Office with Terry Moran They also discussed Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March. While on the topic, Trump insisted that an edited image of Abrego Garcias alleged MS-13 tattoos were the real thing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Moran pointed out the presidents error and tried to move on with the interview, Trump replied, Wait a minute. Hey, Terry. Terry. Terry. Dont do that. 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. That was Photoshopped? Trump replied in disbelief. Terry, you cant do that. Theyve given you the big break of a lifetime. You know, youre doing the interview. I picked you because, frankly, I had never heard of you, but thats okay, the president continued. But I picked you, Terry, but youre not being very nice. He had 'MS-13' tattooed. Terry. Terry. Do you want me to show you the picture? Read the original article on People On a sunny Tuesday in Anaheim in the parking lot of a firefighter training center, a tiny house burst into flames while its neighbor survived. The fiery display was part of a demonstration showcasing the effectiveness of wildfire defense strategies, and it could serve as a road map for Pacific Palisades and Altadena as the communities begin to rebuild in the wake of the devastating January fires . The event co-hosted by the nonprofit research group Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety and the California Building Industry Assn. pitted two tiny homes, about the size of sheds, against a fire. One was built to typical standards, and the other was built above and beyond, employing a handful of fire-mitigation techniques . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Predictably, the unprotected home met the fate that thousands of structures did during the windy and dry Jan. 7 disaster. A firefighter lights small ignition points around test houses at an Anaheim site June 10, 2025. (Etienne Laurent / For The Times) First, firefighters used drip torches to simulate embers landing around it. Four industrial fans provided the wind, spreading the fire across dry wood mulch onto small shrubs lining the house's exterior. Five minutes in, the shrubs crackled as a stack of firewood on the side of the home a common storage place for properties with wood-burning fireplaces ignited. Soon, the flames crawled up a tall juniper bush planted on the side of the home, spreading flames onto the exterior wall and roof, shortly before a wood fence burst into flames. The vinyl rain gutter sagged and melted, its plastic material flapping in the wind like a flag, and the window shattered shortly after, letting the flames enter the interior. Fifteen minutes in, the fire burned from the inside out, roaring through the walls and roof. The home's tan color burned to black, and smoke billowed hundreds of feet into the sky. The test house unprepared for wildfires is fully engulfed in flames. (Etienne Laurent / For The Times) After twenty minutes, the house was engulfed in an inferno before the frame gave way, collapsing into a smoking heap of charred debris. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The wildfire-prepared home had a perimeter of cement pavers, surrounded by gravel, and no bushes against the house. The mulch blew onto the gravel and burned out. A few hydrangeas were singed five feet from the walls of the house, but the home was unscathed. "This is a tale of two homes," said Anne Cope, chief engineer for the insurance institute. Roy Wright, the company's chief executive, said the burned home showcased architectural features all too common across properties in wildfire-prone areas: plastic gutters, open eaves and flammable landscaping surrounding the home such as juniper, bamboo or eucalyptus. "We're not going to eliminate wildfires, but we can restrict their reach," Wright said. "The easiest way starts at home." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The main emphasis was what fire-prevention specialists call Zone 0: the first five feet of defensible space surrounding a structure. To stop a fire in its tracks, firefighters suggest removing all landscaping from the 5-foot perimeter and replacing fire-prone materials such as grass or mulch with cement or brick. A firefighter watches a house-burning demonstration at an Anaheim site to show the effectiveness of ember-intrusion prevention. (Etienne Laurent / For The Times) Pavement and a cleared area next to a houselike structure at an Anaheim site show the effectiveness of what's called ember-intrusion prevention during a house-burning demonstration. (Etienne Laurent / For The Times) In contrast to the one that burned, the fire-protected house featured metal gutters, fiber cement siding, enclosed eaves, a metal fence, metal patio set of a table and chairs and cement pavers. When torched with embers, the fire burned up to the 5-foot perimeter and then halted. "You can still have plants, just keep them five feet away from your house," Wright said. Wright visited Pacific Palisades and Altadena a week after the fires to analyze how they spread so quickly from house to house and found that homes generally burned in clusters, which suggests that houses either helped or hurt others around them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If a house was a century old and not up to code, it often burned quickly and passed the fire on to its neighbors, he said. But if a house was built with fire-prevention in mind, with defensible space, fire-resistant materials, enclosed eaves and mesh coverings over vents, in some cases, it served as a shield for the houses downwind. Modern fire-prevention strategies already are being implemented in new master-planned communities in Southern California, where home builders have the hindsight of previous disasters and implement tighter building codes. A recent success story is Orchard Hills, which survived a 2020 blaze unscathed due to meticulous planning and specialized home design. But L.A.'s housing stock is generally older, and many homes scattered across the region's hills and mountains are sitting ducks architecturally vulnerable if a fire sweeps through. That's why Wright stresses clearing out Zone 0, since it's the quickest, cheapest way to make sure that if a fire comes to your door, you're not fueling it. "We need to do what we can to narrow the path of destruction and give firefighters a chance to beat it down," Wright 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. A large herd of aoudad move across the Texas landscape. Lone Star lawmakers recently added aoudads to the list of animals hunters can shoot from helicopters in Texas as part of a management tool to aid in the ongoing fight against the invasive sheep. Senate Bill 1245, which passed both state legislative chambers and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in May, will go into effect Sept. 1. The bill expands Texas aerial wildlife management permit system, which previously only listed feral hogs and coyotes, to include aoudad. Aerial culling efforts have helped Texas with its burgeoning feral swine population. A 2019 USDA study found that helicopter hog hunting, also called porkchopping, has successfully reduced hog numbers by at least 31 percent. Aoudad, also known as Barbary sheep, arent native to Texas. Originating in North Africa, the species is well-suited to the rough and rugged terrain of West Texas. The animals were introduced to the state in the late 1950s primarily for exotic game ranching and hunting opportunities. Since then, this hardy big game species has flourished often to the detriment of commercial livestock and native species such as mule deer and bighorn sheep. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aoudad sheep bring sheer destruction they eat everything, spread disease, and push out native species, representative Ed Morales, Jr, a sponsor of the bill, wrote on X. High numbers of aoudad in dry environments can have a significant negative impact on browse resources, according to TPWD mule deer and pronghorn program leader Shawn Gray. The desert ecosystem is so fragile. Were not supposed to have thousands and thousands of animals on them long-term, Gray told Texas Farm Bureau. More than 30,000 aoudad currently roam the state of Texas. Thats a major increase from the 31 animals originally released in Armstrong County in 1957. Natural predation is not enough to keep the population in check. A coyote is not going to take one down. The lion could take one down, but its going to be a fight. So theyre breeding faster than you can manage them with a straight hunt, West Texas rancher Warren Cude told The Texas Tribune. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aoudad also carry the harmful bacteria Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovip.), which spreads in respiratory droplets and secretions and can cause severe reactions and even death in commercial sheep and goat herds. Read Next: Aoudad in West Texas: Is the Poor Mans Sheep Hunt Really a Sheep Hunt? Texas aoudad hold plenty of appeal for hunters, whether they choose to pursue them from a chopper or stalk them on foot. Because the animals live in rugged country, they offer would-be sheep hunters the chance to pursue a challenging species without waiting a lifetime to draw a tag or pay tens of thousands of dollars to hunt native sheep. Texas considers aoudad an exotic species, so there is no closed season or bag limit, although a valid Texas hunting license is required. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton joined a coalition of state attorneys general in urging federal law enforcement to intensify efforts against antisemitic terrorism. The multistate letter, addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, calls for enhanced coordination between state and federal agencies. The push comes amid rising antisemitic violence nationwide, including recent attacks in Washington, D.C., and Boulder, Colorado. State officials say these incidents underscore the urgent need for a comprehensive government response. The South Carolina-led initiative specifically cited the murders of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington, D.C. It also referenced an illegal alien who set fire to participants at a Boulder rally supporting Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The letter praised existing FBI and DOJ efforts while advocating for expanded collaboration. State attorneys general emphasized that antisemitic terrorism demands the full force of government response. Since the horrific October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against the people of Israel, weve seen a rise in radical anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric on campuses and communities across our country, said Paxton. Weve also tragically seen an alarming and heartbreaking increase in domestic terrorism targeted at the Jewish community. Paxton pledged continued action against what he called rampant anti-Israel hatred. He vowed to work with federal partners to combat domestic terrorism. I will not rest in working to stop these hateful, unconscionable acts of violence and defeating the rampant anti-Israel hatred and antisemitism growing in this country, Paxton stated. I am proud to stand with Israel and will always do everything within my power to partner with federal law enforcement to root out domestic terrorism and antisemitism. The attorney generals letter represents a coordinated state-level response to antisemitic violence. It signals growing concern among state officials about hate crimes targeting Jewish communities. (NewsNation) As protests against President Donald Trumps immigration enforcement efforts unfold nationwide, those arrested in Texas could now face longer stays in jail. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently signed Senate Bill 40 into law, which bans the use of tax dollars to fund bail payments. More specifically, it prohibits cities and counties from giving public funds to nonprofits that post bail for anyone in jail. While the law has drawn attention in the context of current protests, it does not specifically target protesters; it applies to anyone who is arrested, regardless of their charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DHS official says immigration raids will continue despite protests Critics: No proof public funds were used for bail Still, the laws timing has sparked controversy, especially in cities like Austin and Dallas, where immigration-related demonstrations have led to arrests. The legislation is being discussed in the broader context of national bail reform debates, though it isnt the central issue driving protests. Abbott argues the law is about public safety and keeping tax dollars out of the bail system. Critics, however, claim there is no evidence that Texas cities have used taxpayer funds to pay bail. In Harris County, which includes Houston, the city auditor found such payments were simply reimbursements, not taxpayer-funded 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 NewsNation. AUSTIN (KXAN) Texans who purchase a vehicle from a dealership will soon no longer have to go through extra steps to get their official, metal license plates. Starting next month, motor vehicle dealers will begin issuing metal license plates directly to buyers of new and used vehicles, according to a release from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. The change complies with a new law that stems from House Bill 718, which was passed during the 88th legislative session in 2023. The bill addressed concerns related to the fraudulent use of paper license tags, the Texas DMV noted online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For years, KXAN has investigated how phony paper tags can turn getaway vehicles into ghost cars. Read More | RISKY RIDES: Explore KXANs years-long investigation into Texas paper tag problem The law will officially go into effect on July 1, the Texas DMV announced Tuesday. The bill was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott two years ago, on June 12, 2023. According to the Texas DMV, heres how license plate issuances will operate beginning July 1, depending on how the vehicle is purchased: Buying from a dealer Consumers buying a vehicle from a Texas dealer will receive metal license plates instead of paper temporary tags, driving off the lot with their plates already in place. Until their registration sticker arrives from their county office, customers must keep their buyers plate receipt in the vehicle to be able to verify the purchase and pending registration to law enforcement. Trading in a vehicle When consumers sell or trade in a vehicle with general issue plates, dealers may transfer the plates to another vehicle sold within 10 days, if the plates match the appropriate vehicle type, per Senate Bill 1902, passed by the 89th Legislature this year. Consumers with specialty license plates will keep their plates. Buying/selling a vehicle in a private sale The private party sales process remains unchanged, according to the Texas DMV: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sellers should remove their license plates and registration sticker from the vehicle when they deliver the vehicle to the buyer. The seller can request to transfer the plates to another vehicle they ownif appropriate for the vehicle typeby visiting their county tax assessor-collectors office. Sellers should submit a Vehicle Transfer Notification to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles within 30 days of the sale of the vehicle. Buyers must submit a title and registration application at their county tax assessor-collectors office and obtain new plates to register the vehicle in their name within 30 days of purchase. More information about the changes and their impact on consumers, dealers, tax assessor-collectors, and law enforcement can be found on the Texas DMVs 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 KXAN Austin. AUSTIN (KXAN) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation Tuesday that invests $50 million into clinical research of ibogaine a naturally occurring psychedelic substance that could treat post-traumatic stress disorder, opioid use disorder and other mental health conditions. For years, veterans and others suffering from PTSD have sought ibogaine treatment in Mexico, where the substance is not heavily regulated. In the United States, ibogaine is classified as a Schedule 1 drug, the most restrictive drug category. Other drugs classified under Schedule 1 include psilocybin, LSD and heroin. According to the legislative summary of SB 2308, the implications for those with opioid use disorder are lifechanging; a single administration of ibogaine in a controlled setting has been shown to stop withdrawal symptoms and reduce drug cravings long-term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED: Lawmakers hope to expand medical marijuana program as state bans intoxicating hemp products Preliminary reports also suggest benefits in cognitive function, mood regulation, and sleep among individuals with [traumatic brain injury] and PTSDconditions prevalent among U.S. veterans, the bill text read. The new legislation will create a program within the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to support Texas-based trials of ibogaine through the FDA. Ibogaine is not currently FDA-approved due to its Schedule 1 classification. SB 2308 will fund research through gifts, grants or donations and will require equal matching funds by the recipients, which will include Texas medical facilities equipped for cardiac-intensive monitoring by a supervising physician, among other qualifications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By advancing ibogaine research, Texas has the opportunity to lead in neuroscience innovation, address urgent veteran health needs, and shape the future of mental health treatment nationwide, the bill text reads. While legislation aimed at easing access to ibogaine moves forward, separate legislation to restrict access to another plant has also progressed. Texas lawmakers sent a bill banning non-medical THC products to Abbott for approval late last month. Still, Texas in recent years has become more open-minded to the use of psychedelic substances in treating mental health conditions. Theres definitely been a shift in the openness and the receptivity of the field to this type of research, said Greg Fonzo, Ph.D., co-director of the McGill Center for Psychedelic Research & Therapy at Dell Medical School. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People who do undergo this treatment process, some of them respond well and have a benefit in terms of symptom reductions and feeling better, Fonzo told KXAN earlier 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 KXAN Austin. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that hell deploy the National Guard to locations across the state to ensure peace and order ahead of a planned protest in San Antonio. Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. @TexasGuard will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order, he wrote on X late Tuesday evening local time. A curfew was imposed in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after days of unrest there following ICE raids last week. Solidarity protests have taken place across the country in the last two days, including in Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spectrum News 1 reported that protesters held a peaceful demonstration in downtown San Antonio on Sunday. This demonstration followed the recent ICE arrests of immigrants who showed up for appearances in the San Antonio Immigration Court. Protesters march against ICE outside the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Monday. (Brandon Bell / Getty Images) The city is bracing for more demonstrations on Wednesday. Mayor Ron Nirenberg and local police will hold a news conference today to discuss the citys plan for the protests. A No Kings Day protest decrying the Trump administrations policies is planned for Saturday, President Donald Trumps birthday, in downtown San Antonio. Several groups will organize it: the 50501 Movement, the Bexar County Democratic Party, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Indivisible and Womens March. Similar No Kings Day protests are planned across the country. In Austin, 500 people gathered in front of the states Capitol on Monday evening to denounce Trumps immigration policies in solidarity with the L.A. protesters. Local and state authorities used pepper spray and flash-bang grenades on protesters in that incident, and more than a dozen people were arrested, Abbott said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Los Angeles raids led to fallout over the weekend when Trump federalized and brought in the states National Guard against Gov. Gavin Newsoms wishes. The two politicians locked horns over the move, with Newsom saying it needlessly inflamed tensions between protesters and law enforcement. Californias attorney general filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging Trumps deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles, saying the takeover exceeds his authority. When asked about the ICE raids and the intense federal response to protests, Trump said from the Oval Office on Tuesday, This is the first, perhaps of many. We didnt attack this one very strongly. Youd have them all over the country. I can inform the rest of the country that when they do it, if they do it, theyre going to be met with equal or greater force than we met right here. We did a great job, he said. We stopped a disaster, Trump added, describing protesters as very dangerous people who were met with heavy force, and they folded. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said early Wednesday that the Texas National Guard is prepared to ensure peace & order in his state, as protests against President Trumps immigration crackdown spread beyond California. Peaceful protest is legal, Abbott wrote on social platform X. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. He added the National Guard troops would help law enforcement maintain order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Demonstrations have continued to rock the Golden State in the days since Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out workplace raids in the Los Angeles area. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) resisted using the National Guard to respond to the demonstrations. President Trump bucked the governor, deploying thousands of troops and hundreds of Marines to the area to patrol the protest zones. Hundreds of arrests followed. A judge rejected Newsoms emergency request Tuesday to limit the troop deployment. Protests are expected to grow through the week, with the groups No Kings and 50501 promoting events in New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama and Georgia, among other states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A war of words between the president and Democratic governor has also sprouted in recent days with Trump accusing Newsom of not providing protection for law enforcement and the latter calling the Trump administrations moves a brazen abuse of power. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Partial results from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam released on Tuesday show that high school students made gains in algebra and biology, which education policy analysts celebrated as a step in the right direction as Texas tries to shift toward a more STEM-focused workforce. But the data also shows students continue to struggle in English and U.S. history, which experts said underscored the need for a renewed focus on reading and literacy. The STAAR exam gauges if high-schoolers are meeting grade-level proficiency in those subjects and if they need additional help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The students who took the standardized test this past spring and met grade-level expectations in Algebra I was 47%, up two percentage points from last year. Success in Algebra I is super predictive of post-secondary attainment, credential attainment, and post-secondary success, and so therefore long-term wages, said Gabriel Grantham, a policy adviser with Texas 2036. During the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers approved Senate Bill 2124, a bill aimed at increasing math proficiency, but its unclear how those efforts might have contributed to students gain in algebra this year. Research shows that student enrollment in high-level math courses is directly connected to post-secondary career advancements. This year, the percentage of students who met grade-level expectations in biology went up to 62%, five percentage points higher than last year. Economically disadvantaged students, students receiving special education services and emergent bilingual students, also saw small gains in the subject. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the results also mean that nearly half of students taking biology are still not meeting grade level, Grantham said. We are always excited about growth, but we always have to take stock of where we actually are, he said. We want to be No. 1 in education and this is kind of like the line in the sand. It says, OK, we need to move forward and we need to move upward from here. Students meeting grade level in English I was down to 51%, three percentage points lower than last year. Additionally, the percentage of students meeting grade level in English II dropped to 56%, four percentage points lower than last year. High school students who tested for U.S. history also saw a slight decline in grade-level proficiency down one percentage point from 69% last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During this years legislative session, lawmakers tried to scrap the STAAR test but were unsuccessful. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have long criticized the standardized test for taking valuable instructional time away from teachers. STAAR results for grades 3-8 are expected to be released next week. Disclosure: Texas 2036 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. A Texas man was arrested and accused of spiking a romantic partner's drink with abortion-inducing medication and ending her pregnancy without consent, officials said Wednesday. Justin Anthony Banta, 38, was booked Friday on suspicion of tampering with evidence and capital murder before he posted a $500,000 bond and was released, Parker County authorities said. A woman claimed she had been seeing Banta and told him in September that was pregnant with his child, the sheriff's department said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman met Banta at a coffee shop in nearby Tarrant County, where, she believes, the suspect "secretly added abortion-inducing pills to her drink without her knowledge or permission," the sheriff said. "The victim reported she lost her baby on Oct. 19, which she believed was a result of the drugs she said Banta placed in her drink at the coffee shop without her permission," the sheriff added. Banta, who works in information technology for the U.S. Justice Department, also "reset" his cellphone during the probe, "thereby deleting crucial evidence related to the case," according to the sheriff. Banta, who is separated from his wife, said he had seen the woman four times. He and defense attorney Michael Heiskell denied Banta spiked any drinks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He's innocent of these charges," Heiskell told NBC News. "He has cooperated with the investigators since last fall when all of this brouhaha arose after his relationship ended with this woman. He is not guilty." Law enforcement has not shown Banta any evidence to confirm the woman's pregnancy, Heiskell said. "There were discussions about her being pregnant, but that was never confirmed by her to him. And yes, he did research Plan C," said Heiskell, who denied his client put the medication in the woman's drink. Texas law bans nearly all abortions, so abortion-inducing pills cannot be obtained from doctors or pharmacists in the state. However, people are often still able to obtain the medication through any number of online providers. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com (Texas Scorecard) After decades of campaigning by education reform advocates, Texas is set to enact the nations largest education savings account program, opening new options for up to 100,000 students. The state will spend the next year preparing for the programs 2026-2027 launch. Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2, which creates the ESA program, into law on May 3. An ESA allots funds to parents for use toward a range of educational expenses, including private school tuition, tutoring, and online learning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The program, which has been allocated $1 billion by the Legislature, will support up to 100,000 students, making it the largest launch of a universal school choice program in the nation, according to the governor. Most students will receive $10,000. However, special needs students will receive $11,500, and homeschool students are eligible for $2,000. The ESA program will be managed by the Texas comptroller. The comptroller will maintain a list of pre-approved vendors and educational providers, but participating families will also be able to request approval for other vendors and educational providers to suit their needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A specific provision in the legislation dictates that no rule or action may prohibit or restrict religious or institutional values when distributing funds. In addition, it prevents limitations on participating parents when determining the methods or curriculum to educate students. If the program is not maxed out the first year, a weighted lottery will determine who is next in line to receive funding. Once the program is rolled out, students will be considered in the following order: Siblings of currently participating students All other students Former students who have previously been enrolled in the program but have since stopped for a period of time Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The program further prioritizes students based on household income and disability status: Households 500 percent below the federal poverty line whose participating child has a disability Households 200 percent below the poverty line, which are expected to be the largest qualifying group Households 200 percent above the poverty line Households 500 percent above the poverty line No more than 20 percent of the funding will go towards the latter priority group, though its unlikely to reach that amount. The comptrollers office will provide further details on the application process in 2026. In addition to school choice, lawmakers also passed House Bill 2, which covers public school finance. The total K-12 education funding for the 20262027 biennium is about $80 billion out of a $338 billion state budget. HB 2 increases the basic allotment per student from $6,160 to $6,215, which districts can use to meet a variety of needs, while the rest of the funding is earmarked to expand teacher incentives and create more grant funding. However, additional oversight of public education was also a priority of lawmakers. Senate Bill 12 increases parental control and oversight in K-12 education, limits DEI-related activities, and enhances transparency and accountability in Texas schools. It also bans instruction or programming regarding gender identity and sexual orientation. By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's ruling party, besieged by a faltering economy and a border crisis, faces more uncertainty this week as the Supreme Court begins hearing a case that could lead to jail time for its most influential politician, Thaksin Shinawatra. The billionaire former premier, and the driving force behind the government of his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, skipped prison on his return in 2023 from 15 years of self-exile by serving his detention in hospital, on grounds of ill-health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But this week's proceedings could add to mounting troubles for political newcomer Paetongtarn and her Pheu Thai party, if the court deems the hospital detention unlawful and orders Thaksin to serve his original prison time. "There is already a crisis of confidence for the prime minister," said Wanwichit Boonprong, a lecturer in political science at Rangsit University. "Many people feel the government cannot handle all the crises the country is facing." An escalation in a border row with Cambodia has also rattled Paetongtarn's government, with Thailand's politically powerful military, which overthrew Shinawatra governments in 2006 and 2014, making its presence felt as nationalist rhetoric heats up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics will scrutinise the government's handling of critical talks with its neighbour set for Saturday, amid growing public unease over its management of an economy shackled by crippling household debt. A negative outcome in Thaksin's case and the border dispute would ratchet up the pressure on Pheu Thai, say analysts, both in the ruling coalition and among the public, as protest simmers. But veteran Pheu Thai politician Somkid Chuekong dismissed any potential political impact from Thaksin's case, emphasising that he has no direct say in government affairs. "He has only expressed his thoughts and suggestions on the government's work," said Somkid, who is Paetongtarn's deputy secretary-general. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thaksin could not immediately be reached for comment. His case and the government's handling of various challenges have chipped away at public confidence, said Rangsiman Rome, a lawmaker of the opposition People's Party. "It will be very difficult to govern in the short term, because the people no longer have any confidence left." VIP TREATMENT Thaksin appeared in good health as he met cheering crowds on his return home in 2023, before appearing in court to be sentenced to eight years in jail for abuse of power and conflicts of interest. The 75-year-old spent just a few hours in jail before complaining of chest and heart problems and was transferred to the VIP wing of a hospital, prompting outrage and mockery from a public sceptical about the sudden deterioration of his health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A royal pardon cut his sentence to one year, and he was released on parole after six months. On Thursday, the Medical Council of Thailand will decide if three doctors who signed off on Thaksin's hospital stay should be punished for abusing their authority. That decision will feed into a Supreme Court process that starts on Friday concerning the legality of the hospital detention. It is unclear when it will yield a verdict. Despite not holding any formal position, Thaksin has cast a long shadow over the government, through meetings with foreign leaders, campaigning in local elections and weighing in on policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sixty percent of respondents in a poll last week believed Thaksin's case would affect the stability of a government whose popularity was shaken after it paused a cash handout programme to tens of millions of Thais. "He has a lot of influence on this government and it would hurt public confidence if the outcome of the case is negative," said Yuttaporn Issarachai, a political science expert at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. BORDER TENSIONS The Pheu Thai administration is also grappling to keep the border dispute with Cambodia from spiralling out of control, as both sides have mobilised troops before talks between their militaries curbed rising tension set off by a recent skirmish. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Saturday's talks with Cambodia may not lead to a resolution, however, said Titipol Phakdeewanich, a specialist in political science at Ubon Ratchathani University. "The prime minister has not been very firm in her statements, which raised questions by some about whether this government is actually protecting the interests of the country," Titipol said. The border row has become a lightning rod for administration critics, with royalists holding small protests and urging the military to oust the government, as it has at least 10 times since 1932. "The country now faces security issues and nationalism is on the rise at a time when government leadership is at its weakest," said Jatuporn Prompan, a Thaksin ally turned critic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Some people have started calling for a coup." But Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai last week talked down such a possibility. "The army has to do its duty," he told reporters. "There is no conflict with the government." (Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um, Editing by Devjyot Ghoshal and Clarence Fernandez) CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Two more people were indicted Wednesday for their alleged involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys. The indictment alleges that Katrina Favret, of Tennessee, and Robert Craig, of North Carolina, conspired with previously charged defendant Ronald Bedra, of Ohio, to create and distribute so-called animal crush videos. Favret is also charged with creating and distributing animal crush videos. 11 indicted for involvement with online groups dedicated to monkey torture, mutilation Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court documents, the defendants conspired with others to create and distribute videos depicting acts of violence against monkeys. The conspirators used encrypted chat applications to direct money to individuals in Indonesia willing to commit the requested acts of torture on camera. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. THOMASVILLE A Thomasville man has been accused of trying to defraud his car insurance company by falsely claiming his vehicle had been stolen and wrecked, the N.C. Department of Insurance said. William Earl Epps Jr., 69, of Mary James Avenue, was charged with one count of insurance fraud and one count of attempting to obtain property by false pretense, both felonies. Special agents with the Department of Insurances Criminal Investigations Division accuse Epps of attempting to obtain a payment from Geico Indemnity Co. for the wreck, which happened on April 13, but a witness saw Epps leaving the scene of an automobile accident. Epps was served with a criminal summons on June 5. He is scheduled to appear in Davidson County District Court on July 1. Two puppies were rescued from a hoarding situation in Texas and taken in by a Milwaukee-based dog rescue. Their foster parents believed the dogs struggling with anxiety from their past were later sent to a sanctuary in northern Wisconsin for specialized training. For months, foster parents Samantha Stanfield and Sarah DeSmidt received hopeful updates about the dogs and how they were adapting to the sanctuary's training programs. Former Rescue Gang volunteers Sarah DeSmidt and Samantha Stanfield look through messages they exchanged with others while trying to uncover what happened to their former foster dogs. Much of the search took place through texts and group chats. But there was no northern Wisconsin sanctuary. The dogs, named Bill and Marita, had been euthanized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What happened to Bill and Marita isn't an isolated tragedy. Instead, advocates and volunteers say, it's part of a broader pattern, as local animal shelters face overcrowding and volunteer shortages, pushing the care of some animals into smaller, less-equipped rescue groups. After Public Investigators April story about Misfit Mutt Crue MKE revealed a case of dishonesty around a foster dog's euthanasia, multiple people came forward to share similar stories, including former volunteers with Rescue Gang, the group that took in Bill and Marita. Their goal, they said, is to shine a light on the lack of regulation and accountability in the rescue world. "There is very loose regulation on what is required to have a rescue (organization)," said Heather Mishefske, a certified behavior consultant and owner of emBARK, a dog training, grooming and care facility in Eau Claire. "A lot of people that just really want to help dogs may go into rescue not understanding the ramifications and the problems that could potentially arise." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mishefske said Bill and Marita's case isn't the first time she's heard of a rescue organization hiding the fact that a dog was euthanized. The pressure of losing the public's trust and support can lead rescues to hide the truth. Rescue Gang Director Jennifer Troppmann had similar concerns, according to a February 2024 Facebook message sent to the group's leadership team where she discusses keeping Bill's and Marita's euthanasia quiet. "I feel icky about it," she wrote in the message, obtained by Public Investigator. "But the blowback would be awful, and I cannot handle a complete fallout." Former foster parents say Rescue Gang sent fake updates, photos of dogs for months Samantha Stanfield fostered Bill through the Milwaukee-based nonprofit Rescue Gang for four months. In 2023, with the help of over $1,000 in donations, Rescue Gang took in three puppies from a hoarding situation in Texas. Two of them were Bill and Marita. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their past left them anxious and reactive, making training difficult. Bill was briefly adopted but returned when he struggled to come out of his shell. Still, their foster parents Samantha Stanfield for Bill, and Sarah DeSmidt for Marita loved them. For four months, they remained committed to helping the dogs, both barely a year old, grow. In 2023, Milwaukee-based nonprofit Rescue Gang rescued Bill, a three-month-old puppy, from a hoarding situation in Texas. So, when Rescue Gang director Jennifer Troppmann told them that in order for the dogs to receive specialized training, they'd stay at the organizations facility, Stanfield and DeSmidt agreed. A few days later, Troppmann gave Stanfield and DeSmidt another update Bill and Marita were on their way to a sanctuary in northern Wisconsin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I know it's hard, but I felt this was their best chance at a happy life," Troppmann wrote to DeSmidt in a Facebook message viewed by Public Investigator. Between February and May 2024, Troppmann sent updates on how the dogs were adapting to the sanctuary, including a screenshot of an email supposedly from the sanctuary. The email, viewed by Public Investigator, informed Troppmann that Bill had settled in well and would soon be ready to be transferred to their "adoption program." Marita needed more time to adapt but was still showing progress, the email said. But as time passed with only vague updates, both foster parents became suspicious. DeSmidt repeatedly offered to take Marita back. She asked Troppmann for the name of the sanctuary but never received it. She started calling sanctuaries in an effort to find Marita herself. Marita, pictured here during her time in foster care with Sarah DeSmidt. Finally, in June, then-acting Rescue Gang director Billee Procknow sent a Facebook message telling the fosters and other volunteers that neither dog had ever gone to a sanctuary and both had been euthanized in February. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Procknow's message, viewed by Public Investigator, said the dogs' behavior had regressed and they were becoming a danger to other dogs and humans, which led Rescue Gang to make the "excruciating, but necessary" decision. "I'm sorry that you are finding out this way, and totally understand if you are upset and angry," Procknow wrote. Bill and Marita's former foster parents, as well as Rescue Gang volunteers who knew the dogs, were devastated and confused, saying neither dog had ever been dangerous in the time they'd fostered them. Both said they would've taken them back if they knew the dogs were going to be euthanized. Former Rescue Gang volunteers Sarah DeSmidt and Samantha Stanfield would spend hours searching the internet on websites like PetFinder for their former foster dogs. Complaint records, former volunteer accounts question use of donation funds, fate of other past Rescue Gang dogs Troppmann told Public Investigator she wasn't responsible for what happened to Bill and Marita. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, Troppmann said, Rescue Gang's leadership team took control of the organization while she was on medical leave. "They took over the rescue," Troppmann said. "They changed passwords. I had lost complete control of my rescue. But a Facebook message viewed by Public Investigator shows Troppmann telling the former Rescue Gang leadership team about the decision to euthanize Bill and Marita in February 2024. Troppmann, now back from medical leave and working as Rescue Gang's director again, also told Public Investigator no dogs in her group's care have been euthanized since. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But through an open records request with the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission, or MADACC, Public Investigator found that a Rescue Gang dog was euthanized in February of this year, about two months before Troppmann spoke to Public Investigator. The Bill and Marita situation wasn't the first time Rescue Gang, founded in 2014, was under scrutiny. According to records obtained through a public records request, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has received nine complaints about Rescue Gang since 2017. Three of those led to formal investigations. In two cases, the department found that the rescue imported dogs without required veterinary documentation, resulting in a $400 fine from the state in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2022, a former foster accused Troppmann of giving out medication without veterinary approval and misrepresenting dogs' health. DATCP investigated but found no violations. DATCP spokesperson Molly Mueller said the remaining six complaints were not investigated because they fell outside the agency's jurisdiction. Those included interpersonal disputes within the rescue and allegations of fabricated fundraising claims and donation misuse. Similar concerns surfaced in a separate case involving a fundraiser for a dog named Breezy. An April 2023 Facebook post said Breezy, who'd spent five years in a Texas shelter before being brought to Milwaukee, was facing a possible cancer diagnosis. The post encouraged supporters to donate to Breezy's "bucket list" and medical care. But former volunteers say Breezy was never formally diagnosed with cancer, and it's unclear how the fundraiser donations were ultimately used. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former volunteer Jasmin Elhindi said the dog was timid and used to being alone then placed in high-stress environments, like a foster home with other dogs, that only heightened her fear. Elhindi said Breezy was briefly adopted but later returned. After that, it was unclear to her and other Rescue Gang volunteers what happened to Breezy. Public Investigator learned Breezy was euthanized in August 2024 after filing an open records request for euthanasia cases tied to the name "Jennifer Troppmann." According to MADACC records, Troppmann brought Breezy in herself, not under Rescue Gang's name. Lack of oversight leads to unequipped rescues Rescue Gang is still operating under Troppmann, but most of its former leadership team, active when Bill and Marita were euthanized, is now running Rey of Hope. Rey of Hope declined to answer questions about Bill and Marita. In an emailed statement, the nonprofit, founded in 2024, said it is not affiliated with Rescue Gang. "While members of our community previously volunteered with Rescue Gang, those members were not in positions with decision-making oversight," the statement said. "Rey of Hope Rescue is committed to building a transparent, community-focused organization." Former volunteers told Public Investigator that Rescue Gang's former trainer, now part of Rey of Hope's leadership, used outdated methods like shock collars. Aversive methods like shock collars, especially used on dogs that were saved from traumatic situations, sets them up to fail, said Mishefske, the certified behavior consultant. Just as anyone can start a small-scale animal rescue, anyone can call themselves a dog trainer, even if they don't have a license or certification. And that compounds the problem, Mishefske said. A lack of behavioral support leads to dogs that could've been saved being euthanized instead. Hiring certified behavior professionals can be costly, Mishefske said, though some training resources can be accessed online at low or no cost, through organizations like the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, Wisconsin Humane Society, or Every Dog Austin's free webinars. "If you're going to bring dogs in from some of these more traumatic scenarios," Mishefske said, "you have to provide support." Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. This story was updated to add a video. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rescue Gang foster parents misled about dogs' euthanasia DUBAI (Reuters) -At least three people have died and ten people were injured when a methanol reservoir caught fire in a port in Iran's southern province of Bushehr, state media IRNA reported on Wednesday. State TV said a vessel carrying methanol, which was docked at the port of Bandar Dayyer and belongs to the Kaveh Petrochemicals Company, had caught fire for reasons which were not yet known. "Considering the extent of the fire, it is likely that the number of dead and injured will rise," the head of the province's emergency services said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April, a large explosion took place at the Shahid Rajaee port in southern Iran killing 57 people, with some officials blaming poor storage of chemicals in containers. An official investigation into the incident has yet to be completed. (Reporting by Dubai NewsroomEditing by Louise Heavens and Peter Graff) The newly elected and reelected members of the Oklahoma House are sworn into office Nov. 20, 2024, in the House chambers at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma House of Representatives on Tuesday got three new members. Voters went to the polls in special elections to replace three members who left office early. Tulsa residents tapped Democrat Amanda Clinton for House District 71. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clinton received 85% of the vote while Republican Beverly A. Atteberry received 15%. The seat became open when Rep. Amanda Swope, D-Tulsa, stepped down in December to take a position in the City of Tulsas government. In House District 97, Democrat Aletia Timmons garnered 59% of the vote while fellow Democrat JeKia Harrison earned 41%. The seat, covering parts of northeast Oklahoma City and Jones, became vacant when Rep. Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City, stepped down to serve on the Oklahoma County Commission. No other candidates filed for the post. In the race for House District 74 in northern Tulsa County and western Rogers County, Republican Kevin Wayne Norwood garnered 65% of the vote to Democrat Amy Hossains 35%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The seat became open when Rep. Mark Vancuren, R-Owasso, resigned to take a post in Tulsa County government. This story was updated at 2:18 p.m. June 18 to correct the spelling of Kevin Wayne Norwoods name. 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Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America 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 Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona and Michigan State University student Troy Forbush of East Lansing. (Photo by Ken Coleman for the Michigan Advance) Attorneys for three of the students wounded during the 2023 shooting at Michigan State University announced Tuesday a several million dollar settlement for their injuries, pain and suffering. The settlement comes more than two years after a gunman opened fire at the university, killing three students and injuring five. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, law firms Grewal Law and Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman said the settlements totaling $29.75 million would bring closure to at least some of the survivors. Nathan Statly was shot in the head, resulting in brain injuries requiring extensive medical treatment and ongoing care. He will receive $14.25 million. Yukai John Hao was left paralyzed from the chest down after being struck by a bullet in his back. Hao will receive $13 million, with the university agreeing to waive tuition, room and board, and provide health insurance throughout the completion of his undergraduate and graduate degrees. Troy Forbush was shot in the chest and suffered a serious lung injury, requiring surgery and extensive rehabilitative therapy. He will receive $2.5 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grewal Law and Gruel Mills Nims & Pylman are honored to assist in obtaining justice for these remarkable young men, the firms said in a statement. In response, university spokesperson Amber McCann offered condolences to the students injured in the shooting, as well as their families and loved ones. While the university cannot comment on any specific settlements, we truly hope reaching a resolution helps provide some measure of relief, support and care to impacted individuals and their families, McCann said. This story was originally produced by Michigan Advance which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Three Virginia high school students are suing their principal, alleging defamation for being called racist over a birthday card and gift they gave a fellow student they insist is a friend. Three students at Kellam High School in Virginia Beach say Ryan Schubart, the schools principal, published materially false and defamatory statements in an email addressed to the entire student body on or about March 13, 2025, according to reporting from WAVY. The students are seeking $10 million in damages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court documents obtained by the outlet, the principal claimed the students engaged in racist harassment and will be disciplined to the fullest extent possible. The plaintiffs were reportedly part of a close friend group, which included a student who was allegedly a victim of racial harassment. Three students are suing the principal at Kellam High School in Virginia Beach, claiming he defamed them earlier this year (WAVY) Tim Anderson, an attorney representing the students, said: They shouldnt have been brought out to the town square and castigated in front of the entire community, with adults weighing in, calling them racist. You dont do that to children. It ruins their lives. He added that what Schubart wrote in the email was not an accurate reflection of what occurred. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Per court records, on March 12, the birthday of the alleged victim, the plaintiffs presented the gift recipient with a gift intended as a joke consisting of handwritten notes on a birthday card, a bag of fried chicken, and various candy, which was received in the same spirit as a friendly gift by the recipient. The entire encounter lasted between two to three minutes, court records state. Security footage of the incident showed The plaintiffs, the gift recipient and other students laughing, hugging and engaging in friendly behavior. In his email, the principal wrote that a staff member intervened after witnessing the exchange, which Anderson disputes. The principal said that a teacher had to break up the incident that didnt happen, he told the TV station. We have video evidence [that this] absolutely did not happen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of these boys were close friends. The Black child, [it] was his birthday, Anderson said. The boys were bringing him a gift for his birthday, a gift that he asked for. The child said that the card that was given to him was funny. He continued: [The] principal had all that information, but he omitted it, and he spun it up as this is an incident of racial harassment, racial bullying. The attorney claims the plaintiffs have been threatened and property damage has occurred. The boys have also been removed from the school. The Independent has emailed Kellam High School for comment. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) As protests continue in California, some people are questioning the federal governments military response. Wednesday morning a reporter in Washington D-C asked South Dakota Senator John Thune about the message the president is sending by deploying thousands of National Guard troops to the protests. Do you see an inconsistency when the president criticizes and condemns the violent Los Angeles protesters. But then pardoned the violent January 6th protestors? a reporter asked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I mean I think the issue thats in front of us right now is the chaos in LA. And clearly the local officials there, for whatever reason didnt seem up to the task of getting the job done there. And I think that as Senator wicker pointed out, its kind of a political imperative honestly, because one of the most fundamental questions, most people most folders ask is, is my family. Safe, is my neighborhood safe is my community safe. Is my country safe? Thune said. TenHaken wants drivers to feel the urge to zipper merge Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is calling out President Donald Trumps border czar, Tom Homan, and pushing back on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over what she calls their secret police tactics. Hundreds take to the streets of Boston protesting ICE operations, reign of terror over immigrants Wu signed an executive order that seeks more information from federal officials on ICE activity. She says the city plans on regularly submitting Freedom of Information Act requests to the Department of Homeland Security to find out who is being detained and why. Wu says there is a lack of transparency between the federal and local governments, with ICE arresting people without due process, wearing masks, and questioning residents about their immigration status based on their ethnicity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, a native of South Boston and a graduate of Boston College High School in Dorchester, said earlier this month that his agents have been doxed on social media, and often wear masks while on duty and making immigration arrests after officers, and their families, have received death threats. Wu also claims the Trump administration is making Boston less safe and undermining the citys economic progress, tourism, and growth of small businesses. Boston has already taken several legal actions to oppose the Trump administrations attempts to end birthright citizenship, oppose ending humanitarian protections for immigrants, and challenge billions in cuts to funding for medical research. This latest order, Wu said, is to let the community know that Boston is not backing down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are taking every possible action here in our city to push back and to stand up for basic rights for our freedoms and for the opportunities that we have been building here as a city whose mission every day is to be a home for everyone, Wu said. Wu also advised Homan and ICE to take a time out when it comes to the agencys operations across the country. Just last week, ICE leaders held a news conference announcing the arrests of nearly 1,500 people in a month-long effort in Massachusetts. ICE officials stated that their work was essential to restoring public safety. However, Wu went on to say that Boston is one of the safest major cities in the country, and she doesnt need the federal government to tell her what safety looks like. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Wherever Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks, trouble seems to be looming. Criticism of his governments war on Gaza is mounting, with charges of genocide and war crimes coming from both foreign leaders and former Israeli prime ministers. Internationally, Israel is looking increasingly isolated, as images of the starvation it is inflicting on Gaza flood global media. Domestically, Netanyahu faces deep criticism of a war many believe he is only prolonging to stay in power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Legally, the prosecution in his corruption trial has begun its cross-examination of him, while politically, he is facing a possible collapse of his governing coalition. Netanyahu has never seemed so embattled in his career, but is this really the end for Israels longest-serving prime minister? Heres what we know. Just how unpopular is Netanyahu with the Israeli public? Very, and its growing. Netanyahu has long been accused of manipulating the war in Gaza for his political ends, an accusation that gained new momentum since March, when Israel broke the ceasefire with the Palestinian group Hamas, further endangering the captives held in Gaza. In late May, a poll for Channel 12 television showed a majority of Israelis thought Netanyahu cared more about retaining his grip on power than returning the captives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of the protests held in Israel have focused on the captives taken during the Hamas-led assault of October 7, 2023, and how extending the war for political motivations endangers them. Demonstrators take part in a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government and demand the release of Israeli captives taken during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on May 24, 2025 [Nir Elias/Reuters] But recently, a small but significant number of Israelis have also protested against the intense suffering their government is inflicting upon the people of Gaza. In addition to an open letter from the countrys academics denouncing Israels devastation of Gaza, a growing number of photographs of Palestinian children are being held by demonstrators as part of wider Saturday night protests against the war in Tel Aviv. Even members of the military are growing unhappy with the war in Gaza. As reports of reservists refusing to fight increased, open letters by current and former officers in various divisions appeared, calling for an end to the war. What political criticism of Netanyahu has there been? Two of Israels former prime ministers have recently publicly criticised Netanyahu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ehud Barak, a former general and prime minister from 1999 to 2001, said in Time magazine that Netanyahu must choose between a deal brokered by United States President Donald Trump to free the captives and end the war, or continuing with his politically motivated war of deception. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert conceded that Israel was guilty of war crimes in Gaza, labelling the conflict that has killed almost 55,000 people a private political war [Debbie Hill/Pool via Reuters] Ehud Olmert, prime minister from 2006 to 2009, wrote in Haaretz that Israel was guilty of having committed war crimes in Gaza and that: This is now a private political war. A sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies as a pastime, and does not engage in mass population displacement, former general and leader of the Democrats party, Yair Golan, told local radio station Reshet Bet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was referring to the stated plans of far-right ministers like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to expel Palestinians from Gaza in order for Israelis to settle it. Olmert added on Tuesday that Trump should tell Netanyahu that enough is enough. What is the threat to Netanyahus coalition? For years, Israel has been divided over the conscription of its ultra-Orthodox youth, who were exempt from military service if they were full-time students in religious schools or yeshivas. In June 2024, Israels Supreme Court ruled that the exception could no longer apply, fulfilling a longstanding demand by secular Israelis who protested against the double standard. Police officers detain a demonstrator as ultra-Orthodox Jewish men block a road in protest against attempts to recruit men from their community to Israels military, on the outskirts of Bnei Brak, Israel, on December 24, 2024 [Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters] But the leaders of the two ultra-Orthodox parties in the ruling coalition, Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), are threatening to collapse the government unless it passes legislation that would override the Supreme Court decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is unclear whether elections would result in a parliament more sympathetic to the ultra-Orthodox, but recent developments, like plans to increase the number of conscription notices to ultra-Orthodox students, have pushed the issue to the fore. How internationally isolated has Israel become? Arab and European leaders have become increasingly vocal in their criticisms of Netanyahu and the war. However, for now at least, he still has the vital support of the US and President Donald Trump. In early May, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League slammed Netanyahu after he suggested that expelled Palestinians would be able to settle in Saudi territory. Later the same month, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom, who had all previously supported Israels war on Gaza, issued a statement describing the level of human suffering in the enclave as intolerable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spain and Ireland, which, along with Norway, recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024, have also called for action to be taken against Israel and the Netanyahu government. The UK, along with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, also announced on Tuesday that they would impose sanctions on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir. Netanyahus allies, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, have been accused of having incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights, in a joint statement by the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, that imposed sanctions on the two far-right ministers [Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP] How long Netanyahu will keep Trumps support, however, is not clear, as speculation that the mercurial US president may be tiring of Netanyahu is widespread and growing. And his legal problems? Netanyahu has been embroiled in multiple corruption investigations since 2019. If he is found guilty, he faces jail, possibly up to 10 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His trial, which began in 2020, has faced numerous delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, more recently, the war on Gaza, which he is accused of extending and at times exacerbating precisely to avoid his trial. Critics also say he is extending the war to avoid being held accountable for his governments failings during the October 7 attack. So, is time up for Benjamin Netanyahu? Controversy and scandal have followed Netanyahu throughout his political career, and opposition to his rule is growing within Israel and parts of the West, yet he may still survive, observers say. However, to do so, Netanyahu must retain US support for his government while sustaining a war that Trump appears to want ended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont know if Netanyahu can come back from this, one of his former aides, Mitchell Barak, told Al Jazeera in May. Theres a lot of talk about Netanyahu being at the end of his line Theyve been saying that for years, and hes still here but I cant see any more magic tricks that are available to him. SAN FRANCISCO - President Donald Trump and his administration increased efforts to round up immigrants and deport those without documentation, causing protests around the country and California, specifically in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. Here is a timeline of the key California flashpoints of the immigration situation playing out: June 12: U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer to hear arguments over whether President Donald Trump has the legal authority to send in the California National Guard and U.S. Marines to quell the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles without the consent of the governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom says no. June 11: Federal officials identified a man they say threw Molotov cocktails at police during an anti-ICE protest in Paramont. Los Angeles police said they arrested more than 200 people who they say broke an 8 p.m. curfew. The majority of arrests were for those who failed to disperse. June 10: A man is being detained for unknown reasons at the immigration court in Concord. June 10, 2025 Gov. Gavin Newsom asked a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the deployment of National Guard soldiers and Marines to quell immigration protests in Los Angeles. Newsom had asked U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer to grant the order by 1 p.m. on Tuesday, which did not happen. Instead, Breyer set a hearing date for 1:30 p.m. on Thursday to take up the request. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump sends more Marines and 2,000 more National Guard members to Los Angeles. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass institutes an 8 p.m. curfew that applies to a square-mile section of Los Angeles. In Concord, at least four people described as asylum seekers were detained by ICE. A large protest gathered outside the federal immigration building there. In Oakland, some looters set a shoe store on fire after a peaceful anti-ICE protest in the Fruitvale district. June 9: The Pentagon said it planned to deploy 700 Marines to Los Angeles. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he and Newsom are suing the Trump administration, alleging the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have "trampled over" California's sovereignty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the White House, Trump told reporters it would be "great" if Tom Homan, his border czar, arrested Newsom. In San Francisco, police arrested 150 protesters who demonstrated in solidarity with those in Los Angeles, but ended up allegedly vandalizing property, including a Waymo, patrol car and several buildings. June 8: Protesters vandalize a Waymo in San Francisco during an anti-ICE protest. June 8, 2025. Photo: Stringer Protests escalated and some of the anti-ICE demonstrations turned destructive. In San Francisco and Los Angeles, anti-ICE protesters took to the streets and some ended up destructing property, including setting Waymos on fire and damaging California Highway Patrol cars. National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles, marking the first time a president has mobilized a state's National Guard without a governor's consent since President Lyndon B. Johnson did so in 1965, when he sent National Guard troops to Alabama to protect civil rights activists marching from Selma to Montgomery. June 7: Protests and confrontations between immigration rights supporters and law enforcement are seen taking place in Paramount, California, and downtown Los Angeles(Photo by Taurat Hossain/Anadolu via Getty Images) Rumors spread that ICE agents are going to raid the Los Angeles suburb of Paramount outside a Home Depot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesters take to the streets in Los Angeles County, with some lighting cars on fire and others throwing rocks at border patrol agents. Later, Mayor Bass said that there were no ICE raids in Paramount or anywhere else in Los Angeles County on Saturday. She said the building in Paramount that protesters gathered near was being used as a staging area for federal resources. That evening, Trump signs a presidential memorandum authorizing 2,000 National Guard members to LA, saying it's necessary to address the "lawlessness." Bass and Newsom object. June 6: ICE agents carried out immigration sweeps in Southern California. David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union of California, was arrested during an anti-ICE protest in Los Angeles. He was released Monday but still faces a charge of a conspiracy to impede an officer. With migrant communities already living in fear amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, raids carried out in downtown Los Angeles last week by federal agents apparently became a flashpoint for days of protests in America's second-largest city. The spate of protests, which have seen both peaceful marches and violent clashes with law enforcement, prompted the president to call in the military. The decision by President Donald Trump to deploy the National Guard and Marines over the objections of local and state leaders has also set off a war of words between Trump and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The president has publicly called Bass and Newsom "incompetent" in the crisis, and the mayor and governor have countered that Trump is abusing the power of the Oval Office by sending in the military and alleging he is "escalating" an already volatile situation. PHOTO: Protesters gather outside of the Robert Young Federal Building on June 9, 2025 in Downtown Los Angeles, California. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images) The L.A. protests, which have been mostly concentrated in the city's downtown area near Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, have devolved into violent clashes with local law enforcement firing less-lethal projectiles, tear gas and flash bangs to disperse crowds. Demonstrators have responded by blocking a major freeway, setting vehicles ablaze and hurling rocks, Molotov cocktails and other projectiles at the police, authorities said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As demonstrations continue in Los Angeles and spread to other cities across California and the nation, here is a timeline on how the conflict has unfolded: June 6 ICE agents carry out a series of immigration sweeps across Southern California. Reports of federal agents running after people in a parking lot of a Home Depot in the Westlake neighborhood near downtown L.A. start circulating in the community. Around 3 p.m. local time, a crowd begins gathering in the downtown Fashion District after ICE agents show up at an apparel manufacturing business. Aerial footage taken by ABC News' Los Angeles station, KABC, shows what appears to be ICE agents loading two white passenger vehicles with people in handcuffs. As the vehicles leave the apparel business, protesters try unsuccessfully to stop them, including one individual who was seen lying down in the path of one of the cars. Several hours later, a large group of protesters gathered outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse downtown, calling for an end to immigration raids in the city. Video footage shows protesters vandalizing the building, heckling police and throwing bottles and other objects at officers who used shields to protect themselves. Police in riot gear are seen confronting protesters with batons and what appeared to be tear gas launchers. PHOTO: A police officer in riot gear fires a nonlethal weapon toward protesters during a demonstration following federal immigration operations in Los Angeles on June 9, 2025. (Ringo Chiu/AFP via Getty Images) At 10 p.m., the LAPD posts a message on social media, saying "an UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY has been declared for the area" around the downtown federal building and advises protesters and others to leave the area. June 7 The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department receives reports around 10:15 a.m. of a large crowd gathering in Paramount, a small suburb of Los Angeles, amid rumors that ICE is preparing to raid a Home Depot there. Deputies ordered the crowd to disperse and fired tear gas and flash bang when people refused to leave. Around the same time, another protest broke out in neighboring Compton, where reports emerged of vandalism, including protesters setting a car on fire in the street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later, Mayor Bass said that there were no ICE raids in Paramount or anywhere else in Los Angeles County on Saturday. She said the building in Paramount that protesters gathered near was being used as a staging area for federal resources. Around 6 p.m., Trump signed a presidential memorandum authorizing the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles, saying it is necessary to "address the lawlessness" in Los Angeles. Bass and Newsom immediately object to the president's decision, saying it would only enflame tensions. PHOTO: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department Jim McDonnell hold a press conference at the City of Los Angeles Emergency Operations Center, June 9, 2025. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images) Throughout the night, protesters still assembled at the downtown federal complex were seen throwing fireworks, rocks, glass bottles and other objects at police, who responded by firing less-lethal projectiles and flash-bangs to disperse protesters. June 8 National Guard Troops began arriving in Los Angeles around 4 a.m., taking up a position outside the Roybal federal building. The deployment marked the first time a president has mobilized a state's National Guard without a governor's consent since President Lyndon B. Johnson did so in 1965, when he sent National Guard troops to Alabama to protect civil rights activists marching from Selma to Montgomery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Twenty-two Democratic governors released a joint statement calling Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard "an alarming abuse of power." "Governors are the Commanders in Chief of their National Guard and the federal government activating them in their own borders without consulting or working with the state's governor is ineffective and dangerous," the joint statement reads. PHOTO: A flash bomb explodes as California Highway Patrol cars are lined up along the 101 freeway after officers cleared protesters from the area, June 8, 2025 in Los Angeles. (Eric Thayer/AP) A large group of protesters began marching in downtown Los Angeles, chanting and holding signs reading, "Fight Trump." The LAPD goes on "tactical alert," meaning all personnel are to remain on duty as the city braces for another evening of protests. Despite officers using less-lethal munitions in an attempt to break up the demonstrations, protesters marched onto the 101 Freeway, halting traffic on a portion of the freeway running through downtown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two LAPD officers were injured by motorcyclists attempting to breach a skirmish line police had established, according to officials. Video captured other demonstrators standing on an overpass throwing objects, including at least one scooter and bicycle, at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicle as the CHP attempted to remove protesters from the freeway. PHOTO: California National Guard members stand outside the Federal Building as people gather to protest in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, on June 9, 2025. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images) "Tonight, we had individuals out there shooting commercial grade fireworks at our officers. That can kill you," LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell says at a news conference. Gov. Newsom formally requested that the Trump administration rescind its "unlawful deployment" of National Guard troops. June 9 At 12:11 a.m. local time, the LAPD declared protests in all of downtown Los Angeles acts of "unlawful assembly" and ordered people to leave the area or risk arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. military officials confirmed that 700 members of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines at Twentynine Palms, California, are being deployed to Los Angeles. PHOTO: US Border Patrol agents arrest a protester near the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Santa Ana Field Office in Santa Ana, California, on June 9, 2025. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images) California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he and Newsom are suing the Trump administration, alleging the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have "trampled over" California's sovereignty by unlawfully invoking "a law that's intended to prevent an invasion by a foreign nation or [prevent] a rebellion or [in response to] local and state law enforcement [making] it so that the law of the United States cannot be executed." Returning to the White House from a weekend trip to Camp David, Trump told reporters it would be "great" if Tom Homan, acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arrested Newsom, although Homan says he and the president had no discussions about arresting the governor. PHOTO: President Donald Trump returns to the White House, June 9, 2025 in Washington. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) In a social media post, Newsom said, "These are the acts of a dictator, not a President." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As protests in Los Angeles entered their fourth night, photos from the scene showed tense moments as demonstrators confronted police. At one point, police said protesters near Temple Street and Los Angeles Street in downtown L.A. were throwing objects at police, and an LAPD incident commander authorized the use of "less lethal munitions" in response. June 10 Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum slams the U.S. for "criminalizing migration," saying Mexican immigrants are law-abiding citizens and necessary for the U.S. economy. At the White House, a reporter asks Trump if he would use the Insurrection Act as a response to the protests. The president responds, "If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We will see." "These are paid insurrectionists, these are paid troublemakers," Trump said of the protesters without citing supporting evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If we didnt get involved" and send the National Guard, "right now Los Angeles would be burning, just like it was burning a number of months ago with all the houses that were lost," Trump said, referencing the January wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles. At an evening news conference, Mayor Bass announces she is declaring a local emergency and imposing an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in the downtown area, saying it has become a necessary step to stop vandalism and the looting of businesses there. She said the curfew is being imposed in a 1-square-mile area of downtown where the protests and violence have occurred. Bass says 23 downtown businesses were looted on Monday, June 9, alone. LAPD Police Chief Jim McDonnell says 197 people were arrested downtown on Tuesday night alone. "So, my message to you is if you do not live or work in downtown L.A., avoid the area. Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew and you will be prosecuted," Bass said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She says she plans to meet with elected leaders and law enforcement officials on Wednesday, June 11, to discuss the continuation of the curfew, but adds it is expected to last for several days. In a nighttime video address, Gov. Newsom continues to condemn President Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, saying Trump "chose theatrics over public safety." "Democracy is under assault before our eyes," Newsom says. Addressing the ongoing ICE raids in Los Angeles, Newsom says the Trump administration is pushing mass deportations and "indiscriminately targeting hardworking immigrant families regardless of their roots or risk." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sean Parnell, the Pentagons chief spokesman and a senior advisor to Defense Secretary Hegseth, shares a statement on X, saying that on President Trumps orders the Department of Defense is adding an additional 2,100 California National Guard to federal service "to support ICE & to enable federal law-enforcement officers to safely conduct their duties. The added troops bring the total number of National Guard members mobilized to go to L.A. to more than 4,000. ABC News' Chris Looft contributed to this report. LA protests timeline: How ICE raids sparked demonstrations and Trump to send in the military originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Sen. Tom Cotton implored President Donald Trump to "Send In the Troops, for Real" in a Wall Street Journal essay on Tuesday that called back to his infamous 2020 New York Times op-ed. The Arkansas Republican wrote in support of Trumps deployment of National Guard and Marine soldiers to Los Angeles over the weekend after anti-ICE riots escalated beyond local police control. His comments echoed similar arguments he made in the wake of Black Lives Matter riots plaguing major cities in the summer of 2020. "At the risk of again sending liberals to their fainting couches, it may indeed be time to send in the troops," Cotton wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ny Times Accused Of 'Stealth Editing' Report After Claiming Cotton Pushed 'Military Force Against Protesters' Unlike 2020, Cotton acknowledged Trump was taking steps to provide additional support for law enforcement, though stopping short of invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807. He argued that despite concerns from Democrats, Trump has the legal authority to invoke the Insurrection Act should it be necessary. Cotton wrote that he was also planning on introducing new legislation that would "stiffen penalties for rioters who attack law enforcement" and "make riot-related crimes a deportable offense." Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added the current Republican budget bill provides additional funding for immigration authorities to deport criminal illegal immigrants. "These ideas are basic common sense, but as was the case five years ago, the Democrats havent learned. It isnt inflammatory, as [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom claimed, to enforce federal law, stand with law enforcement and protect civilians. Its necessary to keep the peace." Cotton wrote. New Book Details 'Bloodthirsty' New York Times Staffers Over Tom Cotton Op-ed: 'I Was So F---ing Freaked Out' Cotton's NYT op-ed caused a civil war within the paper in 2020. In 2020, Cotton penned the now-infamous op-ed in The New York Times titled "Send in the Troops," advocating for an "overwhelming show of force" to quell the unrest following George Floyds death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The piece sparked fierce backlash not just by liberals on Twitter but by New York Times employees, many of them claiming Cotton's piece "puts Black @NYT staff in danger." The Times initially stood by the piece, citing free speech and diverse viewpoints, but quickly reversed course, claiming the essay "fell short of our standards and should not have been published." Former Times editor James Bennet was forced to resign after the internal uproar. After its mea culpa, the New York Times faced additional backlash from conservatives who pointed out that it had carried op-eds from controversial figures such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Erdogan and even the leader of the Taliban. Fox News Digital reached out to the New York Times for a comment. Original article source: Tom Cotton trolls NY Times with another op-ed calling for troops to quell LA riots The News House Energy and Commerce Chair Rep. Brett Guthrie on Wednesday said that the 10-year ban on state and local regulation of artificial intelligence included in US President Donald Trumps party-line megabill isnt likely to pass in its current form. I do believe it will change in the Senate probably not be the full 10 years, be some kind of different timeframe, Guthrie told Semafors Elana Schor at a Principals Live event in Washington, DC. The AI regulatory moratorium is already drawing scrutiny from conservatives, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., admitting that she voted for the massive tax and spending bill without fully digesting the ban and saying she would have opposed it had she known it was included. Senate Republicans have already tweaked the restriction to make billions of dollars in federal broadband funding contingent on states and localities not regulating AI. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Guthrie said he would not draw a red line on what level of changes hed accept to the megabills AI language, and he acknowledged that we didnt socialize it among fellow Republican lawmakers as much as he would have liked to. He added: What I really want is enough time for us to get a bill that has federal standards on AI at least that much time. I want to come up with a bipartisan bill. Because we need stability, Guthrie said. Separately, the Kentucky Republican said hes willing to weigh adding Senate-driven changes to Medicare into Republicans sweeping legislation. It depends on where the White House is, said Guthrie, whose committee has jurisdiction over health care issues. He added that if the Senate wants to bring that to the table, I would be open to discussing it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also on Wednesday, Guthrie said hed met Tesla CEO Elon Musk for breakfast the morning after the House passed the tax-and-spending legislation last month but that bill didnt come up. It was the only time the two men have met, Guthrie added. If he was lobbying to try to get EV tax credits fixed in the bill, he didnt talk to the people that were writing, Guthrie said, referring to allegations from White House allies that Musk clashed with President Donald Trump last week out of dissatisfaction with the megabills exclusion of those credits. So I dont think he was lobbying, Guthrie said of Musk. Another bipartisan effort that Guthrie recommitted to Wednesday: permitting reform. He cited transmissions and pipelines as two top priorities for lawmakers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need to do it in a bipartisan way, Guthrie said. If you dont do it that way, then two years from now, it gets undone. Know More At the same event, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., called on Guthrie to prioritize bipartisan permitting reform over the GOP-only tax-and-spending bill. [Energy] Secretary [Chris] Wright is actually closer to our position on these critical issues in the reconciliation bill than he is on Republicans position, Auchincloss told Semafors Eleanor Mueller. We are in violent agreement that we need to do energy permitting reform. But that is on the backburner while they are pushing through things that are counter to clean energy dominance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like Guthrie, Auchincloss also underscored the need for Congress to pass a bipartisan AI bill. Weve got to get much tougher on these platforms, not giving them 10 years of a free pass, Auchincloss said. Mark Zuckerberg is like a cartoon villain for proposing that tech companies launch AI bots to befriend children. We absolutely need to regulate that. Auchincloss, who voted for cryptocurrency-friendly legislation last Congress, said he had outstanding concerns over how GOP-led stablecoin legislation treats issuer Tether: Im very concerned that the initial versions of the bill were a giant giveaway to [Commerce Secretary] Howard Lutnick and Tether. Im certainly not going to support that, Auchincloss said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When it comes to crypto broadly, I also dont think its Congress job to stamp on new technology, Auchincloss said. Regulate the outcomes, and let the market see if there are any useful cases for the technology. Asked whether he would consider running for Senate in Massachusetts, Auchincloss said that the seats Im interested in are the seats that give Democrats the majority in the House. He declined to say whether he would endorse Sen. Ed Markeys reelection bid: Ill let Senator Markey make his decisions. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) A store inside of the Southern Hills Mall will be closing for good in two weeks. KCAU 9 called the Sioux City Torrid Store on Tuesday, and an employee confirmed that the plus-sized clothing store will permanently close on June 24. The closure is happening after the companys Chief Executive Officer Lisa Harper announced in the first quarter 2025 report on June 5 that up to 180 underperforming stores will close in 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the same time, digital continues to be our customers preferred channel, now approaching 70% of total demand. Were accelerating our transformation to a more digitally-led business, which includes optimizing our retail footprint, said Harper. Story continues below According to the report, since May 4, 2024, 26 stores have closed, including two in the first quarter of 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres currently 632 brick-and-mortar locations for Torrid. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Brief Law enforcement believes they have tracked triple homicide suspect Travis Decker to the Blewett Pass/Highway 97 area following a recent tip. Federal agencies, including the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Marshals Service, are now leading the search efforts. The public is urged to report any suspicious activity or tips regarding Decker's whereabouts, who is considered armed and dangerous, and a reward of up to $20,000 is offered for information leading to his arrest. Law enforcement agencies believe they are on the trail of Travis Decker, a suspect in a triple homicide, tracking him to the Blewett Pass/Highway 97 area. Authorities are asking the public, particularly residents and cabin owners in the area, to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. What we know The current lead developed after the Chelan County Sheriff's Office received a tip from a hiking party. The hikers reported seeing a lone individual in the Enchantments area who appeared ill-prepared for the conditions and was seemingly avoiding others. Tracking teams responded immediately, locating a lone, off-trail hiker from a helicopter near Colchuck Lake. The individual reportedly ran from sight as the helicopter passed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additional resources were called to the area, and K9 units were deployed after teams picked up a trail. The subject was tracked to the Ingalls Creek Trailhead area on Highway 97. What you can do Authorities are asking hikers who have been in the Enchantments area within the last week and observed anything suspicious to contact the tip line. Solo hikers in the area recently are also asked to contact the tip line immediately to provide their information for investigators. As the search continues, individuals with cabins or residences in the Blewett Pass/Highway 97 area are urged to report any suspicious activity, lock their doors and vehicles, and look out for their neighbors' property. Those with cameras, including trail cameras, in the area are asked to check them or submit a tip to the U.S. Marshals tip line with the camera's location for law enforcement review. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While federal agencies are leading the continued search, sheriff's office detectives remain actively engaged in the murder investigation, processing evidence and seeking additional evidence to build a strong case for prosecution. The sheriff's office thanked its Detective Division, led by Sgt. Lewis, and the East Cascade SWAT Team, led by Sgt. Frank, Sgt. Foreman, and Deputy Eakle, for their "several hundred combined hours of work since locating Evelyn, Paityn, and Olivia deceased on June 2, 2025." The sheriff's office also expressed gratitude for the community's support, specifically mentioning the Wenatchee Blue Family, Soup Ladies, and other local entities that have provided meals, snacks, drinks, and other essential items to law enforcement personnel. Governor Ferguson was also thanked for authorizing the National Guard to assist with the search, providing air assets and logistical support. The United States Border Patrol has taken over operations and command for the search for Decker. Under their direction, they are following up on community tips and working closely with other federal entities. The sheriff's office and its regional partners remain available to assist as needed. Travis Decker search underway in Chelan County, Washington. (Chelan County Sheriff's Office / FOX 13 Seattle) The public is asked to report tips regarding Decker's whereabouts to the U.S. Marshals Service via their tip line and website USMS Tips. The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading directly to Deckers arrest. Decker should be considered armed and dangerous. What's next If Travis Decker is sighted, individuals are advised to call 911 immediately and not attempt to contact or approach him. Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or USMS Tips. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sheriff Morrison, accompanied by a representative from the U.S. Marshals Service, will conduct a press conference at the Chelan County Courthouse stairs on June 11, 2025, at 4 p.m. The Source Information in this story came from the Chelan County Sheriff's Office. MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE Anti-ICE protesters use bikes, scooters to block Seattle Federal Building exits Travis Decker manhunt: Focus shifts near WA's Blewett Pass Home of Seattle rapper Macklemore invaded, nanny maced: police Woman sues Costco for $14M after display falls on her head WAs Chehalis Tribe acquires long-criticized Uncle Sam sign Lane Lambert ecstatic to take reins as new head coach of Seattle Kraken Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news. Moldova's Russian-occupied Transnistria region declared a 30-day state of emergency in its economy on June 11, citing a sharp reduction in natural gas supplies, Moldovan media outlet Newsmaker reported. The unrecognized region, located in eastern Moldova along the Ukrainian border, has faced growing energy shortages since January, when Russian gas giant Gazprom halted deliveries to the territory. Transnistrian leader Vadim Krasnoselsky issued a decree unanimously approved by parliament. Lawmakers said the state of emergency was necessary due to a "severe general economic crisis" and ongoing socio-economic decline from the energy crunch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is the sixth consecutive extension of emergency measures in the region since December 2024. The most recent 90-day extension expired on June 8. Transnistria had previously received around 2 million cubic meters of gas per day, but since early June, daily supplies have been halved, according to Moldovan energy official Alexander Slusar, cited by Newsmaker. "This is a request from the company Tiraspoltransgaz (the largest gas supplier in Transnistria), which justifies its decision by citing a lack of funds," Slusar said. Chisinau has not been buying Russian gas since 2022, but Russian-occupied Transnistria continued to get its gas from Russia until Jan. 1, 2025. The halt in gas deliveries on Jan. 1 was due to Ukraine's decision to stop Russian gas transit, including supplies to Moldova, and Moldova's debt for gas supplies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Transnistria had been effectively acquiring gas free of charge a political tool that Russia used to keep the region under its control. The breakaway region's debt for Russian gas amounts to more than $10 billion, according to Moldovagaz, a subsidiary of Russian gas giant Gazprom. On Feb. 14, Transnistria began receiving gas through a new arrangement: fuel is delivered via a Hungarian company through Moldovagaz, the largest energy company in Moldova, with payments funded by a Russian loan. The new arrangement followed extensive power outages in Transnistria, which drove the region toward industrial collapse. In February, Moldova's government said Transnistrian authorities rejected a 60 million euro ($62 million) EU energy aid package under pressure from Moscow, which continues to exert tight political and economic control over the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Transnistria, home to around 465,800 people, remains internationally recognized as part of Moldova but has been controlled by pro-Russian separatists since the early 1990s. Russia maintains a military presence in the territory, despite international calls to withdraw. Read also: As Russia inches closer to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, new Ukrainian region might soon be at war Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Federal officials arrested an international traveler at Harry Reid International Airport with more than 100 pounds of ketamine in her luggage, the 8 News Now Investigators have learned. On June 5, special agents with Homeland Security Investigations arrested Rubeen Grimes on two federal drug charges, records said. Grimes arrived in Las Vegas on a flight from Germany, records said. While going through customs, Grimes appeared visibly nervous, and agents later searched two of her suitcases. Agents X-rayed the suitcases, locating a large bag in each. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A white, crystal substance in the two bags, weighing a combined 112 pounds, later tested positive for ketamine, officials said. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration classifies ketamine as an anesthetic street drug that causes some hallucinogenic effects. Grimes later told agents a person in Belgium recruited her to bring the suitcases from Germany to Las Vegas, documents said. The deal would net her 10,000 in British pounds, or about $13,500. Grimes also told police she believed she was transporting marijuana. It was not clear if Grimes was in custody as of Wednesday. Federal officials filed a warrant for her arrest on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Doctors can use an injectable form of ketamine to treat depression, the DEA 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 KLAS. NEED TO KNOW Authorities believe they have tracked Travis Decker, who is accused of killing his three daughters, to the Blewett Pass in Washington after a weeklong manhunt The girls Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia, 5 were found suffocated at a remote campground on June 2 Decker was previously charged in absentia with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping Travis Decker, the Washington father accused of murdering his three young daughters during a court-ordered visit, has been allegedly tracked following a nationwide manhunt that spanned over a week and involved multiple law enforcement agencies, authorities confirmed on Tuesday, June 10. Decker, 39, is currently believed to have been tracked to the Blewett Pass area near Highway 97 in Washington, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office said in a press release shared with PEOPLE. He has yet to be apprehended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our office recently received a tip from a hiking party who stated they spotted a lone hiker in the Enchantments area who appeared to be ill prepared for trail and weather conditions, and appeared to be avoiding others," police said. "Tracking teams immediately acted upon the information and spotted a lone, off trail hiker from a helicopter near Colchuck Lake who ran from sight as the helicopter passed," the CCSO added. "Additional assets were called to the area while they developed a plan to track the individual. Teams later picked up a trail and deployed K9s to the area, tracking the subject to the area of Ingalls Creek Trailhead on HWY 97." Police say anyone who has been camping in the area within the last week and noticed anything suspicious should call the tip line. Decker is wanted in connection with the deaths of Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5 three sisters found deceased at a remote campsite near the Cascade Mountains on June 2. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The girls had been reported missing by their mother, Whitney Decker, on May 30, after their father, Travis, failed to return them following a court-ordered visitation. Hours later, police located Travis' abandoned truck at the Rock Island Campground. Inside a tent nearby, they made a grim discovery: all three sisters, deceased. All three children had been suffocated, and a coroner ruled their deaths homicides, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE. Travis was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree kidnapping and custodial interference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities believed Decker may have fled on foot and attempted to cross into Canada after he allegedly searched "how to relocate to Canada" online. A $20,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest. The U.S. Marshal Service, along with local and state agencies, coordinated a wide-ranging search. 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. At the time of the murders, Decker and Whitney were in the midst of a divorce, and Whitney had been granted full custody. She previously expressed concern for the girls' safety and had reportedly petitioned to restrict unsupervised visitation. The case has drawn national attention and an outpouring of support for the Decker family. A GoFundMe campaign organized on Whitney's behalf has raised over $1 million to cover funeral costs and other expenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia were remembered by loved ones as "bright, creative, and deeply loved." As Decker is yet to be apprehended, no plea has been entered at this time. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.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 UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (DC News Now) Tuesday, in Prince Georges County, opening arguments began in the trial of Harold Landon III, a Maryland man accused of murdering and dismembering second-grade teacher Mariame Torre Sylla in 2023. Sylla went for an evening walk in a park near her apartment before disappearing in late July. Searches went on for the teacher until her body was later found dismembered near a pond in Clinton. Prince Georges County Police worked with Greenbelt Police to discover a torso at a pond in Clinton. A test later found that the torso was Syllas. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Charging documents outline disturbing details of murder of beloved Greenbelt teacher Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police then used witnesses and surveillance in the area to find a white Chevy Silverado in the area around the time the body was discarded. That truck belonged to Landon, who also lived in the same neighborhood and was, according to the prosecution, seen at the same park where Sylla was last seen. In the opening statements, States Attorney Aisha Braveboy described Sylla as a loving teacher and mother. Prosecutors brought in witness testimony and pictures of the scene, including photos of the dismemberment. State prosecutors also say they have video and DNA evidence linking Landon and Sylla, but Landons defense says the state wont provide a motive. Sylla taught at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School, a community that is hoping for justice for their beloved teacher. Terrible, said parent Noura Estatie. Teachers, they take care of our kidsI hope you know, her family gets [the] justice that they seek. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The trial is expected to go into next week. This case marks Braveboys last trial as state attorney before she transitions to county executive. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) New trial dates have been scheduled for later this year for two men convicted of a 1993 murder in Tonawanda, the Erie County District Attorneys Office said Wednesday. Jury selection for the new trial of Brian Scott Lorenzo will begin on Sept. 15, and jury selection will begin in the new trial of James Pugh on Dec. 1. Both Lorenzo and Pugh were convicted in the Feb. 17, 1993, murder of 33-year-old Deborah Meindl at her home on Franklin Street in Tonawanda. Documents say she was stabbed, beaten and strangled with a necktie. She was found by her 10-year-old daughter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lorenzo was sentenced to 37 and a half years to life in prison, and Pugh was released in 2019 after serving 28 years of a 25 years to life sentence. Two men convicted of 1993 murder in Tonawanda to get new trial In 2023, Erie County State Supreme Court justice Paul Wojtaszek ordered a new trial based on DNA evidence that was taken from a necktie used during the murder and that the prosecution failed to disclose a piece of physical evidence they said tied Lorenzo to the murder. Court documents say they were tied to the crime through admissions they made to several friends and associates they encountered shortly after the crime and a silver dollar coin that was found in a duffel bag in a stolen car driven by Lorenzo when he was arrested on unrelated charges several months after the murder in Sioux City, Iowa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Pughs case, no physical evidence tied him to the crime, but he had several people testify against him. The two have always maintained their innocence. Deborahs husband Donald, who had a $50,000 life insurance policy on his wife and was carrying on a relationship with a 17-year-old employee at a Taco Bell he managed, was initially considered a suspect, but was never charged. He died in May 2023. In 2023, Wojtaszek did not credit a claim made that the real killer was Richard Matt, a convicted murderer who made national headlines after he escaped from Clinton Correctional Facility in 2015, leading authorities on a nearly three-week manhunt before he was shot and killed in Malone, N.Y. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The conclusion came after former Erie County District Attorney John Flynn appointed two prosecutors in 2021 to re-examine the case. Flynn rejected the findings of his own prosecutors and opposed the motion to vacate the convictions. Pugh will return to court on Nov. 24 for a pre-trial hearing ahead of jury selection. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Latest Local News Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see 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 News 4 Buffalo. DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) A local college training center will close at the end of next month, officials said Tuesday. Trident Technical College will close the doors of the QuickJobs Training Center in St. George on July 31 as part of a strategic shift to better meet evolving workforce and student needs, the college explained. Originally, the center opened 15 years ago to provide internet access and short-term job training programs for students in Dorchester County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As time progressed, rural areas received more broadband access, and students completed more and more classes online. This has reduced the need for in-person offerings at the QuickJobs Center. In addition to declining enrollment, operation costs have risen, making it more difficult to maintain the center. Trident Tech opened a newer Dorchester Campus in Summerville in 2021, which offers expanded training in fields like HVAC, forklift operation, and other high-demand skills. Trident Tech remains committed to serving Dorchester County by strengthening partnerships with Dorchesters two school districts and the Dorchester County Career and Technology Center and by continuing to offer programs that lead to employment and certificates that can stack toward diplomas or degrees. Once the QuickJobs Center is closed, the facility will revert to Dorchester County, the college 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 WCBD News 2. In May, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Brazil with a group of state lawmakers from across the country to learn how another nation one with different geography but similar struggles approaches reproductive healthcare and maternal justice. This trip, organized by the State Innovation Exchange and the Womens Equality Center, was deeply personal for me. As a Black woman, a mother and a state senator from Tennessee a state that has turned its back on reproductive freedom I carry this work in my bones. More: Tennessee's London Lamar brings child care, political representation and her son to Senate Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In many ways, Brazil mirrors modern America: a country where abortion is restricted, yet people are still fighting every day to protect their rights. But Brazil, even under a ban, still provides exceptions in cases of rape, incest and fetal anomalies. Tennessee? None of that. The only time you can legally access abortion care in our state is if youre about to die. Full stop. But the biggest difference? Brazil invests in public healthcare. They have a national system that provides contraception, maternal care and support even for women navigating pregnancies under incredibly difficult circumstances. London Lamar visits Brazil with the State Innovation Exchange and the Womens Equality Center Tennessee needs to step up to provide better care for all residents Meanwhile, in Tennessee, we haven't just banned abortion. Weve slashed funding for family planning clinics, refused to expand Medicaid and passed law after law aimed at controlling women, not caring for them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During our visit, we sat down with doctors, nurses, nonprofit leaders and community organizers. We heard directly from women especially Black and Indigenous women who are fighting to survive a healthcare system stacked against them. While there, I couldnt help but think of my sisters back in Memphis. Because the truth is, whether youre in Brazil or the American South, Black women are dying at alarming rates from preventable pregnancy complications. Thats not just a policy failure its a moral one. But what I saw in Brazil wasnt just struggle it was resistance. More: Tennessee bill to make abortion pill providers liable for 'wrongful death' goes to Senate Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Women organizing. Healthcare workers standing up for their patients. Communities pushing back against disinformation and political control. It reminded me that this fight for reproductive justice is global and that we are not alone. What stuck with me most was the strength and dignity of the women we met. Theyre not asking for pity. Theyre demanding a system that respects their lives, their choices and their families. And thats exactly what we need to be creating here in Tennessee. We need to build a system that works for the people, not against them. That means fighting to restore access to abortion care, expanding Medicaid, funding maternal health services and writing policies that protect not punish those who need care the most. London Lamar visits Brazil with the State Innovation Exchange and the Womens Equality Center The work to provide reproductive justice requires all of us This trip lit a deeper fire in me. Because while Im proud to represent Memphis, I refuse to accept that this is the best we can do. Black women, poor women, rural families our people deserve better than a state government and healthcare system that treats them as an afterthought. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reproductive healthcare is a human right. Period. And we shouldnt have to cross oceans to be reminded of that. More: Amid high maternal mortality rates, Tennessee has stopped releasing quarterly reports. Health officials wont say why I came back from Brazil even more committed to the fight here in Tennessee. This work isnt just about politics its about survival. And I wont stop until our state honors the dignity, autonomy, and humanity of every single person it serves. London Lamar State Sen. London Lamar represents Memphis and parts of Shelby County in the Tennessee Senate. She also serves as chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee can learn a lot from women's healthcare in Brazil | Opinion This story is a collaboration between Injustice Watch and the Chicago Tribune. As a fledgling tech contractor looking to build its business in the insular world of Cook County politics, Texas-based Tyler Technologies turned to one of Illinois most well-connected lobbyists to get the job done. In 2016, Jay Doherty not only lobbied Chicago, Cook County and state agencies, he was also the longtime president of the City Club of Chicago, a popular nonprofit civic organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The dual roles granted Doherty access to the halls of power and enabled him to easily hobnob with decision-makers such as Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who regularly appeared at the clubs luncheons attended by hundreds of government and business leaders. He was a useful operative in the machine of longtime Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. And he helped fundraise and organize the installation ceremony for Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, the wife of his longtime friend, Chicago Ald. Edward Burke. At the time Tyler hired Doherty in 2016, there was no indication any of the Tyler executives involved knew their new man in Illinois was also corrupt. Doherty would be convicted in 2023 of conspiracy in a scandal involving one of his other clients, Commonwealth Edison. It was part of a series of linked cases that ultimately ended Madigans decades-long run as speaker. There is no direct connection between Dohertys work for ComEd and what he did for Tyler. Unlike Tylers efforts seeking contract opportunities, the ComEd case detailed a vast criminal scheme of bribery and influence peddling as part of the utilitys efforts to get legislation passed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But interviews and records about Dohertys work for Tyler and details from his 2023 trial reveal striking parallels in how he repeatedly smoothed paths for both clients, including creating informal interactions at City Club events attended by government officials so the two sides could discuss business outside the office. Tyler executives wont say exactly when they hired Doherty, only that it was sometime in late 2016. Doherty didnt formally report any lobbying activity for Tyler until March 2017. It was a pivotal time for the company. In 2015, Tyler won a $30 million contract to upgrade and digitize the countys property tax system, but in October 2016 the company blew its first major deadline. In a separate contract signed earlier that year, the Supreme Court had agreed to pay Tyler Technologies $8.4 million to digitally connect it to each of the states 102 county clerk offices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And, despite concerns from some county commissioners regarding Tylers problems in other localities, the company was trying to score yet a third contract worth $36.5 million to bring the Cook County Circuit Court database into the 21st century. Related Articles A review of email correspondence, court and contract records and dozens of interviews by Injustice Watch and the Chicago Tribune reveals how Doherty went to work for his new client. He set up key meetings to lobby Tyler critics. He invited the countys chief technology officer who was then hashing out final details on its second county contract to speak at the City Club. And, at another City Club event, Tylers vice president of sales was placed at the same table as County Commissioner John Fritchey chair of the boards Technology and Innovation Committee and a leading Tyler skeptic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the next three years, Doherty lobbied for Tyler as it navigated blown deadlines and pursued new procurement opportunities even as failed rollouts had some county elected officials calling on Preckwinkle who as board president was invited to speak 17 times at the City Club during Dohertys tenure to fire Tyler. Tyler was not fired. Instead, what began as a series of three contracts for a total of $75 million has now ballooned to more than $250 million. A decade later, one of the projects has yet to reach its declared finish line, another is reaching completion this month after a yearslong delay, and the third is still in need of fixes dogged by slowdowns and shortcomings. Tyler touted its Cook County contract wins to become a national powerhouse in local government technology, reporting $2.1 billion in revenues from taxpayer-financed contracts last year alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Dohertys three-year run shepherding Tyler through numerous controversies, the company fired him in 2019 following media reports that federal authorities raided his offices and the City Club as part of their ComEd investigation. Dohertys lobbying methods only came to light through federal trial testimony, Cook County Bureau of Technology emails obtained through the open records act, and internal City Club records obtained by the Tribune and Injustice Watch. Doherty, 71, and his attorneys did not respond to requests for comment. Tyler executives said, through a spokesperson, the companys contract with Doherty required him to comply with all applicable laws. Within approximately two business days of learning about the allegations against Mr. Doherty, Tyler ended its agreement with him. Tyler has had no relationship with him since that time. Tyler was not involved in any investigation or prosecution of Mr. Doherty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The son of a small city mayor in McHenry County, Doherty in the 1980s became an important fundraiser and political consultant for Democratic candidates in Chicago, including members of the Kennedy family and Chicago Mayor Harold Washington. He kept six Rolodexes on the credenza behind his office chair and would flip through the cards, cradling a phone to one ear, one former lobbying associate recalled. In 1985, Doherty began his professional relationship with ComEd, receiving a $10,000-per-year retainer to lobby Washingtons City Hall, where he claimed to have saved the utility more than $50 million, according to exhibits and testimony in Dohertys federal criminal trial. Ten years later, he began serving as the unpaid president of the City Club of Chicago, a 122-year-old nonprofit civic organization hosting bipartisan candidates debates, journalist panels and speeches by political heavyweights from Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But starting in 2011 Doherty began using his lobbying firm, Jay Doherty & Associates, to funnel $1.3 million from ComEd to four Madigan allies for no-show subcontractor positions to influence and reward Madigan, who helped orchestrate passage of three ComEd legislative proposals worth at least $150 million to the utility, prosecutors alleged. The utility admitted its role in the bribery scheme and agreed to pay the government a $200 million fine as part of a deferred prosecution agreement. Madigan was charged in a connected but separate case in which he was convicted in February on bribery and conspiracy charges. Madigan is set to be sentenced Friday. Doherty was convicted in 2023 of six counts, including conspiracy and falsifying records. His sentencing date is scheduled for August. A relentless political consultant who worked long hours and on holidays, Doherty kept much of his work for Tyler and others out of the public eye. Fellow lobbyists say he rarely contacted targets at board meetings, instead peppering county officials with short emails to arrange private meetings and phone calls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lobbying records show Dohertys one-man firm had at least 27 clients since 2014, but also show Doherty sometimes failed to disclose his activity as required. In 2021, the city fined him $75,000 for failing to register as a lobbyist for three companies. His trial also revealed how much he leaned into his position as president of one of Illinois most venerable civic organizations to boost his lobbying clients. In one wiretapped conversation with another ComEd lobbyist who turned government witness, Fidel Marquez, Doherty explained why ComEd made significant charitable donations to the City Club while paying his lobbying retainer, which rose to $450,000 per year. ComEd executives understood the importance of the City Club as a place where Doherty could facilitate informal contacts with government officials, he told Marquez. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They saw the value of being able to sit next to people in soft situations, Doherty told Marquez in February 2019 as Marquez wore an FBI wire. Marquez responded: No, they, they, they know very, very well the value of a good relationship. Yeah, and, and a soft relationship, Doherty responded. A soft one, yes, Marquez said. Marquez explained on the witness stand in Dohertys criminal trial that Doherty enabled ComEd leaders to appear as featured City Club speakers, and arranged for them to sit alongside government officials at the head table with the events speaker, where they could get to chat with them for a little while. At least half a dozen times, Doherty introduced ComEd executives at City Club events without mentioning he was also the companys lobbyist, the nonprofits online archive shows. It helped boost the revenues of City Club which raised and spent more than $1 million per year when Doherty featured government officials who oversaw contracts as luncheon speakers, and brought in his clients to sit with them at reserved tables where they could talk privately, according to interviews and trial testimony. They were the same tactics Doherty used to benefit Tyler, the Tribune and Injustice Watch found. Four months before he reported any official work as Tylers lobbyist, Doherty began taking steps that would benefit the rapidly growing Texas tech company. Among his late 2016 moves was booking Cook Countys chief technology officer, Simona Rollinson, as a featured City Club speaker for the first time since she took the job four years earlier. Emails show Doherty had lobbied Rollinson for several years on behalf of other tech clients. He did not note that work or Tyler when he introduced Rollinson before her appearance at the City Club on Feb. 21, 2017. In her speech about ongoing efforts to upgrade the countys aging computer systems, she took credit for being a tough tech contract negotiator. Without naming Tyler, she declared the company was on schedule to install cloud-based, mass appraisal software for the county. Were going live with the assessors office next year, Rollinson announced. Her City Club prediction would prove premature. Tylers revamp of basic Cook County assessors office functions called iasWorld was scheduled to go live in December 2018, but it did not happen until 2021 after years of complaints about delays and cross-accusations of incompetence, government records show. In the weeks before and after Rollinsons City Club speech, final negotiations for Tylers court contract were also taking place behind the scenes, records show. In emails, county and Tyler officials grappled over remaining sticking points, formed strategies to address board opposition, and discussed their talking points. Emails and lobbying disclosures also show Rollinson was scheduled to meet with Doherty and two of his other tech clients in the days leading up to crucial board votes. Rollinson, who no longer works in government, did not respond to requests for comment from the Tribune and Injustice Watch. On March 21, 2017, Tyler Vice President of Sales Eric Cullison met with Fritchey and separately with tech committee vice chair, Sean Morrison, to discuss their concerns about the pending $36.5 million contract with Cook County Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown, Cullisons lobbying records show. At a County Board hearing the next day, Commissioner Robert Steele raised questions about problems Tyler was having in other parts of the country. County Court Clerk Dorothy Browns top deputy, Bridget Dancy, said at the hearing county officials reached out to other satisfied counties, and Tyler had demonstrated they knew how to convert and transfer data. Much of the data, images and talking points Dancy used originated from Cullison, emails show. Contacted by phone, Dancy said all the information she used came from other county officials. After the hearing, commissioners returned it for further study until the next month. Although he had already been under contract with Tyler for months, Doherty registered his first lobbying activity for the company that day, disclosing the meetings with Rollinson, Fritchey and Morrison. Three weeks later, records show Cullison reported lobbying Rollinson at an April 10 event the day before a crucial Finance Committee vote. Although Cullison did not report any details about the event, Fritchey recalled being seated at the speakers table with Cullison at a City Club luncheon. The next day, the Cook County Board approved the court clerks $36.5 million contract with Tyler. Fritchey voted present. It wasnt lost on me that it was one of the only times I recalled sitting at the City Club speakers table or that I was seated with one of Jays clients who had a large pending matter before my committee, Fritchey said in an interview. You unfortunately cant help but think that he was leveraging his role at one of Chicagos leading civic institutions in furtherance of his private lobbying activities. Charities such as the City Club can jeopardize their tax-exempt status if theyre used to enrich their own officers, allegations Doherty had successfully faced down years before. In 2009, longtime City Club board member Kathy Posner complained to then-state Attorney General Lisa Madigans office about Dohertys use of the clubs staff, downtown office and power-elite database for his political consulting business. In response to the allegations, the City Club hired three attorneys who once worked in the AGs office to negotiate an agreement with Lisa Madigans office. The agreement resulted in no violations, but City Club revised its bylaws and corrected its past financial reports while keeping Doherty on as club president, records and interviews show. We investigated the allegations and none of it was true, said Mike Hayes, one of the three attorneys who defended the City Club against the whistleblowers allegations. A year after the AGs investigation wrapped, in 2011, Doherty began working covertly with associates of Lisa Madigans father, Speaker Madigan, according to trial testimony. He continued using City Clubs offices and staff for his private lobbying work and showcasing his clients at club events, according to trial testimony and court records. He listed the City Club offices as his lobbying business address; an administrative aide split her time between the club and his lobbying firm; and filing cabinets at the City Club office held folders on lobbying activity by two of Speaker Madigans no-show subcontractors. If the AG had done its job and stopped Jay in his tracks back then, he wouldnt have been able to keep abusing City Clubs tax-exempt status for his lobbying, Posner said in a recent interview. Lisa Madigan declined to comment, but top staffers who investigated the City Club allegations in 2009 said she never meddled in the probe. In an email response to questions, Tyler executives said Doherty was recommended by a highly respected and well-established vendor the company refused to name. The company said the vendor called Doherty a resource who could help Tyler navigate the Countys complicated operational landscape. Doherty reported Tyler paid him $45,325 to lobby Cook County officials. Tyler would not confirm his compensation or respond to other specific questions about Dohertys work. Tyler said Dohertys role was limited to Cook County, and he did not engage with the Illinois Supreme Court, which had a separate contract at the same time. By the fall of 2017, Tyler faced serious problems on its Cook County property tax contract. Rollinson by then had become one of Tylers critics. On Nov. 15, 2017, Rollinson wrote to Tyler to express my concern regarding Tylers management. Doherty met with her the same day, his lobbyist disclosure reports show. Dohertys last lobbying contact with Rollinson was in May 2018, records showed, but days later, she left her county post and moved back to the private sector. Jay, like most lobbyists, was more interested in lining his pockets than protecting taxpayers from dubious business and utility deals, said Andy Shaw, a former executive director of the Better Government Association where he acted as liaison for City Club whistleblowers. This, sadly, is the Chicago Way on steroids. Mitra Nourbakhsh contributed. The Trump administration is planning on cutting all of the U.S. Agency for International Developments (USAID) international positions by the end of September, and transferring control to the State Department. According to a State Department cable obtained by The Guardian Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered that USAIDs entire overseas workforce be eliminated, granting the State Department responsibility for foreign assistance programming previously undertaken by USAID starting on June 15. The Department of State is streamlining procedures under National Security Decision Directive 38 to abolish all USAID overseas positions, the cable said. The Trump administration has already reduced USAID's 10,000 strong work-force to 294 employees. / Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images The move would affect thousands of USAID staff members, such as contractors, foreign service officers, and employed personnel, across over 100 countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Guardian reported that chiefs of mission at U.S. embassies were told to prepare themselves for the cuts and changes that would go into effect over the next four months. The administration has already cut around 90 percent of USAIDs foreign aid contracts during Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) rampage back in February. Musk, who has previously called the agency a criminal organization and that it was time for it to die, also spearheaded a near total wipe-out of its 10,000 strong work-force, reducing it to only 294 employees in March. USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die. https://t.co/sWYy6fyt1k Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 2, 2025 At the time, former USAID administrator J. Brian Atwood warned that a lot of people will not survive the administrations devastating decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to The Guardian, internal documents revealed that several other USAID senior officials also warned Rubio against the drastic cuts, emphasizing the devastating impacts they would have over the next decade if implemented. USAID has been on the presidents radar ever since his return to office. Trump signed an executive order on his first day back as president which placed a 90-day pause on U.S. foreign development assistance for assessment of programmatic efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policy. Trump signed an executive order on his first day back as president which placed a 90-day pause on U.S. foreign development assistance. / Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Two weeks later, a state department press release revealed that in an interim step toward gaining control and better understanding over USAIDs activity, Trump would be appointing Rubio as acting administrator of the agency. The president claimed that the agency was run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and were getting them out, and that once USAID was gutted, then the administration would be able to make a decision on its future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The State Department doubled down on the presidents sentiment in its press release, alleging that USAID had long strayed from its original mission of responsibly advancing American interests abroad, and that it was now abundantly clear that significant portions of USAID funding are not aligned with the core national interests of the United States. Marco Rubio claims that the In a speech announcing his new position, Rubio also admonished the agency for their ridiculous behavior. Everything they do has to be aligned with U.S. foreign policy, he said. And the attitude that USAID has adopted over the years is no, we are independent of the national interest. There are things that [USAID] does that are good and there are things that it does that we have strong questions about, Rubio added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nicholas Enrich, USAIDs former acting assistant administrator for global health, said in a series of staff memos obtained by the press in late February that pausing the agencys lifesaving programs would no doubt result in preventable death, destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale. Nicholas Enrich, USAIDs former acting assistant administrator for global health, said that the impacts of the USAID cuts could cause He stated that if the cutbacks were not restored, then each year 1 million starving children would not have access to food, 28,000 people will suffer from infectious diseases like Ebola, and hundreds of millions of people will suffer from polio infections over the next decade, with 200,000 more people becoming paralyzed by polio, among other impacts. Enrich said he was placed on leave minutes after sending out his memos, though a source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the agency had already decided to place him on leave days earlier. According to NPR, USAIDs website went dark on Feb. 1, and its X account was also wiped. Now, the website only has a Notification of Administrative Leave statement which was released on Feb. 23. The Trump administration slammed the U.K., Norway, Canada, New Zealand and Australia after the five nations imposed sanctions and travel bansalong with other actionsagainst Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. "These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. "We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel." Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar shakes hands with Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he arrives in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 15, 2025. Israel Objects To Foreign Nations Sanctioning Its Officials Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ben-Gvir praised Rubio for his statement, saying that "the American administration is a moral compass in the face of the confusion of some Western countries that choose to appease terrorist organizations like Hamas." He added that Israel would continue its fight against terrorism. Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar also thanked Rubio for being "a clear moral voice" and said the U.S. officials statement "should be a compass to the international community, to all those preaching [to] Israel, ignoring realities." Saar condemned the U.K., Norway, Canada, New Zealand and Australias "outrageous" actions against Ben-Gvir and Smotrich on Tuesday. He said the "actions and decisions against Israel also contribute to hardening Hamas stance in the negotiations for the hostage dealand distance it and the ceasefire." Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Netanyahu Accuses The Uk, France And Canada Of 'Enabling Hamas' In a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of U.K., Norway, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich were accused of inciting "extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights." All five nations whose foreign ministers issued the joint statement have been critical of Israel as it pursued its post-Oct. 7 war against Hamas. In May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the U.K., France and Canada of "enabling Hamas" after the countries demanded that Jerusalem halt its military campaign in Gaza. A view of a street in the Gaza Strip as it is seen from an Israeli military vehicle, June 8, 2025. "I say to President Macron, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Starmer: When mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you're on the wrong side of justice," Netanyahu said in a video statement. "You're on the wrong side of humanity and you're on the wrong side of history." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Australia and New Zealand also issued a joint statement on the Israel-Hamas war in December 2024 in which they called for a ceasefire in Gaza and scolded Israel over its treatment of U.N. agencies, such as the controversial United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In his Tuesday statement, Sa'ar said Israel will convene a government meeting early next week to discuss its response to the actions taken against the ministers. Original article source: Trump admin slams UK, Canada, Australia and others who sanctioned Israeli officials Kraft Heinz World Headquarters in Chicago | Courtesy/Kraft Heinz This story was originally published by Ottawa News Network. HOLLAND Big plans for the Kraft Heinz Co. plant in Holland just hit a major snag. A $170 million federal grant that was supposed to help the factory slash its carbon emissions by more than 99% has been canceled by the Trump Administration, according to a recent news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The grant was part of a larger $3.7 billion in clean energy funding that the administration decided to nix. The Department of Energy award was initially meant to help the Holland plant, along with nine other Kraft Heinz facilities across the U.S., become much greener. It aimed to drastically cut carbon pollution, save billions of gallons of water, and significantly reduce energy use over the next decade. For Holland, this meant bringing in advanced technologies such as heat pumps and electric equipment to power the plant with cleaner energy. In a statement released by Kraft Heinz, officials said the setback wont stop them from investing in efficient projects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are aware of the unilateral decision made by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations. While we will continue to evaluate this decision, it does not change our intention to continue investing in our 30 U.S. manufacturing facilities, the statement indicated. Over the next approximately five years, we plan to invest $3 billion to modernize our U.S. supply chain infrastructure. We will continue to drive energy efficiency projects forward as we make these investments. However, the U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced the cancellation of 24 clean energy projects, including the Kraft Heinz grant, earlier this month. The administration claims these projects, many started under the previous Biden Administration, didnt have a thorough financial review, werent truly viable, or wouldnt provide a good return on taxpayer money. This move fits with the Trump Administrations shift in energy priorities. Their proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026 seeks to dramatically cut funding for most clean energy programs within the Department of Energy. The Armys 250th anniversary is June 14, and what better way to celebrate than by honoring traitors who defected from the Union, fought against their countrymen, and perpetrated the deadliest war in American history in the name of slavery? Thats exactly what Trump has decided to do, in addition to throwing himself an extremely costly birthday parade on Saturday. During a speech at Fort Bragg today commemorating the military milestone, Trump told gathered members of the 82nd Airborne Division and Green Berets that he had breaking news. We are also going to be restoring the names of Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Robert E. Lee, Trump said, rattling off a list of military bases and installations once named after disgraced Confederate military leaders, and which had in recent years been given new names not associated with the almost-nation-ending war waged by the South. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fort Bragg which was rechristened Fort Liberty in 2023, and then changed back to Bragg after Trump took office this year is located in North Carolina and was originally named after Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg. When Trump reinstituted the name, the administration claimed that they were not honoring Bragg the commander of the Confederate Army of Mississippi, but instead honoring World War II paratrooper Roland L. Bragg. The administration is now dispensing with the name games. Fort Barfoot honoring Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Van T. Barfoot will be reinstated as Fort Pickett, after Confederate Gen. George Pickett. Fort Cavazos named after the first Hispanic four-star Gen. Richard Cavazos will revert back to Fort Hood, after Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood. Outside of Hoods own failings, why the military would like to rechristen the fort with a name associated with a disturbing series of modern days scandals and murder is baffling. Fort Eisenhower named for former president and WWII commander of the allied forces President Dwight D. Eisenhower will revert to Fort Gordon, in honor of slave owner, Confederate general, and Georgia Gov. John B. Gordon. Fort Novosel currently named after Medal of Honor recipient Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel will revert to Fort Rucker, after Confederate Col. Edmund Rucker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fort Johnson honoring William Henry Johnson, a Black WWI soldier who carried out the daring rescue of a fellow serviceman while severely wounded will revert to Fort Polk, after one of the largest slave owners in Maury County, Tennessee, Confederate Gen. Leonidas Polk. Fort Walker honoring Civil War surgeon and abolitionist Mary Edwards Walker will once again be named Fort A.P. Hill, after Confederate Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill. Lastly, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee will have his name reinstated at Fort Gregg-Adams, a major U.S. Army base in Virginia that currently honors Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg, the first Black Army Officer to achieve the rank of lieutenant general, and Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley, the first Black member of the Womens Army Corps to become an officer. So happy birthday, U.S. Army, especially to the haters and the losers who will not be relegated to villainy of history but whose efforts to enslave and subjugate will be honored as heroic by your commander in chief. 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. President Donald J. Trump announced Tuesday that his administration will restore the original names of several U.S. Army bases that were renamed during the Biden presidency, calling the previous changes unnecessary and politically driven. "For a little breaking news," Trump said during a speech at Fort Bragg, "we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Robert E. Lee." Trump Warns Any Potential Protestors At His Military Parade Will Be Met With Very Big Force President Donald Trump speaks at Fort Bragg, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Fort Bragg, N.C. The crowd erupted in cheers and Trump continued: "We won a lot of battles out of those forts. Its no time to change. And Im superstitious. You know, I like to keep it going, right? Im very superstitious. We want to keep it going." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The seven bases were renamed in 2023 under a Pentagon directive carried out by the Biden administration, following a 2021 law passed by Congress. Trump Honors Fallen American Heroes, Praises God In Memorial Day Address: 'Great, Great Warriors' In response to Trumps announcement, the U.S. Army released a statement defending the original decision. "The Army will take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic Soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu," the statement said. "Five of them received the Medal of Honor, three received the Distinguished Service Cross and one received the Silver Star." Among the individuals honored under the Biden-era renamings: 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, who received the Distinguished Service Cross for heroic action in World War II; Col. Robert B. Hood, also a Distinguished Service Cross recipient for valor in World War I; and Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu. Others included Pvt. Fitz Lee, Gen. James H. Polk, Capt. Edward W. Rucker, and Medal of Honor recipients Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn and Pvt. Bruce Anderson, honored at Fort A.P. Hill (formerly Fort Walker). Hill, Pinn, and Anderson each executed extraordinary actions in separate battles during the Civil War: Cold Harbor, Chapins Farm, and Fort Fisher, in support of the U.S. Army. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Thats a big story," Trump said. "We just announced that today to you for the first time. They said, Why didnt you wait till Saturday? Said, I cant wait. I got to talk to my friends here today." Original article source: Trump announces he is 'restoring' the names of several bases changed under Biden By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A loud mix of boos and cheers greeted U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday when he attended his first production at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the institution he subjected to a conservative takeover earlier this year. The mixed reception from theatergoers for Trump and his wife Melania as they arrived in the presidential box for a performance of "Les Miserables" reflected the heightened emotions unleashed by his overhaul of the cultural center and use of executive power to shake up U.S. society. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His appearance at a musical about citizens rising up against their government came just days after he sent U.S. Marines and the National Guard to quell protests against his administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles. Power and protest - key themes in the show - manifested within the theater itself. While some kept their backs turned to Trump, who raised his fist as he greeted the crowd, others chanted "USA! USA!" to drown out boos as he and his wife were seated. Several drag queens in full regalia sat in the audience, likely in response to Trump's previous criticism of the venue for hosting drag shows. One person shouted "Viva Los Angeles" as Trump stepped out of the presidential box for intermission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump did not attend events at the Kennedy Center during his first term but has taken a keen interest in it during his second. He pushed out its former chairman and took on the role himself, fired its longtime president and pledged to overhaul an institution that he criticized as too liberal. The center, a leading U.S. arts facility, had long enjoyed bipartisan support. REVENUE DOWN Ticket and subscription sales have fallen since and some shows, including the hit "Hamilton," have canceled their engagements. Trump's appearance was meant to boost fundraising for the center, and he said donors raised more than $10 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're going to make it incredible. We have all the funding. We raised a lot tonight, and we'll put in a lot of money to bring it back to the highest level," a tuxedo-clad Trump told reporters after other administration officials arrived on the red carpet, meant to evoke a Hollywood movie premiere. Overall year-on-year subscription revenue at the Kennedy Center was down 36% to $2.8 million as of early June for next season, which begins in the autumn, according to a person briefed on the data. Theater subscriptions, normally a major revenue driver for the center, were down 82%. A Kennedy Center official said the comparisons reflected in those subscription sales were not accurate because the center had launched its subscription renewal campaign later in 2025 than 2024. "Our renewal campaign is just kicking off," Kim Cooper, senior vice president of marketing, said in a statement. Cooper noted the center had launched a new subscription option that allowed customers to "mix and match" genres and said more announcements of shows were coming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kennedy Center depends on revenue from tickets and subscriptions as well as donations to operate. Ticket sales for "Les Miserables" have been robust, according to another Kennedy Center official. Donors were asked to pay $100,000 to $2 million for the event, for which they could attend a reception before the performance, receive a photo with the president and be seated in good locations in the roughly 2,300-seat theater. CONSERVATIVE PROGRAMMING "We've raised a little more than $10 million for tonight, which is pretty remarkable, and it's an organization that needs the money right now," said Ric Grenell, a close Trump ally and former ambassador to Germany, who is now president of the Kennedy Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under his leadership, the center has sought to add conservative-leaning programming, including a show that Grenell has described as a celebration of the birth of Christ. Trump said he particularly enjoyed "Les Miserables," a musical that explores themes of injustice, poverty, law and order and acts of grace. "I've seen it many times, it's one of my favorites," he said. Secret Service agents inspected the prop guns used in the production and remained backstage for the show. Vice President JD Vance, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also attended. Vance was met with boos when he attended a Kennedy Center show with his wife earlier this year. He said on Wednesday that such reactions came with the territory of holding national office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When initiating his takeover of the center, Trump zeroed in on drag shows to argue that it had lost its way. But multiple upcoming shows on the Kennedy Center's agenda include characters dressed in drag, such as "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Chicago." Other musicals in addition to "Hamilton" have pulled out, according to a former Kennedy Center official. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Andy Sullivan and Jeff Mason; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Jamie Freed, Chizu Nomiyama and Lincoln Feast) Former state Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli has won the Republican nomination for governor of New Jersey a second time, giving him a chance to get over the finish line after falling short four years ago, according to Decision Desk HQ. Ciattarelli defeated a few other challengers for the GOP nod, most notably former talk radio host Bill Spadea and state Sen. Jon Bramnick. His renomination wasnt ever in serious doubt as he led by significant margins consistently throughout the race, had a significant fundraising advantage and earned an endorsement from President Trump. During the primary, Ciattarelli faced some attacks particularly from Spadea for not being supportive enough of Trump and his MAGA agenda. Ciattarelli was at one time a critic of Trump, calling him unfit to serve as president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But hes since gradually moved closer to Trump and was seeking his endorsement ahead of Trumps announcement last month. Ciattarelli also pointed to past comments Spadea made criticizing Trump and wanting the GOP to move on from him as their candidate for president in 2024. He thanked supporters in a post on X for his clear and convincing victory in all of New Jerseys 21 counties. This campaign has always been about people, not politics about vision, not division, he said. Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we get back to work the only way I know how, with everything I have. All gas, no brakes. Lets unite, lets fight, and lets fix our great state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ciattarelli surprised many observers in 2021 when he came within almost 3 points of upsetting Gov. Phil Murphy (D) in his reelection bid. But he may face more of an uphill battle with Trump in the White House. Since the 1980s, New Jersey has elected a governor from the opposite party of the president every gubernatorial election except for four years ago. But the state has also gone back and forth in electing Democratic and Republican governors despite being a lean-Democratic state on the federal level, potentially giving Republicans an opportunity after eight years of Murphy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes remarks at a May 22 event announcing the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) Commission in the East Room of the White House (Joyce N. Boghosian/The White House). A new report linking pesticide overuse to childrens health issues has ignited a battle within President Donald Trumps circle of support, pitting powerful agrichemical giants against some organic food advocates. Last month, the Make America Healthy Again commission, chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., published a report on declining childhood health metrics. One of the leading culprits, according to the report, was the more than 1 billion pounds of pesticides used annually on the nations crops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This administration has done something that no other administration has ever done, which is to acknowledge the impact of toxic chemicals and products in our environment and in our society that are contributing to our physical and mental and reproductive health crisis, said Zen Honeycutt, executive director of Moms Across America, a nonprofit that has called for a ban on dozens of pesticides. The organization and others like it have mobilized around Kennedys Make America Healthy Again campaign. Referred to by some as MAHA moms, the coalition of health advocates has become fierce supporters of Trump. While the MAHA report stated pesticides are commonly found in the bloodstream of Americas children some at alarming levels Honeycutt wished the report had gone further. She also believes the report downplayed the amount of scientific research already showing links between pesticides and cancer, reproductive health harm and respiratory damage. But what gives me hope is what Trump has said and what Kennedy is saying and what the science shows, Honeycutt said. If they continue to honor their word and they acknowledge that pesticides are contributing to human health conditions, then the only steps to be taken will be to at least reduce the exposure of these chemicals to human beings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Trump is facing opposition to the report from another key constituency farmers. It is deeply troubling for the White House to endorse a report that sows seeds of doubt and fear about our food system and farming practices, said Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Pesticides used to control weeds and insects are used by most farmers. The Farm Bureau and several agrichemical groups said any effort to reduce pesticide use would decrease food production and harm farm income. This report will stir unjustified fear and confusion among American consumers, who live in the country with the safest and most abundant food supply, said Alexandra Dunn, president and CEO of CropLife America, a national organization representing many large agrichemical companies, including Bayer, Corteva Agriscience and Syngenta. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pesticide companies are in a position to push back on the MAHA report, especially after years of increased spending on federal lobbyists and political donations. Bayer, the maker of the weedkiller Roundup, has faced an onslaught of lawsuits claiming its glyphosate product is to blame for thousands of cancer cases. In 2020, the company agreed to pay nearly $11 billion to more than 120,000 people who claimed the herbicide caused their cancer. The company has increased its federal lobbying and political spending in recent years, and has also pushed for state-level laws that would shield it from further lawsuits. Trumps campaign and presidency have received millions of dollars in donations from the worlds largest agrichemical companies. The White House did not respond to a question about political contributions and its potential influence. Trump could further restrict pesticide use on his own During Trumps first term, deregulation was a central theme for both his environmental and agriculture agencies. His EPA overturned an Obama-era ban on chlorpyrifos despite science linking the pesticide to numerous childhood health issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his second term, Trump has cut funding for scientific research at numerous agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Environmental Protection Agency is also considering a proposal to prevent states from requiring warning labels on pesticides, including glyphosate. However, when the MAHA report was released, Kennedy attempted to portray the president as someone willing to further regulate the pesticide industry. (Trump is) blamed for giving money to billionaires, we hear about that all the time, but he is on the side of the middle class, the working class, the poor in this country, Kennedy said at a May 22 MAHA commission meeting as the president sat smiling to his right. Ive met every president since my uncle was president, and Ive never seen a president (like Trump), Democrat or Republican, that is willing to stand up to industry when its the right thing to do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement George Kimbrell, co-executive director of the Center for Food Safety, which has advocated for stronger pesticide regulations, called the MAHA report a baby step in the right direction and acknowledged the tone over pesticide regulations could be shifting. Going back my entire career, 20-plus years now of doing this work, it doesnt matter if its a Democratic administration or a Republican administration, they have been beholden to and done the wishes of the pesticide industry, Kimbrell told Investigate Midwest. So, this is a unique moment where theres a chance that there could be some positive change in terms of responsible oversight for these toxins. While some pesticide opponents hope the MAHA report encourages congressional action, Kimbrell said there are several steps within Trumps control. The Center for Food Safety, along with several other organizations, has asked the EPA to cancel all registrations of glyphosate herbicide, after the agency failed to demonstrate it can meet the required Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act safety standard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dicamba herbicides are banned this year from over-the-top applications, but Monsanto and other companies have asked the EPA to approve them for next year. Thats a simple thing the administration can do, just dont reapprove it, Kimbrell said. Pesticide opponents want to see policies and more funding devoted to organic farming practices. However, the Trump administration has moved to limit farmer resources to organic and climate-smart practices, including the removal of climate data from the U.S. Department of Agricultures website, which organic farmers have relied on. Following a lawsuit by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, the USDA agreed to return the data. MAHA report spotlights economic challenges in moving beyond pesticides While spotlighting the dangers of pesticides, the MAHA report also acknowledged that American farmers rely on these products and that the economic impact of removing pesticides must be considered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Honeycutt, with Moms Across America, wondered why the pesticide section of the report was the only one to highlight economic challenges with imposing new policies. It is understood that the farming industry needs to be able to operate profitably, but I find it counter to the intent of this report that this is the only section, out of the dozens of contributing factors to health concerns, in which this type of wording is being used, Honeycutt wrote. Pesticide opponents note that organic crop sales have quadrupled since 2001, topping $20 billion in 2021, according to the USDA. Harriet Behar, a farm services consultant for the Organic Farmers Association, said she disagrees with the notion that farmers need pesticides to be profitable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve figured out ways to produce high-quality and abundant food without the use of glyphosate, Behar said. For 35 years, Behar worked as an organic farm inspector. As she met new organic farmers, she would always ask why they chose to go organic. And the farmer would say, My uncle died of cancer, my wife was a breast cancer survivor, my child had leukemia, Behar said. They see the connection between the pesticide uses and they just didnt want to continue, so they went organic. This article first appeared on Investigate Midwest and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Idaho Gov. Brad Little received President Donald Trumps endorsement Tuesday for another term, nearly a year ahead of the Republican primary and before the two-term incumbent governor has even announced a bid for reelection. Brad Little is the strong and highly popular Governor of Idaho, Trump posted on Truth Social, the presidents social media platform. Brad Little has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN! It is unclear whether Little, 71, an Emmett sheep and cattle rancher, will seek a third term, or which candidates may consider challenging him in the May 2026 primary. Idahos 33rd governor thanked Trump on the social media platform X, without stating whether he will run for reelection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is an honor to have the support of President @realDonaldTrump, the post read. Idaho will continue leading the fight to Make America Great Again! Littles campaign did not immediately respond to a request from the Idaho Statesman on Tuesday evening. Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little, 71, has yet to state whether he will seek a third term in office in 2026. This year, Little has taken several trips to Washington, D.C., including to visit with Trump. In January, before Trump was sworn in as president, Idahos governor also traveled to Mar-a-Lago, Trumps private resort in South Florida. Trump, the 45th and 47th U.S. president, remains popular in Idaho, a deep red state. In 2024, he earned nearly 70% of the votes in the presidential election up from about 64% in 2020 and about 59% in 2016. Nationally, Trumps favorability rating has declined with Americans since he took office, according to recent polling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Little first won election to become Idahos lead executive in 2018. The sitting lieutenant governor ran in a crowded GOP field and defeated his closest challenger Raul Labrador, now Idahos attorney general by about 5% points. He sailed to victory over his Democratic rival in the general election that fall. When Little sought a second term in 2022, Trump out of office after losing the 2020 election to Democratic President Joe Biden endorsed the governors main challenger in the Republican primary, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin. I am giving Janice McGeachin my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of Idaho, Trump said at the time, a near carbon copy of the endorsement he issued Tuesday for Little, right down to the arbitrary capitalization. She will make a fantastic Governor, and will never let you down! Little easily overcame Trumps backing of his rival and beat McGeachin in the primary by nearly 60,000 votes. Six months later in the general election, Little easily earned a second term with nearly 61% of the vote, with his nearest contender winning about 20% of votes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A former four-term state senator, Little was appointed lieutenant governor in 2009 by then-Gov. Butch Otter, a fellow Republican. Little then won two terms as the second-in-command executive role before running to replace his predecessor. In Idahos 2026 gubernatorial race, only Democrat Terri Pickens, of Boise, has announced her intention to run. She previously ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2022. We need Idaho Gov. Brad Little to tell the Trump Regime to stay out of Idaho and stay away from the Idaho National Guard, Pickens said in a statement released earlier Tuesday. Gov. Little, we need you to find your courage and stand up for our freedom. Trump Bans Travelers From 12 Countries and Restricts Access From Seven Others originally appeared on L.A. Mag. The travel ban imposed by President Trump blocking travelers from 12 countries and partially restricting those from seven others went into effect on Monday. The measure, announced last week, was described as necessary for national security. The ban comes after a firebombing attack in Colorado and it reinstates a ban that Trump had introduced during his first term. "The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado has 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," Trump said on Wednesday when he introduced the ban. The ban mostly blocks travelers from countries in Africa and the Middle East. The full ban applies to foreign nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The partial ban applies to travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The Trump Administration said that these countries are determined to pose a very high risk to the United States. The man charged with that attack in Boulder is from Egypt, which is not included in the ban. According to Trump, travelers from Egypt will not be banned due to their close relationship with the U.S. Trump said that the list of countries is not set in stone, and can be added to or subtracted from over time. "The list is subject to revision based on whether material improvements are made, and likewise, new countries can be added as threats emerge around the world," Trump said. "But we will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm, and nothing will stop us from keeping America safe." The ban will be carried out by targeting the visa application process. Those applying for visas in banned countries will be rejected, unless they have an exemption. However, visas already issued to people in banned countries are not to be revoked, according to the State Department. There are select groups of people who are exempt from the ban, including lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders and individuals whose entry "serves U.S. national interests." This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said President Donald Trumps big, beautiful budget package could derail the states groundbreaking artificial intelligence laws unless it is changed. The 1,000-page bill that passed the House last month includes a 10-year prohibition on AI regulations. An updated Senate version removed the all-out ban but conditioned $500 million in AI infrastructure grants on states pausing enforcement of AI laws. Behind these provisions is a desire by some lawmakers to prevent a nationwide patchwork of AI regulations that hampers innovation amid competition with China. But Cox, and Utahs top tech policymakers, said the approach taken by Trumps bill interferes with the states right to react to rapidly evolving technologies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our hope is that the last version of this bill that passes, whatever that looks like, will allow for the smart type of regulation that were doing in Utah, and prevent the bad kind of regulation that would stop AI from reaching its fullest potential, Cox said Tuesday during a monthly PBS broadcast. What are Utahs AI laws? Utah has been recognized around the world for having the first and smartest of the AI regulations that have been proposed, according to Cox. These policies include bills that create a state-run AI policy lab, clarify consumer protection liability for AI and require AI disclosures in industries like finance and mental health. The governor said that multiple members of the U.S. House have told his team that they were not aware of the AI moratorium when they voted on the bill. Members of the White House and Senate have also said that they dont want the BBB bill to eliminate Utahs law, Cox said. AI companies actually support what were doing because they recognize that this is the right way to do AI regulation as opposed to just piecemeal, Cox said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cox agreed that a hodgepodge of AI laws around the country would cause the U.S. to fall behind and we would lose this global race that is happening right now. But he said a moratorium on AI policy shouldnt come at the expense of Utahs novel approach which doesnt actually tell AI companies how they can develop their models. Legislators send letter to Congress Utah Rep. Doug Fiefia, R-Herriman, said the problem goes beyond counterproductive policy. It targets the foundation of states rights that has allowed Utah to lead out on so many issues, according to Fiefia, a freshman lawmaker who previously worked at Google. States are laboratories for innovation when it comes to policy, and I believe that the federal government should not overreach on this process and allow it to work, Fiefia said. We will not give over our control because the federal government believes that its the right thing to do to win this race. On Tuesday, Utah House legislative leadership, and 62 state senators and representatives, sent a letter authored by Fiefia to Utahs congressional delegation arguing that the moratorium hindered Utahs nationally recognized efforts to strike the right balance between innovation and consumer protection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not only would the moratorium harm state efforts to legislate guardrails, it would also hurt businesses that are using AI responsibly by allowing their competitors to engage in unethical behavior, according to Fiefia. States have shown they are more nimble than the federal government when they need to adapt to change, Fiefia said. And this is the approach Fiefia believes Utah has demonstrated in opening up legal pathways for innovation while updating the law for the threats posed by AI. Just because we want to move fast in this global arms race of AI doesnt mean we cant do so with a seat belt, Fiefia said. I believe that we can both win this AI race, but also doing it in a thoughtful and meaningful way. Can Congress address AI in the budget? The AI moratorium faces procedural hurdles in addition to ideological pushback. Utah Sen. Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy, pointed out that reconciliation bills are meant only to amend the annual budget and not make substantive policy shifts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some senators have alleged that the AI moratorium does not comply with the Byrd Rule, a procedural requirement that prohibits nonbudgetary additions during the budget reconciliation process. Cullimore, who was the sponsor behind most of Utahs AI legislation, was in Washington, D.C., last week, speaking with members of the House Commerce Committee, which oversaw the inclusion of the AI moratorium provisions. The intentions behind the moratorium, Cullimore said, were to prevent states from implementing what are called foundational regulations that restrict the kind of technology AI companies can develop. Utahs laws do not do this, according to Cullimore, who also signed Fiefias letter, but they would still be sidelined by the big beautiful bill even if the moratorium is replaced by the conditioned federal funding. I think the drafting of the moratorium was so broad that it potentially encompassed all of that stuff, he said. So I hope that that we can refine the text a little bit, and then if they want to put those conditions in on foundational regulation, I think thatd be appropriate. This Saturday the nations capital is set to see a lavish military parade to celebrate the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army, and the 79th birthday of Donald Trump. However, sadly for the president, the majority of his Republican friends in Congress will not be at the party. Only seven out of 50 GOP lawmakers, when asked by Politico, said they would be in attendance, with others choosing to leave Washington, D.C., and return home for the weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Trump looks forward to a historic crowd at the Army Birthday Parade, where he will be joined by top military leaders, administration officials, congressional representatives, and most importantly, thousands of patriotic Americans to celebrate 250 years of honor, courage, and sacrifice by our United States military, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement shared with The Independent. Only seven out of 50 GOP lawmakers, in a recent sruvey said they would be in attendance at the lavish celebrations in Washington, D.C., this weekend to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the military and Donald Trumps 79th birthday (REUTERS) The Independent understands that senior military leaders and at least 15 Cabinet members, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, are due to attend. However, other top military officials in Congress, have reportedly chosen a different extravagant military gathering to attend the 2025 International Paris Air Show. His closest MAGA allies, such as Byron Donalds, Elise Stefanik and Marjorie Taylor Greene, have confirmed their attendance. Yes, of course, Greene told Politico on Tuesday. Im going to be there for the 250th anniversary of the Army. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The parade is set to feature around 6,600 Army troops and military equipment such as a WWII-vintage B-25 bomber, a P-1 fighter and Huey helicopters used in the Vietnam War, as well as 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, and four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles. The parade is set to feature around 6,600 Army troops and military equipment such as a WWII-vintage B-25 bomber, a P-1 fighter and Huey helicopters used in the Vietnam War, as well as 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, and four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles (REUTERS) Trump said the cost of the event estimated as up to $45 million is peanuts compared to the value of doing it. The president said he wanted to show off that the U.S. had the greatest weapons in the world (AP) There will also be 18 miles of fencing and 175 metal detectors installed, according to The Associated Press. The Army expects up to 200,000 people could attend and says the parade will cost an estimated $25 million to $45 million. Such expense has led Republicans to question the cost and optics of the spectacle, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker and Republican Rand Paul. Some have even drawn parallels to the military pageantry of North Korea. Republican Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin fiscal hawk, told Politico recently, If it costs money, I wont go. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Trump said the cost of the event is peanuts compared to the value of doing it, in a May 4 interview on NBC News Meet the Press. 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. President Donald Trump hit back at Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's claims that the president did not recently call him, telling Fox News he spoke to the governor for about 16 minutes on Saturday. Trump told Fox News Tuesday while traveling to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, that Newsom did not pick up his first call over the weekend, but that he picked up the second call and the pair spoke for about 16 minutes on Saturday. "I told him to, essentially, Get his ass in gear, and stop the riots, which were out of control," Trump said Tuesday. "More than anything else, this shows what a liar he is said I never called." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump provided a screenshot of the phone call dated June 7 at 1:23 a.m. White House director of communications Steven Cheung added in comment to Fox Digital Tuesday afternoon: "The President called Gavin Newsom to tell him to get his ass in gear. The Governor has clearly decided to disgustingly side with the violent rioters instead of protecting Californians. The only liar here is Newsom who continues to fail his state as he prioritizes doing interviews with leftist media to gaslight the public instead of helping his state." 'Delusional' Hillary Clinton Savagely Mocked For La Riots Response: 'Only Leftists Disable Comments' Read On The Fox News App Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom Earlier Tuesday, Trump held an event addressing wildfire response and prevention from the Oval Office, where he fielded a handful of questions from the media regarding the ongoing anti-ICE riots in Los Angles, telling a reporter he spoke to Newsome "a day ago." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A day ago. I called him up to tell him (he's) got to do a better job. He's done a bad job," Trump said. In a response post on X, Newsom claimed Trump did not call him or leave a voicemail in the past day. "There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesnt even know who hes talking to," Newsom posted to X Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by video of Trump in the Oval Office. "This call is from 3 days ago," the governor's press office added on X following the White House's pushback on Newsom's claim that Trump did not call. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom's office added in an email to Fox News Digital Tuesday that: "The Governors comment is clearly in regards to the Presidents comment this morning of a day ago," adding that Newsom had already confirmed his Saturday phone call in a media interview on Sunday. A woman waves a Mexican flag amid tear gas from law enforcement during a protest in Paramount, California, June 7, 2025. Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon added in a comment to the Sacramento Bee Tuesday: "I just personally looked through the governors phone. No missed call. No voicemail. Nothing. The last time they spoke was Friday when the governor called him." Watch: Dem, Media Outlets Insist La Anti-ice Riots Are 'Peaceful' Despite Violence, Injured Cops Los Angeles descended into violent riots Friday when federal immigration officials converged on the city to carry out raids targeting illegal immigrants. Local leaders such as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom, however, quickly denounced the raids in public statements while offering words of support for illegal immigrants in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protests over the raids soon devolved into violence as rioters targeted and launched attacks on federal law enforcement officials. Police officers stand amid tear gas during a protest against federal immigration sweeps in downtown Los Angeles, June 8, 2025. Trump announced Saturday that he was deploying 2,000 National Guard troops to help quell the violence. The Trump administration also deployed hundreds of U.S. Marines to respond to anti-immigration chaos on Monday evening as the violence continued. "If I didnt SEND IN THE TROOPS to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now," Trump posted to Truth Social on Tuesday morning. Original article source: Trump brings receipts he called Newsom amid LA riots as California gov claims there wasn't 'even a voicemail' More than 100 people have been arrested in Los Angeles since Monday evening during protests against US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, the local police department said on Tuesday. Some 96 people were taken into custody on Monday evening in the city centre of the Californian metropolis for failing to disperse from a prohibited gathering, the police said. According to reports, 14 others were arrested for looting, and three were taken into custody for resisting arrest, assault with a deadly weapon, or property damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two police officers were taken to hospital for medical treatment, but have since been released, the reports said. People have been protesting in Los Angeles for days against attempts by security forces to carry out immigration raids. US President Donald Trump has sent thousands of National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city, claiming the situation is out of control. LA mayor declares curfew for downtown area In response to the protests, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a curfew in downtown Los Angeles from 8 pm on Tuesday (0300 GMT Wednesday) until 6 am on Wednesday. "I have declared a local emergency and issued a curfew for downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting," Bass told reporters at an evening news conference, noting significant damage to businesses and properties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted," she added. Trump says LA is being invaded by a 'foreign enemy' Trump on Tuesday described the unrest in Los Angeles as an invasion by a "foreign enemy" during a speech at Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina. Addressing the ongoing protests in the city, he said demonstrators were "rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country." "What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order, and on national sovereignty," Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy." He went on to describe the protesters as "animals" who "proudly carry the flags of other countries," but do not carry the US flag. Trump says he's open to using Insurrection Act Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said he is considering whether to invoke a 200-year-old law to deploy additional military forces in Los Angeles. Responding to journalists at the White House, Trump said he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that allows presidents to send troops to restore public order in certain emergency situations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it," he stated. The protests appeared to cool off on Monday night, although Los Angeles police reported that "as demonstrators were being disbursed, agitators and miscreants within the crowd looted businesses and vandalized property." Critics including California Governor Gavin Newsom have accused Trump of inflaming the situation by sending troops. The costs of financing the existing deployment for 60 days have been estimated at $134 million by the Department of Defense. Without providing evidence, Trump also blamed "paid insurrectionists" for the violence in Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These are paid insurrectionists. These are paid troublemakers. They get money," he said. Trump further argued that the city "would be burning right now" if not for the troops he sent, comparing the situation to the fires that caused unprecedented damage earlier this year. The Brief President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for one year in jail for protesters that burn the American flag. This comes amid five days of protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles and smaller protests that have popped up in other cities like Dallas and Austin. Flag burning is considered a form of political expression and protected under the First Amendment after the Supreme Court ruled in the 1989 Texas v. Johnson case. FORT BRAGG, N.C. - President Donald Trump called for those who burn the American flag to spend a year in jail while speaking at Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Tuesday. What they're saying "They proudly carry flags of other countries, but they don't carry the American flag. They only burn it," Trump said. "People that burn the American flag should go to jail for one year. And we'll see if we can get that done." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement READ MORE:Trump visits Fort Bragg amid criticism over military deployment in response to immigration protests President Trump said his administration is working with some senators to pass a law that gives jail time to flag-burning protesters. Anti-ICE protests The backstory The comments come amid a series of protests against immigration raids in major cities like Dallas and Los Angeles. President Trump calls for a 1-year prison sentence for those burning the US flag. He previously did so on the campaign trail. https://t.co/shpNyGp6wppic.twitter.com/FgxX6JnX8T FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) June 10, 2025 In Los Angeles, the city is preparing for its fifth day of anti-ICE demonstrations, which have seen cars burned down, smoke bombs deployed and pepper bullets fired. Trump ordered the deployment of 4,100 National Guard troops and 700 Marines, which he says is to protect federal officials and property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move drew objections from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who filed an emergency motion in federal court seeking to block the use of federal troops to assist in immigration raids. Newsom said the request was a response to a change in orders that had been issued for the Guard. In Dallas, one person was arrested after hundreds of demonstrators gathered near the Margaret Hunt Bridge on Monday night. The demonstrations were tense at times, with protesters throwing water bottles, fireworks and rocks at officers. In Austin, 12 people were arrested Monday night after protesters defaced the JJ Pickle Federal Building with graffiti. The protest started at the Texas State Capital before moving to the federal building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As officers began to break the group up, Austin police said "tensions escalated" and protesters threw rocks at officers. Officers briefly withdrew in an attempt to deescalate, but the crowd advanced, leading to officers using pepper balls and DPS using gas to disperse the crowd. Four officers were injured, and all were treated and released. Jail time for flag burning Tuesday's comments weren't the first time that Trump as suggested that demonstrators be jailed for burning the American flag. In August, while on the campaign trail, Trump proposed passing a law to jail anyone who burns the flag for one year. Donald Trump proposes making burning an American flag punishable by 1-year in prison. In 1989, the Supreme Court upheld the right for protesters to burn flags after Gregory Lee Johnson did so at the RNC in Dallas. pic.twitter.com/qi87KUCWis FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) August 26, 2024 It would be more difficult than it seems on the surface, with a 1989 Supreme Court decision, stemming from a case in Dallas, protecting the right to burn an American flag as a form of political expression under the First Amendment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his comments in August he mentioned the constitutionality of such a law. "They say it's not constitutional," Trump said. "Well, make it constitutional." Texas v. Johnson, 1989 In 1989, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling in favor of Gregory Lee Johnson. Five years prior, Johnson was arrested after burning a flag outside the Republican National Convention in Dallas. Johnson was charged and later convicted of breaking a Texas law that prohibited the desecration of the flag. Gregory Joey Johnson, defendant in flag burning case, speaking against constitutional amendment banning flag desecration, outside Capitol. (Photo by Cynthia Johnson/Getty Images) Johnson was sentenced to one year in prison and fined. His conviction was overturned by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, whose decision was later upheld by the Supreme Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the decision, the majority held that Johnson was engaging in political expression, which is protected under the First Amendment. In the years following the decision, the United States Congress passed a law banning flag burning, which was struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The Source Information on Trump's comments about jail time for protesters who burn the American flag comes from a speech given at Fort Bragg on June 10, 2025. Information on anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, Dallas and Austin comes from previous FOX 11, FOX 4 and FOX 7 reporting, respectively. Information on the Supreme Court decision in Texas v. Johnson comes from the National Constitution Center. US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that a trade agreement between Washington and Beijing is nearly finalized and will include Chinese supplies of magnets and critical rare earth minerals to the United States. "Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me," Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, hours after US and Chinese negotiating teams wrapped up two days of talks in London. "Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are getting a total of 55 per cent tariffs, China is getting 10 per cent. Relationship is excellent! Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Since Trump launched a trade war in February with Beijing, the world's two largest economies have been locked in a tit-for-tat tariff fight that have unnerved global markets. In April, Trump increased tariffs on goods from China to as much as 145%. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone for the first time last week, agreeing to hold the London talks in a bid to ease tensions. The sides met in Geneva last month. There, both sides agreed to significantly reduce their tariffs temporarily for 90 days. Negotiators said late Tuesday that the two sides had reached a tentative framework to resolve recent disputes, which centre on tariffs, China's dominance of the rare earths market, and US restrictions on the export of advanced technology to China. China has yet to comment on Trump's announcement. The United States is considering ending a nuclear submarine pact with the UK and Australia, in what would be a major blow to a security alliance between the countries. The Pentagon launched a review of the 2021 Aukus submarine deal to decide if the US should cancel the project, US defence officials said. The assessment is being led by Elbridge Colby, a defence department official and former Trump campaign aide, who has raised questions about Aukus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The deal includes a commitment from the US to supply Australia with at least eight nuclear-propelled submarines. But some inside the Trump administration argue it comes at the expense of Americas own domestic production of submarine defence. Aukus submarines will feature a Rolls-Royce pressurised water reactor built in the UK, with the UK providing naval training to support the programme. Aukus also covers AI and missiles The deal froze France out of a major defence contract with Australia. On Tuesday, Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, insisted the US would supply Australia with a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, amid growing concern that production is not progressing quickly enough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the Aukus deal, signed to great fanfare in 2021, Washington, London and Canberra are cooperating on the joint development of cyber warfare tools, artificial intelligence and hypersonic missiles. The agreement commits the United States to building cutting-edge submarines for Australia, an investment with an estimated cost of up to $235 billion over 30 years. Australia plans to acquire at least three Virginia-class submarines from the United States within the next 15 years, eventually manufacturing its own nuclear-powered subs. The US Navy has 24 Virginia-class vessels, which can carry cruise missiles, but American shipyards are struggling to meet production targets set at two new boats each year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics have questioned why the United States would sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia without stocking its own military first. In a post on X last year, Mr Colby wrote that he was sceptical of the agreement. In principle [Aukus is] a great idea. But Ive been very sceptical in practice. I remain sceptical agnostic as I put it to [The Sydney Morning Herald] but more inclined based on new information Ive gleaned, he wrote. It would be crazy to have fewer [attack submarines] in the right place and time, he said. UK pushing to retain partnership A British government official told The Telegraph it was aware of the review and was reiterating the importance of the pact to leaders in Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The spokesman said: Aukus is a landmark security and defence partnership with two of our closest allies. It is one of the most strategically important partnerships in decades, supporting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic, while also delivering jobs and economic growth in communities across all three nations. China has strongly pushed back against the Aukus deal. Mao Ning, the spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said in 2023 that Aukus was about fuelling military confrontation through military collaboration. Ms Mao said: It is apparently driven by Cold War thinking. It creates additional nuclear proliferation risks, exacerbates the arms race in the Asia-Pacific and hurts regional peace and stability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement China is deeply concerned and firmly opposed to it. The biggest threat to China is the pacts order to supply Australia with at least eight nuclear-propelled submarines, which travel and remain undetected for much longer than the traditional diesel-powered vessels. The highly advanced nuclear fleet would enable a better understanding of Chinas existing sea-based nuclear weapons. A US defence official said: The Department is reviewing Aukus as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the Presidents America First agenda. As Secretary Hegseth has made clear, this means ensuring the highest readiness of our service members, that allies step up fully to do their part for collective defence, and that the defence industrial base is meeting our needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This review will ensure the initiative meets these common sense, America First criteria. 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. Suzannes view Iran is at its weakest point in decades. Its proxies have been decimated, its economy and infrastructure is in tatters, and its isolation over its nuclear program is deepening. Blackouts stretch on for days, damaging household appliances and spoiling food. Government salaries barely cover basic needs. One asset manager in Tehran described peoples mood to me as tired, angry, hungry, and thirsty. The economic stress is stoking unrest. A nationwide truck drivers strike began spreading in May. Its a labor dispute, and authorities threatened arrests. But the fear that once controlled the streets is eroding. Videos show ordinary Iranians encouraging striking workers, saying damet garm, or more power to you. US President Donald Trump can accelerate this decline by removing all that is propping up the regime: the nuclear program and Tehrans adoption of the Palestinian cause. What if Trumps broader ambition for peace in the Middle East holds the key to ending the nuclear standoff and reshaping Iran itself? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Islamic Republic has long anchored its legitimacy to defending the Palestinian cause, using proxies to pose an existential threat to Israel. Regime officials say that Palestine is the sole reason for their hostility toward Israel. The creation of a Palestinian state or just a credible process toward one with backing from most Arab states would strip Tehran of its ideological cover. All that would be left is a government that cant provide its citizens with electricity, salaries, or security. Thats why a Trump-brokered deal for a Palestinian state could break Tehrans narrative, and may produce a peace that extends beyond nuclear containment. And Trump doesnt have to rush on either front because the regime is teetering. To be sure, regime change is not part of the Trump Doctrine and a peaceful transition to democracy is unlikely. But the combination of a nuclear agreement and a Palestinian state would poke holes in the script the Islamic Republic has been selling for generations, and may finally give Irans long-suppressed opposition a chance to tell a new story. Notable President Donald Trump is defending his muscular and controversial moves to tame unrest in the nation's second most populous city. "If I didnt "SEND IN THE TROOPS" to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now," the president argued Tuesday in a social media post. Aiming to extinguish escalating protests in Los Angeles sparked by immigration raids carried out by ICE at his administration's direction, Trump sent in National Guard troops and even mobilized Marines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump broke six decades of precedent by federalizing California's National Guard without the consent of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Click Here For Fox News Live Updates On The Anti-ice Protests In Los Angeles Protesters block the intersection of 2nd St. and San Pedro St. during Monday nights anti-ICE rally in downtown Los Angeles. Regardless of the legality of his moves, Trump's actions put immigration and law and order key issues that helped him win back the White House in last year's election firmly back in the national spotlight, offering the president obvious political opportunities. Read On The Fox News App A source in the president's political orbit told Fox News that it is "a winning script," by putting Democrats on defense once again regarding immigration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, the source said that Trump has a clear mandate from American voters for his mass deportation effort to clear the country of undocumented immigrants. Marines Being Deployed To Los Angeles Amid Riots As California Moves To Sue Trump Over Response The optics clashes with police and tear gas in the streets, masked protesters throwing rocks at police, setting cars on fire and waving Mexican flags may likely boost support among a large swath of Americans, bolstering Trump's political playbook. While Trump's overall approval ratings remain underwater in most national polling, thanks to negative numbers on the economy, the visuals from Los Angeles shine a spotlight on the issues on which the president performs best - immigration and border security, and law and order. A woman waits for a bus at a stop vandalized with anti-ICE graffiti while riots grip Los Angeles. "Images splashed across the media of Mexican flag-wielding rioters burning cars and assaulting police officers validate President Trumps call for greater immigration enforcement and border control. It also puts Democrats on the defensive by highlighting their inability to maintain law and order in blue states," veteran Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams told Fox News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Nicole Schlinger, a longtime conservative consultant, highlighted that "this is exactly what Donald Trump campaigned on, and the swing-state voters who backed him expect action before these riots reach their cities. Hes delivering on their votes, with action, not apology." First On Fox: Gop Sen. Tom Cotton Pushes New Ideas To Quell Anti-ice Protests The violence in Los Angeles also offers up a familiar foil to the president Newsom, a Democrat, who is considered a potential contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. Newsom, whom Trump suggested should be arrested, has repeatedly accused the president and his administration of manufacturing the crisis and illegally militarizing Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom, who is suing the president to reverse the order, charged in a social media post that "this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism that threatens the foundation of our republic. We cannot let it stand." While Newsom has condemned the violence in the streets, Schlinger claimed that "this is the visual that plays right into Trumps hand. Liberal Gavin Newsom, who tried to wave a moderate flag on conservative podcasts, is now defending illegal immigrants flying the Mexican flag while standing on burning cars. Theres no middle ground with burning cars on it." Williams argued that "Newsoms record of failed leadership, rank incompetence, and botched responses to multiple high-profile crises make him an excellent political foil for President Trump." Another fringe benefit for Trump the rioting in Los Angeles bumped an uncomfortable headline for the administration the nasty feud with Elon Musk is far from the spotlight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fetterman Calls Out His Own Party Over Unrest In Los Angeles Republican officials and committees are using the violence in Los Angeles as a cudgel to bash Democrats. "If you look at what's going on in L.A., it shows exactly what [former President] Biden and the Democrats did by opening their borders the way they did and allowing millions and millions and millions of people coming here unvetted. They've caused all this," Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida claimed on Tuesday. "I think President Trump is doing what he said he was going to do on the campaign trail. He's going to keep the country safe." The National Republican Congressional Committee, which is the campaign arm of the House GOP, charged that "While LA is burning and law enforcement is being attacked, radical House Democrats are 'scoffing' at any thought of condemning the violent riots. The party has completely lost their minds." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even first-term Sen. John Fetterman of California, who has increasingly bucked and criticized fellow Democrats, chastised his own party. Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman criticized some in his own party for their response to the protests in Los Angeles. "I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigrationbut this is not that. This is anarchy and true chaos. My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement," Fetterman argued in a social media post. However, the political clash in California is likely to enrage and further energize most Democrats. "The actions of the Trump administration are dangerous and overaggressive. The reality is that Trump has provoked these protests, and now he is trying to escalate them," longtime Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo told Fox News, as he echoed a sentiment coming from many in his party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Democrats see plenty of hypocrisy in Trump's move to send in the troops, given what happened during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. Trump did not call out the National Guard during the rioting at the Capitol. One of his first acts in January, when he returned to power in the White House, was to pardon those convicted in the storming of the Capitol. "Donald Trump pretends to respect the rule of law, and we should not forget that he sat idly by as violent protesters stormed the Capitol on January 6th and then later pardoned them," Caiazzo said. Original article source: Trump deployment of troops to quell LA rioters latest page in president's political playbook President Donald Trump held a rally at North Carolinas Fort Bragg on Tuesday, criticizing his predecessor Joe Biden for having changed the forts name but not seeming to realize that while it is again Fort Bragg, it is no longer named after the treasonous Confederate general Braxton Bragg. Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit? he asked the assembled Army troops. We restored the historic name of this very, very special place. In fact, though, Trump and his secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, did no such thing. Instead, the fort is now named after Roland Bragg, a World War II hero at the Battle of the Bulge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act required that military facilities honoring Confederate officers be renamed. Trump vetoed it for that reason, but Congress overrode his veto and passed it into law. Those who fought on the side of the Confederacy during the Civil War are, by definition, traitors, having taken up arms against the United States. Under Biden, a commission came up with new names for Fort Bragg and eight other major installations after soliciting input from local communities. Fort Bragg became Fort Liberty in 2023. But Trump, who had repeatedly praised the Confederacy during his first term, promised to revert Fort Libertys name to Fort Bragg, and do the same for the other bases, during his campaign to regain his office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He knows his audience, said Mac Stipanovich, a longtime Republican consultant in Florida who left the party after Trump took over. Hell, I get it. I am a 76-year-old white Southerner. President Donald Trump gestures after speaking at Fort Bragg on June 10, 2025, in North Carolina. AP Photo/Alex Brandon But neither Trump nor Hegseth could unilaterally undo the law that had banned Confederate names for military bases, so Hegseth approved a plan to rename Fort Bragg after a different Army officer with the same last name. Another major base, Fort Moore in Georgia, saw its name revert to Fort Benning, although not after its original namesake, either. The Army facility was named after Henry Benning, another Confederate general who supported slavery. After the passage of the provision in 2020, it was named Fort Moore, after Vietnam War hero Gregory Moore and his wife, Julia Moore, who helped create teams to notify families in person of their killed or wounded loved ones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under Trump and Hegseth, the fort was renamed Fort Benning only this time after Fred Benning, who received the Distinguished Service Cross in World War I. White House aides did not respond to HuffPost queries about whether Trump understood that the names are not honoring Confederate officers anymore. Remember, it was only that little brief moment that it wasnt called Fort Bragg. It was by the Biden administration, not Trump, he said. We got it changed. Stipanovich, who said he considers himself fairly well informed, said he had assumed that Fort Bragg had been renamed after Braxton Bragg. I dont know who the Bragg is that its named after now, he said. I doubt anybody sat down and briefed Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his speech on Tuesday, Trump said he would also restore the names of seven other bases originally named after Confederate officers. For a little breaking news, we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort AP Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee, he promised. Unless the 2020 law is changed, though, Hegseth would have to find veterans with the same last names as those seven other Confederate traitors as well, although it is unclear whether any officers have been named Robert E. Lee in the Armys history other than the commanding officer of the Confederate forces. Related... The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to scrap two major federal regulations that limit air pollution and planet-warming emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants, the agencys head announced Wednesday. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the proposal targets a rule regulating all planet-warming carbon emissions from existing and new power plants, as well as a separate rule regulating mercury and other air toxins produced by burning coal to generate electricity. Furthermore, the agency argued fossil fuel-fired power plants do not contribute significantly to dangerous air pollution as defined by the Clean Air Act. The proposed repeals are two of the most consequential moves from Trumps EPA as the administration continues dismantling Biden-era climate and clean energy policies. If finalized, they could impact public health and energy prices nationwide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rest assured, President Trump is the biggest supporter of clean, beautiful coal, Zeldin said Wednesday. We will use coal for power generation, to mine for critical minerals and to export to our allies. The agency didnt announce any intent to rewrite regulations to replace the Biden rules on carbon emissions, which could effectively leave carbon emissions from US power plants unregulated if the proposed repeal is finalized. Zeldin announced the agency will revise the rule on mercury and other toxic air pollution, proposing to get rid of a Biden-era rule finalized last year. Power plants are the second-biggest emitters of planet-warming pollution in the United States, making up around a quarter of the countrys climate pollution. US power plants alone contribute 3% of total global climate pollution. By seeking to repeal the carbon rules with no replacement, the administrations proposal is more sweeping than the power plant regulations finalized during Trumps first term, Carrie Jenks, the executive director of Harvard Law Schools Environmental & Energy Law Program, told CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It would result in aging coal plants operating for longer periods of time and allow new gas plants to be built with looser pollution restrictions, Jenks said. Youre starting to see coal fired power plants that were expected to retire continue to operate, Jenks added. Youre seeing the administration direct certain power plants to continue to operate, even though theyre not asking for additional time. All of that has public health and climate change implications that are going to be important. The Energy Department recently ordered an over-60-year-old Michigan coal power plant set to shutter last month to run throughout the summer, even though the plants utility, state regulators and regional grid operator had not requested the extension. Michigan state officials told CNN the move would cost Midwest energy customers tens of millions of dollars. Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel, and if the repeal is finalized, it could drive up energy prices if expensive coal plants remain on the grid longer as a result. Public health groups also said they were concerned the proposed repeal would worsen air quality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weakening the standards now is indefensible from a public health standpoint and a betrayal of EPAs mission, American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer said in a statement. The agencys mission is to protect public health and the environment, not to expose people to more toxic pollution. It marks a sharp reversal from the Biden administrations policies to lower pollution from power plants and make the air around them healthier to breathe. The Trump administration is seeking to overturn carbon pollution rules finalized by the Biden administration last year that would have compelled coal and new natural gas power plants to either cut or capture 90% of their climate pollution by 2032. Zeldin blasted the Biden-era regulations as regulating coal, oil and gas out of existence. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin testifies before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on May 20, 2025, in Washington, DC. - Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images The intent of the Biden administration was to go after baseload power throughout the entire country, to reduce access to energy, to get rid of jobs, decimating communities, making it harder for Americans to afford to survive, Zeldin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The EPAs move is part of the Trump administrations broader energy agenda to boost the production and use of fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change. Administration officials have panned cleaner energy sources like wind, solar and batteries as unreliable. This isnt any surprise, Zeldin said. The president campaigned on this, and were fulfilling promises that were made to the American public. Zeldin was joined Wednesday by several Republican lawmakers from coal-producing states, as well as Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, who spoke about the importance of coal mining and power plant jobs for his constituents. Coal mining continues to provide millions of dollars in revenues to the nation, thousands of jobs, Nygren said. Economically, its one of those things where we cant do without it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nationally, coal mining jobs have dropped precipitously from nearly 70,000 in 2015 to 41,000 currently, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The proposed repeals will go through a public comment period before being finalized. The EPA is also expected later this year to start the process of reversing a key 2009 scientific finding on the dangers of climate pollution that has served as the basis for federal regulations to cut down on it. Dismissing that precedent would strip the EPAs authority to manage the pollution that causes global warming, but environmental groups have said they will challenge it in court. Some suggested EPAs new proposals ran counter to US pollution laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposed repeal runs afoul of EPAs pollution reduction obligation under the Clean Air Act, said Frank Sturges, an attorney at the Clean Air Task Force. EPA must abandon this proposal. This is a developing story and has been updated. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The standoff between Democratic leadership in deep-blue California and the Trump administration amid protests of immigration raids in Los Angeles lays bare bitter political divisions and sets the stage for the high-stakes fight at the ballot box as the midterm elections inch closer, with the 2028 presidential contest to follow not long after that. From the Oval Office, President Donald Trump promised that more cities could see raids from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. With that, the possibility of a sustained protest movement grows, along with the possibility of more federal intervention -- whether Democratic officials want it or not. The way Democrats proceed in this moment could affect enthusiasm for the party's candidates come midterms time, when the party is trying to reclaim power in a Washington where it has very little. PHOTO: President Donald J. Trump in Washington, June 9, 2025 and California Governor Gavin Newsom in Compton, Calif., June 5, 2025. (EPA-EFE/Shutterstock/Reuters) MORE: LA protest live updates: Trump says LA 'would be burning' without National Guard Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Democrats, anti-Trump sentiment is undoubtedly a mobilizing factor, and polling has suggested Democrats want their leaders to fight harder against the Republican Party. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, widely considered to be a possible 2028 presidential candidate, has positioned himself as the most prominent foil to an administration he's accused of encroaching on his state's autonomy by deploying federal troops to Los Angeles without an ask from California authorities. Newsom was also emboldened in his criticism of Trump after the president told reporters Monday it would be a "great thing" if Newsom were arrested. "The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor," Newsom posted on Instagram, along with a video of Trump's comments. "This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation -- this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism." Still, later Monday, Newsom condemned the violence in his state while appearing to place blame on the president, saying, "Have no doubt -- Violent criminals who take advantage of Trump's chaos WILL be held accountable. Our number one priority has been and will be keeping LA safe." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic governors stood by Newsom in a carefully worded statement that both condemned the violence that took place in Los Angeles and called Trump's actions "ineffective and dangerous." "It's important we respect the executive authority of our country's governors to manage their National Guards -- and we stand with Governor Newsom who has made it clear that violence is unacceptable and that local authorities should be able to do their jobs without the chaos of this federal interference and intimidation," they said in the statement. PHOTO: California National Guard troops keep watch, as protests against immigration sweeps continue, in Los Angeles, June 9, 2025. (Daniel Cole/Reuters) MORE: Trump warns 'any' protesters at military parade will be 'met with heavy force' Similarly, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged peaceful protest and condemned Trump's actions, telling reporters on Sunday, "What we're seeing in Los Angeles is chaos that is provoked by the administration." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The optics of violence in the streets of a major American city -- though the most destructive protests have been in a relatively small, isolated area -- with Democrats pushing back on militarized force on protesters is a fight the Trump White House, and Republicans more broadly, are willing to wage. "I think it's another reason why you're seeing the demise of the Democrat brand around the country," Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Tuesday. "You got a city on fire," he added. "You got people marching with foreign flags, people marching with a Mexican flag in LA, resisting federal law, interfering with federal law. You have the governor and the mayor, both Democrats, saying they will interfere and will not uphold federal law." And while many elected Democrats will take a head-on Newsom-esque approach to confronting moves by the Trump administration, others will likely try to find less combative ways to do so. PHOTO: The portraits of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are displayed at the Ted Weiss Federal Building as members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) stand in preparation for protests in New York., June 9, 2025. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters) MORE: Video Expert on presidential power weighs in on Trump's response to LA Protests Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In San Francisco, which saw protests of its own related to ICE raids, Mayor Daniel Lurie centered public safety in his message about protests and has avoided mentioning Trump by name. "Everyone in this country has a right to make their voice heard peacefully," Lurie said Sunday. "But we will never tolerate violent and destructive behavior." Lurie has drawn some criticism from some corners of San Francisco for his relative silence on Trump, but others argue it allows him to stay above the fray. It remains to be seen which strategy -- Newsom's defiance or Lurie's restraint -- will resonate with voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Trump promises continued deportation efforts in cities across the country, Democratic officials may soon be forced to pick a path. As Trump escalates immigration fight, Democrats face high-stakes test: ANALYSIS originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The arrest and violent manhandling of David Huerta, the president of the Service Employees International Union of California, or SEIU, suggests that Donald Trump, that proud tribune of the working class, is targeting union leaders for arrest. Huerta wasnt the first. In March, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Alfredo Lelo Juarez Zeferino, a labor organizer; founder of Familias Unidas por la Justicia, a farmworkers union in Bellingham, Washington; and former member of that citys now-defunct Immigration Advisory Board. As Kate Aronoff reported in The New Republic at the time of Zeferinos arrest, he was instrumental in securing state protections against excessive heat exposure. Zeferino is now being detained without bail. Labor unions in Washington state are infuriated by Zeferinos detention, and also by ICEs February arrest of Lewelyn Dixon (imprisoned for three months and then released), a lab technician at the University of Washington and, according to Local 925 of the Service Employees International Union, a dedicated member of that union. Dixon was born in the Philippines but for half a century has been a legal permanent resident. Then there was Maximo Londonio, a forklift driver in Lacey, Washington, and a member of Local 695 of the Machinists. Londonio, who was also born in the Philippines, is, like Dixon, a legal permanent resident, but hes been an ICE detainee since mid-May. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Zeferinos case, ICE can claim he ignored a 2018 immigration removal order (his lawyer says Zeferino never heard about it). In Dixons and Londonios cases, ICE can claim they committed (nonviolent) criminal offensesDixon embezzled; its not clear what Londonio didbut that was more than 20 years ago, and the government long ago prosecuted and punished them both. Huerta is different. He was born and raised in the United States, and his only offense appears to be observing and protesting how ICE treated members of his union during an immigration raid in Los Angeles. Clearly the Trump administration wants to make an example of him. But an example for whom? ICE arrests are typically intended to intimidate immigrants and prospective immigrants. But in this case (and probably Zeferinos too), ICE looks like its trying to drive a wedge between undocumented immigrants and the labor movement. Its a bit late for that. Before the 1980s, labor might have been receptive because it tended to oppose immigration, believing undocumented and even legal immigrants cost native-born Americans jobs or lowered their wages. Cesar Chavez, a more complex figure than is generally acknowledged, called undocumented immigrants traveling north from Mexico wetbacks. Chavez created a private security patrol to keep them out and bribed Mexican police to look the other way when his thuggish enforcers (nicknamed cesarchavezistas) roughed somebody up. Richard Strout, the liberal author of The New Republics TRB From Washington column from 1943 to 1983 (I followed him, in 201113), was rabidly anti-immigration. Failure to enforce immigration laws, Strout wrote in a July 1977 column, is a scandal. Strout even endorsed, long before E-Verify, legal sanctions against businesses that employed undocumented immigrants. But subsequent research showed immigrations financial cost to native-born Americans was minimal in most instances, and union leaders shifted from opposing undocumented immigrants to representing them. Among the voices today protesting most loudly the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia are his fellow union members and their leaders. Since 1994, foreign-born workers have grown from 8.4 percent of union members to 15.4 percent, according to the nonprofit Center for Economic and Policy Research. If for no other reason, labor unions wont turn back the clock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICEs criminal complaint against Huerta, which charges him with conspiracy to impede an officer, is shockingly thin. It makes much of the fact that Huerta and other protesters appear to have been summoned by an unidentified woman on the scene, and that these protesters all appeared to be communicating to each other by cell phone. Apparently one ICE officer has incriminating video of Huerta typing text into his digital device while present at the protestmore commonly known as exercising his First Amendment rights. At one point, according to the complaint, Huerta paced in front of a vehicle entrance gate, sat down, and urged other protesters to sit down alongside him, saying, Stop the vehicles and Its a public sidewalk, they cant stop us. That sounds less like a conspiracy than like a nonviolent protest. If the purpose was to impede, all it impeded was a parking spot, which, even in Los Angeles, is not a felony. (You might get a ticket for a first offense.) One ICE officer warned Huerta that if he didnt move hed be arrested, to which Huerta replied, I cant hear you through your fucking mask. The officer registered this as defiance, but it strikes me as entirely plausible that Huerta really couldnt hear the officer through his fucking mask. Huertas other offenses include making an offensive gesture to law enforcement officers, which I assume means he flipped them the bird, and unauthorized banging on the entrance gate. Huerta was finally arrested, according to the complaint, after an officer pushed him and Huerta pushed the officer back. Huerta was arraigned late Monday and released on a $50,000 bond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im no lawyer, but one obvious difficulty with the conspiracy charge is that Huerta is one person, and a conspiracy requires at least two. Who were Huertas partners in this crime? Surely not the activists texting back and forth about the ICE raid; bearing witness is not a conspiracy. Neither is protesting. The relevant statute, 18 U.S. Code 372, talks about preventing a person from holding an office, or inducing that person to leave the place where his duties are to be discharged, or injuring that officer or his property, none of which apply. A shove (assuming it really happened) doesnt typically cause injury, and anyway the only party sent to the hospital was Huerta himself. Unless ICE is withholding additional significant facts, this prosecution looks very unpromising. But whoever said the Trump administration gave a damn what happens in a courtroom? The point is to intimidate union leaders away from attending, witnessing, and recording ICE raids. So far, the strategy isnt succeeding. Huertas manhandling inspired protests not only in Los Angeles but also in Seattle, Minneapolis, Raleigh, and elsewhere. Far from terrorizing the labor movement, Trump is galvanizing it. WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump is expected to sign a measure Thursday that blocks Californias first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, a White House official told The Associated Press. The resolution Trump plans to sign, which Congress approved last month, aims to quash the countrys most aggressive attempt to phase out gas-powered cars. He also plans to approve measures to overturn state policies curbing tailpipe emissions in certain vehicles and smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks. The timing of the signing was confirmed Wednesday by a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to share plans not yet public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The development comes as the Republican president is mired in a clash with California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, over Trump's move to deploy troops to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests. It's the latest in an ongoing battle between the Trump administration and heavily Democratic California over everything from tariffs to the rights of LGBTQ+ youth and funding for electric vehicle chargers. If its a day ending in Y, its another day of Trumps war on California, Newsom spokesperson Daniel Villasenor said in an email. "Were fighting back." According to the White House official, Trump is expected to sign resolutions that block Californias rule phasing out gas-powered cars and ending the sale of new ones by 2035. He will also kill rules that phase out the sale of medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles and cut tailpipe emissions from trucks. The president is scheduled to sign the measures and make remarks during an event at the White House on Thursday morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom, who is considered a likely 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, and California officials contend that what the federal government is doing is illegal and said the state plans to sue. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin are expected to attend, along with members of Congress and representatives from the energy, trucking and gas station industries. The signings come as Trump has pledged to revive American auto manufacturing and boost oil and gas drilling. The move will also come a day after the Environmental Protection Agency proposed repealing rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas. Zeldin said it would remove billions of dollars in costs for industry and help unleash American energy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California, which has some of the nations worst air pollution, has been able to seek waivers for decades from the EPA, allowing it to adopt stricter emissions standards than the federal government. In his first term, Trump revoked Californias ability to enforce its standards, but President Joe Biden reinstated it in 2022. Trump has not yet sought to revoke it again. Republicans have long criticized those waivers and earlier this year opted to use the Congressional Review Act, a law aimed at improving congressional oversight of actions by federal agencies, to try to block the rules. Thats despite a finding from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan congressional watchdog, that Californias standards cannot legally be blocked using the Congressional Review Act. The Senate parliamentarian agreed with that finding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California, which makes up roughly 11% of the U.S. car market, has significant power to sway trends in the auto industry. About a dozen states signed on to adopt California's rule phasing out the sale of new gas-powered cars. The National Automobile Dealers Association supported the federal governments move to block Californias ban on gas-powered cars, saying Congress should decide on such a national issue, not the state. The American Trucking Associations said the rules were not feasible and celebrated Congress move to block them. Chris Spear, the CEO of the American Trucking Associations, said in a statement Wednesday: This is not the United States of California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was also applauded by Detroit automaker General Motors, which said it will help align emissions standards with todays market realities. We have long advocated for one national standard that will allow us to stay competitive, continue to invest in U.S. innovation, and offer customer choice across the broadest lineup of gas-powered and electric vehicles, the company said in a statement. Dan Becker with the Center for Biological Diversity, in anticipation of the president signing the measures, said earlier Thursday that the move would be Trumps latest betrayal of democracy. Signing this bill is a flagrant abuse of the law to reward Big Oil and Big Auto corporations at the expense of everyday peoples health and their wallets, Becker said in a statement. ___ Austin reported from Sacramento, Calif. By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration vowed on Wednesday to hold Boeing accountable after a series of safety issues raised questions about the U.S. planemaker. Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford said at a Senate Commerce Committee confirmation hearing that there were "some really hard lessons learned" by the FAA about the failure of a key safety system tied to two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bedford vowed to hold Boeing "accountable to deliver a high-quality product safely. ... We can also help Boeing by not simply saying, 'This fails.' We can collaborate and tell them where the failures are and how we view remedies that can help Boeing move the process along a little bit quicker." Republican Senator Ted Budd asked Bedford about the extensive process the agency has undertaken to certify new Boeing airplanes like the Boeing 737 MAX 7 and 10 and 777X that has led to long delays. "I look forward to advancing certification, technologies, processes, employee development around certification," Bedford responded. Last week, acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau said he is not considering lifting a production cap of 38 planes per month on Boeing's 737 MAX. The cap was imposed after a January 2024 mid-air emergency involving a new Alaska Airlines Boeing plane that was found to be missing four key bolts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In December, then-FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said the agency was looking at streamlining the certification process. During the hearing, Bedford was also asked about efforts to improve the nation's air safety system. He declined to commit to not changing a rule requiring co-pilots have 1,500 hours of flight training. In 2022, Bedford criticized the FAA's rejection of Republic's petition for allowing only 750 hours of flight experience instead of 1,500 hours. "I would never do anything to compromise safety as administrator," Bedford said. He also reiterated criticism of the FAA's culture, saying he had met recently with agency employees and asked them what their goals were. "They don't have any," Bedford said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said he had also asked about the strategy for improving air traffic control and that agency employees answered they were going to keep working hard to make it work. "That's just not the kind of leadership that we're going to need in order to get the job done," Bedford said. Calls to modernize the nation's air traffic control system intensified after a mid-air collision on January 29 between a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines jet near Washington Reagan National Airport. All 67 people aboard the aircraft died. One-quarter of all FAA facilities are 50 years old or older and aging systems have repeatedly sparked delays. A persistent shortage of controllers has delayed flights and many controllers are working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks. The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Franklin Paul and Paul Simao) Will there be another hush money trial against Donald Trump after he leaves office? The possibility is raised by the presidents pending appeal, which was the subject of a hearing Wednesday. But the issue at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit wasnt whether Trumps state conviction will be overturned, but where his attempt to overturn it will proceed: in state court or federal court, with the president pushing for the federal route. The hearing left it unclear what the three-judge panel will decide. But regardless of where the appeal moves forward, the Supreme Court can have the last word. And that last word could be that Trump deserves a new trial, based on its immunity ruling last summer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before the immunity ruling came down last year, a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records, for covering up a 2016 election conspiracy involving hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen paid her to stay quiet during the 2016 presidential campaign about her claim that she had sex with Trump, which he denied. He won the election. The Supreme Court declined to halt Trumps sentencing before he retook the White House after winning the 2024 election. Splitting 5-4, the justices said Trumps argument that evidence introduced at the trial violated the immunity ruling can be addressed in his appeal. The majority also cited the fact that he was going to receive an unconditional discharge, a penalty-free sentence as a courtesy to the then-incoming president, which he received before taking office again. Now back in office, Trump is pressing to undo the historic conviction. Hes represented by new private lawyers because he named his lawyers who lost the hush money trial, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, to top posts in the Justice Department (which is backing Trumps removal bid). At Wednesdays hearing, his lawyer Jeff Wall, who was a top DOJ lawyer during Trumps first term and is now in private practice, sought to persuade the panel that the case should move to federal court, while a prosecutor from Manhattan DA Alvin Braggs office said it should stay in state court. More specifically, Trumps lawyers have argued that hes entitled to a federal forum to seek relief based on federal constitutional defenses rooted in structural protections for the institution of the Presidency and the Supremacy Clause, referring to the constitutional provision placing federal law over state law. Bragg has argued, among other things, that the removal issue is moot now that Trump has been sentenced and that the case should stay the normal course through the state appellate process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But whether or not Trump wins or loses his removal bid we dont know when the panel will decide the justices can take appeals from state or federal courts. If the appeal reaches the justices again, we know from Trumps failure to halt his sentencing that the four dissenting justices (all Republican appointees) were ready to provide him that extraordinary relief. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett were in the majority rejecting Trumps motion in January, but at least Roberts, who authored the immunity ruling that Barrett didnt fully join, could form a majority to side with Trump on the merits of his appeal. Whatever the circuit panel decides on removal, it could be a while before the Supreme Court ultimately decides whether Trumps state conviction stands. But whenever that happens, the justices could say that a new trial is warranted; that, in turn, would raise the question of whether the president would have another hush money trial waiting for him when he leaves office. 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 President Donald Trump has said he may invoke the Insurrection Act, a law that grants the president the authority to deploy the U.S. military on American soil, as protests and unrest continue in Los Angeles over raids and deportations of immigrants. Though the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act broadly limits the military from participating in civilian law enforcement, the 218-year-old Insurrection Act, signed by President Thomas Jefferson, allows the president to deploy the military to suppress an "insurrection," "domestic violence" or other public disturbances that obstruct the execution of federal laws or deprive people of constitutional rights. The law states that a president may send the military either in consultation with state officials or when the President considers that unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion against the authority of the United States, make it impracticable to enforce the laws of the United States against American citizens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump, who has not invoked the act, has relied on other executive authorities to deploy 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, along with 700 active-duty Marines, to the anger of both state and national Democrats. The Marines are forbidden from participating in law enforcement activities unless Trump officially invokes the Insurrection Act. But Trump has said he is considering doing so. "If there's an insurrection I would certainly invoke it, Trump said from the Oval Office on Tuesday. We'll see If we didn't get involved right now Los Angeles would be burning." In the nearly 250 years of the nations history, the Insurrection Act or its predecessors has only been invoked 30 times, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a liberal law and policy organization. Several of those times were during the civil rights movement, when both presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson invoked the act, including in the wake of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are four times presidents have invoked the Insurrection Act. Los Angeles Rodney King riots The most recent declaration under the Insurrection Act was in 1992 and also in Los Angeles. In the late afternoon of April 29, 1992, three white police officers were acquitted of brutally beating Rodney King, who was Black. The beating, which was caught on camera, lasted some 15 minutes and left King with skull fractures, broken bones and permanent brain damage. Fires were set and stores looted. Dozens were killed, thousands were injured, and even more arrested. By the third day of rioting, President George H. W. Bush had had enough. Though state-controlled guard troops had already quelled some of the violence by then, Bush invoked the Insurrection Act on May 1, 1992. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bush appeared to have the support of California Gov. Pete Wilson, a fellow Republican who had already ordered 4,000 troops into the streets. But the troops were unprepared, according to TIME magazine, and were short of ammunition and lacked basics like flak jackets, batons and riot shields. What we saw last night and the night before in Los Angeles is not about civil rights, Bush said at the time. It's not about the great cause of equality that all Americans must uphold. It's not a message of protest. It's been the brutality of a mob, pure and simple. And let me assure you: I will use whatever force is necessary to restore order. What is going on in L.A. must and will stop. As your President I guarantee you this violence will end. It wasnt Bushs first time invoking the act. Hurricane Hugo and the St. Croix riots In September 1989, Bush dispatched more than 1,000 military police to the Virgin Islands after two days of looting and violence on St. Croix, the result of devastation caused by Hurricane Hugo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the wake of the storm, 90 percent of the island's buildings were damaged, according to reports from The Washington Post at the time, while communications and transportation were also knocked out. As looting unfolded, people were reportedly carrying guns around the streets. Units and members of the Armed Forces of the United States will be used to suppress the violence described in the proclamation and to restore law and order in and about the Virgin Islands, Bush wrote in his order. The federal government received some requests for aid from the territorial government, the nonpartisan law and policy journal Just Security found, but to what degree has been disputed. The order did receive some pushback from then-Democratic Gov. Alexander Farrelly, who told the Associated Press that he had not yet asked for federal troops. Farrelly also denied claims that there was anarchy in the Islands. There is some looting, no doubt about that, Farrelly said, according to The New York Times. "But there is no near state of anarchy. And I should know. I'm in the streets every day and I'm the governor of this territory." Atlanta prison overtaken by inmates In 1987, Cuban inmates facing deportation staged a riot at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta. The prisoners seized dozens of hostages and set fire to the prison. At least one person was killed and others were shot, according to the Los Angeles Times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response, then-President Ronald Reagan invoked the Insurrection Act. I have been informed that certain persons, in unlawful combination and conspiracy, have engaged in the violent criminal seizure and detention of persons and property in the vicinity of Atlanta, Georgia, Reagan said in his proclamation. Their actions have made it impracticable to enforce certain laws of the United States there by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings. Despite his proclamation, troops were never deployed to the prison. Instead, federal law enforcement officers, who were advised by several U.S. Army special forces soldiers, managed to quell the riot. The prison takeover lasted 11 days before the incarcerated men gave up control of the penitentiary and released the remaining hostages. Riots following MLKs assassination In the aftermath of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on. April 4, 1968, a wave of civil unrest swept the nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For 10 days after Kings murder, nearly 200 cities saw looting, arson and thousands of instances of property damage. Washington saw the most damage more than 1,200 fires and $24 million in insured property damage, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Johnson appeared to emphasize with many protesters, including those within the Black community. If I were a kid in Harlem, I know what Id be thinking right now. Id be thinking that the whites have declared open season on my people, and theyre going to pick us off one by one unless I get a gun and pick them off first, Johnson said. But as rioting continued, Johnson on April 5, 1968, called in the guard and the armed forces to help end violence and assist in the restoration of law and order. Two days later, Johnson invoked the act twice more to deploy troops to Chicago and Baltimore, where rioting was also still underway. Happy Tuesday! Heres your weekly Tech Drop, a roundup of the past weeks top stories from the intersection of technology and politics. Trumps FTC probes ad agencies for Musk Elon Musks ostensible departure from the White House and its contentious aftermath certainly havent stopped the Trump administration from working to further Musks commercial interests. The Federal Trade Commission recently demanded documents from some of the worlds largest ad agencies, following on from Musks allegations that companies have been engaged in a boycott when they chose not to purchase ads on X due to the prevalence of disinformation and hate speech on the platform. (Several major corporations recently asked a judge to dismiss a related lawsuit brought by X.) Read more at The Wall Street Journal. Metas military ambitions Meta is making a foray into military technology, starting with plans to develop a virtual realityenabled headset to train U.S. troops. I laid out some glaring security concerns in a recent post that highlights the companys history of being used by illiberal forces to spread disinformation and promote propaganda linked to violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more at MSNBC. MAGA world misinfo Amid protests in Los Angeles over the Trump administrations authoritarian, anti-immigration raids, several MAGA world figures, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, spread videos on social media that they falsely claimed depicted the city in a state of chaos. In reality, many of the images they shared dont come from the protests at all but were either taken at different times or in other countries entirely. Read more at Meidas Touch. Top TikToker forced out Khaby Lame, a TikTok influencer who is reportedly the most followed person on the app, was forced to leave the U.S. after being detained by ICE agents last week. The agency said that Lame had overstayed his visa and was given the opportunity to leave voluntarily. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more at MSBNC. Steve Bannons back on Spotify Far-right influencer Steve Bannons podcast, WarRoom, has been welcomed back to Spotify. The audio streaming platform removed Bannons content in 2020 after he said hed like to see government officials like then-FBI Director Christopher Wray and leading immunologist Anthony Fauci beheaded and their heads put on pikes at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats. Following its temporary suspension and a constructive dialogue with the shows team, new Bannons WarRoom episodes are available on Spotify, a spokesperson said in a statement. Read more at the New York Post. Warrens report highlights alleged corruption In a report released last week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., highlighted more than 100 instances of possible corruption by Musk and other White House officials who appear to have advanced his business interests during his time as a special government employee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A White House official referred to the report as toothless in a statement to MSNBC and claimed Musk has done more than Warren to improve Americans lives. But the statement didnt address any specific allegations. Read more at MSNBC. University of Michigan backtracks on student surveillance The University of Michigan says it is ending its contracts with outside vendors that provide plainclothes security, including a technology-focused security company, the Guardian reports. The outlet had previously reported that private investigators had been trailing and recording pro-Palestinian demonstrators. The university said it ended its contract after one of the companys employees engaged in behavior the school said went against our values and directives. Read more at The Guardian. Bad DOGE The Trump administrations rush to install AI tools across the federal government continues to run into some snags. An artificial intelligence tool developed by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency has caused some problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs over its tendency to spit out false information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more at ProPublica. What nonlethal really means A new report in Wired highlights how the term nonlethal, used in reference to weapons that are often deployed against protesters, doesnt give the full picture of how harmful these weapons can be or the extent to which their use on civilians is frowned upon in other nations. Read more at Wired. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com President Donald Trump has the authority to abolish national monuments protected by his predecessors, the Justice Department recently said. In a legal document dated to May 27, the department overturned a nearly 90-year-old opinion that said presidents did not have that ability, saying that its conclusions were wrong and can no longer be relied upon. The Antiquities Act of 1906 permits a president to alter a prior declaration of a national monument, including by finding that the landmarks, structures, or objects identified in the prior declaration either never were or no longer are deserving of the acts protections; and such an alteration can have the effect of eliminating entirely the reservation of the parcel of land previously associated with a national monument, the Office of Legal Counsels Deputy Assistant Attorney General Lanora Pettit wrote. The contrary conclusion of the Attorney General in Proposed Abolishment of Castle Pinckney National Monument, 39 Op. Atty Gen. 185 (1938), was incorrect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The document specifically refers to former President Joe Biden establishing Californias Chuckwalla and Sattitla Highlands National Monuments. The monuments, that have particular significance to Native American tribes and extend over some 848,000 acres of land, barred oil and natural gas drilling and mining there. The Trump administration told The Washington Post in March that it has plans to eliminate them. In April, the paper reported that Interior Department Officials were studying whether to scale back at least six national monuments, and a person briefed on the matter said the aim was to free up land for drilling and mining. Biden established 10 new monuments during his tenure. Americas energy infrastructure was on life-support when President Trump got into office; and in nearly six months, the administration has shocked this critical industry back into life, making good on another promise to the American people, the White Houses Harrison Fields, principal deputy press secretary, told The Independent in an emailed statement responding to question about the Justice Departments opinion. Its imperative that the Senate passes OBBB to completely end Bidens war on American energy, and will liberate our federal lands and waters to oil, gas, coal, geothermal, and mineral leasing. A recent opinion from the Justice Department said President Donald Trump has the authority to abolish the nations national monuments. The opinion does not overturn any national monument but hints at future action (Getty/iStock) The Justice Department did not immediately respond to The Independents request for comment on the matter. While this opinion does not overturn any national monument, it hints at future action. Trump has taken steps to shrink monuments in the past. During his first administration, he moved to slash Utahs Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments: the first such move of its kind in more than 50 years. Biden reversed Trumps decision before the courts could make a final ruling on the matter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this year, Trump opened the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine national monument to commercial fishing while leaving the monument in place. The Interior Department is weighing changes to monuments across the country as part of the push to restore American energy dominance. The fight over Bears Ears national monument started during President Trumps first term. He had moved to slash the monuments protections, but the decision was reversed by President Biden (Getty/iStock) The National Park Service alone manages more than 100 national monuments established under the authority of the Antiquities Act. Some are also co-managed by the U.S. and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Army, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Some of those include the Statue of Liberty, the Stonewall Inn, the Grand Canyon, Sequoia National Forest, and the Lincoln Memorial. While Congress must approve the designation of national parks, a national monument is designated by a president via the Antiquities Act. Around half of the nations national parks were first designated monuments, and all except three presidents have used the act to protect areas both offshore and on land. Presidents, including Dwight Eisenhower, have also diminished monuments. The Lincoln memorial is managed by the National Park Service. The D.C. landmark is a popular tourist destination (Getty/iStock) Responding to the document, environmental advocate groups have asserted there might not be much legal standing and that moves to eliminate or shrink monuments would be less than popular. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Theres no reason to think the OLC opinion should make much difference to the White House. National monuments have broad public and political support, and shrinking or revoking them will only damage the Trump Administrations popularity, Aaron Paul, the staff attorney for the Grand Canyon Trust, told The Independent in an emailed statement. Besides, if the president tries to shrink or eliminate monuments, it would send the question to the courts, which is the real test of whether the OLCs views have any validity or not." Social media users wondered if there would be impacts to Stonewall. It was declared a national monument under former President Barack Obama in 2016 (Getty/iStock) The Trump administration can come to whatever conclusion it likes, but the courts have upheld monuments established under the Antiquities Act for over a century. This opinion is just that, an opinion. It does not mean presidents can legally shrink or eliminate monuments at will, Jennifer Rokala, executive director of The Center for Western Priorities, said in a written statement. Once again the Trump administration finds itself on the wrong side of history and at odds with Western voters, she said. With reporting from The Associated Press President Trumps hush money criminal conviction returns to the limelight Wednesday as his attorneys plead with an appeals panel to move the New York case to federal court. The oral arguments will unfold in a Lower Manhattan courthouse down the block from where a jury convicted Trump on 34 felonies last year. It marks the biggest moment in the case since Trump was sentenced to no punishment just before his inauguration. The presidents personal attorneys will make the case that prosecutors relied on Trumps official acts as president at trial, so he deserves a federal forum to advance his presidential immunity claims that, if successful, would toss the verdict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But first, Trump faces a sizable roadblock. He already tried to move his case once before and failed. His attorneys must convince the appeals judges that Trump has good cause to try again, an argument that largely concerns how the Supreme Courts immunity decision didnt land until after his trial. President Trump had good cause to pursue a post-trial removal for a simple reason: he could not have raised any of the arguments set forth herein until well after his trial began, Trumps attorneys wrote in their written briefs. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs (D) office disagrees. It says the Supreme Courts immunity decision doesnt apply, Trump showed lack of diligence by waiting two months after the ruling to restart his effort and Trumps sentencing makes the battle moot, anyway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if removal were still formally available here, there were ample grounds supporting the district courts finding of lack of good cause to permit defendant to file a second, untimely notice of removal, Braggs office wrote in court filings. Trump is backed by his own Justice Department, which asked to file a friend-of-the-court brief in the case in March, shortly after he took office. Wednesdays argument will also bring new attorneys into the picture. Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who led Trumps criminal defense team, stepped away to take senior Justice Department roles. D. John Sauer and Will Scharf, who became Trumps go-to appellate team, also joined the administration as solicitor general and White House staff secretary, respectively. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump now has a new team in place from Sullivan & Cromwell, led by the elite firms co-chair, Robert Giuffra. Giuffra is a trusted legal adviser for Trump and reportedly helped him negotiate his deal with the law firm Paul, Weiss. Taking the lectern Wednesday for the team will be Jeffrey Wall, Trumps former acting solicitor general who now heads Sullivan & Cromwells Supreme Court and appellate practice. Wall will face off against Steven Wu, the appeals chief at the Manhattan District Attorneys Office. They will appear before a three-judge panel on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, all appointed by Democratic presidents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The panel comprises Raymond Lohier, an appointee of former President Obama; Susan Carney, another Obama appointee; and Myrna Perez, an appointee of former President Biden. No cameras are allowed inside, but the court will livestream the argument audio here. It begins at 10 a.m. EDT. And whoever loses? They could bring the matter to the Supreme Court next. Trump leans on emergencies to exercise vast power Trump is declaring emergency after emergency to harness broad powers. An economic emergency paved the way for sweeping tariffs. A crisis at the southern border has justified mass deportations. And in Los Angeles, out-of-control protests warranted the mobilization of the military on American soil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Or so the president says which is all that really matters. What constitutes an emergency has not yet been defined by law, meaning whatever a president says goes when it comes to proclaiming a crisis. Since returning to the White House, Trump has declared national emergencies at least eight times and further pushed the bounds of his authority in the name of various national crises, allowing him to extend his command quickly and without Congresss help. Under the National Emergencies Act, hes deemed the southern border, economy and energy in crisis. Hes used apparent emergencies to designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, to sanction the International Criminal Court over its stance on Israel and to crack down on China, Canada and Mexico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond that, Trump has invoked the 18th-century wartime Alien Enemies Act to allow the federal government to detain or deport natives and citizens of countries deemed foreign adversaries. And now, hes flirting with the calling on the Insurrection Act, a rarely used power allowing use of the military to quell a rebellion. Trump bypassed California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to send the National Guard to the streets of Los Angeles, after protests broke out over the weekend when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted workplace raids. His administration is also set to deploy 700 Marines to assist the National Guard. He didnt invoke the Insurrection Act. But it marked the first time a president has deployed a states National Guard without its governors consent since former President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect civil rights protesters in Alabama in 1965. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California sued the president Monday over the unprecedented power grab. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, a former President Clinton appointee and the brother of retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, was assigned the case. Georgias longest trial comes to close; Willis scrutinized The longest trial in Georgias history came to an anticlimactic finish Monday, putting Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) back under scrutiny. More than three years after Willis announced shed prosecute the alleged Young Slime Life (YSL) gang under Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, the last remaining defendant entered a guilty plea. Christian Eppinger, the final defendant, entered an Alford plea Monday, which let him plead guilty to several charges while maintaining his innocence, just before his trial was set to begin. He was sentenced to 75 years, to serve 40 in prison, to run concurrently with 45 years hes already serving, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some 28 people were charged in the far-reaching racketeering case, with Atlanta rapper Young Thug at the center of it all. But the sweeping prosecution ended in zero murder convictions. Just two defendants reached the end of a jury trial, where they were acquitted of their most serious charges. And drama marred the years-long affair. This entire saga was a travesty, said Anthony Michael Kreis, a law professor at Georgia State University. Victims of crimes were dragged onto the stand, sometimes in humiliating fashion. Defendants were overcharged and spent months of their lives incarcerated without a conviction. Jurors were asked to spend a year of their life assessing the evidence. Everybody walked away poorer for it, he continued. There was no real justice here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The end of the prosecution puts Williss office back in the limelight, after its RICO prosecution against Trump and his allies over their efforts to subvert the states 2020 presidential election came to a halt last year. A Georgia appeals court removed Williss office from the prosecution in December over her past romantic relationship with a top prosecutor on the case, which it has since appealed. The states top court has not yet said whether it will review her disqualification. Legal experts once predicted that a future Trump trial, alongside more than a dozen allies, could look a lot like the similarly sweeping YSL trial. And the YSL case went off the rails. Drugs were exchanged in court, a defense attorney was arrested on a gang charge and another defense attorney was held in contempt and ordered to serve jail time after discovering an ex parte conversation involving the judge, prosecutors and a key witness. Midway through the trial, the judge was removed from presiding over the case. And a smattering of other incidents tainted the trial. In a statement, Williss office said its anti-gang initiative is a critical part of her effort to direct prosecutorial resources toward the most dangerous offenders while helping others keep free from a life damaged by a criminal record. Jeff DiSantis, a spokesperson for the office, pointed to over 400 convictions of gang members during Williss tenure, including 19 defendants in the YSL RICO trial a figure accounting for the guilty pleas. Those efforts have been a key part of making Fulton County safer, taking dangerous offenders off our streets and sending a message that gang activity will not be tolerated in our community, DiSantis said, calling Williss efforts ongoing. I think if there is any lesson here, it is that sometimes prosecuting crimes with a deft hand and not seeing every problem as a nail because all you have is a hammer, is a fairer and more successful way to secure justice and make communities safer, Kreis said. Whats next for Kilmar Abrego Garcia Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man the Trump administration deported to El Salvador in mid-March, is back in the United States. But it comes with a catch. As Abrego Garcia was flown to Tennessee on Friday, the Justice Department unsealed a two-count indictment, revealing their intent to return Abrego Garcia so he can stand trial and serve a sentence. He stands accused of taking more than 100 trips from Texas to other parts of the country to transport migrants unlawfully in exchange for payment. Abrego Garcia is due back in court in Nashville on Friday morning for his arraignment, where he is expected to enter a plea. The government will also attempt to keep him detained pending trial. The Government depends on witnesses to prove the allegations in the Indictment and there is a serious risk that those witnesses will be intimidated should the Defendant be released, prosecutors wrote in a Monday brief, also saying Abrego Garcia is a flight risk. It will be up to U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes, who will preside Friday. Ultimately, the case will be overseen by U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, an Obama appointee. The Justice Department believes its criminal prosecution bolsters the case that Abrego Garcia is part of MS-13, accusing him of transporting other gang members on some of his trips. The indictment also takes aim at Abrego Garcias relatives, who deny he has any gang ties, by alleging they were sometimes brought along. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is pushing for an end to Abrego Garcias civil lawsuit in Maryland now that hes back. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has been considering holding the government in contempt for not doing more to comply with a Supreme Court order to facilitate Abrego Garcias return. Abrego Garcias lawyers accuse the administration of having engaged in a stalling campaign to stave off sanctions until it could concoct a politically face-saving exit. It called the indictment another act of contempt, noting the Supreme Court directed the mans case be handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador. Until the Government is held accountable for its blatant, willful, and persistent violations of court orders at excruciating cost to Abrego Garcia and his family, this case is not over, Abrego Garcias lawyers responded Saturday. The Justice Department called the response desperate and disappointing. Xinis, an Obama appointee, could rule at any time on how shell proceed. Sidebar Catch up on the biggest updates from the past week: SCOTUS financial disclosures coming: The Supreme Court justices 2024 financial disclosures will be released Tuesday at noon EDT, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts announced. Well have full coverage in next weeks edition. DOGE wins at SCOTUS: The Supreme Court on Friday handed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) two major victories on its emergency docket: It lifted a block on DOGE personnel accessing sensitive Social Security Administration systems and tossed a ruling forcing DOGE to turn over discovery in a records lawsuit. AP ban is back: A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the Trump administration can temporarily ban The Associated Press from the Oval Office and other limited spaces, largely pausing a judges order to return the wire services access. Proud Boys sue: Five leaders of the Proud Boys filed a $100 million lawsuit accusing the government and FBI employees of violating their constitutional rights in their prosecutions over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Education Dept. dismantling reaches SCOTUS: The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to lift a judges block on efforts to dismantle the Education Department. Its the administrations 19th emergency appeal at the high court since taking office. In other news Following up on last weeks edition of The Gavel: Brad Bondi, Attorney General Pam Bondis brother, lost his bid for president of the D.C. Bar Association in a race that saw record turnout. He earned just 9.1 percent of the vote, while his opponent, employment lawyer Diane Seltzer, won 90.9 percent of votes. Law firm moves: The law firm Jenner & Block poached Damian Williams, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, from the law firm Paul, Weiss. His departure is the latest in a series of high-profile resignations from the firm in the aftermath of its agreement with the Trump administration. Jenner & Block, meanwhile, is fighting Trumps executive order against it in court. Glossip to be retried: Oklahomas top prosecutor said the state intends to retry Richard Glossip for murder but seek only a life sentence, after the Supreme Court threw out the death row inmates capital conviction. Trump seeks delay in defamation case: Trump asked to delay oral arguments scheduled for June 24 in his appeal of a jurys verdict finding him liable for defaming columnist E. Jean Carroll until the court resolves whether the Justice Department can take Trumps place as the defendant. Order List Read the full order list here. Lawyers with petitions up for consideration at last weeks conference got some unexpected news Friday afternoon: an email with the courts order on their case. Orders are typically announced Mondays at 9:30 a.m. EDT. But the early release resulted from what a court spokesperson told us was an apparent software malfunction. Its the second major technical mishap in a year that broke the news early of the courts decisionmaking, which is closely guarded until released with striking precision. Last June, the Supreme Courts publications unit inadvertently and briefly uploaded a draft opinion in a major case concerning emergency abortions. Bloomberg found and published it, scooping the news a day ahead of when the justices announced it from the bench. IN: Death penalty and IQ tests The court took up four new cases, all of which weve highlighted in previous editions. First, Alabama is back at the Supreme Court in its effort to execute Joseph Clifton Smith, who was convicted of beating and murdering Durk Van Dam with a hammer and saw in 1997 while robbing him. Smith has battled with Alabama for years over whether he is mentally competent to be executed. In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled in Atkins v. Virginia that executing mentally disabled individuals violates the 8th Amendments prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. More than two decades later, the high court in Hamm v. Smith will examine how that applies when an inmate has multiple IQ scores. Alabama law requires inmates to show their IQ score is at or below 70 to prove an Atkins claim, but Smith took five tests, scoring between 72 and 78. Noting the tests standard error and Smiths behavior, lower courts found he was intellectually disabled. Last year, the Supreme Court declined to take up the issue head on and instead directed the lower court to clarify its reasoning. Now that it has, the justices will hear the case next term. The grant came along three others we highlighted last week. In Rutherford v. United States and Carter v. United States, the justices will weigh whether judges can consider disparities created by the First Step Act in determining whether a defendant qualifies for a sentence reduction under what is known as compassionate release. The Trump administration had asked the court to only take up the Carter case and hold Rutherfords until reaching a decision. And in Coney Island Auto Parts Unlimited, Inc. v. Burton, the court will decide whether the normal deadline for a party to ask a court to void its final judgment applies when the court had no personal jurisdiction. OUT: Republican challenge to PA ballot do-overs The court declined to take up the Republican National Committees (RNC) effort to overturn a lower court ruling guaranteeing Pennsylvania voters a do-over option after submitting a defective mail ballot. Pennsylvanias top court ruled 4-3 that those voters can still show up at their polling place on Election Day to cast a provisional ballot. But the RNC said the decision contravenes state law. RNC v. Genser marked Republicans latest bid for the Supreme Court to lay out specifics on how it views the independent state legislature theory. Derived from the Constitutions Elections Clause, it would curtail the ability for state courts to scrutinize how state legislatures set federal election rules. Two years ago, the Supreme Court declined to endorse the maximalist version of the theory. But the justices cautioned that while state courts have some role, there comes a point where they intrude on the legislatures constitutional authority. The justices have yet to provide specifics, however. On Friday, they refused the RNCs latest bid to do so. Fridays order list also included one denied petition handed down alongside a written statement from Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas. We highlighted the petition, Chambers-Smith v. Ayers, last month. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) asked the court to reject ineffective counsel claims raised by Kayla Ayers, whom a jury convicted of setting fire to her fathers house, as untimely. Normally, Ayers wouldve only had a year. But a lower court agreed she met an exception for when a previously undiscoverable factual predicate comes to light. Alitos three-page statement stresses he wasnt endorsing the lower courts ruling. Alito called the denial understandable because Ayers has served her sentence, signaling he wouldve gotten involved had she still been imprisoned. Petition Pile The Supreme Court added no new relists this week. But one non-relist on this weeks list caught our eye, Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany v. Harris. Last week, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled Wisconsin violated the First Amendment when it found Catholic Charities Bureau wasnt religious enough to receive a tax exemption. How the justices handle the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany case this week will provide clues as to how they believe their decision should play out beyond the tax system and into the culture wars. A coalition represented by Becket, the religious legal group that represented Catholic Charities, is challenging New Yorks mandate that employers health care plans cover abortions. Like in Wisconsin, New Yorks regulation exempts religious organizations only if they inculcate religious values, meaning many faith-based charities must still follow the mandate. The justices appear to have held the case in limbo while they considered the Catholic Charities case. But now that the decision is in, its back on this weeks conference list. Oftentimes, the justices will send a pending petition back to a lower court for reconsideration in light of a new decision. Its a maneuver known as a GVR, which stands for grant, vacate, remand. But Becket wants the Supreme Court to go a step further. Rather than merely wipe the lower courts earlier decision and start anew, Becket asked the Supreme Court to immediately reverse it. The group stressed it has been litigating the case for years, and the justices already GVRed it once before when it decided another major religious rights case in 2021. Petitioners ought not be sent back to those same courts for yet another round, the religious groups legal team wrote in court filings. On the Docket Dont be surprised if additional hearings are scheduled throughout the week. But heres what were watching for now: Today The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit will hear oral arguments in Trumps DOJ-backed bid to have his New York criminal conviction removed to federal court. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) is set to appear for a preliminary hearing before a federal judge in New Jersey in her assault case stemming from an incident at a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., is set to hold a preliminary injunction hearing in a challenge to the Labor Departments freeze of cooperative agreements and grants entered into by the departments Bureau of International Labor Affairs. A pretrial conference is scheduled in a proposed class action by voters who said Elon Musk defrauded them into signing a petition to win $1 million. Thursday The Supreme Court will announce opinions. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., is set to hold a summary judgment hearing in a challenge by two Democratic appointees to the three-member National Credit Union Administration to their firings by Trump. Friday Abrego Garcia, the man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, is set to be arraigned in federal court in Nashville on two criminal charges. The Justice Department faces a deadline to release documents related to a government motion to compel now-FBI Director Kash Patel to comply with a grand jury subpoena he received in 2022. Monday The Supreme Court will announce orders. A federal judge in Massachusetts is set to hold a motions hearing in 16 Democratic state attorneys generals challenge over the National Institutes for Healths termination of various grants that purportedly promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Another Massachusetts federal judge is set to hold a preliminary injunction hearing in Harvards bid to block Trumps proclamation blocking new international students planning to attend the school from entering the country. Tuesday The Supreme Court justices final disclosure reports will become available online. Ex-Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) is scheduled to report to prison. A federal judge in Rhode Island is set to hold a preliminary injunction hearing in 20 Democratic state attorneys generals challenge to the Trump administrations requirement for grant recipients to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement for various programs, particularly at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A federal judge in New York is set to hold a pretrial conference in a legal challenge brought by two Venezuelan men in immigration custody threatened with removal under the Alien Enemies Act. A federal judge in Washington state is set to hold a preliminary injunction hearing in Democratic attorneys generals lawsuit over the administrations freezing of funds for electric vehicle infrastructure. What were reading The Washington Posts Robert Samuels, Lauren Lumpkin and John D. Harden: How the Districts failure to curb truancy in middle schools fueled the biggest youth crime surge in a generation. Documenteds Rommel H. Ojeda in The City: Fake Immigration Courts Take Advantage of Immigrants Desperate for Answers Politicos Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein: Trumps troop deployment is a warning sign for what comes next, legal scholars fear Reuterss Sara Merken: More partners leave Paul Weiss to join new law firm Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Posing as a wartime leader, President Donald Trump is building a political case to use American troops not in a foreign conflict, but at home, to bolster his mass deportation sweeps. But California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Democrat who heads the state leading resistance to a president with a taste for unchecked power, says a long-feared moment of peril is at hand for US democracy. In an emerging campaign with stark constitutional implications, Trump is conjuring a narrative of invasion and insurrection. Hes exaggerating disorder in the relatively contained unrest, looting and protests in Los Angeles. And hes implying that, to keep the country safe, hes ready to deploy soldiers across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump repeatedly and falsely claimed on Tuesday that if hed failed to dispatch the National Guard and US Marines to Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground. The president also warned that he was looking beyond Los Angeles, as other cities, and states especially those run by Democrats brace for expanded sweeps against undocumented migrants and protests that could follow. You know, if we didnt attack this one very strongly, youd have them all over the country, Trump said in the Oval Office. But I can inform the rest of the country that when they do it, if they do it, they are going to be met with equal or greater force that we met right here. Then, in a highly politicized speech to troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, later Tuesday, the president portrayed entire neighborhoods of Los Angeles as locked in the grip of an occupying force of transnational gangs and criminal networks. We will liberate Los Angeles, Trump said, as if he was referring to a city seized by a hostile foreign army. We will use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order right away. Were not going to wait seven days and eight days and wait for a governor thats never going to call and watch cities burn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A day earlier, Trump had suggested that Los Angeles is just the start, saying at the White House, We are going to have troops everywhere. In another development Tuesday that appeared to reveal the administrations intentions, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem previously asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to direct troops in Los Angeles to arrest protesters. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Noem made the request which would likely violate the law if ever carried out in a weekend memo. DHS later clarified that Noem wrote the memo before she and Hegseth met with Trump. Newsom responded to Trumps increasing pressure with a broadcast to Californias citizens on Tuesday evening. Democracy is under assault before our eyes, this moment we have feared has arrived, said a Democrat who is seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. Trump is taking a wrecking ball, a wrecking ball to our Founding Fathers historic project three co-equal branches of independent government. There are no longer any checks and balances. Rallying the troops against a perceived domestic threat The presidents trip to Fort Bragg celebrated the 250th anniversary of US Army, and in calmer times would draw little notice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But his aggressive use of his authority as commander in chief has revived fears about his authoritarian streak. Trumps speech at times indistinguishable from a campaign event was jarring given that the military is supposed to be a nonpartisan force. The optics were of a commander in chief rallying troops for a mission on his behalf. Fort Bragg has been such a backdrop before. Twenty years ago, President George W. Bush used it for a national televised address to try to win back the public as it began to turn against the war in Iraq. President Donald Trump speaks at Fort Bragg near Fayetteville, North Carolina, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. - Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images M1A2 Abrams tanks are parked in West Potomac Park in Washington, DC on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, ahead of the upcoming US Army 250th anniversary celebration parade. - Kevin Lamarque/Reuters The current administrations handling of the situation in Los Angeles is also lending a foreboding tone to another event marking the Armys 250th birthday a huge military parade in Washington this weekend. The spectacular just happens to be taking place on the 79th birthday of a president who loves basking in strongman imagery and the martial glow of soldiers and weaponry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump set the tone with a dark warning in the Oval Office. If there is any protest that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force, he told reporters. I havent heard about a protest. But you know, this is people who hate our country, he said of citizens potentially exercising their constitutional right to peaceful dissent. But they will be met with very great force. He amped up the authoritarian mood music as he headed home from Fort Bragg, portraying Los Angeles as a city at war an illusion that would make the deployment of active troops seem more apt. I just want to see peace. If theres peace, we get out. If theres even a chance of no peace, we stay there until theres peace. Trumps strategy has worked many times before This is more than typical Trumpian hyperbole. Theres a long tradition of autocratic-style leaders creating or exaggerating public-order incidents to justify the use of the military. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protests have included scenes of agitators throwing projectiles at police, some looting and burning of cars, and other kinds of unrest, which state and local leaders have condemned even while insisting the situation is nowhere near bad enough to merit troop deployments. But from the start, the administration has worked to leverage the anti-ICE protests for political gain. Trump suddenly announced on Saturday night that hed send National Guard troops over the objections of Newsom the first time a president has taken such action in decades. The reservists were followed by 700 active-duty Marines. Trumps dystopian evocation of Los Angeles as a city hostage to paid insurrectionists and animals is potentially laying the rhetorical groundwork for any future use of the Insurrection Act to allow domestic troops to make arrests and act in a law enforcement capacity. Demonstrators march near Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. - Leah Millis/Reuters His strategy, which is gathering in intensity each day, is reminiscent of his claims that he won the 2020 election. This seemed absurd at first. But Trumps demagoguery whipped up a true uprising against the federal government and democracy at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Millions of voters later bought into his narrative of a stolen election, which sparked the greatest political comeback in history in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its easy to imagine the president cementing false impressions about the situation in California. Still, Trump is prone to exaggeration and threats that are not always carried out. And his administration is yet to use troops on the streets of Los Angeles to directly confront protesters. They are mostly protecting several federal buildings one reason Democrats balked Tuesday when the Defense Department revealed that the operation is costing $134 million. And the administration may have off-ramps at hand. Sources told CNN this week that officials were looking for alternative options to the Insurrection Act to bolster protection for federal agents working on immigration enforcement. But Trump now has a long record of choreographing his intentions in public, and he often ignores advice to act with restraint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It would be logical for him to try to co-opt the military to further his personal and political goals. After all, hes reshaped the entire US government and the powers of the executive to that role after returning to power. Los Angeles is an experiment Los Angeles may not be an isolated crisis. I think were an experiment, because if you can do this to the nations second-largest city, maybe the administration is hoping that this will be a signal to everybody everywhere to fear them, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Tuesday. Californias two Democratic senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, wrote to Hegseth and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan to warn that the deployments were an extreme and inappropriate step. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A decision to deploy active-duty military personnel within the United States should only be undertaken during the most extreme circumstances, and these are not them, they wrote. That this deployment was made over the objections of state authorities is all the more unjustifiable. National Guard troops guard Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during an operation in Los Angeles, in this image shared by ICE on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. - US. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, drew a distinction between Marines and the National Guard. Active-duty forces are generally not to be involved in domestic law enforcement operations, Collins said. Yet its clear the administration has maneuvered Democrats into the familiar political weak spot theyve often occupied since Trump burst into presidential politics and used immigration as a stepping-stone to power. And many of his supporters will regard his tough-guy act as an appropriate dividend for their vote last November and are unlikely to fixate on whether hes acting legally and constitutionally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICE agents need to be able to do their job, Hegseth said during a House of Representatives hearing Tuesday, channeling the views of MAGA world. Theyre being attacked for doing their job, which is deporting illegal criminals. And President Trump believes in law and order. Noem, meanwhile, told reporters that Trump was merely protecting everyday Americans. This president is standing up for the average American who wants to walk their child to school every day safely, run their small business and provide for their families. Thats the action that hes taken, she told reporters in the Oval Office. But as usual, the president landed on a particularly resonant image one that called forth the somber possibility that he now perceives the homeland as a war zone: The only flag that will wave triumphant over the streets of Los Angeles is the American flag, so help me God, he told the troops at Fort Bragg. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Razin Caine told senators Wednesday that he did not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin would stop at Ukraine if he succeeds in overtaking the country, a marked contrast to President Trumps typical ambiguity on the question. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) asked Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth whether Putin would stop at Ukraine in a series of rapid-fire questions on foreign conflicts. I dont believe he is, Caine told the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on armed services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Graham turned to Hegseth with the same question. Remains to be seen, Hegseth said. The senator then said the answer was obvious. It doesnt remain to be seen. [Putin] tells everybody around what he wants to do, the South Carolina Republican said, noting Russias buildup of ordnance is well beyond what it might need to take Ukraine. I like what youre doing, Graham added to Hegseth. I just think we gotta get this stuff right. Graham had earlier asked Hegseth if he agreed the world miscalculated in its approach to Adolf Hitler in the years leading up to WWII. The danger that is like 50 million people get killed, he said. So, lets dont do that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the subcommittee chair, came out of the gates asking Hegseth about Ukraine, asking which side he wanted to win the war. The Defense chief said the Trump administration wanted the killing to end but would not choose a side. Hegseth criticized former President Bidens handling of Russia and Ukraine before McConnell cut in to say he agreed the previous administration was completely inadequate and had encouraged Putin with its withdrawal from Afghanistan. But we are where we are, and beating up the past is not a plan for going forward to the future, the former Republican leader said. He noted that other NATO members and Europe seemed to be spending more on defense generally and committed to increasing support for Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everybody seems to be moving in the right direction, and they look at us and wonder whether were in the midst of brokering what appears to be allowing the Russians to define victory, McConnell said. Biden often spoke about Putins threat beyond Ukraines borders, both in terms of taking more territory in former Soviet states and emboldening autocrats around the world. Trump promised to end the war within 24 hours of taking office but has made little apparent headway about five months into his second term. Russia has so far refused U.S. proposals for a 30-day ceasefire. Trump has expressed increasing frustration with Putin, but often says he is unsatisfied with Ukraine as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Ukraine carried out a stunning drone attack on Russian military bases June 1, Trump complained it would set back his push for peace, comparing Russia and Ukraine to children fighting in a schoolyard. Russia has ramped up drone strikes on Ukraine since Operation Spider Web, on Wednesday launching what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the biggest strikes on Kyiv since the war began more than three years ago. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 the second time in two months, President Donald Trump on Wednesday touted a deal with China. Theres one problem: Its largely the same deal the two countries agreed to last month. And the initial readouts of the handshake agreement underscore just how far the Trump administration is from achieving its larger goals in the trade negotiations with Beijing. "The two sides have already met once to try to de-escalate and basically agree to stop punching each other in the face with extreme tariffs, said Emily Kilcrease, a former deputy assistant U.S. Trade Representative from 2019 to 2021. And now they've come back together to say 'Yes, we've already agreed we should stop punching each other in the face. Let's actually stick to it this time.'" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking late Tuesday in front of the ornate London mansion where theyd just held two days of talks, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters the worlds two largest economies had agreed to ratchet back actions both sides have taken since they announced an initial deal to cool tensions on May 12. The framework, as officials from both countries described it, still needs to be approved by Trump and Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, and many elements remain outstanding. But the emerging details suggest the Trump administration is at a disadvantage. While the U.S. is promising additional concessions on the export of certain sensitive products to China and restarting Chinese student visas, Beijing has only recommitted to a pledge it made a month ago lifting its blockade on shipments of critical minerals, which are essential components of everything from cars to computers to defense equipment. China controlled nearly 70 percent of the worlds mine production of those minerals in 2024, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. And control of that spigot is proving to be the ultimate pressure point in any tit-for-tat trade war. This is another band aid, said Derek Scissors, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the chief economist of the China Beige Book, a report that publishes data on the Chinese economy. The Chinese can decide six months from now, we don't like what you said about the party, or somebody was mean to Xi Jinping. They can decide that and cut off rare earths again. One person close to the White House and in touch with the delegation in London acknowledged the advances made in the latest round of meetings are small and tentative. The administration knows that any deal with China isn't worth the paper it's written on, but they can at least try to move the ball forward, said the person, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the state of negotiations. This is not a trade deal. It's a framework and there's still a lot of details to be negotiated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration, however, hinted at how desperate it is to restart the flow of critical minerals from China by offering to partially remove one of its biggest sources of leverage against China: export controls on sensitive technologies. In his remarks to reporters Tuesday night, Lutnick said some of the export restrictions the U.S. has imposed on China in recent months on things like airplane parts and semiconductors and software would come off in a balanced way, when they approve the [critical minerals'] licenses." Kilcrease called that a "very dangerous precedent." "There was always this view that the U.S. will impose export controls because it's a matter of national security, and because it's a matter of national security, we don't negotiate over it. Now you've given China an opening in every single future conversation to come back in and push the United States on export controls, she said. And they're not just going to push on the kind of new export controls that were put in place for leverage. They're also going to push on the chip controls, the AI controls, all of the controls that they have hated for decades. We just opened the door to that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dating back to the first Trump administration, the U.S. has used export controls as aggressively, if not more, than tariffs to reshape the U.S. relationship with China. The Trump administration has taken steps to widen that effort since the start of his second term in office, targeting lower grade chips used in everyday electronic devices, beyond whats traditionally considered sensitive technology. Senior officials, particularly Lutnick, have vowed to strengthen controls and step up enforcement. Despite those pledges, the U.S. faces pressure from top business leaders to loosen controls and allow greater access to the Chinese market, a pressure that isnt matched in Chinas authoritarian government. Meanwhile, China holds a near monopoly on the global supply of rare earths metallic elements essential to both civilian and military applications. And since December Beijing has imposed export restrictions on 11 such minerals as a second front in its deepening trade war with the U.S. and other Western countries. All of those minerals are on the U.S. Geological Surveys list of 50 critical minerals essential to the U.S. economy and national security. They include antimony, necessary to produce munitions, samarium which goes into precision weaponry and germanium which is a key to the production of military night vision equipment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. has begun taking steps to develop its own rare earth mining and refining capabilities, starting under former President Joe Biden. But it remains decades behind Beijing in terms of domestic production and processing facilities, partly because of Chinas own strategic and largely state-backed investments and efforts to flood the global supply chain. Chinas dominance over that supply chain, and the U.S.s relatively small stockpile, makes it possible to put pressure on the U.S. side in a way that the administration has struggled to replicate. China has always had this trump card, they know how to use it, they've done it in the past and there's no reason to suspect that they wouldnt play it going forward, said Marc Busch who has advised both USTR and the Commerce Department on technical trade barriers and is now a professor of international business diplomacy at Georgetown University. It is unclear how long this current trade truce will hold. Beijing isnt completely toning down its rhetoric despite the temporary reprieve. Chinas Commerce Ministry described the export restrictions on rare earths as common international practice due to their military and civilian purposes in an X post Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And Chinese state news agency Xinhua called criticism of those curbs misleading hype and defended them as a responsible measure to uphold international nonproliferation measures in an X post Tuesday. The Chinese government, meanwhile, has not commented on the framework agreement reached in London, beyond vague statements by its delegation heads. China's lead international trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, told reporters, per Chinese state media that "the two sides have agreed in principle the framework for implementing consensus. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng called the London meeting an important consultation without elaborating on its details, Chinese state media reported Wednesday. Beijing took a more gloating tone in a Xinhua state news agency oped published Wednesday that portrayed the Trump administration as the loser in its trade spat with China. Washington was forced to spend billions in subsidies to offset farm losses, while companies struggled with rising costs of imported parts. The net effect has been supply chain chaos, business uncertainty and a lack of any clear strategic gain, said the oped. Still, one Trump ally said that framework marks "a critical step and traditional sign of progress in trade negotiations." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Beyond Geneva, it opens up the ongoing negotiations. Progress on trade agreements is always incremental, complexity takes time," said the Trump ally, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the negotiations with China. "Both sides have political and economic vital interests to protect and advance." Trump, meanwhile, continues to push for a face-to-face meeting with Xi, which has been a diplomatic focus for much of his second term. After a call with Xi last week, Trump said that he had invited the Chinese Communist Party leader to the White House and that he had accepted an invitation to China and would visit at a certain point. Any such meeting could hold more water than the formal negotiations, which have been led by Trumps triumvirate on trade: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Greer and now Lutnick. Unless we get a Trump-Xi meeting, I don't see that we can write an agreement that will stand, Scissors said. And it won't stand, because the Chinese will remain aggressive as they have been the entire time Xi Jinping has been in his party position, which is now 12 and a half years, and because the US will remain volatile While Donald Trump is president. NEW YORK One year after his criminal conviction in the Manhattan hush money case, Donald Trump is still fighting to shed his felon status. The presidents personal lawyers appeared before a federal appeals court Wednesday, urging a three-judge panel to transfer his state criminal case to federal court. Such a move would pave the way for him to eventually ask the Supreme Court to erase his criminal record by throwing out his conviction on presidential immunity grounds. The arguments continue Trumps long-running attempt to take the case out of state court, including two previous efforts both denied by a federal judge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump suffered few consequences for his conviction last May of 34 counts of business fraud for his effort to conceal a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels: He won reelection in November and was subsequently sentenced to no punishment in January. But he returned to the White House a convicted felon despite evading the three other criminal cases brought against him. Trumps lawyer, Jeff Wall, argued the case should be considered in federal court because the Supreme Courts decision on presidential immunity, issued more than a month after a New York jury convicted Trump in the hush money case, gave Trump the ability to invoke a law that allows federal officials to move a prosecution out of state court if it involves official conduct. The federal officer is entitled to a federal forum, not to have those arguments heard in state court, Wall, who was acting solicitor general during the first Trump administration, told the panel. And if that's true for a normal federal officer in a normal criminal prosecution, it certainly ought to be true for the president of the United States and for what we can all recognize is an anomalous, one-of-its kind prosecution. Wall argued that the immunity decision meant that evidence or testimony should have been withheld from the trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its decision, the Supreme Court declared that prosecutors generally cannot charge former presidents with crimes, or even introduce evidence, stemming from their official presidential acts. There was evidence that came in a trial that triggered an immunity that the Supreme Court recognized after trial, Wall told the judges. If an intervening decision of the Supreme Court says that a case is of the kind that should come into federal court, of course you trigger the removal statute. This is a class of one, so its not like this happens often, Wall acknowledged. Wall joined Trumps legal team in January, along with four other Sullivan & Cromwell lawyers, after Trump elevated Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, the lawyers who defended him during the hush money trial, to high-ranking positions at the Justice Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump made similar arguments to the judge who oversaw the hush money trial, Justice Juan Merchan, but Merchan ruled that the evidence in question related solely to private, unofficial conduct, and therefore wasnt covered by the immunity principles. Steven Wu, a lawyer in the Manhattan District Attorneys office, on Wednesday argued that a case cant be moved from state to federal court after sentencing and that the Supreme Court decision didnt render the case eligible to be moved in the first place. Wu told the panel that the purpose of the law that allows a case to be moved is to determine where the trial should take place. It is not to divert a state criminal proceeding into a federal court for direct appellate review, he said. That offends fundamental principles of respect for state sovereignty over the criminal process. And he argued that the Supreme Courts immunity ruling doesnt apply to the evidence used at trial because it concerned conduct that occurred before Trump became president, even if some of the conversations about it took place while he was in the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of the evidence that they're complaining about that's introduced at trial are situations where defendant or others were reflecting on or commenting on the private misconduct that he committed earlier, and that is just not the same as using that evidence to prove the act. The panel consisted of Obama appointees Judge Raymond Lohier Jr. and Judge Susan Carney; and Judge Myrna Perez, a Biden appointee. The judges said they would decide the matter at a later date. If Trump were to succeed in moving the case to federal court, that likely wouldnt affect his ability to pardon himself, said Rebecca Roiphe, a New York Law School professor and former Manhattan prosecutor. Thats because it would still be considered a state conviction even if the forum were to change, she said. But, she acknowledged, its a little bit of uncharted territory. Trump is also appealing the conviction itself and is due to file arguments in support of that appeal by late July. The Trump administration argued in federal court Wednesday that any judicial intervention to curtail its deployment of military troops to Los Angeles would endanger federal immigration agents and undermine the president's authority to keep American cities safe. Attorneys for President Trump called California's request Tuesday for a temporary restraining order barring those deployments a "crass political stunt endangering American lives" amid violent protests over immigration raids in the city. If granted, they wrote, a restraining order would prevent Trump "from exercising his lawful statutory and constitutional power" as commander in chief to ensure federal facilities and personnel are protected and that the nation's immigration laws are adequately enforced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There is no rioters' veto to enforcement of federal law," they wrote. "And the President has every right under the Constitution and by statute to call forth the National Guard and Marines to quell lawless violence directed against enforcement of federal law." Read more: California asks court for restraining order to block Guard, U.S. Marine deployments in L.A. Hindering the administration's deployment of troops, the attorneys argued, "would be constitutionally anathema. And it would be dangerous." The administration was responding to California's request Tuesday that U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer issue a restraining order blocking Trump's and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's deployments of thousands of state National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to L.A. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The troops were deployed without the request or approval of Gov. Gavin Newsom or city leaders, who have called their presence unnecessary, politically motivated and a move to increase tensions on the streets, rather than reduce them. Trump and other administration officials have defended the deployments as necessary, and in their filing Wednesday, the president's attorneys argued that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents had been targeted in violent attacks and that federal facilities had been damaged and defaced. Read more: As Marines arrive in L.A., military experts raise concerns: 'This could spiral out of control' They also said that local police had acknowledged things had spun out of control and that their response had been inadequate to restore order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's attorneys included with their opposition a written declaration from Ernesto Santacruz Jr., field office director for ICE's enforcement and removal operations unit in Los Angeles. He described how federal agents faced violence from protesters during a raid in the Garment District, near a Home Depot store in Paramount and at a secure ICE processing facility downtown. Santacruz said federal immigration officials were also having their personal information spread by protesters online, and that efforts by the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol to restore order and address the threats on the street were inadequate. "Even with the LAPD, LASD, and CHP all engaged in the ensuing law enforcement activities, I believe the safety of local federal facilities and safety of those conducting immigration enforcement operations in this area of responsibility requires additional manpower and resources," Santacruz wrote. The administration's arguments, if adopted by the court, could have implications elsewhere. Similar demonstrations against immigration raids have erupted in San Francisco and Santa Ana and across the country, including in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York and Seattle. More protests were scheduled to coincide with a large military parade in Washington on Saturday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom and California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta first filed a lawsuit over the L.A. deployments Monday, arguing they are unconstitutional under the 10th Amendment violating state sovereignty and clear federal law limiting the use of military forces for domestic policing, including the Posse Comitatus Act. They said Tuesday that a restraining order was necessary on an emergency basis to prevent "imminent, irreparable harm" to the state, arguing that the Trump administration intended for the military troops to "accompany federal immigration enforcement officers on raids throughout Los Angeles." Bonta said Trump was using military personnel as "a political pawn" to "create a confrontational situation." Newsom said the federal government was turning the military against American citizens in a way that "threatens the very core of our democracy." Trump, he said, was "behaving like a tyrant, not a President." Constitutional scholars and members of Congress also have raised concerns about the executive branch deploying military assets to quell street protests, suggesting such tactics are most commonly used by authoritarian strongmen and dictators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A coalition of 18 other state attorneys general issued a statement Wednesday backing Bonta and California's lawsuit, saying Trump's decision to deploy troops without the consent of California's leaders was "unlawful, unconstitutional, and undemocratic." "The federal administration should be working with local leaders to keep everyone safe, not mobilizing the military against the American people," said the statement, which was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Vermont. In their response to California's restraining order request Wednesday, the president's attorneys said the military forces in L.A. would not be directly engaged in policing, and that state officials had offered zero evidence to suggest otherwise. Read more: The legal issues raised by Trump sending the National Guard to L.A. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Neither the National Guard nor the Marines are engaged in law enforcement. Rather, they are protecting law enforcement, consistent with longstanding practice and the inherent protective power to provide for the safety of federal property and personnel," Trump's attorneys wrote. A hearing on the state's request for a restraining order is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The outcome could potentially affect how federal resources are deployed at future demonstrations in L.A. and beyond, including in coming days. The administration has said immigration raids will continue in L.A. and nationwide. Trump has warned that any protesters who show up at the military parade in Washington will be "met with heavy force." The parade is for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, according to the administration, but critics have derided it as an authoritarian show of strongman power by Trump whose birthday is also Saturday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. More than a year after Donald Trump was convicted in a Manhattan courtroom, federal appeals court judges in New York are now wrestling with the scope of a sweeping Supreme Court ruling that shields a president from criminal prosecution for actions tied to his official duties in office. A three-judge panel in Manhattan heard long-gestating arguments Wednesday from the presidents legal team in an effort to remove his historic hush money case into federal court where a Department of Justice stocked with Trump loyalists could make the case disappear. Trump has already been tried, convicted and sentenced, but his attorneys argue that certain pieces of evidence should have been blocked off from jurors under the Supreme Courts immunity ruling arguments that have already been shot down in several courts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everything about this cries out for federal court, according to former acting U.S. solicitor general Jeffrey Wall, who is representing Trump in his federal appeal. The scope of federal constitutional immunity for the president of the United States should be decided by this court and the Supreme Court not by New York state courts. The nations high court would be stunned if evidence under that federal constitutional immunity wasnt enough to move the case to federal court, Wall said. Lawyers for Donald Trump are asking a federal appeals court take his hush money case out of the hands of New York prosecutors and into federal jurisdiction (Getty) If Trump loses his appeal, he could ask the Supreme Court to step in once again. Jurors reached a 34-count guilty verdict against the president on May 30 following a weeks-long trial surrounding Trumps efforts to pay off an adult film star to prevent her from speaking publicly about having sex with him. Roughly one month later, the Supreme Court issued its immunity decision, throwing a wrench into his federal criminal indictments and opening a door for his lawyers to question his conviction in New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His lawyers argue that Manhattan prosecutors rushed the case to trial instead of waiting for the Supreme Courts decision and wrongfully included evidence covered by that ruling. The inclusion of that evidence and allegations that Trump violated federal campaign finance laws as part of his hush-money conspiracy should have triggered a move into federal court, according to Wall. But the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued that Trump was too late. The fact that we are now past the point of sentencing would be a compelling reason to find no good cause for removal, the district attorneys appeals chief Steven Wu told the judges. Even if that removal process was available, there are no good cause grounds to do so, he argued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The purpose of removal is to make a threshold decision at the start of a trial, not to divert a case after a defendant has been tried, convicted and sentenced, Wu said. Trumps team has already conceded that the case against him relates to unofficial conduct, not acts while he was in office. Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in connection to payments to Stormy Daniels to keep their affair secret before the 2016 election. (Getty) He was not president when he committed the crimes at the center of the case, and any discussion about the alleged conspiracy in the early days of his first administration should similarly not be considered official duties, Wu argued. Trumps attorneys are conflating an important distinction the evidence they challenge is not intrinsic to the crime, but remains relevant because it involves Trumps conversations about the crimes he committed, according to Wu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wu compared the case to a Post Office worker who commits a robbery and then confesses at work while in uniform. The Supreme Courts decision similarly doesnt undercut the case against the president. The slate was not wiped clean, he said. The judges appointed by former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden appeared both skeptical and intrigued by the arguments. But they agreed that the case is an unusual and extraordinary one. It seems to me that we got a very big case that created a whole new world of presidential immunity, said Judge Myrna Perez, a Biden appointee. The boundaries are not clear at this point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump may be an unusual defendant, Wu said, but there is nothing unusual about a defendant raising arguments in an attempt to appeal his convictions. But that appeal should stay in state court not federal court, he said. Trumps lawyers first tried to move the case to federal court after his indictment in New York in March 2023. His lawyers tried again, two months after the Supreme Courts immunity ruling. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied both requests, arguing that the criminal case involves Trumps personal decisions, not actions tied to the presidency. US President Donald Trump has claimed that a migrant invasion has taken over Los Angeles, in a bid to justify migrant arrests during Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids since June 6. Others in his administration have echoed that rationale, after the raids triggered ongoing protests and Trump called the National Guard and Marines into the city to quell unrest, clashing with California Governor Gavin Newsom. But how accurate are these claims of an invasion by undocumented migrants? What did Trump say? A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on June 8. Trump added that he is ordering his administration officials to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three days later, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller wrote in an X post: America was invaded by illegal aliens. Americans voted to end the invasion. Democrat rioters are now waging violent insurrection to overturn the election result and continue the invasion. America was invaded by illegal aliens. Americans voted to end the invasion. Democrat rioters are now waging violent insurrection to overturn the election result and continue the invasion. Stephen Miller (@StephenM) June 10, 2025 Miller shared an image from the Los Angeles riots, showing a rioter waving a Mexican flag. Miller wrote According to Governor Newsom, this is what the Founders were fighting for. According to Governor Newsom, this is what the Founders were fighting for: https://t.co/ow1c1OpOkY pic.twitter.com/udE6D0QPtk Stephen Miller (@StephenM) June 11, 2025 Have undocumented migrants in California increased? No. In fact, the opposite is true. Data from the US Office of Homeland Security Statistics shows that the number of undocumented migrants has fallen significantly since 2010. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2010, the population of undocumented immigrants in California was estimated to be 2.9 million. The population has dropped almost every year since then, and as of 2022, it was estimated to be 2.6 million. That trend is also pronounced among Mexican undocumented migrants, a principal target of the ongoing ICE raids. In recent years, a number of undocumented migrants from Mexico have also left the US to return to Mexico, research from the Center for Migration Studies of New York shows, based on US Census data. Between 2010 and 2018, 2.6 million Mexican nationals left the US undocumented population. While many were deported, 45 percent of people left voluntarily. In California, the number of undocumented migrants from Mexico declined by 605,000 between 2010 and 2018. Why are many Mexican undocumented migrants leaving the US? While the Trump administration has been trying to encourage undocumented migrants to self-deport even offering a $1000 cash award the trend of Mexicans leaving the US to return to their home country long predates not just his current term, but even his first term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The voluntary return of Mexican immigrants began after the Great Recession, which was a period of significant economic downturn and financial crisis between 2007 and 2009, Anne Pebley, social demographer and professor of community health sciences at UCLA, found while researching immigration from Mexico and Central America. Pebley co-authored a research article with these findings, published in February 2023, alongside academics across the US. This voluntary return of Mexican migrants back then was due to there being better financial opportunities in Mexico. For the same reason, the arrival of undocumented migrants coming into the US also declined in the wake of the recession, Pebley was quoted as saying in a news release published on the UCLA website. Pebley added that since the Great Recession, greater economic stability in Mexico combined with worsening employment opportunities in the US seem to be the main motivating factor behind the voluntary return of Mexican migrants, albeit increasing anti-immigrant notions and laws over the last two decades may have contributed to their continued return. Are crime rates in California increasing? No. In fact, violent crime in the state dropped by 4.6 percent while property crime dropped by 8.5 percent in the state in 2024, compared with 2023, according to an analysis of Real Time Crime Index data by the Public Policy Institute of California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The data showed that in California, robberies, aggravated assaults, vehicle theft, burglary and larceny have decreased. Do migrants commit more crimes? Multiple studies have shown that migrants are consistently less likely to be imprisoned than people born in the US. One such research paper, published in July 2023, analysed 150 years of US Census data and used imprisonment rates as a proxy for crime. The economists found that in more recent years, migrants are 60 percent less likely to be jailed than citizens born in the US. What do Californians think about migrants? Since the 1990s, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) has carried out annual surveys of state residents on their perceptions of whether migrants bring benefits to the state or whether they are a burden. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The last survey was carried out by the PPIC in February 2024. Based on this, 60 percent of the state residents believed that migrants were a benefit to the state. However, the percentage of Californians who hold a favourable view about migrants has fallen in recent years. According to the survey PPIC carried out in 2023, 66 percent of Californians believed migrants were a benefit. In 2021, 78 percent of Californians held this view. What is the latest on the LA protests? On Tuesday evening, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) imposed a curfew in the citys downtown and announced that they would carry out mass arrests if people gathered in the designated curfew area. The curfew lasted until 6am (13:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Trump, meanwhile, claimed he would liberate Los Angeles from animals and a foreign enemy without specifying what he meant. A day earlier, the Trump administration deployed 700 Marines in LA and doubled the number of National Guard soldiers in the city to 4,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protests continue to deepen the rift between the Republican Trump administration and the Democratic state government. In an address on Tuesday, Governor Newsom called Trumps use of military power a brazen abuse of power. He doubled down on his dangerous National Guard deployment by fanning the flames even harder, and the president he did it on purpose, said Newsom. On Monday, the California governor announced that he had filed a lawsuit against Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to end the illegal takeover of the National Guard. On June 7, Trump federalised the National Guard, marking the first time in 60 years that a US president has activated the guard in defiance of a state governors wishes. 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. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. 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 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. 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. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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!!! President Donald Trump and former ally Elon Musk appear ready to mend fences after Musks offensive against the presidents big beautiful bill spilled over into a blowout battle between the two men on social media. Trump said he had no hard feelings for his onetime pal in an interview with the New York Posts Pod Force One that published Wednesday, signaling the potential start of a truce between the two feuding billionaires and social media network owners. Look, I have no hard feelings. I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill thats phenomenal, thats the best thing weve ever signed in this country, Trump said, adding that he was not a happy camper at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But patching things up with his erstwhile adviser doesnt rank among Trumps top priorities. I guess I could, but we have to straighten out the country, Trump said when asked if he and Musk could repair their relationship. And my sole function now is getting this country back to a level higher than its ever been. And I think we can do that. Trump just last week threatened to cut off billions of dollars in federal contracts from Musks companies, as the online fight between the two men took a turn for the worse. Still, Trump in the interview which was recorded Monday said he believed Musk felt very badly for his attacks, adding that he hadnt thought too much about his former ally in the last little while. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hours before the interview went live, Musk posted an overnight confession of regret for his treatment of the president. Just hours before Wednesdays episode aired, Musk penned a post on X, admitting he went too far in criticizing the president during their fight last week, which included Musk accusing his former boss of being named in the Epstein files in a since-deleted post, claiming credit for Republicans trifecta win in November and attacking Trumps prized big beautiful bill as a disgusting abomination. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far, the billionaire wrote in a post early Wednesday morning. Musk's apology was apparently well-received by the president, who indicated to The New York Post that he appreciated the Tesla CEO's comments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I thought it was very nice that he did that," Trump told the Post in an interview on Wednesday morning. Trump had previously projected an air of calm in the wake of his social media scrap with Musk as White House officials and allies sought to deescalate the situation, which they worried was drawing attention away from administration priorities. Oh its OK, Trump told POLITICO in an interview last week about his spat with Musk. Its going very well, never done better. (Photo: Las Vegas News Bureau) President Donald Trumps promise to eliminate taxes on tips may sound like a windfall for service workers but the fine print in Congress latest tax bill tells a more complex story. Right now, Republican lawmakers are advancing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act a sprawling, 1,100-page proposal that aims to change everything from tax incentives for electric vehicles to health care. It also includes a proposal to end taxes on tips, which could potentially affect around 4 million American workers. The Senate has recently passed its own version the No Tax on Tips Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The idea started getting attention when Trump raised it during a 2024 campaign stop in Las Vegas, a place where tipping is woven into the economy. And the headlines and press releases sound great especially if youre a waiter, bartender or anyone else who depends on tips for a living. That may be why both Democrats and Republicans alike broadly support the concept. However, like most of life, the devil is in the details. Im a business-school economist who has written about tipping, and Ive looked closely at the language of the proposed laws. So, what exactly has Trump promised, and how does it measure up to whats in the bills? Lets start with his pledge. The promise of money thats 100% yours Back in January 2025, Trump said, If youre a restaurant worker, a server, a valet, a bellhop, a bartender, one of my caddies your tips will be 100% yours. That sounds like a boost in tipped workers income. But when you look at the current situation, it becomes clear that the reality is far more complicated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First, the new tax break only applies to tips the government knows about and a lot of that income currently flies under the radar. Tipped workers who get cash tips are supposed to report it to the IRS via form 4137 if their employer doesnt report it for them. If a worker gets a cash tip today and doesnt report it, they already get 100% of the money. No one really knows what percentage of tips are unreported, but an old IRS estimate pegs it at about 40%. Whats more, the current tax code defines tips only as payments where the customer determines the tip amount. If a restaurant charges a fixed 18% service charge, or theres an extra fee for room service, those arent tips in the governments eyes. This means some tipped workers who think service charges are tips will overestimate the new rules impact on their finances. How the new bills would affect tipped workers The Big Beautiful Bill would create a new tax code section under itemized deductions This area of the tax code already includes text that creates health savings accounts and gives students deductions for interest on their college loans. Whats in the new section? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First, the bill specifies that this tax break applies just to any cash tip. The IRS classifies payments by credit card, debit card and even checks as cash tips. Unfortunately for workers in Las Vegas, noncash tips, like casino chips, arent part of the bill. While the House bill limits the deduction to people earning less than US$160,000 the Senate bill caps the deduction to the first $25,000 of tips earned. Everything over that is taxed. Second, the current House bill ends this special tax-free deal on Dec. 31, 2028. That means these special benefits would only last three years, unless Congress extends the law. The Senate bill does not include such a deadline. Third, the exemption is only available to jobs that typically receive tips. The Treasury secretary is required to define the list of tipped occupations. If an occupation isnt on the list, the law doesnt apply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I wonder how many occupations wont make the list. For example, some camp counselors get tips at the end of the summer. But its unclear the Treasury Department will include these workers as a covered group, since counselors only make up a proportion of summer camp staff. Not making the list is a real problem. And while the new proposal gives workers an income tax break, theres nothing in either bill about skipping FICA payments on the tipped earnings. Workers are still required to contribute slightly more than 7% in Social Security and Medicare taxes on all tips they report, which wont benefit them until retirement. This isnt an oversight the bill specifically says employees must furnish a valid Social Security number to get the tax benefits. There are a few other ways the legislation might benefit workers less than it seems at first glance. Instituting no taxes on tips could mean tipped employees feel more pressure to split their tips with other employees, like busboys, chefs and hosts. After all, these untipped workers also contribute to the customer experience, and often at low wages. And finally, many Americans are tired of tipping. Knowing that servers dont have to pay taxes might make some to cut back on it even more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The specifics of any piece of legislation are subject to change until the moment Congress sends it to the president to be signed. However, as now written, I think the bills arent as generous to tipped workers as Trump made it sound on the campaign trail. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the US air safety agency pledged Wednesday to upgrade the nation's aging air traffic system and address staffing shortfalls. During the opening to his confirmation hearing to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Bryan Bedford referenced recent US aviation incidents, including a January crash at Washington's Reagan National Airport in which 67 people died, the first major US commercial crash since 2009. "I can assure all of you that, if confirmed, my top priority will be public safety and in restoring the public's confidence in flying," Bedford told the Senate commerce committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bedford, the CEO of regional airline Republic Airways, strongly endorsed an ambitious overhaul of the US air traffic control system, championed by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, which has been estimated to cost more than $30 billion. The push comes on the heels of troubling incidents at Newark Airport in New Jersey when air traffic controllers lost contact with planes on radar or by radio for 90 seconds because of telecommunications outages. The aviation industry has rallied behind Duffy's plan, with backers calling it a long overdue update of equipment installed decades ago. While Wednesday's hearing did not feature the sort of hostile exchanges seen at some confirmation hearings, multiple Democratic lawmakers probed Bedford's effort at Republic in 2022 to streamline pilot training requirements amid staff shortages connected to surging travel demand following Covid-19 lockdowns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FAA turned down a Republic request to allow graduates of the company's own flight academy to become co-pilots with just 750 flight hours rather than the 1,500 hours required under 2010 congressional legislation. "This a perilous moment for aviation safety," said Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth as she urged preservation of the 1,500-hour rule. "Well-trained pilots are our last line of defense in incident after incident." In response, Bedford told Duckworth that their positions were not far apart, saying "we both want to have the safest pilots operate our aircraft." But Bedford appeared to open the door to potentially easing the requirement, saying "I don't believe safety is static." jmb/jgc Good morning! I'm Nicole Fallert. BRB, crying with Beyonce's 7-year-old daughter Rumi. It's Wednesday. Here is the news: A curfew for parts of LA lifted early this morning. A major protestant congregation is calling for the end of same-sex marriage. Did you catch the strawberry moon?! Residents, local officials say Trump inflated LA situation President Donald Trump's deployment of thousands of troops to the nation's second-largest city has unleashed indignation and anger among residents and local officials who say the threat of immigration protests has been dramatically overblown by the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's a sense of intimidation and fear that is just so unnecessary": Mayor Karen Bass said she believes her city is "an experiment" for White House officials in learning how to displace local control. Trump argued LA law enforcement was overwhelmed and dispatched 4,000 members of the National Guard and 700 Marines to Los Angeles, an escalation estimated to cost about $134 million, according to a Pentagon official. But few of those troops are actually on the streets. LA protests are still primarily handled by the Los Angeles Police Department and other local law enforcement officers. Members of the California National Guard acting under the authority of President Donald Trump guard the entrance to Paramount Business Center on Monday in Paramount, California. Elsewhere in America, immigration remains a flashpoint As protests in Los Angeles over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown continue, demonstrations were reported across the country in San Francisco, New York, Washington, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Atlanta in recent days. Most have remained peaceful, but a few escalated into clashes with police. Meanwhile, an immigration raid Tuesday at a meat production plant in Omaha, Nebraska , was the "largest worksite enforcement operation" in the state during the Trump presidency, the Department of Homeland Security said. In Milford, Massachusetts, immigrants in this blue-collar town say they are living in constant fear of ICE raids that have rounded up 1,500 undocumented people throughout Massachusetts. A demonstrator holds a sign during a protest against federal immigration sweeps, in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday. More news to know now Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here. Southern Baptists vote to seek repeal of historic same-sex marriage ruling The Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution supporting a concerted effort to reverse Obergefell v. Hodges as the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage approaches its 10-year anniversary. The June 10 vote by the nations largest Protestant denomination represents a doubling down on issues of gender and sexuality as the predominant group of evangelical Christians signals the SBCs hopes of replicating the successful campaign to overturn Roe v. Wade. But whether the latest vote will move the needle on same-sex marriage, a right backed by a strong majority of Americans, remains to be seen. US and China reach export deal U.S. and Chinese officials in London, England, said Tuesday they agreed on a framework to get their trade truce back on track and remove some of China's export restrictions offering a little sign of a durable resolution to longstanding trade tensions. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters the framework deal puts "meat on the bones" of an agreement reached last month in Geneva to ease bilateral retaliatory tariffs that had reached crushing triple-digit levels. The Geneva deal had faltered over China's continued curbs on critical minerals exports. Today's talkers June welcomes a rare strawberry moon The strawberry moon reached its peak early Wednesday at 3:44 a.m. ET, NASA said. However, the moon dazzled backyard astronomers everywhere in the evening Tuesday, as the spectacle rose during dusk, according to LiveScience. The strawberry moon is set low sky, so revelers needed to access a location where to see the eastern horizon at a low angle. This moon is one of the lowest in the sky, and the moonlight reflects the Earth's atmosphere, giving it a yellow or orange tint. Here's how it got its "strawberry" name. Photo of the day: A headache for USMNT The U.S. men's national team had one of its worst performances in recent memory, coughing up four goals in a hapless, helpless first half en route to a 4-0 loss to Switzerland on Tuesday. Things went just about as badly as it sounds. Switzerland midfielder Ardon Jashari (18) and USMNT midfielder Sebastian Berhalter (8) battle for a header at Geodis Park. 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: ICE, protests, Los Angeles, Trump, immigration, LGBTQ, tariff, China, U.S. Open: Daily Briefing TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) U.S. President Donald Trump plans to have a parade to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the military, and a nationwide protest of the event has been planned for the same day across the United States. The parade on June 14 is said to be bringing more than 150 armored vehicles and more than 6,000 soldiers to Washington, D.C., where soldiers will be housed in nearby federal buildings. The event is expected to have 200,000 in attendance and will have the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and other federal security working special security for the event. The FAA is also suspending flight operations on June 14. The parade will be an hour long and take place at 6:30 p.m. on Constitution Avenue Northwest between 15th and 23rd Street in the Capitol. In a statement from Army Spokesperson Steve Warren, the celebration will include a fireworks display and a daylong festival at the National Mall. Military officials said that the parade could cost taxpayers $45 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Activist groups have planned nationwide peaceful protests for the same day to protest the celebration, stating the cost to taxpayers as one reason, as well as it coinciding with the presidents 79th birthday, and ongoing claims of lack of funding for programs like SNAP and Medicaid while using funds for the parade. Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption, the No Kings Coalitions website reads. Local cities of Terre Haute and Vincennes are two of what is claimed to be at least 35 cities across the Hoosier state to be participating in these peaceful protests. Vincennes will be hosting its event from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Patrick Henry Square, where they are inviting members of Knox County to line up along Second Street to hold signs. Attendees are encouraged to use street parking or utilize the city lots on Vigo Street between 4th and 5th Street. There will also be a sign-making event at the Knox County Democratic Party Headquarters prior to the event, and speakers are set to begin at 2:45 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Terre Haute will be hosting its protest at the Vigo County Courthouse from 10 a.m. to noon, with speakers beginning at 11 a.m., featuring residents, community leaders, and local organizations. According to an article from Variety some Republicans appear to oppose the idea of the parade as well, comparing it to the sort of maneuver one sees in dictatorships abroad. Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican, told reporters Tuesday that he has never been a big fan of goose-stepping soldiers in big tanks and missiles rolling down the street. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. More militant ICE raids are coming to a city near you. The Trump administration is readying tactical ICE units known as special response teams to conduct large raids in five Democratic cities, according to MSNBC. They will be in New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia and northern Virginia. While its unclear when exactly the raids will start, all ICE agents in those areas have been told to stand by. This is going to be a mess. Trumps crackdown in Los Angeleswith thousands of National Guardsmen and hundreds of Marines patrolling the streetsis the model for his larger deportation campaign: Have ICE pour into a community and make indiscriminate arrests, then when civilians predictably resist, use that to justify sending even more militant forces in to quell the chaos that ICE induced. New York City is already on edge, as 80 protestors were arrested in Lower Manhattan Tuesday night at an anti-ICE protest. Look, this isnt just about protests here in Los Angeles, when Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard. He made that order apply to every state in this nation. This is about all of us. This is about you, said Governor Gavin Newsom. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes, this moment we have feared has arrived. Hes right. ICE is planning to expand its campaign of terror to blue cities across the country. If Trumps Big Beautiful Billwhich includes billions in funding for a mass deportation campaignpasses, it will get even worse. The Trump administration is getting ready to send as many as 9,000 undocumented immigrants to Guantanamo Bay, a detention site that has long been criticized for inhumane conditions, according to reports from Politico and The Washington Post. The White House denied these reports in a statement on Wednesday, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt writing, This Story is Fake News. Not happening, in a post on X. The federal government had previously detained suspected terrorists at Guantanamo after the Sept. 11 attacks and faced intense scrutiny for the poor treatment of the people held there. It also used a separate facility for immigrant detention, CNN reports that facility has also been condemned for its own civil rights abuses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 500 immigrants have been held at Guantanamo for varying periods of time since February, according to Politico a figure the administration is reportedly looking to grow because its running out of detention space domestically. The administrations reported actions come after it quietly returned immigrants from Guantanamo to facilities in the U.S. earlier this year while staring down a civil lawsuit contesting its ability to send people there. A federal judge has since ruled against immigration advocates trying to bar future transfers to Guantanamo, though hes signaled he was open to revisiting the issue if the facility was being used again for new detainees. The administrations reported decision to reconsider use of the facility is also taking place as immigrant enforcement has become a flashpoint and White House officials have urged aggressive action to promote deportations. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump claimed that he wanted to detain up to 30,000 immigrants at Guantanamo, a place synonymous with degrading conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an April 2025 lawsuit, two Nicaraguan immigrants who have been detained there described a climate of extreme fear and intimidation where immigrant detainees are afraid to communicate freely with their counsel. Another class-action lawsuit filed in June also detailed a lack of food and clean clothing. Citizens of U.S. ally countries such as France, Britain and Germany as well as people from countries Trump has targeted for years, such as Haiti, are among those the administration would send to the prison, per The Washington Post. Detaining thousands of people would pose significant challenges, Politico reports, with Pentagon officials raising concerns about limited staffing and access to medical care. In the 1990s, the U.S. government previously used Guantanamo to detain Haitian and Cuban asylum seekers who faced horrific treatment, including a dearth of potable water and food. President Trump said he thinks he could make amends with tech billionaire Elon Musk following their public feud, but doing so is not a priority for him. Trump was asked by the New York Posts Pod Force One if he could reconcile with Musk, less than a week after the blowup between the two men that grew increasingly dramatic as the Tesla CEO called for Trumps impeachment and linked him to the Jeffrey Epstein files. I guess I could, but you know, we have to straighten out the country, the president said. And my sole function now is getting this country back to a level higher than its ever been. And I think we can do that. I think were going to do it easily. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Post columnist Miranda Devine asked Trump if there was anything he could do to forgive Musk, and the president said he has no hard feelings but was surprised by his former top advisers public criticism of the House-passed tax and spending bill. When he did that, I was not a happy camper, he said. The president on Friday told reporters hes not interested in making up with the Tesla CEO and signaled he was done with his relationship-turned-feud. Devine also asked the president what kind of problems Musk has, questioning if they are drug-related after The New York Times reported on his alleged drug use on the 2024 campaign trail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont know what his problem is, really. I dont know, the president said. I havent thought too much about him in the last little while, but the bill is so good. The president added that he thinks Musk feels very badly that he criticized the megabill, which includes top priorities for Trump. Additionally, Trump clarified that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Musk didnt have a fist fight, I guess they had a little bit of a shouting match. The president had said Monday that he didnt see a lot of physicality but that the two did have an argument, following a Washington Post reporting that Musk rammed his shoulder into the Treasury secretarys rib cage during a disagreement. Musk earlier on Wednesday voiced regret for his public feud with Trump, saying that it went too far on his social media platform X. 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. The White House on Wednesday said President Donald Trump remains "receptive" to dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un despite his reported rejection. North Korea media outlets on Wednesday claimed that at least one letter written by Trump to Kim who during his first term became alleged pen pals and exchanged "love" letters has been refused by the North Korean leader. The White House did not confirm to Fox News Digital whether Trumps most recent letter had been snubbed by Kim, but instead White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, "The president remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong Un." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Levitt said Trump would like to see progress first built on the summit he had with Kim in Singapore in 2018 during his first term. "As for specific correspondence, I'll leave that to the president to answer," she added. Check back on this developing story. Read On The Fox News App Original article source: Trump remains 'receptive' to dialogue with Kim Jong Un despite reported letter snub House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake 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) As the nation continues to watch protests happening in Los Angeles with more demonstrations planned across the U.S. a top Utah Democrat criticized President Donald Trumps deployment of National Guard members to California over objections from Gov. Gavin Newsom. Over the past few days, we have witnessed federal agents conducting large-scale workplace raids across Los Angeles, House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, who is also Latina said in a prepared statement Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These actions, along with President Trumps deployment of thousands of National Guard members, represent both an abuse of power and an escalation of fear within our immigrant communities, she said. Romeros comments come the day after Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said he was grateful for Trumps move to intervene. He also issued a warning that Utah would be overprepared to quickly respond to any protests here that turn violent or destructive. Cox and members of Utahs Republican supermajority Legislature have defended the Trump administrations efforts to deport immigrants who are in the country illegally. Romero, while saying she agrees the focus should be on those with criminal records, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids have gone too far. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I agree with my colleagues across the aisle that undocumented immigrants with serious criminal records should be held accountable, she said. However, raiding elementary schools, separating families, and targeting hardworking individuals does nothing to achieve that goal. Romero added that she will not stand by as the president of the United States instills fear, disappears individuals, and escalates peaceful protests with tear gas, rubber bullets, and flashbangs. Romero agreed that violence, destruction and vandalism are unacceptable, but she argued its up to Californias leaders to act not Trump. While the vast majority of protestors have remained peaceful, those engaging in criminal behavior must be held accountable, she said, adding: That said, it is the responsibility of Los Angeles law enforcement and Californias elected officials to manage these situations not President Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Romero said aggressive actions will only deepen divides between Americans. These actions are not collaborative, she said. They are theatrical displays of power that only inflame tensions. After four straight days of escalating protests, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday issued a curfew on most of downtown Los Angeles. She said it was necessary to curb the actions of bad actors who do not support the immigrant community, the L.A. Times reported. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tore into President Donald Trump for his administrations response to the Los Angeles illegal immigration riots, warning that American democracy is at stake. Schumer, a New York Democrat, was asked about comments from Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who had warned his party was "los[ing] the moral high ground" by refusing to condemn "setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement." Without addressing the Pittsburgher directly, Schumer said violence being seen in the riots is "outrageous and should never happen full stop." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Thats the bottom line and anyone who permits violence or breaks the law should be fully prosecuted." Fetterman Calls Out Anarchy In La, Noting Dems Forefeit The Moral High Ground By Failing To Decry Violence Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer However, Schumer then pivoted to lambasting Trumps decision to federalize the California National Guard and to allow Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to activate Marines from Twentynine Palms, California. Read On The Fox News App "Donald Trump bringing American troops and American Marines in against American citizens is not only dangerous. It is not only provocative, but it endangers the very bedrock of our democracy." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By contrast, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chair of the Armed Services Committee, was asked a similar question moments earlier during a Republican press conference while addressing the military budget. Maxine Waters Taunts Armed Agents After Feds Slam Door In Her Face Wicker, speaking alongside Senate leadership about the Big Beautiful Bill, said that if a crisis like this hit his state, the outcome would be very different. "I would think the governor of Mississippi [would want] to have all the help he could get," Wicker said. He credited Mayor Karen Bass for reportedly offering kind words in terms of her offices interactions with U.S. military officers and officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wicker added Gov. Gavin Newsom may be making a "mistake there, politically." "When a situation is fraught by extreme violence, it would seem the governor and the mayor would want all the help they can receive," Wicker said. Newsom has defended his response to the rioting, including a dare for border czar Thomas Homan to prosecute him: "Tom, arrest me lets go," he said on MSNBC. In response to Schumer, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said: "violent rioters in Los Angeles, enabled by Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, have attacked American law enforcement, set cars on fire, and fueled lawless chaos." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "President Trump rightfully stepped in to protect federal law enforcement officers. When Democrat leaders refuse to protect American citizens, President Trump will always step in." Original article source: Trumps response to LA riots endangers the very bedrock of our democracy, Schumer warns President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that seven Army bases will revert to names that once honored Confederate leaders but will now take the names of nine highly decorated U.S. Army soldiers of the same name. For a little breaking news, we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Robert E. Lee, Trump said while speaking at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. We won a lot of battles out of those forts. Its no time to change. And Im superstitious. I like to keep it going. Minutes after Trumps speech, the Army announced those names would now honor nine soldiers from five conflicts whose names match the original Confederate leaders for each base. The name changes mirror the previous name reversions ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Fort Liberty is Fort Bragg again, and Fort Moore in Georgia has gone back to being named Fort Benning, but both installations now honor two previously obscure soldiers of the same names from World War I and World War II. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new soldiers include five who received the Medal of Honor, three who were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and one who received the Silver Star. The bases and their new namesakes are: Fort Gordon, Georgia, formerly Fort Eisenhower, will honor Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, perhaps the best-known soldier among the new namesakes. Gordon, a Delta Force soldier, was awarded the Medal of Honor after he volunteered to defend wounded crew members at a helicopter crash site during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia. He held off an advancing enemy force to protect a wounded pilot until he was killed. Fort Pickett, Virginia, renamed from Fort Barfoot, will be named for 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, a Distinguished Service Cross recipient in World War II. According to his award citation maintained by Military Times, Pickett was an infantry officer with the 137th Infantry Regiment near Azelot, France, soon after D-Day. On July 15, 1944, Pickett crawled across open ground to attack two German machine gun nests, destroying each with hand grenades. He was then captured but later escaped by cutting his way out of a train car. He returned to his unit and was eventually killed in action in September 1944. Fort Hood, Texas, formerly Fort Cavazos, will be named for Col. Robert B. Hood, a Distinguished Service Cross recipient in World War I. While under heavy shelling near Thiaucourt, France, the Army said, then-Capt. Hood directed artillery fire under enfilading machine-gun fire. After his gun crew was lost to enemy fire, he rapidly reorganized and returned fire within minutes. Fort Lee, Virginia, formerly Fort Gregg-Adams, will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Pvt. Fitz Lee, a Black Buffalo Soldier, for his heroism during the Spanish-American War. During a coastal assault in Cuba, Lee voluntarily disembarked under direct enemy fire to rescue wounded comrades from the battlefield. Fort Polk, Louisiana, formerly Fort Johnson, will be named in honor of Silver Star recipient Gen. James H. Polk for his gallantry in action as commanding officer of the 3rd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) during operations across Europe in World War II. Then-Col. Polk led reconnaissance and combat missions under fire, spearheading Third Army advances as part of Task Force Polk. He later served as the commander of U.S. Army Europe. Fort Rucker, Alabama, formerly Fort Novosel, the home of Army aviation, will continue to be named after an Army aviator. Capt Edward W. Rucker was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in World War I as a pilot for missions over France. Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, formerly Fort Walker, will be named for three Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn and Pvt. Bruce Anderson. The three earned the Medal of Honor at different engagements at Cold Harbor, Virginia; Chapins Farm, Virginia; and Fort Fisher, North Carolina. A total of nine Army bases that bore the names of Confederates were renamed in 2022 and 2023 following recommendations by an official naming commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said he was asked why he didnt wait to announce the name changes to the other seven bases at the Armys 250th birthday parade on Saturday in Washington, D.C. I said I cant wait, Trump added. UPDATE: 06/10/2025; this story was updated after the Army clarified that Fort Walker, Virginia, will be renamed Fort A.P. Hill. Details on the combat actions of 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett were also added. The latest on Task & Purpose The Pentagon is reviewing Americas role in a historic, multibillion-dollar pact among Washington, the United Kingdom and Australia to ward off Chinas growing influence. The widely supported deal calls on the three countries to jointly develop hypersonic weapons and nuclear-powered submarines, a unique security partnership that could strengthen seapower gaps in the Pacific and produce transformative new weapons. Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby who has expressed skepticism about the program's worth is running the review, according to two defense officials, granted anonymity to discuss internal policy talks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is an opportunity for the [Defense Department] to ensure the effort is in alignment with the Trump administrations priorities, one of the officials said. The Biden administration inked the deal, known as AUKUS, four years ago. The people did not say how the Trump administration could tweak the massive package of cooperative efforts or when officials would make a decision. But the agreement appears to have the backing of numerous lawmakers and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who expressed support for it during his confirmation hearing. The Defense Department did not respond to a request for comment. The Financial Times first reported the review. Such assessments arent entirely unusual. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer initiated a review of AUKUS after his election last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A U.K. government spokesperson, granted anonymity to discuss the situation, said the review was understandable and that London would continue to work closely with the U.S. and Australia on the deal. But the development was met with frustration from congressional Democrats, especially on the Eastern Seaboard, which houses some of Americas largest shipyards. Australia has committed to investing $3 billion in modernizing U.S. shipyards that produce nuclear-powered submarines, a massive influx in cash that would benefit American industry and bulk up its ability to produce submarines. New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said news of the review will be met with cheers in Beijing. She added that scrapping the partnership would further tarnish Americas reputation and raise more questions among our closest defense partners about our reliability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colby has challenged major parts of the AUKUS deal, including a plan for the U.S. to sell three Virginia-class submarines to Australia, citing the need for the U.S. to maintain a robust undersea presence in the Pacific. The Virginia sales would come in three-year intervals starting in 2032 and would replace the retiring Collins-class submarines in the Australian arsenal. But Colby appeared more open to the project during his Senate confirmation hearing in March. It should be the policy of the United States government to do everything we can to make this work, he said. Colby did note he was concerned that selling submarines to Australia, or using U.S. shipyards to help build them, could put the U.S. Navy in a weaker position since they werent going to American submarine development. The agreement would also mean closer cooperation among the three nations in building quantum computers and hypersonic weapons. And it has largely moved forward without controversy. Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon in February and pledged the first $500 million of a $3 billion investment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump is very aware, supportive of AUKUS, recognizes the importance of the defense industrial base, Hegseth said at the meeting. The three nations already have poured millions into training to operate nuclear-powered vessels. Australia has funneled even more into expanding its base in Perth on the countrys western edge. Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services seapower subcommittee, questioned why the administration would launch the review when so much is underway. To walk away from all the sunk costs invested by our two closest allies, Australia and the United Kingdom, will have far-reaching ramifications on our trustworthiness on the global stage, he said. It is a direct contradiction to the administrations America first, but not alone goal of countering aggression from China, Russia and other adversaries. Joe Gould and Esther Webber contributed to this report. Amid the National Guard battle between Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom, a video has resurfaced from 2020 of Trump saying he wouldnt deploy military resources without the governors approval. In the ABC News clip, Trump tells George Stephanopoulos, We have to go by the laws. We cant move in the National Guard. I can call insurrection but theres no reason to ever do that, even in a Portland case, referring to the then-current Portland, Oregon protests over the murder of George Floyd. We cant call in the National Guard unless were requested by a governor, Trump said at the time. Trump in 2020: We have to go by the laws. We can't move in the National Guard. I can call insurrection but there's no reason to ever do that, even in a Portland case. We can't call in the National Guard unless we're requested by a governor. pic.twitter.com/0sTAa9CiCX Acyn (@Acyn) June 9, 2025 Five years later, Trump called in the state-based military force to Los Angeles after widespread protests over ICE raids began. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He did not invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807, citing instead U.S.C. 12406, a 1903 law that allows the president to call up the National Guard if there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States or if the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States. Newsom has sued the administration, saying that the mobilization order was illegal because it overrode Newsoms authority and violated the Tenth Amendment, which protects state rights. This isnt about public safety. Its about stroking a dangerous Presidents ego, Newsom tweeted on Monday. The post Trump Said He Cant Deploy National Guard Without Governors Request in Resurfaced 2020 Clip | Video appeared first on TheWrap. On Monday, Trump responded to the reports about Elon Musk's alleged drug habit and his answer makes it sound like even he isn't convinced about his friend-turned-foe's sobriety. Asked if he knew if Musk ever took drugs while physically in the White House, Trump told reporters, "I really don't know. I don't think so." "I hope not," Trump added. Brief as they are, the comments are the most that Trump has spoken about the damning reports detailing Musk's outrageous drug habit, which came to light as the pair's relationship rushed towards its climactic implosion last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the end of May, the New York Times reported that Musk's already widely-documented propensity for drugs which he has previously admitted to taking for medicinal purposes had spiraled "well beyond occasional use." Musk was allegedly taking so much of the powerful anesthetic ketamine it that it was affecting his bladder. To facilitate the habit, according to the NYT, Musk carried a medication box stuffed with pills everywhere he went. In all, his impressive pharmaceutical cornucopia included Adderall, ecstasy, and psychedelic mushrooms, which he'd mix together with his ketamine use (cocaine and LSD are somewhere in the rotation as well, according to prior reporting by the Wall Street Journal.) Trump was first asked about these allegations back in May, when the NYT story came out. At the time, the president said he wasn't aware of Musk's drug habit, adding that he wasn't "troubled by anything with Elon." "I think he's fantastic," Trump proclaimed, as quoted by the NYT. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk was more combative in his denial. At a White House press event earlier that day, with Trump sitting beside him, the world's richest man deflected by disparaging the New York Times and implying that the report was a hoax. "Let's move on," he fumed. Since helming the so-called Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to gut the federal government, Musk came to serve as a lightning rod for the public's resentment of the current administration. Under all that pressure, cracks had long begun to show between Musk and Trump's relationship, which boiled over as Musk's drug habit became enshrined in the newspaper of record. Soon after suddenly announcing that he was ending his time as a "special government employee," Musk broke rank and blasted Trump's newly proposed spending bill. Then in a flurry of back and forths, Trump threatened to cancel Musk's government contracts at SpaceX, to which Musk retaliated by saying he'd cut off NASA's space access, calling for Trump's impeachment, and declaring the president was implicated in the unreleased Epstein files. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pair haven't spoken since the spat went public, though not for Musk's lack of trying. According to Trump, his former "First Buddy" has repeatedly tried to get in touch and wipe the slate clean. "I'm not even thinking about Elon," Trump told CNN Friday. "He's got a problem, the poor guy's got a problem." Now, he's offered the slightest of benedictions. "Look, I wish him well. You understand," Trump told reporters. "We had a good relationship and I just wish him well. Very well actually." More on Elon Musk: Elon Musk Shushes His AI Grok as It Says He Stole the Wife of Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff President Donald Trump says in a new podcast interview that he is open to reconciling with Elon Musk over their falling out due to Trumps "big, beautiful bill." "Look, I have no hard feelings," Trump said during an interview on "Pod Force One with Miranda Devine" that was published Wednesday. "I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill thats phenomenal. He just I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually." Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Inc., who headed up Trumps Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and was assigned to trim $2 trillion from the federal governments budget, announced he was leaving DOGE in a post on X on May 28. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Call With China's Xi, And Trump, Musk Exchange Fueled Barbs During 20Th Week In Office The relationship between the two began souring after Musk called out Trumps bill in a June 3 post on X, saying, "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." The two then traded fierce social media barbs, with Musk even saying Trump was in the so-called Jeffrey "Epstein files." The bill has been projected by the Congressional Budget Office to add trillions to the country's already rising $36.2 trillion national debt. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps spending bill, meant to extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as well as provide new funding for the border and defense, passed the House on May 22 and is currently in the Senate. Trump said that he was "disappointed" in Musk, but said things like this happen, and that he is open to mending fences. "I guess I could, but we have to straighten out the country," Trump said when Devine asked if he and Musk could become allies again. "And my sole function now is getting this country back to a level higher than its ever been. And I think we can do that." Trump made the comments on the inaugural episode of Devine's "Pod Force One." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every week, the award-winning New York Post columnist will sit down for exclusive and candid conversations with the most influential disruptors in Washington. Would Donald Trump Have Won The 2024 Presidential Election Without Elon Musk's Help? Devine, who was the first to report on Hunter Bidens scandalous laptop in 2020, will speak with top newsmakers and lawmakers, going beyond talking points to discussions aimed at shaping America's future. "On Pod Force One, Ill be speaking to the most powerful people in the world, finding out what really drives them their motivations, beliefs, and desires," Devine said when announcing the project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Pod Force One" is available on NYPost.com, Spotify, Apple and everywhere you get your podcasts. "We couldnt have a better host than Miranda Devine. Shes a legend, and shes bringing todays biggest newsmakers to the mic. Get ready were going to break some news," Post Editor-in-Chief Keith Poole said. President Donald Trump said that his main focus is getting the country back on track. Musk has appeared to soften his tone in recent days, saying in an X post on Wednesday, "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far." "I haven't thought too much about him in the last little while, but the bill is so good," Trump told Devine. "This bill is going to turn around this country so fast your head will spin, and it's good for everyone." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later on Wednesday, Trump told the Post it was "very nice" that Musk had issued a mea culpa. Devine told Fox News Digital she couldn't have asked for a better first guest than Trump. "He was generous with his time and full of fascinating insights about what makes him tick," she said. "We talked about everything from Elon to Iran, drones over New Jersey to the secret of Joe Bidens autopen. He even shared his tips for success in life and good parenting." Original article source: Trump says he's open to reconciling with Elon Musk over 'big, beautiful bill' feud President Donald Trump is planning to wind down the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after the 2025 hurricane season, shifting more of the disaster response burden onto stateseven as climate-fueled disasters grow more frequent and severe. We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level, the president said during an Oval Office briefing Tuesday, according to CNN. A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they cant handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldnt be governor, he added. President Donald Trump is joined by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in the Oval Office. Trump said he wants to eliminate FEMA and return its function to the state level. / Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Trump has long criticized FEMA as ineffective and said disaster relief funds would instead be distributed directly through the presidents officegiving him greater control over where the money is allocated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were going to give out less money, he said. Were going to give it out directly. Itll be from the presidents office. Well have somebody here, could be Homeland Security. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees FEMA, said the agency fundamentally needs to go away as it exists at Tuesdays briefing. Kristi Noem, who sought FEMA funds as South Dakotas governor after the state was hit by a bomb cyclone in 2019, said the agency fundamentally needs to go away as it exists. / Alex Brandon/REUTERS We all know from the past that FEMA has failed thousand if not millions of people she said. Noemwho sought FEMA funds as South Dakotas governor after the state was hit by a bomb cyclone in 2019added that the administration is working on mutual aid agreements between statesreserving federal involvement for catastrophic situations. Federal and state emergency officials are skeptical that local systems could replace FEMAs extensive infrastructure if the agency were to be eliminated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a complete misunderstanding of the role of the federal government in emergency management and disaster response and recovery, and its an abdication of that role when a state is overwhelmed, a longtime FEMA official told CNN. Trump said the FEMA phase-out would begin after the hurricane season, which officially runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects it to be unusually intense this year. Yet, an internal FEMA assessment admitted the agency is not ready to handle catastrophic storms this summer, a CNN report revealed in May. Sources told the outlet that FEMA has lost around 30 percent of its total staff, which once numbered more than 20,000 people, due to DOGE buyouts and layoffs. Damaged houses and businesses in Grand Isle, Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in 2021. / Adrees Latif/REUTERS Last week, FEMAs acting administrator David Richardsona Marine veteran with no prior disaster response experienceraised eyebrows when he said at an all-hands meeting that he was unaware the U.S. had a hurricane season. The Department of Homeland Security later insisted it was meant as a joke. President Donald Trump said Americans can expect additional immigration raids across the country similar to the ones in California, while warning that any potential riots that break out in response to the raids will be met with "equal or greater force" compared to the government's handling of recent Los Angeles violence. "Mr. President, these protests obviously started in reaction to these large-scale ICE operations in Los Angeles. Should people expect to see similar operations in the rest of the country and with similar protests, similar responses?" a reporter asked the president from the Oval Office early Tuesday afternoon. "Yeah, as you know, we're moving murderers out of our country that were put here by Biden or the autopen," Trump responded, referring to the Biden administration's use of an autopen to sign official documents that Trump has argued indicated Biden staffers were in charge of high-profile decisions and not former President Joe Biden. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The people are criminals that allowed these criminals into our country," Trump continued. "And I don't think that Biden knew what the hell he was doing. I don't think he even knew about it. But when they opened up our borders for the whole world to come in, yeah, we're going to get them out. We're getting them out." 'Delusional' Hillary Clinton Savagely Mocked For La Riots Response: 'Only Leftists Disable Comments' President Donald Trump spoke to reporters from the Oval Office on Tuesday regarding the riots in Los Angeles. The president was addressing efforts by federal agencies to address wildfire management and prevention as the nation heads into the summer months, and he took a bevvy of questions from reporters regarding the riots that have spiraled in Los Angeles since Friday. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch: Dem, Media Outlets Insist La Anti-ice Riots Are 'Peaceful' Despite Violence, Injured Cops Riots broke out in the left-wing city Friday evening after federal law enforcement officials converged on Los Angeles to carry out immigration raids as part of Trump's vow to deport illegal aliens who flooded the nation under the Biden administration. Local leaders such as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom, however, quickly denounced the raids in public statements while offering words of support for illegal aliens in the state. Burned-out Waymo cars are removed from a street in downtown Los Angeles on June 9, 2025. Protests over the raids soon devolved into violence as rioters targeted federal law enforcement officials, including throwing rocks, with videos showing people looting stores, setting cars on fire and taking over a freeway. Musk Does Immediate 180 On Trump As Soon As La Riots Rage Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump announced Saturday that he was deploying 2,000 National Guard members to help quell the violence, bypassing the governor, who typically activates the National Guard. The move sparked Newsom to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration for efforts to allegedly "federalize the California National Guard," while Democrats across the nation have attempted to pin blame for the violence on Trump's activation of the National Guard while characterizing the anti-ICE riots as "peaceful" demonstrations. Trump continued Tuesday that if riots break out in other areas of the country in response to immigration raids, violent protesters will be met with "equal or greater force" than those participating in the L.A. riots. A rioter feeds a fire in Paramount, Calif., on June 7, 2025. "If we didn't attack this one very strongly, you'd have them all over the country," he said. "But I can inform the rest of the country that when they do it, if they do it, they're going to be met with equal or greater force than we met right here." Illegal immigrants in the U.S. "come from jails, and they come from mental institutions, and they come from all over the world, not just South America," Trump added. "And we're not going to let them stay." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the riots continued on Monday, the Trump administration deployed hundreds of Marines to respond to the chaos. Newsoms Political Future 'Practically Nonexistent' As La Devolves Into Riots, Social Media Critics Predict "Approximately 700 Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division will seamlessly integrate with the Title 10 forces under Task Force 51 who are protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area," U.S. Northern Command said in a Monday statement. Trump defended in a Truth Social post early Tuesday morning that if he "didnt SEND IN THE TROOPS to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now." President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post early Tuesday morning that if he "didnt SEND IN THE TROOPS to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now." "Much like 25,000 houses burned to the ground in L.A. do to an incompetent Governor and Mayor Incidentally, the much more difficult, time consuming, and stringent FEDERAL PERMITTING PROCESS is virtually complete on these houses, while the easy and simple City and State Permits are disastrously bungled up and WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE! They are a total mess, and will be for a long time. People want to rebuild their houses. Call your incompetent Governor and Mayor, the Federal permitting is DONE!!!" Trump continued, referring to the thousands of homes that burned in southern California wildfires that gripped the Los Angeles area in January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration's immigration raids and deportation efforts are part of the president's campaign pledge to remove the millions of illegal immigrants that flooded the nation under the Biden administration. Original article source: Trump says nationwide immigration raids on the way, rioters to face 'greater force' than LA DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his administration would reverse the 2023 name changes to several military bases, including Fort Novosel. For a little breaking news, we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Robert E. Lee, Trump said while speaking at Fort Bragg. Fort Novosel (formerly Fort Rucker), Fort Bragg, and seven other Army bases around the southern U.S. underwent name changes in 2023. The movement to rename the Army bases under the Biden administration stemmed from concerns that U.S. military institutions should not be named for a Confederate leader who fought against the United States and was committed to slavery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Controversial name could come back to Fort Novosel Fort Novosel, the home of Army Aviation and the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, was originally named for General Edmund W. Rucker, a Confederate officer during the Civil War. Rucker served under Nathan Bedford Forrest, a slave trader and early leader of the Ku Klux Klan. After the Civil War, Rucker became a wealthy industrial magnate in Birmingham. He died in 1924. The southeast Alabama installation currently bears the name of Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Novosel Sr., an aviator with direct ties to Army Aviation and Enterprise who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He later earned the Medal of Honor after saving 29 soldiers during a medevac mission in Vietnam. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration has already started the renaming process with Fort Benning and Fort Bragg. Fort Bragg, named initially after Confederate Army officer Braxton Bragg, was renamed to Fort Liberty in 2023. In early 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the installation to be renamed Fort Bragg, this time in honor of Private First Class Roland L. Bragg, an Army paratrooper who served during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Rucker family wants the home of Army Aviation to stay Fort Novosel: He is a hero After Secretary Hegseth ordered the renaming of Fort Bragg, WDHN spoke with Col. Ruckers cousin, K. Denise Rucker Krepp, who openly believes the installation should have never bore the name of her cousin, who fought against the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I believe that military installations should be named in honor of those who fought or fought for the United States, and my cousin, Colonel Edmund Rucker, did not do that. He took up arms against the United States, said Krepp in February. According to the Military Times, the 2023 effort to rename the nine Army bases cost the government around $39 million. The costly changes were due in part to the removal and changes to signs, displays, monuments and paraphernalia. This is a breaking story. Stay with WDHN for updates. ABC News contributed to this post. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. President Donald Trump has announced his administration has reached an agreeable trade deal with China. In a Truth Social post from Wednesday morning, the President said our deal with China is done, pending final approval from Xi and me. Trump says China will provide rare earths, and that US universities will still be welcoming to Chinese students pic.twitter.com/Nz7gDY5lyK Joe Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) June 11, 2025 The post stated that we are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10% and that the relationship between the two countries is excellent. President Trump also said magnets and any necessary rare earth metals will be supplied up front by China and the agreement covers Chinese students studying in the United States. We will update this story with more details as they are released by the White House. The post Trump says trade deal reached with China appeared first on FreightWaves. President Donald Trump was left emotional after his first buddy, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, engaged in a bitter online feud with him last week, an insider revealed. The president was actually hurt, a Trump confidant who spoke with him about their spat told Axios. Yes, he has feelings, and he was hurt the way anyone would be when a friend turns on them. In public, Trump appears to be projecting a defiant front amid the feud. He signaled Saturday that his relationship with Musk was finished and that he had no intention of patching things up. The presidents epic falling out with Elon Musk was sparked by a fiery clash over Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The presidents epic falling out with Musk was sparked by a fiery clash over Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Musk blasted the proposed spending package as fiscally reckless and a disgusting abomination that would sabotage his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by adding trillions to the deficit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He even went as far as to post a bombshell claim on X that Trump is named in the so-called Epstein files. But after the explosive allegations, Musk made a groveling U-turn on Wednesday morning. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far, he wrote. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. Meanwhile, White House insiders told Axios that Trumps response to the Los Angeles protests against actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have helped Trump bounce back from the Musk meltdown. But thats gone now. L.A. wiped away the Elon drama, the source said. Whats driving the president is how the riots of 2020 are seared into his brain, and how he wished he couldve sent in the troops to end it. Elon Musk has reshared some of Donald Trump's Truth Social posts about the protests. / Leah Millis/Reuters Musk, who had once enjoyed a cozy relationship with Trump as he headed DOGE, has been doing damage control amid the protests, resharing Trumps Truth Social posts about the riots and posts by Vice President JD Vance, likely in a bid to show some solidarity with the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump unleashed his presidential powers in a dramatic showdown with California Gov. Gavin Newsom over the weekend, moving to federalize the states National Guard in a rare and controversial move. Protests erupted in downtown Los Angeles amid reports that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE has denied these claims. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Northern Command told The New York Times that some 700 Marines are expected to be deployed to the streets of Los Angeles on Wednesday, joining National Guard troops already on the ground. As riots and immigration protests grip Los Angeles, President Donald Trump is determined not to repeat the violence of 2020. In recent days, Trump administration officials have pointed to the riots that broke out in Minneapolis in 2020 after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer, singling out Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, for slow-walking the activation of the National Guard. Now, Trump is at odds with another Democratic governor this time California's Gavin Newsom as the president moves to deploy and federalize thousands of National Guard troops along with hundreds of Marines in an effort to prevent Los Angeles from suffering the same fate as Minneapolis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Trump has said he is dispatching troops to prevent the destruction of Los Angeles, Newsom has accused Trump of "turning the U.S. military against American citizens." Federal Officials Slam Democrats For 'Dangerous' Rhetoric As Ice Agents Face Violent Mobs In La, Nyc But Trump and his allies have persisted with a clear message for Democrats: This is not 2020. Read On The Fox News App Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who previously served as governor of South Dakota, defended the Trump administrations decision to deploy and federalize troops and override state authority, claiming Minnesota is an example of what happens when a "bad governor" is in charge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I was a governor of a neighboring state to Tim Walz and watched him let his city burn," Noem told reporters Tuesday. "And the president and I have talked about this in the past, and he was not going to let that happen to another city and to another community where a bad governor made a bad decision." National Guard To Be Deployed In Los Angeles County As Anti-ice Protests Rage: Border Czar Tom Homan Other administration officials expressed similar sentiments. "This isnt the Summer of 2020 2.0," DHS Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar said in a statement Monday. "I thank the brave men and women of the National Guard defending federal buildings so that immigration officials can keep us safe." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walz was first elected governor of Minnesota in 2019, leading the state as protests broke out after the death of Floyd. While Walz has said he takes the blame for a delayed response activating the National Guard in his state, he has also said he is proud of how Minnesota reacted. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign event Aug. 7, 2024, in Detroit. "Im proud of Minnesotas response; Im proud of Minnesotas first responders who were out there, from firefighters to police to the National Guard, to citizens that were out there," Walz said in a 2022 gubernatorial debate. Walzs office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Trump Gives Blunt Response To Newsom Daring Homan To Arrest Him: I Would Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The political climate is also different for Trump this time around. Whereas in 2020 Trump faced an upcoming election, he no longer has a second term on his mind, influencing his actions, according to political columnist Kristin Tate. "Trump has learned a lot in the last five years. Trump no longer cares about political consequences. He cannot run again. So, hes just doing whats right," Tate told Fox News Digital. "Hes instilling law and order, regardless of the consequences. And thats what shouldve been done all along. But the rioters in the Golden State are shocked to see that law and order is being implemented, and the good old days of burning down the city with impunity are over." Demonstrators holding signs and flags face California National Guard troops standing guard outside the Federal Building as they protest in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles June 9, 2025. Trump has also moved to exert greater authority over the National Guard than he did in 2020, bypassing Newsoms authority. While Republicans like Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas pushed Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act in 2020 to pave the way for Trump to federalize the National Guard, Trump ultimately chose not to. Although separate from the Insurrection Act, Trump has invoked another law to place National Guard troops under federal command this time around, prompting ire from Newsom and other Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Newsom has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for federalizing the National Guard, labeling the move an "unmistakable step toward authoritarianism." "Donald Trump is creating fear and terror by failing to adhere to the U.S. Constitution and overstepping his authority," Newsom said in a statement Monday. "This is a manufactured crisis to allow him to take over a state militia, damaging the very foundation of our republic. Every governor, red or blue, should reject this outrageous overreach." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Original article source: Trump sends clear message federalizing National Guard for LA riots: This is not 2020 By David Shepardson and Steve Holland (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump will sign three congressional resolutions on Thursday barring California's electric vehicle sales mandates and diesel engine rules, a White House official said, confirming an earlier Reuters report citing auto industry sources and House aides. Trump is signing resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to bar California's landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035, which has been adopted by 11 other states and representing a third of the U.S. auto market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump will sign one resolution to repeal a waiver granted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under former Democratic President Joe Biden in December, allowing California to mandate that at least 80% of vehicles be electric vehicles by 2035. The White House invited numerous auto industry officials to attend the signing on Thursday, sources said. Trump will also sign a resolution approved by Congress to rescind the EPA's 2023 approval of California's plans to require a rising number of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks, and another resolution on California's low-NOx, or low-nitrogen oxide, regulation for heavy-duty highway and off-road vehicles and engines. "Todays historic bill signing is a major victory for American consumers, manufacturers and U.S. energy security. We thank President Trump and Congress for delivering on their promise to put an end to these extreme mandates and ensure every American can choose the vehicle thats best for them," American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The signing is a win for General Motors, Toyota, auto dealers and other automakers that heavily lobbied against the rules, and a blow to California and environmental groups that say the requirements are essential to ensuring cleaner vehicles and cutting pollution. GM said the move would help align emissions standards with market realities. California announced a plan in 2020 to require that by 2035 at least 80% of new cars sold be electric and up to 20% plug-in hybrid models. California Governor Gavin Newsom has vowed to challenge the repeals in court, saying the action by Congress is illegal and would cost California taxpayers an estimated $45 billion in additional health care costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since 1970, California has received more than 100 waivers under the Clean Air Act. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing GM, Toyota, Volkswagen Hyundai Stellantis and others, previously praised the repeal. "The fact is these EV sales mandates were never achievable," the group's CEO, John Bozzella, said. "In reality, meeting the mandates would require diverting finite capital from the EV transition to purchase compliance credits from Tesla." These are the latest actions in recent months taking aim at electric vehicles. A separate bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in May would end a $7,500 tax credit for new EVs, impose a new $250 annual fee on EVs for road repair costs and repeal vehicle emissions rules designed to prod automakers into building more EVs. It would also phase out EV battery production tax credits in 2028. (Reporting by David Shepardson, Steve Holland and Ryan Patrick Jones and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Stephen Coates) (Texas Scorecard) A Texas A&M summer class uses a textbook that promotes the establishment narrative that President Donald Trump is a criminal. A source provided Texas Scorecard with information regarding the textbook for a Texas A&M political science course offered this summer semester. The textbook in question is the 11th edition of Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics, by Christine Barbour and Gerald C. Wright. Wright is an emeritus professor at Indiana University Bloomington. Barbour is his wife and a political science lecturer at the same university. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barbour and Wright sharply contrasted how they believed the country viewed former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump when presenting them in the first chapter. When President Biden was elected in 2020, we thought we had turned a new page in our political history, Barbour and Wright wrote in the first chapter. But so much of the countrys attention remained on Donald Trump, who demanded the limelight during his presidency and refused to relinquish it, as well as political power. The first chapter contained more anti-Trump messaging. The authors repeated the establishment media narrative that President Donald Trump is a criminal but didnt mention the politicization and manipulation of the prosecution against him. Donald Trump is okay with rules that constrain other peoples behavior, but he chafes under rules that apply to him. There is a reason why, when he left office in 2021, he faced a barrage of lawsuits and criminal indictments at the state and federal level, and that reason was not that his political enemies wanted to go after him, Barbour and Wright wrote. Its because he broke or ignored multiple laws he didnt want to follow or that he decided didnt apply to him, and some of the consequences caught up with him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Donald Trump doesnt like to be bound by rules, even the ones written in the Constitution, the authors continued. This textbook is required reading in American National Government, a political science course at Texas A&M offered during the summer semester from May 26 to July 4 of this year. The Bush School of Government & Public Service houses Texas A&M College Stations political science department. Named after former President George H. W. Bush, members of the Bush family serve on the schools advisory board, including former Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush. Neil Bush, son of George H.W. Bush, is board chair. Neil Bush is also the founder and chairman of the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations. Use of Barbour and Wrights textbook has not been confined to the College Station campus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Shane Gleason used the ninth edition of the textbook in a Spring 2022 political science class at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Meanwhile, former Texas A&M Galveston professor John Carhart praised an earlier version of the book. Several of Carharts student reviews on RateMyProfessor claim he had a very liberal bias in the classroom. Other universities have used earlier versions of this textbook. Previous versions were used at Stephen F. Austin State University in Fall 2014, and at the University of North Texas in Fall 2016 and Spring 2017. Texas A&M did not respond to a request for comment before publication. President Donald Trump's tariffs will remain in effect, for now, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday night. The presidents Liberation Day tariffs may stay in place during the appeal process while the court considers the legality of the measures. The federal decision temporarily reverses a lower courts ruling that found Trump had overstepped his authority, according to Reuters. The decision applies to broad-based tariffs affecting most U.S. trading partners, as well as targeted duties on imports from Canada, China, and Mexico amid ongoing pressure for them to do more to stop the illegal flow of immigrants and synthetic opioids across the U.S. border, the Associated Press reported. Trumps sweeping tariffs may stay in place during the appeal process while the court considers the legality of the measures (Getty) The court has not yet ruled on whether Trumps use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs is lawful, but agreed to pause the lower courts decision while it hears arguments, which are scheduled for July 31. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump is the first U.S. president to use IEEPA, a 1977 law historically used to impose sanctions on enemies of the U.S., to impose tariffs. Tuesdays ruling follows a May 28 decision by the U.S. Court of International Trade, which held that the Constitution grants Congress not the president the power to impose taxes and tariffs. The tariffs have created turbulence for global markets and American businesses, many of which have struggled to adjust supply chains and pricing strategies amid shifting policy. The ruling on Tuesday does not impact tariffs implemented under separate legal frameworks, which include those on steel and aluminum. The Trump administration is considering cutting federal education funding to California as tensions between the White House and Governor Gavin Newsom continue to escalate. Trump has deployed thousands of National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines to quash Los Angeles protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Stretches of city freeways have been overrun by protesters, and police cars were destroyed in the demonstrations. Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have called on the president to rescind the order and return control of the National Guard to the state. The last time a president made such a move was in 1965 when President Lyndon B Johnson sent troops to Alabama to disperse pro-segregation protestors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Due to Newsoms actions, administration officials said the Education Department may stop the disbursement of formula funds to California, according to Politico. The federal payouts are distributed to schools and school districts based on a predetermined formula to assist with education. Its not clear if the administration will move forward with barring the funds. Public schools in California receive $8bn from the Education Department annually. Some of the payouts go toward programs for students with disabilities and from low-income homes. Public schools in California receive $8bn from the Education Department annually, but that may be at risk after tensions over protest response in LA (AFP/Getty) In a statement to the outlet, Kush Desai, a White House spokesperson, said: No taxpayer should be forced to fund the demise of our country, and thats what California is doing through its 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. No final decisions, however, on any potential future action by the administration have been made. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not the first time the president has threatened to withhold federal funds from California. As the state fought off several wildfires in January, Trump threatened to bar California from accepting federal disaster funds unless state leaders changed water policies. In May, Trump once again threatened to take away federal funds from California if a transgender athlete participated in a girls track meet. The Los Angeles protests are largely in response to immigration raids that are being carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the area. Approximately 900,000 undocumented people live in the city, while 4.8m people of Latino heritage live in the city. The Trump administration is axing a division of the Department of Homeland Security designed to prevent domestic terrorism attacks committed by individual perpetrators and train officials to negate future attacks, worrying prevention advocates. The Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) was an arm of DHS that provided federal resources to local and state officials to thwart lone wolf attacks, an increasingly common type of terrorism. In those instances, attacks are carried out by an individual not part of an organized group. Examples include the recent Boulder, Colorado attack in which a man threw incendiary devices at a group of Israeli hostage advocates as well as the murder of two young Isreali Embassy staffers outside the Captiol Jewish Museum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CP3 aimed to reduce the instances of those attacks by understanding domestic violence trends, such as those tracked by the Terrorism and Targeted Violence database (TV2), and providing training through programs such as the Targeting Violence and Terrorism Prevention grant. But President Donald Trumps budget said DHS could re-allocate roughly $18 million by axing the center and its grants, which the administration claims were weaponized to target Americans exercising their First Amendment rights. The Trump administration is axing the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, which provides data and grants to local and state law enforcement (Getty) The program, which NBC News estimates only costs 4 percent of the militarys marching band budget, has been successful at stopping lone wolf attacks though publicly available data on this is scarce. In one instance, the Palm Beach Sheriffs Department, which received money through the Terrorism and Targeted Violence grant, was able to identify and detain an individual at Palm Beach State College who threatened mass violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the Trump administration claims it does not align with presidents policies and has proposed eliminating it. Approximately 20 percent of CP3s staff was eliminated during federal funding cuts in March. In addition, the administration tapped a 22-year-old recent college graduate to lead CP3. William Braniff, the former director of CP3, told the Guardian that the government is making itself more susceptible to attacks by getting rid of the program. Its simple: we will see more school and workplace violence, more hate-fueled violence and terrorism and our political leadership will see more assassination attempts, Braniff said. Trumps administration claims the Center for Prevention Programs and and Partnerships does not align with the presidents policies (AP) Joe Griffin, the executive director of Youth Alive!, a California-based violence prevention organization, told CBS News that cutting funding before summer would have a negative impact on communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "To do this ahead of summer, when we know there will likely be an uptick in violence, is really troubling," Griffin said. "We need our government to show up for our young people the way we doevery day, without fail." In a statement, a senior DHS official refuted any concerns. Any suggestion that DHS is stepping away from addressing hate crimes or domestic terrorism is simply false. Under Secretary Noems leadership DHS has streamlined funding to cut waste while strengthening our partnerships with state and local law enforcement to tackle these critical threats head-on, the senior DHS official said. Abigail Jackson, a spokesperson for the White House, said President Trump is keeping his promise to Make America Safe Again by empowering state and local law enforcement to relentlessly pursue criminals and protect American communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether it be maximizing the use of Federal resources to improve trainings or establishing task forces to advance Federal and local coordination, President Trump is keeping innocent Americans safe. Jackson added. She pointed to Trumps April executive order that called for providing pro bono legal assistance for officers facing unjust legal expenses, maximizing the use of federal resources to train officers, increasing surplus military assets to support local law enforcement, and more. President Donald Trumps administration has urged justices to speed up the dismissal of pending immigration cases so that federal agents can arrest their subjects, according to a report. This comes as part of an attempt to bolster the total number of undocumented migrants being held in detention. Trumps crackdown on illegal immigration has intensified in the last week, inspiring the protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Los Angeles that have since spread to other cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new tactic to increase the number of arrests was outlined in a memo from the Justice Department sent to immigration judges, which was seen by NBC News. The justices in question, who answer to the executive branch and are not part of the independent judiciary, are instructed to permit Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attorneys to make oral motions to dismiss. Then, justices are told to move swiftly to grant those dismissals, rather than allow immigrants the 10-day response time. ICE agents guard Delaney Hall, a newly-converted immigrant detention centre in Elizabeth, New Jersey (AFP/Getty) Oral decisions must be completed within the same hearing slot on the day testimony and arguments are concluded, states the memo, which is dated Friday, May 30. It also instructs the judges that no additional documentation or briefing is required, in the hope of cutting down on bureaucratic delays. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once the cases in question are dismissed, the immigrants concerned can be entered into expedited removal proceedings or deemed subject to mandatory detention by ICE without being granted an opportunity to present their case for asylum in the United States before they are deported, the memo advises. A source close to the judges union told NBC that, while the move was legal, it has nevertheless caused consternation to many immigration judges. They think it makes a mockery of the whole process and that it flies in the face of what Trump ran on, the insider said. Immigration enforcement means its done in a fair manner... and this isnt fair. The memo notes a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that outlines the conditions under which the U.S. government can move to dismiss an immigrants case. Still, it misstates the wording of the statute in doing so. A protester denounces ICE operations in downtown Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday (AP) Judges may grant motions to dismiss a migrants case when circumstances have changed to such an extent that continuation is no longer in the best interest of the government, the memo claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the precise wording of the act makes clear that this can only happen when circumstances of the case have changed to such an extent that continuation is no longer in the best interest of the government. Greg Chen, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told NBC that he believes the Justice Departments guidance order is not legal because it omits those crucial three words. The omission of the words of the case is deliberate because DHS is trying to avoid having to speak to the individual case, he said. The law requires them to provide particular reasons for their motion, and they are not doing that. The email is the written policy that contradicts the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former ICE chief of staff Jason Houser said that the purpose of speeding up case dismissals was to enable agents to arrest more people, but, in practice, it would not actually help with Trumps mass deportation push because there is simply not enough space at already-overcrowded detention centers to accommodate more detainees. Over 51,000 immigrants were being held in ICE custody as of May 23, according to the agency's own official data, while it only has the funding to hold 41,500, which means it risks keeping people in substandard living conditions that fall below court-mandated standards. Flooding the system with thousands of non-criminals wastes time and resources when federal law enforcement should be focused on national security threats, he said. The News Its not exactly a good cop-bad cop routine, but Donald Trump and John Thune are tag-teaming to get the GOPs big, beautiful bill passed with the presidents biggest priorities intact. While the Senate majority leader doesnt lean on his relationship with the president as much as House Speaker Mike Johnson does, Thune and Trump are communicating more closely than ever as they wrangle 50 Republican votes for their party-line megabill. Its a new phase in a surprising partnership one that relies on their contrasting strengths. The meticulous Thune is coordinating policy deals on the tax and spending cut package, and the pugilistic Trump is corralling balking conservatives in private phone calls and meetings. A shared goal of their work is protecting whats become known as the Big Four Trump tax proposals: breaks on overtime, tipped wages, car loan interest, and for senior citizens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres interest among some GOP senators in changing those four provisions or even eliminating them and some tweaks are on track, like narrowing the car loan provision to cover new domestic autos. But all of Trumps priorities are expected to be included in some form in the Senate bill, according to people familiar with the matter. A White House official told Semafor that Trumps strong relationships with both Thune and the House speaker is one of the things that really distinguishes this from the first term. Back then, the president shared control of Washington with former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and former Speaker Paul Ryan, both of whom Trump allies viewed with more overt skepticism. Thune and Trump have had their differences over the years, primarily over Trumps challenges to the 2020 election results and Thunes aversion to that effort. Theyve since cast aside past tension to advance Trumps priorities through the closely divided Senate; they met on Monday and will meet again on Thursday, alongside Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo, R-Idaho. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im talking to folks from all across the spectrum of the conference on their priorities: individually, in smaller groups, Thune told Semafor. And then obviously the White House gets deployed, and has been very anxious to help participate in answering questions and trying to steer things along. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., a member of Thunes leadership team, said Trump-Thune conversations are frequent, intentional, and aimed at results. Its pretty much serious all the time. I think he respects Johns ability to get stuff done, and I think John respects that hes the president and hes making the decisions and leans on him. I think they lean on each other, she said. Know More The final version of the Senate megabills tax section could be released as soon as Friday, a moment that will shift Trump and Thunes alliance into its highest gear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has trained much of his Washington focus on the Capitol in recent weeks as he elevates the party-line bill into a second-term legacy play, as well as the centerpiece of his partys midterm campaign. A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday suggests that Republicans may have more work to do to sell the megabill, which was viewed unfavorably by 57% of independents. But Republican leaders are aligning firmly behind it. Its 1,000 pages of things Republicans have fought for for a decade or more, said the White House official. The official dismissed talk about cutting any of Trumps priorities: There are a lot of down-dais members wishcasting about this. The reality is the administration and the leadership are united in pursuing a bill that fulfills the campaign the president ran on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Given that Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., opposes the bills debt ceiling increase, the White House sees a maximum of 52 Senate votes for the bill. That would require winning over the disparate wings of the Senate GOP, including moderate Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine as well as the much larger conservative bloc. Trump has demonstrated acumen with the latter, prodding conservatives in both chambers to advance his agenda despite worries over the deficit. He shored up the partys right flank in recent days by personally engaging conservatives like Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis. Trumps involvement will be outcome-determinative. I think this whole dustup with Elon probably makes passage of the bill more likely, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Vice President JD Vance met with Ron Johnson on Tuesday to go over the senators deficit concerns, while Trump prodded him to be more positive about the legislation in a meeting with the Senate Finance Committee. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming said there was a positive change after that confab. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were on final approach and were going to land the plane, said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a member of the Finance Committee. On the other end of the spectrum, Collins met privately with Thune and Crapo on Wednesday afternoon. She, Murkowski, and McConnell are less susceptible to pressure from the president than most other Republican senators; Collins said in an interview that shes talked to people at the White House and obviously John Thune, but also committee chairs in seeking to improve the bill. But when it comes to votes, she said: I always make my own decisions. Burgesss view I had my doubts about how the Trump-Thune partnership would work out, given Trumps past attacks on Thune as well as the way Trump would publicly prod McConnell and other senators during his first term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But other than Trump urging Thune to consider recess appointments, a request that dissolved after the majority leader filled Trumps Cabinet, theres been no public friction between the two despite plenty of potential flashpoints. Any hiccups on the tax cuts bill over the next two weeks still would play poorly at the White House. The biggest obstacle for Trump and Thunes relationship may prove to be new Russia sanctions, which currently boast overwhelming support in the Senate even as Trump tries to stave off a vote that would get ahead of him on foreign policy. Room for Disagreement Although Trumps natural lane is with conservatives and Thunes with moderates, there are some signs of crossover between the two. Scott, who leads the conservative bloc in the Senate, said hes talking to both Trump and Thune (whom he challenged for GOP leader last year). He said hes optimistic about clinching a final deal. Notable President Donald Trump said Wednesday morning the U.S. is dropping plans to revoke Chinese student visas in exchange for China resuming the flow of rare earth minerals to the U.S. The details, which Trump shared in a Truth Social post, build on a Tuesday night announcement from U.S. and Chinese officials that they have agreed to a framework to deescalate trade tensions between the two countries. That framework, however, does little more than promise to implement an agreement the U.S. and China reached in Geneva last month, which stalled amid ongoing tensions between the two countries. Still, Trumps tone Wednesday was triumphal. He billed the deal agreed to in London after two days of talks between top Chinese officials and U.S. negotiators, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick as done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OUR DEAL WITH CHINA IS DONE, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL WITH PRESIDENT XI AND ME, Trump said. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! In addition to the resumption of the flow of rare earths and magnets and the deescalation on Chinese student visas, Trump said a maximum of 55 percent tariffs on China will remain, made up of the 25 percent tariffs approved during his first term, 20 percent tariffs related to Chinas role supplying fentanyl precursors and the 10 percent baseline tariff the president placed on all U.S. trading partners. China, in exchange, will keep in place 10 percent tariffs on the U.S., Trump said. After the May agreement in Geneva, the Trump administration accused the Chinese government of slow-walking its restart of shipments of critical minerals and rare earth magnets. And the Chinese government was angered by U.S. moves to limit U.S. exports for key Chinese industries, like semiconductors and aircraft. Trump has been eager to signal progress on trade talks after slapping massive levies on U.S. trading partners in April. Two weeks after President Donald Trump set a 14-day timeline for determining the willingness of his Russian counterpart to end the conflict in Ukraine, he says he is coming to believe Vladimir Putin doesnt care about the human cost of his war. Im starting to think maybe he doesnt, Trump said when an interviewer asked whether Putin minded losing thousands of his soldiers in Ukraine every week. The candid admission, made in a New York Post podcast recorded this week, underscored the difficulties Trump continues to face in brokering complex international deals, including on issues he once said could be easily resolved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also now appears less confident in striking a nuclear deal with Iran, despite saying days ago he believed the talks were progressing in the right direction. And negotiations to end the war in Gaza have been deadlocked, with Trumps agitation toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deepening. While Trump did find success this week in working out an agreement with China to roll back some of the punitive measures each side had enacted amid a worsening trade war, it wasnt clear how long the new framework would hold. A deal made last month in Switzerland with similar terms quickly fell apart. And so far there has been only one trade agreement to emerge from the 90-day negotiating period Trump set with US partners this spring after pausing his reciprocal tariffs. The deadline comes due in early July. Even Trumps overtures to his onetime pen-pal Kim Jong Un have apparently fallen flat. Attempts to deliver a letter from Trump to the North Korean dictator were rebuffed by diplomats based at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York, according to the Seoul-based NK News, scuttling immediate hopes of rekindling the first-term friendship Trump enjoyed with the strongman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong Un. Hed like to see the progress that was made at that (2018) summit in Singapore, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday when asked about the report. But the administration hasnt given up on any of the difficult issues that remain unresolved. Despite suggesting he might walk away entirely from the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump hasnt entirely abandoned his efforts. He is entering an intensive stretch of summitry that is likely to focus on the war, including a Group of 7 meeting in Canada next week and a NATO summit in the Netherlands later this month. His team, led by special envoy Steve Witkoff, plans another round of Iran talks in the coming days, even amid loudening opposition to a deal from some Iran hawks and Israeli officials. In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin greets US special envoy Steve Witkoff prior to their talks in Moscow on April 25. - Kristina Kormilitsyna/AFP/Getty Images And trade talks continue apace as the July 9 deadline nears. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youre going to see deal after deal thats going to start coming next week. And the week after and the week after, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC on Wednesday. Weve got lots of them in the hopper. We just want to make sure theyre the best deal we can possibly make. We dont want to rush. Still, Trumps own comments this week offered stark insight into his frustrated and, for him, frustrating attempts at negotiating deals around the world. We make progress and then all of a sudden, something gets bombed that shouldnt be bombed, and thats the end of the progress, he said of the Ukraine conflict, describing a two-steps-forward, one-step-back reality to the grinding efforts to broker a ceasefire. It was two weeks ago Wednesday that Trump vowed to have an answer in a fortnight on Putins willingness to end the war, a timeline hes used repeatedly this spring when questioned about his Ukraine policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since then, Trump has not made a decision on applying new sanctions on Moscow, even as his Republican allies on Capitol Hill agitate for harsher measures and Europe imposes new restrictions on Russias oil and gas sector. Ill use it if its necessary, he told reporters aboard Air Force One last Friday. He said senators, many of whom have signed on to a bill to increase sanctions on Russia, are leaving the decision up to him. But he said he hadnt discussed the matter with them. I havent spoken to them about it, he said. They have a bill, its going to be up to me, its my option. At the same time, Trump hasnt taken steps toward boosting military assistance to Ukraine, which this week has come under some of the biggest drone assaults of the war. Its something hes likely to hear about from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the upcoming summits, which Zelensky is expected to attend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps defense chief Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Tuesday there would be a reduction in this budget of military assistance to Kyiv. This administration takes a very different view of that conflict. We believe that a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nations interests, especially with all the competing interests around the globe, Hegseth said in congressional testimony. Since he offered the two-week deadline two weeks ago, Trump spoke to Putin once. But in his own telling, the conversation was not enough to prompt an immediate peace. We had a good conversation, Trump said. But so far, nothings come of it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, too, has nothing come yet from his efforts to curb Irans nuclear ambitions. Im getting more and more less confident about it. They seem to be delaying, and I think thats a shame, but Im less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago, Trump said in the podcast interview. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made, he went on, saying it was his instincts telling him a deal was moving further from reach. At issue is Irans insistence it be able to continue enriching uranium, which Trump has said it must give up in order to see some sanctions lifted as part of a deal. Thats much the same issue that prolonged nuclear talks with Iran under Barack Obama, whose eventual deal allowed low levels of enrichment. Trump withdrew from the pact during his first term, but now finds himself working through many of the same sticking points. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A new round of talks with Iran is set to take place in the coming days, US officials have said. The US has been waiting for an official response from Tehran to its latest proposal. A two-month deadline to reach a deal that Trump set in a letter to Irans leaders in April is set to expire this week. In the podcast interview, Trump said Iran would regret not making a deal, since the alternative was war. It would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, he said. Yes, so much nicer to do it. But I dont think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal. This story has been updated with new reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com President Donald Trump is under water on some of his most favorable issues immigration and the economy according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. The poll shows Trumps approval rating at 38 percent among registered voters, a three point drop from April. Hes also losing support on subjects that were crucial to his November victory. On immigration an issue that the president hammered on the campaign trail Trumps approval rating dropped five points from April, to 43 percent. His already low approval rating on the economy did not budge, remaining at 40 percent. The results show a majority of voters, 54 percent, disapprove of Trump's handling of the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The poll surveyed 1,265 self-identified registered voters from June 5-9, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percent. The results come as Trumps approval has been steadily picking up since it dropped significantly in April, according to RealClearPolitics polling average. The negative polling did not stop at the president himself. A majority of the voters polled also had objections to his premier piece of legislation, the big, beautiful bill making its way through Congress. Fifty-three percent of the voters polled did not support the legislation. Divided among party lines, 67 percent of Republicans supported, while 89 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of independents opposed it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Medicaid funding, an issue that has become Democratic messaging priority, 47 percent of those surveyed thought funding should increase, while 40 percent think it should stay about the same, and just 10 percent think federal funding should decrease. The bill as passed by the House is estimated to end Medicaid coverage for millions of people. Quinnipiac also asked voters what they think of billionaire Elon Musk, and his approval rating is crashing among Republicans following his very public breakup with Trump. Among Republicans, 62 percent had a favorable view of Musk, a 16 point drop from April. But while Trump's approval languishes, it's not clear Democrats will be able to take advantage of it. A vast majority of voters 70 percent disapprove of the way Democrats in Congress are doing their jobs, while 20 percent approved. Thats 12 points lower than how voters viewed Republicans in the survey. President Donald Trump slammed anti-ICE protesters in Los Angeles, whom he described as "animals," for carrying flags of other countries and burning the American flag amid their efforts to protest federal deportation actions. Trump also floated the potential of imposing criminal penalties, specifically a one-year jail sentence, for burning the American flag, during comments at Fort Bragg Tuesday afternoon commemorating the United States Army's 250th anniversary. "These are animals, but they proudly carry the flags of other countries. They don't carry the American flag. They only burn it. Did you see a lot of the flags being burned?" Trump asked the crowd of service members, veterans, and their families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump Says 'Disrespect' Toward National Guard In La 'Will Not Be Tolerated': 'If They Spit, We Will Hit' "They weren't being burned by people from our country, or from people that love our country. People that burn the American flag should go to jail for one year," Trump continued. "We'll see if we can get that done. We're going to try and get that done. We're working with some of your senators." A protester waves the Mexican flag in front of a burning Waymo vehicle during an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025. The president's appearance at Fort Bragg comes amid controversy over his deployment of over 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles in response to violent immigration protests. Critics, including Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, argue that the deployment is an overreach of federal authority. Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump reiterated his stance about potential jail time for those who burn American flags during an interview on a new podcast hosted by New York Post columnist Miranda Devine that debuted Monday. "I happen to think if you burn an American flag because they were burning a lot of flags in Los Angeles I think you go to jail for one year," he said during his appearance on the new podcast. "Just automatic." Trump Takes Action Against 'Orchestrated Attack' On Law Enforcement By Deploying Marines To La: Assemblyman In addition to potential criminal penalties for rioters, Trump has suggested he may try to go after Gov. Newsom for interfering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles. Newsom filed a lawsuit Monday against the Trump administration, alleging the president violated California's 10th Amendment rights by invoking a law that enabled federal control of the National Guard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Come after me. Arrest me," Newsom said. "Lets just get it over with, tough guy." During the president's comments at Fort Bragg, Trump also noted that his administration is looking into who may be "financing" the protests, saying "we're going to find out through Pam Bondi and Department of Justice who it is." U.S. Attorney General Bondi, in her first appearance since the riots broke out, indicated that the Justice Department has "nine open cases" connected to the ongoing protests, which critics have deemed amount to riots. "As President Trump said: You spit we hit," Bondi said. "Get ready." Original article source: Trump vows consequences for 'animals' burning American flags in LA, slams those waving other countries' flags A curfew is in place for a second night in Los Angeles after nearly a week of unrest in the city over US immigration raids. Multiple people were arrested for violating the downtown curfew shortly after it came into effect at 20:00 local time on Wednesday (03:00 GMT on Thursday), the BBC's US partner CBS News reported. Nearly 400 people have been arrested in LA since protests began on Friday, including 330 undocumented migrants and 157 people arrested for assault and obstruction - including one for the attempted murder of a police officer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal prosecutors have so far charged two men for throwing Molotov cocktails at police officers in two separate incidents. A total of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been deployed to help quell the unrest. Some of those National Guard troops are now authorised to detain people until police can arrest them. Hundreds of protesters marched to Los Angeles City Hall early in the evening before being dispersed by police. As the curfew came into effect for a second night, LA Mayor Karen Bass wrote on X that the measure was designed to "stop bad actors who are taking advantage of the president's chaotic escalation". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She had earlier blamed the demonstrations on US President Donald Trump's immigration raids, which she said "provoked" residents by causing "fear" and "panic". "A week ago, everything was peaceful," she told a news conference. "Things began to be difficult on Friday when raids took place." Bass suggested Los Angeles was "part of a national experiment to determine how far the federal government can go in taking over power from a local government, from a local jurisdiction". She has called on the administration to end the raids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bass's curfew, ordered on Tuesday, affects a relatively small area of about one square mile in the second-largest city in the US. She said she wanted "to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting", as LA had reached a "tipping point". Later on Tuesday evening, police said they made "mass arrests" after another day of protest over the immigration action. In a series of statements, they said that those detained included 203 people arrested for failure to disperse, 17 for curfew violations, three for possession of a firearm, and one for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer. Two officers were injured in the skirmishes, the statement added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, the following day, police chief Jim McDonnell stressed that the disorder had occurred in a limited area: "Some of the imagery of the protests and the violence gives the appearance as though this is a city-wide crisis, and it is not." US Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters at the White House that the curfew had "helped a bit". [BBC] Elsewhere in LA, Trump's immigration raids have continued, with the assistance of the National Guard troops. The National Guard and Marine forces deployed to Los Angeles do not have the authority to make arrests - only to detain protesters until police can arrest them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They are strictly used for the protection of the federal personnel as they conduct their operations and to protect them to allow them to do their federal mission," said Maj Gen Scott Sherman, who is leading the deployment. Some 500 National Guard troops have already been trained to accompany agents on immigration raids and some troops have already temporarily detained people in LA protests, Sherman told US media outlets. Trump's row with state officials has ramped up after his decision to deploy federal troops to LA. The president has vowed to "liberate" the city, but he has been accused by California Governor Gavin Newsom of an "assault" on democracy. Other state officials, too, have insisted that local law enforcement has the situation under control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has backed Trump, telling a Senate hearing on Wednesday that sending the troops to Los Angeles was "lawful and constitutional". The military deployment to the LA area will cost $134m (99m), the Pentagon has said. While addressing troops at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina earlier this week, Trump described the protests as a "full-blown assault on peace and public order". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Republican president said he planned to use "every asset at our disposal to quell the violence". He urged troops to boo the names of Newsom and Joe Biden, his presidential predecessor, during his speech. In televised remarks of his own, Newsom - who is seen as a potential presidential contender himself - again criticised the president's rare deployment of the US military without a request from state officials. He called it a "brazen abuse of power". "California may be first but it clearly won't end here," he said. "Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault right before our eyes." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has set a goal for border agents of at least 3,000 daily arrests as he seeks to ramp up mass deportations, a signature pledge of his re-election campaign. Since assuming office, the president has drastically reduced illegal crossings at the US-Mexico border to historically low levels. A CBS News/YouGov poll conducted in early June, before the protests kicked off, found 54% of Americans saying they approved of Trump's deportation policy, and 50% approved of how he was handling immigration. That compares with smaller numbers of 42% who gave approval to his economic policy and 39% for his policy on tackling inflation. You can also get in touch by following this link House Speaker Mike Johnson notched his first major policy win when he herded Republicans in the House of Representatives to pass President Donald Trumps One Big, Beautiful Bill last month. By all appearances that began the process of the Senate deliberating its version of the legislation and dealing with holdouts in the upper chamber. All the better to get the signature legislation of Trumps second term onto his desk and ready for that famous Sharpie signing. Well, not so fast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The legislation technically had not been sent over to the Senate yet. Today, the House passed a rule that also included a provision to make various corrections to the spending bill. The fixes are fairly minute. U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson react during an Invest America Roundtable in the State Dining room, at the White House, in Washington, U.S., June 9, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein (Reuters) There is nothing on the changes to Medicaid, the size of the tax cuts or the phasing out of renewable energy tax credits or other concerns that some Republican Senators have raised. It also does not remove the ban on states regulating artificial intelligence that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she opposed despite her vote for the bill. Rather, they are mostly technical fixes, striking out various paragraphs about formatting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But that means the clock had not yet even started on the Senates formal consideration of and debate over OBBB as Wednesday dawned. Later Wednesday, the corrected version passed ... again ... and finally handed over to the Senate. The road to get here in the first place was circuitous at best. It ultimately took a day-long committee hearing, a last-minute deal cut behind closed doors and the deaths of older Democratic colleagues for Johnson to avoid a failure on the floor the first time around. The bill includes numerous provisions that Trump and Republicans want, such as extending the 2017 tax cuts, enacting work requirements for food assistance and Medicaid, rolling back numerous renewable energy credits and ramping up spending for oil drilling, the military and immigration enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Senate hopes to pass OBBB using budget reconciliation, which allows them to avoid a filibuster from Democrats as long as the bill relates to federal spending. Since big beautiful also includes a debt limit increase, Republicans are working on a limited time table as the United States is set to hit the debt ceiling next month. Elsewhere, it removed the word intelligence for a provision to spend $90,000,000 for the development of reusable hypersonic technology for military strikes and intelligence. It also struck a whole section titled Enhancement of Military Intelligence Programs. Furthermore, the legislation removes part of the reconciliation bill that retracts a Biden administration-era public land rule that withdrew National Forest System lands from mining. Unsurprisingly, Democrats in the House and Senate are urging their Republican counterparts to, as Elon Musk famously implored, Kill the Bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bottom line is this, though: a congressmembers core power is the power to vote, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in his morning remarks. Thats what the Constitution gave them, Schumer said. And House Republicans who say they dont like the bill should exercise that power today. They have a unique opportunity to make the very changes theyve been talking about for weeks. Schumer said that Democrats flagged the flaws in the language that caused the do-over. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, also sent a letter to his colleagues calling for them to kill the bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless of party, if you have sounded the alarm about this bill and vote yes on todays rule, youre complicit in what you claim to oppose, he said. Most of these are technical changes, but they illustrate just how delicate of a process Republicans have to navigate to pass Trumps signature legislation. And that does not even begin to paper over the legitimate policy disputes between the House and Senate conference or even within the conferences about federal spending levels. President Donald Trump is nothing if not skilled at crafting alternate realities and using them to benefit himself politically. But his messaging around the Los Angeles protests has taken it to another level. You could be forgiven for thinking Trump wants to create the illusion of a federal crackdown on protesters without everything that comes with the real deal. Thats not to say Trump is bluffing about a hands-on response but theres also value in creating perceptions. Trumps decisions to send in the National Guard and mobilize the Marines are controversial for a whole host of reasons. But for now, the guard and the Marines arent actually allowed to conduct law enforcement. The guard has had little engagement with protestors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unless Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, the guard is restricted to protecting federal property and personnel. That translates to mostly guarding an immigration detention center and possibly assisting the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that set off the protests. The Marines have done even less so far the commandant, Gen. Eric Smith, said Tuesday that the Marines, while mobilized, havent yet been called in to respond. As CNNs Josh Campbell reports, the bulk of the 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines that have been mobilized actually remain out of public view and likely wont even be seen publicly. And CNNs Haley Britzky and Natasha Bertrand reported Tuesday that the Marines have not received official tasks or orders yet and many are undergoing additional training before they potentially assist with the protests, citing US officials. But to hear Trump tell it, his decision to call in the troops has made all the difference in putting down violent demonstrations. We made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California, Trump said Tuesday in a social media post. If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added later: If I didnt SEND IN THE TROOPS to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now. Trumps comments gloss over the fact that the protests and violence are actually confined to a small portion of Los Angeles, with the vast majority of the city and Los Angeles County going about its regular business. But they also imply a much bigger role for the troops than weve actually seen. Trump made similar comments at a White House event later in the day. He said we ended the violence, and: Los Angeles was under siege until we got there. The police were unable to handle it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last night, they had total control, Trump said. If we didnt have the military in there, the National Guard and then we also sent in some Marines, he added before trailing off. Trump made similar comments on Monday, saying the guard had arrived just in time. Talking about possibly sending in the Marines, Trump said, I mean, I think we have it very well under control. I think it would have been a very bad situation. Shortly after, despite those comments, the Pentagon went on to mobilize 2,000 more National Guard troops and the 700 Marines who are standing by. The increased military presence could be acting as a deterrent to some violence. CNNs Kyung Lah, who is on the ground in Los Angeles covering the protests, told me the guards biggest impact is as a show of force and a target for peoples ire, rather than engaging with protesters or rioters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Trumps comments on Tuesday, CNN footage showed that law enforcement from the California National Guard, Department of Homeland Security as well as Immigrations and Customs Enforcement fired non-lethal tear gas outside a federal detention center to disperse protesters. Before that incident, Lah noted to me that guardsmen at the detention center at one point Sunday used their shields to push the crowd out. On Monday, they responded to a bottle being thrown at them by running down the steps and chasing people away. But thats about the extent of it, Lah said. The real face-to-face, the clearing of the streets, all of that has been the LAPD. Its theoretically possible that the shows of force and the mere threat of a truly hands-on federal crackdown could dissuade protesters from getting more violent. But there is little evidence this has truly quelled the protests. And Lah noted that many people have showed up to protest because of the deployment of the guard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The image Trump has painted in recent days evokes his yearslong flirtation with justified violence and the prospect of cracking down on demonstrators and supposedly evil forces within the United States. Trump has also spoken fondly of the ability of foreign strongmen to control their populations and squelch internal dissent. But while that image obviously appeals to Trump, an actual crackdown is much more fraught. That creates the possibility of an overzealous response and ugly scenes. And CNN polling five years ago amid racial-justice protests showed that 60% of Americans didnt want the military called in to respond to domestic protests, compared to 36% who said they did. Its possible Trump still aims for the real thing. But for now, he seems happy with trying to create the perception that the troops he called in are quashing the protests in LA. Emma Tucker and Kyung Lah contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com WASHINGTON (DC News Now) President Donald Trump warned of heavy force and very big force against people who choose to protest Saturdays military parade, marking the Armys 250th birthday, Flag Day, and the Presidents 79th birthday. He issued that stern warning from the White House on Tuesday before heading to Fort Bragg. DC military parade to cause Metrobus detours, road closures Were going to be celebrating very big on Saturday. Were going to have a lot of if theres any protestors that want to come out will be met with very big force I havent even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people who hate our country, but they will be met with a very heavy force, the President said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The parade is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of spectators to the District this weekend. During a briefing Monday, officials told DC News Now theyre aware of some planned counterprotests, but no credible threats. The U.S. Secret Service said it is also keeping a close eye on riots and protests happening in Los Angeles. We are not expecting that here, but if it does happen, we have the resources to be able to handle it, said USSS Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool of the Washington Field Office. More fencing went up Tuesday, and more heavy military vehicles were seen staging nearby at the Pentagon ahead of Saturdays parade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All attendees will have to enter through specific checkpoints and be screened by magnetometers before heading into fenced areas. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. President Donald Trump and his administration officials warned that the use of the military in response to protests against his immigration crackdown may not be limited to just Los Angeles, saying it could be the first "of many" -- and that protesters could be met with "equal or greater force." Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday that his administration was going to enforce its deportation policy strictly and that it would not tolerate violent protests against ICE officers. "This is the first, perhaps, of many," Trump said of the deployment of 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to Los Angeles as demonstrators clash with law enforcement amid the protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: Trump warns 'any' protesters at military parade will be 'met with heavy force' Demonstrators have clashed with law enforcement sporadically for days, and Trump called in the National Guard, against Gov. Gavin Newsom's wishes, in an attempt to quell the violence and allow immigration enforcement to continue. PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office of the the White House, June 10, 2025, in Washington. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) "You know, if we didn't attack this one very strongly, you'd have them all over the country, but I can inform the rest of the country, that when they do it, if they do it, they're going to be met with equal or greater force," Trump continued. The president's threats come as California's leaders and 22 Democratic governors decry Trump's show of force as a breach of the state's sovereignty and a provocative escalation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's words were echoed in testimony given by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill earlier in the day. "So in Los Angeles, we believe that ICE, which is a federal law enforcement agency, has the right to safely conduct operations in any state, in any jurisdiction in the country," Hegseth said. "ICE agents should be allowed to be safe and doing their operations, and we have deployed National Guard and the Marines to protect them in the execution of their duties, because we ought to be able to enforce ... immigration law in this country." The president suggested he is open to invoking the Insurrection Act in response to the protests. The act authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the United States to suppress rebellion or violence. The National Guard and Marines, under Trump's current authorization, are not allowed to act in a law enforcement capacity because of the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There were areas of Los Angeles last night where you could call it an insurrection," Trump said. MORE: Hegseth asserts Trump can send troops anywhere to protect ICE agents conducting raids Trump repeated claims, without evidence, that the protesters are "paid insurrectionists." He decried some protesters who were damaging streets and targeting members of the National Guard. PHOTO: LAPD officers confront protesters following three days of clashes with police after a series of immigration raids, June 9, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Despite claims from Trump that there were fires and "bad scenes" on Monday night, there wasn't anything all that violent. ABC News observed police moved protesters using skirmish lines and less lethal rounds around the city for a few hours, but there was no widespread violence compared to the weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And although Trump claimed that Los Angeles was "under siege," the incidents had been confined on Sunday and Monday to a relatively small area of downtown Los Angeles -- about a 10-block area. So far, the National Guard's presence and role in handling the protests appears to have been minimal. ABC News observed National Guard troops standing outside of a federal building and the Los Angeles Police Department and other local agencies clearing the streets and interacting with protesters. The administration has not immediately provided details about the guardsman's actions from Monday. PHOTO: A person raises their hands facing a row of police outside the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Santa Ana Field Office after reports of ICE raids in Santa Ana, Calif., June 9, 2025. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images) Congressional Republicans -- including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune -- backed the president's use of the military in the situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Clearly, the local officials there, for whatever reason, didn't seem up to the task of getting the job done there," Thune told reporters Tuesday. Although Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said "violence in the riots is outrageous," he called Trump's order to send in troops "provocative" and "dangerous." "It really threatens the bedrock of our democracy," the New York Democrat said. MORE: LA protest live updates Trump said the National Guard will be in the Los Angeles area "until there's no danger," declining to put a timetable on ending the deployment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's easy. Look, it's common sense. When there's no danger, they'll leave," he said. ABC News' Alex Stone, Lalee Ibssa, Isabella Murray and Kelsey Walsh and contributed to this report. Trump warns that LA military deployment could be first 'of many' in response to ICE protests originally appeared on abcnews.go.com President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned protesters to stay away from his controversial military parade planned for Saturday in Washington D.C. or face very big force. As he defends his crackdown on immigration protests in Los Angeles, Trump said authorities wouldnt hesitate to flex their muscles if protesters seek to disrupt the parade that marks the U.S. Armys 250th anniversary, which falls on his own 79th birthday. For those people that want to protest, theyre going to be met with very big force, Trump told reporters at a White House appearance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said he hasnt received any credible reports of plans to derail the parade. I havent even heard about a protest, he said. But (these are) people that hate our country. Army officials have estimated around 200,000 people will attend the pomp-filled evening military parade in the nations capital. Were preparing for an enormous turnout, said Matt McCool of the Secret Services Washington Field office. Security plans include erecting more than 18 miles of anti-scale fencing would be erected, installing 175 metal detectors along the parade route and flying multiple drones over Washington D.C. Reagan National Airport will be closed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The military parade has been designated a National Special Security Event, a status akin to presidential inaugurations or state funerals, events that draw large crowds as well as the potential for mass protests. The Army birthday celebration had already been planned for months. But this spring, Trump announced his intention to transform the event that coincides with his birthday into a massive military parade complete with 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks and Paladin self-propelled howitzers rolling through the city streets. Critics say the parade amounts to a wasteful display of personal loyalty to Trump and is designed to enhance his image as a strongman. Some protests were already expected, including a mass march to the White House. With the immigration-related clashes roiling Los Angeles, officials say they are shifting to higher alert for Saturday. Were paying attention, obviously, to what is happening there. Well be ready, McCool said. We have a robust plan for civil disobedience. ________ Cheers but also boos met US President Donald Trump as he attended a performance Wednesday of "Les Miserables" at Washington's premier cultural institution, which he has effectively seized control of since returning to power in January. Trump's appearance at the opening night of the hit musical "Les Miserables" at the renowned Kennedy Center could hardly have been more politically charged. The 78-year-old Republican recently orchestrated a conservative takeover of the famed arts venue, reportedly prompting some "Les Mis" cast members to boycott the show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I couldn't care less. Honestly, I couldn't. All I do is run the country well," Trump told reporters when asked about a boycott as he arrived with First Lady Melania Trump. The show's tale of revolutionary fervor, featuring street protesters in 19th century France manning the barricades against a repressive leader also seemed to take on new relevance as the United States itself faces fresh turbulence over Trump's governance. When the presidential couple appeared Wednesday evening on the central balcony, emblazoned with a presidential seal, booing audience members appeared to struggle to make themselves heard over cheers and chants of "USA! USA!" - 'Dictatorial' behavior - Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump, who was joined by Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance at the premiere, has recently sent in troops to deal with protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles. "We're going to have a safe country... Remember, if I wasn't there... Los Angeles would have been burning to the ground," Trump insisted to reporters. California officials accuse him of "dictatorial" behavior and of manufacturing a confrontation by deploying thousands of National Guard troops and US Marines. "I think the irony is probably lost on him," Peter Loge, director of George Washington University's School of Media, told AFP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California's Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, who has harshly criticized Trump's actions in his state, reacted on X to news that Trump was attending the musical with the plea: "Someone explain the plot to him." The social injustice portrayed in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel -- coupled with songs such as "Do You Hear the People Sing?" and "I Dreamed a Dream" -- has long resonated with audiences around the world. Billionaire Trump, who had announced his decision to attend "Les Miserables" before the Los Angeles protests erupted, says he too has long been a fan. - 'Love the songs' - Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The real estate tycoon has played songs from the show at his rallies and political events. "I love the songs, I love the play," Trump told Fox News Digital last week. Asked which of the play's characters he most identified with, however, Trump punted to his wife. "That's a tough one... you better answer that one, honey," Trump replied. His attendance is yet another show of strength after installing himself as chairman of the center and replacing the entire board with loyalists in February. Loge said Trump's presence there was part of a broader effort at image-making by the reality TV star-turned-president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Les Mis is a great spectacle. And it sounds smart. It's not just a show, it sounds like it stands for something," he said. Trump's takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center faced opposition in some quarters. A historically bipartisan-supported institution, it has never been led by a US president before. Hit show "Hamilton" canceled its run there in response. Trump countered by saying he had "never liked" the rap musical, which is about the birth of the United States and its first treasury secretary. Several key figures at the Kennedy Center -- including TV producer Shonda Rhimes who created "Grey's Anatomy" and musician Ben Folds -- resigned from their leadership positions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the Vances -- Usha Vance is one of the new board members -- were booed by the Kennedy Center audience at a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra in March. Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center comes amid a broader assault on what he deems "woke" programming at cultural institutions, including the famed Smithsonian museums, as well as universities. dk/acb/nl/des The White House said Wednesday President Donald Trump would not allow "mob rule" after protests against his immigration policies spread across the United States despite a military-backed crackdown in Los Angeles. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also attacked the Democratic governor of California and mayor of Los Angeles, claiming they had "fanned the flames" of the clashes. "President Trump will never allow mob rule to prevail in America," Leavitt told a briefing at the White House, backed by television screens showing images of burning vehicles and masked rioters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The most basic duty of government is to preserve law and order, and this administration embraces that sacred responsibility." Leavitt's comments echoed Trump's in a speech at the Fort Bragg military base on Tuesday, in which he vowed to "liberate" Los Angeles and branded the protesters "animals." Trump is in conflict with California authorities who have accused the Republican president of being "dictatorial" and seeking political gain by sending in thousands of troops to break up the protests, which have largely been peaceful. Pockets of violence -- including the burning of self-driving taxis and hurling of stones at police -- have triggered a massive response from authorities, who have used tear gas and other less-lethal weapons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass shamefully failed to meet their sworn obligations to their citizens," Leavitt responded, accusing Newsom of having "fanned the flames and demonized our brave ICE officers." The protests erupted last week after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers carried out a series of raids in Los Angeles to back up Trump's hardline immigration policies. Trump has also called the protesters "paid insurrectionists" -- alleging that some of them had professional anti-riot equipment -- but the White House did not say who it believed was paying them. "It's a good question the president is raising, and one we are looking into, about who is funding these insurrectionists," Leavitt said when asked by AFP about the president's comments. dk/aha President Donald Trumps sweeping spending bill has more tax breaks and spending cuts but also features billions of dollars for the administrations mass deportation plan. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act delivers "much-needed reinforcements," like more immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, funding to expand migrant detention facilities and additional billions to enforce at least 1 million deportations a year. RELATED: Trump sends Marines and more National Guard members to Los Angeles amid protests Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Democrats contend that Trumps actions in Los Angeles to send in the National Guard over the Gov. Gavin Newsoms objections and deploying Marines to manage the immigration raid protests is heightening tensions in what had been isolated protests in parts of the area. Deportation funding in Trump bill Dig deeper President Donald Trumps spending bill package features $150 billion for border security and deportation operations, including funding for hiring 10,000 new ICE officers with what House Speaker Mike Johnson said are $10,000 hiring bonuses and 3,000 new Border Patrol agents and other field operations and support staff. Funding would also be allocated for a daily detention capacity for 100,000 migrants and for flights for 1 million deportations a year. The package includes $46 billion for construction of Trumps long promised wall between the U.S.-Mexico border. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Associated Press reported that the bill also includes $150 billion for the Pentagon, with $5 billion for the military deployment in support of border security, along with nearly $25 billion for Trumps "Golden Dome" defense system over the U.S. Separately, the bill adds another $21 billion for the Coast Guard. Separately, Trumps bill extends some $4.5 trillion in existing tax breaks that would expire at the end of 2025 without action in Congress, slashing some $1.4 trillion in spending over the next 10 years to help neutralize costs. Moreover, the AP noted that the Congressional Budget Office determined that the spending bills changes to Medicaid and other programs would leave roughly 10.9 million more people without health insurance and at least 3 million each month without food stamps from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The CBO told the AP that the proposed legislation will add some $2.4 trillion to deficits over the next 10 years. The Source Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press, which cites information from the Congressional Budget Office about the Trump spending bill. This story was reported from Washington, D.C. A Jamaican man is detained by federal agents after his immigration court hearing at the Ted Weiss Federal Building in New York City on on June 9, 2025. Credit - Adam GrayGetty Images President Donald Trump campaigned on delivering the largest mass deportation effort in US history. What he has delivered so far is a dramatic surge in arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement of people who were living in the U.S. The data shows that interior enforcement has more than doubled since Trump took office, filling up immigration detention facilities across the country. Its those stepped-up efforts by ICE agents in workplaces, courthouses and homes to arrest people that prompted protests in Los Angeles last week. Trumps decision to deploy the California National Guard there over the objections of state and local officials sparked an escalation in protests and violent clashes with law enforcement over the weekend, according to local officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps upswing in ICE arrests may be starting to yield a surge in deportations. The total number of deportations has stayed essentially level compared to the Biden erauntil recently, when the numbers appear to have risen sharply. Heres what the data shows about how the Trump Administration has revamped immigration enforcement and deportations in a few short months. ICE Arrests Have Soared Under Trump In Trumps first six months, the number of people being apprehended on the Southern Border has plummeted. Instead, an increasing share of those held in immigration detention are people who were arrested by ICE. The most recent ICE detention data shows the average number of people held has gone up 25% since Trump took office. This represents a dramatic shift from how immigration enforcement has long been conducted in the U.S. Under the Biden administration, the majority of people who ended up in immigration detention were those who had recently crossed the border and were arrested by agents with Customs and Border Patrol (CPB). Holding border crossers in detention put them on a faster docket in removal proceedings, paving the way to send them out of the country at a faster clip. One major reason for this shift away from CPB arrests is that fewer people are coming to the border illegally than they were during most of the Biden era. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Inside Donald Trump's Mass Deportation Operation In a recent interview with TIME, Trump border czar Tom Homan said he would like to double the amount of bed space ICE has in detention from 50,000 to 100,000. Having more people held in detention centers could increase the pace of both ICE arrests and deportations. Deportations Are Starting to Trend Higher Trump told TIME last year he wanted to target 15 million people for removal. He said he was open to using the military to do it, in the face of restrictions in the Posse Comitatus Act that limits the use of the military on U.S. soil. In a campaign interview with ABC News in August, J.D. Vance said, Lets start with 1 million. At the end of April, the Administration said it had deported more than 139,000 migrants, which was behind pace to reach their aggressive targets. That is a reflection of just how time-consuming and challenging it is to find and remove people living in communities. On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security provided TIME with updated figures from Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin: more than 207,000 deported. That represents a significant increase in the Administration's deportations and may reflect the more sweeping and intrusive actions immigration officials have taken in recent weeks. For context, the federal government deported 271,484 people in the 2024 fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The total number of people being deported has basically been stable, if slightly up, even as an increasing portion are those arrested inside the US by ICE. In May, ICE increased the pace of removal fights, a sign that the number of deportations could increase at a faster rate in the coming months. The Trump administration has asked Congress for more funding to pay for deportations and an increased pace in immigration enforcement. The most recent version of theBig Beautiful Bill that Trump is pushing Congress to pass has $168 billion for immigration and border enforcement. That would be a five-fold increase in such funding over the current year, which Congress set at $33 billion. Part of the challenge is finding places to accept deportees. Trump has defied long-standing norms and, some argue, broken laws by sending migrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador and the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, while putting others on planes bound for Panama and South Sudan. Homan tells TIME the Administration is in talks with three more countries to accept U.S. deportees. With the number of deportations not increasing as fast as they would like, Trump officials are pressuring ICE and other government agencies to boost immigration arrests. They are also encouraging migrants in the U.S. to return to their home countries on their own. Trump has offered $1,000 and a free commercial flight to people willing to self deport. But even with that incentive, immigrants arent leaving the country at the pace Trump promised. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, says the Administrations self-deport campaign is unprecedented. Once they realized that fast deportation is not an easy enterprise, they started selling the idea of self deportation at a scale of which probably has not been detected in our history, he says. Contact us at letters@time.com. WASHINGTON (AP) California Gov. Gavin Newsom looked straight into the camera and staked out a clear choice for his Democratic Party. The governor positioned himself as not only a leader of the opposition to President Donald Trumps mass deportation agenda, but a de facto champion of the immigrants now being rounded up in California and across the country. Many of them, he said in the video address, were not hardened criminals, but hard-working people scooped up at a Home Depot lot or a garment factory, and detained by masked agents assisted by National Guard troops. Its a politically charged position for the party to take, after watching voter discontent with illegal immigration fuel Trump's return to the White House. It leaves Democrats deciding how strongly to align with that message in the face of blistering criticism from Republicans who are pouring billions of dollars into supporting Trumps strict immigration campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Wednesday he's proud of Newsom, hes refusing to be intimidated by Donald Trump. From the streets of Los Angeles to the halls of Congress, the debate over Trumps mass deportation agenda is forcing the U.S. to reckon with core values as a nation of immigrants, but also its long-standing practice of allowing migrants to live and work in the U.S. in a gray zone while not granting them full legal status. More than 11 million immigrants are in the U.S. without proper approval, with millions more having arrived with temporary protections. As Trumps administration promises to round up some 3,000 immigrants a day and deport 1 million a year, the political stakes are shifting in real time. The president rode to the White House with his promise of mass deportations rally crowds echoed his campaign promise to build the wall. But Americans are watching as Trump deploys the National Guard and active U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, while pockets of demonstrations erupt in other cities nationwide, including after agents raided a meat processing plant in Omaha, Nebraska Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist, said the countrys mood appears to be somewhere between then-President Barack Obamas assertion that America is a nation of immigrants, were also a nation of laws and Trumps more aggressive deportation approach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats still have some work to do to be consistently trustworthy messengers on the issue, he said. At the same time, he said, Trumps actions as a chaos agent on immigration when there's already unrest over his trade wars and economic uncertainty, risk overreaching if the upheaval begins to sow havoc in the lives of Americans. Republicans have been relentless in their attacks on Democrats, portraying the situation in Los Angeles, which has been largely confined to a small area downtown, in highly charged terms as riots, in a preview of campaign ads to come. Police said more than 200 people were detained for failing to disperse on Tuesday, and 17 others for violating the 8 p.m. curfew over part of Los Angeles. Police arrested several more people for possessing a firearm, assaulting a police officer and other violations. Two people have been charged for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails toward police during LA protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Speaker Mike Johnson said Newsom should be tarred and feathered for his leadership in the state, which he called a safe haven to violent criminal illegal aliens. At a private meeting of House Republicans this week with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Rep. Richard Hudson, the chairman of the GOPs campaign arm, framed the situation as Democrats supporting rioting and chaos while Republicans stand for law and order. Violent insurrectionists turned areas of Los Angeles into lawless hellscapes over the weekend, wrote Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., earlier this week in the Wall Street Journal, suggesting it may be time to send in military troops. The American people elected Donald Trump and a Republican Congress to secure our border and deport violent illegal aliens. Thats exactly what the president is doing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But not all rank-and-file Republicans are on board with such a heavy-handed approach. GOP Rep, David Valadao, who represents California's agriculture regions in the Central Valley, said on social media he remains concerned about ongoing ICE operations throughout CA and was urging the administration to prioritize the removal of known criminals over the hardworking people who have lived peacefully in the Valley for years. Heading into the 2026 midterm election season, with control of the House and Senate at stake, it's a repeat of past political battles, as Congress has failed repeatedly to pass major immigration law changes. The politics have shifted dramatically from the Obama era, when his administration took executive action to protect young immigrants known as Dreamers under the landmark Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those days, lawmakers were considering proposals to beef up border security as part of a broader package that would also create legal pathways, including for citizenship, for immigrants who have lived in the country for years and paid taxes, some filling roles in jobs Americans won't always take. With Trumps return to the Oval Office, the debate has turned toward aggressively removing immigrants, including millions who were allowed to legally enter the U.S. during the Biden administration, as they await their immigration hearings and proceedings. This anniversary should be a reminder, said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., at a Wednesday event at the U.S. Capitol championing DACAs 13th year, even as protections are at risk under Trumps administration. Immigration has many faces. Despite their challenges in last year's election, Democrats feel more emboldened to resist Trump's actions than even just a few months ago, but the political conversation has nonetheless shifted in Trump's direction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Democrats are unified against Trump's big tax breaks bill, with its $150 billion for new detention facilities, deportation flights and 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, they talk more openly about beefing up border security and detaining the most dangerous criminal elements. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, points to the example of Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who won a special election in New York last year when he addressed potential changes to the immigration system head-on. At one point, he crashed a GOP opponents news conference with his own. Trump said he was going to go after the worst of the worst, but he has ignored the laws, ignored due process, ignored the courts and the American people reject that, she told The Associated Press. People want a president and a government that is going to fight for the issues that matter most to them, fight to move our country forward, she said. They want a Congress that is going to be a coequal branch of government and a check on this president. ___ Associated Press writer Matt Brown contributed to this story. House Republicans have formed their own Golden Dome Caucus as President Donald Trump continues to push for a nationwide missile defense system. Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., and Rep. Dale Strong, R-Ala., launched the caucus to be an "educational clearinghouse" as the policy effort for the dome kicks off. "Golden Dome will only be successful if we meet President Trump's timeline," Crank said in a statement Tuesday. "This means that is imperative that we, members and stakeholders, are well informed and working together to revolutionize missile defense of our great nation." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's Golden Dome Missile Defense System Revives Reagan's Nuclear Shield Dream President Trump has hinted he will sign an executive order authorizing an Iron Dome-like project. According to a news release, it will work with the Senate Golden Dome Caucus founded last month by Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont. "President Trump has artfully highlighted the critical need for a next-generation missile defense shield to protect the U.S. against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles and other aerial attacks. With nuclear-capable adversaries across the globe, we cant afford for this vision to not become a reality," Strong said. Read On The Fox News App "North Alabama has played a role in every former and current U.S. missile defense program and stands ready once again to meet this urgent need." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump signed an executive order in January ordering the project but formally announced the effort in May, which was partly inspired by Israels Iron Dome. Trump Unveils Golden Dome Missile Shield, Blindsides Key Senators Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, Oct. 1, 2024. "Within the last four decades, our adversaries have developed more advanced and lethal long-range weapons than ever before, including ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles capable of striking the homeland with either conventional or nuclear warheads," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement May 20. "Golden Dome is designed to leverage some past investments but will also use next-generation technology to defend against the evolving and complex threat landscape," Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Ronald Reagan proposed a similar program, known as the Strategic Defense Imitative, in 1983. The dome has a starting projected cost of $175 billion, and $25 billion is allocated through the proposed reconciliation bill in Congress, but some estimates show a higher figure. "This is very important for the success and even survival of our country. Its an evil world out there," Trump said during an Oval Office event about the Golden Dome in May. Trump, Hegseth Announce 'Golden Dome,' A Game Changer To Protect American Homeland Fox News Digital previously reported that Russia, China and North Korea mocked the Golden Dome pitch from Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The project will heighten the risk of turning space into a war zone and creating a space arms race and shake the international security and arms control system," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said last month. Original article source: Trump's 'next-generation' missile defense plan gains momentum as US faces foreign threats On Monday, President Donald Trump endorsed the arrest of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who irked him by criticizing his militarized response to Los Angeles protests against his administration's immigration raids. Just four days earlier, Trump had suggested that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, his former ally, could lose his government contracts for going public with concerns about the president's fiscal recklessness. It's not clear whether Trump was serious in either case, whether he intends to follow through on his threats, or exactly how that would work. But the authoritarian intolerance of dissent reflected in those comments is consistent with the various ways Trump already has used the powers of his office to punish people whose views offend him. Over the weekend, Trump deployed 2,000 members of California's National Guard to protect federal personnel and property, invoking a law that authorizes such action when "there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion" against the U.S. government's authority. That unilateral step, Newsom argued, was unnecessary, provocative, and illegal because local and state law enforcement agencies were willing and able to maintain order without federal intervention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was the context in which a reporter asked Trump whether Newsom should be arrested, noting that border czar Tom Homan had threatened that consequence for "anybody," including Newsom, who interferes with the immigration crackdown. "I would do it if I were Tom," Trump replied. "Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing." Maybe Trump was joking. Maybe he also was joking when he argued, during the public flap that Musk provoked by slamming a Trump-backed bill as a "disgusting abomination" that would add trillions to the national debt, that "the easiest way to save money in our Budget" would be to "terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts." Then again, maybe not. No such excuse is available for Trump's plainly serious crusades against foreign students, lawyers, universities, and new outlets he portrays as enemies of democracy and American values. By deporting students who criticize the Israeli government, Trump says, he is fighting antisemitism and protecting U.S. foreign policy interests. The goal, he explains, is to make students think twice before they open their mouths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Any student that protests," Trump said during his 2024 campaign, "I throw them out of the country. You know, there are a lot of foreign students. As soon as they hear that, they're going to behave." To justify his executive orders against disfavored law firmswhich aimed to ruin them by revoking their security clearances, restricting their access to federal officials and buildings, canceling their government contracts, and threatening other contractors with ties to themTrump likewise cited their support for causes and clients he abhors. Federal judges therefore had no difficulty concluding that the orders violated the First Amendment. Trump's conflict with Harvard, framed as an attempt to enforce federal civil rights laws, extends far beyond that goal. The administration has said the university cannot regain access to federal research grants unless it surrenders academic freedom by implementing a litany of hiring, admission, administrative, curricular, and disciplinary reforms. Trump is still pursuing his legal vendetta against CBS News, which he absurdly claims committed consumer fraud by editing a pre-election 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris in a way that made her seem slightly more cogent. In February, he upped the ante by raising his already risible estimate of the damages inflicted by that interview from $10 billion to $20 billion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's beef with CBS is not limited to his abuse of the legal process as a private litigant. Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, reopened an equally groundless investigation of the network for "broadcast news distortion" based on the same interviewa probe that entails second-guessing journalistic judgments protected by freedom of the press. Given this track record, it may not be safe to assume that Trump is only kidding when he threatens government retaliation for constitutionally protected speech. Copyright 2025 by Creators Syndicate Inc. The post Trump's Threats Against Musk and Newsom Reflect an Authoritarian Intolerance of Dissent appeared first on Reason.com. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a stark warning about the threat of nuclear war in a video posted to her personal account on X, marking a sharp contrast with past comments made by President Donald Trump on the same topic. Gabbard, who recently visited Hiroshima, Japan, reflected on the devastation and "haunting sadness" caused by the atomic bomb dropped during World War II in a post on Tuesday. In the video, she warned that political elite and warmongers are fomenting fear and tension, pushing us closer to "the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before." The three-minute video shows Gabbard visiting several landmarks in Hiroshima. The video also describes in detail what a nuclear event could mean for the United States -- including a simulation of a nuclear attack on San Francisco, California, which appears to destroy the Golden Gate Bridge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: Hegseth, Gabbard lead US delegation to major security summit in Singapore PHOTO: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a stark warning about the threat of nuclear war in a video she posted on social media on Tuesday. (@TulsiGabbard/X) Gabbard's remarks were similar to previous remarks she's made on the campaign trail, however, the video was posted days after she traveled to the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major Asian conference held in Singapore, earlier this month. "This isn't some made-up science fiction story. This is the reality of what's at stake, what we are facing now, because as we stand here today, closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before, political elite and warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers," Gabbard said in the video. PHOTO: Part of the video simulates a nuclear attack on San Francisco, destroying the Golden Gate Bridge. (@TulsiGabbard/Science Time/X) "Perhaps it's because they are confident that they will have access to nuclear shelters for themselves and for their families that regular people won't have access to," she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gabbard called on people to "speak up and demand an end to this madness." "We must reject this path to nuclear war and work toward a world where no one has to live in fear of a nuclear holocaust," Gabbard said. PHOTO: Tulsi Gabbard, who recently visited Hiroshima, Japan, reflected on the devastation caused by the atomic bomb dropped during World War II. (@TulsiGabbard/X) Gabbard's position is in sharp contrast to Trump's previous remarks on the use of nuclear weapons during WWII. In 2016, while campaigning in San Diego, California, Trump criticized then-President Barack Obama for visiting Hiroshima, calling him "pathetic." He added that he didn't care that Obama visited, "just as long as he doesn't apologize" for dropping the bomb: "Who cares." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More recently, on Jan. 20, 2024, in Manchester, New Hampshire, Trump brought up Hiroshima again, this time to make a point about presidential immunity: "Hiroshima, not exactly a nice act, but it did end the second World War, probably. Right?" Earlier this year, Trump focused his nuclear war rhetoric mostly on Russia and China, saying in March that "it would be great if everybody would get rid of their nuclear weapons." Alexa Henning, Gabbard's deputy chief of staff, told ABC News that Gabbard and the president align on their plans for peace and prevention of war. "Acknowledging the past is critical to inform the future. President Trump has repeatedly stated in the past that he recognizes the immeasurable suffering, and annihilation can be caused by nuclear war, which is why he has been unequivocal that we all need to do everything possible to work towards peace," Henning said in a statement. "DNI Gabbard supports President Trump's clearly stated objectives of bringing about lasting peace and stability and preventing war." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: As Trump escalates immigration fight, Democrats face high-stakes test: ANALYSIS Gabbard's Tuesday remarks also echoed rhetoric from her time as a Democratic presidential candidate, when she warned about neoconservatives, neoliberals and Trump himself. In 2019, Gabbard said Trump "tore up the Iran nuclear agreement, and has taken action since, step by step, to further push us closer and closer to the brink of nuclear war, to the brink of war with Iran, that would be far more devastating than the war in Iraq, and leading us to the point where every single day that there is no nuclear deal with Iran, Iran is closer to developing a nuclear weapon." PHOTO: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House, April 10, 2025 in Washington. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) But when she endorsed Trump's 2024 presidential campaign as an independent last August, Gabbard shifted her focus to President Joe Biden. Speaking at the National Guard Association conference, she said the Biden-Harris "administration has us facing multiple wars on multiple fronts and regions around the world, and closer to the brink of nuclear war than we ever have been before." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gabbard's initial bid for president in 2020 was sparked by a mistaken ballistic missile alert that sent people in Hawaii into panic, thinking they were under attack. That moment inspired the former Hawaii congresswoman to center much of her campaign on ending wars and seeking peace. Although she has now aligned herself with the Republican Party and the Trump administration, this moment suggests Gabbard is still staking out an independent position on America's global posture -- one deeply rooted in her long-standing skepticism of the Washington establishment. Tulsi Gabbard warns of nuclear threat in social media video originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has admitted to using an artificial intelligence program to help determine which of the documents to declassify about the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Addressing a technology conference Tuesday, Gabbard championed the use of AI in helping Americas intelligence services save time and money. Coming into the role earlier this year, she said, she was confronted with a deluge of day-to-day tasks and churn that can quickly suck up all of the time in the day. She argued deploying AI to scour top-secret files has been a game changer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In particular, she cited how AI was used by her department to decide which documents should be made public, and used the example of the material related to the assassinations of President Kennedy and his brother New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. In January, President Donald Trumpsigned an executive order to declassify documents related to both assassinations, as well as the killing of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., making good on a campaign trail promise. Past attempts to release the records were stymied by internal reviews and redactions. We have released thousands, tens of thousands of documents related to the assassinations of JFK and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Gabbard told the Amazon Web Services Summit in Washington, per a transcript on the Office of the Director of National Intelligences website. And we have been able to do that through the use of AI tools far more quickly than what was done previously, which is to have humans go through and look at every single one of these pages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She added the AI tools were looking for issues that might be sensitive for living family members to be made aware of. Gabbard continued that the intelligence service has been able to aggregate data more quickly by using AI. She pointed to how 10,000 hours of media now takes one person just an hour to process, rather than eight people spending 48 hours combing through the same information. Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress who switched parties last year, coordinates the work of 18 intelligence agencies. In March, Trump signaled 80,000 pages related to President Kennedys death would be released Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The vast majority of the files posted on the U.S. National Archives and Records Administrations website were previously publicly available. Some of the unredacted documents released included sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers. President Kennedys fatal shooting in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, has spawned countless conspiracy theories. Police arrested 24-year-old Lee Harvey Oswald, who had positioned himself on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. Two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer. A year after the assassination, the Warren Commission concluded that Oswald acted alone and that there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But that did little to curb the alternative theories floated ever since. Related... ANKARA, Turkey (AP) A Turkish far-right politician accused of inciting public hatred and hostility went on trial Wednesday in a case critics view as an effort to suppress opposition to the president. Umit Ozdag, the leader of Turkey's Victory Party, was detained in January over accusations he insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with comments he made during a party meeting in Antalya. A day later Ozdag was formally arrested and charged with inciting hatred against migrants. He was blamed for last year's anti-Syrian refugee riots in the central Turkish province of Kayseri last year, during which hundreds of homes and businesses were attacked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors have presented a series of posts from Ozdag's social media as evidence against him. He faces up to four years in prison if found guilty. Ozdag, a 64-year-old former academic, is an outspoken critic of Turkeys refugee policies and has previously called for the repatriation of millions of Syrian refugees. Ozdag acknowledged advocating the return of refugees at the opening hearing of his trial at a prison complex on the outskirts of Istanbul. He denied he had incited for violence against them and told the court he had worked to calm tensions in Kayseri. In his defense statement, Ozdag maintained that his imprisonment was politically motivated and aimed at silencing him over his criticism of the government's recent effort to end a decades-long conflict with the militant Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reason why I am here ... is because I criticized the talks held with the PKK terrorist organizations chief, Ozdag said. The Victory Party strongly opposes any concessions to the PKK which Turkey, along with many Western states including the United States, Britain and the European Union, considers a terrorist organization. The conflict with the PKK has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths since the 1980s. When the trial opened Wednesday, Ozdag's lawyers requested more time to prepare, and the proceedings were adjourned until Tuesday. The politician's trial comes amid a widespread crackdown on the opposition to Erdogan's Justice and Development Party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials from municipalities controlled by the main opposition the Republican Peoples Party, or CHP have faced waves of arrests this year. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was detained in March over allegations of corruption. Many people in Turkey consider the cases to be politically driven, according to opinion polls. However, Erdogans government insists the courts are impartial and free from political involvement. Imamoglu is widely viewed as the main challenger to Erdogans two-decade rule and is the CHPs candidate for the next presidential election. The election is due in 2028 but could be held earlier. Jun. 10When poll workers opened the doors to Buxton Town Hall at 6 a.m. Tuesday, there were two voters waiting in line. A third arrived shortly after. It was a vastly different scene from November, when dozens of people waited in a line that stretched down the sidewalk and around the side of the building. Despite the slow start, Town Clerk John Myers was hoping at least 1,000 of the town's 6,200 registered voters show up Tuesday. "Anything over 1,200 would definitely be unusual. They'd probably be sending a message if we get that many," he said as the poll workers manning check-in tables waited for the next voter to come in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Polling places across Maine are open Tuesday to allow voters to weigh in on school budget proposals and, in many communities, elect local officials. All polling places will be open until 8 p.m. Maine allows same-day voter registration. Turnout was expected to be relatively small in most places for the off-year election, but some communities with controversial ballot questions or budget proposals could see a steadier flow of voters. "Local election turnout is always fairly slow, so we expect fairly light turnout today," Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said Tuesday morning after visiting three polling locations: in Manchester, Hallowell and Augusta. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bellows said the election seemed to be going smoothly, with no reports of issues inside polling places. She did receive one complaint about a petitioner in Lincoln who did not have legislation attached to their petition, as required by state law, for a people's veto. (Bellows said that petitioner was reminded of the law.) "All in all, it's a good day for an election, and we encourage everyone to vote," Bellows said, noting local elections are sometimes the most fun because people are voting for their neighbors and making decisions about their own communities. WHAT'S ON THE BALLOT? In most towns and cities, voters will get the chance to approve or reject their school districts' proposed budget. That process is largely uneventful in most communities, but in several towns, the lead-up to the vote has been more intense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gorham residents are voting on a $57.5 million school spending plan that is up $4 million from last year, when the budget was approved by just four votes. In 2023, voters rejected two versions of the budget before approving the third. Signs with messages like "raise test scores, not taxes" have popped up around town urging voters to reject the budget. Other signs around town call on residents to vote yes on the budget, with messages like "adequate funding, quality education." In Cape Elizabeth, voters will be considering an $86.5 million bond to build a new middle school and renovate the elementary school after twice rejecting larger bond proposals. Proponents of the project say the school buildings have reached the end of their useful life and are not well-suited to modern-day learning. Opponents want the district to focus on renovations rather than rebuilding and take issue with the school board continuing to propose building project referenda after voters have rejected them in the past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many smaller towns across Maine elect town council, select board and school committee members in June. In Buxton, there are competitive races this year for the board of selectmen, planning board and budget committee. All candidates for MSAD 6 school board seats are running unopposed. Two candidates, Cassidy Lacroix and Jayne Sawtelle, are running for one at-large school board seat in Portland. Waterboro voters will decide on an article to appropriate $200,000 for contract deputies, an increase not supported by the board of selectmen or the budget committee. SCHOOL FUNDING A HOT TOPIC Despite the rain, a consistent flow of voters turned out across Gorham on Tuesday to vote on the proposed school budget. The $57.5 million spending plan has garnered attention from activists on both sides, which could signal a close outcome. The proposal, approved unanimously by both the school committee and town council, represents a $4 million increase from last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Election warden Susan Emerson reported that more than 400 residents had voted at the Gorham Middle School polling location before noon Tuesday. "It has been a topic of conversation, so I thought it might be busy," Emerson said. The Gorham Watchdogs, an organization dedicated to "tracking local government and school board decisions," has been a vocal advocate against the budget leading up to the election. The group's concerns, which include increasing taxes and strain on older residents, were echoed by some voters at the middle school. "We're seniors on a limited income, and approving the school budget is not right for us," said Melissa Arehart, 82. "We might feel differently if we had children in the district, but we don't." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Margaret Oliver, 80, has lived in town since 1972 and worries that another increase in taxes could price some citizens out of the town. "I support our schools, but you're going to price us right out of Gorham," she said. "What are young people going to do if they want to buy property here?" For others, voting for a tax increase is a sacrifice they are willing to make. Magda Alden, who has children in the district, said she voted yes to support students and teachers. Bruce Webb, 82, raised two children who graduated from the Gorham district and supported the budget. "People helped pay for our children's education; we should help pay for theirs," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Polling places in Portland had fewer voters than anticipated, even for a summer election. As of lunchtime, the Woodfords Club had seen 151 voters, while Deering High School had only tallied 102. Stu Tisdale, a warden at Deering High, said he had expected low turnout but that Tuesday was "as close to zero as I've ever seen." Many Portland voters who did come out said they did so to support a friend or neighbor running for school board, or simply because they never miss a chance to vote. Others wanted to voice their opinions on the $171 million school budget. "It really feels like the current version of the Republican Party is counting on people being stupid and uneducated and noncritical thinkers," said resident Alan Lovell. "So, I will always vote in favor of education." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While many viewed the school budget as a means to fund education, voter Chris Paige said he has seen enough tax increases in recent years. "I think (the school department has) to look at everything and say, 'Taxpayers are getting sick of it,'" he said. "We have take all our hard-earned money and fund all these programs, but yet we don't see hardly anything for it. We're not getting our money's worth." At Scarborough High School, though, turnout was higher than usual for a June referendum, officials said. Some residents there felt that they didn't have enough information about what would be included in the town's school budget proposal, prompting them to vote against it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They tried to pull a fast one on us," said Mark Lanonit. "There was no reference to what the impact of the budget would be, so I voted no. If this vote passes, I think it should be fought in court." Others didn't share those concerns. "I believe in funding schools," said Ellen Tighe, a former teacher. "I don't know if I could say what is too much or too little, but if the school board says this is what we need, then I vote for it." In Lisbon, voters are weighing a proposed school budget that would raise the amount of funding that comes from property taxes by almost 8%. Some told a reporter that they feel the school budget is their only chance to have a direct say in their taxes. "I'm trying to keep my taxes down. I hate to vote against the school budget," Charles Peerboom said. "It's gonna cost some people their homes. It's going to price people out of the town." Deb Duhamel, a retired L.L.Bean employee, also voted against the budget. "Why in the hell should I be paying school tax when I don't have students in school? I don't agree with this at all." TURNOUT LOW IN MANY TOWNS The polls in Auburn were quiet Tuesday as residents trickled into City Hall to vote on the proposed school budget of $64.5 million. Those who came said they were happy to exercise their civic duty and to participate in their community. City Clerk Emily Carrington expected a 4% turnout for the day, noting that when ballots aren't tied to a state ballot, turnout is usually lower. By 10 a.m., 283 ballots had been processed, with 172 of those being absentee ballots. Phil Savignano said that, given his family's involvement in education his father was a principal at Auburn's Edward Little High School in the 1960s, and his wife was a teacher the issue has always been a concern for him. "I always think that the money spent on education is good money spent," he said. Abby Jankoviak, who recently moved to the area and voted in her first local election Tuesday, supported the budget, noting that she would love to have kids in the schools one day. "I want to invest in our children (and) I want to help support what they need so that they can succeed in the future," she said. Voters were lined up in Skowhegan when polls opened at 7 a.m., and 46 had voted by 8:15 a.m., said Town Clerk Gail Pelotte. Wendy Lumbert said she voted for Kevin Nelson and Ethan Liberty for the board of selectmen but didn't know a lot about the candidates for the School Administrative District 54 Board of Directors. "I'm a conservative, and I have just been tired of high taxes, stuff being given away," Lumbert, 66, said. "It's time to tighten the belt. I think there needs to be more diversity on the board." Gary York, 73, voted for Nelson and Liberty, saying the former would bring new blood and the latter young blood to the board. He also said he voted for Sara Smith and Julie Smith for the SAD 54 board, because they are women, "because of having an insight of children," said York, a graphic artist who has owned his own shop for 49 years. He said he voted for the women because "they are the matriarchs of society" and get things done. In Gardiner, only around 30 voters had made their way to the polls at the Boys & Girls Club on Pray Street by noon. The polls Tuesday morning were virtually empty. Election warden Deirdre Berglund said the day had been "very, very slow" so far. The only item on the ballot in the city is the $32.8 million proposed Gardiner-area school budget. The community voted to pass the proposed budget at the Regional Budget Meeting on May 27, but voters have the chance Tuesday to officially approve the budget. "A lot of people don't realize the importance of the school budget," Berglund said. "They have a voice in the matter." Staff Writers Amy Calder, Skyler Cummings, Emily Duggan, Brianna Earle, Jenene Grover, Trinity Poon and Zoe Schaedle contributed to this report. This story will be updated. Copy the Story Link Two CSCU campuses in New Haven will now be powered by solar energy after the construction of a massive new solar project aimed at saving the state millions over the next decade. Greenskies Clean Focus, a solar energy company in North Haven, announced the completion of a 2.32 megawatt solar project at 361 Old Tavern Road in Orange. The energy produced from the solar array will help power the campuses of nearby Gateway Community College and Southern Connecticut State University, according to the company. Officials said the distributive energy resource (DER) solar facility will help the CSCU system realize an estimated six million dollars in energy savings over 20 years of operation. A DER is a decentralized, grid-connected energy systemsuch as solar panels, wind turbines, or energy storage that generates or stores electricity near where it is used, improving energy efficiency and resilience, according to Greenskies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Orange solar project, a massive array of 4,290 panels, will leverage the states virtual net metering program, which allows the energy generated at a remote site to offset its energy consumption at other locations. Virtual net metering allows a renewable energy systems owner to share the billing credits that are generated when the system produces more power than the owner uses. In Connecticut, the law limits virtual net metering to municipal, state agency and agricultural customers who meet certain requirements, according to officials. CSCU is excited to continue its partnership with Greenskies and identify ways to further offset electric utility costs at two of its campuses, said CSCU Chancellor Dr. Terrence Cheng. CSCU is committed to finding ways of utilizing clean, sustainable energy and reducing operating costs across our system through public-private partnerships like this. Officials said the solar system will generate over three million kilowatt hours of renewable energy each year, offsetting more than 1,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually the equivalent of saving more than 156,000 gallons of gasoline burned. A CSCU spokesperson said the project aligns with the states push toward renewable energy. This project represents another step forward in Connecticuts transition to a clean energy future, said Ryan Linares, vice president of real estate for Greenskies Clean Focus. By leveraging solutions like Virtual Net Metering, we are helping institutions like CSCU reduce energy costs and carbon emissions while supporting the states renewable energy objectives. We deeply appreciate CSCUs continued partnership, which has now resulted in over 14.5 MW successful distributed solar projects that demonstrate the power of collaboration in advancing sustainable energy solutions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cost-saving energy project comes amid fresh scrutiny over the CSCU systems finances. The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system which includes four regional universities, the community college network and online Charter Oak State College has historically pushed hard for state assistance since the pandemic in 2020. But those institutions are now sitting on nearly $1.1 billion combined in reserves, which has led some lawmakers to question whether those reserve funds should be tapped into. The states solar push has also expanded to several state agencies including Connecticut prisons. Back in April, Gov. Ned Lamont announced the completion of seven solar projects in Enfield, Cheshire and Somers. The solar panels now bring power to parts of Cheshire Correctional Institution, Manson Youth Institute, Willard Correctional Institution, Carl Robinson Correctional Institution and Enfield Correctional Institution. All together, the solar panels are estimated to save $11 million in energy costs to the Department of Correction over 25 years, according to the governors office. As large-scale solar projects increase across the state, with some drawing protests, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has also launched a new online tool for large-scale solar project siting in the state. The map tool, called the Community Renewable Energy Siting Tool, uses Geographic Information Systems mapping to display data in an easy-access format. It is free to the public and does not require specialized GIS software, DEEP officials said. The goal of the mapping tool is to allow for a more transparent and efficient siting and permitting process for large-scale renewable energy projects, while at the same time protecting Connecticuts environmental and natural resources, according to DEEP. Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com. When students open their science textbooks in the future, there's a chance they'll be reading about a cosmic discovery made by scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Their discovery "may hold the key to unlocking a new kind of star that we don't yet understand," said UWM physics professor David Kaplan. Kaplan and others, including Akash Anumarlapudi, a recent UWM doctoral graduate, were part of a global team that discovered an unknown object emitting both radio waves and X-rays. This is the first time an object in this class has been detected using X-rays, which may help astronomers find and research more of these objects in the future. What was this cosmic discovery? ASKAP J1832-0911, the unknown space object that the global team of astronomers first spotted in December 2023, is categorized as a long-period transient. LPTs are a new and rare group of cosmic objects discovered in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ziteng "Andy" Wang, member of the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research and associate lecturer at the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy in Australia, was another researcher involved in the discovery. After the object was initially spotted in 2023, Kaplan said, Wang spent the next year and a half finding radio telescopes across the world that could point to the area of the sky in which the object was located. Kaplan, who was among nearly 50 researchers directly involved with the project, explained the significance of the discovery. It'll still take more study, more observations, more mass to really understand this object and all of its related friends, but it's a lot of fun to think that you are one of the first people to find one of these and to study it and just figure out how weird the universe really is," Kaplan said. What does this have to do with everyday life? Kaplan explained that the techniques used to find LPTs are the same as those used to train advanced computer intelligence models used for security research, TikTok algorithms and more. He said a number of people who are interested in astronomy learn these techniques but go on to make careers in technology at companies like Facebook or Google. We're looking to inspire the next generation of everybody who finds interesting questions and wants to figure out how to answer them on their own. David Kaplan, physics professor "We're not just looking to inspire the next generation of astronomers, Kaplan said. We're looking to inspire the next generation of everybody who finds interesting questions and wants to figure out how to answer them on their own. How was the object discovered? The human eye can see only a tiny fraction of the universe, Kaplan said. Without a carefully designed experiment and special telescopic equipment, light forms like ultraviolet X-rays and gamma rays are difficult to identify. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When you look up at the sky at night, you can be overwhelmed by the number of stars out there, Kaplan said. But unless you look at them in real detail, you might not notice that some of them are actually changing. The research project sought to look at the universe through "radio eyes" to find out which cosmic objects were changing, Kaplan explained. Kaplan said 90%-95% of the time researchers were watching for the object, it wasn't actually visible. This is because the object rarely "blinks," only pulsing for two minutes every 44 minutes. A human would never be able to observe this kind of object by looking up into the sky just once, Kaplan said. He compared it to a lighthouse that's lit up for only a few minutes every hour. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You have to get really lucky in order to see this flashing. And then we had to get even luckier we accidentally discovered it flashing the X-rays as well as radio, Kaplan said. This whole project is really luck, piled on luck, piled on luck. What was the discovery process like? The global researchers, along with astronomers from ICRAR, made their discovery using a radio telescope in Australia. The telescope is on a desolate million-acre farm so as to avoid man-made noise from cell phones and satellites, Kaplan explained. At first, the team saw nothing when looking at the object through an optical telescope and X-ray telescope. Then, through NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, Wang found that a Chinese research group had coincidentally pointed a telescope in the same area of the sky. The group discovered the same information as Kaplan and Wang, and both teams put out papers documenting their findings. Who was involved and what were their roles? Wang served as an author of the team's paper, which was published May 28 in the science journal Nature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anumarlapudi and Kaplan, from Milwaukee, analyzed radio telescope data, calculated and contributed to the journal publication. Kaplan also helped lead the research team that discovered the object. The nearly 50 global researchers who made up the research team came primarily from the U.S. and Australia, with others from Italy, Spain, China and Israel. Contact Mia Thurow at mthurow@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UWM scientists help discover mysterious space phenomenon As a new report describes the UK's paternity leave policy as "one of the worst in the developed world", we speak to a new father, a campaigner and a business group to see just what the problem is. "When my son was born there's a lot of happiness and joy, you have a newborn but this a huge change in your life," says Luis Palacio. "You find yourself being tired, sleep deprivation and I also like taking care of the newborn, but you're still expected to do eight hours at work," the technical manager, who lives in Leeds, explains. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Introduced in 2003, statutory paternity leave, allows most new fathers and second parents in the UK to take up to two weeks off work. Luis says although welcome, a fortnight is not enough time "to adapt" to the huge changes fatherhood imposes. "Not only tangible changes in your daily life and routines, but the changes in your mental health. "Two weeks seems too little for the 21st Century," he adds. New father Luis Palacio says two weeks is not enough time to adapt and bond with a newborn [Family photo] Fathers who are eligible receive 187.18 a week or 90% of their average earnings, whichever is lower. If a father is self-employed or earns less than 123 a week then he is not entitled to paternity leave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some businesses may offer more generous policies as part of their benefits for employees. The statutory offer is the "worst in Europe," according to Alex Lloyd Hunter, the co-founder of campaign group The Dad Shift. Hundreds of fathers are expected to picket outside the Department for Business and Trade in London later calling for an overhaul of the UK's parental leave policies. Mr Lloyd Hunter says the average paternity leave across Europe is eight weeks on full pay. The most generous offer is Spain, which gives dads 16 weeks on full pay, while further north Sweden offers parents 90 days each and an extra 300 days they can share between them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There are loads of examples of how to do this well," he says. MP Luke Charters says the first weeks of a child's life are "so important" to form a parental bond [House of Commons] Luke Charters, Labour MP for York Outer, agrees the system needs changing and has been advocating for a more generous policy. "Those few weeks at the start of a child's life are just so important and form that bond and connections," he ssays. That is something Mr Palacio is also aware of. "There are studies showing that if fathers don't get this bonding with their children from the beginning it can create a long term disengagement," he says. A report published on Tuesday by the Women and Equalities Committee says paternity leave rules "entrench outdated gender stereotypes" and that "bold" action is needed - albeit at a steep financial cost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, which represents businesses across the area, says the "growing national conversation around parental leave" is welcome. Chief executive Louisa Harrison-Walker believes proposals to support working parents could "offer long-term benefits" to both individuals and businesses. "However, any changes to statutory entitlements must also carefully consider the financial and operational realities that employers particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are currently facing," she adds. Mr Lloyd Hunter says 90% of fathers want to be involved more in their children's lives and the system needs to "catch up". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Fathers recognise how important it is to be more involved in their chidren's lives. "As a society we are blocking that by not updating a system that was built for an era that no longer exists," he adds A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said the government was carrying out a review to see how it best can support working families. "This government is committed to making sure parents receive the best possible support to balance their work and home lives," they said. A spokesperson added it was already in the process of ensuring dads no longer need to be employed for 26 weeks to be entitled to paternity leave. Related internet links More on this story Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. LOGAN, Utah (ABC4) Two women have been arrested and charged after forcing their way into a Logan home and attacking a woman in the middle of the night. Mandy Guvench, 40, and Jaymee Nicole Friedli, 31, were both charged with first-degree felony aggravated burglary and misdemeanor assault with injury. Friedli is also facing a charge of first-degree felony obstruction of justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Jersey man gored by bison in Yellowstone National Park Early Wednesday morning, around 2 a.m., Logan City Police officers were dispatched to a reported domestic dispute. When they arrived, they found that it was more serious, and that it was an aggravated burglary and assault, according to documents. Guvench and Friedli allegedly knocked on the door, and when the victim answered, they forced their way into the house. One woman covered the victims nose and mouth while the other struck the victim repeatedly in the face with closed fists. The two dragged the victim outside and onto the lawn, where they continued to physically attack her. The victims boyfriend heard screaming and came outside. He pulled the two women off the victim and recognized one as a family member and the other as his soon-to-be ex-wife. Guvench and Friedli then fled the scene before police arrived. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Four masked men allegedly rob Ogden man after woman leads them to residence, charges say Police officers went to Friedlis residence in North Logan and knocked on the door. When Friedli answered, she allegedly had blood on her wrist and scrapes on her legs. She was wearing clothes matching the description given by witnesses, and her shirt had dirt on it. When officers asked about Guvench, Friedli said that she was traveling home to Idaho and was not in the residence. According to documents, police could see a woman matching Guvenchs description through the closed blinds. Friedli was placed under arrest, at which point she allegedly told police Guvench was inside and that officers could go in. She led them inside and asked Guvench to come downstairs. Guvench was observed to have blood on her shirt and dirt markings on her clothes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Friedli and Guvench were placed under arrest and transported to the Cache County Jail. 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. Two women have died after a crash in Moray. The accident happened on the A98 between Buckie and Fochabers, near Enzie, shortly before 12:30 on Tuesday. It involved a Vauxhall Insignia and a Peugeot 2008. The 32-year-old driver of the Vauxhall and the 77-year-old female passenger of the Peugeot were pronounced dead at the scene. The 77-year-old male driver of the Peugeot was flown by air ambulance to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where his condition was described as serious but stable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sgt Dave Cooper from Police Scotland appealed for witnesses to come forward. "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the two women who died. An investigation into the circumstances is ongoing," he said. "We would appeal for anyone who witnessed the crash who has not already spoken to officers, or those who have any dashcam footage that may capture either vehicle prior to the collision, to please come forward." More on this story Long before Tyrannosaurus rex stalked the planet, a Dragon Prince reigned supreme. Paleontologists have discovered a new 'missing link' species that cleared the way for the iconic giant carnivores. The new mid-size tyrannosaur, which lived about 86 million years ago, has been named Khankhuuluu mongoliensis a name that translates to "Dragon Prince of Mongolia" in honor of where it was found. "We wanted to capture that Khankhuuluu was an early and smaller species, so a prince, rather than a king like its much larger tyrannosaur descendants," Darla Zelenitsky, paleontologist at the University of Calgary in Canada, tells ScienceAlert. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Together with fellow UCalgary paleontologist Jared Voris, Zelenitsky co-led a study describing the new species based on two partial skeletons that had been gathering dust in a museum collection since the early 1970s. As far as famous 'tyrant lizard' predators go, Khankhuuluu was a middleweight. It stood about 2 meters (6.6 feet) tall at the hips, was twice that long nose-to-tail, and tipped the scales at around 750 kilograms (1,650 pounds). By comparison, T. rex was estimated to grow up to 13 meters long and weigh up to 8.8 tonnes. Of course, evolving to such a massive size didn't happen overnight. It was long presumed that these colossal apex predators evolved from tiny ancestors, like Suskityrannus and Moros intrepidus, which both stood around 1 meter tall. Logically, the road between those two extremes should be paved with middle-sized species. The fossil record has been patchy in that regard, unfortunately. Khankhuuluu, which lived some 20 million years earlier than Tyrannosaurus, helps plug that gap. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Khankhuuluu represents a transitional form from some even smaller 'tyrannosauroid' ancestors to those giant apex predator tyrannosaurs," Voris tells ScienceAlert. "It had long, slender legs, likely making a very agile predator, and its skull was lightly built, not capable of delivering such powerful bone crushing bite forces as its tyrannosaur descendants." A timeline of the evolution of tyrannosaurs. (Jared Voris) Its discovery also implies a complicated history for tyrannosaurs. Khankhuuluu hailed from what is now Asia, far from where its more giant relatives would appear in North America. Over a span of a few million years the family gave rise to a range of massive species like Gorgosaurus and Thanatotheristes before returning across the Bering land bridge. Back in Asia, tyrannosaurs diversified again, this time into two distinct clades: Tyrannosaurini, which were massive apex predators with deep snouts like Tarbosaurus; and Alioramini, which were smaller and had long, narrow snouts like Qianzhousaurus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eventually, some of the Tyrannosaurini wandered back to North America to try to make it big in Hollywood, leading to household names like Tyrannosaurus rex. Evolution probably would have continued playing this ancient game of Catan if it wasn't for that asteroid flipping the table and losing most of the pieces about 66 million years ago. Khankhuuluu mongoliensis in front of some of its larger descendants. (Masato Hattori) Signs of this back-and-forth journey are in agreement with other recent studies on tyrannosaur family history. It also helps explain why the closest-known relative of T. rex isn't, say, Daspletosaurus which stalked the same turf just 10 million years earlier but is instead Tarbosaurus, a cousin that lived a whole continent away. The study also finds some interesting quirks in how tyrannosaurs in North America and Asia filled different ecological niches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Both the North America and Asian ecosystems had mid-sized predators that were tyrannosaurs, but this was achieved in different ways," Zelenitsky tells ScienceAlert. "In Asia, there were two very different forms of tyrannosaur species in the same ecosystem. Forms like Tarbosaurus would have filled the giant apex predator role, whereas the alioramins were the smaller, fleet-footed, mid-sized predators." But it turns out that T. rex was such a spotlight-hog that it claimed both niches for itself. "In the last 2 million years of the Cretaceous Period, just before the mass extinction event, Tyrannosaurus was the only tyrannosaur in North America that we know of," says Zelenitsky. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The juveniles were smaller, fleet-footed animals with shallow snouts that would have taken down smaller prey than their adult counterparts. They would have essentially filled the mid-sized predator niche, rather than the apex predator niche of the adults." Of course, none of this would have been possible without the overlooked middle children like Khankhuuluu. We welcome the new prince to the dinosaur royal family, alongside the king (and, if you believe some controversial studies, the queen and the emperor). The research was published in the journal Nature. Related News If you fly with a major U.S. airline this year, the Department of Homeland Security might just have your personal information. Airlines Reporting Corporation, a company that focuses on ticket transaction settlements, has reportedly sold access to customer records information to the Department of Homeland Security and its Customs and Border Protection division. This deal was first reported by Wired. According to Wired, the information that ARC sold includes passengers' names, full itineraries and financial details. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) division wants this data to "support federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to identify persons of interests US domestic air travel ticketing information." "CBP is committed to protecting individuals privacy during the execution of its mission to protect the American people, safeguard our borders, and enhance the nations economic prosperity," a CBP spokesperson told Wired. "CBP follows a robust privacy policy as we protect the homeland through the air, land and maritime environments against illegal entry, illicit activity or other threats to national sovereignty and economic security." For what it's worth, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are all shareholders for ARC. "The big airlinesthrough a shady data broker that they own called ARCare selling the government bulk access to Americans' sensitive information, revealing where they fly and the credit card they used," U.S. senator Ron Wyden said. "ARC has refused to answer oversight questions from Congress, so I have already contacted the major airlines that own ARClike Delta, American Airlines, and Unitedto find out why they gave the green light to sell their customers' data to the government." CBP hasn't released a follow-up statement on this matter. U.S. Airline Passengers Get 'Warning' About Personal Information first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2025 U.S. military bases will once again bear Confederate names. President Donald Trump is getting rid of Biden-era policies that changed the names of United States Army bases in 2021. The forts were renamed to wipe away the names of Confederate leaders who fought to keep slavery legal during the Civil War. Now, U.S. military bases will once again carry the legacies of Confederate leaders like Robert E. Lee and George Edward Pickett. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president announced the changes while visiting Fort Bragg in North Carolina on June 10 as part of the U.S. Army's 250th birthday celebrations. "We are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee. We won a lot of battles out of those forts it's no time to change," Trump said. "And I'm superstitious, you know, I like to keep it going right." However, the Army cannot reinstate the bases' former names without Congressional approval. Instead, the Army will rename the bases after different soldiers from later wars who share a surname with the once-honored Confederates, according to an Army news release. How many Army bases are being renamed? Trump announced on Tuesday, June 10, that seven additional Army bases would receive new names. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also already changed the names of two forts earlier in 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Altogether, nine bases are impacted. Which Army bases will be renamed in 2025? Two Army bases, Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty) and Fort Benning (formerly Fort Moore), have already undergone name changes in 2025. Hegseth made those name swaps official in February and March of 2025, according to Department of Defense news releases. These are the forts that will revert to their original names, but honor the different U.S. soldiers, according to the Army news release. Fort Pickett (formerly Fort Barfoot) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, World War II. The fort was originally named after George Edward Pickett. Fort Hood ( formerly Fort Cavazos) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Col. Robert B. Hood, World War I. The fort was originally named after John Bell Hood. Fort Gordon (formerly Fort Eisenhower) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, Battle of Mogadishu. The fort was originally named after John Brown Gordon. Fort Lee (formerly Fort Gregg-Adams) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Pvt. Fitz Lee, Spanish-American War. The fort was originally named after Robert E. Lee Fort Polk (formerly Fort Johnson) will be named in honor of Silver Star recipient Gen. James H. Polk, World War II. The fort was originally named after Leonidas Polk. Fort Rucker (formerly Fort Novosel) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Capt. Edward W. Rucker, World War I. The fort was originally named after Edmund Rucker. Fort A.P. Hill (formerly Fort Walker) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipients Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn and Pvt. Bruce Anderson, Civil War. The fort was originally named after Ambrose Powell Hill. Why are they changing Army base names? The Army bases displaying names of Confederate leaders have been a highly contested topic in recent years. There have been long and complicated discussions about the existing memorials to Confederate soldiers and buildings that bear the names of Confederate leaders in the Civil War. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since George Floyd died in police custody in 2020, there have been calls to topple such symbols of a White supremacist past. In 2021, Congress passed a law that banned naming military assets after anyone who voluntarily served or held leadership in the Confederacy. The seven forts, now again in the hot seat, were first renamed in 2023 by former president Joe Biden. All names chosen in 2023 were to honor top leaders, such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as well as Black soldiers and women. Are there any renamed bases in Tennessee? No. The forts are all located in the South, however. The impacted bases are in Virginia, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and Alabama. USA TODAY contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Trump is renaming these army bases to reinstate Confederate names June 11 (UPI) -- The United States and China have agreed to a framework that would revive last month's trade truce following two days of talks in London, negotiators announced Wednesday. The framework and agreement, struck last month in Geneva, must be approved by U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping before it can take effect. "The two largest economies in the world have reached a handshake for a framework," U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters. "We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus and the call between the two presidents." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The idea is we're going to go back and speak to President Trump and make sure he approves it. They're going to go back and speak to President Xi and make sure he approves it, and if that is approved, we will then implement the framework," Lutnick said. China's vice commerce minister told reporters the same information. "The two sides have, in principle, reached a framework for implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state during the phone call on June 5th and the consensus reached at the Geneva meeting," China's vice commerce minister Li Chenggang said Wednesday. While specifics of the deal were not revealed, Lutnick said both sides have agreed to roll back controls on exports that are vital to each country. Lutnick expressed optimism that that would include China's exports of rare earth minerals and magnets to the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There were a number of measures the United States put on when those rare earths were not coming," Lutnick added. "You should expect those to come off, sort of as President Trump said, 'in a balanced way.'" After their phone call last week cooled tensions amid the escalating trade dispute, Trump said Xi had agreed to restart exports of rare earth minerals and magnets, which are critical to American manufacturing. Last month, the United States and China announced a 90-day pause on most of their tariffs. Under the agreement, the United States reduced its tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China reduced its tariffs on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%. The agreement was reached during trade negotiations in Geneva, where U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with their Chinese counterparts, including Vice Premier He Lifeng. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asian stocks were mostly up after Wednesday's announcement, as Mainland China's CSI 300 index advanced 0.77% higher. U.S. stock futures were initially flat as investors waited for more information on the trade talks. Bessent announced he would depart the negotiations, which could continue through Wednesday, if needed. Lutnick and Greer planned to remain in London. The United States Department of State issues travel "warnings" in order to describe "the risks and recommended precautions for U.S. citizensnot foreign nationalsin a foreign destination." "The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas. Information contained in these advisories reflects an assessment of threats only insofar as they may impact U.S. citizens, nationals, and legal residents," the U.S. Department of State said in a statement. In its latest warning for travelers from the United States, the Department of State issued a Level 1 advisory for those traveling to Thailand. The Level 1 "exercise normal precautions" warning is defined as: "The lowest advisory level for safety and security risks. There is some risk in any international travel, and conditions in other countries may differ from those in the United States." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those seeking to travel to Thailand were specifically warned about travel to four provinces within the country. "Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and Songkhla provinces due to civil unrest associated with ongoing insurgent activities," the warning said. Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat all come with a Level 2 "exercise increased caution" warning. "Periodic violence between Thai security services and armed insurgents has been known to occur in Thailands three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat. Seventeen districts in these provinces remain under a declared state of emergency due to ongoing violent conflict. There is a collateral risk of violence for U.S. citizens in Thailands southernmost provinces due to low intensity conflict," the warning read." "The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in these provinces as U.S government employees must obtain special authorization to travel to these provinces." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those traveling to the country were warned to have evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government assistance and prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Related: Beloved BBQ Restaurant Featured on Food Network Closing After 34 Years U.S. Issues Travel 'Warning' for Popular Asian Country on June 9 first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 11, 2025 The American embassy in Baghdad is preparing to evacuate in a troubling sign for nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, as well as greater regional unrest, according to Reuters. Three U.S. and two Iraqi sources confirmed Wednesday that preparations for a departure were underway, but did not specify what security concerns had prompted the move. Its more than likely that the sudden withdrawal is related to Israels recent threat to target Irans nuclear facilities, despite ongoing nuclear talks between the United States and Iran. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ahead of a sixth round of talks set to begin this week, Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned in a press briefing Wednesday that if the negotiations failed, and conflict is imposed on Iran that all U.S. bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries. In an interview on the Pod Force One podcast released Wednesday, Donald Trump spoke about the talks, saying that he was less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made, he said. The New York Times reported in April that Israel, which is not a participant in the ongoing nuclear talks, had made plans to Iranian nuclear sites that were waved off by Trump, who wanted to continue negotiating with Tehran. Still, Netanyahu has continued to push for military action against Iran, without assistance from the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a phone call Monday, Trump urged Netanyahu to stop talking about attacking Iran, and put an end to the leaks about his militarys plans, a source familiar with the conversation told CNN. Netanyahu told him that Iran wasnt serious about the talks, and was simply using delaying tactics. He has some experience with that, after drawing out negotiations for a ceasefire deal in Gaza for months on end. The exact details of the U.S. withdrawal from Baghdad are still unclear. An Iraqi foreign ministry official said that a partial evacuation had been confirmed due to potential security concerns related to possible regional tensions. A U.S. official told Reuters that the State Department was intending to execute the departure through commercial means, though the U.S. military was standing by. In Bahrain, U.S. military dependents have been given the greenlight to temporarily evacuate due to escalating regional tensions, one U.S. official told Reuters. CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) A study 10 years in the making has helped University of Illinois researchers link urinary tract bacteria to prostate cancer. The study was led by Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) member and Associate Professor of Animal Sciences Jason Ridlon. Ridlon found that bacteria in the urinary tract can turn corticosteroids, a kind of medicine, into hormones that help prostate cancer grow. Charles Isbell one step closer to assuming role as U of I Chancellor Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Cleveland Clinic, corticosteroids can treat many causes of inflammation in your body and are a manufactured version of cortisol, a hormone the body naturally produces. Corticosteroids are often prescribed for conditions like lupus, asthma and carpal tunnel syndrome, among other conditions. The CCIL said the researchers work studying the link between urinary tract bacteria and prostate cancer began in 2015. Ridlon hypothesized that bacteria found in the gut and urinary tract may be related to hormone-driven cancer. When we obtained our first isolate that generated androgens, we thought, Eureka! The hypothesis has some plausibility, Ridlon said. In hormone therapy, also called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), the number of male hormones, known as androgens, is reduced, to stop them from increasing prostate cancer cell growth. But during the study, the researchers found that bacteria converted drugs used in androgen-deprivation therapy into androgens, which stimulated cancer cell growth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cancer survivors get together to celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day During the study, the team worked to grow diverse bacteria and secure funding. They identified two bacterial genes (desF and desG) which make hormone-like compounds. And, they found that a hormone called epitestosterone, which once was largely considered to help block cancer, actually caused prostate cancer cells to grow. They also studied a bacteria called Propionimicrobium lymphophilum, linked to prostate cancer, which may help produce androgens. Bacteria in our bodies are an overlooked part of our hormone system, Ridlon said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joseph Irudayaraj, professor of bioengineering and CCIL Associate Director of Shared Resources, developed the microbial bead technology used in the experiments. UIUC researcher creates technology to detect cancers faster When we developed the microbial bead technology, we did not realize the broad impact of its applications, Irudayaraj said. Saeed Ahmad, a bioengineering doctoral student in our team, however, was instrumental in extending the methods to encapsulate anaerobic bacteria in the beads this formed the basis for all co-culture studies to assess the role of these class of microbes on prostate cancer proliferation. Now, the team is building on their research. Ridlons Sterolbiome Lab focuses on how microbes affect steroid hormones, which could help find drugs that block harmful bacterial hormones. Irujayaraj added that the work on prostate cancer can be extended to other hormonal cancers, such as breast cancer. And the researchers said that the team is mapping additional bacterial pathways that metabolize steroids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Initial funding came from the CCIL. The team also received funds from the National Cancer Institute, Prostate Cancer Foundation, and the Department of Defense. Karen Sfanos, a Professor of Pathology at Johns Hopkins University, collaborated with the team on the study. The research was published in Nature Microbiology. You can read more about it 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 WCIA.com. A voter deposits a mail-in ballot at the drop box outside the Chester County Government Center on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Capital-Star/Peter Hall) A GOP challenge to the Pennsylvania Supreme Courts ruling on provisional ballots is dead, after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case Friday. The high courts rejection means county boards of elections must count provisional ballots cast by voters who find out their mail-in ballots have been rejected under the state Supreme Courts decision in October. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case at issue, Faith Genser et al vs. the Butler County Board of Elections, stemmed from a lawsuit filed after the 2024 primary election by two Butler County voters. They claimed they were disenfranchised when the board refused to count provisional ballots the voters cast on Election Day, after learning their mail ballots were disqualified for missing dates. The board of elections reasoned that the Pennsylvania Election Code says provisional ballots from voters whose mail-in ballots are timely received cant be counted, even if the voters mail-in ballots are rejected. In its 4-3 decision, the state Supreme Court found the Elections Code requires county elections officials to count provisional ballots if no other ballot is attributable to the voter, and as long as there are no other issues that would disqualify their provisional ballot. The U.S. Supreme Court did not explain its decision not to hear the appeal. Attorneys for the RNC and Republican Party of Pennsylvania did not respond to an email requesting comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans dont think every rightful vote should count. We disagree, and now, the Supreme Court has sided with us. Pennsylvanians deserve to have their say in every election full stop, Democratic National Committee Chairperson Ken Martin said in a statement. The case is one of many involving paperwork errors on vote-by-mail-ballots, since absentee voting without an excuse became an option in 2019 with the passage of Act 77. Every election, thousands of Pennsylvania mail ballots are voided due to common technical mistakes made by voters, Rich Ting, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said. Thanks to Faith Genser and Frank Matis fighting for their right to vote, all Pennsylvania voters who make those mistakes are guaranteed the right to vote by provisional ballot as a failsafe. The ACLU of Pennsylvania and the Public Interest Law Center with pro-bono counsel from Dechert LLP represented Genser and Matis in their lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Supreme Courts determination not to hear this case means that Pennsylvanians who make a technical mistake with their mail-in ballots will have a way to fix the mistake instead of losing the opportunity to vote, Ben Geffen, senior attorney at the Public Interest Law Center, said. In its petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, the GOP argued the state Supreme Court usurped the Pennsylvania Legislatures authority to set the times, places and manner for congressional elections, leaning on a premise known as the independent state legislature theory. That theory asserts that the U.S. Constitution reserves the authority to set the times, places and manner of elections exclusively for state legislatures. In opposition, the DNC and Pennsylvania Democratic Party asserted that the U.S. Supreme Court lacks jurisdiction, because the case falls outside the limited circumstances in which it can review the judgment of a states highest court. Such appeals are allowed only when a federal law is in question, a state law is claimed to conflict with federal law or where any title, right, privilege, or immunity is specially set up or claimed under the Constitution. The decision last week is the second time the U.S. Supreme Court has passed on reviewing the Pennsylvania Supreme Courts decision. In November it refused to place a stay on enforcement of the ruling days before the presidential election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Pennsylvania General Assembly has taken steps to pass amendments to clarify the vote-by-mail law in recent weeks. House Bill 1396, sponsored by Speaker Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia) would give election workers up to a week before Election Day to prepare to count mail-in ballots, a process that has been a bottleneck for election results in parts of the state, and has provided fodder for election deniers. The measure would remedy other ambiguities in Act 77, such as making clear that county election officials must notify voters if their mail ballots are rejected. It passed the House with a 102-101 vote along party lines May 13. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson announces a new $31.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health on July 10, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate) The leader of Arkansas largest healthcare system will step down after seven years for personal and medical reasons, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences announced Tuesday in a news release. Dr. Cam Patterson became the universitys chancellor in June 2018. By giving up his position as chancellor and as UAMS Health CEO, he will return to being a faculty member in the universitys cardiology department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patterson is facing medical and personal issues that require more attention than he can give them while serving in the chancellors position, according to UAMS news release. The work our team has done at UAMS over the last seven-plus years has been the high point of my career, Patterson said in the release. We have a lot to be proud of and Ive been the luckiest guy to be a part of it. I am excited about the opportunity to return to the faculty and engage more deeply in the academic and clinical missions at our institution. UAMS System President Jay Silveria praised Pattersons leadership tenure in the release. Leading UAMS is a demanding task, and I appreciate Dr. Pattersons need to do what he feels is best for himself and his family and for the long-term success of the university, Silveria said. His contributions to UAMS came through unusually restrictive times, and he should be celebrated for his efforts to push the institution forward while navigating a challenging environment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patterson oversaw both challenges and improvement in the universitys economic outlook, despite the myriad issues presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and other unforeseen variables, the release states. One such challenge was a conflict between state and federal mandates regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a mandate in November 2021 for health workers to be fully vaccinated or receive exemptions, with noncompliant facilities at risk of losing federal funding. The rule directly conflicted with a 2021 Arkansas law that said COVID-19 vaccination shall not be a condition of education, employment, entry, or services from the state or a state agency or entity unless lawmakers approved an exception. Patterson sought an exemption and defended this decision before a legislative committee. Silveria will name an interim UAMS chancellor in the coming weeks and start a national search for Pattersons permanent successor, the news release states. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE By Diana Novak Jones (Reuters) -Ride-hailing company Uber filed a lawsuit against a Miami law firm and a Miami medical center accusing them of orchestrating a medical and insurance scam that involved staged car collisions. Uber, in the lawsuit filed on Tuesday in federal court in Miami, accuses personal injury firm Law Group of South Florida and firm attorney Andy Loynaz of participating in a scheme to pay drivers to intentionally collide with other cars and then claim they were using the Uber app while driving. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Auto mechanics and healthcare providers at River Medical Center in Miami and other clinics falsely said the crashes caused severe injuries and required medical treatments, according to the lawsuit. Those false statements formed the basis of bogus lawsuits against Uber and its insurer, according to the lawsuit. Loynaz, described on the law firm's website as a firm co-founder, declined to comment on Wednesday. A person who answered the phone at River Medical Center declined to comment and declined to make anyone else available. The lawsuit, which claims that four fraudulent lawsuits were filed in Florida court stemming from the scheme, didn't specify how much they have cost Uber. The company's lawsuit said Uber has spent several million dollars in defense costs and settlements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adam Blinick, Uber's head of state and local public policy in the U.S. and Canada, in reply to a request for comment on the lawsuit, said in a statement that Uber will take action if it sees something inappropriate on the platform. The 97-page lawsuit details five allegedly staged crashes, all of which took place near Hialeah, Florida, in 2023 and 2024. After each crash, Loynaz submitted insurance claims for the people involved for the maximum amount allowed under the policy, $1 million, the lawsuit claims. After four crashes, Loynaz filed lawsuits that named Uber and its commercial auto liability insurance carrier. Some of the lawsuits are still pending in court, according to the lawsuit. (Reporting by Diana Novak Jones; editing by Leigh Jones and Leslie Adler) SALT LAKE COUNTY (ABC4) The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has provided some updates on the ongoing construction to improve Bangerter Highway. Bangerter Highway, officially designated as Utah State Route 154, primarily serves the west side of the Salt Lake Valley, mostly running in a north/south direction. It is a key road for a large portion of commuters in the area. Who was Bangerter and why is there a highway named after him? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to John Gleason, UDOT Public Information Officer, commuters can expect parts of the years-long project to be completed within the next few months, with one section potentially reaching completion as early as July. The new east/west overpass that will reconnect 4700 South over the Highway is expected to open sometime in July. After that, the new east/west overpass that will reconnect 9800 South over Bangerter is expected to open around this October. East/west traffic is also expected to be reopened at the crossing of 13400 South and Bangerter in October as well. Previously: TRAFFIC CHANGE: 13400 South closing at Bangerter Highway until fall 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gleason told ABC4.com that these updates, once finished, will make a world of difference for commuters. 4700 S Construction Plan (UDOT) 9800 S Construction Plan (UDOT) 13400 S Construction Plan (UDOT) 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. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) A spokesperson for Brown University Health confirmed to 12 News on Wednesday that negotiations with UnitedHealthcare have ended, and UHCs Medicare Advantage plans will not be accepted at Brown Healths four Rhode Island hospitals starting July 1. Target 12 initially reported back in May that UHC had notified affected patients about the ongoing negotiations via a letter. According to a spokesperson for Brown Health, the hospital system had asked UHC to increase its reimbursement rate, as well as eliminate their administrative policies that deviate from traditional Medicare, such as unnecessary prior approval and utilization management, that cause frustration for patients and result in extra cost to our health care system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since both parties held firm in their positions, we mutually decided to end our Medicare Advantage hospital contract, the Brown Health spokesperson said. We proposed extending our contract through the end of the year to provide Medicare Advantage members continued access to Brown University Healths hospitals while we negotiate, a UHC spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the health system refused. Both Brown Health and UHC emphasized that this change only applies to Hasbro Childrens Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Newport Hospital, and Rhode Island Hospital. Physicians associated with Brown Health and the groups urgent care clinics will continue to accept UHCs Medicare Advantage plans through Dec. 31, 2025, as will St. Annes Hospital and Morton Hospital in Massachusetts. Who is affected? Medicare Advantage is a type of health plan offered by Medicare-approved private companies as an alternative to original Medicare. Like Medicare, it is available for Americans 65 and older, as well as those with certain severe disabilities or illnesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal data shows that about 60% of Rhode Island Medicare recipients utilize Medicare Advantage plans. In Rhode Island, theyre offered by Aetna, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, and UHC. (UHC has not answered repeated requests for comment on the number of patients who will be affected by the change.) Brown Health hospitals will continue accepting UHCs Medicaid and commercial health insurance plans, as well as Medicare Advantage plans from other providers. Emergency care Starting July 1, treatments at Brown Health hospitals will be billed to UHC Medicare Advantage patients as out-of-network care. However, a UHC spokesperson stressed that in an emergency, members should go to the nearest hospital even if its not in-network, as the company covers emergency visits at its in-network benefit level. Whats next? Dr. Johnny Luo, a health insurance expert from Doctors Choice, told 12 News there are ways to get a new insurance plan if needed. Outside of Medicares open enrollment period, which lasts from Oct. 15 to Dec. 17, Luo said, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have been known to offer special election periods throughout the year on a case-by-case basis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brown Health also encouraged UHC Medicare Advantage members to find out if theyre eligible for continuity of care protections by calling UHC Customer Service at 1-800-711-0646. 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 UK has agreed a deal with the European Union over Gibraltar's status after Brexit. Talks on rules governing the border between Spain and the British Overseas Territory have been ongoing since the UK left the EU in 2020. The UK said the agreement would avoid the need for checks on people and goods crossing the Gibraltar-Spain border. For travellers arriving at Gibraltar airport, passport checks will be carried out by Gibraltar and Spanish officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spanish border officials would be able to deny entry as it would be possible for British arrivals to continue their travel into Spain and the EU free-travel area without further checks. This is similar to the system in place for Eurostar passengers at London's St Pancras station, where travellers pass through both British and French passport control before boarding international trains. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the deal protected British sovereignty and supported Gibraltar's economy. He said the "breakthrough" delivered a practical solution, adding: "This government inherited a situation from the last government which put Gibraltar's economy and way of life under threat." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo also welcomed the agreement, saying: "I have worked hand in glove with the UK government throughout this negotiation to deliver the deal Gibraltar wants and needs one that will protect future generations of British Gibraltarians and does not in any way affect our British sovereignty." Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer agreed in a Wednesday evening phone call that the deal "unlocks significant opportunities to strengthen UK-Spain relations". Downing Street said Sir Keir also called Picardo to congratulate him on the deal and thank him for "his years of hard work, commitment, and leadership to reach an agreement". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gibraltar is a 2.6 square mile headland to the south of Spain. The UK has had sovereignty over Gibraltar since 1713, although this is disputed by Spain, who claim the territory as their own. The territory's status and that of its border with Spain has been a key sticking point and has remained unresolved since Brexit. An estimated 15,000 people cross the Gibraltar-Spain border every day for work and leisure. Currently, Gibraltar residents can cross using residence cards without needing to have their passports stamped. Spanish citizens can cross using a government ID card. But there were concerns this would end with the introduction of the EU's Entry/Exit system later this year, causing huge delays at the border. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The UK said all sides had agreed a clause making clear the final treaty does not impact the territory's British sovereignty. It said there would also be full operational autonomy of the UK's military's facilities in Gibraltar, where the airport is run by the Ministry of Defence and hosts an RAF base. Public opinion in Gibraltar, which has a population of around 32,000, is in favour of keeping British sovereignty. The most recent referendum, held in 2002, saw almost 99% of voters reject a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain. The breakthrough came after Lammy met Picardo and his cabinet in Gibraltar earlier, before the pair headed to Brussels for discussions with EU and Spanish ministers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Manuel Albares and EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic both hailed the deal as "historic", with Sefcovic saying it "reinforces a new chapter" in the EU-UK relationship. All parties have committed to finalising a UK-EU treaty text on Gibraltar as quickly as possible, the UK government said. However, Reform UK criticised the deal, with deputy leader Richard Tice saying: "Once again this Labour government have shown utter disregard for our overseas territories. This is another surrender." Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said her party would examine the full legal text of the treaty to see if it met their "red lines". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Conservative Party in government, and now in opposition has always been clear that any deal must ensure that the sovereignty and rights of Gibraltar are safeguarded in full and must carry the support of the government and people of Gibraltar, as well as protect constitutional arrangements. We also consistently opposed any efforts by Spain to disrupt the flow of goods at the border," she said. "Gibraltar is British, and given Labour's record of surrendering our territory and paying for the privilege, we will be reviewing carefully all the details of any agreement that is reached." Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller said the agreement brought the UK "one step closer to a proper trade deal with the EU" but added that "it's vital that Parliament is given the opportunity to scrutinise the details". [BBC] Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday. Britain's Labour government will unveil detailed day-to-day spending and investment plans for the coming years on Wednesday, with big funding increases to defence and healthcare expected, along with cuts elsewhere. Finance minister Rachel Reeves is set to address parliament around midday, outlining her Spending Review in the hopes of boosting the country's growth, which risks pressure from US President Donald Trump's tariffs onslaught. Ahead of her speech, Reeves said the government would invest in security, health and the economy "so working people all over our country are better off". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reeves promised to "invest in Britain's renewal", as she unveiled spending boosts to nuclear power. Citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government has said it will increase its defence budget to 2.5 percent of economic output by 2027 -- and up to 3.0 percent by 2034, helped by cutting international aid. There are suggestions this could rise further still. The struggling National Health Service is set for a funding boost -- forcing other key ministries to tighten their belts. "While we know where the vast amount of money will be allocated ahead of this speech, what we don't know is where the savings will come from," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading group XTB. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Treasury has reportedly clashed with the interior ministry, particularly regarding the police budget, as well as with the energy department amid fears for the UK's carbon reduction commitments. Reeves has announced major cuts to public budgets in recent months amid tight fiscal conditions. Since Labour won power last July, ending years of rule by the Conservatives, it has scaled back disability welfare payments, hoping to save more than 5 billion ($6.7 billion) by 2030. - Balance the books - Reeves, whose official title is chancellor of the exchequer, has amended her fiscal rules to allow the government more headroom for investment in the run-up to the review. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the same time, she is looking to balance the books so that tax revenues match day-to-day spending, meaning the government borrows only to invest. The minister has allowed the Treasury to borrow more, particularly for infrastructure projects across the vital housing and energy sectors. This has handed her a windfall of 113 billion over five years. Reeves "will need to balance the books by making cuts to unprotected department budgets", said Joe Nellis, economic adviser at consultancy MHA. He suggested that areas at risk included the interior ministry and local authorities. While Britain's economy grew by a better-than-expected 0.7 percent in the first quarter, analysts cautioned that solid expansion was unlikely to be sustained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If growth fails to emerge, then she (Reeves) will either have to cut further areas of public sector spending or raise taxes again in this year's Autumn Budget," said Nellis. Reeves, in her inaugural budget, raised a business tax, which is starting to impact on unemployment and wages growth. Ahead of the review, the government pledged billions of pounds for Britain's nuclear industry -- including the new Sizewell C power plant -- plus 86 billion for science and technology by 2030 and more than 15 billion for public transport in England. - U-turns - Reeves was expected on Wednesday to confirm 39 billion for a programme to build affordable homes over the next 10 years, and "deliver the 1.5 million homes this country needs". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was due to announce investment of up to 750 million on a new national supercomputer in Edinburgh. The move reverses a decision by Labour to scrap funding for the project, which had been promised 800 million under the former Conservative government. Labour on Monday U-turned on a policy to scrap a winter heating benefit for millions of pensioners following widespread criticism, including from within its own party. bur-ajb/bcp/bc Several United Kingdom lawmakers have criticised the previous government over allegations in a recent media report that former Foreign Secretary David Cameron privately threatened to defund and withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its plans to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials over alleged war crimes in Gaza. The report, published on Monday by the UK-based outlet Middle East Eye (MEE), cited sources with knowledge of a phone call Cameron allegedly made to ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan on April 23, 2024, after he had given advance notice of his intention to apply for the warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. MEEs report cited unnamed sources, including former staff in Khans office, and had seen minutes of the conversation, claiming that Cameron warned the arrest warrants, which were issued in November that year, would be in quotes reported by the sources tantamount to dropping a hydrogen bomb, warning that if the ICC went ahead, the UK would defund the court and withdraw from the Rome Statute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khan reportedly stood his ground, with sources telling MEE that he said afterwards that he did not like being pressurised. I wont say if it rises to blackmail I dont like being threatened, he reportedly said, adding that the government was debasing the UK with its clear attack on the independence of the court and the rule of international law. Cameron, who was prime minister between 2010 and 2016, and now sits in the House of Lords as a life peer, has not commented on the report. Khan was quoted as telling MEE on Monday that he had no comment to make at this time. Following the reports publication, Labour Party MP Zarah Sultana said on X that Cameron and every UK minister complicit in arming and enabling Israels genocide in Gaza should be investigated. David Cameron and every UK minister complicit in arming and enabling Israels genocide in Gaza must be investigated for war crimes. https://t.co/YYcsmFg1BN Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) June 9, 2025 Scottish National Party MP Chris Law said the allegations were shocking, but added the country was not seeing much better under Labour. Shocking that the UK Tory govt tried to undermine the International Criminal Court for investigating those responsible for war crimes in Gaza. However not seeing much better under Labour #GazaGenocide https://t.co/Wd3nK9UkhV Chris Law MP (@ChrisLawSNP) June 9, 2025 Bell Ribeiro-Addy, a Labour MP, called for an independent inquiry into the UKs role in the Gaza genocide. Concerning new allegations, which suggest the last foreign secretary tried to shield Israeli leaders from facing justice for war crimes. We need an independent inquiry into the UKs role in the Gaza genocide.https://t.co/JROBHyqtDo Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP (@BellRibeiroAddy) June 9, 2025 Zack Polanski, the deputy leader of the Green Party, was cited by MEE as saying: Its been clear for all to see that both the former and current government have stood with the oppressors, not the marginalised. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the ICC applied for the arrest warrants in May last year, the previous Conservative Party government, a strong backer of Israel, decried the move as not helpful in relation to reaching a pause in the fighting, getting hostages out or getting humanitarian aid in. In July, the new Labour government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, dropped the previous Rishi Sunak-led governments bid to challenge the ICCs power to seek the warrants, which were issued for Netanyahu, Gallant and three Hamas leaders in November. A UK soldier accused of raping a woman near a controversial British army base in Kenya allegedly attacked a British national, not a Kenyan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed. In a statement the military said the man had been arrested and sent back to the UK following the alleged incident last month near the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (Batuk). The allegation is being investigated by the UK military, which has jurisdiction over the matter, and does not involve Kenyan police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The alleged rape is the latest allegation of misconduct made against British soldiers at Batuk, which is near the town of Nanyuki around 200km (125 miles) north of Kenya's capital, Nairobi. A MoD spokesperson said: "We can confirm the arrest of a British service person in Kenya in relation to a report of a sexual offence. The service person has been repatriated to the UK and the victim is a British adult, not a Kenyan. "The matter is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the UK Defence Serious Crime Command, in accordance with the Defence Co-operation Agreement between the UK and Kenya and we will not comment further." A UK soldier has previously been accused of murdering a local woman, Agnes Wanjiru, whose body was found dumped in a septic tank in 2012. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The UK has said it is co-operating with a Kenyan investigation into her death. The Batuk base was established in 1964 shortly after the East African nation gained independence from the UK. The UK military has an agreement with Kenya under which it can deploy up to six army battalions a year for periods of training at the site. But the British army has faced a string of allegations about the conduct of some UK personnel at the camp. A public inquiry set up by Kenyan MPs last year heard details of alleged mistreatment of local people by British soldiers. The allegations included a reported hit-and-run incident, as well as claims that some British soldiers had got local women pregnant before abandoning them and their children when they returned to the UK. You may also be interested in: [Getty Images/BBC] Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts By Jonathan Saul LONDON (Reuters) -Increased tensions in the Middle East may lead to an escalation in military activity that could impact shipping in critical waterways, Britain's maritime agency said on Wednesday. Much of the world's oil and key commodities including grains pass through the region's busy sealanes. The United States and Iran are expected to hold talks this week on Iran's nuclear programme. Washington has threatened to take military action if the talks fail, and Iran said on Wednesday it could strike U.S. bases in the region if conflict arises. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in an advisory note on Wednesday that it was aware of increased tensions in the Middle East which could lead to an escalation of military activity having a direct impact on mariners. The UKMTO advised vessels to use caution when passing through the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and Straits of Hormuz. The UKMTO, which gathers reports on threats to shipping, did not specify the nature of the increase in tensions that prompted its alert. "Israel-affiliated merchant shipping is assessed to be at heightened risk of reciprocal military action," British maritime security company Ambrey said separately on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Substantial U.S. support to Israeli offensive action would raise the risk to U.S. shipping and vessels carrying U.S. cargo." Shipping industry and insurance sources said there was growing concern over a spillover from any action by Israel and its arch foe Iran, especially in waters around the Gulf and nearby waters. Last year, Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, and Israel launched airstrikes on targets inside Iran. "Any attack will have a certain potential to escalate and impact shipping as well as implicate military forces of other countries operating in the area, including the United States," said Jakob Larsen, chief safety & security officer with shipping association BIMCO. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A full-blown armed conflict between Israel/U.S. and Iran would most certainly effectively close the Straits of Hormuz at least for a period of time and drive up oil prices." (Reporting by Jonathan Saul in London, Ahmed Elimam and Elwely Elwelly in Dubai,Editing by Peter Graff and Ed Osmond) Ukraine is expected to get nearly 1.7 billion pounds ($2.26 billion) from the U.K. to buy air defense systems and missiles, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on June 11, citng a decision by Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers. The new funding will be used to buy Rapid Ranger air defense systems and Martlet lightweight multirole missiles, Shmyhal said, describing the deal as a "significant strengthening" of Ukraine's air defense capacity amid intensifying Russian air assaults. Rapid Ranger is a mobile, laser-guided air defense system built for rapid deployment and effective against low-flying threats, including drones and helicopters. It is typically paired with the Martlet missile, which is designed for use against drones and light aircraft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This month, the U.K. also announced record aid for the supply of drones. We are talking about 350 million pounds ($473 million), which will allow 100,000 drones to be transferred to Ukraine this year," Shmyhal wrote on Telegram. The announcement follows Russia's June 10 aerial attack on Kyiv, one of the largest during the full-scale war. The night before, Ukrainian air defense shot down 479 Russian drones and missiles in a record air assault, according to the country's Air Force. This year, the U.K. has allocated 4.5 billion pounds ($5.8 billion) for military assistance to Ukraine, marking its largest annual commitment so far. London remains one of Kyiv's most steadfast military partners, providing long-range missiles, armored vehicles, training, and political support against Russian aggression. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Russias nuclear deterrent against US not significantly affected by Ukraines Operation Spiderweb, official claims Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Editor's note: For security reasons, the real names of the soldiers mentioned in this story have not been used. A reduction in U.S. military aid to Ukraine would be "painful" and could have potentially "dire consequences" for the global order, Ukrainian lawmakers and soldiers have told the Kyiv Independent. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on June 10 signalled the move is almost certain to happen as he discussed Washington's defense budget for 2026 during a congressional hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Highlighting the Trump administration's "very different view" of the war in Ukraine compared to that of Joe Biden's, Hegseth insisted a "negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nation's interests." Though he didn't reveal specific details of the cuts, Ukraine is already bracing for its effects and looking for options to fill the likely sizable gap in support, lawmaker Iryna Friz, a parliamentary committee member on national security, defense, and intelligence, told the Kyiv Independent. Friz said there is a "whole range" of military aid that Ukraine simply cannot obtain from other Western allies, and any reduction in these capabilities will be "painful." "But I am convinced that instead of being emotionally affected by such statements (from Hegseth) or frustrated, Ukraine must demonstrate its readiness to strengthen its defense capabilities and increase communication with its partners to continue to defend its sovereignty," Friz added. Changes in the U.S. approach With U.S. President Donald Trump's return to the White House, Washington has sharply shifted its policy toward Ukraine. Even though Ukraine still receives military aid approved by the Biden administration, and intelligence continues to flow, Trump has already temporarily halted both once, and no new aid packages have been announced in the almost five months of Trump's presidency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine continues to hold the line against Russia's grinding and slow advances, but any reduction in U.S. aid will likely affect Kyiv's ability to fight back against Moscow's forces, as well as undermining ongoing U.S.-led peace efforts. "This reduction of military support might undermine our defensive capabilities, which, in turn, might translate into more casualties both among our soldiers and civilians," lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of the parliament's foreign affairs policy, told the Kyiv Independent. "When (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is preparing for a summer offensive, according to some sources, it sends the wrong signal, because Putin might take it as encouragement to double down on the war efforts," Merezhko added. Read also: Ukraines SBU releases fresh video of Operation Spiderweb, teases new surprises The equipment gap Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the U.S. has given Ukraine around $74 billion in military aid, and has provided weapons that have changed the course of events both on the front line and in cities hundreds of kilometers away from it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington has sent Ukraine several million rounds of ammunition, tanks, armored vehicles, long-range ATACMS missiles, HIMARS, and cutting-edge Patriot air defense systems that are Ukraine's only effective defense against Russian ballistic missiles. But under the Trump administration, as well as not receiving new military aid packages, some weapons that were intended for Ukrainian troops have been diverted elsewhere. According to Zelensky, while then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in the office, the U.S. pledged to give Ukraine 20,000 missiles to defend against Shahed-type drones, which Russia launches almost every night against Ukrainian cities. "It was inexpensive, but it is a special technology. We were counting on these 20,000 missiles," Zelensky said in an interview with ABC published on June 8. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This morning, my defense minister told me that the U.S. has moved them to the Middle East." Ukrainian soldiers interviewed by The Kyiv Independent criticized Washington's recent moves but were not surprised. "Trump and his entire team are ridiculous cowards. They want to make a deal with (Vladimir) Putin on his terms and sacrifice part of Ukraine. It is more profitable for them," Bart, a Special Forces sniper fighting in Ukraine's East, said. "Reducing American aid is bad for the front line. We depend on it, on their intelligence," he added. Ihor, a Ukrainian soldier who also serves on the eastern front, echoed Bart's stance, adding the new U.S. policies will have "dire consequences" for the global order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The U.S. is positioning itself as weak, which will allow dictatorships worldwide to increase pressure (on other countries), and America will not interfere," he said. What comes next? In light of the U.S,'s shifting stance, Ukraine's European allies have pledged to step up military support but countries on the continent are dogged by a decades-long underinvestment in defense production capability. Ukraine is therefore looking for other options, such as developing its own domestic military production and purchasing American weapons with the help of European partners. In early June, a Ukrainian delegation led by Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak visited the U.S. to discuss further support for Ukraine's defense and potential purchases of American weapons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are ready to buy some of it, especially missile defense equipment. The congressmen understand (the issue) and want to move forward with providing Ukraine with everything it needs," Yermak said on June 6 on national television. However, following the Ukrainian delegation's visit, there has been no further action or response from Washington on potential arms supplies or weapons sales to Ukraine and its allies. Natalia Yermak contributed to this story. Read also: Americas weak strongman Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The bodies of 1,212 fallen defenders have been brought back to Ukraine as a result of repatriation efforts. Source: Ukraines Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War Details: Among those who were brought back are fallen defenders from the Kursk bridgehead and Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts. The return of fallen defenders was made possible through the joint efforts of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and the joint centre under the Security Service of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Office of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commissioner, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Missing Persons under Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service, and other bodies within Ukraines security and defence sector, with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Law enforcement investigators, together with expert institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will identify the deceased as quickly as possible. Background: Following a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul on Monday 2 June, the parties have reached an agreement on the six thousands-for-six thousands exchange of bodies of fallen soldiers. Delegations also agreed to an all-for-all exchange of seriously wounded and young soldiers aged 18 to 25. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that out of the 6,000 bodies of soldiers that Russia wants to hand over to Ukraine, only 15% have been identified. On Friday 6 June, Russia claimed that repatriation efforts had begun, later asserting that "Ukraine refused to retrieve the bodies of its citizens". Ukraines Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War emphasised that Russia was manipulating a sensitive issue, adding that preparations for the exchange were ongoing. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine has brought home the bodies of 1,212 soldiers killed in the war with Russia, the Kyiv officials responsible for exchanging prisoners of war said on Wednesday. In Moscow, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said Ukraine for its part had returned 27 bodies of Russian soldiers. "As a result of the repatriation activities ..., the bodies of 1,212 fallen defenders have been returned to Ukraine," Kyiv's prisoner exchange coordination committee said on the Telegram messaging app. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It released photos from the scene showing personnel of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at an undisclosed location, walking past several refrigerated trucks. Some trucks were marked with emblems of "On the Shield," a Ukrainian organisation involved in the retrieval and evacuation of military dead. Kyiv and Moscow reached agreement at their most recent round of talks last week on a large-scale exchange of corpses of war dead, though the deal was marred by wrangling over its implementation. On Sunday, Medinsky said Ukraine had postponed taking the first 1,212 bodies. Russian officials also said that refrigerated trucks loaded with corpses waited for five days at the border before Ukraine accepted them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine's coordination body said a deal had been reached on repatriating bodies but the date had not been finalised, and accused Russia of unilateral and uncoordinated actions. On June 2, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia wanted to transfer 6,000 bodies back to Ukraine, but that only about 15% of them had been identified. "We already had a moment once when they transferred bodies to us and were also transferring bodies of Russian dead soldiers," Zelenskiy said at a briefing. The 1,212 bodies will now be transferred to experts of Ukraine's Interior Ministry, law enforcement agencies and the Health Ministry who will try to ascertain their identities as soon as possible, the prisoner exchange coordination body said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Russia and Ukraine exchanged dozens of prisoners of war under the age of 25, as well as severely wounded and ill prisoners on Tuesday, in emotional homecoming scenes, the first step in a series of planned swaps that could become the biggest of the war triggered by Russia's 2022 invasion. Russia and Ukraine will exchange more seriously wounded and ill prisoners of war on Thursday, Medinsky said. Fighting has raged on meanwhile with Russia saying on Monday its forces had taken control of more territory in Ukraine's east-central region of Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv saying Moscow had launched its largest drone attack of the war. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Aleksandar Vasovic; editing by Peter Graff and Mark Heinrich) Ukraine has granted Poland permission to carry out the exhumation of Polish soldiers killed in 1939 and buried in the territory of the former village of Zboiska, now within the city limits of Lviv. Source: Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, as reported by European Pravda Details: On Wednesday 11 June, the Ministry confirmed that Poland had received the official authorisation for the exhumation of the fallen Polish soldiers killed in 1939 that had been buried in the territory of the former village of Zboiska. This village is now part of the city of Lviv. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In return, Poland has granted Ukraine permission to conduct search and exhumation works in the village of Jureczkowa. Ukraine expects these works to begin shortly. The issue of wartime exhumations has long been a source of tension in Ukrainian-Polish relations. The Polish government, led by Donald Tusk, has consistently pressed Kyiv to lift the moratorium on such activities. Background: In late April 2025, exhumations began in Ternopil Oblast at the site of the now-abandoned village of Puzhnyky, where Polish civilians were killed in 1945. Recently, the Polish Sejm introduced a memorial day supposedly to honour victims of ethnic cleansing in Volyn, referring to the events as a "genocide committed by the OUN and UPA on the eastern territories of the Second Polish Republic". Ukraines Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticised this move. [The Volyn (Volhynia) tragedy was a series of events that led to the ethnic cleansing of the Polish and Ukrainian populations in 1943 during World War II. It was part of a long-standing rivalry between Ukrainians and Poles in what is now Ukraine's west. Poland considers the Volyn tragedy a genocide of Poles ed.] Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Ukraine has granted Poland permission to carry out exhumation work on the remains of Polish soldiers killed in 1939 and buried in the area of the former village of Zboiska, now part of the western city of Lviv, Ukraine's Culture Ministry announced on June 11. The renewed cooperation follows years of tension surrounding the treatment of war memorials and historical sites. Ukraine imposed a moratorium on exhumations in 2017 after several Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) monuments were destroyed in Poland. The moratorium effectively ended last April when Ukrainian and Polish researchers carried out joint exhumations of the Volyn massacre victims in Ukraine's Ternopil Oblast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Culture Ministry said the latest decision is a further step in Polish-Ukrainian cooperation on sensitive historical issues and follows the work of the Joint Polish-Ukrainian Working Group on historical matters. "Ukraine confirms its readiness to continue search and exhumation work within the framework of the Joint Working Group," the ministry said in a statement. It added that the exhumations at Zboiska represent a continuation of efforts to address historical memory and reconciliation. The Zboiska site is believed to contain the remains of around 120 Polish soldiers who died fighting against Nazi German forces in 1939, Rzeczpospolita reported. The remains were first located in 2019, according to Polish officials. The Institute of National Remembrance of Poland (IPN) had submitted a formal request to excavate burial grounds in Zboiska and the nearby district of Pid Holoskom. The ministry also lauded the April exhumations in the former village of Puzhnyky in Ternopil Oblast as the first successful step of this new cooperation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Puzhnyky is associated with the 1945 killing of Polish civilians by the UPA during the Volyn massacres, one of the most painful and contentious chapters in Polish-Ukrainian history. In a reciprocal gesture, Ukraine has received Poland's approval to carry out its own search and exhumation activities in the Polish village of Yurechkova. Kyiv says it hopes such work can begin soon. The Culture Ministry emphasized that the progress reflects the constructive relationship between the two countries and their shared commitment to historical truth and dignity for the dead. "Joint remembrance and steps toward one another will unite our nations in the name of our shared European future," the statement said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In January, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the agreement on exhumation efforts a "breakthrough," while officials in Warsaw warned that unresolved historical issues could influence Ukraine's aspirations to join the European Union and NATO. Read also: Volhynian Massacre the Achilles heel of Ukrainian-Polish relations Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine has nearly lost its wheat markets in Asia and Africa due to a focus on exports to Europe. Source: Latifundist Details: "We lost 70% of the Egyptian market. All Ukrainian exporters reoriented to Europe. We not only missed the opportunity to sell profitably to Egypt but also lost the trust of Egyptian buyers," a representative from Promising International Trading Co. DMCC told the publication. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Traders report that 75% of Tunisias imported wheat is Russian, most of the remainder is French, and Ukrainian wheat is almost absent. Ukraine has also lost market shares in Sudan and Ethiopia. In many African countries, such as Kenya and Nigeria, high-protein wheat (12.5%) is in demand, which Ukrainian wheat often lacks. "While 11.5% protein is acceptable for most, markets with a 12.5% threshold are dominated by Russia, not us," a spokesperson from Ukrainian agricultural company TAS Agro explained. Traders highlighted challenges in Asian markets, particularly Bangladesh and Indonesia, where Russia is actively displacing competitors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We see Russia selling for rupees in India, engaging in barter and deepening cooperation with China. They hedge risks, anticipating potential new restrictions or currency access issues. In markets like Kenya, Nigeria and Bangladesh, they outcompete others by dumping wheat," TAS Agro noted. Russian companies reportedly offer deferred payment terms, while Ukrainian firms typically require payment immediately upon vessel loading. Due to EU restrictions, Ukrainian exporters may need to lower prices and overhaul logistics, Latifundist reports. Previously, traders could consolidate small grain batches for Europe, but they must now focus on larger shipments. Background: It was reported that Ukraines sunflower oil market share in Asia is weakening due to complex logistics, sanctions and competition from cheaper Russian wheat, corn, and Argentine sunflower oil. Shipments of Ukrainian sunflower oil to India increased nearly threefold this season (SeptemberMarch). However, Russian oil dominates, accounting for over 50% of Indias sunflower oil imports. It was previously reported that, under the most pessimistic estimates, Ukraines 2025 grain harvest could fall by 10% to about 51 million tonnes, down from 56.7 million tonnes in 2024. Minister of Agrarian Policy Vitalii Koval predicted a 10% decrease in grain yield and a 5% drop in oilseeds. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Ukraine has accepted the bodies of 1,212 of its fallen soldiers from Russia after days of dispute, the agency dealing with prisoners of war in Kiev said on Wednesday. The soldiers died in battles in Russia's Kursk region and the Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson, the agency said. Russia has for days accused Ukraine of failing to accept the remains, and called on Kiev to comply with agreements reached between the warring parties in talks in Istanbul at the beginning of the month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia transported the bodies ready for handover over the weekend in what it termed a "humanitarian action," while Ukraine said that no agreement on a handover date had been reached. The Istanbul talks provided for the return of the remains of more than 6,000 fallen soldiers from Russia to Ukraine. It was not clear whether Russia would also receive the remains of its soldiers killed in Ukraine. Ukraine has accepted the bodies of 1,212 of its fallen soldiers from Russia after days of dispute, the agency dealing with prisoners of war in Kiev said on Wednesday. The soldiers died in battles in Russia's Kursk region and the Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson, the agency said. Russia received 27 killed soldiers in return, Moscow's chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said. "Now they can be laid to rest in a Christian manner," he wrote on Telegram. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia has for days accused Ukraine of failing to accept the remains, and called on Kiev to comply with agreements reached between the warring parties in talks in Istanbul at the beginning of the month. Russia transported the bodies ready for handover over the weekend in what it termed a "humanitarian action," while Ukraine said that no agreement on a handover date had been reached. The Istanbul talks provided for the return of the remains of more than 6,000 fallen soldiers from Russia to Ukraine. It was not clear whether Russia would also receive the remains of its soldiers killed in Ukraine. Work on implementing the Istanbul agreements will continue, Medinsky said, with an exchange of seriously wounded prisoners of war to take place this Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine and Russia had already exchanged an unspecified number of prisoners in recent days. In Istanbul, it was agreed that each side would release in stages 1,200 prisoners - those under 25, the seriously wounded and the seriously ill. Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for more than three years. During the war, there have been repeated exchanges of prisoners and the return of bodies. Russian drone strike kills two in Kharkiv A Russian drone strike on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed at least two people and injured dozens, local media reported early on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kyiv Independent, citing Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, said eight children were among the 54 people wounded. Terekhov also reported damage to residential buildings and a large fire. According to the RBC-Ukraine news site, several commercial buildings were also damaged in the attack. Editor's note: This article has been updated with comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky. Ukraine has brought back the bodies of 1,212 fallen service members, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POW) said on June 11. The announcement follows Russian-Ukrainian Istanbul talks on June 2, which focused on exchanges of POWs and fallen soldiers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The repatriation was carried out through a coordinated effort involving the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Armed Forces, the Interior Ministry, the Ombudsman's Office, the State Emergency Service, and other national security and defense institutions. The International Committee of the Red Cross also supported the operation. The remains of soldiers were returned from multiple front-line regions, including Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Sumy oblasts. Officials emphasized that investigative and forensic teams from the Interior Ministry and the Health Ministry are working to identify the bodies in the shortest possible time. Vladimir Medinsky, aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed Russia transferred the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers in accordance with the agreements in Istanbul, while Ukraine released the remains of 27 Russian service members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ukrainian side did not disclose how many Russian bodies were handed over in return. At the Istanbul meeting on June 2, Russian and Ukrainian delegations agreed on a new exchange of POWs but failed to reach a ceasefire agreement. The Turkey-hosted talks were the second round since mid-May and resulted in an agreement to exchange severely wounded and young prisoners, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying up to 1,200 individuals could be returned on each side. Russia also pledged to transfer up to 6,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers. Following the Istanbul talks, Ukraine and Russia have already conducted two prisoner exchanges on June 9 and 10. While exact figures were not immediately disclosed, Ukraine confirmed the return of severely wounded and chronically ill prisoners, including those captured during the 2022 siege of Mariupol and held for more than three years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Istanbul, Ukraine also submitted a peace proposal that called for a full ceasefire, an "all-for-all" POW exchange, the return of abducted children, and the use of frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine. Russia has yet to formally respond. Read also: Ukraine, Russia conduct second prisoner swap under Istanbul deal Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Key developments on June 11: Ukrainian drones strike targets in Russia, including gunpowder plant, General Staff says Zelensky urges 'stronger' EU sanctions on Russia, lower oil price cap Ukraine repatriates bodies of 1,212 fallen soldiers Ukraine's SBU releases fresh video of Operation Spiderweb, teases 'new surprises' NATO summit statement omits Ukraine's entry bid, $40 billion pledge, Bloomberg reports Ukrainian drones struck multiple military targets in Russia, including the Tambov Gunpowder Plant, overnight on June 11, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plant, one of Russia's main manufacturers of gunpowder and explosives for small arms, artillery, and rocket systems, caught fire following the drone strike, according to the General Staff. Local residents reported hearing explosions and shared videos showing a large blaze near the facility, according to the Russian independent media outlet Astra. The General Staff described the attack as part of a broader operation to degrade Russia's ability to produce explosive materials and ammunition used in the full-scale war against Ukraine. The Tambov facility has been targeted several times since November 2023, and U.S. sanctions were imposed on it that same year. Tambov Oblast, located southeast of Moscow, lies hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine and shares no direct border with it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russian state news agency TASS confirmed a drone attack but did not mention the strike on the powder plant. Tambov Oblast Governor Maxim Egorov said that emergency services had extinguished the fire and that there were no casualties, though he did not specify the location of the fire. In addition to the strike on Tambov, Ukrainian drones hit the ammunition depot of Russia's 106th Airborne Division in Kursk Oblast and the depot at Buturlinovka airfield in Voronezh Oblast, the General Staff said. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, the General Staff said. "The Defense Forces continue to take all measures to undermine the military and economic potential of the Russian occupiers and force Russia to stop its armed aggression against Ukraine," the statement reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine has ramped up long-range drone strikes in recent weeks, targeting Russian air bases and arms production facilities in an effort to disrupt Moscow's war machine ahead of an anticipated Russian summer offensive. Read also: As Russia inches closer to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, new Ukrainian region might soon be at war Zelensky urges 'stronger' EU sanctions on Russia, lower oil price cap President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 11 called on the European Union to impose tougher sanctions against Russia, arguing that stronger financial pressure is necessary to curb Moscow's war effort. Speaking at the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Odesa, Zelensky said the upcoming 18th EU sanctions package "could be stronger," especially in targeting Russian oil tankers and the financial sector. He urged the EU to further reduce the price cap on Russian oil exports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A ceiling of $45 per barrel of oil is better than $60, that's clear, that's true. But real peace will come with a ceiling of $30," he said. "That's the level that will really change the mindset in Moscow." After the 17th package of sanctions against Russia took effect on May 20, Ukraine's allies announced the following day that another round of restrictions was already in the works. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on June 10 that the EU is considering lowering the oil price cap from $60 to $45 per barrel a measure that will be discussed at the upcoming G7 summit in Canada on June 1517. The Kremlin's budget is increasingly strained by soaring military expenditures, with Russia's Finance Ministry relying heavily on energy revenues to fund the war against Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Join our community Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Support Us The push for tighter sanctions comes as Russia continues to reject ceasefire proposals and presses forward with military operations. Zelensky warned that Odesa remains one of Russia's "main targets," with plans to push beyond it toward the borders with Romania and Moldova. "Russia wants to destroy it, as it has done with countless cities and villages in the occupied territories," he said. "Russian military plans point to this region Odesa and then to the border with Moldova and Romania." Odesa is a major port city in southern Ukraine, located on the northwestern coast of the Black Sea. The president warned of possible destabilization efforts in the broader region, comparing the Kremlin's strategy to its previous interference in the Balkans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We saw this before in the Balkans, where Russia intensified interethnic friction, carried out sabotage, and even attempted coups," Zelensky said. The Odesa summit was attended by several southeastern European leaders, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Romania's newly elected President Nicusor Dan. Vucic's trip marked his first official visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Read also: Ukraine bracing for painful reduction in US military aid after Hegseth announces cuts Ukraine repatriates bodies of 1,212 fallen soldiers Ukraine has brought back the bodies of 1,212 fallen service members, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POW) said on June 11. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The announcement follows Russian-Ukrainian Istanbul talks on June 2, which focused on exchanges of POWs and fallen soldiers. The repatriation was carried out through a coordinated effort involving the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Armed Forces, the Interior Ministry, the Ombudsman's Office, the State Emergency Service, and other national security and defense institutions. The International Committee of the Red Cross also supported the operation. The remains of soldiers were returned from multiple front-line regions, including Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Sumy oblasts. Officials emphasized that investigative and forensic teams from the Interior Ministry and the Health Ministry are working to identify the bodies in the shortest possible time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vladimir Medinsky, aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed Russia transferred the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers in accordance with the agreements in Istanbul, while Ukraine released the remains of 27 Russian service members. The Ukrainian side did not disclose how many Russian bodies were handed over in return. At the Istanbul meeting on June 2, Russian and Ukrainian delegations agreed on a new exchange of POWs but failed to reach a ceasefire agreement. The Turkey-hosted talks were the second round since mid-May and resulted in an agreement to exchange severely wounded and young prisoners, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying up to 1,200 individuals could be returned on each side. Russia also pledged to transfer up to 6,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the Istanbul talks, Ukraine and Russia have already conducted two prisoner exchanges on June 9 and 10. While exact figures were not immediately disclosed, Ukraine confirmed the return of severely wounded and chronically ill prisoners, including those captured during the 2022 siege of Mariupol and held for more than three years. In Istanbul, Ukraine also submitted a peace proposal that called for a full ceasefire, an "all-for-all" POW exchange, the return of abducted children, and the use of frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine. Russia has yet to formally respond. Read also: Ukrainians have been stripped of illusion of control Filmmaker Kateryna Gornostai on Russias war, cinema and reclaiming the narrative Ukraine's SBU releases fresh video of Operation Spiderweb, teases 'new surprises' The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) released on June 11 a new video detailing the sequence of its mass drone strike against Russia's strategic aviation earlier this month. The Operation Spiderweb, carried out on June 1, involved 117 drones that were hidden in trucks across Russia and deployed against four air bases, some thousands of kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The strike deep in the rear damaged 41 aircraft, including Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 bombers, rare A-50 spy planes, and An-12 and Il-78 transport aircraft, causing damage of over $7 billion, the SBU said. Trucks, seen in the footage driving in an undisclosed location, first transported first-person-view (FPV) drones and wooden cabins to Russia, the SBU said. Already on Russian territory, the vehicles were loaded with cabins, which, in turn, carried the drones. 0:00 / 1 The preparations were taking place in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, not far from a Federal Security Service (FSB) office, according to the SBU. The loaded trucks then drove to multiple locations in the cities of Ivanovo, Ryazan, and in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, and Amur oblasts. The cabins opened remotely at the time of the attack, allowing the drones to strike Russian planes at the Belaya, Olenya, Dyagilevo, and Ivanovo air bases. The operation was also meant to strike at the Russian air base in Ukrainka in Amur Oblast, but this part of the attack failed. In the strike, Ukraine deployed drones specially designed by SBU specialists for attacks deep in the rear. Their unique features allowed them to be remotely controlled in real time thousands of kilometers behind the border, an SBU source told the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb. (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent) The drones' design also helped them "bypass Russian defenses and effectively strike the strategic aviation," the source said. SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk, who personally oversaw the operation, stressed that Ukrainian drones targeted "absolutely legitimate targets military airfields and aircraft that attack our peaceful cities." "The SBU is hitting and will hit (Russia) where it considers itself unreachable!" Maliuk said in a statement. "We are working on new surprises, no less painful than the Operation Spiderweb." The attack was lauded by Ukrainian leaders and Western partners, with NATO Admiral Pierre Vandier calling it a reinvention of "the Trojan Horse" method with "technical and industrial creativity." Various satellite imagery released after the attack showed around a dozen destroyed planes. NATO estimates that between 10 and 13 Russian planes were completely destroyed, and more were damaged. In turn, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that roughly half of the 41 targeted planes have been damaged beyond repair. Russia acknowledged damage to its aircraft but claimed all of them will be "restored." Read also: Americas weak strongman NATO summit statement omits Ukraine's entry bid, $40 billion pledge, Bloomberg reports A one-page draft of a joint declaration for the upcoming NATO summit omits Ukraine's membership aspirations and last year's pledge of over $40 billion in support, Bloomberg reported on June 11 after reviewing the draft. This news signals that, for the first time since 2022, Russia's war against Ukraine will not be the chief focus of the annual NATO meeting, which is taking place on June 24-25 in The Hague. The unusually brief document recognizes Russia as a threat to NATO but not as an aggressor in Ukraine. It also does not mention China, Bloomberg reported. The communique of the 2024 summit in Washington named Beijing as a "decisive enabler" of Russia's war against Ukraine. Last year's gathering also included a declaration that Ukraine's path to NATO is "irreversible" and promised more than $40 billion in additional military aid. This year, the document will solely focus on defense spending, as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes NATO partners to hike the military expenditure benchmark from 2% to 5% of GDP. The final version of the statement can still change, Bloomberg reported. The brevity of the communique and the summit itself, as well as the decreased focus on Ukraine, stems from the effort to avoid conflict between Trump and European allies. In a sharp break from former U.S. President Joe Biden, the Trump administration has not approved any new military aid packages to Ukraine and signaled its intent to reduce assistance for Kyiv in the next year's budget. The U.S. president initially vowed to broker a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow but became increasingly less engaged in the process as the negotiations stalled and Russia only intensified its attacks against Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, NATO allies will pledge to allocate at least 3.5% of GDP to defense needs and 1.5% to protecting infrastructure and civil preparedness by 2032. Member states will also consider counting their contributions to Ukraine as part of the new defense spending targets, the news outlet reported. The summit was preceded by rumors that President Volodymyr Zelensky would not be invited to participate for the first time due to U.S. opposition. Later, the speculations were dispelled after the Dutch media reported that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had invited the Ukrainian leader to attend. 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. Ukrainian drones struck multiple military targets in Russia, including the Tambov Gunpowder Plant, overnight on June 11, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported. The plant, one of Russia's main manufacturers of gunpowder and explosives for small arms, artillery, and rocket systems, caught fire following the drone strike, according to the General Staff. Local residents reported hearing explosions and shared videos showing a large blaze near the facility, according to the Russian independent media outlet Astra. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The General Staff described the attack as part of a broader operation to degrade Russia's ability to produce explosive materials and ammunition used in the full-scale war against Ukraine. The Tambov facility has been targeted several times since November 2023, and U.S. sanctions were imposed on it that same year. Tambov Oblast, located southeast of Moscow, lies hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine and shares no direct border with it. Russian state news agency TASS confirmed a drone attack but did not mention the strike on the powder plant. Tambov Oblast Governor Maxim Egorov said that emergency services had extinguished the fire and that there were no casualties, though he did not specify the location of the fire. In addition to the strike on Tambov, Ukrainian drones hit the ammunition depot of Russia's 106th Airborne Division in Kursk Oblast and the depot at Buturlinovka airfield in Voronezh Oblast, the General Staff said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The extent of the damage is still being assessed, the General Staff said. "The Defense Forces continue to take all measures to undermine the military and economic potential of the Russian occupiers and force Russia to stop its armed aggression against Ukraine," the statement reads. Ukraine has ramped up long-range drone strikes in recent weeks, targeting Russian air bases and arms production facilities in an effort to disrupt Moscow's war machine ahead of an anticipated Russian summer offensive. Read also: As Russia inches closer to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, new Ukrainian region might soon be at war Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the White House's response. The Trump administration is preparing to transfer thousands of undocumented foreign nationals, including Ukrainian citizens, to the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, the Washington Post reported on June 10, citing undisclosed U.S. official sources. The infamous prison facility was established by the Bush administration in 2002 to hold suspected terrorists amid the War on Terror. Its operations attracted broad criticism for reports of torture, abuse, and for the facility's position outside of normal legal frameworks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The detainees reportedly include individuals from countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Ukraine. The move is part of a broader plan to free up capacity at overcrowded domestic facilities. U.S. officials told the Washington Post that there were no plans to notify the governments of these citizens before their transfer to the facility. The White House responded to the Washington Post's reporting, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling it "Fake News" on X. Medical screenings for 9,000 individuals are reportedly underway to assess whether they are physically fit for transfer. Internal documents reviewed by the Washington Post suggest the facility is currently underutilized and could accommodate more detainees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Homeland Security Department and the White House declined to comment for the Washington Post on the reporting, which is based on information from multiple anonymous officials and internal documents. A defense official maintained that current operations at the base remain "unchanged" and refused to speculate on "future missions." Some home countries of the targeted detainees have previously expressed willingness to repatriate their nationals, but have been deemed too slow by U.S. immigration authorities. The White House has not confirmed the number of Ukrainians affected, and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has yet to comment. The plan to revive Guantanamo as a holding site for mass immigration enforcement is part of President Donald Trump's broader pledge to ramp up deportations and arrests, with a goal of at least 3,000 arrests daily, according to White House officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Previously, the media reported that the Trump administration planned to revoke the temporary legal status of 240,000 Ukrainian refugees who fled Russia's invasion. According to a March 6 article by Reuters, the administration aims to cancel refugees' immigration status granted under the Biden-era Uniting for Ukraine program, potentially exposing them to deportation. Although the White House denied the claim, internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) documents suggest preparations for fast-tracked removals are underway. Read also: Russias nuclear deterrent against US not significantly affected by Ukraines Operation Spiderweb, official claims Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, film director Kateryna Gornostai found herself questioning whether she would continue working. "I had this feeling that life at least professionally had come to an end," she says. "Who needed directors or screenwriters, then? At most, volunteers were needed, but hardly anyone involved in filmmaking." The urgency of documenting the war soon became clear, but emotionally picking up a camera didn't come easily. The 36-year-old filmmaker struggled with fear and doubt, knowing any shot she filmed could be her last. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It felt scary that you're filming, and these could be your last shots because now a missile will hit here. And that's all that will be left of you." Yet, she did return. In 2023, Gornostai began working on her first film following the start of the full-scale war. Her latest documentary "Timestamp," was screened at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival making her the first Ukrainian director in nearly three decades to compete for the Golden Bear. The last was Kira Muratova's "Three Stories" in 1997. Gornostai attended the Berlinale only briefly, arriving just for the films screening on Feb. 20, days after giving birth to her son. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Timestamp" follows students and teachers across different parts of Ukraine, including cities regularly pounded with Russian missiles and drones, showing what everyday school life looks like in the war-torn country. The film is both intimate and unflinching, offering a glimpse into how kids endure the hardship of growing up under constant bombardment. Gornostai dedicated the film to her younger brother Maksym, killed in action in 2023 while she was still filming. On June 11, the movie premiered in Ukraine. "It should be both fun and sad at the same time," she told the Kyiv Independent days before the screening. "That's what we hope for." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Author Yuri Andrukhovych on Ukrainian dissident art in Soviet times Childhood and war Themes of school and adolescence are in the spotlight of Gornostai's work, with autobiographical and personal elements running through it. Just over a month before Russia launched its all-out invasion, Gornostai's debut feature film "Stop-Zemlia" premiered in Ukraine in January 2022. The movie earned recognition both at home and abroad, winning the Crystal Bear in the Berlinale Generation 14plus section, a category for movies that explore the life of children and teenagers. A screenshot from "Timestamp" documentary, Gornostai's latest film, that was screened at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. (Timestamp) "Timestamp" has the same focus, yet different story, showing a new reality that Ukrainian education is facing remote learning, damaged infrastructure, constant air raids, studying in the subway, and the psychological trauma of kids at war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the most important scenes in the film for Gornostai is the funeral of the school principal in the town of Romny, Sumy Oblast, killed in a Russian drone strike on the local school in August 2023. Its the only moment in the film where Russia is directly accused of aggression against Ukraine, the phrase spoken by a priest. "Because already, so much pain has touched nearly every person. Everyone has experienced some kind of loss from their homes to their loved ones. Many have lost the most precious thing of all: life itself." "This school didn't live to see its hundredth anniversary, which would've been next year. It survived World War II, but it didn't survive this war," Gornostai says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, around 3,500 educational institutions have been damaged, and around 400 completely destroyed, Deputy Education Minister Yevhen Kudriavets said in late February of 2024. Turning point The Euromaidan Revolution was a turning point for Ukraine and for a new generation of filmmakers, including Kateryna Gornostai. She was studying in Moscow at the time of the Maidan protests in 2013 but returned to Kyiv to document the unfolding events. "We all started making documentaries that explored civil society," she says. "It was a moment of growth personal and professional. You're filming real events but also thinking about how they'll come together as a story." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She made two documentaries during that time "Maidan is everywhere" and "Euromaidan. Rough Cut," of which she was a co-author. While many turned their cameras toward the front lines of Russia's war in Ukraine's east that followed, Gornostai chose a different path. "I'm very scared," she admits. "Even on Maidan, I couldn't stand between the Berkut (riot police) and the protesters like some of our colleagues. I stayed in the rear, and I remember thinking there are stories here, too." More than a decade later, she sees that moment as the foundation of a powerful wave of Ukrainian cinema. "(The Euromaidan Revolution became) a separation from that post-Soviet, Eastern European blend because it used to feel like our cinema was perceived as part of Russian cinema prior." Russian propaganda During the interview, Gornostai's tone sharpens when the conversation turns to Russia's cultural influence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For decades, Moscow cast a long shadow over Ukrainian cinema. Even after Ukraine's independence, Russian money and distribution networks kept a grip on the country's film industry. That influence didn't vanish with the invasion it just evolved. Since the start of the war against Ukraine in 2014, Russia's film industry has shifted to propaganda. A portrait of Kateryna Gornostai after the interview in Sens bookstore in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 2, 2025 (Elena Kalinichenko/The Kyiv Independent) Yet, Russian films still screen at major international festivals, and Russian actors who support the war against Ukraine continue to win awards. "Movies are just one small part of a much bigger (Russian) cultural push," Gornostai says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In fact, there is a huge campaign that has lasted for many, many decades, involving enormous financial resources, all aimed at creating an image (abroad). This is something that we (in Ukraine) have not done. And what we are trying to do now is to build some kind of postcolonial lens through which Ukraine should now be seen." Most of the films that have been screened somewhere werent made thanks to the circumstances in Ukraine, but rather in spite of them. Abroad, she says, fascination with Russian culture persists, while the understanding of Ukraine still lags behind. "The fact that there are signs of genocide committed by Russia and that the Holodomor could have already been recognized as a genocide a century back very few people know that abroad. But they do know the great Russian ballet, literature all those things that were deliberately built up, promoted, and became part of a certain stereotype." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Gornostai, for a long time, there was a prevailing belief in Ukraine that the answer to Russian propaganda should be counter-propaganda. But she thinks that Ukraine should be creating high-quality cinema, not propaganda of its own. "We simply need something completely different that will make us stand out and represent ourselves on the international stage. I think quality is very important now in this world," she adds. Gornostai believes that the current crisis in Ukrainian cinema stems more from domestic policy than the war itself. Even before Russias full-scale invasion, government inaction had weakened the industry. Debris from damaged buildings lies in the street and a destroyed billboard with Gornostai's movie "Stop-Zemlia" after shelling near Lukianivska metro station in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 14, 2022. (Oleksii Samsonov / Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images) Following the invasion, funding for the State Film Agency was slashed. In 2025, only Hr 204.1 million ($4.9 million) is allocated, nearly 70% less than in 2024. Most of the films that have been screened somewhere werent made thanks to the circumstances in Ukraine, but rather in spite of them, says Gornostai. They were funded either by private money, individual initiatives, or through international grants, producers, or festival pitching awards that made production possible. Documentary filmmaking can survive in this way. A standout example is 20 Days in Mariupol by director Mstyslav Chernov, which documented the Russian siege of the city in 2022 and won Ukraines first Oscar in 2024 for Best Documentary. This is a huge victory for the truth itself. It preserves and engraves the history of Mariupol and no one will be able to distort it anymore, Gornostai says. Post-war script Gornostai's new feature film, "Antonivka," is expected to be released in 2027. Set in the aftermath of Ukraine's victory in the war, the film explores death. "Even when this war ends, it won't truly be over," says Gornostai. "Because already, so much pain has touched nearly every person. Everyone has experienced some kind of loss from their homes to their loved ones. Many have lost the most precious thing of all: life itself." She believes that once the war ends, there will be a difficult period of collective reckoning a time when people begin to process their grief. Her film, she says, is an attempt to open that conversation. "There's this ephemeral law that time heals. It works very strangely. It doesn't really heal. That's not the whole phrase," Gornostai says. "Time simply passes, and it's as if layers of new experiences start to build up after that very significant moment in your life for example, the death of someone close to you. These layers grow, and it's as if they gradually distance you from that moment." "That's the subject I'm grappling with now and it's a subject many others are facing too," she continues. "How do we grieve that kind of loss? How do we reflect on it? The film deals with many kinds of deaths, but at its core, one of its central elements is the acceptance of your own death the one that awaits you." One of the central figures in the film is an elderly man who lived through famine and war. As Gornostai speaks, she recalls her two grandfathers who passed away. "Ukrainians have now been stripped of the illusion of control," the filmmaker says. "But still, I'd like to have the privilege of dying at a time when I know that my family will remain here, that people speaking the Ukrainian language will remain here, and that there is peace and life on this land. And that I am leaving it behind. Not dying in a moment of total turbulence and uncertainty about what will happen tomorrow as if I'm leaving everyone in the middle of that." "So this is another privilege: a privilege to die in a free country. And this is one of the motivations for making this film." Read also: Wondering where to start with Dostoevsky? Try his Ukrainian contemporaries instead Note from the author: Hello there! This is Kateryna Denisova, the author of this piece. As Russias war against Ukraine grinds on, Ukrainian filmmakers like Kateryna Gornostai are capturing stories that reveal the reality on the ground. I hope many people will watch these films and learn more about Ukrainian cinema and its directors through interviews like this one. Your support helps make this work possible. Please consider contributing to sustain our reporting. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. US President Donald Trump has sent thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of US Marines to Los Angeles as protests take place against the administration's ramped-up immigration enforcement. While the president's allies cheer him on, both the governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles say Trump is overstepping his authority and stoking tensions. Everyday Americans are no less divided over the issue. But do they feel it is the president or the protesters who have gone too far? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's what six voters had to say about the news. [BBC] Eric Kaiser, 46, Independent This Indiana man worries about the precedent Trump is setting by sending the National Guard into Los Angeles. I've seen some different takes on the legality of it, but it feels to me like the federal government is being very, very heavy-handed on this, which is concerning to me since protest is a protected form of expression in this country. I'm concerned that this sets Americans against Americans, and specifically American military against American citizens. The Trump administration is going about [the ICE raids] in an interesting manner... While making unilateral raids like these, they're making a lot of mistakes and those mistakes are costing people their freedoms. [The Trump administration] is not admitting to their mistakes and they're not following due process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have laws in this country for a reason. [BBC] Demesio Guerrero, 70, Republican This Mexico-born Texas resident - a naturalised US citizen - supports the deployment of troops to put down "shameful" protests in California. It's a shame that people who have come to this country to set themselves up are doing this, the riots. I tend to think that many of the rioters are people with criminal histories. Violent protesters. People that want to be here to create a future and have a family in this generous country would not be doing that. Many are even waving Mexican flags. That's so shameful. I respect the president in so many ways. He is a guy who knows how to get things done. He's the law-and-order president. What was he supposed to do? Let them burn trash? Let them destroy Los Angeles? [BBC] Lori Gregory, 62, Democrat This California woman is distraught over what she sees in Los Angeles and an "attack" on immigrants by the Trump administration. When I saw they called on the National Guard, I just started crying because he's weaponising everything he possibly can. There's no free speech, there's no dissent - it's Hitler's playbook all over again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's heartbreaking, really. I just feel for the people he's targeting. It's wrong, it's so un-American. It's so against what this country was founded for. I'm just shocked. I probably shouldn't be, but I just can't believe it's happening. I can't believe the military and the National Guard are supporting this. [BBC] Jim Sullivan, 55, Republican This Indiana man wants the violence to stop, but also worries about what deploying the military in response to protests means for the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This goes far beyond just protest, in my view. This is an attack on our sovereignty and our civil society. We can debate immigration policy, but violence and chaos should not be tolerated. [But Trump is] the one who's going to push the envelope to the legal limit, and if he can get by with more, he will, I think. That's one of my concerns about this whole thing. I'm not 100% on board with it, but at the same time, I think something has to be done. It's not getting taken care of. My trepidation is about precedent...I feel like everything we do, when we set new precedents, it will become new norms and not the exception. [BBC] Devynn De Velasco, 22, Independent This Nebraska woman says she's likely to get involved with protests happening in her town because she's upset with what she sees Trump doing in LA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When watching clips, I saw some mostly peaceful protests. It seems like Trump is just mad that they're happening, rather than trying to prevent them from being violent. More and more, he's become a president who uses his power to enforce his will [rather] than the will of the people. I wonder to what extent is he going to keep doing this. It's extremely valid that people are protesting ICE, because in all honesty there is very little proof of due process for people who have been taken by ICE and wrongfully detained. [BBC] Ross Barrera, 59, Republican A 29-year veteran of the US Army who retired as a colonel, this Texan - from the overwhelmingly Latino Rio Grande City on the border - believes that it is the protests that have gone too far. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When state and local governments fail to support federal law - in this case deportation orders - the military deployment is necessary to protect lives, property and the movement of commerce. The protesters are blocking major highways, disrupting commerce, destroying and burning police cars, and interfering with police orders to disperse in certain areas. Everyone has the right to protest, but you don't have the right to make me or others listen to you. Creating violence so I can have your attention comes with consequences. [BBC] [BBC] Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here. A group of undocumented students on Wednesday asked a judge to let them intervene in a case that revoked their access to in-state tuition, the first step in their ultimate goal of overturning the ruling. The filing comes a week after the U.S. Department of Justice sued Texas over its 24-year-old law that allowed undocumented Texans who had lived in the state for three years and graduated from a Texas high school to qualify for lower tuition rates at public universities. Texas quickly agreed with the Trump administrations claim that the law was unconstitutional and asked a judge to find the law unenforceable. The quick turnaround the whole lawsuit was resolved in less than six hours represents a contrived legal challenge designed to prevent sufficient notice and robust consideration, lawyers for these students argued in their motion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre asking U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor to allow them to join the lawsuit and argue for why the statute should remain in effect. The Justice Department and the Texas attorney generals office oppose the motion on the grounds that the matter has been resolved and the case is terminated, court documents say. OConnor, the George W. Bush appointee who blocked the law, has long been a favored judge for the Texas attorney generals office and conservative litigants. The Justice Department filed its lawsuit in the Wichita Falls division of the Northern District of Texas, where OConnor hears all cases. The people who are most impacted by a lawsuit typically have a right to have their voices heard on a case, said David Coale, a Dallas appellate attorney. Getting OConnor to agree to reopen might be a tough sell, he said, but if theyre denied, they could appeal that ruling and the rest of the case alongside it, to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 5th Circuits obviously a very conservative court, but part of that conservatism is a pretty limited view of the judicial role, Coale said. So if they get a chance to argue their case there they may have some luck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The law, which has been in effect since 2001, grants in-state tuition to anyone who has been living in the state for three years and graduated from a Texas high school. All students who claim this benefit must sign an affidavit saying they intend to become U.S. citizens as soon as they are able; many of them are here as part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The motion lays out the human impact of the laws sudden reversal a man who is reconsidering his plans to go to medical school in Texas; a woman who will have to drop out of her masters program, where she was studying to become a counselor; a teacher-in-training who will have to delay her plans to graduate and begin working. They are represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which said in a press release that the abrupt overturning of the law has left students scrambling. What happened last week the invalidation of longstanding state law in the course of one afternoon was an abuse of our judicial system, said MALDEF President Thomas A. Saenz. Those affected by the attempted invalidation have the right to be heard on the legality of the Texas Dream Act. 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. The Brief Ramon Morales-Reyes remains in jail after falsely being accused of threatening President Donald Trump. An immigration judge ruled that Morales-Reyes does not pose a threat to the community. The judge set bond for him, which could lead to his release this week. MILWAUKEE - A judge has set bond for the undocumented man prosecutors say was framed in a threat against President Donald Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ramon Morales-Reyes is being held in the Dodge County Jail, but could be freed this week. What we know Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have held Morales-Reyes in jail for nearly three weeks. On Tuesday, June 10, an immigration judge ruled Morales-Reyes does not pose a threat to the community. She set bond at $7,500. "He will not get out today. The government reserved appeal, so they have one business day to decide whether to file the appeal or not. If they don't file by tomorrow, then the bond can be paid and he can get out," said Cain Oulahan, attorney for Morales-Reyes. Ramon Morales-Reyes Local perspective For the first time, we're hearing from his daughter, Anna. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Ive always been my dads little girl, who grew up with a hard-working dad that was always making sure his family has food on the table, having a roof over our heads. He loved to take us to the park every weekend and go for walks as family, quality time," Anna Morales said. "He works hard every day as a dishwasher to provide for his family, making sure we are safe, cared for and guided." "if hes taken from us, it wouldnt just be a financial loss, it would be an emotional one that we honestly dont know how to recover," she added. "My dad is a not a threat to anyone. He is a good man who got caught up in a terrible situation. Now that the truth has been proven, I ask from the bottom of my heart he gets the justice he deserves. We need him more than words can explain." FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android The backstory U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem accused him of writing a death threat against the president. Her social media post is still up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, Wisconsin investigators say thats not true. Instead, they have charged Demetric Scott with the alleged hoax. Demetric Scott Scott has been charged with: Felony Identity Theft (Harm reputation) Felony Intimidation of a Witness (By a person charged with a felony) Felony Bail Jumping (2 counts) His preliminary hearing on the charges was set for Tuesday, but it's been pushed back to June 23. Prosecutors say Scott admitted to writing the letter to frame Morales-Reyes, hoping he would be deported, and not able to testify against him. The criminal complaint goes on to state that Scott was arrested for, and charged with, the armed robbery and aggravated battery of Morales-Reyes in Milwaukee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors say Scott stated he believed the letters were the simplest way to "get him off his back "and said he knew including a threat to Trump in the letters would mean that the Secret Service would have to get involved, and law enforcement would investigate. "It was very heartbreaking. It was heartbreaking to see my dadthat he would ever do such a thing," his daughter said. "Everyone who knows my dad knows hes not capable of writing something like that." SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News FOX6 questioned the Department of Homeland Security if Secretary Noem would retract her allegation, which is still online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin did not answer that question, but instead wrote: "While this criminal illegal alien is no longer under investigation for threats against the President, he is in the country illegally with previous arrests for felony hit and run, criminal damage to property, and disorderly conduct with domestic abuse. The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and fulfilling the Presidents mandate to deport illegal aliens. DHS will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of illegal aliens who have no right to be in this country." In immigration court, the judge stated that the arrests happened in 1996, and he was only convicted of a disorderly conduct. What's next His family has set up a GoFundMe to help with his legal bills and to help with the bond to get the man who works as a dishwasher out of the Dodge County Jail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His attorneys are fighting to get him a special visa that the U.S. government gives to crime victims to help them come forward and help police. The Source The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News. A Leon County, Texas, rancher was airlifted to a hospital and another person was taken by ambulance after being attacked by what officials called "an unhappy cow" on Monday morning. In a post on Facebook, Leon County Emergency Management (LCEM) said "AirMed 12 N" picked up an injured rancher who had been "attacked by an unhappy cow." Fox 26 in Houston reported that EMS responded at about 9 a.m. to the area, which is located nearly 90 miles east of Waco, Texas, and nearly half-way between Houston and Dallas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Responding units included LCEM and other emergency medical crews from the area. Man Found Dead In Kangaroo, Wallaby Enclosure Reportedly Had 'History' Of Playing Rough With Animal Officials did not identify the people who were injured by the cow nor did they disclose the severity of their injuries. Read On The Fox News App The reason the cow became unhappy remains unknown. This is not the first time an animal has turned on its caretaker. Texas Constable Deputy Shot In Houston Outside Family Law Center, Suspect Wounded Leon County Emergency Services said a Texas rancher was airlifted after he was allegedly attacked by "an unhappy cow." In April 2022, an Irish man was attacked by a rooster with a history of attacking people, according to reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Irish Examiner in Cork, Ireland, reported that Jasper Kraus was allegedly attacked by a Brahma chicken that was moved to his property in Ballinasloe after it attacked a child. During a judicial inquiry into the matter, Garda Eoine Browne said he responded to reports of a sudden death on April 28, 2022, and when he arrived, he spoke to paramedics who said CPR attempts to revive the victim were unsuccessful. Kraus was in the kitchen and on the ground in a pool of blood when Brown arrived and appeared to be suffering from a single wound on the back of one of his legs. 27 Dead Horses Found In California, Leading To Woman's Arrest A Brahma Rooster in Ireland attacked its owner in 2022, puncturing his calf and killing him. Krauss daughter said during the inquiry that she realized the rooster must have caused her fathers death after she saw blood on its claws. She also revealed the same rooster had previously attacked her daughter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Corey OKeefe, a tenant at Krauss house, was questioned about the incident and said he returned home from work at 8 a.m. that morning, fed the animals and asked Kraus how he was doing before heading off to bed. A little while later, OKeefe reported, Kraus was screaming for help. When OKeefe went out to see what was wrong, he saw blood spurting from a large wound on the back of Krauss calf, along with two other scratches. The victim went in and out of consciousness, OKeefe reportedly said, and at one point said the word "rooster." Kraus was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene. The coroner recorded Krauss death as misadventure, or an accident, describing the incident as a dreadful experience for the family. Original article source: 'Unhappy cow' sends Texas rancher flying to hospital in airlift rescue after unexpected attack Planned job cuts at Cardiff University have led to a "total health and safety crisis" with staff feeling their wellbeing has been inadequately considered, a union says. Cardiff UCU has reported Cardiff University's University Executive Board (UEB) to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following a "comprehensive breakdown of trust and morale" between university bosses and staff. The university initially announced that 400 jobs were at risk and some courses were to be axed in the cost-saving measures, but later reduced this and pledged there would be no compulsory redundancies this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The university said it was working to increase support on offer to staff members. On Monday, the university issued an update which stated 151 staff had voluntarily resigned, meaning 69 full-time equivalent job losses would now be needed for it to meet its target. The union said university management had failed to respond to concerns its members had raised, beyond offering "mainly cosmetic" remedies. In the HSE referral submitted on 5 June, the union described the situation as a "total health and safety crisis". It said some members had reported suffering from mental health concerns, including suicidal thoughts, struggling in their caring duties or worrying about their pregnancy due to anxiety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It said the Academic Futures process, to be considered by the University Council on 17 June, was "an unfolding and comprehensive disaster for staff health, university workload, day to day operations, and academic community". In March, a union questionnaire - which was sent to more than 1,500 members across the university and received 197 responses - highlighted cuts had "negatively affected" the health and wellbeing of staff, it said. Experiences reported by union members included anxiety and depression, not sleeping or eating properly, nausea, panic attacks, weight loss, stomach problems, lack of clear thinking and concentration, exhaustion, increased heart rate and blood pressure, struggling with caring duties, drinking, taking medication, taking sick leave, and feeling suicidal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One respondent wrote: "I considered having an abortion as a result of the panic". One staff member said they had "felt suicidal more than once over the last few weeks", while another described the support on offer from the university as "woeful". The latest update on cuts does not prevent compulsory redundancies beyond 2025, and the UCU has called on the university to go a step further and bring the remaining staff out of the "scope for redundancy" category. It added it wanted to see bosses write an all-staff communication "acknowledging the crisis and taking full responsibility for the consequences of choices made during the cuts process", as well as "addressing staff mental health as a matter of urgency and invest considerably more resources in mental health and wellbeing support". Union members protested against the cuts, but planned industrial action was called off after an agreement was reached with the university [BBC] It said it acknowledged the university's wellbeing team was "overstretched", but added it had not seen any signs this issue would "be addressed in a concrete way". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Given what we have found about the impacts of Academic Futures on staff health, we are very concerned that over 400 people are still in scope for redundancy. "Management's current plan, up for consideration by the University Council next week, allows for them to be left at risk for years to come," the union said. "This is a recipe for disaster that could mean the nightmarish findings of our survey may become the new normal. "Quite frankly, this could be a matter of life and death." Cardiff University said the institution understood the impact the last few months had had on colleagues, adding it faced "significant challenges to our sustainability" which had "necessitated some very difficult decisions". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It said the questionnaire results "make for difficult reading", adding: "Following further meetings with UCU, a draft action plan has been developed at pace, in collaboration with our trade unions. "We are listening and are committed to working in partnership with the trade unions on actions to address specific points, to improve wellbeing for all members of our community and to ensure we continue to provide timely communication." They said the university was "surprised" by the referral but would "provide any information required by the HSE". If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line. UPDATE: According to the Nacogdoches Police Department, the Union Pacific Railroad worker killed on Monday has been identified has 43-year-old Lufkin resident Robert Gardner. NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK) A Union Pacific Railroad worker died on Monday while working near the South Fredonia Street railway crossing in Nacogdoches. POLICE: 1 critically injured after U.S. Highway 69 crash in Tyler The Nacogdoches Police Department said officers responded to reports that a someone had been struck by a train at around 3:28 p.m. on Monday. In a statement obtained by KETK, Union Pacific Railroad said they were saddened by this loss. We are saddened by the loss of a Union Pacific employee in Nacogdoches, Texas. The incident, which occurred around 4 p.m. CDT on June 9, is under investigation. Our sincerest sympathies are with his family, friends and co-workers. Union Pacific Railroad Nacogdoches PD said the investigation into the workers death has been handed over to the Union Pacific Police Department. A Union Pacific representative told KETK the following: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is my understanding a detective from the Nacogdoches Police Department has been assigned the case, a Union Pacific representative 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 KETK.com | FOX51.com. Facilities at the Poker Flat Research Range, including buildings where rockets and payloads are assembled, are seen from a hill on Sept. 19, 2022. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) Alaska, home to the farthest-north spaceport in the United States, could soon add a second Federal Aviation Administration-licensed space launch facility. On Tuesday, the University of Alaskas Geophysical Institute in Fairbanks signed a five-year collaboration agreement with the state-owned Alaska Aerospace Corp. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though the terms of that agreement are highly technical, Gov. Mike Dunleavys draft budget for the corporation indicates that the university plans to seek a FAA spaceport license for the universitys Poker Flat Research Range, which has been flying sounding rockets smaller rockets used for research into the upper atmosphere since March 1969, including some earlier this spring. An FAA license could allow Poker Flat to launch larger rockets, and for commercial purposes, not just scientific ones. Making Poker Flat a licensed vertical orbital spaceport could take up to two years, the budget documents state. It isnt clear how much the licensing process will cost. The new collaboration agreement doesnt specifically list a spaceport license but says that AAC and UAF will collaborate to develop and offer a combination of spaceport industry services that are more efficient and beneficial to the rocket and satellite industry than working independently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AAC and UAF will work to develop common standards and cross-train employees that could work at either the Poker Flat range north of Fairbanks, or the Narrow Cape spaceport in Kodiak. Nine states have FAA-licensed spaceports, and there are 14 nationally. Only Texas, Florida, California and Virginia have two or more. Poker Flat predates the Alaska Aerospace Corp., which launched in 1991 as the state-owned Alaska Aerospace Development Corp. The new corporation initially considered Poker Flat for its headquarters and primary launch site, but in 1994, it picked Kodiak instead. A Black Brant IX sounding rocket, seen on Sept. 18, 2022, is displayed on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus outside the UAF Geophysical Institute. The 50-foot rocket is similar to hundreds of rockets launched by NASA from the Poker Flat Research Range, which is operated by the Geophysical Institute. The rockets are used to study the aurora borealis and near-Earth space. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) Poker Flat has stayed a research facility since then, with regular launches of sounding rockets intended to probe the aurora, without a spaceport license. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As far back as 2020, AAC was working with Poker Flat on a commercial spaceport license application for the Fairbanks-area site. Alaska Aerospace has an annual budget of about $10.5 million, all of which is paid for by federal funds and money the corporation earns. Thanks to the physics of a rotating Earth, locations close to the equator have an advantage when used as a launch point for rockets whose orbits are primarily east-west. Polar locations have an advantage for north-south, polar orbits. The Kodiak Launch complex and Californias Vandenberg Space Force Base are valuable for rockets heading into polar orbits, because each has wide swaths of ocean to the south, and if a rocket launch fails, debris would fall into the ocean, not on inhabited land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vandenberg typically serves large, heavy-lift rockets built by major manufacturers like Boeing and SpaceX, while Kodiak has traditionally flown smaller rockets from commercial companies. It isnt yet clear what market Poker Flat might serve; launches there have typically been restricted by Fairbanks to the south, the Canadian border to the east, and the trans-Alaska pipeline to the west. State budget documents suggest NASA contracts could be available for an upgraded Poker Flat, but since those documents were published, President Donald Trump has suggested significant cuts to NASAs budget. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Jun. 11The University of Maine has helped identify more than 330 deaths that have occurred since 1838 from hazing at college campuses around the country, more than a third of which were reported in the last 25 years. UMaine's Hazing Prevention Research Lab helped develop the interactive, online database along with the University of Washington and journalist Hank Nuwer, who has spent 50 years reviewing publicly available hazing data, according to a news release Wednesday. Histories of those who have died are available online at HazingInfo.org. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the project doesn't have any data on Maine schools, researchers hope they'll acquire that soon. Colleges and universities in the U.S. will have to start reporting hazing incidents to the government later this year following a law President Joe Biden signed in December. Researchers said they hope to eventually expand the project to include high schools and occupational hazing in places like the military. "The mental harm and emotional harm that's caused by hazing is devastating to young people who are simply trying to join an organization and find themselves," said Jolayne Houtz, founder of HazingInfo.org. Houtz's son died after being hazed while pledging Alpha Tau Omega at Washington State University in 2019. "Obviously, the worst-case scenario is death," Houtz said. "But it's also just leaving so much harm in its wake." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Within the past year, at least three Maine high schools have been under investigation and scrutiny for hazing, including Lisbon High School and Mt. Ararat. "It sends a strong message, regardless of where you live, that hazing is happening," said UMaine professor Elizabeth Allan. "It's happening at campuses across the country, many different types of clubs, organizations and teams. The more we can shed a spotlight on that, the more likely it's on the radar of parents, families, college students to know this is something they need to think about and be prepared to prevent or know how to report it if it does happen." Allan said the new data law will also allow her lab to conduct a national hazing study for the first time in 17 years. Copy the Story Link Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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 The fifth day of anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles has already resulted in demonstrators being ordered by police to disperse, dozens of arrests, and a curfew covering a one-square mile where the majority of violence and vandalism has broken out. Just after 2 p.m., the Los Angeles Police Department ruled a protest outside the downtown Federal Building an unlawful assembly and ordered protesters to disperse. Those same protesters eventually spilled out onto the 101 Freeway as California Highway Patrol officers attempted to clear the roadway. Protesters clash with police on the 101 Freeway during a protest against immigration raids on June 09, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images) Hours later, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass held a joint press conference with other city leaders to announce that a local emergency had been declared, and that a curfew would be put in place overnight until 6 a.m. Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The portion of the city under curfew is the triangular area between the 110, 10 and 5 freeways, including Skid Row, Little Tokyo, the Fashion District and Chinatown. A Google Maps image shows the affected area of downtown Los Angeles which was placed under a temporary curfew by Mayor Karen Bass on June 10, 2025. Gov. Gavin Newsom held his own address to the state shortly after the completion of the L.A. news conference, in which he decried the behavior of President Donald Trump, who he accused of fanning the flames of civil unrest by mobilizing troops into the city center without the request or approval of Bass or himself. Newsom has attempted to stop the Trump Administration from unilaterally mobilizing at his whim, an effort that hit a roadblock after a federal judge rejected his emergency motion to stop the deployment. KTLA 5 News will bring continuing coverage of these anti-ICE protests throughout the evening and through the remainder of the week, as needed. 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. (NewsNation) A legal battle continues between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump over the decision to bring in the National Guard. On Tuesday, Newsom asked a federal judge to intervene and limit Trumps deployment of the National Guard troops in Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer denied the request but scheduled a hearing for Thursday in order to give the Trump administration more time to respond to Newsoms filing. To justify sending the troops to Los Angeles, Trump cited Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which allows the president to call into federal service members and units of the National Guard of any state in such numbers as he considers necessary when there is a rebellion, an invasion or the danger of either happening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McIver indicted on 3 federal charges for forcibly impeding officers at New Jersey immigration center Newsom did not request troops in LA, and the states lawsuit says there was neither a rebellion nor an invasion, and that there was no possibility of either happening. Jim Trusty, a former attorney for Trump, told NewsNations Chris Cuomo its unlikely that the state of California wins the lawsuit because Title 10 says even if a states governor says no to the deployment of troops, the U.S. president can still do so. Protecting federal property is the hook here, Trusty said. There were protests that just werent on the streets of LA, but at an ICE headquarters building and a detention facility. Theres your justification. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trusty added that its also unlikely that Trumps they spit, we hit post on Truth Social will have any effect on the case, because of the straightforwardness of the Title 10 issue. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. When President Donald Trump returned from a Bastille Day visit to Paris during his first term, he asked his military brass to organize a parade akin to the one hed watched march down the Champs-Elysees. His defense secretary at the time, James Mattis, said hed rather swallow acid, according to a book written by a former staffer. Trump later received a comparable response from another defense secretary, Mark Esper, when he floated using active duty troops on American soil to quell violent protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire of situations, Esper told reporters in 2020. Times have changed. We will use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order right away, Trump said on Tuesday during a visit to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he defended sending the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles. Were not going to wait for a governor thats never going to call and watch cities burn, he added. Free of advisers who acted as guardrails to his most extreme impulses, and more determined than ever to demonstrate strength, Trump has reshaped how a president uses the US military during his second term in office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This weeks troop deployments in Los Angeles, which come ahead of a major military parade through Washington, DC, on Saturday, illustrate just how much the restraints once placed on Trumps use of US servicemen and women have evaporated. No longer does Trump appear convinced, as he did in 2020, that activating a states National Guard troops against the wishes of governors is against the law. Nor does he seem particularly bothered by the view of some former military leaders, who told him during his first term that major military parades are the purview of dictators, not democratically elected leaders. Some former military officials, along with some current officials speaking privately, have voiced concern about the juxtaposition of tanks parading through Washington potentially at the same moment US troops are deployed on California streets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For me, its a negative split screen moment, retired Adm. James Stavridis, the former NATO supreme allied commander, told CNN This Morning. Youre doing this pretty unusual visual of tanks rolling through our capital, and across the country in Los Angeles, youre putting US Marines the best combat shock troops in the world theyre being deployed against largely peaceful protesters, he said. I think thats a troubling split screen. It will be difficult, appropriately difficult for the American people to digest what theyre looking at. Trump heralded the weekend spectacle in front of a sympathetic crowd on Tuesday. And Saturday is going to be a big day in Washington, DC, and a lot of people say we dont want to do that. We do. We want to show off a little bit, he told service members and their families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event was arranged like a typical political-style rally, albeit comprised of hundreds of uniformed troops, military families and others, some of whom booed in agreement when Trump criticized former President Joe Biden. Upon entering the event site, attendees were greeted with the sight of military tanks and fighter vehicles spread out across the large field as part of a demonstration of the Armys capabilities known as a static display, members of the Army on the ground told CNN. An Avenger Stinger missile vehicle, Sentinel radar and different types of Army tanks were included in the display. When he arrived, Trump watched demonstrations of special operators and paratroopers. In interviews with CNN, several members of the military in the crowd showed appreciation for the presidents visit and dismissed concerns that hes overstepped in ordering the National Guard and US Marines to Los Angeles to respond to the protests in the city without request from the governor an action thats without recent precedent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement George Ahouman, a mechanic specialist in the Armys 91 Bravos group, told CNN of the move: Its always a tough decision to make. We have to do what we have to do regardless, you know. So if the bad guy is acting bad, we gotta, you know, knuckle down and do what were supposed to, thats what we signed up for. Toby Cash, in the same division as Ahouman, said: Its a tough topic to talk about. At the end of the day weve just got to follow orders. Ahouman added, however, that hes grateful Trump came to visit Fort Bragg and will hold a parade to honor the Armys 250th anniversary. I feel like hes kind of showing his love to the troops and to the Army. You know, we usually dont get recognition like that in the past, so I think its pretty good. Will Schmidt and Raymond Cervantes, both members of the Armys 57th Sapper company in the 27th engineer battalion, made similar arguments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Personally, Im in support of it, Schmidt told CNN of Trumps decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles. Its kind of like one of the reasons we have a National Guard, and a lot of it is disaster relief, but its also civil unrest and stuff. Cervantes argued the presidents visit to the Army base which serves as headquarters for US Army Special Operations Command, where Green Berets and the Rangers are based and his plans to host a military parade in Washington, shows he cares. Even for those who dont like him as an individual, hes still showing he appreciates us, Cervantes said. Fort Bragg itself has come to embody some of the ways Trump is working to move the military away from what he views as the liberal excesses of the previous administration. Originally named for Braxton Bragg, a Confederate general, it was renamed to Fort Liberty in 2023 amid a push to strip names of Confederate leaders from military installations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Trumps administration reversed the decision, restoring the Fort Bragg name earlier this year but now citing World War II paratrooper Roland Bragg as the namesake. On Tuesday, Trump announced his administration would be changing back the names of several other bases originally named after Confederates. President Donald Trump watches a demonstration at the Holland Drop Zone on June 10 in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. - Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Trumps visit to Fort Bragg was intended as a kickoff to a week of celebrations marking the US Armys 250th birthday, which will culminate in Saturdays parade in Washington. That event will see a massive amount of military hardware and personnel being paraded through Washington, including 28 Abrams tanks weighing 70 tons each rolling down Constitution Avenue. Local officials have voiced concern about potential damage to the citys streets, which could cost millions of dollars to repair. Military officials have downplayed the cost of the parade, which is also set to include a World War II-era B-25 bomber, 6,700 soldiers, 50 helicopters, 34 horses, two mules and one dog. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But even some Republicans have expressed skepticism about the parade. Well, look, its the presidents call. I wouldnt spend the money if it were me, Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy said when asked about the event. The United States of America is the most powerful country in all of human history. Were a lion. And a lion doesnt have to tell you its a lion. Everybody else in the jungle knows, he said. Unlike his predecessors during Trumps first term, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has demonstrated only enthusiasm for Trumps parade plans. Nor has Hegseth voiced any misgivings over Trumps decision to deploy National Guard troops and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles over the objections of Californias Democratic leaders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has long mused about using military force to clamp down on protests or riots in the United States, including during his first term as violence broke out following the killing of George Floyd in 2020. His aides drafted a proclamation that would send thousands of active duty troops using the Insurrection Act, but top advisers at the time including Esper, Attorney General Bill Barr and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mark Milley encouraged him against taking that step. Trump appeared in 2020 to have been persuaded that activating the National Guard without a governors request would be illegal. Look, we have laws. We have to go by the laws, Trump said during an ABC town hall at the time. We cant move in the National Guard. I can call insurrection, but theres no reason to ever do that. We cant call in the National Guard unless were requested by a governor, Trump went on to explain. Trump later came to regret following that advice. You have to remember, Ive been here before, and I went right by every rule, he said Tuesday before departing the White House for Fort Bragg. And I waited for governors to say, send in the National Guard. They wouldnt do it. They wouldnt do and they just wouldnt do it. It kept going on and on. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com KAYSVILLE, Utah (ABC4) A Kaysville Police officer has passed away. He was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer in September 2024. In a post from the Kaysville Police Department on Tuesday, they shared the news that Sergeant Jared Jensen had passed away. It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Sergeant Jared Jensen. Sgt. Jensen served our department and community with unwavering dedication, integrity, and honor. His contributions and character left a lasting impact on all who had the privilege of working alongside him, the police department shared. Sgt. Jensen has been recognized or awarded seven times during his time as a police officer. He also survived a near-deadly shooting when an assailant fired eight rounds into his police car, according to the U.S. Marshals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Community cornerstone and owner of Grove Market and Deli passes away Starting in 2012, Sgt. Jensen worked with the Clinton City Police Department, the Sunset Police Department, a police academy instructor, and finally with the Kaysville Police Department and U.S. Marshals. Sgt. Jensen earned a bachelors degree from Weber State University in criminal justice and is originally from Davis County. He is survived by his wife, Camille Jensen, and their two young children. Sgt. Jensen was assigned as a member of the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (VFAST). In September, his VFAST team visited him at a surgery rehabilitation center to offer their support. Photo from ABC4s coverage of the VFAST visit on September 5, 2024 (KTVX). Theyre some of the best guys to work with. And, seeing them here to support me, I really feel it, feel their support, feel their love, Sgt. Jensen told ABC4 during the visit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Remarkable Utah woman leads charge to find cure for cancer According to a press release from VFAST, Sgt. Jensen was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer, Glioblastoma, in September 2024. He visited the doctor in August after experiencing frequent headaches, and an MRI revealed a mass in his brain. Multiple tumors and lesions were located, and he was taken in for surgery at the end of August. We extend our deepest condolences to Sgt. Jensens family, friends, and fellow officers Rest in peace, Sergeant. We will carry your memory with us always, the Kaysville Police Department said in their post. A GoFundMe set up for Sgt. Jensens medical journey is still accepting donations that support the family and help pay medical bills. 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. PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) A news conference is being held in Pittsfield regarding an upskirting case involving more than a dozen victims in Williamstown, and the importance of proposed legislation to expand the law. In a news release sent to 22News from the Berkshire District Attorneys Office, Maxwell Hall, a student at Williams College, was indicted on 16 charges of Electronic Recording or Surveillance of Nude or Partially Nude Persons. Hall allegedly had a small recording device that looked like a USB charging block and over approximately 6 hours, captured images of 16 victims in Williamstown. Student charged in Williams College restroom surveillance case; Six victims still unidentified Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DAs office held a news conference on Thursday morning to highlight this case and the importance of proposed legislation regarding the increasing accessibility of surveillance equipment to the public. District Attorney Shugrue stated, The despicable nature of this crime, however, is only a misdemeanor in Massachusetts when its victims are adults. If the criminal targets children, the crime is a felony; however, the minimum sentence does not match the seriousness of the crime. The Commonwealths laws are not protecting victims of this crime to the extent they should be. Right now, if youre 18 or older, the person who violates your privacy in this way may only face a misdemeanor charge a misdemeanor for using a camera or a hidden device to record your most vulnerable moments. In some cases, the sentence might be nothing more than a fine. To put this penalty into perspective, a person caught receiving or sharing explicit images of someone else faces felony charges receiving much harsher penalties than the person who actually took those images without consent in the first place. That doesnt make senseand it certainly doesnt deliver justice. Meanwhile, access to surveillance devicestiny cameras, microphones, and other surveillance toolsis easier and cheaper than ever before. Technology is advancing quickly. As more perpetrators gain access to this technology, we expect that the crimes will only continue to grow in nature. Victims of these acts are left traumatized, humiliated, and often without any meaningful protection or recourse. I am calling for immediate and common-sense updates to our legislation. The anti-upskirting bill in Massachusetts was passed into law in 2014, which makes the act of taking pictures or videos of a person underneath their clothes without their knowledge illegal. It carries a maximum penalty of over two years in jail and a $5,000 fine. If the victim is under the age of 18, the penalties are increased. District Attorney Shugrue working with Representative Leigh Davis of the 3rd Berkshire to propose legislation to introduce harsher penalties for such acts such as the following: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Creating a felony for capturing images of adults Extending sentencing for perpetrators who are taking images of minors Creating sentencing for subsequent offense Shugrue is scheduled to testify in front of the House of Representatives in support of two of Representative Daviss bills: the first criminalizing An Act relative to sexual assaults by adults in positions of authority or trust for which the District Attorney advocated for earlier this year and the second being legislation on involving Electronic Recording or Surveillance of Nude or Partially Nude Persons. 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. The US Army said Tuesday it will restore the names of seven Army bases that previously honored Confederate leaders. We are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Robert E. Lee, President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday at Fort Bragg, which was briefly known as Fort Liberty until the administration changed it back earlier this year. We won a lot of battles out of those forts. Its no time to change. The Army plans to give the bases new namesakes honoring heroic Soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu, according to a news release, as it rolls back the Biden-era name changes. Reverting the base names to the original Confederate namesakes would require congressional approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a National Guard veteran and former longtime Fox News host, moved quickly to roll back name changes at other Army bases, such as Fort Bragg and Fort Benning. Hegseth also ordered the secretary of the Navy to rename the oiler ship USNS Harvey Milk, which had honored the gay rights activist and Navy veteran who was made to resign from the force because of his sexual orientation. Removing Confederate monikers from US military bases became a contentious political issue in the final months of Trumps first term. While Trump vetoed the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act that included a naming commission to study and recommend new titles for bases named after Confederate leaders, Congress voted to override his veto with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Department of Defense began implementing the naming commissions recommendations in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are the names that are being brought back. Fort Pickett According to the Armys Tuesday announcement, Fort Barfoot, a Virginia base previously named after Confederate General George Pickett, will be named in honor of 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, a soldier who received the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism during World War II. While pinned down by enemy machine gun fire, Pickett crawled forward and destroyed two enemy positions with grenades, the Army said. He escaped from a transport train after being captured, rejoined his unit and was later killed in action. Fort Hood Fort Cavazos in Texas will be renamed Fort Hood in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Col. Robert B. Hood, who fought in World War I. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, it was named after Gen. Richard Cavazos, who served in both the Korean War and Vietnam War. He was the first Hispanic four-star general in US history. Fort Gordon Georgias Fort Eisenhower will revert back to Fort Gordon, this time honoring Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, who during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia, defended wounded crew members at a helicopter crash site. The base, which was previously named after Confederate General John Gordon, was renamed Fort Eisenhower after General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower, who went on to serve as the nations 34th president. Fort Lee A Virginia fort once named for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee will carry the namesake of Pvt. Fitz Lee, who received the Medal of Honor for his service during the Spanish-American War. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fort was renamed Fort Gregg-Adams after Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col Charity Adams in 2023. Gregg helped desegregate the Army, including at Fort Lee, while Adams, in 1944, was selected to command the first unit of African-American women to serve overseas, according to the congressional naming commission. Her service was chronicled in the 2024 film The Six Triple Eight. Fort Polk Gen. James H. Polk, a Silver Star recipient and commanding officer of the 3rd Cavalry Group in operations across Europe during World War II, will become the new namesake for Louisianas Fort Johnson, according to the release. The fort had been renamed in honor of Sgt. William Henry Johnson, a Black soldier who was considered one of the first heroes of World War I after he fought off about two dozen Germans alone, killing at least four. Fort Rucker Fort Novosel will be redesignated as Fort Rucker, in honor of Capt. Edward W. Rucker, a Distinguished Service Cross recipient and aviator that flew behind enemy lines in World War I in a daring aerial battle over France, disrupting enemy movements and completing their mission against overwhelming odds, according to the release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was previously renamed after Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel Sr., who served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, where he flew 2,543 medical evacuation missions. Fort A.P. Hill The Army will bring back the Fort A.P. Hill name to Fort Walker, this time honoring Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn and Pvt. Bruce Anderson, three soldiers who fought for the Union during the Civil War. The Virginia fort previously was named in honor of Lt. Gen. Ambrose Powell (A.P.) Hill, a Confederate commander. It was renamed Fort Walker in 2023, after Dr. Mary Walker, the Armys first female surgeon who was ultimately awarded the Medal of Honor for her service during the Civil War. CNNs Samantha Waldenberg, Oren Liebermann, Devan Cole, Barbara Starr and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com By Julie Steenhuysen (Reuters) -The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reinstating some 450 employees laid off under the Trump administration's massive reduction of the federal workforce, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday. The employees had worked for the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention, the National Center for Environmental Health, the Immediate Office of the Director and the Global Health Center (GHC), according to Fox News. A spokesperson for the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department, which oversees the CDC, confirmed the report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their work includes oversight of lead poisoning prevention, toxic chemical spills, air quality as well as global disease surveillance, according to the CDC's website. Many of the employees were part of the mass layoffs of 10,000 staffers at U.S. health agencies announced in April by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk to shrink the federal government and slash spending. Some 2,400 CDC jobs were slated for cuts under the plan. Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr later said that some of those roles would be reinstated after an outcry over the potential for increased risks to public health. In an email from Thomas Nagy of HHS seen by Reuters, employees were told that their reduction in force or RIF notices had been revoked and that they should contact their immediate supervisor with questions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the reinstated employees were from the CDC's Lead Poisoning Prevention and Surveillance Branch, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. That program had been scheduled to be included in a new HHS division called the Administration for a Healthy America, or AHA. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; editing by Michele Gershberg and Diane Craft) Talks aimed at cooling tensions between the US and China have ended in a "deal", according to US President Donald Trump. He said China had agreed to supply US companies with magnets and rare earth metals, while the US would walk back its threats to revoke visas of Chinese students. "Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval from President Xi and me," Trump wrote on his media platform Truth Social. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It followed two days of intense talks in London to resolve conflicts that had emerged since the two sides agreed a truce in May, after a rapid escalation of tariffs had nearly paralysed trade between the world's two largest economies. But the limited nature of the announcement underscored questions the White House is facing about whether its tariff strategy can quickly yield solid trade deals. Speaking on Thursday, President Trump said he will set unilateral tariff rates with trading partners in the next one or two weeks. The US president said he would send out letters specifying the terms of the new deals ahead of a 9 July deadline to reimpose higher tariffs on countries around the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Separately, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expected the US would extend the existing pause on some of its most aggressive tariffs to allow trade talks with other countries to continue. Details about the new agreement with China were limited. Trump and China's leader Xi Jinping spoke over the phone last week to kickstart the negotiations, which involved top officials from both countries. Officials said it would not alter the broad outlines of the May truce, which lowered - but did not eliminate - new tariffs announced by the two countries since Trump launched a new trade war earlier this year. "The two sides have, in principle, reached a framework for implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state during the phone call on 5 June and the consensus reached at the Geneva meeting," China's Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters the two sides had "reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus". "Once the presidents approve it, we will then seek to implement it," he added. Speaking to broadcaster CNBC on Wednesday, he said the talks had "cleaned up" the Geneva agreement. "We're totally on the right track," he said. "Things feel really good." Top officials from the US and China have been meeting in London [Getty Images] White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was currently reviewing the details of the deal. "But what the president heard, he liked," she added. The negotiations in London were triggered in part by US concerns that China was being too slow to release exports of its magnets and rare earth minerals, which are essential for manufacturing everything from smartphones to electric vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beijing in turn has criticised controls the US has put in place to limit the country's access to semiconductors and other related technologies linked to artificial intelligence (AI) and the Trump administration's plans to limit visas for Chinese students. Speaking to CNBC, Lutnick said the US had agreed to remove some "counter-measures" without being specific about the response. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was testifying before Congress on Wednesday, said the recent talks had been narrowly focused and a more comprehensive deal would take time. "It will be a much longer process," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the same hearing, he acknowledged that trade talks with other countries might extend beyond the administration's self-declared 90-day deadline. "It is highly likely that for those countries that are negotiating - or trading blocs, in the case of the EU - who are negotiating in good faith, we will roll the date forward to continue the good-faith negotiation. If someone is not negotiating, then we will not," he said. [BBC] When Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imports from a number of countries earlier this year, China was the hardest hit. China responded with its own higher rates on US imports, triggering further tit-for-tat increases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May, talks held in Switzerland led to a temporary truce that Trump called a "total reset". It brought Trump's new US tariffs on Chinese products down from 145% to 30%, while Beijing slashed levies on US imports to 10% and promised to lift barriers on critical mineral exports. It gave both sides a 90-day deadline to try to reach a trade deal. But the US and China subsequently claimed breaches on non-tariff pledges. In his social media post, Trump said the US would have tariffs on Chinese goods of 55%, but officials said the figure included tariffs put in place during his first term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Markets showed little response to the deal, which Terry Haines, founder of the Washington-based consultancy Pangaea Policy, described as having both "very limited scope and unfinished status". "Setting the Geneva 'pause' back on track is the smallest of accomplishments, and doesn't suggest that a broad US-China trade deal or geopolitical rapprochement is any closer in the foreseeable future," he wrote. [BBC] Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here. By Mike Stone WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The House Appropriations Committee's Defense subcommittee released its draft bill for fiscal-year 2026 late on Tuesday, which aims to buy one additional F-35 jet versus the Pentagon's 2025 budget request and make investments in naval vessels, and missile defenses. The powerful committee's draft of its version of the 2026 purchasing bill was released ahead of any formal input from the Trump administration's Pentagon - which has been delayed. The language in the bill shows the Republican-controlled Congress' continued focus on modernizing the U.S. armed forces but sets up a tug of war with the Pentagon over what could be conflicting priorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill, which still needs input from the full House and Senate, directs the Pentagon to buy 69 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters for $8.5 billion, 15 Boeing KC-46 aerial refueling tankers for $2.7 billion, and three F-15EX aircraft for $345 million as well as $3.8 billion in funding for Northrop Grumman's B-21 stealth bomber program. The Pentagon's 2026 budget request, which has not been released, requests 47 F-35s, according to media reports. The Navy's non-fighter aviation procurement includes four E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft for $1.2 billion and 19 CH-53K heavy transport helicopters for $2 billion. The bill also emphasizes missile defense, with approximately $13 billion to Missile Defense Agency and the Space Force program's support of the "Golden Dome" initiative. This money would be above the approximately $25 billion that Congress has earmarked for Golden Dome in its reconciliation bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The committee's draft bill would also give military personnel a 3.8% increase in basic pay, effective January 1, 2026. The bill directs the Pentagon to procure 28 naval vessels, including two Virginia-class submarines made by General Dynamics at $6.2 billion. The Columbia-class submarine program would receive $5.3 billion. Both programs have additional funding for advance procurement underscoring the strategic importance of the United States' underwater fleet. Surface fleet additions would include two DDG-51 destroyers, refueling ships, towing and rescue ships and surveillance vessels. (Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis) US Democratic Congresswoman LaMonica McIver has been indicted for "forcibly impeding and interfering" with federal law enforcement over a recent confrontation outside an immigration centre. A scuffle occurred during her visit to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) centre in Newark, New Jersey, on 9 May. The incident drew widespread attention, as it unfolded at a time when the Republican administration of US President Donald Trump has faced sharp criticism from opposing Democrats over its hard-line approach to immigration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ms McIver, who faces a maximum term of 17 years in prison, has called the charges a "brazen attempt at political intimidation" and says she will plead not guilty. A federal grand jury in New Jersey brought the three-count indictment against Ms McIver on Tuesday. It replaces the two assault charges that she previously faced. Interim Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba - who was previously Trump's personal lawyer - wrote on X: "While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve." During their oversight visit last month, Ms McIver was joined by other members of Congress, Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez, as well as Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were visiting Delaney Hall: a 1,000-bed private facility that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has touted as the first reopened immigration centre under the new Trump administration. Video footage showed jostling between police, ICE agents, journalists, protesters and the politicians. Videos showed increasingly heated discussion and a chaotic scene including police, Ice agents, journalists, the politicians and protesters. The Congress members were eventually granted access and given a tour of the building. Federal law prohibits immigration officials from blocking access to detention facilities for members of Congress seeking to conduct oversight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the indictment, Ms McIver allegedly prevented a DHS agent from twice arresting Baraka. A trespass case against Baraka was later dropped. The indictment also alleges that Ms McIver pushed past an ICE officer "while using her forearms to strike" him. Ms McIver has labelled the legal proceedings "an effort by Trump's administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused". "The facts will prove I was simply doing my job", she added. "We are eager to challenge these allegations head-on in court and fully expect the Congresswoman's exoneration," her lawyer Paul Fishman said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congresswoman Watson Coleman previously condemned the original complaint against Ms McIver as "an assault on civil liberties", saying "these allegations are simply incorrect and inconsistent with the facts". Habba said "today's decision by the grand jury is the next step in a process that my office will pursue to a just end". U.S. missions in Baghdad and Erbil are evacuating most diplomats in response to unspecified security threats, according to one former and two current U.S. officials. The reason for the move, known as an ordered departure, was not immediately clear but comes after Irans defense minister threatened to strike American bases in the region if negotiations over Irans nuclear program fail. The order applies to all nonessential personnel in Iraq. "President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad. In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies. Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our mission in Iraq, the State Department said in an emailed statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also authorized the voluntary departure of U.S. military dependents across the Middle East, according to a defense official. The individual, and the two other U.S. officials, were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about developing policy. The former official was granted anonymity to speak freely about sensitive information. President Donald Trumps special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this weekend for a sixth round of nuclear talks. Trump has repeatedly said he prefers diplomacy to military action, but said in an interview released Wednesday that he is less confident in a nuclear deal. I dont know, Trump told the Pod Force One podcast when asked about whether Iran would agree to a deal to cease its nuclear program. I dont know. I did think so, and Im getting more and more less confident about it. Israel has also pressed Trump to greenlight a strike on Irans nuclear facilities, which he has so far held off in a bid to let the negotiations bear fruit. Trump has said he wants a deal that will not allow Iran the ability to enrich uranium domestically, while Iran has said it will not agree to anything that would prevent it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reuters previously reported on the evacuation order for diplomats in Iraq. The defense official said military service members will remain at bases but authorized eligible family members will be able to leave at government expense. The official said it was a precautionary measure because of heightened threats in the region. There are about 2,500 U.S. troops remaining in Iraq, many of them at the sprawling Al-Assad air base, which has in the past come under rocket attacks from Iranian-backed militias operating in Iraq. In a ballistic missile attack on the base last August, five U.S. service members and two civilian contractors were injured. Iran has targeted the base for years, injuring dozens of American troops in the process. Earlier this month, Witkoff sent Iran a proposal calling for a regional enrichment consortium aimed as a compromise between the U.S. and Irans demands over Tehrans enrichment. Tehran has not formally responded to it. Trump is being fiercely lobbied by both hawks and isolationists in his party about how to deal with Iran. The hawks want to see the U.S. confront Irans program more aggressively by backing or participating in a strike on Tehrans nuclear facilities while the restrainer camp thinks doing so risks the kind of war in the Middle East that the president campaigned against. By Daphne Psaledakis, Idrees Ali, Ahmed Rasheed and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because "it could be a dangerous place," adding that the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that the U.S. is preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region, according to U.S. and Iraqi sources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The four U.S. and two Iraqi sources did not say what security risks had prompted the decision and reports of the potential evacuation pushed up oil prices by more than 4%. A U.S. official said the State Department had authorized voluntary departures from Bahrain and Kuwait. The State Department updated its worldwide travel advisory on Wednesday evening to reflect the latest U.S. posture. On June 11, the Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel due to heightened regional tensions, the advisory said. The decision by the U.S. to evacuate some personnel comes at a volatile moment in the region. Trump's efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran appear to be deadlocked and U.S. intelligence indicates that Israel has been making preparations for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters. "We've given notice to move out." Asked whether anything can be done to lower the temperature in the region, Trump said: "They can't have a nuclear weapon. Very simple, they can't have a nuclear weapon." Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if stuttering talks over its nuclear programme fail and in an interview released earlier on Wednesday said he was growing less confident that Tehran would agree to stop enriching uranium, a key American demand. Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh also said on Wednesday that if Iran was subjected to strikes it would retaliate by hitting U.S. bases in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. embassy in Kuwait said in a statement on Wednesday that it had "not changed its staffing posture and remains fully operational." MILITARY PRESENCE The United States has a military presence across the major oil-producing region, with bases in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the Middle East, a U.S. official said. Another U.S. official said that was mostly relevant to family members located in Bahrain - where the bulk of them are based. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The State Department is set to have an ordered departure for (the) U.S. embassy in Baghdad. The intent is to do it through commercial means, but the U.S. military is standing by if help is requested," a third U.S. official said. Iraq's state news agency cited a government source as saying Baghdad had not recorded any security indication that called for an evacuation. Another U.S. official said that there was no change in operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East and that no evacuation order had been issued for employees or families linked to the U.S. embassy in Qatar, which was operating as usual. TENSIONS Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oil futures climbed $3 on reports of the Baghdad evacuation with Brent crude futures at $69.18 a barrel. Earlier on Wednesday Britain's maritime agency warned that increased tensions in the Middle East may lead to an escalation in military activity that could impact shipping in critical waterways. It advised vessels to use caution while travelling through the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Straits of Hormuz, which all border Iran. Britain's Foreign Office said it was monitoring the situation and would keep its embassy in Iraq under constant review following the U.S. moves. Iraq, a rare regional partner of both the United States and its arch regional foe Iran, hosts 2,500 U.S. troops although Tehran-backed armed factions are linked to its security forces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tensions inside Iraq have heightened since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, with Iran-aligned armed groups in the country repeatedly attacking U.S. troops, though attacks have subsided since last year. Israel and Iran also twice exchanged fire last year - the first ever such direct attacks between the region's most entrenched enemies - with missiles and war drones hurtling across Iraqi airspace. Top U.S. regional ally Israel has also struck Iran-linked targets across the region, including Iraqi armed groups operating both inside Iraq and in neighbouring Syria. In recent months the United States has deployed more military assets in the Middle East, including B-2 bombers, which have since been replaced, and extending the deployment of a second aircraft carrier, which has since departed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States is due in the coming days with Iran expected to hand over a counter proposal after rejecting an offer by Washington. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that a military threat had always been part of the United States negotiation tactics with Iran. Any military action against Iran, whether by the U.S. or Israel, will have serious consequences, the official warned. Iran's U.N. mission on Wednesday posted on X: "Threats of 'overwhelming force' won't change facts: Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon and U.S. militarism only fuels instability." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement appeared to be a response to an earlier comment by U.S. Army General Michael "Erik" Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command, that he had provided the president with "a wide range of options" to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. Kurilla postponed testimony he was due to deliver before U.S. lawmakers on Thursday because of tensions in the Middle East, two other U.S. officials said. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Idrees Ali, Humeyra Pamuk and Steve Holland and Jeff Mason in Washington, Michelle Nichols in New York, Ahmed Rasheed and Timour Azhari in Baghdad and Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; Additional reporting by Sam Tabahriti in London; Writing by Jaidaa Taha, Yomna Ehab and Angus McDowall; Editing by Deepa Babington and Stephen Coates) Scalding heat has caused one popular fruit to fail, and more could follow. What's happening? The Fresno Bee reported that California's Fresno and Tulare counties saw triple-digit temperatures last summer, and this summer, local cherry farmers could pay the price. Farmers across the valley are reporting lower-than-usual harvests for cherries, and the sweltering heat appears to be to blame. Extreme weather both hot and cold can stress a tree and impact its ability to produce fruit. Stressed trees will prioritize survival and conserve resources by producing leaves rather than fruit-growing buds, Raymond Mireles, a University of California fruit and almond advisor for Fresno and Tulare counties, explained in the report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This has never happened to us," farmer Joe Del Bosque told The Fresno Bee. "The last few years we have had tremendous crops, and this year almost nothing." Some farmers were lucky enough to harvest cherries albeit a smaller amount than normal while others were left with nothing. Why is crop failure concerning? Fresno farmers aren't the first to lose their crops, and if the planet continues to heat up, they won't be the last. Rising global temperatures are supercharging extreme weather events, making them become more severe and frequent. A long drought has cost corn farmers in North Carolina hundreds of millions of dollars in crops, and heat waves in India are drastically raising the prices of staple vegetables. Meanwhile, a sudden cold snap has wiped out fruit across Ukraine, and heavy rainfall in Spain is making pollination near impossible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the World Resources Institute, "without adaptation, global crop yields will likely decline by at least 5% by 2050, with steeper declines by 2100." While 5% may seem insignificant, that's millions of mouths that will go hungry. What's being done to prevent this? As farmers across the globe experience extreme weather, researchers are studying how a changing climate affects agriculture. Certain plants may be impossible to grow under the land's conditions, and farmers may need to switch to different crops to make up for the loss. This could result in seeing much less of your favorite fruit or vegetable in the store. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sustainable agriculture is more than just adapting to the effects of climate change it involves reducing food waste, improving water management, and reducing air and soil pollution. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Laser-guided rockets were responsible for 40% of recent Houthi drone kills, a top US commander said. Gen. Michael Kurilla told lawmakers Tuesday that F-16 and F-15 fighter jets fired the APKWS rockets. Military leaders have stressed the importance of making air defense cheaper compared to the threat. US fighter jets used laser-guided rockets to destroy nearly half the drones that were shot down during the most recent big operation against the Iran-backed Houthis, a top commander told lawmakers on Tuesday. Gen. Michael Kurilla, who oversees Middle East operations at US Central Command, said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing that Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System rockets fired by American F-16s or F-15s were responsible for about 40% of Houthi drone kills during Operation Rough Rider, the military's seven-week bombing campaign against the rebels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kurilla was responding to questions about the implications of using expensive aircraft and munitions to fight non-state actors like the Houthis and whether the proliferation of hostile drones had led to more interest in cheaper defenses. "We absolutely need to be putting more work into directed energy high-powered microwave," Kurilla said. He described the heavy use of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System as one of the "innovations" to emerge from Operation Rough Rider. "That's a $25,000 munition going against a roughly $50,000 or $100,000 drone that is, an Iranian-provided drone to the Houthis," he added. The AGR-Falco Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, or APKWS, is an unguided Hydra 70 2.75-inch rocket fitted with laser guidance kits that turn it into a precision weapon. Made by British aerospace company BAE Systems, the slim munition can fly with a 10-pound warhead at speeds of 1,000 meters per second. APKWS rockets are significantly cheaper than air-to-air missiles. US Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ashley McLaughlin/Released One APKWS rocket is a fraction of the cost of an air-to-air missile that could otherwise be used to take down a drone. US officials have said an AIM-9, for instance, costs around $500,000; the newer AIM-120 is around $1 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Military leaders like Kurilla have stressed the importance of bringing the cost of air defense to parity with the price tag of the threat, though this is not always possible. US warships operating in and around the Red Sea have been forced to fire expensive surface-to-air missiles to intercept incoming Houthi missiles and drones. SM-2 interceptors, which are on the lower end of the Navy's missile defense capabilities, can still cost upward of $2 million. Others are much more expensive, and the Red Sea fight has seen a high tempo of operations, raising concerns about future stockpiles. Kurilla said during written testimony that US air and naval forces in the Middle East have destroyed "hundreds" of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis into international shipping lanes and at Israel since October 2023. The Trump administration reached a cease-fire with the Houthis in early May, ending Operation Rough Rider. During the campaign, the US military bombed over 1,000 targets in Yemen. However, the rebels continue to fire missiles at Israel, which has retaliated with several rounds of airstrikes. Read the original article on Business Insider By Ahmed Aboulenein, Julie Steenhuysen and Michael Erman WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. named eight members to serve on a key panel of vaccine advisers on Wednesday, including several who have advocated against vaccines, after abruptly firing all 17 members of the independent committee of experts. They will sit on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, which advises the agency on who should get the shots after they are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group of eight - the minimum number allowed by the ACIP founding charter - includes four who have previously worked on committees associated with either the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, or both. Others have published papers, posted on social media, or written online biographies with anti-vaccine views, including against the mRNA vaccine technology used in some of the newest immunizations such as the COVID-19 vaccine. Among them is Robert Malone, one of the most prominent voices opposing mRNA vaccines. He is aligned with Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again movement. The group also includes Joseph Hibbeln, Martin Kulldorff, Retsef Levi, Cody Meissner, James Pagano, Vicky Pebsworth and Michael Ross. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kennedy, who has long questioned the safety of vaccines contrary to scientific evidence, alleged that the prior panel members, many of whom were appointed by President Joe Biden, had conflicts of interest, without providing evidence of specific members' conflicts. He said the move was necessary "to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science." Committee members said their ACIP work follows rigorous vetting of their financial ties and that they must abstain from votes on any vaccine for which they have a conflict. Kennedy said on X that the panel would attend the committee's June 25 meeting. Advisers had been expected to deliberate and vote on who should receive a number of vaccines, including the flu shot and 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine boosters, and the meeting had been slated for June 25-27. No agenda has been published yet. Shares of vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer, which both produced mRNA COVID vaccines, fell marginally while those of Novavax, which did not utilize mRNA in its vaccine, rose marginally in after-hours trading. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NEW MEMBERS It is unclear how new members of the panel have been vetted for conflicts of interest, or when the vetting process began. Meissner and Pebsworth have served on the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, and Meissner also previously served on ACIP. Pebsworth is now associated with the National Vaccine Information Center, a group that advocates for vaccine exemptions and educates about vaccine injury. Kulldorff is an architect of the Great Barrington Declaration, which called for a lighter public health response to COVID-19 in October 2020, and previously served on an ACIP vaccine safety subgroup. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Levi has in the past said mRNA vaccines can cause serious harm and death, especially among children, and called for their immediate withdrawal. Ross, a professor at George Washington University, is an operating partner of Havencrest Capital Management, a firm focused on healthcare investments, according to its website. The FDA has found that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are generally safe and effective, but Commissioner Marty Makary has questioned the benefit of repeated annual shots for healthy, younger Americans. (Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein in Washington, Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago, and Michael Erman in New York; additional reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Lisa Shumaker) (Reuters) -U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson will travel to Israel to address the parliament on June 22, he said on Wednesday. "Our ties run deeper than military partnerships and trade agreements," Johnson said in an emailed statement. Punchbowl News, which first reported Johnson's plan, said the House Speaker was expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem during the trip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson did not provide further details on the planned trip. Johnson announced the visit as Israel presses on with its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, more than 20 months after it launched its offensive there in response to a deadly incursion into Israel led by Palestinian militant group Hamas. On Tuesday, Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Norway imposed sanctions on far-right Israeli cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, accusing them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Israel called the action "outrageous" and said the Israeli government would hold a meeting early next week to decide how to respond. (Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Aidan Lewis) By Kanishka Singh and Kristina Cooke WASHINGTON (Reuters) -An immigration raid on Tuesday at a meat production plant in Omaha, Nebraska was the "largest worksite enforcement operation" in the state during the Trump presidency, the Homeland Security Department said. U.S. Congressman Don Bacon told local media 75-80 people were detained. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid happened at a plant of Glenn Valley Foods. The food packaging company said it was surprised by the raid and had followed the rules regarding immigration status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chad Hartmann, president of Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, said the plant that was raided used E-Verify, a federal database used for checking employees' immigration status. He told Reuters that when he said this to a federal agent, the agent responded "the system is broken" and urged him to contact his local congressional representative. ICE officers have been intensifying efforts in recent weeks to deliver on U.S. President Donald Trump's promise of record-level deportations. The White House has demanded the agency sharply increase arrests of migrants in the U.S. illegally, sources have told Reuters. Tensions boiled over in Los Angeles over the weekend when protesters took to the streets after ICE arrested migrants at Home Depot stores, a garment factory and a warehouse, according to migrant advocates. Local police in Omaha said they were informed by immigration officials about the raid in advance while the company said it got no notice about the operation ahead of time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hartmann said federal agents had a warrant that said they had identified 107 people who they believed were using fraudulent documents. "This was the largest worksite enforcement operation in Nebraska under the Trump Administration," the Homeland Security Department said on X, adding no law enforcement official was hurt. ICE said a criminal investigation was ongoing into what immigration officials called a large-scale employment of immigrants who are present in the U.S. illegally. "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and federal law enforcement partners, executed a federal search warrant at Glenn Valley Foods, today, based on an ongoing criminal investigation into the large-scale employment of aliens without authorization to work in the United States," an ICE spokesperson told an ABC News affiliate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than half of all meatpacking workers in the U.S. are immigrants, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a think tank. Rights advocates, including the ACLU of Nebraska, condemned the raid. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Editing by Michael Perry) By Christian Martinez (Reuters) -Democratic U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver was indicted by a grand jury on three counts for "forcibly impeding and interfering" with federal law enforcement, the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey said on Tuesday. McIver, a Democrat from Newark, New Jersey, was charged last month with assault and impeding law enforcement over a scuffle at the gate of a privately run immigration detention center on May 9 that was caught on video. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The encounter drew widespread attention at a time of growing clashes between the Trump administration and Democrats over Trump's hardline approach to immigration. "While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve," Alina Habba said on social media platform X. In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, McIver said the "indictment is no more justified than the original charges." "The facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are eager to challenge these allegations head-on in court and fully expect the Congresswomans exoneration," McIver's counsel Paul J. Fishman said in a statement. According to the indictment, McIver and two other lawmakers were conducting a congressional oversight visit at the detention facility, known as Delaney Hall, while an immigration protest was taking place outside. When the lawmakers and Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark walked through the security gate and entered a secured part of the facility, a Homeland Security special agent told Baraka he was not authorized to enter the area, the indictment said. McIver allegedly prevented the agent from placing Baraka under arrest, shouting "Hell No!" and surrounding him along with the other two lawmakers, according to the indictment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McIver "slammed her forearm into the body" of the officer during a second attempt to arrest Baraka and also "reached out and tried to restrain him," the document stated. The indictment also alleged that McIver pushed past an Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officer "while using her forearms to strike" him following the successful arrest of Baraka. Baraka, a Democrat running for New Jersey governor, was charged with trespassing, but prosecutors dropped the case 10 days after his arrest. Last week, Baraka sued Habba and Ricky Patel, a Department of Homeland Security official in Newark, who allegedly ordered the arrest, alleging in the lawsuit that he was wrongly arrested for trespassing without cause and maliciously prosecuted. (Reporting by Christian Martinez and Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Chris Reese and Saad Sayeed) By Trevor Hunnicutt FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the military would rename bases which were changed after racial justice protests in 2023, including reverting to Fort Lee originally named after Civil War-era Confederate commander Robert E. Lee. Under the Trump administration, the Pentagon has already renamed Fort Moore back to its original name of Fort Benning and Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been able to sidestep a Congressional provision that banned bases having Confederate names by renaming bases after people with the same names as the Confederate officials. "We are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort AP Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee," Trump said while speaking at Fort Bragg. "We won a lot of battles out of those forts. It's no time to change," Trump said as uniformed service members stood behind him. Fort Lee, located in Petersburg, Virginia, was renamed Fort Gregg-Adams in 2023. After Trump's announcement, the Army said that Fort Lee would be renamed after Private Fitz Lee, a Medal of Honor recipient from the Spanish-American War. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During Trump's speech at Fort Bragg, some audience members, including those in uniform, cheered as the president made the announcement. They also jeered at the press as Trump pointed towards reporters and called them "Fake News" and applauded as he took shots at his predecessor, Joe Biden. Uniformed members of the U.S. armed forces are meant to be apolitical, carrying out the policies of Democratic and Republican administrations. The 2023 move to shed Confederate names for military bases came in the wake of nationwide protests after the 2020 death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Confederate flags and base names can be offensive to many Americans, who see them as reminders of the enslavement of Black Americans and symbols of white supremacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congress in 2021 passed legislation forbidding the naming of bases after anyone who voluntarily served or held leadership in the Confederate States of America, the breakaway republic of Southern states that fought against the U.S. in the Civil War in the 19th Century. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in North Carolina, Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart in Washington D.C.; Editing by Stephen Coates) American embassies in the Middle East are preparing to send home non-essential staff and families owing to heightened risks in the region. According to a string of American and local security sources, the embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, is planning what officials called an ordered evacuation, withdrawing non-essential staff. It was already operating at reduced staffing levels. But facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait are also to send home family members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move is being considered as the prospect of the US signing a nuclear deal with Iran appears less and less likely. Trump committed to keeping Americans safe Details emerged hours after Aziz Nasirzadeh, Irans minister of defence, said that Tehran would strike US bases in the region if nuclear talks failed, and tensions escalated with Washington. President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad, a State Department official told The Telegraph. In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies. Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our mission in Iraq. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Trump said he was growing less confident in the likelihood of signing a nuclear deal with the country. Speaking to the New York Posts Pod Force One podcast, Mr Trump said: I dont know. I did think so, and Im getting more and more less confident about it, when asked by the host if he thought Iran would agree to shut down its nuclear program. UK issues warning The UK maritime agency issued a warning earlier on Wednesday that increased tensions could trigger a military escalation with a knock-on effect on critical waterways. It advised vessels to use caution while travelling through the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Straits of Hormuz, which all border Iran. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Iraq, a rare regional partner of both the United States and its arch regional foe Iran, hosts 2,500 US troops and has Tehran-backed armed factions linked to its security forces. Tensions inside Iraq have heightened since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, with Iran-aligned armed groups in the country repeatedly attacking US troops. Mr Trump has been under pressure from Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, to allow the country to strike Iran. So-far, Mr Trump has blocked strikes. He told reporters in the Oval Office last month: I told [Mr Netanyahu] this would be inappropriate to do right now because were very close to a solution now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That could change at any moment. The US president has also threatened to strike Iran if stalled talks over its nuclear programme failed. Irans mission to the United Nations posted on social media that threats of overwhelming force wont change the facts. Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and US militarism only fuels instability, it said. 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. Non-essential US embassy staff and their dependants in Baghdad are to be evacuated from Iraq due to heightened security risks, US government sources have said. Officials did not say exactly what prompted the removal, but have been told Israel was ready to launch an operation into Iran, the BBC's US partner CBS reported. This was part of the reason some Americans were advised to leave the region, officials said, adding that they anticipated Iran could retaliate on certain US sites in Iraq. US officials have also restricted the movements of staff within Israel itself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It comes as US talks over Iran's nuclear programme appear to have stalled in recent days. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is still planning on holding talks with Iran about its nuclear programme on Sunday, officials told CBS. Witkoff will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Muscat, Axios reported. A US state department official told the BBC: "We are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies. "Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our mission in Iraq." The department later said it was also restricting US government staff from travelling within Israel outside the areas of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Be'er Sheva - due to what it called "increased regional tensions". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on Wednesday evening, US President Donald Trump told reporters Americans had been advised to leave the region "because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens". Trump also reiterated that the US did not want Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. "We're not going to allow that," he said. The president has hoped to strike a deal to stop Tehran developing a nuclear weapon. Earlier this week, he held a 40-minute phone call, which was said to be "tense", with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long argued for a military rather than diplomatic approach. US Black Hawk helicopters flying over Baghdad in December 2024 [Getty Images] On Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) board of governors began a meeting in Vienna to discuss Iran's nuclear programme and other issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It comes after the IAEA released a report criticising the "less than satisfactory" co-operation from Tehran, particularly in explaining past cases of nuclear material found at undeclared sites. Iran described the IAEA report as unbalanced, saying that it relied on "forged documents" provided by Israel. With the nuclear talks at a critical moment, it is not yet clear how much the US announcement is about signalling as opposed to genuine concern. But Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said his country would retaliate against US bases in the region if talks failed and Trump ordered military strikes against the Islamic Republic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also approved the voluntary departure of families of American military personnel from countries across the Middle East, including Kuwait and Bahrain, Reuters news agency reported. Testifying in front of a congressional panel on Wednesday, the Pentagon said he believed there were "plenty of indications" that Iran was "moving their way towards something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon". Iran says its uranium enrichment programme was for civilian energy generation and that it was not trying to build an atomic bomb. The UK's Maritime Trade Operations organisation - part of the Royal Navy - warned on Wednesday that increased military tensions in the Middle East could affect shipping. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The price of oil initially increased more than 4% when news of the US evacuation broke, in anticipation of regional insecurity potentially leading to supply problems. Around 2,500 US troops are based in Iraq, according to the defence department. In January 2020, Iran fired missiles at air bases housing US forces in Iraq in retaliation for the US strike that killed top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. No US military personnel stationed at the base were killed, but dozens were later diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. [BBC] Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here. WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD (Reuters) The United States is preparing a partial evacuation of its Iraqi embassy and will allow military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region, U.S. and Iraqi sources said on Wednesday. The four U.S. and two Iraqi sources did not specify which security risks had prompted the decision and reports of the potential evacuation pushed up oil prices by more than 4%. The State Department regularly reviews American personnel abroad and this decision was made as a result of a recent review, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Reuters when asked about reports of the partial evacuations, without giving further details. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Can you still visit the countries listed under Trumps travel ban? A White House official said U.S. President Donald Trump was aware of the move. The partial evacuations come at a moment of heightened tensions in a region already aflame after 18 months of war in Gaza that has raised fears of a wider conflagration pitting the U.S. and Israel against Iran and its allies. Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if stuttering talks over its nuclear programme fail and on Wednesday he said he was growing less confident that Tehran would agree to stop enriching uranium, a key American demand. Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh also said on Wednesday that Iran would retaliate against U.S. bases in the region if the nuclear talks failed and it was subjected to strikes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States has a military presence in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the Middle East, a U.S. official said. Another U.S. official said that was mostly relevant to family members located in Bahrain where the bulk of them are based. The State Department is set to have an ordered departure for (the) U.S. embassy in Baghdad. The intent is to do it through commercial means, but the U.S. military is standing by if help is requested, a third U.S. official said. Where the No Kings anti-Trump military parade protests are planned Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Iraqi foreign ministry official said a partial evacuation of U.S. embassy staff had been confirmed due to what the official termed potential security concerns related to possible regional tensions. Another U.S. official said that there was no change in operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East and that no evacuation order had been issued for employees or families linked to the U.S. embassy in Qatar, which was operating as usual. TENSIONS Oil futures climbed $3 on reports of the Baghdad evacuation with Brent crude futures at $69.18 a barrel. Earlier on Wednesday Britains maritime agency warned that increased tensions in the Middle East may lead to an escalation in military activity that could impact shipping in critical waterways. It advised vessels to use caution while travelling through the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Straits of Hormuz, which all border Iran. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Iraq, a rare regional partner of both the United States and its arch regional foe Iran, hosts 2,500 U.S. troops and has Tehran-backed armed factions linked to its security forces. Trump says Egypt excluded from travel ban because they have things under control Tensions inside Iraq have heightened since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, with Iran-aligned armed groups in the country repeatedly attacking U.S. troops. Top U.S. regional ally Israel has also struck Iran-linked targets across the region, including Iraqi armed groups operating both inside Iraq and in neighbouring Syria. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Can the US protect itself from a Ukraine-style drone attack? Irans U.N. mission on Wednesday posted on X: Threats of overwhelming force wont change facts: Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon and U.S. militarism only fuels instability. The statement appeared to be a response to an earlier comment by U.S. Central Command chief U.S. Army General Michael Kurilla that he had provided the president with a wide range of options to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Russian and U.S. delegations will hold talks in Moscow in the near future, Russian Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev said in an interview with state-controlled news agency TASS on June 10. The meeting would follow a series of previous discussions between the U.S. and Russia that focused on peace efforts in Ukraine and the resumption of bilateral ties. The first talks since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine took place on Feb. 18 in Riyadh, where the sides discussed bilateral relations, a potential presidential meeting, and ending the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I can confirm that the next round of negotiations between the delegations will take place very soon in Moscow," Darchiev said. The ambassador noted that during the previous round of talks on April 10 in Istanbul, the two sides agreed to move future consultations to their respective capitals. The U.S. State Department described the April 10 talks in Istanbul as having a "constructive approach." The closed-door consultations lasted about six hours and focused on ensuring stable banking services for diplomatic missions. Both delegations exchanged notes on the issue and agreed to continue discussions. Darchiev also said that Russia is aiming for a model of "non-confrontational coexistence" with the United States and confirmed that the parties have launched negotiations on the return of confiscated Russian diplomatic property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other rounds of talks between U.S. and Russia occurred in Istanbul on Feb. 27 and April 10, focusing on diplomatic mission operations and movement of diplomats. U.S. and Russian delegations also held a 12-hour closed-door session in Riyadh on March 24. The talks centered on a potential ceasefire in the Black Sea and broader military de-escalation. The diplomatic push continues amid efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to broker a ceasefire and peace agreement in Ukraine. Trump suggested on June 5 that it may be better to let the conflict continue for now, likening the war to a fight between children that should not be interrupted too quickly. Kyiv and its allies remain skeptical of Trump's approach toward peace efforts. President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for stronger U.S. action and warned that "Americas silence, and the silence of others around the world, only encourages (Russian President Vladimir) Putin." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A bipartisan sanctions bill, targeting countries that purchase Russian oil and uranium, is awaiting approval in Congress. Read also: Trump quietly pressuring Senate to weaken Russia sanctions, WSJ reports Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The United States is scaling back the number of personnel in the Middle East as the tensions between longtime foes Israel and Iran mount. The U.S. is downsizing its footprint in Iraq, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has greenlighted the departures of military dependents across northeast Africa, the Middle East, and portions of South and Central Asia. President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad. In keeping with that commitment, we are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies, a State Department official told The Hill in an emailed statement on Wednesday. Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our Mission in Iraq. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A defense official told The Hill that Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the CENTCOM AOR. CENTCOM is working in close coordination with our Department of State counterparts, as well as our Allies and partners in the region to maintain a constant state of readiness to support any number of missions around the world at any time, the defense official added. The scale-back of the number of U.S. diplomats in the Middle East comes amid indications that the U.S. negotiations with Iran over Tehrans rapidly expanding nuclear program are stalled. The U.S. military has personnel in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and other countries in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration has not mentioned a direct threat to the U.S. military personnel or diplomats stationed in the Middle East in statements that have emerged from various agencies. Trump confirmed that U.S. personnel in the Middle East were being moved out region when asked by reporters on Wednesday evening while walking the red carpet at the Kennedy Center. They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place. Well see what happens, Trump said. Weve given notice to move out and well see what happens. When asked if something could be done to lower the tension in the region, the president said Iran cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Very simple, they cant have a nuclear weapon, he said with first lady Melania Trump by his side. Irans Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned on Wednesday that if Tehrans talks with the U.S. go nowhere and conflict with Washington emerges, Iran would hit the U.S. military bases in the region. Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations dont come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on usall U.S. bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries, Nasirzadeh said during a news briefing on Wednesday. Since restarting discussions with Iran over the nuclear program, Trump has warned Tehran that military strikes could take place if diplomacy fails and a new deal is not reached. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two sides were discussing holding the sixth round of nuclear talks this week. Irans foreign ministry said earlier this week that the meeting is planned to take place on Sunday in Muscat, Oman. The sixth round of talks could take place on Friday or Sunday, The Hill previously reported . So far, the timing of the talks remains unconfirmed. Nothing has changed on that since yesterday, a U.S. official told The Hill on Wednesday evening. Trump has said that he wants to pursue a diplomatic solution with Iran and has previously warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from striking Tehrans nuclear sites, worrying it could derail ongoing negotiations. Despite the threat from Nasirzadeh, Irans defense minister, the countrys mission to the United Nations said that Tehran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and U.S. militarism only fuels instability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CENTCOMs legacy of fueling regional instability, through arming aggressors and enabling Israeli crimes, strips it of any credibility to speak on peace or non-proliferation, the mission wrote in a Wednesday post on social media platform X. Diplomacynot militarismis the only path forward. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) head, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, said during a House hearing on Tuesday that he handed Trump and Hegseth a wide range of military options for the administration to take up if nuclear talks with Iran fall apart. Kurilla was slated to be the only speaker at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday morning. An update on the committees website says the hearing has been postponed. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, the British maritime trade agency, issued an advisory earlier on Wednesday, stating that it has been made aware of increased tensions within the region which could lead to an escalation of military activity having a direct impact on mariners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agency advised the vessel passing through the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Straits of Hormuz to travel with caution and report incidents or suspicious activity to UKMTO iaw BMP. Iran said on Monday that it would send over a counter-proposal, through the Omani mediators, in the coming days, according to Irans foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. We will present our own proposal to the other side via Oman after it is finalised. This proposal is reasonable, logical and balanced, Baghaei said. The U.S. proposal was formed by Trumps Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, the top American negotiator. Iran is led by Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. The two sides completed five rounds of talks with the most recent meeting being held in Muscat, Omans capital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Iran and the U.S. still appear far apart, with the main sticking point continuing to be Irans ability to enrich on its soil, with many Western officials warning that Tehran could soon obtain a nuclear weapon. The president said during a podcast episode, which was released on Wednesday, that he is less confident that Iran would be willing to shut down its nuclear program. I dont know. I did think so, and Im getting more and more less confident about it, Trump said while on the Pod Force One podcast . Reuters first reported on the scaling back of U.S. diplomats. The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East, the defense official said on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This story was updated at 9:34 p.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. New York and more than two dozen other US states sued 23andMe to challenge the sale of its customers private information after the genetic testing company filed for bankruptcy in March. Twenty seven states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida, and the District of Columbia filed the lawsuit on Monday in 23andMes US bankruptcy proceedings in Missouri, seeking a declaration that it cannot sell customers genetic data without their consent. California-based 23andMe in a March bankruptcy filing said it was seeking to sell its business at auction after a dip in consumer demand and a data breach in 2023 that exposed genetic and other information of millions of customers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sale will include more than 15 million DNA profiles that were collected through the companys direct-to-consumer saliva-testing kits. 23andMe cannot auction millions of peoples personal genetic information without their consent, New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, said in a statement on Tuesday. New Yorkers and many others around the country trusted 23andMe with their private information and they have a right to know what will be done with their information. 23andMe in a statement said the states arguments were without merit, and that the sale is permitted under 23andMe privacy policies and applicable law. Customers will continue to have the same rights and protections in the hands of the winning bidder, the company said. In a separate filing, Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bontas office on Monday said the state was objecting to the proposed asset sale because it would violate Californias restrictions on the transfer of sensitive genetic material. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 23andMe last week told a US bankruptcy judge that it wants to re-open bidding on its assets after receiving a $305 million offer from its co-founder Anne Wojcicki. The company had previously selected a $256 million bid from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals as the lead offer. A representative from Regeneron did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a blow to environmentalists, siding with a railroad expansion in Utah to help transport crude oil. As the Guardian reported, the court ruled unanimously in favor of the railroad, deciding that the original lower court based its ruling to stop the railroad on an environmental impact assessment that was too limited in scope. What's happening? According to The Salt Lake Tribune, the expansion of the Uinta Basin Railway would add around 88 miles of track and could connect oil suppliers with a wider market, such as refining facilities on the Gulf Coast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The project was approved in 2021 but paused in 2023 after multiple parties challenged it. The recent ruling to continue the project worries environmentalists around the country. It challenges protections that have held since the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act. NEPA sets forth a process for agencies to assess the environmental, social, and economic impact of a particular project, followed by a period of public review and community comments. Siding with the railroad expansion could challenge environmental protection precedents. Ashfaq Khalfan, Oxfam America's director of climate justice, said, "The Supreme Court's decision endangers local communities, many of them Indigenous and rural, in favor of the dirty energy status quo," per the Guardian. Why is environmental protection important? The Supreme Court decision is a danger to communities around the railway. For one, the transported oil poses a large threat to the Colorado River, its ecosystem, and the communities it serves if the train derails or oil spills, as The Colorado Sun reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Communities can be exposed to pollutants from a variety of industrial activities. One of the most famous instances is the story of Erin Brockovich, who began a legal case against Pacific Gas and Electric Company regarding groundwater contamination in California. Pollution impacts communities around the world every day. Air pollution health risks include respiratory issues, cardiovascular disease, and cancers. Polluted water can cause a variety of gastrointestinal issues, skin conditions, and cancers. "Our bedrock environmental laws, like NEPA, are meant to ensure people are protected from corporate polluters. Today's decision will undoubtedly help the fossil fuel industry," said Sierra Club senior attorney Nathaniel Shoaff. What's being done about environmental protection? Most often, marginalized groups bear the brunt of environmental hazards and pollution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With mass layoffs in key government organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency, scientists and experts warn of repercussions for the health of people and the environment. Organizations like the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity are working to protect the people and environments most impacted by corporate decisions like this railroad expansion. Voting for political leaders who recognize the serious nature of the changing climate and its effects, regardless of which side of the political aisle they fall on, is also vital to continuing to protect the environment. 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. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) The United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins signed Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders waiver May 10 to ban soft drinks and candy from Arkansas Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. According to a press release from Sanders office, the governor submitted her waiver in April. The state will use the GS1 US food categorization system to implement the policy changes. USDA approves SNAP waivers for 3 states, where does Arkansas stand? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This approval sends a clear message: President Trump and his administration are tackling Americas chronic disease epidemic and Arkansas stands with him in that fight, said Sanders. I am incredibly grateful for Secretary Rollins quick approval of our waiver. Arkansas leads the nation in getting unhealthy, ultra-processed foods off food stamps and helping our most vulnerable citizens lead healthier lives. Rollins signed similar waivers for Idaho and Utah, along with Arkansas, at an event where she was joined by Sanders and U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to a press release from the USDA. The waiver bans soda, low and no-calorie soda, fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50% natural juice, other unhealthy drinks, and candy from SNAP. The order takes effect July 1, 2026. In May, Rollins approved waivers for Nebraska, Indiana and Iowa to remove sodas and sugary and unhealthy foods, the first three states to be approved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indiana and Arkansas were the first states to announce plans to ban soft drinks and candy from the program that helps low-income people pay for groceries. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. CHICAGO Authorities are searching for answers after a USPS employee was robbed at gunpoint on the South Side on Tuesday afternoon. According to Chicago police, the robbery unfolded just before 3 p.m. Tuesday in the 700 block of West 73rd Street in Englewood. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Officers said the victim, a 20-year-old woman, was in the area when she was approached by a group of four people, one of whom was armed with a gun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group then stole the womans property and fled the scene. On Wednesday, officials from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service confirmed that the victim is a USPS employee. No injuries were reported and no arrests have been made in connection with the incident. While it is unclear if the victim was working at the time of the robbery, USPIS and CPD are investigating. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to contact CPD Area One detectives 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. 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. Crew members of the Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer Oscar Austin have been awarded the Combat Action Ribbon for providing combat support to U.S. naval forces in the Red Sea amid attacks by Houthi rebels, the Navy announced. Sailors and other personnel aboard the vessel were awarded ribbon, colloquially known as a CAR, after completing Oscar Austins first forward-deployed Naval Forces-Europe patrol in the U.S. Sixth Fleet and Fifth Fleet, which operate out of Europe and Africa, and the Middle East, respectively. Im honored to have assumed command of Oscar Austin during her first patrol as a forward deployed warship, said Cmdr. David Nicolas, who assumed command of the warship in May. Having served previously as the ships executive officer, I feel immense pride in witnessing the growth and development of the crew in their preparation for and completion of Patrol One. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The destroyer briefly visited the Mediterranean Sea before joining the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group as it battled frequent missile and drone attacks from Yemens Houthi rebels an Iran-backed terrorist group over several months. President Donald Trumps administration began conducting large-scale bombings against Houthi sites in Yemen on March 15, a shelling that ended in May after the U.S. claimed to have hit more than 800 targets. US strikes dozens of Houthi sites in Yemen as broader campaign begins Oscar Austin left its home base of Naval Station Rota, Spain on Dec. 11, 2024, to join the Republic of Cyprus National Guard and conduct signaling and maneuvering exercises alongside the Cyprus patrol vessel Commodore Andreas Ioannides. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April 2025, the Oscar Austin jointed Fifth Fleet operations, offering air and missile defense reinforcements to the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and serving alongside the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers Jason Dunham and Stout, as well as the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser Gettysburg. Austins efforts to defend the strike group while under fire from airborne threats notched the vessels personnel Combat Action Ribbons, which sailors proudly donned upon their return to Spain on June 10. The award is given to service members who render satisfactory performance under enemy fire while actively participating in a ground or surface engagement, according to the services designated criteria. Capt. Alexander Mamikonian, commodore of Destroyer Squadron 60, presented the crew with their ribbons. This was Oscar Austins maiden patrol as a Rota-based FDNF-E destroyer and her team performed exceptionally, Mamikonian said. I was impressed by their professionalism, proficiency and self-sufficiency on a daily basis. It was a pleasure watching them perform on patrol, but were glad theyre back home in Rota reunited with their loved ones. Shortly after a district judge decided death-row inmate Ralph Leroy Menzies is competent to be executed, his attorneys asked the Utah Supreme Court to review the decision. The judge found Menzies competent to be executed, despite being diagnosed with vascular dementia, following a 16-month process where his mental capabilities were evaluated. The judge ultimately determined Menzies is competent enough to understand why he is being executed, citing a lack of deterioration in family phone calls and evidence that he understands the severity of his crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Menzies has shown he has vascular dementia, he has not shown by a preponderance of the evidence that his mental condition prevents him from reaching a rational understanding of his punishment or the states reasons for it. Therefore, he has not met his burden to show he is incompetent to be executed, 3rd District Judge Matthew Bates wrote in his decision. Menzies, 67, was found guilty of murdering Maurine Hunsaker, a 26-year-old mother of three who worked at a gas station in Kearns, in 1986. She called to tell her husband she had been abducted, and her body was found in Big Cottonwood Canyon two days later. Prosecutors filed a motion to start the execution process in early 2024, but Menzies attorneys asked for the process to be put on hold for a competency evaluation. On Monday, prosecutors asked the judge to remove the stay on the case and set a hearing on the states application for an execution warrant to continue that process. Bates scheduled a hearing on July 9 at 11 a.m. for a prosecutors application for an execution warrant. He also issued an order that Menzies is not allowed to refuse to attend the hearing, and reasonable force can be used to encourage him to come. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The order states that Menzies is at the Salt Lake County Jail but will be returned to the Utah State Prison after the hearing. The notice of the hearing said the judge would hear arguments on the application for an execution warrant and determine if there is any reason not to fulfill the execution sentence. It is unknown whether the request for an appeal, filed shortly before the hearing notice and order to transport on Monday, will result in any delays for that hearing. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. speaks to reporters during an event at the University of Utah on Monday, April 7, 2025. (Kyle Dunphey/Utah News Dispatch) U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, along with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., signed three Make America Healthy Again waivers on Tuesday, allowing three more states to enact restrictions to SNAP benefits. The move adds Utah, Idaho and Arkansas to the list of six states that have banned certain foods from being purchased with benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is the U.S.s largest nutrition assistance program. Utahs waiver prohibits using SNAP benefits to purchase soft drinks, defined as a nonalcoholic beverage that is made with carbonated water and that is flavored and sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners, according to HB403, the bill the Utah Legislature passed directing the states Department of Workforce Services to request the waiver. An earlier version of the bill would have also blocked candy purchases, but Utah lawmakers narrowed its scope before approving the bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Utahs SNAP restrictions, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2026, dont go as far as other states. Arkansas waiver restricts SNAP participants from purchasing low- and no-calorie soda, fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50% natural juice, and other unhealthy drinks, along with confectionary products with flour and artificially sweetened candy, the Arkansas Advocate reported. Arkansas waiver will take effect July 1, 2026. Idahos waiver excludes soda and candy and will take effect the same day as Arkansas, on July 1. Rollins previously signed SNAP waivers for Nebraska, Iowa, and Indiana. The latest round of SNAP restriction approvals come amid a national movement coined Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, thats been promoted by U.S. health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April, Kennedy stopped in Utah as part of his MAHA tour. During his visit he praised Utahs SNAP ban, along with a slate of other MAHA bills, which was headlined by Utahs first-in-the-nation law to ban cities from adding fluoride to drinking water. Thank you to the governors of Indiana, Arkansas, Idaho, Utah, Iowa, and Nebraska for their bold leadership and unwavering commitment to Make America Healthy Again, Kennedy said in a news release issued Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. I call on every governor in the nation to submit a SNAP waiver to eliminate sugary drinks taxpayer dollars should never bankroll products that fuel the chronic disease epidemic. Rollins, in a prepared statement, said the Trump administration is unified in improving the health of our nation. Americas governors have proudly answered the call to innovate by improving nutrition programs, ensuring better choices while respecting the generosity of the American taxpayer, Rollins said. Each waiver submitted by the states and signed is yet another step closer to fulfilling President Trumps promise to Make America Healthy Again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Critics of the SNAP restrictions, including Democrats and low-income advocates, argued states shouldnt restrict freedom of choice and should treat Americans like adults who can practice personal responsibility. Food industry representatives have also expressed concerns about unintended consequences by limiting consumer choices and creating confusion about what can or cant be purchased in grocery stores. They also argued it isnt likely to improve health outcomes. But proponents from Republican-led states argued excluding unhealthy foods from SNAP benefits was common sense. The sponsor of Utahs bill, Rep. Kristen Chevrier, R-Highland, called it a no brainer way to safeguard public health and stop subsidizing poison for kids. In a post on X on Wednesday, Chevrier said Utah led the charge by seeking the SNAP waiver while also passing HB402, another bill that banned public schools from serving food with certain food dyes and other additives in them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was honored to sponsor both bills, she wrote. This is the beginning of a critical and long-awaited cultural revolution. Chevrier on Wednesday also said in a statement to Utah News Dispatch that the decision to remove soda from SNAP funding is supported by a recent study by Brigham Young University that suggests drinking sugar may be more problematic for health than eating it. Taxpayers should not be subsidizing consumption of harmful substances, and then footing the bill for resulting health issues down the road, Chevrier said. This was the right move for Utah and for the nation. The bills Senate sponsor, Sen. Brady Brammer, R-Pleasant Grove, also issued a statement applauding the waiver approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We appreciate the swift approval of our waiver request, Brammer said. SNAP is intended to help individuals and families access nutritious food. However, soda, despite offering no nutritional value and contributing to health problems, remains the most commonly purchased item with SNAP benefits. This bill reflects responsible stewardship by making sure the taxpayer-funded program is used for its intended purpose, supporting essential nutrition while respecting personal freedom. During debate over Utahs bill, Rep. John Hawkins, R-Pleasant Grove, said he was initially hesitant to support the bill, saying he wasnt a huge proponent of the government stepping in and telling people what they can and cant consume with their food. But as I thought about it, Hawkins said in February, Ive come to the conclusion that in this particular case, I think the government does have the right to say, We want you to be healthy and we want to set the parameters around what you can use government subsidies for. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE By Ahmed Eljechtimi RABAT (Reuters) -Global vaccine group Gavi is seeking new donors for its work funding childhood immunisation in the world's poorest countries, its chief executive told Reuters, as many traditional funders cut international aid budgets. Gavi is aiming to raise $9 billion at a summit in Brussels later this month for its work from 2026-2030, but countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and France have all signalled that they plan to slash global aid funding in the coming years, and their pledges remain uncertain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We want to broaden our donor base," Gavi's Sania Nishtar told Reuters in Rabat, where she met officials to encourage Morocco to join as a new donor. She said that India and Indonesia, which had previously been supported by Gavi, were now contributing as donors to the organization, which works with low and middle-income countries to buy vaccines for diseases from measles to cholera. Other countries like Portugal have also increased their funding commitment, she said. During her Morocco visit, Nishtar toured a vaccine manufacturing facility near Casablanca under development by Marbio, a biopharmaceutical venture backed by Morocco. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said the plant had "a good chance" of benefiting from Gavi's $1.2 billion African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, a scheme aimed at boosting vaccine production on the continent. Gavi has already sought out more private sector donors, initiated cost-saving initiatives, and discussed closer collaboration with other global health groups as part of plans to try to tackle potential shortfalls in funding. Nishtar said the organization was making contingency plans, but she hoped that donors at the June 25 summit would give enough that they would not be needed. A U.S. government document showed in March that the U.S., which has previously given around $300 million to Gavi annually, did not plan any future funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nishtar said that Gavi has not yet received this year's funding, which has already been approved by Congress. Gavi is currently focused on combating a global measles outbreak and is responding to cholera outbreaks in Sudan, South Sudan, and Angola, where it has made special arrangements to supply vaccines from its stockpiles, Nishtar said. It is also supporting Sierra Leone, where the spread of mpox has accelerated. (Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; Additional reporting by Jennifer Rigby; Editing by Aidan Lewis) VESTAL, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) After 111 years in the business, Van Cott Jewelers has announced its official closing date. Van Cotts doors will close on June 21. A champagne toast event will be held on June 17 to thank customers and say farewell. Owners Birdie and Bill Levine announced the news in April, saying, This is truly a decision we dont want to do; we certainly dont need to do; it is not something we look forward to. This is something we have to do. They are making the difficult decision to close due to health issues in their family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Van Cott started in Binghamton in 1914. Bills father Herbert Levine bought the business in 1969, having grown up in the jewelry business of his father, Ruby Jewelers which started in Endicott in 1919. Van Cott Jewelers closing after 111 years Over the years, Van Cott has helped community members pick out engagement rings, celebrate milestones, and find everyday jewelry. It has been voted the #1 Jeweler in the Southern Tier for 38 years. Van Cott is hosting a Going Out of Business Sale from now until June 21. Birdie and Bill thank the community for its loyalty and trust. They say the memories theyve shared will stay with them forever. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The City of Vancouver has issued a ban on all recreational burning that will start Friday, June 13 and last throughout the summer season. The ban will prohibit recreational bonfires, campfires, and fires in outdoor fire pits and fireplaces. It does not, however, apply to charcoal grills or any appliances that rely on natural gas and propane. Search area narrows in manhunt for Washington state father accused of killing daughters Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The risk for fire is high and state officials have said that this years wildfire season has the potential to be challenging as the fine fuels continue to cure, Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said. It is vital that everyone be extra vigilant about fire safety during this time. In addition to not using any recreational fires, we also ask that smokers never put out their cigarettes in bark mulch or planters or toss lit cigarettes out of car windows. Additionally, the city says fires placed in homeless encampments are illegal and should be extinguished. Anyone caught violating the ban could face a fire code citation and a $500 fine with the possibility of criminal penalties. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. CLINTWOOD, Va. (WJHL) A $20,000 grant will fund new welding classes at the Dickenson Center for Education and Research in Clintwood. The grant from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) to the Dickenson County Industrial Development Authority will be used to cover the costs of electrical upgrades to support welding courses through Mountain Empire Community College. According to the IDAs application, the project will enhance workforce training opportunities in the region, equipping students with in-demand welding skills and strengthening the local economy, VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher said in a release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The facility currently lacks the electrical circuitry necessary for welding classes, which requires a dedicated 208-volt, 50-amp circuit for each welding booth. The plan is to install eight welding booths with new welders and all necessary equipment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Vera Rubin had just finished her ice cream when she saw something that would change astronomy forever. It was long past midnight one early morning in the 1960s, and Rubin and her colleague Kent Ford were at Kitt Peak National Observatory in the middle of the Arizona desert. That night they were tracking how hot gas from young stars circled Andromeda, the Milky Ways galactic neighbor. Rubin and Ford would trade off recording the gases chemical fingerprints or processing photographic plates. While waiting for the plates to develop, Rubin would eat an ice cream cone. Four cones in, Rubin could draw Andromedas rotation curveshe could plot the distance of gas clouds on an X-axis and their speeds on the Y-axis. At the time, astronomers assumed the stars circling a galaxy would act like the planets circling the sun in our solar system. Stars closer to the galaxys center would circle quickly, while stars farther out would orbit slowly because cores gravitational pull was weaker out there. The curve, then, should start high and fall the farther the distance from a galaxys center, astronomers assumed. Rubin never liked assumptions. Shed rather collect data, even if it met expectations. But what Rubin saw in that rotation curve didnt. The close-in and far-out stars seemed to be circling Andromeda at roughly the same speeds. The curve was flat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ice-cream fueled find, and those that followed, forced astronomers to rethink not only what we know about galaxies but also what we know about the universe. It forced them to reimagine the fabric of the cosmos. Theyd ultimately conclude that that fabric included a mysterious substance, an invisible form of matter now known as dark matter, that to this day we dont fully understand. But it wasnt just this Copernican-esque discovery of flat rotation curves that made Rubin a legend. It was the way she discovered it, the way she advocated for equality in astronomy, the way she welcomed new astronomers into the field without hesitation and kept going to the telescope well into her eighties, which is when I got to know her. It was November 2007 when I joined Rubin at Kitt Peak. No photographic plates. No winter ice cream. Just a veteran astronomer, a cub reporter, and a spiral galaxy to observe. It was in her reminiscing during those nights that I came to understand that her dark matter discovery story wasnt one of a cliche lone genius and a eureka moment. Her observations were a fold in the braid that led to dark matter becoming astronomy dogma. And, her decades of discoveries were only part of her legacy, with her outspokenness and moral compass cementing it to memory. Its this layered legacy I see in the new Vera Rubin Observatory, which will deliver its first images this month. (A century ago, this pioneering astronomer discovered what stars are made of.) The immense Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31, is captured in this NASA image. Rubin's observations of Andromeda would change our understanding of the universe. Photograph by NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA Stars were her first love Eleven-year-old Vera RubinVera Cooper, thenstared at an imaginary line running down the bed she shared with her sister, Ruth, then rolled over, defeated. She was the younger of the two and was told she couldnt sleep next to the small row of windows that lined the inner wall of the bedroom and fortuitously faced north in their rented townhouse in Washington, D.C. But even from the inside edge, the starlight caught Veras attention; she was mesmerized. Every night, shed crawl over her sister Ruth to get a better view of the sky. There was just nothing as interesting in my life, Rubin once said, as watching the stars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through her childhood in the 1930s, she would hang out by the window tracing star trails, check out library books about scientists, and build her first telescope with her dad, who worked for the Department of Agriculture. Hed also take her to the local amateur astronomy club where she heard talks by astronomers like Harlow Shapley, then the director of the Harvard Observatory. By the time Vera was in high school, she sought out cosmology books like James Jeans The Universe Around Us and Arthur Eddingtons The Internal Constitution of Stars. At Vassar College, she majored in astronomy, taught herself how to observe using the colleges telescopes, and took summer positions at the Naval Research Laboratory to gain experience doing science experiments. Around then, her parents introduced her to Robert Rubin. They began dating and were married in August of 1948what many assumed was the end to Rubins astronomy career. Vera had gotten accepted to Harvard for her masters degree. But she chose to go to Cornell University, where Bob was working on his Ph.D. in physical chemistry, instead. There were roadblocks, but Rubin found mentors in physicist Richard Feynman and astronomer Martha Star Carpenter, and her husband, who helped her launch a research project see if the universe rotatedall while they started a family. When she presented her results at the 1950 American Astronomical Society meeting in Ithaca, New York, the press was sensational. A young mother startled the American Astronomical Society, the Associated Press reporter wrote. Her work challenged convention, and she would again while working on her Ph.D. at Georgetown University. Vera Rubin (pictured in 1965) and her observing partner Kent Ford also used telescopes at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ, to study the rotation curves of galaxies. Photograph by The Washington Times/ZUMA Press/Alamy Stock Photo An astronomer, at last Despite her research, Rubin often felt like an imposter. She earned her Ph.D. in 1954, and about a year later, took a faculty position at Georgetown. She and Bob were growing their family then, and for the next few years, she took on a variety of research projects, always analyzing others data. Even then an imposter in her own mind, shed advocate for her students, threatening to pull a paper from publication because the journal wouldnt print the names of the students who worked on it, for example. But, after nearly a decade, Rubin grew tired of relying on others work to do her own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finally, she got a break. Observational astronomers Margaret and Geoffrey Burbidge, famous for their paper on the origin of chemical elements in the life and death of stars, invited Rubin to work with them. They were also interested in galaxies and taught her the technique to calculate stars and gas clouds speeds. A first taste of being a real astronomer, she said. Shortly after, Rubin knew she needed access to a telescope. She went to the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, part of the Carnegie Science Institution and talked with radio astronomers there. Then, she asked for a job. She moved into Kent Fords office on April Fools Day in 1965 and never left. A few years later, she and Ford discovered Andromedas flat rotation curve. Then flat curves in other galaxies. By the early seventies, Princeton theorists Jeremiah Ostriker and Jim Peebles were running computer simulations of galaxies to figure how to get the galaxies to stay together in dizzying spirals like Andromeda. Only when the duo enveloped particles representing galaxies in spherical halos in their simulations would the galaxies cease to fly apart. They needed some extra mass to hold them together. Observations and simulations combined, astronomers knew they needed to rethink how the universe worked, and slowly the idea of dark matter took hold. By the early 1980s, consensus emerged: Dark matter existed, most conceded. (How will the universe end? The answer might surprise you.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While this shift was happening, Rubin was pushing for anotherequality in astronomy. She worked on an American Astronomical Society report that highlighted issues such as discrimination in hiring, both "blatant or not", a pay gap between men and women with the same qualifications, and lower pay for married women. And, of course, she placed a cutout of a woman on the door of the historic men's-only bathroom at Palomar Observatory in California. Younger astronomers looked up to Rubin, appreciating her candor on sexism and having it allcareer, family, and a loving relationship. For many of us, Vera had a personal impact. She demonstrated that a woman who was as cheerful, warm, generous, and down-to-earth as she was could be a successful astronomer, astronomer Deirdre Hunter wrote not long after Rubins death in 2016. She fostered a sense of belonging, one I felt too. Its how I, at 22, found myself at Kitt Peak with Rubin, on her final time observing, absorbing her life lessons on her grace, wit and grit. She was humble and a deep thinker. Many say she deserved a Nobel Prize. She questioned if she wanted it. It changed your life, she said, and not always in a good way. While studying her galaxy, I sensed of battle of wills, the tug of homelife and professional life. Her husband was ill and her childhood wonder of the universe unfulfilled. Rubins wonder lives on in the observatory that will bear her name. It will challenge our assumptions just as she did, and I hope it will remind us that her legacy is more than a telescope. It is a blueprint for humanityto be curious, never assume, and above all be kind. This essay is adapted from the authors book Bright Galaxies, Dark Matter, and Beyond: The Life of Astronomer Vera Rubin. After more than 40 days of retrial, the verdict is split in Harvey Weinstein's case! The film producer has received his verdict in his sex crimes retrial case over a year after his previous convictions were overturned in April 2024. Harvey Weinstein is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence after he was convicted of raping an actress in Los Angeles over a decade ago. Harvey Weinstein Was Found Guilty Of First-Degree Criminal Sexual Act MEGA The embattled movie producer was pronounced guilty by 12 jurors in the New York court on one charge in his sex crime trial. Weinstein was jailed for a first-degree criminal sexual act for his 2006 forceful oral sex with his former production assistant, Miriam Haley, in his Manhattan home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was, however, acquitted on a separate charge of sexual assault from allegations by Kaja Sokola. The model claimed the producer assaulted her in 2006, just like Haley. His third accuser, Jessica Mann, who claimed the producer raped her in 2013, is yet to get the juror's decision on Weinstein's fate following her allegations. The plaintiff and defendant rounded up the case with their closing arguments last Wednesday. The sex crimes retrial saw 24 witnesses give their testimonies, including the alleged victims. Weinstein was initially found guilty of first-degree criminal sexual act and 3rd-degree rape in the New York trial. However, he was declared not guilty on two counts of predatory sexual assault charges and a first-degree rape charge. TMZ confirmed that the producer declined to testify when prosecutors from the Manhattan D.A.'s office asked him to. His reason for refusal was that the prosecutors had concealed the identities of his new accusers. The 73-Year-Old Reiterated His Innocence Last Week Adam Gray SWNS / MEGA Weinstein insisted in court that he never forced himself on any female, as his accusers claimed. While he admitted to being an explorer in the bedroom, he clarified that things never got to the point of having sex without consent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As shared by The Blast, the producer expressed regrets about all his sexually immoral behavior as he emphasized his innocence in all of the allegations. He was remarkably sober to his wife and his loved ones for making foolish sexual decisions. Although he was admitted to the Manhattan Bellevue Hospital, Weinstein opened up to Rosanna Scotto of "Good Day New York" that he is not a criminal who indulges in illegal acts. Most importantly, Weinstein stressed that he was feeling nervous about the jury's upcoming decision at the time. The Music Producer And Diddy Accused By The Same Person ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA Weinstein's case suffered another blow when a model named Crystal McKinney filed an amended complaint on May 30, accusing him of raping her alongside a friend in 2003. In a shocking twist, McKinney is also one of the incarcerated rapper Diddy's accusers. According to her 2024 lawsuit against the mogul, Diddy assaulted her after he had heavily drugged her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She stated in her filing against Weinstein that she received a call from an anonymous executive from a managing agency who set up a meeting to discuss a possible business venture with Weinstein at a hotel. The meeting reportedly took place at West Village, and the model was accompanied by a friend who also expressed hopes that Diddy would consider her for a movie role. Weinstein reportedly sought to know McKinney and her friend intimately and suggested they move to a quieter, less crowded space, such as his home. After the producer allegedly served her several alcoholic drinks and cocktails, he reportedly proceeded to touch her indiscriminately and rip her clothes. How Did Weinstein Become A Resident At Bellevue Hospital? MEGA The producer granting the interview from his hospital bed was not a coincidence. The Blast shared that he petitioned to be moved from his cell in the Rikers Island correctional center to the medical center due to the poor living conditions and ill health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Weinstein, the prison authorities had failed to provide him with adequate healthcare to help address his issues. Thus, a judge signed off in April that he be transferred to the medical facility pending his jury retrial at the time. He also name-dropped Bellevue in his petition, demanding a $5 million settlement for their negligence. Weinstein's legal team claimed the hospital sent him back to Rikers Island before he made a full recovery. Weinstein's demand also included a settlement from New York City and other agencies that were involved in his case. The producer accused them of playing a role in his psychological and physical suffering behind bars. Inside Harvey Weinstein's Heart Surgery Ahead Of His Retrial RCF / MEGA The disgraced producer underwent a crucial heart procedure at Bellevue Hospital last year. While his team did not go into details about the nature of his surgery, they stated that he had other medical conditions that required treatment at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shortly after the surgery, Weinstein received a cancer diagnosis identified to be chronic myeloid leukemia. The producer's health deteriorated while he was behind bars, according to his representative. Juda Engelmayer noted that aside from his heart problems and heart surgery, he also had diabetes, tongue inflammation, and significant weight gain, which worsened his delicate health. What is next for Harvey Weinstein? Deven Moffit, 35, was accused of killing his ex-girlfriend in 2019 before the charges were later dismissed by the Bennington County State's Attorney's Office earlier this year. MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) More than two dozen states including Vermont, New York and New Hampshire are suing to block the sale of a once popular genetic testing company. 23andMe is in bankruptcy protection. The company is known for its direct-to-consumer genetic testing services, allowing people to obtain information about their ancestry and potential health conditions. NYS Senate passes Medical Aid in Dying Act Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bio-tech company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals requested the courts approval to buy the firm for $256 million, but the states say DNA samples of about 15 million previous customers are too sensitive to allow the transaction without each person giving their informed consent. Genetic information is some of the most sensitive information a company can hold about a person, said Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark. Its incredibly personal and forever unchangeable. Vermonters genetic information shouldnt be up for sale without their consent. I am taking action to make sure that Vermonters have the right to decide what happens with their genetic information. Two found with over 100 glassine bags of fentanyl in Vt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The court has appointed an independent official to examine the proposed sale and its impact on consumer privacy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPMs Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Coming Up Snake Eyes In a deeply unfortunate roll of the dice, the only three Trump appointees on the 16-judge D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ended up being randomly selected for Junes three-judge motion panel. That means they get the first bite at the apple on various emergency motions that come to the court and a chance to shape dramatically the procedural posture of some of the most important cases against the lawlessness of the Trump administration. Yesterday, the three judges Gregory Katsas, Neomi Rao, and Justin Walker issued an administrative stay blocking a major order from U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in the original Alien Enemies Case. The stay came as the Trump administration faced a deadline of today to propose to Boasberg how it would provide the due process that the Alien Enemies Act detainees at CECOT had been denied when they were removed in March. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you want to get a little deeper into the history and procedure of the appeals court move, Chris Geidner has you covered. But one point he makes that I want to highlight is the administrations foot-dragging for almost a week since Boasbergs ruling, and then rushing to the appeals court at the last-minute while concurrently asking Boasberg to stay his own order. It looks like a tactic designed to add as much delay as possible into the calendar. The temporary administrative stay wont be the last word from the three-judge panel. They still must decide whether to freeze the order while the entire appeal proceeds, but the odds arent good. For what its worth, theres no reason to believe the selection of the three Trump appointees for this months motion panel was anything more than random chance. Still Waiting The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is still blocking Judge Boasbergs contempt of court proceedings in the original Alien Enemies Act case. Because the appeals court entered what was supposed to be a temporary administrative stay, Boasberg has been unable to move forward since April 18, a temporary delay of almost two months now. Pure Gaslighting The Trump administration is trying to bring a swift end to the contempt of court proceeding in the Maryland case of the wrongfully deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, arguing that the case is moot now that he has been returned to the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a new filing yesterday, the Trump DOJ didnt just ignore the history of the administrations repeated brazen defiance of court orders in the case. It pretended none of that ever happened: In the face of Abrego Garcias return to the United States, [plaintiffs] baselessly accuse Defendants of foot-dragging and intentionally disregard[ing] this Courts and the Supreme Courts orders, when just the opposite is true. Abrego Garcias lawyers are fiercely resisting the case being dismissed, urging Judge Paula Xinis to continue her inquiry into whether the administration was in contempt of court. Given her prior dismayed reactions in-court to the governments misconduct, I would expect her to continue her inquiry if she finds a legal basis for doing so. Trump Admin Still Drags Its Feet In Cristian Case Still no word on the court-ordered return of Cristian from El Salvador in the other Maryland facilitate case. The Trump administration filed an update Friday that for the first time confirmed that Cristian remains at CECOT. But the administration has erected a fictional wall between DHS and State, with DHS (a party to the case) responding to the court that its up to the State Department (which is not a party) to negotiate Cristians return. I would anticipate the court or plaintiff counsel making moves at some point to get answers directly from State. Trumps Military Move: Live Coverage TPM continues to run a liveblog with the major developments on President Trumps military escalation in Los Angeles. Gitmo Back In Play For Holding Migrants The Trump administration could resume sending undocumented immigrants to Guantanamo Bay as soon as today. The planned operation, reported by Politico and the WaPo, would be dramatically larger than the short-lived effort a few months ago to use Gitmo as a detention facility for migrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The migrants targeted for transfer to the base in Cuba come from a range of countries that includes U.S. allies in Europe. The home countries of the foreign nationals are reportedly not being notified of the transfers to Gitmo. First Amendment Under Siege I keep going back to the Trump memo calling up the National Guard equating protests even absent violence with rebellion. It wasnt an accident or one-off, as this threat towards any protestors of his military parade this coming weekend in DC shows: Terry Moran Gets The Boot From ABC News ABC News, which kicked off the spate of dubious post-election settlement agreements with Donald Trump, has sent 28-year network veteran Terry Moran packing over his social media post critical of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Morans contract was reportedly set to expire Friday and will not be renewed. Back To The Future Heres the key thing to note about President Trumps decision to revert to the Confederate names of U.S. military installations: Hes re-naming the bases ostensibly in honor of people with the same names and initials as the original Confederate honorees in order to get around the law mandating the removal of Confederate symbols from the military. So its a squirrelly way to have all the racism without having to repeal the law. Smithsonian Bends The Knee In an Orwellian irony, the board of the Smithsonian Institute has bowed to political influence from President Trump and ordered a full review of its public-facing content to make sure it contains no political influence. Meanwhile, In The Climate Space The Trump EPA is poised to announce the easing of a Biden-era regulation limiting mercury emissions from power plants and the elimination entirely of the limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Elon Musk Watch In 2022-23, DOJ and DHS were sufficiently concerned that Elon Musk was a vector for malign foreign influence that they were actively tracking the foreign nationals coming and going to his properties, the WSJ reports. Trump Tariffs Will Remain In Place For Now A federal appeals court on Tuesday granted the Trump administrations request to keep the presidents far-reaching tariffs in effect for now but agreed to fast track its consideration of the case this summer, the WSJ reports. Quote Of The Day It is clear that the bureaus current leadership has no intention to enforce the law in any meaningful way. While I wish you all the best, I worry for American consumers.Cara Petersen, the acting head of enforcement for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, in a fiery farewell email after she resigned her position Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know! President Donald Trump arrives on stage during a celebration held in honor of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army on June 10, 2025, in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Credit - Melissa Sue GerritsGetty Images President Donald Trump has prompted conflicting feelings among veterans, some of whom strongly disagree with his decision to bypass California Gov. Gavin Newsom and deploy the National Guard and Marines to quell Los Angeles immigration-related protests against federal raids in the city. A long-time strong voter base for Trump, some veterans have, much like Newsom, voiced their grievances regarding Trumps use of the military on this occasion. These concerns come amid protests over recent cuts to the Department of Veteran Affairs and several of its programs, including one that provides mortgage assistance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Christopher Purdy, who served in the U.S. Army from 2004 to 2012 and was deployed to Iraq in 2011, refers to Trumps orders regarding L.A. as a provocative escalation, one that has been extremely discouraging to him and his veteran peers. After the 2016 election, Purdy got involved in veteran organizingfocusing on immigration matters, something close to his heart as his father was an immigrant. Purdy now leads The Chamberlain Network, which works to motivate veterans to engage in political discourse and advocacy. What we saw leading up to [the] weekend were, frankly, minor protests, Purdy says, sharing his view of the scenes in L.A. prior to Trumps involvement. Yes, there was some violence directed at federal law enforcement, but that's not uncommon. And if we called in the National Guard, every time there were minor outbreaks of violence, we would be living in a police state. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths order to deploy around 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles further complicated matters for some. Purdy says, in his experience, Marines are typically not trained for crowd control like the National Guard, but rather trained to go out and kick down doors and do offensive operations. It sends a clear message about who the military is being used against, Purdy argues. I guarantee you this wouldn't have happened in Boise [Idaho], or a red state, or a predominantly white city, and it just says what this Administration is willing to do against communities that disagree with [Trump] politically. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Purdy is not alone in his concerns about Trump and Hegseths display of military might in L.A. Read More: Trump Sparks Backlash as National Guard Arrives in L.A. on His Orders to Quell Immigration Protests: Purposefully Inflammatory Common Defense, which refers to itself as the nations largest grassroots veterans organization, condemned Trumps deployment of the California National Guard in response to protests against Trumps immigration policies and raids conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The militarized response to protests in Los Angeles is a dangerous escalation that undermines civil rights and betrays the principles we swore to uphold, said Naveed Shah, political director of Common Defense and a U.S. Army veteran, in a statement published by the organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Common Defense went on to call the deployment a disgrace and un-American, and urged veterans to join the planned June 14 No Kings Day protests against Trump on the day of his military parade to celebrate the U.S. Armys 250th birthday. The parade coincides with the Presidents 79th birthday, as well. Veteran Janessa Goldbeck has also voiced her disapproval over the Trump Administration's federalization of Californias National Guard. She took to her Substack blog and social media accounts to call Trumps use of military troops on citizens in L.A. a misuse of military power. As Trump federalizes the [National] Guard in Los Angeles, we are witnessing precisely the risk we tried to guard against: Troops deployed not for public safety, but for political spectacle, Goldbeck argued. Goldbeck was a Marine Corps combat engineer officer and now is the CEO of veteran engagement group VetVote Foundation. Speaking to TIME, she says her organization has been sounding the alarm about Trumps "misuse" of the military for years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Goldbeck says whats happening now feels like having a bad dream and then waking up and [finding that] your dream is actually the reality. We have the most professional and effective fighting force in the world, because we have taken great strides in this country to make sure the military is an apolitical force. But what the President has chosen to do is use the National Guard, use the Marines, as political pawns, she says, adding that the situation in L.A. in no way warrants the presence of active-duty Marines. I think it should alarm all Americans, because it doesn't matter what the pretext is going forward, if they [the Trump Administration] were willing to do this against the wishes of local law enforcement, I don't know that it will be constrained to just California," Goldbeck argues. Goldbeck also highlights the moral injury that some of these officials participating in the Presidents agenda may experience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many people in uniform are children of immigrants or immigrants themselves, she says, noting that the Presidents order regarding the deployment of the National Guard did not specifically mention Los Angeles or California. That should frighten people, regardless of if they're Californians or not. Former leaders in the military have also spoken out against Trump's actionsarguing that it speaks to the Presidents priorities of federal versus state power. The former acting vice chief of a National Guard bureau, Major General Randy Manner, told Fox News that he was specifically concerned about Trumps choice to deploy the Guard against the wishes of Gov. Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. The Governor has the authority and ability to respond to the civil disturbances with law enforcement capabilities within his state, augmented as necessary by requesting law enforcement assistance from other governors, Manner said. While this is presently a legal order, it tramples the Governors rights and obligations to protect his people. This is an inappropriate use of the National Guard and is not warranted. Read More: Federal Judge to Hear Californias Case Against Trumps Deployment of Troops to Los Angeles Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vietnam veteran Danny Jackson has protested with several of his peers outside of the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base to object and protest against the use of military personnel against the citizens of this country. We were also there to educate and let the troops that might be going up to L.A. know that they do have the rightand responsibilityto refuse any order that would take deadly force against the citizens of this country, Jackson said in a video posted on Instagram. I'm a Vietnam veteran. I understand what politics can do to warriors, can do to citizens We're returning to a country that's divided right now. Josh Fryday, a U.S. Navy veteran who is running for Lieutenant Governor of California, has also spoken out, saying he is disgusted by the way the military is being used in L.A. Our military plays such a crucial role in protecting us all and keeping us all safe, Fryday said via social media. It's why I joined, it's why I wore the uniform. It's why I respect our men and women to wear the uniform today, and it's also why I'm so outraged by what Trump is doing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Trump has doubled down on his decision to bypass Gov. Newsom and deploy troops in L.A. If our troops didnt go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now, just like so much of their housing burned to the ground, Trump said via Truth Social on Wednesday. The great people of Los Angeles are very lucky that I made the decision to go in and help. Contact us at letters@time.com. DES MOINES, Iowa A Des Moines man who was critically injured in an apartment fire on Tuesday morning has died. Just after 6 a.m. the Des Moines Police Department and Fire Department responded to an apartment fire in the 3700 block of 57th Street in the Merle Hay Neighborhood. Iowa HHS confirms third case of measles in 2025 When firefighters arrived at the scene they found an adult male, identified as 63-year-old William Melroy, inside his unit fighting the fire, the DMPD said. Melroy was injured and transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. He was later airlifted to the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Centers Burn Unit. On Wednesday afternoon, the DMPD announced that Melroy succumbed to his injuries overnight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the DMPD, evidence collected in the investigation so far does not suggest the fire was intentionally started. Metro 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 who13.com. Views of the U.S. and confidence in its leader to handle world affairs have taken a dive in more than a dozen countries over the last year, according to a poll from the Pew Research Center released Wednesday and conducted over the first few months of President Donald Trump's second term. These declines are most pronounced among residents in neighboring Mexico and Canada, which have been at the center of high-profile spats with the administration, as well as a handful of NATO countries (like Sweden, Poland and the Netherlands) amid Russia's war with Ukraine. Public sentiment about the U.S. has gone up in a few countries over the last year, most notably in Israel. But most of the two-dozen countries surveyed saw public opinion about the U.S. dip as Trump began his second term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Overall, the poll shows an international community full of increased skepticism of Trump and his "America First" foreign policies, from his administration's antagonistic relationship with traditional close allies to its focus on tariffs to its friendly posture toward right-wing, populist movements that have been amassing more power in Europe. Yet while the results in many countries are negative, Trump's marks are broadly higher this year in these nations than they were during the beginning of his first term eight years ago. Fifteen countries have seen significant drops in their opinion of America over the last year. In Mexico, 61% of respondents had a favorable opinion of the U.S. in 2024, but just 29% feel that way this year. In Sweden, which joined NATO in 2024 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine two years prior, a 47% favorable rating of the U.S. last year plummeted to just 19% this year, with 79% of Swedish respondents viewing America unfavorably. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And in Canada, a 54% favorability mark in 2024 dropped 20 points in 2025, to 34%, amid Trump's repeated threats to make the country America's newest state. On the other end of the spectrum, the share of people in Turkey, Nigeria and Israel who rated the U.S. favorably increased significantly over the last year. Pew polled 28,333 adults across 24 countries mostly over the phone or in person (Australia was the only country where people were polled online). The survey was in the field for various times across different countries from Jan. 8 to April 26. Polling in every country except Indonesia began after Trumps inauguration, but it was either concluded or close to done by Trumps April 2 announcement of sweeping international tariffs. When it comes to Trump specifically, a majority of respondents in five countries of the 24 surveyed said they have a lot or some confidence in the president to do the right thing when it comes to world affairs: Hungary, India, Israel, Nigeria and Kenya. Majorities in nine of the 10 European countries tested have either not too much or no confidence in Trump at all, with at least three-quarters of respondents saying so in the Netherlands, France, Spain, Germany and Sweden. French President Emmanuel Macron meets with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Feb. 24. (Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post via Getty Images) Men, younger people and those who view their country's right-wing populist parties favorably are more likely to have more confidence in Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, 51% of Japanese people ages 18 to 34 have confidence in Trump, according to the poll, while 31% of Japanese people 50 years or older say the same. In the United Kingdom, 45% of men say they have confidence in Trump, compared with 28% of women. Respondents across 13 nations registered a double-digit decline in confidence in the U.S. president on world affairs from 2024 to 2025. While 63% in both Sweden and Germany had confidence in then-President Joe Biden last year, just 15% and 18%, respectively, said they have confidence in Trump. The survey also tested how well respondents felt several different personal characteristics described Trump. At least 60% of adults across 21 of the 24 countries surveyed said the word "arrogant" described Trump well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Majorities in 20 countries said he's "a strong leader," while majorities in 21 countries called him "dangerous." Majorities in three countries (Nigeria, India and Kenya) said Trump was "honest," and majorities in five countries (Greece, Japan, Indonesia, Hungary and Kenya) called him "diplomatic." Trump smiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, on May 15. (Alex Brandon / AP) Compared with his first term, the share of people across most of the surveyed countries who see Trump as a strong leader and qualified has increased. There has also been a dramatic increase in the share of adults who believe America's president is "dangerous" in countries where Pew also tested Bidens first year in office. On confidence in Trump to tackle global economic problems, Trump is underwater in every European country surveyed, though Hungarians are effectively split. The survey was mostly conducted before Trump announced global tariffs on April 2. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Mexico, where the survey was conducted following weeks of changing tariff policies on the country, 83% lack confidence in Trumps economic policies. In Canada, which has faced similar targeting from Trump, 74% lack confidence, and 57% said they have no confidence at all. Majorities in three countries Kenya (56%) and Nigeria and Israel (62% each) have confidence in Trump to handle "the conflict between Israel and its neighbors." His numbers among the countries tested are the lowest in Turkey, where 7% are confident in his handling of the issue. Though a majority of Israelis expressed confidence in Trumps ability to handle the ongoing war, the poll found that confidence in Trump among right-wing Israelis is nearly four times higher, at 83%, compared with the 21% of left-wing Israelis who have confidence in Trump on the issue. Adults in most other countries said they were not confident in Trump's ability to handle the conflict. On Trumps handling of the Russia-Ukraine war, majorities in nearly all of the European countries surveyed, with the exception of Greece and Hungary, expressed little or no confidence in Trump. (Adults in Greece were split, and a narrow majority of Hungarians had at least some confidence in Trump to handle that conflict.) In France, Germany, Spain and Sweden, about three-quarters of adults said they had little or no confidence in Trump to handle the war. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Police in Virginia are working to confirm if a body found in a pond belongs to a missing Morehouse College student. Kyle Coleman disappeared June 7 in Fairfax County, Virginia. Family told Channel 2s ABC affiliate WJLA that the 19-year-old just finished his freshman year at Morehouse. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Police later found his car crashed and still running without him inside it, WJLA reported. Police said at the time that Coleman may have had a medical episode before the crash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, police found a body in a nearby pond but have not confirmed if it was Colemans. Meanwhile, family and friends held a vigil Tuesday night for Coleman at his old high school. His spirit was one of warmth ... He was a phenomenal young man and was just a joy, said family friend Alene Devereaux. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] ARLINGTON, Va. (DC News Now) The military parade to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army is set for Saturday, June 14, and while the parade route, itself, is in D.C., road closures are not limited to the District. The Pentagons North Parking Lot is serving as a staging area, with military vehicles set to leave there and head into the city via Memorial Bridge. Becasuse of the event, road closures in Arlington begin Wednesday, June 11. How to take Metro to get to the Army parade, festival Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The right lane of Route 27/Washington Boulevard will close in both directions between US-50 and Pentagon North Parking at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. All lanes of Route 27/Washington Boulevard will be closed from 6 p.m. on Friday, June 13 through Saturday, June 14 at 10 p.m. George Washington Memorial Parkway will be closed US-50 and I-395 from Friday, June 13 at 6 p.m. through Sunday, June 15 at 6 a.m. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) said the military parade would affect a number of its Metrobus routes on the Virginia side of the Potomac River as well as in D.C. Buses on those routes will be detoured. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. I know Gavin Newsom. I actually happen to like him as a person. The reality is hes not gonna like what I have to say on this, which is that his behavior is starting to resemble that of another Democratic governor from U.S. history by the name of George Wallace, who was the governor of Alabama, who famously stood in the way of federal desegregation, and in 1963, President John F. Kennedy had to deploy the National Guard of Alabama just like President Trump is doing today. And I know thats counterintuitive to some people, but the parallels are actually pretty striking if you think about it. Democrat governors. When you look at George Wallace, he resisted desegregation. Gavin Newsom is resisting deportations. George Wallace wanted segregated cities, Gavin Newsom wants sanctuary cities. George Wallace stood in the school door, blocking the way. Gavin Newsom is blocking the ICE vans. Its the same Democrat governor playbook. You dodge the feds, you rally the radicals, and most importantly of all, you do it in front of the cameras, because what they were both doing is really carving their Democratic primary path for their presidential ambitions. And Jesse, you can mark my words on this one, Gavin Newsoms presidential ambitions are gonna end in the same place that George Wallaces did: in the dustbins of history where it belongs. Thats just the truth. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on June 11 that he did not sign a joint declaration of the Ukraine-Southeastern Europe summit in Odesa so as not to "betray Russia." The declaration, signed by all the other participants, denounced Russia's illegal aggression, called for a full withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine, and reaffirmed support for Ukraine's territorial integrity. Speaking at the summit, which marked the Moscow-friendly leader's first official visit to Ukraine, Vucic said Serbia wants to go beyond political declarations and provide practical assistance to Kyiv. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I would like to take one or two cities or regions that we could rebuild. I think that would be very clear and noticeable to the Ukrainian people," Vucic said. "We are ready to listen to you and see how we can help you." Vucic also reaffirmed Serbia's commitment to international law and the U.N. Charter, saying that this includes supporting the territorial integrity of states a message the president described as important for Kyiv. "Ukraine can always count on Serbia's humanitarian and political support for its territorial integrity," he said. "We could be supportive in efforts to achieve a ceasefire." The visit marked a significant moment in the Serbian leader's efforts to maintain a neutral stance in Russia's war against Ukraine while also advancing Serbia's EU accession aspirations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vucic was one of the few European leaders to attend Russia's Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9 a move that drew criticism from EU officials. Tensions between Belgrade and Moscow have risen in recent weeks after Russia's intelligence services accused Serbian defense firms on May 29 of indirectly supplying weapons to Ukraine. Vucic has denied those claims. Read also: Zelensky urges stronger EU sanctions on Russia, lower oil price cap Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. WALKER COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) The embattled sheriff of Walker County is countering prosecutors claims on the penalty of the crimes he is charged with, alleging they were purposefully misstated to sway the upcoming election next year. On Monday, Sheriff Nick Smith was indicted on charges related to hiring six men as deputies who werent certified by the Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission. Likewise, Chief Deputy Ralph Williams was charged with lying to the APOSTC about firing a deputy who was still on the force. Specifically, Smith is charged with six counts of violating article of standards for employing law enforcement officers. According to the Code of Alabama, the charge is a misdemeanor subject to fines of no more than $1,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a press conference announcing the charges against Smith, however, District Attorney Bill Adair claimed the charges could result in up to three months in jail and a $500 fine on each charge. That it is the belief of Sheriff Smith that the District Attorney has purposely misstated/overstated the penalty for the charges against the Sheriff for the express purpose of negatively influencing potential voters in the upcoming election, wrote Thomas Carmichael, Smiths attorney. Following the indictment, which he called lawfare and a political arrest, Smith accused Adair of going after him to help J.C. Poe, chief of the Jasper Police Department who is running against him in an election to be held November 3, 2026. Responding to Smiths accusations, Adair said the sheriff was living in an alternate reality. Carmichael has requested that the penalty for the charges against Smith be certified to reflect no jail time and no more than a $1,000 fine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case 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 CBS 42. WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) A Warren man was arraigned on charges stemming from a December crash that sent an 18-year-old woman to the hospital with injuries. Dennis Currey Jr., 23, is charged with OVI and aggravated vehicular assault. According to a report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Currey was driving a 2009 Nissan Altima that crashed into the back end of a 2010 Honda Civic, driven by an 18-year-old woman from Southington. The report states that both vehicles were traveling northbound on state Route 11 in Liberty Township on Dec. 26 when the crash occurred. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The force of the crash pushed the Civic into the median, and the driver was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center with what was reported as suspected serious injuries. The Highway Patrols report states that Curreys blood-alcohol content was .161, double the legal driving limit of .08. A Trumbull County grand jury returned an indictment in the case last month. Currey pleaded not guilty to the charges in Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas on Wednesday, and bond was set at $5,000. Currey is scheduled to appear in court again on July 30. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard) Just weeks after signing a budget that relied on spending cuts and new taxes to balance, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson is telling state agencies to tighten their fiscal belts even more. The warning from the Democratic governor comes amid an increasingly gloomy budget outlook and underscores that the states financial difficulties are not over. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We will very likely continue to face a challenging state budget environment in the coming year and anticipate increasing caseloads and ongoing uncertainty in the economy and federal funding, reads a June 4 memo from Fergusons budget director to agency leaders and presidents of higher education institutions. The letter penned by K.D. Chapman-See, director of the Office of Financial Management, precedes departments and colleges submitting funding requests that they hope Ferguson will support heading into next year. Those submissions are due by Sept. 15. Ferguson will release his proposed spending plans in December and the Legislature will consider them in the 2026 session. The letter says requests should only be for critical and emergent costs that cannot be covered within their existing budgets. It urges them to look for additional options for efficiencies, reform, administrative savings, or reductions in non-essential services and programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tone of Chapman-Sees memo echoes a directive issued a year ago by her predecessor in which agency directors were told to focus on maintaining current programs, while not seeking money for new ones or expansions. Five months later came the November memo that, for the first time, identified a projected budget shortfall between $10 billion and $12 billion over the next four years. Once Ferguson settled into office, he started saying the chasm had widened to $16 billion. Democrats used their majorities in the House and Senate to pass a two-year $78 billion budget that was balanced with spending cuts and billions of dollars in new and higher taxes. The tax package Democrats assembled totals around $9.4 billion over four years to fully cover the gap. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ferguson, whose vetoes left the state with a little less savings, warned the fiscal situation could worsen when the next forecast of state tax collections is released on June 24. On Tuesday, Washington chief economist David Reich offered a sense of what to expect when he delivered his quarterly review of the economy to the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, a bipartisan panel of state lawmakers and agency executives, including Chapman-See. It didnt sound good. Tax collections are coming in lower than predicted in March. Uncertainty surrounding tariffs, trade and federal policies are having a chilling effect on exports, consumer spending, and general activity across many sectors. While there was an uptick in sales of new vehicles, Reich said, it might have been folks rushing to beat new or higher tariffs. Sales of expensive properties generated a few more dollars than anticipated, he said. But new housing starts are behind March projections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prior to his presentation, the council adopted a new four-year outlook showing Washington will have less money on hand at the end of the next budget cycle than previously estimated. The state will have an ending balance of $80 million in its main operating account at the end of the 2025-27 biennium, down from the $225 million penciled in before lawmakers approved the budget in April. Projections show the operating account will be in the red to the tune of $56 million in the 2028 fiscal year before rebounding to a positive sum by July 1, 2029. Washington isnt in any immediate budget danger and has more than $2 billion in emergency reserves. Still, Chapman-See said the financial situation is why agencies are being pressed to further reduce spending. And, she said, it is anticipated that travel, hiring and contracting freezes imposed this fall will remain in place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic budget writers from the House and Senate who serve on the council said theres nothing for lawmakers to do, yet. Im not sure what we can do before January, said Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, the lead budget writer in the Senate. There are a lot of pieces of information that will be collected and considered, including what the federal government might do between now and then. MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (WTNH) Cities and towns in Connecticut can now apply to put up speed cameras. Two communities have already done so, and one town has collected a pile of money so far. Middletown Police installing speed cameras on 2 streets A speed camera just went live Monday in Middletown. Its an automated camera that watches you now, and two other spots will have cameras capturing people by Sept. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Middletown Police Chief Erik Costa said speeders should pump the brakes, or be ready to part with some cash, soon. On the eastbound and westbound lanes of Washington Street, a camera snaps your plate. Luckily theres a grace period, for now. We have 30 days of a warning period where people who violate are issued a warning, Costa said. Middletown is the second spot in the state to use these cameras. I think its OK, said Priscilla Meyer of Middletown. People speed by my house around a curve dangerously. Legislation was approved in order to allow this. The Department of Transportation has to sign off on any city and town that wants cameras. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first offense in Middletown is $50, plus a $15 admin fee. In Washington, Connecticut, theyve had the speed cameras just a little while, the first place in the state to have them. In just two-weeks, the town has collected $21,000. Its virtually every road in town, Washington First Selectman Jim Brinton (R) said. The number of call volume we get is people speeding, and what can be done about it, so its really a game changer for us. Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim told News 8 that the cameras are a good idea, saying it takes the guesswork out of who gets a ticket and who doesnt. The second offense will cost $75, plus that admin fee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch the full story 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 WTNH.com. The Washington Post has its new opinion editor, the publication announced Wednesday, as owner Jeff Bezos revamps the opinions section. Bezos in February announced the Post would be doing away with its traditional broad opinion programming in favor of a section focused on pro-personal liberties and free markets editorials. The role of a news publication in setting the stakes for public discourse had changed, he said. There was a time when a newspaper, especially one that was a local monopoly, might have seen it as a service to bring to the readers doorstep every morning a broad-based opinion section that sought to cover all views, Bezos wrote in a note to staff. Today, the internet does that job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adam ONeal, Washington correspondent at The Economist and the former executive editor of The Dispatch, will helm the revamped section, and introduced himself in a video on X on Wednesday. In his message, ONeal doubled down on his new bosss goals. Our philosophy will be rooted in fundamental optimism about the future of this country, he said. What we won't be are people who lecture you about ideology or demand you think certain ways about policy. Newspaper staff have stressed that Bezos has not sought to change the papers news coverage. But it isnt the first time the famed publications owner has influenced its opinion coverage. Last October, Bezos halted the Posts practice of endorsing presidential candidates, spiking the editorial boards plans to endorse former Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the general election. That move triggered backlash from many of the papers opinion writers and its former top editor, Marty Baron. Several members of the editorial board stepped down in protest. The Posts readership revolted, too. Some 250,000 people reportedly canceled their subscriptions. ALMA, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) Chasing Fireflies: A Morgan Nick Special featured interviews with those connected to Morgan Nick, her family and her missing persons case. See more from each person in our special below. Colleen Nick, mother of Morgan Nick Since her disappearance in 1995, Colleen Nick continues to search for her daughter and advocate for other missing children across the state. Watch our extended interview where she recalls the night Morgan disappeared. Taryn Hicks, sister of Morgan Nick Taryn Hicks was only 22 months old when her sister, Morgan, went missing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch her emotional interview here. Morgan Nick Foundation The Morgan Nick Foundation works to advocate for missing children and their families. Watch our interview about its work. Chief Jeff Pointer, Alma Police Department Chief of Police for the Alma Police Department, Jeff Pointer, weighs in on his involvement with the Morgan Nick case since he joined the department in 1998 as a dispatcher. Watch his extended interview below. Detective Shawn Taylor, Alma Police Department Detective for the Alma Police Department, Shawn Taylor, talks about the Morgan Nick case and the forensics process. Watch his extended interview here. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin talks about the impact that the Morgan Nick case has had on cold cases in the state of Arkansas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch his extended interview below. Arkansas State Police The Criminal Investigation Division for the Arkansas State Police shares more on the process for investigating cold cases in the state. Watch Major Stacie Roads full interview here. 46th Governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson Arkansas 46th Governor Asa Hutchinson recalls his memories of the Morgan Nick case and how his office handled cold cases during his time as governor. Watch this extended interview below. 44th Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee Mike Huckabee served as Arkansas Lt. Govenor when Morgan Nick went missing in 1995. He later became the 44th Governor of Arkansas. Watch him recount his experience from that time below. Forensic Artist, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Christi Andrews works as a forensic artist for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. She has drawn multiple photos of what investigators believe Morgan Nick would look like today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch her explain the process for creating these images here. Retired Chief Russell White, Alma Police Department Former Chief of Police for the Alma Police Department, Russell White, retells his experience when he first learned of Morgan Nicks disappearance. Watch his extended interview below. Arkansas State Rep. for 48th District Ryan Rose Arkansas State Rep. Ryan Rose talks about his involvement with legislation to support families of missing children. Hear more about Colleen Nicks involvement in the legislative process below. Former Detective Kevin Johnson, Van Buren Police Department Former Detective Kevin Johnson for the Van Buren Police Department once arrested Billy Jack Lincks before Morgan Nicks disappearance. Hear him recount stories of various run-ins with Lincks. Morgan Nicks former teachers Tiffine Shaffer and Jerri Emrick both teach at Ozark Elementary School. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emrick was Morgans Kindergarten teacher, while Shaffer taught Nick in 1st grade. Both teachers recall their time with Morgan in the classroom. Bill Gossage, Morgan Nick Foundation board member Bill Gossages son was Morgan Nicks friend and reading partner in the 1st Grade at Ozark Elementary School. He later became friends with Colleen Nick and now serves on the board of the Morgan Nick Foundation. Watch our extended interview with him below. Attendees of the 2025 Morgan Nick 5K Run The annual Morgan Nick 5K race benefits the Morgan Nick Foundation and works to bring more awareness to missing children in Arkansas. We interviewed many attendees of the 2025 to find out their connection to the cause. Family friends of Morgan Nicks family Those who know Colleen Nick personally are sharing their experiences with assisting the Morgan Nick Foundation. Chasing Fireflies: A Morgan Nick Special is free to stream on 479 First. Download on Roku, Apple TV and Fire TV. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy pushed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for more details on the deal with Qatar for the plane that may cost up to $1 billion to retrofit to meet the standards of transporting President Trump. The exchange occurred during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing to discuss the Department of Defense's 2026 budget. Credit: TikTok Rioters livestreamed themselves burning down a house on TikTok during a second night of racially motivated disorder in Northern Ireland. Violence first erupted in Ballymena, County Antrim on Monday after two 14-year-old boys, thought to be Romanian, were charged with the attempted rape of a young girl. The violence continued on Tuesday night, with rioters attacking police with petrol bombs, masonry and fireworks, as well as targeting properties they believed belonged to foreigners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video footage obtained by The Telegraph shows a group of balaclava-clad men laughing in front of a house on Queen Street that had been set alight after being broken into. The person filming asks for likes, follows and gifts while livestreaming on TikTok before someone is heard to say they will smash a window for a gift. At one point, the person streaming the incident says rack them gifts up, boys and Ive got 2.6k views lad. TikTok gifts can be converted into cash and are a way of allowing users to monetise their video content. Projectiles were thrown and fires started as unrest continued following a peaceful protest by the local community against an alleged sex attack - Charles McQuillan/Getty Images Police took cover as they came under attack - Alan Lewis Belfast/SplashNews.com In the footage, dozens of masked men are seen standing in front of the burning house as others break down wooden pallets and add them to the fire raging in the doorway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the fire continues to grow, someone says, this doesnt seem real, before rioters kick down the door of the neighbouring house and can be heard shouting for anyone inside to come out. When no one emerges, someone says: Theyre probably P----, thats why theyre f---ing away running upstairs. They then enter the house to search for anyone who might be hiding inside before retreating to the street after apparently finding it empty. Credit: Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph Police officers came under sustained attack from multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks over a number of hours. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A water cannon and rubber bullets were used against the rioters to contain the serious disorder, which was condemned as racist thuggery by police. A spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: During the course of the serious disorder in Ballymena, authorised officers discharged a number of Attenuating Energy Projectiles and the water cannon was also deployed in an attempt to disperse the crowds. Businesses and homes were attacked and damaged, and a number of vehicles were also set on fire in the area. A man stood casually by on his phone next ton a car that had been set alight - PAUL FAITH In total, 33 officers have been injured in the violence, with some requiring hospital treatment. The force said five people had been arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour and remain in police custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One man was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour on ONeill Road in Newtownabbey. Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer told MPs: I utterly condemn the violence that we have seen overnight in Ballymena and in other parts of Northern Ireland. Jon Boutcher, the Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable, said the mindless violence was deeply concerning and unacceptable. These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process led by the PSNI in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice and protection, he said. Ironically, and frustratingly, this violence threatens to derail the very pursuit of justice it claims to challenge. People watch a fire burn between two police vans on Tuesday night on Clonavon Terrace... - Niall Carson/PA Wire ... before the clean-up began on Wednesday morning - Stephen Davison/Pacemaker Press The Police Federation for Northern Ireland said its officers were working in conditions that were downright dangerous. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Liam Kelly, the chairman, said officers cannot continue to be exposed to unnecessary risk or extended frontline duties. He said attacks on innocent people and police officers are reprehensible. He added: There should be no place in this society for violent thugs and racists to blatantly disregard the rule of law, intimidate and terrorise people out of their homes and criminally attack both persons and property. I would directly appeal to the right-minded public to condemn these actions and provide PSNI with the information that will assist in identifying the perpetrators so they can rightly be put before the courts. 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. (WSPA) President Trump is scheduled to speak today at Fort Bragg to commemorate the Armys 250th anniversary. You can watch the presidents remarks live 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 WSPA 7NEWS. WALLINGFORD, Conn. (WTNH) A water main break caused delays in a section of North Colony Road in Wallingford Tuesday evening into Wednesday, according to police. As of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, police said crews continue to work in the area, but the road is back to normal operations. Route 8 on-ramps in Derby, Shelton closed due to emergency bridge work Police said around 5:30 p.m., they began getting calls about the road starting to buckle on North Colony Road near Walmart. Authorities at the scene found that the area was buckled from a water main break, which caused the southbound lane to be impassable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities are encouraging commuters to avoid the area, as traffic flow has been significantly impacted. The Connecticut Department of Transportation and Wallingford Water Division remain on scene. This is a developing story. Check back 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 WTNH.com. The Wauwatosa School Board's president has denied a community group's request to hold hearings to fire the district's superintendent. The 2030 Tosa Task Force sent a letter May 31 to the Wauwatosa School Board asking the board to initiate proceedings to fire district Superintendent Demond Means, alleging "substantial, independently verified evidence of leadership failure, governance breakdown, and demonstrable harm to the Districts climate, institutional integrity, and public trust." The group asked for the termination proceedings to be placed on the board's June 9 agenda, review information provided in the letter and vote to initiate termination proceedings. The group said issues include, but are not limited to, a letter from Means responding to a parent's concern about McKinley Elementary School's leadership that the group says dismissed findings of an independent investigation. The group also said Means asserted that the school's principal will remain "despite substantiated evidence of staff distress and (the principal's) misconduct." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group is "a nonpartisan, independent community initiative dedicated to restoring trust, transparency, and accountability in Wauwatosas public schools," according to its website. One of the 2030 Tosa Task Force members, parent Troy Woodard, said the organization started as a group of concerned parents and volunteers. "As we got to know each other and dig into some of the common issues in our community, we started to see some commonalities that were happening within multiple areas within our community, particularly around (the) Wauwatosa School District's poor leadership and lack of transparency and the lack of forward planning," Woodard said. In a statement June 9, Wauwatosa School Board President Lynn Woehrle said she did not intend to put the group's request to fire Means on the board's agenda, saying there are no grounds for doing so. She said the board is satisfied with Means' management of the district based on his last evaluation and his work with the district this spring. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We appreciate that Dr. Means has carried out his duties appropriately and in a collaborative manner with the Board," Woehrle said in her statement. The full board is expected to review the process for the superintendent's annual evaluation at the board's June 23 meeting, Woehrle said. The board did not discuss the group's request June 9, as it was not on the agenda. Means did not respond to a reporter's phone call or email message requesting comment. In an email to a reporter, Wauwatosa School District director of strategic communications Jessie Tuttle referred a reporter to Woehrle's statement and said the district had no additional comment. 2030 Task Force shares concerns with DPI, governor In a June 6 news release the group said it had sent a formal complaint May 23 to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The complaint included the McKinley investigative report that the group says "confirmed a toxic climate for staff and students," a letter from Means the group claims shows Means "rejecting accountability" and the group's report that ranked the district "among the lowest districts nationally for transparency and board responsiveness." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DPI communications officer Chris Bucher said in an email that he was not aware of the group's complaint. The group also sent a letter June 5 to Gov. Tony Evers about its concerns. It asked Evers to let the DPI complete its findings before taking a stance on the issue, acknowledge DPI's role in oversight and termination proceedings in Wauwatosa and support the department in any remedial actions it may take in Wauwatosa. Evers' spokesperson Britt Cudaback did not immediately respond to a reporter's phone and email messages seeking comment about the group's letter. What was the public's feedback on the issue? Several people who spoke at the board's June 9 meeting supported the group's request to fire Means. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Woodard was among those who spoke. He said there is a pattern of poor leadership, a lack of transparency and a dismissive attitude toward community input. He said Means is not meeting leadership standards that "the community expects and deserves." He also said the board should discuss the superintendent's contract openly. "So I ask you directly: what are you going to do about it? Will you protect this system or will you stand up for the community that elected you? Because the time for vague reassurances has passed. We need action, and we need it now," Woodard said. Nikki Etter, a parent and advocate for the group Save Our Schools Wauwatosa, spoke in support of Means. She said she has been disappointed by an increase in negative rhetoric and disinformation targeting the district. "I strongly support community involvement, but there's a difference between constructive engagement and bullying educators you don't agree with," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at@AlecJohnson12. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tosa School Board president rejects request to fire superintendent Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has been celebrating her third general election win after beating Labour by 376 to 229 seats. The victory makes her the first prime minister for more than 160 years to win three successive terms of office. Mrs Thatcher said she was raring to go back to work, while defeated Labour leader Neil Kinnock vowed to fight on and on to secure victory at the next election. The SDP Liberal Alliance again failed to become the second largest party and break the mould of British politics, and questions are now being asked about its future viability. Basking in her achievement on the steps of Conservative Party headquarters, Mrs Thatcher said: It is wonderful to be entrusted with the government of this great country once again. The greater the trust, the greater the duty upon us to be worthy of that trust, and we will indeed endeavour to serve the people of these islands in the future as we have in the past. The new government is expected to take measures to privatise water and electricity industries and airport authorities. Local rates are to be replaced by a community charge, or poll tax. Mr Kinnock, who was widely believed to have led the better campaign, said the election result would lead to an even greater abyss of division than that which we witnessed previously. Insisting that Labour party morale was still high, he said: Any feeling that we have of depression is outweighed by the feeling of enormous concern about what the consequences of the re-election of a Conservative government will mean. David Steel, speaking of the Alliances poor performance, said: It is a setback, its a disappointment, and I dont disguise that. But to write it off as a disaster would be very foolish. Courtesy BBC News In context Although the Tories won by a landslide, they would preside over a politically divided nation. The partys domination of the south east contrasted with its failure in the north, in Wales, and particularly in Scotland, where its number of MPs was reduced to a new low of 10. The election saw black candidates elected to the Commons for the first time in modern history. Among those who failed to secure re-election were Enoch Powell, famously accused of stirring up racial hatred with his rivers of blood speech on immigration in 1968, and Roy Jenkins, founding member of the SDP. Waymo is hiring a "community and public affairs specialist" at the same time that the company's self-driving vehicles were becoming unwitting participants in Los Angeles' anti-immigration raid protests. After rabblerousers set fire to a bunch of Waymo's driverless cabs, the company suspended service in the city of Angels and San Francisco, where satellite solidarity protests also broke out. While it was all going down, the public affairs specialist listing was live, like a cautionary tale for the challenges of the role. "Our focus is implementing advocacy, grassroots, and grasstops campaigns to drive acceptance and adoption of our life-saving technology," reads the listing. "We work directly with key third party groups and influencers to educate the public on the safety benefits of Waymo's fully autonomous driving technology." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With compensation ranging from $125,000 to $175,000 per year, the Google-owned robotaxi service is seeking someone who can "develop and sustain relationships with influential community organizations and (non-elected) leaders" as the company attempts to "build trust" and "maintain Waymo's ability to operate in Los Angeles County." Though there's ample allusion to "community" a word used a total of 10 times on the job listing Waymo was not explicit in the ad about why it's hiring for such a liaison at this precise moment. And to be fair, those outside of leftist circles in LA and online may also be a bit perplexed about why the company was targeted amid protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As tech journalist Taylor Lorenz noted on X over the weekend, it appears that activists zeroed in on Waymos as a symbol of state surveillance because, as 404 Media flagged earlier this year, the Los Angeles Police Department has used footage from the company for investigative purposes. "People view the cars as an extension of the police," Lorenz wrote, linking to the 404 piece. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because the more destructive aspects of the anti-ICE protests were seemingly decentralized and spontaneous, there's no way to know for sure whose idea it was to start torching Waymos. With that in mind, the company clearly wants to start doing the hard work of extricating its brand from that of the massively unpopular federal agency though issuing a statement in solidarity with the communities it's trying to court would probably make for a better start. Take note, applicants. Updated to clarify that the job listing was already up at the time of the attacks on Waymo vehicles. More on robotaxis: Elon Musk's "Robotaxis" Have a Dirty Secret ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) A woman from Lyons is facing charges after allegedly biting a deputy of the Wayne County Sheriffs Office. On Tuesday at 2 p.m., authorities said 45-year-old Terri Lagrand entered a Lyons school property after being told that if she did, she would be arrested. She had a notice of trespassing served on her that banned her from the properties. It was alleged that during the arrest, Lagrand bit a deputy, causing injury. She has been charged with second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal trespass, and resisting arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lagrand was released to the CAP court and will be arraigned Wednesday morning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ROCHESTER, NY (WROC) The haze persists with wildfire smoke continuing to blanket the region. The Air Quality Index will likely hover in the Moderate range for a few more days. The strong westerly winds will dissipate overnight as a weak front passes overnight into early Thursday which will get replaced by another bubble of high pressure out of Canada. That should mean another dry afternoon with temperatures back down to the lower 70s. 8-Day Forecast Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The forecast is a bit murky from here. There will be a warm front in the area, but the location is up in the air. It may brush by New York Friday night, bumping up rain chances that last into early Saturday. If it sets up too far south and west, then we get lucky and avoid the rain to start the weekend. Sunday is also in question as this boundary hangs closer to Pennsylvania. Any further north and its a soaker, but the cutoff may be right around the region. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Elon Musk on Wednesday conceded that some of his recent, sharp criticism of Donald Trump went too far, in an apparent effort to mend ties with the president after their nasty public feud. In a post on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Musk made his most overt offer yet to bury the hatchet. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week, Musk wrote. They went too far. I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025 Musk didnt clarify which posts he was referring to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About a week after he left his position at the White House, Musk condemned Trumps big, beautiful bill, urging Americans to kill the legislation and describing it as a disgusting abomination. In response, Trump threatened to revoke the government contracts Musks companies have secured, prompting the billionaire to turn his attacks up a notch. Time to drop the really big bomb, Musk wrote Thursday. [Trump] is in the [Jeffrey] Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. The White House had promised to release the full documents related to the disgraced financiers case, but what was ultimately put out was largely already known. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk also at one point seemed to call for the presidents impeachment another stunning development given his prominent role in Trumps 2024 presidential campaign. Musk appears to have since deleted both posts. Trump over the weekend told NBCs Kristen Welker he has no interest in repairing their relationship. But the president has appeared more open to rapprochement in the past couple of days. Asked if he plans to speak to Musk, Trump told reporters on Monday: I would imagine he wants to speak to me, I would think so. If I were him Id want to speak to me, he added. Even before Wednesdays explicit acknowledgement of his regret for some of his criticism of Trump, Musk had signaled he was ready for a truce. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO seemed to applaud Trumps response to the protests in Los Angeles, amplifying social media posts by the president and his allies about the immigration protests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The billionaire donated nearly $300 million to Trumps 2024 White House bid and served as a top surrogate on the campaign trail. Related... The Fulton County District Attorneys Office took Channel 2 Action News inside a bizarre murder conviction of two women who were once best friends. One of them flipped and killed the other. A Fulton County District Attorneys Office prosecutor told Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne that two women were so close that they called each other sisters. But now, one has been convicted of killing the other. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OKeisha Range, whose nickname was Mo, was so controlling of her roommate Shameria Mimi Fletcher that she attempted to isolate her from friends and family. Shameria was so fun. Shamira was loving. People called her Mimi. So, I used to go by Mimi for her. Loving, caring, giving, just goofy, smiling all the time. Down to Earth, loving girl, witness Antoinette Degree said. Prosecutors said it was like Range had a stranglehold on Fletchers life. But Range literally strangled Fletcher at the midtown condo where they lived. She beat her where she had contusions all over her body from her head to her feet. And then after that, she strangled her to death, Fulton County Chief Senior Assistant District Attorney Kassie Hall said. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hall said Range suggested she and the victim had been playfighting and Mo kicked Mimi, but that Mimi was alive and talking after that. But Hall said that doesnt explain the choking. According to my client, she did not have any issues with her going on a trip, defense attorney Anton Rowe said. Ms. Range does in fact continue to maintain her innocence of all charges and allegations. Hall said Range frequently feigned illness to manipulate Fletcher, and in two Atlanta police interviews, Range acted as if she was having seizures. But the prosecution used that against her, playing excerpts at Ranges recent trial, which culminated in a conviction for murder and a life without parole sentence. She still maintains that shes never faked any type of seizures, Rowe said. She did in fact have real illnesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Antoinette Degree told Winne that she had roomed with both women for about 10 months and testified for the prosecution. When we were roommates together, they seemed to have a great relationship, Degree said. I wanted justice for Mimi, because during the time that I was in her space, I didnt feel like she was being treated fair in the friendship. Was OKeisha controlling? Winne asked Degree. Very controlling, Degree said. Hall said for years while Range roomed with Fletcher, Range mooched off Fletcher, whose personality sparkled so much she had been elected president of the Eta Mu Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Georgia State. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OKeisha Range didnt buy herself food, she didnt pay any rent, she didnt have a source of income, Hall said. Being a freeloader does not equal a murderer, Rowe said. Hall said, barring a successful appeal, the State of Georgia should be feeding and housing Range the rest of her earthly life. My client has directed me to file a motion for a new trial, which indicates that she will be appealing the case, Rowe said. We have someone that becomes literally obsessed with a friend, and when that friend started pulling back, the only way that they could control them was to take their life, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think when you see the signs multiple times, you have to leave, Hall said. Rowe said he does not believe Range was controlling to the extent Fletcher was isolated from family and friends. Degree said she witnessed Range behave in certain ways when Fletchers friends were around, and when it came to drawing attention to her illnesses, that led Degree to conclude Range was indeed controlling. A West Virginia prosecutors association said it needs to make it abundantly clear that it does not intend to recommend its members prosecute women in the state for how they handle their miscarriages. In a statement Monday, the West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Association said the group needed to set the record straight on those concerns, which began circulating in recent weeks after one of the states county prosecutors told media outlets hed heard rumblings about such charges from his counterparts in other counties. The West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Association wishes to clarify that recent public statements made regarding this subject do not reflect the consensus, official position or legal interpretation of the association, its officers, board members or members of its Legislative Committee, the statement said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The organizations president, Luke Furbee, in an interview Monday clarified that this was the view of the groups leadership. But county prosecutors in West Virginia are elected by voters and presumably could act on their own to decide charges. Late last month, Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Truman told WVNS 59News that a number of the states prosecuting attorneys had told him they were open to charging women who miscarry and dispose of their own fetal remains such as by flushing or burying them. The charges would be filed under a state law related to the disposal of human remains, Truman said, noting he wouldnt be willing to proceed with such prosecution. While abortion is heavily restricted in West Virginia, state law says women cannot be criminally charged for their own abortions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The WVPAAs statement, which doesnt reference Truman directly, says such charges were never widely discussed among West Virginia prosecutors and that women do not need to protect themselves by calling 911 or other officials to report their miscarriages, as Truman suggested. The WVPAA wants to make abundantly clear that any assertion that individuals who experience the unfortunate event of a miscarriage in West Virginia should be notifying law enforcement or face potential criminal prosecution is incorrect and not supported by West Virginia law, the WVPAA said. WV Free, a reproductive rights group in the state, thanked the group for clearing up the confusion. Having a miscarriage is not criminal! WV Free executive director Margaret Chapman Pomponio said in a statement, praising the WVPAA for the crystal-clear statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Raleigh County government did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Truman or other officials about the WVPAAs response to his warning. When he spoke to local media late last month and later to CNN, Truman said his concerns were based on conversations hed had with his fellow prosecuting attorneys and shared specific details about what could be factored into charges. The kind of criminal jeopardy you face is going to depend on a lot of factors, Truman told WVNS 59News. What was your intent? What did you do? How late were you in your pregnancy? Were you trying to hide something, were you just so emotionally distraught you couldnt do anything else? These are real risks following the fall of Roe v. Wade, he told CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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, he said. It wouldnt be the first time a woman was criminally charged in connection with her miscarriage. In 2023, an Ohio woman was charged with abuse of a corpse after she flushed the fetal remains from her miscarriage at 21 weeks of pregnancy. And in April, a Georgia woman was arrested for allegedly throwing away fetal remains from her miscarriage. She spent two nights in jail before being released on bail. Related... A North Adams man found guilty of raping a 3-year-old child was sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison on Wednesday, Berkshire County District Attorney Timothy Shugrues office said. Austin Miller-Robinson, 29, was found guilty on June 4 of aggravated rape of a child with force and rape and abuse of a child aggravated by age difference. This is an important victory for the children and citizens of Berkshire County, Shugrue said in a statement from his office. I will always advocate for the strongest possible penalties under the law for anyone who harms our children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shugrue had previously requested the maximum sentence, according to a statement from his office. While the sentence is less than my request, and the criminal penalties are to be served concurrently, the 18-to-20-year sentence is substantial, Shugrue said in the statement. Today is a good day for the children in the Berkshires. When he was 23, Miller-Robinson assaulted the child on July 4, 2019, Shugrues office said previously. more news from Western Massachusetts Read the original article on MassLive. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) Several western Mass. cities and towns received grants from the Healey-Driscoll Administration to aid construction of municipal fiber networks and support cybersecurity. Mass. officials support local farms during National Dairy Month The administration announced on Tuesday that $7.7 million in grants will be distributed to 40 communities throughout the Commonwealth through the Community Compact Cabinets Municipal Fiber Grant Program. The program aims to connect municipality-owned facilities and help protect communities against cybersecurity threats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through these grants, were helping to ensure that cities and towns have the robust and secure technology they need to serve Massachusetts residents, Governor Healey said. Were proud to make these investments to improve the connectivity and efficiency of local governments across the state. Since the programs inception in 2022, over $33 million in municipal fiber grant funding has been awarded to communities in Massachusetts. The individual grant funds range from up to $250,000 to $500,000. The following western Mass. communities received funding through the program this year: Amherst: $160,837 Completing the installation of a fiber ring, creating a redundant path Northampton: $250,000 Expansion of the citys existing fiber optic infrastructure Springfield: $250,000 Expansion of the citys existing fiber optic infrastructure West Stockbridge: $55,699 Expansion of the towns existing fiber optic infrastructure 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. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. The prospect of small-scale businesses moving into what has long been a strictly residential area in Westmont Borough raises alarms for some homeowners, while others lean more toward the hope that it can revitalize vacant properties. Westmont Borough Council heard public comment Tuesday about its proposed commercial overlay for the area enclosed by the boundaries of Edgehill Drive, Lehigh Street, Stackhouse Park and Tioga Street the neighborhood commonly known as Old Westmont. The proposed amended zoning ordinance lists permitted uses by special exception: cafes, restaurants, professional offices, bed and breakfasts, and retail stores that are not damaging to the general character of the neighborhood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposal also requires that all proposed commercial projects be approved individually through the boroughs zoning hearing board. Council President Marc McCall took a poll of the 20 or more people present at the borough municipal building at 1000 Luzerne St. When the crowd was asked to raise their hand if they support the overlay, one person, Hannah Phenicie, of Bucknell Avenue, raised her hand high. My hope is to create businesses that improve Old Westmont, like a bakery or a play cafe for children, she said. My husband and I purchased a house at Bucknell for this purpose. We are restoring it. And I think we need to make changes that improve our neighborhood. This is the one chance we have to fix things. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 10 people raised their hands when McCall asked for a showing of who is against the overlay. Others didnt raise their hand for or against. Cindie Petersen said she was concerned that the neighborhood would lose green space because businesses will need parking. I dont see how putting in commercial buildings in Old Westmont is going to help the blight situation, she said. Complaints about property maintenance are routinely made to the council each month. Council members including Chris DelSignore stressed that the aim of the proposed overlay is to help eliminate that problem by preparing the ground for revitalization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If we dont change something, then nothing changes, DelSignore said. This is an an outside-of-the box measure to try to change whats going on, because property values over there (in Old Westmont) are only going to continue to go down if we dont do anything. Thats just the reality of it. Ed Dreikorn, of Luzerne Street, encouraged the council to consider expanding the overlay to Keller, McKeever, Drew and Bethel streets, which are technically outside Old Westmont but still belong to the borough and contain blighted properties. In the spirit of economic development, to include that area would incentivize current owners to sell and investors to buy up that property and put it into taxation, he said. Among the concerns shared by residents including Jim Patrick, of Dartmouth Avenue, was the possibility of out-of-town business owners snatching up properties and running them poorly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im concerned, but if you allow it, and it goes through, then I hope its done right, he said. The proposed overlay, along with recently adopted ordinances for fine-tuning rental housing governance and instituting fines for property maintenance violations, have all been undertaken by the council with the single aim of revitalizing Westmont, Councilman Chad Miller said. The purpose of this overlay is try to address the vacant houses and apartments and turn them into nice businesses and fix up Old Westmont, he said. This is to try to improve what everybodys complaint is about the houses and the properties by having entrepreneurs come in and fix them up, make them nicer and make Old Westmont nicer. The proposed overlay has been in development for the past year. With public comment received, and approval from the county and borough planning commissions, the proposal was ripe for the councils adoption Tuesday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, with two council members absent Tim McIlwain and Anthony Berkebile Councilman Don Hall made a motion to table the decision, and all other council members present agreed. Im not taking a side up or down on this. I just think all of council ought to be present, because this is obviously one where we need to be held accountable, whether we vote it up or down, Hall said. Either way, it ought to be the full council. Did President Trump send the U.S. military to Los Angeles earlier this week to safeguard the city from protesters? Or is this the start of something bigger an unprecedented push by the president to carry out mass deportations with the help of armed troops? New reporting about the militarys shifting duties in the city and a new lawsuit filed by the state of California against the Trump administration suggests the latter is very much a live possibility. According to the New York Times, armed National Guard troops mobilized by President Trump troops initially tasked with guarding federal buildings instead accompanied federal immigration enforcement officers on raids in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All but confirming the militarys expanding role, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) later posted two photos on X showing camouflaged soldiers holding rifles while ICE agents handcuffed suspects. Photos from todays ICE Los Angeles immigration enforcement operation. pic.twitter.com/fb1AGH0qcx U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) June 10, 2025 This Well Defend, added Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, repeating the motto of the U.S. Army while sharing one of ICE's images on X. In response, California requested an emergency order blocking the administrations use [of] unlawfully federalized National Guard troops and Marines to accompany federal immigration enforcement officers on raids throughout Los Angeles. The State became aware on June 9, 2025, that mobilized federalized California National Guard units would be providing support for counter-immigration operations and not only at federal buildings, the request read. These activities will include holding a secure perimeter in communities around areas where immigration enforcement activities would take place, and securing routes over public streets where immigration enforcement officers would travel, according to orders received by California National Guard units. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A federal judge has agreed to hold a hearing on the issue Thursday. If [the state is] correct, CNN political analyst Ron Brownstein wrote on X, this would both explain why Trump wants so many troops in LA when protests have been dwindling AND would constitute an enormous escalation in domestic use of military. Typically, federal law prohibits the president from deploying the armed forces to participate in domestic law enforcement operations unless he declares that an insurrection is underway. How did this all begin? Over the objections of state and local officials, Trump sent 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles Monday after a new round of ICE workplace raids sparked protests marred by sporadic violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another 2,000 National Guard members will mobilize Thursday; 700 U.S. Marines are expected to join them after completing civil disturbance training at a nearby naval station. Until last weekend, no U.S. president had federalized a state's National Guard without the cooperation of its governor since 1965, when Lyndon Johnson called on troops to protect civil rights advocates marching across Alabama. So far, Trump has framed his sudden surge of nearly 5,000 soldiers to the streets of Americas second largest city as a way to quell the protests even though lawbreaking was limited to a few blocks downtown and the Los Angeles Police Department insisted they had the situation under control. Los Angeles was under siege until we got there, and police were unable to handle it, the president claimed Tuesday. If we didnt send in the National Guard quickly, right now Los Angeles would be burning to the ground. This morning, its very calm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So does that mean mission accomplished? Not quite. The same day, the Pentagons acting comptroller told lawmakers that the Marines and the National Guard will actually be staying in Los Angeles for two months at an estimated cost of $134 million. The question now is why. When asked Tuesday if the military had been deployed to Los Angeles to help handle the protests, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell told CBS News "that's not our understanding. They have a different mission, McDonnell said. They're working in support of the federal agencies that are working with ICE on civil immigration enforcement and criminal immigration enforcement." Militarizing mass deportation Acknowledging the shift, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin insisted Tuesday that troops are merely protecting ICE agents from rioters as they continue operations to remove the worst of the worst from Los Angeles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If any rioters attack ICE law enforcement officers, military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain them until law enforcement makes the arrest, McLaughlin added. The violence against ICE law enforcement must end. Yet during a hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday, Hegseth seemed to hint that the latest events in L.A. are not just a reaction to resistance on the ground, but rather part of a larger strategy. I think were entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland, Hegseth said. Previous reporting supports Hegseths prediction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In November 2023, the New York Times revealed that Trump was planning, if reelected, to round up undocumented people already in the United States on a vast scale and detain them in sprawling camps while they wait to be expelled. To do so, the Times continued, Trump was prepared to redirect military funds and deploy federal agents, local police officers and National Guard soldiers to help ICE. We will begin the largest domestic deportation operation in American history, Trump promised in February. Two months later, Trump confirmed in an interview with Time magazine that he was plotting a massive deportation of people using local law enforcement and the National Guard and if they werent able to, he added, then Id use [other parts of] the military. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His inspiration, he said at the time, was the Eisenhower model a reference to President Dwight D. Eisenhowers 1954 campaign, known by the ethnic slur Operation Wetback, to round up and expel Mexican immigrants in what amounted to a nationwide show me your papers rule. The first step? Apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border which were already falling under former President Joe Biden have plummeted to their lowest level in decades since Trump took office. But that also means Trump is deporting people at a slower pace than Biden was; he simply has fewer easy, newly arrived targets for removal. Frustrated by ICEs failure to meet its lofty deportation quotas, top White House aide Stephen Miller the architect of Trumps immigration agenda held a testy meeting last month at agency headquarters, where he demanded that officers do what they needed to do to make more arrests including rounding up noncriminals in public places, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miller told agents they didnt need to develop target lists of immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally, a longstanding practice, the Journal reported. Instead, he directed them to target Home Depot, where day laborers typically gather for hire, or 7-Eleven convenience stores. Miller bet that he and a handful of agents could go out on the streets of Washington, D.C., and arrest 30 people right away. Last Friday, ICE agents appeared to follow Millers lead when they conducted an immigration sweep at a Home Depot in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Westlake one of the events that triggered L.A.s ongoing protests. If Trump continues to cast a wider deportation net, his efforts are likely to keep meeting with community resistance which he could then use to justify further military involvement. When you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armored caravans through our streets, youre not trying to keep anyone safe youre trying to cause fear and panic, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Wednesday. I posit that maybe we are part of a national experiment to determine how far the federal government can go in reaching in and taking over power from a governor, power from a local jurisdiction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For his part, Trump has declined to say when the National Guard and Marines will leave L.A. Theyll stay until there's no danger," the president told reporters Tuesday. Look, it's common sense. When there's no danger, they'll leave. The impending closure of 11 satellite casinos and three slot machine halls in Macau has alarmed local businesses, with the District Development Promotion Association warning of significant property depreciation, while the Industry and Commerce Federation urged small- and medium-sized enterprises to unite and collaborate with the government to revitalize the local economy. Confronting the reality of the satellite casino closures, Simon Sio, president of the District Development Promotion Association, anticipates a substantial short-term impact. He highlights two key effects: first, the properties associated with those venues are likely to experience a significant decline in valuation due to the loss of income support; second, property owners nearby who invested based on the presence of the satellite casinos will also be adversely affected. According to Sio, satellite venue operators and property owners are increasingly at risk of negative equity, particularly when their debt ratios are high. Bank loans typically require a 30% down payment; for instance, when purchasing a property valued at HKD1 million, the remaining HKD700,000 must be financed through a loan. If the property value declines to HKD500,000, the owner would need to pay an additional HKD150,000 to secure the banks loan. Before 2019, a 40% down payment combined with a 60% loan was considered a safe strategy. However, due to the sharp decline in property values in recent years, such owners must exercise caution in managing their debt to mitigate further financial risks. As operators and real estate investors, we are facing a serious problem, Sio remarked in an interview with the Times yesterday. He noted that the presence of satellite venues has inflated property valuations beyond normal levels. Consequently, even properties that were previously considered fairly valued may now be at risk of becoming seriously negative assets. The closure of the satellite venues not only devastates nearby businesses by driving away customers and lowering rents, but also forces property owners into a downward spiral of tenant turnover and reduced rental income, Sio stressed. In light of the potential impact from the closure of the satellite casinos, Sio urged the government to implement measures that ensure both social and economic stability in its decision-making. He emphasized that this issue goes beyond supporting a specific group; it concerns the stability of society as a whole. While Macau may seem economically prosperous at first glance, with a steady influx of visitors and significant casino revenues, the government must thoroughly evaluate the underlying health of the economy to mitigate potential risks hidden beneath these superficial indicators, he said. Three local gaming companies have decided to stop operating 11 satellite casinos and three slot machine halls by the end of this year. This closure will particularly affect the ZAPE area in Macau, where six of the satellite casinos are located, leading to significant consequences for that region. Putting emphasis on ZAPE, Sio pointed out the urgency for the government to take decisive action, particularly in the critical six-month transition period leading up to the closure. During this time, the government should clearly communicate its support policies aimed at transforming the local commercial environment to effectively address the impending challenges and ensure stability, he stated, pointing out the potential negative impact of declining property prices on the overall economy, which could affect society as a whole and undermine public confidence. Sio pointed out the need for the government to ensure that the area remains viable and attractive to both tourists and residents after the satellite venues close, encouraging spending across different districts to maintain a vibrant commercial environment. While he acknowledged plans to beautify the ZAPE area and enhance local facilities, he cautioned, This sounds simple, but it will be quite difficult to implement in practice. He stressed that all regions should be able to attract customers, warning against concentrating resources solely on one area, as this could lead to complaints and reduced foot traffic elsewhere. If visitor numbers can increase from 200,000 to 220,000 or 230,000, the overall market will expand, allowing everyone to benefit, even if individual shares decrease, he said, emphasizing the need for the government to effectively strategize how to draw more tourists to ensure adequate economic support for all areas. Reflecting on ZAPEs prosperity before the return of gambling and the establishment of satellite venues, the area once featured outdoor dining without vehicle traffic, creating a relaxed atmosphere. He urged the government to learn from this past and transform ZAPE into a leisurely consumer environment, stressing the need for close communication with local community groups and businesses to develop a concrete plan that boosts confidence among residents and investors. Time for SMEs to share their insights ZAPE is home to numerous small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including pawn shops, gold shops, and restaurants, creating a vibrant mix of commercial activity. A telecom business operator near a satellite casino there told public broadcaster TDM yesterday that changing consumption patterns have made it challenging to operate physical stores. In an interview with the Times yesterday, Lei Cheok Kuan, chairman of the Industry and Commerce Federation of the Macau Central and Southern District, emphasized that now is the time for SMEs to collaborate as satellite casinos close. I believe this is the ideal moment for SMEs to share their insights. We should combine our ideas and work together. In light of the economic downturn, its essential to analyze the changing consumption patterns of Generation Z. Businesses must consider the future of their products and how to appeal to new consumer groups, he stated. Lei believes that the Macau government must take a more proactive role in driving the districts economy, stating, This is not a minor issue. Simultaneously, he urged businesses to provide more feedback and approach the challenges with an open mind. Adhering to the law is non-negotiable; we must adapt to the environment and seek survival strategies. If anyone has ideas, we encourage brainstorming and seeking our advice. We are happy to relay these suggestions to the government. When faced with problems, we should focus on finding solutions rather than avoiding responsibility. While expressing frustrations is acceptable, what truly matters is taking action to achieve results, he said. Lei suggested that the government explore hosting large-scale events in ZAPE, particularly along the corridor from the Macau Science Museum to the Kun Iam Statue, which would be ideal for concerts or music festivals to attract tourists. He also proposed establishing a food street in the alleys surrounding the Plaza Restaurant. If events and concerts can be held together, it would add vibrancy, especially around the Guanyin statue at night, creating a pleasant atmosphere worth considering, Lei stated. However, he emphasized that the success of these plans depends on the inclusion of residents and business operators. Did you wonder what happened to the unusual tie vote from Ohio's primary election in May? The Madison Local School District's proposed tax levy, which early unofficial results showed voters were split 50-50 on, failed, according to official election results from the Butler County Board of Elections released on May 22. The levy failed 50.2% to 49.8% with 626 votes against the levy and 621 votes for the levy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unofficial election results released shortly after polls closed on May 6 showed the levy received 620 votes in favor and 620 votes against. But the unofficial count did not include eligible provisional ballots and absentee ballots in the vote total. Officials counted these ballots in the following weeks and certified the results. Funds from the levy would have been used to avoid an operating deficit for the school district near Middletown, roughly 40 miles north of downtown Cincinnati. Because it failed, the district's board of education has implemented measures that will help save the district over $400,000 for the upcoming school year, Madison Local Schools Superintendent Jeff Staggs told The Enquirer. Ohio election results: Which Greater Cincinnati school levies passed, failed These cost-saving measures include: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eliminating busing for grades 9-12. Cutting two full-time administration positions to part-time. Reducing two teaching positions due to attrition. Increasing pay-to-participate fees to $400 for extracurricular activities without any cap. Ohio saw several close races in 2024 The Madison Local School District's proposed tax levy was not the first close race in recent years. Ohio saw several close races in the November 2024 general election. Three contests ended in a tie vote, three were determined by three votes and three contests came down to a single vote, according to a press release from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office. Two of these close races were for school levies. Although these races occurred during the general election, LaRose emphasized the likelihood of close contests during an off-year election, when voter turnout is often low. Local elections, which occur in odd-numbered years like 2025, can come down to notoriously slim margins," he said in the release. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Election results show Madison Local School District's tax levy failed Mark Zuckerbergs WhatsApp has challenged a dangerous attempt by the Home Office to secretly force Apple to build a backdoor in its encryption technology. The private messaging app said it had intervened in a case at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, submitting evidence criticising an order by Yvette Coopers department that requires Apple to break an advanced data protection feature that encrypts iPhone back-ups. Will Cathcart, the head of Meta-owned WhatsApp, said: Liberal democracies should want the best security for their citizens. Instead, the UK is doing the opposite through a secret order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This case could set a dangerous precedent and embolden nations to try to break the encryption that protects peoples private communication. Apple is challenging the technical capability notice from the Home Office, issued in January, that ordered it to secretly install a backdoor into the encryption feature it introduced in 2022. The iPhone-maker was legally barred from confirming the existence of the order, which emerged in US media reports. Disclosing the existence of the demand is illegal under UK surveillance laws. Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp, said the company would challenge any law or government request that seeks to weaken the encryption of its services However, in February, Apple said it would be withdrawing the feature in the UK and said it would never build a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ms Coopers order has prompted criticism from the White House and senior Republicans. Donald Trump described the demand as something that you hear about with China. Tulsi Gabbard, the US national intelligence director, called it egregious. WhatsApp said it would be arguing that the case should be heard in public. Mr Cathcart said: WhatsApp would challenge any law or government request that seeks to weaken the encryption of our services and will continue to stand up for peoples right to a private conversation online. In April, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, a secret court that hears cases about intelligence matters, ruled against the Home Secretarys push for the case to be heard in total secrecy. This would have meant that even the existence of the dispute could not be publicised. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Home Office argued that any coverage of the matter could be damaging to national security. However, after an intervention by media groups, including The Telegraph, privacy advocates and a group of US politicians, Lord Justice Singh, the president of the tribunal, and Mr Justice Johnson dismissed the effort to keep even the bare details of the case private. The court said it was possible that some of the future developments in the case could be made public. Britains security services and the Home Office have long sparred with the tech industry, warning that the rise of heavily encrypted messaging and digital storage makes it harder to stop terrorism and catch child abusers. Last week, US politicians attacked Britains demands in a hearing in Congress. Andy Biggs, a Republican House of Representatives member, said the Home Offices demand threatens the privacy and security rights, not only of those living in the UK, but of Apple users all over the world. He added that the UK was attacking Americas data security and privacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Home Office spokesman said: We do not comment on ongoing legal proceedings. But more broadly, the UK has a long-standing position of protecting our citizens from the very worst crimes, such as child sex abuse and terrorism, at the same time as protecting peoples privacy. The UK has robust safeguards and independent oversight to protect privacy and these specific powers are only used on an exceptional basis, in relation to the most serious crimes and only when it is necessary and proportionate to do so. 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. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) This Friday marks the only Friday the 13th in 2025, and tattoo shops in central Alabama are preparing to commemorate the occasion. Heres a list of some of the local shops offering tattoos for a discounted price Friday: Heavily Tatted Birmingham Heavily Tatted is offering a selection of $31 tattoos and $20 basic piercings. The shop will be open from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. Designs included in the special can be found here. Stay Gold Tattoo Hoover and Fultondale Stay Gold Tattoo will offer their Friday the 13th flash sale at both of their locations. Select designs and piercings will start at $40. Magic City Ink Moody Magic City Inks Friday the 13th flash sale will feature a selection of designs starting at $50. Designs included in this event can be found on their Facebook page. Classic 13 Tattoo Birmingham Some artists at Classic 13 will offer Friday the 13th flash designs starting at $113. The shop will open at noon. Classic 13 posted a sneak peak of some of the featured designs on their Instagram page. Atra Capra Tattoo Collective Birmingham Atra Capra Tattoo Collectives Friday the 13th event will feature $31- $200 tattoo designs. The event will be first come, first served, and it will start at 10 a.m. More information can be found here. Velvet Vixen Montevallo Velvet Vixens Friday the 13th flash sale will start at 2 p.m. The shop will offer various designs for $30, $40 and $50. The designs will be released on the shops Instagram page prior to the event. 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. Is Texas in the South? The Southwest? Or just... the West? One things for sure: its nowhere near the Pacific Northwest, the Northeast or the Midwest. But really where the heck is Texas, yall? Its a longstanding debate, and for good reason. Texas defies easy regional labels thanks to its massive size, central location and the striking cultural differences across the state. The official state-by-state United States Map Its clear that folks along the TexasLouisiana border, from Texarkana to Beaumont, are far more Southern than those in Dallas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fort Worth proudly embraces its cowboy heritage, calling itself "Where the West Begins" a nod to its deep roots in cattle culture and its historic ties to the Chisholm Trail. Meanwhile, Austin is also becoming increasingly Western but in a different way, where it's more coastal, tech-driven and cosmopolitan than the 'Wild West.' Communities in El Paso and the Trans-Pecos region align more closely with the cultural Southwest than with populations in the South, while Amarillo and Lubbock feel firmly rooted in the Great Plains. Houston and San Antonio? Who knows ... they sit somewhere in between. So, where is Texas officially? The debate continues. Which US region is Texas in? Even within the federal government, there are differing opinions on which region truly claims the Lone Star State. These classifications often vary depending on the purpose of the agency or service, whether it's for economic analysis, job distribution or administrative convenience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Where do Texans say Texas is? A Reddit post on the r/Texas subchannel explored this exact question, and there was almost a consensus. For most Texans, the answer couldnt be simpler: Texas is Texas. "One things for certain though, Texas is not in the Midwest," one user wrote, while another replied, "It's the wild wild West." Another shared that the drive from Beaumont to Jacksonville, Florida, is a shorter stretch than that from Beaumont to El Paso, so "Texas is literally wider than the entire 'South,'" while the same holds true for El Paso to San Diego, so "Texas is also wider than the entire 'Southwest'" as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It is its own region!" that user wrote. One shared that their dad from Tennessee says, "You're not a Southerner if you're from Texas, just a Texan," to which many agreed. Where is Texas? Let me know by sending an email to baddison@gannett.com! This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Is Texas in the South? What region is Texas in? Depends on who you ask White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefed reporters Wednesday afternoon after President Trump doubled down on his decision to send National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles to quell protests. The demonstrations arose over the weekend after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted raids in the city amid Trumps crackdown on illegal immigration. The move exacerbated his feud with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who called his moves a brazen abuse of power. The briefing also came after the president announced a trade deal had been reached with China. If approved, the agreement would lower tariffs on Chinese goods to 55 percent. Beijing in kind would lower import taxes on U.S. goods to 10 percent. Concessions on rare earth materials and visas for Chinese international students were also included in the pending deal, according to Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. The White House took several jabs at California Gov. Gavin Newsoms address to the nation on Tuesday night as his state navigates massive immigration protests in Los Angeles. Newsom, a Democrat, said in the address that "Democracy is under assault" as he sparred with President Donald Trump over the administrations decision to dispatch thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to address the riots. In response, White House assistant to the president and director of communications Steven Cheung accused Newsom of spending time creating the video rather than serving as governor. Likewise, Cheung took a swipe at the videos audio, claiming the production quality was akin to Newsoms leadership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom Says Los Angeles Rioters Will Be Prosecuted, Slams Trump For Traumatizing Our Communities Steven Cheung, spokesman for former President Donald Trump, looks on during a news conference with the president, not pictured, at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. "Gavin NewScum spent all this time--instead of doing his actual job-- preparing for a webinar just for the audio to not work," Cheung said in a post on X late Tuesday evening. "The production quality is just like his leadership quality-- sh***y." Additionally, Cheung suggested that Newsom had brought on former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris campaign manager, who both repeatedly warned during the 2024 campaign cycle that a second Trump term would pose a "threat to democracy." Read On The Fox News App Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "NewScum must've hired Kamala and Biden's loser campaign team because he saying this is a threat to democracy," Cheung said. A spokesperson for Newsom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Other White House officials also weighed in on Newsoms address to defend the Trump administrations crackdown on immigration. "American voters elected President Donald Trump to carry out his agenda, which includes enforcing the immigration laws passed by their elected representatives," deputy assistant to the president and principal deputy communications director Alex Pfieffer said in a post on X on Tuesday. "California is trying to subvert democracy." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom Files Emergency Motion To 'Immediately Block' Trump's Use Of Military To Stop La Riots President Donald Trump, left, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom said in the address that more than 200 people have been arrested in connection to the protests and labeled Trumps decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles a "brazen abuse of power." "This isnt just about protests here in Los Angeles," Newsom said in the video. "This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes." White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller also responded to one of Newsom's posts on X late Tuesday evening after the governor said the Founding Fathers did not "live and die to see this moment," and urged for peaceful protests. Meanwhile, Miller shared a photo of a shirtless man standing on a vehicle and waving a California flag in front of fumes with the comment: "According to Governor Newsom, this is what the Founders were fighting for." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has gone head-to-head with Newsom over the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles following protests sparked by ICE arrests in the city on Friday. Hegseth Defends National Guard La Deployments, Says Ice Agents Must Be Protected Demonstrators holding signs and flags face California National Guard members standing guard outside the Federal Building as they protest in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles on June 9, 2025. While Trump has argued the National Guard troops are necessary to prevent destruction in Los Angeles, Newsom said most of the troops "are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders." Additionally, Newsom argued that the move violates state sovereignty because governors typically oversee National Guard troops. Trump invoked a law to place the troops under federal command in order to bypass Newsom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This isnt about public safety," Newsom said in a post on X on Monday. "Its about stroking a dangerous Presidents ego." Original article source: White House mocks Newsom address, accuses governor of hiring Harris', Biden's campaign manager The White House on Wednesday attempted to clarify President Donald Trump's threat the day before to use "heavy force" against "any" protesters at the military parade this weekend in Washington celebrating the Army's 250th anniversary. "The president supports peaceful protests," press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a White House briefing after Trump on Tuesday did not distinguish between peaceful and violent protesters. "He supports the First Amendment. He supports the right of Americans to make their voices heard," she added, after being asked what Trump would allow at the parade given his military response to the protests against his immigration policies in Los Angeles. "He does not support violence of any kind. He does not support assaulting law enforcement officers who are simply trying to do their job." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's very clear for the president what he supports and what he does not," she said. "Unfortunately for Democrats, that line is not been made clear, and they've allowed this unrest in this violence to continue, and the president has had to step in." PHOTO: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, June 11, 2025, in Washington. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) PHOTO: A Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to be used in the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday Celebration and Parade, prepares to land on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, June 11, 2025. (Alexander Drago/Reuters) MORE: Trump warns 'any' protesters at military parade will be 'met with heavy force' The president's comments on Tuesday said protesters would be "met with heavy force" if they arrived in Washington for the parade, which occurs days after he sent the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles to quell protests against operations conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "These are people who hate our country," he said in the Oval Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're going to celebrate big on Saturday," Trump added. "If any protesters want to come out, they will be met with very big force." PHOTO: Soldiers stand between columns of Stryker armored vehicles taking part in the Army's 250th birthday celebration parade during a preview at West Potomac Park in Washington, June 11, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) PHOTO: A U.S. Army reviewing stand continues to be built in front of the White House ahead of the Army's 250th birthday parade and celebration, June 11, 2025 in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) MORE: Nearly 7,000 troops, tanks and parachute jumps: Army confirms military parade coinciding with Trump's birthday U.S. Secret Service and local D.C. officials have said they only expect several small protests at Saturday's parade, and Trump himself on Tuesday night appeared to soften his earlier Oval Office comments somewhat, saying, "As long as we have the military there, the protests won't mean anything." "The military will be very heavy force -- very proud to tell you that," he told reporters who had asked him what he meant. "They might as well turn around. They're wasting their time." PHOTO: Tourists navigate the anti-scale fences along the National Mall, June 11, 2025 in Washington. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) PHOTO: A soldier looks out from an M1A2 Abrams tank ahead of the upcoming U.S. Army 250th anniversary celebration parade in Washington, June 11, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: Army to go 'bigger' to mark its 250th. Could it be the military parade Trump wants? Tall fencing has been set up and other security measures have been taken around Washington in the lead-up to the parade -- measures the White House said are purely "proactive" and not in reaction to the protests in Los Angeles. "These are proactive security measures to protect those marching in the parade, many of whom will be veterans, and our brave men and women in uniform and Gold Star families," Leavitt said. "And of course, it's to protect the spectators who will be enjoying this incredibly patriotic show on Saturday." Leavitt's comments came as the first soldiers arrive in the district for the parade. PHOTO: Washington D.C. Prepares To Host Military Parade To Mark Army's 250th Anniversary (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) PHOTO: An M1A2/Abrams tank sits in front of a road sign ahead of the upcoming U.S. Army 250th anniversary celebration parade in Washington, June 11, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) MORE: Video Hegseth goes on the defensive over LA military deployment Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Approximately 6,700 soldiers will participate, and there will be eight marching bands, 24 horses, two mules and a dog. Dozens of tanks, military vehicles, howitzers and various aircraft, including those used in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars, will be on display, and the Army on Wednesday added rocket launchers and precision-guided missiles to the festivities. The White House also made a last-minute request for the Air Force's Thunderbirds to fly over the parade, according to a U.S. official. The event has grown considerably in size in recent months, with a parade added after Trump's inauguration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The President wants the Army Birthday Parade to feature the strength, talent, and creativity of all our military servicemembers," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said. "The Thunderbirds flyover will inspire patriotism and awe for all who attend!" ABC News' Anne Flaherty contributed to this report. White House tries to clarify Trump's threat to use 'heavy force' on 'any' military parade protesters originally appeared on abcnews.go.com When it emerged last week that Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, had written to the Prime Minister warning that stark choices lay ahead without significant investment in policing it all sounded rather familiar. The week before, Rowley, along with five other police chiefs, had penned a newspaper article saying that Government pledges on knife crime, violence against women and girls, and neighbourhood policing would be at risk without additional funding. That itself was an echo of similar statements the Met Commissioner and others had made over the previous six months. Clearly then, ahead of Wednesdays spending review, money is very much on police minds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Few would argue that forces across England and Wales havent continued to struggle financially since the austerity years of 2010 to 2019, when the jobs of 20,000 officers and 23,500 civilian staff were cut and hundreds of police stations closed. But the police cant pin all their woes on a lack of cash. Inefficiency is baked into the structure of the service, which was designed half a century ago, while forces havent adapted quickly enough to seize on the potential offered up by new technology such as artificial intelligence. And although there may not be as many officers as chiefs would like, the number has returned to pre-austerity levels, with a near-record headcount of 148,886 last September. Meanwhile, public confidence in policing has been hit by a succession of self-made scandals, from the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met officer, to police selfies taken at a murder scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Less than half of people questioned last year as part of the Office for National Statistics authoritative Crime Survey said police were doing a good job, down from 63 per cent ten years ago. In fact, its the lowest figure in two decades. At the same time, an increasingly common complaint is that officers arent there when people need them. A staggering 54 per cent said they never see police patrols double the figure recorded 15 years ago. I hear law-abiding citizens saying, Whats the point of calling the police? says Andy Trotter, former chief constable of British Transport Police. What police chiefs were saying about not being able to tackle crime without extra funding most people were saying Whats new? It has gone on for years. Imagine how many solvable crimes arent being solved, he adds. People want to see action Trotter says police officers are overwhelmed by the demands on their time and have had to prioritise which crimes to focus on. That has meant offences such as shoplifting, phone theft and car crime are all too often neglected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proportion of shoplifting cases resulting in a suspect being charged has fallen to 18 per cent from 28 per cent, in 2016, when a new system of calculating detection rates was introduced. Crimes classed as theft from the person, where phones, handbags and wallets are snatched, have meanwhile seen prosecution levels plummet to less than one per cent, and just one in fifty car thefts result in a charge or summons. Confidence in policing comes from nicking people its something about the everyday laying on of police hands. And it reassures the public people want to see some action, says Trotter, who served as an officer for 45 years in three forces, including the Met. I used to say, Get your hands on them, get cuffs on them, get them in the van. As a cop in the West End, it would take 30 minutes to process someone. But now, with centralised custody suites and the paperwork involved, youre out of action for hours, so theres a real reluctance in marginal cases to make an arrest and leave colleagues behind, he says. The arrest figures provide clear evidence to support Trotters claim. In the year to the end of March 2024, there were 720,506 arrests across England and Wales, with the number of police officers at the time standing at 142,072. That works out as 5.1 arrests per officer more than half the arrest rate, 10.5, in 2009, before policing budgets were cut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The drop in arrest levels may also be partly a result of the changing crime caseload, with a larger number of offences which are more complex to investigate, such as sexual violence and online fraud. In just over a decade, the number of sexual offences recorded by police has more than doubled to 205,000 last year, while police logged nearly 1.3 million offences of fraud and computer misuse, representing one in five of all crimes. Breathtaking misuses of time There are growing concerns too that officers have become embroiled in petty squabbles on social media at the expense of more pressing public concerns. The arrest of a couple by Hertfordshire Police, following a bitter row with a local school, highlighted the way in which it appeared police had become deflected from their core mission. Its breathtaking that it could be thought to be worthwhile to send six police officers to a couple who were sending WhatsApp messages about a school theyd be much better off catching prolific burglars and serial sex abusers, says Sir Tom Winsor, who served for ten years as head of the policing watchdog, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services. Central to concerns about the effective deployment of police officers is the recording of non-hate crime incidents (NCHIs). Analysis by The Telegraph shows that almost 100,000 NCHIs were logged by forces over the last decade, with last years figure still around 75 per cent of the total in 2021 when police were urged to scale back on their use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NCHIs are not criminal offences, but incidents perceived by the complainant to be motivated by hostility or prejudice, based on their protected characteristics, which includes their race or religion. They are defended by police as a means of gathering intelligence and monitoring community tensions, in order to forestall criminal behaviour. But should officers spend their valuable hours noting social media posts that are merely insulting or offensive? Winsor is doubtful. Its the online version of the broken windows theory nip it in the bud and it wont get worse, says the 67-year-old lawyer. But there is a degree of proportionality that is necessary because you cant do everything. Failure to capitalise on technological advances Police officers could certainly do a lot more if forces made the most of advances in technology, to free them from mundane jobs, such as redacting sensitive documents, typing up crime reports and transferring information onto separate databases. Winsor recalls a visit to Lancashire Police in his early days as Chief Inspector of Constabulary. An officer told me that in order to find out what the force knew about a person, an address, a vehicle or a weapon he had to interrogate 12 different systems. Things are better now but probably not as good as the public would expect, he says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, a productivity review led by two former chief constables identified 26 ways of freeing-up 38 million hours of police time. That would equate to 20,000 extra police officers. The recommendations included cutting red tape, reducing sickness absence and using computer technology for clerical tasks. A second report from the productivity panel, in 2024, said a further 23 million hours could be saved including through the expansion of AI. Modern technology is the golden key to police efficiency and effectiveness, says Winsor. Yet, progress on technology has been painfully slow and not helped by a failure to manage large-scale projects, such as ESN (Emergency Services Network), an upgrade on the ageing emergency services communications network Airwave, which is a decade behind schedule and 3.1 billion over budget. You have to lay much of it at the door of the Home Office, says Trotter. The replacement of Airwave has gone on for years its an area that has not been a success, its wasted a lot of money and is still not resolved. It needs an inquiry, he adds. Failing to see beyond force boundaries There are glaring inefficiencies in other areas, too. Across England and Wales, each of the 43 forces, no matter how large or small, has its own leadership team, civilian support set-up and administrative functions, such as payroll, legal affairs and human resources. Pooling some of that work would make financial sense, says Winsor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The back office stuff could and should be done either regionally or nationally, in the way its done in the NHS or the military, he says. In 2022, a report from the independent think-tank, the Police Foundation, estimated that forces in England and Wales could save hundreds of millions of pounds annually by combining support teams as well as purchasing police uniform, equipment, vehicles, forensic services and computers centrally, rather than negotiating individual contracts with suppliers, as many constabularies do. But it seems the introduction of police and crime commissioners, a decade earlier, cemented a localist approach, hindering prospects for developing a more cohesive and less fragmented system of policing, with the economies of scale that would result. The police and crime commissioner model has some strengths but it can hold things back, because in my time there were far too many who could not see beyond their force boundaries and crime doesnt stop at force boundaries, says Winsor, who left the watchdog three years ago. The author of the Police Foundation report, its former director Rick Muir, is now working as a Home Office adviser, developing plans for a white paper, based around the establishment of a new National Centre of Policing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is long overdue. Rowley and other police leaders support the case for a reorganisation. Although their immediate concern is whether theyll have enough resources over the next three years, they are aware that it is not just about the money radical structural reform is needed to put forces on a long-term sustainable financial footing and ensure the public get the police service they deserve. As Peter Kyle, the Science and Technology Secretary, put it at the weekend, the police must do their bit and embrace change. 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. Elon Musk made an apology on June 11 regarding some of the posts he made about President Donald Trump earlier this month. On June 5, the President and Musk had a series of exchanges that began from the President saying that he was "very disappointed" with Musk and signaled his close relationship with the former top White House adviser was over as Trump publicly addressed Musk's efforts to kill his so-called "big, beautiful bill." "Elon and I had a great relationship," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "I don't know if we will anymore." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following these comments from the president, Musk took to his social media platform X to share that the election would have been lost without his help. Now, the billionaire has posted an apology on the same platform he used to bash President Trump less than a week ago. Musk apologizes for Trump posts I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025 Early on the morning of June 11, Musk issued an apology for the posts he made about President Trump last week. "I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote in a post on his social media platform X, without specifying which posts he was talking about. While there is no way to know the real reason for Musk issuing the apology, many in the comments of his post speculated that it was due to the losses Tesla has suffered this week following the posts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fortune reported that Musk lost $34 billion personally during his exchange with President Trump. When the stock market closed on June 5, Tesla shares were valued at $284.68, a sharp decline from the $322.52 they were valued at when the market opened that day. Prices have risen steadily since then, with shares valued at $326.09 when the stock market closed on June 10. However, this is still a bit short of the $332.05 that stocks were valued at on June 4 before their spat. What did Elon Musk post against Trump In a series of June 5 posts on X, Musk claimed Trump wouldn't have his current position without the help of the billionaire. 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 wrote on X. Musk then spent most of the afternoon posting his opposition to Trump's spending bill, resurfacing old tweets of the president, making claims against the president and interacting with supporters. Musk has since deleted several tweets, including one that said, "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public." The Epstein files references flight logs and the scandal surrounding the multimillionaires exploitation of teenage girls. Trump and Epstein were filmed and photographed together at parties, and in 2002, he praised the wealthy businessman as a "terrific guy. About 200 pages of documents from the Epstein files were released in February 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other tweets Musk deleted include one stating that he was never shown the tax bill recently passed by the House, and a post claiming that President Trump lied in a Truth Social post, which stated that the President asked Musk to leave his position. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Did Elon Musk apologize to Donald Trump? Musk says posts went too far Anyone looking at images of the Los Angeles immigration protests has almost certainly seen the Mexican flag flying somewhere in the frame. Demonstrators have hoisted the red, white and green banner atop cars and while marching down streets and freeways. Its spilled into the corners of CNN live shots and been splashed across social media. To some, the flag its bright colors standing out against dark smoke from burning cars and tear gas is a powerful sign of resistance to President Donald Trumps mass-deportation agenda. To others, it is ammunition for conservatives aiming to paint the unrest as a migrant invasion . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Case in point: a National Review headline calling the Mexican flag the Confederate banner of the L.A. riots. Protesters prominent use of the flag evokes photos from more than 30 years ago , when thousands of demonstrators raised the same banner while fighting a ballot measure that sought to bar undocumented Californians from accessing public schools and other services. That 1994 initiative, Proposition 187, was a turning point for Latino political power in the state. It served as an awakening for some California protesters who later became prominent leaders, including former Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon. Angelica Salas, a prominent activist in the state and executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, noted protesters also hoisted the flag in 2006 , during massive demonstrations against George W. Bush-era legislation to crack down on illegal immigration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When you attack the undocumented community, when you attack the immigrant community, there is a sense that I mean, it's a reality the majority of the folks are Mexican, she said. Salas spoke with California Playbook about why the Mexican flag continues to be an important symbol for demonstrators. On what the Mexican flag means to protesters Its really about saying were American, Mexican American, and were not ashamed of being Mexican Theres a very popular refrain amongst our community that you cant just like our food and our culture we also demand that you like the people. Because it's sort of a very, very strong sentiment that there's a like for what we produce and [for] our culture and our foods and everything else, but not of the people. So there's a sense of the deep level of discrimination against the Mexican people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So when people carry the flag, it's really a symbol of pride and a symbol of We're not going to be ashamed to claim our heritage, our Mexican heritage. We're not going to be bullied to hide an aspect of who we are. On young protesters attachment to the flag When you see a lot of young people with their flags, it's also claiming and [showing] support for their parents. So many of the young people who are marching are U.S. citizens, theyre second-, third-generation, maybe they are the first who were born in this country. Very much U.S. citizens by birth, but they want their parents to also know that they're standing with them. I feel like every time I ask a young person whether they're carrying a Mexican flag, a Salvadoran flag, a Guatemalan flag, or any other flag it's just about, I want people to understand I'm proud of who I am. I'm not ashamed to be Mexican, and I'm certainly not ashamed of my parents. And I want them to know that I will not reject them. Because there's a lot of pressure to reject the Mexican heritage. On Californias connection to Mexico Thirty percent of the population is people of Mexican descent 12 million individuals who live here. We are proudly a multigenerational community. That means that we have recent arrivals as well as people who are immigrants who've been here for many years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And then [the] majority of the people actually are second-, third-, fourth-generation Mexican American. There's a lot of pride in our deep roots in the region. Like this content? Consider signing up for POLITICOs California Playbook PM newsletter. CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this report contained an inaccurate photo caption. With gold prices hovering at historically high levels, a gold industry association is prompting the sector to adapt by developing more lightweight jewelry to meet growing demand for cost-effective options. The Macau Goldsmith Guild expects gold prices to continue rising, even following golds record high in Macau, which surpassed MOP30,000 per tael in October last year driven by global bullion trends and geopolitical factors. According to association chairman Lei Koi Ian, although gold prices have eased slightly from last months peak, they remain high. Ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, including trade policy fluctuations, continue to drive risk-averse sentiment, reinforcing golds appeal as a safe-haven asset. Lei said the industry remains cautiously optimistic about the markets outlook. Meanwhile, despite stable customer foot traffic in the first half of 2025, average spending per customer has declined. Lei noted that high gold prices and a general trend toward conservative spending have led to smaller individual purchases, resulting in overall business performance falling short of last years figures. To address this, the industry is advancing a light gold strategy designing and promoting lighter, more affordable jewelry that retains visual appeal while reducing material costs, and adding that these pieces are intended to offer consumers better value for money, aligning with current purchasing trends. Previously, local jewelry shop owners told the Times there is cautious sentiment among consumers in Macaus gold industry, where prices have surged by 42% in 2024. Jewelers have expressed hope for government intervention to support consumers during this volatile period, suggesting that financial assistance could alleviate some of the pressures faced by both buyers and sellers in the gold market. (NewsNation) More older Americans are claiming their Social Security benefits earlier, a potentially alarming trend that could significantly reduce the income many rely on in their golden years. As of May, individual retirement claims are up 13% in the current fiscal year compared to the same period last year, an increase of nearly 320,000 claims, according to the latest Social Security data. To put the recent surge in perspective: From 2012 to 2024, retirement claims rose by an average of just 3% per year, according to an analysis by the Urban Institute, a research group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Plan to garnish Social Security checks for student loan debt paused Part of the recent uptick is due to more retirees claiming Social Security benefits earlier, a choice that permanently reduces their monthly checks if done before full retirement age. Jack Smalligan, a senior policy fellow at the Urban Institute, described the increase in earlier claims as disconcerting because it can impact peoples long-term retirement security. For most individuals, delaying the time that they claim Social Security is a smart retirement decision, Smalligan said. Is Trump the reason more Americans are claiming Social Security? While demographic factors, such as an aging population, have contributed to the rise, increased concern over the Trump administrations handling of the system may also help explain the surge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Social Security data shows the spike in monthly claims was especially pronounced in November and January the month Trump was elected and the month he took office. Polling shows public concern about Social Security is now at a 15-year high, an uptick that coincides with the Trump administrations plans to slash the agencys workforce. The president and advisers, like Elon Musk, have made unfounded claims about rampant fraud within the system, while website outages have also caused confusion. Smalligan pointed to the recent surge in calls to Social Security and the rise in field office visits as further signs of growing anxiety. At the same time, top Democrats, including former President Joe Biden, have amplified those fears with misleading claims that give the impression Americans monthly retirement checks may not arrive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats sound alarm on Social Security as Biden returns to stage Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has warned that Trump and Musk are coming for peoples benefits and hiding behind bogus fraud claims to justify stealing peoples checks. The political rhetoric appears to be resonating, but its also fueling the broader uncertainty, potentially causing real harm. During a meeting in March, Social Security officials said that fearmongering has driven people to claim benefits earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported. Overall, 52% of Americans say they worry a great deal about the Social Security system, up from 43% in 2024, according to Gallup. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, that figure rises to 65% a 30-point increase from the previous year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No ones scheming right now to privatize Social Security or dismantle it that type of fearmongering is not helpful, said Charles Blahous, a researcher at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University who specializes in Social Security. While Social Security does face long-term financial challenges, the system isnt going away, and future policy uncertainty isnt a good reason to claim benefits early today, Blahous said. Trump has repeatedly promised not to cut Social Security benefits, while Democrats argue that staffing reductions will make it harder for retirees to access services, undermining the system in a different way. Why else are more people filing claims? Other factors, unrelated to political rhetoric, could also be driving the rise in retirement claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are three key reasons for the uptick, according to a Social Security official: The start of the peak 65 baby boom, a massive surge of Americans turning 65 years old Implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act, which increased benefits for certain workers receiving pensions from jobs not covered by Social Security Improved outreach notifying spouses of Social Security beneficiaries that they may be eligible for a higher benefit Blahous acknowledged that the three factors are real but thinks the jurys still out on how much of the recent rise is due to anxiety about the programs future. Another possibility is that stock market volatility, partly driven by Trumps ever-changing trade policies, temporarily lowered the balances of millions of retirement accounts and prompted some older Americans to claim their more reliable Social Security benefits earlier than planned. Why filing for Social Security early could be a mistake Americans can start collecting Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62, but that doesnt mean they should. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Claiming before full retirement age permanently reduces monthly benefits, which is why waiting often makes more financial sense. Its even more concerning when that decision is driven by fear about the programs future rather than a careful assessment of personal circumstances. Its basically an irrevocable decision, which is all the more reason why people should be very cautious about when they make it, Blahous said. When is the best age to take Social Security? Someone who turns 62 in 2025 would see their monthly benefit lowered by about 30% versus what it would be at their full retirement age of 67. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the other hand, those who delay claiming until after their full retirement age receive an 8% increase for each year they wait, up to age 70. That can amount to thousands of dollars. In 2025, the maximum Social Security benefit is $2,831 for someone retiring at 62, but it rises to $5,108 for those retiring at 70. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NEW MEXICO (KRQE) Its one of the top honors a restaurant can receive: being recognized by the Michelin Guide for its cuisine. Over 1,500 U.S. eateries are published in the guide, and 260 have earned a coveted Michelin star. But why are none of those establishments in New Mexico? It turns out the Land of Enchantment joins a long list of states in the country that are not considered by Michelin Guides, and its not because they lack top restaurants or food. As of 2025, Michelin inspectors only cover cities in seven states: New York, Chicago, California, Florida, Colorado, Texas, and Atlanta, and D.C. Los Ranchos De Albuquerque restaurant named 2025 James Beard award finalist Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That list will be expanding soon, as the Michelin Guide announced in April that it would include states in the South, including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Michelin is always looking to expand, but only after certain standards or criteria are achieved. To publish the Michelin Guide [in a specific area], we need first and foremost culinary potential, Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Michelin Guide, told Bon Appetit in 2024. Today, I have inspectors scouting about 20 destinations where we do not yet have a restaurant selection, but that we are considering for future years. Its always a several-year process because we must see the openings and the consistency. But its more than just consistency or culinary potential that brings a Michelin Guide to town. In recent years, Michelin has partnered with local and state tourism boards to help fund the creation of a new guide for that area but only after the inspectors have deemed the local food scene to be worthy. In 2023, The New York Times reported that Californias tourism board had paid Michelin $600,000 in 2019 to cover the cost of expanding its culinary inspections beyond the Bay Area and Napa Valley. Tourism groups in Florida, Atlanta, Colorado and Texas all reportedly agreed to similar financial partnerships. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked about these newer financial partnerships, Poullennec, speaking with Bon Appetit in 2024, suggested that the Michelins arrangements with these tourism boards (or, as he called them, destination marketing organizations or DMOs) help to defray the editorial expenses involved with producing the guides. The involvement of DMOs in establishing new Guides does not have any influence on the Inspectors judgments regarding the destination assessment, the restaurants in the selection, or award distinctions, the inspector told Nexstar. DMO teams have no access to the Inspectors work or the final selection until the list of selected restaurants is revealed by the MICHELIN Guide. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) Now, up until September 30, senior citizens and WIC participants can receive nutritional fresh fruits and vegetables for a very low cost. Its all a part of the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank and the Wichita Falls Farmers Market collaboration to help seniors and WIC participants who qualify receive vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables. Wichita Falls ISD partners with Third Future to boost Hirschi Middle School Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senior citizens who qualify will receive $50 in farmers market vouchers, while WIC participants will receive $30 in vouchers. Cassandra Barraza, Community Partner Director for the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank, said that not only will this help participants save money, but it will also benefit local farmers. They are used to promote, healthy eating and nutritious foods. It also helps, provide income for our farmers and allows people that wouldnt normally be able to come to a farmers market and get fresh produce. The opportunity to do so, Barraza said. For more information on how to sign up to see if you qualify for the voucher program, 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 Texomashomepage.com. WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) For eight years. Hirschi Middle School, formerly Kirby, has been below an acceptable accountability rating. The Wichita Falls ISD Board of Trustees voted to enter into negotiations with a turnaround and education improvement partner. Legacy High unveils advanced new band trailer features Weve really failed these kids, Board of Trustees, Place 5 Representative Jim Johnson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson noted the shortfalls the board has made in trying to turn Hirschi around. The campus is at risk of being taken over by the state or closed. Weve been doing the same thing year over year from about 2016, and the results have been kind of stagnant since then, WFISD Superintendent Dr. Donny Lee said. The board is now taking a different approach in turning the campus around. The board turns to Third Future Schools to be the school operator for Hirschi Middle School. Were trying to jump ahead of this in anticipation of the 2024 Accountability Letter and partner with Third Future to get the ball rolling now, instead of waiting another calendar year and lose another year of academic instruction, Lee said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Currently, the school is projected to receive an F rating for the 2024 school year. Lee and the board said that Third Future Schools track record speaks for itself, with the company operating several schools across Texas. We looked at Mendez Middle School in Austin, a very tough middle school. It went from an F to a B, Lee said. Were going into this with the expectation that theres going to be some significant improvements in student outcomes where we would not do it. While Hirschi will still be under the WFISD, Lee says Third Future Schools will have access to personnel hiring decisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lee said the organization will conduct interviews with staff next week. The district will offer staff the option to interview with Third Future Schools, or they will find a suitable position within the district for them. Third Future Schools will decide who will work for them as the operator of the Hirschi. The organization champions turning failing schools around in a quick timeframe. Now, only time will tell the fate of Hirschi Middle School. The WFISD will host a town hall meeting for the community regarding the partnership. It begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Career Education Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The partnership is scheduled to begin in Fall 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 Texomashomepage.com. WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) A Dallas man faces a felony charge for allegedly stealing from or attempting to steal from several shops in Wichita Falls. On Monday, June 9, at 3:56 p.m., Wichita Falls police were sent to the 3100 block of Midwestern Parkway at Metro by T-Mobile for a man who had reportedly entered the store and attempted to steal a phone. When the officers arrived, they spoke with the manager, who said a bearded black man in a black shirt was in the store, hanging around the iPhones. The manager said when he walked away from the suspect, the man tried to steal the display phone, but he was unsuccessful and left the store to the west. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said that while they were checking the area, they were informed about the same man allegedly stealing a display phone from the Verizon store in the 3200 block of Midwestern Parkway, Suite 100. Officers said they spoke with the manager, who provided the same description of the suspect as the previous manager. This time, the suspect is alleged to have entered the store, pulled a Samsung Galaxy A16 display cell phone from the mount, and left the store. The phone was valued at $199.99. Officers said they were then waved down by someone who reported the same man described in the two previous incidents allegedly attempted to steal money from the register at Jimmy Johns, located in the 3200 block of Midwestern Parkway, Suite 300. Police said they spoke with the employees, who reported the man attempted to take money from a customer who was placing a catering order. Still, the customer stated the suspect did not receive any money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers said they found a man matching the description, who was carrying a black and white Nike backpack, walking westbound in the 4000 block of Call Field Road. Police said they attempted to coax the man to come to them, but he continued walking away from them. When the man was threatened with a taser, police said the man stopped walking, was placed in handcuffs and identified as Glenn Earl Thrash II by his drivers license. Authorities said the backpack he was carrying had a TJ Maxx price tag and security tag still attached, and he was also carrying a new Fathers Day gift bag full of merchandise. Officers went to TJ Maxx to confirm the items were stolen, and police said store associates told them they saw Thrash pick up the Nike backpack and fill it with merchandise. They alleged he also took a Fathers Day gift bag and filled it with merchandise. The TJ Maxx manager said the total value of the items taken was $193.89. When officers attempted to place Thrash in a police unit, they stated that he refused and had to be pulled in by an officer from the other side of the unit. Thrash was charged with theft of property over $2,500 with two or more convictions, resisting, and evading. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A records check of Thrash shows he has two previous robbery convictions from 2024, both in Dallas County. At the time of publication, Thrash is still in jail with bonds totaling $54,000. 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 Texomashomepage.com. When 17-year-old Deante James went missing from his family home in North London, his mother quickly realized something was wrong. The teen, who enjoyed exercising and school, began behaving differently during the weeks leading up to his disappearance. Soon, it was discovered James was smoking what he thought was marijuana. Instead, it was a lab-made drug resembling weed that caused severe side effects. K2 or Spice emerged during the early 2000s as a cheap street drug targeting naive teens and young adults. Although its hard to pinpoint how many deaths the drug has caused since it hit the streets, the number is estimated to be dozens around the world and even more cases of severe side effects, usually in young adults, according to CNN. For James, his side effects began with hallucinations and hearing voices. His mother even took him to the hospital where doctors diagnosed him with a drug-induced psychosis. When they returned home, James ran away with no phone or money, according to the Daily Record. That was on March 31. Three days after he went missing, local transit police stopped him for fare evasion. He gave the cops a fake name, but officials eventually let him go, not realizing he was a missing person, according to PEOPLE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once his identity was confirmed, he was dearrested and allowed to leave, the British Transport Police told PEOPLE. Although the teenager was reported missing to the Met Police prior to being arrested, no missing marker was found when officers searched for his name on the police database. James mom, Vandana Bhogowoth, ran a missing persons campaign for her son soon after he ran away. Now, in a new development, the teenager was found, and she believes her campaign was key to him finally being found safe and alive six weeks later on May 17. The publicity made the police take the case more seriously, she told Magzter. Im really thankful to everyone, also my local MP and the Missing People charity, who pushed the police to take it seriously and get him found, Bhogowoth continued. I think highlighting it did push them. Everyone collectively helped thank you. Im so grateful. Now, his family says hes back to normal. Hes recovering and hes going to get back to his absolute best self, so Im really happy, positive and extremely grateful to everyone, his mother said. Hes looking forward to getting his life back on track and following his dreams. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Temperatures have been taking a dip since wildfire smoke initially moved into West Michigan nearly two weeks ago on May 30. The average temperature from May 24 to June 7 was around 61 degrees. Thats the coolest end to May and start to June since 2003. Though early June has brought some high temperatures above normal, those were only by a few degrees. In Grand Rapids, only two of the 11 days so far this month have brought high temperatures in the 80s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Canada wildfire smoke leaves West Michigan in a haze WHERE ARE THE 90s? The first 90-degree high temperature day typically happens in mid- to late June for most cities across West Michigan. Last year, the first 90-degree day occurred in Grand Rapids on June 17. That was apart of a stretch of heat that began on June 12 and lasted through June 22. Sign up for the Storm Team 8 daily forecast newsletter The forecast for the next eight days looks quite different this year. The warmest high temperatures expected will be in the low to mid-80s, possibly a touch warmer if wildfire smoke is able to clear out. Sunset over the Gillett Bridge in Grand Rapids on June 10, 2025. (Courtesy Jim Triezenberg) Wildfire smoke from Canada makes the air hazy at the lakeshore. (June 5, 2025) Wildfire smoke from Canada makes the air hazy in Grand Rapids. (June 5, 2025) Wildfire smoke from Canada makes the air hazy in Grand Rapids. (June 5, 2025) Wildfire smoke from Canada makes the air hazy in West Michigan. (June 5, 2025) West Michigan will have to wait a bit longer for the 90s. 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. Wildfire smoke to limit number of days with deep blue sky this summer in Northeast, Midwest Massive blazes erupted in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia much earlier than normal this year, and the wind has blown the smoke across Canada and into parts of the central and eastern United States. The result has been worsening air quality, including the first week of June when it reached "dangerous" levels in the Midwest. AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok said long-lasting stretches of deep blue sky may not return to the Midwest and the Northeast for weeks or possibly even months, once fires burning in Canada are contained and extinguished. AccuWeather.com During much of the summer, wildfire smoke will be high-flying in the atmosphere and can dim or even block the sun. When the sun is dimmed, it can help reduce high temperatures by a few degrees during the day and keep temperatures somewhat elevated at night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sunrises and sunsets may also be enhanced by the smoke and can even cause the sun to look red. As the wildfire season across the western United States ramps up, new fires can pour even more smoke into the sky, contributing to the hazy, milky conditions. A person watches the sunset, reddened by smoke from distant wildfires, from a park Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) The biggest impact on human health will be when the smoke dips to the lower levels of the atmosphere, degrading air quality and making the air smell like a campfire. The areas closer to the wildfires will have a higher risk of air quality impacts. "On sunny days, especially when there's consecutive sunny days in a row with a light wind, smoke and haze in the atmosphere can be more easily broken down by the sun and sink towards the surface, which can lead to a higher frequency of ozone action days or air quality alert days," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham warned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter, aerosols and other contaminants, which can absorb and scatter ultraviolet radiation, leading to lower UV index readings at the ground level. Despite a reduction in UV exposure and a drop in afternoon high temperatures in areas impacted by wildfire smoke high in the sky, experts say it's important for people to apply sunscreen to protect their skin from harmful UV rays that can still reach the surface. A hazy sky due to smoke from wildfires in Canada are seen over Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Burlington, Vt. (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart) "The closer you are to the fire, the higher the probability to be affected. But, of course, edge cases exist. You may be close to a fire and not be impacted at all, depending on the wind and the altitude," AccuWeather Lead Wildfire Smoke Expert Dr. Boris Quennehen said. "Smoke from wildfires can be transported across large distances, even near the ground level, and impact remote locations," Dr. Quennehen added. Latest on the Canadian wildfires Over 7 million acres of land across Canada have been scorched by wildfires so far this year, well above the historical average of 1.83 million acres for early June. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 74 fires are burning across British Columbia. There are 60 fires in Alberta, and dozens of other fires are burning throughout Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. AccuWeather.com Upcoming weather conditions across Canada could contribute to fires growing even larger or new fires breaking out. Jun. 10---- The unanimously approved tapping the city's Community Investment Fund to temporarily finance improvements of an off-street path along Lakeland Drive from U.S. Highway 12 to Civic Center Drive Northeast. City engineer Jared Voge of Bolton & Menk informed the council that the project received two grants an Active Transportation grant in the amount of $204,380 and a Transportation Alternatives grant in the amount of $895,620. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The estimated construction cost of the bike and pedestrian trail is $979,900 and the total estimated cost including administration, contingencies and engineering is $1.2 million, according to information from Voge. "By being proactive in their pursuit of funding, the city of Willmar has secured funding for approximately 80% of the total project costs associated with a high-priority connection within its bike and pedestrian network," Voge said in an email to the West Central Tribune. Voge told the council on June 2 that approximately $979,900 of the project costs are eligible for reimbursement from the grants and recommended accepting the full Active Transportation grant and $775,520 of the Transportation Alternatives grant. The city will fund $245,000 of the project costs. The Community Investment Fund will temporarily finance the $775,520 portion of the costs until the Transportation Alternatives grant becomes available in 2028. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The was established by the in 2018 and provides grant funding for the construction of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure projects that will improve transportation options and reduce vehicle miles traveled, according to information included in a resolution approved by the council at the Dec. 12, 2024, meeting. During this funding cycle, the had $12.5 million in state funding to award to selected projects in Greater Minnesota to address safety concerns, equity and engage the community in project development. The makes available federal funding for non-motorized infrastructure to applicants across Greater Minnesota and had $12.45 million to award to selected projects, according to information included in the resolution approved Dec. 12, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The resolutions state that the existing bike and pedestrian infrastructure in Willmar is fragmented, creating safety risk for users and discouraging alternative transportation modes. The existing infrastructure also includes several barriers to accessibility as identified in Willmar's 2020 Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan that will be addressed by the Lakeland Drive path project. The resolutions also state that the Lakeland Drive path project will expand multi-modal access to critical employment centers downtown and to the and The Active Transportation grant is scheduled for funding in 2026 and projects must be completed in 2026. The Transportation Alternatives grant will not be available until 2028, but can be used to reimburse the city for construction of the path, according to Voge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The approval to temporarily fund the project using the Community Investment Fund was needed in order to inform the funding agencies that the grants will be accepted, according to Voge. He also explained that there will be additional agreements and other items that come before the City Council throughout the process of accepting the grants. Councilors Audrey Nelsen and Tom Gilbertson voiced concerns during the June 2 discussion that the Transportation Alternatives grant is federal funding and asked if there is a potential that the funding would not be disbursed. "If you're alluding to this uncertainty right now at the federal level, all I can say is that the project has been awarded the funding," Voge said. " ... I can't definitively tell you with 100% certainty that something at the federal level is not going to happen to claw the money back." He explained that there have been delays on other projects, but not removal of awarded funding through a federally authorized grant program. Residents near the Austin Powder Plant in northern Vinton County, Ohio were allowed to return home Wednesday evening after being ordered to evacuate when a tank of anhydrous nitric acid leaked, resulting in the release of a hazardous orange plume into the air. The Vinton County Sheriffs Office issued the evacuation order, warning people in the path of the leak to leave immediately due to dangerous air conditions. Winds in the region were blowing from the southwest at about 5 mph, carrying the toxic plume toward communities to the northeast. According to officials, the toxic release was contained within the immediate area, with no signs of the plume spreading beyond county lines. Around 4:30 p.m. local time the evacuation order was lifted. The Vinton County Sheriff's Office said air monitoring and on-site evaluations confirmed that levels at the facility were within safe limits. Nitric acid, commonly used in fertilizer and explosives production, is a highly corrosive substance that can cause severe burns to the skin and eyes, and intense damage to the lungs if inhaled. The spill created a visible orange haze around parts of the factory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: The Best Wildfire Smoke Protection During the day, warmer temperatures allow gases to rise and disperse more easily, but as the sun sets and temperatures fall, the boundary layerthe part of the atmosphere closest to the ground shrinks. This means the toxic gas can become more concentrated at the surface, increasing danger for anyone still in the area. Authorities said they will continue to monitor weather and air quality conditions. MORE ON WEATHER.COM The Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) visited Thailand from June 4-6 to attract investment and promote Macau as a business hub. The group participated in the Macao Wonder roadshow hosted by MGTO. The group also visited a locally owned traditional Chinese medicine health center in Bangkok to study its operations. The cohort met with Fortune 500 companies and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) pharmaceutical factories. After the visit, IPIM announced the global launch of three GMP-certified Chinese patent medicines at this years MIF. Thai partners expressed confidence that Macaus tourist flow will boost retail sales both online and offline. Related A wind-whipped brush fire near Apple Valley had grown to 4,205 acres by about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday with no containment, authorities said. The Ranch fire ignited south of Apple Valley around 2 p.m., according to the San Bernardino Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Within two hours, it had consumed more than 1,500 acres. Officials said low humidity and gusty winds contributed to the quick spread. Evacuations were ordered for the area from Milpas Drive to High Road, south of Highway 18. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wind speeds were at 22 mph around 2 p.m. and strengthened to 31 mph around 4 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. "Weather conditions are expected to remain challenging into the evening," Cal Fire officials said in a statement. Ground and air resources were being used to suppress the fire, the statement said. Officials urged residents to head to the evacuation site "safely and immediately" at Sitting Bull Academy, at 19445 Sitting Bull Road. An animal evacuation shelter was established at Victorville Fairgrounds, at 14800 7th St. in Victorville. The cause of the fire is under investigation, 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. LA CROSSE, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) Injury lawyers, Jordan Law, recently conducted a study to find the states with the fewest personal injury cases. The study analyzed data from the United States Courts covering the period from March 31, 2023, to March 31, 2024, examining the number of personal injury and tort cases filed in each state relative to their population. They found that Americas Dairyland is one heck of a safe place to be. Litigiously speaking, of course. With a population of 5,910,955, Wisconsin recorded only 142 combined personal injury and tort cases, representing just 5.45% of the states total civil cases. This equates to 2.40 cases per 100,000 residents, the lowest rate in the United States. Idaho ranks second, with 2.95 personal injury and tort cases per 100,000 residents. The state, with a population of 1,964,726, had a total of 58 such cases, making up 9.09% of all civil cases filed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Utah comes in third, with 2.96 cases per 100,000 residents. Out of a population of 3,417,734, there were 101 personal injury and tort cases, comprising 8.29% of the states civil caseload. Iowa ranks fourth, with 2.96 cases per 100,000 residents, matching Utahs rate. The state reported 95 personal injury and tort cases among its population of 3,207,004. Maine holds the fifth spot, with 3.51 cases per 100,000 residents. With a population of 1,395,722, the state had 49 personal injury and tort cases, accounting for 11.67% of its total civil cases. Nebraska ranks sixth, with 3.84 cases per 100,000 residents. The state reported 76 personal injury and tort cases among a population of 1,978,379. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oregon is seventh on the list, with 4.06 cases per 100,000 residents. With 172 personal injury and tort cases filed, they represent 8.34% of the states civil cases. North Dakota ranks eighth, with 4.08 cases per 100,000 residents. The state had 32 personal injury and tort cases among its 783,926 residents. Michigan comes in ninth, with 4.16 cases per 100,000 residents. The state recorded 418 personal injury and tort cases, making up 8.31% of its civil cases. Rounding out the top ten, Washington has 4.86 cases per 100,000 residents. The state reported 380 personal injury and tort cases among a population of 7,812,880. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the other end of the ranking, Florida has the highest rate of personal injury and tort cases, with 274.60 cases per 100,000 residents, over 114 times higher than Wisconsin. New Jersey and Illinois also rank high, with 221.70 and 104.00 cases per 100,000 residents, respectively. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Evers talks to reporters in March 2025. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner. ) Wisconsin Republicans considering running for governor in 2026 are criticizing Gov. Tony Evers for supporting California Gov. Gavin Newsom as he pushes back against President Donald Trump for sending armed troops into the state to respond to protests. As of Tuesday, President Donald Trump has authorized deployment of 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to Los Angeles as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids continue in the southern California city. This is the first time in six decades that a president has called National Guard troops to respond to civil unrest without a governors request for help. The last time, in 1965, President Lyndon Johnson sent troops to Alabama to protect civil rights protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic governors, including Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, asserted their support for California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a joint statement Monday, saying that Trumps actions were an alarming abuse of power. Governors are the Commanders in Chief of their National Guard and the federal government activating them in their own borders without consulting or working with a states governor is ineffective and dangerous, the governors said. Further, threatening to send the U.S. Marines into American neighborhoods undermines the mission of our service members, erodes public trust and shows the Trump administration does not trust local law enforcement. Its important we respect the executive authority of our countrys governors to manage their National Guards and we stand with Gov. Newsom who has made it clear that violence is unacceptable and that local authorities should be able to do their jobs without the chaos of this federal interference and intimidation. The Los Angeles police have said they could handle the protests, which had been mostly peaceful, though some violence had occurred. Newsom has said he is suing Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Department of Defense for taking over the Californias National Guard unit, saying it has needlessly escalated chaos and violence in the Los Angeles region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement White House border czar Tom Homan has suggested that he would arrest Newsom, but he hadnt crossed the line yet. Trump, asked about the idea of arresting Newsom, said that he would do it. After Trump appeared open to the idea, Homan said there is no intention to arrest the governor right now. Wisconsin Republicans are standing behind Trumps actions in LA and connecting Newsom to Evers actions regarding ICE. In reaction to the governors statement, Wisconsin businessman and Navy veteran Bill Berrien, who is considering running for governor in 2026, issued a press release through his Never Out of the Fight PAC saying that Newsom and Evers are enabling the invasion of illegal immigrants and violent protests. Berrien formed the PAC in April to advance conservative causes and to help Republicans win federal, state and local elections. We should be condemning this violence but our governor is once again putting violent criminals above law-abiding citizens, Berrien said. I served as a Navy SEAL to protect our country. President Trump is right to step up and end this chaos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Josh Schoemann, the first GOP candidate to officially launch a 2026 campaign, responded to a social media post that said the Democratic governors were endorsing lawlessness and chaos on American streets, noting a memo on ICE that Evers sent to state employees with guidance on handling ICE, and declaring Tonys Gotta Go!! COVID Lockdowns Kenosha Riots ICE Obstruction Memo Dem Guv Anti-Law & Order Pact Tonys Gotta Go!!! https://t.co/94E58PzpP7 Josh Schoemann (@JoshSchoemann) June 9, 2025 Republicans have been critical of Evers for his handling of increased ICE activity in Wisconsin, including calling for him to be arrested when he stood by guidance that he gave to state employees to call a lawyer if ICE showed up at their office. Those calls came after Homan previously made comments that were interpreted as a threat to arrest Evers. Evers released a three-minute video following Homans vague threat, saying that it represents a concerning trajectory in this country. We now have a federal government that will threaten or arrest an elected official or even everyday American citizens who have broken no laws, committed no crimes, and done nothing wrong, Evers said in early May. As disgusted as I am about the continued actions of the Trump Administration, I am not afraid. I have never once been discouraged from doing the right thing, and I will not start today. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Jun. 11SOUTH POINT The filling of a vacant seat led off business at the meeting of the village council in South Point last week, but, due to issues of residency requirements with the person chosen, the seat will remain vacant until the August meeting of council. Marlene Arthur, who served on council for three decades, died April 29 at age 87. According to Ohio Revised Code, the council has 30 days to name someone to fill the seat or the duty falls to the mayor to appoint someone to the seat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the May meeting of council took place only a few days after Arthur's death, the mayor and council agreed to deal with the matter at their June meeting, which took place on June 3. Three applicants expressed interest in the seat: Eric Rawlins, Charlie Withrow and Sandy Daniel. However, prior to the meeting, Rawlins withdrew his name from consideration. In the days preceding the meeting, Mayor Jeff Gaskin said discussions with council had resulted in a 2-2 tie between Withrow and Daniel and no consensus had been achieved. He said he was prepared to appoint Daniel to the position. However, at the start of the meeting, it was announced by members that council member Chuck Austin would be voting, along with Mary Cogan and Brad Adkins, for Withrow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cogan said council members had been contacted by Lawrence County Commissioner Colton Copley, who is Arthur's grandson, and he had expressed strong opposition to Daniel filling Arthur's seat. Gaskin then called for a vote on the matter, stating he would appoint the council's choice. Cogan, Arthur and Austin voted for Withrow, while members David Classing and Rocky McCoy voted for Daniel. Each member simply stated the name of their choice, except Adkins, who, in voting for Withrow, added the remark, "He has business experience. He's not anti-business." This prompted a response from one of Daniel's supporters, who said, "She is not anti-business." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "That's not what the yard sign said," Adkins responded, before Gaskin cut him off and called for order, as Daniel and her sister left the meeting. Following this, Gaskin went to his office to get a Bible and proceeded to administer the oath of office to Withrow. However, following the meeting, complications with the seat arose, as it was discovered that Withrow does no meet the residency requirements for the seat. "He will on Aug. 1," Gaskin told The Tribune on Monday, stating that a one-year residency is required. Gaskin said the code says the mayor "shall appoint" in the case of a vacancy, according to ORC. "But it doesn't say when." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gaskin said he intends to wait until the council's meeting in August, which will fall on the fifth of that month, to officially appoint Withrow. The seat will remain vacant for the council's July meeting. "It was the council's choice," he said. Gaskin pointed out that Arthur's seat was on the ballot this November, and her term expires at the end of the year. "So it's only six months left," he said. He said candidates, including Withrow, should he choose to run, have until Aug. 6 to file petitions for the board of election for the November election. In other business at the June 3 meeting, the council: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heard from several residents, led by Michael Chapman, who sought for the village to vacate an alley behind their homes on Mulberry Street. Chapman stated the alley is grassy and graveled and that he and other residents maintain it. "The property is not being used," he said. "And it hasn't in years." Gaskin asked Chapman what he planned for the property and he said he hoped to extend his garage into his portion. He said the residents would split the alley between them. He said they were able to get signatures from five of the six property owners in favor of the village vacating the alley. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group was advised they would need to come back and present a request with six signatures for the council to consider a vacation. Heard from Jeremy Clay, of Lawrence County Economic Development Corporation, who gave an update on projects at The Point industrial park. Clay's visit, previously scheduled, came days after it was announced that health food company Azure plans to open a facility in South Point, bringing 150 jobs with it. The facility is expected to open in July 2026. "And they are bringing no one with them," Clay said of the jobs at the new location. "They will be hiring top to bottom. This is a big win for the community." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heard from Linda Main, of People for the Point, who reminded the room that the nonprofit's Party in the Park will take place July 5 at the village park, with fireworks set for 10 p.m. Voted to repeal an ordinance, passed earlier this year, in which public employees would pay 10 percent of their benefits. This reverted to the previous setup, in which the village paid 100 percent of benefits. Heard from Gaskin, who said the village is receiving $200,000 from the Ohio General Assembly in its capital projects legislation, to build an outdoor amphitheater. Gaskin said the structure, which be approximately 50 feet long, would be used for concerts and showing movies. Authorized Gaskin to request a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for improvements on the village's riverfront. The village received $1.2 million last year from the General Assembly in funds Gov. Mike DeWine set aside for the state's Appalachian counties. The funds Gaskin is seeking would be used for that project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heard from fire chief Mark Goodall, who said the village's new fire truck, a 2025 model, was brought to Lawrence County and made an appearance in the Ironton-Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade, before being returned to the manufacturer for additional work and completion. You Might Like News ODOT road report News IPD Allison promoted to sergeant News DeWine, mental health leaders unveil 988 license plate News Area students named to OU's Spring 2025 President's List U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida Tampa Division via flmd.uscourts.gov. An expert witness testified Tuesday that race was absolutely a major factor in how one Florida Senate district was drawn during the reapportionment process by the GOP-controlled Florida Senate in 2022. I think its clear. I think race was definitely a factor, said Dr. Matthew Barreto, faculty director of the UCLA Voting Rights Project, during testimony in the federal trial taking place in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ACLU of Florida and the Civil Rights and Racial Justice Clinic at New York University are challenging the constitutionality of the 2022 Florida Senate redistricting plan because they claim that the Tampa Bay area district was racially gerrymandered. Race was used and can explain where the boundary lines are, Barreto added, discussing the report he produced for the ACLU of Florida, which asked him to analyze the enacted map of Senate District 16. The district includes a portion of South St. Petersburg before stretching across Tampa Bay to join a substantial part of Hillsborough County. Its held by Democrat Darryl Rouson. Three plaintiffs who live in St. Petersburg and Hillsborough County testified on Monday that they had their equal-protection rights violated by the Legislatures movement of Black voters into District 16 and removal from nearby District 18, reducing their influence there. The defendants are Senate President Ben Albritton and Secretary of State Cord Byrd. Testimony throughout Tuesday was filled with political science references like ecological inference, racially polarized voting, and cohesion to break down the racial composition of Florida legislative districts. A lengthy discussion of statistics was at times mind-numbing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barreto emphasized that the Senate drew District 16 deliberately to include more Black voters than white ones, referencing how the drawing left out the city of Gulfport, which sits right next to South St. Petersburg, as one specific example. Alternative maps The other legislative redistricting expert called to the stand on Tuesday was Penn State statistics professor Cory McCartan, who was asked earlier this year by the ACLU of Florida to draw up a version of Senate District 16 that would be located exclusively in Hillsborough County while still complying with the Florida Constitution. McCartan created three alternative maps for the ACLU that changed the composition of several other nearby Senate districts in Tampa Bay while still keeping Hillsborough by itself. Attorney Tara Klimek Price, representing the Florida Senate, was aggressive in trying to poke holes in the testimonies of both Barreto and McCartan, while Mohammad Jazil, the attorney representing Byrd, questioned both men about their objectivity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McCartan initially responded that he wasnt sure whether he was a registered Democrat. When asked by Jazil whether he would like to see more Democrats elected he responded, It depends on who the Democrat is. Jazil got Barreto to acknowledge that some of the organizations he has worked with have done work for Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and the Democratic National Committee. The morning began with attorneys for the ACLU of Florida questioning Jay Ferrin, who served as staff director of the Florida Senate Committee on Reapportionment in the fall of 2021. He testified that GOP legislators never asked him to draw up a Senate map that would have placed a district solely in Hillsborough County while ensuring that parts of south Pinellas County would not suffer from diminishment. Under the Fair Districts Amendments non-diminishment standard placed by the voters into the state Constitution in 2010, districts cannot be drawn in a manner that diminishes the ability of minority voters to elect their preferred candidate of choice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Ferrin was never asked to draw up such a map, which the ACLU contends would have avoided this predicament, attorneys for the plaintiffs have focused on former Orange County Democratic state Sen. Randolphs Bracys comment during the committee meeting in the fall of 2021 that the Reapportionment staff should look into the matter. Daniel Tilley, an attorney with the ACLU, challenged Ferrin that to speculate whether it was possible to draw such a Senate district just in Hillsborough County that would not have protected against diminishment. Ferrin said it was hard for me to speculate. Wheres Bracy? Meanwhile, the whereabouts of former Sen. Bracy has become an issue during the first two days of the trial. ACLU lawyers hoped to bring him to the stand late Monday before acknowledging that he wasnt present. After attorneys again told the three-judge panel on Tuesday that Bracy had yet again failed to appear, Justice Thomas Barber said that in a previous trial when a witness did not appear, U.S. marshals were called to retrieve the witness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this case, a court officer called Bracy during a morning break, when he reportedly answered and said had not been personally served with a subpoena but had just found it at one of his residences. He then said that he previously told the plaintiffs in the case that he did not want to be involved, according to Justice Barber. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SPRINGFIELD A Massachusetts state trooper injured in an hit-and-run collision overnight suffered serious injuries that are not considered life-threatening. I can tell you hes in good spirits, State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble told reporters on Tuesday. Hes in for a long recovery. The trooper, who has not yet been identified, had pulled over a tractor-trailer early Tuesday morning and was struck by another motorist on the side of the Massachusetts Turnpike near the Chicopee exit, Noble said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was on the way home after finishing his shift, but state troopers are never off-duty while theyre in a marked cruiser, Noble said, standing outside Baystate Medical Center with some of the clinicians who treated the injured trooper. The driver took off from the crash scene, according to law enforcement officials. This was a hit-and-run. The operator did not remain at the scene, Noble said. The driver was arrested around noon Tuesday, but they have yet to be identified. An arraignment has been scheduled in Chicopee District Court on Wednesday morning. The injured trooper had been with the state police for less than a year, but had been a member of law enforcement for a decade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noble declined to discuss the charges the driver may face, nor would he go into more detail about the troopers injuries. The incident happened just after 2:20 a.m., close to Exit 51 on the westbound side of Interstate 90, state police said earlier on Tuesday. The crash is under investigation by Massachusetts State Police and troopers assigned to the Hampden County District Attorneys Office. Anyone with information on the crash is urged to call 413-505-5993 to speak with state police detectives with the district attorneys office. Noble said the crash that injured the trooper puts a fine point on the importance of careful driving. He also emphasized the importance of the Move Over law in this state, requiring drivers to move over a lane if they spot first responders pulled over on the side of the road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We want to ensure that you drive in a safe manner and drive in a sober manner, Noble said. MassLives Irene Rotondo contributed to this report. more news from Western Massachusetts Read the original article on MassLive. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) A Livingston County woman admitted to stealing more than $25,000 pension payments that were made to her deceased mother. Investigators said 61-year-old Patricia Chatley pleaded guilty to stealing the money in court Wednesday. Chatleys mother worked for the Livingston County Department of Social Services and retired in 1994. When she retired, she received monthly payments of $1,000 which should have stopped when she died in January 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the State Comptrollers Officer received an anonymous tip regarding Chatleys mothers death, an investigation began. Investigators found that Chatley had been collecting payments for nearly two and a half years totaling $25,775. Chatley is said to have never notified the bank, New York State, or the local Retirement System of her mothers death, and was transferring the pension fund payments to her personal account. She then withdrew and spent the money, according to prosecutors. Chatley pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the third degree and was sentenced to one year of probation and was ordered to pay restitution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A woman was arrested when state troopers found that she allegedly went nearly 100 mph on Interstate 91 on Monday with a 1-year-old in the car. Troopers received multiple 911 calls just after 11 p.m. reporting that a silver Hyundai Sonata was being driven erratically on I-91 South in the area of Exit 32, according to Connecticut State Police. A trooper stopped in the shoulder near Exit 27 and spotted the Hyundai shortly thereafter. The trooper followed the vehicle and allegedly clocked its speed at 95 mph in a 65 mph zone, state police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The driver pulled over when prompted to do so near Exit 22 in Rocky Hill and was identified as 24-year-old Nahgee Baldwin of New Haven, according to state police. Troopers during the stop noticed a 1-year-old in the rear of the vehicle. State police said they also found that Baldwin did not have a valid license, and that the Hyundai was unregistered and uninsured. Baldwin was charged with reckless driving, first-degree reckless endangerment, improper use of registration plate, risk of injury to a minor, operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and operating without a license. She was released on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court on June 24. CHICOPEE The woman who police say crashed into a Massachusetts state trooper early Tuesday morning, seriously injuring him, was arraigned in Chicopee District Court today. Naisha Rodriguez, 32, of Springfield, was arrested hours after the crash, which occurred when the trooper had pulled over a tractor trailer for a traffic violation on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Chicopee around 2:20 a.m. After driving into the trooper, she fled the scene, according to police. She faces charges including driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and causing serious injury, leaving the scene of an accident, making a false report of a car theft and witness intimidation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rodriguez was held on $500,000 cash bail, and averted her face from the medias cameras during the proceeding. About a dozen troopers packed one side of the courtroom for Rodriguezs arraignment. Read the original article on MassLive. TOPEKA (KSNT) More than 4,000 people have marked themselves as interested in attending an upcoming lavender festival that will be happening west of Topeka this Saturday. 27 News spoke to Somerset Lavender owner Teryl Studebaker about the upcoming Red, White & Lavender Festival. Studebaker said this will be the first time Somerset Lavender holds the festival and that she hopes to make it an annual event if its successful. Its just my husband Joe and I, we started growing about eight years ago and we started going to different markets, Studebaker said. I sell all sorts of bath and body products that are all handmade. We both still work jobs, so its a lot of work. Super excited to share it with the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Studebaker said shes excited about all the interest in the event. She said she isnt sure how many people will show up, but that shes planning for at least 500. Kansas ranchers hit hard by cattle theft operations The festival will start at 10 a.m. and go to 5 p.m. on June 14 at 9900 KS-4 west of Topeka, according to the event page. Attendees can pick fresh lavender, sip on lavender lemonade, taste soft-serve lavender ice cream and shop Somerset Lavenders bath, body and culinary products. Studebaker said there will be 13 vendors coming out, including a food truck. Guests will be able to pick their own lavender bundles for $10. Celebrate lavender season with a day full of beauty, relaxation, and sweet summer vibes in the heart of our blooming fields. This special U-Pick event is your chance to gather fresh lavender, explore the farm, and enjoy all things lavender! Somerset Lavender wrote on Facebook. For more information on the event, click here. To learn more about Somerset Lavender you can visit their website here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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. The Road Traffic Bill amendment was passed in its first reading at the Legislative Assembly in April last year, but Ella Lei, chairperson of the Assemblys First Standing Committee, stated Monday that it is currently impossible to determine if the detailed new text will be submitted for deliberation before the session ends. The standing committee held its initial discussion on the amendment to the Road Traffic Bill in May 2024, with the general discussion and vote passing by a majority. According to the Legislative Assembly website, the relevant committee did not reconvene to discuss the bill until May 23 of this year. Among the texts reviewed in detail by the standing committee, several significant amendments to the Road Traffic Law Bill were made, including the adjustment of the demerit point system from the draft text to the Road Traffic Violation Point System to better address administrative violations by drivers. We, the committee, are still in a review phase, focused on clarifying all issues, which is why we are working closely together. Our goal is to progress beyond this stage and complete our work. As I mentioned last time, we are not yet able to assess certain matters because we are still discussing and need to identify the questions and concerns of our fellow members, she said. At a press briefing after the closed-door meeting, the legislator quoted the attending government officials as committing to review the bills details to ensure clarity and enforceability. Lei quoted the government, emphasizing the importance of developing comprehensive road traffic laws: The government reaffirmed today [yesterday] that it will first review the entire legal text in response to the concerns raised by legislators. Additionally, it will enhance public awareness and education on traffic safety [] This is essential for ensuring the safety of both drivers and pedestrians. Accordingly, regulations and principles will be established to achieve general and specific prevention goals, thereby reinforcing everyones awareness and attitude toward driving safety. According to the press briefing, the government clearly stated during the meeting that it plans to revise the entire Road Traffic Bill using existing regulations from the current Road Traffic Safety Law. This revision will be organized into three main sections: general traffic rules, vehicle specifications, and driving qualifications. The committee has already finished discussing the general provisions related to traffic rules, and future meetings will concentrate on procedural regulations and aspects connected to the criminal justice system. Lei quoted government officials as reaffirming their commitment to soliciting opinions from legislators and the public, refining provisions and technical details to ensure a balanced consideration of all stakeholders views. The government noted that, as quoted by Lei, in establishing the legal framework, it will fully consider Macaus specific conditions and social feedback. According to her, the meeting continued the discussion from the previous session, focusing on the practical aspects of pedestrian traffic. During the meeting, some legislators expressed concerns about enforcement in various scenarios, particularly regarding pedestrians needing to be aware of vehicle speed and distance to cross safely and quickly. Other issues raised included traffic planning and recommendations for how the traffic department should establish crosswalks and other crossing facilities. Another section addresses traffic rules, including some environmental regulations focused on issues like air pollution, emissions, oil spills, and noise pollution. Lei noted that while current laws contain relevant provisions, the new text aims to clarify these regulations. In addition to the existing ban on vehicle noise, it introduces a prohibition on excessive or repeated acceleration of motor vehicles without reasonable cause, particularly when starting or in neutral, akin to revving the engine. The government stated that aspects such as exhaust emissions and volume will be regulated by separate standards to ensure proper operation, according to Lei. YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) A Hanover woman is facing charges after allegedly starting a small fire at UPMC Hanover in April. Court documents show the woman is being charged with felony Risking Catastrophe and two misdemeanors or allegedly starting a fire in a patient room in the hospital on April 7, 2025. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News Alerts According to court documents, officers responded to UPMC Hanover on May 15 to take a report of the fire that occurred a month earlier. Police met security, who advised them that the fire had started in room 407 and caused $1,002 damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Security told police that they believed the suspect, who was a patient in the room at the time of the fire, attempted to smoke while connected to an oxygen system, and staff had to intervene to prevent the spread of the fire to the rest of the populated hospital. Court documents show police spoke to the suspect, who said she was bothered by her medical bracelets and attempted to burn them off with a lighter. The fire from the lighter caught the oxygen tube she was connected to, spreading fire to her gown and blanket. UPMC previously stated that no one else was injured in the fire. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. princeton A Mercer County woman has been charged malicious assault after allegedly stabbing her ex-boyfriend with what he called a Rambo knife. Badia A. Miller, 51, of Bluefield was charged with a felony charge of malicious assault and misdemeanor domestic battery after Patrolman D.W. Lester with the Bluefield Police Department was dispatched to a College Avenue apartment June 3 about a reported stabbing. Lester found the victim standing his living room with a large knife wound below the center of his chest, according to the criminal complaint filed at the Mercer County Magistrate Clerks Office. He told Lester that his ex-girlfriend, Badia Miller, had stabbed him and fled the scene in a Chevy Cruze sedan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim was transported to the emergency room on Princeton Community Hospitals Bluefield location. There he told Lester that he had been arguing with Miller about him sharing texts with other women and because she had taken his house key and refused to give it back, according to the criminal complaint. He asked her to leave several times because he was afraid his landlord would complain about her causing a disturbance and evict him. She refused to leave and pulled out a knife that he described as a Rambo knife stabbing him right below the center of his chest, near his sternum leaving leaving a laceration of about two centimeters deep, and four centimeters in length, Lester said in his report. There was also a cut below the initial stab wound from where the knife was pulled out in (a) downward slashing motion. On June 4, Lester was patrolling College Avenue when he saw a black Chevy Cruze with a West Virginia license plate number matching one observed on city cameras when the stabbing occurred, according to the criminal complaint. Lester conducted a traffic stop and the driver identified herself as Badia Miller. She consented to a search inside her vehicle. When doing so, I observed a pair of flip flops hidden under bags in the trunck with what appeared to be blood on both sides of them, Lester said in his report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A knife matching the one described by the victim was also found, Lester said. After being transported to the police department, Miller was read her Miranda Rights and agreed to be interviewed without a lawyer present, Lester said in the report. She called the victim an ex-boyfriend and someone she stayed with frequently. Lester then said they had been drinking and he began to touch her, which made her upset. Miller stated that she bit the victim on the nose, which did not draw blood, and left shortly after, according to the criminal complaint. She stated that she left to get more alcohol for herself, but saw EMS and police at the scene when she returned to the house. She then said that she went her ex-boyfriends apartment door and knocked, but there was no answer and did not further check on him. Lester said Miller was seen several times on video surveillance driving through the city, which contradicted several of her statements. On June 4, Miller asked to speak again with detectives before she was arraigned by a magistrate, Lester said in the report. She said that she was drinking with her ex-boyfriend when they argued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At this time she stated she pulled her knife and used it for protection but did not remember pulling it out of the sheath, Lester said. She stated she didnt know she cut him until we advised there was something on the knife. After further evaluating the sheath, it is cut and the knife come out the end of it, so it couldve been in the sheath when she stabbed him in the chest. Miller was arraigned before Magistrate Susan Honaker and remanded to the Southern Regional Jail on a $10,000 cash or surety bond, according to court records. Malicious assault is a felony with a possible term of two to 10 years in prison, according to the West Virginia Code. Domestic battery is a misdemeanor with a possible term of up to 12 months in jail. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com An American woman accused of plotting to murder a shop owner and members of his family in the UK is to face trial this summer. Aimee Betro, 45, was charged after a man was threatened at gunpoint in South Yardley, Birmingham, in September 2019. She has previously denied conspiracy to murder, possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and a separate charge related to the alleged importation of ammunition into the UK. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ms Betro, originally from the US state of Wisconsin, appeared before Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday when the case was adjourned for trial on 21 July. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story Related internet links Jun. 11BCA at the scene investigating Two people have died after a reported domestic disturbance Tuesday night in Oakland Township in Freeborn County. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is on the scene in the 21000 block of 880th Avenue and is investigating, according to the Freeborn County Sheriff's Office. A Sheriff's Office deputy could be seen blocking the dead-end road on 880th Avenue south of Freeborn County Road 46 Wednesday morning; however, the exact address where the incident occurred has not yet been released. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Sheriff's Office stated a deceased adult female was found near the residence, and law enforcement officers are believed to have discharged their firearms in the pursuit of the suspect. He was declared deceased on scene. Deputies responded at 7:12 p.m. Tuesday to the residence for a domestic disturbance possibly involving firearms. It was reported later that a suspect, an adult male, was involved in the domestic disturbance who had left the scene and was possibly heading to Mower County. The Sheriff's Office stated the suspect was located by Mower County deputies, and a vehicle pursuit was initiated. During the pursuit, the suspect returned to the residence in the 21000 block of 880th Avenue pursued by law enforcement officers. The suspect exited the vehicle and a use-of-force incident occurred where law enforcement officers discharged their firearms, according to the release. Emergency medical services were requested to the scene immediately after the shooting, and care was rendered to the suspect. The suspect was declared deceased at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a cursory search of the property by other officers on scene, they found the deceased adult female near the residence. It was believed she died prior to law enforcement arrival. Names of both individuals have not yet been released. This incident was a multi-jurisdictional response. The involved law enforcement officers have been placed on critical incident leave. Portions of this incident were captured by body-worn cameras. Further information will be released in the coming days. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A woman was injured Tuesday night after shots were fired during an argument in the Whites Creek area. The incident was reported at 11:53 p.m. Tuesday at a Shell gas station in the 3000 block of Whites Creek Pike. 1 dead, 1 in custody after shooting in Madison According to a preliminary investigation, a man entered the convenience store and was asked to leave by a female employee. An argument followed, during which the employee reportedly sprayed mace at the man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The man allegedly pulled out a firearm and shot her. Authorities said the woman then pulled out her own gun and returned fire. (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) The woman was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with a non-life-threatening injury after being shot in the arm, according to police. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Authorities detained the man and interviewed both individuals. The mans identity has not been released at this time. Officials said the District Attorneys Office will determine if charges should be filed in this case. 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. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) A woman who was indicted for allegedly helping the suspected shooter of two Mifflin Township police officers appeared in court Wednesday for an arraignment hearing. Jayla Call, 31, had a scheduled court appearance in Franklin County Common Pleas Court after her case was moved from municipal court. Call was indicted on one count of obstructing justice and one count of tampering with evidence after Daveonte Dixon allegedly shot two officers on May 28 in Mifflin Township. She pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Magistrate set Calls bond at $50,000 surety with a $5,000 recognizance. Call was also ordered not to be in contact with Dixon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chemical leak at explosives manufacturing plant prompts evacuations in Vinton County The shooting occurred after a traffic stop just outside of Columbus city limits. The U.S. Marshals Service and the Franklin County SWAT officers arrested Dixon two days after the shooting at an apartment complex in the 4300 block of Thelma Drive in Obetz. He was allegedly found in Calls apartment. Call approached law enforcement and was taken into custody after Dixons arrest. Court records said that during an interview, Call allegedly admitted to knowing Dixon was a fugitive while he was inside her apartment, and she allegedly deleted text messages on her phone that were between Dixon and his girlfriend. One of the officers who was shot has been released from the hospital. The other remained hospitalized after two surgeries. 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. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) A woman with a history of run-ins with police admitted to injuring an officer while trying to run away from them. In August 2024, officers approached Leann Aragons car after pulling her over for a different investigation, and she tried to flee. Aragon made it around one cruiser but hit a second that collided with a third, injuring an officer. Albuquerque police search for man accused of robbing Airbnb multiple times She pled guilty to aggravated battery and resisting arrest. Judge Cindy Leos sentenced Aragon to two years behind bars. Eight months will be taken off for time served. 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. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) A Kent woman who pleaded guilty in September to the theft of several firearms from a home in 2022 was sentenced to three years probation with six months of that to be spent in the Mahoning County jail. Ciara Tillison, 32, was sentenced by Judge Anthony DApolito in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court after guilty pleas to charges of burglary, a second-degree felony, and 17 counts of grand theft when the property is a firearm or dangerous ordnance, a third-degree felony. She is accused of taking part in the theft of several guns during a burglary in November 2022 at a home in Springfield Township. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was indicted Sept. 5, 2023, by a grand jury. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 woman in California is suing Costco for more than $14 million after a heavy liquor cabinet display allegedly fell on her, causing severe injuries. The shopper, Sadie Novotny, filed the lawsuit against Costco Wholesale Corporation following the March 22 incident at the company's Santa Rosa store in northern California. According to court documents, Novotny was walking down an aisle when she alleges a large, heavy cabinet used to display liquor suddenly toppled onto her. PHOTO: The side of a Costco warehouse is seen April 4, 2025, in Hawthorne, California. (Jay L Clendenin/Getty Images) The lawsuit claims Novotny suffered multiple severe and permanent injuries, including a traumatic brain injury. She is seeking $9 million for pain and suffering, $5 million for emotional distress and additional damages for medical expenses and lost wages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case, originally filed in Alameda County Superior Court, has been moved to federal court at Costco's request. A case management conference is scheduled for Sept. 4 at the San Francisco Federal Courthouse. According to the lawsuit, the cabinet was displayed on what's described as a defective or worn wooden pallet. The filing argues that this created an unsafe situation for shoppers, claiming the display was "set up in an unreasonably dangerous manner." The lawsuit alleges Costco failed to properly inspect and maintain the display, arguing the company should have known about the danger and either fixed it or warned customers about the risk. ABC News has reached out to Costco Wholesale Corporation for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: Cincinnati high school graduate faces deportation after routine ICE check-in Claude Armand Wyle, Novotny's attorney, claimed to ABC News that a Costco representative told him they have a video of the incident, but won't send it to him to review. "The employee told me that the video didn't happen the way I explained it," Wyle said. "I told her, 'Well, send it.' She then said, 'Oh no, you can only get that video through discovery.'" "That meant I had to file a lawsuit," he added. "I couldn't investigate any further. I was stuck. If I wanted to get to the truth, I had to file a lawsuit." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wyle told ABC News that Novotny went to the hospital an hour after the incident after she told her husband she felt "really bad." "When she arrived at the hospital, doctors diagnosed her with a concussion," Wyle said. "She suffered a head injury. We don't know how bad it is yet." Wyle said his client feels slightly better but still suffers from headaches and vision problems. The lawsuit is seeking compensation for current and future medical expenses, estimated at $2 million, along with lost earnings and future earning capacity losses of approximately $2 million. Additional damages are being sought for loss of household services. Costco shopper sues for $14 million after display cabinet allegedly falls, causing brain injury originally appeared on abcnews.go.com JEFFERSON, Iowa One small business in Greene County is reviving a forgotten Iowa trade while also making history on stage. RVP 1875 is the worlds leading furniture shop, according to the owner, Robby Pedersen. The shop is located across the street from Jeffersons iconic bell tower. For 32 years, Pedersen has made furniture that was popular in Iowa in 1875, while only using tools that existed that same year. For 10 years, he was at Living History Farms in Urbandale, but for the last 22 years, he has been the Master Furniture Maker at RVP 1875. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His collection of 700 hand planes, the largest working set in the world, and 30 saws are the tools hes used to make 1,500 pieces of furniture in his shop. He chose the year 1875 because that was the year with the most furniture makers in the state. Many pioneers were settling down in small cabins that year. As a result, they needed items like a chimney cabinet and a folding table, because they both saved space. More: Live on Location in Jefferson However, there were also second-generation Iowans who now had larger farms and wanted more and larger furniture. Pedersen says modern furniture rarely gets passed down to a second generation because the use of glue, nails, and fake wood makes the furniture unable to last many years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At RVP 1875, Pedersen teaches apprentices a forgotten skill known as triple joining, which is how furniture used to be made before nails and glue were popularized. By using and teaching this system, he said his goal is to preserve the trade. In the 20th century, factories industrialized the profession, and as a result, many skills like triple joining were lost. They spent 800 years learning how to really do it well, and then they replaced a master, a journeyman, and an apprentices with an unskilled laborer and a machine. So you can imagine how dumbed down every woodworking concept just instantly became, said Pedersen. His four to six-month wait period keeps him busy during the day, but at night, he makes other forms of art. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For 17 seasons, RVP 1875 has been home to the History Boy Theater Company, a 140-seat theater with a two-story stage in the back of the shop. The theater has showcased 30 full-scale musicals. Pedersen said that for six out of their last 10 shows, they were the Midwest premiere, and they were the national premiere twice. 120 years of scripts, scoops, and soda at the pharmacy in Colfax Their musicals are unique in the fact that Pedersen builds his own sets. He has a talent for making it seem real and making you feel there, so its very immersive, said his wife and one of his apprentices, Sara Pedersen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This summer, the History Boy Theater Company will showcase Rocky the Musical, and it will be the final show at the theater. We kind of hoped that the next generation will pick it up, but thats such a challenge in such a small town. You have to have the exact right people, said Pedersen. As the last set is built and custom orders are filled, Pedersen isnt just making furniture but passing down history. 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 government has announced a public bidding process for the operation of on-street parking, starting immediately. The announcement was made via an executive order issued by Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai, published in the governments official gazette on Monday. The executive order, signed by the Chief Executive on May 30, aligns with the relevant legal provisions of the Public Parking Services System and the Basic Provisions on the Granting of Public Works and Public Services. According to publicly available information from the Transport Bureau (DSAT), since the expiration of the meter operation agreement in April 2023, the bureau has directly awarded management and maintenance services for paid parking spaces on public roads in two zones. The first zone includes the northern district of the Macau Peninsula, Taipa, and Coloane, while the second zone encompasses the southern and central districts of the peninsula, along with the San Kio and Patane areas. These services have been awarded eight times, all to Macau Forehap Parking Management Ltd. The current short-term outsourcing contract for meter parking space management, also operated by Forehap, is valid until early October this year, spanning eight months. During this period, meter parking fees are directly remitted to the Macau government as revenue, while the management company assists in collecting and remitting these fees to the Transport Bureau. Such an arrangement has been in place for over two years, with the total cost for parking management and maintenance services in the two zones amounting to about MOP3.5 million for zone one and MOP4.47 million for zone two, totaling nearly MOP8 million. The current parking meters in Macau accept only two payment methods: Macau Pass cards and UnionPays QuickPass cards. In light of the bureaus takeover, measures are being implemented to phase out cash payments at parking meters, allowing only electronic payments. The Public Parking Services Regulations have been amended to specify that parking fees for public road spaces must be paid electronically. The bureau has previously announced that in the upcoming public tender for the next phase of the parking meter operation agreement, it plans to introduce smart applications and support multiple payment methods. [Source] More than 1.8 billion people across South Asia could face life-threatening exposure to extreme heat by 2030, according to a new report from the World Bank. The region, which includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, is rapidly becoming one of the worlds most heat-exposed zones due to accelerating climate change. Health and livelihood risks The report warns that rising temperatures could trigger widespread heat-related illness, especially among vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children and outdoor workers. Extended exposure can lead to heatstroke, dehydration and worsened chronic health conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 60% of households and businesses in South Asia have experienced extreme weather in the past five years. Over 75% expect conditions to worsen within the next decade. Trending on NextShark: Japan bans flashy baby names like 'Nike,' 'Pikachu' Economic and infrastructure strain Extreme heat is projected to reduce economic productivity in labor-intensive sectors such as agriculture and construction. Workers in these industries face increased physical stress, reduced capacity and higher rates of absenteeism, which may lead to measurable declines in output. The report outlines significant infrastructure challenges linked to rising temperatures. Increased demand for cooling may overwhelm power grids, while prolonged heat can weaken roads and railways through material expansion. Higher evaporation rates are likely to reduce water availability, compounding stress on public utilities and agricultural irrigation systems. Trending on NextShark: Smartphone smuggled from North Korea automatically censors 'oppa' Urgent need for action The World Bank urges South Asian governments to implement immediate adaptation measures to reduce climate risks, including early warning systems for heatwaves, climate-resilient construction and expanded access to public cooling centers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report also emphasizes the need for regional coordination on data, infrastructure and resources to manage threats that cross national borders. It concludes that without large-scale adaptation, rising temperatures will continue to threaten public health, economic productivity and essential systems across South Asia. Trending on NextShark: Asian Americans no longer healthiest older adult group, study finds This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what were building, consider becoming a paid member your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Trending on NextShark: World Bank: 1.8 billion South Asians at risk to extreme heat by 2030 Subscribe here now! Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today! "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." A decade ago, the Colombian government announced the discovery of what was presumed to be the wreckage of the San Jose, a Spanish galleon that was sunk by the British Navy more than 300 years ago. But this wasnt just any ship. Historians say the vessel was carrying not only a crew of more than 600 men but also a massive fortune, including "200 tonnes of gold, silver, and emeralds belonging to the viceroy of Peru. In todays currency, that pot would be worth more than $17 billion, making it the worlds richest shipwreck in history if recovered. In the years since then, the government has funded research efforts to confirm the ship's origins. This week, researchers shared new findings after sending an underwater drone on a non-intrusive investigation of an 18th-century AD shipwreck, which was covered in a new article in the archaeology journal Antiquity , published by Cambridge University Press. The most essential clue: hand-struck, irregularly shaped coinsknown as cobs in English and macuquinas in Spanishthat served as the primary currency in the Americas for more than two centuries. ARC-DIMAR 2022/VARGAS ARIZA ET AL. ANTIQUITY 2025 This case study highlights the value of coins as key chronological markers in the identification of shipwrecks, particularly those from the Tierra Firme Fleet, researchers wrote in Antiquity. The finding of cobs created in 1707 at the Lima Mint points to a vessel navigating the Tierra Firme route in the early eighteenth century. The San Jose Galleon is the only ship that matches these characteristics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The San Jose Galleon is also referred to as the Holy Grail of shipwrecks, and a private company Sea Search Armada (formerly called Glocca Morra) say they first discovered the shipwreck in 1981, and later shared the coordinates with the government. The company then sued the government for $10 billion , equivalent to half the fortune, according to its calculations. Colombia has since declared the area a protected archaeological area, and President Gustavo Petro wants to recover and raise the wreck for scientific purposes before his term ends in 2026, according to Bloomberg . However, researchers stopped short of confirming the wreckage entirely, noting at the end of the report that this represents only the first step in a long-term project. The initial phase focuses on non-invasive surveys, with no plans for object recovery or excavation until the entire site is fully characterized. You Might Also Like A man was charged with DUI on Tuesday after a state trooper allegedly spotted him going the wrong way on Interstate 95 in Bridgeport where he nearly hit multiple vehicles as he swerved across several lanes. The driver was first spotted by a trooper just after 2:10 a.m. and was seen going south on the northbound side of the highway near Exit 27a, according to Connecticut State Police. State police said he was then allegedly seen swerving to his left across all three lanes and merging onto the off-ramp to Route 8, nearly hitting multiple other motorists. Dashboard camera footage released by police shows a driver going the wrong way on the highway and turning in front of multiple vehicles to get onto the ramp. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement https://www.courant.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/file-3.mp4 The trooper then got behind the driver and pulled him over. He was identified as 24-year-old Benjamin Mitchell of Ansonia. According to state police, a trooper alleged that Mitchells eyes were watery and bloodshot, and that he had a hard time forming responses to simple questions. State police also allege his speech was slightly slurred. Mitchell told the trooper he missed his exit and did a U-turn on the highway in order to get back to the exit he wanted to take, according to state police. He was asked to take field sobriety testing, which state police say he allegedly failed. Mitchell was arrested on charges of operating under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, driving the wrong way on a limited access highway and second-degree reckless endangerment. He was later released on a $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on July 1. MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) Following her discovery of a life-changing fungus earlier this year, 12 News spoke with West Virginia University student Corrine Hazel and her professor on how they came across the fungus thats eluded scientists for nearly a century. Hazel wasnt looking to discover a new species. She was working on a research project that involved morning glories, a fungus known for dispersing a protective chemical called ergot alkaloids. But one day, something caught her eye, little bits of fuzz on the inside of some seed coats. Hazels professor, Daniel Panaccione, is the Davis Michael Professor of Plant and Soil Science at WVU and has been studying ergot alkaloids for years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the 1930s, scientist Albert Hofmann altered an ergot alkaloid from a morning glory plant to create the hallucinogenic, LSD. He thought that it actually mustve been a fungus on the plant that produces the chemical, but he could never find it. For almost a century, no one could find it, even though they knew it must be there. Panaccione and Hazel realized they could have the missing fungus. We didnt want to get our hopes up too high, Panaccione said. We had some level of skepticism until we had a lot more data, but inside I was excited. WVU Board of Governors voting to extend President Gordon Gees contract, but only by a few weeks Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To confirm that this was a new species, the pair had to figure out the funguss entire DNA sequence and see how different it was from other fungi. Hazel said extracting a full DNA sample required some trial and error. I guess I never really knew how much, like, trial and error went into the process just to get your experiments to work. Sometimes, you have to try quite a few times, Hazel said. When the pair got the DNA sequence back from the lab, it was official. This was, in fact, a new species of funguslikely the one that eluded Hofmann in his day. They named it Periglandula clandestina, as the word clandestine means something kept secret. Professor Panaccione said that in his more than 30 years of research, this is the first time he has discovered a new fungus. The discovery yields new possibilities, as ergot alkaloids are known for their medical properties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This fungus makes such high quantities of those chemicals, and by expressing the genes in an organism like yeast, you could recombine them and make new versions or make greater quantities, and the chemicals are used to treat dementia, migraine, and a variety of other conditions, Panaccione said. The WVU team has found, though, that Periglandula clandestina doesnt like to grow away from the morning glories. Why and how to get it to grow is a new question for WVU faculty and students to look into. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. By the middle of 1944, United States Navy submarines had weathered hard times of unreliable torpedoes and a necessary learning process to matured weapons of war, aided by onboard radar. At the same time, their Japanese opponents had yet to fully address the threat that these underwater marauders posed to the ships that brought oil and other foreign resources from their far-flung empire. So fully developed were the American subs that Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, commander in chief of naval forces, Pacific (CINCPAC), had started the year off by adding destroyers to his priority lists, so as to accelerate the elimination of Americas principal enemies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like their German counterparts, the Americans were also operating in wolf packs of two or more, while the Japanese were modifying and arming numerous varieties of other ships, such as minesweepers, to make up their sub-hunter losses. A dramatic example of the situation in 1944 began in mid-June, when three boats from Submarine Attack Group 9, named Parks Pirates for their commander, Cmdr. Lewis Smith Parks, departed Pearl Harbor to prowl the waters from Formosa to Luzon. They were led by Cmdr. Lawson P. Red Ramage on Parche, followed by Steelhead and Hammerhead. The Massachusetts native graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy as an ensign in July 1931, with his first attempt to get a submarine assignment initially blocked due to an eye injury. His second attempt, in which he memorized the eye chart, succeeded in getting him aboard S-29 in January 1936. He was a radio and sound officer at Pearl Harbor in March 1941, and he was there when Japanese carrier planes raided it on Dec. 7. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On June 6, 1944, Parks Pirates embarked on their first patrol, with modest initial results for Hammerhead: a sampan destroyed on June 9, followed by a coastal oil carrier damaged. On July 29, Hammerhead had to curtail its sweep when it came under air attack, returning for repairs at Fremantle, Australia, on Aug. 17. At 10:30 a.m. on July 30, Steelhead was off Formosa when it sighted smoke, which, upon investigation, revealed an enemy convoy escorted by aircraft. Unable to attack until nightfall, Steelhead maintained contact until 8:15 p.m., when it shot off a message summoning Parche, relaying the enemys course and speed. Ramage responded at full speed, joining Steelhead at midnight to make surface attacks. The latter commenced hostilities at 3:32 a.m. with a bow spread of six torpedoes that struck a freighter, then a tanker. Steelhead then turned to launch four stern fish, while two flares signaled the Japanese alarm. Ramage had been trying to set up a flank attack at about 3 a.m. when he encountered an escort vessel. Enemy flares revealed three such escorts darting about, two of which were between Parche and the convoy, and one bearing down on the sub. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ramage put his boat into a circular maneuver that brought it astern of the escort, confusing the enemy. Parche was now between the escorts and the convoy, Ramage reported afterward, but while this maneuver was going on, the entire [enemy] convoy had reversed its field and now was headed directly at Parche. Ramage aimed for an oncoming medium freighter, but he overestimated the range and suddenly found himself a mere 450 yards from his intended target. A hard right turn avoided disaster by only 200 yards. Ramage then shot off two torpedoes. His freighter target dodged them, but in so doing it blocked the advance of an escort, preventing it from attacking the sub while allowing it to get off two bow shots, one of which hit the freighter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Five minutes later, Ramage brought Parche into position to attack two tankers. All four of his bow torpedoes struck home on the first tanker, which sank immediately. The second tanker, hit twice, slowed but kept on moving. At this point, Parche was in the middle of a milling mass of cargo ships and escorts, all ships involved behaving more like patrol torpedo boats in their half-blind attempts to ram their assailant. As for Ramage, placing his boat in the center of it all, he too alternated his direction and launched torpedoes as the opportunity offered, while his torpedo crew rushed new ones into place. At 4:43 a.m., Ramage was preparing to dodge two escorts when he saw a small merchantman bearing down on him from the starboard bow, determined to ram. Ordering full right rudder, he avoided collision by just 50 feet, only to find two escorts at either hand and a passenger cargo vessel coming on to ram. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unable to dodge this one, Ramage went for broke and fired three torpedoes in a down-the-throat shot. His first fish missed, but the other two hit, stopping the ship in its tracks. Ramage turned hard left, then fired a stern shot that struck the cargo ship amidships. At 4:42 a.m., it sank. After a look around, Ramage reported: There were still several small craft and escorts around, but no worthwhile targets that we could see. I decided to put some distance between us and this hornets nest. While Parche was fighting its way into a fiery hell and back, Whelchel and Steelhead were also busy on the sidelines sending four torpedoes at a troop carrier at 4:49 a.m. and another four at a freighter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both subs subsequently disengaged, having suffered neither damage nor casualties in the 46-minute melee. A postwar assessment credited Steelhead with the 7,169-ton freighter Dakar Maru and the 8,195-ton transport Fuso Maru. Both subs were jointly credited with the 8,990-ton transport Yoshino Maru. Parche emerged from its solo torpedo duel with credit for the 10,238-ton tanker Koei Maru and 4,471-ton passenger-cargo ship Manko Maru. Cmdr. Lawson P. Both submarine officers were decorated for their outstanding performance that night. Steelheads commander, David Whelchel, was awarded the Silver Star, while Ramage received the Medal of Honor from President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Jan. 10, 1945 not so much for the tonnage his sub had destroyed, considerable though it had been, as for the wild way he had achieved it. Asked what drove him throughout the encounter, he simply said, I got mad. Ramage continued to rise up the Navy ranks, reaching the command of Military Sea Transport in Washington and retiring in 1969 as a vice admiral. He died in Bethesda, Maryland, on April 15, 1990, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. CHEYENNE Local control over simulcast permits will be the primary focus of Wyomings new Select Committee on Gaming this year, as lawmakers prepare to draft a bill for the next legislative session. Chairman Sen. John Kolb, R-Rock Springs, reminded committee members the next session which begins in early February is a budget session. This means all non-budget bills will need to pass a two-thirds introductory vote for the Legislatures consideration. In the past, you know, we have not been successful legislatively (with gambling), Kolb said during the committees first meeting in Casper on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. John Kolb, R-Rock Springs (2025) Sen. John Kolb, R-Rock Springs Last year, members of the Legislatures Joint Appropriations Committee voted to sponsor five gambling-related bills for this years legislative session. Four of the five bills died immediately, and one made it through the House of Representatives before dying in the Senate. Gambling in Wyoming recently exploded into a billion-dollar industry, and lawmakers are scrambling to decide what action is needed from the state to further regulate it. Legislative leadership assigned gambling as a study topic to the JAC last year, and a working group was formed, led by former Rep. Tom Walters, R-Casper. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since then, its become apparent to lawmakers that gambling is a complicated issue. In response, the Management Council created a new select committee entirely focused on gambling in April. The committee has three meetings scheduled during the Legislatures off-season, formally known as the interim. Given the short amount of time, Kolb suggested starting with the framework of House Bill 85, which promotes local control over simulcast permits. HB 85 made it the farthest last session before dying in the Senate. Local control is very high on the list of things that need to be dealt with first, Kolb said. We have to keep our eye on the ball and focus on whats achievable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also urged unified support between the two legislative chambers once this bill is drafted and filed for the session. We need the House, as we need the Senate, to work on a product, Kolb said. We may not always have 100% agreement with that, but we need to have enough agreement that we want to move this forward. HB 85 background A simulcast permit is needed to establish off-track betting sites (OTBs) and historic horse racing (HHR) machines. County commissioners reserve the sole authority to approve or deny these permits. However, state statute doesnt give the county any power to regulate gambling beyond the initial approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, commissioners have incorporated limitations within approved simulcast permits, but these have yet to be challenged in court, said Wyoming County Commissioners Association Executive Director Jerimiah Rieman. Its unclear whether regulations imposed by commissioners would survive litigation. The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled in 2023 under the the plain and unambiguous language of the Pari-Mutuel Act that county commissioners cannot revoke permits after granting approval. Once the commissioners say yes, they have no other authorities, Rieman said. Theyve transferred that responsibility to the (Wyoming) Gaming Commission. Rieman proposed a bill draft before the JAC in 2024, the original version of HB 85, that initially outlined regulatory authority to county commissioners once a simulcast permit is approved, including the ability to revoke a permit if theres good reason to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The draft underwent several revisions, including an amendment that extended approval authority to city and town governments for simulcasting permits within city limits. Do I like where HB 85 got to? No, Rieman said, although he mentioned his support for extending approval authority to city and town governments. But this is an important issue for us. Rep. Jayme Lien, R-Casper (2025) Rep. Jayme Lien, R-Casper Co-Chairwoman Rep. Jayme Lien, R-Casper, asked Rieman if counties could regulate gambling entities through zoning laws. The county commissioner said he spoke with 11 of the counties with HHR machines last week, and none of them have specific zoning for HHR operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is important to note that there are a number of counties where zoning is not part of a lexicon, Rieman said. And I doubt well have zoning anytime in the near future, and I suspect most of the others will not. He added that most HHR machines operate within city and town limits, which are outside of county jurisdiction to implement zoning policy. Furthermore, zoning regulations do not grant authority to revoke simulcasting permits. Youre gonna have to give us that, Rieman said. City, town control City and town government leaders have also been frustrated by their inability to control how many HHR machines pop up within their jurisdiction. Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins previously told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle he supported HB 85. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My frustration right now is that we have 10 approved casinos inside the city limits, and our governing body had no input on their approval, Collins said. Were the governing body closest to the people living in Cheyenne, and I think we should have had the responsibility for making that decision. Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM) Executive Director Ashley Harpstreith said OTBs impact city resources, including law enforcement, first responders, street maintenance and other public services. Ashley Harpstreith Ashley Harpstreith She added that city zoning ordinances are not enough to regulate the social and welfare issues from this industry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need legislation to allow local governments (the) ability to impose specific conditions on permits, such as hours of operation or location restrictions based on their unique needs and concerns, Harpstreith said. Cheyenne City Council President Mark Rinne said six of the seven properly zoned HHR sites in the city were approved through the Cheyenne Board of Adjustment. However, members of this board are not elected by the public, he said. They are not beholden to the public as (city) council members are, Rinne said. Unless you have to go to the Board of Adjustment for something, you dont even know they exist. We may indirectly have control through zoning, but honestly we do not. 100-mile rule Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the 100-mile rule, no simulcasting may be conducted within 100 miles of a live horse racing event. The Gaming Commission may waive the 100-mile limitation if the simulcast permit application includes written approval from the permittee whose permitted premises is within the 100-mile limitation, according to W.S. 11-25-102(a)(vii)(C). Kolb recalled his days as a county commissioner, when the 100-mile rule first came about. Race tracks in Uinta and Sweetwater counties were going out of business due to lack of public attendance, he said. Now, with HHR, we dont have that issue anymore, Kolb said. Its certainly a new day. 307 Horse Racing President Kyle Ridgeway previously testified in February, during the session, that the 100-mile rule hurt our business by forcing OTB vendors to close during a live horse racing event. Both Reiman and Harpstreith, representing county commissioners and local municipalities, respectively, said their organizations supported getting rid of the 100-mile rule entirely. However, attorney and former Cheyenne Republican lawmaker Affie Ellis urged caution against wiping out this rule. Former Sen. Affie Ellis Former Sen. Affie Ellis. I think its a very effective tool that ties the HHR activity to the growth of Wyomings horse racing industry, Ellis said. Revenue from HHR machines contributes to the purse of horse racing events, which is key to the survival of horse racing tracks in Wyoming, Ellis said. The purpose of the 100-mile rule is to incentivize more horse tracks coming online. In a follow-up phone call on Tuesday, Ellis told the WTE the rule is an opportunity for purse contribution negotiations between track operators and OTB vendors. She added its not the intention of Cowboy Racing, her client, to shut down OTB vendors during race days. Cowboy Racing recently completed construction of Wyomings first full-size live horse racing track 10 miles east of Cheyenne at Thunder Plains Park. The company has said it intends to operate at least three gaming facilities within the city limits of Cheyenne. We dont want anyone to close during our race times and race days, Ellis said. If the agreement has a reliance on a percentage of that gaming revenue, we want that (OTB) to be open because that supports the purse. Lawmakers will consider different bill drafts regarding local control at their next meeting in Evanston on Aug. 8-9. Lawyers from seven firms representing victims alleging abuse at the former Youth Development Center in Manchester accused Senate budget writers of a shameful breach of trust by seeking to make the settlement fund administrator a political appointee. Rilee leads letter-writing campaign from lawyers representing alleged YDC abuse victims Rus Rilee, an attorney for alleged victims of sexual and physical abuse at the Youth Development Center, wrote a letter with other lawyers criticizing Senate budget writers for moving to turn a settlement fund administrator into a political appointee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawyers released a letter they sent to Attorney General John Formella, calling on the Legislature to reject the proposal during negotiations over a compromise state budget over the next week and a half. Yet what is most appalling about this proposed change is that it was introduced and voted upon at the 11th hour, without any opportunity for public comment whatsoever, and without the consent and participation of the survivors, the lawyers wrote. This represents a shameful breach of trust by the state, as well as a breach of the states promise to resolve survivors claims fairly. David Vicinanzo with the firm of Nixon Peabody, and Rus Rilee had organized the campaign as the pair represent more than 80% of the 1,300 alleged victims who have applied for the YDC Settlement Fund to award them damages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Legislature in 2022 created the settlement fund at the urging of then-Gov. Chris Sununu. John Broderick, a retired Supreme Court chief justice, was the choice to administer the fund after Formella and a group of plaintiff attorneys had recommended his appointment. The Supreme Court confirmed the choice. Near the end of completing its $15.7 billion state budget proposal, the Senate Finance Committee added onto the trailer bill a change regarding the administrator that, if approved, would require he or she be confirmed by the Executive Council. The language would have the administrator serve without a fixed term of office which meant that person would serve at the pleasure of the governor and could be removed at any time without cause. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By attempting to change the Settlement Fund in a way that denies YDC survivors the promises they relied on when they gave up their rights, the state is engaged in a bait and switch, the letter said. It is trying to get all the benefit of its deal without giving up anything in return. Were any privately owned business to engage in such behavior, your office would rightly investigate and pursue charges for such lawless, bad-faith behavior. Our state must be held to a higher standard. The other law firms signing the letter were Shaheen & Gordon; Manning, Zimmerman & Oliveira; Stachowske Law; Hunt Law; The Coolidge Law Firm; and Gillis & Bikofsky. YDC settlement funding, payment to lawyers also part of budget debateThe state budget conferees must also work out other issues regarding the YDC Settlement Fund. The Legislature has already approved $165 million for damages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawyers have filed applications for as much as $1.4 million in such awards. The House budget would spend another $20 million for damage awards over the next two years. A recent audit from the Legislative Budget Assistant Michael Kanes office concluded long-term settlements already made already commit the state to spend $26 million through June 30, 2027. The Senate-approved budget would also spend $20 million but give the fund the proceeds from the future sale of the YDC property. State officials said the sale of the Sununu Youth Services Center complex could yield up to $80 million. The state is building a smaller, treatment-centered complex for juveniles with behavioral health problems or who committed criminal acts on the grounds of the former Hampstead Hospital. The Senate budget also contains a provision that would not allow lawyers to receive their legal fees before the length of time damages were to be paid out to victims. klandrigan@unionleader.com A former GOP congressman turned MSNBC commentator made his pitch for Floridas governorship in next year's election at a packed town hall meeting on June 9 at Florida Atlantic Universitys Jupiter campus. Yeah, Ive changed, said David Jolly, and he wants his Republican opponents to make that the centerpiece of their attacks against him. During the 90-minute moderated discussion, Jolly positioned himself as a candidate who can bridge political divides and appeal across party lines in a state that hasnt elected a Democratic governor in over three decades. Next November's election will be a battle for what will be an open seat as Gov. Ron DeSantis is term limited according to Florida's constitution. Ex-congressman recounts political change Jollys political evolution spans what he describes as a period of about 10 years, moving from registered Republican to independent to Democrat. The attorney and former lobbyist served as the Republican representative in the 13th congressional district in Southwest Florida from 2014 to 2017 before leaving Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now a network political contributor, he frames his party switches as an asset. I want my opponents to hit me on change. Jolly changed. Yeah, I did, he said. Is it okay to change your mind? I think it is, and thats part of my story. David Jolly, left, and Simon Rosenberg, right, discuss Jolly's campaign for governor at Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter on June 9, 2025. Then he pointedly added: You know who else has changed? Most elected Republicans have changed. During his time as a Republican congressman, Jolly said he supported positions that put him at odds with his party as it tilted toward President Donald Trump's America first and Make America Great Again movement, which Jolly has lambasted in network appearances. I was a Republican in Congress who supported marriage equality, climate science, gun control, campaign finance reform, he told The Palm Beach Post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of Trump's most ardent supporters on Capitol Hill, Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, has already entered the race on the GOP side. The Naples congressman has the president's endorsement. Whoever the GOP nominee is will count on the party's more than 1 million-plus voter advantage over the rival Democrats. Not boding well for Jolly, either, is that the last Democratic nominee for governor, Charlie Crist, a former congressman who also was a Republican-turned-Democrat, got trounced by DeSantis in a nearly 20-point rout in November 2022. David Jolly says Florida's cost of living, unaffordable state central to campaign Jolly is centering his campaign on what he calls Floridas generational affordability crisis. This is a lived experience for my wife and I. We have two young children, and I am not confident that our incumbent in Tallahassee or that the next Republican candidate for governor understands the urgency of it or a desire to fix it, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This crisis transcends party lines, he argued. The affordability crisis doesnt know party. If youre a Democrat, independent, Republican, youre worried about your homeowners insurance, your rent, property taxes, Jolly said His proposed solutions include a state catastrophic fund to remove hurricane and natural disaster coverage from private insurance markets. It is a proposal Jolly told the crowd that he offered in national scope during his term in Washington. In Congress, I introduced a national cap fund to aggregate fires out west, tornadoes in the midwest, ice in the northeast, hurricanes in the southwest into a national cap fund," he said. "It didn't pass. Republicans at the time called it socialism, I just called it cheaper insurance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the fund could cut private insurance for homeowners by 50% to 60%. His platform includes education reform and social issues. He argues that public education has been abandoned in the state of Florida and calls for ending what he calls culture wars that target immigrant and marginalized communities. We have excellence today in public education only out of the sheer will and determination of public school teachers and administrators, Jolly said. Politicians have tried to tell them how to teach, what to teach, what they can say. We don't respect them with pay, we don't respect them politically, and we need to be a state that celebrates public education. At the town hall, he expanded on his social agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have to return to a place where everyone is welcome and celebrated, Jolly said at the town hall. Regardless of where you were born, the color of your skin, who you love or who you worship, we need to be a state that welcomes everyone and lifts everyone up. On reproductive rights, Jolly supports leaving the decision up to the majority of voters, pointing to the support Floridas Amendment 4 on abortion received in November 2024. More than 50% of the state said they wanted it. Theres no reason politicians in Tallahassee should stand in the way, he said. The amendment received 57% support but failed to reach the required 60% threshold. The FAU event, moderated by political strategist Simon Rosenberg, drew supporters from across Florida, including some who drove from Sarasota, Fla., to hear Jolly speak. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bring sanity back, said attendee and Sarasota resident Michele Zinser. I think [Jolly] is very calm. He listens, and I appreciate that. Zinser, an independent, resonates with Jollys mission to tackle the affordability crisis. I know he doesn't come in with a strong right-wing agenda, which is what weve been suffering in Sarasota county, she said. I'm about to become a democrat, I'm afraid. Scott Benarde, a registered Democrat, event sponsor and frequent watcher of MSNBC, attended to show support for Jolly. I really believe in this guy, I think hes knowledgeable, decent, honest and cares and knows what the heck hes talking about. I think he really has a shot of becoming Floridas next governor, said Scott Benarde, a registered Democrat and event sponsor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attendees emphasized how Jollys Republican background could appeal to voters tired of current leadership. He was a Republican. He understands the republican party probably better than a lot of Democrats, said Betsey Hull, who attended with concerns about affordable housing for her daughters. We need somebody that will unite the state. With 16 months until the election, Jolly reports early conversations with national Democratic Party leadership about potential support, while working to build relationships with diverse communities across the state, including Black pastors in Orlando, Fla. A year from now, well be working with each other towards change, he said. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: AT FAU, David Jolly embraces political shift in bid for Florida governor DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) Monday night marked the first time in six years that all the lights on the Hudson Memorial Steamboat Bill Bridge were on and operational. The previous dark travel conditions have led to citizens complaints and safety concerns along the city of Decaturs busiest corridor. Wife, insurance agent testify as state begins presenting case in Decatur chiropractors attempted murder trial Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Especially when youre coming into the city, theres some dark patches around the curves, and its great that they are all LED lights and that they are up and going, said Dane Shaw, Director of Development for the city. Were excited that its finally a project thats coming to an end, and we can start something new. According to Shaw, a study by city engineers found multiple issues, including damaged cables and underground harnesses, including rodents chewing on components. Decatur Utilities then stopped working to upkeep the lights after a serious accident injured four Decatur Utilities workers in the year 2020. We have pest control now thats actually making sure that doesnt happen again because the rats actually sharpen their teeth on wire, and so they secured that, and we wont see that happen again, Shaw explained. 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. The city of Decatur secured $800,000 in federal funds for the project, with an additional $200,000 from the city to complete the repair. We asked ALDOT if they would fix this since its a state road, and they said basically no because it wasnt in their budget, and so the city has moved forward on doing that, said Jacob Ladner, city council president. Shaw told News 19 that the repairs to the bridge lights are the first phase of the multi-million-dollar Sixth Avenue Streetscape project that will ease traffic flow and beautify the entrance into the city. 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 WHNT.com. Jun. 10The Ohio Auditor of State issued a finding for recovery of nearly $20,000 Tuesday against several former Yellow Springs officials who failed to pay federal tax withholdings on time, as well as late fees and penalties. The Ohio Auditor's Office issued a finding of recovery for $19,512.40 for fiscal year 2023, the vast majority of which is attributed to former village finance director Matt Dillon. Dillon left the position in 2022. Auditors found that Dillon "failed to timely remit payroll withholdings and filings to the federal government, leading to late fees, penalties, and interest," the majority of which would have been avoided had filings been on time, auditors said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former village manager Josue Salmeron and former finance director Amy Kemper were also implicated in the report, but on a much smaller finding: Salmeron was deemed responsible for $156.95, and Kemper for $136.13, both of which have been repaid, according to the state. Dillon and his bonding company are responsible for the remaining $19,219.32, auditors said. Reached for comment Tuesday, Dillon said he has been forthcoming with the state's independent auditors, but feels that the nearly $20,000 amount is a punitive amount to be placed on one person for a "clerical error." "I'm a public servant," he said. "I try to be a financial steward, and I take that very, very seriously." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The auditor's report shows that the breakdown of the findings for recovery include: $4,657.30 for late filing of one Federal 941 Form; $5,002.19 for seven instances of failure to submit withholdings; $9,520.00 for incorrect filing of one Form 1099; $332.91 for seven instances of interest for failure to pay IRS penalties. Dillon served as Yellow Springs' finance director for only two years. He added that during that time he repeatedly sought guidance from the IRS as to how to properly complete filings, but received no response, in part due to the effects of COVID on the IRS at the time. "With some of these, like payroll withholdings, we're submitting things without feedback to a black hole," he said. Dillon further alleged that many of the tasks assigned to him in the role had more to do with Village Council's pet projects, rather than maintaining solid fundamentals of bookkeeping. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Yellow Springs is the type of town that comes up with lots of extracurricular municipal activities that are beyond the basics. Like, 'Hey, let me just do what I need to do,' which is to make sure our taxes are good." Dillon said he is looking into his options to appeal the monetary charge. Leadership for the village of Yellow Springs did not return a request for comment Tuesday. President Donald Trumps new ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens from a dozen countries took effect Monday with relative calm, as some travelers with valid visas reported extra scrutiny at American airports before being allowed entry. The ban targeting mainly African and Middle Eastern countries kicked in amid rising tension over the presidents escalating campaign of immigration enforcement. But it arrived with no immediate signs of the chaos that unfolded at airports across the U.S. during Trumps first travel ban in 2017. Vincenta Aguilar said she was anxious yesterday [Macau time] as she and her husband, both Guatemalan citizens, were subjected to three different interviews by U.S. officials after arriving at Miami International Airport and showing tourist visas the couple received last week. They asked us where we work, how many children we have, if we have had any problems with the law, how we are going to afford the cost of this travel, how many days we will stay here, said Aguilar, who along with her husband was visiting their son for the first time since he left Guatemala 22 years ago. She said they were released about an hour after their flight landed, greeting their waiting family members in Florida with tears of relief. Guatemala is not among the countries included in the new ban or flagged for extra travel restrictions. The new proclamation that Trump signed last week applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also imposes heightened restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela who are outside the U.S. and dont hold a valid visa. The new ban does not revoke visas previously issued to people from countries on the list, according to guidance issued Friday to all U.S. diplomatic missions. However, unless an applicant meets narrow criteria for an exemption to the ban, his or her application will be rejected starting Monday. Travelers with previously issued visas should still be able to enter the U.S. even after the ban takes effect. Narayana Lamy, a Haitian citizen who works for his home countrys government, said he was told to wait after showing his passport and tourist visa Monday at the Miami airport while a U.S. official confirmed by phone that he was allowed into the country to visit family members. Luis Hernandez, a Cuban citizen and green card holder who has lived in the U.S. for three years, said he had no problems returning Monday to Miami after a weekend visiting family in Cuba. They did not ask me anything, Hernandez said. I only showed my residency card. During Trumps first term, a hastily written executive order ordering the denial of entry to citizens of mainly Muslim countries created chaos at numerous airports and other ports of entry, prompting successful legal challenges and major revisions to the policy. Many immigration experts say the new ban is more carefully crafted and appears designed to beat court challenges that hampered the first by focusing on the visa application process. Trump said this time that some countries had deficient screening for passports and other public documents or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. He relied extensively on an annual Homeland Security report of people who remain in the U.S. after their visas expired. Trump also tied the new ban to a terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. U.S. officials say the man charged in the attack overstayed a tourist visa. He is from Egypt, which isnt on Trumps restricted list. The ban was quickly denounced by groups that provide aid and resettlement help to refugees. This policy is not about national security it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States, said Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, a nonprofit international relief organization. Haitis transitional presidential council said in a statement that the ban is likely to indiscriminately affect all Haitians and that it hopes to persuade the U.S. to drop Haiti from the list of banned countries. In Venezuela, some visa holders changed U.S. travel plans last week to get ahead of Trumps restrictions. For those without visas, the new restrictions may not matter much. Since Venezuela and the U.S. severed diplomatic relations in 2019, Venezuelans have had to travel to neighboring South American countries to obtain U.S. visas. Jose Luis Vegas, a tech worker in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, said his uncle gave up on renewing an expired U.S. visa because it was already difficult before the restrictions. Paying for hotels and tickets was very expensive, and appointments took up to a year, Vegas said. GISELA SALOMON, MIAMI, MDT/AP MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. Yellowstone National Park authorities are investigating an incident in which a 30-year-old New Jersey man was gored by a bison on Tuesday morning. The Randolph resident, who sustained minor injuries, was in the Upper Geyser Basin at Old Faithful when he and a large group of visitors reportedly approached the animal too closely, according to the National Park Service (NPS). He was treated by emergency medical personnel at the scene and taken to an area hospital. This incident marks the second time a person has been injured by a bison in the park this year, with the previous occurrence on May 7. There were two reported incidents in 2024 and one in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Man Accused Of Kicking Bison At Yellowstone Lands In Jail On Alcohol Charge Close-up of an American bison at Yellowstone. To safely observe wildlife in national parks, always give animals ample space, according to park rangers. The NPS recommends staying at least 25 yards from most wildlife and a minimum of 100 yards from predators like bears and wolves. Park rangers also remind visitors to be especially cautious around bison from mid-July through mid-August during their mating season, as they can become agitated more easily. Original article source: Yellowstone tourist gored after approaching bison, rangers say Gay Afro-Latino U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres isnt ambiguous about his support for an innocent gay man sent to a modern-day gulag in El Salvador. In a stark video released Wednesday, the New York Democrat condemned the Trump administration for deporting Andry Jose Hernandez Romero a 31-year-old gay asylum-seeker from Venezuela to El Salvadors notorious CECOT mega-prison. These arent gang signs, Torres said, referring to the tattooed crowns on Hernandez Romeros arms that immigration authorities used to justify the deportation. These are symbols of love, faith, and family. (@) Torres explained that Hernandez Romero comes from Capacho Nuevo, a Venezuelan village where Dia de los Reyes, or Three Kings Day, is a treasured tradition. As a child, Hernandez Romero designed costumes and performed in pageants, discovering a calling in creative work. Those crowns are a tribute to that festival and his parents, Torres said. Theyre marked with the words Mom and Dad. He said ICEs interpretation of the tattoos was both false and bigoted, a projection of criminality onto cultural expression. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hernandez Romeros story is not merely a tale of bureaucratic overreach. It is, according to Torres and a growing coalition in Congress, the embodiment of a deeper erosion: of due process, of humane immigration policy, and of the basic protections once presumed to be guaranteed under the Constitution. What happened to Andry could happen to anyone, Torres said in an interview with The Advocate. an attack on the due process rights of anyone is an attack on the rights of all of us. Torres added, Without due process, what is to stop the Trump administration from labeling anyone a gang member and abducting them in the dead of night? He continued: Of all the abuses of the Trump presidency, none has been more egregious than his assaults on due process on habeas corpus, which predates the American Republic itself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration has offered no evidence that Hernandez Romero was ever involved in criminal activity. He entered the United States legally through the CBP One app, passed a credible fear interview, and was awaiting his asylum hearing when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained and removed him in March. His attorney was never notified. No judge issued a deportation order. He was last seen in chains, his head forcibly and roughly shaved, sobbing and shouting, Im gay! Im a stylist! Since then, there has been no proof of life. On Monday, Torres joined Rep. Robert Garcia, a fellow gay congressman from California, and 50 other Democratic lawmakers in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding a welfare check, legal access, and Hernandez Romeros immediate release. The United States government, alone, is responsible for Mr. Hernandez Romeros imprisonment, the letter stated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been over 80 days since weve had any confirmation that hes alive, Garcia told The Advocate. His story has particularly galvanized the LGBTQ+ community. The administration deported Hernandez Romero under a 2025 executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a centuries-old law last used to imprison Japanese Americans during World War II. Human rights groups say the CECOT prison he was sent to is functionally a black site cut off from outside contact and designed to break prisoners. On Friday, about 300 people rallied on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, demanding Hernandez Romeros return and condemning the policy that led to his disappearance. He would have loved to be here at WorldPride with all of us, Lindsay Toczylowski, executive director of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, which represents Hernandez Romero, told the crowd. Instead, he is suffering in a prison that officials have bragged people only leave in a coffin. At the rally, gay Crooked Media cofounder Jon Lovett told supporters, They can bring Andry back any time they fucking want. Human Rights Campaign senior vice president Jonathan Lovitz declared, Our Constitution does not say due process only for citizens. It says that all people all people deserve justice. Writer and podcaster at The Bulwark Tim Miller, who is gay, added, We did this to Andry not some crooked cop or some foreign government. We did it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gay California U.S. Rep. Mark Takano invoked his own familys internment during World War II to denounce the deportation. Lets be crystal clear, he said. We must repeal the Alien Enemies Act. None of us gets to sit this out. Later that evening, at a live show taping and fundraiser hosted by Crooked Media and The Bulwark at the Lincoln Theatre, Garcia described the stakes in personal terms. Regardless of your opinion on immigration, this is about due process. This is about the Constitution of the United States, he said. He recounted a face-to-face exchange with U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador William Duncan, who told him that Hernandez Romeros case was the first Ive heard of this, despite weeks of public advocacy. That day, he promised to do an inquiry, Garcia said. We never got a wellness check. Lesbian Sarah Longwell, a former Republican strategist and publisher of The Bulwark, pressed the moral argument of another wrongly deported person, Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the administration returned to the U.S. to face what some call dubious criminal charges. I dont care if [Kilmar] Abrego Garcia is a bad guy. He still deserves due process, she said. How do Republican college kids justify disappearing people to foreign countries without a trial? Garcia responded sharply. They cant, he said. The Constitution means nothing to them anymore. Most of them were born into this incredible honor and privilege of being in the United States and they forget where their parents or grandparents came from. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The California congressman said immigrants like Hernandez Romero and like himself often have a deeper connection to American values. I fought for the thing most folks were born with, Garcia said. I believe in the Constitution. And it affords all persons the right to due process, not just citizens. Torres, who could not attend the event in person, donated $1,000 in campaign funds to support legal efforts to free Hernandez Romero, a spokesperson confirmed. Its now Pride Month when we celebrate the right to live freely and love openly, Torres said in the video. The very reason Andry came to America. Instead of celebrating Pride like the rest of us, Andry is suffering as we speak in a torture chamber. We cannot remain silent. Torres was also among the 75 House Democrats who joined Republicans on Monday in passing a resolution that expressed gratitude to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The vote came amid widespread protests in Los Angeles after ICE raids swept up more than 50 people, including some legally present in the United States. As tensions escalated, President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard, and on Tuesday, the U.S. Marine Corps over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, and local officials, who warned of an unprecedented power grab. The resolution also condemned antisemitism in the wake of a recent attack by an Egyptian man who threw fire bombs at members of the Jewish community in Colorado. Editors note: This article was updated to include additional reporting. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) Over at the YMCA, young-at-heart seniors came together for a day at camp, the active older adult celebration provides members with an afternoon of fun and adventure. During the event, seniors get experiences similar to those offered in the YMCAs Summer Camp for Kids. They can zipline, take boat rides, participate in arts and crafts, and more. Its all to let them embrace their inner youth, as well as promoting fitness and health in older adults. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It really encourages the active older adult programming that we have across the association, and that is being active both physically mentally socially and spiritually and coming together as one, YMCA of Greater ROC AOA Engagement Manager Tyler Leisten said. It really just shows the communities that youre able to build and that at any age youre able to do everything and anything and were just trying to encourage that. The event returned for its second year after being shut down in 2020, continuing to ensure that its nearly 300 participants can still be active and adventurous. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) A Youngstown man accused of robbing two people last year received his sentence last week in the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas. Samuel Arroyo, 19, was sentenced to nine to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to four first-degree felony counts of aggravated robbery with firearm specifications. Arroyo received credit for the 321 days already served in custody. Once released from prison, Arroyo will be on probation for five years, court records state. Police arrested Arroyo on July 2, 2024, after an investigation into reported robberies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reports said a group of people told police they were in the 100 block of West Federal Street when a man wearing a black mask pulled a gun and demanded their money. Reports said the robber took a shoulder bag that had the word MURDER engraved on it from one of the victims, then ran toward North Hazel Street. While on North Hazel Street, reports said the robber encountered another group of people and robbed them as well. As police were taking statements, they saw a man who looked like the robber, who was later identified as Arroyo, reports said. Reports said the man had a bag with the word MURDER engraved on it. When police searched the bag, they found property belonging to the victims as well as a 9mm semiautomatic handgun. The magazine for the gun was empty, but there was one bullet in the chamber, reports said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A black mask was also found inside the bag, reports said. Joe Gorman 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. When you visit New Zealand, youll likely be greeted with Kia ora, a Maori-language welcome widely adopted by the countrys English-speaking population. The Maori were the first people to inhabit Aotearoa, the traditional Maori name for New Zealand, who arrived from Polynesia around 1300. Though European explorers first charted the islands in the mid 1600s, significant European settlement and resulting colonization efforts didn't begin until the early 19th century. A watershed moment came in 1840, when Te Tiriti o Waitangi, known as the Treaty of Waitangi, declared British sovereignty over New Zealand. It was signed by the British Crown and most Maori tribal leaders, although the two cultures interpreted the terms differently. Over the years, the Maori were forced to cede land and leadership to the British. Relations improved with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 which called for reparations to be paid to the Maori people as well as the formation of the Waitangi Tribunal, a commission dedicated to investigating Maori claims and inquiries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: This Country Is So Small, Its Been Left Off World Maps But the Food Cant Be Ignored Like other nations with a history of mistreatment of peoples, New Zealand grapples with its past, but the countrys wine industry is keen to honor its Indigenous culture. As an agricultural sector, wine makers feel a unique connection to the Maori people, who were hunters and fishers, and later farmers. Respect and reliance on the land are paramount to both groups and the wine industry identifies this common bond. Theres a term that loosely relates to terroir: turangawaewae, or the place where you stand, says winemaker Jeff Sinnott. However, the New Zealand wine industry is relatively new, and concerns about culture washing abound. Whats the best way forward? Economic possibilities for Maori in the wine industry There arent specific statistics on the number of Maori people in the wine industry. According to the Bureau of Economic Research in New Zealand, there are nearly 24,000 Maori-owned businesses in the country. From 2018 to 2023, Maori self-employment increased by 49%, and Maori employers grew by 31%. These statistics suggest opportunity for continued economic growth, and Sinnott thinks the wine industry is one possible avenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sinnott started in the wine industry in the mid-1980s, and now works as a consultant. Hes one of the five founding members of the TUKU Collective, an organization of Maori winemakers officially launched in 2018 to support and promote Maori producers. Alcohol, in general, didnt have a role in traditional Maori life. We got our buzz from our gods, says Sinnott. When settlers came, Sinnott says that inebriation became a tool for colonizers to control the Maori people. "If you talk to other Maori winemakers, theyre in a business to make money. But they are also in the business of providing employment so that people can improve themselves."" Jeff Sinott, winemaker and consultant But after the beliefs of the Christian church became widely adopted, wine, the sacramental beverage, held a particular reverence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maori being involved in the wine industry is a modern adaptation, says Sinnott. While connection to the land is a cornerstone for both winemakers and Maori, theres also a pragmatic reason to enter the wine industry. Producing wine is as much economic as it is cultural because we have a very, very tenuous cultural link to alcohol, says Sinnott. If you talk to other Maori winemakers, theyre in a business to make money. But they are also in the business of providing employment so that people can improve themselves. Theres an opportunity for communities." Related: Experience New Zealands South Island via Tiny Seafood Shacks How education can help the wine industry embrace Maori culture For the wine industry to fully embrace Maori culture, producers must be open to education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Generally, I think most people are engaging with Maori culture from an authentic interest and curiosity to understand values and principles of te ao Maori [the Maori worldview], says Jannine Rickards, owner and winemaker of Huntress Wines in Wairarapa. There are, of course, people who take the opportunity to use cultural aspects for commercial gain. The same thing as greenwashing, culture washing is something that the consumer needs to be wary of. Rickards, along with a small group of other winemakers in the region, created the Te Reo Maori Booklet for Wine Growers in Wairarapa. The goal was to engage with the local iwi (tribe) and further a connection to the region, history, and its people. Courtesy of LISA DUNCAN PHOTOGRAPHY The booklet provides a history of Aotearoa as conveyed by Maori storytelling. It contains a glossary of winemaking terms and explains both the growing cycle in the Maori language and how to introduce oneself in a mihimihi, a traditional personal introduction where a person shares their name, where their ancestors come from and where they live. Some wineries, such as Ata Rangi and Oraterra, share the booklet with international staff members and customers at the cellar door, or include it with new releases. Rickards says the booklet is just a starting point. In partnership with the local Hau Ariki Marae, a sacred communal gathering space, the Wairarapa Winegrowers committee hosted a hakari (feast) and noho (sleepover) at the cultural center to educate people not originally from Wairapara. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have ambitions to grow and further this initial project to encompass more learning that can be shared within the region, says Rickards. The dangers of cultural greenwashing in New Zealand wine This wave of international interests in New Zealand has again raised questions about respecting Maori culture. There are a lot of foreign companies that want to be Maori, says Haysley MacDonald, founder and owner of te Pa Winery in Marlborough, and a member of the TUKU Collective. And so they get a wine brand with a Maori name, whack a label on a bottle, and sell it around the world. That's a tough one when you are Maori, he says. You have a heritage, and you see your names and places being ripped off by many global giants, large supermarkets, and those that don't give it the respect that it deserves. MacDonald believes Maori language and iconography should be trademarked and protected, much like how sparkling wine can only be labeled as Champagne if it was made in the famed French region. Our Maori names are used in vain all over the world, he says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such authenticity can only help Maori producers, and perhaps the wine industry itself. Im noticing that all around the globe, the younger generation, especially, are getting more interested in what they're drinking and who's behind it, says MacDonald. I think that's been very good for us as a business. People can relate to all our brand stories, all our iconography, and know that were real. Read the original article on Food & Wine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday accused Russia of pursuing wider territorial ambitions in Europe than it publicly admits. "Russian war plans point to this region Odessa - and then toward the borders with Moldova and Romania," Zelensky said at the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in the Black Sea port city. He said that Moscow seeks to sow chaos across the region to weaken Europe as a whole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian General Rustam Minnekayev declared that controlling southern Ukraine and securing a land corridor to the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria were among Moscow's war aims. The Kremlin has never formally confirmed those objectives. Zelensky warns of domino effect Zelensky said Russia's goals extend well beyond Ukraine. The Kremlin, he claimed, has stirred ethnic tensions in the Balkans, meddled in elections in Romania, and is attempting to regain influence over former Soviet republics such as Moldova. He warned that if pro-Russian forces win Moldovas parliamentary elections in September, it could embolden Moscow to deepen its interference in other European countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The summit in Odessa was held to coordinate regional support for Ukraine and address wider security concerns. Zelensky renewed his calls for stronger air defences and political backing, including support for Ukraine's bid to join the European Union. He also posted a video on Telegram showing himself and several visiting leaders laying flowers for fallen Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday accused Russia of pursuing wider territorial ambitions in Europe than it publicly admits. "Russian war plans point to this region Odessa - and then toward the borders with Moldova and Romania," Zelensky said at the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in the Black Sea port city. He said that Moscow seeks to sow chaos across the region to weaken Europe as a whole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian General Rustam Minnekayev declared that controlling southern Ukraine and securing a land corridor to the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria were among Moscow's war aims. The Kremlin has never formally confirmed those objectives. Zelensky warns of domino effect Zelensky said Russia's goals extend well beyond Ukraine. The Kremlin, he claimed, has stirred ethnic tensions in the Balkans, meddled in elections in Romania, and is attempting to regain influence over former Soviet republics such as Moldova. He warned that if pro-Russian forces win Moldovas parliamentary elections in September, it could embolden Moscow to deepen its interference in other European countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The summit in Odessa was held to coordinate regional support for Ukraine and address wider security concerns. Zelensky renewed his calls for stronger air defences and political backing, including support for Ukraine's bid to join the European Union. He also posted a video on Telegram showing himself and several visiting leaders laying flowers for fallen Ukrainian soldiers. Serbia's Vucic visits Ukraine Among the attendees was Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, marking his first visit to Ukraine since the war began. Just one month ago, Vucic had attended Russian President Vladimir Putin's Victory Day military parade in Moscow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to media reports, he pledged in Odessa that Serbia would help rebuild Ukraine and said that Serbia supports Ukraines territorial integrity. Serbia has traditionally maintained close ties with Russia and has refused to impose sanctions over the invasion. Belgrade has also blamed the West for provoking the conflict. But tensions have emerged recently, after Russia's foreign intelligence service accused Serbia of supplying ammunition to Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 11 called on the European Union to impose tougher sanctions against Russia, arguing that stronger financial pressure is necessary to curb Moscow's war effort. Speaking at the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Odesa, Zelensky said the upcoming 18th EU sanctions package "could be stronger," especially in targeting Russian oil tankers and the financial sector. He urged the EU to further reduce the price cap on Russian oil exports. "A ceiling of $45 per barrel of oil is better than $60, that's clear, that's true. But real peace will come with a ceiling of $30," he said. "That's the level that will really change the mindset in Moscow." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the 17th package of sanctions against Russia took effect on May 20, Ukraine's allies announced the following day that another round of restrictions was already in the works. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on June 10 that the EU is considering lowering the oil price cap from $60 to $45 per barrel a measure that will be discussed at the upcoming G7 summit in Canada on June 1517. The Kremlin's budget is increasingly strained by soaring military expenditures, with Russia's Finance Ministry relying heavily on energy revenues to fund the war against Ukraine. The push for tighter sanctions comes as Russia continues to reject ceasefire proposals and presses forward with military operations. Zelensky warned that Odesa remains one of Russia's "main targets," with plans to push beyond it toward the borders with Romania and Moldova. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Russia wants to destroy it, as it has done with countless cities and villages in the occupied territories," he said. "Russian military plans point to this region Odesa and then to the border with Moldova and Romania." Odesa is a major port city in southern Ukraine, located on the northwestern coast of the Black Sea. The president warned of possible destabilization efforts in the broader region, comparing the Kremlin's strategy to its previous interference in the Balkans. "We saw this before in the Balkans, where Russia intensified interethnic friction, carried out sabotage, and even attempted coups," Zelensky said. The Odesa summit was attended by several southeastern European leaders, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Romania's newly elected President Nicusor Dan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vucic's trip marked his first official visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Read also: Ukrainian drones strike targets in Russia, including gunpowder plant, General Staff says Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the European Union to adopt tougher sanctions against Russia, commenting on the proposed 18th sanctions package. Source: Zelenskyy at the UkraineSoutheast Europe Summit in Odesa on Wednesday, as reported by European Pravda Details: Zelenskyy said the 18th sanctions package against Russia "can be stronger, especially in terms of measures targeting Russian oil tankers and its financial sector". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote: "A cap of 45 dollars per barrel is better than 60, that is clear, that is true. But real peace will come with a cap of 30 dollars. That is the level that will truly change minds in Moscow." Background: The draft of the EUs 18th package of sanctions against Russia includes a proposal to reduce the price cap on Russian oil from 60 to 45 dollars per barrel. Ukraine called on the European Union to lower the price cap on Russian oil to 30 dollars per barrel. The European Union acknowledged that even if the United States does not agree to a further reduction of the oil price cap, the EU can still implement such a measure on its own. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! 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. A local woman reportedly lost MOP58,000 in an online dating scam. According to police, the victim met a man through a dating app who claimed his bank account had an over-transfer issue. He asked her to help transfer money from her Macau bank account to his clients, promising to reimburse her via her mainland China bank account. After following instructions and transferring funds three times, she realized the money never arrived. Discovering similar scams online, she reported the fraud to authorities. Related Looking for a break? Test your knowledge of this week's news from the Yakima Valley. 36 Palestinians killed trying to obtain desperately needed aid in Gaza, officials say The Palestinian Health Ministry says Palestinians desperately trying to access aid in Gaza have come under fire again, killing 36 people and wounding 207 Protests over immigration raids pop up across the US with more planned Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids and President Donald Trumps move to mobilize the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles are spreading nationwide and are expected to continue into the weekend Toddler from WA dies after wandering out of hotel and into river, Oregon cops say California National Guard stands by as protesters clash with law enforcement in downtown Los Angeles at the Metropolitan Detention Center on Sunday. Jacob Washingtons brand-new townhouse at Bayview is unlike anywhere else he has lived. Washington, his wife and their three young children shared a single room at a family shelter before the townhouse became available at the Downtown low-income housing complex this fall. Now they have three bedrooms, two bathrooms and far more space to themselves. Coming from a shelter, locked up in that room, my kids are joyous, Washington said. The poverty forced my kids to age, he said. At Bayview, theyre free to be kids again. But what stands out most to Washington isnt Bayviews facilities. What really feels different, he said, is the community. People want to be involved here, Washington said. Its not some type of place where people are trying to get rent from you and dont care about you. They build and work every day for the kids sake. They really do. And thats amazing to me because, literally, I never had this in my life. Washingtons family is one of about 50 that will join the community by early next year as the Bayview Foundation finishes replacing the flat, brick-and-beige townhouses that had long sat at the corner of West Washington Avenue and Regent Street with one of the most vibrant developments Madison has ever seen. Seven years since the foundation began planning its overhaul of the eastern end of the Triangle and three years since it broke ground on the first of 11 colorful buildings, the nonprofit that has housed low-income families there since the early 1970s is nearing completion of its 130 apartments and townhouses. Construction is set to end in December. Most of the remaining move-ins will take place in January. The completion of the $60 million redevelopment project one that, unconventionally, was shaped in almost every way by the people who already lived there is a big moment for Bayview. It is also a time of transition, said Alexis London, Bayviews executive director. It feels like were just at the beginning of a new chapter in terms of community cohesion and family stabilization, London said. And that will take as much work and thought and creativity as this took. The version of Bayview that exists today is the product of years of discussion in English, Spanish and Hmong with the community. Residents, many of them refugees who have been at Bayview for decades, told staff that they were afraid of being displaced, again. But they recognized that their housing was falling into disrepair, and they wanted cleaner, more accessible places to live and a more welcoming space to gather. The new Bayview, rebuilt in stages without displacing any of its residents, has all of that and then some. Bayview also has space for another 28 families on top of the 102 that could live there before. It ended up with almost as many additional openings due to residents moving out over the course of the redevelopment. For a community with a turnover rate of less than 10% per year, incorporating so many new people in such a short period has been a process of its own. We all know that moving to a new community, no matter what your circumstance ... is stressful. It is difficult, London said. Some of the people who are moving into housing at Bayview are coming out of really hard situations, London said. Families that are leaving unstable and sometimes unsafe environments, such as living with relatives, in shelters or on the street, may need a while to find their footing again, she said. Bayview anticipated facing more challenges, from noise complaints to police calls, during that adjustment period. Bayview is doing everything we know to do to provide support, London said. And yet it takes time. Its about growing here Bayviews efforts to support its newest residents begin the moment they walk in the door. Veronica Vega, the family support coordinator Bayview hired to oversee its expanded services, meets with families right away to determine their most pressing needs. Do they have dishes? Furniture? A doctor? Health insurance? Have their kids started school, or do they need to be enrolled? Staff members give families that need groceries access to the food pantry and supply essentials that have been donated, such as kitchen tools, towels and bedding, to those that dont have them yet. They familiarize parents with the after-school programming and try to get kids involved early on. Adjusting tends to happen in stages, said Nate Schorr, Bayviews program director. First, people have to settle in. Once their basic needs are met, they can begin to catch up on the rest, such as going to the doctor for the first time in years or making sure their kids are attending school regularly. You need to land here. You need to stabilize here. And then its about growing here, Schorr said. How do you take on leadership in the community? How do you start planning for the future? Washington said he grew up in a place of poverty and spent time in prison before moving to Madison in April for an opportunity that didnt pan out, then found a job as a machine operator while staying at the family shelter. Now, as a Bayview resident, hes experiencing that forward momentum firsthand. Im ready to establish a foundation, Washington said. Hes motivated partly by the opportunities available to his kids at Bayview, such as after-school activities and field trips, and partly by the bonds among the people working and living there. His passion is writing music, he said, and he plans to set up a studio in his townhouse. This community is a place thatll build you up, he said. More than an apartment At the heart of Bayview is its $9 million community center, which is part of Madisons network of city-supported neighborhood centers. The community center like the rest of Bayviews buildings is designed to save energy. Its set to be outfitted with solar panels and an emergency battery so that critical systems, like heating and cooling, can stay operational during power outages. In addition to providing year-round youth programming, the center regularly puts on recreational and educational activities for adults and seniors, ranging from art and yoga classes to English as a second language and financial literacy courses. Bayviews resident chef serves hot lunches every weekday and makes dinner for the kids three times a week, all for free. Vega wants families arriving at Bayview to know from the start that they are not just moving into a housing unit but are instead moving [in] with all of us as a community, she said. Its all of us working together. K.S., who moved in earlier this month with four of her grandchildren, ages 1 to 17, and asked to be identified by her initials to protect her grandchildrens privacy, said she had been looking for a safe place to raise them. I didnt know it was a community, she said. I just thought you get an apartment. Shes beyond satisfied with her new housing so far. The family had three bedrooms where they lived before, she said, but the space was smaller and more cramped than the three-bedroom, three-bathroom townhouse that theyre settling into at Bayview. I was just shocked when I saw this place, she said of the townhouse, which has a large kitchen and living room on the ground floor and bedrooms upstairs. All of the units at Bayview come with high ceilings, lots of windows, a washer and dryer and free Wi-Fi. Most, including hers, also have a porch or balcony. Staff members offers to help with anything her family needed came as another surprise. She hasnt had time yet to think about much besides unpacking, but shes looking forward to going back to work at a nonprofit that supports homeless and poor people for the first time since she got custody of her 1-year-old grandson. Im used to giving, she said. Im not used to people doing a lot for me. In high demand Bayview opened its waiting list for three weeks this spring. In that time, it received over 500 applications. I knew it would be a lot, London said. I didnt know it would be that much. Almost all of the units at Bayview are reserved for low-income households. Most residents pay 30% of their income for rent, no matter how much or how little they make. Some of the more than 500 applicants seeking housing they could afford were referred to Bayview by partner organizations, such as the Salvation Army or the Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, London said. But she was surprised, she said, by the number of families that were not connected with those sorts of support services. London suspects that a lot of families fell through the cracks, she said, and they somehow found Bayview, and theyre desperate for housing, and theyre so hopeful that they get the call that they got a place here. When families find out they made it in, theres lots of tears, and theres lots of joy, London said. To see these new families come, its bringing a whole new energy, a whole new life, a whole new positivity. E.B., a young mother who also asked to be identified by her initials, was pregnant and living at home with her mother and younger sisters when she applied for a place at Bayview. About a week after giving birth to her daughter, she got the call shed been waiting for. The two moved in a couple months later. The first night in her new one-bedroom unit was calming, she said. I was happy to be here. When E.B. first toured Bayview and after she moved in, she was struck by how much there was to do. She has since returned part time to her job, where she works with survivors of domestic violence. But she takes her daughter to the play-and-learn sessions put on at Bayview by the Madison School District, and people dote on the baby wherever they go. Everybodys just so welcoming, she said. A demonstration was held "for free public life, Western-type societal development and the saving of Hungary" organised by publicist Robert Puzser in Budapest. In his speech, Puzser said "resistance has started". People have gathered because they felt they had "responsibilities and tasks" in Hungary, he said. Unless Hungarian citizens took politics into their own hands, "every regime change will be but a change in gangsters, just like in 1990 and 2010," he said. A strong, capable citizenry could "force the implementation of fundamental moral and cultural norms and the national minimum", he added. Puzser said the government was trying to exhaust society, "and their every step is leading towards Minsk". After 15 years, "it is time we healed from the sickness called illiberalism ... not because we are liberals but because this regime is restoring feudalism." "Civil resistance will become a season, not just an episode; it will last as long as the regime of feudal authoritarianism, because that can't be fixed, only toppled," Puzser said. Independent lawmaker Akor Hadhazy said the government had thought there would be "a few little demos, than the people would get tired". But people are there week after week, and they are not stopping, he said. "The powers that be got a little scared and postponed the vote on the law of making [NGOs] impossible, but we continue to demand that it be withdrawn," he said. Hadhazy said demonstrations, strikes and road blocks disrupting traffic were necessary "but only if many people participate". "Hungarians love their freedom, but don't believe they are strong enough and that enough of them think the same way." He announced another demonstration in downtown Budapest for next Tuesday. Lili Pankotai, a content creator, said Hungarians were at a crossroads: today, they could still decide whether they wanted to live in a "free Western country or in an Eastern, Russian-type regime". If they chose the former, step number zero would be "soul-searching" on how the country got to a point where "the question is whether there will be a full-blown dictatorship in our homeland". Author Andras Lanyi demanded that "the path of public monies to private pockets and then back to party coffers" be made public. He said the "enrichment of straw men" must be made transparent, as well as the legal and financial background of the "Hungarian funding provided for foreign far-right parties". Lanyi said Hungary's sovereignty could be protected "not from Europe but through Europe, for example from the spread of Russian imperialism in central and eastern Europe, of which the Hungarian government is an obedient tool." He said that "unless Prime Minister Viktor Orban is chased from even the vicinity of Parliament, out children will leave the country." 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. Hungary has been listed as one of the safest countries to visit in 2025, according to a new global ranking from HelloSafe: specifically the 10th safest country in the world, and the 9th safest in Europe. The Travel Safety Index evaluates 193 countries based on 35 factors grouped into five key areas: risk of natural disasters, levels of social violence, armed conflicts, healthcare infrastructure, and militarization. The findings are based on data from reputable international sources, including the World Bank and the World Health Organization. Countries are scored on a scale from 0 (very safe) to 100 (very dangerous). Hungary ranked tenth overall, with a score of 22.87, placing it among the top 15 safest destinations in the world. Unsurprisingly, the list is dominated by European countries, however the European tourism super powers of Italy, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and even Germany are ranked less safe than Hungary. Neighbouring countries such as Austria, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic also made the list, suggesting the region remains relatively stable and secure for travellers. Top 15 List: Iceland (18.23) Singapore (19.99) Denmark (20.05) Austria (20.31) Switzerland (20.51) Czech Republic (21.19) Slovenia (21.44) Finland (21.81) Ireland (22.49) Hungary (22.87) Bhutan (22.98) Qatar (23.33) Slovakia (23.90) Estonia (24.63) Portugal (25.01) Greece appears unexpectedly high on the risk list due to its vulnerability to natural disasters, particularly wildfires. France, Italy, and Spain are included in that mainly due to social tensions and exposure to natural risks such as floods, earthquakes, and heatwaves. Meanwhile, Bosnia and Herzegovina closes the list with a score reflecting ongoing political and institutional challenges. Russia and Ukraine rank highest due to the ongoing war and its impact on civilian infrastructure. For expats living in Hungary, and especially for family and friends planning to visit, the countrys inclusion in the top tier of global safety rankings offers real reassurance given some sensational and negative headlines in the tabloid media. ********************************* 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 Showcase Your Business to Expats in the Loop: 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. Its the shortest night of summer, and on Saturday the whole country transforms into a cultural wonderland where museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions throw open their doors until dawn. The title might sound a bit dull to some, but the fact is that this is one of the most anticipated happenings in Hungary, which draws locals, expats and international visitors into a nocturnal cultural adventure. "This year the annual 'Night of Museums' will be held on June 21 featuring around 2,700 programmes at 470 public establishments", the culture and innovation minister Balazs Hanko recently announced. Last year, more than 330,000 visitors attended the event. "The Night of Museums is a miracle when hundreds of thousands visit our museums from around the whole Carpathian Basin," Hanko told MTI. Extra Special Jokai Events Included "This year is special," Hanko added, as programmes of the memorial year marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of author Mor Jokai are also joining in. Jokai related exhibitions and festivities will delve not only into his literary legacy but also the broader cultural landscape of his time - including music, theatre, fashion, and even gastronomy. Festivities kick off early in the afternoon and run late into the night, featuring concerts, film screenings, interactive displays, guided tours, workshops, and family events. Highlights include botanical walks inspired by Jokais love of gardening, tastings of his signature bean soup, and tutorials in his favourite card game, tarokk. Also, as in past years, the event spotlights a featured city: this time its Miskolc, with its vibrant cultural scene presented throughout the night - actress Gabi Gubas will be the official ambassador. Expats Can Easily Expore this Cultural Extravaganza What makes this cultural evening especially appealing for expats is how open and welcoming it is. Whether youre curious about local history, passionate about classical or modern art, or are keen to discover a few special city gems, this event has wide appeal. From experience, we can report that its an ideal way to connect with local culture and explore museums and cultural places you might not usually visit - all on one special occasion. For instance, at the Hungarian National Gallery there will be special music performances, guided walks for children and adults, plus unusual guided tours and special lectures too. Getting between venues is easy, even if youre unfamiliar with the city layout. Seven special event buses link participating spots across Budapest, and your event wristband works as your transport pass. This of course means you can explore freely around the capital, without worrying about multiple tickets or transit issues. If youd rather stay active in the evening, MOL Bubi bike-share system is a great alternative to the special buses. Most museums have stations nearby, so its pretty convenient to cycle between stops. Naturally its also a healthy way to enjoy a summer evening while soaking in the beauty of Budapest and its vibrant cultural scene. Handy Tips for This Cultural One-Night Stand What do you need to enjoy an evening packed with unforgettable cultural experiences on the evening of 21 June? In Budapest, just one 'Night of Musemus' wristband opens all the doors. Before you set off into the night, its worth planning your route carefully since so many institutions are waiting for culture lovers as part of Hungarys largest and most popular cultural evening. So if you want to join in the cultural fun, here are a few top tips: In Budapest: 1. Download the EVENT@HAND MUZEJ smartphone app or visit muzej.hu 2. Choose your favorite programs 3. Organize them into your preferred schedule 4. Register for any programs that require it 5. Plan your transport by checking muzej.hu/busz-lines 6. Buy your Muzej wristband online at Jegymester or at any participating museum 7. Enjoy a night full of culture and energy! Outside Budapest: 1. Download the EVENT@HAND MUZEJ smartphone app or visit muzej.hu 2. Select your favorite programs 3. Organize them the way you like 4. Purchase entry tickets directly at the participating museum 5. Enjoy the cultural buzz all night long! In Budapest, access to Night of Museums venues and exhibitions is granted via a unified wristband. An adult wristband costs 3,000 HUF, the childrens wristband (ages 618) is 1,500 HUF. You can buy wristbands in advance at jegymester.hu or at any participating museum in Budapest. The wristband is valid at all participating institutions in the capital on this night. If you buy your Night of Museums ticket via a museums own website or webshop, youll need to collect your wristband at that specific museum check with the venue for details on how and when to pick it up. Outside of Budapest, tickets are sold at each participating institution individually. So, in Budapest, keep your wristband handy; outside the capital, a valid ticket is your key in. For the best experience, you can browse all event details online first via muzej.hu There youll find detailed program listings searchable by location, date, or type. You can also mark favorites, create and edit your own list, and even print it. Once youve curated your must-see list, all thats left is figuring out how to get to as many venues as possible. In Budapest, remember BKKs special shuttle buses will help you do just that. With your wristband, you can ride these seven-route circuits for free, reaching all the citys major cultural hubs with ease. More: muzej.hu/en ********************************* 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. In order to protect consumer safety, the National Trade and Consumer Protection Authority (NKFH) is conducting a nationwide inspection in cooperation with government agencies. The inspections are taking place primarily in catering establishments, such as ice cream parlors, beach buffets, and out-of-town units of summer festivals, the authority announced in a statement. During seasonal inspections, the authority's staff pay special attention to compliance with food safety and hygiene regulations, and emphasis is also placed on providing adequate information to consumers. The summer months are an intense period for both consumers and service providers. The pleasant weather means more and more people visit beaches, ice cream parlors and festivals, which significantly increases the demand for services. This justifies the increased inspection activities of the NKFH and the government agencies under its professional management, the primary goal of which is to protect the health and safety of consumers, the statement explained. The inspections carried out in ice cream parlors and buffets cover the production processes, the origin of the raw materials and the hygiene conditions. Food safety and hygiene inspections are carried out at festivals, during which special attention is paid to the examination of the appropriate information provided to consumers, the NKFH detailed. Lilla Nemet-Weingartner, President of the NKFH, emphasized in the statement that "our goal is not only to identify shortcomings, but also to promote operation in accordance with the law, in order to ensure that consumers can use safe, reliable and regularly operating services during the summer season - avoiding any possible inconveniences. Our mission is to support the law-abiding behavior of businesses by showing them the right path, thereby increasing customer satisfaction while enforcing consumer rights." The NKFH and government agencies will continue to conduct inspections in the future and do everything they can to ensure consumer safety. In order to spend the summer season without any worries, it is essential to provide consumers with adequate information and ensure that the services used comply with food safety and hygiene regulations, the consumer protection authority said. ********************************* 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. New Delhi: Tech Giant, Google after cutting around 200 jobs from its global business unit in may is reportedly planning more layoffs. According to a CNBC report, the tech giant has now offered a voluntary exit program to employees across various teams, including its core Search division, as part of its ongoing restructuring efforts. Google hasnt revealed how many employees will be impacted by the buyouts. However, teams across Knowledge and Information (K&I), Central Engineering, marketing, research, and communications are expected to be affected. As per media reports, mid to senior-level staff opting for the exit could receive severance packages of up to 14 weeks salary, plus an extra week for each full year they've worked at the company. Employees who choose to take the buyout may receive up to 14 weeks of severance pay, along with an extra week for each full year they've worked at Google, according to internal messages shared with CNBC. However, the company hasnt shared how many people are likely to leave under this program. In an email to CNBC, Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini confirmed the move, saying, Earlier this year, some of our teams introduced a voluntary exit program with severance for US-based Googlers, and several more are now offering the program to support our important work ahead. Googles Knowledge and Information (K&I) division, which has around 20,000 employees, is reportedly one of the most affected by the voluntary exit program. In a memo to staff, Nick Fox, who took over as head of K&I in October 2024, urged employees to consider the option only if they felt out of sync with the teams direction. If youre excited about your work, energised by the opportunity ahead, and performing well, I really (really!) hope you dont take this! he wrote. On the other hand, this VEP offers a supportive exit path for those of you who dont feel aligned with our strategy. New Delhi: Indias phenol market is expected to clock a healthy 8-9 per cent compound annual growth rate from this fiscal through 2030, outpacing the global market, according to a report on Wednesday. Domestic consumption this fiscal is envisaged at 650 kilo tonnes. The growth is likely to be driven by increasing demand from end-user industries, such as automotive and construction, which use phenolic resins, said the report by Crisil Intelligence. Indias phenol demand is met through domestic production and imports. Over the past five years, domestic production has increased consistently, accounting for 60 per cent of annual domestic consumption. Alongside ramping up production capacity, phenol manufacturers are integrating downstream products with phenol production, which is likely to support consumption. A decline in global demand and, consequently, dumping of phenol in India, is a concern. Nevertheless, prices are expected to remain stable, said Sehul Bhatt, Director-Research, Crisil Intelligence. Imports have decreased substantially, from meeting 60 per cent of domestic demand in fiscal 2019 to 40 per cent in fiscal 2024. Looking ahead, the entry of new players is expected to further reduce reliance on imports to 28-30 per cent of domestic demand by fiscal 2030, the report mentioned. India imports phenol mainly from Thailand, followed by Singapore and Korea. In fiscal 2022, China accounted for 48 per cent of Indias total phenol imports due to limited domestic supply and dumping by Chinese exporters. However, Chinas share of Indian phenol imports declined to 4 per cent in fiscal 2025 as domestic production increased. Moreover, India is diversifying its phenol imports, exploring alternative sources such as Belgium and Brazil to reduce dependence on a single market. As of fiscal 2025, Indias phenol exports stand at 17,230 tonnes per annum, which represents 5 per cent of the countrys total domestic production. India exports mostly to Asian markets. The United Arab Emirates is a major export destination. TS TET 2025 Hall Ticket: The Department of School Education, Government of Telangana, is set to release the TS TET 2025 Hall Ticket today, June 11. Candidates who have registered for the Telangana State Teacher Eligibility Test can download their admit cards from the official website tgtet.aptonline.in/tgtet/. The TS TET exam will be conducted across the state from June 18 to June 30, 2025. Candidates must carry a printed copy of their TS TET Hall Ticket 2025 along with a valid photo ID on the day of the exam. Entry to the examination hall will not be permitted without the admit card. The Telangana State Teacher Eligibility Test (TS TET) June 2025 will be held in a computer-based test (CBT) format. The exam will be conducted daily in two shifts the morning session from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM and the afternoon session from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Paper-II is intended for candidates aspiring to teach Classes VI to VIII. Those who wish to teach Classes I to VIII must appear for both Paper-I and Paper-II. To qualify for the TS TET June 2025, candidates must secure the minimum qualifying marks set by the exam authorities for their respective categories. TS TET 2025 Hall Ticket: Steps to download here Step 1: Visit the official website tgtet2024.aptonline.in. Step 2: On the homepage, click on the link for the Telangana TET Hall Ticket. Step 3: You will be redirected to a new page where you need to enter your login credentials. Step 4: The TS TET Hall Ticket 2025 will be displayed on the screen. If any candidate is unable to download the hall ticket, they should contact the Director, SCERT & Ex-officio Director, TET, Hyderabad between 10:30 AM and 5:00 PM on any working day from June 10 to June 30, 2025. The Pratham Puja or first prayer marking the ceremonial commencement of the annual Amarnath Yatra, was held on Wednesday. It is typically performed on the auspicious occasion of Jyeshtha Purnima to invoke Lord Shivas blessings for a safe, smooth, and successful pilgrimage. This year Pratham Puja of Amarnath Yatra was held today on June 11, 2025, coinciding with Jyeshtha Purnima. The ceremony was attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also the chairman of the Shri Amarnath ji Shrine Board (SASB). The Lt. Governor performed the puja, seeking blessings from Baba Amarnath ji (Lord Shiva) for the good health, progress, and well-being of all people of the globe. Puja at the Amarnath Cave Shrine ceremony involved the chanting of Vedic mantras and shlokas dedicated to Lord Shiva to invoke divine blessings for the pilgrimages success. Additional rituals performed on the same day include Bhoomi Puja, Navagraha Puja, Chhari Puja, and Dhwajarohan, with prasad distributed among devotees afterwards. The Shri Amarnath ji Shrine Board has made provisions for devotees to participate virtually through virtual puja, virtual hawan, and online prasad booking, accessible via the official SASB website jksasb.nic.in. Morning and evening aarti sessions are also telecast live for devotees. The Amarnath Yatra, including the Pratham Puja, is a symbol of communal harmony in Jammu and Kashmir, with people from various communities, including local Muslims, assisting pilgrims in reaching the shrine. The ritual underscores the ancient traditions of the region, with the SASB ensuring that the yatra is conducted smoothly. The Pratham Puja is a cherished event for millions of devotees worldwide, for whom the pilgrimage is a lifelong aspiration. This holy cave, situated at an altitude of 3,888 meters in the Kashmir Himalayas, had a naturally formed ice lingam. The 2025 Amarnath Yatra will be of 38 days, starting on July 3, and will end on August 9 on the day of Raksha Bandhan. Around 3.5 lakh pilgrims have registered themselves for this year's Yatra till now. The SASB has enhanced facilities, including infrastructure, security, medical aid, and RFID tracking for pilgrims. Pilgrims must register in advance, carry Aadhaar details for RFID cards, and obtain a Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC) issued on or after April 8, 2025. Given recent security concerns in the region, extensive arrangements, including the deployment of 581 additional security battalions are in place to ensure pilgrim safety. Zeeshan Akhtar, the alleged mastermind in the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, has been detained. As per the Mumbai Police, Zeeshan was detained in Canada on Tuesday. Akhtar, the absconding accused in the murder case of NCP leader Baba Siddique, has been taken into custody in Canada. Akhtar had been on the run since the incident, and police are now investigating how he managed to leave the country, News 18 quoted Mumbai Police as saying. Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader, was shot dead by three assailants outside his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique's, office in Mumbai on October 12, 2024. As per the police, Akhtar, a close associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, is suspected to be a member of the Vikram Brar gang. Earlier, the police had arrested Salman Vohra and Akashdeep Singh in connection with the murder. Siddique, originally from Bihar, began his political journey as a student leader and served as a municipal corporator twice. In 1999, he contested his first assembly elections from the Bandra seat and won. He continued his success by winning again in 2004 and 2009, but was defeated by BJP's Ashish Shelar in the 2014 assembly elections. He had also served as a Minister of State for Food & Civil Supplies, Labour and FDA. In 2024, he resigned from Congress and joined the Nationalist Congress Party led by Ajit Pawar. Indore/Shillong: In the latest twist in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder, the police have confirmed that the blood-soaked jacket found during the initial search operation did not belong to Sonam, the victim's wife and now prime suspect. It was, in fact, worn by Akash Rajput, one of the men allegedly hired to kill Raja. The discovery of the jacket had initially sparked fears that Sonam herself had fallen victim to foul play. But the Shillong police now confirm that she played an important role in plotting her husband's murder. According to investigators, Vishal Chauhan, another accused in the case, had allegedly smuggled a small axe, hidden from view, on the day of the murder, May 23. The moment the group reached a desolate stretch of road, Vishal purportedly struck Raja twice on the back of the head right in front of Sonam. Blood gushed out instantly, splattering Akashs jacket. The trio then allegedly dragged Rajas body and threw it into a deep gorge nearby. After walking a short distance, Akash allegedly dumped the blood-soaked jacket. Sonam allegedly gave him her own jacket to wear. This is the same jacket recovered later during the search. The discovery had earlier triggered concerns about her safety. The police say Sonam is not a passive witness but actively helped dispose of Rajas body. All the while, their another accomplice Anand allegedly kept watch from a rented motorcycle, ensuring no one was approaching. What is even more chilling is that the body was dumped in a place so remote that even Meghalaya locals avoid it. Rescuers from the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) struggled to get there. Investigators now believe Sonam had been to Shillong before and may have identified the secluded location during an earlier trip. A Fake Getaway Plan After the murder, Sonam did not go to the guest house with her alleged accomplices. She allegedly took a taxi to Guwahati and then boarded a train to Indore, where she stayed in a rented room for two days. According to SP Vivek Syem, this hideout might have been arranged by Raj Kushwaha, another suspect. From Indore, Sonam was allegedly planning to head to Nepal via Gorakhpur, trying to escape the law and create an illusion of being missing or harmed. Meanwhile, back home, her family feared the worst. But once Rajas body was recovered, suspicion shifted directly to her. Sonam might have believed she was safe, until the arrest of Raj Kushwaha. That was when she decided to surrender not at a police station, but at a roadside dhaba in a move that stunned investigators. Money transfers are perhaps the most damning piece of evidence. The police claim to have gathered proof that Sonam transferred funds to Vishal, Akash and Rohit raising suspicions that she paid for her husbands murder. While a deeper financial probe is still underway, Meghalayas home minister has gone on record stating that Sonam used hired killers to eliminate her husband. Reiterating that India will not give in to any kind of nuclear blackmail, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Tuesday reaffirmed that the country strongly believes in zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. "This is not a conflict between two states per se. This is actually a response to the threat and to the practice of terrorism. So, I would urge you to don't think of it as India-Pakistan, think of it as India and 'Terroristan', you would then appreciate," Jaishankar said while addressing a joint press conference with European Union High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas in Brussels. Asserting that terrorism is a shared and interconnected challenge for the global community, the EAM mentioned that it is imperative that there must be strong international cooperation and understanding on the matter. EAM Jaishankar and Kallas were addressing the media after holding the first strategic dialogue between India and the European Union where both sides held an open and productive meeting with discussions focused on defence and security - including maritime, cyber and space. "Nuclear threats cannot pay off. This is a mutual concern. We see different actors in the world using it. In this global changing world, we need more partners, and therefore we are working to intensify our cooperation regarding security and defence," Kallas stated. EAM Jaishankar highlighted that both sides exchanged views on global order, including the situation in Europe, the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Indo-Pacific. "My visit to Brussels is taking place three months after that of the EU College of Commissioners to India. Even in that time, it was apparent that the world order was in the midst of a profound change. These trends have intensified in many ways. We have entered an era of multipolarity and strategic autonomy, which are two important forces for India and the EU to forge deeper ties. Working towards that goal requires intensified cooperation in many domains," he stated "There will be situations when our perspectives will not be entirely identical and which is understandable. But what is important is that we expand common ground and understanding and enhance levels of trust," he added. Jaishankar also mentioned that India aims to conclude the ambitious India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of the year. "Stabilising and de-risking the international economy today is a strategic priority for us. This has many dimensions, including more resilient and reliable supply chains as well as increasing trust and transparency in digital interactions. Creating stronger economic and technology partnerships between major players acquires greater value. It is with that perspective that we support the goal of concluding an ambitious and balanced India-EU FTA by the end of this year," the EAM remarked. Meghalaya Murder Case: A Shillong court on Wednesday sent Sonam Raghuvanshi and four other accused in the murder case of Raja Raghuvanshi, to eight-day police custody. Sonam is accused of killing her husband Raja in collusion with the four accused. Raja was killed in Meghalaya while on honeymoon with wife Sonam. Sonam was brought to Meghalaya on Tuesday night while the other accused reached on Wednesday on transit remand. The police had sought a 10-day remand but the court granted 8 days of police custody. Earleir, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills, Vivek Syiem, on Wednesday revealed that there is adequate evidence pointing to the involvement of Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder case of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, emphasising that a conclusive confirmation would only emerge after thorough interrogation of those who were involved. The SP's statements come as the police continue their probe into the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, whose body was discovered in a gorge near Sohra, close to Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, on June 2. Following the discovery of Raja's body, Sonam was located near a roadside dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway. She, along with four others--Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Raj Singh Kushwaha, and Anand--has been accused in connection with the alleged murder. Sonam Raghuvanshi, along with four other accused involved in the murder case, is currently under investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Meghalaya Police and is kept at the Shillong Sadar Police Station. Earlier on Wednesday, Sonam Raghuvanshi's brother Govind visited Raja's home and expressed condolences to the family while demanding strictest punishment for his sister. He made a shocking statement claiming he's "100% sure" his sister's involvement in the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi. Govind demanded severe punishment for Sonam on the matter and stated that she should be hanged if found guilty. He further publicly distanced himself and his family from his sister, noting that he had apologised to Raja's family as they lost their son and said that he would do anything to make amends for his sister's actions. New Delhi: Fresh off the success of Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is setting its sights on something far more strategic decoding the deadly secrets of Chinese and Turkish weaponry. After Pakistans swift climbdown during the military offensive, India is tightening its military grip not just through brute force, but with intelligence and preparation. Sources say New Delhi now holds rare and valuable war data on Chinese and Turkish military hardware, including missiles, drones and radar systems, captured or intercepted during the operation. For the first time, India is in possession of combat-level data on the PL-15 air-to-air missile, Turkeys YIHA drones and even components of the JF-17 and J-10 fighter jets long the pride of Beijing and Islamabads arsenals. And India is not stopping there. To ensure the IAF has the upper hand in any future conflict, the Defence Ministry has initiated a multi-layered plan. At the heart of it is the acquisition of six new Embraer aircraft from Brazil. These planes will be fitted with Indias own Netra Mk1A radar systems a boost to airborne surveillance capabilities. A deal has been parallelly greenlit to lease an American KC-135 mid-air refueling aircraft. Talks are also on to procure six more aerial tankers, a move aimed at ensuring the Indian jets stay longer in hostile airspace with refueling no longer a concern. Why this sudden urgency? Because Pakistan, rattled after Operation Sindoor, is leaning harder on China and Turkey for support. Beijing is reportedly rushing Yuan-class submarines, armed drones and frigates to Islamabad. Meanwhile, Ankara is busy upgrading Pakistani submarines and churning out corvettes and F-16 spares. Pakistans AEW&C fleet, including Swedish SAAB-2000 and Chinese ZDK-03 aircraft, remains a challenge. They are capable of detecting Indian aircraft up to 350 km away. But Indias response is fast and calculated. New AWACS aircraft, coupled with the deadly precision of the S-400 missile system (which shot down a Pakistani aircraft from over 300 km away during the operation), signals a shift in the power balance. India is matching the threat, studying it, decoding it and preparing to outsmart it. Experts at DRDO and military think tanks are now poring over fragments and digital logs of enemy drones, air defense systems and missiles. The goal? To build a counter-strategy so comprehensive that the next time tensions flare, India will not only respond, it will dominate. While Pakistan scrambles for allies and secondhand arms, India is building an ecosystem, which is tech-powered, forward-looking and battle-tested. With its eyes on the skies and a plan grounded in precision, New Delhi is no longer playing catch-up. It is setting the rules. New Delhi: In a country that once worried about having too many mouths to feed, a quieter and more unexpected concern is now surfacing. Indian families are choosing to have fewer children, and it is starting to show. A recent UN report reveals that India's fertility rate has dipped below the replacement level, meaning that, on average, women are now having fewer children than needed to maintain the population size over time. While the total population is still growing and currently stands at 1.46 billion (the largest in the world), the nature of that growth is changing. So what is happening, and why should you care? Back in 1960, the average Indian woman had nearly six children. At that time, India was grappling with rapid population growth, limited access to education for women and almost no reproductive healthcare. Fast forward to today. The average woman now has fewer than two children. According to the UNFPAs State of World Population 2025 report, India's total fertility rate has fallen to 1.9, below the replacement rate of 2.1 the threshold needed for a stable population without migration. This is a important milestone. It means that India is now part of a global shift that is quietly reshaping societies, fewer babies, aging populations and a new set of economic and social challenges. Not a Crisis The UN is not calling this a crisis. In fact, it warns against the fear-driven headlines about population collapse. What is more urgent, the report argues, is the unmet desire of millions of people who still do not have the power to decide if, when or how many children they want. In simple terms this is not only about numbers. It is about choice. As Andrea Wojnar, UNFPAs India head, puts it, The real demographic dividend comes when everyone has the freedom and means to make informed reproductive choices. Despite falling birth rates, India still has one of the youngest populations in the world nearly a quarter of its citizens are under 14 and two-thirds are of working age. This is both an opportunity and a responsibility. With the right investments in jobs, education and healthcare, India could harness this youth bulge for massive economic growth. But it is a narrow window. As life expectancy rises (now 74 for women, 71 for men), the proportion of elderly citizens will grow too. In the coming decades, India will face a very different problem how to care for an aging population without enough younger workers to support them. Whats Behind the Shift? The drop in fertility did not happen overnight. It is the result of decades of progress better education for girls, wider access to contraception, urbanization and changing social norms. More women are staying in school, working and making decisions about their lives. That empowerment, experts say, is what is really driving the change. Still, the report warns that inequality runs deep. In some states and communities, access to reproductive healthcare remains limited. Many women, especially in rural or low-income areas, still have little say in reproductive decisions. India is not alone in facing these changes. Many countries, from South Korea to Spain, are seeing similar patterns fewer births, smaller families and longer lives. The takeaway? Falling fertility is not failure. It is a sign that more people are making decisions on their own terms. The real challenge now is making sure that freedom extends to everyone, regardless of where they live, what they earn or who they are. California officials seek court order to immediately block Trump's military deployment in LA Xinhua) 08:34, June 11, 2025 Police officers try to disperse protesters in front of the Los Angeles Federal Detention Center in Los Angeles, California, the United States, June 8, 2025.(Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua) "The federal government is now turning the military against American citizens," California Governor Gavin Newsom said. "Sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy." SACRAMENTO, the United States, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Top legal officials in the U.S. state of California moved to halt President Donald Trump's deployment of military forces in their communities, filing an emergency court motion on Tuesday that challenged the federal government's authority to use troops for local law enforcement. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom requested in the 28-page document that the federal court take immediate action to block Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the U.S. Department of Defense from using military personnel and federalized California National Guard units to patrol communities and conduct law enforcement activities. The officials argued the military deployment violated federal law, threatened state sovereignty, and escalated rather than reduces civil tensions. "The President is looking for any pretense to place military forces on American streets to intimidate and quiet those who disagree with him," Bonta said in a statement released by the California Attorney General's office. "It's not just immoral - It's illegal and dangerous." The California National Guard soldiers confront protesters in front of the Los Angeles Federal Detention Center, in Los Angeles, California, the United States, June 8, 2025. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua) The emergency motion follows a lawsuit filed Monday by the same officials challenging Trump's order to federalize the California National Guard for 60 days under federal statute 10 U.S.C. 12406. Early Sunday morning, the U.S. Department of Defense redirected hundreds of National Guard troops from San Diego to Los Angeles without gubernatorial authorization and against the wishes of local law enforcement, according to the Attorney General's office. As of Tuesday, the federal government has order to deploy 4,000 National Guard troops across California, plus an additional 700 Marines, to the second-largest city of the country. "The federal government is now turning the military against American citizens," Newsom said, according to the Attorney General's statement. "Sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy." The Californian officials contended that local law enforcement, not military forces, should handle civilian policing within state borders. They claimed the deployment deprives California of its own National Guard resources and creates "imminent harm" to state operations. "Local law enforcement, not the military, enforce the law within our borders," Bonta said. "The President continues to inflame tensions and antagonize communities." (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Residents who live near the Dane County Regional Airport wont see millions in federal money to mitigate the noise created by the Air Forces F-35 fighter jets, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Black Earth, said Wednesday. The Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs had applied for $18 million in federal funds to help more than 160 residents equip their homes with better insulation to dampen the noise, as well as install new windows and HVAC systems, Pocan wrote in a letter to Patrick OBrien, the director of local community cooperation at the Department of Defense Wednesday. Four years ago, Pocan helped secured $50 million in federal aid for communities nationwide impacted by military noise, he said. But that additional money wont come through after the Department of Defense denied the states application, Pocan said. The funding was never guaranteed. Pocan invited OBrien to come to Madison to hear the noise close to the airport on the citys East Side and listen to residents who hear it daily. Since the decision to place F-35 fighter jets at Truax Field in 2020, my office has repeatedly been in touch with the Department of Defense to express my concerns about what impact the noise from these jets could have on local residents, their homes, and local businesses, Pocan said. In the years since, residents have reported consistent and significant concerns with the noise levels to my office, along with fears that prolonged exposure could lead to property damage or negative health impacts. The state Department of Military Affairs remains committed to finding ways to reduce the noise of its flight operations in Madison, spokesperson Leslie Westmont said. While our application was not awarded by the Department of Defense, we will continue to pursue additional available options and funding opportunities for noise abatement, Westmont said. Sup. Michael Engelberger, who chairs the Public Works and Transportation Committee said he would not be surprised if the funds were being withheld to fund more billionaire tax cuts at the expense of the residents near the Dane County Regional Airport who are in desperate need of these noise abatement measures. Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway expressed disappointment in the applications denial in a statement to the Wisconsin State Journal. We share Congressman Pocans disappointment regarding the denial of noise mitigation funding by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. We know that residents have significant concerns regarding the impacts the noise from F-35 fighter jets on local residents, their homes, and local businesses, and we take those concerns seriously, Rhodes-Conway said. The denied request for local sound mitigation is also tough for the Dane County Regional Airport. However, we remain committed to working alongside our partners to advocate for local residents and reduce the impact of airport-related noise on our community, an airport spokesperson said Wednesday. A second Notice of Funding Opportunity through the Community Noise Mitigation Program is currently open and set to close in July. We are actively supporting DMA to position our community as strongly as possible to receive these federal funds. The city will continue to support Congressman Pocan, the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, Dane County and the Dane County Regional Airport in their efforts to obtain funding for noise mitigation measures for affected residents, Rhodes-Conway said. The Air Forces F-35 jets first came to the Dane County Regional Airport in 2023 and were strongly pursued by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, as a member of the appropriations committee. The F-35 jets replaced a fleet of F-16 fighter jets that had called Truax Field home since 1992. Senator Baldwin is deeply disappointed by how long it took the Department of Defense to stand up this program and also for rejecting Wisconsins Department of Military Affairs (DMA) proposal for resources, a spokesperson for Baldwin said in a statement to the Wisconsin State Journal Wednesday evening. But she will continue to work to ensure that the 115th Fighter Wing is a good neighbor, including working to mitigate noise for those in the area, Baldwins office said. If the Department of Military Affairs pursues another federal grant for noise mitigation she will again advocate to ensure Wisconsin gets what it needs. Engelberger does not know why the funding application was denied but, he said it looks like the Congressman is trying to get to the bottom of that. I hope it is just a technicality or possibly more information is needed. Pocan once was among a delegation of Wisconsin legislators who encouraged the Department of Defense to consider bringing the jets to Wisconsin. As the years passed, Pocan became concerned about the impact of noise on nearby residents. For years, Madison residents have mounted significant opposition to the new jets, saying the noise levels are unacceptable, especially in neighborhoods that have higher percentages of residents who are low-income or are minorities. The F-35s are louder than their F-16 predecessors. The Federal Aviation Administration considers noise levels louder than 65 decibels to be incompatible with residential use. Noise level readings from near the Dane County Airport in recent years have been as high as 116 decibels, which is the equivalent of running a chainsaw or attending a rock concert. Continued exposure to noise levels of 80 to 90 decibels can cause hearing loss; ear pain typically begins around 125 decibels. New Delhi: India crushed Pakistans assault during Operation Sindoor. But after the dust settled, something more alarming came into view. China was not sitting on the sidelines. It was pulling strings from behind the curtain. Indian radars picked up Chinese-made jets in Pakistani skies. Chinese missiles were used to target Indian bases. Beijing was deeply involved. That means India was not fighting just Pakistan. India was up against two enemies at once. Military officers have sounded the alarm. They want Indias defence budget raised to 2.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Right now, the defence allocation stands at just 1.9%. A huge portion of that money goes into salaries and pensions. Only a quarter of it helps modernise the military. This cannot continue. Not when two hostile neighbours are preparing for something bigger. China has been pumping weapons into Pakistan. In the May 7-10 clashes, Pakistan deployed Chinese J-10 jets and HQ-9 missile systems. Beijing has promised to send more stealth fighters, long-range air defence weapons and new-generation drones. China is flooding Pakistan with cutting-edge military tools. Pakistans economy is in crisis. But even then, Islamabad raised its defence budget by 20%. It cut development. It ignored debt. It focused on weapons. India must respond, believe experts, arguing that it is time for total self-reliance in defence production. India must build fighter jets, drones, loitering munitions and missiles on its own. The private sector must step in. Half-measures will not do. Half-prepared armies lose wars. Indias Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project has started moving. But it must move faster. Tejas took decades. The same mistake cannot happen again. The Indian Air Force is short on fighter squadrons. It has just 30. The target is 42.5. Drones are the new face of war. Swarm drones. FPV kamikaze drones. Loitering drones. India needs all of these, and it needs them in bulk. No country will come to Indias rescue in a full-scale war. India must stand on its own. During Operation Sindoor, India used Russian S-400s, Israeli Barak-8s and its own Akash missiles. These systems intercepted and neautralised many Pakistani drone and missile attacks. But more layers are needed. DRDO must now accelerate two things short-range air defence systems and long-range strike missiles like Project Kusha. Military reform is also crucial. India has a huge army. It must cut unnecessary spending. It must remove red tape from weapons procurement. And it must create joint theatre commands that allow the Army, Navy and Air Force to fight as one. A senior military commander put it bluntly. India is now staring at a superpower that is feeding a hostile neighbour. Pakistan may fire the bullets. But China is loading the gun. India cannot look away anymore. The next battle may not wait for long. Days after a video went viral on social media where the law enforcement agents of the Newark airport were seen pinning down an Indian youth, fresh details have emerged about the youth who reportedly belongs to Haryana. As per reports, the youth who was manhandled at Americas Newark airport and was seen in handcuffs entered the United States illegally. The youth has been admitted to a medical facility. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confirmed that the Indian consulate in New York verified the identity of an individual who entered the United States without a valid visa. This individual is being deported back to India in accordance with a court order. "With regard to a social post about an Indian national detained at Newark Airport in New Jersey in the United States, our Consulate in New York has ascertained that the individual, who belongs to Haryana had entered the United States illegally without a valid visa and was being deported back to India as per a court order. During his transit in Newark, on finding his behaviour not conducive for travel, he was restrained and admitted to a medical facility. Once he is fit to travel, the individual will be deported to India. Our Consulate in New York continues to remain engaged with the US authorities on this matter," said ANI quoting sources in the MEA. The MEA had previously raised this issue with the US Embassy in New Delhi after a video related to the incident gained traction online. India has been in continuous communication with US authorities to gather further details regarding the matter. Earlier, the US Embassy in India said that it won't tolerate illegal entry and abuse of visas. "The United States continues to welcome legitimate travelers to our country. However, there is no right to visit the United States. We cannot and will not tolerate illegal entry, abuse of visas, or the violation of U.S. law," it said. The United States, under President Donald Trump, has taken a strict stand against illegal migrants, identifying and deporting most of them. New Delhi: It began quietly. A friendly ping on Facebook. A heart emoji on Instagram. A casual hello from a pretty girl on WhatsApp. By the time Indias intelligence agencies caught on, the trap had already closed drawing in civilians from towns and cities across northern India into one of the most brazen espionage rings in recent memory. In the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, a frantic investigation lit up corridors of national security. Officials uncovered the outlines of a sinister network. Around 30 civilians, most unconnected to any formal defence role, had allegedly been leaking sensitive information to Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). And how they were pulled in was even more disturbing than what they gave away. These were not seasoned spies. They were YouTubers, students, junior government clerks and even daily wage workers. Their common thread? A digital vulnerability, either emotional or financial, that Pakistani handlers expertly exploited. Central agencies say the playbook was consistent. An attractive woman, sometimes calling herself Nisha or Pooja, would reach out online. Over weeks, sometimes months, she would build rapport, express affection and eventually ask for small favours. A picture here, a video there. Nothing serious, just Army trucks or a gate with a signboard. The victims never knew they were being played until the arrests began. Among those caught in the web was Ravindra Verma, a 27-year-old defence contractor from Maharashtra. Wooed by a Facebook profile that turned out to be fake, he allegedly sent over details about Indian warships. Jasbir Singh, a YouTuber from Punjab, allegedly maintained contact with over 150 Pakistani accounts and purportedly received money for his content. A student named Devendra Dhillon allegedly leaked images from military installations after being recruited through the Kartarpur Corridor. These were not isolated incidents. Intelligence sources revealed that Pakistani officials working under diplomatic cover in India masterminded the operation. Using encrypted apps like Telegram and custom-built software, they coordinated an espionage network that ran beneath the radar until now. A Spys Paradise? The most damning revelation? Much of this network was reportedly being run by individuals operating under diplomatic immunity at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Under the nose of Indian authorities, they created a spy network not through traditional espionage, but via smartphones and emotions. Government insiders were not the only targets. Lonely students, cash-strapped influencersand even patriotic civilians were allegedly manipulated into betraying their country. Verma allegedly leaked naval specs via WhatsApp. Singh allegedly turned out to be a pro-Pakistan influencer with 150+ Pakistani contacts. Dhillon allegedly hared sensitive defence photos post-Kartarpur visit. Shakur Khan, a government staffer from Rajasthan, allegedly turned a spy. Mohammad Tareef (Haryana) allegedly captured Indian Air Force visuals. Armaan from Haryana allegedly sent videos from defence expos. Shahzad from Uttar Pradesh allegedly ran a cross-border smuggling and spying operation. Most arrests were concentrated in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh states with a high number of civilians familiar with defence zones. The ISI appears to have deliberately avoided the South and Northeast, focusing instead on areas with easier access and lesser suspicion. This is not only a story of espionage, it is a wake-up call. The enemy does not always knock on the front door. Sometimes, they slide into DMs. And in a world where national security now rests on social media behaviour, India may need more than firewalls and it may need to educate its citizens on digital patriotism. One click, one emoji, one flirtatious chat sometimes, that is all it takes to betray a nation. NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai contended that while judicial activism holds significance in India, the courts must be careful not to step into an area where the "judiciary should not enter". "Judicial activism is bound to stay. At the same time, judicial activism should not be turned into judicial terrorism. So, at times, you try to exceed the limits and try to enter into an area where, normally, the judiciary should not enter," the CJI said in response to a question asked at the Oxford Union. CJI Gavai said that the judiciary will still step in if the legislature or the executive fail in their duties to safeguard the fundamental rights of citizens, but the power of judicial review should be used sparingly. "(Judicial review) power has to be exercised in a very limited area in very exception cases, like, say, a statute, is violative of the basic structure of the Constitution, or it is in direct conflict with any of the fundamental rights of the Constitution, or if the statute is so patently arbitrary, discriminatory.the courts can exercise it, and the courts have done so," he said. Referring to himself, CJI Gavai said that the Constitution of India has ensured that an individual from the SC community, who were historically referred to as untouchables, is now addressing the Oxford Union as the holder of the countrys highest judicial office. He described the Constitution as a "quiet revolution etched in ink", having a transformative force to actively uplift the historically oppressed. "The Constitution of India carries within it the heartbeat of those who were never meant to be heard, and the vision of a country where equality is not just promised, but pursued. It compels the State not only to protect rights, but also to actively uplift, to affirm, to repair," he said. The CJIs speech at Oxford Union was titled 'From Representation to Realisation: Embodying the Constitution's Promise'. New Delhi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday granted bail to six juveniles accused in the murder of 15-year-old Shahabas, even as the victim's father strongly expressed his ire against the decision and said he will fight the case. This bail comes a week after the High Court directed the Superintendent of Observation Home, Kozhikode, to take steps to enable the admission of these accused juveniles in the Shahabas murder case in other schools. On Wednesday, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas passed the order granting bail and permitted their release from the Kozhikode Observation Home on the personal bond of their parents. While granting bail, the court pointed out that observation homes are not meant for prolonged detention, especially when the juveniles have no prior criminal records. It also asked the parents to submit affidavits and made it clear that the juveniles must cooperate with the ongoing investigation and refrain from engaging in any criminal activity. Shahabass father said till now, he has not spoken anything, but after hearing what happened today, he will now speak out on the injustice meted out to him. The High Court, last month, came to the help of these juveniles after their results were withheld by the state government. Following the intervention of the court, state Education Minister V. Sivankutty announced their Class 10 marks, with all having passed and being cleared for higher studies. Shahabas, a student of MJ Higher Secondary School, Thamarassery, Kozhikode, succumbed to serious injuries on March 1, after being injured in the fight between the students of his school and Thamarassery GVHSS, stemming from a dispute at a tuition centre farewell event at the end of February. Even though the teachers intervened then through a series of WhatsApp messages, the tension escalated, leading to a violent clash near the tuition centre. Shahabas suffered serious head injuries, which led to his death. Police pressed murder charges against them and stated that the accused used weapons, including a truncheon and a nunchaku, for the attack on Shahabas. Though Shahabas was not a student at the tuition centre, he was called to the venue while running an errand. Following the attack, he was taken home by a friend. Initially unaware of the attack, his family suspected drug use when they found him in a weak state at home. Upon learning the truth, he was rushed to Thamarassery Taluk Hospital and later shifted to Kozhikode Government Medical College and Hospital, where he passed away. All the accused students since then have been in judicial custody, and also appeared for their examination while in custody. New Delhi: In a shocking development, Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, has confessed to her role in the crime. According to sources, Sonam admitted to orchestrating the murder during interrogation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Her confession was also formally recorded in front of officials from the Meghalaya Police, confirming her direct involvement in the crime, the sources said. The police investigation has revealed that Sonam plotted Raja's murder and hired contract killers to execute the plan while on their honeymoon in Meghalaya. The killers, Akash, Anand, and Vikash, allegedly joined the couple on a trek, disguising themselves as fellow tourists. The police have gathered evidence, including CCTV footage, train ticket bookings, and Aadhaar card photocopies, which confirm the identities and movements of the accused. A local guide, Albert Pde, informed the police that he had offered assistance to the group but was turned down. Sonam surrendered to the police on Monday, following days of intense pressure from a coordinated, multi-state police operation. The other accused, including Sonam's alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha, were nabbed during a series of raids conducted by police teams across Madhya Pradesh. The five accused will be produced in a Shillong court, where they will face charges for their alleged roles in Raja's murder. The case continues to unfold, with the police working to gather more evidence and build a strong case against the accused. (With Inputs from IANS) Meghalaya Police has revealed that Sonam Raghuvanshi, who allegedly orchestrated the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, paid around Rs 20 lakh to contract killers for the murder. According to the Meghalaya Police, she initially handed over Rs 15,000 in cash to the assailants, as reported by Hindustan Times. Raj Kushwaha claims he didnt want to support Sonam and at the last moment, cancelled his plan to go to Meghalaya. He also allegedly asked the three others not to go, but they went to see Meghalaya after Sonam booked the tickets. Even at the last moment, the three refused to kill, but Sonam insisted and said she would give Rs 15 lakh for that. Police are verifying these claims, Hindustan Times quoted a senior police officer from Indore, who is working with the Meghalaya police on the investigation, as saying. According to the police, Raja Raghuvanshi, a 29-year-old owner of a transport business based in Indore, was murdered during his honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 23, 2025. Police have accused Sonam of orchestrating the murder alongside her alleged lover, Raj Kushwah and three contract killers. Rajas body was found on June 2 in a gorge at Sohra near Cherrapunji in Meghalaya. Sonam Raghuvanshi was later found near a dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that some of the accused have already confessed to the crime and that Sonam, the wife, is also fully involved. All the accused have been arrested from different places - one in Madhya Pradesh, the other in UP. An SIT of Meghalaya Police went down to these two places. Some of them have also confessed to the crime they committed. The moment we were able to pick Sonam, being the prime suspect in the killing, we all came to know that she is fully involved in this operation during their stay here in Meghalaya, ANI quoted Tynsong as saying. (With ANI inputs) New Delhi: Clouds parted. Secrets spilled. Under the cloak of night, the Indian Air Force launched a mission that would rattle Islamabad to its core. It was Operation Sindoor, a storm that tore through terror camps and left Pakistani war machines in flames. On the intervening night of May 6 and 7, the air throbbed with tension. Rafale and Sukhoi jets soared out of Indian bases. Precision. Power. Payloads locked. Targets across the border marked in red terror launchpads nestled in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Airstrikes hit like thunderclaps. Explosions followed. Camp after camp, bunker after bunker flattened. Over 100 terrorists eliminated in minutes. The April 22 Pahalgams bloodshed avenged. But the night did not end there. Pakistan scrambled its jets. JF-17s. Mirages. J-10Cs. Interceptors on a collision course. The dogfight was brutal. Aerial combat at lightning speed. Engines screamed. Missiles launched. Skies lit up. And then silence. Flames fell from the heavens. Pakistans jets crashed and burned. Sources inside Indias top defence establishment confirm that enemy aircraft shot down mid-air. India watched. Recorded. Tracked every move with AWACS and ground-based radar. The wreckage? Scattered across the rugged terrain of PoK. And India has the evidence. High-resolution satellite images. Infrared signatures. Radio logs. Visual confirmation from cockpit feeds. Soon, the truth will go public. Pakistan panicked. Cross-border firing intensified. Ceasefire torn to shreds. India retaliated with full force. Missiles rained down on major Pakistani airbases. Noor Khan. Rafiqui. Sukkur. Chunian. Rahim Yar Khan once considered strategic strongholds. Now smoking craters. One hit after another. Pakistans Chinese-made HQ-9 air defense systems shredded. Its backbone was broken. Operation Sindoor was a verdict justice delivered at supersonic speed. New Delhi: During his recent trip to Europe, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar emphasized that the tensions between India and Pakistan are not just a bilateral issue, but a global concern regarding terrorism. In an interview with Euractiv in Brussels, Jaishankar highlighted the need for the world to understand the gravity of terrorism emanating from Pakistan and its implications for global security. "Let me remind you of something -- there was a man named Osama bin Laden. Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point (Pakistan military institution)? I want the world to understand that this isn't merely an India-Pakistan issue. It's about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you," EAM Jaishankar said during an interview with European media outlet Euractiv in Brussels. Jaishankar pointed out that the presence of Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani military town, Abbottabad, which is near a prestigious military institution, raises serious questions about Pakistan's ability to tackle terrorism. He warned that the terrorism targeting India would eventually haunt the rest of the world, emphasizing that this issue is not confined to India-Pakistan relations but is a global concern. Responding to questions about India's position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar stated that India does not believe that differences can be resolved through war. He emphasized that India is not prescriptive or judgmental about the solution but is focused on finding a peaceful resolution. "We don't believe that differences can be resolved through war -- we don't believe a solution will come from the battlefield. It's not for us to prescribe what that solution should be. My point is, we're not being prescriptive or judgemental -- but we are also not uninvolved," he said. "We have a strong relationship with Ukraine as well -- it's not only about Russia. But every country, naturally, considers its own experience, history, and interests. India has the longest-standing grievance -- our borders were violated just months after independence, when Pakistan sent in invaders to Kashmir. And, the countries that were most supportive of that? Western countries," the EAM said. Jaishankar also highlighted India's strong relationship with Ukraine and noted that every country considers its own experience, history, and interests. "If those same countries -- who were evasive or reticent then -- now say 'let's have a great conversation about international principles', I think I'm justified in asking them to reflect on their past," Jaishankar further stated. Jaishankar drew attention to India's historical experience with Pakistan, particularly the violation of India's borders just months after independence. He questioned the West's past response to this issue and suggested that Western countries should reflect on their past actions before lecturing others about international principles. Discussing India's place in the new global order, Jaishankar noted that Europe has entered an era of multipolarity and now faces the need to make decisions in its interest. He highlighted the importance of strategic autonomy and the need for Europe to use its capabilities and relationships to navigate the global landscape. Jaishankar emphasized that India seeks to deepen its ties with Europe in this multipolar world. "I hear terms like 'strategic autonomy' being used in Europe -- these were once part of our vocabulary. The EU is a major pole in the global order -- and increasingly an autonomous one. That is precisely why I'm here: to deepen our relationship in this multipolar world," EAM mentioned. EAM S. Jaishankar's insights highlight India's commitment to addressing global challenges, including terrorism and conflict resolution. India's stance on these issues reflects its commitment to peace and stability, both regionally and globally. As the world navigates complex geopolitical dynamics, India's diplomatic efforts aim to promote a more secure and cooperative international environment. (with inputs from IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah has affirmed on many occasions that the Government of India is committed to eradicating Naxalism by 2026. Recently, the security forces eliminated Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI-Maoist, in an operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh. This has been one of the biggest successes in the fight against Naxalims and if reports are to be believed, it indicates security forces' growing intel network even in the core formation of the Naxal groups. "This is the first time in three decades of Bharat's battle against Naxalism that a general secretary-ranked leader has been neutralized by our forces. I applaud our brave security forces and agencies for this major breakthrough. Also glad to share that after the completion of Operation Black Forest, 54 Naxalites have been arrested and 84 Naxalites have surrendered in Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. The Modi government is resolved to eliminate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026," said Union Minister Amit Shah on May 21. While developments like roads, schools and free ration schemes are helping the poor in the naxal-affected belts, the areas infected with 'red terror' have shrunk in the past 15 years due to multiple factors including intense combing operations by the security forces. The advent of technologies like surveillance drones, loitering ammunition and munition drones have given a boost to the security forces. Notably, the Narendra Modi government formulated a comprehensive National Policy and Action Plan to eradicate Maoist violence in 2015. "Along with zero tolerance towards violence, we have also focused on a massive push to infrastructure and social empowerment to bring a positive change in the lives of the poor people in these regions," PM Modi had said. Naxalbari- Left Wing Extremism Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), also known as Naxalism, poses a significant internal security threat to India. This movement, driven by Maoist ideology and stemming from deep-seated socio-economic disparities, has historically impacted India's most isolated, underdeveloped, and tribal-majority areas. Its objective has been to destabilize the Indian state through armed insurrection and the establishment of parallel governance, frequently targeting security forces, public infrastructure, and democratic systems. Emerging from the 1967 Naxalbari movement in West Bengal, LWE primarily expanded through the "Red Corridor," influencing states such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. While Maoist insurgents assert they are championing the rights of the marginalized, especially tribal communities, their tactics involve armed violence, extortion, infrastructure destruction, and the recruitment of children and civilians. LWE Affected Districts According to the MHA, the number of LWE-affected districts reduced from 126 to 90 in April 2018, 70 in July 2021 and further to 38 in April 2024. Out of the total Naxalism-affected districts, the number of most affected districts has been reduced from 12 to 6, which include four districts from Chhattisgarh (Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, and Sukma), one from Jharkhand (West Singhbhum), and one from Maharashtra (Gadchiroli). Similarly, out of the total 38 affected districts, the number of Districts of Concern, where additional resources need to be intensively provided beyond the severely affected districts, has reduced from 9 to 6. These 6 districts are: Andhra Pradesh (Alluri Sitarama Raju), Madhya Pradesh (Balaghat), Odisha (Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and Malkangiri), and Telangana (Bhadradri-Kothagudem). Due to persistent action against Naxalism, the number of Other LWE-affected Districts has also decreased from 17 to 6. These include districts from Chhattisgarh (Dantewada, Gariaband, and Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki), Jharkhand (Latehar), Odisha (Nuapada), and Telangana (Mulugu). In the last 10 years, over 8,000 Naxalites have abandoned the path of violence, and consequently, the number of Naxal-affected districts has reduced to fewer than 20. The MHA said that the incidents of violence by LWE which reached its highest level of 1936 in 2010 have reduced to 374 in 2024 i.e. a reduction of 81%. The total number of deaths (civilians + security forces) has also reduced by 85% during this period from 1,005 deaths in 2010 to 150 in 2024. Notably, the government has been providing significant financial assistance of Rs 30 crore to most affected Districts and Rs 10 crore to Districts of Concern under Special Central Assistance (SCA), to fill the gaps in public infrastructure. Choking The Naxalites To financially choke the Naxalites and break their financial backbone, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Enforcement Directorate were used, seizing several crores of rupees from Naxalites. Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), cases were filed, and those who funded the Naxalites were sent behind bars. To bring development to Naxal-affected areas, the budget allocation for these regions was increased by 300%. Besides, as part of the zero-tolerance policy against Naxalism, 90 Naxals have been killed, 104 arrested, and 164 have surrendered in the year, by March 2025. In 2024, 290 Naxalites were neutralized, 1,090 were arrested, and 881 surrendered. More and more Naxals are today eager to lay down their weapons. The Karreguttalu Hill Battle The border areas of Sukma and Bijapur, which are the strongholds of Naxalites, including the most powerful armed organizations like the PLGA Battalion, CRC Company, and the Telangana State Committee, have been home to several top cadres. In this area, under challenging circumstances, the security forces established numerous new security camps, which increased their dominance. As a result, the Naxalites formed a Unified Command and took refuge in the Karreguttalu Hill (KGH), considered impregnable, located at the border of Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, and Mulugu, Telangana. KGH is an extremely difficult hilly region, approximately 60 km long and 5 to 20 km wide, with a very tough and challenging geographical terrain. Over the past two and a half years, the Naxalites established their base in this area, where around 300-350 armed cadres, including the technical department (TD Unit) of the PLGA Battalion and other important organizations, took refuge. Based on the inputs received, a comprehensive and well-coordinated plan was prepared, and on April 21, 2025, the Chhattisgarh Police and Central Armed Police Forces launched a large-scale joint operation. In this operation at KGH, a multi-agency special team was formed for the collection, collation and analysis of technical, human intelligence and field inputs received from various intelligence agencies. Using the gathered intelligence, the team conducted meticulous planning of the operation, including determining the strength of deployed forces, scheduling continuous mobilization and arranging timely replacements. The intelligence inputs were continuously analyzed and relayed in real-time to field commanders, which enabled security forces to locate Naxalite operatives, their hideouts and arms caches while also helping to prevent casualties from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on several occasions. This operation stands as the largest, most comprehensive and well-coordinated anti-Naxal campaign to date a notable example of seamless cooperation between various state and central agencies operating in unison on a unified platform. Multi-Dimensional Approach Ministry of Home Affairs has claimed that Indias multi-dimensional counter-LWE strategy - combining security enforcement, inclusive development, and community engagement - has delivered significant success. The LWE movement has been systematically weakened, violence has drastically declined, and many LWE-affected districts are being reintegrated into the national mainstream. With the number of Districts of Concern down to single digits and the security forces getting advanced weapons and support from the government, the Naxalism is bound to suffer further setbacks and if not by March 2026, it's likely to end in the coming two years. New Delhi: The BrahMos may be on standby. The Akash systems are quiet. But dont be mistaken. Indias offensive against Pakistan under Operation Sindoor is far from over. In fact, the next phase has just been activated, not with firepower but with water. In what insiders are calling a strategic masterstroke, the Indian government is moving swiftly to greenlight the massive Sawalkot hydroelectric project a long-pending Rs 22,700 crore infrastructure behemoth on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir. Many describe it water warfare by design. According to a Hindustan Times report, the government is expediting approvals for the 1,856-MW project which has been stalled for years thanks to the now-suspended Indus Waters Treaty and red tape. The timing? Uncoincidental. Following the April 22 terror strike in Pahalgam, India made the bold move of freezing its water-sharing pact with Pakistan. The move shook Islamabads corridors of power. The Silent Blow That Cuts Deep While India's missile systems like BrahMos and Akash remain on standby, it is the activation of long-term strategic infrastructure that has Pakistan worried. Two senior government officials revealed to the daily that construction on the project may begin as early as next year. The Ministry of Power is expected to soon appoint a central agency, most likely NHPC, to take charge of implementation. And make no mistake, this is not just another dam. The Sawalkot project is one of four key hydroelectric ventures in Jammu & Kashmir with a combined capacity of over 3,100 MW. It was previously stalled under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. With that treaty now off the table, India is no longer constrained. The message to Pakistan? We will control our rivers, our rules. A Strategic Nightmare The Chenab River, on which Sawalkot is based, flows directly into Pakistan and is a lifeline for its agricultural belt. By accelerating this project, India is not only generating electricity, it is tightening the tap. Former Water Resources Secretary Shashi Shekhar told the publication that India is now within its rights to pursue full-scale infrastructure on the Indus system within its territory. And Islamabad knows this. As one retired Pakistani diplomat reportedly remarked off-record: India has found a new front that does not require firing a single bullet. And we are unprepared for it. Why It Matters The Sawalkot project also promises significant irrigation benefits across wide agricultural belts in Reasi and Udhampur districts of Jammu and Kashmir. It is being described as a run-of-the-river project, which means it will not store massive volumes of water, but generate consistent hydro power and regulate seasonal flow. It is an economic and ecological win for India and a strategic squeeze on Pakistan. The first phase of the two-stage project is set to receive final central approval soon. In 2021, the J&K Forest Department had already recommended environmental clearance, clearing the decks for fast-track execution. J&Ks own government is pushing for a stake either through its state power companies or as a joint venture partner. The promise of massive revenue returns and job creation in the region makes this a politically appealing project too. So, Operation Sindoor just has gotten smarter. And Pakistan, once again, finds itself on the back foot. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the key accused in her husband's murder, Raja Raghuvanshi, had supposedly informed her mother of her affair with suspected lover Raj Kushwah prior to her wedding, warning she would not be held accountable for the outcomes, a relative claimed. The new development, as reported by India Today, is an addendum to the sensational Meghalaya honeymoon murder case. Vipin's Allegations Vipin Raghuvanshi asserted that Sonam's family member told him that Sonam had told her to her mother that she loved Kushwah and wanted to wed him. "Sonam's family forced her to marry within the community," Vipin informed India Today, citing the acquaintance. He claimed Sonam said, "Fine, I will not be held accountable for anything that happens after my marriage to Raja." Kushwah, 20, is another prime suspect in Raja's murder, with police claiming Sonam, 25, masterminded the killing with him during the honeymoon trip of the couple in Meghalaya. Raja's mother had earlier informed journalists that Raja had felt Sonam's lack of interest in the early stages of their marriage but later seemed "very happy" following talks with Sonam, never knowing about her supposed affair. Sonam's Mother Denies Knowing Sonam's mother denied the allegations, saying Sonam never shared any love interest prior to her marriage. She informed India Today that Sonam used to work in her father's firm, where Kushwah was also an employee, and their relationship was professional. "Employees, including Raj, would call me for work," she claimed, denying knowledge about any romantic relationship. The Murder Case Raja Raghuvanshi, a 29-year-old Indore-based transport businessman, was discovered dead on June 2, 2025, inside a gorge near Weisawdong Falls in Meghalaya with two head injuries, as revealed by the post-mortem report. The couple, who had got married on May 11, had disappeared on May 23 after they checked out of a homestay at Nongriat village on their honeymoon. Sonam reappeared in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, on June 9, after surrendering to the police, though Vipin claims it was a facade. Meghalaya Police say Sonam employed three hired gunsVishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmialong with Kushwah's assistance to kill Raja. The accused were taken to Shillong on Tuesday, June 10, after transit custody was allowed in Indore, where a trending video showed a passenger slapping one of them at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport. Ongoing Investigation The Meghalaya Special Investigation Team (SIT) is investigating Sonam's intentions and conspiracy, with forensic tests on apparel recovered from Chauhan's Indore house being conducted. X posts convey popular astonishment, with people such as @CrimeWatchIndia emphasising Vipin's allegations. The one suspect is still elusive, and Sonam's supposed threat to her mother has increased scrutiny of her family's involvement, as the country waits for the next development. A day after a fire broke out on the upper deck of the Singapore-flagged container vessel, a multi-agency team has been set up to investigate the incident. This multi-agency team will include officials from the DG Shipping Department, Coast Guard, Port, Customs and Kerala Police, as per sources. According to sources, this multi-agency team will investigate why the fire broke out so suddenly on the ship, which damaged more than 1000 containers loaded on the ship. The help of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) can also be taken in the coming days for the investigation, the source added. So far, four crew members are missing in this accident while 22 have been rescued. According to the information received so far in this accident, 1015 containers have fallen from the ship, which contain dangerous chemicals, which can be fatal if spread. This is the second incident of a cargo ship accident on the Kerala coast in 2 months. This high-level team will also investigate this aspect. On June 9, the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel, WAN HAI 503, caught fire approximately 70 nautical miles off the Kerala coast. Indian Coast Guard units were promptly diverted to assess the situation and provide assistance following the report of the incident. Subsequently, the Indian Navy, in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard and other agencies, successfully rescued 18 crew members from the container ship. Chinese Embassy in India spokesperson Yu Jing on Tuesday expressed gratitude to the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for rescuing its crew members from the container ship. "On June 9, MV Wan Hai 503 encountered onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal, Kerala. Of the total 22 crew members on board, 14 are Chinese, including 6 from Taiwan. Our gratitude goes to the Indian Navy @indiannavy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue. We wish further search operations successful and the injured crew members speedy recovery," Yu Jing posted on X. Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty in Dehradun on Tuesday. The Uttarakhand CM took to his Instagram handle to share the details about his meeting with actor Suniel Shetty. While sharing pictures from the meeting, CM Dhami said that he had a discussion with Suniel Shetty about the state's film policy. In the photos, the two were seen discussing after they greeted each other with a handshake. While sharing the photos, CM Dhami wrote, "Met Bollywood actor Mr. @suniel.shetty in Dehradun. On this occasion, there was discussion with him regarding the film policy of the state." Meanwhile, Suniel Shetty was recently seen in the film 'Kesari Veer', which also starred Sooraj Pancholi and Vivek Oberoi in the lead roles. The film was bankrolled by the veteran producer Kanu Cauhan and was directed by Prince Dhiman. As per a press note, the 'Kesari Veer' delves "into the inspiring tale of unsung warriors who fought and sacrificed their lives to protect the Somnath Temple from invaders in the 14th century AD." Producer Kanu Chauhan shared that the project is a passion-driven effort, stemming from a deep personal connection and a desire to shed light on this lesser-known chapter of Indian history. Prince Dhiman described how the narrative moved him emotionally, sparking thorough research to ensure every detail reflects historical accuracy. In the coming months, Suniel will also be seen in various projects like 'The Legend of Somnath', 'Welcome to the Jungle', a show 'Nanda Devi' with Lionsgate, and 'Hunter 3'. New Delhi: FUJIFILM India initiates Breast Cancer Awareness CSR Campaign with Upasana Kamineni Konidela, as its Campaign Ambassador. The purpose of this CSR campaign is to spread awareness of breast cancer and motivate women to take charge of their health. FUJIFILM India, a leader in healthcare technology, has launched its latest CSR campaign, Find It Early, Fight It Early, in the presence of Ms. Upasana Kamineni Konidela, Vice Chairperson of CSR, Apollo Hospitals. The initiative is focused on generating awareness about breast cancer and the importance of early detection, particularly in underserved regions where conversations around women's health are attached to stigma. This awareness campaign will be implemented across 24 cities, aiming to reach over 1.5 lakh women through structured community engagement, health risk assessments, and sensitization efforts led by trained field educators. The program is being implemented by the Apollo Foundation and reflects FUJIFILM Indias commitment to building a more informed and health-aware society. Ms. Upasana Kamineni Konidela, Vice Chairperson of CSR, Apollo Hospitals, has extended her support towards the campaign to promote Breast Cancer Awareness. she said 'As healthcare leaders, we have a responsibility to not only treat illness but to anticipate it through awareness, education, and access. Breast cancer continues to claim lives because too many women lack the information and resources needed to act early. This CSR initiative by FUJIFILM India reflects a deeper understanding of that reality. Our support is grounded in a shared commitment, to take meaningful action where it matters most and ensure that awareness reaches the women who need it before it's too late.' Mr. Koji Wada, Managing Director, FUJIFILM India, added, 'At FUJIFILM India, we are committed to delivering innovative products and solutions that embody our Group purpose of Giving Our World More Smiles. By blending diverse ideas, unique capabilities, and extraordinary people, we aim to create solutions that bring joy and smiles to the world. With Find It Early, Fight It Early, breast cancer awareness CSR Campaign, we aim to extend the reach of breast cancer awareness and are committed to advancing early diagnosis so that many lives can be saved.' 'Find It Early, Fight It Early Initiative Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer among Indian women. As per the National Cancer Registry Program by ICMR, it accounts for approximately 14% of all cancers diagnosed among women, with 1 in 29 women at risk of developing the disease in her lifetime.Unfortunately, most cases are detected at advanced stages due to stigma, limited awareness, and lack of access to timely care. Find It Early, Fight It Early is designed to address these challenges by making reliable, culturally sensitive information available at the community level. By facilitating respectful, open conversations through on-ground workshops and awareness sessions, the initiative encourages women to become more proactive in their health journeys, enabling them to recognize early symptoms, understand self-examination techniques, and seek timely medical consultation. New Delhi: Popular YouTuber Nischay Malhan, known as Triggered Insaan, has tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend and content creator Ruchika Rathore. The couple got married on June 9 in a private ceremony. The wedding took place against the dreamy backdrop of ITC Hotels, Tavleen, Chail. The first pictures from the wedding are out and have left fans gushing. The couple shared their first official wedding photos on Instagram, captioned simply, Forever. The bride wore a deep red lehenga embellished with gold embroidery, heavy Kundan jewelry, and a delicate maang tikka. One picture shows the couple holding hands and smiling, while another captures them beaming as rose petals rain down on them. Another heartfelt photo showed Ruchika placing the varmala around Nischay's neck as friends and family cheered. Nischay wore an ivory sherwani adorned with subtle pearl work, paired with a matching turban. For the unversed, Nischay is the older brother of Bigg Boss OTT 2 fame Abhishek Malhan, aka Fukra Insaan. Abhishek, who recently made headlines for his feud with Bigg Boss 13 contestant Asim Riaz, took to his Instagram stories to share Nischays wedding post, writing, Shaadi shuda Triggu. Several others from the YouTube community also joined in to congratulate the couple. Harsh Beniwal wrote, Wah Wah Mubarak Ho, while Deepak Kalal commented, Bhagwan aapko khush rakhe... Nischay and Ruchika's Love Story Nischay and Ruchika got engaged in an intimate ceremony last December. Their relationship began in 2018 when they were in college. Nischay is an IIT Delhi graduate with a degree in computer science. He worked at a multinational company before pursuing content creation full-time. He is known for his hilarious sketches and gaming content. Ruchika, too, is popular for her Instagram sketches and boasts 1.4 million followers. New Delhi: For beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, those with bank accounts --SBI, Post office or any other banks -- who consent to join or activate auto-debit get their money deducted annually. Such deductions usually happen on or before May 31 of each year. The government launched the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) in 2015 to provide citizens with insurance coverage. The 2-lakh-rupee life insurance policy is available to anyone with an account with SBI, Post Office or any other bank. This policy is offered by Life Insurance Company and all other life insurers who are ready to offer it on comparable terms and with the necessary approvals and collaborate with banks. Who Can Avail Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana? The PMJJBY is available to citizens who are 18 to 50. People who have bank accounts with SBI, Post Office or any other bank and agree to join or activate auto-debit can have this policy. Aadhaar would be the primary form of KYC for bank accounts. The 2-lakh-rupee life insurance policy has a 12-month term that runs from 1 June to 31 May and is renewable. This guarantees coverage for the following year (June 1st to May 31st). Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana: How To Stop Auto Debit Of Rs 436 This policy provides risk coverage up to Rs. 2 Lakh in the case the insured person dies for any reason. The annual premium varies based on the plan chosen and is Rs 436. It must be auto-debited from the subscriber's bank account on or before May 31 of each year. If you are unable to continue with the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, you have the option to stop the yearly auto-debiting process from your bank account. To do this you need to visit the bank branch where your account is linked to the PMJJBY program. You can complete the necessary steps and ask for the PMJJBY premium payment to be stopped. Your policy will be automatically cancelled if the payment is not made on time. Additionally, auto-debiting of the premium will not be possible if your bank account does not have the required amount. The Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana will be cancelled. The much-awaited multi-nation space mission Axiom-4 has been delayed due to a technical issue. A liquid oxygen (LOX) leak was detected during a 7-second hot test of the Falcon 9 booster, prompting a joint review by ISRO, Axiom, and SpaceX teams. However, with the June 11 launch postponed, all eyes on the next date and time for the Space mission. Sharing an update about the issue, SpaceX said, "Standing down from tomorrows Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the Space Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete and pending Range availability we will share a new launch date." Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that it has been decided to correct the leak and carry out necessary validation test before clearing for the launch. "Postponement of Axiom 04 mission slated for launch on 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS. As part of launch vehicle preparation to validate the performance of booster stage of Falcon 9 launch vehicle, seven second of hot test was carried out on the launch pad. It is understood that LOX leakage was detected in the propulsion bay during the test. Based on the discussion on this topic by ISRO team with the experts of Axiom and SpaceX it has been decided to correct the leak and carry out necessary validation test before clearing for the launch. Hence the launch of Axiom 04 slated for 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS is postponed," said ISRO on X. The Axiom-4 mission crew includes members from India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first mission to the space station in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years, according to Axiom Space. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be India's second national astronaut to go to space since 1984. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is part of Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4), marking a historic moment for India's space collaboration with NASA. Slawosz Uznanski, European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut, will be the second Polish astronaut since 1978. Tibor Kapu will be the second national Hungarian astronaut since 1980. Peggy Whitson will command her second commercial human spaceflight mission, adding to her standing record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut. Former Pentagon official and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Rubin, has come out swinging against Khalistanis while praising Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to accept Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's invitation to the G7 Summit (from June 15 to 17) in Canada. Rubin believes PM Modi's magnanimity in attending the summit shows "India has nothing to hide." Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Rubin contrasted Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's approach with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's, saying Carney "understands the importance of India" and wants to "restore maturity to the relationship." "Canadian PM Mark Carney originally is a banker. He understands the importance of India. Justin Trudeau was a politician who peddled in image and imagination, and therefore it makes sense that Carney wants to restore maturity to the relationship," Rubin told ANI. "It actually makes sense for Prime Minister Modi to show that the problem was not Canada itself, but the immaturity and unprofessionalism of Justin Trudeau," he added. Further, the American security expert highlighted that the Indian government is "willing to have a serious dialogue, much like they had with the United States." Rubin added that the problem with "Justin Trudeau is that for his own domestic, political reasons and to assuage radical constituencies, he was basically shooting from the hip without any factual basis to support his accusations against India." "What Prime Minister Modi is showing is that India has nothing to hide. If you're going to have a serious law enforcement dialogue, it's got to be two-way. We've got to talk about illegal immigration into Canada, terror finance in Canada, radical Sikh mafias and how the Khalistan movement is tied to organised crime and terrorism," he added. Rubin also raised concerns about the Khalistanis' movements, stating, "when you give safe haven to any terror group. Ultimately, your own interests are going to be subverted." "Justin Trudeau and frankly Pierre Trudeau before him, by embracing and tolerating the Khalistan movement in the face of some of the worst terrorist attacks in the 20th century, what they did is ultimately undermine Canada's moral authority and its strategic importance," he added. New Delhi: The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on Wednesday took responsibility for the attack on the surveillance system of the Pakistani army in the Zardalou area of Harnai district in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. In an official statement, the BLA stated that on June 10, its fighters attacked and damaged the surveillance system of the "occupying" army. "The occupying forces had erected at least two towers, on which four modern cameras were installed. The purpose of these cameras was to survey freedom fighters at long range and to save themselves from their attacks. As a result of this attack, all the cameras were damaged, for which our organisation Baloch Liberation Army accepts responsibility," read the statement. Recently, BLA claimed to have launched several attacks on the Pakistani forces across various districts in Balochistan. The BLA said that it was also involved in the attack on the post of the Pakistani occupying forces in the Bibi Nani area of Bolan. "On June 10 at 8 pm, our fighters targetted the post of the occupying Pakistani forces in the Bibi Nani area of Bolan. As a result of the attack, the occupying forces suffered casualties, for which our organisation, the Baloch Liberation Army, accepts responsibility," the BLA stated. Additionally, the BLA also claimed to attack the Pakistani forces in the Johan area of Kalat, killing two security personnel. "The freedom fighters of Baloch Liberation Army launched a fierce attack on a Pakistani forces post in the Johan area of Kalat with rockets and other heavy weapons. Two personnel of the occupying Pakistani forces were killed in this attack. BLA vows to continue this war until the formation of an independent and sovereign Balochistan," it said. The BLA also stated that on June 7 its freedom fighters launched a fierce attack on a check post of Pakistani forces in Shekhari area of Kalat with rockets and other heavy and automatic weapons. The armed forces claimed that the clash continued for hours, as a result of which three personnel of Pakistani forces were killed and three others were injured. After the attack, the BLA said that the Pakistani occupying forces had to send heavy contingents to the area to pick up the dead and injured. People from Balochistan are currently fighting for their independence from Pakistan. Various human rights organisations of Balochistan have time and again highlighted the repression by Pakistani forces in the province, which includes violent raids on the homes of Baloch leaders and civilians, unlawful arrests, enforced disappearances, the 'kill and dump' policy, detention under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, and the filing of fabricated police cases. Last month, the BLA released a media statement titled 'A New Order has Become Inevitable in the Region', urging the world to recognise Pakistan as the creator of terrorists and a terrorist entity. It said that the history of Pakistan, facing diplomatic isolation for failed military policies, has been written with the patronage of broken promises, back-stabbing and terrorism. The Philippines is the fifth most attractive destination for foreign direct investments, according to the latest edition of the Baseline Profitability Index (BPI), a benchmark developed by Harvard-trained economist Professor Daniel Altman. India topped the 2025 BPI ranking, followed by Rwanda, Malaysia, Botswana and the Philippines. - Advertisement - The index, originally launched in 2013, uniquely factors in both growth potential and the preservation and repatriation of returns. It ranks markets for foreign investment based on asset growth, value preservation, and ease of capital repatriation. As the United States continues to experience slowed growth and unsteady marketsand as tariffs force multinationals to reorient supply chainsmore investors are looking abroad for new locations to invest their capital, the report said. The BPI serves as a practical benchmark for foreign direct investment by accounting for the share of proceeds that can actually be returned to the investors country of origin. It considers a five-year time horizon for roughly 100 countries. The Philippines received a BPI score of 1.20, placing it fifth. It outranked Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Georgia and Uganda, which occupied the sixth to tenth places. The BPI highlights two main groups of economies with the potential to offer attractive repatriation of proceeds to foreign direct investors. One group offers high growth rates and potential for real exchange rate appreciationan increase in the value of its goods and services relative to those of other countries. Among the leaders of this group are India, Rwanda, the Philippines and Vietnam, the report said. The other group provides a secure investment environment where returns can be preserved and easily repatriated. This group is led by Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Czechia, and Poland. A few highly ranked countries, like Malaysia and Botswana, fall between these two groups. The newest edition of the Baseline Profitability Index shows once again that the economies making headlines for fast growth like Ethiopia and Bangladesh arent always the ones that will deliver the highest returns, Altman said. Investors who want to know how much of their returns will actually reach their pockets need to take a more nuanced approach, and the Baseline Profitability Index is exactly the right tool for balancing those risks, he said. India topped the list in 2025. Indias growing economy continues to offer an extremely attractive home for foreign direct investment, Altman said. The Baseline Profitability Index suggests that investors in India can also expect further appreciation of the real exchange rate to make their Indian assets more valuable. In the meantime, there is still plenty of room for India to improve its scores in areas like security, finance, governance and property rights, he said. Dhaka, New Delhi: Bangladeshs Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, in a dramatic internal standoff, recently thwarted a covert attempt by interim government head Mohammad Yunus to provoke tensions with India along the border. The move was reportedly designed to stir nationalist sentiment and deflect growing domestic dissent against his leadership. According to senior officials cited in an report by Swarajya Magazine, Yunus, who is facing pressure from political parties and the military and public dissatisfaction, allegedly attempted to orchestrate minor clashes with India at the border. His strategy was to stir up patriotic fervor and rally support, all while avoiding the need for elections to legitimise his rule. The plan was reportedly drawn up with important people, including Bangladeshs National Security Adviser Khaleelur Rahman and Lieutenant General Mohammad Faizur Rahman, an army officer with close ties to Pakistans Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). It was conceived earlier this month, around the time India was conducting Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. Citing its sources in the Dhaka cantonment, the magazine says Yunus intended for Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) to adopt an aggressive stance along the India-Bangladesh frontier hoping to provoke a reaction from Indias Border Security Force (BSF). The scheme even involved deploying army units near the border to reinforce BGB presence and raise the stakes. However, the plan unraveled quickly when General Zaman got wind of it. He reportedly reprimanded the BGB director general for attempting to escalate tensions and demanded an explanation. The BGB official allegedly pointed to verbal instructions received directly from Yunuss residence and office in Jamuna. Alarmed by the potential fallout, the army chief convened a high-level meeting with the countrys top defence leadership, including the Chief of General Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mahmud Khan and Admiral Nazmul Hasan. The entire brass unanimously opposed the idea and called it reckless and dangerous. Zaman then sent a message to Yunus and his National Security Advisor that provoking a confrontation with India was unacceptable and could destabilise the region. He refused to deploy any troops to the border or allow the BGB to pursue aggressive posturing. Confronted with this resistance, Yunus backed off and quietly shelved the plan. The incident has laid bare the growing tensions within Bangladeshs interim leadership and highlighted the militarys strong stance against adventurism at a time of delicate regional balance. New Delhi: In a world still nursing the scars of a pandemic that brought it to its knees, a new wave of concern is rising, not from a scientists lab but from the pages of a comic book. Japans eerily accurate manga artist and self-styled seer, Ryo Tatsuki, often referred to as the Baba Vanga of Japan, has sparked a fresh wave of anxiety. Why? Because one of her earlier graphic novels had predicted the COVID-19 outbreak decades before it actually happened. And now, she says, the virus will come back and be even deadlier. Tatsuki, who gained fame after her 1999 graphic novel The Future I Saw had predicted several events that eventually came true from the death of Princess Diana to the devastating 1995 Kobe earthquake and most strikingly, a mysterious virus sweeping the globe in 2020. That virus, she wrote, would peak in April, then disappear only to return in 10 years with greater force. Yes, you read that right. According to her vision, COVID or something eerily similar is set to return in 2030. Tatsukis prophecy does not end with a second wave of infections. She claims the returning virus will be even more destructive, catching humanity off guard once again. The first wave was a warning. The next will test the worlds survival instincts, her prediction suggests. This doomsday-like warning has spooked more than just casual readers. Many in Japan, especially those planning trips around mid-2025 a year she claims will witness another global calamity are reportedly cancelling holidays and avoiding travel. Tatsukis predictions, drawn from what she describes as vivid dreams, have made her something of a cult figure. In one dream, she claimed to have seen a blonde woman holding a child in a palace corridor. The name written beneath the picture? Diana. Years later, she dreamt of the same woman dying in a car crash. Then in 1995, she dreamt of cracked, trembling earth and soon after, the Kobe earthquake struck and killed over 5,000 people. To skeptics, it may seem like coincidence. But to a growing number of believers, Tatsuki is more oracle than artist. While she might not wear robes or consult crystal balls, her blend of art and premonition is gaining serious traction. Her warnings have appeared in popular media, and her 2021 reissue of The Future I Saw included a new prediction a massive disaster set to strike in mid-2025. With the date now fast approaching, many are keeping a nervous eye on the calendar. Whether you believe in prophecy or not, the world has learned, sometimes painfully, that ignoring warnings can come at a heavy price. Is it just fiction? Or another chilling glimpse into a future were not ready for? Only time will tell. But one thing is certain that Ryo Tatsukis unsettling track record has ensured we will all be watching 2030 a little more closely. Bangladesh government's interim head Muhammad Yunus has claimed that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's continuous video speeches through social media make people angry. During a question and answer session at the UK's Chatham House, Yunus said that he urged India to ensure that Hasina doesn't speak to the people of Bangladesh but got a cold response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "...Not only she is living there, the problem is...(she is making speeches to Bangladeshi people). When I had a chance to talk to Prime Minister Modi, I simply said, you want to host her, I cannot force you to abandon that policy. But please, help us in making sure that she doesn't speak to Bangladeshi people the way she is doing. The way she announces, that she would speak on such and such date and time, the whole of Bangladesh get very angry," said Yunus. Muhammad Yunus further said that Hasina's constant speeches are not letting the anger within Bangladeshi people die. When asked whether India is helping Bangladesh with the request, Yunus said that PM Modi responded negatively. "Modi's answer was he couldn't. He said this is the age of social media, and we cannot control it. What can you say? This is an explosive situation. You can't walk away by saying this is social media," said Yunus. Bangladesh's Yunus 'want to build best of relationship with India..but things go wrong everytime due to fake news from Indian press who has connections with policymakers..this makes Bangladesh jittery' pic.twitter.com/49ug12JEaj Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) June 11, 2025 He further said that the next government will continue to pursue the extradition of Hasina with India. Yunus further said that Bangladesh doesn't want a troubled relationship with India but fake news by the Indian media adds to the strained ties. "We want to build the best relationship with India. We don't want to have any kind of basic problem with them. But somehow things go wrong every time because of all the fake news coming from the Indian press, some of them have connections with the policymakers at the top. This is what makes Bangladesh very jittery, and very angry. We try to get over this anger, but the whole barrage of things keeps happening over cyberspace and we can't just get away from that," he said. New Delhi: The so-called religious campus once loudly proclaimed as Jamia Masjid Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur has quietly vanished from digital maps because the buildings behind the name no longer exist. Once a breeding ground for Jaish-e-Mohammeds (JeM) terror ecosystem, the 18-acre complex now sits in eerie silence. Google Maps, known for trailing behind real-world events, has marked the site Permanently Closed, India Today reported. Even algorithms seem to acknowledge what Islamabad will not the terror camp is gone. And it was India that erased it. This wasnt just a symbolic pin on the map. It was a direct hit. The location, barely 100 kilometers from the India-Pakistan border, was believed to be JeMs core indoctrination centre where sermons met submachine guns and theology got rewritten with bullets. Operating under the Al-Rahmat Trust, the groups charitable front, the campus doubled as a training ground, a fund collection point and a launchpad for cross-border terror. But after the gruesome Pahalgam attack in May, India launched Operation Sindoor, a precision military retaliation that went far beyond border skirmishes. Among the nine major targets hit deep inside Pakistani territory, Markaz Subhan Allah took a direct blow. Ten members of JeM founder Masood Azhars family reportedly perished in the airstrikes something the group reluctantly confirmed later. As for Azhar himself, his whereabouts remain a mystery. Western agencies had picked up whispers before the strike. A Reuters report dated May 9 suggested the campus had been emptied of students in recent days. It seems even Pakistans deep state realised what was coming. What they did not expect was Indias resolve. Masood Azhar and his inner circle had stayed behind, either too arrogant or too convinced of their impunity. Operation Sindoor proved both assumptions fatal. What Pakistan sold to the world as a mosque was in fact a militant mini-city. Locals referred to it as the Usman-o-Ali Campus, a code name with multiple entrances and layered perimeters. Inside were combat training zones, lecture halls for radicalization and stockpiles of weapons. Since 2012, it had grown from a humble seminary into a well-oiled machine of jihadist export. But Islamabad still insists this was all religious education. If so, the curriculum included grenade drills and martyrdom manifestos. Some education system. When Google Maps Tells the Truth Pakistan Wont Normally, it takes years for places to be updated on Google Maps, especially in countries with minimal transparency. But when local Pakistani users began reporting the site as closed, Google had enough data to update the status. No reopening. No disclaimer. Just Permanently Closed. Think about it a terror training camp so synonymous with jihad that even a billion-dollar tech company finally said, Yup, this one is done. In addition punishing those who carried out the deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Pahalgam on April 22, killing 26 innocent tourists, the aim of Operation Sindoor was sending out a message that you can rebrand terror as faith, you can use charities as camouflage, if your soil hosts murderers, it will be turned into a graveyard. Indias latest doctrine is surgical, strategic and unapologetic. There is no plausible deniability when an 18-acre complex disappears overnight. As always, Pakistan's official reaction was denial. No acknowledgment of the strike. No confirmation of deaths. Just the same old press briefings blaming external forces. But the closed sign on Google and the charred remains of Markaz Subhan Allah say otherwise. While the Pakistani government blames Indian aggression, citizens are left to guess why one of their most prominent mosques now looks like a crater. And why no one is showing up for Friday prayers anymore. One of the most dangerous terror launchpads in South Asia didnt just vanish. It was shut down mid-sentence. By force. By proof. And now, by Google. New Delhi: Just weeks after India and Pakistan pulled back from the brink of all-out war, the waters between them have begun to stir with fresh signs of hostility. On board Indias largest warship, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stood tall, flanked by fighter jets and war flags. His message? The Indian Navy did not strike, but it could have. And next time, it might. Two days later, Pakistans Navy too responded with a show of force. A large-scale drill was launched, covering every major port along its coastline. Anti-submarine, anti-ship and counter-insurgency manoeuvres lit up the radar. On both sides, the silence of the sea now carries an unsettling undertone. The latest war scare began with the April 22 massacre in Jammu and Kashmirs Pahalgam. Indian missiles slammed into Pakistani military zones soon after. Jets scrambled, borders flared and for four days, both nations stood on the edge. But through it all, their navies stayed quiet, waiting and watching. Now, that wait may be over. India quietly pushed its aircraft carrier INS Vikrant closer to Pakistani waters during the conflict. In Karachi, a Turkish ship docked just in time for Pakistan to activate its own naval formation. Officially, neither side fired a shot at sea. But unofficially, both sent a signal that the next round might begin offshore. History has seen this script before. In 1965, Pakistan bombarded Indias Dwarka port. In 1971, India blew up Pakistani ships right outside Karachi. Back then, it was about radar stations and fuel tanks. This time, it could be about satellite jammers, long-range drones and nuclear-tipped cruise missiles. Indian Navy is now a global force. It flies fighters, sails carriers and launches ballistic missiles from underwater. Pakistans Navy is smaller, but its subs carry firepower that can level coastal cities. The difference in strategy is stark. India builds to dominate oceans. Pakistan builds to guard its shores. But both have the capacity to do serious damage, fast. What has changed now is intent. Singhs speech suggests India might go naval first next time. Pakistans drills hint at preparations to match that move. And in an era of high-speed warfare, sea battles are not fought with cannonballs. They are fought with hypersonic missiles, underwater drones and stealth subs that vanish without a trace. Analysts watching these movements say that if war comes again, it will not stay on land. India could strike radar stations in Karachi. Pakistan could send submarines towards Mumbai. With a single misstep, escalation would spiral. Ships would sink and harbours would burn. And with both countries being nuclear powers, the rest of the world would not be able to look away. The Arabian Sea has seen wars before. But never like this. New Delhi: US President Donald Trump announced that a trade deal with China has been finalized, pending approval from both him and Chinese President Xi Jinping. This agreement aims to ease trade tensions between the two nations, which had escalated over tariffs, technology transfer, and critical material access. China will supply the US with the necessary rare earth minerals and magnets upfront, addressing a crucial issue for modern technology and manufacturing. In return, the US will allow Chinese students to attend American colleges and universities, promoting educational exchange and cooperation. Key Terms of the Deal: - Rare Earth Minerals: China will supply the US with the necessary rare earth minerals and magnets upfront. - Tariffs: The US will maintain 55% tariffs on Chinese goods, while China will face 10% tariffs on US goods. - Chinese Students: Chinese students will be allowed to attend American colleges and universities. Posting on his Truth Social platform, the president said: "Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me. "Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). "We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. Relationship is excellent!" US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced that a deal between the two countries could resolve restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets, addressing a major point of contention. In a dramatic find, nine king cobras and one monocled cobra, which normally inhabit tropical lowlands, have been seen in and near Kathmandu, only 160 kilometers from Mount Everest, during the last month. Specialists are raising an alarm, attributing the sightings of these poisonous snakes in Nepal's cooler Himalayan zone to climate change, indicating wider ecological changes and increased community safety threats. Unusual Snake Sightings The snakes, such as the world's longest venomous snake species, the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), and the monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia), were spotted in urban neighborhoods such as Bhanjyang, Gupaleshwar, Sokhol, and Phoolchowk by The Kathmandu Post. They typically reside in humid environments such as Indian and Southeast Asian paddy fields and mangrove forests, and their presence in high-altitude Kathmandu is unheard of. Rescue operators safely transferred the snakes to forests, but findings of snake nests and eggs indicated that they could be breeding in the area, according to local reports. Climate Change As The Suspect Scientists blamed this migration on a rise in temperatures in Nepal's mountain regions at a rate of 0.05C per yearhigher than the Terai lowlands, according to studies cited by experts. Warmer microclimates are allowing tropical species to survive at greater elevations," a herpetologist explained to ANI, describing it as a "warning sign" of the far-reaching implications of climate change. Subodh Acharya, a rescue instructor, proposed another hypothesis, that snakes had been brought accidentally from the Terai by truck in pieces of wood or haystacks, but climate change is still the widely-held explanation. Public Safety Concerns The sightings have also generated fear in Kathmandu's residential areas, with snakes spotted in courtyards and homes. Nepal's Terai region has still been struggling with a major snakebite crisis, with 2,700 deaths every year, mostly women and children, citing the continued threat of venomous snakes, according to health ministry statistics. The case of king cobras being seen in colder parts of the country adds another layer of concern regarding human-wildlife conflict as habitats change. Call For Action Experts called for urgent measures to tackle climate change and track biodiversity shifts to reduce threats. "This is not an isolated event but a manifestation of ecological disturbance," a researcher said in an interview with The Kathmandu Post. X posts mirror public concern, with users such as @NepalWildlife advocating for improved conservation measures. As Nepal deals with rising temperatures, the sighting of king cobras near Mount Everest highlights the need for immediate global climate action. KYIV: A total of 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen killed in the conflict with Russia have returned home, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Wednesday. The repatriation of the deceased was made possible with the help of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other agencies, said the statement. The agency also expressed gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross for its support in facilitating the return of the bodies, Xinhua news agency reported. The return is part of a deal made during the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey's Istanbul on June 2. Under the agreement, the first stage of the prisoner swap was carried out on Monday. Earlier on June 10, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia agreed to hand over the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, and had been waiting for the Ukrainian side for several days at the border. Peskov said he hoped that the bodies of fallen Russian soldiers would also be transferred in the near future. "There is no final understanding, contact is being made, numbers are being compared," he said, noting that as soon as there is an understanding, Moscow hopes the exchange of dead bodies will take place. The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed in a statement that "the first group of Russian servicemen under the age of 25 was returned from the territory controlled by Kyiv". A similar number of prisoners of war from the Ukrainian army were also transferred, it added. On Sunday, Russia had delivered the first batch of 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to the border exchange point pursuant to the Istanbul accords, said Lt General Zorin. Zorin, also a representative of the Russian negotiating group, had said that Ukraine has not made contact; therefore, the transfer of the bodies and the exchange of prisoners have not taken place yet. Some foreign media representatives waiting at the agreed-upon place of exchange have checked some of the refrigerated trucks transporting the bodies. Zorin said that trains with more bodies of Ukrainian servicemen will start moving towards the border, adding that Russia is awaiting Kyiv's official confirmation for transferring Ukrainian soldiers' bodies next week. This occurred amid an ongoing spat over a prisoner swap between the two sides. Russia on Saturday accused Ukraine of postponing a scheduled prisoner exchange over the weekend, while Ukraine denied the accusation and urged Russia to stop playing "dirty games". A Pakistani national residing in Canada was extradited to the United States on Tuesday to face charges of attempting to commit acts of terrorism, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel said. The accused has been identified as Muhammad Shahzeb Khan. Major news earlier this afternoon, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, was extradited to the United States on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism, Kash Patel said in a post on X. According to Patel, Shahzeb had allegedly planned to travel from Canada to New York last year to carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish Center in Brooklyn. "In the fall of last year, Khan allegedly planned to travel from Canada to New York and carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish Center in Brooklyn. Khan allegedly planned his attack to occur on October 7, 2024 the one year anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel," Patel said in the post. "Thankfully, the great work of FBI teams and our partners exposed those plans and shut them down and Khan was arrested by Canadian authorities on September 4, 2024," Patel said. "He has now arrived in the U.S. and will face American justice," he added. "This case is a reminder of the constant threat of terrorism facing every corner of the world, as well as the disturbing rise in threats against our Jewish communities. Your FBI will continue to be on guard and work around the clock to counter them," Patel said. New Delhi: The country that once gifted India a multi-billion-dollar lifeline has just rattled Asias biggest military power. Japan, Indias closest strategic ally in the East, has jolted China wide awake with a powerful signal from Mount Fuji. Not words. Not warnings. But missiles. In a stunning display of military precision, Japan test-fired long-range anti-ship and hypersonic missiles during a live-fire drill near Mount Fuji. The event, part of an annual military exercise, was meant to signal readiness. But the fallout went far beyond Japanese borders. By June 11 morning, the Chinese militarys official newspaper, PLA Daily, had fired its own salvo, this time in words. It accused Japan of abandoning its pacifist past and dangerously redrawing the regions balance of power. The report warned that the extended range of these new Japanese missiles could threaten surrounding regions and questioned whether Tokyo had just violated its own post-WWII constitution. The Chinese fear runs deeper. The newspaper did not mince words and called Japans move a strategic threat. It alleged Tokyo is secretly preparing for a first-strike capability. The article even suggested that Japan intentionally avoided sensitive zones like Okinawa during the test to escape global scrutiny. Drafted under U.S. guidance after its WWII defeat, Japans constitution forbids it from maintaining aggressive military capabilities. But recent years have seen Tokyo steadily expand its defense preparedness. China says the missile tests are proof that Japan is shifting from defense to offense and dragging Asia into a new arms race. What exactly did Japan fire? According to the Japanese media, the military tested upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missiles and the futuristic Hypersonic Velocity Gliding Projectiles (HVGPs). The weapons are not for show. The Type-12s are headed for Japans southern Kyushu Island within range of China. Meanwhile, the HVGPs are likely to be stationed in the north, in Hokkaido, potentially aimed at another rising threat that is Russia. For India, this is more than just geopolitics. Japan has long been one of New Delhis most reliable friends. From low-interest infrastructure loans to crucial technology partnerships, Japan has supported Indias rise with both trust and capital. The iconic Bullet Train project in India, for instance, is being built on a 50-year loan of Rs 88,000 crore at just 1% interest with repayments starting only after 15 years. But now, that same generous friend is sharpening its own claws. Tokyos move comes amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, where Chinas muscle-flexing has alarmed most of its neighbors. With Japan now flexing back, and India already locked in its own standoff with China a new axis of resistance is forming. Missiles may have flown over Mount Fuji. But the real tremors were felt in Beijing. Stockholm, SwedenActivist Greta Thunberg returned home to Sweden late Tuesday after being deported from Israel, lambasting the country for its violations of international law and war crimes in Gaza. Thunberg was deported after Israeli security forces intercepted a boat carrying her and 11 other activists attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and break the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory. - Advertisement - The 22-year-old was greeted by around 30 cheering supporters waving Palestinian flags amid a large media presence at Stockholms Arlanda airport, after landing just after 10:30 pm (4:30 am Wednesday in Manila), an Agence France Presse (AFP) journalist reported. Earlier Tuesday during a stopover in Paris, Thunberg accused Israel of kidnapping her and the other activists. Asked in Stockholm if she was scared when the security forces boarded the Madleen sailboat, Thunberg replied: What Im afraid of is that people are silent during an ongoing genocide. What I feel most is concern for the continued violations of international law and war crimes that Israel is guilty of, Thunberg told reporters. She accused Israel of carrying out a systematic genocide and systematic starvation of over two million people in Gaza. Several rights groups including Amnesty International have accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza but Israel vehemently rejects the term. We must act, we must demand that our government acts, and we must act ourselves when our complicit governments do not step up, Thunberg said. She rose to fame as a schoolgirl activist against climate change and seeks to avoid flying because of its environmental impact, going so far as to cross the Atlantic by sailboat twice. She appeared confused about reporters questions about how it felt to travel by plane, replying, Why are you asking about that? Of the 12 people on board the Madleen carrying food and supplies for Gaza, eight were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily. Four others, including Thunberg, were deported. All of them have been banned from Israel for 100 years, according to the rights group that legally represents some of them. The October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 54,981 people, the majority civilians, have been killed in the territory since the start of the war. The UN considers these figures reliable. Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. US President Donald Trump warned protesters to stay away from the military parade he has planned for Saturday in Washington, to mark the Army's 250th birthday, asserting that any demonstrators who "hate our country" would be met with "very heavy force." Trump made the remarks on Tuesday while visiting Fort Bragg in North Carolina and speaking at an event related to the celebration, which will culminate with the parade that coincides with his 79th birthday. He watched the US Army demonstrate a missile strike, a helicopter assault and a building raid at Fort Bragg, which celebrated the 250th anniversary of that branch of the military, Xinhua news agency reported. In remarks from the Oval Office before he left for North Carolina, Trump said that protesters who assembled during the military parade would be met with "very big force," a dark warning that made no distinction between peaceful demonstrations and violent confrontations, noted The New York Times about the development. Trump boasted about the "amazing day" he planned before saying that any demonstrators would be dealt with harshly. "For those people that want to protest, they're going to be met with very big force. And I haven't even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force." "Trump's comments came after the president spent several minutes praising his administration's deployment of thousands of National Guard and Marines in response to protests that had broken out over the weekend in Los Angeles against sweeping federal immigration raids," said the report. The episodes of unrest have included burned cars, concrete chunks hurled at officers and robberies at spots like an Apple Store, it added. Supporters of the California protests who oppose Trump's immigration crackdowns have said the protests were largely peaceful, and that the episodes of violence have been amplified by Trump's allies and administration. New Delhi: Stirring diplomatic undercurrents in New Delhi, a top-ranking U.S. military commander, who is set to retire this summer, just threw a political grenade into South Asias most volatile triangle. General Michael Kurilla, head of the powerful U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), has praised Pakistan as an outstanding partner in Americas war on terror. In the same breath, he urged the United States not to choose between New Delhi and Islamabad. The timing could not be more explosive. Just weeks after the brutal April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Pahalgam, India has been ramping up its global campaign against Pakistans alleged hand in cross-border terrorism. Testifying before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, General Kurilla painted a far different picture one where Pakistan is not the problem, but part of the solution. We need to have relationships with both Pakistan and India. It is not a binary choice, Kurilla said, brushing aside the notion that the United States must choose sides. The statement is raising eyebrows in Indias power corridors. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and other top Indian officials have consistently urged the international community not to blur the lines between victims of terror and its perpetrators. Kurillas remarks, however, walk a delicate, and dangerous to many in India, tightrope. The general did not stop at diplomacy. He doubled down with specifics and praised Pakistans aggressive operations against Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), a shadowy and lethal terror outfit operating out of Afghanistan. According to him, Pakistani forces, aided by U.S. intelligence, have eliminated dozens of IS-KP operatives. At least five high-value targets, he claimed, were captured due to real-time intelligence sharing. In what sounded like a moment straight from a geopolitical thriller, Kurilla revealed that Pakistans Field Marshal Asim Munir had personally informed him of the arrest and planned extradition of Mohammad Sharifullah alias Jafar one of the masterminds of the 2021 Kabul airport bombing that left 13 U.S. servicemen dead. The Pentagon is clearly betting on Pakistans help in containing the growing ISIS-K threat along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border a region Kurilla described as becoming a safe haven for extremists displaced by the Talibans half-hearted crackdowns. Pakistans role will only grow more important as the Taliban struggles to maintain control inside Afghanistan, he warned. But in India, where wounds from the Pahalgam attack are still raw, these comments risk being seen as tone-deaf. Critics say Washingtons attempt to balance the India-Pakistan equation may end up appeasing terror sponsors under the guise of strategy. In the high-stakes game of global counterterrorism, General Kurillas farewell message could not be clearer for the U.S., friendship with India is vital but so is Pakistans cooperation. Whether that stance helps build peace or fuels fresh distrust is now a question echoing through diplomatic channels from Washington to New Delhi. If youre on social media, youve probably seen one term trending repeatedly over the last 24 hours Brigade 313. In today's DNA, Rahul Sinha, Managing Editor, of Zee News, analysed Brigade 313 and its Pakistan. To understand this analysis, you should first know about an interview of senior Pakistani leader Sherry Rehman. In the interview, the American journalist merely mentioned the name Brigade 313, and upon hearing it, Sherry Rehman was visibly shaken. Watch Full DNA Episode Here First, understand that the Brigade 313 being discussed in the interview is not a military or paramilitary unit. It is a terrorist organization based in Pakistan often called the Banyan Tree of Terror because, like a banyan tree with many branches, this group serves as an umbrella under which multiple terrorist outfits operate. Thats why the renowned American think tank, the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium (TRAC), published an entire research paper on Brigade 313. According to the report, Brigade 313 was established in the year 2000, with the backing of the Pakistani military. The first commander of this terrorist organization was a commando from the infamous unit SSG of the Pakistani army a man named Ilyas Kashmiri. He was tasked with spreading Al-Qaedas influence in Pakistan, which is why Brigade 313 is often referred to as Pakistans Al-Qaeda. In 2011, Ilyas Kashmiri was killed by American forces. After him, a terrorist named Shah Sahib became the commander of Brigade 313. Now, you may be wondering why would a terrorist organization include the number 313 in its name. This is something you should know, as the number 313 holds religious significance in Islam and is linked to the Prophet Muhammad, considered the last prophet in Islam. According to Islamic beliefs, in the year 624, Prophet Muhammad and his followers fought a battle against the Quraysh tribe of Mecca. The Quraysh army had about 1,000 warriors, while Prophet Muhammad had only 313 followers. Despite being outnumbered, the Prophet and his followers won the battle. Since then, the number 313 has held great significance in Islam. Both these images are from after India's Operation Sindoor. The poster on the left is from Al-Badr. In the streets and neighborhoods of Pakistan, Brigade 313 is often referred to as Al-Badr. In the interview, when asked about Brigade 313, Sherry Rehman claimed that think tanks aligned with Indian ideology make anti-Pakistan statements. If Sherry Rehman and Pakistan look within themselves, they will clearly see the truth about terrorism that it was born and nurtured by Pakistan itself and they should stop blaming India. On Monday, the sailboat Madleen part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) was stormed in a nighttime raid by the IDF. Surrounded by Israeli speedboats and drones, armed combat units boarded the ship as its 12 passengers, including Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan, sat in the main cabin of the boat with their hands above their heads, fearing for their lives. With Israel reportedly jamming the boats communications, the radio signal was lost, while all members of the crew were told to throw their phones in the water. From above, a white paint-like chemical was sprayed on the deck, causing irritation to the activists skin and eyes. Western media has used all kinds of deceiving wordplay to make Israels actions appear legal or justified. In the capitalist press we read that the IDF simply 'took control' of the Madleen, 'diverted' it, 'intercepted' it and 'detained' those aboard. But this is false through and through. In reality the armed forces of the Israeli state travelled into international waters to illegally kidnap 12 innocent civilians. Just imagine the international outcry if something similar was carried out by another nation. But because it was Israel, they get a free pass. Not the first time Taking place more than 150 kilometres from the coast of Gaza in international waters north of Egypt, Israels kidnapping shows once again that they have no qualms with ignoring the so-called rules of international law. Whether in Gaza, the West Bank or abroad, Israel is consciously carrying out its policy in the face of all sorts of UN-resolutions, international court orders, etc. Israels kidnapping shows once again, that they have no qualms with ignoring the so-called rules of international law / Image: Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Twitter The Madleen reaching Gaza was out of the question. The Israeli regime would never have allowed it, as it would be seen as a symbolic victory for the Palestine movement. True to their modus operandi, Israel responded with excessive force, with Minister of Defence Israel Katz stating that the IDF were prepared to use any means necessary. Never mind that the 12 activists were unarmed and simply carrying baby formula, food and medical supplies on board. This is far from the first time that Israel has taken extreme measures to stop aid from coming into Gaza through civilian flotillas. Just last month, Israel attacked another vessel of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition with two military drones, injuring multiple crew members on board. And back in 2010, six FFC ships were raided by Israel, also in international waters, with the IDF killing ten of the passengers and wounding thirty more. No Israeli soldiers were ever sentenced for the murders. International solidarity This time, because of the media attention on the Madleen and the presence of Greta Thunberg, Israel probably felt that they could not put the ship under direct fire. Instead, they tauntingly filmed themselves handing out sandwiches to the crew members, all the while letting Gaza starve. The abduction of the crew, who are now being deported from Israel, immediately sparked a wave of spontaneous demonstrations across the world. The immediate outpouring of anger against the abduction of the Madleens crew is a clear sign that the mood everywhere is reaching boiling point / Image: Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Wikimedia Commons Demonstrations took place in Britain, Germany, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, India and beyond. In France, more than 150,000 came out in support, with 50,000 gathered at Place de la Republique in Paris alone. On social media, many immediately began talking about sending thousands of boats to Gaza at the same time, to overwhelm Israel and break the blockade. Together with the rising number of big Palestine demonstrations in recent months, the immediate outpouring of anger against the abduction of the Madleens crew is a clear sign that the mood everywhere is reaching boiling point. The solidarity movement with Palestine has seen enormous mobilisations. Millions have taken to the streets worldwide. Tens of thousands of students occupied their campuses in the militant encampment movement. We have seen heroic yet desperate individual acts, like Aaron Bushnells self-immolation. Western governments have ignored them all. Millions are now drawing the conclusion that if the Palestinian people are to be saved, it will be against the actions of our own governments. Millions are looking for different, more effective methods. The Freedom Flotilla, and the march currently being organised in Egypt to the Rafah crossing, are gaining support precisely because they arent simply all talk, and are instead taking concrete actions without waiting for the assistance of western governments. They have become a reference point for millions who want to break the blockade and put an end to the suffering in Gaza. Hypocrisy This growing anger is now leading governments to strike a tougher tone with Netanyahu. They fear the rage building up beneath them. They are on top of a volcano, and, as Netanyahu steps up the genocide, they fear what will happen when it all explodes. In a cynical balancing act, the reactionary governments are trying to pacify the mass of workers and youth with crocodile tears and empty posturing even though it is they themselves who have enabled 20 months of genocide! German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has now called the genocide a human tragedy and political catastrophe / Image: public domain British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is now calling Israel's blockade morally wrong and unjustifiable, while using words like monstrous to describe the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians. But this does not change the fact that he and the British government are exporting weapons to Israel at the highest rate yet, as well as carrying out reconnaissance missions over Gaza hand in hand with the IDF the most recent of which set off to Gaza after the abduction of the Madleens crew. Likewise, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has now called the genocide a human tragedy and political catastrophe, saying that when lines are crossed, when international humanitarian law is truly being violated, the German chancellor must say something about it. When people turn on the news and hear these words spoken by the self-same people who have been (and are still) ardent defenders of Israels massacre in everything but words, they can see this about-face for the pure hypocrisy that it is. Words and a change of tone don't change the fact that western governments continue to support and enable Israels genocide. While western governments have kept money and arms flowing to Israel, the reactionary, western-aligned Arab regimes in the region have almost all assisted Israels genocidal blockade of Gaza. It is up to the working class to break the blockade of Gaza and to impose its own blockade on the Israeli regime. Class struggle The recent freedom flotilla has posed the question of direct action to break the blockade. The question is, how can this be done? The working class holds the key to this fight, because it has the power to organise and enact an international embargo on Israel. The international working class can take the fight directly to the nerve centres of the capitalist system that lets Israel continue its blockade; the factories, the docks and the shipping lanes. Alongside the mass support for Madleen, we have also seen a rise in workers taking direct action to stop the shipment of arms to Israel. Dockers' and transport unions in Belgium, Sweden, India, Spain, France and Italy have all blocked shipments to Israel in the face of stiff opposition from the bosses and their own governments. This is the way to do it! Collective class action can directly challenge Israel and its imperialist backers. Through strikes and by refusing to transport weapons and goods to Israel, the working class in all countries can be called on to join the struggle. This would immediately take the fight against the genocidal siege of Gaza to a far higher level after a year in which there has been a constant search for where to take the movement next. Palestinian trade unions, just days after 7 October, sent out a call for its international counterparts to refuse to build and transport weapons destined for Israel, and to take strike action against those companies complicit in the genocide. It is time that pressure is brought to bear on the trade union leaders to put this into effect. More than this, the key to the liberation of the Palestinian people lies in overthrowing the reactionary regimes that have aided and abetted Israel. When the working masses of the Middle East overthrow the reactionary Arab regimes, the next job will be to come to the material aid of the Palestinian people. In the West, our main task is to overthrow our own governments governments that are soaked in the blood of the Palestinian people; blood that they are hastily trying to wipe clean from their hands as they look nervously at the building mood of rage in society. When Chigozie Maduchukwu steps on stage to speak at Stanford Medicines commencement ceremony June 14, he wont talk about diagnostics or disease. Instead, he plans to focus on a subject discussed far less frequently in medical school, yet one he believes is of equal importance: storytelling. I want everybody there to know that each of us has a unique story, he said. And its important to sit and listen to the stories of others. Maduchukwu, who is graduating with a masters degree in physician assistant studies, learned the significance of listening to patients stories through personal experience. When he was in fifth grade, his mother, Ebere, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. An emigrant from Nigeria, she had spent years complaining to her doctor about headaches and other symptoms, only to be dismissed. She felt her doctor didnt respect her or listen to her because of her accent or being from a different country, Maduchukwu recalled. When she finally requested a new physician, they ordered a brain scan. Thats how the tumor was discovered. Maduchukwus mother had brain surgery and fully recovered, then endured a second surgery when he was in high school and the tumor returned. Chigozie Maduchukwu and his family during the white coat ceremony in August. I can only imagine what my life wouldve been like if she hadnt been listened to and had passed away, he said. Maduchukwu had been thinking of becoming an engineer, but the ordeal inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. He wanted to become the kind of provider his mother had needed from the beginning the kind who will take the time to really listen to people and take their concerns seriously, he said. Sudans paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have embarked on a sweeping arrest campaign across South and East Darfur, on Monday, June 9 2025. The campaign targeted former soldiers, civil servants, and civilians accused of collaborating with the Sudanese army. Local sources report that RSF intelligence operatives arrested dozens in Nyala, the South Darfur capital, including businesspeople and public officials. Among the detained are civil servants Oqba Abdelhamid, Saber Bashir, and Salah Majok. The RSF is also accused of killing Yasser Mustafa, the brother of a senior army officer, during a raid on his home. The crackdown comes in the wake of intensified aerial attacks by Sudanese army drones on RSF positions, including Nyalas airport and military facilities. In response, RSF forces have been raiding Starlink satellite internet hubs and detaining civilians under suspicion of espionage. In East Darfurs El Daein, RSF units extended their operations, arresting individuals affiliated with the former Islamic Movement, the defunct National Congress Party, and members of African ethnic trading communities. Some RSF members who recently relocated to East Darfur were also detained following the armys recapture of Khartoum in May 2025. Amid growing instability, pro-RSF media aired a video of seized weaponry in El Daein, where a field commander vowed to annihilate perceived enemies and sleeper cells. The RSFs civilian administration has since declared a state of emergency and general mobilization across both states, urging the publicespecially youthto rally behind the RSF. Observers warn that the paramilitarys heavy-handed tactics and inflammatory rhetoric risk deepening divisions and escalating violence in a region already scarred by conflict and lawlessness. In a statement broadcast on State television, Public prosecutor of Lome announced on June 9 the release of 56 individuals arrested during public demonstrations in Lome on 5 and 6 June 2025. The protests, coinciding with the anniversary of President of the Council Faure Gnassingbe, were met with heavy Police response and have been labelled by authorities as a revolt movement against the institutions of the Republic. 9 other individuals were released on June 10, according to Lome Public Prosecutor. Despite the releases, approximately 20 individuals remain in custody, with their detention extended to facilitate ongoing investigations. They have been brought before the public prosecutor since 10 June. According to one of the four defence lawyers involved in the case, efforts are underway to ensure due legal process amid growing concern over arbitrary detentions. The demonstrations, sparked by anger over recent constitutional reforms, electricity price hikes, and politically motivated arrests, saw a significant security deployment across Lome. Tear gas was used to disperse protesters, and several journalists, including a correspondent from TV5 Monde, were temporarily detained and forced to delete their footage. The arrest of rapper Amron, a vocal critic of the government, has drawn further scrutiny. Detained by gendarmes on 26 May, Amron later appeared in a Tiktok video apologising to the President and claiming mental health issues a video his lawyer described as made *sous contrainte* (under duress). The artist has since been placed in a psychiatric hospital, a move rights activists have condemned as politically motivated. Legal teams and civil society organizations continue to monitor the situation closely, amid fears that the state is leveraging the justice system to suppress dissent. The upcoming appearance of detainees before the public prosecutor is expected to be a critical test of judicial transparency in a politically sensitive environment. By Chimguundari Navaan-Yunden and Tuvshinzaya Gantulga Mongolia's diplomatic engagement with Central Asia and the Caucasus marks a pivotal evolution of its "third neighbor" strategy, aimed at strengthening partnerships beyond its traditional ties with Russia and China. This strategic shift has gained urgency in light of changing regional dynamics within Greater Central Asia. Since 2020, Mongolia has intensified its diplomatic activities, exemplified by presidential visits to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in 2024. Economic interactions, while still modest, show promising growth, notably in trade with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, where exports have notably increased. These developments align with broader regional trends towards greater independence from Russia and China, as Central Asian countries seek to establish cooperative mechanisms. Ultimately, Mongolia's westward pivot not only enhances its sovereignty but positions it as a crucial player in promoting regional stability and cooperation in the evolving Eurasian geopolitical landscape. BACKGROUND: Mongolia's diplomatic engagement with Central Asia and the Caucasus represents the latest evolution of its third neighbor strategya long-standing policy aimed at cultivating partnerships beyond Russia and China to enhance Mongolias sovereignty. This westward pivot has emerged as a strategic necessity for Mongolia, particularly as regional dynamics across Greater Central Asia undergo significant transformation. Mongolia's diplomatic activity with Central Asia has accelerated markedly since 2020. High-level visits, previously sporadic, have become increasingly frequent and substantive. President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh's recent state visits to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in 2024 resulted in numerous bilateral agreements, bolstering cooperation in trade, transport, and cultural exchange. The visit to Uzbekistan yielded 14 bilateral agreements and the inauguration of Mongolia's Embassy in Tashkent. Similarly, the Kazakhstan visit established a formal strategic partnership. Mongolia's diplomatic outreach extended to Turkmenistan, marking the first bilateral presidential visits since diplomatic relations began in 1992, and to Kyrgyzstan, where bilateral relations have steadily improved following President Sadyr Japarov's 2023 visit to Mongolia and the opening of the Kyrgyz Embassy in Ulaanbaatar. Economic engagement, while still modest, demonstrates upward momentum. Trade with Kazakhstan has reached approximately $150 million annually, with Mongolian exports of horse meat growing from $2.9 million in 2017 to $8.3 million in 2022. Kazakhstan's exports to Mongolia, primarily industrial and consumer goods, increased from approximately $72.9 million to $93 million during the same period. Mongolia's trade with Kyrgyzstan doubled from about $2 million in 2017 to over $5 million by 2022, driven by re-exported used cars and consumer goods. Trade with Uzbekistan grew dramatically from under $1 million in 2017 to nearly $10 million by 2022, focused on meat exports and Uzbek fertilizers. Meanwhile, trade with Turkmenistan and Tajikistan remains negligible. For Mongolia, with $20 billion GDP and over 90% of export goes to China, this is a significant development. Mongolia's engagement with the Caucasus remains nascent but shows promising signs. High-level diplomatic exchanges include former President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj's official visits to Armenia in 2015 and Georgia in 2016, enhancing trade and cultural ties. Azerbaijan received a working visit from former President Khaltmaagiin Battulga in 2018, exploring collaborations in energy and investment. While trade volumes remain limited, recent growth is evident, particularly with Azerbaijan, where exports surged to approximately $1.6 million in 2024, primarily in livestock products. These developments have occurred against the backdrop of emerging region-wide structures in Greater Central Asia, as countries seek to develop collective mechanisms for cooperation outside the frameworks dominated by Russia and China. Mongolia's engagement with these structures aligns with the broader regional trend toward developing greater agency and connectivity across Central Asia and the Caucasus. IMPLICATIONS: Mongolia's deepening engagement with Central Asia and the Caucasus presents crucial economic and strategic diversification opportunities. Enhanced diplomatic and economic ties provide Mongolia with a hedge against over-reliance on China, currently its dominant trading partner, and alternative options given restrictive Western sanctions against Russia. The geographic and economic profiles of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, with their combined population of approximately 56 million, offer ample market opportunities for Mongolia. Politically, Mongolia's democratic governance, a distinctive feature in the region, offers a stable and transparent framework for engagement. This reliability in governance and commitment to international norms facilitates more predictable and trustworthy partnerships in areas crucial for regional development, such as trade facilitation, infrastructure investment, and the establishment of robust legal frameworks for transport corridors. This unique identity enhances Mongolia's value to Western partners and provides a practical model for how democratic principles can support economic and strategic cooperation in a challenging geopolitical landscape. Furthermore, Mongolia's active participation in cultural events like the World Nomad Games reinforces shared heritage with Central Asian states, promoting a regional identity that bridges East and West. The integration into regional mechanisms offers Mongolia access to emerging transport corridors, particularly the "Middle Corridor" that connects Asia to Europe without crossing Russian territory. This connectivity could mitigate Mongolia's landlocked status and provide more direct routes to global markets. The successful development of these corridors would significantly reduce Mongolia's vulnerability to geopolitical pressures from its immediate neighbors. Central Asian and Caucasus countries benefit from Mongolia's outreach through expanded diplomatic networks and opportunities for collaborative initiatives in transport, energy, agriculture, environment and mining. Mongolia's strategic neutrality and pragmatic foreign policy approach are viewed positively in the region, enabling enhanced collaboration without triggering sensitive geopolitical responses from Russia and China. The burgeoning regional integration subtly shifts dynamics for Russia and China. Although both powers are likely to tolerate Mongolia's increased engagement due to its non-military, primarily economic and diplomatic nature, deeper regional cooperation could eventually dilute their influence. Increased regional activity that transcends Russian and Chinese dominance, along with coordinated economic policies, could reduce regional dependency on Moscow and Beijing, leading to cautious observation from both capitals. China's Belt and Road Initiative has significantly shaped regional infrastructure development, but Mongolia's growing ties with Central Asia introduce an alternative approach to connectivity that might circumvent Beijing's leverage. Similarly, Russia's attempts to maintain regional influence through the Eurasian Economic Union face challenges as Mongolia and Central Asian states pursue more diverse partnerships. This diversification of regional relationships represents a gradual but significant shift in the geopolitical landscape. Mongolia's third neighbors (the U.S., EU, India, Japan, South Korea, and Turkiye) view this westward pivot positively. Strengthening Mongolia's regional ties aligns with broader Western strategic goals, including promoting stability and sovereignty in Central Asia. High-profile European visits to Mongolia, followed by tours to Central Asia (e.g., French President Emmanuel Macrons and former UK Foreign Secretary David Camerons multi-leg visits), illustrate growing interest in Mongolia's bridging role. These engagements allow Western countries to enhance their regional presence without being perceived as exclusively engaging with authoritarian regimes. The U.S., which has traditionally engaged Central Asia through the C5+1 format, could consider integrating Mongolia into this dialogue, potentially transforming it into a C6+1 arrangement. As outlined in the American Foreign Policy Council's (AFPC) April 2025 report, such integration would better reflect Mongolia's shared strategic and economic challenges with the region, particularly in critical minerals essential to global supply chains. Similarly, Japan and South Korea recognize Mongolia's potential as a gateway to continental Asia, leveraging soft power and economic investments to enhance regional integration. CONCLUSIONS: Mongolia's pivot toward Central Asia and the Caucasus is driven by strategic necessity and presents significant opportunities for regional integration. The past years' diplomatic and economic initiatives signal genuine, albeit incremental, progress. Although concrete outcomes remain limited, the diplomatic momentum could lead to substantive cooperation in trade, transport, and infrastructure. For Mongolia, regional integration serves as a diplomatic insurance policy, enhancing strategic autonomy amid geopolitical uncertainty. The pragmatic approach toward bilateral and multilateral cooperation mitigates potential pressure from Russia and China while strengthening ties with Western democracies. The development of region-wide structures that exclude external powers could create space for greater collective agency among the states of Greater Central Asia, including Mongolia. Mongolia's westward orientation strategically positions it as a significant actor capable of bridging regional divides, promoting economic cooperation, and advocating democratic governance. As suggested in the AFPCs strategy document, the emergence of a more integrated Greater Central Asia, including Mongolia, could serve as a stabilizing force across the region. Whether this evolves into more tangible regional integration or remains predominantly at the diplomatic level will significantly impact Mongolia's role in the evolving Eurasian geopolitical landscape. The increasing American strategic interest in Greater Central Asia, with its emphasis on developing exclusive region-wide structures and enhancing connectivity, aligns with Mongolia's objectives. This convergence of interests offers Mongolia an opportunity to reinforce its sovereignty through regional integration while contributing to a more balanced regional order less dominated by Russia and China. In this evolving framework, Mongolia's distinctive political identity and strategic positioning could turn the country into an indispensable player. AUTHORS BIOS: Chimguundari Navaan-Yunden is an Ambassador-at-Large and a former Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Mongolia. Tuvshinzaya Gantulga is a Nonresident Fellow at the Mongolian National Institute for Security Studies and a former foreign policy aide to the President of Mongolia. Both are alumni of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Rumsfeld Fellowship Program and members of the CAMCA Network. Amidst growing concerns over the impact of the ongoing strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), the Government has renewed its call for a return to the negotiation table. Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, speaking at a meet-the-press at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, June 10, underscored the urgency of ending the industrial action, which he said is placing an unbearable strain on the healthcare system and endangering lives. While acknowledging the legitimacy of the nurses demands, he stressed that resolution must come through dialogue rather than disruption. The strike, declared illegal by the National Labour Commission after the GRNMA failed to attend a scheduled mediation meeting, has continued despite repeated directives to halt the action. According to Mr Akandoh, the government, through the Ministries of Health and Finance and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, has been working on a fiscally responsible roadmap for the implementation of the new Conditions of Service. However, he cautioned that the current demands, if granted in full, would add over GH2 billion to the national wage bill and risk destabilising recent economic gains. In response to the disruption, the Ministry of Health has activated emergency measures, including the mobilisation of retired nurses and the publication of alternative healthcare facilities to assist patients. The Health Minister commended nurses who have remained at post and urged striking members to emulate their example by returning to work while negotiations continue. The government maintains that it remains open and willing to engage, but insists that meaningful dialogue can only resume once the strike is called off. The death of Albert Ojwang, a 31-year-old Kenyan activist arrested for accusing a senior police officer of corruption, has escalated into a national scandal. Initially claimed by Police to be a suicide, the case took a dramatic turn when a Government-led postmortem revealed on Tuesday, June 10, fatal head injuries, neck compression, and signs of violent assault. The Law Society of Kenya condemned the irregular transfer of Ojwang from Western Kenya to Nairobi, citing a breach of legal procedures. The revelations have ignited renewed public anger in a country still reeling from last years deadly protests against tax hikes and corruption. Demonstrators flooded the streets, targeting Deputy Inspector-General Eliud Kipkoech Lagat, who is widely seen as the central figure in the unfolding tragedy. Protesters demanded accountability and justice, insisting that Ojwangs injuries suggest he was murdered in police custody. Activists say the presence of self-defence wounds reinforces this claim. As pressure mounts, five officers have been suspended to allow independent investigations. Veteran opposition figure Raila Odinga joined calls for justice, warning that such deaths diminish public confidence in national institutions. With nearly 25 million Kenyans grappling with food insecurity and governance challenges, Ojwangs death has become emblematic of a deeper crisis of trust between citizens and the state. The World Food Programme (WFP) has raised alarm over an impending famine in areas south of Sudans war-torn capital, Khartoum, warning that parts of Jabal Awliya are already experiencing severe levels of hunger amid widespread devastation. The Agency is calling for urgent international funding to address a ballooning humanitarian crisis as the country teeters on the edge of collapse. Speaking from Port Sudan on Monday, WFPs Country Director, Laurent Bukera, described the dire situation after returning from Khartoum State, where the agency has recently opened a new field office in Omdurman. The needs are immense, he said. We witnessed ghost-like neighbourhoods, destroyed infrastructure, and severe disruptions to water, health services, and electricity all compounded by a cholera outbreak. Bukera confirmed that WFP has begun food distributions in Jabal Awliya, where the level of hunger underscores the high risk of famine in the area. While WFP has scaled up aid to reach four million people monthly across Sudan up from one million at the start of 2024 it still faces a staggering funding shortfall of over \$500 million for emergency needs and \$700 million across all operations. With 25 million people grappling with acute food insecurity and the return of displaced persons to shattered urban centres such as Khartoum, Bukera emphasised that food assistance could offer a stabilising effect. This is the moment to stand with the Sudanese people, he urged, to help bring them back from the brink and anchor the peace that will allow recovery to begin. 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: Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels Telehealth can make health care easier to access for patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who need treatment, but experts worry about an increased risk of substance use disorder for patients being prescribed controlled medications such as stimulants for ADHD during these appointments. Mass General Brigham researchers scrutinized this concern with the first-ever study comparing substance use disorder rates in patients with ADHD who were prescribed stimulant medications during in-person versus virtual appointments. They found that, overall, telehealth was not associated with an increased risk of substance use disorder. Still, the researchers noted the importance of comprehensive diagnoses and routine follow-ups. Results are published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. "Our study suggests that, generally, telehealth-based relationshipswhich make health care more accessiblecan be safe and don't increase the risk of substance use disorder," said lead author Vinod Rao, MD, Ph.D., lead author of the paper and addiction psychiatrist and medical director of Adult Ambulatory Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The researchers examined the electronic health records of 7,944 ADHD patients between March 2020 and August 2023, a time when many physicians pivoted to online care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers found that 91% of the patients had at least one in-person visit with the prescriber around the time they received a stimulant prescription, while 9% of the patients had a telehealth-only relationship with their doctor. The study found that, overall, patients who only had telehealth visits to access their ADHD medication were not more likely to develop a substance use disorder compared to patients who initially met their prescribers in person, after adjusting for other factors like age and income. However, patients who received their initial stimulant prescription through telehealth were at a higher risk of developing a stimulant use disorder after adjusting for other factors. Stimulant use disorder involves drugs such as prescription medications, cocaine or methamphetamine, among other drugs. Patients aged 26 years and above who received an initial stimulant prescription during a telehealth appointment were at a higher risk of developing substance use disorders than younger patients. The authors note that, given that only 19 patients in the study developed a stimulant use disorder, the finding could be coincidental. Another possibility is that those who opt for telehealth care are at higher risk of stimulant use disorder. "While we think the findings should be replicated, the vast majority of the data show no increase in substance use disorder developing when patients exclusively use telehealth," said corresponding author Timothy Wilens, MD, chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and co-director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at MGH. "Our study supports the use of telehealth for ADHD stimulant therapy in clinical settings." More information: Rao V et al, Telehealth prescribing of stimulants for ADHD and associated risk for later stimulant and substance use disorders, American Journal of Psychiatry (2025). DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20240346 Journal information: American Journal of Psychiatry 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 sign is seen outside of Seminole Hospital District offering measles testing, Feb. 21, 2025, in Seminole, Texas. Credit: AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File Health officials in Arizona say there are four linked measles cases in Navajo County, marking the state's first outbreak this year. The U.S. logged 122 more cases of measles last weekbut only four of them in Texaswhile the outbreaks in Pennsylvania and Michigan officially ended. There were 1,168 confirmed measles cases in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Health officials in Texas, where the nation's biggest outbreak raged during the late winter and spring, said they'll now post case counts only once a weekyet another sign the outbreak is slowing. There are three other major outbreaks in North America. The longest, in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in 2,009 cases from mid-October through June 3. The province logged its first death Thursday in a baby that got congenital measles but also had other preexisting conditions. Another outbreak in Alberta, Canada, has sickened 761 as of Thursday. And the Mexican state of Chihuahua had 1,940 measles cases and four deaths as of Friday, according to data from the state health ministry. Other U.S. states with active outbreakswhich the CDC defines as three or more related casesinclude Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio and Oklahoma. In the U.S., two elementary school-aged children in the epicenter in West Texas and an adult in New Mexico have died of measles this year. All were unvaccinated. Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that's airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000. How many measles cases are there in Texas? There were a total of 744 cases across 35 counties, most of them in West Texas, state health officials said Tuesday. Throughout the outbreak, 96 people have been hospitalized. State health officials estimated less than 1% of casesfewer than 10are actively infectious. Fifty-five percent of Texas' cases are in Gaines County, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 411 cases since late Januaryjust under 2% of the county's residents. The April 3 death in Texas was an 8-year-old child, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Local health officials said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of "what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure." A unvaccinated child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas in late February; Kennedy said the child was 6. How many measles cases are there in New Mexico? New Mexico held steady Tuesday with a total of 81 cases. Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of the state's cases are in Lea County. Sandoval County near Albuquerque has six cases, Eddy County has three, Dona Ana County has two. Chaves, Curry and San Juan counties have one each. An unvaccinated adult died of measles-related illness March 6. The person did not seek medical care. How many cases are there in Oklahoma? Oklahoma added one case Tuesday for a total of 16 confirmed and three probable cases. The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases. How many cases are there in Arizona? Arizona has four cases in Navajo County. The cases are linked to a single source, the county health department said Monday. All four are unvaccinated and have a history of recent international travel. How many cases are there in Colorado? Colorado has seen a total of 14 measles cases in 2025, which includes one outbreak of eight related cases. The outbreak is linked to a Turkish Airlines flight that landed at Denver International Airport in mid-May, and includes four cases in Arapahoe County, three in El Paso County and one in Denver, plus a person who doesn't live in Colorado. Other counties that have seen measles this year include Archuleta and Pueblo. How many cases are there in Illinois? Illinois health officials confirmed a four-case outbreak on May 5 in the far southern part of the state, and it's grown to eight cases as of June 6, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The state's other two cases so far this year were in Cook County, and are unrelated to the southern Illinois outbreak. How many cases are there in Kansas? Kansas has a total of 71 cases across 11 counties in the southwestern part of the state, with three hospitalizations. All but two of the cases are connected, and most are in Gray County. How many cases are there in Montana? Montana had 17 measles cases as of Thursday. Ten were in Gallatin County, which is where the first cases showed upMontana's first in 35 years. Flathead and Yellowstone counties had two cases each, and Hill County had three case. There are outbreaks in neighboring North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. How many cases are there in North Dakota? North Dakota, which hadn't seen measles since 2011, was up to 34 cases as of Friday. Two of the people have been hospitalized, and all of the people with confirmed cases were not vaccinated. There were 16 cases in Williams County in western North Dakota on the Montana border. On the eastern side of the state on the Minnesota border, there were 10 cases in Grand Forks County and seven cases in Cass County. Burke County, in northwest North Dakota on the border of Saskatchewan, Canada, had one case. How many cases are there in Ohio? Ohio remained steady for a third week at 34 measles cases and one hospitalization, according to the Ohio Department of Health. That count includes only Ohio residents. The state has two outbreaks: Ashtabula County near Cleveland has 16 cases, and Knox County in east-central Ohio has 2014 among Ohio residents and the rest among visitors. Allen, Cuyahoga, Holmes and Defiance counties have one case each. How many cases are there in Tennessee? Tennessee has had six measles cases since early May, but no change since. Tennessee's outbreak appears to be over, as health officials say there have not been any new cases in six weeks. Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.? Measles cases also have been reported in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Earlier outbreaks in Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania were declared over by health officials after six weeks of no new cases. Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. The CDC said in May that more than twice as many measles have come from outside of the U.S. compared to May of last year, and most of those are in unvaccinated Americans returning home. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles. What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine? The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don't need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from "killed" virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. People who have documentation that they had measles are immune, and those born before 1957 generally don't need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have "presumptive immunity." Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination ratesabove 95%due to "herd immunity." But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. What are the symptoms of measles? Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash. The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC. Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. How can you treat measles? There's no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable. 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. 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 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." Flu pandemics killed up to 103 million people worldwide last century, researchers estimate. 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. 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." 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. 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. 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 the highest risk of infection. 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. 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 is now 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. 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 everyonerich people, toogot 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. 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. "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 platformsparticularly 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. 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. 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." 2025 KFF Health News. 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: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new method improving the accuracy of interpreting blood pressure measurements taken at the ankle could be crucial for people who cannot have their arm blood pressure measured. New research from the University of Exeter Medical School, published in BMJ Open, analyzed data from over 33,000 people to create a personalized predictive model for more accurately estimating arm blood pressure from ankle readingswhen compared to previously available methods. The team has developed an online calculator for health care professionals and patients to interpret these readings effectively. High blood pressure affects over one billion people globally, increasing the risk of serious health issues like heart, brain, and kidney diseases. It's therefore very important to measure and interpret blood pressure readings as accurately as possible. While blood pressure is typically measured on the arm, sometimes this is not possible due to disability, missing limbs, or problems caused by conditions such as stroke. Blood pressure can be measured at the ankle instead, but these readings are generally higher than arm values. Standard guidelines for treating blood pressure are based on arm readings only, which creates complications in making accurate estimations based on ankle measurements, potentially leading to misdiagnoses. Professor Chris Clark from the University of Exeter Medical School led the study and said, "Our new method will give a more accurate blood pressure reading for around two percent more people. This doesn't sound a big number, but remember, around a third of adults have high blood pressure and once you get into your 60s, it's more than half of the adults. "The NHS Health Check Program diagnoses 38,000 new cases annually in England alone, so two percent equates to 750 fewer potential misdiagnoses per year in England, and tens of thousands globally." Researchers used statistical modeling on arm and ankle blood pressure readings from 33,710 people (mean age 58 years, 45% female) across the world to help describe the relationship between arm and ankle blood pressures, predict arm blood pressure using ankle blood pressure readings, and predict important health outcomes (such as risk of heart attacks) from ankle blood pressure readings. This research could help address health inequality by providing accurate and personalized blood pressure measurements for people who previously could not have their blood pressure measured accurately from their arm. It's estimated there are up to 10,000 adults currently living in the UK with upper limb loss, while 75% of the country's 1.3 million stroke survivors have upper limb dysfunction, sometimes making it difficult to measure blood pressure from their arm. Juliet Bouverie OBE, CEO of the Stroke Association, said, "Someone in the UK has a stroke every five minutes, with high blood pressure accounting for around half of those. Around two-thirds of stroke survivors will leave hospital with some form of disability, including paralysis in an arm, which can prevent getting accurate blood pressure readings from the affected limb. "Many stroke survivors feel anxious about having another stroke, so receiving an accurate blood pressure reading in the ankle will not only provide benefits in the primary prevention of stroke, but importantly in easing the minds of stroke survivors who are already dealing with the devastating impact of stroke." Professor Kevin Munro, Director of NIHR's Research for Patient Benefit Program, said, "This research has identified an ingenious solution to an important problemfinding a way to measure blood pressure for people who cannot have it monitored via the upper arm. "Keeping track of blood pressure is a vital tool to help keep people healthy and this research will help to spot high blood pressure and treat it even more widely." More information: Arm Based on LEg blood pressures (ABLE-BP): can systolic ankle blood pressure measurements predict systolic arm blood pressure? An individual participant data meta-analysis from the INTERPRESS-IPD Collaboration, BMJ Open (2025). DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-094389 Journal information: BMJ Open 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: Kapiamba Fabrice, a recent Ph.D. graduate in environmental engineering, conducts research at the Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science. Credit: Eva Hart Once marketed as a safer alternative to smoking, electronic cigarettes have been often considered less harmful by consumers. But emerging research reveals that vaping may carry serious health risks of its own. At the University of Miami College of Engineering, recent Ph.D. graduate Kapiamba Fabrice is leading critical research into the invisible toxins released by e-cigarette aerosols and their potential impact on users and bystanders. Working under the mentorship of associate professor Yang Wang in the Particle Measurement and Technology Lab, Fabrice conducted a comprehensive study of the physical, chemical and toxicological properties of e-cigarette smoke. His dissertation has already resulted in four peer-reviewed publications and two additional manuscripts currently under review. Among his most significant findings, published in a 2024 paper in Chemical Research in Toxicology, were that increasing a device's power setting can elevate levels of hexavalent chromium, a known human carcinogen. That same study also found a range of other harmful metals, including lead, nickel, and copper, all of which can change form and become more dangerous depending on how the device is used. Higher temperatures, commonly found in newer or more powerful devices, were shown to increase the release of these metals into the vapor. Another study, featured as the cover article in the same journal, looked at the presence of metals in both firsthand and secondhand aerosol emissions. Fabrice found that non-users, people close to someone vaping, could be exposed to nearly the same amount of toxic metals as users themselves. This research challenges long-held assumptions about the safety of vaping in indoor or enclosed spaces. Credit: Chemical Research in Toxicology (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.4c00420 In his most recent work published in Chemical Research in Toxicology, Fabrice studied the emissions released from just a single puff of vapor, revealing sharp spikes in the number of tiny particles and metal concentrations with each inhalation. These short bursts of exposure, he says, are important for understanding the immediate health risks associated with even brief or occasional use, especially among young or first-time users. While e-cigarette research has been central to his doctoral work, Fabrice's scientific contributions extend well beyond vaping. During a graduate co-op with the clean-tech startup Phoenix Tailings, he worked on developing zero-waste methods for extracting rare earth metals. These materials are essential for technologies like smartphones and electric vehicles. That experience helped bridge his academic research with real-world applications in sustainable engineering. He also earned national recognition through the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. Today, Fabrice is putting that expertise to work at Freeport-McMoRan, one of the world's largest mining companies. In his current role, he's focused on finding cleaner, more efficient ways to recover critical minerals from unconventional sources, advancing efforts to make modern mining more environmentally responsible. More information: Kashala Fabrice Kapiamba et al, Characterizing the Transient Emission of Particles and Gases from a Single Puff of Electronic Cigarette Smoke, Chemical Research in Toxicology (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.4c00420 Journal information: Chemical Research in Toxicology 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 When it comes to advanced cancer or Alzheimer's disease, over half of doctors would consider assisted dying for themselves, but preferences seem to vary according to their jurisdiction's legislation on euthanasia, reveal the results of an international survey, published online in the Journal of Medical Ethics. Most say they would prefer symptom relief rather than life-sustaining treatment for their own end-of-life care, indicate the responses. Previously published research suggests that doctors' views on their own end-of-life care inform their clinical practice, and that their perceptions of their patients' treatment wishes are influenced by their own preferences, note the researchers. But most of the studies on physicians' preferences for end-of-life practices are outdated and/or narrow in focus. Little is known about whether doctors would consider assisted dying for themselves, and whether this might be influenced by national or state legislation on the practice, point out the researchers. To shed more light on these issues, the researchers surveyed doctors in eight jurisdictions with differing laws and attitudes to assisted dying: Belgium; Italy; Canada; the US states of Oregon, Wisconsin, and Georgia; and the states of Victoria and Queensland in Australia. Physician-assisted suicide law entered the statute book in Oregon in 1997, while Death with Dignity legislation has been introduced in Wisconsin numerous times over the past 20 years but remains illegal. It is also illegal in Georgia, which is one of the most religious states in the US. In Canada, both physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia have been permitted since 2016. In Belgium, assisted dying has been legal since 2002, but remains illegal in Italy, one of the most religious countries in Europe. The Australian state of Victoria implemented assisted dying legislation in June 2019. In Queensland, assisted dying legislation was passed in 2021, but had not yet come into force when the data for this study were collected (May 2022February 2023). Two hypothetical situations were included to probe doctors' views on end-of-life care: advanced cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Respondents were asked the extent to which they would consider various end-of-life practices for themselves. These included cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), mechanical ventilation, tube feeding, intensified alleviation of symptoms, palliative sedation, the use of available drugs to end life, physician-assisted suicide, and euthanasia. Responses were sought from family doctors (GPs), palliative care doctors, and other medical specialists highly likely to treat patients at the end of their life, such as cardiologists, emergency medicine doctors, oncologists, neurologists, and intensive care specialists. Of the 1,408 survey responses received, 1,157 were included in the final analysis. These showed that doctors rarely considered life-sustaining practices a (very) good option in cancer and Alzheimer's, respectively: CPR 0.5% and 0.2%; mechanical ventilation 0.8% and 0.3%; tube feeding 3.5% and 3.8%. Most (94% and 91%, respectively) considered intensifying symptom relief a good or very good option, while 59% and 50%, respectively, considered palliative sedation a good or very good option. Respondents who considered palliative sedation for Alzheimer's disease as a good or very good option ranged from just over 39% in Georgia to just over 66% in Italy. About half of respondents considered euthanasia a (very) good option: just over 54% and 51.5%, respectively, for cancer and Alzheimer's disease. The proportion of those considering euthanasia a (very) good option ranged from 38% in Italy to 81% in Belgium (cancer scenario), and almost 37.5% in Georgia, to almost 67.5% in Belgium (Alzheimer's disease scenario). Around one in three (33.5%) respondents said they would consider drugs at their disposal to end their own life (cancer scenario). While sex, age, and ethnicity didn't seem to influence doctors' preferences for end-of-life practices, prevailing legislation in their jurisdiction did. Doctors working in a jurisdiction with a legal option for both euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide were three times as likely to consider euthanasia a (very) good option for cancer and almost twice as likely to consider it a (very) good option for Alzheimer's disease. "This may be because these physicians are more familiar and comfortable with the practices and have observed positive clinical outcomes. It also suggests that macro-level factors heavily impact personal attitudes and preferences, and physicians are likely influenced by what is considered 'normal' practice in their own jurisdiction," say the researchers. GPs and other specialists were less likely to consider palliative sedation a good or very good option than palliative care doctors, and they were more likely to consider euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and the use of available medication to end their own life a (very) good option. Doctors who weren't religious were more likely to consider physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia a preferable option than those with a strongly held faith: physician-assisted suicide 65% vs. 38%; euthanasia 72% vs. 40%. Due to the study design and nature of the surveys, the results can't be considered fully representative, and those doctors with a particular interest in the subject may have been more likely to take part, acknowledge the researchers. While the overall recruitment of respondents was satisfactory in all jurisdictions, GPs were underrepresented among the Canadian respondents. But the researchers note, "Our findings show that across all jurisdictions, physicians largely prefer intensified alleviation of symptoms and to avoid life-sustaining techniques like CPR, mechanical ventilation, and tube feeding. "This finding may also relate to the moral distress some physicians feel about the routine continuation of treatment for their patients at the end of life. These findings warrant reflection on current clinical practice, since life-prolonging treatment is still widely used for patients, yet is not preferred by physicians for themselves." More information: Physicians' preferences for their own end-of-life: a comparison across North America, Europe, and Australia, Journal of Medical Ethics (2025). DOI: 10.1136/jme-2024-110192 Journal information: Journal of Medical Ethics 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 sign stands at an entrance to the main campus of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, Feb. 14, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File More than 460 laid-off employees at the nation's top public health agency received notices Wednesday that they are being reinstated, according to a union representing the workers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed reinstatement notices went out to the former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees, but provided few details. About 2,400 CDC employees lost their jobs in a wave of cuts across federal health agencies in early April, according to a tally at the time. Whole CDC programs were essentially shut down, including some focused on smoking, lead poisoning, gun violence, asthma and air quality, and workplace safety and health. The entire office that handles Freedom of Information Act requests was shuttered. Infectious disease programs took a hit, too, including programs that fight outbreaks in other countries, labs focused on HIV and hepatitis in the U.S., and staff trying to eliminate tuberculosis. An estimated 200 of the reinstated workers are based in the CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention, HHS officials confirmed. Staffers at a CDC lab that does testing for sexually transmitted diseases are being brought back, said one CDC employee who wasn't authorized to discuss what happened and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Also reinstated are an estimated 150 employees at the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, including people staffing a lab that works on lead poisoning, according to the union and employees. Layoffs at federal agencies were challenged in lawsuits, with judges in some cases ordering federal agencies to halt terminations of employees. Officials at HHS have never detailed how they made the layoff decisions in the first place. And they did not answer questions about why the notices went out, or how decisions were made about who to bring back. HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the agency was streamlining operations and that "the nation's critical public health functions remain intact and effective." "The Trump Administration is committed to protecting essential serviceswhether it's supporting coal miners and firefighters through NIOSH, safeguarding public health through lead prevention, or researching and tracking the most prevalent communicable diseases," he said. The reinstatements don't undo the damage being done by Kennedy and the Trump administration to federal public health, said members of Fired But Fighting, a group of affected CDC workers who have helped organize rallies in Atlanta. The most recent was in the rain on Tuesday, at which some attendees called for Kennedy to resign. "Bringing a few hundred people back to work out of thousands fired is a start, but there are still countless programs at CDC that have been cut, which will lead to increased disease and death," one of the group's founding members, Abby Tighe, said in a statement. This is not the first time that employees at the Atlanta-based agency were told they were being terminated only to then be told to come back. After an earlier round of termination notices went out in February, about 180 CDC employees in March were told to come back. 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. 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: Kampus Production from Pexels Older home care clients perceive themselves as capable individuals who can cope despite having daily needs for help and assistance, but this is something social and health care professionals do not always recognize, a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. The study examined experiences of agency among older home care clients. Maintaining agency in daily life supports older individuals' well-being and meaningful life at home. The study, published in the Journal of Aging Studies, was conducted as part of the Old-age Social Exclusion in Home CarePrevalence, Meanings & Intervention project, SOLDEX. For the study, researchers interviewed 20 home care clients aged 7399, identifying three forms of agency, i.e., resistant, adaptive and supported agency. "There was some overlap between these different forms of agency. However, older individuals' efforts to be in control of their lives were evident in all of them," senior researcher Marjo Ring of the University of Eastern Finland says. In resistant agency, the older individual resists the changes arising from their need for assistance and home care, and strives to maintain their lifestyle, even if it conflicts with the practices and methods considered important by home care workers. "A practical example of this would be a situation where the older individual reduced the number of visits by home care workers despite obviously needing assistance," Ring explains. In adaptive agency, the older individual accepts that they need assistance due to declining functional capacity and adjusts their personal expectations to the prevailing situation, thus striving to maintain active control over their daily life. "For example, with increasing needs for assistance, the older individual may change and lower their previous goals so that they can continue living at home, supported by home care. They may also decide not to leave their home to meet friends or run errands because it would require asking other people for help and instead, they keep in touch with friends by phone." In supported agency, the older individual relies on the assistance of friends and relatives to achieve important goals in their daily life. Such support for agency was not expected from home care workers but was seen as being specifically dependent on informal assistance. The study shows that older individuals' agency does not disappear with increasing needs for assistance but changes and adapts to new requirements and life situations. Interviews with home care clients show that they wish to be seen as individuals with their unique life histories, values and desires to live a life of their own despite increasing needs for assistance. According to the researchers, it is important for home care workers to recognize and support their clients' agency, as this contributes to better consideration of older individuals' opinions of how their services should be provided and strengthens perceived life control and self-determination among those in need of care. More information: Marjo Ring et al, Resistant, adaptive, and supported agency Examining narratives of Finnish older home care clients, Journal of Aging Studies (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.jaging.2025.101342 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: Alveolar macrophages under the microscope showing deposits of black carbon. L - smaller deposits in cells from a smoker, R - larger deposits in cells from COPD patient. Credit: James Baker / ERJ Open Research Cells taken from the lungs of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have a larger accumulation of soot-like carbon deposits compared to cells taken from people who smoke but do not have COPD, according to a study published in ERJ Open Research. Carbon can enter the lungs via cigarette smoke, diesel exhaust and polluted air. The cells, called alveolar macrophages, normally protect the body by engulfing any particles or bacteria that reach the lungs. But, in their new study, researchers found that when these cells are exposed to carbon they grow larger and encourage inflammation. The research was led by Dr. James Baker and Dr. Simon Lea from the University of Manchester, UK. Dr. Baker said, "COPD is a complex disease that has a number of environmental and genetic risk factors. One factor is exposure to carbon from smoking or breathing polluted air. "We wanted to study what happens in the lungs of COPD patients when this carbon builds up in alveolar macrophage cells, as this may influence the cells' ability to protect the lungs." The researchers used samples of lung tissue from surgery for suspected lung cancer. They studied samples (that did not contain any cancer cells) from 28 people who had COPD and 15 people who were smokers but did not have COPD. Looking specifically at alveolar macrophage cells under a microscope, the researchers measured the sizes of the cells and the amount of carbon accumulated in the cells. They found that the average amount of carbon was more than three times greater in alveolar macrophage cells from COPD patients compared to smokers. Cells containing carbon were consistently larger than cells with no visible carbon. Patients with larger deposits of carbon in their alveolar macrophages had worse lung function, according to a measure called FEV1%, which quantifies how much and how forcefully patients can breathe out. When the researchers exposed macrophages to carbon particles in the lab, they saw the cells become much larger and found that they were producing higher levels of proteins that lead to inflammation. Dr. Lea said, "As we compared cells from COPD patients with cells from smokers, we can see that this build-up of carbon is not a direct result of cigarette smoking. Instead, we show alveolar macrophages in COPD patients contain more carbon and are inherently different in terms of their form and function compared to those in smokers. "Our research raises an interesting question as to the cause of the increased levels of carbon in COPD patients' macrophages. It could be that people with COPD are less able to clear the carbon they breathe in. It could also be that people exposed to more particulate matter are accumulating this carbon and developing COPD as a result. "In the future, it would be interesting to study how this carbon builds up and how lung cells respond over a longer period of time." Professor Fabio Ricciardolo is Chair of the European Respiratory Society's group on monitoring airway disease, based at the University of Torino, Italy, and was not involved in the research. He said, "This set of experiments suggests that people with COPD accumulate unusually large amounts of carbon in the cells of their lungs. This build-up seems to be altering those cells, potentially causing inflammation in the lungs and leading to worse lung function. "In addition, this research offers some clues about why polluted air might cause or worsen COPD. However, we know that smoking and air pollution are risk factors for COPD and other lung conditions, so we need to reduce levels of pollution in the air we breathe and we need to help people to quit smoking." More information: ERJ Open Research (2025). DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00933-2024 Provided by European Respiratory Society 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 Memory problems have long been considered the primary hallmark of dementia, but a team of researchers is now challenging this view. They argue that changes in sensory perceptionfrom vision to balancemay be equally important indicators that many health care providers are currently missing. According to experts, current approaches to the care and support of people with dementia need an overhaul, relying too heavily on the assessment of memory functions, when the condition also impairs taste, touch, balance, hearing, or vision. Professor Andrea Tales, professor of dementia research at Swansea University, Dr. Emma Richards of Public Health Wales (formerly Swansea University) and Professor Jan Kremlacek, head of medical biophysics LFHK at Charles University, who are all experts in dementia research, say substantial evidence now supports the existence of sensory and perceptual changes for some people living with dementia. The experts lay out the body of evidence supporting this shift in understanding in "A New Approach to Dementia". Importantly, this book is co-produced by people living with dementia and sensory/perceptual challenges, facilitated by Aimee Day and Paula Brown. This group of co-researchers has navigated their own sensory and memory challenges to provide the context of human experience to the academic research. The lesser-known characteristics of dementia for some individuals include abnormalities such as altered visual and hearing perception, changes in hearing ability and sound processing, especially in noisy environments, diminished sense of smell and taste, and tactile sensitivity issues. These changes in sensory and perceptual processing may accompany the more commonly recognized memory problems associated with conditions like Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Emma Richards, who works with individuals living with dementia, notes, "Many patients report experiencing these sensory changes years before receiving a diagnosis, but these symptoms may be overlooked during standard cognitive assessments. "Understanding and addressing these issues, and providing support earlier could be transformative, enabling health care providers to offer the vital emotional and social support patients need at a potentially confusing and distressing time. In addition to this, understanding changes in a person's senses can help support a clinician in determining a dementia diagnosis." This emerging understanding has significant implications for clinical practice and caregiving. The authors suggest that incorporating comprehensive sensory and perceptual testing into standard diagnostics, care, support and management protocols could enable a better understanding of the experience of the person living with dementia and their signs and symptoms, lead to a more targeted or personalized approach, help maintain independence, and thus improve the quality of life for people living with dementia. "Broadening the diagnostic approach beyond memory testing raised the potential to identify dementia at preclinical stages when therapies and life modifications may be most effective," says Professor Jan Kremlacek, who specializes in neurophysiological assessment. Sensory and perceptual changes can be hugely detrimental to everyday functioning and quality of life. Individuals living with dementia may experience increased difficulty navigating familiar environments, challenges with reading and interpreting visual information, communication difficulties due to auditory processing issues, and heightened anxiety in complex sensory environments. Health care providers are being encouraged to listen more carefully when patients report subtle changes in how they perceive and interact with their environment, as disruption in sensory function and perception may be manifestations of dementia. This includes developing standardized protocols for assessing sensory and perceptual function, training health care providers to recognize non-memory symptoms, designing environments and interventions that accommodate sensory changes, and including sensory assessments in routine cognitive screening. "This isn't about replacing memory assessment, but rather expanding our toolkit to improve our capture of the full, more holistic, spectrum of dementia-related changes," explains Professor Tales. More information: Andrea Tales et al, A New Approach to Dementia, (2025). DOI: 10.4324/9781003464136 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 Headlines blared in May when U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would stop recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for some peoplenamely healthy pregnant women and healthy children over 6 months old. That could mean insurance no longer covers it. But then the recommendation didn't stop after allit was tweaked, prompting more confusion. Two weeks in, how's it playing out for patients? So far, as one pediatrician called it: "A welcome silence" from insurance companies who still appear to be paying the vaccination bills, both private and Medicaid-affiliated. That's just for now. Actions taken by Kennedy on June 9 might change that in the coming weeks or months. For the moment though, doctors and public health officials in Georgia say the vaccine is available and being covered as it was before. "I haven't heard of any changes," said Dr. Hugo Scornik, a Conyers-based pediatrician. All that could change as a result of an administrative shake-up that Kennedy began Monday, when he removed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practicesa panel that advises officials at the CDC on vaccines. It is unclear what impact the committee's dissolution could ultimately have on vaccine usage and insurance coverage. But the stakes are high for the COVID-19 vaccine in the populations targeted by Kennedy's announcement. There are more than 120,000 live births in Georgia each year, and about 1.7 million children, according to state data and the Kids Count Data Center. The controversy all has to do with a key government list of recommended vaccines and timing, called the CDC immunization schedule. Insurance companies and federal health programs often tie what they'll cover to the schedule. Kennedy said in a May 27 online video that "for healthy children and healthy pregnant women" the COVID-19 vaccine recommendation had been removed from the CDC's vaccine schedule. But the CDC didn't remove the vaccine for those patients from the schedule after all. Instead, it tweaked the recommendation for healthy children to say it was subject to "shared clinical decision-making" by the parent and doctor. As before, parents could choose. And because it was on the schedule, insurance companies would pay and public health vaccine programs for lower-income kids would supply it. When it comes to healthy pregnant women, they had always been included without being named, because pregnancy is one of the underlying health conditions that makes the vaccine important for adults. That didn't change, said William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University. "Yes, providers are still carrying and offering this vaccine to their VFC-eligible patients," said Georgia Department of Public Health spokesperson Nancy Nydam Shirek, speaking of the Vaccines for Children government vaccine supply program. Rick Ward, a spokesperson for the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, agreed. "It hasn't been taken out," he said. The Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance says they do not expect last month's changes to affect private plans purchased on Georgia Access. Shake-up underway The public health landscape began shifting again on June 9. The scientists and doctors who draft the CDC immunization schedule, and who submit it to the CDC director, are called the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, fired the entire membership of ACIP on the Monday afternoon. He said he intends to replace them with members who have a different perspective. "A clean sweep is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science," Kennedy said in his statement. "ACIP new members will prioritize public health and evidence-based medicine." ACIP members make their decisions in public meetings and debates that anyone can view. ACIP's members have tended to be scientists with long careers in research or medical practice. The American Medical Association, the nation's organization of doctors, said in a statement that Kennedy's move would have the opposite effect from building confidence. "Today's action to remove the 17 sitting members of ACIP undermines that trust and upends a transparent process that has saved countless lives," the AMA statement said. ACIP is currently scheduled to have its next meeting later this month. How to choose a vaccine In the meantime, parents and patients can always look at the public research and debates provided in past ACIP meetings. Never saying a vaccine is perfect, ACIP members typically weigh whether getting a vaccine is safer than not getting the vaccine. They have made decisions both ways. For some patients, ACIP has decided that risks of side effects tip the scale against getting the shot. For most pregnant women and their babies, the scale is on the side of getting the COVID-19 vaccine, ACIP decided. That's because data suggests that not getting the vaccine could be more dangerous for both the fetus and the mother. There's a higher rate of premature babies associated with moms who have COVID-19. In the Delta pandemic wave, there was a higher rate of stillbirths for babies of women who had COVID-19. Fetuses and newborns under 6 months cannot get the COVID-19 vaccine themselves, so they depend on getting it through their mom when she's pregnant. As for the mothers themselves, pregnancy puts women at risk of blood conditions like preeclampsia and blood clots. And COVID-19 is actually a vascular disease capable of producing dangerous blood problems like microclots. Pregnancy and COVID-19 together can be even more dangerous. Research shows pregnant women who get COVID-19 are more likely to wind up in the ICU or die than are other people who get the disease, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says. After calculating how many people are protected from COVID-19 by getting the vaccine, the ACIP members calculated that in general it's safer for them to get it than not. As of Sept. 24, the CDC's webpage for pregnant women said, "If you are pregnant or were recently pregnant, you are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19, compared to those who are not pregnant. Additionally, if you have COVID-19 during pregnancy, you are at increased risk of complications that can affect your pregnancy and your baby from serious illness from COVID-19." When it comes to healthy children, ACIP members have recently seemed to be easing back on their support, said Schaffner, the Vanderbilt professor, who previously served as medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. He wouldn't have been surprised to see the recommendation for healthy kids scaled back by ACIP members who lost their jobs. 2025 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 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: Credit: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine A new comparative study led by researchers at the UNC School of Medicine found that a new therapy for prevention of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection may be less effective than traditional therapy when it comes to preventing severe disease over time. Every time we take antibioticswhether it's for strep throat, urinary tract infections, or pneumoniathere is a slim chance that "bad" bacteria can move in and wreak havoc on our digestive tracts. Clostridioides difficile (C. diff.) is one of the most common invaders and can cause post-antibiotic diarrhea and even life-threatening damage to the colon. With about 500,000 Americans contracting the infection every year, especially those who are immunocompromised or over the age of 65, researchers have been working hard to develop effective preventative treatments. However, a new study led by Sarah McGill, MD, a gastroenterologist and endoscopist at UNC Health, and Trevor Barlowe, MD, a gastroenterology fellow at the UNC School of Medicine, has found that a newly approved treatment for C. diff. infection, called fecal microbiota spores, may be associated with a particularly harmful rebound of infection, compared to traditional therapy. Their results are published in Clinical Gastroenterology & Hepatology. "It is exciting to have new treatments for a particularly hard bug to treat," said Barlowe. "But it's important to compare new therapies to our standard of care over long follow-up periods. We found that both therapies were effective, but, in the rare events of recurrence, there were more severe recurrences in the patients who received spores." Traditional vs. novel therapy Fecal microbiota transplant has been used as the traditional treatment for C. diff. infection for a little over a decade. The procedure, which is done via colonoscopy, involves transplanting a small sample of stool from a healthy person into a colon infected with C. diff. to help restore balance in the gut. Although the therapy is safe, it is only approved for investigational use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2023, a novel non-invasive, oral treatment called fecal microbiota spores received approval from the FDA. Fecal microbiota spores are taken in pill-form three times a day post-antibiotic treatment to prevent a C. diff. infection from re-occurring. UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill, which is one of few medical centers in the region that offers microbial therapeutics for C. diff. infection, began integrating the new therapy in the hospital as soon as it was approved. However, there was a lack of data directly comparing patient outcomes from these two treatment types. Results from the comparative study McGill, who has years of experience in treating patients with C. diff. at UNC Health, recruited Barlowe to perform a comparative study on adult patients who received fecal spores and colonoscopy-administered fecal transplant at UNC Medical Center. Using patient data from electronic medical charts, the researchers tallied the number of C. diff reinfections within one year of treatment. Their center-based study found that both methods were efficient at preventing recurrent infection. However, in the rare patients who had a recurrence, the patients who received fecal spores were more likely to develop severe disease, called "fulminant C. diff infection." Of the 28 patients who received fecal spores, two were admitted to the hospital with fulminant infection. In comparison, there were zero cases of fulminant infection in the 102 patients who received fecal transplant via colonoscopy. "We found that fecal spores worked really well to protect people from a recurrence of C. diff," said McGill, who is also a professor of medicine. "But among the people who did recur, they had severe disease with sepsis. That's something that we did not see in our many years of treating patients with fecal transplant via colonoscopy." Implications for future treatment Both Barlowe and McGill urge other physicians and centers to closely monitor patients post-treatment for recurrent C. diff, no matter what type of treatment is used. The findings are significant, as traditional fecal transplant is no longer available at almost all medical centers nationwide, due to recent pressure from the FDA. The duo notes that the therapy is not appropriate for all patients with recurrent C. diff infection. "Hopefully, our findings can help other providers and regulators understand that both of these treatments have really important roles in certain patients," said Barlowe. "If somebody was really sick in the ICU with C. diff, then that person would be a good candidate to get a fecal transplant. Whereas patients who are outpatient and healthier might be able to take the microbial spores." More information: Trevor S. Barlowe et al, Fulminant Clostridioides difficile Infection Following Fecal Microbiota Spores Compared to Fecal Microbiota Transplant, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2025.03.027 Journal information: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology 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: Wearing headsets, participants stepped into the disoriented minds of dementia patientsexperiencing the confusion, fear, and memory lapses of dementia firsthand. Credit: Photo provided. At a conference on aging two years ago, Li-Mei Chen slipped on a pair of virtual reality (VR) goggles and found herself inside the mind of a person with dementia. The simulation cast her as an older adult in the grips of delusion: frozen in fear at the end of a hallway, watching the floor disappear beneath rising water. "There was no actual flooding," Chen recalled, "but I could feel the panic." Chen, an assistant professor of social work in the College of Public Health at George Mason University, specializes in aging and dementia and immediately recognized the technology's potential for nursing home staff. She imagined caregivers seeing what she saw and walking away with a new kind of understanding and empathy for their dementia patients. Working with Japanese company Jolly Good Inc. to adapt their VR technology, Chen launched a pilot this spring to train certified nursing assistants (CNAs) at a Northern Virginia nursing home. The three-part program combined immersive VR scenarios with online lessons and group discussions. Wearing headsets, participants stepped into the disoriented minds of dementia patientsexperiencing the confusion, fear, and memory lapses firsthand. In one scene, a woman lies in bed, panicked. She recognizes her pajamas but not the room surrounding her, and wonders aloud, "Where is my husband?" Chen partnered with fellow social work professor Megumi Inoue to design the educational framework. The VR footage, originally produced in Japan, was updated for English-speaking users through artificial intelligence (AI)-generated voiceovers. Support for an unsung profession Beyond improving patient care, the project aims to support caregivers working in a field plagued by high turnover, low wages, and minimal if any formal training. In the United States, nursing homes face an estimated 53% annual turnover rate and ongoing recruitment struggles, even as demand for direct care remains high. Though they perform some of the toughest jobs in health care, Chen said, nursing home staff are often treated as disposable. "There's little investment in CNAs, because it's assumed they'll just leavebut if nursing homes invested, that would change." Eventually, Chen hopes to help create new VR scenes set in American care settings and filmed in English. But even with cultural differences, CNAs in the Northern Virginia pilotmany of whom spoke English as a second languagefound the material relatable. "They said, 'We have seen this. We've experienced this scenario in here,'" said Zeynep Senturk Mannix, a George Mason Master of Social Work student who helped Chen facilitate the sessions. "They didn't even register that the actors were Japanese." For many of the CNAs in the program, the experience marked their first exposure to any dementia-specific training. Mannix suggested that the sessions provided a sense of validation. "Their ideas were valuable, and they were able to help shape the future of this study." Chen and her team are now analyzing feedback, with plans to present their findings at the American Public Health Association conference in November. They're also working to refine the VR content and training materials, in hopes of expanding the program in the future to additional care facilities. Chen sees VR not as a silver bullet, but one tool to support more thoughtful training. Her framework rests upon relationship-centered care, which prioritizes empathy, trust, and human connection. "It's about understanding the person, and building a connection that's beyond client and provider," she said. India has just overtaken Japan to become the worlds fourth-largest economy, with nominal gross domestic product (GDP) clocking in at US$4.19trn (trillion). Yet, behind this headline triumph lies a serious contradiction. Nearly 65% of Indias population still relies on agriculture and allied activities for their livelihoodsmost of them struggling on small plots of land with no glimmer of the countrys newfound economic prestige. Agriculture contributes just 15%-18% to GDP, a disproportionately small share, given its massive employment footprint. Indias farmers are caught in a web of fragmented land holdings, poor infrastructure, exploitative middlemen and moneylenders, volatile markets, dependency on monsoons and increased climate risks. The last attempt to overhaul the agricultural sector through three controversial farm laws had to be repealed, following nationwide protests, leaving farm policies in limbo. Meanwhile, government schemes to help farmers have multiplied without commensurate results. Government Efforts Government-led efforts have been largely through cooperatives, credit schemes and infrastructure. Yet, despite some landmark successes over 60 years that include the green revolution and the milk revolution, the scale of impact in relation to Indias population has remained modest. The legendary Verghese Kurians Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL), founded in 1946, is the crown jewel. AMUL is now a national brand with highly advanced labs, cold chains and a diverse product range from milk to chocolates. Dr Verghese went on to set up the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in 1965 with impressive results. Other cooperatives followed. The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), established in 1967 dominates fertiliser supply. KRIBHCO and Keralas Farmfed support farmers with technical and marketing assistance. The government is now digitising 63,000 primary agricultural cooperative societies (PACS) to improve credit access for 130mn (million) small-holders. Digital initiatives, under Digital India and BharatNet, promote precision farming with drones, robots and connectivity. Programmes, like the Agriculture Accelerator Fund and Startup India, back infrastructure development, including thousands of warehouses and cold stores. The farmer producer organisation (FPO) scheme, launched in 2020 to boost collective bargaining among small farmers, had created 10,000 FPOs by 2025, supported with nearly Rs7,000 crore in funding to provide financial aid, equity grants and credit guarantees. And yet, Indian agriculture remains limited and dysfunctional, while farmer distress and suicides remain unchecked. In the middle this gloomy situation, private efforts at using technology to transform Indian agriculture and make it more efficient and profitable are quietly offering new hope. Among cooperatives, Nashiks Sahyadri Farms a 12-year-old cooperative of 18,000 farmers in Nasikstands out with 18,000 farmers, 30,000 acres and integrated processing and marketing, focusing on fair pay for smallholders. Another is KisanKonnect which links 5,000 farmers directly with urban consumers in Mumbai and Pune. Ninjacart focuses on fresh produce supply chains. DeHaat offers end-to-end services to farmers through 8,000 centres, while Intello Labs uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) for crop health monitoring to get realtime information. Stellapps is automating dairy supply chains; CropIn enables precision farming; Bijak facilitates digital lending; and WayCool, AgriApp and Ergos are also working at improving supply chain and storage logistics. KrishHubs AI reduces vegetable waste by 25%, and AgriBazaar has brokered thousands of crores of rupees in online farm trade. The most ambitious private effort is Harvesting Farmers Network (HFN) founded by Ruchit Garg. After an 11-year stint at Microsoft and a start-up called 9Slides, Mr Garg returned to India with a singular mission: to make small farms viable through the intelligent use of data. He launched HFN in 2022 at the height of the COVID lock-downs with an unconventional experimentconnecting farmers directly to buyers via WhatsApp and X. Within days, its handle, @HarvestingFN, had gained 15,000 followers to become a lifeline for many distressed farmers across India. This low-tech, high-impact strategy allowed farmers to access markets, request information and sell produce. The learnings of this experiment have been effectively used to build a network of over 3mn farmers and 8,900 local intermediaries known as KisanSaarthis (helpers), who are essentially agri-university graduates, trained and equipped by HFN to build clusters, coordinate logistics and guide farmers on pricing and quality. In 2022, HFN raised US$4mn from Social Capital in addition to backing from some globally known philanthropists to expand his reach. The platforms success is primarily rooted in trust. Farmer identities are verified with Aadhaar and PAN details, while transactions are hand-held from payment collection to transportation. This has the potential to create a new kind of mandi (agricultural marketplace)decentralised, and increasingly powered by AI and robotics. The Trust Layer At the core of HFNs model is the principle that small farmers cannot individually scalebut they can cooperate and derive the scale benefits. One of the core problems with smallholder farmers is that they are small, Mr Garg explained to me at a recent meeting. I cannot make them big, but I can help them work together. The Saarthi model is primarily an entrepreneurial one with initial support and training from HFN. Each Saarthi is provided detailed estimates of a potential market through satellite imagery and AI-powered analytics. Equipped with a phone and HFN app, the Saarthi goes on to create clusters of farmers who can deliver produce to large buyers contracted through HFN. Farmers participating in HFNs supply chain have seen earnings rise by 2.5 times on average, thanks to better market access, quality grading, packaging and logistics support. HFN operates in over 13,000 villages, primarily in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and parts of the Northeast. By May 2025, the network had moved 750,000 kilos of fruits and vegetables. Mr Garg points out that this is still a very modest figure relative to Indias potential. HFN now plans to roll out 100 fully automated micro-mandis, each around 5,000sqft (square feet), equipped with robotic grading and AI for inventory management. This, Mr Garg says, is not just about scaling but also about consistency, accountability and fraud prevention. If we automate sorting and packing, we can ensure better prices for farmers by improving quality and reducing waste. Early experiments have taken HFN from the hills of Meghalayawhere 20,000 kilos of ginger were exported to South Africato Kashmir (apples), Manipur (chillies) and beyond. Offline HFN Kisan Centres have sprung up in more than 700 districts, selling seeds, fertilisers and value-added products including oil at reasonable rates. The company is exploring real-time crop health detection via WhatsApp photos and AI diagnostics. The Data Dividend HFNs greatest long-term asset may not be its marketplace, but its data. By tracking crop patterns, acreage and market demand across thousands of villages, it can predict gluts and shortages in real time. If I know how many farmers have planted onions, I can warn others not to plant more, Mr Garg says. There is no accurate data in agriculture today. Thats the root cause of oversupply and price crashes. This intelligence could inform farmers as well as policy-makers. The goal, however, is not to become a consultancyit is to build a self-sustaining ecosystem that rewards farmer trust with economic returns. I need a large network to create a market, and I need a market to build the network, Mr Garg notes. Its a chicken-and-egg problem; but were solving both simultaneously. A New Mandate Indias agriculture needs many things: better irrigation, insurance, storage, pricing transparency and policy clarity. But, above all, it needs new models of cooperation and coordinationones that dont merely digitise old inefficiencies, but re-imagine them altogether. Mr Garg is conscious of the fact that to grow as planned he needs to create a track-record over a three to four year period and earn the trust of farmers. But he is in for the long haul. India has 6.6 lakh villages and we are only operating in thousands of villages, he says. But HFNs approachnetworked, nimble and farmer-firstoffers a plausible blueprint for transformation. On Wednesday, 2227 stocks advanced, 1821 declined and 132 remained unchanged on Bombay Stock Exchange with advance decline ratio of 1.22 indicating a positive closing in the broader market. The trend of the major indices on Wednesdays trading is given in the table below. On NSE, 76 securities advanced and closed at a new 52-week high whereas 21 securities sank to close at their new 52-week lows. In sectoral indices - Nifty IT, Nifty Pharma and Nifty Energy were among the biggest gainers. Nifty PSU Bank, Nifty FMCG and Nifty Metal were among the biggest losers. Orient Green Power (+0.13%) subsidiary, Delta Renewable Energy, secured an EPC contract for a 7 MW AC (9.80 MW DC) solar power project in Tamil Nadu, with an estimated development cost of Rs40 crores. This strengthens its commitment to expanding India's renewable energy infrastructure. MTNL (+3.46%) announced that due to insufficient funds, it is unable to fund the escrow account for the 9th semi-annual interest payment on Bond Series VI, due on 21 June 2025. While the bonds carry a sovereign guarantee, this non-funding signals a potential default, raising concerns over liquidity and financial stability. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved Havells India's (+0.61%) acquisition of a stake in Goldi Solar, along with Goldi Sun purchase of 100% partnership interest in Vama Inverters LLP and Goldi Energy LLP. Waaree Energies (+1.62%) subsidiary secured a 599 MW solar module export order from a leading US utility-scale solar developer, with one-time supply scheduled for 2026. Minda Corporation (-0.22%) entered in to a 60:40 joint venture with Japans Toyodenso to develop advanced automotive switches for two-wheelers and passenger cars in India. As part of this collaboration, a greenfield plant will be established in Noida, with operations expected to commence in H2 FY2627. This venture strengthens Mindas footprint in the automotive electronics segment, leveraging Toyodensos expertise in switch technology. The customs department is investigating duty evasion under the ASEAN-India FTA, scrutinizing around 2,000 copper importers for allegedly misclassifying imports to claim zero duty. Authorities now seek a 35% duty with bank guarantees, citing third-party data from Vietnam. If enforced, this could make imports more expensive, resulting in a neutral-to-positive impact for Hindustan Copper as domestic suppliers gain pricing advantage. Allied Blenders & Distillers (ABD) (-4.57%) acquired a 100% stake in Singapore-based UTO Asia Pte. Limited in a Rs11 crore deal. Through this acquisition, ABD gains global rights to its flagship Mansion House and Savoy Club brands, excluding nine Asian countries. As a result, UTO Asia becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of ABD, reinforcing its international presence in the liquor market. The World Bank revised Indias growth projections, lowering its forecast for FY25-26 to 6.3% (down 40 bps from January estimates) and FY26-27 to 6.5% (down 20 bps). However, the Bank anticipates growth acceleration in FY27-28, projecting 6.7% expansion, reflecting stronger medium-term fundamentals despite near-term adjustments. The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below: The closing values of the major Asian indices are given in the table below: Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has announced a new Settlement Scheme aimed at stockbrokers associated with some algorithmic trading platforms. The scheme, framed under Section 15JB of the SEBI Act, 1992, and Regulation 26 of the SEBI Settlement Proceedings Regulations, 2018, offers brokers an opportunity to settle ongoing proceedings initiated against them. These proceedings are currently pending before various authorities, including adjudicating officers (AO), securities appellate tribunal (SAT) or courts. Under the scheme, stockbrokers linked with the specified algo platforms can seek expeditious closure of their cases by availing the settlement benefits. The move is expected to provide relief to brokers and reduce the regulatory burden on the adjudication process, the market regulator says. The settlement scheme will be open for a limited period, commencing on 16 June 2025 and running until 16 September 2025, or until a revised date approved by the competent authority. However, brokers who choose not to avail of the scheme will continue to face the regulatory proceedings initiated against them, SEBI says. To assist stakeholders, SEBI says frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to the scheme will be made available on its website on 16 June 2025. Former Navy Seal Rob ONeill has taken a shot at his native town of Butte, posting a sharply worded comment on X about the city and the Democratic Party. I grew up in a mining town, he posted on X, formerly Twitter, around 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Unions were good. Its so frustrating to go home to Butte, MT and see how blind they are to the demons that have hijacked the democrat party. Pure evil. The Montana Standard reached out to ONeill via social media Wednesday morning and he indicated he would get in touch with the newspaper regarding the comment. On Wednesday around 10 a.m., he sent a direct message to a Montana Standard employee stating Im a registered independent and the democrats have completely lost their way. They need leaders. Later Wednesday, shortly after messaging the employee, he posted publicly on X: I love Butte, MT and the people there. Op-ed coming soon @MontanaStandard. Aaron Flint, a conservative who has a syndicated morning talk radio show in Montana, mentioned the ONeill comment on X in passing Wednesday morning and posted it on his Montana Talks website. O'Neill said in 2014 that he was the SEAL Team Six member who shot Osama bin Laden dead in a May 2, 2011, raid, code-named Operation Neptune Spear, on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. He has often espoused conservative views, was once a Fox News contributor, has been a motivational speaker and now has a podcast called The Operator. Butte-Silver Bow County has long been considered a stronghold for Democrats in Montana. Donald Trump won the state by 20 percentage points in November and won all Montana counties except Butte-Silver Bow, Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Gallatin, Glacier and Missoula. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, a Democrat, got 51% of the vote in Butte-Silver Bow County in November to 44% for Trump, a lesser margin than Democrats received in recent presidential elections. The Standard reached out to J.P. Gallagher, Butte-Silver Bows chief executive, Wednesday morning. He said he had not heard about ONeills posting but it was read to him. I think thats an ignorant comment, Gallagher said. "Id like to know what he bases that off of and what the intent of that is. Local elections in Butte-Silver Bow County are nonpartisan, meaning candidates are not affiliated with political parties on the ballot. Gallagher says he is an independent and is glad local elections are non-partisan in Butte because you can support different agenda items without being fixed to a party. But he questions ONeills comment. I havent had a conversation with him and he hasnt come in to talk to us, but I dont know what hes referring to on that, Gallagher said. I know hes a very strong Republican and a supporter of Donald Trump. I dont know what the basis for his comments are, though. Mickey Boysza, who chairs the Butte-Silver Bow Democratic Central Committee, also questioned ONeills posting. I dont know if Rob is addressing something that he personally, you know, was affected by or had somebody affected by, but I think to be so general about a statement like that is not good, Boysza said. Boysza said politically, I think with the influx of new voters coming in that things arent what they used to be in Butte but I think Butte is solid as far as trying to represent the people. She said shes not sure what ONeill meant by his pure evil statement. Thats a pretty wide-open statement and doesnt really give a direction to what it is hes so concerned about, she said. I think its so general. Quite obviously, with the number of people that were having show up at rallies I think Butte is holding together, Boysza said, noting that another Trump protest rally is planned Saturday. I think that if Rob does have a problem, he should be more direct about it and address what he sees as the problem rather than leaving it to peoples imagination. ONeill made headlines in Butte and all of Montana when a British newspaper published a story in November 2014 that ONeill was the one who killed Bin Laden. His father, who lived in Butte, detailed his sons role in the mission. ONeill was arrested for a DUI in Butte during a visit in April 2016. He said he took a prescribed sleep aid before his arrest and was innocent. The charge was later amended and prosecution of it was deferred. He talked with The Standard during another visit in November 2017 and among other things, said, Always good to be back in Butte. Antonio Romanucci called the January fatal shooting of Jakarta Jackson by a Rock Island police officer "a self-fulfilling prophecy." The personal injury attorney spoke those words during a press conference Wednesday to announce the filing of a federal civil rights suit. The suit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois on the behalf of Yanessa Martin, the administrator of Jacksons estate, and several of his family members. Martin has a child with Jackson. They are represented by Chicago-based law firm Romanucci & Blandin and Ben Crump Law based in Washington D.C. Crump has gained prominence as a civil rights attorney, including in cases around the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Sonya Massey. The suit names as defendants the city of Rock Island, Police Chief Timothy McCloud and Brett Taylor the officer who shot Jackson. The suits allegations include that the encounter involved excessive use of force and willful and wanton conduct. The filing also contends Taylor intentionally inflicted emotional distress on relatives of Jackson who were in the vehicle at the time of the shooting or should have known his acts would likely inflict such distress. During the press conference, Romanucci pointed to other officer-involved shootings in Illinois and said Taylor "knew he was going to shoot Jakarta." "Four times he (Taylor) told him (Jackson) he was going to shoot him," Romanucci said. "As soon as he (Taylor) stopped and identified Jakarta he knew he was going to shoot him. "It was something that was predictable. It was something that was bound to happen." The damages sought by the plaintiffs include court costs and compensatory and punitive damages to be determined by a jury. Asked for comment on Wednesday, the city released a brief statement in the afternoon: "The City of Rock Island and the Rock Island Police Department became aware this morning, June 11, 2025, of a civil lawsuit filed by the family of Jakarta Jackson. Due to pending litigation, the City and Police Department will not be commenting at this time." Day of the shooting, Jan. 5, 2025 On the afternoon of Jan. 5, Taylor was patrolling in Rock Island when he discovered a Ford Fusion with window tinting he thought was too dark, beyond what is allowed by law. After running the license plate, Taylor found the car was registered to Jackson, 21, who had a failure to appear arrest warrant in a misdemeanor case. Taylor then followed Jackson's vehicle, which he parked in front of a home on 12th Street. Taylor exited his own vehicle and began yelling for Jackson to "come here," according to the suit. Jackson then ran around the home with Taylor chasing him, before jumping back into the still-running Ford Fusion. Also in the Ford Fusion at the time were five other people, including Jackson's three-year old daughter and six-year-old nephew. Jackson then got into the drivers seat and shut the door, according to previous reporting. Taylor used his baton to smash the driver's side window before opening the door. Taylor attempted to pull Jackson out of the vehicle, but a struggle ensued. The vehicle was in drive, but the man in the passenger's seat put the car in park. Jackson put the vehicle back into drive. At this time, Taylor was half in, half out of the vehicle while struggling with Jackson, who was now driving the Ford Fusion through grass. Taylor freed his service weapon from its holster and fired into the vehicle, striking Jackson several times. The vehicle came to a stop and Taylor called in the shots fired incident at 3:21 p.m. Taylor removed Jackson from the vehicle as two additional officers arrived on scene. One used his department-issued first aid kit and all three officers began to render aid and called for an ambulance. Jackson was taken to UnityPoint Health-Trinity, Rock Island, where he was pronounced dead. Immediately following the shooting, McCloud requested the Rock Island County Integrity Task Force respond. Illinois law requires an outside agency or task force to investigate an officer-involved shooting. Weeks later, the task force completed its investigation and submitted the body of evidence it collected, including body and dash cam footage, to the state's attorney's office. By the end of the month Dora Villarreal, the Rock Island County state's attorney, announced the shooting against Jackson was justified and Taylor would not be charged. In her statement, Villarreal said that the use of force "by Officer Taylor was proportional to the threat Jackson posed. Jackson was in a running vehicle and deliberately shifted into drive with Officer Taylor hanging on and being dragged, at this point Jackson was using the vehicle as a deadly weapon." Therefore, she added, "it was entirely lawful for Officer Taylor to respond with equal or greater force, in a quick response due to the rapid unfolding of events." Under those circumstances, Villarreal said, Taylor's decision to shoot Jackson was "objectively reasonable and no criminal charges against Officer Taylor are supported by the facts." The shooting and the decision sparked multiple protests throughout January and February. Among the demands from protestors was the release of body cam footage from the day of the shooting. The footage was eventually released. The suits allegations Taylors use of deadly force against Jakarta was objectively unreasonable and violated Jakartas clearly established federal constitutional rights, the plaintiffs argue in the suit. Romanucci pointed out Taylor originally stopped Jackson because the officer thought the tint of the vehicle's windows was too dark. The suits arguments include that during the incident, Jackson made no verbal threats of harm toward Taylor or another person. He did not hit, lunge at or try to strike Taylor. Attorney Maura White stressed during the press conference that once Jackson was in his car, he held up his hands and asked "What did I do." The plaintiffs also contend Jackson did not make any movements suggestive of being armed nor did he grab a weapon. A Rock Island police incident reports states nothing of note was found in the vehicle, the suit states. A report on shooting from the Rock Island County States Attorneys Office states no weapons were found on Jackson or in the vehicle. In the suit, the plaintiffs argue that Taylors actions during incident were taken under color of state law and within the scope of his employment. The city and McCloud are liable for the alleged misconduct and the resulting injuries because Taylors actions resulted from their policies or lack of policies, practices and customs, the suit states. During the media conference, Romanucci alluded to the 2020 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers in an attempt to explain why Jackson initially ran from Taylor after the stop. "George Floyd knew if he went into police custody he had a very good chance of maybe not coming out of it because of the racist police tactics that existed in Minneapolis ... it's no different here," he said. The suit also alleges willful and wanton conduct. Taylor had a duty, in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois, to exercise care in his interactions with Jakarta, and a duty to refrain from willful and wanton conduct in his interactions with Jakarta, which could cause Jakarta harm, the suit contends. The plaintiffs argue Taylor breached that duty in one or more of multiple ways listed in the suit, including failing to de-escalate the situation and by using excessive and inappropriate deadly force on Jackson. The suit also alleges McCloud acted in a willful and wanton manner toward Jackson when he also had a duty to exercise care during interactions with him. In the counts alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress, the suit argues Taylors actions during the arrest attempt were extreme and dangerous and caused severe emotional distress to three of Jacksons relatives who were in the car, including two children. The courts Defendants named in a lawsuit often file their own document in the case in which they answer the allegations against them. As of early Wednesday afternoon, the defendants in the Jackson suit had not done so. An autopsy has all but confirmed that Albert Ojwang was a victim of police brutality. Ojwang, who died while in custody at the Central Police Station, suffered multiple injuries from an assault. Government pathologist Dr. Bernard Midia, who carried out the autopsy alongside family pathologist Mutuma Zambezi, confirmed that Ojwang sustained multiple injuries consistent with assault -not self-harm. The findings contradict a police report that claimed Ojwang fatally injured himself by hitting his head against a wall inside a police cell. When we examined the pattern of the injury, especially on the trauma I found on the head.Hitting against a blunt substance like a wall would have a pattern, Dr. Midia said during a press briefing. He explained that injuries from such an impact would normally cause bleeding at the front of the head. However, Ojwang had scattered wounds on his face, the sides, and the back of his head, suggesting repeated blows from different angles. Dr. Midia further stated that Ojwang had injuries across other parts of his body as well as signs of neck compression. These injuries are consistent with external assault. There were also signs of a struggle, he said When we tie up together with other injuries that are well spread on parts of the body including the upper limbs and the trunk Then this is unlikely to be self-inflicted injury, he added. These disturbing revelations have fueled growing public outrage and calls for accountability. Human rights organizations and Ojwangs family are now pushing for an independent investigation into the incident, demanding answers and justice for a life lost under police watch. The autopsy results have once again placed a spotlight on the troubling issue of extrajudicial killings in Kenya, with renewed pressure on authorities to act transparently. Kenyas most famous singing policeman has vanished from his day job. A confidential memo dated June 9, 2025, says Constable Samuel Ndirangu Muchoki, known to fans as Samidoh never reported back after an approved break that ended on May 27. The officer was granted an off-duty and was supposed to report back on May 27, 2025, but he failed. Since then, he has not been seen and his whereabouts are not known, the memo states. Because the Anti-Stock Theft Unit member has been away for more than ten days, the National Police Service has branded him a deserter with effect from June 6. Pay has been halted, senior commanders have been alerted, and the Central Records Office will list his name in the next Police Gazette. Officers in Gatumbiro; his last known home base, have orders to pick him up if he turns up at the door. Instagram active, radio silent Oddly, the musician isnt hiding from his fans. At 8:36 a.m. today, he shared a fresh Instagram post, smiling and carefree. He offered no hint of trouble, and neither he nor his management has answered media calls. The popular Kikuyu artist is currently in Boston, for what looks like both business and pleasure. He was recently transferred to the Administration Polices Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) in Gilgil, in what was seen as punishment for Wantam chants that erupted at one of his concerts. What desertion means Police standing orders leave little wiggle room. A deserter faces a disciplinary board that can sack him, claw back his salary, and, if the case is escalated, press criminal charges under the National Police Service Act. The High Court has given the government one last chance to prove it canceled the KETRACO tender awarded to the Adani Group. When the case came up before Justice Bahati Mwamuye today, the government admitted it still hadnt filed proof of the cancellation. They asked for more time to submit their responses. Granting the request, the court ruled: The respondents, particularly the first respondent, are granted a final opportunity to file and serve their responses to the application and petition. They must do so by August 1 this year. Justice Mwamuye warned that if the Attorney Generals office misses the August 1 deadline, the court will move forward with a full hearing. The next mention is set for October 27, when the court will also decide whether to allow additional parties to join the case. The controversy traces back to November last year, when President William Ruto directed the Transport and Energy ministries to scrap two major deals with Indias Adani Group a Ksh260 billion plan to upgrade JKIA under a 30-year concession and a Sh95 billion power transmission project, both structured as public-private partnerships (PPPs). The High Court had earlier blocked the agreements with a temporary order, siding with the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), which sued over claims of flawed public consultation and inadequate due diligence. The LSK contends the deals bypassed constitutional safeguards for transparency and fiscal accountability. The death of teacher Albert Ojwang in police custody has escalated into a national crisis that is now tugging directly at the future of Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Eliud Lagat. Police version of Ojwang fatally injuring himself in a Nairobi cell, quickly fell apart after an autopsy ruled the death a strangulation homicide; prompting street protests, parliamentary outrage, a presidential rebuke, and loud calls for Lagats removal. The DIG was after all the complainant, and the officers were supposedly acting on his orders, breaking multiple procedures and perhaps a few laws on the processing of suspects. Kenyan law makes a DIGs removal surprisingly simple: under Section 17 of the National Police Service Act, the President alone may remove, retire or redeploy a DIG at any time before retirement age. Whether President William Ruto will wield that power, or allow criminal or parliamentary processes to run first, now defines the stakes of this fast-moving saga. Calls for his resignation or removal from office are growing louder, including from members of the presidents own party. Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot being the latest to urge his friend Lagat to step aside. Sen. @Aaroncheruiyot (Kericho): I advise the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr Lagat, who is my friend, that nobody has said that youre guilty but for the country to appreciate what really happened that he steps aside until investigations are concluded. #SenateLive pic.twitter.com/FkFBbbvWih Senate of Kenya (@Senate_KE) June 11, 2025 A Tweet, an Arrest, a Death On 4 June 2025 Ojwang used his X account to claim that DIG Lagat faced a corruption probe, a post the National Police Service labeled false and defamatory. Three days later plain-clothes officers arrested the blogger in Homa Bay, bundled him into a vehicle, and drove him nearly 400 kilometres to Nairobi Central Police Station. Fellow activists say he arrived bloodied and disoriented. At dawn on 8 June officers reported that Ojwang had banged his head against the wall and succumbed to injuries, calling the death a suicide. A post-mortem led by pathologist Dr Bernard Midia found neck compression, severe head trauma and multiple soft-tissue injuries consistent with assault from a third party, ruling out self-harm. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has since disclosed that key CCTV cameras inside the station were interfered with, deepening suspicion of a cover-up. Public anger spilled into Nairobis streets on 9 June; police responded with tear gas. Inside Parliament, Migori Senator Eddy Oketch formally sought a Senate probe while Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale demanded Lagats immediate arrest. Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji and Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris issued starkly different reactionsMukunji called for the jailing of every officer on duty, while Passaris urged calm but later apologised for misstating facts in an online post. President William Ruto broke his silence on 11 June, terming the death heart-breaking and unacceptable and ordering the police service to cooperate fully with IPOA detectives. How the Law Allows a Swift Exit for a DIG Kenyas Constitution guards the Inspector-General with a tribunal-based removal process, but deputies enjoy no such shield. Section 17 of the National Police Service Act states plainly: The President may remove, retire or redeploy a Deputy Inspector-General at any time before the Deputy Inspector-General attains the age of retirement. What that means in practice: Presidential instrument: A brief Gazette notice citing Section 17 is enough; no tribunal, no parliamentary vote. Vacancy rule: Within 14 days the President must appoint a new DIG on the recommendation of the National Police Service Commission, but Parliament cannot veto either decision. Court challenge: A fired DIG may seek judicial review under Article 47 (fair administrative action). Kenyan judges have tended to award damages, not reinstatement, in similar senior-security disputes. (No case filed yet.) Parallel routes remain possible: the Inspector-General or the Director of Public Prosecutions could first suspend and charge Lagat with the offences in question, allowing criminal law to supersede administrative removal. What Comes Next? A late-night ride turned tragic for 28-year-old boda boda operator Emmanuel Ekeno after a giraffe knocked him off his motorcycle on June 6 along a rural stretch of road near Kasarani, Naivasha North constituency. He died on the spot, becoming the first local fatality linked to a giraffe even as residents grapple with a string of earlier hippo and buffalo assaults. Emmanuel was seemingly kicked multiple times, including ramming him against the tarmac. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) dispatched rangers to restrain the giraffe so police could collect Emmanuels body, but neighbours say help came too late. Tulijua ni huyo mnyama alikuwa amemaliza; ilitusumbua sana kwa barabara, recalled neighbour John, describing the tense moments before officers arrived. Locals insist the same giraffe had injured another rider hours earlier. Emmanuels death has amplified long-standing fears in the farming villages fringing Kedong and Lake Naivasha wildlife corridors. Residents list at least ten animal attacks since 2017: hippos maiming fishermen, buffaloes charging farmhands, and now a giraffe roaming close to homesteads. Sisi bado mnatuambia, fomu ijatoka Nairobi, tutawapigia simu. Hii simu mtatupigia lini? asked Romano, who has waited eight years for compensation after a hippo severed his limbs in nearby wetlands. A Compensation System in the Spotlight Under Kenyas Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, families of fatal attack victims are entitled to up to Sh 5 million, while those injured can claim medical and disability payouts. Yet Treasury shortfalls and a manual verification process have produced a nationwide backlog of Sh 4.16 billion in unpaid claims as of February 2025, according to the Tourism and Wildlife Ministry. Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano says Sh 2.8 billion has been cleared in the past two years, but another Sh 1.36 billion remains pending. KWS recently outlined fresh guidelines on filing claims, urging victims to submit incident forms within 30 days and follow up with county wildlife offices. Even so, Naivasha residents complain that forms rarely reach them and phone calls go unanswered. Residents want KWS to erect warning signage, deploy more rangers at night, and fast-track boundary fencing around nearby ranches. For Emmanuels relatives, the priority is closure. They have filed a death-compensation claim and hope it will not languish for years like Romanos. Until then, riders still ply the narrow road under the gaze of roaming giraffes, hippos, and buffaloes hoping to go back home to their families. Kenya is grappling with a fresh Mpox outbreak, with 137 confirmed cases spreading across 16 counties, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday. The surge has raised fresh concerns about the viruss rapid transmission and potential to reach new regions. The Ministry would like to inform the public of more additional cases especially in new counties outside the Northern transport corridor, MoH noted. Busia County has recorded the highest number of infections at 48, followed closely by Mombasa with 37 and Nakuru with 16 cases. Other counties reporting multiple cases include Makueni (10), Nairobi (5), and Kajiado (3). Additional infections have surfaced in Bungoma, Taita Taveta, Kericho, and Kilifi, each confirming two cases, while Kiambu, Uasin Gishu, Migori, Machakos, Isiolo, Kisii, and Kirinyaga have reported one case each. Health officials have traced and monitored 400 individuals who were potentially exposed to Mpox. So far, 315 of them completed the 21-day observation period. However, 15 of those contacts later tested positive, underscoring the viruss high transmission risk. To strengthen early detection efforts, medical teams have screened over 4.8 million travelers at various border points. Anyone showing possible symptoms is immediately flagged for further medical evaluation. A total of 400 contacts have been identified, 315 have been monitored for the recommended period of 21 days. Of those, nine (15) contacts tested positive for Mpox. Additionally, over 4.8 million travelers have been screened at the Points of Entry, and suspected cases are identified for further investigation, read the statement in part. To boost public awareness, the Ministry has sent 15 million Mpox-related SMS alerts via Safaricom. Kenyans can also access free prevention tips by calling 719 or dialing *719#. Health experts continue to urge the public to remain vigilant and watch for key symptoms such as skin rashes, fever, and headaches. Kenya Power, in collaboration with law enforcement, arrested three suspects on Saturday night after they were caught vandalizing high-voltage underground electricity cables near Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi. Shockingly, one of the suspects, Dennis Mbithi Nzioki, is a police officer attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Makadara. The three, Nzioki, Thomas Mutua, and Joseph Kyalo, were part of a group of ten armed with crude tools. Authorities say the gang was tampering with 66kV underground cables, which serve as the main power supply to Ragati and Nairobi West substations. These substations provide electricity to critical areas including Kenyatta National Hospital, Upper Hill, South C, Nairobi West, Madaraka, South B, Industrial Area, and parts of Langata Road and Ngumo estate. The power lines also serve as backup for electricity supply to Nairobis Central Business District and its surrounding areas. Their vandalism, therefore, jeopardized not just primary power flow but also emergency redundancy systems. During the arrest, Kenya Powers security team recovered five meters of already-cut cable and seized tools including four hoes, two spades, and two hacksaws. The suspects are now being held at Capitol Hill Police Station, while the remaining seven managed to flee the scene. Kenya Power Managing Director & CEO Dr. (Eng.) Joseph Siror praised the swift action taken by the security team. He emphasized the companys commitment to increasing surveillance to prevent vandalism, which he said poses a threat to public safety and business continuity. Apart from posing the danger of electrocution, vandalism affects businesses and households through power outages and results in financial losses to the Company in terms of lost electricity sales and the cost of replacement of the vandalized equipment. said Dr. Siror. He urged the public to report suspicious activity near power infrastructure via *977# or to the nearest police station. Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has come out to correct widespread misinformation about the controversial Finance Bill 2025, assuring Kenyans that basic necessities remain untaxed.Speaking at a public forum, Mbadi addressed growing concerns while exposing how tax loopholes have been bleeding the economy dry. No New Taxes on Essentials Mbadi categorically denied social media claims that the bill introduces taxes on bread, milk, or unga. There is nowhere in the Bill where we are taxing bread, milk or unga, he stated emphatically during a public forum. They are not even mentioned. That is not my bill. Its a propaganda bill manufactured by the opposition, and unfortunately, some people have believed it The CS challenged Kenyans to read the actual document, further dismissing viral claims about increased VAT or taxes on newborn care as pure fiction. Ive heard people saying we will tax babies. Thats not true. You can read the real Finance Bill from page one to the last page. Theres nothing like that, he said. Cracking Down on Tax Fraud The Treasury chief revealed shocking details about systemic abuse of zero-rated goods, explaining why items like e-bikes and mobile phones are being moved to exempt status. E-bikes and mobile phones are not being taxed. Were just moving them from zero-rated to exempt because zero-rating is being abused, Mbadi explained. People make fake claims to KRA and take money that doesnt belong to them. He revealed that some businesses work with corrupt KRA officials to fraudulently claim tax refunds, robbing the public of nearly 500 billion shillings. That money being stolen is your money, Mbadi told citizens. You wake up every day, work hard, pay taxes, then someone fakes a claim and walks away with it. Clarifying Existing Tax Measures On the contentious issue of scrap metal taxation, Mbadi clarified: There is no new tax on scrap dealers. The tax was already there, but we just clarified it. Mbadi said similar adjustments apply to suppliers working with public institutions, who will now clearly fall under withholding tax regulations. The CS also addressed concerns about tax exemptions for vulnerable groups, affirming continued support for persons with disabilities and charities while emphasizing necessary safeguards. You have to apply through the right process, he noted. We approve many of these exemptions daily. But we cant leave it open-ended because it will be abused. A Plea for Informed Debate Frustrated by persistent misinformation, Mbadi made an impassioned appeal for citizens to engage with the actual bill rather than social media rumors. He recalled how similar misinformation surrounded last Decembers tax amendments, which ultimately brought beneficial changes like tax-free retirement pensions. Even in December, when I brought the Tax Laws Amendment Bill to Parliament, there was a lot of propaganda. Yet today, people are thankful that retirement pension is no longer taxable, he pointed out. Acknowledging the economic pain that fueled youth protests, Mbadi admitted: One reason Gen Zs went to the streets is because many are desperate. They finish school and cant find jobs. He framed the Finance Bill as part of broader efforts to stimulate job creation, stating: Our duty as the government is to create an environment where businesses can thrive and create employment. Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has appealed to Kenyans to remain calm and allow investigations into the death of blogger Albert Ojwang to proceed without violence. Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Passaris described the young bloggers death as heartbreaking and urged the public not to resort to violence. While acknowledging the widespread outrage, she cautioned against retaliatory acts, including attacks on police stations or political figures. The autopsy results are out, and they show that he went through a brutal death, and it is sad. We are in a month where we want reparation and healing. We want this country to move forward, Passaris said. She stressed that while people have a right to be angry, not all police officers are to blame. According to her, the police service has many who genuinely serve the public, and generalizing their actions could undermine efforts for meaningful reform. It is not all the policemen. I have seen on social media people calling for the burning of police stations and attacking politicians. I want Kenyans to understand we are in this together. The police service is not all bad; it is there to serve us, she added. Passaris further called on the government to urgently address systemic issues within the police force and ensure those responsible for Ojwangs death are held accountable. I know that this is going to anger a lot of Kenyans. What I ask for is absolute expedition of the investigations, and I ask the police for once to stand with Kenyans, to stand for justice, and to change their ways. If we try and play around with this case, it will not be good, she warned. A Kibera court has sentenced a suspect to death after convicting him on two counts of robbery with violence, stemming from a night of coordinated attacks in Kawangwares Madiaba area on November 3, 2024. Isaac Khanga, along with unidentified accomplices still at large, ambushed unsuspecting victims, using threats and intimidation to steal valuable items. In the first robbery, he made away with a Tecno phone worth Ksh. 24,000 and Ksh. 30,000 in cash. Later that same night, he struck again, snatching another mobile phone valued at Ksh. 15,000. The combined loot totaled Ksh. 39,000 in phones and a substantial cash sum. The court determined that Khangas actions were calculated and executed with the clear intent to instill fear. Prosecutor Ann Murage, appearing for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), built a solid case and proved Khangas guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Although others were involved, the court focused squarely on Khangas personal accountability. Principal Magistrate Christine Njagi noted that the death penalty remains constitutional under Kenyan law, and sentenced him to two death sentences one for each robbery. However, the second sentence will remain suspended. Khanga was formally charged on November 15, 2024, and the trial concluded within six months. Magistrate Njagi hailed the swift proceedings as a testament to the judiciarys commitment to expeditious justice. President William Ruto has condemned the death of Albert Ojwang in police custody and instructed the National Police Service to work swiftly, transparently, and credibly with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to determine what happened. Ojwang was tortured while in police custody, before being dumped at Central Police Station in bad shape. He would soon be transferred to Mbagathi Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. Like many Kenyans, the Head of State said he learned of Ojwangs death with utter shock and deep dismay. He offered condolences to Ojwangs father, Meshack, and the entire family for the cruel loss of their beloved son. This tragic occurrence, at the hands of the police, is heartbreaking and unacceptable. I strongly condemn the actions and omissions, including any negligence or outright criminality, that may have contributed to his untimely death, the President declared in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. Holding Police to Account Ruto reminded officers that taking anyone into custody comes with a tremendous responsibility for that persons safety, security, and well-being. He argued that protecting detainees is essential if police hope to retain credibility in the eyes of the public. The President also linked lasting reform to genuine autonomy, insisting that an independent service can raise its own standards of professionalism and weed out misconduct. The Service must rise to the challenge of firmly dealing with crime and lawlessness, while also eradicating misconduct and unprofessional behaviour within its own ranks, he said. Rutos directive to the Police Service is to cooperate fully with IPOA, take every necessary measure to facilitate the probe, and keep the public informed without compromising the case. He urged Kenyans to follow developments patiently but vigilantly and to avoid premature judgments that might derail the process. I fully expect that the truth about what happened to Ojwang will be established in due course, and that justice will be served, the President concluded. Ojwangs death on June 8 at Nairobi Central Police Station sparked public outrage and renewed scrutiny of Kenyas record on police accountability. IPOA has already launched a parallel inquiry, and human-rights organisations say they will monitor whether officers comply with summonses, share evidence, and protect witnesses. Full Statement: A troubling wave of church break-ins has shaken Kirinyaga County, leaving residents on edge and prompting police to intensify investigations into a growing trend of robberies targeting places of worship. The latest incident struck the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) All Saints Gatwe, where thieves staged a daring overnight break-in. The criminals made away with five bottles of communion wine, three television sets, and the churchs entire sound system. Father David Warui, the parish priest, revealed that Sundays service had ended without any incident. But by early Monday morning, parishioners were startled by screams and desperate prayers coming from inside the sanctuary. Rushing in, they found the church watchman tied up with ropes clearly traumatized but thankfully alive. They unmounted the screens we usually use during service, and also raided the strong room, where they took a mixer, said Reverend Warui. Father Warui estimated the stolen items to be worth over one million shillings, describing the loss as both financially and spiritually devastating. Outraged congregants condemned the attack as sacrilegious and urged the government to act swiftly in investigating the escalating church robberies. Many called for stronger security measures to protect houses of worship across the county. They also took a laptop and other small items from the church before proceeding to steal money and wine from the pastors office, said Cyrus Njue, a congregant. Njue added that the suspects also made away with a bottle that had contained the watchmans tea. Reports indicate that this was the fifth reported church robbery in the county within a span of three months. This Gatwe break-in follows a similar incident just three weeks ago at another ACK church in Mwea. In that case, thieves not only stole valuable items but also consumed sacramental bread and communion wine acts that many believers saw as deeply offensive. Pastor Ezekiels Church Hit in Church Robbery Trend The trend isnt limited to Kirinyaga. In Kilifi County, Pastor Ezekiel Oderos New Life Church and Prayer Centre was targeted Sunday night, June 1. According to Kilifi North Police Commander Stanley Tonui, five intruders disguised in police jungle uniforms scaled the churchs perimeter wall armed with pangas. Inside the church hall, the attackers found three men deep in prayer. They blindfolded the worshippers, tied them up with sisal ropes, and forced them to lie on the floor before stealing valuables, including a sacred covenant box, a unique artifact called Chuma ya meno saba, and a gold-plated serving set consisting of a tray, kettle, and six cups. Police arrested two security guards and a 24-year-old suspect in connection with the robbery. Investigations are ongoing, and the full value of the stolen items has yet to be determined. The back-to-back incidents have left faith communities shaken, highlighting the urgent need to safeguard religious institutions across Kenya. Bharti Dharapuram In the forests of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, there is an occasional rustling high up in the canopy. One looks up to catch glimpses of brown and chestnut through the leaves. If it is a particularly lucky day, we may see a large furry rodent launch itself into the air, extending the webbing between its legs to glide downhill, a long bushy tail following behind. This is a giant flying squirrel. Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge! A recent study modelled the distribution of two giant flying squirrels from the Eastern Himalayas using reports of sightings and environmental data. It found that only a fraction of the squirrels currently designated range harbours suitable habitat for these mammals; furthermore, this habitat is expected to drift westwards and break into small and isolated patches due to climate change. These findings raise alarms about the future of these poorly studied gliding mammals, calling for more research that can inform their conservation. Enigmatic gliders There are over 50 species of flying squirrels in the subfamily Sciurinae. These mammals glide between trees by stretching parachute-like membranes along their bodies to generate lift. Adapted to an arboreal life, flying squirrels play an important role in pollination and seed dispersal. We know about flying squirrels found in the Americas, Europe and Japan, says Nandini Rajamani, who leads the Sciurid Lab at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Tirupati. Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge! The diversity of flying squirrels is highest in the tropics. Unfortunately, the number of studies on flying squirrels here has been very low, says Rajamani, about the lack of information about their habitat requirements and distribution. In the more diverse regions, we somehow know less, she adds. Tropical forests are tall and multi-layered and nocturnal research is very challenging in landscapes like these because you simply dont see these animals, says Rajamani. All it takes is one glide and they are gone. Namdapha Tiger Reserve. Tropical forests have a complex structure, making it difficult to observe and study flying squirrels high up on the trees. Image by Rohit Naniwadekar via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). An additional challenge in studying flying squirrels is the species conundrum. Many of the larger flying squirrels belong to the genus Petaurista, a taxonomic puzzle with a dozen or more species distributed across Asia. They are very polymorphic, so you see incredible variability in coat colour even within a single species, explains Rajamani. Northeast India and the Himalayas have several flying squirrel species, but we know very little about their phylogenetic relationships, ecology and even their distribution, Rajamani says. Predictions of distribution and decline The eco-spatial modeling study assessed the Hodgsons giant flying squirrel and the Bhutan giant flying squirrel which are distributed in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. The two species vary in their elevational and geographic occurrences, though they overlap in the Eastern Himalayas of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Based on habitat and climate data from specific locations where each of these flying squirrels occurs, the researchers, built machine learning models to predict habitat suitability within the broad distribution range for each species. They used these models to forecast habitat suitability for future climate scenarios. The researchers used projections from two different climate models, one assuming intermediate greenhouse gas emissions and the other considering very high emissions. For both these scenarios, they used climate predictions for 2041-2060 and 2061-2080 to model habitat suitability for flying squirrels. Finally, the team used model predictions to assess how habitat shape and connectivity would vary because of climate change. Species distribution modelling tells us about the ecological envelope of a species based on existing knowledge, says Imon Abedin, a Ph.D. student at Bodoland University, Kokrajhar and one of the lead authors of the study. It tells us if a habitat is similar to where the species is known to be present. As a first step, the results can help us identify areas to start surveying. The Bhutan giant flying squirrel (Petaurista nobilis) is distributed across the borders of Bhutan, India and Nepal. A recent study modelled its habitat suitability using known occurrence records and forecasted species distribution under climate change. Image by Umeshsrinivasan via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). The study shows that only a small fraction (4%-14%) of the currently known range of these species, as designated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), harbours suitable habitats. Presently, areas in Nepal and the India-Nepal border are important for habitat connectivity for the Hodgsons giant flying squirrel, whereas the borders of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim with Bhutan are important corridors for the Bhutan giant flying squirrel. The models forecasts of habitat suitability under different climate change scenarios show significant declines from the present. For the Bhutan giant flying squirrel, which is found in isolated montane forests, the models predict habitat declines of >85% in two to six decades. For the Hodgsons giant flying squirrel, which has a broader elevational range in evergreen forests, models show variable predictions (10%-80%) of habitat loss. Both species, however, show a westward shift in their geographic range because of climate change, with fewer and more isolated patches of suitable habitat. The studys authors, however, point out that evaluating species distribution models trained using few or unreliable species records can be challenging. Reports of species presence are likely to be few and far between for narrowly distributed cryptic species. What is used as input is key, adds Rajamani. On-ground surveys can help researchers verify species presence in predicted areas of habitat suitability and gather additional occurrence locations that can iteratively improve the model. No flying squirrels without trees These predictions are alarming, given the existing threats of habitat loss and degradation in the Eastern Himalayas. Some of it is because of conversion to cash crop monocultures, illegal logging in low elevation forests, and infrastructure development, says Aparajita Datta, a scientist at the Nature Conservation Foundation who studies plant-animal interactions in the Eastern Himalayas. Land-use changes have led to habitat loss in the region, but their effect on biodiversity can vary based on the type of change. Shifting cultivation receives the blame for a lot of forest loss in this region, but recent research shows that it creates a mosaic of landscapes that can be better for biodiversity compared to complete conversion to monoculture, says Datta. Some flying squirrels are quite adaptable and can thrive in modified habitats such as fruit plantations, says Rajamani, based on observations in the Western Ghats. But flying squirrels in the genus Petaurista need tall forests, and the absence of tall trees spells habitat loss, she adds. The modelling study calls for field surveys for flying squirrels where model predictions can help researchers prioritise areas for monitoring. Maps of habitat suitability can even be used to assess the conservation status of species as has been done for the clouded leopard in Southeast Asia and the Himalayas, Abedin says. However, on-ground conservation efforts can be challenging for flying squirrels, as they often spill over international boundaries and cooperation across borders is needed to conserve habitats from crashing under climate change. This article originally appeared on Mongabay. Read the original article here Helene Budliger Artieda, State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Switzerland, on Tuesday said India is a preferred place for Swiss industry, as she highlighted India's huge consumer base, firm economic growth, and being a democracy. "We certainly see India as a preferred place for our industry because you are a democracy that helps. We feel united in values. You are an excellent consumer base. You have excellent growth," she told reporters at a press conference during Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's two-day Switzerland visit. "We really like to have a good relationship with as many markets as we can, but we do believe in the potential of India," Helene Budliger Artieda said. She said she is impressed with the Indian government's efforts to improve the lives of its people and alleviate poverty. "Minister Goyal this morning spoke about on how much people have been able to be lifted out of poverty and actually join the middle class in India, and those are exactly the consumers we hope that at one point they will eat Swiss chocolate or buy a Swiss watch, and you know, a Swiss watch you have of course the very expensive ones, but then you have also those that are equally good in quality but more affordable," she supplemented. EFTA trade deal has currently been ratified by three of the four members - Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland. "We are a direct democracy, so in Switzerland, we have to wait 100 days to see if anyone in Switzerland wishes to take a referendum. These 100 days is a formality, in the case of India it will be over 10th of July, and we are very (sure) that we can deposit our ratified document before the end of September," she said. "We're very ambitious about it. We spoke about it also with Minister Goyal, and we hope that it will enter into force first of October," she said. She said the huge number of Swiss businesses that took part in an industry event, in the presence of Minister Goyal, reflected the country's interest in India. On the second day of his visit, Goyal addressed a gathering of over 1,000 Swiss businesses, accompanied by Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin. Goyal highlighted India's "remarkable transformation" over the past 11 years in terms of technology, innovation, and how the country offers great avenues for doing business. "We had a record number of people in attendance, you know, I know in India you're used to big events, but in Switzerland, to have an event with 1,500 people in the room carefully listening to your minister showcases how much people are interested," she said. "This afternoon we did one on one meetings and if I just count a little bit in my head on what we heard today, how excited Swiss companies are, I think it will be very easy to reach that target of USD 100 billion (investment in Indi as part of EFTA deal) and more importantly for me it's also the 1 million job pledge that we did," she added. "This partnership with EFTA India should be a win-win situation for everyone. You have a very young population that needs jobs because you're trying to uplift people out of poverty into the middle class and upper middle class, and this is what Swiss companies can provide because we do compete on quality, precision, innovation, and usually these jobs pay well." Under EFTA, these four countries have pledged to invest USD 100 billion in India over the next 15 years. The negotiations between EFTA and India started in 2008, 21 rounds of negotiations were needed to reach an agreement on 10 March 2024, as per EFTA website. EFTA is an intergovernmental organisation set up in 1960 for the promotion of free trade and economic integration for the benefit of its four Member States. "Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland have reified this agreement. Switzerland's process will last another two and a half months (or so). It is expected that we will be able to implement this in October," Minister Goyal told ANI. (ANI) NewsVoir New Delhi [India], June 11: The Industries Department of the Government of Rajasthan is going to organize 'Rising Rajasthan' Partnership Conclave 2025 on December 11-12. The Partnership Conclave, under the hugely successful 'Rising Rajasthan' banner, comes as a follow-up of the 'Rising Rajasthan' Global Investment Summit 2024 held last year that facilitated the signing of investment proposals worth INR 35 lakh crore. Going beyond sharing updates on the implementation of MoUs signed during the summit, the 2-day conclave will showcase state's achievements and its development agenda, socio-economic impact of the investments and also facilitate dialogues with global thought leaders across domains like emerging technology trends, innovations, and their impact on global trade and supply chains. The Partnership Conclave will also have a special flavour of showcasing and exploring partnerships with a large number of entrepreneurs & startups in private and public domains. The economic reforms being ushered in by Rajasthan along with the launch of pro-business policies will also be showcased during the 2-day conclave. More significantly, the conclave will also facilitate the government-private tie-ups/partnerships on a series of investible projects under various departments of the Government of Rajasthan. The partnerships will be facilitated between government departments and investors across sectors ranging from infrastructure, utility services, mining, Information Technology, deep-tech, skilling, BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance) and GCC (Global Capability Centre) to social sectors like health, education, and nutrition among others. Shri Ajitabh Sharma, Principal Secretary, Industries & Commerce, Government of Rajasthan speaking about the significance of the Partnership Conclave, said, "The Partnership Conclave is a great opportunity to bring at the forefront the state's agenda for economic growth & key measures and reforms undertaken to promote ease of doing business in the state. The partnerships on investible projects has the potential to promote faster growth and bring a turnaround in public services, enhance accountability & promote efficient resource utilization. The Industries Department, that successfully organized the 'Rising Rajasthan' Global Investment Summit, is in the final stage of chalking out the agenda and various events for the successor event under the 'Rising Rajasthan' banner. Recently, Shri Sharma also chaired a meeting to review the preparations being done by the Industries Department for the 2-day conclave. It is worth noting that in the run-up to the investment summit held from 9-11 December 2024 under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Bhajan Lal Sharma, the government had exchanged record investment proposals worth INR 35 lakh crore. At the IMPACT 1.0 event held in March this year, the government had announced that the grounding of MoUs worth INR 3.08 lakh crore has already commenced in the state. (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) BusinessWire India Pune (Maharashtra) [India], June 11: Suzlon Group, India's no.1 wind energy solutions provider has been honored with the prestigious 2025 BEST Award by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), USA, ranking 7th Globally and 2nd in India. This recognition places Suzlon among a distinguished cohort of 57 global organizations acknowledged for embedding talent development as a core driver of business transformation. The ATD BEST Award is one of the highest accolades in the field of learning and development, honoring organizations that use talent development to achieve enterprise-wide success. Suzlon was recognised for its comprehensive talent development practices, including flagship programs like the Leadership Circle and the ACE (Accelerated Competency Enhancement) Program--designed to identify, mentor, and accelerate the growth of high-potential talent across levels. These initiatives reflect Suzlon's focus on structured mentorship, leadership capability-building, and succession planning to power the next generation of green energy leadership. Suzlon is shaping India's green careers by building strong industry-academia partnerships and launching youth-centric skilling initiatives. Through these efforts, it's creating pathways to employment in clean energy and bridging the sector's talent gap. Mr. JP Chalasani, Chief Executive Officer, Suzlon Group said, "We are honored and excited about this recognition. This award reflects our belief that our people are the strongest foundation of India's clean energy future. At Suzlon, talent development is not an initiative -- it's embedded in our culture and strategy. We are proud to be shaping a workforce that is agile, innovative, and equipped to lead in a rapidly evolving global energy landscape. The talent nurtured within Suzlon is not only powering our transformation but also contributing meaningfully to the broader renewable energy sector in India in various C-suites roles." Rajendra Mehta, Chief Human Resources Officer, Suzlon Group said, "Through its integrated learning ecosystem--spanning leadership development, functional upskilling, digital enablement, and grassroots training, Suzlon equips employees across levels to contribute meaningfully to long-term value creation. Its focus on inclusive growth, continuous capability building, and internal mobility forms the backbone of a high-performance culture that is both human-centric and future-facing." Tony Bingham, ATD President and CEO said, "These 57 BEST organizations are driving impact and solving business challenges through talent development practices and doing so in innovative ways. Senior leaders in these organizations understand the critical strategic role learning has, and they are committed to investing in the growth and development of their people." Now in its 22nd year, the ATD BEST Awards are among the most respected honors in the global talent development industry. The award recognized organizations that achieve enterprise-wide success through learning. For a complete list of winners and more information, visit the ATD BEST Awards webpage. (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) VMPL New Delhi [India], June 11: In today's fast-paced, data-driven world, proficiency in tools like Excel and PowerBI is no longer just an advantage, it's a necessity. Office Master's Excel and PowerBI Workshop, led by industry expert Aditya Goenka, is designed to equip data professionals with the skills they need to excel in their careers. A Game-Changer for Data Professionals Data professionals are constantly seeking ways to enhance their analytical capabilities and stay ahead in a competitive job market. The Office Master workshop offers a comprehensive curriculum that covers everything from basic operations to advanced data analysis techniques. Participants learn to transform raw data into actionable insights, a skill highly valued across industries. This workshop is a must for data pros because it not only teaches the technical skills needed to master Excel and PowerBI but also provides insights into how these tools can be leveraged to drive business decisions and improve efficiency. Workshop Highlights The three-hour workshop is conducted online, allowing participants from anywhere to join and benefit from the expert-led sessions. Upon completion, attendees receive a certificate of completion and access to workshop materials for future reference, adding tangible value to their professional development. Rave Reviews and Testimonials The workshop has earned glowing feedback from participants. One attendee shared in an Office Master workshop review, "The instructors break down complicated topics into easy-to-understand modules, making learning both effective and enjoyable." Another Office Master review praised its practicality: "The hands-on exercises and real-world examples made the content relatable and immediately applicable to my job." These testimonials highlight why this program stands out. Insights from Founder Aditya Goenka Aditya Goenka, co-founder of Office Master and a seasoned data analytics professional, is passionate about empowering learners. "Our goal is to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application," he says. "We want participants to leave the workshop feeling confident in their ability to use Excel and PowerBI to solve actual business problems." This Aditya Goenka review of the workshop's mission underscores its focus on actionable outcomes. The Office Master Journey Office Master was founded with a vision to make high-quality data analytics education accessible to all. Since its inception, the organization has trained thousands of professionals, helping them advance their careers and achieve their goals. The Excel and PowerBI Workshop is one of their flagship programs, consistently earning high praise and solidifying their reputation in the industry. Your Next Step to Data Mastery If you're a data professional looking to elevate your skills and stand out in your field, the Office Master's Excel and PowerBI Workshop is an opportunity you can't afford to miss. With expert instruction from Aditya Goenka, practical learning, and a proven track record of success, this workshop is your gateway to becoming a data analytics powerhouse. Sign up today and take control of your career! Company: Office Master Website: https://officemaster.in/ Email ID: hello@officemaster.in Contact No.: +91-9147183964 (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 11: In 2025, artificial intelligence (AI) will no longer be a futuristic concept but an integral part of everyday professional life. As industries rapidly evolve, professionals must master the latest AI tools to stay competitive. Enter Be10x, an ed-tech platform founded by IIT Kharagpur alumni Aditya Goenka and Aditya Kachave, which is revolutionizing how professionals learn and apply AI. Their flagship AI Tools Workshop has earned rave reviews for transforming participants into 10x more effective versions of themselves. With an average rating of 4.92/5 from over 24,563 reviews, this workshop isn't just a learning opportunity, it's a career accelerator. In this article, we'll explore why the Be10x AI Tools Workshop is essential for every professional in 2025, diving into the founders' journey, the workshop's offerings, and real customer testimonials highlighting its impact. Founders' Journey: From IIT to AI Pioneers Aditya Goenka and Aditya Kachave, the visionary founders of Be10x, are not just educators, they're seasoned entrepreneurs with a proven track record of leveraging AI to build successful ventures. Both alumni of the prestigious IIT Kharagpur, they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. Aditya Goenka, who interned at renowned institutions like Stanford University and UIUC during his undergraduate years, has co-founded multiple eight-figure companies, using AI tools and a lean team of just five people. Similarly, Aditya Kachave, who secured the highest fresher package in India (INR 1.2 crore), has also built two eight-figure companies with the same efficient approach. Their journey from students to successful entrepreneurs inspired them to create Be10x, a platform dedicated to empowering professionals with the skills needed to thrive in an AI-driven world. As Aditya Goenka often says, "AI won't replace you, but a person using AI will." This philosophy drives Be10x's mission to make AI accessible and actionable for all. The Workshop: A Game-Changer for Professionals The Be10x AI Tools Workshop is a 3-hour live session designed to equip professionals with practical AI skills that can be immediately applied to their work. Led by Aditya Goenka and Aditya Kachave, the workshop covers a range of topics, from the basics of Prompt Engineering to advanced AI technologies like ChatGPT and other AI Tools. Participants learn how to automate tasks, boost productivity, and enhance their skill sets in a beginner-friendly environment. Priced at just Rs. 9, the workshop's affordability ensures that cost is no barrier to learning, making it accessible to a wide audience. According to a student at the Be10x workshop, "The session was well-structured, easy to follow, and packed with practical tools that can be applied instantly to boost productivity and simplify work." Another participant, a 30-year-old working professional named Arushi, described it as "Infinite/10, 'tis a full worth the money workshop and it is like a vacation that is of good value." With over 50,000+ professionals already benefiting from Be10x's offerings, this workshop is a proven pathway to career growth. Reviews and Testimonials: Real Impact, Real Results The Be10x AI Tools Workshop has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, earning an average rating of 4.92/5 from 24,563 reviews--the highest in the ed-tech industry. Participants consistently praise the workshop for its practical approach and the founders' expertise. An Aditya Goenka review from one professional reads, "Aditya's teaching style is clear, engaging, and easy to follow, which helped me grasp complex topics effectively." Similarly, an Aditya Kachave review highlights his impact: "The hands-on approach and real-world examples made the session incredibly valuable." Another attendee shared in a Be10x review, "The workshop format encouraged real-time interactions, fostering relationship building and opening doors for potential collaborations." The practical learning experience has been a standout feature, with one participant noting, "I've learned how to save time and boost productivity effortlessly." These testimonials underscore the workshop's effectiveness in delivering tangible results, making it a valuable investment for professionals across industries. Conclusion: Invest in Your Future with Be10x In a world where AI is reshaping industries at an unprecedented pace, staying updated with the latest tools and technologies is not just an option--it's a necessity. The Be10x AI Tools Workshop offers professionals the opportunity to not only keep up but to excel. With expert guidance from founders Aditya Goenka and Aditya Kachave, practical learning experiences, and a community of like-minded individuals, this workshop is a gateway to becoming a super working professional. As the founders emphasize, mastering AI tools is the key to securing your job, enhancing your productivity, and unlocking your full potential. Don't miss out on the chance to transform your career--join the Be10x workshop today and take the first step towards a 10x more effective you. Visit their website today to start your journey! Company: Be10x Website: https://be10x.in/ Email ID: hello@be10x.in Contact No.: +91-9147330989 (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 11: In a landmark moment for India's education technology ecosystem, Digraj Singh Rajput, the visionary founder and CEO of Next Toppers, was honoured with the prestigious "Emerging Educator of Digital Bharat" award at the ABP Live SmartEd Conclave 2025. The award was conferred by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who also delivered the keynote address outlining the future direction of India's education policy. A Moment Aligned with National Education Priorities Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, in his keynote, emphasized the government's focus on: * Flexible board examinations* Emphasis on Indian languages and mother tongue* Redefining curriculum to reflect Indian roots and real-world employability Digraj Singh Rajput's work through Next Toppers aligns directly with these priorities--making him a true embodiment of the Digital Bharat education revolution. Digraj Singh Rajput: A Leader Backed by Results Digraj Singh Rajput has rapidly built one of India's most student-loved and outcome-oriented EdTech platforms. His flagship platform, Next Toppers, currently serves over 1 million students through a high-engagement app with 4.4+ star ratings on the Google Play Store and 4.1 stars on iOS, with over 60,000 user reviews. Instead of relying on marketing gimmicks or expensive branding, Digraj focused on three key pillars: 1. Mentorship-Led Learning: Students receive dedicated guidance with structured test analysis and personalized doubt resolution.2. High Accessibility via Mobile-First Learning: The platform has earned praise for its intuitive design and affordability, catering to Tier 2, Tier 3, and rural India.3. Technology with Empathy: Through feedback from thousands of learners, the platform continues to evolve with updates like bilingual content, SMS & mobile-based login, and adaptive performance analytics. Real Users, Real Results On app stores and community forums, Digraj is frequently praised for his line-by-line NCERT teaching and practical mentorship: "Digraj sir teaches straight from the root. In Aarambh batch, I actually understood NCERT like never before." - Verified student review"Other platforms may have hype, but Next Toppers is focused on results." - App Store feedback With 1M+ downloads, real learning outcomes, and a platform shaped by daily student feedback, Digraj has proven that his approach to education is not just innovative--but effective. Alignment with Dharmendra Pradhan's Vision : In his speech, Minister Dharmendra Pradhan called for: * Reducing dependence on English and encouraging regional languages* More inclusive, mother-tongue-first education systems* Transforming rigid exams into student-friendly assessment models These themes are deeply embedded into the Next Toppers framework. The platform supports bilingual learning and is built with an understanding of the psychological and academic challenges students face, especially in rural and underserved areas. About Digraj Singh Rajput : Digraj Singh Rajput is a grassroots education entrepreneur, the founder and CEO of Next Toppers, one of India's fastest-growing EdTech apps. His work has impacted over a million students by delivering high-quality learning through digital-first strategies that focus on access, affordability, and outcomes. Digraj Singh Rajput has identified real-world classroom challenges and built a high-impact, tech-powered platform to address them. His authentic journey--from student to award-winning CEO--and his inclusive, student-centric approach set him apart in India's EdTech landscape. (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) PRNewswire Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 11: Cipla Health, a leading player in consumer healthcare, announced the launch of its latest campaign, 'Cipladine - Aapka Fast Aid Expert', featuring acclaimed actress Neena Gupta as the brand ambassador. The campaign reinforces Cipladine's positioning as India's No.1 trusted solution for cuts, wounds, burns, and infections -- delivering fast and effective healing when it matters most. In a world where every second counts, everyday injuries like cuts, burns, and wounds can disrupt a person's journey towards new experiences. Consumers seek a quick-acting reliable solution that empowers them to get back to their daily lives without delay. Backed by its Povidone Iodine (PVPI) formula, Cipladine is proven to stay longer on the skin, penetrate deeper, and start acting within just 30 seconds, making it not just a first aid but true Fast Aid Expert. [1] Commenting on the campaign, Shivam Puri, MD & CEO, Cipla Health Ltd. said, "Cipladine has long been a trusted name in first aid, making it India's No. 1 antiseptic ointment. With our new 'Fast Aid' campaign, we're redefining timely care, delivering quick, effective relief when it's needed most. This latest narrative reaffirms Cipladine's place as a household essential, trusted across both urban and rural India. We're delighted to have Neena Gupta bring her authenticity and wide appeal to help take this message forward." Conceptulised by Lowe Lintas, the new campaign creatively brings the 'fast action' benefit of Cipladine to life through a series of films featuring Neena Gupta and Shashie Verma. In these quirky and relatable stories, Neena, a meticulous and quick-witted character, is often seen outpacing her slow, laid-back assistant, echoing Cipladine's rapid action on wounds. Neena Gupta, Actress & Brand Ambassador, shared her excitement about the association, saying, "As someone who believes in tackling life head-on, I love the idea of being associated with a product that does the same. Cipladine is quick, reliable, and versatile, it reminds me of the kind of roles I enjoy doing. Being a part of this campaign was a delightful experience." Sharing his thoughts, Subramanyeswar S. Group CEO - India & Chief Strategy Officer - APAC, MullenLowe Global said, "Cipladine has long held the leadership position in its category, but true leadership lies not in maintaining the status quo, it lies in continuously raising the bar. We asked ourselves: how can a leader lead even more distinctively? The answer emerged in a powerful insight - speed - a critical need in first aid. That's when we reimagined Cipladine not just as a product, but as a solution--a FASTAID EXPERT in the world of FIRSTAID solutions." Sarvesh Raikar, President (Creative), Lowe Lintas added, "The category of first aid solutions has been quite predictable in its problem-solution communication approach. We needed to break the clutter with a fresh tone of voice. The idea of an ultra-efficient boss and her quests to set things right without wasting time served as a perfect backdrop to launch our refreshed brand idea - to move from 'FIRST-AID to 'FAST-AID' Expert. The chronicles of Neena Gupta and her secretary Sashi Verma, directed by the national-award winning director Vivek Dubey, effortlessly bring alive our new narrative of speed, while also bringing a smile on the viewers faces." The campaign is now live across TV, digital, print, OOH and trade visibility assets, to ensure maximum reach and engagement. Catch the film here - * Film 1* Film 2 Agency Credits: Agency: Lowe LintasCreative: Sarvesh Raikar, Ninad Gawhankar, Prashant PawarServicing: Adhideb Ghosh, Jonita Quadros, Nisha JafferPlanning: Shipra ChinchankarProduction House: Thunder FilmsDirector: Vivek Dubey Client Credits: Marketing TeamCategory Director: Abhiroop ChatterjeaMarketing Managers: Trishna Shah, Kunal Mehta About Cipla Health Limited: Cipla Health Limited, the fast-moving wellness goods (FMWG) arm of Cipla, was incorporated in 2015 with a vision to spearhead the wellness wave in India. Cipla Health has delivered rapid growth and today plays across a diverse portfolio of 20 brands with most key brands being No. 1 or No. 2 in their respective categories. The portfolio includes products in Pain Care (Omnigel), Smoking Cessation (Nicotex), Oral Rehydration Solutions (Prolyte), Medicated Ointments (Cipladine), Cough & Cold (Cofsils and Naselin), Multi Vitamins (Maxirich), Weight Gain (Endura Mass) and Personal Care (Rivela Dermascience, Cetafresh, Tugain Essentials). Source: [1]Cipladine Contains Povidone Iodine And It Acts On Microbes Infecting Wounds. Lachapelle JM, Et Al. Clin. Pract. (2013) 105(5), 573-592 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2658055/5252537/Cipla_Health_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) Adani Cement, comprising Ambuja Cements and ACC has played its part in the construction of the recently inaugurated world's highest railway arch bridge over river Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir. In a statement Wednesday, Adani Cement said it was the lead cement supplier in the landmark project with 65,000 metric tonnes. The cement supplied was Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) 43 Grade, known for its high strength, durability, and consistent quality, making it ideal for complex and large-scale infrastructure exposed to extreme climatic and geological conditions, it said. Vinod Bahety, CEO - Cement Business, Adani Group, said, "It is a matter of immense pride for us to be part of a project that not only redefines engineering boundaries but also contributes to national integration." "At Adani Cement, we believe that every bag of cement carries the weight of the nation's progress. The Chenab Bridge is a shining example of how our commitment to quality, consistency and timely delivery supports India's infrastructure story." A vital part of the Indian Railways' ambitious infrastructure expansion in the region, the bridge stands as a testament to India's resolve to connect its remotest geographies through world-class infrastructure. The execution of this engineering feat was anchored by Indian Railways. "This milestone reinforces Adani Cement's position as a preferred partner in nation-building -- from urban skylines to remote frontiers. As India builds faster, stronger and more sustainably, Adani Cement remains committed to delivering the foundation for growth, resilience and transformation," the cement company said in the statement. 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 last week. 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. 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. (ANI) PNN Dubai [UAE], June 11: Siddharth Balachandran, a UAE-based Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist, has been awarded the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Medal for Philanthropy, one of the highest civilian honors in the United Arab Emirates for humanitarian work. The award, presented by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, recognizes individuals and organizations for their exceptional contributions to charitable causes and social impact initiatives in the region. Balachandran was honored for what officials described as his "outstanding effort and contribution to the enrichment of charitable and humanitarian work" across the UAE and India. The medal is considered a symbol of the Ruler of Dubai's commitment to a more compassionate and equitable society and is intended to encourage a culture of giving. "It's about giving back," said Balachandran in response to the honor. "If you are in a particular jurisdiction, you should contribute as much as possible there." Recognizing Impact Across BordersThe Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Medal for Philanthropy highlights sustained and tangible impact in humanitarian work. Past recipients include Yusuff Ali M.A., Chairman of Lulu Group. The award serves as public recognition of exemplary dedication to social causes and aims to inspire broader engagement in philanthropy across the region. Balachandran was recognized for his significant support of key humanitarian campaigns in Dubai, including contributions to the Mother's Endowment and Father's Endowment initiatives, which fund programs focused on education, healthcare, and community rebuilding. He has also worked closely with the Indian consulate in Dubai to assist migrant worker communities in times of distress, particularly during emergencies. Environmental and Social Work in IndiaIn India, Balachandran's philanthropic initiatives are carried out through the Buimerc India Foundation, where he serves as a trustee. The foundation is engaged in large-scale environmental conservation and community empowerment projects. Key programs under the Foundation include: * Mangrove Restoration in Kerala: A three-year, 50-kilometer project in collaboration with the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, aiming to restore coastal ecosystems affected by climate change and human intervention. * Reforestation in Wayanad: The removal of invasive species across 300 acres of degraded forestland, with support from Forest First Samithi and tribal communities. The project promotes natural regeneration of elephant habitats and native biodiversity. * Elephant Habitat Support in Mathura: In partnership with Wildlife SOS, the Foundation supports afforestation efforts at an elephant rehabilitation center, transforming barren land into a thriving ecosystem using the Miyawaki method. * Youth Environmental Education at Point Calimere: A collaborative initiative with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to promote ecological awareness among school students, focusing on bird migration, conservation, and biodiversity. These programs are aligned with global environmental priorities and reflect growing awareness about sustainability and the role of private sector actors in ecological restoration. Bridging Philanthropy and Policy Vision The medal also signals the UAE leadership's emphasis on cross-border philanthropy and the role of business leaders in furthering social equity and climate action. The Government of Dubai's recent philanthropic roadmap stresses multi-sector partnerships and measurable social outcomes -- criteria that Balachandran's work has consistently addressed. The recognition is especially notable for its regional scope. While Balachandran resides in Dubai and leads business operations from the UAE, much of the impact of his work spans across national boundaries, with direct benefits to communities in India. Government and Community Reaction Officials from both the UAE and Indian diplomatic missions have welcomed the award as a "positive signal of shared humanitarian values." The Indian consulate in Dubai issued a statement congratulating Balachandran and commending his long-standing contributions to community welfare. Local environmental groups in Kerala and Tamil Nadu also acknowledged the support from Buimerc India Foundation as "a vital intervention in otherwise underfunded conservation zones." An Emblem of Responsibility Speaking on the broader meaning of the award, Balachandran said: "I am honored to receive this prestigious gold medal from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It reinforces my belief in the transformative power of philanthropy -- for people, the planet, and future generations." The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Medal for Philanthropy continues to serve as a benchmark for recognizing leaders who integrate social purpose into their operational models. In honoring Balachandran, the UAE underscores the importance of sustained, cross-border impact, particularly in areas of environmental sustainability, social equity, and humanitarian aid. (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 11: Incense Media - India's leading B2B media hub for the incense and fragrance industry has rescheduled its flagship event, the 10th International Agarbatti & Perfume Expo 2025, to June 15-16, 2025, at Yashoobhoomi - India International Convention and Expo Centre, Dwarka, New Delhi. The two-day mega expo will bring together around 150 companies, over 8,000 trade visitors, and delegates from more than 10 countries, making it India's largest platform for the Incense, Fragrance, and Puja Samagri sectors. It will be a key destination for retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and allied industries to connect and explore business opportunities. The expo will showcase innovations in aromatic products, machinery, packaging, and logistics, with a special focus on Puja Samagri, enhancing its cultural relevance. The event is backed by Affarom (Title Sponsor), Hari Darshan (Main Sponsor), DevDarshan (Power Sponsor), and co-sponsors like Delta Dhoop, Aromatika, JB Fragrances, Lawhiff Fragrances, Ashapura Aromas, Laxmi Products and others. Rohit Seth, President of Sugandh Vyapaar Sangh has extended strong support. Incense Media's founder Deepak Goyal said, "This is more than a rescheduling; it's a reaffirmation of our values and a bigger-than-ever platform for industry growth. We aim to create a massive opportunity for the industry to scale up and tap into new markets." For more details on Delhi Agarbatti & Perfume Expo 2025, Visit www.incensemedia.in Contact +91 9549404000 / +91 9950360444.Email: info@incensemedia.in | incensemediajpr@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) GTF Technologies New Delhi [India], June 11: Heights Group, celebrated for its transformative initiatives at the intersection of culture, cinema, and storytelling, proudly presented its latest project, "Ancient Temples of Bharat," at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. Featured at the India Pavilion, the project drew wide acclaim from filmmakers, scholars, and cultural leaders across the globe. Bharat is home to a myriad of ancient temples that stand as architectural marvels, embodying the rich cultural and spiritual tapestry of the nation. Rooted in the Sanatani culture, these temples showcase a harmonious blend of art, religion, and philosophy.These sacred spaces encapsulate the essence of Sanatani tradition -- a belief system deeply connected to spirituality, ancestral wisdom, and the eternal quest for the divine. The intricate craftsmanship, spiritual symbolism, and devotion embedded in these ancient structures continue to inspire awe and reverence, making them not just monuments of the past, but living testaments to India's enduring soul. Spearheaded by the visionary Kaifi Bharti, Founder of Heights Group, the film will be a cinematic homage to India's temple legacy -- showcasing these timeless architectural wonders that embody centuries of devotion, artistry, and civilizational wisdom.It is a narrative that speaks not only to the eyes, but to the soul -- a powerful message meant to resonate across generations, igniting a deeper understanding of heritage, humanity, and spiritual consciousness. The Cannes showcase became a hub of vibrant dialogue as global luminaries engaged with the project's narrative and philosophical depth. Noted academician and filmmaker Prof. Karl Bardosh, lauded the initiative, stating: "Projects like 'Ancient Temples of Bharat' remind the world of India's enduring contributions to architecture, spirituality, and storytelling. It is an immersive journey that fosters global cultural understanding." The overwhelming response underscored a universal truth: India's cultural heritage is a wellspring of knowledge, beauty, and spiritual depth. Attendees left the Pavilion with renewed admiration for the profound legacy enshrined within India's temple architecture. For Heights Group, Ancient Temples of Bharat is not merely a project--it is a cultural movement. As Kaifi Bharti shared: "India's heritage is a gift to the world. Through our films, festivals, and initiatives, we aim to take the sacred stories of our temples, traditions, and timeless wisdom to every corner of the globe. This is just the beginning." Over the years, Heights Group has been instrumental in driving global cultural dialogue -- from championing Indian classical arts on international platforms to fostering Indo-global business and creative collaborations. With Ancient Temples of Bharat, the Group reaffirms its mission to present India's soul through stories that transcend borders. As the world seeks deeper cultural connections, Heights Group remains committed to carrying the spirit of Bharat to the global stage -- one meaningful project at a time. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by GTF Technologies. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) NewsVoir Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 11: Asian Paints, India's leading name in home aesthetics, has launched its latest corporate campaign 'Socha Bhi Nahi Hoga' - Beyond Your Imagination, highlighting the creativity and possibilities that come with designing a beautiful home. The campaign redefines how we look at colour, decor, and the very idea of home transformation. Through lighthearted storytelling and relatable moments, it effortlessly showcases how transforming a home can be both joyous and inspiring, making the entire journey feel intuitive, guided and full of unexpected possibilities. Rooted in the spirit of the brand's ethos of bringing joy to peoples' lives, the campaign demonstrates how Asian Paints supports homeowners at every step, offering hyper-personalised solutions whenever they feel stuck. It highlights the many ways homeowners can connect with the brand, whether through at-home consultations, online support, or expert guidance in stores, ensuring every home truly tells its unique story. The campaign is a four-part ad series showcasing simple, effective home improvement solutions. It follows a young couple as they renovate their home, turning ideas into reality. In the first film, the wife imagines a wall colour, only to be playfully countered by her husband, who uses the Colour with Asian Paints app to reveal the perfect shade. The tool helps them visualise walls in real time, making decisions easier and more confident. Today's consumers want colour combinations that reflect their unique personalities. The second film captures a playful debate between the couple over the perfect palette, resolved by an Asian Paints via a WhatsApp chatbot and in-store expert, who guide them to a choice that suits both their styles and space. Catering to design-savvy homeowners with global tastes, the third film sees the wife surprise her husband by recreating the charm of Italy--his favourite travel destination--using a Royale Play wall texture. As the expert walks them through the Royale Play catalogue, he leaves them stunned, remarking, 'Socha Bhi Nahi Hoga'. In the last film, the wife dreams of bringing Sabyasachi into their home, not just her wardrobe. Her skeptical husband is left speechless when the Asian Paints expert introduces the refined 'Sabyasachi for Nilaya' collection. When the husband asks, 'Sabya?' in disbelief, the expert responds with a clever, 'Sachi', closing the scene with a playful wordplay. Speaking about the corporate digital series, Amit Syngle, MD & CEO, Asian Paints said, "For over eight decades, we have continuously reinvented ourselves to pioneer innovation and become an integral part of consumers' homes. With 'Socha Bhi Nahi Hoga', we're going beyond the functional aspects of painting and instilling a sense of imagination in homeowners. This campaign is about inspiring people to see their homes as a canvas for self-expression--where colour, texture and design come together in ways they may have never considered. True to our philosophy, Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai, we believe in helping people create homes that genuinely reflect their identity and tell a story that's unique to them. Through this series, we invite consumers to embark on a transformative journey with us." Watch the digital series Socha Bhi Nahi Hoga on YouTube youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BHpqroisHaOoGX_PMfv4eZu-KyUKl5L&si=hLwnF81je06T3_ro Speaking on the campaign, Sukesh Nayak, CCO, Ogilvy said, "Think Asian Paints. Think wall paints. The two are synonymous. But what one doesn't think of is how big this universe of colours, designs, materials, textures really is. Or how innovative and advanced. It truly is beyond one's imagination. This is exactly what we brought to life in our 'Socha Bhi Nahi Hoga' campaign. The world of Asian Paints that lies beyond your imagination. And your dream home that's always within reach." CREDITS: Client: Asian Paints Agency: Ogilvy, Mumbai Creative Team (Ogilvy): Sukesh Nayak, Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Kainaz Karmakar, Chhavi Sahni, Prasad Kulkarni & Rahul Rudra Account Management Team (Ogilvy): B Ramanathan, Anish Raghu, Pranesh Arde, Prathamesh Thakur & Rupali Shriram Planning Team (Ogilvy): Prem Narayan, Samhita Chaudhuri & Kshitij Rajoria Production House: FFI (For Films India) Director: Aditya Sengupta Producer: Zara Sengupta & Unnati Agarwal 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. (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) NewsVoir New Delhi [India], June 11: Shri Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary (SGT) University, Gurugram, in partnership with Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini (RMP), Chandragupt Institute of Management Patna (CIMP), and the Public Policy Research Centre (PPRC), co-hosted a one-day national seminar titled "Bihar Leads the Rising East" at the CIMP Campus in Patna. This landmark event aimed to bring together stakeholders from governance, academia, and civil society to reflect on Bihar's development journey and chart new directions for its inclusive development. The seminar was conceptualized under the leadership of Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, Chancellor, SGT University, and Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Former Member, Rajya Sabha, and Vice-Chairman, RMP. The event provides a platform for in-depth discussions on Bihar's economic resurgence, governance models, rural development, and future policy frameworks. The introductory address was given by Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, who said that "Bihar today is emerging not just as a symbol of cultural pride but as the capital of aspirational progress. Institutions beyond Bihar, including SGT University, PPRC, and RMP, must collaborate to analyze the Purvodaya model and accelerate development in the eastern states. To realize the vision of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat,' we must document Bihar's success stories and share its best practices across the nation." Shri Samrat Choudhary, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, spoke on the tremendous progress the state is making and will continue to make. "Bihar is witnessing a historic transformation, where once no new medical colleges or universities came up for decades; today we proudly have 32 universities and a budget of Rs. 3.17 lakh crore. With Vikramshila University set for revival and land already allotted, we are reclaiming our legacy and building a stronger future for our youth." Also, part of the start of the event was an address by Prof. (Dr.) Hemant Verma, Vice Chancellor, SGT University, who emphasized the importance of collaboration for development. "Bihar has long been a cradle of intellectual tradition, from Nalanda to Takshashila. As development increasingly pivots toward the eastern states, universities must move beyond academics to engage with public policy, governance, and field-based research. Today's youth seek more than degrees, they want to understand and influence policies," he said. The seminar featured three thematic sessions that explored innovation and impact stories from Bihar, evaluated the implementation of central policies in the state, and envisioned a roadmap for Viksit Bihar @ 2047. Policy insights and success stories were shared by dignitaries including Shri Harivansh Narayan Singh, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha; Shri B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog; Shri Nitish Mishra, Industrial Minister, Bihar; and Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of Law and Justice, Government of India. The Valedictory Session was presided over by Shri Arif Mohammad Khan, Governor of Bihar, as the Chief Guest. In his key address, he talked about the vision of progress that he had for this state. "Today, I see Bihar beginning to write its own story of transformation. The roads that once took two hours to travel now take just 45 minutes. The change is visible not just in our infrastructure but also in our spirit. Women, who were once under-represented in public service, are now stepping forward in greater numbers to serve in the police and other sectors. These may seem like scattered signs, but together they mark the dawn of a new Bihar." The last session also included the ceremonial release of the report titled "Bihar: BIMARU to Behtar." As a leading academic institution, SGT University is proud to be part of this initiative and remains committed to contributing to India's development through policy dialogue, research, and partnerships. This seminar stands as a testament to the power of institutional collaboration in shaping a purposeful and progressive national future. Nurturing Future Leaders in Gurugram Through Excellence in Education Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University (SGT University), Gurugram, is one of the leading multidisciplinary institutions in Delhi-NCR, accredited with an A+ grade by NAAC. With over 200 programs across diverse fields such as Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, Design, and Management, SGT University is committed to academic excellence, industry alignment, and research innovation. It houses advanced research labs, Centres of Excellence, and government-recognised incubation centres. With 600+ patents, 10,000+ publications, and collaborations with top organisations like Deloitte, Infosys, and KPMG, SGT University is a catalyst for transformative learning, entrepreneurship, and career-ready talent for a global future. For more information, please visit sgtuniversity.ac.in/index (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) Leaders of both the countries explored opportunities in clean energy, digital technology, climate action, healthcare, life sciences, and skill development. In a post on social media platform X, Goyal said that he also invited greater Swedish participation in India's expanding infrastructure and manufacturing landscape, expressing optimism about deepening economic ties. "Had a highly productive meeting with Benjamin Dousa, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, and Hakan Jevrell, State Secretary for Foreign Trade, Sweden, today," he added. "We discussed strengthening collaboration across sectors like clean energy, digital technology, climate, healthcare & life sciences, and skill development, among others. Invited greater Swedish participation in India's growing infrastructure and manufacturing sectors. Looking forward to unlocking new chapters of cooperation," the Union Minister said in his X post. Before his trip to Sweden, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal completed two-day visit to Switzerland. During his visit, Minister interacted with the business tycoons and CEOs of several companies. Goyal's discussions with the business delegates focused on how to best leverage the agreement to boost economic ties. Goyal also held a series of sectoral interactions with CEOs of several Swiss pharmaceutical and life sciences companies. Goyal also co-chaired a Business Roundtable on the Machinery, Electrical & Metal (MEM) Industry with Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin in Bern. After the conclusion of his Switzerland visit, Goyal indicated that the Swiss part of the EFTA will possibly be implemented from October 2025, with the other three countries -- Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway-- already having ratified the trade deal. Goyal highlighted India's "remarkable transformation" over the past 11 years in terms of technology, innovation and how the country offers great avenues for doing business. He also encouraged Swiss industry and businesses to explore unparalleled opportunities for growth and investment in India, leveraging India's skilled and talented workforce and facilitative business ecosystem. (ANI) SMPL New Delhi [India], June 11: Brit Accent Company revolutionizes the perfume industry with innovative scents and marketing strategies, capturing significant market share in just six years. Brit Accent Company, a once-fledgling startup, has emerged as a dominant force in the global perfume market, showcasing unprecedented growth and innovation since its inception in 2019. The company's meteoric rise is attributed to its unique blend of traditional British fragrances with modern twists, coupled with strategic marketing campaigns that resonated with consumers. The company's vision was to create perfumes that capture the essence of British culture and tradition while appealing to modern sensibilities. This unique approach set the stage for their incredible journey from a fledgling business to a market leader in the global perfume industry. CEO and Founder, Rohit Kumar Agrawal, states, "Our journey from a small startup to a market leader has been nothing short of extraordinary. We've redefined what it means to wear a truly British Scent Smell, and our customers have embraced our vision wholeheartedly." Brit Accent's success stems from its commitment to sustainable practices and the use of locally-sourced ingredients, setting new industry standards. The company's flagship product, "Canyon Perfume and Depth of Ocean Perfume" has become a bestseller in India, cementing its position as a top brand in India. Richa Agrawal, Chief Marketing Officer, adds, "Our success lies in our ability to tell a compelling story through our fragrances. Each scent is a journey through British culture and history, resonating with consumers on an emotional level." As Brit Accent continues to expand its product line and reach to Indian's, industry analysts predict further growth and market dominance in the coming years. The company's innovative approach to fragrance creation and marketing has not only disrupted the perfume industry but also set new benchmarks for startups worldwide. Brit Accent's success can be attributed to its clever combination of traditional British fragrances with contemporary twists. This approach allowed them to create scents that are both familiar and exciting to consumers. By reimagining classic British aromas, the company has managed to carve out a distinct niche in the crowded perfume market. Brit Accent's journey from a small startup to a market leader in the perfume industry is a testament to the power of innovation, sustainability, and effective storytelling. As the company continues to grow and evolve, it serves as an inspiration for entrepreneurs and businesses around the world. About Brit Accent Company: Founded in 2019, Brit Accent Company is a leading perfume seller known for its innovative fragrances that capture the essence of British culture. With a commitment to sustainability and quality, the company has rapidly grown to become a major player in the Indian fragrance market. Website : https://www.britaccent.com/ Social Profile : https://www.instagram.com/britaccent.official/ Contact Information: Brit Accent (Sangrila Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd.) Address : 701, 7F, ILD Trade Centre, Sector 47, Gurgaon, Haryana, 122018 Phone: 8287130093 Email: admin@britaccent.com (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by SMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) Music mogul and fashion entrepreneur Kanye West appears to be embracing yet another evolution of his identity. The rapper, who legally shortened his name to Ye in 2018, has now been referred to as Ye Ye in several official business documents filed in the state of California. According to documents obtained by E! News, on June 10, the name "Ye Ye" is listed in filings related to West's ventures, including Yeezy Apparel, Yeezy Record Label, and Ox Paha Inc. His Chief Financial Officer, Hussain Lalani, used the updated name when identifying West as a key figure in the companies, naming him as a "manager or member," as per E! News. As of now, it remains unclear whether the 48-year-old artist has initiated a formal legal name change to Ye Ye. In California, such a change would require publishing a legal notice in a local newspaper before a judge considers the petition. No such public filing has yet been reported, as per E! News. West's interest in name changes is rooted in deeper personal and spiritual meaning. When he changed his name to Ye in 2018, he explained the decision by referencing religious texts, and said, "In the Bible, it means 'you.' So, I'm you, I'm us, it's us. It went from Kanye, which means the only one, to just Ye, just being a reflection of our good, our bad, our confusion, everything," as quoted by E! News. The name Ye was also the title of his eighth studio album, which he described as embodying the energy and duality of human nature. "I wanted something that felt with the energy," he said in an interview at the time, adding, "Just with the universe was giving me, I wanted to match that energy," as quoted by E! News. Most recently, West appeared to distance himself from his previous online persona. On May 31, he announced his departure from his verified account on X (formerly Twitter), which still bears the handle @kanyewest. "Ima finally stop using the @kanyewest Twitter cause my name is Ye," he wrote, adding, "Gonna start a ye account and it is what it is." West shares four children, North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm, with ex-wife Kim Kardashian. (ANI) The comedy-drama series, produced by The Viral Fever (TVF), continues its humorous and heartfelt portrayal of rural life in the fictional village of Phulera. Created by Deepak Kumar Mishra and Chandan Kumar, and directed by Mishra along with Akshat Vijaywargiya, the new season brings back the show's signature blend of satire, warmth, and rustic charm. The story picks up with political rivalries in full swing, capturing the chaos, drama, and comedy of small-town elections. Returning to their iconic roles are Jitendra Kumar as Sachiv Ji, Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Faisal Malik, Chandan Roy, Sanvikaa, Durgesh Kumar, Sunita Rajwar, and Pankaj Jha, each adding depth and nuance to the growing tensions in Phulera. The newly launched trailer showcases a village transformed into a vibrant political battleground. With raucous rallies, campaign slogans, and behind-the-scenes scheming, the election drama between Manju Devi and Kranti Devi sets the tone for a high-stakes, laughter-filled season. The trailer teases a mix of music, mischief. https://www.instagram.com/p/DKwABlLtLUM/ Chandan Kumar, the series' creator and writer, emphasised the show's commitment to evolving characters and relatable storytelling. "Each season unfolds naturally, always grounded in Phulera's emotional rhythms. With Season 4, we dive deeper into the relationships and introduce dynamics that keep the world fresh while staying true to its heart," he said in a press statement. Neena Gupta, who reprises her role as Manju Devi, reflected on her character's transformation and said, "It's been exciting to watch her grow from a hesitant pradhan to a confident voice in village politics. This season brings unexpected twists, it's fun, feisty, and full of surprises." Jitendra Kumar, beloved as the earnest Sachiv Ji, added, "Panchayat is a cultural phenomenon. Its humour and grounded storytelling resonate with audiences across ages and geographies. Season 4 brings a new dose of warmth and chaos from Phulera, and I can't wait for fans to dive in." 'Panchayat' season 4 will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in India and over 240 countries and territories worldwide. (ANI) According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ruffalo will play the role of Joseph Califano, opposite Ruth Madeley as disability rights activist Judy Heumann. 'Being Heumann' is based on Heumann's memoir of the same name and focuses on her leadership in a 28-day sit-in at the San Francisco Federal Building in 1977. The protest aimed to enforce Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, requiring accessibility for all federal spaces. Heder co-wrote the script with Rebekah Taussig, and Apple Studios, Permut Presentations, and The Walsh Company produced the film. Judy Heumann, who passed away in 2023 at 75, will receive an executive producer credit alongside Being Heumann co-author Kristen Joiner, Diana Pokorny, and Jim Lebrecht. Heder will also produce the film through her overall deal with Apple, as per The Hollywood Reporter. Ruffalo is a four-time Oscar-nominated actor who has recently appeared in films like 'Poor Things' and 'Mickey 17.' He will next be seen in the feature 'Crime 101,' opposite Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry. Heder's previous collaboration with Apple includes directing the film 'CODA,' which won Oscars for best picture, best supporting actor for Troy Kotsur, and best adapted screenplay for Heder's script. She also executive-produced the series 'Little America.' (ANI) "Main bhaut roya," expressed renowned sufi artist Sagar Bhatia, remembering the never-experienced-before feeling during a recent car drive, where it hit him how much his life has transformed for the better after years of struggles. Overwhelming and unexplainable emotions of joy and gratefulness left him teary-eyed. That day, he vowed to continue the hard work that had taken him this far in the industry and always make his audience smile with his music, especially with "Sagar Wali Qawwali". Hailing from Delhi's Jamnapaar, Sagar was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Despite humble beginnings, his ambitions and aspirations remain undeterred and persistent. In the initial years of his career, he played guitar at Jagrans. He also went to play in bars. In 2010, Sagar formed a band and led as a guitarist and then eventually tried his hand at singing. In 2014, a significant moment came in his life as he participated in the reality show 'India's Raw Star', where he was amongst the Top 6 finalists. He kept on working hard to achieve his goals. He enhanced his skills with every passing year. And with his talent, he has made a mark on Qawwali scene in India. Inspired by the qawwali legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a couple of years ago, Sagar embarked on a new path by choosing the qawwali genre as a full-fledged profession. Today, his 'Sagar Wali Qawalli' brand has transcended national borders, conducting shows in the US, UK and UAE. Sagar, a Delhiwala with big dreams in his eyes, learnt everything about music on his own. "I have never received professional training in music. My experiences taught me everything about different aspects of music. Performing guitar at devotional jagratas taught me a lot. I used to observe people singing. I used to wonder how they could sing for so long at shows. Maine fir bars mein guitar bajaya, Cabret dance mein bajaya, purane and naye gaane mein, paisa bhi kamaya aur seekha bhi," he told ANI. "Whatever I have learnt from childhood till now, I incorporated it to form my 'Sagar Wali Qawaali'. What I have learnt so far after making mistakes, I will produce something better using all of that later. Though he does not have a professional guru in his life, he never forgets how his mother played a crucial role in fulfilling his dreams. "I learnt everything while on the job. I did not have that kind of financial condition to take training. I did not have a teacher. My mother gave me Rs 2400 for learning the guitar for three months. When that money was spent, my learning was over. I started teaching kids. One of those kids asked me 'Woh waala gaana seekhna hai'. I would tell him that I would teach him two days later. I would first learn that song myself and then teach it to them. There was no YouTube or anything like that back then," Sagar shared. https://www.instagram.com/p/DG7y8JiNhll/?hl=en Through his unique fusion of traditional qawwali with modern music, Sagar has built a huge fan base across various age groups, including Gen Z and older audiences. "Sagar Wali Qawwali mein Sagar logo ki dil ki baat kar raha hai islie sab connect kar paate hai. Qawwali is not what it used to be earlier. Audience taste has evolved a lot over the years. Keeping the audience's interests in mind, artistes have also changed their ways of performing. My audience starts with children. I feel so happy when I see kids singing my version of 'Sanson Ki Mala Pe'. I feel blessed that music has the ability to attract audiences across generations," he said. https://www.instagram.com/p/DIS8RsMhDBQ/?hl=en&img_index=1 And recently, Delhiites got lucky as they witnessed the magic of 'Sagar Wali Qawwali'. On June 8, Sagar performed live in his hometown at a sold-out show organised by Team Innovation. https://www.instagram.com/p/DKuQY-YhPKy/?hl=en The entire KD Jhadav stadium reverberated with Sagar's dynamic voice. Of course, credits also go to brand members for elevating his lively performance. Sagar is now all set to entrall Mumbaikars and his audience in Kolkata with a unique blend of Sufi, classical, and modern music. (ANI) A Manhattan jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty of one count of criminal sexual assault against former Project Runway assistant Miriam Haley. However, the jury acquitted him of a second charge of sexually assaulting Kaja Sokola. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict as to a third count involving Jessica Mann, and was told they will resume deliberations on Thursday morning, as per Variety. The partial verdict comes after a weeks-long trial that began in April, during which three women testified about the alleged sexual assaults committed by the former Hollywood producer. Weinstein faced two counts of committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree and one count of third-degree rape. Weinstein recently himself addressed the court, urging the judge to call for a mistrial as several jurors continued to complain about tensions in the deliberation room. "This is my life that's on the line," Weinstein told Judge Curtis Farber in the courtroom, adding, "I am not getting a fair trial." Weinstein then told the judge, "You are endangering me, Your Honor." Prior to that, the jury foreperson in Weinstein's retrial informed the judge that tensions remain amid deliberations; the foreperson then requested to speak privately with the judge and the attorneys about the situation. In his 2020 trial, Weinstein was found guilty of sexually abusing Haley and Mann. He was serving a 23-year sentence in New York until those convictions were overturned in April 2024. Weinstein pleaded not guilty to all charges in his retrial; both Haley and Mann testified against him again, according to Variety. In their testimonies, Haley alleged that Weinstein forcibly sexually assaulted her at his apartment in 2006, while Mann accused him of raping her at a hotel in 2013. Sokola, who did not testify in Weinstein's 2020 trial, was first identified by the prosecution during opening arguments in late April. (She was previously referred to as Complaining Witness No. 3.) In her testimony, Sokola described two alleged sexual assaults by Weinstein: one in 2002, when she was 16, and another in a Manhattan hotel in 2006 -- the latter being the incident for which Weinstein was charged in the retrial. (ANI) Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday paid tribute to Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Akash Rao Girpunje in Raipur, who was killed in a Naxal attack in Sukma's Konta area on June 9. Deputy Chief Ministers Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma, along with others, also attended the ceremony. ASP Girpunje was killed in an IED blast in Sukma's Konta area. Senior officials and family members paid tribute to him. The ASP had served in Bastar for about 1.5 years and was dedicated to maintaining law and order. "The martyrdom of Akash Rao will not deter us from our mission to eliminate Naxalism. We will continue to work towards peace and development in Bastar," said IG Bastar Sundarraj. "The news of ASP Akash Rao's martyrdom is extremely sad and heart-wrenching. We pray for his soul and the speedy recovery of those injured in the incident," said BJP State President and Jagdalpur MLA Kiran Deo. The mortal remains of Giripunje reached the Mana Fourth Battalion of Raipur on Tuesday. Family members of Giripunje, Assembly Speaker Raman Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao, and Cabinet Minister Laxmi Rajwade also reached the Mana Fourth Battalion. Police officials and residents also paid tribute to the police personnel. Earlier, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai condemned the IED blast in Sukma district. CM Sai said that his sacrifice would not go in vain. CM Sai also visited the residence of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Akash Rao Giripunje in Raipur on Monday to meet his family members. "We pay tribute to ASP Akash Rao Giripunje. The Naxals are doing this as they are rattled. His sacrifice will not go in vain. The naxals are taking their last breaths and doing all this in frustration. We condemn this incident. May his family get the strength to bear this loss. Those injured will be brought to Raipur for the best medical treatment," CM Vishnu Deo Sai said. He added, "A reputed Additional SP has lost his life due to the IED blast that occurred on Monday. This is unfortunate news. ASP Akash Rao Giripunje's sacrifice will not go in vain, and the naxals will have to pay a price for this cowardly act. The naxals will get a befitting reply for this". (ANI) A delegation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), including the party's General Secretary MA Baby, visited Uri in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district to meet people affected by shelling by Pakistan. CPI-M General Secretary MA Baby expressed reservations over the compensation amount of Rs 1.3 lakh given to the affected residents. "The situation here is highly distressing, as you would have seen with the drone and shelling attacks. The government has only given Rs 1.3 lakh as compensation, which these days cannot even buy a proper door and window. This is highly deplorable, and we strongly disagree with the government's attitude. The democratic process has been destroyed here. Omar Abdullah is the Chief Minister; this is a Union Territory, and Modi and Amit Shah are controlling everything. We heard that the review meeting conducted with the Lieutenant Governor excluded the Chief Minister," he said. He further addressed the plight of the people affected by shelling, saying, "An eight-member family has been given a small room--this attitude of the government needs to change. We, MPs from West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and other corners of the state, came here to raise the plight of people in border areas. We demanded a special session to discuss it, but the Prime Minister refused. He didn't even attend the all-party meeting, only giving lectures here and there." One of the delegates, CPI-M leader Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami, said, "The people living in border villages should have access to bunkers for their safety. We have come here to express solidarity and tell them we stand with them. We assure them that we will be their voice in Parliament." The visit followed shelling by Pakistan in the civilian areas of Jammu and Kashmir post Operation Sindoor, which was conducted on May 7. The operation was conducted in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, including a Nepalese national. 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. After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres, and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan. After this, on May 10, an understanding regarding the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced. (ANI) The person accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a nine-year-old girl in Delhi's Dayalpur area, was injured during an encounter with the police as he tried to flee custody, officials said on Tuesday. One official, identified as Constable Amit Mann has also sustained injuries after the accused tried to attack them with a blade. The accused and the Constable have been taken to JPC hospital for treatment. Dayalpur police station officials said that the accused, Naushad, 28, was being escorted in a police vehicle back to Delhi as he requested to relieve himself due to a natural call. As the accused was being escorted by an official while relieving himself, he took out a blade and attacked one of the escorting party's members and attempted to flee, leading to the Sub-Inspector firing a round after a verbal warning, which was ignored. "As the escorting team reached near Jheel Park area of PS Welcome, the accused again expressed strong urgency to relieve himself. While being taken for the natural call by a team led by SI Kaushik Ghosh, the accused suddenly took out a blade hidden in his clothes and attacked a member of the escorting party twice with slashes of the blade, freed himself from custody and attempted to flee," read a statement from the police. Officials said that Sub-Inspector Kaushik Ghosh first issued a verbal warning, and as the accused ignored the warning and continued to flee, the official fired a shot in the air first and then one more aimed at his leg to prevent his escape. "In order to prevent his escape, another carefully aimed round fired by SI Kaushik Ghosh hit the accused in his leg. Subsequently, the accused was overpowered and taken into custody," the statement added. Apart from the current investigation and charges against the accused, additional charges of assault are also being registered against him at Welcome police station. Earlier on Tuesday, Delhi Assembly's leader of Opposition and Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi wrote to Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora regarding the alleged rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl in the Dayalpur area of North East Delhi. She sought an appointment with him to discuss the matter, stating that the fact that the main accused has still not been arrested raises serious questions about the nature and seriousness of the police investigation. The residents of Dayalpur area had also staged a protest as the incident sparked outrage among locals, who demanded swift justice for the victim. The nine-year-old girl was found dead in the Dayalpur area of North East Delhi. Doctors said that when the girl was brought to the hospital, she was without a pulse or heartbeat. According to the police, the attending doctors observed visible injuries on her face and suspected sexual assault. (ANI) The Indian Coast Guard is continuously working to combat the fire that engulfed the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503. It said attempts were being made to control the vessel fire that injured several crew members. Of the 22 crew members, 18 were rescued by the Indian Navy, while four are still missing. According to the Indian Coast Guard, as of 5:00 PM on Tuesday, the flames on the container ship were reduced, as thick smoke continued to emanate. "Indian Coast Guard ships continue to fight the fire and attempt to bring the inferno on the container ship MV WAN HAI 503 under control off Kerala coast. Visible flames have reduced, and thick smoke continues to emanate as of 1700 hours today," the Indian Coast Guard said. Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in India spokesperson Yu Jing on Tuesday expressed gratitude to the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue of its crew members onboard the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503, which encountered an onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Kerala's Azhikkal. According to Yu Jing, Chinese and Taiwanese crew members were among those onboard MV Wan Hai. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson wished for successful search operations and speedy recovery for injured crew members. "On June 9, MV Wan Hai 503 encountered onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal, Kerala. Of the total 22 crew members on board, 14 are Chinese, including 6 from Taiwan. Our gratitude goes to the Indian Navy @indiannavy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue. We wish further search operations successful and the injured crew members speedy recovery," Yu Jing posted on X. Four crew members were reported missing and five injured after an explosion under deck was reported onboard MV WAN HAI 503 while it was on passage from Colombo to Nhava Sheva. Indian Coast Guard ships have been deployed for firefighting and rescue operations. According to the Indian Coast Guard, four crew members were reported missing following the explosion on Monday, and five others sustained injuries. The vessel was carrying containerised cargo and had a total crew of 22 onboard. CGDO on task was diverted for assessment. Of the 18 rescued crew members of the Singapore-flagged MV Wan Hai 503, six were brought to the AJ Hospital for medical treatment post-midnight on Tuesday. Dinesh Kadam, Plastic Surgeon at AJ Hospital, said that two rescuees had critical injuries with 35 to 40 per cent burns. The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Surat, carrying the rescued crew members who sustained injuries in the vessel fire, had arrived at the New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA), Panambur. According to Plastic Surgeon Kadam, the six rescuees are from multiple nationalities, including Chinese and Indonesian. Of the six rescued crew members, two have suffered critical injuries. "We have received six patients. All of them have burns. Three are Chinese nationals, two are from Burma (Myanmar), and one is from Indonesia. Two are critically injured with 35-40 per cent burns. Mainly, they have airway burns, that is, respiratory burns, which are much more severe. They have breathing problems. We have to monitor closely over a few days and see how they do. Right now, we're giving all the attention and critical care," Kadam told reporters here. According to the Indian Navy, the vessel carried 22 crew members, including eight Chinese, six Taiwanese, five Myanmarese, and three Indonesian nationals. Following the explosion and escalation of the fire, the crew abandoned the ship. The MV reported an internal container explosion and a major fire onboard. The vessel was en route from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Nhava Sheva, Mumbai, and its expected arrival time (ETA) was June 10. "The Flag Administration of Singapore has been formally notified. The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), India, has instructed the ship's owners to immediately engage qualified salvors and firefighting experts," the release stated. (ANI) Sonam Raghuvanshi, the accused in the murder case of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, on early Wednesday morning, was brought to Ganesh Das hospital for medical examination in Shillong. Sonam is in a three-day transit remand with Meghalaya Police. This comes after Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Tuesday informed that the four accused involved in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi were being transported to Shillong. "We have got the transit remand, most likely if not tonight, then all of them will be in Shillong tomorrow. The moment they land, we will produce them in the CJM (Chief Judicial Magistrate) court," the Deputy CM told ANI. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the wife of the victim, along with four others, including Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Raj Singh Kushwaha and Anand, are accused of murdering Raja Raghuvanshi, who recently got married and went on a honeymoon to Meghalaya. Raja''s body was found on June 2 in a gorge at Sohra near Cherrapunji in Meghalaya. Sonam Raghuvanshi was later found near a dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. Meghalaya''s Deputy CM said that some of the accused have already confessed to the crime and that Sonam, the wife, is also "fully involved." "All the accused have been arrested from different places - one in Madhya Pradesh, the other in UP. An SIT of Meghalaya Police went down to these two places. Some of them have also confessed to the crime they committed. The moment we were able to pick Sonam, being the prime suspect in the killing, we all came to know that she is fully involved in this operation during their stay here in Meghalaya," the deputy CM said. Earlier, a bystander identified as Sushil Lakwani attempted to attack one of the accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case while the accused was being escorted by Shillong Police inside Indore airport. The incident occurred as the police were transferring the accused, prompting a brief commotion at the scene. Expressing his outrage, Lakwani told reporters, "I hit him because I am angry that a resident of Indore was killed. They should be hanged till death. The woman killed the man with full planning." The Shillong Police quickly intervened, ensuring the accused was safely moved inside the airport. (ANI) Congress MP Manish Tewari has come in defence of Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the latter's "Narendra Surrender" jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the diversity of India's domestic discourse is "strength, not weakness". He said that the contesting opinions and narratives set India apart from Pakistan and other totalitarian states. He argued that people in a democracy have the right to articulate their opinions, given the freedom of speech and expression. "The strength of our democracy is its diversity, and the contesting opinions and narratives distinguish India not only from Pakistan but from a large number of other totalitarian states. The diversity of our domestic discourse is actually a strength, not a weakness. The fact remains that in any democracy, everybody has the freedom of speech and expression, and people have the right to articulate their opinions," Tewari told ANI. Speaking about the mission that multi-party delegations were tasked with, the Congress MP said that the delegations were able to put Pakistan in the dock of international public opinion. "The objective of this mission was clearly to put Pakistan in the dock of international public opinion, and to that extent, the various delegations that fanned out across the world have been able to plant that seed," Tewari asserted. Talking about his delegation's meeting with the Prime Minister, the Congress MP emphasised that it was an informal and freewheeling conversation. "It was an informal interaction, and the members of various delegations shared their impressions with the Prime Minister, who heard everybody out. He conveyed his own impressions. On the whole, it was an informal and freewheeling conversation. Most importantly, everybody was able to share the inputs they had collected across various nations. It was a holistic and comprehensive conversation," Tewari said. Furthermore, Manish Tewari asserted that this initiative (sending delegations abroad) would help proscribe all states that use terrorism as an instrument of state policy. "Certain seeds have been planted by various delegations across the world. Now, it is for the foreign office to build on this initiative and to take it to the next level to proscribe Pakistan, which is a state sponsor of terror on the global stage. On the whole, the visits laid the foundation for forming an international coalition against state sponsorship of terror. This is an initiative, if taken to a logical conclusion, would definitely help in proscribing all those states which use terrorism as an instrument of state policy," the Congress MP said. Tewari was part of a multi-party delegation led by Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) or NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule. The delegation visited Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, and South Africa as part of India's Operation Sindoor global outreach. Apart from Sule and Tewari, the delegation had members including Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP), Vikramjit Singh Sahney (AAP, Anurag Singh Thakur (BJP), Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu (TDP), Anand Sharma (Congress), V Muraleedharan (BJP), and former diplomat Syed Akbaruddin. (ANI) China's refined tax refund policy fuels inbound consumption Xinhua) 08:36, June 11, 2025 Customs officers check "refund-upon-purchase" goods at Wenjindu port in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, April 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian) BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- China saw a vibrant surge in inbound consumption following the rollout of its refined tax-refund-upon-departure policy, with notable increases in both the number of tax refund stores and the total amount refunded. Between April 27 and May 26, the number of departure tax refund transactions processed by the country's tax authorities jumped 116 percent year on year, and sales at tax refund stores climbed 56 percent, the State Taxation Administration said on Tuesday. The country has expanded its refund-upon-purchase service model nationwide, with the number of related transactions increasing 32-fold and sales surging 50-fold year on year, according to data released by the administration. Driven by the new policy measures, 1,303 new departure tax refund stores were established across the country during the period, raising the total to 5,196, which was a 40 percent increase from the end of 2024, the data shows. This rise in inbound consumption is a result of China's latest efforts to encourage foreign tourist spending. On April 27, the country introduced a package of measures to optimize its departure tax refund policy, including measures lowering the minimum purchase threshold for refunds, raising the cash refund ceiling, expanding the network of participating stores, and broadening the range of products covered. China is also promoting a refund-upon-purchase service model, allowing eligible tourists to receive tax refunds instantly at retail outlets rather than waiting until they leave the country. International tourists in China can now claim a tax refund if they spend at least 200 yuan (about 27.84 U.S. dollars) at a single store in a single day and meet other relevant requirements, with refunds payable in multiple forms, including mobile, bank and cash payments. The upper limit for cash refunds has been raised to 20,000 yuan. China's metropolises led this shopping surge. In the month following the policy rollout, Shanghai saw an 86 percent year-on-year increase in sales involving tax refund transactions and a 77 percent rise in the total amount refunded, according to local tax authorities. With a raised cash refund ceiling and a lowered minimum purchase threshold for refunds, the new policy allows shoppers from overseas to enjoy benefits across a wide range of products, from high-end goods to everyday items like clothing, said Chen Xiaoling, general manager of Shanghai's Florentia Village outlet mall. The policy has made shopping in China more convenient and yielded better value for money for international visitors, Chen noted. This streamlined refund process has boosted shopping enthusiasm among international tourists. At WF Central, which is a luxury mall on Beijing's popular Wangfujing shopping street, a large banner promoting the refund-upon-purchase tax service hangs prominently in the central atrium. This service is now available at nearly 40 international-brand stores in the mall. Alice, a tourist from the United States visiting her family in China, recently purchased a watch and applied for a tax refund immediately after. She presented her passport along with her shopping and departure details at the service counter, and received her refund within minutes. It was her first time purchasing luxury goods in China, and she found the service to be convenient, she said. Plaza 66 in Shanghai regards the refund-upon-purchase service as an important engine to boost its market competitiveness and strengthen its international profile. As of May 27, the mall has processed over 280 refund-upon-purchase transactions -- already exceeding the whole-year total for 2024. China is accelerating development of international consumption center cities to stimulate inbound spending. The country is working to transform five cities -- Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing -- into major centers for shopping. Also to stimulate inbound consumption, China will increase its number of duty-free stores and expand the range of products eligible for the refund-upon-purchase service, particularly high-tech digital goods such as smartphones, smartwatches and small household appliances, as well as items that are popular among younger consumers, Shi Zeyi, an official of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said last month. China's Vice Commerce Minister Sheng Qiuping recently stated that China will continue to improve its international consumption environment, increase its supply of high-quality products, and create more diversified consumption scenarios to boost inbound consumption. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) The four accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case have been brought to Guwahati airport in Assam by Shillong Police from Indore on Wednesday morning. The accused will now be taken to Shillong from here. Meghalaya Police has taken a seven-day transit remand for these four accused for further investigation in the case. Meanwhile, Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder case of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, on early Wednesday morning, was brought to Ganesh Das hospital for medical examination in Shillong. Sonam is in a three-day transit remand with Meghalaya Police. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the wife of the victim, along with four others, including Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Raj Singh Kushwaha and Anand, are accused of murdering Raja Raghuvanshi, who recently got married and went on a honeymoon to Meghalaya. Raja''s body was found on June 2 in a gorge at Sohra near Cherrapunji in Meghalaya. Sonam Raghuvanshi was later found near a dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. On Tuesday, Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong informed that the four accused involved in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi were being transported to Shillong. "We have got the transit remand, most likely if not tonight, then all of them will be in Shillong tomorrow. The moment they land, we will produce them in the CJM (Chief Judicial Magistrate) court," the Deputy CM told ANI. Meghalaya''s Deputy CM said that some of the accused have already confessed to the crime and that Sonam, the wife, is also "fully involved." "All the accused have been arrested from different places - one in Madhya Pradesh, the other in UP. An SIT of Meghalaya Police went down to these two places. Some of them have also confessed to the crime they committed. The moment we were able to pick Sonam, being the prime suspect in the killing, we all came to know that she is fully involved in this operation during their stay here in Meghalaya," the deputy CM said. Earlier, a bystander identified as Sushil Lakwani attempted to attack one of the accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case while the accused was being escorted by Shillong Police inside Indore airport. Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife, Sonam, both residents of Madhya Pradesh''s Indore, had gone missing during their honeymoon in the northeastern state of Meghalaya. Raja Raghuvanshi''s body was later recovered in Meghalaya. (ANI) A 21-year-old alleged shooter associated with the Sandeep alias Kala Jatheri gang was apprehended late on Monday night following a brief exchange of fire with police personnel near Najafgarh, Delhi Police said on Wednesday. The accused, identified as Suhail alias Jaggi, was intercepted by a police team around 10:50 PM while heading towards Kair village from Surehara Chowk, near the Najafgarh-Dhansa Road. According to police, four rounds were exchanged during the encounter: two fired by the accused and two in retaliation by the police party. Suhail, who was wanted in two separate cases related to land grabbing and firing registered at Jaffarpur Kalan Police Station, sustained a gunshot wound to his right leg during the exchange. He was subsequently shifted to a hospital for treatment. Police recovered a semi-automatic pistol, one live cartridge, two empty cartridges, and a motorcycle from the site of the encounter. This incident followed a similar encounter earlier on June 4, when a shooter affiliated with the Bhau gang was apprehended by the Delhi Police Special Cell near Begumpur. The accused, identified as Deepak, was wanted in a murder case in Haryana's Rohtak and had been evading arrest for several weeks. Special Cell officials had received information about Deepak's movements in North Delhi and laid a trap to apprehend him. When signalled to stop, Deepak allegedly opened fire at the police. In response, the police team shot him in the leg and arrested him on the spot. He was then admitted to a hospital for treatment. Following Deepak's arrest, the police recovered a country-made pistol, live cartridges, and a stolen motorbike from his possession. Investigations in both cases are currently underway. On the late night of June 2, Delhi Police apprehended two wanted criminals involved in serious offences during separate encounters in Southeast Delhi. According to officials, the first encounter occurred in the Jaitpur area, where police arrested Asif, who had been accused of attacking Delhi Police Head Constable Karan Mavi on May 27. (ANI) Congress MLA Sachin Pilot expressed deep sorrow over a tragic incident where eight people drowned in the Banas River in the Tonk district of Rajasthan on Tuesday. The incident occurred when a group of people from Jaipur, who had come for a picnic, slipped while trying to save each other. While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Pilot said, "This is a very sad incident. These people had come here from Jaipur for a picnic...While trying to save each other, they slipped and 8 people died..." The Congress leader assured that the administration would provide financial assistance to the families and suggested that a technical team conduct a survey and establish checkpoints. "The administration will provide financial help to their families. To prevent such incidents, a survey should be conducted by sending a technical team and checkpoints should be made." Pilot stated. Earlier, Sachin Pilot called the incident "extremely sad and heartbreaking" in a social media post on X "The news of the death of some youths from Jaipur who had come to visit Tonk due to drowning in the Banas river is extremely sad and heartbreaking. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the young men who lost their lives in this accident. May God give them the strength to bear this pain," Sachin Pilot said."Some youths have been rescued safely by the administration. Also, the district administration and police officials have been directed to provide all possible help to the families affected by this tragedy," he added. According to the police, a group of 11 people from Jaipur had gone for a picnic on the riverbank when some of them entered the water to bathe and slipped into a deep stretch of the river. Efforts by others in the group to rescue them also turned tragic. Tonk Superintendent of Police Vikas Sangwan said that three people were rescued in the incident, while eight others lost their lives. Rajasthan Leader of Opposition, Tika Ram Jully, also condoled the death of the eight people in the drowning incident."The news of the tragic death of 8 people due to drowning in the Banas river in Tonk is extremely sad and unfortunate. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. I pray to God to give peace to the departed souls and strength to the family members to bear this sorrow. I wish that the missing persons are found safely," Jully wrote in a social media post on X. Earlier, Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma condoled the loss of lives and said rescue operations were initiated as soon as authorities received information. In a post on X, Sharma wrote, "The news of the deaths due to drowning in the Banas river located in Tonk district is extremely sad and painful. As soon as the information about the incident was received, the district administration officials were instructed to conduct rescue and relief operations immediately." "I pray to God to give peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families to bear this immense sorrow," he added. (ANI) Ahead of BRS party chief and Telangana's former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao's appearance at PC Ghosh Commission, police force was deployed at Hyderabad's BRK Bhavan on Wednesday. KCR is expected to appear before PC Ghosh's Commission in connection with alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project. Previously, BRS MLA and former Irrigation minister Harish Rao and BJP MP Etela Rajender, who previously served as Finance Minister in the BRS government appeared before the commission. Earlier on June 8, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Konda Vishweshwar Reddy described the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project in Telangana as the "world's biggest engineering blunder" and termed it a "huge scam" that has severely impacted the state's economy. Speaking to ANI, Reddy said, "Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project in Telangana is the world's biggest engineering blunder and it's a huge scam which ruined Telangana economically. It is one of the prime reasons that the richest state of Telangana is in such a horrible economic condition. We have a loan of Rs 8 lakh crores." "The present Congress government does not have money to pay salaries and run the government," he added, blaming the ruling party for the deepening financial crisis. Earlier, Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy had held the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government responsible for the project's failure, calling it the "biggest man-made disaster" since Independence and the "most expensive engineering failure" caused by any state government in India. He said that Telangana is currently paying Rs16,000 crore annually in interest and instalments on high-cost loans borrowed during the BRS regime for this "faulty" project, thereby placing an enormous burden on the state's finances and its farmers. Justice PC Ghose Commission on Tuesday issued summons to former Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), former Minister Harish Rao, and BJP MP Etela Rajender, who also served as a minister during the BRS regime, in the ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP). The Commission, which has been probing financial and procedural lapses in the multi-crore irrigation project, directed the three political leaders to appear for questioning in the first week of June.According to the sources, KCR was asked to appear before the Commission on June 5, followed by Harish Rao on June 6 and Etela Rajender on June 9. (ANI) A demolition drive is underway at Bhoomihin Camp, located in Kalkaji area of the capital city New Delhi following directions from the High Court. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had issued an official notice to all residents of Bhoomihin Camp, directing them to vacate their premises in view of the demolition of illegal huts, following directions from the High Court. On Tuesday, Leader of Opposition in Delhi assembly and AAP MLA from Kalkaji, Atishi, staged an anti-demolition drive protests in the area, following which she was detained by the Delhi Police. Atishi launched a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, saying that the BJP and Rekha Gupta will be cursed by the slum dwellers. "BJP is going to demolish these jhuggis tomorrow, and I am being jailed today because I am raising my voice for these slum dwellers. 'BJP aur Rekha Gupta ko jhuggi waalon ki haay lagegi.' ... BJP will never come back," Atishi said a day earlier. After Atishi was detained by the Delhi Police during protests against the anti-demolition drive, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal came down heavily on the ruling BJP government, accusing them of deteriorating the situation of the city. In a social media post on X, Kejriwal wrote, "They ruined Delhi in just three months." On Monday, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) issued an official notice to all residents of Bhoomiheen Camp in South Delhi's Kalkaji Extension, directing them to vacate their premises given the upcoming demolition of illegal huts, following directions from the High Court. According to the notice, residents were asked to vacate voluntarily within three days--June 8, 9, and 10. The notice stated that failure to comply will lead to demolition action by the authorities. The DDA further read, "Any belongings left inside the huts during demolition will be removed, and the agency will not be held responsible for any damage or loss to personal property." The DDA had appealed to residents to maintain peace and cooperate with officials to ensure a smooth and orderly process. On June 1, a demolition drive at Madrasi camp in Jangpura, South East Delhi, was conducted by the authorities, on the orders of the Delhi High Court, to clear encroachments in the area along the Barapulla drain. The operation was carried out to resolve the flooding issues caused by the narrowed drain, which obstructs water flow during heavy rains. (ANI) In a post on social media X, he wrote that his father's public service, honesty, and courage would always be a source of inspiration. He further wrote that his father pledged respect and empowerment for all sections of society. "Today, 11 June 2025, on the 25th death anniversary of my father, Late Rajesh Pilot ji, I remember him and pay my tribute to him. His public service, honesty and courage will always be a source of inspiration for me. He pledged respect and empowerment for every section, including farmers, youth - he was able to make a place in every heart with his humble behaviour, hard work and dedication to the country. My heartfelt tribute and salutations to him," the post stated. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also paid tribute to Rajesh Pilot. In a post, Kharge wrote "India will develop in the true sense only when the children of farmers and labourers will study and reach the positions from where the policies of this country are made. Our heartfelt tribute to former Union Minister and senior leader of the Congress Party, well-wisher of farmers, Rajesh Pilot ji on his 25th death anniversary." Born in a small village in Uttar Pradesh, Rajesh Pilot moved to Delhi where he worked as a milkman and later went to join the Indian Air Force. In 1979, his meeting with the then Congress President Indira Gandhi started the chapter of politics in his life. After being granted a ticket to contest elections by Indira Gandhi, he won his first elections in Bharatpur and Dausa. He also emerged as a prominent Gurjar leader in the country Rajesh Pilot also served as the minister of Telecommunications, Internal Security and Environment. The Minister passed away in a car accident in Dausa on June 11, 2000. (ANI) The Karnataka government has begun its efforts to merge the Tumakuru district with Bengaluru city. The state home minister, G Parameshwara, informed reporters about the development while speaking to them and stated that he had submitted a proposal for the same to the government. While speaking to the reporters, G Parameshwara said that the government has made preparations to convert Tumakuru into Bengaluru North district. He informed that Bengaluru's rapid growth may expand to neighbouring cities such as Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Kolar, and Chikkaballapur. "In such a situation, there is a difference between Tumkur district and 'Bengaluru North district.' For those in New York, 'Bengaluru North' is easy to understand. Tumakuru district is somewhere like this. That is why such an effort has been made, G Parameshwara explained. "Bengaluru city has already grown beyond Nelamangala. Tumakuru can be reached by travelling 30 km from there. Therefore, it would be beneficial to expand the city area", the Karnataka Home Minister added. Furthermore, G Parameshwara informed that a proposal to include 14 gram panchayats has been prepared under the jurisdiction of Mahanagara Palike. He added that Tumakuru city will expand its authority in the coming days. G Parameshwara also hailed state deputy CM DK Shivakumar and said that he has made a good proposal to make Ramanagara city a part of the Bengaluru South district. "Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar made a good plan and made Ramanagara district the Bengaluru South district. The government has approved this plan and issued an order. As soon as it is called Bengaluru South, its nature changes. Similarly, he said that they will think about how to make Tumakuru district", he said. Meanwhile, on Monday, G Parameshwara said that he has requested Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to permit the construction of a 'Welcome' arch on the National Highway in Tumakuru. Speaking to reporters at Sadashivanagar, Tumakuru District, the in-charge Minister said that Rs 5 crore has been provided from the Smart City project to build the Welcome arch on the National Highway in Tumakuru. (ANI) Union Minister for Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh on Wednesday informed that the launch of Axiom-4, carrying Indian astronaut Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), has been postponed due to a technical issue. According to Singh, a liquid oxygen (LOX) leak was detected during a 7-second hot test of the Falcon 9 booster, prompting a joint review by ISRO, Axiom, and SpaceX teams. In a post on X, Singh stated, "Mission Update | Axiom-04 The launch of Axiom Mission 4, carrying India's astronaut Shukla to the ISS, is postponed. A liquid oxygen (LOX) leak was detected during a 7-second hot test of Falcon 9's booster. After a joint review by ISRO, Axiom & SpaceX teams, it was decided to rectify the issue & revalidate before liftoff. Safety. Precision. Commitment to excellence." Singh emphasised the importance of safety, precision, and commitment to excellence in the mission and stated that further updates on the mission will be shared accordingly. Earlier, Union Minister Jitendra Singh spoke about the exclusive missions that Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will perform during his Axiom4 space mission. He also mentioned that the world recognises India's growth and capabilities and said that this has been possible due to recent changes in the space sector. In a video released by the Office of Jitendra Singh, speaking about Gaganyaan mission, he said, "Gaganyaan is a very ambitious mission as far as ISRO is concerned. The whole world is closely watching it." He added, "Gaganyaan will also involve docking and undocking, which will happen in this. Once they go up, it will take about 28 hours, then after 28 hours, it will reach about 400 kilometres from the surface of Earth, which is in American physiology, about 250 miles, and there the docking would happen. They would then enter into the space station. And remain there for a minimum of about two weeks, which could also be extended. So the experience: getting accustomed to that kind of exercise walking into and walking out would also be required in case of Gaganyaan, and also several future experiments, and more so India's own space station. We plan to have our own exclusive space station by 2035, which will be known as Bharat Space Station, and for that also, this experience is going to come in handy." Speaking about the role which will be performed by Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, he said, "This time, Shubhanshu Shukla is going to play a very important role. He is going to have the most critical role because he will perform experiments which are exclusively going to have a bearing on the future space missions, not only those of India, also of NASA and other agencies. And I'm also glad to mention that it keeps up the spirit of the whole of science and the whole of government, which PM Modi keeps emphasising time and again. We got ISRO involved in an official MoU with the Department of Biotechnology. And as of now, Shubhanshu is scheduled to perform six sets of experiments. A) For example, about life sciences- the physical, physiological, and cognitive effects of being in space for a long while, which would affect the human body."He added, "B) of course, the behavioral responses resulting from constant watching of the computer screen which is mandatory for all the astronauts. C) He is also going to experiment on the body's response in extreme conditions. The effect of microgravity on muscle dysfunction and besides that, some plant-related research like how the cyanobacteria behave in microgravity, which could have a bearing on the production of food elements in space in times to come." He said, "These are very futuristic experiments which are exclusively assigned to Shubhanshu. Therefore, it's a great breakthrough. This is a moment which would make our founding fathers proud- Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan. India today has reached that pedestal where we are looked upon as not junior partners, not as followers, but as partners who offer cues to others to follow. And this could be possible because of the reorientation of the space reforms, the opening of the space sector to the private players and it could not have been possible without the political will of the government in place." Union Minister Jitendra Singh thanked PM Modi for his leadership. "I have to thank PM Modi for he has the cpacity to make out-of-box decisions, break the taboos of the past because for six, seven decades we got conditioned to live with the belief that space has to act behind the veil of secrecy and it is not to be opened up to the private sector. Giving up that mindset, we are now following same global strategies, parameters, in fact, marching ahead of other nations as well." He elaborated, "We are now equal partners. The decision to have an Astronaut from India was taken and the offer was made to India incidentally when PM Modi was on a visit to Washington DC when President Biden was in place. So you can see there is also a reflection of the recognition of the Indian capabilities, Indian human resource, which is quite a departure from the earlier times when the capabilities of Indians were not taken seriously. That perception about India has also undergone a change." The Axiom-4 mission launch has been postponed to June 11, 2025, due to unfavorable weather conditions. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the mission, carrying Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), will now lift off at 5:30 PM IST on June 11. ISRO wrote on X, "Launch of Axiom-4 mission to International Space Station: Due to weather conditions, the launch of Axiom-4 mission for sending Indian Gaganyatri to International Space Station is postponed from 10th June 2025 to 11th June 2025. The targeted time of launch is 5:30 PM IST on 11th June 2025: Dr V Narayanan, Chairman ISRO/ Secretary DOS / Chairman Space Commission." The Axiom-4 mission crew includes members from India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first mission to the space station in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years, according to Axiom Space. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be India's second national astronaut to go to space since 1984. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is part of Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4), marking a historic moment for India's space collaboration with NASA. Slawosz Uznanski, European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut, will be the second Polish astronaut since 1978. Tibor Kapu will be the second national Hungarian astronaut since 1980. Peggy Whitson will command her second commercial human spaceflight mission, adding to her standing record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut. (ANI) Scores of devotees thronged sacred sites across Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday on the occasion of Jyeshtha Purnima, to take a holy dip in the River Ganga and offer prayers at the Sangam in Prayagraj. Marking a spiritually significant day in the Hindu calendar, the faithful arrived before sunrise to perform rituals, offer prayers, and donate to the needy. Speaking to ANI, a devotee, Rohini Sharma from Fatehpur, said people believe bathing on the occasion of Jyeshtha Purnima will bring prosperity and wash away sins. "We come here every year on Jyeshtha Purnima. It is said that bathing on this day grants blessings for the entire month and promotes family happiness and wealth," she added. Another devotee said, "This day is considered especially auspicious as it falls under the Jyeshtha Nakshatra, a spiritually powerful constellation in Hindu tradition". "Jyeshtha Purnima becomes even more significant because it aligns with the Jyeshtha constellation. Bathing in the Ganga today purifies the soul and grants spiritual upliftment," said Kripashankar Tiwari, a retired sub-inspector. Devotees performed daan (charity) by distributing food and clothes to Brahmins and the underprivileged, lighting lamps, and engaging in devotional recitations. "I have taken a dip in the Sangam, offered donations to the Brahmins, and prayed for the well-being of my family," said another devotee. Speaking to ANI, another devotee said, "According to Hindu belief, performing religious activities on Jyeshtha Purnima ensures spiritual rewards and benefits ancestors and future generations. Many at the ghats echoed the sentiment that the holy bath at Sangam on this day grants visible blessings and divine grace beyond understanding." On the full moon day of the Hindu calendar month of Jyeshtha, bathing in the holy Ganga and giving alms are considered to be of special importance. It is believed that bathing, worshipping, and fasting on this day bring blessings of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. This brings happiness and prosperity to the homes, wishes are fulfilled, and sins are destroyed. Meanwhile, in Ayodhya, devotees gather in large numbers to seek blessings from Ram Lalla at the Ram Janmabhoomi on the occasion of Jyeshtha Purnima. (ANI) Following the postponement of the Axiom 4 mission, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, said that his family is "mentally" prepared for the mission. He said that his family was informed that the mission was postponed at 6 am on Wednesday and another date has not been revealed. Shambhu Dayal Shukla stated that his family is waiting for the announcement of the next date for the Axiom mission. He further said that he spoke to Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on Tuesday and said that he is "fit" and ready for the mission. "At around 6 AM, we were informed that the mission has been postponed. We have not been informed about the next date. We are mentally prepared for the mission to be launched, and waiting for the announcement of the next date. I spoke to my son yesterday, he is fit and ready for the mission", he told ANI. Earlier today SpaceX announced the postponement of the Falcon 9 launch of the Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), citing the need for additional time to repair a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak. "Standing down from tomorrow's Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete - and pending Range availability - we will share a new launch date," the company said in a post on X. Following the announcement, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also confirmed the delay of the Axiom-4 mission, which was scheduled for launch on June 11, 2025, and was set to carry the first Indian Gaganyatri to the ISS. In a statement, ISRO said: "Postponement of Axiom 04 mission slated for launch on 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS. As part of launch vehicle preparation to validate the performance of booster stage of Falcon 9 launch vehicle, seven second of hot test was carried out on the launch pad. It is understood that LOX leakage was detected in the propulsion bay during the test. Based on the discussion on this topic by ISRO team with the experts of Axiom and SpaceX it has been decided to correct the leak and carry out necessary validation test before clearing for the launch. Hence the launch of Axiom 04 slated for 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS is postponed. With regards, V. Narayanan, Secretary DOS/ Chairman ISRO and Chairman Space Commission." Despite the delay, the Axiom-4 mission remains significant. The Ax-4 crew includes members from India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first mission to the space station in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years, according to Axiom Space. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be India's second national astronaut to go to space since 1984. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is part of Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4), marking a historic moment for India's space collaboration with NASA. Slawosz Uznanski, European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut, will be the second Polish astronaut since 1978. Tibor Kapu will be the second national Hungarian astronaut since 1980. Peggy Whitson will command her second commercial human spaceflight mission, adding to her standing record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut. (ANI) The Vande Bharat Express operating on the newly launched Katra-Srinagar route is witnessing overwhelming demand from passengers, with bookings full for the next 10 days, according to railway authorities. Speaking to the ANI, Station Superintendent at Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Railway Station, Jugal Kishor Sharma, said the response to the train has far exceeded expectations. "We are receiving a very good response from the public for the Vande Bharat Express, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. People are very excited, and there are no seats available for the next 10 days," Sharma said. Sharma attributed the strong enthusiasm to the train's state-of-the-art facilities and the significance of the route, which connects important religious and tourist destinations. "It's a new route, and there is great enthusiasm among the public to travel on it -- that's why there's a long waiting list for seats," he added. He also assured that railway staff are working diligently to ensure a smooth travel experience. "We are making sure that there are no discomfort or complaints from the passengers. The railway staff is also making all necessary efforts to facilitate the passengers," Sharma said. The train, which is part of the Indian Railways' push for faster and more comfortable travel options, aims to boost connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly for pilgrims visiting the revered Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra and tourists headed to the Kashmir Valley. The Vande Bharat Express has been equipped with modern features, including faster acceleration, comfortable seating, and enhanced safety protocols, further contributing to its popularity among passengers. Earlier on Tuesday, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah took a ride in the newly flagged off Vande Bharat train from Srinagar to Katra. The NC Chief said that the Vande Bharat trains on the USBRL route (Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link) are the "biggest gift" for the people of Jammu and Kashmir as it connects the territory with the entire country. Speaking to reporters, the NC chief said that his eyes became "teary" after the train crossed the Chenab Bridge. Jammu and Kashmir Minister Satish Sharma also accompanied NC Chief in the ride and termed it a "historic moment", saying that the long-pending demand of the people of Jammu and Kashmir has been fulfilled now. Highlighting the importance of this train, the Minister said that it will help to break the monopoly of airlines, offering the public more accessible and affordable travel options. Notably, the bridge on the River Chenab, being the highest bridge in the world, is a milestone project for the Indian Railways, which was completed after several ups and downs in a difficult terrain. It connects Kashmir to Jammu and the entire country via rail. The two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, directly connecting the Jammu division with Kashmir, were flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6. The new Vande Bharat Express train will take just about three hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing the existing travel time by two to three hours. These trains have been specially designed to operate in the cold climatic conditions of the Kashmir Valley. 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 arch bridge in the world. The USBRL project is 272 kilometres long, 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 minister Parvesh Verma said on Wednesday that the Delhi government under the BJP government has done more work in the first 100 days than the previous government could have done in 10 years. Parvesh Verma spoke to reporters after participating in the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' event organised by Delhi's Education Department. "The education department of the Delhi government has organised 'Ek Ped Maa ke Naam' program. I appeal to all Delhiites to plant a tree in the name of their mother in the nearby park... We have taken steps to ensure that water reaches all homes. It will take some time to improve it further and see the changes. The demand for water has increased now. Our officers are monitoring that there is no shortage of water anywhere, and work is also being done on the problem of dirty water, "Verma told reporters. "Our government has done more work in 100 days than the previous government could do in 10 years", Parvesh Verma told reporters. On Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta attended the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0' event in New Delhi. She asserted that the government has set up a target of planting more than 70 lakh trees in the present season. While speaking to the reporters, the Delhi CM expressed her happiness and stated that every Delhi department and school is joining the second series of 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam'. Rekha Gupta informed that the government has requested every person and social organisation to plant at least one tree in the name of our "Mother Nature and Earth" to make Delhi greener. "I am pleased that every Delhi department and school is joining the second series of 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam'. We are requesting every person and social organisation to plant at least one tree in the name of our Mother Nature and Earth, making Delhi greener. We have set a target of planting 70 lakh trees this season and expect to improve Delhi's environment by doing this", she told reporters earlier in the month. (ANI) The four accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case were brought to Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya, on Wednesday. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the wife of the victim and the prime accused of the case, is also kept at the Shillong Sadar Police Station. The Meghalaya Police team have brought these accused to Shillong Sadar Police Station after obtaining their seven-day transit remand for further investigation in the case. The four accused will now be taken to the Civil Line hospital in Shillong for their medical examination. They will later be produced in court. Earlier in the morning, the police team took Sonam Raghuvanshi to Ganesh Das hospital for medical examination in Shillong. Sonam is on a three-day transit remand with Meghalaya Police. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the wife of the victim, along with four others, including Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Raj Singh Kushwaha and Anand, are accused of murdering Raja Raghuvanshi, who recently got married and went on a honeymoon to Meghalaya. Raja''s body was found on June 2 in a gorge at Sohra near Cherrapunji in Meghalaya. Sonam Raghuvanshi was later found near a dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. On Tuesday, Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong informed that the four accused involved in the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi were being transported to Shillong. "We have got the transit remand, most likely if not tonight, then all of them will be in Shillong tomorrow. The moment they land, we will produce them in the CJM (Chief Judicial Magistrate) court," the Deputy CM told ANI. Meghalaya''s Deputy CM said that some of the accused have already confessed to the crime and that Sonam, the wife, is also "fully involved." "All the accused have been arrested from different places - one in Madhya Pradesh, the other in UP. An SIT of Meghalaya Police went down to these two places. Some of them have also confessed to the crime they committed. The moment we were able to pick Sonam, being the prime suspect in the killing, we all came to know that she is fully involved in this operation during their stay here in Meghalaya," the deputy CM said. Earlier on Tuesday, a bystander identified as Sushil Lakwani attempted to attack one of the accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case while the accused was being escorted by Shillong Police inside Indore airport. Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife, Sonam, both residents of Madhya Pradesh''s Indore, had gone missing during their honeymoon in the northeastern state of Meghalaya. Raja Raghuvanshi''s body was later recovered in Meghalaya. (ANI) The mother of Raj Singh Kushwaha, one of the accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, claimed that his son is being "trapped" and "can never do something like this". She requested to save her son. Speaking to ANI, his mother said, "My son is not like that; he can never do something like this. He is very young and used to taking care of his three sisters after his father passed away. He started working at Govind''s (brother of Sonam Raghuvanshi) office. My husband passed away in 2020. After that, Raj has taken care of our family. Please save my son, this is my only request. I have no idea about any relationship between Sonam and my son. My son is being trapped. I don''t know who is behind this... I can''t even visit Meghalaya; I have no one to take me there," she told ANI. Meanwhile, the four accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case were brought to Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya, on Wednesday. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the wife of the victim and the prime accused of the case, is also kept at the Shillong Sadar Police Station. The Meghalaya Police team have brought these accused to Shillong Sadar Police Station after obtaining their seven-day transit remand for further investigation in the case. The four accused will now be taken to the Civil Line hospital in Shillong for their medical examination. They will later be produced in court. Earlier in the morning, the police team took Sonam Raghuvanshi to Ganesh Das hospital for medical examination in Shillong. Sonam is on a three-day transit remand with Meghalaya Police. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the wife of the victim, along with four others, including Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Raj Singh Kushwaha and Anand, are accused of murdering Raja Raghuvanshi, who recently got married and went on a honeymoon to Meghalaya. Raja''s body was found on June 2 in a gorge at Sohra near Cherrapunji in Meghalaya. Sonam Raghuvanshi was later found near a dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife, Sonam, both residents of Madhya Pradesh''s Indore, had gone missing during their honeymoon in the northeastern state of Meghalaya. Raja Raghuvanshi''s body was later recovered in Meghalaya. (ANI) Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that that delays and failures plague post-matric scholarships for students from marginalised communities. The letter came following Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to a Hostel in Bihar where students complained, among other things, about alleged lack of mess facilities. "I request you to resolve two critical issues which hinder education opportunities for the 90% of students who are from marginalised communities. Firstly, the conditions in residential hostels for students from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC and minority communities are deplorable. During a recent visit to Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar, students complained about single rooms which 6-7 students were forced to share, unhygienic toilets, unsafe drinking water, lack of mess facilities, and no access to libraries or the internet," Rahul Gandhi said in his letter dated June 10. The Congress MP further further said, "Secondly, post-matric scholarships for students from marginalised communities are plagued by delays and failures. For example, in Bihar, the scholarship portal was non-functional for three years no student received a scholarship in 2021-22. Even thereafter, the number of Dalit students receiving scholarships fell by nearly half, from 1.36 lakh in FY23 to 0.69 lakh in FY24. Students further complain that the scholarship amounts are insultingly low," the letter added. The Lok Sabha LoP suggested that government should take two actions to overcome these difficulties The letter reads, "While I have cited examples from Bihar, these failures are widespread across the country. I urge the government to immediately take two actions to remedy these failures: Audit every hostel for students from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC and minority communities to ensure good infrastructure, sanitation, food, and academic facilities; and allocate adequate funds to address deficiencies. Disburse post-matric scholarships on time, increase scholarship amounts, and improve execution by working closely with state governments." "I am sure you agree that India cannot progress unless youth from marginalized communities progress. I look forward to your positive response," it added. (ANI) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday launched the 'Obesity Free Gujarat' campaign as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to make India free from obesity during his Mann Ki Baat program. As a part of the campaign, a 'Yog Shivir' was held at the event centre at the Sabarmati River Front in Ahmedabad, which CM Bhupendra Patel and State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi attended. Ahead of the International Yoga Day, the Gujarat State Yoga Board, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, and the District Administration are jointly organising a yoga shivir. According to Shishpal Rajput, Chairman of the Gujarat State Yoga Board, Yoga is a "great gift" from the Indian culture to the world, and because of PM Modi, the world is celebrating International Yoga Day on June 21. He highlighted that a few days ago, PM Modi during his 'Man Ki Baat' program spoke about making India obesity-free, and by taking inspiration from it, CM Bhupendra Patel announced that by the end of 2025, he aims to make Gujarat a "healthy" and "obesity free" state. "Yoga is a great gift from Indian culture to the world. Because of our Prime Minister, the entire world celebrates June 21 as International Yoga Day, which is a proud moment for the nation. A few days ago, in his 'Mann Ki Baat', he spoke about making India obesity-free. Taking inspiration, the Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel has announced that by the end of 2025, he aims to make Gujarat healthy and free from obesity. Under this campaign, the Gujarat State Yoga Board will launch massive drives across all districts of the state", he said. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, A yoga camp was held at Navlakhi Ground in Vadodara ahead of International Yoga Day, drawing participation from over one lakh people, according to officials. The event was jointly organised by the Gujarat State Yoga Board and Vadodara Municipal Corporation to raise awareness about the benefits of yoga. The event, which took place as a precursor to the celebrations on June 21, saw enthusiastic participation from people of all age groups who practised various yoga asanas together in the open. (ANI) Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not clarified his role regarding the all-party delegations sent to different parts of the world following Operation Sindoor. He added that PM Modi keeps on doing such events. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi met with the members of the seven Parliamentary delegations sent to multiple key partner countries. While speaking to the reporters on Wednesday, Sanjay Raut asserted that the nation wants to know whether the cessation of hostilities agreement between India and Pakistan took place under the pressure of US President Donald Trump. "The Prime Minister keeps doing such events. The Prime Minister has not clarified his role till now. The nation wants to know whether the ceasefire between India and Pakistan happened under the pressure of President Trump or not", he told reporters. Sanjay Raut further slammed the Union Government while speaking on the PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) issue. He said that 140 crore people of the country had made up their mind that PM Narendra Modi will take PoK and Pakistan will be "slapped" so hard that it will not even be able to come back. "140 crore people of the country had this in their mind that now Modi will take POK and Pakistan will be slapped so hard that Pakistan will not get back. Pakistan will be divided into four parts. We were seeing that we will go to Lahore, we will go to Karachi, there will be a (Akhand Hindustan) united India. Modi ji will make Veer Savarkar's dream come true, which has not happened till now", Sanjay Raut added. The delegations, consisting of MPs from across party lines, former MPs and distinguished diplomats, highlighted India's stand against terror and commitment to world peace during their visits to various nations. Seven groups of all party delegations, including Opposition MPs such as Supriya Sule of NCP-SCP, Shashi Tharoor of the Congress party, AIMIM chief Asaddudin Owaisi, and former ambassadors, completed their diplomatic efforts to visit various world capitals and promoted India's policy of zero tolerance against terrorism. The delegation was launched post Operation Sindoor, India's response to the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 tourists were killed. Over 50 people, including members of Parliament from multiple political parties, former ambassadors, and former government officials, visited over 30 countries as part of India's diplomatic outreach post Operation Sindoor. (ANI) Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Deputy Chief of Air Staff, on Wednesday highlighted the strategic role of surveillance and electro-optic systems in the current combat scenarios and said that the decisive advantage in modern warfare lies in the ability to see first, see farthest, and see most accurately. Drawing parallels from recent global conflicts--including the Armenia-Azerbaijan war, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the ongoing Israel-Hamas hostilities--Air Marshal Dixit noted that superior situational awareness has consistently tipped the balance in favour of the side with better eyes on the battlefield. Speaking at the Surveillance and Electro Optics India seminar, Air Marshal Dixit said, "When we look at global conflicts commencing from Armenia-Azerbaijan to Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas, and to our own experiences in Operation Sindoor, one truth emerges with crystal clarity: the side that sees first, sees farthest and sees most accurately, prevails." "This axiom has guided military thinking for centuries, but never has it been more relevant than in our current era of precision warfare and multi-domain operations," he added. The Air Marshal referred to Operation Sindoor as a demonstration of India's readiness to adapt to these evolving realities. "This brings me to the critical importance of deep surveillance in contemporary warfare. The lessons from Operation Sindoor have reinforced what military strategists have long understood but perhaps not fully appreciated until now. Modern warfare, thanks to technology, has fundamentally altered the relationship between distance and vulnerability," he said. "It has given a new meaning to simultaneity and non-linearity. The existing principles of war are being challenged, and new ones are emerging. Earlier, the horizon marked the limit of immediate threat. Today, precision-guided munitions like SCALP, BrahMos and HAMMER have rendered geographical barriers almost meaningless, as strikes with BVR AAMs and supersonic AGMs have become commonplace." Air Marshal Dixit said that the rapidly advancing domain of surveillance and electro-optics is no longer just an operational enabler but has emerged as the very foundation of contemporary military strategy. Reflecting on the significant transformation in the field, Air Marshal Dixit noted that these technologies have shifted from being supplementary force multipliers to becoming central to how nations plan, execute, and dominate in future conflicts. "As someone who has witnessed this transformation firsthand, I can attest that we stand at the cusp of a revolution that will redefine how we perceive, process and project power in the 21st century," he said. He said, "When weapons can strike targets hundreds of kilometres away with pinpoint accuracy, he traditional concepts of front, rear and flanks combat zones and depth areas all become irrelevant. What we call the front and the theatre merge into one. This new reality demands that we extend our surveillance envelope far beyond what previous generations could have even imagined. We must detect, identify and track potential threats not when they approach our borders, but when they are still in their staging areas, airfields and bases, deep within adversary territory. This existed as a concept even earlier but today we have the means to realise it." Adding further, he said, "The compressed timelines of modern warfare amplify this need. When hypersonic missiles can traverse hundreds of kilometres in minutes and drone swarms can reach their targets before traditional decision-making processes can respond, real-time or near-real-time surveillance becomes not just advantageous but essential for survival." Air Marshal Dixit said that the speed of modern weapons has fundamentally altered the OODA loop, compressing it from hours to minutes, sometimes even seconds, and this new reality is being shaped by mega satellite constellations that are revolutionising battlefield awareness. "The fusion of Electro-Optical, SAR and SIGINT capabilities now enables a 24x7 dynamic, persistent and predictive mosaic of the battlefield. We no longer merely observe; we anticipate, predict and pre-empt," he said. "As we look to the future, it becomes clear that government efforts alone cannot meet the pace of technological change we face. This is where our private sector emerges as a critical partner in our surveillance evolution. The dynamism, innovation and agility that characterise India's technology companies are precisely what we need to maintain our edge in this rapidly evolving domain. We need our private sector to push the boundaries in several critical areas. Integration of AI with electro-optic systems has the potential to revolutionise surveillance capabilities. AI-driven imaging seekers, automated threat recognition and predictive analytics can transform passive monitoring into active. and intelligent surveillance that anticipates rather than merely observes," he said. He added, "The development of multispectral, all-weather surveillance systems that can operate effectively in our diverse geographical and climatic conditions is essential. From the Siachen glacier to the hot arid deserts down to the Indian Ocean, our surveillance systems must maintain effectiveness across all environments. We also need scalable and interoperable systems that can seamlessly integrate with existing military networks while remaining flexible enough to accommodate future technologies. The days of standalone, siloed systems are behind us. The future belongs to networked, collaborative platforms that multiply rather than merely add capabilities." Speaking at the seminar on national security, Lieutenant General Vineet Gaur, DG Capability Development, underscored the critical role of advanced surveillance in contemporary warfare. "In today's modern era, advanced surveillance is not a luxury but a necessity. We witnessed its significance during the Kargil conflict, and its relevance has only grown in today's evolving security landscape," he said. He further emphasised the increasing importance of space-based surveillance, particularly as the Indian Air Force undergoes a transformative phase. "We are set to launch 52 satellites in the coming year, out of which 31 will be built by private sector firms," he revealed. These satellites will be equipped with cutting-edge camera lenses, advanced sensors, and a suite of modern technologies to enhance India's situational awareness and defence preparedness. Air Vice Marshal Tejpal Singh highlighted the indispensable role of advanced surveillance and technology in modern warfare, stating that enhanced battlefield imagery and superior monitoring capabilities have become vital components of military success. "Advanced surveillance is no longer optional--it is essential in any modern conflict," he said. "Clearer imagery and stronger surveillance systems provide a critical edge on the battlefield." He further stressed that Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) has emerged as a key element in today's combat environment. "ISR is central to modern-day warfare, and Remotely Operated Systems (ROS) serve as its backbone," he explained, adding that the importance of these systems has been demonstrated in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Referring to developments in West Asia, Air Vice Marshal Singh pointed to the use of unmanned aerial attack systems in Yemen, which have drawn global attention. "These examples show that ISR capabilities are vital for achieving dominance in today's contested airspace," he said. (ANI) Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Atishi on Wednesday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the elongated power cuts in the city. "Since the BJP came to power, poor people have been suffering. There are long power cuts -- how can a poor person afford an inverter? Electricity prices have been hiked, water prices are also set to increase, and private school fees have gone up. Even the homes of poor people are being demolished. What is the BJP government doing? Do they want the poor, who come to Delhi in search of work, to run away from the city?" Atishi told ANI. Atishi also lashed out at the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on the demolition drive carried out at New Delhi's Bhoomihin camp. Speaking to the media, Atishi called the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a 'Gareeb Virodhi' Party, further questioning on who approached the court for the demolition. "It's clear that the BJP is a 'Gareeb Virodhi' party. Three days ago, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta said that not a single slum would be demolished. But today, since 5 AM, bulldozers have been operating, and people are being forced out of their homes, beaten with sticks. Rekha Gupta claims this is a court order -- but who approached the court? It was the BJP's DDA and the party that brought the order. These poor people went to court, but the BJP and the DDA stood against them, said they wouldn't provide homes, and urged the court to approve the demolition," Atishi said. The demolition drive was carried out following directions from the High Court.The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had issued an official notice to all residents of Bhoomihin Camp, directing them to vacate their premises in view of the demolition of illegal huts, following directions from the High Court. On Monday, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) issued an official notice to all residents of Bhoomiheen Camp in South Delhi's Kalkaji Extension, directing them to vacate their premises given the upcoming demolition of illegal huts, following directions from the High Court. According to the notice, residents were asked to vacate voluntarily within three days--June 8, 9, and 10. The notice stated that failure to comply will lead to demolition action by the authorities. The DDA further read, "Any belongings left inside the huts during demolition will be removed, and the agency will not be held responsible for any damage or loss to personal property." (ANI) A prayer meeting was organised in Bhandana on the 25th death anniversary of former Union Minister late Rajesh Pilot. His son and Congress leader Sachin Pilot attended the prayer meeting. Earlier in the Day, Sachin Pilot paid tributes to his father. In a post on social media X, he wrote that his father's public service, honesty, and courage would always be a source of inspiration. He further wrote that his father pledged respect and empowerment for all sections of society. "Today, 11 June 2025, on the 25th death anniversary of my father, Late Rajesh Pilot ji, I remember him and pay my tribute to him. His public service, honesty and courage will always be a source of inspiration for me. He pledged respect and empowerment for every section, including farmers, youth - he was able to make a place in every heart with his humble behaviour, hard work and dedication to the country. My heartfelt tribute and salutations to him," the post stated. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also paid tribute to Rajesh Pilot. In a post, Kharge wrote "India will develop in the true sense only when the children of farmers and labourers will study and reach the positions from where the policies of this country are made. Our heartfelt tribute to former Union Minister and senior leader of the Congress Party, well-wisher of farmers, Rajesh Pilot ji on his 25th death anniversary." Born in a small village in Uttar Pradesh, Rajesh Pilot moved to Delhi where he worked as a milkman and later went to join the Indian Air Force. In 1979, his meeting with the then Congress President Indira Gandhi started the chapter of politics in his life. After being granted a ticket to contest elections by Indira Gandhi, he won his first elections in Bharatpur and Dausa. He also emerged as a prominent Gurjar leader in the country. Rajesh Pilot also served as the minister of Telecommunications, Internal Security and Environment. (ANI) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel graced the yoga camp held at the Event Centre on the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, a press release from Gujarat CMO said. As part of the celebration of 'International Yoga Day - 2025', a free 'Yoga Camp - Common Yoga Protocol Training' was organised under the joint initiative of the Gujarat State Yoga Board, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, and the District Administration under the campaign 'Swasth Gujarat, Obesity-Free Gujarat'. Early in the morning, amid a refreshing atmosphere, over 15,000 citizens enthusiastically participated in the yoga camp. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, along with other dignitaries, also performed yoga during the camp. On this occasion, Minister of State for Youth, Cultural Activities, and Home Department, Harsh Sanghavi, stated that the yoga camp was held under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel as part of the 'Swasth Gujarat, Obesity-Free Gujarat' campaign. He noted that, through this campaign, all districts of Gujarat are advancing together to create a new milestone on this year's International Yoga Day. He further emphasised that yoga is a profound symbol of Indian culture. Yoga and pranayama, he said, are not merely physical or mental exercises, but holistic practices that establish a deep connection between the mind, body, and soul. On this occasion, the Minister also appealed to the citizens of all districts of Gujarat to take inspiration from yoga and join the 'Swasth Gujarat, Obesity-Free Gujarat' campaign. At this camp, Shishpal Rajput, Chairman of the Gujarat State Yoga Board and a Yogsevak, along with experienced yoga experts, provided insightful guidance on various practices such as yogasan, pranayam, and meditation. Shishpal emphasised the need to prioritise health in today's fast-paced lifestyle by adopting yoga as a regular practice. He addressed issues like hypertension, obesity prevention, and the nutritional value of different foods, encouraging people to embrace a more energetic and balanced way of life. Along with members of the State Yoga Board, he conducted training on standard yoga and pranayam protocols and provided guidance on regular exercise, stress relief through meditation, and incorporating yoga into daily routines. Notably, in his 'Mann Ki Baat' address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens across the nation to combat obesity through the practice of yoga. Aligned with this vision, and under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the state government has launched the 'Swasth Gujarat, Obesity-Free Gujarat' campaign. This yoga camp stands as a significant step toward realising that objective. The yoga camp was organized to inspire society to embrace physical, mental, and spiritual well-being through yoga. It sought to promote yoga as a way of life, fostering healthier individuals and a happier, more harmonious society. The event was also attended by Ahmedabad Mayor Smt. Pratibha Jain, District Panchayat President Smt. Kanchanba Vaghela, Member of Parliament from Ahmedabad West Dinesh Makwana, all MLAs, Principal Secretary of the Sports, Youth, and Cultural Activities Department M. Thennarasan, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani, officials and office bearers of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and District Administration, yoga practitioners, yoga enthusiasts, teachers, youth, senior citizens, and a large number of city residents. (ANI) Many decades ago, millions of Indian citizens were called "untouchables." They were told they were impure and that they could not speak for themselves. But here we are today, where a person belonging to those very people is speaking openly as the holder of the highest office in the country's judiciary, said Chief Justice of India BR Gavai. CJI Gavai, the second Dalit and the first Buddhist to hold India's highest judicial office, spoke at the Oxford Union on Tuesday on the theme 'From Representation to Realisation: Embodying the Constitution's Promise'. He highlighted the positive impact of the Constitution on marginalised communities, saying that the Constitution has given people equal place in every sphere of society and power. "Many decades ago, millions of citizens of India were called 'untouchables'. They were told they were impure. They were told that they did not belong. They were told that they could not speak for themselves. But here we are today, where a person belonging to those very people is speaking openly, as the holder of the highest office in the judiciary of the country. This is what the Constitution of India did. It told the people of India that they belong, that they can speak for themselves, and that they have an equal place in every sphere of society and power," he said. "At the Oxford Union today, I stand before you to say: for India's most vulnerable citizens, the Constitution is not merely a legal charter or a political framework. It is a feeling, a lifeline, a quiet revolution etched in ink. In my own journey, from a municipal school to the Office of the Chief Justice of India, it has been a guiding force," said the CJI. He said the Constitution is a social document, one that does not avert its gaze from the brutal truths of caste, poverty, exclusion, and injustice. "It does not pretend that all are equal in a land scarred by deep inequality. Instead, it dares to intervene, to rewrite the script, to recalibrate power, and to restore dignity," CJI said at the gathering. The Constitution of India carries within it the heartbeat of those who were never meant to be heard, and the vision of a country where equality is not just promised, but pursued, he said, adding that it compels the State not only to protect rights but to uplift, to affirm, to repair actively. CJI said that during the framing of India's Constitution, a remarkable and often overlooked truth emerged: many of the nation's most vulnerable social groups were not merely subjects of constitutional concern but active participants in its making. "From Dalits and Adivasis, to women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and even those once unjustly brandedas "criminal tribes," their presence in the Constituent Assembly, and in the broader constitutional imagination, was a collective demand for justice," said the CJI. He said Dr BR Ambedkar as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution, played a foresighted and defining role in embedding adequate safeguards and affirmative measures into the constitutional text, particularly the principle of representation. "In an unequal society, he believed, democracy cannot survive unless power is also divided among communities, not just among institutions. Representation, therefore, was a mechanism of redistributing power, not only between the legislature, executive, and judiciary, but among social groups that had been denied a share for centuries, CJI further said. (ANI) Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his completion of 11 years in office. Kharge criticised PM Modi and said he has never seen a PM who tells so many lies. The Congress President said that he has been in politics for 65 years, and alleged that PM Modi is deceiving the youth and taking votes by luring the poor. "I have been saying this in Parliament for a long time, and I have never seen a Prime Minister who lies so much, makes so many mistakes, traps people, deceives the youth, and takes votes by trapping people. I have been in politics for 65 years. He has lied on everything and not even one has been implemented", Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters in Kalaburagi on Wednesday. Furthermore, the Congress President highlighted that PM Narendra Modi does not answer whenever he is asked about anything, whether it be demonetisation, MSP, or unemployment. "When we ask him, he does not have any answer, whether it is about demonetization, unemployment or MSP, there are so many such issues. He has never told the people that he has told such lies. He just keeps on saying one thing after the other and says that his 11 years are over", Kharge added. Speaking over the issue of the caste census to be redone in Karnataka, the Congress president explained that there are several criteria that the Karnataka government has made that will remain the same. There is a need to survey because it is 10 years old, and in this period, many people have come into the SC, ST and OBC. "There are a few criteria that have been made by our Siddaramaiah government, socio-economic criteria and other criteria will remain the same. If something is missing, they will add it. The survey has to be done because it is 10 years old. In 10 years, many people have joined ST, SC and OBC. Many people have been added, and a survey has to be done to see which community people have come where, and nothing else", Kharge added. On Tuesday, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that the caste census would be redone to allay doubts of various communities over the sanctity of data. (ANI) Sonam Raghuvanshi, along with four other accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, are expected to be produced soon in the court today. Sonam Raghuvanshi is the wife of the victim and, according to Meghalaya Police, is one of the prime accused in the case. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Meghalaya Police has reached the Shillong Sadar Police Station. All the accused, including Sonam, have been kept at the Shillong Sadar Police Station. Meghalaya SIT chief told ANI that all five accused, including Sonam Raghuvanshi, will be produced before the court today. He added that papers are being prepared for this. Meanwhile, the mother of Raj Singh Kushwaha, one of the accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, on Wednesday claimed that his son is being "trapped" and "can never do something like this". She requested to save her son. Speaking to ANI, his mother said, "My son is not like that; he can never do something like this. He is very young and was taking care of his three sisters after his father passed away. He started working at Govind's (brother of Sonam Raghuvanshi) office. My husband passed away in 2020. After that, Raj has taken care of our family. Please save my son, this is my only request. I have no idea about any relationship between Sonam and my son. My son is being trapped. I don't know who is behind this... I can't even visit Meghalaya; I have no one to take me there," she told ANI. Earlier today, the four accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case were brought to Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the wife of the victim and the prime accused of the case, is also kept at the Shillong Sadar police station. Sonam is on a three-day transit remand with Meghalaya Police. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the wife of the victim, along with four others, including Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Raj Singh Kushwaha and Anand, are accused of murdering Raja Raghuvanshi, who recently got married and went on a honeymoon to Meghalaya. Raja's body was found on June 2 in a gorge at Sohra near Cherrapunji in Meghalaya. Sonam Raghuvanshi was later found near a dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife, Sonam, both residents of Madhya Pradesh's Indore, had gone missing during their honeymoon in the northeastern state of Meghalaya. Raja Raghuvanshi's body was later recovered in Meghalaya. (ANI) Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police of Indore Crime Branch on Wednesday extended support to Shillong police in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, saying that they will assist in the investigation if their counterpart seeks any further help. Speaking to ANI, ADCP Rajesh Dandotiya said, "Indore police's help was sought by Shillong police. The Shillong police team has been here since June 7. Now they have reached Shillong. 4 accused related to Indore were arrested by the Crime Branch. The Indore Crime Branch is not investigating any case. Apart from this, Shillong police has not given any kind of input to the Indore Crime Branch. Apart from those 4 names, no name has come out in this matter... If Shillong police seek any further help, then Indore police will assist in the investigation." Meanwhile, Sonam Raghuvanshi, along with four other accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, are expected to be produced soon in the court today. Sonam Raghuvanshi is the wife of the victim and, according to Meghalaya Police, is one of the prime accused in the case. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Meghalaya Police has reached the Shillong Sadar Police Station. All the accused, including Sonam, have been kept at the Shillong Sadar Police Station. Meghalaya SIT chief told ANI that all five accused, including Sonam Raghuvanshi, will be produced before the court today. He added that papers are being prepared for this. Earlier today, the four accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case were brought to Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the wife of the victim and the prime accused of the case, is also kept at the Shillong Sadar police station. Sonam is on a three-day transit remand with Meghalaya Police. Sonam Raghuvanshi, the wife of the victim, along with four others, including Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Raj Singh Kushwaha and Anand, are accused of murdering Raja Raghuvanshi, who recently got married and went on a honeymoon to Meghalaya. Raja's body was found on June 2 in a gorge at Sohra near Cherrapunji in Meghalaya. Sonam Raghuvanshi was found near a dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road on June 9. Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife, Sonam, both residents of Madhya Pradesh's Indore, had gone missing during their honeymoon in the northeastern state of Meghalaya. Raja Raghuvanshi's body was later recovered in Meghalaya. (ANI) Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge have expelled former MLA, Madhya Pradesh, Laxman Singh from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress for a period of six years with immediate effect. The decision comes due to Singh's alleged anti-party activities. AICC in a release said, " Hon'ble Congress President has expelled Shri Laxman Singh, Former MLA, Madhya Pradesh, from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress for a period of six years, with immediate effect, due to his anti-party activities" Earlier, the Haryana unit of Congress has expelled five leaders including a former MLA for six years for indulging in "anti-party activities" with immediate effect. The leaders were expelled after reports found party leaders indulging in anti-party activities recently. Former MLA Rambir Singh is also among the expelled leaders. The other four leaders are Vijay Kaushik, Rahul Chaudhary, Pooja Rani and Rupesh Malik. An order issued by the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee earlier read, "Consequent upon the receipt of reports through various means of communications pertaining to party leaders/workers having found indulged in anti-party activities in the recent past during ongoing process of MC Elections (2025), the following persons are hereby expelled from the party for 6 years with immediate effect". Earlier on February 20, the Congress in Haryana had expelled seven party leaders from across the state for indulging in "anti-party activities" in the upcoming 2025 municipal corporation elections. The seven leaders were suspended for six years in consultation with the state in-charge BK Hariprasad. According to the order, the expelled leaders included former District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents Tarlochan Singh and Ashok Khurana (Karnal), Member Coordination Committee Pradeep Chaudhary (Karnal), and former District Youth Congress (DYC) president Madhu Chaudhary (Yamuna Nagar). Ram Niwas Rara, a Congress candidate from the Hisar assembly constituency, has also been expelled by the party. Additionally, Harvinder (Lovely) from Gurugram and Ram Kishan Sain (from Gurugram) were expelled for six years with immediate effect. (ANI) Sambhar Lake, the largest saltwater lake in Rajasthan, is known for salt production but is now also recognised as a habitat and transit point for foreign birds like flamingos. Usually, flamingos arrive here in the lakhs during the winter season, but even during this summer season, a large number of flamingos are seen in Sambhar Lake. Along the Central Asian Flyway, a significant migratory route, Sambhar is one of the most favoured destinations for migratory birds, especially Flamingos. These days, flamingo birds with a pink hue travel thousands of kilometres every year to reach Sambhar Lake. This time, flamingos are seen in large numbers even in summer and have become a centre of attraction. A large number of tourists are also arriving here to witness Lesser and Greater Flamingos frolicking in the shallow waters of Sambhar Lake. It is said that these birds travel thousands of kilometres from Russia, Mongolia, and Siberia to reach Sambhar, as the salty water of Sambhar Lake provides them with an abundant amount of algae and the small insects that grow on it as food. Generally, migratory birds stay in Sambhar from September to October to February to March. Still, many species of migratory birds can be seen throughout the year, with flamingos being the most prominent among them. Bird expert Manoj Kulshreshtha states that Sambhar Lake is an important natural habitat for migratory birds. Two species of flamingos can be seen here, these include the Greater and Lesser Flamingos. The size of the Lesser Flamingo is two and a half to three and a half feet, while the Greater Flamingo can be up to five feet tall. The wings and a large part of the body of the Lesser Flamingo are pink, whereas the Greater Flamingo is white in colour. According to Vinod Kumar Sanwaria, a local resident of Sambhar and former chairman of Sambhar Municipality, Sambhar Lake is spread over 240 square kilometres. Sambhar is a wetland that is also included in the Ramsar sites. It is a saline inland water body. Migratory birds get an abundant amount of food here. That is why the tourist presence in this salt-producing city is quite high due to these foreign birds, and many films are also shot here. In March, a large flock of flamingos have arrived in coastal areas of Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) in Tamil Nadu, attracted by the brackish water bodies and salt pans that provide a suitable environment for these migratory birds. The birds, known for their striking pink plumage, are here to breed and feed, taking advantage of the region's rich resources. From October to March, the coastal town's salt pans become an ideal feeding ground for flamingos. Flamingos are migratory birds, and their movement patterns depend on environmental conditions like food availability and temperature.Some species migrate seasonally, while others move in response to local climate changes. (ANI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is visiting Gujarat's Jamanagar to bolster efforts for wildlife conservation and establish rescue centres in the state. Ahead of his visit to Jamnagar, CM Yadav highlighted the state's focus on wildlife conservation, sustainable habitat development, and expanding veterinary infrastructure to protect its rich biodiversity. "From a wildlife perspective, we have a vast forest area, and because of that, Madhya Pradesh is home to the highest number of animals like tigers, leopards, vultures, and many more. We have also brought the King Cobra to the state. In such a situation, it's important to ensure the safety of the growing animal population and rescue centres are required. Recently, we have developed two new tiger reserves in the state," CM Yadav said. "Additionally, for Cheetahs, after Kuno National Park, we have shifted some of them to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, and we are developing a new park. I have asked our officers to establish a rescue centre at the divisional level. Currently, our only rescue centre is at Van Vihar National Park in the state capital, Bhopal. Similarly, with the increasing number of tourists, our zoos should also expand. From that perspective, we had announced the development of two new zoos in the last budget as well," he added. He further stressed that his visit was aimed at observing the facilities at the rescue centre. "Today, I am going to see one of the best rescue centres in the whole country, which is located in Gujarat. Earlier, I sent a team from the state, and we hope to exchange our animals among ourselves, which we have in abundance. Also, if they can help in saving our animals with their rescue facilities. In the meantime, we tried to start veterinary courses and to open veterinary hospitals in our universities, so that most of the doctors related to wildlife can also be prepared," the CM said. The CM also appealed to people to get closer to animals and inform the forest officials and district administration when they find any animal in pain or danger. "I hope that when the government is working in all areas under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we can do a lot of work on issues related to wildlife. In that direction, I am going to make some decisions as well. Therefore, today I am going to Jamnagar, Gujarat. I will appeal that whenever any individual gets a chance, they should increase their closeness with wild animals and, seeing wildlife animals in danger, immediately inform the nearest forest officer or the district administration." The Chief Minister further added that they are concerned about the lives of every person and equally serious wildlife animals as well. He urged everyone to take care of the ecosystem together. (ANI) Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot paid tribute to former Union Minister Rajesh Pilot on his 25th death anniversary on Wednesday. Gehlot expressed his sadness over Pilot's untimely demise in a road accident, told ANI, "He has contributed a lot to the country and the state. We are all going to celebrate his 25th death anniversary. We will pay our tributes to him. We are all still sad about his departure because the way he died in an accident" Earlier in the day, a prayer meeting was organised in Bhandana on the 25th death anniversary of former Union Minister late Rajesh Pilot. His son and Congress leader Sachin Pilot attended the prayer meeting. Earlier in the Day, Sachin Pilot paid tributes to his father. In a post on social media X, he wrote that his father's public service, honesty, and courage would always be a source of inspiration. He further wrote that his father pledged respect and empowerment for all sections of society. "Today, 11 June 2025, on the 25th death anniversary of my father, Late Rajesh Pilot ji, I remember him and pay my tribute to him. His public service, honesty and courage will always be a source of inspiration for me. He pledged respect and empowerment for every section, including farmers, youth - he was able to make a place in every heart with his humble behaviour, hard work and dedication to the country. My heartfelt tribute and salutations to him," the post stated. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also paid tribute to Rajesh Pilot. In a post, Kharge wrote, "India will develop in the true sense only when the children of farmers and labourers study and reach the positions from where the policies of this country are made. Our heartfelt tribute to former Union Minister and senior leader of the Congress Party, well-wisher of farmers, Rajesh Pilot ji, on his 25th death anniversary." Born in a small village in Uttar Pradesh, Rajesh Pilot moved to Delhi, where he worked as a milkman and later joined the Indian Air Force. In 1979, his meeting with the then Congress President Indira Gandhi started the chapter of politics in his life. After being granted a ticket to contest elections by Indira Gandhi, he won his first elections in Bharatpur and Dausa. He also emerged as a prominent Gurjar leader in the country. Rajesh Pilot also served as the minister of Telecommunications, Internal Security and Environment. (ANI) The Delhi High court on Wednesday sought a status report on the appeal of Shahid alias billi one of the five convicts of the 2010 Dhaula Kuan Gang rape case. This case pertains to the abduction and gang rape of a BPO employee from Moti Bagh on November 23, 2010 in a mini truck by Mewati gang. She was dumped in the Mangolpuri area after the gang rape. Five accused were convicted in 2014. Their sentence was upheld by the Delhi High Court in 2018. Justice Girish Kathpalia issued notice to the prosecution and sought a status report on the appeal in two weeks. The High Court has also called for the nominal role from the concerned jail authorities. The bench noted that the petitioner has been incarcerated for about 13 years without remission. The appeal has been listed before the roster bench on July 29. Meanwhile, the High Court has exempted the petitioner Shahid from surrendering on expiry of his furlough tomorrow, given that his Minor daughter is suffering from cancer. He was granted furlough by the government. He approached the High Court for an extension of the same. The High Court also perused the Photographs and medical documents of his daughter. The petitioner is scheduled to surrender tomorrow on expiry of the furlough. If he applies, it will consume a considerable time, the court said. "He has spent about 13 years of incarceration without remission, and the peculiar circumstances of this case, this application is allowed," the High Court ordered on June 11. The High Court said that Till the next date petitioner is exempted from surrendering. It is made clear that this order has been passed unfortunate condition. It should not be treated as precedent. Dwarka court had Convicted namely Shamshad alias Khutkan, Usman alias Kale, Iqbal alias Billi, Shahid alias Billi and Kamruddin alias Kamru on October 14, 2014. (ANI) A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the all-party delegation members on India's global outreach on Operation Sindoor, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday launched sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, repeatedly asking him to conduct an all-party meeting and hold a two-day discussion in the upcoming Monsoon Session in the Parliament. Speaking to ANI, Ramesh questioned PM Modi about the potentiality of conducting an all-party meeting, setting up a review committee on Operation Sindoor, a two-day discussion during the Monsoon Session and about the efforts made to nab the terrorists of the Pahalgam attack. The Congress MP stated, "It was natural that the Prime Minister meet all the 50 MPs who were members of these seven delegations that went to 32 countries. That was not a surprise as far as we were concerned. But we have only four simple questions. We would like the Prime Minister to answer these questions. Question number one - When will the Prime Minister chair an all-party meeting and meet the leaders? Leaders and not MPs, and take them into confidence on the internal and external security challenges that have emerged after the Pahalgam terror attack." "Secondly, our question is that after the Kargil war, we had a Kargil review committee... will there be a similar exercise, especially after the CDS revelations in Singapore? Will there be a review? Will there be an analysis? ... So will there be a report? Will it be tabled in Parliament? The third question is, during the Monsoon session, will the Prime Minister allow a two full-day discussion on internal and external security challenges, on China, on Pakistan, on the new emerging technologies which we have to contend with, with the challenges posed by President Trump's repeated claims..." Ramesh added. He further said, "Our fourth question is that the Pahalgam terrorists who carried out this brutal attack are still free; they have not been brought to justice. They were responsible for the Poonch attack on December 23. They were responsible for Gagangir on October 24. They were involved in Gulmarg on October 24. These are all reports that have not been denied. So, when will these Pahalgam terrorists be brought to justice?" Speaking about PM Modi's meeting with the delegation members, he said, "Prime Minister meeting the MPs is fine. That's his prerogative. But when is he going to meet the leaders of political parties? When is he going to announce a two-day discussion in the upcoming Parliament session?..." Earlier today, in a social media post on X, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh asked a series of questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over several issues. His remarks came after Prime Minister Modi himself met with the members of the seven Parliamentary delegations that had been sent to multiple key partner countries. The Congress asked PM Modi about the possibility of chairing an all-party meeting about the issues concerning India's security strategy. (ANI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on completion of 11 years in office, terming it a golden tenure. He further stressed that there have been various achievements in PM Modi's tenure which were awaited for a very long time ago. "PM Modi's tenure is a Golden tenure. There have been several achievements in PM Narendra Modi's tenure that were needed for a very long time. He formed the government for the third time and this is not just the tenure of PM Narendra Modi, but the tenure which makes the entire India proud," CM Yadav told reporters here. He also highlighted that he came to visit the rescue centre in Jamnagar and would like to work with them in time to come. Earlier in the day ahead of the visit, CM Yadav while speaking to reporters in Bhopal emphasised Madhya Pradesh's focus on wildlife conservation, sustainable habitat development, and expanding veterinary infrastructure to protect its rich biodiversity. "From a wildlife perspective, we have a vast forest area, and because of that, Madhya Pradesh is home to the highest number of animals like tigers, leopards, vultures, and many more. We have also brought King Cobra to the state. In such a situation, it's important to ensure the safety of the growing animal population and rescue centers are required. Recently we have developed two new tiger reserves in the state," CM Yadav said. "Additionally, for Cheetahs, after Kuno National Park, we have shifted some of them to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary and we are developing a new park. I have asked our officers to establish a rescue center at the divisional level. Currently our only rescue center is at Van Vihar National Park in state capital Bhopal. Similarly, with the increasing number of tourists, our zoos should also expand. From that perspective, we had announced the development of two new zoos in the last budget as well," he added. "Today, I am going to see one of the best rescue centres in the whole country which is located in Gujarat today. Earlier, I sent a team from the state and we will hope to exchange our animals among ourselves which we have in abundance. Also, if they can help in saving our animals with their rescue facilities," CM Yadav said. He also emphasised that they tried to start veterinary courses and to open veterinary hospitals in the Universities, so that veterinarians related to wildlife can also be produced. (ANI) The multi-faceted naval exercise included unified control of integral helicopters, tactical manoeuvres, coordinated anti-submarine operations and professional exchange of officers. The joint exercise demonstrates the deepening cooperation between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy, showcasing a shared commitment to maritime security and robust bilateral ties. This collaboration underscores the strong relationship between the two navies and their dedication to maintaining a secure and stable maritime environment. Earlier the Indian Navy delegation, led by Rear Admiral Shantanu Jha, NM, participated in the 10th Navy-to-Navy Staff Talks with the Royal Malaysian Navy held in Kuala Lumpur on June 10. The Royal Malaysian Navy delegation was led by First Admiral Harisundar Rajoo, Senior Director, Operations and Training. During the talks, both sides discussed ongoing bilateral naval engagements and outlined plans for future collaborative activities. The Indian Navy, in a post on X, stated, "Rear Admiral Shantanu Jha, NM, led the #IndianNavy delegation for the 10th Navy to Navy Staff Talks with the #RoyalMalaysianNavy, at Kuala Lumpur on 10 June. #RoyalMalaysianNavy delegation was led by First Admiral Harisundar Rajoo, Senior Director, Operations and Training. Both sides held discussions on ongoing bilateral naval engagements and outlined plans for future collaborative activities." In parallel to the naval dialogue in Kuala Lumpur, India also expanded its diplomatic outreach in the region. Secretary (East) P Kumaran met Permanent Secretary, Brunei Darussalam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hajah Johariah Binti Abdul Wahab, on the sidelines of East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting (EAS SOM) in Malaysia's Penang on Tuesday. (ANI) Stressing the state leadership will decide on the alliance in the local body elections, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday that their stand is that they will contest the polls under the Mahayuti alliance. "Our state president, working president, and election committee have the right to decide on the alliance in the local body elections. No one else. Our role is to contest the elections under the Mahayuti. In some places, where it is not possible, there is a friendly fight," CM Fadnavis said. Speaking on the June 9 train accident, in which four people were killed, the Maharashtra CM said that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had a detailed meeting with him on the same day. "On the day the accident happened, the Railway Minister had a detailed discussion with me. Good decisions were made in the meeting. Various measures have been discussed," Fadnavis said. Earlier on Tuesday, the Maharashtra government issued orders to begin the process for 29 municipal corporations by initiating the drafting of ward boundaries. Among the 29 municipal corporations included in this process are Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Kalyan-Dombivli. Earlier in May this year, the Supreme Court directed the Maharashtra Election Commission to notify local body elections in the State within four weeks. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh also directed that an endeavour shall be made by the state election commission to conclude the elections within four months. "In our concerned opinion, the constitutional mandate of grassroots democracy through periodical elections of the local bodies ought to be respected and ensured", the bench stated in the order. However, the Court also granted liberty to the state election commission to seek its permission for an extension, in case they are not able to conclude the elections within the prescribed time. The top court also noted that the local body elections in the State had not been held for several years due to the pendency of several issues that arose with regard to OBC reservations. (ANI) Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson ANS Prasad issued a statement on Wednesday on the 11 Years of the Modi government. Titled as: "PM Modi's Golden Tenure: A Vision for a Strong India - Success Story for Congress and Rahul Gandhi to Learn from 11 Years of BJP Achievements." He credited Modi Government with transforming India through its visionary policies and schemes. According to a statement, the government's achievements over the past 11 years have been remarkable, with a focus on inclusive growth, sustainable development, and good governance. The statement said, "As India celebrates 75 years of independence, it's crucial for Congress party members and Rahul Gandhi to understand and learn from the remarkable achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 11-year tenure. After 55 years of Congress rule marred by corruption and scandals, PM Modi has restored India's pride and dignity. Building on the foundation laid by former PM Vajpayee and drawing inspiration from Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya's philosophy of integral humanism, the Thirukkural's ethics, and the principles of justice, transparency, and morality, PM Modi's golden tenure has become a guiding light for the world." Prasad said that despite Congress's continuous treachery and malicious propaganda, PM Modi has created a strong and united India, thwarting Rahul Gandhi's attempts to divide the nation through caste and communal politics. "The Modi government has been a game-changer for India, implementing policies and schemes that have transformed the lives of millions. With a focus on inclusive growth, sustainable development, and good governance, the government has made significant strides in various sectors," he said.. According to the statement, the Modi government has introduced several schemes aimed at uplifting the poor and vulnerable sections of society, such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, a financial inclusion program that has brought millions of people into the formal banking system. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, a housing scheme that aims to provide affordable housing to the poor, and the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, a skill development program that has trained millions of youth in various trades, are other notable initiatives. The government has passed several historic bills that have far-reaching implications for the country. The Goods and Services Tax (GST), a landmark tax reform that has simplified the tax structure and boosted economic growth, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, a crucial law that has helped to resolve issues related to non-performing assets, and the Citizenship Amendment Act, a law that provides a pathway to citizenship for persecuted minorities from neighboring countries, are some notable examples. Initiatives like Make in India and Startup India have promoted entrepreneurship and innovation, while modernisation efforts in railways have improved connectivity and efficiency. Schemes like Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana have helped to protect farmers' interests, and initiatives like Atal Innovation Mission and National Education Policy have promoted innovation and quality education, the statement says. The Modi government has set an ambitious vision for India to become a developed nation by 2047. Key initiatives include the One Nation, One Election proposal aimed at streamlining the electoral process, and the Census, a crucial exercise that will provide valuable insights into the country's demographics. The government's policies are guided by the philosophy of integral humanism, which emphasises the importance of holistic development. This approach has helped to promote economic growth, social welfare, and cultural preservation. Through initiatives like Make in India and Startup India, the government has promoted entrepreneurship and innovation, while schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana have promoted social welfare. Initiatives like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Namami Gange Programme have helped to preserve India's cultural heritage. The statement added that the Modi government's policies have been designed to promote the welfare of all sections of society, with a special focus on the poor and vulnerable. The government's commitment to good governance has helped to improve transparency and accountability in administration. The use of technology has helped to streamline processes and improve service delivery. The spokesperson further said, "The government's efforts have also helped to promote a sense of national pride and unity. India's strength and resilience are exemplified by its mighty armed forces, who stand guard at the nation's borders, ever vigilant and ready to defend the country's sovereignty. The Indian military's prowess was on full display during the landmark Operation Sindhoor, a triumphant surgical strike that showcased the nation's unwavering resolve against cross-border terrorism." The brave men and women of the Indian Armed Forces have consistently demonstrated their valor and professionalism, earning the nation's eternal gratitude. Under the steadfast leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has taken a firm stance against terrorism, delivering justice to the victims and their families. Since 2014, the government has authorised surgical strikes against terrorist camps, further solidifying India's reputation as a formidable force against terrorism, he said. The nation's pride in its armed forces and its government's commitment to national security is unshakeable, reflecting the country's unrelenting spirit and determination to safeguard its unity, integrity, and prosperity. "As India moves forward, the Modi government's vision for a Viksit Bharat will continue to guide its policies and programs, ensuring a developed India that is free from poverty and inequality," said Prasad. With a focus on inclusive growth, sustainable development, and good governance, the government is confident of achieving its goals and making India a developed nation by 2047. The Modi government's achievements are a testament to its commitment to transforming India through visionary policies and schemes, inspiring a new generation of leaders and thinkers who will guide not just India but the world, the statement concluded. (ANI) The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday reserved the order on the petition filed by RCB's marketing head Nikhil Sosale, seeking interim relief on the ground that his arrest in alleged connection with the Bengaluru stampede was illegal. The High Court reserved the order for June 12 at 2:30 pm. Earlier today, both parties submitted their arguments in front of the Court. Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, representing the state government in the HC, said, "My submission is that relief sought under Article 226 is impressible unless lordships declare arrest is illegal and petition is not maintainable." "Legality of arrest is to be considered, from the facts we have presented, the legality of arrest," Advocate General said. "Statement made by CM has nothing to do with the arrest. Look at the grounds of arrest of each of the accused, milord. The petitioner was fleeing," he said. The AG further claimed that organisers were responsible for the stampede that claimed the lives of 11 people. "Even assuming arrest is illegal, only a WHPC is maintainable and not a petition under Section 482. Grounds of arrest are to be given at the earliest, and in the instant case, they have been supplied," Shetty said. The Advocate General also mentioned that Sosale is not in their custody but in judicial custody. The Karnataka HC questioned the state government, "Who has to obtain the license? They are employees of the company. Don't look at them as the company." Replying to this, the AG said that the company act through its directors. "On behalf of the company, petitioners are supposed to take a license. It is for them to show that they are not responsible," he said. The High Court emphasised that the court will look at them as individuals, not as a company. "We will not identify the company with an individual. Leave this company aside. Let us look at them as individuals," the Court said. The HC further asked, "How do you know who is responsible today?" Advocate General Shetty said, "He was fleeing away, milord, and he admits that he was taking care of the affairs of the company." The HC said, "Before you arrested these people and grounds of arrest were furnished. Your submission is those are the reasons why you arrested him as a person responsible for the event." Senior Advocate Sandesh Chouta, representing the RCB marketing head, said, "According to them, the person who was invited for the celebration has been arrested. You have suspended police officials. But even DyCM has been invited." "That is an incorrect submission, milord. The invitation is only by RCB," the Advocate General countered. A day after the stampede that claimed the lives of 11 people, the Karnataka police suspended multiple IPS officers, including the Bengaluru city police Commissioner, B Dayananda. (ANI) Chief Minister Siddaramaiah questioned as to why the BJP had not demanded the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath when a stampede occurred during the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj earlier this year. "40-50 people died in a stampede at Kumbh Mela. Did they demand the chief minister's resignation then? A bridge collapsed on the day of the inauguration, and 140 people died. Did they demand the Prime Minister's resignation then?" Siddaramaiah asked while talking to reporters here. "The BJP has a habit of misleading people by telling lies and demanding resignations. The BJP does politics in everything," he added. Earlier, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi slammed the Karnataka government over the Bengaluru stampede that killed 11 people during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory celebrations. Joshi demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, citing their "irresponsible and insensitive" handling of the crowd. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team was officially felicitated by the Karnataka government on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha (State Assembly) on June 4, before the stampede incident occurred at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Following the Bengaluru stampede that claimed 11 lives and left many injured, the Karnataka Government on June 5 suspended top police officials at the Cubbon Park Police Station and formed a one-man commission under a retired High Court Judge to probe the incident. (ANI) Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, on Wednesday, defended the Delhi Development Authority's (DDA) action against illegal encroachment and said that those whose slums have been removed have been given separate houses. Speaking to the media, Sirsa slammed the Aam Aadmi Party for spreading lies and misleading the people. "No slum will be demolished. No person will be removed from the slum...Those whose slums have been removed have been given separate houses...They (AAP) are telling lies only to mislead the people of Delhi. Now they (AAP) are out of power. I want to ask them whether they have given a house to even a single slum dweller?... Prime Minister Modi has said 'Jahan jhuggi wahi makaan," Manjinder Sirsa said. Earlier today, Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi Assembly Atishi lashed out at Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on the demolition drive carried out at Kalkaji area's Bhoomihini camp. Speaking to the media, Atishi called the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a 'Gareeb Virodhi' Party, further questioning on who approached the court for the demolition. "It's clear that the BJP is a 'Gareeb Virodhi' party. Three days ago, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta said that not a single slum would be demolished. But today, since 5 AM, bulldozers have been operating, and people are being forced out of their homes, beaten with sticks. Rekha Gupta claims this is a court order -- but who approached the court? It was the BJP's DDA and the party that brought the order. These poor people went to court, but the BJP and the DDA stood against them, said they wouldn't provide homes, and urged the court to approve the demolition," Atishi said. The demolition drive was carried out following directions from the High Court. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had issued an official notice to all residents of Bhoomihin Camp, directing them to vacate their premises in view of the demolition of illegal huts, following directions from the High Court. On Tuesday, Leader of Opposition in Delhi assembly and AAP MLA from Kalkaji, Atishi, staged an anti-demolition drive protests in the area, following which she was detained by the Delhi Police. (ANI) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet in French Embassy Visa fraud case against 8 accused including Local Law Officer in Visa Department of the Embassy of France, his father, brother and wife, two visa agents and two middle men before the CBI Court in Delhi, said the agency in a press release. According to the CBI, the International Operations Division of CBI, on the basis of inputs of a visa fraud in the Embassy of France, New Delhi, registered a case. During investigation, it was established that during the period of January, 2021 to May, 2022, while working as Local Law Officer in Visa Department of the Embassy of France, New Delhi, the accused targeted applicants from Punjab seeking Schengen visas, through a network of visa agents and induced them to give huge amount of money for obtaining Schengen visas. A network of visa agents, mostly based in Punjab, received money ranging from Rs 13 Lakh to Rs 45 Lakh from each visa applicant and in lieu of these large sums of money, visa applications were processed by the accused, and after issuance of Schengen visas, the accused destroyed the visa documents and files. During the investigation, huge amounts of cash and multiple documents relating to properties worth crores, acquired in India and abroad, were found at various locations in Punjab and Delhi. Two accused Visa agents were the key co-conspirators who funnelled the money through various bank accounts, which ultimately reached the accused Local Law Officer and his family members- brother, Father and Wife through the two accused middlemen. In order to trace the proceeds of crime abroad, the International Operations Division of CBI, in coordination with the International Police Cooperation Unit of CBI, were also successful in getting India's first Silver notice published in this case. CBI successfully coordinated with multiple agencies, including international agencies, to secure evidence in the case, said the agency. (ANI) The Superintendent of Police (SP) of Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills, Vivek Syiem, on Wednesday revealed that there is adequate evidence pointing to the involvement of Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder case of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, emphasising that a conclusive confirmation would only emerge after thorough interrogation of those who were involved. The SP's statements come as the police continue their probe into the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, whose body was discovered in a gorge near Sohra, close to Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, on June 2. Raja was on his honeymoon with his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, to the northeastern state in May, 2025. Both had been reported missing earlier during the trip. Following the discovery of Raja's body, Sonam was located near a roadside dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway. She, along with four others--Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Raj Singh Kushwaha, and Anand--has been accused in connection with the alleged murder. "Investigation is going on; we have to confirm a lot of things. There is evidence against her (Sonam Raghuvanshi) of her involvement in the murder. But things will be clearer after the interrogation. We have to tie up a lot of loose ends... Our evidence has proven that she was very much involved, but after the interrogation, we can only confirm," SP Syiem stated. Syiem also urged the public to avoid speculation as the police continue their investigation. "We've just brought the accused here. Now, we need to get to interrogating them... We need to produce them to the court... Thorough interrogation will start... We have adequate evidence against all the accused... Now after interrogation, further evidence will come up... We ask everyone to refrain from making speculative remarks. Get the facts from us... We have adequate evidence of her involvement, but the whole picture will come out after a few days," East Khasi Hills SP added. Additional SP East Khasi Hills, Ashish, provided insights into the procedural aspects, stating that the medical examination of the other four accused involved has been completed, and they will be produced before the court today. He has also urged the public to avoid speculation as they work to piece together the evidence. "Medical examination of the other four accused has been done... They will be produced before the court in some time," the Additional SP said. "The paperwork is being done to forward the suspects to the court. So we didn't get time to interrogate them. We will investigate according to the order of the court... According to the evidence we arrested them, there is a strong possibility that she (Sonam Raghuvanshi) is involved. But it is tough to confirm that yet because the investigation is pending... We are at the initial stages of the investigation... As soon as we come to know new information, we will share it... Whatever information (is in the public domain) right now is not concrete... And we urge everyone to confirm the facts with us before making any speculations," he added. Sonam Raghuvanshi, along with four other accused involved in the murder case, is currently under investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Meghalaya Police and is kept at the Shillong Sadar Police Station. (ANI) Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, said on Wednesday that the Congress government has brought up the caste census issue to divert attention from the Bengaluru stampede. Speaking to ANI, Narayanaswamy emphasised that the caste census conducted by the Centre will give the real picture, not the Karnataka government's one. "The Congress High Command called the state Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister about the (Bengaluru) stampede... Because of their mismanagement, 11 people died and many were injured... To protect the CM and the Deputy CM, they are trying to divert this issue with a caste census... The Centre is going to conduct a census very shortly. They will give the real picture, not this (Karnataka) government," Narayanaswamy said. Earlier on Tuesday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar met Congress top leadership at Indira Bhawan in Delhi. After the meeting, CM Siddaramaiah said, "Discussions were held regarding the caste census. This was brought up as some organisations, religious heads, and even a few ministers have raised concerns. The report submitted on the caste census has been accepted in principle. There is an agreement that a caste enumeration should be conducted. We have also agreed to this. However, we will conduct a fresh survey. Since the last enumeration was done in 2015-16, there is an opinion that a new enumeration is necessary. Just as we are conducting surveys for Scheduled Castes, we will carry out another enumeration. It was discussed that this survey should be completed within 90 days." Speaking on the Bengaluru stampede, the Karnataka CM said that he discussed the incident and explained the measures taken to the party leadership. "A magisterial inquiry is underway, and a judicial commission has been appointed, led by retired Justice Michael Cunha. Five police officers have been suspended, intelligence officers have been transferred, and the political secretary has been relieved. We explained these actions, and there is a consensus that the measures taken are appropriate... The Kumbh Mela incident should be discussed first before addressing this issue. I am not using the Kumbh Mela deaths to defend this incident. When people die, it is human to feel sorrow. This incident should not be politicised," CM Siddaramaiah said. Congress MP KC Venugopal said that the meeting discussed two to three crucial issues, including the caste census and the Bengaluru stampede. Speaking to the media, Venugopal said that as some people have "apprehensions" about the caste census data, the top leadership of Congress has suggested that the Karnataka government re-enumerate the data. (ANI) BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Wednesday lashed out at Karnataka government for terming Bengaluru stampede as an "accident" and said that it was a "state-sponsored murder." Speaking to ANI, Poonawalla said, " When the entire country knows that Bengaluru stampede was a man-made and state-sponsored murder, in which Siddaramah and DK Shivkumar are involved, then instead of taking responsibility, the Congress party is blaming the public and calling it an accident." Poonawalla alleged that the Congress government is blaming the public and police for the stampede to save Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. "To save the CM and the deputy CM, the police and the public are being blamed. This was not an accident but a state-sponsored murder. It has come to light that DCP Vidhana Soudha had said no to this (RCB victory celebration program)." Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah dismissed the BJP's demand for his resignation over the Bengaluru stampede, accusing the party of "doing politics in everything." Chief Minister Siddaramaiah questioned why the BJP had not demanded the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath when a stampede occurred during the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj earlier this year. "40-50 people died in a stampede at Kumbh Mela. Did they demand the chief minister's resignation then? A bridge collapsed on the day of the inauguration, and 140 people died. Did they demand the Prime Minister's resignation then?" Siddaramaiah asked while talking to reporters here. The stampede that occurred during celebrations outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Indian Premier League (IPL) victory celebrations claimed 11 lives. Following the Bengaluru stampede, the Karnataka Government on June 5 suspended top police officials at the Cubbon Park Police Station and formed a one-man commission under a retired High Court Judge to probe the incident. (ANI) In the wake of the recent stampede in Bengaluru and mounting pressure from the BJP demanding the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Congress MP Manickam Tagore has firmly defended the state leadership and accused the BJP of politicising the incident. The Congress MP also drew a sharp contrast between the current administration's transparency and the BJP's handling of the stampede incident during Kumbh Mela 2025 and accused them of not reporting the deaths. Addressing reporters in Delhi on Wednesday, Congress MP Manickam Tagore expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and said, "We all know that it was a very sad tragedy. A one-man judicial commission has been appointed, an honest judge has been appointed as the one-man commission. Already, the action has been taken on the City Police Commissioner and other officers concerned. The one-man commission will go into all the details and they will submit a report." "We should not do politics before that. We all know that BJP wants to do politics over that issue. But people of Karnataka are very clever. As Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge mentioned, we are not like BJP, which runs away from the real issues. They were not ready to report the deaths in Kumbh Mela (stampede). They did not appoint a judicial commission, no kind of inquiry was done. So, we are not like that. We always want the truth to come out," he added. Reiterating the Congress party's commitment to responsible governance, he highlighted the experience of CM Siddaramaiah. "The administration of Congress party in Karnataka is people-oriented and we know that CM is a leader who has experience of administration. So, he has appointed a one-man commission. Let the one-man commission submit a report and let the Govt take action," he added. The Bengaluru stampede, which led to 11 casualties, has triggered a political storm in the state, with BJP leaders demanding accountability and the Chief Minister's resignation. The Karnataka Government on June 5 suspended top police officials at the Cubbon Park Police Station and formed a one-man commission under a retired High Court Judge to probe the incident. (ANI) According to the ILO's dashboard, over 94 crore people, or 64.3% of India's population, are now covered under at least one social protection benefit. In 2015, this figure was just 19%. DG ILO praised India's focused welfare policies for the poor and labour class under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. It is important to note that the present figure reflects only Phase I of the data pooling exercise. This phase focused on beneficiary data of Central sector schemes and women-centric schemes in selected 8 States. With Phase II and further consolidation underway, it is expected that India's total social protection coverage will soon surpass the 100-crore mark upon verification of additional schemes by the ILO. India is also the first country globally to update its 2025 social protection coverage data in the ILOSTAT database, reinforcing its leadership in digital governance and transparency in welfare systems. Union Minister of Labour and Employment Dr Mansukh Mandaviya is leading an Indian delegation to Geneva, Switzerland, from 10th to 12th June 2025 to participate in the 113th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) of the ILO. In a post on X, he shared, "Delivered the National Statement at the Plenary Session of the 113th International Labour Conference at ILO, Geneva. Deliberated on relevant and critical issues shaping the future of work including: New standards on protecting workers from biological hazards, Advancing decent work in the platform economy, Fostering innovative strategies for formalising the informal economy." "Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, India has laid a strong foundation for inclusive and sustainable economic growth," he added. (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Union Cabinet approved the two multitracking projects across Indian Railways covering seven Districts in Jharkhand, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. In a post on X, Shah said that the projects will "turbocharge" the growth journey of these states. "Gratitude to PM @narendramodi Ji for approving the project of multi-tracking of railways in 7 districts across Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. The projects will turbocharge the growth journey of these states, speeding up the prosperity of businesses and individuals and creating ample employment opportunities for the youth," Amit Shah said. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, approved two projects of Ministry of Railways worth Rs 6,405 crore, with aim to improve travel convenience, reduce logistic cost, decrease oil imports and contribute to lower CO2 emissions. The project approved by the cabinet included 133 kilometers long Koderma - Barkakana Doubling and 185 kilometers long project Ballari - Chikjajur Doubling. The Koderma - Barkakana Doubling project passes through a major coal-producing area of Jharkhand. Furthermore, it serves as the shortest and more efficient rail link between Patna and Ranchi. Additonally, the Ballari-Chikjajur Doubling project traverses through Ballari and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka and Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. "The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. These multi-tracking proposals are poised to streamline operations and alleviate congestion. The projects are in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji's Vision of a New India which will make people of the region "Atmanirbhar" by way of comprehensive development in the area which will enhance their employment/ self-employment opportunities," according to a statement by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. The two projects covering seven Districts across the states of Jharkhand, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 318 Kms. The approved multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to approx. 1,408 villages, which are having a population of about 28.19 lakh. "These are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as coal, iron ore, finished steel, cement, fertilizers, agriculture commodities, and Petroleum products etc. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 49 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum). The Railways being environment friendly and energy efficient mode of transportation, will help both in achieving climate goals and minimizing logistics cost of the country, reduce oil import (52 Crore Litres) and lower CO2 emissions (264 Crore Kg) which is equivalent to plantation of 11 Crore trees," the statement read. (ANI) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanat Ullah Khan on Wednesday withdrew his Public Interest Litigation (PIL) from the Delhi High Court challenging the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) notices proposing demolition in the Batla House area of Okhla. Khan withdrew the PIL to inform the residents of his area to file an appropriate petition before the court. The withdrawal was allowed by a division bench Justices Girish Kathpalia and Tejas Karia of the Delhi High Court, which suggested that individual residents approach the court with their grievances. "In furtherance of the last order, senior counsel on the instructions of briefing counsel seeks permission to withdraw the petition filed by the petitioner, who is a public-spirited person, so he can inform the residents of Batla House to file an appropriate petition before the court," the High Court said. At the outset of the hearing, the High court noted that some aggrieved individuals have already been given protection by the court after hearing their individual petitions. The High Court at the beginning emphasised that any adverse order while deciding the PIL may affect the rights of the individuals who are already before the single-judge bench. The court has also emphasised that any aggrieved individual may approach the court like other people who have already approached the court. This issue is not a subject matter of the PIL. Khan had filed a PIL challenging the notice issued by the DDA for the demolition of alleged illegal properties in the area of Batla House in Okhla. The High Court on Monday had refused to grant an immediate interim stay on the demolition, which was proposed for June 11. Earlier, the apex court on May 7 refused to grant relief and directed the demolition of the illegal properties. Senior advocate Salman Khurshid appeared for the petitioner and argued that they (DDA) are pasting notices on the properties which fall beyond the khasra no. 279. The order of the supreme court was regarding the illegal properties within this khasra. "If they are breaching the order of the Supreme Court, then the remedy lies with the supreme court," the court said. Senior advocate Khurshid said that the Supreme Court order is very clear; it is for houses within the Khasra Number: 279. Demarcation has not been done, Khurshid added. It was further submitted that the notice mentioned Khasra Number 279, but these are pasted on houses beyond this khasra. The court said that it is not a matter of PIL. "If this is not a PIL, then treat it as a writ petition. Refer it to the bench already hearing the matters," the senior advocate said. The High Court said,"If the Supreme Court order is not followed, then the remedy is in contempt. If any person is aggrieved, he can come before the single bench. He (Petitioner) should tell people to approach the court with an appropriate petition." "We gave a representation; the same was rejected," Khurshid said. "All I need is time to go to the court. For a week they (DDA) hold their hand," he added. The bench said that overall justice needs to be kept in mind, supreme court didn't say to bulldoze everything. Any adverse observation by this court will impact the individual petitioners. If the petitioner withdraws the petition, I will give three days to approach the court, the division bench said. "I am only asking for seven days," Khurshid insisted. "Let do it in three days," the bench said. "Then 3 working days," Khurshid argued. The court said, at this point the counsel appearing for DDA did not give their consent and assurance that they are ready to give three days. Thereafter, the court proceeded with the matter on merit. The High Court also raised a query: How is it maintainable as a PIL? In the response, senior advocate Khurshid said, "I am asking for demarcation as per the order of the court. We said that the notice is to be given to every individual, and an opportunity is given to everyone." The court said that it can not pass a blanket order. "Individuals can approach the single-judge bench. If the DDA is not willing to give any assurance." We want a solution not violating the order of the Supreme Court, the High Court said. "It was contended on behalf of the petitioner that the petition is maintainable as a PIL as the general public of the area is concerned. Some of the innocent persons approached this court and were given protection by the single judge of this court," the petitioner argued. Residents of the area of Batla House were not aware of their legal rights to challenge the notice of demolition, Senior advocate submitted. It was also submitted that the respondent (DDA) issued a generic notice and pasted it outside the house, which does not fall within the Khasra Number 279. The counsel for respondents contended, on the other hand, that the PIL is not maintainable as the Supreme Court specifically directed that the individual aggrieved persons adopt the legal remedy. DDA's counsel also said that the notices issued by the DDA are not generic and are in compliance with the Supreme Court. All the notices were given 15 days to respond. No demolition was carried out during the notice period. (ANI) A delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and Members of Parliament (MPs) from Delhi are scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. For the first time since the BJP had formed the government in the national capital earlier this year, the Prime Minister will be meeting with all the BJP MLAs of Delhi. This meeting came following the completion of 11 years of the BJP-led NDA government at the centre and 100 Days of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's government in the national union territory. Speaking on the occasion, Delhi Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker and BJP MLA Mohan Singh Bisht expressed enthusiasm about the meeting and noted the past 11 years under the Modi government as a transformative 'golden period' for India. "The BJP government at the Centre has completed 11 years, so we will congratulate him. The way the work has been done, it has been a golden period; we should thank him," Bisht said. BJP MP Yogender Chandoliya, who represents North West Delhi, shared insights into the anticipated discussions, highlighting previous engagement with the Prime Minister on electoral strategies and crediting the BJP's win in Delhi to the 'Modi pattern' of voting. "Today, we will know what vision he will give for Delhi. When all the BJP MPs went to meet PM Modi after winning the elections, we did not have a government in Delhi at that time, so PM Modi asked us what the results would be in the upcoming elections. The PM had asked me how many assembly seats we had won. I said we won 9 out of 10. He asked what would happen in the elections; I said we would win seven assembly seats. He asked, 'Why seven?' I said people vote on different patterns in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. But Delhi voted on the Modi pattern and after 27 years, the BJP formed the government in Delhi," he stated. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP swept all seven parliamentary seats in Delhi and in 2025, they formed their government here after 27 years. The BJP won 48 seats out of the 70 seats in the Delhi Legislative Assembly in a historic mandate, ousting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from power. (ANI) DU Vice Chancellor Prof Yogesh Singh expressed happiness over the inclusion of academics and experts, who have been associated with DU DSE, in EAC-PM and said it is a proud moment. The Vice Chancellor said that these eminent economists will make an important contribution in the formulation of the country's economic policies. He said that the four members of the DU DSE family have vast and diverse knowledge of the Indian economy. Prof Ram Singh, Director of Delhi School of Economics and Delhi School of Public Policy & Governance, said that Chairman of the Prime Minister's new Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM) Professor S. Mahendra Dev is an alumnus of DU DSE. DSE alumnus Dr Shamika Ravi has been appointed as the full-time member of EAC-PM. DSE alumnus Professor Chetan Ghate has also been appointed as part-time member of EAC-PM. Former Director of DSE, Professor Pami Dua, has also been appointed as a part-time member of EAC-PM. Prof Ram Singh thanked DU Vice Chancellor for his continued support and guidance for DSE's "new initiatives and activities". The EAC-PM was without a full-time chairman since November 2024, after the death of Bibek Debroy. Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) is an independent body constituted to give advice on economic and related issues to the Government of India, specifically to the Prime Minister. (ANI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday visited the 450-year-old Khatara Satra in Darrang, one of the oldest Satras in Assam. The Satra, established by Shri Shri Lechakonia Gobinda Ata, is a leading center for research and promotion of Sattriya culture. During his visit, CM Sarma offered his prayers and emphasised the importance of preserving Assam's cultural heritage. He stated that the Satras are the flagbearers and protectors of the state's tradition and that his government has taken decisive steps to defend their sanctity. The CM highlighted that the Satras have been subjected to unchecked encroachment over the decades, but his government is committed to stopping this. He assured that the government will take necessary measures to protect the Satras and preserve their cultural significance In a post on X, CM Sarma shared, "Offered my prayers at the Khatara Satra in Darrang, established by Shri Shri Lechakonia Gobinda Ata. One of the oldest Satras in Assam, this 450 year old institution is leading centre for research and promotion of Sattriya culture. The soul of Assam lives in our Satras - the flagbearers and protector of our tradition. Over decades, they have been subjected to unchecked encroachment but this stops now. Our government has taken decisive steps to defend their sanctity." Earlier, the Satra Aayog formed for reviewing and assessing the problems of the Satra lands in Assam, submitted its final report to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa at a programme held at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati on Monday. It may be noted that the Aayog formed on November 24, 2021, with MLA Pradip Hazarika as its Chairman and MLAs Mrinal Saikia and Rupak Sarma as its members, visited around 126 satras, examined the existing problems there and submitted the report, giving several recommendations. Thanking Satra Aayog for its final report, Chief Minister Sarma said, "In the socio-cultural life of Assam, submission of the final report marks an important day for the state. I consider myself happy to receive the final report of the Aayog which reviewed and assessed the problems of satra lands necessitated because of encroachment. The government will study the report very minutely and exhaustively to meet its recommendations." The Chief Minister also announced that his government would constitute a permanent Satra Aayog, which would be empowered financially and administratively to work for the benefits and welfare of the satras. He also said that the Aayog will work on forming a 25-year vision plan to revamp the institutional framework of the satras and ensure their sustainability across the state. Chief Minister Sarma also said that satras play an important role in the socio-cultural and spiritual life of the state. (ANI) Indian Coast Guard ships on Wednesday continued to battle thick smoke after a massive blaze broke out aboard the Singapore-flagged container vessel MV WAN HAI 503 off the Kerala coast. Thick plumes of smoke continue to billow from the ship, complicating efforts to douse the flames. According to the Indian Coast Guard, as of 5:00 PM on Tuesday, the flames on the container ship were reduced, as thick smoke continued to emanate. It said attempts were being made to control the vessel fire that injured several crew members. Of the 22 crew members, 18 were rescued by the Indian Navy, while four are still missing. "Indian Coast Guard ships continue to fight the fire and attempt to bring the inferno on the container ship MV WAN HAI 503 under control off Kerala coast. Visible flames have reduced, and thick smoke continues to emanate as of 1700 hours today," the Indian Coast Guard said. Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in India spokesperson Yu Jing on Tuesday expressed gratitude to the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue of its crew members onboard the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503, which encountered an onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Kerala's Azhikkal. According to Yu Jing, Chinese and Taiwanese crew members were among those onboard MV Wan Hai. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson wished for successful search operations and speedy recovery for injured crew members. "On June 9, MV Wan Hai 503 encountered an onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal, Kerala. Of the total 22 crew members on board, 14 are Chinese, including 6 from Taiwan. Our gratitude goes to the Indian Navy @indiannavy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue. We wish further search operations successful and the injured crew members a speedy recovery," Yu Jing posted on X. According to the Indian Coast Guard, four crew members were reported missing following the explosion on Monday, and five others sustained injuries. The vessel was carrying containerised cargo and had a total crew of 22 onboard. CGDO on task was diverted for assessment. Of the 18 rescued crew members of the Singapore-flagged MV Wan Hai 503, six were brought to the AJ Hospital for medical treatment post-midnight on Tuesday. Dinesh Kadam, Plastic Surgeon at AJ Hospital, said that two rescuees had critical injuries with 35 to 40 per cent burns. (ANI) The Supreme Court recently granted bail to a Uttarakhand-based man who was booked for religious conversion and cheating for marrying a woman who belonged to a different faith. A bench of Justices B V Navarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma granted the man relief by observing that the state government of Uttarakhand cannot object to the marriage when the same has taken place as per the wishes of the couple's parents. "We observe that the respondent-State cannot have any objection to the appellant and his wife residing together inasmuch as they have been married as per the wishes of their respective parents and families. Thus, the top court found that this was an appropriate case where bail should be granted to the man." The man had been booked for having committed religious conversion under The Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018, for Cheating and Cheating by personation (pretending to be someone else) under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), 2023, following his marriage with a woman who belonged to another faith. As per the man's counsel, the marriage was arranged by the families of the couple, who were aware of the inter-faith nature of the union. However, following the marriage, certain individuals and organisations raised objections. An FIR was lodged against the man, leading to his arrest and imprisonment. After being in custody for six months, the Supreme Court, on May 19, directed that the man be immediately released on bail. "We also make it clear that the pendency of the criminal proceeding against the appellant herein would not come in the way of the appellant and his wife residing together on their own volition", the Court stated, in its order. The man had moved the Supreme Court against the Uttarakhand High Court's decision to reject his bail plea. The top court allowed his appeal and directed the concerned trial court to release him on bail. (ANI) The LOS commander has been identified as Baman, who was carrying a reward of 5 lakh on his head. The exchange of fire happened in the Pusgunna area under the Kukanar Police Station of the Sukuma district. The other body recovered from the site is of a woman cadre whose identity is yet to be ascertained, according to a statement. The security forces have also seized one INSAS rifle, one 12-bore rifle, along with other arms, ammunition, and explosive materials. The search operation launched by a joint team of Kukanar Police Station staff and Sukma DRG based on reliable intelligence inputs regarding the presence of Naxal cadres of the banned CPI Maoist outfit in the region, the statement added. Additionally, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai lauded security forces over the success of the operation. In a post on X, Vishnu Deo Sai wrote, "Police personnel and the joint police team of Sukma DRG have achieved a major success in the anti-Naxal operation in the Pusgunna area under Kukanar police station in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh. During the search operation, the jawans neutralised two naxalites in an encounter, including Pedaras LOS commander Baman, who was carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head." "Our security forces are fighting against Naxalism with full force. Congratulations to the soldiers for this success in the anti-Naxal operation," he added. Additional reinforcement teams have been deployed, and intensive search operations are ongoing in the surrounding dense forest areas to trace and apprehend other Maoist cadres who may have escaped taking advantage of the terrain. (ANI) He welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with the members of the delegations. "Yesterday, the PM appreciated all delegations which were responsible for putting forward India's stand and exposing Pakistan before the world. The PM listened to the experiences of members of all the delegations," he added. Earlier yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted members of seven multi-party delegations who went to several countries under Operation Sindoor outreach on Tuesday at his residence in New Delhi. Delegation members briefed the Prime Minister about their meetings in different nations. Seven groups of all party delegations, including Opposition MPs such as Supriya Sule of NCP-SCP, Shashi Tharoor of Congress party, AIMIM chief Asaddudin Owaisi, and former ambassadors, completed their diplomatic efforts to visit various world capitals and promote India's policy of zero tolerance against terrorism. The delegation was launched post Operation Sindoor, India's response to the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 tourists were killed. Over 50 people, including members of Parliament from multiple political parties, former ambassadors, and former government officials, visited over 30 countries as part of India's diplomatic outreach post Operation Sindoor. (ANI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the state government is working with a resolve to make Himachal Pradesh a self-reliant and prosperous state, for which various measures have been taken during the last two and a half years. He remarked that this dream can only be realised by strengthening the rural economy, as more than 80 per cent of Himachal's population is dependent on agriculture and horticulture. Shifting focus to raising the economy of the agrarian community is the state government's top priority. "Himachal has become the first State in the country to provide a Minimum Support Price (MSP) on organic products produced from natural farming. My government twice enhanced the MSP on the procurement of maize, firstly to Rs. 30 and thereafter to Rs. 40 per kilogram and that of wheat from Rs 40 to Rs 60 per kilogram. Besides, my government is providing an MSP of Rs. 90 per kilogram to increase the production of raw turmeric," Chief Minister said. The state government has introduced maize flour produced through natural farming under the brand name Him- Bhog Him- Makki. This product highlights the state's commitment to sustainable agriculture and empowering farmers. More than 4,000 quintals of maize have been procured from as many as 1590 farmer families practising natural farming across 10 districts of the state, excluding Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur, an official release said. Sukhu said the state government has made Him-bhog Him-Makki maize flour available through the Public Distribution System (PDS) depots across the state. "This flour is also available for sale on HIM-ERA, the government-authorised portal. This initiative aims to make organic maize flour accessible to both urban and rural populations, he said, adding that Rs 1.20 crore was directly transferred to farmers' bank accounts for the procurement of around 400 metric tonnes of maize." The state government has decided to provide an MSP for raw turmeric from this financial year, which will be processed and marketed under the brand name 'Himachal Haldi'. The state government has set a target to connect 9.61 lakh farmers with natural farming in a phased manner, reiterated the Chief Minister. "When the Congress came to power two and a half years ago, I observed that the farmers used to sell their land under compulsion just to repay the loan amount. We decided to help such farmers through the Interest Subvention Scheme, as a one-time settlement, especially for those facing land auctions", said the Chief Minister. He said that during the last two and a half years, a shifting trend has been witnessed in the agrarian economy, wherein farmers are shifting their focus towards natural farming. Farmers in large numbers across the state, have adopted chemical-free farming which is evident from the fact that over 2,23,000 farmers and horticulturists have adopted natural farming, either partially or fully in almost all the panchayats of the State. The state government has focused upon exploring options for additional income generation for farmers, ensuring fair prices for their produce, providing quality seeds, expanding and strengthening irrigation facilities, providing crop insurance, providing training and promoting agricultural research. This initiative reflects not only a commitment to the environment but also a dedication to empowering farmers and strengthening the rural economy, making Himachal Pradesh a pioneer in sustainable agricultural development, release said. The state government's proactive measures in providing fair pricing, expanding natural farming and supporting small farmers ensure a brighter future for Himachal Pradesh's farming community by bridging the gap between traditional farming practices and modern market demands, thus setting an example for the rest of the country, said the Chief Minister. (ANI) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Wednesday handed over financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of seven individuals who tragically lost their lives due to drowning in recent incidents across various parts of the West District. In a post on X, CM Manik Saha shared, "Met and expressed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families who lost loved ones in the recent drowning incidents in West Tripura District. Financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh for each family has been provided to support them during this difficult time. May they find strength and solace." In a solemn ceremony held in the presence of local administrative officials, the Chief Minister personally met with the grieving family members and offered them the financial aid. The assistance comes as a gesture of support from the state government to help the bereaved families cope with their loss. The unfortunate drowning incidents claimed the lives of seven people, namely: Piyali Debbarma and Priyanka Debbarma from Ramsadhupara under Sidhai Police Station, Mahindra Singh from Joynagar, Jirania, Tanmoy Debnath from Mandai Para, Liton Saha from Ujan Abhoynagar, Prasenjit Debnath from Brajannagar, Majlishpur. Ankush Rishi Das from Pratapgarh. CM Saha expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed to the Almighty to grant them strength and courage during this difficult time. Earlier in the day, the 45th edition of the 'Mukhyamantri Samipeshu' initiative, launched to directly address the problems and grievances of the people, was successfully held in Agartala. CM Saha once again engaged with citizens from various parts of the state, listening attentively to their concerns. During the session, CM Saha gave on-the-spot instructions to relevant officials to take immediate and necessary action on the issues raised. The initiative has become a significant platform for the people of Tripura to voice their problems directly to the Chief Minister, reinforcing the state government's commitment to transparent and responsive governance. (ANI) Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Wednesday urged citizens to remain vigilant and take all necessary precautions amid the ongoing severe heatwave conditions sweeping the state. Addressing the escalating temperatures, Pathak highlighted the measures taken by the Health Department to manage the crisis. He noted that hospitals in the state are on high alert, with beds reserved for heat-related emergencies. He also urged citizens to only step out of the house unnecessarily during such severe heatwaves. "In view of the extreme heat conditions, the Health Department has made necessary arrangements. All hospitals have been put on alert, with beds reserved for heat-related emergencies, and continuous monitoring is underway. Citizens are advised not to step out unless necessary. If stepping out, they should protect their heads with an umbrella or towel, as the sunlight is currently very intense. Please stay alert and take all precautions," he said. The heatwave has particularly affected many regions of the state, with heatwaves reported in a few places over South Uttar Pradesh, with gradual respite from the heatwave over Northwest India likely from 14th June as per the India Meteorological Department. Ayodhya District Magistrate Nikhil Tikaram Funde also outlined proactive steps to mitigate its impact. "We had prepared an action plan considering the heatwave in Ayodhya and according to this, a strategy was made for the steps to be taken by various departments. We are ensuring that the residents and tourists face no inconvenience and get enough cold water to drink. We have arranged shades and water for domestic as well as street animals. We appeal to all the tourists to stay in the shade while visiting the temple (Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple). If you need any medical help, we have reserved special beds for those affected by the heatwave. Consistently drink cold water," Funde stated, emphasising the administration's efforts to support both locals and pilgrims. Speaking on the completion of 11 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in the centre, Pathak said that the vision of Viksit Bharat was being realised through unprecedented progress across sectors, from space science to medical and agricultural advancements. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has been on a development journey for the past 11 years. In this context, a public seminar was held today in Lucknow. The vision of a Viksit Bharat is being realised through unprecedented progress across sectors, from space science to medical and agricultural advancements," Pathak remarked. (ANI) According to the release, the operation, aimed at addressing growing concerns over unauthorised foreign nationals, involved multiple teams targeting slums and suspected areas to verify voter IDs and Aadhaar cards for identifying illegal immigrants. Responding to escalating concerns about the unauthorised stay of Bangladeshi migrants, the South District Police launched a sustained campaign, leveraging local intelligence networks, sensitised informants, and developed human intelligence to trace and apprehend those residing illegally. Efforts also focused on mapping and monitoring entry routes commonly exploited by undocumented immigrants entering India. Special Operation Units and Police Stations worked in close coordination, gathering actionable intelligence that led to swift detentions of individuals overstaying visas or lacking valid travel documents. The successful drives included several key arrests under specific cases. Five Bangladeshi nationals were arrested at PS Sangam Vihar under Sections 318(2)/319(2)/337/61(1)(A) of BNS and 34 Aadhar Act. Two Bangladeshi nationals were arrested at PS Fatehpur Beri under Sections 318(2)/139(2)/61(1)(A) of BNS, the 14 Foreigner Act and the 34 Aadhar Act. Eight Bangladeshi nationals were arrested at PS Lodhi Colony under Sections 318(2)/319(2)/337 of the BNS, the 14 Foreigners Act, and the 34 Aadhar Act and one Bangladeshi national at PS Maidan Garhi under Section 25/54/59 of the Arms Act. The police have appealed to the general public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious individuals suspected of illegal stay in their vicinity, with a statement assuring that information provided to local police will be treated confidentially and may prevent unlawful activities. Residents' Welfare Associations (RWAs) and Market Welfare Associations (MWAs) have been urged to support law enforcement by spreading awareness and cooperating in verification drives to maintain safe and law-abiding neighbourhoods. (ANI) Goa Tourism Minister Rohan A Khaunte on Wednesday met with Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Tourism & Culture, and Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, in New Delhi. The discussions between the Goa Tourism Minister and both Union Ministers revolved around developing collaborative strategies to enhance Goa's tourism landscape - with a strong focus on experiential infrastructure, cultural promotion, and aviation connectivity, according to a release. In the meeting with the Union Minister for Tourism & Culture, both sides explored the evolving role of the concert economy - a model that focuses on immersive and experience-driven tourism. Also, there was mutual interest in leveraging Goa's heritage, festivals, and spiritual assets to position the state as a hub for authentic and high-value tourism. The importance of developing iconic and sustainable tourism infrastructure that reflects Goa's identity was also underlined as a shared priority, the release stated. The meeting with the Union Minister for Civil Aviation addressed the critical need for expanding international direct connectivity to Goa and improving the viability of domestic routes. Khaunte underscored the importance of viable route economics for domestic sectors and advocated for increased international direct connectivity to Goa from key source markets. He also flagged the need to re-examine airline pricing structures, particularly on domestic routes, to ensure competitiveness and sustained tourist inflow to ensure that Goa remains competitive as a year-round destination. Both sides agreed on the significance of coordinated efforts to bridge connectivity gaps, especially from key domestic and global markets, according to the release. "Goa is not just a destination; it's a cultural emotion. By building a concert economy and strengthening aviation linkages, we aim to make Goa globally accessible while preserving its soul", said Rohan A. Khaunte. "Our discussions today reflected a shared commitment between the Centre and the State to work together on building a tourism framework that is experiential, sustainable, and globally connected." Accompanying the Goa Tourism Minister were senior officials from the Department of Tourism, including Sanjeev Ahuja, IAS, Secretary (Tourism), Government of Goa, and Shawn Mendes, Officer on Special Duty to the Minister for Tourism of the Government of Goa. Both Union Ministers acknowledged Goa's proactive tourism initiatives and assured continued support in aligning state-level priorities and the national policies.These engagements reflect a shared commitment to building a future-ready tourism landscape that balances sustainability, culture, and connectivity at its core, the release added. (ANI) On the occasion of Sant Shiromani Kabir Das Jayanti, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini made several significant announcements, including increasing Rs 2,100 in the monthly wages of Safai Karamcharis. Furthermore, he also announced the establishment of a 100-bed de-addiction centre at the upcoming Sant Sarsai Nath Medical College in Sirsa. The Chief Minister called upon the people to adopt the timeless wisdom of Sant Kabir in their lives and contribute to nation-building by rising above casteism and all forms of discrimination.He said, today, the spirit of Sant Kabir is reflected in every scheme, every policy, and every decision of our government, all driven by the vision of 'Haryana Ek- Haryanvi Ek'. He also announced the expansion of the existing de-addiction center in Dabwali from 10 to 30 beds and the setting up of a new 30-bed de-addiction center near the government hospital in Ellenabad. The Chief Minister made these announcements while addressing the state-level function held in Sirsa under the Sant Mahapurush Samman evam Vichar Prachar Prasar Yojana, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sant Kabir Das on Wednesday. On this occasion, he also announced a grant of Rs 31 lakh. Reaffirming the government's commitment to the promises made in its Sankalp Patra, the Chief Minister said that the government has resolved to increase the wages of Safai Karamcharis in a phased manner to Rs 26,000 over five years, a promise the government fully intends to fulfil. Speaking about the spiritual legacy of Sant Kabir, the Chief Minister said, Sant Kabir was a torchbearer of India's spiritual values of 'Sarva Dharma Sambhav' (equal respect for all religions) and 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family). He was born at a time when society was bound by superstition, casteism, and rigid traditions. Through his fearless reformist work, he earned a revered place in history, he said. CM Saini said that Sant Kabir boldly challenged social evils across all religions. Saints, sages, prophets, and spiritual masters like him have shown the right path to humanity. Their teachings are the shared heritage of all humankind, and it is our collective responsibility to preserve and propagate this legacy, he said. The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always considered the teachings of Sant Kabir as the foundation of modern India. "Advancing the ideals of Sant Kabir, Prime Minister has played a transformative role in shaping modern India after independence. Over the past 11 years, under his leadership, the government has launched several welfare schemes aimed at empowering and uplifting the poor," said CM Saini. He said that following the Prime Minister's vision, the Haryana government has also worked on the principle of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas', implementing various schemes and policies for the upliftment of every section of society. The Chief Minister emphasised that the core philosophy of the state government is 'Antyodaya', uplifting the last mile citizen. This is the path shown by Sant Kabir, and it forms the very foundation of our policies. Today, our 'triple engine' government is progressing on this path with triple the speed, he said. Referring to the Supreme Court verdict regarding reservation for the Deprived Scheduled Castes, the Chief Minister said that the Haryana government swiftly implemented the decision in the state, ensuring that the DSC community received its rightful share. The Chief Minister said that the government has taken significant steps to safeguard the interests and dignity of Safai Karamcharis. The Haryana State Commission for Safai Karamcharis has been established to address their welfare and rights. The government has also ensured safety and dignity by introducing insurance provisions Rs 5 lakh compensation in case of death during duty and Rs 10 lakh in case of death while cleaning sewer lines. In addition, over 5,000 Safai Karamcharis employed through private agencies have now been brought onto the official roles of the respective municipal bodies. Highlighting the broader commitment to social justice, the Chief Minister shared that under the Mukhyamantri Vivah Shagun Yojana, a financial grant of Rs 71,000 has been provided for the marriages of 2.6 lakh daughters belonging to Scheduled Caste families living below the poverty line. Further, under the Ambedkar Awas Navinikaran Yojana, Rs 80,000 is being provided to BPL Scheduled Caste families for house repairs. So far, 76,985 beneficiaries have received assistance totaling Rs 416 crore under this scheme, shared Nayab Singh Saini. Nayab Singh Saini further emphasised that Sant Kabir's teachings remain just as relevant today as they were centuries ago. Let us resolve to take Kabir's message to every household. His words should not just be remembered but practised in our daily lives. By transcending barriers of caste and inequality, we shall move forward towards building 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat', he added. Earlier speaking on the occasion, the Social Justice, Empowerment, Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Welfare, and Antyodaya (Sewa), Minister, Krishan Kumar Bedi, said that the teachings of great saints like Sant Kabir are extremely relevant in today's society. He said that Sant Kabir gave the message of truth, equality, brotherhood, and humanity, a message that it is our collective duty to spread among the people. The Minister said that the Supreme Court's decision had come in the month of August, and it was Nayab Singh Saini who decided to implement the verdict in favour of the DSC community. He said that the DSC community had to struggle for years. This issue was raised repeatedly before previous governments and Chief Ministers, but instead of solutions, the community only received assurances and had to resort to protests, he said. Krishan Kumar Bedi further said that leaders from the community were compelled to stage demonstrations, and many protesters even had to go to jail. However, the dream that once remained incomplete has now been fulfilled by the present government, he said. Bedi said that this celebration is not just a birth anniversary but a symbol of social transformation. He remarked that previous governments did not give due importance to celebrating the anniversaries of social saints and great personalities, whereas the present government has initiated a new tradition of celebrating the birth anniversaries of Maharshi Valmiki, Sant Ravidas, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Sant Kabir, and other revered figures at the state level. BJP State President, Mohan Lal Kaushik, while addressing the gathering, said that this day is not just the birth anniversary of a great personality, but a day to remember a visionary who showed society the path of harmony by rising above caste and discrimination. He said that the life of Sant Kabir continues to be a source of inspiration, and Chief Minister Saini is leading all sections of society in line with Kabir's ideals. Kaushik further said that the Chief Minister has not only empowered the OBC community but has also emerged as the voice of the poor, the backwards, and the marginalised. He emphasised that when the Haryana Government was formed for the third time, the very first decision of the Cabinet was taken in favour of the rights of the DSC community. This government does not merely make promises, it delivers on the ground, he said. Kaushik said that the government had pledged in its manifesto to provide employment opportunities to 5 lakh youth, and rapid progress is being made in that direction. He further assured that in the coming times, even more significant decisions will be taken in the fields of employment, education, and dignity for the welfare of society. Former MP Sunita Duggal said that CM Saini has given a new identity and strength to the long-oppressed and marginalised sections of society. She said that the Chief Minister remains constantly dedicated to public service and is working for the welfare of every section of society with the spirit of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. She added that an IIT should be established in this region so that children stay away from drugs and focus on their studies. Referring to the teachings of Saint Kabir, she said that just as Saint Kabir rose above caste and discrimination and considered humanity to be supreme, the Chief Minister is also taking the entire society forward with the same spirit. On this occasion, Cabinet Ministers Dr Arvind Sharma and Ranbir Gangwa, Rajya Sabha MP, Subhash Barala, MLAs, Kapoor Valmiki and Randhir Panihar, Swami Swadesh Kabir, former ministers Anoop Dhanak and Devender Babli, former MLA, Dura Ram, and several other dignitaries were present. (ANI) Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor came up with a suggestion for Union Minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) President Chirag Paswan, and said that if Chirag wants to make a genuine impact in Bihar politics, he must quit as Union Minister and work for Bihar. Kishor emphasised that his long-term presence and engagement in Bihar had earned him credibility and trust among the people. "The day he resigns as Union Minister and clarifies that he will work for Bihar, then people will take him seriously in Bihar. People in Bihar started taking me seriously when I clarified that I will not be doing the work I used to do, and since then, it's been three years and I am here in Bihar only and making efforts," Prashant Kishor said. Kishor advised Chirag Paswan to follow suit if he wants to play a "massive role" in the upcoming Bihar elections. "So if Chirag wants to play a massive role in Bihar elections, he must leave Delhi and live in Bihar. And if he doesn't, then he is still an MP for Bihar," Kishor remarked. In past as well Kishor has said that it is a good thing, if Chirag Paswan becomes active in Bihar Assembly politics. On the possibility of Paswan contesting the Bihar Assembly elections, Kishore told reporters, "He (Chirag Paswan) is a part of the NDA and every person is free to contest elections. If Chirag Paswan contests the elections, it is a good thing for Bihar... If Chirag Paswan becomes active in Bihar Assembly politics, it is a good thing." On Sunday, while addressing a rally in Bihar, Chirag Paswan announced that he will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls. Speaking at a public gathering in Arrah, Paswan declared that his party would support the NDA in all 243 assembly seats to ensure its victory. "For those who ask from where I will contest, I want to tell you that my party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and I will contest on 243 seats to make NDA candidates win and strengthen the NDA alliance. My goal is that the NDA moves towards victory," said Chirag. The announcement was made in Arrah, a traditionally weak region for JD(U). Chirag Paswan said he would not contest the election "from Bihar but for Bihar." He added that he would leave the decision of his candidacy and constituency to the people. "I leave this decision to you (people). You decide whether I should contest the Bihar assembly elections, and from which seat. I will follow your decision," he added. Paswan's recent announcement has ignited a debate about seat-sharing within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar. Paswan's demand for 40 seats, citing his party's 100% strike rate in the last Lok Sabha polls, has raised eyebrows among NDA allies. Chirag Paswan's party is demanding 40 seats, while other allies like Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) are also seeking a handful of seats, while the BJP and JD (U) are reportedly eyeing 100 seats each. Chirag's posturing comes against the backdrop of the 2020 polls, where his party secured an almost 5.66% vote share. This brought down the JD(U)'s tally from 71 in 2015 to 43, relegating it to third place behind the RJD and BJP. Bihar is expected to have its assembly elections later in the year. However, the Election Commission has not announced the dates as of yet. (ANI) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel obtained detailed information regarding the state government's preparedness and proactive planning to effectively manage the anticipated monsoon conditions during a high-level review meeting, an official release said. Various departments across the state have undertaken pre-monsoon measures and formulated disaster management plans within their respective jurisdictions to ensure minimal disruption to public life during the monsoon season. In this context, the Chief Minister reviewed detailed preparedness measures and emphasised the necessity of permanently deploying an NDRF team for the Kutch-Saurashtra region. He emphasised that such deployment would enable prompt support to the local administration during adverse weather conditions. Accordingly, he instructed the Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue, Jayanti Ravi, to liaise with the NDRF to ensure the necessary arrangements are made. The Chief Minister instructed senior secretaries of all departments that the extensive relief and restoration efforts undertaken during the monsoon should also be effectively communicated to the public through social media and mainstream media transparently. During the high-level meeting held in the presence of Chief Secretary Pankaj Joshi, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister MK Das, and senior secretaries of key departments, a detailed review was conducted of the pre-monsoon preparedness by departments directly associated with public services. These included the State Disaster Management Authority, Irrigation and Water Resources, Water Supply, Energy, Food and Civil Supplies, Roads and Buildings, and Health, among others. The Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) informed that efforts are underway to enhance community participation in municipal, district, and taluka-level disaster management plans in urban areas. Mock drills and training programmes are also planned as part of this initiative. Furthermore, training for approximately 9,000 "Aapda Mitra" (Disaster Volunteers) has been planned to strengthen rescue and relief operations. The Chief Minister directed that, in the event of damage to highways or roads due to heavy rainfall, immediate repair work should be undertaken and alternative routes should be kept ready as a precautionary measure. During the meeting, the Secretary of the Roads and Buildings Department informed that 90% of the pre-monsoon inspection of minor bridges and causeways across the state has been completed. To ensure prompt restoration of power supply in case of disruptions during the monsoon, Additional Chief Secretary (Energy) SJ Haider stated that the Energy Department is fully equipped with adequate manpower and resources, including satellite phones. Chief Secretary Pankaj Joshi instructed concerned departments to ensure that control rooms in all districts remain operational around the clock. He also emphasised that each district should be provided with the necessary equipment and assistance based on its specific needs. In addition to state government departments, officials from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the Coast Guard also participated in the meeting. (ANI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh government of "suppressing truth" about deaths in Maha Kumbh earlier this year and alleged that "like in COVID, the bodies of the poor were erased from the statistics"."BBC report reveals that figures of deaths in Kumbh Mela stampede were hidden. Like in COVID, the bodies of the poor were erased from the statistics. Like after every major railway accident the truth is suppressed. This is the BJP model - if there is no counting of the poor, then there is no responsibility either!" Gandhi stated in his X post. https://x.com/RahulGandhi/status/1932793765087097178 Thirty people were killed during stampede in Maha Kumbh on Mauni Amavasya. The Uttar Pradesh government had announced financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh for the families of the deceased in the stampede and a judicial inquiry was also set up. Earlier in March, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha that asked about the number of persons killed and injured during the recent Maha Kumbh Stampede, said that "No such data is maintained centrally." Rai said that 'Public Order' and 'Police' are State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. Organization of religious congregations, crowd management, provision of amenities to devotees, prevention of any type of disaster during the congregation, etc., are closely linked to 'public order', which is a state subject. (ANI) After the Karnataka government decided to carry out a re-enumeration exercise for the 2015 caste survey report, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit out at the Congress, accusing it of committing "injustice" against the backward classes. Criticising the Congress high command's attempts to engage in politics over the issue of caste census and accusing them of diverting attention, BJP MLC N Ravikumar objected to the taxpayer money spent in crores for the 2015 survey if its data were to be rejected in the end. Ravikumar said that Congress' suggestion to re-enumerate the data collected under the 2015 social and educational survey was a "slap" to the Siddaramaiah-led government, which originally commissioned and supported it during its first term. "The Congress high command has done injustice to the backward classes. The Congress high command also slammed Siddaramaiah, saying that it was 10 years old and the figures were old," Ravikumar, also the Chief Whip of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, told reporters here. He said that Siddaramaiah intended to implement the caste census figures in the survey report submitted by the Permanent Backward Classes Commission, but announced a resurvey after returning from Delhi. "Many in Congress had objected to the caste census figures. However, Siddaramaiah had said that he would implement it. But he says that he would conduct a new caste census after returning from Delhi. If so, why did he spend 165 crore of taxpayer money? Siddaramaiah, who was called the champion of the backward classes, has done injustice to them," he added. He further accused the Karnataka government of "covering up" the Chinnaswamy stadium stampede that claimed 11 young lives. He said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar were called by the top leadership of Congress in Delhi to bring forth the caste census issue to "hide" the recent stampede tragedy. "In Karnataka, the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister have been called to Delhi to cover up the tragedy of the death of 11 youths in a stampede during the RCB victory celebration," Ravikumar said. This comes after Siddaramaiah said that they have accepted the suggestion made by top Congress leadership to re-enumerate the case census data. "Discussions were held regarding the caste census as concerns were raised by some organisations, religious heads, and even a few ministers. The report submitted on the caste census has been accepted in principle. There is an agreement that a caste enumeration should be conducted. We have also agreed to this," he said. (ANI) Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka on Tuesday alleged that the Congress High Command has delivered a "slap in the face" to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah by ordering a fresh caste census, calling it a "victory" for Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and a "defeat" for the CM. Ashoka demanded Siddaramaiah's resignation, alleging that the government's flip-flop on the caste census had wasted Rs. 167 crore of public money. "The Congress High Command felt the previous report was flawed and overruled Siddaramaiah. Since he failed to implement his decision, he should step down," Ashoka told reporters. Ashoka questioned Siddaramaiah's authority: "Earlier, he defended the Kantharaju Commission report despite objections from religious leaders, communities, and even Congress MLAs. But as soon as the High Command intervened, he agreed to a new survey. Does he only obey the High Command and ignore Karnataka's people?" The BJP leader raised concerns about the government's plan to conduct the survey within 90 days. "Schools have reopened. If teachers are deployed for this, studies will suffer. Who will conduct this massive exercise?" he asked. He also criticised the proposal for an online survey, calling it "illogical." "Many people lack digital literacy. How will accuracy be ensured? What stops fake entries?" he questioned. Ashoka demanded accountability for the Rs. 167 crore spent on the now-discarded Kantharaju report. "Who will recover this wasted money? The earlier report has been thrown out like chaff," he said. He also alleged that the sudden push for a new survey was a diversion from the recent Bengaluru stampede. "Is this a drama to shift public attention?" he asked. Ashoka urged the government to hold public consultations and an all-party meeting before proceeding. "The survey should be conducted only after proper preparation and without disrupting education," he said. Referring to the Valmiki Development Corporation scam, Ashoka welcomed the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) probe. "The CM himself admitted to the scam. Congress calls it vendetta, but how is it vendetta when their own leader accepted the fraud?" he said. He alleged that the Rs. 187 crore scam money was used for the Lok Sabha elections and demanded punishment for those involved. "Former Minister Nagendra acted on Congress leaders' instructions. Now, fearing exposure, they plan to reinstate him," Ashoka claimed. Ashoka asserted that the BJP's protests had "reached a logical conclusion" with the ED's action. "The truth is out--Congress leaders misused funds meant for the poor. They must be held accountable," he said. (ANI) Delhi Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) President Saurabh Bhardwaj has announced that the party will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections on all seats "independently," while rejecting the possibility of an alliance with any other party including Congress. "The party has decided that it will contest elections on all seats in Bihar," Bhardwaj told ANI. On being asked about the possibility of an alliance with Congress, the former Delhi Minister informed that Congress fielded a candidate against AAP during the by-election to one of the five seats in Gujarat, even though AAP did not field anyone on four seats that were already occupied by Congress. "The by-election to five seats in Gujarat earlier was definite. Congress had four seats, and we had one in our corner. We had an understanding with Congress that we would contest on seats where our candidates have already won, respectively. We didn't contest in the bypolls to four seats. However, Congress fielded a candidate against us during the by-election for the fifth seat. This was not in accordance with the spirit of allyship," Bhardwaj said. "We are contesting Bihar elections independently," he added. Earlier, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is the people's wish and a symbol of the state's development. He said that the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar were an opportunity to remove those who "ruined" the state. "Our leadership and alliance are strong, and there is no confusion anywhere. NDA is the wish of the people of Bihar, and it is a symbol of development. This is an opportunity to get rid of those people who ruined Bihar," Sinha told ANI. Meanwhile, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan earlier announced that he would contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls. Speaking at a public gathering in Arrah, Paswan declared that his party would support the NDA in all 243 assembly seats to ensure its victory. "For those who ask from where I will contest, I want to tell you that my party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and I will contest on 243 seats to make NDA candidates win and strengthen the NDA alliance. My goal is that the NDA moves towards victory," Chirag said. Making the announcement in Arrah, a traditionally weak region for JD(U), Paswan said that he would not contest the election "from Bihar but for Bihar." He added that he would leave the decision of his candidacy and constituency to the people. Paswan's recent announcement has ignited a debate about seat-sharing within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar. Paswan's demand for 40 seats, citing his party's 100 per cent strike rate in the last Lok Sabha polls, has raised eyebrows among NDA allies. The LJP is demanding 40 seats, while other allies like Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) are also seeking a handful of seats, while the BJP and JD (U) are reportedly eyeing 100 seats each. Paswan's aggressive posturing comes against the backdrop of the 2020 polls, where his party secured an almost 5.66 per cent vote share. This brought down the JD(U)'s tally from 71 in 2015 to 43, relegating it to third place behind the RJD and BJP. Bihar is expected to have its Assembly elections later this year. However, the Election Commission has not announced the dates. (ANI) The US President is speaking at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, marking the 250th anniversary of the US Army. "These guys are professionals. These are not amateurs," he said, adding he was working with US Senators to pass legislation to imprison people who burn the American flag for "one year." According to Al Jazeera, Trump then took aim at California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, calling them "incompetent" and accusing them of paying "troublemakers, agitators, and insurrectionists" to participate in the protests. "Their position is that the rioting will not stop unless ICE withdraws from Los Angeles and ceases the enforcement of federal immigration law," he said. "So sad what they've done to our country." Notably, the protests erupted after ICE agents conducted raids across the city, arresting dozens of undocumented immigrants. Earlier, the Department of Defence confirmed that Trump is sending an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and federal law enforcement officers in Los Angeles. Monday's deployment is in addition to the 2,000 National Guard troops ordered to deploy by Trump on Saturday, warning of tougher action against those protesting immigration arrests. "At the order of the President, the Department of Defence is mobilising an additional 2,000 California National Guard to be called into federal service to support ICE & to enable federal law-enforcement officers to safely conduct their duties," Sean Parnell, Assistant to the Secretary of Defence for Public Affairs, wrote on X. The latest deployment comes on the same day California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, asking a judge to declare the deployments unconstitutional. (ANI) Protests outside a federal detention centre in Los Angeles turned tense as law enforcement agencies, including the California National Guard and Department of Homeland Security, fired non-lethal tear gas outside the facility to disperse protesters, CNN reported. Notably, the protests erupted after ICE agents conducted raids across the city, arresting dozens of undocumented immigrants. According to CNN, the authorities cleared a path for an armoured vehicle to come through, while protesters chanted slogans. The protesters were heard chanting: "This is what democracy looks like!" They were seen throwing water bottles at the officers. The Los Angeles Police Department wrote on X a "dispersal order" had been issued: "The use of less lethal munitions has been authorised. Less lethal munitions may cause pain and discomfort." Earlier in the day, United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) called the protests in Los Angeles "a full-blown assault on peace, on public order, and national sovereignty," Al Jazeera reported. The US President is speaking at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, marking the 250th anniversary of the US Army. "These guys are professionals. These are not amateurs," he said, adding he was working with US Senators to pass legislation to imprison people who burn the American flag for "one year." According to Al Jazeera, Trump then took aim at California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, calling them "incompetent" and accusing them of paying "troublemakers, agitators, and insurrectionists" to participate in the protests. "Their position is that the rioting will not stop unless ICE withdraws from Los Angeles and ceases the enforcement of federal immigration law," he said. "So sad what they've done to our country." Earlier, the Department of Defence confirmed that Trump is sending an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and federal law enforcement officers in Los Angeles. Monday's deployment is in addition to the 2,000 National Guard troops ordered to deploy by Trump on Saturday, warning of tougher action against those protesting immigration arrests. "At the order of the President, the Department of Defence is mobilising an additional 2,000 California National Guard to be called into federal service to support ICE & to enable federal law-enforcement officers to safely conduct their duties," Sean Parnell, Assistant to the Secretary of Defence for Public Affairs, wrote on X. The latest deployment comes on the same day California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, asking a judge to declare the deployments unconstitutional. Meanwhile, More than 700 US Marines that were activated Monday to assist the National Guard in Los Angeles are standing by and awaiting orders outside the city, and many of them are undergoing additional training prior to assisting with the protests, CNN reported citing US officials statement. (ANI) SpaceX on Wednesday announced the postponement of the Falcon 9 launch of the Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), citing the need for additional time to repair a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak. https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1932599956336173058 "Standing down from tomorrow's Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete - and pending Range availability - we will share a new launch date," the company said in a post on X. Following the announcement, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also confirmed the delay of the Axiom-4 mission, which was scheduled for launch on June 11, 2025, and was set to carry the first Indian Gaganyatri to the ISS. https://x.com/isro/status/1932605652360442184 In a statement, ISRO said: "Postponement of Axiom 04 mission slated for launch on 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS. As part of launch vehicle preparation to validate the performance of booster stage of Falcon 9 launch vehicle, seven second of hot test was carried out on the launch pad. It is understood that LOX leakage was detected in the propulsion bay during the test. Based on the discussion on this topic by ISRO team with the experts of Axiom and SpaceX it has been decided to correct the leak and carry out necessary validation test before clearing for the launch. Hence the launch of Axiom 04 slated for 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS is postponed. With regards, V. Narayanan, Secretary DOS/ Chairman ISRO and Chairman Space Commission." Despite the delay, the Axiom-4 mission remains significant. The Ax-4 crew includes members from India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first mission to the space station in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years, according to Axiom Space. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be India's second national astronaut to go to space since 1984. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is part of Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4), marking a historic moment for India's space collaboration with NASA. Slawosz Uznanski, European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut, will be the second Polish astronaut since 1978. Tibor Kapu will be the second national Hungarian astronaut since 1980. Peggy Whitson will command her second commercial human spaceflight mission, adding to her standing record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut. According to Axiom Space, the Ax-4 mission will "realise the return" to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first government-sponsored flight in more than 40 years. While this is the second human spaceflight mission in history for these countries, it will be the first time all three will execute a mission aboard the International Space Station. This historic mission highlights how Axiom Space is redefining access to low-Earth orbit and elevating national space programs globally. Ax-4 will be the second commercial spaceflight mission made up of government and ESA-sponsored national astronauts. The Ax-4 mission stands as a beacon of opportunity for India, Poland, and Hungary, each poised to leverage this mission to advance their national space programs. The Ax-4 research complement includes around 60 scientific studies and activities representing 31 countries, including the US, India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, UAE, and nations across Europe. This will be the most research and science-related activities conducted on an Axiom Space mission aboard the International Space Station to date, underscoring the mission's global significance and collaborative nature to advance microgravity research in low-Earth orbit (LEO), per Axiom Space. The mission emphasises scientific portfolios led by the US, India, Poland (in partnership with ESA), and Hungary. It aims to boost participation in these countries by involving diverse stakeholders, showcasing the value of microgravity research, and fostering international collaboration. The studies will enhance global knowledge in human research, Earth observation, and life, biological, and material sciences, demonstrating the space research capabilities of the crew's home nations. Describing the team with whom he is going on the mission, Group Captain Shukla said, "The team that I'm flying with on this mission, it is fantastic. I do feel that I have exceptional crewmates. I will have these crew members for this one flight. But post this mission, these are going to be my friends for life. It has been an amazing journey. These are moments that really tell you that you are getting to be a part of something that is much larger than yourself. I can only say how extremely fortunate I am to be a part of this. It is my sincere endeavor through my mission to inspire an entire generation back home in the country. I want to use this opportunity to ignite curiosity among kids. Even if this story, my story, is able to change one life, it would be a huge success for me. I'm Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla. and I am the mission pilot for Axiom 4 mission." (ANI) Tel Aviv [Israel], June 11 (ANI/TPS): Israeli authorities thwarted an operation for the smuggling of stolen auto parts into Jordan. A cargo of spare parts for vehicles intended for export that arrived at the Jordan River border crossing on May 2, 2025 aroused suspicion by the Intelligence Department at the Customs House that it contained stolen goods. A thorough physical examination by customs inspectors reinforced the suspicions regarding 406 spare parts for electric vehicles police investigators seized the truck, arrested the driver of the vehicle and opened an investigation. The investigation revealed suspicions against a Palestinian resident of Kafr Sur (near Tulkarm) who was smuggling spare parts for vehicles stolen from Israel into Jordan. According to the suspicion, he registered the export license in the name of an Israeli resident in order to circumvent the ban on exporting parts from the country. (ANI/TPS) President Milei commended the Prime Minister's strength in conducting the multi-front war and expressed unwavering support for the State of Israel and the justice of its cause. He added that Israel's victory in the war will constitute a victory for the entire Western world. The Prime Minister praised President Milei for the market economy he is leading in his country, which has greatly contributed to its prosperity and effected change. The two leaders agreed to continue being in close personal contact and to increase bilateral cooperation. (ANI/TPS) Former Pentagon official and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Rubin, has come out swinging against Khalistanis while praising Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to accept Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's invitation to the G7 Summit (from June 15 to 17) in Canada. Rubin believes PM Modi's magnanimity in attending the summit shows "India has nothing to hide." Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Rubin contrasted Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's approach with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's, saying Carney "understands the importance of India" and wants to "restore maturity to the relationship." "Canadian PM Mark Carney originally is a banker. He understands the importance of India. Justin Trudeau was a politician who peddled in image and imagination, and therefore it makes sense that Carney wants to restore maturity to the relationship," Rubin told ANI. "It actually makes sense for Prime Minister Modi to show that the problem was not Canada itself, but the immaturity and unprofessionalism of Justin Trudeau," he added. Further, the American security expert highlighted that the Indian government is "willing to have a serious dialogue, much like they had with the United States." Rubin added that the problem with "Justin Trudeau is that for his own domestic, political reasons and to assuage radical constituencies, he was basically shooting from the hip without any factual basis to support his accusations against India." "What Prime Minister Modi is showing is that India has nothing to hide. If you're going to have a serious law enforcement dialogue, it's got to be two-way. We've got to talk about illegal immigration into Canada, terror finance in Canada, radical Sikh mafias and how the Khalistan movement is tied to organised crime and terrorism," he added. Rubin also raised concerns about the Khalistanis' movements, stating, "when you give safe haven to any terror group. Ultimately, your own interests are going to be subverted." "Justin Trudeau and frankly Pierre Trudeau before him, by embracing and tolerating the Khalistan movement in the face of some of the worst terrorist attacks in the 20th century, what they did is ultimately undermine Canada's moral authority and its strategic importance," he added. (ANI) Former Pentagon official and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Rubin, has strongly criticised former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for amplifying what he called exaggerated claims around Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the Khalistan movement. He also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strategic diplomacy and called for firm action against Khalistani extremism. "The grievances about Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the Khalistan movement were not real": Rubin said, accusing Trudeau of appeasing radical Sikh extremists in Canada and shifting blame to India rather than acknowledging domestic issues. Rubin further elaborated on Prime Minister Modi's leadership, saying, "Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi's critics will acknowledge that he has grown tremendously in office and he's now one of the most influential statesmen not only in Asia but in the world. The fact of the matter is that this magnanimity is strategic and it also forces the Canadians to recognise that the problem all along was in Canada and not with India. So, kudos to Prime Minister Modi for this strategy and for rejoining and agreeing to go to Alberta and the fact of the matter is that a strong relationship between India and all of North America is within everybody's interests, especially given the rise of China." Touching upon the issue of Khalistani extremism, Rubin stressed the importance of decisive measures from Canada. He said, "It is so essential that India continued to press Canada to address the Khalistan movement head-on to designate the Khalistan movement and extremists as terrorists, to uproot terror finance and to stigmatize forever these groups that really have no popular legitimacy back home in Punjab or for that matter, among the larger peaceful Sikh community in Canada. It's time to stop allowing the loud, extreme voices to win and instead recognise that those same loud, extreme voices oftentimes deserve to be in prison for their involvement in terror, tax fraud and organised crime in Canada, in San Francisco and elsewhere." Reiterating his criticism of Trudeau, Rubin again dismissed the narrative around Nijjar and the Khalistan movement. He said, "The grievances about Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the Khalistan movement were not real. They were exaggerations that Justin Trudeau amplified...Justin Trudeau may have wanted so much to appease radical Sikh extremists in various constituencies that he was willing to take an organised crime hit between various Sikh groups and mafias and blame an outside power for it, rather than acknowledge the problem and the fault was Canada's alone. That is Justin Trudeau's problem. But now that Justin Trudeau is gone and likely will never return to power, Prime Minister Carney is taking a sober approach and recognising that he is not going to be tied to Justin Trudeau's fictions..." In this context, Rubin has come out swinging against Khalistanis while praising Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to accept Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's invitation to the G7 Summit (from June 15 to 17) in Canada. He believes PM Modi's magnanimity in attending the summit shows "India has nothing to hide." Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Rubin contrasted former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's approach with that of Carney's, saying Carney "understands the importance of India" and wants to "restore maturity to the relationship." "Canadian PM Mark Carney originally is a banker. He understands the importance of India. Justin Trudeau was a politician who peddled in image and imagination, and therefore it makes sense that Carney wants to restore maturity to the relationship," Rubin told ANI. "It actually makes sense for Prime Minister Modi to show that the problem was not Canada itself, but the immaturity and unprofessionalism of Justin Trudeau," he added. Further, the American security expert highlighted that the Indian government is "willing to have a serious dialogue, much like they had with the United States." Rubin added that the problem with "Justin Trudeau is that for his own domestic, political reasons and to assuage radical constituencies, he was basically shooting from the hip without any factual basis to support his accusations against India." "What Prime Minister Modi is showing is that India has nothing to hide. If you're going to have a serious law enforcement dialogue, it's got to be two-way. We've got to talk about illegal immigration into Canada, terror finance in Canada, radical Sikh mafias and how the Khalistan movement is tied to organised crime and terrorism," he added. Rubin also raised concerns about the Khalistanis' movements, stating, "when you give safe haven to any terror group. Ultimately, your own interests are going to be subverted." "Justin Trudeau and frankly Pierre Trudeau before him, by embracing and tolerating the Khalistan movement in the face of some of the worst terrorist attacks in the 20th century, what they did is ultimately undermine Canada's moral authority and its strategic importance," he added. (ANI) Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, has been extradited to the United States on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism, FBI Director Kash Patel announced in a post on social media platform 'X'. https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1932584825866604772 "Earlier this afternoon, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, was extradited to the United States on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism. In the fall of last year, Khan allegedly planned to travel from Canada to New York and carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS at a Jewish Center in Brooklyn. Khan allegedly planned his attack to occur on October 7, 2024 -- the one-year anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel," Patel stated. "Thankfully, the great work of FBI teams and our partners exposed those plans and shut them down -- and Khan was arrested by Canadian authorities on September 4, 2024. He has now arrived in the U.S. and will face American justice," he said. Calling the case a reminder of the "constant threat of terrorism facing every corner of the world," Patel also warned about the "disturbing rise in threats against our Jewish communities." He acknowledged the efforts of multiple FBI field offices, saying: "@NewYorkFBI, @FBIChicago and @FBILosAngeles did great work in this case with our partners and we thank them." The investigation highlights ongoing global efforts to counter terrorism. (ANI) As Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, announced that national elections will be held in April 2026, strong criticism has emerged from student political groups affiliated with the now-banned Bangladesh Awami League. Saddam Hussain, President of the Bangladesh Students League, the student wing of the Awami League, called the announcement a "state-sponsored drama" and accused the current government of lacking legitimacy and control. "The elections are not the priority of this government. This is just a state-sponsored drama. They will use this for their own purpose. They banned the Bangladesh Awami League...The people of Bangladesh are waiting for a democratic representative to govern the country...The present government has no control over the law and order situation...For restoring democracy in Bangladesh, we have no other option than the removal of this current fascist regime...Muhammad Yunus is using the state machinery for his own personal agenda," he said. Hussain further alleged that the interim government aims to reshape Bangladesh into a religious state, sidelining minority communities and fostering insecurity. "The current government aims to make Bangladesh a religious state...There is no security for the lives of minorities - Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and indigenous people of Bangladesh...Many people have been killed, their houses have been looted...One of the ideologies of the present government is that they think of the minorities as second-class citizens...People are being attacked due to their religious identity," he added. Linking these concerns to regional dynamics, Bangladesh Students' League President Saddam Hussain has strongly criticised the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, warning against its "increasing closeness" with Pakistan. In an exclusive interview, he termed the diplomatic shift "dangerous," claiming it dishonours the legacy of the 1971 Liberation War and threatens regional stability. Hussain, who represents a substantial base of politically active youth affiliated with the Awami League, claimed that Yunus' interim rule not only tolerates but actively promotes relations with Pakistan's intelligence agencies and extremist organisations. "They're legitimising actors who once committed genocide on our soil," he said, referring to Pakistan's role in the 1971 killings. He cautioned that Islamic hardliners and terror groups like Jamaat-e-Islami, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Ansarullah Bangla Team, and Lashkar-e-Taiba, all of whom have ties to Pakistan, are now receiving state-level support and meeting with high-ranking officials, including the interim Chief himself. Hussain accused the interim government of attempting to "erase the history" of Bangladesh's freedom. "They demolished Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence at Dhanmondi 32. Liberation War sculptures and institutions have been targeted or vandalised. "This isn't just revisionism; it's deliberate erasure," he stated. He further claimed that known extremists convicted in past assaults are being released and given official protection. "These gangs had a noticeable role in the political upheaval that deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in July and August. "Now, they're being rewarded for their role in destabilising the country," he claimed, warning that Bangladesh risks becoming a breeding ground for international terrorism with active linkages to Pakistan's ISI. Saddam Hussain gave a bleak image of Bangladesh's current condition, citing an alarming increase in violence against minorities after the change in government. "Minorities, particularly Hindus, live in dread. Since August 5, over 2,200 events targeting minority populations have been reported, including deaths, lootings, forced evictions, and attacks on temples and property," he said. He accused the interim government of systematically excluding minority groups from public life. "Minority candidates who pass all examinations for government positions are turned down merely because of their religion. "Their names are blacklisted," he stated. He went on to say that religious freedom has practically been eliminated. "They instruct you on what to wear, what to celebrate, and how to live your faith. "It is no longer a democracy; it is a fascist, religious state." Hussain sharply criticised Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, saying, "He speaks of peace and democracy abroad, but under his watch, Bangladeshis are silenced, persecuted, and driven underground." Dissent is criminalised, and students who support the Awami League are barred from attending lessons." Hussain concluded with a powerful appeal to the global community. "Democracy must be restored. This illegitimate interim government must go. The international community has a responsibility to stand with the people of Bangladesh. Without justice, there can be no peace, not here, not in South Asia." He asserted that the Awami League, despite repeated crackdowns, remains the only political force capable of restoring inclusive governance and secular values in Bangladesh. "Awami League has always bounced back, whether under Yahya, Ayub, or Yunus. The people are with us, and we will reclaim our country through their verdict." (ANI) In a statement posted on June 10 via social media platform X, the agency called for sustained assistance to vulnerable communities across Afghanistan. According to WFP, its teams continue to navigate difficult terrain and remote mountainous areas to deliver life-saving food supplies. "For many Afghans facing hunger, this food is their only hope of survival," the organisation said. However, a sharp decline in funding has severely affected WFP's operations in the country. The agency noted that its services, which have been vital in preventing famine in recent years, have had to be significantly reduced, Khaama Press stated. More than 23 million people in Afghanistan are currently facing acute food insecurity, with contributing factors including prolonged conflict, economic collapse, and climate-related disasters. The shortfall in aid comes amid growing economic challenges under the Taliban regime. Nearly four years into their rule, Afghan citizens continue to endure high unemployment, inflated food prices, and shrinking international assistance. Particularly in rural and inaccessible areas, millions of families remain dependent on humanitarian support to survive. Both WFP and other aid organisations have repeatedly urged the global community to step up financial contributions, Khaama Press further reported. WFP has warned that unless urgent funding is secured, more lives will be at risk in the coming months. Humanitarian groups continue to appeal to international donors not to abandon Afghanistan's most vulnerable, for whom even a single truckload of food can mean survival. (ANI) Mexico's green, white and red flag has emerged as a defining symbol of the ongoing immigration protests in Los Angeles, CNN reported. Demonstrators have been waving the Mexican flag alongside those of other Latin American countries and the United States to express solidarity with immigrants and to protest against recent federal raids. Los Angeles has been roiled in protests since Friday, when ICE officers conducted raids at several workplaces in the city's garment district. While initially peaceful, the protests have led to dozens of arrests and some violent clashes. President Donald Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops and Marines, sparking outrage from Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who described the mobilization as an "illegal takeover" and a "blatant abuse of power." The Mexican flag has been a longstanding symbol in immigration protests, especially in LA, which is seen as the capital of the Mexican diaspora in the US. According to Census data, over 3.4 million people of Mexican heritage or birth live in Los Angeles County--more than any other US county. Republican leaders have criticized the prominence of the flag. "Insurrectionists carrying foreign flags are attacking immigration enforcement officers," Vice President JD Vance wrote on X. Senator Markwayne Mullin told CNN's Dana Bash, "They were literally out there protesting, carrying a foreign flag. That is absolutely insane. They're not just peaceful protesters. These are illegals." The Department of Homeland Security has circulated images showing protesters clashing with police while waving the Mexican flag. Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy, described the demonstrators on social media as "foreign nationals, waving foreign flags, rioting and obstructing federal law enforcement attempting to expel illegal foreign invaders." Despite criticism, protesters and academics defended the symbolic use of the flag. Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda, a UCLA professor, said such demonization of symbols is a "well-documented move on the part of the Trump administration, knowing that every single demonstration of this type brings out the Mexican flag." Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger told CNN the optics were poor: "The visuals of the Mexican flag at protests are terrible, honestly... I just think that it would be much stronger if they were carrying American flags only." The flag's presence in protests has deep roots. Jorge Castaneda, former Mexican foreign minister, said, "This is something that goes back to the 1990s, when many people protested against Proposition 187," adding that most demonstrators today are likely American citizens. He noted it would be "quite reckless and foolish" for undocumented individuals to protest publicly due to deportation risks. Republican strategist Mike Madrid argued in the Sacramento Bee that waving the Mexican flag "transforms what should be a debate about American constitutional rights and due process into a conversation about foreign loyalty and cultural assimilation." However, others see the flag as a symbol of unity and identity. "The flags mean their families. The flags mean their communities. It's not about having an international invasion," Hinojosa-Ojeda said. Antonio Rodriguez, an organizer with the Brown Berets, said, "I don't necessarily think just because somebody has pride in their culture that they're un-American... Waving a Mexican flag, for us, is showing pride in our culture and our family." (ANI) The Taiwan Government has expressed gratitude to the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard for their swift rescue operation involving the merchant vessel Wan Hai 503. In a post on X, Taiwan in India stated, "The Taiwan Government is grateful for the swift rescue operation provided by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard to Wan Hai 503. We wish the missing crew members return safe and the injured recover soon." The appreciation comes as the Indian Coast Guard is continuously working to combat the fire that engulfed the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503. It said attempts were being made to control the vessel fire that injured several crew members. Of the 22 crew members, 18 were rescued by the Indian Navy, while four are still missing. According to the Indian Coast Guard, as of 5:00 PM on Tuesday, the flames on the container ship were reduced, as thick smoke continued to emanate. "Indian Coast Guard ships continue to fight the fire and attempt to bring the inferno on the container ship MV WAN HAI 503 under control off the Kerala coast. Visible flames have reduced, and thick smoke continues to emanate as of 1700 hours today," the Indian Coast Guard said. Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in India spokesperson Yu Jing on Tuesday expressed gratitude to the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue of its crew members onboard the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503, which encountered an onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Kerala's Azhikkal. According to Yu Jing, Chinese and Taiwanese crew members were among those onboard MV Wan Hai. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson wished for successful search operations and speedy recovery for injured crew members. "On June 9, MV Wan Hai 503 encountered an onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal, Kerala. Of the total 22 crew members on board, 14 are Chinese, including 6 from Taiwan. Our gratitude goes to the Indian Navy @indiannavy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue. We wish further search operations successful and the injured crew members a speedy recovery," Yu Jing posted on X. Four crew members were reported missing and five injured after an explosion under deck was reported onboard MV WAN HAI 503 while it was on passage from Colombo to Nhava Sheva. Indian Coast Guard ships have been deployed for firefighting and rescue operations. The vessel was carrying containerised cargo and had 22 crew members, including eight Chinese, six Taiwanese, five Myanmarese, and three Indonesian nationals. Following the explosion and escalation of the fire, the crew abandoned the ship. (ANI) A second group of Russian prisoners of war (POWs) has been released from Ukrainian captivity following a major prisoner swap agreement between Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul last week, Russia Today reported citing the Russian Defense Ministry. According to Russia Today, while the Defense Ministry did not disclose the exact number of servicemen returned, it released a video showing the freed soldiers draped in Russian flags preparing to board buses. The soldiers are currently receiving psychological and medical assistance in Belarus and will be transferred to Russian military hospitals for rehabilitation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the exchange, describing it as "the first stage" of a swap involving "seriously wounded... soldiers" and called it "an important humanitarian act." Russia Today reported that during the second round of direct negotiations in Istanbul, both sides agreed to exchange seriously injured, ill, or under-25 captives. The Russian Defense Ministry did not specify which categories were included in this phase. Additionally, Russia announced the return of over 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers' bodies as a unilateral humanitarian gesture. Moscow attempted to hand over 1,212 bodies on Saturday, but Ukrainian representatives failed to arrive at the exchange point, Russia Today reported. Meanwhile, more than 100 civilians, including a child, were injured and four killed in Russian regions over the past week due to Ukrainian strikes, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik told TASS. Most injuries were attributed to FPV drone attacks, with the highest casualties in Belgorod, Kursk, Luhansk, and Zaporozhye. Miroshnik claimed nearly 1,800 munitions, mostly of Western origin, were launched at civilian targets, amid a failed prisoner exchange attempt on Saturday, CNN reported. Russia said Ukraine postponed the swap last minute; Ukraine denied this, calling Russia's version "dirty games" and citing a lack of confirmed timing. Despite the delay, CNN reported both countries plan another exchange during peace talks in Istanbul this weekend. Separately, the Kyiv Independent reported that on June 10, Kyiv and Odesa came under mass Russian attack. In Kyiv, four people were injured, while in Odesa, two were killed and at least eight wounded. Medical facilities, including a maternity hospital, were damaged. (ANI) As Prime Minister Narendra Modi participates in the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, from June 15 to 17, his presence signifies more than just India's growing global influence -- it presents an opportunity to reset and redefine bilateral relations between India and Canada, says Canadian political commentator and podcaster Josh Udall. Udall, who applies his expertise in behavioural research and political analysis to Canadian public discourse, sees this moment as pivotal -- not just for economic diplomacy, but also for confronting longstanding irritants in the relationship, especially the issue of Khalistani extremism. In an exclusive interview, Udall dissected the complexities and political undercurrents shaping the evolving dynamic between Ottawa and New Delhi. According to Udall, Prime Minister Modi's visit to the G7 -- where he's likely to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney -- offers Canada a critical opening to move past the chill that marked Indo-Canadian relations under Justin Trudeau. "Mark Carney is the economic guy. He's the one you call in a crisis," Udall noted, pointing out that Carney's chief interest is revitalising Canada's economic relationships, particularly beyond the shadow of the United States. India is now the world's fourth-largest economy. It only makes sense to pursue a strong trade partnership with them," he said. Udall emphasised that Carney's push for economic ties is not rooted in any deep understanding of the Indo-Canadian political baggage, especially the divisive Khalistan issue. "There's very little political will in Canada to address the Khalistani extremism that India is concerned about," he said, underscoring the wide gap between Canadian public perception and Indian security priorities. Udall was candid about the domestic ignorance surrounding the Khalistan issue in Canada. "Most Canadians have no idea," he said. "They've heard snippets on CBC or CTV, maybe remember something about Trudeau accusing India of killing a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, but they don't understand the long and complicated history." He added that Khalistani narratives dominate Canadian media, with little to no Hindu or Indian nationalist representation providing a counterbalance. "It's mostly Khalistani voices getting airtime," he observed. "That dangerously shapes public perception." The result, according to Udall, is a skewed understanding of India as an interfering foreign power. "To Canadians, India is starting to feel like the new Russia -- accused of meddling in elections and domestic politics," he said. This, he argues, makes it nearly impossible to garner domestic support for India's long-pending demand to extradite 26 fugitives linked to extremist activities. Given this context, Udall believes that the burden of advocacy rests squarely on Prime Minister Modi. "If Modi wants movement on the Khalistan issue or extradition demands, he's going to have to tie those to economic incentives. That's the only language that might move Carney," he said. Udall was clear-eyed about the challenge. "Carney doesn't know the history, and he won't prioritise it unless it's linked to something he values -- namely, trade. Modi has to make that case clearly and strategically." The situation is further complicated by Canada's domestic political landscape. "Carney will see the protests from Sikh groups against Modi's visit, and he will dismiss them. That's his style. But unless there is pressure from voters or political consequences, don't expect him to act on India's security concerns." One of the most significant shifts, Udall points out, is the political transition from Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh to Mark Carney's administration. He believes this creates a rare moment for recalibration. "Trudeau's stance toward India was heavily influenced by domestic alliances, particularly with the NDP and Jagmeet Singh," he said. "There were alleged associations between Singh and pro-Khalistan groups, and that coloured Trudeau's approach to India." Now, with both Trudeau and Singh out of the picture, Udall sees a clean slate. "Carney's gesture of inviting Modi is a sign: let's forget the past and focus on mutual benefit," he said. "It's a soft restart -- an olive branch." For Udall, the G7 Summit marks a watershed moment. "What happens at this meeting will dictate the course of India-Canada relations," he asserted. "If Modi and Carney strike the right tone, it could initiate a slow but steady thaw." However, Udall warns that any progress will be incremental. "This won't be a one-meeting fix. It's going to be a long game for both leaders. Modi wants action on extremism; Carney wants trade. They'll have to negotiate those interests delicately." He also suggests that even if the bilateral dialogue doesn't immediately yield results on extradition or security concerns, just opening consistent communication lines is a win. "Diplomacy is momentum. If this meeting goes well, it builds trust. And from trust comes progress." As Prime Minister Modi engages with world leaders at the G7, his interactions with Canada could mark a turning point in a relationship that has long teetered between cooperation and confrontation. Josh Udall sums it up best: "This is a pivotal moment. Both sides need something -- India wants a crackdown on extremism; Canada wants new trade partners. If they can meet halfway, it'll be a major win for both democracies." Whether this G7 meeting becomes a footnote or a foundation stone remains to be seen. But one thing is clear -- after years of tension, India and Canada finally have an opportunity to rebuild. (ANI) Chengxuan Han, a People's Republic of China (PRC) citizen, was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint with smuggling commodities into the United States and making false claims, according to a release from the US Attorney's Office. Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Detroit Division, Acting Director of Field Operations John Nowak of US Customs and Border Protection, and Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit field office, according to a US Attorney Office release. "According to the complaint, Han is a citizen of the PRC who is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from the College of Life Science and Technology in Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan, PRC. In 2024 and 2025, Han sent four packages to the United States from the PRC containing concealed biological material. These packages were addressed to individuals associated with a laboratory at the University of Michigan. On June 8, 2025, Han arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a J1 visa. Customs and Border Protection officers conducted an inspection of Han, during which Han made false statements about the packages and the biological materials she had previously shipped to the United States. CBP officers also found that the content of Han's electronic device had been deleted three days before she arrived in the United States. After the border inspection, Han was interviewed by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and ICE HSI. During this interview, Han admitted to sending the packages, admitted that the packages contained biological material related to roundworms, and admitted to making false statements to the CBP officers during her inspection," said the release. United States Attorney Gorgon stated: "The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, China, to be used at a University of Michigan laboratory is part of an alarming pattern that threatens our security. The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions," as quoted by the release. "The FBI has zero tolerance for those who violate federal law and remains unwavering in our mission to protect the American people," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. "The alleged smuggling of biological materials by Chengxuan Han is a direct threat to public safety and national security, and it severely compromises the integrity of our nation's research institutions. I applaud the relentless efforts of the FBI Detroit Counterintelligence Task Force, working in close coordination with the US Customs and Border Protection's Office of Field Operations and ICE Homeland Security Investigations Detroit. The FBI in Michigan will aggressively pursue anyone who seeks to harm our country and will deploy every available resource to defend the United States and protect our communities," stated the release. The FBI, CBP and ICE HSI are investigating this case. (ANI) Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, during his visit to Brussels this week, met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, where he highlighted India's strategic importance, its global positioning, and expressed reservations on key EU policies, according to Euractiv. Speaking amid ongoing EU-India free trade agreement negotiations, Jaishankar made a strong case for India as a reliable economic partner. "India - a nation of 1.4 billion - offers skilled labour and a more trustworthy economic partnership than China," he said, as reported by Euractiv in an edited transcript. Turning to recent global coverage of the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir, in which 26 lives were lost, Jaishankar pushed back against the narrative that equates India's response with regional tensions. "Let me remind you of something - there was a man named Osama bin Laden. Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point?" he said. "I want the world to understand - this isn't merely an India-Pakistan issue. It's about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you." On India's position regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar reaffirmed India's non-prescriptive stance. "We don't believe that differences can be resolved through war - we don't believe a solution will come from the battlefield. It's not for us to prescribe what that solution should be. My point is, we're not being prescriptive or judgemental - but we are also not uninvolved." Responding to criticism over India's refusal to join sanctions against Russia, he said, "We have a strong relationship with Ukraine as well - it's not only about Russia. But every country, naturally, considers its own experience, history and interests." He further offered a historical perspective on India's foreign policy outlook. "India has the longest-standing grievance - our borders were violated just months after independence, when Pakistan sent in invaders to Kashmir. And the countries that were most supportive of that? Western countries." "If those same countries - who were evasive or reticent then - now say 'let's have a great conversation about international principles', I think I'm justified in asking them to reflect on their own past." On India's role in the changing global order, Jaishankar emphasized multipolarity. "Multipolarity is already here. Europe now faces the need to make more decisions in its own interest - using its own capabilities, and based on the relationships it fosters globally." "I hear terms like 'strategic autonomy' being used in Europe - these were once part of our vocabulary." "The EU is clearly a major pole in the global order - and increasingly an autonomous one. That is precisely why I'm here: to deepen our relationship in this multipolar world." Reacting to the EU's climate policies, particularly the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), Jaishankar expressed clear opposition. "Let's not pretend - we're opposed to parts of it. We have very deep reservations about CBAM and we've been quite open about it. The idea that one part of the world will set standards for everybody else is something which we are against." When asked whether he trusts US President Donald Trump, Jaishankar responded, "Meaning what?" On whether Trump is a partner India is willing to deepen ties with, he said, "I take the world as I find it. Our aim is to advance every relationship that serves our interests - and the US relationship is of immense importance to us. It's not about personality X or president Y." Speaking on China, Jaishankar pointed to efforts by European companies to shift away from dependence on Chinese supply chains. "I just met with several European companies in India that have chosen to set up there specifically to de-risk their supply chains. Many companies are becoming increasingly careful about where they locate their data - they'd rather place it somewhere secure and trustworthy than simply go for efficiency. Would you really want that in the hands of actors you don't feel comfortable with?" (ANI) Secretary (East) P. Kumaran led the Indian delegation at the East Asia Summit (EAS) Senior Officials' Meeting held in Penang, Malaysia, as announced by Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, on social media platform X. During the meeting, Secretary (East) underlined the important role of EAS towards promoting a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific, especially as this premier leaders-led mechanism marks its 20th anniversary this year. Sharing India's stance on regional and international issues, Secretary (East) P. Kumaran called for unified global efforts to tackle terrorism, emphasising it as a serious threat to peace, security, and development in the region. Earlier, on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting (EAS SOM) in Penang, Malaysia, Kumaran met Brunei Darussalam's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hajah Johariah Binti Abdul Wahab, further strengthening regional engagement. During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to further deepen the enhanced partnership between India and Brunei and cooperation under ASEAN and other frameworks. In a post on X, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, "Secretary (East) P. Kumaran met Ms. Hajah Johariah Binti Abdul Wahab, Permanent Secretary, MoFA of Brunei Darussalam, on the margins of EAS SOM in Penang, Malaysia. The two sides discussed ways to further deepen the Enhanced Partnership between India and Brunei bilaterally, as also cooperation under ASEAN and other frameworks." On Monday, Kumaran met Michelle Chan, Deputy Secretary, South and Southeast Asia Group and Head of the Office of Southeast Asia, Australia, at the East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting in Penang, and discussed bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest. "Secretary (East) P. Kumaran met Ms. Michelle Chan, Deputy Secretary, South and Southeast Asia Group & Head of the Office of Southeast Asia, Australia, on the margins of the East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting at Penang, Malaysia. They discussed bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest," Jaiswal posted on X. Further strengthening regional engagement, P Kumaran also met Ambassador Kung Phoak, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia, on the margins of the East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting in Penang. The MEA said that the officials discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation bilaterally and under the ASEAN framework. In a statement shared on X, MEA stated, "Secretary (East) P. Kumaran met Amb Kung Phoak, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia, on the margins of East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting in Penang, Malaysia. Underlining the close partnership between India and Cambodia, the two sides discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation bilaterally and under the ASEAN framework." EAS Senior Officials' Meetings (SOM) and meetings of EAS Ambassadors to ASEAN are held regularly to discuss emerging issues and to prepare for EAS ministerial and Leaders' meetings, and to take forward decisions by EAS leaders, according to Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade statement. The EAS has 18 members - the 10 ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) along with Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States. (ANI) The Indian Consulate in New York has confirmed that an Indian national from Haryana was detained at Newark Airport, New Jersey, for entering the United States illegally without a valid visa, according to sources. As per a court order, the individual is being deported back to India. During transit at Newark, his behaviour was deemed not conducive for travel, leading to his restraint and admission to a medical facility. The Consulate stated that once the individual is fit to travel, he will be deported to India, and it continues to remain engaged with US authorities on the matter. Following the Consulate in New York's communication about being in touch with local authorities over social media posts claiming an Indian national was facing difficulties in the US, the government has now formally raised the issue with the US Embassy in New Delhi, sources said on Tuesday. The sources said India's Embassy in Washington DC has also been in contact with the US authorities to ascertain the details. "Reference social media post claiming that an Indian national was detained at Newark Airport in New Jersey, the Ministry has formally raised the matter with the US Embassy in New Delhi. Our Embassy in Washington DC and the Indian Consulate in New York have also been in touch with the US authorities to ascertain the details," a source said. A video purportedly showing a person being held on the ground by two individuals had gone viral, prompting intervention by the Indian Embassy. The Indian Consulate General in New York said in a post on Monday that it is in touch with the local authorities. "We have come across social media posts claiming that an Indian national is facing difficulties at Newark Liberty International Airport. We are in touch with local authorities in this regard. The Consulate remains ever committed to the welfare of Indian Nationals," the post said. (ANI) Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, paid tribute to Indian soldiers at the National War Memorial in New Delhi and reviewed a ceremonial Guard of Honour at South Block, reflecting the strong defence ties between India and Sri Lanka. Taking to X, ADG PI - Indian Army stated, "Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, in a solemn ceremony, paid tributes to the #Bravehearts by laying a wreath at National War Memorial #NWM, #NewDelhi. He also reviewed an impressive Guard of Honour at the #SouthBlock." https://x.com/adgpi/status/1932707269117878509 The post added, "The ceremonies reflected the shared military ethos and camaraderie between the two nations, underscoring the strong and enduring defence ties between India and Sri Lanka." Reinforcing these strong bilateral relations, last month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with a delegation of parliamentary colleagues from Sri Lanka who were visiting India for the PRIDE Capacity Building Program. He appreciated their condemnation of terrorism and their expressions of sympathy regarding the Pahalgam attack, highlighting the growing mutual trust and cooperation beyond military engagement. He also discussed India's Neighbourhood First policy, emphasising the importance of strong people-to-people ties in fostering regional cooperation and development. Jaishankar reiterated India's commitment to supporting Sri Lanka's development and progress, underscoring the close and friendly relations between the two countries. In a post shared on X, Jaishankar said, "Had a warm interaction with parliamentary colleagues from Sri Lanka visiting India for the PRIDE Capacity Building Program. Appreciate their condemnation of terrorism and expressions of sympathy on the Pahalgam attack. Discussed our Neighbourhood First policy, underpinned by strong people to people ties. Reiterated our commitment to Sri Lanka's development and progress." The interaction comes amid a broader diplomatic outreach by India in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor - a military operation launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 Indian civilians. The attack was carried out by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists. As part of its response, India targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists affiliated with groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. India and Sri Lanka share a longstanding bond rooted in over 2,500 years of civilisational ties. Sri Lanka holds a central place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and the MAHASAGAR vision - Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions. This deep historical and cultural connection has evolved into a multifaceted bilateral partnership covering a wide array of sectors. As part of India's capacity-building efforts, nearly 710 scholarships are offered annually to Sri Lankan students. Under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Program, 402 fully-funded training slots are provided to officials and eligible citizens. A Cooperation Agreement also enables the training of 1,500 Sri Lankan civil servants over five years at the National Centre for Good Governance - with four batches trained in 2024 alone. Further cooperation in 2024 included a special course for 23 Sri Lankan diplomats and officials at SSIFS and training for over 2,000 plantation school teachers in STEM subjects between August and October. Technical expertise is also extended through Indian institutions under the 'Study in India' Program. (ANI) Three bodies were discovered in separate incidents in Panjgur and Khuzdar districts, while a University of Karachi student was reportedly forcibly disappeared in Turbat, according to a report by The Balochistan Post. In Panjgur, the body of Zafarullah, son of Ismail and a resident of Tasp, was discovered in the Rakshan seasonal stream, which runs between Bonistan and Tasp. Zafarullah had been missing since June 4. His body was found days later, sparking suspicions of foul play, though no official cause of death has been determined, TBP reported. In separate events, two unidentified bodies were discovered in the Khuzdar district's Gresha and Rangu areas. According to local sources, both victims appeared to have been fatally shot. The motive for the killings remains unknown, according to the TBP report. Meanwhile, reports of the enforced disappearance of a University of Karachi student in Turbat,Extra Ketch district, have emerged. Pakistani security agents seized Uzair Saleem, son of Saleem Essa, in Turbat's Zor Bazaar region. He has now gone missing. Uzair was taken into custody while visiting his hometown during the university's break, according to a TBP report. Human rights organisations and activists have long expressed concern about the ongoing epidemic of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. Students, teachers, journalists, and political workers are routinely targeted, with many abducted without formal charges or judicial proceedings, according to the TBP report. Despite repeated assurances from the authorities, Balochistan's security situation remains dismal. Local inhabitants and civil society contend that the government's control over the region is almost non-existent in numerous locations, despite official assertions of stability, according to TBP. The Baloch people have faced systematic oppression and torture through the misuse of several laws, particularly in regions like Pakistan's Balochistan. Laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Act and special security ordinances have been used to justify arbitrary arrests, prolonged detention without trial, and denial of basic legal rights. Under these laws, security forces often operate with broad powers and legal immunity, leading to widespread reports of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture, including physical and psychological abuse. Military courts and special tribunals frequently try Baloch activists without fair trial standards, further denying them justice. Additionally, media censorship laws suppress Baloch voices and conceal these abuses from the public, perpetuating a cycle of violence and impunity against the Baloch people. (ANI) A recent clash between the Pakistani army and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) fighters in the Bolan area of Balochistan has resulted in significant casualties on both sides, according to Baloch Liberation Army. On June 2, Pakistani army and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) fighters clashed in the Mach area of Bolan. Clashes took place in the Goni Para area. During the clash, the Pakistani army sent commandos in helicopters. According to a statement released by BLA, at least eight Pakistani army personnel were killed in the hours-long battle, as well as five Baloch Liberation Army fighters were killed. The BLA released detailed information on several of its fighters who lost their lives in recent clashes. According to a statement from the group, these fighters had been active participants in the organisation's operations across various fronts. The BLA's attack on Pakistani forces is part of a long-standing insurgency in Balochistan, where separatists have been fighting for increased autonomy and the recognition of Baloch people's rights. In recent years, the conflict has intensified, with attacks targeting military, paramilitary forces, and government infrastructure. These groups argue that the Baloch are being marginalised and exploited by the central government, particularly due to the region's abundant natural resources. In response, Pakistan's military has launched counter insurgency operations to suppress the rebellion. However, human rights organisations have expressed concerns over reports of forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and excessive use of force during these operations. Reports have highlighted the serious issue of forced disappearances, where activists and civilians, in particular, are allegedly detained without due process. Furthermore, the heavy-handed tactics used by the military are also under scrutiny. Human rights groups have argued that these practices foster widespread fear and instability, deepening the divide between the Pakistani government and the Baloch population. (ANI) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, on Wednesday. The two leaders discussed cooperation between India and Europe on several fronts, including trade, technology and security. In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar said, "A warm conversation with @EP_President Roberta Metsola in Brussels this morning. Discussed further strengthening of India-EU parliamentary ties, building upon our shared values of democracy and pluralism. Value her positive sentiments on advancing our partnership in trade, technology and security." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1932744194679861374 The similar sentiments were shared by European Parliament President Metsola, who said that they look forward towards transforming commitments to actions for strengthening India-Europe strategic partnerships. "Delighted to welcome India's External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar to @Europarl_EN. As negotiations on a free trade agreement advance, we look forward to transforming commitments into actions and to strengthening the strategic partnership between Europe and India", she wrote on X. https://x.com/EP_President/status/1932721531030737276 EAM Jaishankar had an action-packed day in Brussels earlier, where he held several high-profile interactions. On Tuesday, Jaishankar met the Prime Minister of Belgium on Tuesday and discussed the strengthening of India-Belgium cooperation on several fronts such as security, defence and trade. He also met the King of Belgium during his visit. https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1932438996145066449 https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1932426294790328702 Earlier, EAM Jaishankar also held a press conference with the Vice-President of the European Union, Kaja Kallas. During the address to the media, Kaja Kallas stressed the EU's support for India's right to protect its citizens and condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Kallas said, "I want to reiterate the EU's strong condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Those responsible must be held accountable. India has the right to protect its citizens in accordance with international law. Minister Jaishankar, you and I were in close contact after the attack." European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Belgium on Tuesday and stated that the "strategic partnership" between India and the EU is "getting stronger." Jaishankar interacted with members of the Indian community of Belgium and Luxembourg, discussing the steady progress of India-Belgium ties and its engagement with the European Union. During the interaction, Jaishankar apprised the community of India's efforts to counter terrorism and promote the country's progress and prosperity. (ANI) Highlighting India's electoral integrity, scale and diversity, Gyanesh Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, while delivering his keynote address at the Stockholm International Conference on Electoral Integrity in Sweden last evening, reaffirmed the role of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in capacity building programmes for Election Management Bodies (EMB) of countries around the globe. "Conducting elections with utmost integrity is a testament to our national resolve," he emphasised. Over 100 participants representing Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of around 50 countries are taking part in the Conference, which is being organised by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), according to a release from the Election Commission. Gyanesh Kumar also informed the participants about the massive scale of the election exercise that is undertaken by the ECI, especially during the parliamentary elections, which is done under the close watch of the political parties; candidates; general, police and expenditure observers and the media who, he stated, act akin to concurrent auditors at various stages. The CEC also highlighted the scale of coordination that underpins the conduct of elections in India. With over 20 million personnel, including polling staff, police forces, observers, and agents of political parties at the time of conduct of elections, ECI becomes the world's largest organisation, surpassing the combined workforce of several national governments and major global corporations and ensures that India's nearly one billion electors are freely able to exercise their franchise, the release added. Further, speaking at this global platform, Gyanesh Kumar traced the evolution of Indian elections over the decades, noting how the system has adapted to increasing complexity while staying rooted in constitutional values. From 173 million electors in 1951-52 to 979 million in 2024, and from just 0.2 million polling stations in the early years to over 1.05 million today, India's electoral journey has demonstrated both institutional foresight and unmatched scale. He noted that the 2024 General Elections saw the participation of 743 political parties, which comprised six national parties, 67 state parties and the other registered political parties. A total of 20,271 candidates contested elections conducted across the length and breadth of the country using 6.2 million Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), reaffirming the Commission's capability to conduct elections that are inclusive, efficient, and secure, the release added. Gyanesh Kumar underscored the statutory sharing of India's Electoral Roll with all recognized political parties every year during revision as well as before the elections since 1960 till today, with provision of claims, objections and appeals, as one of the world's most rigorous and transparent exercises, reinforcing the accuracy and integrity of the electoral process. He noted that this robust mechanism plays a vital role in upholding electoral credibility across the country, year after year. Reflecting on the inclusive design of Indian elections, he stated that the electoral process serves first-time voters, senior citizens aged 85+, persons with special abilities, third-gender electors, and voters in the most inaccessible regions with equal care and commitment. From polling booths with a single elector to highest altitude stations like Tashigang in Himachal Pradesh, India's commitment to leaving no voter behind was reiterated as a constitutional principle rather than a logistical challenge. On the sidelines of the conference, Gyanesh Kumar held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Mexico, Indonesia, Mongolia, South Africa, Switzerland, Moldova, Lithuania, Mauritius, Germany, Croatia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. These engagements focused on voter participation, electoral technology, diaspora voting, and institutional capacity-building, the release added. (ANI) The Indian Embassy in Qatar provided updates on the unfortunate accident which took place in Nairobi, which resulted in the deaths of 5 Indian nationals. The Embassy informed on Wednesday that 23 Indians have been shifted to Nairobi for medical attention and the post-mortem has been completed of the five deceased individuals. In a series of posts on X, Embassy of India in Qatar said, "Embassy has been following up on the bus accident in Kenya. The postmortem of the 5 Indians who unfortunately passed away was completed last night. Further formalities for transportation of mortal remains is being coordinated by our HCI in Nairobi." https://x.com/IndEmbDoha/status/1932731337829462263 It further noted, "All other 23 Indians have been shifted to Nairobi and are receiving necessary medical attention in Nairobi. Our High Commission is constantly monitoring and providing help." https://x.com/IndEmbDoha/status/1932735935004790885 As per the Indian Mission in Qatar, a group of 28 Indians from Qatar were visiting Kenya, where their bus met with an unfortunate road accident. The Indian High Commission in Kenya noted that the road accident occurred at Ol Jororok-Nakuru Road in Nyandarua County, in which 5 Indian nationals lost their lives. In a post on X, the High Commission said that the consular team from the High Commission is on the ground and is in close contact with the local authorities to extend all necessary support. Both missions shared helpline numbers for reaching out. It said, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic road accident on Ol Jororok-Nakuru Road in Nyandarua County, in which 5 Indian nationals have lost their lives. Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. We pray for the swift recovery of the injured. The consular team from the High Commission is on the ground and is in close contact with the local authorities to extend all necessary support. We can be reached at +254 734916532." https://x.com/IndiainKenya/status/1932421856721609133 https://x.com/IndEmbDoha/status/1932382891033669712 https://x.com/IndEmbDoha/status/1932383811763052974 Additionally, in a statement from the Kerala Chief Minister's Office, it was mentioned, "On June 9, at around 7 pm Indian time (4.30 pm Kenyan time), a tourist bus carrying a group of 28 Indians who had come for tourism met with an accident. They had come from Qatar for tourism. The accident took place at Nyahururu, 150 km from Nairobi." It further added, "Loka Kerala Sabha members have intervened through Norka Roots ( Non- Resident Keralites Affairs). The Loka Kerala Sabha has informed that the Indian citizens, including the injured Malayalis, will be shifted to hospitals in Nairobi. They informed that the injured who are currently in hospitals in Nyahururu will be taken to Nairobi by road or air ambulance by night and the bodies of those who died in the accident will also be taken to Nairobi. The Malayali Association and members of the Lok Kerala Sabha have also informed that the injured will be treated at Nakuru and Aga Khan hospitals in Nairobi." The statement by the CMO Kerala mentioned, "For assistance, services and information, Keralites can contact the help desk of the Norka Global Contact Center at 18004253939 (toll-free number, from India) and +91-8802012345 (missed call, from abroad). As soon as the accident was reported, former members of the World Kerala Sabha in Kenya, G.P. Rajmohan and Sajith Shankar, and members of the Kerala Association of Kenya, reached the spot." (ANI) Secretary (East), P Kumaran represented India at the East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting (EAS SOM) held on June 10 June and the ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials' Meeting (ARF SOM) on June 11 in Penang, Malaysia, the current ASEAN Chair. These meetings were attended by Senior Officials of participating countries of EAS and ARF and were chaired by Dato' Sri Amran Mohamed Zin, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said in an official statement. As per the MEA, Secretary (East), in his intervention at the EAS SOM, underlined the important role played by the leaders-led EAS platform to promote peace, security and stability in the Indo-Pacific; highlighted the strong convergence between the Indo-Pacific Oceans' Initiative (IPOI) and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP); expressed constructive support for the proposed outcome documents for the 20th East Asia Summit and discussed regional and international issues. Secretary (East) also invited EAS Participating Countries for the upcoming activities being hosted in India, including the EAS Knowledge Exchange Workshop on Energy Efficiency Policies and Programs - Mission LiFE and Conclave of EAS Heads of Higher Education Institutions at Nalanda University. Secretary (East) appreciated the role of the ASEAN-led mechanisms, and ARF and EAS in particular, in the emerging regional architecture for promoting mutual trust and understanding in the region. He shared India's grave concerns about the threat posed by state sponsored terrorism in light of the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He outlined that India's response in Operation Sindoor was measured, non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible. As per the MEA statement, at the ARF SOM, activities and exchanges under ARF over the past year were reviewed and future plans and activities were discussed at the meeting. Senior Officials exchanged views on regional and international developments, including important issues such as terrorism, maritime and cyber security, among others. Secretary (East) also highlighted India's active participation in the different intersessional activities of ARF, such as the 16th Inter-sessional Meeting on Maritime Security and the 16th Inter-Sessional Meeting on Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. The MEA noted that during the visit, Secretary (East) held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Australia, Brunei, Malaysia, New Zealand, Korea and Singapore. (ANI) https://x.com/paank_bnm/status/1932449896193307127 According to a post shared by Paank on X, while most of the detainees were later released, Nawab, son of Noor Bakhsh, a Rodkan native, remained in custody. Nawab's body was later found with serious evidence of torture. According to neighbours, the body appeared to have been substantially burned, most likely as a result of the use of electric shocks, implying custodial torture, Paank stated. Paank strongly condemned these barbaric acts, stating that Nawab's custodial killing is a flagrant violation of international human rights standards and represents the persistent pattern of enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan. It also condemned the ongoing enforced disappearances being carried out by Pakistani security forces across Balochistan. https://x.com/paank_bnm/status/1932531000460169396 According to another post shared by Paank on X, between June 5 and June 10, 2025, at least nine Baloch individuals were forcibly disappeared, most of them from their homes in Dasht, district Kech, including: Salman Baloch, son of Dr. Sayed Muhammad, Naveed Baloch, son of Latif, Pullan Baloch, son of Sipah, Hanif Baloch, son of Bakhshi, Naseer Baloch, son of Washdil, Afraiz Baloch, son of Naseer, Kamal Baloch, son of Sipah, Shokat Baloch, son of Peer Muhammad (from Kumbail, detained in Gwadar) and Aziz Saleem, a Karachi University student, disappeared from Turbat on June 5 while visiting home for Eid. Paank called on human rights organisations and the international community to speak out against this ongoing human rights crisis. Enforced disappearances remain a significant human rights issue in Balochistan. International organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have consistently called on Pakistan to investigate these incidents and take measures to end this practice, which causes immense suffering and distress for families. (ANI) US President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed that the US reached a "deal" with China following intense trade negotiations in London and now stands subjected to approval by him and Chinese President Xi Jinping. He made the announcement on social media platform Truth Social. In his post he noted that China would supply any necessary rare earth minerals and US would allow Chinese students to pursue their education at American colleges and universities. Trump also noted in his remarks, "Relationship is excellent!" He wrote on Truth Social, "Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me. Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. Relationship is excellent! Thank you for your attention to this matter!" According to a report by Al Jazeera, US and China had agreed on a "framework" on trade after two days of talks in London aimed at deescalating tensions between the sides. While the specifics of the framework announced on Tuesday were unclear, the notable breakthrough comes a month after Washington and Beijing announced a 90-day pause on most of their tariffs following talks in Geneva, Al Jazeera reported. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the sides would move forward with the framework pending its approval by US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who held a 90-minute phone call on trade last week, according to Al Jazeera. It also noted that the Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang called the talks "professional, rational, in-depth and candid". "The two sides will bring back and report to our respective leaders the talks in the meeting as well as the framework that was reached in principle," Li told reporters. "We hope that the progress we made in this London meeting is conducive to increasing trust between China and the United States." The positive development follows after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously said in a post on X, "The U.S. will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields." https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1927859105282015532 The recent statement by US President Donald Trump, "We will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities", is an progression in the recent developments of the US-China ties. (ANI) Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri paid a visit to Abu Dhabi, UAE on June 10. His visit was a follow-up to the 15th Joint Commission Meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of UAE Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan held in New Delhi on December 13, 2024, the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi said in an official statement. During his visit, Foreign Secretary Misri held a bilateral meeting with Reem Al Hashim, Minister of State for International Cooperation, UAE to review the entire gamut of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the UAE. Discussions focussed on expanding the canvas of the multi-dimensional bilateral partnership in various sectors, including trade, investments, energy, culture, defence, technology, consular matters. Both sides agreed to work closely in the multilateral and international fora to promote mutual interests. He appreciated the support and solidarity extended by the UAE leadership following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, the statement by the Indian Embassy noted. As per the statement, Foreign Secretary met with Nahyan Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Co-existence, UAE. He thanked Nahyan for the care extended to 4.3 million Indians, who have made UAE their second home. Notably, Foreign Secretary also held a productive meeting with Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, member of the UAE Federal National Council and Chairman of the Defence Affairs, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee at the Council and Chairman of the International Steering Board of Hedayah, The International Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism based in Abu Dhabi. The discussions provided yet another opportunity to reaffirm the shared determination of both countries to fight terrorism in all forms and manifestations. The statement underscored that the Foreign Secretary's visit to the UAE is in continuation of the regular high-level exchanges between the two sides, reflecting the deepening of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. (ANI) External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar met the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic and European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Sikela on Wednesday. The leaders held discussions on imperative issues such as the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), India-Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC) along with shipping and clean energy. Sharing the details in a series of posts on X, EAM said, "Delighted to meet @MarosSefcovic, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security in Brussels this morning. Recognised the progress in our discussions for a comprehensive, balanced and meaningful FTA agreement between India and EU. Agreed that it would elevate our strategic partnership, that is rapidly acquiring new dimensions and facets." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1932762402170257688 "Great meeting @JozefSikela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships. Our conversation focused on driving forward India - EU engagement in connectivity, IMEC, green shipping and clean energy. Today's signing of our trilateral cooperation arrangement will benefit the Global South", he wrote on X. https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1932771290747686932 The European leaders too expressed optimism on meetings with EAM Jaishankar. European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic wrote on X, "A valuable meeting with @DrSJaishankar, covering our efforts to elevate the EU-India partnership to the next level - through a commercially meaningful trade agreement. We keep our strategic lenses firmly in place, and I'm looking forward to seeing @PiyushGoyal soon." https://x.com/MarosSefcovic/status/1932753273527623696 European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Sikela in a series of posts on X mentioned, "Following our recent mission to India, we keep pushing for stronger EU-India partnership. Today I had a meeting with India's Minister of External Affairs, @DrSJaishankar. We discussed: New EU-India Strategic Agenda; The progress of India-Middle East-Europe Corridor project. Our joint priorities under the Global Gateway, which include clean energy, sustainable urbanization and enhanced connectivity" https://x.com/JozefSikela/status/1932752400391016497 "To fully unlock the potential of the EU-India partnership, today we signed a Cooperation Agreement on Trilateral Cooperation with Minister of External Affairs @DrSJaishankar. This new initiative will support pilot projects in third countries, focused on driving sustainable development with a strong emphasis on climate action and digital inclusion," Jozef Sikela added. https://x.com/JozefSikela/status/1932776401725252039 Earlier in the day, Jaishankar met the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, on Wednesday. The two leaders discussed cooperation between India and Europe on several fronts, including trade, technology and security. (ANI) Secretary East, P Kumaran met South Korea's Political Affairs Deputy Minister Chung Byung-won on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit Meet on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said. As per the MEA, Secy East extended congratulations to the Deputy Minister on the recently concluded successful Presidential elections in South Korea. They also held discussions to strengthen the special strategic partnership between India and South Korea. MEA said in a post on X, "Secretary (East) P. Kumaran met Mr. Chung Byung-won, Deputy Minister of Political Affairs, MoFA of Republic of Korea, on the sidelines of East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting at Penang, Malaysia. Secretary (East) congratulated Deputy Minister on the successfully-conducted Presidential elections in RoK, and discussed ways to strengthen India-South Korea Special Strategic Partnership and impart renewed momentum to the bilateral agenda." https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1932724058514231620 Secretary (East), P Kumaran represented India at the East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting (EAS SOM) held on June 10, June 11and the ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials' Meeting (ARF SOM) on June 11 in Penang, Malaysia, the current ASEAN Chair. These meetings were attended by Senior Officials of participating countries of EAS and ARF and were chaired by Dato' Sri Amran Mohamed Zin, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said in an official statement. As per the MEA, Secretary (East), in his intervention at the EAS SOM, underlined the important role played by the leaders-led EAS platform to promote peace, security and stability in the Indo-Pacific; highlighted the strong convergence between the Indo-Pacific Oceans' Initiative (IPOI) and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP); expressed constructive support for the proposed outcome documents for the 20th East Asia Summit and discussed regional and international issues. Secretary (East) also invited EAS Participating Countries for the upcoming activities being hosted in India, including the EAS Knowledge Exchange Workshop on Energy Efficiency Policies and Programs - Mission LiFE and Conclave of EAS Heads of Higher Education Institutions at Nalanda University. Secretary (East) appreciated the role of the ASEAN-led mechanisms, and ARF and EAS in particular, in the emerging regional architecture for promoting mutual trust and understanding in the region. He shared India's grave concerns about the threat posed by state sponsored terrorism in light of the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He outlined that India's response in Operation Sindoor was measured, non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible. (ANI) The Kathmandu District Court has issued an interim order directing two online news portals, Bizmandu and Nepal Khabar, to remove articles that allegedly defamed the Chair of the Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON), Santosh Narayan Shrestha. The order has raised concerns about media freedom and the potential for censorship. The bench of judge Pitambar Sharma on Tuesday had issued the order directing Bizmandu and Nepal Khabar to take down the news stories. The articles in question reported on anomalies involving Shrestha, prompting him to file two separate petitions seeking the removal of the articles. In Tuesday's order the court has stated, "News articles under various headlines have harmed the petitioner's dignity and reputation, and the publication of such defamatory content has caused irreparable damage." "Considering the balance of convenience, the defendants are ordered not to publish or broadcast unverified, baseless content, and to remove the already published articles immediately," the court document reads. SEBON Chair Shrestha had lodged two separate petitions on June 9 seeking the removal of the articles where he claimed the publications had defamed him, caused reputational harm, and published content without verification. The court has called a hearing for June 18 to review the interim order and hear responses from the two outlets. Issuing a press note, the Bizmandu, the business online of the Himalayan Nation stated, "Our initial understanding is that the court order is challengeable in terms of the Constitution of Nepal, the prevailing journalistic code of conduct, and Nepal's international commitments. We will join the legal process and respond to the order of the esteemed court. We are confident that the court will act responsibly in favor of press freedom as always." Another online portal named in the verdict, the Nepal Khabar also issuing a note stated, "We are ready to face any level of scrutiny regarding the credibility of the content we publish. We do not shy away from accountability. We will defend the allegations against us legally." Furthermore, it added, "We consider it our duty to continuously provide our readers with investigative material and expose the planned irregularities committed by infiltrating the state apparatus. Any attempt to silence, intimidate, or divert attention from the free press through litigation under any pretext is unacceptable. Any unlawful encroachment on the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution is not acceptable." The decision has sparked reactions from right groups, with the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) expressing concerns over the court's order. The FNJ has urged the authorities to reconsider the order, citing the constitutional guarantee of press freedom in Nepal In a statement, Ram Prasad Dahal, General Secretary of FNJ said, "In cases where there is dissatisfaction over news published or broadcast in the media, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Press Council Nepal to receive complaints from the victims and take action against it. The federation concludes that this order issued by the court disregarding the council's jurisdiction is against the international norms and standards on press freedom, and the provisions and spirit of the Constitution of Nepal 2015." The Constitution of Nepal 2072 in its preamble itself, guarantees "full press freedom." In the release, the FNJ asserts that this constitutional guarantee of press freedom cannot be restricted by any authority's order. "The federation urges the authorities provisions to reconsider this order, failing which it will be compelled to pursue legal and other actions. Additionally, as the full responsibility for content published in the media lies with the media outlet concerned, and as it is their duty to verify the truth and facts if questions are raised regarding the content, the federation also urges media outlets to fully adhere to the journalists' code of conduct," the statement reads. The lately promulgated constitution which is being enacted since 10 years since its promulgation guarantees that no media outlet will be subject to prior restrictions. Article 19(1) of the Constitution states, "No prior restriction shall be imposed on the publication and transmission or dissemination of any news, editorial, article, composition, or any other textual, audio, or audiovisual material or on the dissemination or printing of information by any means, including electronic publication, broadcasting, and printing." Similarly, Article 19(2) of the Constitution states, "No radio, television, online, or any other digital or electronic device, press, or other media outlet that publishes, broadcasts, or prints any news, editorial, composition, information, or any other material through any audio, audio, or electronic device or printing house shall be closed, confiscated, or deregistered, or such material shall be confiscated, for printing or publishing, broadcasting, or publishing any news, article, editorial, composition, information, or any other material through any audio, audio, or electronic device or printing house." The Himalayan Nation has Press Council, Nepal as media regulatory body where parties or people can raise their concern regarding the published content. The regulatory body also has issued Code of Conducts for the Journalists, of which the Point No. 5 (8) "Posts of news published in online media should not be deleted." Nepal has slid down to 90th position in this year's Reporter's Without Borders ranking from 74 in 2024 out of 180 countries enlisted. Nepal's proposed Media Council Bill has been raising concerns as it places media regulation under government control, restricting independent journalism. Additionally, the Social Media and IT and Cyber-security Bills introduced in 2024 propose sweeping powers to suppress dissent, with vague language and harsh penalties. Furthermore, Section 47 of the Electronic Transactions Act continues to target journalists and citizens who are critical of the government. (ANI) Dubai [UAE], June 11 (ANI/WAM): Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of the Supreme Space Council, met with representatives of leading space sector startups operating in the UAE. The meeting is part of Sheikh Hamdan's keenness to advance the national space ecosystem and further promote its role as a global leader in the space industry. Sheikh Hamdan underscored the importance of strong partnerships and strategic collaboration between the public and private sectors as a foundation for developing an advanced and innovative space ecosystem. He highlighted that continuous innovation and long-term investment in future technologies are essential to this progress. Sheikh Hamdan also expressed confidence in the capabilities of UAE-based companies and entrepreneurs, noting their crucial role in driving the growth of the local space industry and strengthening the country's position as a leading global hub in this strategic field. Sheikh Hamdan also highlighted the space sector as a vital driver of the future and sustainable economic growth. He stressed the UAE's ongoing efforts to build a supportive environment that fosters the growth of national companies and unlock new opportunities for investment and innovation, boosting the country's global competitiveness and leadership in space. The private sector is leading the space scene in the UAE, reaffirming the maturity of national investments that have been established over the past three decades A number of the UAE based companies took part in the meeting, representing a wide range of specialisations, including locally developed Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, artificial intelligence and remote sensing, commercial space ecosystem development, edge computing for robotics applications, high-resolution Earth observation via microsatellites, as well as AI systems, robotics, interactive simulation technologies, and reusable space launch systems. Participants shared insights into their current projects, long-term strategies, and future investment plans in support of the national economy. Discussions focused on strengthening public-private collaboration, expanding operations both locally and internationally, and exploring promising opportunities within the UAE's growing space sector--highlighting the private sector's central role in shaping a globally competitive and integrated space industry. Company representatives reaffirmed their commitment to the UAE's space ambitions and outlined plans to expand their operations within the country. They praised the UAE's flexible regulatory framework and advanced infrastructure as key enablers of sustained investment. Attendees also welcomed initiatives such as the Space Economic Zones Programme, which they said play a vital role in enabling collaboration and fostering long-term, sustainable growth across the space ecosystem. The meeting was attended by Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports, Secretary-General of the Supreme Space Council, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the UAE Space Agency; Khalid Al Awadi, founder of Rimal; Ibrahim Al Obaidly, founder of Ardhiyat Al Ibdaa Information Solutions; David Critchley, CEO of 4EI; Dr. Hamdullah Mohib, CEO of Marlan Space; Alex Lapir, CEO of Aliensense; Abdulhalim Jallad, co-founder of Oryx Space; and Stan Rudenko, CEO of Aspire Space Technology. (ANI/WAM) "I expect the Egyptian authorities to prevent the arrival of jihadist protesters at the Egypt-Israel border and not to allow them to carry out provocations and try to enter Gaza - something that would endanger the safety of IDF soldiers and we will not allow it," said Katz. "These jihadist protesters also endanger the Egyptian regime and pose a threat to all moderate Arab regimes in the region," he added. "Their desire to join and assist Hamas stems from an identity of views with the murderous terrorist organization of Jew hatred and the desire to impose the ideas of radical Islam with the support of the Iranian axis of evil throughout the region." (ANI/TPS) Sri Lankan Army Commander Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo, met with Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh today in New Delhi, according to the Defence Ministry. As per the Defence Ministry, the two leaders held comprehensive discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of capacity building and capability enhancement. Notably, Lt Gen Rodrigo is currently on a four-day official visit to India. Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, has arrived on an official visit to India from June 11-14. As per the Ministry of Defence, this visit is set to enhance bilateral military cooperation and explore new avenues for collaboration, particularly in the areas of training and capability enhancement. It underscores the continued efforts of both nations to further strengthen and deepen their longstanding defence partnership. The first day of the visit began with a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial in New Delhi. Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo paid tribute to the brave soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation. Following the wreath-laying, Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo was given a formal Guard of Honour in the South Block Lawns. The ceremonial event, attended by senior officials of the Indian Army, marked a significant gesture of respect and a symbol of the enduring friendship between the two nations. The Guard of Honour was followed with a series of high-level meetings beginning with an in-depth interaction with Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani, Vice Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army. Both the military leaders discussed wide ranging issues including aspects of bilateral defence cooperation and regional security concerns. Later, Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo was briefed on Operation Sindoor and India's security perspective. He was also briefed by other senior officers of the Indian Army on matters of mutual interest, the Ministry of Defence said in its statement. It also mentioned that Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo thereafter met with Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, Chief of Air Staff and Rajesh Kumar Singh, Defence Secretary. These meetings provided an opportunity for the exchange of views on broader defence and security issues, focusing on matters of mutual interests. Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo also planted a tree at the Manekshaw Centre, symbolising time-tested relation of Indian and Sri Lanka Army. As per the Defence Ministry, on June 12, Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo is scheduled to visit Jaipur and meet Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Command. (ANI) External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Wednesday spoke at the German Marshall Fund Brussels Forum 2025, where he highlighted the importance of India's relationship with the European Union. Jaishankar stated that India gives "pretty high priority" to its relations with the EU, highlighting the growing interest in Europe over the past decade. Jaishankar expressed optimism about the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), saying that discussions have been positive and that the agreement is "within sight" of being finalised by the end of the year. Jaishankar said, "We are really looking to deepening our ties, the centrepiece is the FTA." He said his meetings have been very positive and noted that discussions took place on mobility and talent flows, education. On the timeline for the fruition of the Free Trade Agreement between India and the EU, EAM Jaishankar noted that since the visit of the College of Commissioners in February, "A lot has been done and everything that I heard on this trip gives me the confidence that it's within sight that by the end of this year it is feasible to do this". Jaishankar also addressed the trade tensions between the EU and the US, stating that India values its relations with both partners and will deal with each on terms that are mutually beneficial. He acknowledged that Europe has distinct positions on many issues, which may not always align with those of the US. Jaishankar said, "We see today that Europe has a distinct position on many issues, those are not necessarily the positions shared today in the United States, so that's a reality. We value our relations with the US as we do with the EU we will deal with each one on terms which are best for both of us." On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar reiterated India's position that differences between countries cannot be settled by war and that negotiations are the best way forward. He noted that while this position may not have been widely accepted initially, the world is now coming to terms with it. "We have felt from the start, even if two countries have differences, it cannot be settled by the cause of war. Two, if the war has started, you cannot get solutions on the battlefield... the answer then is to negotiate. It makes sense to negotiate directly than through convoluted signalling. So that's been our position." He noted that although this position wasn't widely accepted in 2022, the world is coming to terms with it now." Jaishankar is in Brussels where he has held several interactions with senior officials of the European Union. Discussions have seen positive developments on several fronts of the India-EU partnership. (ANI) Events to mark Int'l Day for Dialogue among Civilizations held at UN Xinhua) 08:46, June 11, 2025 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, delivers a video message at the thematic dialogue to mark the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) UNITED NATIONS, June 10 (Xinhua) -- A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. The events included a thematic dialogue titled "Promoting dialogue among civilizations, strengthening global solidarity and cooperation," which was organized by the permanent missions to the United Nations of China, Egypt, Peru, Spain and Uzbekistan as well as the UN Alliance of Civilizations. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a video message at the thematic dialogue. In his message, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that dialogue among civilizations is a bond of peace, a driver for development, and a bridge of friendship, saying that it is high time to promote dialogue among civilizations. He called for efforts to uphold equality and promote intercultural exchange. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his message that dialogue is essential for building bridges of understanding and trust, noting "This International Day is a call to action -- to listen, to speak, to connect." Calling for recommitment to the ideals and principles of the United Nations Charter, UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang said, "Let us celebrate the unity and diversity of civilizations, and promote tolerance, dialogue and inclusiveness toward a better world for all." UN under-secretary-general and high representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos, along with senior diplomats from Egypt, Peru, Spain, and Uzbekistan, also stressed the importance of dialogue among civilizations. Another event, an art performance, titled "Beyond borders: Weaving cultures through artistic expressions," featured performances of music, dance and martial arts, highlighting humanity's common aspirations for harmonious development. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Guests visit an exhibition themed "Light of the Sun -- Ancient Shu Civilization and the World" at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) Actors perform martial arts during an art performance at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a video message during a thematic dialogue to mark the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) A highlight from the dance drama "The Exploitation of Nature's Works" ("Tian Gong Kai Wu") is staged during an art performance at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang delivers a video message during a thematic dialogue to mark the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) Actors showcase traditional Chinese attires during an art performance at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) A chorus is staged during an art performance at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) UN under-secretary-general and high representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos (C, front) speaks during a thematic dialogue to mark the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the UN headquarters in New York, June 9, 2025. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) This photo taken on June 9, 2025 shows a scene during a thematic dialogue to mark the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations at the UN headquarters in New York. A series of events was held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York to commemorate the first anniversary of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year designates June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. (Xinhua/Li Rui) (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Tel Aviv [Israel], June 11 (ANI/TPS): The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) reported that two of its soldiers were moderately wounded on Wednesday in a battle in the southern Gaza Strip. The fighters were evacuated for medical treatment at a hospital, and their families were notified. No details were provided as to the nature of their wounds or as to where and how they were wounded. (ANI/TPS) The terrorist leader was involved in planning and carrying out attacks against security forces and Israeli civilians. In addition, two other terrorists were arrested while they were in a hideout. (ANI/TPS) During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations and explored avenues to strengthen and expand cooperation across political, economic, and cultural fields. The discussions focused on fostering mutual interests and reinforcing ties between the two nations. Sheikh Hamdan praised the robust relations between the UAE and Russia, emphasising the commitment of the UAE's leadership, under President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to bolstering cooperation. He noted that such partnerships contribute to the UAE's global standing and its efforts to build international relations based on mutual respect and constructive collaboration. For his part, Ambassador Zabirov expressed his appreciation for the steady progress in UAE-Russia relations, commending the UAE's regional and international role in promoting peace, security, and stability. The meeting was attended by several Sheikhs and officials. (ANI/WAM) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while speaking at GMF Brussels Forum 2025, explained his comment on Europe that he made in 2022, saying that in these three years, Europe's stance has evolved. "Somewhere Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems but the world's problems are not Europe's problems. That if it is you, it's yours, if it is me, it is ours. I see reflections of that," Jaishankar had said this when India was pressed to take a rougher stance against Russia on their conflict with Ukraine. When asked by a journalist if Europe has evolved from it, Jaishankar jested, saying that the quote was 'thrown at him' frequently. "You have no idea how many times that quotation has been thrown back at me!" he said. "I do want to say this we're now in 2025 and I think there's been a big change where Europe is concerned in these three years which is a large part of being on your own or being part of a multipolar architecture one is to realize your own capabilities and limitations and compulsions and relationships. So you are more self-reliant in a way, but the other part of it is also to try to put yourself in the shoes of the other party. It's not easy to do," he said. Jaishankar stressed that he was not justifying anything, but Europe should have put itself in Russia's shoes, if they truly know what they want. "I know Russia is a big issue right now. My honest answer to you is I don't think Europeans had a good sense of how the Russians felt about the relationship or about the direction of events when people say we didn't see that coming, you normally don't see that. I'm not justifying anything," he said. Jaishankar said that to be a good practitioner in international relations, one has to understand the behaviour and practices of other countries. "I'm just saying that in international relations if you have to be a good practitioner, if you have to do well even for your own country or for your own group of countries. It's smart to try to understand the thinking processes, the interests, the anxieties, the behavioral traits of other parties and I certainly didn't see that I would say in respect of Russia also," he said. Jaishankar pointed out that Europe's narrative of evolution after the formation of the Russian state is starkly different from the Russian version. "So in fact often the narrative you hear from Russia is so starkly different about let us say the evolution of Europe after 1992. Europe has one version or much of Europe has one version, Russia has a very different version," he said. Jaishankar said that the quote in question here meant to draw attention of Europe to Asia, African, and Latin American countries- the third world- while Europe made any decision. "So the point, the quotation which was recalled, was more like okay look worry about the rest of us as well. We folks in Asia and Africa and Latin America, we are also taking a hit on at that time 2022 on energy, on food prices, on fertilizers so spare some thought to us and when you make your decisions factor that in that was the intent then," he said. Jaishankar said that operating in a multipolar world is like playing a game of chess, one has to anticipate the moves of other players too. "The larger point I would make is in a multipolar world one is of course to in a way you're more selfish but you also have to be more realistic and some ways smarter in trying. It's more of a chess game. You've got to see many more moves ahead which means you got to be able to have the ability to read the minds of the other players as well," he said. (ANI) A public schools advocate who saw how one of his colleagues was treated at last weeks Lynchburg City School Board meeting felt a little bit angry at first. But then that anger turned into motivation that has re-energized his desire to address the achievement gap between Black and white students in Lynchburg City Schools. Eugene Tweedy, who has been part of the Concerned Citizens group since Danny McCain founded it in 1998, said at a news conference Monday at this point, my goal would be to gather reinforcements to push for greater attention on the achievement gap. During the public comment period at the June 3 school board meeting, McCain used test and graduation data to highlight the achievement gap. Black students are performing at a much lower level than white students in Lynchburg and, on average, lower than Black students in the rest of Virginia, according to data presented by McCain. Thats injustice in education, and theres not a lot folks acting upon it, Tweedy said. That needs to change. At Mondays news conference at White Rock Baptist Church, Tweedy was joined by McCain and McCains daughter, Dannette McCain, who has worked with her father since the founding of the Concerned Citizens, a group that initially focused on the disproportionate expulsion of Black students from city schools. Bernard Mitchell and the Rev. Alex Cunningham, the two men who stood by McCain at the school board meeting, also attended the news conference, organized by Andre Whitehead, of Whitehead Media Ventures, and hosted by Pastor Ricardo Hailstock, of White Rock Baptist Church. At the June 3 school board meeting, McCain was asked by Vice Chair Martin Day to sit down after his allotted time had expired. McCain said he would sit down only after the school board agreed to meet with him to discuss the achievement gap. Day, who was the presiding officer at the meeting, suggested he might need to call the police to have him removed from the meeting room. As McCain continued to request the school board meet with him, the Lynchburg City School Board, in a 6-1 vote, approved a motion introduced by Day to bar McCain from making any public comment at future school board meetings. District 3 member Gloria Preston was the only member to vote against Days motion. At the news conference, McCain explained he was prepared to stand firm in case the school board did not agree to meet with him. Im tired of going, and they just say, Thank you and let me leave. Dannette McCain stated one of the comments often made is the achievement gap in education is the parents fault. This is a systemic issue, she said, and I think its going to have to be a community-based approach. She also said her father does not stand alone and does not plan on backing down. Hes built for this, she said. The question is, is Lynchburg built for this? Mr. Tweedy said its time to call in the reinforcements, Dannette McCain said. I hope people are going to stand and say, We want to have some resolution to this. If nothing else, an acknowledgement is the first place to start. Both the Lynchburg branch of the NAACP and the Lynchburg Voters League sent letters to the school board denouncing its decision to ban McCain from making comments at future meetings. During public comment, McCain told the school board members that only 36% of Black third graders in Lynchburg passed the Standards of Learning test for reading, compared to 76% of white third graders who passed the test during the 2023-24 school year. The statewide average pass rate for reading was 54% for Black students and 77% for white students, according to data presented by McCain. For the math SOLs, 43% of Black third graders in Lynchburg passed compared to 81% of white third graders, McCain said. The statewide average pass rate for math was 54% for Black third graders and 81% for white students. Were not even necessarily just talking about the achievement gap between Black students in Lynchburg and white Lynchburg city school students, Dannette McCain emphasized at the news conference. Black students in Lynchburg, she said, are passing the reading test at several percentage points lower than Black students across the state. When people try to say its a racial issue. No, this is a specific Lynchburg issue, she said. White students in Lynchburg pass the reading test at about the same rate as the white students across the state, at 82%. McCain admitted he is kind of glad the school board barred him from speaking again at school board meetings. By barring me from speaking, Im waiting for the next school board meeting, and I will be sitting right there, and Im going to take a lot of people with me into that meeting, and well see what happens, he said. McCain noted the school board member who seconded Days motion to bar him from speaking in the future was District 1 member Christian DePaul, who earlier this year admitted to covering up the portrait of former Lynchburg City Schools Superintendent Crystal Edwards inside the school headquarters meeting room with an image of a character from the 1985 movie The Goonies. If theyre going to make a motion to bar me, they could have made a motion to city council to have him removed from the board, he said. At the news conference, McCain recalled how John Lewis, the late civil rights leader and congressman, said theres nothing wrong with good trouble. And so, when you believe in something, sometimes you have to take a stand regardless of what the rules are, he said. They can bar me all they want to bar me. But its about these kids, and what are we going to do to improve their status, he said. The Lynchburg City School Board is holding its reorganization meeting, where the chair and vice chair will be elected and new members will be seated, on July 1. The next regular school board meeting will be held July 8. TOKYO, Jun 11 (News On Japan) - JR East has announced plans to introduce a new overnight limited express train connecting the Tokyo metropolitan area with the northern Tohoku region, including Aomori and Akita, by spring 2027. The new train will feature all-private rooms and a fully flat layout, with some cabins accommodating up to four passengers. The train, notable for its distinctive two-tone blue design, is being developed by refurbishing existing express rolling stock. It will offer private rooms in various configurations, including spacious single rooms and premium rooms for two passengers. All rooms will allow passengers to lie fully flat, emphasizing comfort for long-distance travel. A shared lounge area will also be available, where travelers can enjoy drinks and light meals at their leisure. While the specific route and pricing have yet to be finalized, JR East plans to operate the service between the Tokyo area and destinations such as Aomori and Akita. The company aims to begin service in spring 2027. At a regular press conference on June 11th, President Kise stated, "We want to create a train that makes long-distance travel enjoyable and comfortable." Source: TBS OSAKA, Jun 11 (News On Japan) - At the Osaka-Kansai Expo site, Legionella bacteria have been detected at levels 20 times higher than the safety standard, but subsequent countermeasures failed to curb the outbreak, with the bacteria further multiplying to 53 times the standard. The issue centers on the Water Plaza, located on the southern side of the Expo site, where water shows are held. On June 4th, tests revealed Legionella bacteria at 20 times the safety threshold, leading to an ongoing suspension of the water shows. Legionella bacteria naturally inhabit aquatic environments and can cause illnesses such as pneumonia if inhaled. In response, the Expo Association implemented measures including pipe cleaning and chemical disinfection. However, a follow-up test conducted on June 7th revealed that bacteria levels had increased further, reaching 53 times the safety limit, it was announced on June 10th. Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama commented: "Many people are looking forward to the show, and I hope it can resume as soon as possible." According to the Expo Association, new measures are being prepared, including increasing the circulation volume of seawater to address the issue. Related: Legionella Bacteria Found at Osaka Expos Quiet Forest and Water Plaza Source: KTV NEWS Although U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra has said he's exploring running for governor, his fourth-annual Feenstra Family Picnic fundraiser at the Dean Classic Car Museum in Sioux City was light on talk about seeking the highest office in the state. The Hull Republican didn't explicitly mention that he's considering running or that he's filed paperwork with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. Feenstra did mention Iowa Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat to announce a bid to succeed Gov. Kim Reynolds, but the reference was in passing. Instead, the May 30 fundraiser, which featured a keynote address from Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, saw Feenstra touting recent legislation he's worked on (such as the "One Big Beautiful Bill") and declaring that there is a "revival" in America following the reelection of Donald Trump in November. "We're moving into the future, we're moving into this new phase that we've all heard that is a slogan 'Make America Great Again.' Think about those words. Obviously it gives us a sense of patriotism, it makes us feel good. It gives us a sense of revival, of that American spirit being brought back" Feenstra said. 2025 Feenstra Family Picnic U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra speaks with event-goers during the Feenstra Family Picnic fundraising event held Friday. As evidence of a revived American spirit, Feenstra mentioned the "One Big Beautiful Bill" which includes tax cuts as well as a $625 billion reduction in spending on Medicaid which Democrats have slammed as being an undue burden on vulnerable Americans. Even some Republicans, such as Elon Musk, who has overseen Trump's "Department of Government Efficiency," have questioned the amount of spending in the bill. "We wish we would achieve more savings but the rescission packages are coming," Jordan said in reference to plans to send some DOGE cuts to Congress for a vote. Feenstra told attendees he had a key hand in helping write the bill which has yet to be passed by the U.S. Senate and signed into law by Trump. "I was one of the key authors on this new economic forefront," he said. Feenstra said highlights of the bill included eliminating a tax on tips and making raising children "more affordable." Outlets such as NBC have reported that critics of no tax on tips believe the benefits could be "marginal" for hourly workers and employers could reclassify wages as tips for tax savings. Before the event began, two lines of about 40 total protestors dotted either side of the road leading up to the museum. They held signs that said things such as "If you're not angry, you're not paying attention" and "Hate Does Not Make America Great." Inside, Feenstra remarked "We've got protesters this year," a first for the event which has featured former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Sioux County Democratic Party Chair Anita Cirulis said she believes people are getting upset and "fed up with what's happening in terms of the cuts and the decimation of programs that help Americans." Cirulis, who leads the local Democratic Party in the most-Republican county in the state, slammed Feenstra for "not doing what we elected him to do" and said she couldn't see how he would be an effective governor if he ran and was elected. 2025 Feenstra Family Picnic Cambria Kaltwasser of Orange City protests with members of the Sioux County Democrats outside of U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstras annual Feenstra Fa One picnicker, Marvin Klein of Pella, Iowa, said he hadn't yet given a lot of thought to the 2026 governor's race and thought Feenstra might work best as a congressman. "I would like to see him stay in Congress because we need him there, too," Klein said. Wayne Kobes, a Sioux Center resident who worked with Feenstra at Dordt University, said he liked the idea of the three-term incumbent representative running for governor. "I really have appreciated Reynolds but think Randy would be a very good, effective leader. He has a certain sense of humility and listens well and I think that's what made Kim Reynolds effective." 2025 Feenstra Family Picnic U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan speaks during the Feenstra Family Picnic fundraising event Friday at Dean Family Classic Car Museum in Sioux Center, Iowa. Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer had similarly effusive praise for Feenstra, who previously served in the state legislature with her. "Randy is a workhorse, he made that four-hour trip from Hull and he always did it with a smile on his face," she said. "For those of us who know Randy, we know him to be a humble, caring, Christian man." Jordan said of his House colleague someone in office with the "right values" and right character." The chair of the House Judiciary Committee arguably had even more praise for Trump whom he called a good man who hates to lose. "I think it's a mindset Americans have, Americans aren't wimpy, sissy losers," Jordan remarked. After the speeches wrapped, Feenstra and Jordan went outside the museum to ceremonially flip pork burgers on a grill and then took questions from reporters covering the event. 2025 Feenstra Family Picnic U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, second from right, speaks with event-goers during the Feenstra Family Picnic fundraising event held Friday. When asked about Gov. Reynolds still not having signed a bill that would effectively halt the use of eminent domain for construction of a carbon-capture pipeline and whether or not he would sign such a bill if it crossed his desk as governor, Feenstra quickly moved on. "That's in her area right now, not mine." Tripoli witnessed heightened security on Monday, June 9, after fierce overnight clashes erupted between factions aligned with the Stabilization Support Apparatus and the General Security Agency. The brief but intense violence, which unfolded in the early hours, prompted an immediate response from Government-affiliated units. In the aftermath, the Ministry of Interior announced the deployment of additional patrols in volatile neighborhoods to reinforce calm, protect civilians, and secure public and private infrastructure. The Ministry of Defense issued a separate communique affirming its allegiance to the directives of the Supreme Commander of the Libyan Army and the temporary security committee tasked with overseeing military arrangements. Commending the professionalism of state forces for avoiding escalation despite provocation, the ministry warned against further breaches of the truce. It also expressed readiness to enforce necessary measures to preserve national sovereignty and public order, reinforcing the states authority over all military deployments. While no official casualty figures were released, the clashes alarmed Tripolis residents and underscored the fragile state of security in the capital. The Defense Ministry confirmed that order had been restored and calm prevailed in affected districts. Authorities emphasized that sustained coordination among state institutions remains vital to stabilizing the city, ensuring peace, and preventing a relapse into factional violence. The 7th Africa Senior Enlisted Leaders Conference (ASELC) opened Tuesday in Rabat with the participation of senior officers from nearly 30 African countries, the United States, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The three-day event is organized by the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in coordination of the Royal Armed Forces under the theme: Resilience, Adaptation, Transformation. The Rabat conference, which is focusing on professional development, education & cooperation, is an opportunity for senior enlisted leaders from Africa and the U.S. to strengthen leadership, share insights, best practices and tackle common challenges. It comes after Moroccos participation in the 2025 African Chiefs of Defense Conference co-organized by AFRICOM and Kenya in Nairobi (May 28-29) under the theme: Strengthening African Security, Sustaining Unity of Effort. Since 2008, Morocco hosts annually the AFRICAN LION military exercise, which brings together U.S. and Moroccan forces with participants from troops from several African & European countries and NATO. Morocco is also Americas Major Non-NATO Ally and the only country in Africa with which the U.S. has a free trade agreement. The World Bank has approved a $350 million financing package for the Greater Casablanca Mobility & Logistics Hub, which aims to improve services for passenger railways in the Greater Casablanca area. The funding will also support Moroccos national railway operator Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF) in managing and expanding railway infrastructure. Morocco is experiencing rapid urbanization, with 60 percent of its population now residing in cities, a figure expected to increase to 70 percent by 2050. This growth, especially in the Casablanca-Settat region, a key economic driver, offers substantial development opportunities. Morocco is expanding rail transport and public transportation infrastructure to improve accessibility and reduce environmental impacts, aligning with national goals for sustainable urban transport solutions. In the Greater Casablanca region, the Service Intra-metropolitain Rapproche (SIR) program is transforming railway services by upgrading and constructing train stations, as well as increasing high-frequency passenger rail transport. This initiative ensures key locations are accessible within 45 minutes, expanding opportunities for residents and businesses while promoting connectivity and reducing environmental impacts. The World Banks new financing initiative will support the SIR in establishing an electrified passenger rail service, connecting the urban center with suburban areas such as Zenata, Mohammedia, Nouaceur, and Bouskoura. The program will utilize a 73-KM brownfield right-of-way to expand track capacity and enhance existing rail infrastructure, including electrical systems and signaling, with a focus on climate resilience. This effort aims to alleviate congestion on existing lines and boost freight capacity to the port of Casablanca. Additionally, the program focuses on maintaining and upgrading infrastructure in the Casablanca-Settat region. It plans to construct or enhance 15 multimodal train stations, integrating Transit-Oriented Development strategies and universal accessibility features, and will improve logistics facilities in Greater Casablanca, concentrating on rail-centric logistics in Ain Sebaa and enhancing connectivity around a new logistics zone in Zenata. On Tuesday, European Union announced the removal of the United Arab Emirates from its high-risk list for money laundering. In addition to the UAE, the EU also delisted Barbados, Gibraltar, Jamaica, Panama, the Philippines, Senegal, and Uganda. At the same time, Monaco was added to the list along with nine other countries. According to the European Commission, Algeria, Angola, Cote dIvoire, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Namibia, Nepal, and Venezuela were also newly designated for enhanced monitoring of their anti-money laundering measures. The moves come after a money-laundering watchdog said in February it had removed the Philippines from its list of countries that face increased monitoring, while adding Laos and Nepal. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a Paris-based organization that reviews efforts by more than 200 countries and jurisdictions to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing, compiles a grey list of nations that are subject to increased monitoring of financial transactions. Monaco has been included on the FATF list since mid-2024, along with EU member states Bulgaria and Croatia. The United States has imposed sanctions on Algerian NGO Al Baraka over its ties with Hamas and financial support provided to its terrorist activities. Hamas has been designated by the U.S. foreign terrorist organization. El Baraka, based in Algeria, diverted funds intended for humanitarian causes to fund Hamas. As President of El Baraka, Ahmed Brahimi worked to ensure funds were diverted to Hamas, said the U.S. Treasury Department in a press release issued Tuesday. Under the guise of providing humanitarian assistance, sham charities are used by terrorists as fronts to fund their subversive activities. We will continue to use all available tools to prevent Hamas and other terrorist actors from exploiting the humanitarian situation in Gaza to fund their violent activities at the expense of their own people, said Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender. Todays action has been taken pursuant to the counterterrorism authority in Executive Order (E.O.) 13224 against terrorist financiers to illicitly generate, store, and move funds. All property and interests of the black listed entities or persons will be seized. Violations of U.S. sanctions will result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons. Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, has emerged as the most powerful militant force in West Africa, now commanding up to 6,000 fighters and staging coordinated, high-impact attacks across the Sahel, experts warn. According new analysis titled JNIM Expanding Geographic Reach and Staging Coordinated Attacks in the Sahel, JNIMs recent assaults in Timbuktu and Boulkessi, killing dozens of soldiers, underscore a dramatic increase in tactical capacity and highlight the growing inability of junta-led governments to counter the insurgency. Published by The Soufan Center (TSC), a New York-based research organization, the study warns that following coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, state forces have grown weaker and more fragmented. Their withdrawal from ECOWAS and rejection of international missions like MINUSMA has created a vacuum now filled by jihadist networks and foreign actors such as Russia and Iran. The security crisis has worsened: in 2024, Burkina Faso ranked the most terrorism-affected country for a second year, and Niger recorded the highest global rise in terrorism deaths. Experts also warn that brutal counterinsurgency campaigns often targeting Fulani and Tuareg civilians have fueled jihadist recruitment. In Burkina Faso, state-backed militias like the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) have been implicated in massacres, including the March 2025 killing of over 130 Fulani civilians. Meanwhile, JNIMs strategy of looting weapons and spreading propaganda is enabling expansion into stable coastal countries like Ghana and Senegal. As U.S. attention wanes and regional coordination collapses, the Sahel risks becoming a new epicenter of global jihadism one with growing reach and devastating consequences. The United States has outlined strict conditions for brokering a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), centering on the full withdrawal of Rwandan forces from eastern Congo. A draft agreement, verified by multiple diplomatic sources, requires Rwanda to remove its troops, weapons, and equipment before any deal can be finalized. Washington is leveraging its growing investments in Congos critical mineral sector rich in cobalt, gold, copper, and lithium as both a diplomatic tool and a strategic asset. Senior U.S. officials view regional stability as key to curbing foreign influence and unlocking economic growth. President Donald Trumps adviser for African affairs, Massad Boulos, recently visited Kinshasa and expressed optimism for a peace deal within two months. The U.S.-authored draft goes beyond earlier agreements by proposing a Joint Security Coordination Mechanism, which could include Rwandan and foreign military observer personnel, and calling for M23 rebels long seen as Rwanda-backed to join Congos national dialogue, a move Kinshasa views as a major concession. Rwanda, which has denied sending troops, insists its presence responds to threats from Congolese Hutu militias. Analysts, however, argue these groups no longer pose a serious risk. Kinshasa maintains that no deal will be signed until Rwandan troops withdraw, accusing Kigali of stalling. With tensions high and economic stakes even higher, the coming weeks could prove decisive for peace in one of Africas most volatile regions. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has issued on June 10 a stark warning that desert locust swarms are expected to intensify across Libya and North Africa throughout June and July, posing a growing threat to food security in the region. The swarms, which are already forming in parts of Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria, are anticipated to move southward towards the Sahel in search of rainfall to support breeding. In its latest update, the FAO confirmed that significant infestations have been detected in key areas of Libya, including north of Ghat, south of Ghadames, and near Sebha. Smaller swarms have also emerged in Tazerbo and south of Bani Walid, where hopper bandsclusters of immature locustshave been developing since May. These groups are expected to take flight in the coming weeks, forming larger swarms that will sweep into southern Algeria, northern Niger, and Mauritania as the summer breeding season begins. While spring breeding has concluded in Egypt, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia, the FAO highlighted the urgent need for heightened surveillance and control efforts across North Africa. The organisation cautioned that without decisive intervention, the advancing swarms could lead to large-scale crop devastation, exacerbating food insecurity across the Sahel and threatening livelihoods in vulnerable communities. The future of Nebraskas time-honored system of cattle branding stands out among this years Unicameral interim studies sponsored by western Nebraskas five state senators. Before the 2025 session ended last week, the quintet introduced 17 of the 119 resolutions proposing topics for legislative committees to explore prior to lawmakers return in January. The list includes a fact-finding study on electronic animal identification systems cosponsored by Sens. Tanya Storer of Whitman and Teresa Ibach of Sumner who recently squared off in the Legislatures latest showdown over cattle proof-of-ownership methods and their costs to growers and feedlots. As Agriculture Committee vice chairwoman, Ibach also will be involved in a committee-planned study on the state of Nebraska branding laws and the Nebraska Brand Committee that oversees and enforces them. Other intriguing 2025 interim studies include one from Storer to look into whether the state should take over management of the Niobrara National Scenic River briefly an early budget-cut target by President Donald Trumps second administration and one from North Platte Sen. Mike Jacobson aimed at refining an agricultural data protection bill he offered this session. Dueling cattle ID systems After initial research, the Legislatures 14 standing committees typically hold public hearings on interim studies assigned to them. Theyre usually held in the fall at Lincolns State Capitol or statewide locations close to where affected or interested Nebraskans live. Ibach, a rural Dawson County cattle grower, has said she expects such field hearings in western Nebraska as part of the two cattle-ownership studies involving her. The Agriculture Committees last brand study sparked an industry-wide working group that held two of its meetings in North Platte in fall 2020. Apparent progress toward reform at the first was dashed at the second, though a 2021 law made minor changes. Ibach and Storer were two of the eight cosponsors of the Cherry County ranchers Legislative Resolution 153 on electronic animal ID systems. It was assigned to the Agriculture Committee, whose members introduced the other brand-related study, LR 280, after senators gave voice-vote second-round approval May 27 to a revised version of Ibachs LB 646. Introduced at first to exempt registered western and central Nebraska feedlots from brand inspections, LB 646 instead would raise Brand Committee fees for physical or electronic inspections. It also would let inspectors collect surcharges for travel expenses and exempt dairies from brand inspections. Storer, who intensely defended the integrity of relying on cattle brands on the legislative floor, joined Ibach in voting for the LB 646 compromise. But Ibach, saying the rewrite should have left in an exemption when cattle move between backgrounding lots and registered feedlots, passed up a chance for a final LB 646 vote this year. She said in a Wednesday email that a complete review of the Livestock Brand Act and Brand Committee will determine whether or not there are additional reforms that need to be made to make the beef industry in Nebraska stronger. She added that certain Brand Committee fees havent been updated in years. Its also important to determine whether the entire fee system positively reflects the value of the benefit cattle producers receive, she said. Questions the Agriculture Committee will address through LR 280 include the 84-year-old Brand Committees fiscal stability; differences between Nebraskas branding laws and systems in other states; and whether state branding laws are cost-effective, essential (and) valued and have a continued commercial utility to all segments of the cattle industry. LR 280 also calls for examining the progress (toward) and obstacles to implementing e-inspection, pointing toward the LR 153 study cosponsored by Storer, Ibach and others. LR 153 calls for collecting information on electronic ID devices used as a method of identifying and managing animals for disease traceability, surveillance and control regulations or for private herd management and marketing purposes. The Brand Committee has the authority to use electronic ID as ownership evidence but lacks the software to put it to work, Ibach said. If you look at Nebraskas dairy industry, it is a proven mechanism to identify the animal and to track the animals history, she added. Scenic river, other topics Storer and Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth cosponsored LR 158, which calls on the Natural Resources Committee to examine the process for and feasibility of the state of Nebraska assuming the administration of the 76 miles of the Niobrara east of Valentine made a national scenic river in 1991. Trumps Department of Governmental Efficiency Feb. 28 abruptly canceled the U.S. National Park Services lease of its Niobrara National Scenic River Visitor Center in Valentine, just over a month after Trump returned to the White House Jan. 20. Building owners George and Helen Johnson of Cody were notified March 25 that the Park Service lease had been reinstated. It would have expired Sept. 30, a year ahead of schedule. The matter recalled late 20th-century controversies over the areas aborted Norden Dam, along with lingering tensions between the Park Service and landowners along the river stretch from Valentine to past Newport. LR 150s text, noting that the Park Service owns very little of the land along the Niobrara, says the committee should study how other states administer federal scenic rivers, consider needed rules and regulations on the Niobrara stretch and examine what it would take to transfer its management to the state. Jacobson introduced his interim study on agricultural data security (LR 123) as a followup to a Feb. 3 public hearing on his bill on the topic (LB 525) before the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee. Gov. Jim Pillen asked Jacobson to introduce LB 525, which as written would limit when a producers data on such matters as acquisitions, crop production, cultivation and field usage may be obtained, processed and used by other parties. The February hearing revealed too many unanswered questions to advance the bill in 2025, said Jacobson, who will oversee the coming interim study as Banking Committee chairman. LR 123s study areas include examining the types of ag data collected, existing laws and contractual frameworks, security best practices and the potential for unfair trade practices and consumer protection issues arising from the unauthorized use or sale of farmers or ranchers data. Jacobson introduced three other interim studies related to issues that typically face his committee. Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering, who led the regions lawmakers with five study resolutions, did likewise with four studies to be undertaken by the Health and Human Services Committee that he chairs. Hardins fifth study (LR 253) follows up his proposal in 2025s LB 629 to allow Nebraskans to propose initiatives and seek referenda on legal matters before their county governments. Sen. Paul Strommen of Sidney opted for a broader examination of initiative and referendum laws in other states in his LR 206, which will be taken up by the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. The organizers behind the Hands Off protest and the People's Town Hall in Opelika will gather at Toomer's Corner this Saturday for a protest against the military parade planned by President Donald Trump and other decisions made by the president's administration. Indivisible Auburn-Opelika, a local chapter of a national organization fighting for progressive policies, is organizing a "No Kings" protest. The local protest is part of protests planned nationwide at over 1,400 cities in the United States, the chapter said. Kristin Hinnant, a member of the chapter's steering committee, said the protest is about showing that the U.S. "does not put up with kings." "President Trumps birthday celebration is expected to cost tens of millions of our tax dollars, all while Republicans claim theres no money for Social Security, SNAP or Medicaid. Theyve gone too far. Theyve defied our courts, disappeared people off the streets and slashed our services," Hinnant said. "Enough is enough. Together, we will mobilize in huge numbers to reject this corruption and abuse of power." The "No Kings" protest will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The chapter said the protest will involve Auburn-Opelika residents, community leaders and local organizations. The protests across the country coincide with the military parade being held in Washington D.C. on the same day. Hinnant: Indivisible Auburn-Opelika are not 'paid protesters' Indivisible Auburn-Opelika said the protest is about "rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics and the militarization of our democracy." Hinnant said the protesters will chant and read portions of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. She said the main goal is to provide a safe space for peaceful demonstration of democracy and to "remind each what it means to be an American." "There are a lot of people in this area who dont agree with Trumps actions. Were your neighbors, your friends, your classmates. Were not paid protestors. We recognize the abuse of power happening in our country, and we are not alone," Hinnant said. Indivisible is a national organization and movement that was "founded in response to Trumps election," according to the organization's website, but the mission of the organization goes beyond that. According to the Indivisible website, the movement hopes to build "a democracy that reflects a broad, multiracial 'we the people' one that works for all of us and is sustained by all of us." Through that, the organization said it will be able to "achieve a progressive vision for our future." Third major event hosted by the chapter this year The local chapter existed in the Auburn-Opelika area previously and was revived this year, with its first meeting in March. Since reforming, the chapter organized the local "Hands Off" protest outside the Andrews Federal Building at 701 Ave. in Opelika in April. That protest, like the planned "No Kings" event, coincided with protests of the same name nationwide. Later that month, Indivisible Auburn-Opelika hosted the People's Town Hall, an event at the Opelika Public Library where the organization invited Congressman Mike Rogers, who did not attend. Hinnant said Saturday's event is particularly important with the recent protests about ICE raids in Los Angeles and the decision from the Trump administration to deploy the National Guard. "We see this for what it is: a brazen attempt to escalate tensions, stoke fear, grab power and silence dissent," Hinnant said. "Now more than ever, we need to stand by our convictions and ensure that these are the biggest protests of Trumps second term while upholding our commitment to nonviolence. No Kings will be a reminder to President Trump that no matter how much he attempts to use fear as a weapon to silence the people, the people cannot be defeated by a wanna-be dictator." The nationwide protest also includes several scheduled in Alabama, such as in Selma, Montgomery, Dadeville and Mobile, among others. This event will be just under two weeks since Indivisible Auburn-Opelika was at Toomer's Corner to help celebrate the five-year anniversary of the Toomer's Corner Sit-In. Toomer's Corner is Auburn's 'beating heart' "Toomers Corner is a symbol in Auburn. Its where we go to celebrate our victories and share in our losses. Its been the site of a daily civil rights protest for over five years since George Floyds murder. Its our beating heart," Hinnant said. "What better location to rally our people together to oppose tyranny?" Indivisible Auburn-Opelika said it is committed to nonviolent protests and community safety. The chapter said organizers of the protest are trained in de-escalation, and they are working to ensure the protests are peaceful. For more information on the protests going on nationally, you can visit nokings.org. After months of being shut down and several Opelika City Council meetings worth of debate, the Springwood Hotel has partially reopened to serve the community with hopes of fully reopening in a few years. The Opelika hotel has reopened 40 of its rooms to serve guests more than six months after the building was shut down by the state fire marshal and its business license was suspended. "With the help of city, county and town officials, we are back up in business," owner Raj Patel said. "We are also trying to help the community, whenever they need it. Just like we did in the past, we helped whenever there is something like a tornado, rain or anything. We always give out a complimentary room or low price. So we are going to continue that." Decision comes after inspections, hearings and more The Opelika City Council voted 4-to-1 on Oct. 1 to suspend the business license for BRP Hospitality LLC. operating the Springwood Hotel at 1002 Columbus Pkwy. That decision came after a series of inspections, hearings and discussions from city officials on the hotel's deteriorating conditions from neglect and possible safety violations. In the months since the suspension, Patel and Greg Jones, director of operations and strategy - southeast at Oyo USA, have been working to get the building up to the city's code and standards. The hotel previously operated under the Oyo brand, and Jones and the company assisted the hotel during these last few months. Jones said Oyo hopes to finalize a contract with Springwood in the coming months. An engineer and architect were brought in to assess the building and help address the issues. The main problem was fire safety in the plumbing chases at the buildings. The chases also needed general maintenance. Patel, who lives in New Jersey, said he has spent $40,000 of his own money to get the buildings up to code and ready to reopen. "We had a couple options for Raj whenever we first started dealing with all this. He was a firm believer in staying with the property and seeing it fixed," Jones said. "I had an offer that basically would allow him to walk away from the property, but he wanted to stick with it. And he believes in the property, believes in Opelika." The hotel lobby and building one, which houses 40 rooms, are reopened, while work continues on the remaining buildings. Jones said it is anticipated that the repairs and maintenance for building two will be done in one year, and building three will take two years to complete. Patel said he expects the repairs for those buildings to cost from $90,000 to $100,000. It is a relief for them that the hotel is at least partially open after what Jones described as a frustrating process. "I've got 80-some odd properties basically from Georgia all the way to Kansas, and we've had city issues at different places, but nothing to this extreme where the city's going to bulldoze the building with no questions," Jones said. "There's not a checklist of, like, 'This is what's wrong.'" How did we get to this point There was a public hearing on Sept. 3 on the revocation of the business license for the hotel. During that hearing, Opelika's Chief Building Inspector Jeff Kappelman said the inside of the buildings were some of the most horrific conditions he had seen after touring the plumbing chases on the property. Less than a week later, on Sept. 9, the Springwood Hotel was closed, and the around 120 people living there were forced to move. That closure came after the Alabama State Fire Marshal's Office was called in to inspect the property by the Opelika Fire Department. The council voted to suspend the license at the Oct. 1 meeting, after various code violations were reported by Kappelman and the Opelika Fire Department. The suspension was for six months and ending of the suspension was contingent upon passing a comprehensive inspection from the Opelika Building Inspection Division. April 1 marked six months since the suspension. Building inspectors find new problem The council revisited the Springwood Hotel at the March 4 meeting. City Attorney Guy Gunter said there were 40 rooms ready to be reopened that the council could issue a license for, but the council pushed the topic to the next meeting because some councilmembers had questions about the other buildings and the property as a whole. During the work session of the March 18 meeting, Kappelman returned before the council and revealed that a design flaw was discovered on the property. There was a plumbing chase found in the old plans for the hotel that needed to be inspected and sealed. If it was sealed by the April 1 meeting, the council could have voted for business license reinstatement for two of the four buildings on the property. During the work session of the April 1 meeting, Kappelman said there had been over a dozen recent inspections prior to the meeting, and the building was not ready. "Since the last council meeting, at least 20 inspections have been done on this hotel. They have not yet met code. We did two inspections yesterday with myself, OFD Battalion Chief Rodgers, Bob Parsons and Chuck Riddle. There are four guys out there trying to help this guy get it done. He's not ready. He hasn't exposed what he needs to to properly seal this building," Kappelman said on April 1. In a recent interview with the Opelika-Auburn News, OFD Chief Shane Boyd explained one of the issues in more detail. He said the hotel has void spaces that represent a significant fire safety hazard. "Void spaces are simply uninterrupted airways or corridors in a structure that allow fire to travel freely and engulf an entire facility. Rather than stopping them and putting fire breaks in place, where it'll hold in place for a little bit of time, giving us much more time to get in and attack (the fire) and or evacuate people, therefore saving lives," Boyd said. "Those are required by code, and we didn't have them." Boyd said traditional buildings have fire stops or fire breaks that can prevent a fire from spreading quickly, and without them, the fire can engulf structures in seconds. How is the Springwood open Debate continued during the April 1 work session, including criticism levied toward Kappelman and the entire business license revocation process by Ward 2 Councilwoman Erica Baker Norris and Ward 5 Councilman Todd Rauch. The council opted to take no action at that point, but there was a catch. Gunter said that the council suspended the license for six months, and once that six months was up, the issue would no longer require council action. "Mr. Patel is now authorized by law to apply for a new business license, but he'll have to have his property inspected by the building inspection department and the fire department. If they approve the inspection, then Lillie Finley can issue a new business license to him without any further action by the city council," Gunter said. Jones said after that meeting, they met with Opelika City Administrator Joey Motley and others at city hall and handled getting a certificate of occupancy for the one building and 40 rooms, which was completed on May 1, ending the mandated closure at seven months. "There's a reason and need that these transient-type-of-hotels are here. The affordability in housing is outrageous, and unfortunately, some people's lifestyles just prevent them from being able to even get a lease," Jones said. "There was some deferred maintenance that needed to get brought up, and that's what we essentially did. But there was nothing life, health and safety that was wrong with this building." Patel said since March he has been working with Kappelman to get the problems address in hopes of reopening. The main thing Jones said was the firewalls, but beyond that the remaining buildings have other maintenance work that will be needed, like new glass. While they have been bringing the building up to code, Patel and Jones have been working to improve the hotel overall. They said the rooms now have a 104-channel package with Dish, automatic key fob locks, a new Wi-Fi network around the property and more exterior lighting, as well as improving the rooms. Patel also hopes to reopen the banquet hall next to the lobby in the future. There are 104 rooms at the hotel, and they hope to have them all back open in the future "All we want to do is be good stewards to the city and provide a good, comfortable place for folks to stay," Jones said. "That's all we've always wanted. So we're happy to be open again, and we're going to look forward to working on the rest of the buildings and bring the buildings back up to what the city expects." Walt Disney and Comcast's Universal filed a copyright lawsuit against Midjourney on Wednesday, calling its popular AI-powered image generator a "bottomless pit of plagiarism" for its use of the studios' best-known characters. [image or embed] Reuters Legal (@legal.reuters.com) June 11, 2025 at 11:45 AM This lawsuit is brutal. One of the exhibits is the letter Universal sent to Midjourney, including a quote from a 2022 Forbes interview that I bet midjourney regrets [image or embed] Ed Zitron (@edzitron.com) June 11, 2025 at 11:49 AM Generative AI companies have stolen from everybody with the implict belief that nobody would actually have the balls to sue them for doing so, and as a result have acted with a blatant disregard for copyright law. They thought big corpos would want to pay them. They were wrong. [image or embed] Ed Zitron (@edzitron.com) June 11, 2025 at 12:15 PM There are 30 straight pages of Disney and Universal's copyrights juxtaposed with Midjourney outputs. Worse still, Disney and Universal have catalogued exactly how Midjourney trained their models, including a 2022 Forbes interview where they say they didn't ask for permission. [image or embed] Ed Zitron (@edzitron.com) June 11, 2025 at 12:20 PM Personally, if I had a machine that egregiously and blatantly violated copyright, I wouldn't have a public "explore page," because the copyright holders might publish 18 pages of examples of me violating their copyright. Suit also includes tons of Reddit guides to doing so too. Oof! [image or embed] Ed Zitron (@edzitron.com) June 11, 2025 at 12:25 PM If I were making a big copyright infringement machine I'd also not have a part of my terms and conditions that says I'd ban people for copyright infringement [image or embed] Ed Zitron (@edzitron.com) June 11, 2025 at 12:30 PM Disney sent Midjourney a demand letter, Midjourney said they were reviewing it, never got back to them, then proceeded to launch several improved copyright infringing models [image or embed] Ed Zitron (@edzitron.com) June 11, 2025 at 12:30 PM Disney and Comcast's Universal are suing Midjourney after the company rebuffed their requests to stop infringing their copyrighted works. Instead, the studios argue Midjourney continued to release new versions of their AI services that boasted higher quality infringing images.Disney and Universal asked the court for a preliminary injunction, to prevent Midjourney from copying their works, or offering its image- or video-generation service without protections against infringement. The studios also seek unspecified damages.Source 1 Countries worldwide are adapting their regulations and infrastructure to accommodate the data center boom, recognizing its economic potential while addressing challenges related to energy supply and sustainability. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) on the global stage has resulted in data centers putting immense strain on global power grids, a turnaround from their previous role as minor electricity consumers. As chatbots become a permanent fixture in work and daily life, demand is being propelled to record heights as each search consumes power. While US data centers consumed 50 terawatt-hours (TWh) of power a decade ago, that figure has risen to 140 TWh today, thereby accounting for 3.5% of the countrys total electricity consumption. As a natural consequence of their energy consumption, technology companies are increasingly fitting the mold of large industrial energy consumers, signing power purchase agreements (PPAs) to ensure a secure and continuous supply of energy for their operations. Amazon, for example, has become the world's largest corporate buyer of renewable energy, signing more than 500 PPAs across 27 countries a tally on par with some European nations. To fuel the rapidly expanding US data center sector, technology leaders such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft are actively pursuing a secure and sustainable power supply. With the US hosting more than 50 gigawatts (GW) of data center capacity in 2024, tech companies are leaving no stone unturned as they evaluate a range of options from solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage, to gas and nuclear power. While renewables and batteries are advancing, small modular reactor (SMRs) technologies, which could provide baseload supply and flexibility, still need to prove their commercial viability. Both solutions present merit, but one thing is clear: the US data center boom is coming, and it urgently needs power by any means necessary. This also extends beyond the US. According to Rystad Energys research, global data center electricity consumption is projected to more than double by 2030. By 2040, power demand could soar to 1,800 TWh enough to power about 150 million US homes for a year as major tech companies continue to expand their processing capacity. While this ramp-up may seem threatening, the sizeable energy demands of data centers if managed effectively could help stabilize local power grids. To evaluate the stress on power grids at a granular level, it is crucial to understand the intricacies of training AI models and their batch-processing nature. These models gather and process data infrequently, allowing data centers to manage their energy use effectively. This is done through power-capping, which limits the maximum power that processing units can consume and reduces energy consumption, while only marginally raising the time taken to complete tasks. Meanwhile, AI model training can be paused and resumed to support energy-efficient scheduling, which can be short-term or long-term. Short-term scheduling shifts workloads to times when renewable energy sources such as solar power during the day are plentiful and power prices are low. Long-term scheduling involves planning for different seasons, running more processes in the summer when energy costs are lower, and scaling back in the winter when prices rise. These strategies can also be adapted in real-time to optimize power use by moving workloads to off-peak hours, helping to balance the energy grid. With this in mind, big tech companies are searching globally for suitable locations to build energy-intensive data centers, and countries such as Norway stand out as ideal candidates. Norway has historically offered low power prices, along with a high share of clean hydropower and a cold climate that naturally cools the heat generated by data centers. Norway's ability to provide flexible energy to the European grid is becoming increasingly important, especially as the transmission grid struggles to meet high demand during peak times. Many people and political groups are concerned that data centers could drive up electricity prices for households during these times. However, with appropriate regulations, data centers could use energy flexibly, acting as reliable buyers for power producers when there is excess supply. This elastic demand could help stabilize overall consumption, optimize grid utilization, and reduce price volatility. However, increasing interest in Norway as a data center hub has ignited political debate, highlighting the need for discussions on how to move forward. Proposals that have surfaced include a licensing system that incorporates criteria for social benefit and the use of waste heat, along with potential measures to limit data storage. Globally, the data center boom has sparked mixed responses. Ireland and the Netherlands are restricting new developments due to grid strain and other concerns, while other countries are seeking solutions to accommodate surging electricity demand. Singapore, for instance recognizing the economic potential of data centers has lifted previous restrictions and is exploring changes in legislation to accommodate the data center boom, in a bid to ensure that the city-state does not fall behind. The willingness to explore unconventional options highlights the efforts nations are taking to capitalize on the data center market while attempting to address the inherent challenges, particularly regarding energy supply and their alignment with decarbonization goals. Market liberalization adds another checkbox for tech giants, as current regulatory bottlenecks could hinder their future ambitions. Thailand is one country that fits the bill. While its grid and climate policies differ from Norways, the Southeast Asian nation is actively pushing for power sector deregulation. By opening its market to competition and loosening government control, Thailand is creating a more attractive environment for private investment. This proactive approach has already garnered significant interest, including 47 data center projects that have raked in more than $5 billion in investments as of December 2024. As data centers multiply, managing their electricity demand and expansion requires a patchwork of regulatory and development strategies. While this balancing act is essential, sound policy and infrastructure investments can play a contributing role. Strategic measures, including flexible energy consumption, real-time demand response and the integration of renewable power sources, can help alleviate these pressures. By Rystad Energy More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Critics argue that the deal may be more political theater than substance, citing past delays and cost overruns in Russian-led nuclear projects in Iran. The move underscores a growing Russia-Iran alliance shaped by military cooperation, sanctions evasion, and shared global opposition to U.S. pressure. Iran announced that Russia will build eight nuclear power plants in the country, with two already under construction in Bushehr. It's been no secret that Russia has been getting more heavily involved in Iran's nuclear program, and interestingly at a moment Moscow has offered to mediate between Washington and Tehran on the question of uranium enrichment and a new nuclear monitoring deal. On Monday, in a surprise headline given the massive, ambitious scope, Iranian state sources have said Russia will construct eight nuclear power plants in Iran, two of which are already under construction. "Russia is contracted to build eight nuclear power plants in Iran, including four in the southern city of Bushehr," Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the national security and foreign policy committee, announced on Monday. This marks a monumental leap forward in the Iran-Russia relationship, after the two have deepened military cooperation in relation to the Ukraine war (where Russian forces have heavily relied on Iranian Shahed drones), given that a mere several years ago, Moscow was not even ready to sell Iran nuclear fuel. But EIGHT? Some critics have denounced this as but PR nonsense and a disservice to the Iranian people, given that by some estimates Russia has already taken over a billion dollars from Iran for rebuilding just one Bushehr nuclear site with hardly any progress to show. For example, of prior problems and severe timeline setbacks one industry source described: Iran has one operating nuclear reactor, a 1,000-MW Russian-designed VVER unit at the southern port city of Bushehr, on the coast of the Persian Gulf. Two more VVER-1000 units are under construction at the site. Work on Unit 2 began in 2019, with commercial operation now expected in 2029 after earlier reports said the unit could come online last year. Iranian media reported that installation of safety equipment in Unit 2 began earlier in February, along with excavation works for the water cooling pump houses of both units. Russian state media appears to also be confirming the announcement and hugely ambitious agreement, with Russia Today tweeting: Russia to build EIGHT nuclear power plants in Iran Tehrans National Security spox pic.twitter.com/7lgx5ycSUE RT (@RT_com) June 9, 2025 According to a broader background on Iranian and Russian energy cooperation from the Arms Control Association: The conclusion of an agreement in which Russia will supply Iran with nuclear fuel for a 1,000-megawatt light-water nuclear power reactor marks the latest step in a decade-long controversy. Russian Federal Agency for Atomic Energy Director Alexander Rumyantsev announced Feb. 27 that Tehran and Moscow had finally signed off on a deal to supply fuel for the reactor near the southern Iranian city of Bushehr for a period of 10 years. Although the United States has long opposed the reactor project, the Bush administration did not publicly criticize the agreement. In 1995, Russia agreed to finish the reactor project, which is widely reported to be worth about $800 million. The original German contractor abandoned the project following Irans 1979 revolution. A final deal was delayed several times as the two sides negotiated a provision that requires Iran to return the spent reactor fuel to Russia. The arrangement was designed to reduce the risk that Iran will separate plutonium from the spent fuel. Separated plutonium can be used as fissile material in nuclear weapons. (See ACT, October 2003.) Iran does not have a known facility for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel to obtain plutonium, although Tehran has conducted related experiments. Russia and Iran have in recent years strengthened their bilateral cooperation around energy, with President Putin touting that two countries have achieved a "comprehensive strategic partnership" which sets "ambitious goals and outlines guidelines for deepening bilateral cooperation in the long term." All of this is, of course, set amid the backdrop of biting US-led sanctions targeting both Russian and Iranian economies and societies. Both have relied on BRICS and non-aligned countries to meet their growing military-industrial needs. By Zerohedge.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Diplomacy between the United States and Iran over the future of Tehran's nuclear program has hit a new snag -- not over uranium enrichment or sanctions, but over the simple matter of when to meet. As US President Donald Trump insists the next round of talks is set for June 12, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei maintains that negotiations will resume on June 15 in Muscat. Oman, which is mediating the talks, has not weighed in. The scheduling dispute comes as Iran's chief negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, is slated to be in Norway on June 12 for the Oslo Forum, making a session that day with the US unlikely, but not impossible. Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi will also be in Oslo, so if White House envoy and nuclear negotiator Steve Witkoff travels to Norway, a meeting could take place. Despite the calendar confusion, the stakes are clear: The sixth round of talks is shaping up to be a defining moment. Iran has formally rejected Washington's proposal for a deal, calling it "unacceptable" and lacking in key areas, especially the removal of economic sanctions and recognition of Iran's right to enrich uranium on its own soil. Iran's Counterproposal On Enrichment Tehran says it will soon submit a counterproposal via Oman, a plan it describes as "reasonable, logical, and balanced" and which it urges Washington to take seriously. While Iran has kept the details of its counteroffer under wraps, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi says it's not a lengthy document but a "rational" proposal that "can't be dismissed with a simple 'no.'" He describes it as a solid and acceptable basis for further discussion. Iran's counterproposal is expected to insist on the right to continue uranium enrichment -- a non-negotiable point for Tehran -- and demand effective and verifiable sanctions relief before any Iranian concessions. Trump and other US officials, for their part, remain firm that any deal must see Iran halt enrichment, a position Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has flatly rejected as "100 percent contrary" to national interests. Specter Of IAEA Resolution This is all unfolding as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors meets in Vienna for its quarterly session, a gathering dominated by the Iran file. The IAEA's latest comprehensive report, released on May 31, concluded that Iran has failed to provide credible answers about undeclared nuclear material and activities at several sites, and that its cooperation with inspectors has been "less than satisfactory." The United States and its European allies -- Britain, France, Germany, also known as the E3 -- are now pushing a resolution that would formally declare Iran in noncompliance with its safeguards obligations for the first time in two decades. If adopted, the resolution would not immediately escalate the matter to the UN Security Council, but it would give Iran a window to address the outstanding concerns. It would be a major step toward opening the door to the return of UN sanctions if Iran fails to comply. Meanwhile, Iran has threatened to retaliate if the resolution is adopted, teasing that it may expand its nuclear program, including installing thousands of advanced centrifuges. The "snapback" of UN sanctions is a provision under the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal and the E3 wants to use it before it expires in October. Whether the resolution is adopted could shape the tone of the next round of nuclear talks. Adding to the volatility, Iran's Intelligence Ministry claimed over the weekend that Tehran has obtained a "treasure trove" of sensitive Israeli documents, including material on Israel's nuclear program and defense capabilities. With Israel preparing to strike Iranian nuclear sites if the negotiations with the United States fail, the Supreme National Security Council said the alleged intelligence breach will allow Iran to retaliate to a potential attack "immediately" by targeting Israel's "secret nuclear facilities." For now, the world is left waiting -- not just for the substance of a deal, but for the negotiators to even settle on a time and place to argue. By RFE/RL More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Activists are suing TotalEnergies for greenwashing. The supermajors alleged crime: saying that natural gas is better for the environment than coal and oil. Normally, activists focus on oil when they attack the energy industry, but lately, they have shifted their attention to gas. The TotalEnergies case may be only the beginning of a new offensive. Less than a decade ago, natural gas was broadly accepted as what many called a bridge fuel from the hydrocarbon era to the post-hydrocarbon era of low-emission energy. Gas was going to be around longer than coal and oil as it came to replace them to drive CO2 emissions down. Yet some activists spotted an inconsistency with that strategy. While it emits much less carbon dioxide, natural gas is mostly methaneand methane is a greenhouse gas in its own right. Also, its more greenhouse-y than CO2, which activists like to point out, although it gets degraded in the atmosphere much more quickly than CO2. Perhaps the most notorious attack on natural gas was one study claiming that liquefied natural gas specifically was actually more harmful to the planet than coal. The studyalthough promptly debunkedled to the Biden administration imposing what it called a pause on new LNG export facility permits. President Trump removed the pause, but elsewhere, the offensive against natural gas continues. Total has deployed communication campaign on gas aimed at associating it with renewable energies, in an attempt to make it seem positive, clean, desirable energy and even a fantastic resource for decarbonisation. This impression is, once again, seriously erroneous, said Clementine Baldon, one of the attorneys representing a group of environmentalist outlets, including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, as quoted by the Financial Times this week. Related: Trump Claims China Will Supply Rare Earths to U.S. Baldons clients accuse TotalEnergies of misleading consumers with an information campaign during its rebranding from Total to TotalEnergies in 2021. The misleading consisted of TotalEnergies saying that it planned to achieve carbon neutrality with society, which was inconsistent, per the environmentalists, with its core business, which involved an expansion in oil and gas productionespecially gas. The allegations rest on a collection of 44 pieces of corporate communication, including things like social media posts, corporate statements on TotalEnergies websites, and advertising materials. TotalEnergies has countered the allegations frankly rather toothlessly, saying that It is false and artificial to accuse TotalEnergies of greenwashing . . . TotalEnergies has never said that [fossil fuels] are good for the climate. The company also said a lot of the information referenced by the plaintiffs was not produced for the mass consumer, so consumer laws should not apply. In the past couple of years, supermajors began to strike back against the activists. Even TotalEnergies itself filed a lawsuit against Greenpeace for misleading information contained in a report claiming that TotalEnergies deliberately underestimated its carbon footprint. The court dismissed the case, prompting celebrations at Greenpeace, but TotalEnergies move to sue signaled a change in the industry with regard to activists and their attacks on it. What this latest lawsuit shows is that these attacks are nowhere near done, which was only to be expected. Climate activists want all hydrocarbons to stay in the ground regardless of emission footprint. But because oil has been overused as a scarecrow, it is now the turn of natural gas, which is objectively cleaner, in terms of CO2 emissions and particulate material emissions, than coal and oil. Demand for natural gas is rising globally, many countries are trying to switch from coal to gas precisely because it is cleaner in terms of actual physical pollution. From the activists perspective, this cannot be allowed to happen because gas is as much a hydrocarbon as is oil and as is coal. Cue the lawfare. In truth, if the activists win this case, the victory will be mostly symbolic. They could probably get the court to order TotalEnergies to add a tobacco-style warning to its promotional materials but they could not force it to stop its LNG developments around the worldbecause this world needs gas and the ones supplying this gas are the energy companies like TotalEnergies. In further truth, there is already a shift underway to reduce methane leaks along the natural gas supply chain. There are even certification providers that guarantee certain gas cargos are low-emission ones, and buyers are willing to pay a premium for them. Reducing methane leaks is more gas for sale, after all. The activists probably do not delude themselves into thinking a court order that can stop TotalEnergies advertising can also stop it from producing natural gas. They may think such an order would sap consumers appetite for gas, but that would be asking for too much because there is a pretty simple reason why gas is and will continue to be in strong demand for decades to come. It is reliable, it is cheap, and it is abundant enough to remain both reliable and cheap for quite a long while. No amount of misleading commercial practices lawsuits can change that. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com America and Iran may be on the cusp of a workable nuclear deal that will prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons while preserving Irans ability to enrich nuclear fuel for its civilian nuclear power program. But there are two spoilers out there: Israel and Europe. The original Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, between Iran and China, France, Russia, the U.K., U.S., Germany, and the European Union, allowed for United Nations snapback sanctions, that could be triggered by any of the parties (up to 18 October 18 2025) if Iran violated its commitments. Europe has been on the sidelines of the recent negotiations, but it may try to influence events, and improve its relations with President Donald Trump by supporting a hardline position, but imposing snapback sanctions on Iran but may instead have the effect of derailing diplomacy entirely and plunging the Middle East into deeper crisis. Aside from hurt feelings, Europe may be motivated by concerns over arms transfers from Iran to Russia amid the Ukraine conflict, but its influence in the current nuclear talks remains limited. Some voices in Israel and the United States remain skeptical of any agreement with Iran that allows significant nuclear enrichment, favoring a more restrictive framework to prevent future threats. Though many Israelis and Americans believe Iran wants to wipe out Israel, the real game is economics, and Tel Avivs catastrophe marketing is to keep the Americans focused on Israels concerns instead of following their countrys long-term interests to Asia. While Irans Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would not mind if Israel fell into the sea, he wont do anything to ruin the economic empire he oversees, the charitable trusts (bonyads) that allegedly control 20% to 50% of Irans economy, though Khameneis office says the number is 4%, down from 8% in 2020. Likewise, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), may control one-third to two-thirds of Irans economy, a control that was facilitated by decades of Western sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Related: Russias Oil Profits Tumble as Prices Fall and Sanctions Hit Whatever the true numbers, the bonyads and the IRGC probably have influence over 100% of Irans economy, but piety will take a second place to economics and Gods punishment for disbelievers will be put off for another day. However, Irans religious leaders' class will be wary of foreign direct investment (FDI) if they sense it carries the potential to weaken Vilayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist), the justification for Irans theocratic system.) And the countrys secular oligarchs will also want to secure their franchises and be the partners of choice for foreign investors. There are two native sources of science and technology in the Middle East: Israel and Iran. If Israel can keep Iran isolated, sanctioned, and weak it will collect a greater share of FDI that would otherwise flow to Irans vastly larger market of 90 million people. (Israels population is 9 million.) Irans scientists and engineers have, under threat of sanctions and assassinations, built an advanced nuclear program, a skilled hacking force, and the regions largest arsenal of conventional ballistic missiles, according to the U.S. Strategic Command. With that pedigree, investors will definitely be interested in Irans frontier markets, though decades of Western sanctions will slow North American and European businesses from gaining a foothold. Irans neighbors, not surprisingly, want a healthy Iran as it is a potential business partner, tourism destination, and a regional transit center, and they will not tarry. Irans neighbors in West, Central, and South Asia dont suffer from the 1979 hangover that afflicts the U.S., and they understand it was Americas 1953 coup against the elected government (after it demanded an audit of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company) that stunted Irans political, social, and economic development and is the root of the ongoing crisis. Iran has long had tense relations with its Arab neighbors, but more in the headlines lately has been Irans improving relations with the states of the Persian Gulf. In 2023, Irans then-president Ebrahim Raisi visited Saudi Arabia, and the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, accepted an invitation (but has not yet visited Tehran.) Foreign ministry and defense officials, including the Saudi defense minister recently visited Tehran, and meetings between Iran and the United Arab Emirates have picked up. Iran reopened its embassy in Saudi Arabia, and businessmen from Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are sizing up opportunities in Iran. Total non-oil trade between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Iran was $26.41 billion in the fiscal year ending in March 2023, and Steve Witkoff, President Trumps advisor says the regions market could be much bigger than Europe. And because the region doesnt need another American war of choice, the leaders of Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia recently told Trump they oppose an attack on Iran. But goodwill aside, Mohammed bin Salman is keeping the pressure on Iran, maybe as a favor to Trump, and to help his own position in bilateral negotiations with Tehran. And Witkoff may be overstating things, but the region has great potential, and Iran will be part of it. The "Look East" policy was first launched by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005 to improve relations with Russia, China and India to counter Western pressure over Irans nuclear program and improve Irans economy. The policy was continued by Ahmadinejads successors and has broadened its focus to Central Asia. Trade between Iran and Afghanistan is at a low level of about $3.2 billion, with Afghanistan's exports to Iran at $54 million. As both nations are under heavy sanctions, trade may not increase much unless the two trade in local currencies. Iran has other pressing issues with Afghanistan, such as the return of over 3 million Afghan refugees, and tensions over the 1973 Helmand River Treaty, though the Taliban government said it would continue to supply water to Iran without a treaty. In 2023, Iran-India trade totaled $2.2 billion, with India exporting mostly foodstuffs and Iran exporting mostly chemicals and mineral products. India has invested in Irans Chabahar port, though in February 2025, the U.S. ended the sanctions waiver. The Indian company that runs the port has announced expansion plans, nevertheless, as India relies on the port to trade with Central Asia, Afghanistan, the Caucasus, and Russia via the International NorthSouth Transport Corridor. India has the potential for more trade with Iran, but must consider its relationship with Washington and will likely prioritize that as it seeks to restore the sanctions waiver for Chabahar port. In 2023, Iran-Pakistan trade totaled less than $950 million. Iran exported $943 million of goods, mostly liquified petroleum gases and mineral products; Pakistan exported $9.97 million of goods, mostly construction vehicles, to Iran. Pakistans prime minister wants to boost trade to $10 billion in the coming years, but Pakistans internal dysfunction and Indias prime position at Chabahar may slow that. On 15 May 2025, a free trade agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan) came into force and should lift the regions low trade of $1.6 billion. In June 2023, Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev met Irans then-president, Ebrahim Raisi, and Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (In September 2022, Raisi declared that improving relations with Central Asia as one of the first priorities of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran" in 2022.) The meeting netted cooperation pacts in agriculture, energy, customs affairs, sports, science, technology and innovation, cultural exchanges, health care, Chabahar port, the environment, industry, and tourism. It was the first visit to Iran by an Uzbek leader in over 20 years. The June meetings were the follow-up to the March 2023 visit by Uzbekistans foreign minister, who met Irans ministers of Foreign Affairs, Industry, Mines and Trade. Afterwards, the parties announced efforts to increase trade turnover and to foster business links and people-to-people ties. The ministerial meetings were built on the September 2022 visit by Raisi to Uzbekistan, which produced 17 agreements in areas such as energy, transport, and agriculture, and discussed how to increase trade. Iran wants to increase trade with Uzbekistan four times to $2 billion (it was less than $520 million in 2023); Kazakhstan and Tajikistan will go to $1 billion each; deals with Turkmenistan will jump by 30%. (Tajikistan is alongside bigger Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan because it and Iran share language and cultural ties and a defense cooperation agreement, and Iran has located a drone factory in the capital, Dushanbe.) Tehran and Tashkent intend to develop a transport corridor through Turkmenistan, which Mirziyoyev first discussed with Turkmenistans president Serdar Berdimuhamedow in October 2022. (Transportation cooperation between Tashkent and Ashgabat started in 2017 with the opening of the Turkmenabat-Farab railway and car bridges that will link the countries and open opportunities for long-distance trade.) Raisi pledged, The Islamic Republic of Iran is able to easily connect Uzbekistan to high seas via Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. And Nargiza Umarova of the Institute for Advanced International Studies In Tashkent notes, Tehran plays a key role in the formation of the Eurasian land bridge to connect China and Europe by railroads. Iran is hydrocarbon-rich and Turkmenistans second-largest trading partner after Russia, and the two countries recently agreed to a roadmap to achieve $3 billion in trade (Trade totaled nearly $600 million in 2024). Also planned is an increase the annual volume of cargo transit between the two countries to 10 million metric tons by the end of 2027 In 2024, Iran and Turkmenistan agreed to construct a new 125-kilometer natural gas pipeline, and Turkmenistan will deliver 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas for shipment to Iraq, eventually rising to 40 billion cubic meters annually. Iran has a deficit of gas for its development plans and needs $45 billion investments to boost gas production. Trade between Kazakhstan and Iran is low, just over $300 million annually. Kazakhstan exports mainly agricultural products, and Iran exports mainly foodstuffs and industrial chemicals. In February 2025, the sides signed several agreements to boost trade and Astana declared it was ready to supply Iran with 75 types of products valued at $250 million. Iran is increasingly attractive to the landlocked Central Asian republics that are seeking redundant trade routes. In June 2021, Tashkent hosted a conference to highlight Central Asia-South Asia connectivity via Afghanistan and Pakistan. Two months later, the U.S. and NATO retreated from Afghanistan and the country plunged in chaos, so the republics had to consider alternatives. Central Asia can now consider trading through Irans ports of Chabahar and Bandar Abbas. (In January 2022, Iran and Uzbekistan concluded an agreement to give Uzbekistan access to Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman.) Iran can offer a large internal market (over 90 million people, 68% under 35 years of age), a space free of the violence by the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban that plagues Afghanistan and Pakistan; organized and functioning government agencies; and ports adjacent to the markets of India (Chabahar) and the Persian Gulf (Bandar Abbas). The U.S. has promoted the Middle Corridor to the republics as an alternative to Russias Northern Corridor, but avoiding the Southern route via Iran or Afghanistan-Pakistan, ignores the fact that the republics of ready access to Asia and the Persian Gulf. The republics are not burdened by Washingtons sense of grievance against Iran that has festered since 1979, especially as there would be an economic cost of joining Washingtons campaign against the Islamic Republic, with no offsetting benefits other than a thank you for doing the right thing. The republics want a reliable partner who can also help them deal with instability in Afghanistan. Iran shares that interest and has no territorial aspirations in Central Asia, though it will seek political support from the republics in fora such as the United Nations, as it implements its Look East policy and seeks a larger regional role through groups like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). (All the republics, less Turkmenistan, are full members of SCO; Turkmenistan is not a member but attends SCO meetings.) Recently, the region has seen an unfolding of transport projects that cross Iran. Among them are: The International NorthSouth Transport Corridor, a 7,200-km long multi-mode network that spans India, Iran, Azerbaijan, and the Russian Federation. The corridor will rely on Chabahar port in Iran and will allow Tehran to solidify its ties with Moscow and Delhi. In May 2025, Iran and China launched a railway route from Xian in western China to the Aprin dry port near Irans capital, Tehran. The route will reportedly cut travel time from 30 days via sea to 15 days and will avoid the Strait of Malacca and the Hormuz Strait, chokepoints the U.S. Navy hoped to exploit in future conflicts. Irans Rail Ministry intends to build the IranAfghanistanChina corridor, likely through the Wakhan border. Also in May 2025, representatives of China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Turkiye met to plan a new transport corridor. In January-April 2025 container traffic along the China-Iran route via Kazakhstan increased by 2.6 times compared to January-April 2024, demonstrating growth potential of the new transport corridor. The IstanbulTehranIslamabad railway, a 6,500-kilometer rail link was launched in 2009, stalled, then revived in 2021, but poor railway infrastructure is still a hurdle. If the West, particularly the U.S., wants the region to be come wealthier and less susceptible to the influence of China and Russia, it should support the projects through the World Bank and the other multi-lateral development banks instead of sniping at projects that involve Iran. Damaging the prospects for Central and South Asia will sow mistrust of American intentions, reinforcing a belief that America has a bias for short-term thinking at someone elses expense. By James Durso More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU member states have provisionally agreed to ease the blocs natural gas storage targets by allowing a 10 percentage point deviation in the 90% full storage goal, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing a draft document it has seen. The greater flexibility comes in response to the fears by several large gas-consuming nations in Europe that they would have to either subsidize storage filling when its uneconomical, or miss the targets. Countries will also be allowed a longer timeframe for reaching the 90% target, instead of the currently fixed deadline by November 1. The EU countries and the European Parliament are expected to complete the negotiations on the EUs gas storage targets by June 24. Earlier this year, European Union members agreed to give more flexibility to the natural gas storage goals by expanding the period in which countries should have 90% full storage ahead of the winter and could deviate by up to 10 percentage points from the filling target. The EU supported the European Commissions proposal to extend the gas storage regulation by two years. But EU member states also want more flexibility in reaching the filling target to avoid price spikes if market conditions are tight. The EU countries propose that the existing binding 90% filling targets should be reached anytime between October 1 and December 1, instead of the current deadline of November 1. The EU also agreed that in case of unfavorable market conditions such as possible market manipulations member states may deviate by up to 10% from the filling target. The EU negotiating mandate with the European Parliament also says that intermediary storage targets for each member state in February, May, July, and September are not binding but only indicative in order to achieve storage filling and predictability while leaving sufficient flexibility for market participants throughout the year. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Ali Larter moved her family from Los Angeles to a small town in Idaho during the COVID-19 pandemic and never went back. Ali Larter left Los Angeles for a small town in Idaho The Final Destination star - who has two young children with her comedian husband Hayes MacArthur - decided to leave Hollywood after the schools shut down and they relocated to a "ski town" her husband had visited as a child and Ali admits they had only planned to stay for two months. She told The Hollywood Reporter: "[We moved] four and a half years ago. Its wild how COVID opened up so many different lives for people in unexpected ways, where you really stared your life in the eye and went: 'Am I happy? What are the choices Im making, am I willing to roll the dice?' "It was the pandemic and our kids schools were shut down. It was a really challenging time. The kids were out of school for over a year and a half, and we decided to take them to a ski town. "We went to a place I had never been to before that my husband had been as a child. We thought this was a chance for a couple months to just do something as a family." Although they never intended to stay permanently, Ali reveals the huge change made a big difference to their way of life so they decided to stay. She added: "My husband and I are both adventurous by nature. We dont sit in the muck and thats what it felt like - we were just sitting in the muck of this life that was not working. "We went for two months and the schools were open there. We were able to put our daughter in kindergarten, and that was massive. We stayed for two more months and the dominoes kept falling in really positive ways so we just decided to roll the dice." However, Ali admits it was a risk because of the couple's work was mostly based out of Los Angeles. She explained: "We had built our lives and our careers in this town [in Hollywood], and never even thought there was a world where we wouldnt be living there. "And its scary when you leave. You wonder if youre ever going to work again, and if youre giving it all up." Germany-based start-up Proxima Fusion on Wednesday announced the close of a $150 million financing, the largest private fusion investment round in Europe, as companies are looking to finally achieve the breakthrough of unlimited clean fusion energy. Proxima Fusions Series A financing was co-led by Cherry Ventures and Balderton Capital, with participation from a dozen other investment firms. Proxima Fusion was founded in early 2023 as the first-ever spin-out from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Germany. Proxima aims to lead Europe into a new era of clean energy. The EU, as well as national governments including Germany, UK, France, and Italy, increasingly recognize fusion as a generational technology essential for energy sovereignty, industrial competitiveness, and carbon-neutral economic growth, the start-up says. The latest round brings Proxima Fusions total funding to more than $200 million (185 million euros), aimed at helping the company build the worlds first commercial fusion power plant based on a stellarator designa machine that uses magnetic fields to confine plasma in the shape of a donut. A stellarator would be more complicated to build than a tokamak, the more popular experimental reactor for nuclear fusion on which more start-ups and ventures are focused. However, a stellarator is expected to produce a more stable plasma, according to Proxima Fusion, which believes the stellarator plasma would be more suited for use in a power plant. Thanks to the new funding, Proxima Fusion aims to complete its hardware demonstration Stellarator Model Coil (SMC) in 2027. Proxima will also finalize a site for Alpha, its demonstration stellarator, for which it is in talks with several European governments. The site is scheduled to begin operations in 2031, and is the key step to demonstrating net energy gain and moving towards a first-of-a-kind fusion power plant. We back founders solving humanitys hardest problems and few are bigger than clean, limitless energy, said Filip Dames, Cherry Ventures Founding Partner. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Asias currently tepid LNG demand is set to become robust during the summer months as models suggest higher-than-usual temperatures across north Asia. A rise in Asian demand will support increased U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas, which are already at record highs, Reuters columnist Gavin Maguire notes. Early this month, Asian spot LNG prices for delivery into northeast Asia fell for the first time in five weeks as demand is weak while inventories are high, according to industry sources quoted by Reuters. However, as we move into the hottest summer months, rising temperatures will boost gas demand for power generation to meet air conditioning demand in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. These are set to see average temperatures about 5-6% higher than the long-term average through August, according to data from LSEG cited by Reuters Maguire. Earlier this year, strong demand in Europe pushed U.S. LNG exports higher. Following the off-peak spring season, demand in both Europe and Asia is set to increase in peak summer and remain high through the autumn as Europe needs a lot more LNG to fill up its gas storage sites depleted below the five-year average after the end of a colder winter. Increased demand is a boon to U.S. LNG exporters, which are also ramping up supply with new export plants. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects the U.S. benchmark Henry Hub spot price to average about $4.00 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) in 2025 and $4.90/MMBtu in 2026, compared with $2.20/MMBtu in 2024. Higher natural gas prices in 2025 and 2026 would be the result of strong export growth that persistently outpaces U.S. natural gas production, the EIA said its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) in June. The EIA expects that domestic consumption and exports combined will increase by nearly 4 Bcf/d this year, while U.S. dry natural gas production will grow by less than 3 Bcf/d. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Crude oil prices moved lower earlier today even after the latest round of talks between the United States and China on trade yielded positive results, as traders adopted a wary stance on the news. At the time of writing, Brent crude was trading at $66.82 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate was changing hands for $65 per barrel, after U.S. and Chinese government officials said they had agreed on easing export restrictions and devising a framework for the resolution of their trade conflict. We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus and the call between the two presidents, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said, as quoted by Reuters. The idea is we're going to go back and speak to President Trump and make sure he approves it. They're going to go back and speak to President Xi and make sure he approves it, and if that is approved, we will then implement the framework. It was perhaps the fact that the two presidents had yet to sign off on the framework that kept oil traders wary, even though oil prices are trending higher than last week. In terms of what it means for crude oil, I think it removes some downside risks, particularly to the Chinese economy and steadies the ship for the U.S. economy - both of which should be supportive for crude oil demand and the price, IG analyst Tony Sycamore told Reuters. Meanwhile, the European Union said it was discussing a ban on the currently non-operating Nord Stream pipeline and a lower price cap on Russian crude as part of its next package of sanctions against Moscowthe 18th in a row. In potentially bearish news for oil, the World Bank lowered its global growth forecast for the year to 2.3% from 2.7%, saying the global economy is set for its weakest year since 2008. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Crude oil demand will continue growing over the coming decades as the worlds population increases, the secretary-general of OPEC, Haitham Al Ghais, said this week, predicting a 24% cumulative rise in this demand until 2050. There is no peak in oil demand on the horizon, Al Ghais said at the Canadian Global Energy Show, as quoted by Reuters. The top OPEC official went on to reiterate a warning about the adverse potential consequences of underinvestment in new oil and gas supplysomething, in which OPEC has been very consistent over the past few years amid a pressure campaign from anti-oil activists who have the ears of most governments of the developed world for forcing the oil and gas industry to quit its core business. According to Al Ghais, global investment needs for new oil and gas stand at $17.4 trillion for the next 25 years. For comparisons sake, the investment needed for achieving a net-zero global economy has been calculated at $110 trillion for the period between 2021 and 2050 but in the past three years the price tag has repeatedly been revised upwards. OPEC estimates that global oil demand will grow by 1.3 million barrels per day in both 2025 and 2026, which is in stark contrast with the demand estimate of the International Energy Agency. The IEA sees oil demand growth this year at less than 1 million bpd. Although demand rose by 990,000 barrels daily over the first quarter, the IEA expects this to slow considerably to just 650,000 bpd over the remainder of the year. Meanwhile, supply from non-OPEC producers is shrinking, OPEC also warned earlier this year. OPEC said in the May edition of its monthly oil market report that lower upstream spending amid falling oil prices was set to slow the growth in oil supply from producers outside the OPEC+ pact this year and next. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com The U.S. State Department is preparing to order the departure of non-essential personnel from its embassy in Baghdad amid escalating security risks tied to stalled nuclear negotiations with Iran. Although no formal evacuation has been executed, contingency plans are in motion as tensions in the Gulf rise sharply, stoking fresh concerns over regional energy stability and global crude supplies. With preparations underway, on Wednesday, June 11 at 2:47p.m. ET, Brent crude was trading 3.84% at $69.44, while WTI was trading up 4.36%, at $67.81. The embassy drawdown preparations follow the latest collapse in indirect nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Escalations in the region also prompted the UK Maritime Trade Operations to issue a rare alert warning of rising military risks in the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman, with potential implications for maritime safety. In parallel, the U.S. State Department has authorized the departure of non-essential personnel and family members from its embassies in Bahrain and Kuwait, while U.S. military dependents in Bahrain have been approved for temporary departure amid growing concerns over regional security. Talks stalled after Iran demanded greater guarantees on sanctions relief and the unfreezing of overseas assets, while the U.S. insisted on strict limits on Iran's advanced centrifuge operations and regional missile activity. With both sides hardening positions, diplomatic backchannels have gone quiet, raising fears that the diplomatic window to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) may be closing. This deadlock has sharply increased the risk of military confrontation in the region. Geopolitical instability in the Middle East frequently triggers volatility across oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets, particularly given the vulnerability of shipping lanes such as the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of global oil flows. With Iranian officials issuing new threats against U.S. installations, traders are bracing for potential disruptions that could rattle supply chains. Iraqs crude exports, currently averaging about 4 million barrels per dayroughly 5% of global outputremain acutely exposed should conflict escalate. Any significant disruption could not only impact physical flows but also reverberate through Kurdish energy revenues and broader upstream investment, both of which are critical to Iraqs economic stability. Shipping alerts from the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations have already flagged increased military activity in the Persian Gulf and surrounding waterways, warning of higher war-risk premiums for tanker traffic. A further deterioration could trigger short-term Brent crude spikes of $35 per barrel, as it has in prior Gulf-related flashpoints, even without actual physical supply loss. More Top Reads From Oilprice.com The family of a 19-year-old Omaha man who was fatally shot last month by a Douglas County Sheriff's deputy stood outside the county courthouse Tuesday demanding more answers from law enforcement about their loved-one's death. Jandi Ibrahim was killed in the shooting May 22. His parents and 8-year-old brother were among those who gathered Tuesday to press for more answers from law-enforcement officials. Ibrahim's 8-year-old brother stood with his family, holding a sign that said "justice for Janidi." Timothy Ashford, attorney for Ibrahim's family, said the family is asking for a special prosecutor to be appointed to the case and for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office to release the full and unedited body camera footage of the night Sgt. Jesse Ronk shot and killed Ibrahim near his home at Pratt and 48th Streets on May 22. Using a translator to speak to the press, Ibrahim's mother, Halima Abdi, also said she wants her son's belongings back. The Sheriff's Office confiscated items including Ibrahim's phone, Ashford said. Ibrahim's family has been calling for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office to let them see Ronk's body camera footage of the shooting and to release the footage to the public. Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson has previously said his office will not release body camera footage to the public until a grand jury reviews the evidence. Nebraska law requires a grand jury to convene whenever someone dies while in state custody or while being apprehended by a law enforcement officer. Sherman Wells, an Omaha activist and advocate for the family, said the Sheriff's Office has gone back and forth about whether they would release the footage, whether the office will allow the family to view the footage, and whether the family would be allowed to have their attorney present while viewing it. Ashford said Tuesday that Hanson told him he would be allowed to be present with the family when they see the footage, and they discussed potential dates for the viewing. Mohamed Hussein, Ibrahim's father, said he wants to see the footage to know how his son died, and in the hopes that he might hear his son's last words. Abdi said her son had just graduated the week prior. "To this day I am still shocked that he's not here," she said. On the night he shot Ibrahim, Ronk was conducting a firearms investigation with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Special Operations Group when he approached a maroon Chevrolet Trailblazer that Ibrahim occupied after Ibrahim allegedly pointed a gun at Ronk, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Ibrahim was inside the car when Ronk, who said he felt his life was in danger, fatally shot Ibrahim. The Special Operations Group is primarily a surveillance unit of investigators with various individual specialties, Hanson said last week. Their investigations lead them all across Douglas County and, at times, the greater metropolitan area, he said. Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer on Monday sent a three-page letter to Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson requesting that the sheriff adjust his conduct and Sheriffs Office operations within city limits. In the letter, Schmaderer said the shooting of Ibrahim, and other activities, have escalated tensions between law enforcement and the Omaha community. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine announced last week that he would not criminally charge Ronk in the shooting of Ibrahim. "I am broken," Ibrahim's mother said. Wells and Ashford said that on the night of Ibrahim's killing, the Sheriff's Office, with the help of the Omaha Police Department SWAT team, pulled Ibrahim's family out of bed, put the mother and children in handcuffs and had them get in a vehicle while they raided the family's home, Wells and Ashford explained. "They couldn't even give me the common courtesy," Abdi said, describing the night of the shooting. "Why did they not knock the door? They came into my house. They broke the window. They broke the door. And my son has already been killed." She said that while her home was being searched, she wasn't told of her son's death, and she kept asking the deputies, "What did I do?" Hussein said his wife struggles to leave the house because she sees the scene of her child's killing whenever she walks outside. "If we're going to be mistreated like this and have no justice, then where do we look for justice?" Hussein said. The day after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers raided an Omaha meat-processing plant, Omaha Mayor John Ewing said he does not support worksite raids in the city. He noted, however, that he has no influence on how raids are carried out. Instead, his administration has been working with community and advocacy groups since they found out about Tuesdays raid at Glenn Valley Foods to determine the facts and get help to affected families. Certainly this does impact our community, he said. And it does create fear. The agents escorted workers from Glenn Valley Foods, 6824 J St. in Omaha, onto a bus Tuesday after conducting the raid. ICE officials said in a statement Wednesday that the operation resulted in the detention of more than 70 people. ICE officials said the agency executed a search warrant at Glenn Valley Foods based on an ongoing criminal investigation into the large-scale employment of aliens without authorization to work in the United States. No other businesses were targeted, ICE said. In the Wednesday statement, ICE officials said Tuesdays raid was the largest worksite enforcement operation in Nebraska under the current Trump administration, which has prioritized immigration enforcement efforts and strengthened focus on border security. It also appears to be the largest immigration enforcement action in the state since 2018, when ICE agents raided a tomato greenhouse, potato processing plant and cattle feedlot in ONeill. More than 130 workers were detained and 17 people arrested in connection with an illegal employment service run by Juan Pablo Sanchez-Delgado, who took a cut of the undocumented workers paychecks and failed to pay taxes. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said in a statement Wednesday that the countrys immigration policy failed the American people for four years under the Biden administration. We have to address the issue of illegal immigration, and I support the work of our federal partners to ensure that the law is followed, he said. And I remain supportive of President Trumps efforts to secure the border. While federal officials did not say where the workers on the bus were taken, U.S. Rep. Don Bacons office confirmed Wednesday that the migrants were taken to an ICE facility near Eppley Airfield. It was unclear how many are still being held there. Douglas County Board Chairman Roger Garcia said Wednesday that he understands the need to find and administer legal consequences to individuals who have committed high-level crimes. But the individuals caught up yesterday, at least from the personal stories that I am aware of, did not fit that profile, he said. Omahans driving across the city, he said, will see a thriving, contributing immigrant community, whether at construction sites, in restaurants or in schools; people who are working to support their families and contributing to the local economy. His wifes aunt was among those detained. She has lived in the area for decades and raised a family, contributing to the community and to the economy. Her son was seeking to arrange legal counsel, he said, but family members do not currently know where she is being detained. We can assure you she wasnt involved in any high-level criminal activity, said Garcia, who represents parts of South Omaha. Such raids, however, create fear and anxiety, he said. Businesses along South 24th Street closed yesterday, and some remained closed Wednesday. We want to all partner to restore that sense of peace and vibrancy that we know Omaha has, Garcia said. Ewing acknowledged that the city has received questions about the Omaha Police Departments role in the incident. Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said the department was made aware on an extremely general basis that immigration officials might be coming to the city about 10 days before the raid. But it wasnt until Tuesday morning, when federal agents were already staging, that the department was contacted by federal authorities asking for traffic control, which the department provided as part of its public safety mission, he said. The Police Department did not have any role in detaining anyone. He assured residents that they can contact police for help without fear that police will check their legal status. Only if they were arrested for a serious crime would that happen. Later Tuesday, the Police Department monitored two protests. About 400 protesters gathered near 33rd and L Streets, waving flags and signs as vehicles drove past. About 200 people were present at the peak of another protest at 72nd and Dodge Streets. He said the department encourages demonstrations but asks that they be done safely. Organizers should contact the department to find out how to make that happen. The raid, however, came as tensions continue to build over immigration enforcement and responses in Los Angeles, where people protesting immigration raids have clashed with law enforcement. President Donald Trump has deployed National Guard troops and U.S. Marines. Large demonstrations also took place Tuesday in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Austin and Washington, D.C. In their Wednesday statement, ICE officials said some of the individuals who had been detained in Omaha had active local warrants, prior convictions for driving under the influence or had previously been deported. An individual from Honduras, described as in the country illegally, brandished a weapon at federal agents during the raid. No agents were injured. Many of the detained now face additional federal charges: fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents; assaulting a federal officer; resisting arrest; illegal reentry; and use or misuse of Social Security numbers. Workforce enforcement remains a priority for ICE as it seeks to protect the nations workforce, eradicate labor trafficking and hold employers accountable for practices that encourage illegal immigration, agency officials said in the statement. Ewing said Wednesday that he did not know why Omaha was targeted for a raid at this time. David Cruz, national communications director for the League of United Latin American Citizens, asked Ewing what message the nonpartisan organization could carry back to Congress. Leaders had just visited Los Angeles and were returning to Washington, D.C. Said Ewing, Lets develop a comprehensive immigration policy that actually works. Thats not soft on crime, added the former Omaha police deputy chief. Lets take care of the people in our city and our state and our country. Ramon Palomares, LULACs president, said in a separate interview that immigration raids in places like Glenn Valley will have ripple effects. Palomares said meatpacking and dairy plants need immigrant labor. Nobody else is going to take these jobs, he said. Its going to have an impact on the economy scarcity of goods, prices go up. Heath Mello, president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber, said in a statement that the organization supports Ewings position that immigration enforcement is a federal matter and should not involve or compromise the mission of local law enforcement. The chamber believes the citys immigrant workforce is essential to the fabric of the local economy and will work with partners to understand the impact of federal immigration policies and clearly define the role that our local community plays in this issue. Omaha is a welcoming city and we value everyone here who collectively make us one of the best metro areas in the country, he said. World-Herald staff writer Dan Crisler contributed to this report. Billy Idol almost died from a heroin overdose. Billy Idol nearly died from a heroin overdose The 69-year-old rocker had returned to London in 1984 to celebrate his success in the US but his partying with friends got out of hand and the group had to revive the Rebel Yell hitmaker when he "turned blue" and collapsed. Speaking on documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival on Tuesday (10.06.25), he said: I was coming back in triumph and I nearly ruined it. We flew to London where we met a load of our pals that we knew. They had some of the strongest heroin. Everybody did a line or so and they all nodded out except for me and this mate of mine. As the rest of the group passed out, Billy and his friend kept taking the drug. He continued: I was basically dying. I was turning blue. So they put me in an ice cold bath and I remember them walking me around on the top of the building, on the roof. Billy insisted he and his peers never considered the dangers of heroin and it was a drug the music scene had "embraced" at the time. He said: A number of people were on it. But you know, youre wide open for it. A lot of the people we loved were all heroin addicts. Lou Reed wrote the song Heroin. You werent thinking how dangerous it was. In fact, youre thinking quite the opposite. Maybe this could unleash something. The White Wedding rocker ultimately gave up the drug for good when he and a friend caused $75,000 damages to a hotel in Bangkok at a time when his son Willem, now 36, was a baby. At one point, he recalled passing out in an elevator with the doors opening and closing him, while police were called when he threw a log through a glass window. He said: Mel Gibson was there with his family on holiday, horrified. The silver lining was I did put heroin behind me. It was too horrible, the whole experience. It actually really put me off. Getting off heroin is one of the most awfulest experiences in the world. Boy George said it right when he said its like your skeleton trying to get out of your body. Theres no quick fix. Its such a long time. Youre just counting the days, the seconds, the hours. Even after six months, you still feel lousy. By Lars Larson NW and national radio host, Governor Kotek just sent a secret message to her anarchist friends who plan LA style riots this coming weekend in Portland: Anything goes, black block brownshirts. I wont send in the cavalry. Koteks allies at the Daily Dead Fishwrapper OregonLive ran this headline last night: Trump has no right to deploy Oregon National Guard against protesters in Portland, insists Kotek. Reporters dont bother to fact check Tent City Tina too much despite the fact no one ever accuses Kotek of being the sharpest tool in the shed. Koteks wrong, which seems clear this morning with 2-thousand National Guard and 700 U.S. Marines patrolling the streets of Los Angeles . So, where exactly does President Trump get this authority Kotek claims he lacks? The Insurrection Act and it fits LA or Portland, perfectly: QUOTE: Whenever the President considers that unlawful obstructions, or assemblagesmake it impracticable to enforce the laws of the United States in any State The President, by using the militia or the armed forces (or both)shall take such measures as he considers necessary to suppress, in a State, any domestic violence Governor Kotek claims Donald Trump needs HER permission to call up the National Guard. Federal law puts that lie to rest. 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 A body of a gray whale found on a San Francisco Bay Area beach marks the 18th death of 2025 for the marine mammals in the region, experts reported. The dead male gray whale washed up at Lands End on Saturday, June 7, the California Academy of Sciences said in a June 9 news release. No necropsy was performed, so the cause of death remains unknown, the academy said. It's the 18th such death reported in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2025, the academy and the Marine Mammal Center reported. One minke whale also died in the Bay Area this year. Nine whales recently died in the region in about a two-week span, experts said. Four of the gray whale deaths are suspected to be due to vessel strikes, the academy said. But experts aren't sure what's causing the spike in deaths, which is comparable to the 14 deaths reported in 2019 and 15 deaths reported in 2021. Researchers have found a rise in reported sightings of gray whales inside San Francisco Bay, with 33 individual whales confirmed by photo identification, the academy said. "By comparison, only six gray whales were sighted in the bay in 2024," the academy said in the release. The whales also are spending more time in the bay, with one-third staying at least 20 days, experts said. "It is expected that gray whales will be in the bay for another one to two weeks before continuing their annual northern migration to Arctic feeding grounds," the academy said in the release. What to know about gray whales Adult gray whales can reach up to 49 feet in length and weigh up to 90,000 pounds, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. They make one of the longest migrations of any mammal, moving up to 14,000 miles round-trip each year. They are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. 2025 The Charlotte Observer. 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: Photograph of postcranial skeletal elements of Thylacinus cynocephalus specimen MV-C5746 by Rodney Start for Museums Victoria. Copyright CC-BY 4.0 to Museums Victoria https://biocache.ala.org.au/occurrences/db4e9155-8742-4f3e-b3f5-1c88f6c52435 . Credit: Rodney Start for Museums Victoria For the first time, the remarkable features of Australia's unique wildlifefrom platypus, bilby, kangaroo, koala and emu to mammals gone extinctare available for all to see, via their bones and skeletons in a new free online collection. Using 3D imaging technology, Flinders University and partners have launched the "Ozboneviz" virtual database, which goes "inside" the anatomy of dozens of Australia's most famous animals for the public, schools, researchers, artists, nature-lovers and others to access. Described in a new article published in the journal BioScience, the new collection of more than 1,600 specimens has been collated and uploaded on to the high-tech MorphoSource repository, by Flinders University Associate Professor Vera Weisbecker's "Bones and Biodiversity Lab" and colleagues around Australia. "We are all fascinated by bones and this new database is a way to go behind the glass cases at the museum, see specimens up close and understand their special features," says Associate Professor Weisbecker, who hopes Ozboneviz will fuel better scientific and public appreciation of Australia's amazing mammals around the world. "Australia leads the world in mammal extinctions, but we are losing far more than a few fluffy rat-like critters. Our mammals have evolved in isolation for nearly 40 million yearsthere is simply nothing like them anywhere else. Screen recording of the Ozboneviz collection on MorphoSource.org. Credit: Flinders University "Victorian-era scientists deemed Australian wildlife 'primitive," but now we can marvel at the elongated leg bones that make the kangaroo the largest hopping animal ever, or the bizarre shovel-like arms of the marsupial mole, and chances are that you will change your mind! "3D models of skeletons are a charismatic way to engage adults and children alike with Australia's precious fauna, making it a key asset in science communication and school education." "Our core team spent three years traveling to four Australian museums and three universities. We mostly used surface scanners to digitize ten key bones of 189 iconic Australasian species: the skull, shoulder blade, pelvis and limb bones," explains CABAH and Flinders archaeologist Dr. Erin Mein. Jacob van Zoelen, Ph.D. candidate at Flinders University and digitization manager, surface scans bones from a national collection. Credit: Dr. Erin Mein (Flinders University) Jacob van Zoelen, Ph.D. candidate at Flinders University and digitization manager, says, "We used a structured light scanner to image the outside of most bones. But for particularly rare species, like the presumed-extinct ngudlukanta or desert rat-kangaroo, we opted for computed tomography, because it also images the internal structure of the bones at resolutions of 1050 micrometers." The resulting 3D files are deposited on the MorphoSource platform, which is important for scientists because it has the same rigorous cataloging as any physical museum. But the files are open access, with anyone able to download them for non-commercial use. To facilitate public access, Dr. Mein also built a Sketchfab site with more than 500 of the most precious and informative bones, with examples including the skull of an extinct marsupial tiger, or thylacine, the pig-footed bandicoot, desert-rat kangaroo and rare marsupial mole. Associate Professor Vera Weisbecker leads the 'Bones and Biodiversity Lab' at Flinders University and is part of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH). Credit: Flinders University "This means the public can compare the cranium of a fox to a thylacine and dingo, for example, and compare the size and shape of limb bones of common marsupials," adds Dr. Mein. "There are also plenty of annotations to help non-specialist users learn about vertebrate anatomy and compare anatomical attributes between species." 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. As well as the focus on large native mammals such as kangaroos, possums, and bandicoots, the database includes some non-native mammals that people tend to come across, like goats and sheep, as well as a selection of large birds, lizards and frogs. An illustration of the extinct Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) by Nellie Pease for GoExtinct! Megafauna boardgame published by ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH). CC-SA 4.0. Credit: Nellie Pease for GoExtinct! Megafauna boardgame The MorphoSource collection includes a number of specimens with interesting features or stories, including: The skeleton of Billie, the Port River dolphin well known to Adelaide residents. An Attenborough's long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi)previously considered extinct but was reobserved in the wild around the time the specimen was scanned. The extinct pig-footed bandicoot (Chaeropus ecaudatus), the only marsupial with something like hooves. CT scan of two whole marsupial moles (genus Notoryctes), which is Australia's "weirdest skeleton," according to Associate Professor Weisbecker. Associate Professor Weisbecker says there is no Australian precedent for open-access databases of this kind. "Hopefully this will lead the way to an even wider use of digitization to make Australia's unique local biodiversity accessible to the global public." More information: Vera Weisbecker et al, Ozboneviz: an Australian precedent in FAIR 3D imagery and extended biodiversity collections, BioScience (2025). DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biaf064 Journal information: BioScience Dakota Johnson has shared a bizarre dream she had about The 1975's Matty Healy. Dakota Johnson has shared her bizarre dream about Matty Healy The Hollywood actress explained the dream featured the band's frontman as a mass murderer who turned into an asparagus in a bid to avoid detection - and she revealed her former boyfriend Chris Martin told her it should be turned into a movie. During an appearance on the 'Good Hang' podcast, Dakota explained: "I actually had a dream the other night. "Matty Healy from The 1975 was in my dream and he was murdering people, and he was Matty Healy as himself. When the people were looking for him - they were cops maybe, he would turn into a piece of asparagus." She added of the dream: "I saw these two poles and a bed and I was like, 'Matty?' The sheets came down and it was him as an asparagus and Angelina Jolie as an asparagus. "They were getting married, and they left in a helicopter together as asparagus." She said she then told Chris about the dream, adding: "Chris was like: 'That's a really good pitch for a movie'." Dakota was involved with the Coldplay frontman on and off for around eight years and they are believe to have previously been engaged, but reports suggest they recently called off the romance for good. During her appearance on the podcast, Dakota revealed she recently adopted a new puppy named Tokyo from the Santa Barbara Humane Society in California and the pooch has been helping her cope with the loss of her previous dog Zeppelin, who died in December at the age of 17. She said: "We rescued her on Saturday from the Santa Barbara pound. I didn't plan on it. "I thought: 'It's gonna be a while [before I get another dog']. But then I saw her, and she's an angel." Dakota brought Tokyo along to the recording of the podcast and she added of the puppy: "She's a performer. Honestly, she has come alive on camera. "She normally hides in the back of her crate. She's really timid. And now she's like, 'Here I am' ... You're an actress just like your mom!" Dakota has yet to publicly address rumours of her split from Chris, but during a recent appearance on the 'Today' show, she shared her "non-negotiables" for dating in the future, declaring any future partner needs to be "just like, not an a******." 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: Workflow for automatic recording of archaeological catalogues. Credit: Journal of Archaeological Science (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106244 Archaeologists often face major challenges when trying to connect new discoveries with information from old books: How can the findings of 200 years of archaeological research be combined with new data? Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), together with international partners, have developed a software called "AutArch." It harnesses the power of artificial intelligence and big data to revisit old archaeological collectionsand could thus revolutionize archaeological data analysis. The researchers published their results in the Journal of Archaeological Science on June 3, 2025. AutArch is available as open source software on GitHub and Zenodo. AutArch opens up completely new avenues. It is based on neural networks that researchers have trained to independently detect, analyze, and relate common archaeological "objects" in catalogs, such as images of graves, human remains, pottery, and stone tools. AutArch does not only locate the data, but combines them to extract meaningful information. "When analyzing a grave drawing, for instance, the software detects the north arrow and the associated scaleand can use this to calculate the actual size of the grave and its orientation," explains Dr. Maxime Brami, who led the project at Mainz University. For archaeologists, this means they can use AutArch to automatically generate vast amounts of data, spread across many publications, to answer specific questions about the past and compare it, for instance, with 3D scans of artifacts in museum collections. "Previously, researchers had to manually extract information from images, which takes a lot of time and involves tedious tasks like resizing, reorienting, and reformatting the images," explains Kevin Klein, software developer at JGU and first author of the study. AutArch automates the entire process. Although it uses AI, the results are never black box. A user-friendly interface allows researchers to check and adjust the automatically extracted data, ensuring accuracy and accountability. The software is widely applicable and scalable AutArch is scalable and can serve the needs of the ever-growing field of digital humanities. Antoine Muller, a Paleolithic researcher and one of the authors of the study, says "The methodology is applicable to virtually any material, as long as the shape, size, and/or orientation of an object holds technological, functional, or chronological significance." Not only can it be applied to any material, but it also grows with increasing demands. "This development represents an important step forward in the application of artificial intelligence in archaeological research," Brami summarizes. "It has the potential to fundamentally transform data access and analysis." 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: This artist's illustration shows a stage in the predicted merger between our Milky Way galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, as it will unfold over the next several billion years. In this image, representing Earth's night sky in 3.75 billion years, Andromeda (left) fills the field of view and begins to distort the Milky Way with tidal pull. Credit: NASA; ESA; Z. Levay and R. van der Marel, STScI; T. Hallas; and A. Mellinger Astronomers have surveyed massive, dense star factories, unlike any found in the Milky Way, in a large number of galaxies across the local universe. The findings provide a rare glimpse into processes shaping galaxies in the very early universe and possibly the Milky Way a few billion years from now. Known as luminous and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies, or LIRGs and ULIRGs, these galaxies are relatively rare in the local universe, with only 202 known within 400 megaparsecs (1.3 billion light-years) from Earth, according to Sean Linden, a research associate at the University of Arizona Steward Observatory, who presented the findings during a press briefing at the 246th meeting of the American Astronomical Society on June 11. LIRGs and ULIRGs differ from spiral galaxies like the Milky Way in that they are in the process of merging with other galaxies. Most exhibit features such as two galactic nuclei instead of one or extended "tails" as gravity stretches and deforms the two objects. And unlike "modern" galaxies, they contain "clumps"dense regions brimming with newborn stars, much more massive than anything found in "typical," evolved galaxies that are not undergoing mergers. "These galaxies are very clumpy, very different from the beautiful spiral galaxies that we see now, such as the Milky Way," Linden said. "And we know from cosmological simulations that these clumps were the building blocks of galaxies in the early universe." Astronomers are interested in LIRGs and ULIRGs because they serve as windows into a distant past when the universe was much younger and galaxies were much less evolved and crashed into each other much more frequently than today. This is where the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS) comes in. It combines imaging and spectroscopic data from NASA's Spitzer, Hubble, Chandra and GALEX spaceborne observatories in a comprehensive study of more than 200 of the most luminous infrared-selected galaxies in the local universe. Now, infrared observations with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have provided the most complete census of these galaxies. Running from October 2023 until September 2024, the survey is the only of its kind. The team plans to publish the results in a forthcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal. Two interacting luminous infrared galaxies, designated as IRAS 09111-1007, from the survey. The galaxies already passed through each other once and are coming back on a second approach. Credit: Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey "You can imagine a million suns forming in one small, compact region, and within one of those galaxies, there are hundreds of thousands of such clumps," Linden said. For comparison, the most massive young clumps in the Milky Way have masses of about 1,000 suns, and on average, one star is born each year. When two galaxies collide and merge, star formation rates increase dramatically, Linden explained, resulting in massive clumps that are not seen in other galaxies that are not undergoing mergers. "These clumpy structures build up over time until they become incredibly massive, and if we want to understand them and how they actually contribute to galaxies evolving throughout cosmic time, we need to study them in detail," Linden said. Although star-forming clumps had already been observed with the Hubble Space Telescope, only the infrared capabilities of JWST allowed astronomers to pull aside the veils of thick dust that had prevented them from obtaining a more detailed look at these features. 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 survey results also confirm predictions of galaxy evolution based on simulations done by supercomputers, which predicted that "typical," disk-like galaxies contain fewer clumps of star formation, and most of the star formation happens in small clumps, as seen in the Milky Way today. Mergers produce bigger clumps, and more of them, and more of the star formation takes place in the massive clumps. "We're now finding these massive clumps in the local universe," Linden said. "We are beginning to complete the picture by comparing for the first time observations of massive clumps from both the nearby and the distant universe." A selection of luminous infrared galaxies from the GOALS survey. These objects are very common in the early but rarely found in the 'local' universe. Credit: Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey Being able to discern previously hidden details in these unusually massive star-forming clumps helps researchers better understand how these features and their host galaxies evolved over time, essentially providing a natural laboratory for a type of galaxy thatfor the most partno longer exists in the universe except for its most distant, outer regions. "In a sense, you look at the local universe, and it gives you information about what would have happened 10 billion years ago," said Linden, whose work focused on imaging the clumps and the star clusters, and who led the data acquisition, reduction and analysis. The early universe was much denser, he explained, and mergers between galaxies happened much more frequently, producing massive star-forming clumps. As the universe evolved and space expanded, the galaxies became more and more like the Milky Way and the mature spiral galaxies we see today. "The universe used to be much more violent and extreme in the past, and it's now settling down," Linden said. "That's why these rare examples of extreme galaxies no longer exist in the local universe, because, by and large, most galaxies have settled down as well." In addition to providing windows into the past, the surveyed galaxies also hint at the future, Linden said. At some point, the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies are going to collide, over the course of several billions of years, and when that happens, the merger could ignite another round of massive star formation in both galaxies. "As Andromeda gets closer and the pressure in the interstellar medium goes up, all of a sudden, the clumps that you will find that the Milky Way is forming will be more and more massive." 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: Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUVS) footage captured at depths of 61.3m at the Benham Bank in 2019. Credit: UP MSI DENR SECURE PH RISE Project Near the eastern coast of Luzon, Philippines, located 50 meters below the sea surface, is the Benham Bank, an underwater seamount taller than Mt. Apo. Benham Bank contains one of the richest mesophotic (or deep) coral ecosystems in the Philippines. One would not expect biodiversity to thrive here, considering the eastern coast of the Philippines is the most affected by typhoons, but a paper published in Coral Reefs in April titled "Benthic structuring of the mesophotic coral ecosystem on the Benham Bank seamount in the Philippines" reports that the Benham Bank is pristine and full of potential. "Seamounts, in general, are known for having high biodiversity and unique benthic (or seafloor) structures. Seamounts enhance ocean productivity and are considered biodiversity hotspots," shared researcher Joey P. Cabasan. Their recent study revealed not only Benham Bank's high biodiversity but also the pristine state of its reefscapes, with at least 11 scleractinian or hard coral genera of varying morphotypes, with 4 sites having excellent coral cover (~100%), 10 octocoral (or soft coral) genera, at least 4 genera of macroalgae (or seaweed), and some arborescent sponges. The hard coral cover across the 5080m depth range of Benham Bank was recorded at an overall mean of 30%, being substantially higher than other tropical mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) on isolated seamounts and those closer to mainland Philippines. Typically, live hard coral cover on mesophotic reefs is relatively poor, however, the Benham Bank is able to maintain high hard coral cover. "Benham Bank is in a way resilient to physical and thermal stress. There is stratification or layers with different water properties, which perhaps protected the Benham Bank from the effects of stress," said researcher Cabasan. Through stratification, the upper 40m layer creates a barrier that prevents mixing with the lower layers, thus providing protection. Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUVS) footage captured at depth of 73.2m and 75.9m at the Benham Bank in 2019. Credit: UP MSI DENR SECURE PH RISE Project "The water at Benham Bank is very clear. Since there are no major sources of nutrients like large rivers, nutrients and chlorophyll in the water column are low, and light is able to penetrate to greater depths. This allows the corals and algae to thrive there," explains co-author Dr. Cesar Villanoy. In addition to what was previously observed in an initial study, researcher Cabasan shared that the area showed eight probable habitat types in the mesophotic coral ecosystems at Benham Bank, Philippines: 1) macroalgae-dominated, 2) octocoral-dominated, 3) hard coral-dominated (showing extensive cover of foliose plate-forming Porites), 4) hard coral and octocoral, 5) turf algae and hard coral, 6) turf algae-dominated, 7) rocky, and 8) sandy. Classifying the probable habitat types in the MCE at Benham Bank could be helpful for legislators in properly zoning the area and determining which parts may be designated for protection, fishing, and other uses. 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 recent findings of the Benham Bank show that despite being a 3-day ship travel away from the mainland Philippines, it is immensely beneficial and relevant to Filipinos. During their fieldwork, researcher Cabasan saw traditional small-scale fishers from Infanta, Quezon, also working in the area, which the Philippine government designated as a "protected food supply exclusive zone" in May 2017. A 2014 survey found that despite its depth, Benham Bank hosts more than 60 reef-associated fish species, many of which are commercially important food fish: large species of snappers, emperors, groupers, trevallies, and surgeonfishes; a high diversity of butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae); and that majority of the fishes observed were mostly adults or large-sized individuals. The area also serves as an important breeding and nursery area for various tuna species and other commercially valuable fish. Map showing Benham Bank (BB, encircled in red) situated to the east of Luzon. Credit: Barretto, Wood, Milsom, Marine Geology, 2020. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2019.106052) Additionally, Benham Bank lies in a strategic location, which could help coral reef recovery in other areas. "[The area] is affected by the North Equatorial Current, which potentially receives larvae from other Pacific islands," researcher Cabasan said. The north equatorial current flows towards the northeast coast of the Philippines and splits northwards to form the Kuroshio or the Japan Current and southwards as the Mindanao Current. This current could mean that coral populations are connected, making coral reef recovery a possibility in mesophotic reefs with poor live hard coral cover. The research team included different specializations, such as marine biologists, oceanographers and geologists, to make the most out of the challenging 3-day travel by ship to the Benham Bank. Making it out to the Benham Bank requires a lot of proper planning due to seasonal challenges such as monsoons, with at least 6 months of preparation, to allow for coordination with different institutions and government agencies. Since researchers have only been able to study the Benham Bank area outside the monsoon season, many recommendations can be made for further studies, such as exploring the potential seasonal variation in stratification. A dedicated paper on the fish communities in the area can also provide a better picture of the ecological role Benham Bank plays. A 3D visualization of the Benham Bank. Credit: Janer, Siringan, Villanoy, Philippine Journal of Science, 2023. (https://doi.org/10.56899/152.6B.04) Connectivity studies about the area, tracing current patterns, and checking the potential sources and destinations of larvae may give insight into the recovery and interdependency of reefs in different areas. To continue to preserve the pristine state of the Benham Bank, emerging threats in the area, whether natural or manmade, must be studied. These recommendations are essential for future research, considering only 5% of seamounts around the world are protected. Researcher Cabasan's key takeaways from this research highlight the Benham Bank as a diverse community of marine organisms, corals, and algae. This biodiversity emphasizes the need to be proactive towards continued research, especially since current studies serve as a baseline for understanding the area. As we face climate change, research will answer our questions about how the Benham Bank's unique environment may continue to thrive and what steps we must take to protect its potential. More information: J. P. Cabasan et al, Benthic structuring of the mesophotic coral ecosystem on the Benham Bank seamount in the Philippines, Coral Reefs (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s00338-025-02658-1 Journal information: Coral Reefs Provided by University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute 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 scarlet tanager. Credit: Carol Ourivio/NYU There are thousands of species of birds, and many of their names are well-known to usblue jay, robin, and mallard, to name just a few. But we have little understanding of the holistic nature of avian nomenclature. Do birds' names tend to stem from physical or biological traits, such as a black-and-white warbler, or, rather, from peoplesuch as Bonaparte's gull, which was named after Charles Lucien Bonaparte, an ornithologist and nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte? A new study by New York University and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County answers many of these questions. The study has been published in PLOS One. After compiling a database of nearly 11,000 birds' names, the researchers found that a majoritynearly 90%are named after biological or other characteristics and a very small percentage11%are named after people. The database, the AvianLexiconAtlas, comes nearly two years after the American Ornithological Society announced that it would rename all bird species currently honoring people. "Until the publication of this database, there was no quantitative way to analyze the current state of terms in English bird names," explains Erin Morrison, a professor of Liberal Studies at NYU and the co-lead author of the paper. "In addition to showing that a very small percentage of birds are named after people, the database reveals that some of the terminology we use to name birds is very specializedand it points toward an issue with how accessible these names are, such as the isabelline shrike and the diademed sandpiper-plover, even to native English speakers." "The work gives us a rich insight into how birds are named overall," adds Allison Shultz, co-lead author and curator of ornithology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. "Those naming processes can reflect all the strangeness and specificity of the people naming them, their culture, and their historythings that wouldn't help tell you what a bird looks like." An immature female Northern parula. Credit: Carol Ourivio/NYU Some of the stranger bird names include the barnacle goose, whose name comes from an erroneous medieval notion that these geese hatch from barnacles each autumn, and the Pincoya storm-petrela moniker based on the mythical Chilean sea nymph who represents the fertility of the seas, aids shipwrecked mariners, and dances on the waves to indicate good or bad fishing. Common names are often the way the general public interacts and communicates about species in naturefor instance, brown bears or the California sea lion. These names should therefore provide an accessible way for people to engage with and identify speciesthough this isn't always the case when it comes to birds. "In ornithology, there has been significant reflection among both professional researchers and amateur naturalists about what the terminology in regionally standardized English-language common names should communicate about species of birds," explains Morrison. Some names directly describe characteristics of a species (e.g., yellow-rumped warbler), while other names are ambiguous (e.g., barnacle goose), are unrelated to the species' biology (e.g., Wilson's warbler), or have no obvious significance (e.g., the common grackle). 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 researchers believe that the AvianLexiconAtlas, a Github site that encompasses nearly all known bird species, can serve as a systematic resource to assess the types of terminology used in the English-language common names of birds. "Our hope is that this database, which includes the categorical dataset as well as a glossary and gazetteer of terms in English-language bird names, can be used by other researchers and amateur naturalists to study the utility of the terms, linguistic patterns, and their biological relevanceamong other educational uses," says Morrison. A red-eyed vireo. Credit: Carol Ourivio/NYU The AvianLexiconAtlas database provides a quantitative dataset that assigns the unique descriptor of each species's common name to one of 10 distinct categories associated with aspects of avian physical traits, avian natural history, or human culture. These include the black-capped chickadee (a physical trait shared by both sexes), the European starling (geographic location), and the rock pigeon, which nests on cliffs (natural history). The project started with Morrison and Shultz wondering how many species were named after birds' feathers, or plumage, found only in malessuch as a scarlet tanager. "We found that about 1,000 of the 11,000 species were named after male-only plumage, but just 20 were named after female-only plumagewith the orange-bellied antwren being one of the few," notes Shultz. The compiling of the atlas began in Morrison's Life Science class at NYU in the fall of 2022. In a course assignment, the students identified whether a bird species is named after a person, a non-English language term (e.g., baglafecht weaver), a geographic location, a physical trait, physical size (e.g., small blue kingfisher), a natural history trait (e.g., mangrove finch), or a behavioral trait (e.g., mute swan). Some of the course's students, along with NYU Liberal Studies professors Kevin Bonney, Ida Chavoshan, Jared Simard, and Talia Mota, are among the paper's co-authors. "In the future, we look forward to combining what we learned with rich sources of data like our bird collections to understand the connections between birds and people better," says Shultz. "Overall, this work provides valuable insights in helping develop approachable names that help strengthen this connection and ultimately help protect birds and nature." 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 Australia has experienced a dramatic rise in housing prices over the past decade. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that by the end of 2023, median house prices across major cities have risen substantially, with prices in Sydney soaring to a staggering $AU1.3 million. Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane followed closely. Those median prices sit at $AU980,000, $AU840,000 and $AU830,000 respectively. Compared to other countries, home ownership is becoming increasingly out of reach for many Australianswe now lag behind countries like the U.S. and the U.K. And other housing affordability metrics in Australia continue to paint this grim picture. The house price-to-income ratio now averages at 16.4 times the per capita income, nearly double what it was in 1990, and significantly higher than in 2020. Affordability for median-income households reflects a similar trend, with only 10% of the housing market now affordable to them, down from 40% in March 2022. Another key indicator we use to look at affordability shows the number of years to save a 20% deposit now exceeds 13 years in Sydney, followed by 11.8 years in Hobart and 10.9 years in Brisbane. Additionally, the percentage of household income required to service a new mortgage has also risen across major Australian cities; we've got 62.1% in Sydney, and 51.7% in Brisbane, which has doubled since 2019. All of these metrics tell us just how much Australia's housing affordability has deteriorated over the past few decades. But before we explore possible solutions, we need to first understand the root causes. The mismatch of supply and demand The housing issue is shaped by a complex blend of factors, including rising demand, changing household incomes, shifting demographics and taxation policies. One key driver is the mismatch between supply and demand, particularly in rapidly growing urban centers. With almost half of Australia's population now living in major cities, economists point to a shortage of available urban homes along with the increasing inability of many Australians to keep up with soaring rent and property prices. In response, governments at all levels have committed to increasing the housing supply by 1.2 million new homes by 2029, an ambitious target that requires a 40% increase in annual housing delivery over the next five years. Despite this promise, there are growing concerns about whether this target is really attainable, particularly with the current approaches to housing construction. Many housing experts warn that new supply is likely to fall short, citing the limited involvement of local governments in national decision-making as a major barrier. In the current Australian housing discussion, the opportunities presented by new business models are largely missing. For example, some approaches could be inspired by servitizationwhere instead of selling the land itself, governments or developers sell land as a service, packaging access with maintenance and infrastructure, perhaps on a lease. If combined with prefabrication, a smart building method that enables faster, cost-effective construction, it could transform the housing market and help meet the ambitious housing targets. But how can they be applied in Australia? 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. Rethinking the way we 'own' Servitization models present a new way of thinking about ownership by shifting the focus from ownership to access. If we think about the concept in terms of housing, this could enable local councils to respond to urgent housing demands by leasing undeveloped land temporarily. In particular, this approach can help rapidly deploy temporary homes in response to disaster relief and low-income housing. Ideas like peppercorn rent schemes where land is leased for a nominal feemean councils could temporarily meet housing demands. Land value plays a direct role in housing affordability, with higher costs associated with land often driving up housing prices and impacting people's ability to afford homes. Servitization can help by distributing land costs over a certain period, drastically improving the affordability of social housing schemes, and potentially eliminating the high capital expenditure associated with land. Combined with prefabrication, servitization could offer a holistic housing solution that integrates design, fabrication, installation and disassembly, as well as the possibility of bundling building services into the service offering. Rethinking the way we 'build' Prefabrication, also called modular or off-site construction, is a mode of production where building components are manufactured away from the construction site. By manufacturing standardized and modular components in a controlled environment, this approach offers a faster, cheaper and efficient way to build. These parts are then transported to the building site and assembled like pieces of a puzzle. Despite its long history in Australia, its adoption in the construction industry has remained limited. Currently, prefabrication represents less than 5% of Australia's $AU150 billion construction industry. Although it's estimated to reach 15% by the end of this year, we're still well behind other developed countries like Finland, Norway and Sweden. In its modern form, prefabrication is a part of a broader, innovative business model known as industrialized building, which combines prefabrication, modularization and standardization. Collectively, this business model promises a range of benefits, including improved productivity, reduced construction waste and significant time and cost savings. Technology plays a crucial role, supporting every stage of the process from design to production and on-site assembly. By reducing lead time and increasing productivity, these technologies can help drive down costs. A range of technological enablers, collectively referred to as Industry 4.0 technologies, include sensors, data analytics, robotics, artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing and augmented/virtual reality, contribute to its evolution. The true cost-saving potential of prefab housing is realized when implemented at scale, enabling economies to drive down cost and improve affordability. With supply bottlenecks and unmet demand, prefabricated houses can potentially boost housing supply in a short timeframe. Bringing new business models into the housing dialogue New business models like servitization and prefabrication hold great promise in addressing Australia's complex housing challenges. But current affordable housing discourse tends to focus on government policies, taxation, rising costs and inadequate supply. While these factors are important, we need to broaden the conversation to include new business models that tap into unique solutions. At the core of the housing issue is a mismatch between supply and demand, an issue that servitization and prefabrication are well-positioned to help resolve by offering a whole housing solution on a service basis. 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: ThisIsEngineering from Pexels Walter Cronkite was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" as he delivered the news on CBS in the 1960s and '70sa time when fewer news options created a "shared reality" that scholars argue fostered civic engagement, empathy, and shared national identity. The situation looks quite different in today's disparate media landscape. Much scholarship has focused on how the decline in a common baseline of facts has increased polarization and decreased trust in institutions, but less attention has been paid to whetheror in what mannerseparate realities have become more common. Additionally, analyses have largely detailed online news, whereas television accounts for five times as much news consumption for average Americans. A team from the University of Pennsylvania's Computational Social Science Lab (CSSLab)a joint venture of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Annenberg School for Communication, and Wharton Schoolhas spent years analyzing bias in TV news produced between December 2012 and October 2022. They coded more than 13.4 million hard news and talk/opinion segments from three broadcast networksABC, CBS, and NBCand three cable stationsCNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. The findings show that while the broadcast channels continued to cover similar topics with similar language over the decade, cable stations increasingly diverge from each other and from broadcast news in the topics they cover and the language used. Meanwhile, "viewers of broadcast news receive largely interchangeable news regardless of which station they watched or when in time they watched it," the authors write. Their findings are published in Scientific Reports. "To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive study to date of topical focus and polarization across major U.S. TV news networks," says senior author Duncan Watts, director of the CSSLab and a Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor. The percentage of U.S. adults turning to broadcast news as their primary news source fell from 35% in 2016 to 25% in 2023. "More and more people are getting different information, and a smaller group of people are getting similar information, which really will contribute to having a different understanding of the world around us," says first author Homa Hosseinmardi, a senior research associate in the CSSLab at the time of this research and a visiting scholar at the CSSLab. Relative differences in coverage between cable-FNC (red), CNN (green), and MSNBC (blue)-and broadcast stations, for the 24 topics. A positive value indicates that a cable station devoted a larger share of its coverage to a given topic relative to broadcast news. Credit: Scientific Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-01046-7 The researchers calculated the proportion of airtime each station dedicated to 24 topics, grouped into socially polarizing issues (e.g., abortion and immigration), issues made salient by a specific event (e.g., vaccines and Russia), and issues of perennial relevance (e.g., health care and the economy). While Fox News was the most distinct from broadcast news overall at the beginning and end of the 10-year period, MSNBC and CNN demonstrated greater increases in the difference in topic selection during this period, the researchers found. But while MSNBC and CNN diverged from broadcast news, the two stations grew more alike in topic selection and language. 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 researchers found that Fox News gave greater airtime to the economy, taxes, immigration, and terrorism; MSNBC provided more coverage of abortion and ethnicity; and broadcast networks aired a higher proportion of segments on topics that are less overtly partisan, such as technology and education. The researchers also measured polarization in TV news production, which they define as the average probability that a listener could correctly identify a station from a one- or two-word utterance. The findings show that polarization increased leading up to the 2016 and 2020 elections, and that MSNBC had the highest polarization during Donald Trump's first term, while Fox News had the highest polarization during the Biden Administration. "News sources aren't fixed, they're not monoliths, and they do change over time," says co-author Sam Wolken, a joint Ph.D. student in communication and political science. "They are companies that are changing in response to audience behavior and economic conditions in the political environment, and so when we think about these outlets, they're always reinventing themselves and trying to meet the time, and our paper really draws that out." Hosseinmardi and Wolken say that they are surprised to find that increased polarization in hard-news programming contributed more to the growing differences in cable news than opinion content, despite opinion shows hosting the most polarizing content overall. This study builds on previous research from Watts and Hosseinmardi showing that TV news is a larger driver of echo chambers than the internet. Looking forward, Hosseinmardi says she is interested in applying these findings to issues other than news and politicssuch as health topicsand in studying news from streaming services. More information: Homa Hosseinmardi et al, Unpacking media bias in the growing divide between cable and network news, Scientific Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-01046-7 Journal information: Scientific Reports 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: Intact Mediterranean-type oak savanna (Tonzi Ranch), a research site of the University of California, Berke-ley, whose researchers contributed to the study. Credit: Sebastian Fiedler As the world focuses on repairing damaged ecosystems, especially with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and new EU Nature Restoration law in place, a new study sounds a clear message: when it comes to restoring nature, one size doesn't fit all. A team of scientists, led by the University of Gottingen and Freie Universitat Berlin, found that even ecosystems that look similar on the surface can respond very differently to the same restoration methods. If we want to bring back nature in a way that helps absorb carbon, keep water in the ground, and recycle nutrients, policymakers need to think locally. The findings were published in the journal Ecography. In 2019, researchers from around the world joined forces to study how to best restore dry, Mediterranean-style landscapesplaces with wet winters and dry summers, like parts of the Mediterranean, California, Chile, South Africa, and Australia. These regions are under serious environmental stress and urgently need support. The team wanted to find out which combinations of native plants could best bring back the land's natural functions. Because these ecosystems are so vast and varied, they built a computer modelwhich works like a strategy computer game for scientiststo test how different plant mixes would perform in different soils and climates. Restoration of Mediterranean-type woodland with protected young trees, Valencian Community, Spainresearchers from this region contributed to the study. Credit: Sebastian Fiedler The model matched up well with real-world results from a large restoration project in southwestern Australia. In addition, it showed that trying to achieve all goals at oncestoring more carbon, saving water, and holding on to nitrogenis tough. Compromises are often needed, and what works best depends a lot on local soil and climate conditions. "The great news is that this tool can help us choose the best plants for a local area, depending on what we want to achieve," said Dr. Sebastian Fiedler, Postdoctoral Researcher at Technische Universitat Berlin, who led this research at Gottingen University and Freie Universitat Berlin. Fiedler continues, "But we're not done yetright now, the model doesn't include things like wildfires, which are becoming more common and could change everything. That's our next step." More information: Sebastian Fiedler et al, Tradeoffs among restored ecosystem functions are contextdependent in Mediterraneantype regions, Ecography (2025). DOI: 10.1002/ecog.07609 Journal information: Ecography 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 Under what conditions would it be rightor is it never acceptableto eliminate a harmful species from our planet? That's what an international team of researchers, including Professor of Philosophy Dr. Clare Palmer from Texas A&M University, explores in a study published in Science. In the study, "Deliberate extinction by genome modification: An ethical challenge," researchers examine the controversial idea of using genetic engineering for local and full species extinction as a conservation strategy. They conducted case studies on three species: the New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax); the Anopheles gambiae mosquito, a vector for malaria; and invasive rodent species like the house mouse and black rat. "Together, we argue, these cases suggest that deliberate full extinction might occasionally be acceptable, but only extremely rarely," the team states. Screwworms, mosquitoes and invasive rodents A screwworm is a parasitic fly that infests warm-blooded animals, causing severe suffering and economic loss, particularly in livestock. Mosquitoes carrying malaria are extremely dangerous for humans of all ages. Nearly 290 million people around the world are infected annually, and 400,000 of them will die of the disease. And invasive house mice on islands are eating seabirds alive, driving their populations toward extinction. "These cases highlight the tension between the intrinsic value of a species and the benefits of eradicating a harmful pest," Palmer said. "While the suffering caused by these species is undeniable, the ethical implications of deliberately driving a species to extinction are profound. We must carefully weigh the ecological and moral implications of such actions." Genome modification for extinction The researchers examined the use of several genetic methods to eradicate harmful species: Sterile Insect Technique (SIT): Mass-reared insects are exposed to radiation to produce sterilizing genetic mutations. These sterilized insects are then released in large numbers with the goal that sterile males mate with wild-type female insects, preventing reproduction. This method has been used to eradicate the New World screwworm locally in North and Central America and some Caribbean islands. Female-Specific Release of Insects with a Dominant Lethal (fsRIDL): Genetically-modified male insects are released, and their offspring inherit a gene that kills female larvae unless they are exposed to a specific substance (like tetracycline). This reduces the population over time. This method could be coupled with a Gene Drive that would push rapidly through a population, ensuring that nearly all offspring inherit the modification. This can lead to population suppression or full extinction; this method has been proposed to eradicate species like New World screwworm or Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes Sex-Biasing Gene Drives: This genetic modification biases the sex ratio of a population, leading to a population crash. It is proposed for local eradication of house mice, black rats and Norway rats in places where the invasive species threaten native species, such as islands where they pose a threat to endangered birds. However, this technology might escape confinement and risks fullextinction of the targeted species. 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. Factors for ethical justification The researchers conclude that while deliberate extinction through genome modification is justified in rare and compelling cases, it should be approached with caution. The study calls for robust ethical safeguards and inclusive decision-making frameworks to guide the use of these powerful technologies. They suggest the following conditions under which eradication could be considered: Severity of Suffering: The species causes extreme suffering and death to human beings or other animals that can't otherwise be prevented. Ecological Impact: The species threatens the continuance of other species, is not itself ecologically vital, and its eradication does not have substantial negative environmental impacts. Effectiveness of Existing Methods: Genomic strategies should offer a more effective solution than traditional methods. Risk of Unintended Consequences: The risk of unintended consequences, in particular the inadvertent full extinction of the species where this is not intended, should be negligible. Public Health and Welfare Threat: The species poses a significant public health threat or brings major negative impacts to food security. Ethical Considerations: Even taking the intrinsic value of the species and any environmental benefits it confers seriously, these can be argued to be outweighed by the harm it causes. Inclusive Governance: Involving local communities and stakeholders in decision-making is essential to ensure that diverse perspectives are heard, and that those who are most affected are equitably represented. Palmer said she hopes the study will influence public policy and conservation practices. "Our goal is to foster a more nuanced understanding of the ethical dimensions of genome modification," she said. "We need to balance the potential benefits with the moral responsibilities we have towards all species." More information: Gregory E. Kaebnick et al, Deliberate extinction by genome modification: An ethical challenge, Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adv4045 Journal information: Science 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: Study first author Yanxin Lin, left, and senior author Misha Kwasniewski examine the structure of the chemical catechin, an important polyphenol and building block of tannins. The new tannin-measurement method breaks large, complex structures into catechin ions and other fragments to characterize the original structure. Credit: Pennsylvania State University In red wines, ciders and dark chocolate, just to name a few, complex plant compounds called procyanidins contribute to the taste and mouthfeel of a food or beverageits perceived astringency and bitterness. But while food scientists have been able to assess the total content of procyanidins in a food or drink, they have not yet identified which specific procyanidins are present and correlate to specific perceptions. But now, for the first time, a team led by researchers at Penn State has developed a method of "fingerprinting" procyanidins, introducing a more sophisticated and accurate way to analyze the perceptual variation in many foods and drinks. "Drinking red wines, sometimes that tannic element is really harsh, like dragging sandpaper across your tongue, and sometimes it is velvety or smoothand yet those two wines can have the same absolute amount of procyanidins, also referred to as condensed tannins," said team leader and senior author Misha Kwasniewski, associate research professor of fermented beverage science and technology in the College of Agricultural Sciences. "We wanted to understand the biological activity of taste and mouthfeel, but this goes beyond taste and mouthfeel because procyanidins also are responsible for antioxidant activity and health-related benefits, and current analytical methods often show a lack of correlation with biological activities and health-related benefits." According to Kwasniewski, current analytical methods only measure the total amount of procyanidins, rather than differentiate between them, so it can be difficult to determine how astringent a wine feels or how healthy a food might be. In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the researchers described an advanced analytical chemistry method they named Condensed Tannin Fragmentation Fingerprinting. It is based on a technique known as in-source fragmentation, in which molecules from a food or beverage sample are identified using a laboratory device called a mass spectrometer. A collection of wines being analyzed for their tannin fingerprints sits in front of one of the liquid chromatographymass spectrometry machines used to develop the new method. These wines are part of the next research phase, which seeks to better understand the link between tannin structure and mouthfeel. Credit: Penn State. Greatly simplified, the process first separates compounds in the sample. Then, different voltages are applied to break the procyanidins into fragments that the researchers can match to known standards, allowing them to identify and quantify each type of procyanidin. In the study, the researchers tested the effectiveness and accuracy of their Condensed Tannin Fragmentation Fingerprinting method on 19 complex samples containing known amounts of various condensed tannins. The method demonstrated high accuracy and precision in characterizing the condensed tannins present, Kwasniewski said. Then the researchers used it to analyze eight commercially available ciders with similar results, validating the concept. Now, Kwasniewski's research group is working with Pennsylvania winemakers to improve the quality of their products. In cool climates like Pennsylvania, he explained, wines tend not to have "as big a mouthfeel" as wines made from grapes grown in warmer climatesthey have a less intense "dry" astringency profile. "We want to learn how winemakers herewhether it be through new breeding programs and new grape varieties, or wine-making techniques or any number of interventionscan make the type of wines that they want to make, and sometimes that will be wines that have greater amounts of astringency," Kwasniewski said. "The current methods that were available for understanding what was going on with the tannin structure really don't work with Pennsylvania wines." More information: Yanxin Lin et al, Fingerprinting and Quantification of Procyanidins via LC-MS/MS and ESI In-Source Fragmentation, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5c02379 Journal information: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 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: People climb to the top of what once was the Okjokull glacier, in Iceland, Aug. 18, 2019. Credit: AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File Human-caused climate change boosted Iceland and Greenland 's temperatures by several degrees during a record-setting May heat wave, raising concerns about the far-reaching implications melting Arctic ice has for weather around the world, scientists said in an analysis released Wednesday. The Greenland ice sheet melted many times faster than normal during the heat wave, according to the analysis by World Weather Attribution, with at least two communities seeing record temperatures for May. Parts of Iceland saw temperatures more than 10C (18 F) above average, and the country set a record for its warmest temperature in May when Egilsstadir Airport hit 26.6C (79.9 F) on May 15. The findings come as global leaders put more focus on Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, following U.S. President Donald Trump's comments that he would like to annex the mineral-rich island. Burning fossil fuels for electricity and transportation releases pollutants such as carbon dioxide that cause the planet to warm unnaturally fast. The Arctic is one of the fastest-warming places on Earth. Even in today's climate, the occurrence of such a strong heat wave in the region is relatively rare, with a 1% chance of occurring in a year, the analysis said. But without human-caused climate change, such an event would be "basically impossible," said Friederike Otto, associate professor of climate science at Imperial College London, one of the report's authors. The extreme heat was 40 times more likely compared to the pre-industrial climate. Public school pupils are seen inside their classrooms next to the large icebergs in Ilulissat, Greenland, Feb. 19, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File Global impacts from a melting Arctic Otto said this extreme weather event affects the world. As the Greenland ice sheet melts, it releases massive amounts of fresh water into the salty oceans. Scientists say this could slow down the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, an ocean current that circulates water from the Gulf of Mexico across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe and then the Arctic. Such a slowdown could disturb global climate and weather patterns. "The nature of weather in the Northern Hemisphere is directly tied to what's happening in the Arctic, because that ice floor basically at the bottom of the atmosphere helps determine the weather patterns that we get," said Waleed Abdalati, who heads an environmental sciences institute at the University of Colorado Boulder. He was not involved in the WWA analysis. Vice President JD Vance tours Pituffik Space Base, in Greenland, March 28, 2025. Credit: Jim Watson/AP Photo, File The Greenland ice sheet and other ice covering the Arctic can influence where and when wind blows, how much water content the wind has and whether precipitation falls as rain or snow. Most of the melting of the Greenland ice sheet happens in June, July and August. The May heat wave means there will be a longer melting season this year. Melting ice sheets and glaciers also contribute to sea level rise that is threatening to flood coastlines globally and inundate low-lying island nations in the Pacific Ocean. Indigenous communities in Greenland are increasingly encountering dangerous travel conditions as sea ice that was once constantly frozen begins to thaw. Access to traditional hunting locations are lost, and sled dogs can no longer travel the same routes. Thawing permafrost can destabilize buildings and increases the risk of landslides and tsunamis caused by landslides. A boat navigates large icebergs near Kulusuk, in eastern Greenland, on Aug. 15, 2019. Credit: AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File Greenland dismisses interest from U.S. Greenland was recently thrust onto the global stage with Trump's interest in annexing it. The Arctic island is rich with oil, gas and rare earth minerals, and its proximity to the U.S., Russia and Europe has geopolitical appeal. 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. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has said Greenland "will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone." Twila Moon, deputy lead scientist at the U.S.-based National Snow and Ice Data Center, said it is essential that Greenlanders lead decisions about their territory. "Certainly an important part of this conversation is about climate change and climate impacts," she said. She was not involved in the WWA analysis. Moon said the climate impacts Greenland is experiencing, particularly the warming global temperatures, stem from well-identified sources such as highly polluting nations and industries. She said actions such as converting to solar or wind energy and switching to transportation that emits less pollution create positive climate impacts for people far away. 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Julianne Moore thinks Sydney Sweeney is "so talented". Julianne Moore has heaped praise on Sydney Sweeney The 64-year-old actress stars alongside Sydney, 27, in Echo Valley, and Julianne has revealed that she relished the experience of playing the blonde beauty's on-screen mother in the new thriller film. She told Extra: "Sydneys so terrific, shes so available, shes so professional, shes so talented, and we just had a really good time, you know, building the relationship and being with each other. "I think were aware of how important this relationship is, the mother-daughter bond, and how much it can hold, how elastic it is, and how far you can push it with each other. "It can be volatile, especially when kids are younger, when girls are teenagers and you realise they've had this tremendous history. But it was fun. I think we were able to match each other's energy, and we really enjoyed each other's company, and it worked." Sydney also enjoyed the experience of working with Julianne, describing her co-star as "beyond kind and generous". Sydney said: "Everyone had always told me you are the kindest person they've ever met, and it's true, like, absolutely beyond kind and generous and thoughtful and just present for everyone on set." Sydney previously confessed that she "tried to hide" her personality at the start of her career. The actress revealed that she wasn't sure what to share with fans during her younger years. Asked what advice she'd give her younger self, Sydney told Vanity Fair's 2025 Hollywood Issue: "I actually think about this often. I go back and forth. "One way is, 'Sydney, dont give them any part of you, only talk work.' Then theres another part of me where I wish that I could have started off and been so openly me that theres no questioning things that I say. "I just tried to hide who I was for so long because I wanted a little bit of myself for myself. I didnt want to give it all away. "Then when you just talk about work, people are annoyed or bored or - what Ive noticed the most - they just create their own idea of who you are. I see that all the time with me." 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: Peatlands, such as this area in southern Dorset in England, contain comparable amounts of carbon to rainforests. Mapping more accurately than ever Ireland's peatlands, which are vital as carbon sinks but whose boundaries can be hard to determine, could help fight global warming, researchers say. Ireland is pockmarked with patches of dark brown peat soil that make up at least 20% of the land cover, according to Eve Daly, a geophysicist at the University of Galway, who co-led a groundbreaking project on finding peat. "Peatland soils contain comparable amounts of carbon to the likes of rainforests so a more accurate map can lead to better land management decisions and mitigate against greenhouse gas emissions," Daly told AFP. Her research team developed a new mapping approach using gamma radiation measurements to identify for the first time "transition zones"typically hidden under forests and grasslandswhere the soil changes from being peat to mineral-based. Daly says the area of soil in Ireland considered "peaty" has increased thanks to a new color-coded "peat/non-peat" map produced by the researchers. "Improved mapping at higher resolution and locating where hidden organic peat soils are and their extent are key inputs into working out carbon emission factors," she said. Her project co-leader Dave O'Leary told AFP about 80% of Ireland had now been mapped out in patches of "peat" brown or "non-peat" green. "Few countries have invested in such an incredible data set, which puts Ireland at the forefront of peatland mapping research," he said. Irish turf dries in a field before being used as a traditional way of heating Irish homes in Carragh, west of Dublin. 'New lens' Land use, including farming and peatland draining, is a major source of Ireland's carbon emissions which could see the country failing to meet an EU-agreed climate target to cut emissions by over 50% by 2030. A recent report said Ireland risks an EU fine of almost 30 billion euros if it fails to reach the target and recommended the restoringand rewettingof thousands of hectares of peatlands to help deliver "massive" cuts in emissions. "We need to use more modern technologies or use old technologies with new lenses to try and find these hidden peat soils," Daly said. Ireland's boggy areas are typically located in the middle of the bowl-shaped country which is ringed with hills and low mountains around the coastal areas. Triven Koganti, an agroecology expert at Denmark's Aarhus University, told AFP that 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions came from cultivated peatlands. "Historical agricultural draining of peatlands... or to use them as a fuel source has led to significant greenhouse gas emissions," he said. So "an accurate accounting" of peatland boundaries is needed to achieve "current global initiatives to restore peatlands", he said, adding the Irish research "plays an important role in establishing this". Cultivated peatlands account for some five percent of greenhouse gas emissions. 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. 'Bird's eye' technique The mapping techniquedescribed as "bird's eye" by Dalyis based on gamma-ray data measured by a sensor onboard a plane that has been flown low over Ireland for a decade in a state-funded geophysical survey. "All rocks and different amounts of soils give off a certain amount of natural radiation but peat doesn't as it's full of organic material," Daly said. Soils are usually a mixture of broken bits of rock, water and air, but peat soils are distinct from mineral soils as they are formed from decaying plant material, water and air, and contain a very high amount of carbon. When waterlogged, this carbon is stored in the soil but when water is removed, for example via drainage, peat soils then emit carbon dioxide as the decay process restarts, Daly said. The state-funded "Tellus" survey began in 2011 and is expected to be completed later this year. 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: NASA's PUNCH mission, led by SwRI, used its Narrow Field Imager to collect images of solar activity. By blocking the sun's bright face, NFI captures the sun's atmosphere in unprecedented detail. The June 3 CME shown at the top of the image grew to enormous size, 100 times that of the sun, as it traveled across the solar system. Credit: Southwest Research Institute Southwest Research Institute's Dr. Craig DeForest discussed the latest accomplishments of NASA's PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission during a media event at the 246th American Astronomical Society meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. As the spacecraft constellation completes commissioning, early PUNCH data showed coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, as they erupted from the sun and traveled across the inner solar system. "These preliminary movies show that PUNCH can actually track space weather across the solar system and view the corona and solar wind as a single system," said DeForest, PUNCH principal investigator from SwRI's Space Science and Exploration Division in Boulder, Colorado. "This big-picture view is essential to helping scientists better understand and predict space weather driven by CMEs, which can disrupt communications, endanger satellites and create auroras on Earth." PUNCH's four small suitcase-sized spacecraft act as a single virtual instrument 8,000 miles across to image the solar corona, the sun's outer atmosphere, as it transitions into the solar wind that fills and defines our solar system. "These first integrated images of our home in space are astonishing, but the best is yet to come," DeForest said. "Once the spacecraft are in their final formation and the ground processing is fully sighted over the next few months, we'll be able to track the solar wind and space weather in 3D throughout our neighborhood in space." Credit: Southwest Research Institute The SwRI-developed and -led Wide Field Imagers aboard three of the four PUNCH spacecraft collected high-resolution images of entire CMEs in greater detail than previously possible. These instruments are designed to observe the faint, outermost portion of the sun's atmosphere and solar wind. Images of a June CME from PUNCH's coronagraph, the Narrow Field Imager, aboard the fourth spacecraft allow scientists to see the details of the sun's atmosphere by blocking the sun's bright face. On March 11, PUNCH launched into polar orbit to make global, 3D observations of the sun's outer atmosphere and the inner solar system to help understand how material released from the sun becomes the solar wind. The mission will also provide scientists with new data about how potentially disruptive events from the sun, like solar flares and CMEs, form and evolve. This information could lead to more accurate predictions about the arrival of space weather on Earth and how it impacts assets and explorers in space. Southwest Research Institute, based in San Antonio, Texas, leads the PUNCH mission and operates the four spacecraft from its facilities in Boulder, Colorado. The mission is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. 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 The growing trend of encouraging educators to learn about how children's brains work can offer reassurance, but it risks teachers' autonomy and critical thinking, a new study warns. Neuroscience is having a growing impact on the way teachers work. This is shown by the increasing number of professional development courses on the subject for those working in schools around the world. The study warns this training does not always take account of the social context in which schools operate. If teachers are told biological information is more important than their pedagogical training and experience, they could feel devalued, despite the possible positive influence of the training on their work. Researchers say neuroscience can be a useful tool, but only when viewed critically and not shown as the superior or only way to teach. The courses they have examined in Chile are often not regulated or inspected, and left to the rules of the market, so should be used in conjunction with the skills and socio-educational knowledge teachers have, rather than in isolation. A study on this topic, by Daniel Leyton and Lauren Stentiford from the University of Exeter, is published in the journal Critical Studies in Education. Dr. Leyton said, "The professional value of teachers' other skills is equally as important and should be respected. Neuroscience training, which has information about learning styles, how the brain learns, and the sort of food children should eat to increase their capacity, for example, can be a useful addition and is well-intentioned, but care needs to be taken to ensure the teaching profession is not left devalued, and teachers keep bringing nuanced understanding of inequalities and injustices in schools." The study says neuroscience training can be empowering, but its increasing use in schools risks weakening teachers' understanding of themselves and students and parents and the historical and social contexts in which schools operate. Researchers interviewed 19 teachers and teacher educators in Chile. Those working in schools in that country work in an environment where they are often regularly observed or set targets, which puts pressure on them to experiment with tools such as neuroscience. They also mapped CPD courses in neuroscience available for teachers in Chile running from 2007 to 2023 and examined neuroscience information from YouTube videos, podcasts, media interviews, academic journals and books. Through the interviews, they identified a shift toward neuroscience as new authoritative knowledge and a change in teachers' pedagogical language. Dr. Stentiford said, "Interviewees spoke about their motivations for pursuing CPD or postgraduate neuroeducation courses, links unfolded between acquiring neuroscientific knowledge and regaining authority through certainty. They felt undertaking training in neuroscience education had represented a path to professional legitimacy. Some were energized by neuroscience's promise. Others criticized the marketization of neuroscience as the source of pseudo-experts." More information: Daniel Leyton et al, Neuroscience, biopolitics and new professional subjectivities in education, Critical Studies in Education (2025). DOI: 10.1080/17508487.2025.2493835 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: Darla Zelenitsky, a paleontologist and associate professor in the Faculty of Science, and Jared Voris, a Ph.D. candidate, have identified a new species of dinosaur named Khankhuuluu. They, along with a team of international scientists, have published a paper in the journal, Nature, about the evolution of Tyrannosaurs. Credit: Riley Brandt/University of Calgary Paleontologists have identified a new species of dinosaur, Khankhuuluu, which is being described as the closest-known ancestor to the giant Tyrannosaurs. The finding by an international team of researchersled by Jared Voris and Dr. Darla Zelenitsky in the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgaryis published in the journal Nature. Voris, first author and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, says the new species of Tyrannosaur would have lived 86 million years ago and was a medium-sized, fleet-footed predator that evolved after the extinction of other large predatory dinosaurs. Khankhuuluu was the closest ancestor to the behemoths famously depicted in media like Jurassic Park, the Tyrannosaurs. "This new species provides us the window into the ascent stage of Tyrannosaur evolution; right when they're transitioning from small predators to their apex predator form," says Voris. Khankhuuluu translates from Mongolian to mean "prince of dragons" or "the dragon prince." The name denotes its place in the lineage of Tyrannosaurs, as Khankhuuluu was the prince before species like Tyrannosaurus rex, the Tyrant Lizard King. As the closest-known ancestor, Khankhuuluu shares many characteristics with its Tyrannosaur descendantsthough it lacked some of the more defining features that Tyrannosaurs had. The new species weighed 750 kilograms (about the size of a horse), making it two to three times smaller than its massive descendants. Darla Zelenitsky, a paleontologist and associate professor in the Faculty of Science, and Jared Voris, a Ph.D. candidate, have identified a new species of dinosaur named Khankhuuluu. They, along with a team of international scientists, have published a paper in the science journal, Nature , about the evolution of Tyrannosaurs. Credit: Riley Brandt/University of Calgary Skeletal elements and anatomy of K. mongoliensis (MPC-D 100/50 and MPC-D 100/51). Credit: Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08964-6 Khankhuuluu had tiny rudimentary horns that would evolve to be more noticeable in species like Albertosaurus or Gorgosaurus used for mating display or intimidation. It had a long, shallow skull that shows Khankhuuluu didn't have the ability to crunch through bone like the T. rex. The new species can be defined as a mesopredator, similar to coyotes, meaning it used speed and agility to take down its prey. The fossils, found in the Bayanshiree Formation in southeastern Mongolia, were studied in the 1970's by paleontologist Altangerel Perle. Perle likened the fossils to another medium-sized Tyrannosaur called Alectrosaurus from China. Voris went to Mongolia in 2023 to study fossils at the Institute of Paleontologyand soon realized there were features that differentiated them from the Alectrosaurus. The discovery also provides more details into Tyrannosaur evolution. "Khankhuuluu, or a closely related species, would have immigrated to North America from Asia around 85 million years ago," explains Zelenitsky, a paleontologist and associate professor in the Department of Earth, Energy and Environment. "Our study provides solid evidence that large Tyrannosaurs first evolved in North America as a result of this immigration event." The results of the study show the movement of Tyrannosaurs back and forth between Asia and North America was less frequent and less sporadic than previously known. Khankhuuluu is the last known ancestor of Tyrannosaurs found in the Asian fossil record. The research reveals that the new species, or one of its kin, traveled across a land bridge into North America, where it evolved into the famous apex predator Tyrannosaurs. The fossil record indicates Tyrannosaurs were exclusive to North America for few million years before immigrating to Asia, where the lineage split into two groups. One group branched off to become even bigger apex predators, ultimately evolving into T. rex, and the other group evolved into a medium-sized long-snouted species (dubbed "Pinocchio rexes"). Looking ahead, the next step for researchers is to investigate the earlier ancestors of these apex predators, which are still poorly known. More information: Darla Zelenitsky, A new Mongolian tyrannosauroid and the evolution of Eutyrannosauria, Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08964-6. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08964-6 Journal information: Nature 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 research group used cryo-electron microscopy to reconstruct the transport complex within the cell membrane of the bacterium and identify how export processes across the membrane occur. Credit: HHU/Alexej Kedrov Biofilms are conglomerates of bacteria and other organisms, which are feared in medicine as well as other areas because they can contain pathogens and are highly resistant to treatment. Chemists at Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf (HHU) have, in collaboration with colleagues from Munich and Groningen, examined how the polysaccharide "Pel"a central component of many biofilmsis exported out of the cell by the pathogen P. aeruginosa. In an article published in Nature Communications, they describe the structure of the so-called PelBC export complex, which represents the last station in the cell before "Pel" is released. Bacterial biofilms are common aggregates of cells, which ensure the survival of microorganisms in harsh environments and are highly resistant to mechanical and chemical treatments. They can present a danger to humans when they cover the surfaces of medical devices or support the colonization of harmful organisms in the food industry. Biofilms enable bacteria to exchange genomic information with each other. This makes it easier for them to develop resistance to antibioticswhen resistant bacteria pass on resistance information to other species. They also facilitate nutrient uptake. Where pathogenic bacteria form biofilms, it is important to understand which mechanisms play a role in their formation. The HHU research group "Synthetic Membrane Systems" headed by Professor Dr. Alexej Kedrov has collaborated with colleagues from Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) in Munich and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands to study this. They have focused on the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa (for short: P. aeruginosa), which can cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections and meningitis in humans. The pathogen is resistant to multiple antibiotics and is a key so-called "hospital germ." Professor Kedrov states, "In order to form biofilms, the bacteria synthesize and export various biopolymers, above all polysaccharidesspecific sugar chains. Despite decades of research, knowledge of how the synthesis or transport takes place remains limited. We have concentrated on the polysaccharide 'Pel,' which is produced by P. aeruginosa." The production of Pel requires a protein machinery comprising several sub-units, which crosses two membranes. "To date, however, neither the structure of the machinery nor its dynamics were known. With the help of cryo-electron microscopy, we can resolve the structure of the PelBC complex in the lipid membranes and identify the path of the Pel polysaccharide," says Kedrov. Marius Benedens, the lead author, adds, "Our study shows how electrostatic interactions are used in nature to assemble the export complex and enable the transport of the polysaccharide. However, for the cell to survive, the pore cannot remain permanently open for transport. A small conformational change at the end of this pore is therefore necessarya tiny gate is opened, so to speak." "It is fascinating to see the organization of a complex structure in such detail. Among other things, it shows how nature solves challenges in protein design, for example, the coupling of a symmetrical ring of PelC sub-units to the asymmetrical PelB channel. It may be possible to use our results to block the export of Pel in a targeted manner and thus suppress biofilm formation," says Kedrov. In the next step, the research group intends to examine this export process in detail. Another involved protein complex, which is responsible for the synthesis of Pel in the cytoplasm of the cell and its transport across the inner membrane, will also be examined in greater detail. More information: Marius Benedens et al, Assembly and the gating mechanism of the Pel exopolysaccharide export complex PelBC of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60605-8 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: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new report from the International Labor Organization outlines a set of propositions on how countries should go about formalizing the informal economy. The report provides the basis for negotiations on the subject at the International Labor Conference in Geneva in June 2025. Formalizing the informal economy is a burning issue, particularly for countries in Africa. In some, such as Nigeria and Ghana, more than 80% of the workforce is informal. According to the ILO report, the informal economy is a "structural barrier" to social justice and decent work. This is so because informal enterprises do not pay tax, therefore governments do not have the public revenue to meet their sustainable development goals. Based on my research and policy work on the informal economy, I believe that the ILO's analysis, and its proposed solutions, are flawed. In my view, they follow a long tradition of misplaced thinking about the formalization of informal work. The ILO has the view that all "independent workers" should be "brought under" laws that regulate enterprises. And it assumes that providing "independent workers" with access to finance, business and skills training, and access to markets ("business development services"), will lead to more "productive" enterprises that create jobs. I don't agree. Business development services have been tried in many countries since the 1990swithout success. Clearly, informal enterprises that earn above the tax threshold must be "brought under" enterprise laws and must comply with labor laws if they employ others. But what about own-account workers, such as street vendors and waste pickers, who earn way below the tax threshold? Labor law only covers employees, but I argue that it should be reformed to include own-account workers. That's because given structural unemployment, artificial intelligence and a shift from firms investing in production to investing in financial products, industrial reform and business development services are not going to create sufficient jobs. The flaws The ILO report argues that the reasons "independent workers" don't formalize are that: they lack the capital to be productive; it's too costly to comply with legislation; and they don't want to pay tax because they don't trust state institutions. This logic suggests that states should: support enterprises to become more productive and profitable; reduce the cost of compliance; make institutions trustworthy; and reform industrial policy to improve productivity and create jobs. This is exactly what the report recommends. But these approaches haven't worked. If decent work is the aim, most people in the informal sector should fall under labor law, rather than enterprise law. Old wine in new wineskins Policy approaches to the informal sector have changed over the decades. For example, in the late 1980s, simplifying regulations and creating property rights was seen as the answer for informal micro-enterprises to formalize. This was first popularized by Peruvian economist Hernando De Soto's 1989 book The Other Path: The Invisible Revolution in the Third World. He argued that Peruvians operated informally because complying with the regulations was too time-consuming and expensive. His insights were incorporated into the World Bank's "good governance" development agenda. 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. Similarly, access to credit and markets, business and skills trainingknown as "business development services"was the key strategy in the 1990s, when I first worked in this sector. When the first democratically elected government in South Africa published its small business strategy in 1996, this reflected "best practice" at the time. South Africa's policy visualized the formalization process as a ladder: with the right support, micro-businesses would climb the "entrepreneurial ladder" to become "globally competitive businesses" and create jobs. Government's role was to simplify regulations and provide funds to service providers. Back in 2010, I critiqued this approach, in part because there was no evidence that livelihood activities (such as street vending) will grow into job-creating businesses simply by providing the inputs, correcting market failures and simplifying business regulations. Since then, informality has increased everywhere, as evidenced in the ILO's report. Kate Philip, the program lead on the Presidential Employment Stimulus in the Office of the South African Presidency, argues that this approach places the responsibility on the most economically marginalized citizens to "self-employ themselves out of poverty." One size does not fit all The ILO report lumps together employerspeople whose businesses are informal and employ otherstogether with own-account workers into one category: "independent workers." ILO data show that own-account workers make up 47% of informal workers, and fewer than 3% are employers. In Africa, the percentage of own-account workers is even higher. In sub-Saharan Africa, street vendors comprise 43% of informal employment. The goal is "bringing them under regulation, with both the advantages and obligations it entails" to realize decent work and to grow the tax base. It assumes that own-account workers are not regulated and are not contributing to the fiscus. Both these assumptions are false. Public space, where many work, falls under nuisance, health and vagrancy regulations. And vendors pay "taxes" to local authorities to trade. The report recognizes that own-account workers suffer violence and harassment in their workplace. Violence, arrests and confiscation of goodsby municipal officials and the policeis ubiquitous. Workers are powerless to engage individually with the state. To realize decent work, they need to do that collectively. Where labor law fits in Labor law recognizes that workers and employers' interests are not aligned. It provides a collective bargaining framework for workers to negotiate as a group. Although labor law only covers employees, I have argued that it can be reformed to include own-account workers. Street vendors and other own-account workers are here to stay. Reforming labor laws to realize their right to collective bargainingto co-determine their working conditionsshould be a critical part of formalization. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. 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: Kyiv, Ukraine. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The number of armed conflicts in the world reached a historic high in 2024. This is shown by new data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) at Uppsala University. Despite a marginal decrease in total fatalities, targeted violence against civilians increased significantly. UCDP recorded 61 active conflicts involving at least one state in 2024, up from 59 the previous year and the highest number since statistics began in 1946. Eleven of these reached the level of war, defined as a conflict, causing at least 1,000 battle-related deaths in a year. This is the highest number since 2016. Despite the sharp increase in the number of conflicts and wars, the total number of deaths decreased slightly in 2024. In total, it is estimated that nearly 160,000 people died in organized violence during the year. "It is not that the world has become more peaceful. We see more wars and more conflicts than previously, but with slightly fewer deaths than in the exceptionally bloody year of 2022. 2024 was the fourth most violent year since the 1994 Rwandan genocide," says Shawn Davies, Senior Analyst at UCDP. Most deaths in Ukraine The war in Ukraine continues to be the world's deadliest conflict, with around 76,000 battle-related deaths in 2024. In the Middle East, Israel's wars in Gaza and against Hezbollah in Lebanon contributed to high death rates, especially among civilians. UCDP recorded around 26,000 deaths in these two conflicts, 94% of which were civilians or of unknown identity. "It has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between civilians and members of armed groups, though the information situation has improved in many areas over the last 15 years. It is particularly challenging in situations where the line between civilian and combatant is blurred, or where indiscriminate violence such as aerial bombing is used in densely populated areas," says Therese Pettersson, Senior Analyst at UCDP. "In the war in Gaza, it has only been possible to classify 2% of the dead as members of a warring party, while 48% have been recorded as civilians. The rest are classified by UCDP as being of unknown identity. Reliable information on who is being killed is important for investigating suspected war crimes, for the international community to be able to act appropriately and for knowing what the needs of society will be after a conflict has ended," Pettersson explains. Increased violence against civilians Violence explicitly targeting civilians increased significantly in 2024. In total, UCDP recorded 13,900 civilian deaths in this type of targeted attack, an increase of 31% compared with the previous year. For the tenth consecutive year, the Islamist terrorist group IS was the deadliest actor, responsible for around 3,800 civilian fatalities, most of them in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A decade of conflict Since 2010, the number of conflicts involving states has almost doubled, and the total number of deaths has increased fivefold, despite temporary declines in some years. At the same time, tensions between states have increased significantly. "Over the past decade, we have seen an increase in the number of interstate conflicts, recording the highest number since 1987 in 2024," says Davies. "Conflicts in which states actively support armed groups in other countries have also become more common during this period. This is a worrying trend that risks contributing to higher death rates. We live in a new era with more and more intense and complex conflicts, which places higher demands on international conflict resolution and better protection of civilians. It is also important to continue documenting what is happening in the world's conflicts." The 2024 statistics will be analyzed and presented in a report to be published in the Journal of Peace Research in a forthcoming article. 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 farmed salmon with an injury. Credit: Abolish Salmon Farming Bodies piled up against the edge of the pen, skin flaking off, pink flesh to the sky. From above, a glut of dead fish ripples in time with the waves. This is the scene of a marine horror filmeach body an expired Atlantic salmon. It was filmed in Tasmania's D'Entrecasteaux Channel by the Bob Brown Foundation, an environmental advocacy group. It's here that salmon are enclosed within gigantic steel pensfarms for major aquaculture corporations Tassal and Huon. "We put the drone up and we just came across pens with hundreds and hundreds of fish floating on the top," says Alistair Allan, an Antarctic and marine campaigner with the Foundation. "There were just dead fish everywhere." The dead salmon had fallen to a bacterial infection that spread like wildfire through the population. An estimated 8% of the industry's annual production died within weeks. The impact of the deaths reached all the way to shore, with chunks of salmon fat washing up on nearby beaches. The uncomfortable scenes, just ahead of an election, were met with anger and grief by advocacy groups and concern from the salmon industry. "We will of course be reviewing every element of this event and will make changes to protect our fish, our environment, our workers and our communities into the future," said industry body Salmon Tasmania in a fact sheet in response to questions from Particle. And it put salmon farming, which has exploded in size and scale in Tasmania since it began in the 1980s, back in the spotlight. Big farmer Humans have been catching and eating fish for thousands of years, but it's around the last 60 years where we've been farming salmonids at scale. Salmonids, which include Atlantic and Pacific salmon and rainbow trout, are among the most farmed fish species on Earth. Salmon start their life in freshwater streams as tiny spawn, then migrate to the open ocean about a year into their life. They spend the next 35 years maturing at sea, before returning to the place they were born to reproduce. (Most die because the journey home is taxingswimming upstream for miles and dodging grizzly bears.) Salmon are farmed in a way that attempts to mimic this cycle. The young are reared in huge on-land facilities, from plastic trays to giant tanks, where they grow until they're ready to be transported to pens in the open ocean. Salmon pen in the open ocean with seals resting on the barrier. Credit: Wilderness Witness They grow in these pens until they are ready to be harvesteda process that can take a few years. It's here, exposed to seawater and in constant exchange with the natural environment, where salmon farming has its greatest impacts. Something is fishy Wild Atlantic salmon are native to the Atlantic Ocean. No wild populations exist in Tasmania. But in Norway, where salmon farming originated, locals have been fishing for salmon for hundreds of years. And farming could jeopardize the wild population. 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. "Salmon farming is the biggest threat to wild salmon in Norway, in addition to climate change," says Eva Thorstad, a salmonid biologist at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. Farmed salmon live in high densities, where there can be more issues with disease. If a farmed fish has sea lice and a wild fish swims past, disease or parasites could be spread. Interbreeding can also be a problem. "Wild salmon are adapted to one river," says Eva. She explains that, if salmon escape, there's a possibility they breed with wild salmon, which alters the genetic diversity, and adaptations to individual rivers may be lost. In Tasmania's Macquarie Harbor, research suggests salmon farming has contributed to lower oxygen levels in the water. The harbor is also the only remaining habitat for the Maugean skate, a critically endangered ray, and salmon farming jeopardizes its existence. Factories or farms Overfishing has led to declines in many fish species. As the demand for seafood rose, so did the desire to implement farming and aquaculture. Since 2013, seafood production has been dominated by those methods. The seafood industry is massive. It's worth almost $400 billion per year. Salmonparticularly Atlantic salmonis big business, and the fish are farmed in places like Norway, Chile, Canada, the UK and Tasmania. According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, Tasmanian salmon aquaculture is an important contributor to the state's economy and to the overall Australian seafood market. A cramped salmon pen in Tasmania. Credit: Bob Brown Foundation The Department also suggests the state supplies over 90% of Australian Atlantic salmon production, valuing the industry's output at over $1 billion. It's at this intersection of industry and environment where conflict often arises. As salmon farmers have scaled up production, environmental groups have also rallied against fish farming, which was once seen as a greener alternative to catching wild fish. Alistair from the Bob Brown Foundation likens the scale of salmon farming in Tasmania to "factory farms out on the water". He's concerned that aquaculture and farming have been touted as a fix for overfishing, but in reality, they're doing severe damage to marine ecosystems. Should we eat farmed salmon? If you're a fan of sushi and sashimi, all of this might have you questioning your salmon intake. First, some good news: The recent bacterial outbreak in Tasmania is not a risk to humans. The Department states, "P. salmonis is a fish pathogen and does not cause human or terrestrial animal disease, or any food safety risk." But farmed Atlantic salmon does account for the vast majority of salmon that reaches consumers' plates, so it's likely your sake maki has come from a farm. That might not be a bad thing, depending on where the salmon comes from. Norwegian farmed salmon is one of the most sustainable animal protein sources around, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council. The gains in sustainability have largely been driven by technological innovations and improving the supply chain. Salmon sashimi. Credit: Ivan Samkov via Pexels Those concerned about environmental impacts may look to eat farmed salmon with certifications from global industry bodies such as the Aquaculture Stewardship Council. However, even that has problems. Some certifiers have been accused of using underhanded tactics to remain certified, according to the Sustainable Restaurant Association. "In my eyes, you can't farm Atlantic salmon sustainably," says Alistair. For Eva, who has seen the impacts of salmon farming on wild fish, we have the knowledge to improve farming and regulatory changes would help protect the environment. "I would say this is on the table of politicians to solve the problems." Provided by Particle This article first appeared on Particle, a science news website based at Scitech, Perth, Australia. Read the original article. 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: Severity of the July 2023 North China rainstorm event and fast warming over the Mongolian Plateau. Credit: Geophysical Research Letters (2025). DOI: 10.1029/2024GL113737 At the end of July 2023, extreme, heavy rainfall suddenly struck North China (23.7 event), causing severe flood disasters in Beijing, Hebei, and other places, resulting in significant casualties and property losses. How did this record-breaking rainstorm form? Is it only the combined effect of the Typhoon Doksuri and the terrain? Intrigued by this question, a research team led by Prof. Zhao Chun from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted global variable resolution regional encrypted numerical simulations and climate attribution analysis, revealing a previously overlooked key factor: the Mongolian Plateau (MP) region. This research was published in Geophysical Research Letters. The study pointed out that in the context of global warming, not all regions were experiencing synchronous and uniform temperature increases. While among them, the MP was a hotspot. In the MP, the rate of temperature increase in recent decades had exceeded three times the global average, with the temperature rise far surpassing the surrounding areas, breaking through the tipping point. It was found that the MP significantly catalyzed and amplified the extreme rainfall in North China. The abnormal climate in this region not only directly affected the local ecology, but also served as a significant source of sand and dust weather in our country. However, its impact might go far beyond that. In terms of total rainfall and impact range, this event significantly surpassed many extreme rainfall events in the history of North China. The extremeness of the 23.7 event was beyond imagination. The 744.8mm of rainfall observed in Beijing surpassed all recorded rainfall over the past 140 years. The maximum rainfall in Lincheng County, Hebei Province, even reached 1,003.4mm, equivalent to the local average rainfall of two years being poured down in just three days. In order to understand how the MP affected the North China region hundreds of kilometers away, researchers utilized their developed integrated Atmospheric Model Across Scales (iAMAS) model. Together, with the support of China's new Sunway supercomputer, researchers precisely simulated and reproduced the extreme rainfall process. The simulation results were highly consistent with actual observations in terms of rainfall distribution, intensity, and spatiotemporal evolution. Based on high-precision simulations and the storyline climate attribution principle, researchers designed comparative experiments and found that among the many factors leading to the extreme rainfall, the abnormal rapid warming trend of the MP was the exact hidden hand. The anomalous warming trend in air temperatures on the MP. Credit: USTC The rapid warming of the air (middle atmosphere) over the MP acted like a "heater," promoting the formation of an abnormally strong and stable high-pressure system in the region. The air had developed and connected with the Western North Pacific Subtropical High. In the end, a high-pressure system over the North China region was formed. The system hindered the remnant circulation of the Doksuri carrying water vapor from continuing its northward or eastward journey, trapping it for a long time in the region in front of the Taihang Mountains (TM) in North China. The intercepted water vapor, under the continuous uplift effect of the TM terrain, was forced to converge and rise, leading the rainfall to be concentrated and poured in a narrow area for a long time, ultimately resulting in a record-breaking extreme rainstorm disaster. The results unveiled that the links between climate impacts in different regions may be more complex and subtle than we thought, especially in the context of ongoing global warming with heterogeneous regional temperature increases. Understanding this teleconnection mechanism is crucial for enhancing the predictive and warning capabilities of extreme weather and climate events. More information: Jun Gu et al, Fast Warming Over the Mongolian Plateau a Catalyst for Extreme Rainfall Over North China, Geophysical Research Letters (2025). DOI: 10.1029/2024GL113737 Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters 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 Kim Tak-un was four years old when he was adopted by a Swedish family in 1974. Originally from South Korea, Tak-un had lived with his single father, a laborer who moved frequently for work. One day in the summer of 1974, while staying with his aunt, Tak-un wandered outside and disappeared. Local police considered him abandoned and referred him to an adoption agency, which arranged his adoption to Sweden within five months. When his father realized his son was missing, he searched everywhere, only to discovertoo latethat Tak-un had already been sent overseas. Devastated, he demanded Tak-un's return. When the adoption agency failed to respond, he went public with the story. In March 2025, South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission released initial findings from its investigation into the country's 72-year-old international adoption program. The full report is expected in the next few weeks as the investigation is now completed. Based on more than 360 cases submitted by Korean adoptees from 11 countries, the commission uncovered widespread human rights violations, including falsified documents, lack of parental consent, and cases of child switchingshaking up adoptees and their families. Since the end of the Korean War (19501953), South Korea has sent over 200,000 children abroad, becoming the world's largest country for adoption, even as it grew into an advanced economy. Existing studies have shown that international adoption from South Korea began as a response to the large number of mixed-heritage children born to Korean mothers and US soldiers during the war. It is estimated that thousands of such children were born, and South Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee, ordered their overseas placement on the grounds that they were "unfit" for a nation imagined as ethnically homogeneous. However, international adoption did not end once this perceived "emergency" was over. From the mid-1960s onward, it expanded to include children from other vulnerable backgrounds, including those affected by poverty, family breakdown, and out-of-wedlock births. This, and the role of international adoption, is explored in my upcoming book. This was closely tied to the policies pursued by South Korea's military regimes. The most important figure was Park Chung Hee, a military general who came to power through a 1961 coup and ruled until his assassination in 1979. 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. His regime prioritized rapid economic growth, relegating social welfare to the lowest priority. Childcare was treated as an individual, not a state, responsibility. As I point out in my earlier research, public systems to categorize and care for childrenwhether abandoned, lost, or runawaywere extremely limited, and authorities largely placed the burden on parents to retrieve their separated children. This is probably why, after only cursory checks, authorities referred Tak-un to an adoption agency. Tak-un's case attracted media attention in Sweden as well. However, in an interview with Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, the Swedish national board of health and welfarewhich oversaw the Korean adoption programdismissed the claims, stating they were "99%" certain the story was false and insisting that Korean social workers had followed proper procedures. The trust that Swedish authorities placed in South Korean adoption procedures may have been because of the way the Korean social workers presented their work. As the first generation of Koreans trained in US-style professional social work, they framed international adoption as being about the child, the importance of a family, and emotional well-being. The research for my upcoming book shows that while they may have genuinely believed in international adoption as a valid form of child welfare, there were also practical reasons why this happened. With virtually no public funding for child welfare, many saw international adoptionwhere adoptive parents covered the costs of careas an ideal way to apply their training. In interviews with me, now-retired social workers acknowledged flaws in South Korea's broader child welfare system, such as the inability to verify a child's true status. Yet, without public resources to build a reliable system or prioritize family reunification, they often treated international adoption as a first, rather than a last, resort. Moreover, the prevailing belief at the time that "normal" middle-class families offered the most stable environment for a child's development provided further moral justification for sending children abroad. Western authorities often interpreted Korean social workers' professionalism as evidence of shared liberal child welfare values and placed strong trust in their procedures. When serious flaws surfacedas in Tak-un's casethey were frequently dismissed as exceptions rather than signs of deeper systemic problems. Even when the facts were confirmed in 1975, Swedish authorities still refused to return the child. The Swedish consul-general in Seoul at the time, Lars Berg, argued that it was in Tak-un's "best interest" to remain in Sweden, rather than be sent back to "an uncertain fate of the father without work and residence." This reflected, in part, Sweden's domestic realities: like many western societies at the time, Sweden faced a shortage of adoptable children, and international adoption had become an important way to meet the wishes of prospective parents. In the early 1970s, nearly half of all internationally adopted children arriving in Sweden came from South Korea. Which meant that when issues like Tak-un's emerged, Swedish authorities prioritized the rights of adoptive parents, framing their defense in the language of child welfare. Sweden's Adoption Commission has just released its own report on June 2, examining the country's international adoption practices, including those involving South Korea. Echoing my research findings, it recommended an end to allowing Swedes to adopt children from abroad. So, what became of Tak-un? Ultimately, South Korean officials acquiesced to the Swedish authorities, and the Korean adoption agency was cleared of any wrongdoing. Tak-un never returned. The last trace in the archives is his birth father's plea to hear from him. I located Tak-un, who now goes by his Swedish name and lives in a small town in Sweden. Despite attempts to reach him, he didn't respond. It remains uncertain whether his father's message ever reached him or if he knows anything about his early life in Korea. This silence is not merely personal. A system that claimed to act for the child's welfare instead routinely erased adopted children's pasts, ignored their birth families and decided their futures for them. Tak-un's story isn't just a painful exceptionit is a haunting reminder of what was lost in the name of care. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Sydney Sweeney's new "bestie" is a horse named Moose. Sydney Sweeney has a new 'bestie' The 27-year-old actress has been filming Echo Valley and during her breaks from shooting her scenes in the thriller, she enjoyed hanging out with the animals on set, and took a particular shine to one of them. She told Extra: Every time between scenes, because I had more downtime, of course, they had all the horses in the stalls, and Id go over and there was this one horse in particular named Moose that I just hung out with and we became besties. I wanted to take Moose home." In Echo Valley, Julianne Moore plays Sudney's mother and they found it "so easy" to work together. Julianne said: "Sydneys so terrific, shes so available, shes so professional, shes so talented, and we just had a really good time, you know, building the relationship and being with each other, and I think were aware of how important this relationship is, the mother-daughter bond, and how much it can hold, how elastic it is, and how far you can push it with each other. "It can be volatile, especially when kids are younger, when girls are teenagers and you realise they've had this tremendous history. "But it was fun. I think we were able to match each other's energy, and we really enjoyed each other's company, and it worked." Sydney added: "Everyone had always told me you are the kindest person they've ever met, and it's true, like, absolutely beyond kind and generous and thoughtful and just present for everyone on set." Julianne, 64, was gripped by the script from the minute she read it. She said: "I remember when I read it, because I was sick in bed with COVID and I was kind of going through scripts, and I was like, 'This is extraordinary!'... All the human drama was there, but then there's this incredible twist. It satisfies my need for, like, domestic, dramatic situations and the scary thriller part. I was really surprised by it, just blown away." Meanwhile, Sydney teased the long-awaited upcoming third season of Euphoria and promised fans won't be disappointed. She said: "I can't get too into detail about it, but I think people are gonna be really, really happy. "I mean, it's crazy. It's like, you're happy 'cause it's crazy." 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: SpaceX from Pexels The first of two Environmental Impact Statements around SpaceX plans for Starship launch sites on Florida's Space Coast was released last week, and it lays out the company's plans to fly as many as 76 times a year from Cape Canaveral Space Station. The Department of the Air Force owns the property at Space Launch Complex 37 that was most recently used by United Launch Alliance, but was shut down after the final launch of ULA's last Delta IV Heavy rocket in 2024. The Air Force has been taking the lead for the EIS on the site, while the Federal Aviation Administration has its own EIS in the works for a Starship launch site at neighboring Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39-A, where SpaceX plans to perform as many as 44 Starship launches a year. The 120 combined potential launches would swell SpaceX's already prodigious pace. With its existing Falcon rockets added to the total, the company could easily make more than 200 launches from the Space Coast in a single year. While the former ULA site was always an option, SpaceX had also eyed a brand new launch complex at Canaveral known as SLC-50, but the just-released draft EIS took that off the board, citing it as potentially more harmful environmentally and archaeologically, since the proposed site is currently undeveloped green space. "The development of SLC-50 is less ideal than the redevelopment of an existing SLC," the report reads. "Additionally, leveraging existing infrastructure would increase efficiency and reduce environmental impacts." The final version of the EIS is expected to be released in the fall. But first, a series of in-person meetings, as well as one virtual presentation, are slated during a comment period for the draft EIS that's open from June 13July 28. The three public meetings will be on Tuesday, July 8, from 47 p.m. at the American Police Hall of Fame and Museum in Titusville, on Wednesday, July 9 from 47 p.m. at the Radisson Resort at the Port in Cape Canaveral, and on Thursday, July 10 from 47 p.m. at the Dr. Joe Lee Smith Recreation Center in Cocoa. The virtual hearing will be from July 1528 at a link that will be posted at the dedicated website for the Cape Canaveral EIS at spaceforcestarshipeis.com. The draft EIS outlines the potential effect of launches and landings of Starship, which is the most powerful rocket to have ever made it to space. For now, SpaceX has launched it only on suborbital test missions from its Texas site Starbase. The first two test launches of 2025 ended with the Starship's upper stage disintegrating in a spectacle that could be seen from South Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. The most recent fared better, but still saw the Starship spin out of control on its path halfway across the world. But already SpaceX is in the midst of a $1.8 billion infrastructure project on the Space Coast to build out a Starship factory and support what it hopes will be both the launch site at Cape Canaveral and one at KSC. SpaceX most recently declared it is aiming for its first Starship launch from the Space Coast before the end of the year, but that would be subject to the acceptance of the EIS and then approval to launch from the FAA. 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. For now, Starship is grounded until SpaceX submits the results of its investigation into the latest Starship mishap. Within the Air Force EIS for the Canaveral site, it outlined SpaceX's intentions not only to launch as many as 76 times, but potentially to have twice as many landings: 76 for the powerful Super Heavy booster that would return minutes after launch, and 76 for the returning upper stage, which depending on its mission could return within hours, or even potentially years after launch. SpaceX would build out two launch pads and two landing pads among the new infrastructure. Half of the launches would be at night, and some of the return landings could still take place offshore, as happens with most of the booster landings for Falcon 9 launches using droneships stationed in the Atlantic. While the Air Force is taking the lead, the EIS also includes input from the FAA, NASA, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service. The EIS looks at not only environmental, but social, economic, historic and cultural impacts. For each of 68 potential impacts, the draft EIS concluded that there would at worst be no impact or no significant impact. "The only known potential significant cumulative effect is associated with noise," the EIS reads. "Given the increased launch activity on CCSFS and KSC, community annoyance may increase in the surrounding areas." Sonic booms from returning boosters and upper stages would become more common, and potentially louder than those currently heard along the Space Coast from the smaller Falcon 9 boosters. Some other impacts could be mitigated, especially involving endangered and threatened species that could be found at the site during construction. "Southeastern beach mouse habitat permanently lost during construction would be mitigated by providing funding to offset the loss of habitat at an offsite location in accordance with an agreement with the USFWS," the statement reads as an example. There's a special note saying if tricolored bats are found roosting at the site, they would be allowed to leave before demolition begins. There are also mitigation plans for Florida scrub jays, eastern indigo snakes, gopher tortoises and bald eagles. The report also noted the construction and operation of Starship launches from Canaveral would benefit the area economically. And it stated the Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45 unit, which oversees launch operations at both KSC and Canaveral, would be relied on to ensure that SpaceX competitors would not be shoved to the side. "SLD 45 would aim to reduce scheduling conflicts between launch providers and will develop mitigation strategies to reduce impacts from conflicts," the report stated. The goal of the EIS from the Air Force and Space Force point of view was to ensure SpaceX could launch its new rocket as part of the Department of Defense's Assured Access to Space program. "The (proposed launch site) would increase the space launch mission capability of the U.S. DOD, NASA, and other federal and commercial customers and enhance the resilience and capacity of the nation's space launch infrastructure, while promoting a robust and competitive national space industry," the report stated. 2025 Orlando Sentinel. 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: Credit: Matheus Bertelli from Pexels Researchers released a analysis in the journal Climate Policy today arguing that the urgent work of removing excess carbon from the atmosphereknown as carbon dioxide removal (CDR)can't just rely on complex, untested techniques to capture carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and inject it deep underground or pump it into the ocean. Rather, they show that nature-based solutions, which include restoring forests and other ecosystems that capture atmospheric CO 2 using the ancient biochemical process of photosynthesis and store organic carbon in plants and soil, are also necessary for achieving global climate goals. "We must rapidly reduce the production of new greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. At the same time, we must also remove and store excess carbon already polluting the atmosphere. In recent years, innovative high-tech CDR companies have introduced promising solutions for capturing carbon. "However, these solutions are still in research and development stages, and they are not yet proven at the scale needed," said Charlotte Streck, a professor at the University of Potsdam, the founder of Climate Focus and the lead author of the analysis, "Considering durability in carbon dioxide removal strategies for climate change mitigation." "At the same time, it's well established that forests and other ecosystems are effective at storing carbonwhile also providing clean air and water, safeguarding biodiversity and keeping the planet cool. We must embrace both high-tech and natural methods of CDR to succeed," she said. Countries and companies have embraced CDR, which was written into the Paris climate agreement, as a key strategy for fulfilling their climate goals and net zero commitments. It's estimated that companies will invest some $250 billion in CDR by 2050, most of which will go to high-tech concepts that aren't yet operational. Nature and tech CDR are often pitted against either. In those comparisons, nature CDR is referred to as "temporary" and tech CDR as "permanent." Such binary classification implies the necessity of giving priority to tech over nature. However, creating such false choices does not help as available CDR strategies are all contributing to climate change mitigation, but differ in their risk profile, short- and long-term benefits. While tech CDR is more durable, nature CDR is tested, can be deployed now and can yield benefits for nature and people. "Nature-based and engineered CDR can be deployed synergistically, including through investment portfolios that balance the conditions of feasibility, durability, and sustainability," said Matthew Brander, professor of carbon accounting at the University of Edinburgh Business School. "Engineered novel CDR methods offer higher durability and lower reversal risks. However, conventional nature-based CDR methods that rely on storing carbon in vegetation and soil are the most immediately deployable methods at scale, and costs are comparatively low. It's clear that high-tech and natural CDR methods can complementnot compete withone another." The authors demonstrate that a balanced, comprehensive approach to investments in all forms of CDR offers the best prospect of meeting the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement in the context of sustainable development. 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. What is CDR? The authors of the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) define CDR as human "activities removing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the atmosphere and durably storing it in geological, terrestrial or ocean reservoirs, or in products." CDR is classified according to how it captures carbon (for example, through photosynthesis or inorganic chemistry); where the carbon is stored (for example, land or sea); and the way in which it is stored, which can include plants and trees, soil, deep underground rock formations, minerals and the ocean floor. The most successful CDR methods demonstrate readiness, feasibility, and the ability to remove a large amount of carbon without delay; sustainability, including the delivery of social and environmental benefits; and the durability of storage over the long term. Currently, no single CDR technique optimizes all three of these conditions and can sustain them over long periods of time. "Engineered CDR is extremely expensive and will require huge amounts of cheap renewable energy, along with years of investment in research and development, before it's ready to scale." said Peter Ellis, the global director of natural climate solutions science at The Nature Conservancy. "In contrast, nature-based CDR is cheap and powered by photosynthesis, which has been in research and development in efficient self-replicating prototypes called plants for 3 billion years." The risk that stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere (e.g., through hazards, fire, pests or logging) is a key consideration in the CDR debate. Plans to store carbon in rocks, for example, are risky early on, before the carbon successfully hardens into minerals (mineralization). Over time, however, the risk of this CDR approach failing is significantly reduced. At the same time, natural approaches to CDR face different types and levels of risk over time. Not all newly planted ecosystems, for example, survive, and, even after these ecosystems are successfully established, they are vulnerable to unexpected human activities or the impacts of climate change, including fire, which releases carbon stored in wood back into the atmosphere. "Policymakers and investors should encourage a balanced, comprehensive approach to investments in both nature- and tech-based CDR," said Streck. "A balanced portfolio mitigates against risks of any one strategy and is most likely to make meaningful contributions toward achieving Paris Agreement goals." More information: Charlotte Streck et al, Considering durability in carbon dioxide removal strategies for climate change mitigation, Climate Policy (2025). DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2025.2501267 Provided by Climate Focus 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: At left is an enlarged infrared view of galaxy cluster Abell 2744 with three young, star-forming galaxies highlighted by green diamonds. The center column shows close-ups of each galaxy, along with their designations, the amount of magnification provided by the cluster's gravitational lens, their redshifts (shown as zall correspond to a cosmic age of about 790 million years), and their estimated mass of stars. At right, measurements from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope's NIRSpec instrument confirm that the galaxies produce strong emission in the light of doubly ionized oxygen (green bars), indicating vigorous star formation is taking place. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Bezanson et al. 2024 and Wold et al. 2025 Astronomers using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have identified dozens of small galaxies that played a starring role in a cosmic makeover that transformed the early universe into the one we know today. "When it comes to producing ultraviolet light, these small galaxies punch well above their weight," said Isak Wold, an assistant research scientist at Catholic University of America in Washington and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "Our analysis of these tiny but mighty galaxies is 10 times more sensitive than previous studies, and shows they existed in sufficient numbers and packed enough ultraviolet power to drive this cosmic renovation." Wold discussed his findings at the 246th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Anchorage, Alaska. The study took advantage of existing imaging collected by Webb's NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument, as well as new observations made with its NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instrument. The tiny galaxies were discovered by Wold and his Goddard colleagues, Sangeeta Malhotra and James Rhoads, by sifting through Webb images captured as part of the UNCOVER (Ultradeep NIRSpec and NIRCam ObserVations before the Epoch of Reionization) observing program, led by Rachel Bezanson at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. Symbols mark the locations of young, low-mass galaxies bursting with new stars when the universe was about 800 million years old. Using a filter sensitive to such galaxies, NASAs James Webb Space Telescope imaged them with the help of a natural gravitational lens created by the massive galaxy cluster Abell 2744. In all, 83 young galaxies were found, but only the 20 shown here (white diamonds) were selected for deeper study. The inset zooms into one of the galaxies. Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/Bezanson et al. 2024 and Wold et al. 2025 The project mapped a giant galaxy cluster known as Abell 2744, nicknamed Pandora's cluster, located about 4 billion light-years away in the southern constellation Sculptor. The cluster's mass forms a gravitational lens that magnifies distant sources, adding to Webb's already considerable reach. For much of its first billion years, the universe was immersed in a fog of neutral hydrogen gas. Today, this gas is ionizedstripped of its electrons. Astronomers, who refer to this transformation as reionization, have long wondered which types of objects were most responsible: big galaxies, small galaxies, or supermassive black holes in active galaxies. As one of its main goals, NASA's Webb was specifically designed to address key questions about this major transition in the history of the universe. Recent studies have shown that small galaxies undergoing vigorous star formation could have played an outsized role. Such galaxies are rare today, making up only about 1% of those around us. But they were abundant when the universe was about 800 million years old, an epoch astronomers refer to as redshift 7, when reionization was well underway. One of the most interesting galaxies of the study, dubbed 41028 (the green oval at center), has an estimated stellar mass of just 2 million sunscomparable to the masses of the largest star clusters in our own Milky Way galaxy. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Bezanson et al. 2024 and Wold et al. 2025 The team searched for small galaxies of the right cosmic age that showed signs of extreme star formation, called starbursts, in NIRCam images of the cluster. "Low-mass galaxies gather less neutral hydrogen gas around them, which makes it easier for ionizing ultraviolet light to escape," Rhoads said. "Likewise, starburst episodes not only produce plentiful ultraviolet lightthey also carve channels into a galaxy's interstellar matter that helps this light break out." 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 astronomers looked for strong sources of a specific wavelength of light that signifies the presence of high-energy processes: a green line emitted by oxygen atoms that have lost two electrons. Originally emitted as visible light in the early cosmos, the green glow from doubly ionized oxygen was stretched into the infrared as it traversed the expanding universe and eventually reached Webb's instruments. This technique revealed 83 small starburst galaxies as they appeared when the universe was 800 million years old, or about 6% of its current age of 13.8 billion years. The team selected 20 of these for deeper inspection using NIRSpec. White diamonds show the locations of 20 of the 83 young, low-mass, starburst galaxies found in infrared images of the giant galaxy cluster Abell 2744. This composite incorporates images taken through three NIRCam filters (F200W as blue, F410M as green, and F444W as red). The F410M filter is highly sensitive to light emitted by doubly ionized oxygenoxygen atoms that have been stripped of two electronsat a time when reionization was well underway. Emitted as green light, the glow was stretched into the infrared as it traversed the expanding universe over billions of years. The cluster's mass acts as a natural magnifying glass, allowing astronomers to see these tiny galaxies as they were when the universe was about 800 million years old. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Bezanson et al. 2024 and Wold et al. 2025 "These galaxies are so small that to build the equivalent stellar mass of our own Milky Way galaxy, you'd need from 2,000 to 200,000 of them," Malhotra said. "But we are able to detect them because of our novel sample selection technique combined with gravitational lensing." Similar types of galaxies in the present-day universe, such as green peas, release about 25% of their ionizing ultraviolet light into surrounding space. If the low-mass starburst galaxies explored by Wold and his team release a similar amount, they could account for all of the ultraviolet light needed to convert the universe's neutral hydrogen to its ionized form. New Jersey primary voters have chosen their GOP nominee and President Donald Trump notched a win in his endorsement belt in one of two high-stakes governor's races being held this year. While officials from both parties say November's general election will hinge on local, pocketbook issues, the outcome will also be closely watched as a harbinger of how both parties might fare in next years midterm elections, and as a test of both Democratic enthusiasm and how the GOP fares without Trump on the ballot. Here are takeaways from Tuesday's primary results: Trump notches a decisive win 2025's off-year elections have been rough for Republicans and Trump. This time, Trump's chosen candidate, Republican front-runner Jack Ciattarelli, easily won the nomination. "Jack Ciattarelli is a WINNER, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN," Trump wrote in a social media post announcing his endorsement last month. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, ELECT JACK CIATTARELLI! After losing in 2021 to term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy by the slimmest of margins, Ciattarelli is hoping his third try for the office will be the charm. The endorsement was a blow, in particular, to Ciattarelli rival Bill Spadea, a conservative radio host who ran by vowing to enthusiastically back the president's agenda. Ciattarelli, he complained in one ad, did more than disagree with the president. He disrespected him. Me? I've been a supporter of President Trump since he came down the escalator. He said voters should feel free to flout Trump's advice: I've disagreed with him in the past. It's ok for you to disagree with him now." Trump alluded to the name dropping during a tele-rally he held on Ciattarelli's behalf. Other people are going around saying I endorsed them. That's not true," he said. Another primary all about Trump Candidates on both sides of the aisle vowed to tackle pocketbook issues, from high property taxes to grocery prices, to housing and health care costs. But Trump loomed large. On the GOP side, most of the candidates professed their allegiances to the president. Ciattarelli said in ads that he would work with Trump and end New Jersey's status as a sanctuary state on Day One. (Currently, the state's attorney general has directed local law enforcement not to assist federal agents in civil immigration matters.) He also pledged to direct his attorney general to end lawsuits filed against the Trump administration, including one challenging Trump's effort to end birthright citizenship. Tuesday is primary day in New Jersey. Here's what to know. Voters will head to the polls Tuesday to decide their party's nominees in several key races, including for governor, Assembly and Atlantic City mayor. Democrats featured him heavily, too. In one ad, Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill who won the Democratic primary for New Jersey governor on Tuesday featured an armada of pickup trucks waving giant Trump flags and warned that, Trumps coming for New Jersey with Trump-endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli." Weve gotta stop them, it said. In another, she tells viewers, I know the world feels like it is on fire right now," and vows to "stand up to Trump and Musk with all Ive got. Past insults forgotten Back in 2015, Ciattarelli labeled then-candidate Trump a charlatan who was unfit for the office of the presidency and an embarrassment to the nation. Instead of providing the kind of leadership that appeals to the better angels of our nature in calling us to meaningful and just action, Mr. Trump preys upon our worst instincts and fears, he wrote. When Ciattarelli ran in 2021, he distanced himself from Trump, without the outward insults. Trump nonetheless complained about the treatment on Spadeas radio show last year, saying Ciattarelli made some very big mistakes and would have won had he sought Trump's support. Member of the Morey family seeks write-in nomination for Cape Board of Commissioners Eric John Morey is running a write-in campaign for the Democratic nomination for Cape May County government. But like Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and so many others, past insults gave way to alliance. Trump offered his enthusiastic backing in a tele-rally, and in his endorsement, said that, after getting to know and understand MAGA, Ciattarelli has gone ALL IN, and is now 100% (PLUS!). A changing state Novembers presidential election offered warning signs for Democrats in the state. While Trump lost to Democrat Kamala Harris, he did so by only 6 points a significantly smaller margin than in 2020, when President Joe Biden won by 16 points. New Jerseys ready to pop out of that blue horror show, Trump said in the tele-rally held for Ciattarelli last week. Trump also made stunning gains in several longtime Democratic strongholds, including New Jerseys heavily Latino Passaic County. He carried the city of Passaic and significantly increased his support in Paterson, which is majority Latino and also has a large Muslim community. Indeed, 43% of Latino voters in the state supported Trump, up from 28% in 2020, according to AP VoteCast. November's election will serve as a crucial test for Democrats and whether they can regain Latino support both in the state and nationally. Strategists, unions, organizers and politicians so far were pivoting away from immigration and focusing on pocketbook concerns in their appeals. Small, McDevitt to face off in primary for Atlantic City mayor Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. will face Bob McDevitt in Tuesday's Democratic primary election. Early voting runs through Sunday. At the end of the day, if youre worried about paying your bills and being safe at night, everything else is secondary, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, one of the Democratic candidates, told the AP. I think that is front and center in the Latino community. One exception was Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested while trying to join an oversight tour of a 1,000-bed immigrant detention center. A trespass charge was later dropped, but he sued interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba over the dropped prosecution. In one of his final campaign ads in Spanish, he used footage from the arrest to cast himself as a reluctant warrior, with text saying he is El Unico, Spanish for the only one, who confronts Trump. Democrats rally around a former Navy helicopter pilot Sherrill emerged from a crowded field that included two members of Congress, Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, teachers union president and former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney. Sherrill leaned heavily on her biography as a former Navy helicopter pilot, federal prosecutor and a mother of four, using images of herself in uniform in her ads. Her campaign logo features a mini helicopter. Democrats hope Novembers general election along with a gubernatorial election in Virginia will draw a swell of angry voters eager to show their disdain for Trumps sweeping second-term agenda, foreshadowing Democratic gains in next year's midterms. There were signs of strong Democratic enthusiasm in early voting numbers. As of the last day of early in-person voting Sunday, more than 330,000 Democratic ballots had been cast, well outpacing the number of votes cast prior to last years Democratic presidential primary. That compares to just 130,000 ballots cast by Republicans during the same time a number that also tops early votes cast in last years Republican presidential primary and reflects the broader trend of Democrats being far more likely to vote early than Republicans, who tend to turn out in far greater numbers on Election Day. Antonio Romanucci called the January fatal shooting of Jakarta Jackson by a Rock Island police officer "a self-fulfilling prophecy." The personal injury attorney spoke those words during a press conference Wednesday, June 12, to announce the filing of a federal civil rights suit. The suit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois on the behalf of Yanessa Martin, the administrator of Jacksons estate, and several of his family members. Martin has a child with Jackson. They are represented by Chicago-based law firm Romanucci & Blandin and Ben Crump Law based in Washington D.C. Crump has gained prominence as a civil rights attorney, including in cases around the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Sonya Massey. The suit names as defendants the city of Rock Island, Police Chief Timothy McCloud and Brett Taylor the officer who shot Jackson. The suits allegations include that the encounter involved excessive use of force and willful and wanton conduct. The filing also contends Taylor intentionally inflicted emotional distress on relatives of Jackson who were in the vehicle at the time of the shooting or should have known his acts would likely inflict such distress. During the press conference, Romanucci pointed to other officer-involved shootings in Illinois and said Taylor "knew he was going to shoot Jakarta." "Four times he (Taylor) told him (Jackson) he was going to shoot him," Romanucci said. "As soon as he (Taylor) stopped and identified Jakarta he knew he was going to shoot him. "It was something that was predictable. It was something that was bound to happen." The damages sought by the plaintiffs include court costs and compensatory and punitive damages to be determined by a jury. Asked for comment on Wednesday, the city released a brief statement in the afternoon: "The City of Rock Island and the Rock Island Police Department became aware this morning, June 11, 2025, of a civil lawsuit filed by the family of Jakarta Jackson. Due to pending litigation, the City and Police Department will not be commenting at this time." Day of the shooting, Jan. 5, 2025 On the afternoon of Jan. 5, Taylor was patrolling in Rock Island when he discovered a Ford Fusion with window tinting he thought was too dark, beyond what is allowed by law. After running the license plate, Taylor found the car was registered to Jackson, 21, who had a failure to appear arrest warrant in a misdemeanor case. Taylor then followed Jackson's vehicle, which he parked in front of a home on 12th Street. Taylor exited his own vehicle and began yelling for Jackson to "come here," according to the suit. Jackson then ran around the home with Taylor chasing him, before jumping back into the still-running Ford Fusion. Also in the Ford Fusion at the time were five other people, including Jackson's three-year old daughter and six-year-old nephew. Jackson then got into the drivers seat and shut the door, according to previous reporting. Taylor used his baton to smash the driver's side window before opening the door. Taylor attempted to pull Jackson out of the vehicle, but a struggle ensued. The vehicle was in drive, but the man in the passenger's seat put the car in park. Jackson put the vehicle back into drive. At this time, Taylor was half in, half out of the vehicle while struggling with Jackson, who was now driving the Ford Fusion through grass. Taylor freed his service weapon from its holster and fired into the vehicle, striking Jackson several times. The vehicle came to a stop and Taylor called in the shots fired incident at 3:21 p.m. Taylor removed Jackson from the vehicle as two additional officers arrived on scene. One used his department-issued first aid kit and all three officers began to render aid and called for an ambulance. Jackson was taken to UnityPoint Health-Trinity, Rock Island, where he was pronounced dead. Immediately following the shooting, McCloud requested the Rock Island County Integrity Task Force respond. Illinois law requires an outside agency or task force to investigate an officer-involved shooting. Weeks later, the task force completed its investigation and submitted the body of evidence it collected, including body and dash cam footage, to the state's attorney's office. By the end of the month Dora Villarreal, the Rock Island County state's attorney, announced the shooting against Jackson was justified and Taylor would not be charged. In her statement, Villarreal said that the use of force "by Officer Taylor was proportional to the threat Jackson posed. Jackson was in a running vehicle and deliberately shifted into drive with Officer Taylor hanging on and being dragged, at this point Jackson was using the vehicle as a deadly weapon." Therefore, she added, "it was entirely lawful for Officer Taylor to respond with equal or greater force, in a quick response due to the rapid unfolding of events." Under those circumstances, Villarreal said, Taylor's decision to shoot Jackson was "objectively reasonable and no criminal charges against Officer Taylor are supported by the facts." The shooting and the decision sparked multiple protests throughout January and February. Among the demands from protestors was the release of body cam footage from the day of the shooting. The footage was eventually released. The suits allegations Taylors use of deadly force against Jakarta was objectively unreasonable and violated Jakartas clearly established federal constitutional rights, the plaintiffs argue in the suit. Romanucci pointed out Taylor originally stopped Jackson because the officer thought the tint of the vehicle's windows was too dark. The suits arguments include that during the incident, Jackson made no verbal threats of harm toward Taylor or another person. He did not hit, lunge at or try to strike Taylor. Attorney Maura White stressed during the press conference that once Jackson was in his car, he held up his hands and asked "What did I do." The plaintiffs also contend Jackson did not make any movements suggestive of being armed nor did he grab a weapon. A Rock Island police incident reports states nothing of note was found in the vehicle, the suit states. A report on shooting from the Rock Island County States Attorneys Office states no weapons were found on Jackson or in the vehicle. In the suit, the plaintiffs argue that Taylors actions during incident were taken under color of state law and within the scope of his employment. The city and McCloud are liable for the alleged misconduct and the resulting injuries because Taylors actions resulted from their policies or lack of policies, practices and customs, the suit states. During the media conference, Romanucci alluded to the 2020 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers in an attempt to explain why Jackson initially ran from Taylor after the stop. "George Floyd knew if he went into police custody he had a very good chance of maybe not coming out of it because of the racist police tactics that existed in Minneapolis ... it's no different here," he said. The suit also alleges willful and wanton conduct. Taylor had a duty, in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois, to exercise care in his interactions with Jakarta, and a duty to refrain from willful and wanton conduct in his interactions with Jakarta, which could cause Jakarta harm, the suit contends. The plaintiffs argue Taylor breached that duty in one or more of multiple ways listed in the suit, including failing to de-escalate the situation and by using excessive and inappropriate deadly force on Jackson. The suit also alleges McCloud acted in a willful and wanton manner toward Jackson when he also had a duty to exercise care during interactions with him. In the counts alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress, the suit argues Taylors actions during the arrest attempt were extreme and dangerous and caused severe emotional distress to three of Jacksons relatives who were in the car, including two children. The courts Defendants named in a lawsuit often file their own document in the case in which they answer the allegations against them. As of early Wednesday afternoon, the defendants in the Jackson suit had not done so. David Byrne is returning to the charts with his first new solo album in seven years. David Byrne is launching a new album and a tour this year The 73-year-old Talking Heads star is releasing Who Is the Sky? - his first solo project since 2018s American Utopia - in September and it features arrangements by New York chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra as well as contributions from St. Vincent, Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams and the Smile drummer Tom Skinner. Byrne said in a statement: "Someone I know said: David, you use the word 'everybody' a lot'. "I suppose I do that to give an anthropological view of life in New York as we know it. Everybody lives, dies, laughs, cries, sleeps and stares at the ceiling. "Everybodys wearing everybody elses shoes, which not everybody does, but I have done. "I tried to sing about these things that could be seen as negative in a way balanced by an uplifting feeling from the groove and the melody, especially at the end, when St. Vincent and I are doing a lot of hollering and singing together. Music can do that - hold opposites simultaneously. "I realized that when singing with Robyn earlier this year. Her songs are often sad, but the music is joyous." He went on to add: "At my age, at least for me, theres a dont give a shit about what people think attitude that kicks in. I can step outside my comfort zone with the knowledge that I kind of know who I am by now and sort of know what Im doing. "That said, every new set of songs, every song even, is a new adventure. Theres always a bit of: 'How do I work this?' Ive found that not every collaboration works, but often when they do, its because Im able to clearly impart what it is Im trying to do. "They hopefully get that, and as a result, were now joined together heading to the same unknown place." Byrne has released the album's first single Everybody Laughs and will hit the road for a world tour later this year. The trek kicks off in North American in September - with the first show in Providence, Rhode Island on September 14 - before heading to Australia and New Zealand in January and then on to the UK and Europe and in February. The tour is due to conclude in Paris, France on March 19. Quad-Cities residents were out in force on Tuesday in three separate protests designed to get an anti-Immigrations and Customs Enforcement message across. Three protests were held in Davenport throughout Tuesday afternoon and evening. Protests are taking place across the country in response to immigration enforcement efforts taken by President Donald Trump's administration. 1 p.m. protest Around 15 people rallied against ICE in downtown Davenport at 1 p.m. Tuesday, in the first of three protests different Quad-Cities groups held against federal immigration enforcement Tuesday. Protesters began at Bechtel Park before marching along Second Street to Main Street before returning along Third Street. As they marched, the protesters waved pro-immigrant signs and chanted "Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here," and "No justice, no peace, no ICE, no police." The political group Nefesh Min Lozen, a partner group with One Human Family QCA, organized the protest. Alexandria Friend, an organizer with Nefesh Min Lozen, said they organized the protest in solidarity with the thousands of Los Angeles residents who protested against federal immigration authorities from Friday to Monday. Friend said at a later protest that as someone who is Chicana, mass deportations and ICE raids "hit pretty close to heart." The three protests in Davenport throughout the day were a sign that people care deeply about this issue. "It's not competition," Friend said. "One organization takes a different hour, a different time, so we all have different speakers, different chants, different messages and signs, and even people, so everyone can start coming out and being able to be a part of the resistance." Thousands began mostly peaceful protests in downtown Los Angeles Friday after ICE arrested more than 40 people across the city. On Sunday and Monday, President Donald Trump ordered 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to quell the protests against the wishes of California Governor Gavin Newsom. California has sued Trump in an attempt to roll back the deployment. Between Saturday and Monday, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested 50 people on charges including failure to disperse, assault, looting and attempted murder with a Molotov cocktail, according to a statement released on X. On Monday, protests broke out in other cities including San Francisco, New York City, Austin, Dallas, Chicago and elsewhere. Protests took place Tuesday as well, including in Chicago. Beth Cook, 68, said she attended the Bechtel Park protest because she stood in solidarity with protesters from Los Angeles. She described Trump's response to the California protests as "not helpful" and the large-scale detaining and removal of immigrants as "outrageous." Cook, who just attended the small Tuesday protest, held a rainbow sign reading "Disarm Hate" in English and Spanish. "When it's a smaller crowd, it reinforces the importance of me being here," she said. 4 p.m. protest In the second anti-ICE protest held in Davenport on Tuesday, dozens of protesters lined the roads at the intersection of Locust and Brady streets outside of Madison Elementary School. Sara O'Callaghan, of Davenport, said she began to organize the protest less than 24 hours before it was held and was very pleased with the turnout on such short notice. "I want to show solidarity with our immigrant population, our immigrant community locally and across the country," she said. "I want to just see more people wake up to the fact that we're in a constitutional crisis." The daughter of an immigrant, O'Callaghan said she is shocked, disillusioned and frightened by the use of force in Los Angeles and deportations across the country. The Rev. Katie Styrt, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Milan, held a sign which said "Stop ICE raids" in one arm and her youngest daughter in the other. Her husband, Philip Goldfarb Styrt, held their older daughter's hand, who clutched a similar sign. The two young girls decorated the protest signs they and their parents were holding. "We want to teach our children that when something is happening in the community that you don't approve of or you think is wrong, you tell people," Goldfarb Styrt said. "You protest, you don't just lump it." Styrt said being a part of the protest is living into her faith and values. "It's not right that immigrants should be taken away from their homes and separated from their families and sent to prison," she said. "We want to speak up because we're hoping other people will speak up as well." 6 p.m. protest With the sun setting and the humidity high, a third group assembled in front of the federal courthouse on Fourth Street. They started as a group of about 20 but quickly grew to a group of 50 people and counting by 6:30 p.m. Protestors carried signs of all shapes and sizes, but most were dressed in red and black the colors of the sponsoring group the Democratic Socialists of America Quad-Cities chapter. Local co-chair James Blue organized the protest, last minute, he admitted, but the time to act was imminent. "Somebody has to say something," he said. "We were lucky other people had the same idea, so that was very positive." The motivation for sponsoring the protest was that DSA is always focused on worker's rights, he said, and that should include migrant workers as well. "We believe that migrant rights are workers rights," he said. "We believe that they deserve dignity and respect just like anybody else does. Not because they are an exploitable tax base or because their labor is so cheap ... but because they are workers who deserve dignity and respect." While he spoke, the crowd in the background was chanting while waving signs and cheering as drivers honked their horns driving by. Standing above the crowd on a barrier block was East Moline resident and Black Hawk Community College student Rainy Woods. Woods had not been to many protests in the past, but after seeing what was happening in LA with the National Guard called in to protests, the decision was an easy one. Carrying a sign that read "no one is illegal on stolen land," Woods said the goal was to get across the message that no families or folks following the law should be separated. Expressing concern about immigrants being arrested at immigration hearings and at their own jobs, Woods said thinking about how much farther the process could go was a scary thought.